Hello HSX Community!
It’s HALLOWEEN TIME! October is always full of great genre product so with that in mind, I present to you some films you can watch at home this month. Criterion Channel is doing a series of horror films of the 70’s that I’ll call out a few favs, but their entire series is worth watching this month.
COMING TO VOD
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12 HOUR SHIFT (10/2) - This was supposed to premiere at Tribeca this year but COVID put a stop to it. It still got good distribution with Magnolia. It’s a black comedy of errors filled with lots of humor and doesn’t shy away from bringing the gross stuff either. It's about a nurse in the south who is a drug addict and engages in the organ black market to pay for her habit. It’s with genre icon Angela Bettis as well
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SAVE YOURSELVES! (10/6) - I have a soft spot for low budget sci-fi films with creative aliens and this hipster comedy has lots of amusing low budget aliens. This one is definitely for the UPRIGHT CITIZEN BRIGADE improv fans. It’s full of charm and laughs. [SAVYS]
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WOLF OF SNOW HOLLOW (10/9) - Jim Cummings has made a name for himself in the indie world after his short THUNDER ROAD played at Sundance. He later extended that into a feature which won the top prize at SXSW. This feature delves into the genre world where a mysterious group of grizzly murders leave a sleepy mountain town in fear. It’s got plenty of deadpan humor on top of the genre elements.
COMING SOON TO NETFLIX
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FORTY YEAR OLD VERSION (10/9) - When I saw this at Sundance, it was almost 150 minutes long, but I couldn’t help but admire the story about a struggling African American playwright who is desperate for her opportunity and reinvents herself as a rapper. It has an early Spike Lee feel with the black and white photography, gritty NY vibe, and honest and autobiographical narrative. Fingers crossed it lost 20 minutes before release, but even at its 2+ hour length, it was a huge crowd-pleaser at Sundance.
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HUNT FOR WILDERPEOPLE (10/1) - If you haven’t seen this Taika Waititi comedy, now is your time. I promise you will love this movie and its heart, and you’ll have a whole new birthday song to sing to your loved ones.
COMING SOON TO HULU
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MAD MAX BEYOND THUNDERDOME (10/1) - The third film in the series always gets a bad rap. GODFATHER III is good! HALLOWEEN III is good! EXORCIST III is good! THE OMEN III is good! And MAD MAX III is good too! Tina Turner is amazing in this film (and her two songs in the soundtrack are kinda great too) and I felt the “Amblin” third act gave Mel Gibson the sendoff the character deserves. Now is the time to revisit. TWO MEN ENTER. ONE MAN LEAVES.
COMING SOON TO CRITERION CHANNEL
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PEEPING TOM (10/1) - Michael Powell’s career ended when he made this movie, which only got recognition after Scorsese began to champion his films. There are easily five masterpieces in his filmography (LIFE AND DEATH OF COLONEL BLIMP, STAIRWAY TO HEAVEN, BLACK NARCISSUS, RED SHOES and PEEPING TOM) so it's unfortunate that his career ended the way it did. The film was too much for the UK in 1959, but you can see it in 2020 with the proper context. Thelma Schoonmaker, Scorsese’s longtime editor, was married to Powell and Scorsese is known to say that if you ever needed to understand editing, all you had to do was watch this film.
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DAUGHTERS OF DARKNESS (10/1) - Often miscategorized as sleazy, DOD is an unforgettable example of women who can find support and love with each other. It's one of the greatest queer horror films ever made.
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THE WITCH THAT CAME FROM THE SEA (10/1) - It’s developed a small cult following over the years but this film is still underseen. It's one of the infamous “Video Nasties” that were an obscenity in the UK and you could go to jail for releasing them. It’s a bleak film, but it's one of the best examples of mental illness in a horror film I’ve ever seen. If you’re a fan of POSSESSION & REPULSION, you’ll like this.
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GANJA & HESS (10/1) - This is simply a landmark of African American cinema about an anthropologist who becomes a vampire. It’s developed admiration decades after its release for its cultural subtext and its deliberate pace has been embraced by arthouse audiences. It’s been described as part of blaxploitation, but its filmmaker Bill Gunn was actually thumbing his nose at film distribution with this narrative and release. If you are interested in African American cinema, GANJA & HESS is a must see.
THINGS I HAVEN’T SEEN BUT LOOKING FORWARD TO
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TRIAL OF THE CHICAGO 7 (10/16, Netflix) - You like Aaron Sorkin? I do. I can’t wait to see this.
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REBECCA (10/21, Netflix) - I’m eagerly anticipating Ben Wheatley’s take on this gothic tale of love that may or may not be passing between this world and the next.
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STAR TREK DISCOVERY SEASON 3 (10/15, CBS All Access) - If you’re bothered when classic sci-fi series get rebooted but the tech in the prequel is better than the original series, well, Discovery now is a sequel instead of a prequel? I’m a big fan and really curious how the jump into the future works out.
Tag(s): SAVYS