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The fantasmagorical adventures of Fant-Asia >> Highlights of the '98 fest by MATTHEW HAYS
Representing half of all the films at Fant-Asia, the Hong Kong section is by far the biggest contingent. Tsui Hark is often hailed as "the Hong Kong Spielberg" and his first film Zu: Warriors From the Magic Mountain will be screened. And though they're both available on video, don't miss this chance to see the brilliant duo of director John Woo and star Chow Yun-Fat in both The Killer and Hard-Boiled. Clarence Ford's Naked Killer will also be shown, which fans describe as an action film crossover between Basic Instinct and Nikita. North American moviegoers may remember Ringo Lam as the director of the Jean-Claude Van Damme film Maximum Risk; though by far the best film Van Damme has ever done, that really isn't saying a whole lot. After Risk, Lam returned to Hong Kong to make Full Alert, and the move payed off--the action-adventure film was voted the best film of 1997 by the Hong Kong Critics Association. What would this fest be without a few good kicks, blows and chops? A special section of Fant-Asia '98 will pay tribute to the martial arts films of the '70s, including Enter the Dragon (starring Bruce Lee), Samo Hung's The Prodigal Son, Chan Cheh's Mortal Combat: Crippled Avengers and what is apparently Tarantino's fave high-kicking movie, Wang Yu's Master of the Flying Guillotine.
Though the title might not scream it out, Fant-Asia is also a hot spot for showcasing the latest in off-the-wall European cinema as well. The lineup includes a special section for Spanish cinema. Airbag, by Juanma Bajo Ulloa, was the top domestic grosser in Spain for 1997, a film which has prompted numerous critics to compare Ulloa to Tarantino. Also included is 99.9, the horror movie starring Maria Barranco (one of the madwomen from Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown). Nacho Cerda, whose Aftermath was a hit at last year's Fant-Asia, will be represented once more with Genesis, a new short about a sculptor who turns to stone as his sculptures come to life--a world premiere!
Again with the horror: Brian Yuzna could easily be accused of having a split personality. This is the same man who co-wrote and co-produced the Disney family comedy Honey, I Shrunk the Kids, and also directed The Dentist, his hilarious, over-the-top horror about a dentist who begins to go mad, taking his insane rage out on his patients' teeth and gums. Everyone will undoubtedly be wriggling in their chairs as Fant-Asia presents the world premiere of the much-anticipated sequel The Dentist 2. Organizers can pat themselves on the back for this one: they managed to nab the North American premiere of John Carpenter's Vampires, the latest from the master of the genre. Carpenter, of course, wrote and directed Halloween, the landmark indie horror movie which broke box-office records and spawned the contemporary teen slasher movie. Carpenter has brought together an amazing ensemble, including James Woods, Daniel Baldwin and Maximilian Schell. The buzz on this film is that it is a brilliant fusion of the horror and western genres. Fant-Asia tickets are now on sale. $4 per show, $90 for a fest pass. Fest guides are free and available at Cinéma Impérial, HMV and Archambault downtown, Renaud-Bray and Champigny Bookstores
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Eclectic appears to be the key word this year at Fant-Asia. Fest organizers have carefully compiled a broad selection of the weird, wacky, insane and just plain high-kicking. The films are literally all over the map--but that's part of the key to the success of this festival which, a mere three years young, is expanding this season to Toronto (if ever there was something which threatened to pump some life into that tired old burg, this fest would be it). A sampling of some of this year's best and brightest bets:
Japanimation freaks will also have their appetites sated this year. Osamu Tezuka's Jungle Emperor Leo, the feature version of the hugely popular Japanese children's TV series, apparently served as the inspiration for Disney's mega-epic The Lion King. Tezuka's Black Jack, based on the manga of the same name, will also screen. Also from Japan is Ghidrah: The Three-Head Monster; Godzilla buffs will know that Ghidrah is the big green guy's arch nemesis. For all those thoroughly disgusted by the co-opting of Godzilla by Hollywood, seeing him face off against Ghidrah in his original Japanese form might just be the ticket we've all been waiting for.
Mainstream critics just don't seem to get the Phantasm series, which began in 1979. Almost 20 years later Fant-Asia is celebrating the fourth in the series with a screening of Phantasm IV: Oblivion. Angus Scrimm returns as the Tall Man, who ranks right up there in the horror hall of fame along with the Pinhead, Michael Myers and Freddy Krueger. Don Coscarelli again assumes the director's chair.