With Blood on My Hands: Pusher II/Pusher II (2004) - Refn's magnetic snapshot of Copenhagen's criminal underground

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+ 3rd Best Movie of the Year

+ Best Copenhagen Movie of the Year + Best Crime Movie of the Year + Best Danish Movie of the Year + Best Sequel of the Year

Its stars are on parade on this gloomy and criminality-teasing poster for Nicolas Winding Refn's With Blood on My Hands: Pusher II

Tonny is let out of prison in Copenhagen with a debt. He is not welcomed with open arms by his powerful mechanic father, the Duke. In the meantime Tonny has become a father, and his mother has passed away.

With Blood on My Hands: Pusher II is the 4th feature written and directed by Danish master filmmaker Nicolas Winding Refn (Drive (2011)) and the second in his Pusher trilogy, which also consists of his great debut Pusher (1996) and Pusher III (2005).
There are so many well-made scenes in Refn's hard-boiled crime drama, which was his best film up to that point in his impressive career. Pusher II is also a triumph for Mads Mikkelsen (Bleeder (1999)) as Tonny, whom he gives inspired life, and Leif Sylvester (Otto Is a Rhino/Otto Er et Næsehorn (1983)) is outstanding as his cruel father. Refn gets the very best out of all of his very authentic supporting characters, and Peter Peter's (Antboy 3 (2016)) thundering percussion and electro-reliant score elevates the film considerably. Pusher II is a hard-hitting modern classic in Danish cinema.

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Top 10: Best car chases in movies reviewed by Film Excess to date
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Drive (2011) - Refn's muscle-flexing audience favorite  
Bronson (2008) or, Violent Man

2004 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED I]
Bleeder (1999) - Refn's mysterious second film  
 

Listen to Sad Disco, a song from the film's score here

Cost: Unknown
Box office: In excess of 1.9 mil. $
= Uncertain
[With Blood on My Hands: Pusher II was released 25 December (Denmark) and runs 100 minutes. Refn had no intentions of making a Pusher trilogy until his film company went bankrupt due to the flop of his artistic drama thriller set in Canada, Fear X (2003). In response, he devised Pusher II and III, which saved his finances. He reportedly wrote the script over the course of a weekend. Shooting took place in Copenhagen, Denmark, mostly chronologically and mostly using a handheld camera. The film sold 161,988 tickets in its production country Denmark, making it a minor hit locally. The only foreign gross listed is 34k $ in Norway. The budget for the first film was a very low 6 mil. DKK. The budget for Pusher II is unknown, (it was supported by the Danish Film Institute), but if made on another small - but substantially larger, likely 10-12 mil. DKK (1.5-1.8 mil. $), the film's gross would land it as a big flop. It was nominated for the Nordic Council Film Prize, won 1/12 Robert award nominations (Denmark's Oscar) and 1/3 Bodil awards (Danish film critics' awards.) Refn returned with Pusher III (2005). Mikkelsen returned in Adam's Apples/Adams Æbler (2005). With Blood on My Hands: Pusher II is fresh at 100 % with a 7.55/10 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]

What do you think of With Blood on My Hands: Pusher II?

Palindromes (2004) - Solondz stabs here, there and everywhere in strange passion project

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+ Best Poster of the Year

The mysterious, beautifully drawn and colorized poster for Todd Solondz's Palindromes

Palindromes concerns young teenage girl Aviva, who wants to become a mother. She attempts to get there with a boy from the neighborhood, and her parents followup with an abortion. After this she runs away from home.

Palindromes is written and directed by Todd Solondz (Fear, Anxiety & Depression (1989)). A palindrome is a word that is spelled the same from each end, which occurs a few times in the film's characters' names.The especially unusual thing about the film is that Aviva through the film is played by eight different actors of different age, sex, race and body types, which is interesting. 
But Solondz's point or points with Palindromes are very intangible, and the fact that the film's mission seems almost undecipherable makes it failed. The filmmaker's common artistic perspective; that man is an odd, misplaced and alienated life form on earth, who is desperately seeking solace in religion, is also present here, but the view seems more spiteful and didactic than in his other films in Palindromes.
Without spoiling the film it can be mentioned that it has some absolutely sick scenes, and that Solondz's preoccupation with child sexuality and violations again give disturbing results. The title melody sets a particular, dissolute tone, but the film points in many directions, often making the viewer uncomfortable, featuring potentially moving characters and scenarios that Solondz nevertheless seems to despise.

Related posts:

Todd Solondz: Wiener-Dog (2016) - Solondz's incisive and funny dog saga dramedy
Life During Wartime (2009) - Too little is really going on in Solondz's guilt-themed Happiness sequel 

2004 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED I] 

Watch a trailer for the film with Italian subtitles here

Cost: Reportedly 0.5 mil. $
Box office: 707k $
= Big flop (returned 1.41 times its cost)
[Palindromes premiered 3 September (Telluride Film Festival, Colorado) and runs 100 minutes. Solondz could not get anyone to finance the film and reportedly invested all of his own life savings to make it. Heather Matarazzo turned down reprising the Dawn Wiener role from Solondz's great Welcome to the Dollhouse (1995) in the film, and Solondz instead made her character die from suicide in the script as a reaction. Shooting took place in Indianapolis, Indiana and in New York. The film opened #46 to a 57k $ first weekend in 7 theaters in North America, where it peaked at #36 and in 46 theaters, grossing 553k $ (78.5 % of the total gross). The 2nd and 3rd biggest markets were Spain with 91k $ (12.9 %) and the UK with 51k $ (7.2 %). Solondz returned with Life During Wartime (2009). Matthew Faber (The Pallbearer (1996)) returned in 2 shorts and a TV-series before his theatrical return in Still Life (2006); Ellen Barkin (Hands of Stone (2016)) returned in Trust the Man (2005); Jennifer Jason Leigh (Annihilation (2018)) in Childstar (2004). Palindromes is rotten at 43 % with a 5.31/10 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]

What do you think of Palindromes?

Oh Happy Day (2004) - Some fun and uplift in Joof's cliche-ridden second flick

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Co-writer/star Lotte Andersen looks gobsmacked at the feeling of dark hands on her milky-white face on this bright poster for Hella Joof's Oh Happy Day

Middle-aged Hannah lives in a passionless marriage and attends choir at church, where the group there now invite a stranded, American choir leader to lead them. And soon Hannah's life sings to a new tune ...

Oh Happy Day is written by Jannik Johansen (Murk/Mørke (2005)), co-writer/star Lotte Andersen (Okay (2002), actor) and co-writer/director Hella Joof (Shake It All About/En Kort En Lang (2001)).
Andersen's protagonist Hannah is well-acted but too passive and mousy overall, and the cliches come in a steady pace in Joof's spiritual comedy: Not least the one that Danish men are uniformly uncool dorks, but also the cliche of the sensual, musical black man is established fact in Oh Happy Day.
The heavy-handed  script does venture to promote faith and a more liberated church form, which is fine, and Ditte Gråbøl (A Caretaker's Tale/Viceværten (2012)) is a fun sidekick for Andersen. English 1980s popstar Rick Astley has composed some fine songs for the film.
Oh Happy Day would have been a more infectious romcom, if it had been a better film.

Related post:

Hella Joof: Shake It All About/En Kort En Lang/Shake It (2001) or, Him or Her?

Watch a trailer for the film here

Cost: Reportedly 2 mil. £, equaling approximately 2.5 mil. $
Box office: Unknown, but likely in excess of 2.42 mil. $
= Uncertain, but likely a huge or big flop (likely returned around 1 times its cost)
[Oh Happy Day premiered 25 August (Copenhagen International Film Festival, Denmark) and runs 92 minutes. The production was financed with support from the Danish Film Institute. Shooting took place in Denmark. The film sold 248k tickets in Denmark, making it a local hit, and it was released in Germany, Netherlands and Sweden, although grosses from there are unreported and likely tiny. It was nominated for 6 Robert awards (Denmark's Oscar) and 1 Bodil (Danish film critics awards). Joof returned with Easy Skanking/Fidibus (2006). Andersen returned in Min Søsters Børn i Ægypten (2004); Gråbøl in Forsvar (2004, TV-series) and theatrically in Accused/Anklaget (2005); and Malik Yoba (Bull (2000-01)) in Arrested Development (2004, TV-series), Slur (2005, short) and theatrically in Kids in America (2005). 691 IMDb users have given Oh Happy Day a 5.6/10 average rating.]

What do you think of Oh Happy Day?

Ocean's Twelve (2004) - Soderbergh returns with jumbled, glossy heist comedy sequel

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An impressive collection of Hollywood stars walk on a line on this poster for Steven Soderbergh's Ocean's Twelve

Benedict (Andy Garcia (Stand and Deliver (1988))) is mad at Danny Ocean and his gang after the events of the first film (Ocean's Eleven (2001)), and Ocean attempts to pay him back by involving himself in European heists, facing off against arrogant French master thief competition; 'the Night Fox'.

Ocean's Twelve is written by George Nolfi (Timeline (2003)) and directed by Georgian master director/cinematographer Steven Soderbergh (Sex, Lies, and Videotape (1989)), following up his own success with the 2001 remake of Ocean's 11 (1960).
The impressive array of stars are still hot to look at, (and their characters are now also rich), and they are intermittently amusing, too.
Ocean's Eleven was a tightly composed, chronological heist story oozing with sex and solid laughs. Ocean's Twelve has less of all the good stuff: It fumbles around in time with several smaller heists, characters bickering and other unnecessary elements, nonsense and plot twists.

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2011 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED II]
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Haywire (2011) - Soderbergh's taut, stylish ensemble actioner is a masterpiece
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2009 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED I]  
2009 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess  
The Informant! (2009) - Soderbergh and Damon's terrific true-crime dramedy  
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Watch a trailer for the film here

Cost: 110 mil. $
Box office: 362.7 mil. $
= Box office success (returned 3.29 times its cost)
[Ocean's Twelve premiered 8 December (Hollywood, California) and runs 125 minutes. The script was changed to accommodate Julia Roberts (Pretty Woman (1990)) being pregnant with twins. Shooting took place in the Netherlands, including Amsterdam, Italy, Illinois, including Chicago, Los Angeles, California, Las Vegas, Nevada, Monaco and Paris, France from March - August 2004. The film opened #1 to a 39.1 mil. $ first weekend in North America, where it spent another 3 weeks in the top 5 (#2-#5-#5) and grossed 125.5 mil. $ (34.6 % of the total gross). The 2nd and 3rd biggest markets were Japan with 31.6 mil. $ (8.7 %) and the UK with 23.5 mil. $ (6.5 %). It was the 10th highest-grossing film of the year globally. Roger Ebert gave the film a 3/4 star review, translating to a notch better than this one. Ocean's Thirteen (2007) was also made by Soderbergh with the stars returning. Soderbergh returned first with Bubble (2005). George Clooney (One Fine Day (1996)) returned in Good Night, and Good Luck. (2005); Brad Pitt (Happy Together (1989)) in Mr. and Mrs. Smith (2005); and Matt Damon (Margaret (2011)) with a voice cameo in Law & Order: Criminal Intent (2005, TV-series) and theatrically in The Brothers Grimm (2005). Ocean's Twelve is rotten at 55 % with a 5.9/10 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]

What do you think of Ocean's Twelve?

Before the Fall/Napola – Elite für den Führer (2004) - Gansel's powerful look behind the curtains of Nazi education

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+ Best Boxing Movie of the Year + Best German Movie of the Year + Best Huge Flop Movie of the Year + Best War Movie of the Year + Most Under-Appreciated Movie of the Year 

An inharmonious poster for Dennis Gansel's Before the Fall, which highlights its two attractive young male leads and the fascism that they face

In 1942, Friedrich is a young German boxer who is discovered and then encouraged to apply to one of Hitler's NaPolA schools, (which were to educate the future political and military elite of the Nazi empire.) But despite the promising and adventurous prospects, his meeting with fascism becomes merciless.

Before the Fall is written by Maggie Peren (Kiss and Run (2002)) and its great German co-writer/director Dennis Gansel (Girls on Top/Mädchen Mädchen! (2001)), based on the real Nazi NaPolA schools (short for National Political Institutes of Education) and first-hand knowledge from Gansel's grandfather's experience in one of these.
It is a thoroughly well-made film, which offers a new perspective on the Nazi era; that of the thousands of German children and youths who were inducted witlessly into the evil paradigms of Nazism.
The film's production design is unostentatious and credible throughout, and the performances are outstanding, achieving impressive authenticity: In particular Max Riemelt (The Wave/Die Welle (2008)) as young, beautiful Friedrich, SPOILER the protagonist who in the end seems to come to terms with the fact that he loves his tragically sensitive homosexual friend Albrecht. Tom Schilling (Woman in Gold (2015)) is also brilliant as Albrecht. The boys' fathers and the tough commanders in the school are also always credibly portrayed.
The relatively small story here stays clear of the later mass deaths of NaPolA students at the war's conclusion, but it works excellently as an also finely photographed (by Torsten Breuer (Bandits (1997))) story of some of WWII's victims, far from the battlegrounds. It is a strong and in places heartbreaking portrait of a tragic heritage.

 

Related posts:

 

Top 10: Best German movies

2004 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED I]

Watch a short clip from the film here

Cost: Reportedly 4.5 mil. $
Box office: 3.7 mil. $
= Huge flop (returned 0.82 times its cost)
[Before the Fall premiered 4 July (Karlovy Vary International Film Festival, Czech Republic) and runs 114 minutes. Gansel has named Bernardo Bertolucci's The Conformist (1970) as an inspiration for the film. Shooting took place in Germany and in Prague, Czech Republic from September - December 2003. It opened #83 to an 8k $ first weekend in 1 theater in North America, where it peaked at #70 and in 4 theaters (different weeks), had a remarkable 28 week-long run, regrettably only accruing 144k $ (3.9 % of the total gross). Main production country Germany was the by far biggest market with 3.4 mil. $ (91.9 %). North America was 2nd biggest, and Austria 3rd biggest with 97k $ (2.6 %). The film won a German Film award for its script. Gansel returned with The Wave (2008). Riemelt returned in (Feinde) (2005, short) and theatrically in Hallesche Kometen (2005); Schilling in Egoshooter (2004). Before the Fall is fresh at 67 % with a 6.37/10 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]

What do you think of Before the Fall?

New Police Story/新警察故事 (2004) - Chan revives franchise for condescending cash grab

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+ 3rd Worst Movie of the Year

Star Jackie Chan looks determined holding a handgun on this mostly greyish poster for Benny Chan's New Police Story

One of Hong Kong Police's top investigators spirals down in drinking following the deaths of 9 subordinates in an attack by a gang of rich-kid rebels, who love X-games, using English phrases as well as masks, bombs and robberies.

New Police Story is written by Alan Yen (Thunder Cop/Xin die xue shuang xiong (1996)) and directed by Benny Chan (A Moment of Romance/Tin joek jau ching (1990)). It is a reboot of the Police Story franchise, which at the time were 4 hit action movies from 1985-96.
Jackie Chan (Supercop 2/Chiu kup gai wak (1993)) returns to lead again, and he is sympathetic as few major stars. The fighting scenes are well choreographed, and they are the film's biggest asset.
Apart from them, New Police Story is a package of wall-to-wall unreality and ridiculous mumbo-jumbo. Its messy story shortly suggests that the villain was abused by his police chief father, and it also devotes a good amount of time on Chan's unfunny, peacocking partner, who turns out to be full of lies, as well as Chan's character's relationship with his girlfriend. - The latter is explored in scenes that break new ground in being ridiculously, pathetically sentimental.
New Police Story is obviously more of a business calculation than a movie all the way through, replete with several very undisguised product placements and elements to appeal to every major demographic. But what makes it unbearable above all else is the talking down to the audience, who New Police Story's idiot filmmakers must surely have taken to be idiots, - which is a serious transgression.

 

Related post:

 

2004 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED I]

Watch a 4-minute clip from the film here, in which Chan and his partner escape from jail

Cost: Reportedly 10 mil. $
Box office: In excess of 15.03 mil. $
= Some uncertainty but appears a big flop (returned at least 1.5 times its cost)
[New Police Story premiered 23 September (Thailand) and runs 124 minutes. Shooting took place in Hong Kong. The film did most of its business in Asia: In China, Hong Kong, Taiwan and South Korea. It was the 4th highest-grossing domestic release of the year in Hong Kong and was released straight-to-DVD in North America. It was nominated for 8 Hong Kong Film awards. Chan returned in the franchise's next film, Police Story 2013 (2013), a much bigger hit. Benny Chan returned with Divergence/Saam cha hau (2005). Jackie Chan returned first in The Myth/San wa (2005). 23,004 IMDb users have given New Police Story a 7.0/10 average rating.]

What do you think of New Police Story?

National Treasure (2004) - Stars shine in Turteltaub's preposterous adventure baloney

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Star Nicolas Cage crowns some ancient scrolls on this mystery-indicating poster for Jon Turteltaub's National Treasure

A historian races against mercenaries to find a secret treasure detailed on the back of the Declaration of Independence.

National Treasure is written by Jim Kouf (A Fork in the Road (2009)), Cormac Wibberley and Marianne Wibberley (Motel Blue (1997), both), with Oren Aviv (RocketMan (1997)) and Charles Segars contributing story elements, and directed by Jon Turteltaub (Think Big (1989)).
A type Indiana Jones for another age this action adventure never becomes, and the ambitions also seem set at a lower, popcorn-pushing level of entertainment. 
Nicolas Cage (Kiss of Death (1995)) is in a way miscast here as historian hero Benjamin Gates, the professorial adventurer after a Masonic treasure. The plot is a colorful concoction devised with inspiration from the Dan Brown-mania that was rampant at the time, and set in God's own country, perhaps to distinguish it clearly from its still un-adapted bestseller kin. But the story is far-fetched and superficial, the film unconvincing.
It does have a strong cast, which also includes Harvey Keitel (A Crime (2006)), Jon Voight (Zoolander (2001)) and Sean Bean (Ca$h (2010)).

 

Related post:

 

2004 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED I]

Watch a trailer for the film here

Cost: 100 mil. $
Box office: 347.5 mil. $
= Box office success (returned 3.47 times its cost)
[National Treasure premiered 8 November (California) and runs 131 minutes. Development began in 1999. Shooting took place in Utah, New York, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, California, including Los Angeles, and Washington DC in and around September 2003. Cage was paid 20 mil. $ for his performance. The film opened #1 to a 35.1 mil. $ first weekend in North America, where it spent another 2 weeks at #1 and one more in the top 5 (#3), grossing 173 mil. $ (49.8 % of the total gross). The 2nd and 3rd biggest markets were Japan with 16.9 mil. $ (4.9 %) and Spain with 15.9 mil. $ (4.6 %). Roger Ebert gave the film a 2/4 star review, equal in rating to this one. Turteltaub, Cage and several other principals returned with the successful sequel National Treasure: Book of Secrets (2007). In between, Turteltaub directed 2 episodes of Jericho (2006, TV-series). Cage first returned in Lord of War (2005). National Treasure is rotten at 46 % with a 5.32/10 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]

What do you think of National Treasure?