Simplistic Preview: Fantasia International Film Fest 2023
The time has come once again where our friends from The Great White North unleash one of the best genre film festivals in the Northern Hemisphere; Fantasia International Fest is back with what looks like one of their biggest and most ambitious editions yet.
South Korea is taking center stage this year with several world premiers, restoration films and of course this year’s promo poster of Fantasia being the nine-tailed fox of legend and myth,
Add in a career achievement award to Nicolas Cage who will be honored with the Cheval Noir Career Achievement Award at this year’s festivities (John Woo, Cage’s director in the classic action flick, Face/Off, was a previous recipient) and you have a can’t miss event event,
With over 100 films being screened this year it might seem like a monumental task to even scratch the surface of what Fantasia has to offer in 2023, but good thing you have us at Simplistic Reviews to give you an idea of 10 films you can’t, or shouldn’t, miss at this year’s edition.
Empire V (Russia)
‘Empire V’ is a feature horror film banned from being shown in its home country of Russia due to its biting social satire. The film follows a 19-year-old Moscow nobody who receives an invitation to join an elite and powerful echelon of society, only to discover the bloody secrets of a vampiric dictatorship who have controlled humanity since time began.
LOVELY, DARK, AND DEEP (USA)
‘Lovely, Dark and Deep’ stars Georgina Campbell (BARBARIAN) as an isolated park ranger searching a dense forest for clues about her own dark past. The unnerving fever-dream of a debut from Teresa Sutherland (MIDNIGHT MASS) is a folkloric nightmare filled with lush, unforgettable imagery.
Mayhem! (France)
One of my favorite under-the-radar French Extreme films is ‘Frontier(s) from Xavier Gens, and it’s great to have him back with what looks like a blood-soaked revenge film with some incredible fights and some bone-snapping violence.
Give me all the ‘Mayhem!’
Where The Devil Roams (USA)
The new feature from The Adams Family (Toby Poser, John Adams, Zelda Adams), follows a family of traveling sideshow performers as they traverse Depression-era America on a bloody search for eternal life.
After the success of their last Fantasia premier, ‘Hellbender’ in 2021, this is near the top of my list of most anticipated features in 2023
What You Wish For (USA)
I’ve missed Nick Stahl. There’s always been something about his acting that I’ve liked.
In ‘What You Wish For’ Stahl plays a chef with gambling problems who flees to the Latin American villa of an old friend who appears to be living an extraordinary life. Envy soon turns to greed and then to something more unsettling for the chef when he assumes his friend's life.
Sympathy For The Devil (USA)
Joel Kinnaman plays a man who finds himself in a high-stakes game of cat and mouse where nothing is as it seems after being forced to drive a mysterious passenger at gunpoint in ‘Sympathy For The Devil.’
Nicolas Cage continues to push the limits where he’s channeling his recent mania in flicks like ‘Mandy’ and ‘Color Out Of Space’ and combining it with his early roles in ‘Vampire’s Kiss’ and ‘Wild At Heart.’
Romi (Canada)
AI takes control when a young woman hides out in a state-of-the-art smart home while evading the law. As her reality unravels, she discovers she's not the only one with secrets.
Based on the short film by the same name from Robert Cuffley, ‘Romi’ looks like a fun romp with a villainous AI at the controls.
River (Japan)
Mikoto works as a waitress at the Fujiya Inn, in a wintry valley town near Kyoto. As she stares momentarily into the river nearby – a blink, a lifetime – something feels off: the inn is looping… two minutes at a time!
That’s ‘River’ in a nutshell.
One of my favorite films from Fantasia in 2021 was ‘Beyond the Infinite Two Minutes’ and it’s great to have another time travel trip from Junta Yamaguchi.
Late Night With The Devil (Australia)
Trading in his polka dots for a suit with shoulder pads, David Dastmalchian unknowingly unleashes some prime time evil in ‘Late Night With The Devil.’
With a positive premier at 2023’s SXSW and the official stamp of approval from Stephen King ‘Devil’ makes it on this list mainly because of the raise of Dastmalchian and how he’s becoming one my favorite on-screen cinema weirdos.
Devils (South Korea)
Take ‘Face/Off’ and ‘I Saw The Devil’ and you have ‘Devils.’
This looks like an insane, over-the-top action-palooza from South Korea.
The 27th Edition of the Fantasia International Film Festival runs from July 20th to August 9th. Click right HERE for more information on the festival and stay tuned for more coverage from the weirdos at Simplistic Reviews.