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3 items from 2011

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Greatest Horror Movies Ever Made: Part 6: Best (Italian) Giallo Films

25 October 2011 11:59 PM, PDT | SoundOnSight | See recent SoundOnSight news »

The term “giallo” initially referred to cheap yellow paperbacks (printed American mysteries from writers such as Agatha Christie), that were distributed in post-fascist Italy. Applied to cinema, the genre is comprised of equal parts early pulp thrillers, mystery novels, with a willingness to gleefully explore onscreen sex and violence in provocative, innovative ways. Giallos are strikingly different from American crime films: they value style and plot over characterization, and tend towards unapologetic displays of violence, sexual content, and taboo exploration. The genre is known for stylistic excess, characterized by unnatural yet intriguing lighting techniques, convoluted plots, red herrings, extended murder sequences, excessive bloodletting, stylish camerawork and unusual musical arrangements. Amidst the ‘creative kill’ set-pieces are thematic undercurrents along with a whodunit element, usually some sort of twist ending. Here is my list of the best giallo films – made strictly by Italian directors, so don’t expect Black Swan, Amer or »

- Ricky

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[Now Streaming] Your ‘Moneyball,’ ‘Machine Gun Preacher’ & ‘Killer Elite’ Alternatives

22 September 2011 5:31 AM, PDT | The Film Stage | See recent The Film Stage news »

Each week within this column we strive to pair the latest in theatrical releases to the worthwhile titles currently available on Netflix Instant Watch. This week we look at alternatives to Moneyball, Machine Gun Preacher and Killer Elite.

With the cold weather barreling in, theaters across the country brace for docudrama-rama! Trailers boast “based on a true story” as an A-lister rubs elbows with a fat funnyman, an action star tries for Oscar-baiting, and badasses new and old unite in a gritty action-thriller. Want more? Well, if Netflix news has you spinning, take a seat and indulge in some true-life drama, wild action flicks, and wonderfully sweet and strange, indie rom-com wild card.

Fresh from its debut at Tiff (review here!), this Aaron Sorkin-scripted sports-drama tells the true story of Oakland A’s general manager Billy Beane’s unconventional method to building a winning team. Brad Pitt and Jonah Hill star. »

- jpraup@gmail.com (thefilmstage.com)

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Frank Whitten obituary

27 March 2011 4:02 PM, PDT | The Guardian - TV News | See recent The Guardian - TV News news »

Actor, teacher and founder of the Common Stock theatre group

After arriving in London in the 1960s as a stage-struck 19-year-old, Frank Whitten, who has died of cancer aged 68, became an inspirational teacher of drama, a leading actor in theatre, film and TV, and eventually a household name in his native New Zealand. He was also a director and writer, and a prominent force in the radical theatre movement of the 1970s.

In 1962 he began to study at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (Lamda). After graduation he was invited to stay on as a tutor, and by 1970 he had been appointed vice-principal. He taught improvisational drama and had an influence on generations of actors including Harriet Walter, Jim Broadbent, Patricia Hodge and Ian Charleson. Frustrated in his attempt to get students on to the governing body of Lamda, Whitten resigned from his post and, with his colleagues Dorothy Bromiley, »

- Leslie Megahey

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2013 | 2012 | 2011 | 2010

3 items from 2011

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