I can slowly feel my summer break coming to an end. Been away from school for over six weeks now, and with only little over two weeks to go, I’ve realised it’s been a pretty cool summer. Got loads of stuff done, met loads of new friends, started to work on my new film and also tried to figure out which film-related school I’m going to in a year, after high school. I really realised after working on the FXhome film project that this is the industry I want to work in for the rest of my life, which feels really cool.

Last couple of weeks have been pretty cool. Met my good friend Niklas and his family - I hadn’t seen them for over 5 years. Basically, I’ve had loads of friends come over here to spend a few days on the countryside - generally relaxing and obviously rocking out on Rock Band - the best game ever…that is until Rock Band 2, probably.

I started to storyboard “Campsite”, which is something I’ve never done before. I just feel it’s much easier to find the shots once you get to location, as it’s easier to improvise and come up wth interesting shots once you’re on set (at least according to me). I havn’t sketched out or thought out every single shot yet, but I do have quite a few ideas in mind. I guess it’s something I have to learn to do if I ever get into larger-budget films, as it’s very easy to know yourself what you’re looking for, but it’s much more difficult to express them to other people, especially if you don’t know them personally. Also been working on a few relatively secret projects for people involving colour grading and compositing work. Been in contact the last couple of weeks with a bunch of companies around the Malmö area, looking for a part-time job - mainly to get contacts and experience.

Havn’t really had time to play a whole lot of video games (except for Rock Band) lately, just been to busy socializing…I did get another try at playing Mario Kart for the Nintendo Wii yesterday. And yes, it was crap. Albeit I’ve never really been a big fan of the whole Nintendo-cutesy thingy so that might have something to do with it. Planning to get back in to Grand Theft Auto IV again now that I’m on the countryside. I bought it pretty much the day it was released, played it for a few days, then had to put it away again due to the old famous “massive-school-exam-overkill-period”. I need to finish the game at least before starting school again, but at the moment it is pretty damn difficult. Will keep you posted on my progress. Just remember that if you want to challenge me in some kind of crazy GTA multiplayer mayhem, just add me to your friends list on Xbox Live. (Both mine and Johannes’ gamertags are available on our respective crew pages).

The last two or three days I’ve been working on pretty much reinstalling everything on a fast PC I’ve got at home. It was a pretty tedious process, with drivers not being found and much, much more. Still some stuff to do - I am constantly reminded of why I switched to Mac in the first place. Speaking of Mac, bought a 1 TB hard drive for it and installed Windows Vista on it which runs perfectly smooth on my fast Mac Pro. Games run even better than on the well-spoken PC, and everything just runs a lot smoother. Keep in mind that I’m still using OSX as my main operating system, it’s just that I thought it’d be cool to see if I could get Apple’s virtual machine software “Boot Camp” to work good (as you might have guessed, it works like a dream). Oh, and it’s pretty cool to go into the “Device Manager” under system preferences in Vista and see that it finds 8 processors.

That’s pretty much all I have time for today, but I’ll speak to you all on Saturday evening when I’ll be posting a round-up of some films I’ve watched the last two weeks - excluding the amazing “The Dark Knight”, which you can find my review for right under this news post.

Take care and I’ll see you all in August!

As promised yesterday, here is my review of “The Dark Knight”, the sequel to 2005’s “Batman Begins” starring among others Christian Bale, Heath Ledger, Michael Caine, Gary Oldman, Aaron Eckhart and Morgan Freeman. It’s directed by Christopher Nolan, who also directed “Batman Begins”, “The Prestige” and “Memento”. Review is mostly spoiler-free, as always.

I must say I was pretty hyped to see this film. I loved the trailers and all of the promotional stuff, including some of the awesome posters made for the film. When the first initial impressions from test audiences started to pop up around the web, my interest reached yet another level - and with the fantastic reviews that started to arrive a week before it was released in the U.S. - I seriously couldn’t wait for it. I guess it’s something I pretty much always do with most films I go see in theatres, I get very excited and sometimes the films don’t really live up to the hype. But would and could “The Dark Knight” live up to my pretty insane expectations, and would it be the best comic book film ever made, even topping the brilliant “Iron Man” released earlier this year?

We are thrown into the story straight away with a bang, with an exciting, realistic and very thought-out bank-robbery scene, compliments of the film’s villian, who calls himself “The Joker” (Ledger). Batman, Bruce Wayne (Bale) in real life, struggles to keep his personal life seperate from his night-time job as a “Dark Knight”. “Does Gotham really need a man in a mask to protect them?” is a question raised when up-and-coming DA Harvey Dent (Eckhart) manages to clean up the streets from the mafia in broad daylight without anything to conceal his identity. But can the white knight save Gotham from the corrupted mind of “The Joker”, or will the dark knight have to step in once again to help stop the terror? It’s a very cool story with some great twists and turns. I found myself staring at the screen in disbelief of some of the things that were happening in the film. It’s really cool to see a film that’s so unexpected in the way it takes it’s characters and it’s plot.

I feel I should start out with talking about what is probably the most hyped performance of the decade, Heath Ledger as “The Joker”. As most of you probably know, Ledger died by overdosing on prescription drugs earlier this year, and I wasn’t sure going into the film if the hype was built mostly around the fact that he died just after finishing the film or could his performance just simply be that good? Right after the first real scene featuring The Joker, I knew this was something different. It’s really interesting to see such a young actor pretty much crush what Jack Nicholson did with the same character in Tim Burton’s Batman from 1989. What was in that film a very comedic character that was just crazy for humor’s sake, is now reinvented by Ledger as a complete psycho that has a few comedic moments, but they’re mostly just based on how crazy and in a way, scary, he is. His performance brings what is really a very simple character to a villain which is one of the better ones I’ve seen in recent memory. All the talk about giving Ledger a posthumous Oscar for the part is based in reality. The performance is really that good. Still, I can’t say for sure he deserves the Academy Award just yet, as there are still around 7 months left until the next Oscars show. Still, Ledger definitely deserves an Oscar nomination for his role. Christian Bale as Bruce Wayne is still great, and probably the best actor yet to take on the task of portraying Bruce Wayne. The rest of the cast is equally great, but Aaron Eckhart, of “Thank you for Smoking” fame, shines out from the rest of the cast. His portrayal of Harvey Dent is fantastic, and just gets better and better as his character gets more and more complicated throughout the film. I’d say it’s pretty much a perfectly casted film according to me. Everyone just feels as if they ARE the characters they portray, instead of just acting as them.

I was surprised at the amount of practical effects in the film. Surely it has a few CG sequences, but most of them are somewhat grounded in reality. It just feels more real to have an 18-Wheeler Truck flip over in the middle of a street, and shoot it for real, instead of doing it all in computers. I also like the practical props and costumes they made for the film. The batmobile (or, well, it’s more of a tank) is just, if not even more awesome than in the first film, and later when we are introduced to a new vehicle, it just reaches another level of awesomeness. I also have to compliment some of the make-up effects done in the film. The Joker really doesn’t look as much of a clown as he did in the older film. It’s much more based in reality, and Heath Ledger really doesn’t look anything like himself. Oh, and this film probably features one of the first times (except of Transformers) that CGI is blended in pretty much perfectly with an actor. I can’t say anything more than that right now, but you’ll know what I mean when you see it.

The music was amazing! In some miracle, both Hans Zimmer and James Newton Howard collaborated and made the soundtrack together. There are loads of different musical themes throughout the movie, but it’s still the original theme from Batman Begins (albeit with a twist) that shines through in scenes taking place at the end of the film. Very well done.

So, that’s pretty much it. I could go on and on about how cool the set design is, how realistic the sound effects are and how much I wanted it to be even longer (even if it is 2h 40min). Still, as you probably have realised by now it’s good. It’s pretty damn good. It’s probably twice as good as “Iron Man”, the best comic book film ever made, according to me the best action movie ever made, and probably the best film I’ve seen in 4 or 5 years. I don’t need to tell you to see this film which is now in my top 5 of best films ever made, but I will anyway. And if you’ve already seen it, see it again. And again.

Verdict: 10 out of 10

Hey! Been some time since I posted, but the last couple of weeks have been pretty hectic. Well, not in a very stressful way per se - it’s just been filled with loads of people visiting our place on the countryside so I’ve had to be extremely socially active in real life instead of just on the internet.

Made some progress on the pre-production of “Campsite”, and except for one role that still needs to be filled, everything is pretty much ready to go into production. Should be a lot of fun as it feels as if it’ll be the first time I’m heading into production relatively prepared in terms of locations for various scenes and good actors and actresses for all parts. Saw some really cool stuff from the FXhome film project yesterday, and I think it’s going to be amazing once it’s actually released sometime later this year.

Seen quite a lot of cool films the last two weeks, among these “The Dark Knight” which I’m currently writing a review for - check back tomorrow around noon for my take on Christopher Nolan’s, dare I say, masterpiece?

I’m a bit tired, hence the not-so-long post - I just thought I’d let you all know that I’m still alive -  but check back tomorrow for the review and on Thursday evening for a longer news post!

Until then, take care!

Hey guys, back with another news post! I’m still on the countryside, going home tomorrow morning. Watched a lot of films and also had the chance to send out a couple more scripts for “Campsite”. Thought I’d tell you about some of the films I’ve watched!

I finished watching “Day Watch”, the russian sci-fi-action film done by the same director who did “Wanted” - which is playing now in theatres. I really liked “Night Watch” quite a lot, but the thing that attracted me to the soon-to-be trilogy was the fact that the first film was marketed as being “The First Chapter in a groundbreaking horror trilogy”. Since I’m a big fan of horror films, that sounded like an awesome concept. Sure, both of the films are groundbreaking, but I must say I didn’t find this new one even close to as scary as the first one was. Sure, the visual effects are cool, but they don’t detract that much from the story, which was a bit more confusing than it’s predecessor. Perhaps it’s just me, I should have rewatched “Night Watch” again before seeing this film to get me in the right mood I guess. Watched “Semi-Pro”, a recently released-on-DVD comedy based around basketball starring Will Ferrel that was set out to put the “funk back in the dunk”. It was alright, although it did feel as a bit of a cash-in for Will Ferrel who is basically just playing the same character he always does. Was fun to see Woody Harrelson though, long time since I’ve seen him in a comedy.

Watched the latest “Rambo” film, starring (obviously) Sylvester Stallone. It lived up to my expectations and it basically did what it set out to do, which was to produce some mad bloody action sequences with hints of a plot. Not sure how it ranks based on what generally defines a good movie, but it was definitely great entertainment. It’s fun to see Stallone yet again defy the odds - like he did in 2006 with “Rocky Balboa” - as he still really works as an action star, at over 60 years of age. He’s basically Harrison Ford, but mental.

Oh, and for some reason I decided to watch a Swedish film based on a TV series. The film was called “Morgan Pålsson - Världsreporter” (transl. “Morgan Pålsson - International Reporter”) and I actually had quite high hopes for it as I liked the TV series the film was based on. Once again, my high hopes for a good Swedish film were quickly and relentlessly shot down from the sky. It was probably the worst film I’ve seen so far this year. Yes, even worse than “Meet the Spartans” (not sure why I saw that).

Just thought I’d keep you up-to-date with films I’ve seen, as I will continue to do so during the summer break. Oh, and I finished “Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots” - probably one of the better games I’ve ever played (even if the final cutscene of the game dragged on for too long). Rewatched “Smokin’ Aces” yesterday, which is still just as awesome as I remember it! Will now continue to watch “Blade II” - loved the first film, and as this one is directed by no other than Guillermo del Toro (who did among others “Hellboy” and “Pan’s Labyrinth”) I’m pretty sure it’s going to be great.

Talk to you all soon, take care everyone!

P.S. As you’ve probably noticed, I’ve started to post links to films and stuff I’m talking about in the news post, so if you want to check them out closer you don’t have to go searching the web that much. I’m a very nice person.

Hey guys, been quite a while since I’ve posted anything. I wasn’t able to find a Wifi connection during my stay in England, and our portable internet connection for the countryside has been screwing around for the last couple of days. I know I’ve said it before, but from now on there will definitely be more regular updates here. So, well, let’s get started! What have I been up to?

Well, last week was quite amazing. I spent Saturday the 28th through to last Sunday to work on the FXhome Film Project in England as Camera Assistant - which means I basically helped out operating the camera, making sure lens, focal length and loads of details concerning every take were written down, and generally helping out on set. If you take a look of the quick set tour Joshua (”schwar” of FXhome) filmed last Tuesday you should be able to spot my several times writing stuff down near the camera. It was a really fun week, and it really feels that I’ve gained a lot of experience and also, loads of new friends. I had to get up at 6AM every morning, and every day ended at around 6-7PM, so it was quite a lot of work (made me sleep for days when I got home ). All fun work though, and I think it really helped that most of the crew met up after shooting most days to go to a pub or restaurant - really strengthened the bond between all of us and definitely helped us get through the week. This also meant I celebrated my 18th birthday (29th June) at FXhome, which was really quite fun. A few of the guys took me to a restaurant on my birthday. Then, on the first real shooting day, on Monday, everybody sang for me which I DID NOT EXPECT…also we had loads of cake. Simon filmed the whole thing for the behind-the-scenes documentary, so I guess it won’t be too long until you see my shocked but happy face on YouTube. To sum it up a bit, it was an amazing week, and I think the film will be pretty awesome. The project really got me into trying to get started on filming “Campsite” as soon as possible. I sent out the script to a whole bunch of interested people Friday the 27th. Haven’t had too many replies just yet though, but I guess some of you are on holiday Started to work on the general storyboard for the film - but the work for it is a bit hampered mostly since: a) I can’t draw. b) I’m pretty sure I won’t be able to follow the shotlist when we all get on location.

As I said, I can’t wait to get started on “Campsite”, as I’m sure it’ll be a fun - although long and sometimes quite intensive - shoot. I’ll keep you posted when I have more news concerning the film.

I’ve watched quite a lot of films the last 2 weeks. Didn’t really have much to do in the small student apartment I lived in for a week, so mostly I just watched some DVDs I brought. Among these were “Cloverfield” (which is still awesome), “The Bank Job” and “40-Year Old Virgin”. Got quite a few DVDs for my birthday that I hadn’t seen - and then I decided to follow that up with about 35 cheap DVDs I bought in London. So there’s really no need for me to get any more films soon Although I did watch “Wanted” in London - awesome film, with some seriously amazing visual effects. One of the better action films I’ve seen actually - Very recommended! Going to watch “Day Watch” this evening on my home-theatre setup here on the countryside. It’s a russian sci-fi film which also features some great VFX (always a plus ) and it’s directed by the same guy who made it’s prequel, “Night Watch” and also the previously mentioned “Wanted”.

Havn’t really played a lot of games, as my week was pretty busy while in England - we did play quite a lot of “Rock Band” at the wrap party though, which meant I had a chance to show off my very extreme drumming skills. Which is awesome in a way, yet said, as I just realised I’ve spent an awful lot of time to learn to play some plastic pads set to resemble drum pads, while I could have learned to play real drums or a real guitar. Or well, tried to learn - as I’m pretty sure the real thing is about an infinite amount harder than it is portrayed in video games. I did actually buy “Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots” for Playstation 3, and I’ve spent some rainy afternoons here on the countryside to play through it. Actually finished it just a few hours ago. I’m pretty sure it’s the best game I’ve ever played, even though I wouldn’t recommend it to people who can’t be arsed with keeping track of the story. To sum it up, it was a brilliant game with some amazing graphics and a really good story. It’s the last chapter in the action-sneaking series of “Metal Gear Solid”, and it sure was a good ending. I won’t tell you how it all goes down though - you’re just going to have to play the game yourselves!

So as I mentioned at the beginning of this news post, it won’t be quite as long a wait until my next post here - probably just a few days. But until then, take care everyone!