Poster by Geof Darrow

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 Five

The Tale of Princess Kaguya

An aging bamboo cutter happens upon a glowing stalk which opens to reveal a tiny nymph. After taking it home, the nymph turns into a baby girl who ages very rapidly. Claiming the child as their own, the man and his wife lovingly refer to her as “Princess.” When the bamboo cutter discovers gold and silks in the forest, he takes it as a sign that Princes is intended for bigger things. He moves his family into an extravagant palace and has his daughter trained in all manners of royalty. As suitors from across the land come to win her hand, the newly-named Kaguya longs for her simpler days in the forest, and does everything she can to change her fate.

Based on ancient Japanese folklore, THE TALE OF PRINCESS KAGUYA is Studio Ghibli co-founder Isao Takahata’s first film since MY NEIGHBORS THE YAMADAS in 1999. It’s been well worth the wait. The brush painting-inspired animation is breathtaking and the surreal look perfectly complements the fantasy elements. At its core, the film is a feminist tale as Princess Kaguya fights to make her own choices and not succumb to the pressures of her parents, society and Earth as a whole. It’s thoroughly striking in story and craftsmanship and, simply put, THE TALES OF PRINCESS KAGUYA is utterly fantastic.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LGtvyx7Fzyw

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Poster by Geof Darrow

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 Four

Wastelander Panda: Exile

The Apocalypse has come and gone; its survivors forming small communities for protection. Banished to the vast Wasteland, Isaac – a giant humanoid panda – sets out to find a young girl and reinstate his family into the Tribe of Legion.

The idea is preposterous on the surface – a web series fusing elements of Mad Max, Lone Wolf And Cub and Zatoichi revolving around a walking, talking, sword fighting panda bear. It’s the sort of thing that simply should not work, not at all, or at least not without descending into wild camp. And yet it does work. And it works in no small part because talented writer-director Victoria Cocks plays things absolutely, one hundred percent straight. There is nothing camp here, not at all. And, yes, Cocks will make you buy in to the emotional plight of her furry protagonist.

Driven by the force of its creator’s vision and her team’s remarkable ability to build complex and compelling worlds seemingly for pocket change, Wastelander Panda has become a sort of organically growing beast with an initial proof of concept video going viral and sparking chatter around the world, leading to a three episode prologue arc released for free online in 2013 to prove they could actually carry a proper story and now leading to this: Six ten minute episodes, hopefully leading to a full television series and feature film outings, which we are very proud to bring to audiences for the very first time.(Todd Brown)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LCk5tRFBDME

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Poster by Geof Darrow

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 Three

Whispers Behind the Wall

Martin (Vincent Redetzki) is a law student in Berlin. He’s excited to finally move away from home, but apartments are scarce. Eventually, he finds a cheap crummy apartment after the previous tenant disappears. While cleaning the messy flat, Martin discovers secret passageways that run adjacent to the home of his mysterious landlord Simone (Katharina Heyer). During his free time, Martin listens as Simone and her boyfriend (Florian Panzner) argue and have sex. When Martin finally meets Simone, he is quickly drawn into her bizarre and dangerous life.

The first feature from Grzegorz Muskala is a dark thriller that’s equal parts Lynch and Polanski. A choking claustrophobic atmosphere pervades the entire film, as most of the events take place within Martin and Simone’s apartments. Although stylish and visually clever, characters and relationships are the key to the film’s success. Martin is a naif who is eager to explore life outside of his parent’s home. Blinded by his newfound sense of personal and sexual freedom, he fails to notice the dangers that lie in front of him. Simone is alluring and methodical. Her damaged psychology is apparent but she’s also shown to be emotionally sensitive and vulnerable. Alternately funny and depraved, WHISPERS BEHIND THE WALL is a dark dizzying exploration of a strange—and ultimately doomed—relationship. (Rodney Perkins)

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Poster by Geof Darrow

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 One

Tusk

From the singular mind of writer/director and podcaster Kevin Smith, and conceived from one of Smith’s own Smodcast’s, TUSK is a story unlike anything that has ever been committed to screen before. A tale that is equal parts hilarious and horrifying, TUSK will stay with you long after the credits roll.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pdofQpt70dk

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