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| L-R: Daniël Kolf as MITCH, Sinem Kavus as PANTER, Hef as NERO, Loes Schnepper as MARJOLEIN in STRAIGHT OUTTA SPACE |
STRAIGHT OUTTA SPACE, directed by Michael Middelkoop [Dutch language]
Gentrification is a tale as old as time – but rarely does it come with alien slime. The residents of Schijndrecht take pride in their small community, which they lovingly call the 'hood. Best friends Amin (Shahine El-Hamus) and Mitch (Daniël Kolf) earn meager salaries in their jobs as street coaches that operate as community watchdogs. Amin's girlfriend Steph (Stephanie van Eer) complains that he has no ambition and wants them to move outside the neighborhood, but Amin likes his slacker lifestyle.Meanwhile, the Weiland development group fosters their own agenda to tear it down and build deluxe apartments that few can afford. Unbeknownst to either group, aliens have invaded the 'hood, bringing a deadly black slime that infects on contact. Once news of the invasion reaches the authorities, everyone with resources pulls out. With the residents of Schijndrecht left unprotected, it's up to the street coaches and their ragtag group of friends to defend their turf from extraterrestrial goo.
Director Michael Middelkoop (NETFLIX & CHILL; THIS IS NOT A CHRISTMAS MOVIE) lovingly welcomes us into this corner of world with a creator's pride. He shows us the landscape and introduces us to its authentic and offbeat cast of characters. It's a place we want to linger. There's our heroes Amin and Mitch. Their best friend, Panter (Sinem Kavus), makes cash as a drug dealer, but she's only selling helium disguised as nitrous oxide to "keep our youth off the real stuff." Rogier (Défano Holwijn) and Ivo (Oscar Aerts) serve as foils to Amin and Mitch. They have a COPS-style show where they livestream themselves apprehending criminals – only they're just harassing the same resident named Nero (Hef) every week. Marjolein (Loes Schnepper), a woman in her winter years, bravely attends a Weiland presentation to demand they offer affordable housing options in their proposal. There's also a gang of street urchins who cause light mayhem but feel just as strongly about keeping their home safe from invaders.
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| L-R: Shahine El-Hamus as AMIN, Daniël Kolf as MITCH, Hef as NERO, Sinem as KAVUS in STRAIGHT OUTTA SPACE |
Middelkoop also displays a great love for the zombie and alien films of the 1970s-1980s. Footage of the city after its abandonment feels straight out of a George Romeo flick. A bird's eye view of the city shows empty streets and playgrounds, smoke rising. They take cover in the police station, seeking weapons and reinforcement. There's even a segment where the crew travels through an abandoned mall to get to a security checkpoint, covered in makeshift armor.
The film blends the vibes of Kevin Smith's catalog with the plots of Jim Jarmusch or Edgar Wright. Comedy abounds through the quippy dialogue, citing funny-but-true rationales coming from both the neighborhood and the upper crust making decisions about the fate of the world. "We'll have to make 100% of the decisions with 50% of the knowledge," says the Prime Minister. "What do we do?" asks Amin. "Wait until a white girl goes missing," responds Panter. This is a high-energy, feel-good, fast-paced romp with a satisfying conclusion. While the climactic face off with the zombie-aliens doesn't impress from an action film standpoint, I was having too good of a time to care.
STRAIGHT OUTTA SPACE lands as a horror comedy which can serve as a conversation starter about gentrification and irresponsible corporations who fail to seek community buy-in. Sometimes the only thing scarier than aliens is a condo developer with a profit chart. Let this be your warning: stay off our lawns – and out of our galaxy.
Screening in its International Premier World Premier during Fantasia Film Fest 2025 in the Selection 2025 section. See film details page for more information.
Release info: The film has been picked up by Raven Banner Films ahead of its world premiere.
Final score: 3.5 out of 5
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| Yaxi Liu as MEI in THE FORBIDDEN CITY |
THE FORBIDDEN CITY, directed by Gabriele Mainetti [Italian/Mandarin languages]
In Rome’s underworld, kung fu meets cannoli. THE FORBIDDEN CITY pits Chinese and Italian crime bosses against each other in a tale of missing loved ones, street honor, and delectable dishes — all under the stylish eye of director Gabriele Mainetti (THEY CALL ME JEEG ROBOT; FREAKS OUT).Inside this mad world of violence and skirmishes over territory, we meet Mei (Yaxi Liu; Mulan), who has come to Rome to find her sister Yun (Haijin Ye), and Marcello (Enrico Borello), a local chef who works at Alfredo's, his father's Italian restaurant. Marcello's family survives under the protection of Annibale (Marco Giallini), who keeps careful record of everyone who owes him money. Mei arrives via a transit truck full of girls sold into enslavement to populate the brothels of the notorious Mr. Wang (Shanshan Chunyu), the dom of the Chinese criminal underworld.
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| Yaxi Liu as MEI, Enrico Borello as MARCELLO in THE FORBIDDEN CITY |
Not one to be kept in captivity for long, Mei reveals quickly enough that she's adept at kung fu and only allowed herself to be captured to follow in Yun's footsteps. She learns a tip to look at Alfredo's. For Marcello's part, Alfredo has been missing for days, leaving he and his mother to run the restaurant alone. With the fates of their missing loved ones inexplicably tied and the community tight-lipped about their whereabouts, Mei and Marcello become unlikely allies, able to communicate only through the power of Google translate.
The FORBIDDEN CITY blends mystery, crime drama, martial arts, and romance. Imagine the plot of TAKEN, with the revenge seeking of KILL BILL and inside the world of THE GODFATHER. The story begins with a question of where the missing people have gone and takes us along on an immersive, sensory exploration of the corners and corridors of the city. Mainetii allows us to save the sights and smells of the city, with stops at the marketplaces filled with food trucks and artisan goods. We visit a night club, where Mr. Wang's favorite rapper, Maggio performs, exposing another layer of this locale.
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| Marco Giallini as ANNIBALE, Enrico Borello as MARCELLO in THE FORBIDDEN CITY |
The martial arts occurs in spurts, but all segments are creatively rendered. Stunt coordinators Trayan Milenov-Troy and Liang Yang construct two different types of fights, used for two different purposes. The first entertains with the creative use of weapons and choreography. Example: a fight in Mr. Wang’s HQ turns a kitchen into a battleground — knives, cheese graters, boiling oil, and woks become Mei’s arsenal. We cheer as Mei easily defeats her foes. The second impresses even more with fighting as character building. Midway through the films, Mei enters the Chinese restaurant adorned in a red gown, fighting her way through a sea of foot soldiers to get to Mr. Wang, which is where the KILL BILL comp comes from. Mei takes serious damage during the scrimmage, and we experience her stubbornness and conviction. This second type convinces us that Mei will succeed in her quest, one way or another.
While Mei shines with her roundhouse kicks, Marcello has his own superpower of cooking. He knows how to wield random ingredients in the pantry into a dish with influence. Cooking becomes a way that Marcello can express care, forge alliances, and expose weaknesses. Don't watch this film on an empty stomach; you will get hungry for Marcello's fusion recipes.
More than anything, THE FORBIDDEN CITY is the story of two souls finding each other when everything's falling apart. When the people you trust let you down and there's no safe space to land, a hand to grasp in the dark feels like a miracle.
Screening in its North American Premier during Fantasia Film Fest 2025 in the Cheval Noir section. See film details page for more information.
Final score: 4 out of 5
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