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The poster child of cinematic modernism, one of those early-‘60s event films that seemed to break every rule classical Hollywood ever codified, Alain Resnais’s Last Year at Marienbad left its initial audiences in equal measure ravished by Sacha Vierny’s sumptuous cinematography, capturing in rapturous detail every element of its chateau setting’s florid production design, and baffled by its deliberately disorienting puzzle-picture narrative, so willfully inscrutable that its three main characters don’t even have names. You have to trouble yourself to read Alain Robbe-Grillet’s screenplay in order to glean that they’re called A, X, and M, as if to emphasize that they’re variables in some erotic algorithm.

Unlike the testimonials to the politique des auteurs, all the rage with the Cahiers du Cinéma crowd, Last Year at Marienbad draws its power from a different engine, the disparate and ultimately divergent sensibilities of its director and screenwriter.

On a recent episode of "Hot Ones," actor Mark Rufflao was invited on to discuss his career while chocking down incredibly spicy hot wings. Sean Evans, the show's host, read a film synopsis to Ruffalo and asked if he could identify the title. Evans read a synopsis for a 1994 film called "Mirror Mirror II: Raven Dance," a straight-to-video horror film put out by the beloved B-movie studio Image Entertainment. Ruffalo, of course, could indeed identify the movie. "That's 'Mirror Mirror,'" he said. "That was probably my first movie." Indeed it was. 

Ruffalo pointed out that there was "Mirror, Mirror" and then there was "Mirror Mirror II: Raven Dance," which had a "Penthouse pornstar" as the lead actress and Billy Drago as the male lead. He noted that he played "the series actor sidekick." He joked that he had established a brand with the "Mirror Mirror" movies, sarcastically imitating...

Scrap Paper Pictures, founded by Rachel Brosnahan, has promoted Russell Kahn to creative executive. In his new role, Kahn will work alongside Paige Simpson, Scrap Paper Pictures’ head of development.

“Russell is a fiercely intelligent, passionate and generous collaborator who has his finger on the pulse of a new generation of talented artists,” Brosnahan tells Variety, announcing Kahn’s promotion. “I’m grateful and excited to start this new chapter of Scrap Paper Pictures alongside him.”

Kahn first joined the production banner in an assistant role, helping to maintain the company’s initial development slate.

“Rachel and Scrap Paper Pictures are committed to an entertainment ecosystem that lifts authentic voices and champions risk-taking creatives,” Kahn said. “It is a privilege to work with and learn from Rachel and Paige, and I’m thrilled to continue our collaboration in this new capacity.”

A graduate of Northwestern University, Kahn started his career...