CINEPOCALYPSE 2019 RECAP (One Link to Bind Them All)

CINEPOCALYPSE 2019

CINEPOCALYSE Film Festival 2017 wrap-up!!!

It was never my intention to dive back into the movie watching fray with such gusto following the madness that was the October Horror Movie Challenge and Scare-A-Thon 2017. Not because I watched so many titles (the final total of 31 was the bare minimum; in years past, I’ve watched over 100), but because it was a jam-packed month what with First Folio’s The Man-Beast and doing full-length DVD/Blu-ray reviews at the same time that I was holding down my personal training practice. In short, it was a full plate, and I was looking forward to chilling out come November. But all that changed with an email from our very own Music Box Theatre, informing us that Cinepocalypse was upon us!

BIFFFF 2017 Wrap-up!

Well, BIFFF 2017 has come and gone, and a glorious experience it was.

This marked my third visit to Brussels for the fest, as well as my first time serving on the jury of an international film festival. I was honored to lead the 7th Orbit Jury, filled out by my illustrious compatriots, actress Bénédicte Philippon, radio personality Lucile Poulain, and writer/director Xavier Seron.

There were fewer jaw-dropping celebrity encounters compared to my visits in 2012 (Barbara Steele, Terry Gilliam, William Friedkin) and 2013 (Dario Argento, John Hough), but I was still happy to have rubbed shoulders with directors Fabrice du Welz (Calvaire, Vinyan) and Stanley Tong (Supercop, Rumble in the Bronx), and the lovely Spanish actress Macarena Gomez (Dagon, Witching and Bitching). Due to my late arrival, I just missed meeting 2017’s inductees into the Order of the Raven (the BIFFF’s Hall of Fame), Chan-wook Park (Oldboy, Stoker) and Alejandro Amenabar (The Others, Open Your Eyes).

Edith Scob, the star of the original 1960 shocker Eyes without a Face, was also supposed to be on hand but had to bow out at the last minute due to illness.

As with my previous visits, I spent my downtime camped out in the abode of Brussels blood brother and Cult Reviews mastermind Gert Verbeeck, although our separate trajectories – he was handling a healthy portion of the subtitling programming throughout the fest while I was attending to my jury duties and trying to catch as many other features as possible – did not allow us to spend as much time sitting side by side amidst the raucous BIFFF crowds. Still, it was nice to know that we were both playing important roles in the festival this time around.

Announcing Swiss Army Man as the winner of the 7th Orbit, with Saving Sally receiving a Special Mention

Fool's Views (5/1 – 5/31)

Remember those April showers? Yeah, May is when the wheels really came off, as Shout! Factory, Severin, Synapse, and Arrow all decided to release a wealth of home video gold that all landed in my lap at once… just as I was starting rehearsals for To Kill a Mockingbird with Oak Park Festival Theatre. Of course. 

Then an impromptu movie party at Kitley’s Krypt turned into an impromptu Gobblerfest hereafter to be known as Turkey Day in May. And to further compound my mirthful misery, the month kicked off with the 3rd Annual Chicago Critics Film Festival, which saw me at the historic Music Box Theatre every night for the entire week, tallying 20 flicks in all.

The CCFF marked the first time I’d seen a movie in the cinema since January (WTF), and the month ended as it began, taking in the magnificence splendor that was Mad Max: Fury Road and Ex Machina, as well as the Chicago Cinema Society's screening of Der Samurai.

I also shared the mike with Kicking the Seat’s Ian Simmons to discuss the train wreck that is The Human Centipede 3, a sad affair since both of us are/were big fans of the first two installments. You can hear our grousing HERE.

As always, feel free to leave your two cents worth – we’ll make sure you get some change back.

Enjoy!

AC fends off the screeners with his usual gusto

CHICAGO CRITICS FILM FESTIVAL 2014 review round-up!!!

The AC and the BC (Bobcat, rocking an amazing Bigfoot sweater)

Having traveled over hill, dale, oceans, and international borders over the past couple years, I've become a very big fan of the film festival scene. However, this spring, The Doc didn't have to travel any further than his own backyard to indulge in a special slice of pre-release big-screen cinematic goodness.

Created in 2013 by the Chicago Film Critics Association (CFCA), with a program that included Sarah Polley’s Stories We Tell, Emily Hagins’ Grow Up, Katie Aselton’s Black Rock, Jonathan Levine’s All the Boys Love Mandy Lane, Jason Lapeyre & Robert Wilson’s I Declare War, James Ponsoldt’s The Spectacular Now, and the remastered director’s cut of William Friedkin’s Sorcerer, the Chicago Critics Film Festival offers a rich cornucopia of films comprised of recent festival favorites and as-yet-undistributed works from a wide variety of filmmakers. According to their website, the CCFF is the ONLY current example of a major film critics group hosting its own festival (Go Chicago!!!), showcasing works from around the globe and from all genres.

For horror fans, this year's lineup featured some impressive Windy City debuts, including Housebound (which recently won the Audience Award at Scotland's Dead By Dawn Festival), Bobcat Goldthwait's found-footage Bigfoot flick Willow Creek, Tommy Wirkola's follow-up to his 2009 Nazi zombie hit, Dead Snow: Red vs. Dead, and Elijah Drenner's celebration of the life and career of one of Hollywood's best-loved character actors, That Guy Dick Miller (shown as a double feature with Roger Corman's A Bucket of Blood, one of Miller's rare leading turns).

G-FEST 2013 - The Whole Magilla

Click on the links below to be taken to each day's recap!

BIFFF 2013 REVIEW ROUND-UP!!!

Here it is, my friends. One Link to rule them all, One Link to find them, One Link to bring them all and in the darkness bind them...

Enjoy!!!

SWSX 2013 review round-up!! (5/8 - 5/16)

Howdy folks,

Well, after 9 days of madness and a week of recovery, here's the brief recap of my South by Southwest (SXSW) experience.

All in all, I'd say the biggest challenges lay in the way things were scheduled regarding my viewing proclivities. Many of the films I was interested in seeing were slotted in the "Midnighter" series which, appropriately enough, lived up to its name by playing late into the night. I was not overly alarmed by this, having gotten used to seeing the wrong side of sunrise at both BIFFF and Fantasia. However, I was completely unprepared for the fact that I also needed to get up early in order to secure a spot in the SXXPress passes line (which more or less insure getting one into a film by granting priority to pass holders).

The other hitch was that the Midnighter films all seemed to be programmed against one another, which meant that I needed to stay out after midnight every ... single ... night. And get up ... every ... single ... morning. In a word, yack.

But I survived and lived to tell the tale, which I've done to the best of my abilities — and which you can enjoy by clicking on the links to the longer-than-usual reviews that ensued.

As always, feel free to leave your two cents worth - we'll make sure you get some change back.

Enjoy!

FANTASIA 2012 - The Whole Magilla

Ladies and Gents, here's the whole Fantasia experience in one compact locale for your and my future clicking convenience. Thanks for taking the ride!

CLICK ON THE DATE LINK TO BE TAKEN TO THAT DAY'S BLOG POSTING

DAY 1 Thursday, July 19
And so it begins...

Movies: For Love's Sake, Dragon

G-FEST 2012 Survivor Report

I don’t think it’s any secret to anyone who knows me that I’m a fan of the giant radioactive lizard known as Godzilla. He/she/it was my gateway drug into the wonderful world of monster movies and by association, the horror and sci-fi genres. So, it might seem surprising that I had never attended a G-FEST convention, even though they have traditionally occurred right in my Chicago backyard. I chalk it up to lack of time, funds, and well, wondering what exactly they would have to offer other than a bunch of “impressive but out of my price range” model kits and toys.

BIFFF 2012 RECAP

Yes, this is about 5 years late, but since I'll be heading back across the pond in a few weeks and I never bothered to collect my ramblings from my first excursion to the Brussels International Film Festival (hereafter referred to as BIFFF) into a single, easy to read/navigate post, I'm remedying that now for my own purposes and convenience, as well as any other sucker...er, faithful readers who might be so inclined.

Enjoy!

BIFFF 2012, DAY 1 (Friday, April 6)
Guests: Terry Gilliam, Gert Verbeeck Films: Sennentuntschi, The Sorcerer and the White Snake, The Divide, Zombie 108 

HorrorHound Weeekend Indy 2011 - Convention Report

I’ve been going to horror conventions for about six years now, my first being Flashback Weekend in Chicago in 2005. At that point, I really didn’t know too many fellow in-the-flesh fans, but little did I realize how that would change over the coming years. At said Flashback, I met Jon Kitley of Kitley’s Krypt, who had been doing the convention scene for about 15 years at that point. Over the weeks and months to follow, we bonded over our shared passion for fright flicks and have been fast friends ever since – by his side I’ve attended more conventions and horror events that I could count on fingers and toes.