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

Bent Elements and Straight Love: THE LAST AIRBENDER (left) and THE TWILIGHT SAGA: ECLIPSE.

It’s a double-dose of photodramatic discussion, disputation, and dissention on this week’s episode of the the Cinefantastique Podcast, as Dan Persons, Steve Biodrowski, and Lawrence French take on romantic vampires, macho werewolves, and elemental airbenders. Does THE TWILIGHT SAGA: ECLIPSE deliver? Can the post-production 3-D conversion process add depth to M. Night Shyamalan’s live-action adaptation of Nickelodeon’s THE LAST AIRBENDER? Plus: an interview with director Nimrod Antal about his work on the upcoming PREDATORS, and other news from the worlds of science fiction, fantasy, and horror, all delivered with lightning rounds of rapier wit and incisive analysis.

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”

=============================

I AM LOVE
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One of the Legends.

Liberation's Forge: A tense moment from STONEWALL UPRISING.

And so now we catch up on a couple of very good films that opened last week, but — because there’s only so much podcasting I can do before my ears start to bleed — had to wait a week to be covered. In the case of the film featured in this episode, STONEWALL UPRISING, the delay turns out not to be too bad: We’re still in the midst of  Pride Week, after all, so this documentary remains relevant.

This is from Kate Davis and David Heilbroner, whom we met earlier this year with the release of their black metal documentary WAITING FOR ARMAGEDDON. There are fewer church burnings in STONEWALL, but that doesn’t mean the event depicted — a 1969, NYC riot sparked when the police raided a gay bar called the Stonewall Inn and the patrons decided they’d had their fill of harassment — didn’t stoke its own kind of fire, specifically the birth of the gay rights movement. Davis and Heilbroner rally some great, eyewitness interviews — including the vice cop who led the raid — and manage to put the story in context with considerable footage from news shows and “educational” films showing how, even in the mid- to late-sixties, attitudes towards homosexuality had barely advanced beyond the let’s-burn-’em-at-the-stake stage. If you paired this up with another great doc released last week — 8: THE MORMON PROPOSITION, about the Mormon church’s concerted efforts to have their institutionalized homophobia turned into law — you’d get a good view of how far gay rights have come, and how far they still need to go.

Click on the player to hear the show.

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

===========================

STONEWALL UPRISING
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A Worthy Complement.

Days of Future's Past: Iconic images from Fritz Lang's METROPOLIS.

In Volume 1, Episode 14 of the Cinefantastique Horror, Fantasy & Science Fiction Podcast, Dan Persons, Lawrence French, and Steve Biodrowski visit the futuristic city of METROPOLIS, the 1927 science fiction classic from director Fritz Lang. The subject of a recent restoration that added over twenty minutes of footage, the film is ripe for reappraisal. Is it even better than before, or is the additional running time a mere marketing ploy to get you to buy more DVDs? Also under consideration this week: a Frank Frazetta obituary, Dario Argento does Dracula in 3D, plus a week’s worth of news and a look at upcoming home video releases.

First up is an interview with Ritu Sarin and Tenzing Sonam, the married directors of THE SUN BEHIND THE CLOUDS, a documentary about Tibet’s struggle for independence. A few years back, there were a handful of docs released on this topic. Most seemed to want to garner audience sympathy through scenic views of Buddhist temples and extended footage of prayer services — not really the most compelling argument for this viewer. Sarin and Sonam take a less romantic approach, focusing on the protests that rose up both within and without the country in 2008, while simultaneously following the Dalai Lama on his mission to gain international support for his controversial “Middle Way Approach,” wherein the struggle for independence would be ceded in return for more autonomy and religious freedom. That the filmmakers chose to present real world politics — including divisions within the movement itself — rather than trying to seduce people with pretty images goes a long way towards making this film a valuable and comprehensive evaluation of one country’s ongoing fight for liberty.

And while we’re talking about seduction, we follow up with a conversation with Nash Edgerton, the Australian stuntman-turned-director whose debut feature is the wicked noir thriller, THE SQUARE. I’d seen this film at a screening almost a year ago, and ever since have been champing at the bit for its long-delayed release. The film definitely traces its roots to the likes of BLOOD SIMPLE and RED ROCK WEST, but with a sense of brutal irony and a gratifyingly twisty interlacing of schemes and deceptions that makes it stand out on its own (and pretty much distinguish itself as uniquely Australian). It’s a good, dark ride; however long it took to finally hit the screens, it’s well worth the wait.

Pretty nice way to get back into production, methinks. Click the player to hear the show.

This Episode is Brought to You by
THE INFIDEL

THE SUN BEHIND THE CLOUDS

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THE SQUARE

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How Could We Not Recommend the Coens?

]]> http://mightymoviepodcast.com/blog/2010/04/10/the-square-and-the-sun-behind-the-clouds/feed/ 0 Activism,Controversy,Death,Debut Feature,Drama,Emotion,Gritty,Indie,Justice,Murder,Off Beat,Racism So what have we been doing for the past couple of weeks? Pulling our hair out, what's left of it. Making repeated calls to Verizon. Hosting a visit from their friendly and professional service person (really, no sarcasm there, the guy was good). So what have we been doing for the past couple of weeks? Pulling our hair out, what's left of it. Making repeated calls to Verizon. Hosting a visit from their friendly and professional service person (really, no sarcasm there, the guy was good). Being granted the privilege of shelling out for a replacement modem and still not having all of our problems resolved. But we're at least back more or less to where we were before our internet went south on us, so we're going to catch up on the outage by covering two films -- both very good -- this ep. No Clear Solutions: Exiled Tibetans protest in THE SUN BEHIND THE CLOUDS First up is an interview with Ritu Sarin and Tenzing Sonam, the married directors of THE SUN BEHIND THE CLOUDS, a documentary about Tibet's struggle for independence. A few years back, there were a handful of docs released on this topic. Most seemed to want to garner audience sympathy through scenic views of Buddhist temples and extended footage of prayer services -- not really the most compelling argument for this viewer. Sarin and Sonam take a less romantic approach, focusing on the protests that rose up both within and without the country in 2008, while simultaneously following the Dalai Lama on his mission to gain international support for his controversial "Middle Way Approach," wherein the struggle for independence would be ceded in return for more autonomy and religious freedom. That the filmmakers chose to present real world politics -- including divisions within the movement itself -- rather than trying to seduce people with pretty images goes a long way towards making this film a valuable and comprehensive evaluation of one country's ongoing fight for liberty. A Fool to Do Her Dirty Work: Ray (David Roberts) digs himself in deeper in THE SQUARE And while we're talking about seduction, we follow up with a conversation with Nash Edgerton, the Australian stuntman-turned-director whose debut feature is the wicked noir thriller, THE SQUARE. I'd seen this film at a screening almost a year ago, and ever since have been champing at the bit for its long-delayed release. The film definitely traces its roots to the likes of BLOOD SIMPLE and RED ROCK WEST, but with a sense of brutal irony and a gratifyingly twisty interlacing of schemes and deceptions that makes it stand out on its own (and pretty much distinguish itself as uniquely Australian). It's a good, dark ride; however long it took to finally hit the screens, it's well worth the wait. Pretty nice way to get back into production, methinks. Click the player to hear the show. This Episode is Brought to You by THE INFIDEL THE SUN BEHIND THE CLOUDS Trailer [youtube 34cLHNfFiZg nolink] www.thesunbehindtheclouds.com IMDB Listing THE SQUARE Trailer [youtube 49bD6LAKCN0 nolink] www.squarethemovie.com IMDB Listing Subscribe to MMP on iTunes Sign Up for E-Mail Updates [amazonify]B001B1UO7G[/amazonify] How Could We Not Recommend the Coens? Dan Persons no 35:18 http://mightymoviepodcast.com/blog/2010/04/02/delay-in-the-sun-behind-the-clouds-episode/ http://mightymoviepodcast.com/blog/2010/04/02/delay-in-the-sun-behind-the-clouds-episode/#comments Fri, 02 Apr 2010 21:15:44 +0000 Dan Persons http://mightymoviepodcast.com/blog/?p=1707 For reasons known only to Verizon (and maybe not even to them), I’ve lost my ability to upload files of any significant size, and so can’t get the interview with directors Ritu Sarin and Tenzing Sonam discussing their new documentary, THE SUN BEHIND THE CLOUDS, up in time for the film’s debut weekend at Film Forum.

Which is a pity, because, of the films I’ve seen in the past few years about Tibet’s struggle for independence from China, SUN — in focusing on the tumultuous year of 2008 and the numerous protests that took place both within and without Tibet– provides the most comprehensive explanation of the issues involved, including an exploration of the rifts occurring within the independence movement itself. Instead of focusing purely on the spiritual side of this struggle — a narrative gambit I’ve noted in other docs, and not always the most compelling argument for non-spiritual guys like me — Sarin and Tenzing acknowledge the politics of this issue, and show political realities are occasionally competing against religious ideals. It’s a worthwhile film if you’re interested in better understanding this fight, or even if you’re just interested in political documentaries in general.

Right now, I’m looking to Monday to finally have the episode up. Meantime, please check out the trailer and visit the website.

Trailer

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www.thesunbehindtheclouds.com

Jeff Bridges and Maggie Gyllenhaal in CRAZY HEART

So if the acceptance speeches didn’t get anywhere close enough to satisfying your curiosity about how these films came about, click on the players below. We’ve got MIGHTY MOVIE PODCAST interviews with the directors of all these films:

And come back Friday, when have an interview with the director of the Piaget Producer’s Award winner, THE EXPLODING GIRL