Movies
[Remember This?] Siskel & Ebert Defend ‘Halloween’!
I had actually never seen this clip before today, which provides an added dimension to the “remember this” tag since I’m literally asking you if you remember something this time. Because I don’t. In this instance, Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert discuss Halloween a few years after the film’s release within the larger context of other slashers. While I truly love and value what these two men did for cinema and the conversation around it, I didn’t always agree with them (a notion you can take up a few notches when it comes to horror).
And there are elements to their argument here that I don’t agree with, primarily their fundamental dislike of the slasher subgenre, which happens to be my absolute favorite kind of horror film. Still, the rest of what they discuss here is quite compelling. Their overall sentiments about Halloween aren’t exactly new, but the way they discuss it in terms of its cinematic language is inspiring (and increasingly rare as the current debate about critics not being able to discuss form indicates). It’s a quick four minutes, but you might come away with an added appreciation for a film you already love.
Think about the TV critics and personalities we have today. Do they even have the ability to discuss film in this manner?
Andrzej Żuławski’s 1981 psychological horror movie Possession is getting a remake from Smile writer/director Parker Finn, and Deadline reports that The Batman actor Paul Dano has joined the cast.
No word at this time on character details, though.
The original film starred Isabelle Adjani and Sam Neill as a married couple in Cold War-era West Berlin whose relationship spirals into a supernatural nightmare. In Finn’s update, Margaret Qualley and Callum Turner will star as the turbulent couple in Finn’s Possession, and Adjani has officially given her blessing on Qualley’s casting.
Parker Finn is writing and directing the new take on Possession.
He’s also producing alongside Jonathan Fass via Bad Feeling, along with Roy Lee and Andrew Childs via Vertigo, and Robert Pattinson. Marc Bienstock is serving as exec producer.
Our own Brian Keiper celebrated Possession‘s 40th anniversary here on BD back in 2021, writing: “Few movies depict emotional turmoil as effectively and daringly as Andrzej Zulawksi’s Possession. It is a challenging and sometimes inscrutable film, both for the mind and the emotions. Zulawski struggles through a number of deep issues throughout the course of the film; issues that speak to some of humanity’s deepest pains and fears. In many ways it is about loss— loss of political ideals, loss of faith, and loss of innocence. But most of all, Possession is about the fear, pain, and anger that comes from the loss of a marriage.”
This will mark Dano’s first horror role. The actor previously appeared in sci-fi hits Looper and Okja.
Isabelle Adjani and Sam Neill in Possession
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