Jar City

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Jar City

Postby Ian » Wed Mar 18, 2009 6:17 am

Anybody seen this Iceland thriller? Got a good review in Empire, and looks quite interesting. Alas, despite being released for rental, my local Blockbuster doesn't appear to have it. :( (God forbid they get a foreign movie in! :roll: )
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Postby fish » Fri May 15, 2009 10:01 am

Haven't seen it, (not surprising) but did some research in imdb etc.
I didn't think it sounded all that great as although I'm not adverse to a good crime thriller I'd want something a bit more than comparable to an episode of CSI or Taggart. Maybe the review I read doesn't do it justice as there seems to be a Hwood remake set for next year.....Haven't we been here before :?:

Here's the rather bland imdb review I read:
"This is a well made, enjoyable crime thriller that manages to sustain tension and interest throughout its run time and marries this with some well handled comic moments. The main character, Erlunder, is a multi-layered and believable, ageing, seen-it-all-before cop, while the scenes involving discovery of dead bodies are skin-crawlingly well acted and nauseously realistic.

However, given the kind of budgets and talent available to producers of TV crime series these days, Jar City suffers from the fact that the plot really could form an episode of CSI:Rejkjavik or, dare I say it Taggart (a old British crime series). There are no huge surprises or twists in the tail - it is, essentially, a standard, old fashioned who/why dunnit.

However, what sets Jar City apart from CSI and its ilk is the cinematography. Obviously I've seen images of Iceland before - but I've never seen it captured in such a bleak, but beautiful fashion. Iceland itself is centrally important to the character of this film (and might even be said to be one of the characters) and its strangely picturesque scenery and, in some cases, downright weirdness, make Jar City worth watching just for this alone."


On the other hand Andrew Sarris from the New York Observer said:
"For those of us, like me, who know next to nothing about Iceland or the Icelandic cinema, Jar City is an absorbingly revelatory experience, and one of the most mesmerizing movies of the year. "

I found this one on Rotten Tomatoes which had 33 out of 35 good reviews (compared to Show Me Love/Fucking Åmål which had 35 of 39), so I guess it has something good going for it.

If anyone here has seen it they could let us have their opinion. I'm just a bit confused at the moment, I think my brain is rejecting me. :? :wink:
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Postby Ian » Sat May 16, 2009 11:04 am

I still haven't seen it, thanks to my video shop. Any old crap, so long as it's not subtitled! Perish the thought! :roll:
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Postby fish » Sat May 16, 2009 2:24 pm

codyw1 wrote:I still haven't seen it, thanks to my video shop. Any old crap, so long as it's not subtitled! Perish the thought! :roll:

If you do happen to find it I'm sure you'll let us know what you think of it. My interest has been piqued.

In the meantime..... anyone else seen it......???? :Y :N ^O^
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Postby snaps » Sun May 17, 2009 11:20 am

I saw Jar City for sale in HMV at 8quid but I usually like to see a film first before buying. I couldnt find it in Blockbuster but they have 101 Rejkajavik in. A really good film is ''The Troublesome Man'' shot in Iceland and Norway. Quite dramatic scenery in Iceland. The film is quite surreal and psychologically dark :shock: (my kind of thing) so may not be everyones cup of tea.
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Postby snaps » Sun May 31, 2009 9:32 pm

I got out Jar City from Blockbuster today and just watched it. It is very good, cerebral (in more ways than one :wink: ), not the run of the mill crime thriller. The Icelandic landscape and cultural setting is stunningly brutal and the film brings this out well. I tend to watch more social drama than crime so this was a good outing for me. I recommend it as a view, but preferably not one to sit watching with your granny :oops:

Oddly enough, the only bit that made me chuck was when the cop ate a boiled sheep's head. :shock: I still haven't found granny's teeth, I think they've slid down the back of the sofa, but I have managed to slap her about a bit and got her to recuperate. :) I told her she nodded off and was just having a bad dream :twisted:
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Postby fish » Mon Jun 01, 2009 4:29 am

I generally find that boiled sheep's head is fine, if you just have enough tomato sauce......Like about 25 tonnes of tomato sauce. (poor granny)

(Still not convinced this is a film for me though. Any other reviews?)
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Postby Ian » Mon Jun 01, 2009 5:24 am

I'll probably buy it eventually (bloody Blockbuster etc etc etc :roll: ) but I don't start getting paid till the end of this month and it's not exactly No.1 on my priority list when I do. Eventually, probably! :lol:
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