This year was Go,See,Talk’s first time attending Fantastic Fest and I have to say it was everything they said it would be. Since I was only there for 4 days, I missed out on some later week fun like the secret screening of Cloud Atlas (with a supposedly awesome Q&A with the Wachowskis…UGGGG), but there was still lots to see and do and I got a lot of reviews/coverage under my belt. For such a great festival with a huge draw it’s amazing to see how quaint and laid back everything and everyone is. You can easily bump elbows in such small proximity with both filmmakers and actors but also the film…
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[Fantastic Fest Review]…Bring Me the Head of Machine Gun Woman
Yep. That’s really the title and just another reason why this festival has such a large draw and wide appeal, especially for those film fans who want something outside the norm. With Bring Me the Head of Machine Gun Woman, writer/director Ernesto Díaz Espinoza makes a fine addition to the series of Grindhouse films that have popped up in the last decade or so. While some sub-par releases have diluted this fun throwback sub-genre and B-Movie revival, Espinoza, like he has with Mirageman and Mandrill, gives hope for the movement and an example for those who will follow his footsteps. There’s an authenticity that rises above gimmick or fun solely for inebriates, possibly because it’s…
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[Fantastic Fest Recap]…’Drawn and Quartered: Animated Fantastic Fest Shorts’
One of the many fun and surprising events at the 2012 Fantastic Fest are the three short film sessions. The animated shorts series, humorously titled Drawn & Quartered, was a mixed bag to say the least with wildly diverse mediums and surreal subject matter. Out of the 9 or so shown the following 5 were the real standouts for a variety of reasons…most of which were because they didn’t make the audience feel like they were have a bad acid trip (I’m looking at you Bobby Yeah and Follow the Sun…essh!). ————————————————————————————————————————————————— Attack of the Killer Mutant Chickens – Based in India, Mutant Chickens follows a team of expert chicken hunters dealing with…
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[Fantastic Fest Review]…Sinister
From the production team behind Paranormal Activity comes Sinister, easily one of the scariest films since Insidious (which was also produced by the same people). Less of a jump scare factory, Sinister makes its bones with legitimately scary sequences that are mostly reserved. Add to that a tangible family drama and the result is a full-bodied, entirely creepy and moody thriller. Not for the faint of heart, this film has succeeded in impressing some of the harshest horror fans, many of whom call Fantastic Fest home. Ethan Hawke stars as Ellison, father, husband and famous crime novel author. Modeled similar to Capote’s work with “In Cold Blood”, Ellison is a true-crime…
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[Fantastic Fest Review]…Frankenweenie 3D
Tim Burton has created so many fun and wonderful universes over the years. However, it isn’t until now, in the feature length adaptation of his short film of the same name, that Burton takes us to a place he’s rarely let us see – his childhood. Made purely with kids in mind, and as this is a Disney film, Frankenweenie is a heart-warming kid friendly flick full of Burton’s patented frights, fun and his distinctive look. Still slightly odd-ball, he goes a little esoteric and the result is a playful mash up of two things he’s very familiar with; his love of monster movies and the pressures of being an awkward…
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[Fantastic Fest Review]…Antiviral
With this being his first feature film (beyond his two written/directed short films), like his father before him Brandon Cronenberg is no stranger to an odd style of filmmaking. That is to say with Antiviral, despite what Brandon says in the Q&A about not wanting to make a film like his father, the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. Right off the bat, family name not withstanding, Antiviral will be a tough sell for most audiences. Yet, underlying all the weird and macabre elements and a brutally focused performance from Caleb Landry Jones is something brilliant. Like Videodrome, this Cronenberg takes a common societal theme and analyzes it under such scrutiny that the result is a wild exaggeration of celebrity…
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Fantastic Fest Kicks Off This Week! 15 Films G-S-T Is Looking Forward To
Fantastic Fest 2012 kicks off this Thursday in Austin, TX. Dubbed the largest genre film festival in the US it specializes in horror, fantasy, sci-fi, action and just plain fantastic movies from all around the world. If you ever wanted to see really crazy films, this is the place as the features and shorts are bat shit nuts….just have a look at the insanely humorous categorical breakdown of the films. The full schedule has been released and Festival goers will be eager to see the Opening night and closing night films (respectively, Tim Burton’s Frankenweenie 3D and Red Dawn) but the real draw of the Fest are all the oddball films in between. Anyway before I head down…
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Fantastic Fest Announces Final Wave of Film Programming
Next week, the largest genre film festival in the US will kick off in little old Austin TX. Lots of awesome films have already been announced and recently we’ve been teased with some sweet looking short films. Now Fantastic Fest is thrilled to announce the final installment of programming for Fantastic Fest 2012, including the world premiere screening of The Collection. The Fest will take place September 20-27 in Austin, Texas at the Alamo Drafthouse South Lamar. See below for the final wave of films at this year’s festival. ———————————————————————————————————————————————————– AMERICAN MARY (2011) US Premiere Directors – Jen and Sylvia Soska, 95 mins Disillusioned with her chosen profession and perpetually…
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2012 Fantastic Fest Update – RED DAWN World Premiere/Closing Night Film
Well here’s how a festival takes the fun of a film and stretches it into something fans can appreciate. News from FF HQ is that The Wolverines are infiltrating Fantastic Fest to defend all that is good and American! The world premiere of FilmDistrict’s Red Dawn will close Fantastic Fest, on Thursday, September 27, with stars Josh Peck and Adrianne Palicki in attendance. A Korean-invasion-themed party will follow the premiere screening to celebrate the closing night of the festival. If you’re planning to attend you still have time as Fantastic Fest will take place September 20-27 in Austin, Texas at the Alamo Drafthouse South Lamar. Red Dawn stars a Pre-Thor Chris Hemsworth, Josh…
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FANTASTIC FEST Announces Second Wave of Film Programming Including 'Looper' and 'Sinister'
If you are at all familiar with the Austin cinema scene, the Alamo Draft House is a mecca to say the least. Home to a handful of film festivals (SXSW being one of the biggest) the more eclectic but equally high profile event is one Fantastic Fest; also known as the largest genre festival in the US. A melting pot of chills, spill, and kills, this Fest brings out the gore-hounds, midnight movie junkies and foreign film fans alike for 8 days of cinematic awesomeness. So while the fest can feature the likes of The Rza, Elijah Wood, and Nacho Vigalondo singing karaoke (yeah, that actually happened) it’s a pretty big draw for a pretty small Fest. This year…
