Film – Page 2 – rgbFilter

The Last Exorcism review

August 18, 2010August 18, 2010 Doug Groves Eli Roth, Film, review, TADFF, The Last Exorcism, Toronto After Dark Film Festival2 Comments

When going into The Last Excorcism, which played Monday night at the Toronto After Dark Film Festival, I wasn’t sure what to expect. I had seen the trailers, and at first blush it seemed to be treading the same ground as other documentary style horror films, from Blair Witch to Paranormal Activity, and it was also tackling the exorcism sub-genre that The Exorcist still holds the crown after almost 40 years earlier still holds the crown for. All this, combined with the name Eli Roth, made me wary. Though not…

4th dimension surfing as video art

August 8, 2010August 6, 2010 Doug Groves animation, Creative Commons, Don Whitaker, Film, MotherNatureVideos, Processing, script, slit-scan, time slicing, video1 Comment

I actually came across the above video via Boing Boing a couple of days ago, but just haven’t stopped watching it, so that’s why it’s getting posted on a Sunday morning. In the video, Don Whitaker has taken footage of the Oregon coast, and by putting it through a Processing script that re-creates the slitscan technique for the digital age, creates a haunting and sometimes eerie landscape that appears to be at point plucked straight out of one’s subconsciousness. Slitscan imaging techniques are used to create static images of time-based…

Toronto Underground Cinema’s ‘The Rep’ Web Series

August 4, 2010 drsquid canada, Film, The Rep, Toronto, Toronto Underground Cinema, web series, webisodes, webseries1 Comment

Our new favourite Toronto rep cinema, the Toronto Underground Cinema, surprised us a few weeks ago when they released the first episode of their new webseries: That’s right folks! Consider yourselves lucky, for you’ve just stumbled upon a brand new web series shot live on location at The Toronto Underground Cinema. Each month will bring you a new episode about the ups and downs of running a movie theatre, and an inside look at something many of us film fans have thought of doing! Can you think of anything cooler…

Toronto After Dark Film Festival announces lineup

July 30, 2010 Doug Groves Bloor Cinema, Doghouse, festival, Film, horror, I Spit On Your Grave, Jake West, sci-fi, TADFF, The Last Lovecraft, Toronto After Dark Film Festival2 Comments

The Toronto After Dark Film Festival has opened its online box office and released their 2010 lineup. This is the 5th year for the TADFF, which runs from August 13th to 20th at the legendary Bloor Cinema. TADFF’s eclectic mix of horror, sci-fi and other genre pictures often includes a number of films that rarely get Canadian screening, and it’s good to see they’re keeping up with that tradition. Although the whole lineup is solid, like every year, there are a few films in particular that stand out. This time…

Raindance Canada – July Workshops and Seminars

July 12, 2010July 12, 2010 kingpinlei canada, Film, filmmaking, Raindance Canada, seminar, workshop6 Comments

Want to make movies? Have the hankering to finally tell a story instead of filming the family dog yapping away for the umpteenth time? Then read on fellow lens-jockeys. Raindance Canada is back this July with a slate of awesome workshops and seminars geared towards teaching the fine art of filmmaking.

Jaws turns 35, still looks fake

June 19, 2010June 20, 2010 Danny X anniversary, CHUD, Cinema, Film, Jaws, Spielberg, Steven Spielberg1 Comment

It was on June 20, 1975 that audiences first bore witness to perhaps the greatest opening sequence in cinematic history: that of Christine Watkins taking her drunk boyfriend down to the shores of Amity Island for a little moonlight skinny dipping. We all know how that turned out, and audiences became so horrified and fascinated that some, even today, have trouble going into the water. Jaws was a watershed film, a monumental success born of monumental failure. The well-documented reports of problems with writing, staffing, production, and pretty much everything…

NXNE 2010 kicks into gear

June 15, 2010 Doug Groves Film, Iggy And The Stooges, interactive, Music, North By Northwest, NXNE, NXNE 2010, NXNEi, Toronto2 Comments

It was a different world when Toronto’s NXNE (North By Northwest don’t you know) started out in 1994 as a music festival, based on the model by sister event SXSW (South By Southwest, natch). Even in the early days, NXNE was an ambitious affair with dozens of venues and enough bands, and music lovers, to fill them up. Since then the festival has grown and evolved, adding the film component in 2001, and most recently introducing NXNE interactive. Although nothing so big is expected here, it was at SXSW interactive…

New Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World trailer & on-set interview

June 1, 2010June 3, 2010 drsquid Comic, Edgar Wright, Film, interview, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Michael Cera, movie, Scott Pilgrim, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, trailer4 Comments

Yesterday, the second trailer for Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World was released after Edgar Wright had decided to withhold its premiere until his Twitter campaign reaped a desired 100,000 ‘likes’ on Facebook. It was a little disappointing to find out that he was clamouring for ‘likes’ on a site that many people have moved on from. And, naturally, the cynic in me suspected that, even if the goal hadn’t been met, the trailer would have come out all the same. This trailer gives us a much better look at the…

Toronto Underground Cinema open for business

May 29, 2010 Doug Groves big trouble in little china, clue, Film, interview, theatre, torontoundergroundcinema1 Comment

Though the Toronto Underground Cinema officially launched its regular schedule last night, a couple of weeks back they held a free screening of “Clue” and “Big Trouble In Little China”. At that showing, we had a chance to talk with Charlie Lawton, Alex Woodside and Nigel Agnew about their plans for the literally underground theatre. This weekend’s line up includes Rumble In The Bronx, Runaways, A Prophet, Ghost Writer and one I’m definitely planning on seeing, Hard Core Logo. If you haven’t already seen the 1996 film from Canadian director…

Toronto Underground Cinema opening night event on May 14th

May 13, 2010May 13, 2010 drsquid Bloor Cinema, Cinema, event, Film, Toronto, Underground3 Comments

The Toronto Underground Cinema, formerly the Golden Classics Cinema, on 186 Spadina Ave, is having an opening night FREE double bill of Clue, and Big Trouble in Little China! This new cinema is run by former employees of the Bloor cinema, who left to open a theatre that focused more on ‘cult classics, seldom-seen treasures, popular favourites, and whatever else kicks cinematic ass.’ Opening night is Friday, May 14th, and will be celebrated with a double bill that highlights the Underground’s ethos: 7:00 — Clue (1985): Based on the Hasbro…

The People vs. George Lucas: the verdict?

May 3, 2010May 4, 2010 Doug Groves Alexandre O. Phillipe, Film, Hot Docs, review, SXSW, The People vs. George Lucas, Toronto7 Comments

Ever since the release of The Phantom Menace, Star Wars fans old and new have debated the merits of the new trilogy, and Lucas’ decision to drastically alter the original trilogy to make it more ‘modern’, not just in the effects department, but taking some rough edges off main characters. The new documentary The People vs. George Lucas, from director Alexandre O. Phillipe, is a good distillation of that debate. It offers up, in a compressed timeline, an overview of the history of George Lucas and the almost religious following…

Zacuto’s HD-DSLR vs Film Shootout!

April 21, 2010May 31, 2010 kingpinlei Canon, Digital Single Reflex Camera, DSLR, Film, HD, High Definition, Nikon, Panasonic, shootout, Still, Zacuto4 Comments

**UPDATE: Zacuto has finally released Part 3 of their incredible HD-DSLR vs 35mm Film Shootout! This EP focuses on resolution tests with all these cameras plus the new Canon T2i and green-screen compositing tests. The green-screen tests are VERY interesting indeed. Hit up the link at the end of this article to watch all the camera goodness. HD-DSLRs have arrived! While indie filmmakers –including yours truly– have applauded its arrival, many professionals in the Film and Television industry still think of them as a fad, not to be taken seriously. …