The Great Yokai War Gaurdians (2021) Japan Cuts 2021 Fantasia 2021

 Takashi Miike returns to the world of Yokai Wars with a second film Guardians, the story of two modern brothers who join the battle with the Yoaki Wars.

Decidedly more kid friendly than the previous entry. You would be hard pressed to think that Miike was behind this film. On the other hand he is such a prolific filmmaker it’s almost impossible to nail him down as what sort of filmmaker he is. This is a grand romp full of great characters and bits of magic and whimsy that utterly delight.

Forgive me if I don’t really try to critique this film, its not something you can do. Its both clunky and forced, and perfectly made and dead on. The films near climatic Iron Giant-esque moment completely wrecked me despite it’s unevenness simply because the love and emotion of the story and the characters far outshone the narrative.

And of course there are the monsters. There seem to be hundreds if not thousands of unique monsters walking around and even if they don’t do anything the simply delight.

Personally I absolutely love this film to death. No it’s not an adult love- but one of the inner kid. This is the sort of film that if you show a kid at the right age you will damn them to loving the movies and monsters forever. I feel this way because Miike, a man who has made some of the most violent and ugly films ever has made a film with true child like magic and wonder.

God bless him and god bless this film.

Recommended for anyone who wants to see a film and be a wide eyed kid all over again.

Ida Red (2021) Fantasia 2021

 

A family in crime is having a bad run of luck. Things go even more off the rails when their matron who is behind bars is diagnosed with terminal cancer and wants to get out to die free.

Dark family drama is part of the wave of films that have been spawned in the wake of  Animal Kingdom movie and TV series. Its full of violence and bad people we hate to like. Its a film with a really mean edge.

As good much of this is the plotting is all over the place. Its build as a jail break film but that only clicks in in the second half. Before that we follow the various circles the characters take as they commit crimes and have things go down hill. The whole subplot about the granddaughter seems to have been artificially injected, much like in the Danish film WILDLIFE. It doesn't help that the actress playing her seems about 25 and not 15. (And pushing her drinking and smoking into the front is wildly intrusive)

Forgive my quibbling. It comes from love. The stuff here that works is fantastic. I just which it wasn't as rambling.

That said because the good stuff is do kick ass this is recommended.

#BLUE_WHALE (2021) Fantasia 2021

The story of a website that pushes people to suicide was not my cup of tea. Told entirely via computer screens, cellphones and website posts the film would seem to on target for todays tech savvy audiences. Unfortunately the film has a couple of problems that derail the film.

The first problem is the film’s screens with in screens approach grow tiring and out of touch. Its not so much that there is too much information, but rather the screens we see are too often only there for a effect. For example right at the start a cell phone gets cracked and splashed with a color which stays (and changes shape) despite being there for several days. One would think they would have cleaned off the magenta paint.

The second problem is that despite being limited to what various cameras see we see a hell of a lot of material that no camera would catch.  Who is shooting these events? Worse there are several times in the film when things are supposed to be from a stationary camera and they have the movement of a camera person shifting their weight. Things that should be cellphone vertical are often horizontal. The film can’t get it’s own conceit right.

Lastly we’ve been here before any number of times. Outside of the tech dress up this is a story we’ve seen dozens of times over the years  done better. Even going back to the 1930’s and 40’s where people were driven to suicide by letters.

I would pass on this.

Mad God (2021) Fantasia 2021

 Phil Tippett's  MAD GOD has been in the works for 30 years, and it has finally arrived.  The result is jaw dropping.

The nominal plot has a mysterious figure taking a diving bell don into the bowels of hell. He then heads off to complete his appointed task...or something.

I am all over the place about this film. Its a film that seems to have been made in three different periods by three different people. The result is a cinematic experience that is unlike anything else you've ever seen.

The first half hour is quite simply one of the greatest films I have ever seen. stunning in the truest sense of the word it is full of images unlike anything that has ever ben put on film. It is not for kids or the sensitive since its full of blood and fluids and sex and shit and ugliness that will disturb even the strongest of souls. I floored at the technical achievement as well. I can't believe what it took to create this section of the film.

The second half hour film seems to be be a bit less than the first. We get a look at the person sending the people down into hell. We also get a second trip. The worlds are a bit less complex but it is still intriguing. There is also a sense that this section of the film as done years(decades) after the first as the film behind to incorporate video images.

The final 25 minutes is more mysterious actions in hell. The images are arresting but the plot drifts off and becomes something else. Its almost as if another film by another director was grafted onto the film. I should state that had the first hour not been as magnificent as it is this last third would play so much better.

This film is a flawed masterpiece. The first half hour is as good as filmmaking gets. It is everything I love about cinema, it shows me things to marvel at and makes me feel things and ponder life. As the film goes on the feeling lessens until in the last 25 minutes the film is just "pretty" pictures.

My all over the place feelings aside MAD GOD must be seen. If you love the movies you need to see this- I say that because this is ultimately one of the greatest achievements in cinema you will ever run across.

ALL THE MOONS (2021) Fantasia 2021

ALL THE MOONS is a wonderful addition to the vampire genre. If you liked LET THE RIGHT ONE IN you’ll love this film.

The plot of the film has a young girl injured when the orphanage she is living in is bombed during a war. Rescued by a strange woman she is turned into a vampire. How the next decade plays out is the film.

This is not a jump scare horror film but a mediation on human existence.  This is closer to LET THE IGHT ONE IN, ONLY LOVERS LEFT ALIVE and BYZANTIUM rather than DRACULA or NEAR DARK. It’s a film that is pondering what it means to be an outsider and to live forever, while telling us a very real human story that kicks the shit out of us.

This film is a stunner. It’s a film that upends expectations from start to finish. You may think you know that the film is at the start however as it goes on it shifts.  This is one of the most humanistic “horror” films I’ve seen. Frankly other than the fact it’s about vampires the film isn’t really a horror film. There are no scares except at the sort that come from the evil men do to each other. The tale is merely fantastical because of a couple of elements that are not realistic. However the one thing that is real is the emotion which is there in abundance, especially in an ending which will take your breath away.

Beautifully shot and exquisitely acted the whole film has the feel of special fairy tale that you will carry with you from now on.

Highly recommended

Short Fantasia 2021 reviews: GIVING BIRTH TO A BUTTERFLY, THE RIGHTEOUS, WHEN WE CONSUME YOU and MARTYRS LANE

 

GIVING BIRTH TO A BUTTERFLY
Ethereal some thing tries way too had to be deep and manages to be really shallow.
Twenty minutes in I stated to look at my phone.
I should have listened to the warning I got to avoid this

THE RIGHTEOUS
An ex-priest having a crisis of conscious after the death of a child finds his life even further kicked down the road when  a stranger ends up in his home.
A good script and some good performances get lost in a film that is shot with an of lack of imagination. While every fourth or fifth shot looks magnificent the others are unremarkable. Its so noticeable I kept wondering if there was a better shot.
That  said the film does have some moments that make it worth trying.

WHEN WE CONSUME YOU
Pretentious and tedious horror film about brother and sister and the darkness that follows them.
By the time the supernatural stuff is blended in, somewhere  about twenty five minutes in, odds are you'll either have turned off these whiney people or fallen asleep. Honestly I tuned out.
Not recommended

MARTYRS LANE
A young girl makes contact with a spectral girl in her home. As they become friends a dark connection is revealed.
Less a horror film than a tragic fairy tale. I found it to be okay but a bit too deliberately paced for my tastes.- Though to be perfectly honest I'm going to try this small quiet film again down the road when I can see it away from  a festival like Fantasia which is full of big and loud films that are counter to  a small film like this.

CAUTION HAZARDOUS WIFE (2021) Fantasia 2021

Super spy loses her memory. She is sent to a seaside village to live unaware of who she is. However things ae not as they seem and along with the mechanizations of the town council begin to bring he memory back.

This TV series based action comedy is a great deal of fun. Great characters wander though many humorous situations that allow for some great action sequences. Its a light and frothy confection that will make you smile.

While I have no idea how the film compares to the series I liked this film enough that I may try and track it down.

A joy.

Recommended.

Don't Say Its Name (2021) Fantasia 2021

People are dying on  First Nation land. Is it the work of a serial killer or is there something more sinister going on?

Director Rueben Martell is the first Cree filmmaker to make a film dealing with the myth and legends of the Wendigo, a mythical beast that haunts the northern forests of North America.  The result is a film that is an uneasy mix of horror and social commentary about life for members of the First Nation. I misspoke. It’s not so much a mix as the film largely pivots from one thing to the other. Much of the drama and discussion of social issues is devoid of horror. Don’t get me wrong the discussion of social issues is really good. I love that it’s just there and matter of factly handled, its just that for most of the first hour it steps in front of the horror.

The horror portion of the film is interesting but it never generates any tension. Yes its entertaining but the film never focuses enough on it to produce scares.

That said I had a good time, I particularly loved that the monster hunters are really cool kick ass women.  I love that they aren’t in the background until the end they are always front and center kicking in doors, taking names and shooting guns.

Definitely worth a look on an undemanding night.

Yakuza Princess (2021) Fantasia 2021 and opens September 3 in the US

Japanese woman living in Brazil is hunted by the Yakuza who want to kill her because she is next in line to run the organization. It is a fact she was completely unaware of until they came after her. She is helped by a man with amnesia.

Based on Samurai Shiro  a graphic novel, YAKUZA PRINCESS feels like it's the first arc of a longer story. Its a film that takes a very long time to set up all the characters, without building any of them. Its a slow building film that ends just as it gets good.

While not bad, this film is painfully slow. Its a film full of sporadic talk, lots of silence and not enough action. Its a film more interested in looking good than giving us the goods. We are almost an hour in before we get the first real action scene only to have the film slow down again. I was nodding off  several times. 

I was disappointed

While I'm not a fan of this film I'd be curious about a sequel since the film ends just as it hits its stride, however I'm not sure it will happen because this film that may not be well received enough to get one. 

The film is released in the US September 3rd from Magnet Releasing

Glasshouse (2021) Fantasia 2021

 

During an outbreak of a pandemic of a disease that wipes your memory and isolated family takes in a stranger.

Yes the idea of a memory wiping diseases have been used a great deal over the last few years. While there has been one or two good films there has been only one classic film Clare Carre‘s EMBERS up till now.  however we can add GLASSHOUSE to the classic list.

Kelsey Egan‘s GLASSHOUSE is a great film. It is a film that has a real tactile feel. This feels like a real place. This is a stunningly beautiful film to look at . It’s a film that we would want to live in (assuming there wasn’t a terrible disease raging). As I said to some of my friends, this is one of the most beautiful films playing this years Fantasia fest.

More importantly Glasshouse creates a world that makes sense. Watching the film I believed in what I was seeing. In a day and age when most filmmakers throw things together and call it a “world” Glasshouse creates a place where it all works together.  Nothing is out of place. When we come into the film we are uncertain of when this is taking place but as the film goes on and we discover the details if the story we realize that everything fits together. There is no odd burps. It all seems to be in a Victorian Edwardian world of over a century ago and it never goes anachronistic.

The writing is also stellar. It’s a film of beautifully constructed characters and situations that pull us in and drag us along.

I love this film and look forward to revisiting it when I can see it on a big screen.

Recommended

Four Fantasia 2021 Short Films: Bye-Bye Elida, Wade, Juliet and the King, Andronicus

 

Bye-Bye Elida
Almost feature length animated short (it runs 38 minutes which is about two minutes short of the feature length designation)  is a film I need to see on a big screen. The wordless story of various creatures wandering across a landscape it is full of emotions and bits that will stick in your head forever. It is one of the great discoveries of the year and a masterpiece. This is a clear indication of why some of the best animation in the world is coming out of France.  I honestly don’t know what to say but this film will make you feel awe in the truest sense of the word. A must see.

Andronicus
Shakespeare influenced story of a family therapy session that spins out of control. This is a beautifully made and acted film that delighted the technician in me. This is as good as technical filmmaking gets. I just kind of wish the writing and plotting was better. It feels a bit to forced and controlled as if the director was moving things along as opposed to the characters. While not bad it could have been better.

Juliet and The King Preview
Preview of an upcoming feature film based on the true story of the romance between the king of Persian who married a French woman. While it isn’t fair to judge the film on a show reel, there is enough here to make me want to see the completed feature next year.

Wade
I covered this earlier this year when it played Animation First in New York, however this tale of a future where climate change has flooded the streets and tigers wander freely is by turns ae inspiring and chilling. Its one of the best animated films I’ve seen this year and a must at Fantasia or where ever you can see it.

Stanleyville (2021) Fantasia 2021

 

This is going to be short.  Partly because I was asked to do a short review now and longer one later, but mostly because I need time to really ponder this film and find the words to do it justice. 

Nominally this is the story of a woman who runs out on her family and into a contest to win a fancy SUV. The reality is this film is an off kilter examination of life laid out as a kind of spiritual journey.  Its  a film that is operating on a deeper level than it appears on the surface. 

I should mention that the film is slyly funny with some jokes landing a second  two late as you suddenly realize what the joke is.

And I need to  say Julian Richings is magnificent as the man running the contest. He's so good I did not recognize him at first.

This is a truly wonderful film.

Either see it at Fantasia or when the film is released down the road.

Brief thoughts on YOU CAN'T KILL MEME (2021) Fantasia 2021

Simply stated this is a look at how social media and memes are changing the way we think and see the world.

I am going to be very brief  review. I say that because regardless of my feelings this is a film that needs to be seen a second time simply because there is simply too much to take in.(Seriously there is a lot of material here)

This is a heady film. At time it feels like  college dissertation on the state of the internet. At other time it feels like a stream of conscious exploration of  various ideas between friends. And then there are the moments when it feels like we are on a trip. Its a wild ride.

I really like portions of this film and I'm not sure what I think of others. As I said above I need to see this film again.

Is the film worth seeing? If you want to explore the world we live in and potentially understand how we got here it is.

Give it a go.

Hellbender (2021) Fantasia 2021

 

The beginning of Hellbender is one of the most arresting starts to any film at Fantasia. It is also one of the most arresting starts to any film in decades. In all serious I dare you not to watch the opening and wonder what in the holy hell was going on. I’m not going to spoil this – just see it. After that you will be willing to follow one of the most beautiful horror films anywhere.

The film that follows is a coming of age story about a young witch being raised and sheltered by some older women. I won’t say any more other than something dark and sinister is going on, and odds are its not what you think.

Made by the same crew as one of my favorite films of the last few years The Deeper You Dig, Hellbender doesn’t behave as you  expect. For the first time outside of a fantasy film magic is deadly, one person is reduced to dust by hand gestures.  This is a film that takes something, witches, that never really were scary and turn them into something truly terrifying.  For the first time I was frightened by a witch tale by what I was seeing and not the obscure threat of the devil. Why no one had ever done this before is beyond me.

This film is great film in so many ways.

As I said I’m not going to spoil it I’m just going to say its one of the best horror films of the year and highly recommended.

Hello Tapir (2020) Fantasia 2021

 

Full confession I should not have watched HELLO TAPIR. I am still broken by the death of my father last year and I have not even begun to process the loss. I say this because this film about a boy who is dealing with the loss of his father kicked my ass in several ways and in order to fully process it I’m going to have to see it again down the road.

That said…

This is a really good, incredibly bittersweet story of a little boy whose father fishes. When an accident injures several people on the boat the boys father goes missing. As his grandmother and mother struggle to come to terms with the loss and what this means for the family, the little boy begins to see some tapirs, the mystical creatures his father told him about. The tapirs will keep the bad dreams away.

Most of this movie is a beautiful and lovely representation of life being lived. In a way it all feels like a  documentary more than narrative film.  Having recently gone through the loss of a loved one, under different circumstances, I could relate to what we see.

As for the magical realism sequences, wow, just wow. The appearances of the tapirs are some of the most joyous moments I have ever experienced in the movies. They glued a stupid ass smile on my face  as pure joy bubbled up from the bottom of my soul. Incredibly stupid to say but those sequences have delighted more than almost any film all year, and maybe longer.

I have no idea if you will like HELLO TAPIR. I honestly don’t know my full feelings for it, but you need to see it because uncertainty aide this is one hell of a special film and is highly recommended.

Fortune Favors Lady Nikuko (2021) Fantasia 2021

 If you can see FORTUNE FAVORS LADY NIKUKO at Fantasia or wherever, do so. This gentle loving slice of life is an absolutely beautiful film about life as it is lived. It is wise and warm…. Which makes it a film that most companies releasing animated films outside of Japan may not touch because they simply won’t know how to market it.

Told from the point of view of Kiku the daughter of the title character, the film tells the tale of the pair as they live their lives in a coastal town. Kiku goes to school while her mom works in a local café. Life is a struggle but NiKuko will never allow the world to get her down.

Not much happens, and yet everything does. We watch a woman struggle to find happiness and not let life get her down. We also watch a well read preteen try and navigate being a kid, sorting out  what it means to be a friend, boys and the first throws of puberty.  There are no super battles or wickedly cool spectacular sequences of aliens, just the beauty of real life. And if there is a late in the game bump I didn't mind.

I was moved.

Full confession- one of the things that moved me about the film was the character of Nikuko. She reminded me of my mom in the best sort of way. Despite having lost her some 14 years ago watching the film I found that I was watching her running around trying to turn a bittersweet life into something happier and at the same time bring joy to her kid. Watching Nikuko I was watching my mom when she was reconnecting with her inner kid and being alive and enjoying life. That may not mean anything to you, but if you were lucky enough to have ever met my mom you’d know I was right,

FORTUNE FAVORS LADY NIKUKO is a great film. It is a deeply moving slice of life. It’s a gem that will be treasured by those who realize that animation isn’t always for kids, rather it is a way of telling a story you couldn’t tell any other way.

Highly recommended

Mill of the Stone Women (1960) FANTASIA 2021

 

Art student goes to see a legendary mill full of life like female statues, completely unaware that the statues actually used to be real women.

Classic Euro-horror film is one of the legion of public domain films that filled the dollar dump bins back in the VHS days.  For some unknown reason, unlike most other public domain films most of the prints were pretty good. Once the DVD age came along I find I have probably 7 or 8 versions of this film in various multi-film sets.

While not particularly scary the film is entertaining. More gothic horror than what we consider horror the film has scary situations but never generates scares but does hold our attention. 

Definitely worth a look if you've never seen it

Born Pisces (2021) Fantasia 2021 Japan Cuts 2021

 

Midori is young girl dealing with the fact her father is away on business. Like her mother she has a sense of emptiness that she can't fill. Futa is a young boy living with his strict single mother and his sister. He wishes things were different. Each night Midori and Futa fall asleep hoping for something to change.

Okay short film feels more like the start of something rather than a complete film. While I liked what was here I got to the end of the film and wanted it to keep going.  

Worth a look in a short film collection, not so much on its own.

Fantasia short reviews: REMAIN IN TWILIGHT, HOTEL POSEIDON, GHOSTING GLORIA, STRAWBERY MANSION and KING KNIGHT

 

KING KNIGHT is about a modern witch who has to re-evaluate his life after his past comes to light. It's a California inde comedy that tries way too had and just misses the road for the rut. The jokes are there but it never manages to pull them all together.

I saw STRAWBERRY MANSION at Sundance and didn't warm to it's charms. Deciding to give it a second try I put the film on as part of Fantasia. Sadly this quirky tale of a dream tax agent didn't work for me. I know people who loved it but  for e it just tried way too hard.

I don't have a great deal about GHOSTING GLORIA. It's an amusing sex comedy about a young woman who is miserable. Her fiend thinks she needs to get laid. Suddenly the young woman's life is tuned upside down as she begins an affair with a ghost. This is a well done frequently funny film that isn't deep but is wonderfully entertaining. Definitely worth a look

HOTEL POSEIDON is a form over content film where being strange and off is the way of choice. I was game to give the film a go for a while, I mean the opening credits sequence is awesome, but the affected way everything is set up coupled with long takes and lack of a sense it was going anywhere tuned me off. By the time I hit the end of the film all I leaned was the payoff wasn't worth the trip

REMAIN IN TWILIGHT is a nice little film. It’s the story of a group of friends who get together and hang out at a wedding one last time. Since this is screening at Fantasia you can bet there is a twist. It’s a sweet film that left me with little to say other than the desire for me to tell people to see it

SWEETIE, YOU WON'T BELIEVE IT NYAFF 2021 Fantasia 2021

 

Put upon husband with a pregnant wife skips out to go fishing with his friends and ends up running into four bad guys.  Comedy ensues as it becomes clear everyone is clueless.

Sporadically funny film is full of cringe inducing moments and unpolitically correct jokes done in an over the top style that constantly is insisting that its wild and crazy and wanting to know why you aren’t doubled over with laughter.

I was only amused occasionally, Laughing here and there and noting now and again an amusing bit (the raft made of blow up sex dolls made me smile). Mostly though I sat there wondering how would think this was funny.

While it has laughs they are few and far between to really recommend