A smoke of blood comes from the earth

Russian villagers try to make do under strict German rule and patienty wait until Russian army might liberate them some day. The local school teacher try to adapt to the new regime the best he can, altho it's a bit difficult because the German occupiers are dickheads and the district commandant lusts for his wife. A Russian movie of an ordinary man standing up against insuperable enemy.

Deliver us from evil

The suspense never breaks away from Denis Villeneuve's Prisoners (2013). It's a wonderfully intrigueing crime puzzle, runs over two hours, but the story is so captivating and well performed that it's hardly an issue.

Chasing a ghost

Commando Jan Baalsrud had quite a miraculous story to tell of his ordeal trying to avoid capture by the nazis in Norway and his escape to Sweden in 1943. His buddies were executed, but he survived through severe cold, avalanche, bullets, snowstorms, self-amputation, delirium and the iron claws of Gestapo. What an amazing find from Netflix. Directed by Harald Zwart.

Constitutional right the spread the deadly virus

Globally, 2020 was not a very good year (and it seems 2021 follows suit). Will people remember it still in, say, 2220? Reckon by then people have had their share of pandemics, world wars and shortage of clean water, oil and oxygen to give a shit. But if people exist in 2220, and they read a history book (or an equivalent of a book) and open the chapter of 2020, they read about Covid-19, Black Lives Matter, Liverpool FC winning the premier league, Brexit and one deranged president. This is a mockumentary that was only momentarily funny.

In a kingdom by the sea

Clint Eastwood's directional debut from 1971. Radio DJ Dave is about to find out the difference between a groupie and a stalker, as he's acquainted with Evelyn (Jessica Walter), a fan of his show. Where he's completely smothered by her, she's totally obsessed by him. An intense psychological thriller, a damn good opening to unleash your monumental career as a film director.

A warlock baby with La Bruja

The third Bad Boys sequel, Bad Boys for Life, is exactly what you expected (perhaps feared) it to be. Another buddy action movie with a comical undertone. There's a new mafia boss in the city of Miami and he wants everyone dead, Will Smith's Mike included. What a load of bull, senseless violent entertainment, there's absolutely nothing to see. 

Dead as a doornail

A freshly appointed night watchman of local morgue has plenty of customers as there's a serial killer at large in Copenhagen. Ole Bornedal's Nattevagten (1994) that spawned a Hollywood remake in 1997 (also by Ole Bordedal) is both hilarious and scary featuring future stars Kim Bodnia, Sofie Gråbøl and Nikolaj Coster-Waldau. Perhaps should look onto the remake as well, tho' doubt even with the cool cast of  Ewan McGregor, Nick Nolte, Patricia Arquette and Josh Brolin it can beat this cult classic. There's Nattevagten 2 announced as well.

Beyond good and evil

Richard Ramirez was one of the sickest motherfuckers out there. Exceptionally, he didn't discriminate. He hurt, killed, kidnapped and raped anyone regardless of their race, colour, sex or age. He’d happily rape an elderly or a child. He cut peoples eyes out, or perhaps bludgeoned them to death with a crowbar. He also used guns, machetes, butcher knives. His modus operandi was limitless. The Night Stalker documentary tells the true story of how one of the most notorious serial killers in American history was hunted down and it's riveting as hell.

An arrow from the sun

Pretty good, sad and heartfelt story of a few people in Manhattan who are desperate to find food and shelter for themselves and their loved ones. In a series of random accidents they are bound together and little kindness and love make a long way. Makes an entertaining low-key indie drama as well.

There are killers among us

Kudos to Joe Berlinger's Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile (2019) for not gluttonizing on the gruesome details and graphic images of the murders of Ted Bundy, but focused on the courtroom case, conviction and the relationship with his girlfriend. Having said that, leaving the grotesque stuff out altogether can bit a bit of a fucken bore too. The ludicrous courtroom drama and his relationship not one but two women - who he didn't chop to death - are interesting, but not enough weight for a full lenght feature.

Death is the only freedom

Spartacus is a 'slave general' trying to liberate all the slaves in Italy by force. The former gladiator puts fear in the hearts of the Roman commanders, Julius Caesar included, but is his unorthodox and measly trained army enough to overpower the greatest military force ever existed? Stanley Kubrick's epic 3 hour piece of liberty and justice, and love, starring Kirk Douglas, Tony Curtis, Jean Simmons, Peter Ustinov and Laurence Olivier.

We all started out as someone's little angel

A fucken terrible tragedy. An intoxicated yuppie stockbroker causes a collision killing his friend, ends up in jail, loses contact with his family and becomes a member of a white supremacist prison gang gradually going up in its heirachy. Suspenseful prison movie of life turning upside down and Nikolaj Coster-Waldau plays the role of Money, the prisoner, perfectly.

Slicing through the morn

Virus, that turns people into zombies, spreads like wildfire. Luckily they isolated it in South Korea and the peninsula has been quarantined for four years. Some people want to go to the zombie-infested place because all its money and gold just lie there unguarded. For instance a team of four to retrieve a truckful of cash and only to witness that in four years South Korea has rotten to pieces and the zombies are still alive, well and aplenty. Peninsula is a follow-up to Train to Busan, but not quite wicked as its predecessor.

Staring down the dust

Bleeder is one of Nicolas Winding Refn's and Mads Mikkelsen's earlier pieces, years before Hollywood found them. Lenny is somewhat a simple, shy and kind video rental shopkeeper who only wants to see movies with his buddies, but there are cracks in the friendship because his friends are of more explosive nature. A downbeat indie with truly a grim and realistic feel to it.

The devil knows his own

To be fair, I never intended to choose a Russian action movie to start off a new year. It happened more or less accidentally and, for sheer boredom, I almost stopped watching after the first five minutes, but I'm glad I didn't. Terrorists held a houseful of theater audience hostage and it immediately brought back memories of the real life Moscow theater hostage crisis in 2002 and Die Hard (1988), but instead of Bruce Willis crawling through elevator shafts, the hero of the day is a history teacher Alla Nikolaevna (Irina Kupchenko) who educates to fuck out of the terrorists, hostages and the people watching the movie.

2020

MOVIES

Light of My Life (Casey Affleck. 2019)
Crawl (Alexandre Aja. 2019)
The Golden Glove (Fatih Akin. 2019)
The Others (Alejandro Amenábar. 2001)
Midsommar (Ari Aster. 2019)
Lo Imposible (J.A. Bayona. 2012)
Behind the Curve (Daniel J. Clark. 2018)
Midnight Sun (George Clooney. 2020)
The Man Who Wasn't There (Joel Coen, Ethan Coen. 2001)
The Godfather (Francis Ford Coppola. 1972)
The Godfather: Part II (Francis Ford Coppola. 1974)
Gridlock'd (Vondie Curtis-Hall. 1997)
The Fugitive (Andrew Davis. 1993)
WolfCop (Lowell Dean. 2014)
The Eiger Sanction (Clint Eastwood. 1975)
Richard Jewell (Clint Eastwood. 2019)
Todos lo saben (Asghar Farhadi. 2018)
Green Book (Peter Farrelly. 2018)
Fisherman's Friends (Chris Foggin. 2019)
Little Women (Greta Gerwig. 2019)
The Next Three Days (Paul Haggis. 2010)
A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood (Marielle Heller. 2019)
Ballon (Michael Herbig. 2018)
Shadow of a Doubt (Alfred Hitchcock. 1943)
Parasite (Bong Joon Ho. 2019)
Official Secrets (Gavin Hood. 2019)
They Shall Not Grow Old (Peter Jackson. 2018)
The Dead Don't Die (Jim Jarmusch. 2019)
Avengement (Jesse V. Johnson. 2019)
Knives Out (Rian Johnson. 2019)
Sorry We Missed You (Ken Loach. 2019)
The Outpost (Rod Lurie. 2019)
Les misérables (Ladj Ly. 2019)
A Hidden Life (Terrence Malick. 2019)
Ford v Ferrari (James Mangold. 2019)
Hotel Mumbai (Anthony Maras. 2018)
1917 (Sam Mendes. 2019)
Deadwood: The Movie (Daniel Minahan. 2019)
Take Shelter (Jeff Nichols. 2011)
Batman Begins (Christopher Nolan. 2005)
The Dark Knight (Christopher Nolan. 2008)
The Dark Knight Rises (Christopher Nolan. 2012)
The Wild Bunch (Sam Peckinpah. 1969)
Joker (Todd Phillips. 2019)
J'Accuse (Roman Polanski. 2019)
American Murder: The Family Next Door (Jenny Popplewell. 2020)
The Gentlemen (Guy Ritchie. 2019)
Gladiator (Ridley Scott. 2000)
Robin Hood (Ridley Scott. 2010)
The Clovehitch Killer (Duncan Skiles. 2018)
Once Upon a Time in... Hollywood (Quentin Tarantino. 2019)
The House That Jack Built (Lars von Trier. 2018)
The Invisible Man (Leigh Whannell. 2020)
Dragged Across Concrete (S. Craig Zahler. 2018)
The Hunt (Craig Zobel. 2020)

SERIES

Twin Peaks (Mark Frost, David Lynch. 2017)
After Life (Ricky Gervais. 2019)
Band of Brothers (Tom Hanks, Steven Spielberg. 2001)
Norsemen (Jon Iver Helgaker, Jonas Torgensen. 2016)
Fauda (Avi Issacharoff, Lior Raz. 2015)
Bosch (Eric Ellis Overmyer. 2014)
Mindhunter (Joe Penhall. 2017)
M/S Romantic (Jani Volanen, Tommi Korpela. 2019)

R.I.P.

 

Frank Banali (musician, Quiet Riot) born 1951 (age 68)
Orson Bean (actor, Being John Malkovich) born 1928 (age 91)
Martin Birch (music producer, Deeo Purple, Iron Maiden) born 1948 (age 71)
Honor Blackman (Pussy Galore, Goldfinger) born 1925 (age 94)
Bob the cat (streecat named Bob) (age 14)
Chadwick Boseman (actor, Black Panther) born 1977 (age 43)
Kobe Bryant (basketball player) born 1978 (age 41)
John le Carré (author, A Most Wanted Man) born 1931 (age 89)
Ray Clemence (football player, Liverpool FC) born 1948 (age 72)
Sean Connery (actor, 007) born 1930 (age 90)
"Crazy" Cavan Grogan (musician, Crazy Cavan) born 1949 (age 71)
Stuart Corson (filmmaker, Re-Animator) born 1947 (age 72)
Jacques Crevoisier (football coach, Liverpool) born 1947 (age 72)
Clive Cussler (author) born 1931 (age 88)
Spencer Davis (musician, Spencer Davis Group) born 1939 (age 81)
Brian Dennehy (actor, First Blood) born 1938 (age 81)
Jörn Donner (politician, author, movie director) born 1933 (age 86)
Kirk Douglas (actor, Spartacus) born 1916 (age 103)
Conchata Ferrell (actress, L.A.Law, Erin Brockovich) born 1943 (age 77)
Gale Riley (musician, Power Trip) born 1985 (age 35)
Peter Green (musician, Fleetwood Mac) born 1946 (age 73)
Eddie van Halen (musician, Van Halen) born 1955 (age 65)
Olivia de Havilland (actress, Gone with the Wind) born 1917 (age 104)
Olli Heikkinen (musician, Miljoonasade) born 1961 (age 59)
Jyrki Heliskoski (football coach, HJK) born 1945 (age 75)
Ken Hensley (musician, Uriah Heep) born 1945 (age 75)
Richard Herd (actor, Seinfeld) born 1932 (age 87)
Sir Ian Holm (actor, Lord of the Rings, Alien) born 1931 (age 88)
Gérard Houllier (football manager, FC Liverpool) born 1947 (age 73)
Raimo "Höyry" Häyrinen (journalist) born 1940 (age 79)
Anthony James (actor, The Unforgiven) born 1942 (age 77)
Terry Jones (director/actor, Monthy Python) born 1942 (age 77)
Klaus Järvinen (music professor) born 1936 (age 83)
Otto Kanervo (friend) born 1972 (age 47)
Kayla (The Crystal Palace eagle) (age 28)
Lee Kerslake (musician, Uriah Heep) born 1947 (age 73)
Timo Ketola (artist, Watain, Centinex, Asphyx) born 1975 (age 45)
Bob Kulick (musician, Kiss) born 1950 (age 70)
Ilkka Kylävaara (journalist, author) born 1946 (age 73)
Pentti Linkola (environmentalist) born 1932 (age 87)
James Lipton (dean emeritus, Inside Actors Studio) born 1926 (age 93)
Little Richard (musician) born 1932 (age 87)
Sean Malone (musician, Cynic) born 1959 (age 50)
Diego Maradona (footballer) born 1960 (age 60)
Ennio Morricone (composer, orchestrator) born 1928 (age 91)
Juha Muje (actor, Raid) born 1950 (age 69)
Reed Mullin (musician, Corrosion of Conformity) born 1966 (age 53)
Ollie (Ricky Gervais' cat) (age 17)
Pertti Paasio (politician) born 1939 (age 81)
Sir Alan Parker (filmmaker, The Commitments, Angel Heart) born 1944 (age 76)
Neil Peart (musician, Rush) born 1952 (age 67)
Regis Philbin (TV host, Who Wants to Be a Millonaire?) born 1931 (age 88)
Kelly Preston (actress, Jerry Maguire) born 1962 (age 57)
Steve Priest (musician, Sweet) born 1948 (age 72)
Jason Rainey (musician, Sacred Reich) born 1967 (age 53)
James Randi (magician) born 1928 (age 92)
Carl Reiner (comedian) born 1922 (age 98)
Sean Reinert (musician, Cynic, Death) born 1971 (age 48)
Bill Riefin (musician, Ministry, R.E.M., King Crimson) born 1960 (age 59)
Kenny Rogers (country music legend) born 1938 (age 81)
Paolo Rossi (footballer) born 1956 (age 64)
Seppo Ruohonen (opera singer) born 1946 (age 73)
Jope Ruonansuu (actor, musician, humorist) born 1964 (age 56)
Vexi Salmi (music producer, lyricist) born 1942 (age 77)
Reni Santoni (actor, Dirty Harry, Seinfeld) born 1939 (age 81)
Jarno Sarkula (musician, Alamaailman Vasarat) born 1973 (age 47)
John Saxon (actor, A Nightmare on Elm Street, Tenebrae) born 1935 (age 84)
Florian Schneider (musician, Kraftwerk) born 1947 (age 73)
Joel Schumacher (director, Falling Down, Phone Booth) born 1939 (age 80)

John Shrapnel (actor, Gladiator) born 1942 (age 77)

Jerry Stiller (actor, Seinfeld) born 1927 (age 92)

Max von Sydow (actor, Det sjuunde inseglet, The Exorcist) born 1929 (age 90)

Linda Tripp (whistleblower) born 1949 (age 70)

Alberto Uderzo (creator and illustrator of Asterix) born 1927 (age 92)

Ritva Valkama (actress, Häpy Endkö?) born 1932 (age 87)

Seppo Vesterinen (A&R executive, Hanoi Rocks, HIM) born 1948 (age 71)

Pete Way (musician, UFO, Fastway) born 1951 (age 69)

Leslie West (musician, Mountain) born 1945 (age 75)

Kirsi Westerlund (Miss Finland) born 1970 (age 50)

Carlos Ruiz Zafon (author, El juego del ángel) born 1964 (age 55)

Klansman don't play with no black man

These racist hillbilly cunts establish a place called The Redneck KKK Museum in Laurens, South Carolina. Mike Burden, the owner of the establishment and the young member of local chapter, however has second thoughts of his commitment as his new girlfriend has friends with the colored folks who are incredibly nice. Particularly the reverend Kennedy (Forest Whitaker) has a kind soul. Always actual a topic, with some proper contradictions, but Burden is frustratingly slow at times.

The time of tortured existence

Apparently something pretty bad has happened to the planet Earth. It's uninhabitable and that's why people have died or evacuated the place. There however are some people left who doesn't want to leave and, also, someone who wants to come back. Highly anticipated a movie by George Clooney that received shitloads of harsh criticism when it came out. Some of the shit is justified, but The Midnight Sky was altogether quite entertaining. 

Collective fear stimulates herd instinct

Mystery virus called QTB or commonly known as 'Female Plague' has spread across the Earth. It kills women exclusively and effectively. They are almost extinct. A discriminatory bug. Imagine that. One man has a daughter and she obviously needs protection from all the men in the world. John Hillcoat's The Road (2009) was very similar, also a lot better, but this still is a decent enough a survival movie directed and written by Casey Affleck.

In darkness until something flips on the switch

You'd assume that over two hours of historical courtroom drama is boring. But Roman Polanski's J'Accuse (The Officer and a Spy) is like the most interesting history lesson. It's all true, accurate, it all happened. Starts off in 1894 when a French captain Alfred Dreyfus in convicted of treason and sentenced to life imprisonment at Devil’s Island. Brave few had the courage to fight against injustice, defend the captain and even an influential author Emile Zola wrote an open letter in the newspaper L’Aurore and that caused quite a stir in the French government. The movie is close to a masterpiece.

Astrology is superstition

Unlike somewhat a similar group the anti-vaxxers, the flat-earthers don't do that much harm. Some poor soul may be lead to believe their agenda that science is out there to trick you and construct their reality on flat earth. But that's all. Loved it when they tried to prove a few times that the earth is flat, and the only thing they proved is that the earth is actually circular.

The hammer comes down

Couple of small-time crooks are about the rob the central bank of Cosa Nostra in Providence, New York. If their mission goes sideways they're off with their heads. If not, the Sicilian Mafia in New York might just go bankrupt and die, but the fear or retaliation is there and that brings forth panic and paranoia. Until the robbery bit, Vault is great, but the story started cutting corners immediately after and the disheveled shit got difficult to digest.

It takes courage to change people's hearts

One of the best movies in recent years. A gay black classical pianist and his new American-Italian chauffeur take a concert trip through the 1960s racist American South. Haven't checked did Viggo Mortensen win all the possible awards for his performance as a rough but loveable character Tony Lip, but he should have. A powerful, inspiring, funny and in every ways utterly wonderful buddy film.

Let the dust settle

An embarrassing thriller. Ava (Jessica Chastain) is all John Wick in a killing business. She's a hired gun, but after breaking protocol, she's got a target on her back. One of those movies that takes itself way too seriously and when it goes sideways the result is just ridiculous. Ava (aka Final Target) was produced by Freckle Films which is owned by the lead star Jessica Chastain and somehow I got a notion that she wanted to franchise herself as the new badass action star like Jason Bourne or John Wick. But frankly, even Steven Seagal makes better action movies.

Rendered absolutely useless

A James Bond movie directed by John Glen in 1985, starring Roger Moore as the agent 007, Tanya Roberts as the Bond girl Stacey Sutton, Robert Brown as Bond's superior 'M' (the head of MI6), Desmond Llewelyn as 'Q' (the head of Q division), Lois Maxwell as Miss Moneypenny (MI6 secretary) and Christopher Walken as Max Zorin, the main antagonist, and Grace Jones as Zorin's bodyguard May Day. The theme song performed by Duran Duran. Former KGB agent is scheming a microchip monopoly and intend to end the domination of Silicon Valley by an earthquake. But the MI6 agent Bond is on the case. Roger Moore's last 007 movie, he turned 57 during filming.

The end of yesterday's unholy terror

Must be nice to work for Mossad as an undercover agent. Travel places like Thereran, spy the infidels and learn their government secrets. You only need to get used to telling lies and cope with the pressure of getting caught for them. And it ain't easy to be completely honest with the people you're supposed to trust either. Agent Rachel (Diane Kruger) is jammed in such a shitstorm. Makes a disappointing thriller though.

Leaves scars

The 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami was a fucken terrible tragedy. Doctor María Belón and her family (husband and three sons) went through hell and purgatory in Khao Lak, Thailand. They were the lucky ones because - after being hammered to shit - they survived, but only after witnessing inhuman suffering, total devastation and feelings of hopelessness. But thankfully beneath all the rubble, pain and death, there's room for acts of courage and miraculous stories.

Old green mountains

Over two hours of Mexican cinema. It's a leap into Mexican society of early 70s and particularly in the life of a middle-class family's maid. Stunning cinematography in Roma, but unfortunately it ends there, the story ain't that interesting even though the movie has been praised to hell and back.

Invocation for strenght

A promising young boxer finds out he has a brain tumor. He was abandoned as a child, fought through puberty and got the shitty news at worst possible time. However, worst is yet to come because the lad gets involved in an almost farcelike robbery of drugs where people from police, yakuza and Chinese mafia has stuck their noses in. Takashi Miike's (best known for Audition and 13 Assassins) crime flick is an action-packed thing, but unfortunately does not make much of an impact in the end.

The absurd mystery of the strange forces of existence

Not going to lie about it. Lots of times, didn't know what the fuck was going on. Normally I'd hate such humbug and throw it to the wolves, but the second coming of Twin Peaks is strangely alluring. I reckon, no show or movie, piece of art, literature or music, has harvested so many thoughts and senses of bewilderment before. The abstractness, the absurdity, all the little things and the grand scheme of things, it's all bone fide entertainment. A little strange watching a series where a plethora of people involved in it passed away on the verge of its release; Brent Briscoe, Harry Dean Stanton, Robert Foster, Linda Porter, Miguel Ferrer, Peggy Lipton, David Bowie, Catherine E. Coulson. Rest in peace you all.

Wedding at graveyard

It's Christmas time, Anja Richter has a houseful of family members and friends, and she finds out she's got cancer in the brain. Does she share the appalling news or play along a joyful Christmas? A Norwegian movie that avoids being too sappy, sentimental shit, and doesn't try to sugar-coat death either.

Under fixed stars

Camp Keating was an outpost in Afghanistan surrounded by mountains and gun-toting Talibans. It probably was the most dangerous place on earth. After a clichéd start of basic wartime images and military banter, the movie proceeds towards explosive finalé. Reminiscences of Ridley Scott's Black Hawk Down (2001) and starring Clint Eastwood's son Scott who is a spitting image of his old man.

British don't do cowboy

I've read the novel Los Angeles Without A Map by Richard Rayner a couple of times and truly liked it. When the movie (directed by Mika Kaurismäki) came out I was pretty jazzed about it. It was funny and pretty rough around the edges. Now, 20 years later, the story of a Scottish undertaker following an American girl he just met to Los Angeles and finding the place amazing and weird at the same time, it's bit outdated. And it's not that funny now either, reasonably entertaining though.

North winds make them disappear

The good old Cold War times in East Germany, the communist Shangri-La, where Stasi (The Ministry for State Security) kept an eye on every citizen, as closely and comfortably as hemorrhoid. It's a wonder people wanted out. But they did. Hundreds of defectors got killed, the lucky ones escaped. And the means were many. Balloon is based on a true story and it's a gripping one, packed full of suspense and captures the repressive period wonderfully.

Victim of borrowed time

Theo can't tell the difference between the real world and the nightmares he's having. Apparently the moment he lost his wife, he lost sanity and a track of time of as well. A new girlfriend and their daughter for company a trip to picturesque Welsh countryside might drive the inner demons away. Pointless horror with no suspense.

Covered with spikes and fuelled with bile

Old-school police officers Ridgeman and Lurasetti (Mel Gibson & Vince Vaughn) are suspended for being too violent. Without income, even for honest cops, it's tempting to use their skills and streetwise to provide livelihood for their families illegally. The officers get involved with some really wicked shit. S. Craig Zahler wrote and directed couple of fresh and almost groundbreaking movies Bone Tomahawk (2015) and Brawl in Cell Block 99 (2017) that put violence in American cinema in new heights and Dragged Across Concrete follows suit. He's one of the directors I've bookmarked to follow his career.

Hungry, cold and hunted

"In October of 1994, three student filmmakers disappeared in the woods near Burkettsville, Maryland, while shooting a documentary. A year later their footage was found." Back in the day, how they advertised and prepared audience for the movie was more impressive than The Blair Witch Project film itself. Now, 20 years later, that effect is gone, the film hasn't stood the test of time and, in fact, the only legacy that remains is that they should be held accountable for the hundreds of shitty hand-held camera movies that followed in the wake of this project. 

In the wake of the weary

Rayburn runs a wildlife sanctuary. It's a nice place, but he has to deal with shit like poachers and vandalism. Rayburn has had a fair share of misery; the disapperance of his daughter and a divorce that followed within. Unsurprisingly he tries to drown his sorrow with booze. As if this wasn't enough, wrong kind of men and women with terribly wrong and illogical decisions start popping around every corner. A messy thriller, horrible script with surprising yet silly twist in the end, bits entertaining though.

Circles around the bronze ashes

Liam wakes up from a car accident not only oblivious to his own being, but he's also become a grim reaper incarnate causing immediate death to anyone in his proximity. He sucks the life out of someone or something by just coming close. He fucken radiates death. I like these low-key indies where inventiveness and perseverance overshadow the low budget.

Someone somewhere forgot a zero

To capture cop killers, they isolate Manhattan, N.Y., by closing its bridges (hence the title 21 Bridges), tunnels, rivers and railroads. A complete Manhattan lockdown. Sounds interesting altho in the end it's only a sidenote in a cliché-ridden plotholed story of good cops and bad corrupt cops. Decent cast of Chadwick Boseman (his last theatrically released film), Sienna Miller, J.K. Simmons, Keith David and Taylor Kitch.

Man in the jar

An emotionally charged story of a construction worker turned a basketball couch. His former life was ridden with booze and death and misery, so leading a Catholic high school team could be a welcome change. There's lots of sadness, with little glimpses of hope, and the film deals with the emotions comfortably enough. Ben Affleck in one of his better roles.

Allsång på Skansen

Just a while ago I read Miika Nousiainen's hilarious novel - Vadelmavenepakolainen (2007) - about a Finnish man who desperately wants to be Swedish. The movie is a wasted opportunity. Not only have they left most of the contents out, but they've just snipped the basic idea and cooked up the rest. Almost a completely different entity. And the result is close to terrible.

Where the lightning strikes

I decided to choose between two films from 2019 that I haven't seen before and that I kind of knew weren't going to make much of an impact. Nicolas Cage's Grand Isle or John Travolta's The Fanatic. Randomly picked up the former where, during a hurricane, a fence repairman gets stuck in the mansion of a rather batshit crazy couple and can't seem to figure out what to do. He just wants to survive the night. Completely embarrassing to everyone involved, me included.

On trial for thoughts

Chicago 7 were a group of American activists/anarchists and they were on trial for several things including conspiracy and inciting a riot. They did amazingly well with the legal drama, some of the best courtroom sequences ever witnessed. It's both funny and shocking. Sacha Baron Cohen as Abbie Hoffman, the social activist, and Mark Rylance as William Kunstler, the lawyer defending the Chigaco Seven, particularly stood out.

What's the point ending up dead?

After 29 years things are falling apart for Grace (Annette Bening) and Edward (Bill Nighy). Edward has found someone else. But can he just walk away, disappear into a new life? They have a son who, albeit unwillingly, is joining in as a mediator and a messenger boy between the parents. A hopelessly decent relationship drama set in a picturesque coastal town. Nothing remarkable anywhere except that it's always a pleasure watching Bill Nighy's somewhat inconspicuous and leisurely acting.

It's like riding a bike

Four young women steal professional diving equipment and enter an underwater cave for fun. Their stupidity deserves to die because shit like getting trapped in the cave with a great white shark and running out of fucking oxygen might happen. B-movie horror full of claustrophobic panic and hysterical screams, but that's all.

Voices from a starless domain

It's just awfully disgusting and disturbing. Chris Watts cold-bloodedly murders his wife, unborn baby and two little daughters, aged three and five. Left a stinking feeling in my stomach that will linger there for days. A true life documentary and a true testimony to the evil that men do.

Tip of the pentacle

A James Bond movie directed by John Glen in 1983, starring Roger Moore as the agent 007, Maud Adams as the Bond girl Octopussy, Robert Brown as Bond's superior 'M' (the head of MI6), Desmond Llewelyn as 'Q' (the head of Q division), Lois Maxwell as Miss Moneypenny (MI6 secretary) and Louis Jordan as Kamal Khan, the main antagonist. The opening theme "All Time High" sung by Rita Coolidge. A story of illegal jewellery trade is quickly escalated into a threat of nuclear war, but luckily James Bond is awfully good at sniffing out the perpetrators. 

Like nothing you've ever seen

Curtis (excellent Michael Shannon) has bad dreams and he sees signs everywhere that something awful is looming on the horizon. It's catastrophic storm of the end of the world magnitude or his mind is playing tricks on him. Either way, it's better be prepared with a proper tornado shelter and some psychoanalysis. A superb drama of severe paranoia with a truly all-powering oppressive atmosphere.

An arrow shot into the sun

Late 18th century, England and France are fighting for the possession of the American continent. Native American tribes such as Hurons and Mohicans have joined the war and if people aren't bombing themselves to death, the more primitive ways like scalping and burning humans alive are as effective causing chaos and increasing the bodycount. It's a Michael Mann film from 1992, often cited as a masterpiece and a timeless classic. Were I to say it's decent but overrated and not aged particularly well, I'd prob'ly be wrong.

People should know when they are conquered

I've been wanting to see this even though I've seen it a dozen times already, know and remember every scene by heart. It's one of those things. You sit down with it and you are terribly entertained. Gladiator is an emotionally charged story, revenge flick, suspenseful adventure and an epic drama in one brilliant piece of cinema.