The Bay Area was a weird place in 1987. You had the remnants of the Me Decade’s cults of touchy-feeliness bumping up against Silicon Valley’s computer-nerd capitalism. Competing D.I.Y. music scenes meant you could surf between S.F. Thrash, East Bay rap, and pockets of punk popping up from everywhere; shows and entrances to a subculture of your choice were just a Bart ride away. Other than the San Francisco 49ers, still deep into their Joe Montana-led winning streak, sports meant rooting for underdogs. (The Oakland...
- 1/19/2024
- by David Fear
- Rollingstone.com
Taking a one-for-us victory lap after one-for-them studio smash “Captain Marvel,” indie duo Ryan Fleck and Anna Boden blow a big, self-indulgent kiss to the late-’80s East Bay with nostalgia-fueled “Freaky Tales.” Berkeley-born Fleck was all of 10 years old in early 1987, when this overstuffed anthology film is set, which explains the wide-eyed way he romanticizes the defining subcultures of the time.
In four distinct but intertwining chapters — populated mostly with fresh faces, plus grizzled-but-gorgeous Pedro Pascal — “Freaky Tales” melds wildly different sectors of the city: There’s the rowdy-yet-respectful Gilman Street punk crowd; the revolutionary Oakland hip-hop scene; the Warriors’ historic victory over the Lakers, in which local basketball legend Eric “Sleepy” Floyd scored a record-setting 29 points in the fourth quarter; and a disturbing spike in neo-Nazi-linked hate crimes, which strangely serves to tie everything else together.
As if those disparate realms weren’t enough of a grab bag,...
In four distinct but intertwining chapters — populated mostly with fresh faces, plus grizzled-but-gorgeous Pedro Pascal — “Freaky Tales” melds wildly different sectors of the city: There’s the rowdy-yet-respectful Gilman Street punk crowd; the revolutionary Oakland hip-hop scene; the Warriors’ historic victory over the Lakers, in which local basketball legend Eric “Sleepy” Floyd scored a record-setting 29 points in the fourth quarter; and a disturbing spike in neo-Nazi-linked hate crimes, which strangely serves to tie everything else together.
As if those disparate realms weren’t enough of a grab bag,...
- 1/19/2024
- by Peter Debruge
- Variety Film + TV
"This is wrong, we shouldn't be here." Uncork'd Ent has revealed an official trailer for an indie sci-fi thriller titled The Alternate, marking the feature directorial debut of filmmaker Alrik Bursell. This originally premiered last year at a few small festivals and is landing on VOD in September if anyone is curious to find out what's going on with this intriguing story. Upon unlocking a portal to an alternate dimension where all his dreams have come true, struggling filmmaker Jake is forced to confront his own idealized self. The other dimension he discovers contains the perfect version of his life, but he "soon sees that his alternate is not as perfect as he seems, and perfection comes with a price." Of course, as always, this is the The Box fable all over again. The film stars Ed Gonzalez Moreno, Natalia Dominguez, and Syra McCarthy. This looks like some lo-fi indie sci-fi goodness,...
- 8/18/2022
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
Uncork’d Entertainment is set to release Alrik Bursell’s highly-anticipated sci-fi thriller The Alternate this September. Produced by Jeffrey Allard, executive producer of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, the pic stars Ed Gonzalez Moreno, Natalia Dominguez, and Syra McCarthy. Pic was scripted by director Bursell, who has directed five short …
The post Official Trailer – The Alternate – Out September 6 | From the producer of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre appeared first on Horror News | Hnn.
The post Official Trailer – The Alternate – Out September 6 | From the producer of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre appeared first on Horror News | Hnn.
- 8/15/2022
- by Adrian Halen
- Horror News
Princess Diana Police Investigations Explored By Channel 4 & Discovery+
The story of the two police investigations into the death of Princess Diana is to be told in a rare co-production for Channel 4 and Discovery+. With access to top detectives in the UK and France, most of whom are speaking for the first time, Sandpaper Films’ four-parter Investigating Diana: Death in Paris (working title) will examine investigations led by the French Brigade Criminelle in 1997 and UK’s Metropolitan Police in 2004. The People’s Princess’ 1997 car crash shocked the world and ignited a debate about how she died, one that is still being discussed in forensic detail today, riddled with conspiracy theories. Channel 4 will launch first in the UK and Discovery+ has taken second window outside the UK. “This utterly compelling series explores in forensic detail what happened in the investigations following the death of Princess Diana – what it was like for...
The story of the two police investigations into the death of Princess Diana is to be told in a rare co-production for Channel 4 and Discovery+. With access to top detectives in the UK and France, most of whom are speaking for the first time, Sandpaper Films’ four-parter Investigating Diana: Death in Paris (working title) will examine investigations led by the French Brigade Criminelle in 1997 and UK’s Metropolitan Police in 2004. The People’s Princess’ 1997 car crash shocked the world and ignited a debate about how she died, one that is still being discussed in forensic detail today, riddled with conspiracy theories. Channel 4 will launch first in the UK and Discovery+ has taken second window outside the UK. “This utterly compelling series explores in forensic detail what happened in the investigations following the death of Princess Diana – what it was like for...
- 8/10/2022
- by Max Goldbart
- Deadline Film + TV
Stars: Ed Gonzalez Moreno, Natalia Dominguez, Syra McCarthy, Patrice Binaisa, Phillip Caires | Written and Directed by Alrik Bursell
It’s no secret that I am a pretty big sci-fi fan. Done well, the genre is easily the most compelling, no matter the budget you are working with. Look at Primer – little to no money yet I would say I watch that film once, maybe twice, a year. I personally have always felt that our affinity for science fiction lies in the simplicity of a story played out on a seemingly outrageous scale. Often the best form of storytelling is the one that makes us question what would we do if we could…
The Alternate had one of those concepts that gets me invested from the off, a seemingly low key, surface level, yet highly relatable story, of the conflict that lies within. That and I had seen some fantastic stills of worm-holey/portal goodness.
It’s no secret that I am a pretty big sci-fi fan. Done well, the genre is easily the most compelling, no matter the budget you are working with. Look at Primer – little to no money yet I would say I watch that film once, maybe twice, a year. I personally have always felt that our affinity for science fiction lies in the simplicity of a story played out on a seemingly outrageous scale. Often the best form of storytelling is the one that makes us question what would we do if we could…
The Alternate had one of those concepts that gets me invested from the off, a seemingly low key, surface level, yet highly relatable story, of the conflict that lies within. That and I had seen some fantastic stills of worm-holey/portal goodness.
- 8/31/2021
- by Kevin Haldon
- Nerdly
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