I finally got around to watching Troll, the monster Netflix movie from Norway. This is a quick recap and explanation video about the film, to get ready for Troll 2. I also go into Norwegian folklore and culture. It also serves as a bit of a movie review, and spoilers, I loved it!
Discover why Norwegians love murder mysteries during Easter! Learn about the tradition of “påskekrim” (Easter Crime) and why it’s a beloved part of Easter in Norway.
About how I was interviewed by the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation NRK about lost media. In particular, the Norwegian version of Sesame Street, Sesam Stasjon. But also, other television shows and video games that are no longer available.
Journey to the Christmas Star is a Norwegian fairy tale movie from 1976, based on a theatre play from 1924.
The film has aired on television in Norway every December 24th for decades, and even had a 2012 remake which was made in collaboration with Disney.
Have you noticed that Norway keeps popping up in big budget Hollywood blockbuster movies lately, as either a filming location or even as part of the story?
While there there used to be very few references to Norway in English-language films and television shows, you’re now much more likely to see Norway appear in American or British pop culture.
There used to be a phenomenon in Norway where the title of a lot of American and other international comedy films were translated into Norwegian as “Help, Something Something”. I thought it might be funny if I translated these titles back into English.
This is a video essay adaptation of my Advent Calendar TV Shows article.
In Scandinavia we have a tradition where each year the television channels air shows with a Christmas theme, that has a new episode each day between December 1st and December 24th.
This is a video essay adaptation of my Why You Should Play Games article.
There are numerous physical and mental health benefits to gaming, but these are seldom on my mind when I decide to sit down with a game. Instead, what motivates me is to experience other lands, other worlds, even other identities. All from the comfort of my own living-room.
This is a video adaptation of my The Art of Theodor Kittelsen article.
The Norwegian artist Theodor Kittelsen is my favorite painter. During his career as an illustrator he defined the look of trolls, Norwegian folklore, and The Black Death in Norway. The video includes some of his best paintings, and explains what makes his art so great.
My YouTube Channel
I am attending the funeral of my grandfather the day this post is released, so I scheduled a post last Friday so that there would be something new here this Wednesday.
These are a few videos about how we should, and eventually could, cure aging.
The video above, ‘The Fable of the Dragon-Tyrant’, uses a kingdom’s acceptance of a cruel dragon’s reign as an analogy for how humanity accepts the debilitating effects of aging as the natural order of things.
It is based on this story by Nick Bostrom, and adapted to a video format by the youtuber CGP Grey.
The above video ‘Why die?’ was also made by CGP Grey.
Grey is one of my favorite youtubers and podcasters, and I have previously mentioned him here and here.
The two videos made by CGP Grey is making a case for why we should try to end aging, but the above video from Kurzgesagt provides some examples of how this could be done.
Getting old is not a bad thing in itself, but there are many physical and mental issues linked with aging that we would be far better off without.
And the more time we waste before we start giving these issues the attention they deserve, the more people will lose their chance to reap the benefits.
I have always been fond of subversions of fairy tales and fantasy, so it came as no surprise that
I ended up loving ‘The Witcher 3’
I have previously expressed my love for video essays on YouTube, and I now have yet another great example in “Games as Lit. 101”.
Alan Wake is a game about creative creation, specifically writing.
Any writers who are reading this should definitely watch the video above, even if they have never played the game.
I loved the game when it first came out, but I feel like
the subject-matter hits closer to home now that I have started intentionally writing