A little late with my last review from Night Visions, but no harm done I guess, since War of the Dead doesn't open in Finland until tomorrow. Here's my two cents on the peculiar low-budget action/horror/sci-fi Nazi zombie spectacle, in which a platoon of American and Finnish soldiers encounter an evil force deep in the Russian woods during WW2.

War of the Dead (a.k.a. Stone's War, USA/Lithuania/Italy 2011)

Director: Marko Mäkilaakso
Writers: Marko Mäkilaakso, Barr B. Potter
Starring: Andrew Tiernan, Mikko Lappilampi, Samuli Vauramo, Jouko Ahola, Mark Wingett, Antti Reini

First and foremost, it looks pretty good for a million dollar movie. The murky forest is lit and shot very well, the bunker has some neat features and the Nazi zombies pouncing out of trees (!) look great. The set pieces come across as authentic considering the story frame.

That's the good part. The acting, plot and character development, on the other hand, are a bit half-ass. The dialogue relies heavily on clichéd one-liners (some of which are actually pretty funny) and 'get down' -type utterances, and the characters are very simple - there's really not much to grab onto. The only exception is Samuli Vauramo as the Russian soldier Kolya. His performance is the only credible one, right down to the accent and body language. It's almost like he's in a different movie. Andrew Tiernan is good too, but besides those two, there's a lot of clumsy acting and some of the line delivery will make your ears bleed. Powerlifter and strongman Jouko Ahola is horribly hilarious as a soldier in the beginning of the film, but fantastic as the (mute) giant zombie he turns into.

I also had a problem with the story development and pacing. I felt the set-up was a bit cursory and some of the plot twists hasty. On the other hand, the main attraction of the film is straightforward action, so I'll leave the complaints at that.

The film had lots of intentional and unintentional humor. It was fun to watch, especially with the Night Visions crowd, appreciative of the plentiful genre references. I wouldn't call it a good movie, but within the small-budget Nazi/zombie/action/horror/comedy genre, it stands it's ground. As several critics have pointed out, War of the Dead would have probably benefited from an earlier release (it was originally supposed to come out in 2008, but fell into some financial difficulties), at least in the Finnish cinema landscape. Now it will unavoidably remain in the shadows of Rare Exports and Iron Sky.

Still, fun watch. As the director stated in the Q&A session, the film is all of his childhood imaginary adventures and action fantasies transfered from the sandbox to the screen. I look forward to what Mäkilaakso comes up with next.

The pics are from the Q&A after the screening, sorry for the poor quality. From left to right: director Marko Mäkilaakso, actor Mikko Leppilampi, actor Jouko Ahola, set designer Kari Kankaanpää and cinematographer Hannu-Pekka Vitikainen.

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I heard this was worth seeing, but didn't know much else about it going in. I can tell you: it was worth seeing, as it is probably one of the best martial arts action flicks out there.

The Raid (Serbuan maut, Indonesia/USA 2011)

Director & writer: Gareth Evans
Starring: Iko Uwais, Ananda George, Joe Taslim, Doni Alamsyah, Ray Sahetapy

The set-up is short, but enough to introduce the main character (Rama, played by 29-year-old Pencak silat master Iko Uwais) and lay ground for all the intense action coming up. The fight scenes are spectacular, camera work fabulous and editing masterful. The violence is bloody & brutal, but justified within the story. For genre fans, there are plenty of payoff moments. Decent amount of humor as well, more than I expected + a solid, simple score to back up the high pitched blade swinging and punch throwing.

Some have complained there is not enough plot to this film, but I beg to differ. I felt there was just the right amount of backstory to sustain interest, make you care about the good guys and motivate the growing pile of casualties. I thought the link between the central characters was pretty clever, and even the supporting roles (like Yayan Ruhian's sadistic Mad Dog and Joe Taslim's upstanding sqaud leader Jaka) had some substance.

Perhaps not the best action film I've ever seen, but definitely the best in the subcategory of martial art movies. Absolutely top-notch. Go see it.

Blood, gore and wicked action – that's right, one of my favorite film festivals, Night Visions, has rolled into town. Went to see the opening film yesterday and was pleasantly surprised. Despite some initial reservations, I really enjoyed Steven Soderbergh's revenge thriller Haywire.

Haywire (USA 2011)

Director: Steven Soderbergh
Writer: Lem Dobbs
Starring: Gina Carano, Ewan McGregor, Michael Fassbender, Bill Paxton, Michael Douglas, Channing Tatum, Antontio Banderas

The story is pretty straightforward and caters exactly what it says on the label: "A black ops super soldier seeks payback after she is betrayed and set up during a mission." The narrative unfolds in an attention-grabbing way and the action sequences are evenly placed. The attention to detail through camera work during the lulls is fantastic: the way the main character's actions are shot lets the viewer follow the decisions she's making, letting you in on the supposed mindset of a trained killer.

The fight scenes often break out quite unexpectedly (if you haven't seen the trailer), which I really liked. They also look gorgeous and sound realistic. Main character Mallory Kane, played by mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter Gina Carano, knows how to fight and it shows. Her blows have real impact and the combats look real instead of carefully coreographed flashy duels between trained actors. I imagine Fassbender might have suffered a couple of actual bruises during rehearsals.

Carano is pretty hard-faced and beefy for a female lead, which made her the most interesting element in this movie. I don't think I've ever seen a more convincing woman character in an action film – I saw someone kicking ass, not some dainty actress pretending to kick ass. So refreshing! Having said that, I wonder if the reason behind why I think shes so credible, is her accentuated masculinity. She conveys very little emotion, acts in cold blood and throws punches like a dude. I think they even modified Carano's voice to lower the pitch a little.

This exchange between Ewan McGregor's character and Michael Fassbender's character is key:

Paul: I've never done a woman before.
Kenneth: You shouldn't think of her as being a woman. That would be a mistake.

Exactly. Mallory Kane is female, but her gender is very carefully faded out throughout the film. Can a a female action star be fully credible only if she is portrayed to have male attributes? Maybe. Or is it that these attributes usually attached to males (in fiction as well as in real life) have so infriquently been used to portray women, that they have become to signify masculinity through habit?

Either way, I'd like to see more of Gina Carano and her kind in action flicks. Her acting abilities have been questioned by some critics, but I thought her emotionally minimalist composure suited the role extremely well. I don't see a problem using a physically skilled athlete in a physically demanding role, even if they don't have an extensive acting background. Especially since Haywire isn't a deep-layered psychological thriller, but a straightforward action blast.

Enjoyable, solid revenge thriller with a cool retro soundtrack. I'm not really in the habit of rating stuff here, but this was a good 4/5. 

Here's something from Carano's other line of work. Wouldn't like to get in the ring with her.

You know when you get out of a long relationship, meet someone new, take them home, rip your clothes off and start talking dirty in 50s movie star voices?

And when it really gets hot and heavy, you do your best lumberjack impression?

In 2011, Finns watched on average 3 hours of television per day, most of which from a flat panel display (80% of TV households). Cathode-ray tubes have declined steadily, going down from 84% in February 2008 to 43% in November 2011. HD viewing, on the other hand, is on the rise: HDTV receivers (Full HD or HD Ready) were found in 1,100,000 households, and 75,000 viewers subscribe to HD channels. Half of all TV households own a HDTV screen.

Finnpanel, who measures TV viewing and radio listening in Finland, has published its annual results. In addition to the interesting facts above, we learn that Online TV and Pay TV are gaining popularity.

Although most of the viewing (94%) happens through a traditional TV set, 19% use a computer, 2% use a smartphone and 1% use a tablet to watch TV on a weekly basis. Of all the viewers, 15% watch whole episodes and 14% video clips through web TV sites (Katsomo, Ruutu, Yle Areena) owned by domestic channels. Premium channels attract 32% of viewers. Eurosport, MTV3 MAX, MTV3 Juniori, Discovery and MTV3 Fakta were the most popular Pay TV channels in 2011.

And what did we watch on our new flat-panel HDTVs?

1. Presidential Independence Day reception/gala, TV1 6.12.2011: 2 324 000 (49% = rating%)
2. News & weather forecast, TV1 6.12.2011: 2 166 000 (46%)
3. Ice hockey World Championships: Finland-Sweden, TV2 15.5.2011: 2 080 000 (44%)
4. News, TV2 15.5.2011: 1 992 000 (42%)
5. Ice hockey World Championships: Finland-Russia, TV2 13.5.2011: 1 703 000 (36%)
6. Tanssii Tähtien kanssa (Dancing with the Stars), MTV3 4.12.2011: 1 399 000 (30%)
7. Parliamentary election 2011, results, TV1 17.4.2011: 1 371 000 (29%)
8. Torilla tavataan (Ice hockey World Championship celebrations), TV2 16.5.2011: 1 338 000 (28%)
9. Putous (Finnish improv comedy show), MTV3 26.2.2011: 1 327 000 (28%)
10. Eurovision Song Contest 2011: Finals, TV2 14.5.2011: 1 323 000 (28%)
11. Idols (Finnish Idol), MTV3 20.2.2011: 1 176 000 (25%)

So pretty much the same stuff we watched last year. Of continuous programs, most popular were Dancing with the Stars, Putous (kind of like SNL and Whose Line Is It Anyway? mashed up together) and Taivaan tulet (a domestic drama series).

Of those three, I've watched only Putous. Here's a clip of this years show (couldn't find any with English subtitles, sorry):

Also, something I've noticed during the past year (or maybe a couple of years): social TV has landed in Finland. More people are using mobile devices, such as smartphones and tablets, and discussing television events on Twitter. For instance, presidental debates and election coverage, award shows and current affair programs attract a lot of hashtagged buzz.

Media companies and TV channels have responded: YLE has launched a 10-minute daily, interactive current affairs show called Suoralinja, which gathers topics from Twitter and Facebook users and shows viewer comments on screen. MTV3 regularly uses an 'iPad reporter' (device linked up to a big touch screen in the studio) for viewer comments and questions during elections and televised debates.

I'm glad to see this happening and I think it brings added value to watching television. It's a new kind of collective viewing experience. The final round of the Finnish presidential election is coming up this Sunday – I know I'll be glued to the couch, remote in one hand and my tablet PC in the other. See you online!

The year is coming to an end and it's time to wrap thing up. I've skimmed through many Best Films of 2011 compilations, as I'm sure you have too, and seen many favorites as well as many unseen gems get highlighted. For example, I have yet to see The Artist, Shame, Hugo, The Skin I Live In, A Separation and many others.

Here's the best of what I have seen in 2011, which was a pretty fine film year, in my opinion:

Drive

Just to juice it up before Night Visions Maximum Halloween 3011, I went to see some hand-painted, film-inspired folk art from Ghana at Myymälä2. Fun as hell!

The Ghanavisions exhibit (12.–30.10.) is presented by Night Visions - Yön kuvat ry. and it features unique movie posters made to promote films for small-scale "theaters" in West Africa – think one man, a VHS player and a portable generator. Travelling theaters were popular from the 80s to mid-90s, I think. Before TV and internet, anayways.

The film posters are painted on flour sacks, and the images often bare very little resemblance to the original film, which makes them so hilarious. To maximize public interest and gather a good crowd, the artists often took the liberty of embelishing the gory elements and adding African mythology to the mix. Sometimes the artist might have seen the film before painting the poster, other times not, but certainly they had a strong vision of the key elements of the film...

Here's some info on the exhibit and pics I took at Myymälä2:

The exhibition posters are selected from a collection owned by Anna Hellsgård and Christian Gfeller, two gallerists and artists based in Berlin, Germany. “The fact that they are hand-painted, the roughness, naiveness and graphic qualities, as well as the wild fantasy caught our eyes. It is also very inspiring for our own creations”, Hellsgård, the owner of the Bongôut-gallery in Mitte, tells. The collection has been exhibited before only in Germany and France. (Myymälä2 website)

If you fancy a funny-looking Jet Li or an "evil ghost woman" on your wall, the pictures are for sale (around 400–800 euros a pop, some might have been 1,000 euros).

More on Ghana movie posters:

Bongout
Acid Cow (that Terminator is pretty awesome)
Ghana Movie Posters
Empire (compared with the original movie posters)

P.S. Night Visions Maximum Halloween 3011 takes place October 26th–30th at Maxim, Kluuvikatu 1, Helsinki. At last, I will see Hobo with a Shotgun!!!

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The 24th Rakkautta & Anarkiaa film festival (HIFF) just ended yesterday – over 54,000 visitors, congrats! – but already there are more movie events to look forward to. For instance, the first ever Turkish film festival in Finland, Turkish Movie Days, kicks off on Thursday. Nice! Here's some info from the events website:

Over the last decade, Turkish filmmakers, not only in Turkey, but also those living in the rest of the world, have found new creative directions, making critically acclaimed films, and winning awards all over the world. Thanks to all these advancements, this year we are proud and happy to celebrate the first Turkish film festival ever held in Finland. Targeted for the enthusiasts of international cinema, the inaugural Turkish Movie Days will take place between 29 September - 1 October 2011 in Helsinki, thanks to the supportive collaboration of The Republic of Turkey Ministry of Tourism, Turkish Embassy in Helsinki and FIYAP (Film Producers' Professional Association).

The screenings are free and will take place at the SES (Finnish Film Foundation) auditorium Kino K-13 (Kanavakatu 12). The theater fits 150 people, so better get there in good time.

I'll definitely check some movies out, since I'm not very familiar with Turkish cinema. Off the bat, Hayde Bre and Hunting Season seem interesting, but I'll probably try to see others as well. Here are recaps and trailers for all five films. Storylines and descriptions from www.turkishmoviedays.fi.

Losers Club (Kaybedenler Kulübü, 2011)

Kaan and Mete, co-hosts of a mid 1990s radio show called Kaybedenler Kulübü (Losers' Club), struggle to deal with their daily lives after their show becomes an instant hit. Kaan meets Zeynep, the girl of his dreams, but their relationship comes under pressure as the show continues to stir controversy and attract fans from every segment of Istanbul society.

Hayde Bre (2010)

Leading an ordinary life with his wife and friends in a small Macedonian village, Şaban Agha is stuck between country and city life after his life unexpectedly coincides with Saadet, a woman with three kids and a paralyzed husband. Upon her consistent requests to move to Istanbul, Şaban Agha moves there despite his reluctance. Adjusting to the rules and order of city life becomes impossible for him and he still considers himself a guest in Istanbul, not knowing that the home he longs for is already gone. Acknowledging that he cannot keep up with the city life, Şaban Agha waits for an opportunity to return to his homeland.

Fig Jam (Incir Receli, 2011)

On a night of despair after being turned down continuously for the scripts he writes, Metin ends up in a bar where he meets a girl named Duygu. After spending the night together, she walks out in the morning before he wakes up and leaves only a short note. The next time theymeet, Metin becomes curious about her secret and decides to follow her. What he finds out will be the beginning of an everlasting love.

Love Likes Coincidences (Ask Tesadüfleri Sever, 2011)

One September morning in 1977 in Ankara, a young man rushes his pregnant wife to the hospital for the impending birth. He crashes into another car, whose driver is another father-to-be. As a result of the accident, the woman in the car they hit gives birth prematurely, resulting in both babies being born on the same day at the same hospital. That accident becomes the first of many coincidences that will connect the fates of Özgür and Deniz, whose lives will continue to intersect throughout the rest of their childhood and teenage years in Ankara. Each time their paths intersect, their lives goes through a transformation.

Hunting Season (Av Mevismi, 2010)

A legend known as the "Hunter" in the homicide desk, Ferman (Sener Sen) and his partner in investigation "Madman" Idris (Cem Yilmaz) have a close relationship like a father and son. An anthropology graduate "Newbie" of the group, Hasan (Okan Yalabik) has just started working with these two. Investigating a young girl's murder leads to encounters with "Asit", a drug dealer, Battal Colakzade (Cetin Tekindor), one of the wealthiest men in Turkey, the girl's brothers Abbas, Vakkas and many more different characters.

Hope to see some good films. Görüşürüz! (=toodles)

Went to see Bollywood spectacle Robot at HIFF on Saturday. What an insane movie experience! The balcony was occupied by a vocal Hindi/Tamil (?) audience that kept cheering, whistling, hollering and clapping throughout the film in appropriate places (some of which made sense to me, while others would have clearly needed some understanding of Indian culture and Bollywood genre conventions). The live audio commentary combined with the craziness of the film made it a fantastically fun and different experience.

A Finnish movie goer crowd normally sits at the theater like it was church (I should maybe point out that Sunday service is no hoot here), so it was pretty refreshing to witness some cheerful commotion during a screening. That being said, outside of film festivals, I do like to watch my movies in piece and quiet. Loud munchers and yammering ass clowns receive a half-turn. Sometimes even a full-turn with an eye roll.

Robot (Endhiran, India 2010)

Directed by: S. Shankar
Screenplay by: S. Shankar
Starring: Rajinikanth, Aishwarya Rai, Danny Denzongpa

An human-android constructed by a scientist falls in love with the to-be bride of his creator. (IMDb)

Dr. Vaseegaran designs a human-like robot, Chitty, that is the most advanced of its kind (both roles played by Indian superstar and cultural icon Rajinikanth). It can fight, serve and solve any problem man tosses its way. And of course, it can boogie Bollywood style. It lacks, however, the finer tunings of human interaction and won't be approved for production without them. After a laborius training and tweeking session, Chitty is like a new robot. It is now in fact so evolved, that it can think and feel like a human, and these feelings are directed at Dr. Vaseegaran's stunning fiancée Sana (Aishwarya Rai). In the background, Vaseegaran's sinister mentor, Dr. Bohra (Danny Denzongpa), is building his own robot army, but needs Chitty's advanced neural schema to complete his work. 

What follows, is unbelievably corny but expensive-looking action sequences, spectacular and elaborate Bollywood dance numbers, a man-robot-woman love triangle and jokes so lame, that they're actually funny. I initially thought the plot wouldn't be able to carry all the flashy, CGI-heavy action , but I feared in vain. The story holds and delivers. The movie might be a bit predictable and simplistic, but it was the most fun I've had in movies in a long time. I literally grinned for the most part of the movie and gladly joined in on the applause at the end of the screening.

If you're up for a crazy three-hour Bollywood bash, there is a screening coming up next Sunday, September 25th, at 12:30 pm (Bio Rex). Enjoy! I sure as hell did.