Fantastic Fest Day One
Wow what a fucking day one. I was ecstatic to find out I was able to pick all 4 movies I wanted to see. I was pretty skeptical of the new ticket system but everything seems to be good so far. Without further ado here are my reviews.

First Squad
I cant believe I started off the day with this piece of shit. I was hoping this wasnt a sign for how the rest of the day was going to be and luckily it wasnt. This was an anime that was a co production between a Russian and Japanese company. The movie is a supernatural World War 2 story that is based around some actual historical facts. Its basically about this psychic girl thats part of a secret Russisan paranormal team called the First Squad. She is the only remaining survivor and she has to help thwart a German plot to raise some medieval General and super soldier from the dead to destroy the Russian front. Sounds interesting but its handled piss poor. Their is very little action and what little bit it shows is very uninspired. The animation was average at best. The only cool things about the movie was it had actual interviews with real people throughout the movie trying to give it a different feel but the problem is that it had way too many snippets of that. Also the soundtrack by DJ Krush was pretty cool. Overall it was a snoozefest. Final Rating 3/10

Merantau
Holy shit where the fuck did this movie come from? Oh yeah Indonesia. This movie kicked me square. Im just now taking the ice pack off my junk. Not even sure where to start with this movie. The best single description I can think of is the movie is like if Tony Jaa actually starred in a professionally made movie. Ive watched hundreds of martial arts movies in my life and I can attest that this is some of the best martial arts cinematography that ive ever seen. It has the perfect balance of far away shots and the more modern western technique of handheld "shaky" cam. Also he does a sweeping and low shots that all work to perfection. The story is nothing unique but it doesnt really have to be. Its basically about this dude named Yuda that goes to the big city to find his place in life. When he arrives he helps an innocent lady and gets tangled up with some bad guys. The main "baddie" is a stereotypical crime boss white guy. But the movie is filmed so professionally and well acted you can help but to go with the flow. It comes close to being too melodramatic but never really crossed the line for me. The martial arts itself is an Indonesian style called Silat that works well on camera. While Tony Jaa may be the current king of screen martial arts this dude Iko Uwais is not far behind. He may even have a leg up in the acting department. When they introduced the movie they said that he was just a truck driver and this was his first acting role of any kind. Im looking forward to more from this dude for sure. Also the musical score and soundtrack kicked ass. The only minor complaint I had was with some of the wirework in a few scenes didnt work. Still I highly recommend this movie and look forward to more work from Iko and director Gareth Evans who also did an awesome job. Final rating: 9/10

Macabre
I was intrigued by the concept of this movie. An Indonesian slasher/torture horror movie by two guys that call themselves the Mo Brothers. I know American torture horror is played out for the most part but I still enjoy watching foreign takes on the genre. The movie is pretty simple. A group of 6 friends pick up a stranded girl and take her home to her house out in the countryside. When they arrive her mother convinces them to stay and eat a gratitude meal she's prepared for them with her two twisted sons. Pretty soon after the meal the bloodshed begins. And I mean blood....more blood...and even more blood. The first 2/3rds of the movie was average but the blood hits the fan in the last act. There are a few torture moments that really worked but there was also a lot of slasher elements with chases in the woods and around a dark house. There is also a slight supernatural element that really worked for me.Overall I had a fun time. It you enjoy something different but still familiar such as Frontieres then you would probaly dig this movie. Final Rating: 7/10

Rec 2
I absolutely loved the first Rec. Its easily in my top 10 horror movies this decade. Even though the same directors were back I was worried that it would feel rushed or just thrown together. I can say it was pretty much what I was hoping it would be. The movie takes place immediately after the events of the first movie. There is a group of soldiers along with a Dr. that go to the building to check it out. Its really hard to talk about the movie without spoiling some of the twists. Lets just say there is more to the Dr. than what he says there is and there is another element added to the mix that at least made it interesting. Im not sure if I totally buy into it but I commend them for doing something different. What it still succeeds at doing is conveying the claustraphobic feeling with this crazy people. There are now little kids and other infected people that are still fast and brutal as ever. Also some of the kills are crazy fun. To sum it up its not quite as good as the first but still a solid sequel. Final Rating: 8/10