Harry arrives in Sitges and discovers the world of Catalonia! MMMmmm Goood!

Hola mis companeros, Harry esta aqui! That's right, Harry here in Sitges getting ready to dive head first into a festival that I'm dying to get into. I've never been to a film festival where everything showing is aimed directly at my primary interest which lies in Genre Filmmaking. I just got my hands on their amazing full color programming and I've been given a rundown on my duties here... BOY am I going to be busy here!

This is my first time to be a judge at a European Film Festival, but I'm eager to get going on this, because unlike the Las Vegas Film Festival that I judged at earlier today... Here I get to choose between favorite children so to speak.

I'm judging the FANTASTIC FILM selection here at Sitges. Here's a rundown of the films in competition that I'll be discussing amongst my fellow judges (whom I've yet to meet).

First up is ASESINO EN SERIO. This is directed by Antonio Urrutia, who has formed a relationship in filmmaking with Guillermo Del Toro, who produced this film. The movie features the acting god known as Santiago Segura (you must see his amazing film with Alex de la Iglesia called Dia De La Bestia aka DAY OF THE BEAST!!!). The film is reportedly about an investigation of some serial killings in which the female victims are all found with the look of orgasmic bliss frozen to their dead faces. Ok... I'm there!

Then there is CABIN FEVER. If you've been watching and reading AICN recently then you're probably fired up to see this baby. The debut film of Eli Roth, who was a former researcher with David Lynch and helped him with his Web Shorts. The film was picked up by LIONS GATE in the largest and most lucrative deal garnered from the TORONTO FILM FESTIVAL earlier this year. As Quint told us, there's lots of boobies and gore in this story of teenage sex and the Flesh Eating Virus!!! Mmmmm sounds good!

Next is Vincenzo Natali's second feature film, his first was the wonderful movie CUBE, called CYPHER. Apparently a bit of a science fiction spy, hallucinatory brainwashing warped experience. It features Jeremy Northam, Lucy Liu and many others. I'm very curious about this film from a director of quite some promise!

DARKNESS - A new film from the Fantastic Factory - the Brian Yuzna genre filmmaking unit based out of Spain. Jaume Balaguero made the quite solid first film, THE NAMELESS back in 99, and this is his second feature film, which has Anna Paquin, Lena Olin and Giancarlo Giannini as the three primaries that I know. I see this in about 3 hours and will be my first film of the festival. It has been picked up by DIMENSION FILMS for U.S. distribution.

Perhaps the most intriguing film for me here is DEATHWATCH. It is the debut film from British Filmmaker Michael J Bassett. Why am I intrigued by a debut film of which I know next to nothing? Well the movie is a German/British co-production horror film that takes place in the trenches of World War 1. I can not wait to see this film. The director says in the program that he confesses a debt to THE HAUNTING, ALIEN and THE THING.... ahem... It also features Andy Serkis (Gollum) and I'm very very jonesed to be seeing this at its premiere!

There is no way on Earth that I wouldn't be excited about a new film by the director of IRMA VEP. Olivier Assayas has a new film here called DEMONLOVER about two companies attempting to gain control over a new Manga/Porno/3D Video thing. It has Connie Nielsen, Chloe Sevigny and Gina Gershon... Along with a selection of French talent. We'll see.

Next is the second directorial effort from one of Verhoeven's wonderful Dutch actors, Jeroen Krabbe. THE DISCOVERY OF HEAVEN is a Dutch film that apparently defies description according to the program. Hmmmm... We'll see about that. Heheheh.

DOG SOLDIERS - the film most needing of theatrical distribution in the United States... sigh... Too British my ass... This is one of the best genre films I've seen this year, and I'll definitely see this one again!

DRACULA: PAGES FROM A VIRGIN'S DIARY I don't really know what to think of in advance. Directed by Guy Maddin from Canada, the black & white images seem like high camp in the program. It is described as being a film ballet version of DRACULA. And is apparently shot in a Silent Film Style. I can't wait.

I skipped seeing this in the United States, but I won't be able to miss it here. FEARDOTCOM, the second film from that guy that made the remake of THE HOUSE ON HAUNTED HILL, which I loathed. I'll go, I'm hoping to be surprised, but I just don't know.

I really can't believe that I'm at a film festival where I sit in judgement over the new Brian De Palma film. I am an unabashed lover of De Palma's work and feel that one's love of his films is a dividing line between the pretensious film elite and those that just plain love movies. De Palma's films are a celebration of filmmaking and I can not wait to see his return to the genre I love to see him working in.

I'm dying to see the Pang Brothers' lates film, THE EYE. Tom Cruise bought the rights to remake the film, but I've heard such sterling things about this horror film, and when I talked to the festival director earlier and mentioned my eagerness to see it, he became very serious and said to me, "That is a very scary film!" AMEN! Give me my seat!

DARK WATER is the latest film by the genius behind THE RING trilogy which I just love. Hideo Nakata may very well be the best horror filmmaker working today, and I know that is a highly arguable statement, but his mixture of atmosphere, surrealism and geniune creeps delights me personally to no end. I eagerly await his latest.

That guy... whatshisname... Moriarty once told me when we were still talking that MAY was a wonderful genre movie. The film played very well at Sundance and I've been wanting to see this for quite some time.

The third new British Genre film of this section is Marc Evans' MY LITTLE EYE, which has recently been picking up quite a bit of buzz. I enjoyed his RESURRECTION MAN back in 1998 and am very happy to see this new trend in British Horror.

I'm not familiar with the works of Javier Elorrieta, but he's apparently been doing genre films for quite some time now. Well his latest is called PACTO DE BRUJAS. I have no idea what to expect with this movie.

The next two are huge American productions. RED DRAGON and REIGN OF FIRE - One is about dragons and the other is... well you know. Brett Ratner's film is getting lavish praise by quite a few of the folks that have seen it thus far, and REIGN OF FIRE is one of my personal fetish films I've seen this year.

From Japan comes the latest film from Shinya Tsukamoto, the filmmaker behind TETSUO and TOKYO FIST. That's enough. It is a film that seems to be about sexual repression and the unleashing of it. Should be fascinating. It is shot in black & white by Shinya... I'm so there.

From Russia comes one of the key accomplishments in 2002. A 90 minute film all in one continuous shot. A time travel film that has stunned critics since its debut at Cannes and again at Toronto. In the tradition of ROPE... Hmmmm... RUSSIAN ARK will definitely be an experience.

Here's another debut film, this time by Spanish filmmaker Paco Plaza. EL SEGUNDO NOMBRE. The description in the program is intriguing, but the picture of two filthy hands bound by some sort of wire is quite a striking image. I always root for debut filmmakers.

Now here's a major problem. They've put SPIRITED AWAY in the competition. Personally I feel that is unfair and I can't imagine seeing a better film at the festival than Miyazaki's latest work of brilliance. Though I hope!

Ok, if being a judge over a Brian De Palma film wasn't enough pressure... Also being a judge over David Cronenberg's latest... well it is enough to send my brain into an endless series of "DOES NOT COMPUTE" statements all day long. Sigh... This is going to be a very hard selection to choose between.

You're either a Matthew Bright fan or not. His first two films, FREEWAY and CONFESSIONS OF A TRICKBABY are the exact sort of exploitation joy I love and eat with carmel and popcorn. His latest is based not on a fairy tale, but a grim bit of reality... TED BUNDY. I'm actually a bit scared of this film.

Next is TRECE CAMPANADAS - a ghost story from Xavier Villaverde. It is another Spanish film, and I'm very curious to see it. The Spanish Genre film world has been exceptionally strong as of late.

LA VIE NOUVELLE by Philippe Grandrieux... the film seems to be a take on the ol decent into a level of hell genre. I'm curious to see how this comes out.

Then I find myself sitting in judgement over tons and tons of genre short films. And this doesn't even include the other films I'll be seeing. Tons and tons and tons of stuff here. Over 350 feature films. Hhehehehehe, oh boy oh boy oh boy... I'm gonna go loopy in love. Vin Diesel arrived just a while ago, and Anthony Hopkins will be here in 2 weeks.

OOOOoooOOooooh, and the Food. My god, the food. I'll return twice the man I've been. This is great. Buffets of Catalonian Delights, nude beaches and 2 weeks of genre film bliss along the Spanish Riviera. Nobody deserves to be this lucky. I'll write later tonight with my thoughts on DARKNESS and Tsui Harks' ZU WARRIORS! Hasta la vista los ninos!

Also, Father Geek and I are staying at Meliá Gran Sitges Hotel -- With the International Phone Number : Tel: Int + 34 93 811 08 11 Call and lets get together for some drinks and tapas...