“This is terrible!” says the director, appearing onscreen for the first time after the sequence of haphazardly shot, the off-kilter dialogue of the opening minutes of the film. Only the first delightful surprise of experimental fiction-documentary Symbiopsychotaxiplasm, this unexpected commentary sets the stage for a spectacular and very odd 75 minutes. A Bad Idea? Symbiopsychotaxiplasm:…
“You guys shot the wrong man, didn’t you?!” Dark Star Films has debuted a new official US trailer for the New Zealand dark comedy called Lowdown Dirty Criminals, made by filmmaker Paul Murphy (Second Hand Wedding and Love Birds). This already opened in New Zealand & Australia a few months ago, and should make its…
Atlas Obscura and Epic Magazine have teamed up for Monster Mythology, an ongoing series about things that go bump in the night around the world—their origins, their evolution, their modern cultural relevance. Imagine you are on your own, deep in Colombia’s central Andean region. Perhaps you are cutting down lumber in the lush forests, or…
Atlas Obscura and Epic Magazine have teamed up for Monster Mythology, an ongoing series about things that go bump in the night around the world—their origins, their evolution, their modern cultural relevance. You’re a banker, living in a cottage in Dublin. It’s autumn and the wind is brisk but pleasant, so you decide to take…
Atlas Obscura and Epic Magazine have teamed up for Monster Mythology, an ongoing series about things that go bump in the night around the world—their origins, their evolution, their modern cultural relevance. As night settles across Togo and Ghana, the adze, it is said, slips through keyholes, under windows, around doors. They fly to the…
The 2016 presidential race permanently changed the jokes told after the nightly news. Late night comedians, fearing a Donald Trump victory, shifted their content aggressively to the Left. Jokes got massaged or simply nudged aside for talking points ripped out of a New York Times op-ed. Read moreA Guide to The Perfect Bong Joon-ho MarathonIn…
Exorcisms have been a topic of horror films for decades. Even the most famous of these, William Friedkin‘s The Exorcist, spawned two sequels, two prequels, and a TV series that ran for two seasons. It’s a tall order for any other exorcism films to compete with, indie or not! The Last Exorcist has a decent…
Dinesh D’Souza is on trial once again with his new film, Trump Card, a visual overload consistent with his record so far. As a propagandist, he’s not so much Leni Riefenstahl but Michael Moore. In the same way, Moore perhaps wishes he had the journalistic integrity and style of Alex Gibney – damning, classy and…
Almost everyone in Japan knows of the 17th-century swordsman Miyamoto Musashi and the legendary duel between him and his rival, Sasaki Kojirō. Musashi allegedly arrived at the duel purposefully late, wielding a wooden sword made out of an oar. Enraged by this disrespect, Kojirō lost his calm and was struck on the forehead, knocked unconscious,…
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…
After losing year-long friendships with composer Richard Wagner and philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer over intellectual quarrels around the mid-1870s, the mental and emotional health of German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche started to deteriorate. Read moreA Guide to The Perfect Bong Joon-ho MarathonIn search of a cure for his ails and his ever-increasing migraines, Nietzsche started to roam the…
Trajan is considered one of the greatest Roman emperors, having expanded the empire to its largest size. While leading the conquest of Dacia, he ordered the construction of a large forum around 105 CE. The most integral part of the forum was a market. It’s believed the project was designed by Apollodorus of Damascus, an…
A couple gets lost in Wander Darkly, the latest from writer/director Tara Miele. Adrienne and Matteo were in a tough spot. A rocky point in their relationship and a new baby had them both frayed at the edges, so when they’re involved in a severe car crash, they are understandably thrown off course. Finding themselves adrift…
Inside Carnfunnock Country Park is an old ice house that was constructed during the mid-1800s. It was designed to provide ice for the former estate grounds known locally as Cairncastle Lodge. Read moreA Guide to The Perfect Bong Joon-ho MarathonThe ice house was constructed into the side of a hill and would then be covered…
The Jewish Medieval Museum is located in a historical quarter of the small town of Fondi, about 62 miles (100 kilometers) south of Rome, in a district that was originally known as “La Giudea,” or the “Jewish District”. Read moreA Guide to The Perfect Bong Joon-ho MarathonFondi was located on the northern fringes of the…
Among the best compliments that can be paid to the filmmaking team of Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead is to say that their movies are more interesting when you know nothing about them. Leading with that statement raises the question of why anyone would read this review. Maybe you shouldn’t; maybe you should just see their…
★★★ Stars Directed by: #RachelTalalay Read moreA Guide to The Perfect Bong Joon-ho MarathonWritten by: #JoeBallarini Starring: #TamaraSmart, #OonaLaurence, #TomFelton, #LynnMasakoCheng, #TroyLeighAnneJohnson, #TyConsiglio Read moreRobert Stack Finally Solves a Mystery in ‘The Strange and Deadly Occurrence’Film Review by: Alicia Moore Tamara Smart takes centre stage within dreamland and nightmares alike as Kelly Ferguson, a high…
“I’m forty-four and starting to feel mid-life anxiety: mortality is actually feeling real,” Tim Heidecker reflects in an interview with Variety promoting his new indie rock album, Fear of Death. “I have kids now and I just start thinking dumb shit: ‘I might not know my kids’ grandchildren.’ It’s a waste of time.” He continues:…
“Pennies saved don’t add up to much.” Everyone loves idioms! Or at least, we love using idioms and tossing them into casual conversations all the time. Kill Your Idioms is a two-minute animated short created by Grant Kolton that riffs on some of the most popular idioms. “You decide, do your idioms live or die…
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…
★★★★ Directed by: Sylas Dall Read moreA Guide to The Perfect Bong Joon-ho MarathonWritten by: Sylas Dall, Bry Troyer Starring: Mary Madaline Roe, Eden Campbell, Morgan Chandler Read moreRobert Stack Finally Solves a Mystery in ‘The Strange and Deadly Occurrence’Film Review by: Darren Tilby Drawing inspiration from the works of Stephen King and paying homage…