FANTASIA - Week-end fantasy!

FANTASIA is a wonderful festival where your imagination can explore infinite possibilities! After the recent realities of COVID 19 and devastating racial unrest and injustice, I needed me some sugar!

I suggest you enjoy these gorgeous fantasies presented by Fantasia. 

The FIRST is A Mermaid in Paris. A disillusioned man, Gaspar played by Nicolas Duvauchelle, who works at Flowerburger, a magical secret cabaret that is family owned, finds a beautiful mermaid, Lula played by Marilyn Lima Lima, on his way home after work. In spite of the fact that the chant of a mermaid kills men he decides to bring her home to help her heal her tail fin. It is simply a beautiful beautiful film, not complicated and satisfying.

The above production will play again Sunday August 30 at 1:00 PM.

The SECOND, The Traveling Cat Chronicles is about a young man trying to find a home for his beloved cat Nana. We follow the duo through the gorgeous countryside as contender after contender are eliminated. As they travel, Satoru (Sôta Fukushi) relives his tragic life. It isn't until the end of the movie that we understand the journey the two companions have taken. Truly gorgeous esthetics amplify the deep friendship between Nana and Satoru.

This movie is On Demand, you have until September 2 to view it.

Enjoy the show!

-LENA GHIO   

FANTASIA: Let's talk about sex baby!

PVT Chat next screening 25 August 11:00 PM 

PVT CHAT

I was very curious about how the premise of this movie, "a film about the hyper-connectivity of contemporary life rooted in a verité New York City environment, PVT CHAT explores relationships and sex filtered through an online medium", would work as entertainment. Although the focus is on the evolving relationship between Jack (Peter Vack from 2017 Fantasia favourite ASSHOLES) and San-Francisco camgirl Scarlet (a magnetic Julia Fox) it reflects the claustrophobia and loneliness the COVID pandemic has forced us into. This makes the online relationship less odd since we have all been nurturing our relationships via the internet and social media. I was entertained in the same way Jack was by his voyeuristic obsession with Scarlet. The two actors bounce off each other successfully. It is not a deep movie or a cinematographic masterpiece but it is of its time.

Life: Untitled On Demand 

LIFE : Untitled

A Japanese movie that explores the daily lives of young people involved in the sex trade. We observe events through the eyes of  Kano (Sairi Ito from LOVE & OTHER CULTS, ASAKO I & II and THE NAKED DIRECTOR) who can't give in to performing sex acts with strangers but accepts being an employee of the escort agency. What stood out to me was the ongoing archetypes that women are trapped into. There are all kinds of women who join the escort service: quiet intellectuals, victims of child abuse, stupid and vicious girls. They all suffer from the same thing, how they are repressed by the ongoing misogyny that taints sex in general and prostitution in particular. 

The script comes from Kana Yamada who brilliantly weaves the excellent cast. On Demand

Morgana On Demand 

MORGANA

A classic journey of self-discovery by a mature woman who has been ignored by her husband and denied sex for many years. In spite of these years of loneliness and deprivation, Morgana Muses emerges as a porn star and filmmaker who gains recognition in the field winning accolades at Berlin Porn Film Festival for example. I was intrigued by the promotional image for the film where Morgana is wearing colorful ropes and feathers and looks quite alluring in spite of her age and weight. To me, Morgana is a performance artist. She expresses her inner states through elaborate imagery and performance. Isabel Peppard and Josie Hess form the directorial duo behind this visually colorful film. On Demand

-LENA GHIO 

FANTASIA - THE RECKONING - a revue

As I get ready to review THE RECKONING that I screened last night I have become aware that one of the writers, who is also the star of the movie, Charlotte Kirk, is embroiled in a second sex scandal 1 2 . Way to begin FANTASIA with a BANG! So last night's Q&A was cancelled.

I wont dwell on that. I prefer to talk about the movie per se. I was looking forward to this witchcraft movie based on 17th century witch hunts in England. A huge public was captivated by the success of Game of Thrones that brought wickedness and cruelty to a whole new level for prime time TV. I could not help but compare certain features for the visceral impact they had on me as I eagerly followed GOT. One was GOT's majestic soundtrack that immediately lit up my whole system with excited anticipation. This movie's soundtrack has no supporting beat to underline the tensions of the devastating events going on in the form of a plague. That would have enhanced the drama and the mood of the movie greatly. Instead the soundtrack and decor give the film a soap opera feel that is hard to shake.

Poire d'angoisse

Then there is the lack of logic in the sequencing of events. The heroine, Grace Haverstock played by Charlotte Kirk, is "tortured" for 3 days after her evil landlord accuses her of witchcraft because she wouldn't have sex with him ( incredibly ironic- ⇑ ). This information is made clear with inserts of the timeline on authentic reproductions of woodcuts depicting the witch hunts in England. The torture happens in an elegant foyer as opposed to a dingy dungeon as it occurred in history. For three days she is gently pocked with various tools including a vaginal torture with a   Poire d'angoisse that was widely used in Paris around the same time as the plot line is dated.

We are supposed to believe that a victim of so much horror, who has been bleeding for three days, without the benefit of antibiotics during a plague in the 17th century, then has the strength to wield a massive sword and successfully attack the men who have hurt her. AND don't get me started on the tiny baby doll that is totally distracting!

On the plus side there are a few well crafted death scenes.

I am sorry to say I was disappointed with this feature film BUT I would not have missed it!

-LENA GHIO 

FANTASIA - FREE COUNTRY

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Free Country is an atmospheric remake of the Alberto Rodríguez 2014 thriller Marshland but this one is set in post reunification of  Germany in the late 80s. In this version its Christian Alvart who reworks the complex script and raises parallels with fascist Spain and defeated Germany.

The movie opens to a somber soundtrack with a steady beat as the camera zooms over an autumnal desolate landscape. The crime to be investigated, the torture and murder of two teenage girls, occurs on what was the Soviet side. Poverty and hopelessness is everywhere which provides the killer with ample preys in the form of young girls who want better lives.

Two out-of-town detectives, Patrick Stein (Trystan Pütter) and Markus Bach (an unforgettable Felix Kramer) are in charge of the investigation amid political turmoil. Patrick is a well known detective with a brilliant reputation while Markus has a dubious reputation as a bully. Twists and turns keep us on the edge of our seat until the final denouement where reality slaps Patrick in the face one more time.

This film is On Demand so you can watch it whenever you want during the festival.

-LENA GHIO 

GETTING READY FOR FANTASIA FEST 2020 this Thursday August 20 2020

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The 2020 virtual edition of FANTASIA will launch this Thursday with THE RECKONING at 19:00 is a good old fashioned witch movie unfolding during a deadly epidemic. The film is directed by Neil Marshall who also worked on THE DESCENT, DOG SOLDIERS, DOOMSDAY, CENTURION, his episodes of GAME OF THRONES, BLACK SAILS and WESTWORLD to name a few. I have my ticket for this movie and will review it this week-end.

And SPECIAL ACTORS , a story about young actors engaged to play ordinary people in real circumstances, as in playing a stand-in at weddings or funerals who are hired to rescue a girl from a cult, plays at 21:45. 

The virtual edition of the Festival has special protocols. Feature films like those above will be seen at specific times so you must plan your schedule. You have until 5 minutes before the movie to buy your ticket. Some titles are on demand, these will be available anytime. Follow this link for all the details.

There are many free features: MON PREMIER FANTASIA and LES FANTASTIQUES WEEK-END DU CINÉMA QUÉBÉCOIS. There is an incredible line-up of great weird scary bloody fantasy thriller horror movies that you can watch in your own home with your loved ones. Get that popcorn ready and make your list of movies. 

See you soon!

-LENA GHIO 

Healing Mandalas

Mandala July 1 2019 © Lena Ghio  

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NOW

Times of uncertainty and planetary transformations on the crust of our home, the Earth, are the norm.  Humanity has thrived on our planet in spite of its shameful flaws and mistreatment of the very dear being that is our life source. 2020 has brought humanity to its knees with a deadly mysterious virus that stopped the destructive machine of human greed for one moment so nature could take a breath. 

Any sane person would feel sad or hopeless in the current chaos. That is a sign of intelligence.

There is only one choice facing humanity: choose to regenerate the Earth or die! This is true regardless of any individual's social, racial, gender or economic demographic. The amazing thing the quarantine has shown me is that the human world absolutely can operate at a scale where nature is protected. 

For most of us watching the spectacle of madmen ruled by greed and fools motivated by ignorance endangering the population and our planet, it is very disconcerting. It is possible that you are caught up in the traps set out by contemporary technology to devour your attention for the benefit of the few. So I am proposing the following exercise as a starting point for you tap your creative force and use it to generate for yourself an oasis of peace and prosperity. 

THE HEALING MANDALA

Process drawings by Le Corbusier 

A Clue From Architects

I have reduced the elements needed for the spiritual and psychological exercise of producing Healing Mandalas to only the very basic tools and materials: a pen or pencil and a sheet of paper. There is so much power in those tools that underline the beginning of everything we build. Plus those modest tools will reconnect you with the archetypes of human creativity.

I learned this through my multiple visits to the CCA. These are documented on this blog. The Canadian Centre for Architecture is a wonderful place where you can engage in the world of architecture and understand how important a role it plays in the physical world we live in.

What impressed me the most is how architects begin their work with simple pencil sketches that look awful and from there work out all they will need to materialize their visions from understanding the impact of lunar phases on the environment to the complexities of integrating the various religious needs of the people in a neighborhood.

One of Le Corbusier's UNESCO landmark buildings.

Let's Get It Started

I did the attached Mandalas in the summer of 2019 at a particular edge in my life. I had been living in the country in a room I rented from my brother after losing 95% of my worldly possessions and any advances I made with my blog. My lease was coming to an end and I had no idea where I could go or how I would get there. At the same time I tried to stay connected as much as I could to any semblance of my life I could and advance my transdisciplinary practice.

To work on this article I used the music of the Black Eyed Peas. It is great if you have music that energizes you as you work on your Mandalas.

What you must learn from the samples of my Mandalas in the gif below is how the psychic content evolves and organizes every day I produce a drawing. This is how various elements of our psyche rally to come up with a resolution, a process that should help you reconcile your moments of fear sadness doubt into a power healing process!

Process 

Begin by identifying something you want resolved, no matter what it is, from doing your wash to solving an equation to reconciling a relationship to solving how you will find what you need in the future whether it is food, a home or money. Once you have done that, draw a dot in the center of a page of  paper and then let yourself go wild expressing your inner content in words symbols abstract designs! GO!

Conclude by drawing a circle around your work. This process brings together your need to find clarity in the present with the need to find your way in the future.

You can share your process on my Facebook page! PUMP IT!!!

If you want to read more about the psychological foundation of using Mandala exercises read this brilliant except by N. Chaudhary:

Mandala - Semantic Scholar

. 

Sequence of Mandalas 2019 ©  Lena Ghio  

-LENA GHIO 

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MON CIRQUE À MOI

Patrick Huard (Bill) et Jasmine Lemée (Laura) dans Mon Cirque à Moi 

Ce film est une merveille! Dès les premières scènes qui illustrent la dynamique entre ce père et sa petite fille on embarque dans une période charnière touchante qui va transformer ces deux personnes qui s'adorent.

BRAVO Myriam Bouchard et Martin Forget pour un scénario délicat qui dévoile avec tendresse  le début de l'adolescence des jeunes filles. Comme vous pouvez constater par la belle photo qui entête l'article, le visuel du film est exquis. 

Sur tous les points qui me concernent quand je fais la critique d'un film j'ai été satisfaite. La distribution est parfaite. Patrick Huard dans le rôle de Bill, un père dont la profession est d'être un clown, est à la fois drôle et sensible. Jasmine Lemée dans le rôle de Laura est captivante. Ses beaux grands yeux percent le coeur et on veut tout pour cette petite fille qui est dans une impasse impossible pour une enfant. 

Jean Lapointe a un rôle mineur mais ça fait plaisir de le voir à l'écran. Il est Guédille et sa conjointe, Galoche, est joué par nulle autre que Louise Latraverse. Sophie Laurin interprète Patricia, la prof blasée qui va aider Laura à faire son chemin. 

Le visuel souligne la culture du cirque qui est très forte au Québec donc c'est pertinent de l'illustrer dans un tel film.

Ce merveilleux film ouvre en salle ce vendredi 14 août!

BON VISIONNEMENT!

Lena Ghio