{"id":109,"date":"2011-10-01T02:57:52","date_gmt":"2011-10-01T02:57:52","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.revolutionsf.com\/revblogs\/geekcurmudgeon\/2011\/10\/01\/fantastic-fest-days-seven-and-eight-a-finale-of-sorts\/"},"modified":"2012-08-17T05:18:26","modified_gmt":"2012-08-17T05:18:26","slug":"fantastic-fest-days-seven-and-eight-a-finale-of-sorts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.revolutionsf.com\/revblogs\/geekcurmudgeon\/2011\/10\/01\/fantastic-fest-days-seven-and-eight-a-finale-of-sorts\/","title":{"rendered":"Fantastic Fest Days Seven and Eight: A Finale of Sorts"},"content":{"rendered":"

I’ve combined my final two days of Fantastic Fest<\/a> coverage into one post. Though the festival is officially over, don’t be too surprised if next week I supply some bonus coverage. I currently have streaming access to five more movies that I’d like to review. I’m also planning a best of piece covering the entire 2011 Fantastic Fest.<\/p>\n

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Based on Gen Araki’s popular manga, A Boy and His Samurai<\/span><\/span><\/a> charms with the adventures of a time displaced, Edo-period samurai turned housekeeper and pastry chef. Director Yoshihiro Nakamura masterfully weaves the potentially silly concept into an entertaining, thought-provoking exploration of modern Japanese society. Single mother Yusa struggles to take care of her young son Tomoya.while working a boring job. Their life changes when they meet the confused and lost samurai Kajima, who eventually becomes Tomoya’s friend, role model, and nanny. The bored warrior also discovers the art of dessert making, even entering a Top Chef-style contest. The pro-feminist, Buddhist masterpiece tackles issues such as absentee fathers, working women, nobility, honor, and single mothers, all in a light but insightful manner. A Boy and His Samurai<\/span> delivered one of the most unusual family films ever and is destined to be cherished as classic for generations.<\/p>\n

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The first ever Israeli produced horror film, Rabies<\/span><\/span><\/a> offers an original, fun, and gruesome take of teens- lost-in-the-woods motif. After siblings Ofer and Tali run away from into a nearby forest, Tali falls into a trap set by a homicidal maniac. While looking for help, Ofer encounter a group of young people\u2014two men and two women\u2014whom he begs to help him. The men go with Ofer, leaving the girls to wait for the cops. The police sexually harass the girls, who run off into the forest. Meanwhile, a park ranger on his normal rounds discovers a man carrying a body. Things go from bad to worse as the deaths mount up from a variety of misunderstandings and mishaps. Even with its flawed ending, Rabies<\/span> shared an interesting vision of the standard, well-trodden horror trope.<\/p>\n

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An extrapolation of the hit Danish TV series of the same name, the riotous comedy Clown<\/span><\/span><\/a> follows two longtime friends (Frank Hvam and Casper Christensen reprising their roles as exaggerated versions of themselves from the show) on a canoe trip to an exclusive one-night-a-year brothel for a \u201cTour De Pussy.\u201d Before the debauchery begins, Frank accidentally learns his longtime girlfriend is pregnant. Fearing he is not father material, she contemplates getting an abortion. In a misguided attempt to prove her wrong, Frank kidnaps her 11 year old nephew, forcing him along on the journey. Chaos ensues. A raunchy film along the lines of The Hangover<\/span>, Clown<\/span> offered many laugh-out-loud scenes expertly combined with bittersweet, incisive moments.<\/p>\n

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The slick horror film A Lonely Place to Die<\/span><\/span><\/a> overcomes a fairly pedestrian plot with some beautiful scenery and thrilling chase scenes. While vacationing in the Scottish mountains, five friends make an unexpected discovery: a little girl locked in a subterranean prison cell a hundred miles. The semi-feral child speaks no English and attacks any man who touches her. Soon the group find themselves stalked by the girl\u2019s heavily armed captors. The tense movie, populated with some interesting villains, masterfully employees the magnificent Scottish terrains. Though flawed, A Lonely Place to Die<\/span> provided an entertaining diversion.<\/p>\n

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\nFantastic Fest Day Six: Murder and Mayhem<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I’ve combined my final two days of Fantastic Fest coverage into one post. Though the festival is officially over, don’t be too surprised if next week I supply some bonus coverage. I currently have streaming access to five more movies … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-109","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n