Fantastic Fest - Day Three - Girls Rule!

A peaceful race of aliens receive an unexpected invasion from earth in this animated tale. With voice talents from a lot of folks like Evan Rachel Wood who played main character Mala, plus Luke Wilson, David Cross, Dennis Quaid and James Garner the film has a gentle beauty about it that's enjoyable to the eyes. But there's a little too much stereotyping of the war mongering earthlings (all obviously American) vs. the eco-friendly "in tune with nature"  aliens. Although, the aliens do prove to have some of their own war secrets, unbeknownst to Mala who does her best to save her planet, mostly on her own.

This Danish kung fu film about a Turkish girl studying martial arts surprised me. I expected a lame version of Karate Kid III but instead there was some quality insight into the traditions and culture of a Turkish family living in Europe. Newcomer Semra Turan, as Aicha, secretly trains because such behavior would shame the family's name. Turan has an innocent, but determined, J-Lo quality about her. Even the inevitable championship between Aicha and a male Turkish fighter comes with some surprises.

A 12 year old Texas girl directs her own zombie film and really kicks ass with it! This documentary of her journey through unreliable (and unpaid) friends as actors, understanding/misunderstanding parents and just the day-to-day grind of being a kid will entertain and inspire more than you would expect.