Reviews

The people of Finland, me included, had high expectations for the third film adaptation of Väinö Linna's novel Tuntematon Sotilas (The Unknown Soldier), boldly made by celebrated Finnish director Aku Louhimies for the 100-year anniversary of Finland's independence. I tried my best to block all positive and negative expectations out of my mind, so that I could watch the film with an open mind and form my own opinions. That isn't an easy job, as this story is something very iconic and personal to the Finnish people. After seeing the film and doing a lot of analyzing and over-analyzing about what parts I liked and didn't like, the strongest thought I have is still the one that I had for the movie's entire three-hour run time and in the moments after it: this movie is pretty great.

Everything that I say should be taken with a large grain of salt, as I haven't read the original novel. Therefore my opinions are based partially on a comparison with the original movie from 1955, and mostly on how I liked this as a film of its own and as a part of Finnish culture. The directing by Louhimies is decent, as modern film technology allows for more intense action sequences and realistic sound effects, thus capturing the atmosphere of war well. At times, the modern style was a bit more polished and Hollywood- style than I would've liked - for example I wasn't a big fan of the instrumental soundtrack, which relied on slightly cliché string melodies that took away from the gritty and realistic story. That is a minor complaint though, as for the most part the film did a good job portraying the story in a more modern fashion. Also, it was one of the most justifiable cases for a three-hour run time that I have ever seen - everything was relevant for the plot and character development, and I didn't feel especially bored even once.

The soul of The Unknown Soldier has always been considered to be in the characters, many of whom have a legendary status in Finnish culture. The casting department did an excellent job in finding suitable actors for these roles, as some of the characters are just as interesting or even better than their counterparts in the original film. A good example is lieutenant Koskela, wonderfully played by Jussi Vatanen, who is fleshed out and fascinating to follow throughout the film. Eero Aho fills the shoes of his predecessor Reino Tolvanen amazingly in the iconic role of corporal Antero Rokka, and Hannes Suominen is incredibly similar in his mannerisms to the original film version of the character Vanhala. I was a bit skeptic about the romantic subplot involving the character Kariluoto shown in the trailers, but the film did a great job with it. Having one of the major characters missing someone they truly loved back home added depth to his motivations, making it more relatable when considering what the soldiers were fighting for - and what they risked losing.

The actors must have had a hard job pulling off dialects that aren't typical for today's Finland, but most of them did a great job with it. I was a bit let down by the casting of Aku Hirviniemi as corporal Hietanen, as I felt he didn't come anywhere near the original film's Hietanen in terms of likability and character development. I was also a bit annoyed by the cameo of Finnish teen idol Robin, which took away from the emotion and darkness of an otherwise powerful scene in my opinion. But again, these complaints are small, especially in comparison to everything that the film succeeded in.

In many aspects, the original movie is better, but Louhimies's version also rises higher in quite a few categories. While the 1955 film is a great gritty exploration of Finnish soldiers on the front, the 2017 adaptation is more deep and layered. We see the characters grow through grim moments of pain as well as warm moments of humorous interaction, while certain scenes and story lines provoke thoughts of the larger picture at hand - what the job that soldiers like that did for Finland truly means. As a Finn, I can't view a film like this purely objectively, so the fact that it makes me emotional and grateful of my homeland adds very much to my opinion of the movie. Many moments in the film made me think about the society Finland has today, and how we have it all because men just like the fictional yet realistic characters in this movie once fought to keep Finland independent. That is what makes this film truly powerful and though-provoking, and I admire Aku Louhimies for managing to subtly convey that message into his film without getting over-patriotic about it.

Although the movie has an almost celebratory tone at times (which is proper considering the year of its release), it certainly doesn't fall into the trap of over-romanticizing or glorifying war. Though there are moments of heroics and bravery, there are themes of cowardice, conflict within the Finnish side and human cruelty throughout the film. It gives a gripping account on the lives of Finnish soldiers during the Continuation War, and doesn't try to hide painful facts like Finland's partnership with Nazi Germany or the one-time execution of own troops for disobeying commands. All in all, Louhimies's films manages to capture the audience with a deep and powerful story, filled with memorable characters, great acting and a brutally honest depiction of war.

The much-anticipated fifth season of House Of Cards opens with a strong and exciting premier, which promises a great direction for the season. The aftermath of the previous season's events, combined with the setup for episodes to come, build an entertaining and well- made season opener. The writing, directing and overall atmosphere of the show are the same as we know and love, with not too much changed. Still, it's clearly a new season and the story has a good direction.

With the election between Underwood and Conway not far ahead, tensions across parties start to boil. Without giving away any specific plot points, I can say that the tense relationship between Democrats and Republicans is portrayed well and fascinatingly in this episode. What each party wants to do in congress sets up two very intriguing story lines, and I can't wait to see how they play out.

The acting is strong as always. Kevin Spacey and company pull off great performances as the characters we know and love (or hate), and all characters fit into the puzzle naturally and all have a role to play. One of the most fascinating aspects in this show is how it portrays politics as a game, where our main character must progress through any given obstacle. Each episode has a sense of progression and evolving in the Underwoods' plan, and this one is no different. Watching the characters play each other is exciting, and moral ambiguity on all sides makes it hard to choose who to root for.

The episode touches on multiple topical issues, including terror, tension and hatred between political parties, and conflict between government and media. Whether or not this season has drawn inspiration from real-life events, it creates interesting parallels to current US politics. Hats off to this show's writers for coming up with a political drama almost as dark, brutal and full of twists than the one we really have. I'm excited to see how the rest of this promising season unfolds.

While the fourth season of Arrow hasn't been on the same level as the previous seasons as a whole, there are absolutely amazing individual episodes in the mix. A good example is Sins Of The Father, quite possibly my favorite episode of this season so far. It does a good job combining the best characters, story lines and other elements of the series, resulting in a powerful and memorable episode.

Malcolm Merlyn has always been the most intriguing and well-written character on Arrow - or in the whole CW/DC television universe for that matter. The way the character is constantly flailing between good and bad, trustworthy and betraying, likable and frustrating, all of that just makes him into such a great character. And this episode highlights that, as John Barrowman gives his best acting performance so far and his character becomes even more fascinating. All of his scenes here are pure gold, and that alone makes the episode stand out.

In a bigger picture, the episode succeeds on more levels than just utilizing one amazing character. There's also the drama with Thea's life hanging in the balance, intertwined with the League Of Assassins descending to the brink of a civil war. I won't give away any specific plot details, but many of the story lines that have been building up for multiple seasons come down to a boiling point. The rivalry between Nyssa and Merlyn makes for a fresh break from the episodes focused on defeating Damien Darkh and his people. Towards the end of the episode, we are also treated to one of the best fight scenes in Arrow history, as two major characters duel one another. The directing, choreography, acting, soundtrack and everything else about that scene is just breathtaking.

In an even bigger picture, this episode deals with a large theme - fatherhood. This is accomplished in many ways from many directions: Merlyn doing anything in his power to save his daughter, Felicity's father trying to reconnect with her, and even references to Oliver's son William and their distant relationship. Also Nyssa going up against her father's legacy goes together with this theme. 'Sins Of The Father' as a title describes the episode quite well, as many of the father-characters do questionable things with more or less good intentions, giving a conflicting view on the subject.

The episode ends on a brutal twist that I won't spoil here. I partially saw it coming, but not in a bad and predictable way, rather a slow-burning "It all lead up to this moment" way. I am excited (and slightly terrified) to see what follows from here. All in all, this episode shows season 4's full potential, and hopefully we'll have more like this towards the end of the season. I can only keep guessing what Darkh is planning for next, and I'm definitely looking forward to seeing where Merlyn's character arc goes from here.

The tenth episode of Legends Of Tomorrow, titled "Progeny", definitely has its ups and downs. My opinion is divided, but ultimately there was more good to it than bad, so my vote is 7. Without giving away any spoilers, here's what I didn't like about the episode:

Most of the episode relied on a moral conflict that was based on very flawed logic. I can't go into detail without giving away the plot, but given the facts of the situation, the characters' choices don't make sense. This sort of thing doesn't usually bother me, especially in a series like this, but in this particular episode the lack of logic is so clear it becomes a bit annoying. The story also completely negates the ending of the previous episode. At the end of episode 9, Rip makes a big deal of not going to the year 2147 before since it's so dangerous. This made me excited, but Rip's warning turns out to be quite wrong, as this journey becomes one of their safest ones. The time period had some threats to it, but nothing that the previous episode made it sound like.

Then for the things I liked. This basically includes everything else in the episode. The scenes with Ray Palmer realizing what his inventions have become were great, and Brandon Routh's acting was the best it has been so far. The flashbacks to Kendra and Carter were also well done, as it provided both depth to Kendra's character and gave closure to Carter. I also enjoyed the scenes between Leonard and Mick, who are both going through well-written character arcs. This episode also had good special effects, which went well with the extremely entertaining action sequence towards the end. Ten episodes into the series, it's still thrilling to watch the heroes using their powers in fighting sequences.

All things considered, this was my least favorite episode of the show so far. It wasn't too bad though, and I'm still definitely looking forward to the rest of the season. I've heard rumors of a certain classic DC character appearing in the next episode, so that's something to look forward to.

"I've seen darker days. I've seen men of steel die and dark knights fall, and even then I accomplished my mission no matter what". With this epic line, Rip Hunter sets the tone for another splendid episode of Legends Of Tomorrow. It's often the little things, like this reference to DC's most distinguished superheroes, that make this series so fun to watch. However, this episode succeeds on a larger scale as well. The main plot of the season advances well enough, but it's the individual story lines of this episode alone that are truly remarkable.

Take the subplot with Ray, Kendra and Dr. Stein for example. It keeps the viewer entertained with short scenes throughout the episode, providing some well-written character development - as well as admittedly cool sci-fi scenes. The storyline with Leonard Snart trying to alter his past for the better was even better. It brought a good measure of emotion to the episode, as well as an interesting addition to the aspect of time travel in the show. The character development works there as well; it's becoming clear that of the two criminal buddies, Rory is more "rotten to the core", whereas Snart has a good heart but was driven to his way of life through a rough traumatic childhood. It'll be interesting to see if working with the team of good-willed heroes will guide Snart towards redemption - and if it will ever affect Rory in any way.

In my review for the previous episode, I pointed out how Vandal Savage isn't such a great villain. However, this episode made his character more interesting. This happened through revelations of his past with Rip Hunter, as well as the utter creepiness in the scene with Savage and Carter's body. I'm intrigued to see what else the writers have in store for this increasingly compelling villain.

The action, as always, is outstanding. The fighting scenes with White Canary were enjoyable to watch, if slightly worrisome for the character. The Lazarus Pit clearly had a strong effect on her humanity. Despite all of the bloodlust business, I still find Sara to be a likable character. Rip also remains a strong protagonist, especially now that he has (allegedly) decided to be completely honest with the group. It remains to be seen whether he will stick to this promise or not.

The ending of the episode sets up for an exciting follow-up - in the 1980's. The time travel in the series has gotten more interesting, after a first impression that made it seem like a Doctor Who rip- off. I haven't read any of the comics, so I can't say how well the time travel is adapted from the source, but I do like the way it's written into the show. As the episodes go by, more layers to it are uncovered and explored, making for good storytelling. All in all, the third episode of DC's Legends Of Tomorrow is a great one, and I can't wait to see what comes next.

In the age we live in, any television show or movie that features an unrealistic plot or "cheesy" dialogue is immediately attacked by most critical reviewers. There are times when this criticism is on the spot and deserved, but there are times when it goes too far as well. In my opinion, DC's Legends Of Tomorrow is a good example of the latter - it has gotten a staggering amount of negative reviews for things like unrealistic storytelling and cliché characters. I think people should remember that this is a show based on comic books about time travelling superheroes.

It was great when Christopher Nolan's Dark Knight -trilogy proved that superhero films can be dark and realistic (to some extent). But that doesn't mean that every movie and series should do the same. I actually respect Legends Of Tomorrow for capturing the comic book atmosphere so well. The story is admittedly ridiculous most of the time, but in a good way. It feels like watching an old-school superhero comic book - straight from TV. After all, when the point of fiction as a concept has often been to make things possible that couldn't happen in real life, it doesn't make sense for EVERYTHING to be down-to-earth and plausible. Everything that happens in this show is more or less crazy - and that's what makes it so entertaining for me.

This pilot episode had me hooked. Time travel has always been a fascinating storytelling device to me, and this show uses it well. As someone who hasn't watched Arrow or The Flash (except for the first episodes), the character introductions felt slightly rushed and confusing, but I liked them anyway. Arthur Darvill does a decent performance as protagonist Rip Hunter, who seems to be more of an intriguing and colorful character than the rest of the team (at least based on this episode). Atom, as well as both halves of Firestorm, seem like interesting characters as well. The rest of the main cast didn't especially interest me yet, but I'm sure they'll get more fleshed out in future episodes.

The main villain, Vandal Savage, makes a good first impression. He also serves as a good motive to bring the main characters together. I won't spoil anything for those who haven't seen this, but there's a certain twist towards the end of the episode that makes the story much more interesting. I think the future of this show looks bright, and I can't wait to see what happens next.

The directing by Glen Winter is solid, and the writers do a good job in setting up the story. The visual effects may not be state of the art, but they get the job done well enough. The instrumental soundtrack is surprisingly good, as it really captures the feeling of this team of characters on an epic mission. All in all, I really liked this pilot and I think it's getting too much negative criticism for being what it is - an entertaining sci-fi series that's fun and engaging to watch.

As someone who was slightly let down by the season 3 finale, I think the opening episode of season 4 was a surprisingly good way of continuing the course of the story and setting up an exciting new season. The fresh progression of the plot seems extremely promising, and I can't wait for what comes next.

The episode begins with the unexpected return of a certain important character, and that immediately sets the course for the episode's fresh story lines. Besides that, the episode focuses mostly on Frank and Claire's personal situations, as well as the New Hampshire primary. This episode could've focused a little more on the politics and a little less on the relationship drama, but I'm sure the rest of the season will have more political intrigue in it.

The acting is top notch as usual, especially the performances by Kevin Spacey and Robin Wright. Neve Campbell also does a decent guest performance, and I hope we'll be seeing more of her character in the future. The dialogue between many of the characters is well done and fascinating. The episode is also directed very well, as its atmosphere makes it stand out as a new chapter for the show's story. The writing, as always, is pure quality.

All in all, I think that Chapter 40 is the start of a fresh direction for House Of Cards, while also continuing the story and style of the series without changing too much. It looks like we're headed for another great season!