In 2014, we spoke with Jim Hosking about his segment ‘G is for Grandad‘ in ABCs of Death 2 (check out that interview here). It was a brief glimpse into his mad style before he began work on the now divisive film The Greasy Strangler. Our good buddy Bryan Kluger (who runs BoomstickComics.com) loved it, so after thoroughly enjoying Hosking’s latest, the hilarious An Evening With Beverly Luff Linn, we had to partner up on an interview while Hosking and co-writer David Wike were in town at Fantastic Fest this year. It was just as odd and fun as their film. Enjoy!! An Evening With Beverly Luff Linn is written/directed by…
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[Fantastic Fest Interview]…Director Adesh Prasad and Composer Jesper Kyd on ‘Tumbbad’
In the rural village of Tumbbad, young Vinayak has heard the stories of an ancient fortune held by his family for years, but is warned against attempting to attain the treasure lest he fall victim to the demon who guards it. He instead cares for his great-grandmother, a decrepit crone who must remain sated or her appetites might just claim them all. When she dies and he inherits the treasures housed inside a decaying estate, Vinayak discovers that they are not exactly what he expected, but instead an endless bounty protected by a vengeful and ravenous fallen god. While at Fantastic Fest 2018, we sat down with writer-director Adesh Prasad…
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[Fantastic Fest Review]…Level 16
In Level 16, director Danishka Esterhazy offers a lot of pointed social commentary in her film about a group young women being prepared for adulthood. There’s a gripping surface-level narrative unfolding, but beyond the literal plot points, Esterhazy also presents the audience with lots more to ponder. The film finds the above-mentioned adolescent females being raised in a questionable institution. You can’t call it a school, because there are no windows, odd concepts of time, and the girls have little to no knowledge of the world. From frame one, there’s something or rotten in Denmark, or what seems like the former Soviet Union. The girls just don’t know what they…
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[Fantastic Fest Review]…The Perfection
From director Richard Shepard (Dom Hemingway, The Matador) comes a psychological horror film that feels extremely current yet also exists as a throwback. In the film, a former cello prodigy (Allison Williams) seeks out both her mentor (Steven Weber) and his new star pupil (Logan Browning) with enigmatic intent in this twisty and undeniably warped nail-biter. But this is far from a straight-forward thriller. One of the reasons is Shepard who really likes breaking up a story into distinct chapters and, in the case of The Perfection, the story is all about misdirection. He is somewhat able to explore different genres in tandem with the main plot. The result of…
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[Fantastic Fest Review]…An Evening With Beverly Luff Linn
Director Jim Hosking, and co-writer David Wike craft a surreal experience in the form of An Evening With Beverly Luff Linn. From the start, it’s an odd movie, and one that feels like you’re watching alien lifeforms try to emulate humans. But it is hilarious! It’s an exercise in stretching a joke, and that’s what Hosking does so well. He also takes what’s real and morphs it just enough to turn actors, every one of them, into cartoons. For instance, Emile Hirsch‘s delivery always ends in overlong stares, or strained, exaggerated smiles. And in a few sequences, he believes that by donning a blond pixie-cut wig (meant for a girl) and…
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[Fantastic Fest Review]…You Might Be the Killer
On Thursday, September 20, David Gordon Green’s Halloween kicked off Fantastic Fest 2018. While that was a very fitting way to start one of the world’s largest genre film festivals, it wasn’t the first feature I saw this year (thank you press screening room!). And, truth be told, You Might Be the Killer is actually a film better suited to usher in the 14th year of this glorious festival. It’s more representative of what a genre film is, and one that has been lovingly constructed by cherry-picking elements of seminal slashers to offer something funny, fresh, reverent and thoroughly enjoyable. And it’s all based on this brilliant Twitter exchange between Sam Sykes and Chuck Wendig.…
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Off the Shelf…’Solo: A Star Wars Story’
In the post-trilogy landscape, there have been some really great Star Wars films that exist beyond the hallowed Episodes IV, V and VI. The Force Awakens, even as a thinly veiled remake of A New Hope is so much fun. Rogue One is the prequel you’ve been looking for, and along comes Solo: A Star Wars Story attempting to flesh out the mythology of everyone’s favorite smuggling scoundrel. Did it work? Let’s just say that in our theatrical review of Solo, we were not very kind (check that out here). But having seen this four times now, I have warmed to this story which is serviceable and quite thrilling in…
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CONTEST CLOSED – Win An Exclusive Poster for ‘KIN‘, Autographed by Directors Jonathan & Josh Baker
Attention: CONTEST IS NOW CLOSED. Winners have been notified. Thanks for your interest in KIN. ———————————————————————————————————————————— Last month, Jonathan & Josh Baker’s film Kin hit theaters. It’s an amazing story, and you don’t often see this level of quality from first-time directors. To be fair, the duo have a lot of experience in video advertising, but this is their first feature-length effort. In short, it is stunning, and has quickly become our favorite film of the Summer. Check out our spoiler-free interview with them here. We were thrilled to see an advance screening and host their Q&A when they were in Dallas. As part of the press tour, Lionsgate created exclusive posters that…
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Interview…Bill Duke on Nic Cage, and LSD Nightmare Fuel in Panos Cosmatos’ ‘Mandy’
This year, more than a month before Halloween, Panos Cosmatos is set to unleash his latest film on the horror masses. If you’ve seen Beyond the Black Rainbow, then you have a pretty good idea what to expect, and his sophomore effort is just as nebulous. While the narrative is slightly more linear and discernible, it’s an equally messed up Dungeons & Dragons fever dream that finds Nic Cage in full-on revenge mode. I’m not really sure how to describe any further. Even if I spoiled the story, it won’t keep you from being shocked and surprised at the madness within. So how about this: It’s like a heavy metal…
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G-S-T Review…KIN
As cinemas and studios close the books on Summer, it’s a good bet film fans weren’t expecting many more wows on the big screen. Well, if you need a surefire thrill-ride, look no further than Lionsgate’s Kin – the feature-length debut from Australian born, Los Angeles-based directors Jonathan & Josh Baker. The duo craft their first narrative feature, Kin, based on their 2014 sci-fi short, “Bag Man” (check it out here). They already have accomplished careers in marketing/advertising (and the film is full of beautifully gritty shots they no doubt honed in the last 15 years), but I’m positive they’re going to take off. A lot can be said for these artists making…
