Reviews

Watching Avatar felt like watching Indiana Jones, Jurassic Park or Star Wars for the first time when I was a kid. Back then I didn't even really realize I was watching a movie, I felt more like one of the characters and a part of the story. Watching Avatar was like that. The 3D technology Cameron has perfected over the years makes you dive into the story so deep, you feel everything more effectively, just like when you were a child. After the movie was over my body was shaking and my heart was bounding from excitement. There's that feeling, that high again, the reason why I love movies above all thing.

Avatar is director James Cameron's first film in 12 years after Titanic, which was the most expensive movie of it's time. So true to his grand style Avatar is no exception. It is clear from the start that this movie was very expensive. That being said, Cameron is one of those people who knows how to spend money wisely and in the right places. In this movie the money has gone mostly to CGI. And God knows how much money is spend on enhancing the 3D technology alone. I say money well spent, because Avatar is not only one of the most beautiful movies I have ever seen, but it is also a major breakthrough in 3D technology. The movie is so beautiful in fact that at times I was moved to near tears just by it's beauty alone.

Although Avatar is highly entertaining it is also very anti-war and green. I might even say that the movie has a conscience. I truly admire the highly imaginative world Cameron has created for Avatar. It feels like he has thought of every tiny little thing. It's not every day you get to see a bunch of blue people running around half naked in the jungle and not think it's completely ridiculous. And this is one of those days.

I'm not saying that the movie is flawless or that there were no negatives, sure they were. A cynic might even say that Avatar is a movie filled with crazy patriotic soldiers, bad dialog and a bunch of tree huggers. But who cares when you feel like you've just been injected with a doze of the most exquisite movie heroin. The only really negative thing about Avatar is that the movie is not meant to be watched in 2D or from you shitty TV screen, no matter how big it is. I'm already a little sad that I will never be able to see Avatar again, at least not in the right way, unless I go to the theater again.

Oh wait, what's that ringing sound? Oh, it's the Oscar bells.

When I went to see The Box, I have to admit, I was sort of fearing the worst. Not because I don't like director Richard Kelly, but because I actually do. I'm one of those people who refuses to believe that Donnie Darko was an accident or a fluke. I also think Kelly is a very interesting film maker and his way of expressing himself is so different from everybody else's, that sometimes people just can't understand his vision. For example with Southland Tales, which I just didn't get at all. But even with that film, you have to recognize the originality and thought provoking aspect of the movie.

The Box is set in Richmond, Virginia, in 1976. It tells a story of a family (Cameron Diaz and James Marsden) who are struggling with financial problems. One night they receive a box that has a red button. The next day they get a visit from a mysterious, disfigured man (Frank Langella). The man presents them with an unusual offer. If they push the button, two things will happen; somebody somewhere in the world, who they don't know will die and second, they will receive a payment of $1,000,000. This sets in motion a set of events that will change their lives forever.

I was immediately intrigued with the idea of the premise. Movies that ask questions and/or offer moral dilemmas to the audience have always appealed to me. But even though I liked the story, the script was a bit messy. It almost felt like Kelly had too many ideas, even if they were good ones. Still his ideas are interesting, extremely bold and challenging, and I truly admire him for that.

I also had a problem with the main cast. Cameron Diaz's southern accent just wasn't believable at all and James Marsden is no astronaut, I can tell you that. I'm sure these two will fill the seats in the movie theater, but I just didn't buy it. There are problems in the acting through out the movie and it's hard to say if it's deliberate or not, but quite often the dialog felt unreal and even fake sometimes. Frank Langella on the other hand, was very creepy and frightening, and more or less ended up carrying the whole movie.

The Box is director Richard Kelly's third feature film and it doesn't have the smart storytelling of Donnie Darko, but it is definitely a huge leap from Southland Tales. Because of it's originality, suspenseful story and interesting mood, even with its flaws, I really enjoyed movie. But it is absolutely certain that The Box is not for everyone. There will be people who will passionately hate it, but also people who will just as strongly love it. Well, you can think what you like, but I say The Box is still a hundred times more interesting than the regular predictable bullshit that is usually pushed from Hollywood. At least Richard Kelly has his own point of view, even if people don't always get him.

Well, perhaps I am a little biased, because of my hunger for new ideas, to let problem such as in The Box slide. But the point of the matter is that I was entertained and remained interested trough the whole movie. I think Richard Kelly has huge potential and even if he still has some soul searching to do to make his storytelling as perfect as it was in Donnie Darko, I'm convinced his debut film won't be his last masterpiece.

I was lucky enough to be invited to see the Norwegian Nazi-zombie-movie, Død snø , in a private screening in Os International Film Festivalen in Norway. This film has the best tag line ever: Ein! Zwei! Die! So my expectations were pretty high on this one!

The director Tommy Wirkola first got famous in Norway with a movie called Kill Buljo: The Movie, which is a Norwegian parody of Kill Bill. He now continues in the same comedy/homage/genre field and very successfully I may add. The movie really is as good as it sounds and on top of that it is actually unique. I really like Tommy Wirkolas ability to combine homage with something new and interesting; not a very easy thing to do folks!

Død snø is basically a teenager-slasher-horror-comedy with Nazi-zombies. The storyline is pretty basic; it's about these teenagers that go up to a cabin in the mountains in the middle of winter and get ambushed by a punch of zombies. Yeah, you know the drill… But this one really delivers, and all the clichés are used to benefit the film. You can see a lot of influences from past genre movies and it is filled with homage towards them. Everyone who likes these kinds of films will have a blast at the movie theater; I laughed my ass off!

So goo see this film!!! I give it 5 stars!