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The Horror! The Horror!

Hello fellow festers – As a humid July gives in way to what looks like to be an even hotter August the best refuge still seems to be in the cinemas – what with all the blockbusters hitting our screens one after another there’s no excuse for not over-indulging in the beauty of celluloid.

I don’t know how many of you managed to catch ‘Dog Bite Dog’ last year but it was an excellent and exceedingly nihilistic and violent Asian flick. Well, the director’s latest Shamo hits English-friendly dvd tomorrow and I thought it would be excellent to give it a mention. The plot, based on the Japanese Manga of the same name concerns Ryo Narushima (Shawn Yue), a talented, college-bound student who murders both of his parents in cold blood. He is sent to a reformatory where he trains in karate under Kenji Kurokawa (Francis Ng), a man imprisoned after trying to assassinate the Japanese Prime Minister. Two years after his conviction, Ryo is released and begins a new life as an ultra-violent professional fighter. You can watch the trailer here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ppf1Y54t9ro

This week also sees the release of ‘Phobia’ – a Thai anthology movie that brings together some of the best genre talent - Youngyooth Thongkonthun, Banjong Pisanthanakun, Parkpoom Wongpoom, and Paween Purikitpanya. The plot consists of four tales about a lonely young woman who receives a mysterious SMS, students with a deadly talisman, boys on a jungle adventure and a scared flight attendant alone on a plane with a dead body as its only passenger. There is no English-friendly DVD release on the horizon but you never know: you can watch the trailer here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sy5YsWGYRoA

Last night, I was lucky enough to catch a screening of ‘Tropic Thunder ‘ –the crazy, new comedy from Ben Stiller – although I am going to keep my mouth until I review it properly, let me just remark that is definitely something else: Make sure you watch the trailer here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tSI15ltIacI

We heard about ‘Shuttle’ during Cannes from many outlets and finally we can have a look at the trailer! So far advance word has been fairly positive about this thriller which concerns two gals named Mel and Jules returning late at night from a ladies-only vacation. They find themselves at the airport on a rainy night that seems darker than usual. Wanting to get home but with limited options, they board an airport shuttle with a driver, hoping for a safe and short ride. Their trip quickly takes a turn for the worse. You can watch the trailer here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6LrDOJyzV6A

A brief break to inform you of a must-see title this week: Man On Wire – chronicling wire-walker Philippe Petit’s attempt to walk between the twin towers in 1970’s – this documentary is a beautifully shot moving achievement that successfully displays a historic event through the very eyes of the people who initiated it: please watch the trailer and try to catch it at a cinema near you as soon as possible: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iZ_-KP9A_I4

And the final title of today: Parasomnia – directed by William ‘I am responsible for the atrocity that is The House On Haunted Hill Remake’ Malone, this one is about a woman “Laura Baxter who is, literally a "sleeping beauty," who suffers from a medical condition called "Parasomnia." A childhood accident victim, she is actually sleeping her life away, awakening briefly on rare occasions. Art student Danny Sloan falls in love with her, unaware that her hospital neighbour, a terrifying mass murderer and mesmerist named Byron Volpe has other, more sinister plans. Sloan helps Laura escape from her hospital prison only to discover that Volpe is about to enter her dreams. And although the trailer looks 75% crap, there are some nice images in there: hey, maybe William Malone can turn my opinion around: the benefit of a doubt as always – you can watch the full trailer here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CIJ5P2MWTBY&feature=related

And that’s it, until next time! Remain as excited as I am until Frightfest- this year is going to be absolutely amazing!

Sincerely yours

Evrim ‘The Duke’ Ersoy

P.s. Has anyone read the saga of ‘London After Midnight’ on Ain’t It Cool News? I don’t believe the story for a minute but if you haven’t, it’s well worth sauntering over to that site and having a look now!