Tag: Surrealism

When Plan 9 from Aliexpress is More Wildly Surreal Than Fantastical, You Gotta Buy It!

Diana Galimzyanova’s Plan 9 from Aliexpress is an experimental film which deserves watching at least once for how well it trapezes through the history of cinema.

Plan 9 From Aliexpress Movie PosterSpoiler Alert

When I heard about the Russian-made movie titled Plan 9 from Aliexpress, I couldn’t help but wonder if it’s a parody of the online Chinese retail giant. Instead, it’s a very absurdist comedy cum fantasy I’m sure fans of Monty Python would love. In my case, I thought I was viewing an episode of iCarly (2007 version). That’s because of how the world reacts, as though knowing there’s a camera following them in their adventure, and broadcasting their antics to a streaming service like Twitch, for all to see.

According to seasoned filmmaker Diana Galimzyanova, her work is a trash comedy, and it contains some dark elements to it. In the official story synopsis: “When an unstable Gothic Princess (alternatively played by Ekaterina Dar, Elizaveta Shulyak and Lilit Karapetyan) wants to kill herself Prince Charming (Anton Medov) steals her rope, she must find him to get her rope back and commit suicide.”

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Once Within a Time – A Captivating Art House Film for the Ages!

Perhaps the most amazing aspect of Once Within a Time is with the casting of Mike Tyson as “a prophet.”

Once Within A Time Movie PosterRelease Date: Oct 20, 2023
Please visit the official website
for screenings near you.

Godfrey Reggio is not your typical filmmaker. He makes movies that are experiences. After watching his doomsday-fable Once Within a Time, I feel that he’s trying to show to audiences where he thinks humanity is headed by using collages of varying images to express it. Nearly every technique that was developed during the early age of film is used here.

That’s because his visual narrative begins with us staring at an audience looking at a stage, and the curtain opens with Yggdrasill (Sussan Deyhim) singing to us like that opera singer Plavalaguna from The Fifth Element. To note, this film is neither a truly fantasy and nor is it really fully science fiction.

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Is The Mole Song FINAL Reiji Kikukawa’s Swan Song at Fantasia 2022?

In The Mole Song FINAL, we see everything this filmmaker is famous for–off the wall action, a kinetic performance by his performers and tons of dirty jokes that’d make City Hunter blush.

Mole Song FINALPlaying at Fantasia 2022, July 25 6:35 PM at the Auditorium des diplômés de la SGWU (Théâtre Hall)
(Buy Tickets here)

Anybody not familiar with Takashi Miike’s The Mole Song trilogy might want to get all caught up before seeing The Mole Song FINAL (土竜の唄 FINAL). That’s because the last movie was made in 2016. Trying to remember why Reiji Kikukawa (Toma Ikuta) is undercover won’t be tough. He was kicked out of the police force because of the way he conducts himself, but secretly this disgrace was to give him a means in to infiltrate the Sukiya-kai, a ruthless yakuza organisation in the first film, and the Chinese Demon Skulls gang in the second.

One thing in common between movies is that we will see a nude Ikuta in the production. Usually, that’s at the start, and he has something to mask those bits, so not everyone has to avert their eyes.

With that warning out of the way, what’s presented is a high octane romp and adventure where Reiji attempts to climb up the ranks was not only difficult but also nearly life ending! After he’s earned Shuho Todoroki’s respect, he can subsequently try to get that one piece of evidence that will lock this ringleader up for good.

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[Fantasia 2021] I Want to Break Free! Prisoners of Ghostland

Instead of storming the fort, this champion better live up to the label of “Hero” in Prisoners of the Ghostland.

Prisoners of the Ghostland (2021)Playing
Aug 20, 9:45 PM
Cinéma Impérial
Montreal, Quebec
Tickets available to purchase online here.

Online Screening on 
Aug 23, 2021, 7:00 PM
Geolocked to Canada and tickets can be bought here.

Also coming to theatres and VOD Sept 17, 2021

Nick Cage will always be Nick Cage. He’s quite the “national treasure” in that regard. He’s a very versatile actor and I really have to wonder if he’s ever declined a role. These days, we’ve seen him as a butcher, baker, and candlestick mak—ok, perhaps not. The films of 2021 have made him a chef–and he’s an onary one in Pig–and Willy’s Wonderland. It’s amazing in how he carries this film without really speaking a lot.

In his latest, Prisoners of Ghostland, he’s a bank robber turned soft. He gets caught, and Cage’s character is given a chance at freedom if he can locate Bernice (Sofia Boutella). She ran away from her tormentor, The Governor (Bill Moseley) who rules Samurai Town. She went into hiding the neighbouring territory, Ghostland. This wasteland is where many refugees like to hide.

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Buñuel in the Labrynth of the Turtles

The animated look of Luis Buñuel by Salvador Simó is a captivating analysis and one I had to view a few times.

Labrynth of the Turtles
Available to stream on Amazon PrimeLabrynth of the Turtles

By Ed Sum
(The Vintage Tempest)

Released:
Nov 12, 2019

GKIDS & Shout! Factory

Mild Spoiler Alert

Ask any modern art critic what this medium is about, and you’ll get a variety of answers. It’s either a social call to arms, a reflection of life or nothing at all. Sometimes it’s easier to understand a talent’s work by examining the life and times. Anyone studying early film is likely to come across the works of Luis Buñuel. The animated look of this auteur by Salvador Simó is a captivating analysis and one I had to view a few times.

Buñuel in the Labyrinth of the Turtles concerns his attempt into the making Las Hurdes (Land Without Bread). The filmmaker was near broke because his last movie (L’Age d’Or) branded him a heretic and he needed a new investor if he’s examining an impoverished region with a higher than usual adoption rate. Also, the medieval conditions he saw was something he had to express (through surreal imagery) to the world through his own profound use of visual shock therapy.

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