Category: General News

Lineup for the 27th St. Louis International Film Festival Announced – To be Held November 1-11

The 27th Annual Whitaker St. Louis International Film Festival (SLIFF) — held Nov. 1-11 — ​provides St. Louis filmgoers with the opportunity to view the finest in world cinema: international films, documentaries, American indies, and shorts that can only be seen on the big screen at the festival. ​SLIFF will screen 413 films: 88 narrative features, 77 documentary features, and 248 shorts. The fest also will feature 14 special-event programs, including our closing-night awards presentation. This year’s festival has 63 countries represented.

SLIFF will present our usual array of fest buzz films and Oscar contenders, including “3 Faces,” “Ash Is Purest White,” “Ben Is Back,” “Boy Erased,” “Capernaum,” “The Captain,” “The Chaperone,” “Cold War,” “Destroyer,” “Diane,” “Dogman,” “Everybody Knows,” “The Front Runner,” “Green Book,” “If Beale Street Could Talk,” “The Image Book,” “Little Woods,” “Long Day’s Journey Into Night,” “Mapplethorpe,” “Non-Fiction,” “Shoplifters,” “Support the Girls,” “Transit,” “Vox Lux,” “Widows,” “Wildlife,” and “Zama.”

The festival will honor seven significant film figures with our annual awards: ● Joe Edwards​​ and ​John Goodman​​ with Lifetime Achievement Awards ● ​Jason Reitman​​ with a Contemporary Cinema Award ● Jim Finn​​, ​Jane Gillooly​​, and ​Karyn Kusama​​ with Charles Guggenheim Cinema St. Louis Awards ● Melanie Mayron​​ with a Women in Film Award.
The festival will kick off on Thursday, Nov. 1, with the local premiere of “Destroyer,” directed by former St. Louisan Karyn Kusama, who will attend the screening. A 6:30 PM reception precedes the film and features complimentary Urban Chestnut beers, Broadside Winery wines, and cocktails.

As part of the fest’s ongoing response to the Ferguson uprising, SLIFF again will feature a major stream of programming entitled Race in America: The Black Experience and offer a third edition of Mean Streets: Viewing the Divided City Through the Lens of Film and Television, which addresses the persistent issue of segregation. The fest schedule, ticket and venue information, and a complete list of films (with descriptions) are available at the Cinema St. Louis Web site (cinemastlouis.org).
For more information,​​ the public should visit cinemastlouis.org or call 314-289-4150.
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Centene Center for Arts & Education, 3547 Olive Street, St. Louis, MO 63103-1000   Phone: 314.289.4150​​ • ​​ Fax: 314.289.4159 ​​ • ​​ Website: cinemastlouis.org

Program Overview

SLIFF’s stellar lineup features a constellation of cinema’s brightest lights (see the SLIFF section of the CSL website for full info):

● Major awards to significant filmmakers: ➢ Lifetime Achievement Awards: developer Joe Edwards and actor John Goodman ➢ Contemporary Cinema Award: director Jason Reitman ➢ Women in Film Award: actress and director Melanie Mayron ➢ Charles Guggenheim Cinema St. Louis Awards: directors Jim Finn, Jane Gillooly, and Karyn Kusama

● Oscar​®​ Contenders.

● Free Events: SLIFF continues its tradition of offering a large selection of free events to maximize its outreach into the community and to make the festival affordable to all. This year, we offer 65 free events, which are detailed on our website. In addition, for the 15th year, we present the Georgia Frontiere Cinema for Students Program, which provides free screenings (often with filmmakers in attendance) to St. Louis-area elementary, middle, and high schools. Films are offered both at our venues and for in-school presentation. Busing reimbursement is also available. For more information, visit cinemastlouis.org.

● Show-Me Cinema Showcase (films with St. Louis and Missouri roots or connections).

● Mean Streets: Viewing the Divided City Through the Lens of Film and Television: SLIFF offers a third edition of this program, which addresses one of the most persistent and vexing issues in urban studies: segregation.

● Race in America: 33 programs that address the black experience from multiple perspectives. ● Human Rights Showcase: A selection of 14 documentary programs focused on human-rights issues in the U.S. and the world.

● SLIFF/Kids Family Films, including six free programs. ● Festival award-winners and critically lauded international films. ● Well-regarded American indies.

● Nearly 250 shorts from around the globe, including free family and documentary-shorts programs and a selection of the best films from the St. Louis Filmmakers Showcase. ● Major documentaries, including eight documentary-shorts programs.

● A strong selection of animation, including two dedicated animated-shorts programs.

● Revivals and restorations.

● The New Filmmakers Forum (NFF), a juried competition for first-time American-independent filmmakers. The films will be accompanied by their directors.

Sponsors:

Title Sponsor:​​ Whitaker Foundation Sustaining Sponsors:​​ Albrecht Family Foundation, Cheshire, City of St. Louis, Jeffrey T. Fort, Hawkins Foundation, Jane M. & Bruce P. Robert Charitable Foundation, Ward & Carol Klein, Nancy & Ken Kranzberg, Missouri Arts Council, NEA ArtWorks, Regional Arts Commission, Chip Rosenbloom & Lucia Rosenbloom, Sleepy Kitty Arts, Steward Family Foundation, Mary Strauss, Trio Foundation of St. Louis, William A. Kerr Foundation

Universal Pictures and Regal Offer FREE Tickets To Veterans And Active Service Members To See FIRST MAN On Thursday

Universal Pictures and Regal today announced that, on Thursday, October 11, more than 14,000 free tickets will be presented to U.S. veterans and active-duty servicemembers for Universal’s First Man—at more than 500 Regal locations nationwide.  Each of the first 25 servicemembers (per location) with valid, government-issued ID who request a ticket will be given free admission to the 7:00 p.m. preview screening (or first show).  First Man, from Academy Award®-winning director Damien Chazelle and star Ryan Gosling, arrives in theatres nationwide the following day.

“During his career as a Naval aviator, our dad flew 78 combat missions in the Korean War,” said Mark and Rick Armstrong.  “The friendships he forged during those critical years remained deeply important to him all of his days.  Freedom—much like landing on the moon—is an achievement that is hard fought and hard won, and it cannot be accomplished without the sacrifice of our men and women in uniform and their loved ones.   We’d like to join Universal and Regal in thanking all our current and past veterans, as well as their families, for their brave service to this great nation.”

“As an Air Force veteran, I am proud to see this historical achievement from other veterans and NASA featured on the big screen.  These military heroes are an incredible example of the courage and determination that allowed us to reach new heights in space exploration,” said Ken Thewes, CMO at Regal.  “As a tribute to the courageous men and women in the armed forces, we are honored to offer complimentary tickets for active-duty military and veterans to be the first to see First Man at any participating Regal theatres.”

The promotion will be available at all Regal theatres playing First Man.  Free tickets will be available on a first-come, first-served basis and may be picked up at the Regal box office on October 11.  Each guest must present a valid government-issued military ID to receive their ticket, with a limit of one free ticket for each military ID presented, while supplies last.  This offer is valid for the 7:00 p.m. screening (or first showing) of the film on October 11, only. 

“Neil Armstrong represents the best and bravest of humanity, and this film from director Damien Chazelle is stunning,” said Jim Orr, President, Distribution, Universal Pictures.  “Early audiences have championed this new masterpiece, and we’re grateful that our partners at Regal have opened their doors to active-duty and retired servicemembers with free tickets.  We know these heroes will enjoy First Man, and we’re thrilled they’ll be among the first to experience it.”

For more information and a list of Regal theatres participating, please visit www.firstmanforservicemembers.com. 

On the heels of their six-time Academy Award®-winning smash, La La Land, Oscar®-winning director Damien Chazelle and star Ryan Gosling reteam for Universal Pictures’ First Man, the riveting story behind the first manned mission to the moon, focusing on Neil Armstrong and the decade leading to the historic Apollo 11 flight.  A visceral and intimate account told from Armstrong’s perspective, based on the book by James R. Hansen, the film explores the triumphs and the cost—on Armstrong, his family, his colleagues and the nation itself—of one of the most dangerous missions in history.

Written by Academy Award® winner Josh Singer (Spotlight, The Post), the epic drama of leading under the pressure of grace and tragedy is produced by Wyck Godfrey & Marty Bowen (The Twilight Saga, The Fault in Our Stars) through their Temple Hill Entertainment banner, alongside Isaac Klausner (Love, Simon) and Chazelle.  Steven Spielberg, Adam Merims and Singer executive produce, while DreamWorks Pictures co-finances the film. www.firstman.com

THE EVIL DEAD Arrives on 4K Ultra HD Combo Pack and Blu-ray and Digital October 9th

Celebrate the original beginning of the cult classic series when The Evil Dead arrives on 4K Ultra HD™ Combo Pack (plus Blu-ray and Digital) October 9 from Lionsgate. Written and directed by Sam Raimi, and starring Bruce Campbell in the role that made him a cult icon, this film follows five college friends who accidentally release a legion of demons and spirits. Experience four times the resolution of Full HD with 4K, as well as Dolby Vision™ HDR, to bring to life the stunning cinematography of this supernatural horror film. When compared to a standard picture, Dolby Vision can deliver spectacular colors never before seen on a screen, highlights that are up to 40 times brighter, and blacks that are 10 times darker. Available for the very first time in this absolutely stunning format,The Evil Dead 4K Ultra HD Combo Pack will be available for the suggested retail price of $22.99.

More than 35 years ago, a low-budget horror movie roared across movie screens and changed the velocity of fear forever — and made a cult legend out of Bruce Campbell in his iconic role as the lethal, wisecracking Ash Williams. Now, for the first time, you can experience the ferocious ingenuity, relentless shocks, and gore-gushing havoc of the original Sam Raimi masterpiece in 4K!

CAST

Bruce Campbell                      Army of Darkness, TV’s “Ash vs Evil Dead,” “Burn Notice”

Ellen Sandweiss                     Evil Dead (2013), TV’s “Ash vs Evil Dead”

Richard DeManincor              Crimewave, Morrow Road, Bong Fly

and Betsy Baker                     Sharp Objects, Hand of God, Oz the Great and Powerful

SPECIAL FEATURES

  • Audio Commentary with writer-director Sam Raimi, producer Robert Tapert, and star Bruce Campbell

The 1988 THE BLOB Remake Screens Midnights This Weekend at The Moolah


“The organism is growing at a geometric rate. By all accounts, it’s at least a thousand times its original mass.”


THE BLOB (1988) screens Midnights this weekend (October 12th and 13th) at The Moolah Theater and Lounge (3821 Lindell Blvd, St. Louis, MO 63108) as part of  Destroy the Brain’s monthly Late Nite Grindhouse film series.

Most remakes of old movies, especially horror or science fiction movies, are pointless affairs that fail either to capture the spirit of the original or to add anything new to the basic premise. Occasionally, a smart filmmaker will come along and actually improve upon the original.

This was the case with David Cronenberg’s remake of THE FLY (1986) and also Chuck Russell’s 1988 remake of the 1958 “classic” THE BLOB, which managed both to capture the giddy drive-in feel of the original and improve upon it, especially in terms of special effects. Savvy enough to quote from the highlights of the original and clever enough to stand on its own, THE BLOB pits the small town of Arborville against a man-eating blob from outer space that threatens to devour the entire community. Well directed by Russell, THE BLOB was a fast-paced, frightening, revolting, and witty, delivering the goods that come with the genre while developing characters and themes at the same time. If you’ve never seen it, don’t miss your chance this weekend at The Moolah!

The Facebook invite for Friday night can be found HERE
https://www.facebook.com/events/2183463138566638


The Facebook invite for Saturday night can be found HERE
https://www.facebook.com/events/2685527505005640/

THE PSYCHOTRONIC PRE-SHOW STARTS AROUND 11:30P WITH THE FILM STARTING AT MIDNIGHT.


The Moolah Theatre & Lounge serves alcohol until 2:30AM! Feel free to show up early and stay late to have some drinks and get friendly with the amazing Moolah staff.

John Carpenter’s Original HALLOWEEN Midnights This Weekend at The Tivoli


“Lynda, if this is a joke, I’ll kill you!”

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John Carpenter’s HALLOWEEN (1978) plays this weekend (October 12th and 13th) at the Tivoli as part of their Reel Late at the Tivoli Midnight series.

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It’s the film that created a genre all its own. think about every movie you’ve ever seen with the unstoppable killer stalking teenagers. add a mask, and penchant for sequels – that all started in 1978 with HALLOWEEN. After killing his sister when he was 6 years old, Michael Myers escapes from the mental institution where he’s resided for fifteen years and returns to his hometown to stab some babysitters. Though this story is general format for horror now, in 1978 it was original stuff and paved the way for films such as FRIDAY THE 13th, NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET and even its own many sequels. John Carpenter’s use of the widescreen is skillful and he makes sure he uses all those little dark corners that are on the edge of the viewer’s vision. The lighting and Carpenter’s iconic music are brilliantly timed. Carpenter knew exactly what he wanted to do in this film and he did it perfectly, that is to scare the hell out of anyone who watches it. As with quite a few of the horror masterpieces, there is a serious lack of blood in the original HALLOWEEN, but this was remedied when Rick Rosenthal made the first sequel a couple of years later.

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he Tivoli’s located at 6350 Delmar Blvd., University City, MO. Admission is a mere $8!

The Tivoli’s website can be found HERE

http://www.landmarktheatres.com/market/st.louis/tivolitheatre.htm

And here’s the midnight line-up for the rest of the month:

October 19-20 and Oct 26-27       ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW – with live shadow cast, Samurai Electricians! – All tickets $10 for ROCKY

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DAREDEVIL Season 3 Trailer: Devil May Care

By Marc Butterfield

Blinded as a young boy but imbued with extraordinary senses, Matt Murdock (Charlie Cox) fights against injustice by day as a lawyer, and by night as the Super Hero “Daredevil” in modern day Hell’s Kitchen, New York City.

Season 3 of Marvel’s Daredevil debuts exclusively on Netflix October 19th, 2018.

So the Daredevil Season 3 trailer finally dropped on Netflix. If you’ve seen seasons I and II (and that means you have incredible taste and love great story, nuance, and impeccably choreographed ass-beatings) then you know that this series excels in deep angst. Lots of it. From the very beginning of season 1 though, we got action, story, blood, gore and some truly stunning violence. It was the darkest and grittiest entry into the super hero genre yet, bar none. (that is, of course, until they released “The Punisher” series.) From that point on, we got exactly the Daredevil from Netflix that we fans had always wanted. Matt Murdock and his crew of supporting characters, each of them now written to be not just interesting, but really relevant to the story arc and developing Matt’s character. Pack in the extras like Elektra and Frank, and combining him with The Defenders as a reluctant senior hero, and you had a real winning property. Judging from the season 3 preview that we got today, and it looks like the best is yet to come. Kingpin is back. Played by Vincent D’Onofrio so charmingly, so brutally, yet with such a vulnerable side that you almost feel sorry for him. That is, of course, until he beats a man to death or orders the execution of some innocent bystander. And this time he appears to be going all out for DD, bringing in a ringer (the jury is out as to whether it’s Taskmaster or Bullseye), and wants not to just physically hurt the hero Daredevil, but to destroy his reputation and end his legacy forever. When the reveal as to who the new season bad guy would be is made, we see Wilson Fiske ready to make a deal to get out of prison, sounding remorseful, telling us how he wants to contribute to society again, how he regrets his past…and then we see Foggy Nelson, Matt Murdock’s partner and part of the team who helped take down the Kingpin see the headlines on his smartphone that Fiske will be released. Foggy is horrified, and probably terrified as well. And this whole time, we see Matt dressed in his Season 1 black sweats and mask, confessing in church about his motivations, threaded with shots of him fighting a barrage of thugs throughout the city.

It’s clear that the drama meter is cranked up to about 11 for this third season, and that the danger isn’t going to be just on Matt, but on Foggy, Karen, and most likely, anyone in Hell’s Kitchen that gets in Fiske’s way.  There was no sign of Elektra (who seemingly died at the ending of season 1 of The Defenders…and only for the second time in 2 seasons of appearances).  Or Frank (The Punisher) who now has his own problems.  No, it looks like Daredevil is on his own this time, facing down a foe that wants his complete and total destruction, and possibly the destruction of all of Hell’s Kitchens’ best citizens.

Good Luck, Matt

Watch Marvel’s Daredevil on Netflix.

Photo credit: David Lee/Netflix

Documentary GENERATION WEALTH Arrives on DVD October 16th


The mind-blowing documentary, Generation Wealth comes to DVD on October 16 from Lionsgate. Emmy-nominee director and photographer, Lauren Greenfield, gives you a look into the lives of America’s most wealthy. Beware, as not everyone who makes it to the top are as innocent as they appear to be!

Acclaimed Emmy-nominated documentary photographer and director Lauren Greenfield (2007, Outstanding Nonfiction Directing, Thin) gives us an inside look at the “precise, eye-opening, and absolutely chilling” (Kate Erbland, Indiewire) heights of narcissism and greed within the global boom-bust economy whenGeneration Wealth arrives on DVD and Digital October 16 from Lionsgate. The insightful and thought-provoking film is “a blistering takedown of greedy Kardashian culture” (The Daily Beast) reflected through the lenses of Greenfield’s life’s work. The opening film of the 2018 Sundance Film Festival, the GENERATION WEALTH DVD includes a gallery of Greenfield’s photos, and will be available for the suggested retail price of $19.98.

Lauren Greenfield’s postcard from the edge of the American Empire captures a portrait of a materialistic, image-obsessed culture. Simultaneously a personal journey and historical essay, the film bears witness to the global boom-bust economy, the corrupted American Dream, and the human costs of late-stage capitalism, narcissism, and greed.

DVD / DIGITAL SPECIAL FEATURES

  • Photos By Lauren Greenfield

 

CAST

Florian Homm                        Himself

Tiffany Masters                      Herself

and Jacqueline Siegel            The Queen of Versailles

Scary New Shocker MINUTES TO MIDNIGHT Now on DVD and VOD


Screen sensation William Baldwin and Uncork’d Entertainment count down the Minutes to Midnight.


In the tradition of The Strangers, and featuring the hottest ensemble of the year,  Minutes to Midnight premiered on VOD in July

What happens when a night of fun turns into a night of horror?  Seven friends and a mysterious backpacker converge at a desolate ski lodge in the mountains and as the clock begins the countdown to the New Year, they discover that the end of the old year may be the end of all their years as they are systematically hunted down by ruthless masked men with a deadly agenda.


Film is scripted by Victoria Dadi and Christopher M. Don.

Award-winning actor William Baldwin (Backdraft, Flatliners, Sliver), Richard Grieco (“21 Jump Street”), Bill Moseley (The Devil’s Rejects), John Hennigan (Never Leave Alive), Dominique Swain (Astro), Viva Bianca (“Spartacus : War of the Damned”), Jared Cohn (Pernicious) and Christopher Judge (“Stargate SG-1”) star in a Christopher Ray (Circus Kane) film.

Award Winning Supernatural Thriller THE LIGHTHOUSE Now on DVD


BAFTA-award winning supernatural thriller THE LIGHTHOUSE, starring Michael Jibson (Hunter Killer, Beauty and the Beast) and Mark Lewis Jones (Star Wars : The Last Jedi, “Game of Thrones”), is now available on DVD.

“A dark and disquieting journey into the heart of madness” (Starburst), THE LIGHTHOUSE, inspired by a terrifying true story, tells of two men trapped in an isolated lighthouse, surrounded by the deadly Irish sea, with both their minds ultimately pushed to the limits.


Directed by Chris Crow, and nominated for five BAFTA awards including Best Director and Best Actor, winning Best Visual Effects, THE LIGHTHOUSE is now available on DVD.

THE BIG LEBOWSKI at Urban Chestnut October 3rd – ‘Strange Brew’


“That rug really tied the room together!”


Webster University’s Award-Winning Strange Brew Film Series has moved! The new location is Urban Chestnut in the Grove (4465 Manchester Avenue, St. Louis 63110). This month’s film is THE BIG LEBOWSKI. It’s this Wednesday, October 3rd. The movie starts at 8pm and admission is $5.

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Sometimes it’s easy to forget that THE BIG LEBOWSKI is a mystery, like the Coen brothers’ previous film, FARGO. Where Fargo is a thriller, THE BIG LEBOWSKI is a parody. Hidden in the jokes, satire, idiosyncratic characters, and musical numbers, the story is about a hippie “bum,” brilliantly portrayed by Jeff Bridges, who is unwittingly sucked into becoming a pawn in kidnapping and embezzling scams. As the narrator aka ‘The Stranger’ (Sam Eliot) succinctly puts it, “Sometimes there’s a man–I won’t say a hee-ro, ’cause what’s a hee-ro?–but sometimes there’s a man. And I’m talking’ about the Dude here–sometimes there’s a man who, well, he’s the man for his time’n place, he fits right in there–and that’s the Dude” The Dude takes us on an anti-hero’s journey. The Dude’s legal name happens to be the same as a bigwig whose trophy bride and former porn star, Bunny (Tara Reed), owes money to a porn producer whose goons confuse the two Lebowskis and whiz on the Dude’s room-tying-together rug. This sets off a chain of events that have entertained audiences now for 17 years.

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THE BIG LEBOWSKI was not a hit theatrically but it’s developed a cult reputation over the years and is now considered a beloved masterpiece with Bridge’s ‘The Dude’ being one of cinema’s all-time great eccentrics. But the entire cast: John Goodman, Steve Buscemi, Julianne Moore and, most hilariously John Turturro in a cameo as Jesus, the uptight, pedophilic rival who represents everything The Dude dismisses, are at the top of their game. Don’t miss THE BIG LEBOWSKI when it screens October 3rd at Urban Chestnut in the Grove (4465 Manchester Avenue, St. Louis 63110)

A Facebook invite for this event can be found HERE

https://www.facebook.com/events/299939097262542/

The movie starts at 8pm and admission is $5. There will be food to order and plenty of pints of Urban Chestnut’s famous home-brewed beer.