News

Exclusive: Danish drama The Man has sold to China as one of several deals closed by the sales outfit.

Swedish sales company Sf Studio has sold Danish drama The Man [pictured], directed by Charlotte Sieling, to China (Lemontree Media), Mikkel Munch-Fals’ comedy-drama Swinger to South Korea (MediaSoft), and Hallward Braein’s comedy action film Borning to South Korea (Micon).

Starring Soren Malling, Jakob Oftebro, Ane Dahl Torp and Soren Pilmark, The Man had its world premiere at the recent International Film Festival Rotterdam in the Iffr Live section. The story is about a wealthy, well-known artist whose son suddenly shows up out of nowhere, disrupting his comfortable lifestyle and turning out to be the world-famous graffiti artist ‘The Ghost’.

Swinger is about 40-year-old Adam who feels his life is over until he falls in love with a young girl in the only place where no one should fall in love - a swingers’ club. The film stars...

Since the turn of the Millennium, Scandinavian literature, ranging from the works of Jo Nesbø to Stieg Larsson’s Millenium Trilogy, as well as Scandinavian television, such as The Killing and Borgen, has been released to much critical acclaim in the English-speaking world. Despite this, the cinematic output of the three nations hasn’t attracted as much attention, despite the release of some excellent films since 2000.

The country of Norway, one of the three nations of Scandinavia (the other two being Denmark and Sweden) has been responsible for several of these films, and listed in this article are five productions comparable in quality to their Hollywood counterparts, much like the five German films featured in my previous article ‘5 Contemporary German Films Well Worth Watching, which can be found at http://whatculture.com/film/5-contemporary-german-films-worth-watching.php.

5. Død Snø (Dead Snow):

Year – 2009, Director – Tommy Wirkola, Starring – Charlotte Frogner, Ørjan Gamst, Vegar Hoel,...

This is the ninth film review in the coverage of this year's Fantasia International Film Festival in Montreal. If you expect to see a dumb comedy, Arild Fröhlich's Fatso will prove you that your expectations were wrong. In fact, the Norwegian film Fatso is one of the few comedies about sex that, on the surface, looks vulgar, but hides many layers of depth.

Rino (Nils Jørgen Kaalstad) is a fat and lonely man living in an appartment. When he's not translating instruction manuals from German to Norwegian, Rino likes to watch pornographic films and jerk off. Besides, in his wildest dreams, Rino also sees himself as a sexually hungry rhinoceros named Captain Cock, a comic book character Rino created. One day, Rino gets a new roommate in the form of Malin (Josefin Ljungman), a beautiful Swede who came to Norway to study. While Malin treats Rino like a friend at most,...

Chicago – Just as Edgar Wright’s “Shaun of the Dead” was a wonderful homage to the work of George A. Romero, I feel like Tommy Wirkola’s highly-buzzed Nazi zombie film “Dead Snow” is an ode to the work accomplished by Sam Raimi and Bruce Campbell in the films of the “Evil Dead” series. Not only is Ash, Campbell’s character, directly mentioned by a character in the film but the style, story, and even amputations are straight out of the ‘Cult of Ash’. Being inspired by horror greatness doesn’t always lead to quality itself, but this cult-hit-in-the-making nearly lives up to its gory ancestors and will clearly have a loyal following for years to come.

DVD Rating: 3.5/5.0

What’s scarier than normal zombies? Nazi zombies! With a plot that sounds spawned from too much Red Bull after a 24-hour midnight movie marathon, “Dead Snow” opens with a woman...

This year is the year of the zombie. That Nazis are always a fine villain since they come with a u-boatload of nastiness behind them and wear some scary uniforms. It.s not surprising that those two should meet in the frozen wasteland of Norway. A group of friends are heading to the isolated cabin of Sara.s (Ane Dahl Torp) family. Her boyfriend Vegard (Lasse Valdal) is leading squeamish medical student Martin (Vegar Hoel), his girlfriend Hanna (Charlotte Frogner), horn-dog Roy (Stig Frode Henriksen), movie geek Erlend (Jeppe Laursen), and single girls Chris (Jenny Skavlan) and Liv (Evy Kasseth Rosten). Sara, the sportiest of the group, has decided to ski across country to get to the cabin and...

Yeah another DVD and Blu-Ray story. Times can be slow, after all Sam Raimi needs time to create. We do have a treat for you though, Dead Snow. Yep the greatest Norwegian zombie flick you're ever going to see, after all we're sure you've seen your share of Norwegian zombie flicks. If you're a fan of Evil Dead this is not just a must have but one of your new favorite horror movies....

It doesn't stop there, every horror fan should own this and watch it if you haven't done so. This is a horror movie that doesn't take itself too seriously. One we personally love. You can check our fan review section here.

Look for the film starring Orjan Gamst as the lead Nazi zombie, Colonel Herzog; Vegar Hoel, Stig Frode Henriksen, Charlotte Frogner, Jenny Skavlan and Jeppe Beck Laursen to hit home on February 23rd, 2010. Below is...

And the DVD and Blu-ray news keeps marching on ... this time said marching comes in the form of some demonic goose-stepping as we've got all the details on Mpi/IFC's home video release of Tommy Wirkola's Dead Snow.

Look for the film starring Orjan Gamst as the lead Nazi zombie, Colonel Herzog; Vegar Hoel, Stig Frode Henriksen, Charlotte Frogner, Jenny Skavlan and Jeppe Beck Laursen to hit home on February 23rd, 2010.

Special Features

Behind Dead Snow featurette Special make-up effects of Dead Snow featurette Madness in the North, Madness in the West! featurette Burning the Cabin featurette The Sounds of Dead Snow featurette Outtakes Theatrical trailer

Synopsis:

When a group of medical students take a sex-and-booze-fueled ski vacation to a remote cabin in the scenic Norwegian Alps, they uncover a dark secret from World War II. After arriving at a remote cabin and unpacking their beer and ski gear,...

[Spoiler Alert: I discuss the plot of the film in detail.]

Dead Snow does everything a splatter-zombie film is supposed to do. It gathers a group of young people in a remote spot, slowly unleashes an at first mysterious deadly force on them, picks off the characters one by one but backwards from the least to the most significant, and has the requisite number of bloody moments – eyes are squished, intestines are re-employed for interesting external uses, and jaws chomp down on writhing bodies. I haven’t read any reviews or production histories of the film but this polished, well-photographed effort has the flavor of a calling card film. It pleads, “I can put a coherent commercial property together so please hire me.”

All that being said, Dead Snow, along with other recent horror films, such as Drag Me to Hell and the numerous ’70s remakes, raises some interesting questions about the state of horror.

Splatter movies are perhaps the defining...

The ComingSoon.net Trailers & Clips section has been updated with the new trailers for the action-thriller A Perfect Getaway and the horror-comedy Dead Snow . "Getaway," written and directed by David Twohy, opens August 14 and stars Timothy Olyphant, Milla Jovovich, Steve Zahn, Kiele Sanchez, Chris Hemsworth, Katie Chonacas. "Snow" hits theaters on June 19 and stars Vegard Hoel, Stig Frode Henriksen, Charlotte Frogner, Jenny Skavlan and Jeppe Beck Laursen. Click here to watch the trailers!

Director: Tommy Wirkola.

Writer: Stig Frode Henriksen.

A Norwegian film that made its premiere at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival, "Dead Snow," is now approaching North American shores, with a limited release this summer. And not since "Shock Waves," has the use of Nazi zombies been given such effective attention. Twenty-nine year old Tommy Wirkola from "Kill Buljo: The Movie," fame, a satire of Tarantino's "Kill Bill," is the creative energy behind this newest zombie genre film. Not skimping on the gore and attempting a few scares along the way "Dead Snow," mostly stays in comedic tones. Also, while paying homage to 80s slasher films of the past "Dead Snow," manages to avoid the many pitfalls of blending horror and comedy through excellent film techniques while owning the many cliches of horror film classics. And these are not just zombies these are frozen Nazi zombies!

The story begins with eight medical...

Here’s another brand new movie poster from the upcoming Norwegian horror film “Dead Snow” by director Tommy Wirkola (Remake) and starring Ane Dahl Torp (Cold Lunch), Jenny Skavlan (Fatso), Charlotte Frogner (Hvaler), Jeppe Laursen (Limbo) and Stig Frode Henriksen (Kill Buljo: The Movie). Synopsis: A group of teenagers had all they needed for a successful ski vacation; cabin, skis, snowmobile, toboggan, copious amounts of beer and a fertile mix of the sexes. Certainly, none of them anticipated not returning home alive! However, the Nazi-zombie battalion haunting the mountains had other plans. Stay tuned to Shockya.com for the latest “Dead Snow” movie news and trailers.

Check out this brutal new movie poster from the upcoming Norwegian horror film “Dead Snow” by director Tommy Wirkola (Remake) and starring Ane Dahl Torp (Cold Lunch), Jenny Skavlan (Fatso), Charlotte Frogner (Hvaler), Jeppe Laursen (Limbo) and Stig Frode Henriksen (Kill Buljo: The Movie). Synopsis: A group of teenagers had all they needed for a successful ski vacation; cabin, skis, snowmobile, toboggan, copious amounts of beer and a fertile mix of the sexes. Certainly, none of them anticipated not returning home alive! However, the Nazi-zombie battalion haunting the mountains had other plans. Stay tuned to Shockya.com for the latest “Dead Snow” movie news and trailers.

Watch the official Sundance movie trailer for the upcoming Norwegian horror film “Dead Snow” by director Tommy Wirkola (Remake) and starring Ane Dahl Torp (Cold Lunch), Jenny Skavlan (Fatso), Charlotte Frogner (Hvaler), Jeppe Laursen (Limbo) and Stig Frode Henriksen (Kill Buljo: The Movie). Synopsis: A group of teenagers had all they needed for a successful ski vacation; cabin, skis, snowmobile, toboggan, copious amounts of beer and a fertile mix of the sexes. Certainly, none of them anticipated not returning home alive! However, the Nazi-zombie battalion haunting the mountains had other plans. Stay tuned to Shockya.com for the latest “Dead Snow” movie news and trailers.

One of the biggest and baddest film festivals of them all, Sundance, just recently announced the full slate of movies for this year's event, and in case you're wondering what genre offerings will be there for consumption, we detail for you some of the highlights!

Grace, directed by Paul Solet

Starring Jordan Ladd, Gabrielle Rose, Samantha Ferris, Malcolm Stewart

Synopsis: Madeline Matheson (Ladd) has decided to have her baby, Grace naturally. Everything for the mother-to-be is going great until she's involved in an accident during her eighth month that leaves her unborn daughter dead inside her. Refusing to give up she decides to carry her bouncing baby corpse to term, and miraculously upon giving birth the little scamp awakens with an appetite for something a little more visceral than Gerber products or breast milk.

Død Snø (Dead Snow), directed by Tommy Wirkola

Starring Vegard Hoel, Stig Frode Henriksen, Charlotte Frogner,...

Premieres

To showcase the diversity of contemporary independent cinema, this section offers the latest work from American and international directors and world premieres of highly anticipated films.

Adventureland / U.S. (Director-screenwriter: Greg Mottola)

In 1987, a recent college graduate takes a nowhere job at his local amusement park and discovers the job is perfect preparation for the real world. Cast: Kristen Stewart, Ryan Reynolds, Bill Hader. World premiere

Brooklyn's Finest / U.S. (Director: Antoine Fuqua; screenwriter: Michael C. Martin)

After enduring vastly different career paths, three unconnected Brooklyn cops wind up at the same deadly location. Cast: Richard Gere, Ethan Hawke, Wesley Snipes, Don Cheadle, Ellen Barkin. World premiere

Earth Days / U.S. (Director: Robert Stone)

The history of our environmental undoing through the eyes of nine Americans whose work and actions launched the modern environmental movement. World premiere, closing-night film

Endgame / U.K. (Director: Pete Travis; screenwriter: Paula Milne)

A...

• Sundance got serious about fine-tuning their Park City at Midnight section this year. The section which I normally only dabble in to fill up voids in my scheduling has got enough worthy films this year that are potentially worth the detour - commencing with a film I mentioned last week -- Black Dynamite! Here are the 8 pack of films from directors like Sundance-regular Adam Bhala Lough, horror specialist Jonathan Liebesman and newcomer Ryan Shiraki. Black Dynamite / USA (Director: Scott Sanders; Screenwriters: Michael Jai White, Scott Sanders, and Byron Minns)—When 'The Man' murders his brother, pumps heroin into local orphanages, and floods the ghetto with adulterated malt liquor, 1970s African-American action legend Black Dynamite is the one hero willing to take him on. Cast: Michael Jai White, Tommy Davidson, Salli Richardson-Whitfield, Byron Minns, James McManus. World Premiere The Carter / USA (Director: Adam Bhala Lough)—An in-depth, intimate look at

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