At the Movies Fantasia Recap - Week Two!

Remi Long Run

This three-week period is already taken it's toll on me as I struggle to gain every morsel of relaxation and shut eye. However, I enter the Fantasia marathon this week (Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday) and hope to get in two or three films per day. What can I say to myself as I find my inter movie geek strength. Chin up Scotty! You're going to get beamed into the world of Fantasia.

I started my Monday by watching Red Christmas, which I am sure will be the next feel-good Christmas movie. The plot revolves around a dysfunctional family's Christmas party. You have all the types of characters from the right wing Evangelical Christians, to the stoner pothead uncle. There are strong pro and anti abortion themes, as the second half of the film turns into a splatterfest of gruesome character deaths. So far this is my favourite splatterfest at Fantasia that keeps up with a good liner plot. It would not be Fantasia without a good splatterfest. If you are looking to add some diversity toy your list of Christmas movies check this one out. All the bleakness of It's A Wonderful Life, however the joyful ending is replaced with gruesome character deaths.

Americana was the second feature on Monday. It held my interest with its rich cinematography and innovated score. The pot is about a recovering alcoholic that must confront all of his daemons and come to terms that he might have caused the death of his sister. The film is eye candy but the plot is a jumbled mess that left me feeling puzzled and apathetic.

After the splatterfest and the depressing tale about the alcoholic, I decided to lighten the mood by viewing Slash, a comedy about the subculture of erotica Fan Fiction. This has to be one of my favourite small gems of the festival. It has both the genuine laughs and emotions, that my emotions were transformed as I exited the screening. They were both bitter-sweet as I related to the notions of being an outsider in culture, like the two protagonists.

On Tuesday morning before a day of screeners, I meet up with Danny (At the Movies) as we went over a game plan for the marathon. Let me say that my alarm was a brutal wake up call due to getting in past midnight the night before. Danny and I worked out a game plan for my next day and Danny's next two days at the festival circuit.

We were both lucky to catch a showing of Adam Nimoy's documentary For the Love of Spock. The documentary not only relates to the fans of the character, but also shows the humanistic caring and compassionate human being, the late Leonard Nimoy. There have been some critics using the refrains of calling the documentary too sappy or glossing over Mr. Nimoy's problems. I feel that Adam Nimoy got to do what he intended to do, by focussing on the human behind the character.

The second viewing of the day was Demon, a dark comedy from Poland. The plot revolves around a man on his wedding day that becomes possessed by the spirit of a dead Jewish girl. Dark hilarity ensues as the drinking never stops. The film has an eclectic bunch of vibrant characters that you may encounter at a wedding.

Wednesday started out with If Cats Disappeared from the World, a drama from Japan recommended to me by DJ Satty (Shibuya Crossing). It is one of those generic sappy films with the same sad piano tone being played every chance it gets, it's also plagued by theological questions to try to get the audience to do some deep thinking. Realive was an science fiction film about a human who becomes human after cryogenically frozen. The concept of the film works, however like every science fiction it encompasses a human element of a love story, which does not work well with this film.

 

--All of what is new and out! Join Remi and Danny for At the Movies (with Iconic Sounds), every Tuesday at 8AM, only on CJLO 1690AM.