Exclusive: Nicolas Cage, FKA twigs, Noah Jupe and Souheila Yacoub are set to star in Egyptian-American director Lotfy Nathan’s The Carpenter’s Son exploring the rarely told story of the childhood of Jesus with a horror take.
Paris-based Cinenovo and L.A.-based Spacemaker are producing. Goodfellas is overseeing international sales apart from in North America, which it will co-rep with Anonymous Content and WME.
Nathan has taken inspiration from the apocryphal Infancy Gospel of Thomas for the screenplay. Dating back to the 2nd Century Ad, the text recounts the childhood of Jesus.
Per the official synopsis, “The Carpenter’s Son tells the dark story of a family hiding out in Roman Egypt. The son, known only as ‘the Boy’, is driven to doubt by another mysterious child and rebels against his guardian, the Carpenter, revealing inherent powers and a fate beyond his comprehension. As he exercises his own power,...
Paris-based Cinenovo and L.A.-based Spacemaker are producing. Goodfellas is overseeing international sales apart from in North America, which it will co-rep with Anonymous Content and WME.
Nathan has taken inspiration from the apocryphal Infancy Gospel of Thomas for the screenplay. Dating back to the 2nd Century Ad, the text recounts the childhood of Jesus.
Per the official synopsis, “The Carpenter’s Son tells the dark story of a family hiding out in Roman Egypt. The son, known only as ‘the Boy’, is driven to doubt by another mysterious child and rebels against his guardian, the Carpenter, revealing inherent powers and a fate beyond his comprehension. As he exercises his own power,...
- 5/6/2024
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- Deadline Film + TV
“Pet Shop Days,” the directorial debut from Hollywood scion Olmo Schnabel, has been acquired by Utopia for theatrical distribution in North America.
A Venice Film Festival premiere that just lit up SXSW, the provocative coming-of-age film stars stars Jack Irv, Dario Yazbek Bernal, Willem Dafoe, Peter Sarsgaard and Emmanuelle Seigner. Martin Scorsese, Jeremy O. Harris and Michel Franco (“New Order”) all serve as executive producers.
Bernal (Netflix’s “House of Flowers”) stars as Alejandro, the son of a Mexican crime lord on the run from his past in New York City. There he meets Jack (Irv), a 20-something living with his wealthy parents Francis (Dafoe) and Diana (Seigner) while working in a pet shop. In a haze of drugs and sex, Alejandro seduces Jack and drags him into the city’s criminal underbelly.
Shot on 35mm film by Hunter Zimny, the film generated buzz out of Venice for its daring lead performances.
A Venice Film Festival premiere that just lit up SXSW, the provocative coming-of-age film stars stars Jack Irv, Dario Yazbek Bernal, Willem Dafoe, Peter Sarsgaard and Emmanuelle Seigner. Martin Scorsese, Jeremy O. Harris and Michel Franco (“New Order”) all serve as executive producers.
Bernal (Netflix’s “House of Flowers”) stars as Alejandro, the son of a Mexican crime lord on the run from his past in New York City. There he meets Jack (Irv), a 20-something living with his wealthy parents Francis (Dafoe) and Diana (Seigner) while working in a pet shop. In a haze of drugs and sex, Alejandro seduces Jack and drags him into the city’s criminal underbelly.
Shot on 35mm film by Hunter Zimny, the film generated buzz out of Venice for its daring lead performances.
- 3/14/2024
- by Matt Donnelly
- Variety Film + TV
Take a trip with Bloody Disgusting and Fandor’s freaky festival favorite All Jacked Up and Full of Worms, the hallucinogenic horror-comedy that is now streaming exclusively on Screambox and also available on all VOD platforms.
Fans in the New York area can enjoy this transgressive splatter comedy in theaters one night only at the Museum of the Moving Image on February 3 @ 6 Pm.
Writer-director Alex Phillips, who makes his feature debut on the avant-gutter freakout, will be appearing in person. Get tickets now.
In the film, “Working at a seedy motel, maintenance man Roscoe (Phillip Andre Botello) is always searching for his latest fix. When he stumbles upon a powerfully hallucinogenic worm, his days of dime-store drugs are over. Along with his new love interest (Dawkins), the pair embark on a delirious odyssey of sex, violence, and becoming one with the dirt.”
The transgressive splatter comedy also stars Trevor Dawkins...
Fans in the New York area can enjoy this transgressive splatter comedy in theaters one night only at the Museum of the Moving Image on February 3 @ 6 Pm.
Writer-director Alex Phillips, who makes his feature debut on the avant-gutter freakout, will be appearing in person. Get tickets now.
In the film, “Working at a seedy motel, maintenance man Roscoe (Phillip Andre Botello) is always searching for his latest fix. When he stumbles upon a powerfully hallucinogenic worm, his days of dime-store drugs are over. Along with his new love interest (Dawkins), the pair embark on a delirious odyssey of sex, violence, and becoming one with the dirt.”
The transgressive splatter comedy also stars Trevor Dawkins...
- 1/23/2024
- by Brad Miska
- bloody-disgusting.com
“An interim agreement allows microbudget movies to see the light of day,” star-producer says.
Circle Collective’s independent anthology What Doesn’t Float has secured a SAG-AFTRA interim agreement, paving the way for star-producer Pauline Chalamet (Sex Lives Of College Girls) to promote ahead of the imminent release in New York and Los Angeles.
Chalamet will do press next week to support the releases in New York on September 22 at Roxy Cinema and Los Angeles on October 6 at Brain Dead Studios. It is a timely boost for arthouse distributor Circle Collective, which has already virtually sold out the New York opening day.
Circle Collective’s independent anthology What Doesn’t Float has secured a SAG-AFTRA interim agreement, paving the way for star-producer Pauline Chalamet (Sex Lives Of College Girls) to promote ahead of the imminent release in New York and Los Angeles.
Chalamet will do press next week to support the releases in New York on September 22 at Roxy Cinema and Los Angeles on October 6 at Brain Dead Studios. It is a timely boost for arthouse distributor Circle Collective, which has already virtually sold out the New York opening day.
- 9/9/2023
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
Take a trip with Screambox and Fandor’s freaky festival favorite All Jacked Up and Full of Worms, the hallucinogenic horror-comedy is finally getting a Blu-ray release thanks to Terror Vision!
The slip cover variant is limited to only 2,000 units. The Blu-ray ships in late Sept/early Oct.
Director Alex Phillips delivers an absurd adventure that delighted Fantasia audiences and will take home viewers on a wild ride in this premiere Blu-ray release courtesy of Terror Vision. Complete with new special features including a commentary, interview, and short films, this is the ultimate trip with one of 2022’s most controversial films.
Pre-order All Jacked Up and Full of Worms now and add this to our killer Terror Vision line that also includes the Japanese remake of Cube, the heavy metal horror Welcome to Hell, and the hilarious horror comedy When the Screaming Starts, all streaming right now on Screambox.
In the film,...
The slip cover variant is limited to only 2,000 units. The Blu-ray ships in late Sept/early Oct.
Director Alex Phillips delivers an absurd adventure that delighted Fantasia audiences and will take home viewers on a wild ride in this premiere Blu-ray release courtesy of Terror Vision. Complete with new special features including a commentary, interview, and short films, this is the ultimate trip with one of 2022’s most controversial films.
Pre-order All Jacked Up and Full of Worms now and add this to our killer Terror Vision line that also includes the Japanese remake of Cube, the heavy metal horror Welcome to Hell, and the hilarious horror comedy When the Screaming Starts, all streaming right now on Screambox.
In the film,...
- 8/16/2023
- by Brad Miska
- bloody-disgusting.com
Kimball Farley in Hippo
Mark Rapaport and I first met back in 2021 when he produced and starred in a breakthrough low budget horror comedy which he described as “the first Jeffrey Epstein film,” Berlinale Best First Feature award winner The Scary Of Sixty-First. At the time he was trying to break into directing, and he told me about a film called Hippo which he had shot during Covid lockdowns. Now, in 2023, Hippo is screening as part of the Fantasia International Film Festival. When we got a few minutes to catch up, I asked him about the film, a dysfunctional family comedy, and how it was shaped by being made it that restrictive context.
Lilla Kizlinger, Jesse Pimentel and Eliza Roberts in Hippo
“The writing process started during Covid, and it did come from the place of ‘What can we make right now?’” he says. “That's a combination of Covid and also just,...
Mark Rapaport and I first met back in 2021 when he produced and starred in a breakthrough low budget horror comedy which he described as “the first Jeffrey Epstein film,” Berlinale Best First Feature award winner The Scary Of Sixty-First. At the time he was trying to break into directing, and he told me about a film called Hippo which he had shot during Covid lockdowns. Now, in 2023, Hippo is screening as part of the Fantasia International Film Festival. When we got a few minutes to catch up, I asked him about the film, a dysfunctional family comedy, and how it was shaped by being made it that restrictive context.
Lilla Kizlinger, Jesse Pimentel and Eliza Roberts in Hippo
“The writing process started during Covid, and it did come from the place of ‘What can we make right now?’” he says. “That's a combination of Covid and also just,...
- 7/29/2023
- by Jennie Kermode
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
The 27th edition of the Fantasia International Film Festival is set to commence from July 20 through August 9, 2023, taking place at the Concordia Hall Cinema, with additional screens at the Cinémathèque québécoise and Cinéma du Musée.
After two packed waves of programming, the festival unveils its third wave of programming this morning, bringing exciting world premieres and the announcement of Nicolas Cage as this year’s Cheval Noir Career Achievement Award recipient.
From the press release:
We Are Zombies
The 27th edition of the festival will end on an especially riotous note with the World Premiere of We Are Zombies, the latest from internationally beloved Quebecois cult collective Rkss (Summer Of ’84) – François Simard, Anouk Whissell, and Yoann-Karl Whissell. Based on the comic Les Zombies Qui Ont MANGÉ Le Monde (The Zombies that Ate the World), the film is set in a society where zombies, referred to as “living-impaired,” roam among us...
After two packed waves of programming, the festival unveils its third wave of programming this morning, bringing exciting world premieres and the announcement of Nicolas Cage as this year’s Cheval Noir Career Achievement Award recipient.
From the press release:
We Are Zombies
The 27th edition of the festival will end on an especially riotous note with the World Premiere of We Are Zombies, the latest from internationally beloved Quebecois cult collective Rkss (Summer Of ’84) – François Simard, Anouk Whissell, and Yoann-Karl Whissell. Based on the comic Les Zombies Qui Ont MANGÉ Le Monde (The Zombies that Ate the World), the film is set in a society where zombies, referred to as “living-impaired,” roam among us...
- 7/6/2023
- by Meagan Navarro
- bloody-disgusting.com
My first encounter with the work of actor, writer, director Betsey Brown was her captivating and shocking performance in The Scary of Sixty-First. Then, in her first feature film Actors, she and her brother Peter Vack play over-the-top versions of themselves in a wildly fictional, yet super-personal exploration of their relationship that boldly pulls out all the cinematic stops. It’s the kind of rare indie that gives you hope for the future of film. In this episode, she talks about the aspects of the acting craft that are central to her—patience, relaxation, fearlessness, appreciation, the importance of the present moment—plus […]
The post “The Only Thing We Have Is the Moment”: Betsey Brown first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
The post “The Only Thing We Have Is the Moment”: Betsey Brown first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
- 4/25/2023
- by Peter Rinaldi
- Filmmaker Magazine - Blog
My first encounter with the work of actor, writer, director Betsey Brown was her captivating and shocking performance in The Scary of Sixty-First. Then, in her first feature film Actors, she and her brother Peter Vack play over-the-top versions of themselves in a wildly fictional, yet super-personal exploration of their relationship that boldly pulls out all the cinematic stops. It’s the kind of rare indie that gives you hope for the future of film. In this episode, she talks about the aspects of the acting craft that are central to her—patience, relaxation, fearlessness, appreciation, the importance of the present moment—plus […]
The post “The Only Thing We Have Is the Moment”: Betsey Brown first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
The post “The Only Thing We Have Is the Moment”: Betsey Brown first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
- 4/25/2023
- by Peter Rinaldi
- Filmmaker Magazine-Director Interviews
Worms… it’ll get you fucked up!
After having its World Premiere at Fantasia, Alex Phillips’s avant-gutter psychedelic freakout All Jacked Up and Full of Worms is heading to this month’s Fantastic Fest, in Austin, Texas.
It was announced ahead of the premiere that Cinedigm acquired the indie, which will join the Bloody Disgusting-powered horror streaming service Screambox this fall, followed by an exclusive window on Cinedigm’s indie discovery platform Fandor.
While a tripped-out, gross-out trailer has already been shared, we’re excited to reveal what we think is one of the coolest posters of the year for the film described as “a flamboyant, darkly outrageous new vision that mashes together retro grindhouse thrills with the squirmy depths of underground cinema.”
In the film, “Working at a seedy motel, maintenance man Roscoe (Phillip Andre Botello) is always searching for his latest fix. When he stumbles upon a powerfully hallucinogenic worm,...
After having its World Premiere at Fantasia, Alex Phillips’s avant-gutter psychedelic freakout All Jacked Up and Full of Worms is heading to this month’s Fantastic Fest, in Austin, Texas.
It was announced ahead of the premiere that Cinedigm acquired the indie, which will join the Bloody Disgusting-powered horror streaming service Screambox this fall, followed by an exclusive window on Cinedigm’s indie discovery platform Fandor.
While a tripped-out, gross-out trailer has already been shared, we’re excited to reveal what we think is one of the coolest posters of the year for the film described as “a flamboyant, darkly outrageous new vision that mashes together retro grindhouse thrills with the squirmy depths of underground cinema.”
In the film, “Working at a seedy motel, maintenance man Roscoe (Phillip Andre Botello) is always searching for his latest fix. When he stumbles upon a powerfully hallucinogenic worm,...
- 9/8/2022
- by Brad Miska
- bloody-disgusting.com
Lena Dunham is back. Sharp Stick — the writer/director/actor’s follow to HBO series Girls and her first film since Tiny Furniture (2010) – opens in LA at Landmark’s renovated single-screen NuArt Theatre and at the Quad Cinema in NYC. It expands to 40 to 50 screens next weekend, heading to about 100 thereafter – a mix of AMC, Alamo, Laemmle and Harkins circuits and top U.S. arthouses.
Presales have been strong, said Utopia’s marketing and distribution VP Kyle Greenberg. A handful of showings with Dunham Q&As are sold out, natch. The film, which Utopia acquired out of Sundance, releases on PVOD August 16. Deadline review here.
Dunham writes directs, produces and stars with Kristine Froseth, Jon Bernthal, Luka Sabbat, Scott Speedman, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, Taylour Paige and Jennifer Jason Leigh.
Sarah Jo (Froseth) is a sensitive and naive 26-year-old living on the fringes of Hollywood with her disillusioned mother (Leigh) and influencer...
Presales have been strong, said Utopia’s marketing and distribution VP Kyle Greenberg. A handful of showings with Dunham Q&As are sold out, natch. The film, which Utopia acquired out of Sundance, releases on PVOD August 16. Deadline review here.
Dunham writes directs, produces and stars with Kristine Froseth, Jon Bernthal, Luka Sabbat, Scott Speedman, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, Taylour Paige and Jennifer Jason Leigh.
Sarah Jo (Froseth) is a sensitive and naive 26-year-old living on the fringes of Hollywood with her disillusioned mother (Leigh) and influencer...
- 7/29/2022
- by Jill Goldsmith
- Deadline Film + TV
Dasha Nekrasova, Chloe Cherry and Betsey Brown have been cast in “www.RachelOrmont.com,” a sci-fi drama currently in production.
The film, the second feature from writer and director Peter Vack, is described as a “psychedelic technosatire about growing up in captivity.” The project is produced by The Ion Pack in association with Gummy Films, Simone Films and Fast Rainbow Films. Previously, Vack helmed “Assholes” in 2017.
Vack is also known for his work as an actor on shows such as “The Bold Type,” — where he memorably played web editor Patrick, who managed “The Dot Com” of the show’s fictional magazine — “Love Life,” “I Just Want My Pants Back” and “Mozart in the Jungle.”
Nekrasova made her film debut with “Wobble Palace” in 2018, which she co-wrote with director Eugene Kotlyarenko, and also appeared in “The Ghost Who Walks” and “Pvt Chat,” the latter of which also featured Vack. Last year...
The film, the second feature from writer and director Peter Vack, is described as a “psychedelic technosatire about growing up in captivity.” The project is produced by The Ion Pack in association with Gummy Films, Simone Films and Fast Rainbow Films. Previously, Vack helmed “Assholes” in 2017.
Vack is also known for his work as an actor on shows such as “The Bold Type,” — where he memorably played web editor Patrick, who managed “The Dot Com” of the show’s fictional magazine — “Love Life,” “I Just Want My Pants Back” and “Mozart in the Jungle.”
Nekrasova made her film debut with “Wobble Palace” in 2018, which she co-wrote with director Eugene Kotlyarenko, and also appeared in “The Ghost Who Walks” and “Pvt Chat,” the latter of which also featured Vack. Last year...
- 7/28/2022
- by Wilson Chapman
- Variety Film + TV
Danish-Iranian director Ali Abbasi’s boundary-pushing serial killer thriller “Holy Spider has been acquired by U.S. sales and distribution company Utopia for North America.
Based on a real Iranian crime case, “Holy Spider” – which made a major splash when it premiered in the Cannes competition on Sunday – is about a family man named Saeed (Mehdi Bajestani) who becomes a serial killer as he embarks on his own religious quest to “cleanse” the holy Iranian city of Mashhad of street prostitutes.
Pic chronicles a killing spree in the streets of Mashhad, where 16 prostitutes were found dead from 2000 to 2001. A local journalist, Rahimi (Zar Amir-Ebrahimi), is trying to crack the case as she grows frustrated by the police’s apathy toward finding the murderer. But in one of many twists in this drama, the identity of the serial killer is revealed early on — he’s a war veteran, a seemingly normal...
Based on a real Iranian crime case, “Holy Spider” – which made a major splash when it premiered in the Cannes competition on Sunday – is about a family man named Saeed (Mehdi Bajestani) who becomes a serial killer as he embarks on his own religious quest to “cleanse” the holy Iranian city of Mashhad of street prostitutes.
Pic chronicles a killing spree in the streets of Mashhad, where 16 prostitutes were found dead from 2000 to 2001. A local journalist, Rahimi (Zar Amir-Ebrahimi), is trying to crack the case as she grows frustrated by the police’s apathy toward finding the murderer. But in one of many twists in this drama, the identity of the serial killer is revealed early on — he’s a war veteran, a seemingly normal...
- 5/25/2022
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
Exclusive: Utopia has finalized its North American deal for Cannes Competition pic Holy Spider, the noir thriller from Danish-Iranian filmmaker Ali Abbasi. We told you the deal was all but there a couple of days ago.
Based on a horrific true story, the film follows female journalist Rahimi (Zar Amir Ebrahimi) who travels to the Iranian holy city of Mashhad to investigate a serial killer (Mehdi Bajestani) who believes he is doing the work of God, cleansing the streets of sinners by murdering sex workers. As the body count mounts, and Rahimi draws closer to exposing his crimes, the opportunity for justice grows harder to attain as the ‘Spider Killer’ is embraced by many as a hero.
The Persian-language movie has been one of the surprises of Cannes. Not just for its shock value, but also due to its North American buyer: New York indie sales and distribution firm Utopia.
Based on a horrific true story, the film follows female journalist Rahimi (Zar Amir Ebrahimi) who travels to the Iranian holy city of Mashhad to investigate a serial killer (Mehdi Bajestani) who believes he is doing the work of God, cleansing the streets of sinners by murdering sex workers. As the body count mounts, and Rahimi draws closer to exposing his crimes, the opportunity for justice grows harder to attain as the ‘Spider Killer’ is embraced by many as a hero.
The Persian-language movie has been one of the surprises of Cannes. Not just for its shock value, but also due to its North American buyer: New York indie sales and distribution firm Utopia.
- 5/25/2022
- by Andreas Wiseman
- Deadline Film + TV
Lotfy Nathan, the director of Un Certain Regard title “Harka,” is set to make an elevated horror feature with the producers of “Armageddon Time.”
Following the Cannes premiere of “Harka,” Nathan is moving forward with his sophomore film, which is tentatively titled “Son,” based on the apocryphal infancy gospel of Thomas, about the childhood of Jesus.
The film continues the relationship between the U.S. director, Spacemaker Prods. and Cinenovo. Set to shoot in English with an American cast, the production is scheduled for early 2023 and will be shot in the Mena region.
“Son” will be produced by Julie Viez at Cinenovo, and Alex Hughes and Riccardo Maddalosso at Spacemaker.
Spacemaker’s credits include James Gray’s “Armageddon Time,” which premiered in competition on Thursday in Cannes; Eugene Kotlyarenko’s Sundance hit “Spree”; and Dasha Nekrasova’s arthouse horror “The Scary of Sixty-First,” the winner of the best first feature...
Following the Cannes premiere of “Harka,” Nathan is moving forward with his sophomore film, which is tentatively titled “Son,” based on the apocryphal infancy gospel of Thomas, about the childhood of Jesus.
The film continues the relationship between the U.S. director, Spacemaker Prods. and Cinenovo. Set to shoot in English with an American cast, the production is scheduled for early 2023 and will be shot in the Mena region.
“Son” will be produced by Julie Viez at Cinenovo, and Alex Hughes and Riccardo Maddalosso at Spacemaker.
Spacemaker’s credits include James Gray’s “Armageddon Time,” which premiered in competition on Thursday in Cannes; Eugene Kotlyarenko’s Sundance hit “Spree”; and Dasha Nekrasova’s arthouse horror “The Scary of Sixty-First,” the winner of the best first feature...
- 5/20/2022
- by Manori Ravindran
- Variety Film + TV
Vortex — which opened this weekend to a full house at NYC’s IFC Center — has an unusual star, Dario Argento. Here’s how the film’s helmer Gaspar Noe convinced the iconic Italian horror movie director into his first lead acting role.
“There were three reasons” he said yes, Noe told Deadline. “The first one, he said, because you are my friend and I like your movies.” [Noe has known Argento for 30 years and is friendly with his daughter, Asia Argento.] “The second and the third, because I told him that I would not given him any lines to learn. That he could improvise his dialogue. He could invent his character all by himself. I said, ‘I’ll just handle the camera and the editing. So you’ll direct your part, and I’ll direct my part.’” In fact, the screenplay he showed Argento was only ten pages long.
Vortex follows an elderly couple in crisis. Argento plays an author and movie...
“There were three reasons” he said yes, Noe told Deadline. “The first one, he said, because you are my friend and I like your movies.” [Noe has known Argento for 30 years and is friendly with his daughter, Asia Argento.] “The second and the third, because I told him that I would not given him any lines to learn. That he could improvise his dialogue. He could invent his character all by himself. I said, ‘I’ll just handle the camera and the editing. So you’ll direct your part, and I’ll direct my part.’” In fact, the screenplay he showed Argento was only ten pages long.
Vortex follows an elderly couple in crisis. Argento plays an author and movie...
- 5/1/2022
- by Jill Goldsmith
- Deadline Film + TV
Studio brass wowed theater owners this week with Maverick: Top Gun, Avatar: The Way of Water and Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse among other tentpoles. But they were also clear at the just-wrapped CinemaCon that a reviving box office requires a wide breadth of content.
“If we narrow what we bring to theaters, our audience will get smaller,” said Jim Orr, head of domestic theatrical distribution for Universal Pictures. “We need an industry that creates and impacts culture every single weekend [with] personal stories, original ideas,” he said — a sentiment that echoed across the four-day confab in Las Vegas.
Universal, short on superheroes, got plenty of traction with Jurassic World Dominion, Minions: The Rise of Gru and Halloween Ends and films like She Said and Nope. Its specialty distributor, Focus Features, promised to win back elusive older demos with Downton Abbey: A New Era, and showcased a slate including Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris,...
“If we narrow what we bring to theaters, our audience will get smaller,” said Jim Orr, head of domestic theatrical distribution for Universal Pictures. “We need an industry that creates and impacts culture every single weekend [with] personal stories, original ideas,” he said — a sentiment that echoed across the four-day confab in Las Vegas.
Universal, short on superheroes, got plenty of traction with Jurassic World Dominion, Minions: The Rise of Gru and Halloween Ends and films like She Said and Nope. Its specialty distributor, Focus Features, promised to win back elusive older demos with Downton Abbey: A New Era, and showcased a slate including Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris,...
- 4/29/2022
- by Jill Goldsmith
- Deadline Film + TV
With a brand new month kicking off tomorrow, we’re back with a rundown of all the fun horror and sci-fi films headed to VOD and various digital platforms throughout March 2022. For those of you who haven’t had a chance to see it in theaters, you’ll finally get a chance to check out Scream (2022) as it makes its digital debut tomorrow, and we have a ton of great indie horror headed to both Shudder and Arrow in March as well. Mariama Diallo’s Master arrives on Amazon Prime on the 18th after celebrating its world premiere at Sundance back in January, and we also have a few other festival favorites from 2021—Offseason and Ultrasound—hitting digital platforms in March, too.
Check out our full rundown of all the great genre films hitting the small screen throughout March 2022 below. And happy streaming, dear readers!
After the Pandemic (Uncork’d Entertainment...
Check out our full rundown of all the great genre films hitting the small screen throughout March 2022 below. And happy streaming, dear readers!
After the Pandemic (Uncork’d Entertainment...
- 2/28/2022
- by Heather Wixson
- DailyDead
Hey everyone! We have one last batch of horror and sci-fi home media releases headed our way before the end of the month, and this week’s offerings are massive, with well over 20 titles coming out on 4K, Blu-ray, and DVD this Tuesday alone.
One of my favorite creature features ever is getting some love in HD finally, with Scream Factory’s 4K release of Lewis Teague’s Alligator (and its sequel is headed to Blu-ray this week as well), and the horror comedy Dead Heat is also getting a 4K upgrade. For all you giallo fans out there, Forgotten Gialli: Volume 3 is being released tomorrow and features three more Italian classics genre fans are going to want to own, and Severin Films is keeping busy with a ton of titles this week too: Bloody Pit of Horror, Black Candles, Night of the Demon, and The Halfway House.
Other titles...
One of my favorite creature features ever is getting some love in HD finally, with Scream Factory’s 4K release of Lewis Teague’s Alligator (and its sequel is headed to Blu-ray this week as well), and the horror comedy Dead Heat is also getting a 4K upgrade. For all you giallo fans out there, Forgotten Gialli: Volume 3 is being released tomorrow and features three more Italian classics genre fans are going to want to own, and Severin Films is keeping busy with a ton of titles this week too: Bloody Pit of Horror, Black Candles, Night of the Demon, and The Halfway House.
Other titles...
- 2/22/2022
- by Heather Wixson
- DailyDead
Just a couple more weeks until we start seeing the backside of Old Man Winter, we hope. Apart from Bewaring the Ides of March and praying that pubs will remain open for Let's All Pretend We're Irish Day, for horror fans Shudder has another whopping lineup of titles coming up. The month starts off with Dasha Nekrasova's The Scary of Sixty-First. During the month three other films that we have written about leading up to this month - The Seed, The Spine of Night and Night's End - will all premiere on the streamer. The other premiere next month is role-playing horror flick, The Bunker Game. There will also be a block of French new wave horror flicks coming for subscribers in the...
[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...
[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...
- 2/11/2022
- Screen Anarchy
Utopia has taken U.S. rights to writer-director-producer Lena Dunham’s latest directorial Sharp Stick which made its world premiere at this year’s Sundance Film Festival. A theatrical release is planned for later this year.
The pic marks the Girls creator’s return to feature filmmaking a decade after the start of that award-winning HBO series, and 12 years since her breakout picture Tiny Furniture won SXSW Film Festival’s Grand Jury Prize.
Sharp Stick tells follows Sarah Jo (Kristine Froseth), a sensitive and naive 26-year-old living on the fringes of Hollywood with her disillusioned mother (Jennifer Jason Leigh) and influencer sister (Taylour Paige). Working as a caregiver and just longing to be seen, she begins an exploratory affair with her older, married employer (Jon Bernthal), and is thrust into a startling education on sexuality, loss and power. Dunham, Luka Sabbat, Tommy Dorfman and Scott Speedman also star.
“I’ve...
The pic marks the Girls creator’s return to feature filmmaking a decade after the start of that award-winning HBO series, and 12 years since her breakout picture Tiny Furniture won SXSW Film Festival’s Grand Jury Prize.
Sharp Stick tells follows Sarah Jo (Kristine Froseth), a sensitive and naive 26-year-old living on the fringes of Hollywood with her disillusioned mother (Jennifer Jason Leigh) and influencer sister (Taylour Paige). Working as a caregiver and just longing to be seen, she begins an exploratory affair with her older, married employer (Jon Bernthal), and is thrust into a startling education on sexuality, loss and power. Dunham, Luka Sabbat, Tommy Dorfman and Scott Speedman also star.
“I’ve...
- 2/7/2022
- by Anthony D'Alessandro
- Deadline Film + TV
As we continue to explore the best in 2021, today we’re taking a look at the articles that you, our dear readers, enjoyed the most throughout the past twelve months. Spanning reviews, interviews, features, podcasts, news, and trailers, check out the highlights below and return for more year-end coverage as well as a glimpse into 2022 in the coming weeks.
Most-Read Reviews
10. The Dig
9. WeWork: Or the Making and Breaking of a $47 Billion Unicorn
8. kid 90
7. The Green Knight
6. Dune
5. The Most Beautiful Boy in the World
4. Mortal Kombat
3. The Girl Who Got Away
2. Ghostbusters: Afterlife
1. Saint-Narcisse
Most-Read Interviews
10. Adam Nayman on David Fincher’s Complicated Auteurism
9. Sparks on Annette, Polarizing Reactions, Leos Carax’s Vision, and Their Next Film
8. Sion Sono on Briefly Dying, His Favorite Nicolas Cage Performance, and Prisoners of the Ghostland
7. John Carpenter on Scoring Halloween Kills, Videogames, and Basketball
6. Gaspar Noé on Facing Death, Casting Dario Argento,...
Most-Read Reviews
10. The Dig
9. WeWork: Or the Making and Breaking of a $47 Billion Unicorn
8. kid 90
7. The Green Knight
6. Dune
5. The Most Beautiful Boy in the World
4. Mortal Kombat
3. The Girl Who Got Away
2. Ghostbusters: Afterlife
1. Saint-Narcisse
Most-Read Interviews
10. Adam Nayman on David Fincher’s Complicated Auteurism
9. Sparks on Annette, Polarizing Reactions, Leos Carax’s Vision, and Their Next Film
8. Sion Sono on Briefly Dying, His Favorite Nicolas Cage Performance, and Prisoners of the Ghostland
7. John Carpenter on Scoring Halloween Kills, Videogames, and Basketball
6. Gaspar Noé on Facing Death, Casting Dario Argento,...
- 12/29/2021
- by The Film Stage
- The Film Stage
The Scary Of Sixty-First
In the course of the average year I probably see around 600 or 700 films. There are great ones among them, ones that will in future be recognised as classics, and there are some spectacularly awful ones. Very rarely, however, is there anything quite as distinctive, quite as capable of sticking in the memory as The Scary Of Sixty-First. Directed by newcomer Dasha Nekrosova, who made her name through podcasts, it’s a truly radical piece of work which is likely to be adored by some and considered completely unwatchable by others. It follows two young women who become convinced that the new York flat they’ve moved into was previously used by Jeffrey Epstein, plus the amateur investigator who commences an affair with one of them whilst the other apparently becomes possessed and develops an obsession with Prince Andrew.
The Scary Of Sixty-First
Mark Rapaport can be...
In the course of the average year I probably see around 600 or 700 films. There are great ones among them, ones that will in future be recognised as classics, and there are some spectacularly awful ones. Very rarely, however, is there anything quite as distinctive, quite as capable of sticking in the memory as The Scary Of Sixty-First. Directed by newcomer Dasha Nekrosova, who made her name through podcasts, it’s a truly radical piece of work which is likely to be adored by some and considered completely unwatchable by others. It follows two young women who become convinced that the new York flat they’ve moved into was previously used by Jeffrey Epstein, plus the amateur investigator who commences an affair with one of them whilst the other apparently becomes possessed and develops an obsession with Prince Andrew.
The Scary Of Sixty-First
Mark Rapaport can be...
- 12/23/2021
- by Jennie Kermode
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
The Sounds of 2021 mix of movie soundtracks comes in at just over two hours: a synergy of cerebral, graceful, paranoid, turbulent, and wondrous sounds from across all genres, merged to tell its own sonic story. The focus is mainly Hollywood and American indie movies, with a few excursions to Ethiopia, Chile, Japan, France, United Kingdom, Italy, and Sweden. My moviegoing practices became ever more erratic this year after a move to a new country, on-off rule changes in cinemas, and a tendency to have cinematic interests in something specific that was not part of the current slate. That being said, there was excitement in the air when it came to new cinema that felt more powerful this year than last and I hope that grows. New work from Mica Levi, Ludovico Einaudi, and a country soundtrack from Clint Eastwood’s latest film are a few of the exciting moments from...
- 12/23/2021
- MUBI
Holdovers Drive My Car, Red Rocket and The Scary Of Sixty First looked good in limited runs on a weekend with few new specialty releases and even fewer numbers. Streamers – which presented The Lost Daughter (Netflix), Swan Song (Apple) and The Tender Bar (Amazon), don’t reveal them and smaller distributors often report early in the week.
The Novice from IFC — Tribeca winner for best Feature, Actress (Isabelle Fuhrman) and Cinematography (Tod Martin) — grossed an estimated $11,500 in 37 theaters for a per theater average of $311. Also available on VOD. It was one of the only newbies to report during an unusual weekend with Spider-Man: No Way Home smashing records and sucking up most box office oxygen, and with Covid again resurgent.
As per my colleague Anthony D’Alessandro, researcher Nrg says men under 25 – unvaccinated or not — are the most comfortable attending the movies. and most of them were at Spider-Man. That wasn...
The Novice from IFC — Tribeca winner for best Feature, Actress (Isabelle Fuhrman) and Cinematography (Tod Martin) — grossed an estimated $11,500 in 37 theaters for a per theater average of $311. Also available on VOD. It was one of the only newbies to report during an unusual weekend with Spider-Man: No Way Home smashing records and sucking up most box office oxygen, and with Covid again resurgent.
As per my colleague Anthony D’Alessandro, researcher Nrg says men under 25 – unvaccinated or not — are the most comfortable attending the movies. and most of them were at Spider-Man. That wasn...
- 12/19/2021
- by Jill Goldsmith
- Deadline Film + TV
Confidence is key in almost every aspect of life. With enough confidence, you can get away with quite a bit. You know, like turning a shallow premise and a low budget into a thoroughly watchable film. This is exactly what Dasha Nekrasova has done with the new horror-thriller, “The Scary of Sixty-First,” a film that is absolutely dripping with so confidence—perhaps unearned bravado, as it is severely lacking in some key areas—that it almost allows you to look past its glaring flaws.
Continue reading ‘The Scary Of Sixty-First’ Review: Dasha Nekrasova’s Directorial Debut Is A Stylish, Daring Thriller… Until It Falls Apart at The Playlist.
Continue reading ‘The Scary Of Sixty-First’ Review: Dasha Nekrasova’s Directorial Debut Is A Stylish, Daring Thriller… Until It Falls Apart at The Playlist.
- 12/8/2021
- by Charles Barfield
- The Playlist
Neon and Participant opened animated documentary Flee to a $25,033 debut in four locations. That makes for a strong per-theater average of $6,258 ahead of a rollout early next year for the much-decorated Danish film ahead of Academy Award nominations Feb. 8.
It’s one of a few rather particular offerings, including Drive My Car, that distributors are tending to carefully with slow platform releasing to best capitalize on growing word of mouth as the films continue to accumulate awards and word of mouth.
A rep for Neon called Flee, Denmark’s foreign film Oscar entry, “an amazing cinematic unicorn” given its rare shot at nods in three Oscar categories — documentary, animated and foreign language film. The distributor is “very happy with the opening and looking forward to expanding the movie in late January,” he said. Meanwhile it stays small, focused in NY and LA, giving the super-specialized film by Jonas Poher Rasmussen a long runway to accumulate critical buzz. It’s at 98% with critics with an 83% audience score so far on Rotten Tomatoes.
Flee took the Sundance Grand Jury Word Cinema prize for documentary and continues to gather accolades, most recently a Gotham Best Documentary win, the National Board of Review Freedom of Expression award, and Best Non-Fiction Film from the New York Film Critics Circle. It’s the story of an Afghan refugee boy who makes a home in Denmark but carries scars and a secret that haunts him. He shares his story for the first time with a close childhood friend, the filmmaker. The use of animation, unique in a documentary, masks his identity.
Fresh off its Gotham Award for Best International Feature and its New York Film Critics Circle win for Best Film, the Sideshow and Janus Films’ release of Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s Drive My Car grossed an estimated $27,300 in four theaters in its second weekend for a PTA of $6,825 and a cume of $58,879. The film had a $13,000 weekend at Landmark’s Nuart in LA, which its distributors said is the theater’s highest post-pandemic weekend to date. In NYC, it had a strong hold, increasing 7% at Film Forum and down10% at Lincoln Center due to capacity constraints with two of the three Saturday shows sold out.
Japan’ submission to the Academy Awards for Best International Feature is three hour long, necessitating a careful rollout. It will be adding about 15-20 theaters a week through Jan. 15, said a rep for the distributors. Adapted from Haruki Murakami’s short story, it follows a renowned stage actor and director invited to helm a production of Uncle Vanya at a theater festival in Hiroshima and a taciturn young woman assigned by the festival to chauffeur him in his beloved red Saab 900. It took three prizes in Cannes including Best Screenplay. The film is 100% Certified Fresh by critics with an 81% Rotten Tomatoes audience score.
Elsewhere in specialty Focus Features Wolf opened in 308 locations, the widest specialty release this weekend, to a disappointing cume of $80K and a PTA of $261. The R-rated drama by first-time director Nathalie Biancheri stars George Mackay as boy who believes he is a wolf trapped in a human body. Marketing was limited for the film, which has a 44% critics and 33% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes.
(Belfast, also from Focus, crossed the $5 million mark last week in 1,255 theaters before hitting PVOD Friday. The Kenneth Branagh pic’s estimated take is $500,000 this weekend for a total cume of $5.9 million.)
IFC Films opened Paul Verhoeven’s Benedetta in 202 theaters for an estimated weekend gross of $145,000 and a per theater average of $718. The latest film from the master filmmaker about a 17th-century nun in Italy who suffers from disturbing religious and erotic visions, had its world premiere at Cannes and North American premiere at NYFF.
From Utopia, Dasha Nekrasova’s debut feature The Scary of Sixty-First scared up $8,108 at one theater in LA — the American Cinematheque’s Los Feliz 3. The polarizing satire about the spirit of Jeffery Epstein possessing a young woman who unwittingly moves into an apartment he used to own, won Best First Feature in Berlin. It opened exclusively on 35mm with 10 pm showtimes only including a preview Thursday. It expands to the Quad in NYC on 12/17 ahead of a continued late-night expansion into 2022.
Debbie Lum’s Try Harder from Greenwich Entertainment grossed $25,232 in five locations in NY, LA and Sf for a PTA of $5,046. Greenwich said the doc will have the highest or second-highest grosses in all its theaters and should eclipse a $10,000 PTA at the Union Square in NYC and the Regal Stonestown in Sf. About a senior class at a high achieving high school in San Francisco navigates the college application process, it premiered at Sundance earlier this year and has glowing review (at 97% with Rotten Tomatoes critics).
Circle Collective opened Michael Bilandic’s Project Space 13 this weekend at the Roxy Cinema in NYC tied to a retrospective of his previous three films to $3,000 debut. The Roxy programmed single nightly showtimes for the new satire from the NYC underground filmmaker and his longtime collaborator, cinematographer Sean Price Williams.
Specialty films, which can run one in one theater or 1,000, have been in slow Covid recovery mode but there have been green shoots recently and good news this weekend is that the Omicron variant doesn’t appear to be stomping them down — or not yet. “The market is still in recovery, but if there is an impact, we haven’t seen it,” said one specialty exec. “Everyone’s wary and keeping an eye out, but no,” said another.
Take Fathom’s alternative engagement Christmas with The Chosen: The Messengers. Released Wednesday, it surged to a weekend gross of $4.1M in 1,700 locations for a PTA of $2,412 and a cume through Sunday of $9M – making it the top grossing and highest attended event in Fathom’s history.
“We knew we had something special with this title,” said Ray Nutt, CEO of Fathom Events. “We are grateful for the passionate fans of The Chosen and our exhibitor partners who accommodated demand by adding showtimes and locations.”
The event also set a Fathom record for fastest out-of-the-gate sales with $1.5 million in its first 12 hours of availability, indicating “people will indeed go to the theater for a project they’re passionate about,” said Chosen creator, writer and director Dallas Jenkins.
The title is produced by Angel Studios based on its crowd-funded hit streaming series, The Chosen, that follows the events surrounding the birth of Jesus from the perspective of Mary and Joseph. Fathom Events initially planned it as a two day release on 12/1-12/2 but the title performed so well it’s been extended through 12/13 with a wider run.
Even Wall Street took note. “These numbers seem notable considering very little traditional marketing for The Chosen – which may suggest a willingness to come out to theaters for the right content,” said Meghan Durkin, an analyst with Credit Suisse. The film was also “a much-needed surprise” hit to kick off December in the midst of a traditional lull before key holiday releases. Durkin sees the The Chosen as the second positive indication — the first being massive ticket presales for Spider Man: No Way Home — that holiday moviegoing may slip by Omicron.
Faith Media Distribution’s True To The Game 3, the third installment of the series based on the Teri Woods novel, grossed an estimated $623,529 for the weekend with a PTA of $1,417 in 440 theaters. Directed by David Wolfgang.
Another notable holdover includes United Artists Releasing’s Licorice Pizza from Paul Thomas Anderson, grossing an estimated $223,328 in week two in four theaters for a PTA of $55,832 and a cume through Sunday of $761k. Film follows Alana Kane and Gary Valentine growing up and falling in love in the San Fernando Valley in the early 1970s. Staring Cooper Hoffman, Alana Haim, Sean Penn, Tom Waits, Bradley Cooper and Benny Safdie.
It’s one of a few rather particular offerings, including Drive My Car, that distributors are tending to carefully with slow platform releasing to best capitalize on growing word of mouth as the films continue to accumulate awards and word of mouth.
A rep for Neon called Flee, Denmark’s foreign film Oscar entry, “an amazing cinematic unicorn” given its rare shot at nods in three Oscar categories — documentary, animated and foreign language film. The distributor is “very happy with the opening and looking forward to expanding the movie in late January,” he said. Meanwhile it stays small, focused in NY and LA, giving the super-specialized film by Jonas Poher Rasmussen a long runway to accumulate critical buzz. It’s at 98% with critics with an 83% audience score so far on Rotten Tomatoes.
Flee took the Sundance Grand Jury Word Cinema prize for documentary and continues to gather accolades, most recently a Gotham Best Documentary win, the National Board of Review Freedom of Expression award, and Best Non-Fiction Film from the New York Film Critics Circle. It’s the story of an Afghan refugee boy who makes a home in Denmark but carries scars and a secret that haunts him. He shares his story for the first time with a close childhood friend, the filmmaker. The use of animation, unique in a documentary, masks his identity.
Fresh off its Gotham Award for Best International Feature and its New York Film Critics Circle win for Best Film, the Sideshow and Janus Films’ release of Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s Drive My Car grossed an estimated $27,300 in four theaters in its second weekend for a PTA of $6,825 and a cume of $58,879. The film had a $13,000 weekend at Landmark’s Nuart in LA, which its distributors said is the theater’s highest post-pandemic weekend to date. In NYC, it had a strong hold, increasing 7% at Film Forum and down10% at Lincoln Center due to capacity constraints with two of the three Saturday shows sold out.
Japan’ submission to the Academy Awards for Best International Feature is three hour long, necessitating a careful rollout. It will be adding about 15-20 theaters a week through Jan. 15, said a rep for the distributors. Adapted from Haruki Murakami’s short story, it follows a renowned stage actor and director invited to helm a production of Uncle Vanya at a theater festival in Hiroshima and a taciturn young woman assigned by the festival to chauffeur him in his beloved red Saab 900. It took three prizes in Cannes including Best Screenplay. The film is 100% Certified Fresh by critics with an 81% Rotten Tomatoes audience score.
Elsewhere in specialty Focus Features Wolf opened in 308 locations, the widest specialty release this weekend, to a disappointing cume of $80K and a PTA of $261. The R-rated drama by first-time director Nathalie Biancheri stars George Mackay as boy who believes he is a wolf trapped in a human body. Marketing was limited for the film, which has a 44% critics and 33% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes.
(Belfast, also from Focus, crossed the $5 million mark last week in 1,255 theaters before hitting PVOD Friday. The Kenneth Branagh pic’s estimated take is $500,000 this weekend for a total cume of $5.9 million.)
IFC Films opened Paul Verhoeven’s Benedetta in 202 theaters for an estimated weekend gross of $145,000 and a per theater average of $718. The latest film from the master filmmaker about a 17th-century nun in Italy who suffers from disturbing religious and erotic visions, had its world premiere at Cannes and North American premiere at NYFF.
From Utopia, Dasha Nekrasova’s debut feature The Scary of Sixty-First scared up $8,108 at one theater in LA — the American Cinematheque’s Los Feliz 3. The polarizing satire about the spirit of Jeffery Epstein possessing a young woman who unwittingly moves into an apartment he used to own, won Best First Feature in Berlin. It opened exclusively on 35mm with 10 pm showtimes only including a preview Thursday. It expands to the Quad in NYC on 12/17 ahead of a continued late-night expansion into 2022.
Debbie Lum’s Try Harder from Greenwich Entertainment grossed $25,232 in five locations in NY, LA and Sf for a PTA of $5,046. Greenwich said the doc will have the highest or second-highest grosses in all its theaters and should eclipse a $10,000 PTA at the Union Square in NYC and the Regal Stonestown in Sf. About a senior class at a high achieving high school in San Francisco navigates the college application process, it premiered at Sundance earlier this year and has glowing review (at 97% with Rotten Tomatoes critics).
Circle Collective opened Michael Bilandic’s Project Space 13 this weekend at the Roxy Cinema in NYC tied to a retrospective of his previous three films to $3,000 debut. The Roxy programmed single nightly showtimes for the new satire from the NYC underground filmmaker and his longtime collaborator, cinematographer Sean Price Williams.
Specialty films, which can run one in one theater or 1,000, have been in slow Covid recovery mode but there have been green shoots recently and good news this weekend is that the Omicron variant doesn’t appear to be stomping them down — or not yet. “The market is still in recovery, but if there is an impact, we haven’t seen it,” said one specialty exec. “Everyone’s wary and keeping an eye out, but no,” said another.
Take Fathom’s alternative engagement Christmas with The Chosen: The Messengers. Released Wednesday, it surged to a weekend gross of $4.1M in 1,700 locations for a PTA of $2,412 and a cume through Sunday of $9M – making it the top grossing and highest attended event in Fathom’s history.
“We knew we had something special with this title,” said Ray Nutt, CEO of Fathom Events. “We are grateful for the passionate fans of The Chosen and our exhibitor partners who accommodated demand by adding showtimes and locations.”
The event also set a Fathom record for fastest out-of-the-gate sales with $1.5 million in its first 12 hours of availability, indicating “people will indeed go to the theater for a project they’re passionate about,” said Chosen creator, writer and director Dallas Jenkins.
The title is produced by Angel Studios based on its crowd-funded hit streaming series, The Chosen, that follows the events surrounding the birth of Jesus from the perspective of Mary and Joseph. Fathom Events initially planned it as a two day release on 12/1-12/2 but the title performed so well it’s been extended through 12/13 with a wider run.
Even Wall Street took note. “These numbers seem notable considering very little traditional marketing for The Chosen – which may suggest a willingness to come out to theaters for the right content,” said Meghan Durkin, an analyst with Credit Suisse. The film was also “a much-needed surprise” hit to kick off December in the midst of a traditional lull before key holiday releases. Durkin sees the The Chosen as the second positive indication — the first being massive ticket presales for Spider Man: No Way Home — that holiday moviegoing may slip by Omicron.
Faith Media Distribution’s True To The Game 3, the third installment of the series based on the Teri Woods novel, grossed an estimated $623,529 for the weekend with a PTA of $1,417 in 440 theaters. Directed by David Wolfgang.
Another notable holdover includes United Artists Releasing’s Licorice Pizza from Paul Thomas Anderson, grossing an estimated $223,328 in week two in four theaters for a PTA of $55,832 and a cume through Sunday of $761k. Film follows Alana Kane and Gary Valentine growing up and falling in love in the San Fernando Valley in the early 1970s. Staring Cooper Hoffman, Alana Haim, Sean Penn, Tom Waits, Bradley Cooper and Benny Safdie.
- 12/5/2021
- by Jill Goldsmith
- Deadline Film + TV
Dasha Nekrasova wanted all the exteriors in her directorial debut to have the ambience of Christmas in New York. First up: leering gargoyles lining the 15-foot front door of Jeffrey Epstein’s Upper East Side apartment building. Clearly, Nekrasova doesn’t share the same merry Christmas cheer as most. In The Scary of Sixty-First, two roommates move into a semi-furnished apartment that may have been owned by the pedophile billionaire. When an amateur detective hyped up on amphetamines and conspiracies shows up to investigate Epstein’s life and death, the roommates are infected with the haunted truth of their new home. Creating a […]
The post “I Had the Will and the Emotional Momentum… the Movie was Hyper-Topical, Being Made Basically in Real Time”: Dasha Nekrasova on Her Jeffrey Epstein Horror Film, The Scary of Sixty-First first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
The post “I Had the Will and the Emotional Momentum… the Movie was Hyper-Topical, Being Made Basically in Real Time”: Dasha Nekrasova on Her Jeffrey Epstein Horror Film, The Scary of Sixty-First first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
- 12/2/2021
- by Taylor Hess
- Filmmaker Magazine - Blog
Hollywood is officially back to normal with a ton of limited release qualifying runs in New York and Los Angeles this month before expansions arrive in 2022. It’s easy to forget stuff like West Side Story (December 10) and The King’s Man (December 22) are coming too as a result since we’re all more interested in discovering whether the new A24 is bowing locally.
That means a lot of posters to choose from and yet I probably could have whittled the below to six and been okay with what got cut. So many are banking on name recognition getting them across the finish line alone and they probably aren’t wrong. For those still undecided, however, a memorable one-sheet could be just what the doctor ordered to subconsciously worm your title into the forefront of another mind.
Framed
I love the optical illusion at the center of Bond’s poster for Encounter.
That means a lot of posters to choose from and yet I probably could have whittled the below to six and been okay with what got cut. So many are banking on name recognition getting them across the finish line alone and they probably aren’t wrong. For those still undecided, however, a memorable one-sheet could be just what the doctor ordered to subconsciously worm your title into the forefront of another mind.
Framed
I love the optical illusion at the center of Bond’s poster for Encounter.
- 12/1/2021
- by Jared Mobarak
- The Film Stage
It’s now the final month of 2021 and, as is the case every year, one can see some of the theatrical offerings are a bit all over the place. Some of last month’s selections will be available to a wider audience this month (namely Licorice Pizza and The Power of the Dog), some below won’t actually get wider releases until next month, and others are getting one-week, awards-qualifying releases, making them 2021 films despite not receiving proper releases until 2022. Nonetheless, there’s still plenty to check out this month and you can see our top picks below.
15. The Scary of Sixty-First (Dasha Nekrasova; Dec. 2 in theaters and Dec. 24 on VOD)
Well-timed to her current run in Succession, Dasha Nekrasova’s directorial debut The Scary of Sixty-First will arrive this month following a Berlinale premiere in February. Joshua Encinias said in his review, “Scary’s cinematographer Hunter Zimny makes visual...
15. The Scary of Sixty-First (Dasha Nekrasova; Dec. 2 in theaters and Dec. 24 on VOD)
Well-timed to her current run in Succession, Dasha Nekrasova’s directorial debut The Scary of Sixty-First will arrive this month following a Berlinale premiere in February. Joshua Encinias said in his review, “Scary’s cinematographer Hunter Zimny makes visual...
- 12/1/2021
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
While out apartment hunting, college pals Noelle and Addie stumble upon the deal of a lifetime: a posh duplex on Manhattan’s Upper East Side. But soon after moving in, a more sinister picture of the apartment emerges when a mysterious woman arrives and claims the property used to belong to the infamous and recently-deceased Jeffrey …
The post “The Scary Of Sixty-first” | Dasha Nekrasova’s Incendiary Directorial Debut Opens on 35mm in LA Dec. 3rd + NY Dec. 17th appeared first on Horror News | Hnn.
The post “The Scary Of Sixty-first” | Dasha Nekrasova’s Incendiary Directorial Debut Opens on 35mm in LA Dec. 3rd + NY Dec. 17th appeared first on Horror News | Hnn.
- 11/14/2021
- by Adrian Halen
- Horror News
Get in touch to send in cinephile news and discoveries. For daily updates follow us @NotebookMUBI.NEWSAbove: Fox Maxy's Maat Means Land (2020) MoMA has announced the lineup and schedule for “To The Lighthouse,” a thrilling carte blanche program by curator Mark McElhatten featuring new films by Nathaniel Dorsky, Ernie Gehr, Jodie Mack, Dani and Sheilah ReStack, and more, along with older films by Rivette, Joseph H. Lewis, Claire Denis, and Marguerite Duras.An essential annual list, Filmmaker Magazine's 25 new faces of film for 2021 includes Kate Gondwe (the founder of Dezda Films), filmmaker Fox Maxy, Omnes Films (the collective behind Tyler Taormina's Ham on Rye), and others. A24 and Emma Stone’s production company, Fruit Tree Banner, have come together to back Jane Schoenbrun's I Saw The TV Glow. The film, a follow-up to Schoenbrun's debut from this year, We’re All Going to the World’s Fair, follows...
- 10/13/2021
- MUBI
"Something extremely sinister happened in this apartment." Utopia has revealed the official trailer for a wacky, weird indie horror / dark comedy called The Scary of Sixty-First, the feature debut of actor / filmmaker Dasha Nekrasova. This premiered at the 2021 Berlin Film Festival earlier this year, where it won the Best First Feature Award. Two roommates' lives are upended after finding out that their new Manhattan apartment harbors a dark secret – it was previously owned by the infamous Jeffrey Epstein. This is That film. The Berlinale jury stated it's, "an audacious take on genre cinema that confronts contemporary issues such as global power structures, sexual abuse, conspiracy theories and the dark corners of the internet in a wildly twisted, witty and subversive manner." The Scary of Sixty-First stars Madeline Quinn and Betsey Brown as the two tenants, with Stephen Gurewitz, Dasha Nekrasova, and Mark Rapaport. This will be showing on 35mm at select cinemas starting in December,...
- 10/12/2021
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
“I think the Epstein stuff and all the details of it are so horrifying that it felt like a good fit, genre-wise, for a psychological horror,” Red Scare’s Dasha Nekrasova told us back in March as her directorial debut The Scary of Sixty-First debuted at the Berlin International Film Festival. Following the story of two women who move into a New York apartment once owned by convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, Utopia picked up the film for a December 17 release at NYC’s Quad Cinema in 35mm, followed by a digital release and theatrical expansion in 35mm beginning December 24. Ahead of the release, the trailer has now arrived for what looks to be ideal Christmas counter-programming,
Joshua Encinias said in his review, “Scary’s cinematographer Hunter Zimny makes visual references to Polanski’s The Tenant and Kubrick’s definitive “elites are sex monsters” classic Eyes Wide Shut, but even...
Joshua Encinias said in his review, “Scary’s cinematographer Hunter Zimny makes visual references to Polanski’s The Tenant and Kubrick’s definitive “elites are sex monsters” classic Eyes Wide Shut, but even...
- 10/12/2021
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
The worlds of Jeffrey Epstein, “Eyes Wide Shut,” and QAnon conspiracy theories collide to nightmarish results in “Red Scare” podcast host Dasha Nekrasova’s fiery feature debut “The Scary of Sixty-First.” Given the film’s Upper East Side New York City setting, there’s a posh Roman Polanski vibe to the eerie proceedings as two young women move into an apartment that once served as a hub for Epstein’s sex trafficking ring — and maybe a portal to hell?
If that’s not enough to titillate you, here’s the official synopsis:
While out apartment hunting, college pals Noelle and Addie stumble upon the deal of a lifetime: a posh duplex on Manhattan’s Upper East Side. But soon after moving in, a more sinister picture of the apartment emerges when a mysterious woman arrives and claims the property used to belong to the infamous and recently deceased Jeffrey Epstein.
If that’s not enough to titillate you, here’s the official synopsis:
While out apartment hunting, college pals Noelle and Addie stumble upon the deal of a lifetime: a posh duplex on Manhattan’s Upper East Side. But soon after moving in, a more sinister picture of the apartment emerges when a mysterious woman arrives and claims the property used to belong to the infamous and recently deceased Jeffrey Epstein.
- 10/12/2021
- by Ryan Lattanzio
- Indiewire
Production and distribution company Arcadia Films is set to expand with two new appointments to its management team in Bec Janek and Anna Dadic.
The duo will steer the company with founding partners, producer Lisa Shaunessy and head of distribution Alexandra Burke.
Janek will be Arcadia’s head of production, having already worked as a co-producer on its sci-fi 2067 and line producer for upcoming film Sissy. A former executive at Russell Crowe’s Ssm, her credits also include the Cannes-selected short film, Dots.
Of her new role, she said: “I have known Lisa and Alex for many years and I’m excited to join this dynamic and creative company in this role to advance their bold and exciting production output.”
A former theatrical agent at Hla, Dadic will be head of development, managing the current feature slate and expanding slate of scripted television.
Already underway in development under Dadic is...
The duo will steer the company with founding partners, producer Lisa Shaunessy and head of distribution Alexandra Burke.
Janek will be Arcadia’s head of production, having already worked as a co-producer on its sci-fi 2067 and line producer for upcoming film Sissy. A former executive at Russell Crowe’s Ssm, her credits also include the Cannes-selected short film, Dots.
Of her new role, she said: “I have known Lisa and Alex for many years and I’m excited to join this dynamic and creative company in this role to advance their bold and exciting production output.”
A former theatrical agent at Hla, Dadic will be head of development, managing the current feature slate and expanding slate of scripted television.
Already underway in development under Dadic is...
- 8/5/2021
- by Jackie Keast
- IF.com.au
Exclusive: Australian producer-distributor Arcadia, whose recent credits include Netflix pic 2067 with Kodi Smit-McPhee and Ryan Kwanten, has made two hires and revealed its upcoming distribution and development slates.
Bec Janek is joining as Head of Production and Anna Dadic will take the role of Head of Development.
Janek comes into the role after a close collaboration with Arcadia, more recently as a co-producer on sci fi feature 2067 and line producer on Sissy, starring Aisha Dee (The Bold Type). Prior to those films, Janek produced Cannes 2018 shhort Dots and was a former executive at Russell Crowe’s Ssm.
Janek will be responsible for shepherding projects into production and will take the lead on select projects.
Dadic, a former theatrical agent at Hla Management, will manage Arcadia’s feature development slate and expand Arcadia’s slate of scripted TV.
Already underway in development under Dadic are the sci-fi series The Immaculate Void,...
Bec Janek is joining as Head of Production and Anna Dadic will take the role of Head of Development.
Janek comes into the role after a close collaboration with Arcadia, more recently as a co-producer on sci fi feature 2067 and line producer on Sissy, starring Aisha Dee (The Bold Type). Prior to those films, Janek produced Cannes 2018 shhort Dots and was a former executive at Russell Crowe’s Ssm.
Janek will be responsible for shepherding projects into production and will take the lead on select projects.
Dadic, a former theatrical agent at Hla Management, will manage Arcadia’s feature development slate and expand Arcadia’s slate of scripted TV.
Already underway in development under Dadic are the sci-fi series The Immaculate Void,...
- 8/5/2021
- by Andreas Wiseman
- Deadline Film + TV
Brooklyn-based Utopia has picked up worldwide sales rights to Hayley Garrigus’ “You Can’t Kill Meme,” a documentary feature which drills down on the political meme warfare enshrined by Donald Trump’s presidential victory in 2016.
The acquisition comes just ahead of the film’s world premiere at Montreal’s Fantasia Film Festival this month. An on demand release in North America is planned for this fall, Utopia announced Monday.
“You Can’t Kill Meme” explores the rise of political meme instrumentation, anticipated by a 2004 visionary non-fiction book by Kirk Packwood called “Memetic Magic: Manipulation of the Root Social Matrix and the Fabric of Reality.”
The film sees Garrigus interview Packwood and other figures in the meme magic world to trace the emergence of figures such as Pepe the Frog, originally a comic book slacker, and Kek, an Egyptian deity of darkness before dawn, in order to understand their centrality for alt-right advocacy.
The acquisition comes just ahead of the film’s world premiere at Montreal’s Fantasia Film Festival this month. An on demand release in North America is planned for this fall, Utopia announced Monday.
“You Can’t Kill Meme” explores the rise of political meme instrumentation, anticipated by a 2004 visionary non-fiction book by Kirk Packwood called “Memetic Magic: Manipulation of the Root Social Matrix and the Fabric of Reality.”
The film sees Garrigus interview Packwood and other figures in the meme magic world to trace the emergence of figures such as Pepe the Frog, originally a comic book slacker, and Kek, an Egyptian deity of darkness before dawn, in order to understand their centrality for alt-right advocacy.
- 8/2/2021
- by John Hopewell
- Variety Film + TV
The Scary of Sixty-First, a conspiracy-soaked thriller from Red Scare podcaster and viral “sailor socialism” star Dasha Nekrasova, has won the prize for best first feature at the 2021 Berlin International Film Festival. The film follows two women who move into a New York apartment once owned by convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
The Berlinale jury called Nekrasova’s debut feature “an audacious take on genre cinema that confronts contemporary issues such as global power structures, sexual abuse, conspiracy theories and the dark corners of the internet in a wildly twisted, witty and subversive manner. Perhaps in recognition that polite decorum may ...
The Berlinale jury called Nekrasova’s debut feature “an audacious take on genre cinema that confronts contemporary issues such as global power structures, sexual abuse, conspiracy theories and the dark corners of the internet in a wildly twisted, witty and subversive manner. Perhaps in recognition that polite decorum may ...
- 6/13/2021
- The Hollywood Reporter - Film + TV
Prizes will be presented at the festival’s Summer Special event.
Dasha Nekrasova’s The Scary Of Sixty-First and Alice Diop’s We have won the best first feature and documentary awards respectively at the Berlin International Film Festival, which launches its Summer Special event tomorrow (July 9).
Although the 71st edition of the festival took place in March – as an online, industry-only event – the winners of these two prize categories have been held back until the eve of the public summer event, which will host outdoor screenings from July 9-20.
US horror The Scary Of Sixty-First initially screened in the...
Dasha Nekrasova’s The Scary Of Sixty-First and Alice Diop’s We have won the best first feature and documentary awards respectively at the Berlin International Film Festival, which launches its Summer Special event tomorrow (July 9).
Although the 71st edition of the festival took place in March – as an online, industry-only event – the winners of these two prize categories have been held back until the eve of the public summer event, which will host outdoor screenings from July 9-20.
US horror The Scary Of Sixty-First initially screened in the...
- 6/8/2021
- by Michael Rosser
- ScreenDaily
Exclusive: AMC’s genre streamer Shudder and sales and distribution firm Utopia have picked up Dasha Nekrasova’s horror debut The Scary Of Sixty-First.
The film, which premiered at the Berlin International Film Festival, sees two roommates’ lives upended after finding out that their new Manhattan apartment harbors a dark secret. The narrative takes a sinister turn after they discover it was once owned by the late disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein.
Shudder has taken SVOD rights in North America, the UK, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand, while Utopia has picked up remaining rights. Utopia will release the film in theaters and on digital later this year and the company’s Utopia’s Head of Sales David Betesh will be selling available international rights at the upcoming Cannes market.
The deal was negotiated by Digiacomo for Utopia and Emily Gotto for Shudder with UTA’s Independent Film Group.
Actor and podcaster Dasha Nekrasova,...
The film, which premiered at the Berlin International Film Festival, sees two roommates’ lives upended after finding out that their new Manhattan apartment harbors a dark secret. The narrative takes a sinister turn after they discover it was once owned by the late disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein.
Shudder has taken SVOD rights in North America, the UK, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand, while Utopia has picked up remaining rights. Utopia will release the film in theaters and on digital later this year and the company’s Utopia’s Head of Sales David Betesh will be selling available international rights at the upcoming Cannes market.
The deal was negotiated by Digiacomo for Utopia and Emily Gotto for Shudder with UTA’s Independent Film Group.
Actor and podcaster Dasha Nekrasova,...
- 5/12/2021
- by Andreas Wiseman
- Deadline Film + TV
“She’s a very sick girl and she’s always been into, like, the UK,” says Noelle (Madeline Quinn) about her roommate Addie (Betsie Brown) to her new friend The Girl (Dasha Nekrasova). Sick fascinations are the instruments of demonic evil in Dasha Nekrasova’s debut feature The Scary of Sixty-First. Quinn co-wrote Scary with Nekrasova based on their shared feeling of futility in the aftermath of Jeffrey Epstein’s death. Unsatisfied with the story that Epstein committed suicide, in the summer of 2019 Nekrasova held “Epstein Truther MeetUps” to investigate his death with fellow skeptical New Yorkers. Her truther explorations became an idea for the film and Nekrasova’s Girl character could be a stand-in for the actress, but that isn’t too important. The real story with The Scary of Sixty-First is: if you speak of the devil, he shall appear.
While friends Noelle and Addie tour an apartment on the Upper East Side,...
While friends Noelle and Addie tour an apartment on the Upper East Side,...
- 3/15/2021
- by Joshua Encinias
- The Film Stage
With a two-part structure featuring an online press and industry component that’s just concluded, followed by physical screenings this summer, the Berlin International Film Festival is unveiling a selection of the year’s finest films. Along with our extensive coverage of the festival (with a few reviews still to come), we’ve asked our Berlinale contributors to share their personal favorites. Check out their lists below, with links to coverage where available.
Ed Frankl
Memory Box
1. Petite Maman (Céline Sciamma)
2. Memory Box (Joana Hadjithomas & Khalil Joreige)
3. Brother’s Keeper (Ferit Karahan)
4. Ballad of a White Cow (Behtash Sanaeeha & Maryam Moghaddam)
5. Ninjababy (Yngvild Sve Flikke)
Honorable Mentions: The Fam, Language Lessons, Natural Light, Taste, and Wheel of Fortune and Fantasy.
Leonardo Goi
Taste
1. Taste (Lê Bảo)
2. Petite Maman (Céline Sciamma)
3. The Scary of Sixty-First (Dasha Nekrasova)
4. Wheel of Fortune and Fantasy (Ryûsuke Hamaguchi)
5. Bad Luck Banging or Loony Porn (Radu Jude...
Ed Frankl
Memory Box
1. Petite Maman (Céline Sciamma)
2. Memory Box (Joana Hadjithomas & Khalil Joreige)
3. Brother’s Keeper (Ferit Karahan)
4. Ballad of a White Cow (Behtash Sanaeeha & Maryam Moghaddam)
5. Ninjababy (Yngvild Sve Flikke)
Honorable Mentions: The Fam, Language Lessons, Natural Light, Taste, and Wheel of Fortune and Fantasy.
Leonardo Goi
Taste
1. Taste (Lê Bảo)
2. Petite Maman (Céline Sciamma)
3. The Scary of Sixty-First (Dasha Nekrasova)
4. Wheel of Fortune and Fantasy (Ryûsuke Hamaguchi)
5. Bad Luck Banging or Loony Porn (Radu Jude...
- 3/10/2021
- by The Film Stage
- The Film Stage
Now in its 35th year, the Teddy Awards are among the Berlinale’s most affectionately regarded institutions. Presented annually to standout LGBTQ-themed titles across the festival’s entire lineup, they have a looser, hipper, more inclusive reputation than other Berlin prizes: fittingly, they’re annually presented not at an exclusive black-tie affair, but a publicly accessible ceremony followed by an almighty dance-’til-dawn party.
Yet the Teddys’ prestige survives their informality. Surveying their list of past winners, it’s notable how many defining queer works have been recognized along the way: from Pedro Almodóvar’s “Law of Desire” to Cheryl Dunye’s “The Watermelon Woman,” from Derek Jarman’s “The Last of England” to John Cameron Mitchell’s “Hedwig and the Angry Inch,” from Sebastian Lelio’s eventual Oscar-winner “A Fantastic Woman” to last year’s vibrantly intersectional “No Hard Feelings.”
As for which new film is going to join their ranks this year,...
Yet the Teddys’ prestige survives their informality. Surveying their list of past winners, it’s notable how many defining queer works have been recognized along the way: from Pedro Almodóvar’s “Law of Desire” to Cheryl Dunye’s “The Watermelon Woman,” from Derek Jarman’s “The Last of England” to John Cameron Mitchell’s “Hedwig and the Angry Inch,” from Sebastian Lelio’s eventual Oscar-winner “A Fantastic Woman” to last year’s vibrantly intersectional “No Hard Feelings.”
As for which new film is going to join their ranks this year,...
- 3/5/2021
- by Guy Lodge
- Variety Film + TV
In Dasha Nekrasova’s feature directorial debut, The Scary of Sixty-First, New York City is a desolate place. The sky is a muddy beige with no indication of sun. The cast is tight and minimalist with rarely any extras to be seen. The streets are deserted and the shops are empty. The only people that seem to exist are new roommates Addie (Betsey Brown) and Noelle (Madeline Quinn), as well as anyone else who happens to be in their orbit.
Addie is an archetypal aspiring actress with a chronically disinterested boyfriend named Greg (Mark Rapaport). Noelle is an unemployed wise-ass, with ...
Addie is an archetypal aspiring actress with a chronically disinterested boyfriend named Greg (Mark Rapaport). Noelle is an unemployed wise-ass, with ...
In Dasha Nekrasova’s feature directorial debut, The Scary of Sixty-First, New York City is a desolate place. The sky is a muddy beige with no indication of sun. The cast is tight and minimalist with rarely any extras to be seen. The streets are deserted and the shops are empty. The only people that seem to exist are new roommates Addie (Betsey Brown) and Noelle (Madeline Quinn), as well as anyone else who happens to be in their orbit.
Addie is an archetypal aspiring actress with a chronically disinterested boyfriend named Greg (Mark Rapaport). Noelle is an unemployed wise-ass, with ...
Addie is an archetypal aspiring actress with a chronically disinterested boyfriend named Greg (Mark Rapaport). Noelle is an unemployed wise-ass, with ...
There can be a fine line between a good idea and a terrible one followed through with utter conviction, and it’s along said line that “The Scary of Sixty-First” dances with heedless, wicked abandon. A brash, gutsy, morbidly funny first feature from actor-filmmaker-podcaster Dasha Nekrasova, it runs on a premise that could have been written as a dare, or a prank: Two female friends move into a freakishly affordable apartment on Manhattan’s Upper East Side that turns out to have been owned by the late pedophile mogul Jeffrey Epstein, and gradually find themselves consumed by its very bad vibes. Good taste, as you might well guess, is not on the agenda here. But underpinning the edgelord provocations and cheerfully cheap B-movie stylings of Nekrasova’s film is a dark, roiling rage that’s no joke: As a reflection on the abuse that powerful men mete out without due consequence,...
- 3/3/2021
- by Guy Lodge
- Variety Film + TV
Did Jeffrey Epstein kill himself, or was he murdered before the wealthy sex offender could point a finger and potentially implicate any of the high-profile, well-heeled predators in his orbit?
That’s the premise of Dasha Nekrasova’s provocative directorial debut “The Scare of Sixty-First.”
It’s a subject of intense interest to Nekrasova, an actor and host of the podcast “Red Scare,” who recalls living near the Metropolitan Correctional Center where Epstein was found dead in August of 2019. His presence, however unwelcome, loomed large over the city, and she found herself deep in an internet rabbit hole about conspiracy theories relating to Epstein’s demise. She became deeply suspicious of the true nature of his death, which was ruled a suicide with investigators saying the businessman strangled himself with his bed sheet.
Though Epstein doesn’t appear in “The Scary of Sixty-First,” which premieres Tuesday at the Berlin Film Festival,...
That’s the premise of Dasha Nekrasova’s provocative directorial debut “The Scare of Sixty-First.”
It’s a subject of intense interest to Nekrasova, an actor and host of the podcast “Red Scare,” who recalls living near the Metropolitan Correctional Center where Epstein was found dead in August of 2019. His presence, however unwelcome, loomed large over the city, and she found herself deep in an internet rabbit hole about conspiracy theories relating to Epstein’s demise. She became deeply suspicious of the true nature of his death, which was ruled a suicide with investigators saying the businessman strangled himself with his bed sheet.
Though Epstein doesn’t appear in “The Scary of Sixty-First,” which premieres Tuesday at the Berlin Film Festival,...
- 3/2/2021
- by Rebecca Rubin
- Variety Film + TV
There’s alchemy at work in Dasha Nekrasova’s debut film “The Scary of Sixty-First,” the kind that can turn what’s old into what’s new. Equal parts ’70s-style paranoia thriller, Polanski-infused apartment horror, “Eyes Wide Shut” homage, and empathetic critical commentary on the conspiracy theories craze, this hallucinatory pastiche is even more than the sum of its cinematically riveting parts.
Addie (Betsey Brown) and Noelle (Madeline Quinn) are apartment-hunting in New York City. That alone is the stuff of horror. But in their case they find an ideal place right away — a shockingly cheap flat on the Upper East Side. They commit to it on the spot, despite an odd tarot card being left behind that suggests some ominous symbology. (Anyone who’s moved into a Manhattan pad and discovered a Pentagrama Esoterico sign on the wall and thought “What’s that about?” can relate.)
One day, an...
Addie (Betsey Brown) and Noelle (Madeline Quinn) are apartment-hunting in New York City. That alone is the stuff of horror. But in their case they find an ideal place right away — a shockingly cheap flat on the Upper East Side. They commit to it on the spot, despite an odd tarot card being left behind that suggests some ominous symbology. (Anyone who’s moved into a Manhattan pad and discovered a Pentagrama Esoterico sign on the wall and thought “What’s that about?” can relate.)
One day, an...
- 3/2/2021
- by Christian Blauvelt
- Indiewire
As one half of the incendiary and oddly prescient Red Scare podcast, the Belarusian-born, New York-based actress, writer, and (now) filmmaker Dasha Nekrasova occupies––alongside co-host Anna Kachiyan––a singular place in today’s film discourse. It’s no wonder news of her directorial debut has garnered such intrigue, not least given the audacity of its subject matter.
Premiering in the ever-tasty Encounters sidebar at this year’s virtual Berlin International Film Festival, The Scary of Sixty-First (which Nekrasova co-wrote with Madeline Quinn) already boasts one of the great premises of recent years: a woman is possessed by one of Jeffrey Epstein’s victims after moving into a flat on the Upper East Side that was once owned by the notorious pedophile billionaire. As film, as horror, and as provocation, it does not flatter to deceive. On a Zoom call from New York ahead of the film’s premiere, Nekrasova...
Premiering in the ever-tasty Encounters sidebar at this year’s virtual Berlin International Film Festival, The Scary of Sixty-First (which Nekrasova co-wrote with Madeline Quinn) already boasts one of the great premises of recent years: a woman is possessed by one of Jeffrey Epstein’s victims after moving into a flat on the Upper East Side that was once owned by the notorious pedophile billionaire. As film, as horror, and as provocation, it does not flatter to deceive. On a Zoom call from New York ahead of the film’s premiere, Nekrasova...
- 3/1/2021
- by Rory O'Connor
- The Film Stage
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