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On ‘Suburban Gothic’ and its irreverently sardonic tone

Suburban Gothic Written by Richard Bates Jr. and Mark Bruner Directed by Richard Bates Jr. USA, 2015 What makes a film a cult hit? Usually it’s a combination of an underground fan base, a kitschy premise or execution, a deeply engaging cast – either due to immeasurable talent, or a complete lack thereof. Most significantly, …

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Fantasia 2012: ‘Excision’ Cut the Heart Out of My Chest

Excision Written and Directed by Richard Bates Jr. USA 2012 Fantasia imdb There were two films at Fantasia this year that took me on trips that I didn’t want to go on. The first was the winner of Fantasia’s Satoshi Kon Award for Achievement in Animation The King of Pigs. The second was Excision. Both films are about outsiders in high school, …

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Fantasia 2012: ‘Excision’ extremely unsettling, often amusing

Excision Directed by Richard Bates Jr. Screenplay by Richard Bates Jr. 2012, USA Writer-director Richard Bates. Jr. draws on years of movie-watching for his audacious feature debut Excision. The most obvious influences for Excision is possibly Brian DePalma’s Carrie, Todd Solondz’s Welcome To The Dollhouse and Michael Lehmann’s Heathers. Toss in equal parts Gregg Araki, …

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