Fantasia Film Festival 2015

Well, my blog is back on!  I'd like to say permanently, but it's hard to make such promises.  I'm lucky enough to be back in Montreal at the 2015 Fantasia Film Festival.  This year I'm living in a really cozy Montreal neighborhood some distance from the festival.  I love where I live, but it may become a handicap to easily see films considering the vagaries of public transportation and the long lines waiting for screenings.  Yet, I'm next to two cheese shops, above a wine store, less than a block from a nice grocery, across the street from an ice cream shop, near really amazing restaurants, bars, boutiques--a very desirable location.  My location makes me want to live here permanently!  I cannot say enough great things about Montreal.  Including this festival.

This year I've cut down my screenings a bit.  Last year I saw something like 23 movies.  This year I have tickets for 16 films.  Last year, with living so close and staying for the entire festival, I felt I should indulge, and I did experience festival fatigue.  This year, I think I'm being more discriminating, but I'm probably delusional, and still signed onto too many films.  This festival will be intense yet again.  Here's what's on the agenda (I'm just providing links for trailers, since they can be wonky sometimes if I embed them, so just click the title to see the trailer, if one is posted.):

Tangerine--Sean Baker (2015)

I realize that I could probably see this film in theaters in the U.S., but why should one wait?  The rave reviews that Tangerine has garnered since it screened at Sundance this winter have convinced me that this beautiful, funny indie will be well worth seeing immediately.  I love the banter between the female leads, and the film looks gorgeous, gritty, and fun.

The Hallow--Corin Hardy (2015)

The woods are a seriously scary place, full of shadows, crackling twigs, glowing eyes, slithering sounds...things are watching you there, ready to pounce.  I grew up in rural areas where the woods were a haven and refuge, but also a place replete with dark mysteries and shadows.  I have not been to Ireland yet, but word is that it's full of wee faerie folk, or scary demon creatures as Corin Hardy's The Hallow suggests.  I'm mildly irritated by the tossing in of a wee-baby-in-peril plot, but maybe it's changeling fodder.

Catch Me Daddy--Daniel Wolfe (2014)

Catch Me Daddy was shot by one of my favorite cinematographers, Robbie Ryan, who was DP for the glorious Fish Tank (Andrea Arnold 2009).  Yes, the film has been heralded as "gripping," but often I'm swayed by films that are beautiful.  This one fits that category.  Just look at the poster!

and no, it's not a "monster movie" in the typical sense...

Therapy for A Vampire--David Ruhm (2014)

I know, I know, it's a horror comedy, and I pretty uniformly hate them.  They never strike the right balance of funny or scary, and I'll never be a fan of the gross-out adolescent humor that's a trademark of so many of these films.  Still, Gerard Johnstone's Housebound from last year was pretty awesome, even on repeat viewing. And this vampire is getting analyzed by Freud, so what's not to like.  I aspire to be as cool and elegant as his vamp wife in Therapy for a Vampire.  The film was sold out for opening night, so I'm going to the less boisterous afternoon show where things will probably be substantially chill.

Bridgend--Jeppe Ronde (2015)

I like the soft, placid quality of this image which belies the roiling tension and dread at the heart of Bridgend.  I'm glad that Hannah Murray, who plays Gilly on GOT, beautifully embodies the lead in this film, since I'm one of those viewers who broke up with Thrones at the end of this last season.  The actress combines a fierceness with a touching vulnerability that makes her compelling to watch.

Extinction--Miguel Angel Vivas (2015)

When I was first perusing the weighty Fantasia program for this year, Extinction was firmly in the maybe pile, mostly because if Matthew Fox (from Lost) is in the film, I'll probably just be annoyed.  Although Jeffrey Donovan (from Burn Notice) could even out that weighty imbalance.  Then I saw the trailer, and I was convinced that adaptive snow zombies could really make the film worthwhile.  The images from the film are pretty stunning, and I've learned that Spanish horror directors really have a handle on creating beautiful terrors.

We Are Still Here--Ted Geoghegan (2015)

When will people learn that going to live in some isolated house in the middle of nowhere is never really a great idea??  Barbara Crampton and her husband decide to rent a former turn-of-the-century funeral parlor in winter, and bad things happen.  We Are Still Here has gotten such raves, and looks so damn scary, AND it's hosted by the director, cinematographer Karim Hussein and Barbara Crampton at Fantasia.  These types of interactions with visionaries and stars makes Fantasia that much more thrilling.

Goodnight Mommy--Severin Fiala and Veronika Franz (2014)

I'm currently working on an article on Maternal Ambivalence vs. Evil Kids, looking at We Need to Talk about Kevin and The Badabook, so Goodnight Mommy has been on my radar very early on.  It's one of the few horror features co-directed by a woman too.  Mom's looking pretty scary here, but those kids should put down those scissors!  Another film sold out for the night screening, but I'm lucky enough to see it the afternoon before.  

The Reflecting Skin--Philip Ridley (1990)

I loved the spooky, surreal The Reflecting Skin when I happened to catch it the first time on some cheap video tape.  I bootlegged a rickety copy for myself back then, and then waited, and waited, and waited for the film to be released on DVD.  Now it's been properly 2K remastered for its 25th anniversary, and I'm so excited to see this gorgeous, provocative film on the big screen for the first time.

Observance--Joseph Sims-Dennett (2015)

I was also sitting on the fence regarding Joseph Sims-Dennett's Observance--yet another film about a vulnerable guy who has lost a kid and had his marriage crumble in the aftermath, who then tries to make some easy money by channeling his voyeurism.  I can get behind a guy who gets in trouble for watching.  I just hope that this Australian film introduces some unique takes on the ubiquitous male voyeurism plot.  Sadly, I'll miss the director Q & A because I'm going to the second screening.

Anguish--Sonny Millhi (2015)

This film is the one about which I'm most excited, and it's making its World Premiere at Fantasia this year (although I'm not able to see the director's Q & A).  Every time I watch the trailer for Anguish, I want to watch it again immediately afterwards.  This film looks so utterly chilling, and Ryan Simpkins is a truly powerful young actress.  If you haven't seen Jennifer Lynch's Surveillance or Tom Ford's A Single Man, where she plays small but significant roles, then you should as soon as possible. 

Tales of Halloween--anthology horror film

Out of several anthology horror films playing at Fantasia this year, Tales of Halloween is the only one with a female director, Axelle Carolyn (who will be present at Fantasia's World Premiere screening).  Of course, horror films are just a part of a male-dominated film industry, but I just get tired of watching a film with 10 different directors, and only one of them is a woman.  Don't get me started on the ABC's of Death films.  The industry throws a token bone like XX--a horror anthology solely consisting of female horror directors--but that's not going to satisfy my thirst for female-directed horror.

Cherry Tree--David Keating (2015)

I know virtually nothing about this film other than it's directed by David Keating, who did the fabulous Wake Wood (2010), and it's about witches.  No trailer, no reviews, nada.  Not to be confused with Curse of the Witching Tree.

The Dark Below--Douglas Schultze (2015)

Every time I try to describe Douglas Schultze's The Dark Below to someone, they promptly freak out on me--why would you want to see a film like that??  Well, I was one of those kids that built a fort in the crawlspace in her closet.  I also could totally dig one of those immersive sensory deprivation tanks.  I like some small spaces.  Here's the blurb from Fantasia: 

"As the story opens, Rachel (Lauren Shafer) is drugged and abducted by a ruthless man (David GB Brown) who takes her to a frozen-over lake in the dead of night. A hole has been hacked in the ice, and it’s clear that that’s where Rachel is intended to go. But he has already outfitted her with a full wetsuit, and rigs her with scuba gear before submerging her. Clearly he doesn’t intend for her to die right away, and as she struggles to survive in the frigid depths, we learn more about both of their pasts, and what has led them to this harrowing point."

Yeah, it sounds utterly terrifying, and has only one line of dialogue, which means the film is going to be a lesson in visual storytelling.  Sometimes films can fall a little flat when they rely on visuals alone (see my review of The Man with the Orange Jacket from last year).  This film looks scary and cool.

Shrew's Nest--Juanfer Andres and Estaban Roel (2014)

Shrew's Nest has been around the block quite a bit since premiering in 2014, and has gotten some very positive reviews when it screened at Fantastic Fest, TIFF, Morbido, and Brussels.  In some ways, I'm over the repressed religious psycho female horror film, but this film takes place all in one cramped Spanish apartment, and as I mentioned, I like small spaces.  Why not.

The Visit--Michael Madsen (2015)

Last year one of the genuine surprises of the Fantasia film festival was this cool documentary on Slime molds, Tim Grabham and Jasper Sharp's The Creeping Garden.  So this year, I had to sneak in one doc, and this one, where the spectator takes the place of an alien invader being greeted by believers in The Visit seems right on target.  Weird mixed with gorgeous visuals works for me.