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Wednesday, 31 July 2019

Official Trailer for Romance 'The Second Sun' About Two Lost Souls

The Second Sun Trailer

"You're the only person who didn't… look at me like I'm a monster." Michael Mailer Films has debuted an official trailer for an indie romantic thriller titled The Second Sun, the feature debut of producer Jennifer Gelfer. This premiered at a few small festivals last year and arrives in just a few weeks. "Two lost souls meet one cold night in Post-war Manhattan circa 1953. Before dawn arrives, deep rooted secrets will be revealed. And this man and woman, will believe in life, love, and most importantly, miracles again. The human spirit can survive anything." Starring as the two lovers: John Buffalo Mailer as Max, and Eden Epstein as Joy, along with Ciaran Byrne, Claudia Maree Mailer, and Jocelyn Jones. This looks like they had no budget and barely put together a film, that seems more like a play, about how the past always sticks with us.

Here's the first official trailer (+ poster) for Jennifer Gelfer's The Second Sun, direct from YouTube:

The Second Sun Poster

Inspired by a true story, The Second Sun follows the happenstance romance of Max and Joy. After leaving her husband and child, Joy meets a stranger, Max, in a lonely bar, on a cold, late night in post-World War II New York City, 1953. As the night unfolds, they delve deeper into conversation. Her disclosure leads to an inconceivable revelation, his harrowing secret from 1939 Nazi Poland. As facades fade, and truths are confessed, these two lost souls save each other, on a single night that changes their lives forever. The Second Sun is directed by American producer / filmmaker Jennifer Gelfer, making her feature directorial debut after directing numerous episodes of "In Between Men" on TV previously. The screenplay is written by James Patrick Nelson. This played at the Manhattan and Hollywood Film Festivals last year. MMF will release The Second Sun in select theaters + on VOD starting August 16th. For info, visit the official website.

Mekhi Phifer & Brad Dourif in Full Trailer for Indie Thriller 'Obsession'

Obsession Trailer

"Sonny, are you going to turn on me?!" Samuel Goldwyn Films has unveiled an official trailer for an indie crime thriller now titled Obsession, the latest from Croatian filmmaker Goran Dukic (of Wristcutters: A Love Story). This has gone under a few other titles including Ruthless or American Dream, but now they're releasing it this fall with this Obsession title. The film is about an out-of-work mechanic, played by Mekhi Phifer who, after saving an older man and befriending him begins to fall for his mysterious wife. The older man has plans to build a motor sports park, and his wife puts together a plot to murder him and rob him of his riches. Also starring Elika Portnoy, Brad Dourif, Ruben Santiago-Hudson, and Kerry Cahill. Looks like an old school love affair crime caper, with a racetrack heist and murder and everything thrown in.

Here's the first official trailer (+ poster) for Goran Dukic's Obsession, direct from SGF's YouTube:

Obsession Poster

Before meeting George Good (Brad Dourif), Sonny Jordan (Mekhi Pfeiffer) was just a lost drifter with a troubled past floating from town to town, looking for work. As fate would have it, Sonny ends up saving George's life from a murderous back-alley mugger. As thanks, George gives Sonny a home and a job as a mechanic on his farm in the lonely Louisiana Bayou. Sonny quickly settles in and makes himself useful around the place but then he meets Larissa, (Elika Portnoy) George's alluring wife. She has a mysterious past and the two are irresistibly drawn to each other. The two begin a passionate affair leading them to construct a twisted plot to take George's life in cold blood in order to be together. As their despicable plan unravels, they learn how far they are willing to go to cover their misdeed. Obsession, formerly known as Ruthless or American Dream, is directed by Croatian filmmaker Goran Dukic, his second feature after making Wristcutters: A Love Story in 2006. The screenplay is by Michael Andrews. Samuel Goldywn will release Dukic's Obsession in select theaters + on VOD starting September 20th this fall. Anyone into this?

Daniel Kaluuya & Jodie Turner-Smith in Full Trailer for 'Queen & Slim'

Queen & Slim Trailer

"Thank you for bringing us this far… Thank you for this journey… no matter how it ends." Universal has debuted the full-length trailer for the movie Queen & Slim, directed by music video filmmaker Melina Matsoukas, from a screenplay written by the very talented Lena Waithe. The title is a nod to Bonnie & Clyde, about two people who go on the run after an accident. A couple's first date takes an unexpected turn when a police officer pulls them over, but the man then kills the cop in self defense. Terrified and in fear for their lives, the man, a retail employee, and the woman, a criminal defense lawyer, decide to go on the run. Starring Daniel Kaluuya as Slim, Jodie Turner-Smith (from "Nightflyers") as Queen. "Joining a legacy of films such as Bonnie & Clyde and Thelma & Louise, Queen & Slim is a powerful, consciousness-raising love story that confronts the staggering human toll of racism and the life-shattering price of violence." Also starring Bokeem Woodbine, Sturgill Simpson, Chloë Sevigny, and Scott Rapp. This looks so damn good. It's a complex, dangerous concept, but seems to be handled with such deep heartfelt care and concern.

Here's the full-length official trailer (+ poster) for Melina Matsoukas' Queen & Slim, direct from YouTube:

Queen and Slim Trailer

You can still watch the first teaser trailer for Matsoukas' Queen & Slim here, to see the original reveal again.

While on a forgettable first date together in Ohio, a black man (Daniel Kaluuya) and a black woman (Jodie Turner-Smith), are pulled over for a minor traffic infraction. The situation escalates, with sudden and tragic results, when the man kills the police officer in self-defense. Terrified and in fear for their lives, the man, a retail employee, and the woman, a criminal defense lawyer, are forced to go on the run. But the incident is captured on video and goes viral, and the couple unwittingly become a symbol of trauma, terror, grief and pain for people across the country. As they drive, these two unlikely fugitives will discover themselves and each other in the most dire and desperate of circumstances, and will forge a deep and powerful love that will reveal their shared humanity and shape the rest of their lives. Queen & Slim is directed by filmmaker Melina Matsoukas, making her feature directorial debut after a few short films and a bunch of music videos previously, including Beyonce’s "Formation" and the Nike "Equality" campaign. The screenplay is written by Lena Waithe, from a story by James Frey. Universal will debut Matsoukas' Queen & Slim in select US theaters starting November 27th, 2019 this fall. Looking good? Who wants to see this?

Lupita Nyong'o in UK Trailer for Fun Zombie Comedy 'Little Monsters'

Little Monsters Trailer

"My job is to keep them safe!" Altitude Films has released an official UK trailer for the indie zombie horror comedy Little Monsters, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in the Midnight category earlier this year. This wild and crazy zombie comedy is about a teacher and an aimless guy who end up on a field trip to a petting zoo when a zombie outbreak arrives. It also played at the SXSW Film Festival in spring and the Fantasia Film Festival this summer. Lupita Nyong'o stars as the engimatic teacher who fights back to keep her kids safe, along with Alexander England as the tag along Dave, and Josh Gad as an asshole TV personality who freaks out when the zombies arrive. Also with Stephen Peacocke, Kat Stewart, Nadia Townsend, Marshall Napier, Henry Nixon, and Rahel Romahn. I really, really enjoyed this film at Sundance, it's hilarious and dark and it doesn't hold back in any way - as you'll see in this trailer. Watch out.

Here's the first red band UK trailer for Abe Forsythe's Little Monsters, direct from Altitude's YouTube:

Little Monsters Poster

Little Monsters Poster

After a rough breakup, directionless Dave (England) crashes at his sister's place. When an opportunity arises to chaperone an upcoming school excursion alongside the charming and enigmatic teacher, Miss Caroline (Nyong'o), Dave jumps at the chance to impress her. But what he wasn't anticipating was Teddy McGiggle (Gad), an obnoxious children's television personality who shapes the excursion's activities. What he was expecting even less was a zombie invasion, which unfolds after an experiment at a nearby military base goes awry. Armed only with the resourcefulness of kindergartners, Dave, Miss Caroline, and Teddy must work together to keep the monsters at bay and carve a way out with their guts intact. Little Monsters is both written and directed by Australian filmmaker Abe Forsythe, director of the films Navin Wants to Be a Superhero, Ned, and Down Under previously. This premiered at the Sundance Film Festival earlier this year. Neon will release Forsythe's Little Monsters in select US theaters starting sometime this fall. Who's in?

Rushes: "The Irishman" Trailer, Mohammad Rasoulof Sentenced, Long-Ass Films

Get in touch to send in cinephile news and discoveries. For daily updates follow us @NotebookMUBI.
NEWS
David Cronenberg on the set of Crash
  • This year's Venice Film Festival will premiere a brand new 4K restoration of David Cronenberg's cult classic Crash (in its uncut, NC-17 version). "Seems like only yesterday that we were shooting it," Cronenberg says.
  • Iranian filmmaker Mohammad Rasoulof, best known for films Manuscripts Don't Burn (2013) and A Man of Integrity (2017), has been sentenced to one year in prison for "propaganda against the state," highlighting the plight of artists in Iran.
RECOMMENDED VIEWING
  • Behold, the official trailer for Martin Scorsese's The Irishman, starring Robert De Niro, Al Pacino, and Joe Pesci.
  • A first look at Robert Eggers' The Lighthouse, the follow-up to The Witch, which follows two men struggling for both physical and mental survival in a tower on an isolated island. Notebook's Cannes correspondent Leonardo Goi describes the film as "an entrancing and feverish descent into hell, peppered and sustained by a dark, alcohol-fueled, wry comic edge."
  • Here is another black-and-white trailer: Vaclav Marhoul's The Painted Bird, which competes at the Venice Film Festival this year. Based on Jerzy Kosiński's novel of the same title, the film portrays a young Jewish boy wandering across Eastern Europe for refuge. (For more on the fascinating novel and its controversies, read Ruth Franklin's profile of the author.)
  • A sparkly and sweet trailer for Weathering With You, the latest by Your Name director Makoto Shinkai.
  • Netflix has released an official teaser for the second season of Mindhunter, which looks to be far more harrowing and tumultuous than before. Two episodes of the show are directed by David Fincher.
RECOMMENDED READING
Once Upon a Time In Hollywood
  • "[The film is] motivated less by an impulse to reverse the clock, return to the past and change everything back to the way it was [...] than by a fury at the fact that it all changed in the first place" K. Austin Collins reviews Quentin Tarantino's Once Upon a Time In Hollywood, the filmmaker's latest revenge fantasy.
  • Film Comment provides a look at the art of "back-ting," or acting with one's back to the camera, from Martin Scorsese's Taxi Driver to Bette Davis ("the gold standard") in William Wyler's The Letter.
  • Nick Pinkerton considers the "pleasures and punishments of long-ass films," from Jacques Rivette's Out 1 to the "fifty-nine-hour superstructure of the [Marvel Cinematic Universe]."
  • Durga Chew-Bose at Vanity Fair profiles Kristen Stewart, moving past her role as "the girl from Twilight" and looking ahead to her upcoming part as Jean Seberg and venture into feature filmmaking.
RECENTLY ON THE NOTEBOOK
  • Lav Diaz discusses his bold, brazenly political historical musical, Season of the Devil, with editor Daniel Kasman. The film is receiving an exclusive global online premiere on MUBI, and is showing from July 30 – August 28, 2019 in MUBI's Luminaries series.
  • Tom Concannon has a three-essay series on "midnight movies" with an investigation of the form, and its spread across the West Coast.
  • "Céline ultimately demonstrates is that life is always in motion, that it is not made of fixed identities, but of encounters." Cristina Álvarez López and Adrian Martin give Jean-Claude Brisseau's Céline (showing July 20 - August 18, 2019 in the United States) its Close-Up.
EXTRA
  • The ultimate (and most terrifying) cross-over:
 

Promo Trailer for Rúnar Rúnarsson's 'Echo' Film Premiering in Locarno

Echo Trailer

"I heard your sister was going to repair it?" "Yes, that's true." "Dreams don't cost a dime." Screen Daily has debuted the first festival promo trailer for a new Icelandic drama from filmmaker Rúnar Rúnarsson (Volcano Sparrows), this one called Echo - or Bergmál in Icelandic. Set during Christmas, the film takes us on a journey into the lives of the people of Iceland. Rúnarsson "uses 56 scenes to create a portrait of modern society. Settings include an abandoned farm on fire in the countryside; a children’s choir singing carols; and a young girl making her grandmother try a new virtual reality headset." Looks like a very beautiful, intimate portrait of modern life in all its splendor. Locarno says: "Whether close or distant, these characters struggle with their solitude, their fears, their generosity, their present and their past. A contemporary panorama by turns ironic and caustic, Echo allows each character to question their place in the society they [now] live in."

Here's the first festival trailer for Rúnar Rúnarsson's Echo, direct from YouTube (via Screen Daily):

Rúnar Rúnarsson's Echo

Iceland, at Christmas time. As everyone prepares for the holidays, a peculiar atmosphere falls upon the country revealing emotions of both excitement and concern. In the countryside, an abandoned farm is burning. In a school, a children's choir is singing Christmas carols. In a slaughterhouse, chickens are parading along a rail. In a museum, a mother is arguing with her ex-husband on the phone. In a living room, a young girl is making her grandmother try on her new virtual reality headset - Through 56 scenes, Echo draws a portrait, both biting and tender, of modern society. Echo, originally titled Bergmál, is both written and directed by up-and-coming Icelandic filmmaker Rúnar Rúnarsson, his third feature film after directing Volcano and Sparrows previously. This is premiering at the Locarno Film Festival this summer. The film is still seeking international distribution - no other release dates are confirmed. First impression?

Frankenstein is Reborn in Teaser for Erynn Dalton's 'The Gravedigger'

The Gravedigger Teaser Trailer

"A Gothic Horror classic… reborn!" Our friends at Bloody Disgusting have debuted the first very brief teaser trailer for a new indie horror drama titled The Gravedigger, which is premiering at the Popcorn Frights horror festival in Florida this August. This new twist on the classic "Frankenstein story" takes place in one of Bavaria's forgotten cemeteries in the 1700s, where a lone gravedigger discovers a hideously scarred man hiding in a fresh grave – the original Frankenstein. The film explores their connection, both are haunted by their shared past. The Gravedigger stars Paul Homza, Gisbert Heuer, Arlette Del Toro, and Tyler Charles Kane; and it's the feature directorial debut of actress Erynn Dalton. Check out the first footage.

Here's the first brief teaser trailer for Erynn Dalton's The Gravedigger, direct from YouTube (via BD):

The Gravedigger Poster

Set in the late 1700s, in one of Bavaria's forgotten cemeteries, a lone gravedigger discovers a hideously scarred man hiding in a fresh grave. What the gravedigger doesn't know is that the man is none other than the monster created by a mad doctor. What the scarred man doesn't know is the gravedigger's hand in his creation. And what neither men know is that they are hunted by their shared past. The Gravedigger is directed by American actress / filmmaker Erynn Dalton, making her feature directorial debut after one short previously. The screenplay is written by Joseph Zettelmaier. This is premiering at the Popcorn Frights Film Festival in Fort Lauderdale this summer. No other release date has been set yet - stay tuned. Anyone?

Judith Light & Mandy Patinkin in Trailer for Indie 'Before You Know It'

Before You Know It Trailer

"I have to learn how to be an adult." 1091 Media has debuted an official trailer for an indie drama titled Before You Know It, which first premiered at the Sundance Film Festival earlier this year. It has played at numerous other film festivals, and will get a small release at the end of August. From actress / director Hannah Pearl Utt, who also stars in the film, Before You Know It is about a pair of sisters who find out that the mother they thought was dead is alive and starring on a soap opera. They go to find her in hopes of reconnecting, but it doesn't go as expected. "A journey that proves you really can come of age, at any age." Starring Judith Light, Mandy Patinkin, Hannah Pearl Utt, Jen Tullock, & Mike Colter, with Alec Baldwin. This is a personal film, made by theater nerds for theater nerds, and it's rather kooky but sweet.

Here's the first official trailer for Hannah Pearl Utt's Before You Know It, direct from YouTube:

Before You Know It Poster

A long-kept family secret thrusts codependent, thirty-something sisters Rachel and Jackie Gurner into a literal soap opera. A journey that proves you really can come of age, at any age. Before You Know It is directed by American actress / filmmaker Hannah Pearl Utt, her second feature film after Disengaged previously. The screenplay is written by Jen Tullock and Hannah Pearl Utt. This premiered at the Sundance Film Festival earlier this year, and also played at the Cleveland, Dallas, Newport Beach, Maine, Montclair, Maryland, and Edinburgh Film Festivals throughout the year so far. 1091 Media will release Tullock & Utt's Before You Know It in select theaters starting August 30th coming up soon. Who's interested in this one?

First Real Teaser Trailer for Scorsese's 'The Irishman' Starring De Niro

The Irishman Trailer

"I heard you paint houses?" It's here! Finally!! Netflix has debuted a real teaser trailer for Martin Scorsese's highly anticipated next film The Irishman, which is set to arrive in theaters sometime this fall. This was just announced as the opening night world premiere at the New York Film Festival coming up this October, which is the perfect place to unveil this crime story. The Irishman is about a mob hitman who recalls his possible involvement with the slaying of Jimmy Hoffa. Scorsese's awesome ensemble cast includes Robert De Niro, Anna Paquin, Jesse Plemons, Joe Pesci, Ray Romano, Bobby Cannavale, Harvey Keitel, Jack Huston, Sebastian Maniscalco, Domenick Lombardozzi, Stephen Graham, Tommy McInnis, with Al Pacino as Jimmy Hoffa. This is a killer first look teaser, with just enough to grab your attention but not so much as to feel like we've seen too much already. Seems like this will be worth the wait.

Here's the first official teaser trailer for Martin Scorsese's The Irishman, direct from Netflix's YouTube:

The Irishman Movie

Frank Sheeran, a labor union official with mob connections, recalls his involvement in the 1975 slaying of Jimmy Hoffa, an American labor union leader. The Irishman is directed by American filmmaker Martin Scorsese, of many films including Mean Streets, Taxi Driver, Raging Bull, The King of Comedy, The Color of Money, The Last Temptation of Christ, Goodfellas, Cape Fear, The Age of Innocence, Casino, Kundun, Bringing Out the Dead, Gangs of New York, The Aviator, The Departed, Shutter Island, Hugo, The Wolf of Wall Street, and Silence previously. The screenplay is written by Oscar winner Steven Zaillian; adapted from Charles Brandt's book "I Heard You Paint Houses". Netflix will release Martin Scorsese's The Irishman in select theaters + eventually streaming sometime later this fall. Stay tuned for an exact release date. Excited?

Tuesday, 30 July 2019

Watch: Helfrecht & Tittel's Short Film 'NYET! A Brexit UK Border Farce'

NYET! A Brexit UK Border Farce

"Do you smell something yucky?" Oh now this is a good one. NYET! A Brexit UK Border Farce is a new short film made by London-based filmmakers Alex Helfrecht & Jörg Tittel. This satire mocking the crazy times in the UK is about two immigrants crossing the border who are stopped for bringing contraband over the border. But they're stopped for all the wrong reasons. The short stars Olivia Williams, Beatie Edney, Garry Mountaine, and introducing Gabriella Moran and Dimitri Gripari. For those outside of the UK who don't get this, it's about how Brexit is limiting contraband like cheese and foreign food because it's from the EU. There's a nice twist in this; it's deliciously clever short film storytelling. "Is any of this reasonable?"

NYET! A Brexit UK Border Farce Poster

Thanks to Jörg for the tip on this. Original description from Vimeo: "When Boris and Olga arrive at the port of Dover with precious cargo, the border authorities, headed by the formidable Mrs. Pyke (Olivia Williams), uncover truths hidden - quite literally - within our protagonists." NYET! A Brexit UK Border Farce is co-directed by London-based filmmakers Alex Helfrecht (follow her @meinhelf) and Jörg Tittel (follow him @newjorg). Tittel previously directed the feature film The White King, and is always working on projects. The script is written by Alex Helfrecht, Gabriella Moran, Jörg Tittel. An Oiffy production. For more info on their short, and to buy some merch, you can visit the official website. For more shorts, click here. Thoughts?

The First Word Podcast - 'Once Upon a Time in Hollywood', feat. Aaron Neuwirth

The First Word Podcast - Once Upon a Time in Hollywood

"It's official, old buddy. I'm a has been…" On this episode of The First Word podcast we jump right into an analysis and discussion about Quentin Tarantino's latest film Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, his ninth feature, this one set in Los Angeles in 1969 following buddies Cliff Booth (Brad Pitt) and Rick Dalton (Leonardo DiCaprio). Read our original Cannes review for a bit more to chew on. Friends Alex Billington (@firstshowing) and Mike Eisenberg (@Eisentower30) team up to bring you a podcast providing in-depth discussion, analysis, and interviews about the latest movies, and some old ones too. For this episode, our friend and fellow podcaster Aaron Neuwirth (@aaronsps4 of the Out Now podcast) join us as our guest for this discussion about Tarantino's new film and why he loved it so much (read his review). We talk about everything, including the end of the movie and the impact of it, so watch out for spoilers. Listen in below.

Download or listen to The First Word podcast episode #25 below - hosted by Podbean.

Subscribe to The First Word podcast on RSS iTunes here.

> You can also subscribe to the show on Pocket Casts, CastBox, Player FM, TuneIn, Stitcher Radio.

Our guest: Aaron Neuwirth (@aaronsps4) - listen to his podcast Out Now

Our topic: Quentin Tarantino's Once Upon a Time in Hollywood

More links: Criterion's Godzilla: The Showa-Era Box Set
Amy Nicholson's podcast Quentin Tarantino's Feature Presentation

The logo for The First Word was designed by the very talented Eileen Steinbach - follow her @SG_Posters and see more of her work on her website here. She is the best.

Any & all feedback, compliments, additional discussion, corrections, theories, any more questions for us, or any other thoughts about life can be sent directly to us on Twitter. You can contact us directly by emailing to thefirstword[at]firstshowing.net. We would love to hear from you! Thank you for listening to our podcast.

Official Trailer for Drama 'The Parting Glass' Written by Denis O'Hare

The Parting Glass Trailer

"We don't know what really went on…" Sony Pictures has unveiled the official trailer for an indie drama titled The Parting Glass, the feature directorial debut of English actor Stephen Moyer. This premiered at the Edinburgh Film Festival, and also played at the Karlovy Vary and Mill Valley Film Festivals last year. The film is about a family dealing with a death, as they travel across the country to collect her belongings and piece together their memories of the woman they lost. Inspired by autobiographical events, indie actor Denis O'Hare makes his feature screenplay debut with this poignant, heartfelt story. The Parting Glass stars Oluniké Adeliyi, Edward Asner, Paul Gross, Rhys Ifans, Melissa Leo, Cynthia Nixon, Anna Paquin, and Denis O'Hare. This does look like a lovely drama about family, very emotional and honest.

Here's the first official trailer (+ poster) for Stephen Moyer's The Parting Glass, direct from YouTube:

The Parting Glass Poster

In his feature film directorial debut, Stephen Moyer helms a star-studded cast in this powerful, emotional drama about an estranged family coming back together again when the youngest sibling, Colleen (Anna Paquin), mysteriously dies. Left to sort through her belongings, Colleen's father (Ed Asner), three siblings (Melissa Leo, Cynthia Nixon, Denis O'Hare), and ex-husband (Rhys Ifans) revisit their memories and make peace together. The Parting Glass is directed by English actor / filmmaker Stephen Moyer, making his feature directorial debut after directing a few episodes of "True Blood" previously. The screenplay is written by actor Denis O'Hare. This first premiered at the Edinburgh Film Festival last year. Sony Pictures will debut Moyer's The Parting Glass direct-to-VOD starting September 10th coming up soon. Interested?

The Raging Heroism of ‘Django Unchained’

The world no longer needs your silence. Give us a scream or get the hell out of the way. With Inglourious Basterds, Quentin Tarantino satisfied six decades of moral aggravation when Adolf Hitler gathered a belly, chest, and face full of flaming hot lead. History and its acceptable cinematic approximations mattered not. The monster did not deserve to go out on his own terms; he didn’t deserve the reality he secured for himself. His end demanded a mutilation of flesh and bone to match generations of horror, anger, and disgust. Fuck that guy. Eat it, punk.

The older I get, the more I appreciate rage. The Star Trek kid within won’t let go of hope, but the journey to the Final Frontier can not possibly be achieved through sheer optimism. Peace can only be found at the end of a barrel. Samuel Colt understood that all the way back in 1855, and we’d be best to never forget it. Sideline election coverage grants disappointment. Hit the streets with the pamphlets and grab your billboards of protest. You’ll probably still lose, but you’ve stoked the fire for the next encounter. Keep the belly bubbling; sooner or later, your opponent will sleep.

While you could never claim Tarantino to be a mellow filmmaker, after Basterds, his narratives engorged through the healing properties of anger. Django Unchained plots an epic, recognizable hero’s journey to rescue the damsel from the wretched claws of Calvin Candie (Leonardo DiCaprio) but gains giant grins from its audience equal to that of the climactic victor because the filmmaker understands our primal desire for hangman’s justice. The villain is clearly a villain; no need for courts, judges, or juries. We know what’s right. Django (Jamie Foxx) knows what’s right. Get it done.

Sir Lancelot and Luke Skywalker certainly relished their slaying of various henchman, and we cheered them on, but none of their killings feel as gratifying as when Django transforms Candyland cowboys into red clouds of obliterated meat while 2Pac’s “Untouchable” mashes against James Brown’s “The Payback.” Django and the walls disappear behind geysers of blood, and the crowd runs ravenous. Yes, yes, yes. Kill, kill, kill.

Tarantino bends many truths to achieve dramatic heights, but none when it came to the horrors and the business of Antebellum racism: the whip, the spiked collars, the cold arithmetic of balancing black and brown bodies. The European Dr. King Schultz (Christoph Waltz) removes Django from his chains and the trek they take to rescue Broomhilda (Kerry Washington) is a parade of human depravity. One in which any American who is not a descendant of slaves is culpable. We thrive on the flesh they gave, and the joy we take in Django’s vengeance is enriched by self-loathing. The outburst is all the reproachable can offer.

That rage is a healing power. Doctor Jeremy Dean, the founder of PsyBlog, makes a strong case for the beneficial properties of anger. He champions provocation as a motivating force; the steam required to elicit change on the intimate and global scale. He states, “Research has shown that anger can make us push towards our goals in the face of problems and barriers.” If a person gets mad enough, they cannot sit at the teat of the nightly news. They’ve read a history book or two, or more importantly, ridden alongside Django.

Fight or flight. It’s all in our evolution. When we’re backed against a wall, we bash against injustice through our anger. The heat propels us to be absolutely vigilant towards perilous opposing viewpoints. When we are attacked, the rage automatically activates and forces our hand before the brain has time to think. Speed is essential to survival, and furor gets us greased.

The pinnacle of Django Unchained‘s entertainment rests in our hero’s triumphant smoke. With villains violently vanquished and Broomhilda safely astride a horse with fingers in her ears, Django lights his drag and straps on his sunglasses while Candyland explodes behind him. The fiery moment is as cathartic an act of physical destruction as the eradication of Hitler in Inglourious Basterds. Hindsight objectivity deems it so.

Anger allows for comfort. The sensation breeds emotional pain and can result in physical manifestations. Therefore, rage released means you can free up the tensions grinding down your teeth and twisting your muscles. When the steam spews from your ears, you’re free of the copious amounts of anxiety flooding your system. Your nerves need calming, and anger arrives to help.

The smile that Django and Broomhilda share is not an ordinary relief. Their threat is removed. A bright unknown crests on their horizon. They unite under the consolation that they enacted the necessary change demanded by the horrors around them. Doc Dean subscribes that the rageful are often the most optimistic individuals on the planet. Anger erases dread and “in contrast, those experiencing more fear were more pessimistic about the future and expected further attacks.” Problems will always arise, but Django can deal.

Tarantino is stewing with his cinema of late. He’s brought the rage to Nazis and racists, and in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, the director is hunting hippies. With wishful promises of a Star Trek, there is no denying Tarantino’s optimism, but I wouldn’t imagine a 10th (and possibly final) film to stray into the serene. If anything, the Tarantino fury of 2009, 2012, and 2019 was only warming up to true hellfire. We can take it.

The post The Raging Heroism of ‘Django Unchained’ appeared first on Film School Rejects.

What’s New to Stream on Netflix for August 2019, and What’s Leaving

Some people spend their days arguing over the merits of Netflix, but the rest of us are too busy enjoying new movies, engaging series, and fun specials. It’s just one more way to re-watch the movies we already love and find new ones to cherish, and this month sees some of both hitting the service.

The complete list of movies and shows hitting (and leaving) Netflix this month — August 2019 — is below, but first I’m going to highlight a few that stand apart from the bunch.

Red Dots

Netflix Pick of the Month

1982’s The Dark Crystal remains a favorite for many of us who saw it in theaters as kids, but it doesn’t seem to have aged well with today’s viewers. It’s too dark, too slow, too whatever… but that’s a load of bullshit. To each their own, I guess, but for me the film retains its power and stands apart from today’s norm of excess CG and loud noises. A follow-up has long been rumored, and to be honest I feared it expecting a sequel to fall into the trap of modern-day kiddie fare (ie the CG and loudness mentioned above), but the trailer for The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance [Netflix Original] looks to prove my concerns unfounded. Sure there are CG assists, but the bulk of the magic looks to be old-fashioned puppetry with all of our favorite characters and species returning. It looks gorgeous to boot,, so color me excited knowing that it hits Netflix starting August 30th.

Red Dots

Fun with David Fincher

It’s been five years since David Fincher has gifted film fans with a new movie, and while that’s some straight-up bullshit we’ve at least had some television work to soften the wait. Mindhunter is a smart, wholly engrossing look into the creation of the FBI’s behavioral Science division in the 1970s — watch the trailer for season 1 above if you’re still on the fence — and while Fincher only directed some of the episodes his fingerprints are all over the series. Mindhunter’s second season arrives on the 16th with episodes once again directed by Fincher, Carl Franklin, and Andrew Dominik. Netflix even sweetens the pot this month by adding Panic Room on the 1st, and if you act fast, you should probably re-watch Zodiac before it leaves the service on 8/6.

Red Dots

Enjoy Once Upon a Time in… Hollywood? Watch This!

Quentin Tarantino’s 10th film is currently playing in theaters and is easily among his most entertaining and affectionate creations. I’m of the opinion that his best remains Inglourious Basterds, but many fans would make a case for Jackie Brown at the top of his filmography. I’m correct, obviously, but that doesn’t take away from this Pam Grier-led gem in the slightest. It hits town on the 1st, and it comes highly recommended.

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Watch It Before It’s “Gone”

The complete list of movies and shows leaving Netflix this month is below, but allow me to point you towards a film you may have missed. Beautiful Creatures (2013) is disappearing from the service on 8/21, and I really can’t recommend enough that you give it a spin. It’s a rare YA adaptation that delivers in every way with character, wit, performances, production design, and a compelling narrative. The film unfortunately tanked at the box-office meaning we were cheated out of sequels, but it stands as a fantastically entertaining genre romance.

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The Complete List

August 1st
Are We Done Yet?
Boyka: Undisputed
Four Weddings and a Funeral
Groundhog Day
Horns
Jackie Brown
Jupiter Ascending
Now and Then
Panic Room
Rocky
Rocky II
Rocky III
Rocky IV
Rocky V
Sex and the City: The Movie
Something’s Gotta Give
The Bank Job
The House Bunny
The Sinner: Julian
To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar
Why Do Fools Fall in Love

August 2nd
Ask the StoryBots – Season 3 [Netflix Family]
Basketball or Nothing [Netflix Original]
Dear White People – Volume 3 [Netflix Original]
Derry Girls – Season 2 [Netflix Original]
Otherhood [Netflix Film]
She-Ra and the Princesses of Power – Season 3 [Netflix Family]

August 4th
Patriot Act with Hasan Minhaj – Volume 4 [Netflix Original]

August 5th
Enter the Anime [Netflix Original]
No Good Nick – Part 2 [Netflix Family]

August 6th
Screwball
Sebastian Maniscalco: Why Would You Do That

August 8th
Dollar [Netflix Original]
Jane the Virgin – Season 5
Judy Moody and the Not Bummer Summer
The Naked Director [Netflix Original]
Wu Assassins [Netflix Original]

August 9th
Cable Girls – Season 4 [Netflix Original]
The Family [Netflix Original]
GLOW – Season 3 [Netflix Original]
The InBESTigators [Netflix Family]
iZombie – Season 5
Rocko’s Modern Life: Static Cling [Netflix Family]
Sintonia [Netflix Original]
Spirit Riding Free: Pony Tales [Netflix Family]
Tiny House Nation – Volume 1

August 13th
Knightfall – Season 2
Tiffany Haddish Presents: They Ready [Netflix Original]

August 14th
The 100 – Season 6

August 15th
Cannon Busters [Netflix Anime]

August 16th
45rpm [Netflix Original]
Apache: La vida de Carlos Tevez [Netflix Original]
Better Than Us [Netflix Original]
Diagnosis [Netflix Original]
Frontera verde [Netflix Original]
Invader Zim: Enter the Florpus [Netflix Family]
The Little Switzerland [Netflix Film]
Mindhunter – Season 2 [Netflix Original]
QB1: Beyond the Lights – Season 1 [Netflix Original]
Selfless
Sextuplets [Netflix Film]
Super Monsters Back to School [Netflix Family]
Victim Number 8 [Netflix Original]

August 17th
The Punisher (2004)

August 20th
Gangs of New York
Simon Amstell: Set Free [Netflix Original]

August 21st
American Factory [Netflix Original]
Hyperdrive [Netflix Original]

August 22nd
Love Alarm [Netflix Original]

August 23rd
El Pepe: Una vida suprema [Netflix Original]
Hero Mask – Part 2 [Netflix Anime]
Rust Valley Restorers [Netflix Original]

August 27th
Million Pound Menu – Season 2 [Netflix Original]
Trolls! The Beat Goes On – Season 7 [Netflix Family]

August 28th
Droppin’ Cash – Season 2 [Netflix Original]

August 29th
Falling Inn Love [Netflix Film]
Kardec [Netflix Film]
Workin’ Moms – Season 3 [Netflix Original]

August 30th
The A List [Netflix Original]
Carole & Tuesday [Netflix Anime]
The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance [Netflix Original]
Le Grande Classe [Netflix Film]
Locked Up – Season 3
Mighty Little Bheem – Season 2 [Netflix Family]
Styling Hollywood [Netflix Original]
True and the Rainbow Kingdom: Wild Wild Yetis [Netflix Family]
Un bandido honrado [Netflix Original]

August 31st
Luo Bao Bei – Season 1

Red Dots

LEAVING 8/1
A Cinderella Story
A Cinderella Story: Once Upon a Song
Another Cinderella Story
Austin Powers in Goldmember
Beverly Hills Chihuahua
Chuggington: Season 1-5
Death in Paradise: Season 1-7
Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas
Final Destination
Final Destination 2
Final Destination 3
Good Will Hunting
Gosford Park
Hairspray (1988)
Hairspray (2007)
Hot Fuzz
Just Friends
Legion
Poltergeist
Scarface
Secretariat
The Butterfly Effect
The Butterfly Effect 2
The Da Vinci Code
The Fifth Element
The Final Destination
The Hurt Locker
The Master
The Village
W.
World War II in Colour
World War Two: 1941 and the Man of Steel: S1
Zombieland

LEAVING 8/2
The Founder

LEAVING 8/5
Mothers and Daughters
Slow TV: Collection

LEAVING 8/6
Love, Rosie
Zodiac

LEAVING 8/8
The Emoji Movie

LEAVING 8/11
No Country for Old Men

LEAVING 8/14
The Royals: Season 1

LEAVING 8/15
World War Two: 1942 and Hitler’s Soft Underbelly: Season 1

LEAVING 8/16
The 40-Year-Old Virgin

LEAVING 8/20
The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy

LEAVING 8/21
Beautiful Creatures

LEAVING 8/28
Wind River

LEAVING 8/30
Burnt

LEAVING 8/31
Straw Dogs

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Follow all of our monthly streaming guides.

The post What’s New to Stream on Netflix for August 2019, and What’s Leaving appeared first on Film School Rejects.

How ‘The Hateful Eight’ Turns Limitation Into Brilliance

I really like The Hateful Eight. Is it my favorite Quentin Tarantino film? No. Is it a masterpiece? Eh, maybe. Do I agree with your critique of it? Also maybe. But, I can’t get enough of it. I’m not sure why. 

My favorite moment comes just after John “The Hangman” Ruth (Kurt Russell) and Daisy Domergue (Jennifer Jason Leigh) enter Minnie’s Haberdashery for the first (and last) time, leaving their stagecoach and the swiftly approaching blizzard behind. The shot keeps the handcuffed duo in the background, while General Sandford “Sandy” Smithers (Bruce Dern) and Oswaldo Mobray (Tim Roth) sit in armchairs by the fire in the foreground. As Ruth boards up the door behind them, sealing off the storm and their fate, Smithers glances directly into the camera, warning us of the trouble ahead.Dern Looking Gif

It is that fleeting glance that gets at the playful ethos of The Hateful Eight, and the reason why I watch the film again and again. Roger Ebert began his review of Kill Bill: Vol. 1 by writing, “[The film] shows Quentin Tarantino so effortlessly and brilliantly in command of his technique that he reminds me of a virtuoso violinist racing through ‘Flight of the Bumble Bee’ — or maybe an accordion prodigy setting a speed record for ‘Lady of Spain.’ I mean that as a sincere compliment. The movie is not about anything at all except the skill and humor of its making. It’s kind of brilliant.”

Ebert was right about Kill Bill, and it is precisely this that I feel when I watch The Hateful Eight — that I am in the hands of a master. The Hateful Eight is a case study in the beauty of limitation, of a master challenging himself in form and style. 

Perhaps the most obvious and notable example of this is the film’s use of a limited setting: Minnie’s Haberdashery. Tarantino has talked before about his desire to turn The Hateful Eight into a stage play, which one can easily imagine given that the film takes place mostly in a single room. 

The Hateful Eight has always reminded me of Alfred Hitchcock’s Dial ‘M’ for Murder, which I explore at length in my video essay “How to Shoot a Film in One Room.” Hitchcock once said that his decision to make the film came in part after seeing so many play adaptations that were not cinematic. These adaptations, mostly made for television, were dialogue-heavy dramas that were essentially filmed plays. The only changes made for the film versions, said Hitchcock, were adding moments where a character walks out of the taxi, onto the street, through the doorway, and into the room where the dramatic action takes place. With Dial ‘M’, his goal was to adapt a play using film language and challenge himself by limiting the film to mostly a single room. The same is done, minus the existence of source material, with The Hateful Eight. 

Much of the dramatic tension in the film is a byproduct of its limited setting. Shortly after we first enter Minnie’s, Tarantino explores the space in its entirety, giving us an opportunity to orient ourselves and actually see each nook and cranny. In doing so, Tarantino eliminates any prospect of using unseen space to create tension (at least until the big surprise), and instead must do so through the characters, their interplay, and, of course, the camera. The film becomes a murder mystery, but instead of taking place in a spooky castle or mansion that becomes its own character, Tarantino strips the setting of any mystique, leaving fewer tools to shock and surprise. 

Another one of the great joys of The Hateful Eight is that its very existence defies the logic of its time. It is everything a 21st-century movie is told not to be: a single room, Western epic, with a “roadshow” version lasting more than three hours (not to mention the extended edition now on Netflix). As he is perhaps the most famous devotee of the Western genre alive, it is no surprise that Tarantino would make such a film, especially one that differs so much from his other Western, Django Unchained. Tarantino is also a man obsessed with sub-genres. He told IGN at the time of the film’s release, “I do like dealing in genres, but I also like dealing in sub-genres. So there are Westerns, and then there are Spaghetti Westerns. In this case, there’s also the sub, sub-genre of Snow Westerns. And Snow Westerns — there’s not that many of them, but they’re there.”

There are, of course, many ways to categorize a Western, but one of the distinctions that has most shaped my thinking of the genre is one made by the great Howard Hawks (one of Tarantino’s heroes), who said there are two types: those set before the establishment of law and order, and those set after. Hawks’ two great Westerns (both masterpieces) — Red River (1948) and Rio Bravo (1959) — are perfect examples of this dichotomy. Whenever I watch a Western, I try to place the film I’m watching in one of these two categories. It is usually pretty easy, but with a film like The Hateful Eight, it is a little more tricky. 

The film begins as almost an homage to Stagecoach (1939), one of John Ford’s best films and a quintessential example of the pre-law-and-order Western (this reference is ironic coming from Tarantino, a known Ford hater). 

As the stagecoach makes its way to Minnie’s Haberdashery, the snow and landscape place us in the typical lawless, frontier Western. However, once the stagecoach gang enters the Haberdashery, law and order slowly begin to enter. Ruth’s decision to bring Daisy (who is wanted dead or alive) into the town of Red Rock to hang is a reminder that law and order have been established and prompts debates among the haberdashery’s patrons on the relative advantages and disadvantages of hanging her. When Major Warren (Samuel L. Jackson) kills the Confederate General Smithers in “self-defense” (Warren uses Smithers’s racism to provoke him into attacking), another legal debate ensues. 

Minnie’s Haberdashery, therefore, seems to be suspended between the two Western worlds Hawks identified. This limbo is only heightened by the presence of Chris Mannix (Walter Goggins), who has been elected to replace the murdered sheriff of Red Rock. Throughout the film, he tries to exercise his ambiguous authority as “Sheriff-elect,” like when he tells Ruth that leaving him behind in the blizzard would be equal to murdering the sheriff. Mannix’s undefined role and authority serve as a stand-in for the limbo of the film’s own genre. Plus, Minnie’s Haberdashery literally acts as a waypoint on the way to Red Rock, a bridge between law and order and the frontier. 

The interior of the haberdashery too extenuates this feeling of a divided world. With candy, coffee, armchairs, and a roaring fire, Minnie’s seems like the perfect place to brave a blizzard. Call me naive, but I remember when I first watched the film, for a brief moment I thought that the haberdashery would merely be a stop on the way to the story’s main place of conflict — how could it be anything other than an oasis? 

But, we soon realize that it is just as much a part of the frontier as it is the world of law and order. We feel that because of all that I have previously mentioned: the single room and the formal and thematic tension it creates, and the limbo of the world itself. There is one more element (and presumably many others that I have not covered) that is essential to understanding the mastery of The Hateful Eight: the blizzard. 

Of all of Tarantino’s films, The Hateful Eight may have the best sound design. Yes, he abandoned popular music for an Ennio Morricone score, but I mean the sound of the natural elements, of the snowstorm constantly roaring in the background throughout the film.  In a Hollywood Reporter director’s roundtable, Tarantino speaks of his commitment to the blizzard aesthetic, saying, “And one of the things that prepared me for that was watching a documentary about Apocalypse Now and hearing [cinematographer Vittorio] Storaro talking about creating an aesthetic: ‘Once you do, you can’t go back.’ I told that to the crew, I go: ‘We’re going to create this thing, and we can’t go backward. If that means it takes us three months to do this scene, because we have to match that snowfall, then that’s what we have to do.'”

And it is that very commitment to consistency that makes The Hateful Eight such an achievement. I feel like I am with these characters, that we are all surviving together in close quarters at Minnie’s Haberdashery on this one day, engulfed by the sound and feel of the blizzard. Are these characters particularly compelling? No. Do I care about them in the same way I do the characters in, say, Rio Bravo? What an absurd question. But, I’m there with them. I love being with them, in their world, hanging out. Shit, maybe this thing is a masterpiece.

The post How ‘The Hateful Eight’ Turns Limitation Into Brilliance appeared first on Film School Rejects.

Tracking The Many Influences of ‘Kill Bill’

Once upon a time in the ’80s and ’90s, a person could work in something called a video store. These were brick and mortar businesses full of VHS tapes, Betamax, laserdisc, DVD, HD-DVD and, briefly, Blu-ray, containing the collected works of film history. Or more likely, 35 copies of The Fast and the Furious and a dusty video cassette of Hard Target. These were places you could work after school, shelving endless copies of the newest releases, and watch some cool flicks for free.

Or, as Quentin Tarantino did, you could use it as free education, a master’s degree in watching movies, hoping that someday someone would let you pour your knowledge into a film of your own.

All of Tarantino’s output has been a mishmash of his obsessions and film history osmosis, but it was the two-part kung-fu epic Kill Bill, a stylish, technicolor, genre-bending opus, that finally let him open up the throttle on his film lore engine and let it rip. It’s a veritable Pop Up Video of film references, the long historical tendrils of which stretch around the globe and go back decades. The influences are in two parts, broadly speaking; Asian and European and American.

European and American Cinematic Influences

The films of Europe and America that Tarantino mines for his Kung Fu revenge story are wide-ranging, for sure, but they’re also somewhat convoluted in influence. What seems like a direct inspiration from a European film, for example, actually goes back much further.

The Spaghetti Westerns of Sergio Leone are of course a huge influence on Kill Bill. The double exposure shots of the Bride (Uma Thurman) walking away from her grave and Michael Madsen’s Budd sitting outside his trailer, the overhead shots of the Bride creeping up around Elle Driver in Bud’s trailer, and the wide-open shots of Texas in the black and white flashbacks all call back to Leone’s best known films, and Tarantino also uses frequent Leone collaborator Ennio Morricone on the soundtrack.

The interesting thing is when one starts to inspect the influences of the Leone films Tarantino references most, the Dollars Trilogy. All three of those films take their inspiration from Akira Kurosawa‘s Yojimbo, the story of a lone samurai coming to the aid of a village against a band of marauders. In this and many other influences, the trail of films that inspired Kill Bill circles back to Asian cinema more often than not.

The Bride Wore Black, the 1968 Francois Truffaut film about a bride out for revenge on the five men who killed her husband on her wedding day, recalls a tendency in Asian cinema of the 1950s to front-face capable women in strong roles when Western films had yet to arrive at this point.

Even in the many blaxploitation films that Tarantino calls back to we find flares of samurai cinema. From Shaft In Africa to the early films of Pam Grier, such as Foxy Brown, lone-wolf style revenge is in large supply, and the non-diegetic musical cues and grandiosely stylized costume design all draw influence from the samurai cinema of the ’50s and ’60s and the kabuki theatre that preceded it.

Asian Cinematic Influences

Western filmmakers reusing plot elements from Asian films is nothing new, and by the time Tarantino got around to starting his career, some of the most high profile American and European films of all time had already been homages or remakes of Asian films of note. George Lucas, Martin Scorsese, and Sergio Leone owe part of their biggest successes to Asian cinema, to name a few. But while these directors remade or repurposed plots from Japanese or Chinese films and laid them over new templates, Tarantino takes a different approach entirely in Kill Bill.

Rather than just lifting plot elements or characters, Tarantino also uses Kill Bill as a continuation of the stories of characters from films and television past, covertly and overtly. Both volumes of Kill Bill contain the set-ups and introductions of a half dozen characters and plot points that are directly poached from classics of the kung-fu, Jidaigeki, or wuxia genres, as well as Japanese and Chinese crime cinema and episodic television.

The Deadly Viper Assassination squad that the Bride hunts down echoes the protagonists of the Shaw Brothers kung fu classic The Five Deadly Venoms, right down to their venomous codenames. Sonny Chiba‘s legendary swordsmith Hattori Hanzō somewhat reprises a role he played in the Japanese TV series The Shadow Warriors, which ran for four seasons in the early ’80s and mostly followed the different generations of the Hanzō family (Tarantino has said Kill Bill‘s sword maker is Hattori Hanzō XIV).

Other Shaw Brothers classics are referenced throughout Kill Bill‘s many grandiose fight scenes, including The 36th Chamber of the Shaolin and the wuxia classic One-Armed Swordsman, the over-the-top bloodletting and sword fighting of which is echoed in The House Of Blue Leaves fight sequence featuring The Crazy 88, and the “crash zoom” made famous by the studio is also used extensively.

Stylistically, both volumes of Kill Bill draw design and aesthetic inspiration from two classics from Japanese director Seijun Suzuki: Tokyo Drifter and Branded To Kill. The first movie offers the technicolor, jazzy, cartoonish vibes of the first installment, including the use of go-go music and club scenes with violent, epic fights. The latter offers the stark, high-contrast black and white that the second film utilizes so well in flashbacks to the Bride’s wedding day, and both contain a fair amount of the anarchic, surrealist world-building that makes Kill Bill seem to exist in its own self-styled universe.

The film Tarantino poaches from the most, however, is probably the 1973 Toshiya Fujita revenge thriller Lady Snowblood. The story of a young assassin who hunts down the criminals who raped her mother and killed her father and brother echoes the plot of Kill Bill. The film even uses illustrated interstitial storyboards for sequences that would have been too expensive to produce, much like Tarantino’s inclusion of the Production IG animated sequence describing Oren-Ishii’s childhood.

The final battle between Oren and the Bride in the garden of the House Of Blue Leaves, with Oren in a white kimono, surrounded by lightly falling snow that is eventually sprayed with bright red blood, serves as a visual tribute to the Fujita thriller. And the Lady Snowblood theme song, “The Flower Of Carnage,” is featured prominently, sung by Lady Snowblood herself, Meiko Kaji.

Tracing the spider’s web of influence Tarantino uses on any given film could fill a medieval tapestry, but Kill Bill may be his most overt and widest-ranging homage, especially to the Japanese and Chinese cinema that he has taken inspiration from since his beginnings. Although his later films have all contained a wide range of influences and inspiration drawn from film history, Kill Bill is his most personal love letter to the many movies of revenge he consumed during his video store days, a period of time that probably resonates most with the director.

The post Tracking The Many Influences of ‘Kill Bill’ appeared first on Film School Rejects.

Watch ‘Once Upon a Time in Hollywood,’ Then Watch These Movies

There is a reason I recommend movies to watch after you see a new release. I believe you will better appreciate the new movie by familiarizing yourself with film history, specifically the movies of the past that inform and influence that movie of the present. Quentin Tarantino movies are easy to do this with since he often wears his inspirations on his sleeve.

Or he programs a series of the old films at his own movie theater and works with Sony to curate selections for their cable channel or with Fandango to promote titles to rent or buy on their digital film service. He did all three for his latest, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. You can also find a handy guide to all the movies he’s acknowledged.

Seeing as he’s covered all the bases for what to watch before seeing his movie, I figured this edition of Movies to Watch After… would aim for something a little different. These titles didn’t necessarily influence OUATIH. Watching them might not give you a better appreciation of OUATIH. Rather, I think seeing OUATIH will give you a better appreciation of them.

Oh, and if you need anything to help you with the true story of the Manson Family and their murders, don’t watch anything, just listen to this: Karina Longworth’s You Must Remember This podcast series from 2015 titled “Charles Manson’s Hollywood.”

Echo in the Canyon (2019) and David Crosby: Remember My Name (2019)

Echo In The Canyon

Two hit documentaries released this year are already a good double feature together. They also can be watched after OUATIH as part of a triple feature. Echo in the Canyon is about the Los Angeles music scene of the mid-1960s with a specific focus on the groups based around Laurel Canyon, while David Crosby: Remember My Name is about David Crosby, who was part of that scene.

Echo not only celebrates the Mamas and the Papas, members of which are portrayed in Tarantino’s movie (specifically Cass Elliot and Michelle Phillips, portrayed respectively by Rebecca Rittenhouse and Rachel Redleaf), but it also features clips from Jacques Demy’s Model Shop, a movie that also heavily influenced OUATIH. Echo filmmakers Andrew Slater and Jakob Dylan suggest Model Shop also just looks like how the era of the LA music scene felt.

As for the Crosby doc, for which producer Cameron Crowe has said Echo serves as a preview, it’s a good fit with OUATIH because there’s a moment when its subject says he’d have been better than Dennis Hopper in Easy Rider (another movie on Tarantino’s list of OUATIH influences). There’s even an imagined exchange as if Crosby was in that movie using intercut clips, similar to when OUATIH inserts Leonardo DiCaprio as Rick Dalton in The Great Escape.

Echo in the Canyon and David Crosby: Remember My Name are now playing in theaters.


The Hero (2017)

Thehero Samelliott Hills

Brett Haley’s The Hero should have been an awards darling a couple of years ago, at least for star Sam Elliott, for whom it was written and which seemed almost made with Oscar in mind (the Academy maybe realized this when finally nominating him for A Star is Born a year later). Like OUATIH, it’s about an aging star of Westerns in need of a return to glory, or just decent work.

For many reasons, though, The Hero, is nothing like Tarantino’s movie. It’s set in the present, it’s inspired by its own star’s own career rather than icons of the past (Elliott got his start at the time OUATIH is set, even appearing on such TV series as The F.B.I. and Lancer), and there’s a lot more drama with its romantic and estranged daughter storylines. But there’s also some film industry send-up, albeit played straight — if Rick Dalton was around today, perhaps he’d be auditioning for YA franchises, too.

Stream The Hero on Hulu


The Nice Guys (2016)

The Nice Guys

In its opening weekend, OUATIH has already grossed more than the total domestic take of The Nice Guys. So, as well known as it should be, I assume a lot of people seeing Tarantino’s latest haven’t seen Shane Black’s detective comedy masterpiece. But should. As great as DiCaprio and Brad Pitt are as a dynamic duo in OUATIH, Russell Crowe and Ryan Gosling very well might top them in this.

The Nice Guys is set almost a decade later than the events of OUATIH but is also in and around LA at another turning point of the film industry, namely when porn was peaking. The movie also features OUATIH standout Margaret Qualley (aka miniature Andie MacDowell) as the girl the “nice guys” are hired to find in a goofy noir-ish plot involving an automaker conspiracy.

Rent or buy The Nice Guys from Amazon


Double Dare (2004)

Zoe Bell Double Dare

In 2001, the popular syndicated series Xena: Warrior Princess concluded its lengthy run, leaving Lucy Lawless stunt double Zoe Bell out of a job. She eventually moves to the US and gets hired to double for Uma Thurman in Kill Bill Vol. 1. Numerous collaborations with Tarantino later, she’s the stunt coordinator on OUATIH with a brief onscreen role as well.

Double Dare is a documentary that follows Bell’s career through that whole transition and may even have itself affected her life by leading to her (with financial assistance from the filmmakers) to become acquaintances with people, especially fellow stuntperson doc subject Jeannie Epper, who helped steer her toward her American breakout. On top of that, the film is just a fascinating look at and celebration of women stunt performers.

Buy Double Dare on DVD from Amazon


Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me (1999)

The Spy Who Shagged Me

The Wrecking Crew gets a very nice showcase in a scene with Margot Robbie as Sharon Tate in OUATIH. The fourth and final installment of the Matt Helm spy action-comedy franchise has otherwise not had much of a legacy in its 50 years of existence. Thanks to Tarantino, however, his fans are now checking out the James Bond send-up after seeing clips of it in OUATIH.

Before its prominence in OUATIH, The Wrecking Crew partly inspired the second Austin Powers movie, The Spy Who Shagged Me. Mike Myers’ spy comedy sequel is more of a parody of James Bond parodies than a James Bond parody, and as such, it features a character modeled after Tate’s Freya Carlson combined with Anya Amazova from The Spy Who Loved Me: Heather Graham’s Felicity Shagwell.

The first Austin Powers movie also seems to reference The Wrecking Crew in its joke about England not looking anything like Southern California. The Matt Helm sequel features a chase scene through the “Dutch Alps” that is clearly shot in California. It’s safe to say that if you see The Wrecking Crew and then other Helm movies (including The Silencers, Murderers’ Row, and The Ambushers, none of which feature Tate), you’ll want to watch the Austin Powers films.

Rent or buy Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me from Amazon


Tess (1979)

Tess

In OUATIH, Tate is shown picking up a copy of Thomas Hardy’s Tess of the d’Urbervilles as a gift for her husband, Roman Polanski. She was known to have recently read the book before her murder and suggested Polanski adapt it into a feature film. And that he did, a decade later, with young Nastassja Kinski starring as the titular character in this production, which went on to a Best Picture nomination and three Oscar wins.

Had she not died then, Tate very likely would have played the lead in Tess in a movie made by Polanski. She would have been too old for the part if they’d waited until 1978 to make it, but she expressed interest in the role when she gave her husband the book and they probably would have done it sooner than later. Alas, she was killed, but Tess is dedicated “To Sharon.”

Throughout OUATIH, even before it was confirmed that Tate would live in the alternate history ending of the movie’s universe, I thought she might and hoped Tarantino would have an American Grafitti type pre-credits epilogue showing where the characters are now and what movies and TV shows they did after 1969 — or even showed Robbie as Tate inserted into them.

Rent or buy Tess from Amazon


Hooper (1978)

Hooper

Tarantino has constantly shown his love for stunt work and stunt performers throughout his career, including in his collaboration with Zoe Bell and his characters portrayed by Kurt Russell in Death Proof and now OUATIH. His latest movie, however, is his greatest homage to the profession via Pitt’s character, Cliff Booth.

Hooper is a similar appreciation of stunt performers in a fictional film. Directed by iconic stuntman and coordinator Hal Needham, it stars his frequent collaborator Burt Reynolds (whom Needham sometimes doubled for early on) as an aging stuntman who was once considered the greatest in his line of work. He’s working on a spy movie when he meets a new stuntman whom he befriends yet also initially competes with.

Considering Reynolds was initially such a big part of OUATIH — he’s replaced in the episode of The F.B.I. and was meant to himself appear in the movie portraying George Spahn and also portrayed by James Marsden — it’s fun to imagine his later movies as being vehicles for the fictional Rick Dalton. Maybe he would have starred in Hooper as helmed by Booth.

I also recommend the criminally underseen 2016 Needham-focused documentary The Bandit, in which the stuntman turned filmmaker reflects on his life and career.

Buy Hooper on DVD from Amazon


Lions Love (… and Lies) (1969)

Lions Love

When Jacques Demy went to Hollywood to make Model Shop (already mentioned above as a major influence on OUATIH), his wife, filmmaker Agnes Varda, joined him and made some movies of her own. Among her California period works (collected in a great Criterion set) were some short documentaries and the metafictional hybrid Lions Love (… and Lies).

Perfectly described by our own Landon Palmer as “Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice (another influence on OUATIH) meets Gimme Shelter,” Varda’s movie follows Warhol star Viva in her polyamorous relationship with Hair composers Jerry Ragni and James Rado as they navigate Hollywood alongside Shirley Clarke playing both herself and a stand-in for Varda.

Although shot in 1968 (Robert F. Kennedy’s assassination affects the tone and story), simultaneous to the Model Shop production, Lions Love (… and Lies) provides some documentary material for what the setting of OUATIH looked and felt like for real around the same time. And yet it’s also, like Model Shop and OUATIH a cinematic dream of LA, too.

Stream Lions Love (… and Lieson The Criterion Channel


It Happened Here (1964)

It Happened Here

Before Tarantino came along and started making happily ever after revisionist histories concerning Hitler and Manson, the trend with the genre was to go with darker fates. Rather than seeing inglourious basterds wipe out most of the top Nazis, movies imagined Nazis succeeding in their master plans and expanding their reign further than was true.

It Happened Here is one of the earliest alternative history movies as well as the earliest project of filmmakers and historians Kevin Brownlow and Andrew Mollo, who began the project as teenagers in the mid-1950s and eventually finished it with support from Stanley Kubrick and Tony Richardson. It’s also the first work of The Empire Strikes Back DP Peter Suschitzky.

The plot of the film follows an Irish nurse in Nazi-occupied England, which is said to have been taken by the Germans in 1940 following the Dunkirk evacuation and is supported by a now fascist British government. By its end, we can assume the Allies still win the war in this parallel universe but the What If? themes of indoctrination and collaboration are the focus.

Despite my aforementioned desire to have seen Tarantino answer the questions of where are they now, revisionist history stories can get tricky with such lengthy consequential speculation. Perhaps the real events of OUATIH were also course corrected and Manson came back the next day to kill Tate and Seberg (in the true timeline, he actually did something similar in response to the events of that night but elsewhere). Movies like It Happened Here and OUATIH are best as closed narratives.

Buy It Happened Here on DVD from Amazon

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