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We are now well into 2025, and our latest column features several books that will likely rank among the year’s finest and most important releases. Plus, this column features a lengthy rundown of new and recent novels that should be on your radar, as well as lots of 4K and Blu-ray gems. Let’s start with an entertaining and insightful look at female filmmakers.

Cinema Her Way: Visionary Female Directors in Their Own Words by Marya E. Gates (Rizzoli)

Anyone who has read critic and writer Marya E. Gates’ “Female Filmmakers in Focus” column for RogerEbert.com will agree that there is no one better suited to write Cinema Her Way. This lovingly crafted, visually sublime text is packed with info and interviews. Gates acknowledges the titans of cinema whose contributions paved the way for today’s filmmakers. And while there are passing references to biggies like Coppola and Gerwig,...

Discussion of war and sexual assault ahead.

Casualties of War took 20 years to develop, but when it was finally released in 1989, it was considered one of Michael J. Fox's best movies. The dark and controversial subject matter made it a challenging project to get green-lit by studios. Despite being critically acclaimed, Casualties of War was not a commercial success, possibly due to its disturbing and unflinching portrayal of horrifying actions committed during the Vietnam War.

Casualties of War is a Vietnam War movie based on a horrifyingly true story and starring Michael J. Fox, but the Brian De Palma project was a whole 20 years in the making. Casualties of War is based on a 1969 article from The New Yorker's Daniel Lang that detailed a group of soldiers kidnapping, raping, and murdering an innocent Vietnamese woman in 1966. The film portrays the unforgivable actions committed, while also detailing how Pfc Max Eriksson,...

This article contains spoilers

Netflix has a new hit show on its hands with Who Is Erin Carter?. The series, about a beautiful British teacher dealing with some serious fallout after she’s caught up in robbery in Spain, is certainly filled with intriguing mysteries, most of which slowly unravel over the first season. But if you have some lingering questions about what exactly was going on in Who Is Erin Carter? (or didn’t make it to the end but need to know!) we’re here to help.

So, who is Erin Carter?

Erin Carter’s backstory was revealed in episode four of this seven-episode mini-series, making it the spine of the series as a whole. She was an orphan found by the police after her mother went out one night and disappeared. Her father was not in the picture. She was raised in foster homes and orphanages in...

Who Is Erin Carter? is a thrilling miniseries with a satisfying ending that ties up all the mysteries and hints at an exciting future for the protagonist. Erin's past actions and relationships, especially with Lena, are reconciled and made right as they work together to take down the main villain, Daniel Lang. Erin's honesty with her loved ones allows her to come to terms with her past and ultimately save her family, setting the stage for a potential second season. #ErinCarter

Warning! Spoilers about Who Is Erin Carter season 1 ahead.Netflix’s thriller miniseries, Who Is Erin Carter?, packs a punch, with an ending that answers many mysteries before introducing a development that hints at Erin’s adventurous future. Brought forward by British production company Left Bank Pictures, Who Is Erin Carter builds its central characters solidly episode by episode, unveiling piece by piece Erin’s story and why she...

In the fifth episode of Who Is Erin Carter?, we saw some turmoil between Erin and Jordi because she finally told him about Harper not being her daughter. Harper, on the other hand, is more accepting of the information, and although she had a hunch that Erin wasn’t her real mother, she knows she loves her, and that’s all she needs. Emilio was killed by Daniel because he wouldn’t give him the name of the woman who made it all happen. Daniel did see Erin, though, so now that he has his answer, what will his next step be? Lena has freed herself back in England and is probably on the lookout for Erin and Harper. Will she be able to get to them? We’ll find out in Who Is Erin Carter? episode 6.

Spoilers Ahead

What Happens In The Episode?

Erin, Jordi, and Harper attend Emilio’s funeral.

As the world mourned the passing of legendary French fashion designer Pierre Cardin, a handful of people paid tribute by posting photos not of him but of … Marty McFly?

Yes, you may stumble across a “Rip Pierre Cardin” tweet with a picture of Michael J. Fox from “Back to the Future.” And if you’re an American seeing that, we assure you Fox is alive and well.

Let us explain:

Pierre Cardin is the name that pops up in the French version of Robert Zemeckis’ “Back to the Future.” In the scene where Marty wakes up in his mother’s bedroom after he’s traveled back in time to the 1950s, she reads the name on his underwear and believes that he’s “Calvin Klein,” and he starts going by Calvin for much of the film. In the French dub however, the future Mrs. McFly reads his underwear and thinks he’s “Pierre Cardin.

Casualties of War

Blu-ray – Region B

Explosive Media

1992/ 2:35:1 / 113 Min. / Street Date December 1, 2016

Starring Michael J. Fox, Sean Penn

Cinematography by Stephen Burum

Written by David Rabe

Music by Ennio Morricone

Edited by Bill Pankow

Produced by Fred C. Caruso, Art Linson

Directed by Brian De Palma

In 1969 The New Yorker published a detailed exposé by Daniel Lang concerning four soldiers deployed in the Phu My district of Vietnam who abducted a young woman and raped her repeatedly over the course of the next 24 hours. The following day, fearing discovery by incoming American helicopters, the sergeant in command of the squad ordered her killed.

There was a fifth soldier traveling with that crew, Max Erickson, the only man in Lang’s reporting with anything resembling a moral compass, who observed the actions of his sidekicks with a mix of helplessness and horror. His accusations lead to courts martial...

Sierra/Affinity to commence pre-sales at Efm next month.

Ethan Hawke and Noomi Rapace will star in the bank heist thriller written and directed by Robert Budreau.

Production is scheduled to commence in April on the project, based on the actual 1973 bank robbery and hostage crisis in Sweden’s capital city that was documented in the 1974 New Yorker article ‘The Bank Drama’ by Daniel Lang.

The events captured the world’s attention when the hostages bonded with their captors and turned against the authorities, coining the psychological phenomenon known as ‘Stockholm Syndrome’.

Scott Aversano and Will Russell-Shapiro will serve as executive producers and oversee Stockholm for Aversano Films banner along with Jason Blum for Blumhouse Productions.

William Santor, John Hills and Andrew Chang-Sang are also executive producers for financier Productivity Media.

Nicholas Tabarrok will produce via his Darius Films alongside Budreau through his Lumanity label, and Jonathan Bronfman for JoBro Productions.

“Stockholm will offer...

Back in 2015, Ethan Hawke starred in Robert Budreau’s drama “Born to Be Blue,” about jazz trumpeter Chet Baker. Now two years later, the duo are reuniting for Budreau’s upcoming thriller “Stockholm,” also co-starring Noomi Rapace.

Based on Daniel Lang’s New Yorker article “The Bank Drama,” the film, written by Budreau, tells the true story of the 1973 bank heist and hostage crisis in Stockholm. Giving rise to the psychological phenomenon known as “Stockholm Syndrome,” the events grabbed the world’s attention when the hostages bonded with their captors and turned against the authorities.

No additional details about the actors’ roles were revealed, though production is slated to begin in April. Sierra/Affinity will be presenting the film to buyers for the first time at this year’s European Film Market in Berlin.

Read More: ‘Alien: Covenant’ Trailer: Michael Fassbender and Noomi Rapace Return to Answer Questions — and Raise...

Ethan Hawke and Noomi Rapace will star in Sierra/Affinity’s true-story thriller “Stockholm,” the studio announced Friday. Directed by Robert Budreau and based on Daniel Lang’s famous New Yorker article, “The Bank Drama,” the film will retell the story of the 1973 bank heist in which the hostages bonded with the robbers holding them captive and eventually turned against authorities. The incident drew worldwide interest and gave rise to the well known psychological condition known as Stockholm Syndrome. There’s no word yet on who Hawke and Rapace will play in the film, but Sierra/Affinity says that they hope to sell it at.

Taking a glance over his filmography, it’s quick to surmise Brian De Palma’s lack of interest in the words “Inspired By” or “Based on a True Story.” His attraction to images leans so heavily towards their natural falsity rather than some kind of prosaic yet still wholly phony verisimilitude. But one of the few exceptions lends a tragic weight that few of his films have.

The true story in question is what’s commonly referred to as Incident on Hill 192: in 1966, an American army squad in the Vietnam War kidnapped a young village girl, then subsequently gang-raped and murdered her. Journalist Daniel Lang brought this to further public attention with a 1969 article in The New Yorker entitled Casualties of War, of which De Palma’s film would share the name.

It caught the attention of screenwriter David Rabe and then De Palma, who had, since the late ’70s,...

An entomologist, how fortuitous.

It’s the season to come to town and the mayor wants to kick out the expert because it might hurt their business. But it isn’t summer on Amity Island, it’s the Dia de los Muertos in a small Mexican village and it isn’t sharks, it’s a swarm of vicious insects. One thing is the same—we’ve got a man-eater out there. In Deadly Swarm, Dr. Daniel Lang (Shane Brolly) is an entomologist brought to this small village to take care of the malaria-carrying mosquitos. The mayor (Roger Nevares) isn’t too pleased that Lang’s sanitized mosquitos are now annoying the populace ahead of the Dia de los Muertos celebration. Meanwhile, the semi-crazed Dr. Fortsen (J. Patrick McCormack) has captured a swarm of deadly wasps and given them to a drug-smuggler to take back to the United States. This smuggler...

I still remember watching the flick The Swarm within the last couple of years. The flick redefined the word "boredom," and the problem was only compounded by its ridiculously long runtime. Hopefully Lionsgate's new flick Deadly Swarm can get some buzz back!

From the Press Release

The infectious Syfy Channel Original Movie Deadly Swarm is available for the first time on DVD August 13 from Lionsgate Home Entertainment. Created in the tradition of Arachnophobia and Snakes on a Plane, this horror flick stars Shane Brolly (Underworld franchise) and John Patrick McCormack (TV’s “The West Wing”) and is directed by Paul Andresen (Shockumentary).

Synopsis

Seeking out a cure for his wife’s serious illness, scientist Dr. Schroeder (McCormack) heads deep into a forbidden jungle in Guatemala, trapping thousands of killer wasps. Working with secret military backing, it is Schroeder’s contention that the venom from the wasps’ stingers can be of great medicinal benefit.

The 9th annual Florida Experimental Film/Video Festival, aka Flex, was held on February 15-17 in Gainesville, Florida. This year was one of the fest’s competitive years — (it alternates years with a curated event) – so they gave out 12 awards to 14 deserving filmmakers.

Awards were given out to both film and video artists and were broken up into both long form and short form categories. The film awards included projects in 35mm (Scott Stark), 16mm (Robert Todd) and Super 8 (Paul Clipson).

Below is the full list of winners. And below that is the full program lineup of the fest.

Film (long)

1. Scott Stark, Traces ($600 Kodak product grant)

2. Josh Gibson, Kudzu Vine ($200)

3. Shinya Isobe, Eden ($100)

Film (short)

1. Anja Dornieden and Juan David González Monroy, Awe Shocks ($600 Kodak product grant)

2. Robert Todd, Cove ($200)

3. Paul Clipson, Compound Eyes No. 1 ($100)

Video (long)

1. Ben Russell and Jim Drain, Ponce de León ($300)

2. Benjamin Pearson, Former Models ($200)

3. Paul Tarragó,...