At the time of writing I’ve sat on The Dark Mile for just over a full day trying to work out my thoughts on the film. Not that I didn’t like it, in fact, it’s probably the best film I’ve seen at this year’s Festival so far. It’s an experience that I guarantee will piss a lot of people off and trying to recommend it is going to prove difficult, due to the film’s own encouragement that “the less you know the better.”
Complementary Rhythms: A Conversation with Matt Schrader
On this episode of the Cinephellas Podcast we have my conversation with Matt Schrader, making his directorial debut with Score: A Film Music Documentary. Matt provides keen insight into how this film was made. We discuss how his previous career as a major network news producer influenced his approach to directing, his favorite cinematic memories, and the difficulties of making a fact-based documentary in the era of Fake News. The conversation made me want to see the movie ten more times; I hope it gets you excited, too.
Nile reviews the 80’s horror classic ‘Motel Hell’ in the first video of the ‘Retro Reviews’ series.
With TV currently in it’s Golden Age, a lot of genres have proven to work better with a long-form series rather than a one-off entry; case in point, crime thriller with the likes of Fargo and Twin Peaks making the most of their extended run-time. I bring this up because while it’s very easy to tell when a movie needs to be cut shorter, new Alaskan thriller Sweet Virginia is one of those rare films that could benefit from being longer.
God’s Own Country has been described as Yorkshire’s answer to Brokeback Mountain which I think is doing both films a disservice. Brokeback was more of a period piece, dealing with the love of two men in a society that hated them, whereas God’s Own Country tackled a much more personal story about the love between two men when one of them hates themselves. It tackles self-destruction with a deft hand that evokes Mike Leigh’s work, but with a modern sensibility towards homosexual sex and romance.
Nile shares his favorite characters from Life-Action films from the past few decades. The list includes characters from Planet of the Apes, Lord of The Rings, Star Wars, and Beauty and The Beast!
by Nile Fortner
Calling for Community: A Conversation with Blake Freeman
On this episode of the Cinephellas podcast we have my conversation with the multitalented Blake Freeman. We’re discussing his new comedy, All About the Money. Blake wrote the screenplay, directed, produced, and stars in the film. But he consistently points out that the project was only possible thanks to the community of people he worked with, both behind the scenes and in front of the camera. He’s got some great co-stars, including Eddie Griffin and Casper Van Dien. This is Eddie’s return to the big screen after about two years doing other projects. And Casper gives a great performance playing against his usual all-American type. Blake also gave me some info about his upcoming TV project based on tech and gaming culture. It’s a timely look at contemporary digital culture.
It’s been five years since Prometheus and in that time the film has received a very mixed reaction. There were a lot of unanswered questions that have been waiting for a sequel to go into more detail about where these prequels fit into the Alien mythos and Covenant might be the film that puts things back on track. Anyone looking for concrete answers to Prometheus will be disappointed, but as it’s own beast that adds more layers to the universe and it’s as close to the original film as we’ve gotten in nearly 40 years.
Save the Galaxy Again with Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2
by Nile Fortner
Back in 2014, Marvel Studios attempted their riskiest adventure yet, releasing a film based on the not so popular superhero team known as The Guardians of the Galaxy. When the film hit theaters, it was a massive success, and turned characters such as Star Lord and Groot into prominent names. Guardians of the Galaxy: Vol. 2 has now hit cinemas, and many are wondering, “Do our favorite space ‘A-holes’ have what it takes to strike lightning in a bottle twice?” The answer is hell yes!
by Kevin Muller
The second trailer, or clip, has arrived for the anticipated new adaptation of Stephen King’s horror masterpiece. This one definitely has more footage than I expected, hell, it basically is a new miniature trailer. Let’s see what we got this time.
We hear Stan, standing in front of the attendees at his synagogue, talking about how children are supposed to be protected and how the unprotected ones become prey to evil. Accompanying this speech we see footage of a missing person’s photo along with an image of a very seedy looking adult. This gives of the feeling that Muschetti will indeed include how Pennywise’s presence does bring out the worst in the town. It is something that the mini-series didn’t really talk about. Readers of the novel know that Pennywise casts a very negative energy amongst the residents that definitely influences them to do evil acts.
Cinephellas 