Change Your Image
janoleolsen
Reviews
Teddybjørnens jul (2022)
Cosy stuffed toys
I liked the trailer more than the movie. I've been to the museum (Norsk Folkemuseum) in Oslo where this movie is at least partially made, the candy shop is part of the museum and also the town square is at the museum.
I recognized all the old style furniture that was typical in Norway in the 1960s. So I don't think it has much to do with IKEA from a content perspective - a comment about this was said in another review.
It's all a very typical Norwegian Christmas celebration, remembering some stuff from my own childhood even though I was not born back in the 1960s. It's based on a Norwegian children's book.
My 2-year old daughter liked the movie. She loves to hug anything she finds cosy, from fluffy sweaters to books showing teddy bears. My 5 year old son did not care so much about it he claimed, but still watched all of it.
The only moment of suspense for the kids was where a kid was in a situation of getting caught for illegal entry into a house...
My kids are not strong believers in Santa, not sure if kids become disbelievers by watching it. Santa never takes off his mask, but it's obvious to non-believers who he is :-).
The movie seems to be available at least with Russian audio, German and Norwegian.
They Shall Not Grow Old (2018)
Long-winded
Showing British soldiers on the front line in color from WW I and a bit of German soldiers in the end, the coloration is interesting. But other than that, the full length of it becomes a bit "tedious". The first 25 minutes of b/w footage prior to the scenes from mainland Europe, I feel that it could be cut down to 2 minutes.
I usually like documentaries and interviews from WW I/II, but this one sort of kept me fighting to stay awake during the viewing.
Think the size of the movie could easily have been cut in half to appeal to a wider audience. I guess the director used to make long movies based on his past block busters. I feel that this is made for people of special interest in the topic, it was just the color and normal motion of the movie that appealed to me. I found the trailer, therefore more interesting than the whole film.
Good job restoring old war footage into color :-)
The Hateful Eight (2015)
3hr movie - but didn't feel that long - straight forward movie with gun shots
Compared to most movies made in the last couple of years, it was great.
The title likely refers to 8 persons confined in a room. None of them are especially nice. There is some mystery that is spelled out clearly with a flash back later on showing you exactly what the plot is about.
Though the movie is extremely long, time went quickly as it had no boring moments. I expected it to be boring as most movies with such duration is...I admittedly watched the movie in two parts.
Most of the movie is shot in just one room. Would think it was relatively low budget, aside from actors' salary.
The movie has some violence as people get shot in a very graphic way, no female nudity, and plenty use of the politically incorrect n- word. A very rough bunch of people.
Ending was not bad. Quite a few will die.
You'll likely enjoy it if you like Tarantino. He always has a certain style, that not everyone may enjoy - but this movie was pretty straight forward, which is part of what makes it enjoyable :)
I Give It a Year (2013)
Boring, non-main characters were more interesting
Other British romantic comedies are much better. I didn't see it as all that funny. In a way the actors lacked chemistry towards the people they were supposedly in love with. Notting Hill is in comparison better.
The most funny part was maybe how his brother's(?) marriage was thriving on rampant sarcasm :) The constant inept ways of the best man throughout the movie was also slightly funny.
Can't recall any nudity from the movie, so reviewers that complain about too much sex must be upset whenever they see any standard TV commercial.
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (2011)
Boring for most people
Over 2 hours of slow talk, feels almost like a movie shot at a retirement home. I think most movie goers will consider it a typical boring foreign movie. My girl friend was bored quickly, it's a special movie made for movie reviewers and artists more than for the general public.
I endured watching it twice as I know the book is famous from the cold war, as I found it a bit confusing to watch the first time where I had to do some guesswork. You have to be fully awake to follow the story.
A UK spy has been shot by KGB in the east block due to a mole feeding the KGB. His boss is fired and a colleague (Oldman) investigates, the movie has a sort of happy ending. The weather is a constant grey, like the movie.
Sleuth (2007)
Theatrical speeches between ending with a twist
Maybe considered fantastic by some; but if you enjoy main stream movies - you probably should stay away from this movie. I rated it from that perspective.
It's all about a rich man talking with his wife's lover and it takes many twists and turns until the end, an end which may be somewhat surprising after all the speeches made by the two characters. On the other hand it appears also logical based on the outset of movie.
The movie has a certain theatrical atmosphere, not just the acting, but also the stage and the story line. The movie has only two characters and 1 stage, the house of the older man.
Direct Contact (2009)
OK Fast-paced B-flick movie, not much if looking for "quality"
May contain spoiler, but not much.
Looks like a production that went straight for DVD, but it gives you some action if nothing else. A bit like a Jason Bourne chase, just cheaper. Dolph is an ex-American soldier in a Balkan prison that is released in order to rescue a girl from a local military man and bring her back to the USA. They will be chased by many, and we get to know some of the background for the rescue and that not those that are bad or good are not exactly what they were set out to be.
A plot line says Russian prison, however it's from the Balkans according to the movie. Cyrillic street signs are put up for the movie, but soldiers have a Slovakian symbol on their uniforms and cars drive with some EU look alike signs, so not really sure where it is. A city with an Orthodox church might give you the impression it could be Bulgaria - no idea :)
5/10 was maybe a bit generous.
The Hurt Locker (2008)
Documentary feel
Movie feels a bit like a documentary or made for TV. In Die Hard you may see Bruce Willis trying to avoid or defuse bombs with some action. Here it feels much more like reality, not so much action - more the daytime job of defusing bombs.
Not so much change of scenery, feels like a low budget movie. I felt a bit bored watching it, and wouldn't recommend it unless you like winning Oscar material that doesn't have so much of a story. The movie is a bit like how you could maybe expect life as bomb defuser to be while being stationed in Iraq.
I had no idea it was such a big Oscar candidate when I watched it, the movie seemed a bit "anonymous" at the time. Maybe some of point is to feel what the main character feels in the movie, but didn't quite do it for me.
Burn After Reading (2008)
Typical Coen brothers' - apparent meaninglessness?
It's a movie with celebrities, but seems trivial and trite. It feels like overacting and not making much sense to watch, some amusing scene at a Russian embassy about some nonsense espionage was somewhat memorable.
But this lack of any interesting story is my impression of some other movies made by the Coen brothers, like "Serious Man". It's a bit like in Seinfeld when they want to make a story about nothing, but Seinfeld makes me laugh though - didn't do that watching this sort of comedy...
Ocean's 11-13 is bit of the same style, putting some celebrities in a movie, and not creating much of a story - a bit like overacting put together. However, the Ocean's movies were a bit more entertaining.
There could be excellent artistic views on this movie if you're expert on that kind of stuff, but for an average movie goer it will likely not be something you want to watch.
Avatar (2009)
Great graphics - that's it
Fantastic 3D animation, and maybe worth watching for only that purpose.
The plot is a bit "politically correct". The bad western civilization wants to extract energy from a planet, interfering with an innocent society that lives in perfect harmony with nature it seems. Appears a bit like a propaganda film for the Green movements of the 21st century.
If you like the movies of Michael Moore, the plot of this film should be right for you. The magic of the movie may also appeal to the youngest moviegoers.
A big plus for the computer animation quality, the story line is more a matter of private opinion. Nothing really unexpected in the plot.
Whiteout (2009)
Cheap thrills
Not a very good movie, but seen worse. This review contains SPOILER!
Nice looking US Marshal discover that people get killed at a base on the South Pole (Antarctica). This is all due to a treasure hidden in an airplane that crashed 50 years ago. One of the villains prefer killing anyone standing in his way with an ice pick to create some thrills for the audience. The mastermind is one of the Marshal's best friends on the base, and he decides to go lightly dressed into the deadly cold when he feels that the game is over. The ice pick killer, is however a bit more relentless.
Not a masterpiece, but OK entertainment.
A Serious Man (2009)
Bland and trite
Apparently you need a very good understanding of quantum physics and Judaism to appreciate this movie - maybe Albert Einstein could enjoy it.
For a more average movie viewer lacking both perspectives, it appears like a professor just subject to a fairly awful life quality. He seems to basically live in a harsh world where nobody cares about anyone, from his wife to children and rabbis. And everything that you don't want to happen in life seems to happen to him. If you need some humor on that theme; "Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events" is more appealing, though ridiculous.
It all comes across as bland story not really going anywhere. Then again, if you have the right perspectives for watching this movie, it might come across as brilliant as most reviews on IMDb for this movie are outstanding praise. For the less insightful viewers, like myself, it appears more interesting watching paint dry. The straight forward style of the movie seems a bit like Woody Allen, but less enjoyable.
You need some particular insight to enjoy this movie.