Tag Archives: Norway

“Sentimental Value”: The Magic of Movies Comes With a Price

February 8, 2026 By in Movies/Films/Flicks Tags: , , , , , , , , , , Leave a comment
Stellan Skarsgard and Renate Reinsve share a darkened restaurant table in front of a window at sundown, He has an empty plate, her side is empty. Both have neutral expressions.

The winner of the “Have Dinner With a Marvel Star!” Sweepstakes was really hoping she’d be meeting Chris Evans.

Previously on Midlife Crisis Crossover: Oscars Quest ’26 continues! Once again we see how many among the latest wave of Academy Award nominees I can catch before the big ABC ceremony. Sometimes it’s surprising how many actors and filmmakers return from previous years to pop up on my to-do list again, whether from Hollywood or from faraway lands.

I wasn’t the biggest fan of writer/director Joachim Trier’s The Worst Person in the World, a sex-forward Norwegian dramedy of thirtysomething dysfunction that definitely wasn’t made for fussy prudes like me. Trier, his co-writer Eskil Vogt, and star Renate Reinsve (who subsequently crossed over into the U.S. in 2024’s A Different Man opposite Sebastian Stan) reunite and return to the Oscar spotlight with Sentimental Value, this year’s only Best Picture contender that I hadn’t already seen before the nominations were announced. With 20/20 hindsight I’m sorry I didn’t make time for it sooner.

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Six Kind Things About “The Worst Person in the World”

March 13, 2022 By in Movies/Films/Flicks Tags: , , , , , , , , 2 Comments
The Worst Person in the World!

CAUTION: RATED NC-17 FOR SCENES OF SMOKING.

Indulging in the Academy Awards season is easier than ever if you have the free time and all the accesses. The proliferation of streaming services has opened new doorways for any wannabe cineaste to create their own little film festival at home, with a panoply of options from across every category. However, some nominees still stubbornly observed the time-honored tradition of refusing a wide release until after their nominations were secured, and have therefore been exclusive to theaters this past month. Thankfully this year has been easier than ever for me to catch up to Real Critics — as of today Indianapolis has expanded from one tiny theater to four whole theaters willing to show films of all sizes, not just blockbusters, as we did ten years ago. It’s almost like we’re this close to becoming a real Big City.

One drawback I fully expected from my expanded Oscar Quest ’22: not every film is for me. I don’t mean simply “some films bad.” I make no pretense to objectivity in these entries here on my li’l unpaid quasi-boutique hobby-job. No matter how many critics love a given work or how many awards it’s been put up for, I will not and cannot love everything, nor does everything have a fair shot with me. Some stuff is simply Not My Thing. There’re a few different ways a movie can lose me. Norway’s acclaimed dramedy The Worst Person in the World invokes a couple of them.

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