A documentary about people who play MMORPGs. It was ok. Nothing particularly innovative here, nothing new to add to the discussion. A few laughs, a few groans, as one would expect.

2 1/2 niqueheads [rating:25]

None of us ever have high expectations when it comes to Canadian movies but sometimes if you give them a chance they’re worth a shot. I found “Jack Brooks” to be a solid effort in terms of acting and monster effects. No CGI here, just good old makeup and costumes and they do the trick just fine. Of course it helps that the film is a comedy. The Big Bad certainly isn’t scary but he’s funny. This is another movie that greatly benefits from a Fantasia audience. Crowd reaction helps to make the ride more enjoyable. Having the makers of the movie there for a Q & A was also fun.

I felt the pacing was a little slow and it took awhile for the titular monster-slaying to come into play, but Trevor Matthews as Jack Brooks was compelling enough as a protagonist to keep me interested in his journey. This movie serves more or less as his origin story and sequels are no doubt being planned. Even from the trailer it was clear that this movie is an “Evil Dead” wannabe and the director/writer admitted as much, but just as “Evil Dead” is mindless fun, so too is “Jack Brooks”.

Joss Whedon obviously wasn’t an influence though and I would be remiss if I didn’t register my disappointment in the portrayal of the female characters. They are barely present and exist only to serve as cliches. Same as with the completely unnecessary racism of the opening segment. Not that I’m surprised. White men make movies about white men, for white men.

3 niqueheads at Fantasia, but probably only 2 as a rental.
[rating:30]

Everyone knows I’m not a huge fan of asian food, but the meals on display in this Korean film are delectable delights. They didn’t exactly whet my apetite but they gave me an appreciation for the beauty and skill involved in what is clearly an art form: the preparation of gourmet food. I’m sure foodies would be even more impressed, which is why I’m recommending this one to KingCasey.

The plot is multi-layered and involves a bit of a Korean history lesson along with the main story of rival chefs competing in a cooking competition. There are also several subplots at play, which keeps things moving along nicely and pad out the A story. I could have done without the comic relief coming in the form of a domestic violence subplot. The harpy-wife stereotype needs to go away now. Actually, beatings figured in the story in other ways as well. I can only imagine it’s a cultural thing since none of the characters seemed taken aback by the idea of corporal punishment used in cooking school. Weird. There were a couple of other moments where I felt like I might have been missing something because of a lack of familiarilty with Korean culture but I also feel like I came away with newfound knowledge of said culture.

My one other complaint is the underuse of the female lead. I understand they needed to throw in a love interest for the protagonist but she was really quite pointless. Towards the end it actually seemed like she might affect the plot but nope, she was just there to… well to be there I guess.

In spite of my few reservations, I enjoyed the experience. Once again, being at Fantasia makes it that much more memorable. There was one woman in the audience who had the most embarrassing laugh I’ve ever heard. She was thankfully trying to suppress it but everytime she laughed, a sound like that of a wailing dog, the rest of us couldn’t help but giggle at her. Poor woman, she must be very lonely. I can’t imagine anyone tolerating that noise on a regular basis.

Anyway, 3 niqueheads for Grand Chef. [rating:30]

So I guess these shorts were the best of the Ottawa Internatinal Animation Festival of 2007. It was, as one would expect, a mixed bag. Funny, cute, entertaining, weird, boring and at one point motion-sickness inducing.

3 niqueheads [rating:30]