Cinema

Xenomorph from Switzerland

December 4th, 2015

Belinda Sallin’s documentary “Dark Star: H.R. Giger’s World” captures the Swiss artist near the end of his interesting life. Giger, who rocketed to international fame and Oscar glory for the iconic designs he contributed to Ridley Scott’s “Alien,” died in 2014 at the age of 74.

Sallin, given full access to her subject, capitalizes on the privilege to prowl through the cluttered rooms of Giger’s home, a shabby heap teeming with macabre curiosities and enough specialized…

The Ballad of Uncle One-Tooth

November 24th, 2015

Like hapless novelty salesmen Jonathan (Holger Andersson) and Sam (Nisse Vestblom), filmmaker Roy Andersson clearly just wants to help people have fun. Completing his “Living” trilogy – which also contains the brilliant pair “Songs from the Second Floor” (2000) and “You, the Living” (2007) – “A Pigeon Sat on a Branch Reflecting on Existence” is the set’s piece de resistance and one of the best films of the year. Revisiting Andersson’s ambitious themes, which…

Indie noir new to Blu-ray

November 24th, 2015

Film noir fans can be thankful this weekend that more and more noir titles have been showing up on Blu-ray over the past few months. Independent films (past and present) can be strong personal cinematic visions or slick packages designed to sell tickets and fill a particular bill. On November 17 Kino Video came out with great-looking Blu-ray editions of movies from the 1940s and 50s that demonstrate both approaches, each film fitting to various degrees into the “film noir” category…

New Blu-ray expands HD availability of John Ford film canon

November 20th, 2015

Kino’s Blu-ray release of “The Hurricane” the Tuesday before Thanksgiving helps round out the variety of genres handled by prolific filmmaker John Ford now available in high-definition. Ford is best remembered for his westerns, especially those starring John Wayne, such as “Stagecoach,” “Fort Apache,” “Rio Grande,” “The Searchers,” etc., and for iconic classics like “The Grapes Of Wrath,” “The Informer,” “How Green Was My Valley” and “The Quiet…

“Back in Time” obsesses

November 19th, 2015

Celebrating the 30th anniversary of “Back to the Future,” Jason Aron’s crowdfunded documentary “Back in Time” tries unsuccessfully to capitalize on the blockbuster’s enduring appeal. Released online for “Back to the Future Day,” Oct. 21, 2015 – the date selected in the sequel by Marty McFly to go and save his yet-to-be-born children – “Back in Time” is earnest to a fault. While the movie intends to be the last word on the highest grossing film of 1985, “Back in…

The Jingle Dress

November 12th, 2015

In honor of Native American Heritage Month, the award-winning film "The Jingle Dress" will play at the Fargo Theatre, Friday, Nov. 13, for two showings -- one at 7:30 p.m. and another at 9:30 p.m. The screenings are sponsored in part by the City of Fargo's Native American Commission. The film received funding from the Legacy Arts and Cultural Heritage Production Reimbursement Program.

The director, writer and producer of the film, William Eigen ("Sing Your Song," "Pete Seeger: The Power…

Bringing in the Trash

November 11th, 2015

Grindfest 2015

What do cannibals, bikers, monsters and women in prison have in common? They are all subjects of B-movies/exploitation films and have trailers you have to see to believe. And you can enjoy many of them at Nov. 19’s Grindfest at the Fargo Theatre. The slogan for this installment is: "Sometimes it's more fun to bring in the trash." For the fourth time, Randal Black, who also DJs at KRFF 95.9, is producing Grindfest. The event shows trailers from exploitation and B-movies…

A totally ’80s time capsule

November 5th, 2015

Strictly for Spandau Ballet fans, “Soul Boys of the Western World” follows the familiar “Behind the Music” formula applicable to thousands of rock and roll stories. Long on hyperbole and much shorter on subtext and context, director George Hencken’s documentary relies on unfettered access to a trove of vintage film and video (for which archive producer Kate Griffiths deserves mention).

Tracing the rise and fall of the North London quintet fronted by vocalist Tony Hadley but led…

Butterfly wings

October 30th, 2015

Strickland visits “The Duke of Burgundy”

A carefully crafted homage to sensualist 1970s European exploitation cinema in general and the work of filmmaker Jess Franco in particular, Peter Strickland’s “The Duke of Burgundy” bestows many perverse pleasures upon its viewers. Beautifully designed, confidently structured and filled with visual and aural luxuries, the story alights on the strained and idiosyncratic relationship between two insect researchers/enthusiasts whose intense…

Q & A with “Valley of Bones” director, Dan Glaser

October 30th, 2015

Fargo native films western ND crime drama

I caught up with Dan Glaser, a Fargo native who is currently wrapping up filming the movie “Valley of Bones” in western North Dakota. Glaser is also known for "Pinching Penny" (2011) and the recently completed "Oxenfree,” currently on the film festival circuit. His bestselling debut novels “dieselpunk” and “A Fistful of Nothing” are available on Amazon.

“Valley of Bones” reveals the story of an ex-convict paleontologist trying to…