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Fantasia Fest 2016 Review: LITTLE SISTER

  2016 Directed By: Zach Clark Starring: Addison Timlin , Ally Sheedy and Keith Poulson GWAR was a pretty decent litmus test for potential friends when I was 16. Its not that I was a huge fan but I did think they were fun as hell. I completely understood why they had such a rabid fan base. You either got the crude joke or you didn't, I'm not sure if there was a more divisive band than GWAR. If you're not familiar, they were a metal band from Virginia who met in art school. Unlike any other metal band of their time they were intentionally offensive, over the top disgusting and most of all funny. When you hear the lyrics...  "Mommies, I've been stealing your babies I gag the brat and then maybe... I'll suck out his brain You know... Dead kids, they're making me feel almost hard Go get one from the school yard He bled like a stuck pig" You either laugh at the a

Fantasia 2016 review: THE ARBALEST

2016 Directed by: Adam Pinney Starring: Mike Brune and Tallie Medel Foster Kalt (Brune) is the world's most famous toy maker, a man with enough wealth and fame to satisfy the most ravenous fortune seekers. With that being said he is also a man consumed with sadness, a man undergoing a vow of silence. Through flashbacks and hallucinations we see what got our protagonist to such a dark place. THE ARBALEST is a satire on our obsession with money and fame. Using the framework of CITIZEN KANE Pinney sets up a mystery that is methodically told but ultimately pointless. Its a brilliant conceit and incredibly controlled film making for a veteran let alone for a first timer. I can see how the film will create a divide among its viewers. Its not a pretty story, its not easily accessible and it has the nerve to ask a little bit from its audience. We are rewarded for our patience but I'm not sure that everyone will be on board when everything is said and done. The film jumps be

Fantasia 2016 Interview with MAN UNDERGROUND directors Michael Borowiec and Sam Marine

A reclusive conspiracy theorist enlists people from his small town to help him make a low-budget movie about his experience encountering aliens while working as a geologist for the US government.

Fantasia 2016 Review: MAN UNDERGROUND

Willem Koda (George Basil) is consumed with a desire to expose the truth about aliens and the  government conspiracy to shelter us from that truth. As a geologist who was once employed by the government Willem saw something first hand that changed him. With no regard to the personal cost, he will forfeit his career and family in pursuit of this quest.   In a summer that has brought you INDEPENDENCE DAY:RESURGENCE, STAR TREK:BEYOND and other space movies with a colon in the title, you probably already have a vision of what MAN UNDERGROUND might be... trust me, you're wrong. If the film were titled MAN:UNDERGROUND any preconceived notions you have would probably be correct, but fortunately, first time filmmakers Michael Borowiec and Sam Marine had something far more personal in mind when they made this film. Willem has one friend, a YouTube channel that gets hundreds of hits and his favorite diner. It's a fairly simple little life he has carved out for himself. T

Fantasia 2016 Review: THE UNSEEN

I'm a pretty big fan of  H.G. Wells brand of pseudo scientific tomes and have a deep affection for THE INVISIBLE MAN. It's a story that lends itself to countless adaptations and interpretations but sadly most versions of that tale are fairly limited in their vision. They see the material as a venue to show off special effects wizardry (HOLLOW MAN, MEMORIES OF AN INVISIBLE MAN) and don't see it fit to spend time on the characters. I've always subscribed to the notion, if you care about the characters the film will carry more weight. The writer/director of THE UNSEEN Geoff Redknap adheres to this same philosophy and has made one of the most effective genre films of the year. Bob Langmore (Aden Young) is estranged from his family and grinding out a living as a mill worker in a rural Canadian town. We find out Bob is a former NHL player who was kicked out of the league for a brawl on the ice that went too far. This revelation doesn't come from our pro