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In the Name of the King: A Dungeon Siege Tale (2007)
If only...
Basically, there is *only* two things really wrong about this movie. They are Uwe Boll and Matthew Lillard. With some really talented people in their place this could very well have been a much more enjoyable film.
The acting is par or above. The effects are well done. And while the story isn't anything new, it's still usable for a fantasy movie like this.
So with different people behind the camera (and at least in one case in front of) this could have been rated 7. As it is now I only give it 5 (barely acceptable and nothing I recommend).
Moreno & tystnaden (2006)
Doesn't make it above the average
For those not familiar with the style of Swedish crime stories I can best describe them as heavy on the social commentary. Stories about the criminal mind(almost every movie about mass-murderers), his/her crimes(think old school, Agatha Christie, Conan Doyle) or the work of the police(CSI, Hill Street Blues and such) are all discarded if they don't contain a heavy dose of social commentary.
Looming in the background of Moreno & tystnaden is a religious cult. Obviously the author (who by the way is from my home town!) had something to say about religion and cults but it never got through to the audience. The cult is reduced to a simple cliché ("The one's who follow God will live and the one's who don't will die!" - Geez, is that the best they could come up with?)and with that the movie loses a lot of credibility. I don't know if it was like this in the book (i hope not!) or if this is just the result of a clumsy director, either way it reduces this movie to something that doesn't make it above the average.
The plot is OK but not very well executed. Main star Rexed is obsessed to find a serial killer when she fails to reach his second victim in time. This however isn't reflected throughout the movie until the very end. Up until then we lose valuable character development which is another trait of Swedish crime stories.
Another BIG disappointment is the lines these fine actors have to deal with. They make them sound like newbies when it comes to acting. Even seasoned award-winner Sven Wollter has a hard time getting his lines to sound natural. This is apparent the entire movie.
So all in all this is a disappointment. I should tell you that this is my first glimpse of the highly acclaimed Van Veeteren series, and I can only hope that it improves.
The Last Dragon (1985)
Hilarious attempt at film-making
This is one movie that sums up everything bad about movies from the eighties. There's two lead actors who really don't know how to act, we have a mafia-type villain who's over the top and of course there's outrageous clothing in almost every scene. Especially when it comes to the gang of bad boys led by the notorious 'Sho Nuff'. They deserve a movie of their own. Other than that we also get a funny performance from actress Faith Prince (perhaps more known as Claudia in Spin City) portraying a Cindy Lauper-like singer.
Last Dragon uses every cliché in the book and fails at every step of the way. It is poorly directed and even worse written. But I still recommend it for those film buffs who likes to laugh at c-rated movies. The really only memorable thing is perhaps the catch phrase: "Who's da master? Sho Nuff!!"
Changing Lanes (2002)
Dealing with alot of issues, pulling it off well!
I haven't seen a movie with this much substance and content for a long time. The issues it deals with are handled with great care. The acting is well over average (I was actually very impressed by Ben Affleck), and the whole movie hits hard and just keeps on hitting you until the end. There are some similarities with Michael Douglas' best movie, Falling Down, and even though Changing lanes don't quite match that it still has some important things to say and it speaks well! It's a good movie that among other things shows us how fragile our lives and our security really are. On the other hand it's also a movie about believing in the good of humanity. There are a bunch of other issues I could name that this movie deals with but guess what, it pulls it off. Every single one of them.
Jordgubbar med riktig mjölk (2001)
The fear of leaving things behind
It begins a bit unstable and with some wooden acting but once the story gets going it's heartwarming and well-written. The chemistry between the two lead actors is good and it contains some strong memorable scenes here and there. At times it can get too melodramatic but fortunately those are few. It's a solid, well-written, well-acted movie about age problems. Even though this is about a man entering his sixties, and tries to deal with the fact that he's getting old, I think younger persons can find something useful in this too. After all, there are many age crisis in life and if you go beneath the surface they're all about the same thing. The fear that you haven't done all you should have, and the fear of leaving things behind. It's not a perfect ten, but it's a darn good movie!