Director and co-writer Gabriel Carrer’s vigilante thriller film “The Demolisher” is one of the highlights of my coverage of Fantasia Fest back in 2015. While the plot points here and there are sloppily constructed, “The Demolisher” is an overall very good and strong tale about grief, sadness, and delusion that can stem from ones own guilt, in the end. While Gabriel Carrer’s film struggles to find its pacing and momentum in the first half hour, “The Demolisher” does inevitably pick up steam to build in to one hell of an interesting revenge thriller.
Tag Archives: Indie Film
Leslie (2016)
It’s really striking how well director Alejandro Montoya Marin understands the experience of being an artist, most of all a starving artist. You feel something of a fire in your belly to express yourself and show the world how much you can give to them in the way of art, and sometimes it’s so difficult to get by. Alejandro Montoya Marin’s is a pretty remarkable short drama that focuses on the life of a singer and songwriter named Holly, who is struggling to get a solid gig at local clubs to perform for audiences. She’s barely scraping by and is now experiencing the end of a very intense relationship with the love of her life.
Emilie Black Wraps Up Blood in the Snow 2016
Blood in the Snow, also known as BITS, ran from November 25th to the 27th in Toronto, Ontario, Canada and showcased as it usually does a wide array of horror and genre related feature films, short films, and documentary. This year’s crop of films has something from everyone including a documentary on the resurgence of posters as collectibles, a postpartum-tinged thriller, a short about a cannibal runner, etc.
The films were of high quality and most were great fun to watch. In case you missed any of Cinema Crazed’s coverage, here it is in one nifty spot.
The Shorts of Blood in the Snow 2016 – Part Three
Ingrid & the Black Hole (Canada) (2016)
A boy and a girl see what they think is a black hole one night and ponder on time travel. Written and directed by Leah Johnston, this short is sweet without being saccharine and it has a touching way of going through these two kids’ lives and showing how a small thing can affect someone for a very long time. The cinematography by Christopher Ball looks great and shows the night sky in a beautiful manner as well as the interpersonal relationships of the characters through the years.
Deer Flower (2016)
When you consider the cultural context behind “Deer Flower,” director Kangmin Kim’s short animated film is an interesting if horrific look at remedies from the East. Told through what essentially looks like origami, “Deer Flower” is a stark and pretty unusual tale about a family seeking a cure for their son’s ailment. Traveling a long distance and paying a lot of money, they take their son behind a farm, where a reindeer is held down by a machine and has its antler cut.
The Shorts of Blood in the Snow 2016 – Part Two
The Fight (Canada) (2016)
In this super short film, a couple fights each in their own scene, or perhaps each in their own timeline. Their fight escalates and a surprise is in store for each of them and the viewer. This grim short, short for an estimated $50CAD (yes you read that right), is written Clint D’Souza, Neil Tavares and directed by D’Souza. Stars Asoya Hall and Steve Kasan sell the fight and its emotions well while escalating at a nice pace. This short is a visceral one for anyone who has ever reach a breaking point with a significant other.
Los Sures (1984)
Filmed thirty two years ago, Diego Echeverria’s documentary “Los Sures” is a striking and mesmerizing look at living in poverty in Brooklyn New York in 1984. Finally restored and given a long overdue theatrical release in 2016 to a wide release, “Los Sures” is a still very relevant look at impoverished and how those without opportunities are frozen in place in a neighborhood becoming more and more foreign to them. Diego Echeverria offers almost no narration and absolutely no soundtrack, instead painting the film with the sounds and sights of Williamsburg Brooklyn. The neighborhood dominated with a heavy Puerto Rican and Dominican population, Echeverria offers up a brief look in to the lives of four subjects, all of whom have no exit from their environment.