Viggo Mortensen News @ Brego.net

No, it's not new, but I hadn't seen it before. Michael Phillips of the Chicago Tribune is interviewing Viggo Mortensen about the nature of the violence in Eastern Promises. He makes the case that director David Cronenberg "deals with violence responsibly."

Labels: Eastern Promises, interview, video, Viggo Mortensen, violence

Viggo Mortensen has graciously signed a copy of his latest book, SKOVBO, in support of fundraising efforts for 1,2,3...Hi Baby! at Pine Ridge South Dakota. The book is being auctioned on eBay, with a closing time of 11 a.m. PDT, Saturday, July 12.

This book functions as a partial companion to the upcoming photo exhibit, also titled Skovbo (which roughly translates from Danish as "home in the forest"), by Viggo Mortensen at the Reykjavik Museum of Photography (Ljósmyndasafn Reykjavikur), opening on 31st May, 2008 and running until 31st August, 2008. In this new collection of images and poems are trees and the memory of trees, ghosts, words, nights, days, lives, deaths, and safe haven for them all in the place where "...the twigs become branches, / And the mist becomes make-believe..." (Osip Emilyevich Mandelstam). If you daren't enter the forest, or cannot find it, then perhaps you might find one tree, or a place where a tree could be, and just stop for a quiet moment to see what happens.

Bidding is active! Go to the eBay auction page for more photos and details, and to bid for the book and to support 1,2,3,...Hi Baby!

Labels: book, Pine Ridge Reservation, SKOVBO, Viggo Mortensen

Truthdig caught my attention with a shot of Viggo Mortensen in A History of Violence. They were referring to Wendy Cohen's post on the TakePart blog.

The Supreme Court opened fire on gun control laws declaring that a sweeping ban on handguns in the nation’s capital violated the Second Amendment right to bear arms. In a 5-4 ruling, this landmark decision states that the Constitution protects an individual’s right to have a gun.

Wow. Is it just me or does this seem like an awful idea? Here are 10 films that make a strong case for gun control.

She goes on to list A History of Violence, in which "a mild-mannered man becomes a local hero through an act of violence, which sets off repercussions that will shake his family to its very core," and nine other films to illustrate the point: using a gun to solve a problem may just create more problems than it solves. We think Viggo would approve.

Labels: History of Violence, politics, Viggo Mortensen