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.

I was lucky enough to see Ong Bak Muay Thai Warrior at Midnight Madness and Tony Jaa kicking the hell out of people with his legs on fire at the Uptown Theatre on a screen tens of carol's high.  I'm looking forward to seeing Tony Jaa's return to Midnight Madness with Ong Bak 2: The Beginning at Ryerson tonight, which he directed, did the action choreography for and dances in. (Yay, Khon!) And I'm happy to close out the Gentlemen of Asskickery with Tony Jaa / Thatchakorn Yeerum (nee Panom Yeerum).

Tony Jaa is a student of Panna Rittikrai and started out on Panna's Muay Thai Stunt team.  He played a villainous supporting role in Spirited Killer and was a stunt double in Mortal Kombat: Annihilation before Prachya Pinkaew cast him for Ong Bak Muay Thai Warrior making him the most popular action star in Thailand, though some say Dan Chupong is the next big thing. Maybe we'll see in Ong Bak 3.

And Tony Jaa played Hanuman the Monkey King at the ceremonies for the 1st Asian Martial Arts Games in August, 2009.

Here's footage of Tony Jaa practicing for Ong Bak Muay Thai Warrior. There's some hopped up choral music, too.

Ong Bak 2: The Beginning ends TIFF tonight Saturday September 19 at 11:59pm - RYERSON

And my respect to all you people who got up to catch the 9:45am screening. You're hardcore.

For the first time, TIFF is awarding a top prize to a Midnight Madness selection. Announced moments ago in a conference room at the Hotel Intercontinental, the recipient of the Midnight Madness Cadillac People's Choice Award is Sean Byrne's The Loved Ones, the 'Dark Horse' of this year's lineup.

There was heavy competition, from neo-noir vampires in Daybreakers -- which was the runner-up for the award -- incubated demons in [REC]2, stop-motion toys on amphetamines in A Town Called Panic and absolute absurdism in Symbol. But as far as the Midnight Madness audience is concerned, Byrne's tale from down under tugged, pulled and stabbed at the heart-strings of the audience. With a fork.

It's an unprecented move for a genre film to receive such accolades at one of the world's most prestigious film fests, and we're hoping it leads to a bright future for this fresh, fun and gory film. The MM blogging team wishes to congratulate Sean Byrne and his entire cast and crew for this award.

This just in from Sean Byrne himself:

"I just received the best wake-up call of my life informing me THE LOVED ONES had received the Midnight Madness Audience Choice Award (and I'm still pinching myself!).  The MM audience is the most educated, passionate and hardcore horror audience I've ever encountered, which makes receiving this award an especially great honor.  Team LOVED ONES thanks Colin for hunting down our 'darkhorse', his team of bloggers for so kindly spreading the word and, finally, we thank you, the MM audience for voting for us!!!  You ROCK!!!  I can't wait to come back with another film that goes straight for the jugular!  Sweet dreams!!!"

Sean Byrne (Writer/Director, THE LOVED ONES)

Leading up to tonight's Midnight Madness screening of Ong Bak 2:  The Beginning, I've been posting profiles of some Gentlemen of Asskickery. But with Bitch Slap at Midnight Madness this year, it's time to return to the Ladies of Asskickery.  As my blog colleagues have mentioned. Zoë Bell did the fight choreography and was the stunt double for all three women in Bitch Slap.  Bell was the stunt double for Lucy Lawless in Xena: Warrior Princess and Uma Thurman's stunt double in the Kill Bill movies. Along with stunt woman/stunt coordinator Jeannie Epper (Wonder Woman), Bell was one of the subjects of the fantastic documentary, Double Dare.  And she starred in and performed her own stunts in Quentin Tarantino's Death Proof and Ed Brubaker's Angel of Death web series.

Here's a little look at her in action:

Ong Bak 2: The Beginning screens tonight at TIFF: Saturday September 19, 11:59pm - RYERSON. 

If you talked to me for any length of time since last Tuesday, you've probably been given an earful about Gaspar Noe's Enter The Void, which has turned out to be one of my favourite films at this year's Festival (edged out only slightly by The Road).  Since I am in a rush line for the next few hours, I decided to get my Goog on about the movie and was delighted to find out that one half of Daft Punk - Thomas Bangalter - scored the film.

Which is not entirely surprising.  Noe and Bangalter are, of course, fellow countrymen (France, if you're not keeping up) and Bangalter also provided the score to Noe's previous work, Irreversible.  Both scores evoke a strong sense of foreboding and claustrophobia, which, in Enter The Void, stands directly in opposition to the frenetic flashes of neon from the ever-menacing Tokyo skyline and the constant strobing effects which seek to hypnotize the viewer over the course of the almost-three-hour film.

Enter the Void plays for the final time at TIFF on Saturday the 19th at 7:00pm at AMC.

The door is locked, and there's no way to knock it down... Digging around,  you manage to find some items: A jar of mayonaise, a broken clock, and some expired lottery tickets. What do you do!? Well not much, because I don't know how to program 3d flash games. But there's still hope.

Ever play those room escape games?

After watching Hitoshi Matsumoto's latest film, you might be inclined to find your way out of some of these ridiculously intricate point and click 3D locked room mystery games!

While arguably, the tools are decidely less random than those seen in Symbol - the item combinations and consequent usage concepts are pretty abstract. Unfortunately, unlike in the film, there are no cool comics with encouraging theme music (that I know of) to brainstorm with. Though there are FAQS out there (but those are no fun, and don't really help your brain to melt)

Anyhow, the best of these games are FREE, load quickly with a solid connection, a fine alternative to crack, and in glorious 3D - no complex controls to learn, only need to point and click.

Start with the classic Crimson Room, and see where it takes you!

Cineuropa devotes an entire Film Focus section to A Town Called Panic.  Cineuropa has posted the trailer, a photo gallery, film details and a review as well as corraling directors Stéphane Aubier and Vincent Patar for an interview at Cannes. The detail that stuck out for me:

"For the film, we made a total of 1,500 figurines. Horse is the character who required the most, for he had many different positions…we used perhaps 130 or 140 figurines. For Cowboy and Indian, we used around 100 each. On the other hand, Policeman has four or five different positions because he’s stiff and doesn’t move… he’s a policeman."

And if you'd like to get a sense of what they're writing about, here's half of the episode, "Cake." (Atom.com has more with an entire A Town Called Panic channel with many, many episodes).

A Town Called Panic screens at TIFF on:  Friday September 18th, 11:59PM - Ryerson Theatre / Saturday September 19th, 3:45PM - AMC 3.

One of the resons I'm looking forward to Hitoshi Matsumoto's Symbol tonight is that respectable art cinema and I have a long history. It might not seem like it now, but I've done my time with scenes of people smoking and broken televisions and heavy eyeliner and blue filters, repetitive gestures and symbolic colors and abstract animation and the rain. Lonely wheeling seagulls and the failure of communication.

So Symbol's teaser alone makes me laugh. I mean, if your past is riddled with respectable and artsy film, cherubs emerging penis first from the walls of an empty white room should at least seem familiar.

Symbol screens at TIFF on: Thursday September 17, 11:59 pm - RYERSON / Saturday September 19, 12:00 pm - CUMBERLAND 1.

Directors Paco Plaza and Jaume Balaguero were in the house on Tuesday for the spine-chilling premiere of [REC]2! While I'm sure they'd agree that they're no Megan Fox, photographer Ian Goring managed to get some shots of the guys as they presented what promised to be the scariest film in this year's Midnight Madness lineup!

You can catch [REC]2 again on Saturday the 19th at 6:15 at AMC! Don't miss it! 

Nuff said!

Photo by Katarina G.

Ken'ichi Matsuyama's back at the festival starring in another live-action manga adaption. Last year, Matsuyama starred in one of my favorite MM movies ever, Detroit Metal City based on the eponymous manga.  And he's also starred as L in the live action adaptation of Death Note.  And this year he stars in an adaption of Sanpei Shirato's  Kamui Gaiden, in which he plays a ninja fleeing his ninja clan--and it's screening in the daytime (in fact, today and Saturday morning.

How crazy is that the madness has infected the festival to the point that not only is a viking film playing the non-Madness program, a ninja film is? At this rate, I look forward to Sonny Chiba's presenting some of his favorite films in Dialogues program.  After all, he's not only a ninjitsu master, he's a guest professor in film studies at Kyoto University of Art and Design.

Let's have a little Gentleman of Asskickery moment with Sonny Chiba:

Kamui Gaiden's final screening at TIFF is on: Saturday September 19, 09:45AM - AMC 3

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...

"Already a winged fiend was at his throat and there was no time to draw and fire his other pistol.  Kane saw, in a maze of thrashing wings, a devilish, semi-human face--he felt those wings battering at him--he felt cruel talons sink deep into his breast; then he was dragged off his feet and felt empty space beneath him.

The winged man had wrapped his limbs about the Englishman's legs, and the talons he had driven into Kane's breast muscles held like fanged vises.  The wolf-like fangs drove at Kane's throat but the Puritan gripped the bony throat and thrust back the grisly head, while with his right hand he strove to draw his dirk.  The bird-man was mounting slowly and a fleeting glance showed Kane that they were already high above the trees.  The Englishman did not hope to survive this battle in the sky, for even if he slew his foe, he would be dashed to death in the fall.  But with the innate ferocity of the fighting Anglo-Saxon he set himself grimly to take his captor with him."

(Robert E. Howard. The Savage Tales of Solomon Kane. New York: Ballantine, 1998: 291)

(image via The Pulp Reader)

Solomon Kane screens at TIFF on: Wednesday, Sept. 16 11:59PM - RYERSON / Thursday Sept. 17 3:15 PM - SCOTIABANK 1

Walking into the Ryerson last night for the North American premiere of [REC] 2 I noticed the film's tagline, "Would you go back in?" on its poster. I pointed it to a friend and said that I almost didn't want to. WHAT WAS GOING TO HAPPEN!!?!! There was soooo much bad stuff left in the building after [REC] (1).  Of course I didn't consider going home for a single second. I was there to get scared. I wanted to see how bad things were going to get in the sequel.

I'm pleased to report that the film was fantastic. One of the most enjoyable sequels I've ever seen, and a film which now ranks highly on my Best of TIFF 2009 list. It's very true to the first film while at the same time turning a lot of my expectations on their heads in a fun and creative way.

Though we we were the first public audience in North America to see [REC] 2 in its entirety, we weren't the first to see the film's opening scenes. We received this report of this amusing projection flub from earlier in the day:

So I'm sitting in the Scotiamount at 9AM this morning to see Alain Resnais' LES HERBES FOLLES, and the theatre (as is typical for weekday early-morning hows and light-hearted French romances) is packed with old folks.  Of particular note is how mean and angry these elderly sum'b*tches are, shouting down the weaker-voiced TIFF programmers to "speak up!" or "use the microphone!",  but I digress.

Anyhoo, the lights go down.  The program starts.  The familiar TIFF trailers.  A Bollywood musical number as the Toronto tribute.  Then ...

... The Filmax logo.

I think "that's kinda odd" but who knows, maybe a French auteur like Resnais needs Spanish funding nowadays.  It's around this time that I motice the soundtrack seems to be moaning ... Panting ... In fear.

Oh sh*t.

Then the Filmax logo disappears with a video flicker.

Oh no.  These old people are gonna get [REC]2 ...

I was on my feet and halfway through the aisle when the familiar night-vision ending shot filled the screen.  Could I get to a TIFF rep before anything f*cked-up happened?  While I would have genuinely enjoyed seeing these people get a little shaken up so early in the morning, any delay with LES HERBES FOLLES would have cut into my ENTER THE VOID plans, and that dog just won't hunt, monsignor.

I holler out, "It's the wrong movie!" and the theatre checker is on her walkie almost immediately.  OF course, the movie is still playing. kind-hearted guy that I am, I offer a well-meaning "ummm ... if you people are easily scared -- don't watch this part", WHAM! And the cute reporter is
yanked away.

I've never seen so many old people take to the air like that.

Later,
Mike

Anyhoo... Do not miss the repeat screenings or [REC] 2 because if you don't you're going to be waiting at leeeeeeeast until early next year before you get scared by it. GO BACK IN! GO BACK IN!

 ...

GO BACK IN!

[REC] 2 repeat screenings:
Thursday September 17 12:30PM SCOTIABANK THEATRE 4
Saturday September 19 6:15PM AMC 3

I could watch Bitch Slap's opening title slaps all day long--actresses from the silent era to weepy era Joan Crawford to glorious technicolor slapping away.

But Bitch Slap isn't silent or weepy. It's shot in the lurid color of exploitation cinema. The red's a little too red, but not quite out of control.  The whole movie has that under control feel, but really, I don't mind. It's a well-made, well-structured film and I was thoroughly entertained. If it were pure shake that moneymaker id, I'm not sure it would be as fun because for every Russ Meyer there's a thousand crappy filmmakers hoping cleavage is enough. And I appreciate writer Eric Gruendemann and writer/director Rick Jacobson's approach to cleavage.  Somehow they and the actors manage to make the sexy ladyness simultaneously hot for those looking for hot and hilarious for those who are looking for hilarious. We can all sit happily together in the theater. I doubt that's easy. 

And I really appreciate America Olivo's tweakin' insanity as Camero, the thief and underground fighter. She was transcendentally over the top.  It kinda reminded me of Bruce Campbell at his most manic. 

Last chance to see Bitch Slap at TIFF on: Wednesday September 16, 3:15 SCOTIABANK THEATRE 3

How about getting ready for Solomon Kane with some pulpy, pulpy dialog like, “A strong man is needed to combat Satan here! Therefore I go, who have defied him many a time!” 

Hell, how about a whole section from "The Castle of Devil":

Kane sighed. "It has fallen upon me, now and again in my sojourns through the world, to ease various evil men of their lives.  I have a feeling that it will prove thus with the Baron."

"Name of two devils!" swore Silent in amazement.  "You speak as if you were a judge on a bench and Baron Von Staler bound helpless before you, instead of being as it is--you but one blade and the Baron surrounded by men-at-arms."

"The right is on my side," said Kane somberly.  "And right is mightier than a thousand men-at-arms.  But why all this talk?  I have not yet seen the Baron, and who am I to pass judgment unseen.  Mayhap the Baron is a righteous man." More...

Wow, that was bad, even for me.  I apologize, but will fall back on the excuse that I'm still reeling from the total mindf*ck that is Enter The Void.  See this, if you haven't already.  I wasn't really sure how to absorb it right after the screening, but as I turned it over in my head in the rush line for my next film, I really found stuff in there that I hadn't noticed before.  Check it out if you can.

More to the point - ZOMBIES! Photographer Ian Goring was on the scene at the premiere of Survival Of The Dead, and we have literally SCADS of pics for your hungry eyes. Check it out!

Bong Joon-ho has a new film called Mother at TIFF this year and it's one of the best I've seen at the festival thus far. More akin to Memories of Murder than The Host or Barking Dogs Never Bite, Mother tells the story of an over protective mother (the astonishgly great, Kim Hye-ja) whose adult son with a mild mental disability, Do-joon (Won Bin) is arrested for the murder of a teenaged girl. When the police coherce a confession from Do-joon without taking his mental disability into consideration and close the case, it's up to Do-joon's mother to investigate futher herself in order to find the real killer and save her son.

I could go on and on and on about how and why Bong Joon-ho is my favourite Korean filmmaker, and why you need to see Mother on the big screen, but how boring would that be? REALLY BORING!

Mother has its North American Premiere tomorrow night at the Elgin at 6, and screens twice more before the festival is done. Showtimes below.

Watch the trailer here!

Now if you'll excuse me, I'm off for a triple bill of Bad Lt.: Port of Call, New Orleans, Vengeance, and [REC] 2.

Mother screening times:
Wednesday September 16 6:00PM VISA SCREENING ROOM (ELGIN)
Thursday September 17 2:00PM VARSITY 8
Saturday September 19 6:15PM ISABEL BADER THEATRE

Johnnie To and Wai Ka-Fai have another film at the festival this year. Vengeance, starring Johnny Hallyday and Anthony Wong Chau-Sang as hitmen seeking revenge for the death of Hallyday's family. But Hallyday and Wong have something more in common outside the movie.  They're both musicians.

Hallyday is a rock star in France who became famous in the 1960s.  Anthony Wong is a little more punk rock.  They might not throw down in the film, but I can arrange a musical throwdown right here.

Ladies and gentleman, click the links for Johnny Hallyday in a 1960s scopitone and Anthony Wong, with maybe a little Xavier Jamaux influence.

Vengeance screens at TIFF on:  Tuesday September 15 09:15PM - RYERSON / Thursday September 17, 3:30PM - SCOTIABANK THEATRE 3.

That stupid grin. Now I know how I'd look after a lobotomy, because, as chronicled in my glassy eyes, there's NOTHING going on in there. And it only took about 30 seconds for my conversation to disintegrate into uncomfortable silence. While I could blame my buddies (you know who you are) who took the picture and winged me for the walk in-- I had also over estimated my own composure.

 Hell, I've met lots of famous people. Carried conversations. The last time I'd been this star struck, was over ten years ago, after randomly meeting Lauryn Hill, on a documentary shoot in Jamaica.  A director friend of mine told me discreetly "Hey man, stars come and go."

Those words stuck with me for years, guiding me through dozens of meetings, chance encounters with some of my idols, helping me not make a fool of myself. But all of this preparation was DOOMED with meeting Zoe Bell, outside of Ryerson theatre, after tonight’s show.

I wasn't prepared for her to be so nice and gracious. Unaffected, easy going, in no hurry at all, there she stood.

Less than a minute with Zoe and my brain turns to mush. My IQ points sapped more and more with every word exchanged. This is Xena's stunt double, The Bride's stunt double, Tarantino's muse in Death Proof! This IS the woman I know for a fact can kick everyone's ass, and routinely defy death itself.

.Just to put things into context-- I was excited - read: on the edge of my seat excited - when Colin first mentioned to me he had met her in Sitges. I was like no F*n way!

I'm thankful I was able to walk away before things got any worse-- more awkward. Perhaps a blood vessel in my ear could have exploded, spewing blood all over everyone. That would have been a bit more awkward... but I still probably wouldn't have noticed: my brain was jello.

You know, in the car ride home, my friends and I had about a dozen normal "spec" conversations with Zoe. All convo's that ended comfortably, without us looking like morons. There should have been so much to talk about! There's a wealth of material! Xena episodes, the crazy ass movie we JUST saw (see BITCHSLAP) that she stunt co-ordinated-- all of that, evaporates when she entertained having a discussion with us. If I'm going to make it in this business, I got to get some kind of training for this shit. I mean I can drop other names, but I don't want to take away from the other stars I've met who have had no effect on me....

Man those first thirty seconds, when I asked her a few questions (maybe 3ish?) were great, I felt like I was about to have a normal conversation with her.I did manage to get one piece of what I hope to be new and unique information, which I wish to send out into the world:

Her dream stunt is to be behind the wheel of a car during a high speed chase!

Catch Zoe in WHIP IT, and in BITCHSLAP (as every girl's stunt double + stunt co-ordinator)

Bitchslap screens next at TIFF:

Wednesday, Sept 16, 3:15pm- SCOTIA BANK 3