On December 3rd, 1976 a low budget sports drama opened in the cinema, written by and starring an unknown actor Sylvester Stallone. The film was Rocky and it would go on to become the highest grossing film of the year and be nominated for ten Academy Awards. Rocky went on to spawn 6 sequels in the series and made Sylvester… Read more »
On September 15, 2017, legendary character actor Harry Dean Stanton passed away. We’ve lost so many cinematic legends this year and we will lose more. We all want them to last, to entertain us till the end of our days. Perhaps we feel it’s only right. Legends are never supposed to die. But ladies and gentlemen, this particular legend managed… Read more »
From The Asphalt Jungle (1950) and Rififi (1955) to Dog Day Afternoon (1975) and 70s stylish neo-noir thriller such as Le Cercle Rouge (1970) and The Driver (1978) and then 90s heavy action thrillers and wisecrack, cockney caper films that include Point Break (1991), Heat (1995) and Out of Sight (1998) as well as other great entries throughout this trajectory,… Read more »
Stephen King is one of the biggest storytellers in the world. His name has become synonymous with horror, even if a good swath of his output works outside of horror. He is one of the best writers to have ever lived, and is one that is very specifically American in his style. His work is very much entrenched in the… Read more »
Now in its 36th year, the 2017 edition of the Vancouver International Film Festival (September 28th – October 13th, 2017) just may be the brightest, most eclectic and engaging cinematic celebration yet. Among the five largest film festivals in North America with screenings from 70 countries, VIFF promises to have something intriguing and exciting for everyone from genre fans to… Read more »
Throughout film history, geniuses made masterpieces that represent not only the issues of their own times but also reaching universal themes — these movies are relatable years after their initial release. This list compiles such works from around the world: Italy, Spain, Austria, France and beyond, crossing over genres from horror to comedy. 10. Porcile (1969) Pier Paolo Pasolini… Read more »
Superheroes. They’re everywhere these days. It’s like nerd nirvana, the likes of which seemed laughably impossible just two decades ago. Aside from a few dalliances with superheroes every now and then, Hollywood kept away from them for a few reasons. Budgetary issues, as the money needed to spend to get these stories on to the screen would be astronomical back… Read more »
Streaming services have replaced video stores as the new secondary market for films to find their way into people’s homes in the 21st century. With all the convenience and ease of just turning on your television and scanning through rows of virtual box art, audiences have never had more immediate access to entertainment in history. Through its enormous success, Netflix–currently… Read more »
“It’s beautiful, actually…” – Nina Darren Aronofsky was raised culturally Jewish and he is familiar with Jewish history and religion. He is an environmentalist and he studied social anthropology. He started his career with “Pi”, a film that is more of a study in madness than a work that contemplates scientific subjects, although it deals with metaphysical and religious matters…. Read more »
Among the most acclaimed films from 2015, “The Lobster” is a dystopian drama and another hit in director Yorgos Lanthimos’ career after his film “Dogtooth”, released in 2009. In “The Lobster”, people are prohibited from being single in the near future. If anyone is not engaged in a romantic relationship they are taken to The Hotel, a place where they… Read more »
After making one of–if not the–most influential horror film of all time, where’s a director to go from there? Tobe Hooper, who passed away on August 27, seemed to spend the rest of his career pondering just that question. After 1974’s The Texas Chainsaw Massacre–Hooper’s first narrative feature film–changed the horror genre forever onscreen, it seemed the rest of his… Read more »
If there is one truly astounding quality about cinema, it is its inherently relative nature. For one individual, a particular film can hold immeasurable significance, moving them to cry, laugh, drown in nostalgia, or feel a range of other various emotions, whereas for another that same specific film will not resonate nearly as powerfully. As a medium, film can be… Read more »
We must speak about institutionalization, what this really means and what is lost in the process. Perhaps we should first look at the most memorable institutionalized figure of cinema: Brooks Hatlen, a character from “The Shawshank Redemption”. When he finally gained his freedom after spending most of his life in prison, he would carve his name on the wall, just… Read more »
Films are seen by most as nothing more than a mere form of entertainment, a method to kill a lazy Sunday afternoon or many a sleepless night. Films are also considered by some to be a form of art, a meticulous reality crafted by an individual for audiences to immerse themselves in, taking in theme, culture and personality. Whichever way… Read more »
Evil ghosts and supernatural beings can be really scary, even more so if they are wrecking havoc in your home. Keeping you up at night, destroying your possessions, and trying to kill you, a vengeful ghost can prove to be not fun company in your house. Over the years, there are countless horror movies that have people battling entities in… Read more »
For most film audiences around the globe, the Oscars have been a reliable standard of cinematic quality and analyzing the winners and nominees from the past few ceremonies, it is evident they will remain that way for a long time to come. The prestige and the inherent glamour of the Oscars, heightened by the parties and the red carpets and… Read more »
