https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2017/10/evs-jeffrey-dahmer-and-gilbert-gottfried-get-big-screen-origin-stories/ Wonder Woman aside, fall’s origin stories include EVs, Dahmer, and Gilbert Gottfried 10/15/2017 Nathan Mattise
[images https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/DAN-DREAM-980x653.jpg https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/Screen-Shot-2017-10-13-at-3.27.58-PM.png ] Separate films, but they all took Fantastic Fest audiences to the beginning. AUSTIN, Texas—Standard film genres—horror, documentary, sci-fi, et al.—run rampant at Fantastic Fest, but subgenre niches also seem to emerge every outing. In 2016, the festival boasted multiple films about promotional film art, for instance, in addition to a treasure trove of animation styles. In 2017, origin stories jumped off the schedule. The high-profile Professor Marston and the Wonder Women was the most prominent (our review to come, but it's worth it for those interested in explorations of societal forces in specific historic periods... or if you want the Finding Neverland of the Wonder Woman-universe). But that film was far from the only title taking audiences back to the beginning of a beloved (or at least notorious) cultural institution. Dan Dream Ever hear of The Hope Whisperer? Me neither, but evidently today’s electric car enthusiasts should dig into Danish history a bit. Long before Tesla or the Chevy Bolt became twinkles in automakers’ eyes, a businessman named Thure Barsøe-Carnfeldt transitioned from his successful computer company to focus on dreams of a battery-powered electric car. Globally, 5,000 of these Hope Whisperers were sold after its 1985 debut, but the car never truly took off. Why? Well, that’s precisely what the new Danish comedy Dan Dream sets out to detail. This based-on-a-true-story journey takes viewers back to rural Denmark in the early 1980s right as successful businessman Thorkil pivots to his new EV dreams. Obviously, liberties have been taken (including name changes) to liven things up, and Thorkil’s soon-to-be four-man outfit relies on some eccentrics. Henrik, a hypeman with Duran Duran sensibilities, comes over from the previous company to handle events and promotion. Vonsil, a crude one-armed autobody expert from Thorkil’s local garage, leads the manufacturing. And Jens, a shy home tinkerer whose DIY electric bike battery planted the idea in Thorkil’s brain, will handle the all-important engine and battery. The quartet leaves Copenhagen for the small-town life (and the easy production facility acquisitions) of Bjerringsund. Once there, local characters from the mayor to the librarian help such tech-forward city folks adjust to country life in the hopes this new car can put the town on the global map. Thorkil ends up promising he’ll build his car in a year to deliver the first strawberries of the season to Danish press, but things, of course, do not go according to plan. Jens’ already-fragile family situation can’t get settled, and his wife ends up falling for a local trumpeter. The mayor’s efforts to build the Scandinavian Detroit lead to him butting in far too often with horrible local-focused advice (everything has to be hotdogs, beer, and jazz in his eyes). And life in Bjerringsund doesn’t mix well with Thorkil’s foursome: Henrik is too eccentric, and people swipe his pet rabbit; Vonsil’s hits on everyone and tells crude jokes about Thorkil’s black wife; you can’t order crepes anywhere; and the town rumor mill points to the whole thing being a nuclear bomb initiative. Dan Dream comes from the Danish team behind the country’s popular Klown films, which I understand to be kinda Hangover-ish in how they revolve around male bonding and eccentric personalities sprinkled with over-the-top comedy without topical boundaries. Some moments here genuinely solicit laughter, like the over-the-top mayor, an early brainstorming session, and Henrik’s most ‘80s-instincts. Others fall flat, possibly due to US versus Danish sensibilities (Vonsil comes off as straight racist/sexist often, though the film smartly addresses this directly at one point). But for most viewers, the biggest takeaways here will be the true-story core itself. What happens to the Dan Dream (this film’s Hope Whisperer) actually happened in a crazy bit of under-discussed modern history. No spoilers, but the immediate headlines from the film’s Danish press may indicate why EVs didn’t take off for another quarter-century: “Engineer-Death Experience.” Dan Dream is currently available on VOD platforms like iTunes and Google Play. [© Condé Nast] For EVLN EV-newswire posts use: http://evdl.org/evln/ {brucedp.neocities.org} -- Sent from: http://electric-vehicle-discussion-list.413529.n4.nabble.com/ _______________________________________________ UNSUBSCRIBE: http://www.evdl.org/help/index.html#usub http://lists.evdl.org/listinfo.cgi/ev-evdl.org Please discuss EV drag racing at NEDRA (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/NEDRA)
