Burning the Midnight Oil with the Creators of Midnight Son
Kirk here, aka Movie Junkie TO. I recently had the chance to sit down with some of the guys responsible, Director Scott Leberecht and Producer Matt Compton, for the unique and daring indie drama/horror Midnight Son and ask some questions about the film. The DVD Review is available at the above link, but for now let’s get on with the interview.
Movie Junkie (MJ) – It’s great to able talk to you again Scott and Matt, it’s been a while since Toronto After Dark last year. Congrats on the DVD release.
Scott Leberecht (SL) – Thanks Kirk, I had a great time partying with you at TAD. If you don’t remember anything, it’s okay, I only remember the mornings. Been a long ride to finally get to this point! Seeing Midnight Son being made available to so many people all around the world is very rewarding.
Matt Compton (MC) –…
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Dead Air Episode 20
Hello Guys
Here’s the 2nd podcast I did over at The Liberal Dead with Jeff Konopka about the Toronto After Dark Summer Screenings AND our preview of the first 10 films announced for TAD in October. Enjoy!
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/liberaldead/2012/09/08/dead-air-ep-20–detention-v-h-s-1
TIFF 2012 10 Most Anticipated
Kirk here, as the Toronto International Film Festival begins I’m here to spotlight my top picks for the fest and perhaps fill those leftover vouchers or last minute gaps in the schedule with some films that have definitely caught my eye. I will be brief in detail to avoid spoiler type material, but for further info on all titles go to the TIFF website by clicking on the titles below.
Painless – Dir. Juan Carlos Medina
Spanish Horror Thriller about a man who slowly unravels the truth about his origins, and a series of experiments conducted on children at the dawn of the Spanish Civil War.
Screening Sat Sept 8th, Sun Sept 9th and Sat Sept 15th
Berberian Sound Studio – Dir. Peter Strickland
A British sound engineer (Toby Jones) starts a descent into madness when he starts to work for a flamboyant Italian…
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Toronto Underground Cinema
I must start with the fact that I have been very torn about writing this article. With the news now out that the Toronto Underground Cinema will be closing its doors for good on Sunday Sept 16th, my prediction from when the Cumberland went away in May has unfortunately come true: another member of Toronto’s immensely populated Repertory Cinema scene has fallen, and this time it’s personal. The main reason as to why I have struggled with what to say is that the Underground is not merely a cool little place in the heart of the city with tons of history and an awesome vibe – it’s also populated and run by friends.
Opened in 1977 under the tent pole of the Golden Harvest film production company, the Golden Classics cinema as it was then known, highlighted the best in classic Golden Harvest Kung Fu films in a very crowded…
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Fan Expo Coverage 2012
Fan Expo 2012
So another Fan Expo is in the books and it’s time to do some reflecting. This year was my first time with a media pass for the fest and thus I attended two of the four days, Thursday night and Sunday afternoon. Thursday became my walkabout day as the main hall was pleasantly less crowded and easy to maneuver, while Sunday was a work day as I attended some panels and conducted some interviews. The interviews will be along very shortly but for now we’ll start by focusing on Day 1.
My first stop after attaining my pass was to go directly to visit my great friends at the Toronto After Dark Film Festival and find out what their first 10 films announced for the 2012 festival would be. The announcement should be live online at the link above by the time you read this, but at…
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Shinsedai Fest Wrap
Shinsedai Cinema Festival 2012
Shinsedai’s fourth year came with a change in venue from the Japan Canadian Cultural Center (JCCC for short) up in the north part of the city down to the heart of Toronto’s west end at the Revue Cinema (just off the Bloor/Danforth subway line at Dundas West station). The move provided record attendance for the fest and a flexibility to program films that previously had been unavailable for Chris Magee and Jasper Sharp, such as the Pink double-bill.
This year’s line-up proved to be strong in diversity, showcasing many different elements of independent Japanese cinema. Opening night gave us the engaging Ringing in their Ears, while the second night brought a couple of bizarre entries in Ghost Cat and the Mysterious Shamisen, and Zero Man vs The Half Virgin. On day three I caught most of the Yubari Fanta shorts with the fascinating Student…
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TKFF Fest Wrap
Kirk
The first ever Toronto Korean Film Festival wrapped on July 1st after a nine-day run in its first year. The highlights of the festival were the films of course, closing with the latter two entries of the famed Vengeance Trilogy from Park Chan-wook, Oldboy and Symapthy for Lady Vengeance on 35mm film prints, highlighting some of the best that Korean Cinema has to offer. Of course there were ups and downs, as with any fest going through its first iterations, growing pains if you will, and the TKFF is no exception.
First off, while I was not present for the opening gala which I did hear run late, there seemed to be some disorganization with lineups and showtimes as for the first weekend not one film started at its designated start time. Now while this is not a rarity in film festival land, the fact that we…
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Shinsedai Preview
Shinsedai 2012 Festival Preview
Shinsedai Film Festival July 12-15th 2012 (Toronto)
The Revue Cinema – 400 Roncesvalles Ave (Just south of Dundas West TTC station)
In Japanese the phrase Shinsedai stands for “new generation” and it is this declaration that festival creators/programmers Chris Magee and Jasper Sharp live by when setting this festival in motion. Dedicated to bringing the newest in independent Japanese films to Toronto film fans, Shinsedai’s 4th year of programming starts this Thursday bringing an eclectic mix of titles for fans to discover. Like my TKFF preview I will give you my 5 reasons for making sure not to miss this year’s fest.
5. Location, Location, Location
After toiling its wares out in Richmond Hill at the JCCC for the last 3 years, Shinsedai will finally make its debut in the west end of Toronto at the Revue Cinema. The Revue’s location, a mere minute…
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Summer Preview 2
JULY
The Amazing Spider-Man (July 3rd)
So we are already getting a reboot of the Spider-Man franchise, a move Sony has made to ensure that the web slinger’s movie rights don’t revert back to Marvel’s control. But I must admit, with every new trailer that hits the web I actually become more interested in seeing this.
Savages (July 6th)
Oliver Stone directing a film about 2 drug dealers on a Mickey and Mallory sized killing spree to get back their mutual girlfriend? Sign me up!
The Queen of Versailles (July 6th Limited)
The Hot Docs 2012 hit, and one of our own Dave Voigt’s faves of the fest, makes it to theaters in a limited run. Seek it out.
Ice Age: Continental Drift (July 13th)
Well at least Scrat is fun.
Ted
Seth McFarlane, creator of Family Guy, makes his feature directorial debut…
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TKFF Preview
Toronto Korean Film Festival 2012
5 Reasons you need to check out the TKFF
This month brings the launch of a new film festival for us residents of “Festival City” aka Toronto. The Toronto Korean Film Festival runs from June 22nd until July 1st over 9 days and aims to introduce those not familiar to some of the best of Korean film. For its inaugural event the staff of TKFF have decided to feature a best of Korean Cinema lineup, rather than just new undiscovered cinema, as an introduction for the non-indoctrinated and to offer a rare chance to see these films on a theater screen to those who have seen them before at home. That said, I will now tell you the 5 reasons why I will be in attendance.
5 – Korean Culture. The festival organizers are just as motivated to introduce people to Korean culture…
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Death of the Video Store?
An Article i wrote a month ago that caused quite the reaction!
With the news a short time ago that Rogers has decided to pull out of the video rental marketplace Canada has found itself somewhere it has not been in decades, without a nation-wide video rental chain. This is a turn of events that most in the industry have seen coming for a while, but the question is whether it’s actually a step forward or a step backward for the industry. I must confess, being a former Blockbuster Canada employee, my opinion on this issue will be informed but also biased. That said, I am going to try to explore this issue from an open mind.
I can remember a 12 year-old version of myself excitedly making the long trek to the video store with money from my parents; finally able to pick out exactly what I wanted. The aisles of VHS tapes lining the store with covers that hinted at…
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Summer Movie Preview Part 1
I know, I know. The Avengers has already broke records everywhere, and you’re doing a summer preview now? I must confess that I’m a bit of a traditionalist in that I feel the real summer season starts on Victoria Day in Canada/Memorial Day in the US. And since we recently had Victoria Day in Canada, it seems like as good a time as any for this article (ed – apologies, posting this a bit late). I’ll try to give indie/smaller releases their due along with the blockbusters. Ultimately, everything on here will be stuff that intrigues me…in either a good or bad way.
Ed – Two of the Movie Junkie’s picks already have reviews by him, MIB3 and Chernobyl Diaries.
JUNE
The first Piranha (from 2010, not the James Cameron version I have yet to see) was a guilty pleasure. Will…
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MOVIE JUNKIE TO'S Entertainment Fix 