"Raised by Wolves" 1-3: Prometheus Reborn

by Tony Ruggio

"Mother" and her children

Raised by Wolves is Ridley Scott’s answer to those who didn’t take to Prometheus, his magnum opus follow-up to Alien decades later. The powers that be got in the way of his true passion and led to a compromised vision once Alien Covenant came along. This is clearly an opportunity for him to revisit such themes as religion, man’s origin, and artificial intelligence, as well as delve into his slower, more methodical aesthetic preferences in greater detail. The first three episodes introduce us to a future wherein a great war has been fought (or is still being fought? It’s unclear) between atheists and a religious faction known as the Mithraic, spiritual fundamentalists devoted to a sun god called Sol. 

The story begins on a planet distant from Earth where an atheist group has sent two androids with the mission of shepherding a successful human colony there. So far, Wolves is primarily interested in the evolving behaviors of these androids, known only as Mother (Amanda Collin) and Father (Abubukar Salim)... 

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Ukraine submits "Atlantis" and Bosnia submits "Quo Vadis, Aida?"

by Nathaniel R

The Ukrainian Oscar committee has announced the country's submission for Best International Feature contest at the forthcoming Academy Awards. They will be sending Atlantis by 49 year-old rising director Valentyn Vasyanovych, which is a near-future drama about a former soldier in a decaying country. The soldier volunteers to help exhume war corpses. It's said to be an ambitious work with a reportedly riveting lead performance from film newcomer Andriy Rymaruk...

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1965: Eleanor Parker in "The Sound of Music"

Each month before the Smackdown, Nick Taylor chooses three performances to highlight that weren't Oscar-nominated...

 “And Eleanor Parker as The Baroness” reads the final casting credit of the opening credits of The Sound of Music. Hers is also the only name that appears by itself, positioning the character and the actress as events the film wants you to eagerly anticipate. Hard enough when you're the other woman in a love triangle, especially as a non-singing role in a three-hour musical. Yet Parker, boasting one of the most exciting, chameleonic personas in American cinema, lives up to the hype over fifty years later, emerging with the film's most multifaceted performance.

Baroness Elsa von Schraeder won’t appear until roughly an hour into The Sound of Music, by which time we’ve already watched the indomitably energetic Maria (Julie Andrews) enter the Von Trapp family at the direction of her Abbess, instructing her to work as a governess to see if it’ll suit her better than being a nun...

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Nathaniel on the Jury at CIFF

by Nathaniel R

All the Pretty Horses (Greece, 2020)

The Calgary International Film Festival begins today and will run through Sunday, October 4th I'm pleased to share the news that I'm on the International Narrative Feature jury this year (the fun kind of jury duty!) with Nancy Campbell and George Smalz. We're all attending virtually this year, of course, rather than in person...

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Mickey @ 100: From "National Velvet" to "The Black Stallion"

Here's Baby Clyde to conclude our brief Mickey Rooney Centennial celebration

Many years ago, as a Golden Age Hollywood obsessed tween, I dragged my poor brother up to London with me so we could stand outside the stage door of the Savoy Theatre. The West End debut of the smash hit Broadway revue Sugar Babies was playing and it starred the legendary Mickey Rooney and Ann Miller ...from actual HOLLYWOOD!!!

As a little kid from a decidedly un-glamourous council estate, who spent all his spare time poring over books about old movies stars, this was too good an opportunity to miss. It didn’t turn out quite as I’d planned. We arrived at the stage door with plenty of time before the show began to find a handful of like minded saddos also waiting. They informed us that Miss Miller was already inside which was of course unfortunate, but Mickey was still to arrive. A little while later he did...

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