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{mosimage}Saudi Arabia is the destiny of a group of FBI agents leaded by Jamie Foxx on pursuit of islamic terrorists. 

The Kingdom has positive and negative features almost on equal quantities. The film is certainly thrilling and has some amazingly shocking visual moments, like the terrorists attacks at the beginning. The acting skills of Jamie Foxx and Chris Cooper are certainly excellent, but we cannot say the same of Jennifer Garner, in a role too big for her. She does not look plausible as a tough F.B.I. agent in the middle of Middle East.

Director Peter Berg achieves a film that makes you catch your breath during most of the action, but on the other hand the final message sounds too much like old American propaganda from Bush administration, where the best solution is to kill all the terrorists quickly and efficiently.

It looks also that the new rule in Hollywood is to show the collaborative side of the native security forces, something that we saw not so long time ago in A Mighty Heart with the Pakistani  police helping in the case, and now it is repeated with the role of colonel Faris (Ali Suliman).Maybe when USA, including their cinema industry, realizes that the world is not all black or white, we will have a better future. Meanwhile, get entertained with The Kingdom and try not to take it too politically serious. 

Rate 3/5

{mosimage}The glam band from Tampere features their first DVD, recorded in their hometown. 

Negative has step by step been able to get a place in the hearts of, not only the Finnish bands, but also an increasing international audience. Without being revolutionary, but drinking directly from the glam bands of the eighties and showing the correct attitude on stage, Negative is nowadays one of the most successful Finnish rock bands. Added to this, his vocalist, Jonne Aaron, is a charismatic front man beloved by the female fans (if not, just watch out the first rows of the concert in Pakkahuone, literally crowded by young girls) with a kind of fragile beauty similar to a young Sebastian Bach. Together with the other 5 components, they release a great doses of glam and AOR in Pakkahuone, the legendary concert venue in Tampere. Nothing better than releasing their first official DVD in their hometown, and you can feel that the band is happy to be there. Good chemistry on stage, with the members having fun and sometimes recording directly with video cameras all what is happening on the stage.

Apart from the almost 2 hours of concert, where anthems like The Moment of Our Love, In Memoriam or Frozen to Lose it All could not be left behind, the DVD includes also a second cd with a lot of extra material: 5 music videos, an Interview with Negative, a documentary of the band touring around the world and some videos recorded by the fans. 

A praising effort to make the fans happy and eager to pursue the DVD. If you like hard rock and glam from the eighties, and you admire bands like Guns & Roses, the earlier Bon Jovi or Skid Row, surely you will be delighted watching In the Eye of the Hurricane. 

Rate 4/5.

{mosimage}English Queen Elizabeth´s life is once more taken to cinema, again being Cate Blanchett the one responsible to impersonate her. 

It is difficult for me, being native Spanish, to give an objective opinion about the historical facts of the film. Obviously, the point of view is pretty pro-English, portraying the Spanish as dark people dressed in black and behaving like catholic zealots (which in part could be true). Nevertheless, what the English ships did against the Spanish float that traveled to America cannot be less than considered as simply piracy. In any case, good to see Jordi Mollá in the role of King Phillip the II of Spain. Every time he is given a minor role in a big super production, he knows how to show some classy actor´s skills. Hopefully he will get soon or later the big chance he deserves.

This movie do not have the astonishing battle scenes or thrilling action of some others, but nevertheless the strong point is to see the life in the English court, and the triangle of love among Cate Blanchett as the queen, Clive Owen as Sir Walter Raleigh and Abbie Cornish as the sensual Queen´s maid, all of it observed by Geoffrey Rush.

Owen and Blanchett are enjoying a sweet moment in their careers, and the good chemistry when they share some sequences is the best of the movie. Forget other details like the unnecessary speech of the Queen to the troops before facing the Spanish Armada (why lately every historical movie must have a speech before a battle? "Braveheart´s effect" does not always work the same…) and enjoy the struggle of a powerful couple between their passions and dreams, and the love for their country and their compulsory duties.

Rate 3/5.  

{mosimage}A new generation of American comedy is settled after titles like Knocked Up or this exhilarating Superbad. 

It seems that the genre of teenage comedy does not stop to get renewed and reinvented. If some years ago, we saw with astonishing the raw, non political correct but still very funny saga of American Pie (too much extended lately with films that are not even the shadow of the best couple of movies of the saga), a group of young talented American had done it again. Seth Rogen and Jonah Hill have been able to create two of the most successful comedies of the last year in the cinema theaters: Knocked Up and Superbad.

Opposite to American Pie, here the jokes are a bit less “disgusting” and the plot is more imaginative, although the centre of the action has similar foundations: the first sexual experiences of not very popular teenagers, and the strong bounds after many years of friendship that cannot be easily broken, even when in the middle of the action appear two crazy policemen (Seth Rogen and Bill Hader), that together with the role of Christopher Mint-Plasse (how to forget his fake driving license) are the best of the movie.

Although all in all, the movie maybe does not deserve the huge attention enjoyed in the media during the last months, it is true that will provide you with an entertaining time. I bet that we won´t have to wait long to see an incoming second part of the saga… 

Rate 3/5.

{mosimage}A double DVD spanning four decades of one of the most influential rock band of all times, the English The Who.

The Who´s spirit can be very well resumed in a comment made by Noel Gallagher during his appearance in the DVD “everybody was playing lead in The Who. Keith Moon was the lead drummer, John Entwistle the lead bass player, Pete Townsend the lead guitar and Roger Daltrey the lead vocals”. The Who was founded on the extreme competitiveness of their members, huge talents put together in a single band able to sound like an orchestra just with a guitar, a bass and the demolition work in the drums of Keith Moon, who will undoubtedly pass to the history as one of the best drummers ever born?

The double DVD is a must get for The Who fans, as well as for the new generations who want to discover one of the fundamental British band that leaded the “American invasion” during late sixties. The documentary features interviews with the two remaining members of the band (Entwistle died In 2002 and Moon in 1978) as well as with managers, roadies, members of the band´s family, etc. If that would not be enough, top class musicians who have admired and covered songs of The Who such as Eddie Vedder from Pearl Jam, Noel Gallagher from Oasis, Sting, The Edge from U2, etc. Some special winks to the fans like special footage never seen before, an analysis of every member´s skills, the film shot in 1964 The High Numbers at the Railway Hotel featuring the early stage of the band and much more.

Surely the title could have not been better chosen, since getting immersed in The Who´s history is an amazing journey that still has not got to an end. Just last year I could see them with my own eyes playing at Roskilde festival in Denmark, and be sure that The Who still rocks more than many of the younger bands.

Rate 5/5.

{mosimage}Director Markku Pölönen tells the story of a bohemian family that believes to be the descendents of the Romanov in Finland.

A finnish family that wanders around like gypsies, lost in memories and tales of other better past times, joined by a young guy who loses the memory, Samuli Vauramo, as Kasper. A family that is leaded by strong women, opposite to the brothers who do not seem to do anything more than drinking and spending the money with no sense.

Finnish director Markku Pölönen defends family values in a Finnish society that seems to be losing them too quickly at the present times.In any case, the action is slow during the first half of the movie, only spiced up by the moments when Kasper meets the young and pretty Kaisa (Sanna-Kaisa Palo) and it just start to become more interesting with the superb appearance of Peter Franzén as Laszlo, the black sheep of the family who has been travelling around Europe, and comes back to deceive the good feelings of the Kopeloinen family. He is probably the best of a film that tries to be deep but falls in the simplicity of the boredom too often. Unfortunately, for those of you who cannot understand Finnish, it can be difficult to follow since the DVD only counts with Swedish subtitles. 

Rate: 2/5.