Authors — Sarah Salovaara
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Trailer Watch: Guillermo del Toro’s Crimson Peak
Referring to an unreleased film as an “ultimate masterpiece” in its first trailer is an interesting marketing tactic, to be sure — especially when its maker’s resume is chockfull of blockbusters. But Guillermo del Toro and Co. have more or less thrown down the gauntlet in this bumper for Crimson Peak, which sees him returning to the fantastical horror of his 2006 breakout, Pan’s Labyrinth. Starring the appealing trio of Mia Wasikowska, Tom Hiddleston and Jessica Chastain, the film unfolds in an intricate and gothic mansion, that appears to be home to more than a few types of skeletons. Crimson Peak will be released by Universal Pictures on […]
by Sarah Salovaara on Feb 13, 2015 -
Watch: “Mirrors of Bergman” by :: kogonada
The latest in his series of video essays for the Criterion Collection brings :: kogonada face to face with Ingmar Bergman — more precisely, to the Swedish auteur’s use of mirrors in relation to women. Set to a reading of Sylvia Plath’s Mirror (“I am important to her/she comes and goes” nicely encapsulates Persona, at the very least), this short montage considers the meditative reflections — and interior revelations — across several of Bergman’s films. Watch above, and stay tuned for a longer :: kogonada/Bergman essay, set to accompany the Cries and Whispers release.
by Sarah Salovaara on Feb 12, 2015 -
From River of Grass to Living Los Sures: George Schmalz on Kickstarter’s New Curated Restoration Initiative
As part of a new restoration initiative, Kickstarter is partnering with various distributors, filmmakers and organizations to raise funds to preserve and proliferate significant and niche films on the verge of obsolescence. The first five projects to campaign through the site are River of Grass, Kelly Reichardt’s wonderful, underseen debut; a Kino Lorber selection of “Pioneers of African Cinema,” presented by DJ Spooky; the German exploitation film Bloody Friday; Living Los Sures, UnionDocs’ update on the 1984 documentary Los Sures; and the VHS ’90s horror flick, Jungle Trap. There are distribution plans in place for all of the films, should the necessary funds come through: Oscilloscope is planning a VOD, DVD and […]
by Sarah Salovaara on Feb 11, 2015 -
SXSW Announces 2015 Midnight and Shorts Lineups
On the heels of last week’s feature program announcement, SXSW has just released their selections for Midnighters and Shorts. In addition to several Sundance holdovers — including Jury Prize winners World of Tomorrow and Oh Lucy! — the several shorts programs feature new work from Leah Shore (HALLWAY), ornana (All Your Favorite Shows!), James M. Johnston (Melville), and DANIELS (Interesting Ball), as well as the latter’s very viral music video Turn Down For What. Find the full list of added features and shorts below. FEATURES MIDNIGHTERS Scary, funny, sexy, controversial – provocative after-dark features for night owls and the terminally curious. The Corpse of Anna Fritz (Spain) Director: […]
by Sarah Salovaara on Feb 10, 2015 -
Reconfiguring on the Fly: David Lowery’s Pete’s Dragon Production Diary
David Lowery doesn’t necessarily dole out directing tips in his production diary for the upcoming Disney remake of Pete’s Dragon, but they do seep through in the details. Currently on day 11 of 70 of the New Zealand-based production, many of Lowery’s entries touch upon the fluidity of the filmmaking process. Most recently, he recounts nailing a precisely planned sequence, only to forfeit his original design for another: Today we were back in the woods at Battle Hill, shooting a sequence that I’d planned out very carefully last summer and had no interest in altering. It was two shots, with a very precise cut point, and […]
by Sarah Salovaara on Feb 9, 2015 -
Amy Pascal Leaves Co-Chairman Post at Sony Pictures Entertainment
The timing of this is a little too close for comfort. I am of course referring to the late November/early December Sony hacks that exposed staff members’ social security numbers, as well as Amy Pascal and Scott Rudin’s unsavory email exchanges — damning, casually racist back-and-forths, that appeared to be ghostwritten by second graders. I’m not excusing Pascal’s actions, but it is rather disappointing to see several major outlets reporting that Pascal is “stepping down” from co-chairmain to take over a producing post at Sony, working on upcoming ventures such as the female Ghostbusters reboot and the Amazing Spider Man franchise. Whether or not […]
by Sarah Salovaara on Feb 5, 2015 -
Watch: Who Deserves to Win the Oscar for Best Director?
Kevin B. Lee has been churning out a series of visual supplements to oscar punditry over at Fandor that weigh politics against actual evidence, even if it is still subjective. His latest video, Who Should Win the Oscar for Best Director?, considers which of the filmmakers behind The Imitation Game, Foxcatcher, The Grand Budapest Hotel, Boyhood and Birdman, displays the most sensitive, contextually sound technique. He’s spot on in his assessments of three of the five, but I’d argue that The Grand Budapest Hotel finds a renewed cause for Anderson’s seemingly premeditated aesthetic, while Iñárritu ultimately limits himself to the very air of spectacle he […]
by Sarah Salovaara on Feb 4, 2015 -
Trailer Watch: Ryan Gosling’s Lost River
Ryan Gosling’s directorial debut Lost River was torn limb from limb by critics at Cannes, followed by the news that it would be a straight to VOD release. The latter appears to have been an overreaction, as Warner Brothers quickly confirmed it’s set to receive a day and date limited spring run, but in any event, it’s a significant demotion for someone of Gosling’s pedigree at the hands of a major studio. The first trailer is now out, and I’m getting definite shades of Malick, Lynch and Tarkovsky, with Benoît Debie’s colorful lensing recalling his work on Irreversible, Enter the Void and Spring Breakers, in particular. There’s […]
by Sarah Salovaara on Feb 3, 2015 -
Watch: Mike White on Why Pierre Bismuth’s Truly Unique Hybrid Where is Rocky II? Needs Your Support
The term ‘hybrid’ has become increasingly debatable when discussing the divide between fiction and nonfiction, though it’s a rather apt description of the French artist Pierre Bismuth’s cinematic inquiry, Where is Rocky II? Perhaps best known for his Oscar winning collaboration with Charlie Kaufman and Michel Gondry on the script for Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Bismuth became obsessed with a fake rock, called Rocky II, that Ed Ruscha placed amongst its geological counterparts in the Mojave Desert around the release of the eponymous Stallone film in 1979. The pitch of Where is Rocky II?, Bismuth explained in an email, “is that a […]
by Sarah Salovaara on Feb 2, 2015 -
Watch: Kurosawa and The Geometry of a Scene
In his latest “Every Frame a Painting” series, Tony Zhou takes generic, ensemble coverage to task. Pitting rigid Hollywood biopic fare against the geometric blocking of Akira Kurosawa’s The Bad Sleep Well, Zhou considers why dynamism comes through movement and not necessarily edits. As the characters shift about the room, tracing lines of triangles and squares, Kurosawa uses full-bodied actors — not close-ups — to draw your attention to a given object.
by Sarah Salovaara on Jan 30, 2015
