Change Your Image
mr-goodbytes
Reviews
Død snø (2009)
The movie that brought my love for zombie flicks back from the dead.
Dead Snow was probably the best Zombie film I've seen. Period. This film has so much going for it, and hands-down deserves all ten of the stars that I've awarded it. The premise of the movie alone gains it at least eight stars. Two words: Nazi Zombies. Need I say more? Not only does it have the greatest set of antagonists ever, but the film itself was very well done. Good cinematography, good special effects, and, surprisingly enough, a really good plot. The story starts out with a group of medical students in Norway (as played by Vegar Hoel, Stig Henriksen, Charlotte Frogner, Lasse Valdal, Evy Røsten, Jeppe Laursen, Jenny Skavlan, and Ane Torp) going up to the icy north for a bit of a cabin trip for Easter vacation. This is pretty much the standard operating procedure in Norway, so it doesn't have the "I just inherited a mansion from my crazy aunt in the bayous of Louisiana" feel that many American horror films have, immediately limiting the plausibility of the events that will go under way. It's just a bunch of students going on Easter vacation, as thousands do every single year. They drive as far as they can in cars, after which the one whose family owns the cabin drives there on a snowmobile and sets up while the rest follow his tracks on foot. Again, no surprises here: the Norwegians love the outdoors and their cabins are often in very secluded mountainous regions that are too snowy to travel to via automobile. Midway through the night that follows a day of romping in the snow, one of the women claims to see a figure out in the dark while she was using the outhouse. One of the guys goes out, declares it to be just the wild imaginings of a hysterical girl, and, just as he returns... there's someone right behind him!! Don't worry, he's just a hiker (as played by Bjørn Sundquist) making his way through the area, in need of a cup of coffee. While enjoying his cup of coffee, he spins a yarn of the terrible things that happened up there during the Nazi occupation, and warns the youths of not waking the evil that may be slumbering in those mountains. After he departs, the night passes uneventfully, but the next evening... that's when the bloodbath starts. I'm sure you can fill in the blanks.
All in all, this movie was made as perfectly as a movie can be made. In my opinion, the actors and actresses were perfect for their roles, the effects, though gruesome, were convincing, the plot was as feasible as zombie film plots are concerned, there was just enough humor, and, most importantly, little was said after the zombies came. You may be thinking to yourself, "Well that doesn't sound right; they should say things, right?" Wrong! The main issue I take with many other zombie films is that people run around saying inane things like "Zombies are attacking!" or "Grab weapons!" Those are all things that I feel can definitely go without saying, and, in this case, they did. This film had everything it needed, and nothing it didn't. Even at the end, when the last surviving character realizes they're after the gold, he says nothing; he just digs it out of the ruins of their cabin and leaves it for them to collect, running to "safety." The real reality of the situation is, if zombies attacked you and your family/friends, you'd be so busy dealing with the situation that you wouldn't say anything, either. There were also a few references for the educated audience, which were just perfect. For example, in one scene, the zombies and two of the humans are running at each other, and one is armed with a hammer and sickle, which, during the charge, he crosses. This is a reference to communists, who were also enemies of the Nazis during WWII and his action really enraged the Nazi Zombie leader, Commander Herzog (who was played by Ørjan Gamst). So, after all is said and done, this movie starts with the perfect premise (Nazi Zombies), and mixes it with a plausible back story, good special effects, a sprinkling of humor, and a complete lack of stupidity on the part of the, shall we say, victims, mixing it all together in the perfect recipe for a great horror film.
Musta jää (2007)
An Attention-Keeping Finnish Film that has Quite a Few Twists
Musta Jää was a great film that had a unique turn of events that not only kept my attention, but revived my faith in the concept of original films. The long and short of the film is that Saara (as played by Outi Mäenpää) suspects her husband Leo (as played by Martti Suosalo) of adultery, so she does some snooping. Not only does she manage to track down his new flame, Tuuli (as played by Ria Kataja), but she actually befriends her, under an assumed name, of course. She then breaks it off with Leo to sow the seeds of friendship in Tuuli, to advance her plot of revenge, as well as get some martial arts training in the meantime. After several (mildly clichéd) girl-power bonding scenes, they become best friends (as far as Tuuli knows), and they try to solve each others' problems, culminating in Saara calling herself and leaving a nasty message on her machine, leading to a restraining order being placed on Tuuli and Leo breaking up with her, effectively ruining her life, especially since it turns out she's pregnant with his baby. However, through a complex, although perfectly plausible, twist of events, Leo accidentally drinks a spiked drink that was meant for Tuuli and ends up freezing to death after falling asleep at the wheel and crashing his car.
All in all, this was, in my opinion, a very, very good film, one of the best I've seen this year, in fact. The twists the plot goes through were difficult for me to predict, which, given the number of movies I watch, is no small feat. For example, Saara's actions regarding Tuuli were almost counter-intuitive. I expected a confrontation right away, but instead, a friendship develops. This is something that I've never seen in any other films. Not only do they become friends, but they even have a minor lesbian experience towards the end of the film that was a beautiful combination of surprising and darkly funny, especially because Tuuli does feel a kind of love for Saara, but Saara has a burning hatred of Tuuli. The end of the movie was really good, too. After discovering Saara's plot and learning of Leo's death, Tuuli, in a shot at revenge, goes to the hospital after altering her appearance with hair dye and colored contacts (to avoid detection as she's not allowed in the hospital Saara works in, thanks to the restraining order) to get an abortion, but, after falling down a flight of stairs during a confrontation with Leo's sister (as played by Sara Paavolainen), she ends up getting both her life, and the life of her baby, saved by the now at-peace Saara, who wishes her "nothing but the best." The irony was just perfect. During the entirety of the movie, Saara was looking to kill Tuuli, but she ended up saving her. And it was on purpose, at that, as she recognized Tuuli's tattoo. I just felt that it was a perfectly twisted ending to a delightfully twisted movie. This movie gets good marks from me because, not only did it have an original and unpredictable sequence of events in the plot, but those events were all plausible. Everything that happened in the movie could definitely happen in real life, no question. There weren't any amazing coincidences or divine interventions, just actions and reactions, cause and effect. The choices the characters make are reasonable ones, too. No suicide missions, no flying off the handle, no superfluous, unreasonable aggression. Just people behaving as their situation dictates, yielding some amazing results. Other movies often have a weird turn of events or some crazy,unlikely coincidence to throw off the viewers, but everything here is perfectly plausible, if not likely, which I find most agreeable.
Another great thing about this movie is the way it explores the complexities of human interactions. The strange, complex relationships between Tuuli, Saara, and Leo are a perfect example of the classic response adults give children: "It's not that simple." All three of the main characters had mixed emotions for the other two; they all loved and resented each other, albeit in different ways. Saara resented Tuuli for her relationship with Leo, but she still was good friends with her, and you could see how uneasy she was when she finally betrayed her. She also resented Leo for being unfaithful, while simultaneously loving him, as they had been together for a long time and were deeply in love. This same complexity is reciprocated in the other two characters and it not only adds interest to the movie, as you try to decode to what ends the characters are progressing, but it also adds an extra dimension, a sort of sub-plot, as you see not the events that drive the main storyline, but also the ever-shifting opinions of each other that drive the actions in the first place. While I don't agree with the genre of "Psychological Thriller" that this movie was assigned, I do agree that, like in those movies, you really have to put yourself in the characters' shoes, and try to feel what they feel as you watch the movie. This is, to me, just one more reason to like this thoroughly enjoyable movie.
101 Reykjavík (2000)
A Strange, Yet Oddly Appealing Film
101 Reykjavik was undoubtedly the best film I've seen come out of Iceland. The premise of the movie is funny by itself: a lazy, 30-year-old, unemployed guy named Hlynur (as played by Hilmir Snær Guðnason) lives with his mom (as played by Hanna María Karlsdóttir) in Reykjavik, Iceland, and finds himself going from out of luck, no prospects, and not a care in the world, to a potential father for the children of both his semi-girlfriend, Hófí (as played by Þrúður Vilhjálmsdóttir) and his mom's new Spanish girlfriend, Lola (as played by Victoria Abril), with whom he had an affair. Hlynur's reactions when he learned of the pregnancies were priceless. So, all things considered, this movie was pretty good. Not only was it a unique plot that had a twist or two thrown in, but the character development, the tone of the film, and even the soundtrack was good. Quite a few of the characters really grew up in the film, such as Hlynur, with his more responsible lifestyle at the end, his mother, and her finally coming out of the closet (despite the fact that apparently everybody knew, including Hlynur), and Lola, who ended up being a pretty solid mom, herself. The movie's tone was just great in my opinion. It was lighthearted, yet still serious. Hlynur had some serous problems, but he could always make light of them, which is an admirable trait. It shows an inner strength, to be able to make fun of oneself. The song, Lola, by Ray Davies is used in a variety of ways, including a few instrumental versions, which cracked me up, because (a) it's got the pun value, what with one of the main characters being named Lola, and (b) I was one of the only people in my group who got it, since it was the instrumental version that played first. Not only that, but there were a few completely unnecessary scenes that were thrown in that were just great. For example, there was this scene where Hlynur is at a family reunion, and he (quite graphically) imagines himself taking the shotgun off of the wall, and shooting his entire family. Now, while the plot would have been unaffected by the absence of this scene, it adds relatability, to the film, since everyone imagines doing that at some point or another. Plus, the scene itself is downright hysterical. Also, the film is pretty educational, on the whole. You get a pretty good handle on how boring Iceland is for its residents. 61% of the population lives in Reykjavik, and that's around 200,000 people, which is around the population of Des Moines, Iowa, which is the home to the world's largest truck stop. Not exactly a high-excitement zone. Which is what the character, Hlynur tells you. They live for the weekend, and all there is to do then is to drink and to be promiscuous. This is undoubtedly why he gets into the trouble he gets into. The ending of the movie was, in my opinion, truly phenomenal. I won't spoil it for you, the reader, though.
But the movie isn't without faults. There are a few moments in the movie where you question the sanity of the characters. There's one scene where Hófí and Hlynur talk over an intercom at Hófí's apartment complex, and she casually tells him about how (spoiler alert) not only did she get an abortion, but it wasn't even his baby to begin with, after he had spent the last few months agonizing over it. The viewer and Hlynur both have the same reaction: "WTF?" I thought to myself, "Well, what was the point of that? What did she really stand to gain by messing with his head like that? That was below the belt (pun intended)." Despite the few shortcomings it had in the character department though, the good aspects of the film really shine through, while the inadequacies almost fall away, and I was left with a good feeling coming away from the film. It was one of those rare films where I left saying to myself, "I'm glad I watched that." It was, all in all, a thoroughly enjoyable experience. The movie had a good moral, too. "Everything will turn out fine." Hlynur stressed over his seemingly insurmountable problems, but, in the end, it wasn't nearly as bad as he thought. This is, I feel, life in a nutshell. It seems worse than it is, and when you finally realize that, all of your cares tend to melt away.
Idioterne (1998)
A movie that will keep you guessing, and no doubt laughing.
"The Idiots" was an instant classic that kept me guessing the entire time. The basis of the movie was that there is this group in Denmark who would go out into public and pretend to be mentally handicapped, "learning how to love their 'inner idiot.'" The movie examines the various conflicts that occur within the group shortly after the last member, Karen (as played by Bodil Jørgensen), joins. She was literally grabbed by the guy behind the idea of acting like "idiots," Stoffer (as played by Jens Albinus). She then became friends with the entire group, from the philandering Axel (as played by Knud Jørgensen), whose straying gets him into far more trouble than he'd bargained for, to the goofy Jeppe (as played by Nikolaj Kaas), who falls in love with another member of the group, Josephine (as played by Louise Mieritz), and of course the always-smiling Suzanne (as played by Anna Hassing), who is picked to be the "keeper of the retards" far more often than she'd like. One of the more interesting aspects of the film is the characters' motivations for acting the way they do. Some of them, like Ped (as played by Henrik Prip), view it as a social experiment, others, like Nana (as played by Trine Michelsen), as a kind of stress relief, and still others, like Stoffer, as a way of life, a path to a luxury most don't know they can afford. While it may appear to be a simple slapstick comedy to begin with, due to wildly amusing events like "spassing" at a pool and streaking, a variety of serious, controversial topics are covered in the movie, such as adultery, domestic abuse, orgies, and of course, impersonating the mentally handicapped.
Overall, I enjoyed this film. It has a refreshing mix of comedy and tragedy that isn't encountered much in conventional films. The best part was that it was hard to discern the switch between the two gears; the transition was so smooth. The inter-character dynamics were both amusing and thought-provoking, and their less-than-conventional behavior entices you, leaving wanting more. It stirred me in a deeply emotional way, from making me laugh so hard at their wacky antics, like "spassing" while eating caviar, that I almost busted a gut, to making me almost want to cry at the end. This is definitely something I'd want to watch again, and share with my friends. I probably wouldn't share it with my family, though. "R" is not a high enough rating for a film like this, as the main shortcoming most would see in it is the extensive nudity shown throughout the film. Another possible downfall, which is also a strength to some, is that it is a Dogma 95 film, which means they traded off action and graphics for character development and a feasible plot. I didn't really have a problem with it, so I'd probably give this movie 8.5 out of 10, for having one of the most creative plots I've seen in my (quite extensive) movie watching career, as well as a cast of characters that were all easy for anyone to relate to.
To recap, "The Idiots" was great film with a twist ending which I could never see coming. The art of "loving you inner idiot" turns out to be a great way to get laughs for anyone in on the joke. However, all good things must come to an end, and the group begins to tear itself apart shortly after Karen is dragged in. Watching the various actions and reactions in this movie would be a psychologist's playground. There are also morals to this story, and you learn that even close friends have secrets that remained buried just below the surface. The blending of genres, so often attributed to Dogma 95 films (which can't hold fast to any one genre), makes this a film filled to the brim with emotion, that you'll need to see at least one more time, if not more. The seamless fusion of the happy and sad elements made it hard to distinguish the two, and oftentimes I didn't know how to feel. The conflicts within the group were not only hilarious, but also inspiring, and I feel like a better person, just for having watched it. This film has a clearly established value as something that needs to be reexamined through re-watching. While some may be disturbed by the various scenes that are too "offensive" for American cinema, it will not deter me from watching this and encouraging my friends to drink from this particular fountain of wisdom.