Hello everyone. I am currently attending the 28th Annual Fantasia International Film Festival, albeit remotely. But here are some capsule reviews for some of the films I have seen so far.
The Beast Within. Directed by Alexander J. Farrell
There is something peculiar about the forests of England. They are ancient, claustrophobic, and reminiscent of a Brothers Grimm tale. The Beast Within expertly leverages the moody atmosphere of these English woods, but unfortunately, the rest of the movie falls flat.
The story follows Willow, a curious young girl forbidden from leaving the walls of her heavily fortified homestead in the middle of nowhere, England. Her curiosity about her father’s strange behavior pulls her into the dark woods surrounding her isolated home. She soon uncovers the terrifying truth behind her father’s actions. From the beginning, it is clear that Kit Harrington’s portrayal of a werewolf is meant to serve as a metaphor for domestic violence. On paper, this is an intriguing storytelling device, especially since the narrative is presented from a child’s perspective, giving the film an old folktale feel, much like the cautionary tales of the Brothers Grimm. However, in execution, the metaphor feels bland and clichéd. While I respect the film’s ambitious direction, it ultimately fails to bring anything new to the genre, aside from its eerie atmosphere.
Despite the disappointing story, the acting stands out. Kit Harrington delivers a surprisingly effective performance as the villainous “big bad wolf.” He masterfully switches between being a loving husband and father to an abusive monster, making his character both frightening and intimidating. His performance leaves me wanting to see him in more villainous roles. The supporting cast, including Ashleigh Cummings, James Cosmo, and Caoilinn Springall, also deliver compelling performances, though their characters lack depth.
I also appreciated the practical effects used for the werewolf, which added a tangible quality to the creature. However, beyond the atmosphere and some strong performances, The Beast Within remains a fairly bland and uninspired film.
My Rating: C
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The Old Man and The Demon Sword. Directed by Fabio Powers
In an era of inflated movie budgets, it’s refreshing to occasionally watch a filmmaker take on the daring task of creating a feature-length film with little to no budget. These low-budget movies typically fall into two categories: future filmmaking prodigy or “so bad it’s good.” The Old Man and The Demon Sword unmistakably falls into the latter, embracing its cult classic status. And that’s perfectly fine because that’s exactly what it aims to be.
The story follows Antonio, a local drunk who comes into possession of a demon sword housing the soul of a demon intent on fighting its own kind. Together, they battle to save their town from demons planning to devour the local inhabitants. This inherently cheesy and ridiculous premise is fully embraced by the film. From the terrible, low-budget effects to the nonsensical exposition dialogue, The Old Man and The Demon Sword epitomizes a B-movie. The production, primarily made up of first-time filmmakers, clearly shows its amateur quality. However, the film doesn’t aspire to be a pretentious arthouse piece; it aims to be a stupid, fun, and nonsensical movie, a goal it wholeheartedly achieves.
The performances are far from Oscar-worthy. They are wooden, one-note, and lack range. In any other movie, these performances would be considered terrible, but here, they achieve comedic perfection, aligning seamlessly with the film’s intent. Antonio da Luz is unintentionally funny in many scenes and clearly enjoyed his acting debut. While it may not be the best performance in the world, it perfectly suits the film’s tone. His banter with the demon sword, voiced by Paulo Espirito Santo is comedic gold. Their interactions transform the movie into a sort of buddy comedy.
Overall, The Old Man and The Demon Sword is far from a masterpiece, but that’s okay. It doesn’t attempt to be a masterpiece; it strives to be a silly, stupid movie, and in that, it succeeds.
My Rating: B+
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Manta Warrior: The Legend of the Eight Moons. Directed by Jinavavin Veerapatra.
What initially captivated me about Mantra Warrior: The Legend of the Eight Moons was its stunning animation. The vibrant colors and overall aesthetic were truly beautiful. However, no amount of visual splendor could compensate for how painfully cringe-worthy this movie is.
Throughout its runtime, I found myself cringing at the mess unfolding on screen. Despite the story being spoon-fed, I struggled to follow it as it meandered aimlessly in numerous directions. The narrative was overstuffed with characters, many of whom had arcs that either went nowhere or were completely abandoned. A story that could have been told in 45 minutes was unnecessarily stretched to nearly two hours, seemingly to justify a sequel. Supposedly a modern retelling of the Ramayana, this adaptation felt almost disrespectful to the myth.
The character designs were woefully outdated and offensive, with one character resembling a sex doll. The characters themselves were bland archetypes—understandable given the mythological source material, but they felt flat and unengaging. Many characters appeared and disappeared at random, and the voice-over performances were equally uninspiring.
Overall, Mantra Warrior: The Legend of the Eight Moons is a terrible movie that doesn’t deserve a sequel.
My Rating: D
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Chainsaws Were Singing. Directed by Sander Maran
I don’t have a lot to say about this one, so I will keep it short and sweet. I want you to imagine a Monty Python-like musical comedy but set within a horror movie. I know it sounds like a strange combination, but Chainsaws Were Singing is a perfect dose of joyful, campy violence that will be a cult classic one day.
On paper, this movie should not work, but by some miracle it does. From its title, Chainsaws Were Singing is filled with all the violence and singing that you would expect. It contains all the gruesome kills that you would find in a classic B-movie, but with the humor and music that you would expect from South Park. It is a maddening and absurd fever dream but in the best possible way.
Performances across the board are hysterical and over-the-top, but Martin Ruus as Killer is easily the biggest standout. He plays his role as if he were on Broadway, as he perfectly captures a deranged killer who still has some childhood innocence.
Overall, Chainsaws Were Singing is a creative and unfiltered movie. Making it a perfect candidate to be a future cult classic.
My Rating: A
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Mash Ville. Directed by Hwang Wook
I am quite conflicted about Hwang Wook’s, Mash Ville. On one hand, it is beautiful to look at as it has the color pallet from a Wes Anderson film, as well as an eccentric story inspired by the Coen Brothers. But on the other, it is dragged out by its over two-hour-long runtime and poor editing, which cause the story to feel convoluted.
We follow a group of bootleggers trying to remove their alcohol from a small town after it killed someone. However, two homicidal cultists terrorize the villagers, making their quest difficult to complete. On paper, this is a fun story, and when the film focused on this story, it was a blast to watch. However, the film becomes overstuffed with eccentric characters that convoluted the story to the point where I had no idea what was going on. I was still having fun with the story, but it needed to cut at least 30 minutes off the film.
The performances from the ensemble were great and made the confusing story much more enjoyable. Overall, you can see the film’s potential, but someone needed to tell the director “No”.
My Rating: C+
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