A Monster Calls

[caption id="attachment_16738" align="alignnone" width="1000"] COLOSSAL, starring Anne Hathaway and Jason Sudeikis[/caption] Closing out Alamo Drafthouse’s Fantastic Fest festival is the triumphant return of Fantastic Fest’s Karaoke King Nacho Vigalondo with his kaiju monster mash-up COLOSSAL, starring  Anne Hathaway and Jason Sudeikis. In more final wave of film programming announcements, Fantastic Fest welcomes fellow festival alumni and Wu-Tang Clan founder RZA for his first ever live re-score. Eighteen months in the making, RZA: LIVE FROM THE 36th CHAMBER OF SHAOLIN is a mammoth live re-scoring of the Shaw Brothers classic. Featuring over 40+ tracks culled from RZA’s monumental catalog, instrumentals, beats, samples and vocals amplify Lau Kar-leung’s narrative and Gordon Liu’s iconic performance. “I am thrilled to be welcoming so many first-time directors to our weird festival family this year,” said Fantastic Fest founder Tim League. “But as counterpoint, I am equally excited to be closing it down with veterans Nacho and RZA. In 2016, we’re going out with an epic bang.” Fantastic Fest embraces its more physical side with a series of violent smashers that are guaranteed to leave heads spinning and jaws rattled. All 6’ 5” of our favorite chemical engineer will be in attendance as Dolph Lundgren promises to pummel Austin and demons alike with DON’T KILL IT. Paul Schrader will be making a very special appearance in the second half of the festival to share and discuss his wild exploration of the criminal underground, DOG EAT DOG. Indonesia is gloriously represented with HEADSHOT, the latest from the Mo Brothers and THE RAID / THE RAID 2’s Iko Uwais in what is guaranteed to be the most violent film of the year, and Hong Kong comes correct with the legendary Sammo Hung choreographing the action in Benny Chan’s wuxia western, CALL OF HEROES. “There was so much that we loved this year, it’s wonderful to finally be able to share the full slate. We watched over 800 films and getting it down to 80 proved nearly impossible,” said Fantastic Fest Head of Programming, Evrim Ersoy, “But we’re here and we can’t wait to see people watch these brilliant delights with shock and awe in equal measure.” TV takes center stage with two of the season’s most hotly anticipated shows gracing the big screen. The man, the myth, The Bruce Campbell will be in attendance battling the Necronomicon once more and bringing new episodes of ASH VS EVIL DEAD with him. Campbell will also be sitting with critic/film historian Leonard Maltin for an exclusive dialog spanning his entire career. HBO joins the Fantastic Fest fray with an exclusive screening of the first episode of its highly anticipated new drama series, WESTWORLD. Inspired by Michael Crichton’s ‘73 sci fi classic, this supremely contemporary rendering is a dark odyssey about the dawn of artificial consciousness and the evolution of sin. WESTWORLD will be accompanied by a complimentary, classic western meal for all guests courtesy of HBO. Artfully prepared by the Alamo Drafthouse culinary team, the meal will draw its influence and ingredients from the frontier era and its expansive environment. Western meals aren’t the only munchies inspiring programming as three of the festival’s most high profile gross-outs are first timers. Morgan Spurlock marks his Fantastic Fest debut with his uber-disgusting dissection of the most loathsome rodent in his doc RATS. Spurlock will be in attendance to talk about the vicious vermin and their endless conquest to take over the world. Another stomach-churning debut is Puke and Explode, a gala event of competitive eating dedicated to both gastro excess and grotesque edibles as contestants devour the most mortifying morsels imaginable. And in the grand tradition of festival favorite 100 BEST KILLS, Fantastic Fest vets Zack Carlson and Laird Jimenez deliver 100 BEST KILLS: 100 WORST BIRTHS, a dazzling array of the most nauseating, disturbing, inhuman and downright vomitous births in cinematic history. From sci-fi cesareans to martial arts miscarriages to horror hysterectomies, they will permanently sterilize viewers with 80 minutes of no-holes-barred babyrage. Mondo will be driving movie fans crazy with a creative cornucopia of limited-edition collectibles at Fantastic Fest for the first time. The roll call of film tie-ins include super-exclusives for RZA: LIVE FROM THE 36th CHAMBER OF SHAOLIN, and product signing sessions with Don Coscarelli and the cast of PHANTASM: REMASTERED and André Øvredal with THE AUTOPSY OF JANE DOE. During Fantastic Fest, Mondo is also hosting Italian composer extraordinaire Fabio Frizzi as he performs THE BEYOND: COMPOSER’S CUT, his all-new live re-score of Lucio Fulci’s shocker in a supremely gothic church with jaw-dropping acoustics. The full lineup of newly announced film titles for Fantastic Fest 2016. A MONSTER CALLS United States, 2016 Texas Premiere, 108 min Director – J. A. Bayona Twelve year old Conor, dealing with his mother’s illness, unexpectedly summons a most unlikely ally – a 40-foot-high Monster. AGE OF SHADOWS South Korea, 2016 US Premiere, 140 min Director – KIM Jee-woon Korea, during the Japanese occupation. Police Chief Lee Jung-Chool is hunting members of the resistance under strict orders from the Japanese overlords. However, a chance encounter with Jung Chae-San will have him questioning his loyalties… ANOTHER WOLFCOP Canada, 2016 World Premiere, 82 min Director – Lowell Dean Alcoholic werewolf cop Lou Garou springs into action when an eccentric businessman with evil intentions seduces Woodhaven’s residents with a new brewery and hockey team in this outrageous horror-comedy sequel. ASH VS EVIL DEAD United States, 2016 Special Screening, 60 min Director – Rick Jacobson, episode 1 Director – Tony Tilse, episode 2 “Ash vs Evil Dead,” a 10-episode half-hour series, is the long-awaited follow-up to the classic horror film The Evil Dead. ASURA US Premiere, 136 min South Korea, 2016 Director – Sung-soo KIM Corrupt police detective Han protects Mayor Park’s interests while he saves up to pay for his wife’s terminal cancer treatment. When intimidation of a witness goes wrong, they’re all thrown into a violent storm. [caption id="attachment_16127" align="alignnone" width="1000"] THE AUTOPSY OF JANE DOE[/caption] THE AUTOPSY OF JANE DOE United Kingdom, 2016 U.S. Premiere, 99 min Director – André Øvredal When a mysterious body turns up at a crime scene, the local sheriff turns to the coroner and his son to find the cause of death. BAD BLACK Uganda, 2016 World Premiere, 65 min Director – Nabwana IGG A mild-mannered doctor is trained in the art of ass-kicking commando vengeance by a no-nonsense ghetto kid named Wesley Snipes (!). This is only one of the many delirious action-packed stories that converge in this exuberant DIY extravaganza from the home of “da best of da best movies”: WAKALIWOOD, UGANDA!!! BOYKA:UNDISPUTED United States, 2016 World Premiere, 90 min Director – Todor Chapkanov Escaped from prison and longing for a legitimate life, Yuri Boyka must choose between a shot at the glory he has trained for and the demands of his conscience after tragedy strikes in the ring. BUGS Denmark, 2016 Regional Premiere, 74 min Director – Andreas Johnsen Two researchers search the globe for the best flavors the insect world has to offer in an attempt to make this inevitable future food source more palatable to wimpy Westerners. CALL OF HEROES Hong Kong, 2016 North American Premiere, 120 min Director – Benny Chan During China’s Warlord era, in the village of Pucheng, a sheriff and his ragtag band of men must make sure the cruel general Cal’s son Shaolin faces justice in this brilliant blend of wuxia and westerns! CHINYUKI Japan, 2016 North American Premiere, 100 min Director – Yudai Yamaguchi Yudai Yamaguchi’s Chinyuki is one of those rare films where its own subtitle tells you everything you need to know about the movie: A journey to the West with farts. COLOSSAL Canada, 2016 US Premiere, 110 min Director – Nacho Vigalondo Fantastic Fest favorite Nacho Vigalondo (TIMECRIMES) wrings an extraordinarily potent allegory for personal responsibility and emotional toxicity in this witty and absorbing drama about an alcoholic (Anne Hathaway) who discovers an improbable connection between herself and a giant monster ravaging South Korea. DON’T KILL IT United States, 2016 North American Premiere , 93 min Director – Mike Mendez An ancient demon is unleashed in a Mississippi town and the only people who can stop it are FBI agent Evelyn Pierce and grizzled, cynical demon hunter Jebediah Woodley. FASHIONISTA United States, 2016 World Premiere, 108 min Director – Simon Rumley April and Eric own a clothing store together and are happily in love. April will have to rely on her fashion obsession for survival when everything unexpectedly crumbles after Eric makes a single destructive mistake. HEADSHOT Indonesia, 2016 US Premiere, 117 min Director – Kimo Stamboel, Timo Tjahjanto The bone-crunching, soul-crushing, face-breaking story of an amnesiac young man named Ishmael, the doctor named Rika who cares for him and the bad men who all need to die in a maelstrom of sweet violence. HENTAI KAMEN 2: The Abnormal Crisis Japan, 2016 Texas Premiere, 118 min Director – Yuichi Fukuda At the request of his girlfriend Aiko, Kyosuke Shikijo agrees to retire Hentai Kamen. But when a new threat starts stealing panties, who will the people of Tokyo call on? THE INVISIBLE GUEST Spain, 2017 US Premiere, 106 min Director – Oriol Paulo A wealthy businessman wakes up in a locked hotel room with the body of his dead lover next to him in Orio Paulo’ latest. THE LURE Poland, 2015 Texas Premiere, 93 min Director – Agnieszka Smocynska Two young mermaids get caught up in the world of a Warsaw nightclub as they navigate human life and love in this Polish musical. [caption id="attachment_16739" align="alignnone" width="1000"] MY ENTIRE HIGH SCHOOL SINKING INTO THE SEA[/caption] MY ENTIRE HIGH SCHOOL SINKING INTO THE SEA United States, 2016 U.S. Premiere, 74 min Director – Dash Shaw Jason Schwartzman voices a young, hopeful writer who jumps into action during a disaster in this dazzling and hilarious animated adventure from famed graphic novelist Dash Shaw. RATS United States, 2016 Austin Premiere, 84 min Director – Morgan Spurlock Morgan Spurlock’s latest documentary shows us the world of the rat, from the garbage of NYC to the dining plates of Vietnam to a Karni Mata Temple of worship in India. RE: BORN Japan, 2016 North American Premiere, 115 min Director – Yûji Shimomura Tak Sakaguchi is a seemingly untouchable super soldier who must return to the life he left behind when a former colleague threatens his fragile world. RZA: LIVE FROM THE 36th CHAMBER OF SHAOLIN Hong Kong, 1978 Special Screening, 115 min Director – Chia-Liang Liu What happens when one of the most influential hip hop artists descends on one of the most influential martial arts movies? There’s only one way to find out. SCIENCE FICTION VOLUME ONE : THE OSIRIS CHILD Australia, 2017 World Premiere, 95 min Director – Shane Abbess A far-future military contractor – and moderately shitty father – must race to save his daughter when his employer’s negligence puts her in the path of a rampaging alien race. THE TRUTH BENEATH South Korea, 2016 International Premiere, 108 min Director – LEE Kyoung-mi When a politician’s teenage daughter goes missing, a desperate mother takes it upon herself to uncover the truth in this startling Korean thriller. WESTWORLD United States, 2016 Special Screening, 60 min Director – Jonathan Nolan A dark odyssey about the dawn of artificial consciousness and the evolution of sin. Set at the intersection of the near future and the reimagined past, it explores a world in which every human appetite, no matter how noble or depraved, can be indulged.

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