sverrehu Reviews

Doom: Annihilation (2019)

Not unwatchable

[4/10 · 25 March 2024]

This movie is not entirely bad, if you love Doom.

Some actors are doing bad, but the main actors are doing decent. They all should have had more training in how to move like marines, though: The reason to run with bent legs is not just to be smaller, but to be able to keep the upper body steady to have a good aim. Running around with bent legs and jumping firearms is not the way to go.

The plot and the dialog is not at all good. This looks like a medium-budget film with a low-budget writing crew. Shame on the producers for that.

If you thought the first Doom movie was bad, there is no reason to see this one. I loved the first, and give this one a pass with mediocre grade.

There's a reference to John Carmack in this movie (as in the first). If you don't know who he is, this movie is probably not for you.

Atlantis Interceptors (1983)

Takes me back to my teenage years

[5/10 · 29 December 2021]

This movie is worth watching just to see how far fight choreography has come since 1983. I grew up with movies like this as a teen in the 80s, and I thought they were cool. Since then I have 30 years of karate experience, and when I watch it again, I see that not a single fight move would work. And it took me half the movie to realize that the Mad Max-inspired gang of punk riders were the Atlanteans. Fun to watch because it is so bad, and captures everything I watched as a teenager.

Turncoat (2020– )

Not what you think from the first episode

[8/10 · 5 June 2020]

Do not be misled by the first episode, to think that this is the average war-time drama. This mini-series starts with the big conflict between nazi Germany and the world. Narrows down to the conflict between the Germans and the Russians in Eastern Germany, and then lets you realize that the conflict this movie (series) actually depicts is the conflicts in the head of a young German soldier. This is about friendship, about trust, and perhaps most of all about the forbidden, and totally impossible love between soul mates who meet against all odds.

All the acting, from all actors, are totally believable. This is one of the most beautiful, touching, and thought-provoking mini-series I have ever seen. Kudos to Jannis Niewöhner, Malgorzata Mikolajczak and Sebastian Urzendowsky. I have never seen them before, but they are incredible.

April 9th (2015)

A must-see war drama

[8/10 · 22 February 2020]

I know a little about April 9th 1940 and the following days in Norway, since I am a Norwegian. But I knew little about what happened in our sister country in the south. We both suffered from ignorant governments that refused to see the reality, even when thrown in their eyes. The Norwegian government managed to flee to England. The Danish did not. This movie is about the average person, serving as a solider, who is drawn into a war before the government realizes there is a war. This movie is about soldiers fighting, without knowing that they have already lost. And this is one of the best movies I have seen in a long time. The story-telling, the acting, the filming, ... If you like historical war movies, this is a must-see.

What Will People Say (2017)

What a movie!

[9/10 · 11 May 2018]

*** Spoiler alert ***

I normally shy away from Norwegian-made movies, because they tend to be bad. But this movie makes me, as a Norwegian, proud again. The father who thought he was doing the correct thing, and then, in the end realized that he had failed miserably, actually made me cry. I think this is one of the best movies ever made with "Norway" stamped in the corner. Although it has nothing to do with Norway, except that the brillant director and main actress live here. I totally take my hat off for you, Iram Haq and Maria Mozhdah!

The Lost City of Z (2016)

I have adult kids, and I totally connected to this movie

[8/10 · 4 August 2017]

I don't know anything about the historical correctness of this film; I don't know how related it is to the true story. It is slower than most movies I watch, and kind of repetitive.

And I absolutely loved it.

This movie touches feelings that i could easily relate to, opposed to most movies I watch. The acting is persuasive. The filming, although mostly in tight, confined areas is great, and sometimes brilliant.

And to the current top reviewer: Why on earth do you criticize this film for not being about the racism of the early 20th century? This movie is about the struggle of an individual, not about the world. There is already so much tension in this movie that adding (still existing, unfortunately) world problems to it would ruin it completely.

I wholeheartedly recommend this movie to anyone who has a child that has reached the teen ages or more.

These Final Hours (2013)

Wow!

[9/10 · 7 March 2015]

I think I just watched one of the most beautiful movies I ever saw. Rentet from iTunes because it appeared to be the least boring movies of the ones we had not already seen.

The current 6.6 score on IMDb is too low. And the ingress on iTunes does this movie no good. This is not a thriller. It is a movie about unexpected relationships in circumstances that nobody can even fathom.

I didn't know neither the director nor the actors, but it has been years since I saw this kind of convincing acting. I was really drawn into the plot, and caught myself shedding tears in the end. So much for wanting a thriller; I ended up speechless for several minutes.

If you are a die hard thriller fan like me, but appreciate dramas where the acting is exceptionally good (like me), you should watch this. You will not be disappointed.

JCVD (2008)

This is not the JCVD movie you are used to, but better in a different way.

[7/10 · 30 November 2013]

This is not the JCVD movie you are used to see. In fact, you won't see a single hand-to-hand fight. There's a couple of high kicks, but they are just at the meta level.

This is not even a great movie. But if you're a fan of JCVD's B-movies, and miss the couple of good movies he once made, you should see it. This movie is quite mind boggling 'cause it shows you that JCVD can manage to be a great _actor_. Yes, please read that again. A great actor. Doesn't sound right, but it's true.

I don't know if it is because he gets to speak his native language in this move, or if it is because the director is a genius, but anyway: If JCVD manages to mix what he did in this film with what he usually does in his action flicks, the result will be something to remember.

The Corrupted (2010)

Wow! That's bad!

[2/10 · 4 September 2013]

I saw this movie, despite the reviews, because 1) Netflix in Norway has run out of horrors, and 2) Apple in Norway has run out of horrors as well. I was disappointed. It started out nicely with a couple of well-shaped ladies in bikinis. But from there it just went downhill. No more bikinis to speak of, and no horror or gore.

Mind you, the cover shot that made me rent this, a lady that appears to have halfway eaten an octopus, is nowhere to be seen in this movie. You'll see something that appears to be lobster legs from the mouth of a fat guy, in the shadow, but that's about it.

The acting is extraordinarily bad. Except, maybe, from the guy who looks like he is from India or something.

I can assure you that I will never watch this movie again. And I watch most movies at least twice.

Escape (2012)

Wonderfully filmed, with actors on a stage.

[4/10 · 10 February 2013]

Incredible filming, with typical Norwegian woods and landscape. The directors and clippers know what they are doing. Great music score, and a good story. Composer and writer know what they are doing.

But as a Norwegian who understands the language, I wonder what happened to the actors. This movie brings me right back to the movies made in Norway during the 70-ies and 80-ies, when they brought stage actors to the movie screen. No sentence uttered in this movie, from any character, comes out naturally. It's like it was played on a stage, not on the screen.

I really wish I had seen this movie without understanding the dialog, then it would have been great.

Stripperland (2011 Video)

Another amateur movie?

[1/10 · 9 September 2012]

This was the only non-vampire movie left (I hate vampire movies) on my AppleTV's horror gallery, so I just had to see it. I regret it now, I have to say. Why does Apple allow amateur movies in? This movie needs plenty of work on the audio. (My $120 cheap'o camera almost does better, even without an external microphone.) It needs plenty of work on the blood splatter effects. They don't look like splatter at all, but rather like something someone put on for "good effect" after plenty of beers. And without knowledge of physics.

The acting is extremely bad, and the nudity is non-existent. And the script... Well, they could need another script. One of the actresses is kinda cute, though. But not cute enough to make this movie valuable.

Dear Apple, please print an "amateur" warning on when you but things like this one my AppleTV. It's not funny, and it would probably not have been approved by Steve if he was still alive.

But of course, this might be a parody of something of which I have no relation whatsoever. If that is the case, some might find it funny. Good for you, then.

Paranormal Adoption (2012)

*sigh*

[2/10 · 31 August 2012]

Don't know why this movie showed up on my Apple TV in the horror section. But since I had already seen the rest of the bunch, I rented this one. Since I managed to see it through without going to bed, it gets two stars.

The only person doing a decent acting, is the new father. The quality of the plot almost made me think of "Planet 9 from outer space".

But then I didn't know this was an indie until I read the other comments. And I suspect most of the film's budget went into paying 30 people to give this movie 10 stars and favorable reviews.

Lesson learned: Apple isn't all about quality anymore, at least not in the TV business.

The Fourth Kind (2009)

Not a typical Milla movie

[5/10 · 11 November 2011]

This is not the typical Milla movie. Unfortunately. (You don't even get to see her naked.) The documentary style doesn't add anything: On the contrary, I think this would have been a much more thrilling triller if it didn't pretend to be based on a true story.

Raphaël Coleman, playing Ronnie, stands out as the most believable character in the movie. He is a great actor, despite his young age.

If Raphaël appears with kick-ass muscles and a deeper voice alongside an even more elderly Milla in The Fourth Kind VII, I promise to buy the movie.

Based on a true story or not.

Good (2008)

The down to earth version of Schindler's List

[8/10 · 6 November 2009]

Schindler's List is one of my favorite movies. It depicts an Angel-like person during the second world war.

This movie, from the same war, describes a much simpler person and his struggle against himself and the forthcoming 3rd Reich and their extreme ideals.

Both movies are supposedly based on true stories, and even if the protagonist in this movie (John Halder) sort of fails compared to Mr. Schindler, I think both movies deserve their place in the history of WWII biographies.

If Schindler's List touched you, I urge you to watch this movie. If a new storm is coming, there will be many Mr. Halders and few Mr. Schindlers. I'm damn sure I'm a Halder, and that's probably why I liked this film so much.

Congrats on the perfect acting and the beautiful scenography!

The Foreigner (2003)

All I remember is the soviet Norway

[2/10 · 22 September 2009]

Since I'm from Norway (one of the top ten (or so) richest countries in the world), it was much fun to watch how we use trucks from the 50ies and live in cottages from the medieval times. And since we have very strict laws when it comes to handguns, it was fun to see how much guns there actually were in Norway during the five minutes of the shooting there. Mr. Direct-to-video even managed to bring his silencer on short notice, so he must have powerful friends in the customs.

Please do at least _some_ research before going to an "exotic" country, dudes -- you may hurt the feelings of old fans.

Sverre -- old fan with hurt feelings.

Max Payne (2008)

Director gives you the finger

[4/10 · 24 March 2009]

I just bought the DVD, and after watching the movie I watched the featurettes. As I always do. After a couple of minutes the bearded guy produces the middle man and says: "You just pirated the movie, didn't you?" or something like that. I don't like that kind of "funny". You hear me, John? That's not funny. The people watching the extras are probably the film geeks who never pirate any movie. Being an arrogant frack doesn't make us buy more of your stuff. Get me?

Except for that, I enjoyed the filming, but found the story rather thin. But then, I never liked the games, so I'm probably not qualified to make a statement.

Flame & Citron (2008)

Great acting, intriguing story, mediocre movie handiwork

[6/10 · 6 February 2009]

Note: I saw the blue ray version sold in Norway. Don't know if it's the same production that everyone else has seen.

A good handful of continuity problems and a small dash of out-of-time props made me score this one at 6/10 rather than higher. I don't like people leaning forwards when I see then from one angle and leaning back when I see them from the other angle, at least not when they do it consistently between each angle change. I think it's strange for people to wash blood off their hands when the blood is still there afterwards, and then gone again seconds later. I don't think they had laser printed contracts back then. And I thought glass-based cyanide capsules would look a tad different than the gel-based medicine we use today.

But I'm a movie geek; my wife didn't even notice the stuff I rant about above. All in all, the movie is absolutely worth watching! All central actors give a really, really good performance. And since the story is, to my knowledge, deeply rooted in real events, it makes it even more exciting.

If you like this movie, you will probably also like the Norwegian (I'm a Norwegian) "Max Manus" (7/10 from me), based on books written by one of Norway's most well known saboteurs from WWII. (His name is Max Manus, and his two books from 1945/46 are absolutely worth a read.)

Starship Troopers 3: Marauder (2008 Video)

Far from what I expected

[3/10 · 10 October 2008]

The Federal Network cuts are hilarious, and somewhat insightful with respect to the world situation today. And that's about it.

The CGI is awful: Comparable to console game five to ten years ago. Lousy lighting and shadows, and lack of a lot of details (bumps, fog, reflection, ...) even brought back memories of "The Last Starfighter" (1984) (which was revolutionary at the time). I had expected the CGI to be better than the age old (and good) CGI from Starship Troopers (1997).

The acting is bad, and the story is thin. It even lacks a (boring) love component to keep the girlfriends watching.

ST1 (no, not The Saint's car) was great, ST2 was good. If you haven't already seen them, see those instead of ST3.

The only thing that really impressed me about this movie, is that Casper Van Dien is more fit now than I was ten years ago, and we're both born the same year. I need to get myself a personal trainer.

Hostel: Part II (2007)

Almost totally had me

[5/10 · 10 October 2008]

*** SPOILER ALERT ***

This movie totally had me, up until the final 20 minutes or so. There's a long and good character building phase, in which we get to see just one killing, which may in fact be the most gruesome part of the movie.

Then there's this family guy (Stuart) who really doesn't want to take part in the killing, but who's there anyway, thanks to his macho friend (Todd). When I wrote this, IMDb had the following User Comment: "Sadistic Sequel with a Great Twist". To me the great twist was that family guy: A 100% humane guy caught up in a setting where he was supposed to be 100% inhumane. How the hell was he going to get out of this situation alive, preferably saving the chick on the way? This was something I hadn't seen before.

But then all of a sudden, the macho friend turns into the soft fellow, and the family man turns into a wife-hating maniac. A switch worthy of any 70's B horror.

Then there's another twist in the end, but it sort of drowned in my disappointment.

Could have been between 8 and 10, but ended up as 5 for me.

Blindpassasjer (1978)

As thrilling for kids today as it was when I was a kid

[8/10 · 8 June 2008]

I recently (May 2008) discovered that this childhood favorite was available as a DVD. Although I've seen a great deal of high quality movies since then (late 70's (I was 10 in 1978)), this three-episode, low budget thing still stands strong.

What's fun is that I now watched it with my 10 year old daughter, and she experiences just the same as I remember from back then: The creepy music (she had to hold my hand, even though she's been raised with watching LotR and Resident Evil), the ever changing theories of who the culprit actually is, and also complaining about the theatrical voices from an era before Norway discovered the difference between stage acting and movie acting.

This is the one and only good science fiction movie (or series) ever made in Norway. And it's still worth watching.

The Shawshank Redemption (1994)

I was not disappointed

[10/10 · 26 August 2005]

I bought this film just due to its high score on IMDb. I was not disappointed. My comment to my wife after seeing this, was "nothing actually happened, but I could still not take my eyes from the screen". This movie works like emotional magic to a guy who normally swears to action, horror and FX movies. Hats off to the actors, the script writer and the director.

And no hats off to the IMDb people who make me write 10 lines. I don't care if I'm banned from writing more reviews by adding these final meaningless lines. I've used IMDb since it was born, and this is the first time I've actually felt like telling the world a movie is worth watching. It's probably also the last time, so just ban me from commenting further.