WHAT WE DO IN THE SHADOWS: Sundance Buzz!

The funniest movie of the year: brought to you by these incredibly cool dudes. 

We're not sure if we even need to get you guys more excited about the Canadian Premiere of What We Do in the Shadows but we're gonna do it anyway. If you feel your levels of excitement reaching dangerous levels, have a pudding break. You earned it.

What We Do in the Shadows premiered at Sundance this past January and it's pretty safe to say that everybody loved it. The vampire flick screened to packed houses and the Q&As that followed were almost funnier than the movie.

Drew McWeeny of HitFix described the film as having "brutally silly majesty" (Uh, can we steal that for our Twitter bio?) and went on say:

Of all the horror-comedies I've seen here this year (and it's been a pretty solid crop overall), "What We Do In The Shadows" is easily the funniest, and it's because of how completely they engage with their subject matter. This isn't just a "Scary Movie" style regurgitation of images or scenes from other movies. This is a deep excavation of archetype, and in scene after scene, they find smart, character-driven ways to build extended riffs on both the mundane annoyances of modern life and the various ways we've approached vampires over the years.

Hilarious AND with a high-five to actual vampire lore? We're just glad to hear they won't be sparkly. Phew.

Ryland Aldrich of Twitch Film adds:

...this mockumentary showcases the talent of some of New Zealand's most hilarious comedians and is sure to have you laughing until you bleed.

What?! We love laughing until we bleed! Everybody, we'll just call in sick to work the next day, alright? Good plan, good plan. And, check out this intimate fireside chat where the filmmakers and cast muse about who actually are the vampires (we're looking at you, Hollywood) and explain how one edits a film.

We're hoping you can handle a litttllleeee bit more excitement because to end off this delicious, tasty post, we've put together some of our favourite tweets from during Sundance. Below that you'll find all the screening information so that you can join us and hopefully laugh yourself right to the hospital for internal bleeding. If you're on the ol' Twitter, follow the film's account for even more tasty updates: @DeliciousNecks. 

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

THE GUEST: Sundance Film Festival Buzz

I'M BY UR MANTELPIECE PLOTTING UR DESTRUCTION

For those of us who are big fans of Adam Wingard and Simon Barrett, but were not able to attend Sundance this year (ahem), it was kind of a bummer because their new movie The Guest screened at the festival.

But wait! All is not lost. The Guest will be screening at this year's Toronto International Film Festival's Midnight Madness programme!

What is The Guest about anyway? After Caleb Peterson dies in Afghanistan, his army pal David pays Caleb's family a visit. Sounds tender and heartbreaking, right? WRONG. David is not who he appears to be and things turn creepy with a quickness.

Now why should you care? That's where this blog comes in. Here are some juicy tidbits from the Sundance reviews of The Guest that will leave you hungry for more.

"A concept hatched after an accidental double-feature of The Terminator and Halloween, The Guest is the perfect synthesis of Cameron, Carpenter and Cannon [Films] and one of the most fun films at this year's Sundance Film Festival."
--Indiewire

"Played in a key of macabre black comedy that's deadpan save whenever all hell breaks loose," The Guest is "nasty fun."
--Variety

"Barrett and Wingard haven't lost their ironically humorous touch, as most of the film's uneasy laughs revolve around upending typical thriller expectations."
--The Hollywood Reporter

"Adam Wingard's The Guest feels like a lost [John] Carpenter film from the director's golden age. The picture effortlessly moves between a nerve-wracking mystery to a gleefully dark comedy, and at its best it even mixes the two together."
--Collider

"The Guest is a modern movie, but one that has a sensibility that feels a bit like a return to a lost form. It's tight and smart and often very funny..."
--Badass Digest

"The Guest is genuinely great filmmaking... a crafty crowdpleaser that's still intelligent enough to warrant real consideration about what it's saying about the contemporary culture that gave birth to it, through both style and substance."
--Crave Online

"Equal parts creepy, slow-burn horror and bloody, balls-out actioner, Wingard and Barrett again prove that best kind of genre movie is the one with which you can have the most outright fun."
--Twitch

"This is a ninety-minute thrill-ride that fits right in with the very best genre fare of that era. Big thrills, big laughs, and tons of carnage--The Guest has it all and deserves to be a real crossover hit for both Wingard and [actor Dan] Stevens."
--JoBlo.com

So let's review: John Carpenter, retro yet modern, black comedy, and creepy slow-burn horror. I think I'm in love with The Guest. Don't forget to get tickets to a screening.

THE GUEST screening times:
Sat., Sept. 13th, 11:59 PM, RYERSON
Sun., Sept. 14th, 6:45 PM, SCOTIABANK 3