The Tell Tale Heart is a fresh take on Poe’s tale told with a psychotronic flair that is as in debt to Roger Corman’s beloved Poe pictures of the 60s as it is to the surreal stylings of Dario Argento, and even a hint of Cronenberg thrown into the mix.
Author Archives: Jacob Calta
The War of the Gargantuas (1966): Hell Hath No Fury Like a Frankenstein Monster
If there was ever a niche genre of film that I could simply watch whenever I want, without needing to be in a certain mood, it would have to be the iconic Japanese genre of daikaijū eiga.
The Offbeat Marquee #6: MJ’s Marquee
This sixth installment explores chapters in the legacy of one of the world’s most renowned entertainers, Michael Joseph Jackson. For over four decades, Jackson sang and danced his way into the radios, stereo systems, television screens, and indeed into the theaters of the world. Today, Calta takes a look at some of the many audiovisual landmarks in the King of Pop’s filmography.
The Offbeat Marquee #5: “The Radiation Wave of Cinema”
This time around, Calta digs into a subject that has long fascinated him. The 1980s, for all its neon-lit, synth-heavy glory, was a time for serious reflection on the state of the world in terms of nuclear power and warfare. Filmmakers had the power to illustrate the serious effects of things going wrong. Here, he tries to explain the under-sung explosion nuke-centric ground level motion pictures in the final decade of the Cold War.
American Pop (1981) – “One Family, Four Generations”
“Ralph Bakshi is an artist who I have grown to adore and respect when it comes to the medium of animation. His blend of stylish character designs, inventive use of both painted and live-action backgrounds, and a wicked sense of humor has made his films both definers of eras in which they are made and simultaneously timeless. Of all the films he has made, the one picture that sticks out in my mind the most has to be his 1981 effort, American Pop.”
The Offbeat Marquee #4: “Down and Out in New York City”
The Offbeat Marquee is the theater that will show just about anything. Columnist Jacob Calta unearths everything from forgotten Hollywood dramas to underground animation to the many oddball genre films from around the world. This fourth installment is not a matter of obscure cinema, but of an obscure idea about cinema, the hypnosis that certain images can instill. Places locked in a certain time and place that captivate time and time again and carry with them a certain aura. For Jacob, that time and place is New York City in the 1970s and 1980s.
Ran (1985): “In A Mad World, Only The Mad Are Sane”
Akira Kurosawa is one of the most important filmmakers of the 20th century. Through his feudal films, we saw the works of Shakespeare reborn and new tales that have been told for decades. Through his modern-day exploits, we looked into the heart of humanity at the time, peering into the souls of many. In hisContinue reading “Ran (1985): “In A Mad World, Only The Mad Are Sane””
The Offbeat Marquee #3: Music Videos
The Offbeat Marquee is the theater that will show just about anything. Columnist Jacob Calta unearths everything from forgotten Hollywood dramas to underground animation to the many oddball genre films from around the world. In this third installment, he takes a look at a medium of incredible reach and creativity: the music video! Introduction “InContinue reading “The Offbeat Marquee #3: Music Videos”
The Lighthouse (2019): “It’s Bad Luck to Leave a Toast Unfinished, Lad.”
As much as I love film, both its creation and consumption, I have never been able to go to the theater as often as I’d like to. Some of it is a matter of transportation, but much of it has been a disinterest in the contemporary. I never like to stay ignorant of modern film,Continue reading “The Lighthouse (2019): “It’s Bad Luck to Leave a Toast Unfinished, Lad.””
The Offbeat Marquee #2: A Snapshot of Adult Cinema
The Offbeat Marquee is the theater that will show just about anything. Columnist Jacob Calta unearths everything from forgotten Hollywood dramas to underground animation to the many oddball genre films from around the world. This second installment takes on the wild world of adult cinema. Hardcore pornography was a unique beast in the wake ofContinue reading “The Offbeat Marquee #2: A Snapshot of Adult Cinema”
