January 31, 2012 by Nostra - 10 Comments

Hot Coffee (2011)

Hot Coffee review

Most of you have probably heard of the case in which an elderly lady spilled hot coffee on her lap, ended up suing McDonald’s and was awarded 2.1 million dollars. There was a lot of controversy around the case and the case has been used numerous times as an example of frivolous lawsuits. This documentary looks at this case and gets the facts straight, but also others and tries to show that most people don’t know the facts and that this has resulted in changes to the justice system that in the end only benefit the big corporations. Continue reading →

January 30, 2012 by Nostra - 12 Comments

The Descendants (2011)

The Descendants review
What’s the first thing you think of when I say Hawaii? It’s probably nice wheather, hula dancers and lots of beauty. If you think in movies you might think of Lilo and Stitch, but all these images are bright and beautiful and really makes it feel like a holiday. The Descendants is set on Hawaii too, but does away with those initial feelings about the islands and uses it as a setting for a family drama. Continue reading →

January 25, 2012 by Nostra - 13 Comments

These Amazing Shadows (2011)

These Amazing Shadows review

As a movielover/blogger I’m a big fan of the possibility of exploration in film. I sometimes feel like Indiana Jones discovering old treasures that amaze me. It’s a great thing to be able to do that because movies are seen as an important medium that should be taken care of. Movies allow you to experience a different time with different values or take you to worlds you’d never be able to imagine. These Amazing Shadows is a documentary which looks into the world of preservation, more specifically the National Film Registry, which is a list of American movies that is expanded each year. Each movie in this list is preserved in the Library of Congress, which allows future generations to experience them. The movies are selected by the United States National Film Preservation Board and it becomes clear that the people selecting them love movies as much as we do. Continue reading →

January 24, 2012 by Nostra - 14 Comments

Bellflower (2011)

Bellflower review

The rise of technology has had a big impact on the world including the world of film. Digital cameras are now of the quality that it is possible to make your own low-budget movie in HD. Even special effects can now be done on you PC at home and this has resulted in some interesting low-budget movies in recent years. Bellflower has been made with a tiny budget of $17000 and shot on a camera that director/editor/producer/writer and actor Evan Glodell made himself. He made the camera because he wanted a unique look he might not get out of “normal” cameras. It’s an interesting approach, but is the end result worth watching? Continue reading →

January 24, 2012 by Nostra - 32 Comments

Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol (2011)

Mission Impossible Ghost Protocol review

Impossible is nothing to Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) as he’s able to accept missions where reaching results seem to be unachievable but he manages to succeed every time. The previous three spy movies in the series have had a lot of memorable action scenes. Does this fourth installment entertain as much? Continue reading →

January 17, 2012 by Nostra - 15 Comments

Carnage (2011)

Carnage review

Jodie Foster, Kate Winslet, John C. Reilly and Christopher Waltz star in this movie about parents who meet to talk about a fight that happened between their kids. What initially starts as a short meeting ends up as a very long conversation between them and where the social norms slowly seem to break down. Continue reading →

January 16, 2012 by Nostra - 14 Comments

Puss in Boots (2011)

Puss in Boots review

The Shrek franchise has been very profitable for Dreamworks, but as it ended it was inevitable that we hadn’t seen the last of these characters. Puss in Boots was widely loved, so a spinoff was a no brainer. Is it catnip or will it have you coughing up hairballs? Continue reading →

January 12, 2012 by Nostra - 13 Comments

Being Elmo: A Puppeteer’s Journey (2011)

Being Elmo review

As a kid growing up I used to be a big fan of Sesame Street and The Muppets. Sesame Street i watched every day and Muppets was broadcast Sunday evenings. Watching it I never thought about the people actually bringing these puppets to life. This documentary is about one of them, Kevin Clash and how he had a dream about working with Jim Henson and ended up puppeteering one of the most loved characters around the world, Elmo. Continue reading →

January 11, 2012 by Nostra - 2 Comments

Project Nim (2011)

Now this was a documentary I was really looking forward to (I named it in my 24 hours of movie watching post). This documentary is focussed on the chimpanzee Nim, who was the subject of an important experiment to find out whether or not primates could learn language when it was raised as a normal child. Continue reading →

December 30, 2011 by Nostra - 43 Comments

My Filmyear: 2011

So another year is almost behind us and a new one is on the brink of starting. It’s the inevitable moment to look back at the past year. With the birth of my daughter in July it’s one of the most memorable years in my life. It’s been a good movie year as well as it has produced some amazing ones. Time to look back. Continue reading →