Editor’s note: The above photograph of Jasmine Baker has been used with her full knowledge, cooperation, and consent.
An Austin-area woman said Ain’t It Cool News founder Harry Knowles sexually assaulted her at an Alamo Drafthouse event — but the reason she’s speaking out now is she believes change is coming.
“Harry Knowles groped me, opportunistically, on more than one occasion,” said Jasmine Baker. “I cannot just stay silent. I am not interested in remaining silent.”
In 1999-2000, Baker was familiar with Knowles and his website, as they often attended the same Drafthouse events. Baker was at a Drafthouse event when Knowles rubbed up against her buttocks and legs in a way that made her feel uncomfortable. While she was initially willing to consider it an accident, on a later occasion he rubbed up against her again; she confronted him about his behavior, and made it clear that...
An Austin-area woman said Ain’t It Cool News founder Harry Knowles sexually assaulted her at an Alamo Drafthouse event — but the reason she’s speaking out now is she believes change is coming.
“Harry Knowles groped me, opportunistically, on more than one occasion,” said Jasmine Baker. “I cannot just stay silent. I am not interested in remaining silent.”
In 1999-2000, Baker was familiar with Knowles and his website, as they often attended the same Drafthouse events. Baker was at a Drafthouse event when Knowles rubbed up against her buttocks and legs in a way that made her feel uncomfortable. While she was initially willing to consider it an accident, on a later occasion he rubbed up against her again; she confronted him about his behavior, and made it clear that...
- 9/23/2017
- by Kate Erbland and Dana Harris
- Indiewire
When Fantastic Fest kicks off today in Austin, it will open without at least one long-time supporter: the influential fan site Ain’t It Cool News has been dropped as a sponsor, and founder Harry Knowles will not be attending the festival. The move is the latest development in the still-unfurling Alamo Drafthouse controversy surrounding the re-hiring of former Birth.Movies.Death editor-in-chief Devin Faraci after he was accused of sexual assault last year.
Knowles confirmed the decision in a phone call with IndieWire today, adding that it seemed like the right thing to do, adding that Fantastic Fest co-founder Tim League would be sitting out the festival as well.
“I’m minding the store this time,” he said, noting that the site would have writers covering the festival. “I’ll be able to get stories up on time — silver linings, you know?”
Read More:Tim League Apologizes: ‘I Am Very Sorry.
Knowles confirmed the decision in a phone call with IndieWire today, adding that it seemed like the right thing to do, adding that Fantastic Fest co-founder Tim League would be sitting out the festival as well.
“I’m minding the store this time,” he said, noting that the site would have writers covering the festival. “I’ll be able to get stories up on time — silver linings, you know?”
Read More:Tim League Apologizes: ‘I Am Very Sorry.
- 9/21/2017
- by Kate Erbland, Dana Harris and Eric Kohn
- Indiewire
Alamo Drafthouse CEO Tim League issued a lengthy apology on Friday for his handling of a scandal stemming from the revelation that he had quietly rehired Devin Faraci, former editor-in-chief of Drafthouse-owned movie site Birth.Movies.Death, who resigned last year after being accused of sexual assault. But one former employee isn’t having it. Todd Brown, who resigned as director of international programming for the Drafthouse-owned science fiction and horror festival Fantastic Fest earlier this week over the news of Faraci’s rehiring, wrote a lengthy reply to League’s apology calling it disingenuous and an attempt at “self-preservation.
- 9/16/2017
- by Itay Hod
- The Wrap
Many movies are screening at Fantastic Fest later this month, but “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri” is no longer one of them. Variety reports that Fox Searchlight has decided to pull Martin McDonagh’s new film from the Austin-based fest in light of the controversy that erupted around its parent company, Alamo Drafthouse Cinema, earlier this week.
Read More:Devin Faraci Resigns From Alamo Drafthouse Following New Uproar Over Sexual Assault Allegations
It was revealed on Tuesday that Devin Faraci, who stepped down as editor-in-chief of Alamo’s Birth.Movies.Death following sexual-assault allegations last year, had quietly been rehired by the company as a copywriter months later and even written blurbs for this year’s edition of the festival. This ignited further controversy, prompting Faraci to depart Alamo once more — presumably for good this time.
Read More:Devin Faraci Was Rehired After Sexual Assault Allegations: What Was Tim League Thinking?...
Read More:Devin Faraci Resigns From Alamo Drafthouse Following New Uproar Over Sexual Assault Allegations
It was revealed on Tuesday that Devin Faraci, who stepped down as editor-in-chief of Alamo’s Birth.Movies.Death following sexual-assault allegations last year, had quietly been rehired by the company as a copywriter months later and even written blurbs for this year’s edition of the festival. This ignited further controversy, prompting Faraci to depart Alamo once more — presumably for good this time.
Read More:Devin Faraci Was Rehired After Sexual Assault Allegations: What Was Tim League Thinking?...
- 9/16/2017
- by Michael Nordine
- Indiewire
Todd Brown tendered his resignation as Fantastic Fest’s international programmer, one week before the festival’s 13th edition, and his reasons are damning. His decision came after he (along with the public and other members of the film community) discovered that, months ago, Alamo founder Tim League secretly rehired Devin Faraci. The former editor in chief of the Drafthouse’s film site, Birth.Movies.Death, Faraci resigned last October following allegations of sexual assault — allegations that Faraci did not deny.
Brown, who spent a decade as a Fantastic Fest programmer, said the decision was “emotionally difficult by the sad fact that it was not difficult at all. It was essential… While I do not believe there was any malice in the decision to bring Faraci back there was, however, a clear, undeniable and arguably even callous disregard for the impact of this decision on anyone not named Devin Faraci.
Brown, who spent a decade as a Fantastic Fest programmer, said the decision was “emotionally difficult by the sad fact that it was not difficult at all. It was essential… While I do not believe there was any malice in the decision to bring Faraci back there was, however, a clear, undeniable and arguably even callous disregard for the impact of this decision on anyone not named Devin Faraci.
- 9/14/2017
- by Kate Erbland
- Indiewire
Update (7:40 pm Pt): Devin Faraci has resigned from Alamo Drafthouse.
Yesterday evening, Alamo Drafthouse founder Tim League acknowledged via a Facebook post that, earlier this year, he quietly rehired Devin Faraci to work from home. Eleven months ago, he’d fired the former editor-in-chief of Birth.Movies.Death., the Alamo Drafthouse film site, after Faraci was accused of sexual assault. Faraci entered a 12-step program for alcohol, and is said to be in recovery. (For more details and backstory, please see here. And here.)
To say that news of his employment did not go over well would be an understatement. While League positioned his statement as a bid for transparency, and some friends and peers voiced their support, the announcement created a tsunami of outrage from Alamo fans, the alleged victims, and League’s own staff.
Read More:Devin Faraci Steps Down As Eic of Birth.Movies.Death.
Yesterday evening, Alamo Drafthouse founder Tim League acknowledged via a Facebook post that, earlier this year, he quietly rehired Devin Faraci to work from home. Eleven months ago, he’d fired the former editor-in-chief of Birth.Movies.Death., the Alamo Drafthouse film site, after Faraci was accused of sexual assault. Faraci entered a 12-step program for alcohol, and is said to be in recovery. (For more details and backstory, please see here. And here.)
To say that news of his employment did not go over well would be an understatement. While League positioned his statement as a bid for transparency, and some friends and peers voiced their support, the announcement created a tsunami of outrage from Alamo fans, the alleged victims, and League’s own staff.
Read More:Devin Faraci Steps Down As Eic of Birth.Movies.Death.
- 9/13/2017
- by Dana Harris
- Indiewire
A lead programmer at Fantastic Fest has resigned in response to the revelation on Tuesday that Alamo Drafthouse CEO Tim League has quietly rehired movie blogger Devin Faraci as a copywriter for the company 10 months after being accused of sexual assault.
Todd Brown, the Toronto-based director of international programming for the Drafthouse-owned science fiction and horror festival, announced his decision on Facebook shortly before midnight on Tuesday.
"I would like to be very clear," Brown wrote, "that despite over a decade of work as the director of international programming at Fantastic Fest, I had no advance knowledge of this decision nor knowledge...
Todd Brown, the Toronto-based director of international programming for the Drafthouse-owned science fiction and horror festival, announced his decision on Facebook shortly before midnight on Tuesday.
"I would like to be very clear," Brown wrote, "that despite over a decade of work as the director of international programming at Fantastic Fest, I had no advance knowledge of this decision nor knowledge...
- 9/13/2017
- by Seth Abramovitch
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
I love robots. Do you love robots? Who doesn't love robots? Especially when they star in an animated short with a great theme song that runs less than 4 minutes, make cute sounds, fire their weapons, and generally add joy to a rainy day (at least where I'm living). This is the first episode in an animated series. Our editor and founder Todd Brown first wrote about the Killer Robots back in 2014; the feature film eventually got released on home video last year and is available on Amazon. Now comes the new series, which will roll out some time in the future, again featuring the Killer Robots and "a bunch of new friends." Visit the oficial site for more information. For now, we invite...
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[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...
- 7/1/2017
- Screen Anarchy
The latest video from Iranian/Finnish martial artist and filmmaker Ramin Sohrab has debuted and it's smoking. Our friends at Film Combat Syndicate debuted the video, along with this description: "Sohrab plays a man on his way to play his violin one last time for his wife, but not until he sets out into the seedy criminal underworld to retrieve it from the thieves who stole it from him." The proof-of-concept video was shot in Helsinki, Finland. Among Sohrab's credits, he made another promo video back in November 2014 for a project titled Malek. As our own Todd Brown wrote at the time: "Sohrab has released a promo reel which he directed and choreographed himself to show off both his skills and the look of the...
[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...
[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...
- 2/20/2017
- Screen Anarchy
Professional bodyguards Viên and Trịnh's latest assignment -- protecting Henry, a rich brat who becomes heir to the LeMilk company after his father's death -- will make them sweat: the funeral is not even finished before Henry is kidnapped by a deadly gang. Bad news for them, but good news for audiences who have made this a huge hit in its native Vietnam and now have the chance to see it on these shores with the Us release beginning Friday. As our own Todd Brown pointed out in a previous article, Saigon Bodyguards reflects the undergoing globalization of the film industry. Produced by Canadian based Rhombus Media and Korean giant Cj Entertainment, this Vietnamese action comedy is helmed by Japanese director Ken Ochiai (The Tiger...
[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...
[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...
- 2/2/2017
- Screen Anarchy
Rlj Entertainment has purchased the U.S. rights to the action-thriller “Bushwick,” which premiered on January 21 in the Sundance Film Festival’s Midnight section. The deal for the film was in the seven figures, according to a statement.
Directed by Cary Murnion and Jonathan Milott, “Bushwick” is also currently being pursued by major studio distributor for a multi-territory distribution deal. The film centers on a woman named Lucy who emerges from a Brooklyn subway to find that her neighborhood is under attack by black-clad military soldiers. An ex-Marine corpsman, Stupe, reluctantly helps her fight for survival through a civil war, as Texas attempts to secede from the United States of America. “Bushwick” stars Dave Bautista and Brittany Snow.
“With a great cast and a very timely story, we feel this is a film that will resonate with audiences all across the country,” Mark Ward, chief acquisitions officer of Rlj Entertainment said in a statement.
Directed by Cary Murnion and Jonathan Milott, “Bushwick” is also currently being pursued by major studio distributor for a multi-territory distribution deal. The film centers on a woman named Lucy who emerges from a Brooklyn subway to find that her neighborhood is under attack by black-clad military soldiers. An ex-Marine corpsman, Stupe, reluctantly helps her fight for survival through a civil war, as Texas attempts to secede from the United States of America. “Bushwick” stars Dave Bautista and Brittany Snow.
“With a great cast and a very timely story, we feel this is a film that will resonate with audiences all across the country,” Mark Ward, chief acquisitions officer of Rlj Entertainment said in a statement.
- 1/28/2017
- by Graham Winfrey
- Indiewire
Eddie Peng and Deng Chao star in Duckweed, which is a vigilante comedy heading to theaters on January 28. A new trailer looks quite slick. That description comes via our editor Todd Brown, and it's justified by the mix of action, comedy and drama in the full trailer. Interestingly, the first trailer, released recently, presents the movie, accompanied by a melodramatic song, as a lush romance of some sort. Both trailers come courtesy of Hong Kong Cinema. More information comes from A Virtual Voyage, which says that the alternate English title is Ride the Winds Break the Waves. Here is their description of the film: Deng Chao plays a racing driver and his profession is not understood by his father (Eddie Peng). In order to...
[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...
[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...
- 1/16/2017
- Screen Anarchy
Like our founder and editor Todd Brown, I am obsessed with, and flummoxed by, the troubled history and ongoing weirdness surrounding Russia's modern adaptation of Viy. Ten years in the making, the film finally got released last year under the international title Forbidden Empire, and, while it was a fun film full of whimsy and wonderful creatures, it was, by all accounts, something of a disaster all in. Except, maybe it wasn't? Earlier in 2016 it was announced that Viy-2 was rushing into production with the aid of Chinese funding and two massive stars on board, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Jackie Chan. Fantasy regular, Jason Flemyng also returns to reprise his role as cartographer Jonathon Green along with Rutger Hauer. Here's where it gets weird again. If...
[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...
[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...
- 12/7/2016
- Screen Anarchy
A new trailer for Infierno en el Cielo gets right to the point: this is a crazy airplane thriller (apparently) that you probably won't want to watch if you have a fear of flying and/or are taking a flight anytime soon. Originally titled Ekipazh, it's a Russian movie, directed by Nikolay Lebedev. Our own Todd Brown discovered the Russian-language trailer and other information last November. The English title at that time was Flight Crew. Here's the synopsis: A young pilot gets kicked out of the military air force after breaching an absurd order. He starts working as a second pilot in the civil aviation. Always straight-forward, he is not on best terms with his new colleagues. During a flight to Asia his crew receives an...
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[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...
- 8/24/2016
- Screen Anarchy
Oh hey, so Fantastic Fest will be back next month to thrill, overfeed, and exhaust Austin --- and I mean that in the best possible way. This festival is one of my absolute favorites and I'm proud to be repping ScreenAnarchy, along with a small army, led by Todd Brown. Anyway, Fantastic Fest 2016 has just announced the first wave of programing and special guests for its film market component, Fantastic Market. Fyi, the Market runs from September 22-25, 2016 under the umbrella of Fantastic Fest, which takes place September 22 - September 29, 2016 at altar of cinema worship, the Alamo Drafthouse South Lamar in Austin, TX. The Market looks very interesting with several exciting additions and changes. From the press release: This year's Fantastic Market...
[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...
[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...
- 8/17/2016
- Screen Anarchy
Nearly three years ago, we published a creepy trailer for Jorge Olguin's Whispers of the Forest (Gritas del Bosque) and now the 3D horror movie is finally heading for theatrical release in its native Chile. A new trailer is just as strong as the first one, albeit with a little less explanatory information and missing the logo for the original distributor. Here's the synopsis, per our own Todd Brown in 2013: The story revolves around a pair of Chilean women hired as guides to take a team of international engineers into the wild to conduct a survey for a proposed dam. But what they find are the ghosts of warriors slain in battle five hundred years before. The cast includes Fernanda Urrejola, Carolina Arredondo, Paulo...
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[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...
- 8/16/2016
- Screen Anarchy
On the second day of the Frontières market, still determined to cover everything that I could which involved potential new projects I went to the International Spotlight: Speed Pitch Session. Had I paid a bit more attention to the details of how this session was going to work I probably would not have entered the room and had such a look of alarm on my face. Thankfully ScreenAnarchy lord and master Todd Brown and Frontiers director Lindsay Peters quickly explained to me how it worked. There were six tables set up for the six projects, three from Australia and three from South Africa. Each table has a representative from the project and a mediator, four of whom I thankfully knew from the festival circuit...
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[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...
- 7/25/2016
- Screen Anarchy
I have no idea what to expect from Star Trek Beyond. Oh, I've been keeping up with the marketing and, especially, the trailers. The first one, released back in December, appeared to promise a "goofy adventure," as our own Todd Brown described it. I wasn't completely on board, but the second trailer appeared to reassure longtime fans (including myself) that the ship would be sailing as normally would be expected. And now a new trailer has popped, which seems to harken back to the goofy nature of the first trailer (from a visual standpoint, at least), as well as acknowledge (in spirit) the sad, untimely passing of Anton Yelchin. To be sure, Yelchin's Chekov has not been a major player in the first two installments...
[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...
[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...
- 6/27/2016
- Screen Anarchy
Yesterday, after twelve years of service, the TwitchFilm website ceased to exist. All its archives and content are now subtly re-routed towards the new site we've secretly been testing and shadow-running for some time already, the one you're reading now: ScreenAnarchy! Our founding father Todd Brown wrote a Word of Welcome yesterday, in which he explained several reasons why we're doing this and what we hope to achieve in the future. Hopefully, we'll blossom and grow into a place for informed visitors to share their love (and news) of films... Which brings me to our question of the week (names may change, habits not), or rather a double-question: 1: What was your most liked article you've ever read on TwitchFilm? 2: Now that we've opened...
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[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...
- 6/21/2016
- Screen Anarchy
Welcome to the first post of "Adventures in the Japanese Film Industry." "Adventures..." is a series of snippets from Tokyo, where I run a small film company (Loaded Films Ltd.) with my wife and have been involved in the industry for well over 10 years. I served as Japan correspondent for Screen International for 7 years and work as a consultant, translator and all around film factotum. We recently produced our first international co-production. Todd Brown's concept for ScreenAnarchy as a place where "we write with you, rather than for you" intrigued. I thought I'd try it out as a place to expand on my tweets, or touch on different topics altogether. As I've done via Twitter and my defunct blog (2000~2013 R.I.P.), I...
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[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...
- 6/21/2016
- Screen Anarchy
Last year I was present for the first edition of Nordic Genre Industry Days in Helsinki, Finland and this year our own Todd Brown is living it up behind closed doors. (Photo above: Jongsuk Thomas Nam, Todd Brown, Rodney Perkins, Sten Saluveer and Mikko Aromaa at the 2nd edition of the Nordic Genre Industry Days in Helsinki, Finland.) To be more accurate than needed, I was in Helsinki to attend and report on the Night Visions International Film Festival, the largest genre film event in the Nordic region. It takes place concurrently with the Nordic Genre Industry Days event at the same location during the day. Here's the official description: "The two-day event focuses on upcoming genre cinema emerging from Scandinavia in the form of...
[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...
[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...
- 4/13/2016
- Screen Anarchy
The second round of the Nordic Genre Boost Initiative was announced by Nordisk Film & Tvb Fond today. Seven new projects were selected to receive grants and access to residential workshops where they will meet with industry leaders and be able to pitch their projects to potential co-financiers, producers, buyers and sellers. The second round is a mix of newcomers and filmmakers with a film or two already under their belt. Finland leads the female filmmaker charge this year with two projects on the slate. Way to go, Finland. The country where I quite want to be. Project styles below list from an animated feature, a bevy of sci-fi related projects and horror flicks. As you will read below our lord and master at Twitchfilm, Todd Brown, will...
[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...
[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...
- 2/19/2016
- Screen Anarchy
The second round of the Nordic Genre Boost Initiative was announced by Nordisk Film & Tvb Fond today. Seven new projects were selected to receive grants and access to residential workshops where they will meet with industry leaders and be able to pitch their projects to potential co-financiers, producers, buyers and sellers. The second round is a mix of newcomers and filmmakers with a film or two already under their belt. Finland leads the female filmmaker charge this year with two projects on the slate. Way to go, Finland. The country where I quite want to be. Project styles below list from an animated feature, a bevy of sci-fi related projects and horror flicks. As you will read below our lord and master at Twitchfilm, Todd Brown, will...
[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...
[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...
- 2/19/2016
- Screen Anarchy
Sundance is all wrapped up and we've links to all of our reviews and features below plus some wrap up style questions. Check it out below. As many of you know, the Sundance 2016 experience will be remembered by the TwitchFilm family because of an event that took place after the fest. While driving home, Ben Umstead, Zach Gayne, and Jeremy Harris were in a car accident. All were sent to hospital but all are expected to make a full recovery. TwitchFilm founder Todd Brown started a GoFundMe campaign to help with their expenses. Thanks to all who have contributed and sent their well wishes. You are all a part of our TwitchFilm family. Previews Preview 1: The Narrative Competitions by Ryland Aldrich Preview 2:...
[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...
[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...
- 2/5/2016
- Screen Anarchy
Headlining Blu-ray releases in North America this week, Kurt Russell stars in the sneaky Bone Tomahawk, which looks very much like a Western until it reveals its full palette of colors. Our founder and editor Todd Brown wrote: "Though certainly not without its flaws, Bone Tomahawk very much succeeds in demonstrating the unique voice of its massively talented creator," namely, S Craig Zahler. Less surprising is the large-scale action in Dragon Blade, teaming Jackie Chan with John Cusack and Adrien Brody; our reviewer Loic Valcechini wrote that it "might offer thrilling fights and beautiful shots - thanks to Tony Cheung's photography and the marvelous scenery - but over-emphasised sentimentalism eventually becomes nauseous." (Note that this one actually released last week.) The newest attempt at a...
[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...
[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...
- 12/28/2015
- Screen Anarchy
"In a career positively littered with oddball entries, Shion Sono's The Whispering Star may very well prove to be the most oddball," begins Todd Brown at Twitch. "And, surprisingly, this is because he chooses the path of restraint rather than his usual excess. Megumi Kagurazaka stars as Suzuki Yoko, a humanoid robot traveling the universe in a bungalow shaped space ship delivering packages to the dwindling remnants of humanity now scattered throughout the stars." We're collecting more reviews of the third of six features Sono's shot this year—and we've got the trailer, too. » - David Hudson...
- 9/24/2015
- Keyframe
"In a career positively littered with oddball entries, Shion Sono's The Whispering Star may very well prove to be the most oddball," begins Todd Brown at Twitch. "And, surprisingly, this is because he chooses the path of restraint rather than his usual excess. Megumi Kagurazaka stars as Suzuki Yoko, a humanoid robot traveling the universe in a bungalow shaped space ship delivering packages to the dwindling remnants of humanity now scattered throughout the stars." We're collecting more reviews of the third of six features Sono's shot this year—and we've got the trailer, too. » - David Hudson...
- 9/24/2015
- Fandor: Keyframe
The 21st edition of Paris' Etrange Festival came to a fiendish close last night, awarding prizes to four lucky films and leaving local genre-heads heartbroken with the knowledge that it's a full 51 weeks until next year's festivities. Top honors went to Alex Van Warmerdam's hit-man comedy Schneider Vs. Bax, a delightfully nasty piece of work that our man Todd Brown has called "occasionally shocking and frequently hilarious." While Moonwalkers, "a very broad commentary on Swinging London, complete with numerous topless women, an excess of psychedelic drugs, and a brain-fried Ron Perlman, who must team with well-meaning yet ineffective music manager Rupert Grint to [convince Stanley Kubrick to fake the moon-landing]" didn't quite wow our Peter Martin, it certainly went the distance with local festival-goers, who gave...
[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...
[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...
- 9/15/2015
- Screen Anarchy
Clive Owen will star in Valerian, Luc Besson's adaptation of the French graphic novel series. He will star opposite Dane DeHaan and Cara Delavingne, according to Deadline, which also reports that the movie is budgeted at $180 million. As we reported, Besson boarded the project as writer and director in 2012. My colleague Todd Brown described the series thusly: "Created in 1967 by writer Pierre Christin and artist Jean-Claude Mezieres, Valerian follows the exploits of a stranded space-time police officer from the future and his companion from the past."The film is set to begin shooting early in 2016. Deadline says that the director showed a select crop of press early storyboards for the movie during Comic-Con in July: There are only five major human characters and dozens...
[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...
[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...
- 8/20/2015
- Screen Anarchy
Many of the famous film festivals have a movie market attached, and whenever people return from them, they bring posters, proofs-of-concepts, or just pitches, which are absolutely hilarious. Cannes was no exception, And Todd Brown brought us one pitch in which was particularly awesome. It may never get made, but we had a swell time making up titles for it. We won't divulge that particular one, for fear of endangering its chances in the real world (if it has any). But what made it so good was that it could be pitched as a totally inappropriate mash-up of two famous films, and that got our imaginations running. For starters it got us thinking about other ones. How about Pacific Smoke: a mash-up of Pacific Rim...
[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...
[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...
- 5/26/2015
- Screen Anarchy
Thanks to Finer Films, we have two double passes to giveaway for next week's special screening of Canopy mixed in stunning Dolby Atmos sound, the first local film to do so in Australia. The screening will be held at Crown Village Cinemas on April 21 to coincide with the week of Anzac Day. Dolby Atmos is the latest in surround sound technology that gives audiences the most engaging and lifelike cinema sound experience. "Canopy plays out almost entirely without dialogue, the audience plunged into the experience not via plot or exposition but through the impressive and omnipresent sound design," our boss Todd Brown says in his review. So you know how important sound is to this film, and now you have the chance to see it...
[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...
[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...
- 4/18/2015
- Screen Anarchy
The astonishingly surreal work of Japanese comedian-turned-filmmaker Matsumoto Hitoshi has long been championed here at TwitchFilm, and in some ways his fourth feature film - R100 - transcends anything he has yet produced. Positioned not as a comedy, but rather as the potentially upsetting tale of a reserved, unremarkable salary man struggling to raise his young son while his wife lies motionless in a coma, R100 has all the trappings of a classic Asian tearjerker. But rather than have his protagonist wallow in his predicament, or even find an understanding shoulder to cry own, R100 sees Katayama Takafumi (played by Omori Nao) enlist in the ultimate S&M club, with increasingly ridiculous consequences.As our own Todd Brown stated in his review of the film out of...
[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...
[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...
- 3/10/2015
- Screen Anarchy
Word comes from Twitch's Todd Brown that Johnnie To is currently at work on three projects. He'll direct a crime thriller, co-produce another and contribute to an eight-part omnibus film on the history of Hong Kong since the 1940s. The other seven directors are Tsui Hark, John Woo, Ringo Lam, Anne Hui, Sammo Hung, Yuen Woo-ping and Patrick Tam. Also: Steve Carell "in talks" to join Brad Pitt, Ryan Gosling and Christian Bale in The Big Short, the adaptation of the Michael Lewis bestseller. Gone Girl team David Fincher, Ben Affleck and screenwriter Gillian Flynn are working on a remake of the 1951 Hitchcock classic Strangers on a Train. And Annapurna Pictures will produce Mike Mills's 20th Century Women. » - David Hudson...
- 1/17/2015
- Fandor: Keyframe
Word comes from Twitch's Todd Brown that Johnnie To is currently at work on three projects. He'll direct a crime thriller, co-produce another and contribute to an eight-part omnibus film on the history of Hong Kong since the 1940s. The other seven directors are Tsui Hark, John Woo, Ringo Lam, Anne Hui, Sammo Hung, Yuen Woo-ping and Patrick Tam. Also: Steve Carell "in talks" to join Brad Pitt, Ryan Gosling and Christian Bale in The Big Short, the adaptation of the Michael Lewis bestseller. Gone Girl team David Fincher, Ben Affleck and screenwriter Gillian Flynn are working on a remake of the 1951 Hitchcock classic Strangers on a Train. And Annapurna Pictures will produce Mike Mills's 20th Century Women. » - David Hudson...
- 1/17/2015
- Keyframe
Hands up: Who wants to see the movie that made Twitch founder Todd Brown eat his own shirt in Austin back in September of 2013? Of course. We all do. But alI the Japanese dominatrices dolled up in all sorts of leather bondage gear may be more of a draw! Drafthouse Films will be releasing Masumoto Hitoshi's comedic and bizarre take on sex comedies R100 in the U.S. and they have just released a kinky poster and hilarious trailer.From the Drafthouse Films R100 web page. In this audaciously kinky, meta-comedic thriller, a lonely father with a secret taste for S&M (Nao Ohmori, best known for his titular turn in Takashi Miike's Ichi the Killer) hires a boutique dominatrix agency that specializes in guerilla acts of public degradation.Although the...
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[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...
- 12/12/2014
- Screen Anarchy
Just sharing a couple e-mails with Twitch lord and master Todd Brown today and he asked me to let everyone know that principal photography has begun on the Turkish horror film Baskin. Director Can Evrenol and his crew are buckling down for four weeks of night shoots. And as you can see from the image to the left there this will be a very deadly affair. Baskin revolves around four cops responding to a routine call and discover a Lovecraftian cult whose quarters hide the very horrors that should only belong in Hell!We are stoked about this horror flick. If you are unfamiliar with the project you can watch the trailer for the original short film below to get a feel for what is coming! (Todd Brown is...
[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...
[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...
- 12/3/2014
- Screen Anarchy
Director Vivieno Caldinelli, writer Matt Watts and star Roddy Piper have teamed up with executive producer Todd Brown, executive producer Andrew Rosen, and FX guru Steve Kostanski to bring horror fans Portal to Hell a crowdfunded horror-comedy effort that will begin as a short film before heading into feature territory.
The post Roddy Piper Meets Lovecraft in Portal to Hell appeared first on Shock Till You Drop.
The post Roddy Piper Meets Lovecraft in Portal to Hell appeared first on Shock Till You Drop.
- 11/26/2014
- by Ryan Turek
- shocktillyoudrop.com
To celebrate the release of Kidnapped, out on DVD and Download 13th October 2014, we have a copy on DVD to giveaway courtesy of Icon Film Distribution.
An intense “home invasion” shocker in the tradition of Funny Games, Straw Dogs and Mother’s Day, director Miguel Angel Vivas’ award-winning Kidnapped is an uncompromising horror-thriller of almost unbearable, nail-biting suspense.
“A picture of undeniable power. A film that is all about experience. An impeccably crafted, flawlessly performed film.” - Todd Brown, Twitch.
Available to order on Amazon today: http://amzn.to/1vWrAyl
To win Kidnapped on DVD, just answer the following question:
Which of the following films was also directed by Miguel Angel Vivas? Was it:
a) Reflections
b) Mirrors
c) The Glass House
Email your answer to NerdlyComps@gmail.com, making sure to include your name and address. You can also leave your answer on our Facebook page, just make sure...
An intense “home invasion” shocker in the tradition of Funny Games, Straw Dogs and Mother’s Day, director Miguel Angel Vivas’ award-winning Kidnapped is an uncompromising horror-thriller of almost unbearable, nail-biting suspense.
“A picture of undeniable power. A film that is all about experience. An impeccably crafted, flawlessly performed film.” - Todd Brown, Twitch.
Available to order on Amazon today: http://amzn.to/1vWrAyl
To win Kidnapped on DVD, just answer the following question:
Which of the following films was also directed by Miguel Angel Vivas? Was it:
a) Reflections
b) Mirrors
c) The Glass House
Email your answer to NerdlyComps@gmail.com, making sure to include your name and address. You can also leave your answer on our Facebook page, just make sure...
- 10/10/2014
- by Phil Wheat
- Nerdly
After seeing ABC’S Of Death 2 at Fantastic Fest (you can read my review of the film Here), I was able to sit down with the director of my favorite short in the anthology – Chris Nash. His short “Z is for Zygote” is about a pregnant woman left by her husband to survive in a cabin during the winter months. She takes a special root each day to satisfy her needs. It’s what happens when the roots runs out that will have horror fans twisting in their seats. Nash has previously directed a series of shorts called the Skinfection Trilogy. You can find those shorts through his Vimeo page by clicking Here.
The interview below does contain some spoilers to his short film. If you don’t want to have it ruined for you, go check out ABC’S Of Death 2 on VOD right now and then come back...
The interview below does contain some spoilers to his short film. If you don’t want to have it ruined for you, go check out ABC’S Of Death 2 on VOD right now and then come back...
- 10/3/2014
- by Michael Haffner
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Last night's Fantastic Debates were the talk of twitter (see our live tweet stream at @TwitchFilm) and all four fights were some of the best the event has seen yet. We're hoping to have some video for you in the coming days, but in the meantime, check out these awesome photos courtesy of David Hill. The order of events: 1) Josh Ethier vs. Joe Lynch - Cowboys vs. Ninjas 2) Jenny Jacobin vs. Maria Reinup - Literature adaptations 3) Matt Mason vs. Todd Brown - Bit torrent 4) Ti West vs. Tim League - Found Footage cinema...
[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...
[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...
- 9/22/2014
- Screen Anarchy
The Toronto Film Fest is all said and done for 2014 and again the Twitch team pumped out the reviews. You can find all our reviews here for your perusal and check out our top picks and misses in the gallery below. Previews Galas & Special Presentations Midnight Madness & Vanguard Tiff Docs & Contemporary World Cinema Discovery, Masters, and more Reviews '71 Review by Todd Brown Alive Review by Pierce Conran Big Game Review by Jason Gorber Cake Review by Ryland Aldrich Cart Review by Pierce Conran Charlie's Country Review by Jason Gorber Clouds of Sils Maria Review by Kurt Halfyard Electric Boogaloo: The Wild, Untold Story of Cannon Films Review by James Marsh Hector and the Search for Happiness Review by Kurt Halfyard...
[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...
[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...
- 9/19/2014
- Screen Anarchy
"There are those who wish the old, anarchic Takashi Miike would make a return while others are more than happy to see him grow into something more mature," writes Twitch's Todd Brown. "Over Your Dead Body fuses both sides of the director into an immensely satisfying whole in a way none of his previous work has even attempted." With Miike, "you never know what to expect going in, and often what to expect as the film unfurls," writes Notebook editor Daniel Kasman. We've gathered further reviews and tossed in the trailer. » - David Hudson...
- 9/13/2014
- Fandor: Keyframe
"There are those who wish the old, anarchic Takashi Miike would make a return while others are more than happy to see him grow into something more mature," writes Twitch's Todd Brown. "Over Your Dead Body fuses both sides of the director into an immensely satisfying whole in a way none of his previous work has even attempted." With Miike, "you never know what to expect going in, and often what to expect as the film unfurls," writes Notebook editor Daniel Kasman. We've gathered further reviews and tossed in the trailer. » - David Hudson...
- 9/13/2014
- Keyframe
Good news for Mexico based fans of revenge and cannibal films! After being part of the Riviera Maya Film Festival back in March, Jeremy Saulnier's revenge thriller Blue Ruin is coming to Mexican cinemas, under the title Cenizas del Pasado (Ashes of the Past). Distribution company Amarok Films secured the rights and already posted online the trailer with Spanish subtitles, though a release date is yet to be confirmed. Twitch founder Todd Brown said that "Blue Ruin is a goddamned work of art and the best American indie in a year (2013) that featured a bunch of really good American indies." Brian Clark also wrote great things about it in his Cannes 2013 review, such as "It's all incredibly smart. It is also violent, hilarious, very suspenseful...
[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...
[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...
- 7/5/2014
- Screen Anarchy
Opening tomorrow, June 6, in limited release is Richie Mehta's time travel drama/thriller, I'll Follow You Down. Mehta's brief CV is quite impressive, starting with Amal back in 2007, and moving on to last year's Siddharth (Todd Brown's top film of 2013). I'll Follow You Down premiered at last year's Fantasia Film Festival where our Kurt Halfyard hemmed and hawed about the film, praising Mehta's writing abilities but somewhat less effusive about his directorial abilities.The good people at Well Go USA have, once again, served us up an exclusive clip to whet the appetite of viewers and readers eager for a new time travel story. Kurt places I'll Follow You Down's story alongside formidable company like Rian Johnson's Looper, and such immortals as Back to...
[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...
[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...
- 6/5/2014
- Screen Anarchy
British comedy star Richard Ayoade has proven to be one of the brightest directing talents to come out of the UK in recent years and with his second feature film beginning its limited run on Us screens this week it seems a good time to share the talk we had when the film premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival. It's a fairly wide ranging chat, going from his roots as a comedy performer through the transition to directing and heading to the big screen with a very odd adaptation of Fyodor Dostoevsky.Todd Brown: Before coming here to meet you I took a moment to go back through the IMDb and the road you've taken to get here and it's really interesting. Back in the...
[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...
[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...
- 5/5/2014
- Screen Anarchy
Nothing is more frustrating than seeing a trailer for a movie that piques my interest only to realize I had the opportunity to see it before. In the case of the ridiculously titled Blood Glacier, I could have seen it at last year's Toronto Film Festival when it had a much better title, The Station. Of course, there may be good reason it wasn't brought to my attention the same way films such as Oculus and Afflicted became the talk of last year's Tiff when it comes to horror... In his review at Twitch, Todd Brown says the film has all the ingredients for a great horror film but, "Saddled with unlikeable characters and ineffective creatures The Station is left with nothing, really, but the impressive views. And while I like looking at a mountain as much as the next guy that's not at all what I came here to do.
- 4/4/2014
- by Brad Brevet
- Rope of Silicon
Hello! My name is Todd and I will be your humble(ish) guide through the sausage factory that is Hollywood. Or, to be more precise, I will be endeavoring to provide a window into aspects of the business of filmmaking that may seem odd, counterintuitive, byzantine and/or opaque. Very often, the reason things seem this way is because they are odd, counterintuitive, byzantine and/or opaque. They are this way for a reason and that reason is almost always "money". When Twitch's Todd Brown invited me to write on the business of Hollywood (and by "Hollywood", I really mean the business of cinema in general as all of the market mechanics everywhere are based on what Hollywood has laid out), I was given a short, starter-list of topics...
[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...
[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...
- 2/4/2014
- Screen Anarchy
Oh boy! It's Sundance time with the big winter fest kicking off today! The Twitch staff is primed and ready with our own head honcho Todd Brown making it out to Park City for the first time in too many years. Ben and I are back for more, with Sean pitching in from Salt Lake City. We also welcome the first time Sundancer Jason Gorber to the chilly fray (though surely warmer than Toronto) along with new Twitch contributor Valentina Valentini lending her expertise for some interviews and features. You never know, maybe an old friend will stop by as well. We'll be jumping into screenings and pumping out reviews in no time, but for split second reactions you can follow the team on twitter...
[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...
[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...
- 1/16/2014
- Screen Anarchy
Fantastic Fest award-winner Coherence has been acquired for U.S. distribution by Oscilloscope Laboratories, the company has announced. Directed by James Byrkit, the sci-fi/drama/thriller has a good setup: "On the night of an astrological anomaly, eight friends at a dinner party become subject to a troubling chain of strange and puzzling goings-on." The film debuted at this year's edition of Fantastic Fest on opening night and claimed the Next Wave Best Screenplay award. It also won the Best Screenplay prize at Sitges. Our own Todd Brown noted that the dialogue was largely improvised by the cast, which makes those prizes ironic. He also declared the film to be "a great personal favorite ... [it] should prove a welcome addition to the sci-fi canon for those who...
[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...
[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...
- 11/9/2013
- Screen Anarchy
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