In the Tall Grass is a 2019 Canadian supernatural horror drama film written and directed by Vincenzo Natali (Cube) and starring Laysla De Oliveira, Avery Whitted, Will Buie Jr., Harrison Gilbertson and Patrick Wilson. It is based on Stephen King and Joe Hill‘s 2012 novella of the same name.
The film had its world premiere at Fantastic Fest on September 20, 2019. It was later released on October 4, 2019, by Netflix. (wiki)
Author: pnea
chronicler, explorer of nature, anthroposophist
1325 – yesterday evening
1324 – Strange Days (1995)
timespace coordinates: 1999, turn of the century (near-future) Los Angeles (racial war zone / New Year’s Eve party)
Strange Days is a 1995 American science fiction thriller film directed by Kathryn Bigelow, written by James Cameron and Jay Cocks, and produced by Cameron and Steven-Charles Jaffe. It stars Ralph Fiennes, Angela Bassett, Juliette Lewis, and Tom Sizemore. Set in the last two days of 1999, the film follows the story of a black marketeer of SQUID discs, recordings that allow a user to experience the recorder’s memories and physical sensations, as he attempts to uncover the truth behind the murder of a prostitute.
Blending science fiction with film noir conventions, Strange Days explores themes such as racism, abuse of power, rape, and voyeurism. Although the story was conceived by Cameron around 1986, Bigelow found inspiration after incidents such as the Lorena Bobbitt trial and the 1992 Los Angeles riots that followed the Rodney King verdict.
Strange Days was a commercial failure and almost derailed Bigelow’s career (…) Nevertheless, the film’s critical standing has improved over the years, with many fans feeling that the film has been overlooked by a casual mass audience and misguided critics.
The scene where the crowd celebrates the turn of the new century at the end of the film was shot at the corner of the 5th and Flower streets, between the Westin Bonaventure Hotel and the Los Angeles Public Library. Over 50 off-duty police officers were hired to control an assembled crowd of 10,000 people, who had to pay $10 in advance to attend the event. The film-makers also hired rave promoters Moss Jacobs and Philip Blaine to produce performances featuring Aphex Twin, Deee-Lite, as well as “all the cyber-techno bands they could garner”.
In 2015, The Washington Post editor Sonny Bunch felt that Strange Days was still relevant, comparing the imagery captured by the SQUID units to that of first-person shooters or cellphone videos on YouTube. He added that events such as Jeriko One’s murder and the subsequent coverup of the crime contribute to activist movements like Black Lives Matter, and that their media documentation amplifies their reception and consequences. (read more: Themes)
1323
China banned the Comedy Central cartoon “South Park” after its 299th episode, “Band in China,” aired on October 2. It mocked Hollywood’s submission to the country. In response, “South Park” declared “F—” the Chinese government” in its 300th episode, and the show’s creators Matt Stone and Trey Parker published a mock apology. (businessinsider)
1322 – Good Bye Lenin! (2003)
timespace coordinates: East Berlin, from October 1989 to just after German reunification a year later (Most scenes were shot at the Karl-Marx-Allee in Berlin and around Plattenbauten near Alexanderplatz.)
Good Bye Lenin! is a 2003 German tragicomedy film, directed by Wolfgang Becker. The cast includes Daniel Brühl, Katrin Saß, Chulpan Khamatova, and Maria Simon. The story follows a family in East Germany; the mother (Saß) is dedicated to the socialist cause and falls into a coma in October 1989, shortly before the November revolution. When she awakens eight months later in June 1990, her son (Brühl) attempts to protect her from a fatal shock by concealing the fall of the Berlin Wall and the collapse of communism.
Ostalgie is a neologism for the nostalgia for a communist past which is a common theme in Good Bye, Lenin! (read more)
wiki / imdb / rottentomatoes / Sandmann Lied (sandmännchen – kosmonaut)
1321 – Stalingrad (2013)
timespace coordinates: November 1942, the Battle of Stalingrad (Volgograd)
Stalingrad (Russian: Сталинград) is a 2013 Russian war film directed by Fedor Bondarchuk. The screenwriter studied diaries of the participants of the Battle of Stalingrad. He also used museum archives, documents and recorded stories of its participants.
The prototype of this house is the legendary Pavlov’s House in Stalingrad. (wiki)
1320 – The Collini Case (2019)
timespace coordinates: 1944 – 1968 – 2001 berlin germany / pisa / montecatini tuscany italy
The Collini Case (German: Der Fall Collini) is a 2019 German crime-drama-thriller film loosely based on the 2011 novel of the same name by Ferdinand von Schirach, a legal thriller that deals with Germany’s Nazi past and that was inspired by the author’s own family history. The film is directed by Marco Kreuzpaintner and stars Elyas M’Barek, Alexandra Maria Lara, Heiner Lauterbach, Manfred Zapatka and Franco Nero.
TimeSpace Warps 