Karl Geary, JT Petty, Colin, & Clancy Brown keeping the streets free of any Burrowers

MM Scorecard:

Screenings Attended: 27/47

Screenings Missed: 0

Average Hours Slept Per Night: 4.1

Apparently JT Petty wasn?t done creeping me out in 2006 with S&MAN. This year he came back, along with Clancy Brown and Karl Geary, to freak me out with ants. Yeah, that?s right, he scared me with ants.

Normally, ants don?t bother me? much. Of course normally I sleep more than 4 hours a night. So when JT Petty kills off a bunch of old west settlers then shock cuts to a bunch of normal looking ants just crawling around? It creeps me out.

These aren?t just your standard Hollywood offscreen monster kills either. These are blood spurting, limb ripping, midnight madness cheer inducing super kills by monsters Todd McFarlane needs to turn into a figure I can buy and then have my wife throw in our attic with the rest of my Movie Maniac figures (thanks sweetie :P ) While this was a great midnight flick, if your squeamish it sounds like Colin was looking out for you cuz he scheduled a second screening of it at 3:30 pm, believe me, you?ll be glad to see the daylight.

Here?s the intro & Q&A and we?ll see you tomorrow for a little film called Martyrs. Perhaps you?ve heard of it?

Colin with Deadgirl leads Shiloh Fernandez and Noah Segan... Has anyone seeen Colin since this picture was taken? 

MM Scorecard:

Screenings Attended: 11/47

Screenings Missed: 0

Average Hours Slept Per Night: 4.2

Deadgirl? A movie about, (SPOILER ALERT)? A dead girl! Well, a mostly dead girl? Trust me, you want to see this movie!  Both directors and nearly the entire cast were on hand for yet another rockin? evening at the Ryerson. I?d write more but it?s been 7 hours since I drank my last shot of 6 hour energy so vital body functions are starting to shut down? Dammit, there goes the left hand? Enjoy the Intro & Q&As. See ya?ll in line for Not Quite Hollywood.

MM Scorecard:

Screenings Attended: 11/47

Screenings Missed: 0

Average Hours Slept Per Night: 4.2 (4+4+4.5)

Deadgirl? A movie about, (SPOILER ALERT)? A dead girl!  Both directors were on hand for yet another rockin? evening at the Ryerson. I?d write more but it?s been 7 hours since I drank my last shot of 6 hour energy so vital body functions are starting to shut down? Dammit, there goes the left hand? Enjoy the Intro & Q&As. See ya?ll in line for Not Quite Hollywood.

MM Scorecard:

Screenings Attended: 7/47

Screenings Missed: 0

Average Hours Slept Per Night: 4

This 4 hours of sleep a night is killing me. Like Danny Glover always said ?I?m getting? to old for this!? BTW, did I mention my birthday was September 10^th? Caffeine pills would be greatly appreciated.

Big shoutout to Karen Shute for the awesome red carpet pics posted in the Facebook Midnight Madness Group.  Wait, you aren't a member?!!? Don't make me send Johannes Krauser II after you!

Detroit Metal City had it?s international premiere last night and a select few fans got the opportunity to hang with the director and his entourage on the Red Carpet and sit in the coveted reserved section with the entourage. Let?s see that happen at the Elgin or Roy Thompson! After the reception Ken'ichi Matsuyama & Toshio Lee got it?s no surprise why cast and crew make the 10+ hour journey from Japan to greet their fans across the pond. Midnight Madness fans are an eclectic bunch, but it?s safe to say that Madness fans of Asian cinema are the loudest & most dedicated group in the bunch.

As a former 7 year resident of the Detroit area I was glad to see our city so well represented? If at least only in the title, Detroit needs whatever good press it can get. Check out the Intro & Q&A below to learn fascinating things about Takeshi Kitano?s Puppet Master & what working with Rock Legend Gene Simmons was like. Catch y?all later?

Colin & JCVD Direct Mabrouk El Mechri Preparing to Kick Butt!

MM Scorecard:

Screenings Attended: 2/47

Screenings Missed: 0

Average Hours Slept Per Night: 4

JCVD? How can I explain it? I?ll take ya? frame by frame it. We?ll have y?all jumpin?, shoutin? sayin? it. J is for Jean C is Claude scratch your temple? The VD well that?s not that simple Check it? Read to the tune of OPP by Naughty by Nature. Gotta have a iconic 90s tune to lead off a post about a 90s iconic action star.

This was the easily the best Midnight Madness flick that has screened at the festival so far this year. It helps that it has so far been the onlyh one that has screened, but hey that's the way it goes.

Of the various Midnight Madness types of fans out there (Gore Hounds, Anime Fans, Adrenaline Junkies, Etc.) I happen to be a hardcore chop socky action fan. With all the younger, stronger, faster, butt kickers out there I was surprised JCVD got one of the coveted madness action film slots.

But like Arnold in T3, Willis in Die Hard 4, and Stallone in Rocky 6 one of the staples of 90s action cinema showed that age can?t slow down the aged masters. In the first 10 minutes JCVD mowed through stuntmen half his age, it truly was a site to behold and the sold out crowd loved every minute of it. The biggest shocker was a poignant monologue by JC in the last 20 minutes that covers everything from his struggle to make it Hollywood through his battles with drugs. This is one flick you gotta see to believe.

Also hanging out at the screening last night were directors Toshio Lee, JT Petty, & Marcel Sarmiento (directors of Detroit Metal City, The Burrowers, & Deadgirl respectively). Only at the madness folks, only at the madness! Just in case you missed it (shame on you!) here?s video of the intro & Q&A.

So, just to keep everyone rolling in fresh material, our good friend Bob was nice enough to send us some stills from the Flash Point screening the other night.

Wilson Yip was blown away by the response, and we were just plain blown away by Wilson Yip.  Also we have a great shot of the true star of the night... Colin's laptop!  His mac has been the underappreciated star of this year's fest, and were it not for that computer, we'd never know that we're all on a first name basis with Donnie.

Donnie!

Enjoy the snaps!

Well, our good friend Suzie Maynard (whom you may remember recently narrowly escaped the clutches of many zombies after they accosted her at a Yonge St. bus stop) has provided us with some stellar shots from the duration of the Madness program.

I especially appreciate this because in my struggle to man two cameras at once, I often end up screwing up the photos, for the sake of video documentation.  I know, inept isn't the word we're looking for, but it's frighteningly close to accuracy, no?

Anyway, again a reminder that if you wish to share pictures with Kool & the Gang here at the blog, send them off to our email, ultra8pictures@gmail.com.

Thanks again, Suzie.

Photos: (Top) Mena Suvari and Russel Hornsby at the Stuck premiere

Stuart Gordon at the Stuck Q&A with Colin Geddes.

Colin Geddes doing one of his many famous introductions.

And that would be me with a tiny rendering of Colin Geddes through my camcorder's viewfinder.

Discovery Films arranged for a party to celebrate the launch of Werner Herzog's (shown here) latest documentary Encounters at the End of the World, screening at this year's festival.

Herzog's latest project takes him to the depths of the South Pole in Antarctica. It appears there is a lot of interest in this documentary. We will have to see where his journey will take us.

The soiree also allowed other filmmakers (director Scott Hicks pictured here) to enjoy each other's company, perhaps talk a little film but I think mostly, a chance to catch up and take a breather. It was a different perspective, for me, to see everyone enjoy a glass of wine while conversing with each other. I think we forget that filmmakers and those in the industry also need time to relax from the hustle that is TIFF.

First off, much thanks to Sanjay Rajput for the video,  This does set a record for time on getting this video in.  The intro is in the first clip, the three following this post maked up the entire Q&A.  We thank you for opting to help us over the possibility of actually getting to bed before 4 a.m.

"What's wrong with you?" 

No, not you Sanjay. 

That one line seemed to be wedging itself in everyone's mind last night like Stephen Rea's face through our collective dashboards as we sat in awe of our first look at Stuart Gordon's Stuck.

Why did we all laugh so much at such horrifying acts of inhumanity?  Oh, that's right... we're all a little mad.  Nevertheless guys, that was easily the best audience reaction we've had thus far at Midnight Madness.  I don't know if everyone was just trying to forget it was a Monday, but we all got it.

We laughed.  We cried.  Then we just laughed some more.

That's the genius of Stuart Gordon.  He showed us horrifying acts of indifference towards humanity, but made the motivation for these acts so selfish that we couldn't help but see it as caricature, which I think was the only way a story like this could sell to an audience.  We can't accept that there are people that would go through such lengths to save themselves unless we think it's fantasy.

The trouble is, as hyperbolic as a lot of the main characters' actions are (especially that cruel, cruel Mena Suvari) we never forget that this actually happened.  Everything in Stuck is unbelieveable because what we see in the opening credits of the movie- inspired by a true story- forces us to believe it.

Stuart ran that show (the movie and the screening) like nothing I've ever seen, and for those that missed the screening, I am deeply sorry.  He was gracious and candid and open about everything from working in Canada to his hopes to do another Re-Animator sequel starring George Wendt as Dick Cheney and afterwards he stayed long enough to shake everyone's hand and give an autograph to anyone that wanted.

And as if the high tension, action and horrifying comedy of Stuck weren't enough last night, THAT was Stuart Gordon's world class performance.

The next screening is Wednesday at Scotiabank Theatre 4 at 4:00... do yourselves a favour and be there if you weren't there last night.

What do you get when you add screaming fan-boys, 50 live zombies and acute social commentary?

Naturally, you get a George A. Romero premiere.  He unleashed The Diary of the Dead onto the world last night and returned to the form that first put his name in horror history.  The film is a sharp, biting criticism on the information age and how much technology has come to govern our lives.

One of the key lines in the film, just as everything?s falling to pieces is: ?keep shooting, we have o document this for whatever remains when it?s over?.  With shots at the 24/7 news media, myspace, and blogging (blogger hangs head), Diary takes dead aim at how we consume and manufacture information in the digital age.

While many shots taken are a direct result of the Katrina debacle in New Orleans (?We could call the National Guard?? ?The National Guard?  Really??) Romero?s themes of every man and woman for themselves have not changed and, sadly have gained resonance in the forty-odd years since his first film.

The audience, though, was equally impressed with the film?s devotion to zombie lore as it was with the social commentary.  Romero always seems to find new ways of dispatching the undead, while still maintaining (as he confirmed in the Q&A) that ?the best way to kill a zombie is still a good, old-fashioned shotgun?. 

Romero seems to be okay with self-reference, dropping nods to his prior films with shopping carts appearing occasionally and to the genre itself.  The film starts with students making an independent zombie picture and the main criticism the director has after one take is simply; ?Zombies don?t run, they?re undead.  If you ran you would break your ankles?.

While Romero denied that he saw self-referential film as a genre, he would concede that he?s proud to still be making these kinds of pictures after so long and that sometimes the tributes he inspires (ie. Shaun of the Dead and NOT the Dawn of the Dead remake) are flattering and actually help develop the zombie film.

All in all the film takes a comment that needs to be made and places it, again, in the framework of a film the general wouldn?t usually be inclined to take seriously.  It is well-crafted, intelligent, culturally relevant, entertaining cinema- and for that George A. Romero should be applauded.

I'll get video of zombies on the red carpet up as soon as possible, but for now I'll leave you with Romero's final words of advice on what to do if zombies were to invade Toronto?

?Just don?t take the D.V.P.?

Photos (from top):

George A. Romero and Colin Geddes during Q&A at the Diary of the Dead premiere.

Diary star Amy Ciupak Lalonde on the red carpet.

George A. Romero at the Diary fo the Dead pre-party.

Zombies walking the red carpet at the Diary of the Dead premiere.

If you show me yours. 

Pictures and videos, that is.

This is just a slice of what goes on every night at the Madness.  I'd love to see what all of you have captured on your phones, cameras, etc.

If any of you out in the Midnight Wilderness have pictures or videos from any of our midnight screenings feel free to send them to us at ultra8pictures@gmail.com and we'll try to get some of the best of them up here soon.

We look forward to your submissions.

The videos may still ahve to wait a bit, I'm sorry to say.  However, here are some excellent shots from the Mother of Tears party, held before last nights' premiere.

First off is the man of the evening, Mother of Tears director Dario Argento.

Argento greets Diary of the Dead director and Dawn of the Dead co-conspirator, George A. Romero with a great big hug.

L to R: George A. Romero poses with Shaun of the Dead director Edgar Wright and Midnight Madness Programmer Colin Geddes (lucky devil!)

Mother of Tears star Asia Argento shares a candid laugh with Romero.

I promise that this post will have exclusive pics and video later on, but for now here's a quick wrap on all that went down around our premiere of Dario Argento's Mother of Tears.

The night kicked off with a launch party for the film where basically everyone you'd ever want to meet showed up.  Naturally, Dario and Asia Argento stole the night away, but that only scratches the surface.  Also on hand to revel in the rapturous gore that was Mother of Tears were Diary of the Dead director George A. Romero and a surprise appearance by Shaun of the Dead director Edgar Wright.

Shifting to the screening itself, the red carpet was fairly tame.  While autograph hounds and journalists alike tried their hardest to get a piece of Asia, the one she listened to most was, of course, her father (Dario Argento, naturally)- who was eventually able to call her into a photo shoot with a simple "Asia, andiamo!"

Inside the audience was pumped and ready for some gruesome witch action and Mother of Tears did not disappoint.  I'll not spoil the great details for those of you that missed out, but we get a disembowelment within the first 20 minutes or so.  Argento crafted an excellent batch of suspense with some big-time fright moments and one of the most realistic renderings of a sliced Achilles tendon I've ever seen.  He also name drops in the film, overtly referencing Suspiria a couple of times.  As for the characters themselves, the arch-villain only got the second loudest cheer of the night.  The loudest cheer during the film was given to a monkey. 

Dario on the monkey: "I loved the monkey.  They are not as predictable as humans.  They are all anarchists".

The second best quote of the night followed shortly thereafter with "All witches are lesbians".

As I said, pics and video will be up here later on.  Feel free to leave a comment and tell us what you thought of the film.

One of the best draws at TIFF every year is the parties, not just for the open bar and great food, but it's a chance for the talented people that attend the festival to mix and mingle.

Al Maysles participated in a Dialogues session with Barbara Kopple earlier in the day. He showed his first film Psychiatry in Russia from 50 years ago along with newly released outtakes from his classic doc Grey Gardens.

Director AJ Schnack and his producer/wife Shirley Moyers (Kurt Cobain About a Son) play hide and seek with their daughter.

Publicist John Murphy (left) talks to sales agent Josh Braun (right) of Submarine.

Director Sophie Fiennes (left) kicked off TIFF on Thursday with the North American premiere screening of her film, The Pervert's Guide to Cinema, to a packed house at the ROM on Thursday. The three-part film features the witty and insightful Slavoj ?i?ek discussing everything from sexuality in the works of Lynch, Kubrick and Hitchcock to how film is equal to viewing shit backing up a toilet. Needless to say, Fiennes had many questions to answer in the Q & A after the screening. The director also shared anecdotes about shooting on location of such classic films as The Birds and The Conversation before attending the Pervert's Guide party hosted by Salon Jie across the street.

The plush, red carpet was rolled out at the new Gardiner Museum of Ceramic Art, leading guests towards a blue, flame-twirling woman on stilts and a loinclothed man dancing with his very phallic trident, to live African drum beats. Unsuspecting gazers had their figures projected in giant shadows across the facade of the ROM. And all this before you even got inside.

If you saw the film, feel free to comment below or ask the director questions to be answered in later blog entries...

You can also visit the Pervert's Guide web site.