AATANK (19??) Thanksgiving Turkey

 

AATANK is a legendary Bollywood film that recently played Fantastic Fest in a restored version. While I’m all for restoring films, this is one I’m not sure this was a wise one that to spend money on.

This mess of a film is started filming in the 1980’s and then was eventually finished a decade plus later. Never mind that the actors aged we just had to go with it. The plot has something to do with gangsters in a small fishing village and it all comes down to a wild final fifteen or so minutes where the hero battles a killer shark who is threatening the livelihood of the village. The battle with the shark really has nothing to do with the rest of the film, but they bend the plot so it kind of does.

You won’t remember anything about the film except those final minutes which are so out in left field that that they are in another dimension. Bouncing between bad models and bad human performances these minutes are some of the most hysterical ever committed to celluloid. I have watched people get hurt from either laughing so hard they cramp up or fall out of their chairs and bang their heads.

I really dislike this film a great deal, and tend to only see the film’s final minutes every now and again when a discussion of truly bad films comes up. Being a masochist I decided to watch the film again for the Fantastic Fest screening and came close to plucking my eyes out of my head. Thankfully I had a cheese grater handy do I just shaved my legs with that to get my mind off the visual pain.

I can’t recommended this film except for the wacky ending.

Bad model work away

PROJECT WOLF HUNTING (2022) Fantastic Fest

A ship full of criminals are sent back to Korea from the Philippines. An escape is attempted and it soon becomes a battle of cops vs crooks in a blood soaked  battle where almost everyone is left dead...and then things get even more dire as a revived psychotic super soldier gets loose and begins killing everyone.

This is a near technically perfect film. It is such an impressive achievement that director Kim Hongsun got to sign a big American contract. Unfortunately as perfect as the film is technically, it is emotionally dead and plotted incredibly stupidly. As a result all  there is here is blood, bodies and broken bones in a film that takes the blood soaked end of Peter Jackson's DEAD ALIVE and stretches it to close to two hours.

A huge problem is that there are no characters. Everyone is just a body biding time until they die horribly. You can't root for anyone because we don't know them or the are a horrible person, and if they aren't they die almost immediately after we meet them. Why are we bothering when there are no people on the screen?

The plot is a joke as things happen just so people can fire a gun or die horribly. No turn makes any sense since each one just means it's setting up something bad that will happen. Lets take over the ship, but shoot up the bridge. Lets just kill the crew because we feel like it. Someone pisses you off kill them. Lets make sure everyone dies so we'll cross Frankenstein with the Terminator and turn him loose. 

This is beyond stupid. Yes it's fun for awhile - and then it becomes clear there is nothing beyond the blood.

What a waste.

If you want to see truly mindless action where nameless characters kill each other for 121 minutes go for it, other wise put something else on.

Mr Organ (2022) Fantastic Fest 2022

 

Mr Organ will chill you to the core. The film is the story of grand manipulator and son of a bitch who lives to fuck over people. He’s a man who is described as being so evil that if he went to hell Satan would go to Heaven just to get away from him.

The film is the story of filmmaker David Farrier interactions with Michael Organ. He is a manipulator, con man and sick bastard who loves to destroy people mentally. Farrier ran into Organ when he was booting cars that parked in a private car park after hours and then it went from there. If you saw Farrier's earlier TICKLED you know that any story he has to tell doesn’t go remotely as expected and that’s the case here. The twists and turns will knot your stomach as Organ digs deeper and deeper intoFarrier's life in order to ruin it because he can.

This film scared me more than any horror film of the last five years because what happened here could happen anywhere. There are dozens of Michael Organ’s out there looking to get sick thrills out of people’s pain.

If you notice that I’m not telling you anything about what happens and that’s intentional. I want you to see the film as I did, knowing as little as possible. I want you to get punched in the face and kicked in the gut as this just goes weirder and weirder.

This is a real life nightmare.

I can’t recommend this enough.

If you are up for it this is a must see.

Zombie Meteor (2022) Fantastic Fest

 

Zombie Meteor is a film I sure hope this leads into something bigger. A resetting of the zombie myth it is a blast and a half.

The film is the story of a space station in orbit around earth. Suddenly a spacewalk is interrupted by the appearance of a zombie in space. Where it goes from there is the film and it’s an absolute blast and a half.

Opening up all sorts of new directions for the over used zombie trope to go. I had a blast. I love that it doesn’t do what we expect. The plotting is excellent. I want to see what happens next.

A glorious little gem.

Give me more.

Recommended

Antares Paradox (2022) Fantastic Fest 2022

A woman working on the Spanish version on SETI (the search or extraterrestrial life) discovers a possible signal at the same time all hell breaks loose around her.

This is not a science fiction film. Yes t has elements of it, but this is really a character study of one woman dealing with crisis from every corner all at the same time. 

While I really like THE ANTARES PARADOX, I really dislike the the plotting. There is too much going on - the project is going to be ending because of budget cuts, her life is a mess, there is a major storm hitting her location threatening to shut everything down, she needs  more time with a telescope when her discovery happens but she has to beg and plead to get more, her batteries are dying and on top of that her father is dying and she must decide whether to leave or stay. Its way way too much for a year of a soap opera never mind a 90 minute movie. 

Thankfully this is an excellent showcase for Andrea Trepet who holds the screen from start to finish as she has to deal with a series of life changing choices at a critical moment. We watch the film because we like her, even when we are groaning at the ever increasingly silly plot twists.

Worth a look for Andrea Trepet

Vesper (2022) plays today at Fantastic Fest and everywhere Friday

One of the truly great looking science fiction films ever made VESPER is also a perfect example of world building. As dystopian as the world is this is a film you will want to slip into and disappear.

The plot of the film is set in the not to distant future when humans have effectively destroyed the world. Genetic manipulation and climate change has wrecked the world. Plant based food is non existent, or really close,  animals are a distant thought. The "rich and powerful" live in citadels where the get their way by selling seeds to those outside which can only be used once. A young girl named Vesper, who is trying to come up with a way of growing food, is pressed into action when one of the rich crash lands near her home. She has something that may save mankind, however forces closer to home want to stop her.

Yes the plot is something we've kind of seen before, however co-directors  Kristina Buozyte and Bruno Samper who co-scripted with Brian Clark, have created a film that transcends the typical. Creating a world that is unlike anything we have seen before, even though we know it is, they have made a film that hooks us on any number of levels. Emotionally this is a film with great characters and great action. Intellectually this is a film that raises all sorts of questions. Yes, the big questions of what are we doing to the planet and each other, but also the small we questions like who can we trust and when is it time to step up. I was full invested.

I love that this film feels like it was filmed in some place real, Watching the film I had the sense that I was someplace I had never been before. The whole thing felt real and lived in. There was never a sense of dress up. The feeling it's all fake and dress up time is something that haunts most films these days. Blame it on the over use of CGI which is doesn't seem to have been over used here.

This is a grand adventure in a grand world. Highly recommended.

Its so good I have to echo the thoughts of Liz Whittemore who insisted I see this film, adding "when was the last time you saw a stand alone film that made you want to see continue on in a whole series?"

Solomon King (1974) Fantastic Fest 2022

This 1974 action film was made in the wake of SHAFT, SUPER FLY and similar films. Set primarily in and around Oakland it is a time capsule of the city at the time.  It was made by star  Sal Watts who wrote directed and starred in the film using the locations he owned as backdrops. It’s a low budget that has been recently restored by Deaf Crocodile from the best available elements.

When Solomon King’s Princess girlfriend is killed in a political assassination, he takes steps to hunt down the men who were behind it.

As long time readers of Unseen Films know I love films like this a great deal and I had a good time watching it. I love the sense of place and a one of kind vision of action filmmaking. Yes the performances are all over the place and the action scenes cross over into comedy, but the film is still a lot of fun. This is a film best seen at a film festival where you can be in a room full of like-minded forgiving people.

I have to say that the current restoration of the film runs about 85 minutes.  This is  25 minutes or so shorter than the run time that is listed across the internet at IMDB and elsewhere. I mention this  because watching the film in its current form it is clear material is missing. I know we are warned at the start  of there are problems with the film but I still had issues with the film. I’m not sure whether to blame the filmmakers or time taking it's toll on surviving prints

Trims aside this is an okay film that’s worth your time especially if you can see it with friends.

Liz Whittemore on ANTARAES PARADOX (2022) Fantastic Fest 2022

Fantastic Fest 2022 feature from Luis Tinoco, The Antares Paradox, brings together science, space, and knowledge enthusiasts. The plot revolves around Alexandria as she works the late shift at a radio telescope lab. With a gravely ill father, an absent co-worker, a bitter sister, and the storm of the year swirling around outside, a strong signal begins transmitting to her antenna. With only two hours to confirm 20 years of research, Alex must race against the clock, the weather, other scientists who eschew her work, and her conscience.

Leading lady Andrea Trepat captures your attention from the very beginning. She has the task of carrying this film on her shoulders, as other actors appear only via video call or voice. She nails it. Anyone with a loved one who works unconventional hours understands the emotional complexity of ambition. It often comes at a great sacrifice of relationships. It is the risk we take in search of an unknown reward. In The Antares Paradox, Alex dreams of proving there is life beyond our universe. Her father understood this, even if no one else ever did.

Writer-director Luis Tinoco worked extensively with José Luis Crespo (Quantum Fracture), a YouTuber and science communicator with millions of followers. The script, while technical, is laid out concisely and understandably for all audiences. The entire film takes place in one location. The film's sumptuous score from Arnau Bataller is perfect.

Between family, faith, and space, Tinoco's script challenges our morality and keeps us intrigued with wonder. It is a gorgeous entry that will leave audiences spellbound."

Razzennest (2022) Fantastic Fest 2022 Burnt Ends

 

This spoof of commentary tracks and art film pretensions is a five minute sketch dragged out to 81.

The idea is that an ill prepared moderator talks to a pretentious director and his crew while we watch his film which is made up of shots of buildings and nature. Names are mispronounced. Referential jokes are made about films and Broadway (A Hamilton one is groaner). The voice acting is done in a loud forced broad style that suggest inexperience at acting.

This is one of the worst films of the year and certain to be on the replay list in hell.

The problems with the film are many. 

Having mentioned the voice acting I’ll continue by saying the problem is that the commentary is not like any sort of commentary track you would ever hear. I know it’s supposed to be a spoof, but spoofs work best when you keep things close to the way things are, but having someone so ill prepared from the start would never happen.   While I could see, and have seen, something like that at a festival, it would never be something on a commentary track because no film company would dare put it out. Yes I know it’s supposed to be a commend, but it’s not really funny.

Another problem with the film is that the filmmakers really don’t seem to understand what films like this are. Yes the visual part of the film is close to any number of the hundreds of similar films that have played in the experimental or Avant Garde  sections of festivals like New York (actually as an assemblage of image it’s actually really good) however the pretensions that the pretend director imbues the film with are unlike anything that I’ve ever run across. In the half century I’ve spent watching films I’ve never seen an actual discussion like occurs in this film. Yes they are sending up pretentious filmmakers but they are doing so in a way that Hollywood does in throw away gags.  I’ve spent the last decade plus seeing bad art films and talking to pretentious directors and I’ve never seen anyone be this over the top pretentious. As I said this is so over the top as to only work as a throw away. Frankly Roger Debris in The Producers is a better representation of real pomposity.

I think  all the jokes are not funny. A collection of half thought out maybe funny in a vacuum  japes, they never land. I sat there listening and not reacting other than to groan at a riff that was just bad or to check my watch to see when this was over.

And what absolutely kills the film is that   Mystery Science 3000, Riff Trax and The Mads exist. For decades  and decades the group of movie riffers that spun off from MST3K have been deflating cinema pomposity with seeming ease.  They have taken down films of every sort – including films of the sort that this film is attempting spoof  - and made them funny. They are so good at it that that very few people have managed to riff/spoof with any success.  There is a reason that there is a niche around them and not really anywhere else.  Knowing that MST3K and there extended family exist and are doing this sort of thing for real we are left to wonder why we should bother with a bad imitation of a riff of a fake film? I have no answer 

Everyone WIll Burn (2021) Fantastic Fest 2022

A woman about to kill herself by jumping off a bridge is stopped by a strange little girl. Taking the little girl home with her they are stopped by the police who don’t like the woman’s answers and attempt to arrest her. The little girl causes one officer to kill the other before he bursts into flames. And suddenly and genuinely shocking clear we are not in Kansas anymore. We are in a small town in Spain where the outsiders are bullied  and pushed to the point of suicide. However things are about to change.

From the first frame this is not a film that does what we expect. Sure it looks kind of familiar but director David Hebrero bends things in ways we never expect.

This film is disturbing. It’s not just the violence but the cruelty of everyone. People are cruel to each other in ways that are shocking. We may live in a world where people are mean to each other, especially on social media.  Add to that the dark  supernatural forces at work and we are in a world that looks like our but is toxic to the touch.

I loved this movie. I watched the opening sequences and instantly that I had to let people know that they had to cover the film at Fantastic Fest or wherever the film plays.  

I should say that I don’t think you will be scared by the film, rather deeply disturbed. This film left me bothered  for hours after this ended. I even had to put something on when I went to bed just to distract me from thinking about it  as I drifted off to sleep.

You really should see this film.

Recommended

NIGHTSIREN (2022) Fantastic Fest

A woman returns home after many years after the death of her mother. The towns folk don’t know what to make of her and are wary of her after she takes up residence in the abandoned home of the local witch.

Nominally this is supposed to be a film about witches and things that go bump in the night. The reality is that this is less horror film than a look at superstition and how our pasts affect us and the choices we made.  This is more a drama with a supernatural tinge and we are so much better for it.

NIGHTSIRENS is one of the great surprises of the 2022 film year. It’s a “genre” film that really isn’t, even if it hits all the marks. It’s a wonderful character study of a young woman haunted by her past. It is also a killer thriller from literally the first minute when something happens that makes you sit up and go “hello”. It was at that moment I had to see where the film was going because it was clear that nothing was off the table.

I love this film.

What I love about this film is that it has a great deal going on. Its film that has a great deal on its mind. It’s a look at life in a backwoods town, a look at a the male female dynamic, a look at motherhood (and the loss of it), at superstition, and how we view all of that.  Several weeks on and numerous discussions I’m still turning the film over in my mind and still trying to sell the film to anyone who is willing to  listen to me talk about its wonders.

This film is a must.

Fantastic Fest starts Thursday

The great Fantastic Fest starts this week and Unseen Films is going to have coverage up through the fest.

One of the most important genre festivals of the year it’s the place to see great horror, scifi, action and fantasy films from around the globe.  It’s the place to see many of the films that will be blockbusters over the next year before everyone else. Need proof, BLACK PHONE started here last year before it blew it all up at the box office.

I can’t wait to dive in and start to see what goodies they are screening.

Well actually I have seen a good number of their films already so if you want to get a check out my thoughts on some of their films click on the titles below and see what out thoughts were:

Liz Whittemore on ATTACHMENT

CHOP AND STEELE

COUNTRY GOLD

DEMIGOD

Liz Whittemore on FAMILY DINNER

HUESERA

LEONORA WILL NEVER DIE

LYNCH/OZ

MISSING

ONE AND FOUR

SHIN ULTRAMAN

SOMETHING IN THE DIRT

SWALLOWED

UNIDENTIFIED OBJECTS

WE MIGHT AS WELL BE DEAD

WOUNDED FAWN

I’ve also seen a few others and will have reviews closer to screening. (Though my review of BONES AND ALL, DECISION TO LEAVE and TRIANGLE OF SADNESS have to wait until they play the New York Film Festival)

I suggest you keep an eye out for NIGHTSIREN which is nominally a horror film but is really a look at superstition in small communities in the modern world. It kicked be in the chest.

I also highly recommend VESPER. The story of a young girl trying to help bring back the plants in a world where the ecology has been wiped out by Man’s interference. It’s the first film in years that you’ll want a sequel to because you both want to see what’s next and because you want to return to the world it presents.

More reports are coming so keep reading.

For more information and tickets go here