the canal is a 2014 irish horror film that was directed and written by ivan kavanagh .

the film had its world premiere on april 18 , 2014 , at the tribeca film festival , and stars rupert evans as a father investigating a horrific murder that took place in his home in the early 1900s .

the canal ( 2014 film )

reviewed at sitges film festival , oct . 6 , 2014 . ( also in tribeca , busan film festivals . ) running time : 94 min .
an empowering narrative from inside the war . when multicultural and heterogenous allies give hope . in december 2014 isis militants . . .
the film is beset in imagery that references pregnancy and childbirth ; water plays a big factor , as does duality . the references in the canal are two - fold – there is the canal where david’s wife’s body is found , and the birth canal is referenced in a scene of unnerving horror . the canal is a visceral , gripping film experience , one to be experienced theatrically .
the world premiere of ‘the canal’ will take place in the midnight section of the tribeca film festival at 10pm on friday april 18 .
download a . srt file of the jump scares in the canal [ more info ] .
for treasure entertainment , a feature film written and directed by conor mcpherson which won the award for best actor at the tribeca film festival for ciaran hinds and also won the ifta for best film . in 2009 , rebecca produced the feature film
there’s no 2014 horror film that was more critically acclaimed than the babadook , which used tragedy - induced madness as the springboard for a truly effective horror story . it’s a shame that so few seem to have seen it , because the canal does much the same thing , and is every bit as impressive as last year’s horror darling .
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one of the least “horror” looking titles at the tribeca film festival is ivan kavanagh’s irish ghost story , the canal , which is surprisingly dark and scary .
the canal review : this movie will scare you silly | birth . movies . death .
a truly original horror film isn ' t easy to come by these days . . . the canal , isn ' t the film that ' s going to change that , but it does have its positives .
i’m home alone right now and as i sit here writing this review , with all the lights in the house intentionally turned on , i can’t help but feel incredibly unsettled , like a kid who’s convinced there’s a monster in his bedroom closet . if that’s not the hallmark of a potent horror film then i’m not sure what is – and if the canal isn’t the scariest horror film of 2014 , then i’m also not sure what is .
as we ramp up for the 2014 tribeca film festival in nyc this april 16 - 27 , more and more material on the films that will be playing the fest come pouring in . today we ' ve discovered that the festival page has a mighty fine trailer for one of its midnight selections .
starring andrew scott , fionn o ' shea and nick galitzine . the film premiered in toronto international film festival in september 2016 . most recently robert produced hugh o ' conor ' s debut feature film
the canal ( 2014 ) is one of those films with an ending that nobody saw coming . it’s a “ghost in the house” story that may or may not have any ghosts , and follows the downward spiral of a man versus his family . the film’s ending not only slaps you in the mouth with a sack of rocks , it makes you reconsider everything you’ve just watched . but the film is deliberately constructed to be ambiguous , so there’s no concrete answer as to what happened at the end .
the cops stationed outside hear claire’s scream and break into the house . david grabs billy and flees into the canal through the manhole .
looking for movie tickets ? enter your location to see which movie theaters are playing the canal near you .
jump scare rating : only a few jumpscares in the latter half of the film .
david williams works as an archivist at the national film archives alongside claire mcmanus . david and his wife alice move into a new home situated near a canal to start a family .
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she has worked as a lecturer in screenwriting at the huston film school ; dun laoghaire film school ; filmbase and dcu and delivered training for screen training ireland .
david and billy take a walk along the canal . david spots the shadow of a woman in the grass . he retrieves the camera and films the shape while he closes his eyes and billy hides . david then drops off the film with claire for processing .
just as the events of this one are a waking nightmare for its main character , so too is the film a waking nightmare for the viewer . if you like your horror scary , turn off the lights and take a dip in the canal .
paddy considine as dai donovan alongside bill nighy in the film pride . photograph : nicola dove
rebecca lectures on the ma in screenwriting course at the school of film and digital media in nui galway , as well as guest lecturing at on a number of other film courses .
rupert evans plays a film archivist who uncovers a film reel that shows that their house was the subject of a multiple murder in 1902 . while he explores this reel –
through ghastly imagery and a chilling score , ivan kavanagh ' s the canal is an irish ghost story that will leave you with a fear of the dark and a dripping chill down your spine long after the film ' s conclusion .
in the canal , david suddenly remembers that it was actually he who just strangled claire to death . he also recalls confronting alice after she left alex’s house and drowning her in the canal . david then has a vision of alice’s corpse giving birth to a grotesque child .
the film will have its world premiere on april 18 . now check out that trailer below !
first and foremost , it is by no means a perfect film . if i had to the…
claire is a graduate of the national film school , iadt where she specialised in drama production .
she regularly co - ordinates and organises workshops and symposia with the national film school , iadt .
with the possible exception of “puddle , ” the film’s title and thus its central setting is perhaps the most benign water body for which a word exists . “the canal” doesn’t exactly suggest swift movement in the way “waterfall” or “rapids” might , and it certainly doesn’t scream horror , either . add in that the featured protagonist works as a film archivist , a profession one character confuses for a librarian , and the setup is upfront from its outset that “the canal” is unlikely to be heavy on smash - mouth thrills .
a depressed and stressed film archivist finds his sanity crumbling after he is given an old 16mm film reel with footage from a horrific murder that occurred in the early 1900 ' s .
a graduate of ucd and king’s inns , rebecca worked in a freelance capacity for a number of years in the irish film industry before she moved to the irish film board to work as a development manager , selecting and managing the board’s vast development slate including shorts , animation , television and film .
the commission and the floating cinema were supported by arts council england ' s strategic touring programme , bfi , film hub north , esmée fairbairn foundation , canal & river trust , hull city council and forms part of hull city of culture 2017 .
“we hope ‘the canal’ can be watched and re - watched , and the events can be debated and interpreted in different ways , keeping the audience guessing until the very end . ”
there was a special sdcc screening of writer / director ivan kavanagh ' s highly anticipated irish indie horror the canal last night , the single event i was most excited for this year , after hearing repeatedly that this movie is the real deal . after seeing it , i can only agree . the canal is the real fucking deal .
the canal , though reliant on atmospherics and superb sound design , looks and feels more than genre cinema than kavanagh ' s earlier , freakier one .
paris , november 6 , 2014 french tv journalist from premières lignes productions edouard perrin broadcast his first investigative program on the luxembourg leaks files in may 2012 on cash investigation - the underhand tactics series - broadcasted on france 2 , french national network . premieres lignes also collaborated with bbc panorama programme . perrin has been investigating tax . . .
written and directed by irish filmmaker ivan kavanagh , the canal centers on film archivist david , who learns through vintage crime scene videos that a man killed his entire family in the home he shares with his wife and young son , back in the early 1900s . after his wife drowns in the titular canal , david becomes convinced that a demonic entity is to blame , and his happy life unravels into a waking nightmare .
“the film is filled with the director’s own fears , which we hope will be transferred to the audience . the goal was always to make a frightening horror film , pushing the genre and the medium almost to breaking point . it’s a very visceral cinematic experience . ”
the police start trailing david regularly . david finds old photographs hidden behind his bedroom wall depicting an occult ritual taking place inside the house . he then investigates the manhole in his backyard and follows a tunnel connecting to the canal . there , david discovers a small corpse and realizes that the dark man was sacrificing children and dumping their bodies in the canal .
‘the canal’ tells the story of a family which consists of a mother , father and young son who move into a period house by a canal . david ( played by evans ) suspects his wife , alice , is cheating on him . he also starts to have frightening visions of a haunting presence in the house .
an empowering narrative from inside the war . when multicultural and heterogenous allies give hope . in december 2014 isis militants managed to completely surround the town of sinjar in iraq . the yedezi kurdish residents of the mountain town , which lies about 50km from the syrian border , are trapped . but they are not beaten . xavier muntz was dropped by helicopter into sinjar and spent . . .
an exclusive and chilling investigation into the origins of the islamic terrorist group and its bloody rise , fuelled by army abuses . on april 14th 2014 over 250 schoolgirls were abducted by the boko haram group in chibok in northern nigeria . this outrageous act heralded the birth in international media of an islamic sect which had been in existence for over ten years in the region . soon after . . .
jessica gunning , left , as siân james , with imelda staunton in the film pride . photograph : nicola dove
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rather than relying completely on cheap jump scares , the canal delivers an atmosphere that is genuinely unnerving from nearly the moment the film begins , building to a point that you’re likely to contemplate turning the lights on for the remainder of its runtime . an inherently creepy hand - crank camera and an ominous hole in the wall make for some of the film’s best scares , and when all is said and done you can expect your sleeping patterns to be disrupted .
an irish , british , dutch co - production , the film marks writer / director ivan kavanagh’s third production with park films after ‘tin can man’ and ‘the fading light’ . ‘the canal’ was produced by anne marie naughton for park films with treasure entertainment’s rebecca o’ flanagan and robert walpole as executive producers .
“who wants to see ghosts ? ” a cinema archivist asks a theater full of restless kids in “the canal , ” making a clever pitch to convince those who’ve never watched anything before the dawn of sound or color to give silent pics a try : it’s the best way to see dead people . little does the mild - mannered film buff realize , however , that the next reel to pass through his hands will plunge him into a ghost story of his own , an unnerving but not terribly original nor especially commercial irish chiller that blends edwardian - era intrigue with more recent j - horror tricks . following a busy 2014 festival run , the orchard release opened oct . 10 stateside .
the canal is an eerie , atmospheric film which follows the descent of a man into potential insanity ( or possible demon - possession ) as he grieves the death of his wife . it’s got a strong lead in the ever - earnest rupert evans , who leads us along with him into a bit of madness .
the tomatometer score — based on the opinions of hundreds of film and television critics — is a trusted measurement of critical recommendation for millions of fans . it represents the percentage of professional critic reviews that are positive for a given film or television show .
here , kavanagh discusses the canal & apos ; s many genre influences , the importance of sound design and limitless visuals to generate scares , and the plus side of not making every viewer happy .
there’s nothing particularly original about the canal , and comparisons to films like sinister are inevitable , but that’s beside the point . what’s remarkable about the film is how effective it is at getting under your skin and unnerving you , managing to do both things better than any other horror film released last year . this is psychological horror at its finest , making even the scariest modern day hollywood horror films look like child’s play .
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the annecy international animation film festival and its market ( mifa ) : the major international event for over 11 , 000 industry professionals .
in 2004 she left the board and established rubicon films . in that year she also produced the rte / film base - funded short
oh , man . that poster . for this great of a film ? this great ! ? wow .
she joined treasure entertainment in 2013 , working on feature films the stag , dare to be wild and the canal . in 2015 she was appointed development executive for the company , overseeing their film and tv slate as well as co - producing feature films viva ( 2015 ) and handsome devil ( 2016 ) .
the couple spent friday night celebrating with their respective friends and relatives , she emerging from the grand canal in a flowing red gown and he sailing in a dinner jacket and unbuttoned shirt aboard the amore .
the film is about david who is a specialist in film archiving ; he is actually going through tough times , as he knew that his wife is cheating on him , with ( alex ) , his work colleague . furthermore ,
“the canal” doesn’t mount momentum through an expanding and contracting accordion of action and pauses . rather , the tension is a persistent ratchet that seldom relaxes , yet is always tightening , albeit gradually . there are the occasional “reset” scenes like “breakfast the next morning” giving brief respite . though for the most part , once “the canal” starts taking on weight , it keeps adding straws until the camel’s legs buckle for a breakneck climax .
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the canal does nothing new with its ghost story plot but that is part of its simple charm . it keeps its cards close to its chest , uses scares sparingly and hooks the audience in as we watch david go through this journey . in many respects , the canal is one of the better examples of a ghost story movie , especially to come out of a country other than america . it carries the same notes and flavours of the babadook ( which is also being shown at frightfest ) , but the film doesn’t quite hit the mark .
park films are delighted to announce that their upcoming horror feature , ‘the canal’ will have its world premiere at the opening weekend at the tribeca film festival in april . the feature was directed and written by ivan kavanagh and stars rupert evans ( ‘hellboy’ ) and ifta nominee antonia campbell - hughes ( ‘3096 days’ , ‘albert nobbs’ ) .
david williams wants nothing more than to give his wife alice the perfect life . working as a film archivist , the young , pregnant couple finally save enough to buy their first home . residing on the picturesque , irish canal it seems as though their prayers have finally been answered . an eerie coincidence unfolds at david’s office one day to threaten it all . in the screening room , he views a silent film from 1902 documenting an unsolved murder . even more bizarre is the scene of the crime , the williams new home . will david be able to come to grips with their dream home being the sight of such grisly turmoil or will he become completely undone before the canal ?
strange when two very similar movies come out on the same year and both are equally great for very different reasons . the canal has a lot in common with the babadook but dealing with very different themes and a very different approach . whilst babadook was more traditional on its narrative , giving an ambiguous but flawed ending ; the canal is ambiguous right from the start and gives a conclusion that ' s too neat and tidy . still , with lush cinematography and sound design , a very strong but quiet performance from the lead , the canal is a rather solid entre for kavanagh ' s filmography .
two major conclusions about what happened during this film ' s ending can be reached : one , the house was possessed by evil spirits from the actions that took place there in 1902 , which caused david to go insane . it took the form of his murdered wife in the canal to murder him , then took the form of david himself to “murder” the son .
we are in a great time for horror . all types of themes / ideas are being explored by new talent everyday . i love to discover new filmmakers and their new films that they unleash onto us everyday . so i ' m happy to say that new comer ( and soon to be master of horror ) ivan kavanagh is a filmmaker , who ' s unleashed the very terrifying , emotional , and sinister the canal onto us ! now , ivan kavanagh has been around for some time now , but i promise you that the canal is the film that people will remember him for , as the film is absolutely terrifying and intriguing ! the film follows a man , who suspects his wife is cheating , as he descends into madness ! that is all…
after hearing about the canal via twitter , i obviously took an interest in checking it out . i watched it and found very little to connect to , here ' s why :
much later , some time after alice’s body is discovered , detective mcnamara arrives at david’s house with questions following the police department’s discovery of the hammer in the canal . i have questions about this , as well .
kavanagh’s film relies heavily on the atmosphere and mood to create suspense , and the constant bizarre imagery and tremendous sound design help deliver in spades .
interweaving film , sculpture , music , and video to examine the story of mohammed el gharani , one of the youngest detainees at guantanamo bay .
“the canal” doesn’t connect all of its plot dots with straight lines , and that includes how needlessly complex it gets with filling in the house’s background . once the revelations play out in act three , the final picture is one of blurred logic and faulty arithmetic that doesn’t fully add up . yet by the time you realize how unsatisfactory the explanation behind the mystery is , “the canal” has already glamoured you with stylish eeriness that chills far deeper than conscious context ever could .
sarah holds a ba in german and russian from trinity college dublin and an ma in screenwriting from the national film school , iadt .
culture crypt looks at a few fantasia film festival features shaping up to be hot topics among horror fans in 2018 .
the canal has a pitch - black , serious - minded tone , starting with its opening monologue all the way through to the bleak ending . a lot of horror filmmakers feel the need to insert moments of levity into otherwise bleak movies , whether it & apos ; s the introduction of goofy paranormal investigators or a bumbling cop . how important was it for you to maintain the film & apos ; s straight - faced bleakness throughout ? yeah , and that & apos ; s what i loved about certain films in the genre . if you & apos ; re going to make a horror film , then make a horror film . just really go for broke and make a waking nightmare , like that experience i had with the texas chainsaw massacre . but there & apos ; s maybe one or two moments of humor in the canal , maybe with the detective .
claire brings over the processed film and david insists that she watch it with him . while david prepares the projector , claire mentions how david called her in hysterics the night before , although he claims that it was not he on the phone . together , they view the footage david shot at the canal and they watch as the shadowy woman rises from the grass and approaches the camera . simultaneously , the woman emerges from the hole in david’s bedroom wall and pulls claire into the crawlspace .
mcnamara informs david that the police found a hammer in the canal with david’s fingerprints on it . david tells mcnamara about the 1902 murders and the ghost he believes is haunting the home . mcnamara reports david’s mental state to the authorities and children’s services threatens to take away billy .
in conjunction with the world premiere of the documentary film finding vivian maier the maloof collection is happy to announce an exhibition of vivian maier ' s work at the isa spalding . . .
things get worse for david after that—much , much worse . as he begins losing his mind , kavanagh goes all out with the canal & apos ; s horrific imagery . david sees the 1902 murder take place in his bedroom , and it & apos ; s an ferociously brutal stabbing incident partly seen as an old - school film reel ; he later sees a grime - covered , possibly inhuman female figure standing in the tall grass alongside the canal ; figures in the film reels break the fourth wall , the - ending - of - the - ring style ; and there & apos ; s a child birthing sequence that , well , just needs to be seen . words won & apos ; t do it justice here .
“who wants to see ghosts ? ” a cinema archivist asks a theater full of restless kids in “the canal , ” making a clever pitch to convince those who’ve never watched anything before the dawn of sound or color to give silent pics a try : it’s the best way to see dead people . little does the mild - mannered film buff realize , [ … ]
the discovery of his home & apos ; s bloody past coincides with david & apos ; s mounting suspicions that his wife is cheating on him , which he confirms by catching her and another guy in the act . that night , though , alice goes missing , later to be found dead in a canal . mere feet away from the same canal where , the morning after seeing her having sex with someone else , david woke up on the floor of a dirty , graffiti - laden bathroom , having seen what he believed to be the man in the
crime scene
film strangling alice the night before .
the film , which follows the story of a five - man tank crew during the last two weeks of wwii , has received mixed reviews , but undoubtedly had some effect on the audience , as evidenced by the audible energy in the room every time a cannon or gunshot rang out . after the two hour , 14 minute film played for the packed theater , ayer and the core cast members ,
rachel has served as an ifta jury member and was one of the best in film / animation judges for the satellite broadband digital media awards ( 2010 ) .
its karlovy vary international film festival time ! we will be here for a few more days soaking up the films , the people , and this beautiful town .
vivian maier at fundación canal isabel ii virtually unknown photographer vivian maier took close to 200 , 000 photographs while she worked for over 40 years as a nanny primarily on chicago’s . . .
rachel o’flanagan has worked in the irish film industry for 17 years . she is experienced in developing and script editing feature films and television dramas .
as effective as the cinematic experience is , “the canal” is not without cracks in its foundation . although the film works as a supernatural mystery , the script aims for a two - front assault on david by giving him a more earthly police investigation to contend with , too . the problem is , the angle of david’s possible involvement in his wife’s disappearance doesn’t have the same teeth as a crime drama that it does as a hallucinogenic haunting .
the canal has plenty of jump scares , often born out of the loud , discordant clangs of the soundtrack ( particularly when david is changing the reels on a projector to torment himself with more unsettling footage of the sins that were once committed in his house ) , and it has plenty of gore . but the terror of the canal stems from something much deeper than blood or loud bangs . it is the terror of abject certainty - certainty that everything will get worse , much worse , before all of this is over .
sat down to discuss the rigorous training required of them for the film . given the cast’s reflections , ayer’s directorial style and pre - production process clearly took a toll on the actors physically and emotionally .
and yet , the canal doesn’t feel like anything special . it doesn’t hook the same way movies like the babadook or sinister do and that’s its biggest downfall . rupert evans gives a fantastic performance , but the character of david is bland and uninteresting . the movie also goes through a lull period where very little happens and the stock - scares that you’ve seen a dozen times this year alone fail to cut the mustard . if the movie didn’t have a terrific close and a few other great scenes , the canal really wouldn’t be worth your time .
in the wake of his wife’s unexplained disappearance , a film archivist uncovers a supernatural link between his house and a 100 - year - old murder .
demented and darkly hilarious , ben wheatley’s film gets a perfectly acceptable dvd transfer , as well as some insightful interview - based extras .
a look at ukraine’s dark side
( read here ) an interesting review of paul moreira’s film « ukraine the masks of the revolution » , published . . .
the movie’s simple plot follows film archivist david , who is currently in a seemingly loveless relationship with the mother of his only child . but while following her and a co - worker , he discovers that she is having an affair and when she turns up dead in a canal , he is the number one suspect . however , david seems to think the house is haunted and the sinister happenings are what caused her death .
the ballad of narayama
is a japanese film of great beauty and elegant artifice , telling a story of startling cruelty . what a space it opens…
david ayer ’s graphic world war ii film , “ fury , ” had its final press screening on thursday night at lincoln center before its wide theatrical release today . the director and his star - studded cast have been all over the place promoting the film , even at fort benning , home to the u . s . armor and infantry schools .
for the past 12 years , journalist paul moreira has travelled extensively in iraq . in this personal film , he goes in search of the men he filmed back . . .
a good psychological horror that ably blends the line between reality and psychosis . probably elevated by the skills of the lead more than anything else , and my favourite police officer in horror film history .
as the canal progresses , david starts to become unhinged . when his wife prepares to go to work , david pleads with her to come straight him and she promises to . after work , david follows her as she and alex , their affair now obviously confirmed , walk to alex’s house which is opposite a canal . david follows them from a distance , and catches them in the midst of sexual passion , leaving him feeling betrayed . he stumbles into the worst cinematic toilet seen since danny boyle’s trainspotting ( 1996 ) and begins to see flashes of the murder that occurred well over 100 years ago . like the best ghost stories , the canal presents us with images that give us pause to determine if they are real or are just happening in the mind of the protagonist .
there’s a lot of james wan inspiration going on in the canal , and kavanagh proves that he can do wan as well as wan can do wan . from the color palette to the sound design , the canal feels very much like something wan would make , which is needless to say a major compliment . but there’s also a good deal of japanese horror inspiration going on here , particularly when it comes to one scene during the finale that is sure to make those little hairs on the back of your neck stand at attention .
as far as the acting , everyone comports themselves admirably . inexperienced ( read : bad ) actors can relegate a genre film to the status of b - movie , a problem which
and while the canal is brooding , it will test the patients of some viewers , and could really use a more impactful finale . still , it’s refreshing to see a filmmaker show such restraint and put together such an old - school genre haunter .
with fans massed on the banks of the grand canal , a drone flying overhead , and waterborne paparazzi swarming behind his taxi all the way from the island of giudecca , george clooney arrived at sunset for his wedding reception in the kind of grand spectacle that only the very rich and very glamorous can ever hope to pull off .
is a ghost story , and from the looks of this trailer probably one that comes in the best sense of those words . one of our top priorities to see during the fest , tribeca describes the film as such :
' the stag ' ( which is renamed ' the bachelor weekend ' for the american market ) will also screen at the film festival , at which it will receive its us premiere . ' the stag ' is out in irish cinemas today .
due to concerns over public safety and circulation caused by the large numbers of people expected to be “drawn by the event’s star quality” , it said , police had requested restrictions to be put in place around ca’ farsetti and ca’loredan , the historic buildings which house the council . the main stretch affected , the riva del carbon , runs alongside the grand canal .
the canal has ingredients we ' ve all seen before : couple moves into a house . is it haunted ? murder mystery . shadowy creature lurking in the corners of the room . is he insane or is he not ? the kid ! protect the kid ! is there someone living in the walls ? the babysitter . demons . occult rituals . . . well , you get the point . but i ' ve seldom , in more modern times , seen all of these ingredients being so well executed as in the canal , i even got one of those fantastic endings that i love ( which maybe is the biggest reason for the four star rating ) .
injecting explicit imagery into an old - fashioned possession story , writer - director ivan kavanagh brandishes his unusual mix of styles right from the beginning . no sooner has david williams ( rupert evans , handsome but bland ) introduced the aforementioned film screening than “the canal” launches into a quick - cut archival footage montage , not unlike the one seen in “the ring” — though it’s clearly not the movie he’d planned to show the kids , setting the tone with appetite - endangering imagery of naked corpses , exposed entrails and an eyeball being probed .
flash forward five years : david and his wife , alice ( hannah hoekstra ) , are living in a century - old house in dublin . his job as a film archivist typically isn’t all that exciting ( one of alice’s colleagues dismisses him as a “librarian” ) , until a box of old crime - scene film strips lands on his desk . among them are a few reels from 1902 that depict a woman’s body being hauled from the canal that runs alongside david’s home . to his considerable shock , david realizes that the murder actually took place at the address where he lives now .
david secretly trails his wife one evening and follows her to alex’s house . david sneaks inside and observes the couple having sex . david grabs a hammer , but leaves without taking any action and without being seen . on his walk home , david throws the hammer into the canal . feeling nauseous over what he just witnessed , david stumbles into the public toilet next to the waterway and vomits . he then sees an image of a mysterious man outside the stall door . david stumbles back outside in a haze and collapses . before passing out , david appears to see the strange man assaulting alice alongside the canal .
the canal is the biggest surprise that i ' ve come across in the horror genre for a while now ( if it can even be classified as horror ; i ' d almost rather go with the term experimental thriller ) . it is also , however , an immensely depressing plunge into one of the darkest abysses that the genre has to offer .
annecy international animation film festival has just finished with a historic number of visitors including 11 , 700 badgeholders , which was 17 % more than in 2017 .
which images in the canal surprised you the most after you came up with them ? to where you were like ,
wow , i came up with that ? i & apos ; m sick .
[ laughs . ] at the premiere , one thing that occurred to me is that there & apos ; s actually very little violence in the film , but the violence that is in there , particularly the stabbing scene , i wanted to be very forceful . by making that stabbing scene so hardcore and visceral and happening so early into the film , it leaves a heavy shadow over the rest of the film , so that you don & apos ; t really have to out anymore violence in after that . i think that works and unsettles people . also , the birth scene at the end of the film—to me , that felt like the perfect nightmare image . he was literally being confronted by the awful thing he & apos ; s done . this should be a joyous thing—she should be giving birth to this child but he & apos ; s denied her that , and this is now the true horror of what he & apos ; s done .
david reports alice’s disappearance to the police when she doesn’t come home . detective mcnamara immediately suspects that david killed her . alice’s body is eventually found in the canal , but the coroner finds no signs of foul play and rules her death an accidental drowning . the coroner also reveals that alice was pregnant at the time of her death .
david ( rupert evans ) is a film archivist who appears to have a wonderful home life . but as we learned in eden lake ( 2008 ) , the appearance of normalcy at the start of the film will soon give way to murder and mayhem . david and his very obviously expectant wife alice ( hannah hoekstra ) visit a prospective house to settle in as a family .
i was going to go into a rant about how the word
canal
is the most disgusting sounding word to ever come out of my mouth thanks to my western new york - learned pronunciation , but i ' ll spare you the navel - gazing ( no i won ' t , i still mentioned it , you still know that if you heard me say the word
canal
you ' d probably have to ask me to repeat it a few times while stifling laughter , the disgusting sounding word is only rivaled by my pronunciation of
bagel
) .
sound design plays a major role in building the tension , especially during the surreal montages and newsreel footage utilized throughout the film . the crackle and hiss of audio noise highlights every synaptic misfire of david ' s deteriorating mindstate . props are also due the atmospheric score from
an authentic universal movie camera from 1915
to film some scenes , which was
thought to have filmed some action in the trenches during world war 1 .
pretty cool .
but instead of looking for heat from the first match strike and a fiery flame , those who let the wick wither and light the room with subtle atmosphere will find their patience rewarded . combining elements of “the shining” and “the ring” for a ghost story built on supernatural suspense , “the canal” is the very definition of a slow - burn psychological thriller , and an excellent one at that .
going back to the film & apos ; s visuals , do those come into your head first and then you backtrack from there and develop the story , or do the story and characters come first and dictate the imagery ? the way i work is , i start with an initial idea . i wanted to make a film with an archivist who suspects his wife is cheating on him . it & apos ; s almost like a stream - of - consciousness style of writing . i begin at the beginning of the script and work my way through it . for this film , i wanted to create a nightmare - like atmosphere throughout it , to have it remain in the main character & apos ; s point - of - view as if he & apos ; s stuck in a nightmare ; the further the film goes on , the more and more nightmarish it becomes .
chalkroom a . k . a . la camera insabbiata by laurie anderson + hsin - chien huang received the award for best vr experience at the 74th venice international film festival . it was the first time that the festival has held a vr competition .
it’s bizarre because kavanagh produces some genuinly creepy moments and good scares . his shot choices can be very chilling and his use of sound will make the hairs stand up on the back of your neck . he never uses his scares in quick succession either so you’re constantly on the edge of your seat waiting for the next one to come . the final moments of the film are superb and easily the best parts of the film as kavanagh pushes the boundaries of socially acceptable images with frightening visuals that will linger with you long after the credits roll .
before joining treasure she worked for the darklight film festival and with sister production company still films , working on shorts , animation , documentaries and feature films , including tommy palotta’s emmy - winning the last hijack .
the canal isn & apos ; t your first horror film , correct ? i made a really low - budget horror film called tin can man ( 2008 ) which is actually being released at the end of this month here in america . i made that for under 1 , 000 euro . i loved working on that because horror films allow you to do absolutely anything . you can push the visuals and sound design as far as you want . i just love the freedom of the genre , so i was really , really eager to get back to it . and any chance to make something about early cinema is exciting for me because i love early cinema and silent cinema .
david williams lives an average , yet idyllic life . a film archivist by trade , david has a gorgeous wife in alice , and a happy young son named billy . five years after moving into a curious little house situated near a canal , david’s mind begins a trip down a jack torrance - like rabbit hole inspired by suspicions of his wife’s infidelity and the discovery of a horrific slaughter that once took place in his home .
i say this because it increasingly seems as if slant is swinging towards criticism over reviewing by posting articles that appear to assume that the viewer has seen the film . reading this article , i don ' t have the foggiest idea what the premise is .
with shades of sinister and the shining , the canal follows david williams ( an impressive rupert evans ) , a film archivist who & apos ; s married to a much more financially successful wife , alice ( hannah hoekstra ) and the father of a dinosaur - loving , five - year - old son , billy ( calum heath ) . one day , david & apos ; s colleague claire ( antonia campbell - hughes ) tells him that a mysterious reel of film has shown up , addressed to him—it & apos ; s titled
crime scene ,
made in 1902 and shows the aftermath of a triple murder that took place in the house where david and his family currently live .
upon secretly spying his wife alice engaged in sexual intercourse with her lover alex , david grasps a hammer and briefly contemplates brutal vengeance . a cooler head prevails however , and david makes his unnoticed exit without taking action . into the canal he tosses the hammer before shuffling towards home in frustration .
most of the real people who were involved are alive to tell their tales , although aids casts its shadow in the events of the film and has taken several lgsm members ( this is not pride ' s primary subject but readers who would prefer not to know anything about its impact on the film should stop reading here ) . beresford ' s problem was how to make contact with the survivors from the mining community and lgsm with no obvious internet trail to help him .
but thankfully it does have these moments which certainly means the canal gets a recommendation . it will scare the easily squeamish and kavanagh’s direction is first class , but you won’t find anything truly groundbreaking . it’s a lot better than some of the ghost story movies that have come out in recent years , but it also isn’t among the best .
the precise arrangements are being kept under wraps due to strict confidentiality agreements , but according to italian reports the main reception is to take place on saturday at the “7 - star” aman canal grande resort and is to be attended by a select group of startlingly stellar guests including angelina jolie , brad pitt and matt damon .
a film that at first seemed worthy of an heir to lynch , fincher or polanski ' s cinema but ends up bordering on ridicule . [ full review in spanish ]
at work , claire gives david some old crime scene film to process for the police . david watches the footage and learns of a man who murdered his wife in 1902 inside the same house on black street where david now lives with alice .
david tells claire about the dark man he saw on the night of alice’s disappearance . he begins researching the 1902 murders as well as other crimes connected to his house . david also starts filming with the camera from the early 1900s when he realizes that it can seemingly capture ghosts on film .
watch the film in vod english version order the dvd english version buzzing on youtube pro gmo lobbyist tells that monsanto herbicide is safe enough to drink , then refuses to drink it . in the wake of the world health organization ' s designation in march 2015 of the active ingredient . . .
the ending takes david into the depths underneath the canal , carrying his son , billy ( calum heath ) . david sees the decomposing body of his dead wife down there , giving birth to a dead baby ( she was pregnant when murdered ) . david finds himself with his son under the canal’s water , where he’s held under by his dead wife as his son floats to safety . in the next scene , billy is in the custody of his grandmother who is putting the house up for sale . billy goes inside to get his dinosaur book when a voice from behind the wall , which claims to be his father , says the family can be together again . we then see billy toss himself out of his grandmother’s moving car . it’s rough .
synopsis : film archivist david suspects that his wife alice has been cheating on him . he soon discovers that his home was once the setting of a brutal murder and something otherworldly is responsible for the events that later unfold .
i know people have already commented on the poster , but . . . a seriously well crafted psychological horror film is going to get passed up by a lot of people for a very unfortunate reason .
film archivist david and his wife are perfectly happy or so he believes . when a looming secret shatters their marriage at the same time as a turn - of - the - century film reel he is studying reveals their house to be the site of a 1902 multiple - murder , david begins to unravel , and the house’s eerie history threatens to repeat itself . dripping with tension and chilling to the core , this visceral irish ghost story is a visually arresting and genuinely shocking journey into the darkness within .
director ivan kavangh somehow proves once again that he is capable of taking a tired premise , handling it poorly , and yet still somehow manage to churn out quite a good film .
for me , any chance to push visuals and sounds is a no - brainer . we spent as much time on the film & apos ; s sound design as we did on the picture . working with sound is my favorite part of the process . we recorded all new sounds for the film ; we didn & apos ; t use any library stuff . we spent a very long time on it , and it was really a joy to work on .


boy wonder is a 2010 american psychological thriller about vigilantism .

the film was written and directed by michael morrissey and stars caleb steinmeyer , zulay henao , bill sage , tracy middendorf , daniel stewart sherman , chuck cooper , and james russo .

it has a 40 % approval rating at rotten tomatoes .

boy wonder ( film )

despite its aura of rebellious cool , “boy wonder” is as frigid and empty as sean’s vengeful heart .
looking for movie tickets ? enter your location to see which movie theaters are playing boy wonder near you .
“boy wonder” is rated r ( under 17 requires accompanying parent or adult guardian ) . brutal men and terrified women .
give a standing ovation to
wonder
: this movie is full of . . . well , wonder .
singaporean composer dick lee ' s upcoming film wonder boy , based on his early years as a budding teenage singer - songwriter , will be as authentic as possible .
one of the most realistic takes on the crime - fighting origin story i ' ve seen , boy wonder is a terrific little film that really needs to be seen by more people .
while wonder boy is based on his life , some of its characters are composites of a few actual people who were in his life .
ballet 422 captures peck the “ boy wonder ” during the creation of his acclaimed ballet paz de la jolla , the company’s 422nd ballet .
wonder , by r . j . palacio , is the moving and uplifting tale of august pullman , a boy born with a facial deformity .
solid drama / revenge flick , boy wonder centres on a teen who witnessed his mother killed in front of him when he was a small boy . he turns into a vigilante and eventually draws the attention of police with his escalating crimes .
julia roberts and owen wilson play married parents in the first trailer for touching new movie wonder , starring young room actor jacob tremblay as a disfigured school boy .
also , thanks a lot del boy for recommending me this . i loved it !
the other thing about making a kiwi film or really any film is that everything moves slowly . so while boy has won all sorts of gongs at film festivals , it ' s only now getting set for an american release where it will open in february .
heartstone it’s summer in iceland , and while one teenage boy chases a girl , another begins to fall for that boy , his longtime best friend . gudmundur arnar gudmundsson directs .
wonder by r . j . palacio ( bodley head , £9 . 99 )
given the political climate , it’s easy to view a “wonder woman” film in the year 2017 having more cultural significance than it might have in other years .
boy wonder is the story of a traumatized boy , sean donovan , following his evolution into a shy but determined teenager patrolling the mean streets of new york city . a quiet high school student in waking hours , after dark , donovan doles punishment to remoreless thugs across the city . as the late roger ebert notes in his 2011 review of the film , “this is a suffering boy , and his actions are more of a duty than a satisfaction .
boy wonder productions is a full service media company specializing in the development and production of scripted and non - scripted entertainment . boy wonder productions has produced over 120 hours of reality tv , including shows such as daycare divas ( tlc ) , mom’s cooking ( lifetime entertainment ) , rescue my renovation ( hgtv ) , daryl hall ' s restoration over hall , ( diy network ) ,
plucked out of netflix tonight when i was looking for something reasonably short to watch , boy wonder is a vigilante drama with a really dumb title that never really managed to capture my imagination .
in contrast to the youthful angst of wonder boy , there is the genial elder - comedy of hampstead ( pg , 99 minutes , opens tomorrow , 2 . 5 / 5 stars ) .
the free - to - air television premiere of boy is on maori tv at 9pm on october 1 .
tyro helmer michael morrissey takes moral relativism to surprising lengths in
boy wonder ,
a psychological thriller about a troubled , would - be superhero teen seeking vigilante vengeance for his mother ' s murder .
that was the challenge faced by local composer and director dick lee on the set of his upcoming biopic wonder boy , which the 60 - year - old icon is co - directing with daniel yam .
production : a boy wonder production in association with creative rain entertainment . produced by john scaccia , michael morrissey . executive producers , david t . green , joey morrissey . directed , written by michael morrissey .
boy wonder begins with young sean ( jake randazzo ) and his mother chatting together on a bench . the film then abruptly changes pace and the next scene shows his mother mary donovan ( tracy middendorf ) being killed in front of young sean ' s eyes as a result of a car jacking . the film then abruptly cuts to sean being a teenager .
based on the new york times bestseller , wonder tells the incredibly inspiring and heartwarming story of august pullman , a boy with facial differences who enters 5th grade , attending a mainstream elementary school for the first time .
wonder boy ( nc16 , 96 minutes , opens tomorrow , 2 . 5 / 5 stars ) , loosely based on the teenage years of entertainer dick lee , puts the sin back into the singapore of yore .
this is the“documentary” film that opens bob stromberg’s one - man show that wonder boy directed by risa brainin . the video production and direction is by nancy heath . the play premiered at the music box theatre in minneapolis in 2008 . that wonder boy also had successful runs at nelson hall in cheshire ct , l ' homme a dieux in mn and the temple of the performing arts in des moines , ia presented by the civic center of greater des moines , as well as two return engagements at the music box .
that wonder boy played at the united solo festival in new york on october 30th and 31st , 2015 where it won 3 awards : the united solo fesival and backstage award , best one man show , and best direction .
retro : ( left ) the recreated lee family home in penang where part of wonder boys was filmed .
in a genre populated with formulas and dreck ,
boy wonder
is an ambitious exception , well - made , drawing us in . it is particularly notable how caleb steinmeyer , a relative newcomer , calmly embodies his character and never cranks sean up to much . this is a suffering boy , and his actions are more a duty than a satisfaction .
boy wonder is a low - budget independent film , that debuted at film fests and comic cons across the united states , so it is certainly possible many of you may have missed it . i believe the film is available on netflix instant as well as at select red box stands , so if you haven ' t seen it i ' d recommend watching it before reading this post , as i will be talking about the movie in it ' s entirety . the film is a dark psychological thriller much in the vein of fight club , as it has story that drastically changes once you figure out the perspective of the film . i ' ll delve into some of the more evasive aspects of the film after the jump . spoilers below , beware !
directed by jenkins and starring gal gadot in the title role , “wonder woman” is scheduled for release on june 2 .
tyro helmer michael morrissey takes moral relativism to surprising lengths in “boy wonder , ” a psychological thriller about a troubled , would - be superhero teen seeking vigilante vengeance for his mother’s murder . morrissey displays a flair for moody atmospherics as his protagonist wanders gotham’s streets and subways at night , but the film relies too heavily on cryptic flashbacks [ … ]
since we last spoke with waititi , 36 , his second feature film , boy , has become the single highest - grossing kiwi movie ever , eclipsing once were warriors and the world ' s fastest indian . it took $ 9 . 3million at the local box office . something about his funny , dreamy tale of an east coast maori boy captured the national mood .
boy wonder , both written and directed by michael morrissey , is the story of a boy who witnesses tragic events that will plague his thoughts for the rest of his life . at an extremely impressionable age , sean witnesses his mother ' s murder at the hands of a car - jacker . flash forward to the future , where seventeen year old sean appears to be doing well , getting good grades , but still seems to be distant , of which his father takes notice . unbeknownst to sean ' s father however , the boy is far beyond saving .
issues with sexism and representation have been a part of wonder woman since the character’s debut in 1941’s “all star comics” # 8 . though wonder woman creator william moulton marston certainly had , to put it generously , a complicated relationship with feminism , he’s been quoted as saying , “frankly , wonder woman is psychological propaganda for the new type of woman who , i believe , should rule the world . ”
using a red one camera , the director achieves a hard - edged , gritty ambience in the blue - collar brooklyn neighborhoods where he and his producing partner john scacia , a former nypd detective , grew up . this greatly enhances the underlining veracity of the film’s portrait not only of this urban jungle but also of a young wonder boy falling apart mentally from its stresses and villainy .
wonder boy is not a message film . it is a film that asks questions , or rather , my own personal question – how necessary is self - acceptance in forming our own identiy ? how are we expected to communicate with each other , when we live in a world that is made up of individuals who are so culturally different ? storytelling is about exploring other lives and asking these questions . i don’t always find the answers , but there is a joy in simply asking them .
back to one podcast : keith poulson on developing as an actor in the ny indie film scene .
brittany farrell ( with megaphone ) in “whose streets ? ” the film is due out aug . 11 .
based on her comments at the press event , the primary inspiration for jenkins in making “wonder woman” appears to be one of pop culture’s most prominent masculine archetypes : superman , specifically his depiction in the 1978 film starring christopher reeve and directed by richard donner .
given the popularity of non - supernatural diy avengers in the mode of matthew vaughn’s “kick - ass , ” there may be a market for this problematic , self - appointed superhero , though “boy wonder” lacks the requisite snarky satiric note . morrissey’s title refers ironically to batman’s squeaky - clean juvie sidekick , but the film itself tilts more pointedly toward batman angst in the christopher nolan mold , minus the thrill - ride spectacle .
no , boy wonder did not need and did not get the help of the cop after she declined to turn him in for killing his father . his own knowledge of chemistry was sufficient . it ' s unlikely that prisons make any special subtle tests of every every envelope that comes to them through the mails .
an interview with writer / director boots riley about his incendiary new film ,
sorry to bother you .
filming will begin in october and the film is expected to be released in the third quarter of next year .
the film is certainly arriving at peak awards season time , with its cinema release close to christmas , too .
official
wonder
movie trailer 2017 | subscribe ➤ urltoken | jacob tremblay movie # trailer | release : 17 nov 2017 | more urltoken a young boy born with a facial deformity is destinied to fit in at a new school , and to make everyone happen to understand he ' s just another ordinary kid , and that beauty isn ' t skin deep . # wonder is the new drama by stephen chbosky , starring jacob tremblay , julia roberts and owen wilson . the script was written by steve conrad . our gaming - channel ➤ urltoken note | wonder trailer courtesy of studiocanal . | all rights reserved . | kinocheck®
lee said :
the two themes that affected me the most ( while filming this movie ) was watching my desire to be heard ( as a young boy ) .
in his feature debut , boy wonder , writer - director michael morrissey has made a smart film on a difficult subject , vigilantism . morrissey claims to be a life - long fan of comics and graphic novels , both of which frequently celebrate the vigilante as a super hero . but morrissey’s point of view is much more nuanced and ambivalent about his avenging protagonist . the film is also an incisive psychological portrait of a young man reaching his breaking point with no one to turn to and , seemingly , no other recourse than to move outside the law .
a traumatized boy grows into a shy , determined teenager who patrols the mean streets of new york city , helping those in need and dishing out severe punishment to remorseless thugs .
ascent experience mount fuji — through a selection of 4 , 000 photographs snapped over 150 years . the dutch artist fiona tan has built this experimental film out of those stills . screenings at film forum in new york will be free .
i must admit : i ' m a huge fan of thrillers the only problem is i ' m often disappointed by the weak story plots and cliché endings that plague most of the new suspense films that are being dished out by hollywood fools lately . that being said , i didn ' t expect much when i went to see boy wonder at the thrill spy fest in d . c . michael morrissey ' s boy wonder sets itself apart from the senseless crap out there today . it keeps you guessing the whole way through , and just when you think you figured out the ending , you ' re proved wrong . the film is a classic man vs . man revenge plot , with enough twists and turns to keep you interested . for an indie film , i was pretty surprised by the writing and acting . this director is definitely going places . the lead guy who played caleb was awesome too . he definitely has that troubled method actor type quality to him . expect to see him around in the future . not sure whether or not this is going straight to dvd or if it will stay in the festival circuit for awhile , but if you have the opportunity to see boy wonder , you won ' t be disappointed .
wonder woman after an appearance in “batman v superman : dawn of justice , ” in 2016 , that was effectively a trailer within a film , wonder woman ( gal gadot ) gets a long - teased movie of her own . patty jenkins ( “monster” ) directs this origin story , which finds the superheroine leaving her life as an amazon princess to fight in world war i . chris pine plays the pilot who rouses her to action .
julia roberts , jacob tremblay , and owen wilson talk about how staring can make someone feel uncomfortable — something auggie in wonder has to deal with every day .
movies like kick - ass and defendor should be embarrassed that other movies like boy wonder exist . though the movie hews closer to classic vigilante movies like death wish and even the crow , shades of superhero dna are inherent throughout the movie ; it’s about a boy taking matters into his own hands when justice fails to locate the criminals responsible for the death of his mother . and the movie tells its story in a way that never sensationalizes what the boy does when he prowls the streets at night , hidden from sight in his black hooded sweatshirt . while kick - ass lends more towards kids beating the shit out of criminals , all the while getting the shit beat out of themselves , there’s never real…
the lack of major studio films from women directors has been well - publicized , and it’s especially noticeable in the superhero genre , with the one exception before “wonder woman” being 2008’s “punisher : war zone , ” directed by lexi alexander . jenkins was originally slated to direct marvel studios’ second “thor” film , and later was reported to have been fired by the film , which was eventually directed by alan taylor .
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there are an awful lot of terrorized women in “boy wonder” — so many , in fact , that the film feels like a constant assault . their unlikely champion is sean ( caleb steinmeyer ) , a skulking 17 - year - old vigilante driven by violent childhood memories of his mother’s death at the hands of a carjacker . but sean is obsessed with more than just finding his mother’s killer : he’s also on a mission to finish off every misogynist in the five boroughs .
written and directed by michael morrissey ; director of photography , chris lavasseur ; edited by ray hubley and doug fitch ; music by irv johnson ; produced by mr . morrissey and john scaccia ; released by boy wonder productions . at the village vii , 66 third avenue , at 11th street , east village . running time : 1 hour 35 minutes .
to jenkins , though , all budgets are created equal .
my last two tv pilots — exposed and betrayal — were over $ 10 million each ,
she says .
but you only shoot for eight or 10 days , so it ' s actually the same budget per day as what i was working on with wonder woman . obviously , wonder woman is a bigger budget expanded throughout , but i feel like every experience i ' ve had has been exactly the same from my short film to wonder woman , which is , you have 20 percent too little money for what you ' re trying to do .
the tomatometer score — based on the opinions of hundreds of film and television critics — is a trusted measurement of critical recommendation for millions of fans . it represents the percentage of professional critic reviews that are positive for a given film or television show .
wonder has been trumpeted as
a book that has made grown men weep
and i admit it put me a little on my guard before reading this debut novel .
another vigilante movie , yet not . nice dark twist to this one . this film combines humor , drama , mystery , emotion , a little action , and then throws in an unconventional ending to top things off . really good independent film . . .
asians on film – honorable mention – best short drama , best director . winner – best supporting actress ( sofia shen ) .
here ' s another movie about a young vigilante hero , like
super
or
kick - ass ,
but darker , more brooding and without the easy payoffs .
boy wonder
takes itself more seriously and plays more like a psychological thriller about a young man driven to extremes . any connection between the title and batman ' s sidekick is purely ironic .
this is not a five star film . it has some poor acting and hits too many familiar genre tropes to be truly original .
it is , in part , gadot’s innate unflappability that helped wonder woman not just vastly outperform anyone’s wildest expectations , but also almost singlehandedly save the floundering dc comics universe . to date , the movie has earned more than $ 400 million domestically and close to $ 800 million worldwide . it is currently the highest - grossing live - action film ever directed by a woman . in other words , the film has kicked ass , wonder woman - style . “it just shows that the world was ready for a female - driven action movie , ” says gadot . or even if it wasn’t then , she’s made sure that it is now .
either way you approach the film , it boasts a great story , and it will leave you pondering its events for days to come . the film has multiple interpretations , and it is easily one of the most arguable ( i mean that in the best of ways ) films i have seen in a while , and i can only recommend you view it and determine your own version of the film yourself .
every woman , every man , everyone should be a feminist . because whoever is not a feminist is a sexist ,
says gal gadot , star of ' wonder woman . '
it was not just difficult for lee to delve into his past . the sequence in which the film was shot also became a challenge .
waititi , actor , joker , sometime wellingtonian and , of course , brilliantly successful film - maker isn ' t easy to pin down .
he will co - direct the film with daniel yam , who has helmed short films such as gift ( 2013 ) and promise ( 2014 ) , and co - write the script with ong kuo sin , who wrote and directed the 2013 film judgement day , starring mark lee .
got the inspiration to write the book after taking her son out for ice cream , where they saw a child with treacher collins syndrome . her son cried at the sight of this boy . this story is used in a scene from the film , where jack will ' s mother is reminding him why it ' s important to make auggie feel welcome .
score : a film music documentary going behind the scenes of how film scores are composed , this portrait of the craft features some of the most familiar “music by” credits in the business , including hans zimmer , john williams , danny elfman , quincy jones , rachel portman and thomas newman .
next are warriors : for his next kiwi film , taika waititi has the maori battalion in his sights - only it might be too big .
cast in the film version of “les miserables” in 2011 , he says co - star jackman diminished any butterflies he had about doing the movie .
a young brooklyn boy witnesses the brutal murder of his mother and grows up obsessed with finding her killer . thus begins his life as a quiet , straight - a student by day and a self - appointed hero at night . but what is a real hero ? and who decides what is right or wrong ? as the boundaries blur , sean ' s dual life wears on his psyche and his two worlds careen dangerously close to colliding . like a graphic novel you can ' t put down , boy wonder challenges morality , distorting perceptions of what is right and what is justified , as it races to its shocking conclusion .
wonder woman herself is about to bless my unborn child . “can i ? ” she asks , before spreading her long fingers around my pregnant belly . her hands feel warm and maternal . she holds my gaze , unwavering . “girl or boy ? ” she asks . “girl , ” i tell her . her smile widens . “being a woman is a strength , ” she says . “in so many ways . ”
dick lee says that wonder boys will not shy away from depicting the shenanigans that he and schoolmates at st . joseph ' s institution got up to in the early 1970s , including taking drugs .
cast : dick lee ( middle ) with the cast of wonder boys ( from left ) , richard herrera , zachary ibrahim , constance song , michelle wong , benjamin kheng , and julie tan .
i kinda expected robin the boy wonder the movie . i got this instead and it was awesome . imagine if batman was a teen , instead of watching both his parents die it was his mother , he wasn ' t rich , instead of a cowl he wore a hoodie , jim gordon was a woman , harvey bullock was harvey bullock , and instead of having a
no kill rule
, he ' d kill people all the time . what do you get ? you get one of the most dark , genuinely honest , brutal , fascinating , complex , thrilling , pulse pounding , and effective superhero films ever made . well , it ' s less of a
superhero
film and more of a very unique vengeance film . it ' s like batman mixed with dexter . if that ' s appealing to you , this is a film for you . does it have problems ? probably , but i couldn ' t find any . nothing stopped me from enjoying such a superb film .
the film has played second and third tier festivals for over a year and is now getting a small release that will probably not get on too many cineastes’ radars . if nothing else though , the film heralds new talents behind and in front of the camera and could well develop a cult following .
the show is the inbetweeners , a transplant from britain where the original series was such a huge success that it ' s spawned a hit film .
credit patty for not turning [ wonder woman ] into a ballbuster ,
says gadot , a onetime israel defense forces soldier turned model turned actress ( before wonder woman , she co - starred in four of the fast and furious films ) .
wonder woman can be very charming and warm and have so much compassion and love for the world . she can be soft and naive . at the same time , she just happens to be this demigoddess who can beat the shit out of you and can be a super badass and smart and confident . ultimately , she ' s very relatable .
for another , it ' s helped him focus on his writing . and waititi is a writer , a creator . he cooked up boy and his first feature eagle vs shark , and his two breakout short films from scratch .
the ballad of narayama
is a japanese film of great beauty and elegant artifice , telling a story of startling cruelty . what a space it opens…
in the footage shown to press , wonder woman arrives on the shores of world war i - era london , having spent all of her life up to that point in themyscira — a paradise island inhabited by only women . immediately , onlookers are shocked by her relatively revealing battle costume . jenkins said that wonder woman is “completely confused” by the sexism she encounters in “man’s world , ” because she has no context for it .
mm . this seemed pretty disjointed and without depth . the boy seemed to be a self appointed vigilante on bullies to seek revenge and let off steam and anger from his mothers brutal murder when he was a child . it doesn ' t really seem like the boy is getting anywhere or developes along with the film , apart from getting stronger and kicking more bully ass . there are also some scenes in this that just don ' t seem to make sense or have any reason to be there . i don ' t know , seemed a little pointless and not very memorable to me , but maybe i missed something . i dunno .
wonder boy is about a ten - year old chinese boy’s attempt to define himself in a world he is still trying to make sense of . as a child , we love and reject our family , we hate them and we need them . we try to distinguish ourselves from them but deep down we inherit the most quintessential part of them – heritage . much like the australia in my memory , clancy is growing up in a country that is tolerant and accepting of cultural diversity , he can go to chinese schools on saturdays and at attend regular primary school during the week . however , he is trapped in a curious dichotomy where he is not chinese enough , but not quite australian enough .
camera obscura suffering from post - traumatic stress disorder , a war photographer begins to see real premonitions of deaths in his pictures . it’s a horror film , naturally .
tyro helmer michael morrissey takes moral relativism to surprising lengths in “boy wonder , ” a psychological thriller about a troubled , would - be superhero teen seeking vigilante vengeance for his mother’s murder . morrissey displays a flair for moody atmospherics as his protagonist wanders gotham’s streets and subways at night , but the film relies too heavily on cryptic flashbacks and deliberate gaps in the narrative to create suspense , revealing rather than fleshing out connective tissue . the pic bows in limited release oct . 21 , just in time for halloween , which , with strong word of mouth on the fantastic / horror / comic - con circuit , may prolong its limited run .
theatrical release date : 10 / 21 / 2011 in this riveting and gritty psychological - thriller , a young brooklyn boy witnesses the brutal murder of his mother and grows up obsessed with finding her killer . thus begins his life as a quiet , straight - a student by day and a self - appointed hero at night . but what is a real hero ? and who decides what is right or wrong ? as the boundaries blur , sean ' s dual life wears on his psyche and his two worlds careen dangerously close to colliding . like a graphic novel you can ' t put down , ' boy wonder ' challenges morality , distorting perceptions of what is right and what is justified , as it races to its shocking conclusion .
based on the beloved best - selling novel , wonder follows the inspiring story of the pullman family , whose youngest child , auggie , is a boy born with facial differences . when auggie enters mainstream elementary school for the first time , his extraordinary journey unites his family , his school , and his community , and proves that you can’t blend in when you were born to stand out . oscar® winner * julia roberts , owen wilson , and jacob tremblay star in this heartwarming and uplifting film . * 2000 , actress in a leading role , erin brockovich . oscar® is the registered trademark and service mark of the academy of motion picture arts and sciences .
the rhode island international film festival , new england’s largest and only oscar - qualifying film fest , will open with a program of shorts and the world premiere of a documentary about the last remnants of gilded age newport aristocracy , david bettencourt’s and g . wayne miller’s “behind the hedgerow : eileen slocum and the meaning of newport society . ” the film is one of thirteen documentary world premieres at the festival , which runs aug . 10 - 15 . based in providence , barrington and newport , r . i . , the festival will also feature the world premieres of six narrative features , including joshua lim’s gay seminary drama “the seminarian” and tom provost’s throwback horror film “the presence . ”
cinematographer chris lavasseur has used these seminal discussions , screenings , the exchange of ideas over photographs , and even comic books with his directors as guides for his initial camera , lighting and filtration tests . for boy wonder , director michael morrissey even showed him test footage he had shot himself in a manner that he wanted lavasseur to take a little further in his own tests for the movie . language can be such a flawed tool for communication without visual aids to illustrate what is being discussed .
i can ' t take on the history of 50 percent of the population just because i ' m a woman ,
says jenkins , bristling when asked about the heavy responsibility of directing wonder woman , the most expensive film ever shot by a person with two xx chromosomes ( its $ 150 million budget surpasses kathryn bigelow ' s $ 100 million k - 19 : the widowmaker ) .
i ' m just trying to make the greatest version of wonder woman that i can for the people who love the character as much as i do and hope that the movie lives up to all the pressure that ' s on it .
lucky lucky , played by the film’s writer and director , bari king , is an undocumented immigrant who gets enmeshed in a crime web and has to fight his way out .
everything , everything housebound for life because of a compromised immune system , an 18 - year - old ( amandla stenberg ) falls for the boy ( nick robinson ) who moves in next door in this adaptation of nicola yoon’s best - selling young - adult novel .
that ' s the challenge — how to tell a story of a woman and make it universal ,
says gal gadot , the 32 - year - old israeli actress who stars as the amazonian princess with bullet - deflecting bracelets .
we are all used to having male protagonists in movies [ directed by men ] . but the way patty has captured the wonder woman character , she is very relatable to everyone . boy , girl , man , woman — everyone can relate to her .
the boy’s dad , terry ( bill sage ) , a drunk and wife - abuser , has cleaned up his act since his wife’s death . yet you sense the boy has pretty much reared himself . his nose is so buried in books he has little social life . instead he obsesses with finding his mother’s killer — hanging out at the local police precinct to pore over thousands of perp photos in his search for that face he will always remember — and with physical training in boxing and fighting toward the day he does locate her killer .
in other words , the big question mark hanging over wonder woman isn ' t whether a female director can make a successful superhero event movie ; it ' s whether a female superhero can upend that long - standing formula and do something that the male ones haven ' t accomplished : expand the female base . and at this point , there ' s no reason to suspect wonder woman can ' t . after all , not all female superhero movies have to go the way of such bombs as catwoman ( or elektra or aeon flux ) , just as not all male superhero movies go the way of green lantern . and if it all goes according to plan , jenkins is more than ready to return to the character for a contemporary - set wonder woman sequel ( she and gadot are contractually committed to a second film ) . not that jenkins wants to limit herself just to tentpoles . she ' s also hoping to squeeze in a limited tv series based on something her husband wrote — maybe starring chris pine , who plays lyle waggoner ' s old role , steve trevor , in wonder woman — before returning ( fingers crossed ) to paradise island for another go .
i loved the story line here , and i think a lot of us probably fantasize about doing what sean ( caleb steinmeyer ) does in this film . it ' s a tale of vigilante justice that really works for the most part . my big issue with the film which almost took me out of it was the acting . i felt caleb steinmeyer was good , but the rest of the cast was just mediocre to bad in my opinion . overall though the good in this film outweighed the bad for me and i had a good time with it .
peck has hardly had time to celebrate the film’s critical reception , however . since paz de la jolla , he’s moved up to soloist and taken over as resident choreographer for city ballet .
the 14th edition of the festival will showcase more than 200 films from 53 countries , including the world premieres of documentaries “kinshasa symphony” by claus wischmann and martin baer ( germany / congo ) , jennifer stoddart’s “one thousand pictures : rfk’s last journey” ( u . s . / united kingdom ) and victoria mills’ globe - hopping “hidden battles , ” about the effects of killing on returning veterans . other world premieres include colin mcivor’s “cup cake , ” alexander holt’s “forget me not , ” michael morrissey’s “boy wonder” and anthony ambrosino’s “sleather . ”
sean then indulges himself in some grim enforcement of justice , becoming a vigilante , and training in a local seedy gym for hours on end . when i first viewed the film , i missed the main distinction that the film attempts to make . as we see sean descend more and more into darkness , his sense of ' justice ' seems to loosen itself more and more .
the wonder boys have an all - time home record of 274 - 126 - 22 ( . 675 ) as of the end of the 2006 season . from 1999 - 2006 , tech had a home record of 31 - 9 ( . 775 ) .
leap ! a girl who longs to become a dancer and a boy who longs to become an inventor head to paris to pursue their passions in this animated feature . with the voices of elle fanning , nat wolff , kate mckinnon , maddie ziegler , carly rae jepsen and mel brooks .
it ' s the tall poppy part of being a new zealand film - maker , he says . you learn never to expect a great local reception . so , yes , a surprise .
yet “wonder woman” director patty jenkins admitted she’s not sure how the current environment — a time of massive demonstrations like january’s women’s march and general unease about the future of women’s rights — will affect reception of the film , the first live - action feature starring a character widely known as a feminist icon . in a press event in london attended by cbr last week , jenkins said that until recently , she’s felt mostly sheltered from the reality of gender inequality .
“of course , it’s a bummer that we’re going to be a ‘women’s film , ’ made by a woman , with a woman , but on the other hand , it’s important to talk about , because i think a lot of times , those movies haven’t been , ” jenkins said . “it’s important to acknowledge , but yet in making the film , it’s important to completely tune out . ”
michaud / lord and morrissey / lavasseur took their tests all the way through di to 35mm film and projected them to see what would get them the look they wanted . but each film represents a slightly different way of working with di . based on his tests michaud decided that he didn’t want to shoot video and then replicate the roughness of film in di . he says , “16 mm [ blown up to 35mm ] is much more aggressive than any 35mm or look you could give to 35mm or to video in post . i really wanted the native grainy look . you know , battle of algiers is a fiction film but you look at it and you think , ‘wow , this is like the real deal . ’ i wanted to have as much as possible ‘the real deal . ’”
while the film socks home a third - act punch with considerable flair , it does so by shrinking brooklyn to postage - stamp size where a cold - case murder can get swiftly solved since everyone is near at hand and implausible coincidences and twists abound . morrissey also indulges in occasional quirky editing , quick , abrupt cuts that cause a viewer to wonder about the reality of certain scenes — are they taking place for real or are they taking place in sean’s mind ?
when filming movies , you never film them in sequence . so to go in and out of scenes of my life in a jumbled - up manner was like an emotional roller coaster for me .
click here to read our summer 2018 issue , featuring interviews with madeline ' s madeline director josephine decker , david leitner on the new cameras of 2018 , our overview of film schools and more . . .
morrissey displays a flair for moody atmospherics as his protagonist wanders gotham ' s streets and subways at night , but the film relies too heavily on cryptic flashbacks and deliberate gaps in the narrative to create suspense .
many fans of the film room are already calling for 10 - year - old tremblay to win an oscar for his performance , saying he was
robbed
when he didn ' t get nominated before .
jesús after committing an assault , a teenager ( nicolás durán ) in santiago is forced to confront his father ( alejandro goic ) in a film inspired by a real - life hate crime in chile in 2012 .
for jenkins , it seems to come down to a balance — acknowledging the significance of a woman - directed movie starring the world’s most famous female superhero , while also not classifying it as a “women’s film . ”
the wound a factory worker from queenstown , south africa , takes a boy from johannesburg under his wing as part of a xhosa initiation ritual . when the movie showed at this year’s new directors / new films festival , a . o . scott called it “affecting and suspenseful even as it hits a few predictable beats . ”
landing a lead in a tent - pole franchise would have been a coup for any young actor , of course . “when you’re a beginner , you get excited about having a job , ” says gadot . “that’s where i was . ” but wonder woman wasn’t just any leading role . it was a role that feminists had long been jones - ing for – as every major male superhero got trotted out in big - screen prequels and sequels galore – and one with a history that extended far beyond the mere symbolism of a female superhero . after being cast , gadot turned to the warner bros . archives to read the original comics , and she soon learned that wonder woman was the brainchild of william marston , a psychologist who not only helped invent the lie detector and lived in a polyamorous household with his wife ( whom he’d met in middle school ) , his girlfriend ( who’d been his student ) and their four children ( two per woman ) , but who also believed that women were not only equal to men , but probably superior . “frankly , wonder woman is psychological propaganda for the new type of woman who should , i believe , rule the world , ” he is noted as saying in jill lepore’s the secret history of wonder woman . and as lepore points out , “in the first story , wonder woman comes to the united states to fight for women’s rights , because this is the last bastion of possibility of equal rights for women . ”
when lee , a former st joseph ' s institution student , first revealed that this part of his school life would be incorporated into the film , he received backlash for
giving the school a bad name
.
dean demetri martin , a former fixture of “the daily show , ” directed , wrote and stars in this film , playing an illustrator who , after his mother’s death , works through a complicated relationship with his father ( kevin kline ) . from last year’s tribeca film festival , mike hale wrote in the new york times that mr . martin “delivers a winning combination of winsomeness and rue . ” gillian jacobs and mary steenburgen also star .
hiring jenkins , 45 — who had come close to directing a superhero movie before , the 2013 thor sequel , but ended up backing out — was obviously a big gamble for warner bros . , a studio that has been having creative if not necessarily financial issues with its superhero franchise films ever since the dark knight trilogy . but her taking the helm of wonder woman is also a big deal for pretty much every female director in hollywood with tentpole ambitions . if wonder woman is a hit , then doors that have been kept shut for decades could potentially swing open ( they are already , at least a crack , with gina prince - bythewood just getting hired to direct sony ' s spider - man spinoff silver & black ) . if , on the other hand , wonder woman turns out to be another catwoman , the superhero universe could remain a boys club for eons to come .
other cast members include television actress constance song as lee ' s mother and chen yixi , son of veteran actors edmund chen and xiang yun , as one of the members in lee ' s old band , the wonder boys . the role of lee ' s father has not been cast yet .
you see i just dont understand the world . films of quality such as this barely get known yet we are spun the same old junk at the cinema . rent it , buy it - but watch it . fantastic film
this is a rewatch for me and its still an awesome film . very well written with engaging and flawed characters . light on violence but so many themes that hit close to home for me . 4 / 5 stars .
hearing is believing the star of this documentary is rachel flowers , who was born prematurely and went blind , but learned to play music and grew into a vibrant performer . the film follows two years in her family’s life .
the movie is presented by production companies mm2 entertainment and bert pictures , with the support of singapore film commission . lee ' s newly formed entertainment company , dick lee asia , a joint venture with mm2 , is a partner .
dawson city : frozen time in the silent era , the gold rush town of dawson city in the yukon was the last stop on the film - shipping circuit . the creative solutions used to dispose of flammable nitrate stock resulted in the inadvertent preservation of 500 films — forgotten reels were excavated in the 1970s . bill morrison ( the found - footage collage “decasia” ) uses those clips to tell a story that interweaves film history and a sociological history of dawson .
tracktown in case you thought world - class athletes were insufficiently talented , alexi pappas , an american - born runner who represented greece at the 2016 olympics , wrote and stars in this story of a long - distance runner who falls for a boy at the bakery while she is sidelined with an injury . she also directs , with jeremy teicher .
didn ' t see it coming , that ' s for sure ,
he says .
like , i thought it was a good film , but i didn ' t expect a public explosion of support for it .
lee ' s father ( gerald chew ) and mother ( constance song ) try to talk him out of his obsession , while his pals and singing partners prefer that he stick to radio hits instead of self - penned songs . along the way , there are run - ins with bullies and authority figures trying to squash the creativity out of the boy .
his victims that once were pimps and drug dealers are now more innocent . he viciously beats up a homeless man on a bus , who , while being rather racist and obnoxious was certainly undeserving of the brutal beating he saw at sean ' s hands . in perhaps one of the film ' s most disturbing scenes , sean takes out his anger by pummeling a boy at a party who simply back - talked to his girlfriend . on my first viewing , this scene and the ensuing ending left me puzzled , but i was able to understand it when i was luckily able to see it again .
lee might be the centre of the film , but the supporting characters have to be deeper than this . the collapsing of several real people into a single character has also led to schizophrenia ; bullies turn into best friends overnight , before they flip again .
in addition to thone stadium at buerkle field , the wonder boys football program also benefits from dressing , training and office facilities inside the hull building , which is located on the north end of the stadium . the $ 6 . 7 million addition to the hull building was officially dedicated in october 2001 . incorporated in this new area is space for tech’s football and athletic training programs . spread out over two floors , the unit includes offices , reception area , a lounge , meeting rooms , a weight room , film editing room , locker room , an athletic training area and an equipment and supply room .