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“Second Wind! Second Wind!” - Audience Of One comes to DVD!
19 February 2009 5:44 AM, PST
Along with the film Terra (see below), I figured this one may never see the light of day, but it is the day for bringing shelf-dwelling projects to the light of release. Michael Jacobs’ documentary on a California preacher’s attempt to get a $50 Million science fiction epic slash religious allegory off the ground is a much enjoyed film around these parts. It documents in a entertaining (and often wince-worthy) fashion the cost of the heady cocktail of ambition and dreams when they are dashed across the harsh face of reality. We may occasionally poke fun at Hollywood for soulless fair that costs the Gdp of many a small country, but perhaps these pig productions are left to the professionals and corporations and not rested simply on belief and faith that everything will come together. You may love Pastor Richard Gazowsky‘s drive, but by the end you will likely
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Kurt Halfyard
Sfiaaff 2009: Kiyoshi Kurosawa—Serpent’s Path & Eyes of the Spider
19 February 2009 12:03 AM, PST
Brian Darr’s and Michael Hawley’s recent previews of the 27th edition of the San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival (“Sfiaaff”) posted, respectively, at Hell on Frisco Bay and film-415, enumerate many reasons to be pleased with this year’s line-up; not the least of which is the seven-film tribute to Kiyoshi Kurosawa. It will be no surprise to readers of The Evening Class to know how excited I am by this tribute, recalling the Kiyoshi Kurosawa Blogathon of last Summer, wherein I included my write-ups on Cure and Bright Future along with hosting essays from welcome contributors. Likewise—anticipating the opportunity to interview Kurosawa at Tokyo Sonata‘s TIFF08 North American premiere—I provided an overview of interviews conducted with Kurosawa. My dream to conduct my own interview with Kurosawa came true at the Toronto International and it now appears I will have a chance to follow-up
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Michael Guillen
Final trailer for Adam Mason’s ‘Blood River’
18 February 2009 9:25 PM, PST
Goody. We’ve got ourselves what would appear to be the last trailer for Adam Mason’s upcoming thriller Blood River and thus we await word on festival runs and theatrical releases. Todd was able to catch this while in Berlin the other week. He said in his review that it was, by far Mason’s most cinematic film to date it is also his more personal work and features the most thematically complex script from Mason and writing partner Simon Boyes to date. A simmering study of Old Testament style sin and retribution, Blood River plays like a slow burning Faulkner by way of Deliverance.
It’s 1969 and Clark and Summer are happily married and she’s pregnant. We first meet Summer and Clark as they are driving across California on their way to Arizona to tell Summer’s parents the good news about the pregnancy. They drive across
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Mack
First Trailer for Battle For Terra
18 February 2009 8:13 PM, PST
Moviefone has debuted the trailer for Aristomenis Tsirbas’ Battle for Terra (previously entitled Terra), a sci-fi CG animated film that has been completed and screened in several festival since 2007 but its getting a wide theatrical release this year courtesy of Lions Gate. For an independently produce film, the visual quality looks impressive. Its quite refreshing to see a serious approach rather than the usual comedic tone we often see in conventional animated films. The voice cast reads like a who’s who list of actors/actress which include Evan Rachel Wood, Brian Cox, Luke Wilson, David Cross, Justin Long, Amanda Peet, Dennis Quaid, Chris Evans, James Garner, Rosanna Arquette, Chad Allen and more.
Mala (Evan Rachel Wood) is a precocious girl living on the beautiful planet Terra, a place where peace and tolerance are celebrated. However, the last inhabitants of Earth have exhausted the resources of their planet and are
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Al Young
New poster for Viking adventure ‘Severed Ways’
18 February 2009 6:18 PM, PST
We got our hands on a nifty new poster for the independent Viking film Severed Ways, written, produced and directed by Tony Stone.
In 1007 Ad on the mainland of North America, two stranded Vikings search against all odds to find their way home. As they struggle to survive in the vast forests of the New World, their paths diverge as one pursues a spiritual quest and the other reverts to his primal instincts. An inward adventure set entirely in the North American Woodlands.
Magnolia Pictures releases Severed Ways on March 20th. Trailers are after the break.
Mack
Sfiaaff 2009—Michael Hawley Previews the Line-up
18 February 2009 1:24 PM, PST
With a multiracial, Hawaii/Indonesia-raised president in the White House, it’s fortuitous that the issue of mixed race is also at the core of many films in the 27th San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival (“Sfiaaff”). That’s the observation with which Festival Director Chi-hui Yang and Assistant Director Vicci Ho kicked off last week’s press conference announcing this year’s line-up. Additionally, they noted a marked emphasis on films from South Asia, South Korea and Japan this year. I think the program is an even stronger one than usual, at least in terms of containing many of the films I’ve been hoping to see. Here’s a look at some highlights.
The big event is undoubtedly the seven-film spotlight on Kiyoshi Kurosawa, the Japanese auteur best known for his metaphysical thrillers Cure and Pulse. Kurosawa was last here in 2004 for the Sf International Film Festival’s screenings of Doppelganger,
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Michael Guillen
Jean Claude Van Damme Talks The Pit Bull
18 February 2009 10:04 AM, PST
And the rebirth of Jean Claude Van Damme continues ... Riding the success of Jcvd - a film which we absolutely love around these parts - Van Damme has been hard at work on his directorial effort The Eagle Path, a film that is drawing solid early buzz, and now word is beginning to get out about his next feature after that. Currently running under the title The Pit Bull, Van Damme recently spilled a huge number of details about the project in a conversation with Impact Magazine‘s Mike Leeder. Our thanks to Leeder for allowing us to reprint the relevant portion here. Check it below the break!
Todd Brown
2008 Oscar Nominated Short Films On iTunes
18 February 2009 9:52 AM, PST
If you are into that sort of thing, this year’s Oscar nominated short films are now available for download through iTunes. The live action category tends to get a bit bland, but there are a number of strong entries this year that run the gamut from Holocaust drama (Toyland) to dry geriatric Danish wit (The Pig). Manon on the Asphalt‘s fantastical take on death is well worth a peek. Among the animated entries, Japan’s House of Small Cubes is a brilliant depiction of memory and loss, a bit more substantial in tone than Oktopodi or Presto. The Onion Av Club posted a little commentary on the entries recently. Otherwise, the Short Film Central website is an easy way to kill half your day.
MLeary
Tired Of The Long Haired Ghosts? How About A Long Haired Kaiju?
18 February 2009 8:58 AM, PST
Break out the curling irons and hair dryers! Japan is under assault by the hairiest giant monster yet and the only possible solution to the threat is Operation Perm!
Coming soon from Japanese broadcaster Nhk, Daikaiju Gehara is an upcoming made for TV giant monster film that needs a bit of primping. A parody of classic kaiju flicks written by comic Jun Miura, this thing actually has a pretty solid list of a-list talent in the wings. Such as? How about blockbuster director Shinji Higuchi (The Sinking of Japan) as producer and project supervisor? The cast? Familiar faces from Samurai Fiction, Always: Sunset On Third Street, Bullet Ballet and a host of kaiju titles. More on this one as we find it and, no, I wasn’t joking about Operation Perm. That really happens.
Todd Brown
Twitch Video Player Top Ten!
18 February 2009 4:45 AM, PST
The Twitch Video Player Top Ten took the week off last week while I was off in Berlin but I’m back now and so is our weekly round up of the most popular videos in the Twitch Video Player. Absolutely dominating the list this week? Combat basketball, baby! Here’s the list!
1. Fireball Trailer (20187)
2. Blood: The Last Vampire Teaser (3238)
3. 5 Rules of Steven Seagal (2537)
4. Dark Island Trailer (2283)
5. Lesbian Vampire Killers Trailer (1957)
6. Power Kids Trailer (893)
7. Deliver Us From Evil Trailer (812)
8. Yatterman Trailer (774)
9. Ong Bak 2 Promo (735)
10. Plastic City Trailer (735)
Todd Brown
SXSW Announces Fantastic Fest Midnight Titles
17 February 2009 7:55 PM, PST
The six titles programmed by Fantastic Fest for the 2009 SXSW Film Festival and Conference in Austin, Texas have finally been announced. The films are: Pontypool (U.S. Premiere), The Haunting in Connecticut (International Film Festival Premiere) The Horseman (North American Premiere), Lesbian Vampire Killers (World Premiere), Ong Bak 2 (International Film Festival Premiere), and Black (World Premiere). Each film in the program, which is officially called “SXSW Presents Fantastic Fest at Midnight,” will play at the Alamo Drafthouse South Lamar. Stay tuned to Twitch for the usual flood of related trailers, reviews and previews. The full press release is featured beneath the fold.
Rodney Perkins
UK trailer for Kiyoshi Kurosawa’s ‘Tokyo Sonata’
17 February 2009 7:49 PM, PST
Kiyoshi Kurosawa’s latest film, Tokyo Sonata, began a screening tour of the UK a couple weeks ago. I was perusing Mr. Gray’s site to see if he has added anything during this busy month for him and he pointed to the UK trailer for Kurosawa’s family drama. I’d say it perfectly captures the form and structure that has made most of his films favorites of ours. See for yourself after the break!
Tokyo Sonata is a portrait of a seemingly ordinary Japanese family. The father who abruptly loses his job conceals the truth from his family; the eldest son in college hardly returns home; the youngest son furtively takes piano lessons without telling his parents; and the mother, who knows deep down that her role is to keep the family together, cannot find the will to do so. From the exterior, all is normal and the same.
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Mack
French Action film Black Premieres at SXSW 2009
17 February 2009 7:33 PM, PST
Pierre Laffargue’s action film Black is one of the six Fantastic Fest titles playing at the 2009 SXSW Film Festival and Conference. In fact, the screening in March will represent the film’s world premiere. Black stars French rapper Mc Jean Gab’1, who Twitch readers might recognize from his small roles in Banliueue 13 (District 13) and Banlieue 13 - Ultimatum. Jean Gab’1 plays the titular Senegalese bank-robber (born and raised in France) who plans on going straight after a botched heist. His cousin interrupts his brief retirement with a call from Dakar, where a briefcase full of diamonds presents a new opportunity.
The French language trailer, which is beneath the fold as usual, gives a small taste of what the film is about. The French and Senegalese locales, the witchcraft, the Afro-beat music, the European heavies and the overall feel invokes the black action films of the 70s but with a modern international vibe.
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Rodney Perkins
Comic Book Adaptations
17 February 2009 7:14 PM, PST
One of the most critically lauded works in a field still shorted mainstream respect, Allan Moore’s 1986-87 short run series “Watchmen” sees its big-screen adaptation glow to life in early March. Moore has a history of prickly behavior when it comes to Hollywood’s take on his work, but there appears to be a groundswell of support among fans and the general public alike for director Zach Snyder’s interpretation. The rush of comic book and graphic novel adaptations has accelerated over the last few years as studios look for projects with built-in brand recognition, and it shows no sign of slowing. With this ToM, we’ll look at a few adaptations and consider what they may have done right and wrong. There are many we’ll miss (some with good reason, others without) - as always, you’re encouraged to agree / disagree / digress below…
Collin Armstrong
Did You Miss The Horseman Trailer?
17 February 2009 6:37 PM, PST
As announced earlier this evening, the hard-hitting Australian revenge film The Horseman is having its North American premiere as part of the SXSW Presents: Fantastic Fest @ Midnight program at the 2009 SXSW Film Festival and Conference. This excellent news provides a convenient excuse to repost the very Nsfw (no kidding) trailer that was featured on Twitch a few weeks ago. As usual, the trailer can be viewed beneath the fold.
Rodney Perkins
[Rec] 2 Teaser trailer
17 February 2009 10:41 AM, PST
We have spent some virtual ink on the already classic horror film [Rec] in the past and of course we are going to do the same with the sequel to that smash hit. A while ago a little teaser hit the web (rumored to be fake) sporting only the logo, some creepy sounds and some lady talking over it, but this time a new, longer, teaser has been released, featuring what I guess is footage from the film but showing very little at the same time, focusing more on the sound that is such a big part of the experience. The sequel picks up right after where the original ended but no word yet if they leave the dreaded apartment building to a bigger setting, which is usually the case with sequels. The trailer hit the Spanish site aullidos.com and then youtube of course.
Being the sucka that I am
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Swarez
Serbian Zombies Attack Ken Foree. Trailer for Zone Of The Dead.
17 February 2009 7:50 AM, PST
Who knew that the zombie genre would be as hard to kill as those pesky undead bastards. After the success of Resident Evil, 28 Days Later and Dawn Of the Dead remake it seems that everybody and their mothers started to make zombie movies and now the undead have spread all over the world as countries that are not exactly known for their genre pictures are emerging with their take on the reanimated corpses. Serbia is stepping up to the plate with their own zombie flick, Zone Of The Dead, starring none other than Dawn Of The Dead alumni Ken Foree. The film is about two Interpol agents who are to escort a criminal to back to Belgrade only to encounter a zombie infestation in a small town on the way. The film also stars Rob Zombie’s Halloween Kristina Klebe and looks to be an old school zombie craziness.
The
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Swarez
More Lesbians! More Vampires! And Lots More Killing! Full Lesbian Vampire Killers Trailer!
16 February 2009 7:37 PM, PST
It’s Family Day here in Toronto - really, we have the weakest holidays on the planet - and while I could be spending the holiday playing with puppies or skipping through a local field (a chilly option, that one) or even - gasp! - talking to members of my family I have decided that, no, my time is better spent with this: the full theatrical trailer for Phil Claydon’s Lesbian Vampire Killers. We’ve been covering the Brit horror-comedy with Gavin and Stacey stars James Corden and Mathew Horne for a good long time now and, really, with a title like that how could we not? The artwork has been fab, the initial teaser was fun albeit brief, and word from those who got into the market screenings in Berlin is that the film is an awful lot of fun, one that plays its premise to maximum effect.
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Todd Brown
Trailer and TV Spot for Russian thriller ‘Julenka: Deadly Lessons’
16 February 2009 7:09 PM, PST
We tip our hat to Vladimir for bringing this to our attention and for going through all the trouble of translating a synopsis and the narration for the trailer of this thriller, Julenka: Deadly Lessons / Юленька: Смертельные уроки, coming out of Russia this week.
Andrey Belov moves with his family from capital to provincial town for the health of his beloved wife, and changes job from lecturer in university to teacher in female gymnasium. Belov understands that there’s something wrong with his class. The silence solidarity hides creepy secret. Those schoolgirls don’t play dolls, they play human lives. Andrey gets the note “Save us!” in pupil’s record book.
Little by little the Belov’s life turns to nightmare. All his emotions and actions are affected by fear. The Evil slowly takes the most dearest. Would he manage to escape from this nightmare depends on one little girl.
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Mack
It’s Fifty Tons Of Terror, In Trailer Form! It’s The Full Trailer For Sv Bell’s Crawler!
16 February 2009 4:13 PM, PST
Yes, I think it’s safe to say that we can file Sv Bell’s Crawler under the ‘guilty pleasure’ category of the ol’ filing system. Why? Well, this is not only a motorized-vehicles-run-wild film, though it certainly is at least partly that and I’m more than a little pleased to see the peculiarly 80’s sub-genre making a bit of a comeback with this picture and Eric Valette’s Hybrid. And it’s not just a Giant-motorized-vehicle-run-wild film, either. Nope. This, my friends, is a Giant-alien-motorized-vehicle-run-wild film! Because, you see, while the beast on that poster there may appear to be simply a monstrously large bulldozer, it is in fact a cleverly disguised alien creature with a lust for blood.
We ran a teaser for this a while back and now the full length trailer - much superior to the teaser in all facets - has arrived and we
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Todd Brown
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