Released just a few short months ago, the Cole Bros. Circus documentary, Tearing Down the Tent, “grants viewers a backstage pass to one of the largest traveling tent circuses in the world.” Since premeiring at the Gem Theatre in Kannapolis, NC, this documentary has had several screenings, including at the Asheville Film Festival and the [...]
☛ Warning: Do not continue reading this post unless you have a full 23 minutes to kill…. I cannot pinpoint when exactly the whole depression era circus theme became so en vogue, but I can’t say I mind it either. One thing’s for sure: it certainly sells. In the wake of the television series Carnivale [...]
Leave it to a big-budget Hollywood movie to bring national light to under-appreciated non-profits. Such is the case with the release of Water for Elephants and a few circus historical preservation societies, namely the Al. Ringling Theatre and Circus World Museum, both in Baraboo, WI. Not that I’m complaining; these non-profits have been struggling to [...]
Circo is a documentary following a small Mexican circus as they travel the countrysides, attempting to carry on ancient arts in the 21st century. Directed by Aaron Schock, this film has received high praise in numerous film festivals including the Sarasota International Film Festival, the Los Angeles Film Festival and the BFI London Film festival, [...]
Rob Mermin is a world-famous clown, mime, actor and founder and director of Circus Smirkus, the award-winning youth circus in Vermont. Now, he’s also lecturing on the historical exploration of nonverbal communication in silent film and other forms of popular entertainment. This Valentine’s Day, Mermin will be in Austin, TX to deliver his presentation, Silents [...]
The book came out in May of 2006 and four years later, Director Francis Lawrence began shooting the movie adaptation with Robert Pattinson, Reese Witherspoon and Christoph Waltz. I’m talking, of course, about Sara Gruen’s award-winning novel Water for Elephants. While the film won’t hit the theaters until April 15, 2011, the official trailer has [...]
Hot off the press! Director, creature actor and special effects makeup artist Tom Woodruff, Jr has just revealed an upcoming project sure to please sideshow lovers and horror fans alike. The film, which will be titled Sideshow, is being kept under wraps for now, but a few details have been leaked. The plot supposedly “involves [...]
Circus Kids tells the story of a St Louis-based youth troupe as they travel overseas to Israel, where they join a local circus club consisting of Jewish and Arabic children. Director Alexander Lipsitz drew inspiration for the project from her own childhood, when she spent time with the Big Apple Circus on account of her [...]
Vampire Circus is a retro horror film bound to satisfy sideshow lovers, horror movie fanatics and B-rate camp enthusiasts alike. The rather complex plot goes something like this: A little girl is brutally slain by a vampire in a tiny 19th century Austrian village. Seeking revenge, the townspeople invade the foreboding castle of Count Mitterhaus [...]
Below is a fantastic animation short by Kris Kobes: Freakshow from Kris Kobes on Vimeo.