Clockwise from top left: The Wicker Man (Warner Bros.), Vanilla Sky (Paramont), Oldboy (FilmDistrict), The Toy (Columbia)Image: AVClub
In Hollywood, it often seems that the sincerest form of flattery is to remake a foreign film. Domestic versions of international hits are a long-running thing in a town where familiarity assumes success,...
In Hollywood, it often seems that the sincerest form of flattery is to remake a foreign film. Domestic versions of international hits are a long-running thing in a town where familiarity assumes success,...
- 11/1/2023
- by Ian Spelling
- avclub.com
The new horror film “The Last Voyage of the Demeter” was dubbed “Dracula on a Boat” by social media users, and the twist on the chapter from Bram Stoker’s iconic horror novel definitely did deliver on the premise of the age-old vampire feasting on the crew of an unlucky ship.
Introducing a monster of any kind — alien, werewolf, zombies — to a vehicle that can’t stop and can’t let anyone off is a tried-and-true horror formula. Here are some of the movies where the combo of “creature” + “claustrophobic form of transportation” worked and some where it ran aground.
New Line Cinema
13. Snakes on a Plane
The ultimate in high-concept movies had a mad-as-hell Samuel L. Jackson battling, that’s right, snakes on a plane. The venomous reptiles are unleashed on a Hawaiian flight to keep a witness from testifying at a murder trial. And to have Jackson deliver...
Introducing a monster of any kind — alien, werewolf, zombies — to a vehicle that can’t stop and can’t let anyone off is a tried-and-true horror formula. Here are some of the movies where the combo of “creature” + “claustrophobic form of transportation” worked and some where it ran aground.
New Line Cinema
13. Snakes on a Plane
The ultimate in high-concept movies had a mad-as-hell Samuel L. Jackson battling, that’s right, snakes on a plane. The venomous reptiles are unleashed on a Hawaiian flight to keep a witness from testifying at a murder trial. And to have Jackson deliver...
- 8/15/2023
- by Sharon Knolle
- The Wrap
A new episode of the Best Horror Movie You Never Saw video series has just been released, and with this one we’re looking back at a film that was made by one of the legendary “masters of horror”. The master in question is Tobe Hooper, the director who brought us The Texas Chainsaw Massacre and The Funhouse, and the Hooper movie we’re recommending today is his 1985 “space vampires” sci-fi horror movie Lifeforce (watch it Here). To find out all about Lifeforce, check out the video embedded above!
Directed by Hooper from a screenplay by Dan O’Bannon and Don Jakoby and based on the novel The Space Vampires by Colin Wilson, Lifeforce has the following synopsis: A mission to investigate Halley’s Comet discovers an even stranger phenomenon: an alien spacecraft! Following a deadly confrontation, the aliens arrive on Earth, where their seductive leader begins a terrifying campaign to...
Directed by Hooper from a screenplay by Dan O’Bannon and Don Jakoby and based on the novel The Space Vampires by Colin Wilson, Lifeforce has the following synopsis: A mission to investigate Halley’s Comet discovers an even stranger phenomenon: an alien spacecraft! Following a deadly confrontation, the aliens arrive on Earth, where their seductive leader begins a terrifying campaign to...
- 11/29/2022
- by Cody Hamman
- JoBlo.com
Hey, everyone! We’re back with a brand new installment of our horror and sci-fi home media recap, and if you’re looking to check out some fun stuff this upcoming Memorial Day weekend, maybe this week’s releases can help keep you entertained. If you haven’t had a chance to check them out yet, both Umma featuring Sandra Oh and Matt Reeves’ The Batman arrive on Tuesday via a variety of formats. Both Tobe Hooper’s Lifeforce and James Wan’s Malignant are getting the 4K format treatment this week, and somehow I missed the fact that there was a RoboCop TV series at some point, but that’s being released on both Blu-ray and DVD this Tuesday. And on a bittersweet note, the Foo Fighters’ Studio 666 is making its home entertainment debut this week as well.
Other Blu-ray and DVD releases for May 24th include #FromJennifer, Horror High,...
Other Blu-ray and DVD releases for May 24th include #FromJennifer, Horror High,...
- 5/23/2022
- by Heather Wixson
- DailyDead
Scream Factory is bringing several of their past titles from Blu-ray into 4K Ultra HD this year, and the latest one to be announced this week is Tobe Hooper‘s 1985 film Lifeforce. The company teases, “Giant bats, “zombies,” Patrick Stewart, not just vampires– Space vampires, and the eternal Mathilda May come together for Lifeforce in […]
The post Tobe Hooper’s ‘Lifeforce’ Comes to 4K Ultra HD from Scream Factory appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.
The post Tobe Hooper’s ‘Lifeforce’ Comes to 4K Ultra HD from Scream Factory appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.
- 2/28/2022
- by John Squires
- bloody-disgusting.com
David Weisman, an Academy Award nominee as producer of Kiss of the Spider Woman and an accomplished graphic artist, died on October 9 from complications from neuroinvasive West Nile virus. He died in Los Angeles at Cedars Sinai at age 77, according to his publicist.
Born in Binghamton, New York, in March 1942, Weisman attended Syracuse University’s School of Fine Arts in the early 1960’s. Inspired by the classic Italian film La Dolce Vita and armed with a gift for languages, Weisman dropped out of college to design film-posters in Rome. There he met Federico Fellini, for whom he created a poster for 8 1/2 (Otto e mezzo).
Returning to New York, he collaborated with Otto Preminger, who asked him to create the title sequence for Hurry Sundown. He then became Preminger’s assistant on the film. Weisman also designed the key art for The Boys in the Band, among many others.
In 1967, with...
Born in Binghamton, New York, in March 1942, Weisman attended Syracuse University’s School of Fine Arts in the early 1960’s. Inspired by the classic Italian film La Dolce Vita and armed with a gift for languages, Weisman dropped out of college to design film-posters in Rome. There he met Federico Fellini, for whom he created a poster for 8 1/2 (Otto e mezzo).
Returning to New York, he collaborated with Otto Preminger, who asked him to create the title sequence for Hurry Sundown. He then became Preminger’s assistant on the film. Weisman also designed the key art for The Boys in the Band, among many others.
In 1967, with...
- 10/18/2019
- by Bruce Haring
- Deadline Film + TV
After exploring the sun-baked Texas countryside and the supernatural side of suburbia, Tobe Hooper turned his attention to the stars in Lifeforce. Following their Blu-ray/DVD release of Lifeforce back in 2013, Scream Factory has now released Hooper's sci-fi horror film on a limited edition Steelbook, and we've been provided with three copies to give away to lucky Daily Dead readers!
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Prize Details: (3) Winners will receive (1) limited edition Steelbook Blu-ray copy of Lifeforce.
How to Enter: We're giving Daily Dead readers multiple chances to enter and win:
1. Instagram: Following us on Instagram during the contest period will give you an automatic contest entry. Make sure to follow us at:
https://www.instagram.com/dailydead/
2. Email: For a chance to win via email, send an email to contest@dailydead.com with the subject “Lifeforce Steelbook Contest”. Be sure to include your name and mailing address.
Entry Details: The contest will...
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Prize Details: (3) Winners will receive (1) limited edition Steelbook Blu-ray copy of Lifeforce.
How to Enter: We're giving Daily Dead readers multiple chances to enter and win:
1. Instagram: Following us on Instagram during the contest period will give you an automatic contest entry. Make sure to follow us at:
https://www.instagram.com/dailydead/
2. Email: For a chance to win via email, send an email to contest@dailydead.com with the subject “Lifeforce Steelbook Contest”. Be sure to include your name and mailing address.
Entry Details: The contest will...
- 8/14/2018
- by Derek Anderson
- DailyDead
Ryan Lambie Oct 17, 2017
This year's The Mummy reboot shares a surprising amount with the 1985 sci-fi horror classic, Lifeforce...
Nb: The following contains spoilers for 2017's The Mummy and 1985's Lifeforce.
See related The Snowman review
When Universal Studios made The Mummy back in 1932, it was in the wake of Tut-mania: the fascination with Ancient Egypt following the discovery of King Tutankhamun's tomb a decade earlier. As Egyptian-inspired symbols and designs began to appear on everything from jewellery to cigarette ads, stories began to circulate that the pharoah's tomb was cursed - and thus The Mummy, about a group of archaeologists who provoke the wrath of a long-dead Imhotep (Boris Karloff, hypnotic as always) emerged.
The Mummy's success was such that it became a long-running franchise: Universal made four direct sequels between 1940 and 1944, with a comedy spin-off, Abbott And Costello Meet The Mummy, joining them in 1955. The UK's Hammer Film...
This year's The Mummy reboot shares a surprising amount with the 1985 sci-fi horror classic, Lifeforce...
Nb: The following contains spoilers for 2017's The Mummy and 1985's Lifeforce.
See related The Snowman review
When Universal Studios made The Mummy back in 1932, it was in the wake of Tut-mania: the fascination with Ancient Egypt following the discovery of King Tutankhamun's tomb a decade earlier. As Egyptian-inspired symbols and designs began to appear on everything from jewellery to cigarette ads, stories began to circulate that the pharoah's tomb was cursed - and thus The Mummy, about a group of archaeologists who provoke the wrath of a long-dead Imhotep (Boris Karloff, hypnotic as always) emerged.
The Mummy's success was such that it became a long-running franchise: Universal made four direct sequels between 1940 and 1944, with a comedy spin-off, Abbott And Costello Meet The Mummy, joining them in 1955. The UK's Hammer Film...
- 10/16/2017
- Den of Geek
Lifeforce (1985) Director: Tobe Hooper Stars: Steve Railsback, Peter Firth, Mathilda May Next weekend, Ridley Scott gives the Alien franchise another shot with Alien: Covenant, so Awfully Good Movies is dipping into the weird and wonderful world of Alien ripoff movies with one of the most famous of them: 1985’s Lifeforce! What makes this flick one of the most notable Alien ripoffs is... Read More...
- 5/12/2017
- by Jesse Shade
- JoBlo.com
It has taken nearly 30 years, but it seems that Tobe Hooper’s 1985 sci-fi horror epic, Lifeforce, is finally earning the respect it deserves.
Lifeforce is the movie that pretty much killed Tobe Hooper's mainstream directing career. The first of his three-movie deal with the great Cannon Films, the film recouped less than half of its $25 million budget (which, for Cannon, might as well be Avatar money) upon its theatrical release and made Hooper something of a laughingstock in the process. Maybe because his previous movie, Poltergeist, had been so commercial (which has more to do with Spielberg’s influence than Hooper's), a lot of the audience for Lifeforce assumed Hooper didn't know what he was doing — they concluded that the movie just got away from him. Nope. Tobe Hooper knew exactly the movie he was making. Lifeforce is a crazy movie. It was designed as a crazy movie. It...
Lifeforce is the movie that pretty much killed Tobe Hooper's mainstream directing career. The first of his three-movie deal with the great Cannon Films, the film recouped less than half of its $25 million budget (which, for Cannon, might as well be Avatar money) upon its theatrical release and made Hooper something of a laughingstock in the process. Maybe because his previous movie, Poltergeist, had been so commercial (which has more to do with Spielberg’s influence than Hooper's), a lot of the audience for Lifeforce assumed Hooper didn't know what he was doing — they concluded that the movie just got away from him. Nope. Tobe Hooper knew exactly the movie he was making. Lifeforce is a crazy movie. It was designed as a crazy movie. It...
- 6/19/2015
- by Patrick Bromley
- DailyDead
On the heels of Animal, its most-watched original movie to date – and the SXSW 2015 premiere of its original movie The Boy – Us horror channel Chiller have announced new original content for 2015 and 2016, including its first-ever original series, Slasher, and two new original movies, Lifeforce and Siren.
Says Dave Howe, President, Syfy & Chiller:
Chiller delivers a broad range of compelling horror programming, from classic edge-of-your-seat thrillers to thought-provoking psychological dramas. Given Chiller’s success in the original film space with Animal and The Boy, we’re thrilled to premiere our first-ever original series, Slasher, later this year.
Chiller’s first original series, Slasher, follows the plight of a young woman who returns to the small town where she was born, only to find herself the centerpiece in a series of horrifying copycat murders – based on the widely-known, grisly killings of her parents. The eight-part season serves as the first instalment of an anthology series,...
Says Dave Howe, President, Syfy & Chiller:
Chiller delivers a broad range of compelling horror programming, from classic edge-of-your-seat thrillers to thought-provoking psychological dramas. Given Chiller’s success in the original film space with Animal and The Boy, we’re thrilled to premiere our first-ever original series, Slasher, later this year.
Chiller’s first original series, Slasher, follows the plight of a young woman who returns to the small town where she was born, only to find herself the centerpiece in a series of horrifying copycat murders – based on the widely-known, grisly killings of her parents. The eight-part season serves as the first instalment of an anthology series,...
- 5/5/2015
- by Phil Wheat
- Nerdly
Chiller has original and reimagined onscreen scares lined up for this year and the next, as they've just announced that their first original series, Slasher (directed by Todd & The Book of Pure Evil’s Craig David Wallace), will premiere late this year, along with a reimagining of Tobe Hooper's 1985 space vampire flick, Lifeforce. Also in development at Chiller (and slated for a 2016 debut) is Siren, a full-length film adaptation of David Bruckner's highly regarded V/H/S segment, Amateur Night, which gave viewers a chilling new perspective on the line, "I like you."
Press Release (via The Futon Critic) -- "New York - May 5, 2015 - On the heels of its most-watched original movie to date (Animal) and the SXSW 2015 premiere of its original movie The Boy, Chiller announces new original content for 2015 and 2016, including its first-ever original series, Slasher, and two new original movies, Lifeforce and Siren.
"Chiller...
Press Release (via The Futon Critic) -- "New York - May 5, 2015 - On the heels of its most-watched original movie to date (Animal) and the SXSW 2015 premiere of its original movie The Boy, Chiller announces new original content for 2015 and 2016, including its first-ever original series, Slasher, and two new original movies, Lifeforce and Siren.
"Chiller...
- 5/5/2015
- by Derek Anderson
- DailyDead
Chiller has announced its new original content for 2015 and 2016, including the channel's first-ever original series, Slasher, and two new original movies, once of which is a re-imaging of Tobe Hooper's oddball scifi/horror/apocalyptic 1985 film Lifeforce.
Lifeforce is, of course, based on the Colin Wilson books "The Space Vampires." It follows a group of astronauts who encounter a derelict alien spacecraft hiding an ancient secret. At the vessel, the explorers discover three perfect humanoids who are returned to Earth... and unleash a terrible plague upon the planet.
The original film stared Steve Railsback, Patrick Stewart and Mathilda May.
Steve B. Harris (Friday the 13th, Amityville: The Awakening) will produce for Diversion3 (www.diversion3.com) along w [Continued ...]...
Lifeforce is, of course, based on the Colin Wilson books "The Space Vampires." It follows a group of astronauts who encounter a derelict alien spacecraft hiding an ancient secret. At the vessel, the explorers discover three perfect humanoids who are returned to Earth... and unleash a terrible plague upon the planet.
The original film stared Steve Railsback, Patrick Stewart and Mathilda May.
Steve B. Harris (Friday the 13th, Amityville: The Awakening) will produce for Diversion3 (www.diversion3.com) along w [Continued ...]...
- 5/5/2015
- QuietEarth.us
Ryan Lambie Jun 21, 2019
Lifeforce was a sci-fi horror movie from the guys behind Alien and Poltergeist featuring space vampires. See where studying comets gets you?
This article comes from Den of Geek UK.
In olden times, comets were seen as portents of death and disaster, so goodness knows what they’d have thought of something like the Rosetta mission of a few years back: the ambitious attempt to put a landing craft on the jagged bulk of a comet called Churyumov-Gerasimenko. Our ancestors probably would have thought we were completely mad. Or in league with the devil for creating such advanced machinery in the first place.
Then again, who knows what they would have thought of Lifeforce, the 1985 film about an exploratory mission to Halley’s Comet, which inadvertently causes a trio of space vampires to attack London - and all from the director Tobe Hooper, who brought us The Texas Chain Saw Massacre.
Lifeforce was a sci-fi horror movie from the guys behind Alien and Poltergeist featuring space vampires. See where studying comets gets you?
This article comes from Den of Geek UK.
In olden times, comets were seen as portents of death and disaster, so goodness knows what they’d have thought of something like the Rosetta mission of a few years back: the ambitious attempt to put a landing craft on the jagged bulk of a comet called Churyumov-Gerasimenko. Our ancestors probably would have thought we were completely mad. Or in league with the devil for creating such advanced machinery in the first place.
Then again, who knows what they would have thought of Lifeforce, the 1985 film about an exploratory mission to Halley’s Comet, which inadvertently causes a trio of space vampires to attack London - and all from the director Tobe Hooper, who brought us The Texas Chain Saw Massacre.
- 11/13/2014
- Den of Geek
To celebrate the success of the Rosetta mission, we take a timely look at Lifeforce, an exceedingly strange comet-based sci-fi from 1985...
In olden times, comets were seen as portents of death and disaster, so goodness knws what they’d have thought of the Rosetta mission: the ambitious attempt to put a landing craft on the jagged bulk of a comet called Churyumov-Gerasimenko - a delicate procedure that’s still ongoing at the time of writing. Our ancestors probably would have thought we were completely mad. Or in league with the devil for creating such advanced machinery in the first place.
Then again, who knows what they would have thought of Lifeforce, the 1985 film about an exploratory mission to Halley’s Comet, which inadvertently causes a trio of space vampires to attack London - and all from the director Tobe Hooper, who brought us The Texas Chain Saw Massacre. Lifeforce is,...
In olden times, comets were seen as portents of death and disaster, so goodness knws what they’d have thought of the Rosetta mission: the ambitious attempt to put a landing craft on the jagged bulk of a comet called Churyumov-Gerasimenko - a delicate procedure that’s still ongoing at the time of writing. Our ancestors probably would have thought we were completely mad. Or in league with the devil for creating such advanced machinery in the first place.
Then again, who knows what they would have thought of Lifeforce, the 1985 film about an exploratory mission to Halley’s Comet, which inadvertently causes a trio of space vampires to attack London - and all from the director Tobe Hooper, who brought us The Texas Chain Saw Massacre. Lifeforce is,...
- 11/12/2014
- by ryanlambie
- Den of Geek
“Don’t worry. A naked girl is not going to get out of this complex!”
Lifeforce screens midnights this Friday and Saturday (September 5th and 6th) at The Hi-Pointe Theater (1005 McCausland Ave., St. Louis, Mo 63117)
The guys at Destroy the Brain are following up last month’s Texas Chainsaw Massacre with another film from director Tobe Hooper. His 1985 opus Lifeforce was exciting, trashy sci-fi from the nuts at Cannon Films, with a better than average cast, some decent special effects, an interesting premise, and yes, the hottest space vampire ever seen on screen! The plot of this gonzo sci-fi horror/hybrid is incomprehensible yet strangely compelling: A space crew brings back three bodies from an alien ship. All naked. Two guys and one girl. The guys don’t count for much. They’re not that important. What is important is the naked alien woman, (Mathilda May). She is to be lusted after,...
Lifeforce screens midnights this Friday and Saturday (September 5th and 6th) at The Hi-Pointe Theater (1005 McCausland Ave., St. Louis, Mo 63117)
The guys at Destroy the Brain are following up last month’s Texas Chainsaw Massacre with another film from director Tobe Hooper. His 1985 opus Lifeforce was exciting, trashy sci-fi from the nuts at Cannon Films, with a better than average cast, some decent special effects, an interesting premise, and yes, the hottest space vampire ever seen on screen! The plot of this gonzo sci-fi horror/hybrid is incomprehensible yet strangely compelling: A space crew brings back three bodies from an alien ship. All naked. Two guys and one girl. The guys don’t count for much. They’re not that important. What is important is the naked alien woman, (Mathilda May). She is to be lusted after,...
- 9/2/2014
- by Tom Stockman
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Many folks are unaware of the fact that Tobe Hooper’s 1985 classic Lifeforce, starring Steve Railsback, Patrick Stewart, and Mathilda May, was actually an adaptation of Colin Wilson’s 1976 novel The Space Vampires. Fans of horror on TV are about to be reminded.
Deadline is reporting that Beverly Hills-based Ringleader Studios (The Amityville Horror: The Lost Tapes) has acquired rights to adapt Wilson’s novel for television. Ringleader is plotting a small-screen episodic series, also titled Lifeforce, as well as a graphic novel, video game, and additional media tie-ins.
The plot follows a group of astronauts who discover a derelict spaceship and return to Earth with three humanoid aliens that unleash a life-sucking plague upon humanity. Ex-Electronic Gaming Monthly editor and Ringleader Studios founder Steve Harris will exec produce. Al Zuckerman of Writers House negotiated the deal on behalf of Colin and Joy Wilson.
Visit The Evilshop @ Amazon!
Got news?...
Deadline is reporting that Beverly Hills-based Ringleader Studios (The Amityville Horror: The Lost Tapes) has acquired rights to adapt Wilson’s novel for television. Ringleader is plotting a small-screen episodic series, also titled Lifeforce, as well as a graphic novel, video game, and additional media tie-ins.
The plot follows a group of astronauts who discover a derelict spaceship and return to Earth with three humanoid aliens that unleash a life-sucking plague upon humanity. Ex-Electronic Gaming Monthly editor and Ringleader Studios founder Steve Harris will exec produce. Al Zuckerman of Writers House negotiated the deal on behalf of Colin and Joy Wilson.
Visit The Evilshop @ Amazon!
Got news?...
- 11/21/2013
- by Uncle Creepy
- DreadCentral.com
Ringleader Studios has acquired the rights to produce a television series adaptation of Colin Wilson's 1976 novel "The Space Vampires".
The story follows a group of astronauts who discover a derelict spaceship and return to Earth with three humanoid aliens that unleash a life-sucking plague upon humanity.
Ringleader is planning a small-screen episodic series along with a graphic novel, video game, and other media tie-ins.
The property was previously adapted by Tobe Hooper into the 1985 cult film "Lifeforce" starring Steve Railsback, Patrick Stewart, and Mathilda May.
Source: Deadline...
The story follows a group of astronauts who discover a derelict spaceship and return to Earth with three humanoid aliens that unleash a life-sucking plague upon humanity.
Ringleader is planning a small-screen episodic series along with a graphic novel, video game, and other media tie-ins.
The property was previously adapted by Tobe Hooper into the 1985 cult film "Lifeforce" starring Steve Railsback, Patrick Stewart, and Mathilda May.
Source: Deadline...
- 11/21/2013
- by Garth Franklin
- Dark Horizons
Exclusive: Beverly Hills-based Ringleader Studios (The Amityville Horror: The Lost Tapes) has acquired rights to adapt Colin Wilson’s 1976 novel The Space Vampires for television. The intergalactic sci-fi tale previously got the feature film treatment in Tobe Hooper’s 1985 pic Lifeforce, starring Steve Railsback, Patrick Stewart, and Mathilda May. Ringleader is plotting a small-screen episodic series, also titled Lifeforce, as well as a graphic novel, video game, and additional media tie-ins. Plot follows a group of astronauts who discover a derelict spaceship and return to Earth with three humanoid aliens that unleash a life-sucking plague upon humanity. Ex-Electronic Gaming Monthly editor and Ringleader Studios founder Steve Harris will exec produce. Al Zuckerman of Writers House negotiated the deal on behalf of Colin and Joy Wilson.
- 11/21/2013
- by JEN YAMATO
- Deadline TV
Ringleader Studios has plans to bring Lifeforce to the small screen. Deadline reports that they have secured the rights to re-adapt the 1976 Colin Wilson novel, "The Space Vampires," and will be using the title of Tobe Hooper's 1985 cult classic for an ongoing series and other related media tie-ins including a video game and a graphic novel. Set in the late 21st century, "The Space Vampires" follows an Earth spacecraft, the Hermes, that uncovers a massive derelict craft filled with bat creatures and three humanoids in suspended animation. When the Hermes' crew brings the bodies back to Earth, they accidentally awaken an evil force intent on stealing the life-force energy of the entire planet. The original film starred Steve Railsback and Mathilda May and,...
- 11/20/2013
- Comingsoon.net
Stars: Steve Railsback, Mathilda May, Peter Firth, Frank Finlay, Patrick Stewart, Michael Gothard | Written by Dan O’Bannon | Directed by Tobe Hooper
Based on a book by Colin Wilson known as Space Vampires and adapted by Dan O’Bannon for the silver screen Lifeforce is one of the most unique versions of the vampire legend ever put to screen. Featuring enough nudity to keep any eighties teenage boy happy Tobe Hooper created an epic sci-fi horror that not only pays homage to Hammer but also creates a truly unique experience. Much loved by the fans who have discovered it and looked back on with fondness by the people who starred in it and worked on it behind the scenes, Lifeforce is one of the treasures of the horror world that should be truly loved.
Arrow Video have paid respect to Lifeforce in the best way, giving it a re-mastering that...
Based on a book by Colin Wilson known as Space Vampires and adapted by Dan O’Bannon for the silver screen Lifeforce is one of the most unique versions of the vampire legend ever put to screen. Featuring enough nudity to keep any eighties teenage boy happy Tobe Hooper created an epic sci-fi horror that not only pays homage to Hammer but also creates a truly unique experience. Much loved by the fans who have discovered it and looked back on with fondness by the people who starred in it and worked on it behind the scenes, Lifeforce is one of the treasures of the horror world that should be truly loved.
Arrow Video have paid respect to Lifeforce in the best way, giving it a re-mastering that...
- 11/17/2013
- by Paul Metcalf
- Nerdly
★★☆☆☆ Lifeforce (1985), director Tobe Hooper's foray into space-based terror, is very much a product of its time. Starring Steve Railsback, Peter Firth, Mathilda May and Frank Finlay (as well as a brief surprise appearance by future Captain Jean-Luc Picard, Patrick Stewart), Lifeforce is one of those films with an unmistakable 1980s air which stands up surprisingly well after nearly thirty years - well, almost. Whilst exploring the farthest reaches of space, the crew of the space shuttle Churchill discover a massive 150 mile-long alien spaceship hidden within the corona of Halley's Comet and decide to board.
Though the ship initially seems devoid of life the Churchill's crew soon find out what inhabited it, with potentially devastating results for not only them but the entire human race. Lifeforce falls into a group of films that everyone remembers, but which no-one can be sure they actually saw. Made in the wake of...
Though the ship initially seems devoid of life the Churchill's crew soon find out what inhabited it, with potentially devastating results for not only them but the entire human race. Lifeforce falls into a group of films that everyone remembers, but which no-one can be sure they actually saw. Made in the wake of...
- 10/15/2013
- by CineVue UK
- CineVue
Release of the week
The Kings of Summer
Film
Think ‘Stand by Me meets Lord of the Flies’ (with a sprinkle of Beasts of the Southern Wild, throw in for good measure). Then bake with a mixture of part early David Gordon Green, part Michel Gondry and you’re ready to feast upon the disarmingly surreal world of The Kings of Summer.
Joe (Nick Robinson) is forever battling his stern, widowed father Frank (Nick Offerman, giving a wondrously droll performance) that he decides to make a break from his family and brave the suburban wilderness with best friend, Patrick (Gabriel Basso) and bizarre tag-along Biaggio (Moisés Arias). The trio take building a den to the next, altogether fantastical level, and construct a two-storey house in which they plan to make their permanent domicile. So far, so idyllic and carefree, until Joe invites his dream girl to view the property, unbeknownst...
The Kings of Summer
Film
Think ‘Stand by Me meets Lord of the Flies’ (with a sprinkle of Beasts of the Southern Wild, throw in for good measure). Then bake with a mixture of part early David Gordon Green, part Michel Gondry and you’re ready to feast upon the disarmingly surreal world of The Kings of Summer.
Joe (Nick Robinson) is forever battling his stern, widowed father Frank (Nick Offerman, giving a wondrously droll performance) that he decides to make a break from his family and brave the suburban wilderness with best friend, Patrick (Gabriel Basso) and bizarre tag-along Biaggio (Moisés Arias). The trio take building a den to the next, altogether fantastical level, and construct a two-storey house in which they plan to make their permanent domicile. So far, so idyllic and carefree, until Joe invites his dream girl to view the property, unbeknownst...
- 10/3/2013
- by Adam Lowes
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
Mayhem Film Festival returns to Broadway on 31st October for four days of horror-tinged screenings, previews and guests. The festival opens this year with internationally-acclaimed British director Nicolas Roeg who will be presenting his most recent film Puffball as well as taking part in a very special screening of his masterpiece Don’t Look Now in the eerie settings of St Mary’s Church in the Lace Market.
Other special guests for the festival include American Director Brian Netto who will be presenting Delivery, The Borderlands Director Elliot Goldner and Producer Jennifer Handorf, and director Caradog James and Producer John Giwa-Amu for hi-tech British dark sci-fi The Machine. Mayhem are also hosting a special BAFTA screening of Jeremy Lovering’s In Fear which follows a young couple being tormented while driving in the countryside.
With a total of 17 screenings, Mayhem will present their first silent film screening, Tod Browning’s...
Other special guests for the festival include American Director Brian Netto who will be presenting Delivery, The Borderlands Director Elliot Goldner and Producer Jennifer Handorf, and director Caradog James and Producer John Giwa-Amu for hi-tech British dark sci-fi The Machine. Mayhem are also hosting a special BAFTA screening of Jeremy Lovering’s In Fear which follows a young couple being tormented while driving in the countryside.
With a total of 17 screenings, Mayhem will present their first silent film screening, Tod Browning’s...
- 9/11/2013
- by Phil Wheat
- Nerdly
Director Tobe Hooper made quite a name for himself in the 70′s and 80′s with horror films like The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, The Funhouse, Salem’s Lot and Poltergeist. I’m sure he surprised many fans following up a “family friendly” blockbuster like Poltergeist with a sci-fi film that was anything but. Based on the novel The Space Vampires by Colin Wilson, Lifeforce is a strange tale of intergalactic visitors who seduce and destroy everything in their path.
On a voyage to study Haley’s Comet, a space crew headed by Colonel Tom Carlsen (Steve Railsback) discover a space vessel inhabited by giant bat-like creatures and decide to take a specimen back to Earth. When a shuttle is sent from Earth to retrieve the team, they discover the crew is missing and the shuttle they were in is burned to a crisp. The rescue team stumbles upon the source...
On a voyage to study Haley’s Comet, a space crew headed by Colonel Tom Carlsen (Steve Railsback) discover a space vessel inhabited by giant bat-like creatures and decide to take a specimen back to Earth. When a shuttle is sent from Earth to retrieve the team, they discover the crew is missing and the shuttle they were in is burned to a crisp. The rescue team stumbles upon the source...
- 6/20/2013
- by Derek Botelho
- DailyDead
Scream Factory will release their Blu-ray Collector’s Editions of The Howling and Lifeforce next week, and have provided us with the original trailers for both films.
The Howling: “Severely shaken after a near-fatal encounter with a serial killer, TV newscaster Karen White (Dee Wallace, E.T.) takes some much-needed time off. Hoping to conquer her inner demons, she heads for “the Colony,” a secluded retreat where her new neighbors are just a tad too eager to make her feel at home. Also, there seems to be a bizarre link between her would-be attacker and this supposedly safe haven. And when, after nights of being tormented by savage shrieks and unearthly cries, Karen ventures into the forest to find answers, she makes a terrifying discovery. Now she must fight not only for her life… but for her very soul!”
Learn more about the Blu-ray release at: http://dailydead.com/full-list-of-bonus-features-for-blu-raydvd-collectors-edition-of-the-howling...
The Howling: “Severely shaken after a near-fatal encounter with a serial killer, TV newscaster Karen White (Dee Wallace, E.T.) takes some much-needed time off. Hoping to conquer her inner demons, she heads for “the Colony,” a secluded retreat where her new neighbors are just a tad too eager to make her feel at home. Also, there seems to be a bizarre link between her would-be attacker and this supposedly safe haven. And when, after nights of being tormented by savage shrieks and unearthly cries, Karen ventures into the forest to find answers, she makes a terrifying discovery. Now she must fight not only for her life… but for her very soul!”
Learn more about the Blu-ray release at: http://dailydead.com/full-list-of-bonus-features-for-blu-raydvd-collectors-edition-of-the-howling...
- 6/15/2013
- by Jonathan James
- DailyDead
Scream Factory brings us 1985's space vampire flick Lifeforce to Blu-ray for the first time ever. Although Tobe Hooper's blend of sci-fi and horror didn't fare well at the box office when first released, it's gained a cult following over the years thanks to video and DVD. Lifeforce Collector's Edition includes both the theatrical cut and a longer director approved version.
An alien spacecraft is discovered in the midst of Halley's Comet by astronauts sent to investigate. Upon entering the ship, they find three humanoids which are in a type of sleep state. They bring the bodies aboard their vessel and discover too quickly that was a mistake. The aliens take over the Earthbound craft by killing everyone on board. Led by their seductively beautiful leader, they arrive on Earth and begin draining the life out of everyone they encounter.
I would say that Lifeforce is probably Tobe Hooper...
An alien spacecraft is discovered in the midst of Halley's Comet by astronauts sent to investigate. Upon entering the ship, they find three humanoids which are in a type of sleep state. They bring the bodies aboard their vessel and discover too quickly that was a mistake. The aliens take over the Earthbound craft by killing everyone on board. Led by their seductively beautiful leader, they arrive on Earth and begin draining the life out of everyone they encounter.
I would say that Lifeforce is probably Tobe Hooper...
- 6/10/2013
- by feeds@cinelinx.com (Eric Shirey)
- Cinelinx
Every horror-loving teenage boy in the ’80s remembers the first time they saw Mathilda May. It was director Tobe Hooper‘s name and some fantastic-looking gore and effects photos in Fangoria magazine that made Lifeforce a must-see, but by the time the end credits rolled all of that had been forgotten. The film was (and still is) goofy fun, but even today the most memorable aspect of the entire movie is Miss May, in the buff, for roughly 90% of her screen time. If that’s not enough of a reason to give the film a watch the actual plot involves space vampires (Buck Rogers shout out!), zombie-like victims, massive destruction and mayhem in the streets of London, and Patrick Stewart saying the word “naughty” as only he can. Keep reading to see what I learned from the commentary track for Tobe Hooper’s Lifeforce. Lifeforce (1985) Commentators: Tobe Hooper (director), Tim Sullivan (moderator) 1. Hooper’s longer cut of...
- 6/6/2013
- by Rob Hunter
- FilmSchoolRejects.com
There's so much to like about the 1985 science fiction / horror / action-packed apocalypse flick Lifeforce that one finds it very easy to overlook the film's numerous problems. I mean, why worry about boring stuff like editorial cohesion and tonal consistency when you have a flick jam-packed with spaceships, vampires, lasers, mass murder, and one of the most gorgeous naked ladies to ever grace the silver screen? No movie geek worth their stripes could dismiss Tobe Hooper's Lifeforce without admitting that there's some pretty amazing stuff on display in this adorably weird movie. Or if not amazing then at least novel, diverting, and audacious. The movie does borrow from a ton of other sci-fi films, but it has also inspired a few moments in films like Species, The Hidden, and 28 Days Later, so it all seems fair in the end.
Look, the movie is based on a novel called The Space Vampires,...
- 6/4/2013
- by Scott Weinberg
- FEARnet
While we’e been covering many of the Scream Factory releases for our Us readers, Arrow Video has been releasing horror classics in the UK for a while now and they recently announced their next set of Blu-ray releases. Take a look at release details, cover art, and bonus features for The Fall of the House of Usher, Lifeforce, Deranged, and Squirm. We’ve also included details for Motel Hell, which we covered earlier this week.
Motel Hell: “It takes all kinds of critters to make Farmer Vincent fritters!” cackle the brother-and-sister team behind the finest smoked meats in the county. They also run the friendly Motel Hello (the ‘o’ in the neon sign sometimes goes on the blink), and no matter how many times you’ve seen Psycho or The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, you can be sure that everything will be perfectly above board here as Vincent...
Motel Hell: “It takes all kinds of critters to make Farmer Vincent fritters!” cackle the brother-and-sister team behind the finest smoked meats in the county. They also run the friendly Motel Hello (the ‘o’ in the neon sign sometimes goes on the blink), and no matter how many times you’ve seen Psycho or The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, you can be sure that everything will be perfectly above board here as Vincent...
- 5/4/2013
- by Jonathan James
- DailyDead
The release of the Blu-ray/DVD Collector’s Edition of Lifeforce was pushed back to June 18th due to Scream Factory taking extra time to prepare additional bonus features. We now have the full list of bonus content, and confirmation that both the Us theatrical and international versions will be included:
Lifeforce Collector’s Edition Blu-ray™ + DVD Combo Pack: From the director of Poltergeist and the co-writer of Alien comes a thrilling sci-fi adventure of explosive action and pulse-pounding suspense! With mind-blowing special effects by Academy Award® winner John Dykstra (1977 Best Visual Effects, Star Wars), Lifeforce is a gripping mélange of genres that’s “so bizarre, it’s fascinating” (Leonard Maltin)!
A mission to investigate Halley’s Comet discovers an even stranger phenomenon: an alien spacecraft! Following a deadly confrontation, the aliens arrive on Earth, where their seductive leader begins a terrifying campaign to drain the lifeforce of everyone she encounters.
Lifeforce Collector’s Edition Blu-ray™ + DVD Combo Pack: From the director of Poltergeist and the co-writer of Alien comes a thrilling sci-fi adventure of explosive action and pulse-pounding suspense! With mind-blowing special effects by Academy Award® winner John Dykstra (1977 Best Visual Effects, Star Wars), Lifeforce is a gripping mélange of genres that’s “so bizarre, it’s fascinating” (Leonard Maltin)!
A mission to investigate Halley’s Comet discovers an even stranger phenomenon: an alien spacecraft! Following a deadly confrontation, the aliens arrive on Earth, where their seductive leader begins a terrifying campaign to drain the lifeforce of everyone she encounters.
- 4/18/2013
- by Jonathan James
- DailyDead
Just when you thought Scream Factory couldn't get any cooler, they used the Horrorhound Weekend in Indianapolis to announce six of their biggest acquisitions yet! Only one of these releases has had a Blu-ray release so far, and the rest are more than deserving of the honor. The Fog is one of Carpenter's underrated best, The Burning features the slasher debut of George Costanza, The Howling is probably the second best modern werewolf film out there, Lifeforce is Tobe Hooper's ode to space vampires and Mathilda May's boobs, Night of the Comet is one of the '80s finest horror-comedies, and I guess there's always more to say about George Romero's Day of the Dead.Scream Factory adds these releases to the already stellar line-up they've been...
- 11/19/2012
- Screen Anarchy
Horror fans have come to expect a few things from awesome genre installments: blood, guts, a menacing antagonist, and of course, the all famous nude scene. Mix this combination and youre eyeing a fine recipe for success. Have your doubts? Then check out ten wildly memorable nude scenes, and note the fact that most of these flicks just so happen to be awesome! Coincidence? Hmm. . . Mathilda May (Lifeforce): Its impossible to forget this nu…...
- 7/13/2012
- Horrorbid
Jean Dujardin/The Players: World Trade Center Joke Cut. [Photo: Marion Cotillard.] Also, in his piece Berretta mentions Marion Cotillard, who angered some after telling Paris Première that she questioned the official story about the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. Some publicity-hungry Christian pastor may have demanded that the Academy take back Cotillard's Best Actress Academy Award for La Vie en Rose, but the actress not only has kept her Oscar statuette but continues to be cast in major Hollywood films, e.g., Rob Marshall's Nine, Steven Soderbergh's Contagion, Christopher Nolan's Inception and the upcoming The Dark Knight Rises. As per The Hollywood Reporter, which recently reviewed The Players, the latest Jean Dujardin comedy "is only as sustainable as its outlandish premise, and it eventually plays out like only an above-average addition to French cinema's long-standing fling with unfaithfulness." The Players' directors are Dujardin, Gilles Lellouche, Emmanuelle Bercot, Fred Cavayé, Alexandre Courtes,...
- 3/1/2012
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
Two Teasers Arrive for French Anthology Film Featuring ‘Players’ From ‘The Artist’ and ‘Point Blank’
Jean Dujardin and Michel Hazanavicius have accumulated heaps of awards buzz this year for The Artist, and whatever they do next is bound to receive a good modicum of attention. However, they’re both taking a mutual directing detour with The Players, an anthology film from their native land of France.
Two teasers have arrived for the project, which is said to focus on “the glories and pitiful disasters of male infidelity in all its desperate, absurd and wildly funny variety.” Fred Cavayé and Gilles Lellouche, respective director and star of this year’s Point Blank, are also lending segments, as are Emmanuelle Bercot, Alexandre Courtes, Jan Kounen, and Eric Lartigau. Among several others, Dujardin, Guillaume Canet, Mathilda May, and Sandrine Kiberlain will be in front of the camera. These teasers sadly derived of the necessary subtitles, but you can pretty much figure out — and then laugh — at what’s going on here.
Two teasers have arrived for the project, which is said to focus on “the glories and pitiful disasters of male infidelity in all its desperate, absurd and wildly funny variety.” Fred Cavayé and Gilles Lellouche, respective director and star of this year’s Point Blank, are also lending segments, as are Emmanuelle Bercot, Alexandre Courtes, Jan Kounen, and Eric Lartigau. Among several others, Dujardin, Guillaume Canet, Mathilda May, and Sandrine Kiberlain will be in front of the camera. These teasers sadly derived of the necessary subtitles, but you can pretty much figure out — and then laugh — at what’s going on here.
- 12/21/2011
- by jpraup@gmail.com (thefilmstage.com)
- The Film Stage
With Roland Emmerich reportedly adapting 80s videogame Asteroids for the big screen, we take a look at ten other films featuring big rocks from outer space…
Before science came along and told us otherwise, our ancestors thought that meteors, shooting stars or comets were either sent by God, or were portents of doom. And thanks to cinema, we now know that, in a roundabout way, the latter is true.
In almost every instance, the sighting of an asteroid, meteorite or comet in a movie means certain doom for its cast. Whether the astral object in question is a gigantic killer meteor bound for Earth, or a comet whose tail hides a race of dormant space vampires, their presence is always bad news.
With Roland Emmerich set to unleash all kinds of revenge against rocks from outer space in his forthcoming videogame adaptation, Asteroids, here's a list of ten memorable comets,...
Before science came along and told us otherwise, our ancestors thought that meteors, shooting stars or comets were either sent by God, or were portents of doom. And thanks to cinema, we now know that, in a roundabout way, the latter is true.
In almost every instance, the sighting of an asteroid, meteorite or comet in a movie means certain doom for its cast. Whether the astral object in question is a gigantic killer meteor bound for Earth, or a comet whose tail hides a race of dormant space vampires, their presence is always bad news.
With Roland Emmerich set to unleash all kinds of revenge against rocks from outer space in his forthcoming videogame adaptation, Asteroids, here's a list of ten memorable comets,...
- 6/14/2011
- Den of Geek
Why is it, exactly, that romantic films get such a bad rap? Not romantic comedies, necessarily, which have demonstrated themselves to be surprisingly dextrous in their appeal, but straight-up, swing-for-the-fences, irony-free romance, in which seemingly perfect relationships are doomed for no reason other than the fact that it is frustratingly tragic. Some of it probably does have to do with the fact that most critics are men, and thus less likely to be sympathetic to things marketed away from them, but that doesn’t explain away the defensiveness of women who make absolutely sure that nobody thinks that they have any Harlequin novels stashed under the bed. Enter Only Love, a two-part, nearly three-hour miniseries in which talented actors work their way through a situation that sounds like the set-up to an elaborate joke. The film has an almost disarming confidence in its mission, which may provide some insight into...
- 2/11/2011
- by Anders Nelson
- JustPressPlay.net
Roswell, N.M. - The aliens have returned! Maybe not returned so much as finally arrived on home video with the release of Dark Skies: The Declassified Complete Series on DVD. Startling enough, the show only lasted a season on NBC in 1996. It gained a large cult with an alternative history of America in the ’60s. “History as we know it is a lie” was the startling series slogan. John Loengard (Eric Close) went from plucky congressional aide to a member of the ultra creepy Majestic 12 run by Frank Bach (J.T. Walsh) to battle the alien menace. An equally bizarre transformation happens to his girlfriend, Kimberly Sayers (Megan Ward). She gets alien abducted and returned. The perky perfect sixties gal goes to dark side. Can he bring her back?
Megan Ward called up the Party Favors hotline for a brief chat about the series, being covered in cow guts,...
Megan Ward called up the Party Favors hotline for a brief chat about the series, being covered in cow guts,...
- 2/4/2011
- by UncaScroogeMcD
Be Warned That There Is Both Male And Female Nudity Depicted In This List
Here we're neither talking about the extended nudity in Russ Meyer's 'nudie cuties', nor the disrobing we're so used to seeing in bedroom or bathroom scenes in movies. These guys and gals may dance, or they may not - but they are definitely naked; and in situations you wouldn't expect...
10: Women In Love (1969)
Ken Russell's autobiography 'A British Picture' tells at some length (if that's the appropriate word) of the difficulty the director had in setting up the nude fight scene between Oliver Reed and Alan Bates in this acclaimed adaptation of the D. H. Lawrence novel. The most amusing anecdotes on the matter are Oliver Reed's unannounced visit to Russell's home to complain about the 'poofiness' of the unclad battle, and his further objection that the venue for said...
Here we're neither talking about the extended nudity in Russ Meyer's 'nudie cuties', nor the disrobing we're so used to seeing in bedroom or bathroom scenes in movies. These guys and gals may dance, or they may not - but they are definitely naked; and in situations you wouldn't expect...
10: Women In Love (1969)
Ken Russell's autobiography 'A British Picture' tells at some length (if that's the appropriate word) of the difficulty the director had in setting up the nude fight scene between Oliver Reed and Alan Bates in this acclaimed adaptation of the D. H. Lawrence novel. The most amusing anecdotes on the matter are Oliver Reed's unannounced visit to Russell's home to complain about the 'poofiness' of the unclad battle, and his further objection that the venue for said...
- 1/13/2011
- Shadowlocked
When the original “Tron” was released in 1982, its cutting-edge CGI animation and odd story about bits and users and data storage was a little ahead of its time for a populace whose majority had never touched a computer. It languished as a cult film for many years until Disney greenlit the splashy revival “Tron: Legacy,” which brings star Jeff Bridges back onto the gamegrid in spectacular fashion.
But if Disney is willing to fork over hundreds of millions for a direct sequel to an old underperformer like “Tron,” what’s to stop other studios from reviving cult sci-fi properties from two decades ago?
Nothing, really (unless common sense counts as something), so we compiled a list of our favorite underappreciated ’80s sci-fi titles along with our own fanciful ideas of how to expand them into a franchise.
9. ‘*batteries not included’ (1987)
Cute family of small sentient spaceships from another planet helping...
But if Disney is willing to fork over hundreds of millions for a direct sequel to an old underperformer like “Tron,” what’s to stop other studios from reviving cult sci-fi properties from two decades ago?
Nothing, really (unless common sense counts as something), so we compiled a list of our favorite underappreciated ’80s sci-fi titles along with our own fanciful ideas of how to expand them into a franchise.
9. ‘*batteries not included’ (1987)
Cute family of small sentient spaceships from another planet helping...
- 12/11/2010
- by Max Evry
- NextMovie
I bought and read the first book and saw the movie adaptation -- which I thought was pretty good -- and then I jumped off that sparkly train. Some day I may catch up with New Moon and/or The Twilight Saga: Eclipse, but my taste runs towards another kind of bloodsucker. Her name is Space Girl.
As played by the magnificent Mathilda May in Lifeforce (Aka Space Vampire), Tobe Hooper's immortal 1985 flick, Space Girl is an alien creature first discovered by astronauts in human form, inside a spacecraft that's inside Halley's Comet. She's apparently dead, but comes back to life in London. Like other, more commonplace vampires, such as those found in Twilight, she requires nourishment; instead of blood, she drains the lifeforce, represented by cool-looking special effects vomit, from nearby humans. The humans are reduced to dessicated husks of skin and bones, which looks like a fate...
As played by the magnificent Mathilda May in Lifeforce (Aka Space Vampire), Tobe Hooper's immortal 1985 flick, Space Girl is an alien creature first discovered by astronauts in human form, inside a spacecraft that's inside Halley's Comet. She's apparently dead, but comes back to life in London. Like other, more commonplace vampires, such as those found in Twilight, she requires nourishment; instead of blood, she drains the lifeforce, represented by cool-looking special effects vomit, from nearby humans. The humans are reduced to dessicated husks of skin and bones, which looks like a fate...
- 7/2/2010
- by Peter Martin
- Cinematical
Paris -- Philippe Lioret's immigrant drama "Welcome" was named best French film of the year Friday night at the Lumiere Awards.
Director Regis Wargnier presided over the ceremony, held in Paris' City Hall, the Hotel de Ville.
"Welcome" stars Vincent Lindon and Firat Ayverdi in a story about a Kurdish boy from Iraq and the middle-age swimming teacher who tries to help him despite harsh French immigration laws.
Jacques Audiard was named best director for "A Prophet," and the film's leading man, Tahar Rahim, was named best actor for his role in the prison drama.
Both winners are on the Golden Globe Awards circuit stateside, and weren't in town to accept their prizes.
Veteran actress Isabelle Adjani took home the best actress prize for her performance in "Skirt Day," and newcomer Pauline Etienne was named most aspiring actress for her role in Lea Fehner's "Qu'Un Seul Tienne et les Autres Suivront.
Director Regis Wargnier presided over the ceremony, held in Paris' City Hall, the Hotel de Ville.
"Welcome" stars Vincent Lindon and Firat Ayverdi in a story about a Kurdish boy from Iraq and the middle-age swimming teacher who tries to help him despite harsh French immigration laws.
Jacques Audiard was named best director for "A Prophet," and the film's leading man, Tahar Rahim, was named best actor for his role in the prison drama.
Both winners are on the Golden Globe Awards circuit stateside, and weren't in town to accept their prizes.
Veteran actress Isabelle Adjani took home the best actress prize for her performance in "Skirt Day," and newcomer Pauline Etienne was named most aspiring actress for her role in Lea Fehner's "Qu'Un Seul Tienne et les Autres Suivront.
- 1/15/2010
- by By Rebecca Leffler
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Breeders is an interesting twist on the old school invasion theme. Plenty of New York’s virgin women are being accosted by mysterious strangers. Even worse, these bold confrontations quickly escalate into full blown rape. None of the sexual assault victims are killed, but there’s a downright terrifying man in a lubricated rubber suit running around randomly killing plenty of other New Yorkers (including a homeless woman… come on you heartless bastards). These women aren’t killed because, obviously - they’re carriers, just bodies with the sole purpose of reproduction. One of NYPD’s… finest, Detective Andriotti (Lance Lewman) enlists the assistance of Dr. Gamble Pace (Teresa Farley), who’s been monitoring the incoming rape victims, to aide him in solving this strange puzzle.
There are plenty of minor plot details that ultimately sew the loose fabrics together, but most of those details are so goofy they’re worth not reading about.
There are plenty of minor plot details that ultimately sew the loose fabrics together, but most of those details are so goofy they’re worth not reading about.
- 9/15/2009
- by no-reply@fangoria.com (Matt Molgaard)
- Fangoria
Ok, I know you vampire fans can be a fanatic lot, so this list is sure to upset some of you, but this is My list. I can’t be wrong – you know why? Because it’s my list! Seriously, please comment and debate, and maybe we’ll all end up seeing some movies we haven’t seen before.
Wyatt Weed’s Top Ten Vampire Films 1. Interview with the Vampire (1994)
In my opinion the most well produced, adapted, and directed of all vampire films. Great source material, serious treatment of the subject, fine direction and acting. And it didn’t cost $100 million to make.
2. Blade (1998)
If “Interview” is the yin, “Blade” is the yang – action packed, stylish, great characters, and a believable, emotional new take on the old vampire clichés.
3. Dracula [aka: 'Horror of Dracula'] (1958)
This is the first and still one of the best of legendary Hammer Studios’ vampire films of the 50’s and 60’s.
Wyatt Weed’s Top Ten Vampire Films 1. Interview with the Vampire (1994)
In my opinion the most well produced, adapted, and directed of all vampire films. Great source material, serious treatment of the subject, fine direction and acting. And it didn’t cost $100 million to make.
2. Blade (1998)
If “Interview” is the yin, “Blade” is the yang – action packed, stylish, great characters, and a believable, emotional new take on the old vampire clichés.
3. Dracula [aka: 'Horror of Dracula'] (1958)
This is the first and still one of the best of legendary Hammer Studios’ vampire films of the 50’s and 60’s.
- 7/22/2009
- by Wyatt Weed
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Body Count: Volume 12 Some of my earliest horror movie memories are in the early 80's. I was a cartoon junkie like most kids my age and you know how it goes on any saturday morning. Or maybe you know how it used to go. Get up wicked early, pour a massive bowl of cereal and hunker down for a good five solid hours of cartoon programming. From 7am to noon you could find all manner of colorful adventure but like most communities, noon time rolled around and it was time for kids to go outside and play so the grown ups could catch the weekend edition of the news or candlepin bowling. At least that's how it was around these parts, except for one thing. Back in the early 80's, we still had a holdout saturday afternoon monster movie show. Ours was Wlvi's Creature Double Feature, a show so patently...
- 6/25/2009
- by Ricky
- SoundOnSight
PARIS -- Claude Chabrol has been making movies for half a century, turning out films with clockwork regularity at the rate of one a year. His favored themes are self-destructive behavior and polished perversity, and customers seeking more of the same will not be disappointed with his latest offering, "La Fille Coupee en Deux", whose literal translation would be "The Girl Cut in Two".
The director's name recognition should ensure decent boxoffice, and the film is boosted by a talented cast and excellent cinematography by Edouardo Serra. But its impact is weakened by a limp ending and a sense that it all adds up to rather less than the sum of its parts.
Chabrol's starting point is the 1906 murder of Stanford White, the architect of Madison Square Garden, whose killing by the husband of his actress mistress gave rise to what was described in its time as the "trial of the century." Transposing the story to contemporary France allows him to do what Chabrol enjoys most -- skewering the mores of the rich and powerful, particularly the moneyed bourgeoisie.
When celebrity novelist Charles Saint-Denis (Francois Berleand) meets at a book-signing ceremony weather forecaster Gabrielle Deneige (Ludivigne Sagnier) -- her name, signifying snow, is intended to herald purity as well as her job -- his urbanity and wit are enough to attract her sexually despite his being twice her age.
His rival Paul Gaudens (Benoit Magimel) is the spoilt, rich and slightly disturbed heir to an industrial fortune. Paul is used to getting what he wants and does not take kindly to losing out to a much older man. Eventually, Charles tires of his conquest and gives her the brush-off, enabling Paul To win her on the rebound.
A society wedding is announced, causing Charles to renew his interest. He shows up as Gabrielle is trying on her wedding dress. She tells him she will give it all up and return to him if he will leave his wife Dona (Valeria Cavalli), but for Charles that would be a real betrayal, or a self-indulgence.
The marriage goes ahead. Paul, realizing where Gabrielle's affections really lie, is consumed with jealously. He shows up at a charity event organized by his do-gooding mother Genevieve (Caroline Silhol), where Charles is to speak, and guns him down as he addresses the gathering.
A postscript deals with Genevieve's maneuverings to persuade Gabrielle to testify in her son's favor. He finally receives a lenient sentence for psychiatric reasons. The movie concludes with a visual metaphor, the cutting in two of the title, after Gabrielle signs on as a magician's assistant.
The borrowed story is a pretext for Chabrol to revel in the incidential details of French social life and its sexual undertones: the publishing world in which Charles moves (Mathilda May is particularly eye-catching as his publicist Capucine); the shallow, predatory world of television in which the pert, pretty Gabrielle is irresistible bait to middle-aged middle management; and the world of refined manners and inherited wealth that turns out monsters like Paul and his siblings.
Ultimately what Chabrol is concerned with is class conflict, summed up by the matriarch Genevieve's dismissal of Gabrielle's mother Marie (Marie Bunel), who runs the bookshop where Gabrielle first met Charles, as "the little book-seller."
Berleand excels as the libertine Charles and presumably Chabrol's spokesman when he confides to a friend, during a visit to a high-class brothel, that he cannot decide whether society "is heading towards puritanism or towards decadence." Berleand appears set to succeed the late Philippe Noiret as the embodiment of weary, surly but nevertheless engaging Gallic cynicism.
As Paul, all strut, sharp suits and cigars, Magimel does nothing to harm his reputation as a promising young talent. However Sagnier is miscast: Innocence is not part of her natural register. She is unconvincing in her portrayal of a young woman falling durably in love with an older man and capable of entering a living-room on her hands and knees with a peacock's fan emerging from her backside as -- as Chabrol would have it -- an expression of purity.
LA FILLE COUPEE EN DEUX
Aliceleo Cinema, France 2 Cinema
Credits:
Director: Claude Chabrol
Writers: Cecile Maistre, Claude Chabrol
Producer: Patrick Godeau
Director of photography: Eduardo Serra
Production design: Francoise Benoit-Fresco
Music: Matthieu Chabrol
Costumes: Mic Cheminal
Editor: Monique Fardoulis
Cast:
Gabrielle Deneige: Ludivigne Sagnier
Paul Gaudens: Benoit Magimel
Charles Saint-Denis: Francois Berleand
Capucine Jamet: Mathilda May
Genevieve Gaudens: Caroline Silhol
Marie Deneige: Marie Bunel
Dona Saint-Denis: Valeria Cavalli
Running time -- 115 minutes
No MPAA rating...
The director's name recognition should ensure decent boxoffice, and the film is boosted by a talented cast and excellent cinematography by Edouardo Serra. But its impact is weakened by a limp ending and a sense that it all adds up to rather less than the sum of its parts.
Chabrol's starting point is the 1906 murder of Stanford White, the architect of Madison Square Garden, whose killing by the husband of his actress mistress gave rise to what was described in its time as the "trial of the century." Transposing the story to contemporary France allows him to do what Chabrol enjoys most -- skewering the mores of the rich and powerful, particularly the moneyed bourgeoisie.
When celebrity novelist Charles Saint-Denis (Francois Berleand) meets at a book-signing ceremony weather forecaster Gabrielle Deneige (Ludivigne Sagnier) -- her name, signifying snow, is intended to herald purity as well as her job -- his urbanity and wit are enough to attract her sexually despite his being twice her age.
His rival Paul Gaudens (Benoit Magimel) is the spoilt, rich and slightly disturbed heir to an industrial fortune. Paul is used to getting what he wants and does not take kindly to losing out to a much older man. Eventually, Charles tires of his conquest and gives her the brush-off, enabling Paul To win her on the rebound.
A society wedding is announced, causing Charles to renew his interest. He shows up as Gabrielle is trying on her wedding dress. She tells him she will give it all up and return to him if he will leave his wife Dona (Valeria Cavalli), but for Charles that would be a real betrayal, or a self-indulgence.
The marriage goes ahead. Paul, realizing where Gabrielle's affections really lie, is consumed with jealously. He shows up at a charity event organized by his do-gooding mother Genevieve (Caroline Silhol), where Charles is to speak, and guns him down as he addresses the gathering.
A postscript deals with Genevieve's maneuverings to persuade Gabrielle to testify in her son's favor. He finally receives a lenient sentence for psychiatric reasons. The movie concludes with a visual metaphor, the cutting in two of the title, after Gabrielle signs on as a magician's assistant.
The borrowed story is a pretext for Chabrol to revel in the incidential details of French social life and its sexual undertones: the publishing world in which Charles moves (Mathilda May is particularly eye-catching as his publicist Capucine); the shallow, predatory world of television in which the pert, pretty Gabrielle is irresistible bait to middle-aged middle management; and the world of refined manners and inherited wealth that turns out monsters like Paul and his siblings.
Ultimately what Chabrol is concerned with is class conflict, summed up by the matriarch Genevieve's dismissal of Gabrielle's mother Marie (Marie Bunel), who runs the bookshop where Gabrielle first met Charles, as "the little book-seller."
Berleand excels as the libertine Charles and presumably Chabrol's spokesman when he confides to a friend, during a visit to a high-class brothel, that he cannot decide whether society "is heading towards puritanism or towards decadence." Berleand appears set to succeed the late Philippe Noiret as the embodiment of weary, surly but nevertheless engaging Gallic cynicism.
As Paul, all strut, sharp suits and cigars, Magimel does nothing to harm his reputation as a promising young talent. However Sagnier is miscast: Innocence is not part of her natural register. She is unconvincing in her portrayal of a young woman falling durably in love with an older man and capable of entering a living-room on her hands and knees with a peacock's fan emerging from her backside as -- as Chabrol would have it -- an expression of purity.
LA FILLE COUPEE EN DEUX
Aliceleo Cinema, France 2 Cinema
Credits:
Director: Claude Chabrol
Writers: Cecile Maistre, Claude Chabrol
Producer: Patrick Godeau
Director of photography: Eduardo Serra
Production design: Francoise Benoit-Fresco
Music: Matthieu Chabrol
Costumes: Mic Cheminal
Editor: Monique Fardoulis
Cast:
Gabrielle Deneige: Ludivigne Sagnier
Paul Gaudens: Benoit Magimel
Charles Saint-Denis: Francois Berleand
Capucine Jamet: Mathilda May
Genevieve Gaudens: Caroline Silhol
Marie Deneige: Marie Bunel
Dona Saint-Denis: Valeria Cavalli
Running time -- 115 minutes
No MPAA rating...
- 8/10/2007
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
PARIS -- Claude Chabrol has been making movies for half a century, turning out films with clockwork regularity at the rate of one a year. His favored themes are self-destructive behavior and polished perversity, and customers seeking more of the same will not be disappointed with his latest offering, La Fille Coupee en Deux, whose literal translation would be The Girl Cut in Two.
The director's name recognition should ensure decent boxoffice, and the film is boosted by a talented cast and excellent cinematography by Edouardo Serra. But its impact is weakened by a limp ending and a sense that it all adds up to rather less than the sum of its parts.
Chabrol's starting point is the 1906 murder of Stanford White, the architect of Madison Square Garden, whose killing by the husband of his actress mistress gave rise to what was described in its time as the "trial of the century." Transposing the story to contemporary France allows him to do what Chabrol enjoys most -- skewering the mores of the rich and powerful, particularly the moneyed bourgeoisie.
When celebrity novelist Charles Saint-Denis (Francois Berleand) meets at a book-signing ceremony weather forecaster Gabrielle Deneige (Ludivigne Sagnier) -- her name, signifying snow, is intended to herald purity as well as her job -- his urbanity and wit are enough to attract her sexually despite his being twice her age.
His rival Paul Gaudens (Benoit Magimel) is the spoilt, rich and slightly disturbed heir to an industrial fortune. Paul is used to getting what he wants and does not take kindly to losing out to a much older man. Eventually, Charles tires of his conquest and gives her the brush-off, enabling Paul To win her on the rebound.
A society wedding is announced, causing Charles to renew his interest. He shows up as Gabrielle is trying on her wedding dress. She tells him she will give it all up and return to him if he will leave his wife Dona (Valeria Cavalli), but for Charles that would be a real betrayal, or a self-indulgence.
The marriage goes ahead. Paul, realizing where Gabrielle's affections really lie, is consumed with jealously. He shows up at a charity event organized by his do-gooding mother Genevieve (Caroline Silhol), where Charles is to speak, and guns him down as he addresses the gathering.
A postscript deals with Genevieve's maneuverings to persuade Gabrielle to testify in her son's favor. He finally receives a lenient sentence for psychiatric reasons. The movie concludes with a visual metaphor, the cutting in two of the title, after Gabrielle signs on as a magician's assistant.
The borrowed story is a pretext for Chabrol to revel in the incidential details of French social life and its sexual undertones: the publishing world in which Charles moves (Mathilda May is particularly eye-catching as his publicist Capucine); the shallow, predatory world of television in which the pert, pretty Gabrielle is irresistible bait to middle-aged middle management; and the world of refined manners and inherited wealth that turns out monsters like Paul and his siblings.
Ultimately what Chabrol is concerned with is class conflict, summed up by the matriarch Genevieve's dismissal of Gabrielle's mother Marie (Marie Bunel), who runs the bookshop where Gabrielle first met Charles, as "the little book-seller."
Berleand excels as the libertine Charles and presumably Chabrol's spokesman when he confides to a friend, during a visit to a high-class brothel, that he cannot decide whether society "is heading towards puritanism or towards decadence." Berleand appears set to succeed the late Philippe Noiret as the embodiment of weary, surly but nevertheless engaging Gallic cynicism.
As Paul, all strut, sharp suits and cigars, Magimel does nothing to harm his reputation as a promising young talent. However Sagnier is miscast: Innocence is not part of her natural register. She is unconvincing in her portrayal of a young woman falling durably in love with an older man and capable of entering a living-room on her hands and knees with a peacock's fan emerging from her backside as -- as Chabrol would have it -- an expression of purity.
LA FILLE COUPEE EN DEUX
Aliceleo Cinema, France 2 Cinema
Credits:
Director: Claude Chabrol
Writers: Cecile Maistre, Claude Chabrol
Producer: Patrick Godeau
Director of photography: Eduardo Serra
Production design: Francoise Benoit-Fresco
Music: Matthieu Chabrol
Costumes: Mic Cheminal
Editor: Monique Fardoulis
Cast:
Gabrielle Deneige: Ludivigne Sagnier
Paul Gaudens: Benoit Magimel
Charles Saint-Denis: Francois Berleand
Capucine Jamet: Mathilda May
Genevieve Gaudens: Caroline Silhol
Marie Deneige: Marie Bunel
Dona Saint-Denis: Valeria Cavalli
Running time -- 115 minutes
No MPAA rating...
The director's name recognition should ensure decent boxoffice, and the film is boosted by a talented cast and excellent cinematography by Edouardo Serra. But its impact is weakened by a limp ending and a sense that it all adds up to rather less than the sum of its parts.
Chabrol's starting point is the 1906 murder of Stanford White, the architect of Madison Square Garden, whose killing by the husband of his actress mistress gave rise to what was described in its time as the "trial of the century." Transposing the story to contemporary France allows him to do what Chabrol enjoys most -- skewering the mores of the rich and powerful, particularly the moneyed bourgeoisie.
When celebrity novelist Charles Saint-Denis (Francois Berleand) meets at a book-signing ceremony weather forecaster Gabrielle Deneige (Ludivigne Sagnier) -- her name, signifying snow, is intended to herald purity as well as her job -- his urbanity and wit are enough to attract her sexually despite his being twice her age.
His rival Paul Gaudens (Benoit Magimel) is the spoilt, rich and slightly disturbed heir to an industrial fortune. Paul is used to getting what he wants and does not take kindly to losing out to a much older man. Eventually, Charles tires of his conquest and gives her the brush-off, enabling Paul To win her on the rebound.
A society wedding is announced, causing Charles to renew his interest. He shows up as Gabrielle is trying on her wedding dress. She tells him she will give it all up and return to him if he will leave his wife Dona (Valeria Cavalli), but for Charles that would be a real betrayal, or a self-indulgence.
The marriage goes ahead. Paul, realizing where Gabrielle's affections really lie, is consumed with jealously. He shows up at a charity event organized by his do-gooding mother Genevieve (Caroline Silhol), where Charles is to speak, and guns him down as he addresses the gathering.
A postscript deals with Genevieve's maneuverings to persuade Gabrielle to testify in her son's favor. He finally receives a lenient sentence for psychiatric reasons. The movie concludes with a visual metaphor, the cutting in two of the title, after Gabrielle signs on as a magician's assistant.
The borrowed story is a pretext for Chabrol to revel in the incidential details of French social life and its sexual undertones: the publishing world in which Charles moves (Mathilda May is particularly eye-catching as his publicist Capucine); the shallow, predatory world of television in which the pert, pretty Gabrielle is irresistible bait to middle-aged middle management; and the world of refined manners and inherited wealth that turns out monsters like Paul and his siblings.
Ultimately what Chabrol is concerned with is class conflict, summed up by the matriarch Genevieve's dismissal of Gabrielle's mother Marie (Marie Bunel), who runs the bookshop where Gabrielle first met Charles, as "the little book-seller."
Berleand excels as the libertine Charles and presumably Chabrol's spokesman when he confides to a friend, during a visit to a high-class brothel, that he cannot decide whether society "is heading towards puritanism or towards decadence." Berleand appears set to succeed the late Philippe Noiret as the embodiment of weary, surly but nevertheless engaging Gallic cynicism.
As Paul, all strut, sharp suits and cigars, Magimel does nothing to harm his reputation as a promising young talent. However Sagnier is miscast: Innocence is not part of her natural register. She is unconvincing in her portrayal of a young woman falling durably in love with an older man and capable of entering a living-room on her hands and knees with a peacock's fan emerging from her backside as -- as Chabrol would have it -- an expression of purity.
LA FILLE COUPEE EN DEUX
Aliceleo Cinema, France 2 Cinema
Credits:
Director: Claude Chabrol
Writers: Cecile Maistre, Claude Chabrol
Producer: Patrick Godeau
Director of photography: Eduardo Serra
Production design: Francoise Benoit-Fresco
Music: Matthieu Chabrol
Costumes: Mic Cheminal
Editor: Monique Fardoulis
Cast:
Gabrielle Deneige: Ludivigne Sagnier
Paul Gaudens: Benoit Magimel
Charles Saint-Denis: Francois Berleand
Capucine Jamet: Mathilda May
Genevieve Gaudens: Caroline Silhol
Marie Deneige: Marie Bunel
Dona Saint-Denis: Valeria Cavalli
Running time -- 115 minutes
No MPAA rating...
- 8/10/2007
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
NEW YORK -- It's sad to report, but "Becoming Colette'' is most unbecoming. This depiction of Sidonie-Gabrielle Colette, the renowned French author, is weak on so many fronts that one expects things to come crashing down at any moment.
Director Danny Huston, John's son, failed to learn two very valuable lessons from his father: Pick your cast carefully and make sure the script is coherent. Though Huston's direction is uninspired, except for the erotic scenes, the film's major flaws lie with the foundation.
The script, at times, is painfully formulaic and the incredible dialogue is mostly forced and unnatural. Not helping matters is the curious casting. The talents of Klaus Maria Brandauer and Virginia Madsen are not wholly wasted, but it is surprising to find them in this mess (except for the fact that Madsen is Huston's wife).
She may be strikingly beautiful, but Mathilda May, in the title role, fails to convincingly become Colette, or anyone else for that matter. Without a doubt, she is a remarkable crier, but too much of the time she is required to express the spectrum of emotions with just her face, and the result is almost embarrassing.
The art-house crowd is not about to be duped by this forgery. They know "Henry & June, '' and this is no "Henry & June!'' Expect a very poor turn out for poor Colette.
Opening in melodramatic, "Phantom of the Opera''-like fashion, "Becoming Colette'' at once tries to establish a sense of importance that is quickly undermined.
In flashback we discover that sweet, virtuous Colette has been lured away from her country dwelling by the suspect charms of one Henry Gauthier-Villars (Brandauer).
They immediately marry, and he takes her home to Paris, where all of her sensuous sensibilities bloom. He introduces her to Polaire (Madsen), his mistress, and Gabrielle suddenly realizes her husband isn't the man she thought he was.
Willy Villars proves himself to be a slimeball as he turns his wife's diary into a book and takes author credit himself. He continually lies to her and she continually believes him, which ultimately lessens our sympathy for this girl.
Polaire and Colette fall in love, which is demonstrated quite erotically, and Villars is fool enough to be jealous.
There is much more to plod through before Colette becomes her own woman, but it's a royal pain getting to that point, and by then we don't care anyway.
Madsen is both convincing and alluring as the woman caught between two lovers. Brandauer has somehow made an art out of smugness, but it is simply too much for this film to handle. His character is too despicable to believe that anyone would fall in love with him, let alone these two lovely ladies.
"Becoming Colette'' is a fragmented film where none of the pieces fit well together. This film is a disappointing puzzle in many ways.
BECOMING COLETTE
Castle Hill Productions Inc.
Director Danny Huston
Writer Ruth Graham
Director of photography Wolfgang Treu
Producer Heinz Bibo
Music John Scott
Costume designer Barbara Baum
Color
Cast:
Gabrielle Colette Mathilda May
Willy Villars Klaus Maria Brandauer
Polaire Virginia Madsen
Chapo Paul Rhys
Running time -- 97 minutes
No MPAA rating
(c) The Hollywood Reporter...
Director Danny Huston, John's son, failed to learn two very valuable lessons from his father: Pick your cast carefully and make sure the script is coherent. Though Huston's direction is uninspired, except for the erotic scenes, the film's major flaws lie with the foundation.
The script, at times, is painfully formulaic and the incredible dialogue is mostly forced and unnatural. Not helping matters is the curious casting. The talents of Klaus Maria Brandauer and Virginia Madsen are not wholly wasted, but it is surprising to find them in this mess (except for the fact that Madsen is Huston's wife).
She may be strikingly beautiful, but Mathilda May, in the title role, fails to convincingly become Colette, or anyone else for that matter. Without a doubt, she is a remarkable crier, but too much of the time she is required to express the spectrum of emotions with just her face, and the result is almost embarrassing.
The art-house crowd is not about to be duped by this forgery. They know "Henry & June, '' and this is no "Henry & June!'' Expect a very poor turn out for poor Colette.
Opening in melodramatic, "Phantom of the Opera''-like fashion, "Becoming Colette'' at once tries to establish a sense of importance that is quickly undermined.
In flashback we discover that sweet, virtuous Colette has been lured away from her country dwelling by the suspect charms of one Henry Gauthier-Villars (Brandauer).
They immediately marry, and he takes her home to Paris, where all of her sensuous sensibilities bloom. He introduces her to Polaire (Madsen), his mistress, and Gabrielle suddenly realizes her husband isn't the man she thought he was.
Willy Villars proves himself to be a slimeball as he turns his wife's diary into a book and takes author credit himself. He continually lies to her and she continually believes him, which ultimately lessens our sympathy for this girl.
Polaire and Colette fall in love, which is demonstrated quite erotically, and Villars is fool enough to be jealous.
There is much more to plod through before Colette becomes her own woman, but it's a royal pain getting to that point, and by then we don't care anyway.
Madsen is both convincing and alluring as the woman caught between two lovers. Brandauer has somehow made an art out of smugness, but it is simply too much for this film to handle. His character is too despicable to believe that anyone would fall in love with him, let alone these two lovely ladies.
"Becoming Colette'' is a fragmented film where none of the pieces fit well together. This film is a disappointing puzzle in many ways.
BECOMING COLETTE
Castle Hill Productions Inc.
Director Danny Huston
Writer Ruth Graham
Director of photography Wolfgang Treu
Producer Heinz Bibo
Music John Scott
Costume designer Barbara Baum
Color
Cast:
Gabrielle Colette Mathilda May
Willy Villars Klaus Maria Brandauer
Polaire Virginia Madsen
Chapo Paul Rhys
Running time -- 97 minutes
No MPAA rating
(c) The Hollywood Reporter...
- 11/1/1992
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
CHICAGO -- Viewers will find themselves between a rock and a hard place in Werner Herzog's latest opus, a high tale of man vs. the elements.
In this case, it's the quest to conquer the most treacherous mountain peak in the world, the Cere Torre in southern Patagonia, a needly, icy granite Argentine perch aptly described as a ''Scream of Stone.''
Winded by existential bellows and peaked with teutonic angst, ''Scream of Stone, '' screened here at the Chicago International Film Festival, is a ''Heart of Darkness''-like descent into man's inner demons, herein personified in two daredevil climbers -- the wizened, wordly Roccia (Vittorio Mezzogiorno) and the cocky, young Martin (Stefan Glowacz).
The two rock men are goaded into a duel by a manipulative sports journalist-promoter named Ivan (Donald Sutherland) who's a master of instigative journalism -- there's glory and big bucks in it for all.
Although Hans-Ulrich Klenner and Walter Saxer's screenplay ascends a philosophical altitude every bit as lofty as Sunday afternoon sports programs' reach in the off-seasons, the film's visual excitement rarely reaches the heights of most bowling shows.
Although there is some harrowing, upper-limit footage in the film's final scenes, most of the film's rock-climbing sequences could be duplicated this afternoon just as breathtakingly, say, if Roger Corman simply ordered a few bags of cement this morning and slabbed out a shooting ridge for a 3 p.m. shoot.
There is, admittedly, a dual-operatic dimension to this effort: the first is thundered out by some German symphony blasting away in Wagner-
There is, admittedly, a dual-operatic dimension to this effort: the first is thundered out by some German symphony blasting away in Wagner-ian, the second is mouthed out by the characters yowling away in soap-operatic woe. There is similarly grand stuff on the microcosmic level: not all is man vs. mountain.
Even between a climber and his mountain there's a woman and, not surprisingly, here it is a dazzlingly beautiful, enigmatic woman (Mathilda May) who has deluded herself into believing she's ''given up her studies'' for devotion to Roccia; but, of course she's torn when the younger model comes around.
Such complexity occasions Ivan to mutter ''Love is . . .'' and then before he can complete the thought, he waddles across a rope bridge, his orange scarf blowing in the breeze. Audiences, however, are not spared his ruminations on other topics.
Before one dismisses Herzog's bombast as straightforward stuff, mention must be made of the cryptic appearance of a red-eyed mountain man who calls himself Fingerless and who claims he has scaled the peak on numerous occasions; Fingerless has dedicated his climbs to Mae West, who, he believes, is still ''alive and running a beauty parlor.'' Fingerless is played by Brad Dourif, which further bolsters our contention that Herzog is poaching on Roger Corman terrain here.
Oh, and then there's an old Indian woman who lives alone in a shack on the mountainside and only speaks nonsense; her full-tonal yappings, however, offer wonderful commentary on the whole opus hocus: when she whails ''auckluooshirumodopaokadoooooroooseeyahdahyahwakehiaeedenawo, '' one concurs there isn't anything that can be said more comprehensibly about this production.
SCREAM OF STONE
Cine International
ProducersWalter Saxer, Henri Lange, Richard Sadler
Director Werner Herzog
Screenwriters Hans-Ulrich Klenner, Walter Saxer
Director of photography Rainer Klausmann
Production designer Juan Santiago
Costume designer Ann Poppel
Editor Suzanne Baron
Sound mixer Chris Price
Color/Stereo
Cast:
Roccia Vittorio Mezzogiorno
Katarina Mathilda May
Martin Stefan Glowacz
Ivan Donald Sutherland
Fingerless Brad Dourif
Running time -- 95 minutes
No MPAA rating
(c) The Hollywood Reporter...
In this case, it's the quest to conquer the most treacherous mountain peak in the world, the Cere Torre in southern Patagonia, a needly, icy granite Argentine perch aptly described as a ''Scream of Stone.''
Winded by existential bellows and peaked with teutonic angst, ''Scream of Stone, '' screened here at the Chicago International Film Festival, is a ''Heart of Darkness''-like descent into man's inner demons, herein personified in two daredevil climbers -- the wizened, wordly Roccia (Vittorio Mezzogiorno) and the cocky, young Martin (Stefan Glowacz).
The two rock men are goaded into a duel by a manipulative sports journalist-promoter named Ivan (Donald Sutherland) who's a master of instigative journalism -- there's glory and big bucks in it for all.
Although Hans-Ulrich Klenner and Walter Saxer's screenplay ascends a philosophical altitude every bit as lofty as Sunday afternoon sports programs' reach in the off-seasons, the film's visual excitement rarely reaches the heights of most bowling shows.
Although there is some harrowing, upper-limit footage in the film's final scenes, most of the film's rock-climbing sequences could be duplicated this afternoon just as breathtakingly, say, if Roger Corman simply ordered a few bags of cement this morning and slabbed out a shooting ridge for a 3 p.m. shoot.
There is, admittedly, a dual-operatic dimension to this effort: the first is thundered out by some German symphony blasting away in Wagner-
There is, admittedly, a dual-operatic dimension to this effort: the first is thundered out by some German symphony blasting away in Wagner-ian, the second is mouthed out by the characters yowling away in soap-operatic woe. There is similarly grand stuff on the microcosmic level: not all is man vs. mountain.
Even between a climber and his mountain there's a woman and, not surprisingly, here it is a dazzlingly beautiful, enigmatic woman (Mathilda May) who has deluded herself into believing she's ''given up her studies'' for devotion to Roccia; but, of course she's torn when the younger model comes around.
Such complexity occasions Ivan to mutter ''Love is . . .'' and then before he can complete the thought, he waddles across a rope bridge, his orange scarf blowing in the breeze. Audiences, however, are not spared his ruminations on other topics.
Before one dismisses Herzog's bombast as straightforward stuff, mention must be made of the cryptic appearance of a red-eyed mountain man who calls himself Fingerless and who claims he has scaled the peak on numerous occasions; Fingerless has dedicated his climbs to Mae West, who, he believes, is still ''alive and running a beauty parlor.'' Fingerless is played by Brad Dourif, which further bolsters our contention that Herzog is poaching on Roger Corman terrain here.
Oh, and then there's an old Indian woman who lives alone in a shack on the mountainside and only speaks nonsense; her full-tonal yappings, however, offer wonderful commentary on the whole opus hocus: when she whails ''auckluooshirumodopaokadoooooroooseeyahdahyahwakehiaeedenawo, '' one concurs there isn't anything that can be said more comprehensibly about this production.
SCREAM OF STONE
Cine International
ProducersWalter Saxer, Henri Lange, Richard Sadler
Director Werner Herzog
Screenwriters Hans-Ulrich Klenner, Walter Saxer
Director of photography Rainer Klausmann
Production designer Juan Santiago
Costume designer Ann Poppel
Editor Suzanne Baron
Sound mixer Chris Price
Color/Stereo
Cast:
Roccia Vittorio Mezzogiorno
Katarina Mathilda May
Martin Stefan Glowacz
Ivan Donald Sutherland
Fingerless Brad Dourif
Running time -- 95 minutes
No MPAA rating
(c) The Hollywood Reporter...
- 10/15/1991
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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