Fantasia 2018 starts this week! This week!
Kermit arm flailing time, it’s time to get excited and get deciding on what to see. OMG So. Many. Movies. I mean I want to see it all! But this year I cannot go for all the fest, but only a few days, so I will have to make choices, but not just yet, as right now is time to dream. Dream of what I want to see, not just what I can see. Here is, in a totally not scientific way, but a nerdtastic way, the films that have me muppeting all over the place.
Gaston Lagaffe
Growing up, I read those comics religiously. Well, as religiously as one could with access to the books every other weekend and a little sister that read them too. Growing up Lagaffe means this one hits home. It’s either going to be awesome (a la Asterix et Obelix: Mission Cleopatre) or aweful (like that Iznogoud movie they made, I didn’t make it past the trailer to be honest). I have high hopes for Lagaffe and please, please, please, let it be good!
Cold Skin
From the man behind Frontière(s), this one has had my attention since a friend brought it up (before I could see anything about it being made) and I nerded. I love Frontière(s) and I cannot wait to see this one. Hoping it’s great, giving it a lot of room to be, I avoided trailers and most articles about it to keep it as surprising as can be. For those who cannot do that, the festival page above has details, info, photos. It’s been a must see for me for a while, it should be on the list of any Gens fan.
Summer of ’84
Not sure if I’ll be able to catch this in any way shape or form, but I sure will try. It’s the new one from RKSS, the peeps behind Turbo Kid and that has been all kinds of wanting to see it. My love for Turbo Kid is something everyone who’s been to my place or hung out with me in any way, shape, or form knows about. It’s a favorite and one that is on the rotation regularly. New work for the same team, no matter how different this one is, I want to see it. So bad. I have high hopes for this one from 3 amazingly talented people who grew up on a steady diet of Fantasia, just like this reviewer.
Knuckleball
Michael Ironside. That should be enough to see it really. But it’s also a film that looks promising and amazing from the talent involved to the story; it looks right up my alley and should be for just about any other Fantasia regular. The promise of something spine chilling helps of course, as well as knowing it’s from a Fantasia veteran director, Mike Peterson, who seems to have a knack for the odd and unusual.
Fleuve Noir
Having seen Vincent Cassel as a cop before in a the fun Les Rivières Pourpres and loving everything he’s been involved with since and before, from Le Pacte des Loups to La Belle et La Bête to Dobermann to Les Lascars etc, everything he’s been in has been great or fun or both. This one is on the more serious side, so hoping for a more serious turn from Cassel, with the level of acting he can bring (think Mesrine, Sur Mes Lèvres, …), this should be fantastic. Director Erick Zonca has some interesting credits to his name, so this makes it a must-see for this film nerd.
La Quinceañera
From favorite newer female horror director Gigi Saul Guerrero, La Quinceañera follows a teen girl and her abuelita has they take matters into their own hands after her quinceañera was attacked by a cartel. Knowing La Muñeca Del Terror’s work, this one should be fun and plenty bloody. It’s a series-type thing, so with more to come, now is the time to get on this train.
The Ranger
A project that came to be after Frontière, the film market at Fantasia a few years ago, directed by Jenn Wexler, edited by Abby Killheffer, and produced by the always badass Heather Buckley. This one has been on my radar for as long as it’s been in production and is a definitely must see for the talent involved and for the story as it involved punks in the woods and a crazed ranger. The punks here are not going to be manufactured Hollywood fakes given the pedigree of those behind the scenes and the music will be on point. From the early word to the screenings that have happened, it’s supposed to be a great and fun film.
Nightmare Cinema
Like holy cow! Seriously, look at that talent: Mick Garris, Joe Dante, Alejandro Brugués, Ryûhei Kitamura, Sandra Becerril, Mike Mendez, David Slade, Mickey Rourke, etc, Nightmare Cinema has to rule. It just has. It looks amazing and with that kind of talent behind the scenes so let’s hope the sum of all their work becomes an instant classic added to the anthology genre. This is one I want to see blind, so talent and title are all I have looked up. If you want more information, check out the link above.
Tales from the Hood 2
Speaking of anthologies, this sequel is one that came out of left field when it was announced and looks amazing. I mean come on! It’s a sequel to Tales from the Hood! That film is so much fun. It’s not perfect, but it’s fun. So I’m hoping for exactly that here, fun. Some of the original talent is back, including key players, it should be. I’ll see it as soon as I can, if not at the fest, I’ll be on the lookout for a screening in California.
Born of Woman 2018
Last year’s Born of Woman shorts program was fantastic and filled with interesting shorts from a talented bunch of women, so of course it makes sense to believe this year’s should be at least as good if not better. This year’s selections include films by Ida Joglar, Manon Alirol and Léo Hardt, Marie Dvorakova, Chelsea Lupkin, Jiwon Moon, Faye Jackson, Hanna Bergholm, and Kate Dolan. Their films all give the impression of being worth a look individually, so together they should create one strong collection.
So, with that, check back here on Cinema Crazed for more Fantasia 2018 coverage as the festival runs from July 12th to August 2nd, 2018.
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