The
Montreal
Fantasia
Festival is gearing for its last stretch! So far I’ve reviewed
SHUTTER,
CREEP and
DEVIL’S REJECTS. I’ve seen THE EYE 2 and THE BIRTHDAY
(reviews coming soon) And I’m seeing THE ROOST tonight while aiming to
hit NIGHTWATCH.
Incidentally,
Director Christian Viel and I presented the second TEASER for our
film
PAIN KILLER at the Festival (see capture below). Fantasia
gave us a great intro (thanks guys) but sadly it went downhill after that.
Jamie (Anna Jaeger) and Tina (Carmen Echeverria) getting
close.
The sound was out
of whack for the most part of the TEASER hence it went over the audience’s head.
Fantasia did apologize to us in front of the crowd for the crap sound but with
that said, it was still a big disappointment for me. Yup those beers tasted good
afterwards that’s for freaking sure!
Enough of my own shit…now
I wish I could’ve seen more Fantasia films for you guys but hey, I’m just one dude, with many
jobs and I can only do what I can do. Find out what the Festival has in store
for it’s final 2005 bow below.
July 20th
On July 20th
at 9:50 PM, the American writer and director Ti West will introduce the
Canadian premiere of his gritty horror aria The Roost, a huge hit at this
year’s South by Southwest Film Festival.
July 21st
On July 21st
at 9:35 PM, Belgian screenwriter and director Harry Cleven will host the
North American premiere of his existential horror film Trouble, winner of
the Grand Jury Prize of the Fantastic Film Festival of Gerardmer.
July 22nd
On July 22nd
at 9:45 PM, Lloyd Kaufman, beloved American independent filmmaker and
father of Troma, will hold a master class on the ins and outs of indie
filmmaking, entitled How to Make Your Own Damn Movie. This evening of
edgy education will conclude with a screening of the film that started it all,
The Toxic Avenger!
July 23rd
On July 23rd
at 2:45 PM, the anime television series Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone
Complex 2nd Gig will be presented in a North American premiere. For this
event, Fantasia welcomes Manga Entertainment label representative, vocal talent
and anime enthusiast Keith Burgess to introduce this special GITS:SAC
package!
The same afternoon, at 5:15 PM, the North American premiere of
the Korean film Spin Kick, a teen martial-arts drama with comic touches
and amazing taekwondo sequences, will be hosted by director Sang-Kuk Nam.
In the evening, at 11:55 PM, well see the World premiere of
Shadow: Dead Riot, legendary Hong Kong cinematographer Derek Wan’s
directorial debut. Producer Carl Morano and the screenwriter Michael
Gingold will be on hand to unveil this insane ode to early ‘80s zombie and
women’s prison films.
July 24th
For the first time in
Fantasia’s history, a Lifetime Achievement Award will be given to an
international genre-cinema craftsman. The first laureate is Ray Harryhausen.
On July 24th at noon, Mr. Harryhausen will hold forth on his career
and present a few of his rare early works, followed by a screening of Jason
and the Argonauts in a new 35mm print, and concluded by a Q&A period. Three
hours with the stop-motion master, whose special effects inspired the likes of
James Cameron, Peter Jackson, George Lucas and Steven Spielberg.
July 25th
Celebrate Bruce
Lee’s 65th birthday with his legendary co-star Nora Miao, as she
hosts a special screening of Bruce Lee’s Fist of Fury (aka The Chinese
Connection) on July 25th at 5:00 PM. One of the leading actresses and
beauties of the ‘70s will grace Fantasia with a rare appearance. Miao holds the
distinction of the only actress ever to appear in Bruce Lee, Jackie Chan and
Shaw Bros films over her vibrant career.
Finally, on July 25th at 5:00 PM, Singapore director
Tzang Merwyn Tong will present the Canadian premiere of A Wicked Tale,
winner of the Gold Remi Award at the WorldFest of the Houston International Film
Festival.
The Fantasia festival is also honoured to present during the
course of its last week the following genre films and premieres:
Trouble –
July 21st at 9:55 PM
Belgium-France, dir:
Harry Cleven
North American Premiere, hosted by director Harry
Cleven!
Separation can be a terrifying thing. What would you do if you were informed out
of the blue that you had a long-lost identical twin? This is the creepy
situation that successful photographer Matyas (La Pianiste’s Benoît Magimel),
freshly settled into a new family life, finds himself in. The mere revelation
brings back uncomfortable childhood memories and cracks begin to form in his
seemingly perfect home life.
Survive Style 5+ –
July 22nd at 7:30 PM/July 23rd at 9:20 PM
Japan, dir:
Gen Sekiguchi
Canadian premiere
Survive Style 5+ is a hilarious thermonuclear blast of concepts and chaos with a
killer rock soundtrack, wickedly witty dialogue, the most colour-drenched art
direction this side of a melting Crayola factory and enough going on to fill
several unhinged features.
Three… Extremes – July 22nd
at 11:55 PM and July 23rd at 9:20 PM
Hong Kong / Japan / South Korea, dirs:
Fruit Chan, Park Chan-Wook, Takashi Miike
Montreal premiere
Three… Extremes is a
transgressive trilogy by Park Chan-Wook (Oldboy), Takashi Miike (Gozu) and Fruit
Chan (Made in Hong Kong) of medium-length short films from South Korea, Japan
and Hong Kong, each an assaulting exploration of egoism, with shared imagery
revolving around destruction/rejuvenation of the flesh and a shattered
entertainer at its core.
Reeker – July 25th
at 7:40 PM
USA, dir: David
Payne
Canadian premiere
Writer/director Dave Payne has carved a
wildly thrilling film out of a series of strategically familiar genre elements,
and you are in for one hell of a treat. Reeker is an edgy black twin to
commercial horror cinema, cleverly directed, punctuated with highly original
bursts of gore and sparkling with equal doses of affection for its characters
and the audience.
Night Watch
(Closing Film) – July 25th at 9:45 PM
Russia, dir: Timur Bekmambetov
Canadian premiere
Adapted from the popular novel by Sergei Lukyanenko, Night Watch is far and away
the biggest domestic box-office success in post-Soviet Russia, having left even
Spider-Man 2 in the dust on home turf, and was Russia’s 2004 contender for the
Oscar. It boasts action, special effects and production values to match what
Hollywood has to offer, a wicked streak of Russian black humour throughout, and
moreover a cast of faces familiar across Russia, pop stars and Soviet-era icons
alike.
The festival will also screen two very special
and unique spoken word and multimedia shows:
Lloyd Kaufman’s How to Make Your Own Damn Movie
July 22nd at 9:45
PM
The unstoppable father of Troma will hold an eccentric master
class on contemporary independent low budget filmmaking, followed by a rare
screening of the original The Toxic Avenger.
An Afternoon with Ray Harryhausen
July 24th at noon
Fps Magazine is proud to present this
three-hour block with the legendary SFX pioneer who will speak in depth about
his career, screen rare clips, host an extended Q&A session and present a newly
restored 35mm print of Jason and the Argonauts!