WOULDN'T IT BE NICE...?
Sergio Leone and the Infield Fly Rule — ... The 2008 Telluride Film Festival gets under way this weekend, and how I would love to be there. I have yet to attend any film festival other than The Lone Pine Film Festival which, while not without its unique and irreplaceable charms, didn’t really satisfy my jones to one day make my way to one of the late summer-fall classics like the Venice Film Festival, or the Toronto, or the New York, or the Telluride, or the Fantastic Fest, which sounds like way too much fun. (It's the geek Telluride, I hear tell.) So I will rely, as usual, on ...

Fantastic Fest Online: It's Like A Virtual Badge for Everyone!
Cinematical — ... On the one hand, FF is infamous for selling, and selling out, its badges for the following year during the current year's festivities. On the other, they've teamed up with sponsors AMD and B-Side to offer up five short films and five full features for free upon their website from September 14th through the 20th. You must sign up for ...

Fests and events, 9/10.
GreenCine Daily — "The Alamo Drafthouse and Fantastic Fest have announced that five feature films and six shorts will be streamed online via the BSide community, in their entirety, from Sept 14 - 20." The Austin Chronicle's Marc Savlov has details. "If this year's Toronto International Film Festival had a subtitle, it could be 'When Good Directors Go Bad,'" proposes Scott Foundas. "At least that's what it has felt like around here as one anticipated new film after the next by some of the world's name-brand auteurs - the ...

Film Fan Fridays for Friday September 12, 2008!
Movie Moxie — ... Film Festival Continues until September 13, 2008 at various locations in Toronto, Ontario, Canada Be sure to check out my daily coverage at Movie Movie from Sept 4-13, 2008 including polls, reviews and vlogs. Toronto Urban Film Festival (TUFF) Continues until September 12, 2008 Collection of 1 minute silent films that will be shown on the TTC, films may also be viewed on the TUFF website Online Treat-of-the-Week Fantastic Fest, a science fiction, fantasy, crime, horror and genre film festival based in Austin, ...

Check This Out: Eagle Eye's Free Fall Viral Game
FirstShowing.net — ... to call again at a later point. At the end of the game, the voice says that we've been activated and should be ready for another call. I'm guessing at some point near that release date we'll be getting another call that will point us to another website where we'll see something that'll convince us to go check out the film. I actually really like this viral so far and can't wait to see what happens next. I've heard there is a scavenger hunt taking place at Fantastic Fest in Austin next week as well - stay tuned for more! ...

Fantastic Fest 2008 - Continuing Coverage - Updated 9/13
Cinema is Dope — ... Reviews ::: Blake’s Capsule Review (Cinema is Dope) ::: Colin Geddes Review (TIFF ‘08 Midnight Madness) Images ::: Movie Wallpaper (Cinema is Dope) Related Links: ::: Fantastic Fest 2008 ::: Fantastic Fest Online ::: Ticket Information

Toronto 2008 Day 7 - Day 10: Final Wrap-Up and Recap!
FirstShowing.net — ... I'm currently off to Austin, Texas where we'll be starting our coverage of Fantastic Fest fairly soon. This immense film festival tour still isn't over yet which means there's still a chance to discover more great movies. When I look back at Toronto, it's definitely The Wrestler that I remember the most and will be revisiting in the next few months. Toronto is not my favorite festival nor is it the best, but I always look forward to attending every year because it has so much to offer and it's an enjoyable 10 day escape into the world of great ...

Check This Out: Animated Horror Fear(s) of the Dark Trailer
FirstShowing.net — ... a film called Fear(s) of the Dark has recently debuted. The film is a unique collection of fearful tales by ten of the world's most cutting-edge, acclaimed graphic artists. Their intertwined stories make up an unprecedented epic where phobias, disgust and nightmares come to life and reveal fear at its most naked and intense. This impressive trailer introduces us to a few of the styles and stories we'll see in the film. This will be showing at Fantastic Fest this weekend and I plan on seeing it, since it looks damn good. It actually ...

Fantastic Fest 2008 Begins
Cinema is Dope — ... Things will be running slow here until the end of Fantastic Fest 2008 (www.fantasticfest.com). I hope to see some of you out here this year! ...

Fantastic Fest 08.
GreenCine Daily — As of today, Fantastic Fest is off and running through next Thursday in Austin. The first item to mention is Jette Kernion's terrific guide to sources of "Last-Minute News and Info." "The novice in search of enlightenment studies at the feet of the master," writes Joe O'Connell in the Austin Chronicle. "The wannabe horror filmmaker goes to Kim Henkel. That was exactly the path that led Austin's Duane Graves and Justin Meeks to make The Wild Man of the Navidad [site], a Texas bigfoot tale ...

FilmCouch #88: Fantastic Fest, Burn After Reading, Fall Movie Preview
SpoutBlog — ... Yesterday marked the beginning of a week of mutant pigs, autistic kung-fu masters, and Japanese nudity. I’m referring of course to Fantastic Fest, Austin’s genre film destination. We talk to festival programmer Zack Carlson about what to look forward to. ...

Fantastic Fest Review: Kyle Newman's Fanboys
FirstShowing.net — ... I kicked off my first ever Fantastic Fest down in Austin, TX with a comedy all about fanboys, which couldn't have been a more appropriate way to start this fest. Fanboys is a comedy from filmmaker Kyle Newman that follows four friends and their crazy cross-country adventure in an attempt to break into George Lucas' Skywalker Ranch and steal a rough copy of Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace to be the first to watch it. In essence, it's a movie about Star Wars geeks made by Star Wars geeks. And ...

The Beef Sees JUST ANOTHER LOVE STORY, TOKYO!, SURVEILLENCE, YOUR NAME HERE, And REPO: THE GENETIC OPERA!!
Ain't It Cool News - The best in movie, TV, DVD, and comic book news. — Merrick here... Here's The Beef with another write-up from Fantastic Fest . You can The Beef's thoughts on Day 1 of the feat HERE ! JUST ANOTHER LOVE STORY I wasn't expecting much from this Danish film, but it's turned out to be the best surprise thus far of the festival. It's a thriller / mystery that uses similar story elements as some popular American films, but throws in some graphic material and wonderful imagery to put it in a league of its own. The story is about a crime scene photographer who gets involved in a devastating highway car accident leaving ...

Live From Fantastic Fest: Danish Thrills, Friendly Celebs, and Sloppy Seconds
Cinematical — ... Arriving at my place of lodging shortly before 3:00 a.m. very late on Saturday night (or early this Sunday morning), it felt like a short night at Fantastic Fest. That's not to say that everybody parties until dawn, but with three (sometimes four) screens pumping out a steady stream of genre flicks all day long -- some of which don't start until well past midnight -- Fantastic Fest attendees might be forgiven for losing track of "normal" hours. ...

The Beef From Fantastic Fest: ESTOMAGO, LEFT BANK, THE CHASER, VINYAN, SEVENTH MOON, And JACK BROOKS MONSTER SLAYER!!
Ain't It Cool News - The best in movie, TV, DVD, and comic book news. — Merrick here... Here's another Fantastic Fest report from The Beef! You can find The Beef's reports from Day 1 of the fest HERE , and Day 2 HERE . ESTOMAGO: A GASTRONOMIC STORY Not since Ang Lee's EAT DRINK MAN WOMAN has food on screen worked its way onto the senses of the audience, and not since 9 1/2 WEEKS has food played such an erotic role in a film. ESTOMAGO tells two stories about young chef Nonato. One section of the film chronicles his life as he wanders into a Brazilian city with no money, no place to stay, and no sense. Another part of the ...

My Week in Film
Movie Moxie — ... in a while), it's a subset of my 101 things in 1001 days list which will end December 1, 2008 -I'm hoping to find The Killer, possibly through YesAsia -[REC] at the Bloor as a part of Rue Morgue's Cinemacbre Movie Night, ran into Bob there (check out his [REC] review) -Quarantine ([REC] remake) is scheduled for an October 10, 2008 release -Fantastic Fest films that were online streamed: I Think We're Alone Now, ...

Fantastic Fest Review: Eagle Eye
Cinematical — ... and director D.J. Caruso from last year's immensely popular, faux-Hitchcockian Disturbia, Eagle Eye, which had a special screening at Fantastic Fest with Caruso in attendance, might welcome comparisons to The Man Who Knew Too Much or The Wrong Man but is actually closer in spirit to The Net, Irwin Winkler's 1995 attempt to wrestle with identity theft and other perils of the information age. Like that movie, Eagle Eye exploits the all too common fear of technology, but shoves the premise way past common sense, positing a world ...

Fantastic Fest 2008 Awards Announced
The Reviewer — ... PRESS RELEASE: FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Subject: FANTASTIC FEST AWARD WINNERS ANNOUNCED   Where: Alamo Drafthouse Cinema South Lamar, Austin, TX   Fantastic Fest, September 18-25, 2008   Contact: Tim League (512) 912-0529 info@fantasticfest.com www.fantasticfest.com   Fantastic Fest is proud to announce ...

The Fantastic Fest Awards Have Been Given!
Ain't It Cool News - The best in movie, TV, DVD, and comic book news. — ... (surprise!) Second Place: ACOLYTES Third Place: DONKEY PUNCH Special Jury Award for most politically incorrect gore: FEAST 2 Special Jury Award for best use of latex: JACK BROOKS MONSTER SLAYER Audience Award: First Place: The Good, The Bad and the Weird Second Place: Chocolate Third Place: JCVD AMD Fantastic Fest Online: Best Feature Film: South of Heaven Best Short Film: Treevenge AMD Next Wave: First Place: TOKYO GORE POLICE Second Place: DEADGIRL Third Place: LE CRÈME For more information about Fantastic Fest, please visit our official website. ABOUT THE ...

The Beef @ Fantastic Fest: MARTYRS, ZOMBIE GIRL!!
Ain't It Cool News - The best in movie, TV, DVD, and comic book news. — ... humoring me by posting those write-ups on the site each time I submitted them. I did see all of the secret screenings, none of which I wrote about initially but fully plan to (there's only so much writing someone can do in an 8 day span), so if you choose to use them, cool, if not , cool too. I'll see you guys around at the events, and I've officially started my countdown to next year's festival as of right.....................now. Keep an eye on the offical Fantastic Fest website ( HERE ) for details on next year's fest.

The Horror Festivals Just Keep On Comin'
Cinematical — ... I haven't even finished all of my Fantastic Fest work yet (expect a semi-large wrap-up real soon), but my inbox has been flooded with new reports from three other genre festivals. And since I love this stuff, I figured I'd throw 'em all into one handy section. Let's begin reverse-chronologically, shall we? ...

Toronto After Dark Film Festival 2008 Vlog Day 8 - Firday October 24, 2008
Movie Moxie — Here is my Toronto After Dark Day 8 Vlog! Films discussed: Treevenge and I Sell the Dead Notes & Links from Vlog: -Treevenge I previously seen during the Fantastic Fest live streamed films in September 2008. -Toronto After Dark had four sell out films this year: Let the Right One In, Repo! the Genetic Opera, Toyko Gore Police ...

Interview: Kevin Smith on Zack and Miri Make a Porno!
FirstShowing.net — ... Kevin Smith! This man needs no introduction. I don't care whether you love or hate his directing, he's a bigger geek than anyone out there and is an amazing speaker and storyteller. Sitting down with this guy and talking with him was like hanging out with my best friend but realizing that he's a bigger geek than me and he has so many better stories to tell. I met up with Kevin down in Austin, Texas during Fantastic Fest right after seeing Zack and Miri Make a Porno up in Toronto. I was still so wrapped up by that movie that I spent the ...

VOTD: Nacho Vigalondo’s Choque
/Film — ... The Pitch: “The follies of youth are lost on the old.” Written, directed and starring Nacho Vigalondo (Timecrimes) as a man driven over the edge at an arcade. I saw this film as part of a short film retrospective at Fantastic Fest 2008. ...

Let the Right One In - Now Out in Select Theaters
Cinema is Dope — ... in Switzerland and instantly it became one of the best films I’ve seen in years. That a vampire film could feel so fresh and classical was an absolute and very welcome shock. We had it at Fantastic Fest this year where it further wow-wed audiences. ...

JCVD (2008) - New Cinema Wallpaper of the Day - Japanese Poster
Cinema is Dope — ... Raise your hand if you saw this at Fantastic Fest this year, have seen the Japanese trailer for the film ( ...

'Brothers' Now to Bloom in May '09
Cinematical — ... that the crime caper had moved from October to a NY/LA qualifying run next week and a wide release in January. The difference between that post and this one is that I was fortunate to see the film at Fantastic Fest a couple of months back, and it was good enough to make me equally anxious to just see the film again. ...

Tales of a BNAT Newbie
Cinematical — ... visits, three Fantastic Fest trips, and a few more Austin journeys just for the heck of it ... I'd never attended a BNAT shindig. But I made it to the tenth annual ...

Happy anniversary to Office Space
MovingPictureBlog — ... Even though it was a box-office under-achiever during its initial theatrical release, Office Space has remained enduringly popular as a top-selling DVD and cult-fave cable-TV offering. And now, to celebrate its tenth anniversary, this contemporary classic is returning to the scene of the crime -- i.e., Austin, Texas, where it was filmed -- for a special one-time-only screening event Feb. 8 at the city's historic Paramount Theatre. Co-sponsored by SXSW and Fantastic Fest, the shindig -- tied to the Feb. 3 Blu-Ray release of Office ...

Fantastic Fest Announces SXSW Midnight Film Selections
/Film — ... often for more information and updates.  For more information about Fantastic Fest (September 24 - October 1) visit www.fantasticfest.com. ...

'Alien Raiders' Commentary Now Online
Cinematical — ... Scott and I both saw this at Fantastic Fest last year, and I don't think it's any great stretch to say that it's probably the best thing put out under the Raw Feed label to date, and given the film's exceedingly tight production schedule, I'm willing to bet that this might make for a pretty informative listen. ...

FANTASTIC FEST Early Submission Deadline Getting Closer!!! Has Your Badass Film Been Submitted Yet? Huh?
Ain't It Cool News - The best in movie, TV, DVD, and comic book news. — ... 2009 Discount Earlybird Deadline: March 4, 2009 Regular Deadline: May 6, 2009 Late Deadline: June 3, 2009 Without A Box Extended Deadline: July 17, 2009 Schedule Announced: September 3, 2009 Festival Begins: September 24, 2009 The “discount earlybird” deadline for submitting a feature or short film to this year’s Fantastic Fest is coming up fast, this Wednesday, March 4. To submit your film or for additional information about Fantastic Fest, please visit the official website, FantasticFest.Com . "Fantastic Fest has made my whole career. Everything related to the future of ...

Remember The Alamo: Star Trek’s Big Night in Austin
Film School Rejects — ... The fact that they had the foresight to put together such an unprecidented event and execute it in such a brilliant way — with the reel for Khan burning up and Leonard Nimoy appearing with a film canister on stage moments later — is a stroke of genius. But to those of us here in Austin, that is just the way it is with Mr. League and the Drafthouse — it is always a unique and fun experience. It is experiences like this that have me psyched for my first run at Fantastic Fest in September. For those not familiar, Fantastic Fest is the ...

Must Watch: First Trailer for Star Wars Geek Drama '77'
FirstShowing.net — ... , the very same filmmaker that the movie is about, who previously directed Spaced Invaders, Baby's Day Out, Angus, and is credited for the story on Dragonheart. The film doesn't have a distributor or a release date yet, so we're not sure when or where it'll debut, although it could be at Fantastic Fest. Stay tuned for updates on 77 as they arrive! Thoughts? ...

Mike Dougherty's Trick 'r Treat Finally Coming to Theaters!
FirstShowing.net — ... in theaters late last year, which I absolutely loved, I've been waiting to write about it, as it's one of the best horror movies I've seen in the last 10 years (that's not an exaggeration either). The cities confirmed so far are: Montreal, Canada for the Fantasia Film Festival; Toronto, Canada for the Toronto After Dark Film Festival; Mexico for the Morbido Festival; Austin, Texas for Fantastic Fest; San Francisco, California; and London, ...

Gentlemen Broncos Leads Fantastic Fest 2009 Line-Up!
Film School Rejects — ... year’s line-up, as will be Michael Dougherty’s long-gestating horror film Trick ‘r Treat. Overall, this first round of titles are very, very exciting. If you’re in Austin or anywhere near it and have a pulse, you should be hitting up FantasticFest.com and attempting to purchase any remaining tickets. Have a look at the entire first round of films via the press release below. Fantastic Fest 2009 September 24-October 1 www.fantasticfest.com Gentlemen Broncos to kick off Fantastic Fest 2009 ...

First Wave of Fantastic Fest FIlms Announced
Cinematical — ... If you're one of the people who reads reports coming out of film festivals like Sundance and Berlin and thinks "Gee, those movies all sound like a bunch of high-falutin' talking head pieces that'll bore me to tears," then you really need to get your self to Austin, Texas this September for Fantastic Fest. If you're a film lover who enjoys the weird, the esoteric, and the bizarre, then this festival was made for you. They've just announced the first wave of features that will be screening and if you're not a believer yet, just check out this description of Robo Geisha: ...

First Batch of Films for the 2009 Fantastic Fest Announced!
FirstShowing.net — ... The first wave of content for the 2009 Fantastic Fest held at the Alamo Drafthouse in Austin, Texas, has been announced today (via the official website)! Leading off the announcement is the opening night film: Jared Hess (Napoleon Dynamite) returns with Gentlemen Broncos. Jared Hess and Jemaine Clement will both be live in person. This is Fantastic Fest's fifth year and it seems to only be getting better each and every year. I attended last year and had a blast and I'm planning to attend again this year. Fantastic Fest is ...

Gird Your Loins for the Fantastic Fest 2009 Line Up
Film School Rejects — ... the time, was that it was a teaser ad for a flick called Gentleman Broncos, the third feature from Jared Hess, the director of Napoleon Dynamite. What I also couldn’t realize at the time, was that this film would kick off Fantastic Fest 2009 – the all-genre festival that threatens annually to rip the skin off your face with its pure unadulterated awesomeness. And with the sheer amount of science fiction and gore on the screen. Now, from the fest’s official website, they’ve announced the first round of films that will be ...

Zombieland, George Romero and Daybreakers InvadeFantastic Fest 2009
/Film — ... Every September, Fantastic Fest, America’s greatest genre film festival is held in Austin Texas at the greatest movie theater in the world - The Alamo Drafhouse. Last month Fantastic Fest ...

DISTRICT 9 - SEATTLE - Did you email me before 8pm (central time)? List here!!!
Ain't It Cool News - The best in movie, TV, DVD, and comic book news. — ... I'm tired of typing names. But, I volunteered. San Francisco? Starting on that list now. First... Here's the lucky Seattle folks. Now - there's only 319 seats - and I've picked 340 names, so... That means if you want to be guaranteed a seat - get there early. There's always a few people that get conflicts and can't come. Wanted to give those of you with the determination to get their early, the heads up. It's a lot of fun that Sony came together for these screenings, and AICN and Fantastic Fest are proud to present this movie for you. Now sadly, AICN won't be having a rep ...

AICN's DISTRICT 9 San Francisco Screening List!!!
Ain't It Cool News - The best in movie, TV, DVD, and comic book news. — ... with the final AICN / FANTASTIC FEST District 9 Screening list results. Now - there are only 370 seats, but you'll see that I have chosen 400 names. This will be first come, first served - so get there early. Now, to me - I always found these lines for these sorts of events great fun. A chance to talk with other AICN fans, and meet a few friends. In the past couple of years, I've begun chatting more with local AICN movie goers - and I'm happy to say that Yoko and I now have a whole new group of dear friends. So after the film - hook up with the folks you chatted with in ...

All quiet at the Alamo Drafthouse.
IFC.com - Indie Eye — ... 's stern onscreen warnings to anyone who dares to talk during a movie at any of the Austin, Texas theater chain's locations. For those who have been to the Drafthouse or anyone about to make the pilgrimage to the upcoming Fantastic Fest, one must understand that the only thing more sacred than being able to drink a bottle of Shiner Bock with your popcorn at the theater is the cinematic experience itself. And since the Drafthouse staff is populated by aspiring filmmakers and film geeks alike, one of the best parts of that experience are the public service ...

Asian Beat: 'Rahtree's Revenge,' Nikkatsu Noir
Cinematical — ... Classic Film Noir on DVD: The next edition of Fantastic Fest in Austin, Texas, is fast approaching; meanwhile, one of my personal highlights from two years ago will finally be released on DVD tomorrow. ...

Have you been checking out the FANTASTIC FEST Bumper Contest Entries?
Ain't It Cool News - The best in movie, TV, DVD, and comic book news. — ... - One of the great things about the internet is when someone comes up for a reason for those of you on it, to add creatively to it. I remember the FANTASTIC FEST meeting where we decided to go on a Monster & Kids angle. Originally we were aiming very specific towards a film we were going after that wound up moving to next year, which had us set on doing something a bit more focused, but we decided to open up a bit wider. Now these have been popping up online for a while now - and have been getting a bit of viral attention, but I felt it was really important to put them in ...

FANTASTIC FEST's 3rd Wave of Titles... continues to rock!
Ain't It Cool News - The best in movie, TV, DVD, and comic book news. — ... with your latest installment of FANTASTIC FEST titles for the 2 weeks and 2 days away festival meant to create total mental meltdown and a condition known as cinematic euphoria, which can only be accomplished through repeated experiences with FANTASTIC FEST . If you have your badge, you'll soon know what I am talking about. If not you still have a few options to attend some of Fantastic Fest - so click on that link above and learn what is still available, as VIP and BADGES have sold out! How exciting! And yes, we're still working behind the scenes to bring surprises even if ...

FANTASTIC FEST is almost here... here's the trailer to prove it!!!
Ain't It Cool News - The best in movie, TV, DVD, and comic book news. — ... up for the joy in front of us. Strange, bizarre, offensive, thrilling, erotic mysterious and fantastical beyond one's hopes. Now, as of my last Fantastic Fest posting, I've acquired, I believe two AICN SECRET SCREENINGS - and Tim is thinking of pulling the plug on my cel phone as we're plum out of screening spots... Which is why this festival obviously needs to be 362 days long. Sheesh, it is such an easy answer! Now - there are some seats remaining here and there. Head over to FantasticFest.Com and see if there's any hope at all. I believe there are some 2nd Half of the Fest ...

The Blue Meanie has seen ZOMBIELAND, time to nut up, sounds fun!
Ain't It Cool News - The best in movie, TV, DVD, and comic book news. — Hey folks, Harry here with a look at ZOMBIELAND from a fella I'll refer to as the Blue Meanie. Seems this is exactly the film I'm hoping it is - based upon seeing the trailers and clips. But I'll find out soon enough when Fantastic Fest unveils the film publicly at the grand Paramount Theatre in Two weeks with special guests galore. So - want to know if it is worth coming to that screening, read, but read lightly - there are spoilers to be had. Short version: It's no Shaun of the Dead (but a good time is had!) Longer, more gooder writtin version: A semi-finished cut as far as ...

Blogging Live from Toronto '09: Part 3 - Final Fest Wrap-Up
FirstShowing.net — ... . I'm traveling back into the US today and heading straight down to Austin where I'll get four days of rest and relaxation before starting up again with Fantastic Fest. I've got to say, the Toronto Film Festival really is a wonderful festival. Every year I come it gets better and better. I finally got a press badge this year (seen to the right - it took my three years to get one!) and things went a lot more smoothly than past years. It's a very mainstream festival, the crowds all around the city come out in droves, most of their screening venues are regular movie theaters, but ...

How Many Movies Can You Watch in a Row?
Cinematical — ... during a very long night and a morning at a theater and felt drained, both physically and emotionally; I've watched seven movies in a row at Fantastic Fest and loved every moment; I've sat through eight movies back to back to back on videocassette in one day while on vacation. Lately, though, I find I'm lucky if I can watch even two movies in a row without interruption. Even if I had more unbroken availability, after two or maybe three movies I feel like I need a break, especially if they were good flicks. I want time to absorb what I've seen and think about them. That's ...

20 Must See Films of Fantastic Fest
Film School Rejects — ... Editor’s Note: This list was lovingly put together by the Fantastic Fest Death Squad of Rob Hunter, Brian Salisbury, Neil Miller, Landon Palmer and Cole Abaius. For more information on Fantastic Fest, the films, or the debauchery that will inevitably take place, check out the official website. ...

20 Must See Films of Fantastic Fest 2009
Film School Rejects — ... Editor’s Note: This list was lovingly put together by the Fantastic Fest Death Squad of Rob Hunter, Brian Salisbury, Neil Miller, Landon Palmer and Cole Abaius. For more information on Fantastic Fest, the films, or the debauchery that will inevitably take place, check out the official website. ...

Cinematical Seven: Reasons Why We Love Fantastic Fest (Well, Besides the Movies)
Cinematical — ... Although circumstances dictate that I don't attend nearly as many film festivals as my colleagues do, it soon became clear that my last-minute decision to head out for last year's Fantastic Fest was a wise one. FF veterans were quick to note that the event had grown in proportion to its popularity, and the relatively young festival has similarly changed things up in its fifth year out of hopes of accommodating even more attendees than ever before. ...

Battle For Terra
Ciné Critique Américain — ...       I had seen "Battle for Terra" in theaters when it came out, but only the 2-D version, however, thanks to the Fantastic Fest and the Alamo Drafthouse, I got to see it in 3-D (and have a really good pizza.)      Sadly, the 3-D does very little for this movie.  Luckily, there are no moments of things flying out of the screen, just some floating credits, but there is also not a lot of really good use of 3-D in the screen.  Most of the time, you don't even notice the 3-D or it seems to be almost non ...

Cinematical Talks To Fantastic Fest Founder Tim League
Cinematical — ... founded the Alamo Drafthouse with his wife Karrie in Austin, Texas back in 1997, and since then it's become a mainstay for mainstream films with a brisk sideline business for film geeks who require a steady diet of sci-fi, horror, fantasy, Asian, cult and ... the plain weird flicks. They've become known for their offbeat programming as much as they are for the fact that you can get a cheeseburger and a pint of beer during the movie, and this week marks the start of their fifth annual Fantastic Fest film festival. ...

Tim League's Fantastic Fest Kicks Off Today Down in Austin!
FirstShowing.net — ... Fantastic Fest is a fest that specializes in horror, fantasy, sci-fi, action and just plain fantastic movies from all around the world. It is the brainchild of Tim League, the founder of the Alamo Drafthouse, and AICN's Harry Knowles. While their line-up does feature a few major festival carryovers (like Antichrist, Solomon Kane, Bronson, and A Town Called Panic) it also features a pretty crazy selection of genre flicks and short films that I've actually been looking forward to for a long time (a few of my picks are below). There are also ...

Fantastic Fest 2009: An Introduction
Scene-Stealers — What is Fantastic Fest? It’s an eight-day genre film festival that takes place primarily at the Alamo Drafthouse in Austin, TX in late September every year. It’s a movie-geek fantasy camp.  As a kid, I used to watch R-rated movies in secret and dream. Fantastic Fest is that dream. It’s a celebration of horror, martial arts, fantasy, science fiction, animation, action, and other genres. It’s a film festival without pretense. There’ s no such thing as “so bad it’s good.” You never have to use the phrase “for what it is.” ...

Scene Stealers at Fantastic Fest 2009
Scene-Stealers — ... While I couldn’t make it to this year’s Fantastic Fest in Austin, TX this year, we are excited to have our own roving reporter on the ground, sucking in the ambiance and as many sci-fi/action/martial arts/horror/animation/cult movies as he can fit in one week. ...

Fantastic Fest 2009: What to Expect From Our Coverage
Film School Rejects — ... to pick the Best of the Fest and lay out several in-depth editorials about our experiences here in Austin. So stay with us all the way to the end. You won’t be disappointed. Where You Can Find the Coverage Coverage will be housed mainly on our Fantastic Fest 2009 Homepage. You can also subscribe to our special Fantastic Fest 2009 RSS Feed. For more on Fantastic Fest, check out their Official Website and the official blog of The Highball. ...

Screen Rant Invades Fantastic Fest
Screen Rant — ... How do you top all of that? By creating a film festival made entirely for movie geeks. This year marks their fifth annual Fantastic Fest, which was originally conceived by Drafthouse founder Tim League, among others. It’s an eight day celebration of movies that appeal to the geek in all of us, ranging from sci-fi, to horror, to anime, to weirdness from Hong Kong and more. That’s not to say it’s all obscure strange stuff like the four hour Japanese bizarre upskirt movie called Love Exposure - movies like ...

Indie Roundup: 'Get Low' Gets Bought, Chilean 'Beer'
Cinematical — ... Fests. My favorite festival ever, Fantastic Fest, starts tomorrow night. Unfortunately, I'll only be able to pop in over the weekend to savor a small taste of the cinematic banquet that will be served over the next seven days. Look for much more coverage right here at Cinematical. ...

Fantastic Fest Day One - Paranormal Activity, Gentlemen Broncos + more
Scene-Stealers — ... Historically, the first day of Fantastic Fest is pretty light on film, but I still managed to get four movies in.  Of the four, three featured filmmakers or actors in attendance and spirited Q&As. ...

“Paranormal Activity” and “Gentlemen Broncos”: FF Day One
Scene-Stealers — “Paranormal Activity” opens this weekend in a very small number of cities and George Hickman, our man down in Austin, TX for Fantastic Fest 2009, has a capsule review of the much-hyped low-budget horror flick right here. Is it really the next “Blair Witch Project”? George also saw the new movie by Jared Hess (”Napolean Dynamite”) called “Gentlemen Broncos,” which stars Sam Rockwell and Jemaine Clement. Is it better than his last film “Nacho ...

The Auteurs Daily: Fantastic Fest and TIFF's Midnight Madness
The Auteurs Notebook — Halloween got off to an early start up north with the Toronto After Dark Film Festival in August (see Bob Turnbull's enthusiastic coverage). The spirit then moved through TIFF's Midnight Madness program earlier this month, is currently haunting Austin's Fantastic Fest and will leap to the Sitges International Fantastic Film Festival of Catalonia on Thursday.

Barf City: Clip From The Human Centipede (One of the Grossest Movies of All Time?)
/Film — ... Over the summer, I briefly heard about a torture-pornish horror movie entitled The Human Centipede (First Sequence) but didn’t give it (or the title) a second thought. Well, over the weekend Centipede slithered into the orgasmic Fantastic Fest in Austin, Texas and after the screening the buzz suddenly recalled the ...

Fantastic Fest: Overcoming 'Yatterman' and Other Absurbities
Cinematical — ... Some people say the "never say die" attitude is dead. I say come on down to Fantastic Fest in Austin, Texas and discover how wrong you are! Faced with receiving a Japanese-language film print with no English subtitles -- and no time to get another -- most film festivals would either cancel the screening altogether or project a DVD, which looks pretty ghastly when blown up on a big screen. But not Fantastic Fest. ...

Fantastic Fest Day Two - Antichrist, Men Who Stare at Goats + more
Scene-Stealers — ... Fantastic Fest day 2 brought Lars Von Trier’s “Antichrist,” a Danish film called “Terribly Happy,” a Japanese comedy called “Robo Geisha,” the George Clooney-Ewan McGregor comedy “Men Who Stare at Goats,” and the British horror comedy “Doghouse.” ...

Will the Iron Man 2 Villains Team-Up?
Superherohype.com — ... at Fantastic Fest , and of course, they threw in a couple questions about Rockwell's upcoming role as weapons dealer Justin Hammer in next year's anticipated ...

EXCLUSIVE: New Poster for Antichrist, From Fanastic Fest
/Film — ... Peter and many other editors have been earning my jealousy over the last five days as they attend Fantastic Fest in Austin, TX. The major reason for my jealousy is obvious if you just glance at the Fest’s schedule. But a more minor reason is that in conjunction with the event the Alamo Drafthouse and ...

VOD.... Should AICN Cover it? I'll let you people decide!
Ain't It Cool News - The best in movie, TV, DVD, and comic book news. — ... with an issue that I've seen an awful lot of passion about here at Fantastic Fest this year. For an awfully long time, VOD was strictly the domain of purely the top 15 video releases a week, but as Cable companies, Internet companies and Media Companies get more on board VOD (Video on Demand) - we're seeing the market place change. Now, I've never been a fan of the VOD world, because for so long it was a $15 charge for a single viewing or one night's worth of watching of a single film. That's still the rather unfortunate case in Hotels, but at least in my household - I have ...

Fantastic Fest Review: Fish Story
Cinematical — ... Not that Fish Story is the best movie ever made, but it certainly deserves to be seen by a wider audience than will have a chance to see it at special events like Fantastic Fest. And distributors tend to shy away from films that don't have easily marketable elements, like those mentioned in the opening line. In several important ways, this is a rather modest little flick, and I don't want to hype it out of proportion to its relative merits. But I must say: Fish Story engages, delights, and surprises as it criss-crosses wildly ...

Fantastic Fest Day Four - Gilliam’s Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus, District 13: Ultimatum + more
Scene-Stealers — ... Day Four and more movies to go! Today at Fantastic Fest I saw kids’ movie “Buratino: Son of Pinocchio,” the British dark comedy “Down Terrace,” Terry Gilliam’s long-awaited “The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus,” action sequel “District 13 Ultimatum,” and horror flick “The Children.” ...

"Reno" by Cory McAbee
Blue Glow — I saw Stingray Sam for the third time this weekend and it was every bit as much fun as the first. The Fantastic Fest crowd was a natural fit for this space cowboy musical and I'm sure they'll be buying the DVD when it comes out in a few weeks. This short film, Reno, was mentioned during the Q&A; so I sought it out. Another fun song from McAbee and the screen debut of his daughter Willa, who has a much larger part in Stingray Sam. ...

Fantastic Fest Day Five - [REC] 2, House of the Devil, Mandrill + more
Scene-Stealers — ... Fantastic Fest 2009 may be over, but the wrap ups are still coming. Day 5 was one of my favorite days specifically because it consisted entirely of the lower-profile films that Fantastic Fest champions. Coincidentally, my schedule for the day ended up comprised half of horror movies, though in their own ways each felt like they each were from different eras despite all being recently made. “Trick ‘R Treat” is a horror anthology that feels like a cross between the best of late 80s and early 90s horror. “House of ...

“Paranormal Activity” finally expands this weekend
Scene-Stealers — ... Activity” is expanding this weekend to more cities and for the first time will be shown at a time other than midnight. It’s a very strange marketing campaign that seems to be paying off for the ultra-low-budget horror flick. One of those cities is Kansas City (even though its only in one theater), so I’ll be checking it out this weekend too. Thankfully, George Hickman, our man down in Austin, TX for Fantastic Fest 2009, saw it already and has a full review of right here. Is it really the next “Blair ...

Interview: Oren Peli, Writer-Director of 'Paranormal Activity'
Cinematical — ... The studio's initial plan was to buy the film with the intent of having Peli remake it, but reactions to a test screening intended to attract new writing talent were so strong, the producers at DreamWorks decided that trying to bottle lightning twice was pointless. The film was slated for release in 2008, but got delayed due to an internal conflict between DreamWorks and Paramount. But studio politics couldn't hold the film back forever, not when calculated screenings at events like Fantastic Fest yielded monster buzz and sold out midnight showings. ...

Possibly The Best Film Ever…
Row Three — ... think so too. Janus films apparently has the rights and according to some reports out of Fantastic Fest , Criterion is planning on releasing this in the new year. I can’t wait. Not just to see it again (in a hopefully pristine transfer), but also because more people will be able to experience it. I just hope they have an option to use the creatively translated subtitles I saw… Here’s the trailer to give you a vague semblance of what the experience is like. Just multiply it by 100. Really, I swear. I’m not exaggerating. . ...

It's here! It's here! The Horribly Slow Murderer with the Extremely Inefficient Weapon
Blue Glow — I've loved this since it premiered at Fantastic Fest in 2008.

Bronson (2008) – Movie Wallpaper – Fantastic Fest Favorite Opens in Austin Tomorrow!
Cinema is Dope — ... If you missed Bronson at Fantastic Fest (www.fantasticfest.com) this year it opens tomorrow in limited release here in Austin. I highly recommend going to check it out and be sure to help spread the word of mouth about it – tell your friends, Tweet it, Facebook status it, Facebook link it, email people and anything else you can to support this Fantastic Fest fan favorite! Note that Refn’s other new film, Valhalla Rising, will be released next year via IFC Films ...