Fantastic Fest 2010: The Most Fantastic Things We Saw

It isn't just great film programming at the Alamo Drafthouse in Austin.  It is comfortable seating, great projection and audio facilities and, yes, some really great food and drink.

I ate so much "bad ass queso" that guacamole started coming out of the corners of my eyes.

The milkshakes can't be beat, either, and here are two of my pals (Neil from Film School Rejects and Peter from SlashFilm) enjoying one of these fine low-calorie products.

A common theme among many of the films this year was REVENGE.  While many of the films delved deep into brutality, the film that hit me the hardest kept most of its horror psychological.

The Korean film Bedevilled is one that is sure to get an art house release once it's done with the festival circuit, and you should definitely check it out.  Take a look at my full review.

Fantastic Fest is big on spectacle.  The closing night party was thrity minutes outside of Austin in a restoration village known as "Ghost Town."

As beer and tequila flowed there were knife-throwing lessons, a Mariachi band, a video projector featuring the "100 Best Kills" and a roasted 500 pound cow allegedly named "Tasty." 

Most impressive was a psychopath getting zapped by two Tesla coils to music.  The "band" is called Arc Attack - and later in the show they set up a cage where Alamo Drafthouse owner Tim League, Timecrimes director Nacho Vigolando and Elijah Wood got consumed by electricity.

Here's video of ArcAttack doing a tune you might know.

I'm going to make a really bold statement:  Redline is the craziest (non-pornographic) anime I've ever seen.

At least that's what I thought when it was over at 3 AM and it was the fifth movie I'd seen that day.