In the late 1980s, Bruce Joel Rubin was a screenwriter with two interesting credits on his resume — “Brainstorm” (1983) and “Deadly Friend” (1986) — and a screenplay (“Jacob’s Ladder”) that everyone in Los Angeles agreed was terrific but which no one at the studios would green light. Rubin’s fortunes and reputation changed seemingly overnight on July 13, 1990, when his romantic thriller “Ghost” opened and became a worldwide smash. A few months later, “Jacob’s Ladder,” which had finally been brought to the screen by director Adrian Lyne, opened as well, and Rubin’s status as one of Hollywood’s top screenwriters was secure.
While “Ghost” ultimately garnered Rubin an Academy Award and went on to become a classic — one of those rare cases where personal expression seamlessly intersected with popular and artistic success — its path to the screen wasn’t always smooth. In the following exclusive excerpt from Rubin’s new memoir, “It’s Only a Movie,...
While “Ghost” ultimately garnered Rubin an Academy Award and went on to become a classic — one of those rare cases where personal expression seamlessly intersected with popular and artistic success — its path to the screen wasn’t always smooth. In the following exclusive excerpt from Rubin’s new memoir, “It’s Only a Movie,...
- 5/25/2024
- by Jim Hemphill
- Indiewire
Mark Damon, who starred in the Vincent Price horror classic House of Usher and spaghetti Westerns before revolutionizing the foreign sales and distribution film business and producing features including 9 1/2 Weeks, Monster and Lone Survivor, has died. He was 91.
Damon died Sunday of natural causes in Los Angeles, his daughter, Alexis Damon Ribaut, told The Hollywood Reporter.
Damon spent the first 20 years of his career as an actor, including about a dozen as a leading man in Italian action movies, before he transitioned to the business side.
He had early success as an executive producer with two movies written and directed by Wolfgang Petersen: the German-language World War II drama Das Boot (1981), which received six Oscar nominations, and The NeverEnding Story (1984), a big-budget fantasy film that featured a Damon-commissioned score by Giorgio Moroder for non-German audiences.
He shared an Independent Spirit Award with director Patty Jenkins and others...
Damon died Sunday of natural causes in Los Angeles, his daughter, Alexis Damon Ribaut, told The Hollywood Reporter.
Damon spent the first 20 years of his career as an actor, including about a dozen as a leading man in Italian action movies, before he transitioned to the business side.
He had early success as an executive producer with two movies written and directed by Wolfgang Petersen: the German-language World War II drama Das Boot (1981), which received six Oscar nominations, and The NeverEnding Story (1984), a big-budget fantasy film that featured a Damon-commissioned score by Giorgio Moroder for non-German audiences.
He shared an Independent Spirit Award with director Patty Jenkins and others...
- 5/13/2024
- by Mike Barnes
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
It is the spring of “Baby Reindeer.” Netflix’s addictive limited series about a struggling comedian (Richard Gadd) working at a bar who makes the biggest mistake of his life when he gives a lonely woman (Jessica Gunning) a cup of tea on the house is the most watched series currently on the streamer and viewership is growing. And the fact that it’s based on a true story, makes “Baby Reindeer” even more creep and chilling. It’s a must-see voyeur thriller.
The same was true in the fall of 1987 with Adrian Lyne’s “Fatal Attraction.” Audiences flocked to the hard R-rated thriller which starred a wild-haired Glenn Close as an editor with a publishing company who has one-night stand with a happily married attorney (Michael Douglas) whose wife and daughter are out of town. Though it’s “understood” that it’s just a fling, Close’s Alex just won’t let go.
The same was true in the fall of 1987 with Adrian Lyne’s “Fatal Attraction.” Audiences flocked to the hard R-rated thriller which starred a wild-haired Glenn Close as an editor with a publishing company who has one-night stand with a happily married attorney (Michael Douglas) whose wife and daughter are out of town. Though it’s “understood” that it’s just a fling, Close’s Alex just won’t let go.
- 5/2/2024
- by Susan King
- Gold Derby
Paramount Pictures had good reason to believe Adrian Lyne's "Fatal Attraction" would be another box office smash for the hit-making studio (which had just dominated 1986 with five of the ten highest-grossing movies of that year — including the top two in "Top Gun" and "Crocodile Dundee"), but they couldn't have anticipated the film becoming a full-blown, adult-skewing blockbuster. Nevertheless, the erotic thriller about an extramarital fling that turns into a waking nightmare for the happily married Dan Gallagher (Michael Douglas) outperformed such heavy hitters as "Beverly Hills Cop II," "The Untouchables," and "Lethal Weapon" to become the second highest-grossing film of 1987 (behind the four-quadrant behemoth "Three Men and a Baby").
Why was the film such a pop cultural sensation? Every single element clicked perfectly into place. Lyne brought the sensual heat, James Dearden's screenplay tightened the screws with nerve-jangling precision, and the stars absolutely smoldered. Douglas and Glenn Close...
Why was the film such a pop cultural sensation? Every single element clicked perfectly into place. Lyne brought the sensual heat, James Dearden's screenplay tightened the screws with nerve-jangling precision, and the stars absolutely smoldered. Douglas and Glenn Close...
- 4/7/2024
- by Jeremy Smith
- Slash Film
Ready to head back to the Wasteland and experience another outlandish post-apocalyptic vision from George Miller? Well, step this way – Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga is revving up its engine, set to unleash a fresh batch of mayhem on the multiplexes. And the new issue of Empire is a world-exclusive deep-dive into the madness, speaking to Miller and his stars – including Anya Taylor-Joy and Chris Hemsworth – about their all-new action epic.
The issue hits newsstands on Thursday 14 March – but before then, take a sneak peek below at what’s inside.
Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga
Fire. Blood. Oil. Chrome. The world of Mad Max is exploding back onto the screen with the tale of the one and only Imperator Furiosa. We speak to filmmaker George Miller, stars Anya Taylor-Joy and Chris Hemsworth and more, getting the lowdown on Furiosa’s vengeful saga, the mind-blowing action, and Hemsworth’s wild new villain Dementus.
The issue hits newsstands on Thursday 14 March – but before then, take a sneak peek below at what’s inside.
Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga
Fire. Blood. Oil. Chrome. The world of Mad Max is exploding back onto the screen with the tale of the one and only Imperator Furiosa. We speak to filmmaker George Miller, stars Anya Taylor-Joy and Chris Hemsworth and more, getting the lowdown on Furiosa’s vengeful saga, the mind-blowing action, and Hemsworth’s wild new villain Dementus.
- 3/13/2024
- by Ben Travis
- Empire - Movies
How distraught is Annette, the severely troubled British mother of two played by Daisy Ridley in “Magpie?” She has gotten a short angular haircut, one that might, in another context, be the height of chic (very Isabella Rossellini). Except that the movie uses it as a symbolic expression of her trauma, like Mia Farrow’s iconic Vidal Sassoon cut in “Rosemary’s Baby.” Annette, who’s on some serious medication, looks at a mirror until it breaks. Does she have telekinetic powers? No, she broke it with her hand (which bleeds into the sink), but the force of her repressed rage is palpable. Ben (Shazad Latif), her British Indian husband, is a noted author, and every comment she makes about his work is a sly dig. She speaks in brief, clipped “civilized” phrases. At one point a bird crashes into the window of her home. The whole atmosphere of the film...
- 3/10/2024
- by Owen Gleiberman
- Variety Film + TV
In John Carpenter’s horror classic The Thing, R.J. MacReady (Kurt Russell) somberly explains to his tape recorder, “Nobody trusts anybody now, and we’re all very tired.” The now iconic quote summarizes the exhaustive state of sustained paranoia induced by the shape-shifting, extraterrestrial threat that has infiltrated the ranks of an isolated Antarctic research station, seamlessly assuming the identities of its inhabitants.
Isolation, mistrust, and intense paranoia drive Carpenter’s classic 1982 horror movie, heightening the effectiveness of the horror to a tangible degree; and it’s far from the only horror movie to effectively wield paranoia like a sharp blade. This week’s streaming picks highlight intense horror movies that unfurl their unrelenting tension, disorienting distrust, and discomfort through a heavy emphasis on paranoia, whether internal or external.
Here’s where you can stream them this week.
For more Stay Home, Watch Horror picks, click here.
Bug – Fandor, Pluto TV,...
Isolation, mistrust, and intense paranoia drive Carpenter’s classic 1982 horror movie, heightening the effectiveness of the horror to a tangible degree; and it’s far from the only horror movie to effectively wield paranoia like a sharp blade. This week’s streaming picks highlight intense horror movies that unfurl their unrelenting tension, disorienting distrust, and discomfort through a heavy emphasis on paranoia, whether internal or external.
Here’s where you can stream them this week.
For more Stay Home, Watch Horror picks, click here.
Bug – Fandor, Pluto TV,...
- 2/26/2024
- by Meagan Navarro
- bloody-disgusting.com
Netflix’s new Turkish film Ashes is one of those enticing films that know we have a child inside of us that’s always willing to come on a journey where some kind of magic is involved. The film, directed by Erdem Tepegöz, stars Funda Eryigit, Alperen Duymaz, and Mehmet Günsür in major roles. Apart from how gorgeous everybody looks in this film, there is nothing else to connect to concepts like beauty and allure in this erotic thriller, or more bluntly, a sluggish drama in the garb of an erotic thriller.
The movie begins by showing us the life of Gokce, an elegant woman who is married to the owner of a renowned publishing company. They receive a manuscript from an unknown writer, and Gokce takes a liking to it. It’s tilted ‘Ashes,’ which is where the title of the movie comes from. As an audience, we now...
The movie begins by showing us the life of Gokce, an elegant woman who is married to the owner of a renowned publishing company. They receive a manuscript from an unknown writer, and Gokce takes a liking to it. It’s tilted ‘Ashes,’ which is where the title of the movie comes from. As an audience, we now...
- 2/11/2024
- by Ayush Awasthi
- Film Fugitives
As Sex Crimes has evolved, it has been exciting to see how different Erotic Thrillers play to – or subvert – the conventions of the subgenre. This is especially true of modern entries, which, unlike the titles released during the heyday of the late 80s and early 90s, tend to defy simple classification.
The truth is that there are very few contemporary Erotic Thrillers; it’s something of a dormant subgenre that rears its head in fits and starts. This is partially why everyone got so excited by Adrian Lyne’s “return” with Deep Water (and then summarily got disappointed when he failed to adhere to the expected tropes that many of his own films established).
Fans of Lyne would do well to shift their attention to French writer/director François Ozon (Swimming Pool). Well respected in his home country, the extremely literary, openly queer director has made two Erotic Thriller-adjacent titles in the last six years,...
The truth is that there are very few contemporary Erotic Thrillers; it’s something of a dormant subgenre that rears its head in fits and starts. This is partially why everyone got so excited by Adrian Lyne’s “return” with Deep Water (and then summarily got disappointed when he failed to adhere to the expected tropes that many of his own films established).
Fans of Lyne would do well to shift their attention to French writer/director François Ozon (Swimming Pool). Well respected in his home country, the extremely literary, openly queer director has made two Erotic Thriller-adjacent titles in the last six years,...
- 2/1/2024
- by Joe Lipsett
- bloody-disgusting.com
“If you ever come near my family again, I’ll kill you. Do you understand?”
We’ve all heard the phrase “hell hath no fury like a woman scorned.” We pull it out when we see a woman reacting to the hurtful choices of a romantic partner, standing up for herself after rejection, or really expressing any kind of powerful emotions at all. It’s a bon mot so pervasive that it makes you wonder if there are any men in hell. Maybe it’s all just hysterical women pulling hair and trying to steal each other’s boyfriends. Regardless of this reductive phrase and dehumanizing stereotype, few films in the history of cinema explore the concept of the scorned woman like Adrian Lyne’s Fatal Attraction. This cautionary tale about infidelity and revenge pits two women against each other for the love of one man with a surprising female killer emerging from the wreckage.
We’ve all heard the phrase “hell hath no fury like a woman scorned.” We pull it out when we see a woman reacting to the hurtful choices of a romantic partner, standing up for herself after rejection, or really expressing any kind of powerful emotions at all. It’s a bon mot so pervasive that it makes you wonder if there are any men in hell. Maybe it’s all just hysterical women pulling hair and trying to steal each other’s boyfriends. Regardless of this reductive phrase and dehumanizing stereotype, few films in the history of cinema explore the concept of the scorned woman like Adrian Lyne’s Fatal Attraction. This cautionary tale about infidelity and revenge pits two women against each other for the love of one man with a surprising female killer emerging from the wreckage.
- 2/1/2024
- by Jenn Adams
- bloody-disgusting.com
E.L. James' original "Fifty Shades of Grey" trilogy is undoubtedly the most successful piece of fanfiction ever published. James turned the teen-friendly romance between Bella Swan and Edward Cullen in Stephenie Meyer's wildly popular "Twilight" franchise into an erotic reverie explored by the mysterious (and quite wealthy) entrepreneur Christian Grey and college journalist Kate Kavanaugh. It was a Bdsm gateway drug that opened up a healthy portal for kink-curious young adults. You didn't have to feel like a freak for wanting to do what conservative society deemed freaky.
Was it good literature? Does it matter? James' novels have sold hundreds of millions of copies and been translated into 52 different languages. They are adored by people who never knew they wanted to see Bella and Edward engage in consensual sadomasochism. I am happy they have these stories in their lives. What matters, at least when it comes to my bailiwick,...
Was it good literature? Does it matter? James' novels have sold hundreds of millions of copies and been translated into 52 different languages. They are adored by people who never knew they wanted to see Bella and Edward engage in consensual sadomasochism. I am happy they have these stories in their lives. What matters, at least when it comes to my bailiwick,...
- 2/1/2024
- by Jeremy Smith
- Slash Film
New Regency Pictures has elevated Natalie Lehmann to President of Motion Pictures and Television. She was previously SVP.
With the promotion, Lehmann expands and extends her oversight of film and television for New Regency. She will continue to report to New Regency chairman and CEO Yariv Milchan.
Lehmann will also continue to oversee projects including Steve McQueen’s World War II film Blitz for Apple as well as the series adaptation of Man on Fire for Netflix.
“Over the last seven years with New Regency, Natalie has proven time and time again she is one of the best in the business,” Milchan said. “With strength in both creative and strategic thinking she’s been able to consistently produce both marquee projects and surprise breakout hits. With Natalie’s expanded role New Regency will continue its track record of producing top-quality films and series.”
Lehmann said, “It’s an honor to...
With the promotion, Lehmann expands and extends her oversight of film and television for New Regency. She will continue to report to New Regency chairman and CEO Yariv Milchan.
Lehmann will also continue to oversee projects including Steve McQueen’s World War II film Blitz for Apple as well as the series adaptation of Man on Fire for Netflix.
“Over the last seven years with New Regency, Natalie has proven time and time again she is one of the best in the business,” Milchan said. “With strength in both creative and strategic thinking she’s been able to consistently produce both marquee projects and surprise breakout hits. With Natalie’s expanded role New Regency will continue its track record of producing top-quality films and series.”
Lehmann said, “It’s an honor to...
- 12/13/2023
- by Anthony D'Alessandro
- Deadline Film + TV
The erotic thriller is back, and you'd have to be a prudish killjoy to lament its return.
The subgenre has its roots in the pre-code movies of the 1920s, and '30s, and films noir of the '40s and '50s, but the formula as it exists today was codified in 1980 with Paul Schrader's "American Gigolo" and, most vitally, Brian De Palma's "Dressed to Kill". And thanks to Karina Longworth's deep dive into best and worst of the subgenre via her indispensable podcast "You Must Remember This," younger viewers who weren't there for the '80s and '90s heyday are now revisiting the stylish highs and Skinemax lows of films in which people occasionally take a break from screwing to commit a string of murders (or investigate said murders with alarming aloofness).
As movies (especially studio productions) got progressively less sexy throughout the 2000s, the...
The subgenre has its roots in the pre-code movies of the 1920s, and '30s, and films noir of the '40s and '50s, but the formula as it exists today was codified in 1980 with Paul Schrader's "American Gigolo" and, most vitally, Brian De Palma's "Dressed to Kill". And thanks to Karina Longworth's deep dive into best and worst of the subgenre via her indispensable podcast "You Must Remember This," younger viewers who weren't there for the '80s and '90s heyday are now revisiting the stylish highs and Skinemax lows of films in which people occasionally take a break from screwing to commit a string of murders (or investigate said murders with alarming aloofness).
As movies (especially studio productions) got progressively less sexy throughout the 2000s, the...
- 12/2/2023
- by Jeremy Smith
- Slash Film
When promoting Saving Private Ryan, Steven Spielberg claimed that every war movie is an anti-war movie. I think this is doubly true when it comes to genre cinema. After all, what better way to immerse audiences in the horrors of war than by telling a story specifically designed to scare them?
Hell, sometimes the war itself doesn’t even need to happen onscreen, like in the case of 1954’s Godzilla – one of the all-time best commentaries on nuclear warfare. And with Takashi Yamazaki returning the radioactive dinosaur to his post-war roots in Godzilla Minus One, we’ve decided to come up with a list recommending six more war-time horror movies for fans of historical terror.
While not all of the films on this list take place during a war, they all incorporate warfare and its consequences into their stories. That being said, don’t forget to comment below with your...
Hell, sometimes the war itself doesn’t even need to happen onscreen, like in the case of 1954’s Godzilla – one of the all-time best commentaries on nuclear warfare. And with Takashi Yamazaki returning the radioactive dinosaur to his post-war roots in Godzilla Minus One, we’ve decided to come up with a list recommending six more war-time horror movies for fans of historical terror.
While not all of the films on this list take place during a war, they all incorporate warfare and its consequences into their stories. That being said, don’t forget to comment below with your...
- 12/1/2023
- by Luiz H. C.
- bloody-disgusting.com
Clockwise from left: The Departed (Warner Bros.), True Lies (20th Century Studios), Some Like It Hot (United Artists), 12 Monkeys (Universal)Graphic: The A.V. Club
Of all the challenges in the moviemaking universe, redoing a beloved foreign film for an American audience would seem pretty low on the list. You already...
Of all the challenges in the moviemaking universe, redoing a beloved foreign film for an American audience would seem pretty low on the list. You already...
- 11/2/2023
- by Ian Spelling
- avclub.com
Locked In is a mystery thriller film directed by Alex Baranowski, from a screenplay by Rowan Joffé. The Netflix film revolves around Lina, an unhappy newlywed woman who has a hostile relationship with her mother-in-law Katherine. An affair starts a chain reaction that ends up in betrayal and murder. Locked In stars Famke Janssen, Rose Williams, Anna Friel, Finn Cole, and Alex Hassell. So, if you loved the Netflix film here are some similar movies you could watch next.
Gone Girl (Max & Prime Video Add-On) Credit – 20th Century Fox
Synopsis: Gone Girl, directed by David Fincher and based upon the global bestseller by Gillian Flynn, unearths the secrets at the heart of a modern marriage. On the occasion of his fifth wedding anniversary, Nick Dunne (Ben Affleck) reports that his beautiful wife, Amy (Rosamund Pike), has gone missing. Under pressure from the police and a growing media frenzy, Nick’s...
Gone Girl (Max & Prime Video Add-On) Credit – 20th Century Fox
Synopsis: Gone Girl, directed by David Fincher and based upon the global bestseller by Gillian Flynn, unearths the secrets at the heart of a modern marriage. On the occasion of his fifth wedding anniversary, Nick Dunne (Ben Affleck) reports that his beautiful wife, Amy (Rosamund Pike), has gone missing. Under pressure from the police and a growing media frenzy, Nick’s...
- 11/2/2023
- by Kulwant Singh
- Cinema Blind
Burning Betrayal is a Brazilian erotic thriller film directed by Diego Freitas, from a screenplay by Sue Hecker. The Netflix film revolves around Babi after she finds out that her long-term partner has been cheating on her. This shock sends Babi on a new adventure in her life and in her journey she meets Judge Marco, and a surge of sexual tension takes over both of them. Burning Betrayal stars Giovanna Lancelloti, Bruno Montaleone, and Leandro Lima. So, if you loved the Netflix film here are some similar erotic movies you could watch next.
Unfaithful (Hulu & Rent on Prime Video) Credit – 20th Century Fox
Synopsis: From the director of Fatal Attraction comes a steamy thriller about physical passion so intense, it consumes everything – and everyone – in its path. Edward and Connie Summer have the perfect life: a happy marriage, an eight year old son, and a beautiful house in the suburbs.
Unfaithful (Hulu & Rent on Prime Video) Credit – 20th Century Fox
Synopsis: From the director of Fatal Attraction comes a steamy thriller about physical passion so intense, it consumes everything – and everyone – in its path. Edward and Connie Summer have the perfect life: a happy marriage, an eight year old son, and a beautiful house in the suburbs.
- 10/25/2023
- by Kulwant Singh
- Cinema Blind
New Regency film and TV president Michael Schaefer has exited after seven years at the company.
The move was mutual and previously planned, the company said Thursday. Schaefer will move on to explore new opportunities as a producer within the film and TV arena.
While at Regency, Schaefer oversaw the production of Adrian Lyne’s “Deep Water,” with its cast including Ben Afflect and Ana de Armas; and the Bill Skarsgård-led horror “Barabarian,” which also starred Georgina Campbell and Justin Long.
For the TV sector, Schaefer executive produced Prime Video’s upcoming series and Donald Glover-led “Mr. and Mrs. Smith,” and the Apple TV+ series “The Crowded Room,” which starred Tom Holland, Amanda Seyfried, and Emmy Rossum. He also managed the hit Prime Video series “Swarm” starring Dominique Fishback, Chloe Bailey and Damson Idris.
The production studio has more than 140 films and over 50 TV series in its library,...
The move was mutual and previously planned, the company said Thursday. Schaefer will move on to explore new opportunities as a producer within the film and TV arena.
While at Regency, Schaefer oversaw the production of Adrian Lyne’s “Deep Water,” with its cast including Ben Afflect and Ana de Armas; and the Bill Skarsgård-led horror “Barabarian,” which also starred Georgina Campbell and Justin Long.
For the TV sector, Schaefer executive produced Prime Video’s upcoming series and Donald Glover-led “Mr. and Mrs. Smith,” and the Apple TV+ series “The Crowded Room,” which starred Tom Holland, Amanda Seyfried, and Emmy Rossum. He also managed the hit Prime Video series “Swarm” starring Dominique Fishback, Chloe Bailey and Damson Idris.
The production studio has more than 140 films and over 50 TV series in its library,...
- 10/12/2023
- by Raquel 'Rocky' Harris
- The Wrap
The heat is most definitely on in this episode of revisited, as we’re looking back on a quintessential piece of 1980s action / comedy movie-making, that helped to launch the career of American funnyman Eddie Murphy into the stratosphere. That’s right folk, with the much anticipated fourth entry in the series on the horizon, we’re taking a retrospective look at the Axel F infused goodness that is Beverly Hills Cop. Ok, well, I guess part four isn’t necessarily ‘much anticipated’ across the entire movie-world, but Eddie Murphy has had somewhat of a career resurgence in recent times and apart from a slightly tame and disappointing Coming 2 America, and the relative appeal of You People, he’s made a positive return the spotlight. Part four is currently slated, as per time of writing this video, for 2024 but there have been whispers about it possibly surfacing on Netflix,...
- 10/12/2023
- by Adam Walton
- JoBlo.com
As sexless tentpoles have taken over the box office and online discourse has people asking if sex is "necessary" in movies (whatever that even means), the erotic thriller has nearly gone extinct. Even "Fatal Attraction" and "Unfaithful" director Adrian Lyne was only able to breathe so much life back into the fading sub-genre when he came out of semi-retirement to direct last year's "Deep Water," a straight-to-streaming release that drew respectable viewership despite lukewarm reviews. Enter first-time feature director Chloe Domont with her critically acclaimed festival hit "Fair Play," a film that's arrived just in time to give steamy mid-budget adult cinema a much-needed shot in the arm.
Phoebe Dynevor and Alden Ehrenreich star in Domont's thriller (which she additionally wrote) as Emily and Luke, a pair of ambitious young hedge fund analysts who, unbeknownst to their company's bosses, are secretly dating. However, when Emily is promoted over Luke, it...
Phoebe Dynevor and Alden Ehrenreich star in Domont's thriller (which she additionally wrote) as Emily and Luke, a pair of ambitious young hedge fund analysts who, unbeknownst to their company's bosses, are secretly dating. However, when Emily is promoted over Luke, it...
- 10/10/2023
- by Sandy Schaefer
- Slash Film
Since his debut film "Thief" hit theaters in 1981, Michael Mann has enjoyed a reputation as one of the best working directors we have in America. Across masterfully mounted films like "Heat," "Collateral," and "Manhunter," he's also earned a somewhat unusual place in the filmmaking pantheon. He's become somewhat of a household name, his films generally do good business at the box office, and he tends to work in genre -- from the noir to the thriller to the procedural. And yet his films also compete at prestigious international film festivals, they've been given Criterion releases, and he's often lumped in with "arthouse" directors like Paul Thomas Anderson and Wes Anderson, rather than action helmers like Michael Bay or Tony Scott.
All this is to say that Mann's career is a bit of a paradox, but it's a wonderful one, and new Michael Mann movies should always be regarded as appointment viewing.
All this is to say that Mann's career is a bit of a paradox, but it's a wonderful one, and new Michael Mann movies should always be regarded as appointment viewing.
- 10/10/2023
- by Ryan Coleman
- Slash Film
This article contains Fair Play spoilers.
It is not the first time the union of Emily (Phoebe Dynevor) and Luke (Alden Ehrenreich) has marked a turning point in the relationship with blood on the floor. When we meet this young couple at Luke’s brother’s wedding at the beginning of the film, they seem hopelessly in love, or at least in sizzling thrall, while attempting to have sex in the bathroom. They don’t actually succeed, however. Instead the pair christen what turns out to be a drunken and ill-conceived marriage proposal by Luke—he drops the engagement ring out of his pocket and onto the tiled floor—with menstrual blood. It even stains Emily’s bridesmaid dress as Luke goes down on her.
This botched fooling around will wind up being the most successful lovemaking we see between the pair, because by movie’s end their grotesquely toxic relationship is in tatters,...
It is not the first time the union of Emily (Phoebe Dynevor) and Luke (Alden Ehrenreich) has marked a turning point in the relationship with blood on the floor. When we meet this young couple at Luke’s brother’s wedding at the beginning of the film, they seem hopelessly in love, or at least in sizzling thrall, while attempting to have sex in the bathroom. They don’t actually succeed, however. Instead the pair christen what turns out to be a drunken and ill-conceived marriage proposal by Luke—he drops the engagement ring out of his pocket and onto the tiled floor—with menstrual blood. It even stains Emily’s bridesmaid dress as Luke goes down on her.
This botched fooling around will wind up being the most successful lovemaking we see between the pair, because by movie’s end their grotesquely toxic relationship is in tatters,...
- 10/6/2023
- by David Crow
- Den of Geek
Each week we highlight the noteworthy titles that have recently hit streaming platforms in the United States. Check out this week’s selections below and past round-ups here.
’90s Horror, Art-House Horror, and Pre-Code Horror
It’s October, which means you are likely crafting an endless queue of horror films to consume. When it comes to a single streaming service to dedicate your eyes to this month, The Criterion Channel takes the cake with three different series. First up, ’90s horror brings together such films as The Rapture (1991), In the Mouth of Madness (1994), The Addiction (1995), and Ravenous (1999), while Art-House Horror features Häxan (1922), Vampyr (1932), Eyes Without a Face (1960), Carnival of Souls (1962), Onibaba (1964), Night of the Living Dead (1968), Sisters (1973), Eraserhead (1977), House (1977), Suspiria (1977), Arrebato (1979), The Brood (1979), The Vanishing (1988), Cronos (1993), Cure (1997), Donnie Darko (2001), Trouble Every Day (2001), Antichrist (2009), and more. Lastly, Pre-Code horrors brings together ’30s features such as Freaks (1932), Island of Lost Souls (1932), The Old Dark House...
’90s Horror, Art-House Horror, and Pre-Code Horror
It’s October, which means you are likely crafting an endless queue of horror films to consume. When it comes to a single streaming service to dedicate your eyes to this month, The Criterion Channel takes the cake with three different series. First up, ’90s horror brings together such films as The Rapture (1991), In the Mouth of Madness (1994), The Addiction (1995), and Ravenous (1999), while Art-House Horror features Häxan (1922), Vampyr (1932), Eyes Without a Face (1960), Carnival of Souls (1962), Onibaba (1964), Night of the Living Dead (1968), Sisters (1973), Eraserhead (1977), House (1977), Suspiria (1977), Arrebato (1979), The Brood (1979), The Vanishing (1988), Cronos (1993), Cure (1997), Donnie Darko (2001), Trouble Every Day (2001), Antichrist (2009), and more. Lastly, Pre-Code horrors brings together ’30s features such as Freaks (1932), Island of Lost Souls (1932), The Old Dark House...
- 10/6/2023
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
[Editor’s note: This article was published in May 2021 and has been updated multiple times since.]
We’ve all heard it before: the book was better. For the most part, it’s true. The best literary adaptations mine something newly cinematic from their source material; at worst, they’re so doggedly faithful to the text that the end result feels nervously redundant or like an overly gutsy cash grab.
We’ve seen it on screens big and small. Take Joe Wright’s notorious 2020 Netflix thriller “The Woman in the Window”: a film that loop-de-looped through so many ups and downs — from uneasy test screenings and rewrites and re-shoots to a big-money handoff from now-defunct Fox 2000 to the streamer — it never stood a chance of coming out the other end as anything less than mangled. The story of a boozy agoraphobic voyeur played by Amy Adams, the film was adapted from an already controversial page-turner by A.J. Finn, an author whose rocky backstory could easily fill...
We’ve all heard it before: the book was better. For the most part, it’s true. The best literary adaptations mine something newly cinematic from their source material; at worst, they’re so doggedly faithful to the text that the end result feels nervously redundant or like an overly gutsy cash grab.
We’ve seen it on screens big and small. Take Joe Wright’s notorious 2020 Netflix thriller “The Woman in the Window”: a film that loop-de-looped through so many ups and downs — from uneasy test screenings and rewrites and re-shoots to a big-money handoff from now-defunct Fox 2000 to the streamer — it never stood a chance of coming out the other end as anything less than mangled. The story of a boozy agoraphobic voyeur played by Amy Adams, the film was adapted from an already controversial page-turner by A.J. Finn, an author whose rocky backstory could easily fill...
- 9/25/2023
- by Ryan Lattanzio, Alison Foreman and Marcos Franco
- Indiewire
Let’s talk about that electric spark that lights up the screen, that magnetic pull that draws us into a world of desire and passion.
Yes, I’m talking about those movies that don’t just tell a story but ignite something deep within us – the sexiest movies that have set hearts racing and left us breathless.
From smoldering glances to scorching encounters, these films turn up the heat and leave an indelible mark on our cinematic journey.
Get ready to immerse yourself in a mix of steamy moments, complex relationships, and stories that prove that sometimes, the sexiest thing of all is the connection between characters.
Ready? Let’s dive in!
My Exploration of Cinematic Seduction
As someone who’s always been fascinated by the power of storytelling, I can’t deny the allure of a film that knows how to play with desire.
Whether it’s the lingering...
Yes, I’m talking about those movies that don’t just tell a story but ignite something deep within us – the sexiest movies that have set hearts racing and left us breathless.
From smoldering glances to scorching encounters, these films turn up the heat and leave an indelible mark on our cinematic journey.
Get ready to immerse yourself in a mix of steamy moments, complex relationships, and stories that prove that sometimes, the sexiest thing of all is the connection between characters.
Ready? Let’s dive in!
My Exploration of Cinematic Seduction
As someone who’s always been fascinated by the power of storytelling, I can’t deny the allure of a film that knows how to play with desire.
Whether it’s the lingering...
- 9/25/2023
- by Pia Vermaak
- buddytv.com
While our massive, 60-film fall movie preview gives a hint at what to expect this season, it’s time to dive deeper into September. With films from Ethan Coen, Yorgos Lanthimos, and Luca Guadagnino being ripped off the month’s release calendar because studios don’t want to pay actors and writers fairly, it means the fall’s first offerings are a bit lighter––thankfully giving some truly independent productions further room to shine.
12. The Storms of Jeremy Thomas (Mark Cousins; Sept. 22 in theaters)
What do films like David Cronenberg’s Crash, Jonathan Glazer’s Sexy Beast, Jerzy Skolimowski’s Eo, Jim Jarmusch’s Only Lovers Left Alive, Bernardo Bertolucci’s The Last Emperor, Nagisa Ôshima’s Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence, and (many) more have in common? They were produced by Oscar winner Jeremy Thomas. A new documentary by cinephile Mark Cousins, The Storms of Jeremy Thomas, explores the making of his most notable films.
12. The Storms of Jeremy Thomas (Mark Cousins; Sept. 22 in theaters)
What do films like David Cronenberg’s Crash, Jonathan Glazer’s Sexy Beast, Jerzy Skolimowski’s Eo, Jim Jarmusch’s Only Lovers Left Alive, Bernardo Bertolucci’s The Last Emperor, Nagisa Ôshima’s Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence, and (many) more have in common? They were produced by Oscar winner Jeremy Thomas. A new documentary by cinephile Mark Cousins, The Storms of Jeremy Thomas, explores the making of his most notable films.
- 8/31/2023
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
Full disclosure: This essay is being written by an avowed Bender (Aka Judd Nelson’s character in “The Breakfast Club”) apologist. And yes, nearly four decades since the release of the classic John Hughes teen dramedy, I’m well-aware of how problematic that is by our contemporary standards. While (sigh) the fingerless gloves, shredded denim vest, and studs made Bender the epitome of swoon-worthy bad boy chic, it took close to a decade for my still-forming teenage brain to realize that no, that is not, in fact, the ideal form of sensitive masculinity….because Bender is kind of a creep.
But this just goes to show how deeply the ’80s-era sexist, problematic dreamboat bad boy character has permeated culture. It’s the patriarchy of romance, by way of Reagan era sensibilities still relevant fifty years later. Broken boys will be broken boys in need of healing; but why has it...
But this just goes to show how deeply the ’80s-era sexist, problematic dreamboat bad boy character has permeated culture. It’s the patriarchy of romance, by way of Reagan era sensibilities still relevant fifty years later. Broken boys will be broken boys in need of healing; but why has it...
- 8/17/2023
- by Samantha Bergeson
- Indiewire
Not every erotic thriller is a film noir, but they all owe a debt to the genre. The ‘80s erotic thriller took the formulas established by post-war noir and adapted them for a post-pornographic film landscape, adding scenes of explicit sex and nudity where they were once merely suggested. Like classic noirs, erotic thrillers also revolve around the archetypes of the femme fatale and her hapless mark. These, too, were updated to fit the times, reaching their ultimate ‘80s form in Adrian Lyne’s 1987 smash hit “Fatal Attraction.”
In Lyne’s film the male schmuck in question is a married Manhattan yuppie about to move to the suburbs, and the femme fatale is a single career woman with a loft in the Meatpacking District. Fear of female independence is foundational to the femme fatale archetype. Here, it’s incorporated with Susan Faludi’s “backlash” theory to create what Brian De Palma...
In Lyne’s film the male schmuck in question is a married Manhattan yuppie about to move to the suburbs, and the femme fatale is a single career woman with a loft in the Meatpacking District. Fear of female independence is foundational to the femme fatale archetype. Here, it’s incorporated with Susan Faludi’s “backlash” theory to create what Brian De Palma...
- 8/16/2023
- by Katie Rife
- Indiewire
After selling to Netflix for a whopping $20 million out of Sundance Film Festival, Chloe Domont’s feature debut Fair Play is finally re-emerging this fall. Headed to Toronto International Film Festival then coming to theaters on September 29 and arriving on Netflix on October 13, the first trailer has now arrived. Starring Phoebe Dynevor and Alden Ehrenreich, the battle of the sexes drama follows a young couple who both work at a hedge fund. When one of them gets a promotion, it pushes their relationship to the brink, threatening to unravel far more than their recent engagement.
Jordan Raup said in his review, “Emily (Phoebe Dynevor) and Luke (Alden Ehrenreich) are madly in love. Engendering sex at every possible opportunity, their passion is a burning one and, after a quasi-impromptu engagement, their bond has become even deeper. Heading off to work from their NYC Chinatown apartment, though, something feels off. We quickly...
Jordan Raup said in his review, “Emily (Phoebe Dynevor) and Luke (Alden Ehrenreich) are madly in love. Engendering sex at every possible opportunity, their passion is a burning one and, after a quasi-impromptu engagement, their bond has become even deeper. Heading off to work from their NYC Chinatown apartment, though, something feels off. We quickly...
- 8/8/2023
- by Leonard Pearce
- The Film Stage
Nothing is fair in love and war — in fact, it’s often cruel, sexy, and mean.
That’s the spirit of writer/director Chloe Domont’s feature directorial debut, “Fair Play,” a psychosexual corporate thriller with echoes of Adrian Lyne by way of HBO’s “Industry” that set the 2023 Sundance Film Festival on fire. So much so that Netflix ended up picking the film up for a cool $20 million in the biggest deal of the festival.
The film stars Phoebe Dynevor and Alden Ehrenreich as a newly engaged New York couple who can’t keep their hands off each other. They also work at the same investment firm, and none of their colleagues know they’re together. They’re also vying for the same promotion. None of this will end well, and that’s what you’ll get a taste of in the first trailer for “Fair Play,” available below.
That’s the spirit of writer/director Chloe Domont’s feature directorial debut, “Fair Play,” a psychosexual corporate thriller with echoes of Adrian Lyne by way of HBO’s “Industry” that set the 2023 Sundance Film Festival on fire. So much so that Netflix ended up picking the film up for a cool $20 million in the biggest deal of the festival.
The film stars Phoebe Dynevor and Alden Ehrenreich as a newly engaged New York couple who can’t keep their hands off each other. They also work at the same investment firm, and none of their colleagues know they’re together. They’re also vying for the same promotion. None of this will end well, and that’s what you’ll get a taste of in the first trailer for “Fair Play,” available below.
- 8/8/2023
- by Ryan Lattanzio
- Indiewire
Camerimage Film Festival, which is devoted to the art of cinematography, is to pay tribute to Peter Biziou. The British cinematographer, who won an Oscar for “Mississippi Burning,” and was BAFTA nominated for “The Truman Show,” will receive the festival’s Lifetime Achievement Award.
Biziou, the son of cinematographer-animator Leon Bijou, started his career at an animation company in London. In the mid-sixties, he started to light film sets for commercials and shorts, which helped foster “his innate intuition and his courage to implement innovation,” the festival said. He worked with the likes of Len Fulford, Bob Brooks, Terence Donovan, John Swannell and Frank Budgen.
His work with fashion photographer Robert Freeman brought an invitation for Biziou to be in charge of the visuals on Freeman’s fiction film debut, 1969’s “Secret World,” starring Jacqueline Bisset, which was well-received.
He then worked on Alan Parker’s “Bugsy Malone” (1976), Terry Jones...
Biziou, the son of cinematographer-animator Leon Bijou, started his career at an animation company in London. In the mid-sixties, he started to light film sets for commercials and shorts, which helped foster “his innate intuition and his courage to implement innovation,” the festival said. He worked with the likes of Len Fulford, Bob Brooks, Terence Donovan, John Swannell and Frank Budgen.
His work with fashion photographer Robert Freeman brought an invitation for Biziou to be in charge of the visuals on Freeman’s fiction film debut, 1969’s “Secret World,” starring Jacqueline Bisset, which was well-received.
He then worked on Alan Parker’s “Bugsy Malone” (1976), Terry Jones...
- 7/19/2023
- by Leo Barraclough
- Variety Film + TV
New Regency said today it’s closed a $175 million term loan from global investment firm Carlyle Group, providing new capital for the indie to scale up production. The loan is a refinancing and upsize of an existing Carlyle facility.
In 2020, the producer set a new five-and-a-half year, $125-million term loan from Carlyle, along with a pair of financing deals with banks for up to $825 million.
“We’re delighted to have Carlyle’s continued support in the ongoing strategic growth of our company. Given their knowledge and expertise in the entertainment industry, they remain a key partner in our businesses evolution,” said New Regency CEO Yariv Milchan.
J.P. Morgan continues to serve as lead arranger, sole bookrunner and administrative agent to New Regency’s combined $675 million facilities.
New Regency’s library includes The Revenant, 12 Years A Slave, Birdman, Bohemian Rhapsody, Fight Club, L.A. Confidential, Heat, Man on Fire and Mr. and Mrs. Smith.
In 2020, the producer set a new five-and-a-half year, $125-million term loan from Carlyle, along with a pair of financing deals with banks for up to $825 million.
“We’re delighted to have Carlyle’s continued support in the ongoing strategic growth of our company. Given their knowledge and expertise in the entertainment industry, they remain a key partner in our businesses evolution,” said New Regency CEO Yariv Milchan.
J.P. Morgan continues to serve as lead arranger, sole bookrunner and administrative agent to New Regency’s combined $675 million facilities.
New Regency’s library includes The Revenant, 12 Years A Slave, Birdman, Bohemian Rhapsody, Fight Club, L.A. Confidential, Heat, Man on Fire and Mr. and Mrs. Smith.
- 7/19/2023
- by Jill Goldsmith
- Deadline Film + TV
British Cinematographer Peter Biziou, known for his work on pics like The Truman Show and Mississippi Burning, is the recipient of the lifetime achievement award this year at Poland’s Camerimage film festival.
Biziou was born in 1944 in Bangor, Caernarvonshire County, Wales. His family had been evacuated during the Second World War. His father was the cinematographer and special effects artist Leon Bijou who worked with Richard Thorpe on Ivanhoe (1952) and Adrian Lyne on Foxes (1980).
Beyond The Truman Show, Biziou’s credits include Monthy Python’s Life of Brian, Terry Gilliam’s Time Bandits (1981), Nine ½ Weeks Lyne (1986), Unfaithful (2002), and A World Apart (1987). Biziou has also lensed pics including Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead (1990), City of Joy (1992), Damage (1992), Richard III (1995), Ladies in Lavender (2004), Derailed (2005), and Mississippi Burning (1998), for which he won the Best Cinematography Oscar.
Peter Biziou
Biziou is set to attend the fest held in Torun, Poland, to accept the award...
Biziou was born in 1944 in Bangor, Caernarvonshire County, Wales. His family had been evacuated during the Second World War. His father was the cinematographer and special effects artist Leon Bijou who worked with Richard Thorpe on Ivanhoe (1952) and Adrian Lyne on Foxes (1980).
Beyond The Truman Show, Biziou’s credits include Monthy Python’s Life of Brian, Terry Gilliam’s Time Bandits (1981), Nine ½ Weeks Lyne (1986), Unfaithful (2002), and A World Apart (1987). Biziou has also lensed pics including Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead (1990), City of Joy (1992), Damage (1992), Richard III (1995), Ladies in Lavender (2004), Derailed (2005), and Mississippi Burning (1998), for which he won the Best Cinematography Oscar.
Peter Biziou
Biziou is set to attend the fest held in Torun, Poland, to accept the award...
- 7/19/2023
- by Zac Ntim
- Deadline Film + TV
[Editor’s Note: This story was originally published in March 2022 and has been updated since.]
The erotic thriller — the sleaziest and at one point most enduring genres of the 1980s and ’90s — seemed on the cusp of a comeback last year with the return of director Adrian Lyne. The master behind films like “Fatal Attraction” and “9 ½ Weeks” came back to screens (albeit small ones) with “Deep Water,” his first film in two decades since “Unfaithful” earned Diane Lane an Oscar nomination and one that firmly returns him to the erotic stomping grounds of his heyday.
Alas, the turgid drama, based on a Patricia Highsmith potboiler and starring a listless Ben Affleck and Ana de Armas as open lovers who detest each other, is a turkey, a straight-to-streaming dud that evokes better ideas from better movies and fails to be neither erotic nor thrilling.
Still, “Deep Water” can serve as a twofold instruction point: for Hollywood to dig deeper to come up with hopefully...
The erotic thriller — the sleaziest and at one point most enduring genres of the 1980s and ’90s — seemed on the cusp of a comeback last year with the return of director Adrian Lyne. The master behind films like “Fatal Attraction” and “9 ½ Weeks” came back to screens (albeit small ones) with “Deep Water,” his first film in two decades since “Unfaithful” earned Diane Lane an Oscar nomination and one that firmly returns him to the erotic stomping grounds of his heyday.
Alas, the turgid drama, based on a Patricia Highsmith potboiler and starring a listless Ben Affleck and Ana de Armas as open lovers who detest each other, is a turkey, a straight-to-streaming dud that evokes better ideas from better movies and fails to be neither erotic nor thrilling.
Still, “Deep Water” can serve as a twofold instruction point: for Hollywood to dig deeper to come up with hopefully...
- 7/11/2023
- by Ryan Lattanzio
- Indiewire
In the early 1980s, Stephen King was officially a household name. Writer of such instantly memorable titles as “Carrie,” “The Shining” and “The Stand,” it was very unlikely to find someone who’d not read – or at least heard of – a Stephen King novel. The author was getting so big that pretty much anything he published landed on the number one spot of the bestseller list. But would his devoted readers gobble up anything he put in front of them? That was put to the test in the middle of 1982, when King convinced his publisher to put out a collection of four novellas he’d written in between novels. The stories had some macabre elements in them, and one did indeed feature a bit of the old supernatural, but for the most part these stories were dramas that dealt with the human condition. The collection was called “Different Seasons,” and...
- 7/6/2023
- by Eric Walkuski
- JoBlo.com
In a 2021 interview with The New York Times, Jodie Foster, one of our most guarded movie stars, confessed, "I am a solitary, internal person in an extroverted, external job. I don't think I will ever not feel lonely. It's a theme in my life. It's not such a bad thing. I don't need to be known by everyone."
Movie stardom can be a curse in this regard. Each performance, splashed across a big screen and examined time and again in the home-viewing format of your choosing, draws us near to them. We want to know them, befriend them, tear up the town with them... we want them. And since we are typically not an empathetic species (particularly in the United States), too many of us do not understand why these seemingly blessed individuals recoil from the public eye or feel ambivalent about their success.
This tension has been the central theme of Foster's career,...
Movie stardom can be a curse in this regard. Each performance, splashed across a big screen and examined time and again in the home-viewing format of your choosing, draws us near to them. We want to know them, befriend them, tear up the town with them... we want them. And since we are typically not an empathetic species (particularly in the United States), too many of us do not understand why these seemingly blessed individuals recoil from the public eye or feel ambivalent about their success.
This tension has been the central theme of Foster's career,...
- 6/5/2023
- by Jeremy Smith
- Slash Film
HBO has long been considered the leader in prestige television programming, and, over the last five months, the 51-year-old cable network has fully reinforced this belief with the critically acclaimed first season of "The Last of Us" and the perfectly pitched conclusions of "Succession" and "Barry." But while we're still buzzing over the finales of those last two shows, you can't help but look ahead and wonder how the King of Peak TV rides this wave of hosannas to the next must-watch triumphs.
The jury is out as to whether Sam Levinson's "The Idol" will draw as many eyeballs as his wildly popular teen melodrama "Euphoria," but, judging from the critical reaction thus far (and the behind-the-scenes controversy), the series promises to be a supercharged hot-take generator. The show stars Lily-Rose Depp as an out-of-control pop star whose instability and sexual desirability is wantonly exploited to launch her to diva immortality.
The jury is out as to whether Sam Levinson's "The Idol" will draw as many eyeballs as his wildly popular teen melodrama "Euphoria," but, judging from the critical reaction thus far (and the behind-the-scenes controversy), the series promises to be a supercharged hot-take generator. The show stars Lily-Rose Depp as an out-of-control pop star whose instability and sexual desirability is wantonly exploited to launch her to diva immortality.
- 5/31/2023
- by Jeremy Smith
- Slash Film
Welcome to the mind-bending world of surreal horror movies, where the boundaries of reality are shattered, and nightmares come alive. In this list, we delve into ten captivating films that defy conventions and transport audiences into a realm where dreams and nightmares intertwine. From twisted narratives to mesmerizing visuals, these surreal horror movies will challenge your perception of what is possible and leave an indelible mark on your psyche.
Libra Films International Eraserhead (1977) A Nightmarish Descent into Madness
Enter the surreal and unsettling universe created by visionary filmmaker David Lynch. Eraserhead immerses viewers in the disturbing journey of Henry Spencer, a man trapped in a nightmarish existence. Lynch’s masterful use of dreamlike imagery and a haunting industrial soundscape turns ordinary experiences into harrowing nightmares.
International Classics Suspiria (1977) A Dance of Darkness and Witchcraft
Dive into the vibrant and atmospheric world of Dario Argento’s Suspiria, where an aspiring dancer...
Libra Films International Eraserhead (1977) A Nightmarish Descent into Madness
Enter the surreal and unsettling universe created by visionary filmmaker David Lynch. Eraserhead immerses viewers in the disturbing journey of Henry Spencer, a man trapped in a nightmarish existence. Lynch’s masterful use of dreamlike imagery and a haunting industrial soundscape turns ordinary experiences into harrowing nightmares.
International Classics Suspiria (1977) A Dance of Darkness and Witchcraft
Dive into the vibrant and atmospheric world of Dario Argento’s Suspiria, where an aspiring dancer...
- 5/26/2023
- by Kimberley Elizabeth
Welcome to the mind-bending world of surreal horror movies, where the boundaries of reality are shattered, and nightmares come alive. In this list, we delve into ten captivating films that defy conventions and transport audiences into a realm where dreams and nightmares intertwine. From twisted narratives to mesmerizing visuals, these surreal horror movies will challenge your perception of what is possible and leave an indelible mark on your psyche.
Libra Films International Eraserhead (1977) A Nightmarish Descent into Madness
Enter the surreal and unsettling universe created by visionary filmmaker David Lynch. Eraserhead immerses viewers in the disturbing journey of Henry Spencer, a man trapped in a nightmarish existence. Lynch’s masterful use of dreamlike imagery and a haunting industrial soundscape turns ordinary experiences into harrowing nightmares.
International Classics Suspiria (1977) A Dance of Darkness and Witchcraft
Dive into the vibrant and atmospheric world of Dario Argento’s Suspiria, where an aspiring dancer...
Libra Films International Eraserhead (1977) A Nightmarish Descent into Madness
Enter the surreal and unsettling universe created by visionary filmmaker David Lynch. Eraserhead immerses viewers in the disturbing journey of Henry Spencer, a man trapped in a nightmarish existence. Lynch’s masterful use of dreamlike imagery and a haunting industrial soundscape turns ordinary experiences into harrowing nightmares.
International Classics Suspiria (1977) A Dance of Darkness and Witchcraft
Dive into the vibrant and atmospheric world of Dario Argento’s Suspiria, where an aspiring dancer...
- 5/26/2023
- by Kimberley Elizabeth
Gather ’round, kids, and let’s tell a tale of a time long ago, when movie screens weren’t filled with just superheroes and special effects. A time when parents policed what you were watching for fear of an awkward conversation.
We’re referring, of course, to sex.
From “Basic Instinct” and “Eyes Wide Shut” to “Body Double,” “Risky Business” and “9 ½ Weeks,” on-screen nookie was once a staple of cinema, as much a part of the moviegoing experience as buttered popcorn.
But Hollywood has been strangely celibate for at least the last decade. There are no specific statistics on the declining rate of sex scenes in movies: The closest TheWrap could find was a 2022 report that found R-rated features, where you often found sex scenes, had dipped to a mere 30% share of releases. But if you look at films in theaters today, even R-rated ones like “Joker” and “It,...
We’re referring, of course, to sex.
From “Basic Instinct” and “Eyes Wide Shut” to “Body Double,” “Risky Business” and “9 ½ Weeks,” on-screen nookie was once a staple of cinema, as much a part of the moviegoing experience as buttered popcorn.
But Hollywood has been strangely celibate for at least the last decade. There are no specific statistics on the declining rate of sex scenes in movies: The closest TheWrap could find was a 2022 report that found R-rated features, where you often found sex scenes, had dipped to a mere 30% share of releases. But if you look at films in theaters today, even R-rated ones like “Joker” and “It,...
- 5/19/2023
- by Kristen Lopez
- The Wrap
Few women in cinematic history have been vilified so much as Alex Forrest. Played by Glenn Close, this wild and seductive career woman terrorizes her married lover, Dan Gallagher (Michael Douglas), after a weekend fling in the mother of all erotic thrillers "Fatal Attraction." The original Alex is the epitome of a femme fatale and embodies the saying, "hell hath no fury like a woman scorned." Released in 1987, Adrian Lyne's film has been reevaluated through the lens of modern sexual politics, with a much more sympathetic reappraisal of Alex's character and a refusal to see Dan as the story's hapless victim. A reboot from creators Kevin J. Hynes and Alexandra Cunningham attempts to reckon with this complicated legacy in an eight-part series starring Lizzy Caplan and Joshua Jackson as the toxic lovers.
The series begins with an incarcerated Dan (Jackson) confessing his sins in a parole hearing 15 years after...
The series begins with an incarcerated Dan (Jackson) confessing his sins in a parole hearing 15 years after...
- 5/18/2023
- by Jenn Adams
- Slash Film
Actor Sharon Stone looked forward to being cast in a project about the late Lana Turner. But when Michael Douglas’ wife Catherine Zeta-Jones nabbed the project instead, Stone couldn’t help express her disappointment in the outcome.
Sharon Stone was considered to play late actor Lana Turner in a biopic Sharon Stone | Robert Smith/Patrick McMullan / Getty Images
Stone may have been in the running once to play late actor Lana Turner. According to TCM, Turner was an actor on the rise in the late 30s, having made her small silver screen debut in the feature They Won’t Forget.
From there, Turner’s career experienced even higher heights in the 40s. The 40s saw her starring in notable features like Honky Tonk and Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, further growing her celebrity.
Deep in the 40s and 50s, Turner was already an established star and an A-lister in her own right.
Sharon Stone was considered to play late actor Lana Turner in a biopic Sharon Stone | Robert Smith/Patrick McMullan / Getty Images
Stone may have been in the running once to play late actor Lana Turner. According to TCM, Turner was an actor on the rise in the late 30s, having made her small silver screen debut in the feature They Won’t Forget.
From there, Turner’s career experienced even higher heights in the 40s. The 40s saw her starring in notable features like Honky Tonk and Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, further growing her celebrity.
Deep in the 40s and 50s, Turner was already an established star and an A-lister in her own right.
- 5/3/2023
- by Antonio Stallings
- Showbiz Cheat Sheet
[This story contains mild spoilers to the first three episodes of Paramount+’s Fatal Attraction.]
Fatal Attraction is an iconic part of cinema. Adrian Lyne’s thriller starring Michael Douglas and Glenn Close topped the box office charts after it released in 1987 to become the second-highest-grossing film of the year. It earned six Oscar nominations, inspired decades of stalker movies and, in recent years, has been revisited in think pieces around the retooled ending, sparked by Close speaking out about ways the film didn’t do right by her character, Alex Forrest.
“When they asked me to do it, obviously I was like, ‘I’m not going to do that. That sounds absolutely terrifying,'” Alexandra Cuningham tells The Hollywood Reporter of adapting the movie for TV. “I was thinking, I’ll just watch the movie again so that I’m being a good citizen when I send the email saying I’m not gonna do it. Then, you get sucked in.
Fatal Attraction is an iconic part of cinema. Adrian Lyne’s thriller starring Michael Douglas and Glenn Close topped the box office charts after it released in 1987 to become the second-highest-grossing film of the year. It earned six Oscar nominations, inspired decades of stalker movies and, in recent years, has been revisited in think pieces around the retooled ending, sparked by Close speaking out about ways the film didn’t do right by her character, Alex Forrest.
“When they asked me to do it, obviously I was like, ‘I’m not going to do that. That sounds absolutely terrifying,'” Alexandra Cuningham tells The Hollywood Reporter of adapting the movie for TV. “I was thinking, I’ll just watch the movie again so that I’m being a good citizen when I send the email saying I’m not gonna do it. Then, you get sucked in.
- 5/2/2023
- by Jackie Strause
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Fatal Attraction — which wheezes back to life as a series starring Joshua Jackson and Lizzy Caplan, premiering April 30 on Paramount+ — began as the 1979 short Diversion, about a one-night stand gone haywire, which writer-director James Dearden fleshed out into a feature screenplay.
With contributions from Nicholas Meyer (writer-director of Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan), Paramount producers Stanley R. Jaffe and Sherry Lansing were convinced they had a viable erotic thriller on their hands. The script tells the story of Dan Gallagher (Michael Douglas), a married New York lawyer who has what he thinks is no-strings sex with Alex Forrest (Glenn Close), a publishing executive, while his wife, Beth (Anne Archer), and daughter are out of town. How wrong he is. Alex quickly becomes dangerously obsessed with Dan and the wife who stands in her way. The rest — from Alex’s “I’m not going to be ignored, Dan” to...
With contributions from Nicholas Meyer (writer-director of Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan), Paramount producers Stanley R. Jaffe and Sherry Lansing were convinced they had a viable erotic thriller on their hands. The script tells the story of Dan Gallagher (Michael Douglas), a married New York lawyer who has what he thinks is no-strings sex with Alex Forrest (Glenn Close), a publishing executive, while his wife, Beth (Anne Archer), and daughter are out of town. How wrong he is. Alex quickly becomes dangerously obsessed with Dan and the wife who stands in her way. The rest — from Alex’s “I’m not going to be ignored, Dan” to...
- 4/30/2023
- by Seth Abramovitch
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Lizzy Caplan is lying. Well, let’s rephrase that: Lizzy Caplan is selectively truth-telling. Lounging in a gray Texas Longhorns T-shirt and yellow-green leggings, Caplan has such a stripped-down, let’s-talk-about-it approachability, you would think we were having a late-night sleepover chat instead of a cross-continental Zoom. But before I tell you what Caplan’s not telling me, I’ll begin by saying that the ocean between us has no effect on the quality of conversation. We are digging into everything — Caplan’s blizzard of a work year, parenting a...
- 4/29/2023
- by Rachel Brodsky
- Rollingstone.com
The reshot ending of Adrian Lyne’s 1987 Fatal Attraction is one of the most successful blunders in Hollywood history.
Sure, turning Glenn Close’s scorned Alex Forrest into a nearly unkillable slasher villain undermined anything that was thematically interesting about the character and the movie. But it also produced a rousing climax that left bloodthirsty audiences cheering and helped make Fatal Attraction a blockbuster.
The conclusion so violated the setup of James Dearden’s script that it isn’t a surprise we’re being treated to a long-form re-conception of Fatal Attraction; it’s a surprise that it took so long.
“There’s only one way for something to end,” Alex (Lizzy Caplan) asserts in the eighth and final episode of Paramount+’s Fatal Attraction. “There’s only one decision to make. How are you going to get to that ending?”
Unfortunately, for all of that certitude, the new ending...
Sure, turning Glenn Close’s scorned Alex Forrest into a nearly unkillable slasher villain undermined anything that was thematically interesting about the character and the movie. But it also produced a rousing climax that left bloodthirsty audiences cheering and helped make Fatal Attraction a blockbuster.
The conclusion so violated the setup of James Dearden’s script that it isn’t a surprise we’re being treated to a long-form re-conception of Fatal Attraction; it’s a surprise that it took so long.
“There’s only one way for something to end,” Alex (Lizzy Caplan) asserts in the eighth and final episode of Paramount+’s Fatal Attraction. “There’s only one decision to make. How are you going to get to that ending?”
Unfortunately, for all of that certitude, the new ending...
- 4/26/2023
- by Daniel Fienberg
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Joshua Jackson isn’t shying away from talking dirty.
The star of Paramount+ series “Fatal Attraction” admitted that the erotic psychological thriller hinges on its onscreen sex scenes and his chemistry with co-star Lizzy Caplan.
“The sex scenes are of great importance because they’re furthering the narrative. You have to believe that these people want to fuck each other,” Jackson said in a Variety cover story.
Jackson stars as married business man Dan who embarks on an affair with seductively unhinged Alex, played by Caplan. Michael Douglas and Glenn Close portrayed the respective characters in the 1987 Adrian Lyne film.
Jackson explained that the TV reimagining of “Fatal Attraction” sets out to create “something in the beginning that’s transgressive and animalistic, then moving into something sweeter as the sex scenes progress — which is in its way more transgressive, because he’s married.”
“Fatal Attraction” was created by Alexandra Cunningham and directed by Silver Tree,...
The star of Paramount+ series “Fatal Attraction” admitted that the erotic psychological thriller hinges on its onscreen sex scenes and his chemistry with co-star Lizzy Caplan.
“The sex scenes are of great importance because they’re furthering the narrative. You have to believe that these people want to fuck each other,” Jackson said in a Variety cover story.
Jackson stars as married business man Dan who embarks on an affair with seductively unhinged Alex, played by Caplan. Michael Douglas and Glenn Close portrayed the respective characters in the 1987 Adrian Lyne film.
Jackson explained that the TV reimagining of “Fatal Attraction” sets out to create “something in the beginning that’s transgressive and animalistic, then moving into something sweeter as the sex scenes progress — which is in its way more transgressive, because he’s married.”
“Fatal Attraction” was created by Alexandra Cunningham and directed by Silver Tree,...
- 4/26/2023
- by Samantha Bergeson
- Indiewire
At this point, it's probably not a spoiler to say that a key "Yellowjackets" character is alive and somewhat well. That character is Vanessa "Van" Palmer (Lauren Ambrose and Liv Hewton), and if we're being honest, she's kind of living the best life out of all the show's plane crash survivors. Why is that? Well, she has her own video and DVD rental business, While You Were Streaming, smack dab in the middle of an undisclosed Pennsylvanian town. If you are even the slightest bit familiar with the work we do here at Slash Film dot com, it shouldn't be a surprise that we consider this the best possible fate to have.
What also isn't surprising is that Van has very good taste in movies, and also knows a thing or two about Hollywood's bizarre queer history. That's because While You Were Streaming is filled with Easter eggs to mainstream queer cinema,...
What also isn't surprising is that Van has very good taste in movies, and also knows a thing or two about Hollywood's bizarre queer history. That's because While You Were Streaming is filled with Easter eggs to mainstream queer cinema,...
- 4/21/2023
- by Erin Brady
- Slash Film
Considering how long I’ve been writing this editorial series, it’s wild that this is the first entry tackling Brian De Palma. While there’s a history of contentious reactions to his works (primarily from feminists in the 70s and 80s who accused him of misogyny for his often brutal treatment of female characters), aside from Adrian Lyne, De Palma is easily one of the most significant directors to work on mainstream Erotic Thrillers.
Body Double is a solid entry in his filmography. It is also incredibly representative of his filmmaking interests in that it focuses on doubles, deep focus/split screens, Hitchcockian themes of obsession, sex and voyeurism, and, finally, a mystery murder that is more complicated than it initially appears.
For first time viewers, it might be surprising to learn that star Melanie Griffith does not appear until well past the one hour mark, after her doppelgänger,...
Body Double is a solid entry in his filmography. It is also incredibly representative of his filmmaking interests in that it focuses on doubles, deep focus/split screens, Hitchcockian themes of obsession, sex and voyeurism, and, finally, a mystery murder that is more complicated than it initially appears.
For first time viewers, it might be surprising to learn that star Melanie Griffith does not appear until well past the one hour mark, after her doppelgänger,...
- 4/20/2023
- by Joe Lipsett
- bloody-disgusting.com
Get in touch to send in cinephile news and discoveries. For daily updates follow us @NotebookMUBI, and sign up for our weekly email newsletter by clicking here.NEWSLast Summer.The first round of Cannes-centric announcements has arrived (full selections linked): on Thursday, the festival unveiled the Competition, Un Certain Regard, and Special Screenings lineups. The Directors’ Fortnight and Critics’ Week slates followed on Monday and Tuesday.Applications are now open for this year’s edition of the Locarno Critics Academy. Participating critics will be able to cover the festival and attend workshops with critics, programmers, and filmmakers. Some Notebook samples by a few of last year's critics: Dini Adanurani covered Locarno's experimental 24-hour panel, and Laura Staab contributed interviews with Helena Wittmann and Kelly Reichardt (the latter cowritten with Christopher Small).Jim Jarmusch is planning to shoot his next film in the autumn—characteristically, it will be “quiet, funny,...
- 4/19/2023
- MUBI
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