Reel Asian 2012: Cha Cha for Twins Review
Starring Huang Peijia, Paul Chiang, Lun Ou Yang
Written by Yi-Chien Yang
Directed by Jim Wang, Yi-Chien Yang
Kicking of Saturday’s lineup at the Richmond Hill Centre for the Performing Arts is the award winner from this year’s Taipei Film Festival, Cha Cha for Twins. This coming of age story centers on the tale of twin sisters who, now that they have turned 17, are discovering just how different, and alike, they truly are as they both strive to emerge as individuals apart from each other. But growing pains aren’t called ‘pains’ without reason.
Poni and Mini (Peijia in a dual role) have always done everything together. (more…)
Reel Asian 2012: Wolf Children Review
Reel Asian Film Festival 2012
Wolf Children (2012)
Starring the voices of Aoi Miyazaki, Takao Osawa, Haru Kuroki, Momoko Oono, Yukito Nishii and Amon Kabe
Written by Satoko Okudera, Mamoru Hosoda
Directed by Mamoru Hosoda
Considered by many in Japan as the heir apparent to the anime crown currently adorning the master animator Hayao Miyazaki, director Hosoda delivers a fairy tale/fable with a very sophisticated and adult message, Wolf Children. An anime master in his own right, Hosoda shows off classic hand drawn characters on sophisticated backgrounds in a coming of age story with a very worthwhile message at its core. But how will Wolf Children measure up to the classic Miyazaki fare like Princess Mononoke, Ponyo and Spirited Away?
TAD 2012: Wrong Review
Toronto After Dark Film Festival 2012
Wrong (2012)
Starring Jack Plotnick, Eric Judor, Alexis Dziena, William Fichtner, Steve Little and Regan Burns
Written and Directed by Quentin Dupieux
The infamous Quentin Dupieux, aka musician Mr Oizo, the director of the movie about a car tire on a killing spree ‘Rubber’, is back with his newest absurdist comedy ‘Wrong’. With Rubber being an extremely divisive film, and Dupieux’s penchant for the bizarre, I knew this would not just be simply a story of a man trying to find his lost dog. I also knew that this was likely to be the most loved and most hated film of this year’s Toronto After Dark lineup.
Dolph Springer (Plotnick) wakes up one morning to realize he has lost the love of his life, (more…)
TAD 2012: Game of Werewolves Review
Toronto After Dark Film Festival 2012
Starring Gorka Otxoa, Carlos Areces, Secun de la Rose and Luis Zahera
Written and Directed by Juan Martinez Moreno
The closing night film from this year’s Toronto After Dark Film Festival was the Spanish horror comedy ‘Lobos de Arga’. The translation literally meaning Wolves of Arga (pronounced r-e-ah) but retitled Game of Werewolves for the international market. Game is throwback film. Wearing its influences like a badge on its chest, Game is clearly inspired by the Universal Monster films of old and more modern masterpieces like An American Werewolf in London and The Howling. The only question remaining is does it belong in the company of these classic films? (more…)
TAD 2012: Dead Sushi Review (Kirk Haviland)
Toronto After Dark Film Festival 2012
Starring Rina Takeda, Shigeru Matsuzaki and Kentarô Shimazu
Written by Noboru Iguchi, Makiko Iguchi and Jun Tsugita
Continuing a long tradition of Japanese splatter films at Toronto After Dark – past years have also brought us Tokyo Gore Police, RoboGeisha and Vampire Girl vs Frankenstein Girl – we were treated to Noboru Iguchi’s Dead Sushi for the 2012 edition of the festival. One of Iguchi’s first films outside of the Sushi Typhoon label since that company launched, Dead Sushi has been hailed as a fun romp that returns Iguchi back to the form of Machine Girl, the film that helped launch Typhoon in the first place. (more…)
TAD 2012: Resolution Review
Toronto After Dark Film Festival 2012
Starring Peter Cilella, Vinny Curran, Zahn McClarnon
Written by Justin Benson
Directed by Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead
Resolution, the hit film from the Tribeca and Fantasia festivals made its Toronto debut at Toronto After Dark 2012. Another cabin in the woods style thriller in a year that has also given us ‘Cabin in the Woods’, Resolution is a smaller more compact story that strives to tell an equally intense and original story. But the question is can they succeed?
Mike (Cilella) receives a deranged video via email from his junkie friend Chris (Curran)……………………………… (more…)
TAD 2012: After Review
Toronto After Dark Film Festival 2012
Starring Steven Strait, Karolina Wydra, Madison Lintz and Sandra Ellis Lafferty
Written by Jason Parish and Ryan Smith
Directed by Ryan Smith
Making its Canadian Premiere as part of Toronto After Dark 2012’s Sunday night lineup was the fantasy thriller After. The tale of a pair of bus crash survivors who awake to an empty town hopes to harken back to a darker version of the more whimsical films of Joe Dante and Steven Spielberg back in the 1980’s. But can After live up to such a high pedigree? (more…)
TAD 2012: Citadel Review
Toronto After Dark Film Festival 2012
Starring Aneurin Barnard, James Cosmo, Wunmi Mosaku, Jake Wilson and Amy Shiels
Written and Directed by Ciaran Foy
After receiving numerous awards at festivals around the world, including SXSW, Citadel finally makes its Toronto debut as part of this year’s Toronto After Dark Film Festival. The dark/grimy tale of a man that desperately wants to protect his family but has been so traumatized that he can’t, features a breakout performance from both its lead actor and director.
Tommy (Barnard) and his pregnant wife Joanne………………………………………… (more…)
TIFF 2012 Clip and Picture Day Reviews
Photo from TIFF.net
Starring Isidora Simijonovic, Vukašin Jasnic, Sanja Mikitišin, Jovo Makisc and Monja Savic
Written and Directed by Maja Milos
Jasna (Simijonovic) is a teenage girl living in the poor suburbs in the south of Belgrade, Serbia. She, like many girls her age, likes to record everything around her using a mobile phone camera. She is making videos of herself, her school friends, family and Djole (Jasnic), the boy of her dreams. Her family life is a mess, her father is terminally ill and mother is barely coping. Jasna cannot figure out how to cope with this and it leads her further down the wrong path, leading to more and more time hanging out with her school friends, partying and drinking. At one of the parties, she finally starts a conversation with Djole and later they develop an intense sexual relationship. When he realizes that she will do anything to be close to him, Djole starts using her as a sexual object. Jasna……………
MOVIE JUNKIE TO'S Entertainment Fix 