Padraig Cotter Oct 11, 2017
The sci-fi novel Roadside Picnic has inspired works in film, TV, books and even videogames...
Stalker was the final film Andrei Tarkovsky made in the Soviet Union, and is a hypnotic, beguiling experience that refuses to surrender to any one interpretation. That hasn’t stopped critics and fans attempting to apply their own readings of course; is it a religious allegory, a commentary on life in the Soviet Union, an essay on filmmaking or is it about three miserable Russian blokes having a bit of an aimless wander? It could be all of the above, or none - it’s up to each viewer to decide for themselves.
The film is a loose adaptation of Russian sci-fi novel Roadside Picnic by Boris and Arkady Strugatsky, and while on the surface they share similar characters and themes, they play out very differently. Even more interesting is how Roadside Picnic...
The sci-fi novel Roadside Picnic has inspired works in film, TV, books and even videogames...
Stalker was the final film Andrei Tarkovsky made in the Soviet Union, and is a hypnotic, beguiling experience that refuses to surrender to any one interpretation. That hasn’t stopped critics and fans attempting to apply their own readings of course; is it a religious allegory, a commentary on life in the Soviet Union, an essay on filmmaking or is it about three miserable Russian blokes having a bit of an aimless wander? It could be all of the above, or none - it’s up to each viewer to decide for themselves.
The film is a loose adaptation of Russian sci-fi novel Roadside Picnic by Boris and Arkady Strugatsky, and while on the surface they share similar characters and themes, they play out very differently. Even more interesting is how Roadside Picnic...
- 9/13/2017
- Den of Geek
Andrei Tarkovsky’s bizarre philosophical science fiction epic may be his most successful picture overall — every image and word makes its precise desired effect. Three daring men defy the law to penetrate ‘the Zone’ and learn the truth behind the notion that a place called The Room exists where all wishes are granted. Plenty of art films promise profound ideas, but this one delivers.
Stalker
Blu-ray
The Criterion Collection 888
1979 / Color / 1:37 flat full frame / 161 min. / available through The Criterion Collection / Street Date July 18, 2017 / 39.95
Starring: Aleksandr Kaidanovsky, Anatoly Solonitsyn, Nikolai Grinko, Alisa Freindlikh, Natasha Abramova.
Cinematography: Alexander Knyazhinsky
Film Editor: Lyudmila Feyginova
Original Music: Eduard Artemyev
Written by Andrei Tarkovsky and Arkady Struagtsky, Boris Strugatsky from their novel Roadside Picnic.
Produced by Aleksandra Demidova
Directed by Andrei Tarkovsky
If the definition of film artist is ‘one who goes his own way,’ Andrei Tarkovsky qualifies mightily. Reportedly cursed with a halting career...
Stalker
Blu-ray
The Criterion Collection 888
1979 / Color / 1:37 flat full frame / 161 min. / available through The Criterion Collection / Street Date July 18, 2017 / 39.95
Starring: Aleksandr Kaidanovsky, Anatoly Solonitsyn, Nikolai Grinko, Alisa Freindlikh, Natasha Abramova.
Cinematography: Alexander Knyazhinsky
Film Editor: Lyudmila Feyginova
Original Music: Eduard Artemyev
Written by Andrei Tarkovsky and Arkady Struagtsky, Boris Strugatsky from their novel Roadside Picnic.
Produced by Aleksandra Demidova
Directed by Andrei Tarkovsky
If the definition of film artist is ‘one who goes his own way,’ Andrei Tarkovsky qualifies mightily. Reportedly cursed with a halting career...
- 8/19/2017
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
Stars: Alexander Kaidanovsky, Anatoli Solonitsyn, Nikolai Grinko, Alisa Freindlich | Written by Boris Strugatsky, Arkadi Strugatsky | Directed by Andrei Tarkovsky
Based on Boris and Arkadi Strugatsky’s novel Roadside Picnic (not to mention the inspiration behind a famous video game series), this 1979 epic is a typically challenging work from Russian auteur Andrei Tarkovsky, but it is worth the effort.
Stalker is ponderous and bleak; demanding without being impenetrable; and guilty of navel-gazing, certainly, but far too intriguing and unsettling to be turned off. Plus, it’s split neatly into two bite-sized parts, so no excuses. The barebones plot involves three men – a Writer and a Professor, led by the titular Stalker – departing the dilapidated city for the forbidden “Zone”, a rural wasteland littered with industrial junk and devoid of people. The Zone is also, perhaps, a sentient entity. The men are searching for the meaning of life. Kinda.
Stalker is true...
Based on Boris and Arkadi Strugatsky’s novel Roadside Picnic (not to mention the inspiration behind a famous video game series), this 1979 epic is a typically challenging work from Russian auteur Andrei Tarkovsky, but it is worth the effort.
Stalker is ponderous and bleak; demanding without being impenetrable; and guilty of navel-gazing, certainly, but far too intriguing and unsettling to be turned off. Plus, it’s split neatly into two bite-sized parts, so no excuses. The barebones plot involves three men – a Writer and a Professor, led by the titular Stalker – departing the dilapidated city for the forbidden “Zone”, a rural wasteland littered with industrial junk and devoid of people. The Zone is also, perhaps, a sentient entity. The men are searching for the meaning of life. Kinda.
Stalker is true...
- 7/25/2017
- by Rupert Harvey
- Nerdly
This time on the podcast, Trevor Berrett and Scott Nye discuss Andrei Tarkovsky’s Stalker.
Andrei Tarkovsky’s final Soviet feature is a metaphysical journey through an enigmatic postapocalyptic landscape, and a rarefied cinematic experience like no other. A hired guide—the Stalker—leads a writer and a professor into the heart of the Zone, the restricted site of a long-ago disaster, where the three men eventually zero in on the Room, a place rumored to fulfill one’s most deeply held desires. Adapting a science-fiction novel by Arkady and Boris Strugatsky, Tarkovsky created an immersive world with a wealth of material detail and a sense of organic atmosphere. A religious allegory, a reflection of contemporaneous political anxieties, a meditation on film itself—Stalkerenvelops the viewer by opening up a multitude of possible meanings.
Subscribe to the podcast via RSS or in iTunes
Episode Links Stalker (1979) – The Criterion Collection Stalker (1979) – IMDb Stalker (1979) – Wikipedia,...
Andrei Tarkovsky’s final Soviet feature is a metaphysical journey through an enigmatic postapocalyptic landscape, and a rarefied cinematic experience like no other. A hired guide—the Stalker—leads a writer and a professor into the heart of the Zone, the restricted site of a long-ago disaster, where the three men eventually zero in on the Room, a place rumored to fulfill one’s most deeply held desires. Adapting a science-fiction novel by Arkady and Boris Strugatsky, Tarkovsky created an immersive world with a wealth of material detail and a sense of organic atmosphere. A religious allegory, a reflection of contemporaneous political anxieties, a meditation on film itself—Stalkerenvelops the viewer by opening up a multitude of possible meanings.
Subscribe to the podcast via RSS or in iTunes
Episode Links Stalker (1979) – The Criterion Collection Stalker (1979) – IMDb Stalker (1979) – Wikipedia,...
- 7/24/2017
- by Trevor Berrett
- CriterionCast
July 18th Blu-ray & DVD Releases Include Kong: Skull Island, Resident Evil: Vendetta, The Bat People
For the brand new Blu-ray and DVD offerings coming out on Tuesday, July 18th, we have an eclectic assortment of titles, both new and old. As far as cult classics go, The Bat People, Freeway, Stalker, and Stormy Monday are all making their HD debuts on Blu this week, and if you missed Kong: Skull Island, Free Fire or Buster’s Mal Heart during their theatrical runs, now you’ll have a chance to catch up with these films on their home entertainment releases.
Other notable release for July 18th include Resident Evil: Vendetta, Another Evil, Lake Alice, and The Expanse: Season Two.
The Bat People (Scream Factory, Blu-ray)
Half Man, Half Bat, All Terror!
From director Jerry Jameson (Airport 77, Raise The Titanic) comes a high-flying horror from the darkest corner of the drive-in: The Bat People!
When Dr. John Beck and his wife Cathy fall into an underground cave,...
Other notable release for July 18th include Resident Evil: Vendetta, Another Evil, Lake Alice, and The Expanse: Season Two.
The Bat People (Scream Factory, Blu-ray)
Half Man, Half Bat, All Terror!
From director Jerry Jameson (Airport 77, Raise The Titanic) comes a high-flying horror from the darkest corner of the drive-in: The Bat People!
When Dr. John Beck and his wife Cathy fall into an underground cave,...
- 7/18/2017
- by Heather Wixson
- DailyDead
My nightly blood sacrifices seem to have finally paid off — or perhaps the world has finally wised up — for Criterion just announced that Russian slow-cinema maestro Andrei Tarkovsky‘s euphoric, perplexing masterpiece Stalker will be getting the 2K restoration treatment it so clearly deserves. (The same restored version will be screening at the Film Society of Lincoln Center for a one-week run starting on May 5, immediately followed by Solaris.)
With this news comes a new trailer, coated in glorious HD that brings tears of unspeakable joy to my eyes. The definition is so crisp, bringing to life Tarkvosky’s singular vision in such vivid presentation, that even a car blasting T.I.’s “Whatever You Like” out the window in full anachronistic fashion cannot stop me from being transported to a dark, strange place known as The Zone.
All personal digressions aside, Criterion’s restoration is a stunning achievement that...
With this news comes a new trailer, coated in glorious HD that brings tears of unspeakable joy to my eyes. The definition is so crisp, bringing to life Tarkvosky’s singular vision in such vivid presentation, that even a car blasting T.I.’s “Whatever You Like” out the window in full anachronistic fashion cannot stop me from being transported to a dark, strange place known as The Zone.
All personal digressions aside, Criterion’s restoration is a stunning achievement that...
- 4/19/2017
- by Mike Mazzanti
- The Film Stage
The Criterion Collection will venture to the Zone this July, and much more, as they’ve announced their new titles for the month. Andrei Tarkovsky‘s long-rumored sci-fi masterpiece Stalker will arrive with a new 2K restoration. The release will also include a new interview with author Geoff Dyer and newly translated English subtitles. Also arriving in July is Albert Brooks‘ satirical comedy Lost in America, featuring a new conversation with the director and Robert Weide, as well as interviews with the cast and crew.
One of the most notable releases of the month is Robert Bresson‘s masterful final film L’argent, which tracks a counterfeit bill through Paris, and the people it touches. Lastly, Roberto Rossellini‘s powerful War Trilogy is getting a much-deserved Blu-ray upgrade with new versions of Rome Open City, Paisan, and Germany Year Zero. Check out the high-resolution cover art below and full release details.
One of the most notable releases of the month is Robert Bresson‘s masterful final film L’argent, which tracks a counterfeit bill through Paris, and the people it touches. Lastly, Roberto Rossellini‘s powerful War Trilogy is getting a much-deserved Blu-ray upgrade with new versions of Rome Open City, Paisan, and Germany Year Zero. Check out the high-resolution cover art below and full release details.
- 4/17/2017
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
Summer 2017 is shaping up to be quite the exciting season for The Criterion Collection. In May, the library will welcome cult favorite “Ghost World” and recent Palme d’or winner “Dheepan,” while June finds Kenji Mizoguchi’s “Ugetsu,” Hitchcock’s silent classic “The Lodger” and Sam Peckinpah’s controversial “Straw Dogs” joining the club. Criterion has now added its July 2017 additions to their summer slate, and they include movies from auteurs like Tarkovsky, Rossellini and Bresson. Below is the complete list of July additions, with descriptions provided by Criterion.
Read More: The Criterion Collection Announces June Titles: ‘The Marseille Trilogy, ‘They Live by Night,’ ‘The Lodger’ and More
“Stalker” (1979) – Available July 18
Andrei Tarkovsky’s final Soviet feature is a metaphysical journey through an enigmatic postapocalyptic landscape, and a rarefied cinematic experience like no other. A hired guide—the Stalker—leads a writer and a scientist into the heart of the Zone,...
Read More: The Criterion Collection Announces June Titles: ‘The Marseille Trilogy, ‘They Live by Night,’ ‘The Lodger’ and More
“Stalker” (1979) – Available July 18
Andrei Tarkovsky’s final Soviet feature is a metaphysical journey through an enigmatic postapocalyptic landscape, and a rarefied cinematic experience like no other. A hired guide—the Stalker—leads a writer and a scientist into the heart of the Zone,...
- 4/17/2017
- by Zack Sharf
- Indiewire
Ants have descended upon Roadside Picnic.
Wgn America has chosen not to move forward with the TV adaptation of Arkady and Boris Strugatsky’s science-fiction novel, TVLine has confirmed.
RelatedPilot Season ’17: Scoop on This Fall’s (Possible) New Shows, Who’s In Them
Matthew Goode (The Good Wife, Downton Abbey) was to star in the potential series, which followed a man named Red as he studied and entered “the Zone,” an area where aliens recently lived, to explore and sell valuable artifacts.
Per our sister site Deadline, Sony Pictures TV is shopping the project to other networks.
Related storiesSalem...
Wgn America has chosen not to move forward with the TV adaptation of Arkady and Boris Strugatsky’s science-fiction novel, TVLine has confirmed.
RelatedPilot Season ’17: Scoop on This Fall’s (Possible) New Shows, Who’s In Them
Matthew Goode (The Good Wife, Downton Abbey) was to star in the potential series, which followed a man named Red as he studied and entered “the Zone,” an area where aliens recently lived, to explore and sell valuable artifacts.
Per our sister site Deadline, Sony Pictures TV is shopping the project to other networks.
Related storiesSalem...
- 1/26/2017
- TVLine.com
Wgn America has opted not to proceed with Roadside Picnic, its drama pilot based on the famous novel by top Soviet/Russian science fiction writers Arkady and Boris Strugatsky. I hear the pilot’s producing studio, Sony Pictures TV, already is shopping it to other outlets. Starring The Good Wife and Downton Abbey alum Matthew Goode, alien saga Roadside Picnic explores a near-future world where aliens have come and gone, leaving humankind to explore the wondrous and…...
- 1/26/2017
- Deadline TV
Martin Donovan is set to co-star opposite Matthew Goode in Wgn America's alien saga pilot Roadside Picnic, based on the famous novel by top Soviet/Russian science fiction writers Arkady and Boris Strugatsky. Written by Transcendence scribe Jack Paglen, with Alan Taylor attached to direct and Neal Moritz producing, Roadside Picnic explores a near-future world where aliens have come and gone, leaving humankind to explore the wondrous and dangerous mysteries left behind. The…...
- 8/8/2016
- Deadline TV
Felisha Terrell (Survivors Remorse) is set as the female lead in Wgn America's drama pilot Roadside Picnic, an alien saga based on the famous novel by top Soviet/Russian science fiction writers Arkady and Boris Strugatsky. Written by Transcendence scribe Jack Paglen, with Terminator: Genisys and Game of Thrones helmer Alan Taylor attached to direct and Neal Moritz producing, Roadside Picnic explores a near-future world where aliens have come and gone, leaving humankind to…...
- 7/15/2016
- Deadline TV
River Song has teleported into Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life.
Doctor Who vet Alex Kingston will appear in Netflix’s revival of the late WB/CW series — but she won’t necessarily be in Stars Hollow.
RelatedGilmore Girls Revival: Lauren Graham, Alexis Bledel, Team Palladino Set for First Netflix Press Event
During a recent fan convention in Miami, Kingston revealed that she plays “a very eccentric character” in multiple installments. The actress — who recurs on Arrow as Dinah Lance — also divulged that she filmed her scenes “on location” and they may have been opposite Alexis Bledel’s Rory.
Doctor Who vet Alex Kingston will appear in Netflix’s revival of the late WB/CW series — but she won’t necessarily be in Stars Hollow.
RelatedGilmore Girls Revival: Lauren Graham, Alexis Bledel, Team Palladino Set for First Netflix Press Event
During a recent fan convention in Miami, Kingston revealed that she plays “a very eccentric character” in multiple installments. The actress — who recurs on Arrow as Dinah Lance — also divulged that she filmed her scenes “on location” and they may have been opposite Alexis Bledel’s Rory.
- 7/9/2016
- TVLine.com
Deadwood alum W. Earl Brown and Michael Lindall have been cast opposite Matthew Goode in Wgn America's alien-saga pilot Roadside Picnic, based on the famous novel by top Soviet/Russian science fiction writers Arkady and Boris Strugatsky. Written by Transcendence scribe Jack Paglen, with Terminator: Genisys and Game of Thrones helmer Alan Taylor attached to direct and Neal Moritz producing, Roadside Picnic explores a near-future world where aliens have come and gone…...
- 7/8/2016
- Deadline TV
[caption id="attachment_51575" align="aligncenter" width="461"] Matthew Goode cast in the Roadside Picnic TV show pilot at Wgn America (JStone/Shutterstock.com)./caption]
Pack a basket and a crisp Chardonnay. Matthew Goode, a veteran of The Goodwife and Downton Abbey TV series which both ended earlier this year, has been cast as Red in the Roadside Picnic TV series pilot for Wgn America.
A sci-fi project rather than an actual outdoor lunch, Roadside Picnic is based upon the 1971 Arkady and Boris Strugatsky Russian novel. Set in the near-future, after aliens have come to and gone from Earth, Roadside Picnic is written by Jack Paglen. Alan Taylor is directing the pilot. Neal Moritz is executive producing withVivian Cannon.
Read More…...
Pack a basket and a crisp Chardonnay. Matthew Goode, a veteran of The Goodwife and Downton Abbey TV series which both ended earlier this year, has been cast as Red in the Roadside Picnic TV series pilot for Wgn America.
A sci-fi project rather than an actual outdoor lunch, Roadside Picnic is based upon the 1971 Arkady and Boris Strugatsky Russian novel. Set in the near-future, after aliens have come to and gone from Earth, Roadside Picnic is written by Jack Paglen. Alan Taylor is directing the pilot. Neal Moritz is executive producing withVivian Cannon.
Read More…...
- 6/28/2016
- by TVSeriesFinale.com
- TVSeriesFinale.com
Following on from their success with "Salem," "Manhattan," "Outsiders" and "Underground," Wgn America is continuing its original scripted programming push with plans for an ambitious new series entitled "Roadside Picnic".
Alan Taylor ("Thor: The Dark World," "Game of Thrones") will direct and Jack Paglen ("Alien: Covenant") will pen the script for the series which is based on the novel of the same name by Russian writers Arkady and Boris Strugatsky. That book was previously adapted to the screen by Andrei Tarkovsky in 1979 into his legendary film "Stalker".
Deadline reports that "Watchmen" and "The Good Wife" alum Matthew Goode has signed on to star in the series with the pilot episode to be shot shortly. Goode play Red, a former 'Stalker' who enters the 'Zone,' an area that was once briefly inhabited by alien visitors - his mission is to scavenge technology.
Should it go to series, it...
Alan Taylor ("Thor: The Dark World," "Game of Thrones") will direct and Jack Paglen ("Alien: Covenant") will pen the script for the series which is based on the novel of the same name by Russian writers Arkady and Boris Strugatsky. That book was previously adapted to the screen by Andrei Tarkovsky in 1979 into his legendary film "Stalker".
Deadline reports that "Watchmen" and "The Good Wife" alum Matthew Goode has signed on to star in the series with the pilot episode to be shot shortly. Goode play Red, a former 'Stalker' who enters the 'Zone,' an area that was once briefly inhabited by alien visitors - his mission is to scavenge technology.
Should it go to series, it...
- 6/27/2016
- by Garth Franklin
- Dark Horizons
Aliens, meet Matthew Goode.
The Good Wife alum is set to star in a pilot based on Wgn America’s adaptation of Arkady and Boris Strugatsky’s science fiction novel Roadside Picnic, Deadline reports.
RelatedFall TV Schedule 2016: What’s on When? And Versus What?
Goode will play Red, a man who studies and enters “the Zone,” an area where aliens recently lived, to explore and sell valuable artifacts. Roadside Picnic was one of two pilots orders given by Wgn in March, along with an adaptation of DC Comics’ Scalped.
Ready for more of today’s newsy nuggets? Well…
* SundanceTV...
The Good Wife alum is set to star in a pilot based on Wgn America’s adaptation of Arkady and Boris Strugatsky’s science fiction novel Roadside Picnic, Deadline reports.
RelatedFall TV Schedule 2016: What’s on When? And Versus What?
Goode will play Red, a man who studies and enters “the Zone,” an area where aliens recently lived, to explore and sell valuable artifacts. Roadside Picnic was one of two pilots orders given by Wgn in March, along with an adaptation of DC Comics’ Scalped.
Ready for more of today’s newsy nuggets? Well…
* SundanceTV...
- 6/27/2016
- TVLine.com
The Good Wife and Downton Abbey alum Matthew Goode is set as the lead in Wgn America’s alien saga pilot Roadside Picnic, based on the famous novel by top Soviet/Russian science fiction writers Arkady and Boris Strugatsky. Written by Transcendence scribe Jack Paglen, with Terminator Genisys and Game Of Thrones helmer Alan Taylor attached to direct and Neal Moritz producing, Roadside Picnic explores a near-future world where aliens have come and gone, leaving humankind to…...
- 6/27/2016
- Deadline TV
Wgn America has formally ordered pilot adaptations of the graphic novels Scalped and Roadside Picnic.
RelatedUnderground Review: Thriller Aspect, Modern Riffs Drive Wgn’s Slave Drama
Based on the DC Comics series by Jason Aaron and illustrator R.M. Guera, Scalped presents a modern-day crime story set in the world of a Native American Indian reservation, exploring power, loyalty and spirituality in a community led by the ambitious Chief Lincoln Red Crow as he reckons with Dashiell Bad Horse, who has returned home after years away from the reservation.
Doug Jung (Banshee, Dark Blue) will pen the pilot, which has...
RelatedUnderground Review: Thriller Aspect, Modern Riffs Drive Wgn’s Slave Drama
Based on the DC Comics series by Jason Aaron and illustrator R.M. Guera, Scalped presents a modern-day crime story set in the world of a Native American Indian reservation, exploring power, loyalty and spirituality in a community led by the ambitious Chief Lincoln Red Crow as he reckons with Dashiell Bad Horse, who has returned home after years away from the reservation.
Doug Jung (Banshee, Dark Blue) will pen the pilot, which has...
- 3/7/2016
- TVLine.com
Not taking its "Manhattan" cancellation lying down, Wgn America has picked up two new drama pilots - most notably an adaptation of DC Comics' "Scalped".
"Scalped" is described as a modern-day crime story set in the world of a Native American Indian reservation. Lincoln Red Crow is the ambitious chief of a community who must deal with Dashiell Bad Horse who has returned home after years away from the reservation. First published in 2007, it ran for sixty issues.
Doug Jung will pen the script and executive produce alongside DC Entertainment creative director Geoff Johns.
The other series is an adaptation of Arkady and Boris Strugatsky's 1971 novel "Roadside Picnic". That story explores a near-future world where aliens have come and gone, leaving humankind to explore the mysteries left behind as well as the societal ramifications of their visit.
The ation follows Red, a 'stalker' who ventures into the abandoned remains of the alien culture.
"Scalped" is described as a modern-day crime story set in the world of a Native American Indian reservation. Lincoln Red Crow is the ambitious chief of a community who must deal with Dashiell Bad Horse who has returned home after years away from the reservation. First published in 2007, it ran for sixty issues.
Doug Jung will pen the script and executive produce alongside DC Entertainment creative director Geoff Johns.
The other series is an adaptation of Arkady and Boris Strugatsky's 1971 novel "Roadside Picnic". That story explores a near-future world where aliens have come and gone, leaving humankind to explore the mysteries left behind as well as the societal ramifications of their visit.
The ation follows Red, a 'stalker' who ventures into the abandoned remains of the alien culture.
- 3/7/2016
- by Garth Franklin
- Dark Horizons
"Terminator Genisys" and "Thor: The Dark World" director Alan Taylor is set to direct the pilot for a sci-fi series adaptation of "Roadside Picnic" for Wgn America, Sony Pictures TV and Tribune Studios.
Based on Russian authors Arkady and Boris Strugatsky's famed 1972 novel, the story deals with an alien visitation to Earth whose aftermath has led to the creation of 'Zones' in the areas where the aliens had possibly landed.
Such zones exhibit strange and dangerous phenomena not understood by humans, and contain artifacts with inexplicable, seemingly supernatural properties.
Jack Paglen ("Transcendence") adapted the script while Neal Moritz will produce. The property was previously adapted for the screen as Andrei Tarkovsky's "Stalker" in 1979.
Source: Deadline...
Based on Russian authors Arkady and Boris Strugatsky's famed 1972 novel, the story deals with an alien visitation to Earth whose aftermath has led to the creation of 'Zones' in the areas where the aliens had possibly landed.
Such zones exhibit strange and dangerous phenomena not understood by humans, and contain artifacts with inexplicable, seemingly supernatural properties.
Jack Paglen ("Transcendence") adapted the script while Neal Moritz will produce. The property was previously adapted for the screen as Andrei Tarkovsky's "Stalker" in 1979.
Source: Deadline...
- 9/12/2015
- by Garth Franklin
- Dark Horizons
Alien saga Roadside Picnic, one of the most famous novels of top Soviet/Russian science fiction writers Arkady and Boris Strugatsky, is headed to American television. Wgn America is developing a series adaptation written by Transcendence scribe Jack Paglen, directed by Terminator Genisys and Game of Thrones helmer Alan Taylor and produced by Neal Moritz. Sony Pictures TV, where the project was developed as a spec, is the studio, partnering with Tribune Studios. Roadside Pi…...
- 9/11/2015
- Deadline TV
A slo-mo kaleidoscope of medieval squalor, fear and pandemonium, Alexei German’s three-hour epic isn’t easy to watch, but it is awe-inspiring in its own monumentally mad way
The past is another planet – they do things differently there. This monochrome dream-epic of medieval cruelty and squalor is a non-sci-fi sci-fi; a monumental, and monumentally mad film that the Russian film-maker Alexei German began working on around 15 years ago. It was completed by his son, Alexei German Jr, after the director’s death in 2013. If ever a movie deserved the title folie de grandeur it is this, placed before audiences on a take-it-or-leave-it basis: maniacally vehement and strange, a slo-mo kaleidoscope of chaos and also a relentless prose poem of fear, featuring three hours’ worth of non-sequitur dialogue, where each line is an imagist stab with nothing to do what has just been said.
What on earth does it mean?...
The past is another planet – they do things differently there. This monochrome dream-epic of medieval cruelty and squalor is a non-sci-fi sci-fi; a monumental, and monumentally mad film that the Russian film-maker Alexei German began working on around 15 years ago. It was completed by his son, Alexei German Jr, after the director’s death in 2013. If ever a movie deserved the title folie de grandeur it is this, placed before audiences on a take-it-or-leave-it basis: maniacally vehement and strange, a slo-mo kaleidoscope of chaos and also a relentless prose poem of fear, featuring three hours’ worth of non-sequitur dialogue, where each line is an imagist stab with nothing to do what has just been said.
What on earth does it mean?...
- 8/6/2015
- by Peter Bradshaw
- The Guardian - Film News
A slo-mo kaleidoscope of medieval squalor, fear and pandemonium, Alexei German’s three-hour epic isn’t easy to watch, but it is awe-inspiring in its own monumentally mad way
The past is another planet – they do things differently there. This monochrome dream-epic of medieval cruelty and squalor is a non-sci-fi sci-fi; a monumental, and monumentally mad film that the Russian film-maker Alexei German began working on around 15 years ago. It was completed by his son, Alexei German Jr, after the director’s death in 2013. If ever a movie deserved the title folie de grandeur it is this, placed before audiences on a take-it-or-leave-it basis: maniacally vehement and strange, a slo-mo kaleidoscope of chaos and also a relentless prose poem of fear, featuring three hours’ worth of non-sequitur dialogue, where each line is an imagist stab with nothing to do what has just been said.
What on earth does it mean?...
The past is another planet – they do things differently there. This monochrome dream-epic of medieval cruelty and squalor is a non-sci-fi sci-fi; a monumental, and monumentally mad film that the Russian film-maker Alexei German began working on around 15 years ago. It was completed by his son, Alexei German Jr, after the director’s death in 2013. If ever a movie deserved the title folie de grandeur it is this, placed before audiences on a take-it-or-leave-it basis: maniacally vehement and strange, a slo-mo kaleidoscope of chaos and also a relentless prose poem of fear, featuring three hours’ worth of non-sequitur dialogue, where each line is an imagist stab with nothing to do what has just been said.
What on earth does it mean?...
- 8/6/2015
- by Peter Bradshaw
- The Guardian - Film News
As far as the immersive powers of cinematic spectacle go, it’s doubtful any will come close to rivaling the achievements of Russian auteur Aleksei German, a figure many have hailed as the post important director in his country following Tarkovsky. And yet, he is still largely unknown, at least in comparison to the worldly renown of his comparable peers. Over his five decades as a filmmaker, German only produced five films, a perfectionist whose later works far outshine the fastidiousness displayed in the comparable methods of someone like Stanley Kubrick.
Obtaining a serviceable print of his titles often proves difficult (though the tenacious may yet unearth bootleg copies here and there), which hasn’t helped audiences acclimate to his idiosyncratic style. Passing away while working on the finishing touches of his last film, Hard to Be a God, a sci-fi epic taken as representative of the director’s work,...
Obtaining a serviceable print of his titles often proves difficult (though the tenacious may yet unearth bootleg copies here and there), which hasn’t helped audiences acclimate to his idiosyncratic style. Passing away while working on the finishing touches of his last film, Hard to Be a God, a sci-fi epic taken as representative of the director’s work,...
- 6/30/2015
- by Nicholas Bell
- IONCINEMA.com
To celebrate the release of Dark Planet - coming to DVD 16th February – we have a copy to giveaway courtesy of Bulldog Film Distribution. Dark Planet is a sweeping and action-packed science fiction film set in the year 2157 and based on the writings of the legendary russian authors Arkadiy and Boris Strugatskiy.
Directed by Fedor Bondarchuk (Stalingrad) and starring Yuliya Snigir (A Good Day to Die Hard) the film follows the exploits of a young earthling named Maxim who, after unexpectedly crash landing on an uncharted planet, must learn to survive in this hostile new world while simultaneously bringing about a revolution against an oppressive government that controls its citizens with a sinister form of mind control. Synopsis:
The year is 2157: Maxim is on a mission in deep space when his ship crashes on an unknown planet. Despite the highly advanced weaponry and technology developed by the planet’s tyrannical leaders,...
Directed by Fedor Bondarchuk (Stalingrad) and starring Yuliya Snigir (A Good Day to Die Hard) the film follows the exploits of a young earthling named Maxim who, after unexpectedly crash landing on an uncharted planet, must learn to survive in this hostile new world while simultaneously bringing about a revolution against an oppressive government that controls its citizens with a sinister form of mind control. Synopsis:
The year is 2157: Maxim is on a mission in deep space when his ship crashes on an unknown planet. Despite the highly advanced weaponry and technology developed by the planet’s tyrannical leaders,...
- 2/12/2015
- by Phil Wheat
- Nerdly
Hard to Be a God
Written by Aleksey German and Svetlana Karmalita from the novel by Arkady and Boris Strugatsky
Directed by Aleksey German
Russia, 2013
“The scholar is not the enemy. The enemy is the scholar who doubts.”
Aleksey German’s Hard to Be a God is in the running for the most disgusting films I’ve ever seen. The film produces an enormously affecting, intricately detailed, and thoroughly realized visceral nightmare, one that never wanes or becomes numbing over its three-hour runtime but instead accumulates into an at-times overwhelming journey into a world run by a phantom regime of hedonist ignorance and reactionary cruelty. Built upon a twist on science fiction that probes fascinating questions about politics, morality, and the myth of the arc of human progress, Hard to Be a God uses this genre framework as a platform to manifest a carnival of depravity and filth. Decades in the making,...
Written by Aleksey German and Svetlana Karmalita from the novel by Arkady and Boris Strugatsky
Directed by Aleksey German
Russia, 2013
“The scholar is not the enemy. The enemy is the scholar who doubts.”
Aleksey German’s Hard to Be a God is in the running for the most disgusting films I’ve ever seen. The film produces an enormously affecting, intricately detailed, and thoroughly realized visceral nightmare, one that never wanes or becomes numbing over its three-hour runtime but instead accumulates into an at-times overwhelming journey into a world run by a phantom regime of hedonist ignorance and reactionary cruelty. Built upon a twist on science fiction that probes fascinating questions about politics, morality, and the myth of the arc of human progress, Hard to Be a God uses this genre framework as a platform to manifest a carnival of depravity and filth. Decades in the making,...
- 1/28/2015
- by Landon Palmer
- SoundOnSight
Over the years we've talked a bit about Aleksei German's film adaptation of Arkady and Boris Strugatsky's novel "Hard to be A God." Heck, at one point we even had a bit of footage (now removed) from the film but the finished product never quite materialized. Until now.
The project, which has been in the making since the 60s and in the years since gone through various titles before landing on Hard to Be a God (taking the direct title of the book), finally went into production in 2000 and wrapped in 2006 before entering into a long haul editing session. The film finally emerged and screened out of competition last year at the Rome Film Festival, months after German's death in February of 2013.
Synopsis:
[Continued ...]...
The project, which has been in the making since the 60s and in the years since gone through various titles before landing on Hard to Be a God (taking the direct title of the book), finally went into production in 2000 and wrapped in 2006 before entering into a long haul editing session. The film finally emerged and screened out of competition last year at the Rome Film Festival, months after German's death in February of 2013.
Synopsis:
[Continued ...]...
- 12/16/2014
- QuietEarth.us
A24 has acquired Us rights to music video director Adam Smith’s feature directorial debut starring Michael Fassbender and Brendan Gleeson.
Lyndsey Marshal, Rory Kinnear, Sean Harris and Killian Scott also star in the story of a family of robbers in England.
The film is currently in post and will feature original music from The Chemical Brothers.
Alastair Siddons wrote the screenplay and produces alongside Gail Egan and Andrea Calderwood of Potboiler Productions.
The film was developed in association with Film4 with funding from Film4, The BFI, Animal Kingdom and LipSync.
A24 negotiated the deal with Protagonist Pictures head of sales Vanessa Saal.
Kino Lorber has acquired all Us rights from Capricci Films to Aleksei’s German’s sci-fi Hard To Be A God, based on the novel by Arkady and Boris Strugatsky.
Lyndsey Marshal, Rory Kinnear, Sean Harris and Killian Scott also star in the story of a family of robbers in England.
The film is currently in post and will feature original music from The Chemical Brothers.
Alastair Siddons wrote the screenplay and produces alongside Gail Egan and Andrea Calderwood of Potboiler Productions.
The film was developed in association with Film4 with funding from Film4, The BFI, Animal Kingdom and LipSync.
A24 negotiated the deal with Protagonist Pictures head of sales Vanessa Saal.
Kino Lorber has acquired all Us rights from Capricci Films to Aleksei’s German’s sci-fi Hard To Be A God, based on the novel by Arkady and Boris Strugatsky.
- 12/16/2014
- by jeremykay67@gmail.com (Jeremy Kay)
- ScreenDaily
#55. Alexei Guerman’s Hard to Be a God
Gist: While it may possibly be released as History of the Arkanar Massacre, we’re hoping this retains the same name as the novel it’s based on by Arkady and Boris Strugatsky. On another planet, currently going through its Middle Ages, a group of historians from Earth are living there pretending to be normal members of the populous. The protagonist, Don Rumata, is disgusted and disturbed by some of the atrocities he witnesses, but the earthlings are unable to intervene so that they do not change the course of the history of the planet. They are there only to help and protect the few individuals that seem different from everyone else, whose knowledge can help benefit the rest of the planet. Rumata is charged with finding a specific person being held against his will.
Prediction: The infrequent working Aleksei German has...
Gist: While it may possibly be released as History of the Arkanar Massacre, we’re hoping this retains the same name as the novel it’s based on by Arkady and Boris Strugatsky. On another planet, currently going through its Middle Ages, a group of historians from Earth are living there pretending to be normal members of the populous. The protagonist, Don Rumata, is disgusted and disturbed by some of the atrocities he witnesses, but the earthlings are unable to intervene so that they do not change the course of the history of the planet. They are there only to help and protect the few individuals that seem different from everyone else, whose knowledge can help benefit the rest of the planet. Rumata is charged with finding a specific person being held against his will.
Prediction: The infrequent working Aleksei German has...
- 4/5/2013
- by Nicholas Bell
- IONCINEMA.com
Soviet and Russian film director whose reputation is based on only four films, all of them masterpieces
Aleksei German, who has died of heart failure aged 74, was among the very last in a generation of film directors victimised by the Soviet Union's draconian attitude to the arts. As a result, since 1968 German had made only six films, one of them co-directed and one uncompleted at his death. Three of them were shelved for several years, and Khrustalyov, My Car! (1998), seven years in the making, was repeatedly bailed out by French money. German's reputation is based on only four films, all of them masterpieces.
Gradually, after the fall of communism in Russia, German's films were screened at cinematheques and festivals in the west. Khrustalyov, My Car!, the only one of his works that was not banned, provoked a mass walkout by critics at the 1998 Cannes film festival. According to the Hollywood Reporter,...
Aleksei German, who has died of heart failure aged 74, was among the very last in a generation of film directors victimised by the Soviet Union's draconian attitude to the arts. As a result, since 1968 German had made only six films, one of them co-directed and one uncompleted at his death. Three of them were shelved for several years, and Khrustalyov, My Car! (1998), seven years in the making, was repeatedly bailed out by French money. German's reputation is based on only four films, all of them masterpieces.
Gradually, after the fall of communism in Russia, German's films were screened at cinematheques and festivals in the west. Khrustalyov, My Car!, the only one of his works that was not banned, provoked a mass walkout by critics at the 1998 Cannes film festival. According to the Hollywood Reporter,...
- 2/26/2013
- by Ronald Bergan
- The Guardian - Film News
A very English dissection of Tarkovsky's Stalker
Among the many tributes that the film critic J Hoberman received after he was fired by the Village Voice last month came one from a former student named Matt Singer. Now a writer and TV host, he compiled a list of the most important things he'd learned from a seminar Hoberman had taught as a side gig at New York University. It contained a good deal of sound advice – "Watch for excess words. If there's a shorter word, use it"; "Vent your spleen. In criticism, it's better to be angry than depressed" – but the most basic and important message was this: "Plot synopses automatically ruin a review."
Rightly or wrongly, the synopsis is regarded as one of the lowest forms of writing. Two-thirds of the way into Zona, his characteristically singular book about Andrei Tarkovsky's Stalker (1979), Geoff Dyer declares: "There are few things...
Among the many tributes that the film critic J Hoberman received after he was fired by the Village Voice last month came one from a former student named Matt Singer. Now a writer and TV host, he compiled a list of the most important things he'd learned from a seminar Hoberman had taught as a side gig at New York University. It contained a good deal of sound advice – "Watch for excess words. If there's a shorter word, use it"; "Vent your spleen. In criticism, it's better to be angry than depressed" – but the most basic and important message was this: "Plot synopses automatically ruin a review."
Rightly or wrongly, the synopsis is regarded as one of the lowest forms of writing. Two-thirds of the way into Zona, his characteristically singular book about Andrei Tarkovsky's Stalker (1979), Geoff Dyer declares: "There are few things...
- 2/16/2012
- by Sukhdev Sandhu
- The Guardian - Film News
Avatar director James Cameron's planned book will not be a novelisation, but a 'big, epic story that fills in a lot of things'
Avatar fans desperate for a deeper insight into the world of the Na'vi are set for a treat after director James Cameron revealed he is planning to write a novel based on the box office hit.
The prequel, which would mark the director's debut as a novelist, will go into depth about the previous lives of characters. "It would be something that would lead up to telling the story of the movie, but it would go into much more depth about all the stories that we didn't have time to deal with – like the schoolhouse and Sigourney [Weaver's character] teaching at the schoolhouse; Jake on Earth and his backstory and how he came here; [the death of] Tommy, Jake's brother; and Colonel Quaritch, how he ended up there and all that,...
Avatar fans desperate for a deeper insight into the world of the Na'vi are set for a treat after director James Cameron revealed he is planning to write a novel based on the box office hit.
The prequel, which would mark the director's debut as a novelist, will go into depth about the previous lives of characters. "It would be something that would lead up to telling the story of the movie, but it would go into much more depth about all the stories that we didn't have time to deal with – like the schoolhouse and Sigourney [Weaver's character] teaching at the schoolhouse; Jake on Earth and his backstory and how he came here; [the death of] Tommy, Jake's brother; and Colonel Quaritch, how he ended up there and all that,...
- 2/18/2010
- by Alison Flood
- The Guardian - Film News
Filmmaker James Cameron has been accused of the lifting ideas from two renowned Soviet Union science fiction writers for his latest flick Avatar. Avatar bears resemblance to extracts from The World of Noon, or Noon Universe, a series of 10 bestselling fantasy novels penned by Arkady and Boris Strugatsky in the mid-1960s. Pandora, a green and lushly forested planet in the movie is also mentioned in the books. The events of both the flick and the books take place in the 22nd century. Moreover, humanoids named Na’vi in Avatar and the Nave in the Strugatsky novels live on both the ...
- 1/15/2010
- Hindustan Times - Cinema
Director James Cameron is facing claims that his 3D blockbuster Avatar owes an unacknowledged debt to the popular Soviet fantasy writers Arkady and Boris Strugatsky
It has grossed more than $1.3bn (£800m) worldwide, wowed the critics, and spawned a new generation of fans, the so-called Avatards, who have taken to painting their faces blue.
But the film director James Cameron was facing claims today that his 3D blockbuster Avatar owes an unacknowledged debt to the popular Soviet fantasy writers Arkady and Boris Strugatsky.
Cinema audiences in Russia have been quick to point out that Avatar has elements in common with The World of Noon, or Noon Universe, a cycle of 10 bestselling science fiction novels written by the Strugatskys in the mid-1960s.
It was the Strugatskys who came up with the planet Pandora – the same name chosen by Cameron for the similarly green and lushly forested planet used as the spectacular backdrop to Avatar.
It has grossed more than $1.3bn (£800m) worldwide, wowed the critics, and spawned a new generation of fans, the so-called Avatards, who have taken to painting their faces blue.
But the film director James Cameron was facing claims today that his 3D blockbuster Avatar owes an unacknowledged debt to the popular Soviet fantasy writers Arkady and Boris Strugatsky.
Cinema audiences in Russia have been quick to point out that Avatar has elements in common with The World of Noon, or Noon Universe, a cycle of 10 bestselling science fiction novels written by the Strugatskys in the mid-1960s.
It was the Strugatskys who came up with the planet Pandora – the same name chosen by Cameron for the similarly green and lushly forested planet used as the spectacular backdrop to Avatar.
- 1/14/2010
- by Luke Harding
- The Guardian - Film News
Not to be confused with the Spanish stigmata drama we've been following, this is actually a short film which looks incredibly post apocalyptic with lots of sick experimentation and reminiscent of Konstantin Lopushansky's Pisma Myortvogo Cheloveka which was co-written by Boris Strugatsky. Another great find from our friend D'mooN at Opium.
During World War II, German scientists developed Futhark Five, a substance that allowed human beings to reach a superior status. As Germany fell, the atomic bomb spread throughout the crumbling ruins of the fading nation. Simultaneously, an underground society that practiced mind control discovered Futhark Five. This sect used the substance and its effects for experimentation, manipulation, and ultimately, for the total destruction of mankind.
Full short film after the break. You can purchase the dvd here.
Embedded video stripped, see full HTML version.
During World War II, German scientists developed Futhark Five, a substance that allowed human beings to reach a superior status. As Germany fell, the atomic bomb spread throughout the crumbling ruins of the fading nation. Simultaneously, an underground society that practiced mind control discovered Futhark Five. This sect used the substance and its effects for experimentation, manipulation, and ultimately, for the total destruction of mankind.
Full short film after the break. You can purchase the dvd here.
Embedded video stripped, see full HTML version.
- 7/2/2009
- QuietEarth.us
- Quick Links > Roadside Picnic > Down in the Valley > David Jacobson > Official "Dahmer" Website Aliens come to Earth. Aliens leave Earth. Humans fight over the artifacts the aliens left behind. This is the plot outline for the next David Jacobson feature, Roadside Picnic. The writer/director behind Dahmer (yes, the serial killer film actually took home a trio of Ifp Independent Spirit Awards back in 2003) and the urban cowboy flick Down in the Valley will take on the adaptation of the 1972 novel by Russian sci-fi authors Arkady and Boris Strugatsky. An allegory for the Chernobyl disaster, Roadside Picnic tells a deeper story of the human desire to control the unknown. Roadside Picnic sees the principle character Red Schuhart as a stalker, one of those strange misfits compelled to venture illegally into the Zone and collect the strange artifacts that the alien visitors left scattered there. His whole life, even the nature of his daughter,
- 7/31/2006
- IONCINEMA.com
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