B.I.F.F is coming to an end, and I am (I cannot believe I am going to say this) looking forward to a nice and quiet evening on the sofa once the whole thing is over. I have spent every night at the theatre this past week, and although it has been exciting and quite a bit cultural, I am exhausted. It has been a long week with tiresome days at Uni and work, and no time to relax before it has been off to the theatre…not that I am not relaxing in the theatre…few things are more enjoyable to me than escaping reality for a couple of hours with a movie, but when most of the movies are documentaries or accurate historical epics (a.k.a reality)…its hard not to get a little stressed out. I will however admit that it has been worth it. I have been provoked, moved, made upset and terrified by what I have seen the past 7 days, and I could even go as far as to say that I have learned a thing or two. I simply love film.

So I thought I would give a quick rundown of what I have spent my free time on lately;

Thursday night it was the Japanese movie 'Sakuran' (is that pronounced sAkuran or sakUran?) which pretty much turned out to be Japanese soft porn. Now, Im no prude, but I did not see that one coming (pun intended). The first half was about this little girl being trained to be a luxury prostitute…or geisha if you will, while the second half was a bit more humorous with the geisha becoming head-geisha and picky with her customers. Almost a little girl power there for a second before it turned into a drama again. Did I like it? I was surprised, but once the initial “yikes-what-is-this” reaction subsided, I did enjoy it.

That same night, after 'Sakuran', I had tickets to an American film called 'The dog problem'. It was directed by Scott Caan as mentioned previously, and it turned out to be a surprisingly witty film with great dialog! At times the dialog actually reminded me of a typical Quentin Tarantino movie where the characters talk really fast and sarcastic to each other about subjects that initially seem completely uninteresting, but which become interesting simply by the way they talk. I definitely recommend this one.

Friday night we stuck to one film.-A documentary called 'For the bible tells me so'. The director, Daniel G. Karslake, was present for the screening of this film, and he introduced it with a short background story. I think this was by far the most moving film I saw this week. It is about deeply Christian families which have homosexual children. I believe the director said the film would premiere in various states in the US this week if it isn’t out already. Go see it! It is definitely worth a watch.

Saturday night came with the movie 'Factory Girl' about Edie Sedgwick and Andy Warhole. A little slow at times, but I enjoyed it. Guy Pearce from ‘Memento’ and ‘Rules of engagement’ plays Andy Warhole, and I swear I did not recognize him! I had to check him out at imdb.com to figure out who he was. He does a great job. Sienna Miller is Edie Sedgwick and she is excellent as well.

Sunday was another double feature (although not in the original sense, as they were shown in different rooms. First out was 'Sharkwater'. This was, as you’ve probably guessed, a documentary about sharks. -An American documentary to be specific. I think the essence of it was: biologist and underwater photographer wants to make film about his favourite animal,-the shark, biologist discovers that sharks are almost gone, biologist decides to find out why, biologist discovers illegal shark-fishing for shark fins (shark fin soup and all that crazy stuff…), biologist gets mad. The photography in this film is amazing, and its worth seeing just for that alone. At times I got sick to my stomach and at times I got pissed off. Cutting off fins on sharks and dumping them back into the ocean while they are still alive seem inhuman to me, but then again, some people should never be allowed to call themselves humans. I wish he hadn’t included the slightly insane criminal, Paul Watson in his movie, but I will admit the action part increased substantially once he did. Either way, if you love beautiful scenery and don’t mind political intrusion, this is the film for you.

After ‘Sharkwater’, I watched a German comedy (who knew they existed?) about speed dating called ‘Shoppen’. Hilarious! That’s all I have to say about that. -A really human, personal film that gets you straight in the heart. I simply loved it and would recommend it to anyone who loves stories about normal people. This film is completely free of Hollywood beauty and special effects. It’s the people who carry the film, and they do it wonderfully. One of the highlights this past week.

Monday came with ‘The wonder of it all'. The director, Jeffrey Roth and the producer, whos name escapes me at the moment, of this film were present and answered some questions after the film was done. I had a question ready, but sadly there was no time to ask it. This is a documentary if you will, or interview session of the 12 men who have walked on the moon. One of the astronauts were supposed to come for the screening as well, but unfortunately he got held up at NASA at the last minute. Sad. Would have been great to meet him. I thought of my friend Beatnik (http://randomscmandom.blogspot.com/) while I saw this one, as some of the astronauts mentioned the scepticism they sometimes get from people who don’t believe they actually did walk on the moon. People who have a hard time believing they have actually been there. Beatnik, go see this film if you get the chance…or rent it on DVD. It was interesting and you’ll get another point of view. I truly enjoyed watching the different guys explain how the experience was like for them…walking or bouncing on the moon, hitting a golf ball and goofing around on a different “planet”. I think I would have been terrified of not getting home had it been me…but then again, Im way too better-safe-than-sorry to ever take such a risk. Sadly.

Tuesday came with the absolute highlight so far; ‘A battle of wits'. This is a China/Japan/South-Korea/Hong Kong collaboration, and the result is a huge movie! Huge in every aspect. In scenery, in costumes, in story, in characters and music. I spent 2 hours and 15 minutes on the edge of my seat watching thousands of soldiers attacking a small village and getting defeated by a single man. A single very sexy man…One guy who with the help of a village and his incredible intelligence managed to defeat an entire Asian army. Wow..! Of course no epic movie is complete without twists and turns, and while you are watching this movie you
1: forget that they speak a language you can only dream to understand and therefore have to constantly read subtitles
2: forget that you are watching a movie that has not been made by the Hollywood machinery and therefore contain less CGI (and you certainly don’t miss it)
3: still forgetting that this is not a Hollywood movie and get surprised by the lack of a Hollywood ending (how refreshing).

I believe this movie came out in Asia last year, so it should be available on DVD soon if it isn’t already…just make sure there are English subtitles, unless you understand Chinese. Great film! I watched this movie yesterday, and I am still a little shook up about it.

Tonight is the last night of the festival, and I have one more movie to watch; 'Andrew Jenks, room 335'. From what I understand this is a documentary made by a 19 year old boy/man who wanted to find out how it was like to live in a retirement home. To figure it out, he found a home that would accept him as long as he paid rent, and he brought his camera. I am looking forward to it, and hope that it is just as humorous and heart-warming as it sounds like.

If you made it this far through the post, you can breathe now. I am done…but to my defence…I DID say I love to rant about movies (under the headline if you haven’t noticed the fine print)…so I accept no complains. –What’s a girl to do, when there is a festival in town…?

Update 25.10.07:
‘Andrew Jenks’ turned out to be more moving than I had expected. I love films that move me to such a degree that tears are impossible to withhold…I just don’t enjoy it when it happens in a public theatre…*cough*. Great film.

B.I.F.F

If you are Norwegian and just came out from underneath the rock you have been hiding under the past couple of months, you may wonder why I am going to write about steaks...(as "biff" means steak in Norwegian). Likewise, if you are one of my American friends, or another foreigner who happen to have stumbled upon this site, you may wonder what the heck this biff with punctuation's is. I will tell you.

B.I.F.F is short for Bergen International Film Festival, and is an 8 day eldorado for anyone who loves film. And I love film. Tonight Im watching 'Sakuran' which is a Japanese film about geishas, and Im watching 'The dog problem' which is an American movie with the following tag line: «When a man's best friend is his dog... that dog has a problem.» Scott Caan (oceans 11-13, gone in 60 seconds) is the director of the latter...Im not sure what I think of him as an actor, but I sure am looking forward to form an opinion of him as a director.

Anyways...May the movies flourish! Im excited!

Die Hard 4.0 with granny

I mentioned in the main blog that I was taking my grandmother to see Die Hard 4.0, as an early birthday present for her. She is a huge Bruce Willis fan and an action addict. "All those mooshy, romantic movies I can watch on TV. If Im going to the theater, I want to watch something with a little action and speed to it." She is a tiny woman of age and she loves car chases and explotions on film.

-So Die Hard was a natural choice. I also wanted to watch the movie again, as I was a little disappointed by the picture quality of the theater I watched it in last time. I was also surrounded by 15 year old boys with cellphones, and since I got free tickets anyway, it didnt bother me to spend a few bucks/kroner on this one. -After all, how else will Bruce Willis get paid? Poor guy needs a few extra bucks.

Anyways, to make a long story short; the movie still rocks! I picked up on a few more jokes this time around, and I still love John McClanes reaction to "special agent Johnson". You probably have to be a big Die Hard fan to pick up on that one...but look for it next time you watch it. -Its priceless. From his expression it looks like he already knows things are going to turn out bad, just by the fact that there is a Agent Johnson there....in charge. Granny loved it too. She couldnt stop gushing about it once we got out of the theater. And when I told her most of the stunts were actual stunts and not done on computers, she smiled from ear to ear, and told me that "Bruce Willis does most of his stunts, you know. Ive read about it!" She also said it was the most action packed movie she had ever seen him in, and I cant disagree. Ironically enough, the movie is PG13...doesnt look that way. Its kind of a relief not to have to deal with all the blood...although it was a little unusual to watch a John McClane with such clean language...He usually cuss more. But thats ok. It works anyway, and granny loved it...Which was all that mattered last night.

I knew I could count on granny.

16 Blocks

I just found an old draft that I have written, without publishing. So I just figured I should complete it. I havent seen this movie in a while now, but I still remember it pretty well. Anyway, here's what I originally wrote:

This is one of those movies I've been waiting a loooong time for. I knew about it when it was being shot in Toronto...Yes the story takes place in NYC, but they filmed it in Canada...Not that that is such an incredible piece of information, but I figured I should slip it in there somehow.

Ive been a fan of Mos Def since 'The Italian Job' and who didnt like him in 'Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy'. I figured this had to be a good one. Bruce and Mos in the same flick.-you cant lose.
I have to admit Ive seen this movie twice in the theater. The first time I was dead tired after a long day at work, and I really shouldnt have gone in the first place, but I was too impatient to wait another week...So I didnt really pay enought attention to get the story straight...and I was a little disappointed. Therefore I decided to watch it again, and Im glad I did! I liked it a lot better the second time around. The story (which isnt that hard to follow in the first place) made more sense and I could pick up more details. I noticed the audience started giggling a bit during Bruces first scene..I think a lot of them were surprised to see him as a chubby, pale, limping alcoholic without any sex-appeal what so ever. -And a horrible mustache...not very sexy. It wasnt Bruce...and thats what I love about this man. He can play any role. I hope (and believe) that we will see more of this Bruce in times to come, -although I have to admit Im excited about Die Hard 4...

Anyways, Mos Def plays a petty criminal that has to be transported from police custody, by detective Jack Mosley (Bruce Willis) to the courthouse, which is, yes you guessed it, 16 blocks away. This would seem like an easy enough task, but it will appear to be difficult when a certain group of people want the character of Mos dead...If you really want a longer synopsis than that, you should stop by imdb.com and read it there, cause thats all I am going to say about it.

This could easily be a Die Hard movie, as you have a lot of the same ingredients; a cop who doesnt want to be in the situation he is in, who is an alcoholic and generally pissed at the world, a number of badguys who wants him and his sidekick dead, and no outside help from anyone else. What differentiates this movie from a Die Hard movie is Jack Mosley. He seems to have given up on everything, he is in bad shape, he is tired of life and the trademark humor you find in John McClane of the Die Hards, is nowhere to be found. Jack is certainly not John McClane, although you can find some of the same courage in the two.

Seeing Bruce in a role like this really opens your eyes (if they weren't open already) to what a great actor he is. Ofcourse I already knew this, but to those of you who havent made an opinion about it yet, you really should watch this movie. Mos Def is also shining, much thanks to Bruce who chooses to stay somewhat in the background. I had only seen Mos Def in 'The Italian Job' and 'Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy' before, and I liked him in both. Now I can add this to my "+ list" and 3 out of 3 is pretty good for a fairly new actor (of films anyway).

David Morse is excellent as well. He is hard to dislike no matter what role you see him play. He has something very soothing about him that makes him very believable. If I ever met him, I'll bet I would believe whatever he had to tell me, whether it was true or not. He just has that quality.

I for one hope to see more movies like this by Bruce, and I cannot wait for 'The Brazilian Job' with Mos Def...if it happens that is. -And I assume the title relates to 'The Italian Job' and not the somewhat personal type of waxing...

Die Hard 4.0

"Die Hard 4.0" is what I first heard this movie was going to be called. Then they changed it to "Live free or die hard". I have to admit I like the first title better, and I was happy when I found out that they would keep that very title here in Europe. Probably because most people over here wouldnt get the connection to New Hampshire's state motto (Live free or die). But I find the 4.0 title to be much more intelligent and with a much better reference to the plot of the movie. "Die Hard 4.0" is a title that instantly makes you think of computers. And I personally dont think you need a patriotic title like "Live free or die hard" to get patriotic. Heck Im Norwegian and even I feel the patriotism with just the two words:"Die Hard". Ofcourse you cant expect every movie-goer to be the kind of Die Hard-nerd that I am. So I will forgive them for the somewhat dull choice of title.

Anyways! Enough about the title. I finally got to see this movie...a movie I have been waiting for since 1995. Not only did I get to watch it on premiere night, I got to watch it for free! Uhuh! I entered a contest and won two tickets, and whats even better, my boyfriend won two tickets in the same contest, so we got to bring some friends with us. I cannot remember the last time I was this jacked up about a movie. Come premiere day and I could hardly sit still. -And I knew having these high expectations were bound to get me disappointed. But I just couldnt help myself. Die hard has been special to me since I first saw Die Hard 2 (which was the first one I watched) and that was much thanks to my grandfather who recommended it to me. He was a huge fan of action movies, and the Die hards will always remind me of him. There is something about John McClane and his attitude that just works. He is impossible to dislike, and so are the movies. -In my opinion anyways...but then again, this is my blog and my opinion is pretty much what its based on. So I would guess it is ok.

After the admission of being a huge fan of the Die hards, and that I was more excited about this movie than I have been about any movie in a long time, I guess my review of it is one hundred percent biased and totally irrelevant for any one out there who is looking for a serious, objective review. So I am not going to give one. I will however say that watching the previous 3 Die hards before watching this one, did in fact ruin the experience a littlebit. It took me a while to get into the "Die hard-mode", simply because John didnt quite look like John to me at first. The previous 3 movies happen over a course of what...7 years? So John looks the same in all of them. He is also wearing the same kind of clothes in all of them, and the same hairdo. In the first scene of Die Hard 4.0, you see a bald (which is a very good look btw) John in a leather jacket, talking quietly and looking rather serious. It certainly helps to have his now grown-up daughter there, who really looks like the little girl who played Lucy in the first movie, to set the time line. But I would say its not untill about 20 minutes into the movie that you really recognize John McClane. Or atleast thats how it was for me. Im thinking if I hadnt watched the previous 3 movies first, I wouldnt have been so set on Johns appearance or attitude, which would naturally change over the course of an additional 10 years since Die Hard with a vengeance.

Either way, it became pretty clear after said 20 minutes that this is definitely John McClane, and this is without doubt a Die Hard movie. Its so great to finally see an oldfashioned action movie again. Real stunts. Real action. Ofcourse its all a little "over the top" as my friend pointed out to me. But that is the whole point. That is Die Hard, right? I didnt know I had missed John McClane so much before I watched this movie, and I for one really do hope they make another one. This is a series of movies and a character I can watch over and over again for pure pleasure. Once in a while its great to watch a movie that serves everything on a silver plate. No serious thinking, no confusion. Just Die hard. Just action. Just John Ma-fucking-Clane.

The plot is good, although the main villan could have been more frightening, and the humor is dark and wonderful. I would actually say that this movie is far funnier than the previous 3. So I guess my conclution is; go see it for sure. And if you are one of the few people left in the world who hasnt seen the previous 3, it doesnt matter. You might actually benefit from it. Besides, after having watched this one, you're gonna go out and get the previous ones on DVD anyways...

Death Proof - Grindhouse

I have been waiting for "Grindhouse" ever since my potato-state friend told me about it a couple of months ago. So I was a bit confused when i heard about what I thought was a name-change for the movie. The local theater added it to their "coming soon" list as "Death Proof". Wuddefok? They usually give Hollywood movies new names when they release them here...Either they translate the title to Norwegian, or they give it a new english title that is easier to pronounce. I did however find the change from "Grindhouse" to "Death Proof" a little odd. This is, untill I did a little research and found out that Grindhouse is infact two movies. Not a one-movie collaboration between Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez which I thought it was, but a double feature with one Tarantino movie and one Rodriguez movie. Apparently the double feature thing didnt work out too good, so they decided to split up the two movies at this side of the pond and make the movies a little longer instead. Hence, we got a longer version of "Death Proof", and "Planet Terror" will grace our screens next month.

Anyways, I watched "Death Proof", which would be Tarantinos contribution, last night and I really didnt have too high expectations. I had read a couple of reviews which pretty much said the movie was ok but not one of Tarantions best. I do not agree. It was more than ok. It rocks. Yes, it rocks and I am willing to admit that even if it makes me sound like a 15 year-old pimpled boy with a screaky voice. Which I am not.

I could write the synopsis here, but I prefer to let the movies I like keep their mystery. This is a different kind of movie that lets you feel like you are in a somewhat questionable theater in the mid-70s somewhere on Times Square in NYC or a back alley in a smaller town. And you end up loving the charade. The dialog which Tarantino is a master of never gets dull and who the heck new Kurt Russell could be that funny? I spent the last 30 minutes of the movie laughing my behind of to the annoyment of the people around me. Im sorry...I just couldnt help myself.

Dear Quentin. Never stop making movies. Please.

I can only hope that "Planet Terror" is equally odd and wonderful.

Alpha Dog

It took a lot of waiting...a lot of patience...before this movie finally premiered. I heard about it several years ago, so I guess I might have been waiting a little longer than the average movie goer...I had a feeling the performances would be good, although many of the actors in the movie are fairly unkown (often that alone is a good sign of quality). I had already heard that Timberlake was great, so I did not worry about a Britney Spears/Crossroads repeat.

Sooo...synopsis? Check out imdb.com...Im not going to repeat what every movie review out there have already written. Yes its based on a true story, yes the trial is still on, yes its a sad sad story. But I often find the movies based on true stories to be the scariest ones. - And this one is not an exeption. There were times when I wanted to reach my hands out through the screen and bitch-slap the BEEP out of some of those kids...Spoiled brats...

I suggest you spend your 10 bucks on this movie if you get the chance, its worth it. And if you need an additional excuse; go watch it for Ben Foster. The man is brilliant.

The Last King Of Scotland

Ive always found Forest Whitaker strangely interesting. Most of the stuff Ive seen him in has been TV productions, but I remember him well in Panic room. There is something about the way he looks that makes him seem sympathetic and kind. So I was skeptic when I heard he was going to portray Idi Amin...a person most people associate with hate and blood. Any hint of skeptisism I may have had though, was ripped off my chest (if thats where skeptisism is stored in your body...I think it is. Ok it is. I just decided it.). Forest is charming and terrifying and although I watched this movie Saturday night, I still hadnt been able to shake it by Sunday evening. I cant tell you whether it was the story, the actors or the fact that Idi Amin is a real guy who actually existed at one point...but I would guess it is a combination of all. I would certainly not be surprised if he wins an oscar for this one...and it would be well deserved. If I was wearing a hat, I would take it off for Whitaker.

Snakes On a Plane

Ok I admit it. I liked it. Snakes on a plane is the kind of movie you watch because you know it is bad. And you love it because it is bad. You find yourself enjoying the sight of a snake attached to a woman’s eye or a mans private parts...and you dislike yourself for it...but you keep watching. And you love the sight of the selfish bastard who gets swallowed by a python. And you laugh...and it is a loud devilish laugh...

The plot is simple. It is in fact snakes on a plane. The title says it all. My friend asked me last night: "What is it really about? It cant be just snakes on a plane? There has to be a side story to it. There has to be something more?" And I said; "No. It is just that...snakes on a plane full of passengers...". You already know by the title that there will be pandemonium. There will be panic. And there will be gore. And the title doesnt lie.

If you are in the mood for something simple that requires no brain activity other than the processing of images...and if you are in the mood for cheesy one-liners, then spend a couple of bucks renting this one.

"I've had it with these motherfucking snakes on this motherfucking
plane!"