Joko Anwar wears his influences on his sleeve. A veteran filmmaker who got his start in the early 2000s, Anwar’s career took off globally in 2007 when his film Kala, a film noir that pays homage to Fritz Lang’s classic M, was recognized by Sight & Sound. Anwar has a knack for homage, and he’s recently started resurrecting older Indonesian horror titles by repackaging – and folding in a bit of his own – nostalgia.
To say that 2020 has been difficult is a huge understatement. We’ve all lost a great deal this year, some far more than others, and as a result things have felt insurmountable at times. But you’re here now, hopefully in good health, and that is truly worth celebrating. So how do we wrap up a year as monumentally awful as this?
If you don’t know Mario Bava, you should. He is, without a doubt, one of the most influential filmmakers of all time, regardless of genre. He was responsible for the first Italian horror and science fiction films after he took over direction on I Vampiri for Riccardo Freda and made The Day The Sky Exploded, despite credit having been awarded to another director.
The Bite
Dracula has undergone many iterations through the years. More archetype than man, he has represented everything from xenophobia to sexual expression to the specter of Marxism. Throughout all evolutions, the wealthy, reclusive predator echoes social, cultural, and sometimes economic maladies.
Bigger Bites
Thirty years have passed since moviegoers experienced the thrilling story of rookie FBI agent Clarice Starling’s triumph over the murderous Buffalo Bill. With the pearl anniversary of Silence of the Lambs, the new crime show Clarice will continue following Agent Starling’s career but with it comes a lot of baggage, both new and old. Buffalo Bill (real name Jame Gumb) has been prominently seen lurking in the promotion for the series and exhuming that corpse has released all of the rot and stink to the open air where it is just as foul as it was in 1991.
The Bite #147
Thirty years have passed since moviegoers experienced the thrilling story of rookie FBI agent Clarice Starling’s triumph over the murderous Buffalo Bill. With the pearl anniversary of Silence of the Lambs, the new crime show Clarice will continue following Agent Starling’s career and with it comes a lot of baggage, both new and old. Buffalo Bill (real name Jame Gumb) has been prominently seen lurking in the promotion for the series and exhuming that corpse has released all of the rot and stink to the open air where it is just as foul as it was in 1991.