Genre Weekend 12: Fantasia Fun
By Angela Roberts
July 18th, 2011
It’s that time of year again here in Montreal. The Fantasia International Film Festival officially began on July 14th. Now in its fifteenth year, Fantasia is one of the premier genre film festivals in North America, showcasing incredible science fiction, fantasy, horror, and all sorts of stuff from the US, Canada, Europe, and Asia. The festival’s line-up is so eclectic that pretty much anyone can find something they’ll want to see. I usually go for the Asian historical fantasies and the anime. Something I’ve been pleased to see at the fest in the past few years has also been a few fine English historical adventure films, like my first screening of the year, Ironclad. This year, The Gloaming was approved for media accreditation for the first time, and I, as our representative, got a media pass allowing me nearly unlimited access to screenings. Which was pretty awesome. I love Fantasia; I’ve been going for years, and would have gone even without the pass, but having the pass is pretty cool. Certainly, I was glad I wasn’t out waiting in line in the 36 degree weather on Sunday like I would be if I’d bought tickets.
But that’s kind of part of the experience. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: going to a genre film festival like Fantasia is an entirely different experience than seeing a film in a conventional movie theatre. There’s something about seeing a film you love with like-minded people that you don’t get with seeing a movie in a theatre. Sure, if I go to the Cineplex tonight and watch Harry Potter, I’ll probably be seeing it with like-minded people (albeit slightly crazier people than me ;)). But people behave differently at the cinema than they do at a fest. Watch Harry Potter in the cinema, and you’ll no doubt quietly munch away on your popcorn as you stare at the IMAX screen, experiencing the metaphorical communal/solitary experience of the cinema that Film Studies majors talk about. Watch Harry Potter at a film festival, and it’s all communal. The screen’s not HD, the sound’s not ultra-THX or whatever, but no one cares. They’re all having too much fun; they’re experiencing the film together. It’s an interactive experience. Maybe Harry Potter is a bad example. But then, Harry Potter would never play at Fantasia.
Not that Fantasia isn’t good enough. But the festival is best suited to films that are a bit more off-beat, more inaccessible. You want to go to Fantasia for the films you won’t see at your local Cineplex anytime soon. Or the films that movie theatre companies don’t appreciate. The movies that, by some miracle, get distribution, and then are in theatres for a week before being pulled because they had no marketing, there was no faith in them, the distributor’s marketing department didn’t know what to do with them, didn’t know how to get in touch with their target market. I saw it all the time when I worked at the movie theatre. We knew which movies would succeed, and which would fail. Occasionally, we would get surprised, but not often. And truth be told, films that sell out at Fantasia rarely do so in the cinema. It’s a different market, a different setting.
I think the festival’s programmers know that. Certainly this year, they’ve put together a line-up of more indie films and Asian offerings. Instead of the flamboyant Sorcerer’s Apprentice of last year, the opening film this year is Red State, mega indie genre icon Kevin Smith’s first foray into horror. Their closing films are Guillermo del Toro’s Don’t Be Afraid of The Dark, and indie science fiction thriller, Exit. The biggest name movies at the fest this year are probably Smith’s Red State and John Landis’ Burke and Hare, both of note as being long-awaited by genre fans.
This isn’t a sign of things going badly for the fest. On the contrary, it’s a sign that the fest is settling back into the kind of programming that made it one of the most popular festivals in a city full of festivals. The Cineplex can have big Hollywood. Fantasia is about enjoying the movies that maybe not everyone else does. It’s about being with one’s people, one’s sub-culture, clapping and laughing and screaming in a room full of people who know exactly why you’re doing those things. Fantasia audiences are some of the coolest, most patient audiences on the planet. Who else would wait patiently in 36 degree weather outside to see Ip Man: The Legend is Born? Who else applauds a Japanese producer when he announces that his film was made with entirely hand drawn images, no CGI? That’s Fantasia, and that’s great.
This weekend, I watched Ironclad, The Legend of the Millennium Dragon, and Ip Man: The Legend is Born. Come back Wednesday for my review of Ironclad. We’ll be running a lot of great film reviews for the next while, as we endeavor to share our Fantasia experience with all of you.
It’s still not too late to buy tickets or come in for the fest! For more info on the festival, visit the Fantasia website.
Capsule Reviews:
Outcasts: It’s such a pain that this series never made it past eight episodes in Britain. I think it’s fair to say that the show was really getting better with every episode. This time, the very human drama continues with the appearance of a wounded AC in Forthaven, one that is wounded both physically and psychologically. Almost childlike in his interactions with others, Elijah is haunted by memories of horrible experiments performed on him by Tate and blacks out frequently, waking to discover he’s harmed whoever was unlucky enough to be around him at the time. The occurrence of a mentally unstable AC running around in Forthaven just brings all of the sub-plots in the series into high relief. Julius Berger begins making his move on Tate’s chair, only to be skillfully reminded of the skeletons in his own closet. Still, he’s not one to be beaten easily, and he’s definitely working behind the scenes, choosing his pawns Jack, Lily, Stella, and Tipper. And meanwhile, the Fleur/Cass sub-plot is inflamed by the revelations about Elijah’s abuse. She wants to help him escape, enlisting the help of Rudy, and pressuring Cass through his love for her (a love she’s still unaware of) to help her. Cass is torn between his love for Fleur and his loyalty to Tate, who wants Elijah brought in. And this is a situation where he’s really tested. His decision will have repercussions for his relationship with Fleur, despite her possible forgiveness of him at the episode’s end. Daniel Mays conveys so much in his portrayal of Cass that you can understand his struggle. And to top it all off, more mysteries are added to the mix with the discovery of an ancient jawbone, and the appearance of Tate hearing mysterious voices that seem to be his dead sons. By the way, as usual, just when you think you won’t cry, that’s when this show hits you with the really heart-wrenching scenes.
Torchwood: Miracle Day: The mystery deepens in episode two, “Rendition,” as Rex arrests Jack and Gwen and takes them back to the States. Jack faces real mortality as one of Rex’s fellow agents tries to poison him. The conspiracy has reached into the CIA, and someone doesn’t want Torchwood to figure out how the Miracle Day happened and how to stop it. Meanwhile, the Doctor invites herself to a grand medical conference discussing the Miracle, and we learn more about what this event is and what to do about it. And even worse consequences of people not being able to die. Gwen really steps up even more in this episode; at times frantic, she’s also forceful and intelligent, and she gets to show all of it in this episode. I really can’t wait for the next episode.
So, Geek Recommendations of the Week:
The next Marvel movie in the journey to Avengers comes out next Friday; Captain America: The First Avenger. I think it’s worth seeing just for how they manage to turn Chris Evans into both Steve Rogers and Captain America.
If you love crazy monarchs, then you’ll love Joan’s Royalty in History site. It’s the first place I go when I’m researching this subject.
Fave Podcast of the week: Howstuffworks.com has a pretty cool podcast called Stuff you Missed in History Class. Check it out on ITunes.