Made for French TV, Stéphane Benhamou’s documentary is very specific on the creation and impact of Coco Chanel’s most popular perfume which ultimately transformed her into a global brand and one of the wealthiest women of her time, but perhaps new to the fashion icon’s story is the rather dirty maneuvering which suggests Chanel was a self-serving Nazi sympathizer…
There’s a chilling moment in Jonathan Hayoun’s hour-long documentary in which a city mayor isolates the dark history of Auschwitz to a 4 year period in which the Nazis invaded Poland, built their largest killing centre, and left after the Soviets pushed them out…
Reviews of works currently screening at TJFF 2018 begins with The Ancient Law / Das alte Gesetz (1923), a rare German film supported by a live score performance with pianist Donald Sosin and Klezmer violinist Alicia Svigals.
Recently cited as the precursor & inspiration to Warner Bros.’ classic and history making all-talking, all-singing sound hit The Jazz Singer (1927), this forgotten German silent classic was recently restored by gathering the best elements from five surviving colour-tinted prints from around the world, as the original negative and German version no longer exist…
Now Where Were We? Right. Let’s go back to LAST NIGHT (1998)
Don McKellar’s LAST NIGHT (1998) is the first review after a long pause in activities at KQEK.com
Gothic Steele: An Angel for Satan (1966)
Review of AN ANGEL FOR SATAN / UN ANGELO PER SATANA (1966), Barbara Steele’s last Italian Gothic, on Blu-ray from Severin Films
Spanish Giallo I: When a Cannibal is not a Cannibal, but When a Scream is Indeed a Scream
Severin Films showcases the work of Eloy de la Iglesia via two fine Spanish gialli entries: NO ONE HEARD THE SCREAM (1973) + CANNIBAL MAN (1972)
ArtScopeTO 10: Interview with Abstract Painter Donna Wise
For my occasional podcast series ArtScope TO, Abstract Painter Donna Wise discusses her unique techniques, and working during the 2020-2021 pandemic.
Podcast: Jason Pichonsky on Restoring Julian Roffman’s THE BLOODY BROOD (1959) + PHOBIA (1980)
Alongside a podcast with CanCon film historian Jason Pichonsky are revised reviews of Julian Roffman’s THE BLOODY BROOD (1959) + John Huston’s PHOBIA (1980), both from KINO Lorber / Unobstructed View.
Podcast: ANNE WITH AN E composers Amin Bhatia & Ari Posner
Podcast interview with ANNE WITH AN E’s composing team Amin Bhatia and Ari Posner.
Assorted characters collide and interact in the lead-up to Earth’s demise at precisely midnight.
BR: Angel for Satan, An / Un angelo per Satana (1966)
Had Barbara Steele remained in Europe – especially Italy – during the early 1970s, she may well have appeared in giallo thrillers…
BR: Cannibal Man / La semana del asesino / Apartment on the 13th Floor, The (1972)
Cannibal Man has a palpable crime-drama feel – the events unfold after daily title cards – and one can sense Hitchcockian sensibilities…
BR: No One Heard the Scream / Nadie oyó gritar (1973)
After the grisly thriller Cannibal Man (1972), Spanish auteur Eloy de la Iglesia opted for a far less graphic thriller which is part giallo…
DVD: Go-Go Boys: The Inside Story of Cannon Films, The (2014)
Produced and released around the same time as Electric Boogaloo: The Wild, Untold Story of Cannon Films (2014), the approach by director Hilla Medalia is a more authorized chronicle…
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