Midnight Madness 2018 Complete Video Playlist Jamie Lee Curtis, Vasan Bala, Peter Strickland, David Gordon Green

David Gordon Green & Danny McBride speak with Robert Aaron Mitchell at the Halloween premiere.

The 2018 Midnight Madness programme at the Toronto International Film Festival is a wrap! Here is the complete video playlist. Every introduction, post-screening Q&A, the red carpet interviews and all the surprises! Is that Michael Myers? Or just a shape? A marching band playing over the end credits!

The Complete 2015 Midnight Madness Video Playlist Ft. Takashi Miike, Nina Dobrev, Sir Patrick Stewart, Sharlto Copley

The dust has settled on the 2015 edition of the Midnight Madness program at the Toronto International Film Festival. What a year it was! We saw Sir Patrick Stewart take the stage at the Ryerson Theater. Legendary Midnight Madness master Takashi Miike made his long awaited in-person return to the festival. Another amazing appearance of cinematographer Dean Cundey (John Carpenter's Halloween; Jurassic Park). Last but certainly not least were the ten films that were showcased every night at midnight. We laughed, we jumped, sometimes we were so overcome with suspense and fright that we covered our eyes and we rooted for Lily and her volunteer trip.

Here is Robert A. Mitchell and Sarah Mitchell's video playlist of all the happenings, featuring all the red carpet interviews,  Colin Geddes' introductions and the post-screening Q&As. You can relive the infamous "hug" moment during the Green Room premiere, watch the Frog Monster Kaeru-Kun from Yakuza Apocalypse take the stage over and over again. The end result is a near five hours of footage from Midnight Madness 2015! Enjoy!

ModernHorrors Has Love For Midnight Madness, Vanguard and Bruce McDonald's HELLIONS

ModernHorrors.com has a full rundown of the genre films screening at this year's Toronto International Film Festival and Canadian filmmaking icon Bruce McDonald's Hellions appears on that list.

Seven years after his much-loved zombie thriller Pontypool, Canadian maverick Bruce McDonald returns to the horror genre with this deliciously creepy tale about a pregnant teen whose home is besieged by a ghastly crew of trick-or-treaters.

Modern Horrors highlights more than 30 titles in this Festival spotlight, including Vanguard titles like Demon, Der Nachtmahr, Evolution, February, and Lace Crater.

But wait, there's more!

The site also name checks Midnight Madness titles like Baskin, The Devil's Candy, The Final Girls, The Girl In The Photographs, GreenRoom, Hardcore, The Mind's Eye, Southbound, and Yakuza Apocalypse.

Thanks ModernHorrors.com!

VANGUARD:

HELLIONS Screening Times:

Thu. Sept 17, 9:30PM ELGIN/WINTER GARDEN

Fri. Sept 18 4:00PM, SCOTIABANK 4

DEMON Screening Times:

Fri. Sept 11, 6:15PM BLOOR HOT DOCS

Sun. Sept 13, 4:15PM SCOTIABANK 10

Sat. Sept 19, 9:15PM SCOTIABANK 13

DER NACHTMAHR Screening Times:

Thu. Sept 17, 9:00PM BLOOR HOT DOCS

Fri. Sept 18, 12:00PM SCOTIABANK 3

Sun. Sept. 20, 6:00PM SCOTIABANK 14

EVOLUTION Screening Times:

Mon. Sept 14, 9:30PM RYERSON

Wed. Sept. 16, 4:30PM BLOOR HOT DOCS

Sun. Sept 20, 8:30PM TIFF LIGHTBOX CINEMA 2

FEBRUARY Screening Times:

Sat. Sept 12, 6:30PM SCOTIABANK 1

Mon. Sept 14, 6:45PM SCOTIABANK 9

Fri. Sept 18, 6:45PM BLOOR HOT DOCS

LACE CRATER Screening Times:

Tue. Sept 15, 9:30PM SCOTIABANK 10

Thu. Sept 17, 9:30PM SCOTIABANK 14

Sun. Sept 20, 3:15PM SCOTIABANK 9

Midnight Madness:

GREEN ROOM Screening Times:
Thu, Sept 10th, 11:59 PM RYERSON
Sat, Sept 12, 2:15 PM BLOOR HOT DOCS

BASKIN Screening Times:
Fri, Sept 11, 11:59 PM RYERSON
Sun, Sept 13, 4:00 PM SCOTIABANK 13
Thu, Sept 17, 6:00 PM SCOTIABANK 4

HARDCORE Screening Times:
Sat, Sept 12, 11:59 PM RYERSON
Mon, Sept 14, 4:15 PM SCOTIABANK 14  
Fri, Sept 18, 1:00 PM SCOTIABANK 4

THE DEVIL'S CANDY Screening Times:
Sun, Sept 13, 11:59 PM RYERSON
Tue, Sept 15, 6:45 PM SCOTIABANK 9
Sat, Sept 19, 1:15 PM SCOTIABANK 14

THE GIRL IN THE PHOTOGRAPHS Screening Times:
Mon, Sept 14, 11:59 PM RYERSON
Wed, Sept 16, 5:00 PM SCOTIABANK 1
Fri, Sept 18, 9:15 PM SCOTIABANK 3

THE MIND'S EYE Screening Times:
Tue, Sept 15, 11:59 PM RYERSON
Thu, Sept 17, 3:30 PM BLOOR HOT DOCS
Sat, Sept 19, 7:00 PM SCOTIABANK 10

SOUTHBOUND Screening Times:
Wed, Sept 16, 11:59 PM RYERSON
Fri, Sept 18, 6:00 PM SCOTIABANK 13
Sun, Sept 20, 3:30 PM SCOTIABANK 10

YAKUZA APOCALYPSE Screening Times:
Fri, Sept 18, 11:59 PM RYERSON
Sat, Sept 19, 3:00 PM SCOTIABANK 2

THE FINAL GIRLS Screening Times:
Sat, Sept 19, 11:59 PM RYERSON
Sun, Sept 20, 5:00 PM SCOTIABANK 2

Yikes! My Film Is OFF SALE!

With the excitement of single-ticket day at TIFF comes some inevitable disappointment. Surging ticket sales and the prospect of all manner of shenanigans at the Ryerson means that, despite a capacity of a whopping 1800 in the theatre, some midnight screenings will sell out ahead of time before you can snag a seat for yourself.

Dude, it's ok! We'll get you a ticket!

But fear not, festival-goers! There are still a couple of ways you can see a Midnight Madness selection even if those dreaded words, 'OFF SALE', come up when you go to buy a ticket.  Using my patented* KRAM system, you may still find a seat at the Ryerson with your name on it.

Keep checking the box office! Tickets come available all the time thoughout the Festival - whether it's because a production company has fewer people coming than expected, or because a band of crazies has abducted several members of the cast, tickets will sometimes be released to the box office on the day of the screening or even before.  I like going in person myself, but you can check online as well. It can't hurt to try!

Rush the film! Think of it like a fun adventure that involves a lot of waiting. Basically, if you join the special Rush line for a Midnight Madness screening you'll be able to score any seats that are remaining when all the ticketholders are let in.  You have a much better chance of getting in if you're in that line as early as possible, with people lining up anywhere from one to three hours ahead for very popular movies.  Also, remember that you can only hold a spot in line for yourself and one other person. Some of the most fun TIFF experiences I've had have been in Rush lines, and I'd definitely recommend trying it at least once - if not for a Midnight screening, then for any other Festival film.

Attend another screening! It may not be as rambunctious as a midnight screening, but you'll still be able to see an amazing film and maybe even remain awake for the entire running time. There are lots of second and sometimes third screenings of Midnight Madness films on the schedule, so check at the bottom of this post for the film's other screening times.


Make a pizza! Because pizza solves everything.

Pizza is a flatbread generally topped with tomato sauce and cheese and baked in an oven. It is commonly topped with a selection of meats, vegetables and condiments.

*not patented

Happy Birthday, Werner Herzog!

A belated happy birthday to one of Midnight Madness' favorite filmmakers, Werner Herzog! (And we hope you enjoyed Hitoshi Matsumoto's Symbol back in 2009).

Celebrate with this clip of Werner Herzog discussing penguins, madness and heading towards certain death. 

Perhaps celebrate isn't the right word...  How about Klaus Kinski singing and dancing?

WALK ON THE WILD SIDE WITH MIDNIGHT MADNESS AT THE 2015 TORONTO INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL

Midnight Madness returns to the Toronto International Film Festival® to satiate late night audiences’ appetites for wild sensory stimulation. The programme will present the best in action, horror, shock and fantasy films from the rabble-rousers of cinema, opening with Jeremy Saulnier’s tense siege shocker Green Room.

 “Midnight Madness winds up Festival audiences as the days are winding down and they are hungry for more,” says Colin Geddes, International Programmer for the Festival. “From adrenaline-filled action and untamed horror to twisted comedy and darkly blurred lines of reality, this year’s lineup welcomes back celebrated masters and fresh visionaries of renegade genre cinema.”

Among this year’s returning Midnight Madness directors are Joe Begos and Sean Byrne, who both debuted in the programme and are back with their much anticipated follow-up features, and Japanese bad boy auteur Takashi Miike with his high-octane Yakuza Apocalypse. Closing out the selection is the raucously reverent homage to classic slasher movies The Final Girls.

Films screening as part of the Midnight Madness programme include:

Baskin

Can Evrenol, Turkey World Premiere 

A squad of unsuspecting cops goes through a trapdoor to Hell when they stumble upon a Black Mass in an abandoned building. The nightmarish feature debut Baskin is the first-ever Midnight Madness film from Turkey.

The Devil’s Candy 

Sean Byrne, USA World Premiere 

The director of the 2009 Midnight Madness People’s Choice Award winner The Loved Ones is back with an equally fresh twist on the supernatural genre. A struggling artist (Ethan Embry) and his family buy the house of their dreams only to discover the property's mysterious dark past and a former tenant who wants more than to simply come back home. From the producers of Midnight Madness hits You’re Next and The Guest.

Midnight Madness Closing Night Film. 

The Final Girls 

Todd Strauss-Schulson, USA International Premiere 

Max (American Horror Story’s Taissa Farmiga) is a high school senior whose mom (Malin Akerman) was a celebrated ’80s scream queen. At a screening, Max and her friends are mysteriously transported inside her mom’s most infamous movie, where they must fend off the camp counselors’ raging hormones, battle a deranged machete-wielding killer and find a way to escape the movie and get back home.

The Girl in the Photographs 

Nick Simon, USA World Premiere 

Big-city glamour clashes with small-town values and a killer’s knife, in this bloody cocktail of terror from director Nick Simon and executive producer Wes Craven. Colleen’s life in the sleepy town of Spearfish is disrupted when she starts receiving photographs of brutally murdered women. Things get even crazier for Colleen when L.A. based celeb-photographer Peter Hemmings (Kal Penn) returns to his hometown of Spearfish to investigate.

Midnight Madness Opening Night Film. 

Green Room 

Jeremy Saulnier, USA North American Premiere 

Broke, tired and at each other’s throats after a cancelled gig, a young punk rock band accepts a sketchy matinee show to get themselves home. When they stumble upon something they weren’t supposed to witness, the quartet is trapped in a terrifying siege. Directed by Jeremy Saulnier (of 2013 Cannes Film Festival FIPRESCI Prize winner Blue Ruin), the film stars Anton Yelchin, Imogen Poots, Alia Shawkat, and Patrick Stewart. Green Room is preceded by the previously announced short film The Chickening from directors Nick DenBoer and Davy Force.

Hardcore 

Ilya Naishuller, Russia/USA World Premiere 

Resurrected with no recollection of his past, a cyborg named Henry (the audience’s POV) and his ally, Jimmy (Sharlto Copley, District 9) must fight through the streets of Moscow in pursuit of Henry’s kidnapped wife in the world’s first action-adventure film to be entirely shot from the first person perspective.

The Mind’s Eye 

Joe Begos, USA World Premiere

Joe Begos returns with a psychokinetic thriller about Zack Connors (Graham Skipper), whose abilities have kept him off the grid for years until he’s recruited by the mysterious Dr. Slovak. The snowy New England landscape turns into a whirlwind of psychic rage, flying axes, and brutal revenge as Zack does everything in his power to stop Dr. Slovak's deadly descent into synthetically engineered telekinetic madness.

Southbound 

Roxanne Benjamin, David Bruckner, Patrick Horvath and Radio Silence, USA, World Premiere 

Five intertwining tales of terror unfold along an endless desert highway. On a desolate stretch of road, weary travellers — two men on the run from their past, a band on their way to the next gig, a man struggling to get home, a brother in search of his long-lost sister and a family on vacation — are forced to confront their worst fears and darkest secrets in these interwoven tales of terror and remorse on the open road.

SPL 2 - A Time For Consequences 

Soi Cheang, Hong Kong, International Premiere 

The anticipated follow-up to the bone-cracking martial arts brawler SPL (also known as Sha Po Long and Kill Zone) that debuted in the programme in 2005 stars Midnight Madness discovery Tony Jaa (Ong Bak). When an undercover cop (Wu Jing) has his cover blown and is thrown into a prison in Thailand run by a crime syndicate, he must team up with a prison guard (Jaa) to bust out and get revenge on those who wronged him. Filled with gun battles, prison riots and frenetic fight choreography, SPL 2 might knock the wind out of you — and possibly a few teeth.

Yakuza Apocalypse(Gokudo Daisenso) 

Takashi Miike, Japan North American Premiere 

Japanese cinematic extremist Takashi Miike returns to his gonzo roots with this mind-melter that finds room for vampires, gangsters, monsters, martial arts and even a yakuza knitting circle. A true master and MVP of the programme, Miike wowed previous Midnight Madness audiences with such hits as Fudoh: The New Generation, Audition, The City of Lost Souls, Ichi the Killer, Zebraman, The Great Yokai War and Sukiyaki Western Django. He returns with a film too wild to be described and too fun to be missed!

The 40th Toronto International Film Festival runs September 10 to 20, 2015. Tickets to screenings for this programme will be available for individual purchase as well as through the Midnight Madness Pack, which includes all 10 screenings for $185 or $120 for students and seniors. Purchase Festival ticket packages online 24 hours a day at tiff.net/festival, by phone from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. ET daily at 416.599.TIFF or 1.888.599.8433, or visit the Gupta Box Office at TIFF Bell Lightbox in person from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. ET daily at TIFF Bell Lightbox, Reitman Square, 350 King Street West, until August 26 while quantities last.

Midnight Madness 2014 Playlist!

MM Interviewer Rob Mitchell has put together a playlist of all his interviews, the introductions and post-screening question and answer business for all the films that played Midnight Madness this year. Twenty-two videos and just under five hours of content!

Midnight Madness Grolsch People's Choice Award Winner!

What We Do In The Shadows is the winner of this year's Midnight Madness Grolsch People's Choice Award!

Congratulations to writers/directors Taika Waititi & Jemaine Clement and the cast and crew from all of us at Midnight Madness! (Stu! Stu! Stu!)

Congratulations as well to the directors, producers, writers, cast and crews of first runner-up Tusk and second runner up, Big Game!

Jemaine Clement accepts the award and denounces vampire hunters from the podium.

(Of course, it should've won the Grolsch People's Choice Documentary Award, too. A travesty! Totally robbed).  If you missed the film you have one more chance to see it at TIFF!

WHAT WE DO IN THE SHADOWS Final Screening:
Sun., Sept. 14th, 3:45 PM, SCOTIABANK 3

WHAT WE DO IN THE SHADOWS: More Fan Art!

Today it's What We Do In The Shadows at @mmadnesstiff! Here's my idea of a happy Petyr. @DeliciousNecks #TIFF14 pic.twitter.com/YxesSqoye3
— Leigh Young (@LeighYoungArt) September 12, 2014

Thanks again, Leigh, for the amazing art! 


WHAT WE DO IN THE SHADOWS screening times:
Friday, Sept 12th 11:59 PM, RYERSON
Saturday, Sept 15th 9:30 PM, SCOTIABANK 12
Sunday, Sept 14th 3:45 PM, SCOTIABANK 3

WHAT WE DO IN THE SHADOWS: 5 Tips For Living With Your Vampire Roomies

Ah, what a happy, healthy vampire household. This, too, can be yours!

So maybe you've found yourself recently undead and more or less vampiric (definitely more) and rooming with other vampires. Yeah, you could live alone but that's lonely and sad and sharing your space with a group of fellow vampires can be a very rewarding experience. But living with other vampires is no easy task. Some days you may find yourself hiding in your coffin just to escape the madness. You're stuck with these guys for all eternity now so you need to learn how to make the most of it. Um, yeah, we guess you could move. But, packing. Ugh. Who wants to pack, right? Right. We've got five basic tips for making the most of your vampire roomie situation.

Make sure all of your roomies are taking turns with chore duties.
And a good pair of gloves will keep your skin soft!

1. Take care of your house. 

If you've been kicking around for hundreds of years, you've probably accumulated a lot of things. We're not saying get rid of your knick-knicks. We love knick-knacks! And your collection of socks from victims of the Black Plague is a great conversation starter anyway. But if you don't keep up your house, they'll be nobody coming over to see your collection anyway. Nobody likes a messy, unkept home, not even vampires. There are a lot of ways you can keep a beautiful home: maybe a cleaning schedule with your roomies will work or you'll enlist the help of your familiars. Either way, make sure to dust regularly because you'd be surprised how hard getting hundreds of years worth of grim off of furniture can be. Being aware of the integrity of your home is of upmost importance as well. Imagine if one of your black-out curtains fell down from a faulty curtain rod and let sunlight into your room while you were sleeping? We shudder at the thought.

We can't recommend investing in a vacuum more. It'll make cleaning up a breeze.

2. Respect each other. 

That human Aretha Franklin had the right idea with her song "Respect" (dang, what a great tune). Every vampire is different and you need to respect your roomies' life choices. We all come from different vampiric backgrounds. You may be living with vampires from the 1300s or 1700s or even just last week. With all of these different backgrounds, though, come different personalities, customs, even sleeping habits. You may be a classic coffin-sleeper but your roomie may prefer to sleep hanging upside down in a closet. Sure, it may be strange to you but don't try to impose your own vampiric beliefs on your roomies—it'll just end badly. And trust us, your customs may seem totally normal but we guarantee you they're wigging your roomies out.

Everyone loves a good vampire joke. Oooo, floating spoon! 

3. Make time to do activities together. 

As important as it is to respect each other's customs, it's also a good idea to plan some activities to do together so you can get to know each other. How awkward would it be to live hundreds of years with the same vamps and not even learn their favourite pastime, right? Maybe you'll start a book club or all take up knitting or go club hopping together—the world is your brimming glass of blood! (Humans would normally say "oyster" but that, like all food, is disgusting.) Whatever you do will be a great way to bond with your roomies. We personally recommend setting aside a night to get out of the house. It's a good excuse to put on your favourite ruffly blouse and track down some fresh food. Or dance at clubs. Either or.

Getting out and partying can be a great way to get rid of hundreds of years of tension.

4. Clean up after yourself. 

This one should be obvious but, please, clean up after your meals. Do you know how much harder it is to get blood out of hardwood flooring when it's been sitting for days? And it will start to attract flies and once that happens it's all downhill. Listen, we all know how easy it is to loose yourself in a delicious meal. That neck, that blood, mmm. But be mindful that you share your space with other vamps and having a bloodstained, infested home is just gross. You could try putting down newspaper or tarp before going in for the kill or creating a "blood room" with easy-to-clean tile walls and flooring and equipment to hang your meals and drain them of their blood for later consumption. This is a also great option for a fancy party as you can store the blood in jugs and serve it in that lovely stemware you acquired during Queen Elizabeth I's reign.

That rug is vintage. Don't you dare get blood on it!

5. Get the internet.

Or, you know, a hobby. Eternal life is long and having nothing to do will make it even longer. You so don't want to be that whiny, sad vamp that wanders around the house doing nothing either. Womp, womp. Nobody likes a sad-sack vampire. And we don't judge: if your idea of a great way to pass the time is reading Dan Brown novels, go for it. As long as you're happy.

Get your own vamp fix and learn even more tips about living with vampire roomies at this Festival's screenings of What We Do in the Shadows. We recommend taking notes. Or just seeing it all three times.

What We Do in the Shadows is screening at the 2014 Toronto International Film Festival as part of the Midnight Madness Programme. Check out more Midnight Madness films on the official Festival website!

WHAT WE DO IN THE SHADOWS screening times:

Friday, Sept 12th 11:59 PM, RYERSON
Saturday, Sept 15th 9:30 PM, SCOTIABANK 12
Sunday, Sept 14th 3:45 PM, SCOTIABANK 3

TIFF Newbie: IT FOLLOWS (David Robert Mitchell Wears Converse) & CUB

So this past summer when I was working at the Cannes Film Festival, a few friends of mine and I participated in the Producer's Workshop series. On day three, the speaker made an interesting observation about American filmmakers that doesn't seem to have anything to do with film, but I found to be really hilarious and more common than you'd think: American filmmakers wear Converse "Chuck Taylor's."

When he said this, I looked down at my feet. I was wearing black high tops, as were the three other American filmmakers to the left of me. The British man on my right just looked at us, shook his head and laughed—the speaker was absolutely right. (This story is relevant, I promise!)

So the other afternoon, Colin and Kat hosted the Midnight Madness cocktail party, with other bloggers, filmmakers and friends. My friend/partner in crime Taylor and I were telling fellow blogger Brad Brisco about this observation, when I noticed a man standing next to us at the bar wearing Converse. Naturally, I approached him to see if he'd settle our bet on whether he was American or not.

Sure enough, he was not only American but the incredibly talented writer/director of It Follows, which has crept onto the "Top 10" list of every person that I know that's seen it. He was with his producing parter Jen, this incredible woman from NYC who let me quickly pick her brain about the east vs. west coast argument. They were both so down to earth, intelligent and friendly, it was incredible and a highlight of my festival so far. I told them that I was writing for this blog and David said that this story should be my next post, so here we go!

So I have to leave the festival early to go back to school, which meant that I had to catch some of the MM films at their Press and Industry screening. Now, this was fine except that it prevented me from feeling comfortable enough to try to hold hands with the random man sitting next to me during Cub. And holding hands, not in a romantic way, but rather in a terrified, heart beating so fast, anxious, thrilling-- kind of way. Cub was the first industry screening that I've been to at this whole festival that completely sold out the theatre and had a waiting list. No one walked out, it was amazing, but I am not surprised at all. There's something so terrifying and lovely about featuring children/adolescents in horror films that I have always really appreciated (Let the Right One In, The Exorcist, Carrie, etc).
Since I had to leave, I gave my MM ticket to Cub to my friend Taylor, who also must've loved it because I woke up this morning to a text of a picture of him wearing a Kai mask!


Here's my final list of TIFF films that I saw over the past 7 days:
Miss Julie
Wild
The Riot Club
Cake
Cart
Cub
Partners in Crime
Love and Mercy
The Editor
Top Five
While We're Young
The Guest
Golden Era
Tu Dors Nicole
Sand Dollar
Tokyo Fiancé
Tusk
Second Coming
Nightcrawler
Welcome to Me
The Intruder
Spring
A Pigeon Sat on a Branch Reflecting on Existence
Preggoland
Iraqi Odyssey
It Follows
Laggies
Kabukicho Love Hotel
The Lesson

Video: IT FOLLOWS Red Carpet Interview With Maika Monroe

It Follows had it's North American premiere at Midnight Madness. The film the second from writer and director David Robert Mitchell (yes, as Robert A. Mitchell, that is weird to type). The film was well received by the midnight crowd. I was able to speak to the the lead actress Maika Monroe who did an amazing job of acting in this film. Unfortunately there are no more screenings of this film if you consider yourself a horror film aficionado you must track down this very unique and visionary take on the genre.

Vine: All the Midnight Madness Tickets!

Midnight Maniac Leigh Young has made vine of all the tickets proving once again that the Midnight Madness audience is the best. You rock, Leigh!

TUSK Vines: Put The Mask On!

Midnight Maniac Leigh Young puts on the walrus mask at the premiere of Tusk. And Young recorded the line-up at Tusk, too!



And you still have one more chance to see Tusk for yourself!

TUSK Final Screening:
Fri., Sept. 12th, 3:45 PM, SCOTIABANK 1

Vine Recording the Journey to See ELECTRIC BOOGALOO!

Midnight Maniac Leigh Young has made a vine encapsulating the journey to see Electric Boogaloo: The Wild, Untold Story of Cannon Films tonight.

ELECTRIC BOOGALOO screening times:
Mon., Sept. 8th, 11:59 PM, RYERSON
Wed., Sept. 10th, 9:00 AM, BLOOR HOT DOCS CINEMA
Sun., Sept. 14th, 12:45 PM, SCOTIABANK 11

Happy Birthday, Dario Argento!

Today is the 74th birthday of Midnight Madness Alumnus, Dario Argento. Happy Birthday, Maestro!

Argento's films that have played Midnight Madness include:

The Mother of Tears (2007)



The Stendhal Syndrome (1996)



Trauma (1993)


Two Evil Eyes (1990) (with George Romero)


Opera (1989)


So in honor of the Maestro's birthday, enjoy some quality horror and giallo.

And you are invited to an evening of giallo comedy at the Ryerson on Thursday with the premiere of... The Editor! 

THE EDITOR screening times:

Thu., Sept. 11th, 11:59 PM, RYERSON 

Fri., Sept. 12th, 9:15 AM, SCOTIABANK 3
Sat., Sept. 13th, 6:15 PM, SCOTIABANK 4

TUSK: "I don't want to die in Canada"

A little clip from Tusk via MM Social Networking Maniac Jonny Bunning.

 TUSK Screening Times:
Sat., Sept. 6th 11:59 PM, RYERSON
Sun., Sept. 7th, 9:45 PM, BLOOR HOT DOCS CINEMA
Fri., Sept. 12th, 3:45 PM, SCOTIABANK 1

ELECTRIC BOOGALOO: An Ode to Lucinda Dickey

Goddess, yes. Also possessed by the angry spirit of a ninja this one time. No bigs. 

Lucinda Dickey is a goddess among mere mortals. She stars in three Cannon films: Breakin', Breakin' 2: Electric Boogaloo, and Ninja III: The Domination. She dances, she kicks ass, she can climb a telephone pole, and she doesn't take crap from anyone. In honour of Electric Boogaloo: The Wild, Untold Story of Cannon Films we present to you, o lucky readers of the Midnight Madness blog, an Ode To Lucinda Dickey! *trumpet sounds* 

"My street name is Special K. What's yours? Thought so."

We first meet Lucinda Dickey as Kelly in Breakin'. This movie is all sorts of bad ass because there's dancing, popping, locking, Ice-T rapping (seriously), even more dancing, the flyest clothes you'll ever lay eyes on, and Christopher MacDonald conducting business. DID WE MENTION THE DANCING?! The low-down: Kelly isn't satisfied with her boring ol' jazz dance class. She meets Turbo and Ozone, discovers her own street name (Special K) and her love of popping and locking. With her new dance crew, nothing can stop them! Not the evil dance crew, Electro Rock, not her old dance instructor, not even those square judges.

Who Lucinda Dickey doesn't take crap from in Breakin': her gross dance instructor, appropriately named Franco, when he gets handsy with her, Ozone and Turbo when they think she might be too square, her agent James for not immediately falling in love with street dancing, that dastardly evil street dancing team, Electro Rock, and those pansy-ass judges for not believing in the gospel of street dancing. WE ARE NOT WORTHY, LUCINDA DICKEY. 

"Hey, it says right here you wish you were as cool as me." 

And because we didn't get enough in Breakin', Special K, Ozone, and Turbo are back in Breakin 2: Electric Boogaloo! We have no idea how much time has past since we last left our intrepid street dancers. A week? Months? Either way, we imagine this is how it went down in that first pre-production meeting:

"We need more dancing in this one. How can we do that?"

"Well, the problem is there's a plot and we can only have so many dance numbers within the plot."

"Eh, but do we need a plot?"

"Um..."

"Get rid of the plot! Less plot! More dancing!"

"Yessir."

"Also, get me some bulldozers! And dancing pregnant ladies!"

"Okay?"

"And make sure Ice-T shouts more in this one!"

"On it!"

And so it was done and Breakin' 2 was born. Amen. Sometimes sequels aren't as good, but this one increases the number of amazing Lucinda Dickey outfits by at least 300%, and also has at least once dance sequence every ten minutes, and introduces a much crazier plot line involving a community centre being shut down by The Evil Man (Oh no!) and the crew must dance to save it (Yeah!). And don't forget the dancing pregnant ladies we mentioned. 

Who Lucinda Dickey doesn't take crap from in Breakin' 2: her stupid chorus dancing gig because blah, the lame-o chicks who try to tell her she doesn't belong with Ozone (say what?!), The Man, the bulldozers that The Man brings to the community centre, her parents for not believing in her, the guy her parents want her to marry but he is such a square (gross, mom!), and every hater who didn't think the crew could raise enough money to save the community centre. Take that, jabrones. WE BOW DOWN TO YOU, LUCINDA DICKEY. 

"Hey, Ozone? Yeah, sorry, I'm being a ninja right now. BBL!"

Lucinda took a break from dancing and started ninja fighting instead. Maybe you're all, "What?!" but it's your skepticism that would've prevented us from the gem known as Ninja III: The Domination. Lucinda plays Christie, a mild mannered telephone maintenance working slash aerobics instructor (we knew she couldn't totally stay away from the spandex) who gets obsessed by the spirit of an angry ninja who takes over her body and goes on a killing spree to avenge his death. Also, she pours a can of V8 on herself at one point which we admit kind of confused us at first but she's Lucinda Dickey and she can do whatever she wants. You know, like sweating it out at the gym followed by a quick murder sesh in the hot tub. Just your typical Wednesday night. 

Who Lucinda Dickey doesn't take crap from in Ninja III: that cop who was hitting on her and being a skeeze but then she changed her mind and made him lick V8 off her chest but it was her decision so that's cool, the ninja-murdering cop that she struck down in the hot tub, the ninja-murdering cop she struck down in his home, all the rest of those ninja-murdering cops, that tree she climbed like it was nobody's business, the Black Ninja for putting his spirit inside of her because nobody puts their ninja spirit inside of Lucinda Dickey without asking permission, and mystic James Hong for trying to take the spirit out of her because nobody takes a spirit out of Lucinda Dickey unless she's good and ready. YOU ARE THE LIGHT OF OUR LIVES, LUCINDA DICKEY. 

Uh, the best way to get your daily intake of vegetables might be to ingest it. 

If you love Lucinda Dickey as much as we do, you've probably already marked your calendar for the midnight screening of Electric Boogaloo. If not, what are you waiting for?! Do it for Special K, Ozone, and Turbo. Do it for dancing. Do it for that can of V8. But most importantly, do it for yourself.

Electric Boogaloo: The Wild, Untold Story of Cannon Films is screening at the 2014 Toronto International Film Festival as part of the Midnight Madness Programme. Check out more Midnight Madness films on the official Festival Website.

ELECTRIC BOOGALOO screening times:

Monday, Sept 8th 11:59 PM, RYERSON
Wednesday, Sept 10th 9:00 AM, THE BLOOR HOT DOCS CINEMA
Sunday, Sept 14th 12:45 PM, SCOTIABANK 14

BIG GAME: The Illegitamate Child of Amblin?

Premiering tonight, Big Game apparently plays like a film made by Steven Spielberg's Amblin Entertainment, so I thought it'd be fun to take a poll of what everyone's favourite Amblin films are so that we can get in the mood..

 The diversity of Amblin's filmography is incredible considering you can usually still tell that Amblin's behind it. From Gremlins, Jaws, Small Soldiers, The Goonies, and the Back to the Future films, Amblin is perhaps the king of films for kids that have a bit of an adult edge to them.

So if you have time between now and seeing Big Game, take a break from TIFF to watch an old Amblin film. If you don't, at least leave a comment below with your top 3-5 Amblin films.

BIG GAME screening times:
Fri., Sept. 5th, 11:59 PM, RYERSON
Sat., Sept. 6th, 9:00 PM, SCOTIABANK 12
Sat., Sept. 13th, 2:30 PM, SCOTIABANK 12

TOKYO TRIBE Premieres Tonight!!

Sion Sono, the director of Why Don't You Play In Hell, Love Exposure and Suicide Circle is baaaaack, and it looks like he's bringing perhaps his most audacious film to date to open this year's Midnight Madness!

Its short description is that it's a 'yakuza-street gang-hip hop-musical epic', so if you already have plans tonight (that includes 'going to bed early'), you should probably cancel them and order your tickets now.

TOKYO TRIBE screening times:
Thu., Sept. 4th, 11:59 PM, RYERSON
Fri., Sept. 5th, 10:00 PM, SCOTIABANK 8
Sun., Sept. 14th, 3:30 PM, LIGHTBOX 3