Cruel (2015) [Fantasia Film Festival]

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FANTASIA FILM FESTIVAL

Pierre Tardieu lives a quiet life in Toulouse. He does day labor work and goes home to his ailing father at night. Visits to the book store seem to be his only escape along with reading to his father. That is, besides being a calculated serial killer. Pierre picks his victims randomly to purposefully not establish a pattern. He follows them first, and then brings them home where he feeds them and talks to them for a few days before murdering them. One day, as he goes to the bookstore to buy some notebooks, he meets Laure with whom he eventually falls in love. As their relationship blossoms, the cops are moving in on Pierre, not having any proof but strong suspicions as to his possible involvement in disappearances and murders in the city. Laure supports him through this not knowing all that is involved while working on getting his life better.

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Five Essential Wes Craven Films

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As a hardcore horror fan I cut my teeth on the films of John Carpenter, George Romero, and Wes Craven. They were just the trio of horror masters that were always there from the time I started exploring the horror world, and I always took them for granted as wizards of cinema that would always be there. Sadly our horror icons are mortal, and Wes Craven has passed on. His death will surely rattle the horror world for a long time, and that’s because Craven was an important face of the genre right until his death, and he’ll be important long after he’s died. We can take solace in the fact that Craven affected a ton of people, and will live on forever through his vast and unique library of horror films and thrillers.

True, he’d stumbled on occasion with films like “Shocker,” and “Cursed,” but when he was on point, he’d deliver a horror film that would change the entire genre for a long time. He did so through a ghost faced slasher, a clawed dream demon, and an exploitation film about psychotic hippies. Craven always seemed like such an affable and good spirited individual with a smile permanently plastered on his face. He seemed to enjoy creating horror films that would haunt us and make us think at the same time. It’s a shame we won’t see anything new from Craven anymore, but we can celebrate the diverse output of really interesting and often celebrated horror movies that continue to influence generations. With respect to the legacy of Wes Craven, these are five of his films that are essential viewing for any movie buff interested in horror 101.

Here’s to you, Wes. Thanks for entertaining us, scaring us, and enlightening us. May you rest in peace.

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Regular Show: The Movie (2015)

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There have been very few good things to come out of the new generation of shows from Cartoon Network. One of them is “Regular Show.” It’s a surreal, trippy, funny, and original series that I’ve been a big fan of since it gained acclaim years ago. “Regular Show: The Movie” is basically for the fans that invest a lot in the relationship between Mordecai and Rigby, our two tight knit slacker park workers that can’t be parted, no matter what the future tells them. “Regular Show: The Movie” pays homage to the eighties and nineties in its typical clever and witty fashion, paying nods to classic pop culture of the decades, while unfolding its own very original time traveling tale.

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Cash Only (2015) [Fantasia Film Festival]

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FANTASIA FILM FESTIVAL

Elvis Martini owes money, a lot of money, to a dog-fighting ring running psychopath Dino who has kidnapped his daughter for ransom. Elvis does everything he can to save her as she is all he has following the loss of his wife, her mother. He must find an insanely high amount of money to pay Dino back for stealing the money the madman sees as his that was stashed in one of the tenants’ place in Elvis’ building. The father will stop at absolutely nothing to save his child.

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Turbo Kid (2015) [Fantasia Film Festival]

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FANTASIA FILM FESTIVAL

In a very ‘80s post-apocalyptic world, The Kid is a scavenger surviving on his own gathering goods while out on his BMX and exchanging the finds at the local watering hole. One day, as he’s gone on another of his rides, he meets Apple who is mourning the recent loss of her friend and desperately needs a new one. Apple imprints on The Kid like a baby duck, following him around and insisting on them becoming best of friends. Her insistence and bubbliness gets The Kid to accept her friendship and constant presence in this lonely world. He shows her some of what he knows, including his favorite comic book and his ViewMaster. As they become closer, disaster strikes and Apple is kidnapped by Zeus’ men to be brought to the representation of evil that is Zeus. The Kid must find his inner hero and save his best friend from the clutches of evil and maybe save the world in the process.

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The Walking Dead: The Complete Fifth Season [Blu-Ray/Digital]

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One thing I love about “The Walking Dead” is that when they promise their season will open with a bang, they open with a bang that’s deafening and mind blowing. After season four’s more downbeat opening, season five hits the ground running and wastes absolutely no time exploring the effect the Governor’s raid on Rick’s prison sanctuary has had. After the big raid, every one of the group found themselves scattered all over the country, and desperately looking for safety through the promise of the mysterious Terminus. Much to Rick’s suspicion, Terminus is not the safe haven everyone is hoping for, and he, along with Carl, and Michonne find themselves trapped in a train car with the rest of their group. Meanwhile, Carol and Tyrese are with Judith on their way to Terminus before all roads collide and fate plays yet another hand.

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Bite (2015) [Fantasia Film Festival]

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FANTASIA FILM FESTIVAL

Casey and her two besties go on a bachelorette trip before she is supposed to get hitched to Jared in a short while. This trip is meant to be a last hoorah for Casey before she settles into the married life Jared and his mother have in mind for her. While on her trip, all seems fun but not all is at it seem. During an excursion, Casey gets bitten by an insect but it doesn’t affect her outside of the original bite and its lightly disagreeable side effects. That is until after she returns home and the bit starts to look infected and is painful. As her cold feet toward her marriage grow, so does the infection which eventually brings about changes in her body and her way of life. Soon Casey is cocooning in her apartment filled with translucent eggs and her urges to protect and feed her hive take over.

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