Tag: Willem Dafoe

31 Scary Movies: ‘Shadow of the Vampire’

Jeff Mitchell

“Shadow of the Vampire” (2000) – Director E. Elias Merhige’s movie is about a filmmaker (John Malkovich) making a movie with an eccentric star (Willem Dafoe).  Sounds simple enough and not out of the ordinary, because what movie actor or actress isn’t at least a little eccentric? Well, not so simple. Merhige’s eye-popping fantasy-biopic doubles as a horror film, because Malkovich plays director FW Murnau who attempts to make 1922’s “Nosferatu”, and Dafoe is actor Max Schreck who plays the chalky-white, long-nailed Count Orlok.  The rub?  Murnau claims that Schreck…

Sean Baker constructs ‘The Florida Project’, one of the best films of 2017

Jeff Mitchell

“The Florida Project” – “Childhood means simplicity.  Look at the world with the child’s eye – it’s very beautiful.”  – Kailash Satyarthi, a children’s rights and education advocate “These are the rooms we’re not supposed to go in, but let’s go anyway!” – Moonee (Brooklynn Prince) Families from all over target Orlando, Fla. as a vacation city, because of its famous theme parks, and Disney’s Magic Kingdom shines as its crown jewel.  According to a June 1, 2017 The New York Times article, 20.4 million people visited the Magic Kingdom…