Hermann Vaske with 99 Records founder Ed Bahlman and Anne-Katrin Titze on the journey to interview Cate Blanchett for Can Creativity Save the World?: “It started when Cate was shooting The Monuments Men [in 2013] in Berlin with George Clooney. And the Dp was a friend of mine, Phedon Papamichael who works with James Mangold.”
Hermann Vaske’s evermore timely Can Creativity Save The World? (with a lively score by Mark Reeder and Micha Adam) features on-camera interviews with Cate Blanchett, Golshifteh Farahani, Isabella Rossellini, Angelina Jolie, Willem Dafoe, Umberto Eco, Shirin Neshat, Garry Kasparov, Marina Abramović, John Cleese, Salman Rushdie, Luisa Neubauer (of Pussy Riot), Bono (of U2), Oscar Niemeyer, David Bowie, Marlene Knobloch, Sean Penn, Radu Jude, Amos Oz, Christo and Jeanne-Claude, Oliviero Toscani, Björk, Campino (of Die Toten Hosen fame), Ernst Ulrich von Weizsäcker, Lakshmi Thevasagayam, and Lia Mizrahi Goldfarb (co-editor and production designer of the documentary).
Hermann...
Hermann Vaske’s evermore timely Can Creativity Save The World? (with a lively score by Mark Reeder and Micha Adam) features on-camera interviews with Cate Blanchett, Golshifteh Farahani, Isabella Rossellini, Angelina Jolie, Willem Dafoe, Umberto Eco, Shirin Neshat, Garry Kasparov, Marina Abramović, John Cleese, Salman Rushdie, Luisa Neubauer (of Pussy Riot), Bono (of U2), Oscar Niemeyer, David Bowie, Marlene Knobloch, Sean Penn, Radu Jude, Amos Oz, Christo and Jeanne-Claude, Oliviero Toscani, Björk, Campino (of Die Toten Hosen fame), Ernst Ulrich von Weizsäcker, Lakshmi Thevasagayam, and Lia Mizrahi Goldfarb (co-editor and production designer of the documentary).
Hermann...
- 4/17/2024
- by Anne-Katrin Titze
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
Film Adaptation of J.K. Rowling Children’s Book ‘The Christmas Pig’ in Early Development (Exclusive)
J.K. Rowling’s bestselling children’s book “The Christmas Pig” is set to get a film adaptation.
Variety understands the project is in a very early stage of development in-house and a production company has not yet been attached.
Rowling’s production company Bronte already produces the BBC/HBO adaptation of her adult detective series “Cormoran Strike.”
“The Christmas Pig” was first published in 2021 with illustrations by Jim Field. At the time of publication, Swift Films made a series of promotional videos for the project.
The book tells the story of a boy named Jack, who loses his childhood toy Dur Pig — nicknamed Dp — on Christmas Eve after his stepsister throws it out of the family car. Although Jack is offered a replacement called Christmas Pig as consolation, he misses his old faithful friend and casts Christmas Pig (abbreviated to Cp) aside.
To cheer Jack up, Cp proposes a plan to rescue his best toy.
Variety understands the project is in a very early stage of development in-house and a production company has not yet been attached.
Rowling’s production company Bronte already produces the BBC/HBO adaptation of her adult detective series “Cormoran Strike.”
“The Christmas Pig” was first published in 2021 with illustrations by Jim Field. At the time of publication, Swift Films made a series of promotional videos for the project.
The book tells the story of a boy named Jack, who loses his childhood toy Dur Pig — nicknamed Dp — on Christmas Eve after his stepsister throws it out of the family car. Although Jack is offered a replacement called Christmas Pig as consolation, he misses his old faithful friend and casts Christmas Pig (abbreviated to Cp) aside.
To cheer Jack up, Cp proposes a plan to rescue his best toy.
- 4/16/2024
- by K.J. Yossman
- Variety Film + TV
Bharti Singh Earned Phenomenally From The Kapil Sharma Show! ( Photo Credit – YouTube )
There was a time when TV and films used to have a huge gap. In fact, the stars on television were paid peanuts when compared to the big stars on the silver screen. However, slowly and gradually, this gap has started to grow smaller, with celebrities like Bharti Singh earning moolah from their talent. The comedian was a part of The Kapil Sharma Show and churned out a fat paycheck from the show.
The comedy show, which used to air on Sony TV is all set for a comeback under the name The Great Indian Kapil Show. However, this time, Bharti is not a part of the team since she might be under a contract with Sony to host Dance Deewane.
Bharti Singh was a part of four seasons of The Kapil Sharma Show, and her reported salary...
There was a time when TV and films used to have a huge gap. In fact, the stars on television were paid peanuts when compared to the big stars on the silver screen. However, slowly and gradually, this gap has started to grow smaller, with celebrities like Bharti Singh earning moolah from their talent. The comedian was a part of The Kapil Sharma Show and churned out a fat paycheck from the show.
The comedy show, which used to air on Sony TV is all set for a comeback under the name The Great Indian Kapil Show. However, this time, Bharti is not a part of the team since she might be under a contract with Sony to host Dance Deewane.
Bharti Singh was a part of four seasons of The Kapil Sharma Show, and her reported salary...
- 3/25/2024
- by Trisha Gaur
- KoiMoi
Between 1979 and 1983, 117 violent and gritty social realist pictures were produced in Taiwan, which eventually came to be known as Taiwan Black Movies. One of the most iconic is definitely “The Lady Avenger”, both because it is an exploitation movie directed by a woman, but also because it uses exploitation as a medium in order to make realistic social comments.
Follow our tribute to Taiwanese by clicking on the image below
Kai-ling is a model who, as the movie begins, is shooting a commercial for cosmetics, which includes, though, her being chased by men in a field before she falls down and desperately tries to reach the said product. After shooting the scene numerous times, she has a fight with the director and leaves the scene, but since she is in the middle of nowhere, she has to hitchhike her way home. She is picked up by Li, who ends up raping her.
Follow our tribute to Taiwanese by clicking on the image below
Kai-ling is a model who, as the movie begins, is shooting a commercial for cosmetics, which includes, though, her being chased by men in a field before she falls down and desperately tries to reach the said product. After shooting the scene numerous times, she has a fight with the director and leaves the scene, but since she is in the middle of nowhere, she has to hitchhike her way home. She is picked up by Li, who ends up raping her.
- 3/22/2024
- by Panos Kotzathanasis
- AsianMoviePulse
Virat Kohli-Anushka Sharma, Deepika Padukone-Ranveer Singh & Other Bollywood Couples Have Spent Crores On Their Wedding (Photo Credit – Instagram)
Anant Ambani & Radhika Merchant are spending a whopping 1000 crore on their pre-wedding festivities in Jamnagar. And people are already guessing that Ambanis would splurge the same amount for their wedding as well. This takes their wedding total to somewhere close to 2000 crore. That would make any head spin. However, while celebs cannot match this extravaganza for sure, they still spend fortunes on their weddings.
Right from Deepika Padukone & Ranveer Singh to Abhishek Bachchan & Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Bollywood celebrities have made heads turn with their extravagant weddings. While some opted for royal wedding destinations, others went for a traditional wedding, but the only thing common in these weddings.
So, we decided to do some research on how much the celebrities spent on their weddings to make it a gala...
Anant Ambani & Radhika Merchant are spending a whopping 1000 crore on their pre-wedding festivities in Jamnagar. And people are already guessing that Ambanis would splurge the same amount for their wedding as well. This takes their wedding total to somewhere close to 2000 crore. That would make any head spin. However, while celebs cannot match this extravaganza for sure, they still spend fortunes on their weddings.
Right from Deepika Padukone & Ranveer Singh to Abhishek Bachchan & Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Bollywood celebrities have made heads turn with their extravagant weddings. While some opted for royal wedding destinations, others went for a traditional wedding, but the only thing common in these weddings.
So, we decided to do some research on how much the celebrities spent on their weddings to make it a gala...
- 3/3/2024
- by Trisha Gaur
- KoiMoi
Alia Bhatt, Shraddha Kapoor, Tripti Dimri Or Deepika Padukone – Which Filmy Diva Wins Hearts In Koimoi Audience Poll 2023 (Picture Credit: IMDb & Youtube)
Koimoi Audience Poll 2023: The year 2023 was all about action, violence, bloodshed, and more. However, amidst the chest-thumping men were a few divas who were a breath of fresh air with their chiffon sarees, scintillating bodies, and enticing acts. We have entered 2024 with a lot of hopes and expectations from Bollywood films. However, we are more than happy to acknowledge the best of Bollywood from 2023.
Right from films to acts, from performances to technical highs, we have admired all the good that we saw, and we dissed all the bad we did not like. But now it is time to acknowledge the best of the lot.
We have shortlisted three nominees for the Best Diva of 2023 who made a mark amidst the crazy action extravaganzas that grabbed all the attention last year.
Koimoi Audience Poll 2023: The year 2023 was all about action, violence, bloodshed, and more. However, amidst the chest-thumping men were a few divas who were a breath of fresh air with their chiffon sarees, scintillating bodies, and enticing acts. We have entered 2024 with a lot of hopes and expectations from Bollywood films. However, we are more than happy to acknowledge the best of Bollywood from 2023.
Right from films to acts, from performances to technical highs, we have admired all the good that we saw, and we dissed all the bad we did not like. But now it is time to acknowledge the best of the lot.
We have shortlisted three nominees for the Best Diva of 2023 who made a mark amidst the crazy action extravaganzas that grabbed all the attention last year.
- 1/11/2024
- by Trisha Gaur
- KoiMoi
Most Anticipated Films of 2024: South Indian Films Dominate Bollywood Biggies Heavily ( Photo Credit – IMDb )
IMDb has released the list of the most anticipated films of 2024, and as expected, Hrithik Roshan & Deepika Padukone’s Fighter is ruling this list at number 1. Based on popularity, Siddharth Anand’s film, where the superstars play Indian Air Force Officers, is winning hearts, and people are excited to watch the film on January 25.
What makes Fighter interesting is Hrithik Roshan and Deepika Padukone’s fresh pairing, which has grabbed a lot of eyeballs already in the teaser and songs. The most interesting part of IMDb’s list is the ratio of Bollywood to South Indian films.
Despite Bollywood films finally beating the South Indian films at the box office in 2023, the excitement and buzz for South Indian films is currently higher than for Bollywood films. 11 South Indian films appear in the list of top...
IMDb has released the list of the most anticipated films of 2024, and as expected, Hrithik Roshan & Deepika Padukone’s Fighter is ruling this list at number 1. Based on popularity, Siddharth Anand’s film, where the superstars play Indian Air Force Officers, is winning hearts, and people are excited to watch the film on January 25.
What makes Fighter interesting is Hrithik Roshan and Deepika Padukone’s fresh pairing, which has grabbed a lot of eyeballs already in the teaser and songs. The most interesting part of IMDb’s list is the ratio of Bollywood to South Indian films.
Despite Bollywood films finally beating the South Indian films at the box office in 2023, the excitement and buzz for South Indian films is currently higher than for Bollywood films. 11 South Indian films appear in the list of top...
- 1/9/2024
- by Trisha Gaur
- KoiMoi
With the New Year upon us, it’s time for our annual tradition of looking at the cinematic horizon. Having highlighted 30 films we guarantee are worth seeing this year and those we hope get U.S. distribution, we now venture into the unknown. We dug deep to chart the 100 films we’re most looking forward to, from debuts to documentaries to the return of some of our most-beloved auteurs, along with a small batch of studio films worth giving attention.
Though the majority lack a set release––let alone a confirmed festival premiere––most have wrapped production and will likely debut at some point in 2024. Be sure to check back for updates over the next twelve months (and beyond).
100. Civil War (Alex Garland; April 26)
A storm brewed across social media with the trailer for Alex Garland’s Civil War. Garland, who last invigorated and disgusted audiences with Men, still boasts...
Though the majority lack a set release––let alone a confirmed festival premiere––most have wrapped production and will likely debut at some point in 2024. Be sure to check back for updates over the next twelve months (and beyond).
100. Civil War (Alex Garland; April 26)
A storm brewed across social media with the trailer for Alex Garland’s Civil War. Garland, who last invigorated and disgusted audiences with Men, still boasts...
- 1/8/2024
- by The Film Stage
- The Film Stage
‘The Movie Emperor’ Review: Andy Lau Plays Vain Version of Himself in Hong Kong Megastar Meta-Satire
In America, doing what Andy Lau does in Hong Kong film industry satire “The Movie Emperor” would likely net him an Oscar nomination. Or at least an MTV Movie Award. Or maybe just the admiration of his peers, considering how few stars are willing to poke fun at their own image, much less entertain the question of what might happen if their fans were to turn on them tomorrow.
Reteaming with “Crazy Stone” director Ning Hao for an ultra-polished, good-sport parody of A-list vanity, Lau plays Dany Lau — not quite himself, but a megastar of roughly his own stature. The movie is loaded with inside jokes, but like French series “Call My Agent,” it should have no trouble translating around the globe. Between Lau’s international standing — bolstered by roles in everything from “Infernal Affairs” to “A Simple Life,” plus a Cantopop singing career — and the script’s deft way...
Reteaming with “Crazy Stone” director Ning Hao for an ultra-polished, good-sport parody of A-list vanity, Lau plays Dany Lau — not quite himself, but a megastar of roughly his own stature. The movie is loaded with inside jokes, but like French series “Call My Agent,” it should have no trouble translating around the globe. Between Lau’s international standing — bolstered by roles in everything from “Infernal Affairs” to “A Simple Life,” plus a Cantopop singing career — and the script’s deft way...
- 10/21/2023
- by Peter Debruge
- Variety Film + TV
The EnergaCamerimage international cinematography film festival announced a trio of films that will join this year’s main competition lineup: El Conde, Filip and Ferrari.
Michael Mann’s Ferrari was lensed by Oscar-winning Dp Erik Messerschmidt (Mank); Pablo Larraín’s El Condo was photographed by Academy-Award nominated cinematographer Edward Lachman, who won the Camerimage Golden Frog in 2015 for Carol; and Michal Kwiecinski’s Filip was lensed by Dp Michal Sobocinski (The Art of Loving: Story of Michalina Wislocka).
As previously announced, the main competition also includes Yorgos Lanthimos’ Poor Things, Dp’d by Robbie Ryan, which will be the opening night film; Martin Scorsese’s Killers of the Flower Moon, lensed by Rodrigo Prieto; Black Flies, directed by Jean-Stéphane Sauvaire and lensed by David Ungaro; and All of Us Strangers, helmed by Andrew Haigh and photographed by Jamie Ramsay.
The festival also announced this week that Krzysztof Zanussi (The Constant Factor,...
Michael Mann’s Ferrari was lensed by Oscar-winning Dp Erik Messerschmidt (Mank); Pablo Larraín’s El Condo was photographed by Academy-Award nominated cinematographer Edward Lachman, who won the Camerimage Golden Frog in 2015 for Carol; and Michal Kwiecinski’s Filip was lensed by Dp Michal Sobocinski (The Art of Loving: Story of Michalina Wislocka).
As previously announced, the main competition also includes Yorgos Lanthimos’ Poor Things, Dp’d by Robbie Ryan, which will be the opening night film; Martin Scorsese’s Killers of the Flower Moon, lensed by Rodrigo Prieto; Black Flies, directed by Jean-Stéphane Sauvaire and lensed by David Ungaro; and All of Us Strangers, helmed by Andrew Haigh and photographed by Jamie Ramsay.
The festival also announced this week that Krzysztof Zanussi (The Constant Factor,...
- 10/19/2023
- by Carolyn Giardina
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
EnergaCamerimage, the cinematography-focused film festival that will take place in Torun, Poland, Nov. 11-18, has announced three more films for its Main Competition: “El Conde,” “Filip” and “Ferrari.”
“El Conde,” helmed by Chilean director Pablo Larraín, is billed as a dark comedy/horror picture that imagines a parallel universe in which Chile’s late fascistic dictator Augusto Pinochet is a vampire hiding away in a ruined mansion.
The film was lensed by Ed Lachman, the only Dp to have completed a Camerimage trifecta, having collected a Golden Frog for “Carol” (2015), a Silver Frog for “Far From Heaven” 2002) and a Bronze Frog for “I’m Not There” (2007).
Lachman was also nominated for “Wonderstruck” (2017) and in 2011, together with Todd Haynes, he was recognized with the Camerimage Cinematographer-Director Duo Award.
Lachman and Larraín will attend the fest to introduce the “El Conde” screening and participate in a Q&a.
“Filip,” a Polish war drama,...
“El Conde,” helmed by Chilean director Pablo Larraín, is billed as a dark comedy/horror picture that imagines a parallel universe in which Chile’s late fascistic dictator Augusto Pinochet is a vampire hiding away in a ruined mansion.
The film was lensed by Ed Lachman, the only Dp to have completed a Camerimage trifecta, having collected a Golden Frog for “Carol” (2015), a Silver Frog for “Far From Heaven” 2002) and a Bronze Frog for “I’m Not There” (2007).
Lachman was also nominated for “Wonderstruck” (2017) and in 2011, together with Todd Haynes, he was recognized with the Camerimage Cinematographer-Director Duo Award.
Lachman and Larraín will attend the fest to introduce the “El Conde” screening and participate in a Q&a.
“Filip,” a Polish war drama,...
- 10/19/2023
- by Peter Caranicas
- Variety Film + TV
The grand-scale Biblical epics that midcentury Hollywood churned out to roaring box-office returns had many drawcards as (so to speak) mass entertainment — brawny action, transporting spectacle, then jaw-dropping effects — but a sense of humor, by and large, wasn’t one of them. That’s something British musician-turned-filmmaker Jeymes Samuel attempts to rectify in his offbeat messiah story “The Book of Clarence,” a newly invented tale that runs parallel to the life and death of Jesus in ways both blithely blasphemous and sincerely Christian. Following on from Samuel’s debut, the rollicking hip-hop western “The Harder They Fall,” with its flagrantly anachronistic remix of genre traditions and a predominantly Black cast, “Clarence” clearly seeks to be the first film loosely of its type to make any pop-cultural impact since Mel Gibson’s “The Passion of the Christ” nearly 20 years ago.
It’ll certainly prove a hard sell to the U.S.
It’ll certainly prove a hard sell to the U.S.
- 10/12/2023
- by Guy Lodge
- Variety Film + TV
In a short but intriguing interview held by Digital Cinema Report, ‘The Creator’ Dp, Oren Soffer, elaborated on the making. As explained by the film director Gareth Edwards regarding the guerrilla-style filmmaking approach used to shoot the movie, the tools were also confirmed. It’s amazing to reveal that this $80,000,000 budget sci-fi movie was shot on these affordable and reachable tools: Sony FX3, Ronin RS2, Atomos Ninja, Kowa 75mm anamorphic, and ProRes Raw.
Sony FX3, Ronin RS2, Atomos Ninja, Kowa 75mm Anamorphic, and ProRes Raw Shot on Sony FX3 – Guerrilla-style filmmaking
Y.M.Cinema was the first to report that this mega-budget Hollywood sci-fi production was shot on a prosumer camera, Sony FX3. As opposed to what many have thought, the Arri Alexa 65 was not involved in this project. The use of the Sony FX3 has contributed a lot to the desired style that Director Gareth Edwards was eager for.
Sony FX3, Ronin RS2, Atomos Ninja, Kowa 75mm Anamorphic, and ProRes Raw Shot on Sony FX3 – Guerrilla-style filmmaking
Y.M.Cinema was the first to report that this mega-budget Hollywood sci-fi production was shot on a prosumer camera, Sony FX3. As opposed to what many have thought, the Arri Alexa 65 was not involved in this project. The use of the Sony FX3 has contributed a lot to the desired style that Director Gareth Edwards was eager for.
- 9/30/2023
- by Yossy Mendelovich
- YMCinema
Based on the novel by Yoshikazu Fujimoto, a screenwriter-turned-novelist who was an apprentice to Yuzo Kawashima, which, in turn, is partially based on the life of the rakugo artist Beikyo Katsura the 2nd (1860-1904), “Song of the Exile” is another unique production by Atg, as it actually follows the “recipe” of the particular art. Rakugo is the traditional Japanese art of storytelling. The stories are also called rakugo and they are performed by professional narrators called rakugoka or hanashika. The customary place where rakugo stories are told is the vaudeville-type variety hall called the yose.
Follow our coverage of Art Theatre Guild by clicking on the image below
Bakyo is a talented but unsuccessful rakugoka, who tries desperately to make it in the field but fails, during a time when cholera was devastating the country. Rokyu, on the other hand, a more senior performer, is rather successful and actually wants...
Follow our coverage of Art Theatre Guild by clicking on the image below
Bakyo is a talented but unsuccessful rakugoka, who tries desperately to make it in the field but fails, during a time when cholera was devastating the country. Rokyu, on the other hand, a more senior performer, is rather successful and actually wants...
- 9/9/2023
- by Panos Kotzathanasis
- AsianMoviePulse
“Finestkind,” the name of both Brian Helgeland’s new film and the high-line fishing boat Tommy Lee Jones captains within it, is one of those words that New Englanders find hard to define, but seem to have no trouble using in a sentence. It means quality — of fish, of people, of principles — and it sets the bar for the shaggy family portrait Helgeland crafts around two half-brothers wrestling with their place in the blue-collar New Bedford community.
The movie, alas, is just so-so, tripping over its own feet for the first couple reels until such time as the siblings cross the Northern Line to (illegally) dredge for scallops in Canadian waters, and then it gets good. Not the genre elements, mind you. There’s a stock plot in which the brothers need $100,000 to get the Finestkind ship out of impound, turning to a harebrained heroin-smuggling plot that goes sideways in...
The movie, alas, is just so-so, tripping over its own feet for the first couple reels until such time as the siblings cross the Northern Line to (illegally) dredge for scallops in Canadian waters, and then it gets good. Not the genre elements, mind you. There’s a stock plot in which the brothers need $100,000 to get the Finestkind ship out of impound, turning to a harebrained heroin-smuggling plot that goes sideways in...
- 9/9/2023
- by Peter Debruge
- Variety Film + TV
The term “alien” takes on multiple meanings in writer-director Moin Hussain’s intriguing and rather gloomy debut feature, Sky Peals, which follows a lonely rest-stop cook whose life is upended by the death of his estranged father. Although extraterrestrials are evoked at some point, this intimate indie is less of a sci-fi thriller than a minimalist character study, focusing on a multiracial protagonist who doesn’t seem to be at home anywhere.
Screening in Venice’s International Critics’ Week sidebar, the film marks a promising first feature for Hussain, who shows a steady command of tone in a story that’s basically set in one colorless, extremely alienating place. But it can also be too much of a one-note affair at times, lacking the dramatic energy to take it to wider audiences.
What’s important to note about Sky Peals’ young hero, Adam (Faraz Ayub), is that his mother (Claire Rushbrook...
Screening in Venice’s International Critics’ Week sidebar, the film marks a promising first feature for Hussain, who shows a steady command of tone in a story that’s basically set in one colorless, extremely alienating place. But it can also be too much of a one-note affair at times, lacking the dramatic energy to take it to wider audiences.
What’s important to note about Sky Peals’ young hero, Adam (Faraz Ayub), is that his mother (Claire Rushbrook...
- 9/6/2023
- by Jordan Mintzer
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The behind-the-scenes of ‘The Creator’ was released, clearly showing the Sony FX3 as the dominant (and only?) camera on set. As demonstrated in the BTS, the advantages of the FX3 were well utilized in short and fast cuts, to deliver this ‘Vietnam- robotic sci-fi’ movie to IMAX. Explore what director Gareth Edwards has to say about his shooting style, allowed by the compactness of the FX3.
The Creator: Behind the scenes. Director Gareth Edwards with the Sony FX3. Source: 20th Century Studios
My favorite cinema is very visually driven. It’s not like a play, it’s like a dream. It’s just a pure emotion. This film’s a melting pot of movies that I grew up loving. It’s a Vietnam movie mixed with robotic sci-fi. We really went for broke. It’s just a really insane, rich, visual journey that I hope affects people in the way...
The Creator: Behind the scenes. Director Gareth Edwards with the Sony FX3. Source: 20th Century Studios
My favorite cinema is very visually driven. It’s not like a play, it’s like a dream. It’s just a pure emotion. This film’s a melting pot of movies that I grew up loving. It’s a Vietnam movie mixed with robotic sci-fi. We really went for broke. It’s just a really insane, rich, visual journey that I hope affects people in the way...
- 8/22/2023
- by Yossy Mendelovich
- YMCinema
[Editor’s Note: The following story contains spoilers for “Talk to Me.”]
It’s easy to imagine Danny and Michael Philippou — rowdy Australian twins-turned-famous YouTubers-turned-Sundance breakout filmmakers — goofing up. Search the pair on Getty Images, and you’ll find photographs of them at a Comic-Con event in July, for their buzzy new horror flick “Talk to Me,” all but smashing their skulls together for press.
The duo, known as RackaRacka online, brought the same energy to a Zoom interview with IndieWire ahead of their head trauma-heavy film’s opening weekend, during which the pair playfully fought and recounted an awkward text exchange with A24 golden boy and “Beau Is Afraid” writer/director Ari Aster.
“There was a tweet going around that Ari Aster had liked the movie,” Michael said to IndieWire. The co-directors met the “Hereditary” filmmaker at their “Talk to Me” Sundance premiere, where Aster was a guest and the film was purchased by A24 in a reportedly high seven-figure deal.
It’s easy to imagine Danny and Michael Philippou — rowdy Australian twins-turned-famous YouTubers-turned-Sundance breakout filmmakers — goofing up. Search the pair on Getty Images, and you’ll find photographs of them at a Comic-Con event in July, for their buzzy new horror flick “Talk to Me,” all but smashing their skulls together for press.
The duo, known as RackaRacka online, brought the same energy to a Zoom interview with IndieWire ahead of their head trauma-heavy film’s opening weekend, during which the pair playfully fought and recounted an awkward text exchange with A24 golden boy and “Beau Is Afraid” writer/director Ari Aster.
“There was a tweet going around that Ari Aster had liked the movie,” Michael said to IndieWire. The co-directors met the “Hereditary” filmmaker at their “Talk to Me” Sundance premiere, where Aster was a guest and the film was purchased by A24 in a reportedly high seven-figure deal.
- 8/4/2023
- by Alison Foreman
- Indiewire
In an interview we had with Dean Fujioka, producer and protagonist of “Pure Japanese” in 2022, he stated: “I started working in Japan about 10 years ago and as I spoke with the stunt crews on site, I learned that there are less opportunities for them to play an active part in recent years, which simply led me to think that we should make more action movies in Japan. Kind of like regeneration of old folk houses, I thought it would be great to see more opportunities for them to show the beauty of action stunts, Japanese legacy”. It seems his urging was heard, and in the last few years, we had a number of new action movies coming out of Japan, with “Baby Assassins” and “One Percenter” being two of the most renowned samples. Reiki Tsuno is another filmmaker dealing with the concept, presenting a movie that moves towards action comedy paths.
- 8/4/2023
- by Panos Kotzathanasis
- AsianMoviePulse
Odds are low we’ll watch Roman Polanski’s The Palace through strictly legal means in the United States, those of us who maintain interest instead waiting for The.Palace.2023.1080p.BluRay.x264-ea.mkv.torrent. But with a Venice premiere right around the corner and Italian release set for September 28 (one day after another director returns) we have a dubbed trailer and first clip.
Co-written by Eo‘s Jerzy Skolimowski (some 60 years since Knife in the Water) and Ewa Piaskowska, Polanski’s comedy is set in Switzerland’s stunning Gstaad Palace on New Year’s Eve 1999 with throw-a-dart casting that suggests chaos of the highest order. These first two previews play into that wholesale: while Rourke dubbed into Italian is simply a demonic experience, the subtle long take in this full clip again shows Polanski’s mastery of space finding dividends in an ongoing relationship with Dp Paweł Edelman.
Co-written by Eo‘s Jerzy Skolimowski (some 60 years since Knife in the Water) and Ewa Piaskowska, Polanski’s comedy is set in Switzerland’s stunning Gstaad Palace on New Year’s Eve 1999 with throw-a-dart casting that suggests chaos of the highest order. These first two previews play into that wholesale: while Rourke dubbed into Italian is simply a demonic experience, the subtle long take in this full clip again shows Polanski’s mastery of space finding dividends in an ongoing relationship with Dp Paweł Edelman.
- 8/2/2023
- by Nick Newman
- The Film Stage
Following the excellent feature, “Ten Months”, Sun Nam-koong returned to shorts with an unusual film, shot in one take inside a car.
“Nice to See Your Face” is screening at Busan International Short Film Festival
Eden, a blue-haired woman, is driving down the road when her car comes to a stop due to engine failure. Surprisingly, her first thought is to call her ex-boyfriend Hae-won, since some loose ends remain after their break up, and she wants to close them before leaving the country. While she is talking, a man stops by and starts pestering her about taking care of the damage in her car.
Sun Nam-koong directs a short that seems to focus on regret and essentially, love, with the two elements being the sources of the drama that permeates the movie. Eden, in particular, seems on the verge of a breakdown, and the appearance of the stranger does not help at all,...
“Nice to See Your Face” is screening at Busan International Short Film Festival
Eden, a blue-haired woman, is driving down the road when her car comes to a stop due to engine failure. Surprisingly, her first thought is to call her ex-boyfriend Hae-won, since some loose ends remain after their break up, and she wants to close them before leaving the country. While she is talking, a man stops by and starts pestering her about taking care of the damage in her car.
Sun Nam-koong directs a short that seems to focus on regret and essentially, love, with the two elements being the sources of the drama that permeates the movie. Eden, in particular, seems on the verge of a breakdown, and the appearance of the stranger does not help at all,...
- 4/30/2023
- by Panos Kotzathanasis
- AsianMoviePulse
By Henry McKeand
It's been twenty years since the release of “Anbe Sivam,” the ambitious collaboration between director Sundar C and writer/star Kamal Haasan that became an enduring cult classic of Tamil cinema. At the time, it must have seemed an unlikely pairing. The latter's script for the film was deeply rooted in themes of class struggle and philosophy, while the former was known for his work in more commercial fare. At first, it wasn't clear if such a partnership would be successful. It was released in January of 2003 to rave reviews from critics but it underperformed at the box office. However, it gained a loyal following after home video releases and television re-runs allowed audiences to discover its potent blend of comedy and humanism. Now, it is regarded as one of the greatest Tamil films of the 21st century.
on Amazon by clicking on the...
It's been twenty years since the release of “Anbe Sivam,” the ambitious collaboration between director Sundar C and writer/star Kamal Haasan that became an enduring cult classic of Tamil cinema. At the time, it must have seemed an unlikely pairing. The latter's script for the film was deeply rooted in themes of class struggle and philosophy, while the former was known for his work in more commercial fare. At first, it wasn't clear if such a partnership would be successful. It was released in January of 2003 to rave reviews from critics but it underperformed at the box office. However, it gained a loyal following after home video releases and television re-runs allowed audiences to discover its potent blend of comedy and humanism. Now, it is regarded as one of the greatest Tamil films of the 21st century.
on Amazon by clicking on the...
- 4/27/2023
- by Guest Writer
- AsianMoviePulse
Gran Turismo, Neill Blomkamp’s upcoming feature adaptation of the best-selling PlayStation video game, captures “all the exhilarating aspects of auto racing and the game,” enthused Asad Qizilbash, head of PlayStation Productions, as he introduced well-received footage from the upcoming film.
From Sony Pictures and PlayStation Productions, the Aug. 11 release is based on the story of Jann Mardenborough, a teenage Gran Turismo player whose gaming skills won a series of Nissan competitions to become an actual professional race car driver.
Cast members David Harbour and Orlando Bloom were on hand to help present the high-octane footage.
Reading a clunky line from his script, Harbour got a big laugh as he responded, “The Writer’s Strike. I love Chat Gpt.”
Bloom noted that he plays Danny, the market lead at Nissan who convinces PlayStation to run the Gran Turismo challenge at the heart of the movie, revealing “how being good at...
From Sony Pictures and PlayStation Productions, the Aug. 11 release is based on the story of Jann Mardenborough, a teenage Gran Turismo player whose gaming skills won a series of Nissan competitions to become an actual professional race car driver.
Cast members David Harbour and Orlando Bloom were on hand to help present the high-octane footage.
Reading a clunky line from his script, Harbour got a big laugh as he responded, “The Writer’s Strike. I love Chat Gpt.”
Bloom noted that he plays Danny, the market lead at Nissan who convinces PlayStation to run the Gran Turismo challenge at the heart of the movie, revealing “how being good at...
- 4/25/2023
- by Carolyn Giardina
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
There’s a stabbing, a violent suicide and a disturbing accident involving kangaroo roadkill in the opening minutes of Talk to Me, and from there, the adrenaline rush of this nightmarish collision of the living and the dead rarely lets up. Having made a name for themselves with the online comic horror and action content of their RackaRacka YouTube channel, Australian twin brothers Danny and Michael Philippou vault into features with assurance and imagination, cooking up gut-wrenching thrills that deftly tap into their own background as viral-video sensations. Acquired out of Sundance by A24, the film is thematically a bit thin but doesn’t stint on genuine scares, intensity or revulsion.
About that opening — Dp Aaron McLisky displays eye-catching skills with a tracking shot that follows a young man through a crowded party to a locked bedroom door. His shouts all but drowned by thumping techno music, he breaks down...
About that opening — Dp Aaron McLisky displays eye-catching skills with a tracking shot that follows a young man through a crowded party to a locked bedroom door. His shouts all but drowned by thumping techno music, he breaks down...
- 2/21/2023
- by David Rooney
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Seven years before its Jan. 23 world premiere in Park City — the first-time that a homegrown Nigerian feature has scored a coveted slot in the World Cinema Dramatic competition at Sundance — C.J. Obasi’s “Mami Wata” began with a vision.
The director was sitting on a West African beach, in between projects and contemplating his next move. Suddenly, an apparition came to him: A mermaid standing on the ocean’s shore, beckoning to a mysterious young woman behind him.
“It was really vivid,” Obasi says. “It was in black and white. In the vision, the goddess’ eyes are red, but also very soft. There was a kindness to her eyes. When I came to, I said, Ok, so my next movie is ‘Mami Wata.’”
What followed was a personal and professional journey to understand that moment on the beach, and to breathe life into a movie about the titular mermaid-deity of West African folklore.
The director was sitting on a West African beach, in between projects and contemplating his next move. Suddenly, an apparition came to him: A mermaid standing on the ocean’s shore, beckoning to a mysterious young woman behind him.
“It was really vivid,” Obasi says. “It was in black and white. In the vision, the goddess’ eyes are red, but also very soft. There was a kindness to her eyes. When I came to, I said, Ok, so my next movie is ‘Mami Wata.’”
What followed was a personal and professional journey to understand that moment on the beach, and to breathe life into a movie about the titular mermaid-deity of West African folklore.
- 1/24/2023
- by Christopher Vourlias
- Variety Film + TV
“Queer Canadian female teen werewolf movie” may sound mighty specific as a subgenre, yet 23 years after John Fawcett’s delicious cult item “Ginger Snaps,” along comes “My Animal” to ensure it’s no longer in a category of one. A sleek, sensuous debut feature from accomplished short film and music video director Jacqueline Castel, this chilly tale of a suburban outcast whose headlong crush on an alluring figure skater threatens to expose her shape-shifting secret skitters lithely between genres — touching on young adult romance, creature horror and dysfunctional family drama — while keeping its own identity as fluid and elusive as that of its wounded, haunted protagonist.
As played by striking nonbinary performer Bobbi Salvör Menuez, protagonist Heather is among the more intriguing werewolves in horror history: a girl whose introverted demeanor and androgynous appearance have already placed her on the social fringes of her sleepy, snow-blanketed northern Canadian town, and...
As played by striking nonbinary performer Bobbi Salvör Menuez, protagonist Heather is among the more intriguing werewolves in horror history: a girl whose introverted demeanor and androgynous appearance have already placed her on the social fringes of her sleepy, snow-blanketed northern Canadian town, and...
- 1/23/2023
- by Guy Lodge
- Variety Film + TV
There’s a reason so many horror films — specifically the classic slashers of the ’70s and ’80s — make teenagers their imperiled protagonists. It makes for fun, squirmy viewing to see the relatable vulnerabilities of that age, with its fumbling sexual encounters and peer-pressure anxieties, sliced open by whichever knife-wielding maniac or mask-wearing ghoul happens to be lumbering about. But Charlotte Le Bon’s striking, stylish, sweetly scary debut reverses the polarity, putting the wittily observed tale of a teenage crush front and center of a ghoul-free horror film, where all that goes bump in the night is an embarrassed kid trying to clean his sheets after a wet dream. Coming-of-age movies are usually, like growing up itself, some combination of funny, sad, rueful, awkward or frightening, but rarely are they so successfully all those things at once as in “Falcon Lake.”
This ambitious yet nimbly assured tonal mash-up is introduced in the opening shot,...
This ambitious yet nimbly assured tonal mash-up is introduced in the opening shot,...
- 6/4/2022
- by Jessica Kiang
- Variety Film + TV
Another classy Chinese action thriller whose dazzling style seems to take place in a deliberate narrative void, Cliff Walkers (previously titled Impasse) marks leading Chinese director Zhang Yimou’s first foray into the espionage genre. Following on the heels of his censorship-plagued One Second, which was abruptly withdrawn from the 2019 Berlin Film Festival and only came out in China last November, the new film would seem to the naked eye to have nothing for the censors to object to; in fact, it is dedicated to “the heroes of the Revolution.” What foreign audiences will take away is not the negligible storyline but a visually entrancing parade of attractive actors in a pleasingly fluid spy-counterspy dance.
Though bound to make most of its millions domestically, aided by its well-known cast, Cliff Walkers is being released day-and-date in China and the U.S. on April 30. Having one big English-language co-production under his belt — the Matt Damon-starring,...
Though bound to make most of its millions domestically, aided by its well-known cast, Cliff Walkers is being released day-and-date in China and the U.S. on April 30. Having one big English-language co-production under his belt — the Matt Damon-starring,...
- 4/27/2021
- by Deborah Young
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Samurai movies usually include stories of chivalry, self-sacrifice, dedication, and occasionally impressive swordsmanship. Yuso Asahara presents, however, another kind of warrior, the Kitchen Samurai, whose weapons are only sharpened to cut smoothly through the fish and vegetables that comprised the main materials of washoku, the traditional Japanese cuisine, included in the Unesco World Heritage List since 2013.
“The Tale of Samurai Cooking” is Screening at Five Flavours Asian Film Festival
The story is based on the lives of the members of the Funaki family, who served as head chefs for the rulers of Kaga province, although the main protagonist is Haru, a young servant with an extreme knack for both tasting and cooking food. As the main arc of the script begins, Haru is already divorced, and sent back to the service of the Lady he grew up in. Her culinary prowess, however, catches the attention of samurai Dennai, one of the aforementioned Funaki members,...
“The Tale of Samurai Cooking” is Screening at Five Flavours Asian Film Festival
The story is based on the lives of the members of the Funaki family, who served as head chefs for the rulers of Kaga province, although the main protagonist is Haru, a young servant with an extreme knack for both tasting and cooking food. As the main arc of the script begins, Haru is already divorced, and sent back to the service of the Lady he grew up in. Her culinary prowess, however, catches the attention of samurai Dennai, one of the aforementioned Funaki members,...
- 11/27/2020
- by Panos Kotzathanasis
- AsianMoviePulse
It began, we must suppose, with the letters. Director Catarina Vasconcelos’ grandfather Henrique was a Portuguese sailor gone for long, homesick periods from his children and his wife, Triz. They wrote letters back and forth, but Henrique ordered the correspondence burned upon his death. His children, all grown with children of their own, reluctantly complied, heartsore at their parents’ words going up in smoke. Vasconcelos’ beautifully pensive, lyrical debut feels like an attempt to unburn those letters, to fill in the gaps between memories with fantasy and fiction, and so to regain lost lives for a moment, the way, by spooling a loop of film backwards, she can reattach a plucked leaf to a branch.
“The Metamorphosis of Birds” is difficult to categorize, as a hybrid of memoir, metafiction, family history and gorgeously shot 16mm art installation. But that those distinctions are hazy is only right, given that this luminous...
“The Metamorphosis of Birds” is difficult to categorize, as a hybrid of memoir, metafiction, family history and gorgeously shot 16mm art installation. But that those distinctions are hazy is only right, given that this luminous...
- 11/26/2020
- by Jessica Kiang
- Variety Film + TV
“The Banker,” a sumptuous Apple TV Plus production competing in the EnergaCamerimage Film Festival’s main competition this week, is the true story of Bernard Garrett and Joe Morris, two Black investors who broke down racial barriers during the 1960s by keeping their race secret. Dp Charlotte Bruus Christensen worked with director George Nolfi to conjure a magisterial look to the trappings of a real estate empire for the film, which moves from small-town Texas to booming Los Angeles – and finally to the halls of Congress, where the protagonists face a reckoning for rocking the boat.
When you’re going into a low-budget film that calls for a big, old-school Hollywood look and period locations, what are you thinking of as a way to pull it off?
One of the things that pushed this toward 35mm film was that the script and the period and everything about it had a sort of a heavyweight feel.
When you’re going into a low-budget film that calls for a big, old-school Hollywood look and period locations, what are you thinking of as a way to pull it off?
One of the things that pushed this toward 35mm film was that the script and the period and everything about it had a sort of a heavyweight feel.
- 11/14/2020
- by Will Tizard
- Variety Film + TV
The movie’s name is perhaps its sole stroke of genius: Just hearing the words “Chick Fight” immediately body-slams expectations to the mat, after which Paul Leydon’s anodyne comedy manages to just about put them in a submission hold. Dude, one can almost anticipate saying, it’s called “Chick Fight,” what did you expect? On the other hand, the very crowd attracted by the R-rating and promisingly un-pc title may feel cheated. Instead of the cleavage, hair-pulling and Jerry Springer antics it teases, “Chick Fight” serves up a blandly formulaic and scrupulously inoffensive tale of female empowerment.
Anna (Malin Akerman) is having the kind of overkill Bad Day that beautiful women in Hollywood movies tend to have as proof that they’re just as much of a screw-up as you are, lol. Sitting on the toilet, brushing her teeth, the pointedly non-sex-having Anna rolls her eyes at her neighbor’s loud,...
Anna (Malin Akerman) is having the kind of overkill Bad Day that beautiful women in Hollywood movies tend to have as proof that they’re just as much of a screw-up as you are, lol. Sitting on the toilet, brushing her teeth, the pointedly non-sex-having Anna rolls her eyes at her neighbor’s loud,...
- 11/13/2020
- by Jessica Kiang
- Variety Film + TV
Hilal Baydarov, the sole juror of Ji.hlava’s main competition, the Opus Bonum section, has a back story with the fest dating to its screening of his 2018 film “Birthday” in the Docu Talents from the East section.
He later found a collaborator at the festival who worked with him on two films that traveled to the IDFA and Nyon doc fests: Georg Tiller, who came up through Ji.hlava’s Emerging Producers development program. This year, Baydarov’s “In Between Dying,” a somnambulant road movie set in his native Azerbaijan, screened in the main competition in Venice, drawing strong reviews internationally for its powerful imagery and ambiguous, sometimes violent characters.
How can Ji.hlava help shape the start of filmmakers’ careers and how important a role does it play these days in the doc world?
Ji.hlava gives a huge space to new voices. It is so important to discover new talents.
He later found a collaborator at the festival who worked with him on two films that traveled to the IDFA and Nyon doc fests: Georg Tiller, who came up through Ji.hlava’s Emerging Producers development program. This year, Baydarov’s “In Between Dying,” a somnambulant road movie set in his native Azerbaijan, screened in the main competition in Venice, drawing strong reviews internationally for its powerful imagery and ambiguous, sometimes violent characters.
How can Ji.hlava help shape the start of filmmakers’ careers and how important a role does it play these days in the doc world?
Ji.hlava gives a huge space to new voices. It is so important to discover new talents.
- 10/27/2020
- by Will Tizard
- Variety Film + TV
A well-modulated vision of the fight against encroaching malaise or mere trifle dressing itself up? Depends on the scene. But trifles have their place and auteurs should be allowed their fun, which On the Rocks deploys over 90 minutes kind enough not to feel like a waste of anyone’s talents or time.
An easy point to argue, perhaps, but Sofia Coppola’s greatest gift is making the precise look simple. Its many jaunts through New York City are tethered to Laura (Rashida Jones), a writer whose cushy life with husband Dean (Marlon Wayans) and two children gets shaken by suspicions of infidelity. Laura’s aloof father decides to turn her worries into a game of spying and occasional goose-chasing fueled by rakish boredom and, at one point, intimations of darker connections to Black Cube-like services that track Dean’s movements and credit card. Coppola’s throughline is neatly structured for...
An easy point to argue, perhaps, but Sofia Coppola’s greatest gift is making the precise look simple. Its many jaunts through New York City are tethered to Laura (Rashida Jones), a writer whose cushy life with husband Dean (Marlon Wayans) and two children gets shaken by suspicions of infidelity. Laura’s aloof father decides to turn her worries into a game of spying and occasional goose-chasing fueled by rakish boredom and, at one point, intimations of darker connections to Black Cube-like services that track Dean’s movements and credit card. Coppola’s throughline is neatly structured for...
- 10/2/2020
- by Nick Newman
- The Film Stage
The making of “Ottolenghi and the Cakes of Versailles” was as complex as the confections created by the renowned pastry chefs it focuses on — and the result is equal parts beauty for both food and film.
The IFC Films documentary (in select theaters and on demand Sept. 25) follows chef Yotam Ottolenghi as he assembles an Avengers-like team of pastry chefs to bring the splendor and beauty of Versailles, in dessert form, to New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art for the opening of a special exhibit about the French palace.
Helmer Laura Gabbert had read Ottolenghi’s unique recipe books; when she heard that he was the subject of the film, she wanted to be a part of the project. “I just kind of knew that any documentary placing him at the center would be special,” she says.
Audiences see Ottolenghi traveling around the world, tapping Dominique Ansel, who...
The IFC Films documentary (in select theaters and on demand Sept. 25) follows chef Yotam Ottolenghi as he assembles an Avengers-like team of pastry chefs to bring the splendor and beauty of Versailles, in dessert form, to New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art for the opening of a special exhibit about the French palace.
Helmer Laura Gabbert had read Ottolenghi’s unique recipe books; when she heard that he was the subject of the film, she wanted to be a part of the project. “I just kind of knew that any documentary placing him at the center would be special,” she says.
Audiences see Ottolenghi traveling around the world, tapping Dominique Ansel, who...
- 9/25/2020
- by Carole Horst
- Variety Film + TV
Headlined by Penélope Cruz and Antonio Banderas, The Mediapro Studio’s “Official Competition,” one of the year’s highest-profile international Spanish productions lensing in Spain, has resumed shooting.
Compounding the difficulty of going into production for a second time, the film features an international cast including Argentine heavyweight Oscar Martínez, a former San Sebastian, Venice and Argentine Academy best actor award-winner, plus two Argentina-based directors, Mariano Cohn and Gastón Duprat.
They will be hoping history doesn’t repeat itself this time around. Eight days after production started in March of this year, the Covid-19 pandemic shut down filming when it became unsafe to continue. Ominously, as shooting resumes this week, parts of Spain, led by Madrid, are reintroducing stricter lockdown conditions once again, as the daily number of new cases is rising.
“Official Competition” features Banderas and Martínez as renowned actors of large talent but even bigger egos, set on...
Compounding the difficulty of going into production for a second time, the film features an international cast including Argentine heavyweight Oscar Martínez, a former San Sebastian, Venice and Argentine Academy best actor award-winner, plus two Argentina-based directors, Mariano Cohn and Gastón Duprat.
They will be hoping history doesn’t repeat itself this time around. Eight days after production started in March of this year, the Covid-19 pandemic shut down filming when it became unsafe to continue. Ominously, as shooting resumes this week, parts of Spain, led by Madrid, are reintroducing stricter lockdown conditions once again, as the daily number of new cases is rising.
“Official Competition” features Banderas and Martínez as renowned actors of large talent but even bigger egos, set on...
- 9/22/2020
- by Jamie Lang
- Variety Film + TV
The unspoken and often ineffable syzygy between sisters sharing in a mutual trauma is one rife for cinematic inquiry, from the films of Ingmar Bergman to Lars von Trier’s “Melancholia” and even “What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?” Cathy Brady’s “Wildfire” is set in a fractious Ireland where the gulf between estranged siblings Kelly (Nika McGuigan) and Lauren (Nora-Jane Noone) is as wide and blurry as the void between the North and the South post-Brexit. While the film at first establishes a political framework with a blistering montage of current events in the UK, “Wildfire” shifts into a more personal tale about women shouldering psychic damage, and coming together to reckon with the past. While occasionally veering into melodrama, . And the film itself becomes all the more tragic once, by the closing credits, it’s revealed star McGuigan, who gives a chilling and complex performance, died from cancer...
- 9/17/2020
- by Ryan Lattanzio
- Indiewire
There are many villains in Gerard Bush and Christopher Renz’s feature debut “Antebellum,” but none quite as vivid as Jena Malone’s nefarious plantation owner Elizabeth. A nasty piece of work in her own right, the character also emblematizes the forces of oppression that power the film’s narrative. Built upon a consciously convoluted timeline, complete with editing misdirection and a chopped-up storyline, “Antebellum” follows Janelle Monáe as both successful modern author Veronica Henley and antebellum-era slave Eden, presenting the wholly different experiences of two Black women, until the film mashes them together in unpredictable ways.
Suffice to say that Veronica and Eden intersect (to get into deeper detail would spoil the film), and while they are bonded by a litany of shared problems, none feel as immediate as the evil Elizabeth. It’s the kind of role that seems scary for a performer: Not only is she such a monster,...
Suffice to say that Veronica and Eden intersect (to get into deeper detail would spoil the film), and while they are bonded by a litany of shared problems, none feel as immediate as the evil Elizabeth. It’s the kind of role that seems scary for a performer: Not only is she such a monster,...
- 9/16/2020
- by Kate Erbland
- Indiewire
"A pleasure in never feeling pleased." A festival promo trailer has debuted for the Hong Kong romantic drama Love After Love, which is screening out of competition at this year's Venice Film Festival. The latest film from Hong Kong filmmaker Ann Hui, this looks sultry and sumptuous. It is an adaptation of an Eileen Chang short story, set in Hong Kong shortly before the start of World War II. Sandra Ma stars as a young girl who falls into her aunt's game of luring rich men. But then surprise, she finds herself genuinely attracted to playboy George Qiao, whose aim is to marry a wealthy girl to maintain his own high-end class lifestyle. Co-starring Eddie Peng as George, along with Faye Yu, Ning Chang, Wei Fan, and Isabella Leong. Featuring some gorgeous cinematography by Dp Christopher Doyle. At first glance, this has the feeling of Wong Kar Wai's beloved In the Mood for Love.
- 9/7/2020
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
Perhaps the most difficult task faced by any filmmaker attempting to commemorate an atrocity is to manage the vast disparities in scale. To communicate the extent of a war crime like the Srebrenica massacre, which saw 8,372 civilian residents of the Bosnian town, mostly men and boys, murdered by units of the Bosnian Serb Army in July of 1995, the canvas needs to be broad. But often, that scope can mean lower resolution when you zoom in, the individual human impact getting lost in the grain. But this is a perilous balance director Jasmila Žbanić achieves strikingly well in her deeply compelling, harrowing and heartbreaking “Quo Vadis, Aida?,” which reminds us that each of those 8,372 deaths is an individual, exponential multiplication of horror.
The most inspired creative decision in this sensitively fictionalized version of true events comes in the form of the film’s protagonist, Aida, a local Srebrenica resident who...
The most inspired creative decision in this sensitively fictionalized version of true events comes in the form of the film’s protagonist, Aida, a local Srebrenica resident who...
- 9/5/2020
- by Jessica Kiang
- Variety Film + TV
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