Add Valhalla Rising to your list of Historical Dramas to watch for in 2010

I must say that newcomer N.R. Alexander over at The Speculative Scotsman is doing his homework lately. He's touched on a few films in his Speculative Cinema in 2010 series that I hadn't even heard of, including Valhalla Rising. You may recognize Valhalla Rising's star, Mads Mikkelson, from trailers of the upcoming remake of Clash of the Titans, in which he plays the leader of the Praetorian Guard. He also starred as Tristan in the drek that was 2004's Jerry Bruckeimer produced King Arthur, and the villainous Le Chiffre in the titillating Bond flick Casino Royale.

Anyway, catch the trailer below for your first look at Valhalla Rising.



Well, what did you think? The quality of the video leaves a bit to be desired, but I am really excited about seeing a gritty, realistic depiction of 10th century Viking life. And from the looks of the trailer, Valhalla Rising just might do the trick.

By the way, does anyone else think that Mad Mikklesen and Viggo Mortensen look alike? They are both Danish and around the same age. Kirk out.

Upcoming filmmaker Miguel de Olaso's teaser for KOR3 looks promising.

I found this on /Film while sifting dutifully through the infinitude that is the blogosphere, and was sufficiently impressed with it to share it here at The Sound and Fury (plus it will tie nicely in with the theme of my next post/film review of the international film Night Watch--so stay tuned!)

I posted this past summer here and here on South African director Neill Blomkamp's short films and his (then) upcoming film District 9 (which I still need to review). District 9 was an extension of Blomkamp's Alive in Joburg, but both films, regardless of what anyone thought about them, were something different--an injection of freshness to the innocuousness that has overcome American Cinema. Watch Alive in Joburg below, if you haven't seen it yet.


Alive In Joburg - Neill Blomkamp from Spy Films on Vimeo.


Segue to Spanish filmmaker Miguel de Olaso's (also known as MacGregor) teaser for an upcoming project called KOR3. Comparisons have been drawn between Olaso's teaser, Ridley Scott's Blade Runner [see my post from last week that included Pavel Elagin's beautiful cityscape titled Blade Runner Tribute] and Neill Blomkamp's District 9 by Todd Brown of Twitch Film, and I think he's pretty much right on the money. Check out the teaser below for yourself, and then scroll down to see a showreel showcasing some of his other works in film and commercials.


Kore. 2010. Teaser from Macgregor on Vimeo.

[Warning: The following showreel contains brief nudity and a brief but disturbing rape scene. For those of you that are of a sensitive nature, under 18, or viewing this from work please be advised that you might want to skip through this part. Don't say I didn't warn you.]


WORKS from Macgregor on Vimeo.

Having reviewed some of Olaso's work, I must say that I am excited and eager to see what he can do with a feature film. Even if KOR3 turns out to be an independent short or feature I can't wait to see the finished product. From what I can gather Olaso seems to have cut his teeth with some pretty high profile commercials, not unlike Blomkamp who has worked on commercials for Nike, Gatorade, and French auto maker Citroën. The Ridley Scott comparison, which seems to be getting a lot of lip service on the internets, seems to be apt, if conveniently coincidental considering Neill Blomkamp is represented by Scott's production company, RSA.

Anyway, enough postulating and speculating. I hope Olaso gets the chance in the near future to make his film KOR3, and make a name for himself in feature films. I, for one, will be watching closely.

(Sources: /Film and Twitch Film)

Kirk out.