Rutegard Reviews

Gone Girl (2014)

Uninteresting

[5/10 · 4 October 2014]

The plot: On the day of his fifth wedding anniversary, Nick Dunne returns home to find a smashed coffee table. His wife Amy is missing. Her disappearance creates a media frenzy, and his awkward behavior on camera is interpreted as evidence of guilt and psychopathy. As circumstantial evidence mounts against him, Nick becomes The Prime Suspect.

My thoughts: I'm sorry to say this but this movie was uninteresting and brokered really nothing. I'm a big fan of David Finscher but lack here is the characters. I felt nothing for them and there was no purpose to the story. How could this have happen? The acting was good but it does not help when you do not feel for the characters and I was amazed by the high rating that Gone Girl got. I regret to say that this film is David Finscher worst and it amazes me that he took on this job.

The Rite (2011)

The script is the backbone!

[5/10 · 13 March 2011]

It's fun that Håfström get to work with big names like Anthony Hopkins in this horror-thriller about exorcism and evil demons. I was very curious about this movie even though Håfström's former American productions received "tepid" criticism. "The Rite" is beautifully shot, nicely lit and has occasionally nice soundtrack, but there are too many flaws. It does not matter if you have 37 million dollars in budget, you have to have a good script. The acting is stiff, the dialogs at times disastrous, script premature and above all predictable. I honestly don't think Håfström could answer the question, what it is that he wants to get out of this story. The main character, Michael Kovak played by Colin O'Donoghue is horribly stiff and boring. As the audience I would like to identify myself with the characters but this is it equal to zero. Hopkins made a good performance but that the story is based on real events do not make it more interesting when you feel the flaws on many levels. The script is the backbone and an accountant were to not start rolling until it is fully worked through. "The Rite" is a typical example to make quick money where the marketing is impressive, but the content very low. Overall it has a few good scenes, but it is not enough. I was disappointed at the choice of actors (in addition to Hopkins) but it probably would not have made much difference at this lack of manuscript and bad directorial work.

Cloverfield (2008)

Wow, this movie is something I've never seen before.

[10/10 · 6 April 2008]

Back in 1998 when I worked with subtitles I had to watch the movie Godzilla over and over again, that was part of my job too make sure the subtitles were white enough, that they came in on the right place etc. I hated Godzilla from the start. It was horrible, a giant lizard that takes over New York, nothing in my taste. Than 10 years later came Cloverfield and some friends talked me into too go and see this movie and boy was I surprised. What a great movie, I have never seen anything like this before.

Plot: Cloverfield is presented as a series of scenes taken by a digital hand-held camera obtained by the United States Department of Defense pertaining to Case Designate "Cloverfield" found in US-447, an area "formerly known as Central Park". The footage that comprises the rest of the film is shot under the context of a personal hand-held camera used by various characters throughout the film's events.

Even if the story is about a monster it deals with so many other things. It is about being young and in love, about friendship and how people can come together, how we react in different situations and it is great, it is something new in cinema.

The Game (1997)

This is one of my favorite movies!!!

[10/10 · 28 November 2006]

Michael Douglas plays Nicholas Van Orton, a wealthy bank investor who has everything he wants, still he is unhappy. When little brother, Conrad (played by Sean Penn) promises "the game" will fill in what's lacking in his big brothers life, Van Orton finds himself drawn to it. This is a game filled with mysterious events in the spirit of Alfred Hitchcock.

I have seen this movie a dozens of times and I am blown away by it. Michael Douglas, Sean Penn and Deborah Kara Unger are superb in their roles and so is the rest of the cast. Director David Fincher did a remarkable job captivating this horrific feeling and atmosphere and I just love it.

This is one of my favorite movies!!!

Half Light (2006)

Amazing...I loved it!!!

[10/10 · 7 June 2006]

Rachel (Moore) is a successful American murder mystery author living in London with her son (Thomas) and her second husband, the latter is a successful book editor that has been unable to get any of his own works published. After being too busy working on her newest novel, to play with her five year son, Thomas (Balawi) goes outside to play by their upper-class lakeside home, only to accidentally drown, thus devastating Rachel, and putting a tailspin on her marriage and her ability to finish her latest novel.

This movie has it all. It is exciting, thrilling and completely unpredictable. I just loved it! Demi Moore did a brilliant job and so did the rest of the cast. I don't want to give anything away, just see it. You won't bee disappointed.

Lords of Dogtown (2005)

It's about the Z-Boys.

[7/10 · 13 May 2005]

Because I work with Swedish subtitles I had the chance to see this movie a while ago. I liked it. Lords of Dogtown has a great cast such as Heath Ledger, Emile Hirsch, Victor Rasuk, John Robinson, Nikki Reed, Michael Angarano, Johnny Knoxville and Rebecca De Mornay among others.

In the mid 1970's, a group of teenage surfers from a tough neighborhood known as "Dogtown" in Venice, California pioneered a revolutionary new style of skateboarding. Riding the waves at the Pacific Ocean Park pier, the Z-Boys, known for their aggressive style and hard street attitude, combined the death-defying moves of surfing with the art of skateboarding and became overnight sensations and local legends. With empty pools as their canvas, the Z-Boys paved the way to what is now referred to as "extreme sports," and created a lifestyle that spread infectiously to become a worldwide counterculture phenomenon. But all of this fame would take its toll on the friendships that they thought would last a lifetime as the sport that started out as an afternoon hobby turned into big business.

Everyone was good, especially Heath Legder. He stars as Skip, the Z-Boys' party-animal ringleader whose money-hungry ways tear the boys apart. The director Catherine Hardwicke was not the first in mind of making this movie, she took over after David Fincher decided to leave the project for another feature. She did a great job creating the life among skateboarders, surfers and party animals in the 70's California. It's about the Z-Boys. They made skateboarding an art form, infusing it with the death-defying grace of surfing. I think this movie is worth a 7/10.

The Interpreter (2005)

Disappointment

[4/10 · 5 April 2005]

I had the chance to see this movie because I work with translation and subtitles in Sweden and I would like say something about it.

Nicole Kidman stars as African-born U.N. interpreter Silvia Broome, who by mistake overhears a death threat against an African head of state scheduled to address the United Nation's General Assembly. Realizing she's become a target of the assassins as well, Silvia's desperate to thwart the plot...if only she can survive long enough to get someone to believe her.

Sean Penn is Tobin Keller, the federal agent charged with protecting the interpreter, who nonetheless suspects she may not be telling the whole truth. Silvia and Tobin, by nature, see life from different points of view: one, a U.N. interpreter, believes in the power and sanctity of words; the other, a Secret Service agent, believes in reading people based on their behavior, no matter what is said. In the right hallway, at the right time, all it takes is a whisper to tip the balance of power.

Even though the movie had some exciting parts it was boring most of the time. Interpreter was to slow. The only good thing about it is that you can always count on Nicole Kidman and Sean Penn. Their performances were good but the movie was not.

The Terminal (2004)

A delight in many ways.

[6/10 · 11 August 2004]

Steven Spielberg and his star, Tom Hanks,(who made a brilliant performance in this movie) have made a sweet and delicate comedy. It is with a great feeling and passion Spielberg have made this movie. It shows us of who we really are and the differences between people. The Terminal is a place that becomes more of a home and a place to work for Viktor Navorski (Hanks). He gets stuck because of the war and in this terminal he finds love and he discover things among people he did not believe. Coming from an eastern-Europe country to USA he also fulfil his father's last wish. The Terminal is a delight in many ways, a must see, definitely!

Rånarna (2003)

Really bad!

[4/10 · 18 January 2004]

It feels like swedish movies are trying to become more american and I just don´t get it. In this movie the performance of some of the actors is horrible and the script is nothing special. Don´t waste your time!