The First Wave of Fantasia 2024 Titles

 FANTASIA ANNOUNCES A STUNNING FIRST WAVE OF TITLES FOR ITS 28th EDITION

 
Chuck Russell's WITCHBOARD, Chris Stuckmann’s SHELBY OAKS, Nobuhiro Yamashita’s CONFESSION, Miguel Llansó’s INFINITE SUMMER, Tomojiro Amano’s THIS MAN, Jayro Bustamante’s RITA, Hwang Wook’s MASH VILLE, Lowell Dean’s DARK MATCH, Lucía Puenzo's ELECTROPHILIA, the Adams family’s HELL HOLE, and Pratul Gaikwad’s DEAD DEAD FULL DEAD are among the debut 2024 titles announced by the Montreal fest

 
 
Thursday May 9, 2024 // Montreal, Quebec -- The Fantasia International Film Festival will celebrate its upcoming 28th edition with an electrifying program of screenings, workshops, and launch events running from July 18 through August 4, 2024, returning yet again at the Concordia Hall and J.A. de Sève cinemas, with additional screens and events at Montreal’s Cinémathèque québécoise and Cinéma du Musée.
 
The festival’s full lineup will be announced on July 3, but in the meantime, Fantasia is excited to reveal a select first wave of premiere titles, along with a first look at its 2024 poster art.
 

 

The festival’s 2024 poster art, created by Montreal visual artist Donald Caron, brings back two of the festival’s most-beloved characters from earlier editions, returning by popular demand. The cinema-loving cat and pug, barreling into the future on a sidecar motorcycle, embody the excitement, playfulness, and absurdity that Fantasia has championed since its inception in 1996.
 

CHUCK RUSSELL RETURNS TO HORROR WITH WITCHBOARD, A WILD RE-IMAGINING OF THE CLASSIC 80'S FRANCHISE!
 
From A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET 3: DREAM WARRIORS and the beloved1988 remake of THE BLOB to THE MASK, ERASER, and THE SCORPION KING, director Chuck Russell has no shortage of imaginative fantasy/horror classics under his belt. Now he returns to the genre he’s marked so brilliantly with a radical reinvention of Kevin S. Tenney’s 1986 Canadian cult favorite WITCHBOARD. Emily (Madison Iseman, ANNABELLE COMES HOME) and her fiancé Christian (Aaron Dominguez, Hulu's Only Murderers in the Building) discover an ancient Wiccan artifact, a pendulum board, as they prepare to open a bistro in New Orleans' French Quarter. Emily becomes obsessed with the board's powers, exposing her to the ancient spirit of the Queen of Witches. Desperate to help his fiancé, Christian seeks the advice of occult expert Alexander Babtiste (Jamie Campbell Bower, Netflix's Stranger Things, the TWILIGHT saga), but Babtiste has dark secrets of his own. Shot in Montreal by cinematographer Yaron Levy (UNIVERSAL SOLDIER: DAY OF RECKONING). Also starring David La Haye (TRUE NORTH), Charlie Tahan (Netflix's Ozark), Antonia Desplat (AppleTV+'s Shantaram), and Mel Jarnson (MORTAL KOMBAT). World Premiere. 
 

 

PRESENTED BY MIKE FLANAGAN, CHRIS STUCKMANN’S SHELBY OAKS IS HERE

A woman's desperate search for her long-lost sister, a famous YouTuber who investigated paranormal happenings, falls into obsession upon realizing that the imaginary demon from their childhood may have been real. After a successful Kickstarter campaign that broke records across the platform, the highly anticipated feature debut feature from YouTube creator Chris Stuckmann is finally here and ready to scare the pants off the world. SHELBY OAKS delivers in all departments. Starring Camille Sullivan (HUNTER HUNTER), Brendan Sexton III (DON’T BREATHE 2), Sarah Durn (RENFIELD), Keith David (THE THING, NOPE), and Michael Beach (AQUAMAN). Produced by Aaron B. Koontz, Cameron Burns, and Ashleigh Snead, and Executive Produced by Mike Flanagan and Trevor Macy, among others. World Premiere
 

MIGUEL LLANSÓ’S INFINITE SUMMER IS A TRIPPY, TRANSHUMANIST FEAT OF FILMMAKING

Estonia-based Miguel Llansó (CRUMBS, JESUS SHOWS YOU THE WAY TO THE HIGHWAY) is a singular gift to cinema. Fantasia is proud to be bringing the visionary iconoclast back to Montreal for the World Premiere of what may be his most compelling creation yet: INFINITE SUMMER, a trippy transhumanist sci-fi exploration vibrant with humor, poignancy, and gonzo invention. On a summer break, Mia and her friends try a meditation app that that’s somehow related to the operating system of the Tallinn Zoo, changing in the body chemistry of its users into something between pollen and cosmic dust. Mia will need to choose between saving her friends or joining them.  An astonishing film, produced by legendary US producing partners Allison Rose Carter and Jon Read (EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE ALL AT ONCE, AMERICAN HONEY), Rain Rannu (CHASING UNICORNS, THE INVISIBLE FIGHT), and Tõnu Hiielaid (KRATT), and Llansó himself, starring Hannah Gross (Netflix’s Mindhunter), Johanna Rosin, and Teele Kaljuvee-O'Brock.  World Premiere.
 

TRUTH BE TOLD, CONFESSION IS A MASTERFULLY CRAFTED SINGLE-LOCATION THRILLER

Every Winter since Sayuri’s tragic disappearance sixteen years ago, Asai and Jiyong climb the mountain where it happened to honor her memory. However, an intense blizzard and a catastrophic injury convince Jiyong he’s done for and, before forcing Asai to leave him to die, he shares a devastating revelation. Asai returns, however, after finding a nearby cabin and now, isolated for the night, the two have to deal with Jiyong’s not-so-last words... the hard way. Two award-winning Fantasia legends, director Nobuhiro Yamashita (LA LA LA AT ROCK BOTTOM) and actor/writer/director Yang Ik-june (BREATHLESS), along with superstar Toma Ikuta (THE MOLE SONG trilogy), team up to adapt a beloved manga into a narrative and technical achievement, one of the best single-location thrillers ever created. With stellar performances and masterful direction using every inch of his set to generate maximum tension, CONFESSION flirts with perfection at every level - and must be experienced in a theatre. North American Premiere
 

JAYRO BUSTAMANTE’S RITA WILL HAUNT YOUR MEMORY AND BREAK YOUR HEART

Following up on the international success of his brilliant LA LLORONA (2019), director Jayro Bustamante’s RITA fuses mythical fantasy and whimsical imagery with themes of childhood innocence and the potent emotional register of a story based on a harrowing real life event, wherein 41 young women needlessly burned to death inside a Guatemalan orphanage in the midst of a protest about inhumane conditions. At its core is the powerful performance of Guiliana Santa Cruz, who speaks for all the young women who suffered. As a result, the story speaks much to the power of female anger, and yet, not once does the director lose sense of the fact that at its heart, Rita’s tale is one of girlhood, of dreams, of an innocence lost, and regained within the bosom of female solidarity. World Premiere.
 

THIS MAN BLENDS WESTERN INSPIRATIONS WITH J-HORROR TROPES IN A PERFECT MELTING POT OF TERROR

An inexplicable wave of tragic deaths plunges two investigators into the heart of a fateful whirlwind, where logic and facts have no value as a far-fetched urban legend seems to come true. A mother plagued by terrifying dreams, seeing her friends and colleagues disappear one after the other, and her family witness the horror unfold. Director and screenwriter Tomojiro Amano (TRAPPED IN MAKYO) skillfully fuses the styles of Eastern and Western classics, referencing RINGU, IT FOLLOWS, and A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET among others, to create an intimate, oppressive work that constantly keeps viewers on the edge of their seats as it slowly and subtly unveils the pandemic-like slaughter outside. At the crest of the international horror-film harvest of 2024, already a banner year, THIS MAN is sure to lodge itself in viewers' memories. With such potential, a Hollywood remake wouldn’t be surprising. International Premiere
 

LOWELL DEAN’S DARK MATCH CONJURES SIX-TIME CHAMP CHRIS JERICHO AS A CULT LEADER!

After his success with the WOLF COP films, Canadian filmmaker Lowell Dean switches it up and takes horror to the ring! When small-time wrestlers get a big payday for a private gig, they jump at the chance for fame and fortune, but the event, run by a mysterious leader who calls himself “The Prophet,” demands plenty of blood on the mats and involves a sinister, demonic deal! Set in the wrestling heyday of the 80s, DARK MATCH is an action-packed rumble on the ropes shot by acclaimed cinematographer Karim Hussain (INFINITY POOL, POSSESSOR). Starring wrestling legend Chris Jericho as the charismatic leader of its bloodthirsty cult, Ayisha Issa (TRANSPLANT), and Steven Ogg (AMC’s The Walking Dead), you’ll get more than your share of intrigue, action, and gore inside this ring! Septentrion Shadows section. World Premiere.
 

A SAMURAI IN TIME IS WORTH THE TIME AND TRAVEL TO SEE

An Edo-period swordsman is flung into the future, arriving in modern Kyoto to confront utter confusion—and an acting career. The medieval warrior transported to modern times is a variant of the time-travel subgenre that has been explored many times around the world. Award-winning writer/director Junichi Yasuda (GOHAN), however, offers a take on the theme that’s not only clever, funny, and distinctly Japanese, but remarkably poignant. Shot on location at Toei Studios Kyoto, A SAMURAI IN TIME is held together by the subtle and convincing performance of lead actor Makiya Yamaguchi. More than just a fun fish-out-of-water fantasy, it’s an homage to samurai cinema as it wanes as surely as the shogunate once did. International Premiere.
 

SWIPE RIGHT ON ELRIC KANE’S DATING APP CHILLER THE DEAD THING

A young woman, lost in a series of meaningless connections through dating apps, falls in love with a charismatic man who is hiding a dark secret that turns her affair into a dangerous obsession. Smart, tragic and unsettling, Pure Cinema host Elric Kane’s first solo-directed feature is a character-driven supernatural nightmare that explores the demons of modern dating in ways that are both horrific and disturbingly relatable.  Swipe right on this profound piece of genre cinema that is destined to become a horror classic. Staring Blu Hunt (Netflix’s Another Life), Ben Smith-Petersen (MAD MAX: FURY ROAD), Katherine Hughes (ECHO 3), and John Karna (SCREAM). Co-Written by Webb Wilcoxen (The Frontier). Produced by Monte Yazzie, Matt Mercer (BLISS), and Rebekah McKendry (GLORIOUS). World Premiere.
 

MASHING UP GENRES, MASH VILLE IS A KOREAN CULT CLASSIC IN THE MAKING

Someone has died after drinking the bootleg liquor brewed by Se-jong and his two younger brothers. While on a mission to retrieve their deadly booze before another person perishes from it, they come across two homicidal cultists who are terrorizing the villagers. The love that director Hwang Wook (LIVE HARD, DOG EAT DOG) harbors for the Western, action, and comedy genres shines through from start to finish with stylish cinematography, quirky characters, and an incredibly entertaining screenplay. Most importantly, pitch-black humor abounds. Hwang and company commit to their absurdity, and it’s an absolute blast, a genre-mashing crowd-pleaser sure to be a Korean cult classic as time goes on. World Premiere
 

LUCÍA PUENZO’S ELECTROPHILIA CASTS A SUBVERSIVE NEW VISION

A woman wakes up from a coma six weeks after being struck by lightning and finds herself compulsively drawn to electric currents as her body’s workings begin to change. She soon joins an underground support group of strike survivors led by a dangerously charismatic doctor, opening a doorway into unexpected new explorations. A gripping, sensorial experience with a visceral emotional core, ELECTROPHILIA is the latest creation from Cannes-award-winning Argentinian filmmaker and novelist Lucía Puenzo (THE FISH CHILD, XXY). Reminiscent of CRASH-era Cronenberg, it is a subversive and beautiful genre work, a different kind of self-discovery tale, and a new breed of dramatic thriller. Starring Mariana Di Girolamo (Pablo Larrain’s EMA), German Palacios (EL RAPTO), and Guillermo Pfening (THE GERMAN DOCTOR). North American Premiere.
 

A MORALLY CHALLENGING TALE OF REVENGE, PENALTY LOOP TAKES A FAMILIAR THEME ON A DEVILISHLY TWISTED PATH

Left bereft by the wanton and inexplicable murder of his girlfriend, Jun chooses his own justice, carefully planning the perfect murder of the man who led him to become what he wants to eliminate. Once the vengeance is consummated, he wakes up with a confirmed sense of déjà-vu and his target alive and well, repeating the same routine as the day before. Offering a breathless, dark, and innovative variation on the time-loop concept, writer/director Shinji Araki (THE TOWN OF HEADCOUNTS) establishes himself as a sure thing in contemporary Japanese genre cinema with this unpredictable, shocking narrative that constantly twists and turns toward a conclusion that’s as satisfying as it is devastating. Carried by a convincing duo of actors in perfect sync, PENALTY LOOP is an accomplishment condemning Araki to return to the forefront with each of his future projects. North American Premiere
 

THE ADAMS FAMILY BIRTH CREATURES AT A SERBIAN FRACKING SITE IN HELL HOLE

A road trip through Canadian oil fields conjured up fantasies of secrets deep in the dirt for the Adams family, and inspired them to create HELL HOLE, an indie rock-n-roll monster movie set at a far-away fracking site. Known for their DIY ethos, John and Lulu Adams and Toby Poser, partnering with Shudder, have joined the team behind The Last Drive-In with Joe Bob Briggs and FX legend Todd Masters to shoot their latest in Serbia with a local cast and crew. Absurd, mutinous, and transgressively comical, Hell Hole is old-school sci-fi horror, yet in typical family fashion, they subvert the genre with textures of biological and environmental horror in tandem with questions of gender and bodily autonomy. This will be the fourth time that Fantasia World Premieres work from the gifted filmmaking family, following launches of THE DEEPER YOU DIG, HELLBENDER, and WHERE THE DEVIL ROAMS. World Premiere.
 

DEAD DEAD FULL DEAD MUTATES THE WHODUNIT GENRE

Junior police officers Balraam and Zubeida make a cute couple, but not the most diligent detectives. Called to a posh apartment tower to investigate a reported murder, the seemingly straightforward case quickly becomes a conundrum that would confuse even Sherlock Holmes. When the victim herself returns from the afterlife, matters become even more muddled, and soon enough the question isn’t who killed her... but who didn’t?! With the deadpan delirium of his debut feature, Mumbai-based editor and filmmaker Pratul Gaikwad offers a very odd, otherworldly mutation on the much-loved mystery-comedy genre. Featuring paranormal powers and multiple manias, cosmic wonders and covert class warfare, celestial bureaucracy and dysfunctional love, and even a supernaturally transformed goat, Gaikwad’s surreal whodunit offers a bit of everything... except perhaps proper law-enforcement procedure. World Premiere
 

VOIVOD: WE ARE CONNECTED OFFERS A THUNDERING TRIBUTE TO LEGENDARY PROG METAL PIONEERS

From the moment they exploded out of Jonquière in the early ‘80s, Voivod have been widely hailed as one of the most original and influential metal bands in the world. Years in the making and produced with full access to the band’s archives, Felipe Belalcazar’s illuminating VOIVOD: WE ARE CONNECTED brings the story of a groundbreaking 40+ year career to the screen with energy, insight, and a palpable sense of love. The long-awaited doc will be launched in the very province that birthed the band and Fantasia couldn’t be more proud. With appearances by Tobias Forge (Ghost), Mikael Akerfeldt (Opeth), Jason Newsted (Metallica – and brief Voivod member), Zach Blair (Rise Against, GWAR), Tom G Warrior (Celtic Frost, Triptykon), and Ivan Doroschuk (Men Without Hats), among many others. Docs from the Edge section. World Premiere.
 

A FANTASTICAL JAPAN RETURNS IN FLY ME TO THE SAITAMA: FROM BIWA LAKE WITH LOVE

After stealing hearts at Fantasia 2019, where FLY ME TO THE SAITAMA won the Audience Award for Best Asian Feature, director Hideki Takeuchi returns to a fantastical version of Japan—“definitely not a portrayal of any actual place”—with a completely original story independent from the ’80s manga from which it takes its name. Japanese music superstar Gackt and co-star Fumi Nikaido are back as Rei and Momomi in FROM BIWA LAKE WITH LOVE, now supported by an equally delightful cast of new characters as they crank up the genre-bending, highly stylized shenanigans that made the first film so unforgettable. Complete with a boys-love triangle, hilarious parodic references including a wacky Willy Wonka number, and the return of its meta story-within-a-story structure, this sequel is a worthy continuation with even more to offer! North American Premiere.
 

A SPECIAL HOMECOMING FOR ANNICK BLANC'S ACCLAIMED HUNTING DAZE

Lauded following its premiere at SXSW, Annick Blanc's highly anticipated debut feature finally makes its way home. HUNTING DAZE takes us on a wild trip, following Nina's (Nahéma Ricci, ANTIGONE) journey as she takes refuge with a rowdy group of men after being stranded in a northern forest. The film plays like a drunken fever dream, exposing a microcosm of masculinity in which one's desire to belong threatens to upend the group. With dreamy visuals and transfixing performances by a cast of Quebec talent (Marc Beaupré, Alexandre Landry, Bruno Marcil), this is a bachelor weekend unlike any you've ever seen. Canadian Premiere.


The 28th edition of the Fantasia International Film Festival is presented by Videotron and is made possible with the financial contributions of Telefilm Canada, la Société́ de développement des entreprises culturelles (SODEC), le gouvernement du Québec, the city of Montréal, le Conseil des arts de Montréal, Tourisme Montréal, and the Directors Guild of Canada (DGC).

The festival would like to thank all its private partners, friends of the event, as well as official suppliers, venues, and all participating filmmakers, sales agents, and distributors for their invaluable support.

 
A second wave of Fantasia 2024 titles will be announced in early June with the festival’s full lineup to be revealed in early July. Ticket sales will commence shortly afterwards.
 
For the very latest in up-to-date information on this year’s announcements and events, please follow the Fantasia International Film Festival on Facebook, X/Twitter, and Instagram.

Gasoline Rainbow (2024)

Five high school aged kids set out in a van to travel 500 miles to see the ocean. Along the way life happens.

This is a form over content docudrama that succeeds as a work of art but is less successful as a narrative. This feels like a beautiful documentary, that might have worked had it been obvious by the shot choices and the way that things lay out that this free flowing trip across the Pacific Northwest was constructed by the cast and crew.  I say this in part because it's true and because the film moves the cast across the country in a way that only movies can move people. There is no real sense of danger, nor is there any real questioning when things go on, the kids just keep going.

Sure this a hymn of freedom and of impending lost innocence, but it's a professionally polished one. The result is a film that I admire  a lot more than I like. Its a film I would gladly watch with the sound off for the glorious pictures.

THREE PROMISES (2023) opens tomorrow

Yousef Srouji takes a collection of old VHS tapes and creates a look at his family and life in the Palestinian West Bank in the early 2000’s.

This moving portrait of life in a war zone is even more so owing to events happening in Israel. While the film would have been good before the insanity, the film now takes on a deeper resonance as a reminder that there are good people lost in the madness. (The final piece of text made me gasp-something it was never intended to have happen)

You will forgive me if I don’t say much more, but world events are coloring ny thoughts on the film so anything I have to say doesn’t feel truly right.

Do yourself a favor and just see this.

Stay with us (2023)

Comedian Gad Elmaleh returns home to France after several years in America so that he can convert to Catholicism. This does not sit well with his very Jewish parents.

Absolutely lovely, not to mention charming and funny exploration of the road to who we are and our path to "god". Based on the director and stars own journey the film probably not what you expect. Neither overly serious nor overly light in tome Elmaleh instead opts for a middle ground where real revelations are found. As some one  who is in a constant battle with my thoughts about god and the universe I found the path revealed here to be absolutely enlightening.

More importantly I was entertained. I laughed and I smiled and I connected to everyone on screen. Watching the film I found myself wanting to to call friends and family to tell them they really needed to see this. This is a film that will stay in my heart not because of the themes it explores but because of the cinematic friends on the screen. I love the people before me and I want to revisit them.

Highly recommended.

Bugsy Malone (1976)

I had a terrible crush on Foster before I saw Bugsy Malone (I remember seeing her in so many earlier films), but Bugsy Malone was one of four films in 1976 where Hollywood took notice of the legendary actress. In addition to this she had FREAKY FRIDAY, THE LITTLE GIRL WHO LIVED DOWN THE LANE and something called TAXI DRIVER which got her on Oscar’s radar. At the age of 13 she was so aware of the process of filmmaking that Alan Parker joked that if he got sick Foster could step in.  If nothing else 1976 showed Foster’s incredible range.

BUGSY MALONE is a very off beat musical set in a place that is kind of like Chicago during Prohibition. It's a world of gangsters and good guys populated with kids who sing with adult's voices while driving pedal cars and shooting guns that shoot cream pies.  

Unlike any other film ever made it is scarily familiar since it uses all the tropes of films we’ve seen before while creating something new.

It’s a blast and a half. I’ve been watching it since it came out where it warped my mind and filled me with a wonderful sense of fun.

The cast is solid, though I really don’t remember seeing anyone after this other than Foster and Scott Baio.

The most memorable thing about the film are the songs from Paul Williams. They are some his best film work and explains why he is one of the greatest composers ever. I had an 8-track of the soundtrack which explains why all the lyrics are burned into my brain.

This is just a great film, and you need to see it.

Time of the Heathen (1961)

A drifter wanders the country side with his bible. When he sees the rape and murder of a black woman he flees with woman's son. Framed for the murder the pair has to run to stay alive.

Restored 1961 drama is a kick in the pants. Set in the years following the end of World War II the film has a lot to say about guilt, humanity and small town life. It's a film with a lot going on with in a simple narrative. 

What struck me about the film is that it feels very much like the work of George Romero. How the film is shot is very close to the way NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD, THE AMUSEMENT PARK or the films made in between were shot. There is an unease in the framing of images and shot choice that make me wonder if Romero saw this film and learned from it.

While there is a formalness to some of the proceedings, the dialog feels less than natural, the film never stops feeling real. Indeed, in someways the film more real than real films since it touches some part of the place where we remember things.

I was moved. Honestly I agreed to  cover the film it was more with the hope of just using it for a filler. Instead I found a haunting film whose discovery is one of the great cinematic surprises of the year.

This is a film that any lover of cinema should track down.

Recommended.

Wendy Feinberg on THE WORLD ACCORDING TO ALLEE WILLIS (2024) SXSW

As a music lover, since I watched Scott Rosenbaum’s BANG! THE BERT BERNS STORY, about a prolific songwriter in the early60’s who died prematurely at age 38, I have not been so in awe of a person I never heard of until I saw director Alexis Spraic’s THE WORLD ACCORDING TO ALLEE WILLIS which premiered at the 2024 SXSW Film Festival. The first question I asked myself before I watched the film is, “Who in the world is Allee Willis?” And the 2nd question I asked, as I was watching was, “Why in the world have I never heard of her?”

Born in 1947 to a Jewish family in Detroit, she lost her mom at the age of 15 and turned to music as she struggled with family and personal problems. She gravitated to Motown/black music after listening to Barrett Strong’s “Money” and began writing music in the 70’s. Her mentor was Mary Wells, one of the very few female songwriters of the time. Thank goodness she didn’t listen to her dad, who warned her, “Stay away from black culture!”

I don’t want to give away too much of her accomplishments, as I think it will take away from watching the film and discovering, as I did, all that Allee achieved in her 72 years, but I will mention that she wrote Earth Wind and Fire’s iconic “September” and their “Boogie Woogie Wonderland”. She sold over 50 million records and was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2018. Allee also was a successful multi-media artist, selling her works to the likes of actress Leslie Ann Warren and was among the earliest people to explore using the internet to promote herself, creating an internet show “Willisville” that was funded by businessman, Mark Cuban.

THE WORLD ACCORDING TO ALLEE WILLIS is a wonderfully well-crafted film containing much archival footage, videoed by Willis herself, who began filming her life as a kid in the 1950’s. There are also interviews with many well-known personalities such as Cindy Lauper, Mark Cuban, Patti LaBelle, Paul Reubens and many more whose lives were touched by her. 

Just a few quick thoughts on Godzilla X Kong : The New Empire (2024)

Follow up to 2021's Throw down between the two titans has the pair teaming up when Kong discovers that he isn't the only giant ape left and that the leader of the apes is evil and want's to take over the surface world.

This is more a King Kong film than a Godzilla film. Almost the whole film is focused on Kong's reconnecting with his lost family. Godzilla only shows up now and again to beat up other monsters. While Big G doesn't have a lot of screen time in the earlier films, this is the first one in the current series where it's nominally his film, but he isn't the focus. This is all Kong. It's not a bad thing, but the title promises more than we get.

This is the point at which the Monsterverse jumps the shark. While the film is absolutely entertaining from start to finish, the series is now just Hollywood silliness The serious edge of the earlier films in the series is completely gone. This is just mindless action just because watching giant monsters destroy things is a fun. There is no effort to make them really work in the real world (or consideration of the damage they are causing). That may not sound like much, but having seen GODZILLA MINUS ONE a few months ago, I found that I prefer the more serious discussions that the Godzilla films kick up.  Yes I love the battles but I want something more as well.

My bitching aside this is a fun film. It's mindless action of the best sort. It's giant clashes and good human characters. I had a blast seeing this on a recent afternoon when I was just killing time in Pittsburgh.

Recommended.

Nightcap 5/5/24 Should we engage with people on social media?

Better off alone?

After some fireworks last weekend on social media I’m left pondering at what point we should engage with people on social media.

The short version of reason is that that after someone said they loved a particularly nasty film where bad things happen graphically because of said graphic effects, A friend said he hoped that people considered films their favorites for reasons beyond just the effects.  This sparked anger in some one else who took a general statement as an attack on their favorite film. It wasn’t an attack just a passing comment.  And despite efforts from several people, myself included, to calm things down, it blew up.

The exchange left everyone a bit singed.

I was left to ponder at what point we need to engage with people on social media. In theory it’s supposed to be a free exchange of ideas but more often it becomes an echo chamber as people look for re-enforcement of how they feel. If you are not on their “side” it’s often open warfare. Why? Because this is what we are being taught, and because since we don’t know people on line they aren’t real and they can be attacked with impunity. The attack mentality results in a bitterness and anger and hurt feelings because people can’t understand why the nameless person or famous person they have built up in their minds is "attacking" them by not agreeing with them.

Tempers flare.

It happens all the time on Twitter and if you aren’t use to it seems rather brutal. Actually even if you are used to it it’s brutal.

I tend to stand clear of fights or heated discussions because getting into a shouting match with people I don’t know or follow isn’t worth it. It feels to much like forcing myself into conversations I’m no part of just to say something no one is ever going to actually hear.

I prefer to pick my fights hence what I say tends to be measured on social media…and even here. I weigh what any engagement is worth.

My hesitation is in part due to the fact that in the early days of Unseen Films I was getting flooded with rude comments. A couple of people actively liked to say rude things in the comments so I was constantly removing them. I also had two well-known filmmakers send their fans after me after I panned one of their films. It was so bad I now screen all comments before they are posted.

What I discovered by screening is that by cutting off the fire results in fewer attacks. If people know I won’t play their game, they won’t try to engage me.

I take that  stance when engaging with anyone on social media. With rare exception I don’t seek to provoke. I try to calmly state my feelings and move on.

Of course it doesn’t always work, but it reduces the aggravation.

I will say some bad things about films on twitter, but generally not provocative, and only in connection with a review where you can see my feelings beyond 230 characters. I tend to say rude things as blind posts because it reduces hurt feelings.

The problem is everyone wants to be liked and have their world view approved of. Everyone just wants shiny happy funny farts thrown their way and get upset when that doesn’t happen. 

---

A random note- if you are discussing your favorite film and you are discussing that what you like about the film is parts where women are brutalized in graphic detail – you need to be ready for people to look at you funny and hide their children. It’s not that you like the film- it’s that you point out the misogyny and dehumanization of people as the best part that causes people to step away.

---

For the few of you curious as to how Unseen is going to go for the next few weeks....

Some new releases this week, folding into Cabane à Sang and Cannes. followed by more new releases until Tribeca  hits

Drive -in Monster-rama April Ghouls 2024 KILLER KLOWNS FROM OUTER SPACE and ESCAPE FROM NEW YORK

 

KILLER CLOWNS FROM OUTER SPACE
Classic horror  comedy was the focus of the raffle basket at the Drive-In Monster rama this April. It was a stunner that everyone wanted to win.

The film itself follows a small town where the title clowns arrive and begin  carting off the population. It’s up to a group pf friends to try and start them.

Making only the barest bit of sense, this is really just a bunch of loosely connected set pieces that entertain with their off kilter sense of reality. It’s also a film that has endlessly quotable dialog that I have been subjected to for nearly 4 decades by my brother who seems to have the film memorized.

While I have seen the film numerous times over the years it was delight to see it on a big screen for the first time, more so when an actual killer clown was wandering through the drive in.

ESCAPE FROM NEW YORK
I first saw John Carpenter’s classic film on the night it premiered in a packed house. I’ve seen it any number of times since then. Recently I’ve tended to catch it in the middle when it runs on one of the various cable stations.

The plot has Kurt Russell’s Snake Pliskin  going into a walled off NYC to rescue the President. It goes sideways from the start and Snake has to fight his way out.

Seeing the film from start to finish for the first time in a decade or more I was truly impressed by how well it is constructed. It’s a finely crafted machine that grabs you and holds you attention from start to finish. Other than a kind of rushed ending the film just moves at a perfect pace.  Its so good one has to wonder why Carpenter isn’t considered a greater director by film lovers.

This is truly a great film.

SPACE THE LONGEST GOODBYE (2024) hits PBS Monday

This is an examination of the effort to find people who can stand the isolation that long trips into space, say to Mars, will require. We watch as the officials at NASA try to sort out potential astronauts who will be able to survive the strain. We also see the candidates who are finally faced with the gulf between their dreams and the realities.

As a space kid who grew up in the late 60’s and early 70’s, and who read everything I could gget my hands on space travel, I found that THE LONGEST GOODBYE opened my eyes. Much like many of the Candidates I found that there was a lot to long travels in space I never considered. As amazed as I am by anyone who gets to leave earth, this film made me consider their achievements to be even more awe inspiring. As much as I would love to go I was forced to consider that maybe I don’t have the right stuff.

This is a killer doc. Not only does it say a great deal about our exploration of space, but it also speaks volumes about the things we hold important. As one astronaut is heard at the start – going into space for an extended period means missing out on things like rain. What will you give up or what are you willing to reduce down to only be available via a screen? I had a lot to ponder.

This is a super film and recommended.

Debuts on PBS's Independent Lens on Monday, May 6th at 10 p.m. ET (check local listings). After, the film be available to stream on the PBS App and also accessible via PBS’s flagship YouTube channel.

APRIL GHOULS 2024 DRIVE IN MONSTER -RAMA: RETURN OF THE LIVING DEAD and DEATHDREAM

 

Last weekend was the April Ghouls version of George and Gene’s Drive-In Monster-rama. This year there wasn’t binding theme for the weekend it was just balls to the wall horror for the first night and Scifi the second. As my brother Joe and I have done since 2020 we have been in the rows enjoying the selections.

As we do every time we go we get there early and spend time talking to the friends we made there, which is pretty much everyone. More and more the weekends are becoming old home week as we see the same faces over and over again.  It’s a semi annual family reunion.

As is typical for us, Joe and I only made through the first two films.  Despite wanting to see MESSIAH OF EVIL and THE CHILDREN, the fact that we stay 25 minutes from the Riverside makes it tough to stay  for three or for films without losing the next day to sleeping in. I could complain that they could shorten the pre-fest screening or in between material but seeing those goodies are just as fun as the features.

RETURN OF THE LIVING DEAD assumes that NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD was based on a true incident and that the zombies were created by chemicals and that they were locked up in containers which ended up shipped to a medical supply warehouse. One container is breached and the gas and a zombie escape bringing the dead back to life.

Dan O'Bannon who wrote ALIEN and DARK STAR turns the Romero zombies on their ear with a brilliant horror comedy. Allowing that the logic of some of what happens makes no real sense even on its own terms, RETURN just takes things into the realm of well done horror comedy.  It's  a film that works because O'Bannon gives us characters we like.  For example James Karen and Thom Matthews were so good they brought the actors back in the films that followed.

Seeing the film on the drive-in screen was a blast- in part because the first time I saw the film on opening night, the projectionist spliced the first reel into the print the wrong way so it played upside down and backwards. I always wanted to see the film projected the right way. Also  I enjoyed it because the film is just so much fun.

DEATHDREAM is a film I've seen dozens of times over the years. The story of a grieving mother who wills her dead son back to life, it's a creepy film that leaves the viewer deeply bothered. Moving like the wind its the story of a situation that goes from bad to worse and destroys a family because one member won't accept the truth that one member is gone.

My mother hated the film and how it made her feel...and despite that she still would watch it again and again because it's just that good.

I should say that the restoration by Blue Underground is fantastic and the film has never looked this good before

A Brief pointer toward Who is Stan Smith?(2022)

I'm not doing a full review of this film. It's not that it's a bad film, it's actually really good. Rather it's because I don't care about the shoes.

This is a portrait of Stan Smith, tennis legend, shoe icon and humanitarian.  It's told by his friends and admirers.

WHO IS STAN SMITH? is a very good film. It's a wonderful exploration of the man and his achievements. It's a film that is going to surprise a lot of people who don't know about Smith and the things he did.

As good as the film is I never full clicked with the film. Blame it entirely on the shoes. I really don't care about the shoes, so every time they were mentioned I tuned out. Because the film is really good, despite my not fully clicking with it, I'm saying go see it when it opens in NYC today or LA next week, or where ever it plays.

Slow (2023) opens today

The course of a relationship between a man and a woman that ends up complicated by his asexuality.

Beautifully acted and sensuous film about a relationship that is not quite like the normal. Its a film is carried by leads Greta Grinevičiūtė and Kęstutis Cicėnas who make us fall in love with them and make us want for them to succeed. Its a wonderful romance where the course of love doesn't go as expected.

The selling point for this film is going to be the asexuality angle. Dovydas clearly loves Elena however he is not interested in sex and intimacy. Its a situation that Elena has difficulty with since she is a dancer and loves touch. This is not something that we've seen in the movies before and it is going to resonate with many people.

I liked SLOW. I liked it not for the asexuality angle, but because I liked the people. Frankly if the write ups of the film didn't mention it I wouldn't have noted it because to me it's ultimately not important since this is not about one thing but about how we interact.

Worth a look.

Brief thoughts on Ryusuke Hamaguchi's GIFTwith live performance by Eiko Ishibachi

I went with Ed Douglas tonight to see  GIFT  at Lincoln Center. 

The film is silent  recut version of Hamaguchi's EVIL DOES NOT EXIST. It runs about 75 minutes and contains a lot of alternate or extended takes. The film is designed so that Eiko Ishibashi can play a live score to it (her set up is in the lower right of the picture above).

While the film essentially tells the same story, things play out differently. In this film titles spell out a bit more of the plot at times. At other times we are left to figure things out for ourselves. The film is not really designed as a narrative but as something Ishibashi's score can play off of.

As a concert it's very good.  Several passages were hypnotic with the music. It was so good that I really wish that all notion of a narrative was thrown out and we could have just had random sequences with the score.

If you are looking for a narrative or new great film from Hamaguchi you are going to be disappointed. Too much is missing. Having seen EVIL... at last year's New York Film Festival  I think GIFT is a pale imitation...but then again it was never supposed to be a "film" like EVIL

I enjoyed myself and consider the screening more a concert. It is not anything I would watch again- though I would listen to the score. If you can see it live do so.

On the other hand if you want a solid narrative see EVIL DOES NOT EXIST.

Lost Soulz (2023) opens tomorrow

A winner of an audience award at Tribeca LOST SOULZ was a film that many of Tribeca staff and several writers insisted that I see.  The mix of characters and music had clicked with everyone who saw the film. Based on Word of mouth this looked to be one of the best films of festival. 

This is the story of a young rapper named Sol who lives with his best friend Wesley and his family.  After Wesley overdoses, Sol hits the road, traveling across Texas with a group of artists he met that night. As the group travels and performs Sol discovers who he is and what it means to be responsible and have a family.

This film is wonderful. Full of great characters and greater music LOST SOULZ is  one of the best films of Tribeca.

The look of this film is magical. The stunning visuals mix perfectly framed images with pumped up colors to create a world that is like our own and frequently like our dreams. 

The Music is note perfect. So many times in films about fictional performers the music isn't what it should be, you can't understand why people are falling over the music we hear. You get one, maybe two good songs that stand out but no more, but that isn't the case here. The music is so good that you want to lean in and follow Sol's journey. There is the added bonus that the songs and the score blend together to create a seamless whole.

The cast is great. Sure it helps that I haven't seen most of the cast before so they are real people, but even so none of performers seem to be acting. Everyone seems to be inhabiting their characters. This makes everyone feels real and inviting.

I love the narrative of the film. I love that the film doesn't do what you expected. LOST SOULZ doesn't take any of the regular paths in similar music films. Things aren't pumped up dramatically, life flows. It's a joy not to have confrontations that are coming from the mind of the writer instead of the life of the characters.

This is a great little film. 

What an absolute joy. This is why I love going to festivals and dwelling among the inde films, it's because I get to discover wonderful films like this.

Highly recommended.

Catching Fire The Story of Anita Pallenberg (2023)

Portrait of model, actress and muse Anita Pallenberg. She came from Italy to New York and quickly fell into the in crowd. She became the girlfriend of Rolling Stone Brian Jones before leaving him and becoming the long time paramour of Keith Richards with whom she had several children.

Largely made up of publicly unseen film footage and using Pallenberg's unpublished autobiography as the source of the narration, this is as close to hearing the story of her own life in her own words. It's a trip into the life of a woman that most of us only know as either through the lens of the paparazzi or as the woman who was a girlfriend of one of the Rolling Stones. It's a film that opens up our eyes as to who she was and what was going on around here.

I never really cared that much about Anita Pallenberg. She was always in the news because she was there. I also knew her because she was in BARBARELLA and PERFORMANCE.  As time went on I learned more about her because she was crossing through the lives of other people I was interested in. Recently, thanks to a recent documentary of Brian Jones of the Rolling Stones. 

I really liked CATCHING FIRE. I love that the film finally allows Pallenberg to step out of the shadow of the Rolling Stones and take center stage. Yes, a large part of the film does deal with the Stones, because after all that's what people will want to hear about, but at the same time the film shows us a woman who was a force to be reckoned in her own right. It's a film that changes what we thought we knew about not only Pallenberg but also the Rolling Stones.

This is a super little film. It's must see for any Stones fan, however more importantly it's a must for anyone who wants to see a great film about a intriguing woman.

ROUND UP: PUNISHMENT (2024)

Detective Ma Seok-do (Don Lee) returns for the fourth time  in a bruising action film that takes us back to the darker edge of the first two films. It's an awesome film that will have you reacting to the  film out loud.

This time out Seok-do and his team end up chasing after the mad man behind a gambling syndicate. An expert with a knife  he cuts up anyone who stands in the way of  his making a buck. While the deep dive into the world of computers is not Seok-do's strong point, he manages to assemble a team to break heads and get him close to his target.

This film is an absolute blast. It's a film that has some of the best action sequences in the series. The final fight had me wincing. Full of the expected witty lines and great characters the film just delights us from start to finish. What raises it up from ROUND UP: NO WAY OUT is that there is a weight to the proceedings. Seok-do's promise to a mother to avenge the death of her son gives the film a weight the last film doesn't have. Additionally the bad guy here is so brutal in his attacks that he over comes the cartoony final boss  video game nature of his creation.

I know I could say more, but the truth is this film does what it is suppose so well that it doesn't need me to say anything other than "Go See This."

Mars Express (2023)

In 2200 private detectives Aline and Carlos are hired to find and bring home a notorious hacker. The case puts them into the middle of something bigger involving the robots on Mars and Earth.

This is a scifi hard boiled detective noir. Its classic 1940's film noir mashed with modern day science fiction and the look at artificial intelligence. It has the classic rhythms mixed with eye popping visuals and some kick ass action sequences. It's a blast and a half and I loved it.

I know that some of you are going to be scared off because this is animation. Yes I know anime has made it more accepted, but some people still don't want to watch animation, Never mind that if this was live action they would be first on line to see it. Understand that because of what the film is about and because of where its set and who the characters are the film had to be animated. Even if was live action other than a few characters the vast majority of the rest would have been CGI, or more simply photo-realistically animated.

Watching this film I ended up reacting verbally.  Twists and turns had me talking out loud. The same can be said about the action sequences. 

And then there are the themes and ideas running around in the film. The notions of what it means to be alive, about free will and basic human stupidity have haunted me for days after seeing the film. What I love is that the film's ending has improved the more I think about it. I first thought it was unremarkable and a bit been there... and then all of the things that it implied hit me hard. The profound sense of sadness contained in it filled my heart.

I love this movie. I love it to the point that I regret that I missed going to the work in progress screening that Animation First had a couple of years back.

I really do need to make one  note concerning this film and that when you see this you need to realize that this is a detective film and not an action film. There is action and suspense but there are also slow sequences of detecting. In other words there are some slow sequences, or slow at least compared to some of the bat shit crazy fights.

Once more with feeling- I love this film. You need to see it. If possible when it plays at Animation First Tuesday, or down the road when G-Kids releases it.

How good is it? I don't think it's going  of to move off my Best of the Best of 2024.

FRAGMENTS OF A LIFE LOVED (2023) Hot Docs 2024

Director Chloé Barreau creates an autobiography of herself by taking all the footage she shot over the years with all the men and women she loved and intercutting it with interviews done by a third party, allowing her lovers to freely say how they saw her.

This is a film that the vast majority of us would never want to make. How many of us would ever want our exes to tell us what they really feel about us. Do we really want to know what happened from the other side? It's a scary thought but here it works.

Actually what works here is the that Barreau has created a film that while being very specifically about her and her relationships, it is also about all of us. Watching the discussions in the interviews I found that I felt to connected to everyone. Everything that was being said connected back to my life and loves in one way or another. In making a portrait of herself through the eyes and hearts of other people she has made a film about everyone watching.

If you ever pondered how you might be viewed by your exes or how you may have touched the lives of those who have traveled with you for some of your life, this film may provide some answers, and if nothing else it may raise some questions.

I was moved and intrigued. More importantly when it was done I wanted to go again because I had such a good time and  wanted to spend more time with these people. 

What an absolutely great film.

Recommended.