{"id":3978,"date":"2015-09-21T14:00:17","date_gmt":"2015-09-21T19:00:17","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.revolutionsf.com\/revblogs\/geekcurmudgeon\/?p=3978"},"modified":"2015-09-21T11:19:25","modified_gmt":"2015-09-21T16:19:25","slug":"fantastic-fest-2015-preview-day-three","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.revolutionsf.com\/revblogs\/geekcurmudgeon\/2015\/09\/21\/fantastic-fest-2015-preview-day-three\/","title":{"rendered":"Fantastic Fest 2015 Preview Day Three"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Art<\/a>

Art by Chris Bilheimer<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n

It\u2019s that time again for my sojourn to Fantastic Fest<\/a>, 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\u2019s festival runs from Sept 24-October 1, here in Austin at the South Lamar location.<\/p>\n

As in year\u2019s past, I begin my coverage with a multi-part\/day preview.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Fantastic Fest Preview Day Three<\/strong><\/h1>\n

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April and the Extraordinary World<\/a><\/strong><\/em><\/h2>\n

In an alternate reality, Napoleon doesn’t die at the Battle of Waterloo. Instead, while attempting to engineer an indestructible super soldier, he meets his demise in an accidental laboratory explosion. In the wake of this catastrophe, his heirs maintain control of France, and by 1941 it\u2019s Napoleon V who has come to power. Ever since the death of Napoleon I, however, scientists and scholars have mysteriously gone missing, leaving behind a world deprived of their technological innovations. A thick cloud of pollution hangs over Paris, a result of the use of coal and steam power. Operating in secrecy, a young teenage girl named April, together with her sharp-tongued talking cat Darwin (long story), searches for her abducted scientist parents while attempting to continue their research. But the police, led by the boorish but tenacious Detective Pizoni, are also interested in April’s whereabouts. With the shortage of great minds, all non-abducted scientists are forced into labor for the state war machine. If she can stay one step ahead of Pizoni and his goons, April may just hold the key to the world\u2019s salvation. Then again, she might also trigger its destruction.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Beautifully animated, APRIL AND THE EXTRAORDINARY WORLD is an adaptation of the work of famed French comic artist Jacques Tardi, creator of Adele Blanc-Sec among other works. Drawing inspiration from everything from Dickens to Jules Verne to Miyazaki, APRIL AND THE EXTRAORDINARY WORLD is colorful and funny, but with more than a hint of melancholy and sociopolitical commentary. The greed and gluttony from those in power has trickled down creating an overwhelming cloud of sadness and despair, not unlike the thick pollution that hangs over the city. APRIL\u2019s titular character may wallow in this dark, grimy soot-stained world, but she maintains a bright and shiny hope for the future. (Luke Mullen)<\/p>\n

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The Brand New Testament<\/a><\/strong><\/em><\/h2>\n

God exists. He lives in Brussels. These two lines set the stage perfectly for Jaco Van Dormael’s latest film. There’s more, of course. God lives in an apartment with no entry or exit and spends most of his time in a giant office where he controls the world through a computer terminal that looks like it still runs Windows 98. He lives with his wife and daughter and is a raging jerk to both of them. His son, whom you may have heard of, made his escape through the washing machine long ago. Finally his daughter, Ea, gets fed up with his shit. With some encouragement from her brother, JC, she decides to leave the nest, find her own apostles and write her own brand new testament. But before she makes her escape, she steals the key to the office and texts the answer to an all-important question to everyone on Earth. Her attempted good deed backfires and God must scramble to fix it before humanity finds it has no need of Him.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>THE BRAND NEW TESTAMENT is a wildly innovative and incredibly funny film. The premise alone is gold, but the little details sprinkled throughout really make the story shine. The cast is perfect, from Pili Groyne as Ea to the great Catherine Deneuve as one of the new apostles. Finally there\u2019s God himself, played by the amazing Benoit Poelvoorde, who Fantastic Fiends will recognize immediately as the voice of Steven from A TOWN CALLED PANIC. Ms. Deneuve in particular goes for broke, not just playing along but giving it her all, even when the film gives her an unusual new partner. This is bold, brash, blasphemous filmmaking on a grand scale. THE BRAND NEW TESTAMENT will delight and challenge you and have you laughing the whole way. (Luke Mullen)<\/p>\n