We’re fully geared up for Fantastic Fest here at Cinapse central. I have been stuffing myself with vitamins, stockpiling sleep, have a cooler ready to be filled with red bull and good beer (nothing like a morning beer shotgun to start a FF day) and perusing the lineup for what has to be seen. It’s often hard to juggle the schedule, some conflicts occur, sometimes it’s hard to get into a screening, often low ranked choices end up being mind-blowing pieces of cinema or word of mouth can cause a swift rearrangement of you plans. But right now, our five team members who will be checking out this year’s Fantastic Fest have put together their “most anticipated” lists for your perusal. We will have daily reviews and reports, as our sobriety will allow, so be sure to checkin and live vicariously through us!
Of all the films programmed at Fantastic Fest this year, I am probably most excited about 2 great docs screening, the first being Electric Boogaloo: The Wild, Untold Story Of Cannon Films. Not Quite Hollywood And Machete Maidens Unleashed are easily are two of my favorite docs on filmmaking and when Mark Hartley announced a few years ago his would set his razor sharp and irreverent style chronicling the sludge factory known as Cannon films, I honestly couldn’t wait.
I am also pretty stoked about My Life Directed By Nicolas Winding Refn, a documentary following the director by his wife that takes place during the filming of Only God Forgives. If you have seen the previous documentary on Refn (Gambler), you know that as a subject he tends to quite engaging and hide absolutely nothing. Gambler was about how Refn’s previous film Fear X bankrupted him to the tune of $5 Million dollars, and how he was going to try to pay it back by making 2 back to back sequels to his breakout hit Pusher. Gambler was a gut wrenching and raw look at what goes on when a film fails, so I expect nothing less from My Life Directed By Nicolas Winding Refn.
Oh, and Sion Sono’s manga adaptation Tokyo Tribe. I am a huge fan of Sion Sono and everything he does seems tailored for the crowd at Fantastic Fest.
David’s Picks…according to Vince. @daviddelgadoh
:HURUMPH:: I’m most looking forward to anything where Nacho Vigalondo is. It’s a treat just to be in the same room as that man. He smells like talent and coconuts. Honestly, it’s hard to pick just a few things. I guess I’ll be doing what Vince Neato does. He’s smart. Fuck you, Jon Partridge.”
Malachi’s Picks. @CinapseMalachi
This is the first year since 2009, I wont be participating much in the fest. It’s the weekend of TribFest (Texas Tribune Festival) and MondoCon, and I’ll be variously covering those. That said, eventually I’ll get to see Adam Wingard’s The Guest, and anything worthwhile Drafthouse Films picks up. There are always small film surprises and it’s incredibly difficult to anticipate them. The Mexican film The Incident looks intriguing. I’m looking forward to what Kristina Buozyte (The Vanishing Waves) has done for The ABCs of Death 2, and bummed her newest wasn’t ready for the festival. Also, conspicuously missing is festival favorite, Yoshihiro Nakamura (A Boy and his Samurai, Fish Story, and Golden Slumber) with his Twitter/Rashomon piece The Snow White Murder Mystery. Oh, and hopefully Sion Sono’s film isn’t fucking terrible this year- because last year, it was.
A few establishing thoughts regarding my five most anticipated films: Firstly, while among normals, my film tastes are positively bizarre… but among Fantastic Festers, my interests can be quaint and mainstream. So my picks here don’t include many of the more bizarre or obscure titles… but that doesn’t mean I won’t check them out too. Secondly, and on a related note, my most anticipated movies don’t always end up matching up with the films I love the most here at FF, and I will explore and almost certainly find hidden gems. And with that:
Runners Up: The untranslated Ukrainian sign language/coming of age film The Tribe (already picked up by Drafthouse Films) looks to be thrilling and unparalleled. And I am also deeply looking forward to every single repertory screening being offered, from a couple of Cannon films to direct to video obscurities, count me in.
5 — Cub: Kids in Peril! Slashers have been killing in the woods in movies for decades… so why have Cub Scouts never been the targets before? Even at Camp Crystal Lake the kids were almost never at camp. This one looks fun and positively creepy.
4 — The Babadook — With huge buzz coming out of the festival circuit thus far, and /Film’s David Chen pondering whether this creepy horror fairy tale might rank among his favorite films of the year, this is one title I have had my eye on, and the trailer looks terrifying.
3 — John Wick — As an unapologetic fan of Keanu Reeves, and as a certified action film junkie, I can say this was a movie I had never heard a peep about and whose trailer bumped this up into my top picks. As long as the things that happen in the trailer actually happen in the movie… I should be pretty pleased.
2 — Redeemer — Speaking of action movies… I discovered Chilean martial arts star Marko Zaror here at Fantastic Fest, and Redeemer sounds like another great spin on using him and his talents creatively. A Dexter-like vigilante trying to atone for his own sins by dispatching bad guys?! Yep, I’m in.
1 — Electric Boogaloo — Documentary filmmaker and cinephile Mark Hartley opened me up to Ozploitation cinema in a big way with his documentary Not Quite Hollywood. Now he’s turned his attention to Cannon Films, the 1980s, Golan/Globus produced studio/distribution company that more or less raised me and of which I’m already a HUGE fan. This doc will be a fist pumping celebration of schlock and is sure to give new insight on a company that majorly impacted my cinematic tastes.
Here we go again! Best laid plans often go astray but from sifting though the lineup Tokyo Tribe catches the eye, Sion Sono always delivers a visual feast that fits with the Fest superbly. Nightcrawler is getting massive buzz on the festival circuit so probably the most well know film I’m looking forward to.
By day I’m a microbiologist, so how could I not be intrigued by The Creeping Garden. I’m also interesting in The Redeemer, not for the film at all but just to watch our esteemed editor Ed lose his shit while watching it. Also for hilarity stakes, Danger 5 — Series 2. The first film/series amalgamation was a brilliant watch at FF2012 so looking forward to the team tackling Hitler once again, this time in the 1980s.
The Fantastic Debates are usually a highlight for me, but not sure anything will top seeing Bill and Ted reunited last year. As ever, its the films that you know nothing about that often impress the most, I’m looking forward to discovering this years Coherence. Wrapping things up, the secret screenings at FF are often a treat and I am eagerly hoping for a screening of Joshua Oppenheimer’s The Look of Silence, the followup piece to last year’s astonishing The Act of Killing.
As usual with Fantastic Fest there are a slew of films I have heard of and a bunch that are completely new to me. I love horror films, and so I am attracted to a movie like It Follows, especially with the amount of buzz it has right now. I also enjoy horror films with a sense of humor, which Housebound seems to have lots of. There are also those bleak European dramas like Force Majeure that promise something brutal and dark. Often the films I love do not love me back. I am not sure what Necrophobia 3D is but it looks Giallo inspired and nightmare inducing so I will be there with bells on. On the comedy front, I am obsessed with Danger 5, so I will likely catch Season 2 because it looks amazing. Watch the trailer, and tell me I’m wrong.
“I have no idea what I’m watching. I’m just going to let the next 7 days carry me in its pouch, like a giant wallaby. If I had to guess my future for the editors: Wastelander Panada and any horror films. I’ll definitely be straying away from anything resembling R100. Fuck that movie, and fuck you, Jon Partridge.” (R100 is a SAINT, you leave her be! *Jon’s note.)
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