July, 2015 - - Page 2

13 Jul

Curious Björk in 1988

This little gem of a video shows that Björk has always been curious about science and how things work. It becomes clear that her technological project Biophilia is based on an open mind and long lasting explorations.

One of my favourite TV programmes is a documentary when two of the most iconic thinkers of our time meet and have inspiring discussions about nature and science. Here’s the trailer for When Björk met Attenborough.

And here’s a fan made video with excerpts from the documentary.

You can watch When Björk met Attenborough on iTunes for example.

11 Jul

Life in a Fishbowl

When the sun is shining bright, on one of the most beautiful Saturdays of the summer, going to a Film Festival is perhaps not what most people choose to do. Let alone to watch a pretty bleak Nordic film. A few film enthusiasts did so anyway to watch Baldvin Zophoniasson’s second feature, Life in a Fishbowl at the East End Film Festival.

The film follows three very different characters offering a cross section of society after the financial crash in Iceland 2008. A kind-hearted single mother takes on a demeaning career to stay afloat and protect her child; a dishevelled drifter drinks in order to forget his past; and an ambitious businessman wrestles with his conscience in the face of corporate fraud.

I talked to some audience members after the screening and they all liked the film. A few talked about how gripping it was and one said she wanted to marry Móri. Most of the people were eager to run out and bask in the sunshine but I managed to get an interview with Tim Evans, who was kind enough to sit down with me and share his thoughts on the film.

10 Jul

London in the Roaring Twenties

A few days back I posted a video of Reykjavik back in 1926. Now it’s time for London films from the same period.

The BFI has a whole lot of footage from each and every decade since filming began. For those living in the UK it’s easy to get lost for hours watching the captivating regional clips now available on BFI player. Britain on Film makes it easy to explore films with the help of a Film map. Brilliant idea! Unfortunately, due to rights restrictions, they can only make BFI Player available in the UK for now.

However, BFI has a Youtube Channel with a lot of accessible footage.

Now, this film from London’s Screen Archives is lovely.

And this footage from nightlife in the twenties always makes me smile.

Finally, London after dark. The old ladies in the end of the video are so amusing!

09 Jul

Tube romance

11713776_10205937902860769_2331837453524767084_o It’s complete chaos in the capital due to a tube strike. All major lines are completely closed, making this the first total shutdown in 13 years. The bus queues are endless.

Fortunately it will be over by midnight.

I love the London Underground. For an Icelander, not used to this luxury, it’s so brilliant to be able to get from one part of the city to another so easily and in such short time. It can be madness during rush hour but apart from that it’s splendid.

However, I’ve never thought about the London Underground as a replacement for Tinder or whatever people use these days to find love. Apparently one can find romance on the tube, or so they say on ITV, where they also list top stations to find singles.

Wonder if commuters will find love in the chaos today!

08 Jul

Iceland seen from above

THRIFT

I’ve learned a trick I play a lot,

though lesser men may cavil:

never to stir from near this spot

yet nonetheless to travel.

Jónas Hallgrímsson / Dick Ringler

When Jónas Hallgrímsson wrote this poetry in 1845 he probably didn’t imagine that 170 years later, a London based Icelandic woman would think about his poem while admiring her homeland with the help of drone footage. It’s never been easier to sit at home and travel the world at the same time. Whereever you are, I hope you enjoy those amazing images of Iceland!

Jónas Hallgrímsson

Jónas Hallgrímsson poetry

06 Jul

A Song for Jenny

Programme Name: A Song For Jenny - TX: n/a - Episode: n/a (No. 1) - Picture Shows: Julie Nicholson (EMILY WATSON) - (C) BBC - Photographer: Nicola Dove

Last night I watched the film A Song For Jenny on BBC1. Even now my eyes water when I think about scenes from the movie. It’s heartbreaking to watch but worth it. A Song for Jenny is based on a book by Julie Nicholson, a mother who lost her daughter during the 7/7 attacks in 2005. The book was adapted for television by the Irish playwright Frank McGuinness and Brian Percival directs. It’s very well written and directed. It’s often said that storytelling is all in the details and this screenplay is a proof of that. Emily Watson gives an incredible performance as Julie, one you’ll never forget.

Julie is struggling to accept her daughter’s death in the suicide bombing at The Edgware Road tube station. As viewers, we can feel the raw emotions through Watson’s performance, the anguish, the devastating wait for the worst news possible. Then the death of hope, the anger and the hatred, but also the complicated and mixed feelings when she tries to honour her daughter by letting go of the hatred, failing at first.

In this interview with The Express, Emily Watson talks about how she met Julie ahead of filming; ‘Julie was amazingly generous. She is a natural storyteller and has a sense of the poetic, despite her own grief,’ says Emily. ‘I asked her a lot of really direct questions and she answered them completely. Although she kind of lost her faith, she came through it and chose life and love and not hatred.’

If Watson will not take home a lot of awards during next awards season, I’ll be surprised. It’s not often we see acting on this level, not even in England.

A Song for Jenny is one of the most powerful explorations of grief I’ve ever seen.

download

03 Jul

Downton Abbey finale

10639717_10203663541923167_8469119200001364709_n The last day of filming the very last episode of Downton Abbey took place in Highclere Castle yesterday. The series will air here in the UK this autumn, and as expected the last episode will be on Christmas Day.

There will be carolling, that much we know already. There is also a new puppy called Pringles and… drumroll please! Carson will spill some wine! Oh my! Has good old Carson lost his touch? Will he and Mrs. Hughes get married? What will happen to Mary or poor Edith? Julian Fellows has not said much, but at least he’s said the theme of series six is resolution.

ITV’s much loved period drama has been a worldwide hit. It regularly pulls in 11 million viewers in the UK alone and 25.5 million viewers watched series five. There have been rumours that there might be a Downton movie in the pipes. We’ll see!

The photos are from my visit to Highclere Castle in August, when I interviewed Lady von Carnarvon for RUV. Now the media has been banned from taking photos of the paintings in the castle so this first photo is a bit special.

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02 Jul

Strange days

11415470_10205826143266849_1252669487698795569_o The internet didn’t melt away yesterday, nor did I. However, roads melted as the mercury clocked 36.7C, the highest in July since records began in the mid 1870s. The hotspot was Heathrow. Very fitting.

This has been a sad and strange week over here. In the sweltering heat yesterday the first bodies of the victims killed by a gunman in Friday’s beach attack in Tunisia were flown back to the UK. Most of the victims were from here; it hasn’t been confirmed yet but it’s likely that 30 of 38 victims were British.

It has been agonising to listen to the survivors speak about their ordeal. It brings back memories of the 2011 Norway attacks when Anders Breivik killed 77 people. Like then, people under attack in Tunisia tried to play dead as the gunman passed and many of them were calling home from hideaways to say goodbyes to their loved ones. At the same time it’s moving to hear how people would selflessly put them self in danger while helping the injured and some even died protecting those they loved.

All of this is affecting the nation even more due to the fact that next week marks the 10 year anniversary of the 7/7 terrorist attack. The stories from those who survived back then blend in with the stories from last Friday.

Meanwhile, news from Iceland about earthquakes and a possible volcano eruption near Reykjavik are scaring the living daylights out of me. For some reason news like that affect me more when I’m over here than when I lived in Iceland.

I guess all we can do is try to enjoy each day, each moment. One never knows.

01 Jul

Amazing Reykjavik in 1926

On the hottest day of the year so far it feels as if the internet might just melt away any minute 🙂

Before that happens I’d like to share with you an amazing video. A footage of Reykjavik back in The Roaring Twenties. The travel film was shot in July 1926 by an American, Burton Holmes. You can read more about this remarkable man here. With 24 hours of daylight this time a year, a cruise is reaching shore at midnight. A lot of curious Icelanders have gathered downtown to watch the tourists. The population of Reykjavik was only around 21,000 back then and the capital had only three police officers. Enjoy!