Feast from the east

>> Fantasia keeps the Asia intact

by RUPERT BOTTENBERG

True, this summer's Fantasia is a good 10 days shorter than previous years. Moreover, the increasingly international scope of the fest shifts the focus from Asia to the fans. But if you're worried that they've lost sight of the Asian action, anime and rubber monsters on which the vibe of the fest was built, don't sweat it.

There are, unfortunately, no entries in the classic silk-and-swords kung fu department (well, sorta one--see below), an aspect of the fest that's a regular crowd-pleaser. The horror flick craze sweeping Asia after the success of films like Ring has put the flying fisticuffs on hold for now, but chain-smokin', pistol-totin' tough guys abound.

Check out The Mission, one of two contributions from Hong Kong's Johnnie To this year. A gangster yarn with all the fixings, it stars a who's who of second-tier HK talent like Simon Yam and the amazing Anthony Wong. Also from Hong Kong comes Bullets Over Summer. It stars Francis Ng, who's becoming a fixture in cool pomo Triad flicks that balance bullets, black comedy and social criticism.

Japan's crime noir entries hold their own, in a tale of two Takashis. The first, Takashi Ishii, previously gave us the Gonin and Black Angel films, and this year returns with Freeze Me, a nerve-wracking study of rape and revenge. Not a film to bring Mom to--actually, don't bring her to Takashi Miike's Dead or Alive either. This high-octane Yakuza number borders on the surreal, moving at an intense pace despite its load of graphic brutality and cruel humour.



Appetite for destruction

Now, it simply wouldn't be Fantasia without a visit from the big green guy, would it? There's no new Godzilla flicks outta Japan this year, so the programmers have scrounged up two of the best/worst films from Godzilla's high/low point, the mid-'60s. Godzilla: Invasion of the Astro Monsters is my personal favourite, for introducing three-headed Ghidrah, for its dope alien villains with their cool shades and radio antennas and for Godzilla's little victory dance, which must be seen to be believed. There's also Son of Godzilla, featuring his turd-like offspring, which is not only the stupidest G-film, it's also the most nauseatingly sweet.

There is one new film from the Godzilla mythos, called Rebirth of Mothra 3. It's got the big moth, it's got Ghidrah, and it's got those little elf princesses singing that awful "Moh-too-rah" song. Plus, stuff blows up and crowds flee for their lives. Similar antics transpire in Ultraman Tiga: Final Odyssey, a must for fans of the magic superhero robot, or whatever the hell he is.



Anime classics and kung fu puppets

On to the anime. A couple of classics pop up here, one reworked, one just dusted off. Anyone who grew up in Quebec in the '70s will have to remember space pirate Capitaine Harlock and crew, who appear in 1978's Albator: Le Film. Another anime classic is Vampire Hunter D, which has been remade by Yoshiaki Kawajiri of Ninja Scroll fame--a man who knows how to make evil look slick 'n' stylish.

On the new-school tip, there's Blood: The Last Vampire, from the same gang that made last year's Jin-Roh. Under the supervision of Mamoru Oshii, a animator who understands that "adult" doesn't have to mean just tits and blood, director Hiroyuki Kitakubo (who'll be on hand for the screenings) and I.G. Productions once again push the envelope. Preceding Blood, by the way, are a quartet of animated shorts from Japan. Particularly interesting is Tokitama Hustle, from the same director as the amazing Noiseman Sound Insect.

One other animated entry is A.li.ce, which takes the standard manga aesthetic into the third dimension--through the magic of computers! The storyline's a little ho-hum, but the modelling's so sharp it seems like a puppet show. Speaking of which, I have to mention Taiwan's Legend of the Sacred Stone, because it is a damn puppet show. That's right, it's supermarionation meets Chinese silk-and-swords. Violently. Kung fu Punch and Judy are go! :

More Fantasia