Bear

Son and Batman - A flawed but very fun beginning on a trilogy about Batman, his son, Nightwing and more. Lots of action and violence, and it shows another side of Batman. He not only becomes a father figure, but an actual father. It's fun. Got plenty nice dialogue, voice acting and animation too. My only problem is that the son, Damian, is way too strong and powerful. But that's the only big mistake here IMO. Good film! Batman vs. Robin - The second part of the trilogy is a huge step up. This is one of the better of the animated films. It digs hella lot deeper into the characters of Batman and Robin, their problems and their relationship. It's darker than Son of Batman, is much better written and is a lot more fun. Simply a fantastic film! The Court of Owls! Holy shit, so cool! Batman: Bad Blood - Last part of the trilogy is a step down from Batman vs. Robin, but is as good as Son of Batman. Doesn't feature much Batman tbh, but you get plenty Nightwing, Robin, Batwoman and Batwing. It's got a fairly deep and complex story lots of violent action and plenty fun and snappy dialogue. A very good film! But I really wish they'd explore the villains a lot more. But it doesn't the job really well. Btw, next year we'll see the release of Batman: Gotham by Gaslight, based on the Elseworlds story by the same name. Shieeeeeeeet, I am so looking forward to that. Batman set to the Victorian era. But I know they've made some changes from the comic book. Not sure what I think about that yet. Because if done right, this could so easily become the best Batman film ever made. But we'll see.

If you are a fan of DC I would recommend going through their animated films. Seen a lot of the Batman films and saw two more yesterday and tge quality of the majority are sky high. Really, really high quality stories where they put a lot of effort into almost everything. Said it not many days ago that it is a shame they, don't put 1/10th of the effort into the live action films. It really angers me.

This shouldn't be a problem, unless the film is poorly made and written to begin with. Take a look at The Avengers as an example. Neither Black Widow or Hawkeye had an film of their own before this, even though they had small appearances in other Marvel films before this. But they both worked really well in the film and had quite big supporting roles. But it's not like the general audience had any clue about who they are before this. It's the same with Captain America: Civil War and the characters Bucky Barnes (Winter Soldier), Falcon, War Machine, Black Panther, Vision and Scarlet Witch. None of these have had any big roles in previous films, though some have had small supporting roles. But again, most casual viewers knew nowt of these characters. But again, they worked really well in the film. And I could mention more Marvel films who's made this work. And that's only because of it's writing and portrayal of its characters on-screen. I have not seen Justice League yet, but I would imagine it suffering from the same problem as every other film in the DC Extended Universe. And that is poor writing. Poor, poor, poor writing. Man of Steel, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, Suicide Squad and Wonder Woman all suffers from this, even though Wonder Woman is on a whole other level compared to the other films. But it's still not a well-written film. Not even close, especially character-wise. And I have no problem imagine this as a huge problem for Justice League as well, as it seems to be a trend in the DCEU to have poorly written characters and stories. DC should be about 50 times better and cooler on screen than Marvel as it's got a cooler arsenal of superheroes and characters, yet the DC films, with the exception of Wonder Woman (6/10), are unwatchable at best while Marvel are spewing out the one big, fat entertaining film after the other in an incredible tempo. So disappointing.

Mayhem - Action-horror that really does live up to its name. Total fucking chaos and mayhem from start to end. It was 90 incredibly fun minutes. Start-forward, action-packed, witty dialogue with loads of SNAP to it and violent as hell. What the hell more could you ask for? Nothing. On top of that it's pretty metal. Samara Weaving's character (The Babysitter) is asked to mention three favourite bands and she mentioned Motorhead, D.R.I. and old Anthraxh (not just Anthrax, but OLD fucking Anthrax) and later she takes off her sweater and beneath she's wearing a The Black Dahlia Murder t-shirt. The soundtrack is immense too. A synthscore by Steven Moore of Zombi, so you know it's gonna be good. It's the type of soundtrack I'll gladly buy on vinyl. Magnificent!

Batman: The Killing Joke - A weird, disjointed film. The film starts with a prologue taking a look at the relationship of Batman and Batgirl. And unlike others, I think this part is decent. Fans talk about the character of Batgirl being sexualized, but I don't really think so. Or at least not in the vein others seem to think. It shows the human side of the characters Batman and Batgirl, and it shows some of their flawed sides and faults, especially the father figure that it Batman. My problem with the film lies in the fact that the first and second half of the film don't connect in any way whatsoever, and the first half doesn't stand well on its own legs. I don't know why they included that in this film and I don't understand why they didn't just make a full film out of the second half. But the second half, the Killing Joke story, is really nicely adapted, if not perfect. But it makes this film worth a look and it makes it a lot better than the reviews would suggest. Delta Force 2: The Colombian Connection - The first Delta Force film with Chuck Norris and Lee Marvin is a classic, and this, while like most Cannon film sequels are a huge step down, is still very entertaining. Simple, straight-forward Chuck Norris action film. No more, no less. 68 Kill - 90 minutes of fast, over the top violence and gore, immature humour and witty dialogue. This isn't by no means a great films, but it's got almost everything I love mashed into one film and it worked really well. These 90 minutes flew by like it was fucking 40 minutes. Absolute hilarious. I checked this out because of its poster btw. Sweet-looking posters, Especially the top one. Gorgeous!

Batman & Bill - A documentary about the very roots of Batman and who created him, his foes and the whole universe of Gotham. Bob Kane always got the honor for this as his name was always attached to everything. But the truth is something quite different, and this film takes a lot at that. A very sad, touching and tragic story tbh. And the best thing about this is that it in no ways try to talk shit about Bob Kane or anything, rather it focuses on trying to give Bill Finger some credit for his work. Obviously, doing that automatically sheds some negative light on the face of Bob Kane, but not a single time during this documentary does the filmmaker intend to dirt up Bob Kane's name and legacy. Which is something I have to appreciate. War for the Planet of the Apes - I thought Rise... was a good film, but it kinda lacked the feeling of being a Planet of the Apes film. And it felt more like a different film of its own. With Dawn... they took a huge step away from this, and backwards I'd say as they include a lot of familiar elements from the Planet of the Apes franchise and it felt like a very good Planet of the Apes film. With War... they've decided to include even more of the original films to the reboot, and it should be no surprise that this is by far the best in the reboot and the best Planet of the Apes film since the original 1968 film. This was amazing! I must also applaud the inclusion of Bad Ape. He works as a comic relief, but not in the usual try-hard sense. He feels like a natural character to the whole universe and one that just had to come sooner or later. Really liked him.

The Limehouse Golem - A pleasant surprise as I did not expect much of it other than it being decent entertainment, but this was actually a really good horror-mystery. It's set around the late 1800's with beautiful gothic victorian era sets and some superb performances from the cast. There's clear inspiration from classic gothic Hammer Horror films as well as Jack the Ripper, and it works really well. It's not entirely original and it's a tad predictable, but well worth a watch. I really enjoyed it. I'll go as far as to call it superb. Bill Nighy is a really underrated and overlook actor btw. Such an excellent performer, just a shame he usually play a supporting role and not the lead.

Confirmed as best album of 2018. No contest! Unless of course Sigh releases a new album.

Went to Blåsvart aften vol.9 yesterday. Dark ambient night with five different artists. Missed the two first, which is a shame because Sysselmann was my main reason for going. Or, I saw something like 7-10 minutes of Sysselmann and it was fantastic. The artist who did the most on-stage. New Risen Throne and TEHÔM were both very good. Dark, dark ambient with some decent visuals in the background. Which is important, as the visuals playing in the background is as important as the music itself to create the needed and wanted atmosphere. And the artists themself are mainly looking at their computers and shit, with two of them having a guitarist play some notes. But neither was too special or anything. But Svartsinn was magnificent and on a whole other level than the two others I saw. Visually it was the simplest one as he just did his thing musically and played Dario Argento's visual masterpiece Inferno in the background, but it was a touch of genius tbh. The music went really well with the visual beauty of Inferno, and I was hooked from the moment the first deep bass came out of the speakers and until the last sound ended the gig. So hooked my beer stood untouched for the entire show. Was as warm as a glass of fresh urin when I finally got around to drink it. Pure magic!

Fucking Sweden.

01. The Lament 02. Nightbound 03. Lady Death 04. Subterranea 05. Purgatorio 06. Cries From The Underworld 07. Lacrimosa 08. The World 01. Here Be Dragons 10. Come, Become, To Be (bonus track) Hell yeah! Superb song and nice, classy and beautifully shot video.

Dark Angel - This one is probably better known under the lame title I Come In Peace but to me this is Dark Angel all the way. I was invited over to a friend to watch this on a huge screen, and it was amazing. The film was fantastic of course. Absurd and comical as fuck, but we're both Dolph Lundgren fanboys and that makes a difference for sure. But it's a cheesy-as-fuck action sci-fi, and it pleased me a lot. Will watch again! Dragonslayer - This epic sword & sorcery film are among the best in the genre. It's as majestic as it gets, and almost 40 years later the dragon, Vermithrax Pejorative (what a badass name!), are still the best dragon made on screen ever. Miles ahead of the next ones. Holy shit, it looks so good, it's so powerful and dangerous. It's everything you'd want from a dragon. This film is a forgotten gem and a proper classic in my eyes. Magnificent! Almost perfect!

Atomic Blonde -The thin-as-fuck plot is basically an excuse to show a totally over the top fucking badass Charlize Theron run around and being awesome, but who gives a fuck? She's grown into a magnificent, majestic queen of cinema and might as well be the next big action hero. Over the top violence, and a lot of it, and a Charlize Theron that's to die for? What more can one ask for? A plot? Meh. Don't give a fuck. Amazing film! 68 Kill - I really loved the poster which made me watch this, and man was I not disappointed. It's really over the top and ridiculous, but it was so much fun throughout. It's not original, but it's got lots of twist and turns and something always happens. I really liked it, despite all of its flaws. Ingrid Goes West - Aubrey Plaza and Elizabeth Olsen carries this drama-comedy which just so happens to be among the most uncomfortable films I've ever watched. Holy shit, it really gave me the creeps. But at the same time it offers so much social commentary, observations and truth. Creepy as fuck, but at times very witty and fun. Liked it. Aubrey Plaza is amazing! Bon Cop Bad Cop 2 - 11 years after the first one Alain Desrochers returns wiith a sequel to the Canadian buddy-comp comedy from 2006. It's a bit weaker, but it offers a lot of fun throughout. Throughout both I've found meself giggling and laughing out loud many, many times, and that is a positive sign for sure. Serenity - It doesn't quite live up to the series it's based on (FIrefly), but it's a superb continuity of a classic TV-series nonetheless. It just offers a lot of fun. They don't really maker sci-fi like this anymore. It's magic!

The Batman vs. Dracula - Batman goes horror? Yeah, he actually does. The Batman vs. Dracula is a fine mix of action and horror with Dracula himself being the main antagonist. Along the way he gets some help from The Penguin and The Joker, which works really fine. This isn't a deep film with a lot of character depth and such. It's a straight-forward action-horror that's more similar to Blade and Underworld than classic horror like Nosferatu, eine Symphonie des Grauens, Dracula (1931), Dracula (1958) or Nosferatu (1979). But it does carry a lovely gothic atmosphere throughout the film and the action and animation is superb, as well as a magnificent Peter Stormare as Dracula. Btw, the way Dracula comes to life must be a homage to Dracula: Prince of Darkness? Was superb! Batman: Under the Red Hood - This is hands down one of the better Batman films I've seen so far. Very mature film with superb dialogue, good moral questions and a nice look at the psyche of Batman and the fine line between good and evil. The writing is, as already said, really mature as well as super intelligent, deep and really complex. Albeit a bit short (most of these are rarely more than 75 minutes long), it does carry an edge to its characters I've never really seen in a Batman film and the characters are really good written, as well are the dialogue. Dark, haunting and gritty, but at the same time it has a very human edge to it. Btw, look out for minor details. I am pretty sure Batman's costume changes a bit in all the flashbacks, as he update his suit every now and then. That is some serious detail work. Amazing film!

Batman: Assault on Arkham - Assault on Arkham is one of the billion animated DC direct-to-video films made over the par 10-15 years, and is one of the best I've seen. Assault on Arkham is set in the Batman: Arkham video game universe, about right after Arkham Origins. It's a Batman film in some ways, but he's only got a supporting role. This is more of a Suicide Squad film and it's a damn good one. It features Deadshot, Harley Quinn, Captain Boomerang, Black Spider, King Shark, Killer Frost and KGBeast, as well as Riddler and the Joker. Batman: Assault on Arkham works on so many levels. From the amazing characters and their dynamics and dialogue, its voice actors, visual style and animation and action to its dark, mature and, at times, pitch black humor and its overall mature and sexy style. This is the type of film we'll never see live-actioned, unless someone who needs no major financial back-up suddenly turns up and wants to make a film. And it's a shame, because the world needs more superhero films like this. Batman: Gotham Knight - A 6-part anthology film made by Japanese directors in an anime style, which in itself is pretty special and fresh. Like 98% of all anthology films the quality is a bit up and down, but it never falls flat on its head. It's always fun and it's always interesting. The film is set to Christopher Nolan's Batman universe more accurately between the events of the fantastic Batman Begins and boring-as-fuck(!) The Dark Knight. I like how all the stories connect, even though you can watch each without having seen the previous (ones). And because it's made by different directors with different style and vision which makes every short look very different Have I Got a Story for You tells the story of four kids who meet up, with three being a bit late. They explain this by having experienced Batman fight a criminal in real life. The real fun part here is how the three late kids all tell a over the top story with a out-of-this-world interpretations of Batman and his abilities, but they all bear references to earlier Batman stories and the villain in all have small thing that make him resemble classic Batman villains. Two of the stories (Man-Bat and shadow-Bat) were cool as fuck! 8/10 Crossfire is a fairly standard mob affair. It's a cool one, but far from the best. 7/10 Field Test is another standard one, but it's all fun. 7/10 In Darkness Dwells isn't just my favourite of this film, but among the coolest Batman stories I've ever seen. The overall visual style and animation, the story, the look of the villains and so on. Dark, gritty, mean. This one was pure fucking perfection! 10/10 Working Through Pain is a very deep short that takes a very different look at who Bruce Wayne is. Very nice! 8/10 Deadshot was my second favourite. The pacing was insane and made it intense as fuck, it was animated beautifully, especially the last fight, and was just top notch all the way. 9/10

Some albums to look forward to in the coming months: Orphaned Land - Unsung Prophets & Dead Messiahs Hooded Menace - Ossuarium Silhouettes Unhallowed Druid Lord - Grotesque Offerings Tribulation - Lady Death Evilfeast - Elegies of the Stellar Wind Beastiality - Worshippers of Unearthly Perversions Obscure Burial - Obscure Burial Damn, that Hooded Menace and Druid Lord covers are sweet as fuck. Awesome! Really like the cartoonish tone of the Beastiality cover (albeit a bit of a weird choice considering the music they play) and the darkness of the Tribulation Ep cover too. Looks good!

Eh. No.

Day 30 Raw Meat - Dark, bleak and ultragrim horror film from the early 70's with Donald Pleasence, Norman Rossington, David Ladd, Sharon Gurney and an exceptional Hugh Armstrong in the lead roles. Like I said, this is such a grim and bleak film, mostly thanks to a superb performance by Hugh Armstrong. The film is tragic and fairly deep for an early proto-slasher, and something most fans of the genre should check out. Look out for a majestic cameo by Christopher Lee too. The role doesn't make much sense, but who gives a fuck? It's Christopher Lee. 8/10 Day 31 Halloween - And like I do on every Halloween I ended the October horror marathon with Halloween, the best slasher ever made. Already here, on his third feature film, John Carpenter came off as something unique, fresh and original in the scene of horror. His camera angles looks sweet and original to this day, the soundtrack, both score and choice of songs, are exceptional, his ability to create suspense and keep it on screen for a long period of time without losing the edge of it and so on. And don't forget Michael Myers, one of the best villains of all-time. An antagonist unlike any other, and I still remember the feeling I got the first time I saw him on screen. You just didn't know what he was, and there was still aura of mysticism surrounding him. Brilliant! A perfect film! Simple as that.

Love Exposure Josee, the Tiger and the Fish My Girlfriend Is a Cyborg A Scene at the Sea To name a few. But these are a lot different from your regular Jdrama stuff, tho. Heavier, more complex and a lot more mature. But they are all very good romantic comedy films.

Three episodes into Mindhunter and this is top notch so far, and Cameron Britton is the fucking shit. He is so good!

Day 28: Hostel - I hated this film when it was released over 10 years ago, but upon rewatching it now I actually found a lot of pleasure in it. Fairly dark and sadistic, and it kinda says a lot about humans in general. Not that we all would do something as extreme as this, but that we all have a few dark elements within us and that we are all capable of doing some shit now and then. My biggest disappointment is actually finding the film far from brutal and gruesome enough. I wish it was bloodier, gorier and more extreme. But I liked it. Thumbs up for some nudity that felt natural too. Good special effects. 7/10 Day 29 Hostel: Part II - Almost identical with the first film, but the male leads are swapped for chicks and it all ends up feeling a bit forced. Even the nudity feels a bit forced. But it's decent enough, but does not hold up to the first one. Quite a big difference, even though it's almost the same film. Felt less sleazy and trashy too, which is a shame. 6/10

Day 26 Sharknado 3: Oh Hell No! - The first film in the series are actually very enjoyable. It's sort of so-bad-it's-good, but not in the same way as The Room, Troll 2 and so on as this aim to be bad, while the others were made by serious film makers who genuinly thought they had made something amazing. But it was fun for what it was. But by the time of the second the series had already lost most of its charm and you were left with something that felt too artificial and lame. By the third it had lost all its charm. It's 90 minutes of self-reference gags that were already overdone in the second film, and here they're trippling that up. It's tiresome as fuck. And it doesn't even feel half as absurd as the first one, even though they try to make it a lot more absurd. The only thing I really like about this film is Cassandra Scerbo as Nova. Holy shit, she is incredibly hot. 3/10 Day 27 Sharknado 4: The 4th Awakens - About as bad as the third film in the series. Poor gags, social commentary that feels stupid as fuck and no charm what-so-ever. It's a huge mess of a film and nothing else. 3/10 Worst thing about this isn't the films themself, but the fact that I'll watch the fifth film as soon as it comes. Why? No fucking idea. I hate myself and just loves to torture myself? Or maybe I am hoping for something similar to the first one? I don't know. Fuck it!

Day 24: The Outing - A fairly standard supernatural slasher with a very original killer, and it's got some fantastic death scenes and some even greater special effects. It's cheese, poorly acted and all that, but it's great fun and if you're a fan of slashers I don't see why you shouldn't see it. Btw, the posters for this film are amazing! Daaamn! 7/10 Day 25: Rakka - The short film from Neill Blomkamp's own studio, Oats Studio, a studio which will release a lot of sci-fi short films. He calls them experimental, but they're not really that experimental or special. But they are good. The film stars Sigourney Weaver who is great, and both the story and effects are fairly good. But you can at times see that there's CGI and that is usually a problem, and it is here too. And it means that it'll look dated as fuck in just a few years when we've gotten used to better CGI. Such a shame. But it's a fun sci-fi horror short film. 7/10

Some of the sequels are even more enjoyable. I'd say the first 7 are all well worth a watch. As well as Axis of Evil and especially the crossover Puppet Master vs. Demonic Toys, which is no less than fantastic. Such a fun film. The third film is by far the best in the franchise btw.