Assemblog: April 19, 2013

New this week on Popshifter: Jeff describes how Cliff Richard is wired for sound and explains the pros the cons of hitch hiking; Julie saw The Hives and has photos to prove that they’re a “fantastic rock & roll band in the purest sense”; I praise the exquisite songwriting on IO Echo’s debut album Ministry of Love; and Chelsea mourns the loss of Scott Miller (Game Theory, Loud Family).

Navigating Netflix in the US can be overwhelming. Thankfully, Popshifter contributor David Speranza is here to help with his What’s On Netflix Now blog. David reviews films you may not have seen or even heard about. Emily Carney, another Popshifter contributor, has been blogging at AmericaSpace. Check out her post on the International Space Station!

Some good news in terms of movie release dates: Insidious 2 has been moved up to Friday, September 13 while Europa Report, the mysterious sci-fi film from Sebastian Cordero, starring Sharlto Copley, will be out on VOD June 27 and in select theaters on August 2. (H/T to Bloody Disgusting)

You may have seen some confusing photos on the Internet including paunchy, balding Christian Bale and a permed Bradley Cooper. These are from the upcoming David O. Russell movie, American Hustle, which details the Abscam scandal of the late 1970s. If you, like me, were not familiar with the Abscam scandal, according to Wikipedia, the name comes from an FBI sting operation which attempted to “trap corrupt public officials.” The fake corporation created for the sting was called Abdul Enterprises, Ltd. so the code name became “Abscam,” a portmanteau derived from “Abdul scam.” You can read more about Abscam on the Socyberty blog.

Another recently announced film project is Tim Burton’s Big Eyes. Although it’s not about the Cheap Trick song, it is about Walter and Margaret Keane, the couple credited with inventing the wildly popular “big eye” paintings of the ’50s and ’60s. You’ve probably seen imitations or cheap reproductions in thrift stores. This story might not sound that enticing, but consider that Margaret took her husband to court to prove that she was the artist behind the paintings he’d been signing all those years, in a legal dispute that lasted for decades. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Big Eyes will star Amy Adams and Christoph Waltz as the Keanes. (For more on Keane paintings and the “Big Eye” style, check our interview with artist Vicki Berndt from 2008.)

The 2013 Tribeca Film Festival is upon us! Indiewire has been conducting interviews with more than 50 of the filmmakers whose work is featured in the fest. I’m sure I’ll be talking about quite a few of these films over the next few months. TFF began April 17 and runs through the 28.

With all the discussion recently on what the mission statement of a film festival should be, (and there will be more on that in upcoming Assemblogs), there’s yet another new festival. The Stanley Film Festival claims it will celebrate the best in indie horror. It’s a nice change of pace from the frequently overproduced, exposition-heavy, and not even remotely scary horror films clogging the multiplexes these days. And, the fest takes place at the Stanley Hotel, which served as the Overlook in The Shining. Indiewire has a nice rundown of some of the films scheduled, but you can check out the official website, too. The Stanley Film Festival runs from May 2 – 5.

Have you seen the trailer for The Battery? It’s a no-budget take on the zombie post-apocalypse film, but this isn’t World War Z, trust me. In a way, the trailer reminds me a bit of Resolution, which definitely piques my interest. Bloody Disgusting has a great, not-too-spoilery review of the film as well. Look for a digital release of The Battery in June.

—Less Lee Moore, Managing Editor