Nightcrawler

The underbelly of overnight freelance videographers - stringers - is not what I would usually consider a viable film topic.  Nightcrawler attempts it with some level of success.  Incredibly uncomfortable at times, weak in others, the film portrays Lou Bloom (Jake Gyllenhaal), a thief and general creep, who stumbles into a new business selling video to the local news, the gorier the better.  Lacking any morals, the role is seemingly perfect for him, and yet its hard to not be continually disgusted as he shows just how far he'll go for the story.  Overall the film is not horrible, but it's not excellent, and I'm very surprised a major studio picked it up for release.

Nightcrawler
2014, 117 minutes, directed by Dan Gilroy

During the Q&A, director Dan Gilroy added a few interesting tidbits:

• The film was shot in 28 days with an $8M budget.
• Jake Gyllenhaal lost 38 pounds in 10 weeks prior to shooting.
• They followed a real stringer around in prep to get a feel for the business, and were generally horrified at what they saw.  Much of what happens in the film is real. 

Redemtor (Redeemer)

Marko Zaror is the Redeemer.  Meting out forgiveness - or punishment.  Trying to atone for his sins.  Hunted at all times by the Scorpion, his mortal enemy.

This festival has lacked martial arts action, so the Redeemer is a refreshing relapse.  The film lacks the raw, real feel of Zaror and Espinosa's early films, nor does it have the noir polish of Mandrill.  What it does have is three kick-ass one-on-one fights with skilled opponents, brought forth from Zaror's dabbling interest in MMA.  The styles of each fight are distinct - a pro MMA fighter, a genjikai karate master, a kickboxing champion - so relish in those and worry less about the hum-drum mook slaughter.

Redentor (Redeemer)

2014, 88 minutes, directed by Ernesto Diaz Espinosa

The Editor

Giallo, according to Wikipedia, is an Italian film genre from the 1970s featuring a crime/mystery, eroticism, and elements of horror.  The Editor, a modern tribute to the genre, covers all of that with a healthy layer of melted cheese.

Rey Ciso is a famous film editor past his prime, hampered by the loss of his fingers on his right hand, forcing him to use wooden prothsetics.  His job to cut and edit the latest giallo film from the only studio to accept him is hampered by a series of deaths in the cast and crew, all with their fingers removed just like him.  Rey must help solve the case while staying a step ahead of the police and reediting the film to feature the surviving cast.

Set in the 1970s complete and dripping with mustaches and cleavage, bad out-of-sync dialog and gore, this film surely tickles the right nerves of lovers of this genre.  For the rest of us, it's a good laugh.

The Editor

2014, 102 minutes, directed by Adam Brooks

Tombville

I don't know very much about Belgium.  Apparently some of their filmmakers follow the French style of cinema, which in my experience often involves existential madness, poor lighting, and melodramatic music.  Tombville delivers on all of the above.  David finds himself in a town sort of, or at least a place with some buildings (it's very dark).  He doesn't remember anything at first, including his name, but quickly finds himself on the run from the town's inhabitants, unable to escape until he remembers how he arrived.  Memories of his childhood, with his verbally abusive prostitute mother, are intermixed, tracing through his life up to it's defining moment.

Tombville

2014, 69 minutes, directed by Nikolas List

Open Windows

It's nice to have one of the top films of SXSW brought back to Austin, though that's a given as the film was created through Fantastic Fest.

Nick Chambers (Elijah Wood) is the lowly webmaster of jillgoddard-caught.com, a website dedicated to the famous actress.  He's won a contest to interview Jill herself (Sasha Grey).  When the interview is cancelled, a disappointed Nick is cajoled into some subtle spying, which quickly escalates into a race against the mysterious Chord (Neil Maskell) to find and save Jill.

Taking place entirely within windows on Nick's computer screen, Open Windows flourishes under its self-imposed constraints.  The only parts that seemed to falter was when I though they'd left that screen.  It thus has a few weak spots, but is overall a solidly fantastic film.

Open Windows

2014, 100 minutes, directed by Nacho Vigalondo

The Duke of Burgundy

Evelyn, the most domineering sub ever learns not to abuse a GGG partner Cynthia during a summer of love and entomology.  From the director of Berberian Sound Studio, this slow melodrama feels like a BBC/PBS miniseries with a overbearing score and many, many stills of pinned moths.

The Duke of Burgundy

2014, 104 minutes, directed by Peter Strickland

Housebound

This film was billed as a midnighter, a suspense horror.  Kylie is sentenced to eight months home detention, back at her mother's home.  And while Kylie is all grown up now, her mom and her younger self feared the man in sheets, the boogie man lurking in the basement or creaking in the walls.

This is where I thought it would devolve into abject terror.  Instead, it turns out her parole officer is a part-time paranormal investigator, Kylie ain't afraid of no ghosts, and comedy will rise to balance the fright.  And it all works.  The film is really pretty good.

Housebound

2014, 107 minutes, directed by Gerard Johnstone

The Island of Dr. Moreau

To be fair, I'm watching this film pancake style, meaning they talked over much of the dialog and skipped a bit in the middle.  However, being one of the few to see this film in its original theatrical release in 1996 thinking it would be good - as opposed to the vast majority who watch it because it is so bad - I feel qualified to pass judgement.

It's just stupid.  There's barely a film here, pasted together in edit from the corny scenes, half-baked dialog, and who-gives-fuck acting from the cast who already knew it was doomed before shooting began.

The Island of Dr. Moreau

1996, 96 minutes, directed by John Frankenheimer

Ich Seh Ich Seh (I See I See)

This is a terrible film.  Elias' twin brother Lukas is dead, but is alive in Elias' mind and on screen.  No, they don't say out loud until they last scene, but is obvious from the start with how his mom responds to her child(ren).  The accident seems to have driven his parents to divorce, but rather than seek psychiatric help for her schizophrenic son, Marie-Christine gets plastic surgery to advance her television career, and retreats to their lake home to recuperate, Elias in tow.  Convinced the lady under the bandages isn't his mother, and egged on by the voice of his brother in his head, Elias demands to know what happened to his "real mom", eventually torturing and killing her in the process.

There are no redeeming qualities.  There's no discernible plot.  No mystery to solve.  It's just bad cinema.

Ich Seh Ich Seh (I See I See)

2014, directed by Severin Fiala and Veronika Franz

Confetti of the Mind: The Short Films of Nacho Vigalondo

Maudie's makes my favorite breakfast tacos.  Their salsa is okay, and Pete's tacos are pretty good, but when you put them together something magical happens and the result is delicious.  Having Fantastic Fest back at the Alamo South Lamar puts us again next to Maudie's, and it's good to taste the joy again.

Nacho Vigalondo makes some of my favorite Fantastic Fest films.  Normally, I'm not a huge fan of shorts.  I don't usually bother to review them, except when assembled together into a "feature", as these have been by Drafthouse Films, complete with director introductions and commentary.  Drafthouse Films itself has a pretty poor reputation for me.  They tend to buy films just on the wrong side of funny, the ones too /much/ of whatever they are, to the point that they're just not good any more, at least for those outside the Cult of Tim.

So when the Drafthouse assembles a compilation of Nacho's shorts, ranging from early experiments to his Oscar-nominated "7:35 in the Morning" to recent productions, something magical happens.  They're short films that are good, fit and tied together by narration and my warm history of his work, assembled by Drafthouse because of his relationship with the festival.  I'm happy Fantastic Fest has come home to Nacho Vigalondo and I can experience these shorts again.

Confetti of the Mind: The Short Films of Nacho Vigalondo

2014 compilation, 57 minutes, directed by Nacho Vigalondo

Lost Soul: The Doomed Journey of Richard Stanley's Island of Dr. Moreau

1996's The Island of Dr. Moreau was a bad film.  But it wasn't the film meant to be.  Original director Richard Stanley set out to make something completely different, but thanks to death, divorce, lots of studio pressure, and a few asshole actors, John Frankenheimer's ultimate product is a bumbling inept mass, one I'll cover in more detail when I see it again this evening.  Lost Souls isn't about that film, it's about the one never made, the one by Richard Stanley, and just how it went awry.

As a documentary, it dives into the rumor underbelly of filmmaking like few have before.  While some perspectives (Ron Perlmen's and Val Kilmer's for example) are conspicuously missing, those interviewed paint a candid picture of disaster far better to watch than the actual film.

Lost Soul: The Doomed Journey of Richard Stanley's Island of Dr. Moreau

2014, 97 minutes, directed by David Gregory

Richard Stanley: "I made a mistake; I met Val Kilmer."

Attributed to Marlon Brando: "If I was directing a film called 'The Life of Val Kilmer', I wouldn't put that prick in it."

Attributed to Marlon Brando: "I'm getting paid.  You're getting paid.  None of the scripts make any sense, so why worry?"

Welp (Cub)

Scouts, in the woods, but there's something out there...

There's something weird about society.  No, it's not the existence of a cub-scout-themed horror film.  It's the fact that, of all the deaths in the film, it's the dog's death that makes the audience uncomfortable.

Welp (Cub)
2014, 85 minutes, directed by Jonas Govaerts

Horns

This film is sad.  You should know this going in.  Beautiful, angelic Merrin (Juno Temple) is dead, and her long-time boyfriend Ig (Daniel Radcliffe) is out on bail, awaiting trial for the crime.  With the whole town presuming him guilty, he has no hope to find the real killer and clear his name - at least, not until he wakes to find horns sprouting from his head.  As anyone who sees them starts to share their innermost confessions, and take suggestion to do bad, Ig must imbrace his inner devil to trace the events leading to Merrin's death and find the real killer.

Horns

2013, 123 minutes, directed by Alexadre Aja

"Revenge is all-consuming"

El Incidente (The Incident)

Man I'm sad about this film.  One of the few sci fi films on the schedule, it plays really strongly for more than an hour.  Two groups of people are stuck in a loop, one in an infinite staircase, the other on a deserted stretch of road.  In each case, someone has been hurt, but there's no way to help.  Supplies (from a candy machine and convenience store, respectfully) continuously refill, but there's no escape.  There's great character development, it's going someplace.  Then, when it reaches climax - explanation montage doo wee doo.  And that's that.

What a disappointment.

El Incidente

2014, 100 minutes, directed by Isaac Ezban

Wastelander Panda

Why -hasn't- a live-action post-apocalypse Australian wasteland survival story starred mutant pandas before?

Be warned: it's not a comedy.  But it's spectacular.  Available as a web series later this week.

Wastelander Panda

2014, 71 minutes, directed by Victoria Cocks

From the Dark

Mark is a stupid person, a know-it-all jerk who swings from brazen misguided confidence to quivering slug in the face of danger.  Sarah is a little less stupid - she has a survival instinct - but has no ability to manage her one asset, the light that scares keeps the creatures at bay.  Come on, keep more than one torch, and use the matches to light something that will burn longer than the matchstick - the house, for example.  And just because its lights were knocked out, that doesn't mean the idling tractor with your lantern isn't a better escape route than stumbling through the moors.

I thought we were past heroes who make stupid decisions to advance the script.  Apparently not.

From the Dark

2014, 90 minutes, directed by Conor McMahon

Everly

Salma Hayek.  Mother.

Everly

2014, 92 minutes, directed by Joe Lynch

Tommymer (Tommy)

Continuing on the theme of Northern European crime dramas, Tommy focuses on the aftermath of a big heist.  Things didn't go well, Rikard's dead, and Tommy and his wife and daughter fled with the money - or so everyone thinks.  A year later, Tommy's wife Estelle returns to Sweden, daughter in tow, looking for the cash on Tommy's orders.  Everyone is plenty afraid of him, but of her?  What happens when they stop believing Tommy will return?

Tommymer (Tommy)

2014, 95 minutes, directed by Tarik Saleh

Fasandraeperne (The Absent One)

Two murders, twenty years ago.  A missing girl.  Powerful tycoons.  And detectives Carl and Assad, driven to solve the case and bring the guilty to justice.

Based on a book series, the film plays out like a novel, with a rich background that implies more than it shows.  There's a second film and more to come, so if you're looking for a new crime series to love be ready to dive in.

Fasandraeperne (The Absent One)

2013, 119 minutes, directed by Mikkel Nørgaard

Wyrmwood

The result of a four-year, self-funded shoot, Wyrmwood looks and feels like a classic ozploitation film, complete with badass zombies, a colorful cast, government baddies, and a kick-ass brother-sister duo in Barry and Brooke.  Both immune to the Zombie Infestation, the siblings take wildly different paths to find each other, acquiring friends and special skills on the way.

I can't wait for the sequel.

Wyrmwood

2014, 92 minutes, directed by Kiah Roache-Turner

John Wick

Alfie Allen can't catch a break.  His character Iosef just wants to jack this guys car; killing the dog is for spite.  Oh, what a poor choice that was, Iosef.

While more comedic, the brutality harkens back to The Raid, in lots of good ways.

John Wick

2014, 136 minutes, directed by Chad Stehelski

The Hive

If you like zombie survival and Memento go see this film, but seriously try to learn as little else as possible going in.  You won't be disappointed.

The Hive

2014, 89 minutes, directed by David Yarovesky

"I love you Katie."

Purgatorio (Purgatory)

Purgatory starts as I expected: kid terrorizes broken mom who's lost her child.  But that's where my expectations break from the script.  Never devolving into outright physical horror, the plot nevertheless becomes far more sinister.

Featuring outstanding performances by Oona Chaplin (of Game of Thrones) and Sergi Méndez, the film is a psychological trip with a special twist.

Purgatorio (Purgatory)

2014, 83 minutes, directed by Pau Teixidor

Død Snø 2 (Dead Snow 2: Red vs. Dead)

The Nazis have risen from the dead, killed your friends, taken your girl, taken your arm, and left you blamed for their crimes.  To make matter worse, the local doctors have sewn a zombie arm onto your stump, and it keeps killing people.

Who can you turn to when the Nazis advance on town?  Your Allies, of course - an American Zombie Squad and your own horde of undead Soviet soldiers.  It's time to kick some Nazi zombie ass.

Død Snø 2 (Dead Snow 2: Red vs. Dead)
2014, 100 minutes, directed by Tommy Wirkola

They filmed the Norwegian-language scenes twice, so the North American release will be in English.  Fantastic Fest showed the subtitled international release.

Realiti

This film is a head trip.  Vic (Nathan Meister) is a former journalist and up-and-coming junior executive at Tri Media Corporation.  They're involved in something - Realiti - a drug in development - secret trials - espionage - consumer manipulation - hallucination.  The story feels like Descent Into Madness, but maybe that depends on where it picks up...

Realiti

2014, 95 minutes, directed by Jonathan King

Tusk

I could listen to Michael Parks tell stories of his life at sea for hours, but I think I'll pass on the tea.

This film is sad, because the sadness highlights the insanity.  Both Parks and Justin Long give solid, on target performances, just serious enough to be plausible.  Alas, the Johnny Depp character is too far over the line and breaks the immersion, unfortunate for the scenes that should be the serious break for the batshit crazy of the grotto.

Tusk

2014, 102 minutes, directed by Kevin Smith