Two movies last night.
First up was "Id", which looked like an exciting mind-fuck. It's directed by Kei Fujiwara, who played the girlfriend in the classic "Tetsuo: The Iron Man" and directed "Organ". However, this took an interesting premise--humans are just animals (unless they cry out to Amida Buddha, they are just flesh that breathes)--and turns it into a heaping mound of "what-the-fuck?" Yeah, there are some gross scenes, but the vomit is more impressive than the gore (and force-feeding a guy bloody pig vomit to toughen him up nearly set me off vomiting). There are a few genuinely inspired moments, like the various implements used as replacements for penes. But mostly it's just confused, inconsistent (moments of pure slapstick destroy any creepy atmosphere she was going for), and just trying to hard to be disgusting, without giving me enough reason to care why it's disgusting. Somewhere there's a semblance of a story, about pig butchers, cannibalism, murder, and revenge. And it's set up as chapters in a book with no words, with titles referring to the "monster in the id well." Ultimately, the ending plea to Amida Buddha sets up an interesting question of forgiveness. Not whether man can be forgiven for his animal nature, but whether Kei Fujiwara can be forgiven for making this movie.
Perhaps if I thought about it more, there might be something subliminal in "Id" to make it worthwhile. But I preferred to wash it down with a crowd-pleaser, "Blood Car". I loved it at Cinequest, and I'll stand by my review (scroll down), but add a random non-sequitur about tarantulas in vending machines. And I'll say that you can tell who has seen "Blood Car" by who can finish the line, "Stick a taco in my mouth, and...."
Oh, and "Blood Car" also came with an awesome short, "Splitting Hairs" about how much it sucks to be bald and how awesome it is to have a rich, full head of hair. I agree!
Friday, June 8, 2007
Thursday, June 7, 2007
Jason goes to Holehead--day 6
It just keeps on going. And so do I. Reviews below, but let me just say to my local SF bay area readers that if you can only make one night of Holehead, tomorrow (Friday, June 8) is a good one. I can't vouch for "Bad Bugs Bunny" (I won't see it until Sunday, but I expect it to be good), but "Special", "The Living and the Dead", and "Hazard" have been three of my favorites (and three of the least typical Holehead movies). Check 'em out ("Special" is reviewed at the bottom of this post).
Anyway, last night was 3 shows, starting with the Animation Program #1. This was supposed to be the kids-friendly program.
"Loom"--It weaves the fabric of life. Death is an old woman with scissors.
"Way"--The metaphorical spiritual journey of a young woman. A fascinating blend of evolving animation styles, but the snarling monster genitalia made me wonder if this was really supposed to be the kid-friendly program.
"Snail"--In Impressionist style, a story of a runner in the woods and the snail he meets.
"Box Cartoon"--Line drawing train of free-associations boxes.
"Yoga Noga Reyoga; The Enlightenment Competition"--Computer animated story of two monks trying to out-meditate each other.
"When I Grow Up"--A funny mix of styles by several artists, set to interviews of kids talking about what they want to be and adults talking about what they've become. Like "Fraught" in Animation Program #2, it's an example of animated documentary.
"Family Freud"--A boy and his mommy, his daddy and his castrating scissors.
"Los ABC"--A tribute to the needless death in war, by the guys who did "Deadtime Stories" in Animation Program #2.
"The Lost Bag"--A french stop-motion fable of money, religion, and honor.
And then the Holehead part of the night started, with another British horror-comedy, "Small Town Folk". A group of inbred hillbillies in Beesley Manor in the (literally) off-the-map village of Grockleton attack and kill any strangers (who they call "Grockles") who come to town. Along come a nerd who's into photography and wearing his helmet, a bully and his two girlfriends, and a young married couple. Add into the mix that the wife of the young married couple is pregnant--which gives the possibility of kidnapping a Beesley heir--and let the kill-arity ensue. Shot on the cheap on video and mostly in front of green screens, it creates a weird, other-world feel. Overall, I give them high marks for the idea, but middle to low marks for the execution. The townsfolk range from kinda scary to just ridiculous, and the trespassers didn't die at a fast enough rate. And the green screen is an odd match for the otherwise very cheap looking video. Of all the movies I've seen at the festival so far, this is most deserving of a remake. It has a good idea, and if you gave it money enough to make it look good and a little writing/direction to tighten it up and decide whether it wants to be scary or funny (I'd go funny, it's 70% there already) and it could be great. Oh, and it was also cool to see the opening and closing cameo by Warwick Davis ("Leprechaun", "Willow", and "Skinned Deep" from Holehead a few years back)
And the third movie of the night was "Special" (that was its title and a good description for it). But first there was "Grace", which was amazing (ha!). An eight months pregnant woman decides to deliver her baby naturally, over the objections of her husband (Brian Austin Green) who's driving her (rather recklessly) to the hospital for an ultrasound. When he gets into an accident (which leaves Brian Austin Green dead with a pen in his neck and his eye hanging out) her baby dies, but she decides to deliver it anyway.
By the way, pregnant women have become a little mini-theme in the festival (and bunnies are back, too. Drug use, both illicit and prescription, is also a major theme).
As for "Special", Michael Rapaport is perfect as an ordinary Joe who volunteers for a trial of a new experimental anti-anxiety drug, Specioprin Hydrochloride (brand name, Special). He's also a big fan of superhero comics. He hangs out with his best friends, stoner brothers who own a comic book store. So when the drug starts giving him superpowers--flying, walking through walls, telepathy...or maybe it just gives him hallucinations that he has super powers. Yeah, actually it's pretty definitely the latter, but it's really clever how he keeps the conceit. When the doctor running the trial tells him flat out that he's having an adverse psychological reaction, he hallucinates that the doctor is speaking to him telepathically, telling him the room is bugged, and he should keep taking the pills until his powers are permanent. When the businessmen running the trial show up to convince him to quietly quit (and for god's sake, stop running around tackling people while wearing their logo on his back), he makes them his evil arch-nemeses who are planning to use the drug to create an army of psycho-zombies (or something like that). But here's what I really love about it--he really, really is a superhero. The "suits" really are (or become) villains, and he really does have what makes all superheroes great--the will to never give up (and really, the drug gave him that, so it is the story of a drug turning him into a superhero). Blow them up, drop an atom bomb on them, hit them with an entire freakin' planet, and a superhero still won't stop fighting.
"Special" plays again Friday night, June 8 at 7:15.
Anyway, last night was 3 shows, starting with the Animation Program #1. This was supposed to be the kids-friendly program.
"Loom"--It weaves the fabric of life. Death is an old woman with scissors.
"Way"--The metaphorical spiritual journey of a young woman. A fascinating blend of evolving animation styles, but the snarling monster genitalia made me wonder if this was really supposed to be the kid-friendly program.
"Snail"--In Impressionist style, a story of a runner in the woods and the snail he meets.
"Box Cartoon"--Line drawing train of free-associations boxes.
"Yoga Noga Reyoga; The Enlightenment Competition"--Computer animated story of two monks trying to out-meditate each other.
"When I Grow Up"--A funny mix of styles by several artists, set to interviews of kids talking about what they want to be and adults talking about what they've become. Like "Fraught" in Animation Program #2, it's an example of animated documentary.
"Family Freud"--A boy and his mommy, his daddy and his castrating scissors.
"Los ABC"--A tribute to the needless death in war, by the guys who did "Deadtime Stories" in Animation Program #2.
"The Lost Bag"--A french stop-motion fable of money, religion, and honor.
And then the Holehead part of the night started, with another British horror-comedy, "Small Town Folk". A group of inbred hillbillies in Beesley Manor in the (literally) off-the-map village of Grockleton attack and kill any strangers (who they call "Grockles") who come to town. Along come a nerd who's into photography and wearing his helmet, a bully and his two girlfriends, and a young married couple. Add into the mix that the wife of the young married couple is pregnant--which gives the possibility of kidnapping a Beesley heir--and let the kill-arity ensue. Shot on the cheap on video and mostly in front of green screens, it creates a weird, other-world feel. Overall, I give them high marks for the idea, but middle to low marks for the execution. The townsfolk range from kinda scary to just ridiculous, and the trespassers didn't die at a fast enough rate. And the green screen is an odd match for the otherwise very cheap looking video. Of all the movies I've seen at the festival so far, this is most deserving of a remake. It has a good idea, and if you gave it money enough to make it look good and a little writing/direction to tighten it up and decide whether it wants to be scary or funny (I'd go funny, it's 70% there already) and it could be great. Oh, and it was also cool to see the opening and closing cameo by Warwick Davis ("Leprechaun", "Willow", and "Skinned Deep" from Holehead a few years back)
And the third movie of the night was "Special" (that was its title and a good description for it). But first there was "Grace", which was amazing (ha!). An eight months pregnant woman decides to deliver her baby naturally, over the objections of her husband (Brian Austin Green) who's driving her (rather recklessly) to the hospital for an ultrasound. When he gets into an accident (which leaves Brian Austin Green dead with a pen in his neck and his eye hanging out) her baby dies, but she decides to deliver it anyway.
By the way, pregnant women have become a little mini-theme in the festival (and bunnies are back, too. Drug use, both illicit and prescription, is also a major theme).
As for "Special", Michael Rapaport is perfect as an ordinary Joe who volunteers for a trial of a new experimental anti-anxiety drug, Specioprin Hydrochloride (brand name, Special). He's also a big fan of superhero comics. He hangs out with his best friends, stoner brothers who own a comic book store. So when the drug starts giving him superpowers--flying, walking through walls, telepathy...or maybe it just gives him hallucinations that he has super powers. Yeah, actually it's pretty definitely the latter, but it's really clever how he keeps the conceit. When the doctor running the trial tells him flat out that he's having an adverse psychological reaction, he hallucinates that the doctor is speaking to him telepathically, telling him the room is bugged, and he should keep taking the pills until his powers are permanent. When the businessmen running the trial show up to convince him to quietly quit (and for god's sake, stop running around tackling people while wearing their logo on his back), he makes them his evil arch-nemeses who are planning to use the drug to create an army of psycho-zombies (or something like that). But here's what I really love about it--he really, really is a superhero. The "suits" really are (or become) villains, and he really does have what makes all superheroes great--the will to never give up (and really, the drug gave him that, so it is the story of a drug turning him into a superhero). Blow them up, drop an atom bomb on them, hit them with an entire freakin' planet, and a superhero still won't stop fighting.
"Special" plays again Friday night, June 8 at 7:15.
Wednesday, June 6, 2007
Jason goes to Holehead--day 5
Just one feature with one short last night, but the best truly creepy/scary night so far. Don't get me wrong, I love horror-comedy (last chance for "Blood Car" is tomorrow night, June 7 at 9:30 pm), but I've been waiting for one to not just yell "boo! Ha ha!", but to really get under my skin. This was it, so here we go:
First the short, "In the Wall", a creepy, bloody, and funny tale of a pregnant woman, her abusive asshole husband, and the hottest New Year's Eve on record. Excellent.
And then there was the feature, a brilliant movie of sickness (both mental and physical) and British manners, "The Living and the Dead". British aristocrat Donald Brocklebank (Roger Lloyd-Pack) lives with his very ill wife Nancy (Kate Fahy) and his retarded adult son James (Leo Bill, in a brilliant creepy yet sympathetic role). In order to pay for his wife's badly needed operation, he must go to London to raise money--despite the fact that he promised James he wouldn't leave. But when he leaves, James gets the idea that he can prove to his father that he's responsible and can take care of mum himself. So he locks them in, keeps out Nurse Mary (Sarah Ball) and takes care of mum. Problem is, her condition deteriorates, and when James gets the idea of tripling her medication, that just makes it worse. Soon everything deteriorates into madness (and a brilliant dream/hallucination sequence).
As well as a gripping, affecting story, the storytelling techniques themselves are astounding. Nearly all the scenes (especially with sick Nancy) are very static, very formally framed, reflecting aristocratic British reserve. Which makes the frantically active scenes of James alone all the more striking. In fact, the visual language of this movie is very much the language of opposites. Obviously the title sets up the opposite of living vs. dead. I also counted static vs. moving, light vs. dark, night vs. day, sane vs. insane (in a brilliant move, James is perfectly sane in his hallucination/dream state), sick vs. well, past vs. future...and there's probably more. This definitely feels like a movie that greatly rewards multiple viewings. And as luck would have it, it plays again Friday night, June 8 at 9:30.
Seriously, "The Living and the Dead" is the first movie this year (not just in this festival) that totally dropped my jaw to the floor. It's not always pleasant to watch, and some of it is downright nasty, but it's all brilliant.
First the short, "In the Wall", a creepy, bloody, and funny tale of a pregnant woman, her abusive asshole husband, and the hottest New Year's Eve on record. Excellent.
And then there was the feature, a brilliant movie of sickness (both mental and physical) and British manners, "The Living and the Dead". British aristocrat Donald Brocklebank (Roger Lloyd-Pack) lives with his very ill wife Nancy (Kate Fahy) and his retarded adult son James (Leo Bill, in a brilliant creepy yet sympathetic role). In order to pay for his wife's badly needed operation, he must go to London to raise money--despite the fact that he promised James he wouldn't leave. But when he leaves, James gets the idea that he can prove to his father that he's responsible and can take care of mum himself. So he locks them in, keeps out Nurse Mary (Sarah Ball) and takes care of mum. Problem is, her condition deteriorates, and when James gets the idea of tripling her medication, that just makes it worse. Soon everything deteriorates into madness (and a brilliant dream/hallucination sequence).
As well as a gripping, affecting story, the storytelling techniques themselves are astounding. Nearly all the scenes (especially with sick Nancy) are very static, very formally framed, reflecting aristocratic British reserve. Which makes the frantically active scenes of James alone all the more striking. In fact, the visual language of this movie is very much the language of opposites. Obviously the title sets up the opposite of living vs. dead. I also counted static vs. moving, light vs. dark, night vs. day, sane vs. insane (in a brilliant move, James is perfectly sane in his hallucination/dream state), sick vs. well, past vs. future...and there's probably more. This definitely feels like a movie that greatly rewards multiple viewings. And as luck would have it, it plays again Friday night, June 8 at 9:30.
Seriously, "The Living and the Dead" is the first movie this year (not just in this festival) that totally dropped my jaw to the floor. It's not always pleasant to watch, and some of it is downright nasty, but it's all brilliant.
Tuesday, June 5, 2007
Jason goes to holehead--day 4
Well, this blog's traffic just shot through the roof. What used to be a sleepy little blog getting 10-20 hits a day--maybe 30-40 during a popular film festival--just took off this weekend and got over 150 hits yesterday. And they're all from people looking for information about "Hostel: Part II". I hope all you new visitors enjoy my review, but more importantly I hope you stick around and read some more. Particularly, if you're in the SF bay area, I hope you check out what I've written so far on Indiefest's Another Hole in the Head Festival (aka Holehead). The festivals just started, and almost everything plays 2 or 3 times, so if you read about a movie that sounds good, chances are there will be another chance to see it. Just check out their schedule here.
And speaking of Holehead, I just saw one movie last night, and it was a little unusual for Holehead, but it's one of my favorite movies of the festival so far. "Hazard" is a Japanese film about 3 guys who are dissatisfied and alienated by Japan's early 90's homogeneity, sleepiness, and economic depression. Looking for excitement, Shin (Jô Odagiri) leaves Japan for New York City, drawn by it's reputation as the most dangerous city in the world. Once there, he sets out to find "Hazard", and is quickly mugged. He subsequently falls in with Lee (Jai West) and Takeda (Motoki Fukami), who teach him to be a thug, embracing the cowboy/gangster/gun-toting maniac American stereotype. Things get a little frenetic, with robberies, gang wars, carjackings, and ice cream. Mmmm...ice cream. It's shot in a handheld, up-close style reminiscent of Dogme 95, and it really drags you deep into the action, implicating the audience in their reckless disregard for law and order. And by filtering American stereotypes through disaffected Japanese eyes, it implicates and condemns both American and Japanese culture, and highlights how--while our cultures might be very different--deep down we're very scarily the same.
"Hazard" was written and directed by Sion Sono ("Suicide Club") with some writing contribution from Indiefest/Holehead favorite Kazuyoshi Kumakiri ("Antenna", "Green Minds, Metal Bats", and "Kichiku Dai Enkai"). It plays again Friday, June 8 at 11:45 pm.
And speaking of Holehead, I just saw one movie last night, and it was a little unusual for Holehead, but it's one of my favorite movies of the festival so far. "Hazard" is a Japanese film about 3 guys who are dissatisfied and alienated by Japan's early 90's homogeneity, sleepiness, and economic depression. Looking for excitement, Shin (Jô Odagiri) leaves Japan for New York City, drawn by it's reputation as the most dangerous city in the world. Once there, he sets out to find "Hazard", and is quickly mugged. He subsequently falls in with Lee (Jai West) and Takeda (Motoki Fukami), who teach him to be a thug, embracing the cowboy/gangster/gun-toting maniac American stereotype. Things get a little frenetic, with robberies, gang wars, carjackings, and ice cream. Mmmm...ice cream. It's shot in a handheld, up-close style reminiscent of Dogme 95, and it really drags you deep into the action, implicating the audience in their reckless disregard for law and order. And by filtering American stereotypes through disaffected Japanese eyes, it implicates and condemns both American and Japanese culture, and highlights how--while our cultures might be very different--deep down we're very scarily the same.
"Hazard" was written and directed by Sion Sono ("Suicide Club") with some writing contribution from Indiefest/Holehead favorite Kazuyoshi Kumakiri ("Antenna", "Green Minds, Metal Bats", and "Kichiku Dai Enkai"). It plays again Friday, June 8 at 11:45 pm.
Monday, June 4, 2007
Jason goes to Holehead--day 3
I should point out something new about Holehead this year. During the day, it's actually "Indiefest Gets Animated", a festival of animated films. Because apparently no one (except me) wants to see a lot of horror movies during the day.
So the day started out with a free nostalgia screening of "Space Battleship Yamato: The Movie". I think I vaguely remember watching this on TV (I would've been 5 at the time, and it was called "Star Blazers"). Or maybe I'm remembering a similar serial anime show from my childhood. Anyway, they took the 78 half-hour episodes and chopped it down to a movie that's slightly over 2 hours long. As a result, all the development is lost and dangers are presented and resolved within minutes. It's really a pretty stupid way to watch it, but gives you a taste of what the series was about. As for the plot, for any who remember it, it's 2199, earth is under siege by the Gamilons. The surface of the earth is uninhabitable, humans live underground and the poison infecting the surface is seeping down inside, too. Mankind's last hope is an old battleship, refitted to be the space battleship Yamato, which must travel thousands of light years to Iscandar, get the device that will save the earth, and return safely--all while battling the Gamilons. It's actually kind of frustrating seeing the chopped up version and knowing there's so much more beneath it, but there was no time to see the whole series, and it was at least worth the price.
So then I saw Animation Program #2, a series of short animated films. Here it is quickly:
"Gnaritas Monstrum"--cool, stylish black and white shadows about two girls and a gnarly monster.
"The Runt"--It's from Indiefest, so it's gotta be about bunnies! A little boy saves the runt of the litter...for one year.
"Fraught"--Rotoscoped animated documentary about people's most embarrassing moments. Nice use of many different styles.
"Not The End"--It could be the end, but it's not. There are so many questions left unanswered, like why did the cactus leap from the ledge?
"Coffeee"--It keeps you awake. You need it!
"Princess"--Princess is a good kitty. She gives her old lady owner love nibbles.
"Deadtime Stories"--From Mariachi goose, a new take on classic fairy tales.
"The Ballad of Mary Slade"--Her life and untimely death, told by the bugs eating her flesh.
"Pillow Girl"--200 covers of lurid paperbacks morph into each other. Pretty cool at first, but I think 100 covers would've been enough.
"Dreams and Desires"--The dream is to be a great filmmaker. Beryl starts with a digital camera and shoots a wedding. Disaster ensues.
"Raindrops Keep Falling on the Dead"--Very cool black and white music video with sexy angels and sexier demons.
Here's a pic of (from left to right) 2 of the guys behind "Deadtime Stories" (sorry I didn't catch their names or what they did on the movie), Ethan Clarke who made "Princess", and Maia Tarrell who made "Fraught":
And here's another of the guys behind "Deadtime Stories" (he was just out of frame to the left on the first photo)
This program plays again on June 7 at 5:15.
Next up was a program of Plymptoons, short cartoons by Bill Plympton, longtime Indiefest favorite. Many of them were classics I've seen many times before, like "Your Face", "25 Ways to Quit Smoking", "Parking", "Eat", "Guard Dog" (and its follow-up, "Guide Dog"). Then their were a couple of music videos, Kanye West's "Heard 'Em Say" and Weird Al Yankovic's "Don't Download this Song" (hilarious). There was the weirdly sweet "Gary Guitar", about a guitar who goes on a picnic with a violin, but doesn't invite Danny D. There was his new short, "Shuteye Hotel", a noir Plymptoon about monstrous murders in a hotel room. And there were excerpts from his in-progress feature, "Idiots & Angels", which from what I can tell will be about a jerk who mysteriously starts growing angel wings. But possibly my favorite is the one Bill Plympton produced, but didn't direct. "Spiral" is actually directed by W.P. Merton, and is a satire of art-house experimental shorts. An audience gets increasingly frustrated with dancing geometric shapes.
So finally the fantasy/horror/sci-fi (ya know, real holehead) part of the program started with "El Muerto", based on an indie comic book by Javier Hernandez. Wilmer Valderama (of "That 70's Show") stars as Diego, and it opens with a young Diego attempting to cross the border from Mexico into the US, but falling behind with an old man (perhaps his grandfather, I wasn't clear on that). Before passing away, the old man leads young Diego through an Aztec ceremony, something that leaves teenage Diego with periodic blackouts and an abnormal fixation with Dia de los Muertos. On his way to a Dia de los Muertos party, he has one of his episodes, crashes his car, and dies. But the love of his girlfriend Maria (Angie Cepeda), who happens to be the local Catholic priest's niece, brings him back. Or perhaps it's the fact that he's the chosen one of the Aztec god, who will bring vengeance to the Catholics who conquered the Aztec empire and bring about the new age. Granted near invincibility and a healing touch, but cursed with apocalyptic visions he can't control, he walks the earth trapped between two worlds. I should say, although this is in a horror festival and it deals with death and human sacrifice, this is more of a fantasy/action movie--this is not out to scare you. But it does entertain, it's very well made, and it has a wonderful heart (and not just the ones ripped out of bodies). Here's a pic of "El Muerto" comic creator (and associate producer on the movie) Javier Hernandez:
"El Muerto" plays again tomorrow, June 5 at 7:15.
And finally, there was the hippie vampire action flick, "The Thirst". It starts out very well, as it introduces Will (as in free will?) Hawkins, a shy pacifist college student. He's renounced violence out of fear of becoming like his abusive father (never seen, but referred to). His best friend/roommate is an ROTC guy (who's ROTC buddies give him grief for rooming with a hippie) and he has a crush on a cute girl in his biology class (currently they're just friends, but he wants more because she has boobies). Meanwhile he's picked on by the local frat leader, who's a real jerk (and a rapist and woman-beater). He actually practices tai-chi, and is good enough he could defend himself, but refuses to fight. All this is completely turned upside down when he 1) kills the frat jerk in an act of self-defense, and b) is bitten by a vampire shortly thereafter. He could in fact be the new leader of a local vampire coven, but he refuses to drink the blood and turn fully because he's a vegetarian. Hence my comment about his name being a reference to free will. Where the movie loses it's legs is actually inside the vampire coven. I can't put my finger on it, but that part wasn't nearly as interesting as the human world. The vampires, rather than being sexy and powerful, come off as petty, shallow, and effete. Likewise the sentries (warrior monks who hunt vampires) come off as fairly one-dimensional, too. It's a shame, because A. J. Draven did a great job as Will, and was very cool. But there's a little too much in the movie that feels rushed and low-budget (which, in fairness, it is). It's a very, very near miss, and it still has a lot to recommend it, it just didn't quite succeed with me.
Here's a pic of star/producer A. J. Draven (Will), writer Ramesh Thadani, and director Tom Shell:
"The Thirst" plays again Tonight, June 4 at 7:15 (sorry for the late notice).
So the day started out with a free nostalgia screening of "Space Battleship Yamato: The Movie". I think I vaguely remember watching this on TV (I would've been 5 at the time, and it was called "Star Blazers"). Or maybe I'm remembering a similar serial anime show from my childhood. Anyway, they took the 78 half-hour episodes and chopped it down to a movie that's slightly over 2 hours long. As a result, all the development is lost and dangers are presented and resolved within minutes. It's really a pretty stupid way to watch it, but gives you a taste of what the series was about. As for the plot, for any who remember it, it's 2199, earth is under siege by the Gamilons. The surface of the earth is uninhabitable, humans live underground and the poison infecting the surface is seeping down inside, too. Mankind's last hope is an old battleship, refitted to be the space battleship Yamato, which must travel thousands of light years to Iscandar, get the device that will save the earth, and return safely--all while battling the Gamilons. It's actually kind of frustrating seeing the chopped up version and knowing there's so much more beneath it, but there was no time to see the whole series, and it was at least worth the price.
So then I saw Animation Program #2, a series of short animated films. Here it is quickly:
"Gnaritas Monstrum"--cool, stylish black and white shadows about two girls and a gnarly monster.
"The Runt"--It's from Indiefest, so it's gotta be about bunnies! A little boy saves the runt of the litter...for one year.
"Fraught"--Rotoscoped animated documentary about people's most embarrassing moments. Nice use of many different styles.
"Not The End"--It could be the end, but it's not. There are so many questions left unanswered, like why did the cactus leap from the ledge?
"Coffeee"--It keeps you awake. You need it!
"Princess"--Princess is a good kitty. She gives her old lady owner love nibbles.
"Deadtime Stories"--From Mariachi goose, a new take on classic fairy tales.
"The Ballad of Mary Slade"--Her life and untimely death, told by the bugs eating her flesh.
"Pillow Girl"--200 covers of lurid paperbacks morph into each other. Pretty cool at first, but I think 100 covers would've been enough.
"Dreams and Desires"--The dream is to be a great filmmaker. Beryl starts with a digital camera and shoots a wedding. Disaster ensues.
"Raindrops Keep Falling on the Dead"--Very cool black and white music video with sexy angels and sexier demons.
Here's a pic of (from left to right) 2 of the guys behind "Deadtime Stories" (sorry I didn't catch their names or what they did on the movie), Ethan Clarke who made "Princess", and Maia Tarrell who made "Fraught":
And here's another of the guys behind "Deadtime Stories" (he was just out of frame to the left on the first photo)
This program plays again on June 7 at 5:15.
Next up was a program of Plymptoons, short cartoons by Bill Plympton, longtime Indiefest favorite. Many of them were classics I've seen many times before, like "Your Face", "25 Ways to Quit Smoking", "Parking", "Eat", "Guard Dog" (and its follow-up, "Guide Dog"). Then their were a couple of music videos, Kanye West's "Heard 'Em Say" and Weird Al Yankovic's "Don't Download this Song" (hilarious). There was the weirdly sweet "Gary Guitar", about a guitar who goes on a picnic with a violin, but doesn't invite Danny D. There was his new short, "Shuteye Hotel", a noir Plymptoon about monstrous murders in a hotel room. And there were excerpts from his in-progress feature, "Idiots & Angels", which from what I can tell will be about a jerk who mysteriously starts growing angel wings. But possibly my favorite is the one Bill Plympton produced, but didn't direct. "Spiral" is actually directed by W.P. Merton, and is a satire of art-house experimental shorts. An audience gets increasingly frustrated with dancing geometric shapes.
So finally the fantasy/horror/sci-fi (ya know, real holehead) part of the program started with "El Muerto", based on an indie comic book by Javier Hernandez. Wilmer Valderama (of "That 70's Show") stars as Diego, and it opens with a young Diego attempting to cross the border from Mexico into the US, but falling behind with an old man (perhaps his grandfather, I wasn't clear on that). Before passing away, the old man leads young Diego through an Aztec ceremony, something that leaves teenage Diego with periodic blackouts and an abnormal fixation with Dia de los Muertos. On his way to a Dia de los Muertos party, he has one of his episodes, crashes his car, and dies. But the love of his girlfriend Maria (Angie Cepeda), who happens to be the local Catholic priest's niece, brings him back. Or perhaps it's the fact that he's the chosen one of the Aztec god, who will bring vengeance to the Catholics who conquered the Aztec empire and bring about the new age. Granted near invincibility and a healing touch, but cursed with apocalyptic visions he can't control, he walks the earth trapped between two worlds. I should say, although this is in a horror festival and it deals with death and human sacrifice, this is more of a fantasy/action movie--this is not out to scare you. But it does entertain, it's very well made, and it has a wonderful heart (and not just the ones ripped out of bodies). Here's a pic of "El Muerto" comic creator (and associate producer on the movie) Javier Hernandez:
"El Muerto" plays again tomorrow, June 5 at 7:15.
And finally, there was the hippie vampire action flick, "The Thirst". It starts out very well, as it introduces Will (as in free will?) Hawkins, a shy pacifist college student. He's renounced violence out of fear of becoming like his abusive father (never seen, but referred to). His best friend/roommate is an ROTC guy (who's ROTC buddies give him grief for rooming with a hippie) and he has a crush on a cute girl in his biology class (currently they're just friends, but he wants more because she has boobies). Meanwhile he's picked on by the local frat leader, who's a real jerk (and a rapist and woman-beater). He actually practices tai-chi, and is good enough he could defend himself, but refuses to fight. All this is completely turned upside down when he 1) kills the frat jerk in an act of self-defense, and b) is bitten by a vampire shortly thereafter. He could in fact be the new leader of a local vampire coven, but he refuses to drink the blood and turn fully because he's a vegetarian. Hence my comment about his name being a reference to free will. Where the movie loses it's legs is actually inside the vampire coven. I can't put my finger on it, but that part wasn't nearly as interesting as the human world. The vampires, rather than being sexy and powerful, come off as petty, shallow, and effete. Likewise the sentries (warrior monks who hunt vampires) come off as fairly one-dimensional, too. It's a shame, because A. J. Draven did a great job as Will, and was very cool. But there's a little too much in the movie that feels rushed and low-budget (which, in fairness, it is). It's a very, very near miss, and it still has a lot to recommend it, it just didn't quite succeed with me.
Here's a pic of star/producer A. J. Draven (Will), writer Ramesh Thadani, and director Tom Shell:
"The Thirst" plays again Tonight, June 4 at 7:15 (sorry for the late notice).
Jason goes to Holehead--day 2
Or rather, night 2. I missed the daytime shows because I was down in San Jose watching the USA beat China 4-1. I thought it was actually a kinda lackluster game, so it'll be interesting to see how we do heading into the CONCACAF gold Cup starting Thursday, and especially the Copa America (against South American teams) at the end of June. More importantly, it was great to be back tailgating for several hours with my old Club Quakes friends. I can't wait to get our team back.
But that's all off topic, the important thing is I didn't even get out of there in time to catch "Blood Car" at 9:30 (although I saw it at Cinequest (scroll down to the final paragraph). I got up to the Roxie as "Blood Car" was letting out, and ran into some friends who just saw it and loved it. "Blood Car" plays again June 5 at 5:15 and June 7 at 9:30, I highly recommend it (and I'll at least be at the June 7 show).
But finally lets get to the one movie I did make it to, the midnight showing of Richard Elfman's "Forbidden Zone". I'd never seen this 1980 cult classic from the brother of composer Danny Elfman (who scores the film with his Mystic Knights of the Oingo Boingo and appears as Satan himself), and after watching it, I'm still not sure if I've seen it. An odd bit of black and white comic surrealism, the Hercules family lives in a house with a secret passage to the Sixth Dimension, where Herve Villachez is king, there's a frog servant, and...what the fuck did I just watch? I'm not even going to bother. I've seen some strange-ass movies in my time, but this one walks that fine line of having just enough pretense of a plot to make you think you should be able to follow it. You can't, don't try.
Richard Elfman was there, and gave one of the wilder Q&A sessions I've seen. He's a natural performer, and excitedly answered any question with a goofy ass grin on his face. Finally, the night ended with someone asking about the gratuitous nudity in the movie (and someone else asking why there wasn't more gratuitous nudity), so he responded by turning around, dropping his pants, and mooning the audience. Of course, I'm in the front row so my night ended about 5 feet away from Richard Elfman's taint. Then I had to go home and try to sleep. Here's a pic of a fully clothed Richard Elfman:
Saturday, June 2, 2007
Jason goes to Holehead opening night
Yay, Indiefest's Another Hole in the Head--my favorite festival of the past few years--starts again! One note, just for my regular readers who've noticed I give mostly positive reviews of everything. When I'm at a horror festival, I actually tend to be more critical because I like (good) horror movies more. So don't be fooled if I give critical reviews, I'm actually enjoying this more than other festivals.
With that said, the first movie of the night (since I didn't make it in time to see "Plymptoons, which I'll see Sunday) was the US premiere of "Stagknight", a British horror-comedy (something the British have been very good at recently) from first time director Simon Cathcart. In a nutshell, a group of pretty dim guys goes out in the woods to celebrate one guys impending marriage with paintball and strippers. They're tricked into performing a satanic ritual that awakens a demonic knight who guards some tomb where there's a very valuable cauldron (none of that makes much sense). Wacky, bloody hijinx ensue. The movie drags for long sections and the night scenes are often too dark to see the characters faces (that could be a projection problem, too), but there are also moments of brilliance where I laughed as hard as I've ever laughed (the brick scene and the tree splat scene come to mind). Overall, I get the sense that Cathcart is a filmmaker with promise who is still learning and finding his voice. Occasionally he hits it just right, but for at least three quarters of the movie, my reaction was "what the heck am I watching?" Cathcart was in attendance, and if he was taking notes on what got reactions and what didn't, his next movie can be an order of magnitude better. Here's a pic of Cathcart with the sinister cottage owner Sandra Dickinson:
"Stagknight" plays again June 12 at 9:30.
The next show was a bloody comedy masterpiece, starting with the short "Night of the Hell Hamsters". A babysitter, her boyfriend, a Ouija board, and a satanic horde of hamsters. I've finally found religion, and that religion is Spozgarianism.
The laughs continued with the wicked satire, "Murder Party". A timid schmuck finds an invitation to a Halloween "murder party" and decides to go, after making a crappy knight's costume out of cardboard. Once there, he finds a gang of drugged-up artists who actually plan on killing him as an art project (and are hoping to get a major grant for it). And so begins a none-too-subtle but very hilarious satire of the art world, as the artists are so incompetent they not only can't decide how to kill him, they end up killing each other--first through accidents and then when they turn against each other. Even cliched slapstick gags--like the plug-in chainsaw getting yanked out of the outlet inches from the kill--are executed well enough to still be effective. And some jokes are just clever and inspired, like burning the victim with acid that turns out to just be vinegar (acetic acid). Even the characters, who are so shallow their almost zero-dimensional, are played with enough gung-ho enthusiasm and commitment that they seem real, if just for the short time the movie's playing. Kudos all around to director Jeremy Saulnier and his cast and crew (collectively, The Lab of Madness). "Murder Party" with "Night of the Hell Hamsters" plays again June 11 at 7:15.
And finally, the midnight movie was "Simon Says", starring Crispin Hellion Glover. His presence (and maniacal glee) raise this movie slightly above it's 80's campers-get-slashed premise. Well, his presence, some nasty booby traps, and the doggy scene. Still, my major complaint would be that it's repetitive, with each kill eventually blending in with all the others. None of the kids are likable, and I quickly started rooting for them to get killed off quickly. Still, the doggy scene is a bit of brilliance, and Crispin Glover is always cool. "Simon Says" plays again June 11 at 9:30.
With that said, the first movie of the night (since I didn't make it in time to see "Plymptoons, which I'll see Sunday) was the US premiere of "Stagknight", a British horror-comedy (something the British have been very good at recently) from first time director Simon Cathcart. In a nutshell, a group of pretty dim guys goes out in the woods to celebrate one guys impending marriage with paintball and strippers. They're tricked into performing a satanic ritual that awakens a demonic knight who guards some tomb where there's a very valuable cauldron (none of that makes much sense). Wacky, bloody hijinx ensue. The movie drags for long sections and the night scenes are often too dark to see the characters faces (that could be a projection problem, too), but there are also moments of brilliance where I laughed as hard as I've ever laughed (the brick scene and the tree splat scene come to mind). Overall, I get the sense that Cathcart is a filmmaker with promise who is still learning and finding his voice. Occasionally he hits it just right, but for at least three quarters of the movie, my reaction was "what the heck am I watching?" Cathcart was in attendance, and if he was taking notes on what got reactions and what didn't, his next movie can be an order of magnitude better. Here's a pic of Cathcart with the sinister cottage owner Sandra Dickinson:
"Stagknight" plays again June 12 at 9:30.
The next show was a bloody comedy masterpiece, starting with the short "Night of the Hell Hamsters". A babysitter, her boyfriend, a Ouija board, and a satanic horde of hamsters. I've finally found religion, and that religion is Spozgarianism.
The laughs continued with the wicked satire, "Murder Party". A timid schmuck finds an invitation to a Halloween "murder party" and decides to go, after making a crappy knight's costume out of cardboard. Once there, he finds a gang of drugged-up artists who actually plan on killing him as an art project (and are hoping to get a major grant for it). And so begins a none-too-subtle but very hilarious satire of the art world, as the artists are so incompetent they not only can't decide how to kill him, they end up killing each other--first through accidents and then when they turn against each other. Even cliched slapstick gags--like the plug-in chainsaw getting yanked out of the outlet inches from the kill--are executed well enough to still be effective. And some jokes are just clever and inspired, like burning the victim with acid that turns out to just be vinegar (acetic acid). Even the characters, who are so shallow their almost zero-dimensional, are played with enough gung-ho enthusiasm and commitment that they seem real, if just for the short time the movie's playing. Kudos all around to director Jeremy Saulnier and his cast and crew (collectively, The Lab of Madness). "Murder Party" with "Night of the Hell Hamsters" plays again June 11 at 7:15.
And finally, the midnight movie was "Simon Says", starring Crispin Hellion Glover. His presence (and maniacal glee) raise this movie slightly above it's 80's campers-get-slashed premise. Well, his presence, some nasty booby traps, and the doggy scene. Still, my major complaint would be that it's repetitive, with each kill eventually blending in with all the others. None of the kids are likable, and I quickly started rooting for them to get killed off quickly. Still, the doggy scene is a bit of brilliance, and Crispin Glover is always cool. "Simon Says" plays again June 11 at 9:30.
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