The clock may be ticking for New York City’s Landmark Sunshine Cinema. The building that houses the arthouse theater on Manhattan’s Lower East Side has been up for sale for more than a year, and while no buyer has materialized yet, some feel it’s only a matter of time before real estate developers turn the beloved cinema into a high rise apartment building.
Read More: iPic’s Big Gamble: How a High-End Theater Chain Hopes to Change the Way We Go to the Movies
Though a number of media outlets have reported that the Sunshine’s lease will be up for renegotiation at the end of 2018, the existential threat facing the theater has less to do with its lease than the possibility that a new buyer will demolish the building and replace it with a towering apartment complex. Built in 1898, the property has a reported price tag of more than $35 million.
Read More: iPic’s Big Gamble: How a High-End Theater Chain Hopes to Change the Way We Go to the Movies
Though a number of media outlets have reported that the Sunshine’s lease will be up for renegotiation at the end of 2018, the existential threat facing the theater has less to do with its lease than the possibility that a new buyer will demolish the building and replace it with a towering apartment complex. Built in 1898, the property has a reported price tag of more than $35 million.
- 12/7/2016
- by Graham Winfrey
- Indiewire
One of the questions surrounding “Moonlight” was whether it would find its way to movie screens in African-American neighborhoods. That’s not standard arthouse territory, and with no bankable stars and an unconventional story, the A24 platform release didn’t offer much to suggest a wide theatrical audience.
Read More: ‘Moonlight’: How the Transformative Power of An Unexpected Role Changed Naomie Harris’ Career — Consider This
Six weeks since its October 21 release, “Moonlight” has bucked the trend with $8 million in box office and counting and holding more than 600 screens — including those in African-American communities. The film was the big winner at Monday night’s Gotham Awards in New York, taking home awards for Best Feature, the Audience Award, the Special Jury Award For Ensemble Performance, and Best Screenplay for writer-director Barry Jenkins. It has a Metascore of 99, making it one of the platform’s best-reviewed movies of the decade.
A24 recently took the film nationwide,...
Read More: ‘Moonlight’: How the Transformative Power of An Unexpected Role Changed Naomie Harris’ Career — Consider This
Six weeks since its October 21 release, “Moonlight” has bucked the trend with $8 million in box office and counting and holding more than 600 screens — including those in African-American communities. The film was the big winner at Monday night’s Gotham Awards in New York, taking home awards for Best Feature, the Audience Award, the Special Jury Award For Ensemble Performance, and Best Screenplay for writer-director Barry Jenkins. It has a Metascore of 99, making it one of the platform’s best-reviewed movies of the decade.
A24 recently took the film nationwide,...
- 12/1/2016
- by Graham Winfrey
- Indiewire
The Nitehawk theater’s planned expansion to Park Slope isn’t just good news for Brooklynites who like the boutique cinema’s meal-and-a-movie experience, it’s also a win for New Yorkers looking for more places to watch independent films on a big screen.
Read More: Landmark Theatres to Open Flashy Cinema Complex in Midtown Manhattan
Nitehawk’s takeover of the Pavilion theater will result in fewer popcorn movies at the seven-screen, 650-seat cinema, and more indie titles. The new Nitehawk Prospect Park, opening in the fall of 2017, will also be three times the size of Nitehawk’s existing location in Williamsburg, Brooklyn.
“There are much larger screens there, both capacity-wise and also just larger physical screens, which would do well with summer blockbusters, but of course we’ll be very choosy with that,” Viragh told IndieWire, adding that Nitehawk’s bread-and-butter movies will still be indies. “Our whole staff...
Read More: Landmark Theatres to Open Flashy Cinema Complex in Midtown Manhattan
Nitehawk’s takeover of the Pavilion theater will result in fewer popcorn movies at the seven-screen, 650-seat cinema, and more indie titles. The new Nitehawk Prospect Park, opening in the fall of 2017, will also be three times the size of Nitehawk’s existing location in Williamsburg, Brooklyn.
“There are much larger screens there, both capacity-wise and also just larger physical screens, which would do well with summer blockbusters, but of course we’ll be very choosy with that,” Viragh told IndieWire, adding that Nitehawk’s bread-and-butter movies will still be indies. “Our whole staff...
- 9/9/2016
- by Graham Winfrey
- Indiewire
New York’s moviegoing scene is about to get a little more crowded. Landmark Theatres has announced an ambitious new movie theater complex scheduled to open in the spring of 2017 on the far West Side of Manhattan. The eight-screen cinema, event space and private bar at The Durst Organization’s 57 West development will mark the first theater to open in Midtown Manhattan in 15 years and will be able to host post-screening parties, according to a statement from Landmark and Durst.
The theater will be located on 57th street between 11th and 12th Avenues, an area that has seen a significant amount of residential development in recent years.
Read More: Metrograph and Criterion Team Up to Bring You Criterion Live! With D.A. Pennebaker
Landmark President and CEO Ted Mundorff called the theater a “game changer” in the statement, while Durst president Jonathan Durst said the neighborhood “was in dire need of a great movie theater.
The theater will be located on 57th street between 11th and 12th Avenues, an area that has seen a significant amount of residential development in recent years.
Read More: Metrograph and Criterion Team Up to Bring You Criterion Live! With D.A. Pennebaker
Landmark President and CEO Ted Mundorff called the theater a “game changer” in the statement, while Durst president Jonathan Durst said the neighborhood “was in dire need of a great movie theater.
- 7/14/2016
- by Graham Winfrey
- Indiewire
This podcast focuses on Criterion’s Eclipse Series of DVDs. Hosts David Blakeslee and Trevor Berrett give an overview of each box and offer their perspectives on the unique treasures they find inside. In this episode, David and Trevor conclude their two-part discussion of Eclipse Series 39: Early Fassbinder.
About the films:
From the very beginning of his incandescent career, the New German Cinema enfant terrible Rainer Werner Fassbinder refused to play by the rules. His politically charged, experimental first films, made at an astonishingly rapid rate between 1969 and 1970, were influenced by the work of the Antiteater, an avant-garde stage troupe that he had helped found in Munich. Collected here are five of those fascinating and confrontational works. Whether a self- conscious meditation on American crime movies, a scathing indictment of xenophobia in contemporary Germany, or an off-the-wall look at the dysfunctional relationships on film sets, each is a startling...
About the films:
From the very beginning of his incandescent career, the New German Cinema enfant terrible Rainer Werner Fassbinder refused to play by the rules. His politically charged, experimental first films, made at an astonishingly rapid rate between 1969 and 1970, were influenced by the work of the Antiteater, an avant-garde stage troupe that he had helped found in Munich. Collected here are five of those fascinating and confrontational works. Whether a self- conscious meditation on American crime movies, a scathing indictment of xenophobia in contemporary Germany, or an off-the-wall look at the dysfunctional relationships on film sets, each is a startling...
- 6/30/2015
- by David Blakeslee
- CriterionCast
For Norman McLaren form is everything. That makes sense given the medium he chose to express his art. Short films are, perhaps more than any other expression of film, succinct and to the point. The story is in the form, the vision is in the form, the art is in the form. To that end many directors have spent many years trying their best to manipulate the form. Film is malleable after all, that is the most breathtaking aspect of the medium. To see something so straightforward taken and twisted until it meets the vision of the artist is akin to the definition of art.
That is where Norman McLaren enters the picture. He was a master at taking the form of the short film and twisting and turning it until it fit his vision of art. Take a film like Dots for instance. A simple red animated landscape is...
That is where Norman McLaren enters the picture. He was a master at taking the form of the short film and twisting and turning it until it fit his vision of art. Take a film like Dots for instance. A simple red animated landscape is...
- 4/4/2015
- by Bill Thompson
- SoundOnSight
Glad
Written by Mladen Djordjevic
Directed by Mladen Djordjevic
2002, Federal Republic of Yugoslavia
Exploration and ideas are at the core of Glad. This isn’t a film about shock and terror. Rather, Glad is a movie about the paths our mind can take. Some of those paths are truly horrific, and at times Glad gets deep into the rabbit holes that the human mind can wander along. The question to be asked of the film is whether or not it adequately explores said rabbit holes?
The answer to the above question isn’t easy. There are sequences in Glad that speak to a nightmare vision of the human mind. There is no happiness in life, no purity to be found. The reason for that is that we have a brain and our brain will either mess up our life or show us horrors we’d rather not see. At the...
Written by Mladen Djordjevic
Directed by Mladen Djordjevic
2002, Federal Republic of Yugoslavia
Exploration and ideas are at the core of Glad. This isn’t a film about shock and terror. Rather, Glad is a movie about the paths our mind can take. Some of those paths are truly horrific, and at times Glad gets deep into the rabbit holes that the human mind can wander along. The question to be asked of the film is whether or not it adequately explores said rabbit holes?
The answer to the above question isn’t easy. There are sequences in Glad that speak to a nightmare vision of the human mind. There is no happiness in life, no purity to be found. The reason for that is that we have a brain and our brain will either mess up our life or show us horrors we’d rather not see. At the...
- 11/20/2014
- by Bill Thompson
- SoundOnSight
Vignean Krohom (The Red Sense)
Written by Tim Pek
Directed by Tim Pek
2008, Australia/Cambodia
Amateurism is a major facet of the film industry. There are oodles of films released every year that are amateur productions, and some of them can be genuinely great. Then there are the professional productions that employ amateurs in key roles. Cinema has been using amateurism since the film industry first started churning out films. Amateurism in and of itself is not a bad element within a film. However, there are films where the amateurism makes for a rather difficult viewing experience.
One such film is Vignean Krohom, the joint Cambodian and Australian attempt at horror. There weren’t many, if any, professionals involved with the filming of Vignean Krohom. This shines through in every second of the film, even when the film is in its more passable moments. The director is an amateur, every...
Written by Tim Pek
Directed by Tim Pek
2008, Australia/Cambodia
Amateurism is a major facet of the film industry. There are oodles of films released every year that are amateur productions, and some of them can be genuinely great. Then there are the professional productions that employ amateurs in key roles. Cinema has been using amateurism since the film industry first started churning out films. Amateurism in and of itself is not a bad element within a film. However, there are films where the amateurism makes for a rather difficult viewing experience.
One such film is Vignean Krohom, the joint Cambodian and Australian attempt at horror. There weren’t many, if any, professionals involved with the filming of Vignean Krohom. This shines through in every second of the film, even when the film is in its more passable moments. The director is an amateur, every...
- 11/12/2014
- by Bill Thompson
- SoundOnSight
Varuh meje (Guardian of the Frontier)
Written by Brock Norman Brock, Zoran Hocevar, & Maja Weiss
Directed by Maja Weiss
2002, France/Germany/Slovenia
A lazy trip down a river turns into a nightmare. It’s a plot that has been tread on many times in the horror genre, and even more in the adventure and thriller genres. Varuh meje takes an interesting approach to the old girl known as the river trip. It approaches the trip from a decidedly female and nationalist perspective. Suffice to say if the viewer has no interest in Slovenia or in the role of women in Slovenian culture, then they need not bother with Varuh meje.
Coming from a female director in Maja Weiss, Varuh meje comes at its topics from a very female perspective. The commentary is layered, and often it’s so steeped in the relationship between Slovenia and Croatia that losing your footing is very easy.
Written by Brock Norman Brock, Zoran Hocevar, & Maja Weiss
Directed by Maja Weiss
2002, France/Germany/Slovenia
A lazy trip down a river turns into a nightmare. It’s a plot that has been tread on many times in the horror genre, and even more in the adventure and thriller genres. Varuh meje takes an interesting approach to the old girl known as the river trip. It approaches the trip from a decidedly female and nationalist perspective. Suffice to say if the viewer has no interest in Slovenia or in the role of women in Slovenian culture, then they need not bother with Varuh meje.
Coming from a female director in Maja Weiss, Varuh meje comes at its topics from a very female perspective. The commentary is layered, and often it’s so steeped in the relationship between Slovenia and Croatia that losing your footing is very easy.
- 10/22/2014
- by Bill Thompson
- SoundOnSight
The Dark
Screenplay by Stephen Massicotte
Directed by John Fawcett
Germany/Isle of Man/United Kingdom, 2005
Much of The Dark fails to make any sense. This carries out through the resolution of the film, where the ultimate solution to the plot not making any sense is for the ending to not make sense. Horror can be ambiguous, there’s nothing wrong with a horror movie that plays in the realm of the nonsensical. However, there’s ambiguity with a purpose, and there’s a lack of being able to make your plot make sense. The Dark isn’t ambiguous, it merely doesn’t make any sense and Stephen Massicotte has no idea how to deliver a screenplay that makes sense.
Sean Bean and Maria Bello do the most with what they are given. There are sections of the film that are serviceable because of the work turned in from those two professional actors.
Screenplay by Stephen Massicotte
Directed by John Fawcett
Germany/Isle of Man/United Kingdom, 2005
Much of The Dark fails to make any sense. This carries out through the resolution of the film, where the ultimate solution to the plot not making any sense is for the ending to not make sense. Horror can be ambiguous, there’s nothing wrong with a horror movie that plays in the realm of the nonsensical. However, there’s ambiguity with a purpose, and there’s a lack of being able to make your plot make sense. The Dark isn’t ambiguous, it merely doesn’t make any sense and Stephen Massicotte has no idea how to deliver a screenplay that makes sense.
Sean Bean and Maria Bello do the most with what they are given. There are sections of the film that are serviceable because of the work turned in from those two professional actors.
- 10/15/2014
- by Bill Thompson
- SoundOnSight
El páramo (The Squad)
Screenplay by Jaime Osorio Marquez
Directed by Jaime Osorio Marquez
Argentina/Colombia/Spain, 2011
The basic conceit of El páramo is what ultimately holds the film back. Try as it might the film can never move past what it presents in its opening minutes. That’s not a good trait in a film, usually at least. El páramo tries to move past its opening scenes and present the squad as having been altered by their discovery, but that’s a lie within the film. There’s no reason that the film couldn’t have done something with its lie, but instead it tries to present said lie as a truth. The question that the film ends up asking is, how can a squad that doesn’t function properly be changed into a squad that doesn’t function properly?
The answer to the above question is that they can’t be changed.
Screenplay by Jaime Osorio Marquez
Directed by Jaime Osorio Marquez
Argentina/Colombia/Spain, 2011
The basic conceit of El páramo is what ultimately holds the film back. Try as it might the film can never move past what it presents in its opening minutes. That’s not a good trait in a film, usually at least. El páramo tries to move past its opening scenes and present the squad as having been altered by their discovery, but that’s a lie within the film. There’s no reason that the film couldn’t have done something with its lie, but instead it tries to present said lie as a truth. The question that the film ends up asking is, how can a squad that doesn’t function properly be changed into a squad that doesn’t function properly?
The answer to the above question is that they can’t be changed.
- 9/30/2014
- by Bill Thompson
- SoundOnSight
The Caller
Written by Sergio Casci
Directed by Matthew Parkhill
Puerto Rico/United Kingdom, 2011
It creaks, it wobbles, but it doesn’t crack. That’s the best way to describe The Caller, a horror film that makes the most out of an interesting premise. The horror genre is not short on films with great premises, but it, much like the film world in general, is short on films that make the most out of their great premise. The Caller nearly blows it multiple times, but somehow Matthew Parkhill’s film manages to keep it all together and deliver on the promise of its premise.
Working with time travel, or time distortion as the case may be, is always a dicey proposition. It’s so easy for a film that deals with any sort of time theme to be a jumbled mess. There are a few times when The Caller comes...
Written by Sergio Casci
Directed by Matthew Parkhill
Puerto Rico/United Kingdom, 2011
It creaks, it wobbles, but it doesn’t crack. That’s the best way to describe The Caller, a horror film that makes the most out of an interesting premise. The horror genre is not short on films with great premises, but it, much like the film world in general, is short on films that make the most out of their great premise. The Caller nearly blows it multiple times, but somehow Matthew Parkhill’s film manages to keep it all together and deliver on the promise of its premise.
Working with time travel, or time distortion as the case may be, is always a dicey proposition. It’s so easy for a film that deals with any sort of time theme to be a jumbled mess. There are a few times when The Caller comes...
- 9/10/2014
- by Bill Thompson
- SoundOnSight
Hell
Screenplay by Tim Fehlbaum, Oliver Kahl, & Thomas Wöbke
Directed by Tim Fehlbaum
Germany/Switzerland, 2011
Dirty, grimy, and dusty, that’s how best to describe Hell. The heat can be felt, the dryness of the film comes off of the screen like a hot summer day in Chicago. Tim Fehlbaum takes a very tactile approach with his film, daring the audience to feel what his characters are feeling. The horror of Hell is that when the characters are hot the viewer feels hot. When the characters are struggling with thirst the audience feels like it needs a drink of water. Herr Fehlbaum asks a lot out of the characters he, and his screenplay compatriots, have created for Hell. He asks just as much, if not more, out of his films audience.
The first ten or so minutes of Hell are the most important minutes in the film. They establish this world,...
Screenplay by Tim Fehlbaum, Oliver Kahl, & Thomas Wöbke
Directed by Tim Fehlbaum
Germany/Switzerland, 2011
Dirty, grimy, and dusty, that’s how best to describe Hell. The heat can be felt, the dryness of the film comes off of the screen like a hot summer day in Chicago. Tim Fehlbaum takes a very tactile approach with his film, daring the audience to feel what his characters are feeling. The horror of Hell is that when the characters are hot the viewer feels hot. When the characters are struggling with thirst the audience feels like it needs a drink of water. Herr Fehlbaum asks a lot out of the characters he, and his screenplay compatriots, have created for Hell. He asks just as much, if not more, out of his films audience.
The first ten or so minutes of Hell are the most important minutes in the film. They establish this world,...
- 8/27/2014
- by Bill Thompson
- SoundOnSight
Dark Floors
Written by Pekka Lehtosaari
Directed by Pete Riski
Finland/Iceland, 2008
Commercialism has been a part of the film industry for a very long time. It will continue to be an active part of the film industry until the day comes when there’s no longer a film industry. Movies are made to make money, that’s pretty much a given. Occasionally a movie can have its cake and eat it too; it can be a completely commercial product and still be a fine artistic enterprise as well.
Dark Floors is an example of commercialism gone wrong. It would be wrong to call it Pete Riski’s film, because it’s more the film of the death metal group Lordi than it is that of the Finnish born director. This film came about to cash in on the popularity of Lordi and to try to tap into the apparently...
Written by Pekka Lehtosaari
Directed by Pete Riski
Finland/Iceland, 2008
Commercialism has been a part of the film industry for a very long time. It will continue to be an active part of the film industry until the day comes when there’s no longer a film industry. Movies are made to make money, that’s pretty much a given. Occasionally a movie can have its cake and eat it too; it can be a completely commercial product and still be a fine artistic enterprise as well.
Dark Floors is an example of commercialism gone wrong. It would be wrong to call it Pete Riski’s film, because it’s more the film of the death metal group Lordi than it is that of the Finnish born director. This film came about to cash in on the popularity of Lordi and to try to tap into the apparently...
- 8/13/2014
- by Bill Thompson
- SoundOnSight
Prowl
Written by Tim Tori
Directed by Patrik Syversen
Bulgaria/UK/USA, 2010
There’s nothing wrong with conventional, but by the same token there’s something very wrong with a film that’s too comfortable being conventional. Prowl is the sort of horror film that desires to be nothing more than conventional. From its setup to its reliance on jump scares and an attempted twist; Prowl doesn’t have an unconventional bone in its body. There’s an ache to be vanilla that exists deep within its core, an ache that the film really wants to soothe. Atmosphere, a decent premise, and character are but three elements that Prowl sacrifices in order to be a run-of-the-mill horror film.
There’s a stretch of about fifteen or so minutes near the beginning of Prowl where it seems like the film is going somewhere interesting. The premise is, as previously stated, a decent one,...
Written by Tim Tori
Directed by Patrik Syversen
Bulgaria/UK/USA, 2010
There’s nothing wrong with conventional, but by the same token there’s something very wrong with a film that’s too comfortable being conventional. Prowl is the sort of horror film that desires to be nothing more than conventional. From its setup to its reliance on jump scares and an attempted twist; Prowl doesn’t have an unconventional bone in its body. There’s an ache to be vanilla that exists deep within its core, an ache that the film really wants to soothe. Atmosphere, a decent premise, and character are but three elements that Prowl sacrifices in order to be a run-of-the-mill horror film.
There’s a stretch of about fifteen or so minutes near the beginning of Prowl where it seems like the film is going somewhere interesting. The premise is, as previously stated, a decent one,...
- 7/23/2014
- by Bill Thompson
- SoundOnSight
Aenigma
Screenplay by Lucio Fulci & Giorgio Mariuzzo
Directed by Lucio Fulci
1987, Italy/Yugoslavia
Oh, how the mighty have fallen. By this point in his career Lucio Fulci was severely running out of steam. His titles were no longer met with any fanfare and even his most ardent supporters had begun to think less of his newer creations. With his best days behind him the once acclaimed director turned towards two different pathways to help keep his filmmaking career afloat.
The first path Signore Fulci chose was to get more violent, bloodier, and gorier. This pathway produced mixed returns. At times the gore was outstanding, enough to keep a viewer interested and wanting more. In other instances the gore was in service of a paltry story and left the viewer wondering the point of all the brutality. Either way this pathway has very little bearing on Aenigma.
The second pathway chosen...
Screenplay by Lucio Fulci & Giorgio Mariuzzo
Directed by Lucio Fulci
1987, Italy/Yugoslavia
Oh, how the mighty have fallen. By this point in his career Lucio Fulci was severely running out of steam. His titles were no longer met with any fanfare and even his most ardent supporters had begun to think less of his newer creations. With his best days behind him the once acclaimed director turned towards two different pathways to help keep his filmmaking career afloat.
The first path Signore Fulci chose was to get more violent, bloodier, and gorier. This pathway produced mixed returns. At times the gore was outstanding, enough to keep a viewer interested and wanting more. In other instances the gore was in service of a paltry story and left the viewer wondering the point of all the brutality. Either way this pathway has very little bearing on Aenigma.
The second pathway chosen...
- 7/9/2014
- by Bill Thompson
- SoundOnSight
Bai wan ju e (Croczilla)
Written by Li Sheng Lin
Directed by Li Sheng Lin
China, 2012
There’s been a surge in recent years of B horror monster movies. Giant sharks, giant alligators, mutated animals that are a combination of shark and alligator, and so many other animal monsters have gotten the monster movie treatment. Most of them have come from the United States of America or Canada; and been sent straight to the Syfy Channel. Bai wan ju e is supposedly the first B horror monster movie to come from China. Unlike the Canadian and American movies of the same ilk there actually appears to be a bit of pride being shown by China towards its creation.
The reasons for that pride aren’t present in the film itself. From beginning to end nothing in Bai wan ju e goes right. The comedy isn’t funny, the horror is toothless,...
Written by Li Sheng Lin
Directed by Li Sheng Lin
China, 2012
There’s been a surge in recent years of B horror monster movies. Giant sharks, giant alligators, mutated animals that are a combination of shark and alligator, and so many other animal monsters have gotten the monster movie treatment. Most of them have come from the United States of America or Canada; and been sent straight to the Syfy Channel. Bai wan ju e is supposedly the first B horror monster movie to come from China. Unlike the Canadian and American movies of the same ilk there actually appears to be a bit of pride being shown by China towards its creation.
The reasons for that pride aren’t present in the film itself. From beginning to end nothing in Bai wan ju e goes right. The comedy isn’t funny, the horror is toothless,...
- 6/11/2014
- by Bill Thompson
- SoundOnSight
Araf (The Abortion)
Written by Hakan Bilir
Directed by Biray Dalkiran
Turkey, 2006
How did he know that happened? How long are they going to overlay them walking with music? These are the two questions that horror buffs will find themselves asking after they’ve finished Araf. Those are not two questions that are asked of a great horror movie, they are questions asked of a mediocre horror film. That should tell you about where Araf falls on the movie spectrum.
Biray Dalkrian is the main problem with Araf. His direction is suffocating to the extreme. This film misuses the close-up shot in a most egregious manner. There are times when the camera zooms in on a person walking and follows them in close-up mode while nothing happens until the film cuts to the next scene. The direction shoves the viewer into the machinations of the film in ways that are...
Written by Hakan Bilir
Directed by Biray Dalkiran
Turkey, 2006
How did he know that happened? How long are they going to overlay them walking with music? These are the two questions that horror buffs will find themselves asking after they’ve finished Araf. Those are not two questions that are asked of a great horror movie, they are questions asked of a mediocre horror film. That should tell you about where Araf falls on the movie spectrum.
Biray Dalkrian is the main problem with Araf. His direction is suffocating to the extreme. This film misuses the close-up shot in a most egregious manner. There are times when the camera zooms in on a person walking and follows them in close-up mode while nothing happens until the film cuts to the next scene. The direction shoves the viewer into the machinations of the film in ways that are...
- 5/21/2014
- by Bill Thompson
- SoundOnSight
Bazinga! A&E has greenlit a Boston-set reality pilot called The Big Brew Theory, which follows four MIT grad students who team up with an MIT undergrad to create the micro-brewery of their dreams.
Mark Wahlberg is signed on to executive produce, along with Stephen Levinson, Stephanie Drachkovitch, and Bill Thompson. Wahlberg most recently appeared in (and executive produced) Wahlburgers, an A&E reality show about his family’s burger business.
Mark Wahlberg is signed on to executive produce, along with Stephen Levinson, Stephanie Drachkovitch, and Bill Thompson. Wahlberg most recently appeared in (and executive produced) Wahlburgers, an A&E reality show about his family’s burger business.
- 5/7/2014
- by Ariana Bacle
- EW - Inside TV
Exclusive: Following the success of Wahlburgers, A&E has greenlighted another Boston-set reality pilot executive produced by Mark Wahlberg about a fledgling business enterprise. Tipping its hat to hit comedy The Big Bang Theory, the half-hour project is tentatively titled Big Brew Theory. It follows four quirky and highly intelligent MIT grad students who have pooled their life savings to achieve their dream of creating a home grown micro-brewery and team up with a beautiful MIT undergrad to launch their business. The Big Brew Theory reunites frequent collaborators Wahlberg, Stephen Levinson, Stephanie Drachkovitch and Bill Thompson. This marks Wahlberg’s fourth reality pilot at A&E, all set in his native Boston. Two of them, Wahlburgers, which he produces with Levinson and Drachkovitch, and Breaking Boston, which he produced with Levinson, Drachkovitch and Thompson, went to series. Wahlberg, Levinson and Thompson also previously produced a Boston teamsters pilot for the network.
- 5/7/2014
- by NELLIE ANDREEVA
- Deadline TV
T.M.A. (Darkness)
Screenplay by Martin Nemec
Directed by Juraj Herz
Czech Republic, 2009
A story isn’t always just a story. As one becomes more and more of a horror aficionado this becomes abundantly clear. Horror, perhaps moreso than any other genre, relies heavily on atmosphere and emotion in lieu of story. T.M.A. fits in with this method, but it does something in its final half that is often the bane of a haphazardly made horror film. The film builds itself up as entirely about emotion and atmosphere and then shoehorns in a story. Any movie can have story together with atmosphere and emotion; it’s foolish to suggest otherwise. It’s just as foolish to think your film needs a story and to put one together piecemeal style so that said story makes no sense.
It’s not hyperbole to say that T.M.A.’s story doesn’t make any sense.
Screenplay by Martin Nemec
Directed by Juraj Herz
Czech Republic, 2009
A story isn’t always just a story. As one becomes more and more of a horror aficionado this becomes abundantly clear. Horror, perhaps moreso than any other genre, relies heavily on atmosphere and emotion in lieu of story. T.M.A. fits in with this method, but it does something in its final half that is often the bane of a haphazardly made horror film. The film builds itself up as entirely about emotion and atmosphere and then shoehorns in a story. Any movie can have story together with atmosphere and emotion; it’s foolish to suggest otherwise. It’s just as foolish to think your film needs a story and to put one together piecemeal style so that said story makes no sense.
It’s not hyperbole to say that T.M.A.’s story doesn’t make any sense.
- 4/17/2014
- by Bill Thompson
- SoundOnSight
Listen up, King fans! This is very cool! Cemetery Dance Publications signed an exclusive deal to produce a six-volume set of special collectible editions of Stephen King's early books that were originally published by Doubleday back in the 1970s and early 1980s! Read on for details!
From the Press Release
The books in this set are Carrie, Salem's Lot, The Shining, Night Shift, The Stand, and Pet Sematary, six classics of the horror genre and all-time Stephen King fan favorites.
These are the books that launched King's career and made him a household name, and our special editions will be beautiful and oversized volumes like we've published for From a Buick 8, It, Doctor Sleep, and many other King books over the years.
The first title in this special six-volume set is Carrie, which will be published later this summer and is available for pre-order immediately.
Other volumes in this...
From the Press Release
The books in this set are Carrie, Salem's Lot, The Shining, Night Shift, The Stand, and Pet Sematary, six classics of the horror genre and all-time Stephen King fan favorites.
These are the books that launched King's career and made him a household name, and our special editions will be beautiful and oversized volumes like we've published for From a Buick 8, It, Doctor Sleep, and many other King books over the years.
The first title in this special six-volume set is Carrie, which will be published later this summer and is available for pre-order immediately.
Other volumes in this...
- 4/9/2014
- by Steve Barton
- DreadCentral.com
Cemetery Dance is known for their limited edition Stephen King releases and they’ve just announced that they’ve signed a deal to produce six special editions of Stephen King’s early works. The first release is Carrie and we have all the details:
“We have extremely exciting news to share with our collectors today, just a few days after the 40th anniversary of the original hardcover publication of Carrie by Stephen King:
We’ve signed an exclusive deal to produce a six volume set of special collectible editions of Stephen King’s early books that were originally published by Doubleday back in the 1970s and early 1980s! These books are Carrie, ‘Salem’s Lot, The Shining, Night Shift, The Stand, and Pet Sematary, six classics of the horror genre and all-time Stephen King fan favorites!
These are the books that launched King’s career and made him a household name,...
“We have extremely exciting news to share with our collectors today, just a few days after the 40th anniversary of the original hardcover publication of Carrie by Stephen King:
We’ve signed an exclusive deal to produce a six volume set of special collectible editions of Stephen King’s early books that were originally published by Doubleday back in the 1970s and early 1980s! These books are Carrie, ‘Salem’s Lot, The Shining, Night Shift, The Stand, and Pet Sematary, six classics of the horror genre and all-time Stephen King fan favorites!
These are the books that launched King’s career and made him a household name,...
- 4/7/2014
- by Jonathan James
- DailyDead
Kimyô na sâkasu (Strange Circus)
Written by Shion Sono
Directed by Shion Sono
Japan, 2005
Twists and turns have been a point of contention for many a cinephile for some time now. There are countless blog posts about how much of a hack M. Night Shyamalan is simply because of his usage of twists in his films. The truth of the matter is that there’s no problem whatsoever with a twist within the narrative of a film as long as it is handled well. In Kimyô na sâkasu there isn’t just a twist, there are a series of twists that culminate in one mamma jamma of a twist ending. Again, judgment of a twist comes down to how it is executed and how it affects the story. Kimyô na sâkasu is a film where every one of its twists is merited and makes for a far more interesting viewing experience.
Written by Shion Sono
Directed by Shion Sono
Japan, 2005
Twists and turns have been a point of contention for many a cinephile for some time now. There are countless blog posts about how much of a hack M. Night Shyamalan is simply because of his usage of twists in his films. The truth of the matter is that there’s no problem whatsoever with a twist within the narrative of a film as long as it is handled well. In Kimyô na sâkasu there isn’t just a twist, there are a series of twists that culminate in one mamma jamma of a twist ending. Again, judgment of a twist comes down to how it is executed and how it affects the story. Kimyô na sâkasu is a film where every one of its twists is merited and makes for a far more interesting viewing experience.
- 3/14/2014
- by Bill Thompson
- SoundOnSight
Breaking Boston will premiere Thursday, March 13 at 10 Pm on A&E Network, which already is home to producer Mark Wahlberg‘s family restaurant series Wahlburgers. The new docu-drama will center on four working-class women coming of age in hardscrabble Boston and was inspired by the tough, hard-as-nails female characters in Wahlberg‘s Oscar-nominated movie The Fighter. A&E ordered the pilot in November 2012 and picked up the series last May. “These are real women telling their original stories of trying to break out of what’s expected of them,” said Wahlberg who himself was raised in Boston and just earned his high school diploma at age 42. “The odds are difficult, but I believe they can make it.” The series is from 44 Blue Prods, Wahlberg’s Closest to the Hole Prods, Leverage Entertainment and Bill Thompson Prods. Wahlberg, Stephen Levison and Thompson are executive producers. Executive producers for 44 Blue are Stephanie Drachkovich and Jennifer Colbert.
- 2/18/2014
- by THE DEADLINE TEAM
- Deadline TV
Lilasia Psichon (Soul Looting)
Written by George Vouzikis
Directed by George Vouzikis
Greece, 2009
Every cinephile has had the moment where they’ve thought, “I could make this movie.” Most of us let that feeling drift away and we remain cinephiles, become critics, or slowly lose interest in movies altogether. Rare is the cinephile that takes such a feeling and actually starts making movies. Even rarer is the person who follows that feeling and makes great movies. Much more common is the person who rides the wave of that feeling into making mediocre films. Most common of all is the maker of terrible films, the person who thought they could make a movie and only ever succeeded in the actual making part.
George Vouzikis, with Lilasia Psichon at least, falls into the category of someone who succeeded only in making a film. The last five minutes of Lilasia Psichon will be worthwhile to some.
Written by George Vouzikis
Directed by George Vouzikis
Greece, 2009
Every cinephile has had the moment where they’ve thought, “I could make this movie.” Most of us let that feeling drift away and we remain cinephiles, become critics, or slowly lose interest in movies altogether. Rare is the cinephile that takes such a feeling and actually starts making movies. Even rarer is the person who follows that feeling and makes great movies. Much more common is the person who rides the wave of that feeling into making mediocre films. Most common of all is the maker of terrible films, the person who thought they could make a movie and only ever succeeded in the actual making part.
George Vouzikis, with Lilasia Psichon at least, falls into the category of someone who succeeded only in making a film. The last five minutes of Lilasia Psichon will be worthwhile to some.
- 2/13/2014
- by Bill Thompson
- SoundOnSight
Jangan pandang belakang (Don’t Look Back)
Screenplay by Ahmad Idham
Directed by Ahmad Idham
Malaysia, 2007
There’s a certain charm to Jangan pandang belakang, a charm that stops the movie from being absolutely dreadful. Said charm isn’t enough to produce a well-made film, but it’s hard not to appreciate a film that still believes horror is in the 1960s. Saying that Jangan pandang belakang doesn’t attempt to be scary is misleading, because the film really does try. It tries in every way that a film could try, but it’s simply not able to make anything worthwhile out of any attempts at being more than people play acting in front of a camera.
That charm is present though. It’s present in the attempts at atmosphere, in the woefully obvious jump scares, and even in the bad attempts at acting. No one involved with Jangan pandang belakang...
Screenplay by Ahmad Idham
Directed by Ahmad Idham
Malaysia, 2007
There’s a certain charm to Jangan pandang belakang, a charm that stops the movie from being absolutely dreadful. Said charm isn’t enough to produce a well-made film, but it’s hard not to appreciate a film that still believes horror is in the 1960s. Saying that Jangan pandang belakang doesn’t attempt to be scary is misleading, because the film really does try. It tries in every way that a film could try, but it’s simply not able to make anything worthwhile out of any attempts at being more than people play acting in front of a camera.
That charm is present though. It’s present in the attempts at atmosphere, in the woefully obvious jump scares, and even in the bad attempts at acting. No one involved with Jangan pandang belakang...
- 1/22/2014
- by Bill Thompson
- SoundOnSight
Jue ming pai dui (Invitation Only)
Screenplay by Sung In & Carolyn Lin
Directed by Kevin Ko
Taiwan, 2009
One of the calling cards of the horror genre is its ability to delve deep into societal issues. The horror genre can often go to places that other genres cannot because of the content found within a horror movie. Not all horror movies explore society, but there are plenty that do so in fine fashion. Jue ming pai dui wants to be one of the films that does explore society more deeply. This film wants to be one of those types of movies so bad that it runs rough shod over subtlety in its desire to deliver a profound message connected with present day society.
The rich and the poor, or upper and lower class if you will, being at odds is nothing new to the world. Travel to any country and a...
Screenplay by Sung In & Carolyn Lin
Directed by Kevin Ko
Taiwan, 2009
One of the calling cards of the horror genre is its ability to delve deep into societal issues. The horror genre can often go to places that other genres cannot because of the content found within a horror movie. Not all horror movies explore society, but there are plenty that do so in fine fashion. Jue ming pai dui wants to be one of the films that does explore society more deeply. This film wants to be one of those types of movies so bad that it runs rough shod over subtlety in its desire to deliver a profound message connected with present day society.
The rich and the poor, or upper and lower class if you will, being at odds is nothing new to the world. Travel to any country and a...
- 1/7/2014
- by Bill Thompson
- SoundOnSight
Naboer (Next Door)
Screenplay by Pål Sletaune
Directed by Pål Sletaune
Denmark/Norway/Sweden, 2005
Twists appear to be quite the common topic in this column lately. This time out the issue isn’t an actual twist, but the fracturing of a psyche that gives the idea of a twist. There’s no twist to spoil in Naboer because such a twist never takes place. From the start Naboer is the tale of a man who has lost his grip with reality. The question isn’t of the twists to come, but the journey through the mind of a damaged individual.
Naboer starts off plainly enough, and such a start is key to the films effectiveness. Josh is a sympathetic figure in the beginning of the film, and he’s again a sympathetic figure in the final shot of Naboer. In between the beginning and the end we embark on a crazy journey with Josh.
Screenplay by Pål Sletaune
Directed by Pål Sletaune
Denmark/Norway/Sweden, 2005
Twists appear to be quite the common topic in this column lately. This time out the issue isn’t an actual twist, but the fracturing of a psyche that gives the idea of a twist. There’s no twist to spoil in Naboer because such a twist never takes place. From the start Naboer is the tale of a man who has lost his grip with reality. The question isn’t of the twists to come, but the journey through the mind of a damaged individual.
Naboer starts off plainly enough, and such a start is key to the films effectiveness. Josh is a sympathetic figure in the beginning of the film, and he’s again a sympathetic figure in the final shot of Naboer. In between the beginning and the end we embark on a crazy journey with Josh.
- 12/25/2013
- by Bill Thompson
- SoundOnSight
It.s been another successful year for the country.s premier drama schools, at least measured by the number of actor graduates that have signed with Australian talent agents.
All 22 graduates of Nida.s acting class have secured representation. The Vca had 24 graduate actors, of whom all but one has signed with agents. That actor is still negotiating while heading home to the Us.
The Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts (Waapa) graduated 17 actors. Sixteen have found agents and the other had a final interview on Thursday and was hopeful of doing a deal soon afterwards.
"At the Nida Showcase in early November, it was fantastic to introduce the Nida graduating class of actors to the best agents in town,. Di Drew, the school.s Head of Film and Television, tells If.
.Within three weeks, every graduate from the 2013 acting class had an agent. This year's graduates are very prepared and industry ready,...
All 22 graduates of Nida.s acting class have secured representation. The Vca had 24 graduate actors, of whom all but one has signed with agents. That actor is still negotiating while heading home to the Us.
The Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts (Waapa) graduated 17 actors. Sixteen have found agents and the other had a final interview on Thursday and was hopeful of doing a deal soon afterwards.
"At the Nida Showcase in early November, it was fantastic to introduce the Nida graduating class of actors to the best agents in town,. Di Drew, the school.s Head of Film and Television, tells If.
.Within three weeks, every graduate from the 2013 acting class had an agent. This year's graduates are very prepared and industry ready,...
- 12/19/2013
- by Don Groves
- IF.com.au
Taxidermia
Written by György Pálfi & Zsófia Ruttkay
Directed by György Pálfi
Austria/France/Hungary, 2006
Striking visuals attempt to match allegory; this is the stuff of Taxidermia. From the onset it’s quite clear that Taxidermia isn’t interested in being a typical horror film. The film blends elements of comedy, body horror, and political allegory into as unappealing of a package as possible. That is, however, the reason that Taxidermia is so appealing as a film. The images are often visceral to the extreme, repugnant in the way they depict the characters. People who see Taxidermia will probably never be able to look at competitive eating the same way again. Repugnance is the point of Taxidermia, or rather it is the point that is used to get to the root of the political issues that have plagued Hungary for years.
On their own the three segments in time that comprise...
Written by György Pálfi & Zsófia Ruttkay
Directed by György Pálfi
Austria/France/Hungary, 2006
Striking visuals attempt to match allegory; this is the stuff of Taxidermia. From the onset it’s quite clear that Taxidermia isn’t interested in being a typical horror film. The film blends elements of comedy, body horror, and political allegory into as unappealing of a package as possible. That is, however, the reason that Taxidermia is so appealing as a film. The images are often visceral to the extreme, repugnant in the way they depict the characters. People who see Taxidermia will probably never be able to look at competitive eating the same way again. Repugnance is the point of Taxidermia, or rather it is the point that is used to get to the root of the political issues that have plagued Hungary for years.
On their own the three segments in time that comprise...
- 12/11/2013
- by Bill Thompson
- SoundOnSight
Stitches
Written by Conor McMahon & David O’Brien
Directed by Conor McMahon
Ireland, 2012
Clowns are creepy, for many a person. By using a clown as the villain of the film Stitches treads on common ground in the garden of fear. Treading on common ground is something that Stitches is quite fond of. There’s almost no cliché that Stitches doesn’t hit, including an unfortunate, and unfunny, bit where an innocent animal falls to the wrath of the villain. In most horror movies sticking so close to tried and true clichés would be tiring. Stitches isn’t exactly a breath of fresh air, but manages to overcome the well-known nature of its story.
The reason for this is simple, fun and authenticity. The fun comment will make sense to anyone who has seen Stitches. There’s not a truly serious bone in the entirety of Stitches. Early on the film...
Written by Conor McMahon & David O’Brien
Directed by Conor McMahon
Ireland, 2012
Clowns are creepy, for many a person. By using a clown as the villain of the film Stitches treads on common ground in the garden of fear. Treading on common ground is something that Stitches is quite fond of. There’s almost no cliché that Stitches doesn’t hit, including an unfortunate, and unfunny, bit where an innocent animal falls to the wrath of the villain. In most horror movies sticking so close to tried and true clichés would be tiring. Stitches isn’t exactly a breath of fresh air, but manages to overcome the well-known nature of its story.
The reason for this is simple, fun and authenticity. The fun comment will make sense to anyone who has seen Stitches. There’s not a truly serious bone in the entirety of Stitches. Early on the film...
- 11/28/2013
- by Bill Thompson
- SoundOnSight
The Road
Written by Yam Laranas
Directed by Yam Laranas
Philippines, 2011
Movies can be different, but they can also be very similar. There’s nothing wrong with being similar, but sometimes a trend develops within film that is not a positive. Twists are such a trend, a trope of the horror genre that has been running amok in the genre for years now. That’s not to say that all twists are inherently negative. However, when the twist overtakes the film and works against what came before the twist, well, that’s a problem.
Such is the case with The Road, a film that is completely dependent on its twist when it never needs to be. When the actual twist happens most cinephiles will roll their eyes, and they are completely justified in doing so. The twist in The Road is obvious and serves no purpose other than to say,...
Written by Yam Laranas
Directed by Yam Laranas
Philippines, 2011
Movies can be different, but they can also be very similar. There’s nothing wrong with being similar, but sometimes a trend develops within film that is not a positive. Twists are such a trend, a trope of the horror genre that has been running amok in the genre for years now. That’s not to say that all twists are inherently negative. However, when the twist overtakes the film and works against what came before the twist, well, that’s a problem.
Such is the case with The Road, a film that is completely dependent on its twist when it never needs to be. When the actual twist happens most cinephiles will roll their eyes, and they are completely justified in doing so. The twist in The Road is obvious and serves no purpose other than to say,...
- 11/13/2013
- by Bill Thompson
- SoundOnSight
The Devil’s Rock
Written by Paul Campion, Paul Finch, & Brett Ihaka
Directed by Paul Campion
New Zealand, 2011
Horror done on a low budget is nothing new to horror fans. The genre is littered with films that were produced under conditions where more had to be made with much, much less. The Devil’s Rock does what most well-made low budget films do, it limits itself to only a few locations and includes a small number of actors. It’s obvious from the start that The Devil’s Rock has been made with very little money. It’s just as obvious that Paul Campion understands the limitation of his budget and works towards his budget instead of trying for more than said budget could possibly provide.
The reason the budget of The Devil’s Rock matters so much is because it seeps through in every moment of the film. Keeping...
Written by Paul Campion, Paul Finch, & Brett Ihaka
Directed by Paul Campion
New Zealand, 2011
Horror done on a low budget is nothing new to horror fans. The genre is littered with films that were produced under conditions where more had to be made with much, much less. The Devil’s Rock does what most well-made low budget films do, it limits itself to only a few locations and includes a small number of actors. It’s obvious from the start that The Devil’s Rock has been made with very little money. It’s just as obvious that Paul Campion understands the limitation of his budget and works towards his budget instead of trying for more than said budget could possibly provide.
The reason the budget of The Devil’s Rock matters so much is because it seeps through in every moment of the film. Keeping...
- 11/7/2013
- by Bill Thompson
- SoundOnSight
Modus Anomali (Ritual)
Written by Joko Anwar
Directed by Joko Anwar
Indonesia, 2012
It’s a sad thing when the need for a twist dampens wonderful use of sound and created tension. The first fifty minutes of Modus Anomali are very tense, with atmosphere oozing off the screen. This is thanks in large part to the way that the film handles sound. The tense atmosphere never truly goes away, and the use of sound remains magnificent throughout. However, there comes a point when the film decides it is more interested in a twist than what it has been creating.
The majority of Modus Anomali is silent. Not silent as in silent cinema, but silent as in there’s a decided lack of a soundtrack or score. The film relies on the sounds of the forest, the footsteps of its characters, and the unnerving reverberations of breathing in a quiet setting. The...
Written by Joko Anwar
Directed by Joko Anwar
Indonesia, 2012
It’s a sad thing when the need for a twist dampens wonderful use of sound and created tension. The first fifty minutes of Modus Anomali are very tense, with atmosphere oozing off the screen. This is thanks in large part to the way that the film handles sound. The tense atmosphere never truly goes away, and the use of sound remains magnificent throughout. However, there comes a point when the film decides it is more interested in a twist than what it has been creating.
The majority of Modus Anomali is silent. Not silent as in silent cinema, but silent as in there’s a decided lack of a soundtrack or score. The film relies on the sounds of the forest, the footsteps of its characters, and the unnerving reverberations of breathing in a quiet setting. The...
- 10/25/2013
- by Bill Thompson
- SoundOnSight
It can be hard for a young playwright to pick the star of his or her first play. But if the playwright is a fifth grader and has to choose from the likes of Mindy Kaling, Ed Helms, and Rashida Jones, the decision is a tad more epic. Four students will cast their plays from a star-studded selection to commemorate 10 years of the Young Storytellers Foundation Oct. 12 at “The Biggest Show” in Los Angeles. Young Storytellers provides underprivileged children access to arts education by setting them up with mentors who help them write a short script over nine weeks. For the grand finale, or “The Big Show,” professional actors are brought in for audition and cast by the writers, then perform the scripts onstage. “Watching the student, seeing what they’ve written come to life, that is hands down the most memorable moment,” said Ysf executive director Bill Thompson. “Seeing...
- 10/11/2013
- backstage.com
23:59
Written by Gilbert Chan
Directed by Gilbert Chan
Singapore, 2011
When the best word to describe a movie is nothingness there’s something wrong with said horror movie. The problem with 23:59 is that nothing of note happens during its runtime. The premise appears to be that of a person coming to grips with the power they have. Unfortunately neither the script nor the direction knows how to come to grips with how to show that characters journey. The result is a film that trudges along but leaves no tire marks in its wake. 23:59 is almost a film that doesn’t exist, that’s how soft its footprints are in the mind of its viewer.
Throughout its running 23:59 is building to something. The reason most horror fans will go along for the ride is because of the way that Gilbert Chan’s film seems to be building to an explosive ending.
Written by Gilbert Chan
Directed by Gilbert Chan
Singapore, 2011
When the best word to describe a movie is nothingness there’s something wrong with said horror movie. The problem with 23:59 is that nothing of note happens during its runtime. The premise appears to be that of a person coming to grips with the power they have. Unfortunately neither the script nor the direction knows how to come to grips with how to show that characters journey. The result is a film that trudges along but leaves no tire marks in its wake. 23:59 is almost a film that doesn’t exist, that’s how soft its footprints are in the mind of its viewer.
Throughout its running 23:59 is building to something. The reason most horror fans will go along for the ride is because of the way that Gilbert Chan’s film seems to be building to an explosive ending.
- 10/9/2013
- by Bill Thompson
- SoundOnSight
Yavarum Nalam (13B: Fear Has a New Address)
Written by Vikram K. Kumar
Directed by Vikram K. Kumar
India, 2009
Even the slightest of Bollywood touches to a film out of India makes said film harder to swallow for most Western based cinephiles. Not in a negative way mind you, but it’s a safe bet that a musical number popping up in the middle of a horror movie is not something Western horror fans experience all that often. Especially not in a straight horror film, because that’s what Yavarum Nalam is, a straight horror movie. Sure, there are a few funny sequences, but at its heart this Indian film is a horror movie before all else. The inclusion of some minor Bollywood touches gives the film a unique flare amongst horror films, and that’s almost never a bad thing.
There’s a fair amount of oppression in Yavarum Nalam.
Written by Vikram K. Kumar
Directed by Vikram K. Kumar
India, 2009
Even the slightest of Bollywood touches to a film out of India makes said film harder to swallow for most Western based cinephiles. Not in a negative way mind you, but it’s a safe bet that a musical number popping up in the middle of a horror movie is not something Western horror fans experience all that often. Especially not in a straight horror film, because that’s what Yavarum Nalam is, a straight horror movie. Sure, there are a few funny sequences, but at its heart this Indian film is a horror movie before all else. The inclusion of some minor Bollywood touches gives the film a unique flare amongst horror films, and that’s almost never a bad thing.
There’s a fair amount of oppression in Yavarum Nalam.
- 9/28/2013
- by Bill Thompson
- SoundOnSight
Half-Caste
Story by Sebastian Apodaca
Directed by Sebastian Apodaca
South Africa, 2004
Being a horror fan is like being in two worlds. One world is wonderful and takes the viewer on a euphoric journey. This is the world where horror movies serve a greater purpose, are thematically layered, and are perhaps the best example of pure cinema that one could hope to find. The other world is a terrible place, the stuff of a cinephile’s worst nightmares. This world does nothing but hurt the viewer and belittle the horror fan for having the gall to watch a horror movie. In the search for gold horror fans come across more than their fair share of tripe. It’s part of being a horror fan, but that doesn’t make discovering the tripe any easier of a process to go through. It hurts to have your favorite genre take a knife and...
Story by Sebastian Apodaca
Directed by Sebastian Apodaca
South Africa, 2004
Being a horror fan is like being in two worlds. One world is wonderful and takes the viewer on a euphoric journey. This is the world where horror movies serve a greater purpose, are thematically layered, and are perhaps the best example of pure cinema that one could hope to find. The other world is a terrible place, the stuff of a cinephile’s worst nightmares. This world does nothing but hurt the viewer and belittle the horror fan for having the gall to watch a horror movie. In the search for gold horror fans come across more than their fair share of tripe. It’s part of being a horror fan, but that doesn’t make discovering the tripe any easier of a process to go through. It hurts to have your favorite genre take a knife and...
- 9/19/2013
- by Bill Thompson
- SoundOnSight
Baby Shower
Written by Pablo Illanes
Directed by Pablo Illanes
Chile, 2011
Religious fervor has been exploited by the horror genre for years. There’s not much that can be said in the religious subgenre of horror that hasn’t been said already. That doesn’t mean that the people making horror films should steer clear of that particular subgenre. It does mean that when working within the religious subgenre the onus is on the filmmakers to produce something of a certain quality. It need not be the best horror movie ever made, or rewrite the book on religion as a tool of the horror genre. But, any horror buff worth their salt wants to enjoy the time they spend watching a horror movie. They want to be scared, be wowed by cinematography, have their ears assaulted by ingenious sound effects, and so on and so forth. At the opposite end...
Written by Pablo Illanes
Directed by Pablo Illanes
Chile, 2011
Religious fervor has been exploited by the horror genre for years. There’s not much that can be said in the religious subgenre of horror that hasn’t been said already. That doesn’t mean that the people making horror films should steer clear of that particular subgenre. It does mean that when working within the religious subgenre the onus is on the filmmakers to produce something of a certain quality. It need not be the best horror movie ever made, or rewrite the book on religion as a tool of the horror genre. But, any horror buff worth their salt wants to enjoy the time they spend watching a horror movie. They want to be scared, be wowed by cinematography, have their ears assaulted by ingenious sound effects, and so on and so forth. At the opposite end...
- 9/11/2013
- by Bill Thompson
- SoundOnSight
Come Out and Play
Written by Makinov
Directed by Makinov
Mexico, 2012
The remake debate rages on in the world of film to this very day. Although at this point it’s not much of a debate, the majority of film lovers have had enough of remakes. While that is a respectable position, it’s not an argument that holds up to any intense scrutiny. The landscape of film has always been built upon unoriginal projects. Whether it’s a remake, an adaptation, a sequel, or a prequel has no actual bearing on the quality of the film. What matters is what the people behind the film put into its production. Come Out and Play is a remake, as well as an adaptation of a novel,¿Quién puede matar a un niño?. Such practicalities aside, what matters most is whether the movie’s any good. Specifically: does Come Out and Play...
Written by Makinov
Directed by Makinov
Mexico, 2012
The remake debate rages on in the world of film to this very day. Although at this point it’s not much of a debate, the majority of film lovers have had enough of remakes. While that is a respectable position, it’s not an argument that holds up to any intense scrutiny. The landscape of film has always been built upon unoriginal projects. Whether it’s a remake, an adaptation, a sequel, or a prequel has no actual bearing on the quality of the film. What matters is what the people behind the film put into its production. Come Out and Play is a remake, as well as an adaptation of a novel,¿Quién puede matar a un niño?. Such practicalities aside, what matters most is whether the movie’s any good. Specifically: does Come Out and Play...
- 9/2/2013
- by Bill Thompson
- SoundOnSight
Shadow
Written by Giacomo Gensini, and Domenico & Federico Zampaglione
Directed by Federico Zampaglione
Italy, 2009
When a film ends and the audience walks out the doors of a movie theater, shuts off their TVs, or switches the channel, there’s a certain reaction that is expected. That reaction can be excitement, anger, derision, joy, and so forth and so on. The gist is that a movie should engender some sort of reaction from the audience. Shadow is the type of film that fails to elicit any type of reaction from the audience. It’s so poorly made that being derisive towards the film serves no point. The proceedings in the film are so bland that there’s nothing to get excited about. Shadow is stupid on a level that doesn’t even allow for anger from the viewer. When one walks away from Shadow no reaction should be present. Without any sort of reaction,...
Written by Giacomo Gensini, and Domenico & Federico Zampaglione
Directed by Federico Zampaglione
Italy, 2009
When a film ends and the audience walks out the doors of a movie theater, shuts off their TVs, or switches the channel, there’s a certain reaction that is expected. That reaction can be excitement, anger, derision, joy, and so forth and so on. The gist is that a movie should engender some sort of reaction from the audience. Shadow is the type of film that fails to elicit any type of reaction from the audience. It’s so poorly made that being derisive towards the film serves no point. The proceedings in the film are so bland that there’s nothing to get excited about. Shadow is stupid on a level that doesn’t even allow for anger from the viewer. When one walks away from Shadow no reaction should be present. Without any sort of reaction,...
- 8/10/2013
- by Bill Thompson
- SoundOnSight
Penumbra
Written by Adrián & Ramiro García Bogliano
Directed by Adrián & Ramiro García Bogliano
Argentina, 2011
Is it possible to become invested in a character that is so easy to loathe? That is the question put forth by Penumbra, and it is the question that will probably determine whether or not most viewers will enjoy the film. It’s not necessary to like the protagonist of a film, but to become invested in a horror heroine is almost a prerequisite of the genre. They scream, they run, they fear for their lives and the viewer cheers for them. There’s a certain amount of joy to be gained from the hapless heroine overcoming the odds that are against her. She need not be dainty, not does she need to be a saint. But, what the horror heroine must be is someone who the audience is so willing to root for that they...
Written by Adrián & Ramiro García Bogliano
Directed by Adrián & Ramiro García Bogliano
Argentina, 2011
Is it possible to become invested in a character that is so easy to loathe? That is the question put forth by Penumbra, and it is the question that will probably determine whether or not most viewers will enjoy the film. It’s not necessary to like the protagonist of a film, but to become invested in a horror heroine is almost a prerequisite of the genre. They scream, they run, they fear for their lives and the viewer cheers for them. There’s a certain amount of joy to be gained from the hapless heroine overcoming the odds that are against her. She need not be dainty, not does she need to be a saint. But, what the horror heroine must be is someone who the audience is so willing to root for that they...
- 7/24/2013
- by Bill Thompson
- SoundOnSight
¡Vampiros en La Habana!
Written by Ernesto & Juan Padrón
Directed By Juan Padrón
Cuba/Spain/West Germany, 1985
Comedy in horror is very hard to pull off. Many horror comedies are produced every year, and very few of them are worth the time spent to watch them. There are some horror comedy gems, but there are far more that are forgotten about the moment the viewer is done watching them. Those are the middling horror comedies, the ones that don’t possess exceedingly positive or negative qualities. They don’t stand out from the crowd, and that’s why they are so easily forgotten. Heavy political subtext notwithstanding, ¡Vampiros en La Habana! is an easily forgotten horror comedy.
In terms of animation ¡Vampiros en La Habana! is, to put it as succinctly as possible, no great shakes. The animation found in ¡Vampiros en La Habana! is dodgy at best, and most...
Written by Ernesto & Juan Padrón
Directed By Juan Padrón
Cuba/Spain/West Germany, 1985
Comedy in horror is very hard to pull off. Many horror comedies are produced every year, and very few of them are worth the time spent to watch them. There are some horror comedy gems, but there are far more that are forgotten about the moment the viewer is done watching them. Those are the middling horror comedies, the ones that don’t possess exceedingly positive or negative qualities. They don’t stand out from the crowd, and that’s why they are so easily forgotten. Heavy political subtext notwithstanding, ¡Vampiros en La Habana! is an easily forgotten horror comedy.
In terms of animation ¡Vampiros en La Habana! is, to put it as succinctly as possible, no great shakes. The animation found in ¡Vampiros en La Habana! is dodgy at best, and most...
- 7/11/2013
- by Bill Thompson
- SoundOnSight
New York -- One makes a video with Steve Buscemi and rockers Vampire Weekend. Another gets shout-outs from Whoopi Goldberg and Brooke Shields. A third hobnobs over cocktails with an actor from "The Sopranos."
No, it's not an awards show weekend. It's the New York City mayor's race, featuring a cast of celebrities like few other municipal elections.
Last weekend, Democratic mayoral contender Christine Quinn unfurled a star-dusted list of pro-gay-rights backers of her bid to become the city's first female and first openly gay mayor. Among them: singer Lance Bass, actor Neil Patrick Harris, director Rob Reiner and "Project Runway" style czar Tim Gunn, who said Quinn would "make the position of mayor the bully pulpit it needs to be to fight for all New Yorkers. "
Ten days earlier, Alec Baldwin announced that he'd raffle off two dinner invites to any-amount donors to Democratic candidate Bill de Blasio.
"There...
No, it's not an awards show weekend. It's the New York City mayor's race, featuring a cast of celebrities like few other municipal elections.
Last weekend, Democratic mayoral contender Christine Quinn unfurled a star-dusted list of pro-gay-rights backers of her bid to become the city's first female and first openly gay mayor. Among them: singer Lance Bass, actor Neil Patrick Harris, director Rob Reiner and "Project Runway" style czar Tim Gunn, who said Quinn would "make the position of mayor the bully pulpit it needs to be to fight for all New Yorkers. "
Ten days earlier, Alec Baldwin announced that he'd raffle off two dinner invites to any-amount donors to Democratic candidate Bill de Blasio.
"There...
- 7/6/2013
- by AP
- Huffington Post
Porto dos Mortos (Beyond The Grave)
Written by Davi de Oliveira Pinheiro
Directed by Davi de Oliveira Pinheiro
Brazil, 2010
There’s a fundamental problem with a film that eschews internal coherency for existential pondering. Such is the state of affairs with Porto dos Mortos, a 2010 Brazilian horror effort. The film starts off yearning to be existentially important and finishes hoping that it has proven that it is an existentially great film. Most cinephiles will tell you that the existentially great films are great not because of their willingness to be existential but because of their willingness to simply be. It’s not a highfalutin concept mind you, it’s the simple matter of a movie being as true to itself as it possibly can be. Yearning to be accepted as existential flies in the face of a film being true to itself. Porto dos Mortos feels and plays as false...
Written by Davi de Oliveira Pinheiro
Directed by Davi de Oliveira Pinheiro
Brazil, 2010
There’s a fundamental problem with a film that eschews internal coherency for existential pondering. Such is the state of affairs with Porto dos Mortos, a 2010 Brazilian horror effort. The film starts off yearning to be existentially important and finishes hoping that it has proven that it is an existentially great film. Most cinephiles will tell you that the existentially great films are great not because of their willingness to be existential but because of their willingness to simply be. It’s not a highfalutin concept mind you, it’s the simple matter of a movie being as true to itself as it possibly can be. Yearning to be accepted as existential flies in the face of a film being true to itself. Porto dos Mortos feels and plays as false...
- 6/27/2013
- by Bill Thompson
- SoundOnSight
Pen choo kab pee (The Unseeable)
Written by Kongkiat Khomsiri
Directed by Wisit Sasanatieng
Thailand, 2006
Motion is important in a horror movie. There doesn’t need to be action, or dramatic events, or even scares. But, there’s needs to be motion of some sort. That can mean anything from an encroaching atmosphere to a killer chasing down teens with a machete. No matter how it is achieved, it is of the utmost importance that a horror film establish motion and maintain said motion. Pen choo kab pee is a film bereft of motion, and that’s why it’s such a boring and uneventful attempt at a horror film.
In essence, Pen choo kab pee is every haunted house horror film you’ve ever seen in your life. There’s nothing, outside of some nifty camera work here and there, to separate Pen choo kab pee from the countless...
Written by Kongkiat Khomsiri
Directed by Wisit Sasanatieng
Thailand, 2006
Motion is important in a horror movie. There doesn’t need to be action, or dramatic events, or even scares. But, there’s needs to be motion of some sort. That can mean anything from an encroaching atmosphere to a killer chasing down teens with a machete. No matter how it is achieved, it is of the utmost importance that a horror film establish motion and maintain said motion. Pen choo kab pee is a film bereft of motion, and that’s why it’s such a boring and uneventful attempt at a horror film.
In essence, Pen choo kab pee is every haunted house horror film you’ve ever seen in your life. There’s nothing, outside of some nifty camera work here and there, to separate Pen choo kab pee from the countless...
- 6/12/2013
- by Bill Thompson
- SoundOnSight
Kill List
Written by Amy Jump & Ben Wheatley
Directed by Ben Wheatley
United Kingdom, 2011
Jay and Gal are not your typical protagonists. They are as offensive as they are loyal, and as boorish as they charming. It would seem to destine Kill List for failure when so much of the film is banked on the relationships between the two hit men. The script is uncompromising in the way it promotes and glares at the relationships that make up the film. The relationship between the husband and wife pairing of Jay and Shel is held under the most damning microscope. While their relationship provides all the explosives, and the ultimate denouement, it is the relationship between Jay and Gal that propels and holds the film together at the same time.
The majority of Kill List is beyond ambiguous, it’s murky to the extreme. It’s not that the film makes...
Written by Amy Jump & Ben Wheatley
Directed by Ben Wheatley
United Kingdom, 2011
Jay and Gal are not your typical protagonists. They are as offensive as they are loyal, and as boorish as they charming. It would seem to destine Kill List for failure when so much of the film is banked on the relationships between the two hit men. The script is uncompromising in the way it promotes and glares at the relationships that make up the film. The relationship between the husband and wife pairing of Jay and Shel is held under the most damning microscope. While their relationship provides all the explosives, and the ultimate denouement, it is the relationship between Jay and Gal that propels and holds the film together at the same time.
The majority of Kill List is beyond ambiguous, it’s murky to the extreme. It’s not that the film makes...
- 5/30/2013
- by Bill Thompson
- SoundOnSight
Requiem
Written by Bernd Lange
Directed by Hans-Christian Schmid
Germany, 2006
Twisting, turning, and contorting are the stuff of a common exorcism film. Ever since the debut of The Exorcist the focus in just about every exorcism film to hit the market has been on the effects of the possession. Requiem is different in that while there is some contorting, screaming, and eerie mannerisms present they are by no means the focus. Excuses are the main course in Requiem, the excuses we make to ourselves and the excuses that others make for us. This has an interesting effect on the film a
s it removes most of the traditional horror elements of an exorcism film. The horror in requiem is based in ignorance, selfishness, and lack of action/too much action. There’s no real way to decipher which approach to an exorcism film is more effective, but Requiem certainly found...
Written by Bernd Lange
Directed by Hans-Christian Schmid
Germany, 2006
Twisting, turning, and contorting are the stuff of a common exorcism film. Ever since the debut of The Exorcist the focus in just about every exorcism film to hit the market has been on the effects of the possession. Requiem is different in that while there is some contorting, screaming, and eerie mannerisms present they are by no means the focus. Excuses are the main course in Requiem, the excuses we make to ourselves and the excuses that others make for us. This has an interesting effect on the film a
s it removes most of the traditional horror elements of an exorcism film. The horror in requiem is based in ignorance, selfishness, and lack of action/too much action. There’s no real way to decipher which approach to an exorcism film is more effective, but Requiem certainly found...
- 5/15/2013
- by Bill Thompson
- SoundOnSight
Exclusive: A&E has given a six-episode order to an untitled docu-reality series executive produced by Mark Wahlberg, which is set in his native Boston. This marks the first unscripted series for Wahlberg, who is executive producing through his Closest to the Hole Prods along with frequent collaborator Stephen Levinson of Leverage, Bill Thompson of Bill Thompson Prods. and veteran reality producer Stephanie Drachkovitch of 44 Blue Prods as well as Jennifer Colbert who serves as showrunner. The initial impetus for the project, which was first ordered as a pilot by A&E in November, came from the tough, hard-as-nails female characters in Wahlberg‘s Oscar-nominated feature The Fighter. Wahlberg and Thompson were inspired by the women’s spirit and set out to find a group of those types of Boston girls going through challenging times and tell their story. The series, whose main themes are exceeding expectations and getting second chances,...
- 5/6/2013
- by NELLIE ANDREEVA
- Deadline TV
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