Fantastic Fest '07: The Wrap-Up

(Click on the image above to head straight to Cinematical's Fantastic Fest 2007 photo gallery)

I just spent the last seven days at the 3rd annual Fantastic Fest in Austin, Texas ... and I think I need to start seeing a therapist. There's just no freakin' way that a person should be able to call this "work." But let's be honest: I'm lucky enough to attend festivals like Sundance, Toronto and SXSW -- and I do work my ass off during those weeks. But the Alamo Drafthouse's Fantastic Fest is more of a ... working vacation. Yeah, that's it.

How to explain the ceaseless deluge of movie-geek fun that was had at this year's event ... I have no idea. I suppose we could start with the people:

Fantastic Fest is the pulsating brainchild of Alamo Capo Tim League and his crack(-smoking) staff of hardcore movie geeks. Were it not for the passion, the knowledge, and the non-stop nerdiness of Zach Carlson, Lars Nilssen, Keir-La Janisse, Henri Mazza and the wonderful Karrie League, Fantastic Fest would be more like Mildly Diverting Fest. (And that's just not worth a trip across the country.) The Alamofos also have a stellar programming crew that includes the likes of Harry Knowles, Matt Dentler, Blake Ethridge, Todd Brown, and a small handful of people I'm forgetting right now but will definitely add in later once the emails start rolling in. But the bottom line is this: Call it a genre fest or call it a "geek mecca," but I can assure you that Fantastic Fest is programmed by grade-A, die-hard, 6-movie-a-day maniacs. Everything else is just gravy.

The venue: If you're talking about sheer convenience, tastiness and movie-chat debates that rage on for hours, Fantastic Fest just might be the finest film festival in the universe. All of the screenings are held in the Alamo Drafthouse (South Lamar location). The theater dedicates three of its six screens to the festival, which means you can pop on in to see 3:10 to Yuma or The King of Kong if you need a break from the freaky Fantastic fare. (Sissy.) And while I'm sure you already know the following information, it does bear repeating: The Alamo is just as cool a restaurant as it is a movie theater. Beers, fries, salads, shakes, steaks, you name it and you can eat it during a screening of the ultra-gory Wrong Turn 2. And that's just fun.Visit during Fantastic Fest, during SXSW, or just any random Tuesday and you'll be a fan of The Drafthouse in less time than it takes to watch a new Jason Statham movie.

The movies: Although I was not on the programming committee, I did offer a few tips to Mr. League on a handful of titles. And since Tim is a very brilliant man, he took (most of) my advice and tons of tips from his globe-trotting movie-pickers. The result was a powerfully effective slate that, by all accounts, was a big step up from Year Two. You've seen a bunch of our Fantastic Fest reviews already (plus Twitchfilm has also been covering the hell out of the event), but the festival favorites seem to have been Timecrimes, Spiral, Diary of the Dead, Sex and Death 101 and The Girl Next Door. Plus, thanks to Tim's tenacity and much assistance from AICN, the Surprise Screenings were both well-attended and widely-enjoyed. Those titles were: Southland Tales (Richard Kelly's final cut), Persepolis (a fantastic piece of French animation that you'll be hearing more about soon), Dainipponjin (aka Big Man Japan aka pure lunacy), (the awesome) The Orphanage, and Paul Thomas Anderson's excellent There Will Be Blood -- which (despite its title) is in NO WAY a "genre" film. Pure period-piece drama, and a definite lock for numerous year-end accolades.

So while some may choose to dismiss Fantastic Fest as a "geek event," I'd contend that it's fast becoming a haven for filmmakers who care more about movies than they do press junkets and non-stop paparazzi. But perhaps I'm just biased. Not to drop names obnoxiously, but over the course of this year's Fantastic Fest, I got to share meals, drinks, cigarettes and/or conversations with A) George Romero, B) Richard Kelly, C) Paul Thomas Anderson and D) Uwe Boll. And get this: All four of the filmmakers were accessible to the badge-holders! They shook hands and shared conversations! No entourages or bodyguards or publicists shoving the ticket-buyers out of the way. What universe is this? Same goes for "new guys" like Adam Green, Joe Lynch, Maurice Deveraux, Gregory Wilson and actors like Joel David Moore, Zack Ward, Patton Oswalt, Grant Show and Pollyanna McIntosh. At this festival, all you really need is the guts to introduce yourself and something interesting to say.

The very best part of Fantastic Fest (and this is where it leaves almost every other festival in the dust) is the attitude. When you arrive it almost feels like a week-long horror-geek summer camp reunion. Screenings are invariably punctuated by long and passionate movie debates in the Alamo lobby and the smoking section out front. There you'll find movie critics and bloggers, first-time directors and smiling actors, festival volunteers and helpful staff -- all talking about the movie(s) they just watched. There's no artifice, no pretense, no bullshit. So again (and on behalf of the Cinematical team) I'd like to once again thank the Fantastic Fest posse for A) treating everyone like gold, B) showing us a damn good time, and (most importantly) C) showcasing a whole bunch of freakishly cool movies. FF may be "just a genre festival," but it's also the most enjoyable week of my movie-riddled year.



And yes, we have pics! Click through and try not to laugh at how bald, sweaty and/or double-chinned I may look. I can assure you I'm much better-looking than cameras indicate.