With a release planned for this summer, we have the first trailer for Scare Package, an anthology movie featuring seven tales of hilarious horror:
Austin, TX --- February 26, 2020 --- We’re thrilled to present the first trailer for Scare Package, a new horror-comedy anthology that brings together some of the brightest rising stars in horror filmmaking today. This splatter-packed, deviously clever throwback pays homage to horror classics with seven hilarious, meta tales of terror, each exploring—and subverting—different genre tropes. All wrapped around every horror fan’s beloved stomping grounds: an old school video store.
Chad, the owner of Rad Chad’s Horror Emporium, recounts a series of bone-chilling, blood-splattering, and gleefully ghoulish tales in an effort to illustrate the rules of the horror genre to his newest employee. Each story takes aim at different tropes, paying homage to and subverting the timeless clichés of the beloved genre with...
Austin, TX --- February 26, 2020 --- We’re thrilled to present the first trailer for Scare Package, a new horror-comedy anthology that brings together some of the brightest rising stars in horror filmmaking today. This splatter-packed, deviously clever throwback pays homage to horror classics with seven hilarious, meta tales of terror, each exploring—and subverting—different genre tropes. All wrapped around every horror fan’s beloved stomping grounds: an old school video store.
Chad, the owner of Rad Chad’s Horror Emporium, recounts a series of bone-chilling, blood-splattering, and gleefully ghoulish tales in an effort to illustrate the rules of the horror genre to his newest employee. Each story takes aim at different tropes, paying homage to and subverting the timeless clichés of the beloved genre with...
- 2/26/2020
- by Jonathan James
- DailyDead
By Rob Hunter
Serial killers from the past return to haunt the present. Two new movies opening in limited release today share a theme beyond just their categorization as horror/thrillers. Both are set in the present day but pull on bloody threads left dangling by killers from the past in the form of photographic equipment. They differ when […]
The article ‘Awakening the Zodiac’ and ‘Camera Obscura’ Reviews: Past Murders, Present Pain appeared first on Film School Rejects.
Serial killers from the past return to haunt the present. Two new movies opening in limited release today share a theme beyond just their categorization as horror/thrillers. Both are set in the present day but pull on bloody threads left dangling by killers from the past in the form of photographic equipment. They differ when […]
The article ‘Awakening the Zodiac’ and ‘Camera Obscura’ Reviews: Past Murders, Present Pain appeared first on Film School Rejects.
- 6/9/2017
- by Rob Hunter
- FilmSchoolRejects.com
Hey you! You like soundtracks? You like horror movies? You dig spinning records? Then listen up as we’re giving away a copy of the soundtrack for Chiller’s Camera Obscura on vinyl to one lucky fan! The soundtrack for Camera Obscura… Continue Reading →
The post Win a Copy of the Camera Obscura Soundtrack on Vinyl! appeared first on Dread Central.
The post Win a Copy of the Camera Obscura Soundtrack on Vinyl! appeared first on Dread Central.
- 6/7/2017
- by Steve Barton
- DreadCentral.com
A true story so pure that it almost grants its teller the permission to be sloppy, Gabriela Cowperthwaite’s “Megan Leavey” is a bit of a mess from the moment it starts, but it’s hard to completely dismiss any movie with a soul this strong, just as it would be hard to dismiss a disobedient puppy so long as its tail keeps wagging. An unlikely mutt that crossbreeds the cuteness of “Must Love Dogs” with the suspense of “The Hurt Locker,” “Megan Leavey” is the kind of movie that writes itself, and often feels as though it has.
Based on the very real, very believable bond between a young marine corporal and the volatile German Shepherd with whom she partners during her tours of duty in Iraq, this broadly engaging drama is gripping when it deals with the details of being a woman on the front lines, and it...
Based on the very real, very believable bond between a young marine corporal and the volatile German Shepherd with whom she partners during her tours of duty in Iraq, this broadly engaging drama is gripping when it deals with the details of being a woman on the front lines, and it...
- 6/6/2017
- by David Ehrlich
- Indiewire
Peter Sallis, the famous British voice actor and sitcom star, has died at 96, The Guardian reports. His agents issued the following statement: “It is with sadness that we announce that our client Peter Sallis died peacefully, with his family by his side, at Denville Hall on Friday, June 2.”
Read More: 5 Secrets Behind Aardman’s Stop-Motion Animation, from ‘Wallace & Gromit’ to ‘Early Man’
Sallis is most famous for playing the role of Norman Clegg on BBC’s “Last of Summer Wine,” which is the longest-running sitcom in British history. American audiences are probably more familiar with his work as the voice of Wallace, the cheese-loving inventor at the center of Aardman Animations’ “Wallace and Gromit” franchise. He won the Annie Award for Voice Acting in a Featured Production for his work in 2005’s “Curse of the Were-Rabbit.” The film also won the Oscar for Best Animated Feature.
In tributes being posted across the internet today,...
Read More: 5 Secrets Behind Aardman’s Stop-Motion Animation, from ‘Wallace & Gromit’ to ‘Early Man’
Sallis is most famous for playing the role of Norman Clegg on BBC’s “Last of Summer Wine,” which is the longest-running sitcom in British history. American audiences are probably more familiar with his work as the voice of Wallace, the cheese-loving inventor at the center of Aardman Animations’ “Wallace and Gromit” franchise. He won the Annie Award for Voice Acting in a Featured Production for his work in 2005’s “Curse of the Were-Rabbit.” The film also won the Oscar for Best Animated Feature.
In tributes being posted across the internet today,...
- 6/5/2017
- by Zack Sharf
- Indiewire
Happy beginning of June, everyone! Now that summer is just about in full swing, we have a look at the horror and sci-fi VOD releases coming our way this month, in case you prefer to beat the heat from the comfort of your own couch while catching up on movies.
June’s VOD titles are an eclectic bunch, with a little bit of something for every kind of fan out there. The month kicks off with the release of the sleep paralysis thriller Be Afraid today, and then things pick back up on June 6th with a handful of titles making their way to digital platforms, including Aaron’s Blood, Dark Signal, Besetment, and one of my most anticipated indie movies of the year, Let Me Make You A Martyr, which co-stars Marilyn Manson.
The following week, both The Belko Experiment and Camera Obscura make their VOD bows, and just a few short days later,...
June’s VOD titles are an eclectic bunch, with a little bit of something for every kind of fan out there. The month kicks off with the release of the sleep paralysis thriller Be Afraid today, and then things pick back up on June 6th with a handful of titles making their way to digital platforms, including Aaron’s Blood, Dark Signal, Besetment, and one of my most anticipated indie movies of the year, Let Me Make You A Martyr, which co-stars Marilyn Manson.
The following week, both The Belko Experiment and Camera Obscura make their VOD bows, and just a few short days later,...
- 6/1/2017
- by Heather Wixson
- DailyDead
German cult home video heroes Camera Obscura are at it again, rescuing an Italian gem from the dustbin of history. This time around it is director VIttorio Salerno's No, the Case is Happily Resolved from 1973, and it is a doozy that combines some of the best elements of the contemporary film scene in Italy at the time. As far as I can tell, this film has never had an English friendly release on home video, but this is definitely one to check out for fans of European thrillers of this era. Fabia Santamaria is going about his own business one day on a casual fishing trip to a local lake when he inadvertantly stumbles upon the brutal murder of a prostitute. As he's walking...
[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...
[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...
- 6/16/2016
- Screen Anarchy
German cult home video heroes Camera Obscura are at it again, rescuing an Italian gem from the dustbin of history. This time around it is director VIttorio Salerno's No, the Case is Happily Resolved from 1973, and it is a doozy that combines some of the best elements of the contemporary film scene in Italy at the time. As far as I can tell, this film has never had an English friendly release on home video, but this is definitely one to check out for fans of European thrillers of this era. Fabia Santamaria is going about his own business one day on a casual fishing trip to a local lake when he inadvertantly stumbles upon the brutal murder of a prostitute. As he's walking...
[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...
[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...
- 6/16/2016
- Screen Anarchy
If you’re not familiar with DreadOut, it’s Fatal Frame with an Indonesian twist. It’s an obvious love letter to the classic survival horror series that inspired it, with a leading lady who uses the Camera Obscura app on her smartphone to vanquish creatures you probably won’t recognize unless you’re familiar with Indonesian cryptids and urban […]...
- 4/18/2016
- by Adam Dodd
- bloody-disgusting.com
Camera Obscura is one of the finest cult home video labels that most people have never heard of. Over the last three or four years TwitchFilm has been fortunate to jump on board the Camera Obscura train to see them grow from a wonderful distributor of silver age Italian exploitation to a top notch provider of Blu-ray releases for some of Italy's most well-loved yet under-appreciated genre film classics, and yet they still don't move the dial much in terms of casual cult home video fans. With towering behemoths like Shout!/Scream Factory and Arrow Video in the mix, it's easy to see why Camera Obscura releases might be shouted down in the larger marketplace, but do not sleep on them, they have a lot to offer...
[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...
[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...
- 11/10/2015
- Screen Anarchy
German cult home video specialists Camera Obscura have created another can't-miss disc with their recent release of Carlo Lizzani's San Babila Ore 20: Un Delitto Inutile (San Babila 8 Pm). The film is wonderfully emblematic of a time in Italy when the youth culture was every bit as explosive as anywhere else in the world, and presents a gripping image of young adults ready to die for their beliefs, no matter now misguided.San Babila Ore 20 doesn't quite fit into the Eurocrime genre box the way a lot of other Camera Obscura films do. Its focus is turned away from the police and procedural politics and instead focuses on the criminals and their inward machinations. In this case however, the criminals aren't gangsters or gun...
[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...
[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...
- 6/12/2015
- Screen Anarchy
As the physical media hording masses of the world look to Blu-ray as their next best option, it's only a matter of time before our favorite distributors do the same. This time around it's the underappreciated German label, Camera Obscura. Co went Blu early in 2014 with their release of The Killer Reserved Nine Seats, but since I wasn't able to get my hands on a copy of that film, we're going to be looking at their subsequent two releases. Toward the end of 2014 Camera Obscura released a pair of relatively obscure Italian genre films. The first is Un Bianco Vestito Per Mariale (Spirits of Death), a giallo with a supernatural slant, and the second is Come Cani Arrabbiati (Like Rabid Dogs), a brutal...
[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...
[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...
- 3/13/2015
- Screen Anarchy
S&G/S&G and Barratts
Get yourselves along to ‘Scared to Dance’ at The Moustache Bar in East London, as the headliner is former Chelsea and Scotland midfielder DJ Pat Nevin.
Yes, you read that correctly.
Despite appearing as a no nonsense, dry humoured, old fashioned type of bloke on our television screens and Radios as a football pundit, the 51-year-old is making waves behind the decks.
Known for being a bit of a wing wizard in his time on the field, Nevin started spinning the discs in the 80’s and has seen his second career go from strength to strength.
He cites former BBC Radio 1 DJ John Peel as his inspiration.
“I had been listening to John Peel since I was 14, every night lying on my bed with headphones on,” Nevin told Vice’s ‘Noisey’. “I was just a muso, that’s all I was.
“Eventually I started DJing.
Get yourselves along to ‘Scared to Dance’ at The Moustache Bar in East London, as the headliner is former Chelsea and Scotland midfielder DJ Pat Nevin.
Yes, you read that correctly.
Despite appearing as a no nonsense, dry humoured, old fashioned type of bloke on our television screens and Radios as a football pundit, the 51-year-old is making waves behind the decks.
Known for being a bit of a wing wizard in his time on the field, Nevin started spinning the discs in the 80’s and has seen his second career go from strength to strength.
He cites former BBC Radio 1 DJ John Peel as his inspiration.
“I had been listening to John Peel since I was 14, every night lying on my bed with headphones on,” Nevin told Vice’s ‘Noisey’. “I was just a muso, that’s all I was.
“Eventually I started DJing.
- 3/2/2015
- by Ross Tweddell
- Obsessed with Film
Polish filmmaker/animator/artisan Walerian Borowczyk is one of cinema's great, under appreciated geniuses. While his work has been largely relegated to obscurity, its influence upon filmmakers like Terry Gilliam is undeniable. For many years, it has been a challenge to see much of Borowczyk's catalog on home video, apart from the more salacious bits of esoteric erotica. However, the team at Arrow Films sublabel Arrow Academy has released what is sure to be one of the year's finest collections in Camera Obscura: The Walerian Borowczyk Collection. The collection features many of Borowczyk's ground-breaking early animations along with his first four live-action features to create an unbeatable look at a creative force unlike any the world has seen. We were fortunate to be granted a look at the entire set,...
[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...
[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...
- 1/19/2015
- Screen Anarchy
Earlier this year, UK distributor Arrow Films announced they were planning to release newly remastered editions of Walerian Borowczyk's films, both on Blu-ray and DVD, as part of their Arrow Academy label. These releases would include several of his longer theatrical films and a collection of shorts. And then they announced something else: a boxset of all these titles, combined with a book, and limited to only a 1000 pieces. This release was called Camera Obscura: The Walerian Borowczyk Collection, and it was finally released this week. And it is undoubtedly one of the finest releases this year. Walerian Borowczyk was a Polish director, writer, and illustrator, who made both animated and live-action films, and is hailed as an inspiration by many filmmakers, Terry Gilliam...
[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...
[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...
- 9/13/2014
- Screen Anarchy
As many of you readers know, I've been a fan of Cineplexx for years. Their latest single -- "Te Quiero"-- is an infectious "afrofunk" tune lifted from their new album Florianopolis. Cineplexx is actually the Argentina-born, London-based Sebastian Litmanovich. His smart indie pop-rock features collaborations with Jad Fair (Half Japanese), Duglas Stewart & BMX Bandits, Norman Blake (Teenage Fanclub), Nigel Baillie (Camera Obscura), Cathy Claret, Lilies on Mars, Ally Kerr, Federico Aubele, Natalia Clavier, Daniel Melero, Wechsel Garland, Montag, Lupe Nuñez (Amor de Dias), Yushimi, to name but a few. Buy it today!
- 5/16/2014
- by Dusty Wright
- www.culturecatch.com
Walerian Borowczyk's Immoral Tales is a collection of mini movies that dip into bizarre tales of incest, lust and jealousy. Peter Bradshaw salutes a 'very 70s' film, one that draws on the influence of Pasolini and Ken Russell in its mischievous attempt to titillate. Immoral Tales is screening as part the Kinoteka Polish film festival at the BFI Southbank and is available as part of the boxset Camera Obscura: The Walerian Borowczyk Collection
Warning: This video contains scenes of a sexual nature Continue reading...
Warning: This video contains scenes of a sexual nature Continue reading...
- 5/8/2014
- by Peter Bradshaw and Henry Barnes
- The Guardian - Film News
With Grandma's Encyclopedia Walerian Borowczyk made an artform out of animating cutouts from a Victorian reference book. In this clip A is for Automobile as a field of wacky racers attempt to best each other on the track. Grandma's Encyclopedia is showing as part of retrospective of Borowczyk's work, which is playing at the 12th Kinoteka Polish Film Festival at the BFI Southbank (1-30 May) and Institute of Contemporary Arts (Ica) Fox Reading Room (20 May - 29 June). 'Camera Obscura: The Walerian Borowczyk Collection will be released by Arrow Academy on DVD and Blu-ray on 30 June Continue reading...
- 4/16/2014
- by Guardian Staff
- The Guardian - Film News
Chicago – One of the fabulous subsets of human success is the person who evolves beyond collecting material goods and uses the bounty for pursuits of utter usefulness, which cannot be mastered unless that wealth buys the time and resources. Case in point, the subject of “Tim’s Vermeer.”
Rating: 4.5/5.0
Tim is Tim Jenison, a Texas based inventor with a large war chest. For years, he had been mesmerized by 17th century Dutch master artist Johannes Vermeer – think “Girl with a Pearl Earring” – and how that painter was able to create photo realistic canvases 150 years before photography. This documentary goes with Jenison on that pursuit, from Europe to his home state, as he breaks down the science of creation using what was available to Vermeer in this time. The result is extremely provocative and fascinating portrait – both of Tim and Vermeer’s techniques – and is a treat for art buffs, engineering buffs and eccentricity buffs.
Rating: 4.5/5.0
Tim is Tim Jenison, a Texas based inventor with a large war chest. For years, he had been mesmerized by 17th century Dutch master artist Johannes Vermeer – think “Girl with a Pearl Earring” – and how that painter was able to create photo realistic canvases 150 years before photography. This documentary goes with Jenison on that pursuit, from Europe to his home state, as he breaks down the science of creation using what was available to Vermeer in this time. The result is extremely provocative and fascinating portrait – both of Tim and Vermeer’s techniques – and is a treat for art buffs, engineering buffs and eccentricity buffs.
- 2/15/2014
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
Chicago – One of the fabulous subsets of human success is the person who evolves beyond collecting material goods and uses the bounty for pursuits of utter usefulness, which cannot be mastered unless that wealth buys the time and resources. Case in point, the subject of “Tim’s Vermeer.”
Rating: 4.5/5.0
Tim is Tim Jenison, a Texas based inventor with a large war chest. For years, he had been mesmerized by 17th century Dutch master artist Johannes Vermeer – think “Girl with a Pearl Earring” – and how that painter was able to create photo realistic canvases 150 years before photography. This documentary goes with Jenison on that pursuit, from Europe to his home state, as he breaks down the science of creation using what was available to Vermeer in this time. The result is extremely provocative and fascinating portrait – both of Tim and Vermeer’s techniques – and is a treat for art buffs, engineering buffs and eccentricity buffs.
Rating: 4.5/5.0
Tim is Tim Jenison, a Texas based inventor with a large war chest. For years, he had been mesmerized by 17th century Dutch master artist Johannes Vermeer – think “Girl with a Pearl Earring” – and how that painter was able to create photo realistic canvases 150 years before photography. This documentary goes with Jenison on that pursuit, from Europe to his home state, as he breaks down the science of creation using what was available to Vermeer in this time. The result is extremely provocative and fascinating portrait – both of Tim and Vermeer’s techniques – and is a treat for art buffs, engineering buffs and eccentricity buffs.
- 2/1/2014
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
We all know the Christmas classics — EW even dedicated 12 days to the biggest holiday hits ever over the past two weeks — but what about the lesser-known songs?
Well, just like that family friend who sends you fruitcake every year, the EW staff handpicked these dried fruits and mixed nuts from Spotify to make an offbeat holiday playlist to shake up your Christmas listening. Check out our list below, and share some of your own favorite Hidden Holiday Gems in the comments:
Here’s the full list of songs for non-Spotify users:
“The Blizzard,” Camera Obscura
“Blue Christmas,” Bright Eyes
“Christmas in Jail,...
Well, just like that family friend who sends you fruitcake every year, the EW staff handpicked these dried fruits and mixed nuts from Spotify to make an offbeat holiday playlist to shake up your Christmas listening. Check out our list below, and share some of your own favorite Hidden Holiday Gems in the comments:
Here’s the full list of songs for non-Spotify users:
“The Blizzard,” Camera Obscura
“Blue Christmas,” Bright Eyes
“Christmas in Jail,...
- 12/25/2013
- by EW staff
- EW.com - PopWatch
With summer just around the corner, the music industry is poised to start dropping tons of new tracks in hopes of bringing the heat -- but what to listen to on the days you don't feel like sweating it out on the dancefloor? To craft the perfect soundtrack for beating the heat, ETonline has turned to Haley Strode, star of Nickelodeon's newest hit series, Wendell & Vinnie.
"This is a compilation of what I consider to be necessary summertime tunes," Strode tells ETonline, "meant to be listened to in this order."
Tobias Froberg, Somewhere in the City
"There must be a party ... somewhere in the city." These rad lyrics help inspire a carefree summer.
The La's, There She Goes
This songs is nostalgia at its core, summer in middle school, knee socks and all.
James Brown, It's a Man's Man's Man's World
This song reminds me of a summer I lived in NYC; James Brown is a bad...
"This is a compilation of what I consider to be necessary summertime tunes," Strode tells ETonline, "meant to be listened to in this order."
Tobias Froberg, Somewhere in the City
"There must be a party ... somewhere in the city." These rad lyrics help inspire a carefree summer.
The La's, There She Goes
This songs is nostalgia at its core, summer in middle school, knee socks and all.
James Brown, It's a Man's Man's Man's World
This song reminds me of a summer I lived in NYC; James Brown is a bad...
- 4/9/2013
- Entertainment Tonight
Primavera Sound has announced the complete lineup for its 2013 festival, which takes place from May 22-26 in Parc Del Fòrum in Barcelona, Spain.
In addition to previously announced headliners Blur, the festival features My Bloody Valentine, Phoenix, the Postal Service, the Knife, Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds, the Jesus and Mary Chain, Fiona Apple, Animal Collective, Grizzly Bear, Tame Impala, Dinosaur Jr., Wu-Tang Clan, Band of Horses, Hot Chip, Swans, Deerhunter, Death Grips, the Breeders, James Blake, Crystal Castles, Neko Case, Wild Nothing, Nurse With Wound, Fucked Up, Jessie Ware, Solange, Dan Deacon, Camera Obscura, Kurt Vile & the Violators, Dead Can Dance, Christopher Owens, Do Make Say Think, Four Tet, the Sea and Cake, John Talabot, Killer Mike, Titus Andronicus, Shellac, Delorean, Menomena, Diiv, Local Natives, Disclosure, Bob Mould, Liars, Daniel Johnston, Woods, Mount Eerie, Meat Puppets, Thee Oh Sees, How to Dress Well, Neurosis, Metz, Daphni, Mac DeMarco, Matthew E.
In addition to previously announced headliners Blur, the festival features My Bloody Valentine, Phoenix, the Postal Service, the Knife, Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds, the Jesus and Mary Chain, Fiona Apple, Animal Collective, Grizzly Bear, Tame Impala, Dinosaur Jr., Wu-Tang Clan, Band of Horses, Hot Chip, Swans, Deerhunter, Death Grips, the Breeders, James Blake, Crystal Castles, Neko Case, Wild Nothing, Nurse With Wound, Fucked Up, Jessie Ware, Solange, Dan Deacon, Camera Obscura, Kurt Vile & the Violators, Dead Can Dance, Christopher Owens, Do Make Say Think, Four Tet, the Sea and Cake, John Talabot, Killer Mike, Titus Andronicus, Shellac, Delorean, Menomena, Diiv, Local Natives, Disclosure, Bob Mould, Liars, Daniel Johnston, Woods, Mount Eerie, Meat Puppets, Thee Oh Sees, How to Dress Well, Neurosis, Metz, Daphni, Mac DeMarco, Matthew E.
- 1/23/2013
- by Pitchfork
- Huffington Post
When we’re in the twilight of this console generation, with both Sony and Microsoft promising new consoles by the fall that will replace the Playstation 3 and Xbox 360 respectively, it feels a little odd to be discussing the Playstation 2. However, Sony has announced that they have finally ceased production on the influential console after 12 years of production, ending an astonishing run that boasted over 150 million consoles sold worldwide, a library of over 10,000 titles, and software sales exceeding 1.5 billion units sold. It is easily the most successful video game console of any generation, and its astonishing life cycle has left an indelible mark on the industry that is unlikely to be topped.
That indelible mark has also been left on horror games, as that massive library boasted some of the best fear and frights that the industry has ever had to offer. Join us as we reminisce over the life and...
That indelible mark has also been left on horror games, as that massive library boasted some of the best fear and frights that the industry has ever had to offer. Join us as we reminisce over the life and...
- 1/10/2013
- by Carl Lyon
- FEARnet
Vampire Weekend, Frightened Rabbit, Black Lips, Eagles Of Death Metal and more have all been added to this year’s SXSW Music line-up. Other acts named in the third round of performers announced today include Local Natives, Tegan And Sara, Wild Belle, The Besnard Lakes, Camera Obscura, Fitz And The Tantrums, Macklemore And Ryan Lewis, and Bleached. So far, about 1,300 bands are confirmed to be playing the fest, with more still to be added. Other previously confirmed artists include Wavves, Angel Haze, Thee Oh Sees, Major Lazer, and The Joy Formidable. The festival takes place March 12-17 in ...
- 1/10/2013
- avclub.com
So begins my interview with Sophie Dulac, President of the Champs Élysées Film Festival, film distributor, exhibitor and producer. The first edition of the Festival, co-presided by actors Lambert Wilson and Michael Madsen reached an audience of 15,000 people in Paris, June 6 – 12, 2012.
"And I work with another real blond and her name is Isabelle” [Svanda, General Manager], she adds.
Champs Elysees Film Festival
We are sitting in the outdoor restaurant of Fouquet’s Barriere Hotel, Paris. Also with us are Astrid de Beauregard who has handled all the 50 industry-ites converging on the festival to view four well curated U.S. indie films for the second edition of U.S. in Progress. Maxine Leonard, the festival's publicist and Matthew Akers, the director and cinematographer of Marina Abramovic: The Artist Is Present are also present. Little did I know he was going to win the Audience Prize for a feature length film from the U.S.
The Festival ended for me with current French resident, with white hair and beard, Donald Sutherland presenting Klute by Alan J. Pakula and starring Jane Fonda, and then giving a A Hollywood Conversation in his American accented but fluent French in a good humored atmosphere. I could write an entire blog on what that film and all that he and Jane meant to me at the very beginning of my career in the film business, but I won’t do that here. He was subsequently post-film appointed Commandeur des Arts & Lettres by Frédéric Mitterrand.
My interview with Sophie is the summit of my experience so far as a "blogger". After all I am not a journalist, nor do I pal around with the glitterati or the “elite” folks in the film business. I knew I was entering a rare atmosphere strolling everyday along the Rue de Montaigne to the Champs Elysees. And now, I was going to talk to the granddaughter of one of France's most illustrious citizens. (and no slouch herself! What a truly lovely, amazing woman!!)
U.S. in Progress
The night before, we, the jury of 9, presented the winners of the 2nd edition of U.S. in Progress with their prizes of post production services. First Prize went to a film worthy of a Cannes slot in Un Certain Regard or Fortnight or Critics Week, A Teacher by Hannah Fidell ♀, whose about-to-turn-thirty protagonist is forced to acknowledge her sin of having an affair with a student. The film's affect upon us women was overwhelmingly cathartic. Receiving an Honorable Mention, I Am I, a Sundance-worthy film, well executed very interesting story, well acted by the extremely professional first-time director Joceyln Towne ♀ with additional casting by Ronnie Yeskel ♀, one of the top indie film casting agents. Julie Bergeron, one of the nine-member jury loved Desert Cathedral, a man's quest for peace after an increasing estrangement from his life. She liked its combination of documentary depiction of the desert and the fictional story about a contemporary and universal dilemma faced by too many people today. I want to see more of the three actors, Lee Tergesen is a young and handsome William Macy type and Chaske Spencer, a charismatic First Nation descendant of Lakota (Sioux) Nation, and Petra Wright. The fourth film Michael Bartlett's House Of Last Things is Bonnie Darko meets Twin Peaks, a paean to the Maestro, David Lynch. More than 50 distributors and sales agent watched these films with us.
As part of the selection, the winner of U.S. in Progress from the 1st edition in Wroclaw, Poland last November, Not Waving But Drowning directed by Devyn Waitt and produced by Nicole Emanuele was also showing and Nicole was accompanied by the star, her boyfriend Steven Farneth from Cinetic, the godmother of the movie and other "family" members. Nicole is now working with Google and YouTube in Content Partnerships, Film/ TV while contemplating her next moves in the business.
Created by Sophie Dulac, the Festival programmed some 50 films enabling Parisian audiences to discover the variety of productions available from France and the United States, in the 5 cinema theaters of the Champs Elysees, the most beautiful avenue in the world: the normally rival cinemas Le Balzac and Le Lincoln, the rivals Gaumont Champs-Elysées and Ugc George V, and the Publicis Cinéma.
This success was thanks to an inquiring public which appreciated the simplicity of organization, the fact that projections started on time, and also the quality of programming, with a special heartfelt interest for the 10 independent films from the U.S. in the official selection.
What Makes Sophie Run?
One night at an extraordinary dinner at the Renault Restaurant on the Champs Elysees, where we sat with Julie Bergeron (of Cannes Marche prominence), Pascal Diot (former Paris based sales agent and now organizer in chief of both Venice and Dubai Ff’s Markets), Adeline Monzier (founder of U.S. in Progress and Europa Distribution), and Producer Christophe Bruncher (whose latest film, If We All Lived Together stars Jane Fonda), I learned about Sophie’s grandfather, Marcel Bleustein-Blanchet,who founded Publicis in 1926 and in effect, invented modern advertising in much the same way that Lucien Barriere invented the resort and the casino. Today Publicis is a French multinational advertising and communications company, headquartered in Paris, France and one of the world's three largest advertising holding companies holding among others, Saatchi & Saatchi and Leo Burnett Worldwide. The company conducts its operations in over 200 cities in 104 countries and has a strategic alliance with Dentsu, Inc. He began it as a young man and the Nazis confiscated it as Jewish property. He fled and fought with The Free French...and worked in the Resistance under the name of Blanchet. When he returned to France, he got back his advertising agency and continued doing the sort of pioneering work he loved the best. He also added Blanchet onto his surname. Publicis' current president is Maurice Lévy who was just in the news for having called for higher taxes on the wealthy and now objecting to France’s new President's pledging that he would tax the rich 75% of their income. Read more about the company here.
One more boast about this family: One of Bleustein-Blanchet’s daughters was a legislator and is responsible for abolishing capital punishment in France.
Aside from being totally impressed by all I was hearing, I was beginning to see what informed the personality of the festival and of Sophie herself who was there and everywhere, meeting and mixing with us all. As Maxine said, in effect, Sophie is a mensch. She is the real thing, feet planted firmly on the ground and real. And yet she seems so idealistic in the choices she makes. To this remark of mine, she responded, that in fact, she is very pragmatic, but one must take pleasure in life.
Her grandfather and grandmother raised her and her brother and half brother after their 27 year old mother died in an automobile accident. Sophie was eight years old at the time.
Her grandfather told her that when he began Publicis as a teenager, he never thought about the money he might make. He did it for pleasure. He thought of how best to do what he loved to do the most. For her too, life is about innovation and being happy. She hopes that in ten years the festival and her film business will continue to inspire and motivate her.
Sophie has three children and she tells them to do whatever they want as she would advise everyone: Do what is inside of you, even if it is not what you end up doing. It will make you a better person. Her first son, whom she had when she was 17 and who is now 24, lived one year in Australia and another year in Canada. He is now working with her at the festival. Her 22 year old daughter whom she had when she was 19, lives in London, and the 19 year old, following in his brother’s footsteps, is spending a year in Australia, alone and exploring on his own.
If she succeeds in the movie business, it is because she was not born into films. She has been in the business of Arthouse film production, distribution and exhibition for ten years. Before that she was a practicing psycho graphologist, counseling people from 16 to 60 years old, male and female. You can know a person totally through the handwriting she says. She also did a stint in PR which she hated, before going into film. Her father was a writer and told her to read and so she can talk of many things, not only of business. At the end of the day, she closes her door and business does not exist (unless of course there is a problem at one of her theaters which she does drop in on on Sundays when she is not expected.) She has no scripts at home and does not watch movies for work at home. She has a well rounded education and is proud not to be 100% business.
Today she is also a sort of guardian of Israeli films in France as well. She even wears a small gold Jewish star.
Film Career
She began her film career in 2003 producing a documentary DÉCryptage which examined the French media coverage of the Arab–Israeli conflictand concludes that the media's presentation of the Arab–Israeli conflict in France is consistently skewed against Israel and may be responsible for exacerbating anti-semitism. That documentary was very successful in France, drawing some 300,000 viewers and it caught the attention of Israeli filmmakers.
Famed Israeli actress Ronit Elkabetz, ♀a friend of hers, suggested she help her produce a film she wrote and wanted to direct and she agreed to make Rendre Femme (aka To Take A Wife ♀ produced by Marek Rozenbaum. When Ronit asked her to produce The Band’S Visit, she did not know what to make of the script. But when she saw the footage, she recognized its great potential and stepped in as producer. Unfortunately it could not qualify for the Academy Award Nomination for Best Foreign Language Film because it was filmed in Hebrew, Egyptian and English. She went on to produce My Father My Lord an implicit critique of ultra-Orthodox dogma by a filmmaker who grew up in a Hasidic community but abandoned it when he was 25 to study film.
Sophie produces other world films, including her second American film Benny And The Kids (Go Get Some Rosemary), Argentina’s Little Sky and The Camera Obscura both by Maria Victoria Menis ♀ and others including French films like the upcoming film by Jacques Douvenne.
In Cannes this year, she acquired Room 514 (Isa: Docs & Film) de Sharon Bar-Ziv ♀ which played in l'Acid in Cannes and Les Voisins De Dieu (God’S Neighbors) (Isa: Rezo) de Meni Yaesh which played in La Semaine de la Critique in Cannes as well as Directors’ Fortnight entry Le Repenti and Bence Fliegauf’s Berlin competition entry Just The Wind.
She sees festivals as a place where people can discover new films. Theaters need new ideas, directors, and distributors can take risks only if they own theaters. The triangle of festivals, distributors and exhibitors are complimentary and she finds that having all three allows her to keep selected films longer in theaters or allows for changing theaters (she owns 5 theaters including the famous St. Germain arthouse Harlequin). She recognizes that France has so many subsidies for production and distribution – 12 to 15 new films are released every week – and that gives her films more of a chance to succeed as well.
France also has, after 3 years of discussion, finally, in one year made all its theaters digital. The cost to convert is 1 million Euros. 30% of that is paid by Cnc, the government fund made up of a percentage of box office receipts. The digital norm is 2K and the Vpf (Virtual Print Fee is 5,000 Euros. All distributors must pay this first the first time showing for 4 weeks and then, there are not more VPFs.
When she asks Americans for DCPs, she is surprised to learn that they don’t have them. Even Harvey Weinstein who had a retrospective at the Festival did not have digital prints and he said that to use Blu-Ray or HD was all right with him.
Why Harvey?
Everyone loves a good Harvey story. We had heard that he did not want to travel and I was curious how she had such good luck to get him to Paris. Apparently he flew in, appeared, and flew out again.
“The opening night, with the tribute paid to American producer Harvey Weinstein who accepted, with modesty and as a film enthusiast, a trophy was presented by Sophie Dulac, in the presence of VIP guests: Virginie Ledoyen, Deborah François, Audrey Dana, Thomas Langmann, Olivier Nackache and Eric Toledan.”
What he said at this opening event was that Sophie’s brother is the godfather of his son. And when the Godfather makes a request, he cannot refuse to honor it.
So ended my interview with Sophie. As we all struck out to continue the day, Matthew Akers of Marina Abramovic said, “See you in Sarajevo”. And Sophie responded, “How chic!”...
"And I work with another real blond and her name is Isabelle” [Svanda, General Manager], she adds.
Champs Elysees Film Festival
We are sitting in the outdoor restaurant of Fouquet’s Barriere Hotel, Paris. Also with us are Astrid de Beauregard who has handled all the 50 industry-ites converging on the festival to view four well curated U.S. indie films for the second edition of U.S. in Progress. Maxine Leonard, the festival's publicist and Matthew Akers, the director and cinematographer of Marina Abramovic: The Artist Is Present are also present. Little did I know he was going to win the Audience Prize for a feature length film from the U.S.
The Festival ended for me with current French resident, with white hair and beard, Donald Sutherland presenting Klute by Alan J. Pakula and starring Jane Fonda, and then giving a A Hollywood Conversation in his American accented but fluent French in a good humored atmosphere. I could write an entire blog on what that film and all that he and Jane meant to me at the very beginning of my career in the film business, but I won’t do that here. He was subsequently post-film appointed Commandeur des Arts & Lettres by Frédéric Mitterrand.
My interview with Sophie is the summit of my experience so far as a "blogger". After all I am not a journalist, nor do I pal around with the glitterati or the “elite” folks in the film business. I knew I was entering a rare atmosphere strolling everyday along the Rue de Montaigne to the Champs Elysees. And now, I was going to talk to the granddaughter of one of France's most illustrious citizens. (and no slouch herself! What a truly lovely, amazing woman!!)
U.S. in Progress
The night before, we, the jury of 9, presented the winners of the 2nd edition of U.S. in Progress with their prizes of post production services. First Prize went to a film worthy of a Cannes slot in Un Certain Regard or Fortnight or Critics Week, A Teacher by Hannah Fidell ♀, whose about-to-turn-thirty protagonist is forced to acknowledge her sin of having an affair with a student. The film's affect upon us women was overwhelmingly cathartic. Receiving an Honorable Mention, I Am I, a Sundance-worthy film, well executed very interesting story, well acted by the extremely professional first-time director Joceyln Towne ♀ with additional casting by Ronnie Yeskel ♀, one of the top indie film casting agents. Julie Bergeron, one of the nine-member jury loved Desert Cathedral, a man's quest for peace after an increasing estrangement from his life. She liked its combination of documentary depiction of the desert and the fictional story about a contemporary and universal dilemma faced by too many people today. I want to see more of the three actors, Lee Tergesen is a young and handsome William Macy type and Chaske Spencer, a charismatic First Nation descendant of Lakota (Sioux) Nation, and Petra Wright. The fourth film Michael Bartlett's House Of Last Things is Bonnie Darko meets Twin Peaks, a paean to the Maestro, David Lynch. More than 50 distributors and sales agent watched these films with us.
As part of the selection, the winner of U.S. in Progress from the 1st edition in Wroclaw, Poland last November, Not Waving But Drowning directed by Devyn Waitt and produced by Nicole Emanuele was also showing and Nicole was accompanied by the star, her boyfriend Steven Farneth from Cinetic, the godmother of the movie and other "family" members. Nicole is now working with Google and YouTube in Content Partnerships, Film/ TV while contemplating her next moves in the business.
Created by Sophie Dulac, the Festival programmed some 50 films enabling Parisian audiences to discover the variety of productions available from France and the United States, in the 5 cinema theaters of the Champs Elysees, the most beautiful avenue in the world: the normally rival cinemas Le Balzac and Le Lincoln, the rivals Gaumont Champs-Elysées and Ugc George V, and the Publicis Cinéma.
This success was thanks to an inquiring public which appreciated the simplicity of organization, the fact that projections started on time, and also the quality of programming, with a special heartfelt interest for the 10 independent films from the U.S. in the official selection.
What Makes Sophie Run?
One night at an extraordinary dinner at the Renault Restaurant on the Champs Elysees, where we sat with Julie Bergeron (of Cannes Marche prominence), Pascal Diot (former Paris based sales agent and now organizer in chief of both Venice and Dubai Ff’s Markets), Adeline Monzier (founder of U.S. in Progress and Europa Distribution), and Producer Christophe Bruncher (whose latest film, If We All Lived Together stars Jane Fonda), I learned about Sophie’s grandfather, Marcel Bleustein-Blanchet,who founded Publicis in 1926 and in effect, invented modern advertising in much the same way that Lucien Barriere invented the resort and the casino. Today Publicis is a French multinational advertising and communications company, headquartered in Paris, France and one of the world's three largest advertising holding companies holding among others, Saatchi & Saatchi and Leo Burnett Worldwide. The company conducts its operations in over 200 cities in 104 countries and has a strategic alliance with Dentsu, Inc. He began it as a young man and the Nazis confiscated it as Jewish property. He fled and fought with The Free French...and worked in the Resistance under the name of Blanchet. When he returned to France, he got back his advertising agency and continued doing the sort of pioneering work he loved the best. He also added Blanchet onto his surname. Publicis' current president is Maurice Lévy who was just in the news for having called for higher taxes on the wealthy and now objecting to France’s new President's pledging that he would tax the rich 75% of their income. Read more about the company here.
One more boast about this family: One of Bleustein-Blanchet’s daughters was a legislator and is responsible for abolishing capital punishment in France.
Aside from being totally impressed by all I was hearing, I was beginning to see what informed the personality of the festival and of Sophie herself who was there and everywhere, meeting and mixing with us all. As Maxine said, in effect, Sophie is a mensch. She is the real thing, feet planted firmly on the ground and real. And yet she seems so idealistic in the choices she makes. To this remark of mine, she responded, that in fact, she is very pragmatic, but one must take pleasure in life.
Her grandfather and grandmother raised her and her brother and half brother after their 27 year old mother died in an automobile accident. Sophie was eight years old at the time.
Her grandfather told her that when he began Publicis as a teenager, he never thought about the money he might make. He did it for pleasure. He thought of how best to do what he loved to do the most. For her too, life is about innovation and being happy. She hopes that in ten years the festival and her film business will continue to inspire and motivate her.
Sophie has three children and she tells them to do whatever they want as she would advise everyone: Do what is inside of you, even if it is not what you end up doing. It will make you a better person. Her first son, whom she had when she was 17 and who is now 24, lived one year in Australia and another year in Canada. He is now working with her at the festival. Her 22 year old daughter whom she had when she was 19, lives in London, and the 19 year old, following in his brother’s footsteps, is spending a year in Australia, alone and exploring on his own.
If she succeeds in the movie business, it is because she was not born into films. She has been in the business of Arthouse film production, distribution and exhibition for ten years. Before that she was a practicing psycho graphologist, counseling people from 16 to 60 years old, male and female. You can know a person totally through the handwriting she says. She also did a stint in PR which she hated, before going into film. Her father was a writer and told her to read and so she can talk of many things, not only of business. At the end of the day, she closes her door and business does not exist (unless of course there is a problem at one of her theaters which she does drop in on on Sundays when she is not expected.) She has no scripts at home and does not watch movies for work at home. She has a well rounded education and is proud not to be 100% business.
Today she is also a sort of guardian of Israeli films in France as well. She even wears a small gold Jewish star.
Film Career
She began her film career in 2003 producing a documentary DÉCryptage which examined the French media coverage of the Arab–Israeli conflictand concludes that the media's presentation of the Arab–Israeli conflict in France is consistently skewed against Israel and may be responsible for exacerbating anti-semitism. That documentary was very successful in France, drawing some 300,000 viewers and it caught the attention of Israeli filmmakers.
Famed Israeli actress Ronit Elkabetz, ♀a friend of hers, suggested she help her produce a film she wrote and wanted to direct and she agreed to make Rendre Femme (aka To Take A Wife ♀ produced by Marek Rozenbaum. When Ronit asked her to produce The Band’S Visit, she did not know what to make of the script. But when she saw the footage, she recognized its great potential and stepped in as producer. Unfortunately it could not qualify for the Academy Award Nomination for Best Foreign Language Film because it was filmed in Hebrew, Egyptian and English. She went on to produce My Father My Lord an implicit critique of ultra-Orthodox dogma by a filmmaker who grew up in a Hasidic community but abandoned it when he was 25 to study film.
Sophie produces other world films, including her second American film Benny And The Kids (Go Get Some Rosemary), Argentina’s Little Sky and The Camera Obscura both by Maria Victoria Menis ♀ and others including French films like the upcoming film by Jacques Douvenne.
In Cannes this year, she acquired Room 514 (Isa: Docs & Film) de Sharon Bar-Ziv ♀ which played in l'Acid in Cannes and Les Voisins De Dieu (God’S Neighbors) (Isa: Rezo) de Meni Yaesh which played in La Semaine de la Critique in Cannes as well as Directors’ Fortnight entry Le Repenti and Bence Fliegauf’s Berlin competition entry Just The Wind.
She sees festivals as a place where people can discover new films. Theaters need new ideas, directors, and distributors can take risks only if they own theaters. The triangle of festivals, distributors and exhibitors are complimentary and she finds that having all three allows her to keep selected films longer in theaters or allows for changing theaters (she owns 5 theaters including the famous St. Germain arthouse Harlequin). She recognizes that France has so many subsidies for production and distribution – 12 to 15 new films are released every week – and that gives her films more of a chance to succeed as well.
France also has, after 3 years of discussion, finally, in one year made all its theaters digital. The cost to convert is 1 million Euros. 30% of that is paid by Cnc, the government fund made up of a percentage of box office receipts. The digital norm is 2K and the Vpf (Virtual Print Fee is 5,000 Euros. All distributors must pay this first the first time showing for 4 weeks and then, there are not more VPFs.
When she asks Americans for DCPs, she is surprised to learn that they don’t have them. Even Harvey Weinstein who had a retrospective at the Festival did not have digital prints and he said that to use Blu-Ray or HD was all right with him.
Why Harvey?
Everyone loves a good Harvey story. We had heard that he did not want to travel and I was curious how she had such good luck to get him to Paris. Apparently he flew in, appeared, and flew out again.
“The opening night, with the tribute paid to American producer Harvey Weinstein who accepted, with modesty and as a film enthusiast, a trophy was presented by Sophie Dulac, in the presence of VIP guests: Virginie Ledoyen, Deborah François, Audrey Dana, Thomas Langmann, Olivier Nackache and Eric Toledan.”
What he said at this opening event was that Sophie’s brother is the godfather of his son. And when the Godfather makes a request, he cannot refuse to honor it.
So ended my interview with Sophie. As we all struck out to continue the day, Matthew Akers of Marina Abramovic said, “See you in Sarajevo”. And Sophie responded, “How chic!”...
- 6/19/2012
- by Sydney Levine
- Sydney's Buzz
Update: Viewers on the U.S. can now watch the pilot episode of "Girls" on YouTube without an HBO subscription. Unembeddable, but watch here.
Generally speaking, comedies don't arrive on the small screen fully formed, and often take some time to find and establish their voice and tone. Just look at the first seasons for shows like "Seinfeld," "The Simpsons" or the American version of "The Office." Those initial episodes, while showing flashes of the best they would have to offer, are uneven, with characters still taking shape, jokes missing as often as they land and the overall architecture still being built. But the remarkable thing in watching the premiere episode of Lena Dunham's "Girls" is how confidently it struts out of the gate, and how fully structured it seems right from the start.
The bulk of the season premiere -- which stretches just over the half-hour mark -- as expected,...
Generally speaking, comedies don't arrive on the small screen fully formed, and often take some time to find and establish their voice and tone. Just look at the first seasons for shows like "Seinfeld," "The Simpsons" or the American version of "The Office." Those initial episodes, while showing flashes of the best they would have to offer, are uneven, with characters still taking shape, jokes missing as often as they land and the overall architecture still being built. But the remarkable thing in watching the premiere episode of Lena Dunham's "Girls" is how confidently it struts out of the gate, and how fully structured it seems right from the start.
The bulk of the season premiere -- which stretches just over the half-hour mark -- as expected,...
- 4/16/2012
- by Kevin Jagernauth
- The Playlist
It's been about seven years since U.S. fans of horror games have been graced with a new Fatal Frame game to scare their pants off. While Fatal Frame IV saw a release in Japan in 2008, anyone on this side of the Pacific is still out of luck. With no sign of that game slated for a domestic release, the closest thing that Stateside gamers have to cling to is the spiritual successor, Spirit Camera: The Cursed Memoir, for the 3Ds. While not a direct descendent of the early Fatal Frame games, it bares the mark of Tecmo, the franchise's publisher, and centers around a variant of the ominous Camera Obscura.
Spirit Camera makes heavy use of the 3Ds' photo capabilities, setting a good portion of the game in the real world, using augmented reality to bring the spirit world to life. Players step into the unwitting role of the protagonist after receiving a mysterious,...
Spirit Camera makes heavy use of the 3Ds' photo capabilities, setting a good portion of the game in the real world, using augmented reality to bring the spirit world to life. Players step into the unwitting role of the protagonist after receiving a mysterious,...
- 4/12/2012
- by Jason Cipriano
- MTV Multiplayer
Larry Jordan, occasionally known in more formal circles as Lawrence Jordan, has been making experimental and animation films for half a century now. He grew up in Denver, won a scholarship to Harvard, then dropped out to start a theater back in Colorado with his high school friend, Stan Brakhage. "Stan was always the director," Jordan wrote in a remembrance in the Millennium Film Journal in 2003. "He seemed to have far-reaching radar for locating people and works in the art world. Five of our gang came out to San Francisco in about 1954. (Stan came first — always the avant-garde.) When I arrived, he was living in the basement of poet Robert Duncan and painter Jess Collins. We had one old car, a flatbed trailer for our gear, and about five films between us. So naturally we started out to tour California, showing our wares."
They eventually wound up in New York,...
They eventually wound up in New York,...
- 3/27/2012
- MUBI
Mwg Entertainment will launch a first-of-its-kind mobile game based on their popular web series, Camera Obscura . The mobile game will follow a story line consistent with the series previously distributed on programming destination site, Dailymotion.com. Mwg.s latest efforts will incorporate original music and live-action footage from the series directly into the game play and provide fans an opportunity to lead characters through the world of Camera Obscura . The game will be available on the iTunes and Android Market on October 18th, 2011 as a paid app. Both iOS and Android devices including the industry leading iPhone and iPod Touch, as well as the Htc Evo and Motorola Droid will support game play. Shortly after the smart phone release, Mwg will also launch a version...
- 10/4/2011
- shocktillyoudrop.com
Are you looking for that next killer app for your smartphone? Have you bashed every pig you could find in Angry Birds and need a new challenge? Well then, look no further because our friends at Mwg Entertainment have you covered with the upcoming launch of the Camera Obscura mobile app.
If you are a fan of the Camera Obscura web series, which now totals 20 episodes, then this is the app you're looking for. Sure, your phone can give you the weather, run your fantasy football team and double as a flashlight, but it hasn't been until now that you could get a game that features live-action footage from the Camera Obscura web series. Now that's what I call an update! A trailer for the game can be found below.
From the Press Release
Who: Mwg Entertainment, a Los Angeles based digital production company, will launch a first-of-its-kind mobile game...
If you are a fan of the Camera Obscura web series, which now totals 20 episodes, then this is the app you're looking for. Sure, your phone can give you the weather, run your fantasy football team and double as a flashlight, but it hasn't been until now that you could get a game that features live-action footage from the Camera Obscura web series. Now that's what I call an update! A trailer for the game can be found below.
From the Press Release
Who: Mwg Entertainment, a Los Angeles based digital production company, will launch a first-of-its-kind mobile game...
- 10/4/2011
- by Doctor Gash
- DreadCentral.com
Note from the Editor: Okay, so Halloween is coming round the corner with a vengeance, and as part of WhatCulture’s 31 Days of Horror feature, it is my esteemed pleasure to unveil a brand new regular feature from the appropriately names Brad Fear offering portraits of the scariest games of all time.
In an attempt to truly milk that surname of mine for all it’s worth, I’ve thought it only appropriate to pay homage to some of the most pant-wettingly scary games… well, ever. At their genesis (with such classics as Pong and Asteroids) a video game was only as terrifying as the notion of an exploding two-dimensional triangle or the fear that, when you failed to hit it with your paddle, your white dot would forever be lost in the void of ‘off-screen-ness’.
But, of course, eventually those dots and triangles formed sprites. Those sprites became monsters...
In an attempt to truly milk that surname of mine for all it’s worth, I’ve thought it only appropriate to pay homage to some of the most pant-wettingly scary games… well, ever. At their genesis (with such classics as Pong and Asteroids) a video game was only as terrifying as the notion of an exploding two-dimensional triangle or the fear that, when you failed to hit it with your paddle, your white dot would forever be lost in the void of ‘off-screen-ness’.
But, of course, eventually those dots and triangles formed sprites. Those sprites became monsters...
- 10/2/2011
- by Brad Fear
- Obsessed with Film
Tune in alert for parents and kids: Fred Armisen (Saturday Night Live) and Charlyne Yi (Knocked Up) beam down to Gabbaland in a brand-new episode of the hit preschool music series, Yo Gabba Gabba!, premiering Sunday, Sept. 18, at 5:30 p.m. (Et) on Nick Jr., Nickelodeon.s 24-hour educational preschool network. In the new episode .Treasure,. Larry (Fred Armisen) and Edith (Charlyne Yi) go on a treasure hunt with the Gabba gang and perform a special dance in the secret ice cave. The episode also features musical guests Blitzen Trapper, Camera Obscura and Mark Mothersbaugh (Devo) in his recurring .Mark.s Magic Pictures. segment. The award-winning series is created by Christian Jacobs and Scott Schultz and is produced by...
- 9/12/2011
- by April MacIntyre
- Monsters and Critics
For their 5th annual event, which is set to run Sept. 8-11, the Sydney Underground Film Festival is looking a little more demented than ever. And that’s saying a lot for this scrappy, still relatively young fest, which typically offers ample twisted cinematic offerings.
The fun kicks off with the Opening Night film, the demented superhero comedy Super, written and directed by former Troma go-to screenwriter James Gunn (Tromeo & Juliet); then ends with the Closing Night wallowing in Sydney’s seedy underbelly, X, by homegrown filmmaker Jon Hewitt.
Crammed between these two excursions into violence and depravity is a lineup filled with perverse visions, scandalous public figures, sickening horror, experimental pop culture remixes and more.
For Bad Lit: The Journal of Underground Film, the highlight of the fest is Usama Alshaibi‘s Profane, a complex psychological, psychosexual, spiritual morality play about a Muslim sex worker who endures a “reverse...
The fun kicks off with the Opening Night film, the demented superhero comedy Super, written and directed by former Troma go-to screenwriter James Gunn (Tromeo & Juliet); then ends with the Closing Night wallowing in Sydney’s seedy underbelly, X, by homegrown filmmaker Jon Hewitt.
Crammed between these two excursions into violence and depravity is a lineup filled with perverse visions, scandalous public figures, sickening horror, experimental pop culture remixes and more.
For Bad Lit: The Journal of Underground Film, the highlight of the fest is Usama Alshaibi‘s Profane, a complex psychological, psychosexual, spiritual morality play about a Muslim sex worker who endures a “reverse...
- 8/9/2011
- by Mike Everleth
- Underground Film Journal
The 14th annual Revelation Perth International Film Festival is, once again, packed to the gills with worldwide wonderful, weird and revelatory filmmaking. The fest runs this year on July 14-24.
The highlight of the festival is the once-in-a-lifetime live performance of Gravity Was Everywhere Back Then, which will be performed on July 17 at 7:15 p.m. American animator Brent Green will be traveling Down Under to provide the live musical score and narration for his emotional, live-action animated tale about undying love and creation. He will also be accompanied by band mates and foley artists, Mike McGinley, John Swartz, Donna K and Drew Henkles.
Some other films to look out for at the fest will be the Australian premiere of Zach Clark‘s terminally twisted Vacation!, a black comedy about four girls on a debauched weekend of drinking and drugging that ends horribly for all involved; Marie Losier’s acclaimed...
The highlight of the festival is the once-in-a-lifetime live performance of Gravity Was Everywhere Back Then, which will be performed on July 17 at 7:15 p.m. American animator Brent Green will be traveling Down Under to provide the live musical score and narration for his emotional, live-action animated tale about undying love and creation. He will also be accompanied by band mates and foley artists, Mike McGinley, John Swartz, Donna K and Drew Henkles.
Some other films to look out for at the fest will be the Australian premiere of Zach Clark‘s terminally twisted Vacation!, a black comedy about four girls on a debauched weekend of drinking and drugging that ends horribly for all involved; Marie Losier’s acclaimed...
- 6/17/2011
- by Mike Everleth
- Underground Film Journal
-
With a distinct lack of interesting fare in this chunk of the year, we came up with the bright idea of highlighting the careers of directors never before discussed in Sound on Sight’s relatively long history. The first name to come up: Preston Sturges, who became one of the very first writers in Hollywood to gain enough clout to direct his own pictures, ultimately becoming powerful enough to run afoul of the ruthless studio system. His comedies broke new ground in tonal complexity and freewheeling transcendence of genre (as well as coy subversion of the Hays code). Justine, Derek and Simon discuss three of his best-loved movies: The Lady Eve, Sullivan’s Travels, and Unfaithfully Yours.
listen here
Download in a new window
Playlist:
Broadcast – Where Youth and Laughter Go
Iron and Wine – Your Fake Name Is Good Enough For Me
Mission of Burma – Fame and Fortune
Camera Obscura...
With a distinct lack of interesting fare in this chunk of the year, we came up with the bright idea of highlighting the careers of directors never before discussed in Sound on Sight’s relatively long history. The first name to come up: Preston Sturges, who became one of the very first writers in Hollywood to gain enough clout to direct his own pictures, ultimately becoming powerful enough to run afoul of the ruthless studio system. His comedies broke new ground in tonal complexity and freewheeling transcendence of genre (as well as coy subversion of the Hays code). Justine, Derek and Simon discuss three of his best-loved movies: The Lady Eve, Sullivan’s Travels, and Unfaithfully Yours.
listen here
Download in a new window
Playlist:
Broadcast – Where Youth and Laughter Go
Iron and Wine – Your Fake Name Is Good Enough For Me
Mission of Burma – Fame and Fortune
Camera Obscura...
- 3/9/2011
- by Simon Howell
- SoundOnSight
Linda Perry, Penn Jillette, Akron Family and more remember late avant-garde icon.
By Mawuse Ziegbe
"Captain Beefheart" Don Van Vliet
Photo: Michael Putland/Getty Images
Avant-garde artist Captain Beefheart was given a heartfelt e-sendoff by several celebrity fans after he died Friday (December 17) at age 69.
After news of the passing of Beefheart, who was also known as Don Van Vliet, circled the world, a range of high-profile tweeters took to the social-networking site to type tributes to the late Magic Band leader and music game-changer.
Former 4 Non Blondes frontwoman and singer/songwriter Linda Perry wrote, "Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band ... Rip January 15 1941 - December 17 2010." She also included a link to the melancholic doo-wop track "I'm Glad" from the 1967 album Safe as Milk.
Comedian and illusionist Penn Jillette tweeted, "Captain Beefheart has died. Another inspiration & hero gone. He's been painting, no music for a while, but I still listen all the time.
By Mawuse Ziegbe
"Captain Beefheart" Don Van Vliet
Photo: Michael Putland/Getty Images
Avant-garde artist Captain Beefheart was given a heartfelt e-sendoff by several celebrity fans after he died Friday (December 17) at age 69.
After news of the passing of Beefheart, who was also known as Don Van Vliet, circled the world, a range of high-profile tweeters took to the social-networking site to type tributes to the late Magic Band leader and music game-changer.
Former 4 Non Blondes frontwoman and singer/songwriter Linda Perry wrote, "Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band ... Rip January 15 1941 - December 17 2010." She also included a link to the melancholic doo-wop track "I'm Glad" from the 1967 album Safe as Milk.
Comedian and illusionist Penn Jillette tweeted, "Captain Beefheart has died. Another inspiration & hero gone. He's been painting, no music for a while, but I still listen all the time.
- 12/17/2010
- MTV Music News
Yep, alot of fun! Not to long ago, while Mega Shark 2 was in production, a few nutballs over here at The Asylum decided to create a submission for The Doritos’ Crash The Superbowl Ad Campaign Contest as a tie-in with the sequel Source: The Asylum Related Posts:Sushi Typhoon Demo Reel – some bad ass Asian Extremes!Exclusive: S&Man Trailer – just postedParanormal 2 – creepy trailer – baby left2 new spots for the ‘Devil’Camera Obscura: 20 episode online web series to debut©2010 Horror News.net | Horror Movies, News, Films, Free | Horror Reviews. All Rights Reserved..
- 11/17/2010
- by admin
- Horror News
Another Saturday, another long list of horror movies on TV. Have you recovered from Friday's list yet? Do you have enough time to watch them all? And this list is only a fraction of what's fully available out there!
As usual, only those of note (as decided by me) are listed below, and the list is by no means exhaustive.
In addition, are you caught up on Camera Obscura yet? We have the first seven episodes in one spot including a neat little recap to help refresh your memory should you have forgotten the story so far, what with Episode 7 being released yesterday.
And if you are on Netflix, make sure to browse through The Foywonder's crazily Massive List of New Netflix Instant Streaming Horror Titles.
Don't forget to come back and tell us in the comments section below what you thought of Saturday's horror on TV offerings. Did you like this list?...
As usual, only those of note (as decided by me) are listed below, and the list is by no means exhaustive.
In addition, are you caught up on Camera Obscura yet? We have the first seven episodes in one spot including a neat little recap to help refresh your memory should you have forgotten the story so far, what with Episode 7 being released yesterday.
And if you are on Netflix, make sure to browse through The Foywonder's crazily Massive List of New Netflix Instant Streaming Horror Titles.
Don't forget to come back and tell us in the comments section below what you thought of Saturday's horror on TV offerings. Did you like this list?...
- 10/8/2010
- by kwlow
- DreadCentral.com
A weekend in October does not go by without tons of horror on your television, and Friday, October 8, 2010 is no exception. In fact, there are so many options this weekend that we had to break up our long weekend list into daily, easily digestible portions.
Make sure to come back each day this weekend for your daily list of horror on TV.
In addition, "Camera Obscura" has now rolled out a total of seven episodes online so far. Have you been watching?
And if you are on Netflix, make sure to browse through The Foywonder's crazily Massive List of New Netflix Instant Streaming Horror Titles.
Don't forget to come back and tell us in the comments section below what you thought of Friday's horror on TV offerings. Did you like this list? What other notable titles are missing from this list? You are in control!
Notable Horror on TV - Friday,...
Make sure to come back each day this weekend for your daily list of horror on TV.
In addition, "Camera Obscura" has now rolled out a total of seven episodes online so far. Have you been watching?
And if you are on Netflix, make sure to browse through The Foywonder's crazily Massive List of New Netflix Instant Streaming Horror Titles.
Don't forget to come back and tell us in the comments section below what you thought of Friday's horror on TV offerings. Did you like this list? What other notable titles are missing from this list? You are in control!
Notable Horror on TV - Friday,...
- 10/7/2010
- by kwlow
- DreadCentral.com
One of Arrow Video's great success stories is the championing of Dario Argento's work on home video in the UK. I know what some of you may be thinking, and perhaps championing Argento isn't exactly controversial position to defend, but no one had really taken up the challenge of rescuing many of these Argento features in Britain from BBFC cut purgatory. Many of Argento's features have been sliced and diced by the BBFC, and for the most part, home video distributors have made do with the cuts in order to have a marketable product. Arrow Video, however has taken some of these very same films, including their recent Blu-ray/DVD release of Inferno, back to the BBFC for reclassification, and they won! They are currently awaiting a decision on Deep Red (Profondo Rosso), which has yet to be seen completely uncut in most areas of the world. This is...
- 10/6/2010
- Screen Anarchy
“All right, let’s do this thing.” So begins the show. It’s a hell of an opening, with eery, strange visuals—none of which make sense. An old man staring eye-to-eye with a demon, walking down a dark corridor. The arresting imagery gives way to Clara, the granddaughter of this old man, packing up his things after his death. In the process, she discovers his camera, an old thirties relic. Only it isn’t really a camera – it physically can’t make photos, and inside is a strange collection of items. Then the nightmare comes. With web series inching upward in running time, and dramas typically wanting to make use of that increasing length of viewer attention, I wouldn’t say I’m surprised at Camera Obscura’s three-minute average length—pilot excepted, which is about seven minutes—but certainly intrigued. It’s clear that this is a show wanting to take its time,...
- 10/4/2010
- by Logan Rapp
- Tubefilter.com
We know it's October when horror viewing options on TV explode many-fold all of a sudden, and we here at Dread Central have your hook-up for what's available.
In addition to new episodes of "Supernatural" and "Dexter" this weekend, you can catch horror television of all sorts -- all the way from Alfred Hitchcock classics to decent remakes and some great originals.
But before you leave your computer, make sure to watch the first three episodes of "Camera Obscura".
On top of that, if you are on Netflix, The Foywonder had made it easy for you to browse through his insanely Massive List of New Netflix Instant Streaming Horror Titles.
Notable Horror on TV This Weekend
Friday 8pm ActionMax
Saturday 12:50 pm Cinemax
Friday the 13th (2009) (review) Friday 8:00 pm
Encore Drama
Christine Friday 8:00 pm
Encore Mystery
The Vanishing (1993) Friday 8:35 pm
Starz in Black
Quarantine (page) Friday 9:...
In addition to new episodes of "Supernatural" and "Dexter" this weekend, you can catch horror television of all sorts -- all the way from Alfred Hitchcock classics to decent remakes and some great originals.
But before you leave your computer, make sure to watch the first three episodes of "Camera Obscura".
On top of that, if you are on Netflix, The Foywonder had made it easy for you to browse through his insanely Massive List of New Netflix Instant Streaming Horror Titles.
Notable Horror on TV This Weekend
Friday 8pm ActionMax
Saturday 12:50 pm Cinemax
Friday the 13th (2009) (review) Friday 8:00 pm
Encore Drama
Christine Friday 8:00 pm
Encore Mystery
The Vanishing (1993) Friday 8:35 pm
Starz in Black
Quarantine (page) Friday 9:...
- 10/1/2010
- by kwlow
- DreadCentral.com
Argento completists may want to hold off before rushing out to buy that new UK BluRay of Dario's Inferno. Why? Because coming in October from Koch and Camera Obscura in October is a new edition that they promise to be definitive, one loaded with new original features built around a new, HD transfer supervised and color corrected by the film's cinematographer, Romano Albani. Here's the full list of features:
- New HD digital transfer of the uncut version was supervised and colour-corrected by the cinematographer Romano Albani
- English, Italian and German audio
- New, 2010 produced and over 90 minutes long documenatry about Inferno with Dario Argento, cinematographer Romano Albani, actress Daria Nicolodi, the makeup as well as the special effects department, Luigi Cozzi, Claudia Simonetti as well as the animal trainer of the film.
- Irene Miracle hosted by Tim Lucas
- Question & Answear with music composer Keith Emerson
- New,...
- New HD digital transfer of the uncut version was supervised and colour-corrected by the cinematographer Romano Albani
- English, Italian and German audio
- New, 2010 produced and over 90 minutes long documenatry about Inferno with Dario Argento, cinematographer Romano Albani, actress Daria Nicolodi, the makeup as well as the special effects department, Luigi Cozzi, Claudia Simonetti as well as the animal trainer of the film.
- Irene Miracle hosted by Tim Lucas
- Question & Answear with music composer Keith Emerson
- New,...
- 8/30/2010
- Screen Anarchy
A few months ago, a mysterious Twitter account appeared called Eight Thirteen with the bio "Horror Genre Web-Series, New Media Zombies!" and link to a Tumblr site. Up until two weeks ago, that site had only a logo design and the quote: "For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live" -Romans 8:13. And then...the teaser trailer appeared. A creaky door opening, a few drops of blood on the floor, a dead body. Sure, these are things you expect from a zombie-related trailer. But then there she was, the creepy bloody baby. Related News:Exclusive ‘Camera Obscura’ Goodies and Teaser ‘Dead Wait’: Kansas City Takes on the Web…and Zombies...
- 5/23/2010
- by Jenni Powell
- Tubefilter.com
Kristen Stewart, as part of the press round for The Runaways at South by Southwest, joined co-star Dakota Fanning in an interview with USA Today and revealed a few of her favorite bands.
Though the interviewer reported that Stewart doodled an octopus during the interview and stated that she's "always like, 'Oh, I don't answer that question,'" she still shed light on what sorts of bands she's into these days.
"I listen to The Shins and Radiohead and Interpol. And we saw Band of Horses last night, and that was awesome, because they're, like, my favorite band right now. I love Camera Obscura and Jenny Lewis," she revealed.
Fanning stated that s ...
Though the interviewer reported that Stewart doodled an octopus during the interview and stated that she's "always like, 'Oh, I don't answer that question,'" she still shed light on what sorts of bands she's into these days.
"I listen to The Shins and Radiohead and Interpol. And we saw Band of Horses last night, and that was awesome, because they're, like, my favorite band right now. I love Camera Obscura and Jenny Lewis," she revealed.
Fanning stated that s ...
- 3/25/2010
- by thetwilightexaminer
- Twilight Examiner
Happy Tuesday, everyone. You are stuck with me today as our fearless leader is off flying spaceships and blowing stuff up. There is much joy coming from his room, and he's all by himself.
Which is usually how it is for him.
Bwhahahahaha. I kid because I love.
Anyway, I give you the following pic and this wonderful thought: in the morning, as you stumble awake and shake-off the dregs of your hang-over, if you see the below in your yard, you know you had a good party the night before, right?
Yes, I'm a little... demented. But that's why everybody loves the Gate.
Full, uncropped, Nsfw version at the link.
Artist: Pierre & Gilles
Source: Camera Obscura...
Which is usually how it is for him.
Bwhahahahaha. I kid because I love.
Anyway, I give you the following pic and this wonderful thought: in the morning, as you stumble awake and shake-off the dregs of your hang-over, if you see the below in your yard, you know you had a good party the night before, right?
Yes, I'm a little... demented. But that's why everybody loves the Gate.
Full, uncropped, Nsfw version at the link.
Artist: Pierre & Gilles
Source: Camera Obscura...
- 1/26/2010
- doorQ.com
Pavement, Faith No More, Thom Yorke, Vampire Weekend also on the bill.
By James Montgomery
Jay-z
Photo: Raymond Boyd/ Michael Ochs Archives/ Getty Images
Coachella has always been seen as the least traditional of the big U.S. music festivals, and in 2010, they're definitely staying with that sentiment. On Tuesday (January 19), organizers revealed the lineup for this year's Coachella fest — set for April 15-18 at the Empire Polo Club in Indio, California — and the bill is topped by three acts you wouldn't necessarily see headlining fests here in the states (except when the Beastie Boys drop out at the last minute): Jay-z, Muse and Gorillaz.
Coachella 2010 Lineup
Joining them are the usual assortment of 'Chella acts, including the prerequisite reunited acts (Pavement, Faith No More), the icons (Thom Yorke, Devo, Sly and the Family Stone), the indie stalwarts (Vampire Weekend, Phoenix, Spoon, Mgmt), the hotly tipped buzz acts (Yeasayer,...
By James Montgomery
Jay-z
Photo: Raymond Boyd/ Michael Ochs Archives/ Getty Images
Coachella has always been seen as the least traditional of the big U.S. music festivals, and in 2010, they're definitely staying with that sentiment. On Tuesday (January 19), organizers revealed the lineup for this year's Coachella fest — set for April 15-18 at the Empire Polo Club in Indio, California — and the bill is topped by three acts you wouldn't necessarily see headlining fests here in the states (except when the Beastie Boys drop out at the last minute): Jay-z, Muse and Gorillaz.
Coachella 2010 Lineup
Joining them are the usual assortment of 'Chella acts, including the prerequisite reunited acts (Pavement, Faith No More), the icons (Thom Yorke, Devo, Sly and the Family Stone), the indie stalwarts (Vampire Weekend, Phoenix, Spoon, Mgmt), the hotly tipped buzz acts (Yeasayer,...
- 1/19/2010
- MTV Music News
Since last we scanned the Twitterverse for our favorite musicians, Trent Reznor has given up the Twitter ghost, but plenty of other musicians have begun updating in his place. These are just some of my favorites.
1. Camera Obscura - camera_obscura_
This Scottish band has released one of my favorite albums this year.
Best recent tweet: Just been to collect my bike. Sometimes, cycling in Glasgow is a lot like the escape scene at the start of Raiders of the Lost Ark. K
Runner-up: Amsterdam to glasgow. 90 mins spent in full view of a filthy urchin feasting gleefully on the contents of his own nose. K...
1. Camera Obscura - camera_obscura_
This Scottish band has released one of my favorite albums this year.
Best recent tweet: Just been to collect my bike. Sometimes, cycling in Glasgow is a lot like the escape scene at the start of Raiders of the Lost Ark. K
Runner-up: Amsterdam to glasgow. 90 mins spent in full view of a filthy urchin feasting gleefully on the contents of his own nose. K...
- 9/1/2009
- Pastemagazine.com
The sheer quantity of festivals on the calender in the U.K alone has begun to reach far into the hundreds. Every 60's throw back farmer with a field in Suffolk or any double-barreled named family with an estate in some sparse woods between villages in Norfolk seem to be more than happy to allow the cider swilling, barefoot, dancing masses to camp with them for three days. What's becoming harder and harder is deciding which ones to get yourself to. Green Man Festival in Glanusk Park, Wales felt right this time around; It was my birthday weekend, it was a relatively young festival (6 years old), only 15000 tickets and 100 bands on a small beautifully kept site which, as local legend would have it, harbors 3,000 mischievous spirits... cool. All of this and, as a completely independent music festival, not a pint of Carling or a pink skinned, sun stroked Oasis fan in sight.
- 9/1/2009
- by Neil Innes
- t5m.com
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