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THE REFLECTING SKIN Director Philip Ridley Returns With HEARTLESS

2009-07-05T03:45:02Z

It has been fourteen years since writer-director Philip Ridley last made a film. Fourteen very long years. It’s not that he hasn’t been busy in the intervening time, it’s just that he’s been doing his work in live theater but as rewarding as that may be it is no help at all for fans of his work, such as myself, with the misfortune of having an ocean between ourselves and the theaters where these works are actually performed.

Ridley first burst into the public eye in 1990 with arty horror film The Reflecting Skin - which he wrote and directed - and gangster thriller The Krays - which he wrote - films he would follow up with the very Lynchian tale of religious hysteria, The Passion of Darkly Noon, in 1995. But since then? One piece of writing appearing on television and absolutely nothing else, a situation that seems a crime for a director of Ridley’s skills. But he’s back now with Heartless, a new supernatural thriller starring Jim Sturgess about to have its world premiere at the Film4 Frightfest. Here’s how the festival describes it:

From the director of THE REFLECTING SKIN comes HEARTLESS, a menacing and magical tale of Jamie (Jim Sturgess) born with a heart-shaped birthmark on his face. Shunned by those who find him repulsive, the photographer’s son lives in a part of London’s East End notorious for gang violence. When his mother is viciously murdered, Jamie realizes the thugs aren’t wearing disguises at all; they really are demons and hell on earth is beginning to plague the capital city. Yet all is not what it seems in enfant terrible Ridley’s unique horror fantasy landscape ingeniously informed by the current climate of fear running through every strata of modern society.

If Ridley’s past is any indication then expect something truly striking and unusual here and also take the casting of Jim Sturgess (21, 50 Dead Men Walking) as a sign that Sturgess’ star is continuing to rise as Ridley has an unerring eye for casting talent on the rise - his previous features starred Viggo Mortensen, Brendan Fraser and Ashley Judd before any of them had really broken. As for how striking this is going to be? Take a peek at the collection of stills linked below!

SFJFF09—Michael Hawley Anticipates the Line-Up

2009-07-04T21:56:18Z

Once again, Michael Hawley helps the Twitch readership keep abreast of one film festival after the other in the San Francisco / Bay Area. Thanks, Michael!

The San Francisco Jewish Film Festival (SFJFF) turns a ripe young age of 29 this year, continuing its reign as the oldest and largest festival of its kind in the world. Over the course of 18 days (July 23 to August 10) SFJFF will present 71 films from 18 countries—showcasing the best Israeli and Jewish Diasporan cinema to emerge in the past year. Although I missed last week’s press conference announcing the line-up, I’ve poured over the catalog and compiled this list of ten programs I don’t want to miss.

REVIEW of ELDORADO

2009-07-04T04:13:33Z

The San Francisco Film Society’s longstanding working relationship with Film Movement ensures the theatrical exhibition of several festival-lauded films on the Sundance Kabuki’s SFFS Screen. For this, Bay Area audiences should be especially grateful. Recently, Film Movement’s collaboration with SFFS provided Munyurangabo; this week they’re providing Eldorado (July 3-9); and in future weeks they’ll be providing encore screenings of both La Ventana (July 17-23) and Lake Tahoe (July 24-30), which were featured at the 52nd edition of the San Francisco International Film Festival.

This week’s entry, Belgian director Bouli Lanners’ Eldorado—a “small but damn-near perfectly formed serio-comedy” (Leslie Felperin, Variety)—was selected for the 40th anniversary of the Quinzaine des Réalisateurs (Directors’ Fortnight) at the 2008 61st Cannes Film Festival where it won Best European Film. Eldorado was likewise the official entry from Belgium for the 81st Annual Academy Awards (Oscars®), received a special mention at Italy’s Pesaro Film Festival, and was nominated for a César for Best Foreign Feature.

Obsession Turns Ugly In Australian Thriller COFFIN ROCK

2009-07-03T21:14:55Z

Soon to make its world premiere at the Film4 Frightfest in London, the producer of Wolf Creek will be making waves again with Coffin Rock - the feature debut from writer-director Rupert Glasson. Here’s how the festival describes it:

In the small coastal town of Coffin Rock, Rob and Jess live an almost idyllic life, their relationship marred only by their inability to have children. In a weak moment Jess sleeps with a stranger and later learns she’s pregnant. But the shocking truth is Evan targeted her the moment she walked into the fertility clinic where he worked. Now Jess’ guilt turns to full-blown horror as Evan begins a petrifying transformation from menacing stalker to unhinged psychopath….

But don’t take their word for it, we’ve got the trailer below the break and it’s truly unsettling stuff!

Film4 Frightfest Is Packed With Goodness!

2009-07-03T20:33:28Z

Oh, my ... this year marks the 10th anniversary of the London’s Film4 Frightfest and with the jam-packed lineup just announced I think it’s safe to say that they’ve outdone themselves. Examples? Take a deep breath: Indonesia’s Macabre, France’s La Horde, Norway’s Dead Snow, Japan’s Vampire Girl Versus Frankenstein Girl, Spain’s Hierro, Canada’s Smash Cut, the UK’s Triangle and a screening of the brand new, fully restored version of John Landis’ classic An American Werewolf in London! And, frankly, that’s just the tip of the proverbial iceberg ...

The festival runs from August 27th - 31st, check the full announcement below the break!

Fantastic Fest Puts Tentacles On Your Chest.

2009-07-03T20:21:00Z

Yes, it’s still a couple of months until Fantastic Fest 2009 rolls around but a limited run of the official festival t-shirt - limited, as in fifty - have just been released early. They’re tentacle-y goodness and will not last long, so if you want to claim uber-geek bragging rights you’ll need to act fast. And speaking of rampant geekiness, you can expect official Twitch gear to be coming down the line within the next couple weeks ...

NYAFF 09 Review: THE MAGIC HOUR

2009-07-03T20:02:37Z

[Our thanks to Christopher Bourne for the following review.]

Koki Mitani’s latest film The Magic Hour is an entertaining and beautifully designed tribute to movies and movie-making that revels in its artificiality. Early in the film, Natsuko (Haruka Ayase), a nightclub waitress, remarks that the elements of the story – gangsters, guns, cement overshoes, a boss’ moll – all make the town seem like a movie set. At the film’s outset, nightclub manager Bingo (Satoshi Tsumbuki) has run afoul of yakuza boss Teshio (Toshiyuki Nishida) by having an affair with the boss’ girlfriend Mari (Eri Fukatsu). Bingo saves them both from being the proverbial feed for the fishes by claiming to be an acquaintance of Della Togashi, a famous hit man known as the “Phantom Assassin,” whom Teshio would like to meet. Not actually knowing the assassin at all, and unable to find the real deal, he comes up with the idea of asking Murata (Koichi Sato), a stuntman, bit part actor, and aspiring star player, to stand in for the assassin. Bingo must keep up a double ruse, convincing Teshio that the actor is the hit man, and also making Murata believe he is in a film. The film’s scenario echoes other films such as Bowfinger and, more recently, Tropic Thunder, in which much humor is mined from the idea of tossing actors unknowingly into dangerous real-life situations. All the complications that one would expect, and then some, ensue. All the visual elements of this film – its cinematography, production design, and canny recreations of old movies – are top notch, as are the spirited performances of its cast, especially Koichi Sato, Eri Fukatsu, and Haruka Ayase.

Cam-Job Promo for Imagi’s GATCHAMAN

2009-07-03T16:27:01Z

Imagi Studios has set up a booth at the Anime Expo 2009 in Los Angeles and “Anime3000” has capture on camera the Gatchaman promo being on display on the floor. Of course, the video quality ain’t so great as typical with any cam-job. We have to bear with it until a proper version comes along. Hopefully, more news update on this promising superhero film will emerge soon.

You’ll find the promo after the break.

Fresh Stills From Paul King’s BUNNY AND THE BULL!

2009-07-03T14:38:11Z

Bunny And The Bull is a comedy road movie set entirely in a flat. Stephen Turnbull hasn’t been outside in months and when he finds his mind hurtling back to the disastrous trek he took around Europe with his friend Bunny, a catalogue of adventures unfold. Starring Edward Hogg (Brothers Of The Head ) and Simon Farnaby (‘The Mighty Boosh’, ‘Jam & Jerusalem’), Bunny And The Bull promises to be a touching journey to the end of the room.

I am disappointed in you, Britain. Very disappointed, indeed. The promo reel for Paul King’sBunny and the Bull remains the favorite thing that I saw during my time in Cannes this year and I have been anxiously awaiting the chance to share King’s lo-fi Gonry-esque fantasy with the likes of all you Twitch readers. But, alas, despite an upcoming autumn release date in the UK there is no trailer yet released officially anywhere online and apparently, there’s not a soul alive who managed to capture the trailer when it aired on the UKs Channel Four a couple weeks back. Foresight, people! Foresight!

But all is not lost as the good people at Channel 4 have, at least, seen fit to release a new block of stills from the picture online and they’re looking fantastic. With its cardboard and duct tape approach to special effects and the imaginary road trip that propels the story, this is one that fans of Michel Gondry and Spike Jonez are going to die for ...

Trailer for CG Animated Horror BLOOD TRAIL

2009-07-03T14:02:20Z

My biggest gripe with animated films in Hollywood today is the lack of mature or edgy content for adults. Most of the animated films getting produced are driven by slapstick gags and the characters are drawn in cartoony fashion. Creative studio Nathan Love, in collaboration with Perspective Studios, has completed a three-minute trailer for Blood Trail that utterly go against this convention. Its a horror piece based on writer Matt Cochran’s screenplay of the same name and its expected to be developed into a feature film, video game and/or graphic novel. Before you watch this trailer, I must warn you that it contains extreme gore and graphic violence in full CG animated glory. This is definitely not safe for work so keep your kids away. What transpire in the last half had me going “oh shit!”.

You’ll find the trailer embedded below after the break.

It’s Tony Jaa Versus Crocodile In the French Trailer For ONG BAK 2!

2009-07-03T14:01:27Z

While in New York a week or so back I had a friend ask if I’d seen the new French trailer for Tony Jaa’s Ong Bak 2. As with the original Ong Bak Luc Besson’s Europa Corp have gotten their hands on this one and while the rumor is that there has been a mild re-cut of the film to tighten things up a bit - I’m hearing six minutes have been removed - and some changes to the score - though nothing as drastic as the hip hop version done for the original - the new French trailer, I was told, makes Ong Bak 2 look like “the greatest action film ever made”. I hadn’t seen it at the time, but now I have and I have to say I pretty much agree.

What do you say? Was it the argument between Tony Jaa the director and Tony Jaa the actor over whether he really needed to get into that pit of water with a live crocodile that drove Tony to go hide in the jungle for two months? Check the French trailer out below the break along with the extended Thai promo reel!

Get Behind The Scenes of [REC]2!

2009-07-03T13:27:01Z

With the announcement that [REC]2 will be opening Sitges 2009 the PR train is getting rolling with the first in a planned series of behind the scenes videos. It’s in SPanish only but it does provide a good look on set of the sequel to the hit Spanish horror picture and directors Jaume Balaguero and Paco Plaza hard at work.

‘The Eternal’: new teaser posters and a contest at Rue Morgue Festival of Fear!

2009-07-03T02:30:40Z

The Eternal director Justin McConnell just passed along five new teaser posters for his developing vampire flick. He also let us know that at this year’s edition of Rue Morgue’s Festival of Fear they will be in the house and hosting a contest for visitors to their booth that weekend. Things are still at the developing stages for Justin’s film but as soon as things start rolling again I’m sure he’ll have more news for us to pass on to you.

The Eternal will be once again represented at this year’s Rue Morgue Festival of Fear in Toronto (August 28 – 30). We urge all attending to swing by the Unstable Ground booth to grab some free swag, meet the crew and lead actor Adam Kenneth Wilson, preview the entire first issue of the graphic novel The Eternal: Final Dawn, and enter to win one 3 of “The Eternal” prize packs.

First Prize - A “one-of-a-kind” painting by co-creator Kevin Hutchinson (www.secondskincreations.net), a copy of the printed limited edition first issue of “The Eternal: Final Dawn” (only 20 of this version of the pressing will ever be made!), a “Final Dawn” T-shirt, and the short film prequel “Ending the Eternal” on DVD.
Second Prize – A “The Eternal: Final Dawn” T-shirt, copy of the printed limited edition first issue, and the short film prequel on DVD.
Third Prize – A copy of the printed limited edition first issue, and the short film prequel on DVD.

And The Eternal film synopsis…

Samuel Gradius has lived too long. In his 500 years on earth he has seen empires rise and fall, changed the course of history with his bare hands and experienced countless revolutions first hand. Samuel Gradius is a vampire, perhaps the only vampire, and he’s had enough. He wants to die. No longer content with the idea of simple suicide, he makes the decision to go out in the ways of old. He wants a warrior’s death. THE ETERNAL follows Samuel on the pursuit of his own personal oblivion, he hopes, at the hands of someone worthy.

More Of Jeunet’s MICMACS! Lots More!

2009-07-02T23:56:20Z

Oh, I should have seen this coming. I really should have. A new Jean-Pierre Jeunet film is a big, big deal in France and I should have known that the folks behind the scenes would not have been content with just the one brief teaser for the film that appeared a few days ago. No, that would not nearly be enough. And so now there are more. Lots more. As in seven brand new teasers, each of them dedicated to a different character for the film. And all of them look like gold.

Is it better to live with a bullet lodged in your brain, even if it means you might drop dead any time? Or would you rather have the bullet taken out and live the rest of your life as a vegetable? Are zebras white with black stripes or black with white stripes? Is scrap metal worth more than landmines? Can you get drunk from eating waffles? Can a woman fit inside a refrigerator? What’s the human cannonball world record? Find out answers to these questions and more. A comedy in the vein of Delicatessen and Amélie.

You’ll find all eight teasers below the break! And, for fans, the Dominique Pinon one is number seven.

Matt Damon Loves Corn! Corn And Justice!

2009-07-02T23:05:25Z

It’s kind of funny how easily the reptile part of the brain can take over. It makes us do odd things, makes us fixate on the things that make our nether regions tingle, to the exclusion of all else. Makes us so focused - for example - on a certain Oscar-winning director casting a porn star in one feature that we cmpletely miss the fact that he’s working on another one as well, this one starring an actor with more than a little bit of awards hardware on his shelf at home. A well ... I guess I just don’t find Matt Damon as attractive as Sasha Grey. Such is life.

The director, of course, is Steven Soderbergh, and the film - the new one - is The Informant!, a based- on-a-true-story tale of quite possible the least competent corporate whistle-blower in the history of ever. i can’t help but feel that the Coen Brothers stole a little bit of the stylistic thunder on this one with Burn After Reading but Damon looks fantastic in it - as, bizarrely enough, does Scott Bakula - and I got more than one good laugh out of it when I caught it screening before Public Enemies. And, yep, it’s online now so I rather suggest checking it out.