Fantastic Fest 2016

[Sock Monkey]

Tomorrow we take off for Austin. This year, instead of flying, we are going to drive from California to Texas. I love road trips so I'm looking forward to the driving almost as much as I'm looking forward to the festival.

[Sock Monkey]

The Ghoulish Book Fair will be a mini version of what Max Booth does with Perpetual Motion Machine Press/Ghoulish Books out of San Antonio....should be a great time, always look forward to eventually see the movies trickle down to streaming servicesÂ

Thanks for the info on the book fair! I'm looking forward to checking it out!

[Chuggers]

The Ghoulish Book Fair will be a mini version of what Max Booth does with Perpetual Motion Machine Press/Ghoulish Books out of San Antonio....should be a great time, always look forward to eventually see the movies trickle down to streaming services 

[Sock Monkey]

Well, it is official. The wife and I are heading back to Austin this year for Fantastic Fest! While we've done the virtual festivals that have been offered, it's been three years since we have attended in person. Obviously, COVID was the driving force of that since the in-person festival was cancelled for 2020 and 2021. I enjoyed the virtual festivals--with 2021 being the best year of the three--I have very much missed the experience of attending in person. I normally loathe watching movies in theaters nowadays due to repeated bad experiences with inconsiderate audiences, but seeing films at a festival is a completely different experience as everyone there is actually there for the films. I have included a link below if anybody is interested in perusing the list of films being shown.

I have not seen details yet, but there has been an announcement that during the festival there will be a "ghoulish book fair" and I'm excited to see what that will be.

Also, I have slacked the last two years and have not posted reviews like I have during my previous Fantastic Fest visits, but I am committed to doing reviews again this year.

FF 2023.jpg
http://fantasticfest.com/film-info/film-guide

[Sock Monkey]

The in-person version of Fantastic Fest kicks off later this week, with the FF@HOME component starting next Thursday. Bummed to not be able to attend in person, but look forward to the virtual festival. If anyone's interested here's a link to the films playing this year.

Or I should say that it's a link to the home page of the Fantastic Fest site. For some reason I can't get it to link directly to the film guide page. Anyways, you can find that under the Menu.

[Sock Monkey]

So I completely failed at posting any reviews for the movies I watched via the online portion of the Fantastic Fest film festival. I thought that since I posted a link for this year's, I'd give a quick rundown of my thoughts of 2021's version and the movies I saw.

The big question I had going into last year's virtual festival is what it would be like in comparison to 2020's "Celebration of Fantastic Fest" that was presented due to the cancellation of the in-person festival. I can safely say that 2021's virtual festival was a lot more successful than 2020's. While "Celebration of Fantastic Fest" was a solid first run in 2020, they definitely upped their game in 2021.

First, the breadth of movies were significantly increased. I'm not quite sure how many movies were made available in 2021 versus 2020, but I can say that we were not able to watch everything that was available. On one hand, it was nice to be able to see almost everything in 2020, but on the other hand, there was so much more selection this year that it the viewer was able to pick and choose what they wanted to see.

That brings me to my second point: 2020's festival is best described as a livestream watch party. Movies were scheduled to begin at certain times and if you weren't available during that time to watch it, too bad so sad. 2020's festival also had a chatroom where you could message during the film. While that's an interesting concept, I think that people were messaging more than watching movies. I didn't pay too much attention as I closed that off my screen to watch the films, but it was a topic that was brought up in introductions as the festival progressed. This was eliminated in 2021. Also, how films were made available to watch was much different. New films were uploaded daily and were made available to watch for 48 hours. After the 48 hours expired, they were removed. This was a HUGE improvement. It allowed people to watch the movies at their own convenience and they could pause and rewind as necessary. It also most replicated the feeling of being at the festival as it challenging to be able to watch EVERYTHING so you had to choose what you wanted to see more and maybe not be able to catch something else. That gamble is part of the fun.

The only downside to the 2021 virtual festival is that is missing two things that 2020 and the in-person festival has: the preshow, which is usually a random selection of the weirdest music videos and cheesy scenes from foreign action films. While that might not sound like a lot of fun, it is usually something to chuckle at while chatting with your neighbors until the film rolls. It is very much a fun staple of the experience and sets a fun tone. And, there were no cast and crew interviews after the films. I love this stuff and unfortunately it wasn't available in 2021.

Overall, FF@HOME 2021 was a success. There was some great films and the experience was a lot better than the inaugural year. I'm definitely looking forward to this year's festival!

[Sock Monkey]

If anybody is interested, Fantastic Fest is doing another hybrid festival this year. The virtual festival will run from September 29th through October 4th. Price for the online festival is $175 and will hit at just about $200 after fees and taxes. As we just can't swing the price of going to the physical festival this year (after paying for badges, plane tickets, hotel, and rental car, it winds up being around the $4-5000 mark), I have already secured my badge for the virtual festival.

Here's the link if any is interested:

[dannyboy121070]

Looking forward to your review, SM.

[Sock Monkey]

Fantastic Fest @ Home started on Thursday and I’ve got four movies under my belt so far. Three of which were winners.

I have a full weekend with the wife planned to get through a whole slew of titles. Probably won’t be able to get to posting reviews until after Tuesday.

[Sock Monkey]

[Sock Monkey]

Time to start reviving this thread for another year...

Fantastic Fest 2021 is on! Unfortunately, I shall not be attending. Scheduling with work and the festival doesn't quite line up and still rather unsure how I feel about being that close to so many people in such small places, even as things are beginning to head back towards normal. Ultimately, we decided to take the year off and go back in 2022.

Luckily Fantastic Fest has added an online component to this year's festival, titled "Fantastic Fest @ Home". This will run from September 30th through October 11th and a selection of this year's films, along with films from years past, will be uploaded daily and be available to watch for 48 hours. While this isn't my preferred way of checking out Fantastic Fest, it sure beats missing the entire thing. If anyone else in the US is interested--sorry, it's geo-locked--it will be $106. I've included a link below for more info.

As in years past, I plan on posting reviews of each movie I watch for either your reading or ignoring pleasure.

[Sock Monkey]

Celebration of Fantastic Fest 2020 Day VIII:

The last day of Celebration of Fantastic Fest brought a mixed bag. Up first was another block of shorts, this time horror-themed.

Short Fuse: Like all anthology formats, these short blocks are a mixed bag and this one wasn't any different, though to be fair there were a lot more hits than misses.

• "Abracitos" is a creepy story of two sisters haunted by something in their room. An eerie ghost story with a creepy stinger, this was one of the highlights.
• "Blitzkrieg", a story of a young boy who believes that a whole in his wall is exposing him and his family to a deadly virus, didn't quite work for me.
• "Fish Whiskers" had some of the most believable portrayals of pre-teen girls that I've seen in a long time and the slow creeping dread of the story as it unravels is captivating. Unfortunately, the story ends just when it's getting started leaving the impression of clip excised from a movie rather than a story in and of itself.
• "Heat" was short and sweet and goopy about a sinister ice cream shop. Not my favorite but didn't out-stay its welcome.
• "Milk Teeth" is a Del Toro-esque fairy tale of a young boy in the orphanage that finds wealth if he delivers his teeth to the creature that speaks to him through the drain in the bathroom sink. Creepy and fun with one of the best creature designs.
• "Mime" is about, well, a mime. But this mime has reality-altering powers and a serious crush. Interesting but doesn't quite stick the tonal shifts it attempts.
• "Stuck" is nothing but pure unadulterated wish-fulfillment that's a whole bunch of fun as a pervy man gets exactly what he deserves when he sneaks into a gymnastic studio. One of my favorites.
• "Mourn" has multiple twists and turns as it reveals the story of a therapist trying to help a walk-in client. Doesn't quite hit the mark completely for me, but quite enjoyable.
• "Otttie" was a rare miss. The story about a psychiatrist who has just been informed his most dangerous patient has escaped shows it's hand a little to early, ending with a punchline the viewer sees coming.
• "The Three Men You Meet At Night" feels a little too on-the-nose in our political climate, but is executed with such assuredness that while I'm burnt out on political statements this year, I actually really liked this one.
• The film block ends with "Great Choice" which I've heard fantastic things about as its been touring the festival circuit for a while. Carrie Coon, from The Leftovers and Fargo, plays a woman trapped in a Red Lobster commercial to increasingly comedic and horrific effect, and ends with one of the most emotional and satisfying endings I've seen in a short film in a while. So, so good.

Grade: B+

Bloodthirsty: The festival started with a werewolf film and is ending with a werewolf film. And unfortunately, this one was a complete miss. There is an interesting setup with a pop star whose feeling the pressure of writing her second album chooses to work with a reclusive music producer who might have killed his previous protégé and as her relationship with the producer develops her identity begins to slip and change as she begins to understand who and what she really is. Unfortunately, that setup gives way to the least interesting developments possible. The movie plays it's hand way too early tipping the viewer off in advance as to the dynamics (and the big reveal) while the script saddles the actors with awkward exposition dumps, especially during the climax with a reveal that is rather groan-inducing. I'd be curious as to what the director does next, but this one was a miss.

Grade: D

And with that another year of Fantastic Fest films have been wrapped up. Here's to hopping the world returns to normal in 2021 as I'd love to return to Austin next year.

[Sock Monkey]

Celebration of Fantastic Fest 2020 Day VII:

The Queen of Black Magic: So if you've been reading all these reviews I've been posting you're probably thinking to yourself, "Isn't this a genre festival? Where's the full-out, dialed to 11 horror?" And I would agree with you. We've had some French surreal drama, off-camera werewolf action, bloody psychological horror, some thrillers, but no completely insane horror. Well, wait no more.

If you like the original THE EVIL DEAD, HELLRAISER, and squirmy gross body horror, then THE QUEEN OF BLACK MAGIC is for you.

The set-up is simple: three friends that grew up in an orphanage return with their families to say goodbye to the man who ran the orphanage before he passes away. Once there, long forgotten secrets are uncovered and lots of blood is spilled in the name vengeance. And honestly, there isn't much more to it than that plot-wise, but what the film might lack in character development, it surely makes up in tense creepy chills that erupt in brutal and sometimes downright icky bloodshed that will leave you squirming in your seat. While I'm not a big gore-hound, I did appreciate the creative set-pieces and the sheer willingness of the film to put all characters in jeopardy including kids. Unfortunately, a good chunk of the effects were CGI versus practical and they weren't good enough to bridge that "uncanny valley", taking me out of the film a bit.

While the ending didn't quite hit the mark choosing to go from full-brutal to a little chickening out, it was a fun rollercoaster ride and recommended to those who like their horror on the icky side.

Grade: B

[Sock Monkey]

Ok, so I'm pretty behind on finishing up these reviews...

Celebration of Fantastic Fest 2020 Day VI:

How To Deter A Robber: Over the holiday break, a young woman, along with her dimwitted boyfriend, are placed in the custody of her uncle after becoming suspects in a rash of burglaries in the area. The only way to prove their innocence is to face off against the robbers themselves in this rather light-hearted Home Alone meets Fargo coming-of-age comedy.

I wasn't too enthused when I heard the words "home invasion comedy thriller" combined with Home Alone. As I was never nearly as enamored with the Macauley Culkin movie and have no nostalgia for it whatsoever and I'd already rewatched the similarly described Better Watch Out recently, so I didn't think this movie would do much for me. But since the choices were limited this year and it's free, I threw viewing time caution to the wind and settled in for what wound up being a fluffy little slice of fun.

The film attempts to balance comedy, coming-of-age themes, and a thriller aspect and can't quite nail them all, so settles for the comedy aspect, which is unfortunate because the inability to successfully traverse all three aspects holds the film back and keeps it in the good-but-slightly-forgettable range, rather than in must-see territory. Not that the movie needed to go all The Strangers on us in the third act, but the comedy stays the driving force, undermining any tension that's built up, making the final confrontation with the robbers a little lackluster for thriller fans. What saves the film are the performances. I genuinely enjoyed spending time with the characters even if they were stubborn or grumpy or a stupid and immature. The main characters were likeable and the humor, when it hit, was great. And it was the most FUN I had with one of the films this year, so for me it was more "hit" than "miss".


Grade: B-

[Sock Monkey]

Celebration of Fantastic Fest 2020 Day V:

Drawn And Quartered: I really enjoyed the first block of shorts programming so I thought I'd give the animation shorts a try and for the first couple of shorts, I was enjoying myself. Then my lack of research came back to haunt me. What I stumbled across was "Tomorrow I Will Be Dirt: Scenes From The Afterlife of Lothar Schramm", the authorized sequel to the 1993 German movie, Schramm. The filmmaking of this stop motion animated short is fantastic, but once the movie has a main character mutilating his genitals in explicit detail, I tapped out. I don't mind disturbing content matter, but I got my limits. Suffice to say, I did not finish this block of shorts.

Laughter: A young woman survives a mass execution during a civil war in Quebec and as time has passed, she has found some solace as a nurse, but the tragedies of the past continue to haunt in this surreal and moving drama about death, grief, and life. Fantastic Fest finds these undefinable movies that aren't really genre, but are definitely west of mainstream and for the most part, these movies just hit the sweet spot for me. While I'm not a big fan of the surreal and this movie definitely swerves into the category, failing to provide any real answers to some of the plot points, I just didn't care. The characters are so fully realized, the acting so spot on, and the confidence of the filmmaking so assured that the movie cared me away and quite moved me in spots. The script does like its monologues, but instead of slowing everything down, they felt like a wave of emotion pushing the movie onward. This is the movie, I'm most interested in revisiting.

Grade: B+