Monthly archives: December 2010

Closing time. You don’t have to go home but you can’t stay here.

We are finally here, at the end of the road. You are reading my last post in the Sweden.se’s film blog. I do admit that it’s a little emotional. My face isn’t leaking but I am ready with some tissues so if it breaks out I can wipe and type.

As a final goodbye here at the end of the year I do feel the urge to share my thoughts of what I consider being the most interesting and fun films & events of 2010. I didn’t just want to do a regular top 5 list. Those are so easily forgettable after reading. Instead I wanted to mix it up a little. I hope you enjoy.

My three favorite Swedish films of the year are:

Behind Blue Skies (Himlen är oskyldigt blå).
This was easily my number one of 2010. It’s a beautiful film with a huge heart and some fantastic acting.

Simple Simon (I rymden finns inga känslor)
Sweden’s choice in the run for the Oscars is a very lovable film which hopefully will win the love of a lot of people around  the world.

Easy Money (Snabba Cash)
This is a film I haven’t mentioned in the blog. The reason for that is that it had a very early 2010 release. It’s based on a book by the same name by Jens Lapidus. Easy Money is a film that no doubt has flaws but at the same time it showed that Swedish crime film can do more than just watered down cop films.

Films people should have seen but didn’t.

Trust Me (Puss).
A very likable film with True Blood’s own Alexander Skarsgård. It’s directed by Johan Kling who did a film called Darling a few years back. Darling is considered being one of Swedens best films of this decade and Trust Me isn’t that far behind.

Psalm 21.
A film that scared basically everyone that went to see it. Sadly a lot of people skipped this one.

Best film where Swedes were involved.

A Better World (Hämnden).
This film which stars Mikael Persbrandt is my favorite Scandinavian film of 2010. The emotions and actors in this film are just mind blowing.

Shanghai.
Directed with a perfect hand by Swede Mikael Håfström. It’s a film noir that basically makes love to your eyes.

Best event of 2010.

Uppsala Short Film Festival. Even if ticket prices are going up (Buu!) they still deliver a very high standard when it comes to films( Yeay!). Stockholm Film Festival was a great one but the very narrow selection of Swedish films forces this festival to take the backseat.

Where the hell are you hiding?

Lukas Moodysson.
The director that took the world by storm a few years back has put the filmmaking hat on the shelf for a while and will be releasing his first book in 21 years this coming March. The book titled Death & Co is about a boy by the name of Lucas whose dad suddenly dies.

It’s an oldie but goodie. Swedish films that you just can’t miss.

Let The Right One In (Låt den rätte komma in).
The vampire film that already has a Hollywood remake (Let Me In) is considered by the very famous English film magazine Empire to be number 15 when it comes to the 100 Best Films of all time.

In Bed With Santa (Tomten är far till alla barnen)
All I have to say about this one is that if you think you have a dysfunctional family around Christmas, just check this one out.

And there we have it people, the latest of the greatest when it comes to Swedish cinema. I sincerely hope you have enjoyed reading my blog. I hope it’s been a fun read as much of an interesting look at Swedish cinema. Like I wrote in my last post I really don’t know when or even if I’ll be back but with fingers crossed it feel s pretty good.

What will I do now? I’m actually off to Asia for a few months to recharge my batteries. If you would like to follow my journey you may do so here or on my Twitter.

I wish you all a Merry Christmas and a very Happy New Year.

(And no, that’s NOT me in the video)

It’s the final countdown

"The end is in sight, captain" Photo: Wikimedia Commons

We are coming to the end my friends. This Thursday I’ll be writing my last post of the year. Regarding the future I can only say that the future is written in the stars. Sadly I can’t read constellations. I can’t even read Spanish.

When it comes to the future one thing is sure. Swedes will be there. I’m of course talking about film and this year has been a powerhouse of Swedish performance and breakouts. Over the last few months I’ve highlighted a lot of them but I have forgotten one film.

A few years back friends Måns Mårlind and Björn Stein made a film by the name of Storm. The film starred Eric Ericson, Eva Röse and Jonas Karlsson and was a interesting film that mixed genre and style. It put Måns and Björn on the map.  They later did a mini-series for TV called Snapphanar. Their place on the film map grew and suddenly they were visible to Hollywood.

Shelter is the latest film by the Swedish director duo. The film will be released in the US in February but once again Stockholm Film Festival was kind enough to screen it this year. The film stars Julianne Moore and Jonathan Rhys Meyers.

Måns and Björn show very quickly that they know exactly what they’re doing. The film is tight and well directed with great performances, especially from Jonathan Rhys Meyers. His character goes through changes which make him have multiple dialects and mannerisms and he does it perfectly. The film however kind of falls apart in the third act.

Hollywood must be happy with what these guys are doing because their next film will be Underworld 4. Not to trash talk too much I admit that these vampire films aren’t the best films in town but they are films that bring in a lot of money. We all know cash is king in the film business and who knows what doors it will open for Måns and Björn.

Another great Swedish story I have to throw in here is that one of Sweden’s most famous actors, Mikael Persbrandt, has landed a part in the upcoming film The Hobbit by Peter Jackson.

In my final post I will be making a “Best Of 2010” list so hold tight for that. See you soon for the finale.

Mikael Håfström is back in action with Shanghai

Mikael Håfström's latest film noir is a great looking film.

The most common dream directors have must be to make it big and then get headhunted to Hollywood, the place where the big boys play with the big money. The new film Shanghai is a perfect example of this.

Mikael Håfström, a man that overnight became world famous for his Swedish film Evil (Ondskan). Not only was it considered one of the best book-to-film adaptations in Swedish history, it was also nominated for an Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film.

It didn’t win the golden statue but it did however manage to pick up 3 awards at the Guldbagge Awards which is the Swedish version of the Oscars.

For the last couple of years Håfström has been making films in Hollywood with some of the biggest stars in the world. Clive Owen and Jennifer Aniston in Derailed, Samuel L. Jackson and John Cusack in 1408 and he is now finishing up a film by the name of The Rite with Anthony Hopkins.

His latest film is Shanghai, a big budget film noir that takes place in Shanghai during the Second World War. Luckily I got to see it during Stockholm Film Festival and this turned out to be one of my favorites of the festival.

John Cusack plays Paul, a spy who’s in Shanghai to investigate the murder of his friend. A task which puts him right in the middle of a whole lot of trouble. Love affairs, political assassinations and greed, it’s all just another day in Shanghai.

Mikael Håfström once again turns to John Cusack for the lead and Cusack fits into the part of Paul Soames like a perfect glove. Ken Watanabe from The Last Samurai and Chow Yun-Fat also give strong performances in a film that from start to finish look amazing.

This is without a doubt Håfströms biggest (budget is around 50 million dollars) and best film since Evil. I can’t wait for this to hit movie theatres so I can see it again. Shanghai will be released around the world in the beginning of next year.