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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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…
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Music Review…Mondo Records’ Stunning ‘Big Trouble In Little China’ 2XLP
For the first time in over 30 years, film fans around the globe are able to purchase the complete original soundtrack to John Carpenter’s ’80s classic Big Trouble In Little China on vinyl. If, like me, you’ve scoured Discogs and Ebay for a copy that A. doesn’t cost more than $100 and B. isn’t the Brazilian or German version, the news of this release is about as satisfying as finding a Chinese girl with green eyes. Yeah, it’s that big! Phantom City Creative has been very specific about the color palette of this release. Red is very important in Chinese culture, and so the packaging and vinyl prominently showcase it as…
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Off the Shelf…’Avengers: Infinity War’
Avengers: Infinity War hits Blu-Ray this week, and it is just as thrilling as it was in theaters. An event ten years in the making, Avengers: Infinity War is the best Marvel movie to date. Like the events in the story, the success of Infinity War is a team effort for which you can credit the studio, the producers, and the directors they trust with these dense narratives to ensure that each new story will top the previous effort. Joe and Anthony Russo have outdone themselves and raised the bar for all future MCU endeavors. Each of these iconic characters have grown in the last decade, and you really can feel…
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G-S-T Review…Solo: A Star Wars Story
A long time ago, as the story goes, there was a scruffy-looking space smuggler. Well, this story is about that beloved scoundrel, only younger and he had yet to herd nerfs. So goes Solo: A Star Wars Story. Aside from being a film people may have wanted (but audiences didn’t need), you might have heard stories about directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller leaving the project (from a script by Lawrence and Jonathan Kasdan) and Ron Howard coming aboard. Yup, creative changes certainly abound when putting together a Star Wars story these days. The good news is that the film is steeped in reverence, and a lot of fun. And more…
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G-S-T Review…Avengers: Infinity War
It may sound incredibly trite and unoriginal to state this, but Avengers: Infinity War is the best Marvel movie to date. It’s an accurate statement to describe an event ten years in the making, and you’re likely to see top film critics quote something similar in trailers and ads after the film’s release. Like the events in the story, the success of Infinity War is a team effort for which you can credit the studio, the producers, and the directors they trust with these dense narratives to ensure that each new story will top the previous effort. Each of these characters has grown in the last decade, and you really can…
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G-S-T Review…Ready Player One
Sometimes, movies and stories speak to us on a level that is hard to comprehend or even put into words. Cinematic experiences can dazzle and inspire or, on the contrary, confound and confuse us. But if done well, the trip is worth taking again and again. To some it’s art, to others it’s escapism, but a break from reality is one thing – the desire to live in that reality is quite another. So enter Steven Spielberg whose resume reads largely of some of the finest and impacting films in cinema history. Some of his films are so cherished and captivating that fans would do anything be ‘in’ right along…
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G-S-T Review…The Osiris Child: Science Fiction Volume One
Editor’s Note: This review has been republished. It originally posted with the rest of our reviews and coverage at Fantastic Fest last September. Seemingly from outer space (Australia, really) comes The Osiris Child: Science Fiction Volume One. This lost ’80s era space opera is a breath of fresh air that comes at a time when one doesn’t see this kind of film too often. Furthermore, it’s not of the post-apocalyptic variety, which also adds a refreshing angle. What starts as a slow build, Shane Abbess‘ stellar and ambitious sci-fi gem quickly picks up speed and never looks back. Abbess’ feature has many strengths, and right out of the gates the visuals simply sing with a slick and refined production design.…
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Music Review…Mondo Goes the Distance with Limited Edition ‘Creed’ 2XLP
There is a well-known proverb that states, “In the warrior’s code, there’s no surrender.” Is that aged wisdom from hundreds of years ago? Not at all. That’s from Rocky IV, and it’s worth noting that film marked the first time in the Rocky saga that a torch was passed to a new composer. The film was an entirely macho and pugilistic allegory of Cold War tensions, sure, but it was also pretty awesome from a musical sense, both score and song. Picking up on that departure, Ryan Coogler’s Creed is a fantastic step forward in the saga while also serving as a quasi-remake of the iconic 1976 property. The series may…
