Bad Santa (2003)

One of my favorite Christmas movies is 'Bad Santa'. Not because I get sentimental watching it...not because it is a beautiful film...'cause lets face it, it is not. The movie is disgusting, Billy Bob Thornton is digusting and the language is pretty disgusting too. I guess that is why I love it so much. The film is so far out there, yet a little sexy. I find it frightening that I am slightly attracted to Billy Bob's character, and if you watch this film you too will find that frightening. Brett Kelly playing the little kid is wonderful and so is Bernie Mac. John Ritter too is a delight, playing the typical "I-want-to-please-everyone" character.

This is the kind of movie that makes you laugh out loud at inappropriate places, while still having enough heart to move you just a littlebit. It is far from a comedy, yet no drama and certainly no action film...so what is it? I have no idea. But it sure is fun!

Just a heads up, if you havent already seen it.

Captain Abu Raed (2008)

So...this years 'BIFF' (Bergen International Film Festival) is over, and as usual I left a substantial portion of my salary at the event. Somehow I seem to enjoy this festival more and more as the years go by. Perhaps I am more open minded about foreign films or maybe I have a higher appreciation for film in general than what I have had in the past. I suspect it is a combination of the two.

Either way I am not going to give the usual rundown of the films I watched, although I would recommend most of them...it was especially interesting watching the documentaries about homosexuality among muslims...But I would like to single out one specific film. The highlight of the festival for me this year was a beautiful film from Jordan; 'Captain Abu Raed'. A film by director Amin Matalqa who has only done short films prior to this one. Considering that this is his first feature film, I have a feeling we will be seeing more of this guy in the future.

The film is about an airport janitor who is mistaken for a pilot by the neighborhood kids. Greatful for the company, Abu takes the kids on travels around the world through his fictional stories. Although Abu is a great escape from reality for the kids, it is reality that is the center of this film. -The everyday life in Jordan, the struggle to make ends meet and the need for someone to inspire the individual to follow its dreams.

As this film is Jordans candidate for the 'Best Foreign Film' category at the Oscars, there is an actual possibility you may be able to watch it at your local theater in the nearest future.

If you get the chance, I hope you take it. This is a film you really do not want to miss.

The Dark Knight 2008

As I have written down my thoughts about Heath Ledger's performance as The Joker before, I will not talk about it here. I will instead refer you to this: http://skiscorner.blogspot.com/2008/07/respect.html

if you wish to read it.

I watched this film a couple of days ago and it is still burned into my memory. Something happens to me when I see a film I really enjoy…I am left with a sensation that makes me feel…how should I say it…alive. Some people use drugs, some people drink and others jump out of airplanes. I watch movies. I know…its perhaps a little weird…but it has become a part of who I am. Some movies just get to me. Rarely do action films have this affect on me…but this one did.

I don’t care to tell you the story…you can easily figure that out for yourself if you wish to. I am more interested in the feel…the sensation you are left with. The film is dark, however not as visually dark as ‘Batman Begins, 2005’. If you haven’t seen ‘Batman Begins’ you probably should before watching ‘The Dark Knight’…although I wouldn’t say it is a requirement. ‘Batman Begins' is literally dark…It is night most of the time and if the story is taking place in daytime, we are usually inside or underground. This gives it a very gothic feel. ‘The Dark Knight’ actually has a great deal of scenes taking place outside in the middle of the day. You will even see the sun over Gotham. To me this was unexpected. However, the film is just as dark, if not darker than the previous thanks to the characters. Thanks to Heath Ledger and ‘The Joker’. Its is pretty amazing how you can watch a movie like this taking place in sunlight and you still feel like you are watching a very dark and moody film. Obviously there are night scenes and underground scenes and all the other type of scenes you expect. But what got to me is the dark and horrified feeling you are stuck with, even in sunlight.

The story also takes you on a rollercoaster and there will be at least 3 incidents in this film that have you believe it is ending. Just as you prepare to see the credits something else happens and you are thrown right back into it.

So…still wondering if you should check it out? Please do, if not for anything else; to see the peak of Heath Ledgers career.

I for one will watch it again…and again.

Kung Fu Panda (2008)

"Yesterday's history. Tomorrow is a mystery, but today is a gift. That is why it is called the present."

"Legend tells of a legendary warrior whose kung fu skills were the stuff of legend."

"I just ate, so I'm still digesting, so my kung fu may not be as good as later on."

It just goes on and on...There is something about Jack Black that just makes me laugh. All he needs to do, is open his mouth and I start laughing. Go spend your hard earned 10 bucks on Kung Fu Panda and you will "go blind from over-exposure to pure awesomeness."

I sure dug it.

Iron Man

I went to the movies this past weekend. No surprise there. I tend to do that...atleast once a week. -Twice the past week actually. Not that such information is very important...nor interesting. But there you have it. I had free tickets and decided to use them on 'Iron Man'. You know, sometimes you just want to watch a movie without thinking too much. And any movie based on a comic book hero is such a movie. -And Saturday was a good day for not thinking. It was the weekend after all...and I spend the weekdays over-thinking everything in the lab and at work.

I didnt have any expectations to be honest. The thing with comic related movies is that you cannot have any expectations. You have the really really great ones (Batman begins (2005) for instance) and the really really shitty ones (Fantastic Four (2005)...sorry. I just vomited a little in my mouth). The potential failure is too big...so no anticipation is the best way to go.

-Which is the very reason why comic related movies can work so well. Iron Man is such a movie for yours truly. I watched this with my boyfriend who clearly hated it. I dont think I heard him laugh once during the movie, while I absolutely loved it. It still puzzles me that we could disagree that much when we usually have the same taste in movies. But I guess everyone has their preferences. The first half was great. I love Robert Downey Jr's ability to be sexy AND an asshole at the same time. Perfect timing and quick, smartass comments makes him amusing as well as interesting. I almost feel like I re-discover this guy with every movie I watch him in. -Which is bullsh*t ofcourse, but thats the kind of mark he leaves. He was also the perfect choice of Iron Man. He is good looking enough to be a playboy, yet nerdy-looking enough to pass off as a genius. I bought it.

I will not get into the typical comic-book fight at the end. I was disappointed by the last third of the movie, but I would say the first half was good enough to save its honor.

So the verdict? Highly entertaining and worth your bucks. Just dont invite an over-analytical person to join you. After all...it is a comic based film.

Into the Wild

Im sitting here with mixed emotions trying to find a way to describe this film...or trying to write down my opinion. But its really hard. This is a film I pretty much wanted to see because of Sean Penn. I hadn't seen any of the other films he directed and Ive always liked his acting. He was brilliant in 'Mystic River' and I loved him in 'I Am Sam'...So when my sister asked me to go see this one with her (I think perhaps she developed a crush on Emile Hirsch after Alpha Dog...) I gladly came along.

When I decide to go see a film I avoid the reviews and critics and I try not to read much about it at all. I want to make up my own opinion first without being influenced by other peoples views. However, if the film sparks an interest (good or bad) I'll look it up and read anything I come across regarding reviews and interviews and all the other 'views' out there. So when I sat down in the theater to watch 'Into the wild' I had no idea this was a true story. I had no idea what it was about. The only thing I knew was that Sean Penn directed it and Emile Hirsch would appear in it.

I know you are supposed to give a synopsis when you write a review...but I guess this blog is no film-review site...it is just my opinion of various films...so I wont write the required synopsis. I'll just sum it up in one sentence; A young man (Emile Hirsch) is tired of society and the constant craving of things, and decides to leave everyone and everything behind and live in one with nature...in the wilderness of Alaska.

It doesnt sound like a very interesting synopsis...you probably think; "oh, not another one"..."Didnt Tom Hanks do that 'all-alone-far-away-from-modern-society'-kind of movie a couple of years ago?" But 'Into the Wild' is no 'Cast away'...It is a bold choice made by a young man...and the way this story ends rendered me sleepless for days. And thats why its hard for me to sit here and tell you exactly what I feel about this film. I cannot remember the last time a movie made this kind of impact on me...I just couldnt shake it. The rest of the evening I was quiet to the point where my boyfriend (who had just come home from a week of travel) thought I was angry with him...and the morning after I woke up feeling blue and just a general sadness I could not shake.

I guess telling you that the movie made me blue is not the best kind of advertisement...but sometimes a film can leave a mark...perhaps trigger an emotion you havent felt in a while...and in my opinion...any film that leaves an emotion in you that sticks even after you have left the theater...whether it is a feeling of happyness or sadness, is a good film.

-And 'Into the wild' is that film.

Be Kind Rewind

As I mentioned in my main blog last week, I was facing a bit of a dilemma...watching the Oscar's or finding out what the surprise screening of the film club would be. Well...it turned out that the Oscar show had been moved to a channel I dont recieve, so the choice was no longer a choice. I ended up at the movie theater. -And I have never been happier about missing a TV show in my life! I sat down in the dark without any expectations what-so-ever, and I was excited to find out, after about 2 minutes, that the film I was about to watch had not only Jack Black (one of the funniest people on the planet) but also Mos Def in it.

Normally I dont like comedies...mostly because I find the humor a bit forced. I do have a sense of humor and I love to laugh, but American comedies tend to be more slapstic than actually funny. This film is an exception. Yikes!

There were times when I had to look away due to severe lack of air in my lungs (one such incident was the fantastic camouflage outfits in one of the earlier scenes...). I cannot remember the last time I laughed this hard and long during a movie. The jokes came when you least expected it and they were at times so odd that you had to laugh. Laugh hard. I know I had my jaw resting on my chest more than once...in total befuddlement and complete joy.

The synopsis is as weird as the movie itself; Mos def working in a VHS video store, Jack Black getting magnetized (dont ask and it takes too long to explain), VHS tapes erased, Mos and Jack making their own versions of various blockbusters in order to save video store from complete ruination. They call their verisions "sweeded" as they are special editions coming all the way from Sweden...

It may have been the fact that I had absolutely no expectations of what I was about to watch, or it may just be that this movie rocks. Either way, I loved it and I tend to watch it again when it premieres here in Norway April 18th.

I suggest you do it too...if you like to laugh.

Excited about...

Cloverfield!
I first heard about this movie a year ago or so...I watched a trailer that was made before the actual filming had started. The trailer is filmed with a handheld digital camera and the footage is raw. A group of kids is filmed at a "going away party" when the party is interrupted by a massive roar outside. Next scene shows an explosion at what looks like Manhattan and the head of Lady liberty lands in the middle of the street. We are talking major monster movie, and the secrecy surrounding this film has created a huge buzz around the world wide web. Some said remake of Godzilla, others said alien invation. The hype surrounding it reminds me a great deal of the "Snakes on a plane" hype...and unfortunately high expectations usually result in high levels of disappointment...although I personally loved Snakes...you have to take it for what it is. See the irony in it and you will love it too.

Ofcourse Cloverfield has already premiered in the US but I have purposefully avoided the reviews the past couple of weeks. I dont want to know what this film is about. I want to figure it out as I am watching it. And I am planning to do so this weekend.

Ghost (1990)

Early last week I was sitting in the lab waiting for my cells to get fixated/dehydrated/embedded..the works. I was bored out of my mind and surfing the net trying to figure out which version of Live Free or Die Hard to get, when I stumbled across an online DVD sale. As I was scrolling through the list of cheap movies I found my favorite sob flick from the early 90s; Ghost. I have always loved this film and I am today shocked that I didnt already own it. Meaning; I ordered it, and it arrived 2 days later.

I am not going to write a synopsis, as I assume most people know the film (and if not you can visit imdb.com). But I can tell you that Demi has never been prettier and Patrick Swayze has never been more tolerable. I personally do not understand how Patrick could ever become a sex symbol...but I guess one womans mold is another womans truffle...and he does have very pretty eyes. His dramatic acting seems a bit off at times...looking a bit more constipated than frightened, but then again, I am no expert. -And I love the story. Shame on you Bruce Willis for turning down this part. Whoppi is fantastic and that oscar was well deserved. She brings so many laugh out loud moments to the film. I cannot imagine how it would have turned out if they had actually cast Tina Turner...who did audition for the part.

I was watching the film with the boyfriend and at the end he hogged all the tissues...It is a very moving ending...and I personally felt the need to be good afterwards. Dont want those scary shadows to come get me when Im done with this life...

So if you are wondering why I decided to bring up an 18 year-old movie, I will tell you that I did it out of respect. This film needs a bump so that the younger generations will pick it up and get inspired to do good...even if it only lasts a brief moment.

I am Legend

Being a microbiologist I was naturally drawn to the synopsis of this movie; a guy who is a scientist, who is the sole survivor after a virus has turned all others into zombies and who is on a mission to find a cure. Actually...the zombie part seemed a bit far fetched...I guess it was more the sole survivor, last man on Earth thing that got me interested. So...being the nerd that I am...and being a fan of Will Smith, I had to see this film...despite the zombies.

So...what effect did the zombies have on the film..? I actually have to admit that I bought the whole idea. Although the idea of zombies at all is scientifically impossible...they managed to make it believable in this film (to a certain point). I guess in a way they weren't zombies...they were people with a severe case of rabies...or something similar. The loss of hair...the aggression, sensitivity to light...it could happen...sort of. Not sure what I think of the explanation behind the rabies outbreak...but then again, 20 years ago people had a hard time believing in HIV and its effects on the body...So I will let it pass.

I think I was worried ahead that the monster/zombie part would ruin the film, but all in all I really enjoyed it. And I think watching Will Smith hunt deer in the middle of Times Square alone is worth the 10 bucks.

Oh...and not to forget. The movie can be seriously scary at times...Fortunately without getting gorey or splatter-like. If you are easily scared...make sure you bring a stable friend to cling to...I thought I did...but the boyfriend turned out to be even wimpier than me...