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[Fantasia 2021] Building a “Kratt” to Conquer Boredom

Kratt is one of those types of horror comedies that I can see underperforming because not everyone is familiar with Estonian folklore.

Fantasia Film Festival 2021
Screening Online until Aug 25, 2021
Tickets can be purchased here.

Kratt is one of those types of horror comedies that I can see underperforming because not everyone is familiar with Estonian folklore. Technically, there is no creature to fear. Instead, it’s what the kids fear as they spend a summer without technology, and at grandmother’s house! They can’t run away, but find friends to play with.

Writer/director Rasmus Merivoo crafted a wickedly funny fable which considers what tweens can do when left on their own. They’ll have to create their own entertainment and after making local friends, they find a spell book and make a golem. However, unlike the traditional Jewish servant of lore, who is inherently neutral, answering to their master’s commands, the Kratt will deviate when no further work is asked of it. It’ll turn on their master and kill.

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Barely Scratching the Surface on the “Skinwalker”

I secretly wanted his work to connect to the latest folklore, but alas no signs of aliens from Mars are spotted here.

October Coast
Now Available on VOD & DVD

It’s rare to get a movie about the Weird West these days. When it concerns Skinwalker, also the title, I couldn’t help but want to look at Robert Conway’s film. His take in what the Indian legends of these shapeshifters are about is easier to understand, but it has nothing to do with recent investigations of a certain highly secure ranch. I secretly wanted his work to connect to the latest folklore, but alas no signs of aliens from Mars are spotted here.

Instead, we have a very traditional horror tale set in the yesteryears of American colonization. Two cowboys disturb a grave and the chaos that erupts is true to form. The items they stole are haunted, and are a beacon for the spirit to follow. This director also tosses in a few moments in how locals treat the indigenous tribes. And when the dead want justice, there’s certainly hell to pay. If only a voice for the tribal children lost in the residential schools in Canada also existed….

The film begins by showing two cowboys (Nathaniel Burns and Conway) not knowing any better about the stuff they found. Instead of a creature completely ethereal trying to be reasonable with these grave-robbers, it’s simply out for blood. Real-life interpretations of the Skinwalker say it can take on the shape of anyone. So why couldn’t it become someone these robbers know and try to be reasonable? Ghosts are rarely that in entertainment, but when considering the human mind can’t comprehend the paranormal, their flight instead of fight response is normal.

I like the setup and there’s an air of trying to be authentic, but there are times the dialogue doesn’t always measure up. In what is basically a zombie film, anything that’s authentically characteristic about the folklore of the Skinwalkers is not there. Maybe this filmmaker should’ve spent more time reading Louis L’amour than going for a Wild Wild West (the TV series) meets Evil Dead.

3 Stars out of 5

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Py3e3_TqDTY

It’s no ‘Brain Freeze’ that Montreal’s Fantasia’s Going Digital for a 2nd Year

Fantasia is proud to be opening its upcoming edition with the World Premiere of a major Québécois genre feature – Julien Knafo’s Brain Freeze.

The Fantasia International Film Festival will be celebrating its 25th edition as a virtual event accessible to audiences across Canada, with a dynamic program of scheduled screenings and premieres, panels, and workshops running from August 5 through August 25, 2021, once again using the leading-edge platform created by Festival Scope and Shift72.

As the summer approaches, the festival will be following advice from local health authorities, with the possibility of also adding a range of flagship physical events to the lineup.

Last summer’s virtual edition was a phenomenal success, screening to 85000 spectators and amassing a record amount of media coverage, with 475 accredited journalists from around the world covering Fantasia and its titles. The lineup showcased 104 features, a quarter of which were World Premieres, with the majority securing distribution out of the festival, with highlights including The Block Island Sound selling to Netflix, Come True to IFC, The Paper Tigers to WellGo USA, Anything for Jackson to Shudder, PVT Chat to Dark Star, and Minor Premise to Utopia.

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Everything You Wanna Know About Resident Evil on 4K But Were Afraid to Ask…

This collection includes Resident Evil, Resident Evil: Apocalypse (both the original theatrical version and an extended cut), Resident Evil: Extinction, Resident Evil: Afterlife, Resident Evil: Retribution and Resident Evil: The Final Chapter as well as hours of bonus content across all six films, including rare archival featurettes that have been previously unavailable on disc.

Skinwalker Release Date:
November 17th, 2020

There’s no need to do the moonwalk or squeal in delight like Michael Jackson just yet. The news is thrilling enough, and to figure out what Umbrella Corporation is up to may well fully get answered in this release of all the Resident Evil movies!

One of the most successful live-action video game film franchises of all time gets an upgrade when the RESIDENT EVIL 4K ULTRA HD COLLECTION arrives next month from Sony Pictures Home Entertainment. This limited-edition gift set marks the first time that fans will be able to experience all six films on 4K Ultra HD disc with High Dynamic Range and Dolby ATMOS audio. The films will also be available digitally in 4K with HDR.

This collection includes Resident Evil, Resident Evil: Apocalypse (both the original theatrical version and an extended cut), Resident Evil: Extinction, Resident Evil: Afterlife, Resident Evil: Retribution and Resident Evil: The Final Chapter as well as hours of bonus content across all six films, including rare archival featurettes that have been previously unavailable on disc.

Based on the popular video game series by Capcom, the Resident Evil franchise stars Milla Jovovich (The Fifth Element) as Alice, a superhuman security expert pitted against the sinister Umbrella Corporation as the world’s population is transformed into flesh-eating creatures by one of its most dangerous biological weapons.

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Leaving Behind that Train to Busan in Peninsula

By Ed Sum
(The Vintage Tempest)

Release Date:
August 7, 2020 (Canada)
August 12, 2020 (USA)

No prior knowledge is needed to enjoy Peninsula (반도) a side story set in a world of Train to Busan. All fans have to know is that most of South Asia has succumbed to the zombie pandemic and nobody is working on a cure to this mystery disease. The Walking Dead is everywhere and the premise is not too different from Robert Kirkman’s epic. Zones of infestation are declared and the timing of this release cannot be any more ironic when considering the current medical crisis happening right now.

Marine Captain Jung-seok (Gang Dong-won) could have saved Min-jung (Lee Jung-hyun) and her family who was also fleeing Incheon. However, he chose not to not because there was lack of room, but he was scared. Nobody knew how this deadly virus transmitted. It’s a dog eat dog world in this cinematic universe and it’s also rare to get second chances to right what’s wrong.

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Zombies come to Webtoon Digital Platform in Rot & Ruin!

Jonathan Maberry’s young adult post-apocalyptic zombie series, Rot & Ruin is not only getting developed for film but also is now available to read online through the Webtoon App (iOS and Android). This program allows users to choose what genres they like and also art styles. Since there’s a huge diversity in how artists like to draw, this additional filter is welcomed. Various signup options are available to access the huge number of free comics available.

The comic book series was originally published back in 2014. While the first three issues are available to read for free, further releases will require purchasing. For those who don’t want to wait, tracking down the comic books released by IDW Publishing shouldn’t be too hard. Five issues have been released to date, and there’s also the graphic novel, Warrior Smart.

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