Arivind Abraham, a Malaysian filmmaker based in London, has given us a glimpse of his upcoming sophomore feature, 5:13, produced by his company Perantauan Pictures. And it looks like quite an exercise in claustrophobia and paranoia, well utilising shadows and light to put its protagonists in a taut situation. Arivind’s first feature was the social drama S’kali, about five teenage friends of different races going through the trials and tribulations of life in Kuala Lumpur. After tackling social issues, he’s now taken on the thriller genre, and the trailer looks quite good too. And one can’t help but notice how the title 5:13 reflects the date May 13, the infamous day in 1969 when racial riots broke out in Malaysia. Certainly the story and the set-up (which have nothing to do with May 13) reflect the uncertainty and paranoia of those times.

Synopsis and trailer after the break:

Continue Reading "Paranoia And Fear in Perantauan Pictures’ 5:13"...

No one knows what the hell it is - and if they do, they aren’t talking.  Elaborate prank?  Feature-length sweding?  The world’s first film to feature a cardboard MRI scanner?  We’ll find out soon - this Friday, June 5th, in fact, when the elusive After Last Season drops in four territories across the US for a limited run.  Whatever it is, those shots of the Rubbermaid bins scooting across the floor of their (apparent) own accord are, in their own bizarre way, sublimely creepy. 

If you’re in Lancaster CA, North Aurora IL, Rochester NY, or Austin TX you have no excuse not to be there for whatever the hell is happening this Friday.

Twitch staff favorite Pop Skull has landed a North American DVD release courtesy of boutique distributor Halo 8!  Details below…

HALO 8 SWALLOWS POP SKULL

Halo-8 Entertainment has secured North American distribution rights to the manic, twisted, drug-infused Pop Skull, an award-winning psychological horror film directed & co-written by Adam Wingard (Home Sick), starring & co-written by newcomer Lane Hughes, co-written and co-produced by E.L. Katz (Autopsy), and produced by Peter Katz (Mortuary ). The film premiered domestically at the AFI Film Festival and internationally at the Rome Film Festival, where Wild Bunch acquired the foreign rights. Halo-8 has slated the film for a limited theatrical run followed by a DVD release on July 28, 2009.

POP SKULL depicts the lonely and disjointed life of Daniel, a young Alabama pill addict, as his efforts to cope with the trials of his day-to-day life collide with the increasing influence of murderous and displaced spirits that inhabit his home. Plagued by ghosts, Daniel discovers his home holds a secret to a grisly crime… a crime he’s doomed to repeat if he can’t prevail against the forces that haunt him.

The deal was negotiated by Glen Reynolds for his Circus Road Films on behalf of the filmmakers; (Maddy) Dawson and (Matt) Pizzolo negotiated the deal on behalf of Halo-8.

A much-deserved release for one of the most original horror films to come down the pike in the last few years!

[In honor of the fact that a) I absolutely adore this film b) it released on DVD today and c) I am quoted front and center on the DVD cover, I hereby reprint this review of Gonazlo Lopez Gallego’s King of the Hill, originally written when the film debuted at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2007 and just as true now.]

A sly, deceptive gut punch of a picture Gonzalo López-Gallego’s King of the Hill is a brilliant, vicious little piece of work.  It is a fierce piece of social commentary, the sort of picture that could never be made in North America but, by god, does it need to be.  López-Gallego gives you just enough of what you expect, just enough of the familiar, to lull you into a sense of complacency.  He lets you think you know what’s coming next and then, suddenly and shockingly, it all turns in on itself and becomes something entirely other, entirely more.  It is the sort of film that is incredibly difficult to talk about without spoiling the punch but believe this:  people will talk.  And they will do so for all the right reasons.

Continue Reading "KING OF THE HILL (El Rey de la Montaña) Review"...

In the immortal words of Female Trouble‘s Dawn Davenport: “Who wants to die for the sake of art?” Peaches Christ wants to know! “Why?” you might wonder. Because All About Evil, the feature film debut of writer/director Joshua Grannell (aka “Peaches Christ”) begins shooting in San Francisco this March, 2009, and Peaches needs a few extras to kill off, don’tcha know? In a heady mix of cult icons and up-and-comers, All About Evil will star Thomas Dekker (Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles), Noah Segan (Deadgirl, Brick), Cassandra Peterson (Elvira), Mink Stole, Mary Woronov, Candice Accola, Peaches Christ, Martiny, Timmy Spence, Jen Taher, and more. Maybe even you!!

In All About Evil, a mousy librarian, who has inherited her father’s beloved old movie house, discovers her inner serial killer—and a legion of rabid gore fans—when she starts turning out a series of grisly shorts. What her fans don’t realize (yet!) is that the murders in the movies are all too real. This over-the-top horror comedy is currently recruiting volunteer extras prepared—as Peaches puts it—“to participate in giant scenes of pandemonium, mayhem, and mass murder. Due to the low-budget nature of this project, extras are unpaid but you will get free popcorn, soda, possibly pizza, and a chance to appear in one of the strangest films to come out in years.” Plus, you’ll get to see Peaches directing large action scenes in half-drag, which even Peaches admits “might actually be the scariest part of making the movie!” Though all extra work is unpaid and may require large blocks of time (up to twelve hours), it’s a chance to be part of the underground world of SF cult movie fanatics and help make this outrageous film where you literally become part of the horror movie. Oh hell, even if you don’t want to die for the sake of art; die for fun!

Continue Reading "Extras!  Extras!  Read All About It!"...

Zack Parker’s Quench, a unique character study set in the world of “cutters,” hits home video courtesy of Vanguard Cinema on October 28th.  I was able to speak with Parker about the film earlier this year after catching it at the 2008 Indianapolis International Film Festival.

Collin: Thanks for taking the time to speak with Twitch.  Tell me a little about where Quench came from.

Zack: I saw a documentary on HBO in the late ‘90s called The Vampire Murders about a group of kids who were involved in this “vampire cult” and ended up killing the parents of one of the kids involved.  I believe it happened in Kansas, and they ended up on this road trip to Florida, which is where they were finally caught.  What really got me thinking, after seeing it, was that I had never seen a film portray this sort of alternative lifestyle in an honest way. 

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A supermodel walks into a nerd shop. Talk about your Hollywood high concept! Except that Astrópía hails from Iceland, the story takes unexpected turns, the characters prove to be as knowledgeable as geeks should be, and fantasy sequences break out at random moments.

Originally burdened with the English-language title Dorks and Damsels, which may sound immediately self-explanatory but is not, Astrópía takes (maybe too much) time to set up its killer premise. Hildur (Ragnhildur Steinunn Jónsdóttir), the aforementioned supermodel, works with her boyfriend at an auto dealership. Her life quickly goes south when the police show up and toss her scheming boyfriend in jail. Hildur takes refuge with her friend Björt and her son Snorri. She takes Snorri shopping one day at a nerd shop, where chaos ensues among the shocked customers. Seeing a “help wanted” sign, she inquires and is promptly hired.

Continue Reading "Fantastic Fest 08 Review: ASTROPIA"...

I’ve been anticipating Fantastic Fest for a year (!), ever since the last one concluded, and now that’s it’s underway my excitement can barely be contained. It’s an unreasonable excitement, of course, predicated more on emotion than reason, but that’s what produces the best kinds of films—or at least the ones that I’m most interesting in watching—so I feel justified.

The “unofficial” kick-off even was actually last Friday (an outdoor screening of Mad Max). Last night felt like the beginning, as the Alamo Drafthouse’s weekly “Weird Wednesday” program featured “Oz-ploitation” title Dark Age, one mean little giant croc movie, featuring John Jarrett (Wolf Creek) as a romantic leading man and would-be savior of all things natural and toothy. Lars (the man, the myth, the legend) presented an amazing introduction, joined by authentic Aussie director Mark Hartley (Not Quite Hollywood). A gorgeous, buzzy title that prized energy over exquisitely-rendered CGI (thank goodness), Dark Age jump-started the packed house with a pulpy edge.

Continue Reading "Fantastic Fest 08 Dispatch: Under Way!"...

The ubiquitous Ah Beng of Singapore continues to be a cultural fascination for the big screen in Singapore cinema, having been the subject of films like Royston Tan’s 15, and Kelvin Tong/Jasmine Ng’s Eating Air. Here in Singapore, almost every one of us will bump into Mr. Beng at some point in our lives, either in schools, coffeeshops, at nightspots, or even have been, or are still currently one ourselves! This classification and label have been evolving through time, and this version here presented in Boi Kwong’s The Days, happen to be an era of mine as well.

Continue Reading "Review of THE DAYS (歲月)"...

**UPDATE** Here’s how you can purchase the Summer Afternoon DVD, which is only available in Taiwan. Just send an email to: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).

Two girls and a guy on a road trip through the countryside. Two are lovers and one is a nuisance. As they say, two’s company and three’s a crowd, and that’s how trouble starts.

Ho Wi Ding, the Malaysian filmmaker based in Taiwan, first came to our attention by winning in Cannes 2006 with his short film, Respire, an affecting tone poem about the last days in the life of a young girl in a virus-infected, post-apocalyptic world. This year, he went to Cannes again with Summer Afternoon, the only Asian short film in the line-up.

And what a film it is.

More info after the break.

Continue Reading "Ho Wi Ding’s SUMMER AFTERNOON ... A Shocking Road Trip. Catch It In Palm Springs."...

To Malaysian eyes, it would seem like Woo Ming Jin never stops working. When he’s not shooting short films or digital features, he’s busy making a TV movie. Apart from that, you can usually find him in some film festival.

After years of making short films, Woo debuted with his digital feature, Monday Morning Glory, a film about terrorists in a fictional country, in 2005. It premiered at the 48th San Francisco International Film Festival. His last feature, The Elephant And The Sea, picked up four awards in Spain, Italy and Korea, including Best Director and the Critics Award at the Cine Digital Seoul Film Festival. The film tells the story of a coastal fishing village facing an unknown threat, and is billed as a dramedy. After travelling the international festival circuit, it will finally open in Malaysian cinemas this Thursday.

The Elephant And The Sea has put you on a winning streak. I guess some people would look at this and say “Hey, what took you so long”?
Woo: Haha ... I don’t think I took too long ... or that I’ve “arrived” in any way. I hope I make better films in the future. But I’m quite happy with the film and the reception it’s gotten in so many festivals. Now I hope the Malaysian public will come out to watch it!

Continue Reading "Woo Ming Jin, Director Of THE ELEPHANT AND THE SEA, Talks About El Mariachi, Dead Pigs And Pachyderm"...

Boi Kwong’s directorial debut feature film The Days will hit Singapore’s screens in September, and the official website is now live!

Click here for a whole host of goodies such as downloadable wallpapers and film stills, story synopsis, cast and crew biographies, and three embedded trailers, packaged in a snazzy flash enabled website!

For detractors who view 12 Lotus with the preconceived notion that the follow up to Royston Tan’s highly successful 881 is nothing but having another go at the same formula to repeat its success, you’re in for a big surprise. No doubt that this movie also revolves in part around the Getai (song-stage) like 881, but 12 Lotus made 881 look like a walk in the park, having its emotions come more strongly across, being a darker film than the previous which in comparison was much fluffy with the bitchy rivalry between the Papaya and the Durian sisters taking centerstage.

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By the time you read this, the Beijing Olympics 2008 is already in full swing, and the news leading up to it have been the concerns about the pollution levels affecting athletes’ performances, as well as how the authorities have taken measures to ensure that all visitors get to enjoy an experience they’ll never forget. Singapore documentarians have found the run up to the Olympic event monumental enough to craft documentaries around it, and earlier this year we have seen Tan Siok Siok’s Boomtown Beijing, which provided some insights into how the Games had impacted and inpsired the ordinary folks. Lian Pek’s Mad About English too got set during this period of preparation in Beijing.

Continue Reading "Review of MAD ABOUT ENGLISH!"...

As I write this, it’s about a week into the month long Lunar 7th Month, where the Chinese believe the gates of Hell are supposedly opened, and the “good brothers” (aka spirits both of the malevolent and the benevolent kind) roam the Earth as their vacation destination not by choice. They get to feast on the food offerings, and get pocket money from the Hell currency that humans provide, with entertainment either in the form of the more traditional Opera and puppet shows, or the glitz and glamour from Getai (“song-stage”) shows where singers belt out evergreens and the latest contemporary songs.

Continue Reading "Review of A MONTH OF HUNGRY GHOSTS"...