Professional Documents
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2010 Fantastic Fest Guide
2010 Fantastic Fest Guide
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A Word from the Festival Director
Whew! What a year! The past few months have a been a giddy rollercoaster ride. We merged a huge influence on my wife and me. Their teamwork, independent spirit and love affair with
the Alamo Drafthouse companies back together and I have resumed the role of CEO of fun have been the shining example that we try to live up to every day. It is high time they
Alamo Drafthouse for the first time in six years. As part of that work, we are formulating our came down to Austin to receive the festival’s highest honor, the lifetime achievement award.
plans for bringing the Alamo Drafthouse to various cities across the United States. In the And as if it wasn’t enough to have one great lifetime achievement award, we’re doubling down
midst of planning for Fantastic Fest, we launched a distribution company (Drafthouse Films) this year and presenting a second lifetime achievement award to the master, the honorable
and are preparing to debut what I consider to be the funniest movie of the year—FOUR Yuen Woo Ping. This man has nearly single-handedly reinvented the fight sequence, and I still
LIONS, a slapstick comedy about Jihadist suicide bombers. We have been very busy, but it is can’t seem to wrap my head around the fact that he’ll be shooting guns, eating barbecue and
the kind of busy that feels great. We’re on a mission to deliver all the badassness we can find watching great movies with the Fantastic Fest community this year.
to you, the Drafthouse family.
Beyond the big gala events, however, the core essential facet of Fantastic Fest is discovering
My other jobs and responsibilities pale in comparison, however, to the responsibility of new films. A few of my personal faves are the batshit crazy Indian film NAAN KADAVUL,
helming the almighty Fantastic Fest. This is my absolute favorite week of the year, and my the note-perfect and gut-wrenching Argentinian CARANCHO, the double bill of THE
favorite group of pals to hang out with. I HOUSEMAID (1960) and THE HOUSEMAID (2010), a celebration of the films of Norway and a
hope you find everything at the festival to veritable Santa Maria full of Spanish filmmakers descending on the fest, including the World
be awesome, but I’ll touch upon some of Premiere of Eugenio Mira’s AGNOSIA.
what I consider to be the highlights. First
up, the galas are great this year. Kicking off I actually DON’T say this every year, but I’m doing it now for the first time, I think this is the
the festival with the US Premiere of LET best Fantastic Fest yet, and I hope each and every one of you has the time of your life hanging
ME IN is a huge honor. LET THE RIGHT out with us in Austin.
ONE IN was such a big hit at Fantastic Fest
a few years ago, that a lot of the Fantastic Cheers,
Fest community was very skeptical when
they found an English-language remake
was in the works. Rest assured, doubters,
Harry and I have seen the film and we both
flipped for it. Matt Reeves absolutely Tim League
nailed the landing on this one. I can think of no better film than this one to kick off the director/co-founder Fantastic Fest
Fantastic Fest fun. Next up, Roger and Julie Corman are in the house! The Cormans have been founder Alamo Drafthouse Cinema
We would like to thank each and every one of the folks below and everyone else who pitches in to make this event possible. Thank you for your months
of hard work, the Fest would not be "fantastic" without you.
Tim League, Festival Director, head honcho Paul Seeds, Fantastic Arcade Technical Director Daniel Metz, Project Manager
Harry Knowles, Programmer, head honcho Nick Todd, Fantastic Arcade Assistant Jessica Olsen, Project Manager
Todd Brown, Programmer Daniel Osborne, Facilities Manager, Alamo Drafthouse
Zack Carlson, Programmer Kristen Bell, Manager, Alamo South Lamar Brad Parrett, Project Manager
Karrie League, Programmer Rae Anderson, Volunteer Coordinator Mike Sherrill, COO Alamo Drafthouse
Michael Lerman, Programmer John Bullington, Dir. of Cuisine, Alamo Drafthouse Caitlin Stevens, Media/Social Networking
Lars Nilsen, Programmer George Bragdon, Project Manager Roger Erik Tinch, Webmaster/Guide Designer/IT Director
Marc Walkow, Programmer Dan Cofer, Print Traffic/Head Projectionist
Colin Geddes, Advisor/Programming Liaison Amy Cullinan, Guest Relations Team/Concierge Desk Brandy Fons, Press coordinator
Kate Brown, Intern/Programming Assistant Karen Davis, Manager, Alamo Ritz Ryan Fons, Press coordinator
Marc Calderaro, Programming Assistant Angela Doetsch, Guest Relations Assistant Dacyl Armendariz, Press Office Assistant
Claudette Godfrey, Programming Assistant Phillip Evans, Guest Relations Team/Concierge Desk Jack Plunkett, Photographer
Peter Hall, Programming Assistant Thomas Hanawa, Transportation Coord./Tech Liaison Corrine Price, Press Office Assistant
Josh Johnson, Programming Assistant Eric Harrelson, Transportation David Weaver, Photographer
Stephanie Noone, Programming Assistant Hallie Hughes Hawkins, Guest Relations Team/Concierge Jay West, Photographer
Elisabeth Sikes, Programming Assistant Winnie Hsia, Volunteer Coordinator
Justin Ishmael, Creative Director, Mondo Fiona Cherbak, Sponsorship Coordinator
Kody Sandel, Fantastic Arcade Director Josh Jacobs , Technical Coordinator, Alamo Drafthouse Moises Chiullan, Sponsorship Fulfillment Coordinator
Mike Plante, Fantastic Arcade Creative Director Damon Jones, Manager, The Highball Nick Jayanty, Sponsorship Coordinator
Eddo Stern, Fantastic Arcade Creative Director Jill Lewis, Guest Relations Manager Christine Kohler, Sponsorship Coordinator
Brandon Boyer, Fantastic Arcade Advisor Willita Mahone, Volunteer Coordination Brittany Palmer, Sponsorship Coordinator
Joshua Fields, Fantastic Arcade Assistant Director Carrie Matherly, Assistant to Festival Director Josh Parker, Sponsorship Coordinator
Ryan Harvey, Fantastic Arcade Tournament Director Andrew McEathron, CTO, Alamo Drafthouse
Sponsors 8
The Icons 13
Paramount Gala Screenings 15
Fantastic Parties & Signature Events 17
Lifetime Achievement Award:
Roger and Julie Corman 18
Prose, Poetry, Perversion 20
Machete Maidens Unleashed! 22
Lifetime Achievement Award:
Yuen Woo Ping 26
Fantastic Films 29
IFC Presents 93
Shorts Programs 94
title sponsors
premier sponsors
action afro alternate world anarchy animal attack ass to face backne bald sex beautiful hair beehive big breasts black comedy
contact
blockbuster bollywood bondage bullying bunnies cannibal castration cheezy fx chicks in chains christ cinemascope classic
cockumentary comedy coprophagilistic dancing date movie dickhead documentary domestic violence drugs dubbed dwarf eyeball violence
fanboys fellatio film in film FISHhook violence flashback full frontal gangbang gay sex genetic mutation giant graphic violence gross out
hard-boiled dialogue head trauma hippy Hitler hook for hand huge moustaches hypnotism inbred incest infant death inflatable sex isolation
large organs jungian concepts jungle fever Juvenile delinquents killer cult killer kid kitsch kung fu lactation lesbian lesbian vampire liposuction
low budget mad magician marajuana manage a trois Mental Retardate mild violence monster sex monsters mountain tapping music nasty animation necrophilia
no budget noir noodling nudity oscar shame penis trauma pet abuse petrol sniffing police brutality politically incorrect pretentious primate love
psychic puppet sex racist religious cult robots schizo scientist science fiction scopophilia semen self mutilation shocking ending
skeleton in the closet sleazy special event stock footage strippers stunts suicide surgery surprise ending surreal talking brain terrifying
torture trash trekkie delight trippy true story ultra violence underage sex vampires voodoo werewolf witch doctor the works
A staple of the Incredibly Strange Film Festival Guide since 1995, “the icons” are a quick, fun visual reference guide for the movies and events in the program. The 2010
Fantastic Fest Guide continues the tradition for discerning American audiences. Want to watch a date flick with primate love, Jungian concepts, voodoo and a shocking
ending? No problem, let the icons before each movie summary guide you to complete cinematic satisfaction. Thanks again to Ant and Mike from the Incredibly Strange
workman’s crack wrestling z-grade Film Festival in New Zealand for conceiving and executing the genre movie icon art form.
“Chaos Reigns”
KaRaoKe
pResented by
the CRiteRion
ANTICHRIST
CRONOS
HOUSE
ColleCtion
paramount
gala screenings
The big films and the big stars, all at Austin’s movie palace treasure,
the historic Paramount Theater.
IMAGINE
GREATER
LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT
AWARD
Eric Roberts (THE EXPENDABLES, THE DARK KNIGHT) plays a research octopus that can be controlled by electrical implants. But when the
scientist who, with his talented daughter (Sara Malakul Lane of BELLY controls break down, the monster goes on a killing rampage at the
OF THE BEAST), develops a secret military weapon —a hybrid shark/ resort beaches of Mexico.
X tells the story of scientist Dr. James Xavier (Ray Milland) who he has such acute vision that he can actually see through things—
develops a method for improving eyesight. But without funding for women’s clothing for instance. But easy thrills transform to terror as
proper research he is compelled to test it on himself. Soon he finds Xavier mutates into something more than human.
Nevermore
2010, dir. Stuart Gordon, USA, 90 min., United States
From Beyond
1986, dir. Stuart Gordon, 86 min., United States
Reanimator
1985, dir. Stuart Gordon, 86 min., United States
US Premiere
From Mark Hartley, who wowed Fantastic Fest audiences with NOT
QUITE HOLLYWOOD: THE WILD, UNTOLD STORY OF OZPLOITATION! in
2008, comes a new documentary about the even wilder world of Filipino
exploitation movies. During the classic grindhouse era of the 60s, 70s and
80s, independent producers began turning out more and more exploitation
features for less and less money. The films being discussed and shown in
Hartley’s trademark montage style include such wildly entertaining titles
as FOR YOUR HEIGHT ONLY, THE MAD DOCTOR OF BLOOD ISLAND,
TWILIGHT PEOPLE, THE BIG DOLL HOUSE, and TNT JACKSON. MACHETE
MAIDENS UNLEASHED! might just be the funniest, fastest, most shocking
film you’ll see all year. It features hilarious and informative interviews with
Roger Corman, Pam Grier, Sid Haig, John Landis, Joe Dante, Eddie Romero,
Cirio Santiago and many more of the people who made the golden age of
Filipino exploitation what it was. Before the screening we’ll be featuring a
blazing hot reel of 35mm Filipino exploitation trailers and special Corman-
inspired surprises. This is an evening you will not want to miss!
Unbelievable! From the Philippines, a land without shame (and without comes to loving he’s a pint-sized Prince Charming. You just have to see it to
copyright lawyers apparently), comes this egregious, entirely inappropriate believe it. Best of all, FOR YOUR HEIGHT ONLY is presented in Foleyvision.
James Bond ripoff starring chihuahua-sized midget Weng Weng as agent Wider than Cinemascope, deeper than 3D, more sonically astounding than
00. You won’t believe your eyes as the little fella takes down whole gangs THX, it’s FOLEYVISION! Every line of dialogue, every note of music, every
of polyester-clad gangsters with his incredible kung-fu technique, which single sound effect if performed right before your eyes by the amazing
consists primarily of vicious rabbit-punches to the groin. Ouch! And when it Foleyvision cast. We’ll see you there. (Lars Nilsen)
Twilight People
1973, dir. Eddie Romero, 84 min., Philippines
I’m glad nobody told Filipino B-movie god Eddie Romero that he should really stateside career as a teen actor and rockabilly singer into what passed for
have a budget if he wanted to make a movie about an island full of monstrous super-stardom in the Philippines, where he produced and starred in countless
half-human, half-animal beasts. Then we’d be deprived of the spectacle of the action and monster films as “the white guy.” He’s generally pretty bad, but he
ghetto goat-boy, the badly-conceived bat man or the embarrassed-looking will start growing on you after a while, like an exotic island fungus. The whole
panther woman (played by Pam Grier!). Also, Romero probably would have film exudes an ambiance of sleazy tropical languor that’s quite appealing in
done something foolish with that extra money like hiring somebody other its humid way. (Lars Nilsen)
than John Ashley for the lead role. Ashley had parlayed a semi-successful
CINETEL FILMS PRESENTS IN ASSOCIATION WITH ANCHOR BAY FILMS AND MEIR ZARCHI MUSIA FIC LM BY STEVEN R . MONROE EDI“ITEDSPIT ON YOUR GRAVE” SARAH BUTLER EXECUTIJEFFVE BRANSON DANIEL FRANZESE
RODNEY EASTMAN CHAD LINDBERG TRACEY WALTER AND ANDREW HOWARD BY COREY ALLEN JACKSON BY DANIEL DUNCAN CINEMATOGRAPHER NEIL LISK PROUCERS MEIR ZARCHI ALAN OSTROFF
JEFF KLEIN GARY NEEDLE SCREENPLAYBY STUART MORSE BASEDON MEIR ZARCHI’S MOTIONPICTURE DAY OF THE WOMAN PRODUCEDBY LISA HANSEN PAUL HERTZBERG DIRECTEDBY STEVEN R. MONROE
FOR SHOWTIMES CHECK YOURLOCAL LISTINGS OR GO TO
UNRATED www.ispitonyourgravemovie.com © 2010 Family Of The Year Productions, LLC. All Rights Reserved.
LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD
Yuen Woo Ping
We’re proud to honor director and master fight choreographer Yuen the fight choreography of filmmaker Yuen Woo Ping. Gods of kung fu
Woo Ping with a Lifetime Achievement Award at the world premiere — Jackie Chan, Stephen Chow, Jet Li, Donny Yen and Michelle Yeoh —
of his new martial arts fantasy True Legend, starring Vincent Zhao have all had their impressive abilities molded into a cinematic language
(Fong Sai Yuk, Dragon Gets Angry) Zhou Xun (The Emperor of fist-pounding aerial artistry at the hands of Yuen Woo Ping. His work
and the Assassin, Suzhou River) with Michelle Yeoh (Crouching headlines the top fight sequence lists of all time from films like The
Tiger, Hidden Dragon) and the late David Carradine (Kill Bill). The Matrix trilogy, Kill Bill Vol. 1 & 2, Crouching Tiger, Hidden
film will play as part of a double feature with Snake in the Eagle’s Dragon, Iron Monkey, Drunken Master, Once Upon a Time
Shadow, Yuen Woo Ping’s directorial debut and the film that put in China, Fist of Legend and Kung Fu Hustle. We are thrilled to
action legend Jackie Chan on the map. Fantastic Fest will play host to have a filmmaker of Mr. Yuen’s incredible talent and filmography attend
Yuen Woo Ping’s first U.S. festival appearance. our festival to accept the Lifetime Achievement Award. A large part of
our programming at Fantastic Fest is devoted to a genre of which Mr.
If you’ve ever walked out of a movie theatre after watching a martial arts Yuen represents the pinnacle of quality.
film and left your jaw on the floor, your eyes were probably dazzled by
Yuen Woo Ping, legendary director and martial arts choreographer, brings TRUE
LEGEND, an epic tale of Su Can, Master of the Drunken Fist. A well-respected
martial arts teacher and a good husband and father, Su Can’s journey begins
when his vengeful brother, Yuan, returns from war. Seeking revenge from a dark
family history, Yuan, armed with the Five Venom Fist, nearly kills Su Can and
flees with his son. Maimed, shamed and in despair, Su Can almost loses his
will to live, until he meets the supernatural Lord Wushu who takes him as an
apprentice, subjecting him to some of the fiercest training sequences in wuxia
filmography. Finally regaining his spirit and determination he sets off to face
his brother and save his family. But the evil master of the Venom Fist has
grown ever more dastardly, and following a spectacular fight, Su Can’s victory
is hollow, reducing him to beggary and drunkenness. But the spirit is strong and
out of the ashes rises the legendary DRUNKEN FIST.
True Legend
2010, dir. Woo-ping Yuen, 116 min., China
14 Blades
2010, dir. Daniel Lee, 114 min., Hong Kong
World Premiere
World Premiere
BRIEF SUMMARY she receives through them. As the only one who knows the industrial secret
Fantastic Fest veteran Eugenio Mira spins a complex tale left behind by her father, the enigmatic young girl will become the victim
centering around a young woman with a rare sensory ailment of a sinister plan to get the information out of her by taking advantage of
who holds the key to an industrial fortune. Those closest to her her sensory confusion. As the plot unfolds, the two men closest to her will
devise an elaborate double-cross to steal her closely guarded become crucial to its outcome: Carles, Joana’s fiancé and her father’s right-
secrets. hand man, and Vicent, a young, impulsive servant working at the Prats mansion.
Lush visuals, strong performances and a truly original and elegant plot create in
full description AGNOSIA the sense that you are watching a modern classic unfold before your
The producers of PAN’S LABYRINTH and THE ORPHANAGE present a truly eyes. Fantastic Fest is truly honored to host the world premiere of Eugenio
unique period thriller from Fantastic Fest veteran Eugenio Mira. The screenplay, Mira’s AGNOSIA. Mira was an esteemed guest at the very first Fantastic Fest
penned by Antonio Trashorras (who also wrote THE DEVIL’S BACKBONE) has back in 2005 with his debut feature THE BIRTHDAY and is a longtime short film
been praised by Guillermo Del Toro; “I’ve read few screenplays in my life that collaborator with another Spanish Fantastic Fest veteran, the legendary Nacho
have impressed me as much as AGNOSIA.” Joana Prats suffers from agnosia, a Vigalondo. Mira also composed the score for TIMECRIMES and is the nervous
strange neuropsychological illness that affects her perception. Although her keyboard player in 7:35 IN THE MORNING.
eyes and ears are in perfect condition, her brain cannot interpret the stimuli
Bedevilled
2010, dir. Jang Cheol-so, 115 min., South Korea
BRIEF SUMMARY she doesn’t want to cooperate with the investigation. What’s more, an old
In his feature debut BEDEVILLED, Jang Cheol-so delivers a friend named Bok-nam (Seo Yeong-hee) keeps bugging her to visit Moo-do, a
brutal, emotionally shattering film that mixes genres in a way remote island where the pair spent their youth. After Hae-won is sent on an
that might be described as “art slaughterhouse.” involuntary vacation, she gives in and visits Bok-nam. Initially, life on Moo-do
island seems calm and uneventful. The backwards islanders spend their days
full description farming potatoes, tending to bees, and chewing narcotic “bozo leaf.” It soon
Jang Cheol-so got his start as an assistant director for famed South Korean becomes apparent that Moo-do island is not a happy place. BEDEVILLED is not
filmmaker Ki-duk Kim on productions such as SAMARIA and SPRING, SUMMER, a regular horror movie. It is not a standard thriller or drama, either. Like the
FALL, WINTER...AND SPRING. In his feature debut BEDEVILLED, which deservedly works of Ki-duk Kim, BEDEVILLED seamlessly blends humor, drama, suspense,
premiered as a Critics Week selection at Cannes 2010, Jang Cheol-so takes a and horror into a unified whole. This kind of mixture is hard to pull off, but Jang
few queues from his mentor and delivers a brutal emotionally shattering film Cheol-so handles the task with a deft touch. By integrating the best aspects
that mixes genres in a way that might be described as “art slaughterhouse.” of multiple genres, BEDEVILLED obtains a depth and potency that more single-
Hae-won Chung (Ji Sung-won) is a young woman with a bad attitude living minded films inevitably fail to reach. The story progresses at a steady pace,
in Seoul. Her life isn’t going so well. She works at a bank where customers dropping little clues about the island’s ugly mysteries. Nothing is rushed. Then,
beg for loans they can’t afford. The cops identify her as a murder witness, but the final act comes around. (Rodney Perkins)
BRIEF SUMMARY Academy Awards Entry has named BIBLIOTHEQUE PASCAL as the country’s entry
In order to regain custody of her daughter, Mona sets off on in the race for the best foreign language Oscar. The misadventures of Mona,
a surreal journey that will take her to the shadowy world of a Romanian of Hungarian origin single-handedly raising her daughter, whose
sexual slavery in Bibliothèque Pascal, the strangest brothel you father is the strange Viorel. Persuaded by Armenian Vacariu of the necessity
could ever conceive. to go abroad to ensure her economic survival, Mona puts her child in the care
of Rodica, a fortuneteller to whom she promises to send money every month.
full description When she gets to London with forged papers, the young woman is led to one
“... a dark sex-trafficking fairy tale from Central Europe with Terry Gilliamesque of the capital’s night clubs, the Bibliothèque Pascal, where she works for a time
touches.” —Boyd Van Hoeij, Variety. before getting arrested by the police for working illegally. After four months in
prison, the night club owner manages to get her released, but her freedom has
From the director and the producers of the internationally acclaimed WHITE a price: prostitution in the secret bedrooms of the Bibliothèque Pascal—which
PALMS, BIBLIOTHEQUE PASCAL was selected for the Cannes’ Quinzaine des offers its clients the possibility of sleeping with sexual slaves representing great
Realisateurs, the LA AFI Film Festival, the Berlin Film Festival, the Melbourne figures of literature (Antigone, Katherina Minola [Shakespeare’s Taming of the
International Film Festival and the Sarajevo Film Festival where it collected the Shrew], Mother Courage, Le Petit Prince [Orion Radies], Oliver Twist, Joan of
Cineuropa Award and CICAE’s Prize. The Hungarian Selection Committee for Arc)—a world where anyone can fulfill their fantasy if they can afford it.
US Premiere
Bunraku
2010, dir. Guy Moshe, 108 min., USA
BRIEF SUMMARY night, a man (Josh Hartnett) walks into the bar of the local insurgent (Woody
In a world with no guns, a mysterious drifter (Josh Hartnett), a Harrelson) and desires two things: a shot of whisky and to kill Nicola. Soon,
young samurai and a bartender (Woody Harrelson) plot revenge another stranger enters the bar, a samurai named Yoshi (played by Japanese
against a ruthless leader (Ron Perlman) and his army of thugs, pop star GACKT). Yoshi wants to avenge his father by taking back a talisman
headed by nine diverse and deadly assassins. that Nicola stole from his clan. Armed with crossed destinies and incredible
fighting skills, the two set out on a journey, breaking bones and cracking heads
full description in their search for Nicola. In an amalgam of samurai film, spaghetti western
In a hyperreal, hyper-saturated, hyper-driven dystopia, guns are banned and chop socky director Guy Moshe’s BUNRAKU is nothing short of ambitious.
upon pain of death and the sword is now king. Nicola the Woodcutter (Ron Characters in this world spin and ricochet against a backdrop that resembles a
Perlman) is the most powerful man east of the Atlantic, a shadowy crime pop-up-book made of origami, ever-changing and whirring like a steam driven
boss who rules with an iron fist with the help of nine diverse assassins and Victorian theatre set. It is a universe propelled by pugilistic force, delivered
the Red Gang, a force not to be trifled with. His right-hand man is Killer #2 in a brash style of amazing physical combat sequences by stunt coordinator
(Kevin McKidd), a cold-hearted, smooth-talking, toe-tapping murderer dressed Clayton Barber and fight choreographer Larnell Stovall that evoke Gene Kelly
in red and wielding a deadly blade without remorse. The citizens live in fear of by way of BLOODSPORT. Completely unique, BUNRAKU emerges as a visually
this pack of wolves, and wait for the hero who can overthrow the tyrant. One stunning blend of flavors old and new, east and west. (Colin Geddes, TIFF)
Regional Premiere
Buried
2010, dir. Rodrigo Cortés, 95 min., Spain
BRIEF SUMMARY
Paul Conroy is not ready to die. But when he wakes up six feet Buried is not a film for the claustrophobic at heart. It is the communication
underground with no idea of who put him there or why, life of one our most basic of human fears and is sure to awaken some familiar
for the truck driver and family man instantly becomes a hellish nightmares. The terror of being buried alive is as old and universal as any
struggle for survival. concept to be explored by a horror film. From ancient Egyptian mythology to
Edgar Allan Poe’s short story The Premature Burial, we as a people have been
full description fascinated and petrified at the idea of finding ourselves in Conroy’s shoes.
Paul Conroy is an American truck driver who leads a convoy on a major assignment
through Iraq. Without warning, his convoy is the target of a vicious attack by Buried is a marvel of filmmaking. The fact that the film takes place primarily in
unknown assailants. When he comes to, he finds himself in a desperate, horrifyingly a singular locale requires so much not only of the actor playing the character
surreal predicament. He has been buried alive in a wooden coffin with only a cell in peril, but also of the writers who must construct an increasingly compelling
phone, a lighter, and ninety minutes worth of oxygen. He is informed, via his cell plot to compensate for such a limiting, close quarters locale. Luckily Ryan
phone, that if he will only be unearthed if he produces a one million dollar ransom Reynolds, who has proven his range and dedication to his craft countless
for his own life. With little mobility and even further limited options, Conroy must times, once again rises to the challenge and turns in a spectacular, staggeringly
find a way to escape the box or suffer the worst of fates. intimate performance as the unfortunate protagonist.
BRIEF SUMMARY He hovers around car wrecks, funerals, and emergency rooms like a vulture
Ambulance drivers and ambulance chasers. Dirty police and who catches the scent of a dying animal. During his nightly search for clients,
corrupt doctors. Fraudulent insurance brokers. These and other Sosa meets Lujan (Martina Gusman), a young emergency room doctor who
truly desperate people are the players in a wildly original and rides shotgun in an ambulance. After repeatedly running into each other—
occasionally brutal thriller set in the streets of Buenos Aires. Sosa always seems to be waiting at the wrecks—they become romantically
involved. The pairing of a dubious ambulance chaser and a young nurse with
full description some serious personal problems makes for a dangerous and volatile love affair.
Pablo Trapero’s CARANCHO—a Spanish phrase for a bird of prey—is an intense The tone here is dark and cynical. Almost every character is involved in some
noirish thriller set in an unseemly world of shady doctors, corrupt cops, and, kind of skullduggery, including: drugs, fraud, murder, and bribery. Many of the
most importantly, sleazy lawyers. CARANCHO is without a doubt one of the scenes take place in the dead of night where the darkness provides a cover
finest films at this year’s Fantastic Fest. In Argentina, more than 8,000 people for the characters’ nefarious deeds. The story is built around Sosa and Lujan’s
a year die in road accidents. All of these car wrecks bring the possibility of romance, which gives the film a strong emotional core. Martina Gusman and
big insurance payouts, which attracts a certain type of ruthless amoral lawyer. Ricardo Dar’n—both of whom have an intense onscreen chemistry—strike a
Sosa—played by Ricardo Dar’n who starred in Juan José Campanella’s Academy perfect balance of sympathetic and sleazy. Every single element of this film is
Award winning film THE SECRET IN THEIR EYES—is one of this special breed. absolutely on point. Do not miss it! (Rodney Perkins)
Special Screening
Class of 1984
1982, dir. Mark L. Lester, 98 min., United States
full description
The year is 1984. A rabid pack of rampaging punk teens run our schools, our drugs
Authors Zack Carlson, and our prostitutes. Brutality and decadence are everywhere. Enter first-year
Bryan Connolly and teacher Andrew Norris (Perry King), who’s forced to violently turn the tables on
Kier-la Janisse will be the bloodthirsty gang before their trashwave swallows the town alive. Writer/
signing copies of their director Mark L. Lester’s reckless masterpiece debuted at Cannes Film Festival
new book “DESTROY ALL to severely divided reviews. What detractors and many thrill-seeking fans both
MOVIES!!! The Complete sadly overlooked was the fact that the movie had been done exactly right.
Guide to Punks on Film” Each actor turns in a memorable, convincing performance amid knifings and
following a screening of punk slam pits. Beloved ham Roddy McDowall pulls off what may have been
the quintessential punk his best scene of the decade. The film moves constantly forward at full speed,
exploitation film with humor and intelligent dialogue balancing out the horrors perpetrated by
the vicious teens. But beyond all this, there’s a bitterly absorbing air of human
CLASS OF 1984
helplessness and leather-clad heartlessness that makes this movie the best in
its genre. (Zack Carlson)
Cold Fish
2010, dir. Sion Sono, 144 min., Japan
BRIEF SUMMARY room and board. The conflict between Mitsuko and her stepmom appears to
Equal parts black humor and bloody dementia in this true crime be finally solved. Shamoto is drawn into business with the outgoing Murata,
portrait of a Japanese tropical fish dealer responsible for over unaware that behind his friendly demeanor lurks a dangerous sociopath. Murata
forty murders. and his wife have a history of fraud and murder, disposing of their prey in an
elaborate, ritualistic and grisly manner. Taken in by Murata’s easygoing charm,
full description Shamoto realizes the man’s true nature too late and becomes implicated in the
Quiet and meek, Shamoto (Mitsuru Fukikoshi) has been beaten into submission madman’s bloody crimes. Madness is a familiar theme for Sion Sono, who has
by the mundane demands of everyday life. He’s in an awkward relationship made nearly twenty films in the last thirty years. His work remains relatively
with his beautiful but shy second wife, who still hasn’t been accepted by his unknown outside of fanboy and J-Horror circles, where films like SUICIDE
rebellious teenaged daughter, Mitsuko. Shamoto’s one remaining joy is running CLUB and LOVE EXPOSURE (his four-hour-long opus of fetishism, romance
a small tropical fish store. When Mitsuko is caught shoplifting, the friendly and religion that played FF last year) have gained cult status. Sono reaches an
Murata (Denden) helps her distraught parents by settling things with the impressive new level and shows firm control of this gruesome subject. What’s
store’s manager. Murata, who owns a tropical fish store called Amazon Gold, all the more shocking is that it is based on the real case of a serial killer who
immediately forms a bond with fellow fish connoisseur Shamoto and offers murdered more than forty people. Denden steals the show with his portrayal
to help his wayward daughter, giving her a job that comes conveniently with of Murata—the Japanese equivalent of Sweeney Todd. (Colin Geddes, TIFF)
North American
Premiere
Corridor
2010, dir. Johan Lundborg, Johan Storm, 80 min., Sweden
BRIEF SUMMARY the outgoing Lotte (Ylva Gallon) moves into the apartment above him, Frank’s
Lonely medical student Frank is pleased with his flat, a quiet life becomes a series of escalating psychological trials. Initially mundane
place to focus on his coming exams. But when he meets the girl challenges like carrying on a friendly conversation with a neighbor give way to
upstairs, his peace and quiet, his sanity and possibly even his life slightly more demanding tests on Frank’s patience and judgment. First, Lotte
become jeopardized. and her biker boyfriend Micke’s (Peter Stormare) raucous late-night sexcapades
keep him up all hours and distract him from his medical studies. When evidence
full description of domestic abuse begins to surface between the couple upstairs, Frank tries
We all have THOSE days from time to time. You wake up on the wrong side of and fails to avoid getting involved. His grudging and platonic assistance to
the bed and it feels like every person you encounter is insufferable. The tiniest Lotte brings more trouble to his door when Micke and another jealous ex both
of hassles can wreak havoc on your last nerve. You’re unable to shake that sense begin to suspect that Frank is Lotte’s new love interest. Soon Frank is caught
of general grumpiness and all you really want is to be left alone. It’s the kind up in a mystery as the lines blur between his own suspicion of the outside
of mood that takes you to a pretty dark place, where friends and loved ones, world and the genuine threats presented by Lotte and Micke’s encroachment
or even random strangers, might seem like adversaries. For most of us, this on his life. Winner of the Cineuropa Jury Award at the 2010 Brussels Fantastic
state of mind is temporary, but for Frank (Emil Johnsen) the socially withdrawn Film Festival, directors Johan Lundborg and Johan Storm have fashioned an
protagonist of CORRIDOR, the cloud of exasperation never really lifts. When impeccable suspense film that packs a bracing punch. (Carrie Matherly)
North American
Premiere
The Dead
2010, dir. Howard J Ford and Jonathan Ford, 90 min., South Africa
Regional Premiere
BRIEF SUMMARY any to take the plunge. Thankfully she says yes, and Brian finds himself pretty
When Brian discovers that his co-worker Clark is actually an happy dating Amy. But the surprises don’t stop there and when another alien
alien, he takes the news pretty well. But when he finds out that reveals their true identity, Brian is shell-shocked. As his comfortable existence
other co-workers are also aliens, his world starts to crumble. is shattered by this new knowledge, Brian must put his own problems aside to
The aliens happen to be from competing races and it turns out prevent a war between alien races that might mean the outright destruction
that the fate of Earth and humanity itself may lay squarely on of earth. Featuring Freaks and Geeks star and Inglourious Basterd Samm
Brian’s shoulders. Levine as Clark, Dave Allen as the quirky Cooperman and Austin-favorite
Angela Bettis as Amy, Drones fills its cast with a host of likable character
full description actors. Jonathan M. Woodward shines as Brian, the dopey office worker who
Brian is a pretty normal guy. He works at a typical corporation, wearing a shirt unwittingly uncovers the alien population. The dialogue is fast-paced with a
and tie and sitting in a cubicle for 8 hours a day. It’s bland and boring but also dry sense of humor but the sharp wit coupled with the cast’s excellent comedic
a comfortable existence. His best friend Clark is a funny guy who works in the timing really makes it shine. Lines are delivered in a casual, nonchalant manner
office. Brian has been flirting with Amy for months, but it’s all been confined that adds an extra layer of humor, as the reactions to what should be shocking
to the workplace and he hasn’t found the courage to actually ask her out. But revelations are overly low-key. Consistently funny and entertaining, Drones
after he accidentally discovers that Clark is an alien, it seems as good a time as is a creative look at workplace dynamics that’s sure to please. (Luke Mullen)
BRIEF SUMMARY devoid of human contact. In his mind, though, Rino is a lothario of stunning
Graphic novelist Rino Hanssen’s quiet life (watching porn, sexual prowess. He draws comics imagining himself as a well-hung rhinoceros,
drawing and occasionally violating honeydew melons) gets literally saving the day with his super powered penis. His dreams are filled with
upended when his father surprises him with a nubile, free- buxom, beautiful women in tight shirts and short skirts striking a variety of
spirited and devastatingly beautiful flatmate. provocative poses. And when you compare the drabness of his day to day life
—in which his only friend is a man even lower on the social food chain than
full description Rino is himself—to the richness of his imaginary worlds, is it any wonder that
Rino loves women. He loves how they look and how they smell and how they Rino masturbates so much that only the miracles of modern lubricants have
feel. Or, at least he’s confident that he would love how they smell and feel if he prevented him from reducing himself down to a bloody stump? And then Malin
ever got close enough to find out. Overweight, clumsy and socially awkward, he arrives. A gorgeous blond exchange student from Sweden, Malin is forced upon
can never really work up the nerve to actually talk to any of them. None of the Rino as an unexpected house mate and she brings with her emotional fragility
attractive ones anyway. And so he just loves how they look and imagines how and binge drinking that suggests Rino’s social life may just have a chance of
they smell and feel. “Imagines” them right into one of the soiled tissues that lay getting out of his head and into the real world. We tried and failed to land the
scattered around his apartment. A translator of technical manuals and graphic film for the 2009 edition of FF but in 2010 we would not be stopped and we are
novelist who works from home, Rino’s days in real life are drab and boring and proud to bring Rino to US audiences for the first time. (Todd Brown, Twitchfilm)
Fire of Conscience
2010, dir. Dante Lam, 106 min., Hong Kong
BRIEF SUMMARY Hong Kong police force. Haunted by the memory of his recently deceased wife
A slick cops-and-robbers film that coats melodrama with a (Vanessa Yeung appearing in flashbacks), he pours his energy into solving the
thick layer of blood and gunpowder. Dante Lam has emerged as numerous cases that come his way. Manfred isn’t afraid to connect his fists to
one of the most exciting Hong Kong action directors with films a perp’s face. He’s backed up by Cheung-on (Kai Chi Liu), a senior cop with all
like THE BEAST STALKER (2008) and SNIPER (2009). His latest kinds of problems, and an anxious rookie named May (Michelle Ye). Inspector
work delivers the goods with chases, brawls, massive fire fights, Kee, a member of the Regional Crimes Unit, enlists Manfred’s help in tracking
exploding bodies and more. down the cellphone of the cop who was killed in the opening scene. Kee has
ulterior motives, which spells trouble for Manfred, his subordinates, and a
full description whole lot of other people. Wai Lun Ng (S.P.L., SNIPER) wrote the script based
Dante Lam’s latest work, FIRE OF CONSCIENCE, is a slick tale of cops-and- on a story by Dante Lam. The film sticks closely to the good cops versus bad
robbers that coats a melodramatic story in a thick layer of blood and cops formula with the shading of the characters more gray than usual. FIRE OF
gunpowder. The opening scene, which is partially done in a series of tricky CG CONSCIENCE really delivers the action goods with chases, fisticuffs, massive
enhanced tracking shots, establishes the killings of two police officers and a fire fights, bodies blown apart, and much more. In a new twist on classic child
prostitute. These three deaths connect the lives of two cops: Captain Manfred endangerment, a woman gives birth in a garage engulfed in flames. What more
(Leon Lai) and Inspector Ji Kee (Richie Ren). Manfred is a 27-year veteran of the could a person want? (Rodney Perkins)
BRIEF SUMMARY Robin), wakes up from his 30-year coma and tells them what to do again. Chen
The funniest, most ass-kicking, hard-rocking, pedal-to-the- Kuan-tai was Shaw Brother’s most iconic leading man in the 70’s and Bruce Leung
metal movie of the year. It’s COCOON with kung fu! started his career as a Bruce Lee imitator before becoming a celebrated martial
artist (he played “The Beast” in Stephen Chow’s KUNG FU HUSTLE). Teddy Robin
full description is only four feet tall, but he’s a producer, an actor and the man who invented
When directors Derek Kwok and Clement Cheng were trying to raise financing Chinese rock ‘n’ roll, even writing and performing the music for this film. Real-
for GALLANTS they were told over and over again, “No one wants to see a life gangster-turned-actor, Chan Wai-man plays the evil Master Poon; Lo Meng
movie starring washed up has-beens.” But eventually Hong Kong’s legendary pop (aka Turbo Law) was one of the Five Deadly Venoms; and Susan Shaw, playing
star and actor, Andy Lau (INFERNAL AFFAIRS), put up the budget and the result Dr. Fun, was a softcore sexpot back in the day. And with decades of experience
is the funniest, most ass-kicking, hard rocking, pedal-to-the-metal movie of the behind them, these old pros own the screen. But GALLANTS isn’t just a wallow
year. It’s COCOON with kung fu! Loser office boy, Cheung (Wong Yue-nam), in nostalgia, and it’s not just a comedy. It’s a movie about the true martial arts
is banished to one of Hong Kong’s rural backwaters to help greedy property spirit. Because you can run from your problems, but eventually you’re going to
developers kick a bunch of old timers out of a run down tea house. But this have to stand and fight. And even if you’ve waited until your joints creak and
teahouse used to be a martial arts studio and its owners, Dragon (Chen Kuan-tai) your hair turned gray, it’s never too late to turn and face the world with a raised
and Tiger (Bruce Leung), are trying to keep the lights on until Master Law (Teddy fist and a kung fu cry on your lips. (Subway Cinema)
BRIEF SUMMARY SLUMBER. In sunny Sendai, happy-go-lucky Aoyagi (Masato Sakai, CLIMBER’S
Last year, Yoshihiro Nakamura’s FISH STORY saved the world HIGH) reunites with an old university buddy, only to discover he’s become a
from certain annihilation and became the word-of-mouth hit of patsy for a labyrinthine government conspiracy to assassinate the Prime Minister.
the festival. This year, Nakamura’s back with another ode to the As Aoyagi runs for his life, his old classmates are ruthlessly hunted down by
human connection, GOLDEN SLUMBER, a brain-melting thriller a government hatchet man (Teruyuki Kagawa, SUKIYAKI WESTERN DJANGO).
send-up that’s two parts THE BIG CHILL, three parts BOURNE All hope seems lost until Aoyagi meets “Kill-O,” the friendly neighborhood
IDENTITY and a million parts awesome. serial killer, and when old-flame-with-a-kid Haruko (Yuko Takeuchi, DOG IN
A SIDECAR), enters the fray, stubbornly unwilling to believe the worst of her
full description ex, it looks like the titular Beatles song just might be right —there really is a
“...a deft, strange, and elaborately-plotted thriller. Think Hitchcock leavened way to get back home. Everything in GOLDEN SLUMBER is deliberate, from
with pyrotechnics and an unapologetically sincere message about friendship.” the serpentine plotting to the pitch-perfect performances, and even the
—Edmund Mullins, BlackBook. “Stirring and sweet.” —Michael Atkinson, the background actors hold vital clues. The story’s Hitchcock-isms are ultimately a
Village Voice. Last year, Yoshihiro Nakamura’s FISH STORY saved the world from vehicle for Nakamura’s personal cinematic earworms: the shattering immediacy
certain annihilation and became the word-of-mouth hit of the festival. This of pop culture as a medium for salvation, and a narrative that reminds us that
year, Nakamura’s back with another ode to the human connection, GOLDEN everyone and everything has a purpose. (Subway Cinema)
North American
Premiere
BRIEF SUMMARY to ostensibly retrieve his boat and slay Crowley once and for all. Needless
Victor Crowley Lives! Adam Green is back with the long- to say on entering the swamp it’s not long before Crowley appears to wreak
awaited sequel to the 80s throwback romp that kick-started his bloody havoc. For anyone not familiar with the original, there’s an entertaining
career. HATCHET 2 is a non-stop barrage of boobs, boners and catch-up on Crowley’s back story with Kane also starring, prosthetic-free, as
bountiful buckets of blood. his dad. It’s a variation on THE BURNING, but also recalls countless other 80s
slashers. The build-up is surprisingly restrained and Green takes his time to
full description introduce Crowley’s potential victims with some characteristically blokey
HATCHET 2 picks up immediately from where its predecessor left off with humor, most notably in an inspired opening gambit involving some “found
Marybeth (this time played by Danielle Harris, of HALLOWEEN remake fame) footage.” But what this is really about is a succession of glorious hack and slash
escaping the clutches of the deformed and furious swamp dweller, Victor sequences designed to satisfy the fans, and on those it certainly delivers, with
Crowley (Kane Hodder), after her swamp tour is massacred. Heading back old fashioned and apparently CGI-free effects. Hatchet was always written
to town, Marybeth seeks out the help of the mysterious and thoroughly with a sequel in mind so there are references galore for those in the know.
untrustworthy Reverend Zombie to bring the bodies of her family back from Green also weighs in with allusions to his own work so far with FROZEN and his
the swamp. Zombie agrees, provided she brings her uncle along too. Under JACK CHOP short getting nods. This is Green having no-holds barred fun, and
somewhat false pretenses, the Reverend recruits an assorted band of mercenaries you’d have to be a sour grape not to be carried away with it. (Twitchfilm.net)
US Premiere
BRIEF SUMMARY member Kevin (Joe Swanberg). Awkward in their newfound sobriety, they bump
When a serial killer escapes from prison, the dangerous past of and fumble in their courtship until Sarah gradually gains the confidence to
a young woman dealing with alcoholic rehab quickly begins to reveal a dark secret from her wounded past—a secret that, unbeknownst to
catch up with her. her, is about to resurface. The two juxtaposed story lines interweave as the
film progresses, allowing the mystery to unfold at its own contemplative pace.
full description While the title might imply a degree of exploitation and nastiness, director
Embark on a trip into a quiet, paranoid world where ugly things happen behind Adam Wingard triumphs in placing the dramatic narrative ahead of genre
closed doors and down desolate country roads. Garrick (A.J. Bowen) has escaped conventions. Still, the frenetic tension is palpable as it builds to a boiling point
from prison and is on the run. His ordinary looks and casual demeanor mask and the characters’ secrets are gradually revealed. Wingard gained attention
his menacing true nature—that of an unassuming serial killer who can’t control for numerous videos and shorts, as well as his micro-budget, head-trip features
his compulsion to kill. Disguising his appearance and driving along interstates HOME SICK and POP SKULL, which were both self-financed and made with
under the cover of night, he leaves a trail of corpses as he makes his way across friends. He’s developed a keen cinematic eye, melding striking imagery with
the country. Meanwhile, Sarah (Amy Seimetz) spends her days working as a intricately layered soundscapes to create emotionally honest characters and
dental hygienist and her evenings in AA meetings. She slowly opens up to an intimate atmosphere. A HORRIBLE WAY TO DIE marks the arrival of a fresh,
the support group and makes a tentative romantic connection with fellow dedicated vision in independent American cinema. (Colin Geddes, TIFF)
BRIEF SUMMARY a truly extraordinary image-maker, but in his film such an utterly unpredictable
Celebrated as one of the greatest Korean films of all time, work. So Luis Buñuel had a Korean brother!…” —Jean-Michel Frodon
THE HOUSEMAID tells the story of a composer who invites
chaos into his home when he begins an affair with the family’s Only recently discovered by occidental audiences, THE HOUSEMAID is the first
mysterious new maid, a disturbed woman with a penchant for film in director Kim Ki-Young’s trilogy of domestic ruin. This groundbreaking
catching rats with her bare hands. chamber piece, fraught with psychosexual madness, is now celebrated as one
of the greatest Korean films of all time. It tells the story of Dong-sik (Kim
full description Jin-kyu), a middle-class composer who gives music lessons at a local textiles
“Kim Ki-young’s HANYO, or THE HOUSEMAID, is one of the true classics of factory in Geumcheon. Dong-sik invites chaos into his home when he begins
South Korean cinema, and when I finally had the opportunity to see the picture, an extramarital affair with the family’s mysterious new maid (Lee Eun-shim), a
I was startled. That this intensely, claustrophobic film is known only to the most disturbed woman with a penchant for catching rats with her bare hands. The
devoted film lovers in the west is one of the great accidents of film history.” — print featured has been restored by the Korean Film Archive with the support
Martin Scorsese. “From the point of view of a Westerner, the discovery of a film of Martin Scorsese’s World Cinema Foundation, a nonprofit organization
like THE HOUSEMAID, more than 40 years after it was made, is a marvelous dedicated to the preservation of films from non-Western countries.
feeling—marvelous not just because one finds in writer-director Kim Ki-young
BRIEF SUMMARY tiny apartment with her only friend. When the opportunity arises to become
A reimagining of the Korean classic of the same name, the 2010 the housemaid for the enormously wealthy Hoon family she pounces on it. The
version of THE HOUSEMAID turns the tables on the story. This Hoons are outwardly perfect. But if you know anything at all about outwardly
time around a perfectly normal servant enters the home of a perfect families you can guess that there’s something dark beneath the surface,
truly dysfunctional wealthy family who beat her down with an in this case the erotic drives and compulsions of Mr. Hoon. Despite his smooth
array of psychological, sexual and sometimes physical trauma. manners Hoon has the sense of silver-spoon entitlement that comes from
having been raised in extreme wealth, and a corresponding lack of morality. It
full description doesn’t take him long to become aware of Lee’s tender charms and one night,
Slick, polished and sexy, Im Sangsoo’s The Housemaid is the sort of grown- when his pregnant wife is unreceptive to a particularly harsh sexual demand he
up thriller we rarely see anymore. Directed with an icy precision befitting the makes his way to her bed. None of this can possibly end well as Mr. Hoon soon
coldly amoral family at its center, The Housemaid presents a tableaux of lust, finds that the women have sharp teeth too.
boredom, and not particularly subtle manipulation. And if its reception at
Cannes is any indicator, it has touched a nerve. A remake of the 1960 classic,
The Housemaid revolves around Lee Euny, a lower class, sweetly naive divorcee
who begins the film working in the kitchen of a cheap restaurant and sharing a
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US Premiere
BRIEF SUMMARY proceed to assault and brutalize her, culminating in a ruthless gang-rape. What
This modern remake of the classic 1978 revenge flick hits many happens next you may remember from the original. The tables are turned and
of the same high-notes as the original while maintaining a the last act of the film involves comeuppance of the savagely violent variety,
distinctly contemporary feel. with Jennifer getting her revenge not only for the vicious treatment she
experienced but, in many ways, for all women everywhere. This is where this
full description film succeeds, using practical special effects and good old American creativity
You’re probably thinking: “Sacrilege! How dare they remake this classic to provide some of the most gruesome torture sequences of the year. Fellas,
exploitation film?” Get over it. This remake is faithful to the original in tone, you should sit with your legs crossed for this one. What’s so great about the
and is just as brutal, terrifying, and cathartic, while offering new angles to the original is the complicated and conflicting messages it sends about violence.
classic story and updating the visuals and explicitness for our age. Jennifer Hills, While you feel catharsis and jubilation at Jennifer’s empowerment, the film
a young writer from the “big city,” decides to take a few months in seclusion, turns at one point and forces you to confront your ideas about revenge. The
typing out her next book while enjoying long days in the peaceful countryside. remake packs that same satisfying punch, compelling you to question your love
What she doesn’t add into her plan is that the countryside is full of roughneck of the horror genre and certain tropes within it. (Daniel Metz)
losers, creeping in the woods with one hand on a beer can and the other in
their pants. Jennifer is interrupted one night by four grisly young men, who
Regional Premiere
Austin Premiere
BRIEF SUMMARY AVATAR-era production values, and on its opening weekend it beat IRON MAN
It’s a rousing Canto-fable, a Hong Kong empowerment movie, a 2 at the box office like a redheaded stepchild. No knowledge of IP MAN 1 is
return to old school martial arts filmmaking with AVATAR-era necessary. Driven out of Foshan by the Japanese, we pick up the Ip Man story
production values, and on its opening weekend in Hong Kong it in 1949 as Master Ip (Donnie Yen) arrives in Hong Kong. Wife pregnant, money
beat IRON MAN 2 at the box office like a redheaded stepchild. short, friends scarce, he sets up a martial arts school but no Hong Kong people
want to study with the weird, tea-sipping dude from China. It doesn’t take
full description long to figure out the problem: Master Hung (Sammo Hung) runs the martial
“Sammo Hung’s choreography is simply mesmerizing. It’s shocking to see how arts schools in Hong Kong with an iron fist, extorting “fees” and paying off
fluid this can be when wires, CGI, and flowing black trench coats are forsaken the corrupt British cops. But nobody puts Donnie Yen in the corner, and soon
for talent.” —John Lichman, SLATE. This is the summer blockbuster you’ve enough he’s standing on a rickety table in a tea house, putting down masters
been waiting for. Everything that was good about IP MAN, is better in IP MAN one by one in order to purchase his right to teach wing chun with payments
2. Everything that was big, is bigger. It’s a career highlight for all three of the made in nothing but knuckles. Wing chun is the sissy kung fu, invented by a
creative forces involved: star Donnie Yen, co-star and action choreographer, Buddhist nun and long derided in the martial world. Fluid and graceful, IP MAN
Sammo Hung, and director Wilson Yip. It’s a rousing Canto-fable, a Hong Kong 2 makes the case that while wing chun may have been invented by Buddhist
empowerment movie, a return to old school martial arts filmmaking with nuns, these particular Buddhist nuns were not fooling around. (Subway CInema)
US Premiere
Julia’s Eyes
2010, dir. Guillem Morales, 112 min., Spain
BRIEF SUMMARY the police are sure that it’s a clear-cut case of suicide, things just don’t add
After the death of her twin sister Sara, Julia finds herself up for Julia. She starts her own investigation, talking to Sara’s neighbors and
questioning the circumstances of her supposed suicide. It her few friends, tracking down every possible clue that she may have been
quickly becomes apparent that Julia’s paranoia is justified as murdered. She soon realizes that someone is following her, a man who moves
she realizes that a man is clearly chasing her. As her eyesight in the shadows like a ghost, a dangerous man who just might have the answers
continues to deteriorate, Julia becomes more and more she’s chasing. As her eyesight worsens, it becomes clear that a killer is out to get
desperate to uncover the truth behind her sister’s death. her, and Julia finds she has to rely on her remaining senses to survive. Produced
by mastermind Guillermo del Toro, Julia’s Eyes is a creepy thriller highlighted
full description by a foreboding atmosphere. Belen Rueda, who starred in 2007 Fantastic Fest
Julia shares more than just looks with her twin sister. They both share a favorite The Orphanage, attacks the title role with gusto and intensity. Julia
degenerative eye disease that threatens their sight. Her sister Sara goes blind is smart and tough but equally terrified of her impending blindness. The film
first, but there’s still hope in the form of an operation that could restore her puts us inside Julia’s head, showing us her slowly darkening view of the world
sight. Despite their estrangement, Julia still feels a close connection to Sara in a way that feels almost claustrophobic. Her fears become our fears and the
and when she dies, Julia somehow feels it and knows to go check on her. Her tension is almost palpable. There are plenty of twists and turns as the the plot
husband, Isaac, drives her to Sara’s home where they discover her body. While ramps up to a horrifying climax. (Luke Mullen)
World Premiere
Kidnapped
2010, dir. Miguel Ángel Vivas, 85 min., Spain
BRIEF SUMMARY is in the process of moving into a big new house. Marta wants to gather the
Jaime and Marta are a middle-aged couple with a teenage family for dinner at home to celebrate. Isa has her own plans; she wants to go
daughter named Isa. The family is in the process of moving into out with her boyfriend. Jaime is stuck in the middle of it all. Everyone’s evening
a big new house. Marta wants to gather the family for dinner is ruined when a gang of masked hoodlums pay a visit to the home. KIDNAPPED,
at home to celebrate. Isa has her own plans to go out with her which was written by Vivas with Javier GarcÌa, adheres to some expectations
boyfriend. But everyone’s evening is ruined when a gang of for this type of film while deviating in both subtle and significant ways. Part
masked hoodlums pay a visit to the home. of what makes KIDNAPPED stand out is its choices in character development
and plot. The identities of the characters aren’t necessarily mysterious. Neither
full description are their motives. The real focus here is on the family. KIDNAPPED develops a
Home invasion movies are nothing new. In fact, the idea of criminals invading conflict-driven dynamic between Jaime, Marta, and Isa. When the crooks barge
suburban home has been run into the ground. However, as is the case with into the house (and the narrative), the time spent with the family pays off. The
many genres, a film occasionally comes along that pumps some fresh blood narrative switches back and forth between the father’s dilemma and that of his
into a a very familiar formula. Miguel Ángel Vivas’ KIDNAPPED (Secuestrados) is wife and daughter. The split mirrors the familial relationship. The film is shot in
a good example. Jaime (Fernando Cayo) and Marta (Ana Wagener) are a middle- a documentary style with handheld video cameras while tight editing and slick
aged couple with a teenage daughter named Isa (Manuela Vellés). The family visual surprises elevates the suspense. (Rodney Perkins)
US Premiere
BRIEF SUMMARY The Silly Clown (Santiago Segura), dressed in full costume, manages to wreak
Álex de la Iglesia’s genius for dark humour is at its most havoc on their ranks with a machete. When his young son Javier (Carlos Areces)
eloquent in his latest parody about the Spanish Civil War. Two attempts to help him escape from a work camp, Colonel Salcedo (Sancho
clowns attack and disfigure one another in jealous rages over Gracia) thwarts his efforts and Javier is left an orphan. In 1973, Javier, now an
a beautiful dancer. In the name of love, they destroy the very adult, lands a gig as the sad clown in a circus. The silly clown, Sergio (Antonio de
object of their affection. la Torre), is a cruel thug who terrorizes his co-workers and beats his girlfriend,
the beguiling dancer Natalia (Carolina Bang). Javier, easy to seduce, falls deeply
full description in love with her, leading the two men to fight for her affections in one jealous
Álex de la Iglesia ‘s latest feature, THE LAST CIRCUS, is a wild and hilarious film rage after another. De La Iglesia’s genius for dark humor is at its most eloquent
that exposes the nature of political conflicts in his country’s recent history. Set in this farcical tragicomedy which is complemented by an excellent cast. THE
in a circus, the film offers a pointed metaphor for the Spanish Civil War and LAST CIRCUS takes us on an unpredictable trek that culminates in a showdown
the years of Franco’s dictatorship. The war and its aftermath have been the at the Valley of the Fallen, the monument that Franco had built to honor the
subject of many films, but never has the darkness and absurdity of this period soldiers that had died during the Civil War. Just as the two factions in Spain
in Spain been so eloquently expressed. The film begins in 1937, as circus workers destroyed the very thing that they claimed to honor, these two clowns manage
are forced to aid the Republican army in a battle against the National front. to turn love into an annihilating force. (Diana Sanchez, TIFF)
BRIEF SUMMARY reinvents the well-known tale of one man’s stand to defend a nation’s dignity,
In 1920s Shanghai, hero Chen Zhen single-handedly avenges his transforming it into a highly entertaining action epic. Presumed dead after
mentor’s death by killing all the Japanese at a dojo in Hongkou, single-handedly defeating all the Japanese fighters at the Hongkou Dojo to
only to be showered with bullets while making his legendary avenge his master, Chen Zhen joins the Labor Corps during the First World War.
flying kick. Now, years later, Chen Zhen, who is believed Deciding to return home to defend his country, he arrives in Shanghai disguised
dead, returns in disguise to infiltrate a criminal empire and to as a wealthy businessman named Qi. He quickly befriends the notorious Mafia
dismantle the evil collusion that plagues the country. boss Mr. Liu (Anthony Wong), owner of the nightclub Casablanca, and Kiki (Shu
Qi), the club’s star hostess. With the rapid expansion of Japanese influence in
full description China, the military releases a death list, sending Shanghai into complete panic.
Chen Zhen, first brought to life by Bruce Lee in FIST OF FURY, is not only a As assassinations become rampant in the city, Chen disguises himself as the
cultural hero and symbol of Chinese strength and pride, but a character who Masked Warrior to protect those who have been targeted. Yen’s magnificent
redefined Chinese martial arts cinema, propelling it to its Golden Age. Donnie Chen is no longer the boastful youth that Lee immortalized, but a man filled
Yen, one of the finest martial artists of his generation, first portrayed Chen in a with regret and responsibility. While this latest adaptation of Chen Zhen is
1995 television series and now returns to the role under the assured guidance grand in scale and ambition, it is still anchored to its legendary hero, whose
of Andrew Lau. By uniting history, suspense and dazzling action sequences, Lau passion for his homeland is at the heart of the film. (Giovanna Fulvi, TIFF)
US Premiere
Let Me In
2010, dir. Matt Reeves, 115 min., United States
BRIEF SUMMARY could have imagined liking the American remake as much, if not more than
Owen is an alienated 12-year old who is bullied by his classmates the original. Matt Reeves, coming off the successful CLOVERFIELD, brings an
and neglected by his divorcing parents. His only friend is his amazing eye and ferocity to LET ME IN, but the real secret of LET ME IN is its
new neighbor Abby, an eerily self-possessed young girl who young cast. Kodi Smit-McPhee (THE ROAD) plays Owen, the awkward little boy
lives next door with her silent father. that Chloe Moretz’s vampiric Abby befriends. These two find each other in a
small apartment complex in Los Alamos, New Mexico in the early ‘80s. In an
full description odd way, this period and setting reminds me of films like GOONIES, EXPLORERS
When Tim League and I sat down to screen LET ME IN for consideration for and more specifically E.T., only scary! The kids are as real and honest as the kids
FANTASTIC FEST 2010, I’m not gonna lie. We were very very skeptical. Possibly in the original, it is just… they more fully remind us of who we were at that age.
as much, if not more than you feel right now. LET THE RIGHT ONE IN was a When the violence kicks in, it is brutal and extreme. I envy you seeing this for
huge film for FANTASTIC FEST and we all loved it. Like most film fans, when the first time, but I can’t wait to see you squirm and shriek! When you see a
you hear that one of your favorite films of recent memory was being remade, remake that is done with passion and skill, that culturally does add something
you have a very strong, “NOOOO!!!!” stuck in your mind. When that film is a to the conversation—and that just kicks as much ass as this—well, then you
brilliant foreign film and you hear they’re doing an AMERICAN version—that’s have a film to be excited by, to party about and to kick off the greatest festival
just scary. The scary thing about LET ME IN is that even though none of us of fun film going around! (Harry Knowles)
The Life and Death of a Porno Gang Plays with Barcelona Venecia
2009, dir. David Muñoz, 5 min., Spain When you’ve accidentally slipped
2009, dir. Mladen Djordjevic, 90 min., Serbia through a wormhole, you’d better hope your guide isn’t a jackass.
BRIEF SUMMARY AND DEATH OF A PORNO GANG is a graphic unflinching exploration of the
extreme edges of art, sex, and violence. It is 1998 in Serbia. The Kosovo war
Adult movie director Marko steals money from his mobster
is in full swing. Marko (Mihajlo Jovanovic) is a film school graduate in search
producer Cane to create his masterpiece: an experimental of a break. He gets a job as an assistant to a thuggish porno producer named
black and white erotic horror film. When the film bombs and Cane (Srdjan Miletic). Although he eventually is allowed to direct porn, Marko
he can’t repay his boss, he slips away with the cast and crew to refuses to play by the rules. He combines an interest in art films, documentaries,
produce live porno-theater in the Serbian countryside. Then it science fiction and horror into a style called “socio-political porno horror.”
Since Cane doesn’t like his money being used for such experiments, Marko is
gets weird.
forced to express himself in other ways. He assembles a group of porn actors,
junkies, and misfits for a live sex show in Belgrade. After the first disastrous
full description show, Marko piles the crew into a psychedelic love bus and take the porno
There is a cinematic storm brewing in the Balkans. A new wave of independent escapades on the road. This is when the real trouble begins. Once the setting
filmmakers from Serbia are pushing aesthetic and moral boundaries with films moves beyond Belgrade, Marko transitions from a bystander to an active
rooted in their own unique experiences. One prime example is A SERBIAN FILM, participant in the nation’s bloodshed. His philosophical justifications provide
which hammered audiences into submission when it played as part of Fantastic cover for his deeds but his transgressions are really no different than that of
Fest’s 2010 SXSW programming. Now, Fantastic Fest is ready to unleash another the other criminals and opportunists that plague the country. (Rodney Perkins)
controversial Serbian work upon U.S. audiences. Mladen Djordjevic’s THE LIFE
Sneak Preview
BRIEF SUMMARY 1980 film of the same name directed by Charles Kaufman. Thirty years after its
After a botched robbery, three brothers, one severely injured, initial release, the story has received a massive overhaul with the help of writer
burst into their mother’s house, only to find that she lost it Scott Milam and barely resembles the backwoods madcap mayhem Kaufman
months earlier in a foreclosure. The new owners (Jaime King introduced. Instead, the narrative is relocated to the suburbs where the Sohapi
and Frank Grillo) and their guests, gathered for an ill-timed couple, Dan and Beth, are throwing a party with friends. Their shindig is crashed
birthday party, become the brothers’ unwitting hostages. With when brothers Ike, Addley and a severely wounded Jonathan burst into the
the situation quickly devolving, the brothers have only one home from a botched robbery. They think the house is still their mother’s place,
choice: call Mother (Rebecca De Mornay). little do they know the home was foreclosed and snatched up by the Sohapis.
The film that unfolds is a rather brutal crime caper that finds the brothers
full description reuniting with their Mother and sister, Lydia, while the Sohapi party descends
There are movies that pretend to be tough as nails. Posturing with on-screen into madness. Rebecca De Mornay is top-notch, as you might have guessed.
muscle, testosterone, the flash of a gun barrel or the glint of a knife and plenty And there are equally strong turns by Patrick John Flueger, Shawn Ashmore and
of blood spilled. Then there are movies that, yes, carry some of those elements, Jaime King. Mother’s Day represents Bousman as a maturing filmmaker and it’s
but are absolutely wicked to the core, channeling the energy of a feral creature perhaps his best work to date. Remove the references to the Kaufman film and
trapped in a cage. That’s Mother’s Day, a surprisingly good remake of the you’ve got a picture that can stand on its own. (Ryan Turek, Shock Til You Drop)
Regional Premiere
BRIEF SUMMARY five minutes later you’ll see something that makes that previous transgression
In 2009, Tak Sakaguchi (BE A MAN! SAMURAI SCHOOL), seem downright quaint. Rin is a normal high school girl, but on her super sweet
Yoshihiro Nishimura (TOKYO GORE POLICE) and Noboru Iguchi sixteen her body starts changing and the special forces (armed with nose-
(ROBOGEISHA), got drunk and vowed to make a movie together. mounted machine guns) bust up her birthday party and kill her guests with
One year later, here it is. This splatter-ific, fetishy, hyperactive booger bullets. It turns out that Rin is one of the reviled mutants, known as
take on the X-Men is going to shock, horrify and delight you. Hirukos, who are the latest inferior race slated for extinction. But Rin runs, and
discovers a resistance movement made up of other mutants. Not only are they
full description dangerous, but they’re also armed—only their arms stick out from the sides
At 2009’s New York Asian Film Festival, action choreographer and director Tak of their heads! Swords shoot out their nipples, chainsaws project from their
Sakaguchi (BE A MAN! SAMURAI SCHOOL), director and special effects genius butts, deformed faces grow on their bellies and metal claws erupt from their
Yoshihiro Nishimura (TOKYO GORE POLICE) and cherubic pervert Noboru wrists. But these deformities are the weapons they’ll use to tear down straight
Iguchi (ROBOGEISHA) got drunk and vowed to make a movie together. One society. MUTANT GIRLS SQUAD is cheap, tacky and weird. But it’s also clear
year later, here it is. This splatter-ific, fetishy, hyperactive take on the X-Men that for all its awkward moments and low budget restrictions, it’s a successful
is going to shock, horrify and delight you. It comes at you fast and furious melding of these three directors into one giant, bloody robot: the SakaMuChi.
and if something crosses the line between good and bad taste, don’t worry: And SakaMuChi is here to crush the normals. (Marc Walkow, NYAFF)
BRIEF SUMMARY the boy grew up to be an Aghori, a member of a centuries-old Hindu sect. The
An Alejandro Jodorowsky version of a Bollywood movie. A long once innocent child has become a long-haired lunatic (played by a man simply
haired Vedic ubermensch burns corpses, lives in graveyards, known as Arya) who sleeps in graveyards, eats the remains of cremated bodies,
smokes dope, beats up people, and proclaims himself to be and beats people up. The Aghori speaks infrequently—he only opens his mouth
God before eventually become the savior of a collective of to chant, proclaim himself as God, and smoke copious amounts of dope. This
severely deformed beggars. Do not miss this film. man-god eventually crosses paths with a group of severely deformed kids who
were turned into beggars by an evil slave driver. Although the Aghori antagonist
full description eventually comes to the beggars’ aid, his idea of mercy is as unorthodox as his
Every year, Fantastic Fest programs some films that don’t neatly fit within any notions of hygiene. Naan Kadavul renders this fantastical story, which draws
genre. These films are chosen because they are so surprising and mind-blowing on Hindu esoteric traditions, with surreal flair. As is the case with most Indian
that we feel absolutely compelled to show them. One such work is Bala’s movies, there are numerous musical interludes. However, rare is the Bollywood
NAAN KADAVUL—a music-infused Tamil epic about a dope-smoking Vedic work that features a tranny doing a seductive song-and-dance routine or
superman and a group of beggar slave children. On the advice of astrologers, a crippled kids singing about the depths of their karmic misery. Naan Kadavul
man abandons his only son in the city of Kasi. Many years later, the man returns is a unique work that will leave audiences spellbound. (Rodney Perkins)
to Kasi to find his long-lost son. The family reunion is not so simple because
BRIEF SUMMARY Cyprus. This is true. Also true is that through the Cold War period NATO and
The true story of how Commander Arne Treholt and his Ninja the CIA secretly operated what are known as Stay-Behind Forces throughout
Force saved Norway during the Cold War. In 1983 the Ninja Europe, forces intended to function as a built-in resistance should the Russians
Force discovers that the Shadow Government, who take charge invade, forces which are now known to have conducted terrorist attacks on
in times of war and emergency, are planning a coup d’état in friendly soil to stoke fear of Soviet invasion and allow the military and secret
peacetime. Treholt and the ninjas see only one solution: a full services influence across the region. In 1978 Norwegian police discovered a
can of whoop-ass! large cache of weapons on the territory of Hans Otto Meyer, a Norwegian
Intelligence Service officer believed to be the head of the Norwegian Stay
full description Behind Force. What these arms were intended for was never clear. Enter Thomas
Diplomat. Spy. Ninja? In 1984 Norwegian diplomat Arne Treholt was convicted Cappelen Malling, filmmaker. A child of the Cold War era, Malling has looked
of high treason and selling state secrets to the Soviet Union and Iraq. The back over the claims of the day and declared them all ridiculous.. So ridiculous,
conviction carried with it a twenty year prison term, eight of which he would in fact, that he would like to propose an alternate history. Perhaps Treholt was
serve before being pardoned in 1992. Though the circumstances of the original not a spy at all. Perhaps when he said he was Deputy Foreign Minister in the
trial and conviction have long been disputed and Treholt has steadily maintained Bureau of Maritime Affairs what he really meant was that he was the leader of
his innocence, any review has been denied and Treholt now lives in exile in a secret ninja force established by King Olav himself.
Ong Bak 3
2010, dir. Tony Jaa, Panna Rittikrai, 100 min., Thailand
after, things aren’t much better, with Tien beaten to a pulp by staff-wielding
BRIEF SUMMARY soldiers, then dumped and left for dead. After being more or less resurrected
The legend of ONG BAK 3 begins after Tien (Tony Jaa) has lost by the devotion and care of his spiritual mentor Master Bua and Pim, the
his fighting skills and his beloved stepfather from the raid led love of his life, Tien grows a beard, finds religion, meditates a bit, and sets
by Jom Rachan (Saranyu Wonggrajang). Tien is brought back to himself on the path to the land of ass kicking and revenge, leading to an
life with the help from the Kana Khone villagers. His talents are ultimate confrontation with Lord Rajasena, and eventually the Crow Ghost
put to the test again when his rivals return for the final massive himself. With ONG BAK 2 a huge success in its homeland and abroad, a follow-
showdown. up was inevitable, particularly given the fact of the second entry’s troubled
production history. Jaa (also serving as director) left part 2 midway through,
full description forcing his mentor and legendary martial arts choreographer Panna Rittikrai to
When we last left Thai martial arts superstar Tony Jaa at the end of ONG come aboard as co-director and shoot additional scenes. What was left after
BAK 2, things looked grim: defeated by the seemingly-invincible Crow Ghost, the film was finally finished was one-and-a-half movies, putting the filmmakers
betrayed by his adopted father, and captured by the evil Lord Rajasena’s halfway there for ONG BAK 3. What’s different this time around, however, is
soldiers, village warrior Tien (Jaa) seemed destined to be horribly tortured to the sheer level of rage and anger felt throughout the film. Compared with part
death in a dungeon cell. And when ONG BAK 3 picks up the story immediately 2, the fights in ONG BAK 3 are nastier and just plain personal. (Marc Walkow)
BRIEF SUMMARY yakuza clan system being a massive, sprawling beast with numerous “families”
Takeshi Kitano is back in classic form, directing and starring in and sub families all enclosed within it in a twisting web of allegiances and
the genre God intended for him: a ruthless, bloody and very rivalries. Kitano himself stars as Otomo, a mid-level mob boss. Otomo’s loyalties
violent yakuza crime thriller. lie with Ikemoto, an aging gang leader who has in turn formed a pact with
Murase, the leader of another clan within the family. This pact has raised the ire
full description of the yakuza Chairman, the highest ranking gangster, to whom Ikemoto must
Takeshi Kitano is back. After a trio of increasingly self-reflective films Kitano is answer. The Chairman claims he is offended by Murase’s dabbling in the drug
back in the genre where he built his name and audience in the first place. He trade and that Ikemoto’s association with the dealer brings him shame. Equally
is back to the world of the yakuza, a world of manly men doing manly things likely is that the Chairman doesn’t like these two powerful men creating an
which generally involve a great deal of pain for other, less manly men. When it alliance that could threaten him. The Chairman instructs Ikemoto to distance
comes to the gangster film, few have ever done it better than Kitano and with himself from Murase, a task Ikemoto then hands to Otomo to accomplish by
OUTRAGE he is absolutely back in peak form, his latest film playing as though any means necessary. Despite the plot complexity, Kitano delivers one of his
the Kitano who made FIREWORKS and SONATINE has spent the past several most direct and violent pictures to date. His work behind the camera is crisp,
years steeping himself in the world of original yakuza-auteur Kinji Fukasaku. The his work in front of it demonstrating again that Kitano is at his best as a blank
complex plot revolves around inter-gang wrangling for power, the traditional cipher, capable of sudden bursts without warning. (Todd Brown, Twitchfilm)
North American
Premiere
BRIEF SUMMARY communication system that effectively trumps any previously instituted urban
Hoping to rekindle the sparks with his ex-girlfriend, Michael seclusion. Trapped in one confined space after another, Michi must team up
makes a surprise visit to her apartment in the city. Bad timing. with Harper in order to get back to Gabi and escape the fate of becoming a
As luck would have it, this is also the same day the zombie mindless, raging zombie himself. Isolated in Gabi’s apartment, Michi and Harper
outbreak hits Berlin. are hailed by a neighbor across the courtyard. The neighbor’s wife is sick and
in need of painkillers for which he offers to barter food. The neighbor informs
full description the marooned duo that the lady who lives next door to Gabi is an addict and
Michi is having a rough day. His longtime girlfriend Gabi decides they should therefore should have a stockpile. In an effort to escape the bedroom without
go their separate ways, and upon returning his set of keys to her apartment, being devoured, Harper and Michi construct a makeshift device that puts both
he finds out that she has been seeing another guy. Harper is a young MacGyver and The A-Team to shame. Once in the old woman’s apartment, the
maintenance man who is working in Gabi’s apartment when his boss suddenly mission to deliver the painkillers to the other side of the courtyard becomes
unleashes a savage rage and attacks him. Oh, and in the midst of all this, the a desperate fight for survival. RAMMBOCK is a resounding statement from a
apartment building where Gabi lives is besieged by bloodthirsty hordes of country whose voice in the zombie genre has yet to be heard. Germany’s entry
what used to be her neighbors. Those that have managed to steer clear of the into the innumerable cannon of the walking dead is poignant, fascinating, and
ravenous masses are confined to their homes and must adopt a windowsill thoroughly entertaining.
US Premiere
BRIEF SUMMARY physically underdeveloped son Pietari. Though he doesn’t totally fit in with the
Santa Claus is somewhat less than jolly—in fact, he’s the stuff community, Pietari is insatiably curious and notices things that others don’t.
nightmares are made of—in Jalmari Helander’s Rare Exports, Specifically, he’s realized that the dig is somehow related to Santa Claus, but
an atmospheric and witty re-working of a cherished folk tale. this isn’t exactly the Santa from animated Christmas specials or nineteenth-
century American doggerel. This Santa is, to put it mildly, a little harsher. A
full description modern-day take on one of our most cherished fantasies, Jalmari Helander’s
Way up north in Finland, right on the border with Russia, lies one of Santa RARE EXPORTS (based on the highly touted shorts he made for and broadcast
Claus’s ostensible homes. For the last couple of months an international team on the web) explores the moral universe of fairy tales and our relationship to
of “archaeologists,” working for Subzero Inc. and led by a weird Brit (who bears them. The classic examples—those collected by the Brothers Grimm or written
an unsettling resemblance to the Nazi officer in RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK), by Hans Christian Anderson—are characterized by a ruthless, grisly morality,
has been mysteriously digging away at a large hill, wreaking havoc on the one that feels too brutal for our collective ethos, but somehow still holds
environment. The locals, mostly Samis and Laplanders, are furious. The annual power over our unconscious. Jalmari Helander is well-versed in and respectful
reindeer round-up, which happens a few days before Christmas, has been ruined, of the tradition he manipulates. Like classic fairy tales, RARE EXPORTS boasts
dealing a devastating blow to the local economy. Especially annoyed is Rauno, a a lone parent with personal troubles, a child who’s too perceptive for his own
single father who’s struggling to make ends meet and deal with his imaginative, good and an instantly identifiable villain. (Steve Gravestock, TIFF)
World Premiere
Red
2010, dir. Robert Schwentke, 113 min., USA
BRIEF SUMMARY manning up for the return of escaped convict Jimmy Conway, an aboriginal
On his first day on the job as a rural Australian constable, Shane tracker with a thirst for revenge. Fueled by his own morality and a desire to
Cooper (TRUE BLOOD star Ryan Kwanten) has a daunting save the lives of his wife and unborn child, Shane takes off on his own, covering
assignment: face off against an escaped-convict Aboriginal one key entrance to the town in the hopes of apprehending our villain. But
tracker whose current prey is the entire Red Hill police when Jimmy finds his way back to the isolated outpost, no one in the town is
department. safe. Now, surrounded by old secrets and heavy gunfire, Shane must take the
law into his own hands to ensure the citizens he came to watch over make it
full description through the night.
“A tour de force debut by director Patrick Hughes.” —Screen International.
Red Hill is a film that is too unique to be pinned down to one definition.
In search of a more peaceful existence in which he can live out the rest of his Featuring an incredibly nuanced performance from TruE Blood’s Ryan
life quietly with his wife and child, Constable Shane Cooper takes a posting at a Kwanten, beautiful landscape cinematography and one of the most memorable
police station in a small rural outback town. Unfortunately for him, his first day boomerang sequences in film history, Hughes’ debut is simply too smart to
on the job is going to be the longest day of his life. After receiving news of a ignore.
nearby prison break, veteran sheriff Old Bill sends his department into a panic,
BRIEF SUMMARY isn’t just about driving skills it is about heavily modified cars with nitroglycerin
Redline reunites animator Takeshi Koike with Katushito Ishii boosters, crazy weapons, and robot appendages. This year, the competition is
the genius behind FUNKY FOREST: THE FIRST CONTACT for set to occur (illegally) on Roboworld, a bizarre militaristic planet whose leaders
a mind-melting psychedelic assault that is easily the wildest look like they stepped out of a Jack Kirby comic book. Among the array of
animated Japanese film to surface in years. competitors is a guy named JP (voiced by the guitar brother himself, Tadanobu
Asano). JP, who sports a giant ducktail hairstyle and is one of the most aggressive
full description racers on the circuit. However, his reputation is tainted by an association with
Rev your engines, adrenaline junkies! REDLINE is a new feature from famed a fixer named Mogura Oyaji. When JP qualifies for the final race through a
Madhouse studios that reunites animator Takeshi Koike (NINJA SCROLL, fluke, he becomes determined to win the race on his own. Katushito Ishii, who
ANIMATRIX) with his longtime collaborator Katushito Ishii, who is the genius wrote the original story and co-wrote the screenplay, is best known for his live-
behind FUNKY FOREST: THE FIRST CONTACT. This meeting of warped minds action features, but he has a long track record of writing and directing OAV. In
results in a mind-melting psychedelic assault that is easily the wildest animated REDLINE, he weaves a melting pot of aliens, robots, mutants, and freaks into
Japanese film to surface in years. Every five years, top drivers from across the a wild narrative that recalls everything from SPEED RACER and CANNONBALL
universe participate in an underground racing competition to see who is the RUN to AKIRA. The intensity just bursts off the screen as the blood vessels
best of them all. The final stage in the competition is called Redline. The race burst in the drivers’ eyes and the sweat rolls down their faces. (Rodney Perkins)
Special Screening
BRIEF SUMMARY pad—viewers are Richard’s co-pilot in his journey to the stars. Once in space,
Last year Richard Garriott became the first son of an astronaut Richard takes over the filming. He and his camera float weightless inside the
to go to space. But this is no millionaire’s joy ride—he pioneered tiny Soyuz capsule for the two days it takes to dock with the ISS. Then we
private space travel to make his dream come true. From his experience life on board the Space Station as Richard performs experiments,
training in Russia, his launch in Kazahkstan, and to the dramatic, looks down on mother Earth and even does magic tricks. What’s more, Richard
never before seen footage inside the capsule during fiery re- keeps the camera rolling for some never before seen footage from inside the
entry, this is a historic moment in human space travel. re-entry capsule as it makes a fiery return to earth. On the ground, his astronaut
father is there to meet him, officially welcoming us all to the next generation of
full description human space exploration. MAN ON A MISSION captures this historic moment
Not just for space fans, this is a film that will inspire anyone who works tirelessly in a way that will only become more powerful as time passes. We witness the
to make their dream come true. In January of 2008, Richard writes a $30 million birth of private space travel, meet the first father-son astronaut family, and
check to secure his seat on the Russian Soyuz rocket. In October, he launches can clearly see that the future of space travel is going to be in the hands of
250 miles straight up to the International Space Station where he orbits Earth pioneers like Richard. His incredible journey will inspire dreamers and awaken
for 10 days. With awe-inspiring detail the film follows Richard through his year the astronaut in all of us.
of training. From Star City, Moscow, to NASA, to Yuri Gagarin’s original launch
BRIEF SUMMARY stands by the road. A car becomes visible in the distance. As the car moves
Quentin Dupieux (the real name of legendary DJ Mr. Ozio) has closer, the driver purposely begins to knock over the chairs. The car halts and
directed my hands-down favorite film of Cannes 2010. Robert, a policeman emerges. He delivers a monologue and quickly disappears. The
a very disgruntled psychokinetic automobile tire, explodes the camera pulls back to reveal that a group of people were watching the entire
heads of birds, beasts and humans alike on a high-desert killing sequence of events. The people are waiting for a movie to begin. A movie about
spree like no other. a car tire named Robert that inexplicably comes to life. Robert realizes that
he has powers. Psychic powers that make things explode. Things like bottles,
full description rabbits, and human heads. As one might surmise from the description, RUBBER
Quentin Dupieux (aka Mr. Oizo) first entered the public conscious when his presents two interconnected stories. One story is about the adventures of
thumping techno track “Flat Beat” was released in 1999. The related music video Robert the tire. The other is about a group of people watching a movie about
and TV commercials featuring a yellow puppet named Flat Eric were also hugely the adventures of Robert the tire. If this sounds confusing, don’t be alarmed.
successful. Dupieux went on to write and direct full-length films. His latest It is confusing. It is also ingenious. RUBBER operates as both an homage to
feature is RUBBER, a wonderfully weird movie about—among other things—a genre and a dissection of its logical innards. The film gleefully plays with a
tire that comes to life. RUBBER begins in a desert. A series of chairs are laid out core cinematic conceit: suspension of disbelief. After a while, the abnormal
in a zig-zag pattern on a barren road. A man with a pair of binoculars anxiously becomes normal. (Rodney Perkins)
US Premiere
Stake Land
2010, dir. Jim Mickle, 98 min., United States
BRIEF SUMMARY Apocalypse. This is one of those stories that’s about a group of people brought
Following a political-economic meltdown, the world has been together by circumstance on the road. When you’re in a post-apocalyptic hell,
overrun by humanoid creatures who feed off human blood. pretty much all you have going for you is staying alive and the dream that it
A disparate group of survivors band together to weave their could be better elsewhere. You’ll be introduced to a badass vampire slayer
way through the communities of both vampires and equally known only as MISTER, who ends up taking young Connor Paolo (GOSSIP GIRL)
dangerous religious cultists in search of an alleged sanctuary along. Teaching him how to stay alive, because there’s more to be concerned
in the north. about than just the evil monstrous Vampires (girls, you won’t want to date these
vamps). You have redneck militia fucktards ya gotta worry about too. You’ll
full description also meet Kelly McGillis (TOP GUN) as a Nun. And at some point you’ll meet
Ok—so the economy is for shit. Extremists on all sides of religion are freaking Danielle Harris’ character. But through it all—there’s plenty of action, emotion
us all out. We’ve unleashed oil into the Gulf that could end life on Earth and horror to keep all of us happy. STAKE LAND is a definite improvement
as we know it, but all of that is ok. We’re not all gonna die in a nuclear or from Jim Mickle’s debut film, MULBERRY STREET, which I liked, because… well,
environmental holocaust. Nope. It’s the fucking vampires we gotta look out humanity devolving into hideous rat monsters… well, I like that sort of thing,
for. That’s right, what we got here is a VAMPIRE APOCALYPSE flick. You see—all but here everything is just better. So order some wine, find something on the
the problems we have right now, that’s what’s gonna set us up for the Vampire menu with garlic and enjoy! (Harry Knowles)
US Premiere
Stone
2010, dir. John Curran, 106 min., United States
BRIEF SUMMARY prisoners all coming into his office trying their best to “con” him into helping
A ruthless convict engages in a series of disturbing mental them get out early due to his recommendation. He’s worked here as long as
games with his corrections officer in an attempt to gain parole. he can remember, listening to the scum of society bend his ear. When he first
When the officer begins an affair with the convict’s wife, it soon meets Ed Norton’s Gerald Creeson… Edward is essentially a space alien. He and
becomes clear that both the convict and officer’s motivations De Niro couldn’t be farther apart, but it is clear that the one thing on his mind
are suspect, provoking a dangerous ordeal. is to get out of prison. Norton’s girlfriend Lucetta, played brilliantly by Milla
Jovovich, is asked to talk to De Niro’s Mabry. But she instantly makes De Niro
full description feel uncomfortable. Ed’s descriptions of their love is strictly carnal. But as he
STONE is one of those FANTASTIC FEST films that might not strictly speaking gets to know her, he finds her to be a very sweet girl. De Niro and Norton
fulfill our needs as a hard-line Genre film, but it did make us say, “FANTASTIC!” are tremendous in the film, but so much of STONE rests upon the delicate
which is the paramount question we ask ourselves when programming shoulders of Jovovich and had she come up one ounce short, it wouldn’t have
FANTASTIC FEST. When you have a film starring the one two punch of Edward worked. This is a film that for me, has its roots back with great classic Film Noir
Norton and Robert De Niro, you might be stunned to hear that as great as tales. Everybody wants something from somebody. And you should trust no
they are in this film, it is Milla Jovovich who steals the film. Seriously. Robert one. The violence is intense, the sex is even more so and as this film heads to
De Niro plays a Prison Counselor who day in, day out has an endless stream of wrap up, you’ll fear for the worst. STONE is truly fantastic! (Harry Knowles)
77 www.fantasticfest.com | Fantastic Fest , September 23 - 30, 2010 Fantastic Fest , September 23 - 30, 2010 | www.fantasticfest.com 77
Austin Premiere
Summer Wars
2009, dir. Mamoru Hosoda, 114 min., Japan
BRIEF SUMMARY Andree), a wealthy German couple entering their twilight years. While both
In the future, the wealthy can extend their lives by purchasing have ethical concerns about the procedure, Herman is deeply worried by his
the bodies of the young and impoverished. Other than the wife’s failing health and both fear the day that death will separate them. Their
pricetag, however, there may be other costs. initial hesitation to the transfer procedure gives way after Anna learns that she
has but months to live. She and Herman soon return to Menzana and commit
full description to purchasing the bodies of Apolain and Sarah (B.J. Britt and Regine Nehy), two
Director Damir Lukacevic’s TRANSFER uses the conceit of an advanced society’s refugees from Africa who have been specially selected for their compatibility
breakthroughs in biomedical life-extension to explore racial identity and with the body and brain chemistry of the aging couple. Under the conditions
Western privilege over those living in the developing world. At the Menzana of the transfer, Herman and Anna have use of their new bodies for 20 hours a
facility, customers with the financial means to do so can sidestep the constraints day. When they sleep, their hosts Apolain and Sarah return to consciousness
of this mortal coil by having their consciousness and memories implanted into and are able to use their own bodies for a period of four hours. While trading
the minds of young, healthy bodies, primarily those of immigrant Africans and in themes of exploitation and other dystopian sci-fi narrative possibilities,
other third world residents who agree to participate in the procedure for the TRANSFER stands apart from many films of the genre in its complex portrayal
money their families will receive. The film opens with a consultation session of romantic love, friendship and compassion. It has an emotionally charged and
for potential clients Herman and Anna (Hans Michael Rehberg and Ingrid gratifying quality that resonates long after the credits have rolled.
World Premiere
BRIEF SUMMARY makes things even more difficult. While following the story of an immigrant
A group of American grad students head south of the border who loses his job after a workplace accident cripples him, the team finds a
to follow a story for their documentary on illegal immigration. new thread in the man’s nephew who’s getting ready to cross the border. They
They plan to accompany a young Mexican with his wife and decide to go to Mexico to follow the man and his family as they try to enter
daughter as they try to enter the United States hoping for a the United States. Despite a few minor setbacks, they cross successfully, but are
better life. After paying a coyote and getting footage as they quickly captured by a group of self-proclaimed patriots whose plans for them
actually cross the border, they are captured by a radical para- are less than friendly. The group decides to use the American documentary
military group with deadly intentions. crew to show the world their intentions. But the crew gets more than they
bargained for as the radicals slowly reveal themselves to be increasingly more
full description violent. The students soon realize that despite their American citizenship,
Travis is a young idealistic grad student trying to shed some light on the even they may not be safe from the bloodshed. With a mixture of traditional
plight of illegal immigrants. He’s directing a documentary on the controversial filming as well as cuts of the on-camera interviews and documentary footage,
subject, with the help of his ex-girlfriend Liz producing, Jim, the sarcastic sound Undocumented is stylistically unique. Empathy for fellow humans takes a
guy, his best friend Davie on one camera and William on the other. He and Liz backseat to staunch patriotism in this intense film. A brutal, bloody assault on
are still sniping at each other and Travis’ obvious disdain for Liz’s new boyfriend the senses, the film puts man’s capacity for evil on full display. (Luke Mullen)
Regional Premiere
BRIEF SUMMARY wants to catch a ride home. She sees one more person outside, but can’t find
What starts as a biker bash gone awry first gets unfathomably him again when she goes to ask for a ride. And then Michelle comes back.
bloody before finally transcending into truly bizarre territory. She stumbles in beaten and bloodied. But all is not as it seems and it quickly
becomes apparent that Michelle is under some kind of evil influence as she
full description lashes out and attacks Elroy. When a group of dangerous strangers seemingly
Cody’s got a lot going on in his life. Born into the notorious biker gang, The stuck in the 50s appear, the bikers discover that Michelle may be the least of
Crew, his loyalty has been called into question after a recent scrape with the their problems. THE VIOLENT KIND is a supernatural horror film where the beer
law. His best friend and fellow Crew member, Q, is a hot head who’s dating and blood flow in equal measure. It combines elements of teen slashers, home
Cody’s cousin Shade. And his ex-girlfriend Michelle has already moved onto invasion horror, exorcism films and more into one crazy, quirky film. It’s insane
another guy. But all that plays second fiddle to his mom’s 50th birthday. The and bizarre and totally unique. If bikers, beer, babes and blood sound like your
Crew has pulled out all the stops for a rowdy birthday bash at an old farmhouse idea of a pleasant night at the movies, then crack open an ice cold PBR, sit back
out in the country. The beer is flowing, the bikes are gleaming and the girls are and enjoy the ride. (Luke Mullen)
hot. What could go wrong? Turns out pretty much everything. Michelle’s little
sister Megan gets stuck with Shade, Cody, Q, and their rookie bike repairman
Elroy as the party dwindles. Cody and the gang are staying the night but Megan
US Premiere
BRIEF SUMMARY surprising; this is a normal consequence of a death, but it cuts a little deeper
When the patriarch of the family passes away, the children must here. You see, this family has a difference, they follow strict, cannibalistic
take responsibility for all family chores: the preparation of the religious rites and with father gone they are thrown into complete disarray.
rituals, the hunting and putting the all-important meat on the Who will perform the rites? What—i.e. who—will they eat? And who is going
table. These newfound responsibilities are even more daunting, to do the hunting? And so, much like LET THE RIGHT ONE IN, what we have
however, when you live in the city and happen to be a family here is a film built on a horror premise—and this does, indeed, become quite
of cannibals. horrific—but which is as much, if not more, a family drama and teen coming
of age story. For the mantle of leadership, it seems, must fall on Alfredo, an
full description introverted teen who wants nothing to do with the responsibility but must
We begin with tragedy, with a man comfortably past middle age spitting up take on the mantle if his family is to survive despite the objections of his
blood and collapsing dead in the middle of a busy public walkway. Though he mother and moderately sociopathic brother. Beautifully shot and constructed,
is a nondescript man—such a nobody that he is simply dragged away by local Grau builds a truly unique animal here. Audiences coming in looking for gore
cleaners and the police never bother any serious attempt at identifying him—he must be patient. This is a character picture much more than a full blooded
is quite important in the lives of the three teenaged children he leaves behind horror and though the cannibal sequences are shockingly graphic when they
and the spouse he leaves a widow. That the family is left bereaved is nothing arrive, Grau takes his time getting there. (Todd Brown, Twitchfilm)
Woochi
2010, dir. Dong-hun Choi, 136 min., Hong Kong
World Premiere
Zombie Roadkill
2010, dir. David Green, 60 min., United States
BRIEF SUMMARY who teams with an unsuspecting teenager, played by David Dorfman, to escape
Zombie Roadkill follows a group of college kids driving on a cursed stretch of highway that resurrects roadkill in the form of flesh eating
an unfamiliar winding road through a national park. They are zombie animals. Zombie Roadkill follows a group of college kids driving
heading for a weekend away at a national park. Unfortunately on an unfamiliar winding road through a national park. The group is heading
these protected woods are alive with the undead: wronged for a fun weekend away, but when they accidentally run over a “harmless”
woodland creatures that have been reanimated as vengeful, squirrel, everything takes a dark turn and they quickly discover that this is no
murderous zombies! ordinary road. In fact, the woods are alive with the undead: wronged woodland
creatures that have been reanimated as vengeful, murderous zombies! The first
full description two episodes of Zombie Roadkill will premiere on FEARnet.com on October
Ghost House Pictures’ partners Sam Raimi and Rob Tapert (The Evil Dead 4th, with a new episode available daily through Friday, October 8th. Zombie
Series, Drag Me to Hell), together with Jim Burns shepherded the project Roadkill will also play on the FEARnet On Demand VOD network with the
along with Ben Ketai and Sarah Donohue as Executive Producers. Innovative first three episodes of the series becoming available on October 14th and final
director David Green helmed the project penned by Henry Gayden. The episodes available on October 21st.
horror-comedy features Academy Award-nominated actor Thomas Haden
Church (Spider-Man 3, Sideways, Wings) as a tough as nails Park Ranger
BRIEF SUMMARY Bossick). Anthony lives in Tokyo with his wife Yuriko (Akiko Monou) and his son
Experimental film pioneer Shinya Tsukamoto returns to his Tommy. One day, Anthony goes on a walk with his son. A mysterious man in a
roots with the long awaited third installment in his influential black car (Shinya Tsukamoto) appears from nowhere and mows down the young
TETSUO series. boy. At this point, Anthony inexplicably begins writhing and wriggling as if he
is suffering from a seizure. This signals the beginning of his transformation into
full description a human weapon. As the alien metal takes over his flesh, Anthony pursues the
It is hard to overemphasize the influence of Shinya Tsukamoto’s TETSUO: THE reasons behind his transformation into a weapon while evading the mysterious
IRON MAN and TETSUO II: BODY HAMMER. Everything from music videos to people who want to kill him. There is no story continuity between the three
the current wave of Japanese mutant splatter flicks owes some debt to these TETSUO films. THE BULLET MAN does not stray too far from the earlier
furiously inventive experimental films. Thus, the prospect of a third movie in plot lines, though. Like BODY HAMMER, the film has a somewhat structured
the series brings both great excitement and great expectations. TETSUO: THE narrative. In this case, Anthony’s transformation from man to machine has
BULLET MAN is like a new version of a classic machine. Although some of its origins in a conspiracy that is explained over the course of the film. The
design elements have changed, the core features that made the previous films practical makeup effects are elaborate and bizarre. Nine Inch Nails front-man
such classics are still in place. In THE BULLET MAN, the Japanese salaryman Trent Reznor, who has acknowledged the influence of TETSUO, even pitches in
(Tomorowo Taguchi) is replaced by an American cipher named Anthony (Eric some end credits music. (Rodney Perkins)
www.texasfilmcommission.com
North American Fantastic Festival Alliance
FANTASIA
Montreal - July 8-28, 2010
www.fantasiafest.com
FANTASTIC FEST
Austin - September 23-30, 2010
www.fantasticfest.com
North American Fantastic Film Festival Alliance (NAFFA) is comprised of professional North American festivals dedicated to presenting the best new independent and international fantasy, science fiction, horror, animation,
exploitation, experimental and cult movies, as well as selected retrospective programs, with a dedication to quality and respect for the filmmaker’s work. NAFFA’s official website, www.FantasticAlliance.org, aims to provide
emerging and established imaginative artists with access to the Alliance of acclaimed festivals that actively support the discovery and promotion of thrillingly unique independent film from all over the world. NAFFA is recognized
by the European Fantastic Film Festivals Federation: www.melies.org
Drawn and It’s been said that animation isn’t just for kids anymore. Well,
that’s ESPECIALLY the case at Fantastic Fest. We’ll be showcasing
Quartered:
all aspects of genre entertainment in animated form, some of
which will make you laugh, and some of which will make your
bodily functions shut down entirely.
Animated Fantastic
Fest Shorts Pixels
France, dir. Patrick Jean
A full-scale invasion from the 8-bit dimension!!!
Fard Voltage
France, dir. David Alapont and Luis Briceño Brazil, dir. Filippe Lyra and William Paiva
A civilization built on the idea that “What you A crew of robots teaches us lousy humans how
don’t see doesn’t exist” is severely disturbed when it’s really done.
a man opens a mysterious package.
CAGES Yuri
Mexico, dir. Juan Jose Medina Switzerland, dir. Cécile Brun, Katja Schiendorfer,
A man treads across a post-apocalyptic landscape Immanuel Wagner and Nils Hedinger
carrying a bitter, vengeful burden. An astronaut wanders the spaceways in search of
new life. When something shows up…he’s at a loss.
severe Fantastic
Canada, Director: Peter Hatch
A dating service where anyone can find their soul
mate.
Fest Shorts
Deus Irae
Argentina, dir. Pedro Cristiani
Exorcism. It’s a dirty job, but someone’s got to
do it. United Monster Talent Agency
USA, Director: Greg Nicotero
Familiar with the classic monster films of
Interview Hollywood’s golden age? Now, learn how tough it
Germany, dir. Sebastian Marka
was to get those monsters to behave on camera!
A journalist scores an interview with a notorious
and so far uncaptured serial killer.
LA PETIT MORT
Germany, Director: Jan Gallasch
The Legend of Beaver Dam This nurse does not abide by the Hippocratic
Canada, dir. Jerome Sable Oath.
A bloodthirsty campfire terror legend goes…
musical?
ninjas
Brazil, dir. Dennison Ramalho
Emotionally tortured after accidentally shooting
a child, a policeman is offered a brutal shot at
redemption.
I N T E R N AT I O N A L F I L M F E S T I VA L
MONTREAL
July 2011
www.fantasiafestival.com
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each week, the CriterionCast also discusses the week’s news, new releases, and reviews of other genre, art-house, and independent films.
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satirical The A.V. Club. The Onion newsprint version has circulation of 690,000..
“FUNNY” “FUNNY” “FUNNY”
CHUD TWITCHFILM LOS ANGELES TIMES