Day 3 of our GIALLOWEEN and I desperately needed something fun...and exciting. So, I watched Astron 6's...The Editor.
This is what the spirit of giallo is all about, my Deviant friends! Even if I had to go to Canada to experience it. Astron 6 has been making quite the name for themselves in the past handful of years...creating stuff like Manborg, Father's Day and (one of my personal short film favorites) Insanophenia. They have created their very own brand and style of odd and hilarious left-field genre amazingness only available to those in the know. Well, my fellow Deviants...if you have never heard of Astron 6 before this article (slaps hand with disciplinary ruler)...I'm am officially putting you on notice. These kids are here to stay...and play within their own rules. Rules that only exist in a far off glorious land of NSFW ridiculousness that never betrays the viewer nor the roots from which their films are grown from. Enter the world of Astron 6.
So, I finally got my copy of The Editor...thanks to my friends over at DiablikDVD. They're the bestest. I poured myself a glass of J&B fine scotch whisky blend...and sat down to enjoy the film. Everything about The Editor feels so goddamn right. From the opening burlesque sequence (involving spinning nipple tassels and fire-eating!) to the very last twist at the end...this one fit the giallo bill in the most exquisite way.
Written and directed by Adam Brooks and Matthew Kennedy, the film feels like the intense love labor of long-time gialli fans who have taken upon themselves to deliver a heartfelt and funny take of the beloved Italian genre. While it does combine elements from other Italian supernatural stuff and polizia pictures...it is the giallo from where it mines most of its charm from. The filmmakers also manage to capture an authentic feel of the heyday of Italian genre cinema long gone. No scratch filters or post-production lighting effects in this one. They do everything by the book so, instantly, you are treated to something that truly feels like it might have been long lost in the vaults of Italy somewhere.
The story involves a fallen film editor named Rey Ciso (Adam Brooks) who was, at one point, on top of the world...until an unkind fate left him with wooden fingers on his right hand. Now he only cuts seedy cult films and grindhouse fare. Suddenly, the players in the new film that Rey is editing turn up dead...one-by-one...and now it is up to him to discover who the true killer is, since the police have him pegged as the main suspect.
While the synopsis is all kinds of awesome...the real fun is in the delivery. Mostly every player shines in the film...especially Brooks as Ciso. He grounds his character in a somewhat reality while everything else is going on around him, thus creating a virtual kinda journey for the viewer. All the Astron 6 regulars show up to this macabre party and bring their own personal style to the experience. Matthew Kennedy as Inspector Porfiry and Conor Sweeney as Cal Konitz (who delivers one of the most hilarious red herrings in gialli history) are spot on with their performances.
Tristan Risk, Samantha Hill (so great as Bella), legendary Udo Kier and Laurence R. Harvey are also stand-outs in a film that has a stellar cast. The only one that didn't do it for me was Paz de la Huerta. I really do try my best to enjoy her performances...but, they are all beginning to feel like each and every role blends into one another. She's got a lazy style that is beginning to test my patience. Still...she's not in the film too much that it would tamper any of the good.
Gore and nudity are the main ingredients in the Canadian giallo, my friends...and they are both handled with the utmost care. All of the FX is of the fine practical variety while the nudity tantalizes both sexes and everyone in between. God gifted us the heavenly Tristan Risk...so, we should all honor that gift by replaying the first 5 minutes of the film at least a few dozen times on rotation.
In the end...I was pleasantly surprised with what The Editor had in store. It is all pure hilarity without ever making this genre the joke. It pays respectful homage to all of the masters that have crafted the Italian cinematic landscape decades prior...while also breathing fresh life into that same cinematic landscape in the most entertaining way possible. Filmmakers are always trying to figure out how to resurrect old master works of art all the time...and the guys of Astron 6 are doing it in such a genuinely fun way...it is impossible not to admire. The Editor has my highest recommendation for gialli fans...and more importantly film fans everywhere. DO...NOT...MISS THIS ONE!
So, I finally got my copy of The Editor...thanks to my friends over at DiablikDVD. They're the bestest. I poured myself a glass of J&B fine scotch whisky blend...and sat down to enjoy the film. Everything about The Editor feels so goddamn right. From the opening burlesque sequence (involving spinning nipple tassels and fire-eating!) to the very last twist at the end...this one fit the giallo bill in the most exquisite way.
Written and directed by Adam Brooks and Matthew Kennedy, the film feels like the intense love labor of long-time gialli fans who have taken upon themselves to deliver a heartfelt and funny take of the beloved Italian genre. While it does combine elements from other Italian supernatural stuff and polizia pictures...it is the giallo from where it mines most of its charm from. The filmmakers also manage to capture an authentic feel of the heyday of Italian genre cinema long gone. No scratch filters or post-production lighting effects in this one. They do everything by the book so, instantly, you are treated to something that truly feels like it might have been long lost in the vaults of Italy somewhere.
The story involves a fallen film editor named Rey Ciso (Adam Brooks) who was, at one point, on top of the world...until an unkind fate left him with wooden fingers on his right hand. Now he only cuts seedy cult films and grindhouse fare. Suddenly, the players in the new film that Rey is editing turn up dead...one-by-one...and now it is up to him to discover who the true killer is, since the police have him pegged as the main suspect.
While the synopsis is all kinds of awesome...the real fun is in the delivery. Mostly every player shines in the film...especially Brooks as Ciso. He grounds his character in a somewhat reality while everything else is going on around him, thus creating a virtual kinda journey for the viewer. All the Astron 6 regulars show up to this macabre party and bring their own personal style to the experience. Matthew Kennedy as Inspector Porfiry and Conor Sweeney as Cal Konitz (who delivers one of the most hilarious red herrings in gialli history) are spot on with their performances.
Tristan Risk, Samantha Hill (so great as Bella), legendary Udo Kier and Laurence R. Harvey are also stand-outs in a film that has a stellar cast. The only one that didn't do it for me was Paz de la Huerta. I really do try my best to enjoy her performances...but, they are all beginning to feel like each and every role blends into one another. She's got a lazy style that is beginning to test my patience. Still...she's not in the film too much that it would tamper any of the good.
Gore and nudity are the main ingredients in the Canadian giallo, my friends...and they are both handled with the utmost care. All of the FX is of the fine practical variety while the nudity tantalizes both sexes and everyone in between. God gifted us the heavenly Tristan Risk...so, we should all honor that gift by replaying the first 5 minutes of the film at least a few dozen times on rotation.
In the end...I was pleasantly surprised with what The Editor had in store. It is all pure hilarity without ever making this genre the joke. It pays respectful homage to all of the masters that have crafted the Italian cinematic landscape decades prior...while also breathing fresh life into that same cinematic landscape in the most entertaining way possible. Filmmakers are always trying to figure out how to resurrect old master works of art all the time...and the guys of Astron 6 are doing it in such a genuinely fun way...it is impossible not to admire. The Editor has my highest recommendation for gialli fans...and more importantly film fans everywhere. DO...NOT...MISS THIS ONE!
Thanks for reading,
Peter Neal
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