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Trailer for Hola Mexico Film Festival! Proof Moustaches Can Be Awesome!

Wed, 16 May 2012 15:29:32 -0500

I've run it by the rest of the guys that we should participate in 'Movember' next Fall. I think this trailer for the Hola Mexico Film Festival may just be the motivating tool I need to convince them that growing a moustache is a great idea....

Nicolas Cage's Photoshopped Abs Star In Ryuhei Kitamura's MARBLE CITY

Wed, 16 May 2012 14:50:38 -0500

Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you what may be the greatest, most ridiculous poster ever made for a movie which does not yet exist. Freshly arrived in Cannes I made my first foray into the Marche du Film - the market area separate from the main festival where films are bought and sold for international distribution - and the first thing I discovered was this: The sales art for a proposed new film by Versus and Midnight Meat Train director Ryuhei Kitamura titled Marble City, featuring a wildly photoshopped Nicolas Cage in the lead.Rune enters Marble City after serving ten years for armed robbery; with an eye patch covering his scarred and mangled eye, he's full of hate and vengeance.Even though on parole,...

The 2012 New York Indian Film Festival Preview: Anurag Kashyap, Manoj Bajpayee, & Nawazuddin Siddiqui On A Roll!

Wed, 16 May 2012 14:05:37 -0500

The 12th annual New York Indian Film Festival is nearly here, and they've got some great events and films to share. The festival begins on Wednesday, May 23rd and runs through May 27th. During that time, attendees will be treated not only to some of the finest and freshest Indian films available, but also industry panels, cast and crew Q & A's, and some red carpet shenanigans as well. Since I'm mostly interested in the movie-going aspect, here's a little preview of the big titles showing at this year's NYIFF!Opening Night FilmChittagongDirector Bedabrata Pain makes his feature debut with Chittagong. The film follows the story of the Chittagong revolt in Bangladesh when a group of dissatisfied locals took on the local British government in an...

Review Reminder Roundup: FROZEN PLANET, SHAME, BEING ELMO, SLEEPING BEAUTY

Wed, 16 May 2012 11:02:36 -0500

Hello fellow sojourners in the stateside mass media marketplace. Here's another chance to reminisce about the last month or so in home entertainment. Virtually everything you see here is something I wanted to see, a personal favorite or a film I hated enough to warn you about. That's why it winds up in the column. I do my best to approach what I'm doing here as a defense of curatorship and not just review whatever the PR types hype my way. What a world we live in huh? There's beauty everywhere in in the darkest tales but what else would give us hope in a darker than dark world than the chance to encounter the light however fragmented it's beam may be. So until next...

PROMETHEUS Viral Video sees Dr. Shaw Pitching her Philosophy

Wed, 16 May 2012 10:53:24 -0500

Running one of the best lead-up campaigns to a big blockbuster in years, a combination of advertising, teasing, and otherwise setting the mood, team-Prometheus now gives you a real good look at who is most likely to be the lead character in the film: Noomi Rapace's Dr. Elizabeth Shaw. In the 'exists in that universe' nature of these videos (see also the TED Talk and Meet David from earlier) this video doubles as a pitch for a job and a glimpse into the mind/philosophy of a key character, but visually, it has an ominous overlay of the Weyland corporation's computers processing the visual and audio information of the call in every way imaginable. Note the foreboding name of the video, "Quiet Eye."...

THE CAPTURED BIRD to premiere at World Wide Short Festival

Wed, 16 May 2012 09:40:58 -0500

Written and directed by former Rue Morgue editor-in-chief Jovanka Vuckovic and produced by Jason Lapeyre (I Declare War) with Guillermo del Toro tying a ribbon on top as executive producer, The Captured Bird is has an astounding pool of talent in the genre world involved including cinematographer Karim Hussain (Antiviral, Hobo With A Shotgun), editor Douglas Buck (Family Portraits, The Theatre Bizarre's best segment "The Accident"). A little girl drawing chalk figures on a sidewalk is drawn to a decrepit industrial building. Inside, she witnesses the birth of five horrifying apparitions. They creep towards her, determined to get outside the building and into the world."The Captured Bird is inspired in part by a childhood nightmare, the writings of H. P. Lovecraft, the fables of the Brothers Grimm and the paranormal...

John Woo to Remake Seijun Suzuki's YOUTH OF THE BEAST

Wed, 16 May 2012 09:35:07 -0500

John Woo will direct an English-language remake of Seijun Suzuki's Youth of the Beast, to be entitled Day of the Beast. Woo and his longtime partner Terence Chang will produce; the film will be a co-production of Woo and Chang's Lion Rocks Productions and the Nikkatsu Corporation. Rob Frisbee, who does not appear to have any previous credits, wrote the script. In Suzuki's original, Jo Sushido starred as a disgraced former policeman who infiltrates two Yakuka gangs in order to clear his name and that of his boss (borrowing the plot description from Mark Schilling's excellent book No Borders No Limits). It's a variation on the plot idea first established in Dashiell Hammett's Red Harvest, one that has been adapted, officially or otherwise, by...

Contest: Win a Blu-Ray/DVD Combo of Joe Carnahan's THE GREY

Wed, 16 May 2012 09:24:53 -0500

Although Joe Carnahan's latest doesn't live up to the marketing hype of Liam Neeson in wild-man action mode, The Grey is a surprisingly effective drama wrapped inside of a tense survival thriller. Here's the official synopsis: Liam Neeson (Schindler's List, Taken) stars as the unlikely hero Ottway in this undeniably suspenseful and powerful survival adventure. After their plane crashes into the remote Alaskan wilderness, a roughneck group of oil drillers is forced to find a way back to civilization. As Ottway leads the injured survivors through the brutal snow and ice, they are relentlessly tracked by a vicious pack of rogue wolves that will do anything to defend their territory. Adrenaline-fueled, action-packed and loaded with some of the most intense and brutally realistic attack scenes...

You Are What You Eat in Hilarious FUGU & TAKO Trailer

Tue, 15 May 2012 21:39:12 -0500

The latest film from director Ben West and Australian special effects guru, Robot, comes FUGU & TAKO, the story of two Japanese salarymen who get more than they bargain for when one of them demands ultra fresh "fugu" (pufferfish) at a sushi bar. I'm getting a strong Hitoshi Matsumoto vibe from the mock-documentary style of this, reminiscent of his classic BIG MAN JAPAN, together with something like Minoru Kawasaki's EXECUTIVE KOALA. The effects work looks absolutely sensational - the expressiveness of the "puffer face" is incredibly emotive - and quite frankly I cannot wait to see the full film.Check out the trailer below and there's also a link to Robot's website so you can check out their back catalogue of excellent videos....

Soi Cheang's MOTORWAY finally enters the home straight!

Tue, 15 May 2012 21:13:54 -0500

It seems like forever since director Soi Cheang and producer Johnnie To began work on their underground racing thriller, MOTORWAY, with the first proper trailer surfacing almost exactly a year ago to the day. Well, now the chequered flag seems to be in sight as Media Asia has released a new trailer and announced that the film, which stars a host of familiar faces, including Shawn Yue, Anthony Wong, Barbie Hsu, Michelle Ye, Gordon Lam and Guo Xiaodong, will make its debut in China this coming June. The story focuses on Sean (Yue), a cocky police officer who goes undercover in a special tactical unit designed to take down secret underground racing gangs, and by the looks of the trailer, the production shot in some of...

Kathryn Bigelow's 'Bin Laden' Movie Gets International Distribution

Tue, 15 May 2012 18:56:00 -0500

The movie known as Zero Dark Thirty -- and, originally, as Kill Bin Laden -- has been acquired for distribution outside the United States by Universal Pictures International (UPI), according to The Hollywood Reporter. Sony will release the film in the U.S. on December 19. UPI acquired rights to the U.K., France, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Italy, Scandinavia, South Africa and Spain. Zero Dark Thirty has been the working title of the project since at least March, but it was only a provisional name and a final title is yet to be determined. Bigelow and screenwriter Mark Boal (The Hurt Locker) came aboard the project before Bin Laden was actually killed, requiring some re-tooling of the story. As we reported previously, Chris Pratt, Joel Edgerton...

Review: THE DICTATOR Not Altogether Great, But Still Retains Power

Tue, 15 May 2012 18:21:32 -0500

Here we have a fish-out-water story which transports the protagonists from their far-away homeland, to New York City. The CG may not be the best, and it plays more than a bit blue. No, I'm not talking about THE SMURFS, although the argument could be made that the lead in this film bears certain similarities to a cartoon. This is THE DICTATOR - the latest character-driven comedy from Sasha Baron Cohen. Once again, we are given further proof of Cohen as the Peter Sellers of our day - in more ways than one. Like Sellers, Cohen has a certain fearlessness, deriving from his clear need for complete immersion into his characters. He is chameleon-like; his timing - even on lesser jokes - is impeccable. His...

Cannes 2012 Interview: Brandon Cronenberg talks ANTIVIRAL

Tue, 15 May 2012 14:59:28 -0500

Antiviral marks the feature debut of the scion of one of the world's most esteemed genre filmmakers. The film will be competing as part of the Un Certain Regard series, an immesely prestigious honor for this young filmmaker.Brandon Cronenberg's name has actually appeared already on a film screened on the Croisette, appearing in the credits of his father's delightfully macabre short film At the Suicide of the Last Jew in the World. Of course, this will be the first time that Brandon will be there with a film under his own name.Here's the official summary of Antiviral:Syd March is an employee at a clinic that sells injections of live viruses harvested from sick celebrities to obsessed fans. Biological communion - for a price. Syd also...

Remember Kids, YOU CAN'T KILL STEPHEN KING

Tue, 15 May 2012 14:30:47 -0500

I have no idea if the filmmakers responsible for upcoming horror comedy You Can't Kill Stephen King were aware that they were making a bad movie. I really don't. But the guys who cut the trailer? Oh, they knew exactly what they had on their hands and they've had a whole lot of fun with it.A group of friends make a clueless and ill-fated decision to visit the lake where horror author Stephen King lives. Upon arrival, they are greeted by unfriendly townspeople who hate noise and tom-foolery almost as much as they hate uninvited guests and questions about their most famous resident. As dead bodies begin to mount, one thing becomes clear: all the killings are straight out of Stephen King novels. Facing...

Shark Attack In Aisle Five. Full Trailer For Aussie Horror BAIT 3D

Tue, 15 May 2012 13:31:20 -0500

Some ideas just demand to be made into films. And one of those ideas involves a great white shark swept into a grocery store by a massive tsunami. Thank you Bait 3D, thank you.Story's set in a sleepy beach community where shoppers at an underground supermarket are terrorized by a crazed bandit when a tsunami swallows the town. Now trapped, with rushing water threatening to entomb them, the survivors discover the tsunami has brought unwanted visitors from the depths -- hungry great white sharks.Xavier Samuel (The Loved Ones, Twilight: Eclipse), Sharni Vinson (You're Next) and Julian McMahon (Nip/Tuck) star. Also, there's a shark. Check the trailer below!...

Fresh Clip From Sean Byrne's THE LOVED ONES

Tue, 15 May 2012 12:30:41 -0500

About a zillion years after it wowed audiences on the festival circuit - it's actually been three - Sean Byrne's stellar Australian horror flick The Loved Ones is finally receiving a US theatrical release this summer. And do not let the behind the scenes wrangling make you think that the delay has anything to do with the quality of the film ... this one deserves every ounce of praise that has been heaped upon it.Lola Stone asked Brent Mitchell to the prom, but Brent said no, and now he's screwed. What happens when Lola doesn't get what she wants? She enlists Daddy's help to throw a prom of her own where she is queen and Brent is king, whether he likes it or not....

Cannes 2012 Preview: Un Certain Regard, Midnight, Directors Fortnight and More

Tue, 15 May 2012 12:20:56 -0500

Cannes kicks off tomorrow and Twitch will be on the scene for the very latest on what films are not to be missed and who is calling who a Nazi this year (even odds on Vinterberg). Yesterday we brought you our Palme d'Or Competition Preview and today we take you on a quick tour of the other sections. This just begins to scratch the surface of what will be playing around the Croissette, but here are some titles that caught our eyes. Un Certain Regard ANTIVIRAL Papa Cronenberg ain't the only family member strutting his stuff on the Palais this year. Son Brandon makes his feature debut with this celebrity culture satire starring Caleb Landry Jones, Sarah Gadon, and Malcolm McDowell. MYSTERY Chinese troublemaker...

Blu-ray Review: THE GREY Is Surprisingly Light On Wolf Punching

Tue, 15 May 2012 11:33:25 -0500

The characters stranded with Liam Neeson among the wilds of mountainous, snowy Alaska are a motley crew of criminals, the lost, and the broken whose choices in life have led them to the very the end of the continent, and through fate, have found their lives in more desperate circumstances still after a harrowing plane crash. I suspect if you asked any of them why there were now forced to make a southbound trek from the wreckage of their flight towards what they hope will be safety, at least a couple of them would attribute it to a well-deserved hell (or at least purgatory) for lives poorly lived. But making his characters suffer, bringing them to some great epiphanies about their lives or some sudden...

Utterly Abysmal New Trailer For Dario Argento's DRACULA 3D

Tue, 15 May 2012 11:30:10 -0500

When a sales trailer for Dario Argento's Dracula leaked out a while back there were some poised to forgive it its abundant flaws because it was, after all, still in progress. But polishing a turd makes it no less a turd and the official trailer that arrived today is utterly horrid. Bluntly, judging from this it's hard to believe that Argento ever made a single competent film in his career - never mind a string of classics - and I cannot even begin to imagine what the Cannes Film Festival was thinking when they selected this atrocity. Argento's career has gone beyond decline now to the point where the Italian auteur is simply feeding off the corpse of his legacy. The man needs to...

Udine 2012 Review: UNBOWED

Tue, 15 May 2012 11:30:00 -0500

In June of this year, two Korean actors will be feted at the famed Grauman's Chinese theatre on Hollywood Blvd., where they will have their hand and footprints cast in the pavement; the first Asian performers to be honoured in such a way. One is Lee Byung-hyun who, rather than being one of the nation's best or most long-standing thespians, is the one with the highest international profile. He is making a name for himself in the US industry and will soon be seen in G.I. Joe 2 and then the sequel to Red (2011). In fact, the former will be opening mere days following the aforementioned ceremony so his selection does smack of opportunism.However, the second star has all the hallmarks of greatness that...

Post-Apocalypse Envisioned by Abrams & Favreau in Trailer for REVOLUTION

Tue, 15 May 2012 11:00:48 -0500

A friend of mine in Spain has a plan for the apocalypse that involves learning how to ride a horse and living off the land in the Galician countryside. Well, a particular kind of apocalypse, in which a solar flare knocks out all the electricity in the world, plunging us into a pre-19th century civilization. Certainly, it's a good kind of plan to have, given how much we rely upon electricity for, well, everything. And this is the premise behind J.J. Abrams and Jon Favreau's new television show, Revolution. The show is co-produced by Abrams, with Eric Kripke serving as co-producer and writer, and Favreau directed the pilot.The premise of the show pushes the 'no electricity' to the limit: everything, including batteries and generators, suddenly stop...

Stephen Fry And Hugh Laurie Together Again?

Tue, 15 May 2012 10:30:03 -0500

Now that House is wrapping up leading man Hugh Laurie is free to stop pretending both that he is American and serious. He is now free to go back to being British and very, very funny. He is, in short, free to continue with one of the longest running and most consistently high quality comedy duos of our age. Yes, Hugh Laurie and Stephen Fry are getting back together.Fry tweeted yesterday that "Hugh Laurie and I are cooking up a project together. We will be working again soon. Sorry to be mysterious but more news when I can." He followed that up with notice that the duo were contributing voice work to an animated version of Oscar Wilde's The Canterville Ghost but my gut...

EURO BEAT: France's Razzie Awards, Wong Kar-Wai at Cannes, Plus News on New Roman Polanski Film

Tue, 15 May 2012 09:40:57 -0500

Now that the Razzie Awards for the worst films of the year have devolved into cheap shots at easy targets, perhaps it's time for their foreign equivalents to carry on the torch. Consider France's Gérard Awards, which, at the very least, have a lot more fun with the titles of their prizes. They also manage to put a few awards-darlings in their place. For example, The Artist's Jean Dujardin can now add a Gérard trophy to his shelf for "Actor who we hope you like a lot because you're about to see his face everywhere for the next thirty years." Other highlights include Jean-Pierre Bacri's (Subway) win for "cult actor who played in good movies and then one day, apparently got bored." Also, Hollywoo (not...

Blu-ray Review: DEMONS 1 & 2 Steelbook (Arrow Video)

Mon, 14 May 2012 21:35:33 -0500

Demons. In 1985, Dario Argento and Lamberto Bava put together what is probably the greatest of all Heavy Metal horror films, Demons. Sure, other films have focused more on the music, and there are no musicians or bands in Demons, but the atmosphere, the pacing, and the attitude is clear, this is a heavy metal movie. Written by Argento and directed by Bava, the film is a blast of gooey fun that encompasses all that was great about '80s horror. There are fantastically outdated outfits, flashy music, and, best of all, plenty of practical gore and creature effects to keep the kiddies squirming in their theater seats. Demons is a classic, and if you don't agree, we can take it outside.When a young girl is...

Contest: Win one of Two DVD Copies of McG's THIS MEANS WAR

Mon, 14 May 2012 19:22:23 -0500

We've got two DVD copies of McG's action romantic comedy This Means War to give away to a couple of our loyal Facebook followers. Details about the giveaway at the bottom of this post. First up, here's the official synopsis of the disc which streets next week: They are the CIA's best, trained for any situation...except one. Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment plays the ultimate spy game as two best friends fight for the right of one woman's hand in THIS MEANS WAR, coming to Blu-ray, DVD and Digital Download May 22. Starring Academy Award® winner Reese Witherspoon* (Walk the Line), Chris Pine (Star Trek) and Tom Hardy (The Dark Knight Rises), the laugh-out-loud comedy gets even better on Blu-ray with three alternate endings that...

KIDNAPPED Director Declares I WILL DIE TONIGHT

Mon, 14 May 2012 17:30:32 -0500

Spanish director Miguel Angel Vivas created quite a stir with his debut feature Kidnapped, the success of that film resulting in a number of potential project competing for his attention. And it looks as though the one that may go first is the Filmax backed thriller I Will Die Tonight.Marcos and his family have found themselves the victims of a cruel fate. He is currently the only suspect in a murder case, his trial is about to begin and the only witness who could save him has disappeared without trace. Marcos discovers something much more sinister is behind all this. Someone has been plotting this revenge for a long time and is planning to see it out until the bitter end...Though there is no...

RETURN OF THE LIVING DEAD Comes to London This Saturday! THE INNKEEPERS Sneaks on May 24th

Mon, 14 May 2012 17:26:59 -0500

Need I say more? Well, not much, as we have our pals at Cigarette Burns Cinema delivering the gory good details. Read on!One legendary cult favourite and one future classic...Join CIGARETTE BURNS CINEMA for RETURN OF THE LIVING DEAD and THE INNKEEPERS in May Salutations from Cigarette Burns! May promises to be one of the most exciting months in Cigarette Burns cinema history, with not one but two incredible screenings that any fan of the fearful and fantastic would be foolish to forgo. RETURN OF THE LIVING DEAD - Saturday 19th May, 23.30pm First up, on Saturday 19th May, we're bringing a spanking new print of Dan O'Bannon's (Alien, Dark Star, Dead and Buried) erstwhile zombie classic RETURN OF THE LIVING DEAD to the Rio Cinema, Dalston....

Get A Good Look At PROMETHEUS Herself In New Clip

Mon, 14 May 2012 17:03:13 -0500

Lest anyone forget, Ridley Scott's Prometheus takes its title from the space ship which carts its all star cast around and to drive that point home a one minute clip from the film has just been released which features the ship front and center.It's the landing sequence, with Idris Elba guiding the craft to the surface of the planet where the action will take place, so no need to fear spoilers here. Check it below....

Hey LA! Win A Pair Of Tickets To See Patrick Horvath And Dallas Hallam's ENTRANCE!

Mon, 14 May 2012 16:34:53 -0500

Okay, LA folk, here's one for you. IFC Midnight are presenting a screening of Patrick Horvath and Dallas Hallam's acclaimed indie thriller Entrance on Friday May 18th - when it will also be available nationwide on VOD - with House of the Devil and The Innkeepers director Ti West moderating a Q&A with the film's creators and you could be there for free.ENTRANCE is a riveting new psychological thriller from newcomers Dallas Hallam and Patrick Horvath, exploring the thin line between anxiety and naked horror in the life of Suzy (SUZIEY BLOCK), a young woman in Los Angeles who can't get comfortable in her own skin. A loner who wallows in nostalgia and finds herself wandering aimlessly through life in the city, she can't...

Cannes 2012 Preview: The Palme d'Or Competition

Mon, 14 May 2012 15:42:02 -0500

It's that most exciting time of the year, on the eve Europe's most extravagant celebration of cinema, when some of those incredible films we've been hearing whispers about for months and months will finally be unveiled! It's time for the 2012 edition of the Festival de Cannes and Twitch will be there, sipping champagne on the beach so you don't have to! Oh, and there are movies too. Lots and lots of fantastic sounding movies from every corner of the globe, just waiting to be torn apart/gushed over for months in anticipation of their fall awards season releases. We've got a series of previews ahead of Wednesday's opening gala and we start things here by taking you on a tour through each and every...

Raven Banner Takes On International Rights To Joko Anwar's MODUS ANOMALI

Mon, 14 May 2012 15:30:14 -0500

Headline says it all, really. On the eve of the Cannes Marche du Film, international sales company Raven Banner Entertainment have taken on sales rights for Joko Anwar's SXSW selection Modus Anomali.Toronto based genre specialist, Raven Banner Entertainment has landed international rights to SXSW Midnighter, Modus Anomali.Directed by Joko Anwar, Modus Anomali is an Indonesian, English-language thriller that gives viewers an exciting puzzle to solve as they witness a man desperately search his surroundings in an attempt to piece together what just happened to him and his missing family. Managing partners, Michael Paszt and James Fler negotiated the deal with Nate Bolotin and Todd Brown of XYZ Films on behalf of the producers. "Joko is a visionary filmmaker who has the unique ability to...

Sales Poster For Van Damme Starring Comedy WELCOME TO THE JUNGLE

Mon, 14 May 2012 15:15:24 -0500

Jean Claude Van Damme makes a foray into comedy in the Rob Meltzer directed Welcome To The Jungle, in which the Muscles From Brussels stars as a wilderness survival / workplace team building trainer opposite Adam Brody, Rob Huebel, Kristen Schaal, Megan Boone, and Dennis Haysbert.CHRIS (Adam Brody) is a workplace weakling who doesn't have the balls to stand up to the slick office bully, PHIL (Rob Huebel), who steals all his ideas, and he has yet to muster the courage to ask out cute HR manager, LISA (Megan Boone). Even Chris' only friend, JARED, a sarcastic slacker IT guy who secretly monitors everyone's porn intake, slams Chris for being a pussy.But when a team-building "wilderness seminar" goes horribly wrong, and unhinged ex-marine teambuilding...

Two Fantastic Clips From Aubier And Patar's ERNEST AND CELESTINE

Mon, 14 May 2012 14:30:13 -0500

Belgian animation duo Stéphane Aubier and Vincent Patar earned themselves an international cult following with their debut feature A Town Called Panic. Based on the television shorts of the same name - Panique au Village in French, actually - the intentionally primitive stop motion followed the adventures of Horse, Cowboy and Indian with hilarious results. They are, of course, doing something completely different with their sophomore feature.The friendship between a little mouse who didn't want to become a dentist and a big bear who didn't want to become a notary.Ernest, a big marginal bear, with a cold and starving, is looking through garbage to find something to eat. Just when he's ready to put the first thing he finds into his mouth, a piercing cry rings...

HotDocs 2012: PUSHWAGNER Review

Mon, 14 May 2012 14:00:00 -0500

An aging Norwegian pop artist, Hariton Pushwagner, is the subject of this larger-than-life documentary, directed by Even Benestad and August B. Hanssen. And it's a great doc about an eccentric artist, rivaling Crumb in its charm and scope.It is clear from the beginning, as this pint sized, chain smoking, always inebriated man lets us know just who is in charge; he dictates the first scene of the film, "Ok, it starts with me reading a book, now you ask me a question 'what are you reading Push?' and I just hold up the book over my face like this." We soon find out that there is no need to cover his face. Resembling Harry Dean Stanton on a bad day, his face, devastated by years of...

Review: Andrey Zvyagintsev's ELENA

Mon, 14 May 2012 12:00:00 -0500

Acclaimed Russian filmmaker Andrey Zvyagintsev (The Return, The Banishment) taps into the rich tradition of film noir, as well as the influence and cultural echoes of such diverse Russian forebears as Dostoevsky, Chekhov and Tarkovsky, in his latest work Elena, a superb slow-burn drama in which the peripheral details have as much impact as the main plotline. Zvyagintsev offers sharp, caustic social commentary on contemporary Putin-era Russia, where class warfare and the attendant divide between the haves and the have-nots prove to be not only insurmountable, but to have deadly consequences. Its impeccably composed, stark visuals lending a near-apocalyptic mood that permeates every frame, Elena leaves the viewer with a chill that lingers long after the end credits have rolled.Beginning and ending with a shot...

TV Review: GAME OF THRONES S2E7, A MAN WITHOUT HONOR

Mon, 14 May 2012 10:45:24 -0500

[Twitch is reviewing Game Of Thrones on an episode by episode basis throughout the current season. Please note that these are being written from someone who has very deliberately NOT read the books so as to come to the story fresh and will not be reading the books until after the series concludes. Should you wish to compare and contrast the books to the show please be courteous to those who have not read them yet by limiting discussions to the timeline currently played out on screen as well.]After turning in one of the most kinetic episodes of the season with last week's The Old Gods And The New, director David Nutter turns in a comparative snoozer with this week's A Man Without Honor....

EXCLUSIVE: SORORAL Teaser Art Injects With Giallo Style

Mon, 14 May 2012 09:10:47 -0500

The upcoming thriller Sororal will be the first Australian film to pay homage to giallo, according to the creative team at Nakatomi Pictures. Giallo is of course the Italian sexy crime suspense / horror subgenre that features lurid colors, lots of blood as well as interesting musical arrangements, and was made popular by directors like Mario Bava, Dario Argento and Sergio Martino in the 1960s and 70s. "I am absolutely in love with the unmistakable, pop art-infused look of giallo. Sororal owes a huge debt to Suspiria and Blood and Black Lace", says director Sam Barrett. "We were really drawn to giallo's striking colour palette - bold reds and yellows, vivid greens and purples. The heightened colour palette really transports you to a different world; a...

Blu-ray Review: JOURNEY TO THE CENTER OF THE EARTH (Twilight Time)

Sun, 13 May 2012 22:20:58 -0500

The work of French fantasist Jules Verne has fascinated readers for over a hundred years. When I was young, probably around ten or eleven, I was a devotee of Verne's. I collected his better known works and read them over and over again, voraciously. His unique vision of the march of science turned men into explorers, and the great unknown into familiar territory in the minds of his readers. In other words, the works of Jules Verne are perfectly suited for adaptation to the silver screen, and many filmmakers have taken up the call over the years. Probably the most frequently adapted of Verne's books is Journey to the Center of the Earth, and this 1959 film version is undoubtedly the best known version of...

Comets And Tentacle Monsters In The Full Trailer For David Cholewa's DEAD SHADOWS

Sun, 13 May 2012 21:00:11 -0500

You don't want to know where the tentacle goes. We've been keeping a close eye on the progress of David Cholewa's scifi-horror hybrid Dead Shadows here at Twitch and today the full theatrical trailer for the film arrived online.Dead Shadows tells the terrifying story about a young man, Chris, whose parents were brutally killed 11 years ago, on the same day that tHaley's Comet could be seen from earth. Tonight, a new comet is going to appear and everyone in his building are getting ready for a party to celebrate the event. There's even an apocalypse theory going around. As the night falls, Chris starts to discover that people are acting strange - and it seems to somehow be connected to the comet. People...

15 Can't Miss Films from Seattle Int'l Film Fest 2012

Sun, 13 May 2012 20:23:36 -0500

The world's biggest film festival (okay maybe not, but it sure seems that way) kicks off May 17th and runs through June 10th in and around the greater Seattle area. Check out the fest specs: This year the Seattle International Film Festival will screen 273 features and 187 shorts representing 75 countries, from more than 5,676 submissions worldwide, compared to 5,213 in 2011, with the final selections representing 24 World, 25 North American, 16 U.S. premieres and 56 short film premieres. There will be 180 features at this year's Festival arriving without U.S. distribution and 85 films by female filmmakers, up from 62 last year. We've poured through the extensive catalog and whittled it down to a few hits from the festival circuit worth...

Bong Joon-ho's SNOW PIERCER Rumbles To Life

Sun, 13 May 2012 20:17:30 -0500

After literally years of preparation The Host director Bong Joon-ho has finally begun principal photography on his English language debut, Snow Piercer.An adaptation of the popular French graphic novel Le Transperceneige, Snow Piercer boasts an impressive international cast - Song Kang-ho, Ewan Bremner, John Hurt, Chris Evans, Tilda Swinton, Jamie Bell and more - and the presence of Oldboy director Park Chan-wook as a producer.Principal photography began last week in the Czech Republic and will continue until we're all frozen under a thick layer of ice....

Full Trailer For Mika Ninagawa's HELTER SKELTER

Sun, 13 May 2012 20:00:57 -0500

Photographer turned director Mika Ninagawa turned heads around the world with her 2006 debut feature, the ultra colorful Sakuran. Ninagawa's debut immediately established her as one of Japan's brightest visual talents and fans were excited to see what she would do next. They've had to wait over five years to find out.Ninagawa returns in 2012 with Helter Skelter, a film adapted from a popular manga about a young starlet who turns to ever increasing levels of plastic surgery to maintain her impossible image. To star Ninagawa has turned to Erika Sawajiri, a young woman whose dramatic rise and fall from grace - her career crashed dramatically in 2007 - is a mirror of the her character in the film.The first full trailer for the...

First Poster Art For Rodriguez And Miller's SIN CITY: A DAME TO KILL FOR

Sun, 13 May 2012 19:33:44 -0500

With the Cannes Marche Du Film - the largest international film market, where titles are bought and sold for international distribution - just around the corner the first sales art has arrived for the long talked about / finally moving forward Robert Rodriguez / Frank Miller co-directed Sin City sequel, Sin City: A Dame To Kill For.The Departed screenwriter William Monahan has chipped in on the script for this one while Mickey Rourke and Rosario Dawson have already signed on to reprise their roles....

Did the first clip from Ben Wheatley's SIGHTSEERS touch you?

Sun, 13 May 2012 14:16:39 -0500

We love Brighton-based filmmaker Ben Wheatley. From his brilliant armchair gangster flick DOWN TERRACE to the international hitman sensation that was the chilling KILL LIST, he is doing everything he can to wipe that stuttering, self-depracating Hugh Grant/Richard Curtis image of England from your minds once and for all. His latest, SIGHTSEERS, is due to have its debut at Cannes this coming week, and as he packs his bags and heads for the sunny South of France, Wheatley has just released the first clip from the film on his website. If I am not mistaken this "place of cultural interest" is Avebury, a mythical pagan site of ley lines and randomly erected stones, not too far from the famous Stonehenge. A site of such reverence...

Beware Of The Cave! SKULL WORLD Red Band Trailer.

Sun, 13 May 2012 13:45:00 -0500

Just in time for the Cannes Film Market comes a red band trailer for Justin McConnell's documentary Skull World. The film will be represented by RAVEN BANNER ENTERTAINMENT at the upcoming Cannes Film Market (Marché Du Film). Festival programmers and distributors can obtain screeners from Raven Banner at 'Riviera G31'.Skull World Follows two years in the life of Greg Sommer, aka Skull Man, as he builds the Canadian chapter of Box Wars, an international underground movement of cardboard‐based combat....

Meet The Lizard In New AMAZING SPIDER-MAN Video

Sun, 13 May 2012 12:12:20 -0500

With this summer shaping up to be the summer of super heroes the folks at Sony are eager to make sure their own entry in the sweepstakes - the Marc Webb directed The Amazing Spider-Man - isn't overlooked in all of the Avengers and Dark Knight Rises hoopla. And so they've rolled out a new video focusing on the villain of their new piece: The Lizard.A blend of interview footage with star Rhys Ifans and footage from the film this latest clip gives a brief look into the mind of the character along with some fresh imagery. Check it out below....

Action Packed, Adrenaline Fuelled Trailer For Roar Uthaug's ESCAPE (FLUKT)

Sun, 13 May 2012 11:27:59 -0500

Director Roar Uthaug caused quite an international stir a few years back with the release of his Norwegian slasher Cold Prey, a film that was not just a hit at home but arguably the trigger point for the current wave of Nordic genre film. Cold Prey was a game changer and fans have been waiting for Uthaug to turn up again. With his sophomore feature he made the surprising choice to co-direct a children's fantasy film with his wife but now he's back in genre territory with his third effort, Escape (Flukt).Ten years after the Black Death ravaged the country, a poor family is on a journey to find better living conditions. On a deserted mountain pass, they are attacked by a gang of...

Review: RISING STAR's Future Looks Bright

Sun, 13 May 2012 01:35:34 -0500

Rising Star is a romantic comedy that is written, directed and produced by Marty Lang, an independent filmmaker who is interestingly also a university professor of Film. One of the appeals of this film, at least for me, is therefore to see how Lang puts theories into practice. Pleasingly, Rising Star does not disappoint. It is light-hearted and unpretentious, unlike many of the romantic comedies coming out of Hollywood these days. Most of the film takes place on one Saturday. When the two lead characters, Chris (Gary Ploski) and Alyza (Emily Morse) travel from place to place after meeting each other and starting to fall in love, audiences get treated to a mini-tour around Connecticut, which includes both the attractions such as the famous Mark Twain...

NYC Happenings: Korean American Film Fest Hits Anthology June 5th

Sat, 12 May 2012 16:24:57 -0500

In it's sixth year, the Korean American Film Festival New York (KAFFNY) offers quite the unique program of shorts and features, and this year they may have found the perfect venue to match their curious content: The Anthology Film Archives -- one of the East Coast's last bastions of true film preservation and honest-to-goodness 35mm and 16mm projection of alternative and underground works. Not that KAFFNY will be projecting rare celluloid, but still, if anyone's ever entered the double green doors of Anthology's East Village complex, it means there usually in for something special. Yeah, that's what I'm getting at! At any rate, KAFFNY makes its home at AFA from June 5th - 10th. Read on to hear about this year's offerings! KOREAN AMERICAN FILM...

CHINA BEAT: Tsui Hark & Bona Exploring 3D Together

Sat, 12 May 2012 15:32:50 -0500

This week Chinese film giant Bona Film Group announced that it plans to shoot two new films in 3D this year. Tsui Hark will direct a remake of the 1960 film Tracks In The Snowy Forest, while Jacob Cheung is on board to helm White Hair Witch, a retelling of The Bride With White Hair. This news comes after the phenomenal success of Bona's previous foray into the technology, Tsui Hark's Flying Swords of Dragon Gate, which not only amassed over US$100 million at the Chinese box office, but also displayed Tsui's keen understanding of how to get the most from the added depth of field.Like many, my views on 3D are that it is basically an unnecessary gimmick we can all do without. At a...