British filmmaker Alan Parker, who left us on July 31st, 2020, was not a prolific filmmaker. He made just shy of twenty movies but what a heavy footprint these movies left on me. Films like "Angel Heart," starring Mickey Rourke, and Robert De Niro as the devil, "Mississippi Burning" or that terrific film "The Commitments," which came out in 1991, they all made their mark on me, each one for a ... more >
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Alan Parker left an indelible mark on me
"So say it once, say it loud: I'm black and I'm proud" ("The Commitments")
BRIEFLY – RZA-directed “Cut throat city” comes out July 31st
132 minutes | USA | English
"The ninth ward isn't covered," or so goes the voiceover in RZA's new film "Cut throat city," which comes out at the end of the month. It's the story of four boyhood friends in New Orleans's Lower Ninth ward who return after Hurricane Katrina to find their homes destroyed, no employment, and no assistance available from Uncle Sam. Out of options, they turn to a local hood who offers them a shot at ... more >
NEWS: Zurich Fest joins forces with a Montreux institution
Ray Parker, Jr. to present new documentary about his career at event
The Zurich Film Festival and the Montreux Jazz Festival have entered into an alliance alliance. Europe’s most prestigious music festival is on board to present concerts in Zurich as partner of the “SoundTrack_Zurich” industry event which takes place during the Zurich Film Festival. In a bid to further expand its engagement in the field of music, the Zurich Film Festival (ZFF) announced the ... more >
ENNIO MORRICONE dead at 91
He had over five hundred credits to his name
We’ve lost a big dude today. The hardest-working man in movie scoring, Italian composer Ennio Morricone, has died at the age of 91 earlier today. He "died at dawn on July 6 within the comfort of faith," lawyer and family friend Giorgio Assumma said in a statement later released by the Italian media. He remained "fully lucid and of great dignity until the very last moment," the statement ... more >
EPIC PICTURES x DREAD ACQUIRE WORLD ON TRIO OF HORROR FILMS AHEAD OF CANNES MARCHÉ DU FILM
Los Angeles, Calif. | Epic Pictures and DREAD have announced the acquisition of the worldwide rights to a slate of three films ahead of the Cannes Marché du Film, which is set to take place digitally from June 22nd to June 26th, 2020. The films acquired for distribution include Andy Collier and Toor Mian’s horror flick "Sacrifice," co-starring Barbara Crampton (You’re Next, From Beyond, ... more >
#cannes2020 is dead. Long live #cannes2020
The films from this year's selection were announced today
PARIS - Finally, the suspense is over. Thierry Frémaux, programmer of the Cannes Festival, and Pierre Lescure, President, released today the names of the films that would've been screened at Cannes this year, had the event taken place. As we all know, the world went tits up in March, everything got canceled because of a wayward virus, including the Festival, and Donald Trump recently held a Bible ... more >
PREVIEW: “Blood Rider”
We haven't seen this yet, but it caught our eye (and we will talk about it on Screen Comment very soon). From director Jon Kasbe (he previously directed "When lambs become lions") comes this new drama about a motorcycle rider who transports that rarest of packages: blood. Amidst a blood shortage crisis and terrible traffic jams all day every day in Nigeria, it can take over twenty-four hours to ... more >