Tag: fantasticfest2017
Now Streaming: HAUNTERS: THE ART OF THE SCARE, Rather Disturbing Reality
Jon Schnitzer's documentary, now streaming on Shudder, is rather riveting to watch.
Fantastic Fest 2017 Review: Sex, Lies and VIDAR THE VAMPIRE
Blood-sucking vampires have been invading cinema screens for nearly a century now so it’s increasingly rare to see something truly original come out of the genre. Enter Vidar. Not only is this unfortunate creature one of the sorriest excuses for...
Fantastic Fest 2017 Review: TIGERS ARE NOT AFRAID, Horror and Imagination on the Streets of Mexico
Thousands of people have been murdered or gone missing in the ongoing violent drug war in Mexico. One of the often unacknowledged side effects is the now-orphaned children, many of whom end up on the streets. In her third feature,...
Fantastic Fest 2017 Review: HAUNTERS: THE ART OF THE SCARE, From Old-School to Extreme Horror
It's all fun and games until someone is left a whimpering mess. Five years ago, The American Scream debuted at Fantastic Fest. Under the direction of Michael Paul Stephenson (Best Worst Movie), it lovingly documented the growing phenomena of handcrafted...
Fantastic Fest 2017 Review: PIN CUSHION, The Heartbreak of Bullying
Some people like to say that bullies really just hate themselves. That might be true of many, but not of all; some people are just mean, and enjoying being mean to others to give themselves power, or because they get...
Fantastic Fest 2017 Review: GENERATION B, Start the Revolution Without Me
Everyone dances while the world goes to hell. Although it doesn't spring forth as an immediately binge-worthy series, Generation B very quickly develops into a worthy, perhaps essential experience. Laced with absurdist comedy and cogent social commentary, it's also quite...
Fantastic Fest 2017 Review: GOOD MANNERS, A Fable of Love, Fear, and Kindness
There is the family you are born into, and the family you make; lovers who stay with you a long time, and ones whose time with you is brief, but make a lasting impact. What then is the nature of...
Fantastic Fest 2017 Review: FIRSTBORN Reveals the Shattering Futility of Manhood
A mean, menacing undercurrent slithers through FirstBorn (Pirmdzimtais). It's not easily dismissed. Writer/director Aik Karapetian's previous film, The Man in the Yellow Jacket, which screened at Fantastic Fest in 2014, showcased his ability to create an abrasive, unsettling atmosphere in...
Fantastic Fest 2017 Review: LET THE CORPSES TAN, More Stylish Than Substantial
Writing-directing team Hélèn Cattet and Bruno Forzani burst onto the genre film scene in 2009 with the highly original Amer, a giallo-inspired experimental horror/thriller about different ages of one girl's life. Their second feature, The Strange Color of Your Body's...
Fantastic Fest 2017: Index
In 2017, Fantastic Fest runs from September 21-28. Here are links to reviews and interviews by our contributing editors and writers, all listed alphabetically by the film's English-language title. This will be updated throughout the festival. Last update: 09/29/17, 12:18....
Fantastic Fest 2017 Review: HAGAZUSSA Paints Terrible Beauty
When Fantastic Fest programmer and producer Annick Mahnert introduced Hagazussa: A Heathen's Curse, she mentioned that it was a student film and that her jaw dropped when screening it. She wasn't joking. Hagazussa: A Heathen's Curse could be easily labeled as the...
Fantastic Fest 2017 Review: THELMA Thrills With Lust and Existentialism
Fantastic Fest 2017 opened with plenty of surprises, one of which, I'm happy to say, was a Norwegian film called Thelma. Directed by Joachim Trier, Thelma follows the titular character played by Ellie Harboe --- a young, beautiful student --- as she ventures...
Fantastic Fest 2017 Review: DARKLAND, Vengeance Is Mine, Sayeth the Brother
Vengeance lives in a far-away country until it comes home to roost in your brain. A successful surgeon, Zaid (Dar Salim) is happily married to Stine (Stine Fischer Christensen), who is expecting their first child. They are celebrating her pregnancy...
Fantastic Fest 2017 Review: BAD GENIUS, Taking Tests for Fun, Profit and Extreme Stress
At some point, you have to ask yourself: Am I doing this for my friend? Or am I doing it for myself? In Bad Genius, teenage Lynn (Chutimon Chuengcharoensukying) is faced with those questions. She's a top student in Thailand,...
Fantastic Fest 2017 Exclusive Trailer: Catch THE CURE
From Spaceboy to Red Luck, filmmaker Mike Olenick's certain brand of strange has been infecting the festival circuit these past few years, creeping and delighting audiences from Slamdance to Fantasia. His latest short film, The Cure, is a mesmerizing sci-fi...
Fantastic Fest 2017: GERALD'S GAME Trailer, Of Handcuffs and the Suddenly Single Woman
When mommy loves daddy, sometimes she lets him handcuff her to a bed in a very private, very remote location, far, far away. But sometimes, daddy goes away, and mommy is left to fend for herself, still handcuffed... Back in...
Fantastic Fest 2017: DOWNSIZING to Close, Plus WHEELMAN and Other Final Wave Surprises
Alexander Payne's Downsizing will close this year's Fantastic Fest in Austin, Texas, to be held from September 21-28, 2017. As usual, there's far more on offer than any one person could hope to see, so we'll have a team of...
Fantastic Fest 2017: First Wave of Films Will Knock Your Teeth Out
Wow. Fantastic Fest isn't fucking around. The manic first wave of this year's festival includes the U.S. premiere of S. Craig Zahler's (Bone Tomahawk) new film Brawl in Cell Block 99 --- starring Vince Vaughn, Don Johnson, and Udo Kier --- fresh...
