Fantastic Fest 2018: 5 Picks From The 3rd Wave Of Programming (Noah)
I’ve been trying to think of a “my hands are shaking so I apologize if it’s hard to read this because I’m excited” joke for like ten minutes, but the ravages of technology have taken my ability to write freehand and the joke just doesn’t work as well with me tapping away at a keyboard. Regardless, Fantastic Fest starts this week and the thought of spending many, many hours in a dark room with John Laird (and all the rest of you slack-jawed yokels) has me near panting in anticipation.
More so: Fantastic Fest released their third, and final wave of programming last week and between big names like Jonah Hill’s A24 directorial debut, the glossy LA noir from It Follows’ David Robert Mitchell and Bad Times at The El Royale – it’s a bit of star-studded affair. In the cracks though you’ve got French flicks en masses, French-Canadian flicks, the first ever Tunisian horror film and a whole lot more.
Let’s discuss some hotly anticipated ones:
1. The Bouncer, d. Julien Leclerq / Between Worlds, d. Maria Pulera
I’m curious for a couple reasons to see these two films. One: JCVD is still alive and still acting! There is a god and he is a French director named Julien Leclerq. Two: Clearly, Nic Cage is still alive and still acting as he makes four hundred movies a year, all of barely watchable quality, but hey, a film about a guy who’s dead wife possesses the daughter of his now girlfriend sounds like a step outside of respectability even for the Cagester. Three: I just have premonition that an evening spent between The Muscles from Brussel and The Coif himself will be the cinematic equivalent of re-dying my hair yellow blond, throwing on a starchy Blockbuster polo shirt and smoking Marb Lights in an alley behind a grocery store. The good old days, you know?
2. Lords of Chaos, d. Jonas Akerlund
Jonas Akerlund made Spun, an all-timer drug movie, 16 years ago and I’ve been mouth-breathing my way through the interim ever since. Akerlund’s born from the world of music videos – and the visual vom-sessions he’s willing and able to toss on to the screens can attest for that – so him taking the reigns on a film about the origins of the very strange, very violent world of Black Metal sounds amazing. Also, Rory Culkin’s hair was made for this film.
3. The Quake, John Andreas Anderson
There’s something deliciously mid-90s about the idea of making a sequel to Roar Uthaug’s family-gets-stuck-in-a-tidal-wave thriller, The Wave. Now, this same family is somehow going to get themselves stuck in … The Quake. Which is awesome, because now anyone who’s friends with these people have one less group to worry about when they’re thinking, “Who should we go on vacation with this year?” But also, The Wave was like superficial disaster but with a glowy familial heart. Which is a good thing.
4. The World Is Yours, d. Roman Gavras
I don’t know anything about this film except it stars Vincent Cassel and the trailer made me feel like I was tripping balls and accidentally put on the French-dubbed version of Scarface. And that’s really all I, or anyone, needs to know.
5. Destroyer, d. Karyn Kusama
I’m always surprised Karyn Kusama isn’t massively famous. Jennifer’s Body is a classic body-horror/horror comedy flick. The Invitation was one of the great horror films of the decade. And her debut Girlfight is a legitimate indie classic. Sure, Aeon Flux is a struggle and The Punisher: War Zone doesn’t have too many high moments to speak of, but when Kusama gets to play in her own sandbox, the outcome is always pretty magical. Thus, this Nicole Kidman-as-cop-who-is-violent film from her and Phil Hay (The Invitation) is probably going to be ridiculously amazing.
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And that people, is all I have to left to say before I enter my hyperbolic chamber to prepare my mind, liver and soul for five days of films and John Laird pouring alcohol down my throat.
The excitement is near unbearable.
