The Film Stage

Let’s talk about the pandemic for a moment. No, not the COVID-19 Pandemic. The pandemic that, 100 years ago, killed millions and shuttered the United States for a time: the Great Flu of 1918. The virus infected roughly one-third of the world’s population, claiming the lives of approximately 50 million worldwide. Coup!, written and directed […]

The post Coup! Review: Peter Sarsgaard Leads a Class Comedy Less Thrilling Than Biting first appeared on The Film Stage.

Ahead of its world premiere at the Fantasia Film Festival, The Code announced itself with several red flags. Set during the Coronavirus pandemic in 2021 with a synopsis throwing around terms like “cancel culture,” it stars Dasha Nekrasova and Peter Vack, filmmakers and divisive personalities who some might describe as reactionary trolls. This combination of […]

The post Fantasia Review: The Code Finds Dasha Nekrasova and Peter Vack Pushing Through the Chaos of Modern Life first appeared on The Film Stage.

Five years after his surrealist comedy Relaxer, and over a decade since his breakout Buzzard, Joel Potrykus is back with Vulcanizadora. For those familiar with Potrykus’ work, his fifth feature continues the singular, rebellious style he and his film band Sob Noisse established since his feature debut Ape. Shot on a low budget, the film […]

The post Joel Potrykus on Vulcanizadora, the Darkness of Parenthood, and True Independent Filmmaking first appeared on The Film Stage.

One of the greatest filmmaking partnerships to grace the industry is getting its deserved due in a new documentary. Directed by Stephen Soucy and featuring Dame Emma Thompson, Helena Bonham Carter, Hugh Grant, Vanessa Redgrave, Rupert Graves, and James Wilby, Merchant Ivory explores the collaboration of director James Ivory, producer Ismail Merchant, and their primary […]

The post Merchant Ivory Trailer Explores One of the Great Filmmaking Partnerships first appeared on The Film Stage.

The apartment complexes making up what used to be Kowloon Walled City effectively sealed it off from the rest of Hong Kong. Soi Cheang’s Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In imagines Kowloon as a kind of steampunk ghetto controlled by an aging gangster known as Cyclone (Louis Koo). Cyclone’s domain is a marvel of production […]

The post NYAFF Review: Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In Offers Phenomenal Sets and Creative Stunts first appeared on The Film Stage.

The return of the Alien franchise isn’t the only space adventure of August. Mikael Håfström, director of the Oscar-nominated Evil and 1408, is headed deep in our galaxy with Slingshot. Led by Casey Affleck, Laurence Fishburne, Emily Beecham, Tomer Kapon, David Morrissey, and Mark Ebulué, the psychological thriller is written by Moon‘s Nathan Parker and […]

The post Slingshot Trailer: Casey Affleck and Laurence Fishburne Venture to the Far Reaches of the Galaxy first appeared on The Film Stage.

It’s a great time to be a Claire Denis fan. After delivering two (severely underrated) movies in one year with Both Sides of the Blade and Stars at Noon, she’s prepping a pair of new projects. In between, the stunning new restoration has arrived for Fear, No Die, her 1992 feature pitting Alex Descas and […]

The post Claire Denis Says She Would Direct a Batman Movie Under One Condition first appeared on The Film Stage.

100 years ago this fall, Robert Frank was born. The legendary Swiss-born photographer and filmmaker has a number of centenary celebrations, including the first-ever solo exhibition of his work to be presented at the Museum of Modern Art starting in September, and now one of his features has been restored and will receive a theatrical […]

The post Exclusive: New Restoration of Robert Frank and Rudy Wurlitzer’s Cult Classic Candy Mountain Coming to Theaters This Fall first appeared on The Film Stage.

At long last, we now have at least one festival premiere set for one of our most-anticipated films of the year. Kiyoshi Kurosawa’s Serpent’s Path, a remake of his superb, bad-vibes 1998 thriller that stars Damien Bonnard, Mathieu Amalric, Ko Shibasaki, and Drive My Car‘s Hidetoshi Nishijima (previously of Kurosawa’s Loft, Creepy, and License to Live), is now set for a […]

The post Kiyoshi Kurosawa’s Serpent’s Path and More Set for San Sebastián Film Festival first appeared on The Film Stage.

Welcome to a new episode of The Film Stage Show! Brian Roan and Robyn Bahr are joined by Conor Clancy to discuss Twisters. Enter our giveaways, get access to our private Slack channel, and support new episodes by becoming a Patreon contributor. All new Patreon supporters receive a free 4K UHD or Blu-ray upon joining. Subscribe on […]

The post The Film Stage Show Ep. 544 – Twisters (with Conor Clancy) first appeared on The Film Stage.