Toronto After Dark 2012: Top Five Picks – Resolution
Published on October 23rd, 2012 in: Canadian Content, Film Festivals, Horror, Movies, Trailers, Upcoming Events |
What:
Resolution: In a cabin by the woods, a junkie is visited by his estranged best friend in a desperate bid to rehabilitate him. As they rekindle their friendship in the dilapidated abode, they soon find themselves accosted by increasingly sinister neighboring forces, while stumbling upon a series of interconnected media (from diaries to VHS tapes) that surreally begin to embroil them in a supernatural plot that pervades both the cabin and its surroundings. (Synopsis from the Toronto After Dark website)
Who:
Directed by Justin Benson (who also wrote the script) and Aaron Moorhead (who is the director of photography).
Why:
One of my most cherished horror film premises is when realistic yet awful situations transform into something extraordinarily terrifying. Resolution seems to meet these criteria, and also points to quasi-conspiracy theories. It also seems to be the kind of horror that doesn’t splatter you with gore but rather lingers, which is the scariest kind of real-life fear. IMDB’s entry for Resolution includes no special effects, which makes its premise all the more intriguing. The trailer varies between uber-gritty realistic settings and disjointed edits and jarring noises.
The film is another Toronto After Dark first feature, this time for Justin Benson, who shares directorial credit with DP Aaron Moorhead, who also shot the rather amusingly titled Dating A Zombie. Resolution screened at Tribeca and Fantasia Film Festival this year.
When:
Resolution makes its Toronto premiere on Tuesday, October 23 at 9:45PM.
Where:
Bloor Cinema, 506 Bloor Street West.
Toronto After Dark 2012: Top Five Picks – Citadel
Published on October 22nd, 2012 in: Canadian Content, Film Festivals, Horror, Movies, Trailers, Upcoming Events |
What:
Citadel: Following an unprovoked attack by a mysterious group of hooded thugs, a young father finds himself paralyzed by fear and unable to leave his home. To compound his nightmare, the local priest warns him that the hoodies will be back one day to claim the child. (Synopsis from the Toronto After Dark website)
Who:
Written and directed by Ciarán Foy.
Why:
Citadel is the first feature from writer/director Ciarán Foy and based on his real life experiences “of being attacked, and the fears and agoraphobia he was left dealing with in the aftermath of the incident.” Anything that intense and personal immediately sparks my interest. It’s also intriguing that it’s a male lead character experiences paranoia instead of the often-used horror trope of the “hysterical woman.” Citadel won the Audience Award at SXSW earlier this year.
Visually the trailer reminds me of David Cronenberg’s The Brood (one of the most memorable horror films I’ve ever seen) as well as Heartless, a film from a couple of years ago which I just recently watched and adored. I love films set in apartment buildings and high rises (have you seen La Horde?) because they lend an air of realism and claustrophobia.
When:
Citadel‘s Toronto premiere takes place Monday, October 22 at 9:45PM.
Where:
Bloor Cinema, 506 Bloor Street West.
Toronto After Dark 2012: Top Five Picks – After
Published on October 21st, 2012 in: Canadian Content, Film Festivals, Horror, Movies, Trailers, Upcoming Events |
What:
After: When two bus crash survivors awake to discover that they are the only people left in their small town, they must form an unlikely alliance in a race to unravel the truth behind their isolation. As strange events begin to unfold, they start to question whether the town they know so well is really what it seems. (Synopsis from the After website)
Who:
Written and directed by Ryan Smith.
Why:
This is one of the most fascinating trailers I’ve seen all year. It’s got that creepy, mysterious Twilight Zone vibe, but also reminds me of The Mist (one of the best horror movies ever, in my opinion). After seems to have an interesting mix of real life tragedy, supernatural scares, and nasty creatures. I’m also a sucker for creatures with rows of sharp teeth; they really freak me out.
This is Ryan Smith’s first feature, which is always a little bit exciting. After looks to be a pretty DIY affair, with story co-creator Jason Parrish serving as associate producer and art director. I’m always on the lookout for new talent in indie horror films and Toronto After Dark is ready and willing to provide it.
When:
After‘s Canadian premiere takes place on Sunday, October 21 at 9:45PM.
Where:
Bloor Cinema, 506 Bloor Street West.
Toronto After Dark 2012: Top Five Picks – American Mary
Published on October 18th, 2012 in: Canadian Content, Feminism, Film Festivals, Horror, Movies, Trailers, Upcoming Events |
What:
American Mary: A disillusioned medical student decides to ply her trade in the shady underworld of unregulated surgeries and body modification with horrifying consequences. (Synopsis from the Toronto After Dark Film Fest website)
Who:
Written and directed by The Twisted Twins, a.k.a. Jen and Sylvia Soska.
Why:
At the risk of restating the oh-so-obvious, women do not frequently get taken seriously in the film industry, especially in genre films. Although there are many strong female characters throughout the history of horror, there are more Final Girls and Scream Queens than horror heroines, much less writers and directors. The film also boasts women behind the camera including casting, production, art and set decoration, production and costume design, and effects makeup. American Mary should ace the Bechdel Test.
Twins Jen and Sylvia Soska were born in Vancouver, where they filmed 2011’s exploitation smash, the ultra-violent (and controversial) Dead Hooker In A Trunk. The appeal of a female Canadian horror director—much less two—cannot be overstated. American Mary received a lot of positive attention at this year’s Fantastic Fest, including the performance of lead actress Katherine Isabelle (from horror cult classic Ginger Snaps).
When:
American Mary‘s Canadian premiere takes place on Thursday, October 18 at 9:45PM.
Where:
Bloor Cinema, 506 Bloor Street West.
Toronto After Dark 2012: Full Schedule
Published on October 17th, 2012 in: Canadian Content, Film Festivals, Horror, Movies, Science Fiction, Upcoming Events |
Only one day left until the 2012 Toronto After Dark Film Fest!
This year’s nine-day event includes twenty feature films, many of which are premiering in Canada for the first time.
All the films will be screening at the glorious, newly remodeled Bloor Cinema in Toronto, at 506 Bloor Street West. Here’s the schedule:
Thursday October 18
Grabbers, 6:45PM
American Mary, 9:45PM
Friday October 19
Crave, 6:45PM
Inbred, 9:45PM
Saturday October 20
Shorts After Dark, 3:45PM
[REC] 3: Genesis, 6:45PM
Cockneys vs. Zombies, 9:45PM
Sunday October 21
Doomsday Book, 1:00PM
Lloyd The Conqueror, 3:44PM
Universal Soldier: Day Of Reckoning, 6:45PM
After, 9:45PM
Monday October 22
Grave Encounters 2, 6:45PM
Citadel, 9:45PM
Tuesday October 23
My Amityville Horror, 6:45PM
Resolution, 9:45PM
Wednesday October 24
Sushi Girl, 6:45PM
Dead Sushi, 9:45PM
Thursday October 25
In Their Skin, 6:45PM
Wrong, 9:45PM
Friday October 26
A Fantastic Fear of Everything, 6:45PM
Game of Werewolves, 9:45PM
For more info on the films, trailers, and tickets, please check the Toronto After Dark Film Festival website.
I’ll be profiling my Top Five Picks of the festival over the next few days, so stay tuned!
Expanding Circuits: Q&A with David Dacks, Artistic Director at The Music Gallery
Published on October 4th, 2012 in: Canadian Content, Music, Music Festivals, Q&A, Upcoming Events |By Ricky Lima
I think that some of the most interesting and forward thinking stuff is being done in the electronic scene. There is something about having the ability to literally craft every instrument and sound an artist uses that encourages a high level of creativity. From October 12 to the 21, The Music Gallery presents X Avant New Music Festival VII: Expanding Circuits, a music festival dedicated to electronic music. The festival will take place in Toronto, Ontario at The Music Gallery. I had a chance to talk to David Dacks, the artistic director at The Music Gallery, to discuss this year’s X Avant festival.
Toronto After Dark 2012: Full Lineup Released
Published on October 1st, 2012 in: Film Festivals, Gaming, Horror, Science Fiction, Underground/Cult, Upcoming Events |
Like I said in the interview with Paul Corupe and Andrea Subissati from The Black Museum, Toronto is a wonderful city for genre fans, especially horror fans like me.
The 7th annual Toronto After Dark Film Festival is quickly approaching. This year’s TAD Film Fest starts on October 18 and runs through October 26. TAD Film Fest has expanded from four to nine nights since its inception in 2006.
There are 210 features screening this year, along with 29 short films, many of which are making their North American or Canadian premieres and the list of features this year is spectacular.
The full lineup includes: A Fantastic Fear of Everything, After, American Mary, My Amityville Horror, Citadel, Cockneys vs. Zombies, Crave, Dead Sushi, Doomsday Book, Game Of Werewolves, Grabbers, Grave Encounters 2, In Their Skin (formerly known as Replicas), Inbred, Lloyd the Conqueror, REC 3: Genesis, Resolution, Sushi Girl, Wrong, and Universal Soldier: Day of Reckoning. If you’ve been reading my Assemblogs for the last few months, you’ll recognize quite a few of these titles.
You can watch all the feature trailers on the TAD Film Fest YouTube page here.
This year will also be the first for the Toronto After Darkcade, which will feature independent horror, sci-fi, fantasy, action, and cult video games.
The complete festival schedule, which includes all feature and short screening times will be announced on Tuesday, October 2, so check the Toronto After Dark site for details. You can also by all-access passes from the site to get the most out of the festival.
The Horrors Of The Black Museum: Q&A With Paul Corupe And Andrea Subissati
Published on September 21st, 2012 in: Canadian Content, Horror, Movies, Q&A, Upcoming Events |If you were at FanExpo Canada on Saturday, August 25 this year, you were lucky. Lucky to be alive because the Saturday of the now four-day event is by far the busiest, the most crowded, and the most likely to cause severe claustrophobia, and/or exhaustion.
Besides that, however, Saturday featured the introduction of The Black Museum, a “limited engagement of horror lectures and screenings” in Toronto. The series is named after the collection of criminal memorabilia that Scotland Yard kept at their headquarters in London, England, beginning at the end of the 19th Century.
Although I was unable to attend The Black Museum panels at FanExpo, I did recently get the chance to chat with the two curators, Andrea “Lady Hellbat” Subissati and Paul Corupe to find out more about their macabre multimedia endeavor.
Assemblog: July 6, 2012
Published on July 6th, 2012 in: Assemblog, Copyright/Piracy, Horror, Movies, Upcoming Events |
Citadel still from Bloody Disgusting
New on Popshifter this week: Part two of our continuing series on THE BAND’s discography (The Band); and a review of Ernie Kovacs: The ABC Specials on DVD.
Return Of The Phantom 45: Robyn Hitchcock and KT Tunstall, “There Goes The Ice”
Published on June 19th, 2012 in: Current Faves, Music, Music Reviews, Reviews, Upcoming Events |By Cait Brennan
The delightful Robyn Hitchcock is back with two new (and free) songs, “There Goes The Ice” and “Twitch 4 Sam Surfer”—the latest in Hitchcock’s series of “Phantom 45” offerings, and a harbinger of good things to come.
A spare, melancholy duet with Hitchcock and KT Tunstall, “There Goes The Ice” turns George Harrison’s Beatles classic “Here Comes The Sun” on its head, written by Hitchcock as the Arctic ice sheet literally went to pieces around him.