Full Love

From Jean-Claude Van Damme
Monday, September 8, 2008 at 2:52pmJean-Claude Van Damme sends you his hello from Thailand. He turns his next film "Full Love" as actor and director. Everything goes well, he promised us beautiful scenes of actions, many twists and maybe even... a love story?

Twists! Beautiful actions! A love story! Could we ask for anything more?

Anyone in attendance at last night's screening of Sexykiller was privy to, in my opinon, the most unbelievably fun movie (with the possible exception of last Friday's Detroit Metal City) of this year's Midnight Madness programme. In true Midnight Madness fashion, the beach balls were busted out and there was no shortage of zombies on hand to liven up the red carpet!

Sexykiller was truly an overture of love from director Miguel Marti to his favourite horror films. Macarena Gomez's Barbara rips through an unsuspecting campus while extolling her love for The Silence of The Lambs, Evil Dead, Friday the 13^th, and several others.

In this way (and really, in only this way), Sexykiller reminded me a lot of Martyrs, which also contained references ? albeit subtle ones ? to many other classic horror films. Martyrs' last scenes were quite reminiscent of both Hellraiser and Rosemary's Baby. Visually, it would be difficult not to think of Saw during some of the 'dungeon' sequences as well. Similarly, the chase sequences during the first half of the film were somewhat evocative of Japanese horror films like The Grudge or Ringu.

Last night was nothing less than a celebration of the genre and, for me, was one of the highlights of this year's festival. Don't miss the second screening of Sexykiller at 1:30pm today at the Varsity!

Let's round up some info here:

She's an exotic and beautiful actress from Spain;

She's the star, and title character of Miguel Marti's new film Sexykiller.

She's an award winning Spanish actress with dozens of successful projects under her belt already; including a role in Stuart Gordon's H.P. Lovecraft adaptation Dagon. She's had several roles in Spanish TV series, often playing a returning character.

Macarena in Dagon

No doubt she's big over there; but now we finally have the chance to discover her for ourselves.

In Sexykiller, Macarena Gómez combines the fashion sense of Paris Hilton, the Do-It-Yourself approach of Martha Stewart, with the murderous sensibilities of Hanibal Lector.

No doubt, one of the many creative blood-letting tools of destruction Macarena will weild as Bárbara in Sexykiller.

Tabloid factoid: She used to date Jaume Balaguero, the writer director of [Rec] --> an absolutely stunning zombie flick. You can already see posters hanging in commercial theatre lobbies for the remake, retitled "Quarantine".

Macarena will be on the red carpet this year for the premiere of Sexykiller.

Martyrs screens tonight. Here is a YouTube clip of them on set.



Morjana Alaoui and Mylene Jampanoi will be in attendance and on the red carpet tonight!

Here is more about Mylene Jampanoi here. Her official website is here. If that is not enough here is Mylene Jampanoi's imdb listing......here.

Robert Mitchell, currently packing up multiple cameras and rushing out the door see ya all soon.

Jean-Claude, much like Travolta, made a name for himself by appearing in a seemingly endless stream of genre films that led him through the Hollywood arc of new heart-throb, mega-rich movie star and then the all-to inevitable decline into obscurity.

Similar to Quentin Tarantino with Travolta in 1994, El Mechri saw something in Jean-Claude that made him ideally suited for a ?re-emergence? film ? he saw soul and he saw heart. Pulp Fiction showcased a diverse Travolta, an actor with a range of emotions who has rarely looked back since. This is the Jean-Claude that was on the screen last night.
Pulp Fiction and JCVD share many other things in common as well, so much so the we consider a formula for the so-called ?re-emergence? film: low-budget, minimal special effects, non-linear story, dialogue driven and of course heart and soul. It is this last ingredient that is of critical importance because in many ways it was the lack of heart and soul that lead to both actors into decline in the first place.
There was a question at the end of the Q&A last night in which El Mechri was asked that if not JCVD, who would he have chosen to ?re-invent?. Steven Segal and Chuck Norris were discussed, but really, did they ever go away? A key ingredient for the ?re-emergence? film is near total disappearance from all things Hollywood (I dare a director to take on the task of creating a new and improved Mark Hamill).

I think perhaps a more interesting question to consider is whom among today?s crop of ?kitsch? characters in their prime, can you see as one day needing re-invention? Another interesting question to consider is whether total disappearance from Hollywood is even possible anymore? With campy reality TV now being tacked on as the inevitable end of the Hollywood arc, it seems that celebrities in decline will just continue to decline in perpetuity.

I think I am with the majority of the audience in attendance at JCVD last night in saying that I was shocked. Not in your normal Midnight Madness sense, of course, where you may be shocked at the sheer amount of corn syrup being sprayed around or the number of fingers severed from someone's hand before you have to look away, but by an actual emotional performance. An emotional  performance by Jean-Claude Van Damme, no less.

What we saw last night was probably one of the most honest performances we're likely to see at this Festival. Van Damme leaves every bit of himself onscreen. His entire life - every problem, every breakdown. You are privy to his confessional, and it all feels very surreal. Director   Mabrouk El Mechri described Van Damme's input into the film as having "his own music". Almost poetic, huh?

See, JCVD isn't a documentary and it isn't fiction. It's somewhere in between. People are comparing it to Being John Malkovitch, but I think it's much closer to Charlie Kaufman's Adaptation than anything else. Here, Van Damme plays - and is very aware of ? himself. He is placed in a highly surreal (and fictional) situation that hinges on his own celebrity. During all of this, we are privy to Van Damme's scenes that depict his innermost thoughts on his real life ? drug abuse, his custody battle, and the culture of celebrity and the way it can build you up only to tear you down.

Now on the surface, the oh-so-hard world of being a celebrity isn't exactly treading new ground - what with the Britneys, Lindsays, and Sarah Palins of the world harping on it at every opportunity. But unlike these (especially the latter), Van Damme is a sympathetic character. Easily the most striking moment of the film comes when these thoughts are communicated directly to the camera in a powerful soliloquy. This speech rocked me to my foundations. and I can already tell that it will earn a place in my top Midnight Madness moments of all time.  Who knew that the star of Lionheart and The Quest could actually ACT? Is it because it is easier to emote in one's native tongue? Is it genuine catharsis?  Seeing the man who jumpkicked Chong Li square in the face in Bloodsport reduced to tears is, in a way, like watching your father cry. This person that you thought to be invincible shows a vulnerability that makes you question your own strength.

What doubles the impact (pun COMPLETELY intended) of this and his other scenes is the fact that many of Van Damme's lines (including the soliloquy),  according to El Mechri, are ad-libbed. This is Van Damme speaking from the heart, as though he has been waiting for years to get these thoughts out (kinda hard to do in Universal Soldier 12). It was made very clear during the Q&A that Van Damme is completely genuine here, and the El Mechri allows him to go where he wants to. This is the mark of a great director. To allow one's actors to hear, and play, their own music.

photos by Ian Goring

JEAN-CLAUDE... VAN DAMME!!

The star of Double Impact has a film at TIFF this year. 

Colin?s already written about it but I?m sure some people are still in disbelief.  Click on this link (note the tiff08.ca domain to authenticate it as real information), read it, and come back to this page.

www.tiff08.ca/filmsandschedules/films/jcvd

Now say to yourself or to the person nearest you, 'The star of Lionheart has a film at TIFF this year.'

In JCVD, Van Damme stars as himself in a story that?s loosely based on his recent years out of the spotlight and the personal and financial troubles that have plagued him.  This isn?t the first time however that Van Damme has played the role of Van Damme.  In 1996, he guest starred on an episode of Friends as himself.  NBC yanks down any and all clips from their shows off of YouTube so I can?t link to a clip but the gist of the appearance (via the surfacing of a long ago buried memory) is that David Schwimmer?s monkey is appearing as the disease carrier in Outbreak 2, which stars the Muscles from Brussels himself.  Courtney Cox has a crush on him, but when she and Jennifer Aniston meet him, JCVD hits on the former Mrs. Brad Pitt rather than poor Courtney.  I don?t remember what happens after that, but I'm pretty sure there wasn't a kumate for Jean-Claude's heart like there should have been. 

I may not appreciate his role in the near destruction of Tsui Hark and Ringo Lam's careers, and haven't see much of his latest output but I have had great times watching the films of Jean-Claude Van Damme.  When I was younger I couldn't get enough.  Bloodsport, Kickboxer, Cyborg, and Lionheart were all thouroughly enjoyed in my basement.  I saw Double Impact at a dollar theatre in Florida when on vacation with my family and loved it. 

Last year, a friend and I sat down to revisit Bloodsport.  To see if it still had the magic for us that it once did.  There was an audio problem with my DVD player and Bloodsport began without sound.  Bloodsport Day had been planned a week or so in advance and we were both short on time to reschedule. 

"Should we just watch it without the sound?"

Neither of us wanted to be the one who said 'yes', so the decision was made without speaking.  We sat there for an hour and a half with a pizza and a couple colas, silently examining the filmmaking, the acting, and the martial arts of Bloodsport.  Once the end credits started to roll, neither of us really knew what to make of the experience but it's one that I hesitantly recommend to you all now.  A warning though.  Beware the bedroom eyes of Jean-Claude Van Damme!  They're intense..

Earlier this year in Cannes when Jean-Claude was in town to promote JCVD at the film market, he put on a show for his fans and the paparazi from his hotel balcony that makes it nearly impossible to deny.his charisma. 

He wasn?t quite as friendly when he was there in 1992 though when he ran into his Universal Soldier co-star, Dolph Lundgren.

JCVD is already one of the most anticipated films at this year's TIFF and if early reviews are to be believed, it's with good reason.

I've got a couple more clips of Jean-Claude to post as we get closer to the opening night of Midnight Madness and the North American Premiere of JCVD.

Right now there is a massive anticipation for a movie amongst the cool kids in Japan. Every where you go in the hip, youth driven area of Shibuya, you'll see posters and billboards heralding the imminent arrival on August 23 of the film version of one of the hottest mangas (Japanese comic book) ever - Detroit Metal City.

So what the hell is DMC?
DMC began as a manga series by Kiminori Wakasugi in the popular magazine Young Animal. It told the tale of timid country boy Soichi Negishi, who leads a double life as the lead singer of the notorious death metal band, Detroit Metal City, Johannes Klauser II.
The comedy results from either Negish's constant need to balance his two identities, or his innate politeness overwhelming his common sense and forcing himself to don the Krauser guise and behave in ridiculous shock metal ways.
For instance, the picture above comes from a story where Negishi anonymously gets into a flame war on a DMC fan forum, leading the fans to think a big DMC event is going to happen at Tokyo Tower. Not wanting the fans to be disappointed and riot, he goes along to try and calm them down, but ends up ?raping? the Tokyo Tower instead to his fans rapturous delight. And here are some other pages from the manga to give you a sense of the twisted laffs from these metal maniacs.
There has been a little internet buzz in non-Japanese blog circles about the film adaptation, but mainly due to the attention that the films' "special guest star" has gotten ? Gene Simmons. Yes, that Gene Simmons. The dude with the tongue from KISS. And, of course, the author of "Ladies of the Night: A Historical and Personal Perspective on the Oldest Profession in the World."
He plays Jack IL Death, the reigning king of black metal that challenges Klauser II to a guitar showdown. And among female J-film fans, hearts are a flutter with the casting of teen idol Ken'ichi Matsuyama as Klauser II. Matsuyama really rose to fame with his portrayal of L in the film series based on Death Notethe massively popular manga as well as the recent spin off film, L: Change the World (directed by Hideo Nakata of Ringu fame).

We've been lucky to snag the International Premiere (that's fancy festival lingo for the first screening of a film outside of its country of origin, which is next to the coveted "World Premiere" tag, that we have for Deadgirl and Sexykiller) of Detroit Metal City, following the August 23nd release in Japan.
Time to see what all the fuss is about! It's only in Japanese, but here is the official website and check out the trailer for DMC!



(Note that the only YouTube trailers are in Japanese, but you'll get the jokes. Hopefully we will have a subtitled trailer up soon)

Almost every year since we screened FUDOH in 1997, TIFF has showcased one of that year's new works by Takeshi Miike. For this years choice, SUKIYAKI WESTERN DJANGO, we had an extra treat in store for the audience from Miike.

The last time Miike was able to come to Toronto was for the world premiere of ICHI THE KILLER, but a little incident that became known as 9/11 left Miike stranded in a west coast US airport. Since then, every time we have selected one of his films, his shooting schedule has gotten in the way of him making a personal appearance. This year, as we were confirming guests, we were again denied his presence as the film was getting premiered in Venice and then he had to return to Tokyo for the film's theatrical release, but we were graced with the two lead actors, Yusuke Iseya and Yoshino Kimura. We were excited when we got the news as we had never had any actor appear for a Miike film, let alone two! They were a pleasure to have grace our stage and the audience took an immediate liking to them as you can see in the video. Once they left the stage, we had one more surprise for the fabulous fiends that are the Midnight Madness audience: a video message from Miike, hand delivered from Venice by the film's festival publicist, Jill Jones from DDA PR ? one of the easiest going publicists I have had the pleasure to work with in my ten years at TIFF.

My favourite part of the video? The crowd's reaction when Miike tells them where the best audience in the world is located. Watch and see...



And SUKIYAKI DJANGO WESTERN was picked up by First Look for distribution in North America. Word is that a shorter version will be released.

It seemed like an overdue introduction when Stuart Gordon walked on stage to meet the Toronto Midnight Madness audience when you consider the list of cult horror hits that he has been responsible for. Maybe he was there in spirit with Brian Yuzna introduced BRIDE OF THE RE-ANIMATOR when it was in Midnight Madness back in 1990.


The stage got a little crowded as Stuart was joined by his actors, lead by Mena Suvari, a MM vet who walked the stage of The Uptown when SPUN unspooled in 2002.


Mena Suvari




TIFF07: STUCK red carpet + intro in Midnight Madness

- warning! spoilers are in the Q&A! -

TIFF07: STUCK Q&A @ Midnight Madness Part 1

TIFF07: STUCK Q&A @ Midnight Madness Part 2

As the 2007 festival draws to a close and I sit at my desk, exhausted but happy to have seen so many fantastic films, I?m reflecting on the past ten days. Every day, I saw incredible movies and discovered something new about TIFF audiences. Midnight Madness crowds are the rowdiest (and love to make pirate noises), Cumberland audiences cheer most for the volunteers, and Scotiabank Theatre audiences are snappy dressers. I even got to watch one of my favourite Canadian classics on a big screen, Michel Brault's Les Bons Débarras (pictured above). Here are some of my favourite memories & moments from the Canadian programmes.

Best moment: It's impossible to pick just one, but a major personal highlight for me was running into an old university classmate on College Street only to find out that he's not only a filmmaker now, but that his first film is screening at TIFF. The friend: the promising Mr. Dev Khanna. The film: Terry Southern's Plums and Prunes, which was part of Short Cuts Canada Programme 3.

Worst moment with a happy ending: getting to the Varsity to watch a film I?d been looking forward to for days, only to realise I?d left my ticket at home. Then taking a $20 taxi ride home and back and having to plead with the volunteers to let me in. Thankfully, they did. The film in question was Richie Mehta?s Amal, the touching tale of a good hearted auto-rickshaw driver. It was one of the most memorable films I saw!

Most pleasant surprise: The Short Cuts Canada programmes! I?ve always been a fan of short films, but holy cow, the Short Cuts programmers really outdid themselves this year. I went in expecting to enjoy the films, and came out feeling impressed, moved, intimidated and overwhelmed by the talent I saw.

Best Q&A: Listening to Danny Glover give a stirring speech after the premiere of Poor Boy?s Game about the responsibility cultural workers have to tell the kinds of stories they think are important and valuable. The film got a standing ovation, and Glover?s speech was inspiring and right on.

Sexiest Q&A: I think the stoic cowboys in their 10 gallon hats and tight jeans that came up on stage after the screening of John Zaritsky's Wild Horse Redemption might beat out all the celebrities I saw. Although, the radiant and elegant Ellen Burstyn at the premiere of The Stone Angel gave them a run for their money.

Best celebrity run-in: Truth be told, I?m not much of a celeb-hound, but after the screening of Carl Bessai?s Normal I did walk up and down Richmond Street three times, shyly debating approaching Callum Keith Rennie, who I think is getting better looking and more talented with age. I chickened out of saying hello, but he did look up at me and smile on my third pass.

For me, it?s not over just yet. I?m seeing one more Canadian film at 8:00pm (Guy Maddin's My Winnipeg) and closing out my festival with the final Midnight Madness film, À l'intérieur (I couldn?t miss a film that programmer Colin Geddes promises will not disappoint even the most hardcore horror fans).

I hope you all had as great a festival experience as I did. See you next year!

It?s a daunting task to do cinematic justice to a great piece of literature, so premiering a film based on a Canadian classic as well known and loved as Margaret Laurence?s Stone Angel (and to a Canadian audience, to boot) must have been a bit nerve-wracking for director Kari Skogland. Fortunately, her film seemed to charm and move everyone in the sold-out theatre.

Unsurprisingly, the first question from the audience was about the book ? what their experiences with it had been before they shot the film, and now.

Ellen Burstyn, whose incredible performance as Hagar got a standing ovation from the crowd, was the first to answer, saying ?Well, I?m sure that all the Canadian actors knew it, but being an American I was not familiar with Margaret Laurence?s work until I read the script, and then I read the book and fell in love with it and regretted not having read it earlier in my life. I think she?s an amazing writer and I know how much you all love her?.

Christine Horne, who plays the young Hagar (her first starring role in a feature film) said ?I hadn?t read the book before, and I feel like a bad Canadian for not having read The Stone Angel. I read Margaret Atwood in school.?

Kevin Zegers, who shines as Hagar?s wayward son John (who also stars in Normal, at TIFF this year) said ?I was forced to read it in school, in grade 10? but quickly added ?but then I read it again and appreciated it obviously a little bit more before I started the film, because obviously you don?t pay attention to anything in high school. I was shocked that I hadn?t noticed how great her writing was?.

Luke Kirby (also in All Hat at TIFF) joked ?I read it in six hours before a test, and I got a C?.

I myself read (and loved) The Diviners in school, alongside Alice Munro?s Lives of Girls and Women, so I went in without expectations about how the adaptation should look. I?m not sure if a fan of the book would critique the film differently, but I thought it was a powerful and visually stunning film. The actors did an incredible job of imbuing their characters with a lifetime?s worth of love, regret, hope and heartache. If the rest of the audience?s reaction is any indication, then it was a faithful retelling of the novel, as well.

Skogland got up during the Q&A to answer a question about how she approached the enormous responsibility of adapting the book to film. ?Well it was daunting, no question I was terrified? she began ?but I think after kind of getting over the anxiety, the truth is I looked at the title sitting on the shelf that I hadn?t read in a number of years, and it had stayed with me because it was an epiphany at the time when I read it in my teens.

?I reread it and it was like reading a different book because I think the life experience that one has and brings to the experience of reading the work I suddenly realised how much more depth there was in it and how much the story that I wanted to tell just emerged. And I just knew that I had to tell it. So that helped me get over the fear of approaching it.

?I know others had tried and had not been able to make it work. So I just thought what I?d do is just strip away and go after the really good story and not be too frightened, not make it too precious. If I do that, if I ever say to myself oh my god this is Margaret Laurence?s Stone Angel, I?d just fold up. So it was much better to just embrace it and not think about that.

?It wasn?t until we were almost shooting and my girlfriend came to me and she had done her Masters degree on it, on that particular book. She said Kari, do you know what you?re doing, it?s The Stone Angel. And that?s when it occurred to me, and I kind of woke up and got scared all over again?.

Luckily, she didn?t let that fear get to her, and the result is a truly a brave and loving homage to one of our literary giants.

The Stone Angel screens again on Friday Sept. 14, 4:45pm at the Isabel Bader Theatre.

All Hat is charming, playful, and Western-esque. The story weaves a web between an ensemble of sexy jockeys, ex-cons, scheming gamblers and straight-shooting ranchers, telling a story about a wealthy man?s attempt to build a golf resort on some honest, hard working people?s land.

The story itself is full of complex twists and layered characters which add a great deal of depth to the deceptively simple premise.

Director Leonard Farlinger was on hand to answer questions along with his producer and writer, and several cast members ? Rachael Leigh Cook, Luke Kirby, Noam Jenkins, Lisa Ray and others.

Brad Smith, who wrote the novel the film is based on as well as the screenplay, said of the experience of adapting his book for the screen that there was ?some pleasure, but also some pain? in the process of cutting a 300 page book down to a 100 page script.

TIFF Programmer Steve Gravestock, a native Hamiltonian, asked the cast how it was filming in his home town, and director ?Great weather! One day of shooting the racing sequences, we got one race in the can, it was eleven o?clock, I remember it was November 1st, the day I became a man. The snow fell everywhere. You couldn?t see ten feet in front of you. We had 30 thoroughbred horses, countless wranglers, I was just walking around thinking ?it sucks to be a leader?. But we got it done, we melted the snow, shot into a paddock, and you?d never know!?

When asked about his former horse experience, Luke Kirby joked ?I ? didn?t know how to ride a horse. Then I took horse lessons. Then I became a horse. Then I got on myself and rode.?

 

As the audience laughed, Kirby continued ?I was riding a horse for the first time with Rachael and I had been on for about five minutes when the instructor said ?oh, why don?t we go to the canyon where we?ll have more space? and we got to the gate which is in kind of a suburban area, and I pulled on the reigns and the horse went right and the horse started jumping and the horse started trotting down the street. There was a big tree with a branch and I didn?t know what to do so I crouched down, and when you crouch down on a horse, the horse wants to go fast. Then I thought to hold onto the horse I would squeeze my legs into it. If you hold onto a horse with your legs it wants to go even faster. We were on sidewalks and I thought it might be a bit slippery. I was worried about my own safety, mostly. So I took my boots out of the stirrups and used the momentum of the horse to lift myself onto the saddle, and I looked down and ... jumped off the horse?.

 

The cast was clearly in a jovial mood, and the jokes continued as Rachael Leigh Cook admitted to also falling off her horse, and Lisa Ray said she prepared for the role of a hardy country girl by ?shovelling a lot of shit?.

 

All Hat screens again on Thursday Sept. 13, 12:45pm at the Varsity.

 

"Boxing isn't a game. You play basketball, you play football, you don't 'play' boxing" says Ossie Paris, one of the characters in Clément Virgo?s incredible sixth feature. Indeed, nothing in this tough portrait of racial tensions and private battles in working class Halifax is particularly playful. The film revolves around a boxing match between two men on opposite sides of a dark and long standing conflict that threatens to tear communities and lives apart. Violent and emotional, Poor Boy?s Game tells a deeply moving story about the transformative power of forgiveness and the corrosive power of vengeance.

Last night, at the Toronto premiere of the film, Wayne Clarkson (Executive Director of Telefilm Canada) proudly introduced the film by saying ?I?m not here merely to enjoy with you Poor Boy?s Game with all of you, but for a personal reason. I used to run the Canadian film Centre and many years ago, around the early 90s, I had the pleasure of meeting Damon and Clement Virgo and have had the pleasure of watching this film grow.?

 

The audience was absolutely captivated by the film, and gave a modestly beaming Virgo a standing ovation during the credits. Danny Glover, who delivers perhaps the film?s most powerful performance, summed up everyone?s sentiments about the project when he gave the following short speech:

 

?I was attracted to the relationship between these two working class communities, and I thought that was very courageous of Clement and Chaz to kind of touch that and to put that on paper. Often we don?t talk about those things. The question about what we?re going to do as cultural workers and what kind of culture we want to do has to do with what stories we?re going to tell. What stories in some sense transform us or are vehicles for our own re-envisioning of ourselves and re-imagining ourselves as human beings. That?s the kind of work I want to be involved in, and Clement gave me an opportunity to get involved in this.

 

"And another thing, I?m glad this is a Canadian film (applause). These issues affect Halifax, or affect Toronto, or plague communities in the United States as well. Everywhere you go you see this deindustrialization of communities. People without opportunities and no recourse. Their jobs are outsourced and shipped out, and they?re marginalized and they lack the opportunity to enhance their communities and really embrace their families.

 

"You can effectively tell these stories and move people by the emotional journey that these characters go through. You can do that in art. Whatever we do as artists, whatever we do as human beings, all of that is a way of transformation, and it gives us the opportunity to think, to grow, and to challenge ourselves to make a better future."

 

A round of applause followed Glover?s inspired speech, and director Virgo chimed in ?what he said?.

 

Co-writer Chaz Thorne (who wrote the wickedly funny Just Buried, also playing at TIFF) said, of Glover?s character, ?In terms of characters that really took us on a journey, personally for me it was George. I know I as an individual really struggle with forgiveness. To me, that character, we?re in an age where we see movies with super-heroes, and they fly and shoot fucking beams out of their eyes, and to me George is a superhero in terms of his capacity for forgiveness. It was a character that was very inspiring to me and that I aspire towards.?

 

Poor Boy?s Game screens again screens again on Thursday Sept. 13, 5:00pm at Isabel Bader.

At the risk of sounding misogynistic, I think it?s fair comment to say that Leelee Sobieski is pretty darn hot. So standing five feet from the charming young actress in her sexy dominatrix-inspired leather ensemble last night was yet another career moment for me at TIFF. Judge me if you will, but not everyone is so lucky. Fortunately, you can check her out in Walk All Over Me, in which she sports no shortage of corsets and costumes and delivers a quirky, charming performance as an unlikely dominatrix. On the run from gangsters, Sobieski takes up with the equally attractive Tricia Helfer, who?s got a profitable gig making men act like dogs and kiss her boots.Sexy humour doesn?t play so well in the blog format, so I suggest you check this out on its intended medium: the big screen. In the meantime, here are some shots from last night?s premiere.

Carl Bessai?s Normal had its world premiere in front of a packed house at the Scotiabank Theatre ? the third such crowd I?ve seen for Canadian premieres this week. Normal is a brave and unflinching look at the way a single event (in this case, the tragic death of a teen in a drunk driving accident) can affect many lives in many different ways. The film turns slowly around the stories of the teen?s mother (Carrie-Anne Moss), the failed author who was driving the car that killed him (Callum Keith Rennie) and his best friend (Kevin Zegers). All three gave masterful performances, and were on hand to answer questions with their director, along with two other actors - Tygh Runyan (Rennie?s autistic brother Dennis), Camille Sullivan (Zegers unhappy stepmother), and Britt Irvin (his would-be girlfriend).

 

Bessai kicked off the Q&A by thanking TIFF audiences for being nice, interested, and making the festival such a great place to screen a movie.

 

An audience member kicked things off by complimenting him on his Director of Photography ? a compliment to the director, who shot the film himself. Bessai commented on the naturalistic tone of the film, and the influence of directors like John Cassavetes on his own work, before modestly encouraging the audience to ask more questions of the actors, who are ?only here for one night?.

 

The next question, directed at the entire panel, was about the extent to which the highly emotional, silent scenes in the film were scripted or improvised by the audience.

Bessai: There was a lot of improvising in this movie, I mean there was a script but there was a lot of silence as well, perhaps you (Moss) can talk about some of the silent films, like in the room of the dead son.

 

Moss: I think Carl in the script was pretty clear, I think he had a lot of that in the script if I remember correctly. I mean, you have to improve to find it to yourself, but you were quite clear on what you wanted from it.

 

Bessai: I think that scenes like when you?re in the space alone, we don?t have a definite idea. The script might say she?s in the room alone, here?s what she?s thinking, but it?s up to the actor ?

 

Zegers: Carl?s so self deprecating. The thing we all learned about working with him is that we all show up with the script, and he kind of says ?crew it, and what do you feel like doing? ? I felt like he was able to adjust to whatever we felt was pertinent to making the film. It?s really nice for an actor to be able to move wherever you want to move and it?s just the ability to go where you want to go and not have to stay in your light which in most movies if you move three inches they cut because your light?s cut off. Because Carl?s lighting it he lights the whole room and because he?s shooting himself he allows you to feel free to do whatever you want. And a lot of the time it sucks but you get those moments which end up in the film, which are these captured, really quiet moments that aren?t necessarily scripted.

 

Bessai: When Kevin and I met we had a bunch of conversations and he said ?I really think I should tear apart my room, I have to come back to my house and be in this room and it?s a teenager?s room, it?s not my room anymore? and I thought yeah, let?s do that ? it?s a bunch of junk cuts but it?s this kind of moment where he?s not the same person anymore. I thought it was a really great addition and a great idea.

 

When asked about the upscale setting of in the film, Bessai said ?Y?know, Dennis doesn?t live in an upscale home, Walt doesn?t really. I mean, it?s a nice house but it?s sort of a middle class place. What I didn?t want to do was make a kind of critique of Suburbia. I know it?s an upscale sort of environment, but it would lean toward being a cliché to make this a rip on Suburbia. I?m not crazy about Suburbia but I don?t think it needs to be constantly, for me this is the setting, it?s a kind of beautiful North American coastal, it?s heaven in a way. It?s a great area to be. Beautiful people live there, and these beautiful people who seem to have everything have these really isolated lives.

 

Catch the second screening of Normal on Wednesday Sept 12 at 1:00pm at the Scotiabank Theatre.

Ryerson theatre was filled to capacity tonight for the premiere of Michael Moore's latest documentary Captain Mike Across America.  The crowd received Moore with the utmost admiration, as reflected by the loud applause when he entered the theatre.

This film shows Moore's journey through 66 American cities just weeks before the 2004 presidential election. The energy throughout the film transfers to the viewer, as you get Moore's sense of urgency in electing a new president; someone who will bring the troops home from Iraq and who will make the necessary changes to make the United States a strong, united nation. His tour was titled the Slacker Uprising Tour 2004, where Moore along with friends and colleagues targeted college campuses to inspire young people to take to the polls.  Ironically, it was with this age group that Kerry acquired the most votes in said election. 

In the film, you see the trials and tribulations of such undertaking.  Moore was sued on several occasions for the tactics he used in this tour.  Somehow, that was not going to stop him.  He continued with the tour and famous friends came to help; for example, while in Seattle, Eddie Veder performed at Moore's visit.  You also get to see other famous activists like REM, Viggo Mortensen and Roseanne Barr take to the stage.  Their messages, strong felt, also voiced Moore's pleas to take a stand and vote.

Throughout the screening, the audience burst into applause and at times even motional reactions.  A woman a few seats from me cried during one of Moore's speeches about the war and the lives lost because of it.  The energy in the theatre was palpable to say the least.  The screening felt like an instant part of Festival lore as Harvey Weinstein was in the audience watching for the first time. This continued to the end, where Moore received a standing ovation for about 2-3 minutes. His reaction was that of the greatest appreciation. He said, "This is way above and beyond what I expected.  Thank you for that very generous response."  Moore said the ovation was even longer than when he showed Bowling for Columbine here.

When asked if he would do this journey again for a future election, Moore simply answered, "I hope I don't have to."  He went on to share how the tour was tiring but also physically dangerous.  On more than one occasion, Moore's life was endangered.  His efforts will not go unnoticed when the film gets a theatrical release.  You can certainly see why his actions are appreciated by many, many people not just in the US but in other countries as well. This film will have you and others in discussion for some time after you see it. 

A packed house at the Scotiabank theatre watched the premiere of Bruce Sweeney's American Venus last night. The audience, peppered with slick media types and handsomely dressed Canadian actors, was clearly excited to see the tale of an unstable mother unable to let her ex-figure skater daughter grow up and leave the nest. The family drama is set against a backdrop of American/Canadian relations, when mom follows daughter from their home in the U.S. to her new home in Vancouver.

A woman next to me in the line before the film said "I'm so thrilled to be seeing it. My husband and I are here with 16 of our friends. I had to line up for two hours to get tickets ... twice!"

The film is full of funny moments, which elicited relieved laughter from a crowd that was otherwise almost as tense as Rebecca DeMornay's manic mom, Celia. One audience member asked how the actress (who shone in the role) prepared for it. Bruce Sweeney quipped "I think Rebecca's been preparing for this role her whole life".

When asked to explain the film's title, Sweeney joked that his producers wouldn't allow him to use his original title "A Histrionic American". He expanded on DeMornay's character, saying "I wrote her as a histrionic person. That is to say, her close relationships or her supposedly close relationships really aren't. She's a person who has a low tolerance for frustration and who sexualises relationships ... and has an exaggerated manner."

One of the funniest and most disturbing aspects of the film is DeMornay's unrelenting obsession with guns. At home in America, shooting at the range soothes her. In Vancouver, where her daughter has moved, she's confronted by Canada's considerably stricter gun laws. The results are humorous but also disturbing, as her character's frustration gets more and more out of control.

When asked about the gun obsession, Sweeney explained "In many ways, it's a metaphor for addiction. I've seen too many films that are just about drug addiction and I wanted another kind of addiciton and what I tried to convey in the film is that through the process of shooting the gun, through hearing that bang, bang, you can see her face ... she stays in control and it kind of soothes her. To have that feeling and then she's robbed of it."

American Venus screens again on Monday Sept. 10, at noon, at the Scotiabank Theatre.

Ryerson theatre was filled to capacity tonight for the premiere of Michael Moore's latest documentary Captain Mike Across America.  The crowd received Moore with the utmost admiration, as reflected by the loud applause when he entered the theatre.

This film shows Moore's journey through 66 American cities just weeks before the 2004 presidential election. The energy throughout the film transfers to the viewer, as you get Moore's sense of urgency in electing a new president; someone who will bring the troops home from Iraq and who will make the necessary changes to make the United States a strong, united nation. His tour was titled the Slacker Uprising Tour 2004, where Moore along with friends and colleagues targeted college campuses to inspire young people to take to the polls.  Ironically, it was with this age group that Kerry acquired the most votes in said election. 

In the film, you see the trials and tribulations of such undertaking.  Moore was sued on several occasions for the tactics he used in this tour.  Somehow, that was not going to stop him.  He continued with the tour and famous friends came to help; for example, while in Seattle, Eddie Veder performed at Moore's visit.  You also get to see other famous activists like REM, Viggo Mortensen and Roseanne Barr take to the stage.  Their messages, strong felt, also voiced Moore's pleas to take a stand and vote.

Throughout the screening, the audience burst into applause and at times even motional reactions.  A woman a few seats from me cried during one of Moore's speeches about the war and the lives lost because of it.  The energy in the theatre was palpable to say the least.  The screening felt like an instant part of Festival lore as Harvey Weinstein was in the audience watching for the first time. This continued to the end, where Moore received a standing ovation for about 2-3 minutes. His reaction was that of the greatest appreciation. He said, "This is way above and beyond what I expected.  Thank you for that very generous response."  Moore said the ovation was even longer than when he showed Bowling for Columbine here.

When asked if he would do this journey again for a future election, Moore simply answered, "I hope I don't have to."  He went on to share how the tour was tiring but also physically dangerous.  On more than one occasion, Moore's life was endangered.  His efforts will not go unnoticed when the film gets a theatrical release.  You can certainly see why his actions are appreciated by many, many people not just in the US but in other countries as well. This film will have you and others in discussion for some time after you see it. 

So for a lot of people the most exciting fight in SPL / Sha Po Long is this one between Donnie Yen and Wu Jing.

But for me it?s the 2 fights between Sammo Hung and Donnie Yen.
The tease and the heartbreaker. It's the first time they've ever fought together.

55 and so fast, Sammo can move. 

At the SPL screening, a fan asked Sammo if he actually kicked the knife Donnie Yen throws at him out of the air.  ?Yes, of course, ? he said. ?One take.? Later he demonstrated a move, a kick so scary fast that it was barely visible.

After seeing him in so many comedic roles?he helped invent the kung fu comedy with films like Enter the Fat Dragon and Encounters of the Spooky Kind?it was amazing to see the depth and intensity of his performance as a villain trapped in hatred, grief and brutal retribution.

And it was amazing to see Sammo Hung in person, with all his enormous blond crew-cutted bodyguards. It was also pretty amazing to see Colin in a tie.

I am looking forward to Flash Point and fully expect it to rock without him, but Sammo, well, Sammo is the shit.

 

Are you a horror/sci-fi/comic fan and you are in Toronto for August 24-26? Be sure to head down to the annual Rue Morgue Festival of Fear, part of FanExpo 07 (at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre) and visit the booth that we will have to pimp all the Midnight Madness titles for this year!

Pick up this years brochure, hot off the presses!

Check out trailers and pics from this years slate of flicks!

Learn how to get tickets from our friendly box office representative!

Chat with Midnight Madness programmer Colin Geddes about what the hot picks are. Hint - they are all HOT!

And if that doesn't suck you in, check out the amazing line-up of guests and events at the Fest of Fear (FOF):

2007 Special Guest of Honour
DARIO ARGENTO - director of Suspiria, Deep Red, Opera, Phenomena and The Mother of Tears

GEORGE A. ROMERO (Dawn of the Dead, Creepshow)
MALCOLM MCDOWELL (A Clockwork Orange, Rob Zombie's Halloween)
HERSCHELL GORDON LEWIS (2000 Maniacs, Blood Feast)
ADRIENNE BARBEAU (Creepshow, Carnivale, Rob Zombie's Halloween)
BASIL GOGOS (Artist, Famous Monsters of Filmland)
ANGELA BETTIS (May, Masters of Horror, Scar)
GREG NICOTERO (KNB Effects, Day of the Dead, Hostel, Grindhouse)
SEAN ASTIN (Lord of the Rings, The Goonies)
ADAM WEST (TV's Original Batman)
KARIM HUSSIAN (Subconcious Cruelty, The Abandoned)
CHARISMA CARPENTER (Cordelia from Buffy the Vampire Slayer)
ROBERTO CAMPENELLA (Silent Hill)
GASLIGHT STUDIO (SFX, Diary of the Dead, 300)
SUICIDE GIRLS (Hotter than Hell Alt-Pin-Ups)
ROY FRUMKES - Multi-talented horror writer, actor, and director. Credits: Street Trash, Document of the Dead, Dawn of the Dead, The Johnsons.
JASON EISENER - director of Hobo with a Shotgun
DOUGLAS BUCK - director of Cutting Moments, Sisters
CORALINA CATALDI-TASSONI - actress from Demons 2, Opera and The Mother of Tears
MAURIZIO GUARINI - member of the legendary music group Goblin, co-composer and keyboardist behind classic Argento films from Suspiria to Sleepless
ODERUS URUNGUS - leader of GWAR!

And just gets better and better! As though having both Master of Horror DARIO ARGENTO (Suspiria, The Third Mother) and godfather of the dead, GEORGE ROMERO (Night of the Living Dead, Diary of the Dead) simply attend wasn't enough, the festival organizers have now added a whole evening dedicated to the Zombiefather, called SPEAK OF THE DEAD with  an intimate Q&A and previews of his new film DIARY OF THE DEAD!

Plus a special one night only screening of the  Argento scripted rarely seen Italian horror cult classic DEMONS 2 with a star in attendance! 

For more details visit Rue Morgue.

 

 

Two filmmaking heavy hitters bring high profile docs to TIFF's Special Presentations section, annnounced today. Keep an eye on Doc Blog for further updates.

CAPTAIN MIKE ACROSS AMERICA  Michael Moore, USA  Special Presentation
CAPTAIN MIKE ACROSS AMERICA takes us back to the 2004 election, when the margin of polling difference between candidates George W. Bush and John Kerry could have tipped either way. The film is made in the feisty spirit of independent media at a fraction of the budget of Moore's recent films. It captures Moore's activities as he set out on a campaign trip almost as rigorous and far-reaching as the candidates own, visiting 62 cities in 45 days, and holding large rallies on college campuses. He dubbed it the Slacker Uprising Tour, masterfully riling up audiences as large as fifteen thousand and bringing a star-studded lineup of friends, including  Roseanne Barr, Pearl Jam's Eddie Vedder, Viggo Mortensen, Steve Earl and Joan Baez.

MAN FROM PLAINS Jonathan Demme, USA Special Presentation
Last year, former President Jimmy Carter dove headfirst into the most controversial topic in international politics, publishing the book Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid. Following the path of Carter's recent book tour, Academy Award? winner Jonathan Demme reveals a complex individual who, with the gusto and determination of a youngster, criss-crosses the county to get his message of peace across, even as that message creates a media onslaught in which his credibility and judgement are called into question. Demme delivers an intimate and exhilirating look, unlike any other film made of such a high profile politician.