Film Festivals in Toronto Archive

I'm a huge fan of film festivals and have attended many Toronto Film Festival since 2007 and always share which ones are hitting town each week in Film Fan Fridays (which you can sign up for here).

Given that we have such a huge number of festivals here in Toronto, I decided in 2008 to create a listing of the festivals to anchor festivals past and also provide give us an idea of what future years may hold.

2011
2010
2009
2008

European Union Film Festival 2010 Preview

The European Union Film Festival 2010 kicks off today and it's one festival that I'm always curious to see what they are going to bring to us every year. It's a unique festival in several ways, first of which - all of the screenings are FREE. Yep, free. Have to love that. I also love their festival goals, specifically "To celebrate the diversity of Europe in the heart of the most multicultural city in the world". I'm all for celebrating diversity, and there is tons of diversity to explore considering they have films from Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain and Sweden. From those countries I will admit the first thing I do every year is see if they have a film from Latvia, because I'm part-Latvian myself (after seeing One Big Hapa Family at Reel Asian, I am resisting describing myself as a fraction!) I always cherish the opportunity to see and feel the connection in those films, even though I don't speak the language nor have ever been, that connection is still there. And there is this year with the Latvian film Rudolf's Gold.

There are many films, countries, cultures and languages to explore through and at the festival and it all starts tonight with the opening night films is Les Barons / The Barons (Belgium/France), a great comedy that works with the concept of thinking of life giving you a limited amount of 'step credits' and therefore not being in a rush to get anywhere. A great way to start the festival. Another very entertaining choice is the documentary Disco and Atomic War, one of two Estonian films playing back-to-back on Saturday November 20, 2010. Guests at the festival include actor Robert Wieckiewicz on the Sunday November 21, 2010 screening of All Will be Well.

There are lots of titles on my radar this year including Guillaume Canet Little White Lives / Les Petits Mouchoirs from France, What No One Knows / Det Som Ingen Ved from Denmark, How to Draw a Perfect Circle / Como Desenhar um Círculo Perfeito from Portugal and Among Us / Änglavakt from Sweden, but with so many choices there should certainly be something for everyone at this years festival.

Overall the festival features 22 films from 21 countries over it's 13 day run at The Royal here in Toronto. For more information check out the festival website, film list, schedule, country list and ticket information. All films screened with English subtitles.

The European Union Film Festival runs from November 18 - 30, 2010 at The Royal in Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Toronto Reel Asian International Film Festival 2010 Coverage

Pre-Festival
Festival Preview 1
Festival Preview 2

Daily Coverage
Day 1 - Tuesday November 9, 2010
Day 3 - Thursday November 11, 2010
Day 5 - Saturday November 13, 2010
Day 6 - Sunday November 14, 2010

Film Reviews - Shorts
Auction, The
Dragged Out Affair: The Musical, A
Exit Upon Arrival
Film Concerto in Hanging Major
Marker
Peggy Baker: Four Phases
Wind + Snow
Window Horses (Karaoke Project)

Film Reviews - Features
Au Revoir Taipei
Bi, Don't Be Afraid
Dear Doctor
Eighteen
Gallants
Ip Man 2
One Big Hapa Family
Toilet

Vids
Team 2X Entertainment opening night live performance

Post-Festival Coverage
Wrap Up
Awards
Polls

The Toronto Reel Asian International Film Festival 2010 ran from November 9 - 15, 2010 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Toronto Reel Asian International Film Festival 2010 Wrap Up

Even though they added a few days this year, the Toronto Reel Asian International Film Festival always goes by so quickly! There were many great films this year, and I loved that there was not one but two martial arts films (Ip Man 2 & Gallants), and there were tons of sweet and beautiful along with wonderful explorations and heartbreaking moments. But there was one that truly captivated me from start to finish and that was the short Peggy Baker: Four Phases, which was by far the best film I saw at the festival this year. Absolutely breathtaking. Even though that is the one that stole my heart, there were many films that were wonderful that I'd like to give credit where it is due. So here are my faves and final thoughts on this years festival.

Best Features: Eighteen, Au Revoir Taipei and Bi, Don't Be Afraid

Best Short: Peggy Baker: Four Phases

Still Has Me Thinking: Film Concerto in Hanging Major

Most Inspiring: One Big Hapa Family

Favourite Program: On the Flip Side (Canadian Shorts)

Fullest Screenings: This year everything I went to was very full although opening night of Gallants and Toilet were the fullest.

Repeating themes: Identity, family and love were all explored and I was happy to see 2 films with awesome kung fu (Ip Man 2 & Gallants).

Funnest collective experience: Opening Night Gallants screening with the fantastic Team 2X Entertainment live performance.

Wish I hadn't missed: Redress Remix program and Suite Suite Chinatown.



The Toronto Reel Asian International Film Festival 2010 ran from November 9 - 15, 2010 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Toronto Reel Asian International Film Festival Awards 2010

Ballots have been tallied and juries have had their say - time so see the results of the 2010 Toronto Reel Asian International Film Festival Awards.

2010 Toronto Reel Asian International Film Festival Award Winners

Reel Asian Audience Award
Winner: Naoko Ogigami for Toilet

NFB Best Canadian Film or Video Award
Winner: One Big Hapa Family (dir: Jeff Chiba Stearns)

WIFT-T Award
Winner: Seeing Through the Spider's Web (Dir: Jane Kim)

Astral's Harold Greenberg Fund Best Feature Film of Video Award
Winner: Dear Doctor (Dir: Miwa Nishikawa)

TSV Visionary Video Award
Winner: Redress Remix (Dir: Lesley Loksi Chan)

Animasian Award
Winner: Nature on its Course (Dir: Su-An Ng)

LIFT and Fuji Best Film Award
Winner: The Auction (Dir: Gloria Kim)

Movieola Best Short Film or Video Award
Winner: Junko's Shamisen (Dir: Sol Friedman)

So You Think You Can Pitch? Emerging Artist Award
Winner: Sugar Bowl. Shahrzad Nakhai (Producer/Director), Rich Williamson (Director of Photography)

So You Think You Can Pitch? Professional Artist Award
Winner: Searching for Wonder. Tricia Lee (Director), Ryan Reaney (Producer)

The Toronto Reel Asian International Film Festival 2010 ran from November 9 - 15, 2010 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Toronto Reel Asian International Film Festival 2010 Day 6 - Sunday November 14, 2010

Exploring family, heritage and asking questions were there themes of the afternoon on Day 6 of the Toronto Reel Asian International Film Festival with the screenings of the Japanese drama Dear Doctor and documentaries Marker and One Big Hapa Family from Japanese Canadian directors. As day turned to night the festival location shifted from Innis to The Royal as the festival finished with day with the closing Gala screening of Au Revoir Taipei and awards ceremony.



Dear Doctor
Dir: Miwa Nishikawa
Cast: Tsurube Shofukutei, Eita, Kimiko Yo, Kaoru Yachigusa
Japan

Set in a Japanese village of 1,500 aged residents, Dear Doctor follows the stories in and around the disappearance of the village doctor Osamu Ino (played by Tsurube Shofukutei). Using a storytelling style that weaves perspective changes and occurrences between the villagers, Osamu himself, the new medical intern Keisuke Soma (played by Eita), and resistant patient Torikai-san we see many different sides of Osamu and the village itself. A captivating story that gentle unfolds and presents interesting questions surrounding health, happiness and knowledge. n With it's compelling dramatic nature, beautiful locations and stunning look into human nature, it's no surprize that Dear Doctor is a multiple award winning film. In fact, since the screening at Reel Asian it's already added another award to the mix with the award from Reel Asian for Astral's Harold Greenberg Fund Best Feature Film or Video Award.


One Big Hapa Family director Jeff Chiba Stearns and Marker director Louise Noguchi

Marker
Dir: Louise Noguchi
Canada, 28 minutes

A fascinating exploration through travels to shrines of martyrs in North America & Japan, delving into their stories, histories, the effect and reactions of people affected by them then and now. Very interesting exploration.

One Big Hapa Family
Dir: Jeff Chiba Stearns
Canada, 48 minutes

I absolutely adored this documentary! As a personal journey and exploration, director Jeff Chiba Stearns notices that in his own family tree everyone in his Japanese Canadian family married interracially after his grandparents. Starting with that as a departure point and delving into the family history but expands further into question and reality of the high percentage of interracial marriages of Japanese Canadians, as well as the experience and perception of multiracial identities and interracial marriages. There's a beautiful openness and curiosity that drives the film, which is always honest and respectful but also charming and funny throughout. It was a breath of fresh air and a true celebration of spirit. Filled with family interviews, a huge archive of family photos and videos and fantastic animations sections, this film kept me interested, engaged, informed and happily smiling throughout. A stellar and inspiring documentary.

See more or buy the DVD for One Big Hapa Family here.



The Toronto Reel Asian International Film Festival 2010 runs from November 9 - 15, 2010 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Toronto Reel Asian International Film Festival 2010 Day 5 - Saturday November 13, 2010

Day 5 at the Toronto Reel Asian International Film Festival had family on the mind from the dysfunctional family in Toilet to the ruffled feathers of the families of a teenaged couple in Eighteen. Emotions were in the air and journeys were to be had!

Toilet
Dir: Naoko Ogigami
Cast: Alex House, Tatiana Maslany, David Rednall Masaki Motai
Canada/Japan

Dysfunctional family and culture run amok in Toilet, which had an absolutely packed house last night at the Toronto Reel Asian International Film Festival and had many of the cast & crew in attendance at the screening. The film certainly has it's Toronto roots showing as it was filmed here (although it's actually set in the US), with familiar faces & locations on screen. We follow a family through a dysfunctional and eccentric set siblings Ray, Lisa and Maury and their grandmother from Japan, however a language barrier exists between the generations. It's not the only barrier here as there are strong emotional barrier in each of the characters, all of whom have their own issues to work though. It's an interesting tale of the individual journeys with the collective family journey, which although unintended become completely intertwined.


Crew & cast from Toilet at the post screening Q&A

Eighteen
Dir: Jang Kun-Jee
Cast: Seo Jun-yeong, Lee Min-ji, Know Hyeok-pung
South Korea

A beautiful and bittersweet tale of young love, Eighteen follows eighteen year old Tae-Hoon and his girlfriend Mi-Jeong, who have hid their relationship from their respective families. It's a absolutely heart wrenching tale filled with truths of the heart on every front. The challenges Tae-Hoon and Mi-Jeong face expand beyond their romance, however you can feel how the weight of the relationship impacts every decision, action, agreement or conflict they engage in. I love how Eighteen combined a beautiful understated tone with such strong emotions and actions, and how it never pulled all punches. It's range is grand, from beautiful and sweet to brutal and sharp. It achieves a lovely experiential tone that allows the viewer in through a fantastic range of emotions, and it was quite the journey to take.



The Toronto Reel Asian International Film Festival 2010 runs from November 9 - 15, 2010 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Toronto Reel Asian International Film Festival 2010 Day 3 - Thursday November 11, 2010

I was really looking forward to Day 3 at the Toronto Reel Asian International Film Festival because I always anxiously away seeing the Canadian Shorts Presentation, this year it was On The Flip Side and it held a numerous fantastic short films for the packed audiences viewing pleasure. It's so great to see so many people come out and support the love of shorts, and they certainly did night! Lots of the filmmakers were in attendance for the Q&A as well, which made it all the more fun. I was particularly excited to see Howie Shia's short Peggy Baker: Four Phases which combined several different styles including different styles of animation and was so beautiful it brought me to tears. Twice. And it's a mere 5 minutes and 25 seconds. Absolutely beautiful. After the shorts presentation it was straight on into the screening of the compelling and award winning feature film Bi, Don't be Afraid! Overall, another great night at Reel Asian.



Above: Stills from Film Concerto in Hanging Major and The Auction

On The Flip Side - Canadian Shorts Presentation


Filmmakers in attendance (L-R): Paul Wong, Meelad Moaphi, the crew from A Dragged out Affair: The Musical and Gloria Kim

Let's have a look at a selection of the short film presentation On the Flip Side!

Exit Upon Arrival
Dir. Paul Wong - in attendance
Canada, 2 minutes

Fascinating short showing 2 images at once of literally going in (or out?) or a doors. I loved watching this one and trying to decided where to look, ponder what was happening and if the two images were the same or different. Very engaging.

Wind + Snow
Dir. Leslie Supnet
Canada, 4 minutes

Mesmerizing and contemplative, Wind + Snow blends a documentary and sensory experience with a sensitive look & feel using footage of wild animals and humans at play imagery with beautiful colour overlays and alterantions.

Film Concerto in Hanging Major
Dir. Meelad Moaphi - in attendance
Canada, 13 minutes

Darkly comedic informative look at suicide options. Very gutsy, dark and extremely well done. I kept having a flip flop reaction between being shocked and being impressed - although most times I was both shocked and impressed!

A Dragged out Affair: The Musical
Dir. Sonia Hong - in attendance
Canada, 10 minutes

Last years So You Think You Can Pitch? winner is this years short musical featuring drag queens and set in Toronto's own Church Street. Touching on rivals and romance this raunchy short went well to the rowdy crowd.

Window Horses (Karaoke Project)
Dir. Ann Marie Fleming
Canada, 5 minutes

Whimsical & touching this animated short had me smiling from start to finish as a we watch a singing stick figure muse about horses and family. Loved it.

Peggy Baker: Four Phases
Dir. Howie Shia
Canada, 5 minutes

I was really looking forward to this short and it completely blew me away and brought me to tears. A beautiful, creative look at the dancer Peggy Baker at work, this film blends visual styles and animation style bringing the story she is telling to life with an acute sensitivity and depth to not only what we are seeing but also what we are hearing and feeling. It's a formidable accomplishment showcasing extraordinary talent. Absolutely brilliant and certainly a highlight of the festival.

You can see this beautiful short Peggy Baker: Four Phases at the NFB Site here.

The Auction
Dir. Gloria Kim - in attendance
Canada, 17 minutes

Touching dramatic short on the immigrant experience from perspective of young Meehee, following her family during challenging times and decisions around the holiday season. I loved the tone of this short and the lovely sense of memories and nostalgia it created.



Bi, Don't be Afraid!
Dir. Phan Dang Di
Cast: Phan Thanh Minh, Nguyen Thi Kieu Trinh, Nguyen Ha Phong, Thuy Hoa, Tran Tien, Mai Chau
Vietnam/France/Germany

Bi, Don't be Afraid! is a calm and understated family drama following young Bi (Phan Thanh Minh), his mother (Nguyen Thi Kieu Trinh), father (Nguyen Ha Phong), aunt (Thuy Hoa), grandfather(Tran Tien) and the family nanny (Mai Chau) through their everyday lives, primarily though some very hot days. Their is a lot that is left unspoken in the film, and I'd be hard pressed to say I understood the significance of everything that happened in the film, but that didn't deter my enjoyment of it one bit. I found it compelling every step of the way from Bi's open curiosity and wonderous nature to his father's distance nature to his aunt's understated awkward ways. A truly beautiful film.


Reel Asian International Programmer Raymond Phathanavirangoon points out the new premium seats that were raffled off at both screenings last night at the festival.

The Toronto Reel Asian International Film Festival 2010 runs from November 9 - 15, 2010 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Toronto Reel Asian International Film Festival 2010 Day 1 - Tuesday November 09, 2010

The crowd lines up for the opening night screening of Gallants

The Toronto Reel Asian International Film Festival opened to a packed house at the Bloor Cinema last night with fantastic screening of the martial arts homage film Gallants. The evening started off with thanks and speeches from Reel Asian executive director Sonia Sokamoto-Job, Minister of Tourism and Culture Michael Chan and from the always inspiring Olivia Chow. The crowd was also treated to a high flying performance from Team 2X Entertainment, a group which blends martial arts, free-running, gymnastics and contemporary dance (see video clip from their fantastic performance here). All in all it was a great way to kick start the festival and I can't wait for more!


Olivia Chow at the Opening Night of the Toronto Reel Asian International Film Festival 2010



Gallants
Dirs: Clement Cheng & Derek Kwok
Cast: Bruce Leung, Chen Kuan-Tai, Wong Yue-nam, Teddy Robin, Susan Shaw, MC Jin, J.J. Jia
Hong Kong

Gallants is an interesting and hilarious homage to martial arts films, gleaning a familiar and fun visual style with a new take on the genres. It has lots of elements you'd expect in a martial arts films (rivals, a master, competition), but with very different spin on how it puts it all together, making unexpected and often hilarious choices. I loved that it defied expectations, and it often worked really well while it follows the inadvertent adventures that surround our protagonist Cheung, a rather floundering real estate worker who finds himself amongst foes & friends, be they new or old. This is were the fantastic casting is showcased as there are many familiar faces in the mix, who get lots opportunity to shows their stuff with the numerous great fight sequences.

Although the focus of the film is certainly the comedy and the martial arts, I absolutely adored that it featured people from different generations in action. It's something that we don't always see, and it was refreshing to see a level of equality on that level amongst the characters in the film.

Gallants was a great way to start off the festival and to see with the audience, you could feel the enthusiasm during the fights and the comedy went over extremely well.

Director Clement Cheng in attendance to introduce the film as well for a Q&A after the film where he shared that the casting was in place first and then it was written and developed, the support from producer Andy Lau, and that even though they had stunt men on site the actors did their own stunts noting that the stunt men couldn't do what *they* could do. There was no wire work nor any computer effects in terms of the fighting, and they also had a chiropractor on site to attend to the actors and help recover from filming the fight sequences.


Reel Asian International Programmer Raymond Phathanavirangoon with Gallants co-director Clement Cheng


The Team 2X Entertainment performance was too fast to capture in a picture - check out a clip from their fantastic performance here.

The Toronto Reel Asian International Film Festival 2010 runs from November 9 - 15, 2010 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Toronto Reel Asian International Film Festival 2010 Preview

One of the highlights of the festival calender falls during November here in Toronto with the Toronto Reel Asian International Film Festival, which kicks into gear tonight with a high flying Hong Kong film Gallants as the Opening Night Gala selection and homage to old school martial arts. What a great way to start the festival - I can't wait to see that with a packed audience!! More spectacular titles at the festival include the Centrepiece Presentation of Golden Slumber from director Yoshihiro Nakamura who brought us the fantastic Fish Story / Fisshu sutôrî which screened at last year festival. The festival will conclude with the beautiful Closing Night Gala of Au Revoir Taipei, which has it's Toronto premiere at the festival and director Arvin Chen in attendance at the screening.

More exciting titles at the festival include the award winning films Bi, Don't Be Afraid, Dear Doctor, Dooman River, Oxhide II and Eighteen. I always look forward to the shorts programs which this year included On the Flip Side, Redress Remix and Drawing on the Art of Hand & Foot. This year also spotlights Oscar-nominated Koji Yamamura with Koji Yamamura: The Mastery of the Form a screening of a selection of shorts. The festival continues all week and brings us films from all over the world including Taiwan, Japan, South Korea, China, The Philippines, Hong Kong as well as USA & Canada.

I'll be covering the festival all week here at Movie Moxie so be sure to check back for my daily updates! I've already got this started with a preview of with reviews of films that bookend of the festival including Ip Man 2 and Au Revoir Taipei. It looks to be yet another great year of film and fun at Reel Asian!

For more information, check out the Toronto Reel Asian International Film Festival: Website, How to Buy Tickets, Full Festival Schedule, Industry Series Information and Venue Information and Festival Awards & Jury Information. Also see the Reel Asian Facebook Page and you can follow the festival on Twitter.

The Toronto Reel Asian International Film Festival 2010 runs from November 9 - 15, 2010 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Toronto Reel Asian International Film Festival 2010 Preview: Au Revoir Taipei & IP Man 2

The Toronto Reel Asian International Film Festival 2010 branches out and up this year with screenings not only around town but also branching out to Richmond Hill with a prescreening of Ip Man 2 back in October as well as an encores screening of closing night gala film Au Revoir Taipei on Monday November 15, 2010 at 7pm at the Richmond Hill Centre for the Performing Arts. As I rarely get north of Bloor, I catch up with two glorious films that are playing this year and they showcase the diversity and wonderful spirit of the festival.

Au Revoir Taipei / 一頁台北
Dir: Arvin Chen
Cast: Jack Yao, Amber Kuo, Joseph Chang, Lawrence Ko
Taiwan/USA

Au Revoir Taipei is a beautiful film that pairs a whimsical romantic tone with an air of a crime film. It seems like an odd mix, but the fact that it can bridge the two while capturing the spirit of whimsy is what makes it such a joy to watch. We folow Kai, played by Jack Yao who is learning French and hopes one day to go to Paris where his girlfriend is, whom he cutely leaves messages in French for. Although this goal always as his focus, he ends up in caper-like activities along the way to get closer and closer to this goal.

One of the things I loved about Au Revoir Taipei was that all of the characters shine and we have beautiful performances from the unique cast. A true stand out was the brilliant performance by Lawrence Ko as Hong, the rather effeminate but still menacing leader of the band of orange-suit clad guys that almost, but not necessarily want to be more like bad guys. I also loved the performance by Paul Chiang as the understand tall guy Gao, whose seems very comfortable with himself but maintains a quiet shyness. It's spectacular.

Au Revoir Taipei is a perfect choice for a closing night film of the festival with it's beautiful visual style, quirky story and characters and it truly feel-good nature. I was beaming while watching it and I'm sure you will too. I highly recommend checking it out, you'll have a smile on your face and wonder in your eyes.

Au Revoir Taipei is the closing night gala film of the festival and screens Sunday November 14, 2010 at 8pm at The Royal and has an encore screening on Monday November 15, 2010 at 7pm at the Richmond Hill Centre for the Performing Arts with director Arvin Chen in attendance.

Arvin Chen will also be speaking at the Love and Daydreaming in Taipei: Artist Talk on Saturday November 13, 2010 at 4pm at Innis College Room 312.



Ip Man 2 / 葉問 2
Dir: Wilson Yip Wai-Shun (SPL: Sha Po Lang, Flash Point / Dao huo xian)
Cast: Donnie Yen, Sammo Hung, Simon Yam, Lynn Hung, Xiaoming Huang, Darren Shahlavi, Kent Cheng, Siu-Wong Fan
Hong Kong

Ever since I saw the martial arts action explosion film SPL: Sha Po Lang (also directed by Wilson Yip, and also starring Donnie Yen, Sammo Hung and Simon Yam) I became an instant fan of each and every one of these guys and I knew I would see as much as their work as I possible could. Seeing that they were working together again in Ip Man 2, I couldn't wait to see the film.

Ip Man 2 picks up where Ip Man left off, following Wing Chun martial arts master Ip Man in his time in Hong Kong in the early 1950s looking to spread the work on Wing Chun and teach martial arts. A few notes for the uninitiated: One, you can go straight into the goodness of Ip Man 2 without seeing Ip Man if you like - it stands up on it's own well. Two, Ip Man is known for being the mentor to beloved martial artist Bruce Lee. Okay, history lesson over and back to the film.

We see the struggles of Ip Man setting up shop in a new place and the conflict between different martial arts schools but the beauty of the film is that this element brings you into a familiar world we see in martial arts films so you feel all comfortable and such, but it actually showcases a much larger issues including cultural identity, pride and respect for the martial arts. I really didn't expect this angle to the film, and I found it surprizingly touching as I'm always going to root for people standing up for and embracing their values.

The story, acting and message of the film are great and I almost consider that an 'added bonus' to a martial arts film, as it feels like we are really there to see the fighting. And the fighting in the film is fan-freaking-tastic. Dynamic, interesting, explosive, innovate only begin to describe the wild ride you take while watching these fight sequences. What's even better is that not only do we see amazing physical feats, but the visual style, camera angles and actions are completely incorporated into the fights themselves and at times mimic the movements you see on screen. Add to that that we are seeing Donnie Yen & Sammo Hung do their thing, and it's a beautiful, breathtaking thing.

Ip Man 2 screened on Monday October 18, 2010 at 7pm at the Richmond Hill Centre for the Performing Arts and on Friday October 22, 201 at the Toronto Underground as a part of Son of Kung Fu Fridays.

The Toronto Reel Asian International Film Festival 2010 runs from November 9 - 15, 2010 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Boy (2010)

Writer/Dir: Taika Waititi (Eagle vs Shark, "Flight of the Conchords")
Cast: James Rolleston, Taika Waititi, Te Aho Aho Eketone-Whitu
New Zealand, 2010

Reason to see: Long sustaining power on the Australian box office got me curious - thrilled to hear the film was making a stop here in Toronto!

Set in 1984, Boy (2010) follows a boy named Boy (played by James Rolleston) and is a coming of age/family comedy that centres on Boy's relationship with his father Alamein (played by writer/director Taika Waititi). The film has a lovely, lively quality to it that blends a whimsical joy in Boy's hopeful interpretation of parental absence. This combination of gives an almost magical realism vibe to the film, the view from a child's point of view if they believe all the stories they hear as the truth. What makes the film really special is that it retains a beautiful energy around those truths.

I loved the freshness of Boys interpretations of things around him and his life-learning process in relationships, family and responsibility and how it maintains a gentleness to it. There is a strong tapped in creativity here, like being able to directly access Boy's imagination of what's going on and having that be projected to what we see, often this is the images of what seem to be tall tales of his father, whom Boy so strongly idealizes.

Warm-spirited and joyful, Boy is a must-see. It's a beautiful combination of freshness and zest for life, with equal parts optimism and fantasy - something that everyone can benefit from adding that kind of energy into their lives.

Boy (2010) opens the imagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival on Wednesday October 20, 2010 at the Bloor Cinema with writer/director Taika Waititi in attendance.

See here for more information about tickets, imagineNATIVE and the film at the Boy website

Shannon's Overall View:
I loved it
I'll watch it again
I'd widely recommend it as an inspiring & delightful coming of age film

Return to Film Reviews

© Shannon Ridler, 2010

Dark Bridges Film Festival 2010

It's only a few days until the Dark Bridges Film Festival kicks off at the Roxy Theatre in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. The festival is bringing all kinds of genre films out to play and showcasing 12 features and 20 shorts of the festivals three day run.

The festival starts off with a bang with the Roman epic Centurion as their first film on opening night and that's sure to get your blood pumping, and then they have a cabin thriller with Dawning, and the midnight screening of the night is an Australian film called El Monstro Del Mar! and described as "Half Faster Pussy Cat Kill Kill, Half tentacle seamonster flick". That sounds like fun to me!

Saturday is sure to bring out the creepy creatures and the undead with werewolf flick Werewolf Fever, a cannibalism focused Long Pigs that looks truly disturbing and then a zombie double bill with one of the biggest buzz scary films around [REC] and it's sequel [REC] 2. The evening caps off with a midnight screening with the Canadian Premiere of Gary King's Death of the Dead which features ninja zombies. Ninja zombies!!

Sunday features included the gorgeous Canadian historical drama Black Field, fantastic black comedy A Film with Me in It, stoner comedy High School starring Adrien Brody and caps the evening off with one of my favourite films of the year the South Korean western The Good The Bad The Weird.

And it's not just features, check out the Saskatchewan Short Film and every feature has shorts playing with it from hilarious The Necronomicon to the chilling Off Season and the beautiful Junko's Shamisen.

How can you not love a festival that opens with a the Roman epic Centurion and closes with the kimchee western The Good The Bad The Weird? What a fantastic energy to bookend the festival with! I'm jealous of the folks attending the festival, it's a fantastic selection of films to enjoy from the weird and wild to bizarre and horrific, I wish I was going to be there!

I chatted with festival founded & directed John Allison on the most recent episode of the Movie Moxie Podcast and you can listen to our conversation here. In a nice tie-is, it's also the episode where I discuss zombies films as a genre.



For more information, check out the Dark Bridges Film Festival: Website, Festival Schedule, Festival Overview, Information on Festival Passes, Facebook Group, Facebook Event, Festival Trailer and Venue Information.

The Dark Bridges Film Festival 2010 runs from September 24 - 26,2010 at the Roxy Theatre in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada.

Movie Moxie Podcast #7: Dark Bridges Film Festival, Resident Evil: Afterlife and Genre Look at Zombie Films

On this weeks episode of the Movie Moxie Podcast, Shannon chats with John Allison the founder and festival director of the Dark Bridges Film Festival - Saskatoon's only genre film festival! Also have an (almost) look at Resident Evil: Afterlife and continue the exploration of film genres by having a look at zombie films.

The Movie Moxie Podcast is a 100% spoiler-free film podcast

0:00 – 1:30 - Introduction
1:30 – 37:15 –Interview with John Allison, Dark Bridges Film Festival founder & festival director
37:15 – 47:15 –Resident Evil Afterlife (almost) Review
47:15 – 1:04:00 – Zombie Films as a Genre
1:04:00 – 1:07:00 –Catfish & My Soul to Take Trailers
1:07:00 – 1:09:00 – DVD reviews
1:09:00 –1:09:45 – Upcoming up Next Week
1:09:45 – 1:11:28 – Outro

You can subscribe to the Movie Moxie Podcast here:
Or subscribe through iTunes here.

Questions & comments on the podcast are welcome, feel free to comment on this post or contact me directly by email



Dark Bridges Film Festival runs Sept 24 - 26, 2010 at the Roxy Theatre, Saskatoon

• Dark Bridges Film Festival website
• Film schedule
• Festival Facebook Page
• Festival Facebook Event
• Also find John Allison's writings & webmastery at Row Three.
  
• Festival Trailer:

Zombie Genre Show Notes:

• Shannon's Definition of Zombie Film: zombie films are films where zombie play a vital role in the film which is centred on human vs zombie conflict or interaction. Zombies in this context are defined as humans that have dead and then been reanimated into brainless existence.
• Wikipedia description of zombies: Zombies are creatures usually portrayed as either a reanimated corpse or a mindless human being. While zombie films generally fall into the horror genre, some cross over into other genres, such as comedy, science fiction, thriller, or romance, even animated films. There have even been developments in zombie-specific sub-genres, such as the "zombie comedy" or the "zombie apocalypse".
• Wikipedia List of Zombie Films
• Shannon's Archive of reviewed Zombie Films
• Shannon's recommended zombie films: Night of the Living Dead (original), Pontypool, Grace, [REC], 28 Days Later, Zombie Girl: The Movie and Mulberry Street
• Shannon's not quite zombie film but still recommended as a close fit: The Last Man on Earth

Zombie Resources:

• Renerd.com
• Toronto After Dark Film Festival
• Toronto Zombie Walk

Regular Show Notes:

• DVD releases for September 14, 2010
• See more Upcoming Films here

Catfish Trailer


My Soul To Take (spoiler free until 1/2 way point)

Toronto After Dark Film Festival 2010 Coverage

Pre-Festival Coverage
June 15, 2010 - Passes on Sale
July 29, 2010 - Schedule and Line Up Announced!
August 11, 2010 - Short to Creep Us Out!
August 11, 2010 - Filmmakers in Attendance

Daily Coverage
Day 1 - Friday August 13, 2010 - Write Up, Vlog
Day 2 - Saturday August 14, 2010 - Write Up, Vlog
Day 3 - Sunday August 15, 2010 - Write Up, Vlog
Day 4 - Monday August 16, 2010 - Write Up, Vlog
Day 5 - Tuesday August 17, 2010 - Write Up, Vlog
Day 6 - Wednesday August 18, 2010 - Write Up, Vlog
Day 7 - Thursday August 19, 2010 - Write Up, Vlog
Day 8 - Friday August 20, 2010 - Write Up, Vlog

Film Reviews - Features
Alien vs Ninja
All About Evil
Black Death
Cargo
Centurion
Doghouse
Evil in The Time of Heroes / To kako - Stin epohi ton iroon
Heartless
High School
Human Centipede (First Sequence), The
I Spit on Your Grave (2010)
Last Exorcism, The
Last Lovecraft: Relic of Cthulhu, The
Phobia 2 / Ha phraeng
Robogeisha
Rubber

Film Reviews - Shorts
Barcelona Venice
DemiUrge Emesis
Deus Irae
Fireman!
Frank DanCoolo: Paranormal Drug Dealer
Haunt
Inferno of the Dead
Junko's Shamisen
King Chicken
Library, The
Massacrator
Necronomicon, The
Off Season
Primer Contacte / First Contact
They Will Pay in Rivers of Blood
Thomas Beale Cipher, The
United Monster Talent Agency

Previously reviewed shorts:
Chloe & Attie
Pumzi

Videos - Q&As, Introductions, etc.
All About Evil Intro and Q&A with director Joshua Grannell
Cargo Introduction
Game Night Introduction
I Spit on Your Grave (2010) Introduction and Q&A with dirctor Steven R. Monroe
Inferno of Blood introduction
Junko’s Shamisen Introduction
The Last Exorcism Introduction and Q&A with producer Eli Roth and actors Ashley Bell & Patrick Fabian
The Last Lovecraft introduction with Devin McGinn, Henry Saine, Kyle Davis, Edmund Lupinski, Martin Starr and Mike McGinn
Re-Wire introduction with director David-James Fernandes
They Shall Pay with Rivers of Blood Introduction
The Thomas Beale Cipher introduction with filmmaker Andrew Allen
Closing Night - Rubber Interview, Human Centipede reenactment and thanks

Polls
Are You Going to Toronto After Dark?

Post Festival Coverage
Wrap Up
Awards

The Toronto After Dark Film Festival 2010 ran from August 13 - 20, 2010 at the Bloor Cinema, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

Toronto After Dark Film Festival 2010 Award Winners

Earlier this week I put up my festival faves but now it's time to the how the entire audience felt this year. Votes were made, ballots were tallied and the decisions are in. Here are the 2010 Award Winners for the Toronto After Dark Film Festival.

Audience Awards - Best Feature Film
1. GOLD: The Last Exorcism
2. SILVER: The Human Centipede
3. BRONZE: I Spit on Your Grave (2010)

Vision Awards - Best Independent Feature Film
(The Vision Awards are given out by the Festival in recognition of outstanding independent genre feature filmmaking)
1. GOLD: Heartless
2. SILVER: The Last Lovecraft
3. BRONZE: All About Evil

Audience Awards - Best Canadian Short Film
1. GOLD: Junko's Shamisen
2. SILVER: King Chicken
3. BRONZE (tie): Fireman! and Game Night

Audience Awards - Best International Short Film
1. GOLD: Off Season
2. SILVER: Pumzi
3. BRONZE: Deus Irae

Fans' Choice Awards as voted by by over 100 Festival All-Access Pass Buyers
Best Horror Film - The Last Exorcism
Best Sci-Fi Film - Cargo
Best Action Film - Centurion
Best Comedy - High School
Best Director - Steven R. Monroe for I Spit on Your Grave (2010)
Best Screenplay - Huck Botko & Andrew Gurland for The Last Exorcism
Best Leading Actor - Patrick Fabian for The Last Exorcism
Best Leading Actress - Sarah Butler for I Spit on Your Grave (2010)
Best Ensemble Cast (tie) - Doghouse and High School
Best Special Effects (tie) - Cargo and RoboGeisha
Best Make-Up - Doghouse
Best Soundtrack - High School
Best Fight - Alien vs Ninja
Best Kills - I Spit on Your Grave (2010)
Scariest Film - The Last Exorcism
Most Original Film - Rubber
Most Disturbing Film - I Spit on Your Grave (2010)
Best Trailer - RoboGeisha
Best Festival Bumper - 5 Year Young

The Toronto After Dark Film Festival 2010 ran from August 13 - 20, 2010 at the Bloor Cinema, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

TIFF 2010: Full Midnight Madness Program Announced!

I'm a little late to the Midnight Madness party this year, but with the film titles announced just last week and the festival only a few weeks ahead of us, there is still a lot of time to get excited about the 10 films that play at the latest time slot, to the loudest crowds at the Toronto International Film Festival.

I'm thrilled to see the multitude of paranormal, thrilling and just down right creepy looking films are included in this years festival. First off, it's so exciting to see that new work from Jim Mickle & Nick Damici who brought us Mulberry Street have teamed up again as writer/director and writer/actor in the post-apocalyptic Stake Land that is set after a vampire epidemic. Bring it on! More tragic world views with Brad Anderson's Vanishing on 7th Street which looks totally creepy from the trailer, and the film stars Hayden Christensen, Thandie Newton and John Leguizamo is a survivalist themed thriller set in a world where very suddenly very few people kicking around. Legendary director John Carpenter returns with a new film The Ward, set in 1960's in a mental institution with "unseen forces" - that's got to be scary! More scares to terrorize in Insidious, starring Rose Byrne and Patrick Wilson as parents who move into an old house with uninvited guests in the form of vengeful spirits, or perhaps they are the uninvited guests! We also have the Hong Kong set urban thriller Red Nights starring Carrie Ng as a seductress and killer. Wow.

For the action fans the program has some very interesting choices this year and my interest was piqued when the first line of the Bunraku description read as "In a world with no guns", that's enough to get me interested! But add young samurai, assassins and a bartender (?!) it just gets better and better. Oh, and better still as it starts Josh Hartnett, Woody Harrelson, Ron Perlman and Demi Moore. On the other end of the gun spectrum, there is no 'no gun' clause in Fire of Conscience which from the trailer over at the official website is explosive and fierce, and looks like it might set a freaking record for explosions.

A film that sounds like it defies broad categorizations is The Butcher, The Chef and the Swordsman / Dao Jian Xiao a kitchen-centric action comedy starring Masanobu Ando (SUKIYAKI WESTERN DJANGO, Nightmare Detective / Akumu Tantei). You had me at "the struggle to own a deadly kitchen cleaver". More films in the program that have unique comedic flair are SUPER featuring Rainn Wilson as a costumed vigilante and Fubar II that is sure to be filled with hoser goodness.

So, that's the good news. The sad news it looks like this will be my last post regarding the Toronto International Film Festival this year. I applied for but did not receive press accreditation, here's hoping that 2011 will be the year that I get a yes. I hope everyone has a great time at the festival, I know I'll certainly miss it this year.

2010 Midnight Madness program at the Toronto International Film Festival:

Bunraku
It had me at "In a world with no guns"
Dir: Guy Moshe
Cast: Josh Hartnett, Woody Harrelson, Ron Perlman, Demi Moore
USA
TIFF Page, Film Facebook Page, IMDB Page

The Butcher, The Chef and the Swordsman / Dao Jian Xiao
Dir: Wuershan
Cast: Masanobu Ando, Kitty Zhang, You Benchang, Liu Xiaoye, Ashton Xu
Hong Kong, China/USA
World Premiere
TIFF Page, No IMDb Page

Fire of Conscience / Huo Long
It had me at "an orchestra of exploding grenades and machine gun rounds"
Dir: Dante Lam
Cast: Leon Lai, Richie Jen, Wan Baoqiang, Vivian Hsu
Hong Kong/China
North American Premiere
TIFF Page, Official Film Site & Trailer, IMDB Page

Insidious
It had me at "vengeful spirits from another realm"
Dir: James Wan
Cast: Rose Byrne, Barbara Hershey, Patrick Wilson
USA
World Premiere
TIFF Page, IMDB Page

Red Nights / Les Nuits Rouges du Bourreau de Jade
It had me at "seductive cat-and-mouse thriller set in Hong Kong"
Dir: Julien Carbon & Laurent Courtiaud
Cast: Frédérique Bel, Carrie Ng, Carole Brana, Stephen Wong
Hong Kong/ China/France
World Premiere
TIFF Page, IMDB Page

Stake Land
It had me at "In the aftermath of a vampire epidemic"
Dir: Jim Mickle (Mulberry Street)
Cast: Nick Damici, Connor Paolo, Danielle Harris, Kelly McGillis, Michael Cerveris
USA
World Premiere
TIFF Page, Official Film Site, IMDB Page

SUPER
It had me at "costumed vigilante armed with a monkey wrench"
Dir: James Gunn
Cast: Rainn Wilson, Liv Tyler, Kevin Bacon, Ellen Page
USA
World Premiere
TIFF Page, IMDB Page

Vanishing on 7th Street
It had me at "blackout causes the population to inexplicably vanish"
Dir: Brad Anderson (The Machinest, Transsiberian)
Cast: Hayden Christensen, Thandie Newton, John Leguizamo
USA
World Premiere
TIFF Page, Official Film Site & Trailer, IMDB Page

The Ward, John Carpenter's
It had me at "John Carpenter"
Dir: John Carpenter (The Thing, They Live, Big Trouble in Little China, Halloween)
Cast: Amber Heard, Mamie Gummer, Danielle Panabaker, Jared Harris, Lyndsy Fonseca
USA
World Premiere
TIFF Page, Official Film Site, IMDB Page

Plus Previously announced:

Fubar II **Midnight Madness Opening Night**
It had me at "hosers"
Dir: Michael Dowse
Cast: Dave Lawrence, Paul J. Spence, Andy Sparacino, Terra Hazelton, Tracy Lawrence
Canada
World Premiere
TIFF Page, Official Film Site & Trailer, IMDB Page

Source: When The Sun Goes Down, The Stars Come Out Festival’s Midnight Madness Line-Up Packed With Big Names, Big Action And Big Thrills

The Toronto International Film Festival 2010 runs from September 9 - 19, 2010 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

Toronto After Dark Film Festival 2010 Wrap Up

As the curtain closes on the 2010 Toronto After Dark Film Festival, it's time to take a look back at some of the best and brightest of the 5th instalment of the festival that brings us horror, action, sci-fi and cult, and of course zombie films. I don't usually separate out 'Best' from 'Favourite' films, but this year it's just the plain truth that they aren't the same films so I'm breaking with tradition and having both categories.

Best Film: Heartless

Favourite Film (Tie): Cargo and Rubber

Best Zombie Film: Evil in The Time of Heroes / To kako - Stin epohi ton iroon and this is because it gets +2 for inclusion of Billy Zane

Best Thriller: The Last Exorcism

Best Action: Centurion

Best Comedy: The Last Lovecraft: Relic of Cthulhu

Best SciFi: Cargo

Scariest Film: Phobia 2 / Ha phraeng

Best Q&A: The Last Exorcism with Eli Roth, Ashley Bell and Patrick Fabian in attendance

Best Shorts: Off Season, Junko's Shamisen, Fireman!, King Chicken, Pleasuredome + previously reviewed shorts Pumzi and Chloe & Attie

Funnest screenings: Rubber had a great audience reaction and was so fun to watch with a crowd

Fullest Screenings: The Last Exorcism, I Spit on Your Grave (2010), Rubber and The Human Centipede (First Sequence)

Icky-ist Imagery: Out of all the crazy things we saw during the 8 days of the festival, I think it's hilarious that the most visceral audience reaction happened during a scene in Centurion that involving eating. But, conceptually you can't get icky-ier than The Human Centipede (First Sequence)

Best Double Bill: A true double nod to film fans: Phobia 2 / Ha phraeng and All About Evil

Happy Surprizes: All About Evil and Black Death really won me over

Still Has Me Thinking: Heartless

Continuing to Win Me Over: The more I think about The Last Lovecraft: Relic of Cthulhu, the more it wins me over. It might even get me to start reading H.P. Lovecraft.

Wish I hadn't missed: I made it to all the screenings but I wish I made it over to the pub on more nights, sounds like there were lots of fun times.

Best Experience: Getting to meet and interview Eli Roth, Ashley Bell & Patrick Fabian from The Last Exorcism

Themes: demons, geekdom, films about film and/or for film lovers

The Toronto After Dark Film Festival 2010 ran from August 13 - 20, 2010 at the Bloor Cinema, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

Poll Results: Are You Going to Toronto After Dark?

The results are in and the popular vote for if you went to the Toronto After Dark Film Festival was 32% with Yes, It's a Yearly Ritual and followed closely by No I Wish I Was and No both chimed in at 28%. I hope everyone who went to the festival had a great time, and those who missed it - there is always next year!

32% - Yes, it's a year ritual
28% - No, but I wish I was
28% - No
7% - Yes, for the first time
3% - Yes, I go occasionally

Thanks for voting!


The Toronto After Dark Film Festival 2010 ran from August 13 - 20, 2010 at the Bloor Cinema, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

Toronto After Dark Film Festival 2010 Day 8 - Friday August 20, 2010

Writing about the last day at the Toronto After Dark Film Festival is happy and sad all at the same time. Happy because the films of the evening were fantastic, but sad as it was the last day and now we have to wait a whole year until it's return! Ah, best to remember the good times because there certainly were a lot of them!

Check out my Day 8 Vlog & videos from closing night at the festival including Rubber & The Human Centipede introductions.



Rubber
Writer/Dir: Quentin Dupieux
Cast: Thomas F. Duffy, Roxane Mesquida, Remy Thorne, Wings Hauser,
France

Rubber was easily one of if not the highest buzzed film of the festival this year, and from the concept alone certainly got people intrigued. That concept being a sentient, killer tire. Now that could have gone wrong, or boring, very easily but what sets the film apart is that it really understands film audiences and therefore has the ability to make not only a truly hilarious, but also a rather engaging film. After having the chance to see Rubber, it's no surprize that it's gone over brilliantly on the festival circuit, and in addition to playing at Toronto After Dark it has also played at Cannes, Fantasia, Melbourne and will also be screened at the upcoming Fantastic Fest. Truly a film for film fans of any genre, it's highly accessible (although has it's fair share of gore), smart, original and even exceeded my already high expectations. I can't wait to see it again, and would love to see it get played at regular theatres. If you get a chance to see it, take it - it's worth it.





The Human Centipede (First Sequence)
Writer/Dir: Tom Six
Cast: Dieter Laser, Ashley C. Williams, Ashlynn Yennie, Akihiro Kitamura
The Netherlands

Pre-review Warning: the concept along of the film is so gross that you might not want to read this review if surgical horror creeps you out.

Easily the most conceptually revolting film of the festival, The Human Centipede is centred on the medically accurate (shiver) idea of surgically connecting human bodies to create a human centipede. Talk about very literal dehumanization, plus complete grossness and add a lot of terrorizing to boot, this film is not for the faint of heart. It's been interesting to hear peoples reaction to the film, some think it was less gory than they expected, some appreciate that it's mostly conceptual and I think overall it's really the idea itself that completely creeps us all out. My reaction is that I was a little surprized at how it was over the top at times, especially with the performance of the evil doctor played by Dieter Laser, but seeing it with an audience actually made that over the top-ness a highlight. I (oddly) didn't anticipate just how disturbing the idea of someone being able to be detached enough from humanity to be able to perform such awful things would be so affecting, for me that was for me the real horror of it. The dehumanization, the ambivalence, the not seeing humans as humans, those qualities have huge potential for extremely disturbing horror. Although I found some of the acting uneven, I do have to give huge kudos to the Ashley C. Williams, Ashlynn Yennie and Akihiro Kitamura - I can't even imagine what the filming this film would be like. They are all very brave actors to take on such bizarre and challenge roles.

Missed it? Need to see this surgical horror again? You are in luck, The Human Centipede opens in Toronto on on Saturday August 28, 2010 at The Toronto Underground.




The Toronto After Dark Film Festival 2010 ran from August 13 - 20, 2010 at the Bloor Cinema, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.