I know TIFF has been over for weeks but if you are like me, and you miss those late nights at the Ryerson,  you are probably in the midst of the post fest blues. Well fear not as I've got a few places for you to go to let you relive some of the best moments of Midnight Madness 2009!

Uber-Video bloggers Sheleigh Bober & Robert Mitchell have some pretty slickly produced wrap-up videos of all 10 Midnight Madness evenings posted on this youtube channel.

If you are a fan of the cinematography of Cloverfield or The Blair Witch Project check out the uneditted Midnight Madness Intros & Q&As here.

There are hundreds of pics over on the Midnight Madness group over on Facebook.

So that's a wrap gang, it was a blast and see you next year!

Thanks to Ian "Gore" Goring for the styling brochure pic that toplines this post.

Way back in 2007 Colin introduced us to Hitoshi Matsumoto: the mad genius challenging Takeshi Kitano as reigning king of Japanese comedy. I've said many times that the Asian film fanbase at Midnight Madness is the most loyal of the various fanbases that make up our community and Matsumoto did not disappoint with his rookie offering Dainipponjin.

Matsumoto returns to Midnight Madness this year with Symbol. Here is the trailer More...

 

So far this year we've had fun horror. Jennifer's Body served up the carnage with big doses of humor and double helping of HOT thanks to the divine Miss Fox. The Loved Ones peppered it's scares and diabolical mayhem with a kickass soundtrack and some light humor between some of the brutal... Ummm... I dunno, prom footage... Just go see it yourself, you'll know what I'm talking about.

Don't expect too much levity from  [REC] 2. In [REC] directors Jaume Balaguero and Paco Plaza locked us in an apartment building with a bunch of fast moving zombies (Sorry Mr. Romero). This time SWAT shows up to clean up the mess. Personally, I love a good scare. The kind that makes the hair stand up on the back of your neck and doesn't let up till Colin walks on stage to prove the folks that just got slaughtered on screen are still alive! So if [REC] 2 is anything like its predecessor that's exactly what we'll get.

I've been trolling the net in my 15 minutes between screenings and haven't found too much but there was this little gem over at shocktillyoudrop.com. Check it out and then pick up you tickets for [REC] 2 And yes the directors will be in the house for the screening!

[REC] 2 Screenings:

Tuesday September 15 11:59PM RYERSON

Thursday September 17 12:30PM SCOTIABANK THEATRE 4

Saturday September 19 6:15PM AMC 3

 

You survived the high school carnage and glam glam premiere of Jennifer's Body. The Ryerson is still standing after the premiere of Daybreakers. Which is pretty significant considering what happened to the last TIFF venue that screened a Spiereg brothers flick... Please observe a moment of silence for the Uptown...

Despite our haggard appearance, we are NOT a part of the Zombie walk... Most of us look like this everyday people!  Last night Australia hit one out of the park with The Loved Ones. And tonight we get Bitch Slap!

Our friends over at Movie Meltdown managed to score an interview with two of the stars (Click Here). Here are some highlights:

Erin Cummings (Hel) -

Describing the film: "An action packed in your face exploitation film that is like a train on fire..."

On working with Julia Voth & America Olivo: "we became the sisterhood of the travelling pushup bra."

Next projects: "They're already planning Bitch Slap 2 & 3"

America Olivo (Camero) -

Describing the film: "A loving homage to the exploitation films of the 60s and 70s"

On her character: "A man in a woman's body"

C'mon, you know you want to be at the world premiere tonight. Bitch Slap screens Monday September 14 at 11:59 pm at the Ryerson and Wednesday September 16 at 3:15 pm at the Scotiabank Theater 3.

You missed Jennifer's Body? Fine... I forgive you. It was a Thursday night, you've got work, yada, yada, yada. You've still got two more chances to see it at TIFF with a madness crowd. C'mon, you know you want to, the non-madness crowds at the multiplexes don't cheer disemboweling anywhere near as loud as us dedicated maniacs!

Anyway tonight is FRIDAY so you have no excuse to miss Daybreakers. And yes, Willem Dafoe will be in attendance. Mr. Dafoe is in no less than four films at TIFF (My Son, My Son, What Have Ye Done, Daybreakers, L'Affaire Farewell, and Antichrist) this year and had this to say about the Spiereg brothers (directors of Daybreakers & 2003 Madness/Uptown Closer Undead) and what drew him to Daybreakers:

"...my taste at the time was to do something really different. So it was through those dialogues and them talking about what they were trying to do that they seduced me into joining them. And once I sign on, I'm there, and I really enjoyed them a lot. I admire how they work. I haven't seen the movie, but I think it'll be a fun movie." S.T. VanAirsdale -Movieline

C'mon, you know you want to be there... get to the RUSH line now!

Jennifer's Body screens again on Saturday, September 12 at 12:00 pm at the Ryerson and Thursday September 17, at 8:30 pm at the Varsity 8.

Daybreakers premieres on Friday, September 11 at 11:59 pm at the Ryerson and encores on Sunday September 1, at 12:30 pm at the Scotiabank Theatre 2.

Want the lowdown on Bitch Slap? Check out this interview with writer, producer, director Rick Jacobson:

Sanjay Rajput: SR

Rick Jacobson: RJ

SR: Bitch Slap has been described as "An Intelligent Exploitation Film" what does that mean?

RJ:        When Eric Gruendemann and I were close to finishing the script we looked at it and coined the term "Thinking Man's Exploitation Film". When you think of an exploitation film you think of a pretty straightforward storyline. You don't think of it being too complex or the characters being too complex but here we were sitting on a script that had all of this and was quoting from Joseph Conrad, Sun Tzu, and William Congreve.

            More than anything else it has a complex story structure. It has a linear A story that goes along in real time, then it has a B story, like Memento, that runs in reverse. As the A story goes along the B story goes in reverse and they meet at the end with a big reveal and fun twist. It's not just your simple hot chicks running around shaking their tits and ass... Well, it is, but  there's also a fun level of intelligence in the characters that you don't find in typical exploitation films.

More...

 

 

If you're a fan of surreal animated humor like Robot Chicken or 2005 madness selection The District! then check out A Town Called Panic. This press kit released before it screened at Cannes earlier this year has a plethora of information. Unfortunately large parts of the kit are in French so for those of you who are still afraid of all things from France because of Martyrs here are a few tidbits from an interview with directors Stéphane Aubier and Vincent Patar:

Animators they're compared to or influenced by: "...there are people whose creative universes really speak to us: Trey Parker and Matt Stone's South Park or Matt Groening's Futurama... the animation Terry Gilliam created for Monty Python's Flying Circus stands out for its shear fearless outrageousness..."

On what Aliens would think of human's if they watched their film: "... we think they'd assume we're slightly retarded or else absolute geniuses... [though] they'd conclude that this is the stupidest question they've ever heard."

A Town Called Panic screens Friday September 18 at 11:59 pm at the Ryerson and Saturday September 19 at 3:45 pm at the AMC 3.

Over my last 8 years at TIFF  I've seen a huge influx of mainstream movie goers slowly infiltrate the hoards of genre film freaks who regularly worship at the alter of Madness. I can't speak for the days back in the early 90s, but when I started the big ticket Madness flicks were things like Ichi the Killer or Bubba Ho-tep. Every now and then an Underworld would sneak it, but when Borat literally broke the projector (yeah, I like to reference that event in my posts!); well people started looking a lot closer:

"...Midnight Madness has grown in the past few years to become the hot spot for the biz and one of the most prominent platforms to launch an adrenaline pic." Jennie Punter Variety

 "...TIFF's Midnight Madness block of films offers the best in rock 'n' roll movies, horror films, science fiction, extreme comedy, martial arts and, when you're really lucky, combinations of two or more of the above."  James Rocchi MSN Movies

The Saw franchise, Cabin Fever, and Hostel all got kick started at the madness. Sure, you could've seen those at the multiplex, but admit it, the movie snob in us all likes to say "Nah, I'll pass I saw that one at TIFF!" Can you see Jennifer's Body or Daybreakers in a few weeks or months? Sure, but try bringing a Beach Ball in or turning to the person sitting next to you to discuss the merits of Romero, Argento, & Miike. Conversations like that are reserved for September after midnight in the Ryerson.

"...TIFF seems to be jam-packed with whacked-out horror films." CityNews.ca producer and movie buff Brian McKechnie.

Like any good virus, Midnight Madness is spreading to the rest of TIFF. Current TIFF selections like The Hole or Vengeance could've easily played the Madness. That's fine by me, I got a festival pass and 10 Midnights just isn't enough!

 

Our friends over at Homepageofthedead.com did a great interview with George A. Romero on George A. Romero's Survival Of The Dead. The full interview is here (click on Speaking of the Dead: An Interview with George A Romero.)

A few tidbits (for those who stayed up too late to read the whole thing):

George's message this time out. "It's mainly about tribalism, which I think is what is screwing the world up - tribalism, nationalism, religion -people taking sides. All of my zombie films have had a little touch of that, but this is specifically about it."

For you gorehounds out there: "It's restrained compared to Day or Dawn... It certainly has more than Diary and there's one really sort of spectacular sequence, but we're worried whether the MPAA will allow it - where they pull a guy apart..."

And a message to the fans: "Basically what I want to say is forgive me... the biggest thing that bugs me is that fans want me to do either the last movie I did or do another Dawn or do another this or do another that - and that pisses me off! That's not what I'm about! I'm gonna make a movie, look at it, if you don't like it that's fine. If you like it, then I love it. In other words don't punish me because this was not as good as Dawn. This is what I'm thinking right now..."

George A. Romero's Survival Of The Dead screens at TIFF on: Saturday September 12, 11:59PM - RYERSON  & Monday September 14, 12:30PM - SCOTIABANK THEATRE 2

 

It's been a while since we've seen a true sequel at Midnight Madness. Despite what some might think, Banlieu 13 wasn't a followup to Banlieus 1-12. Trust me, I checked IMDB.  But that isn't to say sequels and re-imaginings haven't always been a big part of the madness.

Check out this comprehensive site of Madness History and you'll see that sequels frequently pop up in the lineup.  And while I'm not a big fan of remakes, I'm a sucker for sequels. There's something fun about watching a familiar villain dispatching hapless teens in increasingly clever ways. So if the plot doesn't always hold together it's okay because not every sequel is following the Godfather II model. But nobody will argue that the best sequels are the ones that further a riveting narrative established by a preceding chapter. Whether you're a fan of reboots, continuations, or "more of the original with a 2 on the end" then it looks like this year's madness has something for you.

Just to make sure you aren't going in blind and in case you haven't had time to Netflix all your homework this year, here's some background based on what I remember:

More...

 

After doing TIFF for a few years I thought I had the whole scheduling thing figured out.  With a festival pass I almost always got 90% of my first choices through the lottery and eventually I figured out ways of increasing my odds of getting my first choices:

1)      Avoiding 1^st screenings of world premiere Special Presentations. These would always be popular so if I really wanted to see it I'd check out the 2^nd screening.

2)      Avoiding evening screenings at the Elgin. A lot of those seats went to Elgin Pass Holders and again, the remaining seats would be pretty in demand and I'd be content catching a second screening.

I never got that bent out of shape about not getting a first choice ticket... until 2006. Which was the year that Borat premiered during Midnight Madness.  While all you dedicated Midnight Maniacs were in there watching Michael Moore try to fix a projector and Colin being threatened with castration; I was back at my Hotel watching some show called "This Hour has 22 Minutes".  I'm not kiddin, seriously... Check it out

That was when I learned a  powerful lesson: With Great Power Must Come Great Responsibility. Wait... That was Spider-Man; what I meant was that I needed a Midnight Madness pass. No other pass at the festival GUARANTEES you a seat at the World Premiers of Jennifer's Body (written by Oscar winning TIFF Alum Diablo Cody's new flick) & George A. Romero's Survival of the Dead. If you already have a 10 or 30 ticket pass, go ahead and get a madness pass too. The extra cash is worth it, plus you'll be able to use your tickets on some of the other genre films playing at TIFF this year.... More about those in another post.

                Last year's Madness was all about discovery:  emerging directors and talent coming to show off their midnight skills. Plenty of screenings sold out, but if you got to the Rush line in time you got a ticket. But this year, you've got films and directors with entrenched fanbases all competing for those precious  seats in the Ryerson.  Don't be left empty handed in the Rush line while the rest of us are tossing around a beach ball waiting for the premiere of Ong-Bak 2 or [REC] 2; get your pass now!

                Pick up The Midnight Madness Package for $156.51, and available to students and seniors for $100 (prices do not include GST, building-fund fee and service charges).  Purchase online here, by phone at 416-968-FILM or 1-877-968-FILM (Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., closed weekends and holidays) or in person at the Festival Box Office at Nathan Phillips Square (Box Office hours are 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., seven days a week), located at 100 Queen Street West, in the white tent, west of the square.

 

A lot of people like to turn their noses up to some Midnight Madness films. ?Oh, that?s just torture-porn or some chop-socky garbage,? they?ll say. Okay, so maybe Saw wasn?t high-brow stuff like a 6 hour documentary on some war over grazing rights in southern micro-ghanistan? But that doesn?t mean our own brand of TIFF madness doesn?t have endearing cultural value. Heck this years slate was down right educational. Take for example some things I learned this year:

1) Just cuz someone is 46 doesn?t mean they can?t kick your butt with BOTH hands tied behind their back (JCVD).

2) If America invents it, odds are Japan can STILL improve it. That includes Death Metal Music (Detroit Metal City)

3) Be nice to the environment, who knows when or how it will fight back? (The Burrowers)

4) Trees are our friends, be nice to the trees? Very nice to the trees. (Eden Log)

5) Just because you have the ability to create zombies with your fancy brainscanner doesn?t mean you SHOULD create zombies with your fancy brainscanner. (Sexykiller)

6) Odds are pretty good that you neighbors are a lot creepier than you thought. (Acolytes)

7) If you find a dead body? leave it alone! (Deadgirl)

8) Beauty truly is just skin deep, but love the skin you?re in nonetheless. (Martyrs)

9) Just cuz someone is developmentally disabled doesn?t mean they can?t kick your butt. (Chocolate)

10) There?s a lot more to Australia than Yahoo Serious, Steve Irwin, & Fosters! (Not Quite Hollywood)

 

Jija set the place on fire!

 

MM Scorecard:

Screenings Attended: 42/47

Screenings Missed: 5

Average Hours Slept Per Night: 4.5  

It's a good thing there was a firetruck nearby after the midnight screening of Chocolate because the  crowd was on fire!  Prachya Pinkaew's triumphant return to midnight madness once again brought the crowd to its feet and introduced us all to another Thai whirlwind: Jija Yanin. The icing on the cake was the brutal outtake sequence that showed the audience what our beloved action heroes go through to keep us on the edge of our seats. And an event that started with an aging JCVD regaining past glory concluded with the emergence of a new bone shattering Thai butt kicker.

 

The adrenaline rush from the last madness usually keeps the post fest blues at bay for a few weeks, but after that usually we're on our own for about year. However, this year a few of us dedicated bloggers are gonna keep the blog alive, or at least undead, so hopefully it'll help stave off madness withdrawals for awhile.

 

As promised here is the Intro & Q&A for Chocolate: More...

Careful Colin, Macarena Gomez is a SexyKILLER!!!

 

MM Scorecard:

Screenings Attended: 38/47

Screenings Missed: 4

Average Hours Slept Per Night: 5

 

You know one of the things that makes a movie like Sexykiller cool? The title speaks for itself. Thankfully, most of the midnights have been that way this year. JCVD is about JCVD. Deadgirl? You got it: a dead girl. Martyrs? Shudder? Must stop thinking about Martyrs? And Sexykiller? Yup, a Sexy Killer! The only improvement could?ve been calling it REALLY Sexykiller. Miguel, if you make a sequel feel free to use that.

 

Now try that logic at some of the other festival films. The Secret Life of Bees? Oddly enough had very little to do with bees. I?m sure it's great, but from the description, it has very little info about beekeeping. You?ve been warned.

 

Anyway, there was one rather large problem with Sexykiller (which will only affect you if you speak Spanish). About every 7-8 minutes the crowd breaks into spontaneous applause for some sexy kills. Normally you only see this kind of activity with a madness crowd and it didn?t bother me too much cuz I was reading subtitles anyway.  But if you?re trying to listen to the dialogue it might be a problem.

 

Unfortunately gang, this is my last intro and Q&A post for awhile as I?m on a plane heading back to the real world immediately after Chocolate. I?ll try to get some stuff up once I recover from the cold I always get after TIFF and fully kick my post-fest blues. It?s been fun gang!

 

 

Franck Vestiel offers Colin an up close look at the Eden Log facility

 

MM Scorecard:

Screenings Attended: 34/47

Screenings Missed: 2

Average Hours Slept Per Night: 4.5

 

I decided to skip a couple of non-midnight screenings today to catch up on some much needed sleep. My limbs were starting to go numb, at first I thought it was a Burrower bite, but after a solid 5 hours sleep everything seems to be back to normal.

 

Eden Log was easily the most contemplative midnight madness of the fest so far. A much appreciated change of pace from the brutal/in your face tone of Martyrs the night before.

 

Though I was a little disapointed that the star of the film didn't show up. No, I don't mean Clovis Cornillac, I mean part of the Eden Log itself! Heck, 3 title characters have (or will) show up. We've seen a Deadgirl, 2 Martyrs, and will see a Sexykiller... It would've been slick to see the Eden Log itself. C'est la Vie...

Colin, a very much alive Morjana Alaoui, & Pascal Laugier

 

MM Scorecard:

Screenings Attended: 31/47

Screenings Missed: 0

Average Hours Slept Per Night: 4.1

 

Just a word of warning to those contemplating seeing films like Martyrs or Deadgirl: (or any other Midnight Madness). These films can be brutal. A lot of times the endings ain?t happy and the good guys don?t always win. They?ll take you to dark places within yourself that you didn?t know existed. After all it?s called Midnight MADNESS not Midnight Feelgood.

 

So, did Martyrs live up to all the hype? Yeah, and then some. Ask the cat who puked near the end. This is the second Colin programmed flick this year at which someone chundered. The first being Vinyan last Friday. Does chunder at a madness count as some kind of demented standing ovation?

 

Spontaneous applause thoughout the screenings and uncomfortable ?Oh crap, something really scary is about to happen? laughs showed that this flick clearly wasn?t all hype. A spirited Q&A followed with Pascal Laugier giving an impassioned defense of his work as well as the audiences that appreciate it. We love you too Monsieur Laugier! Need more evidence that this film wasn?t all hype? Well, as I write this it is about 3:30 am and I?m wide awake?

 

Video will be up this afternoon.

 

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?

 

 

 

Jon Hewitt assures Colin that no Canadians were harmed during the filming of Acolytes

MM Scorecard:

Screenings Attended: 22/47

Screenings Missed: 0

Average Hours Slept Per Night: 3.75

 

Two things the human body desperately needs to function are sleep and oxygen. Most of you know by now I haven't slept since sometime in 1976 and last night the audience of Acolytes deprived me of precious oxygen.

 

This was one of those films where you're holding your breath every few seconds because you never know when that creepy neighbor serial killer guy is gonna pop up. Then, when you're feeling all safe and comfortable, chillin' as the awesome indie rock soundtrack kicks in; suddenly director Jon Hewitt figuratively hits you over the head with a shovel causing 100s of people to gasp simultaneously resulting in a huge drop in the oxygen level. Yeah, the whole movie was like that...

 

Sunday night Colin opened the door to Aussie Genre cinema with Not Quite Hollywood and then he gave us another brilliant example of it with Acolytes. The director was even nice enough to give a Midnight Madness questioner an autographed poster, a thumbdrive with a bunch of videos of his previous work, and an as yet unreleased CD of music from Acolytes.... AAAARRRRRRR!!!

 

The down under theme continues tonight with an appearance by Clancy Brown in JT Petty's The Burrowers. Cuz typically to burrow you gotta be down under the ground and... um... Clancy plays Mr. Krabs who is... ya' know... down under the sea... Okay, I'm reaching a little but its like day 42 of the festival and I've only slep 45 seconds.

 

And Happy 33rd Birthday Mr. Robert Mitchell (your fellow bloggers chipped in and got you the exact same thing we got you last year). And if anyone wants to get me anything for my bday on the 10th, anything caffinated would be great!

 

 

Colin & Mark Hartley want you... to learn nore about Australian cinema.

MM Scorecard:

Screenings Attended: 17/47

Screenings Missed: 0

Average Hours Slept Per Night: 3.8

 

Sanjay Rajput was found asleep in the Ryerson theater last night. He did however have some notes scribbled on a pad he carries around with him that read:

 

Anyone interested in crazy genre cinema and Australia's contribution should check out Not Quite Hollywood. There are a few scenes that might result in the production of chunder (which can also be brought about by a little to many tubes). Let me guess, you don't know what the bloody hell I'm talkin' about do ya' mate.  Obviously you missed Not Quite Hollywood last night. But fear not as I your intrepid, sleep deprived, midnight miscreant am hear to provide you with last night's intro & Q&A.

 

If you enjoyed last night's journey into the outback, join us again this evening for another Australian film: Acolytes. Teenagers, a Serial Killer, and suburbs... I'm so there. Oh, and don't forget to wish fellow blogger Robert Mitchell a happy 33rd birthday on the 9th (which is 1 day before my 34th, remember people Caffeine Pills!!!)

 

 

I'm taking a break from the usual Q&A & intro posting tonight to respond to something I saw online:

http://www.torontosun.com/News/TorontoAndGTA/2008/09/06/6678136-sun.html

Last night I was hanging out with practically the entire cast and crew after the world premiere of Deadgirl. Me and dozens of other "cinephiles, working stiffs, the common folk".

At the premiere of Detroit Metal City: Dozens of fans were ON THE RED CARPET with the star and director. And we all sat in the reserved section. 

A couple of eager young filmmakers were out trying to drum up interest in a werewolf project they were working on. Colin sent me and another audience blogger over to interview them. Shortly thereafter, Marcel Sarmiento, one of the directors of Deadgirl, personally handed both of them tickets to the screening.

I suggest that anyone who thinks that TIFF has lost its way attend a couple of midnight madness screenings. Midnight madness shows that TIFF is, at its heart, truly still a people's festival.

Don't worry, the sleep deprivation jokes, intros, and Q&As will be back tommorow. But this mechanical engineer from Richmond, Virginia couldn't let an attack on his favorite festival go unanswered.

 

 

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.

 

From the you can't make this up file: This was posted on the Globe and Mail website recently. Anyone think there'll be any flare-up at the screening of Not Quite Hollywood? Only one way to find out, join us Sunday night!

Hot stuff on red carpet

Perhaps the Toronto Fire Department should be on hand for the Sept. 8 screening of Not Quite Hollywood, the raucous Australian documentary that's part of TIFF's Midnight Madness series. It tells the madcap story of Ozploitation films, a flood of soft-core sex romps, splatter flicks and road movies that were created after Australia's strict censorship laws were lifted in 1971. All were made on the cheap and on the fly, with zero on-set safety standards. Actors, directors and stuntmen took off their clothes, strapped themselves to speeding cars, dodged real bullets and in several cases, set themselves on fire. Now the doc is inspiring more than fond memories in the nearly 90 people whom director Mark Hartley interviewed. When it recently opened the Melbourne International Film Festival, the renowned stuntman Grant Page set himself on fire on the red carpet. "As a director you can't ask for more than that," Hartley says. "I'd love to do that in Toronto. Brian Trenchard-Smith, one of the main directors in the film, is coming to Toronto with me, and he once set himself on fire to prove to an actor it was safe. Maybe I could just light up Brian."

If you've been to the last couple of madness screenings then you've probably noticed director JT Petty hangin' out. JT was responsible for the creepy S&MAN that screened here a few years back. I'm not going to say ANYTHING about S&MAN as I have no intention of ruining it for anyone. Suffice to say that it was a collosal mindscrew that totally rocked.

What I can say is the JT confirmed that Clancy Brown will be in the house for the premiere of The Burrowers on Tuesday Night. Who is Clancy Brown you ask? You must not be a midnight regular, go back to the Real to Reel blog you wuss. Sorry, sleep deprivation is making me cranky.

Mr. Brown has brought to life some memorable characters that all us Midnight Maniacs should know pretty well: Brother Justin from Carnivale, the despicable Captain Handley of The Shawshank Redemption, and my personal favroite The Kurgan from the original Highlander.  He's also got an incredible voice acting resume that includes everything from Lex Luthor to Mr. Krabs!

So check out Clancy in The Burrowers, for after all in the end, there can be only one. Did I mention I was a Highlander fanboy....

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?