Festival of the dead

>> Psychics, cannibals, wanton destruction, gore--all as Fantasia turns six!

by MATTHEW HAYS

 As Fantasia turns six, fest organizers continue their remarkable and laudable commitment to gratuitous exploitation horror movies. This pleases me to no end, seeing as most of the horror we have access to is either some god-awful remake or cheesy spoof like Scary Movie 2. Take Cannibal Holocaust, for example, Ruggero Deodato's brilliantly unnerving attack on the nasty Mondo movies of the '60s and '70s. I am dying to see this on the big screen. It's the original Blair Witch, except it's infinitely better. The film begins as a missing New York documentary crew are found, dead and rotting, in the depths of the Colombian jungle. What's left are a bunch of canisters of film, and a TV station back home decides to turn the film into a special tribute to the dead crew's bravery. But when they screen the films, they see the unspeakable horrors that led up to the crew's horrific demise. This really is a film the squeamish should not attend; the depictions of animal cruelty, as well as the final cannibal assault, are stomach-churners, without a doubt. Best of all is the dreamy absurd music that keeps popping up at completely inappropriate times in the movie, creating a surreal tension during much of the film. Holocaust screens once only this Saturday, July 14 for a fitting midnight screening.

 Fantasia types must also be commended for supplying us with a fix of Indian cinema. A standout this year is the disaster movie Bhopal Express. The film maps out a romance over one of the worst environmental catastrophes ever, when, on a night in '84, 40 tons of toxic gasses were leaked from a Union Carbide plant. The accident has become famous; filmmaker Mahesh Mathai manages to humanize the event most of us know simply from nightly newscasts by pulling us into human dramas as they unfold alongside the tragedy. Notably, David Lynch has championed this film and helped to assure its North American distribution. Screens Wednesday, July 18 at 7:45 p.m.

 A MOVIE WITH TEETH

 Yes, as this film's title indicates, Denti is an Italian movie about teeth. In particular, the rather ugly set owned by our hero, Sergio Ribini, who is desperate to rid himself of them. He smashes them with a rock, an ashtray--anything to rid himself of these unsightly gnashers. This is a truly wicked splatter comedy, full of nutty dentist scenes and tooth fantasies. An inspired entry from director Gabriele Salvatores, an Oscar-winner for '91's Mediterraneo. Denti screens Monday, July 16 at 9:45 p.m. Note: Denti will be preceded by Francois Miron's cryptic short, Resolving Power, starring local comix legends Rick Trembles (who pens the Mirror's Motion Picture Purgatory) and Howard Chackowitz.

 Celebrated Japanese filmmaker Kiyoshi Kurosawa will be in the house for the Montreal premiere of his film Seance. Those disappointed by Sam Raimi's take on the paranormal, The Gift, will have their expectations met with Kurosawa's effort. A bitter psychic, Jun feels that she's never got any respect despite all the fruitful seances she's been holding at her home. After the police try to use her services in the case of a kidnapped girl, Jun finds the missing girl, hurt but still alive, in her garage. In a Hitchcockian twist, Jun hides the girl herself, so that she can then reveal to police where she is and credit her psychic abilities with saving the day. The plot backfires when the girl dies--now Jun herself becomes a suspect in the crime. Kurosawa is seen as one of Japan's most important directors. His most recent film, Cairo, won best film in the prestigious Un Certain Regard section of Cannes in May. Seance screens Wednesday, July 18 at 9:55 p.m.

 BRIT WITNESS

 British filmmaker Alexander Finbow pushes the envelope of violence once more with his music-video-influenced gangster movie 24 Hours in London. Set in the future, where London has become a Mad Max-esque anarchic state with the police almost useless and the mob ruling with corporate efficiency. The cops have one last chance: a living witness to a hit, an injured girl whose testimony could put the mob leaders behind bars for good. The police try desperately to keep this gal alive, with some pretty hilariously violent results. This film is undoubtedly not to all tastes (something that could be said, I suppose, for virtually everything in this fest), but there's plenty of that violence so many naughty cinephiles adore to look at. 24 Hours screens Tuesday, July 17 at 9:45 p.m.

 Delightful gender-bending can be found in Johnnie To and Wai Ka-Fai's adaptation of a Cantonese opera, Wu Yen, which involves confused identities and sitcomish mixups. The film stars the unbeatable Anita Mui and Sammi Cheng and proved a massive box-office success in its native Hong Kong. Wu Yen screens Sunday, July 15 at 7 p.m.

 And finally, a word for the folks who put the Fantasia programme together. It's a bit late this year, arriving just days before the actually fest begins, but as usual, it's a great read, far better than most fest guides. The writing is lively and fun to read; you can actually picture the film freaks foaming at the mouths as they wrote their film blurbs! :

 Fantasia runs until July 31. All films screen at the Imperial (1430 Bleury). Info: www.fantasiafest.com or phone 393-8049. Tickets $7 or a book of 10 for $50. Fest pass $115

 

A.I. opens Friday, June 29