Saturday, January 30, 2010
Below are my two favorite movie-related commercials, both of which were made to be shown in movie theaters. The first one is a commercial for the Swedish power company Vattenfall; the second one advertises Telia's video-on-demand service.
Download the "El för filmälskare" ("Electricity for movie lovers") commercial (3.6 MB).
Download the "1208 filmer om kärlek" ("1,208 movies about love") commercial (5 MB).
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Given Michael Jackson's tragic and untimely death, Kenny Ortega's film is a remarkably good cinematic tribute to the King of Pop and his music. Understandably, This Is It does not play like a regular professional concert movie, but it nevertheless has an appropriate concert-movie atmosphere to it, largely thanks to Jackson's magnetic stage presence and the accomplished sound mixing. Characterized by reverence rather than exploitation, the film also gives the viewer a rare glimpse of a more relaxed and personal Jackson.
Great, highly engaging music (Amazon.com/Ginza.se) and well-choreographed performances. One of the highlights of This Is It is the suggestive and, surprisingly, quite moving "Earth Song" sequence, in which a young girl falls asleep in a rainforest and later wakes up just as the forest is being destroyed by a bulldozer. Another notable number features the song "Thriller" and a suitably creepy graveyard. There is a nice extra scene after the end credits.
At times, especially in the beginning, the production feels kind of amateurish. The differences that result from different takes being edited together—clothes, stage design, picture quality, etc.—are slightly distracting. However, these and any other negatives that can be ascribed to the fact that the source material was never meant to be made into a feature film are, under the circumstances, minor and can easily be overlooked.
IMDb.com • MRQE.com • Kritiker.se • Amazon.com • Discshop.se
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
Goodfellas is undoubtedly one of the very best and most accomplished mob movies ever made, its status as a classic in film history being both well earned and inarguable. Despite its intimate point of view, the film has an epic quality to it. The excellent dialogue contains plenty of quotable gems, and the great attention to detail that is evident throughout the picture gives the proceedings a strong period feel.
Through his masterful direction, Martin Scorsese tells an intriguing story that gradually draws the viewer into the movie without them realizing it until they are deeply involved, just like the main character is drawn into the world of organized crime. The director also gets the best out of his first-rate ensemble cast: Ray Liotta and Robert De Niro are terrific (they play Henry Hill and Jimmy Conway, respectively), Joe Pesci is particularly memorable in the role of Tommy DeVito, and Lorraine Bracco delivers a solid performance as Karen Hill.
The long tracking shot of Henry and Karen entering a nightclub is arguably the most noteworthy scene in Goodfellas, at least from a technical perspective. There is a kind of morbid beauty to the scene in which one of the central characters is lying dead on a checkered floor with blood flowing from a gunshot wound to his head.
Based on the non-fiction book Wiseguy by Nicholas Pileggi (Amazon.com/Adlibris.se); he also co-wrote the screenplay with Scorsese.
Swedish title: Maffiabröder.
Friday, December 18, 2009
Fredrik Gertten's film about the health and working conditions of Nicaraguan banana-plantation workers and a related court case is certainly well-intentioned, but its by-the-numbers narrative structure and distinctive made-for-TV feel render it less effective and less involving than it should be, at least for a theatrically released documentary. While Bananas!* as a whole is interesting enough, it is also rather unsatisfying because it raises several issues that are not properly addressed.
The strongest aspect of this documentary also constitutes its emotional core: the personal stories, particularly the account given by Byron Rosales Romero, a young man whose deceased father, Alberto Rosales, was a banana-plantation worker. A couple of scenes are unnecessarily and manipulatively repeated more than once. The sequence that shows Juan Dominguez, the lawyer representing the banana workers, taking his—no doubt very expensive—Ferrari for a drive may seem out of place at first, but it goes to show that Dominguez does not exactly live a simple, frugal life.
Despite the legal controversy surrounding it, the film does not seem terribly or annoyingly one-sided. Even though the filmmakers clearly present the case from the point of view of the banana workers, Dole and its lawyers do not come across as the bad guys to the extent that one would expect.
Wednesday, December 09, 2009
Considering that this loose remake of Alan Parker's 1980 film of the same name (Amazon.com/Discshop.se) covers four years in 107 minutes, it is understandable that it feels fragmented, but that, in combination with rather weak and clichéd characterization, prevents the viewer from really caring about and connecting with any of the central characters. Nevertheless, one senses that the characters grow and, in most cases, improve as the school years go by, and they do so in a fairly believable way.
While the primary function of the plot is to get from one performance to the next, there are times when it adds a little depth to the proceedings. Perhaps the best example of such a moment is the dramatic scene that takes place in a subway station.
Well-choreographed and lively performance sequences. The graduation show at the end of the movie is expectedly impressive and effective, but the performance by Denise (Naturi Naughton, the standout in the cast), Malik (Collins Pennie), and Victor (Walter Perez) in front of an audience that includes Denise's parents is not far behind in terms of visceral impact.
Kevin Tancharoen's competent direction infuses the film with appropriate energy. The soundtrack (Amazon.com/Ginza.se) is great, just as it should be. Accomplished film editing and excellent sound mixing are two other things that characterize Fame.
Keep an eye out for the movie posters that are visible in the background in a couple of scenes. I was able to spot posters for King Kong, M, and Killer Klowns from Outer Space.
The young, good-looking members of the ensemble cast are quite good performers and okay actors, and there is chemistry between them. Kelsey Grammer plays Martin Cranston, one of the teachers at the New York City High School of Performing Arts, and he does it with aplomb.
IMDb.com • MRQE.com • Kritiker.se • Amazon.com • Discshop.se
Wednesday, December 02, 2009
Pixar's tenth feature film is a wonderful, highly entertaining, charming, and well-paced movie, directed by Pete Docter. The animation is expectedly gorgeous, with beautiful and bright colors. Just like in the case of WALL-E, the very touching first and best act of Up says so much without relying on dialogue and is a prime example of marvelous storytelling.
Carl Fredricksen and Russell, the protagonists, are two delightful characters that the viewer almost instantly comes to care about. The heart of the movie and the source of much of its emotional power lie not only in the friendship between Carl and Russell but also in the heart-warming relationship between Carl and Ellie.
Up has many great moments, both emotionally resonant ones and hilarious ones. The sight of Carl's house taking off and flying away, lifted by thousands of colorful balloons, is awe-inspiring and memorable. In one poignant scene, Carl lets go of his past with Ellie by jettisoning furniture and other items from his house in order to live and make a difference in the present. Towards the end of the movie, there is a similarly powerful scene in which Carl sits down and flips through Ellie's scrapbook.
The voice acting by, among others, Sten Ljunggren, Elias Eiding Målar, Nils Eklund, and Henrik Dorsin—I saw the Swedish-dubbed version of the film—is very good. That being said, I would have preferred to have seen the original version, whose cast includes Ed Asner, Jordan Nagai, Christopher Plummer, and Bob Peterson.
Swedish title: Upp.
IMDb.com • MRQE.com • Kritiker.se • Amazon.com • Discshop.se
Friday, November 27, 2009
With Away We Go, director Sam Mendes has made a fairly lightweight road movie that feels more personal than expected and in which the journey—not the destination—is what really matters. It is a low-key, deliberately paced feel-good film filled with moments of humor and seriousness. Moreover, the movie has a nice there-is-no-place-like-home message that rings true.
The dialogue comes across as overwrought and bland at times, but it also contains its fair share of gems. There is one scene that stands out not for its content but because it is beautifully shot in soft candlelight.
John Krasinski and Maya Rudolph have genuine chemistry and are convincing in the lead roles. The memorably quirky supporting characters (Allison Janney, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Jeff Daniels, and Catherine O'Hara give the most notable performances) often dominate the scenes in which they appear, and the differences between them and the relatively normal central characters in terms of personality and behavior make for a number of interesting situations in the film.
IMDb.com • MRQE.com • Kritiker.se • Amazon.com • Discshop.se
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Fight Club is an intense, uncompromising, and masterful movie that is wide open to interpretation and disturbingly effective at getting under the viewer's skin. It thrives on its fascinating and thought-provoking story with elements of satire, its great dialogue, and its top-notch acting (Edward Norton and Brad Pitt are excellent in the roles of the Narrator and Tyler Durden, respectively; Helena Bonham Carter gives an intriguing performance as Marla Singer). I would be remiss not to mention David Fincher's assured direction, the accomplished cinematography that gives the proceedings a distinctive visual style, the noteworthy title sequence, and the memorable and strangely beautiful final scene.
The graphic, brutal fight scenes are a means to an end rather than simply depicting violence for its own sake. People who criticize Fight Club for endorsing or glorifying violence tend to miss, ignore, or misconstrue the symbolic meaning of those scenes.
The fourth wall is broken several times and single-frame, almost subliminal images appear here and there. These and other flourishes, which could otherwise have come across as gimmicky, are well integrated into the narrative.
Even though it is subtly hinted at earlier in the movie, the twist in the last act is positively surprising. It infuses the picture with new energy and increases its coolness factor. Thankfully, the film's power and poignancy do not depend on its twist.
Based on the novel Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk (Amazon.com/Adlibris.se). Interestingly, Palahniuk reportedly prefers this film to his novel.
IMDb.com • MRQE.com • Kritiker.se • Amazon.com • Discshop.se
Thursday, November 05, 2009
Heart-warming, nostalgic, genuinely touching, funny, and sad, Cinema Paradiso resonates both emotionally and intellectually with the viewer. The story of youth, friendship, coming of age, and love centers on two compelling characters and touches on the tasks of a movie-theater projectionist. A celebration of the power of movies and understandably a true cinematic classic, this film is a great one, with the wonderful first part arguably being the strongest.
Expertly composed, memorable opening scene. The kissing-scenes montage at the end is undeniably powerful, and it is difficult to imagine a better way to end the movie.
Giuseppe Tornatore's masterful direction is evident throughout the picture. The beautiful cinematography and set pieces, Ennio Morricone's first-rate score (Amazon.com), and the picturesque Italian setting create a strong, almost tangible atmosphere that immerses the viewer in the film.
Salvatore Cascio is excellent in the role of Salvatore "Toto" Di Vita as a child, and the same goes for Philippe Noiret, who plays Alfredo, the projectionist; they have many nice scenes together. Convincing acting by the other cast members, including Marco Leonardi as Toto as a teenager and Jacques Perrin as the adult Toto.
Original title: Nuovo cinema Paradiso.
IMDb.com • MRQE.com • Kritiker.se • Amazon.com • Discshop.se
Monday, November 02, 2009
An old-fashioned, fairly entertaining fantasy-adventure movie with some beautiful underwater scenes and a great, rather imaginative set design. However, the film is largely predictable, sometimes silly, and not particularly engaging. The plot, while thin, occasionally nourishes the imagination. Uninspired direction by James Hill.
Captain Nemo and the Underwater City is generally well acted. Interesting dynamics between Robert Ryan as Captain Nemo and Chuck Connors as Senator Robert Fraser. Bill Fraser and Kenneth Connor are more annoying than funny in the roles of the comic-relief characters Barnaby Bath and Swallow Bath, respectively, but there is a nice, non-comical scene in which Swallow finally stands up to his brother.
Swedish title: Kapten Nemo — Härskaren under haven.
