Waiting for Armageddon Dir. Kate Davis (2010, USA, 74 mins.) Rapture, tribulation, millennialism, Armageddon – Director Kate Davis has her work cut out. Waiting for Armageddon attempts to shine light onto one of the most nebulous and convoluted social movements of recent history: Armageddon theology as prescribed by American Christian fundamentalists. Davis achieves this by …
Our readers and listeners out in Saskatoon may be interested in knowing that Canada is adding yet another genre film festival. Saskatoon’s first annual Dark Bridges Film Festival will take place this coming September 24 – 26. John Allison, one of the bloggers of Row Three is programming the festival and has a great line …
“Catfish feels like the most relevant examination of humanity and love in the Internet age…” Catfish Directed by Henry Joost and Ariel Schulman When a poster for a film includes nothing but its title and the disclaimer “Don’t let anyone tell you what it is,” that film will likely be a headache to review. Though …
Fall is now upon us. With Labor Day upon us, that means it’s time to get the rake out and pass on those trick or treats. Football has replaced Baseball, although with the pennant race in full gear, important baseball is still to be played. I am glad I mentioned the word important because that …
Though primarily a literary figure, Stephen King has enjoyed one of the most successful symbioses between publishing and Hollywood of any popular author, if not in box office and critical respect (those trophies would most likely have to go to Harry Potter creator J. K. Rowling) certainly in terms of sheer quantity. King’s first novel, …
/film dropped an interesting article on the upcoming Marvel superhero film Captain America. In interview with CBR, director Joe Johnston spoke about how Captain America: The First Avenger would tie into the other Marvel films. “There are links between all the Marvel films, mostly ones that only the fans will pick up on. We have …
Cult Cinema: Volume 8 At their best, horror films hold society up to a funhouse mirror, providing a grotesque yet revealing reflection of cultural concerns, values, and above all, fears. And then there’s torture porn, in which the only insights are gained from peering deep into the vivisected ruins of a woman’s genitals. The term …
“The Lovely Ones, with its Kathy-Bates-in-Misery surrogate may have birthed this year’s greatest screen villain.” The Loved Ones Directed by Sean Byrne If in a parallel dimension a young John Waters had been born in Australia and decided to remake the eighties rom-com Pretty In Pink then it would resemble Sean Byrne’s teenage love satire …
What is most impressive about The Dead is its languid, acrid texture, it is a very atmospheric tale of the re-animated dead which harkens back to the early days of Fulci and Romero,
The American Directed by Anton Corbijn Action fans and George Clooney enthusiasts might well be ill-prepared for The American, which, despite its marketing as a slam-bang thriller, is actually closer in spirit to Euro arthouse fare, and features Clooney in full-on “emptied out” mode. (It’s best described as a brooding drama slightly peppered with violence.) …
“Wings is a rare cinematic achievement – a poetic, literary script turned into pure cinematic expression…” Wings Of Desire Directed by Wim Wenders Every so often, a filmmaker will turn to a smaller project while he’s impatiently waiting to get a bigger one financed, and often that small independent film will turn out to be …
“Intelligent, audacious and complex filmmaking…” Open Your Eyes Directed by Alejandro Amenábar The 1998 Sundance Film Fest hit Open Your Eyes announced Alejandro Amenábar as one of the top directors working today. His sophomore feature is a labyrinth, thick in mystery, with intricate plot twists and a riddle that will keep you guessing to the …
‘From the Saul Bass inspired, cascading titles it’s evident that the master of suspense would be proud; one can quite clearly imagine an intrigued Hitchcock mining Buried’s foundations for all their anxious credentials.’
“It’s invigorating and brilliant and deserves to become a minor classic.” Buried Directed by Rodrigo Cortés When A Serbian Film was dropped from the line-up during the first day of the festival, Frightfesters were up in arms about the loss of one of the weekend’s most anticipated movies and a bit of a frenzy ensued …
“A well made pulpy-genre piece that entertains as well as provoking some genuine emotion thanks to its earnest final showdown…” Red Hill Directed by Patrick Hughes Red Hill is a slightly oddball yet very sincere modern-day Australian cowboy movie. Its setup is simple: city cop moves to backwards middle-of-nowhere town with his pregnant wife to …
Dear Fans of the First Amendment: The Internet, the last free open and diverse democratic medium, is under attack. Net Neutrality, which provides that no content is favored over any other, and that content creators have an equal opportunity to freely disseminate their information, is being imminently threatened by greedy media megaconglomerates and their vassals. …
The Alamo Drafthouse, Fantastic Fest & Fantastic Arcade announced the 2010 “Movies in the Park” lineup of free outdoor screenings in Republic Square today. Check out the fantastic line-up of movies and fun! Bring your family and come enjoy a new twist on Austin night-life. All movies are free. Amusing pre-show antics start at 7:30 …
8: The Mormon Proposition Dir. Reed Cowan, Steven Greenstreet If you are the type of person who watches documentaries like 8: The Mormon Proposition, then it is likely that you already have an opinion on the subject of homosexuality, Mormonism, and California’s Proposition 8. In this case, you are in good company: it is clear …
With the sponsorship and assistance of the UK’s Total Film magazine the Frightfest organisers instituted a new filament to the festival programme last year, the Total Icon event that was awarded to John Landis who hitch-hiked over to London with a sparkling digital print of An American Werewolf in London in tow. This year the strand continued with …
Monsters Directed by Gareth Edwards Monsters begins with a flurry of panicked hand-held night vision shots as troops battle with a looming, Lovecraft-ian creature that towers above them, tentacles rippling through the night sky. It’s an arresting first impression and one whose key tone – realism – is maintained throughout the rest of the movie. …
The Shanghai Gesture (1941) Directed by Josef von Sterberg The unabashed and almost flippant garishness of The Shanghai Gesture is what draws one in immediately. A dress isn’t just a dress, it is a lavish gown hung elegantly on the shoulders of Gene Tierney. A light bulb isn’t just a light bulb, it is one …
According to Filmjunk.com, Dark Sky Films has announced that they are making a pretty risky decision with the theatrical release of Hatchet 2. Following in the footsteps of Anchor Bay’s remake to I Spit On Your, Dark Sky is sidestepping the MPAA entirely by only releasing an unrated version of the film. What this means …
The bad news just keeps on coming for beleaguered movie rental giant Blockbuster, but is anyone really surprised? Yesterday, the LA Times reported that Blockbuster chief executive Jim Keyes was in LA to discuss plans for a possible “pre-planned” bankruptcy in September. Apparently, he met with executives at several studios including Paramount Pictures, Sony Pictures, …