Last five flicks I saw

Platoon
This movie provided fine entertainment to my dinner consisting of fried turkey with cheese and toast. It was close to an action movie, and far from the brilliant piece of work some would like it to be, and even how the documentary (making of..) portrayed it. Now, giving actors two weeks of combat training prior to shooting a "regular Nam film" does not necessarily raise the quality of the work. And even though the writer and director (Mr. Oliver Stone) is a real vietnam war veteran, it doesn’t necessarily raise the quality of the work.
I think this movie was granted its success and awards since no one had deared to touch on the vets’ real story at the time it was made (86). And we’re still in a lack of an American movie admitting that they lost the entire war and made a catastrophe out of it.
See Full Metal Jacket, Thin Red Line, Deerhunters or even Saving Private Ryan instead.

Baise-moi
I’m not much of a feminist, and I must declare I bought this movie with an un-feministic motive. There was a girl on the cover, wearing nothing but a bra, holding a gun – and the cover spoke to me with these words: The most extreme thriller you will ever see LEGALLY!
In addition it had the word Extensive sexual content printed on the label behind it. So I bought it. And – was amazed!
Yes, there are scenes that even resemble "standard porn" (I’ve heard:) but this is not the drive of the film. The main characters are feminine, self-secure, liberated to the extreme women brought onto a journey together by two accident killings in the beginning of the story. As it unfolds, it tends to be a love story among two friends, and how their urge to keep superseeding themselves finally brings them down. It’s kind of a Bonnie & Clyde thing, except some parts of this story are slightly satanic (e.g. extremely self-centered) leaving out the baby scene that ultimately didn’t make the movie.
Artistically it is a great film considering there was used NO ARTIFICIAL LIGHTNING, it was made on very tight budget, the two main actresses are really into their roles and it poses a feministic provocateur voice to the "traditional French film industry".

Scarlet Street
I bought two Film Noir classics, both of them good, but the latter – Scarlet Street – so brilliant I decided to put it up on your five-to-watch list.
Apart from the extraordinary rare artist like Johnny Depp, you seldom see good acting on the Hollywood scene. Not nowadays, anyway. The British (see: 28 Days Later) are more eager of using unknown actors to enhance realism and bring out some real acting.
I don’t know much about Edward G. Robinson, except that he has played in about 100 movies (including Soylent Green!!) but in this film he makes a killer. The movie was, as I’m told, made on a very small budget placing enormous faith in the actors themselves to bring the story forward.
The plot of this Noir film from 1945 is also brilliantly written, and I found myself laughing the evil laugh – muhahahaha! you know the kind – at the end of it. Not because it’s funny, but because I’m an evil bastard. That’s why Film Noir kicks ass!
Robinson does the film almost by himself, and you’re intrigued by the ingenuity of the director, leading the story forward, scene by scene. A recommended flick without the happy ending we’re all so sick of!

The Truman Show
I had great expectations for this movie and I must admit it was all I hoped for.
But, thinking about it, was it really the movie itself that put a spell on me or was it the fact that I’m into philosophical reading? ‘Cause this film is highly existentialistic, very paranoid and deals with a combined critical of the American reality industry (now boringly popular here in Norway too) and the hybris of Greek Tragedy – e.g. the Man that wants to outrun the Gods, here portrayed by the "artist" behind the show.
But Carrey fits the role as the naive kid born into "the perfect world" that piece by piece begin to collapse, and does his part to the very end of the film, which kind of sucks since it doesn’t really take a stand towards the outrageous ideology behind the Show.
Great flick, tho.

Clash of the Titans
I’ve heard about this movie many times, most as a reference to the vs. movies (King Kong vs. Godzilla, Alien vs. Predator etc.) and having done with with the Greeks in my reading of Western History as perceived by Grimberg I was keenly interested to see what this old-style production had managed to cook up.
I haven’t heard about this particular story before, but some of the characters, especially the gods, and mythological beasts are dear to me. The plotline (IMDB) goes: The myth of Perseus and his quest to battle both Medusa and the Kraken monster to save the Princess Andromeda.
It’s really well made since the special FX have been put aside to let fantasy do its work. With alot of clay. And the actors look like real, Greek heroes. The hero slightly gay, the Princess very attractive. A good Sunday matiné!