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4/10
Amazingly badly written story
21 July 2022
I have loved all the Jurassic movies thill this one, which I left somewhere down the line.

Had just seen the Attack of the Monster Crabs when I tried this and that old turkey was better!

As far as this new movie went (before I turned it off) it was mainly a poor copy of a 50th's horror movie, with gigant locusts attacking, not crabs, and the animation was not much better. Dallas Howard and Pratt were definitely not really performing at their best (they are very good in the early World flics), or the direction was crap (for sure the screenwriter should try something else, say husbandry?).
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7/10
Entertaining, inspired by Agatha Christie.
12 June 2022
A fairly good manuscript, and excellent actors, all doing their best, in the who-dunnit format.

A bit like New Tricks, lots of laughs, but just a duo solving crimes, as far as I've seen the series.

Intend to follow it!
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Magpie Murders (2022– )
9/10
What a ride! Bravo, bravo!
31 May 2022
I loved Foyle's and this is a step better; a fantastically spun yarn, with just the right mix of humor, sorrow and excitement.

Not a single bad performance, good lighting, and excellent directing, and fantastic screenplay!
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Encanto (2021)
4/10
Why does it fail so badly?!
26 March 2022
This is a wonderfully well animated adventure, but why has the young girl a voice of a middle-aged lady?!

And many such odd choices that makes it just so-so, sadly!
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Maria Wern (2008– )
9/10
It is getting better and better!
17 March 2022
This series has been going on for ages, and originally it was not much to brag about, even the dialogue felt very stilted and the whole thing wasn't that good, so not surprising it went directly to DVD for two seasons.

But then Warner Bros. And a few other more foreign companies took notice, and from say series 6 it is damned good.

As good as many British crime series, and that is a surprise! The actors are surprisingly good, even the young ones, and the dialogue and story is now very good.

I rarely like Swedish series, but this is top notch!
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Alien Warfare (2019)
5/10
So bad it's quite great!
23 September 2019
Everything is bad in this movie, so it is quite enjoyable! From the lighting, to the fact that these SEALS seem to have a lot of knowledge of the Fibionacci series, and a lot of other stuff they hardly had picked up in training.

The ailens dresses are tacky, the soldiers much dumber in practical matters, like not standing inside a flimsy door, with the ailens on the outside, much better armed than these SEALs. And their ammo seems to last a long time, without carrying any heavy load of ammo, although early they say they have 10% left and yet they fire on like mad, for ages.

One of them asks why they carry their guns when the opposition is bullet-proof, and use force-fields. A very logic question, that never gets answered.

Also we are show in flight images of a drone, with a lot of arms and sensors, a big plane and then it lies as a little model aircraft on the steps into the lab, and they bemoan that the ailiens have shot down the CIA drone.

Everything reminds me of a 50s low-budget SF film, so I am sure this will become a classic!
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5/10
OK, but not very Scottish.
25 July 2019
Why on earth not use Scottish actors?

There are plenty around, very good ones, too!

Secondly, how can a mother allow her young traumatised son to work as kid soldier on some stupid officer's request?!

And those guns would have blown the eardrums out of the little Angus, and exploding shells near a creature in water would have killed it instantly, and the kid would naturally have died, too. And how did he manage to survive under water for so long, one wonders.

And how, in heaven's name, would a German submarine get into Loch Ness?! And why should that be the invasion route? Wouldn't the Thames be more logical?!

It is bl**dy lake, for Christ's sake!

With no way for an XII submarine to enter, whithout first have blasted its way through Scotland. The canal that links the lake with the sea, is very narrow, and need no submarine nets to stop any subs, that I can guarantee!

As likely as an oceangoing submarine to get into the Great Slave Lake!

I liked the seahorse, definitely, pretty normal young mammal, but as it lays eggs it must be a marpusial!

And how did it get to the coast, one wonders. The canal might be big enough, but I do doubt it! And nobody noticed it?!
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Non-Stop (2014)
8/10
A ride that improves the closer you get to the explosive end!
27 May 2019
Liam Neeson is a very able actor, and he really manages to haul this improbable, illogical, and just too badly thought out story to the end in flying colours!

For instance, the aircraft is escorted to Iceland by RAF fighters, who I doubt has jurisdiction in Icelandic Airspace.

And a lot of minor details, like we see a lot of passengers using phones onboard a sticken aircraft over the Atlantic, was that really possible then, or even now?!

And we are not really told how people are killed, and other minor trifels.

The cast and crew are otherwise excellent, not least julianne Moore, the leading female actor, and Liam, of course.
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10/10
Absolutely stunning!
6 March 2019
Seldom does a film catch me as thoroughly as this film did, no matter if it isa true story, or not. Eijofor takes this story and makes an epic saga about a poor family that against the odds conquer the odds. He wrote the screenplay, he has the lead rolem, and he directed it. Not a simple task, and not every man is up to such a challenge. I seem to recall Clint Eastwood, but that's it.

The support cast is superb, not least the politicians that doesn't like to be told what they should do, and their henchmen who kill anyone with a smile, not unlike Trump and hi staff of currupt ay-sayers.

Heartily recommend everyone to see this flic, it is fun, sad, makes you angry, and upset, and then laughing. And ends with a big smile!

The lead actors are fantastic, but everyone, from the president and down does a fantastic job!
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10/10
What the film Pearl Harbour should have been
10 January 2019
I see this film once every ten years or so, and it is as good each time, while Bay's feeble, multi-million Pearl Harbour was crap first time I saw it, and I certainly don't intend to see it again.

All those involved in Tors, Tora, Tora! are long gone and they sure were proud of their film, while nobody involved in the Bay flic could be proud of having been part of that crap.

Recently I saw From Here To Eternity, which ends up somewhere in between, where there is a lot of documentary cuts from the real events, and some nice action towards the end, but the rest could have been done by Bay, no doubt.

Tora, Tora Tora is long, but a masterpiece. Famed Japanese director Kurosawa was supposed to have done the Japanese part of the film, but his version was scrapped, sadly, being even longer.

Take your time, and enjoy this film, take a break during the intermission (not that long!), and you'll have a fantastic day at the movies!
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Life of Crime (2013)
8/10
A lovely trip down the road of how to kidnap a woman.
24 August 2018
Having just seen 'Sugar Mountain' which get about the same ratings at IMDB as this gem, I can't for my life understand why they get a similar rating.

Life of Crime is a simple kidnap story, excellently executed by a handful of superb actors, with no loose ends, and just one killed leading character, while the story behind 'Sugar Mountain' is OK, but badly executed by the director, and it contains heaps of bodies. No humor, no thrills, no laughs, but a story that with a better screenwriter and director could be very good, as the core is interesting.

As I wrote, there is no humor in this Sugar Mountain pic (the cinematography, by John Garrett, is flawless). They story is about staging a SAR event on Sugar Mountain, to earn money from the media afterwards, while in a Life of Crime there is lots of humor, where the story is a simple kidnapping of the wife of a wealthy man, who we later learn is a crook.

The acting in Life of Crime is superb, by all; from Jennifer Aniston (who plays the kidnapped wife), Yasiin Bey (who is one of the kidnappers), John Hawkes (the other kidnapper), Isla Fisher (who is the crook's love interest, and later Yasiin Bey's as well), and Mark Boone Jr (the third kidnapper, known to many of us for his excellent role in Sons of Anarchy).

Oh, I forgot: Tim Robbins plays the crook in a low-key way, not his greatest act, but fairly believable.

Great story, well told, and a lot of fun! Get it, and you'll have a lot of entertainment, even the second time!

(The 'Sugar Mountain', previously mentioned, is, sadly, very forgettable, but not due to bad acting or bad cinematography, I hasten to add).
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Coco (I) (2017)
10/10
You gonna love this one!
20 June 2018
Warning: Spoilers
I am a fan of Pixar's movies, since a long time back, but this was the best, yet.

Everything was beyond reproach, excellent CGI, and the research seemed to be done into detail, from what kind of dog Dante should be, how important music is to elderly, and other, often mentally run down, people.

The voice-casting is just perfect, and so is the rest.

Although it is a sad story in many ways, it ends with a happy ending, where the two lovers finally reunite, if after death.

A bit like the Romeo and Juliet saga, with a happy ending. And lovely dogs and cats, both of this world, and the next! I'd love if the world was like it is in this Pixar masterpiece, but I'm afraid it is not!

I'd say suitable for anyone over 12!
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6/10
A so-so follow-up to the original!
27 March 2018
Loved the original "Independence Day", bit the follow up. 20 years later, is a weak copy. Not least is Will Smith missing. something I never thought I would be writing, but his 'son' (played by Jessie T. Usher) is so much a weaker actor. Liam Helmsworth is so much better, in every way, than Usher, who is more like a shadow, sadly.

The story is OK, not brilliant, but OK, while the original also crams out a better story, better action from Judd Hirsh, and Jeff Goldblum (why isn't Will Smith part of the cast - too costly?).

As I wrote, why isn't Will apart of the story?!

Without, it is a lame update.
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10/10
As good as a TV series can get!
13 January 2018
I am in no way a fan of Swedish TV series, but this is so well done, from the acting by the leading actors and the supporting staff, to the cinematography, using a perfect mix of hand cameras, drones, and tripods/cranes.

With simple tools the director, Kristian Petri, creates a thrilling story about a dying detective's last case, given to him by the doctor, who tells him he's dying, from over-weight, and over-indulgence.

The actors are very well picked, not a single of them seems to be miscast, or unbelievable. Even the smallest roles is so well cast, that I can only doff my hat, and say: 'Bravo!'

That it is a thrilling story, told fairly fast-paced, does not make it worse.

Reminds me a bit of Grand Turismo, where the main character, also an old, terminally ill, bloke, also dies in the end, the acting being just as impressive, and the unfortunate victim being an immigrant.

The rest is totally different, except we, the viewers, early on learn that the main character is terminally ill.

I you liked Gran Turismo you'll love this mini-series!
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6/10
A weird mix of King Kong, Vietnam War Movies, and horror.
1 December 2017
This is one of those films where there is nothing wrong with the actors (great actors, all), the CGI, (impressive) or location (gorgeous).

But the story is very, very weak, based on a mix of King Kong, horror films, war flicks, and a few more.

Must have cost a fortune, and definitely will not add a fortune to the investors!
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9/10
A lovely road-movie, Sophelikoptern is!
22 October 2017
This Swedish film is a masterpiece, but it's not for everyone.

Old grandma wants back her old clock so her grandchildren in the other end of Sweden collects it and drives to the other end of Sweden (almost 1,000 miles away), to deliver it to grandma. Which they do, eventually.

That sounds normal, eh?!

OK, the kids, in their 30's, are Gypsies, as is the grandma, of course, but they get treated like they are immigrants by police, hoteliers, and everybody else, and people speak English with them until they point out they actually speak Swedish.

One of the kids is a crossword fanatic and he thinks there is a thing called a 'sophelikopter' (garbage helicopter), which consequently plays a role in the movie (his grandma dreams about one!).

The movie follows the kids in their old Saab that drives through the countryside, which is very different our cities, and the camera is almost always static, not moving around or zooming at all, and it is totally shot in B&W.

A very unusual movie, but with a lot of black humor, and pretty weird, in a good way, a bit like Down By Law, maybe.

The extra material on the disc was fantastic, with at least ten takes on the Sophelikopter, life and everything in between!

Anyway, it is a must-see film for anyone who likes black humor!
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4/10
Rehashed crap
22 October 2017
A terrible rehash of the original Jungle Book, where everything is worse, and they lead characters ever so often do song and dance numbers, even less motivated than in the original film.

John Goodman as Baloo is maybe passable (but different from the original version, of course), Haley Joel Osment is OK as Mowgli, Phil Collins is great and the other actors do a decent day's work, but the story stinks, and a lot of the scenes and ploys are reused from the original movie.

Although those involved in the making of this howler pride themselves of the fact that the technology used in this movie was so vastly better than that used in the original movie, it sure is one of the worst Disney movies I've seen, and I've seen a lot, the last 60 years of my life!

Thanks to huge advances in technology, and script-writing, movies this bad are just not made by Disney nowadays!
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The Intern (I) (2015)
9/10
A delightful feel-good movie
22 October 2017
With main actors like Renee Russo and Robert de Niro of the older generation and Anne Hathaway of the younger, supported by a wealth of good actors like Anders Holm, Andrew Rannells, Adam Devine, Zack Perlman, and Christina Scherer (to mention a few) it is not surprising that this film is so good as it is!

Director/writer Nancy Meyers have again made a memorable movie!

What's it about?

Well, to quote the synopsis:

"A retired 70-year-old widower is bored with retired life. He applies to a be a senior intern at an online fashion retailer and gets the position.

The founder of the company is Jules Ostin, a tireless, driven, demanding, dynamic workaholic.

Ben is made her intern, but this is a nominal role - she doesn't intend to give him work and it is just window dressing."

But a lot of things do happen, sad, funny, and very realistic!

A great movie, by a great ensemble and a great director/writer.

Oh, I liked the cinematography, too.Steven Goldblatt was the man behind the camera — for once not a lot of shaky camera work, very rare today!
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9/10
Happy for this Renner surprise!
3 December 2016
Unlike some, I do really enjoyed this Renner/Bourne flic!

There are few flaws in this movie, and on the whole it is a delightful romp!

Rachel Weisz as the heroine, Jeremy Renner as Aaron Cross, the main character, and Edward Norton as the opposition, is a powerful mix.

Really nice movie for us who love action movies. Enjoyed every minute of it, from the very first scene, to the last!

Amazing action by Rachel, and as good by Jeremy, and the wolves are not bad either!

A fresh approach to action movies, drastically different from the previous Bourne flics, but they are too favourites of mine!
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9/10
A superb chamber play!
19 November 2016
This is a superb chamber play, with just a handful of actors.

Ernest Borgnine, Bette Davies, and the rest of the cast are just magnificent! Seldom I've watched such a 'Kammerspeile' that has me smiling so much as this one, although it is a pretty sad story!

Each time I see this movie, it brings a smile to my face, although it is mostly a sad tale about the realities of life!

A hard to find DVD, by the way, my copy being Spanish; far from my native language!

Nothing more to add!

IMDb needs ten lines, hope this is enough!

If not, I give up!
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8/10
One of the better modern Wild West movies!
8 October 2015
Charlize Theron, Liam Neeson, and the rest of the crew makes this a lovely movie, written and directed by the lead actor, Seth MacFarlane,

It does have its weak spots, but overall, an enjoyable movie, crammed with nods to a lot of classic Wild West classics.

Amanda Seyfried, and Neil Patrick Harris do excellently in their supporting roles, but the scene stealer is Giovanni Ribisi, without a doubt!

Liam Neeson, and his wife (in this film) Charlize Theron, domainates most of their scenes, as does the Indians, who kidnaps the lead character.

In short, a delightful surprise!
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6/10
Not perfect, but not awful, either!
27 September 2015
The story about two brothers, pure metal-heads, and their mother, who happens to be the local priest, is a bit uneven, but there a lot of individual scenes that are great, but the whole is far from perfect.

The boys live in a flat owned by the local outlet store, and when the new owner changes the jobs they are supposed to do in the shop, they walk out and move in with their mom, and things start to become more, and more, chaotic.

A lot of good actors, even internationally acclaimed actors, but a at times feeble script the whole isn't as good as the parts.

Not bad, with quite a few good one-liners, and not a film you'll easily forget, due to its unusual setting, but proves, again, that a weak script will never make a good movie!
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Chappie (2015)
9/10
A lovely tale!
2 September 2015
I did like District 9, but this was one step better! Same team behind it, but this time Dev Patel (his big breakthrough was 'Slumdog Millionaire'), Hugh Jackman (excellent in the 'X-men' series) and Sigourney Weaver (who has been well known since the first 'Alien') were boosting the very capable cast further.

It is a sad, fun, thoughtful, and well-performed, story about a police robot who is given a conscious. It is a great story, there is actually nothing to complain about, just enjoyment from first moment to the last.

The film takes you on a ride, like nothing you've experienced before, from the very first second to the last, with no superfluous stuff, no side stories, just to the point, and immensely well done!
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Sabotage (2014)
3/10
Worst movie I've seen in a long time
11 April 2015
Complete crap, with illogical jumps, bad dialog, and sordid story.

Eons away from Arnold's last film, that I've seen, The Last Stand.

Like a really crappy Dolph flick, and then some!

Avoid it at all costs!

Like a bad TV flick, that runs out of logic, dialog, and acting, long before the movie is over. Nothing wrong with the actors, like Sam Worthington, or Arnold, and the other know, and unknown, faces, but my what crap!

Mega Piranha, that I saw a while back was crappy, but a masterpiece compared to this abomination!

First movie in a long while I couldn't see to the end, as I felt totally alienated by all of the guys, and the gals!

The BluRay wasn't a total loss: It might work as an ice-scraper on my windshield!
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2/10
One of the worst, ever!
17 December 2014
I've seen a lot of movies in my day, and have a few thousand on DVD, but this really stinks.

Feeble script, bad acting, and the worst special effects I've seen in a long time! Allan, the hero, of this sordid mess, uses his revolver frequently, and on the average fires 30-40 shots before he needs to reload, amazing! The natives are unbelievably stupid, and the way the heroine is depicted is beyond belief. Supposedly a well-educated archaeologist, she is also an expert of minerals, knowing exactly from where they come, within a mile, or so.

Allan, the hero is also dumb as a door-knob, but his aim is flawless. He also runs without a second thought into the woods pursuing the armed, and extremely dangerous, bad guys (who naturally are black as the night, and wear white bags over their heads). He himself is unarmed, both have no concern about what might be waiting for him in the greenhouse-looking jungle! The story is so dumb, so I will not waste time on that, but compared to this turkey my former worst ever, Mega-Piranhas, is an Oscars-winner! The film must have cost a lot, as there are hundreds of extras, and a lot of sets, although very crappy, most of them.

The lead actors are well-known, and sometimes superb, but in this movie they stink, like the rest!
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