Fantastic Fest 2011: Day Four

It has become somewhat comical that I insist on continuing to review these films (the festival ended in September), but still I carry on. In case it's not obvious, I'll be using these posts to wax cinematic about the movies I saw at this year's Fantastic Fest and provide a brief description of each film to give my reviews some context. I plan to write-up the films in the order I watched them and in full disclosure I stole all of the synopses from a number of websites that are not Posterocalypse. By the year 2012 I just might have made it through all eight days. Day four. Go!

SNOWMAN'S LAND (2010)

SYNOPSIS: Walter is a professional killer and has messed up a job. He has to leave the city and takes an offer to protect crime boss Berger's house in a remote region of the Carpathian Mountains. At his side: Walter's old friend Mickey. What seemed to be a nice holiday trip with little work for Walter and Mickey soon becomes a fight for survival for all parties involved.

REVIEW: I almost missed this screening because I woke up late, but I'm SO glad I didn't. The reason I'm so happy about this? Well, Snowman's Land turned out to be one of my favorite films of the festival. The comedy in this thing is at times so subtle and stone-faced that you'll later be thinking to yourself: wait, was that meant to be funny? And if you're a fan of the Coen brothers' existential farces, then Snowman's Land is going to be right up your avenue. Finally, before I finish this mini review I've got to mention one more thing: the music. Holy shit, the music! There's been a lot of great soundtracks this year, but the best in my opinion, has to be Snowman's Land. If you can find the soundtrack or can point me toward the movie's songs, please send me a message or leave a comment. And if you ever get the chance to see this film, do it!

STATUS: Unfortunately, this German masterpiece doesn't look like it'll be coming stateside any time soon. I've even tried less than legal methods and have had no luck in acquiring this movie for future viewing pleasure. I might have to eventually just go the import route and buy myself a region free Blu-ray player. Fingers crossed some American company finds this diamond in the rough and brings it across the pond.

RATING: 5 out of 5

THE SKIN I LIVE IN (2011)

SYNOPSIS: A brilliant plastic surgeon, haunted by past tragedies, creates a type of synthetic skin that withstands any kind of damage. His guinea pig: a mysterious and volatile woman who holds the key to his obsession.

REVIEW: This was by far the better of the two secret screenings. I don't want to ruin anything for those who haven't seen the film yet, so I'll keep my review fairly vague, but I would definitely recommend checking this film out. I chose not to see The Human Centipede II (Full Sequence) during the first night, because it looked and sounded awful. By "awful" I don't mean "woah, that's some really gross stuff brah," my use of the word "awful" is more inline with descriptors like "hackneyed" and "shitty." The reason I bring up The Human Centipede is because, even without having seen it, I can unequivocally tell you that The Skin I Live In is by far the more disturbing and enjoyable film. It's also a return to form for Pedro Almodóvar, who has imbued Skin with both a classically beautiful composition (the film looks stunning), as well as batshit insane characters and a leaves-you-reeling storyline. It's a win-win in my book. Watch this movie ASAP!

STATUS: The Skin I Live In was purchased by Sony Picture Classics and is currently in theaters. DVDs and Blu-rays will be coming out at some point in 2012.

RATING: 5 out of 5

CARRÉ BLANC (2011)

SYNOPSIS: In the future, society's weak are killed and used for meat. Carré Blanc focuses on a couple's struggle to survive amidst an emotionally barren landscape.

REVIEW: This was an absolutely beautiful film. Imagine a world where the national pastime is croquet and a vast faceless totalitarian regime has so brainwashed its citizens that dying during a job interview is expected and seen as completely acceptable. Jean-Baptiste Léonetti's bleak film presents a man and wife attempting to break free of their oppressive surroundings and find the humanity that was beat out of them when they were kids. Mix one part A Clockwork Orange, one part 1984, and one part Brazil, then blend into a fine Orwellian purée and drink. Goes down smooth, doesn't it? Carré Blanc is a wonderful movie, that's gorgeously shot and carries with it some big ideas about love and independence, though at times can test your patience.

STATUS: Carré Blanc has been playing at film festivals around the world. As far as I know, this film has yet to receive distribution in the US.

RATING: 4.5 out of 5

PENUMBRA (2011)

SYNOPSIS: A woman hesitantly rents an apartment to an eerie man who she soon realizes has a part in the solar eclipse that is taking place.

REVIEW: I enjoyed Penumbra, but it's also a film that I feel had a lot of weaknesses. I appreciate what the Bogliano brothers attempted to do, and to a large degree it worked, but ultimately the movie fell flat for much of its second half. They successfully created an uber tense film where every stare and pregnant pause took on multiple meanings and implied grave threats, but when it came down to it, I just didn't care what was going to happen to our protagonist, who, by the way, will forever in my mind be the Argentinian Sarah Michelle Gellar. The film also features a really interesting bit of supernatural backstory that's teased throughout Penumbra's run time, but in my opinion, the story would have been much more interesting if they would have dug deeper into the mythology the film sets up. While I wouldn't recommend rushing to see this film if and when it comes to theaters, I would recommend a rental, because despite the problems I had with Penumbra, it's still very impressive given what had to be a fairly small budget.

STATUS: IFC Midnight has grabbed the rights to Penumbra for US distribution. I don't believe any release details have been officially announced yet.

RATING: 3.5 out of 5

PICK(S) OF THE DAY: Snowman's Land, The Skin I Live In

Fantastic Fest 2011: Day Three

In case it's not obvious, I'll be using these posts to wax cinematic about the movies I saw at this year's Fantastic Fest and provide a brief description of each film to give my reviews some context. I plan to write-up the films in the order I watched them and in full disclosure I stole all of the synopses from a number of websites that are not Posterocalypse. By the year 2012 I just might have made it through all eight days. Day three. Go!

EL INFIERNO (2010)

SYNOPSIS: Benjamin García, Benny, is deported from the United States. Back home and against a bleak picture, Benny gets involved in the narco business, in which he, for the first time in his life, is surrounded by money, women, violence and fun. But he'll soon he'll discover that the criminal life does not always keeps its promises.

REVIEW: I thoroughly enjoyed this film! Imagine Scarface, but in Mexico, and that instead of being a power-hungry drug lord, our "hero" is a much more sympathetic and likable guy. Be warned though, this is a long film, but unlike a lot of people who described the film as overly tiresome, I never felt like I was slogging through anything. While El Infierno (I refuse to call the film by the name the studio arbitrarily chose for its American release) can be all over the place tone-wise, and many may find it a bit long in the tooth, I thought it was a refreshingly honest / tragic / hilarious look at something we only read about in the papers and see on the news. Find this one if you can, it's worth it.

STATUS: As far as I know, this film doesn't have any American distribution. Hopefully we'll at least see a DVD in the near future.

RATING: 5/5 Stars

MELANCHOLIA (2011)

SYNOPSIS: Two sisters find their already strained relationship challenged as a mysterious new planet threatens to collide into the Earth.

REVIEW: I saw this with my girlfriend and she hated it, and I can completely understand why. The only character you really even like in this film has his heart broken and leaves halfway through the movie. It's not a happy film, but then again the move is called Melancholia. It's a film about depression on an apocalyptic scale, and it's painful to watch, but there's also a lot to love here. Melancholia aggressively confronts the viewer with a tragic tale (featuring some strangely hilarious moments), some of the most beautiful photography you'll see all year, and a ton of top-notch performances. Bottom line: Melancholia is a depressing film about depression that will probably depress you, but if you like your cinema challenging and beautiful, than be sure to check out Lars von Trier's latest.

STATUS: Magnolia Pictures has the US distribution rights. The film is currently in theaters and is available via VOD

RATING: 4/5 Stars

AN AMERICAN WEREWOLF IN LONDON (1981)

SYNOPSIS: Two American tourists in Britain are attacked by a werewolf that none of the locals will admit exists.

REVIEW: Not too much to say here. An American Werewolf in London is the greatest werewolf movie ever made. There. Alright, alright, I'll write a little bit more. John Landis' lycanthropic cinema is like sweet, sweet candy for a genre fan. It blends comedy, fantasy, horror, romance, drama and nazi werewolf-demons (a very niche genre) together, creating an altogether magical medley of seemingly disparate elements. In addition to watching this lupine classic on 35mm, the coolest thing about the Fantastic Fest screening was the Q&A with Rick Baker after the film. While a lot of what the special effects master had to say could have just as easily been found in a Blu-ray or DVD supplement it was pretty exciting just to be in the same room with the guy. Oh yeah and we got a poster from the famed Olly Moss. That wasn't too bad either. If you haven't seen this film you're really missing out. Go. See. It. Now.

STATUS: It's on DVD and on Blu-ray. Again, you MUST see this if you haven't already.

RATING: 5/5 Stars (duh)

KNUCKLE (2011)

SYNOPSIS: An epic 12-year journey into the brutal and secretive world of Irish Traveler bare-knuckle fighting. This documentary follows a history of violent feuding between rival clans.

REVIEW: Remember how badass Brad Pitt was in Snatch? Well, Pitt has nothing on these guys. Knuckle follows a few traveling clans of Irish bare knuckle boxers with the majority of its focus on the McDonaghs and the Joyces. It's just insane. As you get deeper and deeper into Knuckle, the fighting becomes secondary as the confusing familial relations between the clans comes to the forefront and shows you just how absurd all the fighting really is and how little it takes to start a clan war. One of the neatest things about seeing Knuckle at Fantastic Fest was that not only was the director, Ian Palmer, there, bare knuckle boxer James Quinn McDonagh was also in house to speak about the film. Go see this one with a quickness.

STATUS: ARC Entertainment (II) and XLrator Media have the US distribution rights. Currently the movie is only playing at film festivals.

RATING: 5/5 Stars

PICK OF THE DAY: Knuckle

Fantastic Fest 2011: Day Two

In case it's not obvious, I'll be using these posts to wax cinematic about the movies I watch and provide a brief description of each film to give my reviews some context. I plan to write-up the films in the order I watch them and in full disclosure I stole all of the synopses from a number of websites that are not Posterocalypse. By the year 2012 I just might have made it through all eight days. Day two. Go!

THE YELLOW SEA (2010)

SYNOPSIS: Gu-nam (Ha Jung-woo) is a cab driver in Yanji City, a Chinese region between North Korea and Russia dominated mostly by Joseonjok, Chinese citizens of Korean ancestry. After going into extreme debt with shady types who smuggle his wife into Korea to work, Gu-nam fears his wife has left him in Yanji for good when he hasn’t heard from her for six months. The opportunity for him to pay off all liabilities comes in the form of an offer from Myung-ga (Kim Yun-seok), a powerful crime boss to whom Gu-nam owes many mahjong gambling losses. Gu-nam accepts but gets far more than he bargained for when his plans go off the rails.

REVIEW: Remember that scene in Oldboy with the hammer? If you've seen the movie then you know exactly what I'm talking about. There's a hammer, a Korean guy named Oh Dae-su, about twenty henchmen and an epic nail-biting (word play!) battle. Well, The Yellow Sea is pretty much that scene multiplied by a hundred. And that my friends is a beautiful, beautiful thing. That's an over simplification of course, there's a really interesting story going on, but I was completely enamored by the intense and relentless action scenes. The director, Hong-jin Na, who also made The Chaser, a brilliant cat-and-mouse revenge thriller, has done it again and created another amazing revenge / chase film. By the way, what gives with Koreans and revenge? They are the masters of that genre!

STATUS: The film is partially funded by Fox International Productions and Fox World Cinema has the US DVD rights.

RATING: 5/5 Stars

HEADHUNTERS (2011)

SYNOPSIS: An accomplished headhunter risks everything to obtain a valuable painting owned by a former mercenary.

REVIEW: I loved this film! Warning: the following sentences are possibly the vaguest spoilers you'll ever read, but I thought I would still give you a heads up (I know how us Internet people can be). Fantastic Fest is filled with so many bleak and depressing films, it's always a breath of fresh air to see a flick that ends on a happy note, and that's exactly what Headhunters does. This is one of those films that I think would appeal to just about everyone; it's got romance, it's got comedy, it's got drama, it's got action, it's got an impaled dog (it's much funnier than it sounds), and lots of blonde Danish and Norwegian people. What's not to like?! Seriously though, this film is paced to perfection and had me on the edge of my seat the entire time. This is another film that I'd recommend catching at any cost!

STATUS: Magnolia Pictures has purchased the North American rights for this film.

RATING: 5/5 Stars

THE CORRIDOR (2010)

SYNOPSIS: Tyler Crawley and his friends have been the best of buddies for more than a decade, but now they're changing - getting married, getting promoted, going bald, going insane. During a male-bonding weekend, they will discover a spectral corridor through the woods - an impossible hallway where none should be.

REVIEW: I enjoyed this film, unfortunately I don't think the production matched the scope of the film's lofty screenplay. I imagine The Corridor had a pretty tiny budget, so I feel kind of guilty for not giving it a higher rating, but I really struggled getting past some of the hokier CGI, make-up (*cough* bald cap *cough*), and occasional overacting. That's not to say I think the film is a failure. It tries some really interesting things, features some incredible gore, and represents another unique genre film from our neighbors to the North.

STATUS: During the Q&A after the screening, producer Mike Masters said that a US distribution detail was in the works, but that nothing was official yet.

RATING: 3.5/5 Stars

BULLHEAD (2011)

SYNOPSIS: The young Limburg cattle farmer Jacky Vanmarsenille is approached by an unscrupulous veterinarian to make a shady deal with a notorious West-Flemish beef trader. But the assassination of a federal policeman, and an unexpected confrontation with a mysterious secret from Jacky's past, set in motion a chain of events with far-reaching consequences.

REVIEW: Holy shit! I can't believe this film is a freshman feature. Bullhead moves forward with such confidence and skill I would have sworn this was the product of a director who'd been making films for several decades. In addition to the amazing direction, the lead in Bullhead was easily the strongest performer to be found at this year's Fantastic Fest. I've read comparisons between Matthias Schoenaerts' Jacky and Tom Hardy's Bronson, and I completely concur. Both of these men are always on the edge of exploding and both roles are completely transformative. To put the final nail in this coffin of fantastic-ness, after the screening I was lucky enough to stay for the Q&A and I'm happy to report that director Michael R. Roskam is one of the most well-spoken, sharpest dudes I've ever heard talk about the art of filmmaking; he's definitely going places. If there's any justice, then this film will receive US theatrical distribution and a worthy DVD / Blu-ray release later this year or next year.

STATUS: Bullhead is Belgium's official Oscar candidate for Best Foreign Language Film. Hopefully it'll make it to the big show!

RATING: 5/5 Stars

NEW KIDS TURBO (2010)

SYNOPSIS: Rikkert, Barrie, Richard, Robbie and Gerrie have fabulous mullets and manlier-than-manly mustaches. They do not, however, have jobs. All of this – hair, more hair, and unemployment – is largely because they are idiots. And not just idiots, but idiots in the classic late ‘80s style, fueled by big hair, fast cars and loud music. Theirs would be unremarkable lives if not for a fateful decision made after being cut off of welfare. If the government won’t give them free money, they simply won’t pay for anything.

REVIEW: This film doesn't just tickle your funny bone, it smashes it to the ground, and then pretends to help it get back on its feet, but instead kicks in in the ribs repeatedly - and that's not necessarily a good thing in my opinion. I blame myself mostly for this one - I went looking for clever in all the wrong places, instead I got New Kids Turbo - a stupid, rude, and slightly boring comedy. It probably didn't help that it was my fifth film of the day. With that said, there were a lot of funny and brilliantly mean-spirited moments of hilarity, but so many of the bits were recycled over and over again the laughs got stale pretty quickly. If you're going to watch this film, watch it with friends, make sure you're awake and have plenty of liquor on hand.

STATUS: Not sure what's going on with this one.

RATING: 3/5 Stars

PICK(S) OF THE DAY: Headhunters, Bullhead

Fantastic Fest 2011: Day One

I've wanted to post this for a while now (way too many of my posts begin with that statement - sorry), but with all the movie watching, drinking and eating it's been nigh impossible to find the time to write it. In case it's not obvious, I'll be using these posts to wax cinematic about the movies I watch and provide a brief description of each film to give my reviews some context. I plan to write-up the films in the order I watch them and in full disclosure I stole all of the synopses from a number of websites that are not Posterocalypse. Day one. Go!

Michael (2011)

SYNOPSIS: A drama focused on five months in the life of pedophile who keeps a 10-year-old boy locked in his basement.

REVIEW: Wow. Just wow. First things first, I've got to give it up to the filmmaker, Markus Schleinzer, for even having the balls to make this movie. One second, I think I'm still catching my breath from the fact that this film was actually made (and played at Cannes, no less). While it's impossible to deny that there are some pretty perverse and taboo elements at play in the film, I enjoyed the hell out of the story and would heartily recommend Michael to others who can get past the initial shock of the premise. Alright, maybe "enjoyed" isn't the correct word, but I was definitely impressed and on edge throughout the entirety of the film and thought the performances were flawless from beginning to end. There's a very, very complex relationship at the heart of this story and while it could have become something preachy or heavy handed, the film goes for a slow burn and rewards the audience for their time. Definitely go see this if you have the chance, but I'd think twice about bring your parents or children.

RATING: 5/5 Stars

Kill Me Please (2010)

SYNOPSIS: A doctor opens a clinic for assisted suicide, but discovers that death prefers to work alone in this pitch black comedy from Belgium.

REVIEW: I loved, loved, loved Man Bites Dog (a must-have Criterion in my opinion), and Kill Me Please features a very similar gallows humor, so this was a pretty easy win for me. I thought the first half of the film, which focused on the idiosyncrasies of the suicidal cast, was a lot more interesting than the second half of the film, in which pretty much every character goes completely insane and lots of people die (though not as quite as expected). If you like your humor black, and your films black and white, then I'd definitely recommend checking this out.

RATING: 4/5 Stars

Polvora Negra (2011)

SYNOPSIS: A man betrayed is hunted and left for dead. Long after, he returns as Castilho Paredes. With scars still deep he is placed in a family dispute to be a pawn as a hired hitman between brothers and sisters for a hefty inheritance that will draw guns and blood. As long as there are bullets, there will be vengeance.

REVIEW: This may not have been the best film, or the second best film of the day, or even the third best, but what it lacks in budget and a cohesive narrative, it more than makes up for in attitude and heart. Polvora Negra manages to combine the stoic coolness of The Man with No Name and the convoluted familial relationships of Gosford Park with neat, if confusing, results. It probably didn't help my understanding of the plot that the subtitles were riddled with misspellings, grammatical errors, and haphazard punctuation. If you speak Portuguese I say go for it, if not, enter at your own risk.

RATING: 2.5 / 5 Stars

House by the Cemetery (1981)

SYNOPSIS: House by the Cemetery is a haunted house movie. The premise is Lovecraft by way of E.C. comics (with a side trip to the butcher shop). When a New York family moves into a suitably creepy New England mansion, strange things begin to happen. There are ghostly children, rabid bats and the diabolical marks of the house's former inhabitant, the evil Dr. Freudstein. Before long, the blood is flowing like a crisp summer Chianti.

REVIEW: Awesome. Just awesome. If you're a fan of crazy 80s horror, or anything by Fulci, then this is a no brainer. The acting is enjoyably atrocious, the kills are horribly gory and cheesy (in equal measure), and the narrative more often than not is nonsensical (seriously, there are so many elements in this film that make NO sense). I had a blast with this film and would totally recommend it for anyone who enjoys the crazy, hilariously blood-drenched work of Lucio Fulci.

RATING: 4/5 Stars

PICK OF THE DAY: Michael