Contributions from Anton Bitel | Little White Lies

Contributor Anton Bitel

A woman with long, wavy, reddish-brown hair against a tan background, looking directly at the camera with a serious expression.
Review

Most Beautiful Island

by Anton Bitel

Ana Asensio gives an assured debut as writer and director with this haunting story about a migrant woman in the Big Apple.

3
Anticipation
4
Enjoyment
4
In Retrospect
A man wearing sunglasses and a grey suit jacket standing in a ceremonial setting with ornate decorations.
Review

The Prince of Nothingwood

by Anton Bitel

Salim Shaheen, Afghanistan’s singular, strutting auteur, is the subject of this wonderfully entertaining doc.

3
Anticipation
4
Enjoyment
4
In Retrospect
Lorry loaded with cardboard boxes, electronic equipment, and debris on a rural road.
Home Ents

Discover the patriarchy skewering thrills of this Japanese splatterfest

by Anton Bitel

Sion Sono’s fantasy horror TAG features one of the most arresting opening sequences in movie history.
Shadowy figure with long beard partially visible in dark room, silhouetted against window.
Home Ents

Discover this yuletide slasher that inspired John Carpenter’s Halloween

by Anton Bitel

Black Christmas contains one of the earliest examples of the ​‘final girl’ trope in horror cinema.
Bearded man in winter gear holding a tool, standing in a dark, snowy environment.
Home Ents

How John Carpenter’s The Thing became a horror/sci-fi classic

by Anton Bitel

The director’s newly-restored 1982 film continues to stand the test of time.
Frightening close-up of a twisted, monstrous face with glowing eyes and bared fangs in a dark, shadowy scene.
Home Ents

Is this the greatest werewolf movie ever made?

by Anton Bitel

Joe Dante’s The Howling is a perfect blend of modern horror and practical effects.
Two young women standing near a tree in a park, one with curly brown hair wearing a black jacket, the other with long dark hair wearing sunglasses.
Festivals

Programmers Picks from the 2017 BFI London Film Festival

by Anton Bitel

The players behind this year’s festival offer their personal viewing recommendations.
Blonde woman with hands covering her face, peering through a glass window.
Home Ents

Discover the classic Gothic chills of this Mario Bava masterpiece

by Anton Bitel

Kill, Baby… Kill! contains one of cinema’s earliest evil children.
A man in a hooded jacket looking upwards with a serious expression against a blurred green background.
Home Ents

Discover this Japanese epic about the horrors of war

by Anton Bitel

Shinya Tsukamoto’s Fires on the Plain is a harrowing reminder of the futility and madness of human conflict.
A man in a dark coat embracing a woman in a long white dress, both with a wistful expression, against a dimly lit, industrial background.
Review

The Limehouse Golem

by Anton Bitel

Director Juan Carlos Medina takes us on a grisly tour through Victorian London in this terrific gothic chiller.

4
Anticipation
4
Enjoyment
4
In Retrospect