Headhunters (Hodejegerne, Norway-Ger, 2011)

This is the second time I’ve been to a multiplex to see a subtitled movie this year; hats off to Showcase again. And there’s absolutely no reason why this film shouldn’t play to a mass audience as it barrels along at a fantastic pace, including a gruesome shit scene and a hilarious ‘dogged impaled on [...]

Melancholia (Denmark-Sweden-France-Germany-Italy, 2011)

Lars von Trier’s need to provoke ended badly for him at Cannes this year when he professed sympathy for Hitler. He isn’t a Nazi, as he said, and it’s best to let his films do his talking. The fracas was a distraction from Melancholia and Kirsten Dunst, winner of the best actress award. Melancholia is [...]

The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest (Luftslottet som sprängdes, Sweden-Denmark-Ger, 2009)

There’s too much plot in Steig Larsson’s novel to make this a satisfactory film. Even with the judicious filleting of Erika Berger leaving Millennium, there’s still too many threads flying around. This is not to say the film isn’t a pretty satisfying thriller, just that the narrative works far better as a novel; the same [...]

Antichrist (Den-Ger-Fr-It-Swe-Pol, 2009)

I’m not sure what this says about me but I didn’t go and see this in the cinema as I was/am bored with being shaken out of my bourgeois complacency. A sense of duty led me to the DVD and it shook me out of my bourgeois complacency for a while – thanks Lars. The [...]

The Girl with the Dragon Tatoo (Män som hatar kvinnor, Sweden-Denmark-Germany-Norway, 2009)

The Swedish title of the film (and the book it’s based on) is the better Men Who Hate Women as that makes clear that misogyny was Stieg Larsson’s target in the first book of the Millennium Trilogy. This misogyny is viscerally portrayed in a rape scene that borders on exploitative (there’s one very brief and [...]

Flame & Citron (Flammen & Citronen, Denmark, Czech Republic, Germany, 2008)

This is a terrific war movie infused with film noir. Based on a true story it portrays Flame and Citron’s fight against the Nazis and, it transpires, the internal politics of the resistance. Usually resistance fighters are presented as noble, self-sacrificing heroes and, no doubt, many were. However, the internecine politics represented here is a [...]

The Bothersome Man (Den brysomme mannen, Norway-Iceland, 2006)

It will be difficult to blog about this film without spoilers… It most reminded me of Fight Club (US, 1999) in its satire on an  IKEA-built existence but while Fincher’s movie’s ‘in yer face’ this piss-take of bourgeois existence is more muted (and low budget). It effectively uses the mise en scene to present a [...]

Just Another Love Story (Kærlighed på film, Denmark, 2007)

This is a brilliant neo-noir telling the tale of a frustrated dad who wants more adventure in his life and when he gets it… Well, go and watch the film. Ole Bornedal is a director new to me (he did the English-language Nightwatch (1997), but as writer-director of Just Another Love Story he is clearly [...]

Let the Right One In (Låt den rätte komma in, Sweden, 2008)

It’s a while since an ‘arthouse’ film has received such universal praise (covers on Electric Sheep and Little White Lies) and it’s a relief that it lives up to its reputation. The imdb rating also indicates high audience satisfaction so it is a film that, simply, must be seen. It is a vampire movie, without [...]

Show Me Love (Fucking Amal, Denmark-Sweden, 1998)

Director: Lukas Moodysson Screenplay: Lukas Moodysson Editors: Michal Leszczylowski & Bernhard Winkler Music Mixer: Morten Holm Producers: Lars Jonsson Cinematographer: Ulf Brantas Cast: Alexandra Dahlstrom, Rebecca Lijeberg, Erica Carlson & Mathias Rust Naturalism began in the theatre as a form that tried to erase the obvious contrivance of the medium by constructing the ‘fourth wall’ [...]