Movies
R.I.P. ‘Videodrome’ and ‘The Fly’ Actor Les Carlson
THR has some heartbreaking news Sunday afternoon as they report that Les Carlson, who played Barry Convex, the evil head of the Spectacular Optical Corp., in David Cronenberg’s hallucinatory sci-fi classic Videodrome, died May 3 at his home in Toronto. He was 81.
Carlson also appeared in three other Cronenberg projects — as an intimidated newspaper editor in The Dead Zone (1983); as a doctor in the Jeff Goldblum starrer The Fly (1986); and as an aging actor in Camera (2000), one of a series of short films produced for the 25th anniversary celebration of the Toronto International Film Festival.
The prolific character actor also was memorable as a pushy Christmas tree salesman in the holiday perennial A Christmas Story (1983).
A native of Mitchell, S.D., who moved to Canada in the 1960s, Carlson was nominated for a supporting actor Genie Award for his performance as the sinister Convex in Videodrome (1983).
A member of a government conspiracy to purge people who are fixated on extreme sex and violence, his character inserts a brainwashing videotape into the “VCR” in the stomach of Max (James Woods), the sleazy head of a station in search of kinky programming.
Carlson also appeared in such other films as Black Christmas (1974) and Deranged: Confessions of a Necrophile (1974).
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.