That tingle of excitement has started, that expectation of cinematic madness, party craziness and sleep deprivation is here. Yes, Fantastic Fest 2013 is nearly upon us. We will have six members of the Cinapse crew attending this year so expect a wealth of coverage during and after the festivities are over. For now, we asked everyone going what they anticipated most and the outcomes are presented below. We’re looking forward to covering the occasion, hopefully y’all enjoy our coverage. The full Fantastic Fest 2013 guide is now available for your perusal here. TO THE ALAMO!
Dan Tabor: The film I am probably most excited for at Fantastic Fest is The Strange Colour of Your Body’s Tears the follow up to Hélène Cattet and Bruno Forzani’s amazing neo-giallo Amer.
Amer was one of those films I wasn’t prepared for, while terms like “Grindhouse” and “Giallo” are thrown around constantly these days by filmmakers, it really seems to me that most who make these claims have never sat down and actually watched these films they are supposedly paying homage to. Amer was different, not only had it captured the raw sensuality and violence of the genre. But Hélène Cattet and Bruno Forzani also managed to update the Giallo, showing that they understood the genre so completely that they even knew where it should be today.
The Strange Colour of Your Body’s Tears is their next film in the same vein. It’s the story of a man whose wife vanishes and the strange circumstances of her disappearance. Did she leave him? Is she dead? As the man searches, he plunges into a world of nightmares and violence. With those amazing visuals and such an evocative premise, honestly how can they go wrong?
David Delgado: Ragnarok. I love adventure movies. I love ancient epics based on cultural myths. I read “runic inscription” in the summary and I was already on board. In a festival that can sometimes err on the stabby/intense side, I really appreciate straightforward fun and I’m sure that this will be a breath of fresh air.
Ed Travis: I’m the resident action film junkie here at Cinapse, or at least the biggest action junkie who will be covering Fantastic Fest this year for us. So it is only natural that my most anticipated title this year is Ninja: Shadow Of A Tear… which I will stubbornly call Ninja 2 from now until eternity. My Scott Adkins fandom knows no bounds. The guy is simply one of the hardest working action heroes alive. And if you’ve never seen Scott Adkins do his thing before, you are in for a treat. Re-teaming with Isaac Florentine, which whom he made the first Ninja film, as well as Undisputed 2 and 3, this is an action lovers dream team. Adkins has an electric screen presence when he is doing martial arts, but his screen presence is only as wonderful as the director displaying him. Tired of chopped up and hacked-to-pieces action scenes where you can’t tell what is happening? Florentine and Adkins will bring you long, fluid, gravity-defying martial arts often in single takes of balletic glory. And if that weren’t enough, Ninja 2 co-stars Kane Kosugi, the son of B-action movie icon Sho Kosugi! Rejoice all ye action fans. Again I say rejoice.
And in a close second, if only because it is way more of a wild card, is the Bollywood action film Commando: A One Man Army. When your trailer begins with a warning/thrown gauntlet that you shouldn’t try any of these stunts at home, and that all of these stunts were performed by square-jawed and six-packed star Vidyut Jamwal without the use of stunt doubles or wires, you know you are in for a treat. And then the trailer just hits you in the eyeballs Tony Jaa-esque stunt work that would have any self-respecting actionite out of their seat cheering!
Jon Partridge: I am currently prepared to let Fantastic Fest wash over me like a tremendous wave of surprise and awesome. My favourite films from last year (Flimmer, I Declare War and Holy Motors) were unexpected or scheduling conflicts so I am hoping for some more ‘happy accidents’ That said, perusing the programming, Terry Gilliam’s new film The Zero Theorem stands out, his ideas and visuals always excite me and throw in Christoph Waltz and this should not disappoint. I do have my fingers crossed for a secret screening of Gravity too.
In true Fantastic Fest tradition my ‘wtf’ choices will be Eega and Kid’s Police. The former involves a man being killed and then reincarnated as a fly to wreak vengeance upon his murderers, the latter is a crime thriller where the only team of cops capable of taking down a criminal organization have been accidentally dosed with anti-aging gas turning them all into children. The hair styles in that trailer alone have me enthralled. Oh and Hentai Kamen will astound us all.
Malachi Constant: One of the greatest achievements in cinema during the last 5 years is Sion Sono’s incredibly moving portrait of a young, pervert hero in Love Exposure (2008). The film is the most bizarre, beautiful, tonally balanced, mishmash-opus of taboo, drama, comedy and revenge likely ever put to film. And, of course, it found a home and rabid followers at the 2009 Fantastic Fest. The prolific Sono followed that up with 2010’s Cold Fish, which was also met with great acclaim at the following year’s FF. Though everything the man touches is brilliant, we’ve all been waiting (though, not too long) for another incredible piece of deliriously mad and affecting cinema to knock us on our collective asses. Why Don’t You Play In Hell should do it.
Now, we are at the edge of Fantastic Fest 2013 and I am absolutely drooling over Sono’s next, which will play opening night at this year’s fest. Though much shorter than Love Exposure’s truly unlaborious four hours, Why Don’t You Play In Hell looks like an absolute blast of Yakuza feud, romantic comedy, wacky musical and Kill Bill homagefest.
The man’s stories are convoluted, batshit insane, full of heart and crafted with the utmost care and respect for humanity. And, Why Don’t You Play In Hell looks like it’s every bit of that description. I mean, there’s a House of Blue Leaves riff that looks absolutely bonkers! And, about a month ago it was picked up by Drafthouse Films.
*And just as I’m writing this piece up, we get word that Sono’s latest has won best midnight film at The Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF).
Squee.
Vince Nieto: In this year’s Fantastic Fest, I am hopeful to catch a couple of shorts as well as some full-length features. This year, I’m most looking forward to the following: The Body, Jodorowsky’s Dune, Sleep Clinic, Yellow, and Metallica Through the Never. I’m hoping to get a weirder version of Weekend at Bernie’s with The Body, which I am actually eager to watch even though I’ll have to endure all the British accents. Alejandro Jodorowsky is like the Dali of film, and I would love to hear what would have been in his version of Dune. Along the same lines, is Sleep Clinic. From its description, Sleep Clinic promises an absurd and depraved cartoon, which sounds potentially awesome. Finally, there is Metallica Through the Never and Yellow. These last two will be music-heavy, but also very contrasting. While Metallica Through the Never will of course showcase metal music and Lars’ lack of talent, Yellow proclaims to have ultra-violence and synthesizers, and with that: I’m sold.