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Reviews
The Creator (2023)
Best movie of 2023
I was absolutely stunned with this movie. First and foremost because it had such an average score on IMDb. But don't let the score fool you. This is the absolute most epic science fiction I have seen in maybe 20 years since the Matrix.
It is very sad that the majority of voters here on IMDb are Americans, as the bad guys in the Creator are the Americans. Hence the confusion about the plot and the lower than deserved scores.
However who are the bad guys is not important here. I read the movie as a philosophical take on how the darkest human emotions can culminate in a military industrial complex which rips our world apart.
10 out of 10 and best movie from 2023 in my book. I only wish it could be longer, or have a series format to absorb more of the insanely beautiful science fiction landscapes and characters.
The Devil's Advocate (1997)
Must revisit in 2022
I nearly haven't written any reviews on IMDB, but all the bad reviews here made me annoyed to the point of having to write myself.
*First of all the story is FOREVER-relevant. I see many focus on the story being "banal" about selling your soul to the devil. Well a classic is a classic yesterday, today and also in the future. The story is in my mind future-proof.
*I think many give bad reviews because they think nudity is a net negative. The nudity in the movie has EVERYTHING to do with the plot. In contrast to many modern movies and series, the nudity in Devil's Advocate is actually a necessity to bring out the nuances and choices of the characters.
*Too many focus on either Pacino, Reeves or Theron. In 2022 you can watch this film without knowing ANY of these, and the performances are from all three amazingly good. No fanboy/girling necessary. It is obvious the directing here is great, with great performances throughout.
*Nobody seems to focus on the insanely good constructed portrait of New York. I LOVE how the city setting from a metropolis at its height builds a foundation for the characters. Anyone who has visited NY will not believe their eyes in the scene where you see an empty street in NY, and it leads as of to nothingness. Amazing and feels so out of place in a time when digital effects would not really be able to capture this effectively.
*As a more subjective preference, I just want to point out how much i LOVE the uncanny genre. I think many people give bad reviews because they don't like ultra-small doses of horror into an epic drama. I just love the slow unfolding of the story and the small stings of horror to keep you in control of the story. The pacing in this movie is perfection. Maybe slow compared to 2022 movies, but I hate the tempo of new movies - many movies are so fast it just becomes comical. 30 year old movies are about the same tempo as 2020s series, and I think that is perfect.
An OBVIOUS 10/10 movie, and i urge everyone to put it on their watch list.
The Expanse (2015)
Extremely intense and mature space drama
I have to say that I very rarely review anything on IMDb.com, but Expanse just is the exception.
I have not been so pleasantly surprised in years. The plot in Expanse is extremely well made, and the cast and setting is perfect.
I can't help but think how relevant this story is to the world we live in where there's an old dying breed of war-investors who earn money and live from murdering innocent people. This plot touches in on war-profiteering, false flag attacks and destruction of supply (read: oil) pipelines like none other.
The main villain is a Soros-esque doctor, which doesn't stop the similarities to our own reality. The plot thickens with every episode and you learn more about who the bad guys are (soft spoiler: they are amongst ourselves, not of some "scary" skin color or religion)
An extremely well made space drama which kept me sitting hypnotized for hours and hours. Bravo! Now let's hope for many seasons to come.
Network (1976)
Hidden gem, great corporate thriller/drama
I just watched this, and from the first 5 minutes it's clear this is a fast-paced thriller, and has a plot involving SCARILY much similarities to present world conflicts (oil, debt, inflation etc etc).
Even some pretentious dialogue, once-in-a-while over-the-top performances and far-fetched love affairs cannot deny the fact that this is a clear 10 in my book.
The movie builds up from small, struggling TV shows, and goes straight to the top of the food chain. Ned Beattys speech on how the corporate news world works is mindblowing.
See it if you like movies like The Firm, Wall Street and Michael Moore documentaries.
A clear 10 in my book.
Terra (2007)
Smart, but not necessarily entertaining
I have a saying, which says (d'oh) that films that doesn't work, doesn't work because one or more rules of scriptwriting is ignored/forgotten.
Now this might seem quite basic, but writing a story and forgetting one of the hundreds of important rules are very difficult.
I think this film would do better if:
*a trickster type character could be in this film. I liked most of the characters, but they were all so sad and serious all the time. I LONGED for laughing. Humour would make the serious parts more serious, not just drab, like now.
*it is not a children's film. The themes and philosophies need a mature mind to be interesting, and kids will not be interested in the characters and the story if they don't catch it.
*the main character (girl alien) didn't really learn anything as the film moved on. One rule says that a film's main character is the one who goes through the most change. In this case it would be Jim, the earthling who saved the day in the end.
Things that are unique and good about this film:
*The conflict is not with an obvious answer. Mostly films have one insert image of an object or something early in the film, and if you spot it, you most probably can tell how it will save the day in the end. Luckily this film kept getting more interesting as time passed.
*A rich world with fantastic inhabitants, only somewhat scarce in some landscapes (animation-wise).
I give it a 7/10
Brüno (2009)
One of the greatest comedic talents of all time
I've been visiting IMDb.com frequently for 15 years, though I've never written a review before. This is the movie to push me over the edge :)
I just wanted to say that Sacha Baron Cohen is probably the only comedian who will get killed for committing comedy. I can't think of anyone more provoking and interesting in any time in history. Of course, this movie will NOT help him to get written into the academic hall of fame, but he's certainly MY favorite.
Compared to Borat, Brüno is sharper, narrower, more daring and more direct.
If there are one negative thing I'd have to say about Brüno, it will have to be that there is still room for Sacha to kick more UPWARDS instead of downwards like he does in some scenes. For instance, I couldn't laugh at the scene where parents are desperate to get their kids into the music video. Lots of parents have a tough time with their economy, and I felt they were pushed into saying lots of bad stuff. It's a lot more funny to watch Paula Abdul sitting on Mexicans and talking about her humanitarian projects ;)
But still it's a 10/10 in my book :) It's been the fastest 90 minutes of my life I think. BOOM I'm 2 hours overtime and the day rhythm has gone sour :)
I wish everyone could see Brüno and understand the beauty behind the grim surface. Why on earth is Sacha the only one who dares to TALK to terrorists? It might've been staged, but seen from a conceptual point of view: if he can survive calling Osama a "tramp Santa" to a guerilla leader, how come we/west rely on bombs instead of communication? It's always the same -> we get threat -> we send bombs, then make rules to square ourselves in our western society-box.
Also the two last scenes are just insanely beautiful, the scene in the boxing ring from a comical point of view, and the last (song) scene just makes it totally clear (if you ever had doubts) that this film is all about being peaceful (though it's OK to be that in a cheesy way :)
My main impression after having seen the movie has to be that being stupid has nothing to do with being/committing evil, quite the contrary. After seeing the "normal" people react to "tainted" Brüno, he looks more and more like the only sane person in there.