Review – Killing Ground (2017) Edinburgh Film Festival

by Old King Clancy

I’m gonna take some cues from Walter White and tread lightly on this review, part of what makes Killing Ground so great is how it utilizes a unique narrative technique in order to tell its story. In doing so, allow itself to hit some really disturbing and sickening moments that other horror films wouldn’t go near. This is gonna be a must for genre fans, but go in blind to get the full effect of what the film wants to put you through.

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Review – The Dark Mile (2017) Edinburgh Film Festival

by Old King Clancy

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.”

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Cinephellas Podcast – Episode 13 (Interview with Matt Schrader)

Complementary Rhythms: A Conversation with Matt Schrader

By Christopher M. Rzigalinski

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.

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Review – Sweet Virginia (2017) Edinburgh Film Festival

by Old King Clancy

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.

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Review – God’s Own Country (2017) Edinburgh Film Festival

by Old King Clancy

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.

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Cinephellas Podcast – Episode 12 (Interview with Blake Freeman)

Calling for Community: A Conversation with Blake Freeman

By Christopher M. Rzigalinski

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.

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Review- Alien: Covenant (2017)

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.

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