MIFF 2012: The Dark Side of Cinema

The internet is buzzing right now with thoughts on the 61st Melbourne International Film Festival (MIFF), one of the biggest and oldest film festivals in the world. Many thought provoking and hype-fused articles have surfaced with the official public availability of... More »

By Kwenton Bellette

Sydney 2012: Day 3 Trailer of the Day - UNDER AFRICAN SKIES

My pick for today's Sydney Film Festival trailer of the day is Under African Skies, which focuses on Paul Simon's seminal album Graceland. About Under African Skies: Paul Simon returns to South Africa to reunite with the musicians, including Ladysmith Black... More »

By Hugo Ozman

A Crook. A Cop. A Body Swap. They're COPPOSITES!

the body swap comedy. It's one of the most bizarrely resilient sub-genres in film history. They're all basically the same and yet they pop up over and over again around the world, presumably because they give their stars a chance... More »

By Todd Brown

Blu-ray Review: Shaky Cam Mayhem in Joburg With SAFE HOUSE

The CIA thriller Safe House uses a lot of sleight-of-hand in the attempt to create the illusion that there's more movie there than is actually, you know, there. Denzel Washington is along to lend the necessary gravitas to this story... More »

By Charles Webb

Review: THE DICTATOR Not Altogether Great, But Still Retains Power

Here we have a fish-out-water story which transports the protagonists from their far-away homeland, to New York City. The CG may not be the best, and it plays more than a bit blue. No, I'm not talking about THE SMURFS,... More »

By Jim Tudor

HotDocs 2012: THE AMBASSADOR Review

Either Mads Brügger has balls the size of grapefruits or there is mondo chicanery going on in The Ambassador. Well, it's a given that there is trickery happening, so the thing to figure out is who the trick is on: The... More »

By Kurt Halfyard

African Men Shoot Their Machine Guns From Trucks And Think Smiling is Stupid

Though I had absolutely nothing to do with making this, consider it a sort of impromptu follow up to my previous editorial about Think Like A Man and Hollywood's bias against casting minorities in significant parts. Check the video below... More »

By Todd Brown

Dallas IFF Artistic Director James Faust Offers Up 10 Picks For Twitch Readers

The Dallas International Film Festival is mere days away, and I've been slacking in my duty to inform you all of the great films playing here in my city. Several of the films I've had the opportunity to see either... More »

By J Hurtado

Trailer For South African Heist Movie 31 MILLION REASONS

While every nation's local cinema has its own distinct flavor there are also certain constants no matter where you go. And one of those is that crime plays well everywhere. It's a simple fact. And it's one that is clearly... More »

By Todd Brown

Look Out, South Africans, DEATH RACE 3 Is Shooting Where You Live

It's happening right now--the second follow up to the Jason Statham-starring Death Race remake is in front of cameras right now as a South African/German co-production with Paul W.S. Anderson serving as executive producer, Hellboy 2's Luke Goss in the... More »

By Charles Webb

Neill Blomkamp's ELYSIUM Has Wrapped

And now begins the long post-production process.Though it's not due for release until 2013 industry watchdog Baseline reports that District 9 director Neill Blomkamp has wrapped principal photography on his sophomore feature, Elysium.Blomkamp has kept a tight lid on details... More »

By Todd Brown

Sundance 2012: Watch The Trailer For Somali Pirate Short FISHING WITHOUT NETS

As Sundance approaches, there's bound to be a flurry of teasers and trailers for the 2012 selection coming online, if not already. We might as well start with one from the shorts program, Cutter Hodierne's Fishing Without Nets. The synopsis... More »

By Ben Umstead

You'll Never Look At DEVIL MAY CRY The Same Way Again

I would say that the voice over in the trailer for Bonsam Besu - what I can only assume is a completely unauthorized Ghanaian film version of Devil May Cry - is the best part but that would overlook the... More »

By Todd Brown

Ghana Is Infested With Terminators And Predators In 2016.

Ladies and gentlemen, Ghana makes movies. Movies with action. Movies with adventure. Movies with special effects. Movies with famous characters from much better funded movies used in flagrant violation of international copyright law.You love The Terminator? Fond of Predator? So... More »

By Todd Brown

Mads Brügger's THE AMBASSADOR opens IDFA festival (and starts a row...)

This week the International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam starts with a bang: the opening film is Mads Brügger's "The Ambassador". Made up almost exclusively of hidden-camera footage, the film shows Mads acquiring a diplomatic passport and travelling to the Central... More »

By Ard Vijn

Watch Kevin MacDonald's LIFE IN A DAY for FREE!

One of the most ambitious and successful documentaries of the year, LIFE IN A DAY is a beautiful collage of people, places, emotions and lives taking place over the course of a single day. Devised and compiled by Academy-Award Winning... More »

By James Marsh

Canada's MONSIEUR LAZHAR And 62 Other Hopefuls Complete Oscar Foreign Language List

It's no secret that Philippe Falardeau's film about an Algerian immigrant who is hired to replace an elementary school teacher is Canada's submission for the category of Best Foreign Language Film at this year's Oscars. I only tout it out... More »

By Andrew Mack

VIVA RIVA! Review

(On the event of the Region 1 DVD release of "Viva Riva!", I present my belated review of the theatrical release.) Hailing from the District of Congo is "Viva Riva!", an unflinchingly violent gangster/crime film. One part De Palma's "Scarface",... More »

By Jim Tudor

Fantastic Fest 2011: HOW TO STEAL 2 MILLION Review

Noir is a loaded term. Noir = doomed characters (hard-bitten heroes, cold-hearted villains, deadly femme fatales) + black and white imagery awash in shadows. In heart and soul, Charlie Vundla's How to Steal 2 Million * is pure noir,... More »

By Peter Martin

TIFF 2011: Trailer For South African Crime Drama MAN ON GROUND

There's no denying at this point that African cinema is undergoing a major change and audiences around the world can expect to see a lot more projects from the continent in coming years. And if there's a face to the... More »

By Todd Brown

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Leading Voices in Global Cinema

Todd Brown, Founder & Editor Toronto
Peter Martin, Managing Editor Dallas
Ryland Aldrich, Festivals Editor Los Angeles
James Marsh, Asian Editor Hong Kong
Brian Clark, European Editor Paris

FEAR & LOATHING AT CANNES, PART 3: EVERYTHING IS WONDERFUL AND I'M TRIPPING BALLS

CHAPTER 6: THERE'S NOTHING MORE BEAUTIFUL THAN A PURPLE BEACH SMOTHERED IN MELTING TROMMETTES DURING A CRIMSON TINGED SUNSET ON THE FRENCH RIVERIA, HOLY SHIT I'M TRIPPING MY FUCKING FACE OFF.It's night. When the fuck did it become night? I'm naked. Where the fuck did my clothes go? I'm on... More »

Destroy All Monsters: I Think We've Been This Way Before, Mr. Spock

They can remember it for you wholesale, and they do. At some point, we licensed our pop cultural nostalgia to a handful of multinational conglomerates (well, to be fair, they always owned the licenses) and now they're selling them back to us - though, I guess, not at wholesale, but... More »

Interview: Twitch Talks to HANGOVER III's Ken Jeong

Ken Jeong may often play a lunatic on both big and small screen, but in person it's quite disarming to see just how calm and considerate he comes across. While he got his big screen start in Judd Apatow's Knocked Up, Jeong's real breakthrough was taking a small-on-paper role... More »

Hollywood Beat: Notes On Cutting The Cord And NBC's Genre Programs

I cut the cable cord last year, but I'm not always happy about it. I had to wait a year before seeing Season 2 of Game of Thrones, for example, and will have to wait to see Season 3 until next year. I only have to wait to see Mad... More »

Twitchvision: Talking STAR TREK: INTO DARKNESS, MUD and THE ICEMAN

Another Twitchvision chat with Scott Laurie, this time me gushing about J.J.'s latest Star Trek film, which I unabashedly loved.Also talked about he fabbo Mud, and the less fabbo The Iceman, both with Michael Shannon doing his thing.Video embedded below.Update: Was asked to come in today and pick a few... More »