Next to nursey rhymes and small girls in frilly dresses, one of the things horror filmmakers are most keen to ‘subvert’ are fairy tales. From The Company Of Wolves and Deep In The Woods to Hunted and Final Girl, there are more Red Riding Hoods than you can shake a stick at, Hansel And Gretel feature in both US and South Korean versions, and The Curse Of Sleeping Beauty also makes its mark. Andy Edwards’ Cinderella’s Revenge is another offering in this tradition, mixing an appreciation of its story’s bloody roots with a gory modern twist.
Although Edwards directs, he didn’t write the script, and that shows in what is probably his weakest effort to date. It’s a film that doesn’t seem to know what it wants to be. For the first 45 minutes it plays it very straight, the only intentional squirm moment involving mutilations...
Although Edwards directs, he didn’t write the script, and that shows in what is probably his weakest effort to date. It’s a film that doesn’t seem to know what it wants to be. For the first 45 minutes it plays it very straight, the only intentional squirm moment involving mutilations...
- 4/26/2024
- by Jennie Kermode
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
There’s a compelling idea in anthropology that many ancient werewolf legends are derived from our species’ need to rationalize the more animalistic side of humanity – which is why lycanthropy has historically been used to explain everything from medieval serial killers to cannibalism. While I personally think there’s a lot more to unpack when it comes to tales of wolfmen and women, this is still a great example of why so many of our most enduring fairy tales involve big bad wolves.
And in the world of film, I think there’s only one feature that really nails the folkloric origins of werewolf stories, namely Neil Jordan’s 1984 fairy-tale horror classic, The Company of Wolves. Even four decades later, there’s no other genre flick that comes close to capturing the dreamlike ambience behind this strange anthology, and that’s why I’d like to take this opportunity to...
And in the world of film, I think there’s only one feature that really nails the folkloric origins of werewolf stories, namely Neil Jordan’s 1984 fairy-tale horror classic, The Company of Wolves. Even four decades later, there’s no other genre flick that comes close to capturing the dreamlike ambience behind this strange anthology, and that’s why I’d like to take this opportunity to...
- 3/25/2024
- by Luiz H. C.
- bloody-disgusting.com
Cillian Murphy and writer, director, and producer Christopher Nolan on the set of ‘Oppenheimer’ (Photo © Universal Pictures)
Since Cillian Murphy just became the first Irish-born actor to win the Best Actor Oscar, I thought it would be appropriate to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day with a list of the most notable Irish actors who have been honored by the Academy with either Oscar gold or a nomination.
1. Cillian Murphy
Murphy has played non-Irish roles so often and so well that some people may not realize or remember that he is Irish. His best Irish films include Breakfast on Pluto and The Wind that Shakes the Barley. And as noted above, he is the first Irish-born actor to take home an Academy Award in the Best Actor category.
Vicky Krieps and Daniel Day-Lewis in writer/director Paul Thomas Anderson’s ‘Phantom Thread’ (Photo by Laurie Sparham / Focus Features)
2. Daniel Day-Lewis
Day-Lewis...
Since Cillian Murphy just became the first Irish-born actor to win the Best Actor Oscar, I thought it would be appropriate to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day with a list of the most notable Irish actors who have been honored by the Academy with either Oscar gold or a nomination.
1. Cillian Murphy
Murphy has played non-Irish roles so often and so well that some people may not realize or remember that he is Irish. His best Irish films include Breakfast on Pluto and The Wind that Shakes the Barley. And as noted above, he is the first Irish-born actor to take home an Academy Award in the Best Actor category.
Vicky Krieps and Daniel Day-Lewis in writer/director Paul Thomas Anderson’s ‘Phantom Thread’ (Photo by Laurie Sparham / Focus Features)
2. Daniel Day-Lewis
Day-Lewis...
- 3/17/2024
- by Beth Accomando
- Showbiz Junkies
The heat is most definitely on in this episode of revisited, as we’re looking back on a quintessential piece of 1980s action / comedy movie-making, that helped to launch the career of American funnyman Eddie Murphy into the stratosphere. That’s right folk, with the much anticipated fourth entry in the series on the horizon, we’re taking a retrospective look at the Axel F infused goodness that is Beverly Hills Cop. Ok, well, I guess part four isn’t necessarily ‘much anticipated’ across the entire movie-world, but Eddie Murphy has had somewhat of a career resurgence in recent times and apart from a slightly tame and disappointing Coming 2 America, and the relative appeal of You People, he’s made a positive return the spotlight. Part four is currently slated, as per time of writing this video, for 2024 but there have been whispers about it possibly surfacing on Netflix,...
- 10/12/2023
- by Adam Walton
- JoBlo.com
Of all the classic horror movie monsters, werewolves, quite frankly, get the short end of the stick. Vampires and zombies have dozens of iconic films to claim as their own, while ghosts and witches pop up in movies all the time. But werewolves? Their great films are fewer and further between.
One of the oldest and most widespread creatures of folklore, the modern idea of werewolves originated from ancient Greek literature before growing into a common figure in European oral traditions. But onscreen, werewolves are less omnipresent — and typically less successful — than those starring significantly younger creatures of the night like vampires. Universal Pictures’ first attempt to bring werewolves to screen, 1935’s “Werewolf of London,” flopped and paled in comparison to masterpieces like “Dracula” and “Frankenstein.” The studio eventually returned to the creatures of the full moon for “The Wolf Man,” which was better received but still isn’t regarded...
One of the oldest and most widespread creatures of folklore, the modern idea of werewolves originated from ancient Greek literature before growing into a common figure in European oral traditions. But onscreen, werewolves are less omnipresent — and typically less successful — than those starring significantly younger creatures of the night like vampires. Universal Pictures’ first attempt to bring werewolves to screen, 1935’s “Werewolf of London,” flopped and paled in comparison to masterpieces like “Dracula” and “Frankenstein.” The studio eventually returned to the creatures of the full moon for “The Wolf Man,” which was better received but still isn’t regarded...
- 9/29/2023
- by Wilson Chapman
- Indiewire
When they move to a quiet suburban neighbourhood, the Ferals appear to be a very normal family. However, they have a dark secret concerning their teenaged son Philémon, and as he begins to fall for his neighbour Camila, his thirst for human blood becomes harder to resist, threatening the family's well rehearsed cover.
The panic and upheaval of adolescence has been a thematic mainstay of the horror genre. From I Was A Teenage Werewolf, Carrie and The Company of Wolves, through Ginger Snaps, Teeth and Raw, horror cinema has exploited the feelings of dread and the fear of being different that so many teenagers harbour. From alarming physical changes to overwhelming feelings of loneliness and fear of rejection, adolescence has been a devil's playground for filmmakers to explore ideas of societal conformity, monstrosity and 'otherness'. Likewise, the pliability of the figure of the vampire means it has been used as a metaphor from everything.
The panic and upheaval of adolescence has been a thematic mainstay of the horror genre. From I Was A Teenage Werewolf, Carrie and The Company of Wolves, through Ginger Snaps, Teeth and Raw, horror cinema has exploited the feelings of dread and the fear of being different that so many teenagers harbour. From alarming physical changes to overwhelming feelings of loneliness and fear of rejection, adolescence has been a devil's playground for filmmakers to explore ideas of societal conformity, monstrosity and 'otherness'. Likewise, the pliability of the figure of the vampire means it has been used as a metaphor from everything.
- 9/17/2023
- by James Gracey
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
Hey all! John Fallon here aka The Arrow. Our docu-series, Executive Produced by Berge Garabedian: 80’s Horror Memories (binge it here), which thoroughly explores the decade in horror, is now 15 episodes in. We just wrapped 1980, 1981 and 1982 and we are about to go in balls deep into 1983 this coming Monday, August 28 on our JoBlo Horror Originals YouTube channel.
A series of this ilk doesn’t happen by itself, it takes an army of producers, writers, editors and our sole narrator to make the magic happens. So we thought it would be dandy to get our core staff to share with you their 10 favorite (not best) horror movies from the 80’s. Yes, it was tough on all of us to pick just 10 – but we knocked a few back and did what we could. Scroll down and peep our choices!
John “The Arrow” Fallon (Producer / Ball Breaker)
Tenebrae The Thing Nightmare On Elm Street...
A series of this ilk doesn’t happen by itself, it takes an army of producers, writers, editors and our sole narrator to make the magic happens. So we thought it would be dandy to get our core staff to share with you their 10 favorite (not best) horror movies from the 80’s. Yes, it was tough on all of us to pick just 10 – but we knocked a few back and did what we could. Scroll down and peep our choices!
John “The Arrow” Fallon (Producer / Ball Breaker)
Tenebrae The Thing Nightmare On Elm Street...
- 8/27/2023
- by The Arrow
- JoBlo.com
One of this week’s most notable new releases is Lionsgate’s big screen horror movie Cobweb, a horror fairy tale of sorts from first time feature film director Samuel Bodin. Bodin’s no stranger to the realm of violent fairy tales for adults; the filmmaker’s direction on Netflix’s Marianne unleashed no shortage of visceral scares unleashed from a fairy tale realm.
This week’s streaming picks center around horror fairy tales, whether they’re direct adaptations or inspired by them. All blend horror and fantasy to deliver cautionary bedtime tales.
Here’s where you can stream these horror fairy tales this week.
For more Stay Home, Watch Horror picks, click here.
The Company of Wolves – AMC+, Kanopy, Shudder
In Neil Jordan’s film, young Rosaleen falls asleep at her home and dreams of menacing wolves, many of which disguise themselves as men. All of which makes for...
This week’s streaming picks center around horror fairy tales, whether they’re direct adaptations or inspired by them. All blend horror and fantasy to deliver cautionary bedtime tales.
Here’s where you can stream these horror fairy tales this week.
For more Stay Home, Watch Horror picks, click here.
The Company of Wolves – AMC+, Kanopy, Shudder
In Neil Jordan’s film, young Rosaleen falls asleep at her home and dreams of menacing wolves, many of which disguise themselves as men. All of which makes for...
- 7/17/2023
- by Meagan Navarro
- bloody-disgusting.com
The idea of retelling placid and gentle children's fairy tales in a bloody, horror milieu is hardly new. Think of a fairy tale or beloved children's classic, and odds are good that someone has already transformed it into a horror movie. Off the top of my head: Neil Jordan made a horror movie out of Little Red Riding Hood with "The Company of Wolves" in 1984. Later, in 1996, filmmaker Matthew Bright brought the same story into a scuzzy modern setting with "Freeway." 1997 saw the release of "Snow White: A Tale of Terror" with Sigourney Weaver as the evil queen.
"The Little Mermaid" was transformed into an awesome 2015 horror musical called "The Lure." Pinocchio starred in "Pinocchio's Revenge." The Gingerbread Man was transformed into "The Gingerdead Man". A quick stroll through the spider-webbed hallways of Tubi might reveal titles like "The Curse of Sleeping Beauty," 1995's "Rumplestiltskin," and multiple films called "The Tooth Fairy.
"The Little Mermaid" was transformed into an awesome 2015 horror musical called "The Lure." Pinocchio starred in "Pinocchio's Revenge." The Gingerbread Man was transformed into "The Gingerdead Man". A quick stroll through the spider-webbed hallways of Tubi might reveal titles like "The Curse of Sleeping Beauty," 1995's "Rumplestiltskin," and multiple films called "The Tooth Fairy.
- 5/22/2023
- by Witney Seibold
- Slash Film
Making films is like having sex,” Neil Jordan tells me. “You don’t know how other people do it. And you never know if you’re doing it right.” It’s a fitting sentiment, given his films are not like anyone else’s. And they’re also... well, steamy: the sexually charged blood-thirst of Interview with the Vampire; the gothic eroticism of The Company of Wolves; the provocations of The Crying Game and Mona Lisa, two portraits of unkempt men mesmerised by ambiguous femme fatales. As if to keep his audience on their toes, Jordan then likes to pivot – to grand period biopics such as Michael Collins, or rain-soaked wartime melodramas like The End of the Affair.
The Irish writer and director has spent much of his 40-year career being told he’s doing it all wrong. “But I’ve always been fascinated by things I’ve not done before,...
The Irish writer and director has spent much of his 40-year career being told he’s doing it all wrong. “But I’ve always been fascinated by things I’ve not done before,...
- 3/23/2023
- by Adam White
- The Independent - Film
‘Our budget was tiny. The forest was 12 trees on rollers – and for long shots we used bonsai. The crew had worked on Star Wars and thought we were absurd’
I met Angela Carter in 1982, while we were in Dublin attending a week celebrating the centenary of James Joyce’s birth. She’d written a script based on a short story of hers called The Company of Wolves, itself an adaptation of Little Red Riding Hood. It wasn’t long enough for a feature film but I proposed a kind of portmanteau structure, with a girl dreaming herself as a fairytale character and her dream grandmother telling cautionary tales. In that way, we could incorporate elements from other traditional tales in Angela’s collection The Bloody Chamber.
I met Angela Carter in 1982, while we were in Dublin attending a week celebrating the centenary of James Joyce’s birth. She’d written a script based on a short story of hers called The Company of Wolves, itself an adaptation of Little Red Riding Hood. It wasn’t long enough for a feature film but I proposed a kind of portmanteau structure, with a girl dreaming herself as a fairytale character and her dream grandmother telling cautionary tales. In that way, we could incorporate elements from other traditional tales in Angela’s collection The Bloody Chamber.
- 3/13/2023
- by Chris Broughton
- The Guardian - Film News
Neil Jordan is a prolific filmmaker. His work has spanned many genres over the course of his career, and he's not a writer-director whose movies can be placed in a box. Where to even begin listing his credits? There's "The Crying Game," "Interview with a Vampire," "Michael Collins," "Mona Lisa," and a movie we spent a good deal of time asking him about, "The Company of Wolves." Now, Jordan returns to the world of noir with "Marlowe."
The filmmaker reunites with Liam Neeson for a Philip Marlowe picture, about the same literary detective character Humphrey Bogart played in "The Big Sleep" and Elliott Gould in "The Long Goodbye." This story is not based on one of Raymond Chandler's hardboiled novels, but Jordan does capture the vibe that defines the character at the heart of those stories. As Jordan told us, he wanted to make a colorful noir and even...
The filmmaker reunites with Liam Neeson for a Philip Marlowe picture, about the same literary detective character Humphrey Bogart played in "The Big Sleep" and Elliott Gould in "The Long Goodbye." This story is not based on one of Raymond Chandler's hardboiled novels, but Jordan does capture the vibe that defines the character at the heart of those stories. As Jordan told us, he wanted to make a colorful noir and even...
- 2/15/2023
- by Jack Giroux
- Slash Film
Neil Jordan will next be directing Liam Neeson in The Riker’s Ghost, a unique prison break thriller.
Deadline details this afternoon, “Liam Neeson will play a convict set for release who is forced to break a terrorist out of prison.”
“This is a unique take on the prison escape,” said Neil Jordan. “A bare knuckle ride from incarceration to freedom, by someone who just wants to finish his term. The reluctant escapee will be played by Liam Neeson, and I can’t wait to explore this character with him.”
“I am thrilled to be joining forces again with Neil and Liam,” added producer Alan Moloney. “We have put together an elite team to support Neil’s scripted and directorial vision. This one will have you on the edge of your seat.”
Sean O’Keefe (Spenser Confidential) and Brian Rudnick (Dungeons & Dragons) wrote the script. Parallel Film’s Alan Moloney (Albert...
Deadline details this afternoon, “Liam Neeson will play a convict set for release who is forced to break a terrorist out of prison.”
“This is a unique take on the prison escape,” said Neil Jordan. “A bare knuckle ride from incarceration to freedom, by someone who just wants to finish his term. The reluctant escapee will be played by Liam Neeson, and I can’t wait to explore this character with him.”
“I am thrilled to be joining forces again with Neil and Liam,” added producer Alan Moloney. “We have put together an elite team to support Neil’s scripted and directorial vision. This one will have you on the edge of your seat.”
Sean O’Keefe (Spenser Confidential) and Brian Rudnick (Dungeons & Dragons) wrote the script. Parallel Film’s Alan Moloney (Albert...
- 2/9/2023
- by John Squires
- bloody-disgusting.com
The film-maker cast Lansbury in his exotic horror folk-tale The Company of Wolves, released in 1984. Here he remembers an actor who ‘always understood’
• Angela Lansbury dies aged 96 – news
• Angela Lansbury: the scene-stealing grande dame of stage and screen – appreciation
I had two Angelas in my life at one stage. Angela Carter (long gone and greatly missed) and Angela Lansbury. There should be a ghost at your elbow, whose only purpose is to remind you how lucky you are.
I would travel over to Clapham Common in south London to work with the first Angela, dissecting her short story collection The Bloody Chamber into interlocking bites and fragments of upended fairy tales that would become The Company of Wolves. I ended up with the second Angela on a sound stage in Shepperton in a forest made of movable trees designed by Anton Furst, financed, somehow, by the producer Stephen Woolley.
Continue reading.
• Angela Lansbury dies aged 96 – news
• Angela Lansbury: the scene-stealing grande dame of stage and screen – appreciation
I had two Angelas in my life at one stage. Angela Carter (long gone and greatly missed) and Angela Lansbury. There should be a ghost at your elbow, whose only purpose is to remind you how lucky you are.
I would travel over to Clapham Common in south London to work with the first Angela, dissecting her short story collection The Bloody Chamber into interlocking bites and fragments of upended fairy tales that would become The Company of Wolves. I ended up with the second Angela on a sound stage in Shepperton in a forest made of movable trees designed by Anton Furst, financed, somehow, by the producer Stephen Woolley.
Continue reading.
- 10/12/2022
- by Neil Jordan
- The Guardian - Film News
The entertainment industry lost a legend today. The children of Dame Angela Lansbury have sadly had to announce that their mother has passed away at the age of 96 – just five days shy of her 97th birthday. According to the announcement, Lansbury “died peacefully in her sleep at home in Los Angeles at 1:30 Am today, Tuesday, October 11, 2022.”
Lansbury is best known for her twelve season, 264 episode run as author / crime solver Jessica Fletcher on the mystery series Murder, She Wrote – a role she went on to reprise in four made-for-tv movies. But when you look on her filmography, Murder, She Wrote is just one of 111 screen acting credits she earned during a career that stretched back to 1944.
Born in London on October 16, 1925, Lansbury is said to have “retreated into playing characters” after her politician father died of stomach cancer in 1935. She became interested in film while attending high school, and...
Lansbury is best known for her twelve season, 264 episode run as author / crime solver Jessica Fletcher on the mystery series Murder, She Wrote – a role she went on to reprise in four made-for-tv movies. But when you look on her filmography, Murder, She Wrote is just one of 111 screen acting credits she earned during a career that stretched back to 1944.
Born in London on October 16, 1925, Lansbury is said to have “retreated into playing characters” after her politician father died of stomach cancer in 1935. She became interested in film while attending high school, and...
- 10/11/2022
- by Cody Hamman
- JoBlo.com
From director Neil Jordan, 1984’s The Company of Wolves will be making its 4K Ultra HD debut this year, with Scream Factory announcing a Collector’s Edition release this morning.
The Company of Wolves comes to 4K Ultra HD on November 22, 2022!
Extras are in progress and will be announced at a later date.
Fascinating and imaginative, this riveting thriller from director Neil Jordan (Interview With The Vampire) brings the timeless tale of “Little Red Riding Hood” and werewolf fables together in a haunting, compelling and eerie way.
A wise grandmother (Angela Lansbury) tells her granddaughter Rosaleen (Sarah Patterson) a disturbing tale of innocent maidens falling in love with handsome strangers … and of their sudden mysterious disappearances when the moon is full and accompanied by the strange sound of a beast in the woods.
Nominated for four BAFTA awards including Best Costume Design, Best Make Up Artist, Best Production Design/Art...
The Company of Wolves comes to 4K Ultra HD on November 22, 2022!
Extras are in progress and will be announced at a later date.
Fascinating and imaginative, this riveting thriller from director Neil Jordan (Interview With The Vampire) brings the timeless tale of “Little Red Riding Hood” and werewolf fables together in a haunting, compelling and eerie way.
A wise grandmother (Angela Lansbury) tells her granddaughter Rosaleen (Sarah Patterson) a disturbing tale of innocent maidens falling in love with handsome strangers … and of their sudden mysterious disappearances when the moon is full and accompanied by the strange sound of a beast in the woods.
Nominated for four BAFTA awards including Best Costume Design, Best Make Up Artist, Best Production Design/Art...
- 8/29/2022
- by John Squires
- bloody-disgusting.com
Plot: A lonely woman discovers a Djinn locked away in his bottle. He offers her three wishes in exchange for his freedom.
Review: George Miller is a filmmaker who continues to impress. It’s impossible not to connect the man to the brilliant franchise around Mad Max. Yet people sometimes forget the variety in Miller’s work. The director has given us a heart with Babe: Pig in the City and heartbreak with Lorenzo’s Oil. And he even made a dancing penguin super sweet in Happy Feet. And now, Miller’s latest takes on another fantastical element, a genie in a bottle. Three Thousand Years of Longing is a fantasy starring Tilda Swinton as a lonely art scholar who finds an old bottle, one that holds a Djinn (Idris Elba). It’s a weird and slightly wild tale of two lonely souls discovering each other through magic.
Tilda Swinton is Alithea,...
Review: George Miller is a filmmaker who continues to impress. It’s impossible not to connect the man to the brilliant franchise around Mad Max. Yet people sometimes forget the variety in Miller’s work. The director has given us a heart with Babe: Pig in the City and heartbreak with Lorenzo’s Oil. And he even made a dancing penguin super sweet in Happy Feet. And now, Miller’s latest takes on another fantastical element, a genie in a bottle. Three Thousand Years of Longing is a fantasy starring Tilda Swinton as a lonely art scholar who finds an old bottle, one that holds a Djinn (Idris Elba). It’s a weird and slightly wild tale of two lonely souls discovering each other through magic.
Tilda Swinton is Alithea,...
- 8/25/2022
- by JimmyO
- JoBlo.com
Shout! Factory is celebrating Halloween months early with the launch of its new horror-themed streaming channel Scream Factory TV, set to bow this spring.
Based on Shout! Factory’s “Scream Factory” brand, and following the recent launch of the company’s Shout! Factory TV service, Scream Factory TV will offer horror films, thrillers and science-fiction films, with a particular focus on cult classics. The titles will be available both on demand and as a 24/7 stream of the films.
The channel will launch this April with an initial slate of 30 titles. Notables films include “Black Christmas,” “Dark Star,” “Sleepaway Camp” and “The Last Man on Earth.” In addition, two George Romero films, “Night of the Living Dead” and “Day of the Dead,” will stream on the service. Scream Factory TV will be available online and as a separate vertical on the Shout! Factory TV apps, which can be found on Amazon Fire TV,...
Based on Shout! Factory’s “Scream Factory” brand, and following the recent launch of the company’s Shout! Factory TV service, Scream Factory TV will offer horror films, thrillers and science-fiction films, with a particular focus on cult classics. The titles will be available both on demand and as a 24/7 stream of the films.
The channel will launch this April with an initial slate of 30 titles. Notables films include “Black Christmas,” “Dark Star,” “Sleepaway Camp” and “The Last Man on Earth.” In addition, two George Romero films, “Night of the Living Dead” and “Day of the Dead,” will stream on the service. Scream Factory TV will be available online and as a separate vertical on the Shout! Factory TV apps, which can be found on Amazon Fire TV,...
- 3/30/2022
- by Carson Burton and Wilson Chapman
- Variety Film + TV
Sue Bruce-Smith, Film4’s Deputy Director and a much-loved figure in the UK biz, has died at the age of 62 following a battle with cancer.
She was diagnosed two years ago and had been receiving treatment at home in Dublin with the support of her family – she passed away on Saturday morning.
More from DeadlineFilm4, BBC, BFI & Pact Back UK Producers Survey That Reveals Stark Challenges Of Indie Biz'Under The Skin': A24 & Silver Reel In Bidding War For TV Rights To Jonathan Glazer's Cult Sci-Fi FilmFilm4 Boards Cornish Horror 'Enys Men', From Director Of Hit UK Indie Pic 'Bait'
Bruce-Smith started her career in 1985 at UK distributor and producer Palace Pictures, a key incubator for the local industry, working on titles including Absolute Beginners, The Company Of Wolves and Scandal. In 1989 she moved to the BFI where she stayed for four years before joining BBC Films.
She was diagnosed two years ago and had been receiving treatment at home in Dublin with the support of her family – she passed away on Saturday morning.
More from DeadlineFilm4, BBC, BFI & Pact Back UK Producers Survey That Reveals Stark Challenges Of Indie Biz'Under The Skin': A24 & Silver Reel In Bidding War For TV Rights To Jonathan Glazer's Cult Sci-Fi FilmFilm4 Boards Cornish Horror 'Enys Men', From Director Of Hit UK Indie Pic 'Bait'
Bruce-Smith started her career in 1985 at UK distributor and producer Palace Pictures, a key incubator for the local industry, working on titles including Absolute Beginners, The Company Of Wolves and Scandal. In 1989 she moved to the BFI where she stayed for four years before joining BBC Films.
- 5/3/2020
- by Tom Grater
- Deadline Film + TV
The star and the writer/director of Sea Fever talk about a diverse array of influential films in a double episode.
Show Notes: Movies Referenced In This Episode
Sea Fever (2020)
Soldier (1998)
Unforgiven (1992)
Blade Runner (1982)
Gladiator (2000)
The Ice Harvest (2005)
Wonder Woman (2017)
Ordet (1955)
Ditte, Child of Man (1946)
Frances (1982)
The Accused (1988)
The Deer Hunter (1978)
My American Uncle (1980)
8 ½ (1963)
Ikiru (1952)
Heaven’s Gate (1980)
Thunderbolt and Lightfoot (1974)
Europa (1991)
Diva (1981)
The Sacrifice (1986)
Saturday Night Fever (1977)
The Party (1968)
Westworld (1973)
The Searchers (1956)
Alien (1979)
Cool Hand Luke (1967)
The Exterminating Angel (1962)
Contagion (2011)
Idiocracy (2006)
The Company of Wolves (1984)
Mona Lisa (1986)
King Kong (1933)
Arrival (2016)
In The Cut (2003)
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000)
Zero Dark Thirty (2012)
Mandy (2018)
Blade Runner 2049 (2017)
Dune (1984)
Dune (2020… maybe)
Bright Star (2009)
Basic Instinct (1992)
Innerspace (1987)
American Gigolo (1980)
Thelma and Louise (1991)
Wild Things (1998)
Ginger Snaps (2000)
Life of Pi (2012)
Hulk (2003)
Die Hard (1988)
The Hurt Locker (2009)
Psycho (1960)
1917 (2019)
Shane (1953)
Other Notable Items
Brendan McCarthy
David Peoples
Kurt Russell
Lars Von Trier
Carl Theodor Dreyer
Bjarne Henning-Jensen...
Show Notes: Movies Referenced In This Episode
Sea Fever (2020)
Soldier (1998)
Unforgiven (1992)
Blade Runner (1982)
Gladiator (2000)
The Ice Harvest (2005)
Wonder Woman (2017)
Ordet (1955)
Ditte, Child of Man (1946)
Frances (1982)
The Accused (1988)
The Deer Hunter (1978)
My American Uncle (1980)
8 ½ (1963)
Ikiru (1952)
Heaven’s Gate (1980)
Thunderbolt and Lightfoot (1974)
Europa (1991)
Diva (1981)
The Sacrifice (1986)
Saturday Night Fever (1977)
The Party (1968)
Westworld (1973)
The Searchers (1956)
Alien (1979)
Cool Hand Luke (1967)
The Exterminating Angel (1962)
Contagion (2011)
Idiocracy (2006)
The Company of Wolves (1984)
Mona Lisa (1986)
King Kong (1933)
Arrival (2016)
In The Cut (2003)
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000)
Zero Dark Thirty (2012)
Mandy (2018)
Blade Runner 2049 (2017)
Dune (1984)
Dune (2020… maybe)
Bright Star (2009)
Basic Instinct (1992)
Innerspace (1987)
American Gigolo (1980)
Thelma and Louise (1991)
Wild Things (1998)
Ginger Snaps (2000)
Life of Pi (2012)
Hulk (2003)
Die Hard (1988)
The Hurt Locker (2009)
Psycho (1960)
1917 (2019)
Shane (1953)
Other Notable Items
Brendan McCarthy
David Peoples
Kurt Russell
Lars Von Trier
Carl Theodor Dreyer
Bjarne Henning-Jensen...
- 4/28/2020
- by Kris Millsap
- Trailers from Hell
British music and film producer Nik Powell, who was among the Virgin Group co-founders with Richard Branson and became an influential force in U.K. cinema, producing more than 60 titles including Neil Jordan’s Oscar-winning “The Crying Game,” died Thursday at age 69.
The cause of death was an unspecified form of cancer, Britain’s National Film and Television School (Nfts) – which Powell headed for more than a decade – said in a statement. He died in Oxford surrounded by his family.
Born on November 4, 1950, in the small village of Great Kingshill, in Buckinghamshire, Powell started out running a record shop and was among the founding partners in 1972 of Virgin Records, which became one of the U.K.’s top recording labels before being sold to Emi 20 years later.
In 1983 Powell co-founded U.K. video label and production outfit Palace Pictures with Stephen Woolley. They produced a string of standout titles such...
The cause of death was an unspecified form of cancer, Britain’s National Film and Television School (Nfts) – which Powell headed for more than a decade – said in a statement. He died in Oxford surrounded by his family.
Born on November 4, 1950, in the small village of Great Kingshill, in Buckinghamshire, Powell started out running a record shop and was among the founding partners in 1972 of Virgin Records, which became one of the U.K.’s top recording labels before being sold to Emi 20 years later.
In 1983 Powell co-founded U.K. video label and production outfit Palace Pictures with Stephen Woolley. They produced a string of standout titles such...
- 11/7/2019
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
Nik Powell, the respected UK producer, businessman and former director of the National Film and Television School (Nfts), has died at the age of 69.
A statement published on the Nfts’ website sad that Powell had been receiving treatment for cancer and died this morning (Nov 7) in Oxford surrounded by his family.
Powell was the co-founder of UK video label and production outfit Palace Pictures in 1982 with Stephen Woolley. Through the company, the pair released movies including The Evil Dead, and produced features including a trio of pics with director Neil Jordan: the Oscar-winning 1992 feature The Crying Game with Forest Whitaker and Miranda Richardson, the Oscar-nominated 1986 film Mona Lisa with Bob Hoskins and Cathy Tyson, and 1984 fantasy drama The Company Of Wolves with Angela Lansbury.
Speaking to us this morning, Woolley said that Powell was “a rock to so many people” and a “constant ally”.
“I’m in shock. I...
A statement published on the Nfts’ website sad that Powell had been receiving treatment for cancer and died this morning (Nov 7) in Oxford surrounded by his family.
Powell was the co-founder of UK video label and production outfit Palace Pictures in 1982 with Stephen Woolley. Through the company, the pair released movies including The Evil Dead, and produced features including a trio of pics with director Neil Jordan: the Oscar-winning 1992 feature The Crying Game with Forest Whitaker and Miranda Richardson, the Oscar-nominated 1986 film Mona Lisa with Bob Hoskins and Cathy Tyson, and 1984 fantasy drama The Company Of Wolves with Angela Lansbury.
Speaking to us this morning, Woolley said that Powell was “a rock to so many people” and a “constant ally”.
“I’m in shock. I...
- 11/7/2019
- by Tom Grater
- Deadline Film + TV
Powell founded Palace Productions with Stephen Woolley in 1983.
Nik Powell, the former director of the UK’s National Film And Television School (Nfts), has died aged 69.
Powell had been receiving treatment for cancer. He died this morning (November 7) in Oxford, with his family beside him.
He was director of the Nfts from 2003 to 2017, and received a Bafta for Outstanding British Contribution to Cinema in 2018.
Prior to his role at the Nfts, he established Palace Pictures with Stephen Woolley in 1983, which produced titles Mona Lisa (1986) and The Crying Game (1992).
Following Palace’s collapse in 1992, Powell formed Scala Productions, also with Woolley,...
Nik Powell, the former director of the UK’s National Film And Television School (Nfts), has died aged 69.
Powell had been receiving treatment for cancer. He died this morning (November 7) in Oxford, with his family beside him.
He was director of the Nfts from 2003 to 2017, and received a Bafta for Outstanding British Contribution to Cinema in 2018.
Prior to his role at the Nfts, he established Palace Pictures with Stephen Woolley in 1983, which produced titles Mona Lisa (1986) and The Crying Game (1992).
Following Palace’s collapse in 1992, Powell formed Scala Productions, also with Woolley,...
- 11/7/2019
- by 1101321¦Ben Dalton¦26¦¬57¦Geoffrey Macnab¦41¦
- ScreenDaily
In his latest interview/podcast, host Stuart Wright talks with writer/director Justin McConnell about his 5 Great British Horror Films, which include:
Peeping Tom (1960) The Company Of Wolves (1984) Hellraiser (1987) Ghostwatch (1992) Triangle (2009)
Following the success of his film Lifechanger, Justin has recently teamed up with Serena Whitney to create the Christmas horror Do You See What I See?, one of eight titles announced by the newly formed Grimmfest Films. Simeon Halligan and Rachel Richardson-Jones, directors of Manchester-based UK genre film festival Grimmfest, launched their new production company called Grimmfest Films on 10 May 2019.
Lifechanger is out now via Frightfest Presents.
Peeping Tom (1960) The Company Of Wolves (1984) Hellraiser (1987) Ghostwatch (1992) Triangle (2009)
Following the success of his film Lifechanger, Justin has recently teamed up with Serena Whitney to create the Christmas horror Do You See What I See?, one of eight titles announced by the newly formed Grimmfest Films. Simeon Halligan and Rachel Richardson-Jones, directors of Manchester-based UK genre film festival Grimmfest, launched their new production company called Grimmfest Films on 10 May 2019.
Lifechanger is out now via Frightfest Presents.
- 5/27/2019
- by Stuart Wright
- Nerdly
Don Kaye Mar 2, 2019
We spoke with the director of The Crying Game and Interview with the Vampire about returning to the big screen.
French legend Isabelle Huppert is unleashed in Greta, in which she plays the title character: a desperate, lonely but unfortunately not-all-there woman seeking companionship and finding it, at least initially, with Frances (Chloe Grace Moretz), a waitress who recently moved into her friend’s (Maika Monroe) New York City loft and is grieving the loss of her mother.
When Frances finds Greta’s lost purse on the subway, she dutifully returns it to the woman at her Brooklyn apartment and they strike up a friendship. But the more Frances finds out about Greta, the less she wants to be around her -- a state of affairs that the increasingly unstable Greta will go to any length to change.
Greta is directed by Irish filmmaker Neil Jordan, something...
We spoke with the director of The Crying Game and Interview with the Vampire about returning to the big screen.
French legend Isabelle Huppert is unleashed in Greta, in which she plays the title character: a desperate, lonely but unfortunately not-all-there woman seeking companionship and finding it, at least initially, with Frances (Chloe Grace Moretz), a waitress who recently moved into her friend’s (Maika Monroe) New York City loft and is grieving the loss of her mother.
When Frances finds Greta’s lost purse on the subway, she dutifully returns it to the woman at her Brooklyn apartment and they strike up a friendship. But the more Frances finds out about Greta, the less she wants to be around her -- a state of affairs that the increasingly unstable Greta will go to any length to change.
Greta is directed by Irish filmmaker Neil Jordan, something...
- 3/2/2019
- Den of Geek
It’s fitting that Neil Jordan’s “Greta” had its Toronto International Film Festival world premiere on Thursday at the Ryerson Theatre, because that venue is home to Tiff’s Midnight Madness section devoted to horror, sci-fi and all things genre. And while “Greta” isn’t actually screening in that section of the festival, it’s definitely the midnightiest thing that the Irish director has ever made.
Between the psycho stalker, the “don’t go in the basement!” moment and the sudden shocks that exist solely to make an audience jump, this is Jordan doing fun, schlocky horror, way beyond the high-toned horror he did in “Interview With the Vampire.”
And while the film wallows in the kind of silliness that makes you wonder just what the heck Isabelle Huppert is doing here, by the end it supplies an answer: She’s having fun, dammit, just like the audience at the Ryerson did.
Between the psycho stalker, the “don’t go in the basement!” moment and the sudden shocks that exist solely to make an audience jump, this is Jordan doing fun, schlocky horror, way beyond the high-toned horror he did in “Interview With the Vampire.”
And while the film wallows in the kind of silliness that makes you wonder just what the heck Isabelle Huppert is doing here, by the end it supplies an answer: She’s having fun, dammit, just like the audience at the Ryerson did.
- 2/28/2019
- by Steve Pond
- The Wrap
It’s irresistible whenever Isabelle Huppert plays someone dangerous (see her Oscar-nominated role in Elle). As the title character in the English-language Greta, a thriller directed with mirth and malice by the Irish provocateur Neil Jordan, the great French actress is up to demented, delicious mischief. And Chloë Grace Moretz, doing nice with just the right hint of naughty, plays the innocent who’s encounter with Huppert’s mysterious Greta will change her life … and definitely not for the better. Intrigued? How could you not be?
Jordan (The Company of Wolves,...
Jordan (The Company of Wolves,...
- 2/26/2019
- by Peter Travers
- Rollingstone.com
The producers of Carol and Colette will receive the honour at the 2019 Bafta film awards.
Producers Elizabeth Karlsen and Stephen Woolley, co-founders of Number 9 Films, will receive the outstanding British contribution to cinema award at the 2019 Bafta film awards (February 10).
The husband-and-wife producing duo founded independent powerhouse Number 9 in 2002. Known as makers of taste-driven, quality UK cinema, Karlsen and Woolley’s films include Todd Haynes’ Carol, which was nominated for six Oscars in 2016, On Chesil Beach, Their Finest, Made In Dagenham and Paolo Sorrentino’s Youth (as co-producers).
Upcoming Number 9 projects include So Much Love starring Gemma Arterton as Dusty Springfield,...
Producers Elizabeth Karlsen and Stephen Woolley, co-founders of Number 9 Films, will receive the outstanding British contribution to cinema award at the 2019 Bafta film awards (February 10).
The husband-and-wife producing duo founded independent powerhouse Number 9 in 2002. Known as makers of taste-driven, quality UK cinema, Karlsen and Woolley’s films include Todd Haynes’ Carol, which was nominated for six Oscars in 2016, On Chesil Beach, Their Finest, Made In Dagenham and Paolo Sorrentino’s Youth (as co-producers).
Upcoming Number 9 projects include So Much Love starring Gemma Arterton as Dusty Springfield,...
- 12/17/2018
- by Orlando Parfitt
- ScreenDaily
Thirty years of bringing compelling stories to the screen have earned Stephen Woolley and Elizabeth Karlsen the ultimate recognition, the Observer can reveal
It is hard to imagine what students would have put up on their bedroom walls over the past 30 years without the work of Stephen Woolley and his wife and fellow producer, Elizabeth Karlsen. The posters for all the films they have either produced or distributed tell the story of independent cinema.
After bringing audiences foreign arthouse hits such as Paris Texas, Eraserhead and Diva, Woolley had his first triumph as a producer with The Company of Wolves in 1984, going on to make a series of landmarks in British cinema, including Letter to Brezhnev, Absolute Beginners, Mona Lisa, the Oscar-winner The Crying Game, Scandal, The End of the Affair and Made in Dagenham. And this winter, the Observer can reveal, the couple are to be honoured by Bafta...
It is hard to imagine what students would have put up on their bedroom walls over the past 30 years without the work of Stephen Woolley and his wife and fellow producer, Elizabeth Karlsen. The posters for all the films they have either produced or distributed tell the story of independent cinema.
After bringing audiences foreign arthouse hits such as Paris Texas, Eraserhead and Diva, Woolley had his first triumph as a producer with The Company of Wolves in 1984, going on to make a series of landmarks in British cinema, including Letter to Brezhnev, Absolute Beginners, Mona Lisa, the Oscar-winner The Crying Game, Scandal, The End of the Affair and Made in Dagenham. And this winter, the Observer can reveal, the couple are to be honoured by Bafta...
- 12/15/2018
- by Vanessa Thorpe Arts and Media Correspondent
- The Guardian - Film News
When it comes to genre-related, female-centric coming-of-age stories, there are always certain movies that will undoubtedly be brought up in the conversation: Carrie, Ginger Snaps, The Company of Wolves, and The Craft being older examples, and more recent offerings like Jennifer’s Body, It Follows, and Raw have also brought new perspectives into the fold as well. And with so many thought-provoking takes on this well-worn cinematic trope already in existence, it may seem like there’s no real new territory to traverse here.
But then along comes Joachim Trier’s Thelma, which recently premiered at Tiff and is currently screening as part of the 2017 Fantastic Fest, to show us that this well-worn terrain is still fertile enough to cull for some new ideas. Anchored by a beautifully nuanced performance from Eili Harboe, Thelma is a masterful exploration of religious suppression and sexual awakening, melding together into a superhero origin...
But then along comes Joachim Trier’s Thelma, which recently premiered at Tiff and is currently screening as part of the 2017 Fantastic Fest, to show us that this well-worn terrain is still fertile enough to cull for some new ideas. Anchored by a beautifully nuanced performance from Eili Harboe, Thelma is a masterful exploration of religious suppression and sexual awakening, melding together into a superhero origin...
- 9/22/2017
- by Heather Wixson
- DailyDead
Mubi is showing Lamberto Bava's Demons (1985) from February 26 to March 28 and Demons 2 (1986) from February 27 to March 29, 2017 in the United States as part of the series Due Demoni.Horror movie viewing as societal disease in Lamberto Bava's Demons (left) and Demons 2 (right)The opening shots of Lamberto Bava’s Demons contrast the film’s adorably ingenuous protagonist with the ragged punk hordes of the subway car she’s riding. She stares at them with equal parts fascination and doe-in-headlights dread. It’s a concise visualization of the simple social commentary driving Bava the Younger’s trashterpiece diptych, Demons and Demons 2. The two make an excellent double feature of midnight flicks about the perils of daring to dip even passingly into the lower depths of subculture and the, well, demons that society risks releasing when willing to dabble in The Weird. But cautionary tales are rarely this batshit and never this fun,...
- 3/2/2017
- MUBI
December 25th is internationally marketed as a day of cheer, togetherness, and bright lights during one of the darkest nights of the year. But, there are those of us who want to indulge in that darkness. There is a wealth of terror to be found in winter nights, and the following stories are perfect fodder for that breed of dread. Curl up by the fire, turn the lights off, and read... if you dare.
"The Wendigo" by Algernon Blackwood: A group of hunters in snowbound Montana encounter a windy, wintry forest spirit in one of Algernon Blackwood’s scariest tales. By taking an ancient, metaphorical legend and bringing it face-to-face with research and authentic characters, Blackwood forms an account of elemental terror that freezes the soul. Nothing is creepier—or more fun—on a windy December night.
"The Yattering and Jack" by Clive Barker: A family, tormented by...
"The Wendigo" by Algernon Blackwood: A group of hunters in snowbound Montana encounter a windy, wintry forest spirit in one of Algernon Blackwood’s scariest tales. By taking an ancient, metaphorical legend and bringing it face-to-face with research and authentic characters, Blackwood forms an account of elemental terror that freezes the soul. Nothing is creepier—or more fun—on a windy December night.
"The Yattering and Jack" by Clive Barker: A family, tormented by...
- 12/23/2016
- by Ben Larned
- DailyDead
As a champion of emerging film-makers, Relph’s passion was crucial to the growth of independent British cinema and helped transform Bafta’s profile
I was shocked when I heard that Simon Relph had died unexpectedly at the weekend. He was a colossal influence on many of us breaking through in the British film industry in the 1980s and 90s. He was also a terrific man who supported young writers, directors and producers throughout his career. I first met Simon when I was buying films for my distribution company Palace; having just finished making The Company of Wolves I had ambitions to produce more films. Simon was a big bear of a man with a huge ornamental chain around his neck and a booming voice to match: old-fashioned and posh but with a twinkling eye, like a benign lord mayor from the free state of Pimlico. (It’s entirely typical...
I was shocked when I heard that Simon Relph had died unexpectedly at the weekend. He was a colossal influence on many of us breaking through in the British film industry in the 1980s and 90s. He was also a terrific man who supported young writers, directors and producers throughout his career. I first met Simon when I was buying films for my distribution company Palace; having just finished making The Company of Wolves I had ambitions to produce more films. Simon was a big bear of a man with a huge ornamental chain around his neck and a booming voice to match: old-fashioned and posh but with a twinkling eye, like a benign lord mayor from the free state of Pimlico. (It’s entirely typical...
- 11/2/2016
- by Stephen Woolley
- The Guardian - Film News
As a kid perusing the shelves of my local mom-and-pop video store every weekend, there were two VHS covers that scared me every time I looked at them. I made sure to avoid the box art for Neil Jordan’s horror fantasy film The Company of Wolves; something about the wolf’s snout protruding from a person’s mouth was too disturbing for my eight-year-old brain to comprehend. The second box, however, was one that I always made a point to walk past because while I found it gross and scary, I was weirdly drawn to it. I had no real desire to see the movie—if the cover was that nasty, the film itself had to be ten times more sick—but I was forever daring myself to sneak one more look at the video box. That movie was the 1983 horror comedy Microwave Massacre.
It wasn’t until Arrow Video...
It wasn’t until Arrow Video...
- 9/13/2016
- by Patrick Bromley
- DailyDead
Nicolas Winding Refn’s provocative modern fable follows a young model into the dark, dangerous woods of the La fashion world
“Am I staring…?” This neon-noir fantasia from Nicolas Winding Refn, the Danish director of Drive, Bronson and the Pusher trilogy, is a modern fairytale of beauty as a beast, a horror-inflected, high-fashion fable replete with wicked witches and big bad wolves ready to devour a flaxen-haired youth in the wild woods of Los Angeles. Less Prêt-à-Porter with teeth than The Company of Wolves from hell and in heels, it offers a bloody chamber of symbolic provocations (lunar cycles, occultist trappings) cooked up by a film-maker taking weekly tarot readings from the Chilean surrealist Alejandro Jodorowsky and driven by an intoxication with the superficiality of the photographic image.
Swooningly filmed by Natasha Braier, The Neon Demon puts overtly ludicrous flesh on a satirical script co-written with the playwrights Mary Laws and Polly Stenham,...
“Am I staring…?” This neon-noir fantasia from Nicolas Winding Refn, the Danish director of Drive, Bronson and the Pusher trilogy, is a modern fairytale of beauty as a beast, a horror-inflected, high-fashion fable replete with wicked witches and big bad wolves ready to devour a flaxen-haired youth in the wild woods of Los Angeles. Less Prêt-à-Porter with teeth than The Company of Wolves from hell and in heels, it offers a bloody chamber of symbolic provocations (lunar cycles, occultist trappings) cooked up by a film-maker taking weekly tarot readings from the Chilean surrealist Alejandro Jodorowsky and driven by an intoxication with the superficiality of the photographic image.
Swooningly filmed by Natasha Braier, The Neon Demon puts overtly ludicrous flesh on a satirical script co-written with the playwrights Mary Laws and Polly Stenham,...
- 7/10/2016
- by Mark Kermode, Observer film critic
- The Guardian - Film News
Stars: Ethan Peck, India Eisley, Natalie Hall, Bruce Davison, James Adam Lim, Scott Alan Smith, Zack Ward, Mim Drew, Dallas Hart, Madelaine Petsch, Anna Harr | Written by Pearry Teo, Josh Nadler | Based on the comic by Everette Hartsoe | Directed by Pearry Teo
If there’s one director whose films I will watch without hesitation or question, it’s Pearry Teo. In fact his filmic career is actually one that is key to mine. His second film, the 2009 fear flick Necromentia (which I still think out-Hellraiser’d Hellraiser itself), was one of the first films I ever reviewed professionally; and I’ve reviewed each and every one of his films since. Why? Because of the impact his twisted vision in Necromentia had on me and because no matter the story, no matter the budget, Teo always finds something interesting, admittedly often dark, to do with the subject matter.
Teo’s...
If there’s one director whose films I will watch without hesitation or question, it’s Pearry Teo. In fact his filmic career is actually one that is key to mine. His second film, the 2009 fear flick Necromentia (which I still think out-Hellraiser’d Hellraiser itself), was one of the first films I ever reviewed professionally; and I’ve reviewed each and every one of his films since. Why? Because of the impact his twisted vision in Necromentia had on me and because no matter the story, no matter the budget, Teo always finds something interesting, admittedly often dark, to do with the subject matter.
Teo’s...
- 5/10/2016
- by Phil Wheat
- Nerdly
On the centennial of the Easter Uprising and just a few days past St. Patrick's Day, Whv present's Neil Jordan's biopic epic of Ireland's most beloved patriotic hero -- a militant who stood up to the English occupiers. It's the role that should have cemented Liam Neeson's stardom. Michael Collins Blu-ray The Warner Archive Collection 1996 / Color / 1:78 widescreen / 132 min. / Street Date March 22, 2016 / available through the WBshop / 21.99 Starring Liam Neeson, Aidan Quinn, Julia Roberts, Alan Rickman, Stephen Rea, Brendan Gleeson, Charles Dance, Jonathan Rhys Myers, Ian McElhinney. Cinematography Chris Menges Film Editors J. Patrick Duffner, Tony Lawson Original Music Elliott Goldenthal Produced by Stephen Wooley Written and Directed by Neil Jordan
Reviewed by Glenn Erickson
Irish politics must be in ascendance, as this St. Patrick's Day Warner Bros. has bumped its Irish patriot biopic up to Blu-ray status. A DVD of it came out only a year before. It's...
Reviewed by Glenn Erickson
Irish politics must be in ascendance, as this St. Patrick's Day Warner Bros. has bumped its Irish patriot biopic up to Blu-ray status. A DVD of it came out only a year before. It's...
- 3/19/2016
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
Irish actor Stephen Rea remembers his skin-shedding role in Neil Jordan’s The Company Of Wolves. Some months back, we had a discussion about Neil Jordan’s 1984 fairy tale horror masterpiece The Company Of Wolves. In one of that rapturous film’s most alarming sequences, a new bride lies in the marriage bed at night waiting for…
The post Interview: Actor Stephen Rea Remembers The Company Of Wolves appeared first on Shock Till You Drop.
The post Interview: Actor Stephen Rea Remembers The Company Of Wolves appeared first on Shock Till You Drop.
- 2/9/2016
- by Chris Alexander
- shocktillyoudrop.com
In this ongoing Shock column, editor Chris Alexander muses on classic and contemporary films and music worthy of a deeper discussion. Before Walt Disney and his squeaky clean, family friendly ilk saw fit to sanitize them, the traditional fairy tale served as far more than a whimsical alternative to kiddie chloroform. As penned by those…
The post ‘Chris Alexander’s Shock Treatment’: In Praise of Neil Jordan’s The Company Of Wolves appeared first on Shock Till You Drop.
The post ‘Chris Alexander’s Shock Treatment’: In Praise of Neil Jordan’s The Company Of Wolves appeared first on Shock Till You Drop.
- 12/8/2015
- by Chris Alexander
- shocktillyoudrop.com
Special mention: Häxan
Directed by Benjamin Christensen
Denmark / Sweden, 1922
Genre: Documentary
Häxan (a.k.a The Witches or Witchcraft Through The Ages) is a 1922 silent documentary about the history of witchcraft, told in a variety of styles, from illustrated slideshows to dramatized reenactments of alleged real-life events. Written and directed by Benjamin Christensen, and based partly on Christensen’s study of the Malleus Maleficarum, Häxan is a fine examination of how superstition and the misunderstanding of mental illness could lead to the hysteria of the witch-hunts. At the time, it was the most expensive Scandinavian film ever made, costing nearly 2 million Swedish krona. Although it won acclaim in Denmark and Sweden, the film was banned in the United States and heavily censored in other countries for what were considered, at that time, graphic depictions of torture, nudity, and sexual perversion. Depending on which version you’re watching, the commentary is...
Directed by Benjamin Christensen
Denmark / Sweden, 1922
Genre: Documentary
Häxan (a.k.a The Witches or Witchcraft Through The Ages) is a 1922 silent documentary about the history of witchcraft, told in a variety of styles, from illustrated slideshows to dramatized reenactments of alleged real-life events. Written and directed by Benjamin Christensen, and based partly on Christensen’s study of the Malleus Maleficarum, Häxan is a fine examination of how superstition and the misunderstanding of mental illness could lead to the hysteria of the witch-hunts. At the time, it was the most expensive Scandinavian film ever made, costing nearly 2 million Swedish krona. Although it won acclaim in Denmark and Sweden, the film was banned in the United States and heavily censored in other countries for what were considered, at that time, graphic depictions of torture, nudity, and sexual perversion. Depending on which version you’re watching, the commentary is...
- 10/27/2015
- by Ricky Fernandes
- SoundOnSight
★★★☆☆ "I saw the best minds of my generation destroyed by werewolf movies." Okay, wrong Howl perhaps, but aside from An American Werewolf in London (1981) and the genre-twisting The Company of Wolves (1984), the werewolf has probably been the patchiest movie monster to prowl the cinema. Since Lon Chaney Jr. first growled at the gibbous moon in 1941 we've had Albert Finney in The Howling (1981), Jack Nicholson in Wolf (1994), the 2010 remake of The Wolfman and Michael J. Fox-starring Teen Wolf (1985).
- 10/15/2015
- by CineVue UK
- CineVue
The Company of Wolves: Villeneuve’s Superb Packaging Enhances Customary Cartel Themes
There’s much to be excited about with Sicario, the latest film from Quebecois director Denis Villeneuve, a dark, brooding thriller at times drenched and dripping with intense dread. Applying a similar enhanced style to the pulpy origins of the child kidnapping film Prisoners in 2013, Villeneuve is extremely adept at morphing familiar tropes into fresh presentation. However, those hungering for more than a nicely dressed endeavor may be disappointed to find Taylor Sheridan’s screenplay to be lacking in certain regards, sacrificing character development at the cost of providing audiences with realizations on corruption they already know.
We’re informed up front Sicario is a word hailing from ancient Jerusalem, applied to those that hunted Romans, but today the word means hitman in Mexico. Enter FBI agent Kate Macy (Emily Blunt), head of a unit specializing in kidnapping,...
There’s much to be excited about with Sicario, the latest film from Quebecois director Denis Villeneuve, a dark, brooding thriller at times drenched and dripping with intense dread. Applying a similar enhanced style to the pulpy origins of the child kidnapping film Prisoners in 2013, Villeneuve is extremely adept at morphing familiar tropes into fresh presentation. However, those hungering for more than a nicely dressed endeavor may be disappointed to find Taylor Sheridan’s screenplay to be lacking in certain regards, sacrificing character development at the cost of providing audiences with realizations on corruption they already know.
We’re informed up front Sicario is a word hailing from ancient Jerusalem, applied to those that hunted Romans, but today the word means hitman in Mexico. Enter FBI agent Kate Macy (Emily Blunt), head of a unit specializing in kidnapping,...
- 9/19/2015
- by Nicholas Bell
- IONCINEMA.com
Bronson!….Norris!…..Dudikoff!
Electric Boogaloo was the name of the wacky 1985 sequel to the break dance epic Breakin’ – which I don’t know was worthy of a follow-up but if there was one studio up to the effort in the mid-‘80s, it was Cannon Films. Electric Boogaloo: The Wild Untold Story Of Cannon Films is the title of a new documentary that plays for one night only in St. Louis at Landmark’s The Tivoli Theater Thursday, September 17th at 7pm.
Israeli cousins Menahem Golan and Yoram Globus, prolific salesmen with little regard for quality, bought Cannon Films for half million dollars in 1979 (it was founded in ’67) and turned it into an efficient assembly line of high-concept, action, and exploitation. Lovers of low-brow cinema could always count on a good time when that Cannon Films logo appeared on-screen. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre Pt 2, the Sly Stallone arm wrestling opus Over The Top,...
Electric Boogaloo was the name of the wacky 1985 sequel to the break dance epic Breakin’ – which I don’t know was worthy of a follow-up but if there was one studio up to the effort in the mid-‘80s, it was Cannon Films. Electric Boogaloo: The Wild Untold Story Of Cannon Films is the title of a new documentary that plays for one night only in St. Louis at Landmark’s The Tivoli Theater Thursday, September 17th at 7pm.
Israeli cousins Menahem Golan and Yoram Globus, prolific salesmen with little regard for quality, bought Cannon Films for half million dollars in 1979 (it was founded in ’67) and turned it into an efficient assembly line of high-concept, action, and exploitation. Lovers of low-brow cinema could always count on a good time when that Cannon Films logo appeared on-screen. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre Pt 2, the Sly Stallone arm wrestling opus Over The Top,...
- 9/8/2015
- by Tom Stockman
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
The year that gave us Gremlins, Ghostbusters and The Temple Of Doom also gave us these 20 underappreciated movies...
It's been said that 1984 was a vintage year for movies, and looking back, it's easy to see why. The likes of Ghostbusters and Gremlins served up comedy, action and the macabre in equal measure. James Cameron's The Terminator cemented Arnold Schwarzenegger's star status and gave us one of the greatest sci-fi action movies of the decade.
This was also the year where the Coen brothers made their screen debut with the stunning thriller Blood Simple, and when the Zucker brothers followed up Airplane! with the equally hilarious Top Secret! And we still haven't even mentioned Beverly Hills Cop, This Is Spinal Tap, The Karate Kid, Indiana Jones And The Temple Of Doom and the unexpectedly successful romantic comedy, Splash. Then there was Milos Forman's sumptuous period drama Amadeus, which...
It's been said that 1984 was a vintage year for movies, and looking back, it's easy to see why. The likes of Ghostbusters and Gremlins served up comedy, action and the macabre in equal measure. James Cameron's The Terminator cemented Arnold Schwarzenegger's star status and gave us one of the greatest sci-fi action movies of the decade.
This was also the year where the Coen brothers made their screen debut with the stunning thriller Blood Simple, and when the Zucker brothers followed up Airplane! with the equally hilarious Top Secret! And we still haven't even mentioned Beverly Hills Cop, This Is Spinal Tap, The Karate Kid, Indiana Jones And The Temple Of Doom and the unexpectedly successful romantic comedy, Splash. Then there was Milos Forman's sumptuous period drama Amadeus, which...
- 9/8/2015
- by ryanlambie
- Den of Geek
"Lurid, lush, and ludicrous," Matteo Garrone's Tale of Tales with Salma Hayek, Vincent Cassel, Toby Jones and John C. Reilly "works from Giambattista Basile’s 17th century collection of fairy tales of the same name," notes Blake Williams. David Jenkins suggests it's "a gaudy, bawdy descendent to Pier Paolo Pasolini’s trilogy of life." And the Guardian's Peter Bradshaw sees traces of Walerian Borowczyk’s Immoral Tales. "But there’s also a bit of John Boorman’s Excalibur, Monty Python and the Holy Grail, Blackadder, The Company of Wolves, the Tenniel illustrations for Alice in Wonderland… and Shrek." We've got more reviews and clips. » - David Hudson...
- 5/14/2015
- Fandor: Keyframe
"Lurid, lush, and ludicrous," Matteo Garrone's Tale of Tales with Salma Hayek, Vincent Cassel, Toby Jones and John C. Reilly "works from Giambattista Basile’s 17th century collection of fairy tales of the same name," notes Blake Williams. David Jenkins suggests it's "a gaudy, bawdy descendent to Pier Paolo Pasolini’s trilogy of life." And the Guardian's Peter Bradshaw sees traces of Walerian Borowczyk’s Immoral Tales. "But there’s also a bit of John Boorman’s Excalibur, Monty Python and the Holy Grail, Blackadder, The Company of Wolves, the Tenniel illustrations for Alice in Wonderland… and Shrek." We've got more reviews and clips. » - David Hudson...
- 5/14/2015
- Keyframe
Cannes already has a standout movie: the horrific new Renaissance fairytale from Gomorrah director Matteo Garrone. Features scenes of flea-petting, heart-eating and a right royal nightmare
Matteo Garrone’s Tale of Tales is fabulous in every sense: a freaky portmanteau film based on the folk myths collected and published by the 16th-century Neapolitan poet and scholar Giambattista Basile – Garrone worked on the adaptation with Edoardo Albinati, Ugo Chiti and Massimo Gaudioso.
It is gloriously mad, rigorously imagined, visually wonderful: erotic, hilarious and internally consistent. The sort of film, in fact, which is the whole point of Cannes. It immerses you in a complete created world.
Ovid is mulched in with Hansel, Gretel, the Beauty, the Beast, the Prince, the Pauper, in no real order. At times, Garrone seemed to have taken inspiration from Michelangelo Antonioni’s own fabular tale The Mystery of Oberwald – at others, it felt like he had deeply inhaled the strange and unwholesome odour still emanating from Walerian Borowczyk’s Immoral Tales. But there’s also a bit of John Boorman’s Excalibur, Monty Python and the Holy Grail, Blackadder, The Company of Wolves, the Tenniel illustrations for Alice in Wonderland… and Shrek.
Continue reading...
Matteo Garrone’s Tale of Tales is fabulous in every sense: a freaky portmanteau film based on the folk myths collected and published by the 16th-century Neapolitan poet and scholar Giambattista Basile – Garrone worked on the adaptation with Edoardo Albinati, Ugo Chiti and Massimo Gaudioso.
It is gloriously mad, rigorously imagined, visually wonderful: erotic, hilarious and internally consistent. The sort of film, in fact, which is the whole point of Cannes. It immerses you in a complete created world.
Ovid is mulched in with Hansel, Gretel, the Beauty, the Beast, the Prince, the Pauper, in no real order. At times, Garrone seemed to have taken inspiration from Michelangelo Antonioni’s own fabular tale The Mystery of Oberwald – at others, it felt like he had deeply inhaled the strange and unwholesome odour still emanating from Walerian Borowczyk’s Immoral Tales. But there’s also a bit of John Boorman’s Excalibur, Monty Python and the Holy Grail, Blackadder, The Company of Wolves, the Tenniel illustrations for Alice in Wonderland… and Shrek.
Continue reading...
- 5/13/2015
- by Peter Bradshaw
- The Guardian - Film News
Cannes already has a standout movie: the horrific new Renaissance fairytale from Gomorrah director Matteo Garrone. Features scenes of flea-petting, heart-eating and a right royal hag-shagger
Matteo Garrone’s Tale of Tales is fabulous in every sense: a freaky portmanteau film based on the folk myths collected and published by the 16th-century Neapolitan poet and scholar Giambattista Basile – Garrone worked on the adaptation with Edoardo Albinati, Ugo Chiti and Massimo Gaudioso.
It is gloriously mad, rigorously imagined, visually wonderful: erotic, hilarious and internally consistent. The sort of film, in fact, which is the whole point of Cannes. It immerses you in a complete created world.
Ovid is mulched in with Hansel, Gretel, the Beauty, the Beast, the Prince, the Pauper, in no real order. At times, Garrone seemed to have taken inspiration from Michelangelo Antonioni’s own fabular tale The Mystery of Oberwald – at others, it felt like he had...
Matteo Garrone’s Tale of Tales is fabulous in every sense: a freaky portmanteau film based on the folk myths collected and published by the 16th-century Neapolitan poet and scholar Giambattista Basile – Garrone worked on the adaptation with Edoardo Albinati, Ugo Chiti and Massimo Gaudioso.
It is gloriously mad, rigorously imagined, visually wonderful: erotic, hilarious and internally consistent. The sort of film, in fact, which is the whole point of Cannes. It immerses you in a complete created world.
Ovid is mulched in with Hansel, Gretel, the Beauty, the Beast, the Prince, the Pauper, in no real order. At times, Garrone seemed to have taken inspiration from Michelangelo Antonioni’s own fabular tale The Mystery of Oberwald – at others, it felt like he had...
- 5/13/2015
- by Peter Bradshaw
- The Guardian - Film News
With WolfCop out now on disc, Ryan takes a look at how werewolf myths have faded in and out of cinema history...
It might seem strange, from our interconnected, know-it-all 21st century perspective, that people really did once believe that werewolves existed. Legends of wolf-men date back to antiquity, but really began to bite into society’s fear centres in Europe of the Middle Ages.
Take, for example, Peter Stumpp, a 16th century man whose strange story was related in a pamphlet published shortly after his death. A resident of a small town in Cologne, Stumpp claimed to have been given a belt of wolf skin by the Devil, which when worn, gave him the ability to transform into a wolf. In this form, Stumpp said he’d killed and eaten a dozen or so people over the course of 25 years - crimes described in grisly detail in that old pamphlet.
It might seem strange, from our interconnected, know-it-all 21st century perspective, that people really did once believe that werewolves existed. Legends of wolf-men date back to antiquity, but really began to bite into society’s fear centres in Europe of the Middle Ages.
Take, for example, Peter Stumpp, a 16th century man whose strange story was related in a pamphlet published shortly after his death. A resident of a small town in Cologne, Stumpp claimed to have been given a belt of wolf skin by the Devil, which when worn, gave him the ability to transform into a wolf. In this form, Stumpp said he’d killed and eaten a dozen or so people over the course of 25 years - crimes described in grisly detail in that old pamphlet.
- 10/10/2014
- by ryanlambie
- Den of Geek
When Tim Burton’s Batman hit theaters 25 years ago, it was more than just a pivotal film in the superhero genre. It was a pivotal film in any genre — largely due to its phantasmagorical sets and vehicles. The 1989 vision of Gotham City, the Batmobile and the Batwing all sprang from the dark, fertile imagination of the film’s Oscar-winning production designer Anton Furst. Watch some of Furst’s earlier films and it’s easy to see how his and Burton’s aesthetics would play well with each other. For The Company of Wolves, Neil Jordan’s 1984 horrific take on the tale of Little Red Riding Hood, Furst created a world that merged storybook fantasy with gothic gloom. For Stanley Kubrick’s Full Metal Jacket, he created crumbling sets and morphed actual locations in the UK into a war-ravaged Vietnam. In Batman, Furst’s vision would synthesize fantasy and realism into a dystopia crawling with life. Like...
- 6/23/2014
- by J.L. Sosa
- FilmSchoolRejects.com
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