In Review: Fantastic Fest 2020
Well, I was hoping to see all of the double digit new features at this year’s scaled down Fantastic Fest, but I was only able to get in five of them. That’s better than nothing, I suppose. Take a look at what I did catch down below.
PS – As always, thanks to the Fons PR team for being gems.
Plot: A singer/songwriter heads off to the woods to work with a famous producer. While there, she begins to discover some very primal things that are buried deep inside of her.
Review: This one is a real slow burn. Yes, Grey (Lauren Beatty) has some urges that are bad news for anything made of flesh and blood, but Bloodthirsty isn’t exactly a creature feature – there’s quite a bit of it that’s explores the lengths an artist must be willing to go to in order to achieve greatness. In other words, expect a lot of scenes where Vaughn (Greg Bryk) rambles on about digging deep, letting go and all that jazz. Overall, I liked it.
Plot: A young man named Teddy gets attacked by a creature in the woods and then slowly starts transforming into … something else.
Review: Weirdly, the climax of Teddy is the least interesting part of it. I was much more into exploring the twenty-something’s quirky little life, as those scenes are imbued with a really great sense of humor. In fact, there’s an almost Wes Anderson-quality to them, which means plenty of low-key funny and awkward moments that ride the line between real and surreal. By the way, this isn’t to say the ending isn’t any good – it goes where it has to and delivers a satisfactory conclusion – but it should be noted that the rest of the film stands a little taller. Recommended.
Plot: A hair stylist carries a dark secret.
Review: I didn’t really care for The Stylist. It certainly looks the part – there’s an interesting premise, good gore, it’s solidly shot – but it doesn’t assemble all of the pieces in a way that holds your attention. Also, while watching it I kept thinking that it would work better as a short and then later I found out that it’s based on one. Go figure.
Plot: A couple of boys get abducted. One of them is able to escape, but instead of fully fleeing, he turns back to try and help his friend.
Review: There’s a twist in The Boy Behind The Door that’s pretty nifty, but the rest of it feels fairly paint by numbers. Unless you’re just an unabashed lover of survival horror, I’m not sure there’s enough at play here to keep you engaged.
Plot: A … girl heads out in search of her missing father.
Review: This movie was a real struggle for me. The plot is pretty much discount Winter’s Bone and there isn’t a single noteworthy performance in the damn thing. Skip it all the live long day.
