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Reviews
Salmer fra kjøkkenet (2003)
Kitchen science
Salmer fra kjøkkenet is a very enjoyable feel good-film. It is based on true events that took place in the 50's, when Swedish scientists measured the movements of housewives to make more rational kitchens (It's true!). Although director Bent Hamer twitches (of course) the truth a bit, the film takes a basis in these experiments. Encouraged by their marvelous discoveries, the Swedish scientists decide to expand their experiments to include elderly single Norwegian men.
The film starts out with the rows of caravans crossing the border between Sweden and Norway. Already here the problems start for the scientists, since Sweden in the 50's still had left-hand driving while Norwegians drove on the right-hand side. And it is small, but trivial problems such as this that the scientists encounter throughout the film. There is the problem with how to conduct oneself as a scientist in a single mans kitchen. What on earth does an old single Norwegian man do in his kitchen, and what effect does a scientist in a corner of that kitchen have on the kitchen routine?
Salmer fra kjøkkenet is a slow moving, but never boring film. Bent Hamers ability to create weird situations with oddbodies and funny chaps is extraordinary, and makes the film a must-see experience.
Not many directors makes films as Hamer, and if you're looking for similar films Hamers own exceptional film Eggs is a very good recommendation. A film such as the French Delicatessen also has much of the same qualities.
Salmer fra kjøkkenet is a good film, but it still lacks the last extra bit making Eggs one of the best films ever made. Despite this Salmer fra kjøkkenet is far ahead most of its genre, and a film you will not regret using time to watch.
Når nettene blir lange (2000)
Abysmal family secrets
"Når nettene blir lange" starts with a rather chaotic introduction of it's main characters. It is chaotic in the way that we don't get introduced properly to anyone, instead it's just short cuts of a lot of stressed people. All these stressed people turn out to be a family; husbands, wives, parents and children (and a dog), on their way to a rented traditional Norwegian cottage for their yuletide celebration. But what is intended to be a nice family gathering and joining of it's new and old members turn out to be quite the opposite. The problems get piled up one onto the other; the cottage lacks of laid on water and electricity (it being a traditional Norwegian cottage and all) which seems to be a bit of an annoyance to the visiting Polish mother; one of the kids have a rather bad asthma problem, which are getting no better thanks to the dog running about the cottage; the good old "father of the family" has a bit of a problem with the concept of seeing alcohol and not drinking it, instantaneously. These problems and others, smaller and bigger ones, end up in a family Christmas dinner like one you've (hopefully) never experienced before.
I was a bit perplexed at the beginning of the film. Not only didn't I get hold on any of the characters, but the whole film looked a bit "amateurish" and possibly more like a documentary. Still as the film went on in the same mode I got to understand the genius of it. By luring us - the audience - to viewing the film as an amateur documentary it captures us in the realness of the film; this could have been "my" family. By doing this the culmination of the film gets closer to us and buggers us all the more.
As a Dogme film it is natural to compare it to other Dogme films, both in it's way of filming and storytelling. It is without doubt a close cousin of the Danish Dogme "Festen", and if you've seen either you are guaranteed to at least enjoy the other as well. I would also like to compare it a bit with the first "Blair witch project" film. Although far from being the same genre of film I think this comparison may explain the "amateurishness" I was speaking about.
As a final comment I would strongly recommend this film! And do not turn it off if you're, like I was, a bit perplexed after the first half-hour or so because you have to watch the whole film to really enjoy it.
Rat Race (2001)
Same old sh#t, new wrapping
Here's a film with a lot of good points; if you've never watched a single comedy before in your entire life that is. The story starts of by introducing the characters at a hotel, and they all end up, rather "surprisingly", in the top suite. It turns out to be the eccentric millionaire/ billionaire Donald Sinclair's work of doing. He is offering them all a chance to win $1000000, and so the race starts. For it is the race the film is about; it is only the winner of the race to a deposit box that gets the money. The race itself is made up of the contenders mixing into all kinds of weird situations, which is all a very good idea but which has also been done before. Remember Cannonball Run and Cannonball Run II? I would have thought two VERY similar films about a race was enough! But apparently Jerry Zucker did not agree with me, and he felt the need to make a film containing the scenes that was refused for classics such as Airplane and the Naked gun movies. The film is not chemically free from good and enjoyable moments; David Sinclair, played by non other than John Cleese, and his lot of eccentric billionaire friends make up the most of these, but some very rare seconds of other laughable happenings also occur. All in all this is not a film you want to watch!!