Articles by: Valur Gunnarsson
The Last Free Thinker: Polish Cinema At Bíó Paradís
It’s 1945 and the struggle against totalitarianism is just beginning. While the people of Western Europe celebrate the end of…
Blast from the Past: Reykjavík Brothel Shares for Sale
by Valur Gunnarsson and Andie Sophia Fontaine
Everyone knows Ólafur Ólafsson, the man who stole a whole bank during the privatisation rush of the early 2000s by…
Moonage Daydreams: Halldór Eldjárn and Hidden Figures
For eons, mankind dreamed of going to the moon. And we did, but now the memory seems to be slipping…
Blast From The Past: The First Icelandic Sci-Fi
It seems that every space film these days, from ‘Prometheus’ to ‘Oblivion’ to ‘Star Wars’, is shot in Iceland. But…
‘The Apes of Wrath’: Spotting the references in ‘Kong: Skull Island’
If, like me, you felt the only thing missing from ‘Apocalypse Now’ was a big-ass monkey, well, my friend, we…
Blast From The Past: Reykjavík Tarzan Arrested For Nudity
In early 1943, observant Reykvíkingar might have seen a naked man running past their window and even, on occasion, climbing…
Blast from the Past: Boycotting the Girls of Siglufjörður
This March 19 marked the 75th anniversary of the Great Boycott of Siglufjörður women, by the men of said town….
Blast from the Past: The Comedy Ban of 1940
Like most countries, Iceland has a long and illustrious history of censorship. A fun example can be found in the…
The Battle Over Beer
by Valur Gunnarsson and Andie Sophia Fontaine
Iceland’s Parliament is currently debating whether to allow alcohol to be sold in supermarkets, and everyone has a strong opinion…
Stockfish Festival: History Comes Alive in Bíó Paradís
It probably says something about the zeitgeist that, as with the German Film Days, some of the most powerful films…
Learning From War: The German Film Festival Tackles Tough Questions
If there is any theme to this year’s German film days, it is war. Or rather, the consequences of war….
The Beautiful Era Returns to Bíó Paradís
In these Trumpian times, what better way to relax than to take a trip back to the Belle Époque, you…
Medieval Revival: Young Bands Play (Very) Old Songs
Umbra Ensemble is a five-piece band whose repertoire consists of pop songs reaching back a thousand years. Among the newest…
The Gandhi of Punk: Sex Pistols Singer Opens the Icelandic Punk Museum
Johnny Rotten is having a smoke outside Lækjarbrekka, traditionally one of Iceland’s fancier restaurants. It is somehow as I always…
Happening Tonight: Kris Kristofferson
You may know him as the old dude from the Blade movies, as Barbra Streisand’s co-star in ‘A Star is…
Search And Rescue With Tom Cruise
Most Reykvíkingar tend to think that being born outside of the capital is some terrible accident that needs to be…
Why Cats Are Better Than Dogs
by Valur Gunnarsson and Andie Sophia Fontaine
The most characteristic sound of Reykjavík is neither the desperate noise of drunkards during the weekend nor the lonely song…
Movie-Star, Painter, Man Of The World: The Story Of Muggur
“From Iceland’s Frigid Shore, Where Women Vote, Come Wondrous Fairy Tales.” Thus read a headline in the Evening Sun on…
The Look Of Silence: Our Darkest Natures Exposed
We all know what a communist victory in Southeast Asia can look like. But what would it look like if…
A Civilized Way to Die: A German director talks about his on-screen suicides.
by Valur Gunnarsson and Andie Sophia Fontaine
Everyone knows that Heartbreak Hotel is located down at the end of Lonely Street, but what happens if you keep…
The Brits Are Coming! Again!
The British Occupation that started in 1940 has certainly been dealt with a lot in Icelandic culture, as we at…
Finding True Iceland Part 2: Dentist, Sailors, Soldiers, Smelters
Entering the eastern fjords of Iceland, one gets a sense of being closer to Europe. They have ferries here, and…
An Almost Totally Random Selection Of David Cronenberg Films, Described
Videodrome (1983) Back in the early 80s, we all believed VHS would slowly take over first our minds and then…
Film Review: ‘Everest’ Pits Man Vs. Mountain
Things that once looked unassailable turned out not to be. Everest must have seemed impossible to climb until one day,…
A Heartfelt Love Letter To David Mitchell, On The Occasion Of Reykjavík LitFest
No, the novel lies not dead. It‘s merely sleeping. And the person to rouse it for the 21st century is one…