In the rural village of Tumbbad, young Vinayak has heard the stories of an ancient fortune held by his family for years, but is warned against attempting to attain the treasure lest he fall victim to the demon who guards it. He instead cares for his great-grandmother, a decrepit crone who must remain sated or her appetites might just claim them all. When she dies and he inherits the treasures housed inside a decaying estate, Vinayak discovers that they are not exactly what he expected, but instead an endless bounty protected by a vengeful and ravenous fallen god. While at Fantastic Fest 2018, we sat down with writer-director Adesh Prasad…
-
-
[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…
-
[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…
-
[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…
-
[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.…
-
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.…
-
[DIFF Video Interview]…Matt Schrader Screens ‘SCORE: A Film Music Documentary’ at the Dallas International Film Festival
The 2017 Dallas International Film Festival brought many amazing films and documentaries to DFW, but few hit as close to home (musically speaking) as Matt Schrader‘s feature, SCORE: A Film Music Documentary. Schrader’s film profiles various personalities and titans in the industry to chronicle the history of film music, reaffirm its importance in our culture, and attempt to explain why certain scores continue to resonate decades later. I can honestly say I’ve been a music fan longer than I’ve been a film fan, and as such, forgive the pun, this doc was music to my ears. We spoke to Schrader in 2015 while he was in the middle of interviewing the composers for…
-
Video Interview…Nacho Vigalondo On the Large and Small Themes of ‘Colossal’
For years, Fantastic Fest has been a venue for independent and auteur filmmakers to showcase their latest features. 2016 was no different, as we saw stellar debut efforts from some talented directors (Nicolas Pesce for instance) and welcomed back friends of the Fest. Chief among them is a genre filmmaker so famous and beloved, he has been dubbed the unofficial mascot of Fantastic Fest. I’m not sure that anyone ever sets out to be a “mascot”, but Nacho Vigalondo is happy to oblige…he’s even gotten two themed tattoos while at the Fest if that tells you anything. Vigalondo’s style has endeared himself to many a genre fan, but he’s also…
-
Video Interview…Tim Burton Talks Music and Creativity in ‘Miss Peregrine’s Home For Peculiar Children’ at Fantastic Fest
In the days before the theatrical release of Miss Peregrine’s Home For Peculiar Children, we interviewed director Tim Burton on the red carpet at Fantastic Fest. While this was far from the definitive interview we would have liked to have with such a visionary filmmaker, Burton is the eccentric genius of our time so we were happy to get just a few moments with him. We talked, briefly, about working with composers Michael Higham and Matthew Margeson, advice for finding your own way creatively, and Tim’s favorite scenes from movies. Enjoy! Miss Peregrine’s Home For Peculiar Children is directed by Tim Burton, and stars Asa Butterfield, Eva Green, Judi Dench,…
-
[Fantastic Fest Review]…Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children
Tim Burton provides such a distinct look, feel, and texture to every one of his films — regardless of how you might feel about them — that he’s very much a genre unto himself. Taking a heavy influence from landmark German Expressionist films, he’s pioneering this generation’s brand of wacky, dark-tinged cinema as his creations have danced across the screen for more than a quarter of a century. Yet, as we’ve seen in his recent efforts, a little too much creative freedom — as in all of it — can yield the most unwieldy or disastrous of narratives. For his latest effort, Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children, the eccentric director gets to do what he…
