On its last week, Fantasia festival has stricken hard, real hard! With the last Tarantino, the famous Trick’r Treat, the bloody The Children and the awaited I sell the Dead, the festival could not find a better ending…

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INGLORIOUS BASTERDS, Quentin Tarantino
USA, 2009, 152 min.

Brad Pitt wants scalps! Nazi scalps! And Eli Roth is going to get them for him! Perhaps more than any other active director, Quentin Tarantino has made a career out of being something of a cinematic archaeologist, dipping into the film styles of the 1970s as a source of inspiration for his own work. And after doing the crime caper, the blaxploitation picture, the car-chase film and kung fu, it seems that the last major ’70s genres left untouched are science fiction and the war adventure. With INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS, Tarantino takes the war route. Loosely based on Enzo Castellari’s film of loosely the same title—Tarantino has intentionally misspelled his version—INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS stars Brad Pitt as the leader of a squad of misfit soldiers, soldiers specially chosen for their disregard for rules and protocol, soldiers chosen for their skills in violence, soldiers chosen to spread fear and panic throughout the Third Reich by carrying out a campaign of pain and torture and killing behind enemy lines. Their task is to infiltrate and wreak maximum havoc.

Info, schedule & trailer
http://www.fantasiafest.com/2009/en/films/film_detail.php?id=20

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K-20 : LEGEND OF THE MASK, Shimako Sato, Canadian premiere
Japan, 2009, 137 min.

In an imaginary past in which World War II never occurred, it is 1949 and Japan’s aristocracy has turned its back on its miserable underclass—but that doesn’t mean they don’t have to look over their shoulders now and then, for a diabolically mischievous masked marvel is out there in the night. K-20 is undermining their authority with his amazing feats, most recently the theft of the Hashiba Corporation’s amazing new electrical transmission device. Some have their suspicions about Heikichi Endo, a poor yet plucky acrobat and magician, who’s set up to be arrested for the notorious K-20’s activities. Using his circus skills and the technical savvy of his aging buddy Genji, Heikichi escapes and vows to capture the real K-20. Genji’s wizardry and Heikichi’s amazing physical prowess, plus an insightful book on disguises, add up to an effective impostor K-20, one who’ll soon enough collide with the original!

Info, schedule & trailer
http://www.fantasiafest.com/2009/en/films/film_detail.php?id=125

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I SELL THE DEAD, Glenn Mc Quaid, Montreal premiere
USA, 2008, 85 min.

“Never, ever trust a corpse.” Cult filmmaker Larry Fessenden and LORD OF THE RINGS’s Dominic Monaghan star as a pair of ambitious graverobbers who stumble face-first into one occult freakout after another in this Victorian-era thrill ride that’s been winning awards everywhere its been exhumed. Arthur Blake (Monaghan) and Willie Grimes (Fessenden) make their livings scavenging the dead in what is not so affectionately known as “the resurrection trade.” Our story begins with Blake sweating it out in a prison cell, hours before he’s slated to be executed. A hulking priest (played with relish by HELLBOY himself, Ron Perlman) has joined him to administer his last rites. Morbid curiosity being what it is, he sits Blake down and prompts him to spill the cemetery dirt on his crimes. And so begins a dizzying journey through 15 years of bodysnatching and supernatural strangeness—vampires, zombies, surgeons looking for undead cadavers and a thug who had dog teeth grafted into his gums are but a few examples of why it’s hard out there for an 18th-century ghoul!

Info, schedule & trailer
http://www.fantasiafest.com/2009/en/films/film_detail.php?id=18

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FIREBALL, Thanakorn Pongsuwan, North american premiere
Thailand, 2009, 94 min.

Tai is freshly released from prison, sprung early thanks to funds spread liberally in the right places by his brother Tan. But when Tai goes to express his thanks, he discovers that all is not well. Tan is in a coma thanks to serious head wounds suffered under mysterious circumstances. He was clearly involved in something illegal, and Tai is determined to find out what and exact revenge on whoever is responsible. His only clue that Tan was coming home bruised from playing basketball. And so off Tai goes to the courts…

Info, schedule & trailer
http://www.fantasiafest.com/2009/en/films/film_detail.php?id=33

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THE CHILDREN, Tom Shankland, North american premiere
England, 2008, 84 min.

Far more frightening than CHILDREN OF THE CORN or the bulk part of other killer kids pics that have preceded it—it bears mentioning, this is not a remake of the similarly themed 1980 film that shares its name—this British powerhouse shocker ranks among the best horror film offerings of recent years. Like last year’s REC, the plot is deceptively basic, stripped-down to something that may almost seem generic on paper, yet this film is anything but conventional. No, this film is going to tear your head off. A pair of families spend Christmas weekend at a secluded country house. While the adults catch up with each other and kick back, their children begin to act a little strange. They may be getting sick. A freak accident or two later, and people begin to get hurt. Badly. The adults are in complete denial of what appears to be happening. That ends soon enough when the children inexplicably begin to slaughter everyone. The warmth of Christmas distorts into a harrowing fight for survival.

Info, schedule & trailer
http://www.fantasiafest.com/2009/en/films/film_detail.php?id=59

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LEFT BANK, Pieter Van Hees, Canadian premiere
Belgium, 2008, 102 min.

Nothing’s more frustrating for a young athlete than being sidelined. For Marie, it’s an utter disaster. Chronically exhausted following an excessively harsh training program, she’s been forbidden by her doctor to prepare for an important competition. Convinced that the doctor’s orders are the death knell of her athletic career, she drifts between her mother’s business and the gym, where she meets Bob, a dashing young gent she falls head over heels for. Finding him to be her sole source of comfort, she jumps at Bob’s invitation to move in with him. Marie would be in seventh heaven if it weren’t for the unseemly neighbours in Bob’s apartment building. For cryptic reasons, they seem to regard her as unwelcome, even an intruder. Something’s just not right in the otherwise unremarkable building. The woman who’d previously inhabited the young couple’s apartment disappeared under mysterious circumstances. The woman’s boyfriend has been conducting his own investigation, thoroughly convinced that witchcraft is at the root of the matter. Marie’s not the type to buy such absurd theories—until the evidence begins to seems irrefutable.

Info, horaire & trailer
http://www.fantasiafest.com/2009/en/films/film_detail.php?id=53

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PRIVATE EYE, Park Dae-min, International premiere
South Korea, 2009, 111 min.

It’s 1910 and Korea is occupied by the colonial forces of Japan. Jin-ho, a small-time private investigator who makes his living photographing adulterous couples in the act, has figured out a way to up his payscale. Once he’s confirmed the suspicions of jealous spouses, he turns around and sells the incriminating photos to sleazy tabloids. Jin-ho dreams of relocating to the United States and will soon have enough money to do so. But every dream is followed by a wake-up call and in this case, it comes in the form of Kwang-su, a young doctor with a serious problem. After discovering the body of a man who was quite clearly murdered in a wooded area, Kwang-su had the bright idea of bringing the cadaver home in order to practice his surgical skills. Thing is, the corpse hidden in his apartment is that of the son a high-ranking government official, and the police are actively seeking it, so the doctor must unmask the real killer before suspicion falls on him. To that end, he needs the help of a bold and clever detective, and Jin-ho is the dream candidate for the task. Given how much Kwang-su is prepared to pay, Jin-ho quickly drops his other contracts and agrees to seek out the killer. The two men, however, have little idea of just where this investigation will take them…

Info, horaire & trailer
http://www.fantasiafest.com/2009/en/films/film_detail.php?id=255

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TRICK ‘R TREAT, Michael Dougherty
USA/Canada, 2008, 100 min.

You’ve heard it all before but this time it’s for real: TRICK ’R TREAT is the film that horror fans have been waiting for—the antidote to every insipid remake, sequel and overhyped “holy grail” we’ve had to suffer through in recent years. Bursting onto the screen with endless energy, first-time director Michael Dougherty (co-writer of X-MEN 2 and SUPERMAN RETURNS) has cast aside all pretensions and delivered a wildly entertaining slice of EC Comics gold equal to CREEPSHOW and the very best of TALES FROM THE CRYPT. Told over the course of a single Halloween night, the story follows a multitude of characters (teens, parents, several small kids and one angry old man) through four interweaving stories. At the center of it all is the diabolical Sam—a creepy kid who sports an iconic mask and delivers his own brand of havoc throughout. To say anything more would be criminal, but these classic anthology stories waste no time delivering the gory goods.

Info, horaire & trailer
http://www.fantasiafest.com/2009/en/films/film_detail.php?id=92

Just like last week, Evolution Store has selected a few movies of different origins that you definitely shouldn’t miss during the second week of Fantasia Festival. And just like last week, we offer you the possibility to win 2 places to view the movie of your choice, if you answer correctly the following question :

What kind of vehicle is the murderous star in the Canadian movie Crawler?

Send your answer (precising your mail contact details) by email to: fantasia2009@evolutionstore.ca

The two fastest movie lovers to answer will win! See you next Thursday for another report on this week’s fantasia shows…

DIVINE WEAPON, Kim Yoo-jin, canadian premiere

South Korea, 2008, 134 min.

It is the 15th century, the height of the Joseon Dynasty, and Sejong the Great rules benevolently over the Korean people. All is not well, though. To the north, the Ming emperor has ever-greater expansionist ambitions for the Chinese, and all eyes now fall on their subject state to the south. Spies have been sent in under diplomatic cover and what they have learned of sends chills through the imperial court. Sejong’s finest military talents are conspiring to develop an unprecedented weapon, one that will only be matched in efficiency and scale of destructiveness by Western armourers several centuries later. The weapon isn’t ready yet, though, and protecting its secrets, which now lie exclusively in the hands of the lovely young Hong-ri, is of utmost importance. Into these dramatic circumstances stumbles Seol-ju, a cocky but capable small-time merchant with copious courage, a knack for leadership and unexpected skills in hand-to-hand combat

Info, schedule & trailer

http://www.fantasiafestival.com/2009/en/films/film_detail.php?id=7

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DEADGIRL, Marcel Sarmiento, Gadi Harel, Montreal premiere

USA, 2008, 101 min.

JT and Rickie are two typical teenage kids. Not particularly interested in classes, not particularly good at sports and not from the right part of town, the pair are most definitely not in with the cool kids and more inclined to cut classes than attend. The only thing that really keeps Rickie at school at all is the presence of JoAnn—the girl he’s loved since childhood, currently dating the biggest jock in the place—and the only thing that seems to keep JT around, as much as he stays around, is Rickie. There is, however, one thing that sets the pair apart, one thing that they have that nobody else does. You see, one day while killing time in an abandoned asylum the pair discover, deep in a sealed and forgotten room, the naked body of a seemingly dead girl covered in plastic and chained to a table. Only she doesn’t seem to be dead after all. And, as they quickly learn, she can’t be killed. Wild, feral, nothing but aggression and impulse, it’s hard to even think of her as human. Rickie wants to cut her free ango to the police. JT, by far the stronger personality of the two, disagrees. Nobody knows she’s there. Nobody will ever come for her. She’s not even really human. Surely they can find some better use for her. She is, after all, smoking hot. And, in case you’ve forgotten, naked.

Info, schedule & trailer

http://www.fantasiafestival.com/2009/en/films/film_detail.php?id=140

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THE CHASER, Na Hong-jin, canadian premiere

South Korea, 2008, 125 min.

Jung-ho (Kim Yun-seok) is a former cop turned pimp. Problem is, his girls are disappearing and he is convinced that a competitor is stealing them. But in this particular business, the demand from clients never ceases. When one of his protégées falls ill, he has no choice but to force her to continue working. It is then that Mi-jin (Seo Yeong-hie), a single mom engaged in prostitution in order to support her son, heads over to meet a client. Once there, she quickly realizes that all is not right. But it is too late for she is now caught in the clutches of Young-min (Ha Jung-woo), a methodical serial killer.

Info, schedule & trailer

http://www.fantasiafestival.com/2009/en/films/film_detail.php?id=38

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CRAWLER, Sv Bell, world premiere

Canada, 2009, 80 min.

In a remote jerkwater town, a contractor goes to pick up the bulldozer he’d reserved several weeks earlier, essential for the site where he works, but he’s a day late to claim the machine. He notices another bulldozer bearing a sign that reads “not for rental,” and is prepared to do whatever’s necessary to take it with him. $53 later, he’s waiting for the attendant to load the vehicle onto his truck when the driverless bulldozer runs him over, turning him into cat food. The next day, the bulldozer arrives at the construction site just in time to celebrate the return of Jimmy (Deke Richards), the foreman who had taken a leave of absence following the tragic death of one of his men. And the evil bulldozer is going to make sure there’ll be plenty more traumatic accidents for him to live with.

Info, schedule & trailer

http://www.fantasiafestival.com/2009/en/films/film_detail.php?id=144

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EMBODIMENT OF EVIL, José Mojica Marins, canadian premiere

Brazil, 2008, 93 min.

“Higher than God. Lower than Satan. ” José Mojica Marins’ demonically anticipated comeback of Zé do Caixão (otherwise known as Coffin Joe) is finally coming to Canada! For the unfamiliar, Marins created the Zé character in the midst of—and as an incendiary reaction to—a brutal Brazilian state dictatorship. A godless undertaker who terrorized his community, Zé is equal parts the Marquis De Sade, Salvador Dali and Friedrich Nietzsche, channelled through a love for confrontational horror cinema and the darkest of carnivalesque spook-show iconography. Furiously anti-Church and anti-law, Marins’ interpretation of the genre remains wholly without parallel. Over his nearly half-century-long career, he has created some of the most inspired, inflammatory and hallucinatory imagery in the history of horror cinema.

Info, schedule & trailer

http://www.fantasiafestival.com/2009/en/films/film_detail.php?id=57

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COWEB, Xiong Xin Xin, aka Hung Yan Yan, canadian premiere

Hong-kong, 2009, 90 min.

Jiang stars as a young martial arts master recruited as a bodyguard who fails miserably in her first assignment and loses her employer to kidnappers. There is, of course, only one solution. She must fight her way to him, saving not only her boss but also her own honour. What she doesn’t know is that the whole thing is an elaborate setup and that the kidnappers are actually filming the entire thing and broadcasting it on the Internet. She has in fact just become the unwitting star of an online reality show/illegal gambling ring. The film follows a classic tournament format with Jiang forced to fight her way through a succession of opponents, each of which use their own distinct styles in an attempt to stop the young dynamo, but she powers her way through them all with grace, power and a complete disregard for her own safety that sees her absorb more than one bone-crunching blow. This girl’s the real thing, folks, expect to see a lot more of her.

Info, schedule & trailer

http://www.fantasiafestival.com/2009/en/films/film_detail.php?id=30

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ORPHAN, Jaume Collet-Serra

USA/Canada, 2009

In ORPHAN, troubled mom Kate Coleman (played by JOSHUA’s Vera Farmiga, no less) has recently suffered a horrible miscarriage, and though she already has two kids, she wants another, but can’t. She and her husband John (indie fave Peter Sarsgaard) really wanted this child, so they decide to adopt and find Esther (talented newcomer Isabelle Fuhrman), who seems like the perfect little girl to bring into their family. They take her home, and obviously she is not what she appears to be. Esther has a dark side that they’re not aware of, and she begins insinuating herself into the home and turning the family against Kate. Before long, animals are being viciously mutilated, suspicious adults bloodily murdered and ultimately (like the fest’s other smash, THE CHILDREN), its parent vs. child. ORPHAN director Jaume Collet-Serra promises that his film is not just another entry in the killer kid sweepstakes, but instead a twist-filled shocker that will rank with the best in this twisted little field

Info, schedule & trailer

http://www.fantasiafestival.com/2009/en/films/film_detail.php?id=271

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LA POSSIBILITE D’UNE ILE, Michel Houellebecq, north american premiere

France, 2008, 95 min.

Daniel has a hard time taking his father very seriously. The old man, leader of a sect that believes the key to immortality lies in cloning, drags his son through the French suburbs in search of potential converts. It doesn’t take too long for Daniel to turn his back on his father and pursue an ordinary life. Many years later, however, he’s invited to reconnect with the prophet he calls dad on a tropical island, where he discovers a laboratory replete with cutting-edge technology and an legion of disciples ready to follow their guru in his ambitious project. Daniel is starting to get concerned—could it be that this bizarre project is on the verge of success? The only one who can truly answer that question is Daniel’s clone, confined to a secretive grotto to protect him from the ravages of the apocalypse, who breaks his solitude by reading the story of the man he replicates while preparing himself to eventually explore the planet as it will be once humanity is extinguished.

Info, schedule & trailer

http://www.fantasiafestival.com/2009/en/films/film_detail.php?id=39