Bombing the City
The graffiti film Bomb It! premiered in Iceland at the Reykjavik film festival. Los Angeles director Jon Reiss attended the first screening and took part in a Q&A afterwards. H
Blades of Glory
Disney movie buffs will cheekily remember that Iceland played the villainous top-ranked team in the Junior Goodwill Games against Emilio Estevez’s Mighty Ducks. Their slick-mouss
The Angry Young Men of the 2010s
The times ahead will be interesting. Initially, the catastrophe will bring out the best in people. We will all band together as one to pull through. It will be a […]
Getting More Serious
Rumours had been going around that the roughest Icelandic flick to date was being screened in cinemas near you, so Grapevine caught up with the man who created all the […]
Culture of Waste
Before arriving here, my strongest impressions of Iceland came from news panoramas about this geothermal-powered, arctic paradise. This is a country that brings the environmentally
The Skeleton Economy
The Icelandic economy has crashed. The government has nationalized all three of the major banks in Iceland and most Icelandic financial institutions overseas are bankrupt. The glob
The List
TOP 5 ACTIVITIES ON A SUNDAY AFTERNOON Númi (top left)fiorkell Thomasson is a 29-year old half-Icelandic, half- German cook. The cool kids also know him as the drummer of the [&h
The Life Aquatic
Thanks to the development of new technology designed to tackle the problems of frigid water and severe weather, Iceland’s waters have become the new frontier in diving and a revo
For a Minor Reflection
Iceland Airwaves is fast approaching. The line up is complete, so now it is time to start planning what to see and what to skip. The Grapevine is always willing […]
Old Food in New Context
The buffet of the century: a history of Icelandic food culture is the first exhibit of its kind, focused on Icelandic food culture in the 20th century. Organiser Sólveig Ólafsdó
From Oakland to Iceland
Ragnhildur Magnúsdóttir, is the director of From Oakland to Iceland: A Hip-Hop Homecoming, showing at this year’s Iceland Airwaves festival. Raised in California and part of th
The Lessons of Life
At the beginning of 2006, Lovísa Elísabet Sigrúnardóttir was just known as the girl from Benny Crespo’s Gang. And even that would be stretching it, since the band was only [&
Not Quite Prison
There is an up and coming “refugee camp” in Reykjanesbær. You probably haven’t heard about it. September 11 2008, as morning slowly crept over Reykjanesbær, a total of 58 p
The Ghost Hydrogen Station
Despite considerable praise and high expectations for this first major step, six years later the hydrogen station at Grjótháls remains relatively empty and underutilised. Iceland
Training For a Cagefight
It is raining and cold on this soggy Tuesday, but when entering the Martial Arts school, Mjölnir, at Mýrargata, it is hot! Thirty men and women are doing pull-ups, lifting [&hell
More Monsters and Mythical Beings: Þorgeirsboli is a Real Evil Piece of Work
“We’ve got this database of monsters and creatures in our past. A lot of their stories are fascinating, it’s a shame that they’re not used more in modern culture,” remark
Liquid Island
The sea is rolling – one, The sea is rolling – two, The sea is rolling – three. Sea shape, freeze! Sea shape, move! (A Russian game) We
An Open Letter To The Pizza King
Dear Pizza King, First, I would like to thank you for your excellent commitment to serving us, your humble peasants, over the past few years. You have consistent
The Party Needs To Be Monitored
The Reykjavík Pub-owners’ Association is working with officials to improve the situation in 101 Reykjavík. Kormákur Geirhar›sson is a founding member. Tourism propaganda oft
Sexism and Sloppy Journalism
In the last issue of the Reykjavík Grapevine we published an open letter from Björk, where she lambasted the music press collectively for being sexist and not doing their homewor
The List
TOP 5 MONUMENTS IN ICELAND Kristín Svava Tómasdóttir studies history at the University of Iceland and works at the Þjóðarbókhlaðan, the University Library. But, first and f