March 9, 2016 - "Blind" (2015)

Blind, 2015Wednesday, March 9, 2016
Forney Hall, Room B124

Director: Eskil Vogt
Origin: Norway | Netherlands
Language: Norwegian
Running time: 96 min

When she loses her sight, Ingrid retreats to her apartment and senses that her husband may not always leave when he says he's going to work. As her loneliness and uncertainty grow, she also comes to worry about a neighbor's motivations. (from Netflix.com)

Watch the trailer on IMDB.

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Review of last week's film ("Runoff", 3.5 stars) 
Steven says: This American independent film paints a depressing picture of the current ag business model, juxtaposing old farmers with new paradigms and highlighting the financial pressures corporations create for customers and competitors alike. Within this ecosystem, one family struggles to survive amidst pressures from several angles.

January 13, 2016 - "1001 Grams" (2015)

1001 Grams, 2015

This is the first screening of the Winter 2016 season.

Director: Bent Hamer
Origin: Norway | Germany
Languages: Norwegian | French | English
Running time: 93 minutes

When newly divorced scientist Marie Ernst is tasked with transporting a perfect kilogram weight from Norway to a seminar in France, she soon finds herself being nudged out of her meticulously structured existence. (from Netflix.com)

Watch the trailer on YouTube.

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Review of previous film ("Nora's Will", 3.5 stars) 
Steven says: Here is a look at a different slice of Mexican life - the Jewish culture. Creative, funny, and telling, the movie's title character thought of nearly everything to bring family members from near and far together.

January 8, 2014 - "Kon-Tiki" (2012)

Kon-Tiki, 2012
Directors: Joachim Rønning, Espen Sandberg
Origin: UK | Norway | Denmark | Germany | Sweden
Languages: Norwegian | English | French | Swedish
Running time: 118 min

With five loyal friends in tow, explorer Thor Heyerdal sails a fragile balsa wood raft along an ancient path some 4,300 miles across the Pacific. Along the way, they're attacked by tidal waves, sharks and all the dangers the ocean can muster. (from Netflix.com)

MPAA rating: Rated PG-13 for a disturbing violent sequence
U.S. box office: $1,511,798
Watch the trailer on IMDB.

March 20, 2013 - "Oslo, August 31st" (2011)

Oslo, August 31st, 2011
Director: Joachim Trier
Origin: Norway
Language: Norwegian | English
Running time: 95 min

This psychological drama follows a day in the life of Anders, a recovering drug addict who travels to his old stomping grounds of Oslo for a job interview. While there, he must confront his past as well as his plans for a new life. (from Netflix.com)

U.S. box office: $100,713
Watch the trailer on IMDB.

July 11, 2012 - "Happy, Happy" (2010)

Happy Happy, 2010
Director: Anne Sewitsky
Origin: Norway
Languages: Norwegian | Danish | German
Running time: 85 min

Set in a remote Norwegian town, this black comedy centers on cheerful housewife Kaja (Agnes Kittlesen), who is contentedly wedded to her loveless high school sweetheart but lands in hot water when a risqué encounter with her urbane new neighbor, Sigve (Henrik Rafaelsen), goes too far. With a full-blown affair on her hands and Christmas just around the corner, Kaja falls back on blinding optimism to get her through the snowballing scandal. (from Netflix.com)

MPAA rating: Rated R for sexual content including brief graphic nudity
U.S. box office: $44,947

May 2, 2012 - "A Somewhat Gentle Man" (2010)

A Somewhat Gentle Man, 2010
Director: Hans Petter Moland
Origin: Norway
Language: Norwegian
Running time: 105 min

With revenge on his mind, a gangster (Stellan Skarsgård) who spent 12 years in prison for murder sets out to kill the man (Henrik Mestad) who put him there. But the promise of a normal life -- and news that he's on the brink of becoming a grandfather -- proves a tempting distraction. Suddenly, seeking vengeance doesn't seem nearly as important. Hans Petter Moland directs this Norwegian drama about sons and second chances. (from Netflix.com)

U.S. box office: $37,543

Watch the trailer on Netflix.

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Review of last week's film ("The City of Your Final Destination", four stars)
Steven says: Directed by James Ivory, starring Anthony Hopkins, Laura Linney and Charlotte Ginsbourg -- that's all you have to say to make this a must-see film. The actors do not disappoint, and the story, though farfetched, is realistically told. The characters are fully developed, even as we wonder about their motivations and pasts (which makes me want to read the book). I wholeheartedly recommend this film.



Read more about the book upon which the movie is based.

January 18, 2011 - "Aberdeen" (2001)

Aberdeen, 2001
Director: Hans Petter Moland
Origin: UK | Norway | Sweden
Language: English
Running time: 106 min.

Kaisa (Lena Headey), a beautiful and feisty Scottish woman, finally has her life together - at least until her mother (Charlotte Rampling) asks an enormous favor: to bring back to her Kaisa's estranged, larger-than-life father (Stellan Skarsgard). The two of them, father and daughter together, set out on a wild, brutally funny yet heartbreaking journey, which takes them through their emotional past before reaching their ultimate destination. (from Netflix.com)

MPAA rating: Not rated
U.S. box office: $64,148

Watch the trailer on IMDB.

August 10, 2011 - "Troubled Water" (2008)

Troubled Water, 2008
Director: Erik Poppe
Origin: Norway | Sweden | Germany
Languages: Norwegian | Danish
Running time: 115 minutes

After serving time in prison for murdering a child, Jan Thomas (Pål Sverre Valheim Hagen) takes a job as a church organist and becomes involved with Anna (Ellen Dorrit Petersen), a pastor and single mother -- but the crime he insists he didn't commit still haunts him. Jan keeps his past a secret from Anna, but when a local woman (Trine Dyrholm) recognizes him as the convicted killer of her son, his new life is threatened in this tense drama. (from Netflix.com)

MPAA rating: Not rated