Category Archives: Fantasia Film Festival

Suspiria, The Exorcist II, and Story [Fantasia International Film Festival 2017]

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There’s been talk of remaking Suspiria for years. So much so that a lot of what I’m going to mention here are thoughts that have been bouncing around in my head for over a decade. The latest attempt at a remake, and the one most likely to happen, is supposed to star Dakota Johnson and Tilda Swinton, have music by Thom Yorke, and be directed by Luca Guadagnino. All of whom are above average artists in their respective fields. So I wish this attempt well and I genuinely hope it succeeds.

At the same time, I think it’ll fail.

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Tilt (2017) [Fantasia International Film Festival 2017]

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Kasra Farahani’s “Tilt” is a compelling and sometimes spellbinding dramatic thriller about the American dream and the ideas about fulfillment and freedom. Set amongst the backdrop of the turbulent election that gave the Presidential seat to a wealthy and very loud mogul, “Tilt” is a sharp and often disturbing look at the disintegration of a man. “Tilt” is fairly simplistic but rich in substance as it depicts America as something of a stagnant pool where freedom reigns but nothing ever changes. Joseph Cross’s performance as a self important filmmaker and struggling artist is astounding, as he injects layers of frustration and anger at a world that he never fully comprehends.

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Fantasia International Film Festival 2016 Wrap-Up

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fantasia-2016This year’s edition of Fantasia was their 20th, having missed only three or four, I was eager to attend this anniversary year.  As usual since moving from Montreal to Southern California, I was only able to attend for a short period, so I made sure to enjoy it as much as possible, making it a point to see films with a crowd and going to the official festival pub while attending the same week as the market and a few friends. I also made a point to see as many movies as possible, seeing a grand total of 28 films for which the reviews can be found at the below this piece (before the list of winners).

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She’s Allergic to Cats (2016) [Fantasia International Film Festival 2016]

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allergictocatsLife is hard in Hollywood for a budding filmmaker who works as a dog groomer to make ends meet.  As he struggles to survive and get his career going, Mike Pinkney daydreams and makes experimental videos and meets the girl of his dreams.  As he tries to get his future to be good, he struggles through work, with his dreams, with his rat infested apartment, his landlord, and his possible relationship.

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Let Me Make You a Martyr (2016) [Fantasia International Film Festival 2016]

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martyrThe official plot for Let Me Make You a Martyr is “[a] cerebral revenge film about two adopted siblings who fall in love and hatch a plan to kill their abusive father.” (IMDB.com)  Watching the film, the plot doesn’t seem that simple.  Multiple people plot to have another killed while living difficult lives as best they can, some trying to do some good at the same time.

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Atmo HorrorX (2016) [Fantasia International Film Festival]

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atmohorrorxThis review must start with a warning: Even though this reviewer watched this movie attentively, getting any of it was very, very difficult; if not nary impossible, so external information sources had to be sought, mainly from IMDB and the Fantasia program book.  That being said, let’s start with its official summary on IMDB: “Through a surreal chase of spying, Catafuse, a dubiously dressed creature, hunts humans with the help of Molosstrap.  But in a world ruled by the pharma industry, reality becomes so complex, that the mastering of insanity might just be the only way out.”

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Bed of the Dead (2016) [Fantasia International Film Festival 2016]

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bedofthedeadTwo couples in their twenties book a room with a particularly big bed at a sex club, to explore some options for one of the guys’ birthday.  Once on the bed, it becomes clear that supernatural forces are at play as they start hallucinating and being picked off one by one.  A cop investigating the aftermath discovers more than he expected and is pulled into the situation deeper than he planned.

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