Please introduce yourself.
My name is Edda Manriquez and I am a Latinx experimental horror filmmaker. My work has been featured in various film festivals and screenings all around the world including the REDCAT: Roy and Edna Disney/CalArts Theater. I am also the founder and director of Les Femmes Underground International Film Festival, which is a womxn’s traveling film festival whose prime focus is on diversity and equity for filmmakers across the cinematic spectrum. I obtained my M.F.A. in Film and Video at the California Institute of the Arts and my Bachelors in Visual Arts, Communications, and Stage Management from the University of California, San Diego. I currently work at a prestigious Archive in Los Angeles where I provide access to materials to researchers and cinematheques all across the globe.
Robert Kirkman’s “Invincible” is a Stellar, if Flawed, Superhero Epic
Full Disclosure: Amazon Studios gave us access to the first three episodes of “Invincible.” Please read with discretion.
I missed the boat when Invincible had its run in Image Comics, and I regret it, especially as a fan of “The Walking Dead.” Robert Kirkman is one of the group of Image comics heavyweights who manages to offer up his own superhero tale, but it’s given a massive twist that’s both bold and insanely violent. Taking the animated route this time out, producers Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg help realize Kirkman’s epic “Invincible” for the small screen, sticking true to many of the comics original storylines, and unfolding what is a unique, exciting, albeit imperfect at times, saga.
Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In: The Complete Series (DVD)
Few television programs hit the airwaves with the impact of “Rowan & Martin Laugh-In.” With its rapid-fire skein of zany sketches, topical humor, hipster catch phrases, go-go dancing, and zeitgeist-hugging mod fashions and pop-art production design, the program defined the spirit the free-wheeling and often chaotic late 1960s and early 1970s.
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Zack Snyder’s Justice League (2021)
After relentless caterwauling from fans for four years, director Zack Snyder is allowed to return to the DCEU once again to offer his original vision (or a very close facsimile) of what he had planned for the “Justice League” and the DCEU. While I don’t miss Snyder and his involvement with the DC movies (the man loves his slow motion), his “Justice League” is, shocking enough, an infinitely superior adaptation than the 2017 Joss Whedon lemon. I wouldn’t call it a masterpiece, but if pushed in to a corner, I’d happily rewatch the “Snyder Cut” again, with warts and all.
The Bootleg Files: The Carpenters…Space Encounters
BOOTLEG FILES 761: “The Carpenters…Space Encounters” (1978 television variety special).
LAST SEEN: On YouTube.
AMERICAN HOME VIDEO: None.
REASON FOR BOOTLEG STATUS: Music clearance rights are probably at the root of the problem.
CHANCES OF SEEING A COMMERCIAL DVD RELEASE: Not likely.
When it comes to kitsch, nothing beats the television variety specials of the 1970s. Between the none-too-special guest stars performing musical numbers for which they were ill-suited, the flashy polyester costuming, the overbaked choreography and the manic need to appear hip, these productions often represent the best of the worst elements from the decade that good taste forgot.
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Interview with Jill Gevargizian, Director of “The Stylist” [Women in Horror Month 2021]
Please introduce yourself.
I’m Jill Gevargizian, I’m a director, producer, sometimes writer, and hairstylist! My feature film debut, The Stylist, just released!
What is it that attracts you to the horror genre for your chosen field of creative work?
I’ve always loved horror. I love that it’s exciting, adventurous, and challenging. I really love working in the genre because it is an incredibly entertaining way to confront more serious ideas, themes, and issues.
Swan Song (2021) [SXSW 2021]
An aging hairdresser is called back into action for one last hurrah. As he crosses his small town on foot, the viewer (and himself) find out who he is and what he is meant to do.