Review: Estonian Experimental Indie Film Metáfora

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Metáfora (English: “Metaphor“) opens with a gorgeous black and white shot of the moon, fading out to classical music and a narrating voice over. It is hard to summarize the film’s plot, mostly because there isn’t any actual plot in the traditional sense of the word or at least from what we are used to in 99% of the films we watch. Metáfora chooses to be the odd 1% of cinematic experiences that decides to take an alternative narrative approach and subvert the viewer’s expectations. But to what effect?  Continue reading →

My Top 10 Danish Films

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What better time to (re-)discover the nationalist in yourself than the Fifa World Cup? Besides football the only other time I feel particularly Italian is when I watch Italian films. In that spirit I’ve decided to start a series of top tens centered around some of my favorite countries for cinema. Denmark is one of the first countries that came to mind. Danish cinema has gotten considerable attention in the last few years namely because of directors such as Lars von Trier, Thomas Vinterberg and Nicolas Winding Refn.  Continue reading →

Mini-Review: Jason Bateman’s Bad Words (2013) is a Solid Directorial Debut and a Funny Black Comedy

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*S-P-O-I-L-E-R-S*
Guy Trilby (Jason Bateman) is a 40-year-old middle school dropout who found a loophole in the system and managed to participate at the illustrious Golden Quill spelling bee. Jenny Widgeon (Kathryn Hahn) is a journalist trying to find out why he’d do such a silly thing. Guy seems like he doesn’t care about anything. He is an asshole to anyone he meets, but things change when he befriends a 10-year old kid (Rohan Chand). Will the two end up as the finalists in this ridiculous contest? You’ve guessed it!  Continue reading →

20 of the Most Visually Stunning Films of the 20th Century

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Increasingly I hear people referring to any film made in the last century as old. Nobody likes “old” movies. It seems that most people don’t even really like black & white. I used to be like that, but of course you can’t call yourself a real cinephile and not have a basic knowledge of the great classics. I’m here to help you. How? I’ve selected 20 of my favorite films of the 20th century. My hope is that these films will help you appreciate the fact that there are gorgeous looking pictures throughout any decade. Moreover these films aren’t just pretty to look at, but they’re also some of the best movies ever made.  Continue reading →

Mini-Review: Mifune (1999). The Third Dogme Film and Already Breaking the Rules.

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Originally published on filmstvandlife.
Kresten (Anders W. Berthelsen) just got married. After his first wedding night, he wakes up to a phone call informing him that his father has passed away. He has to leave for the Danish countryside, but the thing is that his wife didn’t even know he had a father or a brother. Kresten returns to his old home, a farm in the middle of nowhere. After the death of his father he now has to deal with his intellectually challenged brother Rud (Jesper Asholt). He decides to hire a maid, Livia (Iben Hjejle), who’s actually a prostitute. Things get more and more complicated as his wife finds out how many things he’s been keeping from her.  Continue reading →

Documentary Review: Chris Paine’s Who Killed the Electric Car (2006)?

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After attending a mandatory course (to get my definitive Swiss drivers license) on how to drive ecologically and save a lot of fuel I was kind of confused. One of the instructors mentioned that the electric car isn’t actually as eco-friendly as you’d think. That was the first time I had heard someone say that. It seemed counter intuitive to what I thought to be true, so naturally being a film buff the logical reaction was to seek out a documentary that would discuss the issue in a more sensible and in-depth manner, so I decided to watch Chris Paine’s Who Killed the Electric Car?  Continue reading →

Three Reasons: Billy Wilder’s The Lost Weekend (1945). An Honest Depiction of Alcohol Addiction.

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In 1946 Billy Wilder’s The Lost Weekend (1945) won the Austrian-American auteur five Academy Awards: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor and Best Adapted Screenplay (the film is based on Charles R. Jackson’s homonymous book). While I love to make fun of the Oscars or get really pissed at their poor decisions, this is one of those instances where I feel they got it right. Then again, you can’t go wrong with Billy Wilder. I recently watched this film for the first time and absolutely adored it. In typical Criterion fashion I decided to share Three Reasons why I think this is a must-see.  Continue reading →

Check it Out: Fox Searchlight Creates a Lego Replica of The Grand Budapest Hotel

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Tomorrow Wes Anderson’s The Grand Budapest Hotel will be released on Blu-Ray & DVD. As of today the film has earned $58 million at the American box office and over $100 million worldwide, making it by far his highest grossing film to date. Looking at Anderson’s filmography it’s easy to see why: The Grand Budapest Hotel is a very entertaining film, plot-heavy and star-filled. Fox Searchlight’s marketing push has been just as creative and quirky as Anderson’s films. I especially liked when they revealed the recipe for the Courtesan au Chocolat.  Continue reading →

Five Favorite Films Starring My Favorite Swedish Man: Stellan Skarsgård

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I love Stellan Skarsgård! I don’t really need an excuse to talk about him, but today also happens to be his birthday. It’s a very happy birthday indeed for Skarsgård’s career. Lately, he’s been finally getting the attention he deserves and working on big budget Hollywood blockbusters which should help him make a name for himself in the mainstream and popular culture. Not that I care about any of those movies, but it’s nice to finally see one of my favorite actors getting noticed and recognized by people, which I hope will translate in more great collaborations with more visionary filmmakers as well.  Continue reading →

Watch: Harmony Korine Directs Dior Addict Ad

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“I got Escape! Calvin Klein Escape! Mix it up with Calvin Klein Be. Smell nice? I smell nice!” That’s a line from Aliens’ (James Franco) monologue in Harmony Korine‘s Spring Breakers, where he shows the girls all of his stuff (or shit). Who would have thought that the director of films which are mostly about white trash characters like Gummo (1997), Julien Donkey-Boy (1999) or Trash Humpers (2009) would go on to direct an ad for Christian Dior, one of the top French fashion houses? Certainly not me, but it works. Take a look! 
Continue reading →