Fantastic Fest Coverage: Day 6
Fantastic Fest: September 29, Day 6 … I think
-Kayley Viteo
Today was short and sweet. Interestingly enough, three movies has become a “short and sweet” day to me. Nonetheless, I will admit to being tired, which may explain why this blog is shorter than usual.
Rampage: I took the plunge and decided to give Uwe Boll another chance and was pleasantly surprised. Rampage is about a young man who is quietly struggling against society and planning a massacre. Although I wasn’t entirely pleased with the film, it is certainly a far cry from anything in Boll’s past. The problem is, I’m not sure how much of the film’s strengths are really due to Boll’s role as writer/director. For one, the film is entirely improvised – except for a ten-page script – and the darkly funny moments are all courtesy of the lead actor or other crew members (for instance, a great moment in a bingo facility was orchestrated by a location scout). I didn’t like the very end, but up until that point I thought the film’s plot was surprisingly smart and adept.
Secret Screening: This turned out to be A Serious Man, the newest Coen Brothers film. I have to admit, I was slightly disappointed when we were told – I was really hoping for The Cabin in the Woods. Nonetheless, as per usual with the Coens, the film is intelligent and dark, which is just how I like my comedies. I can’t say I loved the ending, but this is definitely one you should see.
Dread: Fantastic Fest billed this one as Clive Barker’s Dread, but the actual title is simply Dread. Adapted from Clive Barker’s short story of the same name, the film centers around three students who decide to do a fear study documentary where they interview participants to find out what they dread the most. Problems surface when one of the students decides to take the study to the “next level.” I wouldn’t say this film was bad, but the script is pretty weak in places. What should be the heart of the film (the fear study), instead begins to look fake and the main characters aren’t interesting or strong enough to keep any interest. The one highly interesting character (Abby, played great by Laura Donnelly) is treated as a secondary character, which is a shame because there was unique material there that clearly wasn’t explored fully. What I did like about this film is that it definitely shows promise, especially coming from a first-time director (Anthony DiBlasi). Good news is he has several projects waiting in the wings, many of which are further adaptations of Barker’s works.
Tomorrow’s plan includes Sweet Karma (another revenge flick, this time with a female lead!), low-budget zombie flick Yesterday, audience favorite Fish Story, and Doghouse, which features solely female zombies. The latter interests me immensely, although I’ve also heard really good things about Yesterday. All I know is that two independent zombie films in one day makes me a happy girl.
MOVIE OF THE DAY: Dread – even though it had its problems, I think I enjoyed it more than others just because it was horror and a midnight screening.
Get our full coverage:
Day One: Macabre, Paranormal Activity
Day Two: Trick r Treat, Antichrist
Day Three: Morphine, Cirque Du Freak, Survival of the Dead
Day Four: Duress, The House of the Devil, The Children
Day Five: Mandrill, Mantopia, REC 2
