Over the years, Rich Moore and Phil Johnston have carved out a niche for themselves telling message stories. Wreck-It Ralph touted not messing with the programming (translation: be happy being yourself!), and “going Turbo” meant you were a danger to others. Brief recap is that game-jumping is a selfish quest which puts many lives on the line. Break the game, game unplugged, game over. Everyone loses. In the sequel, the eponymous Ralph breaks the internet. However, this is really Vanellope’s movie – our lovable 8-bit “bad guy” is the catalyst but this more mature story (which caters to fans of the first film who have also grown up in the past six years)…
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[Fantastic Fest 2018]…Quick Take Reviews: The Quake, Overlord, Werewolf, Piercing, Starfish, and The Standoff at Sparrow Creek
Fantastic Fest 2018 was one for the books. A blur of films, fun, and memorable experiences, it was the best 84 hours I’ve spent at a film festival yet. My time in Austin was limited, but I got a lot done: I saw eleven films, wrote four full reviews and sat for three interviews. The “quick takes” below are capsule reviews for a bite-size run down. Covering a festival means you have to split your time and put focus on what you feel is important and worthwhile. The brevity of each of these does not mean they aren’t worth seeking out. They totally are. I mean, if I didn’t like…
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[Fantastic Fest Review]…Level 16
In Level 16, director Danishka Esterhazy offers a lot of pointed social commentary in her film about a group young women being prepared for adulthood. There’s a gripping surface-level narrative unfolding, but beyond the literal plot points, Esterhazy also presents the audience with lots more to ponder. The film finds the above-mentioned adolescent females being raised in a questionable institution. You can’t call it a school, because there are no windows, odd concepts of time, and the girls have little to no knowledge of the world. From frame one, there’s something or rotten in Denmark, or what seems like the former Soviet Union. The girls just don’t know what they…
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[Fantastic Fest Review]…The Perfection
From director Richard Shepard (Dom Hemingway, The Matador) comes a psychological horror film that feels extremely current yet also exists as a throwback. In the film, a former cello prodigy (Allison Williams) seeks out both her mentor (Steven Weber) and his new star pupil (Logan Browning) with enigmatic intent in this twisty and undeniably warped nail-biter. But this is far from a straight-forward thriller. One of the reasons is Shepard who really likes breaking up a story into distinct chapters and, in the case of The Perfection, the story is all about misdirection. He is somewhat able to explore different genres in tandem with the main plot. The result of…
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[Fantastic Fest Review]…An Evening With Beverly Luff Linn
Director Jim Hosking, and co-writer David Wike craft a surreal experience in the form of An Evening With Beverly Luff Linn. From the start, it’s an odd movie, and one that feels like you’re watching alien lifeforms try to emulate humans. But it is hilarious! It’s an exercise in stretching a joke, and that’s what Hosking does so well. He also takes what’s real and morphs it just enough to turn actors, every one of them, into cartoons. For instance, Emile Hirsch‘s delivery always ends in overlong stares, or strained, exaggerated smiles. And in a few sequences, he believes that by donning a blond pixie-cut wig (meant for a girl) and…
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[Fantastic Fest Review]…You Might Be the Killer
On Thursday, September 20, David Gordon Green’s Halloween kicked off Fantastic Fest 2018. While that was a very fitting way to start one of the world’s largest genre film festivals, it wasn’t the first feature I saw this year (thank you press screening room!). And, truth be told, You Might Be the Killer is actually a film better suited to usher in the 14th year of this glorious festival. It’s more representative of what a genre film is, and one that has been lovingly constructed by cherry-picking elements of seminal slashers to offer something funny, fresh, reverent and thoroughly enjoyable. And it’s all based on this brilliant Twitter exchange between Sam Sykes and Chuck Wendig.…
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G-S-T Review…KIN
As cinemas and studios close the books on Summer, it’s a good bet film fans weren’t expecting many more wows on the big screen. Well, if you need a surefire thrill-ride, look no further than Lionsgate’s Kin – the feature-length debut from Australian born, Los Angeles-based directors Jonathan & Josh Baker. The duo craft their first narrative feature, Kin, based on their 2014 sci-fi short, “Bag Man” (check it out here). They already have accomplished careers in marketing/advertising (and the film is full of beautifully gritty shots they no doubt honed in the last 15 years), but I’m positive they’re going to take off. A lot can be said for these artists making…
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G-S-T Review…Solo: A Star Wars Story
A long time ago, as the story goes, there was a scruffy-looking space smuggler. Well, this story is about that beloved scoundrel, only younger and he had yet to herd nerfs. So goes Solo: A Star Wars Story. Aside from being a film people may have wanted (but audiences didn’t need), you might have heard stories about directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller leaving the project (from a script by Lawrence and Jonathan Kasdan) and Ron Howard coming aboard. Yup, creative changes certainly abound when putting together a Star Wars story these days. The good news is that the film is steeped in reverence, and a lot of fun. And more…
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G-S-T Review…Avengers: Infinity War
It may sound incredibly trite and unoriginal to state this, but Avengers: Infinity War is the best Marvel movie to date. It’s an accurate statement to describe an event ten years in the making, and you’re likely to see top film critics quote something similar in trailers and ads after the film’s release. Like the events in the story, the success of Infinity War is a team effort for which you can credit the studio, the producers, and the directors they trust with these dense narratives to ensure that each new story will top the previous effort. Each of these characters has grown in the last decade, and you really can…
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G-S-T Review…Ready Player One
Sometimes, movies and stories speak to us on a level that is hard to comprehend or even put into words. Cinematic experiences can dazzle and inspire or, on the contrary, confound and confuse us. But if done well, the trip is worth taking again and again. To some it’s art, to others it’s escapism, but a break from reality is one thing – the desire to live in that reality is quite another. So enter Steven Spielberg whose resume reads largely of some of the finest and impacting films in cinema history. Some of his films are so cherished and captivating that fans would do anything be ‘in’ right along…
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G-S-T Review…The Osiris Child: Science Fiction Volume One
Editor’s Note: This review has been republished. It originally posted with the rest of our reviews and coverage at Fantastic Fest last September. Seemingly from outer space (Australia, really) comes The Osiris Child: Science Fiction Volume One. This lost ’80s era space opera is a breath of fresh air that comes at a time when one doesn’t see this kind of film too often. Furthermore, it’s not of the post-apocalyptic variety, which also adds a refreshing angle. What starts as a slow build, Shane Abbess‘ stellar and ambitious sci-fi gem quickly picks up speed and never looks back. Abbess’ feature has many strengths, and right out of the gates the visuals simply sing with a slick and refined production design.…
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G-S-T Review…Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
After four decades, it’s possible that some Star Wars fans probably didn’t expect significant new yarns could be spun in the universe they love so much. Well, with Rogue One, Gareth Edwards and company crafted the mother of all lead-ins to that tale which took place a long time ago. That’s right. In case you hadn’t heard, Rogue One happens right before Episode IV. So it’s a really bold move leaning a modern story up against the crawl that started it all. While the prequels are something that (increasingly, and over time) many fans wish hadn’t happened, there are some redeeming elements to those films. As such, Rogue One serves…
