Teen In Trouble For Tiff Winning Blackbird Trailer

Alot of films win awards at film festivals but when its one of the big Festivals such as Toronto you have to take notice. Jason Buxton's Blackbird was that film winning Best Canadian film at last year's festival a joint win with Brandon Cronenberg's Antiviral and tonight before the film starts its tour of the American/Canadian cinemas a brand new trailer has been released.

Blackbird tells the story of an alienated teenager's online threat ignites fear in a small community, in this disturbing and perceptive look at how our media-fuelled, post-Columbine culture can transform typical teen angst into intimations of murder.

How ironic most of all relevant Blackbird plot line to whats happening with Social media right now  and the dangers that occur using it. Let's be honest we've all experienced teen angst in our lives some of us suppressed others let it out but no technology has evolved and so are the way frustrated souls let out their anger too.

No word on a UK release but Blackbird will be released in Canada 10th May 2013. The film also stars Connor Jessup, Alexia Fast, Michael Buie, and Alex Ozerov.


source:Thefilmstage

Thoughts on Spring Breakers

Harmony Korine has finally made his pop movie and it might just be the most definitive piece of art made about this sweaty, writhing, ritualistic mass of American grotesquery known as spring break.

What goes on at places like St. Pete Beach is a truly surreal subcultural phenomenon ripe for documenting, and Korine does this sun-kissed Sodom and Gomorrah justice by not only surveying its obvious seductive hedonism, but also the complex moral implications of those who willingly participate. His four female leads act almost as Dantean test subjects, descending further into the dark heart of spring break until only those who prove amorally pure can subsume the true mantle of “Spring Breaker”.

Korine frames this the only way he knows how, through a heightened form of reality whose guiding mantra dictates: “Just pretend it’s like a videogame; like it’s a movie”. In what may be his only transparently drawn social critique, he flattens the moral landscape in accordance to its perceived value. The iconography of Scarface and flashy boardwalk arcades bleeds through the hyper-saturated neon, and in true videogame fashion there is a final boss and an orgiastic gun-battle finale, which takes place at a Tony Montana-styled criminal fortress.

But are the Breakers who emerge from the bloodbath victorious to be celebrated or reviled? This is where Korine shows surprising amounts of restraint, unwilling to deem the gat-toting avenging angels as either fallen souls or empowered saints outright. The real answer is somewhere between the two. The Breakers’ telephoned check-ins with mum and dad in the closing scenes are hilariously deceptive; a possible indication of their ultimate disillusionment from reality. But they also read like the calming assurances of girls who have made peace with the monster within. The girls who manage to shoot their way to the finish line do so out of free will and determination, and considering the materialistic and nihilistic lifestyle they fought to defend, that’s as scary as it is admirable.



It’s a stroke of genius not to have all the girls be four parts of the same whole; an agency-robbing hive mind. Selena Gomez’s Faith quickly finds that what was initially sold to her as a spiritual quest has indeed led to spiritual destitution, where rooms are rife with skeezy guys asserting their male gaze in uncomfortable, genuinely threatening ways. That pool hall scene simmers with enough racial/sexual subtext to fuel its own movie (we’ll leave it to Larry Clark to tackle that one). Her hasty departure from the group subsequently feels completely justified—that point is probably where most sane people would yell “Stop the ride. I want to get off.” Unfortunately for her, spring break isn’t for sane people—and that’s where Korine’s fascination begins.

Korine’s ambiguity, or rather his non-committal stance towards moralising, allows the film to toe a tricky line between relish and repulsion: the adrenaline rush of a crime spree or an occasional drunken hotel fuckfest isn’t denied. Yet there’s no escaping the self-destructive pall that hangs over the mounting excess.

“Look at all my shit,” I imagine the film saying to us. “Redistribution of phallic symbolism y’all. Undressing the hedonist fantasy up on screen, y’all. Pretty lights in every colour, y’all.” This collective dream of the MTV generation, powered by sexual and societal liberation, which adheres to its own warped logic and holds its cherished cultural signifiers dear, is an endlessly fascinating, quintessentially American concoction. Essentially a designated window for primal transgressions that somehow snuck up the ranks to become a legitimate rite-of-passage, spring break is loud and obnoxious and bizarre and singular and I can’t look away.

★★★★☆

Pierre Badiola

Only God Forgives To Bling Ring: The 2013 Cannes Film Festival Line Up

You always know the summer is virtually upon us when the granddaddy of film festivals launches their programme and today 2013 Cannes Film Festival line up was unveiled.

As previous announced the festival will open in a party mood when Baz Luhrmann's The Great Gatsby opens the festival on 15th May an unusual move as the film is out in USA 5 days before. Jérôme Salle‘s Zulu starring Forrest Whittaker and Orlando Bloom will have the honour of closing the festival.

The usual array of expected films and surprise choices make up this years line up with Nicholas Winding Refn's Only God Forgives expected to excites the Cannes audiences.Sofia Coppola's Bling Ring headline's Un Certain Regard section with James Franco's As I Lay Dying,Claire Denis Les Salaud also making up the numbers.

In the Competition the film that's too 'gay' to be shown on American Cinemas steven Soderbergh's Liberace pic Behind the Candelabra will be screened on the big screen. This film will only be screened on HBO Stateside as will Stepan Frear's Muhammad Ali's Final Fight (Frank Langella, Danny Glover)but here it'll get a cinematic outing.

Roman Polanski this year has the luxury of having 2 films with Venus In Furs and motor racing documentary Week End Of A Champion. So Are you thinking is that it? Fear not the full list of 2013 Cannes Film Festival  films you can be find below...



In Competition
Only God Forgives, dir Nicolas Winding Refn
Borgman, dir Alex Can Warmerdam
La Grande Bellezza, dir Paulo Sorrentino
Behind the Candelabra, dir Steven Soderbergh
La Venus a la Fourrure, dir Roman Polanski
Nebraska, dir Alexander Payne
Jeune et Jolie, dir François Ozon
La Vie d'Adele, dir Abdellatif Kechiche
Wara No Tate, dir Takashi Miike
Soshite Chichi Ni Naru, dir Kore-Eda Hirokazu
Tian Zhu Ding, dir Jia Zhangke
Grisgris, dir Mahamat-Saleh Haroun
The Immigrant, dir James Gray
Heli, dir Amat Escalante
Le Passe, dir Asghar Farhadi
Michael Kohlhaas, dir Arnaud Despallieres
Inside Llewyn Davis, dir Ethan and Joel Coen
Un Chateau en Italie, dir Valeria Bruni-Tedeschi

Un Certain Regard
The Bling Ring, dir Sofia Coppola
L'Inconnu Du La, dir Alain Guiraudie
Bends, dir Flora Lau
L'Image Manquante, dir Rithy Panh
La Jaula De Oro, dir Diego Quemada-Diez
Anonymous, dir Mohammad Rasoulof
Sarah Préfère La Course, dir Chloé Robichaud
Grand Central, dir Rebecca Zlotowski
Fruitvale Statio, dir Ryan Coogler
Les Salauds, dir Claire Denis
Norte, Hangganan Ng Kasaysayan, dir Lav Diaz
As I Lay Dying, dir James Franco
Miele, dir Valeria Golino
Omar, dir Hany Abu-Assad
Death March, dir Adolfo Alix Jr

Cinefondation
Special Screenings
Weekend Of A Champion, dir Roman Polanski
Seduced And Abandoned, dir James Toback
Otdat Konci, dir Taisia Igumentseva
Muhammad Ali's Greatest Fight, dir Stephen Frears
Stop The Pounding Heart, dir Robero Minervini

Midnight Screenings
Monsoon Shootout, dir Amit Kumar
Blind Detective, dir Johnnie To
Homage To Jerry Lewis
Max Rose, dir Daniel Noah

Out Of Competiton
All Is Lost by J.C Chandor
Blood Ties by Guillaume Canet

66TH Cannes International Film Festival takes place between 15th until 26th May.
source: Thepeoplesmovies

Nicholas Winding Refn's Only God Forgives To Screen At Cannes Film Festival

Nicolas Winding Refn’s hotly-anticipated ONLY GOD FORGIVES, confirmed to screen in Competition at this year’s Cannes Film Festival, will open across the UK and Ireland in summer 2013, through Icon Film Distribution and Lionsgate.

Bangkok. Julian (Ryan Gosling) runs a Thai boxing club as a front for a drugs operation. He has everything he wants for and is respected in the criminal underworld though, deep inside, he feels empty.
When Julian’s brother murders a prostitute the police call on retired cop Chang - the Angel of Vengeance (Vithaya Pansringarm). Chang allows the father to kill his daughter’s murderer, then ‘restores order’ by chopping off the man’s right hand. Julian’s mother Jenna (Kristin Scott Thomas) - the head of a powerful criminal organization - arrives in Bangkok to collect her son’s body. She dispatches Julian to find his killers and ‘raise hell’.
Increasingly obsessed with the Angel of Vengeance, Julian challenges him to a boxing match, hoping that by defeating him he might find spiritual release… but Chang triumphs. A furious Jenna plots revenge and the stage is set for a bloody journey through betrayal and vengeance towards a final confrontation and the possibility of redemption.

ONLY GOD FORGIVES is directed by Nicolas Winding Refn, who won Best Director at the 2011 Cannes Film Festival for the international box office smash Drive. The film reunites Refn with Drive star Ryan Gosling (The Place Beyond The Pines, Gangster Squad) and also features Kristin Scott Thomas (In The House, The English Patient), Vithaya Pansringarm (The Hangover Part II), Tom Burke (Donkey Punch) and Thai pop star Yayaying. The film’s score is by award-winning Drive composer Cliff Martinez (Spring Breakers, Contagion).

Stay tuned we'll bring you news on the line up today when we get it. Whilst we wait have another look at the Red Band Trailer For Only God Forgives here.

John Cassavetes Opening Night To Get BFI UK Home Release This May

The latest release in the BFI’s John Cassavetes Collection, out on 27 May 2013, is the award-winning Opening Night (1977), starring Gena Rowlands, John Cassavetes and Ben Gazarra.

Released on Blu-ray for the first time in the UK, it is presented in a Dual Format Edition (also contains a DVD disc). Numerous extras include an audio commentary, a documentary – Memories of John and Peter Falk (Columbo) talking about John Cassavetes.

Broadway actress Myrtle Gordon (Gena Rowlands) rehearses for her latest play about a woman in denial at the onset of her autumn years. When Myrtle witnesses the accidental death of an adoring young fan, it leads to a crisis of confidence in both her professional and her personal life which threatens to undermine the whole production.

Featuring a startling and compelling performance by Gena Rowlands, which won her the Silver Bear for Best Actress in 1978, Opening Night is arguably one of John Cassavetes’ most self-reflexive works and offers an insightful and intriguing evocation of the theatrical experience from both sides of the proscenium.

Click here to see Peter Falk talking about the director, along with a short clip from the film:

Special Features

• Presented in both High Definition and Standard Definition;
• Audio commentary by Tom Charity, Mike Ferris and Bo Harwood;
• Memories of John (DVD only, 29 mins);
• Falk on Cassavetes: the later years (DVD only, 14 mins);
• Illustrated booklet featuring interviews and essays from Tom Charity, Al Ruban and Peter Bogdanovich

Pre-Order/Buy: Opening Night (DVD & Blu-ray) 1977

The Complete (Existing) Films of Sadao Yamanaka To Get Masters of Cinema DVD Release

Eureka Entertainment have announced the long-awaited follow up to one of the earliest MoC DVD titles — Humanity and Paper Balloons, THE COMPLETE (EXISTING) FILMS OF SADAO YAMANAKA featuring the aforementioned film alongside rare footage of other lost Yamanaka films - overall includes the complete surviving works from this legendary director. The set will be released in a 2-disc DVD edition on 20 May 2013.

The brief but prodigious career of Japanese director Sadao Yamanaka resulted in a catalogue of work characterised by an elegant and unforced visual style, fluid editing, and a beautiful attention to naturalistic performances. Although he made 22 films over a six-year period (before dying of dysentery in a Japanese Imperial Army outpost in Manchuria at the age of 28), only three of them survive, collected here for the first time in the West.

Tange Sazen: The Million Ryô Pot is a gloriously comic adventure yarn as the titular one-eyed, one-armed swordsman becomes embroiled in the hunt for a missing pot that points the way to hidden treasure. In Kôchiyama Sôshun, a subversively humanistic adaptation of a classic kabuki play, a small but invaluable knife stolen from a samurai leads to a chain of an increasingly complex and troublesome set of circumstances. His last film, Humanity and Paper Balloons, is an unsparing ensemble drama set among the lowest rungs of Japanese society in the 18th century.

The Masters of Cinema Series is delighted to present these treasures of world cinema in a long-awaited two-disc DVD set, including rarely-seen fragments of two other lost Yamanaka films.

“Humanity and Paper Balloons is a beautifully shot and well told story” – DVD Times

“There really isn't any questions whether this should be part of your cineaste DVD collection. It is tantamount to being imperative.” – DVD Beaver

“Humanity and Paper Balloons is a fascinating time capsule of a movie that not only reframes the feudal period in which it is set to present a harsh critique of the social and political conditions of the time it was made, but also demonstrates just how tight, coherent, and entertaining films from this period actually were.” – Jasper Sharp, Midnight Eye

SPECIAL TWO-DISC DVD EDITION:
• New digital transfers of all three films
• New English subtitle translations
• Rare fragments of other lost Yamanaka films
• A lengthy booklet, including Yamanaka's will, excerpts from his diaries, essays by Tony Rayns, Shinji Aoyama, Kimitoshi Satô, and more
• More extras to be announced closer to release date

Pre-Order/Buy The Complete (Existing) Films of Sadao Yamanaka: THE COMPLETE (EXISTING) FILMS OF SADAO YAMANAKA (Masters of Cinema) (DVD)

Sundance London Festival 2013 - Our Top 5 Picks

We are just over a week away from the second Sundance festival in London, taking place at the O2 in Greenwich. Robert Redford’s celebration of all things independent leaves it’s home of Utah to bring a selection of films to the cinema fans of England. Last year’s big winner, Beasts of the Southern Wild, used Sundance as the base upon which to launch it’s year of acclaim and awards culminating in a handful of Oscar nods. Is there similar success to be had from this year’s batch? Here’s a pick of just 5 to keep an eye out for.

The Kings of Summer

Harking back to those teenage threats to run away, The Kings of Summer brings us the story of Joe Toy, an adolescent fed-up with his life being dictated to him by his single father. Along with best friend Patrick and fellow outsider Biaggio he flees to the woods where the three go about building their own house where they can live freely, away from the trials of chores and homework. Billed as Superbad meets Stand By Me, this coming-of-age comedy was a big hit at the festival’s US incarnation.

Blackfish

Sundance is renowned for it’s support of documentary’s with last years Queen of Versailles and Chasing Ice both premiering at the festival and this year is no exception. Blackfish looks into the case of Tilikum, a killer whale at SeaWorld responsible for the death of three people. This hard-hitting film suggests the finger of blame should be pointed at the water park itself and the methods it uses to catch and train these wild creatures.

Touchy Feely

The Mumblecore movement may well be closer associated with the SXSW festival but its fingerprints are all over the current wave of American independent cinema. One of the movement’s breakout directors, Lynn Shelton (Humpday, Your Sister’s Sister) brings her latest film to Sundance telling the tale of a massage therapist who becomes stricken with a sudden and somewhat problematic aversion to touch.

Upstream Colour

Writer-director Shane Carruth’s debut film Primer took home the Grand Jury Prize in 2004 baffling the audience with a physics heavy time-travel conundrum. His follow-up Upstream Colour is similarly, if not more, abstract. A man and a woman are drawn together in their awareness of life’s bigger picture, the world connected in one organism. Visually striking and wildly original, this is likely to be a big festival talking point.

Sleepwalk with me

Adapted from his own one-man show, Sleepwalk with me sees former stand-up comedian and playwright Mike Birbiglia wrestle with a struggling career, a failing relationship and the continuous bouts of sleepwalking of the title. Already victorious in the NEXT category of the American Sundance, this debut feature is being praised for both its humour and heart.



Matthew Walsh will be attending The Sundance London Film Festival which opens 25th April until 28th April, so stay tuned for some rather nice reviews!

Clouzot's The Murderer Lives At Number 21 (L'assassin habite... au 21) To Get Masters Of Cinema Treatment

Eureka Entertainment have announced that they will be releasing the long-awaited release of Henri-Georges Clouzot's (Les diaboliques, The Wages of Fear) debut film THE MURDERER LIVES AT 21 [L'ASSASSIN HABITE AU 21]. The film is a brilliant hybrid of crime thriller and comedy, and will be released in a breathtaking high-definition restoration by Gaumont in a Blu-ray & DVD edition on 20 May 2013.

One of the most revered names in world cinema, Henri-Georges Clouzot, made a remarkably self-assured debut in 1942 with the deliciously droll thriller The Murderer Lives at 21 [L'Assassin habite au 21].

A thief and killer stalks the streets of Paris, leaving a calling card from "Monsieur Durand" at the scene of each crime. But after a cache of these macabre identifications is discovered by a burglar in the boarding house at 21 Avenue Junot, Inspector Wenceslas Vorobechik (Pierre Fresnay) takes lodging at the infamous address in an undercover bid to solve the crime, with help from his struggling-actress girlfriend Mila (Suzy Delair).

Featuring audacious directorial touches, brilliant performances, and a daring tone that runs the gamut from light comedy to sinister noir, as well as a subtle portrait of tensions under Nazi occupation, this overlooked gem from the golden age of French cinema is presented in a beautiful new high-definition restoration.

“good fun for whodunit fans” – The New York Times

“clever cocktail of humour and drama” - Le Miroir de l'Ecran

SPECIAL BLU-RAY AND DVD EDITIONS:

• Gorgeous new Gaumont restoration of the film in its original aspect ratio, presented in 1080p HD on the Blu-ray
• New and improved English subtitles
• A fully-illustrated booklet, including the words of Henri-Georges Clouzot and rare imagery

Pre-Order/Buy The Murder Lives At Number 21 (L'assassin habite... au 21): DVD / Blu-ray

Love Crime (Crime d’amour) DVD Review

The final film of late French filmmaker, Alain Corneau receives a posthumous British cinematic release this month. Love Crime (Crime D'amour) remains a testament to the high quality of Corneau's work.

Christine, a controlling business executive (Kristin Scott Thomas), leads a young associate, Isabelle, (Ludvine Sagnier) into a controlling game of manipulation and domination. After embarrassing her at a staff function, Isabelle vows deadly revenge on Christine.

Love Crime boasts a near Hitchcockian narrative, proving to be a completely unpredictable ride. Corneau's film opens with a meeting between Christine and Isabelle,  which verges on seduction - we see the young associate drawn to magnetic persona of Christine.  As this character dynamic builds we gradually see this idolisation turn into a passionate contempt between both women, as Christine continually toys with Isabelle's emotions - this cat and mouse relationship makes Love Crime a truly absorbing watch. We see the tension build between the pair until Isabelle  reaches breaking point in a twist that completely overturns the narrative of the whole film. This twist creates dozens of questions and mysteries throughout the remainder of the film, which gradually get unravelled in Corneau and Nathalie Carter's sharp script. The pair pay a strong attention to detail, with meticulous answers to any plot-hole or inconsistency, a viewer may attempt to pick. However, one small flaw lies in Love Crime's ending which feels too outlandish and contrived to be wholly satisfying, yet is unlikely to spoil your enjoyment of Cournea's film.

Corneau is a master of crafting intrigue and suspense, allowing us to empathise with Isabelle but keeping us distanced from her motivations, gradually unravelling them by the conclusion of Love Crime.  This allows for a magnificent performance from Sagnier as we see the character turn from vulnerable underdog to a more-than-fitting opponent of Christine.  The actress is equally convincing as both victim and challenger, boasting her finest performance since Francois Ozon's Swimming Pool.  Kristin Scott-Thomas brings a cold, self-satisfying presence to the role of Christine, truly commanding the screen.

Love Crime may not cover any new ground to a traditional euro-thriller, but proves engaging, sharp and fast paced enough to  prove completely enjoyable, particularly thanks to performances from Sagnier and Scott Thomas.

★★★★☆

Andrew McArthur

Stars: Ludvine Sagnier, Kristin Scott Thomas,;Patrick Mille
Director: Alain Corneau
Release: 22nd April  2013 (UK)
Certificate: 15 (UK)
Buy: Love Crime On DVD

[repost of the cinema review]

Horror Channel Does The Devi's Business With Three UK Premieres For May

Horror fans can sink their teeth into all things dark and dangerous as the menacing month of May ushers in three exciting UK TV premieres - Sean Hogan’s haunting THE DEVIL’S BUSINESS Colin Theys’ apocalyptic zombie thriller REMAINS and Keith Wright’s touching horror comedy HAROLD’S GOING STIFF.

Details of the line-up:

22:55. Sat May 4 – HAROLD’S GOING STIFF (2011)
Keith Wright's very funny and surprisingly touching tale investigates a mystery illness turning men in the north of England into something resembling bloodthirsty ghouls. One such victim is Harold (Stan Rowe), an old man whose transformation into something sub-human might just be arrested by the love of Penny (Sarah Spencer), a dedicated home care nurse. But a group of vigilantes have other ideas.



22:55, Sat May 11 – THE DEVIL’S BUSINESS (2011)
Two hit men, Pinner (Billy Clarke), a cynical veteran and the inexperienced Cully (Jack Gordon), are sent to murder an old associate of their underworld boss. But things are not all what they seem in their quarry’s house and the duo descends into the shadowy darkness of their own tortured souls. Exuding a palpable atmosphere of claustrophobic dread, this is an eerily effective gem from director Sean Hogan. [read our review]



22:55, Sat May 18 – REMAINS (2011)
A vacant casino in Nevada becomes a hellish battleground as a group of human survivors fight a hard-core Zombie apocalypse, in which the infected grow smarter and stronger every day. Based on a graphic novel by Steven Nile, Award-winning Director Colin Theys’ graphic feature stars Miko Hughes, who fans may recognise as the little boy from the original ‘Pet Sematary’.



Other highlights to watch out for:

THE NEW ADVENTURES OF WONDER WOMAN. (Series 1, 1975) Weekdays at 18:00 and 09:00 from Mon May 20. Series 1

One of the most popular cult TV shows from the 70s makes its debut on the Horror Channel. Fans will relish another chance to watch the unforgettable Linda Carter kick ass and ‘bust’ the bad guys.



REEL FEAR SEASON. Fridays at 22:55 from May 3
Fans of found-footage movies will love this line-up, which includes the premiere of GRAVE ENCOUNTERS from The Vicious Brothers , WELCOME TO THE JUNGLE, THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT, SKEW and Julian Richard’s award-winning THE LAST HORROR MOVIE.


DIRECTOR’S NIGHT WITH ELI ROTH. Thurs May 30 from 21:00
Roth, famed director of CABIN FEVER and HOTEL, took time out at FrightFest Glasgow 2013, during the screening of his new film AFTERSHOCK, to wax lyrical on his love of Italian zombie movies as he explains why THE CITY OF THE LIVING DEAD and DEMONS are great movie inspirations for him.


TV: Sky 319 / Virgin 149 / Freesat 138
www.horrorchannel.co.uk | twitter.com/horror_channel

BFI Adding Pasolini's Theorem (Teorema) To Home Release This May

Following its theatrical release this month, the BFI will bring Pier Paolo Pasolini’s Theorem (1968) to Blu-ray for the first time in the UK when it is released complete and uncut in a Dual Format Edition (includes a DVD disc) on 27 May 2013. The new high definition digital transfer has restored picture and sound. Special features include a filmed interview with Terence Stamp, a feature commentary and an optional English language soundtrack.

A handsome, enigmatic stranger (Terence Stamp) arrives at a bourgeois household in Milan and successively seduces each family member, not forgetting the maid. Then, as abruptly and mysteriously as he arrived, he departs, leaving the distraught members of the household to make what sense they can of their lives in the void of his absence.

In this cool, richly complex and provocative political allegory, Pasolini uses his schematic plot to explore family dynamics, the intersection of class and sex, and the nature of different sexualities. After winning a prize at the Venice Film Festival, Theorem was subsequently banned on an obscenity charge, but Pasolini later won an acquittal on the grounds of the film’s ‘high artistic value’.

Theorem is visually ravishing, with superb performances from its international cast and a brilliantly eclectic soundtrack featuring music by composers ranging from Mozart to Morricone.

Special Features
• Presented in both High Definition and Standard Definition;
• Optional alternative English language soundtrack;
• Audio commentary by Italian film expert Robert Gordon;
• An Interview with Terence Stamp (2007, 34 mins, DVD only);
• 2013 theatrical release trailer;
• Illustrated booklet with an essay by Geoffrey Nowell-Smith, a review by Philip Strick and biographies of Pasolini and Stamp.

Pe-order/buy:Theorem (DVD + Blu-ray)

Roberto Benigni To Star in Aki Kaurismaki's Next Project Set In Italy?

The last time we read about Aki Kaurismäki was last year when his fantastic Le Havre was released. For his next project he's heading to Italy and he wants Oscar winning Roberto Benigni to star in it.

What the film will be about and the intentions of having Benigini are unclear at this moment but what we can gather the film will be inspired by 'the tasty wines of Salento'. This is a rather vague description however  Salento is part of the Apulia region of Southern Italy which happened to be where the 14th European film festival was hosted which the Finnish Auteur was a guest at. It seems the region has inspired the director which I totally appreciate (I lived nearly 2 years in Campania the neighboring region) but his grasp of the Italian language is only 'tourist' level so for this project to succeed he needs to learn the language better.

Originally Kaurismaki wanted Italian veteran Nanni Morretti (We Have A Pope) who unfortunately did not respond and now all eyes are on Benigni  who he described  who describes as a career like 'John Wayne  with a little Cary Grant'. If this project kicks off which we hope it does it's hard to see what direction the film will go, a film on wines may sound bland however with Life is Beautiful star Benigni onboard you can expect the film will be a mix of drama and crazy comedy.

source: THR

Evil Dead II Special Edition Blu-Ray Review

Studiocanal has FINALLY re-released Evil Dead 2 : Dead By Dawn on blu-ray with the release it deserves. It has previously been released barebones during their shitty period of barebones releases of 80s cult films like Escape From New York and the 2 sequels to Evil Dead. This re-released is obviously timed for remake (or shall we say re-imaging) of the original Evil Dead which comes out later this week and if early reviews are to be believed… shock… Quite good. Anyhow onto the best film in the whole series.

Ash, (Bruce Campbell) the sole survivor of the Evil Dead Takes his girlfriend Linda (Desise Bixler) to a secluded cabin in the wood where he plays back a professor’s tape recorded recitation of passages of the book of the Dead. The spell calls up an evil force from the woods than turn Linda into a monstrous Deadite, and threatens to do the same to Ash. He is forced to single-handedly battle the legions of the damned as the most lethal – and groovy – hero in horror movie history. (Taken from the pr)

The first film certainly had some comic laughs but in Evil Dead 2 brings the humour much more to the forefront. The film soon becomes an absurdist acid trip of “horror film” which literally has blood running down the walls of the cabin. Sam Raimi was as influenced by The Three Stooges as he was by let’s say The Night of the Living Dead and it shows. The film is chock a block full of slapstick humour even during it’s more “horrific” moments like the eyeball scene. Bruce Campbell is very much like the horror version of Buster Keaton and like Buster he did many of his own stunts in the film due to budgetary constraints probably.

The film’s initial release had little to no fanfare despite some positive reviews from mainstream film critics like the recently deceased Roger Ebert it fared poorly initially at the box office. It opened in only 300 theatres in the USA but due to word of the mouth it made a small profit within a month. It has since gained a enormous cult following due to it’s manic blend of slapstick and gore and rightfully so. It’s cult following is partly due to the rise of home video in the 80s and 90s and eventually dvd where it has been milked to hell with various different editions.

The new re-release (which is actually a port of the US Blu-ray that has been out for a while) has a new documentary which is actually longer than the entire film and some other supplementary features + previously released stuff like another doc and the hilarious commentary from Raimi, Campbell and co from earlier releases. If you’ve never seen Evil Dead 2 you’re in for treat and if you have Blu-ray capabilities it’s a worthy upgrade. Groovy…

Ian Schultz

★★★★★

Rating: 15
BD Release: 15th April 2013 (UK)
Director:Sam Raimi
Cast:Bruce Campbell, Sarah Berry, Dan Hicks
Buy:Evil Dead 2 On Blu-ray

Robert Redford; A Career In Pictures

Robert Redford is an American actor, director, producer, environmental activist, philanthropist, and businessman. His expansive career boasts a range of roles in over 50 films, an Academy Award for Best Director, and founder of the Sundance Film Festival. His performances in theatre, television, and film have rightfully given him mega-star status, and it is his continued involvement in the movie industry as both an actor and director that continues to bring prestige and distinction to the annual festival commemorating independent filmmakers across the United States.

In honour of this year’s upcoming Sundance London Film Festival, taking place April 25-28 at the O2, here is a brief – and certainly not exhaustive – look back at some stand-out moments from Redford’s long, and continuing, film career.

BUTCH CASSIDY AND THE SUNDANCE KID (1969) – The Sundance Kid

Starring alongside Paul Newman – and effectively sparking a life-long friendship – this film cemented Redford as a bankable movie star in the breakthrough role of the titular Sundance Kid. The role would end up having a major influence in his later life, founding the Sundance Institute and the Sundance Film Festival in Utah and naming it after his character.


THE STING (1973) – Johnny Hooker

This blockbuster crime caper again teamed up the dynamic duo of Redford and Newman, this time playing a pair of con artists in 1930’s Chicago. Redford received an Oscar nomination for Best Actor in a Leading Role, and the film remains one of the top 20 highest grossing movies of all time when adjusted for inflation.


THE WAY WE WERE (1973) – Hubbell

Proving his versatility as an actor, Redford co-starred alongside Barbra Streisand in this hugely popular period drama about two lovers who try to sustain a complicated relationship throughout the years. The role further cemented Redford’s leading man reputation and added good old-fashioned romance to his lengthening list of genres.


ALL THE PRESIDENT’S MEN (1976) – Bob Woodward

Scripted by Butch Cassidy writer William Goldman, this landmark film paired up Redford with Dustin Hoffman as famed reporters Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein attempting to uncover the truth about Watergate. With Redford as co-star and executive producer, the film attempted to create a realistic portrayal of journalism and reflected his off-screen concern for political causes.


ORDINARY PEOPLE (1980) – Director

Taking a seat behind the camera instead of in front of it, Redford’s directorial debut was a critical success winning a number of Oscars including Best Director. The film follows the disintegration of an upper class American family and stars Donald Sutherland and Mary Tyler Moore.


INDECENT PROPOSAL (1993) – John Gage

Forever remembered as the movie where Robert Redford offered Woody Harrelson a million dollars for one night with Demi Moore, this film gave Redford one of his most popular and recognized roles. Playing the corrupt millionaire who uses bribery to test people’s morals, Redford’s performance made the movie one of the year’s biggest hits.


THE COMPANY YOU KEEP (2012) – Jim Grant / Nick Sloan

Most recently, Redford directed and co-starred in this political thriller centered on a former activist who goes on the run after a young journalist, played by Shia LeBeouf, discovers his identity. Marking the first film with Redford as both director and actor, it has so far won two awards from the Venice Film Festival.


SUNDANCE FILM FESTIVAL – Founder

No list of accomplishments would be complete without Redford’s founding contribution to the Sundance Institute in 1981, and consequently the Sundance Film Festival, Sundance Cinemas, Sundance Catalogue, and the Sundance Channel, all in or around Park City, Utah. The Sundance Film Festival is now one of the most prestigious events in the movie industry, giving independent filmmakers from around the world a chance to showcase their works. Redford’s continued involvement and support brings respect and admiration to any Sundance project – even all the way across the pond at Sundance London.

Sundance London is taking from 25th-28th April 2013 at The O2, London.

Drew Bolduc's Science Team Needs Your Help! Watch First Teaser

From the director who brought you exploding cocks in the crazy Troma-esque The Taint, Drew Bolduc needs your help with his next project. The Science Team which looks a little more sophomore however this is a Bolduc film so expect the unexpected! The director has been in touch asking for our help but most of all cinehouse and The Peoples Movies Readers so he can get his new project up and running a Sci-fi/comedy which describes as “eliminate evil extraterrestrial threats.” a little vague, but plenty of bizarre moments.


Science Team Promo from Drew Bolduc on Vimeo.

Synopsis

Chip returns home to find that his mother has been brutally murdered. A sessile space alien is now living in her house. Science Team must eliminate the extraterrestrial threat. Drama ensues. People die. Inner and extraterrestrial demons are engaged. Men in pink suits use cool-looking technology. Events culminate in a destructive orgy of violence of such an epic intensity that people’s minds are literally blown out of their heads

So if you loved The Taint, you'll certainly enjoy Science Team and why not support them in their fundraising? Find out here for more information

Terracotta Film Festival To Expand With New venues, Events and Dates This Years Festival

The Terracotta Festival, for its 5th year anniversary, will expand from the usual four-days to 10 days from Thursday 6 June to Saturday 15 June 2013. The festival will increase the number of films and venues, and still remain in the heart of the capital.

To commemorate this special occasion, Terracotta Festival organisers are delighted to announce that more strands have been added to the line-up. The four strands of the festival are: CURRENT ASIAN CINEMA, IN MEMORY OF: Leslie Cheung & Anita Mui, SPOTLIGHT ON: Indonesia and the Terror Cotta Horror All-Nighter.

Terracotta Festival will continue to screen its usual selection of best contemporary films from any genre, any Far East country, at the Prince Charles Cinema from 6-9 June 2013. Like previous editions, guest actors and directors will attend the festival to introduce their film, host Q&A sessions, run Masterclasses and interact with festival goers. This will be the CURRENT ASIAN CINEMA section of the festival.

Two prolific and well respected Hong Kong actors, Leslie Cheung and Anita Mui, passed away unexpectedly, and in tragic circumstances, in 2003. Ten years later, their impression on film lovers around the world is still very strong. Terracotta Festival would like to take this opportunity to present some highlights of their screen legacy.

An additional five days from 11-15 June 2013 have been added for a new section entirely dedicated to an emerging territory. This section will be called “SPOTLIGHT ON:…” and this year the festival will shine the spotlight on contemporary Indonesian cinema.

Taking place at the Institute of Contemporary Arts (ICA), this section will showcase the exciting breadth of genres, directors and subject matters from this country.

Whilst the Prince Charles Cinema is a perfect location (leading cult cinema in the centre of Chinatown), the new structure and the ICA will give a wider audience more opportunities to take part in the Festival.

Last but not least, the Terror Cotta Horror All-Nighter returns following the success of last year’s event. Showcasing the diversity and ingenuity of horror from the Far East, expect a mix of ghosts, monsters, zombies, demons and cold-blooded killers from various East Asian territories.

What is Bobo are the official design sponsors of the Terracotta Far East Film Festival for the 3rd consecutive year, creating the festivals branding, on screen identity and all of it’s promotional material.

Festival Director Joey Leung comments: “It is very encouraging for us to see the growth in audience numbers each year, and the appetite of audiences to explore deeper into this area of International Cinema. This year’s enlarged festival will bring a depth to our programme, a wider range of entertaining stories and an exciting line-up of guests”

Soda Pictures/Jinga Films to Re-release Julian Richards Summer Scars

Soda Pictures has announced the UK DVD re-release of Julian Richards' BAFTA winning hostage horror SUMMER SCARS with a street day of May 6th 2013.

SUMMER SCARS tells the story of a gang of delinquents who ditch school to hang out in the woods where some hot rodding on a stolen moped changes the fate of their day. They crash into Peter, an ex-army loner, who is delighted to have some company. First he gains their trust by joining in their games, but then his behaviour begins to change. Peter uses what he has learned about the kids against them, bullying the aplha boys, belittling the weaker ones and saving his worst for the only girl of the group. As events spiral out of control the youths resort to extreme measures in order to survive the ordeal.

SUMMER SCARS re-unites Richards with lead actor Kevin Howarth, the dynamic director/actor team behind cult sensation THE LAST HORROR MOVIE. Richards has since directed the forthcoming Hollywood thriller SHIVER starring Danielle Harris, John Jarratt and Casper Van Dien, whilst Howarth has starred alongside Wesley Snipes in GALLOWWALKER and Sean Pertwee in THE SEASONING HOUSE.



Pre-Order/ Buy:Summer Scars On DVD

Terracotta Film Club To Present Special Screening of Samurai masterpiece Lady Snowblood

Terracotta Film Club will present a Japanese classic from legendary director Toshiya Fujita for its 4th edition.

This blood-splattered Samurai masterpiece from the golden age of Japanese cult cinema is credited as the main inspiration for Quentin Tarantino’s KILL BILL series.

LADY SNOWBLOOD is a 1973 Japanese film based on a manga and set in 17th century Japan. The film follows Yuki (Meiko Kaji) on her quest for vengeance against those who killed her father, brother and raped her mother, all before she was even born.

'Terracotta Film Club' organisers are delighted to continue showing Asian films regularly on the big screen and this opportunity to show LADY SNOWBLOOD fits perfectly among the other influential classic and contemporary Asian films showcased in the previous months.

Terracotta Film Club will take place every last Wednesday of the month at the Prince Charles Cinema, London



Terracotta Film Club will take place every last Wednesday of the month at the Prince Charles Cinema, London.Lady Snowblood will be screened on Wednesday 24 April at 8.45pm doors open / 9pm film starts. Ticket price: £ 6.50 (Prince Charles cinema members £ 4.00)book your tickets now from here

Synopsis

Meiko Kaji (Female Prisoner Scorpion / Blind Woman’s Curse) is Yuki, a women raised from birth for one terrible, blood splattered purpose...To murder those who raped her mother and left her to rot in a stinking women’s prison, where she died in childbirth. Trained in deadly fighting arts and fatal sword play, Lady Snowblood is cursed to wander the lands in pursuit of her single purpose. She is a demon of vengeance, only sated by the crimson blood of those who stole her mother from her.
Lady Snowblood is a 1973 Japanese film based on a manga called Shurayukihime by Kazuo Koike (Lone Wolf and Cub) and Kazuo Kamimura. Lady Snowblood’s theme song, Shura No Hana, sung by Meiko Kaji (translated by Tarantino as The Flower of Carnage) is also used in Kill Bill, Vol. 1.