The Incredible Hulk

Director: Lousie Leterrier
Cast: Edward Norton, Liv Tyler, Tim Roth, William Hurt and more.
Plot outline: Same old story

Well not exactly the same story, we don’t have to be led through the process of his becoming the Hulk, just his struggle to get back to normal and the usual prosecution. Even though the Hulk isn’t exactly my favourite super hero, I think this new version of the story is better than the previous (I haven’t seen the older versions) and it’s actually among the top movies of my list. That ows a lot to Norton and Tyler’s acting skills; the story in itself isn’t enough to earn that place. But sure, you should see it. If nothing else, it definitely beats the Spiderman movies.  

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0800080/

Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber Of Fleet Street

Director: Tim Burton
Cast: Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham Carter, Alan Rickman, Timothy Spall and more
Plot outline: A barber is framed for a crime he didn’t commit by a judge who is after his wife. After many years in labour camp, Benjamin Barker returns as Sweeney Todd to take his revenge. 

Everything about this movie screams Tim Burton, from the cast to the lighting to the make up and the story itself. This alone would be enough for me to adore it, but it is even more than just a Burton-Depp movie. I had never seen the musical prior to seeing the movie, and I was enthused by the music and lyrics, not to mention the acting accompanying that! I am completely taken from the first note in the opening credits, and the scene where Sweeney first enters Mrs Lovett’s shop made fall instantly in love with the characters.  After that , it’s an almost two hours long fest of colourful characters and wonderful music. Another favourite added to my list!  

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0408236/

Morgan Pålsson – Världsreporter

Director: Fredrik Boklund
Cast: Anders Jansson, Johan Wester, Camilla Frey, Karim Rashed med flera
Plot outline: After an embarassing incident, reporter Morgan Pålsson and his cameraman are sent to a backwater African country called Matobo. A sudden coup d’état by an assumed-dead terrorist suddenly puts Matobo in the center of attention, and Morgan and Robert have to compete with the other reporters for the ultimate scoop. 

Hilariously funny at times, and painfully embarassing at others, Morgan Pålsson – Världsreporter still remains one of the few enjoyable Swedish movies I have seen. Perhaps I would have liked it even more if my expectations hadn’t been so high from his performances in "HippHipp!". On the other hand I wouldn’t have known the character then, and he is half the reason this is funny. The other half is the (not so subtle) parody of corresponding reporters, and more specifically Åsne Seierstad (or Åse Seierland). I do think this is worth seeing, even though Morgan’s characterisation is a bit over the top at times. 

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1135941/

Arn – Tempelriddaren

Director: Peter Flinth
Cast: Joakim Nätterqvist, Sofia Helin, Morgan Alling and more
Plot outline: When Arn becomes ill after an accident as a child, his parents promise to let him serve God as a monk if He spares his life. He is thus raised in a monastery, where he meets his love, Cecilia. Arn eventually becomes a Templar Knight.

Well, now, I found this half finished review in my archive, apparently forgotten, and my pedantic tendencies compelled me to finish it. But seeing as I saw the movie a few months ago, I apologize for any errors in the plot and whatnot.

I felt pretty neutral about it all when I exited the theatre. I had planned on reading Guillou’s books, but more because it’s a part of our culture than out of any particular interest. Seeing the movie didn’t make me interested, but it didn’t persuade me not to read them either. It was an interesting story with adequate actors and appropriate effects. Although I must give it some credit – this is a Swedish movie after all, and I think it outdid many of the movies produced in Hollywood quality-wise.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0837106/

Eastern Promises

Director: David Cronenberg
Cast: Viggo Mortensen, Naomi Watts, Vincent Casell and more
Plot outline: Anna, a midwife, stumbles upon evidence against the Russian maffia in London. She gets ensnared in the dealings of Semyon, the boss, Kirill, his son, and Nikolai, the driver/body disposer.

I remember reading some harsh criticism on Mortensen’s performance in the papers, and I can’t for the life of me understand why. Mortensen excels in his interpretation, and the subtle variations that his dual character requires; and me, being something of a language nerd, is amazed by the fact that almost half or more of his lines are in Russian, and the rest in broken English, all of which he delivers (in my non-Russian ears) perfectly. This from a man who is originally Danish. The plot has an unexpected twist, which I won’t reveal now because I want you to see it for yourselves, that makes the already intriguing story tickle my imagination even more. This is a concept they could easily develop into at least two more films. I hope they don’t, though; that leaves us viewers free to speculate about the destinies of these complex characters ourselves.  

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0765443/

Saw IV

SPOILERS

Director: Darren Lynn Bousman
Cast: Tobin Bell, Costas Mandylor, Scott Patterson, Lyriq Bent
Plut outline: Yet another police officer will have to reevaluate his life in order to survive Jigsaw.

At first I was thoroughly confused; is this before or after Saw III? It wasn’t until like the last 30 minutes that I realised that the plot of Saw IV runs parallel to that of Saw III, but everything still didn’t fall into place the way it usually does. I think this was mainly because it’d been a while since I’d seen the third movie, and I didn’t have the plot fresh in mind. So that’s a recommendation to those of you who haven’t already seen it. I kind of resent the fact that they so obviously left an opening for a fifth movie; almost to the point where you got the feeling that this whole episode of the series was just meant to explain the beginning of Saw V.  I still like this better than the third, though; it feels like they’ve gone back to the more thrilling traps of the first and second movies, with a little less gore. I don’t mind the gore so much, but in the third they relied completely on disgust rather than fright, which just feels cheap. So kudos on that, fourth! All in all a highly enjoyable movie.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0890870/

I Now Pronounce You Chuck And Larry

Director: Dennis Dugan
Cast: Adam Sandler, Kevin James, Jessica Biel and more
Plot outline: Larry’s wife has passed away, and in order to fix some legal matter (can’t remember what) he marries his best friend, Chuck. They’re both firefighters, and prejudices ensue.

Funny at times, but very inconsistent. Also, a thing that bothered me (to the point where it almost ruined the movie) was that even though this movie supposedly makes fun of the prejudices about gay people and the macho community around firefighters, police or other careers dominated by men, there are many scenes where the director doesn’t seem to be aware of that he underlines the stereotyped Man with a capital M. That would have been okay if it’d been a conscious move, to make fun of it, but it isn’t, or at least it doesn’t come out that way. So to sum it up, some good parts, some less good parts and some really bad parts. Okay to see once, but not again.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0762107/

This Is England

Director: Shane Meadows
Cast: Thomas Turgoose, Stephen Graham, Joseph Gilgun and more
Plot outline: Shaun is being bullied by everyone around him, so when Woody and his crew offer sympathy, Shaun is drawn into a new world of voilence and nationalism.

Strong acting and believable characters, music that enhances the images and a setting relatively unexplored perviously in cinema; all of this makes "This is England" a top 10 in my book. Each and every character has a depth that goes beyond the screen or the script, that each viewer is left to fill in for him- or herself, and I feel sympathy towards each and every character as the story unfolds. Rather than preaching the story about the innocent, lonely little boy who is ruined by malicious, older nationalists, this story tells us that they are all victims in different ways. Emotional, but in an authentic way, and definitely topical today, even though it is set more than 20 years ago.  

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0480025/

Sicko

Director: Michael Moore
Cast: Mike and many more
Plot outline: Moore takes on the American health care system.

As cynical, ironic and provocative as ever, Michael Moore once again shows his editing skills when coupling archived footage, new scenes and music and making into stinging criticism. I’ll admit I’m probably as biased as Moore himself is, because I am a fan of him and I am not particulalry fond of American politics. But as long as the viewer is aware that this is in no way an objective study of the health care system, one can enjoy the wonderful spectacle that is presented before you. At times it even felt like I was watching a comedy; Moore’s feigned astonishment at the fact that a French doctor doesn’t live in the slum even though he’s employed by the government, or that a conservative Canadian can still believe in solidarity, makes for some very amusing scenes. I believe everyone should see this, if only to have a legitimate reason to say "I don’t like Michael Moore". I like Michael Moore.  

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0386032/

Shrek the Third

Directors: Cris Miller and Raman Hui
Cast: Mike Myers, Eddie Murphy, Antonio Banderas, Cameron Diaz
Plot otline: Shrek and Fiona are next in line to inherit the throne when King Harold dies, but Shrek doesn't feel cut out to be king. He, Donkey and Puss set out to find the only other heir, while Prince Charming plots his revenge.

A worthy sequel to its predecessors, Shrek the Third cracks a few new jokes, reuses some of the old ones in new ways, and keeps us entertained for its entirety of one and a half hours. Nothing revolutionary, but then again, that wasn't what I had expected. We are introduced to some new characters, who immediately become a part of the "Shrek spirit" (I'm talking about Merlin, Artie and the princesses among others). All in all, a very satisfying experience, whether there will be a fourth episode or not; the door is left open, but I would also be content if this was the end.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0413267/