Movie Review: A Town Called Panic

A Town Called Panic - A Films We Like Release

http://www.atowncalledpanic.com/

Release Date: February 5th, 2009 at AMC Yonge & Dundas

Rated G for mild language

Running time: 73 minutes

Stéphane Aubier (dir.)

Vincent Patar (dir.)

Stéphane Aubier (writer)

Vincent Patar (writer)

Stéphane Aubier as Cowboy (voice)

Bruce Ellison as Indian (voice)

Vincent Patar as Horse (voice)

Jeanne Balibar as Madame Longrée (voice)

Our reviews below:

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A Town Called Panic Review By John C.

** (out of 4)

A Town Called Panic is a strange, bizarre and downright weird animated film from Belgium. It has all the manic appeal of something an amateur animator would make. Some of it is clever and inventive, and there are a few moments of hilarity. But is it good? Well, good is a relative term. To someone else it might be. But for me, it’s not.

The first 15-20 minutes, where Cowboy and Indian are celebrating Horse’s birthday, is amusing. But once the film took a trip to the North Pole, and then to a weird underwater world with ugly fish-men, it completely lost me. It ends on a strange and confusing note, after it should have been over 55-minutes earlier. And it’s only 73-minutes long.

It’s a mildly interesting experiment, but nothing more. After seeing so many rave reviews as it made its way through the festival circuit, I get the appeal, but I’m just not sure what people think is so amazing about this thing.

Like I said, the first act is amusing. The second and third act just feel like a joke that has long since stopped being funny. There are a few good things about the film, but nowhere near enough to sustain it for a feature length film. It’s mildly worth checking out once, just for the strangeness of it all, and who knows, maybe you’ll be in the camp that likes it.

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A Town Called Panic Review By Erin V.

**3/4 (out of 4)

In A Town Called Manic ---> Panic, Cowboy and Indian are trying to find Horse a birthday present at the last minute. Once that is sorted out (kind of) it seems as though the tale is over, until more stuff happens - tons of seemingly random stuff. The characters get the walls of their house stolen, end up under the sea, and in the arctic with mad scientists inside of a giant snowball throwing robot penguin. Now, if this kind of manic sequence of ideas interests you, you might really like this film.

Granted, it was quite funny at times, and there were a couple of lines that I really laughed out loud at - but I was never quite sure if I was just laughing at the unexpected absurdity of it all, as things and lines happened rather out of the blue here it seemed. One consistent in the film though, is that everyone is panicking for one reason or another... In a hyper, “I forgot to do this which led to that, so now I’ll impulsively find some way that appears to fix this new problem, but doesn’t really”, kind of way.

The length of A Town Called Panic is 73 minutes long which felt like it extended a little bit longer then it maybe needed to, (and felt like the longest that I would sit watching it for). Still, it was fast paced enough to keep me entertained.

Basically, it was silly and didn’t make much sense most of the time, but I do admit that I kind of liked it. It’s very different and I would recommend at least checking it out (on DVD), either if you were amused by the trailer or are a fan of the original show. I was stuck on my rating for this one, and ended up finally giving it just under 3 stars. As a theatrical release, I couldn't really give it any more, but it's close for me - I found it amusing, but more for DVD.

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A Town Called Panic Review By Nicole

**1/2 (out of four)

Based on a Belgium television program, A Town Called Panic is a strange, manic journey through land and sea. Animated entirely with action figures, this wild and silly stop-motion film stars Cowboy, Indian, and Horse. It is Horses’ birthday, and Cowboy and Indian are looking for a present. This leads to a series of mishaps, which brings the trio underwater to these strange fish people. The story sort of made sense, until the part about the fish people.

This movie would have been better as a short film, as it is a little long at 76 minutes. I have not seen the TV program, so I can’t really comment on how the program might compare. Apparently, all the characters from the TV show are in the movie, including Madame Longrée, the hoof piano teacher, whom Horse falls in love with in the movie. But unless you are familiar with the TV show, the movie makes no sense. That being said, however, A Town Called Panic is worth checking out, as it does contain some laughs, and is different enough to see once.

Parents should be forewarned that the original French version has swearing in it, as does the subtitled version. (I have not seen the dubbed version, so I can’t comment). A Town Called Panic is a quirky film that would be just as good on DVD.

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A Town Called Panic Review By Maureen

**1/2 (out of 4)

A Town Called Panic could just as easily be called A Town Called Manic. Based on a popular stop-motion animated TV series in Belgium, A Town Called Panic is 73 minutes of totally over the top, oddly laugh out loud funny, mania.

The main characters, Cowboy, Indian, and Horse (Cheval) are basically plastic toys that are moved around in jerky stop-motion. The storyline is completely surreal and convoluted. I suppose it would help to know the original TV series. The film’s official website www.atowncalledpanic.com helps put things into perspective.

If you are an older teen or adult who is interested in all types of animation then this one’s for you. Just be prepared for a wild ride.

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A Town Called Panic Review By Tony

**1/2 (out of 4)

Panique au Village is a stop-motion animated feature based on the Belgian series of several years ago. With a lot of running gags, it is easy to see why it has a loyal cult following, but as a 73 minute feature, it was harder to sustain than the individual five minute shorts it was based on. Having never seen the series, I found it difficult to follow at times, particularly when it descended into subterranean and submarine worlds, but its flights of absurd fantasy provided lots of delightful surprises.

With its main characters of cowboy, Indian and horse action figures moving jerkily with weird voices through a papier maché world, it will not appeal to everyone, but is worth checking out.

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Consensus: A Town Called Panic is a film interesting enough to see once. Though its strange, manic qualities are somewhat appealing, if you're not familiar with the original series, it is confusing, and doesn't have quite enough to sustain itself for 73 minutes. **1/2 (Out of 4)

Part 2: Interview with Rupert Isaacson on the Book & Movie "The Horse Boy"

By John C.

Here is part 2 of my 2-part interview with Rupert Isaacson, author of the book and subject of the new documentary, The Horse Boy. Read part 1 here, and check back tomorrow for part 1 of my interview with The Horse Boy director Michael Orion Scott.

What were some of you favourite moments from this incredible journey of getting the film made, and the book written?

Well, for Kristen and I, I think the most defining moment was seeing Rowan do his first intentional poo, because if you soil your pants every 20 hours, you’re going to have no friends and a lot of trouble in the world. Once that dysfunction went, we were all so relieved. Also, I would have to say, seeing him make his first friend, and seeing the tantrums go. So, the whole thing was amazing, very bonding. Ghoste the Shaman said that we should do something with some type of healers at least once a year for 3 years, so we were in Africa last year, and then in Australia this year. We still see the leaps forward, all the while still doing Western therapies. This coming year we will probably be doing it in North America, with Native Americans. When you take these adventures with the family, it bonds you, and then, autism, this thing that people say will shut you down, becomes a very beautiful thing.

Are there any upcoming book or film projects you can tell us about?

We are filming, and we do continue to film, every healing journey we make. Will indeed Rowan get gradually less autistic until he's 9, like the Shamans said? Right now we're living that journey.

How have people been receiving the film?

I'm not a filmmaker, I'm a guy who made a film. I find that critics are in two camps. One side are saying ‘they’re exploiting their child, what about child privacy, etc.’, but those people are not in the position that we were in, and I hope that they never find themselves in that position. Critically, it doesn't matter, it’s more important that it helps people.

Did you see the film at Hot Docs?

I did go to Hot Docs.

Was it well received there?

Very much so. It's funny because most of the people in the audience were connected to autism, whether it’s a friend of theirs, or a family member. It’s present in 1 in 54 babies born now, I think. So, most of the questions we got were very practical. The audience asked the kinds of questions one would get around the dinner table.

What we really liked about this film was that it is one of the few really positive portrayals of autism.

Absolutely, it's a big scary thing, but that's only part of the story. There are also incredible gifts,and the in next film we want to explore, ‘what are these gifts?’. We’ve had the opportunity to meet with adults and young adults, all successful, in their own rites.

There are a lot of other, particularly fictional, films about autism, and Aspergers, coming out recently. Have you seen any of these films, and what do you think of them?

Well, I think it is a very big topic right now, because of the prevalence rate. I don't really have an opinion of it. If it gets people aware of it, then it's good. There are quite a lot coming out right know, in so many forms. Because autism is case by case, each one that's different, reflects the diversity. They all represent someone. Everyone’s different, that’s why you can try 30 therapies, before you find the one that works.

Specifically there were the two films Adam, and the animated one from Australia, Mary & Max.

I actually saw both those films at Sundance, and again, what both of those films do show, is that both of these people go on to lead interesting lives of their own. All of that aside though, Mary & Max is worth seeing even just for the interesting animation.

And also from what I’ve heard, Phillip Seymore Hoffman’s voice work is just spot-on.

Yes, he is excellent. It’s also just a wonderfully funny film.

Is there anything else you’d like to add today?

Perhaps just if people do have questions, they can contact us at www.horseboyfoundation.org, and if they want to see where the movies coming on, they can check out www.horseboymovie.com where the list of theatres playing it will be updated periodically. I suppose the distribution company in Canada, Films We Like, will have it on their site as well. People can definitely contact us. You guys in Canada I think, are quite lucky, since you do have so much nature around.

Thank you for taking the time to talk to me today.

It's my pleasure, thank you for calling.

One Movie, Five Views thanks Rupert Isaacson for taking the time for this interview. You can read our reviews of the film coming this Friday, November 13th, 2009.

Part 1: Interview with Rupert Isaacson on the Book & Movie "The Horse Boy"

By John C.

A few weeks ago, I spoke with Rupert Isaacson, author of The Horse Boy and subject of the new documentary. The interviews happened over the phone, and we spoke about everything from getting the movie made and book written, to what parents of autistic kids can do to help their children. Here’s part 1 of the interview. Part 2 is coming tomorrow.

Being familiar with autism and Aspergers on a personal level, what we all really liked about the book and movie is your feelings towards autism and it’s place in our society. Did you feel the same way before you took the journey to Mongolia?

I think I was definitely getting there. I had finished that feeling of grief that comes with the initial diagnoses, and had really started to see the gift of autism. What really solidified it in Mongolia, was seeing that people in other cultures really don’t see these differences as something to be fixed. It’s not like they just make a place in society because they have to, it is that this is seen as a different set of skills. There is no question that these are valuable individuals. In our culture, it is like there is no place, and there for it’s more about, how can we change you. Seeing other societies, and how they make a shift, is a very beautiful thing to see first hand.

How much did you know about Autism before Rowan’s diagnosis?

Not much. I’d gone to a Waldorf school when I was a kid, and there had been a couple of autistic kids there. Both of them were math geniuses, but they also had severe behavior issues. Now this was a while back, so they hadn’t as much knowledge about how to help them. Sort of, they were still trying to make square pegs go in round holes...

Was there a turning point for you when you realized that you weren’t going to cure your son, and realized that that was okay?

Very much so, because one of the great things about hanging out with healers is that you get a very good distinction between heal and cure. Chronic conditions are not cured. What you want to do, is annihilate the symptoms so they are no longer a dysfunction, no longer a problem. Healing means getting to a point where you have the positives, not the negative. Once you can focus on the positives, the gifts that come with autism allow you to see it as not a bad or good thing, just a way of being.

Has your son, Rowan, seen the movie, and what does he think about seeing himself on screen?

Rowan actually was very much a part of re-watching a lot of the footage with us. It actually really helped him get a different perspective - the social perspective of watching people - and how they related to him, others and each other. Actually, a lot of therapists use video for autistic kids to help them watch how they are interacting. So, participating was sort of that thing for him, and we would ask his opinion of which things should stay, or which should go. Sitting there with him in the editing room, that was really beautiful.

What challenges did you face getting the trip to Mongolia organized, and how did the book and movie come to be?

It's easier to understand if you think about that in film, you can only show what you have footage of. Back in ‘04, I did human rights work with the Bushmen in Africa. So it was somewhat familiar to me about the healers there, I had seen people get sick and then get better with their help. Anyway, I had to bring a delegation of Bushmen to the United Nations, where they were going to talk about illegal beatings and torture tied into the diamond mines.

It was there that their trained healers met Rowan. They offered to do work with him. They don't need a degree to be qualified to do this, but the laying on hands can’t hurt him, so we figured to give it a go. For the 3 to 5 days they were with him, his behaviors lessened, he started pointing, and acting calmer. But, when they went back and we went home, all of the symptoms came back. It was shortly after this, that Rowan met Betsy. It was then that his language started and on the horse, I saw the same leaps forward, if temporary that we saw with the Bushmen. I thought about bringing him to Africa, but his thing was horses. It was then that I though, where’s there a horse culture that is combined with healing? Mongolia.

That was 2004,when he was still too young to make the journey. Now, I'm a writer, so I knew that I wanted to write about it. Still, other parents could not verify that what I wrote was true, so I spoke to Michael Scott, a filmmaker friend, who was initially going to make a film in Botswana, where there was the massive problems with torture. But in 2006, we actually won the case in Botswana for the Bushmen, which slightly lowered the need for a film, because they had the land back. So, I told him we were planning a trip in a year, once Rowan was big enough, to Mongolia. I said he should come along, so that if there were changes in Rowan’s behavior, it would be documented, and if not, I think the value of it being on film, would just add to the general body of knowledge about autism. The fact that it helped, doesn't mean that every parent should go to Mongolia, that was very special to us, but they should rather take their child’s interests, and see where that leads them. That was the initial motivation of getting it on film, but never in a million years, did we imagine that it would be opening in movie theatres across the world.

Was it difficult to have your son filmed at his most vulnerable moments? It must have been a fine line to draw between wanting to share your story, and protecting your son’s privacy.

The thing about once you enter that kind of life with autism, is that everywhere you go, the street, the supermarket, every autism parent is out there all the time being judged as bad parents. People will come up and tell you that you have bad parenting skills, try to hit your child, it can get really, really bad. The only information is from others, and if you get good result somewhere, you should make that knowledge available for other parents. If you have no problems, you don't have a kid with autism. So, you don’t think of privacy or not, you don’t have that luxury to not have to worry about public behavior. The thing is, we get contacted by so many parents. Usually by e-mail, we get as many as 30 a day. It’s so different from before Mongolia. We have parents wanting to know what therapeutic riding places we know of close to them, what we can tell them, etc. Once you enter the world of autism, the initial reaction might be that your freedom is over, and ideas about what you expected for your child can go out the window, but you have to make new plans and come to terms with it.

How is your riding therapy program going, and how many kids do you have coming to the program?

It’s going well. We have about 20 coming a week. It’s not just the kids though, it’s the whole family. One of the things that was very clear was that going out to nature with the family really helps everyone out a lot. I lived up in Canada for a little while, and what impressed me is that a lot more families take camping trips together. They go up to Algonquin Park for a weekend for example, so a lot of Canadian kids grow up with a culture of doing that, and a knowledge in nature, and I really saw a value with that. So, the families are coming, are here for relaxing, it's not all structured. You aren’t told, ‘ok. You have an appointment at 10:00, by 10:30, bugger off!’. Especially on the first visit, everyone's invited to explore. We have hiking, playrooms, other animals, and the horses are a component of that. It doesn't matter if a kid gets on a horse on the first day.

What we have learned, is that the terrible tantrums happen in an overloaded neurological state. Once they are out of the man made environment and into nature, a lot of the things that are causing the overload are removed. The family can all calm down together, and it is then that you really see the intellect come out. We often invite people to bring their child’s therapists along, and we ask them to try the therapy, that they would usually do in a room, on a trampoline, under a tree, etc. It is here that you often see more effectiveness and response.

When people enroll their kids in the program, do they unrealistically expect their kids to be cured of their autism?

No one does, actually. Autism parents are very savvy people. About a year into the process, people within the autism community know what they're dealing with, and they want to lessen the bad effects and issues, not a cure.

What advice would you give to parents of kids with autism, who are feeling at a loss and don’t know what to do?

What I’d say is, follow your child’s interest. I was actively trying to keep Rowan away from Betsy at first, but he kept on running up to her. The thing is, that those who are nonverbal, the only way they can tell you what they want, is to show you. If a kid is going to a particular TV show, bicycles, steam trains, horses, etc., don't try to make your child be where they don’t want to be, instead trust your parental instincts.

The main thing though, is to get them into nature. It can be the garden, the city park, even the local state park. You don’t have to bring them up to Wood Bison National Park, it can just be local. Just try the therapies there. Try those things and whatever therapies, and remember, you don't have to be an extremist. We are not born again Shamans, we still do western therapies.

Come back tomorrow for part 2, where I asked questions about what were some of Rupert’s favourite moments from this incredible journey, and how the film was received at HotDocs in Toronto.

Trailer Watch: Fantastic Mr. Fox, (Untitled) and The Horse Boy

Apple Movie Trailers now has an exclusive featurette for Wes Anderson’s upcoming film Fantastic Mr. Fox. This is a must-watch as it’s always fun to see the behind the scenes of stop-motion. Watch it here. The film opens on November 13th.

Anyone who loves laughing at the expense of pretentious modern “art” is sure to get a kick out of the new film (Untitled). This is one of the funniest trailers I’ve seen, I personally think this film looks absolutely brilliant. See the trailer here. The film opens on October 23rd in the US, and hopefully, Canada.

Autism is an ever rising hot-topic in the world of documentary film making. The Horse Boy is the story of one father’s quest to help his autistic son, through taking him on an epic journey through Outer Mongolia. As the story has already been documented in a popular book, this is sure to be a documentary that will have people talking. Watch the trailer here. Films We Like is distributing the film in Canada, and it will likely open on October 23rd.

-John C.

Know Your Mushrooms DVD Review

Know Your Mushrooms - A Films We Like Release

Released as a Special Edition Box-Set on: September 1st, 2009

On DVD: September 15th, 2009

Rated G

Running time: 73 minutes

Ron Mann (dir.)

Ron Mann (writer)

Original Music by The Flamiing Lips

Larry Evans as Himself

Gary Lincoff as Himself

Our reviews below:

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Know Your Mushrooms DVD Review By John C.

***1/2 (out of 4)

Know Your Mushrooms is an entertaining and very funny documentary about everything we know, and don't know, about the world of mushrooms. What makes it work so well is that it’s short, to the point, and more importantly, entertaining. Filled with off-beat animations and random trivia facts about fungi, there’s nothing boring about this film.

My only fear is that people will watch this documentary and then think that they can eat the mushrooms that pop up after a rainstorm. The message I got from the documentary is that if you want mushrooms, you should go to the grocery store.

The film is being released today on a 4-gigabyte re-usable flash drive, that comes packaged in a hand-crafted wooden box. It also includes some dried mushrooms. It will be released on regular DVD on September 15th.

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Know Your Mushrooms DVD Review By Erin V.

***1/2 (out of 4)

Know You Mushrooms is a really fun documentary. While some documentaries focus on seemingly too many related subjects - that are tied only loosely together - this film is about mushrooms and only about everything that has to do directly with mushrooms.

This is not just a documentary for fans of mushrooms. I don’t really like the taste/texture of mushrooms all that much to eat, although I do find them an interesting subject. The information is told in a fun, retainable way, with little animation segments popping up to review facts. These little clips were entitled Fun With Mushrooms. I really liked the little animated mushroom... Anyway, all in all, I would definitely recommend getting this documentary with all of it’s cool packaging, (on a flash drive in a wooden box with mushrooms).

*Oh, and just a word of warning: Before eating any mushrooms that you may find in the wild, check with a professional. This film is not enough to qualify you to check mushrooms, for eating, yourself.

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Know Your Mushrooms DVD Review By Nicole

**** (out of 4)

Know You Mushrooms! is a funny, quirky, and very educational film about one of the world’s most numerous organisms; mushrooms. In this documentary, we meet Larry Evans, a mycologist (mushroom expert) who takes us to both the Telluride Mushroom Festival, and around the world, on a mushroom hunting expedition. The travels with Larry Evans are interspliced with old film clips, old ads and PSAs about mushrooms, as well as fun, animated factoids entitled “Fun with Fungi”.

We are introduced to many different mushrooms, from crude oil eating oyster mushrooms, to hallucinogenic psylocibes, from mushrooms that are good to eat; to ones that are toxic. Mainly this film focuses on the many edible species. I never realised that so many edible ones existed. Seeing them all just made me hungry.

We also hear about mushrooms in literature, such as the fly agaric in Alice in Wonderland. After watching this film, I gained a new appreciation for these seemingly humble fungi.

It would be a bad (and dangerous) idea to assume, after watching this documentary, that you know mushrooms, enough to eat them before having a mycologist inspect them first. But after seeing this film, I hope that people will gain more respect for our natural world. Buy or rent Know your Mushrooms!. This documentary is great to show in a school, or to watch at home.

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Know Your Mushrooms DVD Review By Maureen

*** (out of 4)

Who knew mushrooms could be so interesting and fun. “Know your Mushrooms” is a very entertaining and informative 78 minute documentary about mushrooms and the people (mycologists) who make their living being fascinated by mushrooms.

There is a nice mix of animation (Fun with Fungi) and live footage that keeps things light and fun while still delivering all the facts. Any adult who is interested in mushrooms will enjoy this documentary. This also would be an excellent choice for high school science classes. It sure beats reading the information out of a textbook.

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Know Your Mushrooms DVD Review By Tony

***1/2 (out of 4)

Know Your Mushrooms is the latest documentary from Canadian Ron Mann. Like his previous films, it provides a remarkable amount of information without taking itself too seriously. The film follows two world class fungus evangelists, Gary Lincoff and Larry Evans, as they hold forth at the Telluride CO Mushroom Festival. Fitting the stereotype of aging hippies, they tell stories, take groups into the woods to gather mushrooms, and even cook them up for their guests. Various types of fungus are covered, including medicinal, psychedelic and one that digests oil spills. Each type is introduced by an animated clip with a multiple choice question. Some interesting archival footage is also provided, for example of gringos under the stonefaced supervision of a shaman laughing hysterically on their first psychedelic trip. The light tone is supported by music from the Flaming Lips.

Remarkably, this was my first Ron Mann documentary. At 73 minutes it was just the right length–always informative and entertaining and never boring. Even if you don’t particularly care for mushrooms you will not regret the time spent watching. I look forward to looking up Ron Mann’s previous work, especially Grass.

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Consensus: Know Your Mushrooms is a fun and informative documentary! ***1/2 (Out of 4)