RECENT PRESS
Sturla Gunnarsson Speaks of Beowulf and Grendel
Recently I had a great opportunity to sit down and have a heart to heart with the director of the 2005 feature "Beowulf and Grendel" which saw a 16 week run in Canada and is now making it's way into select American theaters. The experience was fantastic overall and I...
“Beowulf & Grendel”
Who are you calling a troll? The Grendel in question in Beowulf & Grendel, a muscular, ardently naturalistic retelling of the ninth-century Anglo-Saxon saga, may be on a bloody tear, and Tomb Raider 2's Gerard Butler rattles a lot of heroic chain mail. But...
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...
Classic lit translates into a classic failure
Sarah Polley has been one of the most fearless and astute young movie actresses of her generation. She takes chances and usually winds up being the best part of any movie she's in. Not so in "Beowulf & Grendel," Sturla Gunnarsson's cold and stark retelling of the...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...