Throughout the month of December, we will be highlighting a film a day that has some tie into the holiday somehow. Some titles will be obvious, others won’t be. Some films will be good and, again, others won’t be. However, we think all titles are worth your time whether to give you chills inside your home or to make you drink more eggnog until you puke laughing.
The herding season and Christmas go hand in hand in Korvatunturi. And this year Pietari (Onni Tommila) gets to help his father, Rauno (Jorma Tommila), and the other hunters. He even gets his own gun. But there’s no reindeer. A search of the area reveals a field on slaughtered reindeer. Wolves are initially blamed and everyone is suspicious of the blasting happening on a nearby mountain. Talks of excavating a tomb. And on Christmas Day Ranuo captures something that looks...
The herding season and Christmas go hand in hand in Korvatunturi. And this year Pietari (Onni Tommila) gets to help his father, Rauno (Jorma Tommila), and the other hunters. He even gets his own gun. But there’s no reindeer. A search of the area reveals a field on slaughtered reindeer. Wolves are initially blamed and everyone is suspicious of the blasting happening on a nearby mountain. Talks of excavating a tomb. And on Christmas Day Ranuo captures something that looks...
- 12/9/2014
- by Jeremy Jones
- Destroy the Brain
Though the majority of filmmakers never get the chance to expand upon the short films they make, it’s not all that uncommon for a feature film to be spawned from the kernel of an idea presented in a short. There’s really no better way to generate interest for a movie idea than to bring that idea to life in a short film; it's a much more attention-grabbing way of presenting a concept than sending out a script and hoping someone reads it. There are a handful of horror films over the years that started small before they got to the chance to grow bigger, and today we take a look a ten of those movies. Where available (which is thankfully nine out of ten cases), the original shorts have been included so that you can witness the small beginnings of these well-known horror flicks! "Within the Woods" (The Evil Dead...
- 10/2/2013
- by John Squires
- FEARnet
Throughout the month of December, TV Editor Kate Kulzick and Film Editor Ricky D will review classic Christmas adaptions, posting a total of 13 each, one a day, until the 25th of December.
The catch: They will swap roles as Rick takes on reviews of television Christmas specials and Kate takes on Christmas movies. Today is day 12.
Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale (2008)
Written and Directed by Jalmari Helander
What’s it about?
10 year old Pietari lives near the Russian border, where a dig has unearthed something ominous warranting very strange safety protocols- no swearing, no smoking… Pietari does his research and plans for the worst- Santa Claus is coming to town.
Review
Perhaps the single most universal aspect of Christmas in popular culture is the look of wide-eyed delight and wonder in a child’s eyes at the prospect of Christmas, presents, and, most of all, Santa Claus. Rare Exports...
The catch: They will swap roles as Rick takes on reviews of television Christmas specials and Kate takes on Christmas movies. Today is day 12.
Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale (2008)
Written and Directed by Jalmari Helander
What’s it about?
10 year old Pietari lives near the Russian border, where a dig has unearthed something ominous warranting very strange safety protocols- no swearing, no smoking… Pietari does his research and plans for the worst- Santa Claus is coming to town.
Review
Perhaps the single most universal aspect of Christmas in popular culture is the look of wide-eyed delight and wonder in a child’s eyes at the prospect of Christmas, presents, and, most of all, Santa Claus. Rare Exports...
- 12/13/2011
- by Kate Kulzick
- SoundOnSight
Chicago – There’s a beautiful irony in the clever comedy/fantasy/thriller “Rare Exports” in that the majority of the action of the piece is begun by kids acting naughty. Remember who knows when you’re naughty? Why, Santa knows, of course. This wonderfully unique Christmas tale reimagines the legend of Santa Claus as a decrepit, immortal killing machine, one that has been buried for years and only recently unearthed and happened upon by some unlucky hunters.
Blu-Ray Rating: 4.0/5.0
“Rare Exports” began life from a pair of short films (both of which are included on yet-another stellar Oscilloscope Blu-ray release…this company is second only to Criterion in terms of worthwhile bonus material and memorable packaging) and, while I admire the final product enough to recommend a viewing, the film’s origins are clear. Even at 82 minutes, it feels a bit long as there’s not quite enough material here to support a feature-length film.
Blu-Ray Rating: 4.0/5.0
“Rare Exports” began life from a pair of short films (both of which are included on yet-another stellar Oscilloscope Blu-ray release…this company is second only to Criterion in terms of worthwhile bonus material and memorable packaging) and, while I admire the final product enough to recommend a viewing, the film’s origins are clear. Even at 82 minutes, it feels a bit long as there’s not quite enough material here to support a feature-length film.
- 11/1/2011
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
Directed by: Jalmari Helander
Written by: Jalmari Helander
Starring: Onni Tommila, Jorma Tommila, Ruano Juvonen, Per Christian Ellefsen
I had never been one to get all crazy over Santa Claus when I was younger. The truth about Santa Claus was outed to me at the early age of 5 when I was awoken middle of the night on Christmas Eve by the sound of Scotch tape and heard my Mom telling my Dad that he wasn't wrapping the presents badly. Or maybe it was when my Mom told me not to look in her bedroom which promptly caused me to look in the bedroom and see all of our presents unwrapped. Regardless, Santa Claus? Meh.
That is why Rare Exports happens to be so awesome, as it takes the myth of Father Christmas and gives him to us in the way he was meant to be seen: a creepy and scary...
Written by: Jalmari Helander
Starring: Onni Tommila, Jorma Tommila, Ruano Juvonen, Per Christian Ellefsen
I had never been one to get all crazy over Santa Claus when I was younger. The truth about Santa Claus was outed to me at the early age of 5 when I was awoken middle of the night on Christmas Eve by the sound of Scotch tape and heard my Mom telling my Dad that he wasn't wrapping the presents badly. Or maybe it was when my Mom told me not to look in her bedroom which promptly caused me to look in the bedroom and see all of our presents unwrapped. Regardless, Santa Claus? Meh.
That is why Rare Exports happens to be so awesome, as it takes the myth of Father Christmas and gives him to us in the way he was meant to be seen: a creepy and scary...
- 10/30/2011
- by Andre Dumas
- Planet Fury
Ho, ho, ho.
Oscilloscope Pictures will release the darkly violent and funny Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale (review here) to Blu-ray and DVD on October 25th. The film earned praise from various festival runs, before a limited theatrical window. The film covers an archeological dig in a Finnish town that unearths Santa Claus; unfortunately, the real Santa is far more sinister than any of the townspeople expect.
Full specs haven’t been released by Oscilloscope Pictures, but the listing of extras has:
The two original short films that inspired the film: Rare Exports Inc. (2003) and Rare Exports – The Official Safety Instructions (2005)
The Making of Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale featurette
Blood in The Snow featurette on the preliminary concept art
Animatics & computer effects video comparison
Behind the scenes production stills photo gallery
Original Finnish theatrical trailer
Blu-ray Exclusive: Feature-length film Santa Claus Conquers the Martians, the 1964 cult classic...
Oscilloscope Pictures will release the darkly violent and funny Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale (review here) to Blu-ray and DVD on October 25th. The film earned praise from various festival runs, before a limited theatrical window. The film covers an archeological dig in a Finnish town that unearths Santa Claus; unfortunately, the real Santa is far more sinister than any of the townspeople expect.
Full specs haven’t been released by Oscilloscope Pictures, but the listing of extras has:
The two original short films that inspired the film: Rare Exports Inc. (2003) and Rare Exports – The Official Safety Instructions (2005)
The Making of Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale featurette
Blood in The Snow featurette on the preliminary concept art
Animatics & computer effects video comparison
Behind the scenes production stills photo gallery
Original Finnish theatrical trailer
Blu-ray Exclusive: Feature-length film Santa Claus Conquers the Martians, the 1964 cult classic...
- 8/5/2011
- by Jon Peters
- Killer Films
Chicago – “What you are about to see now may traumatize you for life.” So reads a warning near the beginning of Finnish filmmaker Jalmari Helander’s 2005 short, “Rare Exports: The Official Safety Instructions.” The film was a clever follow-up to his 2003 effort, “Rare Exports Inc.”, which seemed to milk its one-joke premise for all it was worth.
Rating: 3.0/5.0
The “exports” of Helander’s films are in the form of bloodthirsty Father Christmases hunted and tamed by reindeer herders near Korvatunturi mountain, which the film bills as the “land of the original Santa Claus.” Who are these gray-haired, unclothed, rawly animalistic creatures? Why are they filled with such fearsome rage when a nearby mortal mildly misbehaves? In the side-splitting yet genuinely eerie “Safety Instructions,” these alleged “Father Christmases” seemed to be little more than elderly zombies.
Read Matt Fagerholm’s full review of “Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale” in our reviews section.
Rating: 3.0/5.0
The “exports” of Helander’s films are in the form of bloodthirsty Father Christmases hunted and tamed by reindeer herders near Korvatunturi mountain, which the film bills as the “land of the original Santa Claus.” Who are these gray-haired, unclothed, rawly animalistic creatures? Why are they filled with such fearsome rage when a nearby mortal mildly misbehaves? In the side-splitting yet genuinely eerie “Safety Instructions,” these alleged “Father Christmases” seemed to be little more than elderly zombies.
Read Matt Fagerholm’s full review of “Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale” in our reviews section.
- 12/24/2010
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
Earlier this week I had a flashback to my childhood Christmases -- the sound of springs creaking on an unseen attic door as it opened evoked a sense of excitement and anxiety. As a child, I imagined it was Santa Claus coming down from the attic because we did not have a real fireplace. As I grew older I realized that my parents hid our presents up there. It was a bit unnerving and overwhelming to think that Santa knew if whether I was bad or good, and could enter our house at will.
In the movie Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale, opening at Alamo Drafthouse on South Lamar tomorrow just in time for the holidays, Finnish writer and director Jalmari Helander reminds us of the not-so-jovial myths behind the mystic icon of Father Christmas. Helander first introduced his take on the origin and life history of Santa Claus...
In the movie Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale, opening at Alamo Drafthouse on South Lamar tomorrow just in time for the holidays, Finnish writer and director Jalmari Helander reminds us of the not-so-jovial myths behind the mystic icon of Father Christmas. Helander first introduced his take on the origin and life history of Santa Claus...
- 12/9/2010
- by Debbie Cerda
- Slackerwood
A new Christmas movie is coming to the Alamo South Lamar on Dec 10th, and it’s destined to be a classic. Thankfully, this time it isn’t some poppycock love story about snowy British people or the quaint suburban fantasy of a masochistic nebbish. Those movies have their places in our heart, for sure, and will endure forever. But they’ve been done. We’ve already seen people fall in love just in time to exchange presents. What we haven’t seen is a frenzied caper about the violent kidnapping of Kris Kringle. Enter Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale, the Fantastic Fest 2010 favorite that is going to become the next Cult Christmas Classic.
The film was born from brothers Jalmari and Juuso Helander, who have been described as “like the brothers Grimm meeting the brothers Coen.” The concept first appeared in a series of short films, Rare Exports Inc....
The film was born from brothers Jalmari and Juuso Helander, who have been described as “like the brothers Grimm meeting the brothers Coen.” The concept first appeared in a series of short films, Rare Exports Inc....
- 12/2/2010
- by Daniel Metz
- OriginalAlamo.com
I first heard about this movie last month at Tiff, but alas, I could not fit it into my schedule. Needless to say, I'm stoked that Oscilloscope Laboratories have since picked it up and will give the film a limited U.S. release next month. Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale is a Finnish genre flick that imagines what might happen if Santa Claus wasn't the jolly old soul that you hear about in children's stories. In this case, he's actually kidnapping children, until a group of reindeer hunters manage to capture St. Nick and hold him captive. While they try to sell him to a multinational corporation, Santa's army of elves are coming to exact their revenge. Director Jalmari Helander built on his 2003 short film Rare Exports Inc. [1] in order to create this feature-length version. While it could definitely come across as gimmicky, if done right, it could also...
- 10/28/2010
- by Sean
- FilmJunk
Leeds, in the north of England, will be hosting the 24th annual Fanomenon November 4th until the 21st. This year's event will host a "Day of the Dead" and include the following films: the zombified The Dead, the crime thriller Kidnapped, the violent Red, White and Blue, the comedic Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale and the UK premiere of The Last Employee. Each of these showings begin Saturday, November 13th from 11:00am to midnight. So if you are lucky enough to be travelling the Commonwealth stop by this prestigous film festival for several horror treats. A synopsis on each of these films listed are below.
The plotline for The Dead:
"Stranded in Africa amid an apocalyptic zombie outbreak, Lieutenant Brian Murphy unwillingly teams up with local soldier Daniel to commence on a journey across harsh lands in an attempt to survive against the onslaught of ‘the dead’. In...
The plotline for The Dead:
"Stranded in Africa amid an apocalyptic zombie outbreak, Lieutenant Brian Murphy unwillingly teams up with local soldier Daniel to commence on a journey across harsh lands in an attempt to survive against the onslaught of ‘the dead’. In...
- 10/9/2010
- by 28DaysLaterAnalysis@gmail.com (Michael Allen)
- 28 Days Later Analysis
In 2003, Finnish director Jalmari Helander made a zany short film about smugglers in the business of hunting Santa Claus and inadvertently created a viral sensation. The short, "Rare Exports Inc.," and its 2005 follow-up, "Rare Exports: The Official Safety Instructions," contained a playfully inventive hook: Helander imagined Santa as a naked, bloodthirsty species far from the charitable bearded gentlemen of Christmas lore. Captured and tamed, Santas could be shipped to ...
- 8/9/2010
- Indiewire
So admittedly I've never watched the short film Rare Exports Inc. (available in full here) or it's short sequel which this is based on, but I've heard a lot of good things (and learned I don't have 7 minutes to spare) which is why I'm excited to see this first footage, and although it doesn't give us much, I'm seriously hoping they find the original Santa and he comes out and starts killing everyone, Lobo style!
In the depths of the Korvatunturi mountains, 486 metres deep, lies the closest ever guarded secret of Christmas. The time has come to dig it up!
Teaser (with English subs) after the break.
Embedded video stripped, see full HTML version.
In the depths of the Korvatunturi mountains, 486 metres deep, lies the closest ever guarded secret of Christmas. The time has come to dig it up!
Teaser (with English subs) after the break.
Embedded video stripped, see full HTML version.
- 12/7/2009
- QuietEarth.us
Three hunters from an export company enter the wild to catch a mythical beast that's been roaming the land free for centuries. Their purpose? To train these beings and prepare them for export to cities all around the globe. They may be ruthless men, but their work brings joy to children everywhere. This is a funny mock-commercial that also says something about the commercialization of Christmas.
- 1/15/2009
- by Arya Ponto
- JustPressPlay.net
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