Our journalist David Harris continues his exploration of the both strange and wonderful cinematic realm that is the Fantasia International Film Festival. Here’s his latest batch of reviews. Today: Destiny: The Tale of Kamakura, Aragne: Sign of Vermillion, Cold Skin, Champion, Mega Time Squad and I Have a Date With Spring.
It’s back again! Fantasia International Film Festival returns, and there are many great movies to watch. There are a handful of animated films, a couple of Westerns (which I reckon will be wilder than the shootout at the Ok Corral) and more revenge films than there are drops of blood in my body.
Let me get this out of the way. I am not an avid advocate or opponent to review sites like www.imdb.com and Rotten Tomatoes. I admit, the score does influence me slightly, but it’s not often I will refuse to see a film based on it. However, movies with a rating of 60% or a 2.5 on 5 intrigue me. With a little push in either direction, they can be works of art to absolute failures. What does it take to take a movie out of mediocrity?
I’m not ashamed to admit, but Deadpool 2 worried me. I thought the first movie hit it out of the park. It was awesome when it needed to be, funny when it counted, with enough charm to make it enjoyable.
Did you know I am an avid comic book fan and cinephile? Oh you did… okay. So then you should understand how blessed I am to see Avengers: Infinity War movie come to fruition. A decade long journey has come finally exploded its way to the big screen and right into my fanboy heart. Though the movie is obviously flawed, I cannot help not enjoy it. I am beyond satisfied. I was honest to Thanos moved.
I’m finding it very hard to dislike Steven Spielberg. It seems that enjoying his repertoire is the equivalent to liking ice cream and laughing. It’s rare to find someone who doesn’t like either. His newest movie to come out is Ready Player One, based on Ernest Kline’s novel of the same name. It could have been a glorified computer graphic nightmare, full of nostalgia lacking any kind of substance. But in the hands of the man who made some of the most memorable and stunning movies, it turned out to be a heartfelt love letter for gamers and geeks alike. Insert credit for Ready Player One.
The Academy Awards are coming up this weekend, so please put on your fanciest duds, get your Oscar excel spreadsheet ready, and get excited for the glitz, glamour, and the biggest movie event of the year!
Black Panther is such a different beast than the other movies in the Marvel cinematic universe. I went in expecting an experience like the Captain America sequels, but I was mistaken. It happens.
Once again, Hugh Jackman is sent into the past, sports a set of sideburns, and faces obstacles affecting his family, his finance, and his freedom. Only with a troupe of outcasts can he finally achieve the sense of excitement he truly craves. As Wolverine, he has an admantium skeleton, a berserker rage, and flurry of claws. This time, he portrays P.T Barnum, of the Barnum & Bailey Circus fame, he sports a top hat, a golden voice, and throws around flourishes in choreographed dances.
On the surface, Guillermo del Toro’s movies all have a similar feel, his trademarks are monsters, machines, and bucketlaods of slime. His fascination for the weird and supernatural is ever-present in all of his works. Deeper down, for the most part, his movies are far kinder.
