Day 10: September 17

What a day... Aching body and mind, despite a slight sleep-in. Sadly, tragically, the fest has cancelled the annual Sunday breakfast in favour of a Saturday afternoon awards drinkfest. I'll miss the eggs and the good company post-fest, and skipped the festivities to catch Citizen Dog with some friends. Very glad that I did so in the end.

Yet again the award for People's Choice went to a flick I didn't see (Tsotsi, year's winner, I had at least thought to see, but saw instead, I believe, the wretched Festival).

Thanks to the like of Steve Gravestock I got into the Adam's Apples screening and was very happy to have done so.

The closing gala was even worse than normal, but did find the likes of L.L. Cool J and Morgan Freeman on stage at the Elgin beside such luminaries as Justin Timberlake and Dylan Mcdermott.

Citizen Dog
Directed by: W. Sasanatieng

Grade: B+

Another kooky Thai film with musical leanings. While not as, well, loco as Bangkok Loco, Dog does it's share of insanity, starting with digitally altered fuchsia coloured fields, to mountainous piles of plastic bottles and zombi taxi-bike drivers. In the end it's a simple love story told with enough wit and silliness to make it unique.

Adam's Apples
Directed by: A. Thomas Jensen

Grade: A-

Another delightful film from the Netherlands, this one about an oblivious priest and a Neo-Nazi who inadvertently finds redemption. The tale is dark yet fiercely comic, and it includes a fine portion of Bee Gees music to keep it interesting. The film will surprise you while remaining accessible, with strong performances and seamless direction. A lovely flick well worth seeking out.

Edison
Directed by: D. J. Burke

Grade: FAIL

There's nothing redeeming in this pathetic shoot-em-up. If there's a better reminder to close the fest that most Holywood films suck, I don't know what it is.

I had convinced myself that this tale of renegade reporters and F.R.A.T. boys (like S.W.A.T., but punny) would have something in it to make it interesting, like a Heat or even Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang from earlier in the fest. I thought that maybe Justin T would find a breakthrough role, in a genre pic, sure, but showing something of a future in acting the way Clooney showed sparks of promise in that shite Batman thing he did.

But no. Timberlake can't even emote correctly when he's in a car about to be hit, and he's got a single line, "Fuck!". It's pathetic really, a wooden performance as bland as his music. Morgan Freeman is in Kiss the Girls territory here, not Unforgiven. L.L tries hard, but is brought down by the laughable antics of Mcdermott's manic cop-on-the-edge. Silly drivel that will be quickly forgotten by audiences worldwide.

Hostel
Directed by: Eli Roth

Grade: A-

You are unlikely to find another contemporary American horror movie with as much intensity and style as this one. While it pales against some of the contemporary Asian flicks it aspires towards, it's nonetheless a strong contender for the most intense American horror film made, with stylish gruesomeness intact. A fine addition to this year's MM slot, even in the work-in-progress form.

While Cabin Fever had the usual slew of volunteer actors, I found that several performances in this flick were top notch, transcending the genre ghetto into real, capital-A "acting". Jan Vlasák is great as the creepy train-main, but particular note must be made of Jay Hernandez's "Paxton" role. I don't think I've ever seen a twenty something role played with as much believability in some time, he totally nails the American-in-Europe schtick without ever overdoing it. While some of his acting compatriots strut their stuff in scenes of agony, Hernandez actually rises above it all and creates a nuanced, completely authentic performance.

Shot in Prague, the locations are suitably decrepid. You can almost feel the smarmyness of the Hostel, the rank of the dungeons, the smell of the hash in the Amsterdam sex clubs. If you think too hard about the flick you'll find all kinds of clever interplay between the early scenes where the boys are lecherous schmucks to the setting of their eventual doom, but that would be silly. This is popcorn fun with popped-out eyeballs, ample buckets of blood without overdoing it to the point of comic overexuberence. At times, this film is downright badass.

In an age of PG-13 "horror" flicks taking the theatres by storm, it's hard to see what wide audience a flick of this nature will find. Still, it's got enough of a plot to keep it interesting, and enough intensity (when it finally arrives) to please all by the most jaded of genre fans. Not a masterpiece, but certainly a fun ride, and with the help of rabid support from the likes of Exec. Producer Q.T., it should do very well among a select audience of horror fans. Let's all hope that Roth continues to learn from the masters, and that he finds success in bringing this type of stylish gore to mainstream American cinemas.