🍿#14: Another Round
This week's Salty Popcorn is filled with booze and Mads Mikkelson - is there a better combination? Also, a bonus trailer and an exclusive weekend-long event!
“God, I'd give anything for a drink. I'd give my god-damned soul for just a glass of beer.”
~ The Shining, 1980
What’s your tipple?
Let’s try something new. Tomorrow (Friday 2nd July), I’ll be opening a thread, where I’ll personally recommend at least one film based on the titles you love.
So, if you say: “Hey, I’m looking for a film like Goodfellas, got any ideas?” I’ll say, “Yeah, try Casino.” Or if you list 3 of your favourite films, I’ll give you a title or two based on your tastes. You could even list your favourite actors and directors, maybe there’ll be a film of theirs you’ve not seen yet or perhaps there are other talented souls with similar styles that you’ll love.
If you’re subscribed then you’ll get an email around 12:30 tomorrow when the thread goes live and I’ll be responding all weekend. Of course, anyone can reply to anyone and I invite all of you to get involved.
There are no rules to this, it’s an experiment, but together we might find some awesome films to watch. If it goes well, then this may well become a monthly feature.
Credit goes to premium-subscriber Karen E. for inspiring this idea, I’ve been sitting on it for a long time and this is the best way I can think of implementing it.
Have you got any ideas for future features of SP? Let me know in the comments.
Upcoming Releases
The Many Saints Of Newark
UK: 22 October // USA: 1 October
The Sopranos prequel, The Many Saints Of Newark, is set during the 1967 Newark riots and follows a young Tony Soprano (Michael Gandolfini, son of James Gandolfini) as he rises to become the infamous mob boss we all know and love.
Riders of Justice
UK: 23 July // USA: 14 May
Following a tragic accident that causes the death of his wife, Markus (Mads Mikkelson) returns home to care for his daughter. But when a data analyst who survived the accident detects foul play, Markus seeks out those responsible.
I find action films can be quite hit and miss, but Riders of Justice has had plenty of great reviews and ratings from critics and audiences alike. It also stars Mads Mikkelson, need I say any more?
Titane
UK: N/A // USA: N/A
Remember Raw… The film that used cannibalism as a metaphor for puberty? Well, Titane is the latest film by writer and director Julia Ducournau. The trailer was released last week and the film will premier at Cannes later this month.
The trailer doesn’t give much away but it’s summarised on IMDB as: “Following a series of unexplained crimes, a father is reunited with the son who has been missing for 10 years. Titane: A metal highly resistant to heat and corrosion, with high tensile strength alloys”.
Fact of the week
Another Round was filmed on a completely dry set, so unless the actors pre-drank before filming, they were all sober throughout the whole film. They did, however, conduct vigorous research in getting hammered before the production began.
Similarly, I have it on good authority that Pineapple Express was also filmed on a ‘dry’ set - Seth Rogen himself told me. No, seriously, he really did.
On the flip side, there are reports that both Julie Andrews and Christopher Plummer were drunk while filming various scenes for The Sound of Music.
Review: Another Round
Star rating:
4.5 (out of 5)
Worth a watch?
Yes
Where to watch:
USA: Hulu
UK: Only in cinemas (2nd July)
Runtime:
1hr 57m
Blurb:
Four teachers decide to test a theory that humans are born with a 0.05% alcohol deficiency in their bloodstream. As such, they aspire to maintain a fixed level of alcohol in their bloodstream at all times, excluding weekends.
Another Round won the Oscar for Best International Film (and was nominated for Best Director), as well as the BAFTA for Best Film Not in the English Language.
The review (NO spoilers):
Another Round is like The Hangover without the Hollywood. Even though the film is a little absurd (if you really think about it) it’s all too easy to succumb to its authenticity - which is a testament to director Thomas Vinterberg and the performances of his cast, led by Mads Mikkelsen.
I don’t want to give too much away but this film will have you reminiscing over your best-ever nights out, and the sobering shock of reality come the morning after.
At times, Another Round is very funny, at others it’s sombre and in some cases, it’s even touching. Vinterberg masterfully walks a fine line between these moods, if it were any different then there would be a risk of it being cartoonish and silly or depressing and dull - instead, there is perfect equilibrium.
There is also a noticeable lack of music throughout much of the film, particularly at its more sober moments. For me, this made it feel even more real because unlike in a film, there is rarely any music playing over the solemn scenes of our lives.
It’s important to remember that life is full of its ups and downs and Another Round is a celebration, or a toast if you will, to life.
If you liked Another Round…
The Hunt
2012 | UK: Amazon Prime // US: Hoopla / Amazon Prime ($2.99)
A teacher, Lucas (Mads Mikkelson), lives a lonely life, all the while struggling over his son's custody. His life slowly gets better as he finds love and receives good news from his son, but his new luck is brutally shattered by a lie.
I’ve not actually seen this, but it’s written and directed by Thomas Vinterburg and was nominated for the same awards that Another Round won. It also won three awards at Cannes and was nominated for the Palme d’Or - so it’s got to be good!
In the next issue:
Supernova
UK: 25 June // USA: 29 January | Watch the Trailer
The Critic’s Cut 🚨SPOILER ALERT🚨:
When Martin (Mikkelsen) started drinking at school without telling anyone, I thought he was an alcoholic. This seemed to line up nicely with the fact that he initially turned down drinking at Nikolaj’s (Magnus Millang) birthday dinner, but couldn’t seem to stop when he started and ended up feeling quite emotional.
I may have misread the signs and I could be among the minority to have made this assumption, but if it was intended then I’m very impressed by the film’s subtle misdirection. Alcohol dependency (in regards to Martin) was barely even hinted at and somehow I was convinced he would be the one to suffer the most from the effects of prolonged drinking.
As such, the death of Tommy (Thomas Bo Larsen) really took me by surprise and I struggled to believe it actually happened until his friends arrived at his funeral. Unexpected twists are the best kind, even if they’re sad.
Do you know someone who’d like a taste of Salty Popcorn? Feel free to send this issue on.