Tim Burton loves to make things spooky and morbid, but his favorite holiday might well be Christmas. Look at how many of his films take place during the Yuletide season: "Batman Returns," "Edward Scissorhands," etc. He also conceived of "The Nightmare Before Christmas," which is all about Halloween Town's top ghoul, Jack Skellington (Chris Sarandon), getting Christmas fever. While Burton handed off directing duties of the stop-motion picture to Henry Selick, it's easy to see his fingerprints and why he would empathize with Jack.
David A. Bossert's "Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas Visual Companion" was released this year for the film's 30th anniversary. The book features interviews with the film's crew, from Selick to Art Director Kelly Asbury, where they describe forming the film's distinct visual style — since there were multiple holiday-themed dimensions, they couldn't stick to just one aesthetic.
For Halloween Town, though, they took after Burton's...
David A. Bossert's "Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas Visual Companion" was released this year for the film's 30th anniversary. The book features interviews with the film's crew, from Selick to Art Director Kelly Asbury, where they describe forming the film's distinct visual style — since there were multiple holiday-themed dimensions, they couldn't stick to just one aesthetic.
For Halloween Town, though, they took after Burton's...
- 11/27/2023
- by Devin Meenan
- Slash Film
Film geeks, rejoice. Leading indie label Kino Lorber is entering the world of streaming. The company has launched Kino Film Collection, a new subscription video service available in the U.S. via’s Amazon’s Prime Video Channels. The Collection will feature new Kino releases fresh from theaters, along with hundreds of films from its expansive library of more than 4,000 titles, many now streaming for the first time. It will cost users $5.99 per month.
Films available at launch include award-winning theatrical releases and critically acclaimed festival favorites and classics from around the globe, such as The Conformist (Bernardo Bertolucci), Dogtooth (Yorgos Lanthimos), Taxi (Jafar Panahi), Poison (Todd Haynes), Ganja & Hess (Bill Gunn), The Scent of Green Papaya (Tran Anh Hung), A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night (Ana Lily Amirpour), Computer Chess (Andrew Bujalski), Portrait of Jason (Shirley Clarke), and A Touch of Sin (Jia Zhangke).
Joining them are entries...
Films available at launch include award-winning theatrical releases and critically acclaimed festival favorites and classics from around the globe, such as The Conformist (Bernardo Bertolucci), Dogtooth (Yorgos Lanthimos), Taxi (Jafar Panahi), Poison (Todd Haynes), Ganja & Hess (Bill Gunn), The Scent of Green Papaya (Tran Anh Hung), A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night (Ana Lily Amirpour), Computer Chess (Andrew Bujalski), Portrait of Jason (Shirley Clarke), and A Touch of Sin (Jia Zhangke).
Joining them are entries...
- 11/2/2023
- by Patrick Brzeski
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Kino Lorber, a leading name in the indie film scene for over 45 years, just launched the Kino Film Collection. This new streaming service is available in the U.S. on Amazon via Prime Video Channels for $5.99 per month. The platform will feature new Kino films fresh from their theatrical release along with hundreds of catalog titles. Many of these films will be available to stream for the first time.
Among the films available will be a new 4K restoration of Bernardo Bertolucci’s “The Conformist” and key titles like Yorgos Lanthimos’ “Dogtooth,” Jafar Panahi’s “Taxi,” Todd Haynes’ “Poison,” and Ana Lily Amirpour’s “A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night.”
Among the older titles available to stream will be classics like Fritz Lang’s “Metropolis,” F.W. Murnau’s “Nosferatu,” Robert Wiene’s “The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari,” and Sergei Eisenstein’s “Battleship Potemkin.” The Kino Film Collection will be...
Among the films available will be a new 4K restoration of Bernardo Bertolucci’s “The Conformist” and key titles like Yorgos Lanthimos’ “Dogtooth,” Jafar Panahi’s “Taxi,” Todd Haynes’ “Poison,” and Ana Lily Amirpour’s “A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night.”
Among the older titles available to stream will be classics like Fritz Lang’s “Metropolis,” F.W. Murnau’s “Nosferatu,” Robert Wiene’s “The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari,” and Sergei Eisenstein’s “Battleship Potemkin.” The Kino Film Collection will be...
- 11/1/2023
- by Scott Mendelson
- The Wrap
Independent film distributor Kino Lorber has officially unveiled streaming service Kino Film Collection, available via Prime Video here.
The Kino Film Collection will be launched in the U.S. on the Amazon Service via Prime Video Channels for $5.99 per month. The Collection will feature new Kino releases fresh from theaters, along with hundreds of films from its expansive library of more than 4,000 titles, with many now streaming for the first time.
New 4K restorations of films like Bernardo Bertolucci’s “The Conformist,” Yorgos Lanthimos’ “Dogtooth,” Jafar Panahi’s “Taxi,” Todd Haynes’ “Poison,” Tran Anh Hung’s “The Scent of Green Papaya,” Ana Lily Amirpour’s “A Girl Walks Home Alone At Night,” and Jia Zhangke’s “A Touch of Sin” are among highlights of the first offerings from Kino Film Collection.
Kino canon films like Fritz Lang’s historic “Metropolis,” F.W. Murnau’s “Nosferatu,” Robert Wiene’s “The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari,...
The Kino Film Collection will be launched in the U.S. on the Amazon Service via Prime Video Channels for $5.99 per month. The Collection will feature new Kino releases fresh from theaters, along with hundreds of films from its expansive library of more than 4,000 titles, with many now streaming for the first time.
New 4K restorations of films like Bernardo Bertolucci’s “The Conformist,” Yorgos Lanthimos’ “Dogtooth,” Jafar Panahi’s “Taxi,” Todd Haynes’ “Poison,” Tran Anh Hung’s “The Scent of Green Papaya,” Ana Lily Amirpour’s “A Girl Walks Home Alone At Night,” and Jia Zhangke’s “A Touch of Sin” are among highlights of the first offerings from Kino Film Collection.
Kino canon films like Fritz Lang’s historic “Metropolis,” F.W. Murnau’s “Nosferatu,” Robert Wiene’s “The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari,...
- 11/1/2023
- by Samantha Bergeson
- Indiewire
It’s hard to believe at first glance that the surreal Lovecraftian horrors of Messiah of Evil are courtesy of Willard Huyck and Gloria Katz, who wrote both the warm nostalgia bath that is American Graffiti and the absurd comic book antics of Howard the Duck. But there are definite similarities between these films. American Graffiti and Messiah of Evil each capture a particular milieu at the end of an era, whether that’s provincial Modesto before the Beatles and Vietnam, or a beach town being overtaken by an evil cult. And Messiah of Evil and Howard the Duck both concern a cataclysmic threat from another realm.
Messiah of Evil focuses on Arletty (Marianna Hill), a young woman who’s come to Point Dune on the California coast looking for her famous artist father, Joseph Lang (Royal Dano). She soon makes the acquaintance of raffish Thom (Michael Greer), a nomadic...
Messiah of Evil focuses on Arletty (Marianna Hill), a young woman who’s come to Point Dune on the California coast looking for her famous artist father, Joseph Lang (Royal Dano). She soon makes the acquaintance of raffish Thom (Michael Greer), a nomadic...
- 10/27/2023
- by Budd Wilkins
- Slant Magazine
Stars: David Howard Thornton, Krystle Martin, Chase Mullins, John Bigham, Erik Baker, Flip Kobler, Amy Schumacher | Written by Flip and Fin Kobler | Directed by Steven Lamorte
The Mean One, along with Mad Heidi and Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey was part of an unexpected crop of horror and exploitation films based on children’s tales that dropped last Christmas. Since Dr. Suess’ Grinch is still under copyright the makers of this film had to change a few names to bring us the tale of Cindy You-Know-Who and the residents of Newville’s battle against the evil green creature known as The Mean One.
Our story begins with a familiar flashback accompanied by the rhyming narration of Christopher Sanders but, in a twist, just as young Cindy (Saphina Chanadet; Balance of the Force) is about to change The Mean One’s attitude her mother appears and attacks him, getting herself killed in the process.
The Mean One, along with Mad Heidi and Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey was part of an unexpected crop of horror and exploitation films based on children’s tales that dropped last Christmas. Since Dr. Suess’ Grinch is still under copyright the makers of this film had to change a few names to bring us the tale of Cindy You-Know-Who and the residents of Newville’s battle against the evil green creature known as The Mean One.
Our story begins with a familiar flashback accompanied by the rhyming narration of Christopher Sanders but, in a twist, just as young Cindy (Saphina Chanadet; Balance of the Force) is about to change The Mean One’s attitude her mother appears and attacks him, getting herself killed in the process.
- 10/2/2023
- by Jim Morazzini
- Nerdly
In the article series Sound and Vision we take a look at music videos from notable directors. This week we take a look at The Red Hot Chilli Peppers' Otherside and The Smashing Pumpkins' Tonight, Tonight by Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris. One of my favorite videos from my teenage years is The Red Hot Chili Peppers' Otherside, which introduced me to the style of German Expressionism and the influence of The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, way before another Caligari-fan like Tim Burton did. The fake backgrounds and artificiality of it all opened my mind to the possibilities of what visual art could do. I wanted more. Likewise, my first watch of The Smashing Pumpkins' Tonight, Tonight was also my first introduction to the style...
[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...
[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...
- 9/4/2023
- Screen Anarchy
XYZ Films gave director Steven Lamorte’s horror film The Mean One, a “violent slasher parody” that draws clear inspiration from the Dr. Seuss classic How the Grinch Stole Christmas!, a theatrical release in the U.S. last December. I watched the movie at the time, and you can read my 5/10 review at This Link. If you didn’t catch The Mean One last year, you may be glad to hear that DeskPop Entertainment is now planning to give the film a VOD release on October 3rd!
Lamorte gave the following statement to The Hollywood Reporter: “We’re so excited to bring The Mean One to our amazing fans and audiences around the world with the team at Deskpop. Their specialty in working with genre films like ours make them the perfect partner for our unique brand of Christmas chaos!“
DeskPop’s Mat Levy added: “I am thrilled to...
Lamorte gave the following statement to The Hollywood Reporter: “We’re so excited to bring The Mean One to our amazing fans and audiences around the world with the team at Deskpop. Their specialty in working with genre films like ours make them the perfect partner for our unique brand of Christmas chaos!“
DeskPop’s Mat Levy added: “I am thrilled to...
- 7/6/2023
- by Cody Hamman
- JoBlo.com
Do you remember your first horror movie? I do. I can remember how petrified I was like it was yesterday.
And I’ll never come close to a TV set broadcasting ants racing, thanks to Poltergeist. I’m still too terrified of being sucked in.
My little brother was terrified of Michael Jackson’s Thriller and would cry whenever his name was mentioned. And my son turned sheet white when he first saw Vanessa rip her face off in Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me.
The point is that we’ve all been scared by something on TV or in theaters. Although, some of us seem to enjoy it more than others.
Related: Best Scary Clown Movies You Can Watch Right Now!
As horror fans, nothing compares to the thrill of a window blown open by the wind in complete darkness. Candles flickering out can make us shudder.
You’re no longer alone – behold!
And I’ll never come close to a TV set broadcasting ants racing, thanks to Poltergeist. I’m still too terrified of being sucked in.
My little brother was terrified of Michael Jackson’s Thriller and would cry whenever his name was mentioned. And my son turned sheet white when he first saw Vanessa rip her face off in Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me.
The point is that we’ve all been scared by something on TV or in theaters. Although, some of us seem to enjoy it more than others.
Related: Best Scary Clown Movies You Can Watch Right Now!
As horror fans, nothing compares to the thrill of a window blown open by the wind in complete darkness. Candles flickering out can make us shudder.
You’re no longer alone – behold!
- 6/25/2023
- by Buddy TV
- buddytv.com
Mondo Macabro and Cav present Dr. Caligari – The first US Blu-ray release of this cult classic. Dr. Caligari 1 Blu-ray disc Label: Mondo Macabro Preorder: 5/19/23 Release: 6/13/23 Msrp: $29.95 Upc: 843276026899 Catalogue #: MDO268 Genre: Horror Color 80 minutes in English MPAA Rating: R Anamorphic Widescreen 1.85:1 DTS-hd Ma 2.0 Stereo Region code: …
The post Mondo Macabro and Cav present Dr. Caligari appeared first on Horror News | Hnn.
The post Mondo Macabro and Cav present Dr. Caligari appeared first on Horror News | Hnn.
- 6/12/2023
- by Adrian Halen
- Horror News
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
The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari is a 1920 German silent horror film that is widely regarded as a pioneering work of expressionist cinema. Directed by Robert Wiene and written by Hans Janowitz and Carl Mayer, the movie is notable for its innovative visual style, intricate plot, and the enduring influence it has had on the development of the horror genre. This article will delve into the history of the film, its unique visual aesthetic, and its lasting impact on the world of cinema.
The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari I. The Making of a Masterpiece
The film’s origins can be traced back to the experiences of its writers, Janowitz and Mayer, who were both deeply affected by the horrors of World War I. Inspired by their shared distrust of authority and their fascination with the subconscious mind, they crafted a story that aimed to depict the dark side of human nature...
The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari I. The Making of a Masterpiece
The film’s origins can be traced back to the experiences of its writers, Janowitz and Mayer, who were both deeply affected by the horrors of World War I. Inspired by their shared distrust of authority and their fascination with the subconscious mind, they crafted a story that aimed to depict the dark side of human nature...
- 5/1/2023
- by Martin Cid Magazine
- Martin Cid Magazine - Movies
With the exception of the Count himself, Renfield is the most dynamic character in the Dracula story. Originally conceived as a madman in Dr. Seward’s sanitarium with a mysterious connection to his vampire overlord, Renfield has evolved with the ever-extending mythos that has arisen around Stoker’s original creation.
Since the earliest Dracula films, the character has changed and deepened, become more and less integral to the story depending on the focus of the filmmakers, but has always been an opportunity for great character actors to let loose and give some of the most memorable performances in horror cinema.
This week, Renfield will finally get his moment at center stage, with Nicholas Hoult becoming the latest actor to bite into the role. In anticipation of his starring turn, here is a look at some of the very best depictions of everyone’s favorite fly-eating maniac.
Nosferatu (1922)
To avoid copyright...
Since the earliest Dracula films, the character has changed and deepened, become more and less integral to the story depending on the focus of the filmmakers, but has always been an opportunity for great character actors to let loose and give some of the most memorable performances in horror cinema.
This week, Renfield will finally get his moment at center stage, with Nicholas Hoult becoming the latest actor to bite into the role. In anticipation of his starring turn, here is a look at some of the very best depictions of everyone’s favorite fly-eating maniac.
Nosferatu (1922)
To avoid copyright...
- 4/11/2023
- by Brian Keiper
- bloody-disgusting.com
In 2021, "Ghostbusters: Afterlife" brought back the paranormal comedy franchise with a whole new perspective. Director Jason Reitman took over the reins from his filmmaker father Ivan Reitman (rest in peace), and he gave fans a legacy-quel that focused on Mckenna Grace and Finn Wolfhard as the grandchildren of Egon Spengler as they learned about the legacy of their grandfather and the history of the original Ghostbusters team. But this time, all the spooky action unfolded in a desolate Oklahoma town in the middle of nowhere.
Despite the passing of Harold Ramis, "Afterlife" brought back a computer generated spirit version of Egon alongside Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, and Ernie Hudson as Peter Venkman, Ray Stantz, and Winston Zeddemore. The new generation of Ghostbusters met the old guard, and they joined forces to defeat yet another reincarnation of Gozer the Gozerian. But that was just the beginning.
After the success of "Ghostbusters: Afterlife,...
Despite the passing of Harold Ramis, "Afterlife" brought back a computer generated spirit version of Egon alongside Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, and Ernie Hudson as Peter Venkman, Ray Stantz, and Winston Zeddemore. The new generation of Ghostbusters met the old guard, and they joined forces to defeat yet another reincarnation of Gozer the Gozerian. But that was just the beginning.
After the success of "Ghostbusters: Afterlife,...
- 3/24/2023
- by Ethan Anderton
- Slash Film
Looking back, it's somewhat astonishing that Tim Burton's 1989 film "Batman" was as big a hit as it was. Audiences were, of course, allured by the fact that 1989 offered the first time the character had graced a movie screen in 23 years and were likely intrigued by the fact that Batman was getting a massive budget and full-bore studio treatment. But the resulting film was odd in a way that wouldn't necessarily appeal to audiences today. Burton modeled the visuals of "Batman" after angular, shadow-filled German expressionist films like "The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari," and cribbed its tone from bleak, nihilistic film noir pictures. The message of film noir is that there are no more heroes and morality is dead, and Burton had the temerity to drop a superhero into the middle of it.
What's more, "Batman" was strikingly violent. Characters bled. One character was electrocuted into a charred skeleton. The...
What's more, "Batman" was strikingly violent. Characters bled. One character was electrocuted into a charred skeleton. The...
- 3/16/2023
- by Witney Seibold
- Slash Film
If I were an ambitious producer of horror films, like Jason Blum, the first thing I would do this year is to offer a deal to Kyle Edward Ball, the writer-director of “Skinamarink.” But it would be a special kind of deal — comparable, in its way, to the one Mel Brooks struck with David Lynch to direct “The Elephant Man,” after Brooks had seen and loved “Eraserhead.”
“Skinamarink” isn’t like other horror films. Made for $15,000, it’s a hushed and nearly plotless experimental creep-out — a movie with barely any people in it (though a couple of child actors hover on the margins), one that consists mostly of static images shot inside a nondescript house at what looks like 3:00 a.m. The film will open on Jan. 13 at selected megaplexes, and that’s the right place for it; you want to experience it with an audience, kind of like a séance.
“Skinamarink” isn’t like other horror films. Made for $15,000, it’s a hushed and nearly plotless experimental creep-out — a movie with barely any people in it (though a couple of child actors hover on the margins), one that consists mostly of static images shot inside a nondescript house at what looks like 3:00 a.m. The film will open on Jan. 13 at selected megaplexes, and that’s the right place for it; you want to experience it with an audience, kind of like a séance.
- 1/10/2023
- by Owen Gleiberman
- Variety Film + TV
Every decade — on the "twos" for some reason — Sight and Sound releases what may very well be the definitive list of the greatest movies ever made.
The organization asks film critics and filmmakers from all over the world, people who really know their stuff, to present their own lists of the ten greatest motion pictures in history. Those lists are tabulated and spun out into a mighty Top 100, giving movie lovers a chance to learn about a lot of amazing movies and consider the impact that history and cultural shifts in our collective opinions about movies have over time.
And as usual, we learned that critics and filmmakers over the world don't seem to like horror very much.
There are a handful of scary films on the Sight and Sound poll in 2022, but most are squarely in the realm of arthouse cinema, and could also be classified as dramas or...
The organization asks film critics and filmmakers from all over the world, people who really know their stuff, to present their own lists of the ten greatest motion pictures in history. Those lists are tabulated and spun out into a mighty Top 100, giving movie lovers a chance to learn about a lot of amazing movies and consider the impact that history and cultural shifts in our collective opinions about movies have over time.
And as usual, we learned that critics and filmmakers over the world don't seem to like horror very much.
There are a handful of scary films on the Sight and Sound poll in 2022, but most are squarely in the realm of arthouse cinema, and could also be classified as dramas or...
- 12/2/2022
- by William Bibbiani
- Slash Film
Nicolas Cage plays Dracula in the upcoming Universal Monsters movie Renfield, which is set to reach theatres on April 14, 2023, and he has said that the voice he used for the character is a mixture of a Mid-Atlantic accent with some Sir Christopher Lee and a bit of Anne Bancroft. The film’s director Chris McKay (The Tomorrow War) has reiterated that Anne Bancroft was a source of inspiration in a new interview with Empire magazine (with thanks to Syfy Wire for the transcription). McKay told Empire that he and Cage “talked a lot about silent acting. Things like The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, making shapes with his body. You’re gonna see allusions to Nosferatu, all the way to Anne Bancroft in The Graduate.” McKay said that this modern story, which presents Dracula as a “shitty boss” to the titular character, is “far away from what you would typically think...
- 11/29/2022
- by Cody Hamman
- JoBlo.com
The horror genre can feel overwhelming for some — it’s full of classics, sure, but also schlock-fests, perfectly average genre exercises and, frankly, more than a few extremely bad knock-offs. But if you’re looking to catch up the essential horror bona fides, we’ve got you covered. Below, we’ve put together a list of 25 horror classics that every serious film fan should see, providing a wide range of influential films from 1920 all the way up to 2017.
This is by no means a complete list — there are so many more great horror films to check out. But if you want an entry point to the best of the best, start here.
“The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari” (1920) Decla-Film
Robert Weine’s “The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari” has been touted as the first true horror film that helped to shape the horror and film noir genre through its dark visual style.
This is by no means a complete list — there are so many more great horror films to check out. But if you want an entry point to the best of the best, start here.
“The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari” (1920) Decla-Film
Robert Weine’s “The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari” has been touted as the first true horror film that helped to shape the horror and film noir genre through its dark visual style.
- 10/28/2022
- by Loree Seitz, Harper Lambert, Haleigh Foutch and Adam Chitwood
- The Wrap
XYZ Films has picked up the U.S. distribution rights to director Steven Lamorte’s horror film The Mean One, a “violent slasher parody” that draws clear inspiration from the Dr. Seuss classic How the Grinch Stole Christmas! XYZ has an interesting release strategy in mind for the film as well: they’re going to release it for free online on December 15th.
David Howard Thornton, who plays Art the Clown in the Terrifier movies (see today’s exclusive clip from Terrifier 2 Here), takes on the role of the Grinch-like title character in The Mean One,
a hairy, green-skinned grump in a Santa suit, living on a mountain high above the festive small town of Frazier Park, despising the holiday season. Young Cindy You-Know-Who, whose parents were butchered by The Mean One twenty Christmases earlier, is returning to town to seek closure.
Thornton is joined in the cast...
David Howard Thornton, who plays Art the Clown in the Terrifier movies (see today’s exclusive clip from Terrifier 2 Here), takes on the role of the Grinch-like title character in The Mean One,
a hairy, green-skinned grump in a Santa suit, living on a mountain high above the festive small town of Frazier Park, despising the holiday season. Young Cindy You-Know-Who, whose parents were butchered by The Mean One twenty Christmases earlier, is returning to town to seek closure.
Thornton is joined in the cast...
- 10/13/2022
- by Cody Hamman
- JoBlo.com
There's nothing quite like the messiness surrounding Todd Phillips "Joker." Is it the "Taxi Driver" of our generation, offering a nuanced look at trauma and mental illness, maybe a cautionary tale of who we praise? Is it a cheap knock-off that misses the point entirely? No matter how innocently you ask, you're sure to get an outpour of passionate answers (to put things mildly).
While we don't know too much about "Joker: Folie à Deux," the forthcoming sequel, things are shaping up to be just as chaotic. Despite the first movie's somberness, the sequel will apparently be a musical set primarily in the Arkham Asylum (here's to hoping that Phillips takes inspiration from "The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari" this time around). But it wasn't the film's content that inspired "Harry Potter" franchise co-star Brendan Gleeson, to join the sequel's cast. Despite the cold apathy of "Joker," the "Tragedy of Macbeth...
While we don't know too much about "Joker: Folie à Deux," the forthcoming sequel, things are shaping up to be just as chaotic. Despite the first movie's somberness, the sequel will apparently be a musical set primarily in the Arkham Asylum (here's to hoping that Phillips takes inspiration from "The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari" this time around). But it wasn't the film's content that inspired "Harry Potter" franchise co-star Brendan Gleeson, to join the sequel's cast. Despite the cold apathy of "Joker," the "Tragedy of Macbeth...
- 10/12/2022
- by Demetra Nikolakakis
- Slash Film
Click here to read the full article.
Paramount’s Smile, in theaters Sept. 30, is the latest fright flick to benefit from a sinister grin. But the granddaddy of all scary smile films dates back to 1928, when Universal Pictures released The Man Who Laughs, an adaptation of the 1869 Victor Hugo novel.
The studio had success with another Hugo novel, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, which it had adapted into a Lon Chaney showcase in 1923. Chaney would physically transform once again into a deformed gothic antihero — this time, Gwynplaine, a nobleman’s son who is hideously disfigured when the king orders a permanent smile carved into his face. But the project was sidelined because of a rights issue, and Chaney instead made 1925’s The Phantom of the Opera, based on the 1910 Gaston Leroux novel. That film was a hit, too, so Universal chief Carl Laemmle resurrected Laughs for its next “super-production.”
To direct,...
Paramount’s Smile, in theaters Sept. 30, is the latest fright flick to benefit from a sinister grin. But the granddaddy of all scary smile films dates back to 1928, when Universal Pictures released The Man Who Laughs, an adaptation of the 1869 Victor Hugo novel.
The studio had success with another Hugo novel, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, which it had adapted into a Lon Chaney showcase in 1923. Chaney would physically transform once again into a deformed gothic antihero — this time, Gwynplaine, a nobleman’s son who is hideously disfigured when the king orders a permanent smile carved into his face. But the project was sidelined because of a rights issue, and Chaney instead made 1925’s The Phantom of the Opera, based on the 1910 Gaston Leroux novel. That film was a hit, too, so Universal chief Carl Laemmle resurrected Laughs for its next “super-production.”
To direct,...
- 9/30/2022
- by Seth Abramovitch
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
(Welcome to The Daily Stream, an ongoing series in which the /Film team shares what they've been watching, why it's worth checking out, and where you can stream it.)
The Movie: "The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari"
Where You Can Stream It: Shudder/AMC+
The Pitch: A man recounts the story of how a sleepwalker controlled by a mad doctor carried out murders in his village in this creepy 1920 classic.
German silent films: they've stood the test of time. Written by Hans Janowitz and Carl Mayer and directed by Robert Weine, "The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari" predates "Nosferatu" by two years and is one of the earliest works of German Expressionist cinema. Film critic Roger Ebert, spotlighting it as one of his "Great Movie" picks in 2009, wrote, "A case can be made that 'Caligari' was the first true horror film."
Told mostly in flashback, this 77-minute story unfolds like a demented dream,...
The Movie: "The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari"
Where You Can Stream It: Shudder/AMC+
The Pitch: A man recounts the story of how a sleepwalker controlled by a mad doctor carried out murders in his village in this creepy 1920 classic.
German silent films: they've stood the test of time. Written by Hans Janowitz and Carl Mayer and directed by Robert Weine, "The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari" predates "Nosferatu" by two years and is one of the earliest works of German Expressionist cinema. Film critic Roger Ebert, spotlighting it as one of his "Great Movie" picks in 2009, wrote, "A case can be made that 'Caligari' was the first true horror film."
Told mostly in flashback, this 77-minute story unfolds like a demented dream,...
- 9/27/2022
- by Joshua Meyer
- Slash Film
Daniel Roebuck has come a long way from his days playing a private investigator on "Matlock," where he acted opposite '60s sitcom legend Andy Griffith. In Rob Zombie's "The Munsters," Roebuck has donned vampire makeup to play another character from a '60s sitcom: namely, The Count, also known within the franchise as Count Sam Dracula or just "Grandpa." It's a role Roebuck inherited from Al Lewis and it's one that sees him promoting a movie that was already drawing mixed reviews even before its release, based on the lighting and editing of its trailers.
In a forthcoming interview with /Film's Jeff Ewing, Roebuck reveals that he has been reading the newspaper at the breakfast table like Grandpa, or perhaps just hearing some impertinent online anti-Munsters chatter. Roebuck defends "The Munsters" against the Rob Zombie "haters," saying:
"The elephant in the room is there's a lot of haters out there.
In a forthcoming interview with /Film's Jeff Ewing, Roebuck reveals that he has been reading the newspaper at the breakfast table like Grandpa, or perhaps just hearing some impertinent online anti-Munsters chatter. Roebuck defends "The Munsters" against the Rob Zombie "haters," saying:
"The elephant in the room is there's a lot of haters out there.
- 9/27/2022
- by Joshua Meyer
- Slash Film
Horror — and horror-adjacent films — have a big "it was all in their head!" problem. To be fair, this isn't a new trend — the 1920 silent classic "The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari" uses this idea with now-iconic results. But I feel like more and more filmmakers are leaning back on this when they attempt to make a genre pic. I don't mean to say they're all making movies where everything is a hallucination, but it seems more often than not that when a filmmaker wants to give us something scary or disturbing, they simply shoe-horn in a dream and/or fantasy sequence and call it a day. And it really feels lazy.
Mercedes Bryce Morgan's "Fixation" takes this to the extreme, dropping us into a story where nothing can be trusted. Is it all a dream? A nightmare? A very elaborate show? You'll have to watch to find out — but will...
Mercedes Bryce Morgan's "Fixation" takes this to the extreme, dropping us into a story where nothing can be trusted. Is it all a dream? A nightmare? A very elaborate show? You'll have to watch to find out — but will...
- 9/16/2022
- by Chris Evangelista
- Slash Film
In the marketing for the notorious 1981 horror film "The Evil Dead," director Sam Raimi skewed happily away from modesty, describing his film as "The ultimate experience in grueling terror." As there would be two sequels, it proved to be the antepenultimate experience in grueling terror.
Given the size and power of the cult behind it, it seems almost churlish to put a film like "Evil Dead II" (called "Evil Dead 2: Dead By Dawn" on the posters) into an introductory context. "Evil Dead II" remains one of the finest horror comedies cinema has yet offered, presenting extreme horror visuals with the slapstick timing of Buster Keaton or the Three Stooges. "Evil Dead II" has long been standard viewing for any ninth grade would-be horror fanatic, eager to chuckle at death, and persists at midnight screenings the world over.
Raimi and his crew famously made the "Evil Dead" movies on the cheap.
Given the size and power of the cult behind it, it seems almost churlish to put a film like "Evil Dead II" (called "Evil Dead 2: Dead By Dawn" on the posters) into an introductory context. "Evil Dead II" remains one of the finest horror comedies cinema has yet offered, presenting extreme horror visuals with the slapstick timing of Buster Keaton or the Three Stooges. "Evil Dead II" has long been standard viewing for any ninth grade would-be horror fanatic, eager to chuckle at death, and persists at midnight screenings the world over.
Raimi and his crew famously made the "Evil Dead" movies on the cheap.
- 8/21/2022
- by Witney Seibold
- Slash Film
"It isn't just the characters who have gone insane, but almost the environment itself." Can films from the early days of cinema still influence movies being made today? Of course they can! And they still do all the time. But this is still worth examining in closer detail. This video essay is from Thomas Flight, a popular YouTuber creating videos about cinema. It's titled "The Art Movement That Changed Film Forever", but it's really about German Expressionism - and how this cinema movement still influences films today. Obviously Flight was inpsired by the cinematography in Joel Coen's The Tragedy of Macbeth, and wanted to make this video about why it looks this way. He references three iconic films from the 1920s: The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, Nosferatu, and Metropolis; then goes on to connect how this distinct visual style is still evident in modern films from Blade Runner (both...
- 6/28/2022
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
“The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent” was already the most meta movie released this year, but one scene cut from the theatrical release took the concept much further. In director Tom Gormican’s comedy, star Nicolas Cage plays a fictionalized version of himself wrestling with a rough patch in his career, while being badgered by the imaginary “Nicky,” an abrasive manifestation of Cage’s younger self who mocks the actor for failing to achieve the greatness of his early days. In the original cut of the movie, Cage finally confronts his inner self in an ambitious black-and-white homage to “The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari.”
Cage has often cited the 1920 German Expressionist film as one of his favorites, and the opportunity to pay homage to its dream-like imagery was such a highlight of the experience that he continued to talk it up for the movie’s release, even though it didn’t make the final cut.
Cage has often cited the 1920 German Expressionist film as one of his favorites, and the opportunity to pay homage to its dream-like imagery was such a highlight of the experience that he continued to talk it up for the movie’s release, even though it didn’t make the final cut.
- 6/21/2022
- by Eric Kohn
- Indiewire
David Bowie unquestionably became a great rock star—the greatest ever, according to a tribute published by Rolling Stone after his death in 2016. Yet, it comes closer to the truth to call Bowie a “rock star,” the quotation marks suggesting that what Bowie created was a persona of the rock god, in much the same way that Cary Grant manufactured the quintessential image of the glamorous “movie star.”
This is not to take away from his genuine accomplishments as a singer, songwriter and musician—he couldn’t have forged such a compelling persona without those gifts. Bowie’s real project was making art, and rock music and performance are best understood as just some of his modes of artistic expression.
Brett Morgen’s documentary Moonage Daydream, which premiered in the Cannes Midnight Screenings section, does supreme justice to Bowie by presenting him above all as an artist intent on exploring not only popular music,...
This is not to take away from his genuine accomplishments as a singer, songwriter and musician—he couldn’t have forged such a compelling persona without those gifts. Bowie’s real project was making art, and rock music and performance are best understood as just some of his modes of artistic expression.
Brett Morgen’s documentary Moonage Daydream, which premiered in the Cannes Midnight Screenings section, does supreme justice to Bowie by presenting him above all as an artist intent on exploring not only popular music,...
- 5/24/2022
- by Matthew Carey
- Deadline Film + TV
As unhinged as its muse, The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent is a curious bit of fan service and perhaps a welcome evolution in the career of Nicolas Cage, who has been one of the more active leading men of late—an output that in some years stretches to six feature titles, some of which he’s served as a producer for. This film posits the theory that our man is broke, down on his luck, and in need of a comeback. Guided (or haunted) by Nicky––the clean-shaven younger version of himself that serves as the beast within––he finds himself seeking one massive hit to survive. He’s in troubled waters, divorcing wife Sally (Sharon Horgan), unable to relate to daughter Addy (Lily Sheen), and deep in debt from a lavish lifestyle. After a potential dream project that he pitches in grand Cagian fashion passes, his agent Richard...
- 3/14/2022
- by John Fink
- The Film Stage
Depending on your taste, the idea of Nicolas Cage playing himself either sounds like a self-indulgent disaster or the most fun you’ve had at a movie in years. Fortunately, even the most Cage-ambivalent will have to admit “The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent” is solidly the latter. The meta-comedy sees the fictional movie star Nic Cage working with the CIA to solve a political kidnapping by the Spanish mafia, all while having a cinephile bromance with a mega-fan played by Pedro Pascal. Though movie references and Cage quotes abound, there’s something for everyone in “The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent.” It’s .
Directed by Tom Gormican from a script he wrote with Kevin Etten, the zippy meta-comedy plays like a fan letter to Cage from someone who’s not only seen a lot of movies, but has good taste. Toggling between Hollywood insider comedy to spy thriller to bromance,...
Directed by Tom Gormican from a script he wrote with Kevin Etten, the zippy meta-comedy plays like a fan letter to Cage from someone who’s not only seen a lot of movies, but has good taste. Toggling between Hollywood insider comedy to spy thriller to bromance,...
- 3/13/2022
- by Jude Dry
- Indiewire
In “The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent,” Nicolas Cage plays Nicolas Cage, a conceit we get used to in a matter of seconds, even as it turns into a gift that keeps on giving. There’s a reason we get used to it so quickly: Movies with a meta dimension have been with us for years — movies like “The Player,” where Robert Altman cast a galaxy of Hollywood stars as their real-life selves, or “Being John Malkovich,” where John Malkovich played John Malkovich, or “Adaptation,” where Cage played Charlie Kaufman, the screenwriter of the film we happened to be watching. Unlike those movies, “The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent” isn’t a floridly ambitious pretzel-logic art film. , which turns out to be both a cheesy thing and a special thing.
Tom Gormican, the director and co-writer of “Unbearable Weight,” knows all too well that when it comes to Nicolas Cage,...
Tom Gormican, the director and co-writer of “Unbearable Weight,” knows all too well that when it comes to Nicolas Cage,...
- 3/13/2022
- by Owen Gleiberman
- Variety Film + TV
Watching the new action comedy The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent, in which Nicolas Cage plays a fictionalized version of, well, Nicolas Cage, I kept thinking that if director Tom Gormican didn’t get him to agree to do this film, which depends on audience recognition of a genuine action star, he could have easily gone to Mel Gibson or Bruce Willis. They would have been fine fulfilling the amusing premise, but Cage, as he usually does, goes all out, even over the top at times, and gives this the kind of sharp edge only he can. It also helps, since this is basically a comedy, that Cage’s manic timing really works in making the best lines in Gormican and co-writer Kevin Etten’s script work, especially the inside industry jokes peppered throughout.
This of course is an exaggeration of Cage’s life and career,...
This of course is an exaggeration of Cage’s life and career,...
- 3/13/2022
- by Pete Hammond
- Deadline Film + TV
“What a lucky clown you are! You don’t have to wipe off your laugh.”
The Arkadin Cinema, a local independent theater scheduled to open soon, is hosting an film series that takes place in the back lot at The Heavy Anchor (5226 Gravois Ave in St. Louis). Conrad Veidt in The Man Who Laughs (1928) screens Wednesday March 9th. Showtime is 8:00. The Man Who Laughs is presented by Silents, Please Stl, a local group that aims to promote and preserve the art of silent filmmaking from the early 20th Century through community programming and education. Enter through the front of The Heavy Anchor. Admission is $10 and can be purchased in advance Here. Bring your own chair. First come, first served. Seating is limited. Food and drinks and available there at The Heavy Anchor. This is a 21+ event, so leave the kids home. A Facebook invite for the event can be found Here.
The Arkadin Cinema, a local independent theater scheduled to open soon, is hosting an film series that takes place in the back lot at The Heavy Anchor (5226 Gravois Ave in St. Louis). Conrad Veidt in The Man Who Laughs (1928) screens Wednesday March 9th. Showtime is 8:00. The Man Who Laughs is presented by Silents, Please Stl, a local group that aims to promote and preserve the art of silent filmmaking from the early 20th Century through community programming and education. Enter through the front of The Heavy Anchor. Admission is $10 and can be purchased in advance Here. Bring your own chair. First come, first served. Seating is limited. Food and drinks and available there at The Heavy Anchor. This is a 21+ event, so leave the kids home. A Facebook invite for the event can be found Here.
- 3/3/2022
- by Tom Stockman
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Kenneth Wannberg, composer and Emmy-winning music editor who worked on nearly half of all John Williams’ films dating back to the late 1960s, died Jan. 27 at his home in Florence, Oregon. He was 91.
Wannberg was best known as Williams’ music editor, working closely with the composer on more than 50 of his films. He assisted Williams throughout the scoring process, from providing detailed descriptions of sequences to be scored to more technical aspects such as trimming or modifying music during the last stages of post-production.
He music-edited the first six “Star Wars” films, the first three “Indiana Jones” films and such other landmark Williams scores as “Close Encounters of the Third Kind,” “Jurassic Park,” “Schindler’s List” and “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone.”
During his 50-year career in films, Wannberg worked with many other composers including Bernard Herrmann (“Journey to the Center of the Earth”), Jerry Goldsmith (“The Mephisto Waltz”), Michael Convertino...
Wannberg was best known as Williams’ music editor, working closely with the composer on more than 50 of his films. He assisted Williams throughout the scoring process, from providing detailed descriptions of sequences to be scored to more technical aspects such as trimming or modifying music during the last stages of post-production.
He music-edited the first six “Star Wars” films, the first three “Indiana Jones” films and such other landmark Williams scores as “Close Encounters of the Third Kind,” “Jurassic Park,” “Schindler’s List” and “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone.”
During his 50-year career in films, Wannberg worked with many other composers including Bernard Herrmann (“Journey to the Center of the Earth”), Jerry Goldsmith (“The Mephisto Waltz”), Michael Convertino...
- 2/3/2022
- by Jon Burlingame
- Variety Film + TV
As a treatise on the relentless drive to secure power for the sheer purpose of seizing power, William Shakespeare’s play Macbeth is unequalled in its recognition of the effects of the evil that men do in pursuit of this power. Denzel Washington stars as Lord Macbeth in Joel Coen’s masterful adaption of the timeless tale of political ambition thought to have been first performed in 1606 that remains as poignant and illuminating today as ever.
Seeking power, Lord Macbeth (Denzel Washington) – along with the aid of his conniving wife (Frances McDormand) – sets a plan in motion to seize control of the Scottish throne through a murderous plot that eventually plunges its perpetrators into madness.
Working without his brother Ethan, director Joel Coen crafts a masterful adaptation of one of the greatest tragedies ever created. Working from his own script, Coen shoots the film in an exquisite black and white provided by Bruno Delbonnel cinematography.
Seeking power, Lord Macbeth (Denzel Washington) – along with the aid of his conniving wife (Frances McDormand) – sets a plan in motion to seize control of the Scottish throne through a murderous plot that eventually plunges its perpetrators into madness.
Working without his brother Ethan, director Joel Coen crafts a masterful adaptation of one of the greatest tragedies ever created. Working from his own script, Coen shoots the film in an exquisite black and white provided by Bruno Delbonnel cinematography.
- 1/14/2022
- by Mike Tyrkus
- CinemaNerdz
Nicolas Cage won the Oscar for his harrowing performance as a suicidal alcoholic in Mike Figgis’ 1995 “Leaving Las Vegas” and earned another nomination for his dual role in the Spike Jonze/Charlie Kaufman 2002 comedy “Adaptation.” Though he’s worked with such A directors as the Coen brothers “(Raising Arizona”); Norman Jewison (“Moonstruck”’); David Lynch (“Wild at Heart”); Ridley Scott (“Matchstick Men”); John Woo (“Face/Off”); and Martin Scorsese (“Bringing Out the Dead”), Cage has made a lot of bad movie choices in low-budget indies that squandered his unique talents. But the past three years there has been a Cage-aissance thanks to full-tilt boogie turn in the whacked out 2018 revenge thriller “Mandy” and his haunting portrayal of a reclusive truffle hunter in year’s “Pig.”
Written and director by first-time filmmaker Michael Sarnoski, “Pig” finds Cage playing Rob, a former renowned Portland chef who lives in the woods with his beloved pig.
Written and director by first-time filmmaker Michael Sarnoski, “Pig” finds Cage playing Rob, a former renowned Portland chef who lives in the woods with his beloved pig.
- 12/23/2021
- by Susan King
- Gold Derby
2021 poster for The Golem: How He Came into the World. Art by Johan Brosow.This gorgeous new poster for the 101 year old German expressionist silent film The Golem is the product of a lovely new endeavor by the Swedish distribution company NonStop Entertainment. In 2015 NonStop, perhaps the premier arthouse distributor in the Nordic region, launched a sister label, NonStop Timeless, to release their hundreds of repertory classics ranging from Dreyer to Lanthimos. Last year, in the early days of the pandemic, they decided to commission some of Sweden’s foremost artists, photographers, and designers to do their own take on a classic of their choice from the NonStop Timeless collection. The six artists selected chose seven films between them. The posters were printed in limited quantities on non-glossy paper in the Swedish cinema poster format of 70 x 100cm (very close to the US 27" x 40" standard) and were unveiled last week...
- 12/7/2021
- MUBI
The 29th edition of the EnergaCamerimage Film Festival, one of the world’s leading events dedicated to cinematography, returned to fully live status Saturday amid tributes to the power of the image and an homage to the life and work of cinematographer Philippe Rousselot.
The Dp for “A River Runs Through It” and “Dangerous Liaisons” commended his fellow cinematographers for work that transcends culture, border and languages.
Welcoming an audience made up of many of the most celebrated DPs working today, fest director Marek Zydowicz offered historical context at the Jordanki cultural center in the Gothic Polish city of Torun.
Pointing out that “after plagues come a renaissance in art,” he shared with the audience an image of the Beautiful Madonna of Torun, a revolutionary work of sculpture created amid the current of artistic expression that followed the plague of the 1300s.
And again, he told the audience, after the Spanish Flu of 1918 killed millions,...
The Dp for “A River Runs Through It” and “Dangerous Liaisons” commended his fellow cinematographers for work that transcends culture, border and languages.
Welcoming an audience made up of many of the most celebrated DPs working today, fest director Marek Zydowicz offered historical context at the Jordanki cultural center in the Gothic Polish city of Torun.
Pointing out that “after plagues come a renaissance in art,” he shared with the audience an image of the Beautiful Madonna of Torun, a revolutionary work of sculpture created amid the current of artistic expression that followed the plague of the 1300s.
And again, he told the audience, after the Spanish Flu of 1918 killed millions,...
- 11/14/2021
- by Will Tizard
- Variety Film + TV
Get in touch to send in cinephile news and discoveries. For daily updates follow us @NotebookMUBI.NEWSDario Argento's Dark GlassesFollowing his appearance in Gaspar Noé's Vortex, Dario Argento returns to directing with Dark Glasses, his first feature since Dracula 3D (2012). Starring Asia Argento and Andrea Zhang, the thriller follows a serial killer, a blind sex worker, and a 10-year-old Chinese boy in Rome's Chinese community. John Woo is also set to make a return to Hollywood with Silent Night, a "no dialogue" action film about a father (played by Joel Kinnaman) who seeks to avenge his son's death. Film Labs, a "worldwide network of artist-run film laboratories," now has a new website! The website includes more than 500 films made at artist-run film labs from Vancouver to South Korea, as well as technical resources and distribution information. Dancer, choreographer, theatrical director, and filmmaker Wakefield Poole has died. A pioneer of the gay pornography industry,...
- 11/3/2021
- MUBI
“Madame X,” the new Madonna concert film, opens with a montage of some of the pop superstar’s most legendary performances, music videos, and shock-theater provocations: the infamous moments from the MTV Video Music Awards, the transgressive S&m imagery and Gaultier fashion, the tabloid headlines like “What a Tramp” and “Madonna Has No Shame” (how quaint in the age of Instagram!), the on-cue outrage from the Catholic Church. The film closes with a montage of oppressed people and groups from around the world set to Madonna’s onstage performance of “I Rise,” a song about the powerless standing up to fight the power. The opening montage reminds you of the impassioned and sometimes scandalous effusiveness of Madonna in her heyday; each clip gives off a buzz. The final montage is earnest to a fault, and the song, while working overtime to be an anthem, is serviceable and far from ecstatic.
- 10/8/2021
- by Owen Gleiberman
- Variety Film + TV
It was a bold move for Stefan Ruzowitzky (“The Counterfeiters” among many others) to conceive of a gritty Expressionist detective-thriller set in the aftermath of World War I, shot almost entirely on blue screen. Whether it’s also fully successful is open for debate. Thematically, the idea was to tackle the impotent rage of the Austro-Hungarian patriarchy whose fanatical belief in Emperor and Empire went up in smoke when the Armistice brushed aside the monarchy and reduced the territory to a state of near insignificance. With this context, the film foregrounds the story of a traumatized lieutenant returning to his duties as police inspector in Vienna just when an especially sadistic murderer is killing his former comrades.
Given all these elements, it’s not such a leap to envision a reawakening of Expressionism, at its cinematic height in 1919-1920, as an appropriate visual style. Ruzowitzky however isn’t content with its hermetic,...
Given all these elements, it’s not such a leap to envision a reawakening of Expressionism, at its cinematic height in 1919-1920, as an appropriate visual style. Ruzowitzky however isn’t content with its hermetic,...
- 8/9/2021
- by Jay Weissberg
- Variety Film + TV
Stefan Ruzowitzky, who won an Oscar for “The Counterfeiters,” is at the Locarno Film Festival on Friday for the world premiere in the iconic Piazza Grande venue of his crime thriller “Hinterland.” He speaks to Variety about the film, which Beta Cinema is selling worldwide.
“Hinterland” centers on a former Austrian prisoner of war, Peter Perg, who returns home to Vienna in 1920. Everything has changed. The once mighty Austro-Hungarian Empire has crumbled, the imperial dynasty has been replaced by a republic, and myriad artistic, political and intellectual movements are questioning the old certainties. When a serial killer starts to pick off military veterans, Perg, a former detective, is brought in to investigate.
“Hinterland” was shot almost exclusively on blue screen, with the background depicting a distorted vision of Vienna inspired by Expressionist classic “The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari,” reflecting Perg’s jaundiced view of Austrian society. Ruzowitzky comments: “In these...
“Hinterland” centers on a former Austrian prisoner of war, Peter Perg, who returns home to Vienna in 1920. Everything has changed. The once mighty Austro-Hungarian Empire has crumbled, the imperial dynasty has been replaced by a republic, and myriad artistic, political and intellectual movements are questioning the old certainties. When a serial killer starts to pick off military veterans, Perg, a former detective, is brought in to investigate.
“Hinterland” was shot almost exclusively on blue screen, with the background depicting a distorted vision of Vienna inspired by Expressionist classic “The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari,” reflecting Perg’s jaundiced view of Austrian society. Ruzowitzky comments: “In these...
- 8/6/2021
- by Leo Barraclough
- Variety Film + TV
Masterclasses and special awards for Stephen Sayadian, Phil Tippett, Shunji Iwai.
Takashi Miike’s The Great Yokai War – Guardians will close Fantasia International Film Festival (August 5-25), which festival heads have turned into a hybrid event after adding a limited roster of in-person screenings in Montreal.
Japanese horror specialist Miike’s sequel to his family fantasy epic and Fantasia 2006 opener The Great Yokai War gets its international premiere and centres on a battle between Japanese monsters that will determine the fate of the world.
Paul Andrew Williams’s (London To Brighton) UK crime thriller Bull is among world premieres in...
Takashi Miike’s The Great Yokai War – Guardians will close Fantasia International Film Festival (August 5-25), which festival heads have turned into a hybrid event after adding a limited roster of in-person screenings in Montreal.
Japanese horror specialist Miike’s sequel to his family fantasy epic and Fantasia 2006 opener The Great Yokai War gets its international premiere and centres on a battle between Japanese monsters that will determine the fate of the world.
Paul Andrew Williams’s (London To Brighton) UK crime thriller Bull is among world premieres in...
- 7/21/2021
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
Bones star Emily Deschanel discusses a few of her favorite films with hosts Josh Olson and Joe Dante.
Show Notes: Movies Referenced In This Episode
The Shining (1980) – Adam Rifkin’s trailer commentary
Dumb And Dumber (1994)
Dude, Where’s My Car? (2000)
This Is Spinal Tap (1984) – John Landis’s trailer commentary
Crusoe (1988)
Watership Down (1978)
Gandhi (1982)
Small Soldiers (1998)
Waiting For Guffman (1996)
Best In Show (2000) – Allan Arkush’s trailer commentary
Vertigo (1958) – Dan Ireland’s trailer commentary, Glenn Erickson’s Blu-ray review,
Marnie (1964) – Dan Irleand’s trailer commentary, Larry Cohen’s trailer commentary, Randy Fuller’s wine pairing recommendation
La Femme Nikita (1991)
Psycho (1960) – John Landis’s trailer commentary, Glenn Erickson’s Blu-ray review, Randy Fuller’s wine pairing recommendation
Psycho (1998) – Ti West’s trailer commentary
Citizen Kane (1941) – John Landis’s trailer commentary
Rear Window (1954) – Glenn Erickson’s Blu-ray review
Topaz (1969)
Foreign Correspondent (1940) – Larry Cohen’s trailer commentary
North By Northwest (1959)
Notorious (1946) – John Landis’s trailer commentary,...
Show Notes: Movies Referenced In This Episode
The Shining (1980) – Adam Rifkin’s trailer commentary
Dumb And Dumber (1994)
Dude, Where’s My Car? (2000)
This Is Spinal Tap (1984) – John Landis’s trailer commentary
Crusoe (1988)
Watership Down (1978)
Gandhi (1982)
Small Soldiers (1998)
Waiting For Guffman (1996)
Best In Show (2000) – Allan Arkush’s trailer commentary
Vertigo (1958) – Dan Ireland’s trailer commentary, Glenn Erickson’s Blu-ray review,
Marnie (1964) – Dan Irleand’s trailer commentary, Larry Cohen’s trailer commentary, Randy Fuller’s wine pairing recommendation
La Femme Nikita (1991)
Psycho (1960) – John Landis’s trailer commentary, Glenn Erickson’s Blu-ray review, Randy Fuller’s wine pairing recommendation
Psycho (1998) – Ti West’s trailer commentary
Citizen Kane (1941) – John Landis’s trailer commentary
Rear Window (1954) – Glenn Erickson’s Blu-ray review
Topaz (1969)
Foreign Correspondent (1940) – Larry Cohen’s trailer commentary
North By Northwest (1959)
Notorious (1946) – John Landis’s trailer commentary,...
- 7/20/2021
- by Kris Millsap
- Trailers from Hell
The legendary punk god joins us to talk about movies he finds unforgettable. Special appearance by his cat, Moon Unit.
Show Notes: Movies Referenced In This Episode
Tapeheads (1988)
Rock ‘n’ Roll High School (1979) – Eli Roth’s trailer commentary
A Face In The Crowd (1957) – Josh Olson’s trailer commentary, Glenn Erickson’s Blu-ray review
Meet John Doe (1941)
Bob Roberts (1992)
Bachelor Party (1984)
Dangerously Close (1986)
Videodrome (1983) – Mick Garris’s trailer commentary
F/X (1986)
Hot Rods To Hell (1967)
Riot On Sunset Strip (1967)
While The City Sleeps (1956) – Glenn Erickson’s trailer commentary
Leaving Las Vegas (1995)
It’s A Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World (1963) – John Landis’s trailer commentary
Spider-Man (2002)
The Killing (1956) – Michael Lehmann’s trailer commentary
Serpent’s Egg (1977)
The Thin Man (1934)
Meet Nero Wolfe (1936)
The Hidden Eye (1945)
Eyes In The Night (1942)
Sudden Impact (1983) – Alan Spencer’s trailer commentary
Red Dawn (1984)
Warlock (1989)
The Dead Zone (1983) – Mick Garris’s trailer commentary
Secret Honor (1984)
The Player (1992) – Allan Arkush’s trailer commentary,...
Show Notes: Movies Referenced In This Episode
Tapeheads (1988)
Rock ‘n’ Roll High School (1979) – Eli Roth’s trailer commentary
A Face In The Crowd (1957) – Josh Olson’s trailer commentary, Glenn Erickson’s Blu-ray review
Meet John Doe (1941)
Bob Roberts (1992)
Bachelor Party (1984)
Dangerously Close (1986)
Videodrome (1983) – Mick Garris’s trailer commentary
F/X (1986)
Hot Rods To Hell (1967)
Riot On Sunset Strip (1967)
While The City Sleeps (1956) – Glenn Erickson’s trailer commentary
Leaving Las Vegas (1995)
It’s A Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World (1963) – John Landis’s trailer commentary
Spider-Man (2002)
The Killing (1956) – Michael Lehmann’s trailer commentary
Serpent’s Egg (1977)
The Thin Man (1934)
Meet Nero Wolfe (1936)
The Hidden Eye (1945)
Eyes In The Night (1942)
Sudden Impact (1983) – Alan Spencer’s trailer commentary
Red Dawn (1984)
Warlock (1989)
The Dead Zone (1983) – Mick Garris’s trailer commentary
Secret Honor (1984)
The Player (1992) – Allan Arkush’s trailer commentary,...
- 6/22/2021
- by Kris Millsap
- Trailers from Hell
Get in touch to send in cinephile news and discoveries. For daily updates follow us @NotebookMUBI.NEWSFilmmaker Bertrand Mandico has illustrated the 70th anniversary cover of Cahier du Cinéma, entitled "Gloria, angel of the history of the cinema." The Museum of Modern Art and Film at Lincoln Center have announced the lineup for the 50th edition of New Directors/New Films. Screenings will take place from April 28-May 8 through the MoMA and Flc virtual cinemas, and in-person screenings at Flc through May 13. The lineup of 27 features and 11 shorts includes Theo Anthony's All Light, Everywhere, Andreas Fontana's Azor, Alice Diop's We (Nous), and Jane Schoenbrun's We’re All Going to the World’s Fair. Recommended VIEWINGAnother Gaze's free streaming project, Another Screen, has announced two new programmes: Hands Tied, about hands, and Eating the Other, about gendered notions of eating. The first official trailer for Mamoru Hosoda's Belle, which...
- 4/6/2021
- MUBI
As Disney quietly disappears huge swathes of film history into its vaults, I've spent 2020 celebrating Twentieth Century Fox and the Fox Film Corporation's films, what one might call their output if only someone were putting it out. This is the final Forgotten By Fox entry."Have you ever seen any of your victims?" Robert Shaw is asked mid-way through End of the Game (1975), a line borrowed from The Third Man (1949). This I take to be author Friedrich Dürrenmatt's revenge, on behalf of his native Switzerland, for Orson Welles' celebrated crack about the cuckoo clock in Carol Reed's thriller, which appeared just before he wrote the book this film is based on.End of the Game is adapted from Dürrenmatt's 1950 novel The Judge and His Hangman by the author himself and Maximilian Schell, who also directs, inventively if a little inconsistently. Some scenes have the correct tragic force...
- 12/22/2020
- MUBI
As Disney quietly disappears huge swathes of film history into its vaults, I'm going to spend 2020 celebrating Twentieth Century Fox and the Fox Film Corporation's films, what one might call their output if only someone were putting it out.***As the great studios declined like mammoths sinking into tar pits, the films they produced started bifurcating: there were the stodgy, prestige pictures, like Cleopatra (1963) (which nearly sank Fox into the bitumen altogether), and there were trashy low-budget affairs farmed out to bottom-feeding indie producers, the sixties equivalent of the B pictures of yore. These were often more enjoyable than the respectable productions, even when they really were trash.Lauren Bacall counted Shock Treatment (1964) as the worst film of her career, and apart from her tendency to underrate Written on the Wind (1956), she had pretty sound judgement. Director Denis Sanders was among the first film school graduates to make films...
- 11/12/2020
- MUBI
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