Change Your Image
Riddlert
Reviews
Salt (2010)
5 bad movies in one.
First, this is a movie about an American spy in a North Korean prison. That could be a full movie in itself, but within 5 min, she is out and back in business. Next we learn (as we do in the trailer) that she may be a Russian spy planted in America. From there, we move on to an assassination plot, then a revenge plot, then save the US president, and lastly save the planet from all out nuclear war.
This movie is so all over the place that you won't know what is going on. SALT kills every Russian she run in to, and only knock out or wound Americans, so it's kind of obvious who's side she is on. However as unbelievable (as in impossible to believe, not as in amazing) all 5 plots are, the idea that Russia need Americans help to start a nuke fight, seems kind of dumb.
What's worse is that Angelina is not even very attractive in this film. She can be, but she comes of way to masculine as SALT.
I am pretty sure it will take you about as much time to watch the movie, as the writer took, writing it.
Avatar (2009)
So predictable yet so beautiful.
So predictable yet so beautiful. Avatar does not belong in the top 250 list at all. Not even in the top 2.500 if you ask me. It's unoriginal, transparent and every character is a cliché of itself. I will not give any spoilers, thou the very idea of "spoiling" anything, is a joke. You will accurately predict the full storyline of the movie, within the first 15 minutes. There are no twists or turns in the story, and you can easily recognize the bad guy, by the scars in his face. Having said that, I enjoyed this movie, in its full 2h, 45 min length, and yes they seemed to pass fairly quickly.
Before I get to the good parts about this film, I will just finish of the negatives. I watched this in Denmark (where I live) and we don't have any IMAX theaters. So that sucks, however I cannot blame the film for that. The 3D glasses we got, was really bad, and perhaps made for children? I could CLEARLY see the frame of the spectacles, and it ruined the 3D effect some. The other thing that ruined the 3D was the subtitles. All the debts in the picture are put in to a really shitty perspective from the yellow subtitles, which is impossible to ignore. Yes the subtitles are in 3D as well, but it's hard to get lost the picture, as I can easily imagine doing, if there were no subtitles, and I had a pair of decent 3D glasses.
Having said all the above, this film deserves a big thumb up, for its STUNNING visuals. The CGI is beyond anything I have ever seen, and the 3D knocks it up another notch. The world James Cameron created is realistic, imaginative and attractive. I would describe it as the most exotic place imaginable, without any spiders, scorpions, snakes or bugs. All the animals are big and colorful, and always just 1 inch short of eating our hero. The native people are a parody on Native Americans, and there some scenes with chanting and summoning spirits, I could have done without. However they are fairly short and surrounded by impressive CGI to grab your attention.
Other films (like Transformers) have no or bad content, and totally depend on CGI to have any entertainment value. However, this is a class beyond that. Despite the cliché characters and the predictable plot, I would not compare this to other films like that. Not just because the CGI is better, but because the story is not insanely ridicules, or completely missing. (like in the Transformers movies).
Go watch this film (don't rent it), and go for IMAX if you can. Watch it in 3D and try to get some decent 3D specs. Avoid subtitles. Try to get seeded in the center of the cinema, slightly closer to the screen, than to the back wall. (In a cinema with 20 rows of seats, go for row 7 near the middle, where row 1 in is near the screen and row 20 is near the back). Where you sit, makes a world of difference when it comes to the 3D effect. If you get all that right, you will enjoy this movie, no matter what kind of movies you like. (I did not like this movie one bit, but I did enjoy it).
7 out of 10 for decent acting, amazing CGI, impressive world and great action.
Antichrist (2009)
Incredibly mind blowing, shocking, beautiful and boring.
Watching this movie, my expectations were high, as I like most of Lars von Trier's work. Kingdom and Dogvile is great works of art, while being very entertaining. Antichrist is perhaps more beautiful and artistic than those two put together, but not nearly as entertaining. When people say "do not watch this, if you are sensitive to blood, sex and violence" I brush it off, as I have never seen a motion picture that really shock me in any way, due to its graphical content. Until now that is.
Apart from the very intense and very hardcore images, the feeling you leave the movie with, is one that will leave you thinking. I am not sure why it left such an impression on me, but I caught myself thinking about this movie, for weeks after watching it. It touches on evil and cruelty in a very direct and original way, without invoking anything supernatural or unbelievable.
The problem with this movie is the VERY slow paste. I suggested to my friends, that we should stop watching it while just over the half-way point, but I am very glad we hung in there. All the good stuff is in the end. The last 15 min. is what makes this movie. They are exciting, entertaining, brutal, revealing, shocking and much more. Unfortunately only the first 5 and the last 15 minutes left any impression on me. The rest is simply to slow. Long slow-motion black and white scenes, without any real content, left me bored and even irritated.
In conclusion, this is a movie unlike anything you have ever seen. It's more bloody and brutal than you expect, even after reading this. I would not let me children (if I had any) see this movie, before the age of reason. My good luck is that no children will ever make it to the hardcore scenes, as they would get bored to death before they got there. If you decide to watch this, brace yourself for a mind blowing experience, but be prepared for an evening of boredom.
Food, Inc. (2008)
Bellow average, but fairly entertaining.
This film starts out fairly well. It's pretty clear that it has its mind made up from the beginning, and it's out to confirm its starting assumption, which is that the food industry is evil and flawed. And it may be right.
However two things really grind my gears about this, way more than it not being very honest and impartial.
There is a story that begins 20-30 min in to the film, which is (and I am not going to spoil anything) your classic sad "I lost my son, now I am fighting for change" story, from a mother who lost her 3 or 4 year old son to an Ebola virus. It's very sad and has the moody music and everything, yet they fail to ever mention any numbers or statistics. How many people eat meat and how many of them get the virus? And how many die from it? What are my odds of death from meat, compared to death by shark attack or lightning/meteor strike? With 250.000.000 + Americans eating meat, some will die from something some times, and from the perspective of that person's mother, it will be tragic.
The other thing that i did not like, was the ending (and again no spoilers). After the movie is done, and the text are about to roll over the screen, you get 3+min. of morals injected directly in to the softest part of your brain. "You can vote on this, 3 times a day with your wallet, when you do your shopping" and it's time for change. Just show me the movie, and let me make up my own mind. I am not a mindless drone, and telling me what my morals should be is going to have the opposite effect.
All criticism aside, there are some very impressive pictures and video clips in this film. It's for the most parts, not boring (maybe with the exception of the sad mother story) and it have some facts in it, thou most of them are strongly opinionated. Do not get your hopes up for this film, if you are of a critical mindset, and not easily moved by sad "mother lost child" bits. It's not very good and not very bad. I had pretty high expectations, due to the high ratings and publicity of this film, and I was very disappointed. If you watch it with low expectations, maybe it wont suck as much.
Terminator Salvation (2009)
Better than T3, horriable compared to T1 & T2
Right of the back, Kids and young audience will LOVE this film, however I am 28, and I was 12 when T2 was released in Denmark. That is to this day the best cinema experience I have ever had. So my expectations to Terminator Salvation was very high, partly because Christian Bale is a franchise saver and partly because it Finally took place in the future. (as T3 should have done).
Unfortunately the story line in Terminator Salvation is weak at best. It's not the least bit original (as T1 and T2 were) and there are no twists and turns that are not totally predictable. The acting is OK, but I was expecting Christian Bale to be perfect for John Conner. He was medium at best.
The CGI was perfect, but the action (and there are LOTS of action) was not nearly as brutal as it should be. Terminators KILL PEOPLE, they don't throw them at a well every time they get their hands on a human. I won't give away the ending, but I will say that the last scene before they ride in to the horsiest like Lucky Luke, is clearly something they thrown together in 2 hours, trying to change the ending, because the original ending had leaked. The monologue ending as all terminator films have had, was totally cliché and poorly done.
The good things in this movie are the action and the CGI. The rest is crap. I gave it 6 because they animated a young Arnold in to it, and some of the homage to the old movies was done well, like the "you could be mine" from Guns N Roses on the radio and stuff like that.
Apart from that the film is filled with factually errors. I will name a few here. Warning SPOLERS COMING NOW On an end not I would say, watch this movie if you are less than 20 years of age or like movies like Transformers and The fast and the Furious.
SPOILER 1: Gas on gas station will not blow up or burn. After 6 months gas is no longer flammable and won't be able to run a car.
SPOILER 2: The scene where the computer explains the lame plot to the half man half machine is so stupid and unoriginal. I could not help but think of the South Park episode "Something Wal-Mart is coming this way" where the man in wall-mart is showing his different forms. (With a hat and without his jacket etc.) And why give away everything like some stupid James Bond or Scooby Doo villain. If the computer had just STFU they would have won the war.
SPILER 3: (ENDING SPOILER): The last scene with the heart transplant is so stupid it utterly destroys what little quality this script had. You cannot do an outdoor heart transplant, even if they by poor luck had the same blood type and you against all odds had the right equipment for it.
Kill Bill: Vol. 1 (2003)
Quentin Tarantinos back. And it´s more bloddy then ever !
Quentin Tarantino´s back with this high speed action / kung fu / anmie / samurai movie. I only watched this one once by now. The reason for this is not that it´s bad, just that is not out yet ( at least only in lame ass workprint and/or telesync ) When i watched it in the Cinema last weak ( October 25th - Danish premier ) i quickly noticed that this is a very different kind of movie, then what we are use to seeing from the King ( QT > Quentin Tarantino ). There are a few scene skips ( as seen in Pulp Fiction and Resoivoir Dogs ), the movie is devidet in to chapters like a book, and chapter 2 comes before 1. This however i did find a little odd, becaurs i was unable to see what the point was, other then thats what he always does. Another thing that i did not like was the fact that the movie was short on QT dialog. QT write the most interesting and awsome dialog, where ppl ( mostly gangsters ) are in a verry serious situation, and however talking about some silly ass shit, like if Mr. Pink sounds like Mr. shit and so forth. This movie however focus more on individuals, like a old Samurai movie often do, or like classic Kung Fu movies ( Fist of legend and so forth ) This put a side, i think this movie is very very very good. There are tons of sceenes in it where the hole cinema laugh, smile and almost cry. At first where a pregnant UMA THURMAN is shot in the head by BILL the second she says "It´s your baby" the scene is so well made that I and everybody else jumped in there seat. From that point the action starts. I dont know what i liked best, that hospital scene where it she learns that lots of ppl have been having sex with URMA while she was in a coma, or the house battle where the victoms daught walk in and aventualy see her mother get a large hunting knife in he chest. Anyway, maby a bit to short this movie have only a few scenes in it. Pretty much devidet by the chapters QT made, it follow the story and change the style to fit it. luci Lu is presented in a 15 minnuts anime clip with as much violence as the rest of the flick. I dont wanna give any more away for the ppl who diddent see it yet, however if u didden, DO IT NOW! I read in some other reviews that if i liked anime or Kung Fu this woudt be nothing like that, and i must agree. it´s much much better. This is what Jet Le´s onl Kung Fu movies woudt have been like if they had had the buget ( and the worlds greatest writer / director ) This movie is a tribue to Kung Fu, Western, John Woo, Chineese / japaneese anime. I like all hoose generes, and therefore i like this movie very very very much.
Polle Fiction (2002)
I am no longer proud to be Danish
This is a movie from Denmark, and for the first time since cartoons, im NOT proud to be Danish. This movie started as a TV comertial ( that was not funny ) It is a redneck and his redneck friends acting redneck alike and saying redneck things. That is funny the first 5 - 10 seconds. But after that you remember how EASY it is to make that kind of call B humor, and it is funny no more. The comertials have been running in Danish TV and cinemas for little over a year or so. Every time i go and watcha movie and polle and his mates go on screen to tell us what cell phone to buy this week, im have to sit on my hands, to keep me from slabbing the people laughting. Yes. Some people do laugh. I dont know why, but anyone can hear that it is a FAKE laugh. Peoplem acting like the see the bigger picture and find it funny. Not one movie lover, like this movie. It is a class c movie. It is very LOW budget. you will not like it. if you wanna watch this movie ( you must be danish and think the comertials are funny ) and you must NOT pay for it. Download it, steal it or borrow it from a friend. After 10 minnuts you will watch no more, and be glad you have not payd for it. In one word this movie is CRAP
The Royal Tenenbaums (2001)
Maby i diddent get it !
If i have had anything better to do, I woudt have stopd it. This movie is VERY boring, and VERY VERY VERY short on Humor. Good actors, but not good acting.
Yi tin to lung gei: Moh gaau gaau jue (1993)
check this out, a fun movie with intriguing plot
I believe this movie is based on an old chineese story. it has been made as a tv series too. the first time you watch it you dont understand a thing. Who is he? is a question you will ask a lot. I have seen it many times, and the more you see it the more you like it, as you come to understand the plot eventually. there are great fight scenes in it and Sammo Hung has truly done a great job as an action choreographer. I particularly like the scene where sammo teaches tai chi to Jet li. there are good babes in this movie too. and they are good at kung fu. you should watch this and enjoy it.
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)
An Adventure unlike anything you have ever seen before.....
Now THAT is a movie.
After 1 week it takes Nr 1 on the top 250 list. Maybe Godfather part 1 do earn that title better, but if any other movie then godfather or Star Wars a new hope deserves that title, it is this one. The best adventure movie ever, the book is the bestselling book in the world, after the Christian Bible, and so well written. This movie dont come close to the book, but still it is one of the best movies i have seen. If you did not see this one yet, get your tickets now. AWESOME.
Requiem for a Dream (2000)
Dont do drugs mmkay
This is one of the best films this year, well this and Memento the quality of the movie is exelent. the angels and camera motion is perfect, there is a incredable style in this film, when you see it you want to look away, but you cant. And whats best about this movie, is that anyone who have seen it will never put drugs in his / her arm and never ever ever take a diet pill. Ps. Maby it will even make you think about what you watch on TV