Ahoy, squirts! Quint here. All these Fantastic Fest reviews make me feel incredibly lazy. Gotta get my ass in gear! Here's Bungion Boy with a shit-ton of movies to talk about! Enjoy!
Hey Harry, Mori, etc. Bungion Boy here, back in New York after spending a week in Austin at Fantastic Fest. Throughout the week my plan was to write up full reviews of everything I saw, but I was kept very busy, many of the films I saw have already been reviewed, so I thought I would simply talk about the experience in general, and just briefly touch upon some of the films I saw. All I really knew about Fantastic Fest was that it was a “Genre Film Festival.” It seemed most the films that were usually shown there were obscure low budget horror movies and strange martial arts films. Neither of these things I’ve ever really found that appealing. Oh I love a great horror movie, and I even will often enjoy a really bad horror movie, but I have just never considered it to be my top genre of choice. I was so pleased though to discover that I had taken a pretty narrow-minded view of the festival and I quickly realized that there was far more offerings from just about every genre. I’ve been to several festivals over the years and this has got to be one of my favorites. Where else can you see monsters eating babies, people morphing into chairs, and poignant love stories all in the same day? I’ve since developed a newfound for the horror genre, especially after the geekfest that was The Fantastic Feud and the 100 Greatest Kills Party. This was my first time coming to Austin, and I must say that it is a truly awesome city. Being an avid reader of this site, I have seen many events advertised over the yeas that made me wish I lived closer and could go, but it wasn’t until this festival that I finally had a solid reason to attend and no excuse not to go. I was fortunate enough to have co-produced a film that was playing in the festival (“I Think We’re Alone Now,” which is excellent and I urge you all to see it and help it find distribution), so not only did I get to attend as a fan, but I also got to help represent my friend Sean Donnelly’s film. But I’m not writing this up to give a rave review to the film I was associated with, so I’ll get to the rest of the week’s events. The opening night film at the Paramount was “Zack and Miri Make a Porno,” which I think is probably Kevin Smith’s best film since “Chasing Amy.” I have a feeling he might get a lot of accusations of trying to be Judd Apatow with this film, but I think the only reason it has that vibe to it is the casting of Rogan, Banks, and Robinson who have all done Apatow films before and are great with that sort of dialogue. But the film is still vintage Smith. Certainly raunchier than any Apatow film I’ve seen, it provides a lot of laughs, even through its inevitable conclusion, which is predictable but still enjoyable. It’s also the best film Smith has made, technically speaking. The snowy streets of Pittsburg are very well shot and make the film look different from other Smith environments and worlds. I might also add that Jason Mewes has never been better in a role that’s like a more innocent version of Jay. Following the film was the World Air Sex Championship. I expected a bunch of repetitive, clumsy thrusting, but I was quite impressed with how rehearsed and thought out the routines were, my favorite being the lonely crying man making love to a picture of his ex. I’ve been there, buddy. The Danish film “Just Another Love Story” might have been my favorite film of the festival, had it not been for and ending that didn’t know when to stop. The last five minutes of the film seemed to transform from a tight, well told thriller to a ridiculous, dramatic irony. Still, the dark, coma/amnesia, love triangle story was one of the most unique of the festival and was just as much fun as it was disturbing. Of the three short films featured in “Tokyo,” Michel Gondry’s personal and feminine film about a woman with no purpose other than supporting her filmmaker boyfriend was by far my favorite. I also enjoyed Joon-ho Bong’s film about an agoraphobic touched by a pizza delivery girl, although it seemed to lose its way towards the end. However the one that seemed to be everyone’s favorite “Merde,” about a metaphorical sewer monster terrorizing Tokyo, had a great opening but quickly, and then very slowly, turned into allegory that I thought really didn’t have any purpose whatsoever. I think my favorite film of the festival had to be “JCVD.” This delightful fable of action star Jean-Claude Van Damme being thrust into a real life situation straight out of his movies is hilariously funny, but what makes it work so well is that it never really plays like a comedy. It’s grounded in a reality and never goes into the over the top territory of Jean-Claude having to suddenly become the character he’s played in the past. Jean-Claude plays himself as a normal man, reacting to the situation in a way that puts him at little risk, rather than making himself the hero. There is a moment when Jean-Claude breaks the fourth wall, speaks to the camera, and delivers a thoughtful, moving monologue about who he is, versus his image. It’s a great scene, a great performance, and a fantastic movie. Remember on Project Greenlight when John Gulager wanted to cast his entire family in “Feast?” Well he gets his wish in “Feast II: Sloppy Seconds,” brining back his girlfriend, father, and also casting his brother, nephew, and maybe a few more family members I didn’t quite catch. “Feast 2” has some fun moments that I won’t ruin here, but while the first one had a simple classic story of people trying to survive the night, this one really doesn’t have a story (something about getting a key made to break into the sheriff’s station), or many characters that you care about. That last bit is especially bad news because there are barely any deaths in the whole film. I would have enjoyed this film a lot more in a sold out theatre with an audience who was excited for it, but the room seemed to be filled with the same indifference I felt. Maybe “Feast 3” will be better. The best time I had in a theatre all week was at the Shorts of Nacho Vigalondo. I had heard of his feature “Timecrimes” and everyone I know who has seen it says it’s one of the most excitingly original films they’ve ever seen. After seeing these shorts, “Timecrimes” became the film I’m most excited to see this fall. “Choque,” Nacho’s Oscar nominated short, is probably my favorite and can be seen on youtube. It has a killer last line and is certainly his most cinematic, but the joy of this set was that we also got to watch science fiction shorts he shot on VHS over a decade ago. Add Nacho’s running commentary during his vomit outtakes and you have one laugh-filled evening. Do yourself a favor and check out “Code 7” and “7:35 de la Manana” as well. I can’t wait to enjoy what should be a long career for Nacho Vigalondo. I only wish I had a Bat-Ball. The most talked about film at the festival seemed to be “Let the Right One In,” a Swedish horror film about a bullied, young boy who befriends a neighbor girl with… a horrible secret. I didn’t know anything about this film going in, and neither should you. I won’t be the one who ruins it for you. There were many things that could have gone wrong with this story, but it never once takes a wrong turn. I was enthralled throughout, and this is not a genre I’m often excited about. Can’t remember the last time I saw a film of this kind that I loved this much. Beautifully shot and acted. Destined for a remake now apparently. Well that’s a stupid idea. Following the wildness of the Donkey Punch Boat Party I got a bit of a late start on Sunday. But the first film I saw that day was a treat, a small French film named “La Crème.” This is a high concept, simple execution comedy about a down on his luck family man who gets a jar of face cream that when applied makes people treat him like a celebrity. As you can imagine, this is great at first but has consequences later. I really loved this film but thought a few aspects could have been a little tighter. There is a rival for a job in the film that becomes very involved in the plot, but the idea of competing for the job seems to be thrown in and then redundant. The character might have worked better as a friend or neighbor. I hope this film finds distribution and a wider audience. One of the favorites at the festival was “South of Heaven.” This film to me was like a mash up between a Rob Zombie film and a Sam Shepard play. A twisty story of kidnapping, mistaken identity, and psychopathic killers, I alternated between loving and hating this film, but ultimately it won me over. When the story is a little less than original, the style is still exciting. When the style gets a little over the top, the story changes it up and surprised me. Shea Whigham gives a great performance as a friendly, but controlling killer. Shot entirely on what look like theatrical sets, it reminded me of Sam Raimi’s “Crimewave,” only smaller, and therefore better. I have a feeling this film will struggle finding distribution but I’m really glad I saw it and most everyone else seemed to be as well. “Ex-Drummer” drew many comparisons to “Trainspotting” though it’s far more intense and lacking much of the humor of that film, while still having all the drugs and dead babies and loud music. I can’t imagine more disturbing subject matter, being treated more bleakly and noisily. The story involves three handicap members of a band in need of a drummer. The man they hire ultimately makes their already wretched lives even worse, introducing racism, rape, homophobia, and murder into their world. I think most people hated this film. I can’t say I loved it, but my eyes were transfixed on the screen and I could not look away. Certainly an attack on every one of your senses. The last film I saw was “Santos” and I had very mixed emotions about it. A comedy adventure involving comic books, super powers, alternate dimensions, fly-men, and an internet columnist named Harry. Costing very little money, it has a fantastic look to it, with effects done by Troublemaker Studios. Think the color palate of “Spy Kids 3D” and “Speed Racer.” The film is like catnip for movie geeks, but the problem is I can’t quite seeing it appealing to anyone else. My friend sitting next to me was just in hell watching it. I loved the opening but my excitement diminished throughout the film. I’d like to see it again, but I felt it was style over substance, though there was substance there, just not enough. That concluded the festival for me, but I have one final thought. The film-going experience in New York seems to be getting worse and worse. The price is up to $12.50 and I’ve noticed no new services to justify that. I always fear projection problems in these multiplexes because I know I’d have to run through empty corridors to find someone to fix it. How refreshing to visit The Alamo Drafthouse and see a theatre treated with so much respect. Tim League has done a terrific job creating it and I thank him for it and his hospitality all week. I had a fantastic (heh) time and I can’t wait to return. -Bungion Boy
