Hole In The Head 2007 - Day 10 (Preview)

SFIndieFest's 2007 [Another] Hole In The Head continues at the Roxie in San Francisco. I've been fortunate enough this year to have access to previews of nearly the entire festival (since I'm in Atlanta, now), and I'll be posting 'previews' two days in advance of each day's screenings. Woo hoo!

Day 10, Sunday, June 10, ROCKS!! I don't know about the three animated programs in the afternoon, but the evening programs are a study in contrasts, and they're both great!

"Jerome Bixby's The Man From Earth" (dir. Richard Schenkman, US, 2007, 90 mins.) is, in my humble opinion, quite simply the best if not THE brilliant screenplay of this festival. Is it great 'cinema'? Maybe not, as it plays out more like a stage play than a film. However, the philosophical gymnastics the characters engage in is riveting. Tony Todd's voice is mesmerizing. David Lee Smith does a creditable job as the central figure who has challenged nearly everything this group of friends believe by revealing that he is 14,000 years old. Richard Riehle is finally allowed to give a stunning performance. The rest of the cast is serviceable, though I would have to say that William Katt is just a bit distracting as he is showing his age in not the most flattering of ways. The script is the final piece of work by Jerome Bixby before his death, which adds an even more surreal element to the project. My recommendation is that you have a latte' or Red Bull, get all caffeinated out of your mind to keep up with some of the twists and arguments that are brilliantly crammed into a highly dense 90 minutes.

On the flip side of the cinematic coin is "The Last House in the Woods" (Il Bosco Fuori) (dir. Gabrielle Albanesi, Italy, 2006, 85 mins.). There is simply BUCKETS of BLOOD here! In fact, the set literally becomes a Slip-n-Slide of gore! The carnage is so joyously drawn out, that it becomes nearly operatic, as some classic Italian horror can be. Mind you, I was a bit lost in the actually screenplay, as far as who was who and why they were doing what they were. However, once the chainsaws are released, and limbs are flying off akimbo, any verbalization or analysis of motive is moot. Just RUN or DIE!! I. LOVED. IT!

Maxxxxx says
re "Jerome Bixby's The Man From Earth": "wooooooo....!"
re ""The Last House in the Woods" (Il Bosco Fuori): "Sweet, sweet eye juice!"