More fun at Toronto After Dark. So much fun in fact that I’ve neglected to get any writing done. It will all be up by the end of the weekend over at the Movie Patron After Dark Headquarters. But the first 6 or 7 reviews are available right now.

Kurt and Todd Brown from Twitchfilm.net.

Bad camera setting shot of Lloyd Kaufman (Troma Films).

Hanging with themovieblog writer, Serena Whitney.

Some of the Zombie crowd for Automaton Transfusion.

Out to lunch with FilmGrotto’s John Allison.

The fabulous Bloor Cinema. All the screenings are here.

     More updates and picture to follow over the next few days. For more info on the festival, check out our full spread of titles, reviews and trailers at our headquarters, or visit the official TAD site

     Here are some pictures from The Toronto After Dark Film Festival. Once I finally got my luggage from the airline, everything has gone fairly smooth and it’s been a real blast. I have tons of pics to post over the next few days, but here are a few from the first couple screenings. Remember I didn’t have my luggage, hence the same clothing in several pics.

By the way, you can see our review for each of the films at our After Dark headquarters if you are so inclined.

With festival director Adam Lopez (awesome host).

Two of the programmers, Todd Brown from Twitch and Peter Kuplowski (short films).

Hanging with legendary film maker Uwe Boll.

Jay Cheel from FilmJunk.com and the documentary blog.

The CN Tower in Toronto.

My wife preparing for the midnight screening.

     More updates and picture to follow over the next few days. For more info on the festival, check out our full spread of titles, reviews and trailers at our headquarters, or visit the official TAD site

     Well folks, it’s finally here. 7 Nights of “cinematic mayhem” at the Bloor Cinema in Toronto. Opening tonight with the zombie picture, Mulberry Street, I’m really looking forward to meeting many of you readers and contributors. It should be a good time.

     For a full spread on TAD, check out movie patron’s coverage throughout the weekend and all next week over here. We’ll be reviewing each film and full and also some random news and event coverage right here at the blog; so stay tuned for that as well. Also look for new Cinecasts with Kurt and Andrew once or twice throughout the week (actual face to face conversations) and possible film maker and festival staff interviews. SHould be a load of fun over the next 8 days or so.

Special thanks to Kurt and family for their accommodations and free food/beer.

     I haven’t been following this too closely (because I can’t go); but AFI constantly sends me emails about their big festival coming up. I have to admit, the lineup is is a lot cooler than the After Dark lineup, but that should be obvious. Anyway, if you’re in the Los Angeles area between November 1st and 11th, you may want to check out the full line-up and schedule and purchase (fairly inexpensive) tickets right online.

For full lineup and schedule, CLICK HERE. Some of the many films (many of them world and/or US premiers) showing throughout the festival include:

Biggies:
LIONS FOR LAMBS
JUNO
THE TRACEY FRAGMENTS
WITH YOUR PERMISSION
THE SAVAGES
4 MONTHS, 3 WEEKS, 2 DAYS (2007 Cannes winner)
DEFICIT (my boy, Gael Garcia Bernal’s directorial debut)

see more titles by unwrapping here…
Read the rest of this entry »

     Recently a member in my extended family narrowly escaped the clutches of succumbing to breast cancer. It took us all by surprise and really raised our awareness of things we can do to help fight it.

     So lo and behold in my inbox today is an email from “DVDs for the Cure” administrators asking if I wanted to help out. All I have to do is post some info on the MoviePatron blog about this great program. Becasue of recent family events and the fact that October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, of course I said yes.

Here’s how it works:

FOX and MGM have joined up with
Susan G. Komen for the Cure on a multi-title DVDs For The Cure promotion. Fox and MGM Home Entertainment will donate 50 cents from each DVD sold to the Susan G. Komen Foundation, with a guaranteed minimum contribution of $250,000. Susan G. Komen for the Cure is one of the leading research organizations in the fight against breast cancer.

As part of the promotion the following titles will be reissued in a special pink packaging, and proceeds from the sale of each DVD will go toward this worthy cause.

An Affair to Remember
A Walk in the Clouds
Entrapment
Ever After
In Her Shoes
Legally Blonde
Mermaids
Moulin Rouge
Never Been Kissed
Say Anything
Thelma & Louise
There’s Something About Mary

     This is sort of old news, but the specially packaged DVDs should be more visible and accessible throughout October. It doesn’t take much to help support a good cause. You’re gonna buy a DVD this month anyway, might as well be one of theese. I can’t say I’m too thrilled with the color pink, but I guess it’s a color lacking from my DVD shelf. And anyway, I should’ve bought a couple of these titles long ago anyway.

     The Darjeeling Ltd, Wes Anderson’s new film was scheduled to be released along with the short film, Hotel Chevalier before each screening. Then recently we heard that that idea had been scrapped. Well, today, slashfilm is letting us know that Hotel Chevalier, which is sort of a prequel to The Darjeeling Ltd, will be screened at the Apple Stores in Los Angeles, New York, Chicago, and San Francisco on Tuesday. If you’re in one of those small towns, stop in and check it out for free.

     For the rest of us, it will be available on iTunes for free on Wednesday. If Wes Anderson alone doesn’t do it for you, maybe the promise of Natalie Portman nude will keep it in your memory to check out. I know I will. Plus, it might be a good idea to check out before The Darjeeling Ltd. is released in theaters. A back story is always nice before seeing the real thing. If you remember to check it out, stop back here and leave your thoughts.

     I went to something similar to this a few years ago where they had the actual filming models of various ships: Star Destroyers, Millenium Falcon, X-Wings and TIE Fighters. I also saw the real Boba-Fett costume. This one though sounds to be much grander.

From the Star Trib article:

     The 12,000-square-foot exhibit features more than 80 costumes, models, and props from all six Star Wars films, including Princess Leia’s famous white dress, Luke Skywalker’s landspeeder from episode IV, a full-size R2-D2, Han Solo’s rogue outfit, and a Yoda puppet.

     Exhibit visitors will be able to climb aboard a full-size replica of the cockpit from Episode IV’s Millennium Falcon and “journey” to a land far away. Guests also can sit inside a real-world hovercraft similar to Saga’s landspeeders and step into a lab where they can build and program robots and engineer droids.

     Apparently this tour has been going on for quite some time already and will have travelled through 8 US cities before heading overseas. Kicking off in Oregon over two years ago, it is actually nearing the end of its journey. Currently in Chicago until Decmeber, it has two more stops: Fort Worth Museum of Science & History, Fort Worth, TX, (February - April 2008) and the The Science Museum of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN, (June - October 2008).

     Admission will be $17 for adults and $14.50 for ages 4 to 12 and 60 and older. Personally, climbing aboard The Falcon will be worth the price of admission alone

related links:
Official release from StarWars.com
Wikipedia profile