Tag Archives: movie

Here’s The Trailer for Deathgasm!

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

So, I just watched the trailer for Deathgasm, a new horror comedy from New Zealand and seriously, what else can I say other than…

Oh.  My.  God!

To be honest, when I read that this film was about a heavy metal band fighting a demon, I was kinda like bleh.  I mean, that is so seriously not my type of music.  (If the movie was about a DJ fighting a demon with the the power of EDM, that would be a different story.)  But the trailer is just so over-the-top and crazy that I may have to give Deathgasm a chance.

Here’s The Trailer for The Lobster!

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

Here’s the trailer for The Lobster!  

It’s a film in which a government forces single people to a resort where they are transformed into animals.  (Like a lobster, for instance.)  The film caused quite a stir at Cannes earlier this year and personally, I can’t wait to see it for myself!

Here’s The Trailer for Beasts of No Nation!

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

Beasts of No Nation.

Could this film be the one that nets Idris Elba his first Oscar nomination?  And, considering that it will be premiering on Netflix at the same time it gets its limited theatrical release, will Beasts of No Nation change the way the films are distributed?  We shall see!

Beasts of No Nation will be released on October 16th.

The Seventh Annual Academy Awards: 1920

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

Over on Through the Shattered Lens Presents the Oscars, we are reimagining Oscar history, one year at a time. Today, we take a look at 1920. Prohibition goes into effect, women finally get the right to vote, Harding is elected President, D.W. Griffith finally gets some recognition, and Fatty Arbuckle is the most popular man in Hollywood!

Lisa Marie Bowman's avatarThrough the Shattered Lens Presents The Oscars

William S. Hart, the Third President of AMPAS William S. Hart, the Third President of AMPAS

1920 was a year of many changes.

On January 16th, the 18th Amendment went into effect and prohibition became the law of the land.  Suddenly, it was illegal to transport and sell alcohol in the United States.  As social reformers rejoiced, the government grew and ordinary citizens started to hoard whatever liquor they had.  (Selling alcohol was illegal but drinking it was not.)  Perhaps the people happiest about prohibition were the gangsters who now had a totally new market to exploit.

On August 26th, the 19th amendment to the U.S. Constitution passed and, finally, all women were granted the right to vote.  And it came not a minute too late because it was time for the United States to elect a new president.  Weary after the nonstop drama of  8 years of Woodrow Wilson, the American electorate turned to Warren…

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4 Shots From 4 Films: Mirrormask, Enter the Void, Pina, Post Tenebras Lux

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

4 Shots From 4 Films is just what it says it is, 4 shots from 4 of our favorite films.  As opposed to the reviews and recaps that we usually post, 4 Shots From 4 Films is all about letting the visuals do the talking.

4 Shots From 4 Films

Mirrormask (2005, directed by Dave McKean)

Mirrormask (2005, directed by Dave McKean)

Enter the Void (2009, directed by Gaspar Noe)

Enter the Void (2009, directed by Gaspar Noe)

Pina (2011, directed by Wim Wenders)

Pina (2011, directed by Wim Wenders)

Post Tenebras Lux (2012, directed by Carlos Reygadas)

Post Tenebras Lux (2012, directed by Carlos Reygadas)

Here’s The Trailer For The Danish Girl!

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

Here’s the trailer for The Danish Girl, a film that everyone is expecting to be a major Oscar contender.

They’re saying that Eddie Redmayne might be the first actor since Tom Hanks to win two consecutive awards for best actor.

(By they, of course, I mean my next door neighbor and the cashier who took my money at Victoria’s Secret this weekend.  Seriously, they are Oscar crazy!)

Plus, Alicia Vikander is in it.  She’s in like a 100 films this year.  (You may have seen her in Ex Machina and if you didn’t, you missed a great film.)  She will definitely be nominated for something.  It’s just a question of what.  If The Danish Girl is a big Oscar contender, it could very will be the film that gets her a nomination.

Here’s The Trailer for MacBeth!

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

Hey, did anyone else ever do high school theater and get violently admonished for loudly yelling “MacBeth!” while wandering around backstage in her underwear?  Or was that just me?

Anyway, here’s the first U.S. trailer for the upcoming Shakespeare adaptation, MacBeth!  This version stars Michael Fassbender and Marion Cotillard and, judging from the trailer, it certainly looks dark and gloomy.

Watch it below!

 

6 Trailers from Wes Craven

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

(Credit: Gracja Waniewska)

(Credit: Gracja Waniewska)

Last night, we were all stunned by the news that director We Craven had passed away after a battle with brain cancer.  If you want to see a great tribute to Craven, check out this 4 Shots From 4 Films that Arleigh posted on his birthday.  If you want to read a great reflection of Wes Craven and his career, check out this tribute from Ryan the Trashfilm Guru.

As for me, I’m going to share an anecdote and then, I’m going to pay tribute to Wes with a six trailer salute.

First, the anecdote.  I can still remember the first time that I ever watched Last House On The Left.  It was a film that I had mixed feelings about.  On the one hand, as a horror lover, I could not help but be impressed by the terrifying performances of Fred Lincoln and David Hess.  I could not help but by moved by the way Hess’s haunting song, Now You’re All Alone, was used in the film.  And, as low-budget and exploitive as the film may have been, I could see that Wes Craven was more interested in critiquing sadism than in celebrating it.

At the same time, it was still an unpleasant film for me, as a woman, to watch and the addition of some clumsy humor pretty much confirmed that Craven was still finding his way as a filmmaker.  It was one of those films that I knew, as a horror fan, I had to watch but I wouldn’t say that I enjoyed it.

However, that night, I did end up watching the movie twice.  I watched it a second time so that I could listen to the commentary from Wes Craven and producer Sean S. Cunningham.  And — oh my God — both of these guys were so funny and charming!  Craven, especially, seemed to enjoy pointing out scenes that didn’t quite work and the frequently awkward dialogue that he had written.  Craven and Cunningham both came across as being two of the nicest guys in the world and it was indeed an experience to hear them cheerfully talking while these absolutely vile images were flickering by onscreen.

And really, that taught me an important lesson and it’s one that I remember to this day.  Whenever I hear some judgmental know-it-all claiming that only a sick person could direct or write a horror movie, I remember that charming Wes Craven audio commentary.

And now, here are six trailers for six of Wes Craven’s films.

Wes Craven, R.I.P.

What Lisa Watched Last Night #136: Fatal Flip (dir by Maureen Bharoocha)

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

Last night, I watched the latest Lifetime film, Fatal Flip!

fatal-flip

Why Was I Watching It?

With a name like Fatal Flip, I was thinking that this film might be another Lifetime cheerleader film.  And, as I’m sure I’ve mentioned before, one of my favorite Lifetime films of all time is Fab Five: The Texas Cheerleader Scandal.  I figured I could watch the movie and then ask Dazzling Erin whether or not Fatal Flip was an accurate portrayal of the dangerous world of cheerleading.

What Was It About?

Well, it quickly became obvious that Fatal Flip had absolutely nothing to do with cheerleading.  Instead, it turned out that Fatal Flip was about the dark side of house flipping.

Alex (Dominique Swain) and her boyfriend Jeff (Michael Steger) max out their credit cards so that they can buy a colonial house that they plan to fix up and then sell for a profit.  At first, Alex and Jeff are convinced that they can fix up the entire house on their own but then it turns out that Jeff is kind of a whiny little wimp.

Fortunately, while at the hardware store, Jeff meets Nate (Mike Faiola).  Nate knows everything about home improvement.  He also wears a lot of plaid.  Anyway, Nate agrees to help Jeff and Alex fix up the house.  And, because this is a Lifetime movie, neither Jeff nor Alex have any problem with Nate moving in with them.

However, Nate has secrets of his own.  For instance, there’s the woman who he previously sealed up in a wall.  Plus, he has a beard which, in the world of Lifetime, is always a huge red flag.

And, of course, he wears a lot of plaid…

What Worked?

The whole film was about redecorating a house so I definitely enjoyed that.  One of the fun things about watching a movie on Lifetime is that a lot of attention is always paid to the interior of everyone’s house.  Fatal Flip took that tendency to its logical extreme.

What Did Not Work?

Obviously, a movie like this always requires a certain suspension of disbelief.  But seriously, Fatal Flip took it just a little too far.  Nate was so obviously unhinged that it was impossible to believe that anyone could be stupid enough to not realize it.

Add to that, a better title for the film would have been The Plaid Killer.  Because, seriously, when it came to Nate, it was nonstop plaid.

“Oh my God!  Just like me!” Moments

Much like Alex, I also enjoy making houses look nice and salable.  (Though I do have to say that I’m kind of surprised that she never changed the wallpaper in the living room.  Seriously, that was bothering me through the entire film.)

Lessons Learned

House flipping is not as glamorous as HGTV would have you believe.