Red Nights: Red Carpet Interviews

Wednesday night proved to be a nice affair when the beautiful and talented Ms. Carrie Ng arrived at the premiere of her film, Red Nights. Along with her came the directors Julien Carbon and Laurent Courtiaud.

Red Nights still screens:
Sunday, Sept. 19th at 5:45pm at the Scotiabank Theatre #11

@thesubstream ♥'s Midnight Madness Episode #7 - RED NIGHTS

"I don't care how kinky you are, there's probably stuff in this film that you either haven't seen or haven't tried."- Colin Geddes

Full coverage and reviews at www.thesubstream.com

RED NIGHTS: A Decadent Exploration of Pleasure & Pain

Red Nights is a special and unusual film. It’s beautifully shot, with an amazingly hypnotic soundtrack and compelling performances by its sexy femme fatale leading ladies.

However, it's a difficult film to peg down, making it the wild card of this year’s Midnight Madness line up.

When seeing the trailer, I wasn’t sure what I was in for, because there was nothing I had seen before that I could relate it to: vivid neon cityscapes, an air tight PVC body encasement, a glamourous woman plucking a bullet out of her shoulder with jade claws, striking images set to surreal music.

But how does it all come together?

It’s a ride movie. But unlike any ride movie. When you think about blockbuster films, you compare them to roller coasters. Insidious you could compare to a terrifying haunted house attraction.

Red Nights is something very different. It’s not a roller-coaster, it’s more like a pedal boat; floating through dark forbidden tunnels. Sometimes the water is still, other times, not. It feels like progressing through a guided dream, leading you down the lost hallways of the characters' repressed subconscious.

It never feels contrived or too precious with its symbolism. This is a film of complimentary contrasts: romantic yet perverse, sublime but harrowing, gorgeous and repulsive. It all melts together like the over-flowing fudge sundae you’re too modest to order. You know you want it, though!

Some would complain the narrative is a bit undefined, and it's tough to decide who the protagonist is until the very end. But that never bothered me -- because this film consistently chooses against expectation, making it highly enjoyable to those jaded by more conventional thrillers. If you dig, deeper meanings are there. Nothing happens by chance.

Now tie this together with one of the most surreal and maddening soundtracks in years, and you have a lush ride that invites you to dream with it.

When it all ended, I wanted to have that dream again.

Red Nights screening times:

Friday, Sept. 17. 2:15pm Scotiabank Theatre 2
Sunday, Sept. 19. 5:45 Scotiabank Theatre 11

You can purchase tickets from the official TIFF website.

Exploring Toronto’s Kinky Side Before RED NIGHTS!

If you plan on seeing tonight’s presentation of the dark, kinky thriller Red Nights, you may find yourself a little hot and bothered by Carrie Ng’s sensuous performance. When someone makes carving a dude up with jade fingernails look as good as Ng does, you can be forgiven for having a little action in the bikini area. To that end, here are a few of Toronto’s hottest spots for getting your kinky side out.

Black Eagle

The Black Eagle is the venue of choice for gay men in the leather community. It’s located right in the heart of the gay district (the Yonge/Wellesley area) and features decor that wouldn’t feel inappropriate for Jigsaw’s basement in Saw. There’s dungeon equipment, fetish-themed artwork, and a large patio for that post-panking smoke.

Goodhandy's

Goodhandy’s describes itself as ‘Toronto’s pansexual playground’. Hosting a wide variety of events for gay, straight, and mixed crowds, it can be safely said that if you have a kink that can’t be satisfied here, well, perhaps you should consider therapy. Goodhandy’s hosts transgirl parties and boy parties each week and hosts the Northbound Leather Fetish party each Saturday which may be one of Toronto’s largest weekly events of this size. All genders and orientations are welcome to dive into the smut.

Subspace

Every fourth Saturday, Subspace throws their monthly fetish party in the heart of Kensington Market. Mandatory fetish attire means that your gimp mask and ball gag wouldn’t be out of place, and there’s a large dance floor and play area. Subspace’s marquee event happens on Halloween night, but there’s large events each year on a weekend in May that’s hosted in conjuction with London’s Torture Garden (the be-all and end-all for fetish parties). There’s also a dungeon space that’s available to rent for your next birthday party, anniversary, or office retreat.

Fetish Masquerade

Fetish Masquerade is a monthly event held usually on a Friday or Saturday and located on Queen West. It’s not always quite as large as the others mentioned, but like Subspace, fetish attire is mandatory and there are play areas throughout the club as well as a dancefloor.

Red Nights screening times:

Wednesday, Sept. 15. 11:59pm Ryerson
Friday, Sept. 17. 2:15pm Scotiabank Theatre 2
Sunday, Sept. 19. 5:45 Scotiabank Theatre 11

You can purchase tickets from the official TIFF website.

Red Nights Premieres Tonight!

Most of you probably know the directors of Red Nights (Julien Carbon & Laurent Courtiaud) from their screenwriting work. They wrote frequent TIFF fav and Midnight Madness Alum Johnnie To's Running Out of Time and a host of other off the hook HK action flicks. So it's pretty clear this dynamic duo can write; tonight we find out how well they can direct!

Red Nights screening times:
Wednesday, Sept. 15. 11:59pm Ryerson
Friday, Sept. 17. 2:15pm Scotiabank Theatre 2
Sunday, Sept. 19. 5:45 Scotiabank Theatre 11

You can purchase tickets from the official TIFF website.

The music of RED NIGHTS!

Red Nights is looking to be one of the sexiest movies ever to grace the screen at Midnight Madness. Adding to that atmosphere is a sinister, sultry soundtrack by Seppuku Paradigm, who are best-known for doing the soundtracks to not one, but two previous Midnight Madness selections - Pascal Laugier's 2008 shocker Martyrs and the 2007 sci-fi horror film Eden Log.

If you want to find out what it's like to be seduced by Carrie Ng...well, you're probably out of luck, but take a listen to the soundtrack anyhow. The music is thick, layered, and sexy as hell with twinges of film noir throughout. Just perfect for eviscerating someone with your jade fingernails!

Turn your speakers up and get your freak on, freaks!

Red Nights screening times:
Wednesday, Sept. 15. 11:59pm Ryerson
Friday, Sept. 17. 2:15pm Scotiabank Theatre 2
Sunday, Sept. 19. 5:45 Scotiabank Theatre 11

You can purchase tickets from the official TIFF website.

poster for RED NIGHTS

How... hot... is... this...


Red Nights screening times:
Wednesday, Sept. 15. 11:59pm Ryerson
Friday, Sept. 17. 2:15pm Scotiabank Theatre 2
Sunday, Sept. 19. 5:45 Scotiabank Theatre 11

You can purchase tickets from the official TIFF website.

Red Lips and Cold Blood

Red Nights might be Carrie Ng Ka-Lai's first giallo, but it isn't her first foray into sexy thrillers, let alone murderous ones with plenty of kink.

For over a decade, she appeared in Hong Kong's category III films and while she wasn't always the lead, she made every one she was in with stylish, menacing sangfroid and red, red lipstick.

Carrie Ng started her career in television for Hong Kong's TVB studios, playing the other woman. But she broke type with her first film role in Ringo Lam's City on Fire, playing the girlfriend to Chow Yun-Fat's undercover policeman. And she's starred in a wide variety of films—from kung fu comedy with a very young Donnie Yen and romances to high quality women in prison films, and a remarkable number of films with “angel," "naked" or “killer” in the English title. Those can be traced to one of the two films she's probably best known for in Midnight Madness circles: Naked Killer, a Midnight Madness pick back in 1994, and Sex and Zen. Both are category III films, a designation that Hong Kong Television and Entertainment Licensing Authority uses for films with extreme violence, graphic sex or some combination thereof and that prohibit the admission of anyone under 18.

In Naked Killer, Ng plays lesbian assassin, Princess, who is part of a fashion forward hit team targeting rapists and takes a shine to Chingmy Yau's Kitty. The film features frequent category III star and Midnight Madness favorite Simon Yam Tat-Wah as a cop who's a rival for Kitty's affections. Carrie Ng plays Lady Ku in Sex and Zen, a graphically sexual wuxia comedy. Or maybe comedic erotica in a wuxia setting. Regardless of what else Sex and Zen might be, it's lovely and funny and has the best porn plot, production values and setting ever.

Carrie Ng also starred in, Remains of a Woman, the first category III film to receive Taiwan's Golden Horse Award. It won Best Actress for her performance. (And might well have opened the way for another MM favorite, Anthony Wong Chau-Sang to win a Hong Kong Film Award for his performance in the category III film, The Untold Story). Ng has been nominated for the Hong Kong Film Awards seven times, including once for Remains of a Woman, and won Best Supporting Actress for The Kid in 2000.

Red Nights marks Carrie Ng's return to film after 8 years. It'll be something to see.

Red Nights screening times:
Wednesday, Sept. 15. 11:59pm Ryerson
Friday, Sept. 17. 2:15pm Scotiabank Theatre 2
Sunday, Sept. 19. 5:45 Scotiabank Theatre 11

You can purchase tickets from the official TIFF website.