#Vasilis Katsoupis

[cieuxgris]

Inside (2023) Posters

[cemyafilmarsiv]

Inside directed by Vasilis Katsoupis

[brokehorrorfan]

Inside will be released on Blu-ray on May 30 via Universal. The 2023 psychological thriller is currently available on VOD via Focus Features.

Vasilis Katsoupis directs from a script by Ben Hopkins (Marionette). Willem Dafoe stars with Gene Bervoets and Eliza Stuyck.

Special features are listed below, where you can also watch the trailer.

Special features:

Deleted scenes

INSIDE tells the story of Nemo, an art thief trapped in a New York penthouse after his heist doesn’t go as planned. Locked inside with nothing but priceless works of art, he must use all his cunning and invention to survive.

Pre-order Inside.

[moviemosaics]

Inside

directed by Vasilis Katsoupis, 2023

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Inside, 2023, dir. Vasilis Katsoupis, written by Ben Hopkins

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Inside (Vasilis Katsoupis, 2023)

[sloshed-cinema]

Inside (2022)

This just hits different in a post-COVID lockdown world. Sure, none of us had to make safety glasses out of broken vases or shit in the tub (I hope), but there’s something profoundly rattling about sudden and unexpected isolation. Judging from YouTube home videos, it only takes some of the population about a week of those conditions before they’re making projects on the echelon of Dafoe’s shaman headgear in their living rooms. And Nemo didn’t even get any celebrities to condescendingly sing “Imagine” for him.

While there’s nobody better than Willem Defoe to chronicle a downward spiral and unraveling of a man, a real star emerges in the film’s immaculate production design and art direction. The penthouse Nemo breaks into at the beginning of Inside is an absolute work of art, even beyond the pieces it has on display. Sleek and austere, it is also cruel in its minimalism. Locked into his new prison and torture chamber, Nemo gradually transforms the place into a whole new exhibition space full of works profane and profound. The massive tower he constructs in order to access the ceiling light becomes a sort of found-objects sculpture, everyday objects repurposed with a singular function though it also has aesthetic appeal. Within the film, its function also serves an atmospheric purpose, creating tension every time the viewer is reminded that it is a precarious thing to stand on. As he becomes ever more mad, Nemo covers the walls in charcoal sketches which are beautiful in their bleakness. A glint of sunlight on one wall becomes the black hole nexus of a cultlike symbol piece and shrine. Distorted bodies free fall off a cliff into a raging inferno. If art is an expression of emotion, Nemo’s final days become a performance piece of existential anguish and insanity, and he marks his mindset on the walls.

But what was the intention of this space? The security is something of a paradox, locking down the space to prevent anything from getting out, and then torturing the transgressor. The sirens are unrelenting sonic torment until Nemo manages to find and disconnect them all, and the thermostat fluctuates to greater extremes than would be normal in any other residential system. Was Nemo lured into this space as a sort of sick art installation? Perhaps. The home is just as mysterious and inaccessible as its owner. After some time, Nemo finds a crawlspace with still more artwork: the self-portrait he had initially entered in search of, as well as an ersatz body and a copy of the book The Marriage of Heaven and Hell by William Blake. This mystical text is perhaps the most important declaration of intent by the owner. The body and soul are intertwined in one, a sacred energy, and Nemo wholly occupies that mindset as he succumbs, intoning that he’s going to heaven on a hillside. As he passes, the space transforms into an installation of the tower in an exhibition space. Perhaps this is the owner’s posthumous change, or maybe this is Nemo’s hallucination of his life subsumed by art. Creation and destruction are cyclical, but if art persists perhaps this is Nemo’s contribution to the larger dialogue.

THE RULES

SIP

The home’s A/C display appears onscreen.

ACQUIRE MOISTURE

Dafoe says ‘fuck’.

A hallucination begins.

BIG DRINK

Someone says ‘Number Three’.

Helicopter noises.

‘Macarena’ starts playing.

[watchingalotofmovies]

Inside

Inside    [trailer]

A high-end art thief is trapped in a New York penthouse after his heist doesn't go as planned. Locked inside with nothing but priceless works of art, he must use all his cunning and ingenuity to survive.

Dafoe gives another memorable performance. He kept me interested for quite a while. But you have to be a big fan of his to enjoy the movie until the very end.

"Go check the video installation room" made me laugh. So far it didn't occur to me that the obscenely rich may have that.

[the-celluloid-correspondent]

Inside

Nemo, a high-end art thief, is trapped in a New York penthouse after his heist goes wrong. Locked up inside with nothing but precious works of art, he must use all his skills and ingenuity to survive.

Inside is a movie that is not for everyone. It's a slow descent into madness, which many will find tedious, while I find it fascinating. The film's premise is an intriguing look at the human psyche in extreme isolation. This premise is wonderfully brought to life by Willem Dafoe. His performance is the heart of this film to the point where he carries it. If it weren't for Dafoe's performance, this film would have fallen flat. The film is about 20 minutes too long. This is apparent in the paper-thin final act, which could have been summed up in 15 minutes instead of 30. Overall, inside is a fascinating concept with a great performance from Willem Dafoe that sadly crumbles to its long runtime.

I am giving, Inside, a B-.

[trashartandmovies]

Berlinale Film Festival 2023 Coverage @ Film Cred

This year I did two reviews and an abbreviated festival wrap-up for Film Cred.

Here you’ll find an appreciative review for the Willem Dafoe-starring whatzit Inside, by director Vasilis Katsoupis.

Over here you’ll find a not-so-glowing review for the Jesse Eisenberg curio Manorome, from director John Trengove.

And you can follow this link to the wrap up article, where I touch upon such films as James Benning’s newest meditation ALLENSWORTH; the boldly experminetal Notes from Eremocene (Poznámky z Eremocénu) by Viera Čakányová; the hypnotic strangeness of Mamalia by Sebastian Mihăilescu; the hilariously bitter ode to the Trump era Hello Dankness by the masterful collage artists Soda Jerk; The Adults by Dustin Guy Defa and featuring beautiful performances by Michael Cera, Hannah Gross and Sophia Lillis; the achingly spot-on tale of a writer in crisis in Christian Petzold’s Afire (Roter Himmel); the 70s neo-noir vibes of Till the End of the Night (Bis ans Ende der Nacht) by Christoph Hochhäusler; and the heartbreaking humanist joys of Celine Song’s Past Lives, which features a breakout performance by Greta Lee.

[mubiss]

Inside

[cieuxgris]

Inside (2023) Posters

[panosatthemovies]

INSIDE is a stunning debut by Greek director Vasilis Katsoupis, going all the way with a greatly produced Hollywood release starring none other than Willem Dafoe! The film has none of the deficiencies of a small-budget local production, and perhaps the only thing lacking is a more engaging plot that would have audiences gasping till the very end. As it is, though, it works as an inspired metaphor for the obsession with art that could keep someone captive and away from people while, at the same time, expressing art could be the only thing that could set one free. The impressive... art direction, the lensing, and the immaculate editing by my friend Lambis Charalambidis, elevate the magnetic presence of Dafoe, making this a prison you can happily spend time inside. Kudos to all!

Trailer: https://youtu.be/DjODCllZj4w

[brokehorrorfan]

Super Yaki has teamed with Focus Features to release official Inside apparel: a T-shirt for $35 and and a dad hat (pictured below) for $30.

In theaters March 17, the psychological survival thriller stars Willem Dafoe. Vasilis Katsoupis makes his feature directorial debut from a script by Ben Hopkins (Marionette).

[bob-the-movie-man-film-reviews]

Inside (15): Finding Nemo in a lockdown mess.

#onemannsmovies #FilmReview of "Inside" with Willem Dafoe. #InsideMovie. A genuine lockdown movie - you thought you had it bad! 3.5/5.

A One Mann’s Movies review of “Inside” (2023). The Covid crisis generated the production of a lot of ‘lockdown movies’: movies featuring a very limited, and often solo, cast to minimise the risks involved. And I thought we’d have seen the release of all of those by now. But “Inside” has all of those characteristics. And, ironically, it is itself a movie about being locked down. Bob the Movie…

[screenzealots]

"Inside"

There's a lot here that will turn off many viewers, but those who enjoy a challenge in their art will find much to appreciate.

“Inside” is a film that the more I think about, the more I like. It most certainly is a test of endurance, patience, and stamina, but director Vasilis Katsoupis‘ visual style paired with strong existential theming and a commanding performance from Willem Dafoe make this one of the more interesting (and challenging) films of the year. Art thief Nemo (Dafoe) is tasked with stealing five valuable…