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Fantasia 2010: ‘Fish Story’ is a truly unique take on familiar ideas, revelling totally in the beauty of the absurd

Interweaving seemingly irrelevant storylines, Fish Story is about the interconnectedness of all aspects of our existence. It isn’t, however, a film about fate. It is about finding splendour in irrationality, and our individual potential to shape the world.

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Fantasia 2010: Clash

Clash Directed by Le Thanh Son It’s never a good sign when even non-fans of a given genre can spot the clichés pervading a particular piece. Whether you own a collection of imported martial arts movies, or you wouldn’t even see Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon despite its Oscar nominations, it’s hard to imagine any viewer …

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Fantasia 2010: Symbol

“It’s hard to pigeonhole Symbol in any particular genre, but I would best describe it as a live-action Looney Tunes cartoon on crack.” Symbol Directed by Hitoshi Matsumoto While watching Symbol, for a fleeting moment I wondered if someone had slipped something in my drink or sprinkled an illicit substance on my popcorn.  What else …

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Fantasia 2010: A Serbian Film

A Serbian Film Directed by Srdjan Spasojevic It would be easy to dismiss A Serbian Film on the grounds of its boundary-pushing imagery. “Disturbing” does not begin to cover some of the images and scenarios the film presents, and the anger they inspire can easily hamper judging the film on its merits. At a very …

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Fantasia 2010: ‘We Are What We Are’ (Somos Lo Que Hay)’

We Are What We Are Directed by Jorge Michel Grau Screenplay by Jorge Michel Gray 2010, Mexico The completed version of Jorge Michel Grau’s We Are What We Are had its North American premiere at the Fantasia Film Festival and left audiences very content on their way out. In the same way, Let The Right …

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Fantasia 2010: Heartless

“Heartless is aimless and messy, and offers no real insight in the very many themes it introduces.” Heartless Directed by Philip Ridley Everything you need to know about Heartless is laid out in the first thirty minutes. It is a film about vanity, loss and pain… it is also about gang violence, social decay and …

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Interview with Steven R. Monroe and Meir Zarchi’s, directors of I Spit On Your Grave

Over the years, Meir Zarchi’s 1978 rape-revenge film I Spit on Your Grave (aka Day of the Woman) has been labeled everything from an expression of raw, feminist rage to a cinematic sex offense. And there’s no doubt that Steven R. Monroe’s 2010 remake be equally polarizing, as it’s more graphically violent by at least …

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Fantasia 2010: ‘Mai Mai Miracle’

Mai Mai Miracle Directed by Sunao Katabuchi Mai Mai Miracle is the story about growing up amidst a changing world. Set ten years after the Second World War, life in rural Japan is at a turning point.  Inspired by the stories her grandfather tells her, nine year old Shinko, creates elaborate fantasy worlds about the …

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Fantasia 2010: ‘The Human Centipede (First Sequence)’

The Human Centipede (First Sequence) Directed by Tom Six For a movie whose entire premise is more or less spelled out in its title, The Human Centipede is a surprisingly elusive proposition. Despite the sordid particulars, Tom Six’s debut is emphatically not a horror film, at least not in the modern sense. It rejects all …

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Fantasia 2010: ‘Marwencol’

Marwencol Directed by Jeff Malmberg One of the more downright inspirational films here is Marwencol, the story of accidental artist Mark Hogencamp. After being targeted and beaten outside of a club one night, Hogencamp came out of a coma with severe physical and mental damage.  His personal attempt at recuperation was to construct a 1/6th scale reproduction of a small …

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Fantasia 2010: ‘Mandrill’

Mandrill Directed by Ernesto Díaz Espinoza Chilean director Ernesto Diaz Espinoza and his action star collaborator, Marko Zaror, are three films deep now, with a fourth (in 3D!) on the way. Clearly they’ve found a formula that works for them, but I’m not as convinced. There’s plenty of  buzz around these guys, and they’re hyping …

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