The 5th Wave (2016)

	Also Known As: -
	Year of first release: 2016
	Director: J Blakeson (The Disappearance of Alice Creed)
	Actors: Chloë Grace Moretz (Kick-Ass 1-2), Matthew Zuk, Gabriela Lopez, Nick Robinson (Jurassic World), Liev Schreiber (Scream 1-3, X-men Origins: Wolverine)
	Country: USA
	Genre: SF, Action, Romance
	Conditions of visioning: 30.12.2017, VOD, 40" TV screen
Synopsis: When Aliens hit Earth with successive attack waves, high-school student Cassie (Grace Moretz) will have to evolve to survive and rescue her little brother.
Review: If you often read this blog, you may know that I am a sucker for Alien invasion stories which I found too rare in the past but which are now more and more numerous. The trailer of this movie made it tempting to watch, which I finally did now that it is available on Netflix. What a disappointment! The story of successive attack waves (Darkness, Destruction, Infection, Invasion) is original and made the success of the novel I guess. It is shown as flashbacks to focus more on the 5th wave of the title, but I already noticed something was fishy in the story-telling when the main character still lives in a clean house and packs her school book while the World is ending and its population mostly decimated. I have a very good memory of the director's first full-length feature The Disappearance of Alice Creed with Gemma Arterton dating from 2009 already. It was nice to see Chloë Grace Moretz who has quickly grown up since Kick-Ass and its sequel, as well as the too rare Liev Schreiber (whom I recently saw in The Manchurian Candidate), but the editing of the two stories unfolding in parallel is weird, seeming like two different movies edited together. And I can complain about both: the one with the military tried to find any excuse to have teenagers in the main role like in Ender's Game but in a much clumsier way (Oh it is much easier to identify the Aliens in teenagers as in adults so let's recruit only children!?!). And the story following the character of Grace Moretz embarrassingly converges to ... a young adult love triangle with the cute Nick Robinson (Jurassic World) and the "perfect blue eyes and three-day beard" Alex Roe, I guess inspired by Twilight which I still haven't seen. And 15 minutes before the end I was utterly annoyed to realize that the movie would call for sequels, like the book did as I learned later on, although the possible follow-up The Infinite Sea is not yet green-lighted because of the poor box-office results of this one. So what I hoped to be a nice alien invasion film turned out to be an attempt at starting a lucrative pseudo-SF franchise aimed at young adults like Twilight, The Hunger Games, Maze Runner, The Mortal Instruments or Divergent before it.
Rating: 2 /10

Keti Lopp (2017)

	Also Known As: The end of the chain, Das Ende der Kette
	Year of first release: 2017
	Director: Priit Pääsuke
	Actors: Maiken Schmidt
	Country: LT
	Genre: Comedy
	Conditions of visioning: 04.11.2017, CineStar 3, NFDL2017, Estonian/Russian with English subtitle
Synopsis: A secluded fast food joint next to an empty parking lot, where it's good to go, because nobody recognizes you there. On a rainy autumnal day, people show up one after the other - all of them on the verge of a breakdown - or perhaps a breakthrough? The main character, Waitress (Schmidt), sees and absorbs it all. One by one - through their personal drama - the clients push the Waitress towards her own borders.
Review: The idea sounds like Clerks in a bizarre manner, without funny behaviours but rather with absurd and bizarre characters and events all along the movie, both in the Kett and in the outside metagaming. The focus on the main actress and how she gets put down by everyone, about her social life, her sexual life, her intelligence, her brain capabilities, her responsibilities. Therefore I like this originality. The absurdity of Keti Lopp is a counterpart to the film Kafka (1991) inspired by Kafka's literature where the society was organised to be absurd. Here absurdity is in each of us and fully disorganised. The lack of fun and rythm is not easy to deal with, so that I got bored at some times feelings the flaws of long blanks in the storytelling. It is not easy to say whether the actors are good as their behaviour is so strange. Many scenes are played seriously whereas these are fully absurd and improbable! They must have had so much fun during the writing and then during the shot of the movie. Maiken Schmidt acting is really done with her encountering so much critic. To enhance some absurdity, several camera angles have been used such as the camera on the parking lot. The idea and the cheap-looking realisation for a disproportionately humourous effect give value to this movie. One rare Lithuanian movie showing that it is worth investing there.
Rating: 5 /10

For Your Eyes Only (1981)

	Also Known As: -
	Year of first release: 1981
	Director: John Glen
	Actors: Roger Moore (From Russia with Love, Moonraker), Carole Bouquet, Topol
	Country: GB
	Genre: Action
	Conditions of visioning: 28.12.2017, in-flight entertainment system 10" screen
Synopsis: After a British spy boat is sunk with an encrypting device on board, James Bond (Moore) is sent to investigate the murder of the man who was secretly trying to locate the wreck, but his own daughter (Bouquet) is looking for answers as well.
Review: After the bad experience of The Spy Who Loved me, I watched that other James Bond movie produced four years later and it turned out to be much better. The movie has aged and some of it looks a bit cheap today, which I noticed in particular with the poor sound effects and the dated funky-ish soundtrack. But it contains everything you expect from such a movie, if you can stand as usual the exaggerated villains, Action and womanizing. The story is less megalomaniac than in many other Bonds and the characters are a bit more refined, not just cannon fodder for an indestructible Bond, in particular his antagonist who turns out not to be who we thought, and the Bond-girl played by the French Carole Bouquet who isn't as easy as the usual lot and plays that well. The movie is almost a summary of the sub-genre which is just what I was expecting from it: you get a car chase, ski chase, underwater action, helicopters, a casino, henchmen, ... almost like it was trying to turn a page, which is also the impression given by the pre-opening credit scene: Bond on the grave of his assassinated wife followed by the expedited defeat of his long-time enemy Blofeld.
Rating: 6 /10

Blade Runner 2049 (2017)

	Also Known As: -
	Year of first release: 2017
	Director: Denis Villeneuve
	Actors: Ryan Gosling, Harrison Ford, Robin Wright, Jared Leto, Sylvia Hoeks, Ana de Armas
	Country: USA, GB, CDN, HUN
	Genre: Drama, Polar, SF
	Conditions of visioning: 12.12.2017, Cinemaxx, German version
Synopsis: LAPD Officer K (Ryan Gosling), unearths a long-buried secret that has the potential to plunge what's left of society into chaos. K's discovery leads him on a quest to find Rick Deckard (Harrison Ford), a former LAPD blade runner who has been missing for 30 years.
Review: I had to watch this movie in the theater but did not managed it until the last week of screening in town! And now, only the German version is presented. But it was fine. The dark atmosphere of Blade Runner is given again and sometimes even darker. There is almost no advertisement like in the original Blade Runner. It is also raining a lot. I loved the story, dark, complex. A quest in the self of K, a quest in the history of the world, a quest in the history of the Tyrell company (taken over by Wallace, Jared Leto). I liked the love story between the replicant K and the app Joi (de Armas); nice parallel to the romance between human and replicant in the original movie. Many current societal topics are shown genetic engineering, nuclear disaster, power of industrial conglomerate, digital love. The acting performance is somehow damped by the German version, as I would have expected from Jared Leto and Harrison Ford the perfect tone as they already have the perfect face. Strange not to see Jared Leto's eyes. Even Ryan Gosling is more expressive than usual. Visually the movie is amazing. The scenery in the nuclear-contaminated area is so visually impressive, the colours, the light and the architecture. The light inside K's apartment is great as it allows to play with the presence of Joi. Beautiful! Only with the visuals and off tone, the darkness of the near future is given by Denis Villeneuve.
Rating: 9 /10

Les Fugitifs (1986)

	Also Known As: The Fugitives
	Year of first release: 1986
	Director: Francis Veber (La chèvre, Le jaguar, Le Dîner de Cons)
	Actors: Pierre Richard (Le Grand Blond avec une Chaussure Noire), Gérard Depardieu (Les Anges Gardiens, Marseille TV-series), Jean Carmet (La Soupe aux Choux)
	Country: F
	Genre: Comedy, Drama
	Conditions of visioning: 26.12.2017, 40" TV
Synopsis: Coming out from jail, Lucas (Depardieu) has decided to change his life and behave like a good citizen. But when he is taken hostage in a bank by a hare-brained robber, no cops can believe he is not part of this action.
Review: After the disappointment of watching La vengeance du serpent à plumes, I insisted on finding a good French Comedy for my Christmas holidays and thus tuned in to Les Fugitifs which was showing on TV. Like other movies by Francis Veber, it features the character of the likeable idiot called François Pignon (a well-found name), this time like some others played by Pierre Richard at the top his comedian career, and like in La chèvre he does an excellent job at playing it. Most of the humor plays obviously (and again like in La chèvre) in the contrast between this "simple" man and the "brute" played by Depardieu. And some scenes that made me laugh when I was a kid worked again this time. But what really strikes a cord in that movie is the motive for which Pignon does what he does: his little daughter who hasn't spoken since her mother died. That story and the acting by the incredible little girl are enough to make the former bank-robber melt and start to show the feeling hidden in his big heart. Different from the pure comedy Les Anges Gardiens also with Depardieu, Les Fugitifs is much more emotional, even naive at times. To be mentioned is the soundtrack by Vladimir Cosma that includes some very strong and recognizable themes, and hit you at the right moment. When well used, kids in movies (especially "weak" ones) can bring a high level of emotions to the story (like in Forrest Gump or in the recently reviewed Mercury Rising). Note that a couple of years later Veber directed an American remake with Nick Nolte entitled The Three Fugitives.
Rating: 7 /10

La vengeance du serpent à plumes (1984)

	Also Known As: The Vengeance of the Winged Serpent
	Year of first release: 1984
	Director: Gérard Oury (La Grande Vadrouille, Les Aventures de Rabbi Jacob, Le Corniaud)
	Actors: Coluche (Inspecteur la Bavure, Tchao pantin), Maruschka Detmers, Luis Rego, Josiane Balasko
	Country: F, MEX
	Genre: Comedy
	Conditions of visioning: 25.12.2017, 40" TV
Synopsis: When Loulou (Coluche) inherits from his Grand-mother an apartment in Paris, he moves in there only to discover a group of young terrorists trying to free their leader from jail. The beautiful Laura (Detmers) seduces him to let them stay.
Review: As every year, Christmas in the family means watching old or new French Comedies, like we did Le Grand Blond avec une Chaussure Noire in 2016, On a retrouvé la 7ème compagnie in 2015, Jean-Philippe in 2014, etc. This year I was curious to see La vengeance du serpent à plumes from which I remembered very little, although it was directed by the unavoidable Gérard Oury and stars the famous French humorist Coluche. I was quite disappointed by a movie progressing very slowly in both its Action and Comedy. As often Coluche "plays himself", a kind of underdog, not to good-looking nor too bright, and a few of his reactions are mildly funny for someone who likes him and missed seeing him. The Comedy is wildly over-played which may have been OK if the movie was not vainly attempting at spreading revolutionary thoughts. At some points it seems just an excuse to shoot some scenes in Mexico. There are much better movies to watch from Oury or with Coluche. The French TV channel proposing the movie had the good idea to show right after it a good documentary about the comedian.
Rating: 3 /10

Undir trénu (2017)

	Also Known As: Under the tree, Unter dem Baum
	Year of first release: 2017
	Director: Hafsteinn Gunnar Sigurdsson
	Actors: Lára Jóhanna Jónsdóttir, Steinthór Hróar Steinthórsson
	Country: ISL, PL, DK, D
	Genre: Black Comedy, Drama
	Conditions of visioning: 04.11.2017, CineStar3, NFDL2017, Icelandic with English subtitle
Synopsis: Agnes (Jónsdóttir) throws Atli (Steinthórsson) out and does not want him to see their daughter Ása anymore. He moves in with his parents, who are involved in a bitter dispute over their big and beautiful tree that casts a shadow on the neighbours' deck. As Atli fights for the right to see his daughter, the dispute with the neighbours intensifies - property is damaged, pets mysteriously go missing, security cameras are being installed and there is a rumor that the neighbor was seen with a chainsaw.
Review: Common neighbor clash blows out of proportion due to rivalry between both women until a big drama happens that is indeed shocking. The initial story about separation Agnes and Atli is interrupted and will never be continued. So why has it been introduced during that long? There is a series of excellent ideas with a very creative black humour. Each scene has something really fun and great to me. Unfortunately these are not related fully. There is no unity in the storyline apart from the escalation of the neighbour dispute. Especially the splatter conclusion is very surprising but does not bring much to the story. The acting of the elderly is really good! The cold behaviour with the neighbour. The cold behaviour within the couples. The submission of men to the women's will. All the nuances that I know from old couples of my family and others. These are perfectly acted. I liked the lights and image composition for all the shots where the crimes are presented. The surveillance camera after installation looks like from a catalogue. And this enhances the funny cold of the rest of the story.
Rating: 7 /10

Rum 213 (2017)

	Also Known As: Zimmer 213
	Year of first release: 2017
	Director: Emelie Lindblom
	Actors: Wilma Lundgren (Elvira), Ella Fogelström (Meja), Elena Hovsepyan (Bea)
	Country: S
	Genre: Thriller
	Conditions of visioning: 04.11.2017, CineStar1, NFDL2017, Swedish commented in German
Synopsis: Since 12-year-old Elvira’s (Lundgren) best friend is sick, she must go to holiday camp alone. Water damage makes her room unliveable, and she has to bunk with Meja (Fogelström) and Bea (Hovsepyan) in Room 213. Nobody has opened the door to the stuffy room in years, and now strange things begin happening. Overnight, some of the girls’ things disappear. Henny, a loner, claims seriously that the camp is haunted. And then a page of Elvira’s diary turns up, with a message in a stranger’s handwriting.
Review: The story is about the strength of friendships to deal with difficult situations. The summer friendship is sometimes weak until they notice to trust and support each other makes them stronger. This is the basic moral of many teenies movies. This one involves also kind of flirting scenes with 12-years old kids; hide and seek games exactly where they are not allowed to go; runaway in the woods; common camp holidays scenes.  The acting is not authentic nor natural. Really set to make sure we don't miss the scary scene or the romantic scene. This makes not my style, even not the movie I would recommend to kids. But I may be too drastic.  At least I know now that camp holidays are common in Sweden.
Rating: 2 /10

Nordic Film Days Lübeck 2017

JoRafCinema will attend the 2017 edition of the Nordic Film Days in Lübeck, Northern Germany. This will take place from November 1st to November 5th 2017 in the Hanseatic city of Lübeck open to the Baltic sea.

We had since 2014 a lot of fun in this festival and experienced many excellent movies and events. You can select in JoRafCinema all the movies seen in NFDL2016 by searching NFDL2016. The same method works for NFDL2014 and NFDL2015.
This year JoRafCinema intends to share even more with you this festival. The movies, the venues, the side events. And maybe this will give you some motivation to watch Scandinavian and Baltic movies or to pass by Lübeck for the Film festival.

Black Mirror - Seasons 1-2 (2011-2013-2014)

	Also Known As: -
	Year of first release: 2011, 2013, 2014
	Creator: Charlie Brooker
	Actors: Hannah John-Kamen, Michaela Coel, Beatrice Robertson-Jones
	Country: GB
	Genre: Thriller, SF
	Conditions of visioning: December 2017, VOD, 10" tablet screen.
Synopsis: This SF anthology series explores a twisted, high-tech near-future where humanity's greatest innovations and darkest instincts collide.
Review: A great British TV-series produced nowadays and known worldwide is Sherlock, but Black Mirror (which started a year later) certainly deserves the same recognition. It is called an anthology series because each episode has a Universe of its own and involves totally different characters. The references in that respect are The Twilight Zone in the early 60's and The Outer Limits in the late 90's, but the format of a TV-series dedicated to a specific sub-genre (in that case near-future anticipation) reminds also of Masters of Horror, Tales from the Crypt, Masters of Science Fiction, Fear Itself... In long-feature format, known anthologies (usually of Horror) are Heavy Metal, V/H/S 1 and 2, The ABCs of Death, The Theater Bizarre, German Angst, Southbound, Pawn Shop Chronicles... The excellent concept of that TV-series can be summarized by: where is our over-connected society going to lead us? Each episode of those first two seasons at least provides a possible answer that I always find plausible, and also shows the dark side associated to it, thus the series title that hints that it is supposed to make us reflect on the possible dangers associated to what we are making of our world. Because of the modest production, the series doesn't overload us with special effects and high-tech gadgets, but it is more than compensated by clever scenarios. And in fact if you look around you the technology boost in the last twenty years hasn't really changed our surroundings: we still live in houses, drive cars and take buses that still look pretty much the same. The changes have operated at a much smaller level, in the miniaturized computers we carry around with us and in our behavior around them. The episodes are long enough (45 to 75 minutes) that they can be considered as small films thus I will review them individually. S1E1: The National Anthem. A very sober start for the series, with no high-tech gadgets but a lesson on our daily voyeurism. 7/10 S1E2: Fifteen Million Merits. Many people have boring lives, boring jobs and forget about them by using numbing entertainment. What if that all merged and became a lifestyle? The topic was also mentioned in both 2016 French productions Ares and Virtual Revolution. 6/10 S1E3: The Entire History of You. What if you could record and replay everything you see? A husband gets obsessed with finding evidence of his wife's wrong-doing in what he saw. The bitter revelation was quite unexpected to me. 7/10 S2E1: Be Right Back. Starring Hayley "Agent Carter" Atwell. An intimate story of loss intertwined with the omnipresence of social networks and our addiction to them. As usual, a very subtle mix delivered by the series. 6/10 S2E2: White Bear. Starts very far from the approach of the rest of the series, to reveal later its true message about (spoiler) reality-TV. Brutally ends in a traumatizing matter, the kind that would give me nightmares if I was more easily influenced or watching the movie too young. 5/10 S2E3: The Waldo Moment. The story of this virtual character taking on politics and being successful at it in front of the masses doesn't seem futuristic at all. A manipulated puppet rising to a world-leading position, doesn't that remind you of somebody? Oh that episode dates from 2013 so was quite anticipating at that time. 5/10 S2E4 (Special): White Christmas. A special episode that was released between the second and third season (that trick was used in Sherlock as well). An anthology within the anthology, three stories flawlessly linked within this long episode by a fourth. A delight for the fans of the series thanks to four clever stories, small hints linking to the Universe of other episodes (a song here, an eye-tech there...) and another traumatizing ending. 8/10 In conclusion, Black Mirror is definitely worth watching in spite of some episode endings that could be considered abrupt but prolonged during the credits. Most episodes require some processing time afterward, the series thus fully deserving its title.
Rating: 7 /10