7.5
Who doesn’t love a good monster movie?
The creature feature. It’s a genre that hasn’t received much attention as of late. In the last decade, horror movies have primarily focused on crazed killers, self-mutilation, supernatural entities and recently unearthed, never-before-seen footage. Every now and then genre fans would love nothing more than to see a good old-fashioned monster movie.
8.5
One of the most intriguing aspects to Alex Ross Perry’s Listen Up Philip will most assuredly be looked at as the biggest point of contention in the film. Although its central character, Philip (Jason Schwartzman), is featured prominently within the first and last acts, the middle of the movie detaches itself from him, resulting in an interesting narrative structure that will fascinate some and leave others disenchanted.
6.5
I’ll be the first to admit I didn’t like Gregory Dark’s 2006 horror-thriller See No Evil. While it introduced a new crazed psychopath, Jacob Goodnight, to genre fans, it didn’t leave much of an impression. The film arrived when torture-porn horror films were beginning to reach their peak. Films like Saw and Hostel were pushing the envelope in terms of what horror films can get away with or even show. At the time, the genre became more about shock, blood and just how brutal and gross can you get. After a while you can become so desensitized that it becomes boring. That pretty much summed up my opinion of the original – all shock and brutality and little substance – to the point it was forgotten. It’s 2014 and here comes See No Evil 2, and much to this viewer’s surprise, it’s better than the original and is a pretty well made slasher film.
8.5
Of all the films that could be chosen to kick off the 2014 Sundance Film Festival, Damien Chazelle’s Whiplash seems like the perfect choice to start it with a bang. This loud, intense film provides not only a captivating story, but also gives the viewer a complete sensory overload with its boisterous performances and amazingly percussive sound design.
7
When crafting a horror sequel, everything generally needs to be bolder, louder and more excessive. Tommy Wirkola, director of Dead Snow: Red vs. Dead, must have taken this to heart because this is a sequel that eclipses the original in almost every regard. Playing out much more like a gory action/comedy, rather than a horror/comedy like the original, Wirkola cranks everything up to 11, and delivers one of the craziest, nauseating and most brazen zombie films I’ve ever seen.
This year’s Viewster Online Film Festival has officially wrapped, and the grand prize has gone to Brazilian director Claudio Ellovitch with his film Pray. Ellovitch was awarded a $70,000 prize for the film, which is currently available for free via Viewster.
5.5
If one thing can be said about director Nacho Vigalondo, it’s that he’s always coming up with new and creative ways to tell stories. Timecrimes was one of the best time travel movies I’ve ever seen and might be one of my favorite thrillers of all time. Extraterrestrial brought a different take on the alien invasion movie, and now Open Windows, his first English-language film, takes a harsh look at technology and obsession. The film is told entirely through a computer screen, which doesn’t seem like something that could hold one’s attention for an hour and a half, but somehow Vigalondo throws in enough suspense and twists to keep everyone glued to the screen.
9.5
In this day and age, it’s very easy for someone to take a video of an event and submit it for viewing, whether it’s via YouTube or on the evening news. For example, during an earthquake or tornado people will submit their footage, and if it’s deemed good enough to show, it’ll hit the airwaves. There it is, your video with your name appearing on screen. If you have just the right footage, a video on YouTube can become an overnight sensation.
6
For being sold as something of a spoof film, Kasi Brown and Brandon Walter’s Gone Doggy Gone is a surprisingly earnest and, dare I say, deep film about the relationship we have with our pets and the personal insecurities we project onto them.
The film revolves around a young married couple (Brown and Walter), who treat their entirely-too-adorable Yorkie as if it was their own child. They feed it people food at the dinner table; they transport it in either a baby björn or stroller; and they dress it up in ridiculous, but yet again, incredibly adorable clothing.
The full list of award winners has been announced for this year’s Fantastic Fest in Austin, with the Studio Ghibli film The Tale of Princess Kaguya winning the audience award, Robert David Mitchell‘s It Follows winning the Next Wave competition, Fabrice Du
7.5
Jack Plotnick’s Space Station 76 is a science fiction comedy that takes place in the future as it was imagined back in the ‘70s. This goofy idea lends itself to a bevy of funny gags that poke fun at the time period and how the future was represented. While it mostly acts as a straight comedy, there is a serious undercurrent flowing beneath the mustaches and feathered hairdos. This slightly dark edge makes the film much more rewarding than a straight-up spoof. Basically, Space Station 76 is like the ‘70s sci-fi version of Wet Hot American Summer, which means it’s hilarious, smart and super fun.
One of the many things that makes Austin’s Fantastic Fest awesome is the Fantastic Debates held every year. In the debates, two individuals make their case for or against a specific hot button issue in filmmaking and then enter the ring and settle
8
With last year’s wildly popular horror flick You’re Next, and segments in the V/H/S movies and The ABCs of Death, writer Simon Barrett and director Adam Wingard are quickly making a name for themselves as the kings of genre cinema. Their latest collaboration, The Guest, further proves that they are a force to be reckoned with. Part ‘80s action flick, part horror thriller, and pure visceral fun, The Guest honors the classics from yesteryear without feeling like a rip-off. It’s got its own voice, and that voice is loud and ready to smack you in the face.
6.5
Leigh Jankiak’s directorial debut, Honeymoon, is an interesting blend of psychological and supernatural horror that provides both intrigue and some incredibly disturbing imagery. As the film moves on, I found myself completely enthralled in what was happening to the main characters, and was continuously guessing what weird horror was about to spring next.
6
What does it take to change one’s circumstances? Must you make a personal change? Do you need to make a change in environment? Are you fated to take the path you’ve set for yourself or is there more to life than what lies before you? Does your past predetermine just where that path will lead? These are some very philosophical questions that many people have at one point or another have stopped to ask and pondered their answer.
Do you love film festivals but weren’t able to make it out to Tiff this year? If so, check out the Viewster Online Film Festival that just launched today, which features more than 500 titles that you can stream for free right
