de_Biafra Reviews

Ventoux (2015)

Read the novel instead

[5/10 · 26 May 2022]

Having read the novel and found pleasure in that I was anxious to see how it would unfold as a movie. And yes, whenever you fall for the story as a novel, you often have difficult in accepting the choices that comes when cutting in the material to realise the same story in a matter of 2 hours for the screen. Sometimes it can be a good experience, but unfortunately this is not a succesful realisation.

The casting is one of the more succesful aspects in the adaptation, and the flashbacks basically works rather fine. Less succesful is the plot of the story. The novel deals with existentialism and it's a major theme throughout the novel, where the various characters' perspectives comes in play, but here it's reduced to a simplification that does unjust to the novel and also makes it difficult to stay involved. And then a central episode is uncovered early during the film, whereas it's kept as a nice climax in the novel. The characters are portayed as shallow and flat, and despite an obvious attempt to stay true to the narration of the novel, it works as an amateurish draft for an actual movie. The story is there, so why not utilise the depth of a fine screenplay?! Instead of making a movie about adults, their relationship and the power of essential emotions, this movie comes out as a superficial view on dynamics between innocent teenagers.

Not really recommended.

The Hole (2021)

Realistic, nostalgic and poetic

[8/10 · 8 May 2022]

"Il buco" is a film on its own terms and rights. The pace is mostly slow and without the fast frame-cutting we all know from modern action movies. And thankfully so, 'cause this film is not an action movie with a traditional plot. It's also daring in not spending time on traditional dialogue, which in its place naturally asks for something else. And this is where "Il buco" shows its strengths. The film is made like a time-travel back to 1961 where the camera is our eyes to just show us what may have happened when an expedition was sent out to discover new territory. The story-telling pace may seem extremely slow - at least when comparing to traditional modern films, but again: this is no such thing! You need to adjust your attention to things along the way. The challenges the expedition meet are described via the pace and the natural physical conditions, not unlike the first moon landing - and that pace is precisely balanced with the untouched soil they are about to uncover, so you also understand it's a story about the meeting of cultures and the meeting of a then modern world and an ancient timeless world. Unware of their imposing presence, the expedition changes an unknown locality for all time to come and this is shown in a parrallel story-line in a gentle and sophisticated way that goes hand in hand with the main story about the cave.

This is a film for people who enjoy other ways of expression and the force of story-telling that is an inherent part of images alone.

Do yourself a favour not to expect "Spiderman XXII", "Wrath in the Hole", or "Trump Goes Berserk, part 24" [...] - it's not that type of film. Instead, expect "Il buco", a film about existentialism, human curiosity, a drive to discover the unknown planet Earth in a subtle, poetic and realistic way.

A truly recommended experience.

Against the Ice (2022)

Great story that never really unfolds

[6/10 · 5 March 2022]

For the first 5-10 minutes I kept wondering if the film had jumped forward, so I had to check to see just how much of the film I had already watched. The historic events of the lost Denmark expedition and the attempts to find traces of it is a gift for any film maker, so why is it, you need to wonder why they didn't tell this or that instead of focusing 90% on a part of the story, which should be a natural part of the culmination? I totally understand the importance of the two men's relationship, their incredible exhausting expedition, and that part actually works fine. What appears to be really forced is the beginning of the story. Why didn't we first get some facts about what the Denmark expedition sat out for in the first place - perhaps even some footage showing us that central expedition? That would have cast much stronger light on the two men's project. The days in the most unfriendly conditions sweep away too easily. Just look at the reality TV-series of Alone in the Wild and how they make it look like months when people actually "only" spend 28 days alone but in mood swings from uncontrollable happiness to utter despair. Here you have the two men practically spending years together on their own, not knowing if they're just going to die. On several occasions you have to come to grasp with some hundred days being edited out with apparently no change in the men's energy level or geographical position. It's difficult to understand the actual changes they must have gone through because of too hard editing. At a crucial point when they understand that they made an almost fatal decision and need to return, the real story is once again hidden away for us to imagine. Their extreme journey is cut out and they're back as if turning 'round the next ice-berg, or the next corner. The editing is not good for the story, and the relationship between the two men ends up being flat and impersonal, despite some good acting by both Nicolaj Coster Waldau and Joe Cole. Not the best, nor the worst experience, and worth a watch. At least to understand what they must've gone through in real life.

A Fortunate Man (2018–2019)

Not bad, but...

[5/10 · 8 February 2020]

The attempt to portray the extremely many-facetted story of Lykke Per isn't a poor one. August knows what buttons to press and how to depict emotional relationships however complicated they may seem. The start and the first half of the story works surprisingly well, although, it's not with much force and some surprises how characters evolve and make decisions. Of course it's an impossiple task to portray people's inner struggles on film with the kind of details that author Henrik Pontoppidan did in his majestic novel. The transformation from book to cinema has always led to comparisons, which doesn't help any of the artists involved. And it will always be the director's choice to focus on what he/she feels is best for the film, however, intentions and reasons should be plausible and make sense, and I often felt a lack of logic while watching the many shifts in the second half of the tv-series. It's understandable how Jakobe and Per are brought together in the end - a major conflict with the novel, as the film has to tell the story in limited time, but when the protagonist is transformed into something as simple as an opportunist, who is willing to take a chance with everyone available. The sacrifice is crucial to the message of the novel and its complex narration. Likewise, Esben Smed's portrait of Per is simplified and with a lack of reason, whereas Katrine Greis-Rosenthal as Jakobe is the series' far best manifested character.

Film director August may have had limited reels of film to get to the end of Per's many turns and, if not impossible, it becomes quite hard to come to terms with his change of ideas and moods along the way. When he marries Inger and a decade has passed, I wonder how many people understand the process behind his decision at hand, and when Per is translocated to self-isolation in the desolate wild at the end, you cannot but ask yourself how in anyone's name did he end up there? The true struggles and what motivated him to leave Inger and the children behind simply blows in the air. As a character, Per is left to us as someone with not only existential problems but also mental issues, which is a sad and difficult pill to swallow.

The story - the great novel is there for us, so why not use its true strengths instead of just making a mediocre portrait of human conditions and class struggles? This could have been a major tv-series that would have set new standards in character portrayal if only the team behind the series had taken the novel more serious. We could have had a series in 12 acts that would leave us with a meaningful work of art - now we are left with mainstream entertainment that noone remembers in a year.

The Irishman (2019)

Looong and slooow-mo

[6/10 · 9 December 2019]

Scorsese sure knows how to create a story. He makes use of a great cast, and the idea of using old stars in the roles as much younger characters is tempting and fine, but watching a 75yo De Niro act as a 40yo becomes unvoluntarily ridiculous. Camera effects cannot create that illusion when the man walks and moves as a 75yo. The plot is not bad with the near 80yo hitman telling the story of his life. However, the speed of narration is like watching the weather change, and after 1 hour you start looking at the progression bar to see how long is left. The movie is more than 3 hours but could easily have been cut to no more than 1 hour an a half. The last experience with a long-playing film was "Once upon a time in Hollywood" and here t time just flew away. What a contrast this is. Pacino, Pesci and DeNiro do their best, which is uplifting, and generally speaking, acting, film shooting and plot are fine executions, but gosh it's old school in a not so desirable way.

Annihilation (I) (2018)

How do I get my time refunded?

[2/10 · 10 March 2019]

This was bizarre. A lot of playing around with light effects but without technical finesse or any point. My gosh, this is awful. I don't believe in IMDb ratings from here on. This terrible flick gets above 6! Why? Because people are paid to rate it 10, 9, 8, or 7 when it should never receive anything above 5, which I would never hand it 'cause it's a waste of precious time.

Stations of the Cross (2014)

Not recommended

[1/10 · 9 February 2016]

I find it hard to understand the positive reviews attributed this film. The themes religious fanaticism, paraphrases of Jesus' sufferings are interesting - as always. A movie with one camera position is daring, and requires... something else, which I'm afraid this film doesn't offer. It's film wasted on a story - perhaps as a play it would work much better. Roy Andersson knows this when he adds small diversities to each new position of his camera, but in this case there's no play with tension, no surprises. And yes, I do know of 'Via dolorosa' - there's no comedy there, and no one expects it here. The actors do well, although, they cannot save the story. From the first scene, one already knows how it will end, how it's gonna get there, and there are no surprises, except from the negative. If this was music, it would have no verses, no chorus... perhaps no sound - it's minimalism at its worst. I do enjoy the works of Dreyer, Bergman, Trier, and Andersson - not this - there's only religion linking Brüggemann with the other directors. Had I not been seated in the middle of an almost full theater, I would have walked out on this. This has to be my worst movie experience in... 20 years.

Avatar (2009)

Fabrication of reviews is standard PR

[3/10 · 2 February 2010]

It's sad to see how movies are being sold these days. It takes a couple of hundred staff employers to write 10-50 reviews each praising the movie to get it rated as one hell of a film. With a budget way over normal - they can afford it - and it pays off. It's truly sad, 'cause this film is so boring and uninteresting but still critics, and magazines as well, are bought just to secure high sales and nominations etc. Only the aftermath cannot be controlled, yet, and luckily so. Because in a couple of years this movie will go down as one of many minor movies and take the position it truly deserves - and yes! It's not one of the "amazing experiences", or: "Best movie ever!!!" DUH! Well, you got your few dollars, you sold your soul, and we got this booooring story wrapped up as the Emperor's new wardrobe. 3 stars for visuals - 0 for story, and 1 for total experience.

Chicken Little (2005)

Better luck next time Disney!

[5/10 · 15 February 2006]

I just saw this movie today with my two kids at 5 and 8. I'm not the only adult who has found out that new animated movies for kids are (can be) very entertaining - especially with reference to "Toy Story" (I & II), "Ice Age", "Shrek", "Monsters Inc.", "Finding Nemo". However, "Chicken Little" doesn't reach the same level and in more than one way. First of all, I'm really disappointed about the way new Disney movies HAS to be scary. The plot in their own productions, in the recent 15-20 years, is about scaring the kids throughout the biggest part of the movie only to exit with a big relief in the end. The above-mentioned movies does NOT include this stupid element as center of the plot. Please, Hollywood, Disney (did I just say American film industry in general? Yes!) wake up from the grasp of Moral Majority and realize that kids won't be depraved or morally abused by seeing a naked breast but may be afflicted by guns, killings AND inappropriate and frightening stories. Also, the plot IS really dreadful. Of course, the primary audience have not seen or heard of "War of the Worlds" or that hundreds of thousands of American movies that tells the story of the underdog who will save the neighborhood or the world in the end, but looking at Pixar it IS possible to make original stories with original plots. This movie has it fun moments but it won't end up in our DVD collection alongside Pixar productions.

The Contender (2000)

Great actors in no-plot story

[6/10 · 16 July 2005]

Great performances by Joan Allen, Gary Oldman, Jeff Bridges, Sam Elliot, and Christian Slater but I found myself wondering when something actually interesting should happen. Issues pro et contra abortion, weapons, church-state, sexual orientation, are maybe strong subjects in the US but just not enough to grab a European audience when debated as is in this film. The only real tension is revealed at the very end when it is uncovered that senator Hathaway was trying a controversial shortcut for the vice-presidency. If you are looking for surprises, revealing issues, and a cunning plot you won't find any of that in this movie. On the other hand, if you are an extremist (ultra-right/left, Islamic fundamentalist, etc.) go see it and you could learn something about true human values.