Armin's Journal

Star Trek (Abrams, 09)

2009-05-08T16:43:00.000-07:00

I went in not expecting much, but I was still excited. It opens with a great and powerful sequense, and I thought to myself, whoa, this might actually be really good. And it was. It's extremly well filmed throughout. The style of the camera angles and shakes fits the film and it's tone perfectly. I was really facinated by the cinematography, this film is eye candy. The plot is extremly well developed and so are the characters. They managed to make me give an emotional response when I was supposed to, and make me smile when I was supposed to. Thought it can be hard for Trek noobs like myself to be instantly thrown in just like that. You start to wonder, what timeline, where is that planet and so on. But, as it goes on, it manages to have me hooked all the way. Which is pretty unusual for blockbusters these days.

The acting surprised me alot, I haven't seen Pine in anything before, I thought he'd be another annoying Shia. But oh my was I wrong. He shows great charisma and shines with his acting along with Quinto. I don't really have any complains about the acting, Everyone did their part very well and clicked together in a tremendous way. The entire crew was just perfectly cast if you ask me. Bana was kind of a cliché villain though and his performance is weak.

Star Trek is funny, exciting, emotional and well developed. It's old school blockbuster film making with amazing CG and a good looking & charismatic cast. The action scenes never ceaze to entertain or thrill. John Cho shows some serious awesome-ness. You'll see what I mean when you see the film. Star Trek is one of the best blockbusters in recent memory and once of the finest films I've seen from this decade. If that's not a enough, I'll also say that it's a great addition to the Sci Fi genre.

★★★★ ½

Top 10 of 2008

2009-05-06T08:18:00.000-07:00

10.The Wrestler (Aronofsky)

The Wrestler is a touching film, it has some really heartbreaking moments, but it also has some heart warming moments. We follow Randy the Ram, a man who has chosen a path that has cost him alot in life, his daughter is one of those things. The scenes between Rourke and Rachel Wood are very strong, they really managed to almost make me tear up, and they managed to put some meat on the backstory. Though Wrestler feels uneven at times, it sure leaves a strong impression with that ending. Also, Rourke's performance is one of the five best from the decade for me. Very strong.

9.Quantum of Solace (Forster)

Many people were dissappointed by this, but I wasn't. I throughly enjoyed it and thought the action was stellar. Though the story needed more, Quantum still left me thrilled. I also should add how much I love Amalric. Great actor, tremendous voice and alot of charisma. Craig is my favourite Bond along with Connery, though Olga is not as good looking as Eva Green, she's still hawt.

8.Forgetting Sarah Marshall (Stoller)

What can I say, I love Jason Segel, extremly fun film that didn't feel like your everyday romance/comedy. Mila has never looked this beautiful. Bill Hader is funny as usual and.. yeah.

7. Slumdog Millionaire (Boyle)

A touching and predictable story that reminds me about the places I grew up in. Well edited and stunning dutch-angles. Beautiful score, solid acting.

6.Rachel Getting Married (Demme)

Realistic film with the best female performance I saw from 2008. One of the finest scenes from the year was one Hathaway's character (Kym) slaps her mom. Such impact and intensity is very rare in films these days. The realistic wedding may not have worked with everyone, but it worked with me.

5. Milk

Extremly well acted, very good script, balances the preachy-ness to a level and one of the most powerful endings in years. Some great shots in it too, like the one where we see Luna's reflection in the bottle. I do wish that it had focused more in the relationships though, and given Franco more to do!!

4. In Bruges

Collin Farrell impressed me along with Gleeson in this film. Very touching but yet funny performances, as it's ment to be in this film. It's a perfect balance between drama and black comedy. The dialogue was oscar worthy in my opinion.

3. Pineapple Express

I can not lie to myself, I love this film more and more every time I watch it. I still think Franco should have been nominated instead of RDJ. He simply made me laugh by everything he said. Perfect performance for the kind of character he played. Danny McBride was funny too, and I did not find Rogen annoying at all, like most people do.

2. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Beautiful scenes & Music made me get lost in Fincher's masterful eye for direction. It's really hard to talk about this film, because throughout I had this feeling I rarely have during films. If I go on, I'll just use words like beautiful and work of art. So I'll just stop here.

1. The Dark Knight

Rich and thrilling crime saga with one of the finest performances in recent years by the late Heath Ledger. Gary Oldman and his moustache is great as usual. Aaron Eckhart gives an emotional performance that I'll have in mind for ever. It manages to send the political messages without being preachy, but also maintains entertaning throughout. Shots of the Joker with camera spinning , camera being upside down with him and him sticking his head out of the window sure do leave an impression. His dialogue is perfect 90% of the time. Iconic performance by Ledger, no doubt. There is just too much I wanna say about the film, but you've heard it all.

The Matrix

2009-05-04T07:29:00.000-07:00

The Matrix

The film has alot to say about religion and so on, and it presents Neo as a Jesus figure in such a tremendous way. It's quite well handeld in the dialogue. I always hated this film as a kid, but I decided to give it a shot since my taste has evolved. And, I loved it. I didn't really see anything wrong with the acting, it's not top notch, but it's alright, could have been alot worse. And the casting of Keanu as Neo is almost perfect. It not only succeds as a important film for it's genre with symbolism, it also succeds as a entertaning blockbusters with amazing action scenes. There were moments in the last act that made me go "wow".

I really liked some of the shots in the film where you can see the reflection of Neo in a spoon or in shades. Very well captured, the characters are well developed and given enough screen time to shine. I liked how they handeld Cypher and his turn, and how he explains his motive in a way the viewer can symphatize with him. His human weakness comes to play nice and quick. An Hugo Weaving plays Agent Smith as good as one can play him, I hate to say it again, but perfect casting! It all feels spot on , the voice, the walk style and the intense but yet calm eyes.

My favourite part is probably Neo and Trinity going in to save Morpheus, some of the coolest action scenes of the past two decades are shown there, and the coolness of Neo with all those guns is just breath taking for a action-blockbuster lover like me.

★★★★ ½

Most anticipated of 2009 [Part II]

2009-05-03T13:30:00.000-07:00

Shutter Island
Scorsese's last effort The Departed made me sit with an open mouth the first time. I really loved it and believe it's Scorsese's best since Taxi Driver. And once again, he teams up with my favourite actor Leo DiCaprio. If that's not enough, it's a murder/thriller film. And look at the rest of the cast list, prepare for some serious jizzing before you do. Mark Ruffalo, Haley, Michelle Williams, Elias Koteas, Leo DiCaprio AAAAAAAAAH! I can not wait!

Moon
Great, great, great teaser. It really, made the film look original and it caught my attention. Besides, it has Sam Rockwell in a lead role, what can one want more? I really hope he delivers in this role, it may be his ticet to the top!

Avatar
James Camerons first film in 11 years, I'm a big fan of most of his work, and can't freaking wait. I need a trailer soon though so the wait doesn't go away. I'll see it opening day, no doubt. Looking forward to what this genius has in store for us this time.

Public Enemies
I've been looking forward to this since day one, two of the best main stream actors in the busniess today, one of the best directors of the past two decades, and a very very appealing premise. Johnny Depp looks spot on as John Dillinger, I think it's safe to say that he looks pretty "cool". I don't like the inclusion of Channing though, I do not like him at all, for some reason. Bale and his accent worked fine in the trailers. The first trailer was good. The second one was near perfect. The digital look it has makes me even more interested.

Tetro
Sorry, but this is a tie for me. It's hard enough to choose between 11 different films already. Visually, Tetro looks alot like a favourite of mine, Rumble Fish. With a great teaser and a story with potential, this may very well be the return of the Coppola! I'm not really familiar with the cast, but they looked good acting wise, in the trailer.

Inglorious Basterds
As a Tarantino fanboy, I have been waiting for this to be made a long time. Many people were dissappointed by teaser, but god, I loved every second of it. I've read some of the script, and if everything goes as it should, this will be a phenomenon. Brad Pitt has really been in som... amazing films lately (Jesse James, Ben Button) let's hope it continues with Inglorious Basterds! Come August 21st, Tarantino will show us how one makes a succesful blockbuster... in quality!

Most anticipated of 2009 [Part I]

2009-05-02T15:52:00.001-07:00

Fantastic Mr Fox
I've always wanted Anderson to tackle animation, and finally, he does. A great cast for voice, Cate Blanchett is probably my favourite actress, she has been picking some good roles lately, and of course, I'm a big fan of Andersons style and humour. So, I'm looking forward to this quite a bit. Though I need a trailer really soon so my excitment doesn't good away.

Where the Wild Things Are
This looks so touching and beautiful. I nearly teared up during the teaser. I thing I rewatched it about 20 times, James Gandolfini's voice is perfect. It's all been said, really. Looks amazing, heartwarming and simply beautiful in every way.

Terminator Salvation
Terminator SalvationI've always loved Terminator 1 and 2 , but the third one was a big dissappointment and useless. Now, this looks like a pretty bad film on the paper, with McG directing. But the trailers have been amazing, especially the last one. The cast is interesting and the writing team is excellent. Jonathan Nolan who is one of my favourite writers currently active, has rewritten the script along with Paul Haggis and some other talented writers. I'm nervous, but yet excited about how it will turn out. Please don't be crap!

500 Days of Summer
Levitt, one of my favourite actors working today, young and talented. Zooey Deschanel, one of the most beautiful women in cinema today. What more can one ask for? The teaser was good enough for me to put this film high on my list, it got my interested right away because of the cast. But also the narration in the teaser was great. It looks like a very original but yet cliché romance/comedy, does that make any sense? No it doesn't. Anyway, I relly hope this is realesed in Sweden, looks great.

In The Loop
A bunch of hilarious as hell youtube clips and a friend giving it the full score did it for me. This looks like one of the funniest films in years. Every clip I've seen, I've seen over 50 times or so, I swear. It's just too funny to be true. I really hope it gets a Swedish realese, but as for now, that's just a dream.

Batman Films

2009-05-01T18:32:00.000-07:00

Batman 89

The first time I saw this film, I did not care for it, at all. Even though I was young and obsessed with Batman. I just watched it again, and I gotta say, I kinda like it alot. It's the comic book-ish world with a little mix of noir that facinates me. Though Jack Nicholson is not as great as Heath Ledger when it comes to Joker, it's still a memroable and great performance. He delivers his lines so spot on that 90% of the stuff he said made me smile. It's stylish, fun, interesting simply great. One thing that really bothers me is Jim Gordon and how he is presented in Burtons films. He has no direct realtionship with Batman, and he is totally misscasted. But who knows, maybe I'm just spoiled by the perfect casting of Gary Oldman. But overall, Nolans Batman and Burtons should not be compared, though they are about Batman and Gotham, they don't really have anything in common as films. Batman 89 can holds its ground as a great film, memroable quotes and colorful characters with great art direction, I like. My favourite scene is probably the last iconic scene, where we see Batman standing sky high watching his logo. A great way to finish a Batman film.

★★★★

Batman Returns

I've always loved Batman Returns, even as a kid. Mainly because of its amazing art direction and colorful enviorment. I love getting lost in this fantasy world with a hot Catwoman and a perfectly casted Oswald. Batman Returns captures the fantasy look of Gotham City in such a great way, whenever I wanna get away, I watch this film. It's simply great to get lost in it. Though I wouldn't really call it a Batman film since it's mostly about Catwoman and Oswald, which I don't really have any problems with since they are characters I've always liked. The entire Sellina transforms into Catwoman sequense is pure perfection for me, what makes it all is the choice of music and nutty nut dialogue. And then of course, one of my favourite scenes of all time; "I'm Catwoman, say rawwwwwwwwr".

★★★★½

Batman Begins

Chris Nolan changed the view on comic book films completely when he along with his brother wrote and directed Batman Begins. After Batman being butchered in film, he gave us a reebot. A darker, and more realistic version of Batman. And what a version, my god. Influenced by Blade Runner, Nolan not only gives us a thrilling ride while introducing some of the characters us comic book fans love, but he also sends deep messages and examines human behavior and fear in a terrific way. He does this all by using his toys, Batman, Ras Al Ghul and of course Scarecrow. Christian Bale is in my opinion the best Batman yet, he nails both parts, Wayne and Batman, which no one has done before. My favourite part was the thumbler chase, entertaning, thrilling, exciting and extremly well filmed.

★★★★½

The Dark Knight

After the succes of Batman Begins, Chris Nolan returns for a sequel, this time, with one of the biggest and most iconic character in comic history, The Joker. When people first heard that Heath Ledger was gonna play The Joker, they lost their minds and started whining. But god they were wrong. When the first teaser was realesed, everyone I knew or talked with were talking about this phenomenon. The Dark Knight is simply the best comic book film ever, and one of the best crime sagas I've ever seen. I'm assuming you've heard all about it by now, so I'll stop soon. Favourite scene is Joker standing in the middle of the streets and telling Batman to hit him. We see the details, we see this colorful object made out of flesh in complete control. It's a scene I always get lost in.

★★★★★

Persona

2009-05-01T09:08:00.000-07:00

Have you ever seen something that makes you actually feel how special it is? Well, that was the case for me throughout Persona. Simple sets, incredible acting and a girl fight that will stick in ones mind. Do I know what Persona is really about? Probably not, though I'm guessing it's about ones identity and how a person can be two. What I do know is that every scene in this film had a huge impact on me. It all felt perfect in a way, the sets, the camera angles, the dialogue, the acting. When it all comes together this nicely, I don't even want to know what the film is about, I just tend to enjoy such cinematic brilliance. It's a film that I will examine further for years to come and rewatch as much as I can.

★★★★★

The Best films I saw in...

2009-03-17T10:13:00.000-07:00

January
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (Fincher, 08)
JFK (Stone, 91)
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (Schnabel, 07)
Half Nelson (Fleck, 06)
Requiem for a Dream (Aronofsky, 00)
The Graduate (Nichols, 67)
Memories of Murder (Bong, 03)
Waltz with Bashir (Folman, 08)

February
Exiled (To, 06)
Almost Famous (Crowe, 00)
Rachel Getting Married (Demme, 08)
Rumble Fish (Coppola, 83)
Tokyo Drifter (Suzuki, 66)
JCVD (Mechri, 08)

Ed Wood

2009-03-16T05:32:00.000-07:00

I wasn't expecting much from Ed Wood, but I liked it alot. It was funny, charming & somewhat depressing. We follow a man named Ed Wood (Played very well by Johnny Depp) and his goals to tell his stories via film. Tim Burton gives us a dark & funny look at his life and the people around him. A great cast that play their characters in a exciting way. It can feel a little slow at times, but the ending sure is insperational and gives this heartwarming feeling. The film also captures its times dialogue in a perfect way, corny & clean.

Watchmen

2009-03-15T10:08:00.000-07:00

Snyder's Watchmen is the directors best work so far. It stays true to the source material and never stops to thrill or entertain. The long sequense with Dr Manhattan was pure perfection, it was emotionally moving & just throughout spectacular. Old Carla Gugino was terrible, she did nail her younger scenes though (especially the rape scene). Malin Åkerman was pretty bad too, but the other actors involved were good enough to make me forget about Åkerman & Guginos bad acting. Haley's performance as Rorschach is one of my favourites from this decade, so far. He nails every line in a perfect way, especially in the prison scenes. Watchmen is a film I will watch many times and come to love even more, it's one of the most interesting blockbusters I've seen in quite a while.