The 2019 Fantasia International Film Festival will take place from July 11th through August 1st and is packed full with tons of amazing genre films. Horror, action, thriller, comedy, documentary, and anime are just a few of the film genres that will be on display as the festival screens over 130 films. Yeah! I'm super excited to be covering this festival for the first time!
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| (C)2019 CHIWAWA Chang PRODUCTION COMMIIEE(TOEI VIDEO, VAP, KADOKAWA, GEEK PIKTURES, TOEI ADVERTISING) |
The city of Montreal has played host to Fantasia for what will now be 23 years with it's home base theater once again being the Concordia Hall Cinema among other venues. While I won't be at the festival, I will be watching as many movies as I can thanks to the wonders of technology so stay tuned for lots of reviews and maybe a podcast episode or two dedicated to this most festive of cinematic events.
With so many films to choose from to be TwoOhSix Picks, I scoured the entire lineup and narrowed it down to the twenty movies that stood out the most. I mean seriously, this is the best of the best and, if you are attending the festival, these are the ones you absolutely must go see. In addition to the twenty picks, I have listed the movies that I have previously watched thanks to other film festivals and I am also including a selection specially chosen by Flash, the official cat of TwoOhSix.com!
TwoOhSix Picks:
- Chiwawa
- Dachra
- Dance with Me
- The Deeper You Dig
- Depraved
- Door Lock
- Dreadout
- Extreme Job
- Garo - Under the Moonbow
- Harpoon
- Hit-and-Run Squad
- Mystery of the Night
- No Mercy
- Ready or Not
- Sator
- Stare
- White Snake
- Why Don't You Just Die
- The Wrath
- The Wretched
(Full list of films on Fantasia website with descriptions, trailers, and credits)
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| (C)2019 "Sadako" Film Partners" |
Opening Night Feature Presentation:
Sadako - Directed by Hideao Nakata
Yes, that is THE same Hideo Nakata that kicked off this most iconic of Japanese horror franchises with Ringu which is widely considered one of the all time classics. With Nakata back at the helm, this movie promises to be a highlight of the festival and not to mention it will be enjoying its North American premiere and opening the entire festival.
The Ones I've Watched:
The Art of Self Defense - Directed by Riley Stearns
So, you're looking for a dark, dry comedy filled with social satire? This movie does all of that brilliantly and so much more and features a performance from Jesse Eisenberg that will make you think he was born to play this role.
House of Hummingbird - Directed by Kim Bora
Bora Kim's story of a young girl dealing with the ups and downs of adolescence is a real treat to watch unfold even as it runs you through just about every emotion possible. Also, Park Ji-hu is absolutely stunning in her debut feature performance.
The Legend of the Stardust Brothers - Directed by Makoto Tezuka
So, the story goes, this movie was released in Japan back in 1985 and was an epic flop. Now, over 30 years later, it has resurfaced and has gained an immediate following as people are finally realizing just how good it is, how funny it is, how bat shit crazy it is, how relevant it is, and just how genius it is.
The Prey - Directed by Jimmy Henderson
The well thought out action sequences are really what sold this movie for me as there is a ton of shooting, hacking, chopping, kicking, punching, stabbing, and just about any other form of violence you can think of.
Shadow - Directed by Zhang Yimou
Zhang Yimou's latest movie is a stunningly beautiful achievement even as he minimizes the use of color pretty much across the board. The story is a long and winding tale of love, intrigue, and espionage which works mainly because you're constantly in awe of what it looks like on screen.
Sons of Denmark - Directed by Ulaa Salim
For this being Salim's first feature film, I was impressed with how well put together the entire production was. The editing is tight, the pacing is very efficient, and the cinematography has that gritty, cinematic quality you are looking for in a movie like this.
Directed by Mitsuaki Iwago
A movie about an island full of cats filmed by one of Japan's most renowned wildlife directors. Of course, this would be Flash's pick. Could there have been any other option?
To see more reviews, interviews and festival coverage please go to:
TwoOhSix at Fantasia 2019
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