by
John Allison
July 25th, 2008
Director: Mark Hartley
Documentary with Jamie Lee Curtis, Dennis Hopper, Stacy Keach, Quentin Tarantino, Brian Trenchard-Smith
Country: USA/Australia
Midnight Madness Screening: Sunday September 7, 2008 at 11:59PM
International Premiere
Synopsis:
Free-wheelin’ sex romps! Blood-soaked terror tales! Blazing action extravaganzas! The same cultural explosion that gave birth to Australian art classics also spawned a group of demon-children – maverick filmmakers who thumbed their noses at authority, made their own rules and, in the process, unleashed films such as Razorback, The Man from Hong Kong, Patrick and Mad Max. A rip-roaring documentary on Australian genre cinema of the 70s and 80s, Not Quite Hollywood features Jamie Lee Curtis, Dennis Hopper, Stacy Keach, Quentin Tarantino and other celebrities sharing their love and memories of an unjustly forgotten cinematic era.
External Reviews:
Trailer via Twitch
by
John Allison
July 25th, 2008
Director: Marcel Sarmiento and Gadi Harel
Cast: Shiloh Fernandez, Noah Segan, Michael Bowen, Candice Accola
Country: USA
Midnight Madness Screening: Saturday September 6, 2008 at 11:59PM
World Premiere
Synopsis:
In this kinky, funny and chilling exploration of friendship, morality and the horror of growing up, two teen boys discover the naked body of a long-forgotten girl in a sealed basement of an abandoned asylum. They quickly realize something far more mysterious is at play when the girl, who they presumed to be dead, begins to exhibit signs of life. When they decide to keep her, their twisted teen fantasy soon erupts into a desperate and dangerous battle of wills between friends. As word of their dark secret threatens to spread, the boys are forced to decide how far they are willing to go to get what they want, and at what cost.
External Reviews: Coming soon when available
Trailer via Twitch: Coming soon when available
by
John Allison
July 25th, 2008
Director: Toshio Lee
Cast: Kenichi Matsuyama, Rosa Kato, Yasuko Matsuyuki, Gene Simmons
Country: Japan
Midnight Madness Screening: Friday September 5, 2008 at 11:59PM
International Premiere
Synopsis:
Based on the hugely popular manga series, Detroit Metal City tells the tale of Souichi, a sensitive and wimpy music geek who came to Tokyo from the country with the dream of becoming a fancy pop musician. But bubblegum dreams are crushed to a bloody pulp when Souichi is forced to front the satanic death metal band Detroit Metal City (DMC), whose trademark is eccentric makeup and destructive performance. Winning recognition as one of Japan’s top acts, DMC is challenged to a death metal duel by rock icon Jack IL Dark (KISS’s Gene Simmons). Souichi must battle for the title of death metal king while keeping Ms. Aikawa, his long-time crush with an affinity for shiny happy pop, unaware of his double identity.
External Reviews:
Trailer via Twitch
by
John Allison
July 25th, 2008
Director: Mabrouk El Mechri
Cast: Jean-Claude Van Damme, François Damiens, Zinedine Soualem, Karim Belkhadra
Country: France/Luxembourg/Belgium
Opening Night Midnight Madness Screening: Thursday September 4, 2008 at 11:59PM
International Premiere
Synopsis:
Jean-Claude Van Damme stars as Jean-Claude Van Damme in the comeback story of one of the biggest action stars in movie history. When a trip to the post office lands the down-and-out Van Damme smack-dab in the middle of a dangerous heist, the “Muscles from Brussels” is exposed as an ordinary guy, complete with fears, contradictions and hopes. What can he do when the gun pointed to his temple isn’t filled with blanks? JCVD finds himself at the turning point of his life as a presumed hero.
External Reviews:
Trailer via Twitch
by
Kurt
July 24th, 2008
It is a strange way to decompress after attending multiple art and prestige films at the Toronto International Film Festival. At midnight every night, in one of the festivals largest venues, the multitudes come out to get the latest in the extreme and fringe genre films. Programmer Collin Geddes and company always put together a classy and upscale (if that is the right phrase) collection of films to challenge genre fans and this year is no different. Personal highlights are the Thai female martial arts epic from the Ong Bak folks, Chocolate, as well as the strange Being John Malkovich-esque biopic on the Muscles from Brussels, JCVD, the documentary on Australian exploitation cinema Not Quite Hollywood, and the dark French science fiction pic Eden Log.
Here are the programme guide entries for all 10 Midnight Madness entries:
