The Life and Deaths of Christopher Lee first published by SciFiNow, for its world première at FrightFest, 25 Ausgust, 2024; “On the 7th of June in the year 2015 I passed away, at the age of 93,” states Christopher Lee from the outset, adding, “By then I had become quite accustomed to dying.” It is…
Quay Brothers: The Short Films, 1979-2003 first published by Film4 in 2006 to coincide with the release of BFI’s two-disc DVD collection Summary: In these thirteen artfully animated shorts by the Quay Brothers, puppets break free of their strings, museum exhibits run riot, and the inmates take over the asylum. Review: When the BFI was in the…
“Our memory is a more perfect world than the universe; it gives back life to those who no longer exist,” goes the text quote (from Guy de Maupassant) which opens Wyvern Hill (aka Hollow). Memory plays a key rôle in Jonathan Zaurin’s feature. The first words uttered by its sixty-something heroine Beth (the excellent Pat…
Impetigore (Perempuan Tanah Jahanam) first published by VODzilla.co “Are you Rahayu?” asks the creepy man who for days has been passing – and ogling – Maya (Tara Basro) at the toll booth where she makes her meagre living. “Are you from Harjosari Village in Mandiraja?… Is your father’s name Ki Donowongso?” These questions about 25-year-old…
Alice first published by EyeforFilm “Stick to the text!”, the King of Hearts demands – in vain – near the end of Jan Svankmajer‘s Alice, as the titular heroine (played by Kristýna Kovoutová) refuses to read out her scripted statement in court, let alone to bow to his or the Queen’s arbitrary authority. The King’s…
Sometimes there is no need for words between friends. Take Frank & Zed, who for many years have been eking out together their cameraderie and co-dependency, with little more than the occasional monosyllabic grunt shared between them, even as time takes its toll on their bodies. If the very title of writer/director Jesse Blanchard’s film…