Toronto International Film Festival

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[TIFF '12 Review] Brad Is Blown Away By Most Of ‘Dredd 3D’

Movies
Posted by EvanDickson on September 21, 2012 @ 2:42pm
Category: Movies / News

Writer Alex Garland (28 Days Later, Sunshine) and director Pete Travis (Vantage Point) bring Dredd back to life as a futuristic neo-noir action film that is pretty d*mn hardcore. The film screened last night at TIFF so we figure it’s time to feature our review.

The reviews have been mostly gushing, and Brad pretty much feels the same way (with some reservations about the film’s ending).

“Dredd is a supercharged comic adaptation that’s faithful to the source material and made specifically for the fans. There’s nothing to indicate an attempt to appeal to mass audiences, which means Dredd was made for YOU, which is a rare treat in the cinematic haze of remakes, franchise films and generic thrillers. Even with a lackluster finale, soak this magnificent work of art in and enjoy the hour and a half gift from the movie gods.

I loved the film too, for what it’s worth. Click here to read the review in its entirety, then check back after the film comes out to write your own.

Exclusive

[TIFF '12 Interview] ‘The Lords Of Salem’ Stars Sheri Moon Zombie & Jeff Daniel Phillips

Movies
Posted by Mike Pereira on September 18, 2012 @ 6:47pm
Category: Movies / Exclusives

Whether it’s cast or crew, Writer/Director Rob Zombie loves to stick to a core group. Like Quentin Tarantino, he enjoys casting some long forgotten talent from the genre titles he grew up on and admired. Zombie cleverly goes against our expectations and previous experiences with a certain actor and uses him or her in a refreshingly unexpected way. His wife and muse, Sheri Moon Zombie is the one constant in every picture he has made. Her involvement in his work has always caused a stir among genre fans. This doesn’t seem to faze Zombie a bit since Sheri is lead in his latest, The Lords of Salem.

She plays local DJ Heidi Hawthorne. Along with her co-hosts Herman Whitey Salvador (Jeff Daniel Phillips) and Herman Jackson (Ken Foree), they play a mysterious vinyl on air by a band called The Lords which will soon put the town and its inhabitants on a collision course with its disturbing past.

At TIFF ’12, I had the opportunity to sit down and discuss the film with actors Sheri and Jeff. READ MORE

Exclusive

[TIFF '12 Interview] ‘No One Lives’ Director Ryuhei Kitamura

Movies
Posted by Mike Pereira on September 17, 2012 @ 7:41pm
Category: Movies / Exclusives

When the WWE Films logo appears before a film, I keep my expectations in check. While I’ll admit that the Kane vehicle, See No Evil is in my guilty pleasure list, the majority I’ve seen are straight-to-video fare at its laziest. Like most DTV, they’re an attempt to cash in on whatever the fad may be at the moment and hope that fans looking for a quick fix won’t mind. From the offset, No One Lives (review) comes across as just that. The attempt at “clever” dialogue is consistently laughable but once the film is suddenly steered in a different direction at the end of the first act, my attention was grabbed. For the remainder of its duration, No One Lives is a creatively violent, trashy ride in the way the Friday the 13th movies are. If you watch it for what it is, fun will be had.

The skillful directing of Ryuhei Kitamura (Midnight Meat Train, Versus) is the main reason why I ignored the film’s obvious issues. I had the pleasure of chatting with him at TIFF ’12, where the film was getting its premiere. I asked him what drew him to the script. “I started reading it. First I felt; oh okay, No One Lives, everybody dies. Girl running in the woods, a couple of gangsters, okay another torture porn kind of movie which I love to watch but didn’t want to do myself. Then there’s a twist and turn in the script and I simply felt: wow this is a non-stop ride and it’s a fun popcorn project which was very different from the movie I did, Midnight Meat Train. That was much more twisted and a philosophical. So this was to me a fun, straightforward genre movie almost like the movies from the 80’s.” READ MORE

[TIFF '12 Review] Brad Admires The Ambition Of ‘Hellbenders’

Movies
Posted by EvanDickson on September 15, 2012 @ 3:56pm
Category: Movies / News

I love good horror comedies so I was incredibly stoked when I saw the first, really cool looking, stills from JT Petty’s Hellbenders. The film premiered during the Midnight Madness portion of TIFF this past week, and I’m hoping I like it a bit more than Brad (Mr Disgusting) when I finally see it. It’s not that he didn’t like the film, he just didn’t really think it stuck the landing.

“‘Hellbenders’ is highly ambitious filmmaking that works just enough to make it worth a view. There are quite a few gut busting laughs, creative scares, and even more gore for the horror junkie. Unfortunately, it just runs out of steam by the finale.”

Click here to read the review in its entirety. The Toronto International Film Festival runs from September 6th-16th.

[TFF '12 Review] Mike Pereria Calls Barry Levinson’s Found Footage Thriller, ‘The Bay’ An “Admirable Miss”

Movies
Posted by MrDisgusting on September 14, 2012 @ 6:13pm
Category: Movies / News

Before it arrives in theaters November 2 from Roadside Attractions, Bloody Disgusting’s Mike Pereira caught the world premiere of Barry Levinson’s The Bay at the Midnight Madness portion of the Toronto International Film Festival. The pic is a Found Footage thriller where a biological disaster is unleashed from the waters of the Chesapeake Bay causing a mass infection.

“One has to applaud Levinson for stepping out of his comfort zone… Unfortunately what brings the movie down is his novice approach at horror tactics such as jump scares and tension-building. While it may work on the average folk who have never seen a horror film in their life, it won’t fool a hardcore fan by a long shot.

“The Bay is an admirable but ultimately dull thriller.”

Click here for the entire review and watch for more leading up to its theatrical release.

[TIFF '12] Cinedigm Entertainment Group Acquires ‘Come Out and Play’ For Theatrical, Home Video

Movies
Posted by MrDisgusting on September 14, 2012 @ 10:14am
Category: Movies / News

Having premiered at the Midnight Madness portion of TIFF is Makinov’s Come Out and Play, a Mexican remake of the 1970s flick Who Can Kill A Child? that I thought was pretty good (although it could have used a bit more originality).

Cinedigm Entertainment Group acquired North American rights to Makinov’s flick starring Vinessa Shaw, Ebon Moss and Daniel Gimenez Cacho. Cinedigm, which made the announcement Friday, plans a theatrical release early next year followed by VOD, digital and DVD.

In the remake, “Beth and Francis vacation before the birth of their child. Francis insists on venturing to a more serene island, Beth hesitantly agrees. They set out to a beautiful island, but soon discover it’s mysteriously abandoned, and the only people on the island are children. Beth and Francis are left to uncover the mystery of the disappearances, and a day in paradise quickly turns into a struggle for survival.” READ MORE

[BD Review] Barry Levinson’s Found Footage Thriller, ‘The Bay’ Is An Admirable Miss

Movies
Posted by Mike Pereira on September 14, 2012 @ 6:32am
Category: Movies / Reviews

At the moment, the found-footage sub-genre is all the rage. No surprise there, considering audiences are still running in droves to see the Paranormal Activity films and most recently, The Devil Inside (much to our dismay). I have no issue with any novelty if it’s used effectively and creatively. The Paranormal Activity franchise, the REC series and V/H/S are great examples of when it works. Unlikely candidate, Oscar-winning director Barry Levinson (Rain Man) is the latest to jump on the bandwagon with the eco-thriller, The Bay.

The film revolves around a small seaside town that becomes terrorized by a nasty mutant breed of parasites. What makes the film stand apart from the crowd is its mock documentary-style approach. The story is told via multiple video sources including Skype, surveillance video, news footage, smart phones and police cams. Audio sources such as 911 calls and recorded phone conversations are also utilized. The sheer density of the film’s construction is my favourite aspect of The Bay. It’s been cleverly thought out and conceived. The biggest challenge facing filmmakers venturing in the found footage realm is how to convincingly justify why the characters are still holding onto their cameras. For the most part, The Bay is pretty convincing in this department. I never found myself distracted by a glaringly obvious logic gap.

Despite being presented in realistic manner, deep at its core, The Bay owes a great deal to 1950’s era sci-fi/horror pictures such as Them! There’s definitely an old-fashioned B-movie quality to the creatures. Issues begin to arise whenever the film tries its hand at scares. This is where Levinson’s inexperience in genre filmmaking is glaringly obvious. Every attempt at a scare is highlighted by a music cue and sound effect being amped up to eleven. The score is annoyingly present at almost every turn. It’s overbearing and cheaply manipulative especially during the “suspenseful” moments. These techniques ring false at every time. Mostly though, I never found myself invested in The Bay all that much. Dryness is one of the issues that can arise when presenting the material in such a documentary-like fashion and it plagues this movie all throughout. Characters aren’t particularly interesting and the story never really goes in any fresh or surprising direction.

One has to applaud Levinson for stepping out of his comfort zone. The Bay never comes across as a half-baked effort. His use of technology to tell the story, as well as themes dealing with our deteriorating environment will likely strike a chord with many. There seems to be a genuine attempt to breathe new life in the gimmicky world of found footage cinema. Unfortunately what brings the movie down is his novice approach at horror tactics such as jump scares and tension-building. While it may work on the average folk who have never seen a horror film in their life, it won’t fool a hardcore fan by a long shot. The Bay is an admirable but ultimately dull thriller.

P.S. Considering its uncinematic aesthetic, I think this film may actually play more effectively on the small screen. Might be an experiment worth revisiting.

[BD Review] ‘Hellbenders 3D’ Highly Ambitious, Fun Horror

Movies
Posted by MrDisgusting on September 13, 2012 @ 10:32am
Category: Movies / Reviews

Burrowers director JT Petty returns to Midnight Madness with Hellbenders, a truly entertaining horror comedy that may have been a bit too ambitious. While filled with laughs, and some incredible creature effects, ultimately it’s a bit fragmented from what feels like budgetary constraints.

The first act of Hellbenders is incredibly strong as Petty introduces the viewer to the motley crew of modern exorcists. In short, this collection of men and women are supposed to sin as much as possible in order to deliver demons back to hell. The idea is that if they get possessed, they can commit suicide and drag the demons down to Hell with them. Hence, the audience is blasted with profanity as they watch an array of disturbing acts and consistent verbal abuse. Watching a bunch of ordained priests act like jerks in absolutely hilarious, but what makes this work is that the audience knows they’re “good people” at heart. Likability is extremely important it making Hellbenders an entertaining flick. Clancy Brown reunites with Petty and delivers quite a standout performance as the drunken leader. Unfortunately, Dan Fogler – who I absolutely love – was underused, and barely even had a reason to be in the film.

Once acclimated to the group, a few of them are sent off to handle a new case, one that ends in disaster. This is the pinnacle of Hellbenders as it taps into to the vein of The Evil Dead and Ghostbusters with its sound design, humor, scares, and FX work. It’s a haunting moment that sets the bar so high that the rest of the film struggles to reach the same level.

From here on out much of the second act is muddled with exposition and a subplot where the new Pope has shut down their division. The final moments, while enjoyable, felt the choking sensation of budgetary constraints. The audience is teased that the gates of Hell are to be opened, but by the time the gang arrives, all of the chaos has already erupted; it’s a bit frustrating, as the viewer deserves to see the madness occur.

Hellbenders is highly ambitious filmmaking that works just enough to make it worth a view. There are quite a few gut busting laughs, creative scares, and even more gore for the horror junkie. Unfortunately, it just runs out of steam by the finale.

[BD Review] ‘The ABCs of Death’ A Short Film Festival With Mixed Results

Movies
Posted by MrDisgusting on September 13, 2012 @ 10:25am
Category: Movies / Reviews

Having been to dozens of film festival shorts programs I know just how excruciating they can be. This was my only reservation heading into Magnet’s The ABCs of Death, which premiered at the Midnight Madness portion of the Toronto International Film Festival. When the 2+hour “event” concluded, that’s when my brain really started to hurt. How the hell do I review this? Do I review it based on the overall experience, the ratio of good to bad shorts, or do I review each short individually? Ultimately, I feel that since it’s presented as a film experience, it should be reviewed as one.

The concept behind ABCs is brilliant: 26 directors were each given $5,000 (according to “Q is for Quack”) and had to deliver a short film about death. The result is an eclectic variety of horror that range from sex-fueled murder to rape revenge. It may sound delectable, but it’s not. It’s hard to know exactly where the problem festers, but I’d like to speculate that it was the intense creative freedom given to the directors. The overall problem is a lack of cohesion, meaning, there’s nothing to connect all of the shorts.* I wonder what kind of small guidelines may have been implemented that would have strung all 26 shorts together a little bit? I don’t blame the producers at Drafthouse (as the idea is brilliant), but nobody could have speculated what the final result of the experiment would feel like… It was tedious.

Part of the problem is that, like any other shorts program, a lot of the shorts weren’t very good. Furthermore, nobody could have guessed that most of the directors would take a dark and/or artistic path. The few comedic moments presented such a wonderful breath of fresh air in a 2-hour project jam-packed with intense depression. It’s even more frustrating that the producers were able to land such high caliber directors who mostly took the perspective of a film student – meaning, instead of really showing what they could do with $5k, they did only what they could with $5k (the bare minimum). That’s not much to work with, and the challenge is great, but the competition was fierce. Wouldn’t you want to show up the other directors? And while a few of the shorts went big, they still managed to bore; albeit, it’s HARD to tell a compelling story, without shocks, in under 5 minutes.

Even through the film’s best shorts – directed by Marcel Sarmiento, Timo Tjahjanto, Adam Wingard, Simon Barrett, Hélène Cattet, Bruno Forzani, Jason Eisner and Ben Wheatley – the project just felt overtly long and fragmented. The problem reviewing such a film is that, while some of the shorts warranted a perfect score, others deserved much less. How to you fairly grade the entirety of a project that’s a quarter brilliant, a quarter OK, and half incredibly weak? I’d suggest you ignore the below rating (it’s undeniably misleading) and focus on creating some sort of party atmosphere to watch ABCs of Death. The only thing that can kick-start some energy into this anthology is you, and a group of screaming and laughing friends. There’s plenty here worth seeing.

*Editor’s Note: In the interest of full disclosure, I produced V/H/S, another anthology released by Magnet. My opinions may be construed as biased.

[TIFF '12] Festival Trailer For Tropical Island Horror ‘Come Out and Play’!

Movies
Posted by MrDisgusting on September 12, 2012 @ 10:17pm
Category: Movies / Trailers

Premiering tomorrow night at the Midnight Madness portion of the film festival is Makinov’s Come Out and Play, a Mexican remake of the 1970s flick Who Can Kill A Child? that I thought was pretty good (although it could have used a bit more originality).

Gearing up for the festival run, we were supplied with the first trailer for the film starring Vinessa Shaw, Ebon Moss and Daniel Gimenez Cacho.

[TIFF '12 Review] Brad Thinks ‘Here Comes The Devil’ Is A Fun Blast In Need Of More Skill

Movies
Posted by EvanDickson on September 12, 2012 @ 11:16am
Category: Movies / News

Penumbra and Cold Sweat director Adrian Garcia Bogliano’s Here Comes The Devil premiered during the ~~Midnight Madness portion of~~ TIFF this week and Brad (Mr. Disgusting) found a lot to like – even if some of the technical aspects of the film aren’t up to par.

“There are intense sexual situations, coming-of-age themes, insane supernatural jolts, and quite a few gory moments; it’s got a little bit of everything for the hardcore horror nut… The end lacks any sort of real punch but still manages to be slightly poetic. It’s hardly the way one would want a movie to end, but it’s hard to knock a film for wrapping it up so cleanly. And while Bogliano is getting better as a filmmaker, it’s highly advised that he attend some sort of filmmaker seminar or class to learn how to add some production value to his gritty, student perspective.”

Click here to read the review in its entirety. The Toronto International Film Festival runs from September 6th-16th.

[TIFF '12] IFC Bites Into ‘Byzantium’

Movies
Posted by EvanDickson on September 11, 2012 @ 3:51pm
Category: Movies / News

Neil Jordan’s Byzantium, a vampire film starring Gemma Arterton, Sam Riley and Saoirse Ronan premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival this week and IFC has made it their first official pick-up fo the fest, paying something close to $2M for the rights.

Per THR, “Sources say it was IFC’s $2 million offer that drew blood.Heading into Toronto, ‘Byzantium’ was on every buyer’s list, both small and large. However, bigger distributors passed on the film, which is receiving mixed reviews. Also, no one was sure how commerical Byzantium would be, considering Jordan’s arthouse pedigree.”

In the film, “Two mysterious women seek refuge in a run-down coastal resort. Clara meets lonely Noel, who provides shelter in his deserted guesthouse, Byzantium. Schoolgirl Eleanor befriends Frank and tells him their lethal secret. They were born 200 years ago and survive on human blood. As knowledge of their secret spreads, their past catches up on them with deathly consequence.”

The Toronto International Film Festival runs from September 6 to 16, 2012. READ MORE

[TIFF '12 Review] Brad Thinks ‘The Lords Of Salem’ Is A Huge Letdown Despite Striking Imagery

Movies
Posted by EvanDickson on September 11, 2012 @ 11:47am
Category: Movies / News

I’m hoping I feel differently about this one. Rob Zombie’s The Lords Of Salem premiered last night to a ravenous sold-out crowd during the Midnight Madness portion of TIFF. And Brad (Mr. Disgusting) – who had high hopes – was pretty disappointed.

“It would be easy to give Lords a pass. It has genuinely creepy imagery, cool scares, super crazy sound design, and even more mind blowing set designs. But there will be no pass, mainly because of the awkwardly unfulfilling ending and the fact that much of the “cool” doesn’t interact with the characters or plot. Rob Zombie sympathizers are going to eat this up, and will spend their night analyzing the finale as if it were some revelation of brilliance. It’s not”

Click here to read the review in its entirety. And – silver lining – let it be known that BD Stringer Mike Pereira really liked the film and will be writing in with his review soon. The Toronto International Film Festival runs from September 6th-16th.

[BD Review] Tropical Island Horror ‘Come Out and Play’ Brings The Intensity

Movies
Posted by MrDisgusting on September 11, 2012 @ 11:47am
Category: Movies / Reviews

If a film is to be remade, it should at least have a unique, new, modern spin that qualifies the decision to revisit the property. Making a nearly scene-by-scene reenactment doesn’t make any sense, especially when it didn’t work the first time around. Such the case with Come Out and Play, the remake of the Spanish 1976 Who Can Kill A Child?. The original is deeply flawed, and could have used a boost by a visionary filmmaker; unfortunately it got “Makinov.”

The Mexican remake, with English speaking leads, follows a couple (visiting Brazil during Carnival) that rent a boat and head to a serene tropical island for an intimate getaway. Upon arriving, they learn the island is near-deserted, sans a scatter of malevolent looking children. They slowly realize they’re in the middle of some bizarre event… the kids up and killed everyone on the island, and nobody stopped them because, who could kill a child? The duo is trapped and in the middle of the chaos, which plays out like a zombie flick.

Director Makinov basically follows the original step for step, sans a small twist involving the pregnant protagonist and her baby. The idea is really, really cool, and most of the film is incredibly unnerving, but Makinov does nothing to progress the story in a new/better director. If anything, it feels a little trite. Even the “shocker” of an ending is dull, having been done so many times before.

The movie’s strengths come in its intense graphic content (watching dozens of kids stab an old man to death, and then drop a rock on his head, is pretty intense) and astounding production locations. The audience will literally feel like they’re on the beaches, something that adds a massive amount of believability to the film. There are strong performances by the lead couple, not to mention the rash of evil children (anyone who works in film can tell you how hard it is to work with, and get quality work out of them).

While the remake doesn’t progress the story in any positive direction, it’s still pretty good and something easily recommend. If anything, Come Out and Play is generic to the core, a cut and paste horror thriller that still manages to deliver on both production value and intensity. And while most of the remake is a slow burn, the finale will have most viewers on the edge of their seat in absolute shock. Could you kill a child?

[BD Review] ‘The Lords of Salem’ A Slow Burn Letdown With Striking Imagery

Movies
Posted by MrDisgusting on September 11, 2012 @ 10:52am
Category: Movies / Reviews

The most impressive thing about Rob Zombie is that he’s always been able to operate outside of the studio mentality on a low budget. No matter what the film, he makes what he wants to make (sans the Halloween remake). After using Halloween 2 as a way out of his Dimension deal, he’s stripped it down to the bare minimum with his 1970′s inspired The Lords of Salem (his incredibly low budget indie horror that premiered to a sold out crowd at TIFF’s Midnight Madness). Budget appeared to be little bother but, once again, Zombie pens his own screenplay. And that’s littered with problems. The Lords of Salem is definitely cool to watch, and actually pretty entertaining (at times), but let’s be honest here (Rob Zombie fans sat there with a look of shock and disappointment on their faces, displaying the most fake smile you’ve ever seen), it’s not good.

I know Zombie loves his wife and enjoys putting her on screen, but Sheri Moon Zombie cannot carry a film. Again, this shows that Zombie just does whatever he wants, which is totally cool and all, but it does hurt his product. The Lords of Salem could have just been called the Sheri Moon Zombie show. Nearly every shot is of her walking, her in bed, her playing with her dog, and her kind of-sort of naked. The problem is that it doesn’t really propel the story anywhere and makes the film progress at a snail’s pace. But the biggest issue is that, with all of the striking imagery, Rob doesn’t have Sheri react to any of it; nearly everything that happens is either a vision or off in the corner. Yes, a lot of it is extremely cool, but then some of it is shockingly bizarre (like the tiny Devil-God who looked like a cross between Station from Bill & Ted’s Bogus Journey and God in “South Park”).

Some of the best stuff is the flashbacks of the Salem 6 performing rituals and getting burned at the stake. The constant expectation was that these witches would be resurrected and create chaos among the women of Salem, and that would have been dope. Instead, the audience gets slapped in the back of the head (with what feels like a log) with an overly artistic, bizarre and unfulfilling performance by the “Lords of Salem.” This must have been due to one of the following: budgetary constraints, Zombie has surround himself with “yes” men, or he just didn’t give a fuck. I suspect it’s the latter, and for Lords, he didn’t even care about his viewers (I think by now he understands that his fans will like anything he does…they are the supreme “yes” men.)

It would be easy to give Lords a pass. It has genuinely creepy imagery, cool scares, super crazy sound design, and even more mind blowing set designs. But there will be no pass, mainly because of the awkwardly unfulfilling ending and the fact that much of the “cool” doesn’t interact with the characters or plot. Rob Zombie sympathizers are going to eat this up, and will spend their night analyzing the finale as if it were some revelation of brilliance. It’s not. It’s just bad. The Lords of Salem could only be recommended as background visuals while you’re jamming to old school White Zombie.

[TIFF '12 Review] Brad Thinks ‘No One Lives’ Sets The Genre Back 10 Years

Movies
Posted by EvanDickson on September 10, 2012 @ 5:58pm
Category: Movies / News

I can’t say I was looking forward to No One Lives because it was barely on my radar. But Brad (Mr. Disgusting) saw the film at TIFF and hated it with a fiery passion. Apparently Ryuhei Kitamura has failed to live up to Midnight Meat Train and the script is in shambles.

“It can’t be expressed enough just how terrible this film is. It’s camp without the laughs, a complete downer that’ll leave the audience feeling empty. There’s nothing more frustrating than watching films like this get made by people who understand nothing about the genre; they should stick to wrestling, at least that’s one form of entertainment they know how to produce.”

Click here to read the review in its entirety. The Toronto International Film Festival runs from September 6th-16th.

[TIFF '12 Review] Brad Absolutely Hates ‘Berberian Sound Studio’

Movies
Posted by EvanDickson on September 10, 2012 @ 11:47am
Category: Movies / News

Bummmer! I was really looking forward to Berberian Sound Studio, but word out of TIFF has not been kind. The Peter Strickland directed, Toby Jones starring film looked like a stylish homage to 70′s giallo films. Apparently I was wrong. At least that’s what Brad (Mr. Disgusting) is telling me.

“Boy, was I excited to see this film. I’d heard great things. I love the world – the concept of a sound designer working with an iconic Italian horror director during the 1970s, a time when all Italian genre films were shot without sound and designed with different spoken languages during post-production, is brilliant. Great cast. Obviously quality production values. So know that if I say I hated this movie, I went into it with more than an open mind. And I HATED this movie..”

Click here to read the review in its entirety. The Toronto International Film Festival runs from September 6th-16th.

[News Bites] Acquisitions Edition!

Movies
Posted by EvanDickson on September 10, 2012 @ 9:53am
Category: Movies / News

The Toronto International Film Festival has been good to Makinov’s Come Out and Play (pictured above), his remake to the classic Who Can Kill A Child? Celsius has purchased the international sales rights to the film.

Vinessa Shaw, Ebon Moss and Daniel Gimenez Cacho star, “Beth and Francis vacation before the birth of their child. Francis insists on venturing to a more serene island, Beth hesitantly agrees. They set out to a beautiful island, but soon discover it’s mysteriously abandoned, and the only people on the island are children. Beth and Francis are left to uncover the mystery of the disappearances, and a day in paradise quickly turns into a struggle for survival.”

Picked up for US distribution by Gaiam Vivendi Entertainment at Toronto is April Mullen’s Dead Before Dawn 3D. The film follows college kids that accidentally unleash an evil curse that causes people to kill themselves and turn into Zombie Demons, aka Zemons. The horror/comedy starring Christopher Lloyd (Back to the Future) and Devon Bostick (Diary of a Wimpy Kids series) has been gaining a lot of momentum and has a tone that some are describing as Shaun of the Dead meets The Goonies.

The film is set to release in late fall. It was written by Tim Doiron, who also produces with Mullen. For more information visit the film’s official website, Facebook

[BD Review] Entertaining ‘Here Comes the Devil’ Highly Sexual & Violent, Yet Poorly Made

Movies
Posted by MrDisgusting on September 09, 2012 @ 8:12pm
Category: Movies / Reviews

Being a critic can be difficult because you have to weigh the artistic integrity of a film alongside the entertainment value. Adrian Garcia Bogliano’s Here Comes The Devil is the complete opposite of Berberian Sound Studio in that it’s incredibly entertaining, yet poorly made. It’s also worth noting that Bogliano appears to be growing as a director, but still can’t figure out how to close out strong.

Here Comes the Devil begins after two kids vanish during a family vacation in Tijuana and return mysteriously the next morning. They clearly are not the same. The parents begin to investigate believing that maybe a local man had sexual abused them in a nearby cave, although it turns out something much more sinister is afoot.

Bogliano tells stories from a very different perspective than most filmmakers, and it feels vaguely that it may relate to a lack of film knowledge and experience (odd for a filmmaker with several films under his belt). Yet, he somehow crafts a unique experience that’s both engaging and shocking. Still, it will be harsh on filmgoers’ eyes as the final product is bizarrely ugly, poorly blocked and is arranged in an odd manor – but chaos in filmmaking can sometimes translate into a unique and captivating final product. Unfortunately, Here Comes the Devil only touches the surface of greatness. Mostly, it’s a sloppy film with some really crazy moments…and a whole lot of sexual tension.

Here Comes the Devil is early 1970s inspired, reminiscent of the classic Dirty Harry films. It also touches on themes of Devil worship and supernatural haunts like the infamous The Entity. There are intense sexual situations, coming-of-age themes, insane supernatural jolts, and quite a few gory moments; it’s got a little bit of everything for the hardcore horror nut.

The end lacks any sort of real punch but still manages to be slightly poetic. It’s hardly the way one would want a movie to end, but it’s hard to knock a film for wrapping it up so cleanly. And while Bogliano is getting better as a filmmaker, it’s highly advised that he attend some sort of filmmaker seminar or class to learn how to add some production value to his gritty, student perspective.

[BD Review] ‘No One Lives’ Sets Horror Back Nearly 10 Years

Movies
Posted by MrDisgusting on September 09, 2012 @ 8:00pm
Category: Movies / Reviews

It felt like horror was set back 10 years When Courtney Solomon produced Captivity for After Dark Films. Now, WWE Studios is back in the production game with No One Lives, which feels very much out of the same ill-advised world where suits with tons of money and zero heart get behind genre films (because they think we’re an easy sell). While incredibly gory, No One Lives is soulless garbage whose problems begin and end with an appalling script.

Directed by Ryuhei Kitamura – of Midnight Meat Train and Versus fame – the plot follows a group of petty thieves that cross paths with Luke Evans as an ex-military agent (who has become a serial killer) and his prisoner (Adelaide Clemens).

Penned by David Cohen (presumably in 2005, right after Hostel hit theaters), the screenplay is jam-packed with cheesy dialogue and one-liners that couldn’t even be delivered by Tom Cruise. While most of the dialogue is laughable, the real issue comes with the character development. Everyone in No One Lives is a horrible piece of crap; as a viewer you’ll have to get behind either a group of crummy thieves (who murder people for no reason and talk to each other like dog shit), or a serial killer who kidnaps and tortures women (apparently). Everyone could die and it wouldn’t even matter to the viewer; and because everyone sucks, there’s no emotion behind any of their imminent deaths.

The good news is that there’s an insane amount of gore, and the gags are pretty great, but unfortunately there’s no fun behind it. No One Lives is generic “shock” cinema that was a result of Hostel, which is why it feels like it sets horror back 10 years.

It can’t be expressed enough just how terrible this film is. It’s camp without the laughs, a complete downer that’ll leave the audience feeling empty. There’s nothing more frustrating than watching films like this get made by people who understand nothing about the genre; they should stick to wrestling, at least that’s one form of entertainment they know how to produce.

[TIFF '12] Check Out These Awesome NSFW ‘Hellbenders’ Postcards!

Movies
Posted by EvanDickson on September 09, 2012 @ 12:54pm
Category: Movies / Images

The Burrowers director JT Petty‘s Hellbenders 3D certainly looks like one of the more interesting, raw and fun selections from this year’s Midnight Madness programming at TIFF. And now we have six awesome postcards/posters for the film. NSFW fo sho!

“Hellbenders, an R-rated 3D exorcism comedy, follows the Augustine Interfaith Order of Hellbound Saints (Brooklyn Parish), highly secretive and profoundly blasphemous men of God, as they battle demonic forces too terrible to be cast out by traditional Vatican-approved methods. Cast includes Clancy Brown, Clifton Collins Jr., Robyn Rikoon and Andre Royo.”

The film premieres at 11:59 PM on Sunday, September 9th – that’s tonight – at the Ryerson Theater. Subsequent TIFF showtimes here. head inside for the cards – click to make big etc… READ MORE

[TIFF '12] First Clip From Eli Roth Starring ‘Aftershock’!

Movies
Posted by EvanDickson on September 08, 2012 @ 5:37pm
Category: Movies / Videos

Speaking of Eli Roth (Hostel, Inglourious Basterds), the guys at Collider just got their hands on the first clip from Aftershock. The film is having its world premiere this week as an official selection of the Midnight Madness portion of this year’s Toronto International Film Festival.

In the film co-written by Roth and director Nicolas Lopez, “In Chile, an American tourist’s vacation goes from good to great when he meets some beautiful women travellers. But when an earthquake ravages the underground nightclub they’re in, a fun night quickly turns to terror. Escaping to the surface is just the beginning as they face nightmarish chaos above ground. Also starring Selena Gomez.”

The Toronto International Film Festival runs from September 6th-16th. Head inside for the clip – which features plenty of earthquake carnage. READ MORE

[BD Review] ‘Berberian Sound Studio’ Is Punishing, Self-Indulgent Art

Movies
Posted by MrDisgusting on September 08, 2012 @ 12:18pm
Category: Movies / Reviews

Boy, was I excited to see this film. I’d heard great things. I love the world – the concept of a sound designer working with an iconic Italian horror director during the 1970s, a time when all Italian genre films were shot without sound and designed with different spoken languages during post-production, is brilliant. Great cast. Obviously quality production values. So know that if I say I hated this movie, I went into it with more than an open mind. And I HATED this movie.

Berberian Sound Studio is self indulgent filmmaking that’s so arrogant, and so self consumed that it completely forgets about the audience. It’s a pretentious art piece solely made for film snobs – I can’t even imagine a single Bloody reader making it through its entirety. Collective sighs and groans littered the theater between each obnoxious transition (where “Silencio” flashes across the screen), and each moment of on screen silence was interrupted by the sounds of people shuffling to rush out of the theater.

Only one word is needed to describe Berberian Sound Studio: “exhausting”.

By the time the end credits roll the audience will be emotionally exhausted – especially after watching countless scenes go nowhere; it’s not just boring, it’s punishing. Toby Jones is incredibly underused (it’s insulting to cast such a talent and then castrate him), being that his character also never evolves by the final frame. If anything, the movie never progresses past the first act as the final hour just continually repeats itself – It’s like fighting in circles with your ex-girl/boyfriend for an hour (remember how much fun that was?).

Berberian Sound Studio is a calling card for Peter Strickland. It’s an incredibly well shot piece of art that puts on display how talented he is as a director – but not as a storyteller. And while beautifully crafted, it’s impossible to recommend this to anyone who hopes to have an entertaining movie-going experience.

[TIFF '12 Review] Brad Finds ‘Thale’ Heavy On Bloat And CGI

Movies
Posted by EvanDickson on September 08, 2012 @ 10:21am
Category: Movies / News

Playing at TIFF this year is Thale, Aleksander Nordaas’ Norwegian horror film. In it, “Two crimes scene cleaners discover a mythical tailed, female creature in a concealed cellar. She never utters a word, unable to tell her tale herself, but the pieces of the puzzle soon come together; she’s been held captive for decades for reasons soon to surface. Someone is approaching from outside. They want her back.”

Brad (Mr. Disgusting) had a chance to check the film out at TIFF and he wasn’t exactly wowed. “While strong performances and bleak cinematography keep the film afloat, ultimately the bulk of the second act is less than engaging. It takes too long to get to the obvious revelation, which at one point escalates the film into full on terror mode. The audience does get to see some elder creatures, which deliver some violent retribution, but the heavy CGI hinders its impact and full potential.”

Click here for the full review! The Toronto International Film Festival runs from September 6th-16th. READ MORE