Getting in on the Fantasia action later than I would have liked this year, and for reason, I kicked it off with what could possibly be my oddest movie choice to date. All I knew of it was the short descriptive blurb in the program, and paired with the colourful photo it presented, I thought it would be cheesy, light-hearted fun.
The Fantasia International Film Festival has been rolling right along for the last week and half or so and there have been a LOT of great movies being screened.
Cult MTL’s Alex Rose, as is tradition, decided to come over to my house to talk about some of the films he’s checked out so far. So, what do we talk about? We’ll you’ll have to listen to find out.
Just kidding.
Check out our (mostly Alex’s) takes on The Art of Self Defense, Alien Crystal Palace, Bliss, The Father’s Shadow and The Deeper You Dig. We’re all over the map in terms of genre and budget but hey, that is one of the best parts of Fantasia! Enjoy the show!
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Keith does all sorts of things here on 9to5.cc, he works with the other founders on 9to5 (illustrated), co-hosts our two podcasts: The 9to5 Entertainment System and Go Plug Yourself and blogs here as The Perspicacious Geek.
The song we use in the intro is “Spooky Loop” by the 8bit bEtty. Used under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.
Following an opening text which gives depressing stats on the disappearances caused by the Mexican drug cartels and the orphan children left in its wake, we are introduced to our main protagonist, 10-year-old Estrella, as gunshots violently cut short the school day in the middle of a class given on fairy tales. As the students lie on the floor waiting for the unseen mayhem to end, Estrella’s teacher tries to comfort her by handing her three pieces of writing chalk that can be used to make three wishes.
When Estrella gets home, her mother is missing. There is no one else. She uses her first wish to ask for her mother’s return (hence the original title of Vuelven, which translated as ‘’Come Back’’), which she does, but as a horrifying ghost. Estrella then seeks the company of a group of homeless boys led by Shine, who has a vendetta against a particular local drug gang.
It’s hard not to compare this to some of Guillermo Del Toro’s work, particularly Pan’s Labyrinth, especially with the overt use of fairy tale tropes used within a realistic environment with very real-world threats. The fantastical elements (mainly revolving around the three wishes) are subtly integrated so that their influence may or may not be rationally explained, and most of the time they are experienced by only one character. The point of the movie isn’t of the ‘’is it real or imagined’’ variety, though. This is a story of orphans of the drug war, and told through their eyes; it is never explicitly said why the cartels kidnap and kill the people they do, or what they do to the children they then take. When Estrella stumbles on, and rescues, some children who were locked in cages, we aren’t told why they were there. The children don’t know, so we don’t either. But it doesn’t matter why, just that they need to be rescued. The orphans have their own theories about how these evil men are Satanists and cannibals and that’s the reality of their ongoing battle as far as they’re concerned.
The film would be fantastic even if it weren’t for the fantasy elements, which are integrated perfectly well in the narrative and in the direction by Issa Lopez. The supernatural occurrences are mainly horror-themed, which is fitting considering the subjects explored. The horrors caused by the Mexican cartels are all too real and it’s hard to make any imagined horror worse by comparison. The young cast is incredible and the characters well-drawn.
The movie managed what few can’t: bringing me close to tears by its conclusion. It’s an unexploitive, cinematic wonder that sheds a light on a subject that we don’t hear often from the media. Its survivors find solace and courage in fairy tales and stories, but in a world where the monsters aren’t bound by the rules.
‘’Fun’’ being a descent into depravity and violence.
A Morgan Freeman-sound-alike narrator sets the tone: that we are not supposed to take this seriously. Emotionally-damaged, alcoholic war vet Paul (Luke Sorge) is introduced as our main protagonist, encouraged by his sister Jill (Brenna Otts) to see a therapist. Things quickly take a turn for the comically unconventional when the pregnant therapist wastes no time in strongly suggesting that what Paul needs is some kink in his life. A few minute in their first session and she’s giving him a time and place to go to for a ‘’special’’ evening, complete with a password to gain entry. Paul barely questions any of it and follows the instructions, literally not knowing what he’s getting himself into. From then on, the fun begins.
Rondo is a comedy, but its style and execution is as deliberate as any straight thriller of its noir-themed inspirations. Every shot is stylishly-composed, and if it weren’t for the almost- constant humor, remains effective in creating a genuine thriller vibe. There are shades of DePalma which are especially enjoyed, being a fan of his 70’s and 80’s work. Likewise, the art direction and photography are impeccably singular.
The acting is uniformly excellent, with special mention going to Gena Shaw who was the stand-out. There is at least one major twist that happens fairly early on that was unpredictable and kick-starts the rest of the events leading into the climax.
Things culminate in a scene that I’d describe as blood-squib porn, the likes of which we haven’t seen since 80’s-90’s-era Paul Verhoeven. Big, wet, explosive bullet impacts. It’s a chear-worthy-scene for lovers of well-made practical effects and a clear celebration of it; as stylishly shot as the rest of the film and in gloriously-fetishized slow-motion, emphasizing each impact on the vivtim’s body as well as the incredibly well-performed reactions of the actors. This scene alone is pure cinematic joy for lovers of the genre.
Director Drew Barnhardt has a great filmmaking style and knows exactly what he’s going for. And although a (very dark) comedy, Rondo is not a parody but fits into its genre perfectly well. One has to have a tolerance and/or particular appreciation of graphic screen violence and dark subject matter in order to enjoy it as it’s meant to. It’s terrific filmmaking, genuinely funny and tense, unabashedly violent, and I for one was thoroughly entertained.
It’s a musical. It’s a Christmas story. It’s a zombie movie. Not usually three things you see mashed up together, but this is what this movie is. It was enough to get me to click the play button to watch the trailer. And yeah, despite it being a zombie movie, I wanted to go see it. I could only hope it would live up to the teaser, and that the comedy and songs would distract me from the potentially scary stuff.
Actually season one of a web series, shown in its entirety which is the length of a feature-length film. Alejandra sees her fifteenth birthday celebration, or quinceanera, disrupted by the arrival of a Mexican cartel group, the Del Rios. The reasons for their presence have to do with Alejandra’s father, for reasons that are revealed via flashbacks throughout the episodes. And when I write ‘’disrupted’’, I mean that almost the entirety of the guests and staff are brutally killed by the vicious gang, leaving only Alejandra, her mother, grandmother, and brother alive. Thus begins their quest for revenge.
This is a bloody, fast-paced, crowd-pleasing exploitation action flick, uh, series. The characters are treated with care and the performances credible, with Mia Xitlali as Alejandra giving a great turn as the young girl who quickly becomes a vengeful woman. The violence is brutal but many moments are of the ‘’fuck yeah’’ variety that are meant to be entertaining more than realistic. The structure is made more interesting with its initial use of some non-linear storytelling through the use of multiple flashbacks, which also means we get into the action really quickly before having certain things explained to us a bit later (such as Alejandra’s brother’s role in the events that led to the quinceanera massacre.
The downside is that as it stands, it’s completely open-ended. This being a series it’s understandable since it’s meant to be continued, but the story is far from finished. It’s all leading to a final confrontation that we don’t get to see. Still, if you’re a fan of violent b-movies the likes of which used to make up a big chunk of the ‘’action’’ section of the video/DVD store, you will be served. It’s also straight-faced, with no hint of parody or campiness, but done with a definite love of the genre.
Why do we like to be scared? Or seek out horror imagery? And enjoy watching fictional violence? Not everyone does, sure, but us horror fans do.
I went in seeing Sonny Mallhi’s Hurt fairly blind. This was the world premiere and there was no trailer, and the descriptions were vague. A few pictures, of people wearing masks. Just enough to grab my interest. The masks looked creepy. The less known about the premise, the better, as the first act culminates in a sly use of misperception, playing with our expectations. This is ultimately what director Sonny Mallhi manipulates throughout the entire film: our perception.
The continuing set-up remains unconventional, as we are led to follow a number of characters until eventually settling on who will be our main protagonist (who is also revealed as someone who is not what they initially appear to be, in a creepy scene all done in close-ups). Soon enough, things are confirmed (after the first act tease) : we are in slasher-film territory. But things are not that simple, or standard.
At first, the style is reminiscent of the ‘’mumblecore’’ type of filmmaking (handheld camerawork, sometimes unfocused, naturalistic lighting), but this is also part of the misdirection. The framing turns out to be very deliberate, showing us what Mallhi wants to when he wants to, both to give or keep information and to create the mood that he’s going for. The pacing is slow and focuses on our main characters (of which there are very few) in a realistic and intimate way. Slowly, this starts to create an uneasy, subtly dreadful feeling.
Eventually, this becomes a stalk-and –slash film, with emphasis on the stalking. We’ve seen this type of thing many times before, but not quite like this. On the surface, it has more in common with classics like ‘’Black Christmas (1974)’’ and ‘’Halloween (1978)’’ than the more typical slasher film, with the emphasis on mood and suspense rather than multiple kills and gore, but then the genius of its intention is revealed. We think we know what’s going on, but…
It’s impressive how Mallhi ultimately tells his story. It’s also impressive that he manages to do what most films of the genre are supposed to and usually try: to actually be scary, and with a story that’s deceptively straightforward and that we’ve basically seen many times before. Or so we think. The ultimate subversion of our expectations, carefully and patiently constructed throughout, is at once genius and simple.
There’s a meta analysis of our relationship with horror at the core of Hurt, which is Mallhi’s whole point. Not necessarily horror movies per se, but our desire to be scared and to scare. As such, deciding to set the story on Halloween is perfect, and it’s one of the best uses of the holiday I’ve ever seen in a horror film; not just in the way to make the surroundings and visuals scarier (the design of the masks is terrific) but also to help explore its themes. There is a lengthy sequence taking place in a haunt fair that turns out to be crucial is so many ways to both the events following it and their meaning.
As it turns out, this unconventionally-shot, familiar story is interested in asking big questions. Its structure is brilliant. Its subject fascinatingly explored. Its conclusion incredibly satisfying. It’s also immensely helped by its lead performances (especially Emily van Raay) which are completely believable.
One of the biggest surprises I’ve recently seen coming from the genre. Sonny Mallhi sticks a mirror in its intended audience’s face, while giving us exactly what we crave.
Another week of the Fantasia International Film Festival is in the books! Sophie and Phil have been checking out all kinds of film (as you can see in our Fantasia coverage) and they’re ready to talk about some of their favorite picks. Including Anna and the Apocalypse, The Ranger and Chuck Steel along with a host of short films! Listen now!
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Keith does all sorts of things here on 9to5.cc, he works with the other founders on 9to5 (illustrated), co-hosts our two podcasts: The 9to5 Entertainment System and Go Plug Yourself and blogs here as The Perspicacious Geek.
Philippe is new around here at 9to5.cc but he’s already managed to knock out some movie reviews for your reading pleasure.
Sophie does all of the arts on 9to5 illustrated and blogs weekly about her adventures with beer in The Ignorant Beer Review.
The song we use in the intro is “Spooky Loop” by the 8bit bEtty. Used under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.
The moment I saw the trailer, I was sold. Classic 80s action/horror tropes, overly cool one liners and superb character designs! I mentioned to Keith I was gonna go see this one, and he pointed out they had previously released a short film with Chuck Steel so I had to check that out before seeing the movie. I am so glad I did, I laughed so hard.
Before getting into my thoughts of the feature length movie, feel free to check out the trailer right here, and the short film Raging Balls of Steel Justice right here. Go on, I promise you`ll appreciate them.
I got the opportunity to sit down with Mike Mort, right after the screening of Chuck Steel:Night of the Trampires! This movie is a fast-paced action horror film set in the mid 80s… all in stop motion animation. Mike is the creator, writer, director and voice actor behind the genius of this film, I am very grateful he agreed to take some time to talk to me in what must have been a very busy day!
If you haven’t seen any of Chuck’s adventures yet, go watch the Night of the Trampires trailer here, as well as the original short film Balls of Steel Justice here.
Sophie: Evidently this was a labour of love for you, and it really came through, As someone who grew up in the 80s, I was definitely wowed. Can you tell me the movies that really made an impact on you when you were a kid?
Mike: Yeah, I think it terms of horror films, the biggest one was Evil Dead 2. It was the first one I plucked up the courage to watch. I was terrified of horror films for a while. I used to watch monster movies, Ray Harryhausen films, more fantasy stuff. But when I saw Evil Dead 2, it was comedy and horror, I realized there was more to it. So I just kept watching more and more horror as well as action. Like From Beyond and Reanimator. All those types of rubber monster movies, you know? With the emphasis on gore and things like that. Action wise… I don`t know if I can pick a favourite, I`ve always just enjoyed action movies.
During the Q&A, you spoke a lot to the the pace of 80s action movies, so it must be something that just gets you in general.
Yes, it`s also because stop-motion can be a bit laboured when you watch it. It can sometimes be a little bit slow. One of the things I wanted to do with this, was to make it feel like these scenes were happening and we just happened to have a camera there, filming from lots of angles. That meant lots of shots were needed to increase the pace. The pace of the editing can create that excitement sometimes when watching an action scene. In CGI there`s a tendency to stay on one shot, show everything in one shot. Creative editing gets kind of put on the back seat, since CGI has no limits and can show everything without cutting away.
But I like that old approach, where you cut away for a reason. Like a special effect needed to have been joined, so you cut to a reaction and then you come back and there would be a different thing going on. So I purposely tried to mimic that. To a point that when you cut back, you`d see a different puppet head, from the transforming, then go away and back again, another puppet head. It was the limitations of the way those films were shot, but there was something about those limitations that created a certain pace in the film, thanks to the editing. A lot of films nowadays lack that, so I kind of miss it.
Well it definitely has an energy I haven’t seen in a while, particularly when I think about stop motion. I have to ask though, because you mentioned you’ve had this character in your head since you were 15 years old. Did he pop into your head originally as sort of a satire of how they were portrayed in all those films, or…
No, no I really like American culture. Growing up it was something I always aspired to. It was so glamorous… I know as you get older you get more cynical and you see beneath the veneer of things. But there is still something good about the idea in the films of the 80s, that was very clearly good guys vs bad guys. That’s gone away a little bit in films, nobody is willing to say this is the good guy, this is the bad guy. Everything is a bit more gray rather than black and white. I didn’t come up with the character to mock, I was just watching films all the time and I just drew this face in my English book, I was doodling. I drew several more versions. I look at those versions now, because I’ve still got those books, and I can see influences of the films I’d watched just the week before in those doodles. So it’s an amalgamation of all this stuff I grew up with. It’s changed over the years, as a character he’s become a bit more finessed I hope. But it definitely wasn’t a joke at the expense of Americans, it’s an homage.
These creations of theirs are so unabashedly over the top, it’s easy to either cheer or boo, there aren’t really any feelings in between. There is something to be said for that, it’s memorable. Well done recreating it.
It was meant to celebrate all that crazy stuff in those films, yeah.
It was very nostalgic, and I appreciated it. Part of what got me was the music! I saw you had some Saxon, Judas Priest… we’re you a bit of a metal head?
I am a metal head *guilty smile* I never had the long hair though. I’ve never been a concert person, I’m not one for crowds, so I’d just buy the music. Old school as well, all CDs. I don’t stream it or anything. Heavy Metal and rock has got… well that’s probably a nostalgia thing with me as well, but it’s just got a vibe that’s positive to it, and I connect with that. It’s not ashamed to be over the top.
This has to be the first time I hear CDs referred to as old school *laughs* instead of vinyl! I feel so dated.
Well they are now *laughs*
You say you’re not much of a crowd person, are you enjoying the festival despite this?
Oh yeah, that’s fine. It’s not… the concert crowd just has a vibe I don’t like.
Back to the movie *laughs* So this was the second screening, from my understanding, where was the first screening?
It was at Annecy Animation Festival, in France. It’s a well known animation festival, we did three screenings there. It went really well and had some nice reviews, so fingers crossed that carries on. The crowd seemed to enjoy it.
Fantasia has a perfect crowd for this as well, we look for this sort of thing. So now you’re looking for a distribution deal?
Yeah we’re doing the rounds and talking to distributors. It’s early days since we’ve only a couple of months ago completed the film and we’ve only shown it in two places. But we’re in conversation with a number of distributors, we’re gonna see how that plays out over the next few months. It’s exciting, and kind of scary as well. Because we want to get it right. The amount of work that’s gone into this, four years of work. Plus you want to make your money back, as well as enough to make another one.
You seem to have ideas about a sequel already, has it been simmering for a while?
*smiles* I have a few ideas for different sequels. We’re working on other ideas as well, that aren’t Chuck Steel, different ideas. All stop motion. We don’t want to stick to a ‘house style’, we want to vary things a little bit. We always want to make things cinematic, but we don’t want them to all have that same look and techniques. It’s gonna be good stories and fun.
That does sound interesting, would you bring them to Fantasia as well?
Yeah! It’s gonna take a while though… four years probably *laughs*
Take your time *laughs* I saw how much you’d progressed between this and Balls of Steel Justice, the original Chuck Steel short film, I mean, everything was just turned up to 11 in this movie. Given how long Night of the Trampires took to produce, I imagine there must have been some learning while you worked on it?
Yeah, it has been a learning experience, but it was also that I knew what I wanted to do with the film for a while. So it wasn’t like I was finding a way to do this , it was in my head, and we had the storyboards and knew what we needed it to be. The short film was done in my basement because we didn’t have any finance or anything. It was just me making everything, and I was gonna spend however long it took to get the shot. Then I met my partners and they in financing, and as soon as we finished the short film, they said let’s make a feature film! And I had this script from 2001, I’d written it back then. That’s why some of the jokes…
Some of the comments from the crowd was about sensitivity to the jokes. Things have gotten more sensitive since I wrote the script. We only did certain adaptions to bring it up to date. I din’t really want to worry about that stuff too much. I just wanted to do what I thought was funny. I did update a few things though. I remember Will Ferrell said a thing about the Twilight films, and he called one of them a Trampire in his skit. I was like oh right, he’s nicked that word now. So I had to stick a line in there to try to counteract that. If anyone noticed. I don’t think anyone did, but it’s just one of those things.
You did a great job adapting it then, I don’t think anyone was offended by any of it.
I do think everyone is a bit too PC these days. I know there’s reasons, with everything coming out, but it is going a bit too far in places. We need to chill a bit perhaps.
I agree, and art is a good place to express that *laughs* Where are you off to next?
Do you know about Frightfest, in London? We’ve got a screening there, that’s our next one. That’s gonna be fun. We’ve got a festival run probably throughout the rest of this year. All the while trying to do the distribution thing… if we get distribution we might have to stop doing Festivals. We will see. I do want it to get out there.
***
Read my review of Chuck Steel: Night of the Trampires here!
You can keep track of where Chuck Steel is going next on their website right here!
Subscribe to the official YouTube chanel here!
