“The Dark and the Wicked” has enough jump scares to satisfy the “Yes, but it is scary?” contingent of horror fans. But for the most part, this film from writer/director Bryan Bertino—about strange goings-on at a farmhouse where the family patriarch is dying—focuses on atmosphere and creeping dread, channeling 20th century classics like “Don’t Look Now,” “The Tenant,”…
“Mortal” begins with the definition of its title. “A human being,” appears on the screen, which corresponds to the noun entry in Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary. Since we’re perusing my favorite book, I should mention a few other adjective definitions of the word: “fatal,” “deadly” and “marked by unrelenting hostility.” All but one of these apply to the…
Claret & Blue has released an official trailer for The Neolith, a gritty short film made by filmmaker Daniel Boocock. This is his second short and his most ambitious project to date – a 30-minute epic short set in the old Viking times. A mysterious individual takes action against a pack of bloodthirsty outsiders whose…
The Morongo Basin is one of the best places in California to truly see the night sky. But until relatively recently, it lacked an observatory. Read moreA Guide to The Perfect Bong Joon-ho MarathonVisitors to Jerri Hagman’s Homestead Inn in Twentynine Palms would often marvel at the clusters of stars that illuminated the sky, and she dreamed…
Superhero films, in general, showcase the extraordinary faculties of a superhuman, who is naturally in need of a worthy adversary. Although, as seen in Chronicle and Brightburn, sometimes one’s most dangerous adversary is oneself. Chronicle and Brightburn have unveiled a bleaker side to the comic-book formula, wherein the powerful protagonist is their own worst enemy….
When entering the Leiden University Medical Center, one may not expect to come across a sculpture of a strange creature. Read moreA Guide to The Perfect Bong Joon-ho Marathon“Homunculus Loxodontus” was the name given to a humanoid, elephant seal sculpture crafted by Margriet van Breevoort in 2016. It was designed for a yearly statue exhibition in…
MinNature Malaysia is a lovely museum home to miniature figures and buildings representing the cultural heritage of Malaysia. The displays were crafted by miniature enthusiasts who wanted to showcase Malaysia’s rich and diverse history. The museum opened in 2016. Read moreA Guide to The Perfect Bong Joon-ho MarathonAcross the various displays, visitors will find miniatures…
The Dalecarlian horse is well known across the globe. Most visitors to Sweden purchase one of the small wooden horses as a souvenir, even though it’s traditionally a very regional object for the province of Dalarna. The province is full of Dala horses and is home to the world’s largest and smallest versions of the wooden figure. …
The recently concluded 45th edition of the Toronto International Film Festival was the first to have been stricken by the circumstances that the entire world has been suffering from. Despite the ongoing pandemic, the folks at the Toronto International Film Festival were able to put on an incredible show with an astounding amount of variety…
The Moine House name derives from the Gaelic word mòine which means “moss” or “peat.” The house sits on the edge of a vast bog that covers much of Sutherland and Caithness, known as Flow Country. The long stretch of bog between the Kyle of Tongue and Loch Hope was often referred to as A’…
★★★★ Directed by #JohannesNyholm Read moreA Guide to The Perfect Bong Joon-ho MarathonWritten by #JohannesNyholm Starring #LeifEdlund #YlvaGallon Read moreRobert Stack Finally Solves a Mystery in ‘The Strange and Deadly Occurrence’,,Film Review by ,,Matt Weiner What about Groundhog Day, but with unrelenting psychological dread? That’s the premise of Johannes Nyholm’s horror fable Koko-di, Koko-da, and…
Netflix’s hit documentary series Chef’s Table highlights individual chefs from all corners of the world making all kinds of food into an art form. It’s beautifully shot, edited, and narratively moving, as each chef tells their own story of how they made it to greatness. The newest season centers around the overlooked intimacy of barbecue and…
“You don’t even know what’s inside there, do you?!” Hammer Down is an excellent action-heavy 13-min short film made by Simon Hatt and it’s now online. Inspired by his own upbringing with his truck driver father, Simon made an adventure film about a daughter and her truck driving father. Hammer Down tells the “story of…
We let Hollywood down. Americans still don’t know who won the 2020 presidential election, but one thing is clear from La La Land. Read moreA Guide to The Perfect Bong Joon-ho MarathonThe industry is very disappointed Joe Biden isn’t celebrating a landslide victory. Instead, President Donald Trump enjoyed a robust boost in minority support, something…
Seven years ago, Toni Kamau and Peter Murimi started making their documentary I Am Samuel. Today their film is finally out in the world, and so is the story of its subject. Samuel is a gay man from a low-income neighbourhood in Kenya, where homosexuality is criminalised. For Samuel, this stigma brings with it the threat of violence and of…
For two weeks in October 2020, Nigel Larkin’s truck traveled back and forth between the Hull Maritime Museum and his conservation workshop, several hours away, carrying load after load of precious cargo. There was the large tuna skeleton and assorted whale skeletons, among them a narwhal nearly nine feet long and a sperm whale jaw…
I am proud to announce that two documentaries which I champion (and executive produce) are nominees at the 5th annual Critics’ Choice Documentary Awards. Melissa Haizlip’s “Mr. Soul!,” an illuminating profile of the groundbreaking television show hosted by the director’s uncle, Ellis Haizlip, received five nominations including Best Documentary Feature, Best First Documentary Feature, Best Archival Documentary, Best Historical/Biographical…
In 1829, head of state Ioannis Kapodistrias made Nafplio the official capital of the newly independent Greece. After Kapodistrias was assassinated in 1831, many parts of the country fell into anarchy. The nations that assisted Greece in their struggle for independence, Britain, France, and Russia, intervened and held a series of meetings on what was…
Jagshemash! While the legacy of Borat Sagdiyev started, for most, in 2006 at the first glance of neon green swimming apparel and an odd conglomerate accent, legendary comic actor Sacha Baron Cohen actually premiered his other half a decade earlier on Da Ali G Show. While Borat as an entity has been around for two…
The Fontana dell’Acqua Felice or Fountain of Moses is a large monumental fountain in Rome, which marks the end of the Acqua Felice aqueduct. Read moreA Guide to The Perfect Bong Joon-ho MarathonCompleted during the 1580s, the inauguration of this aqueduct was a historic event as it was the first new aqueduct constructed in Rome…
Despite not being a single continuous road, the Cedar Avenue of Nikkō is listed in the Guinness Book of World Records as the longest tree-lined avenue in the world. It’s also the only cultural property designated by the Japanese government as both a Special Historic Site and a Special Natural Monument. Read moreA Guide to The Perfect Bong…