It’s that time again for my annual sojourn to Fantastic Fest, the annual Alamo Drafthouse week long love letter to horror, fantasy, sci-fi, action and just plain fantastic movies from all around the world. This year’s festival runs from Sept 18-25, here in Austin in the South Lamar location.

As in year’s past, I begin my coverage with a multi-part/day preview.

Fantastic Fest Preview Day Six

Electric Boogaloo: The Wild, Untold Story of Cannon Films

Cousins Menahem Golan and Yoram Globus helped to create the modern Israeli film industry with titles such as OPERATION THUNDERBOLT and LEMON POPSICLE (later remade as THE LAST AMERICAN VIRGIN). During the ‘80s, Golan and Globus set up shop in Hollywood by purchasing The Cannon Group. Dismal titles such as THE APPLE quickly gained Cannon Group a reputation as purveyors of rotten movies. Despite the criticism, the pair kept pushing forward. The persistence paid off when Cannon released BREAKIN’, which was rushed through production in order to beat its East Coast rival BEAT STREET. Bolstered by that film’s success, Golan and Globus went on to produce a stunningly eclectic array of films, ranging from straight-up genre (INVASION USA; DEATH WISH 3; LIFEFORCE) to more esteemed fare (KING LEAR; BARFLY; LOVE STREAMS). A combination of commercial misfires and poorly executed business moves in the ‘90s led to the company’s collapse, but the Cannon legacy remains strong in the hearts of many fans.

As demonstrated by NOT QUITE HOLLYWOOD and MACHETE MAIDENS UNLEASHED, Mark Hartley has one of the most interesting and identifiable styles of any documentary filmmaker currently in the business. ELECTRIC BOOGALOO: THE WILD UNTOLD STORY OF CANNON FILMS further demonstrates this point. Harley expertly weaves together clips from Cannon’s back catalog with an impressive array of interviews with Cannon players such as Albert Pyun, Boaz Davidson, Cassandra Peterson (Elvira), Bo Derek and Michael Dudikoff. The result is a whiplash-inducing ride through decades of exploitation cinema and high-rolling business deals. ELECTRIC BOOGALOO is an exciting and irreverent homage to a pair of the greatest businessmen that the film world has ever known. (Rodney Perkins)

The Stranger

Eli Roth’s cinematic family tree is growing, from sponsoring and encouraging filmmakers he’s discovered at horror conventions (GRACE’s Paul Solet) to developing talent ready to take the next step into the show. In 2012, Fantastic Fest showcased the US premiere of Roth collaborator Nicolás López earthquake thriller AFTERSHOCK, and this year will feature Guillermo Amoedo’s English language debut THE STRANGER. López and Amoedo worked with Roth on 2013 FF favorite THE GREEN INFERNO as well as his upcoming KNOCK KNOCK.

Amoedo shows a deft ability to turn a bloodthirsty monster movie on its head, into a slow-burn, character-driven film. THE STRANGER takes its time, building the tension through occasional flashbacks and having the audience sympathize with Peter, who grew up not knowing his father. Peter, like the audience, is kept largely in the dark about his father’s motives or even what he is… because he’s certainly not human. What is apparent is the chaos his dad’s return has on the small town, especially a member of the police force and his violence-prone son.

THE STRANGER is ultimately about family, the legacy we pass on to our children and the lengths we go to protect and ensure their survival, no matter how dark and deadly they might become. (James Shapiro)

Confetti of the Mind — The Short Films of Nacho Vigalondo

Alamo Drafthouse’s favorite son and the unofficial mascot for Fantastic Fest, Nacho Vigalondo blew the indie world away in 2008 with his astonishing debut feature TIMECRIMES before following up with EXTRATERRESTRIAL (2011) and OPEN WINDOWS (2014). But the startling originality in these films didn’t come from nowhere; Nacho had already written, directed, produced and acted in a robust body of short films, including 2003’s Academy Award®-nominated short film, 7:35 IN THE MORNING.

Vigalondo is a force of pure, joyous creativity, and a rare master in the art of having fun. His wild, spastic approach to life is evident in all of his work; even when his protagonists are committing desperate acts of self-destruction, there’s still a terminally infectious innocence and vibrance to everything he does. It’s the reason why we fell in love with him in the first place, and the reason why his presence has become such an important part of the festival.

Drafthouse Films is pleased to present CONFETTI OF THE MIND, the definitive compilation of Nacho’s most brilliant and unforgettable shorts, collected for the first time and personally curated by Nacho and his longtime partner-in-crime Nahikari Ipiña. Featuring such favorites as CHOQUE, SUNDAY, MARISA, and CARLOTA, as well as a fresh introduction and thoughts by the man himself, this is not to be missed. Confetti is not optional. (James Shapiro/Zack Carlson)

Bros Before Hos

Max (Tim Haars) and Jules (Daniël Arends) are brothers from different mothers. Max and Jules make a promise to each other at a young age: never let a woman split them apart. Over time, the brothers grow from naive kids to irresponsible adults. Jules manages a grocery store while Max works in a video store. When they aren’t working, the pair revel in endless nights of drunken hook-ups and sexist games. One fateful day, Max meets Anna (Sylvia Hoecks), the woman of his dreams. Jules quickly hooks up with her, which sparks a war between the brothers over the affection of this special woman.

Steffen Haars and Flip van der Kuil are Fantastic Fest fixtures. The deadly directing duo are the sick minds behind festival favorites NEW KIDS TURBO and NEW KIDS NITRO. After taking the prize for best directors in the 2011 Gutbuster Comedy Features category, Haars and van der Kull return to Austin with their sickest comedy to date: BROs BEFORE HOs.

Here, the directors apply their politically incorrect style of humor to an unexpected format: the bromance. Although the format is different from NEW KIDS and the production values are arguably better, the humor has arguably gotten more aggro and offensive. No subject is taboo; race, sex, and disability are prime targets for the comedic onslaught. BROs BEFORE HOs is packed with enough explosively offensive humor to make the NEW KIDS films seem restrained. Haars and van der Kuil have made their biggest and slickest movie to date while also managing to raise the comedic bar. (Rodney Perkins)

Automata

If you love post-apocalyptic cinema, this one’s for you. We have a walled city. Vast radiation zones. Rumors persist that there’s still an ocean somewhere. However, it’s not all doom and gloom. We have robots to make our lives easier. Some models even have sex. When a robot malfunctions or is damaged, an Insurance Investigator from the ROC Robotics Corporation is on the case. In our story, mild mannered insurance agent Jacq Vaucan is played by Antonio Banderas. He’s burnt out, an expectant father and living in a world that isn’t particularly soothing. Robert Forster plays his boss, Birgitte Hjort Sorensen is Mrs. Vaucan, Melanie Griffith modifies androids into sex-bots that she also provides the voices for.

The feel of this film is that of mystery. It establishes two laws for the robots which should make them safe for humanity. While researching a damaged robot that was apparently violating the 2nd command, the investigation becomes about discovering how this happened and if the robot was the only one. Director Gabe Ibanez creates a post-apocalyptic robotic noir that I know will win over the Fantastic Fest crowd! This is FANTASTIC!!! (Harry Knowles)