Made in Sweden

I have an hour before I’m heading to Malmö to see The Hives at the music festival (making it sound like it’s not a big deal while it actually is amazing! – editing note: I ended up not going after all but oh well) and I thought it would be great of me to ramble for Wild Wednesday about some of the Swedish things I like. There aren’t many but the ones I know are just amazing – all movie world related of course and a little musical treat in the end.

Movie: Patrik, Age 1.5 (2008) Directed by: Ella Lemhagen

It is a comedy about a gay couple trying to adopt a child and instead of a kid who is one and a half years old they get a 15 year old instead. I remember the movie being really fun and typically great at times, not very special but still, memorable since it was a while ago when I saw it and some how, still remember the plot. Just a very heart warming movie and it is great to see a different approach to family values and the fact that not everything is always easy.

Movie: Play (2011) Directed and written by: Ruben Östlund

This is one of the most scariest things I’ve seen in the past few years. Not just the story, which is about a gang of boys torturing others but because it is made in a way that it feels utterly realistic and powerful. The fact that the scenes are shot from a distance and the story itself is based on real events made everything a lot more effective. I can’t imagine this being in my regular watching list in a normal situation but I saw this during a film festival and I can’t be happier about it. It is a really good movie!

Actor: Joel Kinnaman

I discovered this Swedish man when I started watching The Killing. It is nice to see that Swedish men are making their way into Hollywood (more proof after this guy) because I enjoy the Scandinavian type of men on my screen despite the fact that Joel is half American from his father side. I still consider him Swedish, he has that vibe going on. His next film, Snabba Cash II is on my watch list right after I watch Easy Money which is the first movie of the series. All for Joel, of course.

Actors: The Skarsgård clan

There are total of three Skarsgård men I have had the pleasure to enjoy on the screen but there are a lot more of them and surprisingly almost all of them have had contact with acting. Four of them in a larger scale starting with the father, Stellan Skarsgård. He has been in many movies over the years, crediting over 122 titles under his name and there is no surprise he has given some of his talent to his sons Bill, Gustaf and of course the mighty viking Alexander. I’ve seen Gustaf in the already mentioned Patrik, Age 1.5 but the young Bill is a mystery despite his long list of works. Though, ironically, I’ve seen Alexander a lot more than his brothers combined and even more! True Blood really but him on the map but I enjoyed his role in Melancholia as well. Finishing the Generation Kill mini series would be a great idea right about now since I’m in a very Swedish mood.

Actress: Noomi Rapace

Although I can’t credit the Swedish version of the Dragon Tattoo trilogy into my list of movies I’ve seen (at least until I get over the fact that the main actor didn’t feel like Blomkvist at all), I still enjoyed her in Prometheus. All things aside, I think she is a great actress and deserves her spot light. Besides, she really does look like a chameleon considering she looks so different in every picture/movie.

Actress: Malin Akerman

Although she is not my favorite she does seem to be doing extremely well in the movie world. She has small supporting roles in many of the movies, she does have a lot of the offensive comedy parts which I don’t like, but still, she is a pretty girl and definitely worth the time. I especially enjoy her voice, I think it is interesting and soothing at the same time.

Director: Ingmar Bergman

I have to be honest, I have heard the name a lot but I can’t recall ever seeing one of his films. I can’t be sure but I definitely will pick up some of them to my BOT list and give it a go because the name is so well known and I’m a bit shamed I haven’t watched his works before.

To finish of the Swedish list on a Swedish note, here is a music video from The Hives, enjoy!