Second Wave of Fantastic Fest 2014 Films + Closing Night Film

We are three weeks away until Fantastic Fest. Kind of amazing to think about. This year, I am blessed to bring Mike Hassler with me. We will be seeing as many films as our eyeballs will see and writing as many reviews as our fingers will allow us. Take a look at the second wave announcement below and don’t forget to look at the first wave and my predictions of what might play at the fest (I didn’t fare well with the Second Wave). As before, I have included the trailers for all the films, if available, announced in this wave.

From the Press Release

Austin, TX – Wednesday, August 27, 2014 – Celebrating its 10th anniversary, Fantastic Fest is excited to announce the second wave of events, special guests and film programming. Fantastic Fest 2014 takes place September 18-25th in Austin, Texas at the newly reopened Alamo South Lamar and Highball.

 We are also excited to announce that we are closing the festival with the red carpet US premiere of Dan Gilroy’s highly anticipated NIGHTCRAWLER, a pulse-pounding thriller set in the nocturnal underbelly of contemporary Los Angeles. Written and directed by Dan Gilroy, who will be in attendance at the festival, NIGHTCRAWLER stars Jake Gyllenhaal as Lou Bloom, a driven young man desperate for work who discovers the high-speed world of L.A. crime journalism. Also starring in NIGHTCRAWLER are Bill Paxton, Rene Russo and Riz Ahmed.  

 For its 10th anniversary, Fantastic Fest is also going all out with celebratory events and special programming, including:

 Fantastic Debates will pack a serious punch this year. Fantastic Fest’s long-running showcase of verbal/physical combat is being amped up by a call to battle from Matt Mason Chief Content Officer for BitTorrent, Inc. Mason is placing an open call to all fighters to tackle the debate of whether BitTorrent.com is a valuable tool for creative artists or a playground for theft.

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In addition to the torrent debate, there will be a full undercard settling a range of topics with right hooks and sharp tongues alike.  Check out Matt Mason’s pre-fight video HERE and if you would like to fight Matt in the Debates, you can submit your challenge to fantasticfest.com/fight for more info.

 “This is the first Fantastic Debate in which we have a debater / fighter issuing an open challenge to anyone willing to step into the ring. It’s a bold move and one I’m happy not to take on: Matt Mason can fight,” said Tim League, CEO / Founder of Alamo Drafthouse & Fantastic Fest. “On the film front, we’re really excited to bring Keanu back and welcome Dan Gilroy to Fantastic Fest for the first time with his stunning directorial debut.”

 Fantastic Fest also marks an important milestone for the Alamo Drafthouse theater chain with the grand reopening of its flagship destination at South Lamar and the all-new Highball. Under construction for the past two years, the new theaters boast three new screens (9 total), and completely rebuilt Highball bar, and 7 custom-designed karaoke rooms that are sure to melt the mind.

 See below for the second lineup of programming at this year’s festival.

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ABSENT ONE, THE

Denmark, 2014

World Premiere,  119 min

Director – Mikkel Nørgaard

Police investigators dig into the facts of a twenty year old double homicide in a desperate race to find a likely witness before the killers have the chance to silence her forever.

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AS SEEN BY THE REST (ULIDAVARU KANDANTE)

India, 2014

North American Premiere

Director – Rakshit Shetty

Mystery abounds in this fractured gangster story from Karnataka, India. Shades of SCARFACE, PULP FICTION and RASHOMON color Rakshit Shetty’s entrancing story of good, evil and something else…

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BLIND

Norway,  2014

Texas Premiere, 96 min

Director – Eskil Vogt

This debut gem from Eskil Vogt follows Ingrid who, having recently lost her sight, exists only in her apartment with her thoughts as a means of escape…

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THE CREEPING GARDEN

United Kingdom, 2014

US Premiere, 81 min

Directors – Tim Grabham and Jasper Sharp

The slime mould: a form of microbial life with behavior somewhere between plant and animal and capable of primitive intelligence. Unusual? Yes, and just wait until you meet the people who study them…

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DEAD SNOW 2: RED VS DEAD (DØD SNØ 2)

Norway-Icelans, 2014

Texas Premiere, 100 min

Director – Tommy Wirkola

Lone survivor Martin must enlist help from America to battle Colonel Herzog and his horde in this wild sequel to the original Norwegian Nazi zombie film.

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The below is a clip from a Vice documentary on the same subject matter. THIS IS NOT A TRAILER FOR THE FILM.

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DWARVES KINGDOM

United States, 2014

World Premiere, 80 min

Director – Matthew Salton

Some have called The Kingdom of Little People the most offensive theme park in the world. DWARVES KINGDOM takes us inside to meet its performer residents.

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THE EDITOR

Canada, 2014

US Premiere, 102 min

Director – Adam Brooks and Matthew Kennedy

A one-handed film editor finds himself the prime suspect after a series of violent murders start happening around him in this knowing tribute to giallo from the crazy minds at Astron-6!

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ELECTRIC BOOGALOO: THE WILD, UNTOLD STORY OF CANNON FILMS

Australia, 2014

US Premiere, 107 min

Director – Mark Hartley

Mark Hartley brings his singular documentary style to the story of Menahem Golan and Yoram Globus, the trailblazers behind exploitation powerhouse studio Cannon Films.

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FELT

United States, 2014

World Premiere, 79 min

Director – Jason Banker

A young artist loses herself in an unpredictable alter ego while attempting to cope with past trauma in this gripping sophomore effort from the creator of TOAD ROAD.

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FORCE MAJEURE (TURIST)

Sweden, 2014

US Premiere, 118 min

Director – Ruben Östlund

An upper middle-class family’s fragile existence is torn apart when a near tragedy occurs during a ski vacation and the two parents are forced confront the reality of each other’s reactions.

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Courtesy of Twitch

FREE FALL

Hungary, 2014

North American Premiere, 89 min

Director – GYÖRGY PÁLFI

The director of TAXIDERMIA returns with seven stories of the mundanely bizarre.

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I AM HERE

Denmark, 2014

World Premiere, 97 min

Director – Anders Morgenthaler

A powerful business executive wanders down a dark path in order to have the child she desperately needs in this shocking piece from the director of 2007’s unusual animation PRINCESS.

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I AM TRASH (NANEUN SSEURAEGIDA)

South Korea, 2014

World Premiere, 97 min

Director – Lee SANG-WOO

Three emotionally damaged brothers must deal with the aftermath of their father

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IN ORDER OF DISAPPEARANCE

Norway, 2014

Texas Premiere, 115 min

Director –  Hans Petter Moland

The director and star of A SOMEWHAT GENTLE MAN team up once again and the result is a brutal and darkly funny tale of snow, giant machinery and revenge.

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JOHN WICK

United States, 2014

Gala Screening, 96 min

Directors – David Leitch and Chad Stahelski

An ex-hitman comes out of retirement to track down the gangsters that took everything from him. With New York City as his bullet-riddled playground, JOHN WICK (Keanu Reeves) is a fresh and stylized take on the “assassin genre”.

JOHN WICK opens nationwide on October 24, 2014.

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There seems to be no trailer available for this but there is a short clip from the film.

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MAN FROM RENO (RINO KARA KITA OTOKO)

Japan-United States, 2014

Austin Premiere, 111 min

Director – Dave Boyle

A Japanese crime novelist in San Francisco tries to unravel a real life murder mystery in this acclaimed neo-noir featuring Takashi Miike regular Kazuki Kitamura.

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NECROPHOBIA 3D

Argentina, 2014

North American Premiere, 75 min

Director – Daniel De la Vega

A mentally fragile man must conquer his fear of death in order to stave off a killer’s advances.

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Editor’s Note: I included the fantastic Teaser trailer below the Theatrical Trailer.

NIGHTCRAWLER

United States, 2014

US Premiere, 117 min

Director – Dan Gilroy

NIGHTCRAWLER is a pulse-pounding thriller set in the nocturnal underbelly of contemporary Los Angeles. Jake Gyllenhaal stars as Lou Bloom, a driven young man desperate for work who discovers the high-speed world of L.A. crime journalism. Aided by Rene Russo as Nina, a veteran of the blood-sport that is local TV news, Lou blurs the line between observer and participant to become the star of his own story.Nightcrawler opens nationwide on October 31^st.

OFFICIAL FACEBOOK:http://Facebook.com/NightcrawlerMovie.

OFFICIAL TWITTER:http://Twitter.com/SeeNightcrawler

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OVER YOUR DEAD BODY (KUIME)

Japan, 2014

US Premiere, 90 min

Director – Takashi Miike

This adaptation of a classic ghost story is a powerful return to horror for Takashi Miike.

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PURGATORY

Spain, 2014

World Premiere, 83 min

Director – Pau Teixidor

A  woman must survive the night after she welcomes a neighbor’s child into her home.

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REALITI

New Zealand, 2014

North American Premiere, 95 min

Director – Jonathon King

A time-warping drug leaves a young media exec caught up in a criminal case while questioning the very nature of existence and reality.

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REDEEMER

Chile, 2014

World Premiere, 88 min

Director – Ernesto Díaz Espinosa

In order to atone for his past sins, he’ll not only kick your ass, he’ll impale your face and shred you to bits. Marko Zaror is the Redeemer!

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SPRING

US, 2014

US Premiere, 105 min

Directors – Justin Benson & Aaron Moorhead

After the death of his mother and a bar altercation that could mean jail time, Evan leaves California for Italy, where he falls for a mysterious young woman.

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THE TALE OF PRINCESS KAGUYA

Japan, 2014

US Premiere, 137 min

Director –  Isao Takahata

A breathtakingly animated tale of a woman, the men who want to control her, and the moon. The latest from Studio Ghibli.

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TOKYO TRIBE

Japan, 2014

US Premiere, 116 min

Director – Sion Sono

Festival favorite Sion Sono returns with an exercise in brash, colorful chaos pitting street gangs against one another in a bold hip hop musical.

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THE TREATMENT

Belgium, 2014

US Premiere, 127 min

Director – Hans Herbots

A police inspector with a dark past leads an increasingly personal manhunt when a nine-year-old child goes missing.

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WHISPERS BEHIND THE WALL

Germany, 2013

North American , 90 min

Director – Grzegorz Muskala

A naive young man falls for his beautiful-and very dangerous-landlord in this depraved voyeuristic thriller.

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Look for more film & event programming announcements for Fantastic Fest in the weeks ahead.

For ticketing and latest developments visit the Fantastic Fest official site www.fantasticfest.com and follow us on Facebook & Twitter.