We're only 22 days away from this year's Toronto After Dark Film Festival, and they have just announced the 2nd half of their features line-up. Be sure to check out the TAD site for more info, including the list of Canadian and international shorts that screen as well.
Home Movie
South Of Heaven
4bia
This is your insiders look at The Toronto International Film Festival from a lowly grunt in the organization, a view from the 'feet' of The TIFF.
Here's where I'm trapped during the day, very glamourous. And honestly, The TIFF picks no favourites! :/
In preparation for the long hours and poor nutrition of the next ten days, we're offered a free B12 shot, by a 'doctor' mind you, and yet for some reason I'm the only one who bled. I call butchery!
My first film was Ari Folman's animated documentary WALTZ WITH BASHIR.
5 word review: Must see, gorgeous, deeply affecting.
Next up was the opening night party, which I'm sure is supposed to be an important event, judging by the 'character' of party goer. Tying this shindig into the opening night film, the Canadian World War One 'epic' PASSCHENDAELE, seemed like an odd decision. There were tanks stationed at the front door and men in military uniforms wandered around the party among the young, overly-modified party girls. For some reason it reminded me of R&R in Saigon in '69.
Now the smart move would have been to go directly home after the FF&D, but instead a bunch of us ended up at the uber-trendy Drake Hotel. Many drinks and embarrassing dance moves later, I got to bed at 4:30am... For The Love Of Film!
Thanks to an awful head cold/allergy attack this weekend, I mostly sleep-walked through this year's Fan Expo, but I did pick up on Toronto After Dark's sneak peak at their first 8 films.
Pinched from FRANKENSTEINIA, the blog that covers all things Frankenstein, is this saucy Bride of Frankenstein! Click the pic to find more on the photographer's blog.
Not many posts recently, as I'm in the swamp of film festival madness. In the meantime, check out CHAINSAW MAID!
Here's a link to some hi-res versions of the Watchmen character posters that were seen at Comic Con, courtesy of /film. And below is the Vargas-esque portrait of Sally Jupiter, played by Carla Gugino that was created by artist James Jean, it can be glimpsed oh so briefly in the trailer at the 1:32 mark.
Check out this fantastic stop-motion tribute to John Carpenter's THE THING on what I assume is the filmmakers MySpace or on YouTube. Described as such:
First non-official video clip made for Zombie Zombie, the electrifying French duo of Etienne Jaumet and Cosmic Neman. Directed by Simon Gesrel and Xavier Ehretsmann thanks to their favourite toys... the GI Joes ! The video is an hommage to the director AND soundtrack composer John Carpenter, especially one of his masterpieces : THE THING.
Here's the trailer for THE BROTHERS BLOOM, from some of the people who brought you BRICK, a great little neo-noir flick that a lot of people took notice of in 2005. 
Go figure this out for yourself, I have no time for virals today!
So, the San Diego Comic Con just ended, leaving in it's wake a legion of fanboys still recovering from too much Red Bull and too many 'awkward in the pants' moments due to girls in skimpy costumes and the debut of the X-MEN ORIGINS: WOLVERINE movie trailer.
Click here... while it lasts!
First off, hold the frakin' camera still when you're unlawfully recording copywritten material!*
Secondly, must every comic book movie have our hero casually walking away from an explosion? Just wondering.
*Boys & girls, piracy hurts us all, don't let the terrorists win!
It's that happy time of the year for all robots in the vicinity of Toronto this fall, as the Toronto International Film Festival's MIDNIGHT MADNESS programme has been announced. What stands out at first glance, especially compared to last year's films, is the absence of well known filmmakers. No Romero, no Argento, not even Miike this year! Call me crazy, but I couldn't be happier, as I thought last year's MOTHER OF TEARS and DIARY OF THE DEAD were really weak. I'd much rather witness an emerging talent than be tied down to the death rattles of previous genre masters.
Click the pics below for more info, or go here for the official press release.
Now available for download at Archive.org: DEMENTIA 13, aka The Haunted and the Hunted, which the all-knowing Wiki describes as such:
Dementia 13 is a 1963 horror thriller released by American International Pictures, starring William Campbell, Patrick Magee, and Luana Anders. The film was written and directed by Francis Ford Coppola and produced by Roger Corman. Although Coppola had been involved in at least two nudie films previously, Dementia 13 served as his first mainstream, "legitimate" directorial effort. The plot follows a scheming young woman who, after having inadvertently caused the heart attack death of her husband, attempts to have herself written into her rich mother-in-law's will. She pays a surprise visit to her late husband's family castle in Ireland, but her plans become permanently interrupted by an axe-wielding lunatic who begins to stalk and murderously hack away at members of the family.
In lieu of a 'proper' review for THE DARK KNIGHT (spoiler.. it's good!) until I watch it again, check out these adorable Batman mini-dudes from Dustin Nguyen's blog. He's been doing a run of Detective Comics covers that are really cool.
Of course, you may want to wait and watch this when you go to see THE DARK KNIGHT, but if you must... click The Comedian!
Over at Harry Moseby Confidential (a fantastic blog of all things 70's) I came across this promotional pic for BLOOD FROM THE MUMMY'S TOMB, which has been described as "one of Hammer Horror's most maligned films from the seventies". HMC's week long tribute can be found here.
One look at star Valerie Leon and her cat Puddy was all I needed to see... the dvd is now on my 'to be watched' pile.
Yes, it stars Michael Cera, so some jackass at MTV is calling it the next JUNO. Groan. How original!
Well I've seen it, and it's not JUNO, not that I disliked JUNO, but on subsequent viewings it leans into quirky for the sake of quirk, and the dialogue runs way too far into the realm of the unreal.
There's no real news on an actual release date for ALL THE BOYS LOVE MANDY LANE, but there is a new poster over at Shock Till You Drop, which looks a lot like the above German poster. Then mash it up with the original poster and you get this one!
If you happen to be in the neighborhood, it is screening at this year's Fantasia Film Festival.
Two things:
Looks like the Coen Brothers are back with the funny, THE BIG LEBOWSKI funny, not THE LADYKILLERS 'funny'.
The ghost of Saul Bass is back to make another movie poster!
P.S. The trailer is no longer on the Apple site. Weird.
Much to my chagrin I've yet to watch the gyno-horror-comedy TEETH, even though it's already out on dvd. In the UK it's just starting it's theatrical run, and they've put up this sweet viral site about Vagina Dentata, which includes the myth that Hall and Oats were inspired by the notorious brief outbreak of Vagina Dentata in the earlier eighties, with the song Maneater.
