★★★★ 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
Fantasia 2022: Goodbye, Don Glees!
★★★★ Who would have thought an animated Japanese drama would emerge as one of the best films of 2022’s Fantasia International Film Festival? Goodbye, Don Glees! is made in an anime-style, coupled with photo-realistic moments of beauty. Written and directed by Atsuko Ishizuka, I could barely comprehend the level of tearjerking, life-affirming heights that the … Continue reading Fantasia 2022: Goodbye, Don Glees!
Film Review: Yakuza Princess
★★★ About twenty minutes or so into action/thriller Yakuza Princess, I became convinced that it had to be based on a graphic novel. The primary reason for this assumption is the complex lore and bloody, visceral action-violence. It turns out the film is, indeed, based upon Danilo Beyruth’s Samurai Shiro—if any recent film has felt … Continue reading Film Review: Yakuza Princess
Fantasia International Film Festival 2021 Wrap-Up
2021's edition of the Fantasia International Film Festival collects genre cinema of the highest order and eclectic filmmakers with a unique vision. It also happened to have quite a few films I had seen at previous festivals. This wrap-up acts as the cherry-topper for an unconventional fest; included beyond the jump is our entire festival … Continue reading Fantasia International Film Festival 2021 Wrap-Up
Fantasia 2021: Midnight
★★★★★ Strictly for fans of pulse-pounding, Hitchcockian suspense, Midnight is a South Korean thriller that comes in clutch with fascinating characters, propulsive score, and shocking sequences of stalking and pursuit. It has a signature Asian flair that makes it unique, and certainly allows for ample wiggle room structurally and realistically that Western productions would have … Continue reading Fantasia 2021: Midnight
Fantasia 2021: The Sadness
★★★★★ Gnarly practical effects are showcased on an increasingly limited scale in the modern world of CGI overload. Thankfully, The Sadness never shies away from the gory zombie goods. In fact, I would go so far as to say this is one of the nastiest and downright mean movies I have watched in ages. Written … Continue reading Fantasia 2021: The Sadness