Sidste time

I read the book(as well as just about everything else by Dennis that I've gotten my hands on, and, more to the point, eyes pointed towards) before seeing the film, and enjoyed it as I tend to with his writings, so I will be drawing comparisons between the two. While this is not a flawless adaptation(and if you have to go with one or the other, this would not be my choice), it is definitely worth watching for us who seek out his work, and much more satisfying than Backstabbed, the other effort by DJ and Martin Schmidt. Almost everything about this is in varying degrees... including how closely translated the novel(which, I understand, was published at the same time as this was released, with Jürgensen doing it and the script, rather than it being something of his that someone picked up and turned into a movie... I'm not complaining, I was delighted by both) is, which is at times a curse(as it can come off forced), sometimes a blessing(a lot of it really works, I'm not sure I agree with the taking out of all that was so... although there are *clear* moments where what was herein surpassed the text). Let's talk acting; not everyone nails it. Andersson, as Inga, is by far, in my opinion, the one that comes the closest and feels the most genuine, and almost all of the time that has her on-screen is better for it. Bille, as Kenneth, also almost gets it right, at many points. Oksen does pretty good. In the other end of the spectrum, sadly, is Jensen. I like him, I do, but he just does not sell it, I never really believed he was Taus(perhaps he spoke too much... a little joke for the Danish readers...yes, it *was* a joke); I don't know if he's just too far from that type in general, but here, he comes off much more like his character in The Lost Spring(maybe he was still stuck on that?). I personally don't care for how Augusta was done... she looked far more like a mental patient than what I pictured from her description by Dennis, and I didn't always buy her as scared of everything(meanwhile, some of the eye-stuff... great!). Bo Larsen is fine, he's just... well, twice as old as his character seems to be supposed to be. The effects aren't all magnificent, but there are some absolutely excellent ones in there, and really not that many downright poor ones... if really any at all. The direction is mixed... I don't know how wise one particular decision made was, that again differs from DJ's words(I'll take this opportunity to point out that I'm actually *not* just blindly proposing that everything be taken from there and put up on the screen, they are different mediums and what works in one does not in the other, and this does have things that are not in the other, which are *spot-on*), which may count as a spoiler, so I'm not saying it here, but you'll find out from viewing(and hey, if not, feel free to ask me). However, I cannot claim that this didn't make me jump, every single time it tried to(and this wasn't my first viewing), and the ending, whilst admittedly abrupt, was marvelously effective. The cinematography and editing are masterful at select instances. The weirdness and wondering what exactly *is* going on is stronger in, yeah... but it does come across here, and is engaging(as is the feature as a whole). If you're into Dennis Jürgensen and his stuff, I would not hesitate to place this on your "must watch" list immediately. The DVD has a five-six minutes long interview with both him and Martin, and it's not bad at all. It's also got a commentary track, which is quite informational and a listen that is unlikely to disappoint. I recommend this to anyone who fits into aforementioned group, and those who are otherwise interested in this... for the actors, the genre of horror or Schmidt. 7/10

The movie is about a tv-show which is called "Sidste time". It`s a documentary show that shows the cruelty and reality of the world. The host of the show, Micky Holm, are always trying to get the best real-life story before anyone else. Seven students is trapped in their school building. They sees Micky`s face on a tv-screen in their classroom with his show "Sidste time". He is filming outside the school. The students finds a dead body in the classroom and gets really scared. They`re trying to get out, but every door and window is closed. They screams and knocks on the windows, but no-one can hear them. Soon, they`re being killed one by one. But who is the killer? Is it one of the students? And what has Micky Holm to do with all this? The movie is really scary!!!! I still can`t understand it! It`s a bit confusing, but a great horror movie.

This is an excellent Danish horror movie. The writer Dennis is a genius and basically a Danish Stephen King. His great imagination and humour shines through in the twilight zone type of plot. People who say this is a routine slasher that is absolutely not true. The movie is filled with great philosophy in the dialogue. It is even political in many ways and pre-figures both Saw and uncensored news. The movie is totally excellent and people who say bad about it simply fails to appreciate the philosophy of the movie.

Seven pupils of a school are told to school by mail, regarding their failed behavior. They met in the biology classroom. Suddenly the door is shot, the curtains going down. On a TV, their failure is mention and they have to find out a riddle: "A murdering has happened in this school, find the murder!" After talking about a legend about a teacher, murdered by pupils in the biology classroom, they find a hanged and heavy wounded man. Also they found out, that the TV was not plugged in.

During this time, Mickey Holm, a talkmaster of the Reality-Show "Sidste Time" gets a facsimile from the school. He and his team are going to the school, to film what happens. He is glad, because until this time, he had no material for the evening show.

The pupils try to leave the school, but all doors, windows are closed, nobody can hear them. One by one is found murdered. While the TV is showing the "Sidste Time"-team on the school playground, later also INSIDE the school building and showing the murdered pupils, the scary children don´t see anything of the team, looking on the same playground.

Rough pictures and scary atmosphere are great parts of this danish movie, in good tradition of "Nattevagten" ( or "Nightwatch" ). A school as death trap with a maniac murder and a situation of no escape, no matter what they do. The pupils do not stand together, because of their very different personalities.

The movie is very confusing, especially at the end. Did not figure it out yet, but it is one of the most interesting part of this movie. Alse a great example for danish cinema.

Yes, the Sidste Time's TV reporter wants a very big hit story. He is starting imagining... The students are arriving to the classroom. And in the end, when the last teenager girl is murdered, the TV reporter smiles. SO: he is only thinking! All of the horrific story is in his mind... But the plan will be turned into real life when the students arrives to the school. We don't know is anybody standing (or hanging) below the curtain but we can imagine that. A danish student told me the Sidste time is a big film in Denmark, and the story was published in book too.