RECENT PRESS
Ancient epic poem `Beowulf’ seen through a modern prism
Two elements of "Beowulf & Grendel" make a mixed-up and unbalanced picture nearly worthwhile. One is Iceland. Shooting in various, epically craggy corners of a country that hasn't been location scouted to death, the film's makers resort to not a single...
Beowulf and Grendel roars onto DVD in September
Filmed in Iceland and staring Gerard Butler, Stellan Skarsgård, and Sarah Polley, Beowulf and Grendel (the latest adaptation of the classic tale) is set to hit DVD on September 26th for the suggested retail price of $29.98. The film is adapted from the Anglo-Saxon...
‘Beowulf & Grendel’
*An ancient tale is given a multinational revision. Two elements of "Beowulf & Grendel" make a mixed-up and unbalanced picture nearly worthwhile. One is Iceland. Shooting in various, epically craggy corners of a country that hasn't been location-scouted to death,...
300 AUTHOR FRANK MILLER REVEALS SIN CITY 2 AND SPIRIT PLANS
300 (due out March 16, 2007) is the latest movie adaptation of a Frank Miller graphic novel. The story focuses on the 480 B.C. battle where the King of Sparta led his army in a battle against the Persians, which resulted in democracy in Greece. While promoting 300 at...
300 AUTHOR FRANK MILLER REVEALS SIN CITY 2 AND SPIRIT PLANS
300 (due out March 16, 2007) is the latest movie adaptation of a Frank Miller graphic novel. The story focuses on the 480 B.C. battle where the King of Sparta led his army in a battle against the Persians, which resulted in democracy in Greece. While promoting 300 at...
Beautifully epic
Most may not be familiar with the epic poem that Beowulf & Grendel is based upon, but it's really not necessary when it comes to this elegantly crafted piece of cinematography. While the film does get off to a slow start, it serves a purpose. Character...
Duo rebounds, Americans meet Beowulf & Grendel
The Quebec-made romantic comedy Duo was a box-office disappointment in its opening June 16 weekend but rebounded somewhat in the week of June 23, taking a per-screen average of $1,486, up from $1,121, and claiming the number-one spot among domestic films. "The summer...
Indies defer format war’s draft
Besides Lionsgate, few indies charging ahead with hi-def releases When it comes to new formats -- and format wars, in particular -- independents are generally happy to let the studios spend the big money to develop the market. And as expected -- with mastering costs...
Arthouse films
Here's a look at some of the arthouse films opening today: "Beowulf & Grendel" RATING 3 Set in the 6th century and shot in Iceland, this sword-and-storm adventure boasts a brave-hearted hero, a wily witch whore and a 7-foot hairy troll. (Like Lois Lane and...
Tarts Take Manhattan
On Friday evening, David Ruiz, an usher at the Quad Cinema on 13th Street, marched over to a crowd of giddy women sipping Cokes and munching popcorn in the lobby to reprimand them for speaking too loudly. “Ladies, please,” said Mr. Ruiz. “There are other movies...
MONSTER MASH
Adaptation of the Anglo-Saxon saga "Beowulf," in which a soldier searches for a mythic monster. With Gerard Butler, Sarah Polley. Directed by Sturla Gunnarsson (1:42). R: violence, language, sexual themes. At the Quad. Credit Icelandic director Sturla Gunnarsson for...
Beautiful Scene, Confusing Beasts
BEOWULF & GRENDEL (two stars) Communication breakdown. Rated R (violence, profanity, sexuality). At the Quad, West 13th Street between Fifth and Sixth avenues. LONG the bane of high school seniors, the epic eighth-century poem "Beowulf" is being turned into a...
NEW MOVIES. Opening Next Week
URBANSCAPES Photographer Camilo Vergara documents the changing topography of urban America and its unique neighborhoods through refections of its residents and artists. Wednesday at Two Boots Pioneer Theater. [b] BEOWULF & GRENDEL This saucy Icelandic update of...
The Blood of a Poem
Icelandic director gives Beowulf the Monty Python treatment Beowulf & Grendel Directed by Sturla Gunnarsson Union Station, opens July 7, Quad Today's moviegoers may have all the respect in the world for Anglo-Saxon poetry, Norse legend, and the tenets of early...
SEA SICK
Another repetition of pirates and producers looking for big booty Spoiler Alert: The end of Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest is a cliffhanger. That means after watching Johnny Depp, Keira Knightley and Orlando Bloom still fighting pirates and ghosts, still...
Politically Aware ‘Beowulfs’ Miss an Ancient Delight: Terror
"Beowulf," as college lit majors used to have to learn, is the first significant work written in English, or in what passes for English: a 3,000-line epic poem composed — in alliterative, unrhymed verse — probably during the first half of the eighth century. It's also...
Beowulf meets girl; girl meets troll. Eeew.
Beowulf & Grendel: Drama. Starring Gerard Butler, Stellan Skarsgard, Ingvar Eggert Sigurdsson and Sarah Polley. Directed by Sturla Gunnarsson. (Not rated. 102 minutes. At the Opera Plaza.) It's a danger that looms for every young actress. Choose the wrong role,...
Poignant beast makes ‘Beowulf’ memorable
'BEOWULF," you may recall, is a ninth-century epic poem traditionally foisted on students by sadistic teachers. Most people graduate with no memory of its content beyond the presence of swords, a monster and pages of impenetrable language. "Beowulf & Grendel" may...
‘Beowulf’ turns page to screen: Adaptation has some dialogue issues, but visuals successfully capture tale
THE EPIC POEM "Beowulf" is -- as every high school senior should know -- the oldest extant work of any significance in our (or any other modern European) language, and the point from which we normally date the beginning of English literature. In some 3,182 lines of...
Fun With Flesh Wounds
The epic poem Beowulf gets the Monty Python treatment Beowulf told with a postmodern punk sensibility. If nothing else, give the makers of Beowulf & Grendel high marks for boldness, and for a certain playful irreverence. It's a good bet that today's moviegoers...