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A new breed of creature-features was unleashed in the 1990s and continued well into the next decade. Shaking off the ecological messaging of the past, these monsters existed for the sake of pure mayhem. Just to name a few: Tremors, The Relic, Anaconda, Godzilla, Deep Rising and Lake Placid all showcased this trend of irreverent creature chaos. Reptiles and other scaly beasts proved to be a popular source of inspiration for these films, but for that extra crawly experience, bugs were the best and quickest route. Spiders, in particular, led some of the worst infestations on screen in the early 2000s. And on the underbelly of this creeping new wave — specifically the direct-to-video sector — hangs an overlooked offering of spider horror: Arachnid.

In 2000, Brian Yuzna and Julio Fernández launched the Spanish production company Fantastic Factory. The Filmax banner’s objective was to create modestly budgeted genre films for international distribution.

"Everyone dies on their own terms." So says a woman in the first trailer for Chain of Death, a film that forges a trailer through horror/thriller territory. The woman works for an assisted suicide company that promises to ease the pain and suffering for those involved. For those considering such a final action, it sounds like a comfort. In the case of one man, though, the discovery that he is expected to kill someone else first ... well, that raises some other issues that are not so comforting. John Patrick Amedori, Madeline Zima, Adrienne Barbeau, Ray Wise, Jamie Clayton, and Neus Asensi star. That cast, and the tone of the trailer, is definitely intriguing. David Martín Porras directed, based on a screenplay by himself and...

[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...

In today’s film news roundup, buyers take rights to “The Song of Names” and “Chain of Death” while and Shaquille O’Neal becomes an executive producer for legal thriller “Foster Boy.”

Acqusitions

Sony Pictures Classics has bought U.S. rights to the music drama “The Song of Names,” starring Tim Roth and Clive Owen.

The film is directed by “The Red Violin” helmer François Girard and is produced by Robert Lantos, Lyse Lafontaine and Nick Hirschkorn. Jeffrey Caine wrote the screenplay, based on the novel by Norman Lebrecht. The original score is by Howard Shore.

The film unfolds at the start of World War II and centers on 9-year-old violin prodigy who is a Polish-Jewish refugee in London. The prodigy’s brother is devoted to him. Hours before his debut concert performance at the age of 21, he vanishes without a trace. Years later, the prodigy’s brother recognizes a...

The 2017 Berlin Film Festival has revealed its first slate of 14 films for the Competition and Berlinale Special sections, including new work from Aki Kaurismaki (“The Man Without a Past”), Oren Moverman (“Time Out of Mind”) and Sally Potter (“Ginger & Rosa”). The festival will also screen a restored version of Rainer Werner Fassbinder’s 1972 TV series “Eight Hours Don’t Make a Day.”

Read More: The 2016 Indiewire Berlin International Film Festival Bible: Every Review, Interview and News Item Posted During Run of Festival

So far, ten films have been invited to screen in Competition, and four films have been selected for Berlinale Special. These productions and co-productions are from the United State, the United Kingdom, Hungary, Belgium, Poland, Senegal and more.

The 67th Berlin International Film Festival will run from February 9 through 19. Further films will be revealed in the coming weeks. For more information, visit the official website.

Read More: The...

After Sundance Film Festival concludes in late January, the next big cinematic event on the globe is the Berlin International Film Festival. With Paul Verhoeven serving as jury president for the 67th edition of the festival, they’ve now announced their first line-up of titles, including Aki Kaurismäki‘s The Other Side of Hope (pictured above), Oren Moverman‘s Richard Gere-led The Dinner, Sally Potter‘s The Party (pictured below), and Agnieszka Holland‘s Spoor, as well as a restoration of a Rainer Werner Fassbinder TV show.

Check out the first titles below, and return for our coverage from the festival.

Competition

A teströl és a lélekröl (On Body and Soul)

Hungary

By Ildiko Enyedi (My 20th Century, Simon the Magician)

With Géza Morcsányi, Alexandra Borbély, Zoltán Schneider

World premiere

Ana, mon amour

Romania/Germany/France

By Călin Peter Netzer (Child‘s Pose, Maria)

With Mircea Postelnicu, Diana Cavallioti,...

Aki Kaurismäki, Oren Moverman, Agnieszka Holland, Sally Potter among Competition lineup.

The first 14 films have been announced for the Competition and Berlinale Special sections of the 67th Berlin International Film Festival.

Among directors with movies in competition are Aki Kaurismäki, Oren Moverman, Agnieszka Holland, Andres Veiel, Sebastián Lelio and Sally Potter.

Festival veteran Kaurismäki will debut new film The Other Side Of Hope about a Finnish travelling salesman who meets a Syrian refugee.

Moverman’s (The Messenger) mystery-drama The Dinner stars Richard Gere, Laura Linney, Steve Coogan, Rebecca Hall and Chloë Sevigny. Based on the novel by Herman Koch, the film looks at at how far parents will go to protect their children.

Oscar-nominated Holland, who was nominated for the Golden Bear in 1981, will be at the Berlinale with crime-drama Pokot.

Potter returns to Berlin with ensemble comedy-drama The Party starring Patricia Clarkson, Bruno Ganz, Cherry Jones, Emily Mortimer, Cillian Murphy, Kristin Scott Thomas and [link...

Aki Kaurismäki, Oren Moverman, Agnieszka Holland, Sally Potter among competition lineup.

The first 14 films have been announced for the Competition and Berlinale Special sections of the 67th Berlin International Film Festival.

Among directors with movies in competition are Aki Kaurismäki, Oren Moverman, Agnieszka Holland, Andres Veiel, Sebastián Lelio and Sally Potter.

Moverman’s (The Messenger) mystery-drama The Dinner stars Richard Gere, Laura Linney, Steve Coogan, Rebecca Hall and Chloë Sevigny.

Fernando Trueba’s comedy-drama The Queen of Spain, starring Penelope Cruz, will get its international premiere in the Berlinale Special strand.

More to follow…

Competition

A teströl és a lélekröl (On Body and Soul) (Hungary)

By Ildiko Enyedi (My 20th Century, Simon the Magician)

With Géza Morcsányi, Alexandra Borbély, Zoltán Schneider

World premiere

Ana, mon amour (Romania / Germany / France)

By Călin Peter Netzer (Child‘s Pose, Maria)

With Mircea Postelnicu, Diana Cavallioti, Carmen Tănase, Adrian Titieni, Vlad Ivanov

World premiere

Beuys - Documentary (Germany)

By Andres Veiel ([link...

Santiago Segura's black comedy about a corrupted and crooked cop is the highest-grossing Spanish film in its native country; if the endlessly repellent and disgusting goings-on in this outrageous effort are any indication, Spaniards are in serious trouble.

Imagine "Ace Ventura" directed by John Waters and you'll get an idea of the humor on display. The film was recently showcased at the Miami Film Festival, where its lack of political correctness engendered gales of audience laughter.

Actually, "Torrente, the Dumb Arm of the Law" starts out promisingly. The filmmaker's wickedly satirical sensibility is immediately apparent in an amusing sequence in which the title character, memorably played by Segura, cruises the streets of Madrid looking approvingly at the crimes and mayhem being perpetrated around him. When he stops by a grocery store that is suddenly held up by a pair of robbers, Torrente not only doesn't intervene but takes the opportunity to snatch a few things for himself.

Unfortunately, once we understand the degree of the character's loutishness, there is nowhere to go but down. Segura piles on the outrageousness and cruelty, looking for laughs in such areas as Torrente's shocking lack of personal hygiene and his abusive treatment of his elderly crippled father. One of the many cringe-inducing visuals shows the character shaking his ratty hairpiece to get the cockroaches out. Sweaty, fat and endlessly flatulent, the racist and misogynistic Torrente is one of the most unlikely screen protagonists ever.

Among the film's ramshackle plot developments are Torrente's mentoring of a nearsighted, geeky young neighbor, whom he takes to a local park for target practice that endangers small children; his unlikely romantic relationship with that young man's nymphomaniac sister; and his stumbling onto a drug-selling operation being conducted at the local Chinese restaurant. But storytelling is beside the point; Segura's interest lies in grossing out his audience as much as possible -- and he succeeds admirably.

Somehow, he even manages to make this detestable character perversely likeable; perhaps it's because in this endlessly wishy-washy era, Torrente makes no apologies for his unremittingly sleazy behavior. Considering the film's boxoffice success, no doubt he'll be back to wreak more havoc.

TORRENTE, THE DUMB ARM OF THE LAW

Lolafilms, Rocabruno and Cartel

Direction/screenplay: Santiago Segura

Producer: Andres Vicente Gomez

Associate producer: Marco Gomez

Cinematography: Carles Gusi

Editor: Fidel Collados

Music: Roque Banos

Color/stereo

Cast:

Torrente: Santiago Segura

Rafi: Javier Camara

Amparito: Neus Asensi

Reme: Chus Lampreave

Father: Tony Leblanc

Malaguita: Julian Sanjuan

Running time -- 97 minutes

No MPAA rating...