Tag Archives: Yellow Veil Pictures

Review: Casper Van Dien runs a tight ship in Corey Deshon’s ‘DAUGHTER’

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DAUGHTER

SYNOPSIS: A young woman is kidnapped and inducted into a bizarre family as their new surrogate daughter. As she navigates through this twisted dynamic, awful secrets about the past are revealed, leading to even darker implications about the future.

(L-R) Elyse Dinh as Mother, Casper Van Dien as Father, and Ian Alexander as Brother in the thriller film, DAUGHTER, a Dark Star Pictures release. Photo courtesy of Dark Star Pictures

Shot on 16mm film, DAUGHTER comes alive with a timeless 70s exploration horror look. Told in chapters, this slow-burn thriller raises questions about captivity, indoctrination, and freedom of thought. It will make you shiver.

Elyse Dinh tackles the role of “Mother.” She is the stabilizer in the family dynamic. Dinh’s chemistry with Vivien Ngô keeps you watching. Ian Alexander, whom I adored in The OA, plays “Son.” Alexander fully embodies whatever character they play, and this is no exception. There is solid potential for more of this character in the future.

Casper Van Dien is “Father.” He is unsettling from the beginning. A looming figure, he makes your skin crawl. Vivien Ngô plays “Daughter” with the complexity needed to sustain the pace. The audience is along for the ride on her shoulders. She had me constantly wondering what move might come next in the bizarre game of chess. It is a captivating turn.

The sixth chapter is a complete visual departure from the rest of the film. It’s explosive. With a beginning and ending that feels like an homage to Tobe Hooper‘s The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, the long-awaited finale of DAUGHTER feels spot on. Any other choice would have felt like a cop-out. DAUGHTER has the makings of a franchise if writer-director Corey Deshon can quicken the pace with this first film as canon.

Dark Star Pictures will release the thriller film DAUGHTER in select theaters, on Digital and On Demand on February 10, 2023

The thriller DAUGHTER stars an ensemble cast of Casper Van Dien (Starship Troopers), Elyse Dinh (Spider-Man 2), Vivien Ngô (“Queen Sugar”), and Ian Alexander (“Star Trek: Discovery”). The film is written and directed by Corey Deshon (“A Million Little Things”).

DIRECTOR’S STATEMENT

From the wars we fight over our conflicting worldviews, the insane mental gymnastics we conjure in order to justify them, and the insignificance of truth in the absence of freedom, comes DAUGHTER. Shot on 16mm film with a predominantly Vietnamese cast, DAUGHTER is a uniquely diverse and genre-bending tale in the vein of Dogtoothmeets 10 Cloverfield Lane.

Inspired by feminist existentialist philosopher Simone De Beauvoir’s “The Ethics of Ambiguity,” this film is a meditation on the morality and ethics of freedom and creative expression within an oppressed system. Through this surrealist psychodrama, we seek to explore the questions, “Can one truly be free if they do not will the freedom of others? “and, “If that freedom must come at a moral cost, who is going to pay?”

IN THEATERS: February 10, 2023
ON DIGITAL AND ON DEMAND: February 10, 2023
ON DVD: May 9, 2023
DIRECTOR: Corey Deshon
WRITER: Corey Deshon
CAST: Casper Van Dien, Elyse Dinh, Vivien Ngô, and Ian Alexander   
RATING: Not Rated
RUN TIME: 95 minutes
GENRE: Thriller
DISTRIBUTOR: Dark Star Pictures




Review: Out on Digital tomorrow, ‘LUX ÆTERNA’ is pure Gaspar Noé chaos.

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LUX ÆTERNA

LUX ÆTERNA takes place backstage of a French film production, often utilizing split-screens to follow two characters at once. Charlotte Gainsbourg, acting as herself, plays the film’s — and the film-within-a-film’s — leading role of an actress taking on the role of a witch burned at the stake while French actress Beatrice Dalle, playing a version of herself as well, takes on the on-screen role of director. The film progresses with mounting tension as the set descends into aggressive chaos— both in style, form, and plot. Actress and model Abbey Lee (The Neon Demon), Karl Glusman (Love), Claude-Emmanuelle Gajan-Maull (Climax), Félix Maritaud (Sauvage / Wild, Knife + Heart), and Clara Deshayes also appear as interpretations of themselves.

Narcissism, gaslighting, sexism, celebrity, the industry as a whole, everything is on the line in this 50 minutes of coordinated chaos. Toxicity and ass-kissing intermingled with personal drama, as each actor in LUX ÆTERNA plays a version of themselves. As the tension mounts, who and how will each player respond when “art” is on the line?

The lighting, which comes with a trigger warning before the film begins, is undeniably jarring. Combined with the incessant ringing of an alarm, it’s a visceral invasion. In tandem with the distress of Charlotte on screen, the viewer slowly finds themselves on sensory overload. 

Charlotte Gainsbourg can do no wrong in my book. She possesses a vulnerability that is unsurpassed. The amount of trust she has in Gaspar Noé astounds me with each additional project. Gainsbourg understood the assignment.

In true Gaspar Noé fashion, LUX ÆTERNA  pushes the boundaries of color, sound, and content. Few filmmakers have a style that screams their name, and Noé has cultivated that skill. In a short runtime, LUX ÆTERNA  has a lot to say. Welcome to one of the most unexpected and raw moments of exploitation.

Following a successful theatrical run across the United States from May into early June that put the film in the top 10 indies at the box office, Yellow Veil Pictures will release Gaspar Noe’s LUX ÆTERNA on digital platforms including Amazon, Google Play, Vudu, and more this Friday, June 10th in North America, followed by a 2-disc Collector’s Edition Blu-Ray available summer 2022. LUX ÆTERNA is currently available for digital pre-order on Vimeo on Demand.

Review: ‘THE LONG WALK’ is an ever-evolving entity of grief.

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THE LONG WALK

The Long Walk is Laotian director Mattie Do’s third feature, and centres around an old man, who discovers that he can travel back in time and speak with the dead. The film stars Yannawoutthi Chanthalungsy, Noutnapha Soydara, Vilouna Phetmany, Chansamone Inoudom and Por Silatsa.

Do not take your eyes off the screen for a second.m The Long Walk has an enigmatic script that obliterates genre norms. When a colleague and trusted friend Steve Kopian, at Unseen Films, told me that I had to make sure to watch without distraction, he was not exaggerating. Blink, and you might miss pertinent information. Part sci-fi and a lot of ambient horror, The Long Walk is unlike anything you’ve seen before. Spirits and time manipulation are the tips of the iceberg.

Performances are mesmerizing. As the plot evolves, each actor runs the emotional gambit. The lush Laos countryside becomes a haunting backdrop for a story you won’t see coming. The trickiest part about writing a review is not wanting to spoil the experience for the audience. There are rare occasions where going into a film blind is in your best interest. The Long Walk is one of those films. This film will take your breath away as you move from fear to heartbreak, confusion to awe. The Long Walk is one of the year’s most intriguing films. It bears repeating, do not look away. 

The Entrancing Time-Travel Ghost Story — Out Now In Select Theaters + On VOD March 1
The first Lao film to screen theatrically in the US, from Laos’ first and only women director:

ABOUT MATTIE DO:

Mattie Do is Laos’ first, and only, female filmmaker. Born in California to recent refugees of Laos’ Communist Revolution, Mattie was raised in Los Angeles, but returned to Laos a decade ago after her father retired in Vientiane.

In 2012, Mattie directed her first feature film, Chanthaly. The film was the ninth feature film produced in the country of Laos since the 1975 revolution, the first feature film to feature a female protagonist, and the first Lao feature film to be directed by a woman. Chanthaly also challenged Laos’ strict censorship which at the time mandated that Lao women only be depicted in traditional dress speaking formal Lao, and restricted any depiction of supernatural or superstitious beliefs. The film premiered at Fantastic Fest in Austin, Texas becoming the first Lao film to screen outside of SE Asia. Chanthaly’s success at festivals led to Mattie’s selection for the Cannes’ Fabrique des Cinemas du Monde, TIFF’s Directors Talent Lab, Berlinale Talents, and BIFAN’s Fantastic Film School. Afterward, Mattie worked with the Ministry of Culture to create the infrastructure necessary to introduce foreign co-production to Laos, including a framework for managing the country’s rigid censorship. In 2015, Mattie produced Laos’ first American and Japanese co-productions, which later respectively premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival and Locarno Film Festival.

Mattie Do’s second feature, Dearest Sister, premiered at Fantastic Fest before screening at BFI’s London Film Festival, Singapore International Film Festival and nearly two dozen other film festivals. The film received Special Jury Mentions at the Sitges International Fantastic Film Festival, Lund’s Fantastisk Filmfestival, and Fantasporto Film Festival. The film was later selected as Laos first official submission to the 90th Academy Awards.

‘HELLBENDER’ begins streaming today on SHUDDER! It’s gonna rock you to your core.

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HELLBENDER

In Hellbender, 16-year-old Izzy (Zelda Adams) suffers from a rare illness that has kept her isolated on a mountaintop with her mother (Toby Poser) her whole life. As Izzy begins to question her sickness, she pushes back against her confinement and secretly befriends Amber (Lulu Adams), another girl living on the mountain, but her newfound happiness is derailed after she eats a live worm as part of a juvenile game and finds an insatiable and violent hunger awakened within her. To understand the hunger, Izzy must learn the dark secrets of her family’s past and the ancient power in her bloodline.

*Originally posted during Fantasia 2021*

Honestly, if I could choose to grow up in another family, it would be the Adams family. I’m not talking about Morticia and Gomez. While I adore that lot, I’m talking about the indie horror filmmaking family. These industrious and smart people consist of Mom, Toby Poser, dad, John Adams, and daughters, Zelda and Lulu. Fantasia 2019 audiences got their first taste of spooky genius with The Deeper You Dig. It was scary, intense, unique, and then some. This year, Fantasia 2021 audiences got to experience a new tale of terror with Hellbender.

Their cinematography is stunning. They really understand how to fill a frame. Their writing feels collaborative. John Adams’ score is deliberate and insanely effective. The songs are so fantastic I would buy their album! Within the first three minutes of Hellbender, I gasped and rocked out. If that’s not a winning film, I don’t know what is.

Zelda Adams as Izzy is so intriguing in her innocence and curiosity. Her journey from child to adult occurs before our eyes, whether we like it or not. Toby Poser, as Mom, is a force of nature. Often telling an entirely emotional story without words. Their chemistry is never forced. This is not always the case when a family works together. In the case of the Adams family, it’s their biggest strength. Their work is dark and that takes trust and guts. And allow me to assure you both are teeming in Hellbender, quite literally. There is one special effect in particular that blew me away. When you see it, you’ll know what I’m talking about.

It’s a mother-daughter relationship film that just so happens to center around a witchy heritage. Predictably, deceit under the guise of protection is bound to backfire. Hellbender is about a secret and sacred family history. But, it’s also about the power of the feminine and a slick takedown of any sort of patriarchal structure. The social commentary between the treatment of witches and any female, ever, is glaringly obvious, but no less genius. Hellbender is undoubtedly one of the most kick-ass films from this year’s festival. It’s no wonder it won Best Score and Best Actress (Zelda) in the CHEVAL NOIR AWARD FOR FEATURE FILMS. I cannot wait for Shudder audiences to join in their fandom.

*PS- The Adams’ have agreed to let me be part of their family via Instagram. I couldn’t possibly be more excited. I’ll run the camera and hold the boom next time. Also, not afraid to get covered in blood.*

Premieres February 24 on Shudder

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Review: ‘The Midnight Swim’ is hypnotic.

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THE MIDNIGHT SWIM

THE MIDNIGHT SWIM, which world premiered at the Fantasia International Film Festival in 2014 and went on to win the Breakthrough Audience Award from AFI Fest and Best Feature Film from the Denver International Film Festival, marked the debut feature of Sarah Adina Smith (Buster’s Mal Heart, 2016; Birds of Paradise, 2021). The film follows half-sisters Isa, June, and Annie in the wake of the disappearance of their mother, Dr. Amelia Brooks, during a deep-water dive in Spirit Lake. The three women decide to travel home to settle her affairs, where they accidentally summon a local ghost and find themselves drawn deeper into the mysteries of the lake as their relationship begins to unravel.

Folklore and family meld too well in The Midnight Swim. You won’t know where one ends and the other begins. As we watch this story unfold all in “found footage” from Annie’s vintage camera. It becomes clear that their relationships with their mother were complex and dark. Grief manifests in a variety of ways, but the most successful aspect as strange things begin to occur is the connection between the three sisters. Aleksa Palladino, Lindsay Burdge, Jennifer Lafleur pull you into the film like sirens. There is tension, adoration, irritation, and unadulterated fun that happens amid weirdness. Did their mother drown, or was it suicide? These discussions are ongoing. We discover Annie is/was unwell, never specified in the film. We see this in her solitude when the camera is pointed at her, predominantly in mirrors, as she is the film’s “cinematographer.” We’re tipped off in moments when the girls explain that she only eats alone, when she pretends to be a stranger calling her deceased mother’s office and then begins to take “night swims” she cannot recall until time-lapse footage appears the following mornings.

Strangely enough, one of my favorite scenes is the only earnest tension breaker in the film. It’s an oddly placed music video performed by the sisters. Each has a chance to show off their personalities. It’s seemingly something they did as children, and like the rest of the film, it lands somewhere between enchanting and creepy as hell. The set’s dressing, particularly the bedrooms, have a candy-colored aesthetic to them. Laura Ashley-Esque prints against morose faces unsettle your body. The story of the ill-fated seven sisters becomes more intriguing once you realize the ancient origins apply both to the sea and stars. While writer-director Sarah Adina Smith‘s film ultimately leaves us with more questions than answers, it’s a film that is impossible to shake.

Pre-sale on collector’s BluRay launches Jan. 1, on Digital and VOD Jan. 25, 2022

Review: Is ‘Starfish’ a metaphor for grief?

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With reality rapidly fraying at the edges, Aubrey finds herself following a string of clues left after the death of her best friend. Clues leading to a mysterious signal that could save the world.

Starfish is one hell of a trip. This film boasts one of the coolest soundtracks, some sick CG, outstanding acting, an anime sequence, and one weird ass storyline. I’m still not entirely sure what happens in this film but I know I loved it at every turn and have been talking about it nonstop for days. Our leading lady, Virginia Gardner is phenomenal. Every performance challenge you could face as an actress she tackles with complexity that feels grounded and relatable. This film is quite the feat from every angle. The editing makes this pretty delicious to watch. There is never a dull moment and I was absolutely living for the next beat. It deals with isolation, denial, depression, fear, and regret in the most unique ways. The visual playground that is Starfish is reason alone to watch. Below you will find the trailer. This is a small taste of the magic you are in for with Starfish. I’m going to need a sequel at the very least. Even better, can we expand this world into a series? I have so many questions and I crave more. You can check out Starfish now in select theaters. It will be available on VOD in May.

Starfish Trailer from Yellow Veil Pictures on Vimeo.

📼 Coming to select theaters across the US this March, VOD May 28th 📼

For theatrical listing please consult:

Director A.T. White in attendance at special screenings

In Starfish Virginia Gardner (Halloween 2018, Marvel’s The Runaways) stars as Aubrey, a young woman suffering from the death of a close friend. When a mysterious signal from an unknown dimension summons the end of days, it appears as if only Aubrey is left on earth. Trapped in the apartment of her recently deceased best friend, the only clue she has is a single cassette left behind after her friends death, labeled: “THIS MIXTAPE WILL SAVE THE WORLD.”

Thrust into a mystery orchestrated by her friend and stricken with grief, Aubrey begins to piece the clues together, uncovering a series of tapes all with pieces of the mystery signal. Along the way, progress is impeded when monstrous creatures begin to overrun the world and enclose in on her. Aubrey is forced to fight off the encroaching creatures and move beyond her own crippling grief in order to find the remaining tapes. But will completing the signal save the world?

Director A.T. White (part of the popular UK band Ghostlight) composed the captivating score, while the film’s soundtrack features songs from Sigur Rós, Sparklehorse, Why? and more, creating a unique audio landscape that matches Starfish‘s apocalyptic world.

STARFISH is written and directed by A.T. White and produced by We Are Tessellate, Spellbound Entertainment and 3ROUNDBURST Productions. The film stars Virginia Gardner (Blumhouse’s HALLOWEEN, Hulu’s Runaways) and features supporting performances from Christina Masterson (Power Rangers Megaforce), Eric Beecroft, Natalie Mitchell and Tanroh Ishida. Starfish will be released on VOD later this year by 1091 Media’s The Orchard.