Oscar Sunday: The Greatest Show On Earth

The Greatest Show On Earth IMDb
Better late than never.  I saw this movie in two settings.  It was longer than I expected out of a circus movie.  I am a fan of circus movies.  There aren't a lot out there.  So when I found out that this circus movie won the Oscar back in the 50's, I had to check it out.  Cool to see James Stewart as a clown.  This movie is all about the love for the circus.  They focus a lot on every circus act.  That's why it was way too long.  Yes, there's also a sappy love story here as well.  Overall, I didn't really enjoy it.  There's some scenes I liked, especially all the scenes with James Stewart's character.  The rest was nothing to make a big fuzz about.  So, I wouldn't recommend this unless you have to positively see every circus movie made, then go for it.

Cult Classic Friday: The Man Who Fell to Earth

The Man Who Fell to Earth IMDb
Very long movie starting David Bowie.  I admit, I do love all the weird little scenes but the overall story didn't do it for me.  Kudos to the soundtrack.  It's got a variety of different music (from country to progressive rock).  This is a straightforward sci-fi flick.  It was just damn too long for this type of story.  I kind of got why this is a cult classic.  There's quirky moments in the films that one usually doesn't see in other movies.  Crazy sex scenes as well, including one where David Bowie has no hair and has different eyes yet he still can get a woman's sexual attention.  I need to learn his secret.  Other than that, the rest is nothing special.  I wouldn't recommend this movie but glad to have finally seen it for Cult Classic Friday.  Next month I'll be checking out "Plan 9 From Outer Space."

Fantastic Fest: Grand Piano (2013)

FANTASTIC FEST 2013 
 Screening #21:

Grand Piano IMDb
It is sad to say but this is the last film I got to see at this year's Fantastic Fest.  It was a good thriller.  They were trying to go for the Hitchcock and old school Brian De Palma feel of suspense.  They delivered in that aspect. The story is simple: a great pianist makes his comeback performance after 5 years.  During his performance, he gets threatened by this psycho somewhere in the audience.  The pianist must not make any mistake or else he and/or his wife will be killed.  A few twists and turns.  I was entertained but this is nothing special.  I would recommend it for a rental or a one night stand but nothing more. There, the festival is over for me.   See my list below the Grand Piano trailer for my favorite films of the festival. 

Top Fantastic Fest 2013 Movies
(from most favorite to least favorite):
1. Big Bad Wolves
2. Confession of Murder
3. Why Don't You Play In Hell?
4. The Dirties
5. R100
6. Mood Indigo
7. Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons
8. Commando
9. Miss Zombie
10. Blue Ruin
11.  Grand Piano
12. The Fake
13. Detective Downs
14. Greatful Dead
15. O'Apostolo
16. Witching and Bitching
17. Kid's Police
18. We Gotta Get Out of this Place
19: Metallica: Through the Never
20. Love Eternal
21. The Sacrament

Fantastic Fest: Blue Ruin (2013)

FANTASTIC FEST 2013 
Screening #20:

Blue Ruin IMDb
Decent revenge drama we got here.  A few unexpected scenes. Good performance by our main guy.  It is obvious that he doesn't know much about killing people. When he learns that this guy who killed his parents gets released from prison, he gets in a vengeance mode and does his thing.  Lots of drama.  There were a few laugh out loud moments.  a few suspenseful sequences too.  A lot of people from Fantastic Fest love this film.  I don't know if I love it.  I thought it was an okay for a revenge drama.  Worth checking out for sure.  Not worth buying.

Fantastic Fest: Love Eternal (2013)

FANTASTIC FEST 2013 
Screening #19:

Love Eternal IMDb
This movie from Ireland wasn't all that. It had a good premise but it didn't quite did it for me. Kudos for the necrophilia theme and scenes. It's not everyday you see a film that has something to do with that. Another kudos for some great punk rock music in a certain scene. If I'm not mistaken, I think I heard a Minor Threat song. Anyways, this movie was short and simple. It's about a guy fascinated with death. He goes out to find girls who are suicidal. He helps them commit suicide and then he takes their bodies home where he pretends they're still alive. Things change when he bonds with this lady. I wouldn't recommend this movie unless you're in the mood for a slow moving creepy drama.

Fantastic Fest: Miss Zombie (2013)

FANTASTIC FEST 2013 
Screening #18:

Miss Zombie IMDb
Very original zombie movie. It is from Japan.  Some of the stuff reminded me a lot of "Deadgirl."  All black and white.  A very quiet and slow moving movie.  Loved the experience.  The last twenty minutes or so didn't have any dialogue.  Almost like a silent movie.  The performances and shots told the story pretty good.  The ending was a bit of a let down but other than that, this was a little better than okay.  A lot of scenes dragged on a bit but that's to create the feel of the movie.  This is an artsy film with comedic moments mixed with depressing ones.  This takes place in a universe where people know about zombies and they discriminate against them.  No one is scared of them cause they're very slow and don't hurt people.  There's different zombie levels but the film focuses on a young lady that's considered a low level zombie.  We follow everything that she goes through as a zombie.  For its originality, I wouldn't mind adding this to the zombie collection if I see it on sale. 

Fantastic Fest: The Fake (2013)

FANTASTIC FEST 2013 
Screening #17:

The Fake IMDb
Last year's Fantastic Fest I saw a very depressing Korean animation called, "The King of Pigs."  This year, the same director comes out with another depressing animation.  I think I liked this one a lot more than his last one.  Lots of hardcore moments.  Lots of scenes that made me mad at the characters.  This is a movie about exposing the truth and exposing demons.  No one is innocent here.  Them Koreans are very emotional.  I never seen an animation where people cry almost throughout the whole thing until I saw this one.  Definitely can ruin a happy mood.  That's what it was aim for and that's what I expected.  This was alright for me.  While I did like it a lot more than "The King of Pigs," I wouldn't want to see this again.  Fans of Asian cinema: this is worth checking out depending on your mood. 

Fantastic Fest: Detective Downs (2013)

FANTASTIC FEST 2013 
Screening #16:

Detective Downs IMDb
We got ourselves a charming detective story from Norway.  What's so different with this detective story?  Well, for starters, the detective here has down syndrome.  Nobody takes him seriously because of his condition.  He doesn't care though.  He loves what he does.  Finally, a family hires him only because they know (or they think they know) this detective won't solve the case.  That's exactly what this greedy family wants.  Things get going good after a bit where our detective uses his "method" to find the missing person.  Love his confidence.  In a way, that can be inspiring.  As for the feel of the story, this is a homage to old school detective stories.  It's got classic noir music.  It may be slow a few times but overall, it was enjoyable.  Verdict: worth watching if this ever comes out but not worth adding to the collection.

Fantastic Fest: We Gotta Get Out of This Place (2013)

FANTASTIC FEST 2013 
Screening #15:

We Gotta Get Out of this Place IMDb
The beginning of this reminded me so much of "Blood Simple"
(the first feature from the Coen Brothers).  This is a film debut from a couple of brothers from Texas.  Starts out with a good premise.  Halfway through, I wasn't feeling this movie anymore.  The dialogue is great though.  Good stuff.  Just thought it was nothing special towards the end.  I just got kind of tired over the "smart kids" going to college versus "the hicks" staying behind routine.  Wouldn't recommend this movie. 

Fantastic Fest: O'Apostolo

FANTASTIC FEST 2013 
Screening #14:

 O'Apostolo IMDb
This Spanish Claymation was pretty darn good.  If this was live action, it wouldn't have worked for me.  Love the details on every single frame.  It's dark and gothic.  This is something Tim Burton could do except he might make it more childish.  Hmm! That might be an idea for him if he wants to make a remake out of this for American audiences.  This movie is about a thief who escapes prison to go to this one village where there's hidden gold.  The townspeople have secrets of their own.  Things become dark and sinister but our thief opens his eyes and makes life changing decisions.  Overall, pretty good.  I wouldn't buy it but this is worth checking out.

Croquetas de papa served with Cava.

Fantastic Fest: Metallica: Through The Never (2013)

FANTASTIC FEST 2013 
Screening #13:

Metallica: Through the Never IMDb
I thought this was going to be very different.  It turns out that is just one long music video.  I like old school Metallica so watching this film about their concert playing lots of old school songs, made me enjoy it a bit.  The little narrative that they put here was weak for me.  I was expecting more out of that story, I guess.  The emphasis here is not that trippy story, it is all about the concert.  Metallica puts on a hell of a good show.  Lots of props and pyrotechnics stuff on the stage.  I saw this in 3D and it looks amazing.  The down part was the story.  They go to the story for one minute and boom were back in the concert. They do that all the way through.  So the climax was a let down.  This should of just been the concert only and I would of liked it a lot more.  Fans of Metallica, this is a must for you all.  Everyone else, I wouldn't advise it.

Fantastic Fest 2013: Big Bad Wolves (2013)

FANTASTIC FEST 2013 
Screening #12:

Big Bad Wolves IMDb
Wow! I am so speechless. I can tell you that this is my favorite damn film of the festival so far.  Loved it.  It is a movie that covers a very strong subject (pedophilia) and somehow and someway, they made this with a lot of humor.  Big time dark comedy.   There were moments that were so serious yet we were laughing with the characters.  It is a movie that doesn't give you answers until the very end.  Love the way they put everything together.  Happy moments mixed with torture and violence.  See the trailer, read the synopsis, but that's it.  I am not going to say a lot about this movie.  This is a must buy for the Foreign section.  This is from Israel.  The same people who did a movie called "Rabies" (which was a hit at FF a few years ago).  I am in awe.  Fucking Fantastic!!

Fantastic Fest 2013: Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons (2013)

FANTASTIC FEST 2013 
Screening #11:

Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons IMDb
Had the pleasure of watching a Stephen Chow film at Fantastic Fest.  I can die now.  Well, the movie itself was pretty good. Love majority of it.  The last 20 minutes or so, was a little bland for me.  It starts out beautifully.  A poor but good hearted demon hunter tries to become the best.  He is overshadowed by a bad ass demon hunter girl.  Crazy stuff happens in that journey.  There are a lot of moments that one can tell they're watching a Stephen Chow flick.  Lots of exaggerated action and martial arts.  Very animated live action. Dialogue is there as well.  Things started going downhill for me when our main character changed completely towards the end.  It was so sudden.  As a fan of Chow, I would buy this and add this to his section.  For everyone else, I recommend this as a rental to start with.   

Fantastic Fest: Confession of Murder

FANTASTIC FEST 2013 
Screening #10:

Confession of Murder IMDb
My favorite movie of the festival so far is this Korean thriller.  Leave it to the Koreans to impress the hell out of me.  Clever story with very cool twists.  Lots of crazy action sequences.  This is a cat and mouse detective story.  Kinda like "I Saw The Devil" with less gore and less hardcore.  The serial killer publishes a book years later about the crimes he's committed.  He does it years later cause after a certain time, the statues of limitations expire, so he can't be charged with those crimes anymore.  The detective that was on the case, takes the law into his own hands and goes after this guy who is now a celebrity because of the book.  Throw in some surprises and we have ourselves a kick ass time.  Must buy for the Asian section.  Lots of applause from the audience.  Bravo!

Fantastic Fest: Commando: A Man Army (2013)

FANTASTIC FEST 2013 
 Screening #9:

Commando: A One Army IMDb
Awesome movie to begin the day.  It was everything I hoped it was going to be.  It was cheesy.  Lots of action and nice Bollywood moments.  There was four dance numbers.  The only complaint is that this was a little too long. Other than that, hell yeah.  It was different only because they added those Bollywood dance moments.  If they were to take those out and made the characters Americans, this would be a big blockbuster hit over here starring The Rock.  Luckily, that's not the case.  The main guy here does his own stunts.  He's like the Tony Jaa of India.  There were parts that were a little weak but overall, I enjoyed this movie.  I would add this to my Foreign section some day at a discount price.

Fantastic Fest: R100 (2013)

FANTASTIC FEST 2013 
Screening #8:

R100 IMDb
This freaking weird Japanese movie was surprisingly good, but, I must warn you, this movie is not for everyone.  This is way absurd.  David Lynch high on Japanese mushrooms is the way I'll describe it.  I have an acquired taste for absurd humor.  Last year, I cracked up a lot in a little movie called, "Wrong."  This year, I cracked up quite a few times with this one.  Some of the audience were with me.  Even after a long day of films and watching this at midnight, I was still entertained.  I had no idea it was going to be absurd until the halfway point.  After that, man, I loved it.  The first half was awesome as well.  We got this guy who signs up to this "Bondage" club.  Basically, for a whole year, in unexpected moments, he will be tortured by different woman from the club.  He can't quit or there will be consequences.  There's a sushi smashing scene, there's a big overweight lady who spits a lot doing dances, there's another lady who literally swallows human beings like an anaconda.  Yup, welcome to the world of R100.  It is called that because it is Rated 100.  You have to be 100 years old to watch this.  This movie makes fun at itself in a lot of moments.  Again, not for everyone.  So, at your own risk.  As for me, I'm going to own this one day.  Another favorite.

Fantastic Fest: Mood Indigo (2013)

FANTASTIC FEST 2013 
Screening #7:

Mood Indigo IMDb
If you're a fan of Michel Gondry (you know that one guy who made "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind," "The Science of Sleep," and "Be Kind, Rewind") then you're going to love this one.  He delivers all his bells and whistles here to the fullest.  The crazy gadgets and storytelling became a little too much for me that it took away some of the focus from the characters.  I enjoyed it for being different.  It is a bit absurd and I'm an absurd kind of guy.  So, this romantic/fantasy/comedy was pretty good.  It was definitely sad towards the end.  I almost shed a tear.  That would of been the first time in Fantastic Fest for a movie to do that.  Since the characters weren't much in the spotlight (it was the crazy whimsical things around them that stole the show), I didn't care for them as much.  Good return for Gondry.  His last two were disappointments ("The Green Hornet" and his doc "A Thorn in the Heart").  If you're married or were married at some point, you'll get this movie a lot).  Very sweet!  Alright to check out, especially if you're a fan of Gondry and absurd films.  I may buy it one day but not a priority buy.

Fantastic Fest: The Sacrament (2013)

FANTASTIC FEST 2013
Screening #6:

The Sacrament IMDb
I heard good things about this movie from the first screening.  I love "House of the Devil" (same director, Ti West).  So, I gave it a shot.  This is my least favorite film of the festival. It sucked.  Had no idea this was a found footage movie.  It takes a lot for a found footage movie to impress me.  A lot.  This one broke lots of rules.  Didn't make sense.  As for the story, I thought this was going to be original and somewhat inspired by the stuff that happened with the Jim Jones cult history.  I was wrong.  This is exactly the Jim Jones cult story told found footage style.  Yes, the punch scene is there.  Yes, the shootings of the press and helicopter scene is there.  Most things that I remembered from the Jim Jones story was there.  If you're not familiar with the story, it is the real life story about this Pentecostal guy who had so many followers and he wanted to create paradise.  He flew all his followers to this remote village and they created a paradise where no one can escape.  He brainwashed people and when things got heated, he made everyone and their children kill themselves by drinking punch filled with poison.  This movie sucked also because of the acting and for certain moments.  Avoid at all costs.  Can't believe this was shown at this festival.  But, since Eli Roth (presenter of the movie) and Ti West are friends with Tim League (festival director), there's no question about it.

No trailer found for this movie.

Fantastic Fest: Greatful Dead (2013)

FANTASTIC FEST 2013 
Screening #5:

Greatful Dead IMDb
Another Japanese movie to the mix.  This one was a bit disturbing.  Surprise, surprise.  It is a stalker movie.  This girl stalks lonely people and watches their every move.  She then starts focusing on this older guy.  There are several twists in this story.  Love the rape scene.  We hardly see scenes where a woman is doing the raping.  The story was okay.  Nothing special in my opinion.  It is like a disturbing, dark, bloody version of the French film, "Amelie."  I would recommend this as a rental if you're interested in the story but not worth buying.  The star and director were in attendance.

No trailer found for this movie.

Fantastic Fest: The Dirties (2013)

FANTASTIC FEST 2013 
Screening #4:

The Dirties IMDb
Alright, alright, alright!  This movie made my morning.  Loved it.  It reminds me so much about high school and how my group of friends and I would make video movies about things.  This one is about two "Columbine" kind of friends who decide to make a movie about getting revenge on all the bullies.  One of the friends take it to a more serious level and things get interesting.  Must see. This was shot in a real school using a lot of real people.  You feel the authenticity in that.  Love that they do lots of references here like the "Royale with Cheese" dialogue from Pulp Fiction.  It is from Canada and the director and writer of this film is also the star.  I would buy this for the collection.  Another Fantastic Fest favorite.  After the last two movies, I needed this one.

Fantastic Fest: Kid's Police (2013)

FANTASTIC FEST 2013 
Screening #3:

Kid's Police IMDb
This Japanese movie was going for the "cute" factor all the way through that I guess they didn't put much effort on the story.  I think it is based on a television series over in Japan.  This starts our right away with this group of police already as kids.  The first 30 minutes were cool and exploitative making these kids talk and act like adults (except, there's no swearing).  After a while, it gets old and there's no real development.  There's a few cool moments but I would of wanted lots of action and I guess more violence out of a Japanese film.  They definitely paid a homage to 70's cop films with this one.  I set the bar high that this didn't quite deliver.  Not recommended!

Fantastic Fest: Witching & Bitching (2013)

FANTASTIC FEST
Screening #2:

Witching and Bitching IMDb
This movie from Spain was disappointing in the second half in the same vein "This is the End" disappointed me.  It is directed by Alex De Iglesia (The Last Circus).  The first half was very awesome.  You get a bunch of thieves dressed up in characters robbing a jewelry story.  That first half has a lot of great humor.  Here I was in my seat enjoying the hell out of it.  Even some of the witches stuff too.  It just got way out there with the whole witch stuff (much more than what I wanted).  All of a sudden I was wanting all this end already.  The same thing happened to me with "This is the End."  Love the characters and everything in the first half.  I didn't like when it went out there with big demons and the world being hell.  So, I wouldn't recommend this.  Hoping to see one more midnight screening at Fantastic Fest this weekend (most likely Sunday night).  After that, it is non stop movies from Monday morning all the way through Thursday night (with a few hours of sleep each night). Fantastic!!!

Fantastic Fest: Why Don't You Play In Hell (2013)

FANTASTIC FEST 2013 

Screening #1:

Why Don't You Play in Hell IMDb
This past midnight, I had the pleasure in breaking my Fantastic Fest 2013 cherry with this awesome bloody Yakuza movie.  Leave it to the Japanese to make everything weird and over the top.  This movie went over the top in a lot of scenes.  So definitely not a movie to take seriously.  I didn't mind a lot of the over the top humor and stuff.  The highlights for me were the scenes that pay tribute to filmmaking and old school film.  Of course, a lot of Yakuza action made this even better.  Didn't really feel the last 10 minutes of the film, but, that didn't ruin the overall experience.  Good to add to the Yakuza section and a good film to start this festival for me.  My favorite week of the year. 

The Lords Of Salem

The Lords of Salem IMDb
I wanted to like this movie.  I really did.  Felt Rob Zombie needed to make up for his last few releases.  I'm here to report that he once again disappointed me.  The problem I had here was the story.  Zombie is good in bringing really cool and disturbing images.  In that department, he still delivers.  The story felt week and it falls under one of the horror cliches: if a door mysteriously opens in the middle of the night and you see a red light coming out from it, please don't go inside.  Well, our main character did just that and then becomes hypnotized with evil witchcraft.  The movie has its evil moments, which I don't mind, but they were weak at times.  This is Rob Zombie's most artsy film he's made thus far.  Wanted more out of it.  Wouldn't recommend it.

New Release Tuesday: The East (2013)

The East IMDb 
Pretty good anarchist vs. big corporations movie.  Okay, there's not a lot of movies like this but this was pretty good for a thriller.  It's got a lot of drama and some parts were suspenseful.  Love the plot.  This is the movie where you root for "the anarchists" aka "The East."  They're there to prove points and spread message across the nation.  Of course, there's a semi-Hollywood drive to this and ending so it won't be that original and fresh.  Still, I enjoyed it a lot more than I expected.  That's a good thing.  Love the drug/champagne scene (or should I say, the buildup to that).  The plot thickens a lot towards the end.  Shoot, if I could, I would do the same as these people: try to make corporations pay for the damages they cause to the environment and others.  All it takes is one person to try to make a difference and I think that's the case in this movie.  Worth watching for sure.  To buy?  I have to think about it I guess.  Maybe at a discount.

Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country

Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country IMDb
Wow! Who would've thought that the last Star Trek movie of the first set of movies was going to be one of my favorites?  I think this one and part IV were my top two favorites of the first series. This had a very good plot and a lot of good scenes.  It was sort of predictable but I was entertained all the way.  Love the Klingon dinner scene with the Enterprise crew.  This had somewhat of a Julius Caesar story.  It's only right because some of these Klingons love Shakespeare.   Learn something everyday.  Some moments kept me intrigued like the crew playing detective in figuring out who framed them for attacking the Klingon ship.  Kudos!  Must buy, especially if you have other Star Trek movies.