Malarkey

Very good for a TV film. Grand Theft Auto is a gaming legend I spent dozens of hours playing. So I know something about this topic, and it was nice to take a peek inside Rockstar Games. Daniel Radcliffe as Sam Houser was great. I also liked how the film tried to be impartial, not favoring one side over the other. Even though that the Christian lawyer seemed to be quite a psycho. What can you do, America is full of those.

Quite a wild Danish story. The Danes were once again not afraid to open a quite serious topic, this time targeting a MILF who gets it on with the son of her husband. But because we’re in Denmark, the Scandinavians don’t skimp on the plot twists and you won’t believe the lengths to which Trine Dyrholm’s character is willing to go. After all the Scandinavian dramas I’ve seen, it doesn’t surprise me that much. The only thing that did surprise me in this film was one explicit scene, which will probably stay in my memory forever. Oh well.

Such a nice, film-worthy premise, and the Czech television botches it up so much. Not only the screenplay is boring, but the whole thing looks horribly cheap. Too bad. The cast wouldn’t be that bad, but from the music alone you’d know that it’s exactly like classic TV films from the 1990s. I personally think that the age of such flicks has long passed.

To shoot a story about a deaf-mute and at the same time blind heroine is quite a feat, which requires certain personal beliefs. Moreover, when someone manages to turn his story into a real film, it deserves recognition and respect. Marie’s Story is a great film. A beautiful story full of humanity and life adversities, which proves that it is possible to accept and live with even the worst obstacles.

If you want to make something remarkable in the romantic film genre, you have no other option but to be original. And Anne Hathaway and Jim Sturgess have done a great job here. A cute, original, improbable but very inventive story with a number of beautiful scenes.

Scandinavian cinematography is good in general, but the Norwegians are its weakest link, as was proven by this series. The premise looks familiar, a safe bet on the creators’ part, so you don’t think it might be a failure. Plus the series take place in Norwegian fjords, so it contains great shots of Norwegian nature, which will never get old. However, when Aksel comes to his hometown, it launches a relationship drama that’s not only boring but also looks like a soap opera. Eight episodes are completely bland, while the first and the last one at least contain some ideas. Too bad. One of the worst Scandinavian series I’ve seen so far.

I think that Sam Mendes was aiming for the Oscar here, I don’t know why there aren’t more films about the First World War, but it’s probably because most of the time the soldiers were battling boredom in the trenches rather thanfighting for territory on the ground. Sam Mendes, however, went a bit too far here, replacing filmmaking with an attempt at absolute realism. The illusion that everything is a single long shot makes the scenes look remarkably surreal. It all starts with the crash of a German plane into a dilapidated barn, continues with ruins of the town illuminated by flares and ends directly in the trenches, a few seconds before running into the turmoil ofbattle. I was bating my breath, fascinated by the fabricated scenes, and enjoyed one of the best war films made in the last few years. The trio of good old British actors (Firth, Cumberbatch, Strong) is the icing on the cake, which will draw you into the depicted events of the war and remind you that it is “only” a film.

I admit that I have somehow missed the news about the terrorist attack on an Indian historical hotel. After watching this film, however, I’m aware of it and I won’t ever forget it. A genius reconstruction of a terrorist attack, which is ruled by precision, excellent acting performances, technical sophistication, but also often illogical behavior of the characters born out of the stressful situation, which in addition, provides another straw that will break the back of Islam. I am undecided about this, but during this film, I had to think about what is better – to believe in a religion in whose name its followers cause an endless amount of pain every year or to give it up, to take away its influence from the world and become an atheist?

Ruben Östlund is probably the most interesting director and screenwriter of contemporary Scandinavia. Twice I rated his films with the full five stars, for his impersonal but brilliantly told stories. Here, however, I will be a bit critical – but really just a bit. The Square has a rather complex premise, and you have to think hard to understand what its creator is getting at. It features a number of inventive and original scenes, but its unnecessary long running time is to its disadvantage. The fact that the metaphorical square is supposed to be the contemporary Europe is still boggling my mind. In my opinion a rather interesting insight into the high Scandinavian society of today.

A standard family drama from Scandinavia, which is made special by great music. Especially the ending was so good that I watched it several times in a row. I had no idea that Mikael Persbrandt could sing so well. So if you want to be captivated by a sad family story, while at the same time knowing that the Scandinavians are experts in conveying such topics, do not hesitate. You‘ll get it with a bonus.