Karstein Volle

RENDEL (In cinemas now)

Finland now has its first original superhero movie directed by Jesse Haaja. Kris Gummerus is the titular Rendel. Like most heroes he is out to fight crime and corruption, the movie’s tagline is ‘revenge begets revenge’. The masked Rendel sets out for retribution and fights VALA, the huge criminal organization. This superhero film veers on the darker side of the genre.

The Snowman (In cinemas now)

Tomas Alfredson directs this dark thriller set in the snows of Norway with an international cast that includes Michael Fassbender, Rebecca Ferguson, Charlotte Gainsbourg, JK Simmons, Val Kilmer and Chloe Sevigny. Fassbender is detective Harry Hole searching for a missing woman who has disappeared without trace – other than a scarf tied around an ominous snowman. Fassbender’s character is dealing with demons both in his professional and personal life.

Blade Runner 2049 (in cinemas now)

This has been one of the most anticipated movies of recent years, Denis Villeneuve’s sequel to Ridley Scott’s sci-fi classic from 1982. Ryan Gosling takes the lead here as the new ‘Blade Runner’ but Harrison Ford’s Rick Deckard – who has been missing for thirty years – is back again in this stylish follow up. At the beginning of the screening there was a message from director Villeneuve that requested viewers to refrain from disclosing plot details from the movie. 

Tuntematon Sotilas (The Unknown Soldier) in cinemas now

Väinö Linna’s classic war novel gets a new big screen adaptation, this year being the centenary of Finnish independence. The new cinematic version by Aki Louhimies clocks in at a full three hours. Similarly, as with Blade Runner 2049, there was a request by one of the producers asking viewers not to reveal plot details so as to maintain the integrity of the film; this is extra pertinent as there are so many who have not read the source novel. Suffice to say this film stands on it’s own regardless of whether or not you have read the source material. The movie, set during WWII, explores the futility of war through the eyes of different Finnish soldiers. 

Manifesto (In cinemas now)

Artist Julian Rosefeldt brings to the screen thirteen characters, all played by oscar winner Cate Blanchett. As they decree a manifesto we get to see this very adaptable actor in a variety of roles. Some are hardly recognizable as Blanchett – but that is probably the point of the exercise. This film was already made in 2015, after being screened at festivals around the world and finally gets a wider cinematic release.

Thor: Ragnarok (in cinemas 03.11.2017)

Thor: Ragnarok is the latest installment in the Marvel cinematic universe. Thor (Chris Hemsworth) finds himself imprisoned and forced to battle as a gladiator against his previous ally the Hulk. More room is given to Hulk’s character here, who has been underused in Marvel movies and is yet to receive his own standalone movie with Mark Ruffalo in the lead role (if he ever will be?) 

Other forthcoming releases include, Claire Denis’ AURINKO SISÄLLÄNI (Un beau soleil interieur) with Juliette Binoche in the lead role, originally screened at Love and Anarchy 2017; release date 27.10.2017. GOD’S OWN COUNTRY is the debut movie by writer/director Francis Lee. This has been a huge hit at festivals around the world, winning prize after prize, including one at Sundance; release date 03.11.2017. THE KILLING OF A SACRED DEER is the latest film from Director Yorgos Lanthimos (known for the indie hit The Lobster) with Nicole Kidman and Colin Farrell re-united on the screen after The Beguiled, release date 03.11.2017.