Deathgasm (2015) [Fantasia Film Festival]

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FANTASIA FILM FESTIVAL

Horror and metal have gone hand in hand for as long as they both have been around. Many horror movies have metal soundtracks; many metal bands have horror videos. Deathgasm takes this and turns it to 11 as it follows Brodie’s new life after he moves to his aunt and uncle’s house. As Brodie tries to survive at his new school, he makes friends with 2 Dungeons & Dragons players who only get the bullying Brodie receives at the hands of his cousin to become worse. After a period of torment, Brodie finds a music store and there, in the metal section, meets Zakk and the two of them start a metal band and quickly become blood brothers. The duo wanting to have a successful band go looking for the most metal song ever and find it in an old man’s possession which leads to them stealing it and bringing it back to band so they can play it together. However, when they do play it badly with Dion and Giles, instead of getting power and fortune, they awaken a nasty evil and the whole town quickly becomes possessed, except for the quartet and the pretty girl Brodie has his eye on. As the last bastion of humanity, only they can save us all and restore peace in their town. The process is fun and bloody, the film knowing when to amp the comedy and got for full effect.

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Dragon Ball Z: Resurrection “F” (2015)

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“Dragon Ball Z” is back and it’s about as niche as ever! Which is to say that only hardcore fans of the series will love with “Resurrection ‘F’” has to offer them; everyone else will likely just appreciate the animation. It’s a truncated and very fast paced feature length film and one that I quite enjoyed. While I’ve always been hard on the series over the years, “Resurrection ‘F’” was a slimmed down and very breezy action film that reminded me why I was a fan such a long time ago. It also has a really good sense of humor about itself with folks like Piccolo, Krillin, and Gohan settled in their domesticated roles, forced in to combat with a superior foe.

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The Demolisher (2015) [Fantasia Film Festival]

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FANTASIA FILM FESTIVAL

I really do want to see more from Canadian director Gabriel Carrer, mainly because “The Demolisher” brought back waves of Nicholas Winding Refn and Michael Mann with it. “The Demolisher” is a slow burn and really stellar revenge thriller that picks up after an admittedly sluggish first half hour. “The Demolisher” picks up steam and collides in to an all out assault of blood shed, gore, and violence that help to explore the crumbling of a man’s sanity. Evocative of films like “Ms. 45” and “Death Wish,” Carrer channels the idea of trauma and its lasting effects and how it can toy with one man’s idea of justice for his beloved wife.  Continue reading

“Drained World” Pilot

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The apocalypse is the big order for the day, and there’s no sign of entertainment in that sub-genre dying down any time soon. Even Web Series are approaching the sub-genre, and the newest is “Drained World.” Normally I’m rough on web series and demand unique content, and “Drained World” seems to fit my needs so far. The twelve minute pilot is filled with a lot of questions and some healthy ambiguity that I hope gets settled with more episodes in the future.

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Don’t Play with Ghosts (2015)

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It’s always nice to see the beginning of a filmmaker’s career and if “Don’t Play with Ghosts” is any indication, Sydney Hord has a long road ahead of her filled with surprises. “Don’t Play with Ghosts” is a part of a 48 hour film competition with a three and a half minute length, and in that time Hord manages to paint a really spooky picture. It’s a simplistic premise, but one wrought with some interesting twist and turns.

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Dawn (2015)

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“Dawn” is an absolutely devastating film which is belied by its unbelievably vivid visual style of its innocent decade. Director Rose McGowan has a keen directorial sense, delivering one truly dark and vicious short film that is made even more gut wrenching thanks to the eerie performances by the entire cast.

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Darklight (2004)

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It’s not so much that “Darklight” is a terrible movie, it’s just so lackluster. You figure a movie with such prime material for a dark superhero thriller would be fun, or at least campy, but “Darklight” is a lethargic film. I figured it was me the first time I watched this back in 2004, but ten years later, and the film is still so lifeless and lacking in any kind of charisma or charm. Not even the lovely Shiri Appleby seems to be enjoying this role. She plays a mythical female demon cast out of the Garden of Eden for defying men who becomes a superhero in modern times and ends up serving men, anyway. That’s not a good reason to root for a superhero if you ask me.

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