Talking with Wuershan & Daniel Yu. The Butcher, the Chef and the Swordsman.

Just prior to the world premiere of the Butcher, the Chef and the Swordsman I had the opportunity to have a few words with the Wuershan, the director of the film and Daniel Yu the producer. Here is that footage.

Red Nights: Red Carpet Interviews

Wednesday night proved to be a nice affair when the beautiful and talented Ms. Carrie Ng arrived at the premiere of her film, Red Nights. Along with her came the directors Julien Carbon and Laurent Courtiaud.

Red Nights still screens:
Sunday, Sept. 19th at 5:45pm at the Scotiabank Theatre #11

Midnight Producers Part 6: Larry Fessenden - STAKE LAND

This is the last in my series, Meet the Producers of Midnight Madness 2010



Let me introduce you to legendary N.Y. producer Larry Fessenden, producer of Stake Land







Larry Fessenden may not be a name you instantly recognize but the name is one that has probably been involved in some of your favorite films. At this year's Midnight Madness alone Mr. Fessenden's reach is felt, from Ron Perlman that has worked numerous times with Mr Fessenden, from The Last Winter which was written and directed by Larry as well as I Sell The Dead which Mr. Fessenden not only produced with his company Glass Eye Pix but also acted in. If you were looking really close during Brad Anderson's Vanishing on 7th St, there was Larry on the big screen again, which brings me to Stake Land. Stake Land was also produced by Glass Eye Pix. He has over forty acting credits, has produced 35 films and has numerous directing credits for feature films, shorts and documentaries. In short. Mr. Fessenden is not only a remarkable talent but is truly a tireless advocate for independent cinema.













1) As others are talking about recession and economic downturns you and Glass Eye Pix seems to be thriving in the film world, how do you equate your success in remaining in business and producing quality work?

We were very fortunate to have had financial support throughout the recession of Dark Sky Films. The association began with Ti West’s THE HOUSE OF THE DEVIL and that lead us to strike a deal to produce three more movies over the course of 18 months: BITTER FEAST, STAKE LAND and HYPOTHERMIA. And that was followed by another Ti West film, THE INNKEEPERS. So we’ve had a very good run of it with Dark Sky. In the 2000’s Glass Eye Pix invested in the careers of several filmmakers including Ti West, Graham Reznick, James McKenney, and Glenn McQuaid, as well as Kelly Reichardt and Ilya Chaiken, and the consistent model was to make films of artistic integrity at a very low budget. During more lucrative times we could get reimbursed for our efforts. It is our hope that in these lean years our model of frugality and originality will be attractive to new investors. It is important not to discount the sheer talent we have tapped in to. And I believe there is a tone throughout all the films from Glass Eye Pix that stands in marked contrast to the mainstream or even “indie” output and that is our brand.

2) How difficult was it to find the money to produce Stake Land? What challenges did you face that were unique to this film?

Stake Land was the most solid pitch we had for our slate of three movies with Dark Sky Films; it had the elements that looked good on paper: vampires, the post apocalyptic setting, and the director Jim Mickle had made a successful first film but still was hungry enough to go from no budget to low budget with gusto and conviction. So the film was financed easily, as part of an overall slate. The challenges were many from there. First, the script had to be reworked over several months to shape it into the feature it’s become, and then the epic scope of the story had to be fit into the budget. We determined to split the shoot into two parts, so we could experience on film the change in seasons. This was a gamble that paid off, but one that can stress a budget and crew and spook most financiers. As with all our films, we choose to emphasize post production: sound design, music, graphics, visual effects, the color correct and mix, all are an essential part of the experience we want to deliver, and again, the challenge is to strategize to get the most out of what is left of the budget after a grueling shoot. By using the same team of people in post-production on several films, we have been able to get a lot of bang for the buck.

3) What is something that you have learned as a producer that you wish you knew when you started out with your first feature Habit?

There is no one thing that has changed since I made HABIT in 1994. With HABIT, I established many of the principals that I still employ: A small crew (there were seven of us on HABIT), an open schedule (we shot over 45 days), and a long post-production emphasizing sound design and a rich, live score, all driven by a resourceful, single-minded auteur (which was me at the time). With HABIT, I endured a tsunami of festival and distribution rejections and so I released the film myself, compelling me to learn about marketing and exhibition. That experience taught me that there are no answers in show biz, there is only conviction. I have applied that to film after film with various degrees of success since, and it has helped several careers get started through Glass Eye Pix. Another thing I have learned since HABIT is I need my own producer to take care of the nuts and bolts of production. I may have a philosophical overview that drives the ship, but it was HABIT’s producer Dayton Taylor that got the film made, Jeff Levy-Hinte who got my subsequent films made, and now Peter Phok and Brent Kunkle have been instrumental in getting a slew of new pictures made. Collaboration in film at every level is essential.

Stake Land screens:

Friday, Sept 17 11:59PM RYERSON

Saturday, Sept 18 12:15PM SCOTIABANK THEATRE 4

Sunday Sept, 19 9:00PM AMC2



You can purchase tickets from the official TIFF website.

@thesubstream ♥'s Midnight Madness Episode #7 - RED NIGHTS

"I don't care how kinky you are, there's probably stuff in this film that you either haven't seen or haven't tried."- Colin Geddes

Full coverage and reviews at www.thesubstream.com

thesubstream ♥'s Midnight Madness #1 - FUBAR II & The Legend of Beaver Dam

Opening night brought nothing less than madness to the midnight hour as not one, but two - yes two great Canadian filmmakers showed a packed house how it's done. A Midnight Madness first!

Here's to sharing 9 more of our favorite nights of the year with the best movie fans anywhere!




REVIEW - FUBAR II

It's better than Mon Oncle Antoine. Seriously

FUBAR II might be one of the top three or four best Canadian feature films I've ever seen.

Being more definitive and specific than that'd have me going way back through the dusty NFB byways and Claude Jutraian alleys of my memory which, well, I won't... so suffice it to say that it's riotously funny, transgressive and daring and filled to bursting with style and radiant dirtbag warmth.

It's a film that's not shot in Toronto or Vancouver, that's not about isolation or Hockey (well, not really), a film that tells a story almost no one else is interested in telling, from a place no one else is interested in visiting. It's the kind of film that should be opening the 2010 edition of TIFF rather than inaugurating that festival's best programme, Midnight Madness. Not that I'm complaining: moving the screening up the clock and down the street might have put the kibosh on the film's stars arrival at last night's screening, piped down Gerrard on a float accompanied by dancing girls and a band pounding out AC/DC.

The sequel to his 2002 surprise hit and cult favourite mockumentary FUBAR, director Michael Dowse and leads David Lawrence and Paul Spence have a bigger budget to work with this time around. They spent it making a much better film, a kinetic piss-take-cum-homage to films like Goin' Down the Road and the hoary old NFB docs that aimed to explain Canada to Canadians.

We catch up with best friends Terry (Lawrence) and Dean (Spence) in Calgary, celebrating Dean's 5 years of health post-cancer while simultaneously longing to get out of town and stop scraping by. They're visited by the enormous, rapping wrecking-ball Tron (Andrew Sparacino) who promises them jobs in Fort McMurray just before laying absolute waste to their apartment in what's for my money the funniest out-of-control-party scenes in film history (that's a list I can be more definitive about). They leave town and find work in Fort McMoney, shortly after Terry finds love at the local peelers. While Terry moves down the path towards domesticity, Terry tries to apply the brakes, and tries to game the Worker's Comp board by smashing his leg with a wooden post.

The film is vile and violent and full of people making horrible decisions, full of stupidity and cruelty and pettiness. It's also hilariously funny and brimming with heart, which is its most surprising, charming quality.

Terry and Dean are funny hoser stereotypes in the grand Canuck tradition of Bob & Doug or Bubbles, Ricky and Julian but in Dowse's film, as he makes the pair wend their way through the emotional detours prompted by a recurrence of testicular cancer and pride and adultery and success and failure, an astonishing shining warmth and authenticity breaks through the film's beer-drenched, long-haired facade. Their friendship, Terry's love for his loud, cruel wife and Dean's love for his daughter form a weirdly powerful emotional anchor that not only makes the film funnier, but makes it seem real in a way that few films, Canadian or otherwise, can match. 9/10

Mike Cameron

FUBAR II: Giv'r Improv!

Fubar II is without a doubt one of the great Canadian comedies of all time. What is one of the reasons for its greatness, you may ask?

Well, this film is 100% improvised! It's the Hoser Easy Rider! Here is a slice from last night's Q&A session (where Terry and Dean are out of character, I may add) and they address whether or not the film was scripted.

*WARNING* Spoilers are sort of contained in this clip.

I strongly urge you to see this with a TIFF audience. You have one last chance to do so if you can get to the Varsity theatre and giv'r by Saturday!

Fubar II screens:
Saturday, Sept. 11th at 12:00pm at the Varsity 8

You can buy tickets from the official TIFF website