Change Your Image
DHammarberg
Reviews
The Weight of the Nation (2012)
Not a documentary as much as a call for action
I watched this documentary series since I'm interested in the subject. But even though it does indeed contain some research about obesity, it's mostly an activist production. It begins every episode with "we have to take action", basically assuming that obesity is a problem that only the government and taxpayer money can solve. A personal responsibility aspect is sorely absent.
The worst part of it all was at the end of episode four, when you had this Hispanic community where no one spoke English patting themselves on their backs for having managed to get their local government to pay for a park for their children to play in. That was a "difference they made". If they had raised the money themselves, I would have empathized, but how is it the least bit difficult to beg the government for money? They didn't have to do anything at all.
So if you believe in personal responsibility, this series does leave you with a bad taste in your mouth.
The Marine 5: Battleground (2017)
Expected shallow action - got really bizarre script
OK, so I've enjoyed the earlier films in the Marine series somewhat and thought this one would be like them as well. But after having watched it, I'm so disturbed by the stupidity of the protagonist. I mean, he's this marine-turned-medic who you expect of course to go out of his way to save lives. So even though I would personally disagree with attempting to save the life of a gangbanger who's killed another man just before he needed assistance (after members of the other gang went after him), you would understand if he did it when doing so didn't risk anyone else's life. But he and his female colleague walk into this dark theme park without notifying anyone first that they're heading out on foot - and when he's located the gangbanger and the guy has even fired his gun at him, he makes it his personal mission to get the guy out of there, even though the other gang shows up. And in the process, several other people end up dead, including his female colleague - in spite of his job only being to save lives. The other gang attempts to negotiate with him and have him turn over the gangbanger, which would have been the proper thing to do - but this crazy guy doesn't budge.
After his colleague has died, he doesn't appear to question whether what he's doing is right - instead he in practice joins the other gang, since he decides to kill as many members of the Lost Legion as possible. The guy wants to save the gangbanger at first, but then decides to kill potentially innocent people? Why is he this homicidal maniac? The action is a bit peculiar too - it struck me as funny how many of the fighting scenes appeared to mimic pro-wrestling moves, like clotheslines, sending people into the ropes (or car doors) and such. They're using attacks that don't make much sense in the real world, like F5s for example.
They messed up the medical knowledge, too. At one point, the marine gets the crazy idea that he's going to transfuse blood to the gangbanger since he's about to pass out. At that point I'm thinking that that would be quite hazardous, since he doesn't know the guy's blood type. But then he clears up the confusion - sort of - by saying: "It's combat transfusion. I'm O positive. It's safe." Only thing is - the only time it's 100% safe to give blood is when you're O negative. Any negative blood type (AB-, A-, B- or O-) would suffer serious complications if given O+ blood.
Can't believe they refer to a gangbanger well into adulthood as "the kid" too. Not to mention the part where he explains to - and convinces - the medic that he was "forced" to do what he did.
Overall, the acting and action is OK and doesn't merit a 1-star - except for maybe "Alonzo" not really striking you as the "bad ass" the film intends him to be - but I felt the lead character's personality make-up and the story apparently depending on sympathizing with him and the gangbanger means it's a revolting experience watching it. Throughout it all, I was hoping that the guy ("the kid") would get killed, so no more lives would be endangered - but sadly no.
Final note: In the end, it is revealed that the gangbanger isn't a gangbanger at all, but this doesn't change the fact that the medic caused so many unnecessary deaths through siding with a convict that had done serious time and killed another man to get out of his own mess. A really stupid move. 10-20 people dead as a result, when it could have been only one. I think the law books should have been searched for things to charge the medic with. Involuntary manslaughter, perhaps.
Det sjunde inseglet (1957)
Booooring
This must certainly be the most overrated movie of all time. Practically everybody I meet who is anxious about conveying an image of themselves as culturally minded, praise this movie, but gives few reasons why. The fact is, this movie is much too long, and could have been a much better product had it been condensed to around 3 minutes. It could then contain the shots the self-proclaimed "cultural elite" talk so much about: The beach in the beginning; the introduction of Mr Death; the game of chess between Block and him.
One could make it even more appealing by converting it into a music video. One would have people in traditional Swedish clothes playing folk music at the summer solstice celebration(midsommar in Swedish), while Mr Death chases Block around the midsommarstång, in the end catching up with him.
The great problem with this movie, is that there is hardly anything interesting in it. There's only a number of long, meaningless dialogues without any real connecting story. My version would at least not cause you to fall asleep.
Even though I'm an educated person, having read among other classical works the Bible, John Milton's "Paradise lost" and "Paradise regained", I only find this movie pseudo-cultural boredom. Don't watch it.
Universal Soldier: The Return (1999)
TESTOSTERONE!
A movie that really stands out from all those boring action movies. No boring shootouts of the type seen in many police/gangster movies, but instead armageddon-style blasting, like when the four unisols are filled with lead, but then rise again and blast away the police force and all their equipment. The fights are always interesting, and also include funny comments, which really add to the movie. I also love Megadeth's theme song, "Crush 'em". After watching this movie, one really needs to go throw something heavy around, preferably another person. I say it again: TESTOSTERONE!