This is (ahem) fantastic news for those in Austin:
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| And on April 13-15, we’re showing Fantastic Fest Presents: JUAN OF THE DEAD at the Alamo Drafthouse Village. This Cuban take on the zombie revolution film, written and directed by Alejandro Brugués, took Fantastic Fest 2011 by storm, garnering incredibly enthusiastic reviews from critics and fans alike. If you missed it at the festival or if you’re just dying to see it again, be sure to catch the film Devin Faraci of BADASS DIGEST calls “inspiring and exciting and revolutionary…and very, very brave.” |
After seeing it at last year’s Fantastic Fest, here’s what I wrote:
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| Promoted as the first Cuban-made horror film, Juan of the Dead delivered a creative, zombie/comedy on the level of Shaun of The Dead (which despite the title bears little resemblance) and Zombietown. After Havana descends into chaos following the zombie outbreak, Juan, the procrastinating title hero, must overcome his lackadaisical nature to defend his friends and estranged daughter. First time writer/director Alejandro Brugués, who currently lives in his native Cuba, bravely crafted this pro-Cuba, anti-Castro film. News reports punctuate the movie relating the official government position that these incidents are the results of “American-backed dissidents” so the characters throughout refer to the undead as dissidents. According to Brugués, who participated in a q&a following the feature, many of the weird occurrences actually happened. And there was plenty of strange. Juan of the Dead, easily the best and most original zombie film of the year, offered loving nods to classic Romero zombiefests, Dead Alive, and even Ghostbusters (“Juan of the Dead, we kills your loved ones.”). |
Definitely a MUST see!
Juan of the Dead returns to Austin! was originally published on The Geek Curmudgeon