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The 76th Locarno Film Festival is hosting one of the largest international retrospectives of Mexican popular cinema in decades, encompassing 36 titles of varying genres, from dramas to film noir as well as comedies, musicals, horror and sports.

Putting together “Daily Spectacle – The Different Seasons of Mexican Popular Cinema” took at least two years, according to writer and programmer Olaf Möller, who curated the selection alongside critic Roberto Turigliatto and in close collaboration with Filmoteca Unam director Hugo Villa and other key experts.

The unprecedented showcase of Mexican films ranging from the 1940s to the 1960s spans some 30 years of extraordinary creativity, which inspired subsequent generations of Mexican filmmakers.

Locarno first hosted a retrospective of Mexican cinema in 1957 but this new showcase goes beyond the Golden Age to more popular titles, with the oldest being “En Tiempos de Don Porfirio” (1940) and the youngest among them “Olimpiada en México”(1969), “two films that...

The second wave of programming for this year’s Fantastic Fest is rolling in and it is bringing a flood of impressive titles including the fest’s closing night film, Rian Johnson’s whodunnit Knives Out featuring the all-star cast of Daniel Craig, Chris Evans, Ana De Armas, Jamie Lee Curtis, Don Johnson, Michael Shannon, Toni Collette, Lakeith Stanfield, Katherine Langford and Jaeden Martel. Johnson is slated to be in attendance at the fest which kicks off in Austin September 19 and continues through September 26.

In addition, the highly anticipated Parasite will screen at Fantastic Fest with director Bong Joon-ho in attendance. The film, which won the Cannes Palme d’Or is a darkly comic tale of two very different families who find their lives inexplicably intertwined.

On top of that, Fantastic Fest will celebrate Mexican genre film with a trio of rarely seen repertory titles, programmed in association with Mexico City’s Mórbido Film Fest.

Two months after announcing its first wave, the Alamo Drafthouse-created Fantastic Fest is continuing to flesh out its genre-filled lineup. Their latest slate of films is dominated by old and new horror from around the world, but two high-profile inclusions will catch movie lovers’ eyes. Rian Johnson’s “The Last Jedi” followup, the murder mystery “Knives Out,” is set to close the festival with the director in attendance. Palme d’Or winner “Parasite,” in the midst of a domestic Oscar campaign after storming the international box office, will also play Fantastic Fest.

From there, the programming places special emphasis on two categories: Mexican genre film and Lgbtq+ stories. For the former, there will be screenings of three-rarely seen Mexican horror classics, as well as lectures and a shorts program for young Mexican filmmakers.

The festival will also include screenings of some landmark Lgbtq+ horror films, including the new documentary...

Horror is really the only genre that has entries that, while “good,” may not necessarily mean “recommended.” So, how does that affect what is “definitive?” A recent conversation brought up the nightmare of a movie A Serbian Film (great review here from Justine) which, by all accounts, is a horror film. But, while everyone in film circles knows about the film (many have even seen it), I can’t imagine anyone actually recommending it. It’s made impact, sure. But at what cost? The best horror films aren’t simply there to scare and disgust viewers. They’re there to serve as metaphors for other issues, however big or small. But the best ones are those that do it in a way that, while still may scare and disgust you, will also make you think and reevaluate your situation.

40. À l’intérieur (2007)

English Title: Inside

Directed by: Alexandre Bustillo, Julien Maury...

Directed by Fernando Méndez, 1959′s The Black Pit of Dr. M (Aka Mysteries from the Beyond) is several steps above the usual monster movie fare spilling out of Mexico in the late fifties and early sixties. Dr. M‘s predictable parade of pedestrian horror movie tropes, including mad scientists, zombies and mediums all staged inside an insane asylum is given unexpected beauty by Mendez’ imaginative direction and cinematographer Victor Herrera’s luminous black and white imagery. This outrageous trailer keeps blacking out the image because it’s too horrible to show!

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