Turns out that keeping this blog up to date is apparently not my forte. It is November. Fantastic Fest and TIFF both happened in September. You see the problem here.
I’ll make this short. I saw a chunk of movies out of both fests, but only reviewed a smaller chunk. So it goes. That chunk is chunked out below by fest.
TIFF:
Butcher’s Crossing: A somewhat over-pronounced anti-capitalist Western. Watching Nicolas Cage in this, the new golden era of his career, is wonderful, but the most memorable moment of the movie goes to Jeremy Bobb, dialing down the “asshole” requirement of his character for some real remorseful lamentations. (Via The Playlist.)
Viking: One of the best movies I caught from either festival: Melancholic, wryly funny, cleanly shot, and thoughtful, all without being aggressively French Canadian. (Via The Playlist.)
The Young Arsonists: Clumsy at times, guileless at others, but the anarchic youth energy captured by the filmmaking and the performances makes up for these faults. (Via The Playlist.)
Fantastic Fest:
Mister Organ: There are schmucks, and there are schlemiels, and as noted in my review, David Farrier was born fated to be the latter. Would be one of the best films of 2022, in my book, if it had a 2022 theatrical release date, but whenever it does come out, it has to be seen to be believed. Jaw-dropping. (Via The Playlist.)
Sick: Gideon Adlon and Bethlehem Million run from COVID, but they can’t outrun COVID reactionism or, y’know, slashers. Outstanding stuff. (Via The Playlist.)
A Constant Visual Feast 