Things To Come: Fantasia is coming! Preacher rules. Look up the Man in the High Castle.

Fantasia is coming!

Winter can wait. Montreal’s own Fantasia International Film Festival starts its 20th run on July 14, 2015. The program is unveiled on July 6. Once more I’m applying for a press pass, which I’m hoping will be granted so I can get you reviews from all them crazy movies. Fantasia has steadily grown in size, growing a little close to mainstream. I’ve always loved to describe this festival as the perfect punchline to the joke “a zombie, a robot and a ninja walk into a bar…” but it really has been known to give us amazing movies both in storyline and outlandish plots. I’ll let you know what movies I’m aiming for as soon as they’re available.

Speaking about winter, Game of Thrones has two episodes left. Tonight, we get the infamous ninth episode of the season which is known in previous years to contain a massive battle. Furthermore, it’s even titled Battle of the Bastards. That means I will need something else to fill the void. Or not. After all, Fantasia is bound to take all of my time once we hit middle July. I’ve been considering covering AMC’s Preacher, although the serial is already three episodes in. Four by tonight. Must everything I watch happen the same night of the week? Preacher was not in my plans, yet this series is breath of fresh- actually it’s more like fire and brimstone with a slap of insolence. Not quite sure I can review it if it’s going to go from crazy to insane every week, but so far I can’t help but enjoy it.

Already available out there from Amazon is the first season of The Man in the High Castle. Rather than a dystopian future, we get a dystopian 1962 where World War II has ended with a victory for Nazi Germany. The US has been turner into the Fourth Reich with a narrow strip to the West controlled by the Japanese called the Greater Pacific States. As a result, American citizens labour under the watchful and fascist Gestapo and the no less harsh Kempetay. In the midst of it all, one brave woman carries a film to the neutral zone that depicts the victory of the allies instead of their defeat. Is it an alternate history or is it made up?

Finally there’s a ton of other shows I need to catch up on. Daredevil’s Season Two. The Americans. The Expanse. Orphan Black. Orange is the New Black. So much TV series, so little time.

Fantasia’s upcoming dates: