Released by Paramount Pictures just three years after the arrival of motion picture sound, a romantic melodrama set in north east Africa shows how one of early Hollywood’s great directors quickly adapted to the modified medium. Mark Fraser happily revisits a black and white film which arguably deserves the title of minor classic.
See the full review here.
Opening sequences in film are so vital to the success of the story as it ultimately unfolds.
In horror movies, the beginning sets the tone. It prepares us for what's in store and says, "strap in, you're in for a thrilling and scary ride".
Jaws is a great example of a nerve-shredding horror movie beginning. Steven Spielberg introduces audiences to the idea of the unseen monster while setting up the shoreline off Amity Island as a place of danger and threat.
Basic Instinct is a 1992 neo-noir erotic thriller film directed by Paul Verhoeven and written by Joe Eszterhas. The film follows San Francisco police detective Nick Curran (Michael Douglas), who is investigating the brutal murder of a wealthy rock star. During the investigation, Curran becomes involved in a torrid and intense relationship with the prime suspect, Catherine Tramell (Sharon Stone), an enigmatic writer.
Eszterhas developed the script in the 1980s. It became a subject of a bidding war until Carolco Pictures acquired the rights to the film. From there, Verhoeven signed on to direct and Douglas and Stone joined the project, after many actresses were considered for the role of Tramell. Before its release, Basic Instinct generated controversy due to its overt sexuality and violence, including a rape scene. Gay rights activists criticized the film's depiction of homosexual relationships and the portrayal of a bisexual woman as a murderous psychopath. In one scene, Stone's vulva was filmed as she crossed her legs, which she claims was done without her knowledge.
Basic Instinct premiered in Los Angeles on March 18, 1992, and was released in the United States by TriStar Pictures on March 20, 1992. It received mixed reviews from critics, who praised the performances of its cast, original score, and editing, but criticized its writing and character development. Despite these reviews and public protest, Basic Instinct was a box office success, grossing $352 million worldwide, making it the fourth highest-grossing film of 1992 behind Disney's Aladdin, The Bodyguard, and Home Alone 2: Lost in New York. Several versions of the film have been released on videocassette, DVD, and Blu-ray including a director's cut with extended footage previously unseen in North American cinemas.
The film was later recognized for its groundbreaking depictions of sexuality in mainstream Hollywood cinema, and was described by one scholar as "a neo-film noir masterpiece that plays with, and transgresses, the narrative rules of film noir." A 2006 sequel (14 years later), Basic Instinct 2, also starred Stone and was made without Verhoeven's involvement, but received negative reviews and was relatively unsuccessful.
But one question that has remained on audience's lips is who committed all the murders in Basic Instinct?
For some actors, their careers get better with age.
Indeed, when we look at some of the finest performances from the careers of well-established screen actors, it's clear that for some, their best films, and consequently performances, appeared after the age of 60.
Scarlett Johansson is suing Disney for breach of contract after it streamed her superhero film Black Widow at the same time as its cinema release.
The film set a box office record for the Covid-19 pandemic, grossing $218m (£157m) in its first weekend.
But box office receipts then fell sharply and Ms Johansson argues she was deprived of potential earnings.
In response, Disney said it had "fully complied" with her contract and that her case had "no merit whatsoever".
Ms Johansson said she was promised by Marvel Studios, which is owned by Disney, that Black Widow would be a "theatrical release".
She said she had understood this to mean a "window" of time would pass before it would be streamed - a period that has traditionally lasted 90 days.
During the pandemic a number of Hollywood studios opted to bypass cinemas, many of which had been closed, and release their films online instead.
Now that most cinemas have reopened, Disney, along with fellow giant Warner Bros, has chosen to maintain a dual release strategy for their major films.
Source: BBC
Minamata is a 2020 drama film directed by Andrew Levitas, based on the book of the same name by Aileen Mioko Smith and Eugene Smith. The film stars Johnny Depp (who also produced) as Smith, an American photographer who documented the effects of mercury poisoning on the citizens of Minamata, Kumamoto, Japan.
The film premiered at the Berlin International Film Festival on February 21, 2020.
The question raised by the director recently was whether or not MGM was trying to bury Johnny Depp's new movie Minamata because of the actor's off-screen problems.
Eureka Entertainment have announced that the theatrical release of SWEET THING, an intimate and aching family drama from critically-acclaimed indie filmmaker Alexandre Rockwell (In the Soup, Little Feet), will be released in cinemas nationwide (UK & Ireland) from 10 September 2021.
Teenager Billie (Lana Rockwell), a 15-year-old girl who fantasises about Billie Holiday as a sort of fairy godmother, and younger brother Nico (Nico Rockwell) share time between their separated parents - father Adam (Will Patton, The Postman, Minari) is a chaotic drunkard with a loving heart for his kids who is working as a Christmas Santa, and mother Eve (Karyn Parsons, Fresh Prince of Bel-Air), who has redefined her identity in a brazen style since leaving Adam and is now living with a new and obnoxious boyfriend Beaux (ML Josepher). The kids feel uncomfortable around Beaux, but visits to their mum have introduced them to new friend Malik, a boy as equally adrift as they are. Half in desperation and half in a spirit of adventure this trio sets off on a running wild trek across Massachusetts, crossing paths with a variety of American eccentrics, angels and desperados.
Described by Quentin Tarantino as one of the most powerful new films he’s seen in years, Alexandre Rockwell has woven something magical and heart-rending into what might seem like a not-particularly-original scenario. The story is an intense but ultimately uplifting, poetic rendering of childhood that captures the essence of that time in life when a day can last forever. The friendships, loyalties, and challenges of adolescent youth propel the story into a triumph of childhood hope and resilience.
Amongst three international wins, Sweet Thing picked up the Crystal Bear for Generation Kplus - Best Film at the 2020 Berlin International Film Festival and the College Jury Prize for Best Film at Quebec City International Film Festival 2020.
Sweet Thing will be released in cinemas nationwide (UK & Ireland) from 10 September 2021.
