The Rubicon Hydroelectric Scheme was a triumph of early-20th century engineering. Constructed by the State Electricity Commission in 1922, it has supplied electricity to Victoria for almost 100 years by harnessing the natural power of the Rubicon and Royston Rivers. When first opened, the system supplied around 16 percent of the entire state’s electricity requirements….
Nestled in the Himalayan foothills well north of Kathmandu’s city center is a wholly remarkable Hindu temple. The site pays homage to Vishnu (Narayan) whose likeness floats on the sea of bliss reclining upon the multi-headed snake Shesh. It’s believed the 16-foot (5-meter) long sculpture made from a single block of basalt, was created during…
It’s all music and passion in Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, the latest from director George C. Wolfe. Being in the studio wasn’t a simple thing for Ma Rainey. As one of the first well-known blues singers, she was breaking ground in all sorts of ways. That means the industry didn’t get her, let alone respect her,…
On the shore of Telise village stands two stone pyramid-shaped towers. They were constructed around 1910 and were used by seamen to orient their vessels to the shore. The lower marker stands around 22-feet (7-meters) and the upper is 39-feet (12-meters) high. The distance between them is well over 1,000-feet (400-meters). Read moreA Guide to…
A sconce was a defensive structure that was developed as an earthwork. They normally followed a star-shaped plan to allow overlapping fields of fire. They were also capable of absorbing artillery blasts. Read moreA Guide to The Perfect Bong Joon-ho MarathonSeveral sconces were constructed around Newark in Nottinghamshire, England during the English Civil War. The…
There are unofficial rules for modern comedy, one reason laughs are in short supply these days. Select groups are off limits Certain phrases must no longer be uttered Some jokes can only be told in certain scenarios by certain comics And, by all means, never get caught “punching down” What’s that? Read moreA Guide to…
Streaming might be the future, but physical media is still the present. It’s also awesome, depending on the title, the label, and the release, so each week we take a look at the new Blu-rays and DVDs making their way into the world. Welcome to this week in Home Video for October 27th, 2020, including our…
★★★★ Written and Directed by: #JonJacobs Read moreA Guide to The Perfect Bong Joon-ho MarathonStarring: #JonJacobs, #ChristinaFulton and #ShannahBettz Film review by: Brian Penn Read moreRobert Stack Finally Solves a Mystery in ‘The Strange and Deadly Occurrence’With Halloween fast approaching on 31st October, what better way to mark the event than this spicy tale of…
I first became aware of Harry Chapin in my high school Psych class through a discussion of his most iconic song “Cat’s in the Cradle.” The lyrics were derived from a poem by his wife Sandy about a father who never made time for his son, and it comes back to haunt him. Chapin gladly…
“If you’re Cinderella, come meet your Prince Charming…” Saban Films has unveiled the official trailer for a lovable romantic comedy titled Love, Weddings & Other Disasters, the latest ensemble movie from actor / director Dennis Dugan (Happy Gilmore, Beverly Hills Ninja, Big Daddy, Saving Silverman) since he last made Grown Ups 2 in 2013. With…
Have you ever thought about how you would commit the perfect murder? Hashed out the mechanisms of execution and the evasion of being caught? It seems like it is a conversation we have all had with others or ourselves at some point. How would you do it? And could you get away with it? This…
“I wish this could be real and not just imaginary.” This love doll short film is as creepy as they come. A Doll Distorted is a horror short made by filmmaker Niall Shukla, and after playing at festivals for the last few years, it’s finally available online. Just in time for Halloween so everyone can…
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. In the village of Atuga, Ethiopia, on any given night in late October, the local farmers make sure to return from tending their…
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. A dead woman, her face disfigured by poisoned makeup, returns to take revenge on the husband who murdered her. A samurai is beheaded…
The SS1 Aurelia highway runs along Italy’s Tuscan coast, which makes it one of the most familiar holiday routes in the nation. Among the sites along the road is an oddity that never fails to catch the eye of drivers and passengers: a sign, at kilometer 273, on the edge of the city limits of…
There are a great number of documentary filmmakers who immerse themselves in the lives of their subjects, but few embed themselves as deeply as Steve James. From his longitudinal masterpiece Hoop Dreams to the change-making urban violence doc The Interrupters to profiling the late, great Roger Ebert in Life Itself, the city of Chicago and its…
Amazon revolutionized 21st century commerce, but that’s only part of the story. Amazon Prime, the company’s streaming arm, is the closest competitor to Netflix’s digital dominance. Plus, Amazon allows users to pay for individual movies via its Video on Demand (VOD) component. Read moreA Guide to The Perfect Bong Joon-ho MarathonThat’s where things get sticky…
★ Directed by: #VeltonJLishke Written by: #VeltonJLishke #DavidJKeogh Read moreA Guide to The Perfect Bong Joon-ho MarathonStarring: #RobLeach #VeltonJLishke Film review by: William Hemingway Read moreRobert Stack Finally Solves a Mystery in ‘The Strange and Deadly Occurrence’The thing about irreverent humour is that it has to be funny in a knowing and shared manner; the…
If there is one thing in history that is set to be examined from multiple perspectives it will be the 2016 election. The ramifications have rippled out over the last four years, its effects touching every element of democracy and fight for equality. But how did it happen? When it came time to cast the…
The stunning island of Palmarola is the second-largest island in the Pontine archipelago. Due to its steep cliffs and spectacular rugged landscape, the island is mostly uninhabited during the year except for the summer months. The French oceanographer Jacques-Yves Cousteau described it, “as the most beautiful island in the Mediterranean Sea”. Read moreA Guide to…
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…