xXx: State of the Union

4/10

American Pie Presents Beta House

2/10

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

8/10

Thirst

9/10

The Bank Job

7/10

Superbad

7/10

Casino Royale

9/10

Point Break

8/10

Surrogates

6/10

Center Stage: Turn It Up

4/10

2012

7/10

State of Play

7/10

Pulp Fiction

10/10

Public Enemies

8/10

Jennifer's Body

5/10

Drag Me to Hell

6/10

Zombieland

7/10

Brüno

5/10

G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra

4/10

"Battlestar Galactica"

Season 1:

9/10



















Season 2:

9/10



















Season 3:

9/10



















Season 4:

Season rating: 9/10
Overall rating: 9/10

Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels

9/10

The Castle

8/10

Scarface

10/10

Crocodile Dundee

5/10

Ghost Town

6/10

District 9

9/10

L.A. Confidential

8/10

Star Trek

7/10

13th District

8/10

Ong Bak 2: The Beginning

6/10

Ong-Bak: The Thai Warrior

8/10

Crank: High Voltage

05.05.2009

Chev Chelios is back after miraculously surviving the fall from the helicopter. The only problem is that Chinese gangsters have switched his heart with an electric one. To survive he has to get regular jolts of electricity.

A lot can be said about the second crank movie and most of it is probably true. It takes the elements of the first movie and increases them in every way possible. Pretty much everything is in some way or another bigger, better or longer.

Lets start with the parts I liked. The story actually made some sense and is not just something they wrote in a few days. Most of the characters are explained in some way or another and the plot seems reasonable considering where the first one ended. Chev is on the hunt for his real heart and on his mission he runs into both new people, and people from the first film. I also liked that they added more humor. The one liners are insane and some of the dialog will have you rolling on the floor. There are also some incredibly funny scenes throughout the flick. The improved sex scene for example is just so insane I was stunned. The makers have kept the videogame feel from the first Crank. Random parts are subtitled and other information is shown on the screen. All this helps give the movie the Crank feel I loved about the first one.

Sadly not everything is perfect. The camerawork can get a little to jerky and the editing is weird at times. The movie also suffers from trying to much. It tries to be even more over the top and crazy than the first one. It succeeds with this but it becomes to much and for me this ruined it quite a bit. There are some totally random scenes as well that made very little sense.

Overall its a great action comedy and a worthy second movie. It is great fun to watch as long as you don't take anything seriously. It has its flaws however preventing this from being even better than the first one. It still deserves a strong 7/10. I promise you will laugh.

19.08.2009

8/10 

Snatch.

9/10

Battlestar Galactica

7/10

"Harper's Island"

A group of people travel to Harper's Island because of a wedding they are all invited too. Soon people start dying and no one knows who the killer is. As fewer and fewer people are left the truth is slowly revealed.

I had heard good things about Harper's Island so I sat down one day and started watching. A few days later I was finished with all 13 episodes and it was time to evaluate. The premise of the show is fairly similar to the well known Agatha Christie novel: "And Then There Were None" but the story is a bit more complex.

The story is one of the better aspects of the show. Although it drags out at times the overall experience is very good. At first glance it seems as though there are story elements that are not explained very well or overlooked, but almost all loose ends are explained in later episodes. The episodes are also filled with clues and hints and I think a second viewing will be just as rewarding. I have been told that many people guessed the murderer pretty early on, but for me it came as a surprise when it was revealed. The plot is not very realistic, but that did not ruin the show in my opinion.

The acting is more average with big differences between the good and bad ones. Elaine Cassidy and Katie Cassidy are both great in their roles and a real pleasure to watch, but the rest of the cast are more average and pull down the overall experience.

Harper's Island has it's fair share of action and violence and I was satisfied with the amount shown. There is always a undertone of horror in the scenes. The directing is very good quality throughout most of the show.

Harper's Island is a great mini-series that will keep you entertained from start to finish. It has it's slow parts that pulls the overall score down and certain elements of the story are a bit far fetched. Still, the plot is well written and I was always guessing who the murderer could be. My overall score is 7/10

"Dark Angel"

Season 1:

The show focuses on Max Guevera, a genetically-enhanced human who escaped from a lab project as a child together with 12 others. She is now living in a post-apocalyptic world were the police controls almost everything.

Dark Angel is created by James Cameron and Charles H. Eglee. Many may know that Cameron is the man behind the Terminator series and the upcoming sci-fi movie "Avatar". I stumbled across this while browsing the internet and figured I would give it a shot since it looked like something I might enjoy.

Dark Angel features Jessica Alba as Max Guevera and this is the show that made her popular and known. She does a great job with her character based on the material she is given to work with. Michael Weatherly who portrays Logan Cale is also great in his role. The rest of the cast are decent as well, but nothing spectacular.

The story is not very original, but the makers have created a world that is fairly believable. Each episode has its own sub plot in addition to the ongoing main story. The episode quality is very varied. Some episodes are very strong and others are boring and do little to nothing towards the overall plot.

The main problem lies in the action scenes. The fights, jumps and shooting has a strong B-movie feel and I have a feeling it is because of a low budget. It is still enjoyable to watch, but you can't help thinking about the obvious wires the actors are using when for instance performing jumps. Dark Angel is not a horrible show. It has its own style and is entertaining to watch. But it is not amazing ether. I hope that the second season will be better. 7/10

The One

The reality we live in is not one universe, but several parallel universes. There is a man named Yulaw who is traveling between these universes and killing of his alternate self in order to become The One.

The One is one of those movies that I have watched numerous times over the years and every time I do I realize that it's not that fantastic, yet everytime I find it to be highly enjoyable. Sometimes a movie does not have to be a masterpiece in order to be rewatchable and The One is a perfect example.

Jet Li stars as both Yulaw and Gabe Law. Yulaw is trying to kill Gabe Law in order to become The One. It's nice to see that he can pull of two different characters in the same movie. While the acting is not perfect from him or the rest of the cast, it is not horrible ether.

What The One does best is action and martial arts scenes and it is filled with it. The action scenes are very cool to watch with slow motion mixed with fast paced fights. Especially the last fight where Jet Li is fighting himself is great to watch. Anyone into sci-fi martial arts is going to love this flick.

One of the problems with the movie is the story, the premise is actually pretty original, but the execution is not as good. The multiverse police is poorly implemented and it is unclear in what universe the people became aware of the existence of the other universes or that non of the other universes are aware of them. In addition the prison colony that is shown in the end of the movie looks more like a distant planet than a place on earth.

The One is a very entertaining action movie that has the ability to be fun to watch over and over again. It is not a masterpiece but does not try to be ether. If you want some brainless fun with a cool twist and martial art fights by Jet Li this is great choice. 7/10

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

Harry Potter returns to Hogwarts for his fifth year but finds that the Ministry of Magic is slowly taking control over the school. Since the Ministry of Magic refuses to believe that Voldemort has come back, Dumbledore and his followers re-activate their own group called the Order of the Phoenix.

The problem with movies based on books is that they can never include everything that the book had, so it comes down to what is include and how important that is to the overall story. Michael Goldenberg is responsible for the screenplay in this fifth movie in the Harry Potter series and I must say that he has done a good job. My only concern is that this is probably the movie in the series with least ability to stand on its own since the story is heavily influenced by the previous books/films.

If you have like me watched the previous movies the Order of the Phoenix is a great addition to the family. Our main characters are now well in their teens and the story is a lot more serious and dark. The fantasy monsters and childish spells are replaced with a much more grown up atmosphere, things are becoming serious and dangerous. This is an evolution that is present in the book series and it is good to see that this is also the same for the film.

Our main cast are on top of the game again and I was also pleasantly surprised by the rest of the cast. It was nice to see more from Ginny Weasley (Bonnie Wright), Matthew Lewis (Neville Longbottom) and Gary Oldman (Sirius Black). Evanna Lynch is one of the newcomers starring as Luna Lovegood and she delivers a great role, but the best new actor is easily Imelda Staunton as the controlling Dolores Umbridge.

Responsible for music is this time Nicholas Hooper, but I was not that impressed. His score is not close to as good as John Williams' and I felt that it was lacking something. It doesn't have the right Harry Potter feeling to it that the previous films had. Special effects however are great and used in the right amount. The fireworks scene and the ending are great examples.

As the books become longer the movies get increasingly harder to make, but overall the Order of the Phoenix is a great addition to the series. It has some problems as an independent movie, but as a continuation of the story it works perfectly. The acting is top notch and most of the mandatory plot elements are included. At some point the viewer has to acknowledge that everything cannot be included and I was satisfied with the job that the team has done. 8/10

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

It's Harry Potter's forth year at Hogwarts and he is unwillingly selected to join a dangerous competition between three wizard schools. At the same time there are speculations that Voldemort is returning.

It is Mike Newell that takes over the directing chair in this forth installment in the massively popular Harry Potter series. With three very well made movies already released it must have been a challenging task to try and do the same yet again. Another thing to mention is that while the previous three books where not enormous, the forth was quite a bit longer which makes the task even harder.

Steve Kloves is again responsible for the screenplay and it is a challenging task he has. I was fairly satisfied and all the most important facts and information has reached the movie, but with such a large book it is impossible to get everything into the film. Directing wise I felt as though the movie did not have the same seamless flow as the previous ones and especially Prisoner of Azkaban. The story jumps to fast between important scenes that left me with a feeling that important plot elements where not explained or explored enough.

Acting is also slightly worse than the previous movie, but not by much. The acting team still work great together. The problem is that there are to many characters that need time on screen leaving not enough time for the main cast to evolve throughout the school year/movie. I was pleasantly surprised by Brendan Gleeson in his role as Professor Alastor 'MadEye' Moody.

Patric Doyle takes over as "music man" and works further with John Williams' previous themes. He does a decent job, but I think that John Williams would have done it better. Special effects are as always amazing and fantastic to watch. I really liked the dragons and the underwater fish people. Voldemort looked terrifying, but his 'birth' animation was a tad cheesy.

Overall Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire is a worthy addition to the series. It does not have all the qualities of its predecessors, but it is still a highly entertaining movie. The acting is good and the effects and landscapes look beautiful. However the flow of the movie is a bit choppy and the story unfolds to fast without proper depth. My overall score is 7/10

Out of Time

A police chief finds himself in trouble when a double homicide is discovered and all the evidence leads to him.

Denzel Washington has always been an actor I have great respects for. He has starred in some great movies and always seem to take his roles seriously. I had not heard about Out of Time before, but it sparked my interest due to the cast and what seemed to be an interesting story.

The story is fairly often used and not that original. Someone is killed and the main character discovers that all the evidence leads to him. So he must find out who the real killer is before he himself is caught. It is not the story that makes this movie interesting, but the execution. We start of with a longer than normal introduction of the main characters and get to know them, then when the murders happen, the movie accelerates and the thriller aspects of the movie really kicks in. From there and almost to the end the movie moves at a very fast pace and it is at times hard to keep track of everything.

Denzel Washington pulls of a decent performance as police chief Matthias Lee Whitlock although it is not one of his best performances. Eva Mendes is equally decent, but overall the acting is not as good as I was hoping for. In addition there are several counter-intuitive plot turns and although the twist in the end came as a surprise, I was left with a feeling that the whole story would have been more realistic if Whitlock just explained everything from the start. This would of course remove the whole story of the movie, but all the hassle he has to go trough to prove his innocence seems a bit fruitless.

I did like the directing and editing. The opening title sequence was very cool and one of the better I have seen, the colors used fit the Florida setting and there are some beautiful shots of local Florida. There is one more thing I would like to comment on and that is one of the sex scenes. When was the last time you had sex with all your clothes on?

Out of Time is an entertaining thriller, but nothing more than that. It will probably leave your brain after a few weeks as just another movie. I did like the fast paced part and Denzel was not bad, but the movie will leave you with a feeling that everything that happened could have been prevented. 7/10

Shallow Grave

Three friends decide to get another flatmate, but things take a turn for the worse when they soon after find him dead in his room with a briefcase loaded with cash.

Danny Boyle has made some of the best movies I have seen including "Trainspotting" and "Slumdog Millionaire" and I was therefore very curious how good Shallow Grave would be. Shallow Grave is Boyle's first feature film and it is a decent piece of work.

The story is easy to follow and fairly ordinary, but it is the way Danny Boyle and the actors present it that makes the movie interesting. The movie is more about the effects of our conscience and how it affects everyone differently, than just the normal steal some money, spend some and try and get away with it plot that many other movies have. This is mainly why the movie is better than most similar movies.

The acting is brilliant and in my opinion the strongest part of the movie. Kerry Fox and a young Ewan McGregor are both great in their roles, but it is Christopher Eccleston that really steals the show. Throughout the movie he changes personality completely from being a kind young man, to something much more scary.

Sadly there are a few things that ruins the overall experience. Firstly there are some plot holes and unclear plot events. Especially the ending is confusing and it left me with a feeling that something was not explained properly. Additionally the rest of the cast are not close to as good as the main three. I still think that being Danny Boyle's first feature film, Shallow Grave is a great piece of work and will keep you entertained for its duration. 7/10

Ghost Busters

Three professors in parapsychology team up and start a ghost removal business. They soon realize that what they are facing is something much bigger than first anticipated.

I always though I had watched Ghost Busters before, although it might have been a long time ago. But after viewing it today, I realized it must have been the second movie I saw. Ghost Busters is a classic 80's sci-fi/comedy starring Bill Murray and Sigourney Weaver to mention a few.

It's important to not take the movie to serious, it is after all a comedy as much as anything else. Bill Murray is brilliant as Dr. Peter Venkman and he proves that comedy is something he knows. He melts into the role with charm and humor and at times shadows over the rest of the cast. His counterpart Sigourney Weaver is also great in her role as Dana Barrett, especially when she is consumed by the demon.

The story is well known and fairly easy to follow, but also original. It might not be the deepest or most serious plot out there, but that is not the point ether. By today's standards the plot might seem cheesy, but it fits right in with other similar movies from the 80's. Special effects are also decent. There is a nice blend of comedy and scary effects and they looks good when you take into account that the movie is 25 years old.

Ghost Busters is a fun comedy/sci-fi that everyone should at least watch once. It is no masterpiece, but it will entertain you for its duration. The Ghostbuster theme song has become widely known and is a classic as well, just like the movie. 7/10

Transporter 3

Frank Martin is forced by a gangster to deliver a girl named Valentina. Around his wrist he has a bracelet that explodes if he goes to far away from his car. In addition there are other people trying to stop him from completing the mission and he must also deal with his personal feelings for the girl.

This is the second time I watch Transporter 3. I am a big fan of Jason Statham and have enjoyed most of his movies. The two previous transporter movies were action packed and entertaining and the third installment is not far behind. The transporter series has always been synonym with unbelievable stunts and good looking cars and while Transporter 3 has these ingredients I kept feeling something was missing.

Jason Statham is his usual self and his role as Frank Martin is spot on as usual. Robert Knepper is also great as the bad guy. (Some may recognize him from "Prison Break".) The problem lies with Jasons co-star Natalya Rudakova. There is no doubt she is beautiful, at least by my taste, but her acting is not as great. This is the first movie she stars in and sadly it shows.

The action and stunts are as always great with one exception, there is one scene where Statham flips the car on two wheels in order to get trough two semitrailers. I am all for unrealistic stunts as long as they look cool, but this scene looks plain dumb and I was left with a big WTF?

The story is also pretty hard to follow and even after two viewings I had trouble understanding everything. Some movies grow on a complicated story, but movies like Transporter 3 should be easy to follow to not ruin the fun. In my eyes Transporter 3 is supposed to be an easily enjoyable popcorn flick to entertain you there and then, not something you have to look back at and think what exactly was the plot.

This brings me to the conclusion. Transporter 3 is a decent movie, it entertains and has it's moments. But the story suffers from being to hard to understand and there are some weaknesses in the cast. My personal rating is therefore 6/10

Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children

Two years after the ending of Final Fantasy VII, Sephiroth is gone and the population is affected with the Geostigma disease. However there are still people looking for Jenova in the hopes of bringing Sephiroth back and taking control over the planet. Cloud and friends must stop them before it is to late.

I watched Advent Children for the first time right after it was released and when I heard it was coming out on Bluray in an extended edition I could hardly wait. Now called Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children Complete, it lasts about 2 hours and has a number of new scenes.

My first reaction was that the story is easier to follow this time around. If that was because I have seen it before or because the extra scenes where put in for that purpose I do not know, but the story as a whole made more sense. Still, if you have never played FF7 or Crisis Core it will be harder to understand the theme and plot. Any FF7 fan however will love this addition to the story.

Square Enix is a company that knows animation, not because they have made so many animation movies, but because they are known for the cut scenes in their games. Advent Children is proof that they know how to make a visually stunning feature length movie as well. The quality was amazing in 2005, and still looked surprisingly good in high definition 4 years later. People are animated with amazing detail, but also the background is beautiful and full of details.

No perfect movie without a perfect soundtrack. Thankfully Square Enix used Nobuo Uematsu, the man behind the music from Final Fantasy VII. The music is varied and beautiful and gives the movie that special feel. I was very pleased when the famous Sephiroth song played during the last boss fight.

Being a fan of the Final Fantasy series and especially FF7, it is hard to not give the movie 10/10. I would like to argument that the movie is made for the fans and watched by the fans. With no prior connection to the material I would rate the movie a 9/10.

Watchmen

A group of ex-superheroes team up to stop an evil villain's plan to take over the world.

Let me first start by saying that I watched the normal version and not the director's cut, so my review is based on that. I have been waiting to watch watchmen for a long time and I finally got the chance. Over the years I have watched most of the comic adaptations that have come out of Hollywood, some great and others not so great. But in almost all cases the story has been understandable. Watchmen is the first movie where I really felt that I should have read the comic to fully understand what was going on.

I found the plot and story to be very complicated. It took me a while to understand what the characters really were; normal people, superheroes or ex-superheroes. Without going into detail, the whole explaining sequence in the beginning was hard to follow, and it did not get that much better later on. The main plot was a bit easier to get, but I was still left with a feeling that something was unexplained and that the characters didn't make much sense.

Technically Watchmen is fantastic with great special effects and other technical details. The Mars scenes are beautiful and Dr. Manhattan looks great. Acting is also decent and all of the main cast do great performances. The score also deserves a nod.

I have to admit I was disappointed in Watchmen, but something tells me it is my own fault for not reading the comic first. I have come to understand that the comic is very hard to adopt into a movie from people that have read it. The movie has all the elements needed for a great experience, except a very hard to understand story and characters. If you are a former Watchmen fan I am positive you will enjoy this. If you are like me where this is the first time you enter the world of Watchmen, the experience might be more varied. 6/10

Harsh Times

The story of a psychotic ex soldier trying to get a job with law enforcement. With his friend they hang around in Los Angeles drinking and doing drugs.

I had never heard about Harsh Times before I watched it. I knew that Christian Bale was starring because I looked it up right before I started and decided to watch it because I am a fan of him.

Let me start by saying WOW. Christian Bale is absolutely brilliant in this movie, this has to be one of his best roles to date. Playing the psychotic ex soldier Kim Luther Davis he switches from normal to crazy and back again in seconds. His interpretation of the character is amazing and you really become scared of him while watching. Freddy Rodríguez starring as his buddy also puts on a great show and together they are dynamite.

There isn't much of a plot and the story is easy to follow, but it works in this kind of movie. What drags Harsh Times a bit down is the rest of the cast. Especially Eva Longoria Parker felt miscast. Overall Harsh Times is a great movie with a fantastic performance by Christian Bale I am surprised I had not heard about it before. 8/10