Skywalkers: A Love Story
Eons ago, a wise philosopher named Scott Stapp turned his head to the heavens and screamed, "Can you take me higher?/to a place where blind men see/Can you take me higher?/to a place with golden streets?". Whether or not he ever got to those grand heights is unknown. However, daredevil Russian climbers Angela Nikolau and Ivan Beerkus took a different, more active route to reaching those beckoning skies. They’ve dedicated their lives to climbing incredibly tall skyscrapers without harnesses or safety nets. Imagine if the Free Solo guy was also Ethan Hunt mounting the Burj Khalifa in Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol. That's this romantically infatuated couple.
Rooftopping is the name of Beerkus and Nikolau's game, and it's most certainly a dangerous exercise to which one's life is devoted. However, for this duo anchoring the new Netflix documentary Skywalkers: A Love Story, the unthinkable is just ordinary reality. Nikolau, especially, was destined to push boundaries and put her safety in jeopardy. After all, she grew up in a circus family, with her bravura mother serving as her idol for how one should exist. Once she got into the rooftopping game, though, she needed a mentor. This is where the experienced Beerkus came into play.
Eventually, their dynamic transformed into something more romantic. Simultaneously, their scaling of iconic massive landmarks turns the duo into celebrity sensations. Everyone loves the couple that smooch and defy vertigo with equal ease. Come 2022, though, Beerkus and Nikolau’s finances are dwindling, and their relationship is under enormous duress. It’s time for “one last job.” The Warisan Merdeka Tower in Malaysia (the second-tallest building in the world) is calling their names. Their skills and love are about to suffer enormous challenges. Continue Reading →
Retratos Fantasmas
Watch afterBlue Beetle (2023),
Filmmakers and general film enthusiasts worldwide share a deep distress over the slow erosion of theatrical projection and film preservation. Most recently, Martin Scorsese spoke extensively about the state of cinema in a high-profile interview, sparking a round of online arguments. Shivendra Singh Dungarpur of the Film Heritage Foundation has been working to preserve much of India’s old film reels, previously left rotting away in government closets for decades. Restored film prints of previously thought to be lost or incomplete films like Mohammed Reza Aslani’s Chess Game of the Wind and Abel Gance’s La Roue (which plays this year at NYFF) have proven that, with dedicated effort, people can salvage film history. Continue Reading →
The Last Voyage of the Demeter
SimilarBlade Runner (1982) Carrie (1976), Children of Men (2006), Die Hard (1988), Dr. No (1962), Eyes Wide Shut (1999), From Russia with Love (1963), Goldfinger (1964), I Am Not a Serial Killer (2016),
Jackie Brown (1997) King Kong (1933),
Live and Let Die (1973) Mystic River (2003), Poseidon (2006),
Rebecca (1940) Shaft (2000) Shooter (2007), Starship Troopers (1997), Swimming Pool (2003), The 39 Steps (1935),
The Name of the Rose (1986) The Poseidon Adventure (1972), The Silent Partner (1978), War of the Worlds (2005), Wild at Heart (1990), You Only Live Twice (1967),
Watch afterAmerican Fiction (2023),
Barbie (2023) Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (2023), Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny (2023), Meg 2: The Trench (2023), Talk to Me (2023), The Nun II (2023),
The Last Voyage of the Demeter feels like a movie from a different era. To a point, it is—writer Bragi Schut first drafted his adaptation of the 'Log of the "Demeter"' sequence in Bram Stoker's Dracula in the early 2000s. It's a capital letters Hollywood Creature Feature—a grimmer straight horror cousin to 2004's action/horror hybrid Van Helsing. At its best, it's an admirably gnarly monster flick—bolstered by sturdy craft from director André Øvredal and consistently good performances from a game ensemble. At its worst, it loses confidence and resorts to bumbling attempts to guide its audience by the hand—most notably in its prologue and epilogue. Continue Reading →
Talk to Me
SimilarA Nightmare on Elm Street (1984), Alien (1979), Aliens (1986), Carrie (1976), Ghost Rider (2007), Mulholland Drive (2001), Natural Born Killers (1994), On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969), The Exorcism of Emily Rose (2005), The Rage: Carrie 2 (1999), The Shining (1980), The Thing (1982),
Watch afterBarbie (2023) Blue Beetle (2023), Fast X (2023), Five Nights at Freddy's (2023), Meg 2: The Trench (2023), Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One (2023),
Oppenheimer (2023) Saw X (2023), The Equalizer 3 (2023), The Nun II (2023),
Things have been very bad for much of the world for a very long time, and they won’t improve any time soon. I don’t mean to start things off on a bummer note, but to point out that from such dire circumstances comes one benefit: the horror movie renaissance that started in the late 2010s only seems to be getting better. Just this year we’ve gotten the low-fi nightmares Skinamarink and The Outwaters, horror comedy with M3GAN and Cocaine Bear, another mostly solid entry in the Scream franchise, too many indie horror films to list here (Bad Girl Boogey and Brooklyn 45 are but a couple), and the roaring return of the Evil Dead series. Even if there weren’t another release for the rest of the year, it’d still be a great year for horror. Continue Reading →
Roter Himmel
SimilarBasquiat (1996), Dances with Wolves (1990), Desert Hearts (1985), Finding Forrester (2000), Four Weddings and a Funeral (1994),
Manhattan (1979) The Bridges of Madison County (1995), The Terminal (2004), The Tin Drum (1979), Things to Do in Denver When You're Dead (1995),
Watch afterAnatomy of a Fall (2023),
Spare a thought for the white male writer in your life. Christian Petzold just roasted him so bad they’re beyond saving; just grab a marinade and sides. The enigmatic German formalist lets it all hang down in Afire, his loosest film in many moons, a comedy of ill manners, withheld emotion, and confusing flirtation, and his best film since 2014’s Phoenix. Continue Reading →
El hombre del saco
Similar2001: A Space Odyssey (1968), A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984), A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors (1987), Anatomy of a Murder (1959),
Blade Runner (1982) War of the Worlds (2005),
Watch afterMeg 2: The Trench (2023), Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (2023), Talk to Me (2023), The Nun II (2023),
Studio20th Century Studios,
What did your boogeyman look like? Continue Reading →