Category: Reviews

[Fantastic Fest] Review Round-Up: THE SHIP OF MONSTERS, PARASITE, KNIVES OUT

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By: Paul Farrell

Knives Out

As the final frames of the last movie flickered into blackness, I knew the end had come. No more screening slots to agonize over, no more seating assignments to lament, no more festival volunteers to high-five — Fantastic Fest 2019 was no more. But in those final hours, there was still celebration; movies to watch, love, and share with the world. That’s when an epiphany hit me. For if we keep talking about it, Fantastic Fest will never truly end, only live on in the hearts, minds, and souls of movie fans everywhere, for all time. And thanks to a particularly great lineup of films on the final day, I’ve still got plenty to say.

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[Fantastic Fest] Review Round-Up: THE TRUE ADVENTURES OF WOLF BOY, TRAMPA INFERNAL, SEA FEVER, AFTER MIDNIGHT

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By: Paul Farrell

Sea Fever 2

Life in the movie theater grows short, I know this now. For days people have been speaking of the coming end, the veritable theatrical apocalypse. I can scarcely believe that such a life ever could end, such has been the eternity with which it seems to have lasted. Still, I fear the rumors are true that, indeed, Fantastic Fest has nearly reached its final hours. And yet there is still more to talk about. Take Wednesday, for example.

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[Fantastic Fest] Review Round-Up: THE PEANUT BUTTER SOLUTION, THE POOL, THE DEEPER YOU DIG, RANDOM ACTS OF VIOLENCE

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By: Paul Farrell

Random Acts Of Violence 2

In the before times, when movies were those things I watched at night with a bowl of popcorn after a long day at work, I recall thinking that a week-long excursion to the movie theater could only ever be a wonderful dream. An unattainable cinematic utopia that was more cruel to imagine than to disregard, for reality would never welcome such a perfect way of life. Then I went to Fantastic Fest. Day 6 brought with it several movies, both old and new alike. Allow me to elaborate.

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[Fantastic Fest] Review Round-Up: VIVARIUM, IN THE SHADOW OF THE MOON, IN THE TALL GRASS, THE LODGE

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By: Paul Farrell

The Lodge 2

At Fantastic Fest, there were days where movies flowed fluidly in front of my eyes and the only distraction was trying to find the little plastic pen in the dark to sign my receipt for the chicken strips. It was a time full of complimenting strangers on their cool t-shirts and striking up conversations about enamel pins on festival lanyards. Those days…oh, how they were fantastic. By this particular day, a Monday, more than half of the festival was now behind us, but I was still going strong. Here’s what I saw.

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[Fantastic Fest] Review Round-Up: Horror Queers Live Podcast + SCREAM, QUEEN! MY NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET, SYNCHRONIC, COME TO DADDY

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By: Paul Farrell

Scream Queen

As my body has become fully assimilated into the world of movies and soft pretzels with queso, so too have my days become increasingly more difficult to define. I no longer am able to distinguish between night and day — all is a series of slowly dimming lights as I attempt to eat tortilla chips softly during the quiet parts of whatever movie is playing before me. Still, the rewards I reap are far greater than the generally overrated grasp of time and space that most people have access to. Take Sunday, for example. Here’s what went down.

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[Fantastic Fest] Review Round-Up: THE LONG WALK, KNIVES AND SKIN, VFW, BLISS

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By: Paul Farrell

VFW 2

I was told upon my arrival at Fantastic Fest that, at a certain point, the days would begin to blend together. That reality itself would become an unreliable entity, time passing in great chunks as nothing but movies, beer, and brief encounters with those I had previously only known via their Twitter handle float by in scarcely digestible vignettes. Yes, I was warned, I just thought it would take longer than a few days to kick in.

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[Fantastic Fest] Review Round-Up: THE ANTENNA, THE DEATH OF DICK LONG, COLOR OUT OF SPACE, HOMEWRECKER

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By: Paul Farrell

Color Out Of Space 2

Friday, September 20th, 2019 was an important day. I’ve hit many milestones in my time on this Earth, but until this particular day I had never experienced a full day…of Fantastic Fest. It brought with it a sinister Turkish government satellite dish; the mysterious death of a man due to “getting weird;” an epic cosmic threat from the deepest reaches of outer space (complete with a bourbon-loving, alpaca-milking Nicolas Cage); and a hard-R, Lifetime-esque midnight movie that features the heavy use of a sledgehammer that was formerly wall art. Allow me to explain.

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