And everywhere, eighties geeks just had the largest orgasm after watching “Kung Fury.” In fact, if you’re an eighties geek, I dare you not to break down in tears while watching. David Sanberg’s “Kung Fury” is bleeding eighties ephemera from every orifice. It’s a sweet eighties homage that mixes every cliché imaginable right down to the screaming police sergeant forcing a new partner on his rebel cop. Triceracop. There’s actually a goddamn Triceracop.
Scottie is experiencing a change of life that has him rethinking where he’s going and even worse is the fact that his massive success has nothing to do with drive or ambition. It’s merely dumb luck. Director Chris Esper’s “Please Punish Me” is a funny and charming dramedy about a man looking for a direction in life who finds it in the unlikeliest of places.
Director Alex DiVincenzo takes the “Scream” formula and gives it a modern dysfunctional twist with a film I can only describe as a laugh a minute satire. Commenting on the nature of auto correct and its utter horrific ability to take words in to inappropriate new variations, “The Horrors of Auto Correct” is brilliant.
Director Samuel B. Ruseell’s short dramedy about trying to fight the rising tide of nature is fantastic. Not just because it plays up its low budget with a purposely low tech aesthetic involving miniature props, and blatant green screen but because of its message.
Dan and Derek Morrow seem to be on the right track with their stop motion animated shorts. With a larger budget, their ambitious and touching narratives could become wonderful films for all ages. “Comet” was adorable, and “Token Hearts” really has potential to be widened in to a great Christmas oriented fantasy film.
It’s hard enough to produce a decent anthology horror film, but director Brent Sims composes a trio of horror tales with a fourteen minute window. You wouldn’t think it were possible since a lot of anthology movies get ninety minutes and botch it big time (ahem—“Tales from the Hood”), but director Brent Sims’ horror anthology short isn’t just a success, it’s an impressive horror film altogether. Filled with imagination, excellent plot twists, and incredible special effects, “Grave Shivers” is a dark horror comedy that delights in offering audiences the unexpected.
October 11th-13th 2014
For the last 5 years, San Diego has had the luck of getting a great horror film festival for 3 days every fall. This year’s was not exception. Horrible Imaginings is brought to San Diego by a madman and a movie lover known as Miguel Rodriguez. His passion for film is clear in every introduction he makes for the festival, every film or piece being given it’s proper attention and the public getting a class in cinema and cool nerdiness from the man. For those who go to Fantasia or are familiar with its own madman of movies, Miguel reminds one of Mitch Davis in passion and how they present movies with the utmost excitement. You can feel their love for the medium and for their chosen favorite genres.