Inspired by the #30DayFilmChallenge that made the rounds on social media a few months ago, we've created our own #31DayFilmChallenge for October. Feel free to join in on Facebook and Twitter using the #31DayFilmChallenge hashtag. Check out our week one selections here, week two here, and week three here. Thanks for joining us on this spooky journey - let's do it again next year! Day 24: Psychological Thriller Shelby Cadwell Title: Blue Velvet Year: 1986 Director: David Lynch Blurb: Even though I picked these categories, I still had to mutter to myself "psychological thriller? what genius thought THAT up" when I reached this day of the challenge. As a genre, sub-genre, or whatever the hell yo
As I have mentioned previously, my wife’s work on zombie films has opened me up to an entire genre of worthy films with plenty of international flair. From Shaun of the Dead (Great Britain) to Train to Busan (South Korea) to Dead Snow (Norway) to Juan of the Dead (Cuba), zombie films attract talented filmmakers worldwide and transcend cinematic borders. And while not every tale of hordes of the undead wreaking havoc is bingeworthy, the universal truth is that zombies are fun, frightening, and timeless. And to this world tour of zombie entertainment I would include 2008’s Pontypool courtesy of Canada. This highly inventive hybrid finds a way to meld Talk Radio with Night of the Living Dead wi
Inspired by the #30DayFilmChallenge that made the rounds on social media a few months ago, we've created our own #31DayFilmChallenge for October. Feel free to join in on Facebook and Twitter using the #31DayFilmChallenge hashtag. Check out our week one selections here and week two selections here. Tune in next Friday for more spooky season movie picks! Day 17: Italian Horror Shelby Cadwell Title: Suspiria Year: 1977 Director: Dario Argento Blurb: The set design and music are phenomenal. The slightly overwrought English dubbing was hard to get used to. The witches themselves aren't all that scary, but mainly because we never actually see them...you know...doing witch stuff. If you're creeped
The current state of film, pandemic aside, seems to find studios constantly trying to follow popular trends and re-booting past successes will endless money in pursuit of box office domination. Used to be that the heartbeat of cinema pulsated with passionate filmmakers looking to tell stories and connect with audiences. Nowadays, films are merely overproduced mechanisms with interchangeable parts wherein often the release date is announced before principal photography even begins. And a completed screenplay is an afterthought. With this in mind, I recommend 2013’s Coherence. Here is a film that finds a way to transform a low budget into a surprisingly successful sci-fi chiller built on mood
Inspired by the #30DayFilmChallenge that made the rounds on social media a few months ago, we've created our own #31DayFilmChallenge for October. Feel free to join in on Facebook and Twitter using the #31DayFilmChallenge hashtag. Check out last week's selections here and tune in next Friday for more spooky season movie picks! Day 9: Woman-directed Shelby Cadwell Title: Relic Year: 2020 Director: Natalie Erika James Blurb: Although 2020 has been a difficult year for film releases (thanks, COVID), one silver lining is having quick access to films on streaming services and VOD much quicker than would have previously been possible. Take Relic, which after premiering at Sundance in January was pi
Some day soon, New Zealand will get its rightful recognition as the birthplace of some of modern film’s most gifted minds. Two of the most revered Kiwi filmmakers would be Peter Jackson and Jane Campion. But this charming country has also gifted the world such cinematic artists as Martin Campbell (Goldeneye, The Mask of Zorro), Roger Donaldson (The Bounty, No Way Out), and Andrew Niccol (Gattaca, Lord of War). Of course, the world should be taking notice of the imaginative genius currently embodied in the work of actor-filmmaker Taika Waititi. From the hilarious What We Do in the Shadows, to the Marvel series elevating Thor: Ragnarok to the sublimely heartbreaking Jojo Rabbit, Waititi may ju
Inspired by the #30DayFilmChallenge that made the rounds on social media a few months ago, we've created our own #31DayFilmChallenge for October. Feel free to join in on Facebook and Twitter using the #31DayFilmChallenge hashtag, and tune in next Friday for more spooky season movie picks! Day 1: Universal Monster Sequel Shelby Cadwell Title: Bride of Frankenstein Year: 1935 Director: James Whale Blurb: Although I've enjoyed just about every film adaptation of Frankenstein I've seen (even the less-than-faithful versions), Bride of Frankenstein is to me the perfect amalgamation of Universal monster movie, literary adaptation, and inventive extrapolation from Shelley's classic work. The doomed
“Do you know what the most frightening thing in the world is? Nothing. That’s what I found in the boy. No conscience, no fear, no humanity. Just a blank void.” – ANGEL, (I’ve Got You Under My Skin) Even before the popularity of podcasts and the explosion of true crime docuseries, American society has always had a fascination with serial killers. This inquisitiveness is initially born out of finding out who they are and making sure they are caught for a sense of security but goes next level into the most pressing question: why. Why do they kill? How do they choose their victims? What made them into monsters? It’s that last question that gets the most attention, but the truth of the matter is
