Review: J.R. "BOB" DOBBS AND THE CHURCH OF THE SUBGENIUS, Illuminating Trip Down a Rabbit Hole
During the '80s, anyone who sent a dollar bill to PO Box 140306, Dallas, Texas, 75214 would eventually receive a weird black-and-white pamphlet filled with stark graphics and apocalyptic text that looked like it was cobbled together by UFO-obsessed John...
SXSW 2020 Trailer: Explore the Tragedy and Mystery of CURSED FILMS
Cursed Films is a new documentary series from Shudder that explores real-life tragedies and mysteries surrounding five infamous horror films: Poltergeist, The Omen, The Exorcist, The Crow, and Twilight Zone: The Movie. The Poltergeist and The Omen episodes of Cursed Films will premiere at SXSW in March 2020. All five...
SXSW 2020 Announces Midnight Titles, New Features and Much More
The second wave of SXSW Film titles has been announced, including the anticipated Midnighter films. The Midnighters titles include premieres of Dembanger, Lucky, Steven Kostanki's PG (Psycho Goreman), Relic, Run Sweetheart Run, The Silencing, The Toll, The Vigil , Witch Hunt and Yummy. Other films that immediately stand out iin the new announcement...
SXSW 2020 Will Open With Judd Apatow's THE KING OF STATEN ISLAND
SXSW Film Festival (March 13–21, 2020) has announced it’s initial lineup of feature films, documentaries, episodic television premieres, and special events. This year’s opening film is Judd Apatow's The King of Staten Island. Although there are many outstanding films in this massive ...
Crowdfund This: Artist Dave Cooper Embraces Live-Action Weirdness in the New Short SQUASH
Dave Cooper is an Ottawa-based artist with a fascinating background. After working in underground comics for companies such as Fantagraphics, Cooper shifted his attention to painting. He later embraced animation with work for such TV shows as Pig Boat Banana Cricket...
Review: RELAXER, An Uncomfortably Hilarious Ride
Opening and closing to the thunderous sounds of Prokofiev, Relaxer by Joel Potrykus is a grungy meditation on the fine art of relaxation. Relaxer is dark and disturbing. Relaxer is also very funny. The year is 1999. The world is...
SXSW 2019 Review: SAKAWA Explores Sex Scams, Voodoo, Dark Side of Capitalism
Sex spam is a fundamental part of the internet experience. Most of these solicitations are blatant scams, but many people still get ripped off by promises of romance and sex. Who are these scammers? Many of the perpetrators are actually...
SXSW 2019 Review: BELLINGCAT - TRUTH IN A POST-TRUTH WORLD, A Gripping Look at a Powerful Form of Internet Journalism
Professional journalism is in crisis mode. Major consolidation, cost-cutting, and technology shifts are leading to less outlets, less job opportunities, and less coverage of important issues. In this changing landscape, new models built around the unique capabilities of the Internet...
SXSW 2019 Review: J.R. "BOB" DOBBS AND THE CHURCH OF THE SUBGENIUS, Exploring a Texas Prank Cult That's Inspired Weirdos Worldwide
During the '80s, anyone who sent a dollar bill to PO Box 140306, Dallas, Texas, 75214 would eventually receive a weird black-and-white pamphlet filled with stark graphics and apocalyptic text that looked like it was cobbled together by UFO-obsessed John...
SXSW 2019 Review: TREAD Tells the Wild Story of a Bulldozer Rampage in Colorado
On June 4, 2004, Marvin Heemeyer--a businessman and an Air Force veteran--started up his Komatsu D355A tractor. Prior to the date, Heemeyer spent countless hours building a virtually impenetrable concrete-and-steel shell around the top of the tractor. After firing up...
SXSW 2019 Preview: A Close Up on Midnight and Visions
Yesterday we raised the curtain on the 2019 edition of SXSW with previews from across the program. Notably missing were movies in the Midnight and Visions programs from our writers on the ground. Take it away!...
SXSW 2019 Preview: Screen Anarchy Writers Raise the Curtain
The big Austin festival of movies, beer, movies, tech weirdos, movies, bbq, movies, hipster musicians, and movies is about to kick off again tomorrow. Our svelte but nimble team on the ground has culled through the massive listings and has...
SXSW 2019: PET SEMATARY, Midnighters, and Much More
Genre fans will find a lot to like in the latest announcement from SXSW Film. As previously announced, Jordan Peele's Us will open the fest. Now, we've learned that Pet Sematary from Kevin Kolsch and Dennis Widmyer (Starry Eyes) will be the...
SXSW 2019: Jordan Peele's US, Features, Docs, Episodic TV, and Much More
The 2019 edition of the SXSW Film Festival, which runs from March 8 to March 16th, is right around the corner. SXSW recently announced that opening night film: Jordan Peele's highly anticipated Us will be the opening night film. This week,...
Intense and Disturbing, CANIBA Finally Hits U.S. Theaters
After touring the festival circuit in 2017, Véréna Paravel and Lucien Castaing-Taylor's highly disturbing documentary Caniba is finally being released in the United States courtesy of Grasshopper Films. Caniba is playing theatrically in New York during October. Then, the film...
Aperture: Asia & Pacific Film Festival Kicks Off in London
After launching in Glasgow earlier in the year, Aperture: Asia & Pacific Film Festival is coming to London from June 29 - July 7, 2018. Aperture, which is co-directed by Sonali Joshi and Jasper Sharp, is the only festival in...
Crowdfund This: Estonian Horror Comes Alive in BAD HAIR
There aren't many genre films being made in Estonia, but director Oskar Lehemaa is trying to turn to tide. Lehemaa and his producers have initiated an crowdfunding campaign on Indiegogo to raise funds for a new body horror short film called...
Overlook 2018 Announces Massive Lineup with UNFRIENDED: DARK WEB, ST. AGATHA, HEREDITARY and Much More
After its first edition at the Timberline Hotel in Oregon, The Overlook Film Festival has moved to the haunted city of New Orleans, Louisiana. This year's festival, which runs from April 19th to April 22nd, is packed with the kind...
SXSW 2018 Review: PERFECT Delivers an Overwhelming Sensory Assault
Perfect is a phantasmagoric nightmare built upon psychedelic imagery and wild ideas. Playing out like a mind-fried riff on Altered States, this ambitious film is as impressive as it is confounding. After a teenager (Garrett Wareing) commits a horrible crime,...
SXSW 2018 Review: MILFORD GRAVES FULL MANTIS, Discovering Hidden Worlds of Sight and Sound
Music documentaries usually fall into a few limited categories, including glowing hagiographies, concert films and rise-and-fall tragedies. These categories persist, at least in part, because they provide foolproof audience-friendly templates for filmmakers to follow. Milford Graves Full Mantis goes down...
