If Evil Dead isn't your idea of fun, then may I suggest a film about evil-in-the-making that also opens on Friday? It's called Simon Killer, and it stars charismatic Brady Corbet as a young American up to no good in Paris. Simon appears to have traveled to the City of Lights to recover from a bad break-up, but, as this tense, visually striking film uncoils, it becomes apparent that he's suffering a breakdown that will have lethal consequences. more »
The Martha Marcy May Marlene camp notches another chilling character study in the AFI Fest selection Simon Killer, an unsettling look at a young American's dark descent in Paris directed by Borderline Films' Antonio Campos (Afterschool). Glimpse what lies in store with the film's hauntingly gorgeous, Kubrickian poster design, exclusively on Movieline.
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AFI Fest released more details for its L.A. event. Selections in its Young Americans and New Auteurs sections highlight emerging U.S. first and second time global filmmakers. As previously announced, the World Premiere of Hitchcock will open the festival, while Lincoln will close out the event, which takes place November 1 - 8 in Los Angeles.
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Jake Gyllenhaal has played along the edge of creepy (Donnie Darko) before, but he hasn't gone full psycho -- until now. After the jump, watch Jakey-poo put that dead-eyed visage to great use as a troubled, tightly coiled young man who kills his hipster pals and strangers alike until he finds just the right... dance club. Eh, it's a music video for a band called The Shoes. I'll allow it.
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Park City did indeed turn out to be a robust marketplace this year, with buyers snapping up over two dozen features and docs out of Sundance 2012. Ranging from genre pleasers to indie charmers to potential future Oscar picks and beyond – and veering from critical fest duds to overwhelming crowd favorites – the class of Sundance ’12 is an intriguingly mixed-but-mostly-promising bag of films that will be dotting the cinematic landscape in the year or so to come. Here’s an updated comprehensive look at what sold and which films you should be looking forward to.
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The most polarizing films are often those that dare to push the envelope farther than is expected or comfortable, whether audiences are ready for them or not, and for this reason I tend to find the divisive films more interesting than those with universal praise or derision. Simon Killer, from Afterschool director/Martha Marcy May Marlene producer Antonio Campos, reminded me of this rule when it debuted Friday at Sundance and left critics and bloggers somewhat split.
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