Chattanooga Film Fest 2020 Recap: Part 1

Part 1 of Brandon Vick's recap of the 2020 Chattanooga Film Festival is here!

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DEMENTER

A psychological thriller that aims to shock, but is a bore instead with not much going on upstairs. Katie Groshong plays Katie, a former backwoods cult member who is in search of redemption. She potentially finds it by becoming a caregiver for special needs adults, but the demons she thought she escaped never left. Writer and director Chad Crawford Kinkle uses repetitive images and sayings, animal sacrifices, and a mysterious sign that represents God knows what to deliver his saturated satanic themes. Additionally, his depiction of one’s grip on another isn’t as stirring as it should be. What it all builds up to isn’t worth it, and the lack of suspense and inventiveness that’s felt throughout surely has something to do with it.

THE VICE GUIDE TO BIGFOOT

Director Zach Lamplugh’s Bigfoot mockumentary has a specific kind of humor that audiences will either instantly connect with or they won’t. Those familiar with VICE’s real docs will no doubt embrace it and be the most invested. The premise revolves around a reporter (Brian Edmond), who is fed up with the fluff assignments he’s been given and demands to be taken more seriously, finds out he was passed up on a promotion as he and his best bud/producer (Lamplugh) are on their way to meet a famed cryptozoologist named Jeff (Jeff Stephenson). The three of them test each other’s patience big time, and discover more out in the foothills than the legendary Sasquatch.

A lot of this is ridiculous, which is the point, and it’s smart enough to not take itself seriously. It has something to say about news today and the clickbait crap that consumes us too. With that said, for a comedy, the laughs don’t come as constant as I had hoped and many jokes come across as contrived. Lamplugh and his cast are on to something with what they’re trying to convey, yet it still feels like a missed opportunity in the end.

ATTACK OF THE DEMONS

A blood splattering animation about a demon apocalypse that’s coming straight for a small town in Colorado during their Halloween Festival celebration. Directed and animated by Eric Power, the freedom this format gives to go disgusting and destructive is apparent and it definitely doesn’t shy away from such. The style is also stellar, but with a bland voice cast and standard-issue storytelling borrowed from the 80’s – it runs out of energy too quickly to only be 75 minutes long. Being visually impressive doesn’t give it a pass if everything else isn’t equally enthralling.

MORE CHATTANOOGA FILM FESTIVAL 2020 COVERAGE

Brittany Fernandez: Features
Brittany Fernandez: Live Events
Brittany Fernandez: Shorts

Brandon Vick is a member of The Music City Film Critics’ Association, the resident film critic of the SoBros Network, and the star of The Vick’s Flicks Podcast. Follow him on Twitter @SirBrandonV and be sure to search #VicksFlicks for all of his latest movie reviews.

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