Video: WITCHING & BITCHING Complete World Premiere Post-Screening Q&A

The complete WITCHING & BITCHING Midnight Madness World Premiere Q&A.

Video: WITCHING & BITCHING World Premiere Interview with Alex de la Iglesia

Alex de la Iglesia talks to Robert A. Mitchell at the world premiere of his latest film, Witching & Bitching.

Last Chance To See OCULUS

2013 Blackberry Midnight Madness People's Choice Award runner-up Oculus has one more screening. And if awards aren't enough of an impetus, this is the scary mirror film that made MM Photographer Ian Goring cover his mirror to keep all bad things out or in (whichever).

Photographic documentation of Oculus' creepiness.

OCULUSFinal Screening:

Sunday, Sept 15th, 6:00 PM SCOTIABANK 11

OCULUS: Interview with Director Mike Flanagan

[MM Blogger Sasha James interviews the director of Oculus, Mike Flanagan. ~The Editor]

Tim Russell (Brenton Thwaites; the upcoming Maleficent) has spent the majority of his life in a psychiatric hospital after the brutal and mysterious family tragedy that claimed the lives of both his parents. Convinced his father is to blame, Tim is released from hospital only to discover that his sister Kaylie -- played by Doctor Who darling Karen Gillan -- has spent the intervening years tracking down the real culprit: a cursed mirror with a 300-year murder streak. Oculus also stars Battlestar Gallactica fan favourite Katee Sackhoff and Rory Cochrane (Argo, Dazed and Confused). 

Before its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival, we were able to geek out with director Mike Flanagan (Absentia) about Doctor Who, The Shining, and Midnight Madness' rowdy reputation.

SJ: Oculus is based on a short you made in 2006 called Oculus: Chapter 3. How did you expand your short into a feature-length film? 

Mike Flanagan: That was actually really challenging. The short is just one man alone in a room with the mirror and a few video cameras. Finding a way to expand that into a feature took a long time, and really needed the right producers. My writing partner Jeff Howard and I kicked around several options, including allowing that story to simply be one act of the feature and bookend it with two other half-hour stories -- kind of like an anthology film. There was a lot of interest early in expanding the short into a feature, but most companies were leaning toward a found footage approach because of the cameras in the room, which was a direction we never really wanted to go. 

It took us a little while to hit on the idea that it was actually two people in the room who share a troubled past and have different interpretations of what is happening. The Mulder/Scully dynamic really felt right, and things took off quickly from there. 

When Intrepid Pictures came on board, they had a similar vision for an expansion of the short. They didn't want to do found footage -- which was a relief -- and they really embraced the idea that we'd take everything about the short we loved and try to genuinely expand the universe around it. We developed the script with Trevor Macy, Marc Evans and Anil Kurian at Intrepid, and very quickly hit upon the concept of the siblings locked in the room with the mirror, interwoven with the (possibly unreliable) story of their childhood. 

That allowed us to remain true to the tension and contained nature of the short while expanding the universe and characters in ways that added tension and allowed for us to really play with the non-linear aspects of the story. 

SJ: Where were you first introduced to Karen Gillan? Are you a fan of DOCTOR WHO? 

MF: I'm a huge fan of Doctor Who. I pitched her to the producers on the first day that we started talking about casting. We auditioned a number of actresses and it took weeks for us to get in touch with Karen, as she was shooting Doctor Who at the time. I used to come into casting sessions and open with "Have we heard from Karen Gillan?" We were just about nearing the end of the casting process when she surfaced. She loved the script and the short film, and suddenly she was a realistic possibility for Kaylie. 

We arranged a Skype [interview], which was a fairly embarrassing moment for me when I realized, at the end of the call, that I'd been drinking coffee out of my TARDIS mug the entire time. I pulled selections from episodes of Doctor Who to show members of our team who weren't familiar with her work. I found out she was in LA shortly before [San Diego Comic Con in] 2012, and I ran out of our production offices to meet up with her and try to talk her into doing it -- also an embarrassment as I just happened to be wearing a Doctor Who shirt that day and completely forgot until she noticed. I'm such a nerd.

The couple of weeks in between making our offer and closing her deal was one of the highest stress times of this entire movie for me. She was just perfect for the role -- such a rare blend of strength, attitude, and vulnerability. Once we had her though, I knew the movie was going to work. There's a sequence in it where she presents the history of the mirror, and it was an intimidating amount of dialogue for any actor to handle. She dominates it. Not many actors could pull off what she does in this film. 

I'm also a huge Battlestar Galatica fan, so, when we cast Katee Sackhoff, I was officially in geek heaven. 

SJ: It's rare to have a film with a brother/sister team-up, and I find it incredibly refreshing to see this relationship in Oculus. Why do you think there are not more brother/sister films? 

MF: Honestly, I think it's because people tend to lean on sexual tension to develop characters in genre films. Having main characters who are, were, or might be banging is an old genre staple. Which is odd because, if it's me, sexual tension is the first thing to disappear in a situation where lives are in danger. Kinda hard to sustain the mood, you know? 

I get why it's done that way so often, and it can be done very well. But siblings -- hopefully -- eliminate that dynamic entirely from the equation and, in my opinion, replace it with much more interesting subtext. These are people who know each other very well, as opposed to still figuring each other out; who are comfortable enough to be themselves without pretext; who love each other, truly accept each other. There's nothing frivolous about it. There's no politeness. They can say what they really think without fear of damaging the relationship. That ease of honesty is fascinating to me. Their emotional investment in each other and in their survival is so much deeper than a romantic one. For me, it's so much more dynamic. 

It was such a blast for me dealing with a sister dynamic in my last movie Absentia that I was really eager to dive further into a sibling relationship for this one. I also have a terrific relationship with my younger brother, and I am always struck by [how] our interactions with each other are different than my interactions with even my closest friends. There are films that use the sibling dynamic to great effect, and I wish there were more of them. 

SJ: Were there any films that influenced you while directing Oculus? The Haunting and The Legend of Hell House strike me as influences. 

MF: Those are certainly two of my favourites. I also spent a lot of time revisiting The Shining -- I would sometimes refer to the mirror as a portable Overlook Hotel -- as well as recent hits like Insidious and foreign fare like A Tale of Two Sisters. I was also influenced by Stephen King's short story "1408", which remains one of the most frightening stories I've ever read. I love a contained space, and I love stories that build upon a long history and mythology for their supernatural entities. 

SJ: Before Oculus was selected for TIFF, were you aware of Midnight Madness and its rowdy reputation? 

MF: Absolutely. I've been a fan of Midnight Madness for years just because I'm such a genre fan. It always has such a fascinating lineup, and the audiences are legendary. It was kind of surreal hearing that we were accepted, as I'd always viewed Midnight Madness as the pinnacle platform for exciting, unique genre films to meet their intended, enthusiastic audience. I'm still kind of pinching myself to be included in such amazing company. 

SJ: What films are you looking forward to watching at the Festival this year? 

MF: I'm really psyched for Horns. I love the book and am dying to see how it translates to the screen. I'm also lining up for All Cheerleaders Must Die; I'm a big fan of Lucky McKee. I'm really curious to see The Station; I love a good creature feature. I'm dying to catch Josh Waller's McCanick, which was put together by some very good friends of mine. I'd love to see Errol Morris' The Unknown Known. And, of course, Gravity. That trailer knocked me over.

Mike Flanagan's Oculus stars Karen Gillan and Katee Sackhoff, and premiered at this year's Toronto International Film Festival within the Midnight Madness programme. Further information about the film can be found on the Festival website.
 

OCULUS Final Screening:

Sunday, Sept 15th, 6:00 PM SCOTIABANK 11

RIGOR MORTIS: Legend of the One-Eyebrow Priest

Lam Ching-Ying looking to take care of business

 Juno Mak's Rigor Mortis pays homage to the hopping vampire films of yore, in particular, the Mr. Vampire series starring, Lam Ching-Ying as Kau, the One-Eyebrow Taoist priest who specializes in taking care of vampires, who despite their terrible behavior, are still someone's beloved ancestors.
And he is always beset by both gueng si/ gyonshi, aka, hopping vampires, and two disciples who just do not listen.

In Mr. Vampire (1985), the first disciple, played by director Ricky Lau, is bitten by a vampire, and does not recieve the proper groceries he needs to stop him from starting to transform.

Director or not, this is what happens to shoppers who are not vigilant in buying glutinous rice and/or duck eggs.

Kau's second disciple, played by Chou Siu-Ho (Rigor Mortis), is seduced by a ghost living out in the woods in the form of a beautiful woman. Though she is borne by terrifying singing children, Chau-Sang finds her charming.

Charming!

Kau has a lot on his hands without even attempting to solve the bigger problem, a terrifying vampire, played by Yuen Wah, made incredibly strong by being buried in defiance of all sensible feng shui.


He had been in Sammo Hung's Encounter Of The Spooky Kind (1980), which created the whole genre of kung fu horror comedy. And after starring in Mr. Vampire, Lam went on to star in Mr. Vampire II, Mr. Vampire III and Mr. Vampire 1992 (1992), and Encounter of the Spooky Kind II (1990). He directed and starred in Vampire vs. Vampire (1989) and appeared in Musical Vampire (1992).
 

In fact, Lam starred in something like 130 films before dying in 1997 at the age of 46. He was a gifted martial artist and action choreographer.  He also appeared in  films that had nothing to do with vampires at all, including small parts or appearances as an extra in A Touch Of Zen (1971); The Lady Hermit (1971) with Cheng Pei-Pei;  The Big Boss/Fists Of Fury (1971) with Bruce Lee; Hap Ki Do (1972) with Angela Mao Ying;  The Man From Hong Kong (1975) with Jimmy Wang Yu (Soul).

including one of my all-time favorite, The Prodigal Son, in which he plays a Peking Opera performer who specializes in female roles and is also a secret martial arts master


I am also very fond of The Magnificent Butcher (1979)



And, finally, a nice tribute to Lam Ching-Ying.

RIGOR MORTIS Final Screening:

Friday, Sept 13th, 6:00 PM SCOTIABANK 9
 

SOULFinal Screening:

Saturday, Sept 14th, 12:00 PM SCOTIABANK 10

"Brutal Grace: A Tribute to Lau Kar-Leung"

If you haven't gotten enough Chinese genre cinema at with Rigor Mortis or Soul (Starring Jimmy Wang Yu), make the scene at "Brutal Grace,"a tribute to the recently departed director, choreographer and martial artist Lau Kar-Leung.  There will be a panel discussion of his legacy and a screening of two of his films.

Eight-Diagram Pole Fighter (1984) starring Alexander Fu-Sheng; Gordon Liu (Thirty-Six Chambers of Shaolin); Kara Hui (Rigor Mortis); and Lau Kar-Leung himself.

And one of my hands-down favorite films ever, Dirty Ho (1976) starring Wong Yu (not Jimmy Wang Yu from Soul), Kara Hui (again); Gordon Liu and professional villain, Lo Lieh.




Finally, here's a little tribute to Lau Kar-Leung, who still appeared occasionally in his own films. Here he takes on Sammo Hung in Pedicab Driver (1989)




In the meantime, you still have a chance to catch Juno Mak's Rigor Mortis and Jimmy Wang Yu's not necessarily heroic bloodshed in Soul.

RIGOR MORTIS Final Screening:

Friday, Sept 13th, 6:00 PM SCOTIABANK 9

SOUL Final Screening:

Saturday, Sept 14th, 12:00 PM SCOTIABANK 10

Video: RIGOR MORTIS Midnight Madness Premiere Post-Screening Q&A with Juno Mak

The RIGOR MORTIS premiere post-screening Q&A video.


RIGOR MORTIS Final Screening:
Friday, Sept 13th, 6:00 PM SCOTIABANK 9

RIGOR MORTIS Midnight Madness Premiere Interview with JUNO MAK

Last night was the North American premiere of Juno Mak's directorial debut RIGOR MORTIS. It was a very rainy and humid night which very much felt like a Hong Kong evening. Robert A. Mitchell spoke with Juno about his first film as a director, influences and, of course, those hopping vampires from Hong Kong's glorious golden age of cinema.


RIGOR MORTIS Final Screening:
Friday, Sept 13th, 6:00 PM SCOTIABANK 9

Video: ALMOST HUMAN World Premiere Post-Screening Q&A

Here is the world premiere post screening Q&A for ALMOST HUMAN



Last chance to see ALMOST HUMAN:
Friday, Sept 13th, 2:30 PM SCOTIABANK 9

Video: ALMOST HUMAN World Premiere Interviews

ALMOST HUMAN had it's world premiere last night. It was reported that the last that was seen of Robert A. Mitchell was just prior to numerous reports of a bluish beam of the light from the sky that washed out the red carpet in bluish hues. Attempts to reach him have proven fruitless, however, this footage of interviews with the director Joe Begos and his cast and crew was uploaded from an disclosed location.



ALMOST HUMAN Screening Times:
Wednesday, Sept 11th, 7:15 PM SCOTIABANK 3
Friday, Sept 13th, 2:30 PM SCOTIABANK 9
 

Video: AFFLICTED World Premiere Post-Screening Q&A

Here is the AFFLICTED world premiere post-screening Q&A.



The last screening of AFFLICTED is today:
Wednesday, Sept 11th, 8:45 PM SCOTIABANK 9

Video: OCULUS World Premiere Post Screening Q&A

 

Here is the OCULUS world premiere post-screening Q&A video.

There is one more screening of  OCULUS:
Sunday, Sept 15th, 6:00 PM SCOTIABANK 11
 

RIGOR MORTIS Premieres Tonight!

Buy a bag of glutinous rice, cover your house in yellow charms and find yourself a Taoist priest, preferably one with a unibrow, because RIGOR MORTIS premieres tonight with a new, deadlier take on gueng si, aka, "hopping vampires!"



RIGOR MORTIS Screening Times:
Wednesday, Sept 11th, 11:59 PM RYERSON
Thursday, Sept 12th, 12:45 PM TIFF BELL LIGHTBOX 2
Friday, Sept 13th, 6:00 PM SCOTIABANK 9

Juno Mak Talks RIGOR MORTIS: Exclusive Interview

First of all, I would like to say I feel very honored to be able to participate in this year’s Toronto International Film Festival ”midnight madness” section. I'm writing this email in Venice at the moment, where the film will be premiereing here tonight. -- Juno Mak writing from Venice

Robert Mitchell: What do you like about genre films?

Juno Mak: I guess what’s fun about genre films throughout cinematic history is mainly because of the specific ”sets of rules” that apply to them. Such as zombies, you have to shoot them in the head. Vampires with silver and all. And then we have ”gueng si”, the traditional hopping vampires from Asia. Glutinous rice, wooden swords, yellow amulets, taoist priest, etc., etc. These rules only apply to this particular genre. A funky, yet special, type of rules, may I say.

But these genre rules have been evolving throughout the years too. It's a sort of evolution amongst us storytellers.

RM: How are you putting your own spin on genre storytelling?

JM: I want to explore the evolution of this genre. More humane, more focused on the drama, the sadness. We have also gathered the original elements from the genre, deconstructed and reconstructed it. Giving it a new touch, and most importantly, I, personally, wanted to explore the emotional side of it. The struggles these characters go through in life. The main theme of this film is about ”the fear of being forgotten” or even the fear of losing youth. Some sort of loneliness among us as humans. The world changed, everyone changed and adapted to a better life. But these characters they didn't.

RM: What did you like about the orginal Mr. Vampire films that were apart of "gueng si"genre?

JM: To me, the original Mr Vampire films represent not only a big part of my childhood. But also a golden time period of the Hong Kong cinematic history. Anyhow, the ”gueng si” genre has been gone for almost 30 years now.

RM: You cast a lot of the original actors from the Mr. Vampire films, what made you decide to bring them into the film and what was it like to work with them?

JM: What really fascinated me was the wrinkles on the actors and actresses faces after so many years. It, for me, represented their sorrow, their struggles in the most powerful, yet subtle way. I'm sure they have been through a lot being on the film set of RIGOR MORTIS. I sensed that this was not only a sort of revisiting the genre for myself as a director, or even a script writer. It was  a revisiting for every one of them. A bond that belonged to them. I'm glad to be among the original actors.

RM: What would you say you have done with the "gueng si" genre conventions and made them your own?

JM:  RIGOR MORTIS itself is not a remake of the original, nor a sequel or prequel. To me personally its more like some sort of a revisit to the genre. The film is about life, not purely a gore slasher, but also an evolution of the genre, with a heavy yet dramatic twist on the story. I have personally taken out the comedic element from among the elements in the original. There might be some sort of humor in RIGOR MORTIS, but the film is not purely a comedy.

Thanks, Juno Mak from taking time out of your very busy schedule to talk with us. Can't wait to meet you in Toronto! -- Robert A. Mitchell

RIGOR MORTIS Screening Times:
Wednesday, Sept 11th, 11:59 PM RYERSON
Thursday, Sept 12th, 12:45 PM TIFF BELL LIGHTBOX 2
Friday, Sept 13th, 6:00 PM SCOTIABANK 9

AFFLICTED Midnight Madness World Premiere Interviews

AFFLICTED had it's world premiere last night at Midnight Madness. Here are Robert A. Mitchell's interviews with Derek Lee and Clif Prowse the writing, directing and acting team behind the film.



AFFLICTED Screening Times:
Wednesday, Sept 11th, 8:45 PM SCOTIABANK 9

RIGOR MORTIS: Juno Mak: Director and Pop Star!

According to his Chapel of Dawn site, Juno Mak is a Pisces, enjoys comics and free-fighting in his spare time and his favorite food is hot pot and his favorite song is Metallica's "Sad But True." 
And just by looking there, you can probably tell that the Rigor Mortis director has a career going besides making scary vampire movies. He's a pop singer with sweet music videos, fine dance moves and twelve albums (two with special releases) to his name.
So let's enjoy a couple of his music videos.





As if becomming a popstar at 18 isn't enough, Mak's acted in four films,  Dream Home (2010);


 Revenge: A Love Story (2010);



As well as in Let's Go (2011);  and the "Ah Wai, 'The Big Head'" segment, Por See Yee (2007).

He's also teamed up with his Hong Kong music label, Silly Things, to create his own clothing label, Chapel of Dawn, taking its name from his 2007 album. There are special items the proceeds of which go to charity.

After the Sichuan earthquake happened in May 2008, Juno originated a charity campaign, to sell charity items produced by "Chapel of Dawn" in Hong Kong, Japan, France and the US. Later on, Juno kept developing projects under the concept of “Chapel of Dawn” by collaborating with his old or newly made partners like "Colette”, "Hello Kitty", "Backbone", Mihara Yasuhiro and many others come and counting.

And here's his blog at Silly Thing's Think Silly community.

RIGOR MORTIS Screening Times:

Wednesday, Sept 11th, 11:59 PM RYERSON

Thursday, Sept 12th, 12:45 PM TIFF BELL LIGHTBOX 2

Friday, Sept 13th, 6:00 PM SCOTIABANK 9

Colin Geddes' Zine Asian Eye Prepares You for RIGOR MORTIS!

Way back before Colin Geddes ever programmed Midnight Madness, he was a zinester, editing Asian Eye: The Occidental Tourist's Guide to Oriental Pop Culture.

Click through to a fully-readable copy of Asian Eye #2.

You can familiarize yourself with gyonshi, aka, "hopping vampires" before seeing Rigor Mortis, Juno Mak's tribute to the gyonshi classic, Mr. Vampire. (Cover by T.S. Hart)

RIGOR MORTIS Screening Times:
Wednesday, Sept 11th, 11:59 PM RYERSON
Thursday, Sept 12th, 12:45 PM TIFF BELL LIGHTBOX 2
Friday, Sept 13th, 6:00 PM SCOTIABANK 9

THE STATION: Creature Designs, Part II

Just a few more of TOMAK's design sketches for the creatures of The Station. Usually, we'd include captions, but they're just too nice for any rascalry. (See Part I here).

Find more by and about TOMAK here.

THE STATION Screening Times:

Friday, Sept 13th, 9:15 PM SCOTIABANK 9

ALMOST HUMAN Premieres Tonight!

Get out your bloodied implements and lock the door against unspeakable terror (and maybe wear safety goggles or something to keep it out of your eyes if the poster is anything to go by) because ALMOST HUMAN premieres tonight!

Seriously, really consider safety googles. Or maybe some kind of hazmat suit because that poster reminds me of John Carpenter's The Thing, if the Thing was also an ax-murderer, which is at least six times worse than the regular the Thing.

At least six times worse

ALMOST HUMAN Screening Times:

Tuesday, Sept 10th, 11:59 PM RYERSON

Wednesday, Sept 11th, 7:15 PM SCOTIABANK 3

Friday, Sept 13th, 2:30 PM SCOTIABANK 9

Video: OCULUS World Premiere Interviews

OCULUS the new film from director Mike Flanagan had it's world premiere at Midnight Madness Sunday night. If you like a creepy, get under your skin, thoughtful horror film that weaves a story I can truthfully say this film delivered the goods. The film is deeply affective, foreboding atmospheric work that shows a craftsmanship seldom seen in most horror films or most films for that matter.

Here is Robert A. Mitchell's interviews with Mike, one of the composers and the cast.


OCULUS Screening Times:
Tuesday, Sept 10th, 4:15 PM SCOTIABANK 14
Sunday, Sept 15th, 6:00 PM SCOTIABANK 11