We wish we could do a full review for every film we watched, but there just isn’t enough time. But we also did not want to miss the opportunity to address the many films we watched and appreciated.
Read MoreThe Lure
‘Colossal’ – A Fantastic Fest 2016 Review
in Fantastic Fest, Film, Reviews, Robbie Imes
When you go to Fantastic Fest you expect to see a few films that surprise you. You’re never disappointed, but there are always those two, three, even five movies that you just can’t stop thinking and talking about after you leave. They capture the stories that you kind of fall in love with. This year, one of those films was Colossal.
The setup for Colossal isn’t necessarily simple, but here it goes. Gloria (Anne Hathaway) tries to deal with her alcoholism by going back to her hometown. Once there, she reconnects with her childhood friend, Oscar (Jason Sudeikis). They quickly indulge each others bad habits and become drinking buddies. After a particularly heavy couple of nights, the two learn that they could in fact be connected to the monsters suddenly appearing and destroying Seoul, Korea.
Read MoreThe Void – A Fantastic Fest 2016 Review
The Void is a superbly surreal nightmare of a horror film the writer/director team Jeremy Gillespie and Steven Kostanski. Haunting from the first moments–a couple fleeing from a sinister house with gun-toting pursuers–the film never relents and never goes where you could ever expect. The approach is very much, throw it all against the wall and see if it sticks. And, almost miraculously, IT ALL STICKS.
Read MoreFashionista – A Fantastic Fest 2016 Review
Fashionista is a hypnotic exploration of identity and transformation written and directed by Simon Rumley. The narrative focuses on vintage clothing shop owners April (Amanda Fuller) and Eric (Ethan Embry), whose marriage is tested when April begins to suspect her husband of having an affair. After her suspicions are proven, their lives fall apart. April, seeking validation, attracts the attention of the wealthy, brooding Randall (Eric Balfour).
Read More‘The Arrival’ – A Fantastic Fest 2016 Review
in Fantastic Fest, Film, Reviews, Robbie Imes
I’m just going to come out and say it right away: The Arrival is one of those movies that make me remember why I love going to the movies. That’s been said before about a lot of movies, each time valid for the writer. But these types of movies don’t come around very often, especially ones so firmly steeped in genre.
The basic setup is that mysterious aliens have come to earth and humanity must discover what they want from us. Is it war, friendship, or something more sinister? Beyond this premise, at the heart of the film is Louise (Amy Adams), a linguist that’s tapped by the US Military to break the barrier of communication with them.
Read MoreBetter Watch Out – A Fantastic Fest 2016 Review
12-year old Luke (Levi Miller) is in love with his babysitter, Ashley (Oliva DeJonge). He holds out hope they can overcome the 5-year age gap between them, but time is running out because she’s set to move away in a few days. When his parents (played by Virginia Madsen and Patrick Warburton) hire her to watch him one last time on a snowy December night, Luke knows it’s now or never. He has it all planned out, until they find themselves threatened by a home invasion.
Read MoreBuster's Mal Heart – A Fantastic Fest 2016 Review
A mountain man evades authorities and survives the winter by breaking into empty houses. A fisherman is lost at sea, sending out letters in bottles with hopes they reach the shore. And a family man works night shifts at a hotel, living with his wife’s parents as they try to save up to get a place of their own with their infant daughter. All three men are one of the same, existing at different times yet simultaneously in Sarah Adina Smith’s impressive second feature film, Buster’s Mal Heart.
Read More‘Author: The JT LeRoy Story’ Offers Fans and Foes the Truth. Maybe.
in Film, Reviews, Robbie Imes
Author: The JT LeRoy Story opens with Winona Ryder thanking him, JT LeRoy. What she’s thanking him for is irrelevant because her sincerity sells it. She believes he is owed a thank you, this author, this boy, the son of a truckstop whore. And we cringe because we know the truth. JT LeRoy isn’t real. He was never real at all. He was a creature spawned from the heart of Laura Albert, the mastermind behind one of, if not THE, greatest literary scandal of all time.
Read MoreLet There Be Trash – A Case for Mondo Trasho
in Film, Nerdy, Randall Lotowycz
Speaking at the New York premiere of the newly restored Multiple Maniacs last month, John Waters touched on the state of his first feature length film, Mondo Trasho. He said it would probably never be re-released because the music licensing would cost $750,000, and it’s not the first time he has made a statement like this. And every time I hear it, it’s a bummer. There’s an entire generation of Waters fans who have only seen VHS rips on YouTube or via torrents, and that’s a shame. These mediums are not suitable for an acclaimed director’s first film, nor are they exactly legal. Let’s get the fan entitlement out of the way. We’re not owed an official, restored release of Mondo Trasho.
Read More
Ray-Ban and Bikini Cult Riot – A Review of Holy Hell
in Film, Reviews, Randall Lotowycz
Shortly after graduating film school and coming out to his family, Will Allen joined a Los Angeles-based group called The Buddhafield. He was searching for spiritual fulfillment and found it in the group of like-minded individuals. With his video camera in tow, Allen spent twenty years documenting the group’s activities, at the center of which was their enigmatic leader Michel. Over the two decades, the group’s focus changed due to both external and internal forces. They grew to be seen as a cult by the outside world while Michel tightened his grip on them. His public behavior bordered on bizarre, but it was what he did in secret that ultimately led to the unraveling of The Buddhafield. The footage that Allen accumulated serves as a record of both the joyous highs and horrific lows of the group, capturing the literal Holy Hell it became.
Read More