Movies
[FrightFest Review] ‘Our Evil’ is Emotionally Charged and Violent
Guillermo Del Toro has become the king of blending the worlds of the living and the dead. So many of his films explore a world of ghosts and monsters lying just beyond the boundaries of spiritually touched individuals. Brazilian filmmaker Samuel Galli explores similar ground in Our Evil, a film that shape shifts and transforms before the viewer from French extremism to South American spirituality.
Arthur‘s (Ademir Esteves) steady exterior hides a trembling soul as he searches the dark web for a hitman, Charles (Ricardo Casella). His instructions are very clear, but they’re not something he wants to talk about, instead opting to gather everything on a USB stick, which he hands over with the cash. After their meeting, Charles takes a pair of prostitutes home and proceeds to torture and mutilate them for his own sexual pleasure. Arthur, however, goes home to his loving daughter to bake her a cake.
[Related] All FrightFest Reviews and Coverage Here!
It’s impressive that Galli manages to convince in both modes and that such seemingly opposing scenes both feel at home in a single movie. Dark and light live side-by-side, beautifully marbled as opposed to the “grey areas” that every other TV show explores on a weekly basis. The best of the world and the worst: feeling so far apart yet bonded on a molecular level.
The film also benefits from a pair of very good performances from the two men. Galli turned to local theatre actors and worked with them to tone down their performance style for the camera. Whatever he did, it worked. Like a Brazilian D’Onofrio, Esteves‘ stony exterior is a picture of intense sadness about to burst as a single tear rolls down his cheek.
Our Evil is an emotionally charged film featuring harrowing acts of violence. It covers a whole spectrum of emotions, styles and horror conventions, and yet manages to hold it all together. For all the sadness, it’s a film that aches with hope and values life, in all forms.
Movies
‘Boorman and the Devil’ Documentary Trailer Chronicles Complicated Relationship with ‘Exorcist II’
Critically acclaimed documentary Boorman and the Devil chronicles how one of the world’s greatest filmmakers made one of the most hated movies ever: Exorcist II: The Heretic. A new trailer highlighting some of the troubled production woes has arrived.
Boorman and the Devil opens at The Quad in NYC on August 28 before opening wider in various cities on September 4, including: Los Angeles, Columbus, Houston, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, Seattle and more.
After the success of Point Blank and Deliverance, Warner Brothers offered John Boorman the opportunity of a lifetime: the chance to direct a sequel to their smash hit, The Exorcist. The result was one of the biggest disasters in movie history. A critical and financial failure that not only changed how Hollywood did business, but nearly ended Boorman’s filmmaking career… but to be an artist is to be a risk-taker.
Now, John Boorman, Linda Blair, Louise Fletcher, Karyn Kusama, Joe Dante, Mike Flanagan, and more reflect back on the ambition of the film, the artistry and craft, and the value of big creative swings.
“I am beyond thrilled that Yellow Veil has come on board to help us share this story with a larger audience,” said director David Kittredge. “Like myself and the rest of our team, they’re huge cinema-lovers. It’s so exciting that a film which is not only a love letter to John Boorman, but also to ambitious filmmaking, will be handled by people who share the same passions that our team shares.”
“I first saw the film at an early festival screening and the post-screening buzz was just electric. Everyone was loving Boorman and the Devil,” added Yellow Veil co-founder Justin Timms. “To be able to team up with David and the filmmaking team on this release is incredibly exciting, and we can’t wait to spread that post-screening electricity with audiences across the country.”
Boorman and the Devil is produced by Kittredge’s Triple Fire Productions, Travis Stevens (Jodorowsky’s Dune, Starry Eyes) of Snowfort Pictures, and Jim Fall (The Lizzie McGuire Movie), with Alan Koenigsberg of Milton Ventures Media serving as co-producer.
Daniel Kurland wrote in his review, “Boorman and the Devil goes above and beyond to be the definitive text on Exorcist II. This documentary will delight horror and Exorcist fans alike, but it also provides incredible insight for anyone who is just marginally interested in film production.”
You must be logged in to post a comment.