“Dynamic, relentless and funnier than it’s predecessor, Ip Man 2 is the flashier, hipper and better looking of the two.” Ip Man 2 Directed by Wilson Yip (Yip Wai Shun) Continuing the narrative straight from where the first film left off, Ip Man 2 sees our titular hero (Donnie Yen) reprising his role …
“In the wrong hands, a preposterous premise like Pilgrim’s could have produced a complete mess, but Wright is so well-attuned to the material that he’s able to exploit its visual possibilities without losing sight of the core idea…” Scott Pilgrim Vs. the World Directed by Edgar Wright Written by Michael Bacall 2010, USA / UK …
——– High School Directed by John Stahlberg The words “stoner comedy” give rise to odious associations, making one expect a haphazard, loosely plotted, and unfunny mess – and, in almost all cases, rightfully so. John Stahlberg’s riotous and very funny High School elides such easy dismissal through a combination of inspired casting, tireless comic energy …
—————– Red White and Blue Directed by Simon Rumley Movies rarely open with more promise, nor fizzle out more disappointingly, than Simon Rumley’s Red White and Blue. A bizarre, intermittently effective movie that suffers from a surplus of characters, ideas and outlandish plot elements, Blue is the rare film that simultaneously exhibits serious talent and …
Originally I was only going to list my five favourite films of the entire fourteen year history of Fantasia. Only after last night’s screening I couldn’t help but add on Scott Pilgim vs. The World. These six films are without a doubt my SIX FAVORITE FIRST RUN FEATURES to ever screen at the festival. Look …
—————— Scott Pilgrim Vs. the World Directed by Edgar Wright Over the last decade, everyone from Zack Snyder to Ang Lee to the Neveldine/Taylor crew have attempted to draw inspiration from geek culture in order to create innovative, bleeding-edge films. Efforts like these wind up feeling compromised at best and ill-fated at worst, either because …
The Last Exorcism Directed by Daniel Stamm Thanks to its wicked humor and unexpected smarts, The Last Exorcism sets itself apart from many recent attempts at faux-documentaries. In the film, documentary filmmakers follow a disillusioned preacher who hopes to expose the danger exorcism poses in the modern age. He attempts to reveal the ignorance and …
Thanks to Neil Marshall’s 2005 horror film The Descent, about a group of spelunking women attacked by hideous carnivorous bat-boy monsters, my wife is now afraid of caves, Weekly World News covers, and girls’ nights out. If Marshall’s latest film Centurion, in which a Roman legion is attacked by Picts in 2nd century England, is …
Horror, fantasy, Hong Kong action, animation, strange documentaries, gored-up science-fiction, Japanese Pink films and martial arts flicks are just among the many genres Fantasia has covered in its fourteen years of programming. Famous for being the largest genre film festival in North America, Fantasia is packed with Canadian, North American and worldwide feature-length premieres as …
Don’t worry. Though director Chris Smith—who made a name for himself with tense, tightly scripted genre gems Creep, Severance, and Triangle—may be tackling lofty themes of right, wrong, and the religions in between with his new film Black Death. But there’s still plenty of necromancy and “heads on sticks,” he promises. Which is great. I’ve …
———- Air Doll Directed by Hirokazu Koreeda A bizarre but not entirely alien blend of social commentary, fairy tale, and old-fashioned tragedy, Air Doll helps to further cement Hirokazu Koreeda as an effective conveyor of unique, memorable imagery, even if it doesn’t quite cohere into the emotionally wrought masterpiece it seems very much to be …
The Devils Directed by Ken Russell Nearly forty years after its release, The Devils remains shocking. It is both unabashedly critical of establishment while also refusing to adhere to the commonly accepted conventions of “serious” cinema. Stylistically, the film employs an unconventional score, an overzealous use of zoom (to be fair, it was the 70s) …
“A film that like it or not delivers exactly (and only) what its title implies which is enough to lure the most satiated genre fans.” The Human Centipede (First Sequence) Directed by Tom Six An all-too-familiar setup finds a couple of pretty American tourists (Ashley C. Williams and Ashlynn Yennie) stranded in the woods when …
Embodiment Of Evil Directed by Jose Mojica Marins *** 1/2 José Mojica Marins’ demonically anticipated Zé do Caixão (Coffin Joe) comeback film is everything you could hope for. Embodiment cleverly explains Zé ‘s absence over the years by opening with the character being released from prison after serving decades of time for the crimes depicted …
I Sell The Dead Directed by Glenn McQuaid When January rolled around, I was all ready to throw in the towel and declare 2009 a wash for movies in general. I’ll tell you what, though. I continue to be surprised by some of this year’s offerings and some of last year’s that are finally making …
Life Is Hot In Cracktown Directed by Buddy Giovinazzo *** ½ Writer and director Buddy Giovinazzo has successfully adapted his collection of the 1992 short stories into a full-length feature film. Similar to Magnolia, Giovinazzo’s movie intercuts between four groups of people who all reside in the same ghetto overrun by crime, drug abuse and …
The Toronto International Film Festival has unveiled more major components of its 2009 lineup, as today organizers have announced the documentary films, the popular Midnight Madness series and Wavelengths, the festival’s “moving art” program. This is the section of the fest dedicated to horror, sci-fi and cult cinema and everything else we here at Sound …
Fantasia’s Short Film Highlights Just at this year’s Fantasia Film Fest sees its features splaying out far from the realm of hardcore genre flicks into other realms, its local shorts, presented in two different categories (Courts Métrages Québécois and Courts Métrages Québécois DIY) display a wide range of genre, approach, form and subject matter, fromt …
Far from being one-dimensional, South Korean cinema is recognized for tackling every possible genre with intelligence and success. The industry continues to prove itself as a cradle of creativity as confirmed by the numerous selections and awards garnered by South Korean movies on the international circuit this year. Hailing from The Land of the Morning …
Dread Directed by Anthony DiBlasi Clive Barker has a less than sterling record when it comes to having compelling films made from his novels and short stories, and Anthony DiBlasi’s Dread, despite some appealing performances and at least one sequence of pin-drop anxiety, isn’t able to buck the trend. Ultimately, a series of questionable screenplay …
Dead Snow Directed by Tommy Wirkola Written by Tommy Wirkola and Stig Frode Henriksen 2009, Norway Norway is known for a couple of things. The Fjords, Vikings and a wave of satanic arson and murder in the early 90’s that propelled black metal from its status as low-fi extreme metal to the most abrasive, evil music …
Must Love Death Directed by Andreas Schaap *** The first feature by director Andreas Schaap has had made some big impressions amongst Fantasia movie-goers. Clearly one of the more surprising and original films of the festival, it blends two seemingly opposite genres, the romantic comedy and extreme horror. These are the horror films one expects …
The critically and publicly acclaimed second edition of the DOCUMENTARIES FROM THE EDGE series proved last year that it holds a distinguished place at Fantasia. This section returns this summer with five debut films taking on curious and disturbing social phenomena. A debate over a video game, a modern out-law family, a site dedicated to …