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Adam’s Apples Synopsis:

The comedy “Adams Apples” is a modern religious fable about belief, and the fight between good and evil. Adam is a neo-Nazi, who is send on community service with the priest Ivan. Ivan gives Adam the task of baking an apple pie with apples from the tree in front of the church. Meanwhile birds, worms and lightning are attacking the apples. Ivan believes it is the Devil, who is testing them, but Adams believes it is God, because it might be, that evil does not even exist.

Hands down one of my favorite films this decade and a criminally under seen gem destined for timeless cult appeal and following. Anders Thomas Jensen does a lot with very little here, sparse script, good versus evil and a cast that takes the material and hits a home run with it. In particular Mads Mikkelsen as Ivan proves there might not be another actor on his level in this day and age.

Ulrich Thomsen should get a little more international attention starring in the new Tom Tykwer thriller, The International, which bows into theaters February 2009 and seems to retread global corporate corruption themes that the Constant Gardener also explored. For festival audiences his role as Michael might be a big break out role for him in what seems at least on paper at least a Jensen scripted Michael Douglas/Falling Down type of tale.

For Mads Mikkelsen I am definitely curious on the supernatural time travel thriller Die Tur aka Past Perfect where he plays a down and out artist who discovers a time portal, which he attempts to use to go back to an earlier point of his life to try and make things work out better, but instead creates a nightmare that spirals out of control. (more info)

Mads Mikkelsen next big project after this is in the viking film, Valhalla Rising (see also post here) where he plays One-Eye. It’s about as close as we will ever see him perhaps inhabiting an Conan the Barbarian type of role and should be quite bloody and entertaining. The WWII film, Flammen & Citronen with filmmaker Ole Christian Madsen should also be another upcoming film to seek out as it looks to be a very strong and well told drama.

For Nicolas Bro, post-Adam’s Apples, I’ve found that his dark drama-doc-thriller-fantasy, Offscreen, is by far his best work to date and a real must see for daring filmgoers. His next big upcoming film will be in the international production, The Good Heart, which also stars Paul Dano and Brian Cox. The film seems centered around dying bar owner (Brian Cox) who takes in a homeless man with healing powers (Paul Dano) and supernatural themes enter and they somehow wind up at what seems to be a mental institution playing frisbee. (via Cinematical)

Paprika Steen post-Adam’s Apples has been incredibly busy bouncing around TV projects and starring roles like the upcoming Jensen penned, Fear Me Not. Her most prominent role to date has been as an alien substitute teacher in The Substitute, which plays at Fantastic Fest this year.

Anders Thomas Jensen has several projects in the work (mostly screenplays in production with no word when he will take the director reins again). Notable of his upcoming projects are:

Ved verdens ende (Winter 2009): The comedy drama tells the story of criminal psychologist Adrian, who is sent to Indonesia to examine the mental state of Severin Gertsen, a Dane who claims to be 129 years-old thanks to a carnivorous plant. Both men embark on a frantic chase through the jungle in pursuit of the precious plant, with the whole Indonesian army and a gang of local mobsters on their heels. (source)

Fear Me Not (Fall 2008): Plays at the Toronto International Film Festival and the San Sebastian International Film Festival and is about, “42-year-old Michael needs a change in his life, so when he hears about clinical trials for a new anti-depressant, he signs up to be a guinea pig – without telling his family. Because of dangerous side effects, the trial is subsequently abandoned but Michael continues to take the pills. Having lost all control, Michael’s repressed instincts resurface with a force and violence that no-one could have predicted.” (more)

Brothers (Fall 2008): Jim Sheridan (In the Name of the Father) remakes Bier’s and Jensen’s 2004 entry, Brothers. Cast includes: Jake Gyllenhaal, Natalie Portman, Tobey Maguire and Sam Shepard.

Antichrist (Fall 2009): Lars von Trier and Jensen team up with a terror in the woods entry starring Willem Dafoe and Charlotte Gainsbourg. Stills are bound to leak spoiling the ancient evil at work in the film, but regardless of that von Trier and Jensen teaming up to make a horror thriller certainly seems like it could work, assuming their very strong personalities can gel enough to make things work. Clearly they have agreed enough to make it this far so I can only assume they will spurn each other on more creatively to make one of 2009’s most nerve rattling films!

The one film that sticks out odd in all the upcoming Jensen projects is his work on the Keira Knightley period piece, The Duchess. The film features a stellar cast and with Jensen wit and prose could certainly soar when its released later this year.

The only other Jensen project of late aside from With Your Permission (which played Toronto last year) is Clash of Egos, which remains my most sought after film of his to see as he pokes fun at the filmmaking industry in it. Sadly no one has picked it up yet for a video release with English subtitles and believe me I did lobby with Jensen that I hoped to see it one day when I ran into him earlier this year at the Berlin International Film Festival.

Image Source:
Official still that was used in the original international release of the film.

Related Links:
::: IMDb Profile

Gael Garcia Bernal sporting cat ears rides off inside his fairy tale life where Stephanie (Charlotte Gainsbourg) is his sun. The endless inventiveness Gondry displays throughout this film leaves it more rewarding with each passing viewing than as a film you would typically watch only once.

Amazon.com Link:
Buy the The Science of Sleep DVD

Image Source:
Official still that was used in the original international release of the film.

Related Links:
::: IMDb Profile

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Carice van Houten, whom certainly makes a name for herself in this outing, will next be seen in the upcoming horror film Dorothy Mills. Midnight Madness (view blog) programmer Colin Geddes was actually the first person that put this film on the map to me. While I was at my first Sitges Film Festival he literally raved about this film and told me see it regardless of the fact it didn’t have any English subtitles. Needless to say I found the film a complete and welcome surprise with filmmaker Paul Verhoeven adding yet another film to his list of great cinematic works.

Amazon.com Link:
Buy the Black Book DVD

Image Source:
Official digital still that was used in the original international release of the film.

Related Links:
::: IMDb Profile

Ivana Baquero puts in one of the best kids performances in a film in recent memory as Ofelia in Pan’s Labyrinth. I still remember seeing this for the first time at Fantastic Fest and the first time I saw it at Sitges. This is one of those timeless films that never ages and only gets better.

Related Coverage:
::: Evening Class Interview with Guillermo Del Toro
::: 39th Sitges Film Festival – The Ultimate Experience

Image Source:
Official still that was used in the original release of the film in Spain.

Related Links:
::: IMDb Profile
::: Official Site

Incredible Japanese poster artwork for Tokyo Zombie featuring the star of the film Tadanobu Asano. I originally saw this film two years ago at the Sitges Film Festival and thought it was incredibly mixed. Great first half before the film spirals into a completely dis-organized second half.

Eiga Chirashi = mini poster/flyer’s from Japan

Japanese Cinema:
::: Jason Gray
::: Mark Schilling’s Tokyo Ramen
::: Midnight Eye
::: Outcast Cinema
::: Ryuganji
::: Toronto J-Film Pow-Wow

Image Source:
Official still used in the original Japanese artwork for this film.

Related Links:
::: IMDb Profile