John Woo may not be nearly so prolific as in his heyday, making two films in less than one year notable. “Notable” if, like me, you thought Silent Night was an absolute blast, even something of a reinvention for the man who’s done more than anybody to invent contemporary action cinema. That I am somewhat […]
The post John Woo Returns to Home Turf In Trailer for The Killer Remake first appeared on The Film Stage.
The award-winning short film, Escape Attempt, from Daniel Shapiro and Alex Topaller, will have its Canadian premiere in the International Science-Fiction Short Film Showcase at Fantasia on July 21st. It is award-winning for a reason. Holy moly does this look impressive. Like, wow. With a history in music videos and advertising the pair of filmmakers are part of the rank of creators who have started out with the small format and dominated it. The production design and scale of this short film is chock full of wowzer moments. From the official press release below it also says that Shapiro and Topaller will also be attending Frontieres during their time here. It does not appear that it is in an official capcity as a brief review…
Skotchdopole’s film is a tantalizing mix of the absurd and the mundane.
The post ‘Crumb Catcher’ Review: Politeness Turns Violent in Chris Skotchdopole’s Feature Debut appeared first on Slant Magazine.
Glauber Rocha’s trail-blazing existential Western paints deserts and hinterlands in black and white. And red. Now available from the Criterion Collection.
Folk horror from Japan! Angelic and devilish souls from rural America (US)! Val Lewton horror from Hollywood! Melodrama from Germany! In October 2024, Criterion plans to release a rich collection of horror-month appropriate titles from across the world. To be specific, in Demon Pond, “Japanese New Wave renegade Masahiro Shinoda transforms a classic Kabuki tale with his own extravagant visual style in this dimension-shattering folk-horror fantasia,” according to the official description To continue: “When a lone traveler (Tsutomu Yamazaki) stumbles upon a remote, drought-stricken village, he finds himself engulfed in a whirlpool of myth, mystery, and magic: in a nearby pond reside spirits who hold the fate of the town’s inhabitants–including lovers Akira (Go Kato) and Yuri (Kabuki legend Tamasaburo Bando, who also plays the…
On Saturday the 13th of July, the Neuchâtel International Fantastic Film Festival had its closing ceremony, complete with the handing out of its awards. As a part of the Critic’s Jury this year, we handed our award for best feature film to Shalini Ushadevi’s science fiction film Ennennum. It was a unanimous decision: everyone in the jury had it on the top of their lists (which made the jury deliberation very short indeed). There are several reasons why we loved it. In a festival selection filled with often depressingly serious films, this one managed to stand out by making its statements clearly, in a fairly brief running time, without resorting to heavy-handed tactics. It shows that with a lean-and-mean script, dedicated actors and great use…
Iconic French sci-fi animator René Laloux (Fantastic Planet) is having another one of his hidden gems restored by Janus Films later this month. His 1982 tale The Time Masters incorporates Mœbius’ trippy, mindblowing design in this story of a young […]
The post THE TIME MASTERS Restoration Trailer: René Laloux’s Fantastical Animated Sci-Fi is Given the 4K Treatment appeared first on Hammer to Nail.
The Adamas Family have become staples of sorts at Fantasia. They are always sure to visit whenever they have a new film, which is nearly a annual occurance now. At the beginning of 2023 we first got word that they were working on their latest film, Hell Hole, in Serbia. It’s all set to have its World Premiere at Fantasia on July 29th. A new poster was released today. Check it out, in all its Lovecraftian glory, below. In the Adams Family’s celebration of the classic creature-feature, an American-led fracking crew working deep in the Serbian wilderness find themselves at odds with government assigned environmental advisors. When they get approval to drill, the workers uncover the unimaginable: a dormant parasitic monster entombed deep…
Turkish director Zeki Demirkubuz weaves a tale of provincial patriarchy and existentialism, following the intertwined lives of a rural baker and a young woman after a derailed arranged marriage.
Following up his Cannes Film Festival-winning sensation BPM (Beats Per Minute), which showcased AIDS activism in 1990s France, writer-director Robin Campillo is back with an intimate new drama. Red Island, based on the director’s childhood, is a coming-of-age story that […]
The post RED ISLAND Trailer: Robin Campillo’s Coming-of-Age Tale Explores an Expat Family in 1970s Madagascar appeared first on Hammer to Nail.
