Mats Arehn Movies
- 1995
This dark Swedish comedy-drama is based on director Mats Arehn's memories of his father. The story is told from Arehn's point of view when he was a child. Palle Hagmann, a 1940's Swedish vaudeville singer is popular. He would be really popular were it not for his reputation for lying and cheating. He rationalizes to his son by explaining the different kinds of lies available. He admonishes him that white lies should be saved for the self. Hagmann tells white ones frequently and with increasing regularity; they get him into trouble. Hagmann moves his family around frequently until they finally end up in the South of France attempting to manage a hotel. Despite Hagmann's largely self-created problems, he remains a devout optimist. Arehn's exploration of his father creates a tragic scenario that ultimately culminates in love and forgiveness. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1990
- PG13
Istanbul, also released as Istanbul, Keep Your Eyes Open, is an old-fashioned, shallow, unbelievable thriller. Frank Collins (Timothy Bottoms) is an American reporter living in Sweden. Collins receives a video from his stepson's real father and goes to Istanbul, leaving his stepson at home, but taking his daughter. While in Istanbul, Collins meets Maud. Collins daughter is kidnapped and he finds out about a weapons-smuggling ring. The convoluted plot then involves false identities, murders and evidence of an impending assassination, with a number of car chases. The entire movie is jumbled, confusing and finally concludes in a downbeat, unconvincing muddle with most of the lost strings still untied. Views should beware of this low-rent rip-off of Roman Polanski's Frantic or Alfred Hitchcock's The Man Who Knew Too Much. ~ Linda Rasmussen, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Timothy Bottoms, Twiggy, (more)
- 1989
A diamond heist sets the stage for sight gags and improbable events in this crime farce. Johannes (Sven Wollter) disguises himself in the holy robes of a cardinal to escape the wrath of a mob kingpin. Others in the gang dress up as a priest, a nun, a monk, and a corpse. The monk gets drunk in a local bar, the cardinal puts the moves on the nun, and the corpse (Asko Sarkola) jumps up and runs away while on public display. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Sven Wollter, Sten Ake Cederhok, (more)
- 1988
A trio of teens on a camping trip on the Baltic Sea are lured by a middle-aged couple trying to recruit them for their vices. Lisa (Lena Nilsson) sleeps with Matte (Patrick Stenman), then Kranken (Roberto Jelinek) -- which causes friction between the two boys. Kranken later saves her from being raped by a gang of thugs who attack him with a knife. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lena Nilsson, Patrick Stenman, (more)
- 1987
In this romantic drama, the divorced father of two meets a young woman who has recently married a businessman. The businessman was a single father of one child. All three adults converge at a school graduation, and they decide to get together again during their vacations in Mallorca. There, the divorced man and the recently married woman consummate an affair right under the nose of her new husband. However, they give it up quickly and return to their usual lives. Nonetheless, the three children have by now become fast friends, and they are not able to give up seeing one another entirely. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Sven Wollter, Linn Stokke, (more)
- 1985
In this tour-de-force, an amusing and successful low-budget crime-comedy, Tobbe (Gosta Ekman) gains consciousness in his bed one morning with a world-class hangover, and groaning, realizes that there is a woman sleeping next to him. In pops Bertil (Sten Ljunggren), who was also at the party but is much less the worse for the wear-and-tear of the evening's celebrations. Bertil is a doctor, and when he notices the woman he checks her inert form out and quickly discovers that she is not sleeping, she is dead. Now the two buddies have a serious problem on their hands, and as they exchange lies about what their relationships to the dead woman really were, the lies start slipping and sliding until the truth comes out -- and the two men have to figure out how to dispense of the corpse. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Gösta Ekman, Jr., Sten Ljunggren, (more)
- 1983
In this comedic children's film, a little girl is left under the care of a chemistry student researcher while her father tries to escape from two gangsters (who occasion several laughs). The young chemistry student is not only "saddled" with the girl, but with homework for a crazy professor, and with problems when the gangsters decide the next best thing to do is to kidnap the little girl. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Bjorn Skifs, Gösta Ekman, Jr., (more)
- 1979
Consumed by sexual passion, David Jernberg pursues his relationship with Eva despite the fact that this marginally attractive woman is having a destructive effect on his life and everything he values. David, a scientist with a wife and a middle-class life, is a mature man who is just beginning to face the issues of aging. Eva is hostile to everything he represents, except when she is in the middle of the act of love: there, her abandonment in the moment is capable of exerting a hypnotic effect on him. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Gösta Ekman, Jr., Anita Ekström, (more)
- 1978
Christopher Plummer stars in The Assignment as a police captain. The setting is an un-named Latin American country, where a high-ranking official is murdered. The incident threatens to tear apart not only the country but its neighboring republics. A calm, selfless diplomat (Thomas Heilberg) is called in from Sweden to mediate between the local police, politicians, and revolutionaries. Also in the cast of The Assignment, which is based on a novel by Per Wahloo, are Carolyn Seymour, Fernando Rey and Per Oscarsson. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Thomas Hellberg, Christopher Plummer, (more)
- 1975
Maria is a single mother living alone with her son Magnus. When ex-con Leffe charms his way into their lives, he consistently does daring and stupid things, and is not likely to remain out of prison for long. Maria's long-time friend/boyfriend tries to help Leffe out, as do all those involved with him. Soon enough, he has to return to prison, cheerful, and not one bit wiser. However, the good times he had with Maria and her son has taken off the edge of bitterness which used to dog him. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lis Nilheim, Thomas Hellberg, (more)
