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'Forgotten, alone and more than 37 km away from home' reads the funny tagline on this poster for Nikolaj Steen's Oldboys
A Danish old-boys soccer team on their way to play a Swedish policemen team forget their goalkeeper Vagn at a gas station. He soon bands up with a Danish robber he happens upon, and together they head towards the match.
Oldboys is written and directed by debuting Nikolaj Steen (Minkavlerne (2019, TV-series)).
The script is full of weak points, (concerning a concussion, the 'forgetting Vagn' scene, igniting a car's engine etc..) Still I laughed copiously; the old men or boys and their coach (Rasmus Bjerg (Player (2013))) are fun, and Kristian Halken (Miss Viborg (2022)) is formidable as Vagn. Oldboys is formulaic and flawed but a lot of fun and with a lot of beneficial heart to it.
Watch a short clip from the film here
Cost: Uncertain; projected 5 mil. DKK or approximately 0.64 mil. $
Box office: Approximately 0.6 mil. $
= Huge flop (projected return of 0.93 times its cost)
[Oldboys was released 20 November (Denmark) and runs 95 minutes. It was supported with 3 mil. DKK by the Danish Film Institute. If made on a very slim 5 mil. DKK budget, the film would rank as a huge flop: It sold 56,820 tickets in its sole release country (Denmark) at a 83 DKK average prize at the time, coming to approximately 4.7 mil. DKK or 0.6 mil. $. The film won 2/7 Robert award nominations (Denmark's Oscar), among other honors. Steen has kept out of cinemas since, instead directing for TV. Halken returned in 4 short, TV and a voice credit prior to his theatrical return in A Funny Man/Dirch (2011); Robert Hansen (Vildbassen (1994)) in Bølle Bob - Alle Tiders Helt (2010). 1.3k+ IMDb users have given Oldboys a 6.6/10 average rating.]
+ Best Action Comedy of the Year + Best Revenge Movie of the Year
Four armed men and a teenage girl are standing in a barn on the smile-inducing poster for Anders Thomas Jensen's Riders of Justice
Marcus returns from active soldier's duty far away, when his wife's life ends in a mysterious train accident. He struggles to meet their teenager daughter eye to eye, when a couple of strange men turn up to tell him that the accident was no accident.
Riders of Justice is written and directed by great Danish filmmaker Anders Thomas Jensen (Flickering Lights/Blinkende Lygter (2001)) with Nikolaj Arcel (Klatretøsen (2002)) contributing story elements.
We are back in classic Jensen turf with a male-dominated story with deformity, pent-up anger, violence and the randomness of existence on the menu. Riders of Justice is a hilarious comedy; it also has a couple of genuinely moving scenes, impressive in their far-out action-comedy context, featuring the mesmerizing talent of Mads Mikkelsen (The Hunt /Jagten (2012)) as the beleaguered Marcus and Nikolaj Lie Kaas (Kandidaten (2008)) as his new friend Otto, who has gone through a similar ordeal in losing his wife. There is a framing story on the film about a bicycle purchase in Estonia, which is also very neat and finally also moving, helped along by the power of music. (In this case Nicolas Bro (Dræberne fra Nibe (2017)) on a French horn (!), which sounds beautiful!!)
The film is punchy and doesn't duck neither action nor dramatically related scenes and dialog. The world is a dark and ruthless place, but it packs both good and bad. The plot may be said to have more than its fair share of incredible coincidences; but on the same time the conclusion of it cleverly implies that even incredible coincidences do not point to correlations or meanings, necessarily. SPOILER Randomness is the guiding principle often in life, and in this case Marcus and his team kill countless (terrible) criminals based on a faulty deduction of facts.
Personally I still relish Jensen's preceding film most in his body of work, the outrageously weird and funny Men & Chicken/Mænd og Høns (2015), but Riders of Justice is strictly speaking just as good, especially due to the rich gallery of characters that are invoked: Bro as the obese face recognition expert and guns enthusiast; Gustav Lindh (All Inclusive (2017)) as a kind and wise Ukranian trafficking victim who comes under the team's wings; and Lars Brygmann (King's Game/Kongekabale (2004)), who arguably takes the cake as an abuse victim hacker with extraordinary abilities and issues. Andrea Heick Gadeberg (Daniel/Ser Du Månen Daniel (2019)) carries her weight effortlessly as Marcus' strong daughter.
Watch a short clip of Brygmann as Lennart from the film here
Cost: 39 mil. DKK, approximately 6.24 mil. $
Box office: 2.4 mil. $ and counting
[Riders of Justice was released 19 November (Denmark) and runs 116 minutes. Shooting took place in Funen, Denmark. The film sold 125k tickets in its first weekend in Denmark, where it has topped 150k tickets after less than 10 days and is poised to exceed 750k tickets in coming weeks in the languished China Virus film landscape, possibly becoming Jensen's top-grossing film to date. Due to the pandemic the film does not have releases scheduled in foreign markets yet. Jensen does not have his next project announced yet. Mikkelsen returns in Chaos Walking (2021); Kaas does not have his next gig announced yet. 619 IMDb users have given Riders of Justice a 8.4/10 average rating.]
+Best Danish Movie of the Year + Best $ Return of the Year: 2.43 times + Best Dramedy of the Year
Mads Mikkelsen stops for a sip in the middle of the street with his friends in tow on this poster for Thomas Vinterberg's Another Round
Four middle-aged long-time friends, who are all teachers at the same high school, raddle around an experiment, when one of them seems to have fully lost his life's spark: To work under constant inebriation of at least 0.5 % alcohol in their blood.
Another Round is written by Tobias Lindholm (The Commune/Kollektivet (2016)) and co-writer/director, Danish master filmmaker Thomas Vinterberg (Sneblind (1990)), whose 13th film it is. The original Danish title translates to 'heavy drinking'. The film is dedicated to Vinterberg's daughter, who passed away in a tragic car accident during shooting of the film.
Another Round may be the perfect midlife-crisis movie. Because the drinking experiment the four friends embark upon, - inspired by the theory of a Norwegian psychologist that man is made with a half percent alcohol missing in his blood, - is really spurred on by the men's hunger for adventure and youth in their steady, close-knit lives.
The film delves into the special Danish drinking culture, which is especially strong and solidified early on in life, as is evident in the very opening of the film, and certainly local Danish aspects of culture, humor and language will get lost in translation. It doesn't change the fact that Another Round is Vinterberg's best film since his debut masterpiece The Celebration/Festen (1998). It is also the best Danish film in years.
The structure is perfect; the writing is inspired and full of color and fun. The balance between very funny elements and real drama is nailed in Another Round, which alternatively makes audiences laugh as if by reflex, and clench jaws as tears well up in its heaviest moments. The film was intended as a pure celebration of the enjoyment of alcohol but was later developed into also dealing with the shadow side and consequences of binge drinking and alcoholism.
The performances in Another Round are out of the ballpark: Mads Mikkelsen (Valhalla Rising (2009)) goes from nationally (and internationally) endeared to a national hero in Denmark as Martin, the man whose crisis ignites the experiment. Mikkelsen is gold as the man who has stopped being there, who becomes the man that's back in a big way - but due to a helping ingredient. He outdoes himself. Maria Bonnevie (The 13th Warrior (1999)) matches him with grace and honesty as his wife in the film. And the three friends are acted with terrific energy and verve by Magnus Millang (Selvhenter (2019)), Lars Ranthe (Kartellet (2014)) and Thomas Bo Larsen (A Place Nearby/Her i Nærheden (2000)). Larsen is especially poignant as the group's weakest link. The performances by youths are also good.
Another Round is a party you won't want to miss. A complete rescue from the China virus pandemic (for a couple of hours.) A film pulsating with life and energy. A true celebration.
Mikkelsen and Vinterberg converse about the film at a virtual interview at the Toronto International Film Festival in the video here
Cost: 33.5 mil. DKK, approximately 5.31 mil. $
Box office: Around 22.5 mil. DKK and counting
= Too early to say
[Another Round premiered 12 September (Toronto International Film Festival) and runs 115 minutes. The film has sold 319k tickets in its first 3 weeks in production country Denmark, despite the China virus pandemic, considered a huge win in the small country, although many tickets are sold at half prize due to the film being played as part of the Biografklub Danmark club. The gross so far should come to around 22.5 mil. DKK. The film is coming to several markets in coming months, check out the list here. Samuel Goldwyn Films have acquired the US distribution right to it but have not announced a release date yet, probably awaiting improvements in the market, marred by mass cinema closures due to the China virus. Vinterberg does not have his next project announced yet. Mikkelsen returns in Retfærdighedens Ryttere (2020); Larsen, Millang and Ranthe do not have their next theatrical appearances announced yet. Another Round is fresh at 85 % with a 7.25/10 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]
+ Copenhagen Movie of the Year + Best Drama-Thriller of the Year + Worst $ Return of the Year: 0.05
A rough male hand with rings, an Islamic tattoo and a lid cigarette makes up the sparse image on this poster for Omar Shargawi's Go with Peace, Jamil
Danish immigrant Muslim Jamil kills a man who has taken part in the murdering of his mother many years ago, a vengeance that mirrors the centuries old Islamic rift between the Sunni and Shia camps. This starts a spiral of violence that is hard to end again. Go with Peace, Jamil is written by coaching writer Mogens Rukov (Elise (1985)) and debuting co-writer/director/actor Omar Shargawi (Al Medina (2015)). The problem with this Copenhagen-set Arab revenge drama thriller is its first 45 minutes, in which I didn't care for any of the characters; combined with the fact that we don't know who Jamil murders, or why. This is a shame. Because with the needed patience, the viewer is then treated to some powerful scenes of Jamil with his father and son, which are very beautiful and full of truth, with tremendous performances to boot. Jamil actor Dar Salim (Lommbock (2017)) has since become a local star, but the rest are amateur actors, and the work achieved is remarkable. The ending is uncompromising as a strong anti-violence statement. Go with Peace, Jamil is, despite its flaws, a recommendable crackerjack of a movie.
Watch a trailer for the film with English subtitles here
Cost: 10 mil. DKK, approximately 1.47 mil. $ Box office: 87k $ = Box office disaster (returned 0.05 times its cost) [Go with Peace, Jamil premiered 28 January (International Film Festival Rotterdam, Netherlands) and runs 90 minutes. Shooting took place in Copenhagen, Denmark. The film sold 5,310 tickets in production country Denmark: The Danes did not respond much to the mostly Arab language film, and the country's considerable Muslim minority also did not flock out to see the film. This reportedly gave it a mere 83k $ total gross, - figuring with a tall 15 $ ticket prize, - and the only 2 other markets listed at the film's Box Office Mojo page are Norway and Greece with 2 and 1k $ grosses. The film was shown in several more markets, mainly at festivals. It was nominated for 2 Roberts (Danish Oscar). Shargawi returned with Fra Haifaa til Nørrebro (2010, documentary) and theatrically with a segment in anthology drama Do Not Forget Me Istanbul (2010). Salim returned in Livvagterne (2009, TV-series), 2900 Happiness (2009, TV-series) and theatrically in Submarino (2010). 400 IMDb users have given Go with Peace, Jamil a 6.9/10 average rating.] What do you think of Go with Peace, Jamil?
The film's three stars cut through by vertical lines on the simple poster for Rowan Joffe's Before I Go to Sleep
Our protagonist is a middle-aged woman, whose amnesia dictates that she every night forgets the day that went before. - But why does she suffer from this condition, and is she really living with her husband? A suspenseful trailer doesn't naturally make for a good film, as Before I Go to Sleep proves. Nicole Kidman's (Dogville (2003)) intense, uneasy eyes tell us for much of the film that something isn't right and, in fact, is wrong in a dangerous way. But the characters are too thinly sketched, and the plot too basic to make us react with much more than slightly diverted yawns. No one distinguishes themselves well or unwell here, and the production seems thin, a little cheep and without too many chords to play on. Before I Go to Sleep is written and directed by Rowan Joffe (Brighton Rock (2010)), based on the same-titled 2011 bestseller by S.J. Watson (Second Life (2015)). It is hard to get involved in and easily forgotten.
Cost: 22 mil. $ Box office: 17.6 mil. $ = Huge flop [Before I Go to Sleep premiered 4 September (New Zealand) and runs 92 minutes. Ridley Scott bought the film rights for Watson's novel and hired Joffe for adapting and directing the film. Shooting took place in England, including London, from February 2013 - ?. The film opened #15 to a weak 1.8 mil. $ first weekend in 1,902 cinemas in North America, where it only played 2 more weeks and grossed a measly 3.2 mil. $ (18.2 % of the total gross). The biggest market was the UK with 5.3 mil. $ (30.1 %). North America was the 2nd biggest market, and the 3rd biggest was Russia with 1.3 mil. $ (7.4 %). Joffe returned with executive producing, writing for and directing an episode of Tin Star (2017, TV-series), and is set to write Disney's The Graveyard Book. Before I Go to Sleep is rotten at 36 % with a 5/10 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.] What do you think of Before I Go to Sleep?
Gemma Arterton looks relaxed and sweet on this war-and-nation-indicating, good-humored poster for Lone Scherfig's Their Finest
Their Finest is the 9th theatrical feature from Danish master filmmaker Lone Scherfig (Italian for Beginners/Italiensk for Begyndere (2000)), written by Gaby Chiappe (EastEnders (2003-05)), based on the novel Their Finest Hour and a Half (2009) by Lissa Evans (Big Change for Stuart (2012)). While the Blitz haunts London, our Welsh hero Catrin is recognized for her writing skills and female perspective and involved in the making of a pivotal propaganda effort of Britain's Ministry of Information. While the war takes its toll on everyone, a rousing and encouraging film takes shape. The film within Their Finest is about the Dunkirk evacuation (26 May - 4 June 1940) during the Battle of Britain, which we will also see portrayed soon in Christopher Nolan's hugely anticipated Dunkirk (2017). The cinephile may object to some 'details' concerning the film-in-the-film: At times it seems they shoot it in the inauthentic widescreen format that Their Finest utilizes, (though for the cinema scene in the end it is changed into the appropriate 4:3 format.) They are allowed to shoot in color, which is historically inappropriate; the film doesn't refer to an actual film, but it is hard to think of which British war film in color from around 1940 it would allude to. During shooting they also film outside without lighting, which would have been impossible due to the slow speed of Technicolor stock. This being said the filmmaking sections of Their Finest do throw poignant life on the way a film in some cases is shaped and loses and gains qualities due to the many 'chefs' involved and the unforeseeable X'es of production. One of the fine things of Their Finest is that it reminds us that filmmaking is important at all times (as a peaceful, creative, artful cooperation of many people to entertain and illuminate their peers), and essential at times of unrest and war. The tediousness, difficulty and compromises of filmmaking is pitched against its magic and the ultimate joy at the end of the ardor; grabbing the hearts and imaginations of an audience. The film's not completely satisfying title is an abbreviation of Evans' novel's title, which refers to the running time of the film made in the story, which also hints to a famous quote by British prime minister Winston Churchill, which goes: "Let us therefore brace ourselves to our duties, and so bear ourselves
that if the British Empire and its Commonwealth last for a thousand
years, men will still say, 'This was their finest hour.'" For me this was one of those films were within its first minute or so, I felt strongly that this was one that I would enjoy. And although the film doesn't soar to the heights of genius and emotional depths that it might have and doesn't get everything right, it still is an enjoyable and touching film. Scherfig and Chiappe seem to have wanted to offer a female perspective on the period, its many trials and tribulations, which nevertheless develops into a romance. SPOILER In what seems a determination to stress this vision, - and with this the development of the young female protagonist into an independent and professionally active person and not 'just' one that catches a fellow to marry, - they kill off her cynically disposed, burgeoning lover before this gets to really develop. Their Finest depicts a time when women had to put up with a generally worse treatment in the West than we are used to today, thankfully, and to its honor it doesn't place the subjugation with one male villain but rather spread it out across several of them. Their chauvinism isn't debilitating although at times it is jarring to the modern ear, rather, it is treated as a social ill, a tragedy of its time that was changing for the better, undoubtedly helped along by the actions of people like our Catrin. SPOILER The film's greatest line by a longshot is a comeback Catrin makes to her cheating boyfriend and his paintings, which packs a fine punch. Gemma Arterton (The Girl with All the Gifts (2016)) delivers; she is sweet, competent, sensitive and as so does well in the lead, - although I still perceive her as a bit mousy and not a new Carrie Mulligan-league actress for instance, (Mulligan became world-famous through Scherfig's great An Education (2009)). Sam Claflin (Me Before You (2016)) is authentic as her mentor/admirer screenwriting partner. Bill Nighy (About Time (2013)) has the funnest part in the film as an aging diva actor. At a critical point, he grows into a moral beacon in just a single line, and I don't think Nighy really believed that his character would grow like this, and I at least didn't. The cast also benefits from small but good performances from the likes of Jack Huston (The Hot Potato (2012)), Richard E. Grant (Tooth (2004)), Henry Goodman (Green Street Hooligans (2005)), Eddie Marsan (Sherlock Holmes (2009)), Jeremy Irons (Faeries (1999)) and Jake Lacy (Love the Coopers (2015)) as an American war hero turned (awful) actor. Lacy has his work cut out for him, as it is harder than one might think to play someone who can't act convincingly, but he mostly pulls it off. The film doesn't soar to impressive heights visually but makes the best of its means and succeeds in being funny, insightful, a bit romantic and an effective weepie along the way. Scherfig imbues it with her keen knowledge of and fondness for the British culture, language and people.
Cost: Estimated 10 mil. €, equal to approximately 11.28 mil. $ Box office: 11.8 mil. $ and counting = Too early to say [Their Finest premiered 11 September (Toronto International Film Festival) and runs 117 minutes. BBC Films developed the film and hired Scherfig. Shooting took place in Wales and England, including at Pinewood Studios and in London, starting September 2015. The film opened #34 in 4 theaters to a 76k $ opening weekend in North America, where it peaked at #19 and in 330 cinemas (different weeks) and grossed 3.6 mil. $. It has yet to open in one important market; Germany (6 July), but the film does not look like it will reach becoming a box office success. Their Finest is certified fresh at 87 % with a 7.1/10 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.] What do you think of Their Finest?
Best Child Actor: Liam Aiken (lost to Kiernan Shipka for Mad Men S4) Best Production Design: Rob Simons, Mark Tildesley (lost to Boardwalk Empire S1)
The best of the many posters for Michael Winterbottom's The Killer Inside Me is this mysterious piece
The Killer Inside Me is the second adaptation of Jim Thompson's (Savage Night (1953)) same-titled 1952 novel, following a same-titled 1976 film with Stacy Keach as the protagonist. It is written by John Curran (Tracks (2013), director) and directed by Michael Winterbottom (Welcome to Sarajevo (1997)). Central City, a small Texas town in the 1950s: The Deputy Sheriff has fallen in love with a beautiful prostitute, whom he has to drive out of town. Instead he beats her to death and begin a series of killings. Many seem to have been fooled by this charmless, unexciting 'neo-noir'. Casey Affleck (Gone Baby Gone (2007)) portrays his nasty Southern protagonist with a supremely urban tongue and unaffectedness to the events he spearheads. Young Liam Aiken (How to Be a Man (2013)) impresses more in two scenes than Affleck manages in the film's entirety. The Killer Inside Me is filled to the brim with heinously lit sex scenes that don't contain neither insight nor class. SPOILER - The murders of Jessica Alba (Little Fockers (2010)) and Kate Hudson's (Raising Helen (2004)) characters are revolting, and the film's sole attraction becomes our wish to see the loathsome killer die for his sins. The story has more than one inexplicable bump. It is a pompous art film, which had probably been better, if it had veered towards exploitation instead. It does, however, feature a fine production design of 1950s Texas.
Cost: 13 mil. $ Box office: 3.9 mil. $ = Box office disaster [The Killer Inside Me premiered January 24 (Sundance) and runs 109 minutes. Several adaptations had been attempted put together since the novel's publication with big name actors, which hadn't materialized. Filming took place in Oklahoma and New Mexico from May - June 2009. The film drew some outrage at its Sundance premiere over its explicit brutality towards women, which drew criticisms from many. IFC Films purchased the distribution rights for 1.5 mil. $ and released it theatrically and as VoD simultaneously. Its North American release peaked in just 17 theaters, grossing 217k $ (5.6 % of the total gross). The film's biggest market was by far, interestingly, Russia with 1 mil. $ (25.6 %). The 2nd and 3rd biggest markets were the UK with 437k $ (11.2 %) and France with 425k $ (10.9 %). The Killer Inside Me is rotten at 55 % with a 5.7 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.] What do you think of The Killer Inside Me?
