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jptoivonen
Reviews
Imawa no Kuni no Arisu (2020)
Good one, but not exactly Squid Game
I liked the atmosphere of Alice in Borderland very much. They have built a sort of dystopian feeling in the series that carried through all episodes. There was energy in the beginning and the plot was getting thicker towards the end. In between the series lost it a bit, and some twists in the plot and solutions to tasks came somewhat out of the blue. A nice series though, yet not as good as Squid Game about the same theme in my opinion.
Seitsemän veljestä (1989)
Underrated masterpiece
Thirteen and a half hours of drama that is not easy to chew. Based on a (or maybe the) classic Finnish novel, Jouko Turkka really has his own take on it. We see a lot of closeups and sweat, shaking and tears. The physical style of acting alienates many viewers but puts the viewer truly in middle of the action, inside the brothers' skins and minds. The series is very true to the original without being lame and/or repetitive. A truly original and thoughtful drama with fantastic actorship matched by only a few works inside or outside Finland.
Kovasikajuttu (2012)
Universal punk humanism.
A documentary about punk rock and all the colors of life. Been there and seen that? No, you haven't.
Here we have a Finnish punk band of four mentally disabled guys. We usually don't see the everyday life of mentally disabled in documentaries, and even more rare are the times they are seen expressing their thoughts, loves and frustrations through rough rock music.
Now we do. We are able to watch lives we usually don't see and learn to know the people behind those speech difficulties and weird face expressions. We see how they gain popularity and become famous. This documentary takes you to a different rock'n'roll life with a professional touch. A well-made documentary that moves gently but close to the skin of its characters.
Kiimaiset poliisit (1993)
A real gem.
Give Jouko Turkka a chance.
Behind the Turkka-style surface of animalism in the acting (which seems to bother many people, I don't know why) there is brilliant dialogue, great comedy, big drama and ever-saving love all in one package. This TV series tells you quite a lot about Finland in its absurd way. The three main actors - Kai Lehtinen, Merja Larivaara and Taisto Reimaluoto - are playing the roles on an intensity really, really rarely seen on any screen.
The only problem is that it's really difficult to find the whole episodes anywhere. The clips you can see in the internet don't do justice to the whole five hours of brilliance.
Ett hål i mitt hjärta (2004)
Excellent movie
A very underrated movie. A powerful comment on the disgusts of the modern world: alienation, the lack of care and the ever-present porn (I'm not against all porn). Lukas Moodysson wants to show us that there is a lot of sickness in this world, and he succeeds. Yes, it's disgusting in some parts and yes, it shows vomiting and sex. I understand people who say it's too much. But: why should we live our lives without seeing disgusting things at all, ever? This film makes you think of the world, and I don't see anything wrong with that. I believe this is a must to see for everybody, especially for those who think there are no real problems in the Western world.