koop-2 Reviews

Cube (1997)

Interesting concept, disappointing result

[5 May 2001]

Although my hopes were not that high I was disappointed with Cube. I would have hoped that a Canadian film would have more originality in its performance than an American. But that is not the case here. The actors with the exceptions of the two who plays Worth and Kazan are surprisingly bad! But then, the material they work with is not making things easier for them - the dialogue is sometimes embarrassing. I was surprised when I read that the film only was only 90 minutes long, it feels much longer, but in favor for the film it's actually not THAT boring.

One can only fantasize how much better this film would have been in the hands of a director like David Cronenberg. Plus another cast and the occasional rewrite.

The End of Violence (1997)

A definition of The End of Violence

[7/10 · 20 October 1999]

The End of Violence. Define it. Well, I'll try... Ciby 2000. The late 1990's. Irony. Satire. Subplotting. I could go on, but I won't.

The casting scared me at first, Pullman, Byrne, MacDowell. Not exactly a dream team for me. More like the other way around. But, they work surprisingly good portraying these characters.

The story is complex. And the subplots are many. And most of them both unusual and interesting. The dialogue is smart and often very funny, but not in the punchline-laugh-here kind of way. More like the punchline-by-the-way-smile kind of way.

The End of Violence is not at all as pretentious as its title. De facto, compared to Wenders' Der Himmel über Berlin it is down to earth. But neither is it near the masterwork of Paris, Texas. But The End of Violence is better than its reputation. And the overall casting is very successful. Particularly I think Loren Dean and Traci Lind stand out. They both deliver some great ironic lines and the super cool Lind acts in a film in the film (where the director is played by Udo Kier) in which The End of Violence makes fun of itself in general and Hollywood and the whole American movie industry in particular.

The End of Violence works better as a satirical film than a big-brother-is-watching-us and the-government-is-after-us film. They just seem to can't get those right, can they? But there are too many already, that is even if you don't count The X Files.

Losing Isaiah (1995)

An interesting dilemma

[11 October 1999]

"Just because you f***ed some junkie in a street corner doesn't make you his mother!" / dialogue from Losing Isaiah.

The film starts with a drug addict (Halle Berry, who is surprisingly good.) goes around in one of Americas less glamorous blocks with a screaming baby. But the withdrawal symptoms becomes to strong and she lies the child in a container. When she wakes up the next day she can't find Isaiah. She is devastated. (Isaiah has been taken to the hospital when a couple of dust men found him.)

Jessica Lange, Hollywood's best actress, plays the successful doctor that sees a little crack baby lying and screaming on the ward and thinks "Wouldn't it be nice to have one of those around the house?". She adopts the little fellow and raise him together with husband and daughter.

The film jumps between Lange's family that take care of the kid and his biological mother, Berry who is building up a new drug free life. She eventually finds out that her child is alive and, of course, then wants him back. Lange doesn't want to let him go. Berry then hires a tough lawyer (Samuel L. Jackson) and trial it is.

An interesting dilemma. And the film handles it good, very good. You really want to know who will get custody and which of the two mothers who gets the ending frame (and then 'wins' the film). The ending and the ending frame unfortunately is a cowardly compromise.

Eyes Wide Shut (1999)

Synonymous with fascinating

[10/10 · 24 September 1999]

In all reviews I've read that has been positive to Eyes Wide Shut the same word is repeated over and over. Fascinating. And that is just what it is - endlessly fascinating.

I have been waiting for Eyes Wide Shut since the announcement. So when I sat down in the theater my hopes were high, even though the rave reviews were rather few.

The Harford's goes to party and when they come home Alice reveals a sexual fantasy she's been having. That scene is really Scenes from a Marriage on drugs with a Kubrickian twist. After that it becomes a high class thriller.

Both Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman delivers first rate performances. So do the entire cast, in every minor role. Sydney Pollack is much better suited for the part of Victor Ziegler than Harvey Keitel would be. So is Marie Richardson compared to Jennifer Jason Leigh who was originally casted as Marion.

I would like to give special praise to Marie Richardson and Vanessa Shaw who plays Domino. Both is in the film not much longer than approximately six minutes. But they do so much of their parts.

The acting, the camerawork, the editing, the very effective use of music (and not use of music in some sequences), the solo piano in particular. The intelligent dialogue. The whole film, every little detail.

Eyes Wide Shut is perfection. Eyes Wide Shut is a masterpiece. Stanley Kubrick's last film is perhaps his best.

Foul Play (1978)

Mixes comedy and suspense in a so far unsurpassed way

[28 July 1999]

First of all, I'm not going to fool you. My love for Foul Play is much because of nostalgic reasons. But how many films that you thought were great when you were six do you still like (almost) as much? In my case it is only Ronja Rövardotter and this film.

Foul Play (known in Sweden under the name which literary means The Girl Who Knew To Much.) is an unique film in many ways. It is the only film that includes: A hero that is both clumsy, smart, can drive and handle a gun. Three mysterious bad guys that have the individual characteristics that they are albino, dwarf or scarface. Two pensioners of each gender that master karate. A sexually emancipated conductor. A militant feminist librarian. Two old ladies that when they're playing Scrabbles lies a swear word. Slapstick scenes with a bible selling dwarf in a bouncing barrel. Two Japaneses in a taxi who finds dangerous driving very amusing. And of top of that - the Pope!

This are some of the ingredients that makes this film so entertaining. And I haven't mentioned the Hitchcockian plot. Chevy Chase has never been better. Goldie Hawn has never been better. Dudley Moore has never been better. The dialogue is funny and intelligent. The action scenes are so good. The car chase is without a doubt the best in the history of motion pictures.

Foul Play mixes comedy and suspense in a so far unsurpassed way. It is one of they few films that can be called "action comedy" without it is being false marketing.

Love Fools (1998)

One of the best films of the decade!

[10/10 · 27 July 1999]

The film opens with Torsten, who is a teacher, reading a poem by Swedish poet Stagnelius (a man whom with he shares the same longing.) to his class. He asks if someone can tell what it is about. A kid answers "Maybe it is two who are ... fu**ing?" The class laughs. Torsten thinks about it for a short moment and then says: "Yes, it's a matter of fact you could say that."

Torsten is a 42-year-old virgin. He is in love with Vivianne who work at the cash desk in the local food shop. Torsten has sent anonymous love letters to her. Vivianne is a single parent and her son goes in Torsten's class. Torsten is going to have a talk with Vivianne about Morgan in the school in the evening. He has planned what he will say and that he will ask her out. But things go wrong and the night and the following day is going to be crucial for Torsten, but his life is not the only one who will change.

Torsten is not only described as a romantic man who because of shyness never found a woman. He is also driven by carnal lust. He is tired of teaching uninterested kids and he drinks too much.

Vivianne is also tired of her job and wants a new start. She has lost contact with her son, who is in a difficult age and probably is depressed.

Berit, who works with Vivianne, lives together with Glenn. She's also take care of her old handicapped mom. Something the local police officer and asshole Glenn isn't happy about at all. On top of that she suspects that he's unfaithful.

Tomas von Brömssen, who always is great, makes the character portrait of Torsten to one of his finest ever. Persbrandt is perfect in his role and so is newcomers Anna Wallander and Ia Langhammer.

What a magnificent mood this film has! The pictures looks so great. And, most importantly, is just right for the film. Internationally acclaimed cinematographer Ian Wilson has made dazzling images. The lighting contributes to the mood and so do the production design and peculiar music.

Debut screenwriter Håkan Lindhé has really written a different story. In the hands of Leif Magnusson who made Den gråtande ministern and Kvinnan i det låsta rummet. Two mini series who is something of the best made in that format. Now he has created another masterpiece.

Love Fools (1998)

One of the best films of the decade!

[10/10 · 18 July 1999]

The film opens with Torsten, who is a teacher, reading a poem by Swedish poet Stagnelius (a man whom with he shares the same longing.) to his class. [...]

Torsten is a 42-year-old virgin. He is in love with Vivianne who works at the cash desk in the local food shop. Torsten has sent anonymous love letters to her. Vivianne is a single parent and her son goes in Torsten?s class. Torsten is going to have a talk with Vivianne about Morgan at the school in the evening. He has planned what he will say and that he will ask her out. But things go wrong and the night and the following day is going to be crucial for Torsten, but his life is not the only one who will change.

Torsten is not only described as a romantic man who because of shyness never found a woman. He is also driven by carnal lust. He is tired of teaching uninterested kids and he drinks to much.

Vivianne is also tired of her job and wants a new start. She has lost contact with her son, who is in a difficult age and probably is depressed.

Berit, who works with Vivianne, lives together with Glenn. She also take care of her old handicapped mom. Something the local police officer and asshole Glenn isn't happy about at all. On top of that she suspects that he's unfaithful.

Tomas von Brömssen, who always is great, makes the character portrait of Torsten to one of his finest ever. Persbrandt is perfect in his role and so is newcomers Anna Wallander and Ia Langhammer.

What a magnificent mood this film has! The pictures look so great. And, most importantly, is just right for the film. Internationally acclaimed cinematographer Ian Wilson has made dazzling images. The lighting contributes to the mood and so do the production design and the peculiar music.

Debut screenwriter Håkan Lindhé has really written a different story. In the hands of Leif Magnusson who made Den gråtande ministern and Kvinnan i det låsta rummet. Two mini series who is something of the best made in the that format. Now he has created another masterpiece.

No Way Home (1996)

Powerful, with an everyday tone

[29 May 1999]

Joey gets out of prison after six years. What crime he has served we don't know yet. He goes to his parental home and rings on the door. A blonde opens. Joey asks for his brother Tommy, troubled the blonde goes to get him. A surprised Tommy invites his younger brother. Against his wife's (the blonde, Lorraine) wish Tommy and Joey agree that Joey should live at their home a while, until he gets a job and can get a place of his own.

Tommy sells grass and Lorraine works as stripper at private parties. Joey is determined to not get in to jail again and begins to work as a window cleaner. Something that Tommy think is stupid, because there's more money to earn on drugs.

Joey - who according to himself, is a bit 'slow' since an incident in childhood - develops with time a special relationship with Lorraine, who's at first is skeptical to Joey's stay in the house. Tommy appear the longer the film goes as a real asshole - he doesn't to anything home, is unfaithful and lies to his wife. When Joey asks Lorraine is happy with her situation he explain, in the key scene of the film, that marriage doesn't have any benefits; "You get marry when you're in love, then you get tired with each other". Lorraine is in any case grateful of that Tommy haven't during their more than four years together never have beaten her once. Something that her former husband did.

No Way Home (the title unfortunately sounds like an inferior action flick.) is a traditional film, without too many clichés. The director manages to work up scenes and solutions we recognize to something natural. Powerful, with an everyday tone (e.g. when Joey visits his former girlfriend).

The actors in the three leading roles are exquisite: Tim Roth as Joey does a typical Tim Roth role without because of that it would be too much Tim Roth of the role. James Russo (Tommy) makes a role portrait who resembles that kind of things he done before, but I want to rank this performance as the best I've seen from him. Deborah (Kara) Unger as Lorraine, who placed the centre of gravity on the acting and not to look sexy, convinces with her restrained acting style in her study of a woman who's become tired.

No Way Home (1996)

Powerful, with an every day tone

[24 May 1999]

Joey gets out of prison after six years. What crime he has served we don't know yet. He goes to his parental home and rings on the door. A blonde opens. Joey asks for his brother Tommy, troubled the blonde goes to get him. A surprised Tommy invites his younger brother. Against his wife's (the blonde) wish Tommy and Joey agree that Joey should live at their home a while, until he get a job and can get a place of his own.

Tommy sells grass and Lorrain works as stripper at private parties. Joey is determined to not get in to jail again and begins to work as a window cleaner. Something that Tommy think is stupid, because there's more money to earn on drugs.

Joey - who according to himself, is a bit 'slow' since a incident in childhood - develops with time a special relationship with Lorrain, who's at first is skeptical to Joey's stay in the house. Tommy appears the longer the film goes as a real a**hole - he doesn't do anything home, is unfaithful and lies to his wife. When Joey asks Lorrain is happy with her situation he explain, in the key scene of the film, that marriage doesn't have any benefits; "You get marry when you're in love, then you get tired with each other". Lorrain is in any case grateful of that Tommy haven't during their more than four years together never have beaten her once. Something that her former husband did.

No Way Back (the title unfortunately sounds like an inferior action flick.) is a traditional film, without too many clichés. The director manages to work up scenes and solutions we recognize to something natural. Powerful, with an every day tone (e.g. when Joey visits his former girlfriend).

The actors in the three leading roles are exquisite: Tim Roth as Joey does a typical Tim Roth role without because of that it would be too much Tim Roth of the role. James Russo (Tommy) makes a role portrait who resembles that kind of things he done before, but I want to rank this performance as the best I've seen from him. Deborah (Kara) Unger as Lorrain, who placed the centre of gravity on the acting and not to look sexy, convinces with her restrained acting style in her study of a woman who's become tired.

Zingo (1998)

Great dialogue and supporting cast

[7/10 · 1 May 1999]

Björn Kjellman is, as always solid, in the title role. But what really lift this film is the supporting cast. Newcomer Tommy Andersson is a find as the aggressive Jocke. Thomas Hellberg plays the former star Ken Karlsson. Hellberg does something of a the performance of his career. The underrated Per Morberg is fabulous as the struggling director Mos. All three gives Guldbagge worthy performances. Unfortunately it disappeared in the shadow of many other successful Swedish films 1998.

Mos makes porn films for producer Benno (played by Hans Henriksson, who's a lot of fun). But Mos dreams of something else. He wants to do a serious film out of script he's been writing for five year called Den bruna filmen (The Brown Film). Benno isn't interested, but his cousin Zingo - who wants to leave his wild days behind him a live a normal life - is. With Zingo producing they decide to make Den bruna filmen. But Benno and his German partner who are financing it, think they are doing a trailer for a porno called Kingsize starring Ken Karlsson and a moose. (Zingo got to do the trailer to get more money for the real film, but Ken doesn't know anything about it).

The films lowest assets is the character of Puda (Jarmo Mäkinen), the drug-dealing biker and cineast. It's a character we recognize from many American films from this decade. I think that the serious scenes between Zingo and his father feels misplaced. The films foremost assets is its supporting cast and the dialogue (see the quotes, which I contributed). Wegner's direction is fine and the shape of Zingo works well, the editing with jump cuts suits. The photography is medium flashy, but with too much strobe in some scenes for my taste.

Thesis (1996)

Traditional thriller that feels really fresh

[8/10 · 29 March 1999]

It was a while ago I saw a thriller this good... A long while ago. The thriller genre is a difficult genre. And being a pure genre film, like this one is. It's very rare that you see a thriller that works as well as this one.

The theme with the snuff film may be new. But if you ignore that. It's just an simple whodunit story. The dramaturgy is from page 1A. Still, Tesis feels really fresh.

Ángela is the only person you actually can trust in the film. You never find out anything before she does. Ana Torrent works fine portraying her. Fele Martínez's Chema is a real character. He's an unusual sidekick and delivers some fun lines.

It'll be interesting following Alejandro Amenábar's work in the future. It is talents like him European film industry needs. But what should he do to continue to be successful? Give the audience what they want, of course!

Jorge Castro would have been proud.

Se7en (1995)

Nothing new

[3/10 · 20 March 1999]

Seven has become a huge public success all over the world. That I can understand. What I find more surprising is that it also got well received by the critics. Most praised it as well made, exciting and original thriller. Some even thought it was a masterpiece. But in my opinion, Seven doesn't provide the genre of police thriller noting new than dim lighting and copious amount of rain.

Because Seven has much more in common with other films in this genre than most people realized. A couple of clichés are that there's a team of two cops who investigates the case consists of an old black man who is tired of his job and look forward to his retirement. The other one is his opposite; a young white man who wants up.

The murders that Somerset (Morgan Freeman) and Mills (Brad Pitt) are investigating has been done with the seven deadly sins as source of inspiration. The killer also leaves short literature quotes. Mainly Dante, something that makes Somerset (of course the intellectual of the two cops) take Mills (who only seems to read Guns and Ammo) to the library.

Director David Fincher - whose only feature film before this was Alien 3, but loads of music videos behind - reasoned "I don't feel at home in libraries either... What music should I pick? It has to be something cultural. At least we take something that everybody recognizes - Air by Bach.

Seven doesn't have any other intentions than being the two hour thriller with some disgusting corpses, an odd police couple and a crazy killer it actually is. Then it should be regarded as such and nothing more.

Fimpen (1974)

Trifle from Widerberg, but a good one

[16 March 1999]

One of Bo Widerberg's lesser known works.

The story about the six year old Fimpen who get to play with the national team of Sweden (who appear as themselves) is really charming.

The scene when the team with Ralf Edström, Ronnie Hellström and others complaining to coach "Åby". About reading the bedtime story 14 Little Bears over and over again to Fimpen is really funny.

So is Carl Billquist as the little too enthusiastic principal.

Unfortunately the sound quality is rather poor and I wonder if that might be the reason why it hasn't been shown very much?

Still, this is a good children's film that not only children are going to find amusing.

The Passion of Darkly Noon (1995)

An American independent that doesn't let you down

[9/10 · 14 March 1999]

In this film there's all the ingredients for a good thriller. And, above all, movie making that feels fresh. Striking editing, good music, fine acting and excellent direction (by Philip Ridley, a name I'll keep in mind).

The reason I saw the film in the first place - Viggo Mortensen has a supporting role as mute husband to the nymph (Ashley Judd). Brendan Fraser shows that he doesn't only can play the handsome young man. He does a phenomenal role portrait in the difficult title role.

Darkly Noon is an unpredictable film that surely haven't got the audience and critique it deserves. It made me think of such films as _Shining, The (1980)_(qv) and _Enfaldige mördaren, Den (1982)_(qv).

Leaving Las Vegas (1995)

Do you care about these people? Not really

[14 March 1999]

A film a about two people. An alcoholic and a hooker. Played by Nicolas Cage and Elisabeth Shue. Do you care about these people? Not really.

The most interesting character in the film, the pimp Yuri is unfortunately not around much. Yuri is brilliantly portrayed by Julian Sands. Despite the fact that Sands is credited among the three before the title in the opening credits I didn't have a clue he was in the film before that. His name isn't on covers and such. Despite that he is more well known than Shue (at least before this film). Not many critics have taken note of him either... Anyway, there's a change about that now.

It's very remarkable that the film has been so praised and even more remarkable that it was nominated to four Oscars. Not that I have anything against this sort of more independent and low voiced films should get into the Oscar race. On the contrary! I just think this wasn't a very good film.

The dialogue for example. It often get parodic. Some lines is like taken from Woody Allen's Mighty Aphrodite. "Included with the rent 'round here is a complimentary blow-job" and "I feel like I owe you a great f**k" isn't that far apart.

Little Boy Blue (1997)

Strong drama about controversial subject matter

[28 February 1999]

Little Boy Blue is a drama set in a small town in southern USA. You will recognize the landscape and the usual sleazy bar. But there it'll stop.

It the center of the story stands Jimmy who is going to move away from his father he doesn't get along with (and even doesn't know.), his mother that he's very attached to. And his two younger brothers that he's in many ways a guardian to.

That are really good performances in this film, not only from the three leads. Jimmy's brothers are very impressive, I think it's quite unusual to see child actors in American films to act this natural.

It's really nice to have Nastassja Kinski back as a big name again, so she can show what a talented actress she is.

John Savage, who's career in many ways is reminiscent of Kinski's, does a performance somewhere between Marlon Brando and Gary Busey.

(Note: Kinski and Savage also acted together in _Maria's Lovers (1984_(qv).)