>> Fantastic Fest 2008: Day Eight

Zombie Girl:  The Movie / USA / Directed by Justin Johnson, Aaron Marshall, and Erik Mauck
Synopsis:  This documentary follows Emily Hagins, pre-teen filmmaker, as she sets out to make her first feature film, an ambitious apocalyptic zombie epic called Pathogen.
I’m sort of connected to this documentary, in a tenuous way.  When I first met Emily, [...]

>> Fantastic Fest/AICN Secret Screening #3: Role Models

Paul Rudd can finally lay claim to being a comedic leading man.  Managing to avoid mugging or schtick, Rudd brings a distinct kind of sarcasm to his comedy, one that comes from a place an audience can relate to, instead of through cynicism or a mean spiritedness.  I can’t quite think of anyone else like [...]

>> Fantastic Fest/AICN Secret Screening #2: Appaloosa

“Old-fashioned” is the first word that comes to mind when describing Ed Harris’s directorial sophomore effort, the new Western Appaloosa.  There’s no post-modern spin, no personal drama pretending to be a Western, or an action film disguised as a Western.  This is a plain and simple Hollywood Western, and it would feel like the product [...]

>> Fantastic Fest 2008: Day Seven

Spine Tingler!  The William Castle Story / USA / Directed by Jeffrey Schwarz
Synopsis:  A documentary detailing the life story of filmmaker/huckster William Castle, famous for his horror films and the gimmicky promotions he used to drive audiences into the theatre.
Wow, this is an incredibly fast-paced documentary.  It’s basically one of those docs that you get [...]

>> Fantastic Fest/AICN Secret Screening #1: The Brothers Bloom

Rian Johnson almost does for romantic comedies what he did with the noir thriller in Brick, creating a labor of love that pays tribute while also turning conventions askew.  The Brothers Bloom is a con man movie, that, for an extended period of time, acts as a pretty loveable romantic comedy.  It does this so [...]

>> Fantastic Fest 2008: Day Six

South of Heaven / USA / Directed by J.L. Vara
Synopsis:  A ransom scheme causes unwanted trouble for a wannabe writer after he is mistaken for his criminal brother.
There’s a marked difference between stage and screen, and South of Heaven is a film that really reminds a viewer of that difference.  More than its limited locations, [...]

>> Fantastic Fest 2008: Day Five

The Cream (La Creme) / France / Directed by Reynald Bertrand
Synopsis:  A down-on-his-luck family man discovers a facial cream that makes others see him as a celebrity.
I like surprises like this at a film fest–the indie movies with little-to-no hype, that you walk out of feeling 100% satisfied.  La Creme is effective, balancing a farcial [...]

>> Fantastic Fest 2008: Day Four

Terra / USA / Directed by Aristomenas Tsirbas
Synopsis:  War-mongering humans decide to invade the planet Terra, home of the peaceful Terrans and their air-based society.
Terra is a ham-fisted, naive mediation on war, barely disguised as a kid’s sci-fi flick.  For those that complain about hidden messages in Pixar films, I present Terra, a film so [...]

>> Fantastic Fest 2008: Day Three

Estomago / Brazil / Directed by Marcos Jorge
Synopsis:  A man behind bars earns respect by cooking for his cellmates, while recalling the tragic events that led him to prison in the first place.
A robust celebration of food and the female posterior, Estomago is a movie filled to the brim with passion.  The film’s good-natured humor [...]

>> Fantastic Fest 2008: Day Two

Just Another Love Story / Denmark / Directed by Ole Bornedal
Synopsis:  A forensic photographer ends up playing along with a case of mistaken identity during a hospital visit to a comatose girl with a troubled past.
This plays out like some alternate reality version of While You Were Sleeping, in which nobody really cares about the [...]