Film Threat » Amy R. Handler

BRINGING UP BOBBY

Amy R. Handler — Tue, 08 Jan 2013 19:20:14 +0000

What keeps Bobby from catapulting toward David Lynchland, and landing in Rod Serling’s "Twilight Zone" is subtlety---and an elasticized universal-hold in reality that pulls us back when we go too far the other way...

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THIS IS NOT A FILM

Amy R. Handler — Mon, 31 Dec 2012 05:01:25 +0000

To say that Iranian filmmakers Mojtaba Mirtahmasb and Jafar Panahi’s newest “documentary,” “This is Not a Film,” is strictly the contrived ravings of Panahi’s politically-agitating mind is to grossly miss the point of this potent little non-film...

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REVISITING THE DOCUMENTARIES: “BHUTTO”

Amy R. Handler — Thu, 29 Mar 2012 04:31:17 +0000

Born on June 21, 1953, Bhutto was assassinated on December 27, 2007. Her murderers remain unknown, and at large...

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CINEMA’S APPROACH TO THE AGING PROCESS

Amy R. Handler — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 05:05:58 +0000

Here aging, death, and the undead are all considered morally corrupt, and something only the good can eliminate...

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WE ARE THE HARTMANS

Amy R. Handler — Mon, 26 Dec 2011 05:06:44 +0000

"We Are the Hartmans" is a very important powerhouse that will shock you back to life. Clad in eye-watering comedy, it is a film that no one can afford to miss...

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MAKING THE BOYS

Amy R. Handler — Sun, 13 Nov 2011 05:30:41 +0000

When one considers that the plot of “The Boys” is nothing much, a group of gay men converged at a house for a surprise birthday party for their friend, one wonders what all the fuss is about...

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HEY, BOO

Amy R. Handler — Sat, 12 Nov 2011 05:31:31 +0000

Why are we so fascinated by celebrities, that we insist upon making legends out of shy, small-town novelists like Nell Harper Lee?

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RANDOM LUNACY

Amy R. Handler — Wed, 09 Nov 2011 05:01:10 +0000

So how could such a resourceful and intelligent gentleman allow himself to become homeless, and how is it that others not only accepted Poppa’s idiosyncrasies, but followed him disciple-fashion?

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MINTY: THE ASSASSIN

Amy R. Handler — Wed, 26 Oct 2011 04:03:57 +0000

Best known for films that are provocative and eccentric, Cinema Epoch’s "Minty: The Assassin" is no exception...

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VIVA! SAINT AGRIPPINA

Amy R. Handler — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 12:35:55 +0000

Long before the People’s Princess, Diana, there was the Family Princess, Agrippina of Mineo. At least that’s the label Boston’s North Enders use when describing their beloved Patron Saint of the diseased and maimed...

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THE MONKEY’S PAW

Amy R. Handler — Tue, 27 Sep 2011 04:01:39 +0000

Be careful what you wish for, it may just plague you for the rest of your life--- and very possibly, well beyond that...

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GUILLERMO

Amy R. Handler — Tue, 27 Sep 2011 04:01:32 +0000

For those connoisseurs of discriminating cinematic-taste, “Guillermo” is abundant in identity-theory, socio-political deconstruction, revolution, and the restoration of a highly elaborate social order...

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ONTOLOGICA! OR A BRIEF EXPLANATION OF ABSOLUTELY EVERYTHING THAT IS KNOWN ABOUT ABSOLUTELY EVERYTHING

Amy R. Handler — Sat, 03 Sep 2011 04:03:44 +0000

If this is beginning to feel like a bogus mind-game, then you’re on the right track toward attempting to understand Skylar Gordon’s great plan. Good luck with that...

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“GENERAL ORDERS NO. 9″: AN INTERVIEW WITH FILMMAKER ROBERT PERSONS

Amy R. Handler — Thu, 01 Sep 2011 04:47:06 +0000

In the interview that follows, filmmaker Bob Persons and I talk much about “General Orders No. 9,” it’s implications and, of course, ghosts...

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DESERT RAIN

Amy R. Handler — Wed, 31 Aug 2011 04:04:10 +0000

All in all, “Desert Rain” is a strongly provocative film, with interesting moral and existential undertones...

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“ZERO PERCENT”: AN INTERVIEW WITH FILMMAKER TIM SKOUSEN

Amy R. Handler — Wed, 24 Aug 2011 04:05:54 +0000

Filmmaker Tim Skousen has created a very unique documentary about prison-life that moves as swiftly and fluidly as the finest of narratives...

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DETERMINISM

Amy R. Handler — Sun, 14 Aug 2011 04:01:43 +0000

The story unfolds at a Pennsylvania college campus, and concerns the bleaker side of academia, where education and dreams succumb to drug deals, guns and murder...

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“THE BIG UNEASY”: AN INTERVIEW WITH HARRY SHEARER

Amy R. Handler — Fri, 05 Aug 2011 04:01:58 +0000

2011 WOODS HOLE FILM FESTIVAL SELECTION! Harry Shearer discards his black-humored charm in his documentary, "The Big Uneasy," a very important film about Hurricane Katrina’s destruction of New Orleans...

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“ROAD TO NOWHERE”: AN INTERVIEW WITH SCREENWRITER STEVEN GAYDOS

Amy R. Handler — Wed, 03 Aug 2011 04:01:08 +0000

I caught up with writer, Steven Gaydos to discuss the birth, life and staying- power of “Road to Nowhere,” and to ponder how such a goth-inflected mind-boggler emerged from the pen of Variety’s finest...

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THE DARKNESS WITHIN

Amy R. Handler — Tue, 02 Aug 2011 04:01:59 +0000

Dom Portalla’s award-winning "The Darkness Within" is a psychological-thriller that messes with the mind in that surreptitious way that shocker-addicts only dream about, but very rarely see in contemporary film...

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GREEN VALLEY

Amy R. Handler — Mon, 01 Aug 2011 04:08:34 +0000

In many ways, "Green Valley" is typical of new filmmakers trying so hard to create something weird that in the end their work resembles the primitive tactics of every other new filmmaker...

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“HARVEST” – AN INTERVIEW WITH FILMMAKER MARC MEYERS

Amy R. Handler — Thu, 21 Jul 2011 04:01:06 +0000

Marc Meyers arrived at filmmaking by way of playwriting. Meyers’ second feature, "Harvest," follows ordinary people going about the business of living and dying...

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SMALL TOWN MURDER SONGS

Amy R. Handler — Wed, 13 Jul 2011 04:05:17 +0000

What’s exciting about “Small Town Murder Songs,” is that we are able to interact with the story at a very visceral level. Every single one of our senses is on alert, and in full gear from the film’s beginning to its end...

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THE SCENESTERS

Amy R. Handler — Wed, 25 May 2011 04:05:38 +0000

Do not, under any circumstances, expect romantic sappiness from this gentle, yet hardcore brainteaser...

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AND NOW WITHOUT “CEREMONY”: AN INTERVIEW WITH FILMMAKER MAX WINKLER

Amy R. Handler — Wed, 27 Apr 2011 04:05:00 +0000

"Ceremony" may be Max Winkler’s debut into feature filmmaking, but as this highly provocative narrative indicates, Winkler is no stranger to the cryptic and unexpected...

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BRINGING THE DEAD TO LIFE: AN INTERVIEW WITH FILMMAKERS JIM TOWNS AND MIKE MCKOWN

Amy R. Handler — Thu, 20 Jan 2011 05:01:27 +0000

Jim Towns and Mike McKown are an independent dream team with a huge vision. Their films, “Prometheus Triumphant: A Fugue in the Key of Flesh,” and “Stiff,” are bold, scary, intelligent, and highly provocative...

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“THE ENDLESS SUMMER”: AN INTERVIEW WITH FILMMAKER BRUCE BROWN

Amy R. Handler — Mon, 10 Jan 2011 05:01:04 +0000

When it comes to the greatest sports films of all time, it’s a family business at the Brown household. Brown as in Bruce Brown, that is...

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“LOVELY, STILL”: AN INTERVIEW WITH MARTIN LANDAU

Amy R. Handler — Thu, 25 Nov 2010 03:49:45 +0000

The recipient of numerous awards including an Oscar, and nominated for countless others, Landau is as down to earth and soft spoken as anyone could be...

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“I AM COMIC”: AN INTERVIEW WITH JORDAN BRADY

Amy R. Handler — Wed, 20 Oct 2010 04:01:57 +0000

I caught up with the always honest, always funny director, Jordan Brady, to talk about his newest creation, "I Am Comic"...

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MURNAU’S SUNRISE: A SONG OF TWO HUMANS (DVD)

Amy R. Handler — Wed, 29 Sep 2010 04:01:53 +0000

Long before "Twilight" and "The Vampire Diaries," cinematic visionary F.W. Murnau directed the first vampire feature ever made for the big screen...

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KINGS OF PASTRY

Amy R. Handler — Thu, 16 Sep 2010 04:01:48 +0000

2010 PHILADELPHIA FILM FESTIVAL SELECTION! Crying over spilled milk may be a toddler-thing but really, grown men weeping over broken sugar sculptures????

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THE MILLION HIT MAN: AN INTERVIEW WITH SEAN DUNNE

Amy R. Handler — Sun, 15 Aug 2010 04:01:28 +0000

When Sean Dunne uploaded his short documentary "The Archive" to Vimeo, he had no idea he’d become an overnight cult sensation. Still it happened, a mind-blowing, life changing explosion---proving once again, that dreams really can come true in the 21st century...

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THE STORYKEEPER: AN INTERVIEW WITH NEIL JORDAN

Amy R. Handler — Wed, 04 Aug 2010 04:05:38 +0000

The multifaceted Neil Jordan is not only a profound filmmaker and screenwriter, but also a brilliant novelist. In a recent telephone interview, I had the opportunity to discuss Jordan’s newest feature "Ondine," and to flesh out all those intricacies lurking beneath the mundane, that eventually veer into questionable places...

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PHANTOM VIOLIN: AN INTERVIEW WITH PAUL MERCER

Amy R. Handler — Sun, 01 Aug 2010 04:01:04 +0000

I caught up with Mercer to discuss his score for Dimitri Kirsanoff’s eery silent film, "Ménilmontant" (1926) in the brief interview that follows. Kirsanoff’s grisly murder-thriller is unique in that there are no intertitles---an ideal backdrop for Mercer’s potent score...

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HEY HEY IT’S ESTHER BLUEBURGER

Amy R. Handler — Wed, 19 May 2010 04:01:47 +0000

I must admit that I cringed at the thought of sitting through yet another coming of age comedy drama. Still, its quirky title and female writer/director did peak my interest long enough to actually see Australia's newest flick, "Hey Hey It’s Esther Blueburger" and I’m very glad I did. It just goes to show that even the most jaded of us can still be moved by an intelligent and provocative film...

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INDIES DO WIN OSCARS: INTERVIEW WITH JOACHIM BACK, DAVID RAKOFF AND RUSSELL ICKE

Amy R. Handler — Mon, 03 May 2010 06:31:09 +0000

"The New Tenants" is a 21-minute, low budget, independent film that recently won an Academy Award. I recently caught up with director Joachim Back, screenwriter/actor David Rakoff and editor Russell Icke by telephone. In the interview that follows we discuss the creation of "The New Tenants" and the film’s fascinating journey to the Oscars...

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SEAN CHRISTENSEN’S “SHAVE”

Amy R. Handler — Thu, 29 Apr 2010 04:01:20 +0000

Christensen’s short film, "Shave," is a brilliant, experimental documentary drama. It is a joyous yet disturbing autobiographical disconnect of a toddler’s violent clash with the adult world...

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FINDING THE RED BARON: AN INTERVIEW WITH NIKOLAI MÜLLERSCHÖN

Amy R. Handler — Wed, 31 Mar 2010 04:01:49 +0000

Yes, the Great War is the historically accurate backdrop of "The Red Baron" but the film concerns so much more. It is life and death seen through the eyes of a legally exonerated killer, who but for the grace of God could be any one of us...

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FINDING THE RED BARON: AN INTERVIEW WITH MATTHIAS SCHWEIGHÖFER

Amy R. Handler — Wed, 24 Mar 2010 04:01:19 +0000

In my opinion, "The Red Baron" is a superbly researched, sensitively enacted exploration of a man torn between doing his duty in a raging war and to his own conscience. In this respect, von Richthofen's dilemma is one of eternal relevance. More than anything else, the film succeeds in its ability to raise provocative questions. For me, there is nothing greater than this...

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THE NOTORIOUS MS. GUY

Amy R. Handler — Mon, 22 Mar 2010 04:01:12 +0000

For Guy, experimentalism concerned how the narrative was presented, and the manner in which she camouflaged or sabotaged this. Some films incorporated documentary and then proceeded to merge this with fiction, making it difficult to perceive where one ended and the other began...

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RISING TO “SATURDAY MORNING”: AN INTERVIEW WITH FILMMAKER ROB GREENBERG

Amy R. Handler — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 05:01:23 +0000

Every so often a new filmmaker enters the arena and commands our immediate attention. Rob Greenberg is such a man...

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EMPTY HOUSE

Amy R. Handler — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 05:01:40 +0000

While the film’s concept is interesting, its consistent somberness, accented by monotonous voice-over and lengthy black-screen transitions, becomes claustrophobic and exhausting...

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SKELETONS

Amy R. Handler — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 05:01:36 +0000

As is often the case, creating a short film is far more difficult than shooting a feature. "Skeletons" is a massive film squeezed into a tiny space...

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ON THE “WEAK SPECIES”: AN INTERVIEW WITH FILMMAKER DAN FALTZ

Amy R. Handler — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 05:01:01 +0000

In 1859, British naturalist Charles Darwin wrote about evolution through “natural selection” in his On the Origin of Species. Dan Faltz offers a surprising twist on the old theory in his disturbing, often farcical psychological thriller, "Weak Species"...

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TRIPTYCH

Amy R. Handler — Sat, 27 Feb 2010 05:01:17 +0000

Like many filmmakers, I tend to watch movies with a critical eye, ready to pounce on any technical-flaws, writing inconsistencies and acting problems. Shockingly, I could find very little to upset me about "Triptych"...

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P.J.: AN INTERVIEW WITH FILMMAKER RUSS EMANUEL

Amy R. Handler — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 02:43:07 +0000

Once in a while, a film comes along that forever changes our lives. Russ Emanuel manages to do this in "P.J."---an award-winning film concerning an ordinary man’s extraordinary insight...

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TINTO BRASS’ THE HOWL (L’URLO) (DVD)