Contributions from Anton Bitel | Little White Lies

Contributor Anton Bitel

Four men in casual attire conversing in a workshop setting with wood and equipment visible.
First Person

How to run a successful independent film company

by Anton Bitel

Jason Blum, producer of The Purge, Insidious and Get Out, offers valuable insight into low-budget movie making.
Group of people lying on grass, smiling and interacting together.
Review

Harmonium

by Anton Bitel

A young family comes apart at the seams in this gripping drama from Japanese writer/​director Kôji Fukada.

4
Anticipation
4
Enjoyment
4
In Retrospect
Group of people holding up cups, seated at a table with plates and bowls.
Home Ents

Is this the greatest film ever made about food?

by Anton Bitel

Juzo Itami’s ​‘ramen western’ Tampopo – finally out on Blu-ray – is a culinary romp like no other.
Two men standing on a dusty desert road, with mountains in the background.
Festivals

The Endless – first look review

by Anton Bitel

Directors Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead serve up a meta meditation on cults in this smart genre-blurring thriller.
Two individuals engaged in physical altercation, one attempting to restrain the other with their hands.
Home Ents

Discover the amateur insanity of this Japanese Evil Dead rip-off

by Anton Bitel

Shinichi Fukazawa’s Super‑8 gem Bloody Muscle Body Builder in Hell is a throwback to ​’80s horror.
Three formal-dressed men, two with white shirts and ties, one with a beard, standing in a room with blue walls.
Review

The Belko Experiment

by Anton Bitel

Greg McLean and James Gunn turn just another day at the office into full-blown battle royale.

4
Anticipation
4
Enjoyment
4
In Retrospect
Young woman with dark hair wearing a white coat, looking thoughtful and resting her hand on her chin.
Review

Raw

by Anton Bitel

Cannibalism goes to school in director Julia Ducournau’s extreme French fable.

3
Anticipation
4
Enjoyment
5
In Retrospect
Man in a checked shirt and trousers sitting on a patterned rug, looking distressed with blood on his face and body.
Home Ents

Discover the stomach-turning thrills of this infamous ’80s slasher

by Anton Bitel

Juan Piquer Simón’s Pieces is among the goriest films ever made.
Ghostly figure in military uniform, face distorted and disfigured, standing against a dark, overgrown background.
Home Ents

Discover the schlock and gore of this sleazy ’80s horror

by Anton Bitel

Undead Nazi soldiers and gratuitous nudity overflows in Zombie Lake, now out on DVD.
Man in sailor's uniform standing in front of graffiti-covered wall.
Home Ents

Discover the anti-military allegory of this classic Jack Nicholson buddy movie

by Anton Bitel

The actor delivers arguably his finest hour in Hal Ashby’s The Last Detail.