Hannibal Rising will probably always be an under-appreciated footnote to the Hannibal Lecter literary and cinematic universes. The prequel takes us back to Lecter’s origins. First, we see him as a victim of atrocities during World War II, then we see the monster emerge in an extended revenge thriller. Both the novel and the accompanying…
If you ask a regular person to draw a city, not based on an existing city, but rather the concept of “city,” they might start by drawing the borders. To draw those borders, they might begin by doing something that almost no actual cities have done—make it some kind of simple shape. A square, or…
★★★★ Directed by: Diego Di Iorio Read moreA Guide to The Perfect Bong Joon-ho MarathonWritten by: Diego Di Iorio Starring: Charity Rose Read moreRobert Stack Finally Solves a Mystery in ‘The Strange and Deadly Occurrence’,,Film Review by: ,,Jason Knight Darkness can be terrifying! People (especially children) are afraid of what might be hiding within it….
“Humanity also needs dreamers, for whom the disinterested development of an enterprise is so captivating that it becomes impossible for them to devote their care to their own material profit.” -Marie Curie Read moreA Guide to The Perfect Bong Joon-ho MarathonThere are pivotal moments in time where history has its course drastically altered by a…
The Roger Ebert Award, which is presented annually at the Chicago International Film Festival to an emerging filmmaker whose work represents a fresh and uncompromising vision, was received this year by “Memory House,” a highlight of the 2020 New Directors program, directed by João Paulo Miranda Maria. According to the official festival synopsis, this Brazilian-French co-production is “set…
At first glance, the cuscus looks like a cross between a cat, a monkey, and a Furby. An herbivorous marsupial found in New Guinea, Australia, and the surrounding islands, it has sharp claws, a tail that wraps around branches, and forelimbs that look eerily like human hands. The babies are also unreasonably cute. “They like…
It would be an understatement to categorize Miranda July‘s films as whimsical. Her debut feature Me and You and Everyone We Know is filled with plenty of irreverent, peculiar moments such as the introduction of “))<>((” — a weird emoticon to express “Pooping back and forth. Forever.” Then in her sophomore feature The Future, she…
“Each year, for one day, the dead return.” Epic Pictures is releasing this observational documentary film experience titled Day of the Dead to celebrate the Mexican tradition. The film’s full title is officially Day of the Dead: A Celebration of Life, and it’s made by a graphic designer / doc filmmaker named Denise Richards. Each…
When mining finally ceased in this Nottinghamshire town, the people wanted to install a reminder of a time foregone. This led to the creation of a magnificent sculpture depicting a giant Davy miner’s oil lamp with two figures of coal miners, one of which is inside the lamp as if working in a thin coal…
“Why is the foreman so intent on finding you?” The Match Factory has released an official promo / sales trailer for a Spanish indie film titled Out in the Open, also known as Intemperie in Spanish. Adapted from a novel by Jesús Carrasco, the film is a Spanish fable set in an “Old West” tyrannical…
We should not underestimate the power of one high-profile controversy to shape a generation’s perception of free speech. In 1977, when neo-Nazis sought to rally in Skokie, Illinois, then home to thousands of Holocaust survivors, they were blocked by Skokie village officials. The American Civil Liberties Union stepped in to successfully defend the neo-Nazis’ rights…
Synchronic, from directors Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead, is a film you don’t realize has your attention until you find yourself struggling to look away, to hear the world around you. Like a drug, its effects are slow, building into an experience. And like with drugs, whether that experience is good or bad will depend…
Kings Square (also spelled King’s) is one of the main public squares in the city of York. Unlike others however, this was not always by design. Until 1937, a church was located here known as both Holy Trinity, King’s Court (to distinguish it from other Holy Trinity churches in the city such as Goodramgate) and…
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…
These caves located south-east of Ponza’s harbor are believed to be an elaborate example of a Roman fish farm. Read moreA Guide to The Perfect Bong Joon-ho MarathonThe caves were dug into the island’s volcanic rock around the 1st-century CE, and formed five basins connected to each other via underwater passages. These were used to…
There’s such a thing as a really bad trip and then there’s the frightening, mind-bending experience from a drug named Synchronic, which sends its user to an unknown point in time for seven minutes. Results vary. In the latest film from co-directors Aaron Moorhead and Justin Benson, the directors depict a New Orleans paramedic named…
The Monumental Cemetery of Milan (Cimitero Monumentale di Milano) was designed by Carlo Maciachini and opened in 1866. The site allows visitors to time-travel into the history of Milan, as they can spot the tombs of figures whose names now adorn major metro stations, roads, and squares. Read moreA Guide to The Perfect Bong Joon-ho…
Sutri is a fascinating small town north of Rome. The entire town is constructed inside and on top of the local volcanic tuff rock. Read moreA Guide to The Perfect Bong Joon-ho MarathonUpon entering the town, visitors will notice an excavated Roman necropolis, but the most interesting feature is the impressive Sutri Amphitheatre that was…
After a night of horror shorts, I was excited to dive into the comedy corner of the short film medium. I had already seen one of the shorts being showcased – 40 Minutes Over Maui – at the 2019 Tribeca Film Festival, its humor and hilarity setting the stage for more to come here. Age…
The largest cemetery in Ireland, Glasnevin Cemetery is home to an estimated 1.5 million burials and holds the graves of some of the most significant figures in Irish history. These range from the legendary Irish novelist Brendan Behan, to Éamon de Valera, former president of Ireland. Read moreA Guide to The Perfect Bong Joon-ho MarathonThe…
In the year 79, Mount Vesuvius spewed scalding ash and lava across Pompeii and Herculaneum. As a pyroclastic flow surged, Pompeii was famously laid to ruin—its inhabitants killed, its homes and public spaces obscured under a terrible blanket. The city was snuffed out so speedily that many aspects of daily life were eerily preserved—a carbonized…