#aksel hennie

[alyssumcamellia]

I've been thinking a lot about how I would've directed an actor playing Jesus if I had been in charge on a production, because it's so difficult. You've got a Jesus who, if you follow the premise that Judas puts forward in Heaven on their Minds, is a hedonistic, callous man who has lost his cause and indulges in the crowd. The Swedish Arena Tour (2014) uses this angle. Something that that production does, which you of course must do, is give him a realization at around Simon Zealotes that the crowd is too violent and that Judas was right.

Other productions make Jesus just a calm, smiling man through the whole play, who suddenly erupts with mean and "selfish" lyrics. This has always given me pause. There are two main issues I have with this interpretation. The first one is as mentioned, that his lyrics seem discordant with his general demeanor. My second issue it that the interpretation is boring and makes Jesus a static character, and it is bad theatre. I saw the current Norwegian production, and Jesus was unfortunately boring to watch because they went with this angle.

I, therefore, find it so weird that so many productions go with the second version. I think it is because they are lazy cowards who don't think about how they want to portray their characters in a way that makes sense. They know how Jesus is from the Bible and general culture, and don't think anymore about it. I think that is a real shame. That is the beauty about JCS, that you have to interpret the characters. You have to strike the balance in Jesus between hedonistic and pious, and explore Judas and his dilemma, his anger, and his frustration. If you wanted to show a musical where you didn't have to think, you could show Phantom of the Opera.

The difficulty of interpreting Jesus is striking the balance between these two versions of the character. (If you want to give it a single thought when putting on the show). I like the balance in JCS 2000. They have out thought into how Jesus should be, and I find the his indifference to Judas during Heaven on their Minds intriguing.

(I don't have any credentials or experience, with theatre, I just love JCS, and I am tired of not seeing it done justice)

[pedroam-bang]

Commander Melissa Lewis - Ares III Mission Crew (2035)

The Martian (2015)

[filministic]

The Martian (2015) dir. Ridley Scott

[cloudberrylane]

this was only the first episode of Kongen Befaler (TM Norway) series 10...

a chicken fillet...

a real gun...

a pear...on fire...

but before that...getting stressed when there's no fire...

lighter fluid & petrol...

almost killing the TM's assistant (Olli)...

...but more fire...

slightly surprised about the fire...

...then being disappointed about the fire...

BUT more fire...

a little house climbing...

a little hammock time...

before flying..? fire? with a... drone?

and making a pulley system to slide...fire..? down from the house?

lastly...

[sloshed-cinema]

Headhunters [Hodejegerne] (2011)

Roger really went through the shit on this one. In some stories of relentless pursuit, one almost has to ask at which point does endless suffering become not worth it. After finding himself in an elaborate trap of his own making, corporate recruitment agent and sometime art thief Roger Brown becomes the target of a psychotic ex-mercenary who has grand designs for corporate domination of the GPS industry. He’s renowned for his micro-transmitter jelly, something which is a boon for militaries the world over and an absolute headache (or hair nightmare) for Roger. Each episode of the pursuit becomes a further exploration of misery for our mark: if taking a dip in a rural outhouse isn’t bad enough, sooner or later he’s blasted off a cliffside in a cop car by a truck and forced to fake his own death, and then attacked by his former affair. It’s a death by a thousand cuts, or a desperate but unwavering refusal to give in. If we start out the film viewing him as an egotistical and yet insecure wet blanket, we come to learn just how audacious he can be in his determination to cling to life for himself.

A baker’s dozen people staring blankly at a bank of screens showing a crime happening in real time and doing fuck all about it is exactly how I imagine all that SimpliSafe bullshit podcasters are constantly trying to shove down my throat actually paying off. While gleefully gruesome and violent at points, Headhunters is also an undeniable comedy. The ridiculousness of the situation, be it Roger trying to negotiate meeting times with the gun-happy fence Ove in between volleys of gunfire with Russian prostitute Natasha or just how effortlessly handsome and suave Clas is in comparison to this sweaty mouth-breather, the tongue is planted firmly into the cheek.

THE RULES

SIP

Someone names a sum of money.

A call is made on a public/pay phone.

Roger sustains an injury.

Someone mentions traveling to Gothenburg.

BIG DRINK

Roger is jealous over his wife.

A security alarm is disabled.

[astolfocinema]

Sisu (2022) ------------ dir. Jalmari Helander cin. Kjell Lagerroos cs. Finland

[abs0luteb4stard]

W A T C H I N G

[scenesandscreens]

SISU (2023)

Director - Jalmari Helander, Cinematography - Kjell Lagerroos

"We might have a problem."

[brokehorrorfan]

Sisu will be released on 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray, and DVD on July 11 via Lionsgate. Best Buy will carry an exclusive Steelbook 4K Ultra HD edition (right), which is up for pre-order for $31.99.

The 2022 gory action film is written and directed by Jalmari Helander (Rare Exports, Big Game). Jorma Tommila, Aksel Hennie, Jack Doolan, and Mimosa Willamo star.

Special features are listed below.

Special features:

Indestructible: Making Sisu

Pushing the Boundaries of Reality: The Visual Effects of Sisu

During WWII, a solitary prospector crosses paths with Nazis in northern Finland. When the Nazis steal his gold, they quickly discover he is no ordinary miner. While there is no direct translation for the Finnish word “sisu,” the legendary ex-commando will embody what it means: a white-knuckled form of courage and unimaginable determination in the face of overwhelming odds. And this one-man death squad will go to outrageous lengths to get his gold back — even if it means killing every last Nazi in his path.

Pre-order Sisu.

[moviemosaics]

Sisu

directed by Jalmari Helander, 2022

[ratleyland]

This movie is quite literally the personification of 'Old Man Strength'

Balls-to-the-Wall crazy

Over the Top

Complete Madness

I loved every moment of it.

[tinyreviews]

The Tartakovsky's Primal vibes are strong. I would not be surprised if the director drew inspiration from it. Everything from the title, character, dialog-light execution, and score, reeks of it. MUST WATCH!

Sisu is a 2022 historical action film written and directed by Jalmari Helander The film stars Jorma Tommila, Aksel Hennie, Jack Doolan and Mimosa Willamo.

[pedroam-bang]

Sisu (2022)

[filministic]

The Martian (2015) dir. Ridley Scott

[agentnico]

Sisu (2023) Review

"Say ‘auf Wiedersehen’ to your Nazi balls!”

Plot: During the last days of World War II, a solitary prospector crosses paths with Nazis on a scorched-earth retreat in northern Finland. When the soldiers decide to steal his gold, they quickly discover they just tangled with no ordinary miner.

When I first heard of this movie it was described to me as a Finnish John Wick killing Nazis. I mean, I’m not expecting Tarantino level Inglorious Basterds madness, but from that description naturally I was interested. Was this going to be the RRR of this year? And the answer to that is no, however it’s very much an enjoyable action packed gory midnight genre flick. 

The set up is very simple, and the movie wholly embraces that. This main dude is this guy who simply wants to get his gold to the bank, but as it happens a bunch of desperate Nazis are trying to take the gold off him. So naturally this fella does what any old man would do - he kills them on in very violent fashion. Look, Sisu won’t require many brain cells to enjoy, however if you're fond of over-the-top action movies and don’t mind suspending your sense of disbelief you will have fun with this one. And boy does this film push the boundaries of realism and credibility. This main dude is literally an unkillable machine. He’s like Rasputin - you try and kill him in many different ways and he’s like “nah fam, I’mma keep going!”. Honestly the things this guy survives - it becomes hilarious at a point. Hanged, shot, beaten to a pulp, exploded by a mine, set on flipping fire - literally nothing gets this dude. I get that this movie isn’t supposed to be the most realistic motion picture, but his constant survival of everything at a point became too ridiculous. It was like that scene in the fourth John Wick film earlier this year where John is pushed down the stairs at the side of Sacre Coeur and he falls down all those hundreds of stairs without a scratch. Goes without saying - its silly stuff.

However I do admit Sisu does features some very well shot action set pieces, with the use of smoke and blood splatter used to solid effect, and a scene involving a minefield is a stand-out. Also cast wise, Jorma Tommila has that rough Norse look about him, so his presence is felt and is not a dude you want to mess with. Aksel Hennie plays the main Nazi villain, and, well, he was a Nazi. Not much more to say really on that subject. All actors in this movie portrayed believable fascists.....not sure if that’s a compliment. 

As for negatives, the pacing is off throughout the film and also there is a questionable choice of splitting the movie into these chapters, however these chapters literally add nothing to the film experience and in fact felt very forced and pretentious, as if the director felt the need to be artsy for the sake of it. Also there is a side-plot involving these women prisoners, and its such a rushed subplot that has very minimal pay-off and honestly at this rate didn’t need to be in the film. 

Aside from that, we have solid Tarantino-inspired bloody action, a silent and very charismatic protagonist, beautiful imagery from actual locations in Lapland and a really good soundtrack. It’s definitely a one time watch and unlikely to provide repeat viewing, but as a grindhouse late night piece of entertainment - it works. It’s not trying to be the best action film of all time, it’s not attempting to deliver the most complex story, it just is Sisu. 

Overall score: 6/10

[moviescramble]

Sisu - Review

Sisu, as the title cards to Jalmari Helander’s film will tell you, is a word that cannot be translated into English. It means “a white knuckled form of courage and unimaginable determination”. Essentially, it’s a dogged determination to survive that makes the “bulldog spirit” look like a tea dance. The film opens with a bloody overhead map, revealing the extent of Nazi extermination policies…