TUSK Director Kevin Smith Talks Midnight Madness on the SModcast!

The latest episode (episode 307) of Kevin Smith's SModcast, the very venue in which the idea for TUSK was hatched and formed, features some audio from Kevin's Q&A after the Midnight Madness screening of his walrus transformation horror and a little rundown of the evening.  Check out the link to the page here, or if my understanding of embedding stuffs hasn't failed me, you should be able to listen to it directly from this very post!

Thanks to my pal J. for the tip!

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

Pics from the WORLD PREMIERE of Kevin Smith's TUSK!

I bandy about the terms 'bizarre', 'surreal', and 'downright brain-breaking' a lot on this blog, especially now that Sion Sono's work is popping up more often at Midnight Madness, but those words start to lose all meaning when describing Kevin Smith's TUSK. Instead, I'll let Ian Goring's pictures from last night's world premiere of the first-ever walrus-themed horror film to speak for themselves.

I have to say, this was one of the most hilarious and kind of frightening TIFF lines I've ever been a part of.

Justin Long looking sharp...for now.

The lovely Genesis Rodriguez poses for some shots before TUSK!

"I see dapper people!" Haley Joel Osment struts the red carpet before TUSK!

I think we can all agree that Cop Out would've been awesome with this dashing duo.

Kevin Smith does his best "I'm a director" pose.

Kevin Smith does his best "I've just been unwittingly turned into a walrus by Michael Parks" pose.

Even the press was unable to resist getting TUSK'ed!

"URK URK URK!" said the Ryerson audience, clearly delighted by TUSK.

Kevin Smith and Colin Geddes discuss following one's dreams, even if they lead to making a movie about a mutant walrus (especially so!)

Kevin and the cast take questions from the audience.

Do you ever wonder what the Ryerson theatre staff thinks when they find the room littered with beach balls, blow-up dolls, and walrus masks after a screening?

If you can identify this Midnight Madness blogger, we'll...uh, be impressed?

TUSKnanigans abound!

If you missed TUSK, you have one more chance to see it here at TIFF.  URK URK URK!

TUSK screening times:
Fri., Sept. 12th, 3:45 PM, SCOTIABANK 1

Video: TUSK World Premiere Introduction with Kevin Smith & Colin Geddes

Here is the Tusk World Premiere introduction with Kevin Smith and Midnight Madness programmer Colin Geddes.



TUSK screening times:
Sun., Sept. 7th, 9:45 PM, BLOOR HOT DOCS CINEMA
Fri., Sept. 12th, 3:45 PM, SCOTIABANK 1

Diary of a TIFF Newbie Day 3 Recap: TUSK

Midnight Madness friends and fans:

Yesterday was day three of the festival and probably my most glamorous day to date. From drinking champagne at the Hollywood Reporter's party for The Theory of Everything, to attending the Tusk premier party with some friends, I was definitely "living large," if you will.

All of that aside, I couldn't wait to wake up this morning and write this post because... last night, I went to the premier of Kevin Smith's new horror-comedy Tusk, and it was without a doubt, the most Kevin Smith experience I could've ever asked for. He showed up for the intro wearing a hockey jersey, jean shorts with a hole in the crotch, and started talking to everyone about his leg fat. Oh and took a photo with the entire audience wearing walrus masks. 

I arrived at the screening early to help out with the walrus mask stunt. The idea was that everyone in the theatre would be wearing these totally creepy and amazing walrus masks and Kevin Smith would take a selfie of him with a sea of walruses during the intro. So as I was handing out masks to the ticket holders in line, helping people build them, etc. I found myself chatting with some incredibly passionate film fans. 

Kevin Smith fans are like no other fans. The first few groups of people were so excited about this film that they had hockey jerseys, hats, etc. made and were standing there attempting to recreate scenes from Clerks. It was awesome. 

I don't think there is any way I can even begin to describe Tusk. It's unlike any other film I have seen before and a must see for fans of Kevin Smith's work, especially the podcast that this film is based on! 

FILMS I'VE SEEN AT TIFF TO DATE:
The Lesson
Kabukicho Love Hotel
Laggies
It Follows
Tokyo Tribe
Iraqi Odyssey
Preggoland
A Pigeon Sat on a Bench Reflecting on Existence
Frailer
Spring
Big Game
Welcome to Me
Nightcrawler

Second Coming
Tusk

Video: TUSK Justin Long Genesis Rodriguez Haley Joel Osment World Premiere Interviews

Tusk the new film from Kevin Smith had it's world premiere last night at midnight madness at the Toronto International Film Festival. Robert A. Mitchell talked to Justin Long, Genesis Rodriguez and Haley Joel Osment about the weirdness that is Tusk, working with Kevin Smith and exactly how one prepares to become full walrus.



TUSK screening times:
Sun., Sept. 7th, 9:45 PM, BLOOR HOT DOCS CINEMA
Fri., Sept. 12th, 3:45 PM, SCOTIABANK 1

Video: TUSK Kevin Smith World Premiere Interview

Tusk world premiered at midnight madness last night. Amidst the craziness Kevin Smith stopped and talked to Robert A. Mitchell for a couple of minutes.




TUSK screening times:
Sun., Sept. 7th, 9:45 PM, BLOOR HOT DOCS CINEMA
Fri., Sept. 12th, 3:45 PM, SCOTIABANK 1

Social Media Buzz for Kevin Smith's TUSK!

It's only fitting that the indescribably weird TUSK, a movie that largely came about due to director Kevin Smith's #WalrusYes campaign on Twitter, would be so hotly discussed on social media following its premiere last night at Midnight Madness. Jonny Bunning has compiled some of the best comments about the walrus horror movie love letter to our fine country of Canada!

If you missed the screening (and your chance to get one of these sweet walrus masks) last night and still want to catch TUSK, check out one of the alternate screenings.  And please keep tweeting your thoughts about Midnight Madness!

TUSK screening times:
Sun., Sept. 7th, 9:45 PM, BLOOR HOT DOCS CINEMA
Fri., Sept. 12th, 3:45 PM, SCOTIABANK 1

TIFF Flashback: Kevin Smith Premieres DOGMA at TIFF in 1999

Back in 1999, I was a Kevin Smith fan boy. Not a big enough one to have wisely secured myself a ticket to the North American Premiere of Dogma at TIFF, but a big enough one to have stood in the rush line a good 4-5 hours before, in hopes of getting in.

Dogma had not only the draw of Smith's fanbase, but also big time star power in Ben Affleck, Matt Damon, Allan Rickman, Chris Rock, Emma Thompson, Salma Hayek and on and on and on. I didn't know who was going to be at the screening... and I never actually found out, because 4 hours early wasn't early enough to secure myself a ticket.

Not getting into the screening wasn't the biggest disappointment of that day, I later found out. You see, when I was waiting in line, an old classmate of mine who I hadn't seen in ages came up to me and said he had extra tickets for John Paizs's Top of the Food Chain if I wanted them, and that it was going to be amazing. At the time, I didn't know who John Paizs was, so turned down his offer foolishly.

What does this have to do with anything, right? Well, a new restoration of Paizs' debut film, Crime Wave is screening at TIFF this year (on Friday, September 12th! FOR FREE!) as part of their Cinematheque program. So it's an odd sort of full circle back to that day in 1999 for me.

So there are 2 things to take away from this post.
A) Go see Crime Wave! You'll love it! and
B) If you're planning to see Tusk, you might want to get down to the Ryerson's rush line ASAP.

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

TUSK Premieres Tonight!

Tusk the latest film from Kevin Smith and one of the most anticipated films of midnight madness 2014 is world premiering tonight! The Ryerson theater is going to be rocking! As someone who has seen Mr. Smith speak in person several times he is extremely, extremely funny. You won't want to miss this screening. Tickets for this screening are in high demand. Check out fellow blogger Sanjay's post on different ways to try and see an off-sale screening here.



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

DIRECTOR PROFILE: That Raconteur Kevin Smith Returns With Tusk

To anyone who has been following Kevin Smith's career his latest film Tusk is quite a surprise. However, taking a look back over his twenty years of making films perhaps it is not that far out of left field. For a man who began his on screen persona playing a character named "Silent Bob"--Mr. Smith the filmmaker, the artist, the man has rarely been silent. He is often outspoken, brutally honest and has an amazing sense of humor. It was twenty years ago that this new voice emerged in American independent cinema--from the most unlikeliest of places, Red Bank New Jersey. That film was Clerks. It launched a series of films set in the view askewniverse, Mallrats, Chasing Amy, Dogma to name a few. Clerks was self-financed , shot on 16mm black and white and made for 27 575 dollars. Kevin Smith raised the money by selling a portion of his extensive comic book collection and maxing out several credit cards. Truly independent cinema. The film was picked up and released by Miramax. It reads like a modern day film making fairytale.


Looking back over his filmography, Smith made efforts to branch out from what was expected. Jersey Girl, Zack and Miri Make a Porno and the a film he has often talked about in his sold out spoken word appearances the large budget studio film Cop Out. These films did not meet box office expectations. I believe his film Red State was as much a reaction to Kevin Smith's experiences making a large budget studio film as it was a reaction to the state of the country.

With the gift of hindsight it seems Red State was the beginning of a new phase of Kevin's career directing motion pictures. At the premiere of Red State in 2011 he told the audience he had two more flicks he was going to make, Hit Somebody, his long anticipated film about hockey and one more film. Somewhere since February 2011 Kevin widely diverged from this original plan. Here is the now infamous 2011 Sundance speech at the premiere of Red State. Here is a quote from the speech, "It's not enough to make the movie, we have to learn how to release the movie."

While clutching a hockey stick from hockey legend Wayne Gretzky, Kevin seemed to be looking ahead to the future of film distribution while also returning to his independent film making roots.


I was mentioning something about surprises. The next film was not Hit Somebody the long awaited movie about one of Kevin Smith's driving passions, hockey. Instead it was the film about to have its world premiere at midnight madness is Tusk. A film that was born from a Smodcast conversation with long time friend and producer Scott Mosier. The episode was entitled The Carpenter and The Walrus. Smith turned to his legion of followers on twitter and asked them to use the hashtag #WalrusYes if they wanted to see him take this story and turn it a full length movie. Suffice to say it was indeed a yes and the film was made. Here is a clip from Smodcast 259 where the idea for the film Tusk was born.



Even more surprising Kevin is currently in the midst of shooting his next picture Yoga Hosers. Starring Johnny Depp and both Mr. Depp and Mr. Smith's daughters in the lead roles. The second film of what is being called his "Canada Trilogy" This is what Kevin Smith had to say about this film" “People always ask me 'Are you ever going to make a comic book movie?' This is it — but instead of yet another dude saving the day, our antiheroes are the most feared and formidable creatures man has ever encountered: two 15-year-old girls.”

The third film Moose Jaws is being described as Jaws with a moose. It looked as though Kevin Smith was just about done with directing movies, but with Tusk world premiering at midnight madness and Yoga Hosers in the middle of production it looks like he is returning to the film medium with a vengeance. It will be interesting to see where Kevin Smith's unique cinematic voice will go from here.

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