Government spending on health care costs in the U.S. was the highest of any nation in 2013.
Sweden
Posted inArts & Culture
Film review: Force Majeure
Early in Force Majeure, a young, good-looking family — father, mother, son and daughter — is having lunch at an outdoor restaurant of a ski resort in the French Alps. The vista, a gleaming and snow-packed mountain, is almost overwhelmingly spectacular. A controlled explosion in the distance triggers an avalanche that commands the attention of […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Blood Runs Cold
In this Swedish take on the all-American slasher film, Winona (newcomer Hanna Oldenburg) seeks refuge from stress at a vacation home, only to find more of it. Part of that is because she runs into her ex-boyfriend, Rick (Patrick Saxe, also making a feature debut), amid all the wintry conditions, but most of it is […]
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Easy Money
Front and center in every sense is a fantastic Joel Kinnaman (The Darkest Hour, TV’s The Killing and our new RoboCop), commanding the screen with real star power as JW, a college student with a brilliant mind for business, but practically destitute himself. So desperately wanting to be part of the cocaine-and-cognac crowd, he spends […]
Posted inMusic
Tracks of my ears
Sleek and stylish electro duo The Deer Tracks is about as overtly Swedish as a certain chef from The Muppets, which means the blood coursing through the two members’ veins all but guarantees they construct ridiculously infectious pop music far more sturdy than an IKEA shelving unit. In fact, they do. The two — singer/chanteuse […]
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TPB AFK: The Pirate Bay — Away from Keyboard
The keyword there is “copyrighted,” of course. Violations of that law of have inflamed Hollywood, which responded with predictably fierce legal action. A 2008 court battle drives much of the new film TPB AFK: The Pirate Bay — Away from Keyboard. The feature debut of director Simon Klose, the documentary becomes available on demand from […]
Posted inMusic
Flame on!
UPDATE: Due to a terminal illness in one of the band-member’s family, In Flames will not be performing at Mayhem Festival. It’s hard to think of a more cheerful place than Scandinavia. With all its blondes, free health care and cheap/ trendy furniture, it’s heaven on earth in many ways. The bulk of the music […]
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The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest
To shortcut things, if you loved or liked the first two, your feelings will remain … assuming you don’t expect the same ol’ same ol’. When we last left revenge-hungry punk hacker Lisbeth Salander (Noomi Rapace) in “Fire,” she was left for dead after taking a bullet to the head — thanks, Dad! — ending […]