What was your favourite film of the festival?
Kurt Halfyard - THE LURE
There are few examples of movies with this daring of style and ambition that come together so perfectly in one packages. The Lure is equal parts classic, cult and curio all rolled into to one toe-tapping fiery blaze of pop filmmaking.
The production design is almost holy in its execution. The film is divided between the musical numbers and straight-up narrative, which transition so seamlessly and that it appears effortless. And The actors, who are often in outlandish show-costumes or period dress (not to mention the gargantuan mermaid tails which are the best I’ve ever seen done on camera) are superb.
See it on the big screen, sneak vodka into the cinema, and give yourself over to the vision of an impressive and certainly upcoming filmmaker on the rise. Mermaids are back in fashion in 2016 and while I am sure Disney’s film will be fine, and Chow’s film is unquestionably gonzo, Agnieszka Smoczynska’s cinematic foray into bare-breasts, fish-tails and siren-songs is bursting with cinematic delights (and totally worth crashing the ship onto the rocks for.) Moreso, the filmmaking is pitch fucking perfect.
And while we are on favourites, a huge shout-out for the entire polish sidebar. DEMON and I, OLGA HEPNAROVA were also exquisite in execution!
Jason Gorber - TRAIN TO BUSAN
I enjoyed a number of films that played the slate at other festivals, and pleased that something like HUNT FOR THE WILDERPEOPLE found a receptive audience here. Still, I didn't see a better film than the fine TRAIN TO BUSAN, a work I've followed since Cannes and finally was able to climb aboard. My patience for Zombies and Korean train films is strained (no, I didn't like SNOWPIERCER), but I found this take energizing, entertaining and unique.
Izzy Lee - THE LURE
This is always a tough one, but I’d have to go with THE LURE, which is an astonishing feat alone, never mind coming from first-time filmmaker Agnieszka Smoczynska. Sure, she’s done a little TV, but WOW. This killer mermaid (siren, really) musical is partly based on the parables of of Hans Christian Anderson’s Little Mermaid and Le Motte Fouque’s Ondine — with fantasy and horror elements deftly mixed with the disco, punk, and ballads.
One sister is a sweet soul who gives up her tail to be able to be with a human, and it doesn’t quite work out for her. The other sister is a darker spirit who eats men and like vengeance, but you’ll root for both of them. Until you see it, you may doubt how good THE LURE is, but DAMN, it’s entrancing — dare I say, magical, and I hope you get to see it on the big screen.
Andrew Mack - HOLY FLAME OF THE MARTIAL WORLD
I guess this is a case of what was old is new again? Turns out I am incredibly easy to please. It is very simple. Bring in a classic Shaw Brothers action flick. Tell me glorious things like it is on 35mm and is the only print in existence. Then shower me with exciting and colourful visuals, cheesy STAR WARS influenced special effects, a hero fighting flying kanji symbols and the reunion of long lost siblings. You give me something that is in my wheelhouse then I am a happy boy. I will even forgive you for making that same old Pokemon Go joke when you remind us to turn off our cell phones. Nothing else matters, only the wuxia that is on the screen.
What was your biggest discovery of the festival?
Izzy Lee - TRAIN TO BUSAN
Train to Busan managed to reanimate and reinvent the zombie genre — to take an (un)dead corner of horror and inject new life into it takes a lot of skill. If you think it’s all been done before, well, it hasn’t. I was thrilled to discover that the films pacing was nearly at break-neck speed — without getting bogged down in so much going on that you don’t care what happens — viewer fatigue, as I like to call it. The film also manages to be quite touching in some respects, which is another reason to applaud. In short, TRAIN TO BUSAN is must-see viewing for any lover of horror.
Kurt Halfyard - THE UNSEEN
A fresh and mature take on the Invisible Man story, the feature debut from Special Effects artist Geoff Redknap shows a startling amount of restraint in terms of how the story is told. A large factor here is Aden Young in the lead role, who is a marvel of body language and tensed up emotion as a man suffering both physically and emotionally. There is a lot of elements in this family drama, but they come together nicely to form a great origin story. When the filmmaking is this good, I certainly want a sequel please!
Andrew Mack - PATTAYA
I still laugh at generic buddy comedies, when they are done well. As I said in my review, I went into the screening of PATTAYA with one eye closed. As I was skimming the schedule I caught the words dwarfs and kickboxing. Then that part of me that likes laughing at inappropriate things, that part of me that can kill e-mail threads with a single crude joke, that part of me that I try to push aside and hide from others, lest he lash out and hurt someone's feelings, that part of me said it would be a good idea to go and check that out. I will never admit that that part of me was right but golly it was good to let out some laughs at prat falls and potty humour. I have forsaken art in favour of projectile body fluids, an orangutan in Gucci, and some credible throw-downs by kickboxing little people.
Jason Gorber - MAN UNDERGROUND
The film is far from perfect, but the team behind this indie-conspiracy theory 'home movie' managed to get a lot right, including knowing when to hold back to generate dramatic tension. Very interested to see what they come up with next.
What was your biggest disappointment of the festival?
Andrew Mack - ABATTOIR
We jest that the audience in Montreal unabashedly throws their support behind every film, no matter whether or not it is a puddle of sick. But when a film fails completely and the Montreal audience is no longer into it? Holy crap, can you tell. It is palpable. It is such a dramatic shift in the atmosphere that you have come to expect from that crowd that it is pretty much alarming to experience it. At the ABATTOIR screening the audience began walking out from the first act. As it went on you could sense that we were nearing a breaking point with this nonsense then something happened on the screen in the third act and the levees on those good Canadian and Quebecois manners everyone keeps telling us we have broke. We collectively jeered, swore and guffawed at ABATTOIR; we had had enough. When the credits rolled there was only a smattering of applause, probably in thanks that it was finally over. I was angry that the last film I saw the festival this year was this incoherent, indistinguishable, sloppy mess starring Brad Pitt's clone from the movie SEVEN.
Jason Gorber - SHE'S ALLERGIC TO CATS
Am I disappointed in SHE'S ALLERGIC TO CATS? Only in the sense that it seemed to have many ingredients I like (madcap kittenry at top of list), but it played more maudlin and masturbatory than Guy Maddiny.
Izzy Lee - WHITE COFFIN
Despite having a fantastic trailer, this film was a terrible experience. I was excited about it not only because of the trailer, but the premise, which is that a little girl is kidnapped and her mother must find her before she’s sacrificed in fast-paced, SAW-like game orchestrated by a cult — and the mom is pitted against other mothers in this cruel plot. Plus, the Garcia Bogliano brothers wrote the screenplay, so I thought the film would be a slam dunk.
Boy oh boy was I wrong.
The DCP that the filmmakers had provided to the festival had a weird issue with the soundtrack being layered over it. I think it was just one audio track from the latter part of the film flipped over and played during the first half of the movie. Eventually, the festival switched to a watermarked screener with a time code. While that’s not the optimal way to see a film at Fantasia (or anywhere public), WHITE COFFIN still had major flaws. While being blessed with good acting, a decent budget and plot, and cool set pieces, nothing could save the film from being terrible. When that happens, it’s sad to see. Perhaps there’s a way to fix the structure in editing with a new cut.
Kurt Halfyard - BED OF THE DEAD / TRASH FIRE
Some day I might enjoy a feature by the Black Fawn collective, but this Fantasia was not to be that day. A boring mess of gore and callowness free of humour or character. Maybe next time guys.
Also special mention to TRASH FIRE for it's queasily unfunny screenplay, sloppy execution, and for more or less being catnip for douchebags. TRASH FIRE also begs the question, "When did Adrian Grenier become the unfunny, live-action version of ARCHER?" Best to watch the cartoon (now in its 7th Season) which is quite good.
What was your favourite non-film Fantasia moment?
Jason Gorber
I took jury president Navot Papushado to Schwartz's, thus clearly fulfilling the Jewish equivalent of Karma. As always Fantasia is all about reunions with dear friends, some of whom live in my own city yet I seldom see. It is the inviting nature of the community that Mitch, Lindsay and the whole team gather that makes this one of the best festivals in the whole damn world. And, I assure you, grabbing molten chocolate on St Catherine, late night tartare at L'express or Au Pied du Cochon, or an egg cream and special at Willensky's with a even more special friend, certainly doesn't hurt.
Kurt Halfyard
So many things to choose from and so many wonderful people in one place for this festival, with the right amount of free time and space to take advantage of the gathering. While I adore my time spent on the Kafein patio, essentially the day-time analog of the Irish Embassy, and the meetings both planned and spontaneous, if had to single out just one thing, it would be the walking tour from Concordia to McGill to check out the Pathology Oddities Museum on campus. This was suggested by Kier-La Janisse and organized and implemented by Justin Henri Langlois, and a fun group of critics and filmmakers made an gorgeous afternoon of it. It was a freak show of glass and formaldehyde worthy of a Guillermo del Toro set-piece that ended in a 1920's themed pub for the best bangers and mash of my life. Later that night, I had drinks and an unplanned but sizable chit chat with Takashi Miike who showed up at the bar! Only at Fantasia. Bravo Montreal, the worlds premiere 'velvet ropeless' festival.
Andrew Mack
Grady Hendrix's live reading, Summer Land Lost: A Ghost Story in Progress. It was probably a good thing that this happened after the major exodus from the market weekend or we would have been lined up outside the Kafein cafe-bar straining to hear the silky smooth lyrical largess coming from Grady's vocal chords. We crammed ourselves into that tiny basement bar and Hendrix bestowed us with a contemporary history of fortune tellers and diviners in the Victorian Age. Charming and entertaining, dressed in a white suit, Hendrix regaled us tales of old, of those blessed with sight and those charlatans who preyed on the weak and despairing. An hour was simply not long enough.
Izzy Lee
Meeting Guillermo del Toro was phenomenal, and definitely a highlight of my life, as he continues to be a major inspiration not just to me, but to monster kids across the world. He’s always thoughtful, gracious, and kind, from what I hear from others who’ve been lucky enough to meet him. The crowd gave him a standing ovation during when he appeared onstage to present Creature Features: The Frankenstein Complex. Afterward, he gave one of his famous master classes, this time in special effects as it pertains to movie making — or whatever else was asked of him from the audience. The festival presented the Cheval Noir Award to him, and you could tell how delighted he was to be there. I was ridiculously happy to be in the audience, too.