Freedom's Just Another Word for Nothing Left to Lose...

Like most people, I like cars. I love the look of the great classic cars, from the mammoth Buicks of the 50s to the slick and stylish Corvettes of the 60s to the muscle cars of the 70s. I've never actually driven any of them, but when I see them out on the road - which is actually often on the streets of Austin - I turn to admire them, gazing at the tremendous workmanship that went into their design and the care that the current owners put into their upkeep. I occasionally gaze at classic auto mags and have wandered around one or two auto shows in my time, but also like most people I couldn't tell you the first things about most any of them or what the difference is between this make and model over another. My feelings for them are always of great respect and admiration, but they're not exactly where my passion lies. They're truly wonderful things, but I personally can't see myself devoting a lot of time and money to them. But I can, however, truly understand the passion.

I'm on this rant because I've had a lot of thinking about cars lately, pretty much since the beginning of the year, and I'm not done them yet. Back on June 19th, following a Weird Wednesdays screening of Franco's 99 WOMEN, I got into an accident that has left me without one. No one was hurt, thankfully, and the matter has just recently been settled (I've made out fine), but it's still not a fun experience by any means. I've been through it once before (only 18 months earlier) and it was worse then (though likewise not my fault), but I'm now going to have to go through the process of finding a new car, registering it, and all that other bullshit, and I'm not looking forward to it. Don't get me wrong; I love driving and get very, very restless without wheels, but this sure isn't the fun part of owning a car. That said, there is absolutely nothing compares with a great, long trip behind the wheel, despite all the occasional hassles, and it's something I try to do at least once a year if I can. When I made the drive from N.J. to Austin at the end of April, I did so not just because it was cheaper than flying (though not that cheap these days) but because I had to - the opportunity to see and experience America (at least half of it) was something I could not pass up and I'm glad I didn't. Seeing America from the behind the wheel of that somewhat crappy 1997 Toyota Corolla I had was wonderful, a reminder of a transition to a new life versus the one I was leaving behind and it was the only way to go. The open road is one of the most oft-used metaphors any writer can steal, and with that in mind the road movie has a great tradition in American cinema. It's certainly one of the finest contributions to culture America has given the world; there are definitely some great European road movies (Chris Petit's RADIO ON instantly comes to mind) but we own this genre, no question. Monte Hellman has been quoted as saying that all great movies are essentially road movies, and maybe he's right. But for as many great American road movies as there are (IT HAPPENED ONE NIGHT; SULLIVAN'S TRAVELS; SMOKEY AND THE BANDIT) there is truly is none finer than Hellman's own TWO-LANE BLACKTOP, which I recently viewed again and found to be not just better than I remembered, but the genuine cinematic masterpiece that so many others have found it to be. Not that I didn't like the film, but after having gone through so much lately because of automobiles, I feel like I finally get it.

Like so many great films, TWO-LANE BLACKTOP is completely open to interpretation - it is whatever you want it to be - and my assessment of it isn't going to tell you anything new. What I can bring to the discussion is that in watching TWO-LANE BLACKTOP this time (at the Alamo Ritz, with Hellman in attendance) is that I feel like I understand the era in which I was born a little bit better now. BLACKTOP was filmed in the fall of 1970, 7 months after my birth, and released the following summer; though it's probably not 100% all of it, what I sense from the film now is that this was indeed America in 1970. The country had broken in two and these differing sides - the careless, free, zen-like, and liberal Driver, Mechanic, and the girl opposite the uptight, delusional (always pretending to be something he's not) and materialistic GTO - pretty much paint the proper picture. Not trying to get too deep here, TWO-LANE BLACKTOP is no more about cars than it is about life - the point of the journey is not to arrive - but what's also wonderful about it, at least to me, is that it also carries with it the feel and spirit of the low-budget genre cinema of the time, drive-in cinema, if you will. It's the greatest Roger Corman movie Corman never made; it's got all the elements - young people, fast cars, chases - while at the same time it's so much its own thing. The fact that Hellman got his start working for Corman shouldn't be forgotten, and while I'm sure that Hellman will deny it, I couldn't help but feel the Corman influence all over it. But that's probably just me.

More so than pretty much anything, the automobile and the open roads represents freedom for a lot of people, and I include myself in that list. Put yourself behind the wheel and just drive to where you need to be or want to be, in charge of your own destiny for the most part for however long you're out there. Some of us, like GTO, are out there because they have no home, while others, like myself, are just travelers, going from one place to another. The Driver and Mechanics of the world have achieved a kind of inner piece by simply staying on the road. What they need to get by the most is freedom and everything else - food, shelter, sex - are mere roadblocks to more freedom. I couldn't live like that myself, but I can respect those who take that route, and whenever I think of them, I will always have TWO-LANE BLACKTOP in mind.

I've got other reasons why cars, car lovers and TWO-LANE BLACKTOP have been on my brain as of late, but I'm not going to go into that here. I do, however, want to direct your attention to Kim Morgan's appreciation (a massive understatement - it's a fucking love letter) of the film that is unquestionably one of the best things this gifted writer has ever done. The film is obviously one of great importance to her and her passionate, perceptive and heartfelt piece is 100% spot-on, as always.

Fuck Yeah! THE MAN FROM HONG KONG at Fantastic Fest 2008!

As I mentioned before, NOT QUITE HOLLYWOOD, the new documentary about the Australian exploitation scene of the 70s and 80s, is playing Fantastic Fest and is a hell of a lot of fun, and now to add to the mix are six Aussie retrospective titles that will make you shit your pants with excitement - including Brian Trenchard-Smith's fantastic THE MAN FROM HONG KONG! I love this picture quite a bit, so the fact that others can finally see it (in a new 35mm print!) puts a big ol' smile on my face. To love THE MAN FROM HONG KONG is to love cinema, and no, I'm not on crack.

I don't know any of the Japanese Pink films, but I have no doubt they will be seriously deranged and likewise fun. Here's the latest press release:


While much of the attention of Fantastic Fest centers around the new discoveries and premiere feature films, each year we always present a new repertory retrospective. This year we are featuring two classic series: NOT QUITE HOLLYWOOD: Ozsploitation Classics and BEHIND THE PINK CURTAIN: Japanese Pinku Films.

NOT QUITE HOLLYWOOD: Ozsploitation Classics

In 2008, Fantastic Fest is dedicated to making everyone we know into giant, committed fans of Ozploitation cinema. That is - the peculiar brand of exploitation films that bubbled to the surface in Australia in the '70s and '80s. Certainly the best known are the MAD MAX films but those didn't emerge in a vacuum. The industry was already pumping out films as rude, tough and resourceful as the primal Aussie himself, kicked out of the British Isles for being ungovernable, forced to carve out a livelihood in the most hostile terrain on earth. While Australia has its share of classic arthouse-worthy fare in the manner of PICNIC AT HANGING ROCK and BREAKER MORANT, it was the cheap action, horror and titty films that really made the Fosters go down easy.

MAD MAX

Friday, September 12, 8:30 PM, Republic Square Park Downtown, Free Admission!

Dir. George Miller, 1979, 35mm, 93 min, R

Mel Gibson plays a rogue officer bent on revenge in the most influential apocalyptic masterpiece in film history. Reckless, violent, morally corrupt and totally insane.

ROAD WARRIOR

Friday, September 19, 8:30 PM, Republic Square Park Downtown, Free Admission!

Dir. George Miller, 1981, 35mm, 94 min, R

The sequel to MAD MAX puts the pedal to the metal, then both pedal and metal alike explode in a death-shower of indescribable awesomeness.

(Note: at both of these free outdoor screenings, in addition to the fun onscreen, Chef John Bullington will be serving up classic Australian meat pies, shrimp on the barby and there will be plenty of ice-cold Fosters oil cans to wash it down. Also, come prepared, we’re having a Vegemite sandwich eating contest before the film.)

DARK AGE

Wednesday, September 17, Midnight, Alamo Drafthouse at the Ritz

Dir. Arch Nicholson, 1987, 35mm, 91 min, NR

The ultimate reptilesploitation movie from down under. As usual in animal attack films, the most dangerous creature ultimately is man. But the 40 foot long crocodile is a real close second. It's up to super cool ranger John Jarratt (WOLF CREEK) to track down the big croc, which is coincidentally venerated as sacred by the Aborigine populace, before a pack of scurvy poachers do. Seriously cool edge-of-your-seat excitement from beginning to end.

RAZORBACK

Thursday, September 18, Midnight, Alamo Drafthouse at the Ritz

Dir. Russell Mulcahy, 1984, 35mm, 95 min, R

An enormous, thundering wild boar lays waste to the Australian outback in this bizarre and unexpectedly effective man VS. beast showdown.

MAN FROM HONG KONG with Brian Trenchard-Smith Live in person!

Wednesday, September 24, Midnight, Alamo Drafthouse at the Ritz

Dir. Brian Trenchard-Smith, 1975, 35mm, 111 min, R

Possibly the most berserk catalogue of action and violence ever placed on film. An all-out orgy of throat-ripping fights, explosions, car chases, crossbows, mustaches, hang-gliders and everything else good in life. Starring former James Bond seatwarmer George Lazenby and Shaw Brothers superstar Jimmy Wang Yu. Stunts by the madman from dingo-land Grant Page (of STUNT ROCK fame), who appears desperate to end it all in a progressively greater and greater aggregation of death-defiance.

TURKEY SHOOT a.k.a. ESCAPE 2000 with Brian Trenchard-Smith in person!

Thursday, September 25, Midnight, Alamo Drafthouse at the Ritz

Dir. Brian Trenchard-Smith, 1982, 35mm, 80 min, R

In a post-apocalyptic world gone wild, a handful of prison camp inmates must run for their life while being hunted for sport!

And of course, the inspiration for the series:

NOT QUITE HOLLYWOOD

Sunday, September 21, 5:00PM, Alamo Drafthouse South Lamar

Thursday, September 25, 7:30PM, Alamo Drafthouse South Lamar

Dir. Mark Hartley, 2008, 35mm, 100 min, R

Probably the biggest concentration of explosions, nudity and blood at Fantastic Fest this year. A documentary that traces the secret and not-so-secret history of Ozsploitation.

The NOT QUITE HOLLYWOOD Retrospective is sponsored by Magnet Releasing, producers of the NOT QUITE HOLLYWOOD documentary, which will hit select theaters later this year. The series is also sponsored in part by Fosters, Simplyaustralian.com and the Austin Parks Foundation.


BEHIND THE PINK CURTAIN: Japanese Pinku Films

Almost everyone has the same tingling response to the bright, shiny world of Japanese pop entertainment. It tickles the roof of the mouth like ginger-ale. But for hardcore addicts, that's just the gateway stage. The terminal phase is the Japanese pink film. More than just sexploitation movies, they're like the entire culture's autoerotic asphyxiation reveries. Filled with crushing weirdness and experiments on the extreme edge of filmmaking, the pink films provide much greater insight into the nation's character than the mannered civilities of mainstream films, largely due to the fact that young film-makers are given the freedom to go as far out on the chain as they want to, provided they expose the requisite number of naked bodies onscreen. And they must strike a pretty resonant chord since they're still going strong, as evidenced by some of our favorite Fantastic Fest titles of the past few years like UNCLES PARADISE and THE GLAMOROUS LIFE OF SACHIKO HANAI. Noted Pinku film expert Jasper Sharp will be live in person and will be signing copies of his new comprehensive book on the subject of Pinku films entitled BEHIND THE PINK CURTAIN.

BLUE FILM WOMAN

Monday, September 22, 10PM, Alamo Drafthouse South Lamar

Dir. Kan Mukai, 1969, New 35mm Print, 80 min, NR (Adults Only!)

A girl avenges her mother's death and family's disgrace by becoming a high class call girl who blackmails her nemesis with a secretly shot film of their encounter. A highly stylized wash of color, wild camera angles and sheer '60s style.

GUSHING PRAYER

Tuesday, September 23, 10PM, Alamo Drafthouse South Lamar

Dir. Masao Adachi, 1971, New 35mm Print, 72 min, NR (Adults Only!)

A young woman, already a jaded sexual veteran, embarks on an odyssey of self-discovery to find out the true reasons for her dissatisfaction and total desensitization. This parable is told in a jagged avant-garde style that must have baffled the target audience of businessmen seeking cheap thrills on their lunch hours.

A LONELY COW WEEPS AT DAWN

Wednesday, September 24, 10PM, Alamo Drafthouse South Lamar

Dir. Daisuke Goto, 2003, Digibeta, 65 min, NR (Adults Only!)

In the Japanese countryside, a young widow, Noriko, lives with her senile father-in-law, Shu, on a farm. He believes his favorite cow is still alive. Noriko pretends to be the cow and lets him milk her every day - a satisfying arrangement for both. Shu's daughter Mitsuko discovers this strange relationship and tries to end it. A very strange and kinky modern pink film from genre superstar Daisuke Goto.

S&M HUNTER

Wednesday, September 24, 11PM, Alamo Drafthouse South Lamar

Dir. Shuji Kataoka, 1986, Digibeta, 59 min, NR (Adults Only!)

An exercise in manga-style outrageousness that is guaranteed to offend everybody. The black clad S&M Roper is a kind of bondage super hero who has a supernatural genius for tying women up in configurations that leave them helplessly aroused. When the all girl gang, The Bombers, kidnap a man for their personal sex toy S&M Hunter accepts a mission to infiltrate The Bombers' hideout and show them the ropes.

IMPORTANT FESTIVAL DATES:

Important dates have been announced for the 4th Annual Fantastic Fest in Austin, Texas.


Thursday, August 21, 2008: Guests and juries announced

Thursday, September 4, 2008: Final content and schedule announced

Thursday, September 18, 2008: Festival begins

Saturday, September 20, 2008: 2009 Festival Badges go on sale

For more information about Fantastic Fest, please visit our official website: www.fantasticfest.com

Photo stills and press information about the festival is at: www.fantasticfest.com/Page.aspx?Name=Press

ABOUT THE FESTIVAL:

Fantastic Fest is an eight-day festival of the best new sci-fi, horror, fantasy and genre films, as well as choice classic and obscure cult titles from all over the world. The festival director and head programmer is Tim League (Alamo Drafthouse Cinema), with additional programming by Harry Knowles (Ain't It Cool News), Blake Ethridge (Cinema is Dope), Todd Brown (Twitchfilm.net), Zack Carlson (Alamo Drafthouse Cinema) and Lars Nilsen (Alamo Drafthouse Cinema). Fantastic Fest is a supporting member of the prestigious Melies European Fantastic Film Festivals Federation and a founding member of the North American Fantastic Festival Alliance. Fantastic Fest is sponsored in part by Gamecock, Ain’t It Cool News, Twitchfilm, DVD Empire, Best Buy, VIZ Pictures, Embassy Suites, Dark Sky Films, The Texas Film Commission, Room Service Vintage, Rue Morgue Magazine, Fangoria Magazine, The Austin Chronicle, The Onion, Anchor Bay Entertainment, HungrymanTV.com, Big Top Candy Shop, Smitty's Market, Media Blasters, Long Center for the Performing Arts.

More Fantastic Fest Stuff!

As promised, the second wave of Fantastic Fest 2008 titles have been announced, and some of the juicier ones are on the list. Rest assured that the titles in the next announcement will have the star power that most folks are looking for, but what we've got here is pretty damn good.

I've seen NOT QUITE HOLLYWOOD and it's quite enjoyable (next week's announcement of the Aussie retro titles will make a lot of folks happy, especially for those who want to see one particular "Forgotten Movie") and will most likely make Aussieploitation the next big thing in cult cinema; TREEVENGE, in the shorts program, is one of the most entertaining things I've seen all year and a beautiful gore epic; DEADGIRL is a pretty effective piece that stays with you and it's your typical horror film (which is a good thing), while I've heard great stuff about ACOLYTES, SANTOS, SEVENTH MOON and JCVD (everyone is raving about it and it seems like Jean Claude Van Damme's big comeback). But as far as I'm concerned the cream of the crop (no pun intended) is LA CREME, a wonderful French comedy that I saw at Fantasia that I just loved the hell out of. If you're attending Fantastic Fest this year, put that one on your "must see" list.

Anyways, here's the press release:

Date: Thursday, August 7, 2008

PRESS RELEASE: FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Subject: Second Wave of Fantastic Fest content announced

Where: Alamo Drafthouse Cinema South Lamar, Austin, TX

Fantastic Fest, September 18-25, 2008

Contact:
Tim League
info@fantasticfest.com
www.fantasticfest.com

We are proud to announce the second wave of our feature film programming for the 2008 edition of Fantastic Fest in Austin, Texas. For the past 9 months, we have been scouring the globe for the strangest, the most heart-pounding and the most challenging new genre films. With over 100 films representing over 30 countries, Fantastic Fest is the largest festival of its kind in the United States. We are proud to announce our second announcement of 15 confirmed feature films as well as our first announcement of official short film selections and details on special “fantastic-fest-themed” Alamo signature events.

ROUND 2: FANTASTIC FEATURES:

SANTOS
World Premiere / dir. Nicolás López / Chile / 2008 / 100 min.
Three years after his SXSW debut feature PROMEDIO ROJO, Chilean prodigy director Nicolás López returns with SANTOS, a wild, sweeping tale of comic book nerds versus superheroes in a battle for the future of mankind. Think Ultraman with a Latin American brain transplant. From the producers of SIN CITY and THE ORPHANAGE, visual effects by Troublemaker Studios. Director Nicolás López will be live in person to present the film and conduct a Q&A.

SEVENTH MOON
World Premiere / dir. Edward Sanchez / USA / 2008 / 90 min
While honeymooning in rural China during the “Hungry Ghost” Festival, newlyweds Melissa (Amy Smart) and Yul (Tim Chiou) find themselves stranded at night in the middle of a superstitious ritual that may be more real than folk legend. From the director of THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT. Director Edward Sanchez and Producers Gregg Hale, Matt Compton and Robin Cowie will be live in person to present the film and conduct a Q&A.

ACOLYTES
US Premiere / dir. Jon Hewitt / Australia / 2008 / 91 min.
Three teens blackmail a killer into taking down the violent bully who has been making their lives hell. An explosive first feature from Australian Jon Hewitt who will be in attendance to present the film.

CHOCOLATE
US Premiere / dir. Prachya Pinkaew / Thailand / 2008 / 110 min.
The director of ONG BAK returns with his new protégé, who was in training for five years for this role. Ammara Siripong portrays an autistic girl who learns martial arts from watching Tony Jaa and Bruce Lee films so as to exact revenge on those who bankrupted her mother.

DEADGIRL
US Premiere / dir. Gadi Harel and Marcel Sarmiento / USA / 2008 / 99 min.
Exploring an abandoned sanatorium while ditching school, two high school burnouts discover a girl strapped to a gurney in a secluded chamber. Debut directors Gadi Harel and Marcel Sarmiento craft a new breed of teen angst drama set against a backdrop of humor black enough to make John Hughes retreat to a fetal state. Both directors will be in attendance to present the film.

FEAR(S) OF THE DARK
Austin Premiere / dir. Various / France / 2007 / 85 min.
An animated anthology of films by six of the world’s hottest graphic artists and cartoonists. All films are rendered in black and white, and all are based on their creators’ own nightmares and fears.

FEAST 2
World Premiere / dir. John Gulager / USA / 2008 / 90 min.
John Gulager returns to the Alamo to premiere the second installment in his FEAST franchise. The original crowd-pleasing splatterfest FEAST world-premiered at Fantastic Fest in our first year.

JCVD
US Premiere / dir. Mabrouk El Mechri / France / 2008 / 96 min.
Jean-Claude Van Damme portrays an aging action star whose career in Hollywood is all but washed up. Returning to his homeland in Brussels, he lands in the middle of a bank heist and may have to actually save the day.

LA CRÈME (THE CREME)
Regional Premiere / dir. Reynald Bertrand / France / 2007 / 83 min.
Under the Christmas tree, unemployed loser François Margin mysteriously finds a jar of face cream that once applied, temporarily turns him into the most famous celebrity in France.

NOT QUITE HOLLYWOOD
US Premiere / dir. Mark Hartley / Australia / 2008 / 102 min.
Probably the biggest concentration of explosions, nudity and blood at Fantastic Fest this year. A documentary that traces the secret and not so secret history of Ozploitation, Australian exploitation cinema.

RULE OF THREE
US Premiere / dir. Eric Shapiro / USA / 2007 / 85 min.
Set in one night in a seedy hotel, cult Novelist Eric Shapiro’s debut feature intertwines two stories of sexual encounters gone horribly awry.

SURVEILLANCE
North American Premiere / dir. Jennifer Lynch / USA / 2008 / 98 min.
Jennifer Lynch (BOXING HELENA) helms a crime thriller with overtones of RASHOMON. None of the eyewitness accounts in a roadside serial killer massacre seem to match up. The FBI is called in to cut through the confusion before the killer can strike again.

TOKYO!
Regional Premiere / dir. Joon-ho Bong, Leos Carax, Michel Gondry / 2008 / 90 min.
An anthology of three 30-minute short films, all reflections on Tokyo by three non-Japanese directors. Michel Gondry’s INTERIOR DESIGN, Bong Joon-Ho’s SHAKING TOKYO and Leos Carax’s MERDE.

WICKED LAKE
Regional Premiere / dir. Zack Passero / USA / 2008 / 95 min.
Four buxom ladies head out to the country for some good old-fashioned naked lesbian Wiccan frolicking. The locals who bust in on their retreat quickly regret their imposition when the witching hour arrives.

ZOMBIE GIRL
World Premiere / dir. Aaron Marshall, Justin Johnson, Erik Mauck / USA / 2008 / 91 min.
A documentary covering the two years that it took 12-year-old Austinite Emily Hagins to write and direct the feature-length zombie movie PATHOGEN.


SIGNATURE ALAMO EVENTS
When we’re not producing Fantastic Fest, the Alamo programming team works year-round on a variety of screenings and events at the flagship downtown Alamo Ritz Theater. Recently remodeled in 2007, the historic Ritz Theater is home to all of the Alamo Signature shows. For the first time at Fantastic Fest, your badge grants you access to a sampling of this patented Austin-exclusive programming: Weird Wednesday, Terror Thursday, Sing-Alongs, Quote-Alongs and Master Pancake Theater.

EVIL DEAD 2 QUOTE-ALONG
Part of the Alamo Drafthouse’s patented signature show series, Quote-Alongs heighten the experience of watching your favorite films with props, subtitling of iconic lines of dialogue, pyrotechnics and confetti, always confetti.

MASTER PANCAKE: FRIDAY THE 13TH
Bad movies, live comedy! John Erler and his Master Pancake cohorts have been performing their live comedy stylings over top of Hollywood classics and stinkers alike at the Alamo Drafthouse for nearly 8 years.

MICHAEL JACKSON: THRILL THE WORLD
In preparation for our world-record breaking attempt at the largest synchronized Michael Jackson Thriller dance, the Alamo hosts monthly MJ sing-alongs and dance lessons.

TERROR THURSDAY AND WEIRD WEDNESDAY
Since the fall of 2001, the Alamo Drafthouse Cinema has been hosting these free weekly series of 35mm screenings of exploitation classics, curated by our own exploitation gurus Lars Nilsen and Zack Carlson: from cheerleaders gone bad to blaxploitation to killer mutant animals to ‘80s slashers to women in prison. Many of these films are so obscure that little is known or has been written about them. Some of them are bad, most of them are enjoyable, and a rare few are mind-blowingly amazing. During Fantastic Fest, both Weird Wednesday and Terror Thursday will be showcasing features from the NOT QUITE HOLLYWOOD Ozploitation canon. If you would like to attend any of these screenings with your Fantastic Fest badge, pick up tickets at the Fantastic Fest ticket counter and you will have prime reserve seats held for you at the show.



THE 2008 FANTASTIC SHORTS
Below are the summary descriptions of the Fantastic Shorts currently selected for Fantastic Fest 2008. The final shorts lineup and schedule will be announced in the weeks to come.

ANIMATED SHORTS
A schizophrenically entertaining 90 minute compilation of the best of the best in worldwide genre animated shorts.

SHORT FUSE SHORTS PROGRAM
A veritable cinematic crackpipe, SHORT FUSE compiles the most intense and depraved of the entire Fantastic Fest competition shorts.

L'ACCOUCHEMENT DE WENDY
Dir. Lewis Eizykman / France / 2008 / 3 min.
Even NeverNeverland has its ups and downs, as a slightly older Peter Pan and Wendy learn on the eve of their child's birth...

AUBURN HILLS BREAKDOWN
Dir. Geoff Redknap / Canada / 2008 / 13 min.
Sure, it's a fact that psychopaths love to torture and destroy innocent people. But what happens when your average suburban family gets their hands on a pack of sadistic cannibals?

BERNIE'S DOLL
Dir. Yann Jouette / UK, France / 2008 / 12 min.
A self-loathing cat food canner looks for happiness in all the wrong places, especially when he learns that a "female" companion can be ordered by mail. Beautifully animated in a style that proves to be less cute n' cuddly than first glance would have you believe.

BLOOD WILL TELL
Dir. Andrew McPhillips / Canada / 2007 / 4 min.
A uniquely animated nightmare that follows the beat of your pulse and unweaves the secret link between man and insect. Music by Sigur Ros.

BUTCHERS HILL
Dir. Rory Kindersley / USA / 2007 / 9 min.
This Hansel and Gretel-esque fairytale may seem comfortably familiar at first, but as it unfolds, something unexpected takes over....

BREACH
Dir. Kirk Woller / USA / 2008 / 6 min.
Sometimes there's just no way to remain safe...even in our secure homes. Quite possibly the most unexpected surprise in the fest!

CAM2CAM
Dir. Davy Sihali / France / 2008 / 26 min.
It's safe to say that technology and intimacy are at war. This movie is a genuinely creepy exploration of the casualties.

CITY WASP
Dir. Stephan Wicki & Tod Steven / Switzerland, USA / 2007 / 6 min.
A man combs a semi-sentient metropolis to create his own personal symphonic Frankenstein! Live action animation combines with an arguably musical score to create a short that's guaranteed to be unlike anything you've ever seen.

COSITA LINDA
Dir. Fernando Fidel Urdapilleta Jimenez / Mexico / 2007 / 20 min.
A young girl learns that when your mind and emotions have been pushed beyond their limits, you can count on your body in unexpected ways.

DOG
Dir. Hermann Karlsson / Scotland, Iceland / 2006 / 1 min.
A loving eulogy to man's best friend. This animated comedy features a canine skeleton and some goofy yet sincerely tearful memories.

EEL GIRL
Dir. Paul Campion / New Zealand / 2007 / 5 min.
A scientist with unusual taste in women learns that it's probably best to date outside the workplace. A funny and shocking short that whacks you across the skull before you know what happened.

ELECTRIC FENCE
Dir. Matt O'Mahoney / USA, Canada / 2007 / 19 min / 19 min.
A nebbish bachelor loses his penis in an incident involving an epileptic hooker and experiences newfound sexual urges with his freshly transplanted member.

FACTS IN THE CASE OF MR HOLLOW, THE
Dir. Rodrigo Gudino / Canada / 2008 / 6 min.
A simple photograph becomes increasingly sinister upon closer scrutiny, until nearly every evil that lives in mankind's heart is unleashed upon the viewer. From the fiends at Rue Morgue!

FANTAISIE IN BUBBLEWRAP
Dir. Arthur Metcalf / USA / 2007 / 4 min.
You think it's hard being a human? Try living your life as a roll of bubble wrap! This semi-animated short follows the lives of several little poppable pals as they fall in love, question their existence and -- of course -- get fatally pinched by human fingers.

FILM NOIR
Dir. Osbert Parker / UK / 2006 / 4 min.
A senses-shaking tribute to the criminal acts of yesteryear, as traditional film noir elements are transformed through animation and bizarro artistry into a wholly original gripping thrillride.

FISH
Dir. Naoko Masuda and Max Margulies / USA / 2007 / 2 min.
The filmmaking team behind last year's FF hit THE BIRD, THE MOUSE AND THE SAUSAGE are back with a new stop-motion food tale that reveals the nature of pescatorial reproduction.

GAME OVER
Dir. PES / USA / 2006 / 4 min.
We don't need no fancy arcade...we got an arcade RIGHT HERE! Mysterious innovative stop-motion wizard(s) PES bring the universal excitement of video games into the real world in bold, unnatural ways.

GREEN
Dir. Boris Schaarschmidt / USA / 2007 / 15 min.
An elderly groundskeeper clashes with a football team who just don't show enough sensitivity to the wonders of their playing field.

HARDCORE
Dir. Alberto Viavattene / Italy / 2008 / 2 min.
An adult film director coaches his new star on the subtleties of succeeding in the porn industry.

HEIST, THE
Dir. Ben Peters / Canada / 2007 / 4 min.
A Ferrari-fixated mad scientist devises the perfect heist. With a mastery of advanced super-technology, what could possibly go wrong?

KARAOKE SHOW
Dir. Karl Tebbe / Germany / 2007 / 5 min.
Here at FF, we've always recognized karaoke as a true art. But filmmaker Karl Tebbe succeeds in turning up the karaoke insanity to visually deafening levels in this megashock of musical indulgence.

KINGZ
Dir. Benni Diez and Marinko Spahic / Germany / 2007 / 20 min.
A botched drug deal spirals out of control in a subterranean night club filled with unnameable evils. The action is furious and so are the villains, so be prepared for some whirlwind brutality!

LIMONCELLO
Dir. Luis Berdejo & Borja Cobeaga & Jorge Dorado / Spain / 2007 / 22 min
A trio of surreal takes on the Spaghetti Western genre by three of Spain’s hottest young gun directors.

MUTO
Dir. Blu / Argentina / 2008 / 8 min.
Street art taken to the illogical, beautiful maximum as an urban landscape is transformed into a moving palette of impossible creatures. Is this the most ambitious animation project of the century? Yes.

OBJECT, THE
Dir. Leslie Ali / UK / 2007 / 6 min.
A strange family finds an even stranger singing cube that leads to an epic battle...kinda. In the tradition of FF feature FUNKY FOREST, this film uses brazen flat-out weirdness to mangle your brain into unstoppable confused laughter.

OUTHOUSE, THE
Dir. Jack Truman / USA / 2008 / 5 min.
A sophisticated older woman pontificates on the myriad pleasures of outdoor plumbing and the human digestive system.

OUTSOURCE
Dir. Daniel Trezise / USA / 2007 / 12 min.
In a socially disconnected future, two people feel a spark, but they'll need to break modern laws to act on their rediscovered humanity.

ROAD
Dir. Daniel Bruce / Netherlands / 2007 / 10 min.
A terrified young woman grips her steering wheel as she's pursued at high speed on a winding mountain road. A truly intense action mystery that'll burst at least three veins in your forehead.

ROJO RED
Dir. Juan Manuel Betancourt / Colombia / 2007 / 13 min.
Some people complain about their life unraveling, but it's rarely as pronounced as in this whimsical, bizarre short from a young Colombian visualist already on par with mighty artists like Michel Gondry.

SENOR PUPPE, EL
Dir. Carlos Crespo / Spain / 2006 / 15 min.
A lonesome, elderly ventriloquist is plagued by his ugly reality and his lil' wooden friend in this unexpectedly comic view of people at the very last rung of society's ladder.

SNIP
Dir. Julien Zenier / France, Spain / 2008 / 11 min.
When you can't strike out against the world, that only leaves one option. This self-punishing short may very well have the audience running for air.

SOME OF AN EQUATION
Dir. Burke Roberts / USA / 2007 / 8 min.
A jarring exploration of how everything you know can go horribly, irreversibly wrong in a matter of seconds.

SPANDEX MAN
Dir. Bobbie Peers / Norway / 2007 / 10 min.
A detached young man finds comfort in his old childhood superhero suit. But the real world isn't nearly as accepting of the powers it holds.

SQUIRREL NEXT DOOR, THE
Dir. Carla Coma / Canada / 2007 / 2 min.
True love sees no barriers...including species. Taxidermy animation that will make you want to run out, kill things and use them to create great art.

TAP, THE
Dir. John Crye / USA / 2008 / 10 min.
Cheap thrills come with a very high price as a fresh-faced young partygoer learns that there's more than one side to recreational fun.

TIFFANY PROBLEM, THE
Dir. Adam Green / USA / 2008 / 10 min.
What's more natural than a 32-year-old man (HATCHET's Joel David Moore) wanting to go out trick-or-treating with his friends? When the ol' ball and chain turns him down, things reach a serious boiling point.

TREEVENGE
Dir. Jason Eisener / Canada / 2008 / 15 min
HOBO WITH A SHOTGUN creators Jason Eisener and Rob Cotterill imagine a yuletide season where the Christmas trees finally even the score for decades of living under the axe of mankind.

VINCENT, LE MAGNIFIQUE
Dir. Pascal Forney / Switzerland / 2008 / 22 min.
The tragically hilarious tale of a would-be magician that just can't seem to perfect his saw-the-lady-in-half illusion. In Vincent's world, success, dignity and willing female stage assistants are hard to come by.

VIOLETA
Dir. Anna Solana & Marc Riva / Spain / 2007 / 9 min
Violeta makes a new friend and takes him back home to meet the folks. Too bad the depths of depravity of this family is unparalleled in the history of animation.

WELL-FOUNDED CONCERNS
Dir. Timothy Cawley / USA / 2007 / 15 min.
A group of people who live in terror of the world reach out to one another when their greatest fears are realized. A quietly romantic look at the apocalypse.

YOU BETTER WATCH OUT
Dir. Steve Callen / Australia / 2007 / 22 min.
A drunken department store Santa is kidnapped and tortured by two severely delusional hoods in this comedy that takes the magic of the holiday season and kicks its ass off.

IMPORTANT FESTIVAL DATES:
Important dates have been announced for the 4thAnnual Fantastic Fest in Austin, Texas.

Thursday, August 14, 2008: Retrospective titles Announced
Thursday, August 21, 2008: Guests and juries announced
Thursday, September 4, 2008: Final content and schedule announced
Thursday, September 18, 2008: Festival begins
Saturday, September 20, 2008: 2009 Festival Badges go on sale

For more information about Fantastic Fest, please visit our official website: www.fantasticfest.com

ABOUT THE FESTIVAL:
Fantastic Fest is an eight-day festival of the best new sci-fi, horror, fantasy and genre films, as well as choice classic and obscure cult titles from all over the world. The festival director and head programmer is Tim League (Alamo Drafthouse Cinema), with additional programming by Harry Knowles (Ain't It Cool News), Blake Ethridge (Cinema is Dope), Todd Brown (Twitchfilm.net), Zack Carlson (Alamo Drafthouse Cinema) and Lars Nilsen (Alamo Drafthouse Cinema). Fantastic Fest is a supporting member of the prestigious Melies European Fantastic Film Festivals Federation and a founding member of the North American Fantastic Festival Alliance. Fantastic Fest is sponsored in part by Ain’t It Cool News, Twitchfilm, Gamecock, DVD Empire, Best Buy, VIZ Pictures, Embassy Suites, Dark Sky Films, The Texas Film Commission, Room Service Vintage, Rue Morgue Magazine, Fangoria Magazine, The Austin Chronicle, The Onion and the Alamo Drafthouse Cinema South Lamar.

Fantasia 2008: Johnnie To's SPARROW

Thing that you have to remember about Johnnie To sometimes is that there is more than one Johnnie To. There's the To that makes tough, brilliant, and purely cinematic action like P.T.U., THE BIG HEAT, and EXILED; there's also a very commercial To that makes unabashedly audience-friendly pictures with Andy Lau like LOVE ON A DIET and YESTERDAY ONCE MORE, while there's a more experimental and risk-taking To who makes hard-to-categorize films like RUNNING ON KARMA and THROW DOWN. In an odd way, all three are on display in SPARROW, his latest (it opened in Hong Kong just last month) that represents something of an end to what I can't help but think has been an extraordinary run of films that possibly no other director has touched this decade. It's very slick and commercial, but also incredibly stylish and beautiful and heartfelt, personal even. SPARROW is unquestionably an entertainment, but not necessarily a mainstream one and not really as frivolous as one may think at first. Nothing is ever easy with Johnnie To.

I have to hand it to Grady Hendrix of the NY Asian Film Festival (and Kaiju Shakedown) when he described SPARROW by saying, "Johnnie To woke up in love this morning", because that's pretty much a perfect summation of it. Making an unabashedly romantic film about Hong Kong pickpockets (once again starring To regular Simon Yam, who just gets better and better) is something one would have expected of Melville or Lelouche, but it comes as no surprise when you consider To's acknowledged respect to many of the French masters (his next film is supposed to be a remake of LE CERCLE ROUGE to star Chow Yun-Fat and Tim Roth) in some of his earlier works. SPARROW reminds one of John Woo's ONCE A THIEF, although not quite as insanely fun; in fact, ONCE A THIEF is probably the perfect companion piece to SPARROW, a love letter to French cinema on one hand, but a purely Hong Kong film on another. The film is also a love letter to Hong Kong itself, which To makes look as inviting as most any other filmmaker has in a long time (Hong Kong is still at the top of my most desired vacation spots), and it's a love letter to love itself, to falling in it and becoming consumed by it enough to go out on a limb in ways you usually try to avoid. It's easy to call SPARROW a piece of fluff, and there's no question that's true, but it's a substancial piece of fluff, a fun and airy frolic that is supposed to capture that sensation that love is indeed a wonderful thing and what the hell is wrong with getting caught up in that?

So, I'm perfectly down with what To is trying to do and I truly dig just watching To do his thing and have his fun, which can certainly be infectious. But I do have to say that SPARROW eventually falls short in the story department, though not tragically so. A filmmaker can coast on a vibe for only so long, so once you've settled into it and are starting to come out, you're realizing that maybe To hasn't quite figured all this out for himself, either. The plot doesn't always go into satisfactory directions, and some comical sidesteps (including one that puts one member of the cast in drag) feel more like humor meant to appeal to the Chinese market. But To is a master of the third act, and SPARROW ends with a beautiful set piece that finds two groups of pickpockets challenging each other in a rainstorm that saves the picture and is a really wonderful thing to simply sit back and watch. Hearing that To spent three years shooting SPARROW off and on makes me suspect that To wasn't as interested in story that he was about mood, but SPARROW's finale proves that he unquestionably knew what he wanted. A bit more clarity of vision could have made SPARROW a true classic, but for what it is, it's a feast for To fans, and this is one fan who is unquestionably stuffed with To-ey goodness.

Fantasia 2008: Juame Balaguero and Paco Plaza's REC

I find it fitting that I finally saw REC at the Fantasia Film Festival, as it was Fantasia programmer and longtime pal Mitch Davis who first clued me into it. After last year's TIFF (the Toronto International Film Festival to you laymen) Mitch and I were on the phone, him giving me the lowdown on on the hits and misses of the festival. REC wasn't screened officially at TIFF, but a special screening was held for buyers and festival programmers there in advance of the film's November opening in its home country of Spain, and the report that I got back from Mitch actually made me salivate with anticipation. While I have to concede that Mitch is one who is often given to hyperbole (ever read his Fantasia program notes? Love ya, Mitch!), when Mitch really loves something you have to listen, and his love of REC - on top of similar reports from others whose opinion I trust - put this at the top of my "must see" list. It screened at last year's AFM and had a now-legendary screening at Sitges (both of which I missed) to even more raves, so I figured it would be hitting the festival circuit big time... but nothing happened. Sundance, Film Comment Selects, Philly, Tribeca, SXSW (among others) were all REC-less (no pun intended, but I'll take the compliments), leading me to believe that something was up, and that something is QUARANTINE, a major studio (Sony) remake that's already been shot (shot for shot, apparently) and is scheduled to open in October (do NOT watch the trailer, as it gives away some of the best moments, including the ending, of both films). Sony, as it turns out, doesn't want you to know that REC exists and has bought the rights to it and is keeping it away from U.S. audiences in an effort to not spoil their version's chances. (No doubt they'll just toss it off to DVD after it opens, but thank goodness for imports). However, Sony doesn't own Canadian rights, henceforth the film's North American premiere at Fantasia, bringing everything full circle, at least for me.

So does REC live up to the hype? It certainly does, making it one of the few films made this decade that has actually succeeded in scaring me. There's plenty of good, solid jumps here, a surplus of tension and a genuine sense of dread and menace throughout. Balaguero and Plaza have taken the hand-held horror premise - now something of a cliche - and have made it effective by presenting it as a newscast that starts out as fluff and then, of course, turns serious. What's particularly good about this approach is that people react differently to a news crew as opposed to just somebody with a video camera, giving the camera crew a sort of authority that doesn't really exist. Knowing that something is going to be on the news gives folks as false sense of security, the idea that people will see what these characters are going through, while at the same time putting them on the defensive, so it adds a bit to the drama, in addition to effectively eliminating the obnoxious characters traits that has sunk some of the other hand-held horror pictures. Balaguero and Plaza have casted the film quite well, with perky and cute newscaster Manulea Velasco anchoring the film as we see it all through her eyes, specifically as a light news reporter more and more out of her element, and I'd also like to single out Javier Botet as a fireman whose sudden disappearance from the story is what really sold me on the film. If something can happen to this guy, we're all shit out of luck.

All this said, REC isn't perfect, even at just 77 minutes. Specifically, it's the filmmaker's attempts to provide some kind of answer to what's going on that risks sinking everything. It's all unnecessary, and even though it leads into one final creepy climatic scene, by this point I thought that REC might lose me, so I'm glad it ends when it does. That said, it's probably one of the best times you'll have at the movies this year, providing you're lucky enough to see it in a theater (Canadians, for once you've got one over on us Americans). My experience seeing REC at Fantasia were what seeing movies is all about, full of people screaming and freaking out and having a hell of a lot of fun while going through this shared experience of communal fear and terror, everyone knowing that it's just a movie and that no matter what happens to the characters, they're all going to be OK. I have serious doubts that QUARANTINE will be able to replicate this (good luck the filmmakers behind this one), and Sony deserves a serious tongue lashing for not allowing U.S. screenings of REC so that people will be able to replicate this experience in a roomful of screaming strangers. Bootlegs are already out there (as are the illegal downloads), but I don't know how well REC will work at home, nor do I really want to. Once again, I had a wonderful, magical (yes, I said magical) movie going experience at Fantasia and even though I'd be happy to see REC again, unless my next screening finds me on Rosario Dawson's couch, the two of us caught in a fear-induced embrace that leads us to, ahem, other kinds of embraces (hey, a guy can dream, can't he?), I doubt it will be hard to top. Actually, that whole Rosario Dawson scenario would be much harder to top, so forget what I just said and enjoy REC.

It's All Too Much - YELLOW SUBMARINE at 40

As long as I have known and loved movies, there has always been YELLOW SUBMARINE.

As a kid, I have memories of watching the film from TV broadcasts when I was as young as 4 or 5. It was one of those films that I would always keep my eyes peeled for in the TV listings and I'd catch as many airings as I possibly could. When it hit videocassette in 1987 I was in the height of my own personal Beatlemania (that time when you discover the Beatles for yourself is usually a pretty wonderful time, isn't it?) and purchased a copy that I still happen to own. I remember an early morning hours airing on WNYC-TV in NYC on January 1, 1998 that I dropped everything to watch, even though I'd been up all night and already had the videotape. I saw the film theatrically for the first time at its 1999 re-issue and I still have a copy of the now out-of-print DVD that I'll refuse to sell if I ever grow hungry. Parting with YELLOW SUBMARINE is something I simply couldn't do. This is a film that has never failed to put a smile on my face, never once not entranced me and made me love life a little bit more. More so, I have always marveled at its creativity, its wit, its wondrous imagination, and, oh yeah, superb music. This is a film that, for me, is nothing but pure joy. To borrow a quote from the late, great John Peel, I love this film to the point of madness.

Listen, if you don't want to hear me gush on and on about the brilliance of YELLOW SUBMARINE then you should just click elsewhere, because this is going to get sloppy. We're talking super-excited puppy who's happy to see you excited here. So let's move on.

Aside from the obvious reason (The Beatles), YELLOW SUBMARINE is, to me, the ultimate example of a movie miracle. This film should not have worked at all. It was a contractual obligation film for The Beatles, who owed UA one more film in their contract and didn't want to concern themselves with movies after MAGICAL MYSTERY TOUR. They had little creative input and didn't lend their own voices to it, only agreeing to film their cameo at the end after they saw a rough cut and agreed that it was no embarrassment. They wrote and recorded four songs, one of which, George Harrison's "It's All Too Much", is my second favorite song of all time, but didn't contribute beyond that. But the creativity and genius of The Beatles put everyone else on their game, and everything in YELLOW SUBMARINE - the design, the animation, the script, the voice work, the choice of songs - is perfect. I don't perfect for an animated film, I just mean perfect. The dialog is endlessly quotable: "Bless you" "Should I sneeze?"; "I've never told anyone this before, but my cousin is the blue bird of happiness"; "I've got a hole in me pocket"; "I can't help it, I'm a born lever-puller"; "Frankenstein!" "Yeah, I used to go out with his sister" "His sister?" "Yeah, Phyllis"; "What's the matter, fellas? Blue Meanies?". No other movie looks like this one, and if anyone else ever tried to do so again they would just call it a rip-off. There's a wonderful, remarkable feeling to YELLOW SUBMARINE that I don't get from any other movie, one that makes me sort of actually understand the spirir of the sixties. I feel genuine peace and love from this film. If feel the power of music and art to change and it proves to me the importance of humor to everything in life. And there's some great tunes, too. I know how how effusive I'm sounding, but I don't care because I mean every word I'm saying.

YELLOW SUBMARINE quietly turned 40 years old yesterday, having opened in London on July 17, 1968. There were no celebrations anywhere, no blog-a-thons, no nothing to spread the word. I had hoped to screen the film this month at the Alamo Drafthouse's Saturday Morning Kid's Club, but I was told that MGM no longer owns the rights to it (they've apparently have shifted to, or been purchased by, Apple Films). The DVD, like I said before, is out of print, and there's been no indication of a re-release any time soon (although HELP! snuck out late last year). Most would probably just pass this off, but I think it's important to celebrate this anniversary, not only because of my love for it, but because YELLOW SUBMARINE has probably been responsible for more Beatle fans than most people realize. It was a huge influence for me, although growing up in my house I was going to be inundated by the Beatles, anyway, and I'm sure if you ask around a lot of people will tell you that YELLOW SUBMARINE marked their introduction to The Beatles. As part of its perfection, it's a movie that can be enjoyed by young and old, as timeless as THE WIZARD OF OZ and a lot funnier, and the more kids see it, the more the Beatles remain eternal. And I know this for a fact, as my dear friend Rebecca Vahabzadeh down in Houston has a 5 year-old who now loves The Beatles, all thanks to YELLOW SUBMARINE. I've seen this happen with others, too, and I have no questions that it will be repeated from now until there are no more movies. Of course, it would help for the film to be back in print, but that's up to Apple, and the sooner then better in this case, because we'll always need YELLOW SUBMARINE around. I sure know I will.

OK, Now I Can Start Talking Fantastic Fest Titles...

Here's the first press release for Fantastic Fest 2008. We'll be announcing more titles in a couple of weeks, then the remaining titles a few weeks after that. And then a few weeks after that it's the festival. Funny how things move in a forward momentum like that.

Yes, LET THE RIGHT ONE IN will be playing, but there are some other gems that have yet to be announced. Just you wait.

Date: Thursday, July 17, 2008

PRESS RELEASE: FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Subject: First Wave of Fantastic Fest content announced

Where: Alamo Drafthouse Cinema South Lamar, Austin, TX

Fantastic Fest, September 18-25, 2008

Contact:

Tim League

info@fantasticfest.com

www.fantasticfest.com

We are proud to announce the first wave of our feature film programming for the 2008 edition of Fantastic Fest in Austin, Texas. For the past 9 months, we have been scouring the globe for the strangest, the most heart-pounding and the most challenging new genre films. With over 100 films representing over 30 countries, Fantastic Fest is the largest festival of its kind in the United States. We are proud to announce our first slate of 22 confirmed feature films. Also included is information about our signature Fantastic Fest special events and parties.

Feature films:

Art of the Devil 3 (2008, Thailand, director: Ronin Team)

A prequel to one of the most graphic and visually creative horror movies in recent times, ART OF THE DEVIL 3 is a tale of unrequited love set amid the exotic world of rural Thai black magic.

Cargo 200 (2007, Russia, director: Aleksei Balabanov)

Acclaimed Russian director Balabanov's tale interweaves stories of cowardice, corruption and horror set against the backdrop of the birth of perestroika in the Soviet Union.

Dark Floors (2008, Finland, director: Pete Riski)

Finnish heavy metal legends Lordi (dressed in their actual stage costumes!!!) star as demons from another dimension who torment a band of strangers trapped in a hospital.

Doctor Infierno (2008, Spain, director: Paco Limon)

A demented gynecologist discovers a cure for all the world's illnesses and uses it as leverage to become sole dictator of the earth. Jam-packed with monsters, kung fu, battling robots and deviant sexual practices, DR. INFIERNO doesn't let budget get in the way of executing a mountain of crazy ideas. Producer Sergio Martínez Mourelle and actor Carlos Ortega Ceacero live in person!

Donkey Punch (2008, United Kingdom, director: Oliver Blackburn)

Seven sexy young Brits are hanging out on a "borrowed" yacht for a day of drugs, debauchery, and ultimately donkey punching. It's the last activity that causes everything to unravel. After the screening, follow us to Ladybird Lake for the potentially inappropriate Donkey Punch Boat Party.

Eagle Eye (2008, USA, director: D.J. Caruso)

Two strangers (Shia LaBeouf and Michelle Monaghan) become the pawns of a mysterious woman they have never met, but who seems to know their every move. Realizing they are being used to further her evil plans, they must work together to outwit the woman before she has them killed. During the week of the festival, take part in the EAGLE EYE cell phone scavenger hunt. Director D.J. Caruso (DISTURBIA) live in person!

Estomago (2007, Brazil, director: Marcos Jorge)

Love, sex, jealousy, food and murder in the streets and prisons of Brazil. Fantastic Fest is also offering, for an additional charge, an opportunity to enjoy the ESTOMAGO Feast, a four-course meal with wine pairings prepared by Alamo executive chef John Bullington. The feast is inspired by the actual dishes from the film and will be delivered to your seat as they appear on screen.

Ex Drummer (2007, Belgium, director: Koen Mortier)

Three low-life handicapped losers recruit an arrogant and abusive author to play drums in their punk band. Layered with brutality, surrealism and bloody violence, EX DRUMMER is like no music film you've ever seen.

Fighter (2008, Denmark, director: Natasha Arthy)

A Danish (?!!) kung fu coming-of-age drama choreographed by and featuring a supporting role by action master Xian Gao (CROUCHING TIGER HIDDEN DRAGON, FONG SAI YUK)

Gachi Boy: Wrestling with a Memory (2008, Japan, director: Norihiro Koizumi)

After a car accident renders Igarashi without a short-term memory, he abandons his dreams to become a lawyer in favor of becoming a masked wrestler. Director Norihiro Koizumi live in person!

How to Get Rid of the Others (2007, Denmark, director: Anders Rønnow Klarlund)

When it is discovered that the least productive 5% of Danish society consumes 60% of government spending, the conservative politicians decide to quietly eradicate the problem.

I Think We're Alone Now (2007, USA, director: Sean Donnelly)

This fascinating and severely disturbing documentary takes you deep into the worlds and obsessions of Kelly McCormick and Jeffery Deane Turner, who have been separately stalking 80s pop icon Tiffany for nearly 20 years. Director Sean Donnelly live in person!

Jack Brooks Monster Slayer (2007, Canada, director: Jon Knautz)

Horror legend Robert Englund costars in this epic battle of angry plumber vs. the demonic creatures of the night. Packed with fantastic practical effects and spot-on humor, JACK BROOKS should prove to be an audience fave. Director Jon Knautz live in person!

Let the Right One In (2008, Sweden, director: Tomas Alfredson)

An awkward, introverted boy (Oskar) befriends a new neighbor girl (Eli) who helps him to confront the bullies at school. Eli, however, has a dark secret, and there are bodies piling up at the local morgue.

Muay Thai Chaiya (2007, Thailand, director: Kongkiat Khomsiri)

An action-packed Muay Thai fighting drama by Kongkiat Khomsiri (ART OF THE DEVIL 2), Cinematography by Wisit Sasanatieng (TEARS OF THE BLACK TIGER).

The Short Films of Nacho Vigalondo (various, Spain, director: Nacho Vigalondo)

Festival darling and last year's grand prize winner Nacho Vigalondo didn't just come out of nowhere with his first feature TIMECRIMES. In 2003 he directed academy award-nominated short 7:35 IN THE MORNING and has a large and impressive body of short films. Fantastic Fest is premiering the collected short works of Nacho Vigalondo, many subtitled in English for the first time for this program.

South of Heaven (2007, USA, director: Jonathan Vara)

Two brothers on the wrong side of everyone must face an endless array of torture, terrors and indignities in this darkly comic and visually striking noir. Director Jonathan Vara live in person!

Spine Tingler - the William Castle story (2007, USA, director: Jeffrey Schwarz)

William Castle, one of the mighty giants of fantastic film and media manipulation is lauded and explained by the ones who knew him and loved him best.

Substitute, The (2007, Denmark, director: Ole Bornedal)

The middle-high school students in a small Danish village have figured out that their abusive new substitute teacher is actually a space alien on a vanguard mission to investigate taking over the earth. They just can't seem to convince their parents or the administrators.

Terra (2008, Canada, director: Aristomenis Tsirbas)

An Armada of humans arrives on a habitable planet with intentions of colonization, but the seemingly peaceful indigenous creatures turn out to have some unexpected moxie. Beautifully animated with voice talent by David Cross, Brian Cox, Dennis Quaid, Rachael Wood and Luke Wilson.

Tingler, The (1959, USA, director: William Castle)

William Castle's masterpiece, an electrifying celebration of tactile horror that culminates in a shocking climax which audience members may never recover from. For this special presentation, the theater at the Alamo will be wired to recreate Castle's greatest gimmick: "Percepto!"

Tokyo Gore Police (2008, Japan, director: Yoshihiro Nishimura)

The privatized Tokyo police force led by Audition's Eihi Shiina is authorized to execute judgment on the spot. They are threatened, however, by a breed of "engineers," genetically modified super-villains who grow mutant weapons from their injuries and amputations.

In addition to the features above, we are proud to announce more details about our Fantastic Fest parties and special events:

Opening Night Party: Air Sex World Finals

Following the opening night film (title TBD) join us for the official Fantastic Fest opening night party – the Air Sex World Finals. Badge holders and the general public are invited to the culminating event of a year's worth of preliminary competitions. It's a lot like Air Guitar, but a bit spicier.

Closing Night Party: "Get Lit"

Following the closing night film, we'll be heading outside of town for what we feel will be the Austin party of the year: "Get Lit," a subterranean dance party a mile beneath the earth at nearby Longhorn Caverns.

Fantastic Feud and All-Night Karaoke Party

Scott Weinberg, managing editor of Cinematical, brings his 2^nd annual trivia challenge that pits festival guests and select badge holders against one another to do battle in the arena of genre film trivia. Following this clash of intellectual titans, we'll settle in for another tradition – the post trivia all-night Karaoke Party.

Fantastic Debates

We are proud to honor the age-old tradition of over-opinionated verbal nerd combat by introducing FANTASTIC FEST DEBATES at FF 2008! For the first time in genre festival history, the audience will be truly heard...through blazing displays of surefooted, acid-tongued mindpower!

100 Best Kills

Fantastic Fest celebrates the great legacy of stomach-churning, blood-spurting movie magic with this interactive showdown party where YOU THE AUDIENCE are invited to join the FF programmers in providing the all-time greatest on-screen headbursts, rib-rips and gutblasts!

Signature Alamo Special Events

In addition to the traditional fare of Fantastic Fest, this year we're also offering badge holders a sampling of the Alamo signature shows: sing-alongs, quote-alongs, Master Pancake Theater, Weird Wednesday and Terror Thursday. Badge holders get free admission to these special shows at the new flagship Alamo location, the Ritz. See the live comic stylings of the Master Pancake troupe as they skewer the original FRIDAY THE 13^TH, enjoy the communal experience of the EVIL DEAD 2 Quote-Along and 'Fantastic' 35mm classics as part of our free midnight movie series Weird Wednesday and Terror Thursday.

Details for all of these shows, parties and more can be found on our website: www.fantasticfest.com

Important dates have been announced for the 4^thAnnual Fantastic Fest in Austin, Texas.

Thursday, August 7, 2008: Second wave of festival content announced

Thursday, September 4, 2008: Final content and schedule announced

Thursday, September 18, 2008: Festival begins

Saturday, September 20, 2008: 2009 Festival Badges go on sale

For more information about Fantastic Fest, please visit our official website: www.fantasticfest.com

ABOUT THE FESTIVAL:

Fantastic Fest is an eight-day festival of the best new sci-fi, horror, fantasy and genre films, as well as choice classic and obscure cult titles from all over the world. The festival director is Tim League (Alamo Drafthouse Cinema). Programmers include Harry Knowles (Ain't It Cool News), Blake Ethridge (Cinema is Dope), Todd Brown (Twitchfilm.net), Zack Carlson (Alamo Drafthouse Cinema) and Lars Nilsen (Alamo Drafthouse Cinema). Fantastic Fest is a supporting member of the prestigious Melies European Fantastic Film Festivals Federation and a founding member of the North American Fantastic Festival Alliance. Fantastic Fest is sponsored in part by Ain't It Cool News, Twitchfilm, Gamecock, Best Buy, DVD Empire, VIZ, Embassy Suites and the Alamo Drafthouse Cinema South Lamar.

Fantasia 2008: Tomas Alfredson's LET THE RIGHT ONE IN

This is something that has always gotten to me: I see a film I love, a smart, beautifully made piece of filmmaking that I cherish and instantly becomes a favorite. But there's a problem - it happens to be a genre film. Perhaps because I'm more inclined to enjoy genre films my opinion might be in question, so the reception accorded LET THE RIGHT ONE IN thus far is most appreciated, because it's proving to the world at large that, hey, it's not just me who thinks this is as good as I say it is. Granted, that includes top prize at the Tribeca Film Festival, not a festival known for its outstanding quality, but an award from them does tell the rest of the straights that perhaps they should also take notice. And they damn well should, because otherwise they'll miss the best film of the year thus far, one that just happens to be a Swedish vampire movie.

What makes LET THE RIGHT ONE IN so great as far as I'm concerned is that it understands that tragedy is one of the essential elements to truly great horror. Beyond just the mere idea that you have to care about the characters in order to get caught up in their horrific plight, the tragedy of it gives the story a sense of melancholy, a sadness that brings it closer to the heart than one would expect. At the heart of LET THE RIGHT ONE IN is a story about two lonely kids - one of them a shy, picked-upon boy, the other a vampire - and what Alfredson's does with this material (it's based on a novel by John Ajvide Lindqvist) is whip-smart in the quiet and natural approach he takes. FX are kept to a minimum and are not treated like money shots; the camera usually stands perfectly still and the action is treated no different than as if someone is walking from one end to another. Beautifully shooting in scope (this is one of the best scope features in years) Alfredson doesn't ram anything down your throat, as if to scream, "This is horror, so be scared!", he keeps it all simple, quiet and unfettered and it's all a beautiful thing. The casting of leads Kare Hedebrandt and Lina Leandersson places an emphasis on all this; these kids are as natural as can be, often silent, saying more with their eyes than anything else, a desperate desire for a love that has otherwise escaped them and much of what makes the film so heartbreaking comes from them. I risk sounding like a quote-whorish blogger by saying this (wait, I am a quote-whorish blogger), but LET THE RIGHT ONE IN suggest the kind of genre film that Truffaut might have made if he ever felt so inclined, and comparisons to THE 400 BLOWS are, in my opinion, not unwarranted. Like that landmark, this is a film that truly understand the pain and suffering that goes into childhood, which is also part of what makes it a great horror film, because all of that pain takes the horror and makes it even more powerful.

Last thing I want to address here is that LET THE RIGHT ONE IN is also the best vampire film since Katheryn Bigelow's NEAR DARK over 20 years ago. I once wrote a little thing about my dislike of vampire pictures over at the AMC monster thing and that still stands, but LET THE RIGHT ONE IN is easily the freshest vampire film in years and it should go without saying that it's one of the best ever made. While essential to the story, the vampire aspects are treated secondary to the characters, one of whom just happens to be a vampire, though she could be a kid with cancer or something. Vampire films have become such a dumb cliche (an earlier Swedish vampire pic, FROSTBITE, proved that point), but LET THE RIGHT ONE IN avoids all of them and barely feels like a vampire film at all. But it sure as hell is a horror film, and not just a great horror film but just a great film, period, and quite possibly the enduring movie classic of 2008.

It opens from Magnolia (via their genre arm, Magnet) in October.