iam_moriya

I left the theater smiling. It's rare that I get to see a truly good movie, but even more rare than that is that I see a truly good Swedish film.

Monica Z is a biography movie about the Swedish Jazz-singer, actress and variety performer Monica Zetterlund. It begins with the words "Freely based on the life of Monica Zetterlund" and after that tells a story of a talented but self-destructive singer who struggles to get the man she loves and, more importantly, the respect of her father. The film succeeds where so many biography movies fail. Instead of trying to squeeze an entire lifetime in roughly two hours this one has a clear story arc and focuses on a short period in the persons life.

The film has received some criticism for that, though. Some are not happy that the film differs from reality and some believe it to take place in a 15 year time span without the characters, and more specifically Monicas daughter Eva-Lena, doesn't age. However, they missed to read the text in the beginning. This is historical fiction. Many parts of Monicas life are boiled down into a time span of roughly 2-5 years at the most. The point was to tell a story based on and inspired by Monica, not a documentary. And that's why did movie is so good.

Besides the well-crafted story, the look of the film deserves it's fair share of credit too. This is a gorgeous movie, from design to costumes to the cinematography. It's great to look at.

Last, but not least, Edda Magnasson. She doesn't play Monica. She IS Monica. At times this movie feels haunted she's so spot on. Even in the music numbers. Edda performs all the songs herself and sometimes I was fooled that it really was Monica with Edda just lip syncing the words but no, it's her. All the other actors are great as well but they just glow compared to Edda who shines like a Supernova. If nothing else this movie is worth watching just for her.

Hello, my name is iam_moriya and I'm a donaldist.

That means that I'm a big fan of Donald Duck, but also a fan of the duck-universe. The comic books by Carl Barks and Don Rosa, the earlier cartoon shorts, DuckTales, I love'em all. But with all the things starring Donald and the Duckfamily their is one show that has been very underrated. A thing that I found very unfair.

I'm speaking of the show Quack Pack. Starring Donald Duck, his three nephews Huey, Dewey and Louie and the love of his life Daisy Duck. Often seen as a "sequel" to DuckTales it is best to watch this show on it's own terms. Because Quack Pack is a whole different animal, still entertaining, but different.

While DuckTales was based on the comic book stories written by the late master Carl Barks Quack Pack seem to take it's inspiration more from the earlier cartoon shorts. And it has allowed it's characters to actually *age*. I guess this threw of a couple of fans, but I've got nothing against it. It's a TV-show for crying out loud, you don't have to consider it canon if you don't want to.

Now, making the characters a bit older allowed the writers to write something new and fresh, while still paying tribute to the characters roots. For example, while older Donald still hasn't cooled his temper and he is still cursed by his bad luck. And the nephews proves that boys will be boys, just boys who has grown into their teens and therefore acting like teens do.

I recommend you to give this show a second chance. It's funny, smart, thrilling at times and most importantly: entertaining. If you can accept the fact that this isn't DuckTales, nor is it suppose to be, you will probably find out that this isn't a bad show at all, in fact, it is actually quite good.

I've decided to give you mine opinion on all the old Batman movies. Starting with Batman from 1989 and ending with Batman & Robin.

After Burton left the franchisee Joel Schumacher got to direct the third movie. Gone is Keaton as Batman and he has been replaced by Val Kilmer. The villains of this new movie are Two-Face, played by Tommy Lee Jones, a very scary character. While in the comics he is a tormented soul fighting with his dark personality here is a totally mind blowing evil villain. Jim Carrey as the Riddler is a great performance. Gone is the boring suit and instead he wears a real villain costume. Batman also get's some help from Dick Grayson, aka Robin. Played brilliant by Chris O'Donnell. Schumacher version of Batman is more action and one of the greatest comic book movies ever made.

And for those of you who didn't realize it I was being sarcastic.

Two-Face is one of Batmans best villain, but here he is nothing but a lousy clown. Gone is the tormented Harvey Dent that blindly obeys his coins every decision and instead we get corny bad guy who doesn't take anything serious. The other character Joel destroys is Riddler. Carrey runs around being very annoying. Sure, he gets a few laughs here and there but I think Jim went over the top with this one. Oh, and I forgot the worst part: He is wearing a f-cking pajamas. Neither Two-Face nor Riddler seem like a threat to Batman so there is no need for him to have Robin by his side. Who is, by the way, awful. Read Jeph Loebs "Dark Victory" or watch the animated series episode Robin's Reconning instead. There is a good origin story for Dick Grayson. And now we'll have a look at what Joel did to our beloved Batman. Let's see. He put nipples on the batsuit. Further words are a waste of time.

Schumacher shouldn't be allowed near Batman for any reason at all. This movie isn't worth your money or your time. During it's better moments it's like watching the old Batman series (with Adam West), just as ridiculous. A sad excuse for a movie. Still, it could be worse. It could be "Batman & Robin".

I'm a guy who like quality before quantity. Less is more if you know what I'm saying. So Stanley Kubrick is for obvious reasons one of my all-time favorite directors. He didn't make many movies, but those he made are excellent works of art. And that brings me to my personal favorite of all his movies: A Clockwork Orange.

The film is about a young man named Alexander DeLarge (Malcolm McDowell). He is a guy who likes music, especially Beethoven, but he is also found of rape and ultra violence.

One night however, he get's arrested and goes to jail. In jail he hears about an experiment, were criminals are turned from bad to good. Still, as the priest puts it: "Goodness is something to be chosen. When a man cannot choose he ceases to be a man." Alex goes through this experiment and returns to society being, as it seems, "cured" from his criminality. Or is he? A Clockwork Orange is a brilliant piece of film-making, making us ask question. What is good and bad about man? What makes us good or bad? And at the same time this is a very psychological movie questioning our own moral code. Do we have the right to force people into goodness? Okay, some people may not like the film. Either because they can't understand the psychological bit or because they don't like the violence. I took this to school once and there were only me and another one who liked it. This is a very raw film, even with todays standards and it's nothing for the faint of heart. But if you wan't to see an intelligent film about the dark side of man, this is a film for you.

"It had been a wonderful evening and what I needed now, to give it the perfect ending, was a little of the Ludwig Van." - Alex

I've decided to give you mine opinion on the Pre-Nolan Batman movies. Starting with Batman from 1989 and ending with this one.

Now, the last movie in the old Batman series of movies. And what do I think about it? The word that the dictionary would use is probably: DISGRACE!

This movie is so bad not even the director (Joel Schumacher) liked it. Everything is wrong, bad or worse.

The story, just kidding ya, there is no story. The plot, or bad excuse for one, is this: Mr. Freeze and Poison Ivy teams up in order to shape Gotham after their vision. That doesn't make sense since Freeze want's to freeze down the city while Ivy want's it to be full of wild plants. Yes, the artic is well known for it's exotic plants. All acting is beyond horrible. Uma Thurmans Ivy is high on her own supply. Arnold is so wrong as Mr. Freeze. If you wan't to see a good Mr. Freeze go watch the Batman: The Animated Series episode Heart of Ice instead. The only reason he was cast was because Joel thought that Mr. Freeze should be like carved out from a glacier. That's the most corny thing I've ever heard. Batgirl and Robin are just pure crap and not done probably. This movie is a disgrace to Bob Kane, Frank Miller, Burton, The animated Series and everyone who ever loved Batman. And the way they treated Bane is beyond forgiveness.

You should thank me for wasting my time warning you about it. Keeep away from it. I'm waving a big red signal flag here for you. Keep out!

I've decided to give you mine opinion on all the old Batman movies. Starting with Batman and ending with Batman & Robin.

This movie, Batman Returns, is the second Batman film made by Burton and, this is sad, the last of the old movie to be worth the money. After this there were no good Batman films until Nolan and Goyer decided to make their version of The Dark Knight.

With the Joker gone, this film starts to focus on the character it should focus on: Batman. That said, it still gives all the characters a moment to shine. Batman faces two of his deadliest foes: Catwoman and the Penguin, along with the corrupt businessman Max Shreck (named after the guy who played Nosferatu). The cast is great. DeVito was born to play Penguin, Walkens character is the real villain and Michelle Pfeiffer is hot and purrfect as Catwoman (pardon the pun).

Once again Burton got the setting right. Gotham during Christmas is a wonderful background to have during this story, that in fact is better then the 89 version. In many things, this is the better Burton film.

Then again, on the more important parts, this is the not so good version. Once again Burton got the characters all wrong. Catwoman is, if not true to the original, still good though. She turns into a thief/vigilante after, like the Joker would put it, she had a really bad day. She still is the grey part in Batmans black and white world and she actually makes him love her. So she works and therefor she's okay. The Penguinis was changed radically. He has become a freak who lives in the sewers and is the leader of an ex-circus crew. But, after all, Penguin never was a good villain to begin with. The worst thing is that they took one of the plots, there's more than one, from the old Batman series with Adam West. The Penguin runs for mayor?! WTF is going on? The Penguins other plot is way better but spoiled because of lack of time. That is sad.

Still, the ending is great and it is still an enjoyable movie. I'll have it in my collection along with Batman and the new Batman films by Nolan. But Schumachers movies is better of forgotten. "Merry Christmas, Alfred. Good will towards men... and women." Batman

I decided to give you mine opinion of all the old Batman movies, starting with this one and ending with Batman & Robin.

The first Batman film by Tim Burton from 1989 was good. The Dark Knight (played by Micheal Keaton) battles his archenemy: The Clown-Prince of crime known as the Joker.

I'm a big fan of Batman and the whole mythology around him that has been developed and sharpened to perfection during almost 60 years. So when you take one of the best characters of all time to the big screen you have to be careful.

Thankfully, Burton is a master when it comes to make weird and dark movies. So Batman wouldn't be any problem, would it?

Burton made his version of Batman and, even though it isn't my version, it is a nice interpretation. All the good stuff are there: The batcave and batmobile, Old trusty Alfred, Gordon, Dent and of course The Joker. And best of all is the vision of Gotham City. This dark, Gothic city with gargoyles on nearly every black building that rises to the sky. Oh, yes. We surely aren't in Kansas anymore, Toto.

But, and this is a big but, Burton fumbles very much with the mythology and characters. Batman and Alfred are all right, but Gordon get's to little screen time and Joker is almost ruined. Now, it is very hard to ruin the Joker. After all, he is one of the greatest villains of all time.

But this psycho-clown is in Burtons hands more of a clown and less of a psycho. And Jack, who is a great actor, just can't do the character justice. And what's even worse is that he steals the show entirely from the main character: Batman. This is a good movie about the Joker, not about Batman. That is what keeps this movie from a higher score. It's got the mood right, it's got the settings right. But it failed on the most important thing: the characters.

So 8 out of 10 for Burtons first try on the Dark Knight. "Where does he get those wonderful toys?" The Joker

I'm a sucker for cartoons, and I'm also a sucker for film noir. So when you mix these two genres I can either love it or hate it. In the chase of Roger Rabbit, I love it.

In a world where cartoon characters and humans co-exist a man called Marvin Acme is found murdered. Someone dropped a piano on his head. The suspect is a cartoon rabbit, named Roger, who's only hope lies on the human detective Eddy Valiant. There is still one problem, Eddy isn't that found of toons.

Blending the darker aspects of film noir with the humor of cartoons isn't an easy task, but this movie succeeds very well. Bob Hoskins does a great job as Eddy Valiant, especially since most of his costars aren't real. And Christopher Lloyd plays one of the most scary villains yet seen in cinema.

For old cartoon fans like myself there are a lot to be happy for. A lot of our old favorites shows up. The most hilarious, and in my opinion funniest, part is the piano duel between Donald and Daffy Duck. But other characters will show up their well known faces, too. Even Betty Boop has a small cameo.

This is a great movie to watch with your kids a rainy afternoon. And if you don't have any, see it anyway. It's good to laugh after all!

I don't like John Travolta. Every movie with his name on it works for me as a "big red signal flag." It's not that I think he is a bad actor. Not at all. But he does bad movies. In his best times all he did was musicals, and I hate musicals. Nowadays he plays the bad guy in bad movies. But there is no rule without exception. And in Travoltas case that is a huge exception: Pulp Fiction.

I hadn't seen this movie but I wanted to when my friend allowed me to lend it from him. I watched it and I really, really enjoyed it.

The movie is, like the title says, simply pulp fictions. A lot of stories set in the same universe with lovely characters and, as usual when Quentin is around, great dialog. During this film we get to hear interesting conversations about hamburgers, foot massage, pot belly's and how you can rob a bank with a cell phone. Don't try the last one though since it is in fact, well, illegal.

Thanks to this one and Reservoir Dog I consider myself a Quentin Tarantino fan. The man knows how to make smart and entertaining movies by mixing everything that made him want to become a director in the first place. Some would call it original but if you ask me it's simply how the business works.

Here's a movie that started a revolution when it came out. If you haven't watched it this should be the #1 on your have to watch list.

"Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go home and have a heart attack." - Vincent Vega

Poor Daffy. After being shot and wounded and in many ways humiliated in so many cartoons while Bugs Bunny gets all the credit he ain't the happiest duck in the world. And to make it all worse he gets fired by Kate Houghton (Jenna Elfman).

After breaking havoc in the WB studios he joins forces with Brendan Frasers ex-stuntman DJ Drake (played by Brendan Fraser) in order to find DJ's father, the actor/super-spy Damian Drake (Timothy Dalton). At the same time the evil owner of the Acme Corporation Mr. Chairman (Steve Martin) is on the hunt for the legendary blue monkey diamond which is exactly what DJ's father Damian was after.

Now this is a story in the spirit of "North by northwest." The story is just a weak excuse for having as many good scenes as possible. And it does. During this film Daffy, DJ, Kate and of course Bugs visits different places like Hollywood, Las Vegas, Area 52, Paris, Africa and even outer space. And believe me, it is funny. Some scenes are really a piece of art. Like the car chase in Las Vegas, Elmer Fudds hunt for Daffy and Bugs that takes place in a lot of well known paintings and of course the great return of "Duck Dodgers in the 21st and a half century."

If you love cartoons, and especially Looney Tunes you need to check this one out. Forget that bad product placement called Space Jam and check this one out instead. Cause this is Looney Tunes back in action.

"This is not a king-sized diamond - this is a Queen of Diamonds! What kind of sick joke is this?!" - Daffy

When I was a kid Peter Pan was with no doubt my hero. Growing up it later became Gambit, since, well, he rules. But I'll always remember Peter Pan as one of my favorite characters. And as one of my favorite movies.

J.M. Barrie was a genius. This story has so many things that I, and many others, loved when we were kids. Pirates, Indians, a cool hero. I really like the story. And Disney made what no other film had done before. To capture the spirit in a very, very effective way. Being animated there was no limits and Peter Pan could truly be Peter Pan, without any annoying ropes from his back.

This was one of my favorite film when I was a kid. And Disney best film ever... Until The Lion King came.

"One flew over the Cuckoo's nest" is, with no doubt, one of the best movies out there. It is the peak of the New Hollywood era, with The Godfather as it's only equal. At least, thats my humble opinion.

The story is about Randall Patrick McMurphy, played by Jack Nicholson in one of the best performances of all time. He is a smalltime criminal who is sent to a mental institution. While there he soon turns the place upside down. You see, McMurphy is a free spirit and soon becomes a bitter rival of Nurse Ratched, played by Louise Fletcher. The big nurse is nothing short of a tyrant corrupted by power. She rules her patients with an iron hand, that is until Randall enters the place.

Both Fletcher and Nicholson got awarded for their roles but in my opinion all the actors are magnificent, even if those two are the ones who shine the brightest.

But this movie is not only great because of it's actors. It is a great story worthy of being told about human rights, the importance of freedom and how power corrupts. But that is only the way I see it, you may have a different view. Any way, there is no reason for you not to see this movie. It is a great cinematic tale. And the fact that it has one of the greatest endings scenes of all time doesn't hurt either.

"But at least I tried, God dammit. At least I did that" - McMurphy

Batman is one of the coolest superheroes around I must say that this movie is, not only the second best super hero movie, but the best Batman movie so far.

Batman has been very humiliated because of the lousy TV-show with Adam West. Come on, that was more like a joke on all what Batman stands for. For me, Batman is a Dark Knight. And thankfully, Batman doesn't make any bad jokes in this movie. He is like I wan't him to be: A serious crime fighter.

But this doesn't mean that this film lacks humor. Bruce Wayne has one or two funny one liners and Alfred surely is a good humor relief. Like J. Jonah Jameson in the Spider-Man movies. But back to the D.C hero.

This movie has a line of good actors, a really good story and some nice settings. Gotham City really feels like Gotham City. And the places in Asia is also very well done. This is a good version on Batmans beginning and early days. And I can't wait until the continue.

Til then I'm very glad to say that we can forget the bad films that Joel did. Now, the Dark Knight has returned.

I just can't see how so many people actually could like this movie. It's good done, I'll give it that. But it ain't a good movie. It's average at best. It is full of clichés and it is a 1 hour and 50 minutes long advertiser for the U.S. Navy. And I ain't kidding.

Nearly every one in this movie is oh, so brave and daring. This movie only contains three good scenes. Only 3 good scenes. Those are: When Seegar finally makes it over the obstacle, which is a cliché but is still kind of sweet. The other one is the fight between Zack and Foley, and the last one is the last scene which is still a classic. Other then that, this movie is just average and not something I'll put in my DVD library.

Pirates. What were they thinking? They're making a film based on a attraction at Disney land. A film based on a roller-coaster!? Are they nuts? No, they're not. Say whatever you want about Bruckheimer but he knows what the audience wants to see. Pirates of the Caribbean is one of the best films so far in late years.

Pirates is a perfect movie too watch on a rainy afternoon. Classical Sunday matine. Give me this film, some snacks, candy and a bottle of Cola and I'm satisfied for a couple of hours. It has humor and action, two very important thing nowadays, and it has a quite good story and fantastic characters. You just got to like Captain Jack Sparrow. Depp, being a brilliant actor, gives one of his best performances so far. I don't know how much of Captain Sparrow that comes from Johnny and how much of him that's in the script but ones thing for certain: He is one of the most lovable fictional characters in a long time.

But just because Jack is the best character this movie doesn't lack good supporting characters. Elizabeth is a cool chick and I would like to see her use a sword in the next movie. Barbossa is a very good villain and the Thomson & Tompson like pirate duo on Barbossa ship is a funny couple. Sadly enough Will Turner is a very lame character, but he became better in the sequels.

Just don't expect to see a realistic movie about piracy. This movie is far from realistic. Like I've said before, it is a classic Sunday matinée.

So, to wrap things up, what do I think about "Caribbean"? Well, it's a lovely place. It's a nice vacation for a couple of hour. It has sandy beaches, great pubs and the people are wonderful. Overall, their is only one problem with "the Caribbean". For some reason the rome is ALWAYS GONE!

If I were to chose one, just one, movie of all the ones I've seen and say that this is with no doubt my absolute favorite one I would pick Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels. Because, in my opinion, it is the best movie ever created.

The most important thing for a film is story. And most of the good stories are based around the characters. And Lock, Stock has got some of the best characters around. Barry the Baptist, Ed, Soap, Tommy, Bacon, The Ganja Guys, Rory Breaker, Big Chris & Little Chris, Hatchet Harry, the list goes on and on. And each and every one of them get's their moment to shine.

The second most important thing is how you tell the story. In some cases, it is actually more important than the actual story. A person who had actually heard the famous fairy teller H.C. Andersen said that he was popular for his way of telling a his stories. And if anyone can tell a good story it is Guy Ritchie. The way you get the story in Lock, Stock is really, really sweet.

Sure, Guy has obviously been inspired by Quentin Tarantino, but he is not the only one. Lock, Stock contains the essence of good film-making from the last centuary and, for example, the movie has also got a lot of references to the works of Sergio Leone.

So to me this movie is perfect. The actors, script, characters, dialouge etc. Every single piece. There is a reason this is my favorite movie of all time.

Well, I can't talk any more know. Writing this review made me wanna watch Lock, Stock again. And so should you.

"There's no money, there's no weed. It's all been replaced by a pile of corpses." Tom.