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Fantasia part 2: Movie Marathon Madness!
Aug. 21st, 2014 05:04 pmIt's a good thing they renovated Concordia Hall with new seats, because I was parked in there from noon til midnight (with one break for a really delicious Cantonese meal). Let's get down to the movies!
The Zero Theorem: http://www.fantasiafestival.com/2014/en/films-schedule/233/the-zero-theorem The third film in a loose trilogy from Terry Gilliam (the others being "12 monkeys" and "brazil") a man slaving away at his corporate job is given the chance to solve the zero theorem: a mathematical equation that if solved, could prove that life is indeed meaningless. As he struggles with the problem, other characters help him on his journey of discovery or madness. The visual in the movie are breaktaking, the city of the future will remind you of Transmetropolitan in its outrageousness, while some scenes are all rooted in the present. A spellbinding way to start the day, 5/5 stars.
Once Upon A Time in Shanghai: http://www.fantasiafestival.com/2014/en/films-schedule/77/once-upon-a-time-in-shanghai One thing that sets this film apart from most kung fu movies is the setting: Shanghai in the 1930's. You got torch singers, dancing girls, sharply dressed men, and rival gangs fighting over opium. This film really captures the Fantasia experience, as people routinely cheer and applaud especially good fight scenes, and this movie is full of them. It started out very hokey and had me worried, but the story quickly picked up in quality, and the fight scenes were extraordinary Phillip Ng totally channels the spirit of Bruce Lee in attutide and skill, and the audience broke into thuderous applause many times. Definitely see this if it comes into town! 5/5 stars
Puzzle: http://www.fantasiafestival.com/2014/en/films-schedule/203/puzzle This film shares some themes with the Saw franchise: people are put into potential lethal situations if certain puzzles are not solved. All the trapped people are guilty to various degrees of a crime, the person kidnapping them is trying to get justice for the woman that was wronged. There are a lot of time jumps which work very well and propel the move forwards and backwards until it reaches a very satisfying conclusion. The film is marred in that a lot of its soundtrack and music was extremely random or didn't seem to fit the scene. The bit at the end was especially annoying and way too loud in the hall. It might play out better on a smaller screen. The idea and execution were good for the most part. 3/5 stars.
I'd like to take a brief interlude. If you look at the schedule of films on Saturday you will see a lot of great movies playing against each other. Normally I don't have to make choices about what I see, but I had to pass on some awesome looking films (Devil's Mile, The House at the End of Time). This just shows that Fantasia continues to get better and better each year.
Let Us Prey: http://www.fantasiafestival.com/2014/en/films-schedule/26/let-us-prey This was the film I was looking foward the most to at Fantasia, and right from the credits I was hooked. It had a strong John Carpenter vibe to it, from the cinematography down to the music. The fact that it starred Liam Cunningham (Davos Seaworth from Game of Thrones) also fueled my excitement, and he was quite a darker character than the Onion Knight. Vengeance, religion, and redemption were central to the movie, along with lots of serious violence, hidden secrets, and general mayhem. The action was largely confined to one location, and you could feel the growing paranoia and claustrophobia grow. The rest of our group didn't like it quite as much as I did, but I have to give this film 5/5 stars.
Dead Snow: Red vs. Dead: http://www.fantasiafestival.com/2014/en/films-schedule/334/dead-snow-red-vs-dead The midnight movie! Sometimes they are awesome (Inbred, Flight of the Living Dead) and sometimes they are awful (Zombie 108, The Devil's Mile). Dead Snow was two buckets full of gory awesomeness! It picks up right after the end of the first movie; you learn more about the Nazi zombies and what they are after. The protagonist gets some help from a Zombie Squad (three dorky youths who are ready for the zombypocalypse) and from a zombie arm. You'll have to watch it to understand it, but it is amazing. There are several bit zombie chow scenes, culminating in a huge battle. No punches are pulled, no character is safe, and nothing is off limits. The movie ends with an...unforgettable scene played against "Total Eclipse of the Heart" that had the audience roaring in laughter. 5/5 stars an epic way to end the day!
After our movie marathon we were fried, and crashed back at our host's apartment. The next day there were movie movies to be seen.
The Zero Theorem: http://www.fantasiafestival.com/2014/en/films-schedule/233/the-zero-theorem The third film in a loose trilogy from Terry Gilliam (the others being "12 monkeys" and "brazil") a man slaving away at his corporate job is given the chance to solve the zero theorem: a mathematical equation that if solved, could prove that life is indeed meaningless. As he struggles with the problem, other characters help him on his journey of discovery or madness. The visual in the movie are breaktaking, the city of the future will remind you of Transmetropolitan in its outrageousness, while some scenes are all rooted in the present. A spellbinding way to start the day, 5/5 stars.
Once Upon A Time in Shanghai: http://www.fantasiafestival.com/2014/en/films-schedule/77/once-upon-a-time-in-shanghai One thing that sets this film apart from most kung fu movies is the setting: Shanghai in the 1930's. You got torch singers, dancing girls, sharply dressed men, and rival gangs fighting over opium. This film really captures the Fantasia experience, as people routinely cheer and applaud especially good fight scenes, and this movie is full of them. It started out very hokey and had me worried, but the story quickly picked up in quality, and the fight scenes were extraordinary Phillip Ng totally channels the spirit of Bruce Lee in attutide and skill, and the audience broke into thuderous applause many times. Definitely see this if it comes into town! 5/5 stars
Puzzle: http://www.fantasiafestival.com/2014/en/films-schedule/203/puzzle This film shares some themes with the Saw franchise: people are put into potential lethal situations if certain puzzles are not solved. All the trapped people are guilty to various degrees of a crime, the person kidnapping them is trying to get justice for the woman that was wronged. There are a lot of time jumps which work very well and propel the move forwards and backwards until it reaches a very satisfying conclusion. The film is marred in that a lot of its soundtrack and music was extremely random or didn't seem to fit the scene. The bit at the end was especially annoying and way too loud in the hall. It might play out better on a smaller screen. The idea and execution were good for the most part. 3/5 stars.
I'd like to take a brief interlude. If you look at the schedule of films on Saturday you will see a lot of great movies playing against each other. Normally I don't have to make choices about what I see, but I had to pass on some awesome looking films (Devil's Mile, The House at the End of Time). This just shows that Fantasia continues to get better and better each year.
Let Us Prey: http://www.fantasiafestival.com/2014/en/films-schedule/26/let-us-prey This was the film I was looking foward the most to at Fantasia, and right from the credits I was hooked. It had a strong John Carpenter vibe to it, from the cinematography down to the music. The fact that it starred Liam Cunningham (Davos Seaworth from Game of Thrones) also fueled my excitement, and he was quite a darker character than the Onion Knight. Vengeance, religion, and redemption were central to the movie, along with lots of serious violence, hidden secrets, and general mayhem. The action was largely confined to one location, and you could feel the growing paranoia and claustrophobia grow. The rest of our group didn't like it quite as much as I did, but I have to give this film 5/5 stars.
Dead Snow: Red vs. Dead: http://www.fantasiafestival.com/2014/en/films-schedule/334/dead-snow-red-vs-dead The midnight movie! Sometimes they are awesome (Inbred, Flight of the Living Dead) and sometimes they are awful (Zombie 108, The Devil's Mile). Dead Snow was two buckets full of gory awesomeness! It picks up right after the end of the first movie; you learn more about the Nazi zombies and what they are after. The protagonist gets some help from a Zombie Squad (three dorky youths who are ready for the zombypocalypse) and from a zombie arm. You'll have to watch it to understand it, but it is amazing. There are several bit zombie chow scenes, culminating in a huge battle. No punches are pulled, no character is safe, and nothing is off limits. The movie ends with an...unforgettable scene played against "Total Eclipse of the Heart" that had the audience roaring in laughter. 5/5 stars an epic way to end the day!
After our movie marathon we were fried, and crashed back at our host's apartment. The next day there were movie movies to be seen.
