While paging through the first known cookbook written in the United States, Amelia Simmons’s 1796 American Cookery, you’ll find quite a few recipes that seem familiar. There’s the pumpkin pie, the roast turkey, and even the “cookey.” But one recipe stands out, both due to its name and its gargantuan proportions: the Election Cake. American…
“Hey kids, do you know what time it is?!” Well, I’m sold! Screen Media has released an official trailer for a wacky action horror coming up next year titled Willy’s Wonderland. There’s no date set – they’re holding it until sometime in 2021 – but I’m already looking forward to it. A quiet drifter is…
Director George A. Romero was born on February 4, 1940, in New York City. After graduating from high school, he attended Carnegie-Mellon University in Pittsburgh, PA; the city and the state that would serve as filming locations for a bulk of his filmography (like John Waters with Baltimore, John Hughes with Chicago, or M. Night Shyamalan with Philadelphia). When he completed…
Across generations and around the world, the name “Dracula” now calls to mind a pale man in a tuxedo and cape, eyes bloodshot and fangs gleaming. Originally introduced in Bram Stoker’s 1897 novel of the same name and given that familiar look by Bela Lugosi in 1931, Dracula has since become the world’s prototype vampire,…
In Inca mythology, there is a deity, Viracocha, whose name can be translated as “sea of fat.” He is the creator of the Earth and all its creatures, the maker of the sky and the sea and all the other gods. Among the Quechua people, he must be honored. “In the Andean world, indeed, blood…
CW: sexual abuse, trauma For much of its running time, Cicada is reminiscent of a host of romances dating back to Richard Linklater’s seminal Before Sunrise. The ones where nascent couples wander both aimlessly and with purpose, discussing life, death, and everything in-between as the magic of love quietly appears in a low-key, touching manner. If…
It is perfectly possible to have gone through life never having heard of Rebecca. That said, this is a story more familiar than most; and with that comes great pressure. If you are one of the lucky ones coming to Ben Wheatley’s new film, his first for Netflix, without the slightest idea of what a…
On a drizzly Thursday in October 2020, I arrive at Berlin Brandenburg International Airport’s Terminal 1, a gleaming glass box on the outskirts of the city. After checking my passport and scanning a QR code, a staffer hands me a bright safety vest, a face mask with the airport logo on it, and a packet…
Remember when Under the Silver Lake was the hot mess of 2018? Premiering in competition at Cannes that year, David Robert Mitchell’s follow-up to his wildly terrifying It Follows gained as many cult fans as it did detractors; the former largely viewed it as a sprawling Lynchian interrogation of the conspiracy theory, navigating hidden strata…
Planning for the next century’s electrical needs, the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) broke ground on the Hartsville Nuclear Plant in 1975. Read moreA Guide to The Perfect Bong Joon-ho MarathonAt the time, the plant would be the world’s largest nuclear plant. Amid much controversy, the sleepy town boomed with construction workers and new businesses that…
We may not be getting a new “Star Wars” movie this year (or even next), but we’ll at least have “The Mandalorian,” a serial that proves with one of its best episodes yet that it still has a lot of flair, inspiration, and jetpack fuel to go around. Directed by Jon Favreau, this first episode in…
The Mandalorian Explained is our ongoing series that keeps an eye on Lucasfilm’s saga about the Galaxy’s most dangerous single dad. In this entry, we look at what went down in The Mandalorian Chapter 9 — the first episode of Season 2 — and explain how its shocker ending compares to the original premiere reveal….
October is defined in Webster’s Dictionary as “31 days of horror.” Don’t bother looking it up; it’s true. Most people take that to mean highlighting one horror movie a day, but here at FSR, we’ve taken that up a spooky notch or nine by celebrating each day with a top ten list. This article about…
Brattleboro Retreat was established in 1834 and was designed to provide humane care for patients suffering from mental illnesses. Read moreA Guide to The Perfect Bong Joon-ho MarathonAs with many facilities for mental health during that period, doctors believed fresh air and exercise would help treat ailing patients. In 1887, construction began on Retreat Tower. Patients…
During the 19th and early 20th-centuries, hundreds traveled to the East Antrim coastline for day trips out of Belfast to places like the Gobbins Cliff Path, Portmuck, Brown’s Bay, and the National Trust Skernaghan Point Reserve. Read moreA Guide to The Perfect Bong Joon-ho MarathonFrom Skernaghan Point, there are stunning views of the East Antrim…
It’s that time of the year when hauntings and horror fill our screens. Halloween viewing traditions are a staple of the season and this year, The Simpsons Treehouse of Horror is no exception. While the 33rd induction of The Simpsons Treehouse of Horror was supposed to premiere on October 18, 2020, it was delayed due…
This rock monastery was carved and inhabited during the 12th and 13th-centuries by local monks. It consists of ten cells (caves) located about 98-feet (30-meters) above ground. Read moreA Guide to The Perfect Bong Joon-ho MarathonThe cells are separated into two groups. The first consists of three cells followed by two other separate caves. The…
We have a certain expectation of a fairy tale hero—a handsome prince, gallant and courageous, sometimes blond, often wearing armor, able to defend himself and others—and “The True Adventures of Wolfboy” scoffs at it. Who does that narrow definition of bravery really capture? Who does it keep out? A coming-of-age story that melds fantastical elements…
Welcome to How’d They Do That? — , a bi-monthly column that unpacks moments of movie magic and celebrates the technical wizards who pulled them off. This entry looks into the reverse melt sequence in Hellraiser. At its core, Hellraiser offers a perverse portrait of domestic debauchery: Macbeth by way of interdimensional S&M. Released in…
“So you’re a C.I.A. plant?” Cutting to the chase! Showtime has unveiled a new official full trailer for Errol Morris’ latest documentary titled My Psychedelic Love Story, which is premiering at AFI Fest coming up this fall. We posted a teaser trailer for this doc earlier in the summer, before it had an official title,…
There’s finally a new book to put on the cinematic shelf next to “The Babadook.” Naturally, it’s a cyber-edition, one found on tablets and smart phones but mimicking that movie’s literary frights. Read moreA Guide to The Perfect Bong Joon-ho Marathon“Come Play” follows an Autistic lad who discovers a creepy children’s book lurking on his…