What I'm totes looking forward to in this year's DIFF!

Hey cats and kittens, Javi here.  Next week marks the beginning of the annual Dallas International Film Festival hosted by the Dallas Film Society.  As we stated before, we will be covering this festival for the site.  In the interest of trying to get people hyped up for this awesome 10 day event, I figure we could highlight some of the movies we're looking forward to this year! Oh yea since everyone else is doing it, I'm not going to include BEING ELMO, even though I am looking forward to it.  

13 ASSASSINS

Cult director Takeshi Miike (Ichi the Killer, Audition) delivers a bravado period action film set at the end of Japan's feudal era in which a group of unemployed samurai are enlisted to bring down a sadistic lord and prevent him from ascending to the throne and plunging the country into a wartorn future.

This movie is one of big buzz hits coming out of South By Southwest, but honestly, I'm just excited to see more Asian cinema.  During last year's DIFF Korean Western THE GOOD, THE BAD, AND THE WEIRD ended up being one of my favorite movies of the year.  After seeing so much lackluster action lately (AHEM SUCKER PUNCH), I'm sure this will be tons of fun. 

THE LAST CIRCUS

1937, Spain is in the midst of the brutal Spanish Civil War. A circus clown is forcibly recruited by a militia in mid-performance. Still in his costume, he is handed a machete and he single-handedly massacres an entire platoon. This absurd and disturbing scenario raises the curtain on a twisted tale of love, revenge, and psychopathic clowns.-Sarah Harris

Honestly, I've heard about this movie from my friend Carolee.  This sounds like a freaky movie, just like all of the Midnight movies this year.  I had a bit of a Guillermo del Toro vibe from this with the psychopathic clown and the Spanish Civil War background. As a Mexican that is not well versed with Spanish movies this sounds like a great movie.  

DE DIA Y DE NOCHE (By Day And By Night)

In a post-apocalyptic world where overpopulation has run amuck, genetic manipulation becomes the answer to humanity's problem: make people sensitive to day. That way, people splits between the dwellers of the day and the denizens of night--at once breaking families apart and challenging the definition of a normal life. - Alex Garcia Topete

I am not know much about Mexican cinema, but I know that apparently every single movie from Mexico has to be super depressing, and somehow has to deal with drugs, gang life, and poor people.  But this 

awesome movie, has sci-fi! in Spanish! 

DAYDREAM NATION

Seventeen year-old Caroline Wexler (Kat Dennings) has just moved to a tiny, nowhere town where an industrial fire burns ceaselessly and a serial killer is claiming young victims. When Caroline realizes she has nothing in common with the permanently stoned kids that populate her new school, she pursues the one person she connects with - her handsome young teacher, Mr. Anderson (Josh Lucas).

Am I the only one that thought this was a documentary about Sonic Youth? Anyway, the premise of this movie sounds amazing, plus Kat Dennings in a less comedic role is always welcome.  This girl has always stolen the scenes in the movies she's been in and I hope that this is a good step into more serious roles.  

Well that's just some of the ones I'm personally looking forward to.  I'm sure as the festival draws nearer we'll have more must-see recommendations!  Stay tuned next week, we hope you're as excited as we are. 

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