Redhawk Productions » 2009

2 new albums!

Nils Croné | 15 January, 2009 | 11:54 pm

Hey everyone - just updated the gallery section of the website with quite a few tweaks. It should now be easier to browse, and images should load faster. Keep in mind though, that a larger display may be required to display the entire images now - as I’ve gone in and redone all of the old albums to add some image quality to some older images. Well, enjoy!

Oh, and there are two new albums from December 22nd and 23rd up, so hop on over to the gallery section and check them out right away!

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Gallery update soon!

Nils Croné | 14 January, 2009 | 10:52 am

Currently reorganizing the gallery section of the website slightly with help from Johannes, which should explain why you currently can’t view any images. Stay tuned, a new version should be up soon!

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The Top 10 Films of 2008

Nils Croné | 4 January, 2009 | 8:44 pm

So after quite a lot of thinking this through I’ve come up with my top ten list for what I thought were the best new films of 2008. But first, here are some films that were in consideration for the list but unfortunately didn’t make it on to the top 10, in no particular order:

Burn After Reading, Taken, Speed Racer, Zack and Miri make a Porno, Quantum of Solace, Be Kind Rewind, RockNRolla, Pineapple Express, The Mist

So without further ado, I present my list of the best films I’ve seen relased from January 1st to Decmber 31st of 2008 in Swedish theaters:
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#10 - Doomsday

Director Neil Marshall (who previously made Dog Soldiers and The Descent) brought his action-horror epos to the film market earlier this year with Doomsday. Heavily influenced by explotation films from the 80s, the movie modernizes the old concepts and proves that a simple story without any real message can still be a great piece of entertainment. While not all concepts and setpieces introduced in the film work as great as they could have, we are treated to a pretty stunning first hour involving both futuristic action and cannibalism, as well as one of the coolest car chases you’d see all year during the last act, which rounds off this extremely action-filled package of entertainment.

Useful links: IMDb Page | Trailer

#9 - I Am Legend

Based on the novel “Omega Man”, I Am Legend captures the life of the last survivor on planet earth, living in New York. Helped by fantastic visuals and some great acting by Will Smith, the film was a great start to the new year. Borrowing from both the action and horror genres, director Francis Lawrence (debut feature film director) manages to create some really intense scenes, with the quite famous warehouse scene about an hour into the film is a perfect example of some chilling, perfectly executed, tension. The film is unfortunately held back slightly by some CG characters not on par quality-wise to the rest of the flick, as well as a questionable final act which gets a bit too sentimental.

Useful links: IMDb Page | Trailer

#8 - Iron Man

The summer started out strong with the marvel-based superhero film centered around billionare Tony Stark (a perfectly casted Robert Downey Jr.). While Iron Man isn’t a very complicated film by no stretch of imagination, it’s a really entertaining film, that also brings back Jeff Bridges to the screen as Obadiah Stane. Featuring some cool action besides the great music, some seriously mindblowing visual effects and also some quite funny scenes, this film captured my imagination and made me interested in comic book films again, something I had lost after last year’s Spider-Man 3. All of the cast and also the crew are already in talks of making a sequel, which, according to me, can’t come soon enough.

Useful links: IMDb Page | Trailer

#7 - Tropic Thunder

In the middle of Autumn, Ben Stiller’s new comedy project was released, starring himself, Robert Downey Jr. (Iron Man) and Jack Black (Be Kind Rewind). This new, comedic take on war films was a film I looked forward to since watching the red-band trailer in late May 2008. Turns out the movie was just as fun as it looked, while being focused around the concept of making a movie. What really makes the movie shine though is the character played by Tom Cruise, the producer of the film. His character is probably the funniest thing I’ve seen all year, and it has recently earned him a Golden Globe nomination for best supporting actor (along with Robert Downey Jr. for his portrayal of the overambitious, 4-time academy award winning actor Kirk Lazarus. Overall, very entertaining, and a film I’m sure I’ll be seeing again as it’s released on Blu-Ray in a couple of weeks.

Useful links: IMDb Page | Trailer

#6 - Wall·E

Pixar never fails to amaze nor to disappoint. While I unfortunately didn’t see this in theatres, I was really excited to see it, considering it was made by the same team who made Finding Nemo a couple of years ago. What makes the film so good is the nuances it brings to the animated film genre. To give a good example, the first hour of the film contains virtually no dialoge. Accompanied by some fantastic visuals and an interesting story. It also includes Pixar’s first incorporation of some live-action footage in their films, and it looks good - even if it’s only used in fake commercials in the film, and not directly interacting with any CG characters. Obviously they’ll get the Academy Award for best Animated Feature film this year too. It’s beginning to be a bit predictable, but then again, that might also just be the result of the amount of work that goes into all their films, but this really is a big notch above the rest of them.

Useful links: IMDb Page | Trailer

#5 - Låt den rätte komma in

Recently released in the U.S. under the title “Let the right one in”, this Swedish vampire horror-flick really changed the way I saw films. It was a nice and well-needed break from some of the usual Hollywood clichés, escaping from what brought 30 Days of Night and Twilight (yes, I saw that one) down. While the film is basically about vampires, once you go deeper into it you discover that it’s really about the relationship between two children, and one of the just happens to be a vampire. It’s brilliantly acted and beautifully shot and looks really professional - which is something I’ve rarely been in a position to say about a Swedish film the last 3-5 years. While it looked for a moment as if the Swedish film industry was going downhill (which, ironically, it still is) it feels good to see that there is still a lot of hope somewhere among all of those police films produced here.

Useful links: IMDb Page | Trailer

#4 - Sweeney Todd

While being released in late 2007 in the US, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (full title) was released in February 2008 in Sweden. A dark story with gothic undertones, this musical directed by Tim Burton starring Johnny Depp quickly became one of my favorite movies. While I was partly sceptical to seeing a musical on the big screen, it was far from a new phenomenon as I’ve seen several musicals both in London and Broadway thoughout the last 5 or 6 years. But I had never heard of this story before seeing the film, and what a great film it was. All of the actors could actually sing, and sing well, and there’s some really beautiful pieces of music to be found in the film. While being quite agressively violent, it never feels out of place and only adds to the dramatic, dark and quite disturbed story. A must-see.

Useful links: IMDb Page | Trailer

#3 - Cloverfield

What happens if you combine the myth of Godzilla with the frantic handheld camerawork of say, The Blair Witch Project? Well, you’ll get an amazing action-thriller produced by J.J. Abrams (creator of Alias and Lost, also director of the upcoming Star Trek movie). Cloverfield manages to put you in the thick of an alien attack on Manhattan, and never stops to rest for a minute. Combining some great camerawork with some good acting with virtually unknown actor, the film never feels unreal, which I think is one of the best comments you can give a film which is basically about huge monsters attacking everyone and everything. One of the most innovative movies of the past year - including it’s amazing promotional campaign before the film’s premiere. Just make sure to stay clear of any rip-offs or copycats which are sure to be plentiful in the new year.

Useful links: IMDb Page | Trailer

#2 - [Rec]

The most intense film I’ve ever seen. This Spanish horror film about a TV team following a bunch of firemen on duty during the night before getting trapped in a building in some sort of Quarantine is also one of the scariest films I’ve ever seen. Even if it has a few of the classic jump scares, it uses these to create a very scary and claustrophobic mood that stays with you long after the end credits roll. Every scene is filled to the brim with tension. And while it was shot handheld-style, similar to Cloverfield (but obviously vastly different from it in terms of story and concept) it never gets in the way or feels forced but works beautifully as a tool. Oh, and the last 10 minutes are some of the best I’ve seen in a horror film. The most impressive feat is though how directors Jaume Balagueró and Paco Plaza make you really care for the characters, which is something I feel is very uncommon in more recent horror films. Definitely not for the faint-of-heart.

Useful links: IMDb Page | Trailer

#1 - The Dark Knight

What an accomplishment: director Christopher Nolan (Batman Begins, The Prestige, Memento) manages to completely re-invent the action and comic book genre both at the same time. But it’s not just a comic book film. It’s something much more. Featuring some of the coolest action sequences ever shot on film (and on IMAX, as can be seen in the Blu-Ray version) as well as a truly mindblowing cast, most notably Heath Ledger in his role as The Joker, this film is sure to be remembered for quite some time. The pacing is fantastic, from the opening bank robbery scene all the way to it’s climax, i really works on more levels than a first impression might give. It’s a movie which takes up the psychological difficulties of both being a symbol for heroism, while not being able to act in the most heroic of ways among loads of other choices concerning moral contra fairness, and it’s most definitely the best film of 2008 by far.

Useful links: IMDb Page | Trailer

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So there you have it, what I thought was the best films of 2008. Let me know if you agree or disagree with my thoughts in the comments section, and I’ll talk to you soon, take care!

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2008. +1

Nils Croné | 1 January, 2009 | 8:36 pm

Hey everyone! I haven’t had much to say the last two weeks so instead of boring you with facts on what I’ve done on my free time from school, I’m just going to post a short post today. The DVD for Spex and the City is finally finished, and should be on sale at S:t Petri school here in Malmö sometime later this month, or early February. After completing the spex film, I’ve moved back to focus a lot more on Campsite, which is now deep in post-production - about 25 minutes are edited at the moment, and hopefully I’ll be able to have the first edited version ready before school starts again next Thursday. As I haven’t got a lot of time to write right now, I’m advising you to check back later this upcoming weekend for my list of the best films of 2008!

So until then, take care!