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SXFantastic: SXSW 2010 presents Fantastic Fest at Midnight!
February 4th, 2010
Winners announced for the free advance screening of DISTRICT 13: ULTIMATUM!
January 29th, 2010
Thanks to all the Fantastic Fest 2010 badge holders who wrote in for a reserved seat to see the free advance screening of Fantastic Fest fav DISTRICT 13: ULTIMATUM this coming Monday @ the Alamo Drafthouse South Lamar!
We actually still have a few seats left for you guys, so if you’re a Fantastic Fest badge holder and haven’t written in yet and still want to see the show, email brad@originalalamo.com with “PARKOUR FOR THE COURSE” in the subject line. We’ll contact you directly if we can fit you in!
Everyone else, there’s still some “Admit 2″ passes floating around town! Most of the theater will be filled by those, first come, first seated, so find one and come on down on Monday. In addition, if you didn’t get one, but REALLY can’t wait to see this eye-bursting action explosion, we always have a stand-by line and are always able to get some very excited die-hards in the door!
Here’s the list, if you’re on it you must claim your ticket no later than 7pm on Monday, February 1 @ The Alamo Drafthouse South Lamar to guarantee your seats. The show starts at 7:30p.
Glass, Geoffrey +1
DeLeón-Serratos, Jesús +1
Archip, Dana +1
Bailey, Robin +1
Bate, William +1
Dailey, Matthew +1
De Leon, JC +1
Gargano, Michelle +1
Gleason, Jeff +1
Harkins Eakins, Lecia +1
Hidalgo, James +1
Jeffress, Jamie +1
Johnson, Sven +1
Lambert, Robert +1
Locklear, Nathan +1
Mackey, Kristopher +1
Mackey, Tisha +1
McInroy, Chris +1
Miller, Jonathan +1
Mills, Austin +1
Osmon, John +1
Ramirez, Nick +1
Rath, Robert +1
Reese, Dshanya +1
Romero, Celia C +1
Strait, Eddie +1
Taylor, Kent +1
Tindle, Jeffrey +1
Wages, John +1
Williams, Kevin +1
For more info about Fantastic Fest, please visit www.fantasticfest.com
FF Badge Holders, check out this Free Advance screening of DISTRICT 13: ULTIMATUM!
January 29th, 2010
Monday, February 1, 7:30p, Alamo Drafthouse South Lamar
This one blew all our heads right off our shoulders at last year’s Fantastic Fest- only to then leap from the top of a 15 story building just in time to catch our heads before hitting the ground, then kicking them right back on. Like it’s now cult-legendary predecessor DISTRICT B13, this reunion of writer Luc Besson (THE PROFESSIONAL, FIFTH ELEMENT) and on-screen ass-kickers Leito (David Belle) and Damien (Cyril Raffaelli), DISTRICT 13 ULTIMATUM serves up an endless display of some of the most righteous parkour action ever committed to film. A jaw-dropping spectacle that will have you finding new, potentially deadly ways to go about your daily routine.
How to get in:
Many of the seats will be filled by those “Admit 2″ passes you see for other advance screenings around town, but since this a Fantastic Fest jam, we were able to hold aside a small chunk of seats specifically for our Fantastic Fest badge-holders! If you are a Fantastic Fest 2010 badge-holder and you want to attend this screening, send an email to brad@originalalamo.com with your name (please include the name used to purchase the actual badge) and the type of badge(s) purchased in the body of the email, and make sure to put “PARKOUR FOR THE COURSE” in the subject line. We will randomly pick (authenticated) badge-holders until our seat allotment is full, then post the list of winners on the Alamo Blog and the Fantastic Fest Blog on Friday, January 29 @ 3pm. Each name on the list is good for 2 seats, which will be held at will call until 7pm on the night of the show.
Special note: In the event we still have a few “reserved” seats left past 3pm on 1/29, go ahead and still send in an email. We’ll contact you directly if we can fit you in!
From Todd Brown’s Fantastic Fest 2009 write-up:
District 13 is once again in trouble. The gangs are restless, promised changes have not come to pass, poverty and crime are as rampant as ever. And, just in case things weren’t difficult and complex enough in the anarchic district, it appears as though it has a new enemy, a powerful and well financed enemy determined to bring the wrath of the establishment down upon the people and willing to kill to do so. In the face of lawlessness and rising violence there can be only one response: by-the-book supercop Damien and free roaming — free running, I should say — vigilante Leto must once again join forces to bring peace to District 13.
When Pierre Morel’s District B13 burst on to the scene in 2004, prescient timing and clever marketing allowed the film to tap into the bubbling awareness of a new extreme sport, parkour. By casting parkour’s co-creator David Belle as Leto and then building the film around his unique skills the film delivered something people had never before seen on screen, a dazzling combination of speed, strength, grace and fearlessness. Largely on Belle’s back the film became a huge international hit and so producer Luc Besson did what smart producers always do in cases like these: he took his original formula, shifted the focus slightly and made a sequel.
While the original District B13 was very much Belle’s coming out party this second installment casts its eye largely on his partner, French martial artist Cyril Raffaelli. Though you may not think of France as a hotbed for martial arts, Raffaelli is so good that he has been hired to choreograph fight films in Hong Kong and his performance as Damien is loaded with raw energy and charisma, his flying fists and feet dazzling to watch on screen. If the first B13 provided a taste of what Raffaelli was capable of, this second provides a full course meal. Fill out the cast with charismatic characters heading the competing gangs — Black’s MC Jean Gab’1 plays a key role — and District B13 Ultimatum proves that sometimes you really can go back again.
(Todd Brown, Twitch Film)
Fantastic Fest Feature HARD REVENGE MILLY Headed for DVD
January 25th, 2010
Takanori Tsujimoto’s HARD REVENGE MILLY and HARD REVENGE MILLY: BLOODY BATTLE played at Fantastic Fest 2009 to enthusiastic crowd responses. These films deliver wild action and blood-spraying, limb-severing effects created by Fantastic Fest favorite Yoshihiro Nishimura. Those who missed out on the screenings can now watch the films on a new DVD released by Well Go USA (street date: 1/26/2010). The disc is widely available for purchase at the usual places like Amazon so get it now! Alternatively, people who like free stuff can swing over Twitch Film because the site is giving away copies of the DVD and poster this week (U.S. residents only).
Audience Award Winner A TOWN CALLED PANIC Opens This Weekend
January 21st, 2010
At our annual festival of horror, fantasy, and all around boom-shakin’ cinema, Fantastic Fest, there was one gem that stood out this year as the audience favorite. No, it wasn’t some blood-squirt fest from Japan or even a 100% medically accurate film from the Netherlands about sewing people together (but, boy, did those movies kill!). No, the crowd favorite this year was a Belgium film about a toy cowboy and a toy Indian that fail to build a barbecue.
What? There must be something really special about this film, an anomaly in a festival full of gore, frights, and terror that would elevate this animated feature to the top spot. Try, for one, that this film is genuinely funny. Not funny in a gross out way, not funny in a hoity toity pinky-in-the-air way, but funny in a zany, madcap, and completely non-cynical way.
This film is hilarious, it’s random, it’s fun, but most importantly, it’s imaginative. The typical toy battle of cowboy and Indian is turned on its head; here, the two action figures are roommates who want to do something nice for their more responsible flatmate, horse. Once their ineptitude and a few misplaced decimal points get in their way, the three toys embark on a crazy adventure. But each problem they face is wilder than the last, and each solution is creative and crazy.
You can tell that this film is made by wackos who simply love making people laugh. It shows that this is a labor of love, a product of self-amusement rather than commercial interest. If more films were made this way, we’d be in a much more joyful world.
Some quotes from the rags:
“A TOWN CALLED PANIC proves you don’t need fancy CGI techniques, 3-D, or stunt voice casting to make a sparkly little gem”
Leslie Felperin, Variety
“There’s really very little to say about this film beyond that it’s absolutely brilliant”“
Peter Brunette, The Hollywood Reporter
“The film’s humor, simultaneously giddy and satirical, is reminiscent of “South Park” and the “Wallace & Gromit” movies, but it’s less pointed, more poetic.”
Mike Hale, New York Times
“I enjoyed this film so much I’m sorry to report it was finally too much of a muchness. You can only eat so much cake. But I don’t think that’s a problem…It has an innocent hallucinatory charm”
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times
Some Fantastic Fest comments:
“This was such a charming, good-natured, and original comedy. Just perfect.”
“Very, very funny, but the best thing about it was the originality and non-stop ideas.”
“Goodness this is the best claymation feature i have ever seen”
“This one is a classic!!!!”
This absurdist animation is like TOY STORY thrown into a blender with Mike Judge and a Belgian Waffle. Mmmm.
There will be a special premiere Thursday at midnight at Alamo South Lamar. Tickets are available for that show here. Please note that A TOWN CALLED PANIC opens for a full run on Friday at the Alamo Ritz. For tickets and showtimes, please click here
ROBOGEISHA is coming to America courtesy of Funimation
January 5th, 2010
We were thrilled to see that our old friends Funimation have put pen to paper with the maniacs behind ROBOGEISHA to bring this 2009 Fantastic Fest favorite to our shores. We think it will be a big hit with everyone who loved director Noboru Iguchi’s previous film MACHINE GIRL and last year’s hemoglobin fountain TOKYO GORE POLICE.
Here’s the news straight from Funimation and here’s the original Japanese ROBOGEISHA site – you might want to sit down and brace yourself against something heavy before you watch the trailer.
Also, fair warning: you probably won’t want to eat at Long John Silver’s anytime soon after watching that. ROBOGEISHA!
Charmingly spazzmatic masterpiece STINGRAY SAM hits the Ritz this Sunday!
December 29th, 2009
Rocketing out of the furthest reaches of the galaxy to stir up a massive amount of shocked reactions at Fantastic Fest 2009 was the manic intergalactic comedy musical STINGRAY SAM from writer/director/star Cory McAbee (THE AMERICAN ASTRONAUT). Well, we decided that there was no better way to strike out against a new decade than with additional screenings at The Ritz (this Sunday through Tuesday) of this aggressively unique slab of movie insanity.
THE STORY: A dangerous mission reunites STINGRAY SAM with his long lost accomplice, The Quasar Kid. Follow these two space-convicts as they earn their freedom in exchange for the rescue of a young girl who is being held captive by the genetically designed figurehead of a very wealthy planet.
“McAbee’s incredibly engaging story, not to mention the beautiful black and white photography, makes it just about the most fun you’ll have in the independent theater this year.” – Jeremy Kirk, We are Movie Geeks
“Few films have me chuckling from beginning till end, but this one managed to do it. Well, except when I was laughing. STINGRAY SAM is a cleverly made loving tribute to the serials of old and a darn funny one too.” – Ard Vijn, Twitch
“Either way you slice it, STINGRAY SAM is timeless… ‘timeless’ because that’s what you’re supposed to call pieces of art that touch you.” – Bob Doto, Quiet Earth
Submit to Fantastic Fest 2010!
December 20th, 2009
Ladies and gentlemen, prep your screeners because it’s that time of year again. Fantastic Fest has officially opened the submission season for the 2010 Festival. The largest genre film festival in the U.S., Fantastic Fest showcases horror, fantasy, sci-fi, animation, action and just plain fantastic movies from all around the world. For additional information, or to submit your short or feature-length production for consideration, you may visit the Fantastic Fest website here. All submissions will be processed online through Without A Box.
When: Fantastic Fest will take place September 23-September 30, 2010
Where: Alamo Drafthouse Cinema South Lamar, Austin, Texas
Contact:
Tim League, Festival Director
info@fantasticfest.com
www.fantasticfest.com
@fantasticfest on twitter
Fantastic Fest on Facebook
IMPORTANT FESTIVAL DATES:
March 3, 2010: Earlybird Submission Deadline
May 5, 2010: Regular Submission Deadline
June 2, 2010: Late Submission Deadline
July 16, 2010: WAB Extended Deadline (submissions close)
September 23: Fantastic Fest 2010 Begins
ABOUT THE FESTIVAL:
Fantastic Fest was created to offer exposure to genre films which are often overlooked by the traditional festival circuit. We strive to offer acquisition and media and exhibition opportunities for undistributed films as well as spotlight upcoming genre theatrical releases and repertory genre classics.
In 2008, MOVIEMAKER MAGAZINE named Fantastic Fest “one of the 25 festivals worldwide worth the submission fee”:
“The folks at Austin’s Fantastic Fest set the tone when they describe it as a place for “all around badass cinema.” With kudos from Charlie Koones, former publisher of Variety, who calls it “one of the 10 Film Festivals We Love,” moviemakers are definitely getting into that tender spirit, too, especially when it comes to the amount of publicity their Fantastic Fest screenings are generating…” – MOVIEMAKER MAGAZINE (view the full article here)
“A festival unlike any other, FF is a celebration of all things truly fantastic, with the biggest that Hollywood has to offer rubbing shoulders with tiny productions from the far-flung reaches of the globe.” – Chris Tilly, IGN ENTERTAINMENT
“A world premiere is a very, very nerve wracking experience but what makes Fantastic Fest so amazing is that it’s not only the programmers and organizers that are on your side, but the audience too. They’re fighting in your corner and they want to see different and exciting movies and they’re so damn cine-literate it’s scary! The greatest test audience in the world…I’d recommend everyone has their premiere here!” – Andy Starke, Producer, DOWN TERRACE
“The best festival, the best movies, the best programmers, the best theater, the best barbeque, the best queso, the best guns and pretty much the best f#%cking time you will ever have promoting your movie. Period.” – Ti West, Writer/Director, THE HOUSE OF THE DEVIL
“Fantastic Fest has made my whole career. Everything related to the future of Timecrimes and mine as an American directors comes through your festival. I know that some directors have a particular festival attached to their whole biography. Now I know mine.” – Nacho Vigalondo, director, TIMECRIMES (worldwide rights to TIMECRIMES were purchased by Magnolia Releasing following the world premiere of the film at Fantastic Fest 2007
A TOWN CALLED PANIC Stop Motion Filmmaking Contest
December 10th, 2009
As you probably know, we’re all pumped up about A TOWN CALLED PANIC, opening at the Alamo South Lamar on January 8. Not only did it win the audience award at Fantastic Fest a few months ago, it made us remember what convulsive laughter feels like (hint: pretty damn good). It’s hard to believe that a stop motion animated Belgian film about a reckless Cowboy, his best friend the Indian, a super cool horse, and larcenous underwater gill-men could cause all the hard-boiled, seen-it-all programmers at the Alamo and Fantastic Fest to fall all over themselves, but that’s exactly the case. We laughed so hard and long at this movie that when it was over, we knew we had to bring it to Austin. The problem was, they weren’t planning on releasing it in Austin. So we have jumped through flaming hoops to bring it to you. Would we do that if this movie were anything less than an ATOMIC BOMB of righteousness?
Now the folks at Zeitgeist Films have come up with another way to get psyched for A TOWN CALLED PANIC – a stop motion animation competition. It’s easy to make stop motion films. It doesn’t take much money, just a lot of dedication and creativity. And if you make the best short film you can have it included on what is sure to be the DVD of the decade when it’s released later in 2010.
Here’s more from those Zeitgeist folks:
Make your own stop-motion film and win a chance to have it featured on the A TOWN CALLED PANIC DVD!
The object: To make a stop-motion animation film, no longer than three minutes in length, on the theme of “panic.” The film will be judged as a piece of entertainment, not just on the sophistication of its animation techniques, and the competition is open to all ages.
The judges: A Town Called Panic filmmakers Stéphane Aubier and Vincent Patar will select their favorite from a shortlist of 10 films selected by Zeitgeist Films.
The prize: The winning film will be included on the US edition of the A Town Called Panic DVD to be released in 2010 and the winning filmmaker will receive five copies of the DVD when it is released. Nine runners-up will also receive a copy of the DVD and a poster and their films will be featured on the A Town Called Panic YouTube Channel.
The deadline: March 1, 2010. The winner will be announced on April 1, 2010.
Find out all the details here. And do not miss A TOWN CALLED PANIC!
Chaos Reigns in Austin this Weekend!
November 17th, 2009Lars von Trier’s ANTICHRIST may be the most provocative and controversial film of the last 30 years. It is explicit, it is challenging, it is grotesque, it has been called offensive, misogynistic and dangerous…but it has also been called a masterpiece and perhaps the Danish auteur’s finest work.
Charlotte Gainsbourg (who won best Actress for the role at Cannes) and Willem Defoe star as an unnamed couple seeking comfort in their country home after the sudden death of their child. While in their forest retreat, as summed up by the unofficial slogan of Fantastic Fest ‘09, “chaos reigns.”
See this movie.
It opens at the Alamo Ritz this weekend. For those who can’t wait, we have added a midnight screening on Thursday, Nov 19. Tickets and info for all shows available here.
Praise for Antichrist:
“This is von Trier’s biggest accomplishment. He has created a world that is true to its own ghastly, shifting logic.” -Sukhdev Sandhu, Times [UK]
“Sure to shock, offend and astound in equal portions while proving hugely divisive over the nature of its content, ANTICHRIST is arguably the most visually striking of his career, certainly the most transgressive, and ample proof that cinema is still more than capable of shocking.” -Todd Brown, Twitch
“WHAT IS CERTAIN IS THAT SERIOUS FILM PEOPLE ON SEVERAL CONTINENTS WILL BE TALKING ABOUT VON TRIER’S LATEST AFFRONT, DEFENDING OR DERIDING IT, FINDING IT HARD TO IGNORE. SHORT OF A FLAT-OUT MASTERPIECE, WHAT MORE CAN MOVIES OFFER?” – Richard & Mary Corliss, Time Magazine
“A MUST SEE…SOME KIND OF MANIACAL MASTERWORK. SOME OF THE IMAGES CREATED BY VON TRIER CAN NEVER BE FORGOTTEN.” – Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune
“I Don’t think I breathed for the last half – out of shock, out of stress, out of disbelief. This is to say that von Trier had us all.” – Wesley Morris, The Boston Globe
“…I would be lying if I didn’t admit that this impossible movie kept me hooked from start to finish.” – Manohla Dargis, The New York Times
“Whether this is a bad, good or great film is entirely beside the point. It is an audacious spit in the eye of society. It says we harbor an undreamed-of capacity for evil. It transforms a psychological treatment into torture undreamed of in the dungeons of history. Torturers might have been capable of such actions, but they would have lacked the imagination. Von Trier is not so much making a film about violence as making a film to inflict violence upon us, perhaps as a salutary experience…
ANTICHRIST is powerfully made film. The performances by Willem Dafoe and Charlotte Gainsbourg are heroic and fearless. Von Trier’s visual command is striking. And if you can think beyond what he shows to what he implies, its depths are frightening. IT IS A REAL FILM. Von Trier has reached me and shaken me.” – Roger Ebert ,Chicago Sun-Times
