Fantasia: Weekend Three

This weekend brought to a close what has been a great month of Fantasia. My most abitious year yet, I attended eight different screening and this coming Friday will be the first this month that I have not spent in Montreal.

The first film I watched this weekend was a Korean martial arts film called The City of Violence. It was a crime drama about a group of high school friends who find themselves becoming divided by the law and the death of their friend. This film had the best trailer I watched in preparation for Fantasia; in fact, the trailer had such an andrenaline saturation, that I couldn't imagine not trying to see it. As a 90 minute film, it naturally had to take a breath once in a while to establish plot points, and I feel like the first fight showed up later than I anticipated, but overall a great time.

What I liked the most about this film was how real the martial arts performances were. The was no significant CGI f/x that I can remember, and the wire work (that creates the kind of super kung fu that you see in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon) was used with restraint. The choreography was superb as well, with many scenes shot in a manner that allowed the audince to view contact between fighters. There is also something about the style of Korean martial arts that involves a lot of spin kicks and quick feints, and it films in a manner that is breathtaking and beautiful. Again, check the trailer and you'll see what I mean.

The only real problem with this film was that during the middle of the most climatic battle the screen froze and the theater was evacuated by Concordia University for about an hour with no explanation (not even after we were allowed back in). Milling around outside, in the cool Montreal air, with hundreds of other Fantasia festival attendees really emphasized the enjoyable sense of community that I love about this festival. It also gave me a chance to listen in on Richard Gale, the director of the short I saw later that evening.

That short, Criticized, has apparantly won the title of "scariest movie" at the DC independent film festival, which no matter how you slice it means that in some circles this is considered the scariest film of the year. Almost this entire short about a kidnapped critic takes place in the claustraphobic setting of a shower stall, and there is an eyeball scene! Still, what makes this film scary is the way it makes the everyday man suddenly feel very vulnerable.

The feature that followed was the midnight showing...nay, now one AM showing...of the remade The Wizard of Gore. Let me just start by saying I loved this film. A great melding of film noir and gore driven horror, this film uses rakish angles and bizarre sets to create a surrealistic thriller. While the gore is pretty fantastic, there is also a pleasant sense of restraint, which allows the mysterious plot to drive the film rather than the effects. The acting by Crispin Glover (George McFly of Back to the Future) as the charismatic magician in superb, and he is supported by a great cast, including Brad Dourif (Lord of the Rings, Deadwood). And if you were looking for one more reason to watch this film, most of the victims are the scantily (if at all) clad Suicide Girls. Not only is this film a great ride, but in the midst of a rash of PG-13 horror releases, I felt like I was finally watching a more mainstream horror film for adults: smart, sexy and scary.

The experience watching The Wizard of Gore was a great finish for my time at Fantasia this year. Even though it started late, and I was deliriously exhausted the next day, the energy of a late night premiere showing and the great Q&A with director Jeremy Kasten and producer Dan Griffiths made it all worthwhile. Now it will be another eleven months until Fantasia starts up again, wich will hopefully be enough time to catch the other one hundred or so films I wasn't able to see.

Same to same,

Capt. Patrick Hendry

Fantasia: Weekend Two

The two films I caught this weekend we're The Fox Family and End of the Line. Before I dive into the reviews, two notes about the wonders of Canadian culture. I was accompanied by a friend of mine this weekend who loves to stop and shop at the local convenience/grocery stores to fully enjoy the differences between the Canadian and American culture. The hunt this weekend was on for a couple of unique potato chips not available in the United States. We came out with Lay's Curry flavored chips and Doritos Tandoori Spice tortilla chips. In a direct taste off, I prefered the Tandoori Spice, which reminded me of the classic (and I think discontinued) Taco Doritos, but for a guy who really can dislike the taste of curry, I loved the heat and taste of the Lay's chips as well. The big find that myself and another buddy made was the Labatt Dry Extra Strong Beer...a malty 10.1%, and available as a 1.8 litre (commonly known in the states as a "40").

To the films!

End of the Line was a local film making its local premiere. After playing at the Toronto Film Festival, this gore f/x gem from Montreal came home to play for the people who so often ride the subways that they turn into tunnels of carnage. The basic plot revolves around a group of born again Christians whose cultish leader has decided that it is time to trigger the great Apocalypse. Our protagonists are average citizens caught on the public subway system when beepers begin resounding from each car, and our conservatively dressed fundamentalists begin to "save" souls, which of course calls for the destruction of the corporeal shells. As I said, the gore is terrific in this film, and I am sure that there was not much of a budget, making them all the more impressive. The settings are poorly lit subway tunnels, which coupled with the director's use of quick in your face visuals and loud audio strikes, set up an edge of your seat situation. This sort of intesity however is in constant struggle with the dialogue, especially early on, which is poor enough to be hampering to both the mood and character development. Still, End of the Line is a fine film that ranks above the average rental fare, but does not quite stand toe to toe with the better theatrical horror releases.

What really made viewing End of the Line a great cinematic experience was, of course, the Fantasia atmosphere. I have already praised the Fantasia audience for being a very active one, but the fact that this was a hometown film multiplied the energy in the auditorium. At the end there was also a great Q&A session with the director and several actors, not to mention that the audience was peppered with people involved in the production of this film. All in all a great time was had.

The second feature, The Fox Family, was a delightful zany musical/comedy/fantasy from Korea. The plot is simple: a family of foxes turned human for 1,000 years have 30 minutes during an eclipse to eat a fresh human liver in order to become true humans. In the meantime, they run a circus and find themselves prime suspects in a murder investigation. While the plot may seem a bit farfetched, the music, colors, costumes and overall composition of this film are elements that any viewer can appreciate. Bizarre and beautiful at once, this film was a unique treat.

This is the final weekend of the festival coming up and I'll be hitting two final shows this Friday night, so please come back for the big wrap-up.

Same to Same,

Capt. Hendry

Fantasia: Weekend One

This weekend marked the opening of the 11th annual Fantasia Film Festival in Montreal. Chock full of horror, kung-fu, science fiction, fantasy and other films of similar genres from around the world; this is always the film highlight of my year. Forget the summer blockbusters...over the next few weeks I'll see more movies in Montreal than I will the rest of the year most likely.

That being said, I caught four different screenings this weekend. The first was a collection of six Korean short films. Unfortunately traffic was brutal and we missed the beginning of the first film (The Hell (Two Kinds of Life...a cool rotoscoped examination of death), but the rest were mostly good. I did not like The Forest that much, but the two films by the Park Brothers (Mighty Man and The Freaking Family) were awesome.

The second film, which we decided to catch at the last minute, turned out to be the best one of the weekend. The Signal was a very smart and well shot film. Even though there were three sections to the story shot be three different directors, the style and pacing felt consistent enough that it was not at all distracting, nor did this make the film feel segmented. The successful blend of humor and suspense made this film extremely enjoyable...oh, and it was plenty rough. I hope that this film goes on to find a large audience, because I am looking forward to the next project these directors work on.

The last feature on Friday was the midnight showing of Flight of the Living Dead which was like watching Snakes on a Plane with zombies substituted for the snakes. Honestly, in about six months, I will probably confusing the two films when I try to think about different scenes from either one. Still, it was a lot of fun and reveled in its own cheese.

Friday also threw two shorts my way preceding the features. Before The Signal was a pleasant little escapade called The Morning After (click on the title to watch now!) which brought to life the expression coyote arm/coyote ugly. And preceding Flight... was The Fifth, a lighthearted look at a poker group having a hard time keeping a fifth player, which I couldn't find anywhere online, but you should keep you eye out for.

Saturday night I caught Hell's Ground , which is the first Pakistani horror film that I have ever heard of, much less seen, and is considered the first Pakistani gore film to date. All in all it was pretty good. I felt a little bit led awry by the more polished trailer, but this extremely low budget film was still a great experience in cultural exposure...with zombies. My original complaint for this film would be that halfway through the story it inexplicably drops the zombie plotline that it had been nourishing with lost tourists and suddenly morphs into a slasher film with a sexually confused, mace-wielding maniac chasing the teens through the woods. While I felt initially put off by this unconventional movie-making decision, I now feel that perhaps the point wasn't to resolve that the zombie crisis is at heart a pollution problem and our heroes will fix it (as would have happened in the Hollywood version), instead the point might simply be that bad shit goes down in these woods...so stay away!

The best parts of the Hell's Ground experience were the surrounding elements. The film was presented by the founders of the great "Mondo Macabro" DVD label, who had also put together a 20 minute clip reel of earlier "Lollylwood" horror films. Please do yourself a favor and do a YouTube search for Lollywood; some of the clips from the reel seem to be posted there. Also, the presentation before and Q & A session afterwards with director Omar Ali Khan was wonderful. He is very down to earth and has a fantastic sense of humor.

So it was a stellar opening weekend with everything I have come to expect from Fantasia: exposure to films that I would never catch on the big screen domestically, entertaining presenters talking about their work, and most importantly, an audience built entirely of people with the same questionable tastes. You gotta love an audience that cheers loudly when a man's forearm is screwed into the wall with a drill, or when a woman's throat is sliced open with a pair of pruning shears.

Same to same,

Capt. Hendry

Don't Seal the Deal Early

Last night I finally got around to watching the Ingmar Bergman classic The Seventh Seal. The basic plot of this film is often described as a Knight of the Crusade's search for the answers to life's larger questions (is there a God. etc.) whilst playing a game of chess with Death. The dreary synopsis of the film is only enhanced when one considers that the outbreak of bubonic plague in Europe is the backdrop for this tale. That being said, I pretty much had my mind made up that this film was going to be dark and dreary, beautiful and haunting, and not really that much fun.

In actuality, it was a delightful film. While a major plot point is the chess match between the grim reaper and the grim knight, Antonius Block, nobody really mentions that there are many other light and enjoyable characters throughout the film. The knight's squire, Jöns (who has at least an equal amount of screen time and dialogue as our protagonist) is the kind of guy you would want to be hanging around with at any given time: he is worldwise, cynical and funny. The advice he gives throughout the film to the other minor characters is enough to make you laugh out loud, just check out some of his quotes here. Even the chess match itself is a rare occurrence throughout the film; revisited only as you are just starting to forget it is still in play.

Watching this film I found myself not only exercised philosophically, but also I learned a lesson that I don't often apply to films: don't judge a book by its cover. This is the second time this year that I have been intimidated by what I had already deemed a depressing film (the other being The Last King of Scotland) only to be pleasantly surprised by the varying range of emotions and moods. Point is, you really haven't seen a film until you have seen it.

Same to same,

Pat

Don't Die Hard...Get Old Hard

Do you know what today is? I know my sister does...it is Live Free or Die Hard release day. John McClane is back, baby! Even though it has been 19 years since he was stuck in the Nakatomi building in LA, but you just can't keep a good action hero down, can you? Honestly, those 1980's action hero's have some serious stamina. Stallone just returned as Rocky after 30 years and he is coming back as John Rambo after 25 years; and let's not forget Harrison Ford, who is picking up the whip again to play Indiana Jones for the first time in two decades.

And who is the action hero nowadays? Who picked up the torch that Schwarzenegger set down when he took up his new political career? Don't try to tell me that Dwayne "the Rock" Johnson, or Vin "XXX" Diesel are the new action heroes, because they really haven't had the success, nor the feel, that our good ole' 1980's action heroes did. My only complaint seeing Bruce back up there this week is that the stuck him with that dork from the Apple commercials instead of Samuel L. Jackson, and that they rated it PG-13.

"Yippee Ki-Yay....er...sucka."

Same to same,

Capt. Pat Hendry

Arrrrr....Arrrrrgggghhhhh!

Despite warnings from several national critics, whom I barely trust, and the more substantial warnings of people I know, I decided to go check out the third installment in the Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy. I was pleasantly surprised to find that overall I enjoyed the experience, but then again, nothing helps out your opinion of a film more than expecting it to be absolutely awful.

It really wasn't that bad. There were a lot of lines and physical moments that made me laugh, and there were some gorgeous effects that I didn't feel dragged on as some had criticized; however, the plot and character progression were terrible...just terrible. It wasn't that it was hard to follow, and with so much logic tossed out the window the viewer eventually just accepts a "que sera, sera" attitude about the whole story. What really makes the film difficult are the motives that are driving characters. The scene that defines the film for me was one where five or six major characters were all pointing guns at each other and I realized that I had no real idea why each of these characters would want to shoot one another. I don't know who Jack Sparrow really likes or dislikes, I don't know what criteria Will Turner uses to decide who to cross or double cross, and I can't tell if Elizabeth Swann is in love with anybody. Plus, just when I think that the characters are calming down a bit, there is a plot line introduced surrounding Davy Jones and his former love that was an absolute waste of 30 minutes on film (and frankly if this film were 30 minutes shorter I think most viewers would be just as happy).

I can't say I didn't enjoy it, but in the same way that the new Star Wars episodes couldn't recapture magic onscreen, At World's End represents the final transformation from The Black Pearl, which was a favorite summer film for me, to a carcass no less bloated or insignificant than the beached Kraken...a still somewhat visually impressive shell of what used to be great.

Same to same,

Capt. Patrick Hendry

In My Eyes and Ears

I just finished the novel, Sharpe's Tiger, which was the first in a large series of novels following the adventures of Richard Sharpe, a member of the British Army during the early 1800's. This first adventure follows our hero's instrumental role in the siege of Seringapatam during the British campaign in India during the Napoleonic wars. It is fast paced, seemingly historically accurate, and the character of Sharpe is an enjoyable rogue. The writing style is modern and very easy to read, and the exciting storyline, interesting characters, and well detailed battles make for an excellent summer read.

In the wide world of cinema I recently saw the film Edmund, which I found to be a harder edged Falling Down with William H. Macy replacing Michael Douglas in the lead role. There are some nice dialogues about the unnecessary social games we play and niceties we abide by because we are afraid of how others will perceive us; however, I would have liked to have seen a bit more from the director showing us some hope or suggestion for social change, rather than just showing how our protagonist's anticonformist actions lead him into the most terrible of decisions and situations. Still, the film is worth watching just for Macy's performance.


I also had the chance to finally check out the 1969 best picture Midnight Cowboy. I really liked this film. The performances by John Voigt and Dustin Hoffman were both top notch, and the directing had a lot of surreal moments alongside the bleak hyper-realism that was so popular in the early 1970's. The film is famous for being the only film rated X (although not rated X by today's system) to win the Oscar, and after watching it I do feel that it is one of the more cutting edge films to have won an Oscar. One of those rarer moments when a really good and challenging film gets its due.


And if you are looking for something to massage the ears, I suggest checking out the band I'm From Barcelona. Their album, Let Me Introduce my Friends, plays like adult indie, and the lyrics seem as though they are written about all the things that would be important to you in middle school. The result is pleasant and slightly poppy with a great depth of sound created by the 29 members of the band. Speaking of large bands, I also like the new stuff I am hearing from the Polyphonic Spree...very different than what I had heard from them a few years back. The more I hear the new Bright Eyes album, the more I like it...it has more of a folk influence, which really suits the writing style on this body of work.

Quick Picks:

Blonde Redhead - 23
Kaiser Chiefs - Ruby; Everything is Average Nowadays
I'm From Barcelona - Collection of Stamps
Bright Eyes - If the Brakeman Turns My Way

...and for something with a bit of a beat check out stuff by LCD Soundsystems, or !!!.

This week's single that will not get out of my head: Once and Never Again, by the Long Blondes...I love this woman's voice.

Same to Same,

Capt. Patrick Hendry

An Eyeful of Gore

The other night I watched a great little Japanese gorefest called Meatball Machine. The film plot is roughly summed up thus: aliens are overtaking people and turning them into gruesome cyborgs that fight their battles for them...obviously. The transformation scenes were really well effected (reminiscent at times of some of the stomach-churning scenes in John Carpenter's The Thing) and they climaxed with those crossed discs being forced into the host's eye sockets (see image).

I am not sure that there are any other on-screen mutilations that make me twitch, squirm, grit my teeth, and utter forced exclamations like "Erg!" more than eye damage. Its not that I can't watch effects involving the eyes, but in the massive backlog of decapitations, dismemberments, eviscerations, broken limbs, crushed craniums, pulled teeth, slices, dices, rips, tears, burns, scrapes and peels, it is the eye effects that really stand out and can be quickly recalled. I think this is probably true for most people. Whether it is our aversion to touching our own eyes, the fluid-filled consistency of these organs, or the subliminal horror instilled by the thought of the negative space in our skull an empty socket creates: who can say. The point is, eye mutilations create colorful conversations, so here are what I consider my top five in film:

5) The Terminator - While not the most visually graphic of effects, there is something about Schwarzenegger's unfeeling performance as he cuts out his own eye that reinforces how unstoppable he is supposed to be in this robotic role.

4) Meatball Machine - This is one of those situations where you know what is coming, and you can't help but wonder with morbid curiosity how much will be shown. Well...a lot is. It is the sheer carnage of this effect that I find unique. This effect goes above and beyond a poke or a pop...it is just plain destructive.

3) Zombi 2 - A split door jamb, a pair of zombie hands, and a woman's head are a recipe for disaster in this classic by gore godfather Lucio Fulchi. Like Meatball Machine, it is more about the length of time and inevitability of the outcome that makes this effect a winner.

2) Thriller: A Cruel Picture - The one-eyed heroine of this film, honored by Quentin Tarantino in the Kill Bill duology, does not don the patch from the beginning of the film. The scene where she loses her optical orb is rumored (and confirmed by the film's actress) to have been filmed using a real corpse at a medical institution. The act itself is very fast and tightly cut by the editor, but you inevitably end up watching it over and over trying to decide if it is real or not.

1) Un Chien Andalou - While originally I was going to put this at number four, I bumped it all the way to the top after rewatching it here for the first time in at least five years. Even seeing a lower res clip on the computer I still felt serious tension in my shoulders, I was cringing, and I made two exclamations despite myself. Another situation where reality is more effective than illusion, this surrealist film sliced a cow eyeball for the camera. It feels real...I guess it is real...and after almost eighty years, it hasn't been topped in my opinion.

So if you feel ready to stomach them, put on the Pixies' tune Debaser, hop on Netflix, Youtube or Google video, and start organizing a jaw-dropping/eye-popping film festival for you and your good friends.

Same to same,

Capt. Hendry

An Appeal to Hollywood...Less is More

Is it me, or has Hollywood forgotten how to tell a great story in two hours...or (dare I say it?) a scant hour and a half? There was a time when anything in theaters over 120 minutes had better be pretty epic, and the producers made sure that there was an intermission so that the audience could enjoy the last half of the film without suffering full bladders, stiff knees or sore asses. Some films certainly need some time to condense major amounts of material, and they do it well (I'm looking at you Lord of the Rings); but when did comic book films like Spider-Man start needing more than ninety minutes or even two hours? And why does the original King Kong feel so much larger than life when compared to the monstrous three hour remake? If you've got a lot to say, may I suggest the smaller screen? Television is becoming more cinematic all the time, and here is an example where both film and television can achieve great things with the same material.

As I have mentioned before, I am a big fan of the Horatio Hornblower novels written by C.S. Forester, and I must say that I am also a big fan of the film adaptations that have been made of these stories. Up until last night I had only seen the more recent A&E adaptations starring Ioan Gruffudd, but I finally had the opportunity to watch the earlier adaptation that starred Gregory Peck. It is very rare that I feel an equal amount of enjoyment from two very different versions, but these are both delights. Both adaptations have great acting, and the casting is similar enough that bouncing between these two versions feels really comfortable. Both versions also are adept at capturing the lusty, swashbuckling, seafaring adventure that saturates the novels, while at the same time creating compelling dramatic moments that are inherent in times of political and personal unrest.

There was one major difference between these two adaptations, and that is the amount of material covered versus duration. The version filmed in 1951 is a lesson in screenplay adaptation. In a mere two hours, this film covered the major events of three complete novels. While it obviously could not cram in every detail of Hornblower's adventures, I feel that it really accomplished creating an intriguing storyline, character development and arcing relationships. It was well written, and more importantly, well condensed from the novelization. That is not to say that the A&E versions were not, they were excellent adaptations and the amount of detail that they translate from the novel is outstanding; however, after eight different episodes (each clocking in over an hour) again only three novels are touched upon.

There are two great mediums of delivery out there for your stories...one is film, the other is television. I am perfectly willing to sit and follow one large arcing story over an entire season's worth of television (especially cinematic television like Band of Brothers, Deadwood or Rome), but when I watch my movies I like 'em shorter and sweeter. When I sit to watch a television series, I am ready to give you thirteen or even twenty-six hours of my attention, so take your time and pack in the details; but if you decided to make a film, make it tight and treat each little minute with respect, 'cause once you get by that two hour mark I better still be there for a good reason.

Same to same,

Capt. Patrick Henry

Equinox...more like Equi-Rocks!

If equinox by definition refers to a point in time celestial bodies are in alignment, Equinox the film is the initial alignment of three cinematic powerhouses. Dennis Muren, Jim Danforth, David Allen - If you think you haven't seen any of their work, think again. Star Wars, Raiders of the Lost Ark, The Howling, The Hunger, The Hulk, Jurassic Park...if you've seen any one of these films you are familiar with some of their work. These three men have all been Oscar nominated for their achievements in the realm of special effects; a world that they inherited from special effects pioneers Willis O'Brien and Ray Harryhausen. Equinox is the $6,500 film project that represents the humble origins of these three artists.

That being said, I don't want to mislead you into thinking that Equinox is a polished, jaw-dropping, special effects extravaganza, for it is not. The film caters to a specific taste: it is a classic Lovecraftian tale with our protagonists finding a book of evil that leads them into a world of dark minions threatening their very sanity, and it is a B-movie that many viewers may prefer seeing behind the wisecracking silhouettes of the MST3K cast. Still, the film is a testament to the fact that talent and hard work will get results. There is also something refreshing behind the concept of making an effects dependent film clock in around 90 minutes. Those were the days!

The Criterion Collection DVD of this film contains two version, the 1967 film as made by these young entrepeneurs and the 1970 "polished" theatrical release. I watched the 1970 theatrical release and then went back and checked out the four major effects scenes as they were original cut in the 1967 version...this seemed to work really well. I also highly recommend taking the extra seven minutes to check out the Forrest J. Ackerman interview.

Also, if you are looking for more good times from these three wizards of film, check out the classic camp Flesh Gordon.

Same to same,

Capt. Patrick Hendry

Last King of Scotland

This film was nothing like I expected. I had settled into the fact that this film would be a decent film which was heavily overshadowed by an amazing performance by Forest Whitaker. I figured that it would be heavy and depressing and more a performance piece than anything...I was terribly wrong.

The first half of this film is flat out fun. It is lively, it is funny and Whitaker is charismatic/psychotic. James McAvoy, who was a newcomer to my movie scene, plays his role as the youthful Scottish doctor with a contagious energy that carries the film (and the viewer) joyfully along with such momentum, that I didn't even realize the film had switched gears to a thriller before it was too late. I, like McAvoy's character, had become so embedded in the near Utopian lifestyle that Uganda was providing, that by the time Whitaker's character (the infamous dictator General Idi Amin Dada) starts to really scare me...it is way too late to just duck out.

I am surprised that this didn't get more Picture nominations in such a lackluster year....I really liked.

Same to Same.

Capt. Hendry

Spidey Sense

I went to see Spiderman 3 the other day, here is my take on it. First off, Venom is where the money is in all aspects of this film. Venom, or the oily and sinewy alien symbiote that he originates as, was the big marketing push for this film. Everything is hyping up the dark side of Spiderman and the supercool black suit of his. Knowing that they drew the audience in with this, the filmmakers put the bulk of their effort into the way Venom looks, and it is awesome. Although it relies heavily on CGI, the effects are top notch, and the creature often looks almost as good as a practical effect (something I wish I could say for the Sandman, which looks like recycled footage from Brendan Fraiser's Mummy film in the late 90's - although he is a great character). Also, Tobey Maguire is having more fun that I have ever seen him have on screen as he plays Peter Parker gone bad and his enthusiasm makes for fun onscreen antics. The only real problem with the Venom storyline is that it doesn't kick in for a good hour and twenty minutes into the film.

Although it makes a very early appearance, don't expect the symbiote to be a major factor in the film for awhile. Instead get ready for Mary Jane and Peter figuring out their love life, Harry and Peter figuring out their friendship and of course, Peter figuring out himself. The character development isn't even bad, but the time spent on it is too long for me and a little bit repetitive. I feel like MJ and PP have the same talk three times in the film and Harry and Peter have the same discussion twice.

Still, once the action picks up, the last hour+ of the film is solid summer fare...and, damn, Venom looked good.

Same to same,

Capt. Hendry