His illustrations may have caused you to dread the next full moon, avoid the swamp on your shortcut home, or ignite your imagination with a peek into the post-apocalypse. Through his artwork, Bernie Wrightson has influenced and inspired generations of horror fans, so it is with great sadness that we inform readers that the prolific artist has passed away at the age of 68 after a long battle with brain cancer.
Wrightson's wife, Liz, shared the somber news of her husband's passing earlier today on the artist's official website and Facebook page.
A fan of EC Comics growing up, Bernie Wrightson, aka "Berni," began working on projects for both DC and Marvel early in his career, co-creating the complex character Swamp Thing with writer Len Wein in the early ’70s. Bernie later worked for Warren Publishing, where he helped bring H.P. Lovecraft and Edgar Allan Poe stories to life on the paneled page.
Wrightson's wife, Liz, shared the somber news of her husband's passing earlier today on the artist's official website and Facebook page.
A fan of EC Comics growing up, Bernie Wrightson, aka "Berni," began working on projects for both DC and Marvel early in his career, co-creating the complex character Swamp Thing with writer Len Wein in the early ’70s. Bernie later worked for Warren Publishing, where he helped bring H.P. Lovecraft and Edgar Allan Poe stories to life on the paneled page.
- 3/19/2017
- by Derek Anderson
- DailyDead
Cannes, France (AP) — The Associated Press is all over the Cannes Film Festival — from its glitzy premieres to the celeb parties and quirky moments in between. Here's what reporters have seen and heard: ___ Lupita Nyong'o Stuns at Calvin Klein Glowing Oscar-winning actress Lupita Nyong'o shone bright at the Calvin Klein celebration of Women In Film event in Cannes. She wore a shimmering blue Calvin Klein strapless dress with a slashed bodice styled with silver sandals. To complement that look, the "12 Years a Slave" star wore enviable teardrop cut out crystal earrings. During the exclusive event, she hung out with fellow Wif attendees Julianne Moore, Rooney Maara and Naomi Watts. — By Thomas Adamson ___ Paramount Buys Adams Sci-Fi Thriller One of the hottest properties in Cannes has been acquired by Paramount Pictures. Paramount has purchased the North America and China distribution rights for "Story of Your Life," a sci-fi thriller to star Amy Adams.
- 5/16/2014
- by The Associated Press
- Hitfix
Cannes, France (AP) — It was all too much for the director of "Timbuktu," a touching humanist account of the jihadist takeover of Northern Mali in 2012. Abderrahmane Sissako broke down in tears at a Cannes press conference as he described his film's depiction of brutal Islamist law that shattered the lives of innumerable families. "It's difficult... We become more and more indifferent to the horrors if we're not careful," said Sissako, at times clutching his head in his hands with his voice trailing off. The wounds from the Mali conflict — which made headlines in 2012-13 after the French army intervened to oust foreign Islamists — are clearly still fresh. And the award-winning director's film — competing for this year's Palme d'Or — is the world's first to look at the dramatic jihadist takeover of the city of Timbuktu. Though there is plenty of drama in the realities of the unrest which ended with France's Operation Serval,...
- 5/16/2014
- by Thomas Adamson (AP)
- Hitfix
Cannes, France -- Academy award-winner Forest Whitaker turns in a solid performance as a cop searching for the murderer of a white teenager in the movie "Zulu," a violent and often shocking portrayal of South African gang culture where traces of apartheid still linger.
The film premiered at the close of the Cannes Film Festival on Sunday and is directed by "Largo Winch'"s Jerome Salle, co-starring Orlando Bloom as a free-wheeling white officer, as well as South African actor Conrad Kemp.
As a child, Whitaker's character Ali narrowly escaped being murdered by Inkhata, a militant political party at war with Nelson Mandela's anti-apartheid Anc. Now, as chief of Cape Town's homicide branch, his quest to bring the perpetrator to justice leads him on a path that uncovers the unhealed wounds of post-apartheid South Africa.
"Zulu'"s explcit, and, at times even gratuitous, depiction of violence and inter-human relations,...
The film premiered at the close of the Cannes Film Festival on Sunday and is directed by "Largo Winch'"s Jerome Salle, co-starring Orlando Bloom as a free-wheeling white officer, as well as South African actor Conrad Kemp.
As a child, Whitaker's character Ali narrowly escaped being murdered by Inkhata, a militant political party at war with Nelson Mandela's anti-apartheid Anc. Now, as chief of Cape Town's homicide branch, his quest to bring the perpetrator to justice leads him on a path that uncovers the unhealed wounds of post-apartheid South Africa.
"Zulu'"s explcit, and, at times even gratuitous, depiction of violence and inter-human relations,...
- 5/26/2013
- by AP
- Huffington Post
Cannes, France — Tilda Swinton injects her own brand of otherworldly-cool into Jim Jarmusch's latest movie "Only Lovers Left Alive," an unusual comedy that puts a spin on the age-old vampire genre.
The film, the last English-language entry competing for the Cannes Film Festival's Palme d'Or, sees Swinton play Eve, a grungy but erudite vampire – who's married to a forlorn vampire musician, Adam, played by Tom Hiddlestone. Several-hundred-year-old Adam – of Biblical fame – has been living quite happily ever since being expelled from the Garden of Eden.
That is, until the 21st century came along with its excesses and greed and pushed him into a full-flung existential crisis. He cracks, and orders a wooden bullet to kill himself.
With such a wacky plot, it's no surprise the film nearly didn't get made. It took seven years to find a backer – which Jarmusch says is because producers won't take creative risks anymore.
The film, the last English-language entry competing for the Cannes Film Festival's Palme d'Or, sees Swinton play Eve, a grungy but erudite vampire – who's married to a forlorn vampire musician, Adam, played by Tom Hiddlestone. Several-hundred-year-old Adam – of Biblical fame – has been living quite happily ever since being expelled from the Garden of Eden.
That is, until the 21st century came along with its excesses and greed and pushed him into a full-flung existential crisis. He cracks, and orders a wooden bullet to kill himself.
With such a wacky plot, it's no surprise the film nearly didn't get made. It took seven years to find a backer – which Jarmusch says is because producers won't take creative risks anymore.
- 5/25/2013
- by AP
- Huffington Post
Cannes, France — An autobiographical French-Cambodian film, "The Missing Picture," which explores the bloody history of Pol Pot's dictatorship in late 1970s Cambodia, has won the "Un Certain Regard" prize at the Cannes Film Festival.
To rousing applause, director Rithy Panh collected the award at a ceremony Saturday night, expressing his gratitude to be able "to have the freedom to do the films I want to do."
Panh's film, based on his nightmarish memoir "The Elimination," documents his own family's experience under the heavy-handed Communist Party's Khmer Rouge, which resulted in the death of his parents and sisters.
The "Un Certain Regard" accolade, presented one day before the Palme d'Or and decided by a jury of cinema insiders, rewards works from up-and-coming filmmakers or those that transmit original messages and aesthetics.
The premise of the "missing picture" in the film is that because of censorship within Cambodia, no photo exists that...
To rousing applause, director Rithy Panh collected the award at a ceremony Saturday night, expressing his gratitude to be able "to have the freedom to do the films I want to do."
Panh's film, based on his nightmarish memoir "The Elimination," documents his own family's experience under the heavy-handed Communist Party's Khmer Rouge, which resulted in the death of his parents and sisters.
The "Un Certain Regard" accolade, presented one day before the Palme d'Or and decided by a jury of cinema insiders, rewards works from up-and-coming filmmakers or those that transmit original messages and aesthetics.
The premise of the "missing picture" in the film is that because of censorship within Cambodia, no photo exists that...
- 5/25/2013
- by AP
- Huffington Post
Cannes, France — Academy award-winner Marion Cotillard gave her all and even learned another language to play a Polish woman struggling with the realities of 1920s New York in James Gray's terse offering, "The Immigrant."
The gritty drama, which premieres Friday at the Cannes Film Festival and is competing for the Palme d'Or, was filmed in part on the almost mythical Ellis Island, where millions of immigrants stepped off the boat to America in search of a better life, captured with stark beauty by cinematographer Darius Khondji.
The initial American dream of Cotillard's character, Ewa, to rejoin her uncle and aunt and start a family with a "good man" is quickly dashed. Her sister winds up quarantined in an immigrant hospital and she herself is taken under the wing of Bruno, a louche cabaret manager who's prone to violent outbursts.
Bruno, played by Joaquin Phoenix in a melodramatic performance that has divided critics,...
The gritty drama, which premieres Friday at the Cannes Film Festival and is competing for the Palme d'Or, was filmed in part on the almost mythical Ellis Island, where millions of immigrants stepped off the boat to America in search of a better life, captured with stark beauty by cinematographer Darius Khondji.
The initial American dream of Cotillard's character, Ewa, to rejoin her uncle and aunt and start a family with a "good man" is quickly dashed. Her sister winds up quarantined in an immigrant hospital and she herself is taken under the wing of Bruno, a louche cabaret manager who's prone to violent outbursts.
Bruno, played by Joaquin Phoenix in a melodramatic performance that has divided critics,...
- 5/24/2013
- by AP
- Huffington Post
Paris — The Cannes Film Festival announced its most Hollywood-heavy jury lineup in years Wednesday, with a list that includes Oscar winners Nicole Kidman, Christoph Waltz and Ang Lee.
Veteran filmmaker Steven Spielberg, who is 2013's jury president, will make this an Oscar-winning quartet – a rare event for a festival that prides itself on celebrating less mainstream, independent cinema.
"The Oscars (connection) is a coincidence as all this people are friends of Cannes. And don't forget that these stars are also involved and engaged in independent cinema," Cannes Artistic Director Thierry Fremaux told The Associated Press.
"It has to be legitimate and glamorous... They all have their (unique) place in the jury," he added.
Kidman, who trod the Riviera festival's red carpet last year for the nominated "Paperboy," will certainly add a glamour factor, but will join a host of lesser known, but equally important, industry names including Romanian director Cristian Mungiu...
Veteran filmmaker Steven Spielberg, who is 2013's jury president, will make this an Oscar-winning quartet – a rare event for a festival that prides itself on celebrating less mainstream, independent cinema.
"The Oscars (connection) is a coincidence as all this people are friends of Cannes. And don't forget that these stars are also involved and engaged in independent cinema," Cannes Artistic Director Thierry Fremaux told The Associated Press.
"It has to be legitimate and glamorous... They all have their (unique) place in the jury," he added.
Kidman, who trod the Riviera festival's red carpet last year for the nominated "Paperboy," will certainly add a glamour factor, but will join a host of lesser known, but equally important, industry names including Romanian director Cristian Mungiu...
- 4/24/2013
- by AP
- Huffington Post
Paris — The Cannes Film Festival's 2013 lineup announced Thursday features work from some of the globe's most dangerous locales for artists, and a sprinkling of works by old favorites including Roman Polanski, the Coen brothers and Steven Soderbergh.
Celebrating world cinema from countries with limited freedom of expression is clearly one of this year's stories, with works from Chad, China, Mexico and Iran among the 19 films competing for the Palme d'Or, one of cinema's most coveted prizes.
"The festival is a house that shelters artists in danger," said Cannes President Gilles Jacob, who announced the nominees Thursday.
Harking from Africa, "Grigris" by Chadian filmmaker Mahamat-Saleh Haroun, will feature alongside "The Life of Adele" from French-Tunisian director Abdellatif Kechiche. "Zulu" – a police thriller shot in South Africa and starring Forest Whitaker and Orlando Bloom – will close the festival but is not competing.
The list also includes "A Touch of Sin" by...
Celebrating world cinema from countries with limited freedom of expression is clearly one of this year's stories, with works from Chad, China, Mexico and Iran among the 19 films competing for the Palme d'Or, one of cinema's most coveted prizes.
"The festival is a house that shelters artists in danger," said Cannes President Gilles Jacob, who announced the nominees Thursday.
Harking from Africa, "Grigris" by Chadian filmmaker Mahamat-Saleh Haroun, will feature alongside "The Life of Adele" from French-Tunisian director Abdellatif Kechiche. "Zulu" – a police thriller shot in South Africa and starring Forest Whitaker and Orlando Bloom – will close the festival but is not competing.
The list also includes "A Touch of Sin" by...
- 4/18/2013
- by AP
- Huffington Post
Paris — Chris Marker, the influential French filmmaker whose career spanned six decades, has died, France's Culture Ministry confirmed Monday. He was 91.
President Francois Hollande led tributes to the director, whose large body of work includes the 1962 classic "La Jetee" – an award-winning post-apocalyptic movie that's often ranked among the best time-travel films ever made.
In a statement, Hollande said the 28-minute black and white film comprised almost entirely of stills "will be remembered by history."
Set in a post-World War III nuclear-devastated Paris, "La Jetee" tells the story of a prisoner sent to the past and future to save the present. The film was one of the first to use sci-fi notions of circular time and has since spawned a myriad of references.
"La Jetee" will probably be best remembered as the inspiration behind Terry Gilliam's 1995 feature "Twelve Monkeys," but many critics say its influence stretches as far as...
President Francois Hollande led tributes to the director, whose large body of work includes the 1962 classic "La Jetee" – an award-winning post-apocalyptic movie that's often ranked among the best time-travel films ever made.
In a statement, Hollande said the 28-minute black and white film comprised almost entirely of stills "will be remembered by history."
Set in a post-World War III nuclear-devastated Paris, "La Jetee" tells the story of a prisoner sent to the past and future to save the present. The film was one of the first to use sci-fi notions of circular time and has since spawned a myriad of references.
"La Jetee" will probably be best remembered as the inspiration behind Terry Gilliam's 1995 feature "Twelve Monkeys," but many critics say its influence stretches as far as...
- 7/30/2012
- by AP
- Huffington Post
Cannes, France — Actress Audrey Tautou, known for her sweet and light roles in such films as "Amelie," praised the late director Claude Miller as a "bright and passionate" filmmaker who helped her turn in a darker direction in his final film.
The French star plays a husband-poisoner in Miller's "Therese Desqueyroux," which closed the Cannes Film Festival on Sunday at a special screening celebrating the lauded New Wave filmmaker, who died last month of cancer at age 70.
The contemporary of Francois Truffaut, whose large body of work includes 1998's Cannes Jury Prize winner "Class Trip," helped Tautou to take on the role in the adaptation of Francois Mauriac's novel about a frustrated wife who slowly tries to kill her husband with arsenic to get freedom.
The gritty role, and Miller's acuity and patience, helped her unlock her inner dark side.
"It didn't exactly free me, but it did make more...
The French star plays a husband-poisoner in Miller's "Therese Desqueyroux," which closed the Cannes Film Festival on Sunday at a special screening celebrating the lauded New Wave filmmaker, who died last month of cancer at age 70.
The contemporary of Francois Truffaut, whose large body of work includes 1998's Cannes Jury Prize winner "Class Trip," helped Tautou to take on the role in the adaptation of Francois Mauriac's novel about a frustrated wife who slowly tries to kill her husband with arsenic to get freedom.
The gritty role, and Miller's acuity and patience, helped her unlock her inner dark side.
"It didn't exactly free me, but it did make more...
- 5/27/2012
- by AP
- Huffington Post
Cannes, France — The Cannes Film Festival rewarded one of its favorite directors Sunday, as Michael Haneke won the top prize for a second time with his stark film about love and death, "Amour."
The Austrian director's powerful and understated film stars two French acting icons – 85-year-old Emmanuelle Riva and 81-year-old Jean-Louis Trintignant – as an elderly couple coping with the wife's worsening health.
Cannes jury member Jean Paul Gaultier praised the performances of the two actors and the "incredible connection" they established in the movie.
Haneke said he made the film because "I experienced something in my family that touched me." He thanked his wife and – in a rare personal comment – said he had promised her "we would never leave each other, like in the film."
Some viewers were surprised by the movie's frank humanity, coming from a master of tightly controlled cinema whose movies often contain sudden bursts of violence.
The Austrian director's powerful and understated film stars two French acting icons – 85-year-old Emmanuelle Riva and 81-year-old Jean-Louis Trintignant – as an elderly couple coping with the wife's worsening health.
Cannes jury member Jean Paul Gaultier praised the performances of the two actors and the "incredible connection" they established in the movie.
Haneke said he made the film because "I experienced something in my family that touched me." He thanked his wife and – in a rare personal comment – said he had promised her "we would never leave each other, like in the film."
Some viewers were surprised by the movie's frank humanity, coming from a master of tightly controlled cinema whose movies often contain sudden bursts of violence.
- 5/27/2012
- by AP
- Huffington Post
Cannes, France — The Cannes film festival on Saturday wrapped up the movies in competition wading deep in the Mississippi river with "Mud," a heart-wrenching, Mark Twain-influenced tale of a teenage boy searching for the meaning of life in a harsh world and starring Matthew McConaughey and Reese Witherspoon.
With snake bites, shootouts, and a happy ending, it is proudly – even blatantly – inspired by the bard of the Mississippi. Stellar performances from 15-year-old Tye Sheridan – who starred in last year's Palme d'Or winner "The Tree of Life" – and McConaughey separate it from a pack of films in competition set in the colorful American South.
Director David Nichols' third film was the culmination of his film work so far and a decade of effort. The 33-year-old managed to scrape enough money together thanks to the critical success of his previous two pictures: 2007's "Shotgun Stories," and last year's award-winning "Take Shelter.
With snake bites, shootouts, and a happy ending, it is proudly – even blatantly – inspired by the bard of the Mississippi. Stellar performances from 15-year-old Tye Sheridan – who starred in last year's Palme d'Or winner "The Tree of Life" – and McConaughey separate it from a pack of films in competition set in the colorful American South.
Director David Nichols' third film was the culmination of his film work so far and a decade of effort. The 33-year-old managed to scrape enough money together thanks to the critical success of his previous two pictures: 2007's "Shotgun Stories," and last year's award-winning "Take Shelter.
- 5/26/2012
- by AP
- Huffington Post
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