Day 3
Hobo with a Shotgun (2011). Grindhouse trailer contest winner - the comeback of 1970's vigilante movies, except that the surface is far closer to Troma films or the new wave Japanese splatter movement. Rutger Hauer is excellent as a shotgun Hobo - it's a character that sounds like a joke, but has unexpected care and sympathy put into it. The rest of the film (literally) contrasts: the over-charged visual appearance looks like an ass, and the extreme bloodletting is constantly one step away from pretentious. Yet it's impossible not to feel great joy over the fact that such politically incorrect and free-from-studio-regulation trash films are being made (outside Japan as well). The uncompromising nature and the lack of CGI make it a heartwarming movie, even if not quite on par with it's Asian sisters or American ancestors.
1990: The Bronx Warriors (1982). Castellari goes post-apocalypse - The Warriors meets Escape from New York, with more motorcycles and bigger muscles! Mostly shot on location in Bronx, this is one cool-ass cheapo action film with some brilliant villain work by Vic Morrow, strong support from the ever-so-cool Fred Williamson, and an amusingly charisma-free leading performance by the bare-chested Mark Gregory. In technically sense it's nowhere near Castellari's greats (Keoma etc.) and most of the dialogue is downright ridiculous - but that's part of the fun. Old beaten up print with plenty of damage but good colors - serves the film just fine, and looks great on giant cinema screen!
And Enzo G. Castellari motherfucker! The festival guest of honor, a very nice guy who also recalls having made a sequel to The Bronx Warriors, but can no longer remember what the hell it was all about! Having Mr. Having Castellari sitting in the audience certainly boosted the (already through the roof) atmosphere in the theater
Question:
"Which one do you think is better, your or Tarantino's Inglorious Bastards?"
Castellari:
"Mine, of course!"
8 (2011). A 36 min Finnish horror pic dealing with subconscious. Made with a 6000€ budget it actually looks perfectly solid (better than Hobo with a Shotgun or the new Japanese splatter films). Effective use of music aside, though, it's rather clumsy and predictable. It's obviously it's made by a film school student rather than self-educated cinema fan - there's certain artistic stiffness and formality that comes through and very commonly chains Finnish cinema, as opposed to fresh innovativeness.
Red State (2011). Kevin Smith Attacks! The made-to-be-controversial pic opens as a Smithian teen film, takes a turn to horror, and ultimately ends up a machine gun wielding satire on the post 9/11 America. Conservative Christian movements are the main target, but the US government also gets their fare share of the bite, and towards the end it wouldn't be completely off-the-wall to claim some of the bullets are aimed at Islam, too. An entertaining and semi-important movie regardless of one's political or religious stand (any such movement or politics ought to be critisized, as forbidding criticism would only destroy its credibility) - and frankly speaking far out enough not to be truly insulting to anyone. Smith's jokes do tends to run overtime, though - more than one scene drag, and the film loses some of its bite in the process.
Morituris (2011). American Psycho. Rape and revenge without revenge. Sergio Stivaletti. Zombie gladiators. WTFIGO? Italian horror film magazine editor-in-chief goes film director with a mini budget horror film. It's mean piece, but not as graphic as the recent torture and gorno films it has (slightly misleadingly) been compared to. The dialogue is awful, and there's technical screw ups, such as confusing editing in a few spots and too dark image - but there's something cool about the film. While clumsy and cheap, it's made by enthusiastic horror fans, features old school gore effects, and explains little enough to become even slightly atmospheric. It's a film for hard core horror fans who can appreciate what it is - others need not bother.
Screening attended by director Raffaele Picchio and producer Gianluigi Perrone - two young guys with so much enthusiasm that in the Q&A they were essentially interviewing each other and answering questions before anyone even asked them anything
Maybe because of references to suicide? 
) near the end... and now I realized Hit Girl's first action scene (in the junkie appartment) is even worse. These scenes demonstrate the sense of style of a 5 year old... (aka these new wave cult-clowns who think they're doing something cool and fun when in reality they don't have a clue...)
