“Animale”
Camargue, France – Nejma trains hard to win the local bullfighting competition. When she is mauled after a celebration, she starts to notice disturbing changes. News of a rogue bull on the loose terrifies the community, killing young men.
Nejma (Oulaya Amamra) works on a bull farm in France, training for the local bullfighting competition. This is a different type of bullfighting than is usually depicted in films. In this bullfighting, the bull has items attached to its horns, such as pieces of cloth, that the fighter approaches the bull to try to claim, with each piece worth a set amount of money. After her first competition, Nejma goes to party with the other competitors and is mauled by a bull. Soon, she notices alarming changes in herself while a loose bull begins killing the young men who work on the farm.
“Animale” offers its share of body horror. Director Emma Benestan’s work takes a subdued and less in-your-face approach to the content, playing the film out as more of a drama. Lead actress Oulaya Amamra carries the movie well, and the film is nicely shot. Unfortunately, this is a movie that didn’t entirely work for me. One of my major issues involves using a couple of heavily implied plot points that are then explicitly revealed in the final moments, leaving a bad taste. It was intriguing enough to keep you watching but ultimately unsatisfying.
“Animale” recently had its North American Premiere on September 20th at Fantastic Fest 2024
“Dead Talents Society”
“Dead Talents Society” follows ghosts who want to become the spookiest of urban legends and most successful and famous stars in the underworld through their scare tactics and performances amongst the living.
Director John Hsu’s film has an interesting premise — ghosts competing to be the best haunter. It’s a blood-drenched comedic romp about a rookie ghost (Gingle Wang) attempting to create an urban legend to ensure she doesn’t disappear (the ghost version of death). The characters are likable, and the story has a sweetness (despite all the bloodshed). Everything is played for laughs, so I’d think even the squeamish could handle this. However, I feel like the mechanics of the afterlife in this film aren’t entirely worked out. Some things don’t make sense, asking the audience to go along for the ride. If you can do that, you’ll probably enjoy this movie.
“Dead Talents Society” recently had its US Premiere on September 20th at Fantastic Fest 2024
“Anora”
Anora, a young sex worker from Brooklyn, meets and impulsively marries the son of an oligarch. Once the news reaches Russia, her fairytale is threatened as the parents set out for New York to get the marriage annulled.
Ani (Mikey Madison) works as an erotic dancer for a club. When a customer, Ivan (Mark Eydelshteyn), requests a dancer who can speak Russian, she finds herself caught up in a whirlwind romance culminating in a marriage in Las Vegas. It’s all fun and games until Ivan’s wealthy parents find out about the wedding and unleash a series of events to get the marriage annulled.
Directed by Sean Baker, “Anora” is a modern-day Cinderella story, except the dream is imploding on this Cinderella. Baker plays the movie as a very explicit romantic drama for the first half of the film, allowing the viewers to connect with the two lovers before he drops a hectic and surprisingly humorous second act. The programmer compared this to a screwball comedy—the comparison is apt.
This is a nicely made film with excellent photography and a good score, and the actors are all in top form. Madison particularly shines as the foul-mouthed dancer fighting for her marriage. Karren Karagulian, who plays Toros, the man Ivan’s father sends to check on him, is also excellent. The movie has a good rhythm, although it does start to feel a little long in the tooth by the final scene.
“Anora” has been receiving considerable acclaim on the festival circuit, notably winning the Palme d’Or at Cannes this year. While I thought it was a good movie, it didn’t quite live up to the hype, so dampen your expectations a bit.
“Anora” recently had its Austin Premiere on September 20th at Fantastic Fest 2024
“The Rule of Jenny Pen”
Confined to a secluded rest home and trapped within his stroke-ridden body, a former Judge must stop an elderly psychopath who employs a child’s puppet to abuse the home’s residents with deadly consequences.
Geoffrey Rush stars as a judge who goes to live in a nursing home following a stroke. There, he and the other inhabitants are terrorized by a fellow resident (John Lithgow) and his hand puppet, Jenny Pen.
“The Rule of Jenny Pen” is a devastating movie. It focuses on the care and well-being of the elderly in our communities and how society frequently marginalizes them and leaves them in less-than-ideal conditions.
This is more of a horror-related film than a straight horror movie. The horrors of growing older are front and center as we see Rush’s character continually decline. The cast’s performances are well-handled. Lithgow, in particular, is completely unhinged, a psychopath without an ounce of empathy in his body.
Directed by James Ashcroft, the film features some standout sequences. My favorite involves the camera observing a bathtub early on in the movie. It’s a simple but intense sequence that’s beautifully shot and handled.
Unfortunately, this is another movie that overstays its welcome. Based on a short story, “The Rule of Jenny Pen” would have been better as a shorter film. The ending drags on, and some elements throughout the movie get more than a little repetitive. I also had a problem with how Lithgow’s character so easily got away with everything he was doing. Did this nursing home not have security cameras?
In the Q&A after the movie, Ashcroft and the screenwriter, Eli Kent, stated they are working on an adaptation of Grady Hendrix’s book ‘How to Sell a Haunted House.’ These guys seem like a good fit for that novel, which also features a hand puppet, so I’m looking forward to checking that out.
“The Rule of Jenny Pen” recently had its World Premiere on September 19th at Fantastic Fest 2024
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