"Heroes"

Season 1:

A group of people discover that they have special abilities and have to learn how to control and cope with it. A doctor from India is following his fathers research and finding a formula that can locate the people with abilities.

The story of people with special abilities has been told several times before, but Heroes is something special. A seemingly random selection of people with no ties are slowly knitted together in one of the best written shows I have seen. The story is extremely good and keeps you watching episode after episode. All the actors are good choices as well and do great jobs. It is clear that they had a good budget making Heroes, and it's a good thing. I also like the way lights and color is used in some of the episodes.

Each season is built as a volume, and I am looking forward to watching Volume 2. This is the second time I watch Volume 1, the first time I gave the show 10/10, after a second viewing I give it a 9/10 It has a few small flaws, but overall it's very enjoyable.

Season 2:

We keep following the people with special abilities and a few new ones are also introduced.

The second season of Heroes continues 4 months after the first season ends with Nathan stopping Peter from blowing up NYC. The story this time around centers around a virus that will erase out 97% of the population and our friends are trying to stop it from happening. We are introduced to new people with abilities both good and bad. The second season is weaker than the first, but this is probably due to the writers strike. This lead to the season being only 11 episodes, meaning they had to cut the story down from the planned 23. They still did a decent job and the season as a whole is very entertaining and exciting. A lot more of the background story is revealed, especially about the company and who started it.

The acting is still top notch around the board, and the special effects are just where they need to be. I am looking forward to season 3. Season 2 gets a 8/10 and overall the show still has 9/10 from me.

Hustle & Flow

A pimp and drug dealer pursues his dream of becoming a hip hop artist.

This movie moved me. It is the tale of how everyone needs to have hope. Even the low life people like pimps and prostitutes. You really connect with them, they are people after all just like you and me. Casting an actor in the main role and not a rapper was a good choice. Terrence Howard does an amazing job as a pimp wanting to become a rapper/hip hop artist. The rest of the cast also do terrific jobs especially the girls playing prostitutes. The songs are catchy as well. It is a feelgood movie. Several times I caught myself smiling and hoping for a good end. And although there is a twist in the end I was satisfied. 8/10

The Devil's Own

A police officer discovers that the man living in his basement is an IRA terrorist.

With the names Harrison Ford and Brad Pitt I was really hoping for a good movie. Sadly it could have been so much better. I like to think it is not the actors fault though. The dialog is crappy and doesn't give them much room to play with. The story itself is interesting enough and with another director this could have been a decent movie, however this is where it fails. The scenes are choppy, a lot of the acting is plain bad and the dialect feels overdone. If it wasn't for Pitt and Ford, who manage to make the movie alright instead of bad, I would probably have turned it off before the end. There are a few good scenes though that show the possibilities off what this could have been.
Overall 6/10

"Day Break"

A policeman is trapped in a timeloop where the day keeps repeating, he has to find out why he is being framed for murder and solve the puzzle.

Wow, what a ride! Why this show was cancelled after it's first season is beyond me. It is one of the most original shows I have seen in a very long time. My first reaction upon watching it was that how can they make 50 different versions of the same day interesting, but they pulled it off. In fact sometimes I forgot It was the same day repeating. Every new version of the day has new clues to the puzzle, making every episode just as exciting. The only negative thing to say about the story is that not everything is explained and there are a few loose threads that are never explained.

The acting is top notch across the board and the attention to detail is superb. It must have been an impossible job too film so many versions of the same situations, but they pulled it off. My head hurts just thinking how it must have been writing the screenplay and connecting all the dots. If you ever get a chance to watch Day Break take it. 9/10

Blood Diamond

The story about a mans search for his family, a diamond smuggler and a journalist. Everything connected trough the finding of a huge diamond. We also see the problem of blood diamonds and the consequences it has on Africa.

It is the third time I watch Blood Diamond and it was just as good each time. Although it is a Hollywood movie it manages like few others to shed some light on the problems Africa is facing every day. This time it being blood diamonds, diamonds being illegally found by rebels and smuggled out of Africa. We see how children are forced to be soldiers in the rebels armies and how far some people are willing to go to get rich.

The story centers around a diamond smuggler played by Leonardo DiCaprio and a journalist played by Jennifer Connelly. They booth deliver solid roles but the best performance is by Djimon Hounsou, playing a man that has lost his family and all he wants is to find them and make sure they are safe.

Although the story itself is not very realistic, the surrounding material is. I believe that the way the movie describes the traffic of blood diamonds and the inhuman acts involved in the process are very real. This is what makes the movie so good. You are left with a sad feeling of how helpless people are in Africa and how much needs to be done. This movie is not to be overlooked and deserves a 10/10

The Dead Girl

The story of several people all connected trough a dead girl.

The movie is split up in several parts all centering around a dead girl. Each story appears to be unrelated, but we just watch the main story from the different characters views. It's a unique way of telling a story, and I have not seen it done exactly in this way before. Each segment also has its own story, with the main theme being relationships both good and bad. The last part is the strongest and the movie overall is a little depressing. But it is a good movie with a strong story and the actors do a great job. I rate it 8/10

Pride and Glory

A story about police corruption, family and loyalty.

The movie was just about what I expected. The story was good, but not perfect. It's a story that has been told before, but this movie did a good job at telling it. We follow a big family where most of them are police officers. One of the brothers discovers that there is corruption amongst the policemen and that his brother and his sisters husband is involved. He then has to deal with the choice of doing something about it and let down his family or keep it a secret. The movie is carried by the actors who do a great job. Edward Norton never fails and Collin Farrell is also great.

All in all a decent movie that keeps you in your seat and gives you some moral dilemmas. 7/10

Basic Instinct

A man is killed with an icepick and it turns out someone wrote a novel with the exact same death. The police with Detective Nick Curran is put on the case, they soon believe the writer of the novel is the suspect.

For some reason I have never seen Basic Instinct before now, but I am glad I did. It's a great movie mixing crime and romance in a way I have never seen before. Sharon Stone is breathtaking and does an awesome job playing Catherine Tramell, the writer of novels where the man always dies in the end. The movie has some strong and graphic sex scenes and the R rating is in place. However they all fit in the story and the way the characters are built and shown. The story itself is great, with a plot twist I thought I had figured out, but it turned out I was wrong. Overall a good detective solving crime movie with a great mix of romance, thanks too the good chemistry between the actors. 8/10

The Boondock Saints

Two brothers set out on a mission to rid Boston of the Mafia and other evil people, while the police are trying to figure out what is going on.

This is one of my all time favorite movies and I have watched it numerous times. Every time I do it gets better and better. Every aspect of the movie is genius, from the amazing shooting scenes, the witty dialog, the great music and the splendid acting and directing. Especially Willem Dafoe does a superb job in his role as the F.B.I agent trying to solve the case.

The way the story is told is special. Unlike most movies, here we first see the crime scene, then as Dafoe's character is explaining what he thinks happened, we see how it all went down. This way works perfectly and makes the movie that much more fun too watch. A lot of thought must have gone in the making of this movie, it works on all levels. Watch it once or 10 times its just as good every time. 10/10

Lucky Number Slevin

A man is mistaken for somebody else and finds himself in the middle of a war between two of the cities biggest crime bosses.

Yet another good movie with a great cast. Every role is filled with great actors. But what makes this movie special is the plot, story and dialog. Especially the dialog is good, with some great jokes. And the story has some great characters. There are a few plot twists that are really hard to predict making it even better. It's similar to Snatch. and those of you that like Snatch. will like this as well. There isn't much negative to say. I was left with a feeling something was missing I could not put my finger on, making my overall score 8/10.

Run, Lola, Run

After getting a call from her boyfriend, who owes a mobster 100.000 mark, she promises to help him. She has 20 minutes to figure something out and get too the telephone booth he is using, or he will rob a grocery store.

I remember watching this German movie a long time ago with my dad, and felt like refreshing my memory. It's a special movie in many ways. We watch 3 different outcomes of the 20 minutes Lola has to help her boyfriend. Each version is different not only in her own actions, but also the outcome of the lives of the people she runs into. It is up to us that are watching to decide if they are 3 different versions of reality, or if she is given 3 chances to help her boyfriend.

The movie is packed with adrenaline from start to finish, its a short movie, but the time is spent very well, you have to be on the edge of your seat the whole time. The team did a great job with editing and directing and of course the acting is superb. A special nod to the music as well, it is great. Only negative thing to say is that the story itself could have been better and there are a few problems believing each segment is only 20 minutes. Overall 8/10.

Traffic

We follow several different stories all connected trough drugs and the "war on drugs".

Traffic is one of those movies that doesn't take a standpoint, it just shows us all the sides. It is up to each viewer to decide where they want to stand in the "war on drugs". It is hard to explain why the movie is as good as it is. I think mostly because it feels very authentic, it does not glorify any side. On top of that the acting is really good, especially Benicio Del Toro.

The visual style of the movie is different and special, a lot of the scenes are ether heavily yellowish or bluish. At first I was unsure if I liked it, but as the movie goes on, it helps determine the mindset of the characters and also gives the different stories more uniqueness. An example would be that most of the scenes in Mexico are all yellowish which I think suits that part of the story. Traffic is probably one of the best movies made on the theme "drugs" and "drug trafficking. 9/10

Paranoid Park

We follow a teenagers actions and thoughts as he copes with a terrible secret.

Paranoid Park is a different movie, it has an all unprofessional cast, but directed by Gus Van Sant. Unlike most movies where teens are played by older people, this movie features people their own age, making everything seem very realistic. So realistic in fact I was thinking throughout the movie, holy shit, that's just how I was feeling when something bad happened. And although we do not know what the main actor is thinking during the scenes, I really felt as though I could connect with him in the way he reacted. This is the main reason I liked this movie. You can connect with the characters in ways, not many movies can display.

The visual style is also fantastic, with parts in low quality or slow motion and others are crystal clear . The movie itself is told trough Alex, the main character, as he is writing what happened in a letter. The story jumps back and forth slowly revealing everything. If you happen to be a skateboard fan this movie also features a lot of skateboarding which I felt fit well with the main story. Overall I give this movie a 9/10.

Event Horizon

A spaceship gone missing 7 years earlier, suddenly reappears, a team is set out to investigate what happened and where the ship has been those years.

Now and then I stumble across amazing movies I have never heard about before, and this is one of them. This amazing gem is a basically 2001: A Space Odyssey meets Hellraiser meets The Shining. The story is good, the acting is great and the atmosphere is downright creepy. It has all the elements of a good sci-fi and all the elements of a good horror. It is one of the few movies I was actually scared while watching, flinching in my seat knowing something horrible was about to happen. And it does, every time you think it can't get much worse it does. The only downside is that the character development could have been better, explaining the inner fears of the crew a bit better. But this is a minor flaw, overall its a really good movie that will please the sci-fi fan just as much as the horror fan. 9/10

The Mask

A banker finds an old mask, when putting it on it transforms him into someone else, doing and acting on his inner desires.

One of many funny movies with Jim Carrey, provoking time and time again that he is an amazing actor. The story itself is a bit cheesy, but the humor is great, the characters are cool and Cameron Diaz is fabulous. This movie was her first role and she pulls it off with ease. Like most comedies you have to have a certain sense of humor to like it, if you are among those that do, you will not be disappointed. 7/10

RocknRolla

London, real-estate scams and thugs. Drug addicts, a missing painting and a lot of money.

Guy Ritchie is back with a new movie. Although not as good as Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels or Snatch. it still has its charm. This time around there is less action and more dialog. And the dialog is the best part of this movie. The story is also really good with a lot of interesting characters. Only downside is that it is a bit hard to follow at times, you really have to pay attention while watching. The movie has the "Guy Ritchie" feel, you will know what I mean when you watch it, that is if you are familiar with his other movies. All in all a 7/10