"SANTA! OH MY GOD! SANTA'S COMING! I KNOW HIM! I KNOW HIM!"

Year: 2003

Directed by: Jon Favreau

Written by: David Berenbaum

"After inadvertently wreaking havoc on the elf community due to his ungainly size, a man raised as an elf at the North Pole is sent to the U.S. in search of his true identity"

-Summary written by anonymous

---

First of all, happy holiday for all my readers! It is time for a Xmas themed film. I was trying to find not so Xmas-spirited movies but didn't get many helpful tips, so I decided to give up on the idea of finding other movies like Die Hard and Filth which take place during Xmas but aren't actually Xmas spirited.

I've seen a lot about Elf, but I hadn't ever seen it before. I actually was expecting something slightly different from Elf. I haven't seen Will Ferrell, so I had some weird expectations. For some reason I thought Elf would be intended for adult audiences. Now, well, it's not simply for kids, but it is a film for the whole family, which means it has a lot of themes kids appreciate more than adults. By that I mean such typical holiday spirit that grows towards the end - and how adults in the film aren't interested in Xmas or their children and blah blah. Sure, that is unfortunately true, but it has been used so many times in films it's becoming boring.

Sure, Elf had some originality. The idea of an elf adjusting to human life is silly but interesting. Of course the theme of that idea has been explored over and over again, but adding the Xmas feeling to it makes it different from the typical theme. 

The story goes on the same way every single comedy film seems to go. It is funny until the end where it's almost sad because something goes so badly wrong, but in the end everything is alright again! I saw that pattern even before I was half-way through the film. 

But then again, it's a Xmas comedy film for the whole family. How could that be original? So when thinking of that, Elf was an alright film. 

☆☆☆☆☆

5 / 10

"They say he doesn't die, sir. Been shot, stabbed. Doesn't ever die." "Bull-fucking-shit. This Pedro has just got a thick neck is all."

Year: 2013

Directed by: Robert Rodriguez

Written by: Kyle Ward (screenplay), Robert Rodriguez & Marcel Rodriguez (story)

"The U.S. government recruits Machete to battle his way through Mexico in order to take down an arms dealer who looks to launch a weapon into space."

- Summary written by IMDb Editors

---

Usually sequels are worse than the originals, right? But obviously no rules apply to Machete or Machete Kills. The weaknesses and strengths of the two movies are pretty much the same: They are both hilarious and amazingly violent. Both have easy plots and all that. 

The cast of characters is even more amazing this time. Of course there are some same characters in this film as well, but some of the new ones are even weirder. Sofia Vergara with the boob guns that could be straight from Austin Powers -movie? Cuba Gooding Jr., Lady Gaga and Antonio Banderas playing the same character? Charlie Sheen - I mean Carlos Estevez - as the president of United States? All the characters are ridiculous and even greater than previously. Thank you, writers!

Machete Kills made me pay more attention to the dialogue. Of course, again it was filled with one-liners, but it was very colourful. But then again I think most of that came through the subtitles. ("Minua ei kullitella!") 

Like I said previously, the plot of this movie is very simple, but it took some wild B-movie extremes. It was amazing, and I won't complain about that. All those B-movie effects make these movies what they are.

Machete Kills is just as hilarious and violent as the first one. I don't think it needs any recommending. If you liked the first one, you'll like this one too, I promise. And if you didn't like the first one, go watch your serious movies or whatever it is that you watch, don't even try to like Machete Kills. 

☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆

9 / 10

"We don't have to do this!" "If not us, then who?"

Year: 2010

Directed by: Ethan Maniquis & Robert Rodriguez

Written by: Robert Rodriguez & Álvaro Rodriguez

"After being set-up and betrayed by the man who hired him to assassinate a Texas Senator, an ex-Federale launches a brutal rampage of revenge against his former boss."

- Summary written by anonymous

---

I've been meaning to watch Machete... And Planet Terror... And the rest of the Mariachi trilogy. And finally I watched Machete and Machete Kills. I adore Rodriguez and his films - even if I haven't seen them all. I adore the aesthetic and the idea, and finally watching Machete just increased that idea.

Even though "comedy" isn't mentioned in the genres, Machete is definitely hilarious. It's partially ridiculously bad, but it's also incredible just because of that. If Machete had been made completely seriously, it would suck, but it's not. 

The characters are weird in a really charming way. Some of them are clichés that meet some really weird action video game - especially in how the characters dress. The actors and actresses are all well chosen for the roles. Well, that's mildly put when it comes to Danny Trejo. No one else could play Machete.

The plot of this movie is very typical for a revenge type of action movie. It's obvious and predictable, but it isn't the plot that gives Machete its charm. It's the annoying one-liners which are so bad they are funny. It's the atmosphere and aesthetic, typical to Rodriguez and Tarantino. It's the variety of characters. It's a lot of things, but the plot isn't one of them. But we don't watch Machete for the plot, now do we? We watch it for it's value as a cult movie. 

Machete is absolute gold in its humour, atmosphere and violence. Along other works of Rodriguez, it's an instant cult classic. If a few severed heads and some guts don't turn you off, watch this movie!

☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆

9 / 10

"What does a post-modern romantic writer do all day?" "Find beauty and praise it." "That's like the opposite of what I do."

Year: 2014

Directed and written by: Steven Brill

"A reporter's dream of becoming a news anchor is compromised after a one-night stand leaves her stranded in downtown L.A. without a phone, car, ID or money - and only 8 hours to make it to the most important job interview of her life."
- Summary written by anonymous

---

This film seemed like something funny and light to watch when not knowing what else to watch. And I was right. Walk of Shame may be funny, but the longer it goes on the less funny it seems. Everything is more or less repetitive, and everything goes badly again and again. The film doesn't offer anything new or surprising. The plot has been used thousands of times.

The movie should've been shorter. The makers probably just wanted to make that 1,5 hour film, yadda yadda, but the movie gets tiring. 

Walk of Shame reminded me slightly of What's Your Number. The opening of the movie seemed similar. Though the opening could've been much better. It seemed like the closing credits with a short piece of the movie showing or something like that. 

The cast was great, which felt like such a waste. Basically this film isn't worth a watch, even if it isn't the worst movie out there. 

☆☆☆☆

4 / 10

"You have to invite me in."

Year: 2010

Directed by: Matt Reeves

Written by: Matt Reeves (Screenplay) & John Ajvide Lindqvist (screenplay and novel: "Låt den rätte komma in")

A bullied boy finds a new friend in the mysterious girl that moves into his building.

---

In middle school we saw a piece of Låt den rätte komma in in Finnish/literature class, when we were studying the horror genre. I wasn't too interested in the film at time, mostly because 14-15-year-old me wasn't interested in horror. On the contrary I was terrified of everything, because I had bad experiences with horror before I turned like 17. I think The Rite was the first horror movie I could watch without losing my ability to sleep. But these days I appreciate all genres: if the film is well made, genre doesn't matter too much.

I happened to watch Let Me In because Netflix recommended it for me. I adore Chloë Grace Moretz, and I actually didn't know she was in Let Me In. But whatever I was expecting from this film, I wasn't disappointed!

The story of Let Me In is very tragic and unhappy, but it has such heart-warming, cute little moments my heart was about to break. Of course Moretz' character is a brutal vampire, but she plays that innocent little girl so well.

One other thing really stands out in this film: the cinematography. Usually British studios make movies very similar to the typical Hollywood scene, but the cinematography in this movie is so amazingly European. Let Me In reminds me a lot of different Danish movies I've seen. I'd really love to compare this to Låt den rätte komma in but since I haven't seen it I truly can't say anything for sure, but I'll take a wild guess and say that the cinematography has been strongly effected by the original.

The soundtrack of this movie is absolutely enchanting. It has the strengths of horror and some kind of child-like fantasy.

The story of this film is brilliant. It's simple, yet it isn't. There are so many ways the viewer can interpret different scenes and plot points, thus stories like this are way more interesting to the audience. Especially when you can read different theories and watch the movie again to see how well those match up.

There's a lot of blood and such in this film, but it isn't horror in the way that it just suddenly scares you. It is way subtler, quieter. The film isn't scary, it's more like... disturbing. But all the beautiful scenes make up for that, and the viewer doesn't feel the usual horrible feeling that usually lingers after a horror movie. 

Finally the writer doesn't just ignore the classic vampire features. I'm sick of the trope where the vampires of the film are like "No, we don't sleep in coffins or turn into bats, that's Hollywood stuff" (you know which film I am talking about, right?). Sure, maybe Abby didn't turn into a bat here - at least we didn't see that, but who knows? - but there still were so many classic details of vampires, for instance how vampires have to be invited or allowed inside. Hence the name.

I warmly recommend Let Me In, even if you aren't interested in horror genre. This film is more like dark fantasy drama than horror. It has amazing story and such brilliant cast. It's a beautiful film, definitely.

☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆

10 / 10

LOOKING FOR XMAS FILMS

And before you even think, 

NO,

I don't mean films that are actually filled with the holiday spirit. 

I am looking for films that take place during the holidays, but aren't in anyway the kind of Xmas movies that make you feel all warm and fuzzy inside. I'm looking for action and blood, or some really brutally tragic drama / or comedy. Anything like that is fine.

Which is why I'm looking at you, my dear readers. You might know so much more than me. A film that takes place during Christmas, but isn't about some heart-warming events, but on the contrary. 

Currently my list consists of  three movies, because I am counting out The Nightmare Before Christmas.

• Die Hard 
• Die Hard 2
• Filth

So if you know a film and would like to help me out, contact me via comments, Twitter, Tumblr, or for instance, Facebook group where I posted a link for this. Whatever works for you best!

If I get enough, I'll make a list of them. If I get enough but not too much, I'll just watch them, write about them, and mention who recommended it for me.

Thanks in advance, and happy holidays,

Misto.

"I've met my demons and they are many. I've seen the devil, and he is me."

Year: 2013

Directed by: Mike Flanagan

Written by: Mike Flanagan, Jeff Howard & Jeff Seidman

Tim Russell was convicted of murder of his father, when he was a child. He is discharged from mental institution, and he gets to meet his sister. However, Kaylie still believes that all the murders were caused by the mirror their father had in his office. She's even done research about the subject, and she's ready to prove the mirror has supernatural powers with her foolproof plan.

---

The story and especially the story of the mirror is very intriguing. My friends watched a bit of this film at school once, but they didn't finish the film. After that I've been wanting to finish the film. I just had to know what happens with the siblings, and what exactly the mirror did.

Because you see, what happened to them as children isn't clearly stated at the beginning. Their childhood is revealed slowly along the film, with series of flashbacks. Flashbacks are a very effective choice. Also not revealing everything about the mirror in their first conversation creates an aura of mystery around the mirror, and it's much more realistic. Why would the siblings go through the whole story, when they already know it - or are trying to let go of that? Flashbacks are much better way to show what happened, instead of going through it in dialogue. They also provide very good way to increase the effects of the horror genre. 

The best part of the horror in Oculus is how it plays with your mind. Like when the characters do something, only to realise they didn't do it. Or when they think something is real, but it isn't - or they think something isn't real, and it is. It's better and scarier than any ghost the mirror might cast. 

The flashbacks also create an effective way to play with the characters' (and the audience's) minds. The mirror doesn't need to make the flashbacks, they are in their head already. The film very skilfully mixes past and present. It definitely is effective, but it might get slightly confusing. It's hard to tell sometimes what in the flashbacks during the last third of Oculus really happened, and what was changed by the present. 

The editing of this movie is really effective as well. The change of the locus was rapid. It increases the feeling of really quick pace towards the end, when there are more and more flashbacks, and they are clearly mixing with the present. But even if the settings change quickly, there aren't too many characters and it all takes place in that one house. It is easy to get back on track. 

Oculus is also very well shot. Some of the angles used are mesmerizing, capturing the enchantment of a character or an object - or capturing how a character is enchanted by the object. The cinematography shows important details and makes the movie look simply beautiful when needed, and horribly gruesome when needed. 

The dialogue is often very realistic in the horror genre - especially before anything weird starts happening. It's the same kind of dialogue you have with your family and friends and the people around you. It's even playfully humdrum. In Oculus, the dialogue succeeds as well, apart from few details that just don't seem real.

Oculus is worth a watch, but if you are experienced in the horror genre, you might find it predictable and typical. is a good enough horror film. It isn't boring, even if the beginning is slow. But towards the end more and more things happen and more and more is revealed. That keeps the viewers on their seats.  

☆☆☆☆☆☆☆

7 / 10

"Saint Nicholas is not coming this year. Instead, a much darker, ancient spirit. He and his helpers did not come to give, but to take."

Year: 2015

Directed by: Michael Dougherty

Written by: Todd Casey, Michael Dougherty & Zach Shields

There's no Christmas spirit in this household! The whole family is gathered - for better or worse - to spend the holiday together. The only one trying to keep up the spirit is the son, Max, but even he can't stand his cousins' bullying him. He gives up his hopes for the Christmas, and accidentally invites an evil spirit to the neighbourhood.

---

Let's be honest here. Who would go see this movie and thinking it actually might be good? 

I did. I hoped it would be scary and good and it would ruin the whole Xmas for me, since I hate Christmas.

Then I learnt it is a comedy. I had to abandon my hopes. That's because horror comedies usually aren't that good. There is usually too much comedy and not enough horror, when it should be the other way around. 

The good parts of this movie are the beginning and the end. Really. I can't name anything else.

Seriously, the first time when the Krampus (voiced by Gideon Emery!!! (as if he said anything)) is introduced, that moment is perfectly scary. It's amazing and so skilfully made. The ending was amazing because it felt like a great disappointment and you are ready to sigh and demand your money back. But! Oh, how skilfully they must've planned that end.

The middle part of the movie isn't that good, and the very beginning before Krampus. That means most of the movie.

After Krampus is first introduced, nothing is as good and terrifying as that moment. There are moments that build up the tension and you feel something horrible coming up, but you are let down. Krampus is ruined as well. He stops being scary after the audience could see him. After he is shown it ruins the feeling. It definitely ruined it, because when you don't see him, you build something in your mind that the true face of Krampus can never be as terrifying as the idea of him. 

The comedy part of this movie really succeeds. The mystery is, was some of the humour intentional or not? Some of the scenes seem like they are meant to be terrifying, but they are so ridiculous there's no other choice but to laugh. But I guess gingerbread men are meant to be hilarious - and they are. They are weird and funny in a really disturbing way. 

The dialogue succeeds really well at being funny, and it had the strengths of both horror and comedy - and the weaknesses of comedy.

Krampus might have some really good parts, but it really isn't worth your money. It's really boring, and horror movies are not meant to be boring. If you really want to see it, you're going to be disappointed. It doesn't give much new to the audience. It's boring, and its potential is flashed too rarely. Do not bother.

But was it better than the Christmas themed play our school did? Yes, yes it was.

☆☆☆

3 / 10

I honestly feel so weird about Gideon Emery. How? Why? 

Another familiar name pops up though - Zach Shields, one of the writers! I had to think about it for a minute, but I finally could place his name somewhere. He's the second member of Dead Man's Bones, alongside with Ryan Gosling. Which is why I'll take this time and recommend Dead Man's Bones, it's amazing band, which plays kind of like romantic eerie ghost love songs. 

Check this band out!

"Tonight, turn your weapons to the Capitol! Turn your weapons to Snow!"

Year: 2015

Directed by: Francis Lawrence

Written by: Peter Craig & Danny Strong, Suzanne Collins (novel an adaptation)

17-year-old Katniss Everdeen continues her task as the face of the rebellion - as the Mockingjay. She has to unite the districts against the Capitol, while Peeta has been manipulated by the Capitol to think Katniss is a monster.

---

It's weird to write about this film now. First of all I feel strange that now the whole story is finally done, and there won't be any more. Second of all I saw this film about 14 hours ago, and between then and now I've been sleeping and going to school and all that. I wish I had had the time to write about this immediately after seeing it, so it would be fresh in my memory. On the other hand, now I've had enough time to think about what I'm going to say, so I won't have to figure that out at the moment.

I love The Hunger Games trilogy mostly because it is so dark and brutal, and even if Katniss does what she has to do, she still suffers from everything that has happened. I mentioned this on the post I wrote about my The Hunger Games marathon. In a badly written version of the novels Katniss would behave like nothing ever bothered her, which would make her just seem violent and rash. When we know everything has gotten to her, we know what she is sensitive, we know that everything has actually touched her. 

The most horrifying thing is when you realise how young Katniss actually is. The original point of the novel series was how kids were forced to fight in the arena, and how a kid actually became the most important person to the resistance. Think about when you were 17, would you have been able to unite people against your oppressors? That's a really horrifying thought - and that was the point Collins was trying to make. Jennifer Lawrence is excellent as Katniss. She portrays her social clumsiness well, but also her emotional weaknesses and her bravery. She's a great actress, but there should've been someone else playing her, someone younger (and Native), because then it would look as terrifying at it was meant to.

Not all the events from the novel were included in the Mockingjay part 1 or 2. It's understandable especially when it comes to the part 2. For example, Katniss, Finnick, Johanna and Peeta being trained for the war? It would take too much time to show everything, considering how long the film already was. Sure, there's one emotionally heavy part I wish they had included towards the end, but I can see how hard it would've been to make that. I still wish we could've seen that. 

Some people are complaining about how they should've made the Mockingjay into a one film. I disagree. It is one film, but in two parts. And it works this way, because the second part starts so well - it starts exactly where it should start considering what happened in the end of Part 1. It works as two parts, and there was no need to wrap the story up any more. It was very dense already - things happen quickly but there is still time for important dialogue. And you never see critics complaining about Kill Bill being two movies instead of one. It definitely has to do with mainstream action film versus marginal "art" action film.

Here's a question I wish you would answer for me, even if you don't mind the two parts: If you'd make one film out of Mockingjay, what would you leave out? 

The 3D effects bothered me a bit. It sometimes makes it very hard to follow what was going on. I hope film makers stop using 3D that much (I doubt it) or they start using it better (I doubt that too). 

There's one thing that always manages to make people cry in The Hunger Games. It's the music, well, it's that one song. Rue's Farewell is so touching and beautiful that the audience is near the tears every time it plays. The film makers use this very well. The music in these films is almost unreal because of how beautiful it is.

The Hunger Games: Mockingjay part 2 is dark and brutal, but it has hope, some amazing hope that after all that darkness makes everything better. It's an amazing finale for the best young adult science fiction stories I have read or seen.

I feel weird that it's all over now. Suzanne Collins has created amazing characters who were portrayed so well over the years - or left out, as the case may be. Thanks for the ride, it has been amazing.

☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆

9 / 10

Valkoinen Raivo / White Rage

Year: 2015

Directed and written by; Arto Halonen 

Before you read this, I actually don't think you can spoil a documentary, but I'm going to say everything I can about the documentary, which means that if you are going to see it and want it to be surprise for some reason, I can't promise this post will be safe. Also this might include triggers, even if I try to avoid them. But how do you talk about massacres without it being possibly triggering?

"White rage is a story about Lauri and through him many other victims of school bullying and separate childhood trauma. Lauri is a victim of 'white rage', which can lead at it's worst to school shootings."

We went to see this documentary Valkoinen Raivo  from school. Apparently it's not really out yet? I don't know what kind of in advance show that was. The director was going to talk after the documentary was shown, but I couldn't stay for that, since I had to go to other classes. I really wish I could've stayed, it would've been interesting. The whole documentary was interesting.

The documentary used the story of "Lauri" as a structure for the documentary. He was an excellent example. At the beginning I thought that he actually had committed some kind of decimation, but no. He managed to see psychiatrists and control his anger and the fantasies of killing people. He did become an academic researcher on the subject... You know, aggression and violent behaviour. And if I understood right he created the theory of white rage and black rage. Black rage is when you get so angry that you are almost out of control. White rage has been built over the years, and the person suffering from white rage is calm and collected. This is more common with mass murderers, apparently.

The documentary used examples that probably would feel distant to foreign viewers. The examples include Raumanmeri school shooting, Jokela school shooting and Kauhajoki school shooting. I still remember the last two, especially the last one. I still remember where I was when I learnt about it. I was about 12 at the time, and it happened... well, very close to our town. That kind of thing is scary for a 12-year-old, let me assure you. Those examples and the others felt so real when they were shown on a big screen, accompanied by the real story of someone. They showed clips from the news and clips from the videos to murderers from Jokela and Kauhajoki had uploaded to YouTube. Those made the whole thing feel very real and... well, distressing. There were examples from elsewhere too. One was a school massacre from the US, but I'm not exactly sure which one it was, but considering it was from 1999, I think it might have been Columbine High School massacre. Other examples were terrorist groups (very briefly) and 2011 Norway attacks.

The story of "Lauri" and the examples made it sure that the documentary was very distressing and agonising. I'd like to call it touching also, but that doesn't feel like exactly the right word. But after the documentary I felt like throwing up and slightly paranoid. That might sound like a bad thing, but it means that the documentary was effective. It needs to be effective! It is about something very, very important. Which is kind of why I want to tell everyone to go see this, if it's in any way possible. It is possibly triggering and makes you feel horrible, but it is so important.

The film definitely was well made. The cinematography was weirdly beautiful, which made the whole thing even more eerier. The music had the same kind of effect. It was amazing, and if documentaries are actually made this well, I just might want to see more of them. We'll see...

But I felt kind of weird in the audience considering people sitting next to me and my friend seemed like such professionals. They were taking notes, and the other didn't even glance at his notes but kept his eyes at the screen. That's damn impressive. I feel like I have much to learn.

And since I want to feel like a pro, I want to say that I think this film has potential for Academy Award Nominations. It is extremely well done, and even though the examples are Finnish and that way very foreign to the academy people in Hollywood, the subject is universally important. I don't remember if foreign documentaries had their own category or not (I think not), but still I think Valkoinen Raivo should be nominated. Well, maybe we should wait until it's published.

Valkoinen Raivo really made me think. It's an excellent documentary, and I think everybody who manages should see it. (By 'manage' I mean doesn't get too distressed and who actually can go to a show. I don't know if it's going to be shown abroad. It probably is, but I don't know where, and how many people are into documentaries.)

☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆

10 / 10

"I think it's our tradition. It comes out of a particularly painful part of our history..."

It feels like it wasn't too long ago when I went to see The Hunger Games for the first time. It's hard to think that in few days, I've seen the last part. It seems almost surreal.

I've loved The Hunger Game since I saw the movie. My love has not died but grown with each new book and movie.

This summer I had a marathon of all the Pirates of the Caribbean movies. The biggest difference between those and The Hunger Games? And I'm not comparing stories, directing, writing or anything like that. I'm just comparing the feeling you get from the movies. The Pirates of the Caribbean actually make you kind of happy. They are funny and end happily most of the time. The Hunger Games? It just keeps getting more and more horrible. The marathon is emotionally crucial. There's a lot of crying involved.

My favourite thing about The Hunger Games is Katniss. She's written so well. She's an interesting character. She's a native American (a-hem, casting, take note) who is definitely asexual and / or aromantic. AND she doesn't just do things. She actually suffers from the games, everything that has happened to her. It's realistic. It's amazing. She's strong and weak at the same time. It's amazing. Kudos, Suzanne Collins, you have truly created amazing character.

There is a clear difference between the directors. Gary Ross' style is different from Francis Lawrence. Both have done excellent job, though. Both show what was in the books. They both show what wasn't in the books, but probably did happen - everything between president Snow and Seneca Crane / Plutarch Heavensbee / all those people in Mockingjay. It's actually amazing to see more, when in the books you only know what Katniss is doing and thinking. Katniss' POV is amazing though. I'm not sure why, but I've always enjoyed reading the books and hearing what she's thinking. If you haven't read the books, you should. Katniss' thoughts give a lot depth to the story. And if you haven't seen the movies, you also should see them. Seeing things from other perspective is also important.

 I wish I knew what else to say. I think I would know better on Wednesday. I'll write more then, after I've been amazed. As you can see, my hopes and expectations are set high. I hope I won't be disappointed.

The Hunger Games

Year: 2012

Directed by: Gary Ross

Written by: Gary Ross, Suzanne Collins and Billy Ray

☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆

8 / 10

The Hunger Games: Catching Fire

Year: 2013

Directed by: Francis Lawrence

Written by: Simon Beaufoy & Michael deBruyn (screenplay), Suzanne Collins (novel)

☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆

8 / 10

The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 1

Year: 2014

Directed by: Francis Lawrence

Written by: Peter Craig and Danny Strong (screenplay), Suzanne Collins (novel & adaptation)

☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆

9 / 10

"The future lay in our hands. Uncertain, yet promising."

Year: 2003

Directed by: Wolfgang Becker

Written by: Bernd Lichtenberg, Wolfgang Becker, Achim von Borries, Hendrik Handloegten & Christoph Silber

A mother wakes up after 8-month coma. Her son is trying his best trying to hide the fact that their home land, DDR, is now gone.

---

In philosophy class we had two choices: go watch Spirited Away or Goodbye Lenin after school. If we watched it in school, we didn't have to actually write anything about it, but if we watched either of those movies at home, we had to write about them. I thought I'd see this one at school, but then I realised I'd write at least this blog post about it, so why not watch it at home and write properly. After all I haven't really written anything interesting on my blog for a while, and NaNoWriMo is slowing me down even more.

The voice-over narration in this movie is gold. It was absolutely well written, perhaps not entirely realistic, but it still was excellent. 

The soundtrack of this movie was interesting - mostly the music played in the beginning and in the end. It gave a different feeling to the movie than the movie itself did. The beginning made me think the movie would be much deeper and sadder, and the end made me think the movie was deeper than sadder than it was. It's an interesting effect.

This movie shows very well how hard it would be trying to live in the past these days. This movie took place in the 1990s. Think about how hard it would be to live that kind of life in this day and age? Think about the Internet and the amount of information coming from every possible source. It would be close to impossible. 

It's interesting to see how the main character Alex developed, not so much during the story, but comparing his childhood to the "current" for the main part of the movie. A child living in DDR was hopeful, thinking the nation is the greatest and all that. The young adult was much more cynical towards DDR, but still seemed to appreciate it somehow. Especially when Alex does all those things for mother... Was it all for her mother? Was it partially for himself? How greatly? 

☆☆☆☆☆☆☆

7 / 10

"With this hand I will lift your sorrows. Your cup will never be empty, for I will be your wine. With this candle, I will light your way into darkness. With this ring, I ask you to be mine."

Year: 2005

Directed by: Tim Burton & Mike Johnson

Written by: John August, Caroline Thompson & Pamela Pettler (screenplay) and Tim Burton & Carlos Grangel (characters)

A nervous groom keeps screwing up the wedding rehearsal, so he goes to the woods to practice his vows. Unfortunately he puts the ring on a corpse's finger, and he realises he's now married to a dead woman.

---

Corpse Bride is one of those almost classic movies you should watch on Halloween if you're not too into horror movies. That's kind of the speciality of Tim Burton: he makes dark movies emo or goth teens are way too invested in. I don't know if it has to do with the plots or the aesthetic.

But the aesthetic of Corpse Bride is amazing: almost colourless land of the living, the colourful and fun land of the dead. The characters look amazing, everyone looks different and has different shapes of their faces and body. It's a nice change from typical animations, but of course the main characters are tall and skinny with the typical Burton styled faces: pale skin, huge eyes with dark circles around them. Still, every little detail in the animation is amazing. I could talk about stop-motion animation all day long, but perhaps not.

Danny Elfman's music is pretty but generic. It's been heard over and over again. Sure, Victor's Piano Solo may give the viewer goose bumps, but other than that, every song feels like it's been done so many times before. The soundtrack is alright, but could be way better.

The story is interesting and well-written. It's short, and many things are left unexplained, but it's better that way. It's good that it ends quite suddenly without anything like "FEW WEEKS LATER" because that would kind of ruin the moment. The movie is about what it is about, it doesn't need anything else. The structure of the story is very similar to The Nightmare Before Christmas. No, it's not entirely the same, it's not "copied", but it has some sort of parallels and symmetry.

Corpse Bride is a good movie to watch around Halloween, but that's about it. I can't imagine watching it during the summer or anything. Corpse Bride has charisma, unique aesthetic and astonishing setting.

☆☆☆☆

4 / 10

"That morning was just like any other. No love. No luck. No ride. Nothing changes."

Year: 1992

Directed & Written by: Robert Rodriguez

A town has two visitors, both dressed in black, both carrying guitar cases. One is a travelling mariachi, another is killing drug lord's men for revenge. Of course the innocent one is mistaken for the killer.

I realised I haven't watched anything during October yet. I was going through Netflix and couldn't find anything to watch. Eventually I just thought I'd keep watching From Dusk Till Dawn, which made me think of Robert Rodriguez's movies. Again, Netflix couldn't really offer me anything interesting, but thankfully my dad has the whole trilogy: El Mariachi, Desperado and Once Upon a Time in Mexico. So, don't be surprised if I'll write about the last two also.

One very notable thing about El Mariachi is the excellent cinematography. The visual side of the movie gives strong Tarantino vibes, but there was something else too. The shots may not be exactly beautiful, but they are close to perfect. There's something enchanting about how they shot the film. And together with the narrating in the beginning, the movie reminded me of some kind of 60's or 70's art films, which is quite far from how the film really is. Also Rodriguez has used some very interesting effects in the movie, but very skilfully. They weren't used too little or too much, just the right amount.

The music in El Mariachi is weird. It's weird and it shouldn't suit to any film - but it does. The soundtrack is a spot-on. It's different and weird, which is a good thing. All action movies tend to have one kind of soundtrack, so it's great seeing (well, hearing) something other for a change.

The editing is also great. The movie is not very long, but it doesn't feel too short. El Mariachi also uses both speed and slowness as interesting and effective stylistic devices, without disturbing the pace of the movie.

The story of El Mariachi is as simple as a plot can be. However, usually action films make the mistake of wasting extra subplots to the movie to make the story seem deeper. El Mariachi has one story, and it sure as hell is short, but it still is thrilling and as interesting as it can be. It's good enough.

It's admirable how a movie like this can be heavy and bloody, and yet still have that weird, light humour that is caused by the weirdest things. They aren't always even that funny, but like certain effects used in the filming make you smile, even if you're afraid for the main character's life. 

El Mariachi is simple and almost modest, yet it is skilfully made and one of the best action movies I've seen. I had high hopes for Robert Rodriguez, and I'd like to think he met my expectations. Well, we'll see about that when I see at least one other movie.

☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆

9 / 10

"Sex is a joke in heaven?" "The way I understand it, it's mostly a joke down here, too."

Year: 1999

Directer & written by: Kevin Smith

An abortion clinic worker with special heritage, two prophets and the 13th apostle have to stop two banished angels from getting back to heaven and thus destroying the whole world.

The story of Dogma starts as interesting, but it gets weirder and weirder towards the end, and gets more absurd. At the beginning I thought I'd like the movie more, but it just got more disappointing. I enjoyed the wisdom that was there every once in a while, and I loved the unique take on religion. But every once in a while it just felt like the whole movie was emphasizing religion too much. It makes no sense, since it's supposed to be a fantasy comedy about religion. 

But Dogma pointed out good and bad things about religion - and the bible! Scenes explaining the gender and race issues were so good. It was also great how it was pointed out how people do weird and violent things in the name of god. This is exactly what the two banished angels were doing: Loki and Bartleby killed people who had committed terrible sins. The deeds of these people seemed indeed horrific, but what gives two banished angels the right to take "law" into their own hands? They seemed mostly like some of those crazy Christian serial killers, who kill people committing sins, like the guy in Se7en.

But I noticed some slight homophobic, misogynistic and cisnormative themes there, that felt kind of tasteless. I don't know if it is the writer or the whole subject of the movie, religion, which is usually viewed as all of these things, whether there is a reason for it or not.

Sure, I get that the movie was from the 90's, but some of the effects were still so bad it was ridiculous. 

But honestly I really don't know what to say about this movie. It was a big disappointment, that's for sure. It was funny at times, but one of my acquaintances spoke so highly of this movie, I expected it to be better. Maybe he just has weirder taste in movies, or if not weirder, different. Dogma has that cult reputation, and it's definitely worth seeing. However a cult reputation doesn't guarantee it's any good.

☆☆☆☆☆

5 / 10

"Our words, our language cannot explain all that there is. There are other ways someone can die to us."

Year: 2013

Directed by: Richard LaGravenese¨

Written by: Richard La Gravenese; Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl (novel)

Ethan Wate has been dreaming of the same girl for a long time. He lives in a town called Gatlin, and longs to get out of there. Then the school has a new student: Lena Duchannes, who is the niece of the mysterious Macon Ravenwood the whole city is scared of. Together Ethan and Lena discover dark secrets, curses and history of their families. their shared past and fate. 

I've seen Beautiful Creatures once before, and I wanted to see it again. The magic of the movie didn't seem any less astonishing as it was less than a year ago. The magic comes from the visual side of the movie, and especially the visual effects. Sometimes fantasy films seem like the makers were afraid to make the film actually look magical, especially if it takes place in our "normal world". Beautiful Creatures takes place in a normal-seeming town and all that, but still they used visual effects as much as was needed. And it works very well - when effects are used well, it really feels magical. It doesn't always have to look so realistic because hey, we are talking about magic! What about magic is realistic? Anything that looks amazing is good enough for magic.

If there's anything more enchanting than the visual side of the movie, it's the music. The soundtrack by thenewno2 is amazing, and I love every track of it. It's on Spotify, so listen to it if you can. It's excellent.

I'm still no quite sure if I like Ethan. Sure, as a character he's interesting, but I don't know if I'd like him as a person. He thinks everyone in the whole town are assholes, but then he is so pretentious trying not to be like them that he is like them, in his own way. But that's easy to expect - a lot of characters from YA-novels are like that. They try to be the opposite of everyone ("I'm not like those people") so they become so pretentious. Think about John Green's characters. They are so pretentious and obnoxious. Then again they have nothing to make up for it. Ethan on the other hand had something else in him, he wasn't just a huge asshole, he just didn't let anyone else see the other sides of him. 

Now that I've talked about Ethan, I want to talk about Ethan and Lena. I don't think I can say anything about their chemistry. I can't say if they had that, but I can say one thing. They may love each other, but there's more than that. One thing is sure about their relationship. They both represent what they want but can't have (?). Ethan wants excitement, he wants out of Gatlin. He's bored of the typical life and wants something new and interesting. That's Lena. And Lena wants to live normally, and Ethan can provide that to her. Clearly Lena is more what Ethan wants than the other way around.

Lena's character is also amazing. She has more than one side of her. She acts coldly in class, but shows her softer side to Ethan, and of course she shows how she can be thin-skinned, no matter what she acts like around people.

I adore this movie. Maybe the writing isn't the best there is, but it's still good, and I don't even want to start analysing what's bad about it. I love it, and for once, I want that to be enough.

Beautiful Creatures is an enchanting film with interesting storylines, characters and romance. It's better than the typical YA fantasy romances out there. If you haven't seen this one yet, you should.

☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆

8 / 10

"It's my responsibility to bring the Book of Peace safely to Syracuse." "See, now I just feel bad, 'cause you're gonna get fired."

Year: 2003

Directed by: Patrick Gilmore & Tim Johnson

Writers: John Logan

"A Persian sailor named Sinbad is on a quest to find the magical legendary Book of Peace, a mysterious artifact that Eris, the Greek wicked goddess of chaos, has ultimately framed him for stealing! If he fails on this quest, his childhood friend Prince Proteus of Syracuse will take Sindbad's death penalty, while Eris gains a desired foothold of power in the world of mortals."

- Summary written by Anthony Pereyra

Mostly I watched Sinbad - Legend of the Seven Seas tonight because I watched the Road to El Dorado yesterday. These two very much go to the same category, even if the latter was my favourite and the former... not so much.

This film looks as good as The Road to El Dorado. Especially the mix of traditional animation and the kind of 3D computer animation is very interesting. Most of the creatures look three dimensional and it makes the threat they pose seem way more threatening when you compare the realistic looking creatures with the human characters, who look much simpler and just less real. Especially the 3D animation works well in the realm of Eris, the goddess of chaos, because with that technique it looks way more chaotic. 

The music in this movie is not as good as in the Road to El Dorado. Don't get me wrong, the music is alright, but that's it. It's just decent. The only track that's really amazing is Let The Games Begin which very much plays whenever Eris is around. That track is mysterious and playful, and it gives the original sound to those few scene that same melody is playing, even if the song itself would be different. Harry Gregson-Williams is of course a good composer, but let's be honest, his music doesn't really stand out in films. 

What is really missing from Sinbad is the chemistry. There isn't that kind of chemistry between any characters than is between Miguel and Tulio from the Road to El Dorado. I'd hate to compare these two movies too much, but the Road to El Dorado just sets the demand for animated adventures very high - especially when we are talking about characters. However, there's something similar between Sinbad and Miguel and Tulio. They all were swindlers, dishonest people, and very unlikely heroes. The difference, however, is that Sinbad actually was a hero. 

Can you guess what I loved most about this movie when I was a kid - and what I still love the most? Eris. The character looks amazing. She looks beautiful yet chaotic and evil, and her hair, my god, her hair. Even if the animation is so beautiful in this movie, Eris' hair is the best part.

The story of Sinbad is interesting, except partially it doesn't make sense. Why do they need a book to keep peace? Why is Eris in this, because this movie doesn't take place in Greece, does it? Those are the two most important questions I learnt to ask now, even if I didn't wonder that as a kid. 

Sinbad is breath-takingly beautiful movie, but the story doesn't live up to the visual side of the movie. Something is lacking, but it sure is nice to look at.

☆☆☆☆

4 / 10

"If I believed in fate, I wouldn't be playing with loaded dice."

Year: 2000

Directed by: Eric 'Bibo' Bergeron & Don Paul

Written by: Terry Rossio & Ted Elliott

Two Swindlers, Miguel and Tulio, end up on an unknown coast after several misadventures with only a horse and a map to El Dorado. They decide to find the city of gold and steal the gold, but neither of them could've expected that the natives mistake them for their gods. 

When I was a kid, The Road to El Dorado was one of my favourite movies. Sure, that can be said of many movies, but the point is, I wasn't the only one. Especially now I often find out how so many people loved it as well. I think I've heard almost anyone saying at least once that they loved it, and most say it was their favourite film growing up.

It's not surprising. The Road to El Dorado charms you right in the beginning. Even if you usually hate songs in animated films, the music of this one is amazing. Every song is beautiful and amazing, and makes me feel nostalgic these days. And they don't ruin the dialogue by turning a conversation to a song (Apart from It's Tough to be a god, but that song was so good it didn't even matter). Instead they are planted in scenes where no words are spoken. It works very well, and is a lot better than characters of the movie singing. Even if the music in the Lion King is phenomenal, Can You Feel The Love Tonight is kind of ruined by making the stanza Simba and Nala's thoughts, it kind of ruins the moment. In this film, it works way better. Both soundtracks are by Elton John, but The Road to El Dorado works better.

And the animation is so beautiful. It's really captivating. The human characters look so much better than what Disney's usually do, especially because they are way more diverse instead of just putting the same face on every Disney prince. And the world around the character is the most beautiful I've seen in an animated movie. It's very colourful, it's lovely.

But what really keeps the movie going and makes the story really stand out, is the main duo. Miguel and Tulio are great characters. They are different from each other, but they want the same things - which is why I wouldn't want to see a sequel for this movie. I'd rather see a prequel. How did they meet? How did they end up doing what they were doing in the beginning of the movie? It's interesting. And thankfully Miguel and Tulio aren't exactly the kind of heroes you'd except. In fact they aren't really heroic, apart from one or two deeds. Above all, they start as criminals. And their chemistry is so good. And these days there are a lot of rumours going around that they were meant to be homosexuals, but I don't really know if that is true. I haven't seen any reliable information, only speculation and claims that had no proper sources. If anyone has a proper source, please, let me know, because I think it would be interesting to read.

The Road to El Dorado has always been amazing movie, and that hasn't changed in all these years. If you haven't seen it, do yourself a favour and watch it. It's great, and it's hilarious. I could go on an mention every good thing about this movie, but I think that would be pointless. This movie is one of the best animated films that has been ever made.

☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆

10 / 10

"Why are you walking?" "I like to walk for a change. Makes me feel normal."

Year: 2008

Directed by: Doug Liman

Written by: David S. Goyer, Jim Uhls & Simon Kinberg, Steven Gould (Novel)

As a teenager, David Rice realised he had the ability to teleport. He ran away from home, started practising his skills and started living a luxurious life where he could visit any place in short notice, and do anything he wanted to. Too good to be true? Absolutely, since there is an ancient organization, that has been hunting people like David - Jumpers - for centuries.

I've seen Jumper once before. It was around the time I started blogging about films, which means, that blog post was extremely short and probably didn't tell anyone anything about the movie. I don't even know if I should check out what I once wrote. ... I did check it out. It was four extremely short paragraphs, and it's not worth reading. I won't link it here

I always appreciate superhero movies that aren't made by DC and Marvel. While DC and Marvel just tend to take turns on stealing ideas from each other, other superhero movies tend to bring some creativity and originality to the table, for example, Kick-Ass. Of course we could argue if Jumper is really a "superhero movie", since there are no heroic deeds, but there still are superpowers. But Jumper doesn't bring much originality the table. Sure, the viewpoint is different, since it's not tragic story about a boy who loses everything and starts to protect the city / neighbourhood / few blocks, etcetera. But plotwise, and as a movie, Jumper is just like any other film. The structure of the story, the events, the characters, dialogue and relationships... it all has been experienced before, and it will be experienced again, and there are better writers to do this. Jumper just seems to be another mindless action hodgepodge.

In any case, the main character David Rice, however typical he is, is interesting, and I'd like to examine him more. His childhood wasn't the best one, but still he learned that he could have anything he wanted, and he didn't have to do much to get it. The audience can see how badly this affects David. He's not used to things being off-limits to him, so when he's not allowed to do something, he does it, even if he's supposed to keep his powers hidden. Also, when Griffin refuses to listen to him, he has to act out, even if he knows Griffin is more experienced in that field. Maybe David Rice did never actually grow up, even if he had to live on his own and all that. Everything was way too easy for him. This kind of makes you understand the Paladins that were after him. But is this something that was original for the movie? I haven't read the novel, so I don't really know how much the movie and the book have in common. Apparently the film is only loosely based on the book. So, maybe the book showed David more as what he was - a brat - than as a hero, like the movie so badly tried to. Or if the movie tried to make David a brat, they didn't show that clearly enough.

Even if the movie is good, it should be longer. The explanation for so many important plot points was half-assed. We know nothing except what David knows - and he doesn't know much. Griffin sure explained him shortly what he needed to know. That's realistic though, would people in that kind of situation have the time to sit down and go through everything? Even if it was realistic, it still isn't very friendly to the viewers.

Jumper is a decent action movie, but it gets tiring after the first view. It is boring, unoriginal and too fast. There had to be better movies out there, and thankfully there are. What should you watch instead of Jumper? Kingsman and Wanted are a good start.

☆☆☆☆

4 / 10

"I only work in black and sometimes very, very dark grey."

Year: 2014

Directors: Phil Lord & Christopher Miller

Writers: Phil Lord, Christopher Miller, Dan Hageman & Kevhin Hageman.

"The evil plans of Lord Business to ensure order in his world with a powerful weapon is in jeopardy as a prophecy about 'Special' comes true with the discovery of 'Piece of Resistance'. With odds like Bad Cop, Micro managers and 'Man from upstairs' stacked against him during his journey to save the world; Emmett, a construction worker, has a long way to go before he succeeds."

- Summary written by PipingHotViews

My sister and I were about to watch the Big Hero 6, only to find out it wasn't on Netflix. Anyway, we decided to watch the Lego Movie, and if I'm completely honest, I probably will prefer Lego Movie over Big Hero 6 any day.

The world in this movie is amazing. It feels limitless and imaginative - which exactly has always been the strength of the toys too. You can build anything and your imagination is the only limit (apart from you know, not having enough pieces.) I love how they didn't just make a dumb funny movie, but actually captivated the power Legos have always had. I mean, they are without the doubt the best toy there is. Okay, enough about how great Legos were. But yeah, the best part about the movie is how amazing the world is. Yeah, there are many pop culture characters there, like Batman, but it isn't just a crossover of many things, the pop culture characters just are like a nice spice there. Sure, they aren't completely loyal to the originals, but who cares, they were fun.

Another amazing thing about the world is how it plays with many levels of reality. Of course there are the many different worlds in the Lego worlds, but that isn't all, as you can guess by the 'Man from upstairs'. 

The plot is good. It is of course simple, but what do you expect from a movie that suits for the whole family. Simple story doesn't mean the story wouldn't have many meaningful lessons. Not that I'm going to list them all. There are probably better lists out there that also explain things and introduce different views. Anyway, the plot was intriguing. One of the elements are the different levels of reality. That brings so much depth to the story. And it is also very exciting. I was eager to see the end, because like many great movies, it actually made you think "how are they going to survive this".

But the Lego Movie is hilarious. The humour is so absurd at times, but it isn't just absurd humour. There are many different kind of humour. Sometimes putting many kind of jokes together doesn't work and it's just kind of "Decide already!" but it works in Lego Movie, since it's intended to be funny to people of all ages. I cracked up many times, the first one was at "Lord Business". 

And the animation! Oh, it looks so smooth and nice, but also it is hilarious when needed to be. Even if it wasn't stop-motion, it has the same strengths with that technique, since it's made to look the same way. 

The voice acting in this movie is great, though it would be nicer if they used actual voice actors instead of typical Hollywood actors. Sure, Chris Pratt is great, but what about... Billy West? That would've been great. Of course my favourite was Will Arnett as Batman. It might have something to do with me watching both seasons of BoJack Horseman in four days. 

Summa summarum, the Lego Movie was hilarious and original, even if the story was pretty much used. I do not regret for one bit that I saw this movie, even if I was suspicious at first.

☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆

8 / 10