While I wasn't a HUGE fan of Life Aquatic, I am still a big, big, big fan of Wes Anderson. He's always visually stunning and his storytelling aesthetic is right up my alley. For that reason, I am marking the days off my calendar in very heated excitement awaiting the first midnight screening of Darjeeling Limited. Tickets are on sale now for all of the regular shows on opening week as well as the multi-course Darjeeling Limited Indian Feast being prepared by executive chef John Bullington.
We're on Day Five of FANTASTIC FEST now, and that means we've begun encore screenings of a bunch of the movies. If you don't have a badge but are still interested in seeing the best movies of the year before they come out for a full theatrical run, keep checking our main website for recommendations on what to check out. First off? MIRAGEMAN.
There's always a certain amount of buzz for the Ain't It Cool News Secret Screenings at these festivals, as that's how Mel Gibson showed up with APOCALYPTO last year, and it was really amazing to see SOUTHLAND TALES and meet Richard Kelly this year. But after checking out MIRAGEMAN Friday night, I don't care what the remaining Secret Screenings are this year. Even if Harry has somehow managed to get his hands on experimental genetically modifying technology and created a one man conglomeration of Steven Spielberg, George Romero, Lucio Fulci, Quentin Tarantino, and Sergio Leone into a new sentient being known only as THE DIRECTOR, who has secretly made a movie called INDIANA STAR WARS ZOMBIE, it won't matter. MIRAGEMAN will still be the film I remember from this festival. Take that, THE DIRECTOR! We've got an encore showing this Wednesday night at 9:35pm at the Alamo South Lamar, and you should really, really see it. Do it!
To warm you up, check out the vlog entry posted below, where Marc Savlov and I talked to Ernesto Díaz Espinoza and Marko Zaror, the director and star of MIRAGEMAN, on Friday night in front of the dancing fire machine. I hadn't seen the movie at this point, but Savlov had seen it and loved it, so I invited him to come on camera to help get this conversation about cinematic influences and high kicks going.
As usual, thanks to Super!Alright! for helping on the filming on this one, and be sure to check out the Dell Lounge later on for a more complete version of this interview along with dozens of other Fantastic Fest recaps.
Wow wow wow. Eleven hours in, and Fantastic Fest is... well, it's making me say "fantastic" more than I have all year. The festival title is really meant to convey a sense of fantasy, of things that are larger than life, and all of the awesomeness that the genres of the films tend to be filled with, but I keep using it as a way to just say, "Neat!"
I posted these videos in our regular blog already, but in case you don't like clicking on those links over there and still want to see a little bit of what went down, check it out.
First up, Terror Thursday host Zack Carlson, along with Bob in a hazmat suit, getting decimated by the gore cannon (yes, that's a cannon that shoots blood and guts at live human targets):
Secondly, Lars hosted the first screening of FINISHING THE GAME with what was going to be a Bruce Lee Look-Alike contest, but things got complicated:
There's more craziness to come throughout the day, with the first screening of NEVER BELONGS TO ME in the fest (that's the penis gun movie we talked about in the trailer), the premiere of the BEST OF BLOODSHOTS 2007, of MIRAGEMAN, and so much more. We'll have more videos posted throughout the day to try to bring some of the fun to you, but you should come out to as much of it as you can.
Holy smokes, we are just HOURS away from the launching of Fantastic Fest 2007! We're brimming with excitement here at Festival HQ, so I figured I'd share some of the planned highlights for tonight's opening party...
Our opening night party on tonight at Alamo South Lamar will be packed with enough insanity to choke a maniac. We're going to have the Austin chapter of mad technomachinobionic geniuses DORKBOT presenting unlikely inventions and post-apocalyptic electronic miracles including (but not limited to): SINGING TESLA COILS and the much anticipated GUT CANNON, which shoots ENTRAILS up to 50 FEET at LIVE HUMAN TARGETS! Can you think of a better invention? Me neither.
The opening night party will also give guests the opportunity to participate in the wanton destruction of half a dozen MALFORMED CELEBRITY PINATAS (identities to be revealed only on site), fill your stomach with the magic of Mexican style crucifixionesque CABRITO GOAT SMOKING, and -- last but not least -- take part in a nigh-nuclear EXTREME HOT SAUCE CHALLENGE that will allow you to sample Texas' hottest offerings from Mild to MegaMaliciousMeltdown! Never fear, to clear your scalded palate, we will have passed appetizers and beer available.
Tickets are now available to the general public for the sneak preview screening of THE ASSASSINATION OF JESSE JAMES at the Alamo Drafthouse Cinema South Lamar at 8:30 PM on Wednesday, September 19. Star of the film Casey Affleck will be on hand to introduce and answer questions following the film. The screening is free, but you can reserve a seat by pre-purchasing a $10 food and drink voucher online. The remainder of the tickets will be given away at the door, first come, first serve.
This special screening is made possible by Warner Brothers, Ain't It Cool News and Fantastic Fest. Fantastic Fest is an 8 day festival of the best in now action, cult, horror, sci-fi, fantasy and all-around badass cinema. Check out the full lineup of films at the official website. Opening night of Fantastic Fest features George Romero live in person for the U.S. premiere of Diary of the Dead on september 20. the Festival runs through September 27.
There are still badges left for this year's most bad ass film festival in Austin and the United States in general: FANTASTIC FEST. Films scheduled to appear include AACHI & SSIPAK, the bizarre animated action movie about a couple of two-bit cons trying to make it big in a dystopian future where the earth's sole energy source is human feces, along with films featuring penis gun revenge, zombies on planes, murderous hair extensions, and more surprises than a truck full of Crackerjacks boxes where all the toys have been replaced by actual rattlesnake eggs.
And if the films themselves aren't enough for you, come out for the people: there will be dozens of filmmakers on hand to answer questions in Q&A's or to hang out and geek out with over a couple of beers at an after-party. Even if you can't get a badge this year, it's worth just loitering in the parking lot as if the theater was a 7-11 and you were a goth kid in the suburbs circa 1997, just to mill about and be close by for all the geeked out genre action.
If you haven't already, head over to FantasticFest.com to check out updates with all the confirmed film titles and special guests!
