Aleksei German once said “I am not interested in anything but the possibility of building a world, an entire civilization from scratch.” While “worldbuilding” has turned into a sort of buzz term, it’s fair to say that he did succeed in creating a meticulously detailed world that is as equally claustrophobic and terrifying as it is expansive and daunting. Aleksei German’s final film Hard to Be a God, an adaptation of Arkady and Boris Strugatsky’s novel of the same name, turned into a subject of curiosity given the thirteen-year production, dense source material and the death of the director before the film’s release.
Oh boy, we’ve got a montage of grinning stars in this trailer, which means ensemble fun! A litany of familiar faces has always been a selling point for the Barbershop series, and since ten years has passed since the last entry, there’s been a big cast shake-up. Most notable is the steep increase in female roles, with the series welcoming Nicki Minaj, Tia Mowry, and Regina Hall into the shop.
Over at our official Facebook page, we are currently posting daily film recommendations, with each week being a different theme. This is a collection of those recommendations! This week’s theme is focused on obscure cop procedural films.
“I heard once somebody describing Zionism as a person escaping a burning building jumping out of the window and falling on somebody else’s head.” – Orly Noy, Israeli peace activist Colliding Dreams is a historical documentary exploring the history and ideas of Zionism, a nationalist movement of the Jewish community. The documentary examines Zionism in relation to the Jewish-Israeli occupation, a highly politically and religiously charged conflict between the Zionists and the Palestinians that continues until this day.
Over fifty years ago, novelist Truman Capote narrowed in on the jewelry company Tiffany as the poster child for what would become one of his most famous pieces. “In Cold Blood” arguably brought him more fame, but “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” has lingered in the cultural zeitgeist longer thanks to its immaculate thematic work. The novella would have dimmed if Tiffany’s had faltered, but the store still stands tall in New York City, a bastion of hope that, perhaps one day, we can all have breakfast there.
“Awards bait.” The phrase is bandied around a lot this time of year in the run up to the Oscars. But what exactly is it?
Since 1989, when Batman became a mainstream film series for DC, and in 2002 when Spider-Man kicked off Marvel’s campaign, the legacy of the superhero on the silver screen has progressively grown. Particularly throughout the 21st century and through to the 2010s decade, superhero adaptations and the science fiction genre have practically dominated the Hollywood film industry, with the vast majority becoming massive commercial triumphs. We have seen a number of films released each year, and in 2016 we are awaiting a variety of superhero/comic book adaptations from Marvel, DC and others.
Every week Film Inquiry publishes the movies that are opening in cinemas! This week: Hail, Caesar!
As the title suggests, Denmark’s A War (originally titled Krigen) takes on a topic broad enough to play well anywhere in the world. War is messy, decisions must be made in the heat of the moment, and their ramifications are devastating. When a father and company commander makes a questionable call while deployed in Afghanistan, it follows him back home to his already tumultuous family.
First released with Kung-Fu Master! in 1988, Jane B. Par Agnès V.
Entering the world of an Agnès Varda film requires coming to terms with who she is as a filmmaker. She understood and explored the ways in which documentary and fiction are inextricably linked while generally eschewing linear narratives, working instead to show her own complex relationship with her films as she made them. Films like Jane B.
Theatrical animated releases have evolved since their early years in the cinema. What started out as intermission filler accompanying news reels, grew to full-length features of fairy tales of classics. Innovative techniques such as rotoscoping, claymation and stop-motion animation gave birth to fare which mature audience members could marvel at as an artistic innovation disguised as light-hearted children’s entertainment.
Between fronting various rock bands, starring in ’80s B-Movies and baring it all for dinner guests in the Aloha state, Jon Mikl Thor has been existing on the fringes of American pop culture going on 5 decades now. The subject of the new documentary I Am Thor, my review of which you can read here, he is poised to come roaring back onto the heavy metal scene and beyond. Jon was gracious enough to take the time to speak with me about the documentary, his career, and all that lays ahead.
There is none righteous, not even one. — Romans 3:10 Film is a memory machine.
Jodie Foster’s sporadic directing career continues with Money Monster, and it’s all but guaranteed to be her biggest hit. The leading duo of George Clooney and Julia Roberts alone should generate more than the $25 million Foster’s directorial debut Little Man Tate made back in 1991, and so far the box office totals for her movies have declined with every outing. Money Monster will crush that trend thanks to its leads, a summer release, and a storyline that’s both topical and entertaining.