by Jon Partridge
Fantastic Fest
Fantastic Fest is the largest genre film festival in the U.S., specializing in horror, fantasy, sci-fi, action and just plain fantastic movies from all around the world. They feature world, national and regional premieres of new, up-and-coming genre films. It is held each year at the Alamo Drafthouse Cinema in Austin, Texas. For more info, visit fantasticfest.com
Fantastic Fest isn’t just a film festival. I go to great length to explain to people how the events dotted throughout the schedule make it a far more social experience than just sitting in a darkened theater. Perhaps the crown jewel of the Fest is the Debates. ‘Serious’ questions, argued for and against by actors, filmmakers, critics and more, before they step into the ring and settle it with a good old fashioned bout of fisticuffs. Hosted by the stupendous Owen Egerton, this year even had a surprise appearance from Dolph Lundgren! Read on for this year’s fighters, with the winners marked in bold.
Round ONE!
GREG MacLENNAN (for) vs MICHAEL WILCHESTER (against)
RESOLVED: Rocky 4 is the single greatest boxing film of all time
Longtime Fantastic Fest employees (and actual trained fighters) MacLennan and Wilchester settle the smoldering feud between all pugilist cinema maniacs. Was Ivan Drago the ultimate soldier of the ring?!
Round TWO!
JOSH LOBO (for) vs JARROD MURRAY (against)
RESOLVED: Zack Snyder is the most wrongly maligned cinematic visionary of the 21st century
It’s filmmaker vs. manager, as indie director Lobo battles Epicenter LA founder Murray to sincerely defend the honor of today’s most lauded/disregarded blockbuster-maker!
Round THREE!
BREE ESSRIG (for) vs WHITNEY MOORE (against)
RESOLVED: Superhero movies are destroying the film industry
SourceFed Nerd hosts and pals Moore (who also starred in legendary big-screen stinkbomb Birdemic) and Essrig tear their camaraderie to shreds over the actual burning topic of superheroverload!
FINAL ROUND!
JOSH ETHIER (For) vs JEREMY GARDNER (against) — A TIE!
RESOLVED: Tremors is the best monster movie since… Tremors
Two towering titans of independent horror go chin-to-chin over the earth-moving subject of Graboid superiority!
Photo credit: Jack Plunkett