www.nocountryforoldmen-themovie.comDir: Coen Brothers
Cast: Tommy Lee Jones, Javier Bardem, Josh Brolin, Kelly Macdonald
Retrieve bag of cash
laugh at Javier's bad hair
deadly with bolt gun
soulmining rating: ****
Saturday, September 08, 2007
TIFF Movie Haiku - No Country For Old Men
www.nocountryforoldmen-themovie.comDir: Coen Brothers
Cast: Tommy Lee Jones, Javier Bardem, Josh Brolin, Kelly Macdonald
Retrieve bag of cash
laugh at Javier's bad hair
deadly with bolt gun
soulmining rating: ****
TIFF Movie Haiku - Rendition
www.renditionmovie.comDir: Gavin Hood
Cast: Jake Gyllenhaal, Reese Witherspoon, Peter Sarsgaard, Meryl Streep
Snatch him at airport
think he's a terror suspect
Jake to the rescue
soulmining rating: ***
Friday, September 07, 2007
TIFF Day 1 (Thursday)
Me, Ian, Ant, Johanna & Paul at Midnight MadnessLet the films commence! I start as I mean to go on by setting my alarm for 7am to ensure that I've plenty of time to get some breakfast inside me before the screenings kick off at 9am. Unfortunately my day doesn't begin well for me; I've picked up a cold on the flight over and am now battling the sniffs and sneezes as well as the jetlag. Undaunted I find my way to the Royal Ontario Museum in good time for my first pick of the day, a French Canadian horror called They Wait. Alas the screening has been cancelled! This isn't going terribly well so far, is it?
With time to kill until the next batch of screenings I head to the Manulife Centre, home of the central TIFF Box Office and the Varsity cinema where the majority of the Press & Industry (P&I) screenings are taking place. My Press pass allows me five free tickets for public screenings, so I make sure I have tickets for the key Midnight Madness films as I don't want to assume or rely on Colin for those. Job done I make the five minute walk along to the Sutton Hotel to locate the Press internet room - populated by brand new Macs with swanky aluminium keyboards, very swish! It's free access there so makes sense to use their facilities - although I can't upload any pics from there.
After bumping into Ant Timpson (The Devil Dared Me To producer) in the foyer I get in line for my first film of the day - Neil Jordan's The Brave One. The P&I screenings are all done on a first come first served basis, so you generally need to get there 30 mins prior to the screening to ensure a seat. The foyer is awash with TIFF volunteers directing people to queues here and there - it's well organised chaos. I also notice each screening has a member of staff stood at the front with an infra-red camera, on the look out for covert filming. Anyway, back to the film - The Brave One is a superior thriller with assured direction from Neil Jordan. When Erica's (Jodie Foster) husband is killed in a random attack she purchases a gun to protect herself. She unwittingly seems to attract trouble wherever she goes and gradually becomes a vigilante, taking out the bad guys - while her cop friend (Terence Howard) tries to unmask the killer's identity. This is quality filmmaking with Jodie Foster as the central focus delivering one of her best performances in years. Nicky Katt, as Howard's deadpan sidekick is also hilarious in an otherwise sombre piece.
The screenings come thick and fast, so it was straight into the queue for Ang Lee's Lust, Caution where I spied the hulking figure of Michael Moore arriving for a screening of his new film Captain Mike Across America. My overriding reaction to Lust, Caution is that it's long. 157 minutes long, and believe me, I felt every single one of those minutes. Reminding me a little thematically of Verhoeven's Black Book, it's the tale of a young theatre company who go undercover for the Resistance with the aim to entrap and kill traitor Mr Yee (Tony Leung). Tang Wei as Mrs Mak, the seductress, is exceptional and deserves to figure in next year's Award nominations, and there are one or two beautifully shot scenes; the matter-of-fact knife attack on one of Yee's associates is shocking and emotional. There's also a lot of rough sex in the film which has earned the film the dreaded NC-17 certificate in the US. History may prove this to be Ang Lee's masterpiece, but on first look - and amidst a hectic festival schedule - it's just too flabby.
A quick break - just enough time to rifle through a few of the free papers that keep getting thrust my way - and then it was back inside for Control, Anton Corbijn's biopic of Joy Division singer Ian Curtis. Corbijn of course has made his name with his unique black & white photography and music videos, and here he translates that work effortlessly to the big screen. Filming in black & white somehow suits this tragic tale of Curtis's descent into depression and eventual suicide perfectly. The film flags a little in the second half as it builds to its inevitable conclusion, but it's a rewarding, respectful portrait with a fine performance from Sam Riley in the lead role. The music of Joy Division has never sounded better.
My tentative plan for TIFF is to keep the screenings to the daytime, thereby keeping me free for any social events that might come up in the evenings prior to the Midnight Madness screenings. Paul, Ian & Johanna had been invited to the Dario Argento reception so I went off in search of the Imperial Pub on Dundas Street, where I'd arranged to hook up with Ant. The FrightFest team met us later with exciting news of having been invited over to George A. Romero's place next week - I don't think I'm invited but that won't stop me repeatedly pestering Paul over the next few days to see if I can tag along!
With time to kill until the next batch of screenings I head to the Manulife Centre, home of the central TIFF Box Office and the Varsity cinema where the majority of the Press & Industry (P&I) screenings are taking place. My Press pass allows me five free tickets for public screenings, so I make sure I have tickets for the key Midnight Madness films as I don't want to assume or rely on Colin for those. Job done I make the five minute walk along to the Sutton Hotel to locate the Press internet room - populated by brand new Macs with swanky aluminium keyboards, very swish! It's free access there so makes sense to use their facilities - although I can't upload any pics from there.
After bumping into Ant Timpson (The Devil Dared Me To producer) in the foyer I get in line for my first film of the day - Neil Jordan's The Brave One. The P&I screenings are all done on a first come first served basis, so you generally need to get there 30 mins prior to the screening to ensure a seat. The foyer is awash with TIFF volunteers directing people to queues here and there - it's well organised chaos. I also notice each screening has a member of staff stood at the front with an infra-red camera, on the look out for covert filming. Anyway, back to the film - The Brave One is a superior thriller with assured direction from Neil Jordan. When Erica's (Jodie Foster) husband is killed in a random attack she purchases a gun to protect herself. She unwittingly seems to attract trouble wherever she goes and gradually becomes a vigilante, taking out the bad guys - while her cop friend (Terence Howard) tries to unmask the killer's identity. This is quality filmmaking with Jodie Foster as the central focus delivering one of her best performances in years. Nicky Katt, as Howard's deadpan sidekick is also hilarious in an otherwise sombre piece.
The screenings come thick and fast, so it was straight into the queue for Ang Lee's Lust, Caution where I spied the hulking figure of Michael Moore arriving for a screening of his new film Captain Mike Across America. My overriding reaction to Lust, Caution is that it's long. 157 minutes long, and believe me, I felt every single one of those minutes. Reminding me a little thematically of Verhoeven's Black Book, it's the tale of a young theatre company who go undercover for the Resistance with the aim to entrap and kill traitor Mr Yee (Tony Leung). Tang Wei as Mrs Mak, the seductress, is exceptional and deserves to figure in next year's Award nominations, and there are one or two beautifully shot scenes; the matter-of-fact knife attack on one of Yee's associates is shocking and emotional. There's also a lot of rough sex in the film which has earned the film the dreaded NC-17 certificate in the US. History may prove this to be Ang Lee's masterpiece, but on first look - and amidst a hectic festival schedule - it's just too flabby.
A quick break - just enough time to rifle through a few of the free papers that keep getting thrust my way - and then it was back inside for Control, Anton Corbijn's biopic of Joy Division singer Ian Curtis. Corbijn of course has made his name with his unique black & white photography and music videos, and here he translates that work effortlessly to the big screen. Filming in black & white somehow suits this tragic tale of Curtis's descent into depression and eventual suicide perfectly. The film flags a little in the second half as it builds to its inevitable conclusion, but it's a rewarding, respectful portrait with a fine performance from Sam Riley in the lead role. The music of Joy Division has never sounded better.
My tentative plan for TIFF is to keep the screenings to the daytime, thereby keeping me free for any social events that might come up in the evenings prior to the Midnight Madness screenings. Paul, Ian & Johanna had been invited to the Dario Argento reception so I went off in search of the Imperial Pub on Dundas Street, where I'd arranged to hook up with Ant. The FrightFest team met us later with exciting news of having been invited over to George A. Romero's place next week - I don't think I'm invited but that won't stop me repeatedly pestering Paul over the next few days to see if I can tag along!
Mother Of Tears - Asia Argento
Mother Of Tears - Dario ArgentoAnd so to the opening film of Midnight Madness, the highly anticipated new movie from Dario Argento - Mother Of Tears. Dario and daughter Asia said a few words of introduction and then sat down directly behind Ian and myself. So is it the long awaited return to form of the Italian master? Well, not quite. Gone are the elaborate set pieces and the swooping camera work, and still present are the questionable English accents and the variable acting (Udo Kier - hamming it up for all he's worth as a priest). Yet it's his most accessible and enjoyable film since Opera; Sarah (Asia Argento) opens a box which unleashes the Mother Of Tears, summoning witches galore as anarchy hits the streets of Rome. They've all got it in for Sarah since her mother was a witch slayer in her time, and - as luck would have it - some of that old power has rubbed off on her daughter. Mother Of Tears is a really nothing more than a trashy B movie but I have to admit that for all its flaws I really enjoyed it, and the graphic gore on display certainly provoked enthusiastic cheers from the packed audience. Even the fire alarm going off in the venue halfway through didn't distract from the action taking place on screen! After the enthusiastic reception Dario and Asia reluctantly returned to the stage for a quick Q&A - highlights of which I hope to be able to post on YouTube shortly. On the way out we ran into Edgar Wright, and then I walked back with Ant, to get some rest before it all starts again tomorrow!
TIFF Movie Haiku - Mother Of Tears
www.myriadpictures.comDir: Dario Argento
Cast: Asia Argento, Udo Kier, Coralina Cataldi-Tassoni, Daria Nicolodi
Urn leashes witches
people of Rome go crazy
kill screeching monkey
soulmining rating: ***
TIFF Movie Haiku - Control
www.controlthemovie.comDir: Anton Corbijn
Cast: Sam Riley, Samantha Morton, Alexandra Maria Lara, Toby Kebbel
He sings with a band
gets married has kid too young
commits suicide
soulmining rating: ****
TIFF Movie Haiku - Lust, Caution
www.focusfeatures.comDir: Ang Lee
Cast: Tony Leung, Tang Wei, Joan Chen, Wang Leehom
Undercover girl
entrap traitor then kill him
has steamy affair
soulmining rating: **
TIFF Movie Haiku - The Brave One
www.thebraveone.comDir: Neil Jordan
Cast: Jodie Foster, Terence Howard, Naveen Andrews, Nicky Katt
Beat husband for kicks
gets trigger happy with gun
she wants her dog back
soulmining rating: ****
Thursday, September 06, 2007
The countdown to TIFF starts here...
The Cromwell Furnished SuitesSo I'm in Toronto!
The journey over here was pretty smooth, all things considered. I was a little late getting to Gatwick as my coach was cancelled, but met up with Ian, Paul, Johanna (Paul's girlfriend) and Alf (Ian's Dad) in the check-in queue okay. I somehow avoided trashing the Southern Comfort stand in the Departure Hall (more by luck than judgement) as I sent a bottle flying in my eagerness to get a free shot - amazingly I caught the bottle as it deflected off my shoulderbag, phew! The flight was fine - actually surprisingly comfortable - the only amusing incident coming when the old fella sitting adjacent to us thought that Paul and I were dancers travelling to some kind of dancing show. Quite. We got a cab to our accommodation, rather worried that the driver had no idea where he was going (which seems to be a recurring theme here...) but we got there eventually. The Cromwell Furnished Suites is an excellent place to stay; it's about three times the size of the room I had in Kings Cross last week, and I have my own en suite and fully equipped kitchen, plus sofa and desk - oh, and a balcony view! After a quick freshen up Paul went AWOL so Ian, Alf and I did a quick circuit of the nearby streets then holed up in the nearest pub for a few drinks before bed.
I need to get into the habit of getting up early each morning (since the TIFF screenings start at 9am) so was up early yesterday and got officially checked in at the Cromwell - the good news being that I can have my room right through to the Sunday evening without having to pay extra for a late check out! I then had a wander around the neighbouring area to get some groceries as it makes sense to have breakfast in my room before heading out for the day. We're well located for the TIFF screenings, the majority taking place at the Varsity on Bloor Street which is a mere 5 mins walk away. I also had a quick look in a few of the record shops, the only confusing thing being the whole Sales Tax thing, whereby they add taxes to most items so you always have to keep that in mind when you're shopping. The staff are all genuinely friendly and helpfu though. I met up with Ian and Alf around 1pm and we walked down to the Sutton Hotel which is the central base for TIFF. Ian and I picked up our respective passes (although why Industry folk get an Official Programme book and Press do not, I don't know...) and then went up to The Foxes Den pub to meet up with Paul and Joanna for lunch.
The journey over here was pretty smooth, all things considered. I was a little late getting to Gatwick as my coach was cancelled, but met up with Ian, Paul, Johanna (Paul's girlfriend) and Alf (Ian's Dad) in the check-in queue okay. I somehow avoided trashing the Southern Comfort stand in the Departure Hall (more by luck than judgement) as I sent a bottle flying in my eagerness to get a free shot - amazingly I caught the bottle as it deflected off my shoulderbag, phew! The flight was fine - actually surprisingly comfortable - the only amusing incident coming when the old fella sitting adjacent to us thought that Paul and I were dancers travelling to some kind of dancing show. Quite. We got a cab to our accommodation, rather worried that the driver had no idea where he was going (which seems to be a recurring theme here...) but we got there eventually. The Cromwell Furnished Suites is an excellent place to stay; it's about three times the size of the room I had in Kings Cross last week, and I have my own en suite and fully equipped kitchen, plus sofa and desk - oh, and a balcony view! After a quick freshen up Paul went AWOL so Ian, Alf and I did a quick circuit of the nearby streets then holed up in the nearest pub for a few drinks before bed.
I need to get into the habit of getting up early each morning (since the TIFF screenings start at 9am) so was up early yesterday and got officially checked in at the Cromwell - the good news being that I can have my room right through to the Sunday evening without having to pay extra for a late check out! I then had a wander around the neighbouring area to get some groceries as it makes sense to have breakfast in my room before heading out for the day. We're well located for the TIFF screenings, the majority taking place at the Varsity on Bloor Street which is a mere 5 mins walk away. I also had a quick look in a few of the record shops, the only confusing thing being the whole Sales Tax thing, whereby they add taxes to most items so you always have to keep that in mind when you're shopping. The staff are all genuinely friendly and helpfu though. I met up with Ian and Alf around 1pm and we walked down to the Sutton Hotel which is the central base for TIFF. Ian and I picked up our respective passes (although why Industry folk get an Official Programme book and Press do not, I don't know...) and then went up to The Foxes Den pub to meet up with Paul and Joanna for lunch.
Ian & Paul perusing the film scheduleIn the afternoon Paul took Johanna and I downtown to his favourite movie theatre in search of a good movie to watch. We were in luck - Rob Zombie's Halloween was about to start, so we got our tickets ($12) and went in. Now, I thought we'd left chav culture behind in the multiplexes of the UK, but no... a couple sat directly behind us and continued to talk loudly during the film despite three attempts by me to shut them up. In the end we moved seats. The film itself was okay; Paul and Johanna generally liked it and thought it was better than they'd anticipated, for me it was a mixed success - Malcolm McDowell is excellent and Tyler Mane certainly looks the part as Michael Myers. It's also pretty full on for an R-rated horror, with quite a lot of sustained nudity and violence. However there's very little suspense and the ending is a little drawn out. Zombie populates the film with his favourite actors (Bill Moseley, Sid Haig, Tom Towles, Danny Trejo etc) which is cool, but more often than not they're minor parts.
Sheitan director Kim ChapironAfter the film we walked around the hip Queen Street area of town (imagine a much larger sprawling version of Camden Town) and then headed to a bar/restaurant called Musa to hook up with Ian and some others. This was a pre-TIFF gathering arranged by Colin Geddes, the Midnight Madness programmer so it was great to finally get to meet Colin in person and his charming assistant Chris. We were joined for our meal by the writer and director of Sheitan, and then as the evening went on more and more people dropped by until there was around thirty people gathered together in all. I chatted to one of the local boys Dev Khanna who has a short film screening at the festival, plus Sue from Eye Weekly (the Toronto equivalent of Time Out) and Bruce Fletcher who runs the Dead Channels festival in San Francisco. A good introduction to the madness to come... and quite amazingly we were quite restrained and back home before midnight.
The real fun begins at 9am tomorrow...
The real fun begins at 9am tomorrow...
Movie Haiku - Halloween
www.halloween-themovie.comDir: Rob Zombie
Cast: Malcolm McDowell, Tyler Mane, Sheri Moon, Brad Dourif
Michael's back story
locked up for killing parents
now back for sister
soulmining rating: ***
Monday, September 03, 2007
Movie Haiku - Death Sentence
www.deathsentencemovie.comDir: James Wan
Cast: Kevin Bacon, Garrett Hedlund, Kelly Preston, John Goodman
His son bleeds to death
get guns and go after gang
looks like Darth Vader
soulmining rating: **
Sunday, September 02, 2007
Movie Haiku - Hallam Foe
www.thefilmfactory.co.uk/hallamfoeDir: David Mackenzie
Cast: Jamie Bell, Sophie Myles, Ciaran Hinds, Claire Forlani
Girl looks like dead mum
he spies on her from rooftops
wears a badger hat
soulmining rating: ****
Saturday, September 01, 2007
Movie Haiku - Knocked Up
www.knockedupmovie.comDir: Judd Apatow
Cast: Seth Rogen, Katherine Heigl, Paul Rudd, Leslie Mann
Whoops she's up the duff
the perils of drunken sex
can they get along?
soulmining rating: ****
Movie Haiku - Superbad
www.sonypictures.com/superbadDir: Greg Mottola
Cast: Jonah Hill, Michael Cera, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Seth Rogen
They want to get laid
must buy booze to impress girls
I'm not McLovin
soulmining rating: **
September Live
September beckons, so we bid goodbye to the inertia of August and welcome a new season of live music. Here's what's on offer this month:
04/09 - Richard Hawley is at the Dome touring his brand new album Lady's Bridge with support from the hotly tipped Kate Walsh. Tickets still available!
06/09 - I will be in Toronto covering TIFF (Toronto International Film Festival) for ten days packed with preview screenings. Follow my progress here... if I get the chance to post any updates!
10/09 - I'm gutted to be missing this one. The House Of Love will be running though their self-titled debut album at the Engine Room ready for their Don't Look Back concert at Koko later in the week.
15/09 - Another Dome concert, this time it's the turn of The Gossip. Wanna bet they play Standing In The Way Of Control?
17/09 - The Freebutt reopens with a gig by British Sea Power (who I saw play there years ago...) with Dom's Euchrid Eucrow supporting.
20/09 - I'm delighted to see that The Mummers have finally been given a headline slot at the Komedia after their excellent shows at the Sussex Arts Club and the Joogleberry earlier this year.
21/09 - A quick return to Brighton since the last NME Tour at the Concorde, Blood Red Shoes will be playing at the Pavilion Theatre.
24/09 - Another band making a swift return since their Concorde gig, New Young Pony Club are playing at the Corn Exchange so I'll certainly be back for that one. Tonight also marks the start of this year's Brighton Live events which run until the end of the week.
04/09 - Richard Hawley is at the Dome touring his brand new album Lady's Bridge with support from the hotly tipped Kate Walsh. Tickets still available!
06/09 - I will be in Toronto covering TIFF (Toronto International Film Festival) for ten days packed with preview screenings. Follow my progress here... if I get the chance to post any updates!
10/09 - I'm gutted to be missing this one. The House Of Love will be running though their self-titled debut album at the Engine Room ready for their Don't Look Back concert at Koko later in the week.
15/09 - Another Dome concert, this time it's the turn of The Gossip. Wanna bet they play Standing In The Way Of Control?
17/09 - The Freebutt reopens with a gig by British Sea Power (who I saw play there years ago...) with Dom's Euchrid Eucrow supporting.
20/09 - I'm delighted to see that The Mummers have finally been given a headline slot at the Komedia after their excellent shows at the Sussex Arts Club and the Joogleberry earlier this year.
21/09 - A quick return to Brighton since the last NME Tour at the Concorde, Blood Red Shoes will be playing at the Pavilion Theatre.
24/09 - Another band making a swift return since their Concorde gig, New Young Pony Club are playing at the Corn Exchange so I'll certainly be back for that one. Tonight also marks the start of this year's Brighton Live events which run until the end of the week.
Friday, August 31, 2007
FrightFest 2007 - Day 5 (Monday)
Send... More... Paramedics...Bank Holiday Monday meant one thing - the zombie walk! Mike's sterling efforts to break the World Record for the biggest gathering of zombies had us up at the crack of dawn preparing our costumes (with grateful thanks to Chrissy) and applying a slap of face paint. My 'brains' recipe worked a treat too - mixing crushed bananas with maple syrup and a dash of red food colouring... I certainly did 'eat my brains' that morning! Steve and I met Sheena & Ashley outside our B&B at 8am and then walked to Leicester Square together in full make up which was great fun. The gathering itself was quite overwhelming - so many people had made such efforts to get dressed up and there was a real carnival atmosphere. I've never been asked to pose for so many photos in my life and we got interviewed by a couple of film crews as well. Sadly we didn't break the record, but it was such good fun nevertheless. You can spot me in the video clips on both CNN and Zone Horror, and there are more professional pictures at Getty Images.
Me and Emily Booth in Leicester Square
Of course, the zombie walk was also arranged to highlight the first screening of the day, The Zombie Diaries. Having previously met Kevin and Sophia I was keen to see this one, and I quite enjoyed its refreshing take on the genre, very much in a similar vein to The Blair Witch Project. After a lengthy clean up and change of clothes we had the ghostly Km 31 but it was just as if every J-Horror cliché was on holiday in Mexico. I couldn't get into it at all, so I walked out about half way through. Not a bad move judging from some of the other comments afterwards. In the break Steve and I joined David & Sophie for a pint in one of the nearby pubs which provided a welcome intermission. Then it was back to the OWE for Adam Green's Spiral, as different a film to Hatchet as you could imagine. Very slow and moody, with a jazz soundtrack, it took me a long while to settle, but the ending really won me round and it seemed to be a favourite with the FrightFest crowd - as was Adam himself who afterwards told his inspiring Dee Snider story to much applause. Next up was Mike Williamson to introduce his 20 minute short In The Wall which was pretty good and then it was the turn of Day Watch (you can read my haiku here). I wasn't sure whether to see this again but was glad that I did - second time around it made perfect sense and the addition of the snazzy subtitles was a marked improvement on the dubbed version I'd seen back in April. And so to the closing film, the one which certain people had been tipping all weekend to be the best of the bunch... and they had it spot on. The World Premiere of The Orphanage was outstanding in every way and gave us at least two shocks which made us quiver in our seats. It was lovely having director Juan Antonio Bayona there in person to witness the reaction to his film and he gave a gracious Q&A after the screening.
Paul McEvoy, Me and Ian Rattray in the Phoenix
Needless to say the evening didn't end there... a sizeable crowd made their way to the Phoenix where we drank and partied until the early hours. A cracking end to yet another cracking FrightFest!
And next week I get to do it all over again in Toronto...
Me and Emily Booth in Leicester SquareOf course, the zombie walk was also arranged to highlight the first screening of the day, The Zombie Diaries. Having previously met Kevin and Sophia I was keen to see this one, and I quite enjoyed its refreshing take on the genre, very much in a similar vein to The Blair Witch Project. After a lengthy clean up and change of clothes we had the ghostly Km 31 but it was just as if every J-Horror cliché was on holiday in Mexico. I couldn't get into it at all, so I walked out about half way through. Not a bad move judging from some of the other comments afterwards. In the break Steve and I joined David & Sophie for a pint in one of the nearby pubs which provided a welcome intermission. Then it was back to the OWE for Adam Green's Spiral, as different a film to Hatchet as you could imagine. Very slow and moody, with a jazz soundtrack, it took me a long while to settle, but the ending really won me round and it seemed to be a favourite with the FrightFest crowd - as was Adam himself who afterwards told his inspiring Dee Snider story to much applause. Next up was Mike Williamson to introduce his 20 minute short In The Wall which was pretty good and then it was the turn of Day Watch (you can read my haiku here). I wasn't sure whether to see this again but was glad that I did - second time around it made perfect sense and the addition of the snazzy subtitles was a marked improvement on the dubbed version I'd seen back in April. And so to the closing film, the one which certain people had been tipping all weekend to be the best of the bunch... and they had it spot on. The World Premiere of The Orphanage was outstanding in every way and gave us at least two shocks which made us quiver in our seats. It was lovely having director Juan Antonio Bayona there in person to witness the reaction to his film and he gave a gracious Q&A after the screening.
Paul McEvoy, Me and Ian Rattray in the PhoenixNeedless to say the evening didn't end there... a sizeable crowd made their way to the Phoenix where we drank and partied until the early hours. A cracking end to yet another cracking FrightFest!
And next week I get to do it all over again in Toronto...
FrightFest Movie Haiku - The Orphanage
Dir: Juan Antonio Bayona
Cast: Belen Rueda, Fernando Cava, Mabel Rivera, Roger Princep
now son has disappeared too
whole audience jumps
soulmining rating: *****
FrightFest Movie Haiku - Spiral
Cast: Joel David Moore, Amber Tamblyn, Zachary Levi, Tricia Helfer
paints her in many poses
she opens his drawers
FrightFest Movie Haiku - Km 31
www.km31.com.mxDir: Rigoberto Casteneda
Cast: Iliana Fox, Raul Mendez, Adria Collado, Carlos Aragon
Kid stands in the road
J-horror in Mexico
ghostly goings on
soulmining rating: *
FrightFest Movie Haiku - The Zombie Diaries
Cast: Russell Jones, Craig Stovin, Jonnie Hurn, Sophia Ellis
zombies come to London streets
countryside diaries
soulmining rating: ***
FrightFest 2007 - Day 4 (Sunday)
Paul Spurrier and Me in the Odeon barHad to get a few supplies on the way in preparation for Monday's zombie walk, so arrived just in time for Jack Ketchum's The Girl Next Door (to give it its full title, so as not to be confused with the Elisha Cuthbert comedy...) Alas, no comedy here, this was grim stuff based on a true case of child abuse and murder which left some in tears at the end. Definitely the most affecting film of the festival but not one I'd wish to see again. Director Kit Ryan was on hand to introduce Botched which sounded awful but in fact provided some much needed light relief after the previous film. Not a great film by any means, but programmed at the right time and its wackiness amused if you were prepared to excuse the dodgy Russian accents and run with it. Next up was the eagerly anticipated / dreaded Uwe Boll double-bill with the good doctor himself in attendance. He seemed very much at ease and ready to take on any criticisms that would later come his way... Postal wasn't quite as funny as I'd hoped for; offensive to everyone, but on the same kind of level as Troma or Team America, the jokes were hit and miss, but it certainly had its moments. A quick bite to eat with Rob and Nicola and then we returned for Seed, a bleak nihilistic film which featured a brutal prolonged hammer attack - the most shocking thing I saw all weekend. It certainly divided the audience and led to a heated Q&A afterwards. For me, the film worked and is still haunting me with its unpleasant images even now. I bumped into Paul Spurrier on the way out so he joined Thurein and I for a beer and a chat up in the bar - and the good news is that a UK DVD release of P should be with us very soon! Thurein managed to get his photo taken with Reece Sheersmith whilst I said hello to Paul Andrew Williams, and then we dashed back downstairs to watch a long teaser for his forthcoming film The Cottage. Looked very funny, but the jury is out on the man-trap gag which seemed to be totally ripped off from Severance. Director Tom Shankland introduced WΔZ, a gritty urban thriller in a similar vein to Se7en which boasted an intelligent script and some fine performances - one of the strongest films of the festival and one to look out for.
Audiencewalkers - Steve, James and Me
Before the last film of the evening the lovely Emily Booth and Marc Morris took to the stage to introduce a feature on their Grindhouse trailer collection, coming soon to DVD. And then it was Skinwalkers... or rather Audiencewalkers as I then christened it, due to the huge amount of walkouts. It was your typical glossy PG-13 horror/fantasy with appalling dialogue and cheesy action scenes - exactly the type of film I'd be fast-forwarding through if I had the DVD. So we gave it thirty minutes then bailed ourselves, and then laughed when we bumped into James, Jodie, Sarah, Craig, D and Stuart out in the foyer who'd all had the same idea! Steve and I joined James and Jodie for a sneaky free beer up in the bar and that made it all better.
Audiencewalkers - Steve, James and MeBefore the last film of the evening the lovely Emily Booth and Marc Morris took to the stage to introduce a feature on their Grindhouse trailer collection, coming soon to DVD. And then it was Skinwalkers... or rather Audiencewalkers as I then christened it, due to the huge amount of walkouts. It was your typical glossy PG-13 horror/fantasy with appalling dialogue and cheesy action scenes - exactly the type of film I'd be fast-forwarding through if I had the DVD. So we gave it thirty minutes then bailed ourselves, and then laughed when we bumped into James, Jodie, Sarah, Craig, D and Stuart out in the foyer who'd all had the same idea! Steve and I joined James and Jodie for a sneaky free beer up in the bar and that made it all better.
FrightFest Movie Haiku - Skinwalkers
Cast: Jason Behr, Elias Koteas, Rhona Mitra, Kim Coates
PG-13 guff
werewolves at war over kid
audience walkers
soulmining rating: *
FrightFest Movie Haiku - WΔZ
www.wazthemovie.comDir: Tom Shankland
Cast: Stellan Skarsgard, Melissa George, Selma Blair, Ashley Walters
Solve the equation
will they sacrifice for love
more sore genitals
soulmining rating: ****
FrightFest Movie Haiku - Seed
www.seed-themovie.comDir: Uwe Boll
Cast: Will Sanderson, Ralf Moeller, Michael Pare, Jodelle Ferland
Nihilistic Boll
you might want to close your eyes
ouch it's hammer time
soulmining rating: ***
FrightFest Movie Haiku - Postal
www.postal-the-movie.comDir: Uwe Boll
Cast: Zack Ward, Dave Foley, Chris Coppola, Michael Benyaer
Cat as silencer
Mini-Me in a suitcase
how many virgins?
soulmining rating: ***
FrightFest Movie Haiku - Botched
www.arclightfilms.comDir: Kit Ryan
Cast: Stephen Dorff, Jamie Foreman, Geoff Bell, Sean Pertwee
Heist goes all wacky
killer runs outside the lift
spikes and disco balls
soulmining rating: ***
FrightFest Movie Haiku - The Girl Next Door
www.thegirlnextdoorfilm.comDir: Gregory Wilson
Cast: Blythe Auffarth, Daniel Manche, Blanche Baker, Graham Patrick Martin
Tie her up naked
do awful things in basement
brutal true story
soulmining rating: ***
Thursday, August 30, 2007
FrightFest 2007 - Day 3 (Saturday)
Sheena and Ashley in Leicester SquareAnother leisurely stroll along to Leicester Square with plenty of time to catch up with our fellow FrightFesters before the day's entertainment began. First up was the Norwegian snowbound thriller Cold Prey introduced by director Roar Uthaug which was pretty decent and looked great up on the big OWE screen. Back outside where I bumped into Ant with Chris and Matt from The Devil Dared Me To and got to hear just how they'd managed to gash their hands open the previous night - ouch! I then sat through Joshua, the movie with the weird kid that I didn't really like. Paul and Ian both hated it but - like nearly every film shown over the weekend - it certainly had its fans. I skipped the first batch of short films and wished I'd missed them all... except for Les Morveux which was a very funny tale of a French bloke using an array of tools to shut up a choir of kids. Storm Warning was a film of two halves; the first part being slow and filled with one dimensional characters, the second part far more exciting as our captive couple got all creative in the shed and dispatched their attackers in all manner of inventive ways. Outside again I was able to get a couple of things signed by Neil Marshall and Joe Lynch and then it was the fiendish FrightFest Quiz hosted by the double act of Alan Jones and David McGillivary - a quiz so hard that Steve, Thurein and I only got two questions right between the three of us! Joe's Wrong Turn 2 was a real crowd pleaser with lots of gore and Henry Rollins totally ruling the film. It also provided my first real 'jump' of the festival and Joe proved to be a hugely enthusiastic guy in the Q&A, coming across like a younger Quentin Tarantino. After another screening of Neil's Doomsday trailer (this time in colour) we had Ant's Trailer Trash compilation (pick of the bunch - Werewolves In A Girls' Dormitory) and then it was into Disturbia which was a surprisingly good slick Hollywood thriller.
The Devil Dared Them To - Matt Heath, Chris Stapp and Ant Timpson display their wounds
Before the final film of the evening we had a double bill of Aussie trailers in the shape of Schooner Of Blood and the brilliantly titled cricket horror-comedy I Know How Many Runs You Scored Last Summer. We also got to see Edgar Wright's Don't, his fake trailer from the Grindhouse movie which was very well received. The Devil Dared Me To was one of the films I'd most been looking forward to and it didn't disappoint; exciting, vulgar and full of swearing - you just don't hear the term "jizzlobber" enough in films nowadays - it was a blast from start to finish and made for the perfect midnight movie. The guys were on top form too and I'm still in awe at their crazy stunt work - check out the closing credits montage and you'll see what I mean.
The Devil Dared Them To - Matt Heath, Chris Stapp and Ant Timpson display their woundsBefore the final film of the evening we had a double bill of Aussie trailers in the shape of Schooner Of Blood and the brilliantly titled cricket horror-comedy I Know How Many Runs You Scored Last Summer. We also got to see Edgar Wright's Don't, his fake trailer from the Grindhouse movie which was very well received. The Devil Dared Me To was one of the films I'd most been looking forward to and it didn't disappoint; exciting, vulgar and full of swearing - you just don't hear the term "jizzlobber" enough in films nowadays - it was a blast from start to finish and made for the perfect midnight movie. The guys were on top form too and I'm still in awe at their crazy stunt work - check out the closing credits montage and you'll see what I mean.
FrightFest Movie Haiku - The Devil Dared Me To
www.devildaredmeto.comDir: Chris Stapp
Cast: Chris Stapp, Bonnie Soper, Matt Heath, Dominic Bowden
He's Randy Campbell
the greatest Kiwi stuntman
whilst friends lose some limbs
soulmining rating: ****
FrightFest Movie Haiku - Disturbia
www.disturbia.comDir: D.J. Caruso
Cast: Shia LaBeouf, Sarah Roemer, Carrie-Anne Moss, David Morse
Spy on the hot babe
suspect neighbour of killings
what's in his garage?
soulmining rating: ****
FrightFest Movie Haiku - Wrong Turn 2
www.myspace.com/wrongturn2movieDir: Joe Lynch
Cast: Erica Leehrsen, Henry Rollins, Texas Battle, Daniella Alonso
Rollins' telly show
contestants killed in the woods
dinner for mutants
soulmining rating: ****
FrightFest Movie Haiku - Storm Warning
www.stormwarningmovie.comDir: Jamie Blanks
Cast: Nadia Fares, John Brumpton, Robert Taylor, David Lyons
Posh couple in boat
caught by Aussie hillbillies
fight like The A-Team
soulmining rating: ***
FrightFest Movie Haiku - Joshua
www.foxsearchlight.com/joshuaDir: George Ratliff
Cast: Sam Rockwell, Vera Farmiga, Celia Weston, Jacob Kogan
Jealous of baby
pulls stuffing out of his toys
don't hit in public
soulmining rating: **
FrightFest Movie Haiku - Cold Prey
www.frittvilt.comDir: Roar Uthaug
Cast: Ingrid Bolso Berdal, Viktoria Winge, Rolf Kristian Larsen, Endre Martin Midstigen
Superglue the wound
find a remote mountain lodge
then die one by one
soulmining rating: ***
FrightFest 2007 - Day 2 (Friday)
Steve, Sheridan, Stuart and D in Leicester SquareFriday's programme was fit to burst with a whole seven (count 'em) films to get through! An early start, but the luxury of our B&B accommodation afforded us breakfast and plenty of time to be able to walk from Kings Cross to Leicester Square each morning - nice! First up was Hatchet (screened last year - see my haiku here) with a live commentary recording from Adam Green and Alan Jones which was both amusing and informative. Adam did a signing session straight afterwards so the bar was packed as we queued up to get our pictures signed by him. Top bloke, and it was great having him around all weekend.
Thurein grabs a photo with Adam Green
The Sword Bearer was next; I was expecting a Russian adventure epic but the action never arrived - I should have walked out. Sundance fave The Signal was much better, raw and packed with original ideas, it played very well. Bumped into Chris Smith on the stairs as I went up to collect my goodie bag then it was back inside for 1408 with director Mikael Hafstrom in attendance. Better than expected, this was a decent supernatural Hollywood shocker based on a Stephen King short story. Before the next film the FrightFest boys did a raffle for an HD-DVD player and our very own Sean from Eat My Brains was the lucky winner, so well done to him! After the giveaway the inevitable last minute change to the schedule occured - P2 was unavailable so Teeth took its place. I was expecting this film about a girl with vagina dentate to be of the tedious arthouse variety, but much to my surprise it played like a mainstream horror-comedy and was hugely entertaining - my favourite film of the day. The much-hyped All The Boys Love Mandy Lane was the penultimate movie, a good solid horror with a twist and a gorgeous leading lady in the shape of Amber Heard - it's no wonder all the boys love her. Last up was Shrooms which I kept dozing off in so either a) I was too tired, or b) it wasn't very good. Few people seemed to rave about that one as we left the cinema so I'm guessing it was the latter.
Thurein grabs a photo with Adam GreenThe Sword Bearer was next; I was expecting a Russian adventure epic but the action never arrived - I should have walked out. Sundance fave The Signal was much better, raw and packed with original ideas, it played very well. Bumped into Chris Smith on the stairs as I went up to collect my goodie bag then it was back inside for 1408 with director Mikael Hafstrom in attendance. Better than expected, this was a decent supernatural Hollywood shocker based on a Stephen King short story. Before the next film the FrightFest boys did a raffle for an HD-DVD player and our very own Sean from Eat My Brains was the lucky winner, so well done to him! After the giveaway the inevitable last minute change to the schedule occured - P2 was unavailable so Teeth took its place. I was expecting this film about a girl with vagina dentate to be of the tedious arthouse variety, but much to my surprise it played like a mainstream horror-comedy and was hugely entertaining - my favourite film of the day. The much-hyped All The Boys Love Mandy Lane was the penultimate movie, a good solid horror with a twist and a gorgeous leading lady in the shape of Amber Heard - it's no wonder all the boys love her. Last up was Shrooms which I kept dozing off in so either a) I was too tired, or b) it wasn't very good. Few people seemed to rave about that one as we left the cinema so I'm guessing it was the latter.
FrightFest Movie Haiku - Shrooms
www.shroomsthemovie.comDir: Paddy Breathnach
Cast: Lindsey Haun, Jack Huston, Max Kasch, Maya Hazen
Six eat 'shrooms in woods
she shouldn't pick Death's Head ones
they have a bad trip
soulmining rating: **
FrightFest Movie Haiku - All The Boys Love Mandy Lane
www.mandylane.co.ukDir: Jonathan Levine
Cast: Amber Heard, Anson Mount, Michael Welch, Aaron Himelstein
Friends die one by one
vying for her affections
think I love her too
soulmining rating: ****
FrightFest Movie Haiku - Teeth
www.teethmovie.comDir: Mitchell Litchtenstein
Cast: Jess Weixler, John Hensley, Josh Pais, Lenny Von Dohlen
Don't stick your cock in
it might end up bitten off
then eaten by dog
soulmining rating: ****
FrightFest Movie Haiku - 1408
www.1408-themovie.comDir: Mikael Hafstrom
Cast: John Cusack, Samuel L. Jackson, Mary McCormack, Jasmine Jessica Anthony
Writes rough guide to ghosts
this room is extra spooky
can he last one hour?
soulmining rating: ***
FrightFest Movie Haiku - The Signal
www.doyouhavethecrazy.comDir: David Bruckner, Dan Bush & Jacob Gentry
Cast: Anessa Ramsey, Justin Welborn, AJ Bowen, Sahr Ngaujah
They have the crazy
primal instincts take over
cocktail party fun
soulmining rating: ****
FrightFest Movie Haiku - The Sword Bearer
www.mechenosets.ruDir: Filipp Yankovsky
Cast: Artyom Tkachenko, Chulpan Khamatova, Leonid Gromov, Aleksei Zharkov
Meet Sasha knife-hands
slices through tree trunks with ease
he's the sword borer
soulmining rating: **
Wednesday, August 29, 2007
FrightFest 2007 - Day 1 (Thursday)
Joe Lynch and Adam Green being interviewed by Zone Horror's Emily BoothThe biggest and most ambitious FrightFest to date kicked off on Thursday evening at the Odeon West End, London. Steve and I arrived in town early afternoon and checked in to our B&B in Kings Cross after a torturous journey across the city. Dodging the showers we made it to the OWE around 6pm ready for the opening night. It was great seeing so many of the regular FrightFest faces. Thurein and I grabbed a quick chat with Adam Green and Rob was interviewed by Emily Booth for Zone Horror who were covering the festival again this year. NZ sheep-shocker Black Sheep was the opening film, with director Jonathan King present to introduce the screening. A funny comedy-horror, it was the perfect introduction to our weekend of horrors...
Gia and Me at the 28 Weeks Later promo
In the break I managed to say hello to Neil Marshall and his fiancee Axelle, then met up with newbies Sheena & Ashley and got them into the Black Water screening, courtesy of Gia who was there for the 28 Weeks Later promo event. Producer Allon Reich was on hand to show a deleted scene, plus some other tidbits from the upcoming DVD release. Black Water was okay but rather painted itself into a corner once the main characters were stuck up a tree. After the main feature we had another treat in store as Neil Marshall presented his new Doomsday trailer, albeit in black & white after some technical difficulties. Since it was a relatively early finish it was on to the Phoenix to introduce Sheena & Ashley to the real FrightFest experience. The bar was soon packed out and I caught up with Simon Rumley who introduced me to Ant Timpson, the producer of The Devil Dared Me To, and we also grabbed Joe Lynch (Wrong Turn 2) for a chat. No drunken karaoke or trying to sleep on pavements this time... a good start then!
Gia and Me at the 28 Weeks Later promoIn the break I managed to say hello to Neil Marshall and his fiancee Axelle, then met up with newbies Sheena & Ashley and got them into the Black Water screening, courtesy of Gia who was there for the 28 Weeks Later promo event. Producer Allon Reich was on hand to show a deleted scene, plus some other tidbits from the upcoming DVD release. Black Water was okay but rather painted itself into a corner once the main characters were stuck up a tree. After the main feature we had another treat in store as Neil Marshall presented his new Doomsday trailer, albeit in black & white after some technical difficulties. Since it was a relatively early finish it was on to the Phoenix to introduce Sheena & Ashley to the real FrightFest experience. The bar was soon packed out and I caught up with Simon Rumley who introduced me to Ant Timpson, the producer of The Devil Dared Me To, and we also grabbed Joe Lynch (Wrong Turn 2) for a chat. No drunken karaoke or trying to sleep on pavements this time... a good start then!
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