Screen Anarchy

Echoes: As Global Studios Continue to Dominate at CinemaCon 2026, Where Do Mid-Budget Films Fit?

Echoes: As Global Studios Continue to Dominate at CinemaCon 2026, Where Do Mid-Budget Films Fit?

It is a paradox in itself: on one hand, we have seen the biggest titles fall under Warner Bros.’ distribution wing at CinemaCon 2026, and on the other hand, we have seen several smaller players step into the spotlight. At the same time, it’s giving the industry an identity crisis; blockbusters are loud, but the demand for new, offbeat stories isn’t going anywhere. Everyone is already pumped to see how Final Destination 7 takes shape and how death becomes more creative in choosing its next victims, following Warner Bros.’ massive box-office success with Final Destination: Bloodlines (2025). Digger is already making a splash with its intrigue-filled storyline. The Ocean’s 11 prequel is making noise due to casting hype, speculation, and the possibility of reinventing the…

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Beyond Fest Chicago Video Interview: Meiko Kaji, The Legendary Lady Snowblood Herself

Beyond Fest Chicago Video Interview: Meiko Kaji, The Legendary Lady Snowblood Herself

Beyond Fest’s first year here in Chicago went off without a hitch.     Sold out screenings brought huge crowds and created instant community amongst Music Box Theater regulars, industry professionals and excited out-of-towners. I experienced this first-hand as I arrived for a scheduled interview with the legendary actress Meiko Kaji, best known for her starring roles in Lady Snowblood (1973) and Lady Snowblood: Love Song of Vengeance (1974) as a young woman raised to be an assassin after the murder of her parents in turn of the century Japan.   Revered for their combination of elegant composition, ferocious sword play, and fearlessly violent set-pieces these two films were enshrined in the Criterion Collection in 2016. Kaji herself was a primary inspiration for Quentin Tarrantino’s…

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Sound And Vision: Cory McAbee

Sound And Vision: Cory McAbee

In the article series Sound and Vision we take a look at music videos from notable directors. This week we look at selected music videos by Cory McAbee. Cory McAbee is a conundrum, both as an artist and as a subject for a Sound and Vision. Always on the periphery of mainstream indie cinema he is the true example of an outsider indie artist. His cinematic work is singular, truly oddball and extremely great. The conundrum is this: what kind of artist is McAbee? And could we call some of his art music videos, which is after all the main subject of this editorial? Cory McAbee has a singular voice, and is a jack of all trades. He writes his movies, acts in them,…

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Friday One Sheet: KINDERGARTEN

Friday One Sheet: KINDERGARTEN

The poster for this Quebec observational documentary on early childhood, through the titular jardin d’enfants (kindergarden), has at its centre a whimsical, but dense, illustration from France’s Jean Millard. His work in watercolor and gouache (a water-based, opaque paint known for its matte, velvety finish) aims to create infinite worlds open to all. The typeface is clear and clean, leaving the eyes to wander through the secret garden, even as the title seems to be wrapped up in it. The poster is framed, as it were, with the credit block, further adding to the seek-and-find element of the design. The pastel gradient through the illustration feels a bit like a sunrise, which is the metaphor of this earliest phase of life. Kindergarten is structured to follow the gradual…

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