Another year, another fascinating selection of films from Fantasia International Film Festival! For 2022's edition of the fest, animation and horror reign supreme with a variety of intriguing titles. After the jump, check out our full coverage! Films BODIES BODIES BODIES Full review at the link. THE BREACH Based on the Audible original book by … Continue reading Fantasia International Film Festival 2022 Wrap-Up
Fantasia 2022: Bodies Bodies Bodies
★★★★★ Here’s a fun equation: A24 + modern horror whodunnit + meta dark humor = ? The answer is a frolicking mini-masterpiece entitled Bodies Bodies Bodies, after the titular sinister game our players participate in. Written by Sarah DeLappe and directed by Halina Reijn, the film has a fiercely feminine touch that redefines the tired … Continue reading Fantasia 2022: Bodies Bodies Bodies
Fantasia 2022: Sadako DX
★★★★ Attempting to follow the chronology of The Ring films is actually more difficult than one would expect; while the American iterations have a total of three films, back in its native Japan, Ringu has been thriving for years. Sequels for this series range well into the double digits. This latest, appropriately titled Sadako DX … Continue reading Fantasia 2022: Sadako DX
Fantasia 2022: Sharp Stick
★★★★ For those familiar with Lena Dunham’s body of work, the controversial actress has established herself as excelling at awkward, sexually-explicit material tinged with dark comedy and coming-of-age vibes. Sharp Stick follows suit, placing Kristine Frøseth front and center in an absolutely transformative, unique performance. Far from the New York City-centric snark of HBO’s Girls, … Continue reading Fantasia 2022: Sharp Stick
Fantasia 2022: My Grandfather’s Demons
★★★★ My Grandfather’s Demons is perhaps the most gorgeously animated movie of this year’s Fantasia Film Festival. This stop-motion import from Portugal has more heart and originality than I had been anticipating, driven home by the stunning imagery and excellent writing at the heart of the film. Blending rich folklore with the ties of familial … Continue reading Fantasia 2022: My Grandfather’s Demons
Fantasia 2022: Megalomaniac
★★★★ Belgian horror flick Megalomaniac is one seriously moody little French movie. I am not sure why I ever assumed it would be anything less—one glance at the description provided for this year’s Fantasia International Film Festival should have told me all I needed to know. Two children of an infamous never-caught serial killer, The … Continue reading Fantasia 2022: Megalomaniac
Fantasia 2022: Glorious
★★★ Single-setting films with a limited cast have become quite the rage in the aftermath of 2020’s pandemic. Glorious joins the pack with its small-scale rest stop location, yet thrives by making the repercussions of its terrors to be universe-reaching. With Aussie actor, True Blood’s Ryan Kwanten, in the lead role, director Rebekah McKendry carries … Continue reading Fantasia 2022: Glorious
Fantasia 2022: The Harbinger
★★★★★ I have seen an abundance of COVID films in the wake of 2020’s pandemic, and few, if any, have felt as vital as The Harbinger. With the rage at so many “empty spaces” and lost souls pumping through its veins, this is a film that directly tackles the fears and frustrations heard round the … Continue reading Fantasia 2022: The Harbinger
Fantasia 2022: Princess Dragon
★★★★ Written and directed by Jean-Jacques Denis and Anthony Roux, Princess Dragon is a magical French animated fantasy that shines in its loving attention to detail, and Ghibli-esque heart. Like the best kinds of fairy tale movies, Princess Dragon begins with an age-old “once upon a time” before charting its story of friendship and celebrating … Continue reading Fantasia 2022: Princess Dragon
Fantasia 2022: Popran
★★★ Any guy will easily relate to the zany premise of Popran—what would one do if their penis quite literally detached itself from their body and abruptly flew away on the wings of their ballsack? It may sound crass, but writer/director Shin’ichiro Ueda (who also made surprise critical darling, One Cut of the Dead) is … Continue reading Fantasia 2022: Popran