Yoav shows that though doc makers are tempted to make a film and then move on to the next project, there is a new expectation to help enact social change around the needs of your subject. From a woeful subject he has managed to create a life-affirming picture that shows us the power of even the most marginalized people in society. Watch new episodes of BYOD live each week on Tuesdays at noon on TheLip....
It’s impressive that at nine minutes, functioning like an extended trailer, the short film feels just as fast-paced and convincing as if it were a traditional-sized preview. It does not feel as long as it is, I enjoyed myself that much. Somehow this short film isn’t just a fun experience, it’s a case study in relativity. That said, if this were to eventually exist as a feature length film, I don’t know that it could pay off on all the potential it hints at in the trailer....
Let’s backtrack: Curse of the Shaolin sets itself up as a documentary about a troupe of five Shaolin warriors who live, and perform, in the Chinatown area of Los Angeles. At the same time, due to the troubled nature of the filming (failed fundraisers, other plans falling through, the director’s health becoming an issue), the filmmaker, Sven Kamm, begins to question whether the film is cursed, a carryover scenario from the same curse that was rumored to have been the death of Bruce Lee, relating to revealing the secrets of kung fu....
In the summer of 1989 I first heard of Joe R. Lansdale. I was visiting a local genre bookstore, Dark Horizons (long since defunct) and asked an employee what was new in horror. He showed me a couple books and then said, “You should try Joe Lansdale; he always has a high body count.” That was all it took to make the sale and I went home that afternoon with a copy of The Drive In....
What would have been bearable would have been if Myers chose a character (even one of his stock characters) and made that the Cat. After all, that’s what he did with Shrek (who is nothing more than his old “If it’s not Scottish, it’s CRAP” character on Saturday Night Live). When Jim Carrey brought the Grinch to life in Ron Howard’s film three years ago, at least the character of the hairy, green curmudgeon fit well into the Jim Carrey standard bag of tricks....
Getting Crust back together isn’t going to be easy. Bonehead’s drug problem caused the band to break up in the first place, and he’s burned a lot of bridges along the way. Undeterred, Bonehead decides to approach the band one by one. Eager to get the boys back together, Terrence (Joe Rooney) hopes the band will also help give him direction in life as he tries to re-enter his son and ex-girlfriend, Tania’s (Louise McCann) life....
For those of you not immediately familiar, Shintaro Katsu played blind swordsman Zatoichi in twenty-six films and 100 or episodes of the “Zatoichi” television show. He also adapted the “Lone Wolf and Cub” series of manga into a film series for his brother, Tomisaburo Wakayama, and the “Hanzo the Razor” stories into a series of films for himself. It may come as a surprise to some of you, but neither my husband, nor myself had seen an original Zatoichi movie until we programmed one....
It’s a film festival I’m so lucky to have been able to cover remotely for the past two years, but I can’t wait to one day see all these awesome films on the big screen. There are still tickets available, so if you’re in the Montreal area, go check out some of the amazing films Fantasia has to offer this year. Check out the full line up here. Here are the five that I’m looking forward to the most, leave yours in the comments!...
For example, several tech wizards have attempted to use AI for blackjack. As popularised by successful movies such as Rain Man and 21, players can use various playing strategies whilst playing blackjack at the casino. The same ethos can undoubtedly be applied to movie making, although the use of AI does spark some sizeable creative concerns within the film industry. Supporters of AI argue it has transformed content creation, but critics counter that suggestion by claiming its utilisation is an insult to the creative process....
According to Paulo Oliveira, an educational expert in Brazil, “para fazer trabalho de faculdade ou desenvolver um projeto de pesquisa, é fundamental consultar um site confiável, de acordo com as diretrizes acadêmicas estabelecidas.” – to do college work or develop a research project, it is essential to consult a reliable website, in accordance with established academic guidelines. In this post, we examine notable timelines and events in the Brazilian movie industry, observing its various changes and wholesome evolution....
Photo albums? I think, eyes scanning the multicolored pile of 3-ring binders strewn across the coffee table. Do I want to look at Jean Malahni’s photo albums? Oh my God! You bet I do. Granted, the Photo-Album-Treatment is something most people try to avoid; few things are worse than being forced, by some friend or relative, to endure pages of pictures showing average people you don’t really know posing by large, uninteresting objects you don’t really care about....
A Culturally Significant Event for Independent Filmmakers Currently, the world of film festivals consists of three big players: Berlin, Cannes, and Venice. Of those, few can argue that the French-based event isn’t the most important. Although the grand occasion has long attracted world-renowned stars, such as Nicole Kidman, the Cannes Festival differs from all others. Instead of focusing on the celebrities, the stars of the event are the films themselves. As such, this is why the 75-year-old occurrence is of such significance to independent filmmakers....
You had the sense back in ’92 that “Toys” hadn’t provoked visions of sugar plums in the minds of 20th Century Fox executives. Despite the above assets, and a tent-pole opening date one week before Christmas, there was not the traditional holiday frenzy behind the release. Notably it sported an absence of advance hype, little of the usual brainwashing ads during children’s programming, and no fast-food tie-ins of note. About the only attempt at significant marketing was a perfunctory video game that languished on store shelves....
Set in Toronto, we follow Ailia Perls (Brynna Weiss), a young woman capable of reading minds and who has a talent for creating optical illusions. Even though she has these extraordinary abilities, the lingering trauma of her parents’ death in a car crash haunts her. Ailia applies to the Toronto Police Force with her optical illusion cards, which reveal multiple images depending on the person’s thoughts. Luckily Sgt. James Manner (David Richard) sees the value in her talent and hires her....
The picture opens with an ominous crawl credit explaining the significance of the Dagger of Destiny. Next, we find a ladies’ cult called the “Sisters of the Moon’. The group is ruled by Nalum (Erika Monet), who are battling Christian priests to possess a powerful “Dagger.” The cult invokes spells in its quest, such as stealing a potential victim’s hair to be used in an enchantment. The battle tools are for mortal ordinary men’s souls, used in a series of stories or ‘visions....
Glass went from minor-league Washington magazine contributor to feature writer in a range of magazines, notably The New Republic, the official magazine of ‘Air Force One’. Thanks to some groundbreaking, exclusive feature stories, by the mid 90s, the twenty-something writer was one of the world’s most influential penners, winning acclamation every which way he scribed. When an online technology website starts to find inaccuracies in one of Glass’s stories about an internet whiz kid who got snapped up by an exalted corporation, they hit the editor of ‘The New Republic’ Magazine with a circumlocutory claim that their star writer might have fluffed the whole article....
Nina (Karyna Kudzina) is an undocumented Belarusian mother in the United States. She and her daughter, Bella, can have a future in America or live on the street since no one will hire her in the city. So, Nina opts to be a caretaker at the rustic country home of an eccentric older man named Luther (Chris Lapanta). Life is simple here, with wholesome food grown in the nearby forest, folk remedies for coughs made there, and all meals are communal....
BRUCE ALMIGHTY Long before you buy your ticket to the new Jim Carrey film, you’ve already been doomed to disappointment. ALEX & EMMA Everything in this film is predictable. The story-within-a-story of the novel Alex is writing is likewise painfully predictable. Even the semi-surprise ending is predictable – not necessarily because it is a plot device that has been used in practically every sitcom from “Three’s Company” to “Step by Step,” but because it is just telegraphed throughout the entire film....
In the D-Files: Part 1, I recounted the events that led to this Wish disaster, beginning with John Lasseter’s firing and humiliation over alleged #MeToo accusations and the outcry to “get a woman to run this place.” That woman would be Jennifer Lee. In Part 2 and Part 3, I showed that Jennifer Lee slowly and subversively ushered in her new vision for Disney Animation and its staff. In response to the #MeToo Lasseter ousting and with the help of the gender equity advocacy group Woman in Animation, Lee strove for 50/50 equity between male and female Disney artists....
Thomas Wright (Zach Chyz) is a Washington deputy assistant attorney general going after a corrupt businesswoman named Natile Dormer (Kathleen Randazzo) for insider trading. His tactics are brutal as federal agents hold Dormer’s husband as “collateral” for her influence peddling. Thomas plans to use Natile’s takedown to bolster his run for U.S. Senate. Though the pieces are in place, the lawyer’s personal and professional life are hanging by a tenuous thread....
