Vesper (2022) plays today at Fantastic Fest and everywhere Friday

One of the truly great looking science fiction films ever made VESPER is also a perfect example of world building. As dystopian as the world is this is a film you will want to slip into and disappear.

The plot of the film is set in the not to distant future when humans have effectively destroyed the world. Genetic manipulation and climate change has wrecked the world. Plant based food is non existent, or really close,  animals are a distant thought. The "rich and powerful" live in citadels where the get their way by selling seeds to those outside which can only be used once. A young girl named Vesper, who is trying to come up with a way of growing food, is pressed into action when one of the rich crash lands near her home. She has something that may save mankind, however forces closer to home want to stop her.

Yes the plot is something we've kind of seen before, however co-directors  Kristina Buozyte and Bruno Samper who co-scripted with Brian Clark, have created a film that transcends the typical. Creating a world that is unlike anything we have seen before, even though we know it is, they have made a film that hooks us on any number of levels. Emotionally this is a film with great characters and great action. Intellectually this is a film that raises all sorts of questions. Yes, the big questions of what are we doing to the planet and each other, but also the small we questions like who can we trust and when is it time to step up. I was full invested.

I love that this film feels like it was filmed in some place real, Watching the film I had the sense that I was someplace I had never been before. The whole thing felt real and lived in. There was never a sense of dress up. The feeling it's all fake and dress up time is something that haunts most films these days. Blame it on the over use of CGI which is doesn't seem to have been over used here.

This is a grand adventure in a grand world. Highly recommended.

Its so good I have to echo the thoughts of Liz Whittemore who insisted I see this film, adding "when was the last time you saw a stand alone film that made you want to see continue on in a whole series?"

Alienoid (2022)

One of the most anticipated films for this year’s New York Asian and Fantasia film festival was not available for screening  unless you went to the festival to see it. The press screeners were not available so I had to wait until the film was ready to be released to theaters this week to see it.

Excited when my turn came I made a huge bowl of popcorn and then sat down to see one of my must sees.

This is the first half of a big budget crazy science fiction time traveling action film. The film has aliens merging their criminals with humans and holding them on earth.  In 14th century Korea one of the criminals break free and is stopped by a team of good aliens who crash through time in an SUV kill him and then jump back to the present taking the child  of the villain’s host back with them.  Ten years on they are raising the young girl and dealing with the occasional outbreak.  However events in the past where two wizards and several other people are looking for a divine blade that will defeat evil are beginning to have an effect on the present and things are starting to get messy as more aliens begin to arrive and time begins to crack.

If that doesn’t a hell of a lot of sense it’s because watching the film it doesn’t really make a hell of a lot of sense. There are a lot of people running around talking about things that are only half explained. The tone of the film is all over the place as deadly serious mixes uneasily with humor. 

I don’t know what to make of it all. Half way into the film I found I was enjoying the motion  despite not having any clue as to what was going on. However by the end of the film I started to tune out. The motion and the complications of the plot seemed to become more and more contrived as the film tried to build up to a cliff hanger ending that will bring everyone back for next year… because this is only the first part of a two part story.

And that’s the rub, this is only half a story. There is more to come down the road, and despite there way too much going  to be contained in even another film I’m not sure there is enough to to justify coming back in a year.  Yes the action is spectacular, but there are too many characters to fully get a handle on most of them and as a result we don’t care enough about them to consider coming back for part two.  I say this because in many ways this film reminds me of an attempt to duplicate the Infinity War saga from the MCU. The problem is that where Infinity War and Endgame could use short hand for its character development because it had over a decade of films leading up to that moment, ALIENOID has nothing. We only know the characters that stand before us and they aren’t clearly defined. Outside of one or two there is no one I need to see in another film. Yea, I’d like to see what happens next, but I’m not dying to know. Honesty I’ll probably have forgotten what happened here by the time the next film comes out and I’ll have to rewatch this before I see the next one.

I suspect this will play better when I can see it all at once, but until then this first film is a spectacular motion machine that doesn’t add up to much.

While not really bad I’d wait until next year when you can see it all.

BORN OF WOMAN collection From Fantasia 2022

Here are some brief thoughts on the films that played as part of the BORN OF WOMAN collection at Fantasia 2022 

LILY’S MIRROR
A woman whose hand was cut off by a dinner date is given a special box to help her.

Odd comedy drama with pointed things to say about the patriarchal structure of society. Whether it works for you or not will be determined by your feeling toward the tone.

EVERYBODY GOES TO THE HOSPITAL
Director Tiffany Kimmel relives the trauma of going to the hospital when she was child in a frightening horror film of real life

WILD CARD
2 people meet via a 1980’s dating service.

This just missed for me.

PUNCH DRUNK
Gut punch film has a bartender dealing with her recent surgery, her customers and memories of the past.

STAINED SKIN
Bleak dystopian tale of a hopeful story told between two women trapped in factory with no future.

Beautiful but the counterpoint is unbelievably sad.

ANTEROOM
At a border  woman must convince a computer that she and her newborn are eligible for refugee status.

More sadness of the dystopia we are heading towards. Ultimately more a Polemic than a thriller.

DAUGHTER OF WITCHES
A woman travels with her new born to country to participate in a ritual.

Folk horror tale that just kind of misses

DON’T GO WHERE I CAN’T FIND YOU
After her love dies, a composer write of piece of music in the hop of bringing her lover back.

A beautiful mood piece.

KIN
A young woman cares for her young siblings using gile and supernatural means.

This is a ghost story that reminds me of the horror stories for Christmas series from the BBC

PRETTY PICKLE (2022) Hollyshorts

 A man begins to dwell on his girlfriend’s quirks until he makes a startling discovery.

My reaction to this film was that the film was okay until a certain moment at which point you just stare wide eyed and slack jawed at the screen. It’s one of those moments that comes out of left field and makes you sit up and gasp. I dare not say more because the whole film hinges on where this goes, however I will say that while at the same saying its the sort of thing that could make some people argue that director Jim Vendiola needs to be put away where he can't hurt himself or audiences

Recommended

Fantasia 2022's SMALL GAUGE TRAUMA collection

Thoughts on the SMALL GAUGE TRAUMA collection from this year's Fantasia Fest 

ROOTED
A man gets his DNA results and a mask that lets him see the slave ship of his ancestors.

This is a great looking horror film that has some creepy moments that doesn’t quite work as well as the moments because the film has a few too many unanswered questions. It almost works but doesn’t

CRUISE
This left me feeling torn. I love that spam callers were in danger of losing their life if they didn’t make the sale but at the same time you feel bad that it’s a possibility….

GOOD BOY
A dog sitter is faced with a cute puppy  who is a homicidal maniac.

If you’ve ever had a dog or a cat you’ll really relate. I mean really relate.

SCOOTER
A woman is left by the side of the road by her obnoxious boyfriend.  She finds a scooter and rides off, running into trouble outside a burger joint, as something begins killing people.

Feminist horror film is a kick in the pants. While not really scary it still kicks serious ass with its tale of vengeance. I have to say that this film does more in its brief time to say about female empowerment than a couple of features with similar takes that played Fantasia.

DARKER
The moody and heartbreaking story of a young girl who goes in the forest to find the spirit who collects the stories of the dead.

This is an utterly heartbreaking chiller that is pitch perfect from start to finish.

BREATHE
Magnificent film about a young girl who can connect to the spirits inside people. She is sought out to help with exorcisms, but is having doubts about what she does,

Absolutely wonderful character study in the guise of a horror film. A must.

I CALL UPON THEE
Two little girls recite a spell with unexpected, and monstrous, consequences.

This is why you don’t mess around with magic unless you know what the heck you are doing.

HYSTERIC
Grand masterpiece that is close to a single take story of two young girls on a remote island when  their mommy goes crazy.

This is as chilling a horror film as you will see all year or maybe ten.

Lucienne in a World without Solitude
In a world where everyone travels with an exact double of themselves, a woman becomes obsessed by a man who has lost his double.

This is a really good fantasy film that maybe a bit too long. Still the ending packs a punch.

The Fore-Men (2022) Hollyshorts 2022

TFMTrailer.mp4 from Zeus Pictures on Vimeo.

 This is one the most amazing films I’ve seen this year. It’s a visually arresting science fiction film that portends the arrival of a great filmmaker, Adrian Bobb, and, should they expand this into a feature (it's in the works), a potential science fiction classic.

The plot has two survivors trying to deal with a catastrophic event that compressed time. Beasts of all times are now roaming together. Things become complicated when the survivors meet the people behind the event.

I don’t know if the film makes sense. I don’t think the film is long enough to answer all of the questions it raises, but being a short it manages to brush away doubts because we understand there isn’t enough time. Additionally this film has enough going on that there is simply too much to ponder as s that you don’t have to worry about what isn’t there. You are just going to be blown away by what is here.

The real lynch pin to it all is the visuals. Kudos to Bobb and his team who give us a mix of stunning things to see and ponder. Giant beasts in the landscape mingle with some truly frighting dark figures.  It’s a visual delight of the highest order. What I love is that the film takes the aesthetic of Gareth Edwards and his film Monsters thus making the film feel lived in and real.

This film is a masterpiece and one of the best I’ve seen all year simply because it filled me with a sense of wonder I haven’t experienced much in the last few years. All films should be this maginficent.

Highly recommended, it plays this weekend at Hollyshorts in LA

The Fish Tale (2022) Fantasia 2022

This is the story of Japanese celebrity ichthyologist, Youtuber, TV host, illustrator and all-around “fish ambassador” Sakana-kun, here called Meebo. She was an obsessed young girl who followed her heart and love of fish to international fame.

The word coming out of Fantasia regarding this film was the talk of the New York Asian Film Festival. What I mean by that was that people at Fantasia were calling people at NYAFF telling them to see the film at the festival. The trouble was that the THE FISH TALE wasn't playing NYAFF which left everyone in Fantasia kind of incredulous (I heard more than one person ask "why not?" on a cellphone call) 

Having seen the film I'm wondering why this film didn't get picked either.

This is a lovely little film about a lovely person. Yea, it uses many of the quirky cute tropes, but at the same time, it's just a lovely little film.  It made me smile from start to finish.

What an absolute joy and must see. 

Fast And Feel Love (2022) NYAFF 2022 Fantasia 2022

Young man with a wicked skill in sport stacking is helped by a regular girl to to all he can be and along the way the pair become friends and help a lot of other people along the way.

First thing you need to know, sport stacking, people stack and  then unstack special designed cups in a prescribed pattern as fast as possible,  is a real thing. There are associations for it and lots of video. I say this because I thought it was something created for the film. I was wrong.

I had no interest in this film. Despite the film opening the New York Asian Film Festival and screening a few days later I was going to take a pass. Then I spoke with people at NYAFF who were raving about it. At the end of the first week of the fest everyone was raving about how it was the best film at the festival so when I got the chance to see it for Fantasia I jumped.

This is a great film.

This is a film that beautifully celebrates the uniqueness of everyone, even if it's just being average. This is a film that wonderfully says that everyone has a passion they should follow. I love that. THis is a film for the outsider in all of us.

What an absolute joy. 

I love that the film is its own thing. It doesn't follow any film cliche it goes off on its own merry way and simply tells it's story, passionately and in it's own way.

A must see.

Highly recommended.

What To Do With The Dead Kaiju (2022) Fantasia 2022

 

WHAT TO DO WITH THE DEAD KAIJU? Was near the top of my must see list for Fantasia. I was curious to see what filmmakers were going to do with the obvious question, what do they people do with dead giant monsters after the battles in various films. It was a question that I wanted answered, kind of like wanting to know what happens after a superhero battle in the comics (Marvel answered that with Damage Control)

In WHAT TO DO the action picks up after the rampaging monster was killed by a mysterious light from the sky. As everyone rejoices, the government tries to deduce if the beast is indeed dead.  Once they realize he is, they then have to figure out what to do. Tourism is a possibility. As other solutions are suggested, it's realized that corpse is decaying and that trapped inside its tough hide gasses are building up and it could explode sending flesh and toxic gases everywhere. It now becomes a rush to solve the problem.

This is an interesting, if messy, comedy satire that sends up all sorts of kaiju related films. Its focus on bureaucracy makes it a direct riff on SHIN GODZILLA but there are even more references to other films, including Ultraman, whose rethink also played Fantasia. The kaiju fan in me was delighted by most of what I saw.

The problem though is the film is all over the place. The comedy ranges from low brow to witty references. It never settles on a tone.  Additionally while I was watching this I kept wondering if this wouldn’t have been better had it been played straight, with it all a kind thriller to solve the problem before an unexpected disaster. It’s so all over the place that I completely understand the weak IMDB rating, it really doesn’t work on it’s own terms.(You really need to be a die hard kaiju fan for this to work for you)

On the other hand as a spoof of kaiju with all sorts of references it a delightful footnote for giant monster fans.

A pointer toward The Witch Part 2: The Other One (2022) Fantasia 2022

Full disclosure, I never saw the previous film THE WITCH THE SUBVERSION. I mention this because I went into THE WITCH PART 2 thinking it was a sequel to a different film. Twenty minutes in, feeling hopelessly lost I stopped the film and rechecked the films description and when I realized I was in the wrong place, I read on the first film.  Sadly I was still still a bit lost watching this film.

The plot of the film has a young woman escaping from a super secret facility and going on the run. She's a young woman with special powers that everyone wants to control.  As she takes up with some people who don't know who she is, various people hunt her.

This is a great looking film with style to burn. It has some great action film and...it left me feeling like I should have seen the first film. Yes the plot isn't anything we haven't seen before and yes it hits a lot of expected notes so I could follow it. But at the same time I never stopped feeling that I was missing something. 

Because I felt lost and I don't think I could give this film a fair shake I'm simply going to point you toward the film and say if you saw the first one give this one a shot. If you haven't seen the first one see that one first before you try this.

SEIRE (2022) Fantasia 2022

 

SEIRE is a horror film that is doing too much. Yes it’s a good film but the film is hurt by juggling too many balls in the air at the same time.

The film has a man going to the funeral of an ex-girlfriend despite the protests of his wife that it will put him into danger from a spiritual curse. At the funeral he meets the twin sister of the dead woman. Returning from the funeral weird things begin to happen.

While the film is horror film and ponders folk beliefs the film is also trying to deal with the memory and the past and how they effect how we see the present, not to mention a few other things. Its all well and good but in looking to do more than scare they put some dings in the shine of a solid horror film. You get a sense that the director is trying to push this to be more than a ghost story with the result it’s less scary than it should have been.

Don’t get me wrong I really like this film a great deal I just wanted to be head over heels about it…

…on the other hand I may have been expecting something more since the Fantasia write up mentioned the truly frightening THE WAILING in connection to this film and I was looking for that level of fear.

Reservations this film is recommended for anyone who likes ghost stories- especially with a Korean flavor

Compulsus (2022) Fantasia 2022

After Wally takes out her anger and frustrations on the chef who was sexually harassing her friend, she begins to hunt men who are taking advantage of women.

This is a much too mannered film of female empowerment by way of a Death Wish/MS 45 like vigilante. While the idea behind the film is really good, execution is not. 

Designed to make a point over and a above it all this heartfelt scream about the #metoo movement never engages. The film is constantly trying to argue it's point at the expense of the story.  For example the dialog is much to measured and full of meaning, the male objects of rage are largely ciphers that we barely see (is this supposed to mean all men are evil?), and the performances are much too mannered to be real much of the time. The result is that the parts that are polemical seem to be a different film with characters disappearing during the "speeches".

I also have some quibbles with how some sequences , particularly the ones involving Wally assaulting men were filmed. The shot choices seem less than idea and rather static with the result there is no tension. It doesn't help that the music used in the attack sequences seems meant for another film with shots seeming not to match up to the beats of the images. 

While the film isn't bad, it isn't what it should be. 

Missing (2022) Fantasia 2022

Shinzo Katayama's MISSING is a hard film to discuss. It's one of those films that starts off seeming to be on thing and then turns and turns and turns and ends up not being what you thought it was going in. Yes it is most definitely a thriller, however there are other things going on. I mean at it's heart its the story of a father and his daughter...and there are some other things going on which you really need to just see.

The set up of the film is about Kaeda. She is desperately trying to deal with her father who has completely broken after the death of his wife/her mother. He simply doesn't want to do anything. Then suddenly he announces that he knows who the serial killer No Name is. He's seen him on a train when he briefly took off his mask. He's going to find the killer and bring him to justice. Not long after he begins his quest he disappears and Kaeda is left to try and figure out what happened to him.

I won't say more 

Actually I dare not say more because there is enough going on here to make you sit up and take notice. It's the sort of a film that signals early on it's not going to do what you expect so you lean way in and are in for the whole ride. As a result it kicks you in the gut in the best sort of way.

High recommended.

Incredible But True (2022) Fantasia 2022

Quentin Dupieux returns with more off kilter insanity about a couple that buys a house with a tunnel in the basement that leads to the upstairs in their house and a  twlve hours away. There is more afoot here, including a plot line concerning male enhancement, all of which is going to make you sit up and take notice.

After two films that worked in fits and starts (MANDIBLES and  DEERSKIN) Dupieux returns to form with an obtuse tale that walks on the weirdside. Refusing to give answers he mines  his material for maximum effect opening our eyes with the unexpected turns and make us think with connections we never previously considered.  For me this was the type of film that keeps me going back to Dupieux’s films, a point of view unlike anyone else.

As with all of Dupieux’s films this is not for everyone. It’s skewed sense of reality will not sit well with people who want their stories closer to reality. On the other hand this is probably his most mainstream film so there is a good chance that even if you haven’t like Dupieux’s other films you’ll like this one

Recommended.

QUE LE FAN SOIT AVEC TOI (aka May The Fan Be With You) (2022) Fantasia 2022

I'm not a Star Wars Fan.  There was a time around the original films when I really loved them but the stories drifted and things fell off with the prequels and I stopped caring- though I did go to all the new films as they came out. And because I'm not a big fan of the series I was hesitant to see QUE LE FAN SOIT AVEC TOI but it filled a slot....and it ended up making me tear up as I connected to it in all sorts of unexpected ways.

The film is a look at Star Wars fandom through the lives of three guys. Malgus, ais the leader of the cosplay group La Forteresse impériale. Steeve Gros-Louis, owner of a restaurant and an collector and dealer of merchandise. Jef is a figure in the fan community with a podcast on the whole Star Wars Universe. Through them we see not just how Star Wars affects people’s lives, but also how fandom creates community and bring meaning to peoples lives.

This is a great film. Yea it’s about three guys who love Star Wars but the truth is the film speaks volumes beyond that. This is a film about fandom and people following their passions. As some one involved in various forms of fandom (film in particular) I could relate to what I was seeing. I completely understood the passion.  While I didn’t care about the visit to the filming locations of the first Star Wars film, I completely understood the passion in the eyes and the in the voice. If I was going to a place that was part of my waking dreams I too would hug the furniture.

While I have seen multiple films on fandom this maybe the best. It’s the best because it transcends just on the specific fandom.

A must see.

CULT HERO (2022) Fantasia 2022

 

When a cult busting TV star Dale Domazar’s latest bust ends in a mass suicide he has to figure out what’s next. When he’s approached by a woman who thinks she’s joined a cult he jumps in to help her.

This is an amusing comedy about cults and TV fame. The humor is broad and low brow but it produces laughs. While there is a hard edge to the violence, the film pretty much plays everything for laughs.

If there is anything really wrong with the film it’s that hero Domazar is played much too over the top and can be the wrong sort of annoying.  Its not fatal but it makes things less perfect.

Worth a look.

HEAVEN TO THE LAND OF HAPPINESS (2021) Fantasia 2022

Choi Min-sik gives a performance for the ages in HEAVEN TO THE LAND OF HAPPINESS . In all seriousness this is one of the greatest performances I’ve ever seen.  I should add he is matched by Park Hae-il who is just as good in a less showy role.  The pair give performances that should be studied as how to play realistic buddies on screen.

The Plot of the film has  inmate 203 (Choi Min-sik) collapsing in prison only to discover he has at most two weeks left to live. Park Hae-il plays  Nam Sik, a worker in the prison who is stealing an expensive medicine he needs to stay alive. When an opportunity presents itself the pair escape from the prison, in a hearse with a coffin full of mob money in the back. The film then becomes a road film as the pair try to stay ahead of the mob, the police and get to 203’s daughter before time literally runs out.

One of the greatest buddy films ever made this films all of the characters dead nuts right. This is not the witty repartee of things like BAD BOYS or 48 HOURS or any typical Hollywood buddy film, but something deeper. We feel every emotion the pair feels and we understand how they come to love and trust each other. We understand why they yell at each other and why, when the chips are down they take care of each other.  It’s a relationship that produces tears…every damn one of which is earned ten times over.

While frequently funny the film is not a comedy. The humor comes from the situations and not joke writers. These are, mostly, situations we could find ourselves in.

I absolutely loved this film.  Sitting watching it I was completely riveted. I just stared at the screen never looking away except to try and find a tissue to wipe away one of the well earned tears.

I need to mention the performances of Choi Min-sik again. This should get him every award under the sun. It’s unlikely to happen but I can dream. Watch his whole being become 203. Watch how joy at seeing something again for the “first” time fills him, as it replaced by sadness as knowing it’s the last time for him.  Listen to the concern in his voice as he screams at his friend at leaving the medicine he needs to stay alive behind. You  can hear the tone of man about to die angry that a stupid mistake might mean his friend  would go before him. This is as perfect a performance as I’ve ever seen. When you see the film enjoy the film, but watch Min-sik’s seeming non-performance take it all to another level.

This is a magnificent movie. One of the very best films of 2022 and an absolute must see.

Island of Lost Girls (2022) Fantasia 2022

 Three little girls drift off to a deserted island and have encounters with seals and sea elephants.

A beautiful nature documentary is interrupted by a home movie of a non-thrilling family thriller. This is one of the few Fantasia films I've ever seen where I can’t understand why it was programmed at the festival. While not a “bad” film it is completely uninvolving. Yes the cinematography and nature images are stunning. They are the sort  of images you want to see huge. They are impressive and if this was a documentary they would make this a must see.

The problem with the film is the sections of the films focusing on the little girls. Shot as a sort of cinema verité, the little girl stuff is so artificial that we never fall into it. Yes it feels like its based on real life, but its shot in a way that lets us instantly know this is a “movie”.  It feels contrived. Worse once the film gets going and the trouble starts,  and the film tries  to make us  feel like the girls were in some sort of danger, but you never feet it. There was no suspense, you always felt like they were going to be okay because at no point did we see there was any real danger. Nothing “bad” happens anywhere and the girls skate by, such as when one sister catches her sibling when she falls off the counter. The film simply signals all along that everything will be alright.

 I never cared.

Worse I felt like I was being forced to watch the directors children be cute.

For my money this is a very expensive home movie.

Next Door (2022) Fantasia 2022 NYAFF 2022

 

A young man cramming to get into the police is unable to raise the fee for the application. A friend offers the money if he comes out drinking. All is good until he ends up locked into the apartment next to his with dead body on the floor of a pool of blood. Desperate to get out he suddenly realizes that he has to clean up the crime scene of any trace of his presence, however things become complicated by various people.

This is a mix of suspense and humor as sweet but nebbishy guy lives out one of our worst fears- in the firing line for a murder we didn’t commit. The film works because the film maintains the right tone from start to finish.  While some of the turns seem to be there just to keep things ratcheted up (I mean so much happens), we really don’t mind because we are invested.

This is a good thriller that’s worth your time.

The Protector (2022) Fantasia 2022

A young woman with a troubled past is sent to a remote town with no crime by the court. Crime stopped a decade earlier when there was some kind of massacre that put the town on the map. As the girl is settling into her new home she is gifted with a strange book called The Protector. The book concerns a god that brings peace to where ever he goes. As the young woman becomes obsessed with the book she also begins to look into the history of her new town.

This is an kind of obtuse horror mystery film  about the weird things going on in a small town.  Its one of those films were everything is off slightly and everyone is clearly hiding something. It’s a film where we lean in for much of the running time waiting for all, or at least most of the secrets to be revealed.

While the film has lots of mood and  generates genuine curiosity about what is going on, too much remains unexplained or is a bit too odd.  Some plot turns don’t seem to make sense (the alleged and debated bigfoot massacre for example). The film seems to either have been made in such away as to be a disturbing mystery to the end or too much was removed in editing, in either case, the result is a film that holds our attention until almost the very end when we suddenly realizes that this isn’t going to stick the landing and we are going to we leaving with too many questions.

Personally I was invested until almost the end when the lack of sense disconnected me. While I like what the film does with it’s mood and a bunch of not wholly likable characters, I dislike that it doesn’t pull it together in the end.