Tuesday night, I got the update I’d actually been waiting a few months for, so be sure to tune in this month for some review coverage out of this year’s 17th installment of Fantastic Fest. It’s a festival I’ve had my eye on for a long while, reading coverage primarily from Screen Anarchy since its Twitchfilm heyday, and so while I won’t be there in-person for the festivities (a setback that will maybe one day change), it does thrill me to know that there will be some virtual coverage, and with some truly wicked titles in the line-up which you can read here.
If you’re keen, visit the festival website for more information, and if you already have your tickets and are aiming to see the goods, I’m happy to share some choice selections in the list below – twelve, in fact, and some of which are from directors I’m new to, including H4Z4RD, Jonas Govaerts’ sophomore directorial effort out of Belgium eight years after making his debut on creature thriller, Cub. There’s also the exciting premise read for Spanish director Sadrac Gonzalez-Perellon’s third feature, Amazing Elisa, and of course Ali Abbasi’s serial killer thriller, Holy Spider, which is also setting up to terrorize moviegoers later this month at Beyond Fest.
Other titles include but are far limited to Park Chan-wook’s highly lauded Mubi acquisition, Decision To Leave, as well as his acclaimed 2000 military drama, JSA (Joint Security Area), presented in association with the AGFA (American Genre Film Archive). You also have Traffickers and Broker helmer Kim Hong-sun’s latest Well Go USA-acquired action horror, Project Wolf Hunting, in addition to Squid Game star and multi-award winning actor Lee Jung-jae’s directorial debut, Hunt, which arrives in the U.S. this December through Magnolia, and stunt maestro Kensuke Sonomura’s long-awaited crime thriller, Bad City, to name a few. There’s also Kids Vs. Aliens from the man who delivered Hobo With A Shotgun once upon a time, Jason Eisner, in addition to Jigme Trinley’s grisled new wintery Western noir, One And Four, and the almighty savior himself, Shin Ultraman from director Shinji Higuchi.
Indeed, this is all just a select summary of the titles I’ve chosen. There’s a dozen I’ve picked out, and you’re welcome to parse through them in the list below. Also, there’s a playlist of trailer for almost all of the films screening at Fantastic Fest which you can sift through just beneath!
DECISION TO LEAVE
South Korea, 2022
US Premiere, 138 min
Director – Park Chan-wook
In attendance – Director Park Chan-wook
Laced with wicked humor, master filmmaker Park Chan-wook’s dazzlingly cinematic romantic thriller surprises and delights to the very last.
JOINT SECURITY AREA (Presented by AGFA)
South Korea, 2000
US Premiere of Restoration, 110 min
Director – Park Chan-wook
Arrow Film’s new restoration of Park Chan-wook’s explosive exploration of the madness of war set in the DMZ between North and South Korea.
H4Z4RD
Belgium, 2022
North American Premiere, 86 min
Director – Jonas Govaerts
When Noah Hazard volunteers to drive his beloved gold Lexus to help his jailbird cousin pick up a friend from prison, he doesn’t expect to be drawn into a murderous drug war.
FINAL CUT
France, 2022
US Premiere, 111 min
Director – Michel Hazanavicius
Oscar-winning French director Michel Hazanavicius’ meta-remake of the Japanese cult movie ONE CUT OF THE DEAD manages a little tour de force.
PROJECT WOLF HUNTING
South Korea, 2022
US Premiere, 121 min
Director – KIM Hongsun
On the choppy seas between Manila and Busan, violent convicts run amok on a hellish cargo ship in this blood-soaked slice of maritime carnage.
AMAZING ELISA
Spain, 2022
World Premiere, 104 min
Director – Sadrac Gonzalez-Perellon
In attendance – Director Sadrac Gonzalez-Perellon
In the aftermath of a horrific accident, Elisa believes that she’s been given super powers and will stop at nothing to avenge her mother’s death.
SHIN ULTRAMAN
Japan, 2022
Texas Premiere, 113 min
Director – Shinji Higuchi
Ultraman descends from space after Japan suffers a devastating series of kaiju attacks in this homage to the classic, genre-defining TV series.
BAD CITY
Japan, 2022
North American Premiere, 118 min
Director – Kensuke Sonomura
A jailed cop is released to lead a crack unit against a corrupt businessman in this bone-crunching dust-up starring V-cinema legend Hitoshi Ozawa.
HUNT
South Korea, 2022
Texas Premiere, 125 min
Director – LEE Jung-jae
Rival KCIA agents hunt for an elusive North Korean spy in this ‘80s espionage thriller, the explosive directorial debut from SQUID GAME’s Lee Jung-jae.
HOLY SPIDER
Denmark, 2022
Texas Premiere, 115 min
Director – Ali Abassi
A female journalist descends into an Iranian city’s underbelly to investigate a serial killer stalking sex workers to cleanse the streets of sinners.
ONE AND FOUR
China, 2021
Texas Premiere, 88 min
Director – Jigme Trinley
A Tibetan forest ranger must deduce who among the three visitors seeking refuge in his cabin from a coming blizzard are poachers and who are cops.
KIDS VS. ALIENS
USA, 2022
World Premiere, 75 min
Director – Jason Eisener
In attendance – Director Jason Eisener
Jason Eisener’s long-awaited follow-up to Canuxploitation classic HOBO WITH A SHOTGUN pits a group of moviemaking pals against sinister alien invaders.
