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Reviews
Miesten vuoro (2010)
A very touching, important film
A documentary that covers just about the whole emotional spectrum. The idea is simple: the filmmakers follow Finnish men in the sauna and let them talk about their lives, and they talk, punctuated with silence. They share their life's stories, they talk about their children, they talk about lost loves, dreams and hopes. We see a lot of different men in different saunas and in different places in their lives.
I had heard praise about this film before seeing it, but after the film I was still surprised. The film is immensely touching, and I noticed most of the audience (consisting, of, to my surprise, mostly of men) was in tears when the lights came back on. This film says something very important about Finnish men, and Finnish culture in general. That even though not much may be said, the understanding, the compassion, and the friendship are still there.
In the best Finnish documentary tradition the film also has a lighter and funnier side. Some scenes will make you laugh in awe, some will leave you in tears.
Avatar (2009)
Beautiful to look at, nothing more
The hype machine has made Avatar a genuine movie event. In a technical and visual sense the hype is understandable – we have not seen anything like Avatar before. A film with photo-realistic 3D-environments created on a computer, but totally immersive. It is a great achievement, and it should be regarded as one.
But one should also look beneath the stunning visuals, because therein lies the real film with its real problems. The storyline and characters are unoriginal to say the least. Frankly, we have seen this story a thousand times before: consider "Dances with the Wolves", for example. The Na'vi are obvious Native Americans; the evil corporate types are Western settlers, cowboys coming to conquer and exploit their lands.
And of course we need the hero, who switches sides and fights for the natives against the evil corporation. There is the Gun-ho military type who "fights terror with terror". Oh, come on. Yes, James, we got your little reference to the American War on Terror.
Avatar is also too long, it's painfully too long. I don't understand why the filmmakers of today have such difficulty of ending their films. You could've easily chopped out 30 minutes of Avatar without it having any effect on the "story", or rather "the series of happenings".
So; beautiful 3D-visuals, nothing more. Oscar-worthy? Come on! It may be the biggest blockbuster of all time, but that does not make it Oscar-worthy. Oscar-worthy films have notable performances by the cast and strong, original writing; Avatar has neither. It is technological achievement, and should be noted as one, but it is not great film-making in the sense that should be awarded with Oscars. The two billion or so dollars it has made on the box office should be enough.
Star Trek (2009)
This is how a franchise reboot should be done!
First things first: I have never been a huge Star Trek fan. Sure, I've seen the Original Series and I watched Next Generation.
Now, more than 40 years after the Original Series, finally a bold new version of Star Trek has seen the light of day. It's action-packed, it's beautiful to look at and it's funny. It's everything a good space adventure should be, simply a great time at the movies.
I haven't been a huge fan of J.J. Abrams, either. Sure, Alias was fun at times, but Lost always left me cold. Cloverfield was kind of silly, although the idea was interesting. Mission: Impossible III was fair entertainment, but nothing unforgettable.
In Star Trek, Abrams has tackled a huge challenge - and he succeeds in the seemingly impossible task. The new cast is familiar and exciting at the same time. The visuals are simply stunning. The story is strong, and the script gives the actors plenty to work with.
It all shows in the final product. It's sleek, it's fun, it's interesting, even thought-provoking. That's really almost more than you could ask from a big summer movie. But it's all here.
Welcome back, Star Trek - may you live long and prosper!
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008)
A Worthy Sequel
While IMDb is flooding with comments who give this film 1 out of 10 stars and then complain about the use of CGI while at the same time calling themselves "serious Indy fans"... I just don't know what to think.
This movie is not half as bad as some people would want you to think it is.
Yes, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull is best viewed when you keep in mind that times have changed. The 1950s is/was drastically different than the 1930s, and what's even more important, 2008 is drastically different than 1981, 1984 or 1989. All things considered, "Skull" is wonderfully old-fashioned in all the right ways. To compare this film's set pieces to "The Matrix" or other extravagant recent action blockbusters is unfair to say the least.
You have to look at how this movie has been put together. All the elements from the previous Indy adventures that we love and I love are here. All the character types are here. And it's not a bad thing, it's crucial for a film like this to work at all. I agree that at times it feels there are even too many characters. Ray Winstone and John Hurt don't have that much to do or say same can be said of Karen Allen, the last being mostly the biggest problem.
Marion and Indy are not given enough time to interact with each other. Their relationship moves too quick. Yes, it's kind of same in "Raiders", but here, after all these years, they need to have more time together. They're not 20 or 30 anymore, they're middle-aged. As are many fans.
I bet that if I had been able to see this film when I was 10 it would've been the best movie in the world. It isn't, but it's still the beloved Dr. Jones adventuring and he's in good form here. Harrison Ford knows the character inside and out and plays him to perfection. Every expression, every line he delivers. That's Indiana Jones. Harrison Ford and no-one else is Indiana Jones.
I really liked the character of Mutt, though. He's the real counterpart for Indy this time around, not Marion. While Mutt is a homage to Marlon Brando, his character is given enough to do and apart from Dr. Jones himself Mutt is the only new character with real substance and soul. LaBeouf feels at home in Mutt's jacket. He also has good chemistry with Ford, and it shows.
Cate Blanchett does her best as Irina Spalko, but the character doesn't quite shine as did, say, Rene Belloq in the first film. She's a worthy Indy villains, but her relationship with Indy seems to be missing something. Maybe some kind of an romantic or sexual tension between them would've helped to make Spalko more interesting.
Thematically the first half of the film is strongest. The scenes at Area 51 and the nuclear test site called "Doom Town" are beautiful and tense. They succeed in what they were designed to do; introduce the audience to the 1950s and climatize Indiana Jones himself to this new cultural environment, much changed when compared to the world before World War II.
When Indy and Mutt start the real adventure and reach their final destination, the story stumbles a bit. The sequence at the Chauchilla Cemetery is classic Indiana Jones, but the Temple of Akator is not quite as well executed. Personally I liked the old Sci-Fi feel of the movie and felt that the spectacular finale served the story well. Yet I can understand why some people find it not suitable for an Indiana Jones film.
In the end, "Skull" is a worthy sequel, but obviously it can never match the first one. Sequels never can. But when compared to "Temple" and "Crusade", "Skull" holds up pretty well. It delivers everything one might expect from an Indiana Jones film, but it does so in a way that is sure not to please everyone.
Babel (2006)
A beautiful and wise film
How many times do you encounter a film with a message these days? A film with no hurry, a film with real thoughts and real feelings, a film so beautiful in its message of hope and the need of listening that it really takes your breath away?
Not often.
"Babel" is one of those films that despite its length just seems to fly by. Its crafted like a finest piece of art. Every scene, every shot, every reaction by the wonderful cast, every carefully picked piece of music accompanying the scenes. The almost documentary-style cinematography perfectly underlines the narrative points. The global scale of the story does not take anything away from the human drama so carefully written, acted and directed.
Live Free or Die Hard (2007)
Papa's got the same old bag
I went to see Die Hard 4.0 (as it's called here in Europe) expecting the same kind of tongue- in-cheek and tough action as the excellent first film, a mediocre second one and a somewhat better third provided.
I was disappointed. Not only is Die Hard 4.0 quite humorless, it doesn't have any new ideas, although a couple of action scenes are impressive. It's completely laughable how clichéd some of the characters are: McClanes daughter for example. The villains are another problem; the main one is just boring and the tougher sidekick gets killed WAY too early.
4.0 has a lot in common with the first film. McClane talks with the villains over radio, there is a family member to rescue and even that certain famous line from the first film gets recycled. But it's the script and dialogue which really are terrible. I don't know why Hollywood's action writers still have a strange perversion for satellite phones. And helicopters. And why in the year 2007 do we still have stupid, huge control centers with a lot of blinking lights?
All that stuff aside, as I said some action scenes are good, but in the end Die Hard 4.0 is just a hollow and tired rewarming of an old franchise that should have been left in the 1980s and 90s.
Lost in Translation (2003)
Like a dream
This is a beautiful and moody film featuring excellent performances and a wonderful soundtrack. I really love it because it is so simple; it has only a little dialog, yet it manages to leave an unforgettable impact on the viewer; it is so beautifully photographed, it leaves you hoping you were a filmmaker and came up with all these wonderful scenes and images yourself; it is so clever in setting its story in Tokyo, you really live with the characters as they navigate in those almost alien surroundings.
All in all, in my opinion this is a near-perfect film. It is mainstream film-making at it's farthest form, really becoming art. Yet it features two big movie stars, both contributing the best of their generation in the film. The chemistry between Murray and Johansson is palpable; it is wonderful how the viewer 'gets' this through the silent scenes. It is the artistry of director Sofia Coppola that combines all these elements so effortlessly and easily. It all feels so true, so natural.
The Mask (1994)
Non-stop fun
Seeing this film for the first time back in 1994, unaware of its roots in Tex Avery's cartoons and such made a lasting effect on me. Jim Carrey is in top form in this fast-paced package of laughs, action and great music (the sequence at the Coco Bongo Club stands in my opinion as one of the greatest and funniest musical performances caught on film).
But let's not forget the colorful visuals and beautiful, on-the-spot photography, that really makes this film shine. As old-fashioned as this film is in many ways, it's also simply irresistible. Hold on to your seat, The Mask is coming!
Sånger från andra våningen (2000)
Pure cinematic art
All I expected when I went to see this film in the first place was the same kind of twisted, tragic humor than in the Arla commercials shown in Scandinavia about the time of the film's release.
It was all there - and so much more. This film is quite unlike anything I have seen before or since. The camera moves once. There really aren't that many lines, not to mention action. And somehow the film still manages to be an unforgettable experience. It makes you feel, it makes you see all the wonderful nuances in the smallest situations. It makes you realize the tragicomic nature of life in ways rarely seen even in the most appreciated works of art. I think it has a real message that is very, very true to life. It can't be explained - it must be seen. You'll love it!
Walk the Line (2005)
Very touching story with brilliant actors
Personally, I wasn't familiar with the life story of Johnny Cash before seeing this movie. I was interested about his music, though, so I had quite big expectations. Joaquin Phoenix is absolutely brilliant in his portrayal of Cash. Knowing he did his own singing in the movie makes me respect him even more. The same can be said of Reese Witherspoon as June Carter. The two have good chemistry on screen, and it's a joy to watch the story unfold when two actors in great roles carry it on. But I think the most important thing in "Walk the Line" is Cash's music. The songs are very carefully picked and fit in the story perfectly. "Walk the Line", in my opinion, is a near-perfect movie. Go see it.