Wednesday, August 07, 2019

Fantasia 2019: Wrapping It Up

.
Well the 2019 edition of the Fantasia International Film Festival wrapped itself up this past weekend in Montreal, and my third year covering it from afar has now, just a couple of days late, wrapped itself up as well. Fantasia announced their award winners right here at this link -- I didn't get the chance to see a lot of the winners since what I can see covering the fest remotely doesn't usually jive with the big movies they're premiering, but I saw plenty I loved. What did I see, you ask? I'm glad you asked! Here are links to all of our reviews, just click to titles to be transported unto my ramblings:

(dir. Mike Ahern & Enda Loughman) 
.
(dir. Dwein Ruedas Baltazar) 

(dir. Kim Joo-hwan) 
.
 Stare 
(dir. Hirotaka Adachi)
.
(dir. Zach Gayne)
.
(dir. Gigi Saul Guerrero)
.
(dir. Jon Mikel Caballero)  
.
(dir.Lee Kwon)
.
 Porno 
(dir. Keola Racela)
.
(dir. Hideo Nakata)
.
(dir. Onur Tukel)
.
There were also a couple of movies they screened at Fantasia that I had already seen earlier this year at Tribeca -- they screened the fantastic flick Swallow, and it even won a couple of awards; click here for my review of that. They also screened Come To Daddy with Elijah Wood, which is also a ton of fun -- here is my review of that. And here's my review of the extremely weird and wonderful and totally one of a kind Knives and Skin.

My favorite film that I saw out of Fantasia? Definitely Extra Ordinary, the horror-comedy about communicating with ghosts and dodging singer-songwriter Satanists, with a stop-the-presses who's-that-girl comedic performance from Maeve Higgins in the lead -- that movie's out in Ireland in September and I'm hoping we'll hear word of a US release soon since the movie's riotously funny and full of heart; I will definitely keep an eye out for it and let y'all know the second I do.

Anyway a massive thanks to the folks at Fantasia for letting the remote coverage thing happens -- I can't imagine juggling an entire International Film Festival alongside a bunch of nagging journos sitting at home on their sofas is an easy task, and I salute them for it! Not to mention putting together one of the most entertaining genre fests in the country, for that matter. Fantasia rules!
.

No comments: