Apocalypse takes a Darkly comedic turn in Pat Tremblay HELLACIOUS ACRES: the case of JOHN glass

Film News by Todd Brown, January 11, 2011 5 H 08 Montreal based Director Pat Tremblay has been a reference of the scene underground film since the beginning of the 1990s, slowly building a cult following and critical notice with his two most recent films - short truck lover - two and feature control heads projected's Festival du Nouveau Cinema in Montreal. And although Tremblay is quiet since 2006 it will be soon back on the festival circuit with Hellacious Acres: the case of John glass.

All Tremblay is willing to say on the production of microbudget so far are that it is a "comedy of minimalist black fiction in a post-apocalyptic world" but we have the first bit of art for it and it seems to be a good dose of dirty, hand mocked. Keep an eye for more as we get it.

var party; var href = $('img[id=main-asset]') .attr ('src'); part = href. $('.asset-corps_img[src='+part+']') .css ('display', 'none'); $('.asset-more_img[src='+part+']') .css ('display', 'none'); part = part.replace('twitchfilm.com','twitchfilm.net'); $('.asset-corps_img[src='+part+']') .css ('display', 'none'); $('.asset-more_img[src='+part+']') .css ('display', 'none'); part = /(\/[^\/]+)\.(\w+)$/.exec(href); If (part) {part = part [1] + "-thumb-"; $('_img[src*='+part+']') .css ('display', 'none') .asset-body; $('.asset-more_img[src*='+part+']') .css ('display', 'none');} part = part.replace('twitchfilm.com','twitchfilm.net'); If (part) {part = part [1] + "-thumb-"; $('_img[src*='+part+']') .css ('display', 'none') .asset-body; $('.asset-more_img[src*='+part+']') .css ('display', 'none');}

View the original article here

Review of Blu - ray: A Bay of blood

 I know we've already had a review from the very capable keyboard of James Dennis, but I can't help wanting to chime in on this package.? He summarized the plot quite nicely, so I think I'll borrow that, rather than attempting my own:

When Countess Federica Donati (Isa Miranda) is bumped off in the film's opening moments, it sets in motion a chain of gruesome deaths as an assortment of miscreants attempt to takeover the beautiful bay she owns. Amongst those vying for a piece of the pie (or indeed all of it) are an architect intent on development, the countess' daughter, son and husband. Add to this their various spouses and lovers, plus some fun-loving but doomed teenagers partying in a disused night club. The film opens with a pair of brutal deaths and continues in this manner as various characters are swiftly dispatched as they arrive at the lake to investigate what's to be done with the Countess' legacy.

Oh, the things I love about this film.? It all feels like the product of about three different fever dreams colliding and intermixing.? The opening sequence with the death of the countess feels like something from one of Bava's earlier gothic horrors, and predates most of Dario Argento's similar giallo work.? It is a lovely, dark sequence that only hints at the kind of brutality the viewer is in for.? With the introduction of the fun-loving teenagers on the scene, everything starts going haywire, and this is where things really start to get nasty.

Bava takes them out one by one and a pretty rapid clip, but not before showing some fantastically nubile flesh skinny dipping in the tit-ular bay.? As James mentioned in his review, and I in my coverage of Arrow Video last fall, this film is like a blueprint for what become know as the slasher.? A Bay Of Blood came out seven years before the most commonly accepted first slasher, Halloween, and even predates the geek choice of Black Christmas by three years.? Yet, all of the elements are there.? The only thing that complicates Bava's film is the fact that the slasher isn't a single malicious entity, it is numerous people all vying for control of the bay.

This film was a turning point for Bava, it was his first really brutal and gory film.? His previous films hinted at this brutality, but moving into the seventies, Bava sensed a change was in the air and he went with it.? It certainly bridges the eras between the languid gothic horror films of the late fifties and sixties, and the brutal realistic horror that was so popular among the film crowd in the seventies.? One of the things that betrays the film's age is the music.? Those of us who are slasher fans typically associate these films with electronic dread; the Halloween theme, Goblin's work with Argento and Romero, and so on.? A Bay Of Blood has none of that, it hadn't come into fashion yet.? This is one of the ways the films age shows through, despite being ahead of its time.

At times it is pretty incoherent, and the film does drift off into tangential spaces, but overall, A Bay Of Blood is classic and well worth owning.? Despite what seems like a disjointed script and camera work that, while artfully done, does not have the same precision as Bava's earlier works, the film succeeds in making the viewer feel dirty, watching this group of despicable people taking one another out just feels right.? These guys don't deserve to live, and Bava makes sure they don't, in spectacular fashion.

The Disc:? Again, James went through these pretty thoroughly, but I'll pitch in where I have something new to say.

The video on this disc has been the subject of some debate around the different review sites.? The picture is as sharp as it can be.? As is mentioned in the accompanying booklet, the film was a modestly budgeted affair, and at times the picture isn't tack sharp, however, that isn't the fault of the transfer, it wasn't that sharp when Bava shot it.? This is only here and there, though, overall the image is astounding.? Details you'd never seen before pop out of the screen and grab you.? I've never seen a neck stump in such stunning clarity as in this package.?

What is up for debate is the color scheme.? Bava was known for his garish color schemes and theatrical lighting style.? When compared to previous home video versions of A Bay Of Blood, Arrow Video's edition seems a bit muted in the color palette.? Honestly, I can't say it was distracting when I was watching the film, but looking back, I suppose I can see it.? There aren't many people who can make a critical judgment on what the film should look like, but Tim Lucas, the author of Bava bio All The Colors of the Dark, who contributes a commentary, is probably the closest we have, apart from Mario or Lamberto Bava.? Lucas says that the screencaps he's seen online seem muted when compared to the theatrical prints he's seen.? However, I don't think he's weighed in on the image in motion, which can make a huge difference.? As I mentioned above, I didn't find it distracting in the least.

The HD portion of the feature film is the English language edit, which is the version most people are familiar with.? The sound track is probably pretty faithful to how this film originally sounded in theaters in 1971.? The mono dialogue sounds a bit hollow and seems to be a bit low when compared to modern films, but it is perfectly discernible, without any major cracks or hisses.? What does come through beautifully is the score, which I mentioned above, and is one of my favorite parts of this film.?

The Italian language version in standard definition is also presented as an extra on the disc and it is noticeably dirtier with an inferior sound mix.? Some people may balk at the quality of this cut, but I think understanding that it is intended as an extra helps to assuage those fears, it is even listed in the extras menu, rather than the audio options.

Each of the exclusive featurettes brings something new to the A Bay Of Blood mythos.? The Tim Lucas commentary is a port from older releases and, while informative, brings nothing new.? The exclusive extras are fun, though, and people looking for new material have a wealth of it to wade through with this package.? James went through most of the video extras, so I'll link to his review below, but now that I have the full retail version to report on, I'll report on what is new.

First, there is a wonderful and informative collector's booklet that has a great essay on A Bay of Blood, gialli in general, and Bava in particular contributed by Jay Slater, noted horror historian.? He gives us some insights into the shooting conditions surrounding the film, and how Bava was able to take a modest budget and make the film look good.? Also, digging through the essay, Slater mentions several other films, both from Bava and others that I am eager to see now.? I enjoyed reading it, and my only complaint is that it is too short, and I would've liked more.

As is typical of Arrow Video Blu-ray releases, included in the package is a fold out poster with Rick Melton's custom cover art on one side and the original Spanish one sheet on the other.? I prefer the Spanish poster for this particular release.? In addition to those artworks, we also get two additional choices for the cover of the Blu-ray itself, you may chose which to display in the awesome windowed slipcase that comes with all Arrow Video Blu-ray releases.

A Bay Of Blood is an all region disc, and I believe that nearly all of the video extras are in 1080p high definition, so there should be very few compatibility issues.? The Italian cut of the film is even upscaled into 1080 HD.? So, while the quality may be lacking there, there will be no system issues regarding PAL/NTSC playback.

I can heartily recommend this disc.? There have been a couple of concerns in different quarters about the color palette and the upscaled quality of the Italian cut, but I find these issues to be somewhat trivial when you consider how awesome the quality is for this package.? If those things trouble you, you could wait, but who knows when someone else will take this on.? A Bay Of Blood isn't' exactly a cash cow, I wouldn't think, and so it is less than likely that another company will put this much effort in to another set.? Just buy it!

View the original article here

Blu - Ray review: ROBINSON CRUSOE on MARS

Video-on-demand: Robinson Transmeta Crusoe on Mars
Video: Robinson Transmeta Crusoe on Mars (the criterion Collection) [Blu - ray]
List price: $
Amazon price: $ 99 27. Poster: Robinson Crusoe from Transmeta on film March 11 x 17 poster.

View the original article here

11 Features to be excited for at Sundance Film Festival ' 11

Sundance 2011 is coming in T - minus 2 weeks! Here's a blow of eye on 11 of the dramatic features that I'm more excited. Stay tuned for many more news and reviews direct from Park City, here on Twitch! For live tweets of all shares, follow me on twitter at enderzero @

Hobo with a shotgun - you must be nuts not to be happy to see Rutger Hauer go bat shit with Jason Eisner 12 (Treevenge) template feature adaptation of his trailer in Grindhouse Tarantino and Rodriguez. BAM!

Cataclysm catechism - this horror of absurd comedy about a priest and his buddy a wild trip into the Woods promises to be great fun. Directed by Todd Rohal (Hillbilly Robot) and Steve just released (Eastbound & Down) and Robert Longstreet (which won the awards to be appeared in three films at the Sundance Film Festival this year), this coup de sport Midnight Madness also the best slogan of the fest, "God will be fuck you up."

win win - Tom McCarthy made two of my favorite decade in The Station Agent and the visitor movies. Winner winner, he casts Paul Giamatti a lawyer turned wrestling coach. Amy Ryan plays in what is sure to be a true, touching and hilarious movie.

Cedar Rapids - Ed Helms, John c. Reilly and Anne Heche star in this comedy from Fox Searchlight on a convention of insurance by Miguel Arteta (youth in revolt, The Good Girl).

Elite Squad 2 - Jose Padilla (Bus 174, Secrets of the tribe) first elite squad (Tropa de Elite) has been a tower filled with action through favella in Rio and smart. Here hope that the suite is as well.

Red State - waiting, a film by Kevin Smith horror with a political message? Casting of Melissa Leo, John Goodman and Stephen Root (ahem, Milton) certainly cannot hurt. Yes, I have my hopes.

Custody - Brendan Gleeson, Don Cheadle and Mark Strong the always great star in this action-comedy of Irish drug smuggling. Filmmaker John Michael McDonagh live up to the heavy shoes of his brother Martin and produce in Bruges this year?

I melt with you-Mark Pellington perhaps best known for directing heady TIm Robbins and Jeff Bridges 1999 Arlington Road thriller, but Northwest music fans will be excited to learn that he has also led videos of grunge seminal Jeremy Pearl Jam and Alice in chains (among others) cock. In this film, he turned to good ol dude ' out sesh with Thomas Jane, Jeremy Piven, Rob Lowe, and Christian McKay was a sex and drug-filled adventure to learn some shit on themselves or whatever. The film also plays the always of pleasure watching Sasha Grey.

Son of no one: Dito Montiel follows its excellent Saints Guide your grateful to this story of NYC cop who even once stars Channing Tatum with Tracy Morgan, Katie Holmes, Ray Liotta and Al Pacino.

Like a madman - Anton Yelchin (Charlie Bartlett) and Jennifer Lawrence (winter bone) chemistry was the best part of The Beaver. They return together with Felicity Jones) in this competition film Drake Doremus (Douchebag) on long-distance love.

Vampire - Shunji Iwai (swallowtail, All About Lily Chou-Chou butterfly) made his debut for Director of English language in this less traditional vampire thriller that stars Keisha Castle-Hughes, Rachel Leigh Cook and Kristin Kreuk. Count on a lot of atmosphere.

Much more Sundance soon!

[Ryland Aldrich is a freelance writer based in Los Angeles.] [He blogs at enderzero.net]

View the original article here

Better late than never! James' in the Top 10 of 2010

Translate Request has too much data
Parameter name: request
Translate Request has too much data
Parameter name: request
It got so late in the day that I figured posting a Top 10 list now might be a little after-the-fact, but thanks to the reassuring tardiness of my fellow Twitch cohorts Eight Rooks and Sean Smithson, I was encouraged to drag my lazy arse over the finishing line after all. It's been a fabulous year for films in my opinion, and I certainly watched more movies in 2010 than in any other year - 544 all told including oldies & repeat viewings - and so whittling that list down to just 10 was nigh on impossible.

So, honorable mentions to the following fantastic films: INCEPTION, THE SOCIAL NETWORK, HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON, TOY STORY 3, BLACK SWAN, SCOTT PILGRIM VS. THE WORLD, SHUTTER ISLAND, EXIT THROUGH THE GIFT SHOP, THE MISFORTUNATES, ALAMAR and AGNOSIA.

I also want to give a special shout out to these impressive Chinese language films - coz, occasionally I do actually like some! - DETECTIVE DEE AND THE MYSTERY OF THE PHANTOM FLAME, THE STOOL PIGEON, FIRE OF CONSCIENCE, DREAM HOME, LOVE IN A PUFF, AU REVOIR TAIPEI, NO PUEDO VIVIR SIN TI, REIGN OF ASSASSINS, LET THE BULLETS FLY, LITTLE BIG SOLDIER and even IP MAN 2.

But in the end there can be only ten, and here they are:

Just when the local Hong Kong film industry was looking limp, uninspired and devoid of creating anything other than tedious period propaganda pieces, in stepped Clement Cheng and Derek Kwok with this fantastic martial arts comedy. Starring a host of kung fu stars from yesteryear, including Leung Siu Lung, Chan Koon Ti and Chan Wai Man, not to mention the irreplaceable Teddy Robin it's the story of a gang of aging fighters defending their club-turned-tea house from a gang of hungry property realtors. It's packed with humour, romance and some of the year's best fight sequences, easily making it the best Hong Kong film of 2010.

For some people, seeing Ryan Reynolds shut in a pine box is their idea of wish fulfillment, but I've always been a fan of the guy and with next year's GREEN LANTERN, he may finally break into the A-List proper. This ultra low-budget Spanish-made thriller sees Reynolds play an environmental aid worker in Iraq who gets kidnapped and wakes up to discover he's been buried alive. Armed only with a torch, a lighter and his cellphone, Reynolds desperately tries to get himself rescued, while running out of air, time and hope faster than the battery on his mobile. With the entire film taking place within the confines of this one coffin, it is a staggering achievement that Reynolds, and director Rodrigo Cortes are able to create a film as exciting, tense and horrifically claustrophobic as this.?

Chris Morris has been treating the British public to subversive, culturally aggressive comedy for over a decade now and it was a joy to have the pleasure of meeting him when I was in Texas earlier this year. What struck me was not how funny he was, but quite the opposite. He's an intelligent and fairly intense fellow, who genuinely cares about society going to shit and his way of addressing the problems he sees is by poking fun at them and showing up their own absurdities. For his first film, Morris sets his sights on a group of ill-equipped imbecilic would-be suicide bombers in middle England. The results are not only hilarious - FOUR LIONS is easily one of the year's funniest films - but surprisingly poignant and sad too. It's essential viewing from a major talent.

I struggle to think of a film that had a more profound emotional effect on me in the last twelve months than this devastating documentary. The film charts the guilt-ridden mission of Ric O'Barry, renowned dolphin trainer turned guerilla activist as he attempts to undo the intolerable cruelty that he feels he has inflicted on the world's dolphin population. Back in the 60s, O'Barry trained the dolphins featured in the TV series FLIPPER, the success of which fuelled a global interest in the creatures that saw the water park industry expand exponentially. And where do these parks go to get their showboating stars? A small town in Japan called Taijii. Local fishermen trawl the oceans for dolphins, herding them into a remote cove where those not sold for entertainment purposes are...well, you'll just have to watch to find out. O'Barry's attempts to catch these goings-on on film are thrilling, life-threatening and ultimately devastating.

I'm very comfortable with my sexuality but Goddamn Won Bin is one good-looking sonofabitch in this movie! We have been inundated with Korean revenge thrillers over the last few years, with 2010 alone producing BEDEVILLED, I SAW THE DEVIL and this fine piece of work, and while the other two are certainly grimmer and grittier, Lee Jeong Beom's film is far and away the most entertaining. Won Bin plays the titular enigmatic hero who runs a small pawn shop and fawns silently after a young hostess and makes an unlikely friend in her tweenage daughter. When both are kidnapped by the Mob, Tae-Sik (Won) reveals himself to be all kinds of badass and unleashes unholy hell on anyone who comes between him and his imperiled neighbors. Slicker than a tin of pomade, more stylish than someone wearing said pomade and gleefully violent in a way that just makes you beam from ear to ear, this movie is an absolute cracker.

It's been a long time since there was a new Christmas movie on the map that didn't feature Tim Allen or Reece Witherspoon, or in fact make you simply loathe the holiday season and scamper off into hibernation. Emerging from the remote chilly confines of Finland, Jalmari Helander's debut feature could well be the film that takes Christmas movies back to the glory days of GREMLINS, SCROOGED or even DIE HARD. In Scandinavia, Santa Claus isn't that jolly fat chap you see on the side of Coke bottles, but a terrifying ogre who kidnaps naughty children from their beds and eats them. He's also real. So, when an archeological dig discovers something, or someone, buried deep under the ice, young local lad Pietari has every reason to be afraid. When his best friend goes missing, he has no choice but to enlist the help of his father to take down Santa Claus! Destined to be a cult Christmas classic in years to come, RARE EXPORTS is the perfect festive treat!

I had no idea what to expect from this Swedish comedy about "musical terrorists" and it took me completely by surprise. Six struggling musicians form an underground group who perform subversive acts of random percussion in bizarre and potentially illegal locations. They break into a hospital OR, they storm a bank, only to play out the next movement of their "Sound of Noise" symphony using random objects they find at the scene. On their tail is Inspector Warnerbring, the tone deaf outcast from a family of musical geniuses, whose obsession with the group and their crimes leads to peculiar developments that will eventually involve the entire city. It has been a while since I've seen a film as original, joyous and shamelessly life-affirming as this and I can't wait for the opportunity to see it again, cranked up loud, to revel in these bizarre and uniquely wondrous sounds.?? ??

Set far into the future, the world's last remaining mortal human being is about to die. Before he does, however, he reminisces to a visiting journalist about the long and eventful life he has led. Every different version of it. You see, early on, young Nemo was forced to choose between leaving home with his mother, or staying with his father. It was a decision that would haunt him forever. So Nemo resolved never to choose, to live every possible version of his life that opened up before him. Jaco Van Dormael's film may appear to be a work of science fiction, but only as much as something like ETERNAL SUNSHINE OF THE SPOTLESS MIND is, using a technological gizmo to explore impossible plains of reality. We see Nemo (Jared Leto) explore a city life with his mother, a provincial youth growing up with his father, his futures with three different brides - all beautifully shot and wonderfully rendered in an intoxicating blend of dreams and reality, desires and destiny. It may be a difficult film to explain, but it is a gorgeous, haunting, desperately romantic film that is impossible to forget.

A bizarre and confrontational work, CONFESSIONS plays at times like an emo rock music video, so stylised is its presentation. But beneath the flashy visuals and eclectic (yet rather excellent) soundtrack, is a vicious tale of one woman avenging the death of her young daughter in the most sadistic and manipulative way possible. On her last day as form room teacher, Yuko declares to her students that she believes those responsible for her daughter's death are in her class and that she has already taken steps to ensure they will not go unpunished. What follows is an examination of bullying, victimization, intimidation and all number of bizarre mother-child relationships as Yuko pushes her victims into some horrifically dark directions. All that said, the film is often very funny and directed with dazzling flair by Nakashima Tetsuya that often deliberately undermines the film's pitch-black content. The result is a film that challenges and seduces its audiences in roughly equal measure.

I love nothing more than an epically staged and classically told tale of honour, courage, retribution and redemption and there are few genres that can handle these themes more adeptly than that of the samurai film. On hearing that Miike Takeshi was mounting a remake of Kudo Eiichi's 1963 film 13 ASSASSINS I was intrigued, if not immediately overwhelmed with excitement for the project. The prolific director of such cult favorites as AUDITION and ICHI THE KILLER had never really ventured into this genre before and his most recent output, dividing his time between the adolescent CROWS ZERO brawling flicks and teeth-gratingly obnoxious kids' fare like YATTERMAN, had left me cold, to say the least. I could not be more pleased to discover therefore, that his version of 13 ASSASSINS not only shows a maturity and sense of the classical that his work has never even hinted at in the past, but that the film itself could be declared a classic of the genre and quite possibly the best samurai film since Yamada Yoji's THE TWILIGHT SAMURAI from 2002.

When the Shogun dies and it appears his psychotic brother is set to take over the kingdom, a number of high-level government officials secretly engineer an assassination attempt, for the greater good. The film spends nearly an hour gathering its players together for the mission ahead, including a number of old favourites such as the washed up, retiring warrior, the cock-sure young try-hard, the desperate impoverished samurai who has no choice if he is to put food on the table again, and fans of everything from Kurosawa's SEVEN SAMURAI to Soderbergh OCEAN'S 11 will revel in witnessing these genre staples being adhered to so lovingly. The second half of the film, however, erupts into an orgy of orchestrated violence, as the assassins lay siege to the shogun and his hugely superior entourage as they pass through a small hillside town. Every character is given his moment to shine, and as the heroes inevitably begin to fall, Miike inspires genuine compassion from his audience, as well as dazzling them with an unstoppable barrage of wonderfully conceived set pieces. No other film in 2010 surprised or delighted me as much as this one, and for that it is officially my favorite film of the year.

View the original article here