Fantasia Film Festival 2018: COLD SKIN review

Running Time: 1hr 48min

Release Date: July 15, 2018 (Fantasia Fest)

Written by: Jesus Olmo and Eron Sheean (screenplay), Albert Sanchez Pinol (novel)

Directed by: Xavier Gens

Review by: Stacey

I think what initially drew me to wanting to see Xavier Gen's adaptation of the novel, Cold Skin, was the poster art above. Check that cool shit out. Then the plot synopsis got me; if it takes place near the Arctic and involves creatures I'm immediately thrown into John Carpenter's The Thing and am all in. Cold Skin isn't as balls out and gross as the Carpenter classic and unfortunately, it's not going to be as memorable either.

Fantasia Film Festival 2018: THE MAN WHO KILLED HITLER AND THEN THE BIGFOOT

Running Time: 1hr 38min

Release Date: July 20, 2018 (Fantasia Fest)

Written/Directed by:  Robert D. Krzykowski

Review by: Stacey

I know I wasn't the only one who was really excited to see Krzykowski's feature length debut based off of the title alone- but couple that with THE Sam Elliott in the lead?? C'mon, it was a no-brainer that I was going to have to see this with my own eyes and report back to my readers about this one. And check out that awesome poster (I was tweeted earlier today and informed that the poster art was created by Johnny Tabor)!

Ok ok, I'm going to have to pump the brakes and let you all know that what you're going to find yourself getting into isn't exactly what you're thinking. And I can say that confidently because I'm sure that we ALL had an idea of what we thought this movie was going to be about. Well, it wasn't exactly...and that's not a bad thing!

New "Charlie" trailer for HEREDITARY. HOLY HELL.

I have been impatiently waiting for 2018's Hereditary to be released (June 8th) so this new trailer that was just released is making me even more antsy!  You guys, it looks INTENSE.

Check it out!

Kuso (2017)

Running Time: 1hr 45min

Release Date: July 21, 2017

Directed by: Flying Lotus

Written by: David Firth/Flying Lotus

Review by: Mike

We Need To Talk About Kuso: A Review...Sort Of

There has been an earthquake and it isn't pretty. Strange things are afoot. Surfacing in the aftershocks are all the potentialities of our dystopic present. This is Kuso. And we need to talk about it. I'm not going to lie to you, but neither am I going to tell you the truth. After witnessing this film, I admit, I can't be honest, and to be honest, I don't think you can either. So, let's find a dark corner and chat. I promise nothing here is real. It's only a film.

Except Kuso isn't a film. It's Japanese for "shit" and shit is as good of a description as any. This shit is an experience. It is an assault. It is an attack on your senses and your sensibilities. It is the murder of your subconscious. It is the rebirth of your dirty little id. It is you, you nasty fucker, in all your disturbed glory. Why would you watch this (and we both know you're going to, dear reader)? What the fuck is wrong with you?

There are two questions I hate  to be asked: "what is wrong with you?" and "Are you alright?" The answers have always been, "I don't know" and "maybe?" respectively. They are the questions my mother has asked most consistently over the course of my life. As a result, I ask everyone. At this point, I have a strong urge to ask Steve, the director of Kuso, the very same questions (probably in the same tone as my mother). I think I would probably get similar answers or worse answers or no answers at all. Maybe there are no answers. But still... wtf, Steve? I'm not sure I'm equipped to handle this shit.

For those of you that don't already know, Steve has an alias. His alter ego is DJ/producer/musician extraordinaire Flying Lotus. And, if you are aware of the work of FL, this shit might make a bit more sense. 

(Before we go any further, stop what you're doing and go listen to FL' s 2014 release "You're Dead!" I'll wait.)

Kuso is a lot like Steve's work as Flying Lotus: dark, jerky, offensive, assaultive. It exists on the outer rim of the modern avant garde. Kuso isn't representative of a "critical utopia in an increasingly dystopic moment" (Red Wedge Magazine). It is a near future nightmare firmly rooted in the extreme alienation and arbitrary violence of our late capitalist America. Here oral sex with a talking boil is the cement in an apocalyptic relationship. A shrimp like bug living in the asshole of a "doctor" cures phobias. The coat hanger is the official take home prescription for unwanted pregnancy. Interdimensional, weed obsessed alien house mates meet out "justice" on a date rapist. An incontinent schoolboy makes a validating discovery in the strangely enchanted woods. A woman falls after her baby through a hole that leads to hell. These vignettes form the topography of a world shaken by a cataclysmic earthquake and they are stitched together by a series of animated/musical interludes that are equally unsettling.

I realize I have beat around the bush. I warned you I couldn't be completely honest about any of this. It isn't my fault. If you want to know the truth, its your fault. You're the sick fucker that's actually going to watch this shit. What's wrong with you? I don't have the answer to that but, before I make my way out into the South Texas heat, I'm going to leave you with some tips. If I were you, I would pay attention (but we both know you won't). 

1. DO NOT WATCH THIS FILM! (I couldn't possibly be more emphatic here!)

2. WATCH THIS FILM.

3. Keep your eyes closed at all times (if you open them, I'll know)

4. Wear gloves.

5. Wear clothes (no one wants to see your bloated ass naked, especially you).

6. If you encounter a talking boil do not put your dick in or around it.

7. Tell your mom you're sorry (she didn't raise you to watch trash like this).

8. Avoid eating for the duration of the film.

9. Be sober.

10. Let the credits roll (patience is the hallmark of maturity).

Well, that's it gang. I can't say I enjoyed our time together, you knuckle dragging animals. Enjoy!

Stomping Ground (2014)

Running Time: 1hr 20min

Release Date: March 8, 2016 (DVD & VOD)

Review by: Adam

 

Most of us have been there.  You’re meeting your partners’ family and friends for the first time; you’re nervous, skeptical, even worried.  Now toss in Bigfoot and you’ve got Dan Riesser and Andrew Genser’s “Stomping Ground.”  Ben (John Bobeck) and Annie (Tarah DeSpain) leave Chicago to spend Thanksgiving in Annie’s old hometown, bringing their relationship up the next level.  Quick to find out that his girlfriend might not be the person he thought he knew, “Big City” Ben learns of Annie’s drinking and partying ways and her love of Bigfoot hunting with Paul (Jeramy Blackford) and Jed (Justin Giddings).  Immediate tension grows between Paul and Ben over Annie, and drunken plans turn into reality as the group loads up the next morning to take “Big City” onto his first Bigfoot hunt.

You can learn a lot about a person by talking to the people they grew up with, and even more about yourself with how you handle it.  “Stomping Ground” takes you on that awkward journey of insecurity when dealing with your partner’s past, your future, and, oh, did I mention a SASQUATCH?!?  Co-writer and director Riesser takes a thriller and a rom-com and adds a splash of creature feature to make one of the more enjoyable Bigfoot stories I’ve seen in a while (“Harry and the Hendersons” and the “Jack Link’s” commercials are the only other ones on that list).  The players and the pacing all play their parts fantastically against the gorgeous backdrop of the woods of North Carolina, and I love being so invested into the characters that I almost forget where the story is heading.

“Stomping Ground” is a love story built on the back of a smelly, furry, Bigfoot.  Maybe it’s time to go on our own Sasquatch Safari.   

4/5

Check out the trailer below!

Out on DVD and VOD on March 8th!

A Good Marriage (2014)

Running Time: 102 minutes

Release Date: October 3, 2014

Review by: Stacey

Okay, this movie isn't exactly "horror" but over here at To Avoid Fainting, I love any and all forms of dark films, and since this one is based on Stephen King's novella of the same name, I couldn't pass it up.  I'm going to assume that most of you know that there have been many adaptations of King's work- some great (Carrie and The Mist) and some not great at all (Thinner and Desperation).  Where A Good Marriage falls is right on the cusp of the latter.