I think it's pretty hard not to completely adore Stellan Skarsgård. From his achingly perfect performances working with Lars Von Trier to comic book blockbusters like Thor to the original Insomnia, he's one of the great actors of this or any generation. Yet audiences, it seems, sometimes take his talents for granted. Sure, he's received a share of plaudits, but for an actor with such range and sensitivity I think he's deserving of being considered in the absolute upper echelon of performers. Perhaps one reason that he doesn't quite get the respect of some of his peers is that he's unafraid to balance doing art house cinema with mainstream action fare. Skarsgård is comfortable as the everyman as he is the tortured soul, and gives dignity...
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- 8/25/2016
- Screen Anarchy
I think it's pretty hard not to completely adore Stellan Skarsgård. From his achingly perfect performances working with Von Trier, to comic book blockbusters like Thor, to the original Insomnia, he's one of the great actors of this or any generation.Yet audiences, it seems, sometimes take his talents for granted. Sure, he's received a share of plaudits, but for an actor with such range and sensitivity I think he's deserving of being considered in the absolute upper echelon of performers.Perhaps one reason that he doesn't quite get the respect of some of his peers is that he's unafraid to balance doing art house cinema with mainstream action fare. Skarsgård is comfortable as the everyman as he is the tortured soul, and gives dignity to even...
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[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...
- 7/24/2014
- Screen Anarchy
★★★★☆ While the Nordic Noir wave has seen a recent explosion in popularity, it is worth remembering that the genre has been successful for several decades now. From Insomnia (1997), starring Stellan Skarsgård as a Swedish cop with a sleeping disorder, to Festen (1998), Thomas Vinterberg's excellent Dogme 95 piece, Nordic cinema has travelled across the cold and beautiful landscape encompassing all manners of criminal plots. While the subject matter of The Hunters (Jägarna), a 1996 Swedish crime drama focused on the poaching of reindeer, may not quite seem as dark as soon of its contemporaries, it still makes for tense and thrilling viewing.
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- 12/19/2012
- by CineVue UK
- CineVue
Reviewer: James Van Maanen
Rating (out of 5): ****
What a presence, in any of his films, has Stellan Skarsgård. This unusual actor -- he of the firmly under-stated performance and increasingly jowly visage -- has, to my knowledge, never given a bad performance, even in dreadful movies like Angels and Demons or silly ones like Mamma Mia!. The actor turns 60 this year and has 109 roles to his credit (including the original Insomnia and Dogville), but I doubt that he has ever been better than he is in A Somewhat Gentle Man, the new Norwegian film cogently directed by Hans Petter Moland (who also directed Skarsgard in the lesser known Aberdeen) with a fine script by Kim Fupz Aakeson.
Rating (out of 5): ****
What a presence, in any of his films, has Stellan Skarsgård. This unusual actor -- he of the firmly under-stated performance and increasingly jowly visage -- has, to my knowledge, never given a bad performance, even in dreadful movies like Angels and Demons or silly ones like Mamma Mia!. The actor turns 60 this year and has 109 roles to his credit (including the original Insomnia and Dogville), but I doubt that he has ever been better than he is in A Somewhat Gentle Man, the new Norwegian film cogently directed by Hans Petter Moland (who also directed Skarsgard in the lesser known Aberdeen) with a fine script by Kim Fupz Aakeson.
- 5/2/2011
- by underdog
- GreenCine
There are few actors as in demand these days as Stellan Skarsgård, who will be appearing in no less than three of the year's most anticipated films -- and strangely all with Scandinavian ties -- in "Thor," Lars von Trier's "Melancholia" and David Fincher's adaptation of the "The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo." Yet the film industry's desire to cast him is no comparison to the odd pull he has on middle-aged women in "A Somewhat Gentle Man," an idiosyncratic and distinctly Norwegian comedy about a recently paroled criminal who attempts to rebuild his life as a mechanic while reaching out to the family that he deserted and trying to ignore the entreaties of the gang he once served. Although he's only moderately successful at both, Skarsgård's Ulrik is unique amongst former thugs onscreen since he emerges from prison as a people pleaser, whether it's looking out for...
- 1/10/2011
- by Stephen Saito
- ifc.com
Swedish actor Stellan Skarsgård's international resume speaks volumes about his versatility—from cinephile faves like Breaking the Waves and Insomnia to glossier American fare like Good Will Hunting and Mamma Mia!. (Ronin might fall in both camps.) His latest film, a bleakly funny comedy entitled A Somewhat Gentle Man, opens in New York on January 14:
Ulrik (Skarsgard) is a somewhat gentle man, as far as gangsters go. Reluctantly back on the streets following a stint in prison, Ulrik's boss greets him with open arms and a plan to settle an old score. With a demented sense of professional pride, Ulrik's boss sets in motion a plan to right the wrong done to his star employee. The problem is Ulrik would rather go about his own business, however mundane, than get involved with his ragtag colleagues again. This dark feel good comedy delivers laughs and gasps in equal measure.
Ulrik (Skarsgard) is a somewhat gentle man, as far as gangsters go. Reluctantly back on the streets following a stint in prison, Ulrik's boss greets him with open arms and a plan to settle an old score. With a demented sense of professional pride, Ulrik's boss sets in motion a plan to right the wrong done to his star employee. The problem is Ulrik would rather go about his own business, however mundane, than get involved with his ragtag colleagues again. This dark feel good comedy delivers laughs and gasps in equal measure.
- 1/7/2011
- GreenCine Daily
Next week, the film community will take a break from all of these high brow film festivals, to descend upon Austin Texas for the epic genre festival, Fantastic Fest. We’ve previewed several of the films that will be premiering at Fantastic Fest, and they just announced a few more films, from those lovely vikings up in Norway.
Criterion alum, Stellan Skarsgård (Insomnia, The Perfect Murder, The Unbearable Lightness Of Being) plays Ulrik in Hans Petter Moland’s comedy A Somewhat Gentle Man. You’ll also be able to catch Arild Fröhlich’s 2008 film, Fatso, as well as Thomas Cappelen Malling’s Norwegian Ninja. It’s nice to see some of the more comedic Scandinavian films being represented amongst so many darker genre films at the festival.
While there are going to be a number of Asian genre films represented at the festival, it’s clear that Fantastic Fest is a global event.
Criterion alum, Stellan Skarsgård (Insomnia, The Perfect Murder, The Unbearable Lightness Of Being) plays Ulrik in Hans Petter Moland’s comedy A Somewhat Gentle Man. You’ll also be able to catch Arild Fröhlich’s 2008 film, Fatso, as well as Thomas Cappelen Malling’s Norwegian Ninja. It’s nice to see some of the more comedic Scandinavian films being represented amongst so many darker genre films at the festival.
While there are going to be a number of Asian genre films represented at the festival, it’s clear that Fantastic Fest is a global event.
- 9/17/2010
- by Ryan Gallagher
- CriterionCast
Marvel Studios is keeping the upcoming Thor under a shroud of secrecy, but a Swedish news site recently revealed one little tidbit of information: Stellan Skarsgard has joined the cast.
According to Coventry Telegraph’s translation of Ystads Allehanda, the actor said he was asked to sign on without the reading a script first.
"That I refused to do," Skarsgard said. "Then they sent one to me that was so coded that I could only print one copy."
Indeed, everything about the project is so secretive that Skarsgard could not reveal what role he will play. He isn’t the only Thor participant who has to keep his lips sealed; the cast includes Colm Feore, whose role also remains unknown.
Stellan Skarsgard’s son Alexander had been on the short list of actors to play Thor, a powerful but arrogant warrior exiled to Earth to live among humans. However, the...
According to Coventry Telegraph’s translation of Ystads Allehanda, the actor said he was asked to sign on without the reading a script first.
"That I refused to do," Skarsgard said. "Then they sent one to me that was so coded that I could only print one copy."
Indeed, everything about the project is so secretive that Skarsgard could not reveal what role he will play. He isn’t the only Thor participant who has to keep his lips sealed; the cast includes Colm Feore, whose role also remains unknown.
Stellan Skarsgard’s son Alexander had been on the short list of actors to play Thor, a powerful but arrogant warrior exiled to Earth to live among humans. However, the...
- 10/5/2009
- CinemaSpy
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