Huutajat/La Chorale Hurlante/Screaming Men by Mika Ronkainen, is a very excentric and extremely charming film.
It tells the story about an unusual choir where the singing qualities is not related to how well or beautiful you sing but how loud you can sing.
This choir has toured the world and also met some controversy when trying to sing different National Anthems in their very special way.
According to the Islandic constitution, it was forbidden to modify the National Anthem in any way.
In the film we get to see how they solve this.
We also get to follow their selection process when candidates arrive to participate and there is no lack of eager aspirants!
It tells the story about an unusual choir where the singing qualities is not related to how well or beautiful you sing but how loud you can sing.
This choir has toured the world and also met some controversy when trying to sing different National Anthems in their very special way.
According to the Islandic constitution, it was forbidden to modify the National Anthem in any way.
In the film we get to see how they solve this.
We also get to follow their selection process when candidates arrive to participate and there is no lack of eager aspirants!
Les Mystères de Snaefellsjökull (Dularöfl Snæfellsjökull/The Mysteries of Snæfellsjökull) by Jean-Michel Roux (homepage of Jean-Michel Roux) is a documentary about a jökull (glacier) on Iceland filled with mystic connotations as the title indicates.
The director - Roux - answered questions after the screening and I had the chance to talk to him a couple of times.
It's a man with great knowledge about the Icelandic landscape and some of its more mysterious historic past, as displayed not least in the nature of the island.
It was a very interesting and beautiful film telling the story about this glacier and the different myths or traditions linked to it, as explained by different icelandics with different experiences of Snaefellsjökull.
In connection to this we also got to see his short film Le coeur de la terre.
The director - Roux - answered questions after the screening and I had the chance to talk to him a couple of times.
It's a man with great knowledge about the Icelandic landscape and some of its more mysterious historic past, as displayed not least in the nature of the island.
It was a very interesting and beautiful film telling the story about this glacier and the different myths or traditions linked to it, as explained by different icelandics with different experiences of Snaefellsjökull.
In connection to this we also got to see his short film Le coeur de la terre.
Soul Kitchen was made by director Fatih Akin (whos films Gegen die Wand and Im Juli I, Gunnar, liked very much).
It's a comedy about a group of people with different kinds of problems, coming together to start a restaurant with a special touch, namely soul music when eating.
We get to meet two brothers, one coming from prison, the other wanting to have a restaurant with better food than the one served at the local 'eating place'.
This creates problems and his brother and the different characters also contribute with even more trouble.
This is not the best film by Akin but it had some very amusing parts, not least a scene with the real mother of Fatih Akin wanting order in the house!
It's a comedy about a group of people with different kinds of problems, coming together to start a restaurant with a special touch, namely soul music when eating.
We get to meet two brothers, one coming from prison, the other wanting to have a restaurant with better food than the one served at the local 'eating place'.
This creates problems and his brother and the different characters also contribute with even more trouble.
This is not the best film by Akin but it had some very amusing parts, not least a scene with the real mother of Fatih Akin wanting order in the house!
Bronson is one of the latest films by the Danish director Nicolas Winding Refn.
It tells the story about the most violent prisoner in Great Britain, Charles Bronson (no, not the actor).
Orignially he had another name but adopted the name of the actor and gradually he changes and take on another alter ego, maybe resembling of Bronson in his more violent films?
He was sentenced to seven years in prison for a robbery but stays 30 years in solitary confinement(!) to a great deal caused by his own behaviour but also because he becomes a target for violence committed by the guards.
I like the aesthetics in many of Refns films but this film left me rather empty, displaying a rather unscrupulous man, using only his muscles to solve his problems but only creating new.
After a while this gets rather boring, as there are no other angles pointing in to the person behind the mask.
It tells the story about the most violent prisoner in Great Britain, Charles Bronson (no, not the actor).
Orignially he had another name but adopted the name of the actor and gradually he changes and take on another alter ego, maybe resembling of Bronson in his more violent films?
He was sentenced to seven years in prison for a robbery but stays 30 years in solitary confinement(!) to a great deal caused by his own behaviour but also because he becomes a target for violence committed by the guards.
I like the aesthetics in many of Refns films but this film left me rather empty, displaying a rather unscrupulous man, using only his muscles to solve his problems but only creating new.
After a while this gets rather boring, as there are no other angles pointing in to the person behind the mask.
Brúðguminn/White Night Wedding is made by Baltasar Kormákur, the icelandic director who among other films made 101 Reykjavík (a film I, Gunnar, liked).
Jon is a middle-aged professor who is going to get married to one of his students, half his age and this decision encounter some problems, or rather a great deal of problems.
It's a comedy with some rather amusing parts and lovely icelandic landscapes but on the whole not so interesting and all to long. Not the length in itself but it feels as if Kormákur wants to fill out some time in space, not needed to understand the story or to give it more depth.
Jon is a middle-aged professor who is going to get married to one of his students, half his age and this decision encounter some problems, or rather a great deal of problems.
It's a comedy with some rather amusing parts and lovely icelandic landscapes but on the whole not so interesting and all to long. Not the length in itself but it feels as if Kormákur wants to fill out some time in space, not needed to understand the story or to give it more depth.
