For the first time I have the opportunity to cover the Fantasia International Film Festival in Montreal. Well, sort of. I’m covering it remotely, which is cool in one regard, because, comprised almost entirely of genre movies, it skews right into my wheelhouse. It’s one of the big film festivals I’ve most wanted to check out in my time on this beat, and while I won’t get to be there, boots on the ground, to hang out with a bunch of fine folks in person, I still have the chance to check out a ton of movies I’m rather jazzed to watch.
Because Fantasia is a film festival, and there tends to be
quite a bit of crossover from one fest to the next, I’ve already seen a handful
of these movies. (Also, some of these already received a U.S. release but not a
Canadian one yet, which is how I’ve been able to catch them.)
To do a proper movies-I-want-to-see-at-Fantasia feature
would take way too long—at last count, there were more than 60 titles on my must-see
wish list. I can’t imagine I’ll get to them all. So instead, I’m going to revisit
some of the movies I’ve already seen that, if you have the chance, I think are
worth your time.
Koko-di Koko-da
Maybe not the first Groundhog Day
inspired horror film, but likely the strangest. This Swedish import tracks a pair
of grief-stricken parents on a camping trip who have the misfortune to be repeatedly
terrorized and murdered by a backwoods sideshow performer, his carney cronies,
and their dogs. Twisted and brutal, this one leaves an indelible impression. I
hummed the key song for weeks.
The Gangster, the Cop, the Devil
Director Lee Won-tae throws his hat into the dark, gritty South
Korean crime drama ring with The Gangster, the Cop, the
Devil, about a crime boss and police officer who reluctantly team up
to catch a serial killer. Twisting, turning, and rife with double crosses, it’s
slick and propulsive, and features yet another banger performance from Ma Dong-seok.
The Art of Self-Defense
I admittedly don’t love Riley Stearns’ The Art of
Self-Defense, though I appear to be in the minority with that
opinion. The off-kilter black comedy about a milquetoast man (Jesse Eisenberg),
who falls under the spell of a mysterious Karate sensei (Alessandro Nivola), does
find it groove during the middle portion. While that didn’t save it for me, I’ve
been thoroughly admonished for being wrong by numerous others.
Master Z: Ip Man Legacy
FYI for those unaware, Yuen Woo-ping can stage the hell out
of an action sequence. More a spin-off of the Ip Man saga
than a true sequel, Master Z is a must for martial arts
fans. Max Zhang stands out in the lead role, but considering he throws down with
the likes of Michelle Yeoh and Dave Bautista, via Yuen’s masterful choreography,
it’s all golden.
The Legend of the Stardust Brothers
A long-lost Japanese oddity from the 1980s, The
Legend of the Stardust Brothers watches like A Hard Day’s Night
as seen through the dystopian lens of The Apple. Tracking a
manufactured pop duo, this is banana-pants gonzo insanity of the highest order
that nods to everything from Grease to the French New Wave.
Shadow
Another film I don’t love, but that many others adore, Zhang
Yimou’s Shadow watches like a near-black-and-white wuxia
epic, with shades of Shakespearean power struggle thrown in for good measure.
While it left me a bit cold, there’s no denying the visual acumen in play, and
the result is lovely and grand.
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