Reviews of Film, TV, and Music Their Messages and Methods, by Stefan Stenudd
Barry Keoghan pretends to be someone who pretends to be someone like himThe movie Saltburn is an enjoyable spectacle thanks to some splendid acting, especially by the lead Barry Keoghan who is carrying just about the whole story on his shoulders.
 Iron Man's rage proves the need for government scrutinyIn the movie Captain America: Civil War, Iron Man's vindictive rage proves that superheroes must be under democratic government scrutiny.
Woody Allen even more bland than usualA Rainy Day in New York shows Woody Allen at his blandest, which is saying something. Everything is so predictable and conventional, even splendid actors fail miserably. They stand no chance.
That's Not MagicThe Magicians TV-series bluntly plagiarizes Harry Potter and The Mentalist. Its main shortcoming, though, is its poor understanding of magic.
My Guess: A Badly Camouflaged RerunThere are several trailers for Star Wars VII – The Force Awakens, but they look very much the same with minor variations. I bet that's significant of what the new movie will be: same same, with nothing but minor alterations.
Not That FunnyThe Writers Guild of America has chosen the 101 funniest screenplays ever. Not only is it odd that they should, but also the result is questionable.
Failing Father FiguresThe Simpsons and Family Guy have lots in common. The most striking – and tiresome – similarity is that of Homer Simpson and Peter Griffin.
Don't Wanna Stay Alive When You're 25What's with the withering of rock stars, when they become adults?
 No Rule Can Substitute CompassionIn The World's Strictest Parents, troublemaker teens are shown the way. The teenagers are narrowmindedly blamed for just about everything.
Georgian GethsemaneSearching the web for versions of Gethsemane (I Only Want to Say) from Jesus Christ Superstar, I came across Luka Zaqariadze on a Georgian Idol show.
Totally Messed Up RisingThe grand finale of the Batman films, The Dark Knight Rises, is a complete mess. The 2.5 hours have a plot that is a maze.
Not Taken by the Dramatic CurveThe film Taken is a decent action movie, but it fails mainly in its dramatic curve. So, the end can be nothing but disappointing.
Age-old Dilemmas Also Plague the FutureLooper is a film playing with the idea of time travel – but doing so with a dramatic nerve that leaves the intellectual paradox far behind.
The Rage of PubertyUnderneath the spectacular surface, the film Chronicle is all about the torment and rage of male puberty.
Still a BeatleIn the TV concert of Paul McCartney singing a handful of evergreen covers, what stood out the most was what a delicate singer he can be.
Mama, Just Killed a ManA few thoughts on the lyrics of the Queen anthem Bohemian Rhapsody. They're just as impressive as the music.
Mental NarcissistThe Mentalist, the police procedural TV series, is catchy. But it's not about a mentalist. It's about a raving narcissist.
 We Need to Listen to KevinWe Need to Talk About Kevin fosters the myth of the innocent parent. That's not believable even in fiction.
Where Were They?The London Olympics opening ceremony was spectacular, but where was everybody? Not much of a line-up, considering what Great Britain has.
Two and a Half Ceases to ComputeIn the 9th season of Two and a Half Men, uncle Charlie is replaced by Walden. It's not working. The money keeps it running, but surely not for long.
 Game of WordsThe Game of Thrones fantasy drama would have pleased even William Shakespeare. Its foremost quality is that of words, words, words.
Counter ActingThose who master the art of acting know to play on the opposite of what is called for, thereby enhancing it, as if real acting is counter acting.
Vanity Cards Are Not in VainThe TV writer and producer Chuck Lorre puts in Vanity Cards at the end of every TV sitcom episode he produces. It started already in 1995.
Fame Must Be RawThe 2009 remake of Fame was just a bunch of scenes. The film makers might have watched the 1980 original, but they didn't learn from it.
Actors InterruptusI've become addicted to Inside the Actors Studio. Like any addiction, it's a combination of delight and agony.
Harry Potter vs. Voldemort – so what?It might be blasphemy, but I have trouble appreciating the Harry Potter stories. The Deathly Hallows is a gloomy end to them.
No Hit Song Without WordsA research team presents a formula to predict what songs will be hits. But they ignore one of the top components of a song: the lyrics.
Burlesque Breakfast of ChampionsBreakfast of Champions, the film based on Kurt Vonnegut's novel, turned the wonderfully absurd novel into a tiresome burlesque.
Music Is Immune to ParodyTim Minchin's comedy consists of satirical songs. So, his music is parody, but it doesn't matter. It's still sweet, sweet music.
Choose Your WeaponsI wonder about musicians who go for the most unwieldy instruments. What were they thinking?
Faith or Not, You Have to LeapThe naked take on fake religion suddenly becoming real in the film Leap of Faith — that is my favorite Steve Martin movie.
Don't Wanna Stay Alive When You're 25David Bowie lost his edge in the 1980s. Is rock'n'roll something reserved for all the young dudes?
Shooting on My StreetHollywood came to my street in Stockholm, shooting scenes for the Stieg Larsson crime story The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.
Characters With CharacterWithout Charlie Sheen, the sitcom Two and a Half Men can't continue. That perfect set of characteristic characters can't be rearranged.
Bland Leads Dull GleeI often wonder why those who get to play the lead roles are frequently chosen as if failure is the goal. Glee is a typical example of this.
A Ratatouille of the HeartIn the film Ratatouille, it's amusing for me to see the portrayal of Ego, the restaurant critic, since I was one for twelve years.
What They Should Have SungSome songs have an element of magic. Lyrics have a lot to do with it, too. One such song is Handbags and Gladrags from the 1960s.
Bye to Censorship – and HelloSweden stops censoring movies. It's the last of the democratic countries to do so, and it was one of the first to start it in 1911.
Not Only Punched by Ingmar BergmanIngmar Bergman confessed that he had punched a critic to stop him from writing any more reviews about Bergman's work. He seemed quite proud of it.
Idol is a Tragedy – LiterallyMost things we humans do adapt the form of drama. Not only fiction, but so do sports, religious practices – and every reality show on TV.
Movie Reviews in ShortIn 2003 I got the impulse to write movie reviews for the IMDb website. There were many movies at that time without reviews or very few of them. This was partucularly true for Swedish movies, so I kind of specialized on those — though not exclusively.I also wrote about movies I regard as particularly significant, and some I just happened to come across. The reviews are rather short. In old newspaper terms I made most of them a sheet and a half, circa 20 lines, which was the normal format for short reviews when I worked as a rock critic. A full review was twice that amount. Newspaper writing is all about being comprised, and that's very good exercise for any writer. It was great fun to write these short movie reviews, until I had done almost 50 of them. Then I ceased doing it — on IMDb, that is. They are still around on the IMDb website, but I thought I might as well have them on my own website, too, now that I have a reviews section on it. Here they all are:
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