Following The Film Stage’s collective top 50 films of 2023, as part of our year-end coverage, our contributors are sharing their personal top 10 lists.
It’s been a great year to be a strange little guy. We’ve rolled on from Everything Everywhere All at Once sweeping the Oscars to the auspicious release of Yorgos Lanthimos’ sexy baby drama Poor Things. Our culture’s ever-increasing appetite for horror fueled hype for blockbusters about killer robot girls and homicidal animatronics. Genres were blended and transcended on and off the festival circuit, as major distributors embraced weirdness in films like Bottoms, May December, and the aforementioned Poor Things.
This has also been a year of extremes. In January Skinamarink, a $15,000 indie horror, made $2.1 million at the box office. Every favorite for Best Picture is at least 100 minutes long. Barbenheimer… happened. New heights of camp were achieved on larger scales than ever before. Casting...
It’s been a great year to be a strange little guy. We’ve rolled on from Everything Everywhere All at Once sweeping the Oscars to the auspicious release of Yorgos Lanthimos’ sexy baby drama Poor Things. Our culture’s ever-increasing appetite for horror fueled hype for blockbusters about killer robot girls and homicidal animatronics. Genres were blended and transcended on and off the festival circuit, as major distributors embraced weirdness in films like Bottoms, May December, and the aforementioned Poor Things.
This has also been a year of extremes. In January Skinamarink, a $15,000 indie horror, made $2.1 million at the box office. Every favorite for Best Picture is at least 100 minutes long. Barbenheimer… happened. New heights of camp were achieved on larger scales than ever before. Casting...
- 12/31/2023
- by Lena Wilson
- The Film Stage
Directing films is hard enough in itself, but getting films made at all is another story. "Development Hell" is unfortunately a very real place and many people grow frustrated and disillusioned with the process, often leaving the industry altogether. Spending all of your time and energy on something that's this risky, with the added potential to ruin you financially and in other ways, is just not feasible or advisable. This year we've seen several directors take their ideas to another medium. Richard Raaphorst finally released his apocalyptic zombie epos Worst Case Scenario, but as a graphic novel, not as a film. Anna Biller published her first novel this year: Bluebeard's Castle. And now we get Simon Rumley's The Wobble Club, which is indeed not a...
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- 10/23/2023
- Screen Anarchy
Welcome to a world where terror meets the vibrant hue of magenta! In this list, we celebrate the mesmerizing and blood-curdling genre of pink horror movies. These films bring together the captivating intensity of horror with a touch of rosy surrealism with a vibrant color palette.
Get ready to immerse yourself in a realm where fear and the color pink collide! From classics to modern gems, here are 10 pink horror movies that will leave you spellbound.
International Classics Suspiria (1977)
Dario Argento's iconic masterpiece, Suspiria, sets the stage for our pink horror extravaganza. This kaleidoscope of nightmares takes place within a renowned ballet school plagued by supernatural forces. The film's vibrant color palette, particularly its vivid use of magenta, engulfs the audience in a surreal and unsettling atmosphere.
Focus Features Last Night in Soho (2021)
Edgar Wright's Last Night in Soho seamlessly weaves together horror, suspense, and… time travel! Set...
Get ready to immerse yourself in a realm where fear and the color pink collide! From classics to modern gems, here are 10 pink horror movies that will leave you spellbound.
International Classics Suspiria (1977)
Dario Argento's iconic masterpiece, Suspiria, sets the stage for our pink horror extravaganza. This kaleidoscope of nightmares takes place within a renowned ballet school plagued by supernatural forces. The film's vibrant color palette, particularly its vivid use of magenta, engulfs the audience in a surreal and unsettling atmosphere.
Focus Features Last Night in Soho (2021)
Edgar Wright's Last Night in Soho seamlessly weaves together horror, suspense, and… time travel! Set...
- 6/24/2023
- by Kimberley Elizabeth
Welcome to a world where terror meets the vibrant hue of magenta! In this list, we celebrate the mesmerizing and blood-curdling genre of pink horror movies. These films bring together the captivating intensity of horror with a touch of rosy surrealism with a vibrant color palette.
Get ready to immerse yourself in a realm where fear and the color pink collide! From classics to modern gems, here are 10 pink horror movies that will leave you spellbound.
International Classics Suspiria (1977)
Dario Argento's iconic masterpiece, Suspiria, sets the stage for our pink horror extravaganza. This kaleidoscope of nightmares takes place within a renowned ballet school plagued by supernatural forces. The film's vibrant color palette, particularly its vivid use of magenta, engulfs the audience in a surreal and unsettling atmosphere.
Focus Features Last Night in Soho (2021)
Edgar Wright's Last Night in Soho seamlessly weaves together horror, suspense, and… time travel! Set...
Get ready to immerse yourself in a realm where fear and the color pink collide! From classics to modern gems, here are 10 pink horror movies that will leave you spellbound.
International Classics Suspiria (1977)
Dario Argento's iconic masterpiece, Suspiria, sets the stage for our pink horror extravaganza. This kaleidoscope of nightmares takes place within a renowned ballet school plagued by supernatural forces. The film's vibrant color palette, particularly its vivid use of magenta, engulfs the audience in a surreal and unsettling atmosphere.
Focus Features Last Night in Soho (2021)
Edgar Wright's Last Night in Soho seamlessly weaves together horror, suspense, and… time travel! Set...
- 6/24/2023
- by Kimberley Elizabeth
The Etheria Film Festival, a showcase of new horror, science fiction, and fantasy films directed by women, turns 10 this year, and they’re celebrating accordingly. And Bloody Disgusting can exclusively unveil what’s in store for this year’s fest, along with a sneak peek trailer.
The annual festivities will kick off with a live event in Kansas City, Missouri, on Saturday, July 1, 2023, at the Screenland Armour Theater with filmmakers and special guests in person for an onstage Q and A followed by an official afterparty. If you’re not able to attend in person, don’t worry; Etheria reteams with Shudder this year, and the official festival lineup will stream exclusively on the streaming service from July 2 through July 31, 2023.
Horror actress and director Brinke Stevens will receive the 2023 Etheria Inspiration Award from special guest presenters in person at the event.
“These films are so good your eyes will melt out of your brain,...
The annual festivities will kick off with a live event in Kansas City, Missouri, on Saturday, July 1, 2023, at the Screenland Armour Theater with filmmakers and special guests in person for an onstage Q and A followed by an official afterparty. If you’re not able to attend in person, don’t worry; Etheria reteams with Shudder this year, and the official festival lineup will stream exclusively on the streaming service from July 2 through July 31, 2023.
Horror actress and director Brinke Stevens will receive the 2023 Etheria Inspiration Award from special guest presenters in person at the event.
“These films are so good your eyes will melt out of your brain,...
- 5/18/2023
- by Meagan Navarro
- bloody-disgusting.com
Walpurgisnacht, also known as Walpurgis Night or Hexennacht, is a pagan holiday celebrated on the night of April 30th. It is named after Saint Walpurga, an eighth-century nun who Christianized parts of Germany. However, the holiday has roots in pagan traditions that celebrate the coming of spring and the triumph of life over death. It is also associated with witchcraft and supernatural phenomena, making it a perfect occasion to indulge in some spine-chilling horror films.
So, grab some popcorn and get ready for a night of scares with these ten chilling recommendations for Walpurgisnacht.
1. Dracula (1931)
What better way to kick off Walpurgisnacht than with the most iconic vampire movie of all time? Dracula (1931) stars Bela Lugosi as the titular count who travels from Transylvania to England to spread his curse of the undead. The beginning of the film is actually set on Walpurgisnacht, as Renfield (Dwight Frye) arrives at Dracula...
So, grab some popcorn and get ready for a night of scares with these ten chilling recommendations for Walpurgisnacht.
1. Dracula (1931)
What better way to kick off Walpurgisnacht than with the most iconic vampire movie of all time? Dracula (1931) stars Bela Lugosi as the titular count who travels from Transylvania to England to spread his curse of the undead. The beginning of the film is actually set on Walpurgisnacht, as Renfield (Dwight Frye) arrives at Dracula...
- 4/30/2023
- by Kimberley Elizabeth
Just when you thought filmmakers and creators had exhausted everything worth saying in American high school-set comedies and thrillers, along comes Chicago-based independent Jennifer Reeder, who seems devoted to this subgenre as if by a monastic oath. The high school movie––with its classic, standby imagery of jocks, lockers, and losers––seems to have passed through three main cycles in the ’80s, ’90s, and ’00s, and in spite of its absolute specificity to the US education system, has found itself weirdly comprehensible and translatable in many different cultures. With Ghost World a notable exception, it’s also never felt especially feminist, which is what makes Reeder’s perspective fresh and novel.
Reeder––whose independence from typical US film-financing structures, art school background, and genre inclinations make her comparable to Anna Biller (The Love Witch)––has devised a nifty, sometimes gnarly little horror-thriller with Perpetrator. Indebted to the two king Davids...
Reeder––whose independence from typical US film-financing structures, art school background, and genre inclinations make her comparable to Anna Biller (The Love Witch)––has devised a nifty, sometimes gnarly little horror-thriller with Perpetrator. Indebted to the two king Davids...
- 2/18/2023
- by David Katz
- The Film Stage
Even in the horror world there’s never been much love for torture porn, and with the possible exception of Canada’s Soska sisters, few female directors have been inclined to try to reclaim it. Jennifer Reeder’s Perpetrator, which premiered in the Berlin Film Festival’s Panorama section, begins with all the icky tropes of the genre—the blood-spattered credit sequence literally looks like the intro to a particularly grisly episode of CSI—and for a time it looks like it’s really going to go there. Instead, it proves to be something much more striking and bizarre, a high-school body-horror movie for the gender-fluid Bones and All generation.
As with Luca Guadagnino’s movie, the opening scenes will see off the faint-hearted, as a girl named Evelyn Tufts is drugged and abducted, waking to find a masked psychopath doing something unspeakably medical and worryingly lo-fi. Her tormentor warns her not to resist,...
As with Luca Guadagnino’s movie, the opening scenes will see off the faint-hearted, as a girl named Evelyn Tufts is drugged and abducted, waking to find a masked psychopath doing something unspeakably medical and worryingly lo-fi. Her tormentor warns her not to resist,...
- 2/17/2023
- by Damon Wise
- Deadline Film + TV
Roses are red. Violets are blue. We hate Valentine’s Day. How about you?
Ok, “hate” is an overstatement. At the very least, capitalism’s annual ode to the big L-o-v-e is an excellent excuse to revisit our favorite rom-coms and dramatic love stories. From “The Notebook” and “Moonlight” to “Notting Hill” and “Crazy Rich Asians,” the best movies about the highs and lows of finding The One can bring smiles to our faces and tears to our eyes. Arguably, it’s these films that make the most compelling arguments for a holiday wholly dedicated to flowers, greeting cards, and other displays of chocolate-dipped devotion.
Still, Valentine’s Day draws ire for its materialistic center and vaguely exclusionary culture. More than ever, singles, couples, and so-called “situationships” are foregoing the traditional dinner-for-two and enjoying Galentine’s, Palentine’s, and other counter culture celebrations on or around February 14. Whether you’re...
Ok, “hate” is an overstatement. At the very least, capitalism’s annual ode to the big L-o-v-e is an excellent excuse to revisit our favorite rom-coms and dramatic love stories. From “The Notebook” and “Moonlight” to “Notting Hill” and “Crazy Rich Asians,” the best movies about the highs and lows of finding The One can bring smiles to our faces and tears to our eyes. Arguably, it’s these films that make the most compelling arguments for a holiday wholly dedicated to flowers, greeting cards, and other displays of chocolate-dipped devotion.
Still, Valentine’s Day draws ire for its materialistic center and vaguely exclusionary culture. More than ever, singles, couples, and so-called “situationships” are foregoing the traditional dinner-for-two and enjoying Galentine’s, Palentine’s, and other counter culture celebrations on or around February 14. Whether you’re...
- 2/14/2023
- by Alison Foreman and Christian Zilko
- Indiewire
Get in touch to send in cinephile news and discoveries. For daily updates follow us @NotebookMUBI.NEWSUndine.Christian Petzold has begun filming The Red Sky, which will star Paula Beer of Transit and Undine. Set on the Baltic Sea, the film follows four young people sharing a vacation home surrounded by uncontrollable forest fires, navigating desire in the midst of environmental disaster.Production has also commenced on a new feature from Marco Bellocchio. The Conversion is inspired by the life of Edgardo Mortara, a young Jewish boy who was kidnapped by the Catholic Church in 1858. Steven Spielberg was previously attached to the project.Verso Books has acquired the debut novel from Love Witch director Anna Biller. Set to publish in September 2023, Bluebeard's Castle is a "contemporary gothic suspense novel" about a young mystery writer who falls in love with a dashing baron—only for their marriage to crumble disastrously in a remote castle.
- 7/6/2022
- MUBI
After the 2000s seemingly kickstarted a new wave of independent horror, the 2010s (and beyond) were an exceptional time for new and emerging, as well as established, filmmakers to leave their own mark on the landscape of genre storytelling. One of the most notable aspects, or even trends, that I noticed while doing research for this entire series of retrospectives is how out of all of the decades, it feels like the 2010s was one of the best times for female filmmakers to get the opportunity to take the helm in comparison to other decades. The 1980s had a handful of women directors working in independent horror, but during both the ’90s and ’00s, it felt like the industry as a whole had taken a few steps backwards in providing female filmmakers the opportunity to tell the stories they wanted to tell.
Thankfully, though, the door swung back open in...
Thankfully, though, the door swung back open in...
- 4/30/2022
- by Heather Wixson
- DailyDead
Monia Chokri’s “Babysitter” is The story of middle-aged sex pest Cédric (Patrick Hivon), his over-compensating feminist brother Jean-Michel (Steve Laplante), his depressed wife Nadine — a new mother, played by Chokri herself — and their mysterious, youthful nanny Amy (Nadia Tereszkiewicz) who seems intent on spicing up their love life, the film arrives with thunderous, uncompromising energy that only lets up when Chorkri decides to veer into the phantasmagorical.
Adapted by Catherine Léger from her play of the same name, the French-Canadian satire opens on the verge of an overdose of testosterone and adrenaline, with Cédric and his skeevy pals Carlos (Stéphane Moukarzel) and Tessier (Hubert Proulx) ogling pictures of women on their cellphones while cheering on a bloody cage-fight. With rapid-fire close-ups of breasts, butts, and the trio’s leery eyes, Chokri, cinematographer Josée Deshaies, and editor Pauline Gaillard yank the audience into an uncomfortably ravenous sensory overload with a sickly,...
Adapted by Catherine Léger from her play of the same name, the French-Canadian satire opens on the verge of an overdose of testosterone and adrenaline, with Cédric and his skeevy pals Carlos (Stéphane Moukarzel) and Tessier (Hubert Proulx) ogling pictures of women on their cellphones while cheering on a bloody cage-fight. With rapid-fire close-ups of breasts, butts, and the trio’s leery eyes, Chokri, cinematographer Josée Deshaies, and editor Pauline Gaillard yank the audience into an uncomfortably ravenous sensory overload with a sickly,...
- 1/27/2022
- by Siddhant Adlakha
- Indiewire
At over sixty years old now and screening over three hundred movies over the course of two weeks, the London Film Festival is a huge event on the film festival calendar. And it’s no surprise that female-directed horror movies will be ever present at this year’s London Film Festival. Not only has Prano Bailey-Bond’s Censor taken the festivals by storm this year but in the last five year’s or so, Karyn Kusama’s The Invitation, Julia Ducournau’s Raw, Anna Biller’s The Love Witch, Coralie Fargeat’s Revenge and many other great genre movies have been well received and made viewers take a closer look at female directors.
With that in mind, two debut features and a returning genre director will be at this year’s festival.
She Will, directed by Charlotte Colbert, stars both Malcom McDowell and John McCrea but it’s experienced actor...
With that in mind, two debut features and a returning genre director will be at this year’s festival.
She Will, directed by Charlotte Colbert, stars both Malcom McDowell and John McCrea but it’s experienced actor...
- 9/28/2021
- by Alain Elliott
- Nerdly
Hello, dear readers! As you probably already know, we’ve been celebrating Indie Horror Month here on Daily Dead for a few days already (you can catch up with our Ihm 2021 features Here). Today, we’re launching the first installment of the Indie Horror Month Marketplace where, each Saturday, we’ll be highlighting indie artists from the world of books, merchandising, artistry, and more. And for this first installment, we’re going to be celebrating a variety of talented independent authors out there whose work champions the worlds of horror and science fiction.
So, whether you’re in the mood for fiction or non-fiction, there’s definitely something here for every type of fan, so check out some killer books below—you can even treat it like your very own book fair!
Non-fiction:
1000 Women in Horror, 1895-2018
Blowing a kiss back through time and space from Aaliyah to Jill Rae Zurborg,...
So, whether you’re in the mood for fiction or non-fiction, there’s definitely something here for every type of fan, so check out some killer books below—you can even treat it like your very own book fair!
Non-fiction:
1000 Women in Horror, 1895-2018
Blowing a kiss back through time and space from Aaliyah to Jill Rae Zurborg,...
- 4/3/2021
- by Heather Wixson
- DailyDead
Matthew Rankin's The Twentieth Century is showing exclusively on Mubi in many countries starting February 15, 2021 in the series Festival Focus: Berlinale.The Twentieth Century is my first feature. As with all my short films, directing this film was akin to willfully relaunching the Hindenberg knowing full well that it’s going to blow up. Like a rutting salmon hurling himself ridiculously upstream, yearning to actually Die in the moment of his most creative outpouring, the images I am chasing are so difficult that they might well exceed my reproductive competence. Such was my process on this movie. The resultant film is an unbridled surrealist epic, an insurgent attack upon the biopic form and a lament for 21st Century nihilism. It is also an encyclopaedic effort to irritate my fellow Canadians.The film takes as its subject the youthful obsessions of Canada’s longest-serving prime minister, William Lyon Mackenzie King...
- 2/14/2021
- MUBI
We are trying to provide you with as much alternative programming as we can against the regular routine of Valentine's Day next weekend. We already announced that Joe Bob Briggs was finally going to tackle Valentine's Day with a live special, Joe Bob Puts a Spell on You, next Friday, February 12th. Today we find out that The Love Witch's Anna Biller will be a special guest. Very cool. There is a trailer now, which you can find below. Still no word on what cinematic treasures Briggs will show during the special, but you can be sure they will be dandies. If you're somehow roped into doing a traditional Valentine's Day celebration and will miss the live broadcast do not worry. The special...
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- 2/4/2021
- Screen Anarchy
A new take on Edgar Allan Poe’s "The Fall of the House of Usher," Patrick Picard's The Bloodhound is one of the January releases on Arrow Video's streaming service ahead of its Blu-ray release on March 23rd, and we've been provided with an exclusive clip to share with Daily Dead readers.
You can watch a disturbing dream come to life in our exclusive clip below, as well as details on Arrow's January lineup:
Press Release: London, UK - Arrow Video is excited to announce the January 2021 lineup of their new subscription-based Arrow platform, available now in the US and Canada, coming soon to the UK. Building on the success of the Arrow Video Channel and expanding its availability across multiple devices and countries, Arrow boasts a selection of cult classics, hidden gems and iconic horror films, all curated by the Arrow team.
The lineup begins with...
You can watch a disturbing dream come to life in our exclusive clip below, as well as details on Arrow's January lineup:
Press Release: London, UK - Arrow Video is excited to announce the January 2021 lineup of their new subscription-based Arrow platform, available now in the US and Canada, coming soon to the UK. Building on the success of the Arrow Video Channel and expanding its availability across multiple devices and countries, Arrow boasts a selection of cult classics, hidden gems and iconic horror films, all curated by the Arrow team.
The lineup begins with...
- 1/22/2021
- by Derek Anderson
- DailyDead
Happy December, everyone! Now that we’re officially in the thick of the holiday season, today’s installment of the Daily Dead Holiday Gift Guide is focused on books for horror and sci-fi fans of all ages. Call me old fashioned, but I love finding a book or two under the tree every year, and in 2020, we had a ton of great books hit the shelves that would make for a great gift to give (or maybe you’re looking to spoil yourself a little bit).
Non-fiction:
Taking Shape II: The Lost Halloween Sequels
Authors Dustin McNeill and Travis Mullins are back to bring you an inside look at Twenty-four lost Halloween sequels you never saw on the big screen! Learn about these fascinating unmade visions direct from their creators, many of whom have never spoken publicly on the subject before. At 600 pages, Taking Shape II is brimming with untold franchise history.
Non-fiction:
Taking Shape II: The Lost Halloween Sequels
Authors Dustin McNeill and Travis Mullins are back to bring you an inside look at Twenty-four lost Halloween sequels you never saw on the big screen! Learn about these fascinating unmade visions direct from their creators, many of whom have never spoken publicly on the subject before. At 600 pages, Taking Shape II is brimming with untold franchise history.
- 12/1/2020
- by Heather Wixson
- DailyDead
The Love Witch, directed by Anna Biller, is a feminist horror film well-deserving of a revisit this October.
“In 2016, feminist film director Anna Biller released The Love Witch and it has been a part of my regular Halloween film viewing every year since. Not just because the film is gorgeous and emotionally riveting, but because of how Biller’s love of horror and the feminist gaze allows her to create a film that can bring forth tears of laughter and anguish.”
Read more at The Mary Sue.
Halloween may be a joyous annual celebration, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be cautious. Case in point, a Long Island housewife handed arsenic to unsuspecting trick-or-treaters in the ’60s.
“On October 31, 1964, 13-year-old Elsie Drucker and her 15-year-old sister Irene returned to their Long Island home after an evening of trick-or-treating and dumped their spoils onto the table. Among the assortment...
“In 2016, feminist film director Anna Biller released The Love Witch and it has been a part of my regular Halloween film viewing every year since. Not just because the film is gorgeous and emotionally riveting, but because of how Biller’s love of horror and the feminist gaze allows her to create a film that can bring forth tears of laughter and anguish.”
Read more at The Mary Sue.
Halloween may be a joyous annual celebration, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be cautious. Case in point, a Long Island housewife handed arsenic to unsuspecting trick-or-treaters in the ’60s.
“On October 31, 1964, 13-year-old Elsie Drucker and her 15-year-old sister Irene returned to their Long Island home after an evening of trick-or-treating and dumped their spoils onto the table. Among the assortment...
- 10/29/2020
- by Ivan Huang
- Den of Geek
The writer/director of The Love Witch talks about her favorite classic women’s pictures.
Show Notes: Movies Referenced In This Episode
The Love Witch (2016)
Baby Face (1933)
Stromboli (1950)
Europa ’51 (1951)
Fear (1951)
Duel In The Sun (1946)
The Scarlet Empress (1934)
Blonde Venus (1932)
Nora Prentiss (1947)
Woman On The Run (1950)
Wait Until Dark (1967)
Rosemary’s Baby (1968)
Imitation of Life (1969)
Little Women (2019)
Emma (2020)
My Cousin Rachel (2017)
Sex and the City (2008)
Mamma Mia! (2008)
Mildred Pierce (1945)
The Reckless Moment (1949)
Sudden Fear (1952)
Torch Song (1953)
Captain Marvel (2019)
Other Notable Items
The Captain Trips virus in Stephen King’s novel The Stand (1978)
Marlene Dietrich
Mae West
Jennifer Jones
Joan Crawford
Joan Bennett
Gene Tierney
Barbara Stanwyck
The Hays Code
Cary Grant
Marilyn Monroe
Ingrid Bergman
Roberto Rossellini
The Academy Awards
Bette Davis
Jennifer Jones
Gregory Peck
Joseph Cotten
Travis Banton
Josef von Sternberg
Catherine the Great
The Criterion Collection
Kent Smith
Dan Duryea
Douglas Sirk
Jane Austen
Mildred Pierce TV miniseries...
Show Notes: Movies Referenced In This Episode
The Love Witch (2016)
Baby Face (1933)
Stromboli (1950)
Europa ’51 (1951)
Fear (1951)
Duel In The Sun (1946)
The Scarlet Empress (1934)
Blonde Venus (1932)
Nora Prentiss (1947)
Woman On The Run (1950)
Wait Until Dark (1967)
Rosemary’s Baby (1968)
Imitation of Life (1969)
Little Women (2019)
Emma (2020)
My Cousin Rachel (2017)
Sex and the City (2008)
Mamma Mia! (2008)
Mildred Pierce (1945)
The Reckless Moment (1949)
Sudden Fear (1952)
Torch Song (1953)
Captain Marvel (2019)
Other Notable Items
The Captain Trips virus in Stephen King’s novel The Stand (1978)
Marlene Dietrich
Mae West
Jennifer Jones
Joan Crawford
Joan Bennett
Gene Tierney
Barbara Stanwyck
The Hays Code
Cary Grant
Marilyn Monroe
Ingrid Bergman
Roberto Rossellini
The Academy Awards
Bette Davis
Jennifer Jones
Gregory Peck
Joseph Cotten
Travis Banton
Josef von Sternberg
Catherine the Great
The Criterion Collection
Kent Smith
Dan Duryea
Douglas Sirk
Jane Austen
Mildred Pierce TV miniseries...
- 5/19/2020
- by Kris Millsap
- Trailers from Hell
A brief preamble. This is a piece about my favourite films from the last ten years. Not the “best”. These are simply the films that I’ve enjoyed the most; the ones which have moved me the most, thrilled me the most. I’ll start with some reflections and honourable mentions, before moving onto my highly subjective list.
Outside the comic book juggernaut, franchise cinema had a shaky ride during the 2010s. But for every pointless Godzilla sequel, Universal Monsters false start, or extra nail in the Terminator coffin, there was a glimmer of gold. Sam Mendes’ Skyfall (2012) was an exceptionally intelligent and stirring James Bond instalment, and comfortably the best of a sometimes-uncomfortable franchise. And Matt Reeves’ War for the Planet of the Apes (2017) was everything I want from a blockbuster: gorgeous, smart, fun, thoughtful, and philosophically substantial.
But I think I’m with Mr Scorsese on the comic...
Outside the comic book juggernaut, franchise cinema had a shaky ride during the 2010s. But for every pointless Godzilla sequel, Universal Monsters false start, or extra nail in the Terminator coffin, there was a glimmer of gold. Sam Mendes’ Skyfall (2012) was an exceptionally intelligent and stirring James Bond instalment, and comfortably the best of a sometimes-uncomfortable franchise. And Matt Reeves’ War for the Planet of the Apes (2017) was everything I want from a blockbuster: gorgeous, smart, fun, thoughtful, and philosophically substantial.
But I think I’m with Mr Scorsese on the comic...
- 12/27/2019
- by Rupert Harvey
- Nerdly
In some ways, the 2010s belonged to women in Hollywood. The last ten years saw a renewed resurgence of conversations about diversity and inclusion in Hollywood. Actresses and filmmakers sharing their stories of sexual assault or exploitation became among the first to usher in the #MeToo movement and change the way the public talks about gender violence and discrimination. Yet, for all the many strides these past several years, there continues to be a lack of women behind and in front of the camera and throughout several branches of craft and technical fields of the business.
Women characters have yet to reach on-screen parity with their male counterparts, actresses’ careers have impossibly shorter shelf lives than their male co-stars, and women still face a daunting wage gap throughout the industry. There’s a lot of work left to be done on and off the screen, but for now, let’s...
Women characters have yet to reach on-screen parity with their male counterparts, actresses’ careers have impossibly shorter shelf lives than their male co-stars, and women still face a daunting wage gap throughout the industry. There’s a lot of work left to be done on and off the screen, but for now, let’s...
- 12/15/2019
- by Monica Castillo
- The Wrap
Peter Strickland's Berberian Sound Studio (2012) and The Duke of Burgundy (2014) are showing in June and July, 2019 on Mubi in the United Kingdom.“…if the film or television image seems to ‘speak’ for itself, it is actually a ventriloquist’s speech.”—Michel Chion, Audio-Vision, 1990In an early scene in The Duke of Burgundy, a character describes how one can tell two seemingly-identical species of butterfly apart by the sound each makes, saying, “Since these species are so visually indistinguishable from each other, the sound they produce should differentiate the two.” In a way, the statement provides a thesis for much of the cinema of Peter Strickland relative to his aesthetic forebears. According to the majority of film writing that takes either of his two features Berberian Sound Studio or The Duke of Burgundy as a subject, Strickland’s oeuvre owes something to European genre cinema—more popularly known in French...
- 7/11/2019
- MUBI
With a seemingly endless amount of streaming options — not only the titles at our disposal, but services themselves — we’re highlighting the noteworthy titles that have recently hit platforms. Check out this week’s selections below and an archive of past round-ups here.
Birds of Passage (Cristina Gallego and Ciro Guerra)
It probably says more about Ciro Guerra’s last film than this inimitable new offering (which he co-directed with his long-serving producer Christina Gallego) to suggest that fans of Embrace of the Serpent might find Birds of Passage just a little on the linear side. However, to compare the two is surely akin to comparing the varying potency of two strains of class-a hallucinogens. Set in Columbia in the 1960s, this violent, operatic, and sparsely trippy film follows the early days of marijuana trafficking in the region. Don’t worry if that all sounds a touch familiar. – Rory O.
Birds of Passage (Cristina Gallego and Ciro Guerra)
It probably says more about Ciro Guerra’s last film than this inimitable new offering (which he co-directed with his long-serving producer Christina Gallego) to suggest that fans of Embrace of the Serpent might find Birds of Passage just a little on the linear side. However, to compare the two is surely akin to comparing the varying potency of two strains of class-a hallucinogens. Set in Columbia in the 1960s, this violent, operatic, and sparsely trippy film follows the early days of marijuana trafficking in the region. Don’t worry if that all sounds a touch familiar. – Rory O.
- 5/10/2019
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
Netflix may get most of the attention, but it’s hardly a one-stop shop for cinephiles who are looking to stream essential classic and contemporary films. Each of the prominent streaming platforms — and there are more of them all the time — caters to its own niche of film obsessives. From chilling horror fare on Shudder, to the boundless wonders of the Criterion Channel, and esoteric (but unmissable) festival hits on the newly launched Ovid.tv, IndieWire’s monthly guide will highlight the best of what’s coming to every major streaming site, with an eye towards exclusive titles that may help readers decide which of these services is right for them.
Here’s the best of the best for May 2019.
Amazon Prime
Amazon Prime continues to be among the best streaming platform for exclusive streaming access to “first-run” arthouse and foreign films that you may have just missed in theaters.
Here’s the best of the best for May 2019.
Amazon Prime
Amazon Prime continues to be among the best streaming platform for exclusive streaming access to “first-run” arthouse and foreign films that you may have just missed in theaters.
- 5/8/2019
- by David Ehrlich
- Indiewire
The incredible producer Gale Anne Hurd will be honored for her many accomplishments in film and television at this year's Etheria Film Night. Also in today's Highlights: Head Count trailer and release details and new casting details for Spirit Reckoning.
Etheria Film Night and Inspiration Award Details: "Etheria Film Night is proud to present the 2019 Official Lineup of Shorts on Saturday, June 29. Eight Short Films will be screened at the Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood, CA followed by a Q&A with directors in attendance conducted by Rebekah McKendry (Blumhouse’s Shock Waves Podcast). The 2019 Inspiration Award will be presented to producer Gale Anne Hurd at the live ceremony by legendary filmmaker Roger Corman. The 2019 Stephanie Rothman Fellowship winner will be announced.
Etheria Film Night is the world’s most respected annual showcase of genre films directed by women for an audience including producers, managers, showrunners, distributors, and genre fans. Past...
Etheria Film Night and Inspiration Award Details: "Etheria Film Night is proud to present the 2019 Official Lineup of Shorts on Saturday, June 29. Eight Short Films will be screened at the Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood, CA followed by a Q&A with directors in attendance conducted by Rebekah McKendry (Blumhouse’s Shock Waves Podcast). The 2019 Inspiration Award will be presented to producer Gale Anne Hurd at the live ceremony by legendary filmmaker Roger Corman. The 2019 Stephanie Rothman Fellowship winner will be announced.
Etheria Film Night is the world’s most respected annual showcase of genre films directed by women for an audience including producers, managers, showrunners, distributors, and genre fans. Past...
- 5/8/2019
- by Tamika Jones
- DailyDead
Have you ever wanted to screen movies from Shout! Factory's eclectic catalog on the big screen in your hometown cinema? Now you can explore that enticing option, as the American Genre Film Archive has teamed up with Shout! Factory for a theatrical distribution partnership. At this time, 50 movies from Shout! Factory's archives can be booked for theatrical screenings, including Black Christmas (1974), Chopping Mall, Dreamscape, Galaxy of Terror, The Ninth Configuration, Piranha, Rabid, Slumber Party Massacre, Slumber Party Massacre II, and more!
Press Release: Austin, TX | April 16, 2019 – The American Genre Film Archive, the largest non-profit genre film archive and distributor in the world, is excited to announce a theatrical partnership with Shout! Factory, a multi-platform media company. Agfa will distribute fifty film classics from Shout! Factory’s cult classic movie library to theaters in 2019. This is Agfa’s latest collaboration following their distribution partnerships with home video labels Arrow Films (Donnie...
Press Release: Austin, TX | April 16, 2019 – The American Genre Film Archive, the largest non-profit genre film archive and distributor in the world, is excited to announce a theatrical partnership with Shout! Factory, a multi-platform media company. Agfa will distribute fifty film classics from Shout! Factory’s cult classic movie library to theaters in 2019. This is Agfa’s latest collaboration following their distribution partnerships with home video labels Arrow Films (Donnie...
- 4/16/2019
- by Derek Anderson
- DailyDead
Today’s film-makers seem to be avoiding them – and all too often they are awkward and problematic. But some sex scenes are defining moments in cinema
Cut! Why have films got so prudish?
The subject of sex scenes in films is surrounded by evasive pieties: from the male critics who affect to find them “boring” (their noses aren’t their only tumescent part) to female stars whose characters are glimpsed having supposedly uninhibited sex, but wearing a bra because of no-nudity clauses. Anna Biller’s gloriously lush exploitation homage The Love Witch, starring Samantha Robinson and unashamedly in love with empowered sexiness, is almost one long sex scene in itself, though there is one particular moment that stands out when a man is drugged by the witch’s love potion. It is not very explicit, or even protracted, but like the rest of the film is almost unique in that...
Cut! Why have films got so prudish?
The subject of sex scenes in films is surrounded by evasive pieties: from the male critics who affect to find them “boring” (their noses aren’t their only tumescent part) to female stars whose characters are glimpsed having supposedly uninhibited sex, but wearing a bra because of no-nudity clauses. Anna Biller’s gloriously lush exploitation homage The Love Witch, starring Samantha Robinson and unashamedly in love with empowered sexiness, is almost one long sex scene in itself, though there is one particular moment that stands out when a man is drugged by the witch’s love potion. It is not very explicit, or even protracted, but like the rest of the film is almost unique in that...
- 4/12/2019
- by Peter Bradshaw
- The Guardian - Film News
Shudder is already the go-to source for watching horror movies, but the streaming service is expanding its reach in the audio world as well. Last year, Shudder launched the Video Palace audio drama, and this year, they're launching three new podcasts that should be must-listen experiences for diehard horror fans: Eli Roth’s History of Horror: Uncut, She Kills (hosted by genre legend Adrienne Barbeau), and Visitations with Elijah Wood & Daniel Noah.
Press Release: February 21, 2019 — Shudder, AMC Networks’ premium streaming service for horror, thrillers, and the supernatural, announced today an exciting trio of original podcasts offering candid conversations with many of the most important and iconic figures in the genre: Eli Roth’s History of Horror: Uncut, an expansion of the television series AMC Visionaries: Eli Roth’s History of Horror; She Kills, a podcast by and about women in the horror genre, hosted by Adrienne Barbeau; and Visitations with Elijah Wood & Daniel Noah,...
Press Release: February 21, 2019 — Shudder, AMC Networks’ premium streaming service for horror, thrillers, and the supernatural, announced today an exciting trio of original podcasts offering candid conversations with many of the most important and iconic figures in the genre: Eli Roth’s History of Horror: Uncut, an expansion of the television series AMC Visionaries: Eli Roth’s History of Horror; She Kills, a podcast by and about women in the horror genre, hosted by Adrienne Barbeau; and Visitations with Elijah Wood & Daniel Noah,...
- 2/21/2019
- by Derek Anderson
- DailyDead
Edgar Wright, Karyn Kusama, Panos Cosmatos & More Reveal The Scariest Horror Film Scenes Of All Time
It’s Halloween, and film fans may be trying to figure out what movies to watch to celebrate the occasion. Well, lucky for us, some of the best filmmakers in the world have revealed their favorite horror film moments and it provides a pretty great list of what films to enjoy.
Edgar Wright, Alice Lowe, Karyn Kusama, Anna Biller, and Panos Cosmatos spoke to the Guardian recently and explain why the five moments they’ve chosen are the five scariest ever put to film.
Continue reading Edgar Wright, Karyn Kusama, Panos Cosmatos & More Reveal The Scariest Horror Film Scenes Of All Time at The Playlist.
Edgar Wright, Alice Lowe, Karyn Kusama, Anna Biller, and Panos Cosmatos spoke to the Guardian recently and explain why the five moments they’ve chosen are the five scariest ever put to film.
Continue reading Edgar Wright, Karyn Kusama, Panos Cosmatos & More Reveal The Scariest Horror Film Scenes Of All Time at The Playlist.
- 10/31/2018
- by Charles Barfield
- The Playlist
The first installment of Infinite Fest, a monthly column by festival programmer and film critic Eric Allen Hatch, author of the recent “Why I Am Hopeful” article for Filmmaker Magazine, tackling the state of cinema as expressed by North American film festivalsIllustration by Alice Meteignier.The first film festival I ever attended was the Toronto International Film Festival (Tiff) in 1998. I was there, improbably, as a bonus from my retail job as a manager at Video Americain, Baltimore’s late, great rental shop immortalized in John Waters’ Serial Mom. With me was the manager of another Video Americain location, Sean Williams (perhaps now better known as the cinematographer of films like Queen of Earth and Good Time). It was a whirlwind trip on a tight budget: a frighteningly compact puddle-jumper from Delaware to Buffalo; a rental-car jaunt across the border; two days, one night in Toronto.I was young, glum,...
- 8/13/2018
- MUBI
The lineup of the ten shorts set to debut at Etheria Film Night 2018 have been released as well as a stellar list of guests and the recipient of the 2018 Inspiration Award. Also in today's Highlights: Film Independent at Lacma's Night of the Living Dead Bring the Noise event, a look at the Distorted trailer, new Luz photos, first details for The Haunting of Mia Moss, and The Hollow Child's theatrical release.
Etheria Film Night 2018: Press Release: "(Hollywood, CA – May 9, 2018) Etheria Film Night (www.etheriafilmnight.com) is proud to present the 2018 Official Lineup of Shorts on Saturday, June 16. Ten Short Films will be screened at the Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood, CA followed by a Q&A with directors Maria Alice Arida (“Instinct”), Devi Snively (“Bride of Frankie”), Naledi Jackson (“The Drop In”), Mac Montero ("The Agency"), Anca Vlasan (“C U Later Tuesday”), Cidney Hue (“Ovum”), Jocelyn Stamat (“Laboratory...
Etheria Film Night 2018: Press Release: "(Hollywood, CA – May 9, 2018) Etheria Film Night (www.etheriafilmnight.com) is proud to present the 2018 Official Lineup of Shorts on Saturday, June 16. Ten Short Films will be screened at the Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood, CA followed by a Q&A with directors Maria Alice Arida (“Instinct”), Devi Snively (“Bride of Frankie”), Naledi Jackson (“The Drop In”), Mac Montero ("The Agency"), Anca Vlasan (“C U Later Tuesday”), Cidney Hue (“Ovum”), Jocelyn Stamat (“Laboratory...
- 5/10/2018
- by Tamika Jones
- DailyDead
Will Brit hopefuls Lady Macbeth and The Death of Stalin triumph? And will Daniel Day-Lewis get a final gong before retiring? Our chief critic places his bets
The Baftas are almost here, exciting news for the truly excellent British films which could well be rewarded: Lady Macbeth, The Death of Stalin, God’s Own Country. There could well be a final Bafta for one of Britain’s great screen actors, Daniel Day-Lewis (although he has dual citizenship with the Republic of Ireland) who is bowing out with a sensational performance, in fact one of his very best, as the enigmatic 1950s fashion designer Reynolds Woodcock in Paul Thomas Anderson’s Phantom Thread. My guess is that Guillermo Del Toro’s swooning romance The Shape of Water will be the big winner, but that Greta Gerwig’s tremendous autobiographical coming-of-age comedy Lady Bird will have a real showing, largely because of...
The Baftas are almost here, exciting news for the truly excellent British films which could well be rewarded: Lady Macbeth, The Death of Stalin, God’s Own Country. There could well be a final Bafta for one of Britain’s great screen actors, Daniel Day-Lewis (although he has dual citizenship with the Republic of Ireland) who is bowing out with a sensational performance, in fact one of his very best, as the enigmatic 1950s fashion designer Reynolds Woodcock in Paul Thomas Anderson’s Phantom Thread. My guess is that Guillermo Del Toro’s swooning romance The Shape of Water will be the big winner, but that Greta Gerwig’s tremendous autobiographical coming-of-age comedy Lady Bird will have a real showing, largely because of...
- 2/18/2018
- by Peter Bradshaw
- The Guardian - Film News
• Anna Biller would like you to stop calling old movies "feminist" because that has specific meaning. It does not just mean 'has great female characters' which many old movies do
• Deadline Julie Dash (Daughters of the Dust) is working on a biopic about the early life of Rosa Parks
• Av Club Ian McKellen: Playing the Part, is a new documentary out later this year. Apparently it made a festival appearance last year and is planning a unique release of some kind.
• Vulture an interview with the legendary Bernadette Peters. She sounds like a tough woman to interview but somehow her constant reticence about the question and obvious withholding sounds charming rather than nightmarish
• Pride Sasha Lane (American Honey) comes out as gay
• Show-Score I wrote this piece (experimenting with the human interest profile format) about two women who travelled together inspired by the Broadway musical Come From Away. Hope you like.
• Deadline Julie Dash (Daughters of the Dust) is working on a biopic about the early life of Rosa Parks
• Av Club Ian McKellen: Playing the Part, is a new documentary out later this year. Apparently it made a festival appearance last year and is planning a unique release of some kind.
• Vulture an interview with the legendary Bernadette Peters. She sounds like a tough woman to interview but somehow her constant reticence about the question and obvious withholding sounds charming rather than nightmarish
• Pride Sasha Lane (American Honey) comes out as gay
• Show-Score I wrote this piece (experimenting with the human interest profile format) about two women who travelled together inspired by the Broadway musical Come From Away. Hope you like.
- 2/5/2018
- by NATHANIEL R
- FilmExperience
“The Love Witch” was beloved by most who saw it last year, with Anna Biller writing, directing, producing, composing, and designing her way to instant cult-classic status. Not everyone was so enamored during production, however. In a series of tweets posted earlier this morning, Biller revealed that most of the film’s crew “hated what we were shooting and did not even see the movie after it was done.”
Read More:‘The Love Witch’ Review: Anna Biller’s Technicolor Throwback Is a Spellbinding Feminist Delight
“It was so bad that during reshoots we had different ADs, and they were appalled at what was going on. ‘Your own crew is sabotaging you. Why??’ they asked,” she continued. “For example, a location asst. told me we had to stop shooting in the park because he couldn’t get the right permit, but then lost his shit when a park ranger said yes,...
Read More:‘The Love Witch’ Review: Anna Biller’s Technicolor Throwback Is a Spellbinding Feminist Delight
“It was so bad that during reshoots we had different ADs, and they were appalled at what was going on. ‘Your own crew is sabotaging you. Why??’ they asked,” she continued. “For example, a location asst. told me we had to stop shooting in the park because he couldn’t get the right permit, but then lost his shit when a park ranger said yes,...
- 12/7/2017
- by Michael Nordine
- Indiewire
As you may have noticed, tomorrow is Halloween. To celebrate, “Tales From Beyond the Pale” is celebrating with a listening party in New York for Season IV’s final two episodes: “Conviction” and “The Vampire Party.” Larry Fessenden and Glenn McQuaid, the horror podcast’s co-creators, shared a few thoughts on the stories’ conceptions — and what comes next for “Tales.”
Read More:‘Tales From Beyond the Pale’: ‘Barricade’ and ‘Speaking in Tongues’ Prove That Hearing Is Believing (Exclusive)
“Me and my buddy went to this very eccentric home of vampire enthusiasts and had a most unusual evening,” recalls Fessenden when asked about “Vampire Party,” which he wrote by his lonesome. “It was a story I often told in celebration of the wacky things one can get up to to promote a movie, and the crazy subcultures in old Hollywood.” About two indie filmmakers promoting their horror movie when they...
Read More:‘Tales From Beyond the Pale’: ‘Barricade’ and ‘Speaking in Tongues’ Prove That Hearing Is Believing (Exclusive)
“Me and my buddy went to this very eccentric home of vampire enthusiasts and had a most unusual evening,” recalls Fessenden when asked about “Vampire Party,” which he wrote by his lonesome. “It was a story I often told in celebration of the wacky things one can get up to to promote a movie, and the crazy subcultures in old Hollywood.” About two indie filmmakers promoting their horror movie when they...
- 10/30/2017
- by Michael Nordine
- Indiewire
Get in touch to send in cinephile news and discoveries. For daily updates follow us @NotebookMUBI.NEWSWe are devastated by the death of performer and director Jerry Lewis this week at the age of 91, one of the 20th century's greatest—and most inspiring—artists. Dave Kehr for The New York Times has penned an excellent obituary, and it's worth revisiting Christoph Huber's 2013 coverage of the Viennale's epic retrospective of Lewis's work as an actor and a filmmaker. Last year, Adrian Curry published a selection of the international poster designs for Lewis's films.The Locarno Festival wrapped last week, with the top prize going to Chinese documentarian Wang Bing's Mrs. Fang. We were at the festival covering it day by day, including its retrospective of Hollywood genre director Jacques Tourneur (Cat People, Out of the Past). See all the awards and read our coverage from the Swiss film festival.Recommended VIEWINGThe...
- 8/23/2017
- MUBI
Alamo Drafthouse's American Genre Film Archive announced an August 22nd Blu-ray release date and special features for Dusty Nelson's Effects. So many creative minds in the horror world are behind Effects, including Tom Savini, who stars alongside Joe Pilato (Day of the Dead) and John Harrison (Tales from the Darkside: The Movie).
Press Release: (Austin, TX | Tuesday, July 18, 2017) - Alamo Drafthouse's American Genre Film Archive, the largest non-profit genre film archive in the world, is excited to announce an August 22, 2017, release date for the Effects Blu-ray.
Cobbled together with loose change by George Romero's friends, Effects is a mesmerizing do-it-yourself horror movie starring Tom Savini (Dawn Of The Dead), Joe Pilato (Day Of The Dead), and John Harrison (Tales From The Darkside: The Movie). A group of coked-up filmmakers -- including Savini and Pilato -- gather in Pittsburgh to make a slasher called Duped: The Snuff Movie.
Press Release: (Austin, TX | Tuesday, July 18, 2017) - Alamo Drafthouse's American Genre Film Archive, the largest non-profit genre film archive in the world, is excited to announce an August 22, 2017, release date for the Effects Blu-ray.
Cobbled together with loose change by George Romero's friends, Effects is a mesmerizing do-it-yourself horror movie starring Tom Savini (Dawn Of The Dead), Joe Pilato (Day Of The Dead), and John Harrison (Tales From The Darkside: The Movie). A group of coked-up filmmakers -- including Savini and Pilato -- gather in Pittsburgh to make a slasher called Duped: The Snuff Movie.
- 7/28/2017
- by Tamika Jones
- DailyDead
Looking back on this still-young century makes clear that 2007 was a major time for cinematic happenings — and, on the basis of this retrospective, one we’re not quite through with ten years on. One’s mind might quickly flash to a few big titles that will be represented, but it is the plurality of both festival and theatrical premieres that truly surprises: late works from old masters, debuts from filmmakers who’ve since become some of our most-respected artists, and mid-career turning points that didn’t necessarily announce themselves as such at the time. Join us as an assembled team, many of whom were coming of age that year, takes on their favorites.
The torture scenes in writer-director Eli Roth’s Hostel openly evoked the 2003 Abu Ghraib photographs, which depicted United States military and Central Intelligence Agency personnel subjecting Iraqi prisoners to acts of profound cruelty and abuse. The film also addressed post-9/11 U.
The torture scenes in writer-director Eli Roth’s Hostel openly evoked the 2003 Abu Ghraib photographs, which depicted United States military and Central Intelligence Agency personnel subjecting Iraqi prisoners to acts of profound cruelty and abuse. The film also addressed post-9/11 U.
- 6/8/2017
- by The Film Stage
- The Film Stage
In the battle for what will be the premier streaming home for current independent film, Amazon Prime is showing signs that it could top Netflix, FilmStruck, and Mubi. Between funding auteur-driven Amazon originals like Jim Jarmusch’s “Paterson,” Park Chan-wook’s “The Handmaiden,” Kenneth Lonergan’s “Manchester By the Sea,” and their exclusive deal with A24 (“American Honey,” “Lobster,” “Swiss Army Man,” and “Moonlight” which arrives 5/21), Prime has a good percentage of the best titles.
What often gets lost in Amazon’s suboptimal browsing interface is the number of recent lower-profile indies on the service that feature some of the most exciting filmmaking of the last year. Here are seven recent gems you shouldn’t miss.
“The Love Witch”
You have never seen anything like this film. Sure, it looks like a late-era technicolor film — shot on 35mm, with deliciously saturated production and costume design — but this isn’t nostalgic kitsch.
What often gets lost in Amazon’s suboptimal browsing interface is the number of recent lower-profile indies on the service that feature some of the most exciting filmmaking of the last year. Here are seven recent gems you shouldn’t miss.
“The Love Witch”
You have never seen anything like this film. Sure, it looks like a late-era technicolor film — shot on 35mm, with deliciously saturated production and costume design — but this isn’t nostalgic kitsch.
- 5/1/2017
- by Chris O'Falt
- Indiewire
With a seemingly endless amount of streaming options — not only the titles at our disposal, but services themselves — we’ve taken it upon ourselves to highlight the titles that have recently hit platforms. Every week, one will be able to see the cream of the crop (or perhaps some simply interesting picks) of streaming titles (new and old) across platforms such as Netflix, iTunes, Amazon, and more (note: U.S. only). Check out our rundown for this week’s selections below.
The Handmaiden (Park Chan-wook)
The Handmaiden is pure cinema — a tender, moving, utterly believable love story. It’s also a tense, unsettling, erotic masterpiece. There’s a palpable exhilaration that comes from watching this latest film from Park Chan-wook. From its four central performances and twisty script to the cinematography of Chung Chung-hoon and feverish, haunting score by Cho Young-wuk, The Handmaiden is crafted to take your breath away.
The Handmaiden (Park Chan-wook)
The Handmaiden is pure cinema — a tender, moving, utterly believable love story. It’s also a tense, unsettling, erotic masterpiece. There’s a palpable exhilaration that comes from watching this latest film from Park Chan-wook. From its four central performances and twisty script to the cinematography of Chung Chung-hoon and feverish, haunting score by Cho Young-wuk, The Handmaiden is crafted to take your breath away.
- 4/14/2017
- by The Film Stage
- The Film Stage
Stars: Samantha Robinson, Gian Keys, Laura Waddell, Jared Sanford | Written and Directed by Anna Biller
If Viva was Anna Biller’s ode to 1970s sexploitation films, The Love Witch is the auteur’s loving – and really quite lovely – homage to the 1960s horror heyday of Hammer Films and Roger Corman. Funny, seductive, and in the end oddly moving, it may be the best indie horror movie since… well, since another indie horror movie with the words “The” and “Witch” in the title. And it couldn’t be more different.
Samantha Robinson plays Elaine, a recently-widowed witch who moves to California, into a grand old house owned by her fellow mystic, Barbara (Jennifer Ingrum). There she meets Trish (Laura Waddell), an interior decorator. The ladies chat about men, and it quickly becomes clear that their views sharply diverge on the role of women, and what the love of a man means.
If Viva was Anna Biller’s ode to 1970s sexploitation films, The Love Witch is the auteur’s loving – and really quite lovely – homage to the 1960s horror heyday of Hammer Films and Roger Corman. Funny, seductive, and in the end oddly moving, it may be the best indie horror movie since… well, since another indie horror movie with the words “The” and “Witch” in the title. And it couldn’t be more different.
Samantha Robinson plays Elaine, a recently-widowed witch who moves to California, into a grand old house owned by her fellow mystic, Barbara (Jennifer Ingrum). There she meets Trish (Laura Waddell), an interior decorator. The ladies chat about men, and it quickly becomes clear that their views sharply diverge on the role of women, and what the love of a man means.
- 3/30/2017
- by Rupert Harvey
- Nerdly
"The Furniture" is our weekly series on Production Design. You can click on the images to see them in much more magnified detail. Here's Daniel Walber...
Over the last year, I’ve written about a fair number films in which the costume design and production design are intimate companions. The Taming of the Shrew is the most recent example, a visual cornucopia that underlines Zeffirelli’s tendency to paint people and props with the same brush. Yet that flamboyant director was not actually the credited costume designer or production designer. His style, like that of most filmmakers, was the result of artistic collaboration.
Not so for The Love Witch, a much more literal “singular vision.” Director Anna Biller worked as both production designer and costume designer for her film, as well as art director, set decorator, editor, composer, writer and producer. The film’s strikingly unified aesthetic certainly can be attributed to this herculean labor,...
Over the last year, I’ve written about a fair number films in which the costume design and production design are intimate companions. The Taming of the Shrew is the most recent example, a visual cornucopia that underlines Zeffirelli’s tendency to paint people and props with the same brush. Yet that flamboyant director was not actually the credited costume designer or production designer. His style, like that of most filmmakers, was the result of artistic collaboration.
Not so for The Love Witch, a much more literal “singular vision.” Director Anna Biller worked as both production designer and costume designer for her film, as well as art director, set decorator, editor, composer, writer and producer. The film’s strikingly unified aesthetic certainly can be attributed to this herculean labor,...
- 3/27/2017
- by Daniel Walber
- FilmExperience
Close-Up is a column that spotlights films now playing on Mubi. Anna Biller's Viva (2007) is showing March 7 - April 6, 2017 in the United Kingdom in the series 7 Women.“Wait! I’m not through with promoting you yet!”— Mr. Humphreys, Viva “What you’re describing sounds kind of dark.”—Sheila, Viva It’s 1972, the opening voiceover tells us. It’s Los Angeles, too. “And the people, ordinary.” In sunny suburbia—detached homes, long lawns, pools out back—Barbi (Anna Biller) visits her neighbors, Mark (Jared Sanford) and Sheila (Bridget Brno), to express her boredom in light of husband Rick (Chad England) doing a stint of overtime at the office. Mark and Sheila live the life: liquor before noon, dialogue quoting from advertising slogans, sexual innuendos. Mark marvels over his latest purchase, a camera, citing its technical features like a salesman: “Nd filters—now that’s a professional camera!” It isn’t long,...
- 3/20/2017
- MUBI
Coming from a background as a visual artist, writer-director Anna Biller makes films that, on one level, can be experienced as pure cinema. But while the aesthetics are undoubtedly pleasurable, underneath the meticulously crafted design of Biller’s films lie sharp satirical observations about the relationships between men and women. In 2007, she directed, wrote, and starred in Viva, a film satirizing the swinging suburban culture that arose amid the sexual revolution of the early 1970s. Her new film is The Love Witch, a candy-colored comedy exploring obsession, self-delusion, and the desire to be loved. These themes are expressed through the character of Elaine (Samantha Robinson), a self-proclaimed “love witch” who uses her occult powers to seduce (and, when necessary, destroy) unwitting men in a small coastal California town.
We spoke to Biller over the phone just days before The Love Witch’s home video release, where she discussed at ...
We spoke to Biller over the phone just days before The Love Witch’s home video release, where she discussed at ...
- 3/17/2017
- by Katie Rife
- avclub.com
April is an exciting time over at Amazon Prime. Not only do we get a new season of Catastrophe, the service is making some of our favorite movies of last year available. Now you’ll be able to watch the likes of The Handmaiden and American Honey, both of which ended up on The A.V. Club’s best of 2016 list, from the comfort of your home. Additionally, Anna Biller’s The Love Witch—which we called “a nuanced statement on gender relations whose morals are as flexible as its formal qualities are rigid”—will also drop, although if you can you should seek out a 35mm screening of that one. Elsewhere, Amazon is unveiling another set of Bosch episodes, and a docuseries about Hugh Hefner called American Playboy.
Available April 1
Almost Famous
Chaplin (1992)
Days Of Thunder
Eddie Murphy Raw
Election (1999)
Ella Enchanted
Kiss The Girls ...
Available April 1
Almost Famous
Chaplin (1992)
Days Of Thunder
Eddie Murphy Raw
Election (1999)
Ella Enchanted
Kiss The Girls ...
- 3/16/2017
- by Esther Zuckerman
- avclub.com
Every week we dive into the cream of the crop when it comes to home releases, including Blu-ray and DVDs, as well as recommended deals of the week. Check out our rundown below and return every Tuesday for the best (or most interesting) films one can take home. Note that if you’re looking to support the site, every purchase you make through the links below helps us and is greatly appreciated.
Elle (Paul Verhoeven)
Paul Verhoeven’s latest treatise on high / low art isn’t going to appeal to everyone, and, as this awards season has shown, it’s already deeply offended some. But its messiness and blurred moral provocations are key to its power as a piece of cinematic trickery. A masterful character study, Elle dresses up a pulpy morality play with an austere European arthouse sheen, then sends its powerfully passive lead through a minefield of ethical conundrums,...
Elle (Paul Verhoeven)
Paul Verhoeven’s latest treatise on high / low art isn’t going to appeal to everyone, and, as this awards season has shown, it’s already deeply offended some. But its messiness and blurred moral provocations are key to its power as a piece of cinematic trickery. A masterful character study, Elle dresses up a pulpy morality play with an austere European arthouse sheen, then sends its powerfully passive lead through a minefield of ethical conundrums,...
- 3/14/2017
- by The Film Stage
- The Film Stage
This Week in Home VideoGet Ready to Fall in Love With the Funny, Sexy, and Beautifully Independent ‘The Love Witch’Plus 13 more new releases to watch at home this week on Blu-ray/DVD.
Welcome to this week in home video! Click the title to buy a Blu-ray/DVD from Amazon and help support Fsr in the process!
Pick of the WeekThe Love Witch
What is it? A witch visits a small coastal community in search of love with a side of unintended consequences.
Why buy it? Writer/director/producer/composer/editor/production designer/art director/set decorator/costume designer Anna Biller delivers a singular experience with this incredibly stylish, sexy, and scathing tale of a witch in search of love. The film is a colorful, stylized nod to the days of Technicolor romance that manages to be both a take down of a patriarchal society and a loose, fun romp.
[Blu-ray/DVD extras: Commentary, featurette, interview, deleted scenes, dance audition]
The...
Welcome to this week in home video! Click the title to buy a Blu-ray/DVD from Amazon and help support Fsr in the process!
Pick of the WeekThe Love Witch
What is it? A witch visits a small coastal community in search of love with a side of unintended consequences.
Why buy it? Writer/director/producer/composer/editor/production designer/art director/set decorator/costume designer Anna Biller delivers a singular experience with this incredibly stylish, sexy, and scathing tale of a witch in search of love. The film is a colorful, stylized nod to the days of Technicolor romance that manages to be both a take down of a patriarchal society and a loose, fun romp.
[Blu-ray/DVD extras: Commentary, featurette, interview, deleted scenes, dance audition]
The...
- 3/14/2017
- by Rob Hunter
- FilmSchoolRejects.com
Anna Biller captures the colours, style and mores of the lurid 70s in this near-perfect pastiche
Stiletto-sharp and as precise as a stocking seam, Anna Biller’s terrific homage to campy 1960s and 70s sexploitation horror movies is a riot of synthetic hair and vampy overacting. Biller, who designed the costumes and sets as well as writing, directing, editing and producing, has immersed herself in the Beyond the Valley of the Dolls-meets-Hammer psychological-shocker aesthetic. Hers is a witty and playful approach, but as with her 2007 film Viva – a lascivious, early 70s B-movie take on the sexual revolution – Biller lovingly recreates the film-making of the era with a fan’s obsession to detail. As such, it reminded me of Hélène Cattet and Bruno Forzani’s giallo pastiche, Amer: both pictures are deliciously lurid but wholly serious in their appreciation of the genre they evoke.
Biller cites George Romero’s...
Stiletto-sharp and as precise as a stocking seam, Anna Biller’s terrific homage to campy 1960s and 70s sexploitation horror movies is a riot of synthetic hair and vampy overacting. Biller, who designed the costumes and sets as well as writing, directing, editing and producing, has immersed herself in the Beyond the Valley of the Dolls-meets-Hammer psychological-shocker aesthetic. Hers is a witty and playful approach, but as with her 2007 film Viva – a lascivious, early 70s B-movie take on the sexual revolution – Biller lovingly recreates the film-making of the era with a fan’s obsession to detail. As such, it reminded me of Hélène Cattet and Bruno Forzani’s giallo pastiche, Amer: both pictures are deliciously lurid but wholly serious in their appreciation of the genre they evoke.
Biller cites George Romero’s...
- 3/12/2017
- by Wendy Ide
- The Guardian - Film News
Drenched in the Technicolor 60s, Anna Biller’s outrageous, showstopping B-movie oozes with A-grade potency
La film-maker Anna Biller achieves an ecstasy of artificiality in this amazing retro fantasy horror, delivered with absolute conviction. It’s designed, produced, written, directed and generally auteured by Biller herself, and lit and photographed by M David Mullen – apparently without digital fabrication.
The Love Witch goes beyond camp, beyond pastiche; it ignites the pulpy surfaces of its tale and produces a smoke of bad-dream sexiness and scariness. It’s a B-movie with A-grade potency. But you have to stay with it, you have to understand its absolute seriousness before getting the comedy and the satire of the transactional politics in sex.
Continue reading...
La film-maker Anna Biller achieves an ecstasy of artificiality in this amazing retro fantasy horror, delivered with absolute conviction. It’s designed, produced, written, directed and generally auteured by Biller herself, and lit and photographed by M David Mullen – apparently without digital fabrication.
The Love Witch goes beyond camp, beyond pastiche; it ignites the pulpy surfaces of its tale and produces a smoke of bad-dream sexiness and scariness. It’s a B-movie with A-grade potency. But you have to stay with it, you have to understand its absolute seriousness before getting the comedy and the satire of the transactional politics in sex.
Continue reading...
- 3/9/2017
- by Peter Bradshaw
- The Guardian - Film News
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