Fantastic Fest 2010 Day Four: Agnosia and Fine Fall Breezes

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Today was a short day for me, and I'm wishing I had greater endurance. I managed to snag a ticket to the Fantastic Debates, where Michelle Rodriguez (Girlfight, Avatar) dukes it out with Tim League. The debates added boxing last year, and was a huge hit, not just because League challenged director Uwe Boll to a debate in the ring. But I need sleep, so I missed it. I also missed the celebration of Zack Carlson's publishing debut at the Destroy All Movies!!!: Class of 1984 screening. Never fear though, we will have some photographic coverage of the bouts ... errr ... debates.

But I didn't miss Carancho, because I'm a big Ricardo Darin fan. Carancho doesn't quite live up to my two favorite Darin films Nine Queens and The Secret in Their Eyes, but it's worth catching. I was also able to catch the restored 1960 version of The Housemaid. It's a trippy little film, and unfortunately I had to choose between the 2010 remake and the world premiere of Agnosia

Agnosia won, as I just had to see the follow-up to a Fantastic Fest inaugural year film called The Birthday, with Corey Feldman in one of his most memorable performances -- like you've never seen before. I think I still have the glossy booklet that was available at the screening somewhere around the house (it was beautifully photographed).  Director Eugenio Mira's latest feature has some stylistic similarities, but is a completely different movie, and not just a period piece.  It's another beautifully shot film, and one worth catching. 

Tomorrow I'm hoping to catch some films I had to miss on Friday, including We Are What We Are (Somos Lo Que Hay), Rubber, and A Somewhat Gentle Man, all of which I wasn't able to catch before.  And after a conversation with Karrie League, I'm fitting In the Attic into my schedule. 

What have I seen that you should see, too?  Looking over the schedule, and I have to point out Golden Slumber by the director of Fish Story because it's just that good.  I also recommend the Drawn and Quartered Animated Shorts, which has some incredible selections this year: Cages (Jualas) which played Cine Las Americas this year, Giant, where being helpful and humongous is a bad combination, the viral Pixel with datapop catchiness , and the mesmerizing Teclópolis which takes discarded objects and turns them into a nature versus technology cautionary tale. None of these films have dialogue, and they're all outstanding. Last but certainly not least is new Austin resident Don Hertzfeldt's absurd and hysterically funny tale of Wisdom Teeth, which adds to the bizarre baby theme going on this year.

Am I the only one exhausted already? But now it's half over, so things are hopefully going to be a little less crowded.  If today's weather is any indication, it'll be a great time to hang out at the picnic tables and catch up with friends.  OK, so Ashley Hazlewood and Moises Chuillan -- a Fantastic Fest staffer and his spouse -- aren't at the tables, but near them. But you get the picture.  I had to get a shot of Ashley's t-shirt, because it made me giggle.