Movies
Official Logline and Synopsis for Argento’s ‘Giallo’
This evening we received the official logline and long synopsis for Dario Argento’s latest, Giallo, which completed principal photography this past June. Starring Elsa Pataky, Adrien Brody and Emmanuelle Seigner, and written by Sean Keller and Jim Agnew, the film begins in Italy, an American woman fears her sister may have been kidnapped. Inspector Enzo Lavia fears it’s worse. They team up to rescue her from a sadistic killer known only as Yellow. Read on for a long synopsis.
YELLOW chooses his victims based on their beauty, because he himself is not beautiful. Scorned and rejected in the orphanage where he was raised as a child, he now hunts beautiful women to torture and to kill.
He keeps them alive, mentally and physically abusing them, until he grows bored. Then, he kills them and discards their body. He’s efficient, and always has his next victim ready to torture. And he’s clever, only going after tourists, women who won’t find an advocate in the police department.
His latest victim is an Asian exchange student. After her, he has CELINE (Elsa Pataky), a gorgeous fashion model.
LINDA (Emmanuelle Seigner) is a smart, attractive flight attendant, in Torino to spend time with Celine, her sister. When Celine doesn’t arrive for their planned meeting, she takes her concern to the local police. But they don’t want to be bothered with her, sending her instead to the basement to deal with INSPECTOR ENZO LAVIA (Adrien Brody), an eccentric detective who doesn’t fit in with the department. The details of the case remind him of a strange killer he’s been hunting. Yellow.
They team up to find her, their quest aided by the tragic death of the Asian foreign exchange student. Enzo has some pretty wild theories about the killer, theories that are correct. One of these theories leads him to believe that Celine is next. Yellow tortures Celine, but finds that she’s tougher than many of his victims. She fights back. As the detective and Linda close in, Celine is running out of time.
Enzo deduces that the killer must have hepatitis, and they go to a hospital that treats the disease. As they try to get the doctor to release confidential information, Enzo realizes that Yellow is in the hospital! A chase ensues, but Yellow gets away.
But now he’s seen Linda, and he knows that to keep feeding his lust for blood, he must kill her as well. Both sisters are in jeopardy, and the clock is ticking.
“Giallo” updates great Giallo horror film of Dario Argento, directed by the creator of the genre, that also calls to mind the classic serial killer films such as “Silence of the Lambs” and “Seven”. Featuring a hero and a heroine facing down pure evil, “Giallo” is a new classic by a master of suspense.
Movies
‘Alpha Gang’ First Image Introduces Alien Invaders in New Comedy from ‘Sasquatch Sunset’ Duo
Sasquatch Sunset duo Zellner Brothers are swapping cryptids for aliens in alien invasion comedy Alpha Gang, and the first image introduces its alien invaders.
Alpha Gang will make its premiere at this year’s Toronto International Film Festival, announced as part of this year’s Special Presentations program.
The comedy follows “a group of alien invaders sent to conquer Earth. Disguised in human form as a 1950s leather-clad biker gang, they are ruthless in their mission… until they succumb to the most toxic and contagious human condition of all: emotion.”
Cate Blanchett (Tár, The Gift), Léa Seydoux (Crimes of the Future), Dave Bautista (Knock at the Cabin), Riley Keough (The Lodge), Lily-Rose Depp (Nosferatu), and Chris Pine (Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves) star.
Blanchett leads the cast; the two-time Oscar winner plays the Alpha Gang’s indomitable leader. Seydoux, Bautista, Depp, and Keough will play the gang members.
The alien invasion comedy is said to take place in a heightened reality, lensed by cinematographer Mike Gioulakis (Sasquatch Sunset, Us, It Follows). Based on the plot description and the Zellner Brothers’ flatulence-heavy Sasquatch Sunset, which starred an unrecognizable Riley Keough, it feels safe to expect an offbeat comedy ahead.
The Zellners produce for ZBi, along with Blanchett and Coco Francini for Dirty Films, Keough and Gina Gammell for Felix Culpa, Ryan Zacarias for Fat City, Andrea Bucko for Sugar Rush Pictures, Mary Aloe for Aloe Entertainment, and Joshua Harris for Peachtree Media Partners.
“Each year, we strive to curate a selection of films that feels most relevant to the moment with the power to spark a rich dialogue with our public audience, and these Special Presentations titles are true reflections of that,” said Anita Lee, Chief Programming Officer, TIFF. “From debut directors to the most anticipated sophomore films of the year to vanguard voices, this group of films showcase the authenticity, the unexpected, and the ambition of cinema now. They are sure to be among the Festival’s most talked-about titles, captivating audiences and generating buzz long after the credits roll. We’re delighted to share these original works with TIFF audiences in September.”
TIFF launches its 51st edition this September 10-20.
Stay tuned for more as it arrives.
