Up front, I am leary of anything deemed “controversial” withing the horror space these days. However, since there is no such thing as bad press (unless you’re being called out for being an asshole to women, children and animals, then fuck you, fire away!) this drummed up “controversy” over in-theater promotional material for the new Faces of Death is the next one, fabricated out of thin air to get bums in seats on opening weekend. This time Discussing Film agreed to help out… Now, the film’s promotional rollout has hit another obstacle, this time in physical spaces. According to newly surfaced materials, theatrical “1-sheet” posters for Faces of Death have been officially rejected for in-theater placement, with regulators citing imagery that is…
Plus: 4K upgrades of ‘The Ghost,’ ‘The Final Programme,’ ‘The Devil’s Rain,’ and ‘Retribution.’
Jessica Chastain, paired with newcomer Isaac Hernández, reunites with Michel Franco for their second collaboration.
The 2026 edition of the SXSW Film & TV Festival concluded yesterday and has now announced their Jury and Special Award winners. Graham Parkes’ Wishful Thinking won the Narrative Feature Competition. As I noted in our curtain raiser: “Maya Hawkes and Lewis Pullman star as a couple on the verge of breaking up when they attend a couples-therapy seminar. Somehow, after that, the state of their relationship begins affecting the world around them on a monumental scale. This is a clever premise that twists into something that is awesome, smart, and very, very funny.” Ayden Mayeri’s Summer 2000: The X-Cetra Story won the Documentary Feature Competition. In my review, I noted: “it’s a film that examines longtime friendships from all angles. I think it’s true…
A long-term experiment in filmmaking, Candidates of Death started almost 20 years ago when documentarian Maciej Cuske took his son Stasiu and his friends Rafal and Adrian on a vacation. Friends since kindergarten, the three youths were fans of horror movies. During the vacation, Cuske encourages them to make their own horror film, starting a tradition they will continue over the years in a dozen iterations of Candidates of Death. A quick montage covers the friends’ efforts. An evil grandmother. Zombies. A monster in a blue mask. Clearly amateur work, but made with enthusiasm. Outtakes and behind the scenes material show how much fun everyone is having. In the present, Stasiu and Rafal relax on bunk beds in a camper, waiting for Adrian and Cuske…
From Canada to Florida, from friendship to data points, four highly-charged documentaries made a mark at SXSW.
Sergei Loznitsa’s newest film stars Aleksandr Kuznetsov, Alexander Filippenko, and Anatoli Beliy.
Christian Petzold’s film stars Paula Beer, Barbara Auer, Matthias Brandt, and Enno Trebs.
Actor, writer, and director Michaela Coel is teaming with A24 for a reimagining of the cult film, Bloodsport.


