One of the most memorable, most uncompromisingly fun nights at the festival saw a pair of extravagant gems claim the screen with surprising authority, both of which seemed to have been tailor-made for rowdy festival audiences. Rarely had I seen such enthusiasm, such heartfelt cheers coming from the beastly crowds amassed in the Hall theater. While Super embodies all the qualities of a crowd-pleaser, The Divide was a much more subdued affair. Yet, it drew loud cries of appreciation from almost everyone present, each name appearing onscreen being awarded a banging homage. Surprisingly, legendary American actor Michael Biehn (of Terminator and Aliens fame) received only half an ovation from the audience, to which I participated enthusiastically in order to make sure that Biehn received the same amount of recognition as sub-par director and one-note actor David Arquette did when he came to promote his awful slasher film, The Tripper, a few years back.
This is the kind of nights where Fantasia finds all of its meaning, showcasing great films for receptive audiences before they get shelved somewhere or slapped with limited theatrical runs after failing to get distribution deals from the heartless corporations who control film exploitation, preventing blood and sex from ever seeping unto the virginal white screens of US theaters and into the homes of righteous Christian families. While Super, an American film, enjoyed a limited theatrical release in the US, it went straight-to-video in Canada, where it was impossible for fans of Halifax-born Ellen Page to see their idol rape Rainn Wilson and to witness the film's jaw-dropping animated credits on the big screen. As for The Divide, it is supposed to hit screens in 2012. But whether or not Anchor Bay can muster sufficient marketing funds to successfully promote the film remains a mystery. Seeing how the film has little marquee value, even less so than Xavier Gens' previous Hitman movie, which was guaranteed a certain portion of the hit video game's fanbase by harboring a poster so similar to the game cover as to be considered pop art, its future is as uncertain as that of the film's survivor. Only time will tell if this intense psychological thriller will be shown to sold-out crowds anywhere outside the festival circuit. But it looks doubtful.
FILMS SEEN
This is the kind of nights where Fantasia finds all of its meaning, showcasing great films for receptive audiences before they get shelved somewhere or slapped with limited theatrical runs after failing to get distribution deals from the heartless corporations who control film exploitation, preventing blood and sex from ever seeping unto the virginal white screens of US theaters and into the homes of righteous Christian families. While Super, an American film, enjoyed a limited theatrical release in the US, it went straight-to-video in Canada, where it was impossible for fans of Halifax-born Ellen Page to see their idol rape Rainn Wilson and to witness the film's jaw-dropping animated credits on the big screen. As for The Divide, it is supposed to hit screens in 2012. But whether or not Anchor Bay can muster sufficient marketing funds to successfully promote the film remains a mystery. Seeing how the film has little marquee value, even less so than Xavier Gens' previous Hitman movie, which was guaranteed a certain portion of the hit video game's fanbase by harboring a poster so similar to the game cover as to be considered pop art, its future is as uncertain as that of the film's survivor. Only time will tell if this intense psychological thriller will be shown to sold-out crowds anywhere outside the festival circuit. But it looks doubtful.
FILMS SEEN
Super
Ellen Page in a skin-tight superhero suit. Had this been Super's only asset, it would've been great. Instead, the film reaches peaks of excellence by focusing almost solely on fan service and by bringing just the right amount of Slither into the mix. Read full review here.
ENTHUSIASTIC THUMBS UP
The Divide
A great surprise, this film by shock director Xavier Gens (whom we thought had been absorbed by the Hollywoodian puree machine after he directed Hitman) uses a post apocalyptic setting to stage an uncompromising character study focused on the dark side of the human psyche. While it sacrifices an extremely intriguing subplot (involving kidnapped children used for medical experiments) in order to better achieve psychological relevance, we cannot hold it against the film. We can only watch in awe as the characters start growing further and further away from sanity and all social mores start to crumble under the dictates of a more primordial, more fearsome humanity. The creepy basement in which the story unfolds helps create a lasting and foreboding sense of claustrophobia while a cast of capable character actors keep drawing aces from their sleeves. Michael Biehn is surprisingly authoritative as the misanthropic superintendent, but acting koodos primarily go to son of Rocky and Heroes star Milo Ventimiglia for his chilling turn as the demented antagonist and Michael Eklund as his accomplice/lover Bobby. Masterfully-directed by Gens, the film grips the viewer right from the first second and never lets go, dragging him all the way down into the stinking cesspool of mistrust of egotism revealed under (nuclear) fire. If you were at the screening, you may have spotted me. I was one of the two guys who gave Biehn an ovation from the back of the room. The one nearest to the wall, the ugly one.
ENTHUSIASTIC THUMBS UP
