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Johannes Holopainen

News

Johannes Holopainen

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Heavy Metal Comedy Sequel ‘Heavier Trip’ Goes Harder on Blu-ray in May
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Back in 2018, Bloody Disgusting joined forces with Doppelgänger Releasing to release the Finish heavy metal comedy Heavy Trip. Impaled Rektum has returned in Heavier Trip.

Currently available on Digital, the harder, faster, and louder sequel comes to Blu-ray on May 27.

Special Features:

Behind the Scenes of Heavier Trip Interview with Babymetal Heavier Trip at Fantastic Fest Image Gallery Theatrical Trailer Teaser Trailer

Extreme metal band Impaled Rektum escapes prison to perform at Wacken, Germany’s iconic music festival. Their wild and perilous adventure into the metal music scene challenges the band’s integrity.

Writers-directors Jukka Vidgren and Juuso Laatio are back at the helm.

Johannes Holopainen, Samuli Jaskio, Anatole Taubman, Max Ovaska, David Bredin, Mats Eldøen, Martti Syrjä, and Helén Vikstvedt star with an appearance by Babymetal.

If you need to catch up, Heavy Trip is streaming on Screambox.

The post Heavy Metal Comedy Sequel ‘Heavier Trip’ Goes Harder on...
See full article at bloody-disgusting.com
  • 4/4/2025
  • by Alex DiVincenzo
  • bloody-disgusting.com
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Heavier Trip Review: Impaled Rektum's Sophomore Odyssey Is Worth The Trip
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Impaled Rektum, the world’s foremost symphonic postapocalyptic reindeer-grinding Christ-abusing extreme war pagan Fennoscandian metal band is back with a headbang in Heavier Trip, Juuso Laatio and Jukka Vidgren’s follow up to their 2018 underdog cult classic Heavy Trip. This time the boys have gained a fair bit of notoriety from their earlier shenanigans and are looking to expand their audience, but they’ll have to overcome a few critical obstacles before they can taste the success they desire. We rejoin Impaled Rektum’s metal purist vocalist Turo (Johannes Holopainen), pessimist anti-authoritarian bassist Xytrax (Max Ovaska), fun-loving guitarist Lotvonen (Samuli Jaskio), and livewire drummer Oula (Chike Ohanwe) right where we left off with them in the first film, in jail. Though they are dutifully serving time for the...

[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...
See full article at Screen Anarchy
  • 12/2/2024
  • Screen Anarchy
“Heavier Trip”
The new Scandinavian produced live-action comedy feature “Heavier Trip”, a sequel to “Heavy Trip” (2018), directed by Juuso Laatio and Jukka Vidgren, stars Johannes Holopainen, Max Ovaska, Chike Ohanwe, Samuli Jaskio, Martti Syrjä, David Bredin, Anatole Taubman, Mats Eldøen, Helén Vikstvedt and Sinikka Mokkila, now playing in theaters:

“…’Impaled Rektum’ must escape prison when the guitarist's father falls ill and their family home faces demolition. Shackled by fate and locked up in a Norwegian prison, the band discovers their lead guitarist’s family faces financial troubles.

“They receive an offer to play a major heavy metal festival - ‘Wacken Open Air Festival’ in Germany - but decline due to being imprisoned and unprepared.

“Only the raw power of metal can determine their fate! Prepare for a relentless odyssey of sound and fury…”

Click the images to enlarge…...
See full article at SneakPeek
  • 11/30/2024
  • by Unknown
  • SneakPeek
Star Power As Angelina Jolie’s ‘Maria’ & Daniel Craig In ‘Queer’ Test Long Holiday Weekend — Specialty Preview
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Catching up to three big name festival films that opened Wednesday at the specialty box office to start the extended U.S. Thanksgiving holiday weekend – Luca Guadagnino’s Queer from A24 starring 007 Daniel Craig; Angelina Jolie as Maria Callas in Pablo Larraín’s Maria from Netflix, both of which premiered at Venice; and Iranian filmmaker Mohammad Rasoulof’s The Seed Of The Sacred Fig, which won a clutch of awards Cannes including a Special Jury Award.

All three are in limited release (Maria the widest) in the midst of a great, big busy few weeks at the box office with Moana 2 setting records in the wake of Wicked and Gladiator II. Indies are good counter-programming but face massive competition and have a hard time finding screens. If the box office continues to boom with big budget studio fare it will become clearer in the weeks and months ahead whether that lifts all boats,...
See full article at Deadline Film + TV
  • 11/29/2024
  • by Jill Goldsmith
  • Deadline Film + TV
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Official Trailer for Sequel 'Heavier Trip' - Finnish Heavy Metal Comedy
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"What have you done with our music?!" Doppelgänger Releasing has unveiled the US trailer for the Finnish indie film called Heavier Trip, a hard rock comedy sequel to the 2018 film Heavy Trip. The original is a Finnish rock comedy about a band coming together for a big show. This sequel picks up where things left off and follows them on another road trip. Impaled Rektum must escape prison when the guitarist's father falls ill and their family home faces demolition. Shackled by fate and locked up in a Norwegian prison, the band discovers their lead guitarist’s family reindeer slaughterhouse faces financial troubles. They receive an offer to play a major heavy metal festival - Wacken Open Air Festival in Germany - but decline due to being imprisoned and unprepared. Only the raw power of metal can determine their fate! Prepare for a relentless odyssey of sound, fury, and the...
See full article at firstshowing.net
  • 11/29/2024
  • by Alex Billington
  • firstshowing.net
Heavier Trip Review: Finnish Heavy Metal Comedy Returns For A Hysterical Encore Performance
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The boys are back in town! Those loveable goofballs of Impaled Rektum return for an encore performance of “Symphonic Post-Apocalyptic Reindeer-Grinding Christ-Abusing Extreme War Pagan Fennoscandian Metal” in Finnish comedy Heavier Trip. The sequel to the 2018 cult hit Heavy Trip is a laugh out our riot and of full-on assault of metal gags & killer tracks, like a Blues Brothers for headbangers.

Heavier Trip cranks the amps up to eleven and takes Impaled Rektum on a riff-filled journey to save their guitarist’s family reindeer slaughterhouse and maybe—just maybe—achieve true metal glory. The movie leans into its own absurdity and dives headfirst into a Viking longship filled with bad ideas, chaotic plans, and (of course) corpse paint.

“…like a Blues Brothers for headbangers”

Picking up where Heavy Trip left off, the boys of Impaled Rektum– being Turo (Johannes Holopainen), Lotvonen (Samuli Jaskio), Oula (Max Ovaska), and Xytrax (Max Ovaska...
  • 11/28/2024
  • by Jonathan Dehaan
‘Heavier Trip’ Trailer – Impaled Rektum Plays Louder, Faster, Harder in Metal Comedy Sequel Featuring Babymetal
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The world’s most ferocious death metal band, Impaled Rektum, is back and ready to unleash hell in sequel Heavier Trip. The official trailer highlights some of the raucous heavy metal mayhem, and it also features….Babymetal?!

Bloody Disgusting and Doppelgänger Releasing joined forces back in 2018 to release Heavy Trip, a Finnish black metal comedy about a small-town heavy metal band that blasts its way out of the quiet countryside for a big debut gig in Norway.

Now, the sequel is set to arrive in theaters and on Digital on November 29, 2024.

In Heavier Trip, “Shackled by fate and locked up in a Norwegian prison, the band discovers their lead guitarist’s family reindeer slaughterhouse faces a financial storm. Turo, Lotvonen, Xytraxm and Oula hatch a daring escape plan to help. Desperate for the money, and the chance to perform at the ultimate battleground for metal warriors, Impaled Rektum takes a...
See full article at bloody-disgusting.com
  • 11/12/2024
  • by Meagan Navarro
  • bloody-disgusting.com
Antti J. Jokinen Puts Emotion Over Violence in Nordic Epic ‘Kalevala’: ‘These Are Men Who Feel’
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“Kalevala,” a compilation of epic poetry drawn from Karelian and Finnish folklore and mythology, is full of violence, but director Antti J. Jokinen – who has adapted the book for his film “Kalevala: The Story of Kullervo,” set in the 1100s and centering on the tragic hero Kullervo – has “no interest” in that.

“It won’t be a super violent film. We have fight sequences, the swords are heavy and the actors have been training for a year now. But it’s more interesting to show the impact violence has on people,” he tells Variety.

Jokinen has already dealt with a similar dilemma in “Purge,” taking on human trafficking and sexual cruelty. “I cut out a lot of [the violence] from the original book but its writer Sofi [Oksanen] was adamant: ‘Don’t clean it up too much.’ The violence towards women needed to be shown. This time, I had more freedom, because everyone...
See full article at Variety Film + TV
  • 9/28/2024
  • by Marta Balaga
  • Variety Film + TV
Sf Studios, REinvent Board Big-Budget Film Adaptation of 19th Century Epic Poetry Compilation ‘Kalevala’ (Exclusive)
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Sf Studios is set to co-produce and distribute “Kalevala: The Story of Kullervo,” a big-budget historical drama based on Finland’s national epic “Kalevala” which will be directed Antti J. Jokinen.

Nordic stars Elias Salonen and and Eero Aho (“The Unknown Soldier”) are set to star in leading roles. Johanna Enäsuo and Marko Röhr, at ReelMedia are producing the film, while Sf Studios will distribute the film in the Nordics with an expected theatrical release in Finnish theaters in early 2026. REinvent has boarded international sales.

“Kalevala: The Story of Kullervo” marks the first feature film adaptation of the Finnish national epic poetry compilation “Kalevala” which blends Karelian and Finnish folklore and mythology, and was created in 1835 by Elias Lönnrot, a Finnish doctor and explorer.

Set in the 1100’s, the period film will be mainly shot on location in Bomba, near the Lake Pielinen in Nurmes in North Karelia. Extensive sets are being built,...
See full article at Variety Film + TV
  • 8/9/2024
  • by Elsa Keslassy
  • Variety Film + TV
Music Box’s Doppelgänger Acquires North American Rights to Comedy ‘Heavier Trip,’ About Heavy Metal Band Impaled Rektum (Exclusive)
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Music Box Films’ genre label Doppelgänger Releasing has acquired North American distribution rights to the rowdy, offbeat Finnish comedy “Heavier Trip” by directors Juuso Laatio and Jukka Vidgren, marking the return of the film’s Heavy Metal band Impaled Rektum. Charades is handling world sales rights.

“Heavier Trip” is the follow-up to “Heavy Trip,” which was distributed by Doppelgänger Releasing in 2018. The cast and crew reunite to continue the story of the world’s most dangerous (and charming) metal band, including actors Johannes Holopainen (Turo), Samuli Jaskio (Lotvonen), Max Ovaska (Xytrax), and Chike Ohanwe (Oula).

“Heavier Trip’s” world premiere will be announced imminently followed by a theatrical and home entertainment release this November.

In “Heavier Trip,” the most ferocious death metal band in the world, Impaled Rektum, is incarcerated in a Norwegian prison when they discover that the guitarist’s family is facing significant financial trouble. In an effort to assist them,...
See full article at Variety Film + TV
  • 8/5/2024
  • by Leo Barraclough
  • Variety Film + TV
Finland’s ‘Icebreaker’ Introduces New Kind of Nordic Thriller: ‘When the Night Is at Its Longest, the Dead Are the Closest to the Living’ (Exclusive)
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Be afraid, be very afraid: Finnish mystery thriller “Icebreaker” has just revealed exclusive first-look photos.

Set on a stranded icebreaker, it sees coast guard Sanna Tanner (Jessica Grabowsky) leading a rescue team. She comes across a group of survivors – and a frozen body – but over the course of six days, crew members start to disappear. And a vindictive spirit might have something to do with it.

“Icebreakers’” backers have shared a set of first-look stills in exclusivity with Variety.

Created by Mia Ylönen, who exec produces with Aleksi Bardy following their collaboration on “Codename: Annika,” “Icebreaker” is produced by Helsinki-filmi, an independent subsidiary of Aurora Studios.

Commissioned by Elisa Viihde and distributed by About Premium Content (Apc), the series boasts an impressive cast, with “Border” lead Eero Milonoff and “Compartment No. 6’s” Seidi Haarla joined by Mikko Leppilampi, Karim Rapatti, Roderick Kabanga or Johannes Holopainen.

“We wanted to build up slowly,...
See full article at Variety Film + TV
  • 3/16/2024
  • by Marta Balaga
  • Variety Film + TV
‘Heavier Trip’ – Impaled Rektum Return in First Look at Upcoming ‘Heavy Trip’ Sequel!
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Bloody Disgusting and Doppelgänger Releasing joined forces back in 2018 to release Heavy Trip, a Finnish black metal comedy about a small-town heavy metal band that blasts its way out of the quiet countryside for a big debut gig in Norway. The film is an absolute blast and ended up being a hit in Norway, leading first-time feature filmmakers Juuso Laatio and Jukka Vidgren back behind the camera for a sequel, titled Heavier Trip!

Filming on Heavier Trip has wrapped and with the project headed to the upcoming European Film Market, we’ve got some first-look images as well as plot details for ya this week.

The upcoming sequel promises to be “Harder. Faster. Louder.”

Here’s the official plot synopsis…

“The most ferocious death metal band in the world, Impaled Rektum, is incarcerated in a Norwegian prison when they discover that the guitarist’s family is facing significant financial trouble.
See full article at bloody-disgusting.com
  • 2/5/2024
  • by John Squires
  • bloody-disgusting.com
Max Ovaska, Minka Kuustonen, Samuli Jaskio, Johannes Holopainen, Chike Ohanwe, and Antti Tuomas Heikkinen in Heavy Trip (2018)
‘Heavier Trip’ – Sequel to Bloody Disgusting’s Black Metal Comedy ‘Heavy Trip’ Wraps Filming!
Max Ovaska, Minka Kuustonen, Samuli Jaskio, Johannes Holopainen, Chike Ohanwe, and Antti Tuomas Heikkinen in Heavy Trip (2018)
One of my favorite films that Bloody Disgusting ever released is Heavy Trip, a Finnish black metal comedy about a small-town Finnish heavy metal band that blasts its way out of the quiet countryside for a big debut gig in Norway.

The film is an absolute blast and ended up being a hit in Norway, leading first-time feature filmmakers Juuso Laatio and Jukka Vidgren back behind the camera for a sequel, tentatively titled Heavier Trip.

“That’s a wrap! Second part of Heavy trip is now shot,” the duo shared on Facebook. “And it was amazing journey from beginning to end full of weird and wonderful moments.”

“We had the privilege of working with the best people in the industry from Lithuania, Finland and Germany,” they added. “My deepest gratitude to everyone who put in the insane amount of hours to make this happen.

“I’m waiting so much to...
See full article at bloody-disgusting.com
  • 9/18/2023
  • by Brad Miska
  • bloody-disgusting.com
Charades Boards J-p Valkeapaa’s Crime Film ‘Hit Big’ (Exclusive)
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Charades has come on board “Hit Big”, a dark humor-laced crime film set in Spain and directed by critically acclaimed Finnish filmmaker, Jukka-Pekka Valkeapaa (“They Have Escaped”).

Currently in post production, the film is being presented at the work-in-progress sidebar of Goteborg Festival’s Nordic Film Market. On the ground in Goteborg is Daniel Kuitunen, who is producing the movie through his Helsinki-based banner Komeetta.

“Hit Big” revolves around Marjaleena, a 60-year-old, boozed-up former beauty pageant star who left Finland for Spain’s Costa del Sol where she runs Bar Belle, once a popular spot for Finnish tourists, with her handyman Mikko. One day, they hear that Marjaleena’s husband, Worm, will be released after 20 years in prison and is planning a dream life with his cell-mate lover thanks to the stashed proceeds of a major heist. Feeling betrayed, Marjaleena sets off to get her share of the millions.

The...
See full article at Variety Film + TV
  • 2/4/2022
  • by Elsa Keslassy
  • Variety Film + TV
Finnish Fire Monkey Takes ‘Enemy of the People’ to Mipcom, Reveals Full Slate (Exclusive)
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Mikko Pöllä and Roope Lehtinen, seasoned Finnish showrunners and co-founders of Fire Monkey, are bringing to market a handful of premium dramas in post and development.

Headlining their production slate under REinvent’s sales banner is the thriller “Enemy of the People,” from “Man in Room 301” helmer Mikko Kuparinen, currently in post.

Co-created by Lehtinen and Timo Varpio (“Easy Living”), the eight-part TV show boasts a stellar cast, including Kreeta Salminen, Mikko Nousiainen (“Peacemaker”), Tobias Zilliacus (“Beartown”), and Johannes Holopainen (“All the Sins”).

Co-penned by Varpio and Fire Monkey’s in-house writer Laura Suhonen, the thriller explores investigative reporting in an era of trolls and fake news. After writing a critical piece about the local town’s soccer star and biggest celebrity, involved in a dubious business scheme, reporter Katja Salonen finds herself drawn into a whirlpool of lies, deceit and abuse of power, in the middle of which...
See full article at Variety Film + TV
  • 10/10/2021
  • by Annika Pham
  • Variety Film + TV
Heavy Trip Review
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It’s easy to make heavy metal the punchline in music-based comedies, and it’s to its credit that Heavy Trip, the 2018 Finnish film (also known as A Band Called Impaled Rektum in some territories) directed by metal video veterans Juuso Laatio and Jukka Vidgren, now finally available in the UK via Arrow, never does. Metal is absolutely key to this surprisingly gentle comedy centred around authentically brutal music.

Perhaps that shouldn’t be a surprise in a Finnish film: the country has more metal bands per capita than any other. Yet even in Finland, where apparently you can’t throw a drumstick without hitting a guy in corpse paint recording a lo-fi blackened thrash masterpiece in their shed, extreme metal is still outsider music, and it’s outsiderdom that forms the thematic heart of Heavy Trip.

We follow the extremely-small-town life of Turo (Johannes Holopainen), the singer in a...
See full article at HeyUGuys.co.uk
  • 7/27/2021
  • by Marc Burrows
  • HeyUGuys.co.uk
HBO Europe, NBCU, Fremantle & ITV to Battle for 2021’s Nordisk Film & TV Fond Prize
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Titles backed or produced by HBO Europe (“Welcome to Utmark”), NBCU (“Sisterhood”), Fremantle (“Cargo”) and ITV Studios (“Thin Blue Line”) have been nominated for the 5th Nordisk Film & TV Fond Prize, the most prestigious Nordic award for drama series screenwriting.

In a powerful smackdown, a fifth series, “Cry Wolf,” is produced by Dr Drama, the Danish producer of Nordic Noir icons “The Killing” and “The Bridge” as well as “Borgen.”

Adding another edge to competition, the five contenders are produced by companies based in the five main Nordic countries and backed by three of its biggest public broadcasters, Sweden’s Svt, Denmark’s Dr and Finland’s Yle, as well as pan-Nordic pay TV giant Viaplay, part of the Nordic Entertainment Group (Nent).

The winner of the award, which goes to the main writer, will be announced on Feb. 3 at Sweden’s Göteborg Film Festival during its TV Drama Vision,...
See full article at Variety Film + TV
  • 12/18/2020
  • by John Hopewell
  • Variety Film + TV
Picture Tree boards Finnish drama ‘Helene’ starring Laura Birn (exclusive)
Directed by Antti Jokkinen, the biopic is about Finnish painter Helene Schjerfbeck.

Picture Tree International has boarded sales for Antti Jokinen’s Finnish drama Helene.

Picture Tree plans to screen the film for buyers at Goteborg’s Nordic Film Market and at Berlin’s European Film Market, with a festival premiere coming later in 2020. The film was previously touted as a work in progress in Haugesund in August 2019.

The biopic is about Helene Schjerfbeck, a Finnish painter who lived a quiet life in the countryside with her elderly mother. The film covers her life from 1915-1923, when an art dealer...
See full article at ScreenDaily
  • 1/16/2020
  • by 1100142¦Wendy Mitchell¦0¦
  • ScreenDaily
Kian Lawley
Kian Lawley, Katherine C. Hughes Starring in Finnish Comedy ‘Perfect Commando’
Kian Lawley
Kian Lawley, who was dropped from movie “The Hate U Give” last year after a video resurfaced of him that included racist comments, has landed a starring role alongside Katherine C. Hughes (“Blue Bloods”) in the Finnish comedy “Perfect Commando.” The series is the latest original for Elisa Viihde’s Aitio streaming service, and will be distributed internationally by Red Arrow Studios.

Lawley is a YouTube star with 3.4 million followers of his SuperKian13 YouTube channel. He also stars in AwesomenessTV series “Zac & Mia.” In the 10-part “Perfect Commando,” he will play Van, who has been living in California and makes a trip to his mother’s home country of Finland. With dual American-Finnish citizenship, he finds himself thrown into military service, setting up a fish-out-of-water comedy about a privileged kid from L.A. surviving life in the army barracks with a bunch of oddballs.

The English- and Finnish-language will be produced by Fire Monkey.
See full article at Variety Film + TV
  • 7/18/2019
  • by Variety Staff
  • Variety Film + TV
Kian Lawley
‘My Dead Ex’s Katherine C. Hughes & ‘Zac & Mia’s Kian Lawley To Front Finnish Comedy Series ‘Perfect Commando’
Kian Lawley
Exclusive: Zac & Mia star Kian Lawley and My Dead Ex star Katherine C. Hughes are set to front Finnish comedy drama Perfect Commando for Svod service Elisa Viihde.

The U.S. teen stars, familiar to Awesomeness TV viewers, will feature alongside a cast of Finnish actors in the 10-part comedy.

The English and Finnish-language comedy follows two young characters; Van and Rachel who have led carefree lives in their home of California. However, Van’s first ever trip to his mother’s home country of Finland takes an unexpected wrong turn as soon as he steps off the plane when due to Van’s dual American-Finnish citizenship he is thrown into Military service. Forced out of his comfort zone, will this privileged kid from La survive this tough new life in the army barracks with a bunch of oddballs and rise to the challenge of Army Commando?

Johannes Holopainen (Heavy...
See full article at Deadline Film + TV
  • 7/18/2019
  • by Peter White
  • Deadline Film + TV
Dead By Dawn 2019: Heavy Trip is a Joyful Heavy Metal Road Movie (With Antlers) [Review]
A charming and frequently surreal indie metal-head road comedy from Finland, Heavy Trip is so loaded with jokes that it’s impossible not to take something away from it, even if it's just a smile. I am not a metal fan, but I imagine that if one were the in-jokes and musical riffs would work even better. As it is, and even with the subtitles, this is a fine example of a joyful musical road movie, with antlers.

Turo (Johannes Holopainen) is a young black metal fan who fronts his owns band, 'Impaled Rektum', with three friends. Despite being experts at covering their favourite bands' music, they have yet to write an original song. When a music festival producer from Norway arrives in town they become determined to create their own music and impress him – hoping to get a s...
See full article at QuietEarth.us
  • 4/23/2019
  • QuietEarth.us
Horror Highlights: Heavy Trip Coming to Amazon Prime, Drunken Devil’s Bloody Gras: Black Magic 2019, 1St Summoning Trailer
The rowdy Heavy Trip is coming to Amazon Prime on February 28th. Also in today's Highlights: details on the third annual Bloody Gras and the trailer for 1st Summoning.

Heavy Trip Coming to Amazon Prime: "The raucous and rollicking Finnish comedy Heavy Trip, about a small-town Finnish heavy metal band that blasts its way out of the quiet countryside for a big debut gig in Norway, will begin streaming on Amazon Prime at the end of February 2019.

In Heavy Trip, Turo (Johannes Holopainen) is stuck in a small village in the Finnish countryside where his greatest passion is being the lead vocalist for the amateur metal band Impaled Rektum. The only problem is that he and his fellow headbangers have practiced for 12 years without playing a single gig. But that’s all about to change when the guys meet the promoter of a huge heavy metal music festival in Norway...
See full article at DailyDead
  • 2/5/2019
  • by Tamika Jones
  • DailyDead
Mika Ronkainen
Göteborg: ‘All the Sins’ Wins 2019 Nordisk Film & TV Fond Prize
Mika Ronkainen
Mika Ronkainen and Merja Aakko won the Nordisk Film & TV Fond Prize for outstanding writing on a Nordic drama series on Wednesday evening for “All the Sins,” a crime thriller and broken family drama set in Finland’s singular Bible belt and sod by Sky Vision.

The six-part series marks the first venture into series drama creation by documentary director Ronkainen, whose 2003’s “Screaming Men” played Sundance, and 2009’s “Freetime Machos” the Tribeca Film Festival, and by Aako, a former journalist specialized in human interest stories and social issues.

“All the Sins” is lead produced for Finnish VOD service Elisa Viihde by Ilkka Matila at Finland’s Mrp Matila Rohr Productions.

The series begins with detective Lauri Räiha being dispatched to investigate the murders of two men, both pillars of the ultra-conservative Laestadian religious community, in Varjakka, a small northern Finnish town where he grew up. He is accompanied by a senior officer,...
See full article at Variety Film + TV
  • 1/30/2019
  • by John Hopewell
  • Variety Film + TV
Mika Ronkainen
Mika Ronkainen, Merja Aakko Talk ‘All The Sins,’ Finland’s Bible Belt, Landscape
Mika Ronkainen
In “Finnish Blood, Swedish Heart,” Finland’s Mika Ronkainen, best known for his documentaries – 2003’s “Screaming Men,” 2009’s “Freetime Machos” – portrays the dislocation of 1970s Finnish emigrants in Sweden via a father-and-son musical road movie.

For “All the Sins,” a Nordisk Film & TV Fond Prize entry written with Merja Aakko, Ronkainen takes very much the same elements – a genre, here the murder mystery; a near documentary depiction, here of small town bigotry; and cornerstone family relationships – and recasts them in a drama series, awash in a sense of (unmerited) shame and guilt, with a contemporary feminist turn. The result is a crime thriller which works on several levels.

“All the Sins” begins in classic Nordic Noir with a body winched upside down in a barn as a shadowy assassin draws a knife seemingly to dispatch the victim. But, diverging from the Nordic Noir playbook, we never see the corpse. After a ten-year absence,...
See full article at Variety Film + TV
  • 1/9/2019
  • by John Hopewell
  • Variety Film + TV
Heavy Trip Shreds on DVD This November from Doppelganger Releasing and Bloody Disgusting
After 12 years of not playing any shows, metal band Impaled Rektum hit the road to play their first big hit, but saying things don't go exactly as planned is an understatement. From Doppelganger Releasing and Bloody Disgusting comes Heavy Trip, which is set to be released on DVD on November 13th. For those that don't want to wait until November, Heavy Trip is now available on VOD. If you'd like to learn more, don't forget to check out our exclusive clips and Heather's 4/5 review for the movie we'd highly recommend Daily Dead readers check out.

"In "Heavy Trip" Turo (Johannes Holopainen) is stuck in a small village in the Finnish countryside where his greatest passion is being the lead vocalist for the amateur metal band Impaled Rektum. The only problem is that he and his fellow headbangers have practiced for 12 years without playing a single gig. But that’s all...
See full article at DailyDead
  • 10/12/2018
  • by Tamika Jones
  • DailyDead
Exclusive Heavy Trip Clip: The Seeds of Metal Stardom
How do you escape the basement to become a star? The seeds are planted in our exclusive clip from Heavy Trip.  The film, directed by Juuso Laatio and Jukka Vidgren, follows a young man named Turo (played by Johannes Holopainen) who yearns to become a heavy metal star. Since he lives in rural Finland, the odds don't seem to be in his favor. In our delightful clip, he and his buddies ponder the possibilities.  Our own J Hurtado saw the film at SXSW earlier this year and described it as "a hilarious, loving ode to heavy metal fandom." Check the clip out below to sample its dry flavor.  Distributed by Doppelganger Releasing and Bloody Disgusting, Heavy Trip will open in Los Angeles, New York, Austin,...

[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...
See full article at Screen Anarchy
  • 10/2/2018
  • Screen Anarchy
Exclusive Clips from Heavy Trip, Heading to Theaters on October 5th and VOD on October 12th
I had been excited to check out Heavy Trip since Heather Wixson gave it a four-star review at Cinepocalypse, and having just seen it myself, I can say for certain that it will warm your heavy metal hearts and is well worth your time. Ahead of the movie's release to Us theaters later this week, we've been provided with exclusive photos and clips for Daily Dead readers to enjoy!

"In Heavy Trip, Turo (Johannes Holopainen) is stuck in a small village in the Finnish countryside where his greatest passion is being the lead vocalist for the amateur metal band Impaled Rektum. The only problem is that he and his fellow headbangers have practiced for 12 years without playing a single gig. But that’s all about to change when the guys meet the promoter of a huge heavy metal music festival in Norway and decide it’s now or never. Hitting...
See full article at DailyDead
  • 10/2/2018
  • by Jonathan James
  • DailyDead
Us Trailer for Metal Band, Road Trip Comedy 'Heavy Trip' from Finland
"Guys, we're gonna play a festival!" Doppelgänger Releasing has debuted an official trailer for an "offbeat comedy" from Finland titled Heavy Trip, about a heavy metal rock band that goes on a wild road trip to Norway. Turo is stuck in a small village where the best thing in his life is being the lead vocalist for the amateur metal band Impaled Rektum. The only problem? He and his bandmates have practiced for 12 years without playing a single gig. They land a festival in Norway, and decide it's now or never. They steal a van, a corpse, and even a new drummer in order to make their dreams a reality. Starring Johannes Holopainen, Minka Kuustonen, Ville Tiihonen (Hilska), Torstein Bjørklund, and Antti Heikkinen. Well what do you know, this actually looks very funny, the perfect way to make fun of this heavy metal band. Rock on. Here's the official Us...
See full article at firstshowing.net
  • 9/9/2018
  • by Alex Billington
  • firstshowing.net
Heavy Trip Coming to Theaters and VOD in the Us on October 5th
We've been excited for Daily Dead readers to see Heavy Trip since Heather Wixson gave it a four-star review at Cinepocalypse, and it looks like we won't have to wait long, as the film will be released in select theaters and VOD this October in the Us:

Press Release: Chicago, Il – The raucous and rollicking Finnish comedy Heavy Trip, about a small-town Finnish heavy metal band that blasts its way out of the quiet countryside for a big debut gig in Norway, will open in top markets across the U.S. in conjunction with a nationwide VOD debut this October.

In Heavy Trip, Turo (Johannes Holopainen) is stuck in a small village in the Finnish countryside where his greatest passion is being the lead vocalist for the amateur metal band Impaled Rektum. The only problem is that he and his fellow headbangers have practiced for 12 years without playing a single gig.
See full article at DailyDead
  • 8/2/2018
  • by Derek Anderson
  • DailyDead
Cinepocalypse 2018 Review: Heavy Trip Feels Like Airheads for a New Generation
If you would have told me that a Finnish heavy metal road movie featuring corpses and a whole lot of vomiting would be one of greatest feel-good movies of 2018, I don’t think I would have believed you. But, here we are and Heavy Trip is just an absolute delight. Maybe that doesn’t sound very “metal” to you, but directors Juuso Laatio and Jukka Vidgren have crafted an engaging story for anyone who has ever dared to have a dream, or wanted more from their lives, and aren’t about to let fate stop them, and I absolutely adored their endlessly charming tale of Impaled Rektum and their rise to glory. Heavy Trip is a love letter to all the metal heads out there who have long felt misunderstood by the outside world, and the perfect reminder to never give up your dream, regardless of who or what stands in your way.
See full article at DailyDead
  • 6/23/2018
  • by Heather Wixson
  • DailyDead
LevelK’s SXSW Player ‘Heavy Trip,’ ‘Word of God’ Set for U.S. Distribution (Exclusive)
Music Box Films’s genre label Doppelgänger Releasing and Germany’s Ascot Elite have acquired U.S. and German distribution rights, respectively, to Finnish back metal comedy “Heavy Trip” from LevelK.

The film, which had its world premiere at SXSW, follows Turo, a musician from a small village in Northern Finland who takes his undiscovered heavy metal band on an eventful road trip to play at Norway’s biggest heavy metal music festival. The band went on to become the famed Finnish group Impaled Rektum. The movie stars Johannes Holopainen, Minka Kuustonen and Ville Tiihonen.

“We’ve been on the hunt for something a little different for Doppelgänger Releasing,” said Lisa Holmes of Music Box Films/Doppelgänger Releasing. “’Heavy Trip’ is such a fun combination of humor, heart and of course, heavy metal that we couldn’t resist the opportunity to bring this to American audiences.”

Ascot Elite Entertainment CEO...
See full article at Variety Film + TV
  • 5/10/2018
  • by Elsa Keslassy
  • Variety Film + TV
LevelK acquires Finnish SXSW title 'Heavy Trip' (exclusive)
They will host market screenings for Jukka Vidgren and Juuso Laatio’s film in Cannes.

LevelK has acquired world sales rights to Finnish comedy Heavy Trip after its successful launch at SXSW.

LevelK will host market screenings in Cannes for the film, which is directed by Jukka Vidgren and Juuso Laatio.

Kai Nordberg and Kaarle Aho produced for Making Movies on a budget of $3.8m (€3.1m), financed by the Finnish Film Foundation, Yle & Film Camp.

Scanbox Entertainment released the film locally on March 9.

The cast includes Johannes Holopainen, Minka Kuustonen & Ville Tiihonen.

The story is about an unknown heavy metal...
See full article at ScreenDaily
  • 4/19/2018
  • by Wendy Mitchell
  • ScreenDaily
‘Heavy Trip’ Producer & Cast Map Out Music Fronted Comedy Film
Heavy Trip, the story of big dreamers from a small town, had its world premiere last month at the SXSW Film Festival in Austin. In the film, Turo, with his band Impaled Rektum, steal a van, a corpse and a coffin from the local cemetery, a new drummer from the local mental hospital and flee to Norway. As they are escaping Finnish police, they have to face the Norwegian Army in order to get to play their first real gig.

“Two directors from very high up in the North came to us explaining that they had the best comedy ever on an idea basis,” said producer Kai Nordberg during his stop at Deadline’s SXSW studio. The two director he’s referring are Jukka Vidgren and Juuso Laatio, both of whom co-wrote the script with Aleksi Puranen and Jari Olavi Rantala. “After developing the script for four years with them...
See full article at Deadline Film + TV
  • 4/3/2018
  • by Amanda N'Duka
  • Deadline Film + TV
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