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It was the year 1979 when Mel Gibson starred in an iconic film that would go on to make history. Starring in Mad Max and portraying the role of a lonesome ranger on a desolate land, the film received rave reviews and developed into an iconic franchise that we know and love today.

It is often said that great things have humble beginnings and Mel Gibson was just a budding actor at that time. A shocking piece of information was recently revealed that just showed the tight budget of the movie and how much of a salary Mel Gibson earned for the role!

Mel Gibson in Mad Max (1979)

Mel Gibson’s Modified Car Was Worth More Than His Salary!

With George Miller as the director and Mad Max being one of the first few films of Mel Gibson, the salary of the lead actor was quite a bit low. Although what Gibson received was quite low,...

Experiments in Cinema is an amazing, annual celebration of short experimental film that runs every year in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Their v.7.9 is going to run on April 18-22 and they’re looking for submissions.

Regarding exactly what they’re looking for, EiC actually has a great mission statement right on their homepage that I’m going to reprint:

Experiments in Cinema is an annual, Albuquerque-based festival that celebrates recent trends in international, cinematic experimentation and offers a variety of ways in which attendees might think about the history of media representation and participate in shaping future trends in cultural representation.

In addition to the five day festival, EiC also travels around its home state to various schools, screening selections from their program in an effort to inspire a new generation of cinema makers and enthusiasts. Personally, Bad Lit: The Journal of Underground Film thinks that outreach programs such as...

I love it when I read comments from readers declaring a certain director as the best director in the world. Lars von Trier feels the same way about himself, which makes me imagine the conversation should von Trier have to argue with a Christopher Nolan devotee about who is better. It would be a fascinating discussion to say the least, and most likely one that would cause von Trier's head to explode.

I don't mention this in an attempt to say von Trier is the best director and Nolan isn't, but to point out what you're getting into when you purchase and begin to watch Criterion's presentation of von Trier's highly controversial and very personal film, Antichrist. Because a presentation is really what this is, as the production of this disc seems to be nothing more than a collection of elements provided by von Trier's Zentropa DVD production company, Electric Parc.

Chicago – One of the most reliable scenarios in the horror movie playbook is the satanic possession of a human character. “Antichrist” is about a woman who isn’t possessed, but is nevertheless absolutely convinced that she is an instrument of the devil. This is a much scarier premise, since the greatest horrors externalized in the film are spawned entirely from the woman’s unstable psyche, deranged by guilt.

It’s a sad day in film criticism when a daring and exhilarating work of art like Lars von Trier’s “Antichrist” is widely labeled as a “joke” directed by a “fraud.” Say what you will about von Trier, but he is nothing if not sincere. Using this latest effort as a catalyst to free him from paralyzing depression, von Trier delved into his own lifelong struggles with anxiety, exorcising his psychological demons onscreen. While the film is certainly not devoid of von Trier’s irony-laced humor,...

A cloud of sensationalism and hyperbole has followed Antichrist around ever since it screened at Cannes in 2009. This is unfortunate as Antichrist is a complicated work that can't be reduced to a goofy catchphrase or a list of shocking scenes. In this regard, The Criterion Collection is the perfect company for the film's home video release. The splendid and respectful presentation emphasizes the film's artistic and technical complexity while pushing aside the sensationalism.

In the film, a couple -- He (Willem Dafoe) and She (Charlotte Gainsbourg) -- are devastated by the accidental death of their son. The experience causes a rift in the marriage and causes She to suffer a mental breakdown. He, who is a psychiatrist, thinks his wife's doctor isn't really helping the situation. He thinks that She's problems are psychosomatic. Like a fool, He decides that the best path to recovery isn't medicine, but an extensive course...

There are two major releases this week on DVD and Blu-Ray. Danish director Lars Von Trier's Antichrist is making its way onto both DVD and Blu-Ray November 9th. There are a whole slew of extra features on this title including: commentaries, interviews, and documentaries. The second title is Image Entertainment's Damned by Dawn, which releases on the same day. This title will offer a commentary and making of video only. Numerous contacts with Image Entertainment to screen this title have gone unanswered. So, this reviewer will search for a review copy locally, as this title offers both Celtic and Australian ghost themes. Director Brett Anstey has been interviewed (here) on this title and all the special features for both films can be found inside.

The synopsis for Damned by Dawn is here:

"After receiving a mysterious gift from her dying grandmother, Claire takes her new boyfriend home to...

The feel good movie of the year, Lars von Trier's critically acclaimed and controversial Antichrist, is coming home by way of the Criterion Collection on DVD and Blu-ray, and we've got the goods on what to expect once it gets here!

According to High Def Digest the Criterion Collection has announced Antichrist for a Blu-ray release on November 9. This disturbing psychological thriller premiered at the 2009 Cannes Film Festival and stars Willem Dafoe and Cannes best actress Charlotte Gainsbourg. The Blu-ray will feature 1080p video, a DTS-hd Master Audio 5.1 soundtrack, and supplements include: audio commentary by von Trier and professor Murray Smith; video interviews with von Trier and actors Willem Dafoe and Charlotte Gainsbourg; a collection of video pieces delving into the production of Antichrist, including interviews with von Trier and key members of his filmmaking team as well as behind-the-scenes footage; Chaos Reigns at the Cannes Film Festival 2009, a...

It looks like Lars von Trier's bitter pill, Antichrist, will see a gorgeous release on DVD and blu-ray from the Criterion Collection November 9. For those of you who haven't seen the film, we reccomend it with a caution that it's not for the faint of heart or the skeptical of arthouse.

Disc Features include:

- A new, restored high-definition digital transfer, approved by director Lars von Trier and supervised by director of photography Anthony Dod Mantle (with DTS-hd Master Audio soundtrack on the Blu-ray edition).

- Audio commentary by von Trier and professor Murray Smith

- Video interviews with von Trier and actors Willem Dafoe and Charlotte Gainsbourg.

- A collection of video pieces delving into the production of Antichrist, including interviews with von Trier and key members of his filmmaking team as well as behind-the-scenes footage.

- "Chaos Reigns at the Cannes Film Festival 2009," a documentary on the film’s world premiere,...

There is a trend these days amongst some film goers, in which they actively avoid trailers, as well as any kind of plot spoilers regarding upcoming films. I won’t go so far as to say that this is a recent trend, but it has certainly appeared on my radar a lot over the past few years. People want to keep that magic of the surprise, when it comes to upcoming media. At the same time, there is an abundance of information about everything media related thanks to the internet.

One aspect of the Criterion Collection that we all have come to accept, and learn to love in a holiday package opening sense, is their secrecy regarding upcoming releases. We have joked about how they are almost at Apple-like levels of secrecy, and when something gets out, Criterion fans jump on it.

I think we all want to know what...

District 9

DVD & Blu-ray, Sony

With a price tag roughly one 10th that of Avatar's, Neill Blomkamp's debut is a film only a director with a love of the science-fiction genre. Like Star Wars or Terminator, it sucks up myriad influences and builds on them rather than simply rehashing. So you get flashes of Robocop, Alien Nation, The Fly, Quatermass, etc, but all given a smart updating and a South African twist; much of D9's style is mockumentary, but even this is twisted to give the plot an ambiguous slant. The film begins several years after a massive spaceship apparently breaks down over Johannesburg. Its inhabitants, disgusting-looking but not malevolent creatures, are segregated from human society in the titular shanty town and cruelly referred to as "prawns". Tasked with moving them out to a new internment camp miles away, is weak-willed corporate drone Wikus van der Merwe (Sharlto Copley...