Jason goes to Holehead--Day 10

A couple more programs last night, starting with the short WITHOUT. In a post-apocalyptic desert, a man with carrying a severed toe meets a man without a toe. If only they can trust each other.

That was the the lead-in to the feature, AUDIE AND THE WOLF, the second film I brought to the festival from Cinequest (the other being SAMURAI AVENGER: BLIND WOLF). Here's (scroll to the bottom) what I said about it when I first saw it:

I finished the night with a sick, bloody werewolf comedy, Audie and the Wolf. Actually, werewolf is the wrong term, this is a were-man movie. The star is a kind wolf, the pet of a wise old Indian. However, on a full moon he turns into a bloodthirsty human. In his human form, he has no memories and is motivated only by a hunger for meat. When the feds surround and kill his Indian master, he's on his own, and wouldn't you know it, there's a full moon tonight. He's picked up by a Hollywood starlet (still in wolf form), whom he promptly kills that night (when he changes to human form). But she doesn't stay dead. Yeah, his victims become zombies. And as the body count rises, the basement starts to get crowded. Now I need to introduce Audie. She's a punk girl who works for a grocery delivery company. He calls (barely remembering how to use the phone) and asks for a delivery of meat. Somehow she shows up, although neither he nor her know the address (yeah, there are a few plot holes). There is immediate chemistry, and they fall in love--so sweet. But, of course, the body count rises (the starlet's agent, director, gardener, etc. show up, and all die). Audie brings in a psychic and a priest to try and understand his curse--they end up eaten as well. Lots of blood, and lots of laughs. Best line: "If she didn't want to be eaten, she shouldn't have been made out of meat!" I loved it.

I'll completely stand by that review. And add that last night's screening was extra awesome because Phuket (the official beer of Holehead) sponsored as much free beer as you could drink during the movie. And it was extra cool getting a little recognition for bringing the film to Holehead (some in the audience started chanted "Jason! Jason! Jason!" I told them to wait until after they saw the movie, then decide if they still love me. No one was chanting my name afterwards, but I think they liked it anyway)

AUDIE AND THE WOLF plays again closing night--Thursday, June 18th at 5:00 pm.

And the second show of the night was Takashi Miike's second movie in the festival, DETECTIVE STORY. Like a typical Miike film, there's nothing typical about it. There's bizarre humor, blood, and a fucked up plot (and that's typical for Miike). It's a tale of two Raitas--one is a quiet IT professional, the other (Raita Kazama, the Detective of the title) is a flashy private eye with a penchant for Hawaiian shirts. The first Raita has just moved into an apartment that happens to be next door to Raita Kazama, and despite having nothing in common they at least drink together over their shared name. And then Kazama's client is killed and her liver is cut out. A second victim shows up with her kidneys missing, and so on and so on. Kazama is framed, or at least a likely suspect (aided by the fact that he used to be a crappy cop and the police don't like him one bit). But it all really leads to an insane artist who uses human blood and organs as paint. Yup, typical Miike, and typically awesome.

DETECTIVE STORY plays again Wednesday, June 17th at 5:00 pm

By the way, the one movie in the festival I won't see before it's final screening is BLOOD RIVER. Getting up for the 5 pm show on Wednesday is difficult, seeing as how I work down in San Jose. So if you're interested in seeing it, don't wait for my review just go.