Nymphomaniac Vol.2

Nymphomaniac Vol. 2 IMDb

I saw volume one a month or two ago so it's only right to finish the story.  Another two hours of this female character talking about her sexual adventures in order to achieve full satisfaction.  Lots of torture scenes.  Lots of dominatrix stuff.  While I do like the concept, I felt that this is too long.  Both volumes could have been condensed into one two hour movie instead of four hours.  There's no real payoff at the end of the story.  I know a lot of people in the artsy cinema world love this movie and the controversial director, Lars Von Trier, but it's not for me.  

Kudos to all the actors for letting loose in this movie.   I personally don't recommend wasting your time on this.  If you got that time to kill, go see the four Japanese epic called, Love Exposure. 

Robot Friday: Killing Machine

 Killing Machine IMDb

I went with this movie blind.  I never heard of it or anything.  I went to Vulcan Video to pick up the movie, Tetsuo, but after a brief conversation with the clerks, we came up with the conclusion that Tetsuo is not a robot movie.  So I searched for a back up and discovered this one.  Vulcan Video gave it to me on the house.  Unfortunately, this movie sucked big time.  I mean, it shouldn't suck.  It's Korean, it's revenge, it is robot.  What is not to like?  Well, for starters, this movie opened up with a 6 minute opening credit sequence in slow motion.  It was annoying.  Then the rest was very amateur and very slow.  The actual robot stuff didn't start until 40 minutes in.  By the way, this movie is very short.  It is 60 minutes long.  That's all I'm going to say about that.

Luckily this movie is hard to find but if you ever come across with it, just turn the other way. 

Fantastic Fest: The Incident (2014)

Fantastic Fest 2014

Screening #28

The Incident IMDb

My last movie of this year's Fantastic Fest was this awesome mind-bending sci-fi from Mexico.  Clever plot.  This is this year's Timecrimes.  It is a movie with two stories.  An incident happens in each story that traps the characters in an infinite loop kind of dimension.  One story takes place in a stairwell inside a tall building.  The other story takes place in a deserted highway that goes on forever.  This is the type of movie that draws a lot of questions.  The director of the film was present and said that some of the things in the movie are left for the imagination.  I enjoyed it.  This is another favorite of the festival.

Must see for sci-fi fans!  I can't wait to own someday.

Here's the director and some of the crew.

And since this is my last movie of the festival, it's time to list my favorites. It is always a challenge.  The way my system works is not how good the movie is but how good I enjoyed it and/or how well I connected with it.

From my most favorite to least favorite:

1. The Guest

2. In Order of Disappearance

3. The Tribe

4. Spring

5. Haemoo

6. Tokyo Tribe

7. High Five

8. No Man's Land

9. The Incident

10. Tusk

11. Bros Before Hos

12. Dead Snow 2

13. I Am Here

14. The Babadook

15. Electric Boogaloo: The Wild, Untold Story of Cannon Films

16. Jacky in the Kingdom of Women

17.  Wyrmwood

18.  The Absent One

19.  Redeemer

20.  I Am a Knife with Legs

21. It Follows

22. Kung Fu Elliot

23. The Man in the Orange Jacket 

24. Force Majeure

25. The Town That Dreaded Sundown

26. Everly

27. I Am Trash

28. From The Dark

Fantastic Fest: I Am Trash (2014)

Fantastic Fest 2014

Screening #27

I Am Trash IMDb

Man, this is one of the sickest Korean movies I've ever seen.  It made me feel very dirty.  It's not a horror or gory flick.  It's a dysfunctional family drama.  In the same vein as movies like Kids, Gummo, Happiness, and Visitor Q.  Just like the title says, the characters in this movie are all trash.  It's about three brothers who each have weird problems.  Their pedophile dad gets released from prison and things haven't changed with him.  It's a big dramatic mess looking at the lives of these people.  I would like to go home now and shower but I got another movie starting in an hour.  Damn!  So, this wasn't a pleasant experience but that's what the movie aims to do.  

I wanted to check this out because it's only one of two Korean movies that were brought to Fantastic Fest this year.  I made it my personal goal to see every Korean movie they bring.  The other Korean movie is Haemoo.  I loved that one.

No trailer found for this movie.

Fantastic Fest: It Follows (2014)

Fantastic Fest 2014

Screening #26

It Follows IMDb

This is another one of those movies that got a big hype in the first half of the festival but to me it was just okay.  It's a decent horror.  The message:  practice abstinence, fuckers, because you never know if the person sleeping with you is going to pass on the curse of having strange people following you until they kill you.  That's a mouthful.  It's an interesting concept.  I enjoyed the 80's vibe.  It seems like a lot of new horror movies are joining a trend to make their movie feel like an 80's horror/Carpenter-esque.  I admit I'm enjoying most of those films but at some point it may become tiring.  This had a killer loud score and it has the same girl who comes out in the movie, The Guest (the festival showed that one yesterday).  That actress should have came to Fantastic Fest because she did good in those two roles.  This movie had an okay ending.  There were a few good scares but other scares are cliche.  If there's people that want to kill you out there and there's a hole on the door, please DON'T peek through that hole.  DON'T!

Pretty good horror but doesn't live up to the hype for me.

No trailer found

Fantastic Fest: Kung Fu Elliot (2014)

Fantastic Fest 2014

Screening #25

 Kung Fu Elliot

Crazy documentary we got here.  It's about a pathological liar who aims to be the greatest martial artist from Canada.  We're following Elliot and his long term girlfriend as he tells his story about how badass he is and the movies he's done.  We see him making his 3rd low budget movie.  It's very awful but it makes the doc funny because this guy is very serious about his work.  His girlfriend is tired of his shit but somehow she's there holding strong.  A lot of stuff happens and things get revealed.  Crazy dramatic ending.  And the funny thing is that this is all real.  I enjoyed it as a documentary.  It actually won Best Documentary at the Fantastic Fest awards.  Me personally, loved the Electric Boogaloo documentary more but this was also entertaining.

If you want to see a documentary about a man with lots of hope and confidence but also has a dark side, check this doc out.  

Fantastic Fest: Haemoo (2014)

Fantastic Fest 2014

Screening #16
(Saw this movie on Monday morning as a press screening.  It had a strict embargo so I couldn't publish it until Wednesday.)

Haemoo IMDb

Excellent drama at sea adventure we have here.  It is Korean.  Oh yeah!  The story slowly develops until a crazy climax.  Love the way they told this story.  We follow the captain of a big fish boat thinking he's our main lead then he turns out to be our villain.  Our protagonist shines about 30 minutes in.  It is a story about transporting illegal immigrants to Korea.  This covers the dangers behind it.  Man, everyone goes crazy here.  I guess that's life at sea. Good editing and sound.

Good treat to wake up to.

I would recommend this one, of course.  Especially for fans of Korean cinema.  Not perfect but close enough.

Fantastic Fest: Dead Snow 2: Red Vs. Dead (2014)

Fantastic Fest 2014

Screening #24

Dead Snow 2 IMDb

Midnight movie fun!  This the goriest movie I've seen at this year's Fantastic Fest.  A whole lotta fun.  It's up there with the first one.  Didn't disappoint.  Good cheesy stuff.  I mean, we're talking about nazi zombies for christ sakes.  There's a little bit of revenge too.  The characters were cool.  There was only one annoying character which was the good looking nerdy girl throwing lines from Star Wars all throughout the movie. That got tiring.  The story could have more awesome but it was entertaining for what it was.  

Fans of Evil Dead, you will love this movie.  I will add this to my zombie section whenever it comes out.  

Fantastic Fest: The Guest (2014)

Fantastic Fest 2014

Screening #23

The Guest IMDb

Fucking badass!  Usually when I start my comments with "fucking badass," it means fucking badass and definitely becomes one of my favorite movies of the year.  Entertaining with a nice flow.  First half was the cool getting to know characters part.  Second half is the suspense part.  This had me going good all the way through.  This is from the team behind the movie, "You're Next."  They fucking nailed it.  It played at SXSW this year but Tim League had to bring it to Fantastic Fest (that's what he said when he introduced the movie).  What also made it badass was that they passed out Fireball shots to the whole audience.  There was a big scene that included a Fireball shot about 20 minutes into the film.  Lots of great moments.  Some moments reminded me of the movie, "Drive."  But, this is a beast on its own. 

Must see and must buy.  One of the best.

The writer,  Simon Barrett, was present and he swore that he would not fuck up the I Saw The Devil remake.

Fantastic Fest: Bros Before Hos

Fantastic Fest 2014

Screening #22

Bros Before Hos IMDb

Awesome comedy from the Netherlands.  Very raunchy!  Lots of bad mouthing too, motherfuckin' bitches!  It is also sweet and romantic too.  Love the autistic re-enactment of other movies including my number one favorite, Pulp Fiction.  This movie might not be for those easily offended.  This is for fans of toilet humor.  It is also kind of like a stoner comedy.  Had a good time with it.  It wasn't in my priority list to see but I'm glad I did because I enjoyed it.  A movie about friendship and about love.  

Good comedic recommendation if it comes out blu-ray one day.

Fantastic Fest: Electric Boogaloo:The Wild, Untold Story of Cannon Films (2014)

Fantastic Fest 2014

Screening #21

Electric Boogaloo: The Wild, Untold Story of Cannon Films IMDb

The director of Not Quite Hollywood (doc about Australian exploitation flicks) and Machete Maidens Unleashed (doc about Filipino exploitation flicks) is back with this one.  This time he focuses on the U.S. film exploitation company, Cannon Films.  Badass!  I grew up with some of these.  Some of their movies include:  Superman IV, Masters of the Universe, and Over The Top.  They referenced a shit load of movies on here.  Just like the other docs, this made me want to see all of those movies.  Gotta add Death Wish 2 and 3 on my list.  This is a story of a company who didn't care for quality films.  Just any cheap films to make a quick buck.  The owners were mean bastards but it was all for the love of making cheap profiting movies.  Chuck Norris came out of this.  Missing in Action!  They were always hoping that big blockbuster hit.  Just like Not Quite Hollywood and Machete Maidens Unleashed, this is just another source for history on exploitation cinema.  Tits, ass, guns, explosions,  ninja fights,  blood and guts, etc. etc. Give the people what they want.

It was cool watching this on the big screen.  Nothing inventive or fresh but good source to fill your cinephile needs.  Maybe the director will do a documentary on Troma films.  

Fantastic Fest: I Am a Knife with Legs (2014)

Fantastic Fest 2014

Screening #20

I Am a Knife with Legs IMDb

With a movie title like this, you should know what to expect.  This is an absurd comedy/musical.  It is set in Los Angeles.  This reminded of the Flight of the Conchords in a way.  Not just because it's a silly musical but some of the dialogue as well.  I cracked up in a few scenes.  It's about this famous pop rock star who is hiding in Los Angeles because the SSN is after him.  What is SSN?  Well, that's part of a joke in the movie. Since this is the kind of movie that might not be available anytime soon, I'll just tell you anyway.  Our main guy has a big accent, and he's trying to say "Assassin."  His friend gives him shit because he's saying SSN.  Cool little moments.  Good midnight movie, that's for sure.  

Overall, worth checking out if you're into absurd comedies.  Definitely not for everyone.  

Fantastic Fest: No Man's Land

Fantastic Fest 2014

Screening #19

No Man's Land IMDb

I enjoyed this Coen-esque Chinese movie.  Another favorite.  Lots of crazy things happen.  It's got a western vibe to it.  Seriously, this is like the action version of No Country For Old Men.  It all takes place in a road in the middle of nowhere.  Lots of crazy and quirky characters.  Lots of kills here and there.  Funny dialogue.  Great western like score.  What's not to like?  The ending could have been a little better but that's about it.  Good showdown after another.  Basically, this story is about this lawyer guy who goes on this trip and on the way he encounters trouble with these two men carrying some kind of cargo.  After that conflict, he goes to this little stop and that whole scene reminded me of the movie, U-Turn.  He meets more crazy characters.  Then he gets chased by the two guys from earlier.  He hits the road and runs over this other guy and kills him.  Oh yeah, there's a hitman also on the road to kill the guy our main character killed by accident.  The story gets crazier and crazier when all these characters meet.  Had a great time with it and I would recommend it to fans of the Coen Brothers.  A little trivia about this movie is that it was made back in 2009 and the Chinese government banned it.  5 years later, and it's finally out.  

Fantastic Fest: The Babadook (2014)

Fantastic Fest 2014

Screening #18

The Babadook IMDb

Unique Australian horror we got here.  It wasn't scary for me but the elements were there.  Some of the moments were creepy.  I liked the story though.  A story about a widow and her son.  The story about a scary children's book called The Babadook.  The kid believes he's real.  Then the mom starts going crazy.  Love The Babadook character.  Very trippy.  This movie had a few potential scary moments but they were mild.  It's like a Goosebumps epsiode.  My son watches that show all the time and he says it's not scary because it's for kids.  So I wonder if he'll love The Babadook?  I know I would love it a lot more if I were a kid (though, I do act like a kid all the time). 

I wouldn't mind seeing this again now that I know what I'm expecting.  It had some cool moments and the story was solid and original.

Fantastic Fest: Force Majeure (2014)

Fantastic Fest 2014

Screening #17

(Number 16 is Haemoo but I can't write it until Wednesday night because I saw a press screening with a strict embargo)

Force Majeure IMDb

Alright, the only reason I saw this French Drama was because there was a lot of hype since it first played a few days ago.  A lot of Fantastic Fest attendees call it one of their favorite movies.  Well, I didn't think so.   The presenter warned us that this isn't a genre movie but they still wanted to bring it to Fantastic Fest.  The movie was okay for me.  Good performances.  I was wanting more out of the story, though.  This is a story about a family trip to this ski resort.  A big avalanche happens and the father panics and leaves his family behind.  From their on out, it's about him and his wife fighting for over what happened.  We witness a couple that aren't in love anymore.  Somehow, they're their just for the kids.  I guess I was wanting more things to happen.  Maybe I was wanting a great wild nature vs. man story with this subplot.  Good realistic moments, though.

Overall, this was okay to see if you're in the mood for a drama, but not a priority.

Fantastic Fest: Redeemer (2014)

 Fantastic Fest 2014

Screening #15

Redeemer IMDb

The Chilean director and the best martial artist actor in South America are both back for their 5th movie.  I love Mirageman.  Love Mandrill and Kiltro.  Enjoyed Bring Me The Head of Machine Gun Woman.  And now another cheesy Chilean action flick, Redeemer.  Probably my least favorite out of the five but still fun.  The fight sequences keep getting better and better.  Story was so and so.  But, we don't come for the story as much, it is for Marko Zaror's awesome stunts and fight scenes.  Here, he plays a vengeful character who leaves everything to God.  He tells his enemies to repent before he kills them. So faith plays an important part in this movie.  Wasn't feeling the other characters in this movie.  I would recommend this to fans of the other Marko Zaror movies.  If you're not familiar, I would start with Mirageman.  A low budget vigilante movie with heart.

Marko Zaror and me holding a Chilean energy drink they were passing out.

No trailer

Fantastic Fest: Tokyo Tribe (2014)

Fantastic Fest 2014

Screening #14

Tokyo Tribe IMDb

Holy fucking smokes!  Another great movie today.  Who would have thought that one day there would be a Japanese gangster hip hop musical?  The end of the world is here cause Tokyo Tribe is exactly that. It is literally the end of the world in that movie.  It is straight up an over the top Japanase version of The Warriors.  This is also the kind of movie that's a whole lot better with a theatre crowd.  Last year's Fantastic Fest I saw Sion Sono's Why Don't You Play in Hell?  And I fucking loved it.  Now he's back with this musical.  Some of the songs are actually great.  Lots of blood, gore, nudity, and street gang fighting action to satisfy any genre fan.  Nothing but a good time.  

I'm fucking buying it, that's for sure.  Another favorite from the festival.

Fantastic Fest: The Tribe (2014)

Fantastic Fest 2014

Screening #13

The Tribe IMDb

This Ukranian film is one of the most powerful movies I've seen at Fantastic Fest.  Brutal.  The crazy shit is that there are no subtitles or spoken dialogue.  All in sign language.  Can you believe it?  I fucking enjoyed it.  It's a crime movie about an organized prostitution ring in a deaf mute boarding school.  Not only that, these mute bastards also rob, fight, and do other crazy shit to gain money.  To top it all off, the shots here are very long.  Very awesome cinematography.  Feel sorry for the camera operator dealing with a long take after another.  As for the story, it's a simple story.  What makes it awesome is that you don't need to understand what exactly are they saying through their hands, you kind of have an idea.  The performances and actions of each actor tells you what your dealing with in every scene.  One thing I gotta get out:  the long 5 to 10 minute abortion scene was brutal.  Done in one long take.   Probably brutal enough to make a pro-choice go pro-life.  Lots of fights, lots of sex, lots movement.  I came out speechless.  

Definitely one of the best films I've seen at Fantastic Fest.  Tim League introduced and said it was his favorite film at Cannes (which one a big award there) and bought distribution rights.  So, this is now part of the Drafthouse Films catalog.
An experience worth watching.

Fantastic Fest: Relocos y Repasados (High Five)

Fantastic Fest 2014

Screening #12

Relocos Y Reposados IMDb

Wow!  A Stoner Comedy from Uruguay.  And a very good one too.  I fucking loved it.  Very trippy sequences.  Munchies everywhere.  Funny dialogue.  Can't get better than this in the stoner genre.  You got a group of five people conducting an "experiment."  Each one of them gets high with a different drug.  Shit starts happening and before you know it, there are people covered in shit.  Well, one of them at least.  There are chase scenes. Madness everywhere.  I love the grocery scene where our lead character, high on lsd, gets into it in the milk aisle.  Oh, lots of metal and rock music here too.  Haven't seen a great Stoner comedy in a while.  Thank you, Fantastic Fest.  Thank you.  Time for some munchies.

I can't wait to add this one to my Stoner section.

The director, producer, and one of the actors were present.

Fantastic Fest: Spring (2014)

Fantastic Fest 2014

Screening #11

Spring IMDb

I enjoyed this subtle sci-fi romance.  The whole movie was entertaining.  Good dialogue.  Good unpredictable moments.  And I think I'm in love with the main actress, Nadia Hilker.  She can be a sweetheart whenever she doesn't show her "bad" side in this movie. Love the cinematography too.  Italy looks very beautiful.   The sci-fi elements don't show up until the second half.  It has a little bit of horror too.  Sweet movie I would recommend to couples who love their genre movies. 

Fantastic Fest: From The Dark (2014)

Fantastic Fest 2014

Screening #10

From the Dark IMDb

I went to this screening by accident this morning. I was supposed to go see a press screening of Tokyo Tribe but they were having technical difficulties.  One of the volunteers misdirected me to a theatre thinking I was going to see another movie and instead, it was this Irish horror.  I didn't like it. A predictable monster horror flick.  These monsters are like vampires.  It all takes place in the middle of nowhere in Ireland.  This couple are on the road and boom, all of a sudden, they get stuck on mud.  They split up.  It gets dark.  Vampirish monsters are out.  The couple must survive the night without getting bit. That's it.  I woke up at 7am to accidentally see this.  At least I'll get to see Tokyo Tribe later.

No trailer found for this movie.

Fantastic Fest: The Town That Dreaded Sundown(2014)

Fantastic Fest 2014

Screening #9

The Town That Dreaded Sundown IMDb

This slasher flick is a remake of a 1976 movie.  Never seen it.  This didn't bring anything fresh to the genre. Just your typical horror where teenagers make out in the car before getting killed.  It's a small town in the border of Arkansas and Texas.  The town's drive-in theatre is showing the original Town That Dreaded Sundown and all of a sudden some kind of copycat is also slashing victims.  It's got an 80's vibe to it.  Kudos for the kill scene using a knife strapped to a trombone

Overall, I didn't connect well with this so I wouldn't personally recommend it.

Fantastic Fest: In Order of Disappearance (2014)

Fantastic Fest 2014

Screening #8

In Order of Disappearance IMDb

Fuck yes!  I'll say it again, Fuck yes!  Nothing better than a revenge film with gangsters in it and also being a dark comedy.  This Norwegian film reminded me of a lighter version of Fargo.  Good characters.  You know you're in for a treat when both the protagonist and the antagonist are awesome characters.  Let's not forget the "Serbs" led by the one guy who played Hitler in the movie, "Downfall."  Good stuff.  Love that they put title cards of names everytime a person dies.  This movie also has a great shootout towards the end.  Tarantino style!  This was my number one anticipated film at Fantastic Fest when I did my research and it delivered.

So far this is my favorite film at the festival.  Let's see what other crazy shit I get myself into.

Fantastic Fest: The Absent One (2014)

Fantastic Fest 2014

Screening #7

The Absent One IMDb

Decent detective mystery in the same vein as The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo movies.  As a matter of fact, this Danish film is based on a best selling book.  This movie is part two.  Part one is the movie, "The Keeper of Lost Causes" also by the same director.  This movie is a slow mystery ride to a hardcore third act.   The main detective is tryng to solve a 20 year double murder case when the only witness pops up.  Enjoyed it. Lots of deceit and scandals here.  

While it may not be among my top of the festival, I still think is worth checking out if you love your detective mysteries.

Fantastic Fest: I Am Here (2014)

Fantastic Fest 2014

Screening #7

I Am Here IMDb

Excellent Drama with a fairy tale vibe to it starring Vicky Vale (excuse me, Kim Basinger).  It's in English but it's from Denmark and Germany.  Good performances.  Kim Basinger plays Maria.  She can't have a baby and can't wait for the adoption process so she takes desperate measures and goes on the road to find a baby.  Not just any baby.  She wants to rescue a baby from a prostitution ring controlled by the Russian mob.   With the help of a dwarve, yes, you heard me right, she goes on her mission.  A spiritual baby that talks to God also guides her.  It's a slow moving movie but touching as well.  Nice to see a cameo by Peter Stormare (Fargo) as the Russian prostitution mob leader.  Enjoyed it!

The director of the film was present for a Q and A.  He directed a ervenge movie that was a hit in 2007 called "Princess." Gotta check it out.

No trailer found for this movie.