#Scandi Cinema

[moviescramble]

Miss Viborg - Review

Don’t let the lush colour pops of mauve, sunshine yellow and teal fool you. Marianne Bilcher’s feature-length debut, Miss Viborg, is no light-weight comedy. It’s a film about how circumstances and fluke occurrences can change the entire course of your life. It’s about accepting or not accepting that change of direction. It’s about fear. And, in a clumsily charming way, it’s about companionship. A…

[beefstrugglenoff]

i wonder if scandinavians still have any leftover form of that one viking social game where they'd have insult competitions between men at important dinners or gatherings.

[sailsonthehorizon]

Calculating a 1:6 incline using pandas

And sharing my first attempt at an accessible short break.

Film photography disclaimer / confession: I did take my Pentax MV with a 36 exp roll of colour film. Am absolutely gutted as it was clearly loaded incorrectly - thankfully I did take a few - but not many - iPhone snaps so will be using these for this post. Onwards and sideways.

This is my first blog that addresses the subject of disability. I am a little nervous about sharing this — perhaps because I am still in denial that this is happening to me - but I have found similar blogs very helpful on a personal level. So, if for no other reason than it might help someone else, let’s give it a shot.

We travelled by train from Darlington up to Edinburgh, and the journey is now known as Hell on a Stick #1. I booked seats in Coach G, and whilst I was vaguely aware of an app called Passenger Assistance it didn’t occur to me to use it. I suppose like many in a similar position, I assumed that was for folks with poorer mobility. Forgetting I wasn’t exactly Tigger myself. 

Our train was PACKED, as the previous train was cancelled. No seats, no help, and no Coach G. We finally ended up on random seats separated from each other (after standing for 30 minutes, a mighty dang long time for me these days). Can’t help but think that if I’d used the app, I would have at least had some help in finding seats. Or lived somewhere with a decent public transport system. Helsinki please.

We arrived tired and hangry in a wet drizzly Edinburgh about 20 mins walk away from the hotel.

At Leonardo Hotel, Haymarket. Very helpful staff, and gave the scooter a parking space to save the kerfuffle of getting it in and out of the lift to get to the room.

The staff at the Leonardo Hotel couldn’t have been more helpful, and let us park scooter downstairs in the lobby to save me the extra energy getting it in/out of the lift. It’s a folding travel scooter, it’s light for what it is, but it is still heavy (especially when it’s your muscles that are the broken bits).

Very silly pain levels at this point - thanks to the gawd-awful train journey. Thankfully we live in the middle of nowhere, so an hotel room Just Eat was enough of a novelty to masquerade as an evening’s entertainment. Just for the record, the hotel is a mere 5 minute walk away from a multiplex cinema with an Imax and 4D screenings…

Day two, Edinburgh Zoo.

Their website promised mobility scooter hire that was capable of tackling the very steep hills within the zoo, but when we got there they were out of order. My own wheels, an eFoldi Explorer, is apparently capable of a 1:6 incline. I don’t know what that is, but I can tell you it can reach the pandas but not the zebras. 

Without it, I couldn’t have got much further than the gift shop. And the little kids we met en route absolutely loved it - perhaps because it is a bit odd looking. It’s not your average looking mobility scooter that’s for sho.

The zoo itself is BRILLIANT, well laid out, happy animals, awesome penguins. Good cafes. And once you are aware of the hills, great accessibility across the whole site. They have a little electric minibus to help folks up to the very top. 

The following morning we attempted shopping, but it was just too kerfuffle-y, trying to navigate with Google Maps whilst driving a scooter, and herding two kids in-between tram tracks and bicycles. Especially as at that point we were carrying our luggage, having checked out of the hotel. Edinburgh is very hilly and fairly cobbly which has it’s own challenges, but on my own I think I would have stood a chance.

Time to find a swanky espresso…

Google Maps helped me find Mayvn Cafe on St George Street. Very swanky indeed, even just sitting in the cafe is an experience, with Scandi style decor, designer lighting and video art on the far wall. They are on Insta if you fancy a virtual snoop around:

@mayvncafe

Return journey = Hell on a Stick #2. Total carnage at Edinburgh Station as no trains were going south due to a signal problem at Morpeth. Absolutely nothing was moving, and after an hour of sitting on a stationary train we took the plunge and jumped ship to a train heading cross country to Carlisle, where my husband picked us up. And of course my car was still at Darlington, wonderful, so that was yet more hassle for the following day.

The main problem with nightmare return journeys is they kind of ‘undo’ all the good bits REEEEALLY quickly.

Therefore the next 24 hours went like this…

Jesus H Christ that was awful. OW with bells on. Not doing that again. I’m doomed to stay trapped in the house for ever and ever and ever and I’ll live off pizzas and get fat.

Sleep for 13 hours.

Open Expedia app and search for hotels in Osaka, Japan.

If I can get to Edinburgh, Japan will be a doddle, right…?

Peace out.

[notasapleasure]

In case anyone is curious about the remaining Adventures, here’s what’s lined up:

One 90 minute episode of Maigret (Rowan Atkinson funny little detective man series? Could be fun, could be awful and one scene wonder time again. I’m so scared it’ll be Houdini & Doyle standard)

Head Full of Honey (Nick Nolte film about dementia. But one for the dungarees fans 👀)

A whole season of Hard Sun (dystopian conspiracy stuff that I'm hoping to enjoy on its own merits, but OH GOD will the second peer please stay online for more than a minute at a time I've been waiting for days for this to finish).

And down the line (when I'm not pissing all our cash on vet bills/house moving) I'll get a month's subscription to NT at home for the three plays on there: Dara, The Beaux' Stratagem and Othello (2013).

And that's all I can find for now. If anyone else wants to do any digging or knows of any resources I might not have checked, I am missing:

Naachle London (*SOB* I WANT TO SEE IT SO BAD)

2012 ‘first Bollywood film shot entirely in London’. There’s a trailer and some song vids on YouTube, and a bunch of blog posts by the script-writer about how his original concept was changed massively but not to let that kind of thing get you down as a young writer, and if I were a cinema wanting to screen it I could contact the distributors, but...not a single whiff of a complete digital version.

The Unforgettable

Steamy Indian drama from 2009 (there are three trailers for it on its vimeo page, but I’m not convinced Joplin’s in any of them). There’s only four cast members and it’s written by two women, and seems to be about an MRA type guy (not Joplin) having his theories challenged by a liberated woman. ngl the trailers look Bad, but in a way that if I got hold of it I could bring this site down with the deluge of screenshots.

A short film: Arman (2016)

I just can’t track this down at all. Arman is a mystery. It looks like some kind of Armenian Borat?

Old seasons of soaps that I can’t find archived anywhere

Doctors s4 (2002) and s7 (2005), Holby City s9 (2006), and those episodes from EastEnders (2000) that were missing from the run I found. Holby City is particularly vexing, because he’s in a two episode run. There’s also missing persons drama Beck (1996) - which must be pre-cricket-ball-to-the-face - but because of the contemporary Scandi crime drama of the same name it would be a bitch to track down anyway, even if not for the fact that “Notably, the series has never been released on DVD.”

The Stretch (Sky TV movie, 2000)

Please don’t ask me to search for torrents of ‘the stretch��� :’))

[tarjeismoeworknews]

Possession will be part of the 9th edition of SCANDI film festival that will be presented from 18.1. until the 25.1. 2023 in  Czech Republic and from 24. 1. until 31.1. 2023 in Slovakia. SCANDI 2023 will present a careful selection of the most distinctive contemporary Scandinavian films from all five countries: Sweden, Finland, Norway, Denmark and Iceland. The festival will take place in cinemas throughout the Czech and Slovak Republics.

All screenings in Czech Republic:

https://www.scandifest.cz/en/movies/possession

All screenings in Slovakia: 

https://www.scandifest.sk/filmy/posadnutost

Possession will also come to their cinemas on 23.3.2023.

[detectivesus]

Woah you’re not tipsy? That’s special.

hahahhaha cinema with roomie, scandi, and scandi’s roomie 💃🏻 too wholesome

[levok]

So this is a big deal for scandi actors ? The actors did come to my country Mexico for the Barbie premiere I guess my country matters more ( joking)

No, for scandi cinemas to sell tickets to scandi people. Therefore give it exposure by sending famous scandi people to premieres. It’s not that complicated.

are we suddenly surprised that every single county has premieres for all bigger movies?

[oopshisaygoodnight]

"do you have thoughts on the film drama" you so naively asked.

here is my manifesto, which is more of a timeline:

booksmart was my favorite movie in 2019, and when dont worry darling was announced, i was stoked O had a cool sounding project and got a great cast together. everything i knew filtered in from film twitter. harry replaced shia, which was exciting news

O made a series of posts praising the cast & crew, and this is what she said about harry:

inset the instagram

very cool! perhaps a little too pat-on-the-back for a man doing the bare minimum, but harry's name means something to fans and in the business. (you can track a bit of a huge boost in numbers of likes and comments on instagram after DWD and harry stuff).

at this point they were about a month and half into the so-called “romance”. they were photographed holding hands in january 2021 at harry’s managers wedding. DWD filming had wrapped in december but they were doing reshoots through february. a little bold for a director and her actor to be at the wedding date stage of the relationship after, at a minimum of knowing each other, 3 months. whatever. stranger things. hot people find a way of getting together. shrug.

she was also quoted around december 2020 in a “directors on directors” interview that she has a “no assholes policy” on set, and first implies/states that shia was perhaps an asshole that she fired intentionally. this will bite her in the ass apprxomiately two and a half years into repeating this version of the story.

summer 2021, we get pictures of them being cute in LA, kissing on a yacht in italy, and it’s all a lil scandy but whatever, she’s a grownup who is in the midst of a custody battle with jason sudeikis over their two kids and ostensibly working on edits for DWD and getting the ball rolling on her third projects. whatever- i’m supportive! 

september 2021 i got to see harry on his second show of love on tour, which made me questions the depths of the fangirling i could be capable under the right circumstances. afterwards i was fed a lot of harry concert reels and even jealous because she wasnt at my show, but she was at a ton of harry's concerts across america. she was always bopping in the crowd, interacting with a few fans.

somewhere in 2021: first rumor of conflict on set gets some traction. a tiktok alleges that the person was a PA and witnessed florence being very frustrated with olivia and taking over directing her own scenes. truly just mindless gossip, but a seed is planted. did florence and olivia maybe not get along on the set of DWD?

december 2021, olivia is the vogue cover. first DWD teaser, first drop that itll be out september 2022. some key quotes "the feminist mystique on acid"

"The 1950s get this rap as a very controlled, conservative era, when in fact it was incredibly debaucherous. My grandparents on my mother’s side loved to party"

"I kept saying, ‘Why isn’t there any good sex in film anymore?"

"realize how rarely they see female hunger, and specifically this type of female pleasure"

"The celebrity press has been particularly harsh on Wilde, professing to be scandalized that a woman in her 30s should dare to find love with a man 10 years younger. “It’s obviously really tempting to correct a false narrative,” Wilde says, with rueful composure, when I ask if she’d like to address the furor. “But I think what you realize is that when you’re really happy, it doesn’t matter what strangers think about you. All that matters to you is what’s real, and what you love, and who you love.”"

around the end of 2021 we get her vogue cover story, and the start of this narrative she is pushing about female-led stories, about making good sex scenes, about female pleasure, etc etc. DWD is an erotic thriller- sweet, we could use more of that in cinema.

[prettymysticfalls]

Thelma

"Thelma" was one of the most anticipated movies of 2017 for me and it didn't disappoint. It is a LGBTQ related fantasy-thriller movie.

Thelma, who lives with her parents, flies the nest to go to university. She seems like a shy girl who is socially anxious and socially awkward. Not only she is alone, but she is also lonely. She has overprotective, over-controlling, religious and righteous parents. She feels afraid of letting them down. However, her father feels like a friend to her since she tells him everything. Thelma doesn't drink alcohol because her parents raised her Christian. She has a crush on a girl called Anja which makes Thelma feel like a sinner because of her upbringing. Meanwhile, Thelma starts to develop seizure-like episodes whenever she feels stressed. The mystery begins with these episodes.

At first, this film seems like a supernatural/paranormal thriller since it revolves around telekinesis mystery and pseudoseizures. There are features of animals in Hitchockian style which makes the movie suspenseful. But then as it turns out, it is more than just supernatural because supernatural elements are used as metaphors embedded in the film. It is allegorical. Hence, "Thelma" tells a much bigger story. It is about parental pressure, religious guilt, repressed sexuality, sexual awakening, self-discovery and self-liberation.

Joachim Trier did a great job at directing the movie. I watched two films of Joachim Trier before which are "Oslo. 31 August" and "Reprise". None of them were like "Thelma". Because those films actually could happen in real life, whereas "Thelma" happened in a fantasy world that looked like reality. So, I was really surprised by Joachim Trier this time. He definitely enhanced his writing skills by developing symbolism in his screenplay with Eskil Vogt.

Eili Harboe delivered an amazing performance. A couple months ago, I watched her in "Kyss meg for faen i helvete" and "Kompani Orheim" which were filmed 5-6 years ago. She was good in those films. However, a few years later, she got much better in "Thelma". She was an aspiring talent back then, and now she proved her talent in this movie. Kaya Wilkins' performance was just alright. However, she had a good on-screen chemistry with Eili Harboe. I really liked performances of Henrik Rafaelsen and Ellen Dorrit Petersen. Overall, the acting was pretty good.

In sum, "Thelma" is an unnerving experience. It is more thought-provoking rather than disturbing. It shows how toxic jealousy, neglect, oppression, repression and suppression can be. It advises us to recognize, accept and embrace our own identity. Also, it warns us: "Be careful what you wish for..."

P.S. If you liked reading my review and you have a letterboxd account, feel free to like it and follow me there.

My Review | My Profile

[annoyingthemesong]

SUBLIME CINEMA #393 - A PIGEON SAT ON A BRANCH REFLECTING ON EXISTENCE

There is not, has never been, and likely never will be another director quite like Roy Andersson. With massive lapses between films, he’s a true artist who creates his own projects from the ground up, according to a very specific and well refined vision. His early standout Songs From the Second Floor was so exquisite and surprising, I’d never seen anything like it. His trademark aesthetic involves meticulous production design and tableau imagery, a kind of twisted, Nordic version of Wes Anderson. His camera barely moves.

[moviescramble]

Wildland (Kød & Blod) - Review

Wildland (Kød & Blod) – Review

Already drawing comparisons with the Oscar-nominated, Animal Kingdom, Jeanette Nordahl’s directorial debut is exciting both the Glasgow and Berlin festival circuit. Focusing on the experiences of orphaned teen, Ida (Sandra Gulberg Kampp), who is sent to live with her dysfunctional, criminal aunt and cousins, Wildland is a very slow burn that builds towards a shocking conclusion. The film opens…

[hommedessept]

Isabelle Carr

[videoreligion]

Can't Kill This (2019) Quick Review by RevTerry

[upsettingandunfortunateclasshate]

I think one of the reasons cinemas are struggling is cos yanks can't make films. Since the 2008 crash Hollywood has gone hard on the remakes, prequels, sequels etc cos they have ready made audiences so they're safer investments.

If they showed films from more interesting places in the world, more diverse, more ideas, more risks etc they'd probably get more eyes eg Korean horror, scandi drama that has to find a way in amidst the stranglehold of yank cultural imperialism.

And of course they're too fucking dear. Britain is a poor country with loads of poor people. The fees should reflect that. 10 quid to watch tired old yank dross using the same boring conventions is a piss take. Better off going to laser quest

[solrosan]

The country asks: 6, 8, 14, 18?

Thank you for asking!

6. most hated song in your native language?

Not sure I have one? There are a lot of bad ones, but no one I hate.

8. do you get confused with other nationalities? if so, which ones and by whom?

I've been taken for a Dane in Denmark and a Belgian in Belgium by both tourists and waitstaff from other countries than I was currently in. I've been taken for a German in Germany, by Germans. And I've been taken for British in Japan, by Americans.

14. do you enjoy your country’s cinema and/or TV?

Like with foreign media, this depends on the movie or TV show. We have a lot of good, well-produced dramas (and they are not all Scandi Crime).

18. do you speak with a dialect of your native language?

I can't really figure out if this means "do you have an accent when you speak English?" or "do you speak your native language with a dialect?" but to answer both... yes, of course I have an accent when I speak English, and yes, of course I have a dialect. The idea of a dialect that has no dialect is in itself a dialect, so... everyone has a dialect. Mine is... weird and hard to place, however, since I moved around a lot when I was in the "language formative years".

[philippageorgiou]

ive been learning danish for almost a year now, and am quite proficient when it comes to reading but i honestly don;t know that i’ll ever ever ever be able to speak it or understand it as a spoken language because today i saw a swedish movie in the cinema and understood a decent amount of that and yet couldnt comprehend a single word of the druk trailer shown before it. why did i choose the worst scandi language lmaooooo