The First Face/Off: Pierre Brasseur (left) and Alida Valli (right) carve up another victim in EYES WIHTOUT A FACE.

With theaters offering no new genre films this weekend, The Cinefantastique Podcast turns its all-seeing gaze back through the mists of time to a 50th anniversary examination of EYES WITHOUT A FACE, director George Franju’s moody masterpiece of art house horror. Imagine a dream of lyrical black-and-white images, of a lonely young woman, flitting through her home like a silent spectre. Her face, hidden behind a placid, mannequin-like mask, is a ruined mess. Her father, a brilliant but monomaniacal surgeon, is trying to restore her beauty – a process that involves kidnapping look-alike victims and transplanting their faces onto hers. When you see the operation in full view of the unblinking camera, you realize that your dream has erupted into a nightmare whose shock derives from the horrendous manner that the graphic imagery violates the poetic beauty of the film. The result is a classic not only of the genre but of cinema, easily one of the greatest horror films ever made. Follow Dan Persons, Lawrence French, and Steve Biodrowski as they dare to look beneath the mask – it’s all part of Cinefantastique’s ongoing Celebration of the science fiction, fantasy, and horror films of 1960.

IN THIS EPISODE:

1. News
2. Opening in Theaters
3. 50th Anniversary Discussion: EYES WITHOUT A FACE
4. New on Home Video
5. New at cfqmag.com

Left to right: Annette Bening, Julianne Moore, Josh Hutcherson, Mia Wasikowska, Mark Ruffalo in THE KIDS ARE ALL RIGHT.

In my discussion with director Lisa Cholodenko about her new film, THE KIDS ARE ALL RIGHT — about a sperm donor (Mark Ruffalo) abruptly entering the lives of a lesbian couple (Annette Bening and Julianne Moore) whose children were spawned from his seed — I mentioned to her that the tone felt distinctly Southern Californian. Just to be clear: Despite my typical, knee-jerk attitude as a chauvinistic New Yorker, that comment wasn’t meant as a slap. It’s just that there’s something in the trappings of the characters’ lives, in their careers (Ruffalo plays a locavorish restaurateur; Moore is a landscaper), and in the overall sunny feel of the film even as relationships are being fractured and reassembled, that left me feeling that, though this story could really have taken place anywhere, it couldn’t have played out quite as it does in this particular setting.

Which is good, I think. The left coast locale provides context to the way Bening and Moore style themselves as models of a progressive, twenty-first century couple, and a affords a certain, reassuring optimism as the complications thrown in the characters’ paths become increasingly challenging. As with her previous film, HIGH ART, Cholodenko knows how to dig under the skin of modern relationships, without shortchanging her characters or overselling the drama. Turns out it’s not suprising that this is coming out in the summer — KIDS is a cool counterpoint to all the massive explosions and CG aliens that have invaded theaters elsewhere.

Click on the player to hear the interview.

This Episode is Brought to You by:
THE KARATE KID
Play the Game!

THE KIDS ARE ALL RIGHT
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More Relationship Insights.

Genuine Gold: PSYCHO (left); PEEPING TOM (center); and HOUSE OF USHER celebrate their 50th anniversaries.

With no new horror, fantasy, and science fiction films opening nationwide this week, the Cinefantastique Podcast turns its eye on the 50th anniversary of a trio of terror from the year 1960: Alfred Hitchcock’s PSYCHO, Michael Powell’s PEEPING TOM, and Roger Corman’s HOUSE OF USHER. Relax and sit back in your time machine as Dan Persons, Lawrence French, and Steve Biodrowski offer their retrospective analysis of these classic films. Also this week: an interview with Richard Clabaugh, director of EYEBORGS, due on home video on July 6. Plus the usual compilation of news, events, and upcoming releases.

IN THIS EPISODE:

1. News
2. Opening in Theaters
3. Interview: Richard Clabaugh on EYEBORGS
4. Discussion: The 50th Anniversaries of PSYCHO, HOUSE OF USHER, and PEEPING TOM
5. New on Home Video
6. New at cfqmag.com

Ahead to the Past: Tilda Swinton in a retro-future moment from I AM LOVE.

Before going on a brief hiatus (explained further in the show; we’ll be back at the end of July, latest), we were lucky enough to get some time with Luca Guadagnino, director of the captivating drama, I AM LOVE.

The film comes out of Italy, and — in its story of a well-to-do woman (Tilda Swinton) being reawakened to life’s possibilities, to both tragic and positive ends — manages at once to embrace the country’s classic filmmakers while paving a new direction with Guadagnino’s distinctly bold, visual style and dynamic editing. Driven by the complex, densely-layered music of composer John Adams, this is a lush, emotional experience, and one of my favorite films so far this year.

Click on the player to hear the interview.

This Episode is Brought to You by:
STELLA ARTOIS
“Le CO2eux Soirée”

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I AM LOVE
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One of the Legends.

The gang has its typical falling-out in TOY STORY 3.

This week, the podcast review of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror takes you from the sublime to the ridiculous, as Dan Persons, Lawrence French, and Steve Biodrowski review TOY STORY 3 and JONAH HEX. Does TOY STORY 3 live up to its predecessors? Is JONAH HEX the biggest bomb of the summer or simply two films in one? Also on the menu, a round up of recent news, a calendar of upcoming events, and a preview of the week’s home video releases.

Household War: John C. Reilly (left) faces down Jonah Hill in CYRUS.

Wow. Four films worth talking about, all opening in the same week, and I’ve got interviews for all of them. I’m also pretty strung out to begin with, so I’m not going to attempt to get them all in within a single show, or even a couple of shows. Instead, we’ll start off with two comedies that are somewhat interrelated because they both break the mold in their own ways. Then, next week, we’ll be back with one episode looking at a fantastic documentary about the event that gave birth to the gay rights movement, and another episode about a beautiful and riveting drama from Italy starring Tilda Swinton. (Yeah, I could tell you titles, but, hell, listen to the show — they’re mentioned at the end).

Flawed Production: Agnès Jaoui (left) endures the ineptitudes of Jamel Debbouze (center) and Jean-Pierre Bacri in LET IT RAIN.

This week, we’ve got Agnès Jaoui discussing LET IT RAIN, her film about a politician (Jaoui herself) enduring an inept documentary crew (Jamel Debbouze and frequent Jaoui collaborator Jean-Pierre Bacri) in her public life, and family friction in her private one. As with the director’s previous effort, LISTEN TO ME, the interlocking havocs set the stage for a keenly nuanced view of the human condition, only this time with a considerably lighter tone.

Marisa Tomei (left) and John C. Reilly in CYRUS.

Then we’ll be talking with Jay and Mark Duplass about their new film CYRUS, wherein John C. Reilly tries to woo Marisa Tomei while fending off attacks from her passive-aggressive, live-at-home son, played by Jonah Hill. And if that log-line gives you chills, remember that the Duplasses were responsible for such cutting-edge, indie projects as THE PUFFY CHAIR and BAGHEAD. Here, they let that feeling of spontaneity — ganged to an exceptional cast — work its magic, and the result is a comedy with a refreshing sense of humanity.

Good stuff this week, with even more to come next. Click on the player to hear the show.

This episode is brought to you by:
GET HIM TO THE GREEK

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LET IT RAIN
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CYRUS
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When Reilly was Cyrus (sort of).

Why Do They Laugh at My Mighty Sword? - Jake Gyllenhaal in PRINCE OF PERSIA: THE SANDS OF TIME

In the sixteenth episode of Cinefantastique’s weekly Horror, Fantasy & Science Fiction Podcast, Dan Persons, Lawrence French, and Steve Biodrowski sift through the Sands of Time as they search PRINCE OF PERSIA for hidden political metaphors and/or weapons of mass destruction. The big screen film version of the popular video game stars Jake Gyllenhaal, Ben Kingsley, Alfred Molina, and Gemma Arterton – but, strangely enough, no Persians. Also in this episode: a fond farewell to Dennis Hopper; a preview of the WOLF MAN unrated director’s cut DVD; and the usual news and previews.

A Heightened Sense of Irony: Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) comes to terms with a lethal personal generator and a rampaging ego in IRON MAN 2.

This time, Dan Persons, Lawrence French, and Steve Biodrowski take a can opener to IRON MAN 2, the successful sequel to the 2008 blockbuster, starring Robert Downey Jr as Tony Stark. Does it live up to the original? Do the special effects give more bang for the buck? Can Tony Stark’s ego grow any bigger? And what’s up with Ivan Vanko’s teeth?

Also on this week’s agenda: A brief discussion of the trailer for J.J. Abrams super-secret SUPER EIGHT, observations on audience anticipation for both the upcoming THOR feature and the next installment of the TWILIGHT franchise, plus all the new releases on home video and the usual roundup of the week’s most newsworthy items.

Click on the player to hear the show.

Jackie Earle Hailey as Freddy Krueger in A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET

Freddy’s back, and the Cinefantastique Horror, Fantasy & Science Fiction Podcast has him in its sights. Is the new A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET a dreamscape of unspeakable terrors, or is it a big snooze guaranteed to induce micronaps? What’s up with those dour teens? Why are their parents so oblivious? And how big a distinction should be make between the old ”child killer” Krueger and the new ”child molester” version? These and other questions will be pondered, ruminated upon, delved into, and dissected by Dan Persons, Lawrence French, and Steve Biodrowski.