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Canadian speed metal legends Exciter delivered a set of heavy hitters at Montreal’s Foufounes Electriques  on July 8. The date kicked off a Canadian east coast tour, which saw the group take the stage in Quebec City, Toronto, and a few other places – wrapping up in St. John’s, Newfoundland, at the end of the month.

The Montreal date of the tour saw a number of opening acts take the stage before Exciter. These included hometown heroes Ashes of Eden, Mutank, and Ottawa’s Infrared. The opening lineup was fitting for the night but also offered a fair variety to the audience, Ashes of Eden playing a more melodic style while Mutank and Infrared played heavier, chuggier thrash metal.

After a lot of anticipation, Exciter took the stage, as the crowd clapped and screamed out loud. Much of the audience’s enthusiasm that night undoubtedly came out of respect for the headlining act, as Exciter were one of the staple early ‘80s metal bands in Canada during the genre’s cultural explosion. Their 1983 debut Heavy Metal Maniac still holds up against other heavy-hitting albums of the era, and stands as a beloved record within the metal community today, nearly 40 years after its release. This feat on its own is impressive, but the fact that Exciter are Canadian just makes it that much more special for listeners across the country.

Exciter have also managed to keep the majority of their classic lineup. Vocalist/drummer Dan Beehler as well as bassist Allan Johnson continue to take the stage, both members present on the band’s classic records from the 1980s. Guitarist John Ricci however, who wrote many of the band’s staple songs, is now replaced with Daniel Dekay of Diemonds and BangerTV fame. Although Beehler and Johnson still offer plenty of energy on-stage given how many years they’ve been in the business, the younger Dekay brought a fun and eclectic vibe to the band’s set.

The Canadian legends played a setlist tailored to fans of their old-school material. Speed metal anthems like “Iron Dogs,” “Pounding Metal,” and “Stand Up and Fight” were dished out to the audience in a blazing fury. Of course, the highlight of the night was “Heavy Metal Maniac,” the band’s staple song.

All in all, whether you’re looking to see a classic band from metal’s heyday perform, or you’re just a fan of metal music in general, Exciter are not a band to miss out on. Their songs are top-notch and they’re still delivering them with energy well deserving of your concert ticket. While their Canadian east coast tour has come to a close, keep an eye out for new dates and make sure to check out some of their classic records like Heavy Metal Maniac and Violence and Force if you haven’t already!

Hunter co-hosts The Iron Club, your weekly guide to the dark and mysterious realm of underground metal, which airs every Sunday from 9:00 - 11:00 p.m.

It’s been a good two years since the Fantasia Film Festival had the opportunity to showcase the premier genre film festival to an audience on the big screen, having a limited opportunity last year with the gradual reopening of the theaters. I had some time to catch some theater screenings that played well with the audience, which only proves that the audience is the heart and core of the festival. It was also great to see some familiar faces and audience members who haven’t seen each other in a while due to the pandemic. Despite the fact that there are still concerns of the pandemic, there is still the same familiarity of the festival that audience members feel and love.

My most pressing viewings are always getting as many films in from the Documentary From The Edge section in as possible. I don’t think I will be able to get all the films in, however I was able to catch up with a screening of A Life on The Farm from director Oscar Harding. The film centers around Charles Carson and his home video films he created all about his life on Coombe End Farm. Right away there is an eccentricity to Charles who seems like a larger than life character that never got famous, shares details on his farm life to helping with calf births, his own designed farming inventions and family members who are dead that are featured as corpses in the film in his own form of grieving. Not for everyone given Charle’s eccentricities, however the documentary is a deep dive into the humanity of one man’s life and how he was a pioneer when it came to creating movies on VHS that would later find his own cult following and celebrity status posthumously. 

For my first in-person experience alongside a Fantasia audience I decided to watch a film from Belgium: Employee of The Month (L’Employée du Mois) from director Véronique Jadin. It is a dark comedy in the similar vein of The Office, if the episode never got aired due to graphic nature. The film, however, delves deep in the topic of feminism in the workplace environment and how the female characters empower themselves sometimes in some uncanny ways when everybody doesn’t want to give them the opportunity to succeed. What surprised me the most was the film's the ability to switch to an emotionally profound moment among the film's humorous moments. This film played well with the Fantasia audience and I would see this film playing well with all audiences that enjoy The Office. 

Sissy is an Austrian dark comedy horror film from directors Hannah Barlow and Kanye Senses. Cecelia is an influencer on instagram with a massive following, and runs into her best friend from elementary school Emma at a pharmacy. The two reconnect, leading Cecelia to be invited to Emma’s bachelorette party. Things are better for Cecelia; she is stronger and more self aware when in control of her actions. The bachelorette party turns into a nightmare from hell for Cecelia who is confronted by her high school bully Alex, who used to call her Sissy, and is Emma’s best friend. Cecelia tries to let bygones be bygones, reminding everyone that her name is not "Sissy" but "Cecelia." However the weekend brings out the worst and leads Cecelia on a path of writing those who have wronged her, so you better stay out of her path. Kenneth Lampl score for Sissy is bubbly and light as influencers would love in a similar vein of Michael Giachino’s score for Pixar films. Where Sissy finds it stride is always blurring the lines of sympathizing with Cecelia’s quest for writing the wrongs at all cost, despite her good will nature as an influencer as the camera work puts you uneasy with some upside-down reverse shots. 

Where The Witch Lives is a short feature from director Mariel Sharp that premiered right before, Dark Water (review coming for week 2). After moving to an old isolated house alongside her new single mother and little sister, Cassie must come to terms with the ominous presence of the river witch that dictates her life alongside her single mother who must appease the river witch. However when Cassie starts asking questions and tries to uncover what happened to her other mother, Mommy Heather, things start to get a little more suspenseful. Overall, the film is a really well developed short feature from Mariel Sharp about the control of one mother over the paternal mother. The score from Strange Familiar sets up the emotional tones of the film alongside the film's clever use of sound design. As well, it should be noted that the film makes great use of natural lighting to create atmosphere, sometimes shooting around dusk. 

A switch in pace from a film screening, I decided to attend a panel discussion all about the film industry and the climate crisis, Stop F*%#king up the Planet: Concrete Steps the Film Industry Can Take To Reduce Our Carbon and Waste Footprint. The panel couldn't have been more timely, as some of the worst heatwaves are plaguing Europe presently, as well as the rest of the world. The panel of guests included Elza Kephart (Director of Slaxx), Dr Heather Short (PhD Earth Sciences and Climate Science Educator), Annie Contant (a representative of Rolling Green “On tourne vert”), Anne-Catherine Lebeau (Representative of Éco Scéno) and Barbra Shrier (Producer). The discussion was informative and had some practical information on how the film industry can change their ways for the better when it comes to solving the climate crisis. Upon exiting, I still pondered how many CO2 emotions have been emitted from the Fast and The Furious franchise alone that is heading for its 10th film. 

All in all it was a good week at the movies, and a good start to Fantasia. I even got a chance to catch up with Thor: Love & Thunder, an underwhelming film from Marvel that seemed to only get the license from Guns N' Roses music. (Side-note: there needs to be more Thor with the Guardians Of The Galaxy, because those moments were the best). I also had the chance to see the Arrow film distribution table that had a great selection of films for sale. I cannot wait for week 2. For now enjoy the festival, say hello to the CJLO DJ’s at the Hall Theater and as always, bon cinéma! 

It’s been a good two years since the full return to an in-person experience at the Fantasia Film Festival, with a few in-person events last year. Speaking from the past five years of experience, Fantasia with a full audience is the best possible way to enjoy the festival with everything that makes it special, including CJLO DJ’s and meowing cat noises. For the newcomers, the Fantasia Film festival is a premiere genre film festival that finds its own niche audience and runs from July 14 to August 3 with its central location being around the Concordia SGW campus, downtown area. Nothing beats the air conditioned hall theater at Concordia’s SWG Campus on a hot and muggy July day as you're being entertained with a film for two hours more or less. 

Remi Caron's Fantasia picks:

The Festival kicks off July 14 with their opening film Polaris, a film from director KC Carthew, that describes itself as a Sci-Fi Eco-Adventure about a girl named Sumi and her adoptive polar bear mother who live in a snowy, post-apocalyptic world, having to battle a group of nomadic warriors. Once they are separated by these warriors, Sumi must use her magical powers to survive and make it to the North Star, Polaris. On August 3 the closing film will be the Cannes sensation from South Korea, Next Soshee from director July Jung; a drama about a girl named Soshee that works at an abusive telemarketing office that later takes a turn into a detective drama once something happens to Soshee. However, another highlight for the closing night of the festival would be the A24 slasher horror film Bodies, Bodies, Bodies from director Halina Reijn starring SNL alum Pete Davidson. 

I always like to start off the festival circuit by exploring the films in the Documentaries From The Edge section. Director Alexandre O. Philippe is a film historian when it comes to documentaries about the subjects of film. His next project at this years Fantasia festival, Lynch/Oz, takes a look at the parallel connection between David Lynch’s film Wild at Heart and Victor Fleming's The Wizard of Oz. Musical documentaries are also a big festival favourite. This year there is Sirens from director RIta Baghdadi focusing on the Middle-East’s first all female metal band, Slave to Sirens from Lebanon. 

Nothing says A24 Vibes more than the Camera Lucida section at this year's festival. If you are looking for more of a sonic and visual sensory experience to your films, the two that immediately stick out to me are Harper’s Comet from director Tyler Taormina and Topology of Sirens from director Jonathan Davies. On the international front you have the debut horror film Chorokbam from South Korean director Yoon Seo-Jin and from Japan, Just Remember directed by Daigo Matsui; a COVID romance spanning six years told in non-chronological order. 

Looking further down at the Selections 2022 of the festival besides the aforementioned Bodies, Bodies, Bodies some more of the highlights include one of the masters of horror cinema, Dario Argento returning with his new film Dark Glasses, a film about a sex worker who’s blind and under siege by a psychopath. There’s also the horror/thriller from director Andrew Semans, Resurrection, starring Rebecca Hall and Tim Roth which critics are calling career defining performances. Fantasia Festival favourite director Mickey Reece is back this year with his new film, Country Gold. 

Spotlights at this year’s festival include House of Psychotic Women: 10th Anniversary from director Kier-La Janisse, Korean Animation Spotlight and Spotlight on Queer Genre Cinema. There are the films that are on an official jury competition to win a special award in the Cheval Noir section, the animation section Axis, bold independent and filmmakers who are the staple of Fantasia Underground and past Fantasia gems that are highlighted in Fantasia Retro. Québec films are highlighted in Les Fantastiques Week-Eds Du Cinéma Québécois & Genres Du Pays and Canadian films are highlighted in the Septentrion Shadows section. Not to be missed is the Fantasia staple  DJ XL5’s Ultimate Zappin’ Party and as well Artist Talk: John Woo who is this year’s recipient of 2022 Fantasia Career Achievement Award. For the kids friendly fair, check out My First Fantasia. 

Dany Aubry's Fantasia picks:

To my great delight I have once again been provided with the honour and the privilege of attending the Fantasia Film festival. Unlike the last two summers, this summer I'll be downtown in the presence of my Fantasia family to hear them imitate the cat's meow, which I deeply missed. For the time being, there are just three films that really stand out to me, reflect what's going on in the world today.

What to do with the Dead Kaiju? is a comedy from Japan, directed by Satoshi Miki about a late monster known as a Kaiju which had humanity living in fear. However, the dead body of the monster decays in a way that can potentially explode, therefore once again putting humanity in jeopardy. It is then left up to one man to prevent the explosion from occurring. What interests me about this film is that it isn't any ordinary monster movie, it is a monster movie spoof which looked very funny to me. Within the trailer, the characters express themselves comically, therefore I feel this movie has the potential to lift the spirits of those who are feeling sad or depressed.

Whether the Weather is Fine is a  Drama from the Philippines, directed by Carlo Francisco Manatad. After a mother and son endure and survive the devastation of Typhoon Haiyan, their struggle for survival continues as they embark on a quest to search for their loved ones. As I watched the trailer for this film, I felt that the acting within it looked very promising, and outlined how important it is to not take what you have in your life for granted.

The Fifth Thoracic Vertebrae is a fantasy-horror film from South Korea directed by Syeyoung Park about mold that was found on the bed of a couple who split up and grows into a creature that steals people's vertebrae. Within the film trailer, I felt that the special effects looked very neat, and the sound score appeared to suit the mood of what was occurring within the scenes.

Although What to do with the Dead Kaiju? is indeed a comedy film, it somehow reflects what's going on in the world today in the respect that we oftentimes feel that we are just going from one crisis to another which puts us in a perpetual state of "fight or flight" mode. Whether the Weather is Fine is a painful reminder of how sad it was to be separated from our loved ones during the pandemic lockdowns. The Fifth Thoracic Vertebrae is a good example of how in this day and age, science fiction is increasingly becoming acknowledged as science fact.

Remi and Dany Host At The Movies every Tuesday morning from 8-9 AM only on CJLO 1690 AM. They will be covering the Fantasia Film Festival weekly on the CJLO online Magazine.  

Not everyone is lucky enough of having a workplace that’s at least a smidgen enjoyable, as evidenced in The Malicious Basement Theatre Company’s What About Albert?, written by Xander Chung. The plot follows a day in the shift of two part-time workers, a grill sergeant named Pod (Jordan Prentice) and fry cook named Pick (Fanny Dvorkin), in the hell-scape of the fast food chain they work at. Pod is the quirky but insolent worker who sees the meaninglessness of what he believes is a crummy part time job and constantly expresses his resentment towards management while Pick on the other hand, foils Pod; obedient to the bureaucracy of the workplace and worships the manager even when they’re not physically present.

The show’s description states it’s a “Godot inspired fever dream”, however, Jean-Luc Godard is who immediately came to mind while watching; the play feeling profusely influenced from the French new wave genre. In the post-war world of the late '50s, French new wave directors felt that cinema at the time was lacking in humanity and depth, so they decided to forego all the normative film conventions by focusing on the mundanity of life as a form of resistance, but also as a mirror of the underlying emptiness and despair within society. This skepticism also permeated within the philosophies that are entrenched in French new wave films, such as existentialism. The use of colour is also a notable convention of Godard’s films, utilizing vibrant primary colors to contrast said mundanity of life. In What About Albert? Chung specifies the use of color a little more intricately; the only pops of color being the bright yellow and red uniform Pick and Pod wear or the red food wrappers that blanket the floor against the grey monotony of the rest of the setting.

It’s the play’s absurdity that makes it an effective 21^st century interpretation of a Godard film. Absurdity works as a double-entendre in the play, as the word denotes a branch of existentialism that expresses the tension of life being meaningless as it cannot be backed by rational thought, as well as denoting a type of surreal humour. Scholars argue that we have moved from postmodern times, to metamodern times; a combination of modernism’s stride for authenticity and meaning, melded with postmodernism’s cynicism that believes the strive is fated. And through the metamodern lens, absurdist humour seems like the perfect coping mechanism. The play’s premise recognizes Pick and Pod’s Absurd circumstances, their story trudging on but albeit with a humour that assuages their existential qualms.

Absurdity manifests ubiquitously in the play, from characterization, setting, dialogue and even movement. Take the clownish face-paint that Pick and Pod don. Against the base of white face-paint, Pick has frowned eyelids and eyebrows while Pod has sunken red eyelids.  I couldn’t tell if their clownish face paint was a part of their uniform or a meta, non-diegetic insert meant to satirize the folly of their condition—of most people’s condition. Ensuing with absurd motifs was the workplace telephone: everyone fears the moment it’ll ring as someone will have to be the one answer it but in the play, the telephone prop used was a kiddie phone; an example of the subtle yet evocative comedy of Chung’s play. Or the clock, for instance. Instead of a ticking, real clock, in the play it was transformed into a  yellow, cardboard cut-out, with hyperbolic arms that didn’t move once; signifying the seemingly never-ending time that Pod hopes will quickly pass. Even Pick and Pod's movements were exaggerated, and watching them move about felt like watching a stop-motion, Tim Burton film come to life; the grimly undertones fitting for the underlying horror of the Absurd.

But when the clock does eventually tick, and Pick tells Pod, “that’s it, you’re done [your shift],” the play’s comedy only fades to being solely nightmarish. Everything on the set gradually disappears as Pod is left to speaking out into the void, of what’s become of him; of what his life really means when he isn’t a grill sergeant. Pod is made to descend into delirium, and he becomes exactly how Pick was at the beginning of the play: obedient to the workplace, and perceiving his uniform as an inseparable constituent of his identity. The lights then slowly dim on him.

While everyone feels the meaninglessness of life dawn from time to time, I appreciated how the play spoke about the facticity of working class circumstances, from a genuine place. The contrived absurdity of the play did not detract from the play’s overall heart.

Although Montreal's Fringe Festival sadly comes to an end until next year, you can keep up with what The Malicious Basement Theatre Company is up to here!