Articles by: Valur Gunnarsson
George Lucas: Star Destroyer
The first warning signs appeared with the Special Editions. The first film was marred by Javas yelling and falling of…
IN THE LAND OF THE BOHEMIANS
There is little here to remind you of Soviet times. Walking through Prague, you feel firmly in the heart of…
Editorial: COUNTRY OF CONSTANT SORROW
Didn’t the mujaheddin once appear on our screens along with the West’s finest, Rambo and James Bond, liberating the freedom…
WHERE WILL THE INDEPENDENCE PARTY GO FROM HERE?
Halldór had then been Prime Minister in Davíð Oddsson’s government for eight years, and seems to have been loath to…
Editorial: ROCK AND ROLL
One fine mornin’, she puts on a New York station And she couldn’t believe what she heard at all She…
American Indie
American Indie Days are starting in Háskólabíó on the 25th of August. The opening film will be Supersize Me. If…
THE BLACK HEART OF LOU REED
The poet must find the medium to suit the times. In ancient Greece, Homer and his cohorts would sing their…
WAVING A PIRATE FLAG
Seditious Superstar “She sings funny. And she don´t dance all that great either,” a character says in the film Dancer…
Borgarnes: Dead bald guys and a surprise appearance by Bush
This is not a Disneyland style theme park where you can go coffin riding, as you may at first presume,…
THE FINE ART OF FINNISH MELANCHOLY
And despite Icelands latitude being right in the centre of Finland, the climate is somewhat different. Whereas Finns have to…
KING ARTHUR COMES ALIVE
Adding Jerry Bruckheimer to the mix does not brighten the prospects. It is surprising that these three decided to film…
BREIÐAFJÖRÐUR: THE ICELANDIC MEDITERRANEAN?
I got onboard the Særún. Our first stop was at a rock inhabited by a colony of puffins. The catamaran…
Stykkishólmur after dark
The first thing I did upon arrival in Stykkishólmur was in fact not head straight for the bar, but go…
THE GRAPES OF VAÐI
by Valur Gunnarsson and Robert Jackson
by Valur Gunnarsson In the 1930s, dust storms swept the southern plains of the United States. The “Black Blizzards,” as…
SPIDERMAN 2: A SOAP OPERA FOR BOYS
Where the first Spider-Man works best is when Peter Parker is discovering his powers. Somehow, it manages to capture the…
THE FAROE ISLANDS FROM QUAINT TO COOL
The last time I was in the Faroes, five years ago, there was only one fast food place in the…
THE MUSK OX: NOT AS STUPID AS IT SEEMS?
The town has around 500 inhabitants, almost all of whom work at the airport. The area was uninhabited until World…
Around the world in 90 minutes
Here he plays globe trotter and betting man Phileas Fogg. There´s something very romantic about the 19th Century, when there…
The Grumpies Man in Dublin
The longhaired man paced back and forth. He had been there when I arrived earlier during the day to pick…
AFTER THE DECLINE OF WESTERN CIVILISATION
When I moved back to Iceland in 1990, it seemed the scene was still living in the shadow of Rokk…
THE FUTURE´S SO WHITE
This year, though, the weather was sunny if not calm. The rays fell down as the wind blew the flags…
Standing Still
Name? Birgir Örn Thoroddsen Where are you from? Err…. I’m from the City of Árbær. What are you doing? I’m…
CAN A BROKEN RELATIONSHIP BE SALVAGED?
Most of the film is set within the mind of the protagonist, played by Jim Carrey, on the night the…
WHOSE INDEPENDENCE?
This will be the version we´ll be hearing on the 17th of June, when Iceland celebrates its 60th anniversary as…
TROUBLE IN PARADISE
At our party two weeks ago I spoke to a Bulgarian girl who said that the reason she initially wanted…