Hey folks, Harry here with Augustus Gloop and his take on yet another wonderful day here at Fantastic fest... Wish you were here!
------------------------- Gatchaman: The Battle of the Planets (Panel) ------------------------- When I was just a wee lad of 5 or 6, I had no more favorite show than G-Force I used to run around the playground with my coat tied around my neck pretending I was on the team, chasing bad guys. Now, it's almost 30 years later, and I hadn't seen an episode in decades. I can't remember any of the plots or stories from my childhood, but I thought this would be worth checking out. ADV Films is an outfit based in Houston that is responsible for bringing a lot of anime to the US (in fact, they're #1). A team led by Charles Campbell has just finished a nearly 2-year process redubbing the entire series, including over 20 episodes that were never released in the US. For this panel, they presented three episodes and discussed the process of bringing the series back to the US in its original form. I didn't know it 25 years ago, but what I was watching was completely watered-down and sanitized. ADV has attempted to reproduce the original dialog, complete with minor cursing, less than you might hear on South Park, but mildly shocking to hear a character exclaim "What the hell..." Individually, the episodes are definitely paced and scripted to appeal to the sub-teen crowd, but I believe with the series completed, there is a larger story-arc that is more interesting to 30-somethings like me that feel nostalgic for their childhood. The voice acting is excellent, enough that I felt I recognized voices from watching the show as a kid, even though I knew they had just been recorded. I believe this was because they labored to match the voice and tone of the original Japanese actors, and in fact, the DVDs will include footage from the voice auditions where the actors are speaking lines along with the Japanese dialog at the same time. The animation is all original, and it turns out the music was recorded with no voice, so they were free to write lyrics for some episodes and sing along to the 197x-recorded grooves. Recommended for people who loved the show as a kid enough to be nostalgic. ------------------------- Starfish Hotel ------------------------- Wow. I really didn't expect to like this one, as I've had mixed feelings about 'Japanese supernatural tales'. I wrote a very negative review last year of 'Pulse', which bored me nearly to the point of trying to put a soda straw in one eye, behind the bridge of my nose, and out the other. Starfish Hotel, however was NOT boring. My thought as I was watching, was that this is what it might look like if David Lynch were born Japanese and decided to make Donnie Darko, except from the point of view of Frank. Of course, I hadn't paid enough attention to see this was directed by John Williams, a British director. Starfish Hotel manages to keep your attention throughout, and like a good mystery, gives you just enough clues to have a possible chance at figuring out what's going on, even though you really won't know what's going on until the end. That's due in large part to constantly shifting between the present and the past, without any indication exactly when a particular scene is happening. If you were watching events in order, it would be a simple, even boring story. With these cuts, however, you're as out of sorts as the subject. Another large mystery is the identity of the rabbit, 'Mr Trickster'. Is he a figment of the subject's unconscious mind? Is he just a man in a rabbit suit, or is he some kind of demon incarnate. How much of the film takes place in a dream and how much in the real world is never fully resolved. Though the story is wrapped up neatly, it happens in a series of endings. Just as an aspect of the mystery is explained, the scene comes to a close and cuts to black. You find yourself thinking that's the end, but before you can realize there were still loose ends, a new scene begins explaining another piece of the puzzle and likewise ending at a point where the movie could just stop, leaving the viewer satisfied only to be followed by another ending. This is repeated enough times that when it actually does come to a close, you're holding your breath to see if the credits roll. I found it a somewhat anti-climactic treatment, but highly effective at maintaining the upset in balance that the film worked so hard to create in the beginning. I believe this film will appeal to a variety of filmgoers, including the David Lynch crowd, those who are into heavy mysteries, those who like Japanese ghost stories, and of course, Donnie Darko fans. Not recommended for someone who likes to be in control of the film he's watching. ------------------------- Simon Says ------------------------- I was really surprised to hear one or two people didn't like this, but gratified to know their reasons seem to be based more on judging the intent of the producers rather than the finished product. I don't typically enjoy slasher films. In fact, I try to avoid them, but I was drawn to this one for the chance to see Crispin Glover playing two roles at once. With his performances in "Willard" and "Drop Dead Sexy", I've come to expect interesting, scary, insane characters. Simon Says did not disappoint. Made on a shoestring budget, but looking like a million bucks, (well, actually, it cost about a million bucks to make, so it really looks more like 8 million bucks) Simon Says is largely a vehicle for Glover's characters to kill as brutally as possible, without apology or hesitation, every single person they encounter. It's a slasher flick, so you have the 5 college kids in a hand-painted van (seriously,I kept waiting to see Scooby pop up and ask for a Scooby snack), one's a jock, one's a stoner, etc. There is no question they're all gonna die. In fact, the only way the film dragged was that it took just a little bit too long for them to start dying. You're treated to a good 30 minutes of whiny, bitchy coeds before Simon gets to work. Once it begins, however, it's non-stop, and there's almost as much fun in watching his unusual methods as there is in watching Crispin Glover attack this role. It's a gore-fest, and that's usually enough to keep me away, but the look is fake enough to let you relax and enjoy it for what it is. For me, this was as fun as Evil Dead 2, and I think if it is picked up and publicized, it could be a very big hit. ------------------------- Frostbite ------------------------- One of my good friends says there are no good vampire movies. She used to be right. Sweden's first vampire film, Frostbite was an astounding success. Everyone who has seen this one has very strongly recommended it. Frostbite was more than just 'Ice Vampires', it featured a novel way for vampires to spread the blood, along with a not-so-subtle anti drug message. The only complaint anyone could make was that the story was taking place in the area near the arctic circle, where night lasts three months, but the entire story takes place over one evening. This is a minor issue for me, as it is left open as something that can be featured in a sequel. Horroris a ticky subject for me, because after you grow up and reach a point where movies just ain't scare you anymore, where you can simply tell yourself it's JUST a movie, then you become jaded to what horror has to offer. Either it attempts to be serious, in which case it tries to scare you and fails or tries too hard and simply turns your tomach. Or, a good horror flick will have a somewhat lighter tone, something that allows for a chuckle once in a while to relieve the tension. Frostbite falls into the second category, using a few gimmicks such as a character dealing with the slow transformation into a vampire as a way to let the audience laugh, and laugh, and laugh. If a film tries to take itself too seriously, disaster will result, but Frostbite strikes a perfect balance between a serious vampire/science-fiction film and lighthearted comedy, featuring spoofs on several other popular films, including The Matrix. -Augustus Gloop
