Movie_Reviews Reviews

Unfrosted (2024)

Just not funny

[2/10 · 4 May 2024]

Wonderful colours and photo, which is why I gave it a two, instead of a one. But that is all because apart from that this movie totally sucks. Going in I thought maybe that the low score was because of Seinfeld fan boys wanting something similar to that TV show - a show I never followed myself. But no, that was not the issue. The issue at hand is that this movie, and every character and attempt to jokes in it, is just plain stupid. It makes me really wonder how it is possible to make such a mess out of every single attempt to a joke.

Oh, by the was I watched this together with my girlfriend and she also thought it was a complete waste of digital space.

Dune: Part Two (2024)

Never ending story about Al-Qaeda

[5/10 · 11 April 2024]

Why is it that whenever someone wants to create something "epic" they make it go on forever? Close to three hours makes at least me becoming quite bored. The cast is magnificent: Timothée Chalamet, Zendaya, Rebecca Ferguson, Josh Brolin, Austin Butler, Florence Pugh, Dave Bautista, Christopher Walken, Léa Seydoux, Stellan Skarsgård, Charlotte Rampling, and Javier Bardem. Only issue I have with that cast is that Timothée Chalamet constantly looks as if he is smiling, even when he is fighting or sad or whatever the situation. No, I cannot stand him. And the whole thing is about a desert sect, much like Al-Qaeda, who are fighting the Great Satan, but where parts of the leaders are teenagers, which I find hard to believe. And they have bombs, missiles, helicopters and laser guns but they still chose to fight with swords, which is super unrealistic.

Ricky Stanicky (2024)

Utter rubbish

[2/10 · 7 April 2024]

Zac Efron and John Cena could not do anything at all for this lackluster idiocy of a movie. In fact, they did not even try, and I do not blame them because: It is completely lacking everything. And I mean everything. It lacks a script. It lacks good acting. It lacks good photo. It lacks good co-actors. It lacks humour. It lacks ... well, you get the picture, I am sure.

So why see it? There is absolutely no reason whatsoever. Just avoid it like the plague and see some re-runs of older fun movies. If you want Zac Efron then watch "Dirty Grandpa". I would watch that movie ten times over, without pause, rather than watching this crap one more time.

Masters of the Air (2024)

Like an old Elvis movie

[6/10 · 24 March 2024]

It is filmed as if it was an old Elvis movie. I almost expected the main characters to suddenly start singing at awkward moments. Everything is plastic and nothing (apart from some war CGI footage) seems real. This is a far cry from masterpieces like "Band of Brothers", "The Pacific" or "Saving Private Ryan".

Technically very well done, of course, but all characters feels polished, plastic and surreal. There is precious little real emotions, nor is it dark and gritty. And sometimes the focus is on everything else but the Masters of the Air.

I give it a 6 because of the CGI and for the simple fact that it is about WWII.

The Final Race (2023)

A steaming pile of horse manure

[1/10 · 19 March 2024]

I am sure that worse things has been produced before. But throw in a large budget and a stellar cast and this must take some kind of prize, such as "the worst utilized movie budget ever" or "it should be impossible to fail but still they managed".

Now, I am a man that cannot stand the Swedish "buskis" genre. I despise Markoolios mother. I loath "Morran and Tobias". So, if you are like me, then just stay away from this utter rubbish.

However, should be avid followers of the above stuff, then maybe this is actually something for your demented brain to dwell upon. If you have absolutely no taste, combined with a very low IQ: Then go ahead!

Land of Bad (2024)

It is actually quite ok

[6/10 · 16 February 2024]

Not as bad as I feared. There is absolutely no nitty-gritty feel to it. Nothing dark or foreboding. Nothing really suspenseful. No, it floats gently on the surface, fairly nice, controlled and polished. But on the other hand it is mostly fairly realistic and surprisingly gory. The enemies cannot aim if their lives depended on it (which it actually does, making it even more surprising that they cannot aim) and hand grenades has huge explosions, tearing down walls and stuff. But overall fairly realistic, still.

So yeah, I would give it a 6.5. Absolutely not a 7 and since 6.5 does not exist I am forced to give it a 6.

The Beekeeper (2024)

Horrible script. Horrible acting.

[2/10 · 2 February 2024]

The worst thing about this flick is the acting. Sure, you have some seasoned talents but they mostly go through the moves. Even Jeremy Irons goes like "hey, wait.. why am I here?".

And then I have not even mentioned the supporting actors. If the supreme ones seem like they are sleepwalking, then the supporting ones are just like horribly bad. Worst of all is Emmy Raver-Lampman who absolutely cannot have passed any acting class whatsoever.

It is all so tragic. I have not seen anything as bad since "The Meg" and I am really trying my best to stay clear of the garbage put out these days, mainly watching old re-runs.

Dream Scenario (2023)

Great start and a great idea

[7/10 · 26 December 2023]

Dream Scenario is one of those movies that in the beginning just blows your mind away: A guy that is suddenly inside everyone's dreams. I just loved the concept. And then the dreams change and the situation of fame for Nicholas Cage's persona suddenly changes dramatically. So far so good. This is awesome stuff. But then suddenly the movie goes political and points out Joe Rogan and Tucker Carlson specifically. Why? Why can we not just be entertained, why do you have to do this? The movie would have scored higher without this, for me.

And the ending is a bit boring. I understand where they are trying to go with this, and it could have been a movie in its own right, but it was not needed here.

The Family Plan (2023)

Michelle Monaghan is great!

[6/10 · 15 December 2023]

Mark Wahlberg plays Mark Wahlberg, as usual. Michelle Monaghan is absolutely wonderful. Strangely enough neither of these two shows up in IMDB:s "Top Cast" list.

The little kid is entertaining.

The rest of the cast I do not remember much about, so they did apparently not add too much to it all.

The first half of the movie is fun but the second half is quite boring with stupid "action" that contains absolutely no blood whatsoever. It is strange how you can get a pole through your upper torso and not bleed at all. It is an ultra processed and clean version of "Nobody", albeit with some humour.

OK if you want to be entertained for a couple of hours but not more. Ah yes, did I mention it has Michelle Monaghan in it? ;)

Bad Teacher (2011)

Just laugh - do not ask for a plot

[7/10 · 12 December 2023]

Bad Teacher is the perfect role for Cameron Diaz and she executes it splendidly. Jason Segel is a favourite of mine and he does ok, although you can see that he really wishes that he did not have to hold back, that he is not the center of attention in this one. Justin Timberlake is, as always, Justin Timberlake. He must be the only person that actually managed to cross the threshold from music to movies. Lucy Punch is great. The other actors are also doing a good job (sorry for not having the time to name you all)!

BUT the best performance goes to. Phyllis Smith who really holds the entire movie together with her small comments.

Anyhow, this movie is fun. It is not thoughtful. It is not politically correct. It is just fun.

When I watched it back in 2011 I cannot remember thinking it was all that fun. But now in 2023 when almost no fun movies are released at all anymore, I just love it.

Leave the World Behind (2023)

Everything is top notch!

[8/10 · 11 December 2023]

Julia Roberts, Ethan Hawke, Mahershala Ali and even Kevin Bacon shows up at the end. TA star studded cast that performs excellent, and even the supporting actors are good, especially the little girl, I would say.

Add to that a fair bit of mystery, a great photo and an interesting plot. Oh, and the CGI is really well done.

Director Sam Esmail has really done a wonderful job! My whole family thought so. My son even said something like "it might have been the best movie I have ever seen".

Budget wise they clearly had some dollars to play around with: Everything is top notch.

I have read some reviews from people that does not like the ending. I, for one, thought the ending was nothing but perfet.

Killers of the Flower Moon (2023)

An hour too long

[7/10 · 9 December 2023]

This is a very good movie, but it could have been told in an hour less. Fantastic actors such as Robert De Niro and Leonardo DiCaprio. Even Brendan Fraser and John Lithgow shows up at the end.

I can't understand why this couldn't have been done in 2 hours. The plot didn't warrant it, and the acting almost held it up. But we could all see where this was going.

The court sequence was way too long and muddled the nature of the story. Is it an historical account of what happened to these poor people? Is it a story about duplicity in a relationship? Is it about greed and human nature? Is it about psychopaths? Or a court room drama?

For me, it would have been an 8/10 if it didn't drag on unnecessarily. Great acting. Great story. Just drawn out.

Rumble Through the Dark (2023)

Aaron Eckhart. And then basically nothing.

[5/10 · 18 November 2023]

And not even Aaron Eckhart is very good. Well, he is in a way but I sure do not believe in his character one bit. And the girl playing the Lady with tattoos is just plain a horrible actress. I think the only believable person / character is the Circus Director. The story is simple and the efforts to infuse this with "heartfelt moments" are just lengthy and tragic: In fact the whole middle part of the movie is more or less these slow and horribly boring heartfelt moments. The bare knuckle fighting that was advertised did not even try to be believable and in any case he constantly used brass knuckles.

Quiz Lady (2023)

Do you like hysterical Asian Women?

[2/10 · 15 November 2023]

If hysterical, screaming and weird Asian women is your thing then this is the movie for you: It features nothing but. It is not my thing. Far from it. Zero points.

Will Ferrell does the same game host as in Saturday Night Live. Two points.

Now, we are all different with different tastes. So I am not telling you not to see this. Far from it. So it is a great thing that someone has made a movie about two hysterical and constantly screaming Asian ladies. The world really needed this film, because I do not think this particular and peculiar flavor has been adequately catered to.

For me, I have different a taste and will try to find something else for my delicate palate.

Oppenheimer (I) (2023)

Epic but too long and wrong focus

[7/10 · 12 November 2023]

Fantastic film in so many aspects, such as acting and craftmanship: One of the greats in that aspect. However, as a viewer, I would have wished for a shorter film, possibly around two hours, and one that was focused more on the creation and testing of the bomb. I realise that the name of the movie is "Oppenheimer" and not "The Bomb", but it would still have been more interesting than following a quite tedious political game, the cancel culture of it's time. As it stands now it should have ended after the Trinity test. Everything beyond that point is where most of the excess time and not so interesting things where.

A Day and a Half (2023)

An emotional ride

[7/10 · 1 September 2023]

This is simply one of the better Swedish movies that I have seen in a long time. It is an emotional ride both for the viewer and for the main characters and the script is very well done: Very believable. Me being a father of course makes the story all the more emotional.

The main characters are played by excellent actors and I would especially like to mention Fares Fares and Alexej Manvelov who has done a lot of excellent work before.

Swedish movies nowadays are often very hollow and empty and the main motive for them is to showcase as much diversity as possible. This movie also has diversity, in a way, but in this case it makes sense. And the actors are chosen for the simple fact that they are good actors, and nothing else.

The Gates (2023)

Everything but the murderer was wrong

[4/10 · 1 August 2023]

One known name to head the poster: Check!

Found old prison to serve as the place where to shoot almost the entire movie: Check!

Apart from above everything about this movie is awful. Terribly awful. Oh, apart from the mass murderer, because he was actually kind of cool.

This movie reminds me of a too long and drawn out episode of some campy Sherlock Holmes episode for teenagers. Everything, apart from maybe the first two minutes, is absolutely wrong. Which is quite interesting in a way. Did they use some other director for the first two minutes, I wonder, because the first two minutes were actually dark and bloody. Immediately after that everything turned horribly boring with a horribly boring script and cast.

The Beanie Bubble (2023)

Hard to follow and without a beard

[4/10 · 30 July 2023]

The title sort of sums it up for me. There was a lot of jumping back and forth in time and it was quite hard to follow when was when and when it was. Is it impossible to just tell things in a straight line?

Now I understand why Zach Galifianakis has always had a beard. The bland reason is that he looks really strange without one. Not just "I am not used to it" strange but, in fact, really strange: The bottom half of his face just isn´t.. there.

The story is very interesting but for some reason the film makers chose to focus on so called "sexism" instead of the fact that the US was in a grip of a tulip fever-style mass hysteria. Basically they took a part of history and did not tell the relevant parts, but used it as a vehicle for their own political reasons. Which is sad.

Jack Reacher (2012)

Incredibly much better than the recent TV series

[8/10 · 26 October 2022]

This is how you do Jack Reacher. Recently they made a TV series that did not get it at all. This movie gets it. And more.

Tom Cruise, Rosamund Pike, Richard Jenkins, Werner Herzog, Jai Courtney. I mean, wow! Such actors.

And, as usual, when Tom Cruise is involved, it is serious business. The dialogue is spot on. The action is great. The actors are carefully chosen, and man: Do they deliver!

I am sure that this is how Lee Child imagined Jack Reacher and that he was pretty sad when they did the TV series. OK, Tom Cruise is not tall, but he sure does make Jack Reacher look good. And, again, when Tom does something there is no other consideration but to deliver.

Man vs. Bee (2022)

This is the story of a sad and psychotic little man

[5/10 · 9 July 2022]

This is the story of a sad and psychotic little man, who really should be incarcerated in an asylum rather than roaming freely - much less taking care of other people's property. It is a sad story about human frailty and the weakness of the mind.

The bee (or bumblebee, really) is very well made. Much less psychotic.

Ricky Gervais: SuperNature (2022 TV Special)

Ricky Gervais is the pillar on which free speech rests.

[10/10 · 28 May 2022]

As is so much from this man: This is great and potent stuff. First of all I laughed my head off watching it and secondly I would like to humbly thank Ricky Gervais for being such a stand up guy, doing stand-up like this. We are all in your debt!

The Northman (2022)

It was ok but far from great

[7/10 · 16 May 2022]

The plot is quite standard: Revenge and blind rage. But it was not half as gory as I had hoped and not half as exciting. Björk & Dafoe presences seemed to mainly have been for name dropping and what Nicole Kidman is a mystery, given that she was supposedly the grand price for the two kings. She is far too old to be a grand price, let me tell you that. I was happy to see that a lot of work had gone into making the overall "Viking theme" seem quite authentic, including having actors that looked as if might have lived during this time. Apart from a Swedish actor that looked mostly as if he came from the Mongolian Huns. But in any case I did not feel overly bored at any time during the 2h 17m the movie lasted, so that is a good grade in itself.

Operation Mincemeat (2021)

Totally unnecessary love plot

[6/10 · 16 May 2022]

The idea for the film is good and solid. However, it is diluted to the absurd with some weird menage a trois love plat that, if removed, would shorten the movie with a much needed half an hour.

Anonymous (I) (2011)

Beautiful movie

[7/10 · 11 May 2022]

A real treat for anyone who enjoys costumes and such. The "environment" such as houses and the like was also fantastically well made. Great performances from everyone. I have no clue if the plot has any base in reality or not, though. Me and my girlfriend had a bit of problem following who was who, since they jumped a lot back and forth in time and just about everybody was named "Earl" this and that.

But in short: A treat for the eyes!

Ghostbusters: Afterlife (2021)

Better. But who is it made for?

[6/10 · 13 January 2022]

This version is vastly superior to the 2016 version. But who was it made for? Young people has not, and most probably will not, see the 1984 version. So the consumers of this 2021 version are most probably the people who were 10-30 years old 1984. Why then have the iconic Ghostbusters music only in the end, as if ashamed for it? Why then have teenage actors?

The focus group, like myself, enjoyed Paul Rudd. That was a clever move. But skip the teenage actors and just do the same thing with maybe Paul Rudd, Vincent Vaugh, Owen Wilson and Jason Segel as the actual Ghost Busters. With lots and lots of the iconic ghost busters music. Just do the exact same thing but with actors we can relate to and who we love.

You are focusing on the wrong people here, hence the still mediocre result.