FINAL GIRLS: Cast Profile

OMG, it's us! They're writing about US!

(Writing this post feels like a physical impossibility because thinking about final girls has me thinking that I really, really should dress up as one of my favourite final girls for Halloween. BUT WHICH ONE?!)

The satirical and cheeky Final Girls is coming to our Madness screens tomorrow for its midnight premiere, and promises to be a fun ride through all of the genre-tropes horror fans and already more than familiar with. 

The entire cast of Final Girls

Malin Akerman

Akerman already has a special place in my heart for being a bad-ass as Silk Spectre II in the extremely divisive Watchmen as well as the superheroily (I'm making new words, take a seat, Shakespeare) awesome Debbie Harry in the film CBGB, but her softer side has had her in several comedic roles, such as Children's Hospital, Wanderlust, as well as reoccurring roles for Funny or Die. 

Taissa Farmiga

The Farmiga sisters have a strong hold the horror-television market, and I think we're all more than okay with this. Taissa is perhaps most recognized for her reoccurring roles on American Horror Story, but many will also recognize her as Sam from The Bling Ring. 

Alia Shawkat 

For anybody who was alive when Arrested Development was on TV, I really don't think that Shawkat even needs an introduction. Alongside playing the beloved Maeby Fünke, Shawkat has bookended the Midnight Madness series this year by playing main characters in the opening movie, Jeremy Saulnier's Green Room, and the closing movie, Final Girls. 

Nina Dobrev

As a huge Conan O'Brien fan, it feels necessary to mention how funny her segment was when she basically did yoga on the red-headed icon, which caused him to run around the studio in glee. Dobrev has an extensive resumé working in film and television, but she is probably best known for her starring role on the The Vampire Diaries. 

Adam Devine 

Alongside his role in hugely popular stoner-buddy series Workaholics, (which if you've ever spoken to anyone under the age of 25, you've probably heard quoted at least a few times), Devine has also starred in movies such as Pitch Perfect, Pitch Perfect 2, and Neighbours. 

Thomas Middleditch 

Middleditch seems to have a knack for workplace stories, having roles on The Office, The Wolf of Wallstreet, and starring on the hilarious HBO series Silicon Valley, where he plays the nervous yet brilliant Richard Hendricks, who just wants to get his app out into the world.

(Halloween costume update: Not a final girl, but now I really want to be Drew Barrymore in Scream.)

FINAL GIRLS screens: 

Sat, Sept 19, 11:59 PM RYERSON

Sun, Sept 20, 5:00 PM SCOTIABANK

FINAL GIRLS: SXSW Buzz

Coming to our Midnight Madness screens in the next few days is Todd Strauss-Schulson's Final Girls, an uproarious horror-comedy featuring Taissa Farmiga, Malin Akerman, Alia Shawkat, Nina Dobrev and Thomas Middleditch.  Final Girls follows Max, her friends and her mother Amanda Cartwright, who was a famous scream-queen in her time, starring in a series called Bloodbath. They reluctantly agree to go to an anniversary screening of her movie. When they mysteriously wake up within the movie, the group must mind established genre tropes in order to stay alive.

Check out some of the buzz from it's premiere at SXSW!

From Perri Nemiroff at Collider: 

"The Final Girls is a dream come true for anyone with a soft spot for slasher movies. Max and her friends Gertie (Alia Shawkat), Vicki (Nina Dobrev), Chris (Alexander Ludwig) and Duncan (Thomas Middleditch) literally tear open the screen, walk through it and wind up in a horror movie. From there, it’s all about playing by some genre rules and subverting others in order to avoid getting hacked up by the film’s machete toting villain, Billy, and it’s tons of fun."

Read the rest of the review here!

From Monica Castillo at International Business Times: 

“Final Girls is a movie treat for longtime horror-genre fans and occasional moviegoers alike. You don’t need to understand every “Sleepaway Camp” reference to laugh throughout the film, as much of the humor is based on genre generalizations. The writing, editing, synth soundtrack and low-budget look capture the era to comedic effect, framing it for modern-day outsiders to have their laugh. Final Girls is a nostalgic love letter the ways we were scared way back when and how we can laugh at it all now."

Read the rest of the review here!

FINAL GIRLS screens:

Sat, Sept 19, 11:59 PM RYERSON

Sun, Sept 20, 5:00 PM SCOTIABANK

BASKIN: More Turkish Horror Movies To Check Out

Last night marked the premiere of Baskin by filmmaker Can Evrenol, a Turkish film which follows a group of rowdy police officers who are called to a scene, but are far from prepared for the black mass orgy of malevolence which is taking place in the building. This movie is woven with biting criticism of cops in their depiction as being very adolescent, and is rife with moments that would make censors in its home country totally lose their heads, because restrictions wrapped so tightly around what can be screened.

Here are some other Turkish genre movies to whet your appetite for Baskin. 

Büyü (2004)

Büyü or Dark Spells follows a group of archeologists discover an old book in a haunted abandoned town, and ignore the advice to steer clear of it. The group is then forced to relive occurrences that happened in the two 700 years prior. 

Küçük kıyamet (2006)

Otherwise known as The Little Apocalypse, this film follows Bilge, who lost her mother during an earthquake years before. When she decides to go to the coast to rent a house for a vacation, she becomes plagued with horrifying visions. 

Musallat (2007) 

Musallat follows a young couple named Suat and Nurcan, after husband Suat moves to try and earn more money for their future, but he becomes plagued with terrifying visions that drive him to the brink of insanity. As the plot rolls forward, it becomes clear that what is haunting Suat isn't any run-of-the-mill anxiety, it is something far more evil.

Magi (2015)

This film follows a journalist named Olivia who travels to Turkey, where she discovers that her sister Maria is pregnant. Although Maria is no longer with the father, she decides to go through with the pregnancy, which is when increasingly terrifying things begins to occur, such as traces of Baskin-esque black masses.


BASKIN screens:
Sun, Sept 13, 4:00 PM SCOTIABANK
Thurs, Sept 17, 6:00 PM SCOTIA BANK

YAKUZA APOCALYPSE: Some Yakuza Gangster Goodness!

With Yakuza Apocalypse coming soon to fill our Midnight Madness screens with guts and glory, the craving for more gangster-goodness is a very real problem for me right now, and it should be for you too, because really, who doesn't like yakuza movies? For everyone else who need a dose of Japanese crime stories, here's some recommended yakuza watches.

Graveyard of Honor (2002) 

Also directed by Yakuza Apocalypse director Takashi Miike, this film is a remake of the 1975 genre classic by Kinji Fukasaku (who is considered to be the godfather of yakuza films). It follows Ishimatsu, a dishwasher who accidentally saves a boss from someone who has been hired to kill him. Afterwards, he sees Ishimatsu as his saviour, and he puts him high in the mob ranks, much to the dismay of the other members. The newfound glory drives Ishimatsu to recklessness and depravity, becoming crueler than he could have ever imagined.

Red Peony Gambler (1968)

My cockles are warmed every time I see a movie with a badass female lead. This eight-part series follows the daughter of a yakuza boss who goes by the name of Oryu. She spends much of her time gambling, but with revenge on her mind, she becomes a swift and dangerous killer, seeking out the men who wronged her father.

Youth of the Beast (1963)

Directed by Seijun Suzuki, this disorienting and colourful staple of 60's Japanese cinema follows an ex-cop who gets involved in the yakuza underworld. He begins to work for the gang that killed his former partner, and the rest of the film delves deep into a psychedelic, dizzying display of seemingly nonsensical imagery.

Rainy Dog (1997) 

Also by Takashi Miike (we just really love him, okay?) and decidedly less bizarre than some of his other work, this film follows an assassin named Yuuji, who has been kicked out of the yakuza and stranded in Taiwan. He takes work from another boss, but when his ex-lover (a prostitute) drops off a son at his doorstep, who begins to follow him around. Yuuji's life grows more and more complicated as he gets involved with the mother of his child.


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

Producer Profile: Snoot Entertainment

Snoot Entertainment is a production company established by Jessica Wu and Keith Calder, and alongside the highly anticipated The Devil's Candy coming to Midnight Madness this September, Snoot has some well-loved genre flicks on its resume. These are just a few of our favourites!

Dude Bro Party Massacre III 
Cited as an example of "machismo feminism," which is a term that still makes me giggle with joy, this film is a love-letter to 80's movies, following a group of frat-brothers who are hunted by the malevolent Motherface.

V/H/S/2 - Segments "Tape 49" and "Phase I Clinical Trials"
Tape 49 is the framed story throughout this second instalment in the anthology series V/H/S, which follows two private investigators who search for a missing boy named Kyle. The next segment "Phase 1 Clinical Trials" follows Herman, who after a car accident underwent experimental ocular trials, but his robotic eye begins to malfunction and he is exposed to a terrifying supernatural world, not visible to human eyes alone.

The Guest 
This Midnight Madness alumni film closed the series last year, following a soldier who appears on the doorstep of the Peterson family and claims that he is a friend of their deceased son. After he arrives, several deaths begin to occur that all link back to him.

You're Next 
Family get-togethers can sometimes be a bit of a hassle - but nothing is quite as stressful as the Davison family gets together and soon after finds themselves under attack of animal-masked
assailants.

All the Boys Love Mandy Lane 
Although it's not a Snoot film per se, Keith Calder produced this film following the sweet-as-sugar orphan named Mandy, who on one night where she follows her newfound friends to a party, is the prize of all the boys who compete among themselves to try and sleep with her. That night, a hooded stranger attacks someone, and it is just one of several depraved attacks on the party-goers.

Anomalisa 
If The Devil's Candy leaves you wanting much more Snoot in your life, be sure to check out the latest from Charlie Kaufman, playing during this festival season at TIFF. This film is a stop-motion style story about a man who is consumed by monotony.


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

ANOMALISA screens:
Tue, Sept 15, 9:30 PM PRINCESS OF WALES
Wed, Sept. 16, 11:00 AM ELGIN/WINTER GARDEN THEATRE VISA SCREENING ROOM
Sat, Sept. 19, 6:15 PM ELGIN/WINTER GARDEN THEATRE VISA SCREENING ROOM

BASKIN profile: Can Evrenol

Premiering tonight at Midnight Madness is Baskin, the debut feature film of provocative writer-director Can Evrenol. Evrenol was born in Istanbul, and is an alumni of the University of Kent, where he studied art history and film. Baskin follows a group of police officers who stumble into a place where a sort of black mass is taking place by a malevolent cult, and are pulled into a violent, inescapable hell.  Although this is the first full-length film in Evrenol's output, his resume is rife with tense and unique pieces (including a short film also called Baskin of which this film is based off of) that can assure every Midnighter will be on the edge of their seats tonight.

Check out some of his shorts and just try to not get excited for tonight, I double-dog dare you:

Sandik/The Chest 

My Grandmother 

Screws

Creepy stuff, right?


BASKIN screens:
Fri, Sept 11, 11:59 PM RYERSON
Sun, Sept 13, 4:00 PM SCOTIABANK
Thurs, Sept 17, 6:00 PM SCOTIABANK

What MM Movies Rue Morgue Editor-in-Chief Dave Alexander Can't Wait For

I got the chance to chat with Dave Alexander, editor-in-chief of the world's leading horror magazine, Rue Morgue, and naturally, had to ask him what Midnight Madness movies he's most looking forward to.

Baskin

If Can Evrenol’s Baskin is as creepy as the short film of the same name that it’s based on, it’ll be the kind of hard horror hellride perfect for midnight audiences in need of a genuine creep out. I love movies in which the protagonists must investigate large buildings that reveal a multitude of horrors – think the original Dawn of the Dead, the remake of The Toolbox Murders or Silent Hill – and the chilling occult angle offered here drives things in a particularly harrowing direction. The official description of Baskin being inspired by Quest for Fire, Apocalypse Now and Hellraiser, but also the paintings of Caravaggio, Bosch, and Giger” seals the deal.

Final Girls 

If you watch a lot of horror movies, like I do, films that cleverly deconstruct the genre tropes we’re so familiar with – and sometimes tired of – are cathartic. When they also deliver all the fun in those formulas, all the better. Todd Strauss-Schulson’s Final Girls promises the same amount of laughs and lacerations found in slasher-savvy titles such as Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon and Cabin in the Woods. That it was co-written by actor-turned-screenwriter Joshua John Miller – of Near Dark, River’s Edge and Halloween III fame – is a bonus for us genre geeks.

The Devil’s Candy

The Loved Ones (2009) is one of my all-time favourite Midnight Madness movies, and six years is too long of a wait for a follow up from Aussie writer/director Sean Byrne. The premise for The Devil’s Candy (a painter in Texas is possessed after moving his family into their dream home) is as simple as the set up for The Loved Ones (a high school boy is kidnapped and tortured by a deranged classmate on prom night) but you can bet Byrne has some nasty surprises in store, as well as some very strong visuals. All that aside, seeing as it comes from the same producers as popular Midnight Madness films The Guest and You’re Next, it’s a no-brainer.

Thank you for your time, Dave! 

BASKIN screens:

Fri, Sept 11, 11:59 PM RYERSON 

Sun, Sept 13, 4:00 PM SCOTIABANK

Thurs, Sept 17, 6:00 PM SCOTIABANK

FINAL GIRLS screens:

Sat, Sept 19, 11:59 PM RYERSON

Sun, Sept 20, 5:00 PM SCOTIABANK

THE DEVIL'S CANDY screens: 

Sun, Sept 13, 11:59 PM RYERSON

Tues, Sept 15, 6:45 PM SCOTIABANK

Sat, Sept 19, 1:15 PM SCOTIABANK

GREEN ROOM: Macon Blair Profile

I hereby demand that Macon Blair and Jeremy Saulnier team up more often.

After the success of the fantastic Blue Ruin, Saulnier seemingly peeked into my diary and read that I really, really like Macon Blair and I really, really, really movies about punk rockers. And voilà, Green Room was born. (Disclaimer: Jeremy Saulnier did not write Green Room because of me. I do not personally know Jeremy Saulnier.)

Green Room follows a punk rock band named The Ain't Rights, as they take on an inadvisable gig at a bar where they're told to "not talk politics," which seems easy enough, but they start their set with the Dead Kennedys song "Nazi Punks Fuck Off," which unsurprisingly isn't a crowd pleaser. Later backstage, the band must fight to escape a horde of murderous neo-Nazis. 

Want more Saulnier/Blair action? As well as the two aforementioned films, childhood friends Blair and Saulnier have worked together on the film Murder Party, which follows an entirely different tone than Green or Blue. It is an uproarious, violent comedy that follows a man who was invited to a random Halloween party where a group of people want to murder him for art. 

                                               I like to imagine that I took this photo. 

Blair has also worked as a producer for several films including Green Room, Blue Ruin, You Hurt My Feelings, and Murder Party, and as if that wasn't enough, has writing credits in The Monkey's Paw and two short films, The Angry Eater and Crabwalk. 

Macon Blair's knack for subtlety in his craft is fantastic, making it easy to fall in love with him for his ability to morph into any character that any writer sends his way.

GREEN ROOM screens:
Thurs, Sept 10, 11:59 PM RYERSON
Sat, Sept 12, 2:15 PM BLOOR HOT DOCS 

Cannes Buzz: YAKUZA APOCALYPSE

Upon hearing about a yakuza movie that featured vampires AND a man in a giant fuzzy frog suit, I think I blacked out for a few seconds because it didn't seem possible that a movie so perfect could exist. But don't just trust my blind excitement, check out what some folks post-Cannes had to say.

From Manuel de Laylet at Quiet Earth 

Where it gets really interesting is that this is only the base canvas upon which many things will pile upon, adding nonsense to absurdity while still maintaining a certain kind of logic. A drunken one, but logic nonetheless.

It really makes one wonder about the brainstorming sessions. I'm leaning on a combination of Dadaist "pick up words at random in the dictionary" and actual heavy drinking. Yet, despite the whole twisted fairy tale emerging quite rapidly in the settings, the whole manages to still be a Yakuza movie with all the tropes of the genre. And the maestria of Miike is to perfectly blend everything into something that's new, interesting and will surprise you.

Read the rest of the review here! 

From Jessica Kiang at Indiewire 

Taking place in that part of your imagination that ruled your storytelling capacity before narrative logic, realism, and cause/effect psychology came along, the film is an insane headrush of the most disposable, nonsensical, whacked-out genre bliss you're likely to have. In fact while several rows of Cannes critics spent a lot of the running time between snorts of laughter stealing sidelong glances at each other in a "don't tell on me, my editor thinks I'm at the Jia Zhang-ke movie" kind of way, it oddly earns its slot on the Croisette just for going for broke on so many levels. It may be a hugely tacky, cartoony balloon pit of a film, but when every single element is dialled up to eleven and you can't go thirty seconds without another three-way face-off between OTT, OMG and WTF, it starts to achieve a maximalist artistry that almost feels avant-garde. At least that's my story and I'm sticking to it.

Read the rest of the review here!

YAKUZA APOCALYPSE screens: 

Fri, Sept 18, 11:59 PM RYERSON
Sat, Sept 19, 3:00 PM SCOTIABANK 2

Cannes Buzz: GREEN ROOM

Do you like movies about punk rock bands?

Of course you do. Everyone does! (Or else, I may have a hard time remaining friends with you, sorry.)

Blue Ruin director Jeremy Saulnier has returned with one of the most shocking and violent films to hit the big-screens this TIFF season, Green Room, starring Anton Yelchin, Macon Blair Patrick Stewart, Imogen Poots and several others. Alongside our own excitement, here's a little post-Cannes buzz for this exciting thriller.

From Jason Gorber at Indiewire: 

"When writer-director Jeremy Saulnier's sophomore feature Blue Ruin debuted at the 2013 Cannes Film Festival, it caused quite the stir. While much of that tense genre exercise stunned audiences, the finale hit a sour note with its Wild Bunch-style orgy of violence that felt like an aimless, cacophonous rampage.

It's all the more heartening, then, that in almost every way Saulnier has upped his game with Green Room, his bloody, impressive follow-up.

This movie also borrows from Peckinpah's school of dark revenge, but this time recalls the likes of the more sordid Straw Dogs. However, this isn't simply some pastiche drawn from different movies to yield a collage of references, but rather very much its own film, and a remarkable one at that."

Read the rest of the review here!

From Ryland Aldrich at Twitch Film 

"Billed as Jeremy Saulnier's follow-up to the impressive indie Blue Ruin, Green Room takes the intensity on display in that film and ratchets it up by a few million dollars. The extra money is all on the screen. With a larger cast, bigger sets and set pieces, and a hell of a lot more special effects makeup, Green Room is every bit the follow-up that fans of Blue Ruin have been hoping for."

Read the rest of the review here!

From John Bleasdale at Cine Vue 

"No one becomes a sudden hero and Saulnier's cliché averse script doesn't allow for a deus ex machina to come and save the day. Perhaps one revelation from the darker, gloomier Blue Ruin is how funny the film is: from the pranks and jokes of a band on the road - recognisable to anyone with even a passing experience of live music - to the throwaway lines and absurd situations that pepper the later scenes. Scary and funny by turns, Green Room has the potential to become a cult hit, with a genuine midnight movie appeal, and furthers the growing reputation of this young director."

Read the rest of the review here!


GREEN ROOM screens:
Thurs, Sept 10, 11:59 PM RYERSON
Sat, Sept 12, 2:15 PM BLOOR HOT DOCS 

Five Reasons Why We Love Ethan Embry

Beloved actor Ethan Embry is coming back to our big-screens this September in The Devil's Candy, where he plays a struggling painter who becomes possessed by a demonic force, soon after him and his family move to their dream home. Embry's portrayal of a patriarch fully at the end of his rope works as a perfect compliment to writer-director Sean Byne's graphic, jolting style, who is perhaps best known for his horrifying teenage flick The Loved Ones, which begs the question, "You thought your prom night was bad?"

Wrapped in the excitement of The Devil's Candy, we thought we'd take a look at five reasons why we love Ethan Embry:

5) He is fantastic in any dramatic role - RE: Brotherhood 

Embry arguably is most recognized for his character in the Showtime series Brotherhood, where he plays the Rhode Island state detective Declan Giggs. Brotherhood had only three seasons, but effectively captivated critics everywhere.

4) He steals the scene, even when he's a tertiary character - RE: That Thing You Do!

In this movie about fictional band The Oneders (now that's One-ders, not Oh-need-ers), Embry has a small part as the bass player of the band (or T.B. Player as per his credit). Although Ethan barely has any lines at all, his adorable presence is felt in any scene he's in as the doe-eyed, sweetheart bassist. Also, is there anything funnier than when he totally abandons the band to go to Disney?

3) He very effectively plays extremely sympathetic characters - RE: Late Phases: Night of the Lone Wolf 

In this smart and subtle werewolf flick, Embry plays Will, the son of the stubborn, blind, war veteran Ambrose (played by Nick Damici). Will puts his father into a retirement community because he fears for his safety if he were to continue living totally alone, and although the audience sees Ambrose's anger about his liberties being taken away due to age - we still sympathize with Will because his actions are out of a place of love.

2) He can do comedic and light roles just as well as drama - RE: Can't Hardly Wait 

Starring as Preston Meyers in this quintessential 90's teen romp, Embry is funny and lovable as the artistic Preston, who vows that on graduation night, he will finally tell Amanda Beckett (Jennifer Love-Hewitt) that he loves her.

1) He is clearly going to crush being a main character in a horror movie - RE: The Devil's Candy

We have absolutely no doubts that Embry's portrayal of the tortured (in more ways than one) painter is going to be thrilling and chilling, even just seeing him in official stills, the kind-faced actor is barely recognizable in his dishevelment.

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