MONSTER FEST VII: THE HOMECOMING

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I live way out in the Yarra Valley, which means I have a fair way to travel to and from Monster Fest each day.  I will never complain about it because I love where I live, but there's no doubt that I am running out of steam already. By the time I get home each night and write reviews (plus blog entries) I am not hitting the pillow until 4AM. This morning my alarm went off an hour earlier because today is election day in Victoria. I had to hit the poll-booth before hitting the road and like the idiot I am, I had no loose change on me to buy a democracy sausage (fucking idiot)... 

One of the perks to living in the country is all of the amazing places to eat. I stopped off at a small general store and indulged in a post-Monster breakfast. A fat bacon & egg roll on a cold wet morning while overlooking a vineyard certainly helped boost my morale. And if chowing down this morning wasn't energising enough, the general store had an entire massive VIDEO RENTAL WALL on display with a huge collection of titles. Yeah, I'm kicking myself that I didn't get a photo of it, but I DID get a photo of my brekky... wanna see?  

I arrived early (true to form) and found the only table left at the cafe below Cinema Nova. It was tucked right down the back as if awaiting my arrival. And so with a long-black coffee and my laptop on hand I sat for an hour and prepared for the day's mission. The first cab off the rank was one of the late comers to the Monster Fest line-up, HELL FEST, which would have to be the most fun I've had watching a horror movie in the longest time. This one really got me going and you can click the link below to read my review. 

That unfortunate conflict of scheduling meant that I was unable to attend this year's trivia competition - John CarpenTrivia. Jarret was on hand to oversee the proceedings and by all accounts it was an awesome afternoon of nerdy hijinks. It kicked off at 12:30 and took place in the Nova bar with festival devotees chomping at the bit to show off their cultish licks. The J-man sent me a few photos from the afternoon and I think they speak for themselves. Sidenote: FakeShemp would have won (of course) if we were representin' hehe.   Side-Sidenote: I got another coffee from a nearby organic joint. Same coffee, different place... Imma Say it... Organic Coffee tastes like shit! 

Next up was one of my most anticipated screenings on the schedule, the 25th anniversary of BAD BOY BUBBY. Star of the film Nicholas Hope was in attendance and gave time to meet and greet people before the screening. I'm not one to usually ask celebrities for photos but I made an exception. This one was special because BAD BOY BUBBY is easily one of my favourite Australian films by one of my favourite fimmakers. 

Nicholas was gracious and genuinely interested in who I was and what I did. We had a chat about Rolf de Heer and also the work I do, and then we had our photo taken. Excuse this shitty pic from my phone... there will be an official photo posted on Monster's social media soon. ​

And then... THE HOUSE THAT JACK BUILT, which is the latest film from the notorious provocateur Lars Von Trier. I will have a full review posted for you in the coming days, but I will say that it was a totally mesmerising and dare I say awe-inspiring odyssey. It wasn't without its faults, however it made for a memorable screening and left a lot of food for thought before I get stuck into my review. 

Review coming soon.

Likewise with Puppet Master: The Littlest Reich. With today's line up crossing over into the AM I have not got enough time to bring you a fully comprehensive diary entry complete with reviews. I will have plenty of them within the next 48 hours. I will say this, however... Puppet Master was a bloody belter!! 

Review coming soon.

And finally, here's a review I DO have ready for you right now. I was not able to attend the world premier of Matthew Victor Pastor's new film MAGANDA: PINOY BOY VS MILK MAN. When the session sold out Monster asked if I would settle for a screener instead, in order to give a seat to someone else. The choice was mine and I was happy to give it up. And so I was lucky enough to see the film last week through a media screener, and wow... MVP has outdone himself. Click the banner below to read my full review. 

And that just about sums up day number three at Monster Fest. It was a massive day, and as I write this at 2AM I am thinking about those poor bastards who have committed to Monster's all night marathon. They've got far more stamina than I do, that's for sure. 

Please stop by to check up on this diary entry in a few days when I will have published all of the reviews and added a few extra pieces of commentary. But for now it's time for bed because in a few hours time.... we go again!

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