News

Beware and tread lightly, as Satan has once again erupted from the bowels of Hell to let loose another firestorm of insidious worship, gratuitous nudity and gore! Well, we’re in the ‘70s and he never really left anyway; the box office was very kind to the Horned One in that decade, and Vinegar Syndrome has polished up another one for a sparkling Blu-ray release, Satan’s Slave (1976).

This film was Norman J. Warren’s first horror outing after helming a couple of nudie flicks in the late ‘60s; a sign of the times, a lot of directors entered through the green door before seeking the slightly more reputable terror genre. Of the Warren’s I’ve seen (which is admittedly few), Satan’s Slave is the most accomplished and controlled, and a welcome addition to the coven of Satanic horror.

Let’s meet Catherine Yorke (Candace Glendenning – The Flesh...

By the late 1960s, Federico Fellini had more or less permanently transitioned from filmmaker to icon. The autobiographical 8½ basically ensured his films would be permanently inseparable from himself, the sort of commercial accomplishment of which most film directors can only dream. Most directors are fortunate to be recognized for putting their “touch” into an accepted format. Fellini was the format. His follow-up, Juliet of the Spirits, is an equally indulgent affair that serves loosely as an apology to his wife (Giulietta Masina, who also stars in the film), on whom he cheated for more or less the entirety of their marriage; the resulting film is as much his fantasy (sexual extravagance) as hers (Masina had a keen interest in the psychic realm). And so the template is set – Fellini would continue to make films about himself, but largely under the guise of someone else’s perspective.

He wasn’t shy...

'Nicholas and Alexandra': Movie starred Michael Jayston and Janet Suzman 'Nicholas and Alexandra' movie review: Opulent 1971 spectacle lacks emotional core Nicholas and Alexandra is surely one of the most sumptuous film productions ever made. The elaborate sets and costumes, Richard Rodney Bennett's lush musical score, and frequent David Lean collaborator Freddie Young's richly textured cinematography provide the perfect period atmosphere for this historical epic. Missing, however, is a screenplay that offers dialogue instead of speeches, and a directorial hand that brings out emotional truth instead of soapy melodrama. Nicholas and Alexandra begins when, after several unsuccessful attempts, Tsar Nicholas II (Michael Jayston) finally becomes the father of a boy. Shortly thereafter, he and his wife, the German-born Empress Alexandra (Janet Suzman), have their happiness crushed when they discover that their infant son is a hemophiliac. In addition to his familial turmoil, the Tsar must also deal with popular...

Fellini Satyricon

Written by Federico Fellini and Bernardino Zapponi (adaptation and screenplay) and Brunello Rondi (additional screenplay)

Directed by Federico Fellini

Italy, 1969

It’s somewhat surprising that in 1971, Federico Fellini was nominated for a best director Academy Award for Fellini Satyricon. To say the least, it’s a very un-Oscar type of film, especially by today’s standards. But it is a film, an exceptional one, that truly from start to finish conveys the creative imagination of its directorial guiding force. So perhaps in that regard, the nomination makes sense. This very rationale is also the reason why Fellini remains one of the greatest of all film directors, and why Fellini Satyricon, though not at all his best work, nevertheless remains so fascinating and precious. As its title suggests, the movie explicitly expresses the personal vision of its director—more than his name above the title, Fellini’s name was the title.

I'm a huge fan of Federico Fellini's films, films that have essentially become part of the the fabric of cinema history. This largely refers to La Dolce Vita, 8 1/2, La Strada, The Nights of Cabiria and Amarcord. Of course, I've also seen and enjoyed I Vitelloni and Juliet of the Spirits while also not particularly loving The White Sheik or Ginger & Fred. I mention this only as a note that I will pretty much devour whatever Fellini feature is placed in front of me, and as much as I was ready to delve into this new Criterion release of his 1969 feature Fellini Satyricon, I can't say the trip was an enjoyable one. Admittedly, Criterion always manages to deliver something intriguing with their releases and this new Blu-ray edition of Fellini Satyricon is no different, but not for the film itself, more for the supplemental material that makes you start to...

Another lost classic has been resurrected by the loonies over at Scorpion Releasing. Dig on all the details regarding Satan's Slave and find out how you can get your own devilish servant below.

From the Press Release

On March 20th, Scorpion Releasing and Katarina's Nightmare Theater present Norman J. Warren's Satan's Slave. A young girl (Candace Glendenning, Tower Of Evil, Flesh And Blood Show) moves in with her Uncle Alexander (Michael Gough, Batman, Berserk, Konga) after her parents' car mysteriously explodes. After being taken in by her cousins, she soon begins suffering strange visions. But what she doesn't know is that her planned role in the house is more sinister than she could have expected. Starring horror icon Michael Gough and Martin Potter (Goodbye Gemini) and directed by cult director Norman J. Warren (Terror, Inseminoid), Scorpion Releasing proudly presents the complete uncut version.

Special Features

Play with or without...

Two Australian interactive productions, one about Goa hippies, the other about Australian rural townsfolk have won awards at the SXSW Interactive Awards.

Goa Hippy Tribe, a social media documentary produced for Sbs won in the film and television category. The production, about a hippy reunion in Goa, India was produced by Freehand TV and directed by Darius Devas.

The second production was a multi-platform documentary called Big Stories, Small Towns by Martin Potter and Anna Grieves featuring stories by film-makers living in regional communities bringing locals’ stories to the screen. The production won in the community category.

Mike Cowap, investment manager of Screen Australia said: “SXSW is a top film and interactive event presenting fierce competition from around the world. In this context, such strong recognition for Australian digital projects is unprecedented and a huge triumph.

Other Australian finalists included Gotye’s “Somebody That I Used to Know“, animated cartoon...

Six digital projects have made the cut to represent the country at the prestigious SXSW Interactive Awards in the Us.

Goa Hippy Tribe, The Gradual Demise of Phillipa Finch, Curious Creatures, The Dragon Children, The World's Biggest Pac-Man and Big Stories, Small Towns are all finalists at the annual awards, which is held to determine the best new digital works worldwide. This can include anything from mobile apps and websites through to kiosks and installations.

Goa Hippy Tribe, a finalist in the film/TV category, is an online social media documentary produced by Freehand Productions. Directed by Darius Devas, the doco is about a hippy reunion in Goa and was supported by Sbs.

Also representing the country in the film/TV category is The Gradual Demise of Phillipa Finch, featuring the voice of Toni Collette (Mental). Produced by Rachel Okine of Hopscotch and based on the works of Emma Magenta,...

Mirror mirror on the wall. Who is the fairest of them all? Well it certainly ain't me, since my sun-baked-Gollum-in-a-wig visage smashed the mirror into tiny fragments only this morning. In Doctor Who-land though, put The Hand Of Fear or The Stones Of Blood in a mirror and you get...

Terminus!

Tenuous link? Maybe. But then I'd argue that those two Tom Baker stories are made up of three strong parts and a weak final one, whereas Terminus works on the reverse principle in most fans' eyes: an excellent first part goes steadily downhill into a runaround that's so dull it could be hosted by Mike Reid at the local Tory Party Conference (well, in 1983 anyway). Although "G-g-g-g-g-g-gooooo!!!" is a pretty appropriate phrase to bellow at Cameron and his cronies.

Is Terminus that bad though? It's not a Davison story that springs to mind instantly. A bit of memory...

Now that the 2010 line-up for the Criterion Collection has finally been announced with last week’s December titles, we can begin speculating on what we’ll get in 2011. With over 50 spine numbers in 2010, will we see # 600 in 2011? At the rate that Criterion is churning out these discs, we have to assume so. Where will they get all of these upcoming titles from?

Well, over the past few months we’ve seen several titles from MGM’s catalog announced, and hinted at in their monthly newsletter. Most likely due to MGM’s current financial problems, it’s nice to see Criterion stepping up to rescue these films from the abyss of “out of print”. If you head over to the various forums (CriterionForum.org, Mubi, etc.) you’ll find many people speculating on the MGM titles that Criterion has acquired the rights to. While some are mostly speculation, I have had...

Screen Australia has announced an investment of $15m on 13 productions, including a German/Australian co-production directed by Cate Shortland and development for Bruce Beresford, Sarah Watt and Phillip Noyce projects.

In terms of films, Fred Schepisi’s The Eye of the Storm - which began production without financial support from Screen Australia – is one of the beneficiaries.

Shortland’s co-production Lore will be produced by Liz Watts, Karsten Stöter, Benny Drechsel, Paul Welsh and Gabriele Kranzelbinder and set in 1945 Germany.

The third feature to receive support is Kieran Darcy-Smith’s debut Say Nothing, written in conjuction with Felicity Price and produced by Angie Felder.

TV series The Slap, Cleo and Blood Brother, as well as series two of Spirited. also received financial support.

The agency estimates that these projects will generate production worth $72m.

The projects are:

The Eye Of The Storm

Paper Bark Films Eos Pty Ltd

Executive Producers Jonathan Shteinman,...

Who is Alan Gibson? A pretty decent Hammer horror director whose "Crescendo" recently made its way to DVD via Warner Bros. archives. Now his much sought after 1970 horror thriller "Goodbye Gemini" (aka "Twinsanity") is heading to DVD after a lifetime of being unavailable in the format. The film focuses on 20 year old twins Jacki (Judy Geeson) and Julian (Martin Potter) Dewar who arrive in London to live at the house of their absentee father. They waste no time in making friends and launching themselves on London's swinging party scene with unexpected and ultimately tragic results.