First Trailer for Smash Hit Horror Film 'Host' Made Entirely on Zoom

"Evil will find you… even when you stay home." You've heard about it, but have you seen it yet? Shudder has debuted an official trailer for the crazy new indie horror film Host, the latest feature from acclaimed UK horror filmmaker Rob Savage. We've featured a number of his shorts, including Salt and the creepy attic Zoom short from earlier this year. Savage followed that up with an even more ambitious idea - a 50-minute feature made entirely over Zoom. Starring Haley Bishop, Radina Drandova, Edward Linard, Jemma Moore, Caroline Ward, and Emma Louise Webb, who also operated their own cameras, helped pull off their own practical effects, and lit their own scenes. Due to social distancing precautions, Savage never set foot in the same room as his actors at any point during production and instead directed them remotely. This has been receiving rave reviews all week and is available on Shudder now. It's one of this year's horror hits.

Here's the official trailer (+ poster) for Rob Savage's Host, direct from Shudder's YouTube:

Host is the story of six friends who hire a medium to hold a séance over Zoom during lockdown, but they get far more than they bargain for as things quickly go wrong. When an evil spirit starts invading their homes, they begin to realize they might not survive the night. Host is directed by acclaimed UK horror filmmaker Rob Savage, director of the film Strings previously, as well as many other short films including Salt and the creepy attic Zoom short. The screenplay is co-written by Gemma Hurley & Rob Savage & Jed Shepherd. Produced by Douglas Cox, Emily Gotto, and Sam Zimmerman. Shudder released Savage's Host film streaming already starting on July 30th this summer. For more info and to watch Host, visit Shudder.

Read More

Portuguese Masterpiece 'The Green Years' New 4K Restoration Trailer

"Be very careful with the boys in Lisbon." Grasshopper Film has released a new US trailer for Paulo Rocha's The Green Years, a 1963 coming-of-age romantic drama from Portugal. The film won a few awards during its initial premiere at film festivals back in 1963, but never got an official US release. The film has been restored in glorious 4K (overseen by Pedro Costa and the Portugeuse Cinematheque) and is getting a virtual cinema re-release in August this summer. Julio, aged nineteen, has just left the provinces to settle down in the outskirts of Lisbon. He lives in a poor area with his uncle Afonso and starts working as an apprentice shoemaker. At the shop, he gets to know Ilda, a young housemaid and regular customer. Ilda is pretty, joyful and modern and Julio falls for her. The two young people, although very different from each other, soon fall for each other. The film stars Rui Gomes, Isabel Ruth, Ruy Furtado, & Paulo Renato. Acclaimed as a "masterpiece" and "striking in its context and its mastery of filmmaking." It looks like a ravishing romance.

Here's the new 4K restoration trailer for Paulo Rocha's The Green Years, from Grasshopper's YouTube:

Nineteen-year-old Julio heads to Lisbon from the provinces and gets a job as a shoemaker for his uncle Raul. But when he meets Ilda, a confident young housemaid who becomes a regular shop visitor, his working-class values collide with the bourgeois trappings of modern life. Never before released in the U.S., Rocha’s debut film, gloriously shot in black and white, is an extraordinary and haunting coming-of-age film. The Green Years, also known as Os Verdes Anos in Portuguese, is directed by acclaimed Portuguese filmmaker Paulo Rocha, who made his feature debut with this film back in 1963. The screenplay is written by Nuno Bragança and Paulo Rocha. The film won Best First Film award at the 1964 Locarno Film Festival. It was never officially released in America. Grasshopper Film will re-release Rocha's The Green Years 4K restoration in virtual cinemas starting August 7th. For more info, visit their website. Who wants to watch?

Read More

First Trailer for Indian 'Nightmare Odyssey of a DJ' Horror Film 'Kriya'

Sit down before you watch this. With the fall festival season about to kick off, some exciting new films are about to premiere. Kriya is an Indian film described as "the nightmare odyssey of a young DJ named Neel (Noble Luke) who is picked up one fateful night by the beautiful Sitara, only to be thrust into a hallucinatory world of ritual magic surrounding the imminent death of her father." That sounds a bit vague, but perhaps it's best to leave it that way. "It's an aesthetically beautiful film, mystically atmospheric and imbued with a creeping unease that casts an uncommon spell." Co-Produced by Andy Starke (of In Fabric) and Pete Tombs (of Free Fire), with an unforgettable score by Jim Williams, "Kriya is a strange and wondrous nightmare odyssey of ritual magic. It demands to be met on its own terms and rewards the curious with unexpected charms. Light a candle and prepare yourself." That's one hell of a pitch - I'm definitely curious. Take a look.

Here's the first official promo trailer (+ poster) for Sidharth Srinivasan's Kriya, direct from YouTube:

DJ Neel encounters the ravishing Sitara while working a club set one night and is transfixed by her. They return to Sitara's place where Neel is horrified to see the gagged and shackled body of her dying father – Sitara's grieving family keeping vigil around it. Caught completely unawares, Neel's compassion is nevertheless aroused and he stays on. In India, patriarchal custom dictates that only a son can perform a parent's last rites, but no such person exists in Sitara's family. So when her father actually dies during the course of the night, Sitara coerces Neel to officiate the rituals of death. Thrust into a world of magic and transgression, Neel finally attempts to flee his waking nightmare. But as dawn breaks, it becomes evident that Sitara's family is afflicted by an ancient curse. One that Neel is now very much a part of. Kriya is both written and directed by Indian filmmaker Sidharth Srinivasan, director of the films Divine Vision and Soul of Sand previously, and one other short film. This is set to premiere at the Fantasia Film Festival coming up soon. No other release dates have been set - stay tuned for updates. First impression? Who's in?

Read More

The Real Story That Inspired ‘The Fugitive’

Real Stories is an ongoing column about the stories behind movies and TV shows. It’s that simple. This installment will focus on the real story of The Fugitive.

---

The 1960s television series The Fugitive and the subsequent 1993 movie adaptation starring Harrison Ford boast the same outrageous premise: A doctor is wrongfully accused of killing his wife and is sent to prison as a result. He then escapes from his shackles and sets out to find the real killer, causing a manhunt in the process.

That’s a simple and entertaining thriller concept. However, the story is also partly based on a real-life case. While not as exhilarating as The Fugitive, the true story involves a doctor who was accused of murdering his spouse only to later be exonerated. Unfortunately, the actual case didn’t provide any clear-cut answers as to who the real culprit was.

It all started on July 4, 1954, when Sam Sheppard’s pregnant wife, Marilyn, was beaten to death in the couple’s home in Bay Village, Ohio. Sheppard, an osteopathic doctor, claimed that he was sleeping on the couch when he heard noises coming from the upstairs bedroom where his wife slept. He rushed up to find a “bushy-haired” intruder attacking her. Sam was knocked out by the man, but he recovered and chased him across the lawn, only to be beaten down again. The couple’s son slept in his own bedroom while the fights went down.

The authorities didn’t believe Sheppard’s account of the incident, and he was arrested for murder. He stood trial in the fall of that year and was eventually found guilty and given a life sentence. The case and trial also caused a media frenzy that may have influenced the outcome of the proceedings. The general consensus among the press was that Sheppard was guilty, but their chronicling of the events has been the subject of much criticism throughout the years.

The prosecutors argued that Sheppard killed Marilyn due to marital difficulties. They suggested that he had been cheating on his wife and wanted out of his marriage. Sheppard’s attorney tried to counteract this claim by noting how the defendant had sustained injuries that could only have been inflicted by an intruder. That said, despite the lack of clear evidence, the prosecution’s story was enough for the jury to believe. It was also the narrative spun by newspapers.

The media’s handling of the case has since been deemed unethical by some commentators. They had access to the jurors and the judge at the time, which may have swayed the jury toward convicting Sheppard and ruining his life. Furthermore, as noted by an Ohio University study, the press favored scandalous editorializing and gossip over fact-based reporting during the trial.

Sheppard continuously appealed the verdict in the years that followed. He argued that the frenzy surrounding the case had destroyed his chance of a fair trial. His appeals were routinely denied until 1964 when US District Court Judge Carl A. Weinman accepted the request. He felt that Sam had been denied the right to due process, whether he was innocent or guilty. The Supreme Court supported the notion, and he was given another chance in 1966.

In November of that year, the second trial took place and Sheppard was acquitted. His attorney was F. Lee Bailey, who later represented the Boston Strangler, Patty Hearst, and O.J. Simpson. No one else was ever charged with Marilyn’s murder, but there was another suspect who’d been on the radar since the 1950s.

Richard Eberling operated a window cleaning business at the time of the murder and the trial. The Sheppards were his clients, and he allegedly developed a close relationship with Marilyn. He also admitted to being sexually attracted to her and recounted stories of having brownies with her in the Sheppard house. Some people who believe he’s guilty have speculated that this attraction could have spurred on his murderous impulses.

There are other factors that indicate his involvement. In 1959, Eberling was arrested on a larceny charge, which was when he was first suspected of murdering Marilyn. The police investigated his house and found some jewelry belonging to her. In an effort to trick him, they asked why his blood had been found in the Sheppard household after the murder. Eberling said that he’d cut his finger while working there a couple of days before the homicide.

In reality, no blood had been found and the cops were presumably trying to trick a confession out of him. Eberling took a polygraph test afterward, but the results were inconclusive and he was excused of any wrongdoing. During the re-trial, Eberling was summoned as a defense witness. When he took to the stand, Sheppard never identified him as the bushy-haired man that he wrestled with on the night of the murder.

Eberling’s criminal escapades continued for years, which led to renewed interest in him as the killer in the Sheppard case. He was convicted of theft, forgery, and aggravated murder in 1989, but his alleged involvement in killing Marilyn was never confirmed. While being interviewed for James Neff’s book The Wrong Man, however, Eberling made comments that suggested he was guilty. For example, he admitted to being in the house on the night that Marilyn was killed, but he arrived after the incident and got out of the house as quickly as possible.

These suggestive comments didn’t stand up in a court of law. When the case was re-examined in 2000, the jury concluded that Sheppard was still the most likely killer. This just so happened to be around the time when Sheppard’s son tried to sue the government for his father’s wrongful imprisonment. Still, there hasn’t been enough conclusive evidence to confirm who the guilty party was. There are plenty of reasons to suspect either of them.

Sheppard wasn’t able to get his life back on track. He died of liver failure in 1970, four years after his release from prison. After becoming a free man again, he returned to the medical profession before embarking on a career as a professional wrestler. His wrestling name was “The Killer Sheppard,” suggesting that he had no issue exploiting his notoriety to boost his in-ring career.

Read More

New US Trailer for True Story 'Misbehaviour' with Gugu Mbatha-Raw

"Forget this!" Shout Factory has released a new US trailer for the UK film Misbehaviour, a quirky comedy about badass women fighting back in the 70s. It already opened in the UK earlier this year. The film tells the true story of what happened during the 1970 Miss World competition in London, a beauty pageant that was the most viewed TV show at the time. A group of women from the Women's Liberation Movement disrupted the show, and even when the show continued, Miss Grenada went on to become the first black woman to be crowned Miss World. The film stars Keira Knightley, with Gugu Mbatha-Raw as Miss Grenada, Lesley Manville, Jessie Buckley, Keeley Hawes, Rhys Ifans, Phyllis Logan, Suki Waterhouse, Emma Corrin, plus Greg Kinnear as legendary American comedian Bob Hope (who hosted Miss World at the time). This looks great! Raucous and witty and amusing and devious. Catch up with the film later this year.

Here's the new US trailer (+ poster) for Philippa Lowthorpe's Misbehaviour, from Shout's YouTube:

You can also watch the original UK trailer for Lowthorpe's Misbehaviour here, to catch more footage.

In 1970, the Miss World competition took place in London, hosted by US comedy legend, Bob Hope. At the time, Miss World was the most-watched TV show on the planet with over 100 million viewers. Claiming that beauty competitions demeaned women, the Women's Liberation Movement achieved overnight fame by invading the stage and disrupting the live broadcast of the competition. Not only that, when the show resumed, the result caused uproar: the winner was not the Swedish favourite but Miss Grenada, the first black woman to be crowned Miss World. In a matter of hours, a global audience had witnessed patriarchy driven from the stage and the Western ideal of beauty turned on its head. Misbehaviour is directed by British filmmaker / theater director Philippa Lowthorpe, of the film Swallows and Amazons previously, as well as lots of TV & theater work. The screenplay is by Gaby Chiappe and Rebecca Frayn. This already opened in the UK earlier this year, and has been opening in other countries around the world this summer. Shout Factory will release Misbehaviour in select US theaters + on VOD starting September 25th this fall.

Read More

The Cinematic Resonances of ‘Portrait of a Lady on Fire’

Welcome to The Queue — your daily distraction of curated video content sourced from across the web. Today, we’re watching a video that explores the cinematic resonance of Céline Sciamma’s Portrait of a Lady on Fire.

---

There are some shots, in film, that feel tied together. Maybe it’s the composition, the colors, or how the camera moves. But sometimes when you see a shot your brain can’t help but feel its resonance with another.

Here’s what I mean: In the pre-virus times, I was having after-movie drinks with some pals and someone at the table asked: “what movie am I thinking about when I think about The Keep?” The answer was Sorcerer. The shots tying the films together were both tense, earth-toned, visions of vehicles traversing forbidding terrain: towards a towering ziggurat and across a rotten bridge. Because these iconic moments share similar formal elements, iconography, and a vibe, they feel linked.

This idea, of “linked” shots is the driving idea behind Candice Drouet’s “Déja Vu” series with Canal+. In the video below, Drouet has teased out the cinematic resonances of Portrait of a Lady on Fire: from the superimposed faces of Ingmar Bergman’s Persona to the pastoral frames of Jane Campion, to the candlelit courts of Kubrick. The result is a truly spellbinding assemblage of cinematic synonyms; shots that rhyme with each other and, side-by-side, paint one truly resonant portrait.

Watch “Déjà Vu: Portrait of a Lady on Fire/Canal+“:

---

Who made this?

Paris-based actress and videographer Candice Drouet is an old favorite around these parts. She was worked with the likes of Adidas and Fandor, and currently collaborates with the French premium television channel Canal+. You can follow Drouet on Instagram, here. On Twitter, here. And you can check out her back catalog of videos on Vimeo, here.

More Videos Like This

• Drouet’s lyrical split-screen examinations of film-resonance are pure bliss. But she doesn’t just use her powers for Oscar darlings. Here’s her look at all the film-echoes in Venom (*chef’s kiss*)
• Another from Drouet’s Déjà Vu series: on the influences and visual similarities in The Favourite
• Ok, one more (these are addictive), on Mission: Impossible – Fallout 
• Here’s a video by Frames of Empathy, narrated by director Céline Sciamma, on how Portrait of a Lady on Fire captures the slow rise of desire 
• What can Portrait of a Lady on Fire tell us about “the gaze”
• Here’s the Criterion Collection, with a clip from their interview with Céline Sciamma

Read More

‘Inception’ and the Phenomenon of Subliminal Influence

Welcome to The Queue — your daily distraction of curated video content sourced from across the web. Today, we look at the lasting subliminal influence of Christopher Nolan’s Inception.

---

It’s true: Inception is a decade old. Christopher Nolan’s dream-within-a-dream heist premiered in 2010 and, if you’ll recall, took pop culture by storm. Ten years later, the inescapable memes may have subsided, but Inception continues to prove itself as a film well-worth discussing.

One of the more relevant and persistent conversations surrounding the film is the way it acts as a case study for conscious and unconscious influence in the creative process. When Inception first premiered, many fixated on the way the film felt, looked, and indeed, was inspired by other media. From Satoshi Kon’s dream detective anime Paprika to the snowy disc-like fortress of On Her Majesty’s Secret Service, Inception is a fantastic way to explore the idea that everything (yes, everything) is a remix.

In the video essay below, from The Royal Ocean Film Society, looks at how Inception‘s two central ideas—a multi-level simulation within a simulation and implanted memories—are long-standing traditions in science fiction. The video also unpacks how Inception exemplifies the mysterious nature of the creative process, and how genre can build upon itself in both intentional and subliminal ways. Which, for a film about seeding ideas and invading dreams…is kind of perfect.

Watch “Inception – Ten Years Later“:

---

Who made this?

This video essay was put together by the Texas-based Royal Ocean Film Society, which is run by Andrew Saladino. You can browse their back catalog of videos on their Vimeo account here. If Vimeo isn’t your speed, you can give them a follow on YouTube here.

More Videos Like This

• The Royal Ocean Film Society video above mentions Satoshi Kon’s influence on Nolan. Here’s Every Frame a Painting on how Satoshi Kon was the master of editing time and space
• One more on Kon: here’s What’s So Great About That? on Kon’s last film, Paprika
• If you want more examples of how anime has bled into Hollywood, check out this montage from FILM CRUX
• Here’s Like Stories of Old with a breakdown of Inception‘s metaphysics and how the film explores the implications of ontological uncertainty
• On the subject of cultural influence, and to add a little chaos to your day, please enjoy this chat between Nolan and George Lucas, on the impact of Star Wars
• Cinefix has a neat practical effects breakdown of the mind-boggling rotating hallway scene
• WiseCrack wants to know: are films dreams?
• Is the ending of Inception still tickling your brain ten-years later? Here’s The Take with, well, a take on what that damn top meant

Read More

It’s Never Too Early to Learn That Everything is a Remix

Welcome to Cinephile Summer Camp, a new column dedicated to introducing children to classic movies as well as learning about film history and other subjects through cinema. This entry spotlights a common trope found in the film Bringing Up Baby as a way to make kids better appreciate film stories.

---

When I set out to teach my kids about classic movies, one that popped out as something seemingly accessible is Bringing Up Baby. After all, the main character (played by Cary Grant) is a paleontologist. And his romantic foil (Katherine Hepburn) has a pet cheetah. But the film’s length and its focus on a love story, even one with screwball antics and some slapstick, wouldn’t easily pass muster for a five- and a seven-year-old.

Just as I have in past film history and appreciation lessons, I figured one way to warm them up for Bringing Up Baby would be to show them other more kid-friendly and easily digestible films with a similar premise. At the time, I had forgotten just how much plot there is in Bringing Up Baby and was only recalling a splinter of its story, the one where a wild animal —another cheetah — escapes from being shipped to a circus and causes problems.

That late development in the plot of Bringing Up Baby probably resonated so much because it’s such a common idea, especially for the time and particularly with cartoons. I wound up finding so many examples that I may have overwhelmed my son and daughter. But this also turned out to be a good lesson in tropes and the familiarity or recycling of material in storytelling. The truth of nothing being original, everything being a remake or remix.

Here is the order of our deep dive into the ol’ wild animal on the loose trope:

The Gorilla Mystery (1930)

The earliest example of the trope I could find is in this crude black and white Mickey Mouse cartoon. Disney’s twenty-second animated short starring the iconic character is actually a send-up of a popular 1925 play called The Gorilla, which itself was a parody of contemporary stage mysteries. So we’re already dealing with a remix of a remix, but the first two film adaptations of The Gorilla, a silent feature in 1927 and a sound feature in 1930, are lost, so we couldn’t look at those.

The short begins with a report in a newspaper (this will be important) that a “mankiller” gorilla has escaped from the zoo. Mickey is worried about Minnie Mouse, and rightly so since the gorilla does wind up at her home, where he ties her up in rope. Mickey rushes to her rescue and we see one of those common cartoon gags set in a long hallway where characters keep missing each other, entering doors and exiting others. Together, the couple snares the gorilla, and they do a little dance.

Note: if you want to take an immediate detour with the kids, the same gorilla, later named Beppo, also shows up in the 1933 Mickey Mouse shorts Mickey’s Mechanical Man and The Pet Store.

---

Donald Duck and the Gorilla (1944)

Sticking with Disney, this color animated short arrived fourteen years after The Gorilla Mystery with a similar premise: a gorilla escapes from the zoo. The difference is that this film involves Donald Duck and his nephews, Huey, Dewey, and Louie, and the announcement of the news comes over the radio. Also, this is one of the variations involving cases of mistaken identity, as it better adheres to the plot of The Gorilla by involving a gorilla costume.

Donald, the jerk that he is, uses the report as an opportunity to scare the already-concerned boys by putting on a gorilla suit. But then they play the same trick on their uncle. Only for the actual gorilla to show up and at first not frighten Donald because he thinks it’s his nephews again. But that stuff only takes up about a third of the film, after which the ducks are dealing with the real menace. Albeit hilariously with a series of outstanding cartoon gags. The kids definitely enjoyed this one more than the first.

---

The Chimp (1932)

My children weren’t happy about it, but next, we went back to black and white and switched to live-action for their first Laurel and Hardy film. It didn’t help that this one is also much longer than the other shorts on our viewing list at twenty-five minutes. But it’s also just not a very good film. There were some easy laughs, but the gags are really poorly directed. And I’d think the script was thrown together on the day of shooting if there wasn’t so much involved that must have required some sort of planning.

Stan and Ollie play circus workers who are compensated with a gorilla performer (nope, not even a chimp) when the company goes bankrupt. That leads to some simple slapstick, and my daughter did like the gorilla wearing a tutu. That’d be enough, but then there’s the addition of a lion that’s escaped from the circus, and the convoluted story doesn’t go anywhere interesting. Finally, there’s also a mistaken identity bit with the gorilla’s name. Then the film just ends at a peak moment of nonsense.

---

Hop, Look and Listen (1948)

We went back to color cartoons, to the children’s delight, but this Robert McKimson-helmed Looney Tunes short isn’t that much better than The Chimp. It marks the first appearance of the escaped baby kangaroo character Hippety Hopper, whom Sylvester the Cat always mistakes for a large mouse. A pretty stupid idea the first time, in my opinion, but they recycled the shtick for a handful of other shorts making for a tired concept. Of course, the kids didn’t think it was bad. They thought Hippety was funny.

---

Don’t Lie (1942)

And… we’re back to black and white and live-action. This one should have been shown after The Chimp since it’s yet another film involving an escaped ape — the last one of them — but the kids really wanted a cartoon between the two non-animated selections. Fortunately, despite their protests, they actually liked this one a lot. It’s not that surprising given that Don’t Lie is an Our Gang short and so follows children rather than adults. Obviously, that makes it more relatable to young viewers.

Outside of the general problems with the Our Gang shorts and their stereotypes of the time — and this one has plenty given that Buckwheat is a central character — Don’t Lie is well-done as far as the core comedy is concerned with more mistaken identity involving a real gorilla that’s escaped from the circus and the kids wearing a gorilla costume (gorilla costumes were just everywhere back then). Admittedly, though, for me, all I can remember is Froggy’s voice. I’m forever fascinated by it.

---

Mickey and the Seal (1948)

One of my favorites from childhood, and I’m glad to say that it did not disappoint my kids. Mickey returns — and in color this time — in this Oscar-nominated animated short (now streaming on Disney+) in which a seal escapes the zoo by hiding in the iconic mouse’s picnic basket. Then things get really kooky when the pinniped shares a bath with Mickey without him knowing (warning: you might get some innocent comments about Mikey being naked — or questions about why he’s still wearing his gloves…),

You can’t go wrong with a short in which Pluto is aware of something that Mickey is not, but because Pluto is a rare animal in the world of Disney who can’t talk, he’s unable to communicate properly and just winds up in a different sort of hot water. But this short works because it’s not just funny, it’s really cute. And its ending scene has given us one of the best looping cartoon GIFs of all time. Hopefully one day my kids will also get to appreciate this film as part of the DTV music video for “Splish Splash,” as well.

---

Little Runaway (1952)

You’d think that after Disney delivered such a masterpiece with Mickey and the Seal that no other animation studio would bother with this same scenario again, let alone with a seal — and with much uglier character design for a seal at that (it looks like Casper the Friendly Ghost dipped in ink). But four years later, MGM and directors William Hanna and Joseph Barbera gave us this Tom and Jerry cartoon that goes there, and not that well.

They made changes, of course. Their seal escapes from the circus, not the zoo. And the main plot, which eventually kicks in about halfway through, entails an attempt to earn a reward announced over the radio for the seal’s capture. Tom ultimately puts on a seal costume (created from a rubber tire) in order to trick and lure the real seal, but he is mistaken for the real thing himself. It all falls flat, though, because the short only goes the basic gag ideas with no additional spark of its own.

---

Jerry and the Lion (1950)

Two years before Tom and Jerry met the escaped circus seal, though, they’d already dealt with an escaped circus lion. At the start of this short, we get the usual radio interruption warning of the wild animal on the loose. However, when we meet the lion, by way of Jerry meeting him, he’s not a ferocious beast at all. He just hates working at the circus and wants to return to Africa. How do we know? Well, oddly enough, he can talk, despite Tom and Jerry being silent characters in typically silent shorts.

---

Tree for Two (1952)

Even though we’ve already seen Sylvester the Cat involved in the escaped animal trope, four years later, Warner Bros. put him in the situation again. Fortunately, this Merrie Melodies film (available to stream on HBO MAX) is one of the best executions of the idea. It helps that Sylvester isn’t the main duped character this time around. Instead, his ignorance is used for comedy in a different way, as part of the downfall of Spike the Bulldog (in his first film if we ignore the similar bulldog in Hop, Look and Listen).

The short begins with a newspaper reporting that a black panther escaped from the zoo. Not that any of the film’s characters seem to see the warning. So when Spike means to rough up Sylvester, in part to impress his sidekick, Chester the Terrier, he mistakes the panther’s tail for the cat’s and winds up losing his battle. Only for Chester to face the real Sylvester and succeed. It’s all very basic comedy but the genius Fritz Freleng directs it all so perfectly to get the most bang for the buck.

---

Ducking the Devil (1957)

We followed up Tree for Two with another Merrie Melodies cartoon (also available on HBO MAX) to finish out our pre-show shorts. The Robert McKimson-helmed Ducking the Devil is also the last-released film of the whole program and, as it should, perfects some of the things we’ve seen so far. The most notable improvement on another short is the idea of a ransom for the escaped animal. Daffy Duck is famously greedy, so his scheming makes more canonical sense than Tom’s in Little Runaway.

One difference between this and the past efforts is that the escaped creature is an established cartoon character: the Tasmanian Devil. He flees the zoo in his iconic whirlwind way, then Daffy learns about the escape from a newspaper and later learns about the reward and how to soothe the beast from a radio announcement. Turns out, Taz just needs some music to lull him to sleep. I don’t know why Daffy and Taz didn’t do more films together. They’re differently manic and sort of compliment each other.

---

Bringing Up Baby (1938)

After all those shorts, through which the kids were hammered with the same setup over and over, we were finally onto the feature presentation. Howard Hawks’ Bringing Up Baby (streaming on HBO MAX) is considered not just one of the landmarks of the screwball comedy genre and one of the most popular films of the 1930s, but it’s often championed as one of the greatest comedies of all time. It’s not one of my favorites, but I’m an outlier, so I still figured my kids could appreciate it.

The thing is, there’s not a whole lot of business involving Cary Grant being a paleontologist save for his primary goal of securing a grant for his work, and that part of the job isn’t as interesting to a seven-year-old as the dinosaur digs. There’s also not really a lot of the cheetah pet nor the escaped cheetah, which shows up very late in the movie. And Katherine Hepburn’s character, whom I find downright unlikable in every way, didn’t cater much to my daughter’s preferences for female characters.

But the movie is never dull, so while the kids weren’t paying attention to everything always, they didn’t get so bored that they wanted to leave the room. The one thing that held their interest the most was George the dog (played by the famous pooch performer Skippy) and his interactions with Grant over the disappearance of a dinosaur bone. It seems like a lot to have a scene-stealing dog in a movie with a cheetah as a pet, but Bringing Up Baby is a lot of movie in many ways.

What young viewers can hopefully take away from a viewing of Bringing Up Baby most is how that overload of plot elements aligns it with cartoons to a degree. Screwball comedies may not seem like kiddie fare because they’re focused on romance and tend to involve a bunch of sexual politics and innuendo. But they’re also filled with a variety of cartoonish shenanigans, that mix of fast-paced farce, slapstick physicality, and mistaken identity and other misunderstandings.

I don’t suppose Bringing Up Baby will easily lead to other films of its kind — although they might want to see Skippy’s work in The Awful Truth and the Thin Man series. Maybe Arsenic and Old Lace would entertain, that is if the death stuff doesn’t bother them. Perhaps they’ll be able to enjoy What’s Up, Doc?, which I prefer to Bringing Up Baby, in a few years. Otherwise, the next time the kids watch the Christopher Reeve Superman movies, they’ll see some of Grant’s influence on Reeve as Clark Kent.

What this lesson should do for young children, though, subconsciously, is to make them aware of similarities and variations between films. It’s one thing for them to see old films that pay off when new movies and shows pay them homage, but it’s another thing for them to accept that there are tropes and genre conventions and cycles of maybe only a handful of stories as well as a small number of dramatic and comedic situations. It’ll help them to like more movies and television in the long run.

Read More

Watch: Lovely Short Film 'Handheld' About an Old Handheld Camera

"Where did you find that?" "Upstairs in the junk room… It looks like it's from the 80s or something." This lovely, intimate short film is called Handheld and after premiering at film festivals earlier this year it's available to watch online. Made by filmmakers Pisie Hochheim & Tony Oswald, the film is about an old forgotten handicam that disrupts the chaotic bedtime routine of a single mother and her young son. Starring Jordan Gosnell, Emery Oswald, and James Gonzales. Our friends at Short of the Week say it "blurs the line between fiction and documentary to make for a relatable, moving watch." Agreed. A fantastic short.

Thanks to Twitter for the tip on this one. Brief description from Vimeo: "An old forgotten handheld camera disrupts the chaotic bedtime routine of a single mother and her young son." Handheld is written, directed, and edited by filmmakers Pisie Hochheim (follow her @Pisiehochheim) and Tony Oswald (follow him @Tony_Oswald). Based on a short story by Crystal Oswald. It's produced by Brandon Colvin & Nora Stone. Featuring cinematography by Cody Duncum. This first premiered at a number of international film festivals earlier in the year. For more info on the short, visit Vimeo. To watch more shorts, click here. Your thoughts?

Read More

Liam Neeson is a Notorious Bank Robber in Trailer for 'Honest Thief'

"I'm turning myself in." Briarcliff has released an official trailer for crime action thriller Honest Thief, from producer / director Mark Williams (A Family Man). This was set to open earlier in the summer, but has been rescheduled for release in October this fall. Wanting to lead an honest life, a notorious bank robber turns himself in, only to be double-crossed by two ruthless FBI agents. When the feds come after him, he must fight back to clear his name. Liam Neeson stars, with a cast including Kate Walsh, Jai Courtney, Jeffrey Donovan, Anthony Ramos, Robert Patrick, and Jasmine Cephas Jones. As great as Liam Neeson is, this just looks so derivative and bland. The best part about this is making the feds the bad guys.

Here's the first official trailer (+ poster) for Mark Williams' Honest Thief, direct from YouTube:

A notorious bank robber (Liam Neeson)) tries to turn himself in because he's falling in love and wants to live an honest life… but when he realizes the Feds are more corrupt than him, he must fight back to clear his name. Honest Thief is directed by producer-turned-filmmaker Mark Williams, director of the film A Family Man previously now making his second feature. The screenplay is written by Steve Allrich and Mark Williams. Produced by Craig Chapman, Charlie Dorfman, Tai Duncan, Jonah Loop, Myles Nestel, and Mark Williams. Briarcliff will debut Williams' Honest Thief in theaters (hopefully) starting October 9th this fall.

Read More

New Trailer for 4K Re-Release of Concert Doc 'Jazz on a Summer's Day'

"We are at the jazz festival, and let me tell you it is really wonderful." Kino Lorber has revealed an official trailer for a 4K restoration re-release of a classic concert doc called Jazz on a Summer's Day. Legendary photographer Bert Stern's groundbreaking concert documentary shot at the 1958 Newport Jazz Festival featuring performances by Louis Armstrong, Thelonious Monk, Gerry Mulligan, Anita O’Day, Chuck Berry, Dinah Washington, Mahalia Jackson and more. The 1959 classic is considered one of the most extraordinary and possibly the first concert film ever made. The film was named to the National Film Registry in 1999, and its restoration was funded by the National Film Preservation Board of the Library of Congress in time to celebrate the film's 60th Anniversary. This looks like an awesome film to see in 4K in a cinema with full-on sound! An exceptional round of jazz music from some of the finest musicians to ever live captured on film.

New re-release trailer (+ poster) for Aram Avakian & Bert Stern's Jazz on a Summer's Day, on YouTube:

Filmed at the 1958 Newport Jazz Festival in Rhode Island and directed by world-renowned photographer, Bert Stern. Jazz on a Summer's Day features intimate performances by an all-star line-up of musical legends including Louis Armstrong, Thelonius Monk, Gerry Mulligan, Anita O'Day, Chuck Berry, Dinah Washington, and closes with a beautiful rendition or The Lord's Prayer by Mahalia Jackson at midnight to usher in Sunday morning. The 1959 classic is considered one of the most extraordinary and possibly the first concert film ever made. Jazz on a Summer's Day is directed by photographer Bert Stern, his first and only feature film, and co-directed by Aram Avakian. This "sparkling new 4K restoration by IndieCollect" premiered at the New York Film Festival last year. Kino Lorber will re-release the Stern's classic concert doc Jazz on a Summer's Day in "virtual cinemas" starting August 12th coming up. For info, visit KL's website.

Read More

‘Umbrella Academy’ Gets a Welcome Do-Over With Its Second Season

Welcome to Previously On, a column that fills you in on our favorite returning TV shows. This week Valerie Ettenhofer takes a look at the second season of The Umbrella Academy on Netflix.

---

Superhero movies may be taking the summer off, but there’s still some good news for fans of comic book crusaders: Netflix’s The Umbrella Academy is back with a wildly fun and original entry in the genre.

The second season of The Umbrella Academy is, thankfully, also an improvement on the first season in nearly every way imaginable. Where the first attempt to adapt Gerard Way and Gabriel Bá’s comic book series was — with due respect to some good performances and expert needle drops — dully paced and largely devoid of life, the second outing is entirely enjoyable and well-made to boot.

When we last left the jaded, dysfunctional members of the Umbrella Academy, Five (Aidan Gallagher) was pulling his siblings through time to avoid the fallout from Vanya (Ellen Page) accidentally blowing up the moon. As the new season’s trailer reveals, the gang ends up in Dallas in the early 1960s, their fates inextricably linked to the day of the John F. Kennedy assassination. The noir-ish, fantasy-adjacent first season was all over the map, but the second season succeeds by only trying to be one thing: an X-Files-tinged time-travel adventure.

This doesn’t exactly sound like a recipe for laughs, but much of the second season of The Umbrella Academy is a candy-colored romp through the ‘60s, a prismatic series of character-driven mini-stories that stand alone well and piece together easily when the time for Avengers-like assembling arrives. In a narrative gift that keeps on giving, flamboyant, free-spirited Klaus (scene-stealing Robert Sheehan) quickly becomes a cult leader with the aid of his ghost brother Ben (Justin H. Min) — one of the season’s best running jokes involves Klaus’ eternal wisdom being fraudulently basis in ‘90s pop music.

In another, more serious but equally thoughtful plotline, Allison (Emmy Raver-Lampman) faces anti-Black vitriol from the moment she arrives in the ‘60s, where she quickly becomes engaged in the civil rights movement. This season gives our previously self-involved heroes reasons to think about ideas that are bigger than themselves, and it realistically tackles the dangerous biases of America’s so-called glory days in the process.

Aside from great storylines, the second season of The Umbrella Academy is also more streamlined in a dozen different, small but significant ways. Ellen Page’s Vanya, who spent the first season as an easily bamboozled sad-sack, is wisely given a clean slate and a more deeply-felt story — one that includes a rare and tender portrayal of a non-verbal autistic character.

Elsewhere, ape-man Luther no longer looks like he has cartoonish balloon arms, and his comparatively boring character is given less screen time as writers rightfully choose to make pint-sized, slightly maniacal Five the de facto group leader this time around. Gallagher, the youngest member of the cast, takes on the role with aplomb, playing the tall-socked teen assassin with a mixture of unsettling threat and slick cleverness. Dud characters who dragged down the first season are mercifully absent, while the well-cast newbies who rise up to take their place are intriguing and empathetic.

The series is on its game when it comes to everything from choreography to cinematography to costume design, and it offers up several scenes that beg to be re-watched. There’s a whimsical air to many shots — as when a woman’s irked face is bifurcated by two fish bowls, with an oblivious boy’s freckled cheeks distorted behind one of the bowls. Fight scenes, most of them involving David Castañeda’s badass Diego, are shot as if the filmmakers itched for a challenge: they take place behind ornate windows, or in dark, twisting hallways, or are interspersed with Five’s disorienting time-travel blips.

Opening sequences, like the one that traces Klaus’ divine ascendance, deliver moments of joy or surprise in quick succession, usually set to a song that melts into the moment like a perfect pat of butter. The series’ music has always been its strong suit, and that’s especially true this season, with a wide-ranging soundtrack that runs the gamut from The Backstreet Boys to Boney M. to the Butthole Surfers.

The Umbrella Academy Season 2 would be watchable even if it only fixed the glaring surface-level issues of its earlier iteration, but it also goes one step further — and indeed, further than plenty of superhero stories are willing to go — by actually trying to mean something.

It scrapes at the trauma the Hargreeves siblings were subjected to as kids and puts them through very real traumas in their 1960s version of reality as well. But it also unites them more often than it divides them, cultivating realistic — if weird — sibling relationships and ditching season one’s self-pity to instead demonstrate the myriad ways in which love and loyalty can close distances and heal wounds.

Few shows get the opportunity to evolve from mostly bad to thoroughly great, but The Umbrella Academy pulls it off in an adventurous second season (streaming on Netflix beginning July 31st) that deserves to be in heavy rotation on your summer watchlist.

Read More

Trailer for Drug Drama 'Sno Babies' with Katie Kelly & Paola Andino

"One bad puff can put you in the ground." Better Noise Films has revealed the official trailer for an indie drama titled Sno Babies, one of the first feature films from editor-turned-filmmaker Bridget Smith. Sno Babies depicts the grim realities of addiction and its effects on families. Kristen and Hannah are likeable, college-bound teens - and heroin addicts - hiding their plight behind the façade of middle-class suburbia. This is one of those dramatic films where the innuendo in the title is actually a reference to drugs, and not something else. Starring Katie Kelly & Paola Andino as Kristen & Hannah, with Michael Lombardi, Evangeline Young, Niko Terho, and Joanne Baron. This looks like a powerful film about drugs and addiction, but it seems a bit too cliche and heavy-handed overall to really make an impact. Still worth a look.

Here's the official trailer (+ poster) for Bridget Smith's Sno Babies, direct from Better Noise's YouTube:

A gripping and emotive tale, Sno Babies depicts the grim realities of addiction and its effects on a middle-class suburban town. Kristen and Hannah are best friends–smart, likable and college-bound– and also addicted to heroin. The pair of seemingly unlikely addicts spiral down a path of destruction, hiding their secret from well-meaning but busy parents behind pink bedrooms and school uniforms Sno Babies shows how easy it can be to both miss and hide the signs of addiction behind the façade of "good" neighborhoods and pleasantly busy communities. Sno Babies is directed by editor / filmmaker Bridget Smith, making her feature directorial debut after one documentary and other editing work previously. The screenplay is written by Michael Walsh. Produced by Allen Kovac, Michael Lombardi, and Michael Walsh. Better Noise Films will release Smith's Sno Babies direct-to-VOD starting September 29th this fall. Anyone interested?

Read More

Evan Rachel Wood in First Trailer for Miranda July's Film 'Kajillionaire'

"She learned to forge before she learned to write." Focus Features has finally revealed an official trailer for the spunky indie comedy Kajillionaire, the latest feature written & directed by indie filmmaker Miranda July (Me and You and Everyone We Know). This first premiered at the Sundance Film Festival earlier this year, and is currently set for release in September after initially being scheduled for the summer. A woman's life is turned upside down when her criminal parents invite an outsider to join them on a major heist they're planning. Starring Evan Rachel Wood, with Debra Winger, Richard Jenkins, and Gina Rodriguez. Described as a "a profoundly moving and wildly original comedy." The trailer features the song "Mr. Lonely" performed by Angel Olsen & Emile Mosseri (the film's composer). Definitely looks quite kooky and unique.

Here's the first official trailer (+ poster) for Miranda July's Kajillionaire, direct from Focus' YouTube:

Con-artists Theresa (Debra Winger) and Robert (Richard Jenkins) have spent 26 years training their only daughter, Old Dolio (Evan Rachel Wood), to swindle, scam, and steal at every opportunity. But during a desperate, hastily conceived heist, they charm a stranger (Gina Rodriguez) into joining their next scam, only to have their entire world turned upside down. Kajillionaire is both written and directed by American indie actress / filmmaker Miranda July, director of the films Me and You and Everyone We Know and The Future previously, as well as a number of short films. Produced by Dede Gardner, Youree Henley, and Jeremy Kleiner. This premiered at the Sundance Film Festival earlier this year. Focus Features will release July's Kajillionaire in select US theaters (and/or "virtual cinemas") starting on September 18th this fall.

Read More

Another Trailer for Garrone's 'Pinocchio' Movie with Roberto Benigni

"I don't want to be a puppet…" Vertigo Releasing from the UK has debuted a new trailer for their upcoming release of the Italian update on Pinocchio, from director Matteo Garrone (Roman Summer, Gomorrah, Tale of Tales, Dogman). This premiered at the Berlin Film Festival earlier this year after opening in Italy on Christmas last year. This new take on the story from Carlo Collodi's novel of the same name is staying true to that book, telling a more grounded story with fantastical elements. Roberto Benigni (who previously directed his own Pinocchio film in 2002) stars as Geppetto, Federico Ielapi plays Pinocchio, with a full cast including Marine Vacth, Marcello Fonte, Gigi Proietti, Davide Marotta, Massimiliano Gallo, Rocco Papaleo, and Massimo Ceccherini. This version has been dubbed into English for the film's UK release. Early reviews have been quite mixed - but if you think it looks interesting, it's worth renting at least.

Here's the full UK trailer (+ poster) for Matteo Garrone's Pinocchio movie, from Vertigo's YouTube:

You can still watch the first teaser trailer for Garrone's Pinocchio here, to see the original reveal again.

Geppetto (Servillo), an old woodcarver, receives a piece of wood perfect for his next project: a puppet. But something magical happens – the cheeky puppet begins to talk, and can walk, run and eat like any young boy. Geppetto calls him Pinocchio, and brings him up as his son. But Pinocchio finds it hard to be good. Easily led astray, he tumbles from one misadventure to another as he is tricked, kidnapped and chased by bandits through a fantastical world full of imaginative creatures – from the belly of a giant fish, to the land of toys and the field of miracles. His loyal friend, the Fairy with the Turquoise Hair, tries to make him see that his dream – to be a real boy – can never come true until Pinocchio finally changes his ways. Pinocchio is both written and directed by Matteo Garrone, of the films Land in Between, Guests, Roman Summer, The Embalmer, First Love, Gomorrah, Reality, Tale of Tales, and Dogman previously. The film initially opened in Italy last December, then premiered at the Berlin Film Festival earlier this year. Vertigo will release Garrone's Pinocchio in UK cinemas starting August 14th coming up. Still no US release set yet.

Read More

Official US Trailer for Mysterious Greek Fairy Tale Horror 'Entwined'

"Will you tell me what is going on in that house?" Dark Star Pictures has released an official US trailer for a Greek mystery fantasy horror titled Entwined, marking the feature directorial debut of filmmaker Minos Nikolakakis. This premiered at the Toronto Film Festival last year, and it also played at the Thessalloniki, Warsaw, Bucheon, and Fantaspoa Film Festivals last year. Panos, a city doctor, relocates to a remote Greek village to offer his services to the underserved community. There he meets a woman with a mysterious skin condition named Danae, and he quickly falls for her. But soon discovers "Danae is not the helpless princess he thought she was, and time is of the essence for both of them." Uh oh. Starring Prometheus Aleifer, John De Holland, Maria Eglezaki, and Anastasia Rafaella Konidi. This reminds me of the superb Swedish film Border, also a strange forest fairy tale, and this seems to borrow a few of those fantasy themes.

Here's the official US trailer (+ poster) for Minos Nikolakakis' Entwined, from Dark Star's YouTube:

City doctor Panos (Prometheus Aleifer) relocates to a remote village in order to offer his services to the community. It's love at first sight when he sets eyes on Danae, who lives in isolation, with a mysterious skin condition. Determined to cure her, Panos will soon discover Danae is not the helpless princess he thought she was and time is of the essence for both of them. Entwined is directed by Greek producer / filmmaker Minos Nikolakakis, now making his feature directorial debut after a number of short films previously. The screenplay is written by John De Holland, based on an idea by Minos Nikolakakis. This first premiered at the Toronto Film Festival last year. Dark Star Pictures will release Nikolakakis' Entwined in "virtual cinemas" starting on August 28th, then on VOD starting September 8th. Curious to watch this?

Read More

A Pre-Code Classic Comes to Home Video as Our Pick of the Week

Streaming might be the future, but physical media is still the present. It’s also awesome, depending on the title, the label, and the release, so each week we take a look at the new Blu-rays and DVDs making their way into the world. Welcome to this week in Home Video for July 28th, 2020!

This week brings us a home video selection that includes restored classics from the silent era, a pair of lesser seen Oliver Reed films, a horror gem from Dark Castle, and more. Check out this week’s new releases below starting with our pick of the week, The Sin of Nora Moran!

---

Pick of the Week

The Sin of Nora Moran

What is it? A young woman on death row recounts the fateful life that led her there.

Why see it? Pre-code films are just as the name implies, movies made before Hollywood began implementing moral standards in the form of ratings, and while several such movies are lost, more than a few survive. This powerful drama from 1933 has been recently rediscovered and restored, and it’s making its home video debut from The Film Detective with that 4K restoration and a featurette about the film and Johann.

Zita Johann stars as Nora and gives a searing performance as a young woman wronged by people and society. We follow her from childhood through her current predicament, and it’s through her memories that we see the truths and lies that make up her life. Johann’s Nora is no angel, but that’s kind of the point. Director Phil Goldstone’s film was ahead of its time in some ways as his use of flashbacks and fantasy, shadow and score, and the resulting film — a fast watch at only sixty-five minutes — captivates in unexpected ways. Some argue the film is one of the earliest noirs (despite falling nearly a decade before the sub-genre was officially born in 1941), and it’s easy to see why with its themes of futility and distrust, but there’s a hopefulness in Nora that challenges the reality of her grim surroundings. Seek this one out.

[Extras: New 4K restoration, documentary]

---

The Best

20,000 Leagues Under the Sea

What is it? Jules Verne’s classic novel comes to the screen in early and elaborate fashion.

Why see it? This 1916 adaptation cribs a bit from Verne’s The Mysterious Island as well, but the end result is a thrilling adventure that finds familiar beats crafted with ingenuity and passion. An early submarine movie — possibly the first? — is limited by technology, but director Stuart Paton takes great advantage of both effects and underwater photography to tell his tale. This new 4K restoration is an important one for silent cinema, although they all are arguably, and adventure fans should take note.

[Extras: New 4K restoration, commentary]

Dead Dicks

What is it? A young man’s suicidal desire has grotesquely weird consequences.

Why see it? Think a depressing Primer with a dash of Multiplicity and a handful of eye-level cocks, and then you’ll be in the right head space for this oddball indie. It requires a tolerance for penises and a vagina — a big one — but is worth the effort thanks in large part to a commitment to the ideas at play. Like this year’s Butt Boy, the film’s abrasively sophomoric surface holds deeper, darker, more sincere secrets.

[Extras: Commentary, video diaries, featurette]

Revenge of the Living Dead Girls [Severin Films]

What is it? A trio of recently deceased milk-drinkers return for naughty and nasty shenanigans.

Why see it? This French shocker is something special. The gore is creative and vile, the nudity/sex is frequent and explicit (and occasionally vile), and the story manages some interesting choices that hold the attention in unexpected ways. It’s pure exploitation but with an interesting narrative at its core. The focus, though, is on all manner of fleshy antics that make this every bit an adult slice of horror. I’m also here for the ending which packages both a reveal and an abrupt demise into a tight few minutes. It’s crazy, but it’s great.

[Extras: Interviews]

The River [KL Studio Classics]

What is it? A family struggles to keep their farm.

Why see it? Sissy Spacek and Mel Gibson headline this inspiring drama about Americans fighting against both nature and a system that’s not designed to help the little people. Both actors are fantastic and earnest in their humanity, and Scott Glenn gives an equally strong turn as a not-so great guy. It’s a film about family and community, about working hard to achieve your dreams, and about the cost of being a good person. It’s no “prestige drama,” and is instead an earthy look at real people through a dramatic lens. It’s good stuff.

[Extras: Commentary]

The Shakedown

What is it? A not-so good guy becomes a great man.

Why see it? The story here concerns a boxer, a thug and a loser, who finally finds himself after falling for a woman and an orphan child. The more recent comparison here is to films like The Champ (1979) or even Real Steel (2011), but this silent film predates them both by multiple decades. It’s a tear-jerker of sorts, depending on your taste for silents, as director William Wyler squeezes plenty of emotion along the way. More impressively, though, are the boxing scenes which manage some thrills of their own. Kino’s disc features a print restored by Universal Pictures and is worth the pick up for fans of film history.

[Extras: New 4K restoration, commentary, booklet]

Thirteen Ghosts [Scream Factory]

What is it? A family inherits a high tech house and its supernatural contents.

Why see it? Dark Castle Entertainment may have gone on to dwindle any and all good will with sub-par thrillers, but they knocked it out of the park early on with titles like this. It’s a remake of a William Castle film, and it’s a bold, loud, colorful blast of nightmarish visions, grim laughs, and adult shenanigans. The ghosts are legit creepy at times too despite being the antithesis of what traditionally counts as spooky, and it’s just good fun all around. Scream Factory adds some new interviews into the extras making this a worthwhile pick-up for fans.

[Extras: Interviews, commentary with director, featurettes]

---

The Rest

Gundala

What is it? A boy becomes a man becomes a superhero.

Why see it? This Indonesian action film is adapted from a popular comic book, and fans of Marvel and DC will see a lot of similarities. That’s not a knock either, as all superhero stories share threads, and this film’s studio intro showcasing dozens of local heroes is a reminder that every culture has its own heroes. All of that said, the film lacks those bigger films’ budget meaning things are scaled down. There’s fun to be had with some solid fight scenes, though.

[Extras: Video logs, featurette]

Hannibal Brooks [KL Studio Classics]

What is it? A group of POWs transport an elephant through enemy territory.

Why see it? Pairing Oliver Reed with Michael J. Pollard is just peak 60s weirdness, and adding an elephant into the mix is even stranger. It fits, though, as Michael Winner’s film is equally odd in tone and execution. War action and romance collide with buddy comedy and animal shenanigans, and the entirety rides on the cast’s charisma and character. That tonal shakiness is most evident in the final minutes when a major player dies, others escape, and we end with everyone laughing while on screen text declares that everyone lived happily ever after. It’s something.

[Extras: New 2K master]

Hawaii Five-O – The Final Season

What is it? The tenth and final season of the show that gave up on its two best characters after season seven.

Why see it? This reboot of the popular classic succeeded early on at blending solid action scenes with interesting characters. The two leads are, of course, the least interesting, but the show found charisma is Grace Park and Daniel Dae Kim. It’s been a lesser experience since they left at the end of season seven, but fans will enjoy the show’s wrap up of its main ongoing story lines and threads.

[Extras: Crossover episode with Magnum P.I., featurette, interview, gag reel, deleted scenes]

James Cameron’s Story of Science Fiction

What is it? James Cameron interviews people about science fiction films.

Why see it? It’s been eleven years since James Cameron’s last feature film — and arguably twenty-three since his last good one — so any new Cameron content is good news. Here he sits across from various talents including directors, actors, scientists, theorists, writers, and more to discuss the never-ending allure of science fiction. It’s at times interesting, but he also spends too much time with the actors. We get it, they’re name draws, but their perspective is rarely as engaging or interesting as the actual creators and thinkers.

[Extras: Extended interviews]

Lorenzo’s Oil [KL Studio Classics]

What is it? A family struggles to find a cure for what ails their son.

Why see it? George Miller remains best known for directing the classic franchise involving a talking pig, but he also dabbled in smaller dramas including this tear-jerker based on a true story. Nick Nolte and Susan Sarandon headline as the desperate parents who risk everything — careers, their marriage, friendships — to save their son. It’s well-acted and at times melodramatic, and is worth a watch for fans of acting and drama.

[Extras: Commentary]

Million Dollar Mermaid [Warner Archive]

What is it? A swimmer trades in water for fame.

Why see it? Esther Williams is best-known for this big, bright spectacle of a film. It’s based on a real talent who took choreographed aquatic shenanigans to new heights, and the film brings her story to vibrant life through big set-pieces and numbers. It’s as far from the kind of films being made today as you can get, and Warner’s new Blu makes it pop off your television screen.

[Extras: Short film, cartoon, radio interview]

Mondo Balordo [Severin Films]

What is it? A mondo film about so-called “weird” behaviors around the world.

Why see it? The mondo films are not something I’ve ever really understood, and they feel every bit from a time and place far removed from the here and now. Back then, though, they arguably introduced adventurous audiences to people and places they’d otherwise never see or visit. This entry’s highlight is narration from the great Boris Karloff, but the visuals on display rarely excite. Dancers, prostitutes, a little person overflowing with energy and talent, and more play out before our eyes as part of the “documentary,” but it all feels fairly rote.

[Extras: Feature film The Orientals (1960)]

NCIS – The Seventeenth Season

What is it? The seventeenth season!

Why see it? Other networks wish they had the secret to programming long-running series for your dad. This Mark Harmon-led action/drama has spawned two spin-offs centered in Los Angeles and New Orleans, and the main show keeps chugging along. What’s the secret? Consistency is what I’d argue. It never goes too low, never aims too high, and delivers perfectly okay material week after week. Harmon has always been a reliable presence, and the show uses that well to center the action and character drama around.

[Extras: Featurettes]

The Other Lamb

What is it? A small cult crumbles.

Why see it? Cult films tend to fall into a couple categories — the frightening and the unsettling. This indie hews closer to the latter with its creepy male leader of an otherwise female cult, but it never quite succeeds in captivating or upsetting viewers. It’s well-acted and beautifully shot, but the expected beats occur with little deviation.

[Extras: None]

The Public Eye [KL Studio Classics]

What is it? A tabloid photographer find crime, corruption, and romance through his lens.

Why see it? Joe Pesci used to act a lot more, and while many of his films are forgettable comedies, this effort leans more serious. It’s 40s set and sees him fitting right in with the city’s fast-talking muck-rakers and crooks. Director Howard Franklin (Quick Change, 1990) makes good use of Pesci and the period setting, and while the story isn’t quite as good it’s a solid time for Pesci fans.

[Extras: Commentary with director]

Raggedy Man [KL Studio Classics]

What is it? A single mother struggles in a small nowhere town.

Why see it? Sissy Spacek had roles like this on lock down through the early 80s — when she didn’t lose them to Jessica Lange — but here she’s allowed a bit more pep in her step. Her character is downtrodden but stands tall all the same, and she fights back against expectations and chauvinism too. Eric Roberts lands a rare good guy role, and Henry Thomas once again plays an incredibly sincere young boy. It’s an engaging and at times suspenseful watch and far from the “poverty porn” it might seem like at first.

[Extras: Commentary]

The System [KL Studio Classics]

What is it? A group of young men pursue women and find both trouble and love.

Why see it? The first of Oliver Reed’s collaborations with director Michael Winner (another is above), this playful blend of comedy and drama feels very particular in the 60s UK as a time and a place. Reed is charismatic as hell, and his character’s arc engages even as the others feel more basic in their beats. It’s a pretty good film made better through his performance.

[Extras: Commentary, featurette]

The Wild, Wild World of Jayne Mansfield [Severin Films]

What is it? A Hollywood starlet’s death is turned into grind for the machine.

Why see it? One of the stranger exploitation/mondo movies to come out of the 60s, this romp pairs the expected “craziness” of people acting wild with footage of Jayne Mansfield both before her death and after. The latter involves real-life footage from her crash, which, when paired with a narrator pretending to be Mansfield becomes even more ghoulish. That said, the film itself, like most mondo flicks, never really gets all that nutty. It’s more of an observation on the people and the times.

[Extras: Interview, bonus feature Wild Wonderful Italians (1966)]

---

Also out this week:

Graveyard Shift [Scream Factory], The Outsider – The Complete First Season, The Tenant [Scream Factory], Wonder Woman – The Complete Collection

Read More

Watch: Amusing Animated Short Film 'Cyclists' from Veljko Popovic

"From the first moment… I discovered a whole world of stories and characters inside [of] Vasko's work." Another award-winning animated short has finally made its way online and it's a must watch. Cyclists is an amusing animated short by Croatian animation filmmaker Veljko Popovic, inspired by the art of Vasko Lipovac. This originally premiered at the Annecy Film Festival in 2018, and won Best Short Film that year. The cycling season is nearing its grand finale. During the final race, the two men in the lead are competing for more than the Grand Trophy; they are fighting for the affection of a lady and fulfilment of their erotic fantasies. Meanwhile, the small town prepares for the arrival of a large ocean liner and its dashing captain. Not only is there a unique style to it, the story is also poignant and brutally honest in its depiction of lust. One note: this gets raunchy and is NSFW, with lots of nudity and sex. But that makes it more of a must see.

Thanks to Vimeo Staff Picks for the tip on this. Description from Vimeo: "The cycling season is nearing its grand finale. During the final race, the two men in the lead are competing for more than the Grand Trophy; they are fighting for the affection of a lady and fulfilment of their erotic fantasies. Meanwhile, the small port town prepares for the arrival of a large ocean liner and its dashing captain." Cyclists is directed by Croatian animation filmmaker Veljko Popovic - see more of his work by following him on IG @veljkolemonade or on Twitter @veljko_lemonade. Produced by Milivoj Popovic & Veljko Popovic. "Inspired by the art of Vasko Lipovac, Veljko created an animated short marked by unique aesthetics. Painted in vivid colours of summer and with a dash of the erotic, its is a comedy that captures the spirit of a small Mediterranean town." For more info on the short, visit Bonobo Studio or Popovic's Vimeo. To watch more shorts, click here. Thoughts?

Read More

First Short Teaser Trailer for Quentin Dupieux's Fly Film 'Mandibules'

Hi, fly. Memento Films in France has unveiled a short 15-second teaser trailer for the film Mandibules, the latest from wacky French musician / filmmaker Quentin Dupieux. The pandemic hasn't stopped him from working! Mandibules was also announced as part of the line-up for the 2020 Venice Film Festival, kicking off in September. So what the heck is this film about? Two simple-minded friends discover a giant fly in the trunk of a car and decide to domesticate it to earn money with it. Of course. Definitely a Dupieux concept. The film stars Adèle Exarchopoulos, Grégoire Ludig, Bruno Lochet, Coralie Russier, India Hair, David Marsais, with Dave Chapman as "La Mouche" (aka The Fly). There isn't really much to this teaser trailer except a quick shot of the giant fly drinking water from a pool, but still, you've gotta see this trailer with a giant fly drinking water from a pool! Because who knows what happens next…? Take a peek below.

Here's the very first teaser trailer for Quentin Dupieux's Mandibules, direct from Memento's YouTube:

Jean-Gab and Manu, two simple-minded friends, find a giant fly stuck in the trunk of a car and decide to train it to earn money with it. Mandibules, which translate to Mandibles in French, is both written and directed by wacky French musician / filmmaker Quentin Dupieux (who sometimes goes by the name "Mr. Oizo"), director of the films Nonfilm, Steak, Rubber, Wrong, Wrong Cops, Reality, Keep an Eye Out, and Deerskin previously. Produced by Hugo Sélignac. This is set to premiere at the Venice Film Festival this year. Memento Films will release Dupieux's Mandibules in French cinemas starting on December 2nd this fall. No other international release dates have been confirmed yet. Stay tuned for updates. First impression?

Read More