Jeffrey Rex Bertelsen is an aspiring film and television critic from Denmark. Jeffrey graduated from the University of Copenhagen in 2018, and he holds a Master of Arts degree in English Studies with a minor in Film and Media Studies. Harry Potter fans will want to know that he is a Ravenclaw. Star Wars fans will be interested in knowing that he loves Star Wars: The Last Jedi. Cineastes will want to know that his favorite film of the first decade of the 21st Century is Guillermo Del Toro's El Laberinto del Fauno.
The following is a spoiler-filled review of the final episode of HBO’s Game of Thrones. Expect spoilers for the episode in the review.
In the series finale of Game of Thrones, while King’s Landing is covered in ash, Daenerys Targaryen (played by Emilia Clarke) becomes the ruler of Westeros. However, both Jon Snow (played by Kit Harrington) and Tyrion Lannister (played by Peter Dinklage) have second thoughts about their queen who slaughtered those she swore to protect. Continue reading “REVIEW: Game of Thrones – “The Iron Throne””→
The following is a review of the seventh and final season of HBO’s Veep.
For seven seasons, Julia Louis-Dreyfus has been the face of the state of American political satire. She has dominated awards ceremonies, cussed out her supporting cast more times than Jesse Pinkman said “Bitch!” on Breaking Bad, and given outstanding performances again and again. But now her time as Selina Meyer is over. She has left an already long-standing satirical legacy that is much more significant than her character’s political legacy if the final shot of Veep is to be believed.
Though Veep changed showrunner over the course of its run, it was almost always a step ahead of the political state of America, even as America seemed insistent on nominating someone for president who would be just as vicious and disinterested as Selina Meyer. As showrunner David Mandel once wrote in a column for The Hollywood Reporter: “there’s nobody more Trumpy than Selina. […] Trump, in a weird way, is sort of doing us. We’re not doing him.” Continue reading “REVIEW: Veep – Season Seven (2019)”→
Chinese Theatrical Release Poster – China Film Group Corporation
The following is a review of The Wandering Earth — Directed by Frant Gwo. Available on Netflix now.
This 2019 release is a two-hour long blockbuster film that has made close to $700 million globally at the box office. There are no superheroes in the film, it isn’t based on Marvel or DC, and it doesn’t belong to a vastly popular science-fiction or fantasy franchise. On top of that, this isn’t an English-language film. In fact, it wasn’t released widely in theaters in Europe or North America.
This is The Wandering Earth, a relentless Chinese blockbuster film that proves that glorious spectacle created outside of North America can rival the best Hollywood has to offer in disaster film — at least when it comes to incredible and unfathomably spectacular action. I’ve got plenty of issues with The Wandering Earth, but the one thing that really impressed me was the science-fiction visuals because, normally, you don’t get these astoundingly well-designed visuals without the direct influence of a major American studio. Continue reading “REVIEW: The Wandering Earth (2019)”→
The following is a spoiler-filled review of the fifth episode of the eighth and final season of HBO’s Game of Thrones. Expect spoilers for the episode in the review.
In the penultimate episode of the eighth and final season of Game of Thrones, everything goes up in flames as two mad queens move their forces into position for the last war. As the wheel is broken, bells ring out, and the true faces of those we’ve championed are revealed. In tonight’s review, I discuss character assassination, build-up, and illogical character developments as the showrunners revealed how their show is meant to end while they disregarded prophecies. Continue reading “REVIEW: Game of Thrones – “The Bells””→
The following is a short review of God of War: Raising Kratos — Directed by Brandon Akiaten.
Brandon Akiaten’s God of War: Raising Kratos is a documentary about the making of the 2018 version of God of War, which is arguably one of the best games of the decade. Dubbed a masterpiece by plenty of video game critics and netting a 94 Metacritic-score, God of War was a critical hit and, later, a fan-favorite. It won new fans and it pleased old ones, and it made the developing studio into a reinvigorated and much more cherished studio than it had ever been before. But the journey to get there was arduous as revealed by Akiaten’s feature-length documentary, which has been released on YouTube by Sony PlayStation. Continue reading “REVIEW: God of War: Raising Kratos (2019 – Documentary)”→
The following is a review of Pokémon – Detective Pikachu — Directed by Rob Letterman.
There are going to be plenty of reviews out there that come from the perspective of someone who knows nothing or very little about the world of Pokémon. But that isn’t my perspective. That isn’t my review. For as long as I can remember, Pokémon has been a part of my life. I’ve played and replayed the games, I’ve had tons of trading cards, and I loved to watch the anime with my sister. For this reason, I want this review to be playful with these little references and inside jokes. So, if you’ll indulge me, then please read along.
Pokémon was a huge part of my childhood, and, with that in mind, I have to say that even though Detective Pikachu didn’t rock my world, I thought it was a very enjoyable but safe start to a live-action North American series. I have a lot of issues with the film, but I’m surprised this film works as well as it does. It isn’t perfect, but it’s more than enough for me as a starting point for a live-action film series. Continue reading “REVIEW: Pokémon – Detective Pikachu (2019)”→
In May, Warner Bros. is kickstarting a new fan-favorite series with Detective Pikachu, but can it catch the top spot in its opening weekend, or will Avengers: Endgame keep its golden box office crown for another week? Make no mistake, Avengers: Endgame has been breaking records left and right and we still need to talk about it. Continue reading “Box Office Predictions – May 2019”→
