Hole In The Head 2007 - Day 9 (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!

After a week of mostly encore screenings, Saturday, aka Day 9, blasts away with no less than four premiere programs. (No, there was nothing to report for 'Day 8'.)

Part of the animation sidebar, "Race" (dir. Robert Brouseau, USA, 2007, 90 mins. approximately) has a script reminiscent, if not relying upon the 'Star Wars' saga and looks like an X-Box game. In fact, my roommate thought I had run out and gotten a Sega when he saw the film up on the screen. Technically, it is proficient and professional enough to look at that it is never visually dull. However, the plot, though murky and a bit confusing in detail as it attempts to create its own 'mythology', it is still quite predictable as far as the outcome is concerned. Will the humans survive? Well, I'll let you guess.

Predictability is also a feature of the next pair of zombie flicks. "Zombie Farm" (dir. B. Luciano Barsuglia, US, 2007, 84 mins.) attempts camp-zombie-cheesiness, but the flick just misses and is actually, well... bad. In fact, there are moments that it crosses the line into racially offensive. However one tries to cut Barsuglia a break in the hope that he is the next 'Peter-Bad Taste-Jackson', the project just doesn't have the energy or pacing to be a remarkable spoof, nor an entertaining gore-fest.

Neither does "Automoton Transfusion" (dir. Steven Miller, US, 2006, 80 mins.), which is a teenage zombie flick and puports to be the first of a trilogy. Though Miller does build up some energy and pacing to the climax, he then cheats the audience with the finale. I did, however, have some great laughs during some of the gorefest, which is always appreciated.

It is preceded by "Of Darkness" (dir. Gary Irwin, 2007, US, 21 mins.), which totally creeped me out! Even though the cast left something to be desired at the beginning, I came to believe that it was all part of Irwin's disarming master plan. I actually cared more for this small group of pre-teens within the short 20 minutes than the entire cast of the two zombie flicks which accompany it. Miller also provides a fabulous shocker of an ending!

"Driller" (dir. Jason Kartalian, USA, 2007, 88 mins.) Oh dear. As it feels unfair to beat it when it's down, I'm just going to leave this one alone. Definitely NOT recommended.



Maxxxxx says
re "Race", "Zombie Farm", "Driller": "Shhhhhhit."
re "Automaton Transfusion": "Hee hee hee hee hee..."
re "Of Darkness": "Wooooooo!"