‘NEW JACK FURY’ (SXSW 2025) An over-the-top, laugh-out-loud funny ode to 80s made-for-TV movies.

SXSW 2025_Website-SEO-3NEW JACK FURY

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Multi-hyphenate filmmaker Lanfia Wal brings a hilarious visual feast in his SXSW 2025 Midnighter feature, NEW JACK FURY. Straightlaced cop Dylan Gamble wants to take down a crime organization called the Styles Syndicate but gets fired before he can do so. A year later, Dylan’s obsession remains. After the Syndicate kidnaps his new girlfriend, he must team up with a small-time crook named Hendrix Moon and Moon’s arch-rival, a mild-mannered moonwalker named Leslie Kindall. Shenanigans ensue, and the audience is all the cooler for it.

Stylistically, I immediately think of Vera Drew’s The People’s Joker, from the visual aesthetic to the laugh-out-loud, unfiltered, tongue-in-cheek dialogue. It is a vibe. Think Grindhouse VHS meets movie of the week, and it is perfection.

new jack furyEvery single cast member nails it. I do not know if any dialogue is improvised, but every beat feels like a Groundlings sketch. It is akin to watching living muppets. Slow clap for this fully committed, genuinely awe-inspiring ensemble cast.

The graphic novel-style opening credits are spectacular. Completely absurd built-in commercials are chef’s kiss. A Street Fighter-esque scene is magic. The single-camera-style shooting further supports the theatrical feeling. NEW JACK FURY is precisely what SXSW audiences come for. It has cult-classic written all over it.

Ps- stick around during the credits for some behind-the-scenes fun. It is impossible not to love this film.

NEW JACK FURY Trailer:

 

photo of Lanfia Wal

Lanfia Wal

Lanfia Wal is a director, writer, producer, and VFX artist. Lanfia’s writing credits include being the lead writer on the Showmax/Canal+ crime drama ‘Crime & Justice’. He has also directed social media campaigns and music videos for record labels such as Def Jam and Shady Records. He was also a finalist for the 2024 PAGE Screenwriting awards.

Credits:

Director:

Lanfia Wal

Executive Producer:

Chris R. Jones

Producer:

Van White, Mariah Morgenstern, Denaun Porter, Lanfia Wal, Akino Childrey

Screenwriter:

Lanfia Wal

Cinematographer:

Jonathan Rigattieri

Editor:

Lanfia Wal

Production Designer:

Lanfia Wal

Sound Designer:

Nate Attias

Music:

Mr. Porter, Bobby “White Gold” Yewah, Amar “Vettrax” Dean, Choice Noble

Principal Cast:

Andre Hall, Page Kennedy, Dean “Michael Trapson” Morrow, Paul Wheeler, Ally Renee, Shawn Nathan, Wrekless Watson, Ace Vane, James Markham Hall, Jr., Vincent M. Ward

sxsw2025_banner_860For all things SXSW, click here!

 

‘CARNAGE FOR CHRISTMAS’ (Fantasia 2024) A murder podcaster’s unresolved trauma turns holiday horror in Alice Maio Mackay latest

Fantasia 2024 logo

CARNAGE FOR CHRISTMAS

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Alice Maio Mackay‘s fifth film makes its Montreal premiere at Fantasia 2024. CARNAGE FOR CHRISTMAS finds a murder podcast host answering a listener’s question, “How did you get into true crime?” Lola recounts a childhood hometown legend, then returns to said location for the Christmas holidays.

When the town’s queer population starts getting murdered, and with a sudden uptick in sightings of The Toy Maker, Lola digs into her expertise and goes over the heads of the local cops to try to find the killer.

CARNAGE_FOR_CHRISTMAS_STILLS_1_148_1Graphic novel animation serves as visually delightful childhood memories surrounding Lola’s backstory with the villain. The poster is undoubtedly an homage to Black Christmas, and the classic trope of a killer in a Santa suit plays, ala Silent Night Deadly Night, still rules.

The practical FX team nails it, aided by the slick editing. Speaking of, the editing and featured neon lighting feel like a calling card for Mackay and editor Vera Drew, Aka “The People’s Joker.” (A must-see feast for the eyes) If you’ve seen Mackay’s 2023 film T BLOCKERS, you’ll understand she’s building a brand here.

CARNAGE_FOR_CHRISTMAS_STILLS_1_327_1Jeremy Moineau gives Lola an effortlessly badass persona but beautifully balances toughness with authentic vulnerability. Her monologue about the town’s history is perfection.

Alice Maio Mackay provides a creative space for trans artists to thrive. CARNAGE FOR CHRISTMAS has a solid mystery and great performances. It is another sweet notch in Mackay’s stylistic belt.

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AUSTRALIA 2024 70 MINS OV ENGLISH

GENRE DramaHorrorLGBTQIA2S+


DIRECTOR

Alice Maio Mackay

PRODUCER

Alice Maio Mackay

WRITER

Alice Maio Mackay, Ben Pahl Robinson

CAST

Zairf ., Dominique Booth, Olivia Deeble, Jeremy Moineau, Tumelo Nthupi

COMPOSER

Alexander Taylor

EDITOR

Vera Drew


Remaining Screenings of Carnage For Christmas:

Wed July 24, 2024
5:00 PM

Fantasia 2024 posterFor all things Fantasia 2024, click here!

TIFF22 review: Midnight Madness selection ‘THE PEOPLE’S JOKER’ is a trans coming-of-age tale with eye-popping visuals and laughs to spare.

THE PEOPLE’S JOKER

An aspiring clown grappling with her gender identity combats a fascistic caped crusader, in writer-director Vera Drew’s uproariously subversive queer coming-of-age origin story.


Vera Drew‘s TIFF22 Midnight Madness feature, THE PEOPLE’S JOKER, is a visual explosion of mixed media deliciousness. Creatively autobiographical, watching the film is like taking ecstasy while simultaneously receiving an important message. Drew’s script overflows with biting satire about gender politics, comedy, and emotional healing. While we’re busy laughing and wondering how she got away with parodying DC, Disney, and other trademarks, she slyly exposes cyclical and deep-seated trauma.

 

I have to mention Nathan Faustyn by name. He plays Penguin with an unfiltered edge. Faustyn has incredible comic timing, and his chemistry with Vera is perfect. I want to see more of him in anything. Vera Drew speaks truth to power in a raw and undeniably hilarious manner. The writing is fearless, the performance is vulnerable, and her vision as a filmmaker is endlessly engrossing and quirky.

I adored the “bleeping” to avoid deadnaming. It was a quietly powerful device allowing Drew to address it head-on later in the film. Keep your ears sharp for voice cameos from Tim Heidecker and Bob Odenkirk. The original music is super catchy. Stick around through the credits for some extra treats. You’ll finally realize how expansive THE PEOPLE’S JOKER is. Each visual aspect comes from a different creative’s brilliant mind. This wild fandom mash-up is part confessional therapy session and another part cult coming-of-age indie.


United States of America, 2022
English
WORLD PREMIERE
92 minutes
Director
Vera Drew
Cast
Vera Drew, Vera Drew, Lynn Downey, Kane Distler, Nathan Faustyn, David Liebe Hart, Christian Calloway, Griffin Kramer, Phil Braun, Tim Heidecker, Ember Knight, Sarah Sherman
Cinematography
Nate Cornett
Editing
Vera Drew, Vera Drew
Executive Producers
Lindsay Cohen, Brian Alkerton, Bee Frederickson, Leo Kovalik, Jr., Johnee Reyna
Producer
Joey Lyons
Production Company
Haunted Gay Ride Productions
Production Designers
Laura Wheeler, Courtney McIntosh, Amy Smoot, Yesi Rego, Lauren Kezon
Screenplay
Vera Drew, Bri LeRose
Sound
Jake Robinson
Original Score
Justin Krol, Quinn Scharber, Ember Knight, Danni Rowan, Elias and the Error