[Fantasia 2021] Hayop Ka! The Nimfa Dimaano Story

All Nimfa Dimaano (Angelica Panganiban) needs is love, but it’ll come at a price if the colourful, animated feature film Hayop Ka! Is any sign.

Hayop Ka! The Nimfa Dimaano Story' trailer dropsFantasia Film Festival 2021
Available to Stream On Demand

Tickets can be purchased here

All Nimfa Dimaano (Angelica Panganiban) needs is love, but it’ll come at a price if the colourful, animated feature film Hayop Ka! is any sign. In English, this Filipino word means, “You Animal!” And it’s not meant to be kind. Here, this feline works as a salesperson and when she sells Iñigo Villanueva (Sam Milby), a wealthy entrepreneur, the wrong perfume. He tracks her down instead of going to the store and the problems that erupt between him, her boyfriend and her defines much of the tale.

Her beau, Roger (Robin Padilla) is jealous. He thinks she’s cheating on him and to make matters worse, he’s willing to go to extremes to win her back. We’re dealing with an anthropomorphic take on Fliipino culture and here, the main protagonist is flirting with two huge canines. Roger is of mongrel descent and Iñigo is a husky. 

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[Fantasia 2021] On A 12 Day Tale of the Monster that Died In 8…

When is a kaijū movie not a kaijū movie?

The 12 Day Tale of the Monster that Died in 8 (2020) - IMDbBy Ed Sum
(The Vintage Tempest)

Streaming online
Fantasia Film Fest 2021

Tickets can be bought here.

When is a kaijū movie not a kaijū movie? It’s when we’ll never get to see those giant monsters. We’re dealing with a new genre of films because a certain pandemic is changing the rules. The 12 Day Tale of the Monster that Died In 8 is one of many from filmmakers creating something while under lockdown.

In this story’s case, the fictional version of the filmmakers Iwai Shunji (co-director of Shin Godzilla) and Saitō Takumi believe they can make a monster out of capsule toys he bought online.

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Coming to Home Video, the Space Vampire!

As an experimental film, I’m rather enthralled by the use of repetition, colours and shapes used in the cinematography and video editing. There’s a meaning behind them all. I feel the gold and red represent spirituality and the life itself.

space vampire dsr nicki redo 1575x2100 100dpi v2 webBy Ed Sum
(The Vintage Tempest)


ReleaseDate:

Aug 17, 2021

Darkside Releasing
Available to pre-order here.

I can’t help but wonder if the Space Vampire is Carmilla? This film by Chris Alexander (better known for Queen of the Blood) begins the same. In Sheridan Le Fanu‘s own work, we see a mysterious woman (Ali Chappell) walking alone in a snowscape, towards an isolated house (presumably in Northern Ontario, where this filmmaker is from). That’s where the similarities end.

What’s different is in how this mysterious stranger in a tight black leather outfit is getting visions of who she was before becoming fully isolated to the entire environment she’s in. She’s no Black Widow either, but instead is just a person completely hypnotized. Another girl (Cheryl Singleton) is just as lost. However, it seems she is in control of her senses. This experimental movie seems perfect for Fantasia Fest, but for whatever reason, it didn’t make the cut. Thankfully Alexander got a distributor so fans of vampire and oblique films can take a look at the work for themselves.

Continue reading “Coming to Home Video, the Space Vampire!”

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