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.
RED ISLAND Trailer: Robin Campillo’s Coming-of-Age Tale Explores an Expat Family in 1970s Madagascar
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.
Vietnamese filmmaker Truong Minh Quy has crafted one of 2024’s most intriguing films, using contemplative visuals exploring personal and national histories against the backdrop of a romance of two young queer Vietnamese miners.
Cineverse has announced that they’ve acquired Matt Sampere’s feature debut, a slasher flick called Creeping Death. While trying to enjoy a peaceful Halloween with his mother Linda Garner, Tim is paid a visit by his rambunctious, up-for-anything friends. After reluctantly letting them inside the house he becomes intertwined with the circumstances of their Halloween prankings. One that turns out has broken a sacred tradition kept between humans and otherworldly deities known as the Aos Si. A call back to terrors birthed in the mythology, lore and atmospheric dread behind the Halloween traditions based in an ancient Celtic past. Friends are the worst, especially those rambunctious ones who break sacred traditions. Throw that guy out on his ass. Bet his name is Chet or Brad. …