I arrived at the cinema about 25 minutes early, hoping to grab a ticket for AMER before they were sold out. As I approached the front desk and inquired about the ticket availability, I was told that they were sold out again!
I asked her if anything would be possible, to which she responded, no.
Damn, my hopes were shattered.....I was unable to see the film I'd been looking forward to since the announcement of its inclusion in the festival.
Really bummed out by the response, I glanced at the digital screen above the front desk to see that AMER still had "limited seating available." My senses perked up...
I drifted to the left side of the ticket desk, where more in tune employees seemed to be conversing. I asked what the situation currently was with AMER. I was informed that they had another employee inside the discovery screen who was going to count up the all the unoccupied seats, IF ANY, from no show ticket holders.
Holding my breath, I turned around and noticed two other like minded individuals hoping for some seats to be available.
But, if push came to shove and there was only one seat available, the seat WOULD BE MINE!
Muahahaahaha!!
Sorry, back to the story...
At 11:05, five minutes past the beginning of the screening, an employee gingerly strolled over to the desk. All our breaths were held. She began gossiping to her employees about all things irrelevant.
Unable to take such punishment, I interrupted their life-changing conversation and inquired about the availability of the screening.
She held up four tickets! WICKED!
We were quickly escorted into the small, but packed discovery screen. Our seats were located in back row. No problem, just getting a seat in the screening was godsend.
After we were seated, curator Alan Jones arrived with directors Bruno Forzani and Helene Cattet to introduce the film.
After a short but very humbled intro, the screening for AMER commenced...
The word AMER means bitter, reflecting taste, one of the five senses. The film is supposed to be experienced using your five senses. Under such rules, the story unfolds in a way that requires you to be fully engaged, using all your senses to decipher the film. The film follows a young girl, from her adolescents all the way to adulthood. Her surreal encounters and horrific experiences are what end up forming the crux of the premise.
The attention for detail in AMER is incredible. Sounds are used acutely to amplify certain anecdotes, while visual colors implant subtle themes. Scenes aren't explained by endless conversations, but through the dynamic usage of lighting, camera movement, and intricate sound editing.
The style of filmmaking used in AMER is revolutionary. No film has chosen to use senses to tell its story, and AMER does so with so much style, flare, and conviction. If you're going to make film built solely on visual and audible senses, your eye and ear as a filmmaker has to be utterly in tune. Luckily, Bruno Forzani and Helene Cattet master the visual and sound scape flawlessly.
What also makes AMER a resounding success is the fact that the film is laced in horror surroundings. Horror by definition is a visceral experience, so AMER's intention in bringing the visual and audible tone to maximum fits perfectly with the genre.
AMER is beautifully shot, mysteriously intriguing, and definitely one that breathes new life into the genre. 9/10.
So glad I got a chance to see this in 35mm on the big screen.
After the film, the two filmmakers returned for a very enjoyable Q&A. Helene Cattet spoke about how she knew nothing about Giallo's prior, and it was Bruno Forzani who introduced her into the genre.
They also recalled the reaction of Italian director Enzo Castellari after he saw the film. They said he came down after the credits, hugged them, and said "Although I don't understand it all, I love it!"
Before the Q&A finished, they said they had a special announcement for us.
They were going to reveal the title of their next horror film. It would be, THE STRANGE COLORS OF YOUR BODY'S TEARS. Great title for a Giallo, if you ask me.
They also said the film would lean more towards the investigative and mystery aspect of the Giallo genre this time, as AMER only related to the Giallo through tone, style, and musical cue.
After the screening, I met up with my Mom in the lobby, who had opted to see a documentary on the VIDEO NASTY era in the main screen instead. She thoroughly enjoyed it and ended up getting really nice hardcover book on the era after the presentation. One of the authors of the book was in attendance, so she was also able to get it signed!
At 1:15, the world premiere of the British zombie film, THE DEAD commenced. The entire cast and crew were in attendance.
THE DEAD flips the zombie concept on its heel. It takes place in the dusty and sweltering lands of Africa, as two soldiers, an American and a native must fight in order to survive and escape the infestation of the dust ridden zombies.
The film is shot with an incredible epic focus. Sweeping shots capture tattered zombies, crawling through the sweltering deserts in cinematic grandeur. The use of practical FX work brilliantly to maintain the horrific nature of the film, while the actors (excluding the lead) do an authentic job of portraying pressured soldiers surrounded by the madness of such horrors.
THE DEAD stands out from many of the zombies features released over the last five years for one sole reason, it's setting. The environment and feel of the film hasn't been done before, and because of this, THE DEAD comes off fresh and thoroughly memorable. 8/10.
After the showing, the directors, who are actually brothers, took the stage, along with the cast to discuss various aspects of the film and take some audience questions.
In the lobby they had some very cool posters for THE DEAD hung up. Oddly enough, a few attendees were actually taking the posters down for themselves.
I asked one of the employees if it was OK if I took one. Hey, I didn't want to get jumped.
She didn't seem to care, so I grabbed one.
I was able to take it to various cast&crew members and have it signed!
Here were the two leads as they posed for the media wall:
I was also able meet with the directors:
I inquired whether they preferred Romero or Fulci. Any self-respecting zombie fan has an answer to such a question. They responded with Romero (boo!). But they also stated "not recently" with the work he's produced (very true!).
Many took a lunch break after THE DEAD, but not us. A new and very quiet Korean film was next on the main screen. It was titled BEDEVILLED, and nobody had really heard much about it prior to the screening. As of this writing, it hasn't even been released on DVD yet.
BEDEVILLED is about two girls, Hae-won and Bok-nam, whom live on a small island inhabited by an array strict of villagers. Hae-won decides to move to the mainland in search for a better life, while Bok-nam chooses to stay on the island, remaining true to culture and tradition. Fast forward years later, Hae-won, now a lady, returns to the island to visit her past friend. She finds Bok-nam now being abused by a drunken and violent husband, raped by numerous male inhabitants, and scoffed and degraded by elderly folk.
The only thing that is keeping Bok-nam from committing suicide is her young daughter. With the help of the returned Hae-won, all Bok-nam wants is to escape the island with her daughter. But with her psychotic husband on her trail and a host of villagers refusing to allow her to leave, Bok-nam must fight in order to escape the nightmare she has been living all her life.
BEDEVILLED is a typical South Korean film. Unapologetically candid, very blunt, but thoroughly engrossing. What makes BEDEVILLED stick is the fact that it's a drama, through and through. There's no actual horror in the film. The horror only bleeds through with the violent acts of the characters. There are no encounters with monsters or supernatural elements.
I think BEDEVILLED is a prime example of counter programming. The film is so different than anything being shown at the festival that its taste is so memorable. I didn't expect it to develop characters or involve in ways only refined dramas do. But by surprising me in such a way, I was pleasantly satisfied.
Although BEDEVILLED is a slow burner, it is without question the sleeper hit of the festival. Those that went out for a sandwich over watching this film will find that they missed out on something truly special. 9/10.
With the festival slowly coming to its inevitable closure, with only two films left, attendees anxiously took their seats for RED, WHITE AND BLUE.
RED, WHITE AND BLUE takes place in Austin, Texas. If follows the path of three separate characters, a prostitute, a war veteran, and a young but ignorant alcoholic. As they live their lives they soon cross paths, which slowly spiral towards hate, violence, and ultimately murder.
The characters in RED, WHITE AND BLUE are particularly strong. Each character is very well defined and incredibly realistically. The unknown actors playing the roles brilliantly take on their characters perfectly to the point where it almost feels like a documentary. One of the standouts of the film is the dialogue. It is authentically in tune and full of life. The slurs, mannerisms, and overall conversations portray the lower class exceptionally well.
Unfortunately, the film fails in a few key areas. The direction comes off very dry, void of any real sense of enthusiasm or energy. The screenplay also does a poor job in justifying the actions of numerous characters in the final half, forcing the viewer to question and ultimately lose interest in the events taking place.
RED, WHITE AND BLUE starts off incredibly well, full of complex and troubled characters, but ends up wasting them on a second half that doesn't do them justice. RED, WHITE BLUE had potential, sadly it's never utilized. 7/10.
After the screening, the cast and crew participated in a Q&A with the audience. With a question in hand, I stepped up and inquired why exactly is the film called RED, WHITE AND BLUE. I mean it's never fully explained in the film.
Director Simon Rumley explained that each color represented a specific protagonist in the film, with certain characteristics of the characters attributing to the reason for the color.
I understood his reasoning after his explanation, but feel that the film did a very inadequate job in explaining such thoughts. Oh well...
After a very lively break, which included a trip to you guessed it, Starbucks, the final film of the night was set to close the festival, THE LAST EXORCISM.
As I returned to the cinema, I noticed quite a few of bodyguards surveying the area. They were wobbling, I mean marching in their usual over-the-top bossy flare, full of orders and arrogance.
The gist was that they were there for the forthcoming appearance Eli Roth was set to make.
I really don't get it. I mean Eli Roth is just a young director, nothing more. I remember meeting him at Comic-Con a few years ago. A friendly and enthusiastic individual, but not a major celebrity.
OK, he may have worked with Brad Pitt, but he's not Brad Pitt. I guess rubbing shoulders with the A-List of Hollywood tinkers with your persona.
They cleared the lobby as the cast and crew of THE LAST EXORCISM arrived.
While they spoke to the media wall in the lobby, I grabbed a very fast photo with my Mom while waiting for the screening:
After about a 30 minute delay, the cast and crew entered the auditorium for the screening.
The auditorium was sold-out by the way, not a single empty seat. The film wasn't going to be released till Friday in England so many were attendance.
Eli Roth took the stage to state that this was his first time at FrightFest and claimed he was very excited to be here. Just to let you know, he only produced the film. Yet with the hype surrounding both the film and the festival, you'd think otherwise.
After a few other comments, we finally were screened the final film of the festival, THE LAST EXORCISM.
THE LAST EXORCISM centers on preacher Cotton Marcus, who is slowly losing his faith. With no ambition or motivation to continue his spiritual work, Marcus sets to uncover the hoax he believes is exorcisms. After receiving a distressed letter from a grieving father, claiming his daughter to be possessed, preacher Marcus sets off with a documentary crew to cure the girl of her falsified disillusions. What he gets though, is much more terrifying and real than he bargained for.
THE LAST EXORCISM gets a lot of things right. The unique filmmaking approach to the possession genre suits the film well. In the first act, we take Marcus' ideals and philosophy on board wholeheartedly. His personality is very friendly and likable. So when the horror and madness of it all begins to manifest in the second half, just like Marcus, we are also thrust into shock and bewilderment.
Though, the ending of the film is very tough to digest for numerous reasons. Not necessarily because it’s overly-violent or graphic, but because it changes the entire philosophy and intention of the film. Some may be annoyed to the point where they end up hating entire film for this. I wasn’t too bothered with it, though it certainly did come out of left field.
THE LAST EXORCISM is very distinctive possession film solely because it doesn’t try to copy previous entries. While not flawless, it gets a lot of things right, and that’s got to count for something. 8/10.
After the film, we were treated with a lively Q&A with the cast and crew. They gave their opinions on the ending, working conditions, and also commented on how happy they were with film's financial success in the States.
Before the Q&A finished, lead actor Patrick Fabian, who played Cotton Marcus, was asked to repeat a humorous sermon from the film (concerning banana bread) to the live audience.
With a full crowd in attendance, Patrick Fabian obliged. Here’s the clip below:
The Last Exorcism Clip
Fun way to end the screening.
After the screening, it was announced that a signing session with the cast and crew would take place in the auditorium. A line formed very quickly, reaching far into the deep bowels of the cinema.
The limit was one item per person, but a brave individual in front of us tried for two items. The bodyguard got the extra page he had gotten signed and just crumbled it up. It was totally overboard. I mean all the fan wanted was just his autograph book signed, nothing more. For the brutish bodyguard to react in such hostile way was just wrong. This is what happens when you give someone just a small amount of power. Not even at Comic-Con does anything this extreme occur.
The fan left the cinema quite worked up, for good reason, shouting numerous slurs that I don’t think would be too appropriate for this blog.
The limit was one item per person, but a brave individual in front of us tried for two items. The bodyguard got the extra page he had gotten signed and just crumbled it up. It was totally overboard. I mean all the fan wanted was just his autograph book signed, nothing more. For the brutish bodyguard to react in such hostile way was just wrong. This is what happens when you give someone just a small amount of power. Not even at Comic-Con does anything this extreme occur.
The fan left the cinema quite worked up, for good reason, shouting numerous slurs that I don’t think would be too appropriate for this blog.
After five days of horror, Q&A's, signings, goodies, and an endless supply of Starbucks, the festival officially had come to a close.
My Mom and I bid FrightFest 2010 adieu.
My Mom and I bid FrightFest 2010 adieu.
Here's a shot I grabbed of my Mom and Dad as we left the EMPIRE CINEMA:
Best of FrightFest 2010: AMER or THE LOVED ONES
Worst of FrightFest 2010: 13 HRS. or DAMNED BY DAWN We ended up getting back to Birmingham at a very late 2:30am. After 26 films, my brain had officially melted, and once more, the only thing on my mind was:
I stumbled across your blog when looking for stuff about Amer. I saw it in Austin, Texas last march at SXSW and was just blown away by it. Absolutely beautiful. I'm waiting for it to come back.
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