Film Review
Most read
Latest
-
Ma! They Made A Movie About Us!: The Long-Awaited Grapevine Review Of ‘Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga’
Years back I had a Croatian girlfriend and flatmate. In our exploration of the two national psyches, we found that we shared certain affectations typical of smaller European nations, namely handball—a sport larger countries overlook, making it easier for us to succeed…
-
Dark Shadows Cause Deep Rifts In ‘Undir Trénu’
In Hafsteinn Gunnar Sigurðsson’s third feature, ‘Undir Trénu,’ the shadow cast from the tree next door sparks a seething feud between neighbours which ultimately culminates in tragedy. Through its suburban setting and tight knit cast of intriguing and troubled characters, the film…
-
The Square: Art, Sex And Other Nuisances Of Modern Life
Ruben Östlund may well be the finest filmmaker working in the Nordic Countries today, so for him, taking aim at the modern arts scene as the setting for his latest work may seem like a soft target for such a sharp eye.…
-
‘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 are in luck. The ape has arrived. But ‘Kong: Skull Island’, which is now in theatres, is not just a scene by…
-
A Boy Becomes Less Of A Boy In Rúnar Rúnarsson’s Sparrows
Much buzz surrounded the Reykjavík International Film Festival premiere of ‘Sparrows’ (‘Þrestir’), director Rúnar Rúnarsson’s second feature film. It begins as a classic coming-of-age story, focusing on 16-year-old Ari (Atli Óskar Fjalarsson) as he struggles with being uprooted from his life in…
-
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, two guys were standing at the top. Since then, hundreds have gone up. Hollywood once seemed equally unapproachable to Icelandic filmmakers. And…
-
Film Review: Grímur Hákonarsson’s ‘Rams’
In the lobby at Háskólabíó at present, among posters and standees for upcoming CGI disaster epics and comedy sequels, is a cardboard carnival cut-out with two ovals, for your face and your friend’s face, atop the bodies of the two main characters…
-
A Hard Metal Life
Young Hera, played by Þorbjörg Helga Dýrfjörð, witnesses the accidental death of her older brother, Baldur. In response, she remakes herself in his image; she adopts his metal music, clothes, and when we see her in her 20s, she is a full-blown…
-
Uh, No
Man, fuck Darren Aronofsky. Fuck his weak, hacky, hammy, pretentious, melodramatic, student-filmmaking-with-a-budget shit. I’ve always been mystified as to how it is he gets people to buy his overdone soap opera crap as serious film, but I’m confident ‘Noah’–a retelling of the…