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So now that you’ve read my coverage of the three films you should not miss, what else should you be penciling in to your schedule? Here’s another smattering of greatness coming to you this week.
I Think We’re Alone Now (USA, 2008)
Wow. Just wow. Easily my favorite of the Fantastic Fest Online features, this is something you either need to block time off now to watch or try to catch with an audience this weekend. It is a documentary about two lonely souls, two damaged but caring people, each dealt a terrible hand in life and trying to make the best of it. What else do they have in common? They are both truly, madly and deeply in love with the same woman. Tiffany. Yes. THAT Tiffany. Mall Tiffany. Debbie Gibson rival Tiffany. I Think We’re Alone Now Tiffany.
And yes, this movie gets pretty damned uncomfortable. It’s shocking enough to find out that Tiffany still performs and makes public appearances of all sort and kind. But once you learn the intimate details of the two people deranged and deluded enough to stalk her in hopes of winning her love…well you will simply be swept away by it all. You can’t believe what you’re watching. You can’t believe what you’re hearing. You just can’t believe. But there it is.
A wonderful look into the lives of honest to god stalkers, I Think We’re Alone Now is one of those perfect storm documentaries that captures just the right subject matter at just the right time. These people aren’t just kind of creepy, they’re also very endearing. You learn an awful lot you never wanted to know about these people and it shows you an aspect of the human condition that you probably weren’t totally able to wrap your mind around.
Can’t make it to Fantastic Fest? Scope the movie here until Saturday.
The Good, The Bad and the Weird (Korea, 2008)
Not just a clever title, The Good, The Bad and the Weird is a loving Korean remake/reimagining of The Good The Bad and The Ugly set somewhere between the 1920’s and 1940’s in outer Mongolia. In place of the Civil War army you have the Japanese. In place of horses there are motorcycles. And in place of Clint Eastwood, Eli Wallach and Lee Van Cleef you have…a bunch of bad ass Koreans. Throw in some inventive new sequences and some great takes on some old themes, and you find yourself with an incredible adaptation of one of the greatest westerns ever made. Many of the classic sequences are intact, as are a large number of plot points. But the movie goes in enough new directions to keep it interesting for all 139 minutes.
Visually arresting and a complete joy simply to look at, this is a truly unique version of a tale many of you may know by heart. But it is the subtle differences in time period that take this to a whole new level of reinvention. At first glance I giggled at the thought of this movie. I mean, Korean Deserts? But once they set up the geography and the politics of it all, it becomes very clear what they’re doing and where - and the themes and tropes of the old west find a new home with a wonderfully different look and feel.
Another of the centerpieces of this year’s fest, it is not necessarily a film that everyone will be talking about as much as it is that film that everyone’s going to enjoy and be glad they saw big. A truly fun, enjoyable, big budget adventure during a fest filled with a lot of heavy, dark and often disturbing themes. This film is going to make a nice chaser and palate cleanser for anyone weighed down by the rampant European nihilism or films about truly disturbed youth.
How To Get Rid of The Others (Denmark, 2007)
Did someone say Rampant European Nihilism? I sure as hell did. I saw this as part of a one-two punch with Ex-Drummer and the films left me wondering just what the hell was going on over there in Europe right now. A vicious indictment of the Leftist social programs at work in Denmark, while also playing upon the fears of Right Wing totalitarian fascism, How To Get Rid of the Others is the story of a country pushed too far that very quietly, very discreetly, loses its mind. When a group of strangers find themselves arrested and thrown into a concentration camp, they soon discover the government’s sinister new plan. Tired of supporting the lazy, the selfish and the crooked, the government has rounded up the worst offenders in the country - the real drains upon public funds - and are offering them the chance of a lifetime. They get to make the case as to their worth to society and what they have contributed to make Denmark a better place, and if they can make such a case, they get to avoid a swift, but polite, brush with euthanasia.
Yeah. It’s cheery.
The kicker is that one of the people in the room is not who they appear to be. And as an anarchist of some sort tries to throw a wrench in the system, a military man and a bureaucrat must sort out the real dregs of society from those in the wrong place at the wrong time. It is a film that blurs the lines, that shows the logic of both sides. It is a film that both Republicans and Democrats can walk out of having enjoyed, while believing they have just witnessed a film that makes their case on big government rather effectively. And it makes for a great lobby discussion afterwards. Rather dialog heavy and not supported by much of a budget, this is one of those great talkies that feels somewhat like it was adapted from a play rather than the dystopian sci-fi it hints at in its opening scenes. Recommended for those in the mood for something loftier and more literary than many of the more visceral offerings.
Ex Drummer (Belgium, 2007)
No, really. WTF is going on over in Europe. I was really disappointed to see that no one in programming thought to put this back to back in the same theater with How to Get Rid of the Others. Wrestling with several of the same themes, Ex Drummer comes swinging at them in a different direction. If I were to describe this film in two words, those words would be PUNK ROCK. It is a film entirely about Punk Rock. Not just in the setting, but in theme. And I’m not just talking about more of this rampant European nihilism. No.
Ex Drummer is the story of a wealthy, famous, asshole of a Belgian novelist who is approached by three strange handicapped men looking for a fourth member of their band. A band that they intend to only perform publically once. Made up entirely of the handicapped. But they need a celebrity. And that’s our lead. Intrigued by their batshit insane offer, he accepts on a lark and delves deeply into the violent, almost subhuman world of the Belgian punk scene. Told with a unique visual acumen, there are a number of simple camera tricks employed to create extraordinary visuals that are the very definition of inventiveness. It is a film that puts you in a different headstate and fucks with you, slowly exposing you to worse and ever more deviant human behavior.
This is one of those strange European Fantastic Fest flicks that on the surface doesn’t appear to be “fantastic” or at all genre – but just you wait. This thing surprisingly builds to an incredible punk rock climax that goes above and beyond anything it shows you earlier and ultimately crosses the lines over into the realm of very much being an FF film. Dirty, raw and very nasty, this is not a film for the easily offended or squeamish. While not as decidedly over the top as something like Dead Girl it is a film to exercise a little caution with. There are a few elements that are not at all pleasant and should be approached with the understanding that there are some mature themes that will not be appreciated by all audiences.
You feel me? Yeah. This has “Tim League picked this” written all over it. And man am I glad he did. Like a lot of real honest to god punks I’ve known in my life, this film is a hell of a lot smarter than it initially lets on, exploring some great themes and making one of the finest visual explanations of the punk scene I’ve ever had the pleasure of enjoying. Let’s just say I believe GG Allin would be proud.
Well guys – I’ve got part three of my pre-coverage on its way and then it’s a week full of live fire reviews. See you guys tonight!
Until next time friends, smoke ‘em if ya got ‘em.
Massawyrm
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