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One more full day of movie madness ahead of us! Let's get right to it, shall we?
The Lady Assassin:
A woman is rescued by a gang of ninja prostitutes (or prostitue ninjas, depending on your point of view) who rob from the corrupt to give to... themselves, really. The captured woman joins their ranks, but is she all that she seems? This was orginially a 3D movie, and some of the scenes reflect that. It's pretty light hearted fare (martial arts comedy) with some mild cheese cake, but there's a nice storyline between the freed woman and the leader of the ninjas. The fight scenes are not as good as a more serious movie, and the villain is very over the top, but in the end, it's still a movie about prostitute ninjas, and that has to count for something. Ratings: 3/5 ambushes
I took a little break here to meet with Lauren and Kevin for lunch at the Hong Kong for some excellent authentic Chinese food. Then it was back to the cinema.
A Company Man:
A guild of assassins masquerades as a mineral trading company, carrying out hits behind a boring office facade. One man begins to question his line of work, and looks for life and love outside the company. The company has other ideas... Everything about this film was quite solid. The lead actor had the right blend of pathos and anger, the organization of the company was cool, the fight and chase scenes exciting to watch. There's room for little bits of humor, and character growth and development, but once the scales are tipped towards action the film explodes. The movie doesn't try to re-invent the wheel, it just gives you a damn fine example of what an action thriller can be.
Rating: 4/5 hits
I'll Follow You Down:
A young boy's father goes on a trip to Philadelphia, and vanishes off the face of the earth. As the boy grows, he learns his father was working on a secret, which could explain his loss. The boy tries to unravel the secret and find his missing father at any cost. SO. DISAPPOINTING. I won't hold it against a movie if it's slow. I will hold it against a movie if it's slow and boring. Gillian Anderson did a good job acting, but her character had little to do. Outside of her, none of the acting rose above the Lifetime TV level. I was expecting a lot girmmer movie, instead I got lots of pastel and mush. I wasn't offended, just disappointed. Rating: 2/5 time machines
Doomsdays:
Convinced that the world will soon be plunged into Armageddon due to the peak oil crisis, two young men prepare for Armageddon by breaking into houses and living off what they find there. Watch them evade owners, meet up and acquire new adventurers, and run into all kinds of strange things in each house. This is a straight up comedy, with a definite hipster vibe, but it remains funny and engaging. Some characters grow and change, some do not, but everyone goes on their own journey. It's well worth seeing. Ratings: 4/5
broken windows.
That wraps up the festival! We retired back to our apartment for one last Rock Star party, then we ended our trip with a visit to Eggspectations and then it was back to the States. We made our usual trip to Dakin Farms for the best bacon in the world, and made a pit stop at one of the few BPAL stores in the country. I confess that I was indoctrinated into the BPAL cult. The initiation was pretty painless, if you are wondering. The festival was as amazing as ever, I'd say the quality of films was among the highest I've experienced. As ever, I eagerly await the passing of the years for the next trip to Fantasia.
The Lady Assassin:
A woman is rescued by a gang of ninja prostitutes (or prostitue ninjas, depending on your point of view) who rob from the corrupt to give to... themselves, really. The captured woman joins their ranks, but is she all that she seems? This was orginially a 3D movie, and some of the scenes reflect that. It's pretty light hearted fare (martial arts comedy) with some mild cheese cake, but there's a nice storyline between the freed woman and the leader of the ninjas. The fight scenes are not as good as a more serious movie, and the villain is very over the top, but in the end, it's still a movie about prostitute ninjas, and that has to count for something. Ratings: 3/5 ambushes
I took a little break here to meet with Lauren and Kevin for lunch at the Hong Kong for some excellent authentic Chinese food. Then it was back to the cinema.
A Company Man:
A guild of assassins masquerades as a mineral trading company, carrying out hits behind a boring office facade. One man begins to question his line of work, and looks for life and love outside the company. The company has other ideas... Everything about this film was quite solid. The lead actor had the right blend of pathos and anger, the organization of the company was cool, the fight and chase scenes exciting to watch. There's room for little bits of humor, and character growth and development, but once the scales are tipped towards action the film explodes. The movie doesn't try to re-invent the wheel, it just gives you a damn fine example of what an action thriller can be.
Rating: 4/5 hits
I'll Follow You Down:
A young boy's father goes on a trip to Philadelphia, and vanishes off the face of the earth. As the boy grows, he learns his father was working on a secret, which could explain his loss. The boy tries to unravel the secret and find his missing father at any cost. SO. DISAPPOINTING. I won't hold it against a movie if it's slow. I will hold it against a movie if it's slow and boring. Gillian Anderson did a good job acting, but her character had little to do. Outside of her, none of the acting rose above the Lifetime TV level. I was expecting a lot girmmer movie, instead I got lots of pastel and mush. I wasn't offended, just disappointed. Rating: 2/5 time machines
Doomsdays:
Convinced that the world will soon be plunged into Armageddon due to the peak oil crisis, two young men prepare for Armageddon by breaking into houses and living off what they find there. Watch them evade owners, meet up and acquire new adventurers, and run into all kinds of strange things in each house. This is a straight up comedy, with a definite hipster vibe, but it remains funny and engaging. Some characters grow and change, some do not, but everyone goes on their own journey. It's well worth seeing. Ratings: 4/5
broken windows.
That wraps up the festival! We retired back to our apartment for one last Rock Star party, then we ended our trip with a visit to Eggspectations and then it was back to the States. We made our usual trip to Dakin Farms for the best bacon in the world, and made a pit stop at one of the few BPAL stores in the country. I confess that I was indoctrinated into the BPAL cult. The initiation was pretty painless, if you are wondering. The festival was as amazing as ever, I'd say the quality of films was among the highest I've experienced. As ever, I eagerly await the passing of the years for the next trip to Fantasia.
