MONSTER FEST 2013 DIARY # 7

Last night (Wednesday) I made the split-second decision to catch the encore screening of Stu Simpson's CHOCOLATE STRAWBERRY VANILLA. I was keen to see it again and my girlfriend was also eager to watch it having listened to my high praise. So we both got home from work, scoffed down dinner and made a b-line to the city. We arrived a little early and hung around in the foyer. We caught Glenn Maynard for a few minutes and had a chat. He was worried that I'd talked the film up too much and that my partner would have unrealistic expectations. Ha. Glenn - if you're reading this - she loved it! Watching it for the second time solidified my veneration. I came away from it with even more respect than the first time. The crowd responded well again and the Q&A which followed was even more casual and informative than the first time. Definitely my favourite film of the festival. 

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Cut to: tonight - BIG ASS SPIDER - KICK ASS MOVIE! Take a wander around this site and you'll see my devotion to creature-features splattered all over the place. I fucking live for this shit! This is a film I was most definitely looking forward to and I lapped up every schlocky second of it. I don't need to explain the movie. It speaks for itself but the quick run-down is this... There's giant mutant spider on the loose in LA and where the military can't stop it, a funny-guy bug-buster and his newly appointed latino side-kick sure as hell can! The movie starts with one of the coolest opening sequences I've seen in yonks. It's a wickedly captured slow motion pan of our heroes' march into battle. Chaos surrounds him, mass panic, military engagement and one big ass spider! Right from the get-go, despite this being a b-movie, you know you're in safe hands. 

A note to those people who walked into the cinema mid-way through this sequence and asked other people (who'd already arrived) to move - NOT COOL! You ruined this part of the movie for them and if it were me, I'd 'av been royally pissed!

But I digress. Its a super fun movie and really well made. Being a creature-feature it's tongue is planted firmly in it's cheek and its go-go-go all the way through. Very funny and unexpectedly scary at times, this would have to be the most fun film at Monster Fest this year. The audience seemed to love it. There's nothing better than laughing along with an entire audience. Clearly everyone "got it". Another great night. 

And so that marks my second last session for Monster Fest. Tomorrow night will be it for me - unless I can manage to wrangle the time to squeeze one more film in - I'll try. I started the evening exhausted but BIS ASS SPIDER totally picked me up. Make a fucking sequel already... I want more! 

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