Midnight Screenings

Mel Gibson’s career is linked to movie characters who generally suffer like dogs. This holds true for his role in the thriller recently featured out of competition at a Cannes midnight screening. But this time around things are more painful for the drug dealers who threaten the life of a young woman, the daughter of a former motorcycle gang member who has a rap sheet as long as his tattooed forearm (played with gusto and characteristic self-deprecation by Mel Gibson, a recent KVIFF guest).

The Wild West, a few tough guys, a rescue mission to bring back a kidnapped woman, and an Indian tribe of troglodytes who like to indulge in cannibalism. These are the main ingredients of a Western adventure ride featuring a protein-infused cocktail that embraces violence and is most decidedly not for the squeamish.

When a father-and-son relationship gets stuck, just apply a liberal dose of grease. Literally. But what if your dad is a brutal murderer nicknamed the Greasy Strangler? And what if he also tries to interfere with your new girlfriend? And what if he has a gigantic penis? Remember, in an absurd comedy full of psychopaths, never skimp on the lube.

Hideo Suzuki once had big dreams of becoming a famous manga artist, but instead he slaves away as an assistant illustrator at a small publishing house. But everything changes when Tokyo is beset with an unknown virus that causes the inhabitants to turn into zombies. Diffident Hideo had better take his life into his own hands and become a hero.

The problem with working at a dry cleaners that fronts for a thriving hitman business is the fact that, sooner or later, your own dirty laundry needs attending to. So when the ghosts of his victims start pursuing the firm’s hottest hired gun night and day, it’s one hell of a problem. That is, unless you can find a medium who is able to communicate with them…

E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial as viewed by a 16-year-old girl with psychological issues is a repulsive-looking monster reminiscent of a misshapen embryo. How about that for the premise of a hallucinatory audiovisual ride pulsing with teenage angst and a creeping feeling of inappropriateness and disgust?