A Night Under The Stars With Audrey Hepburn

Toronto is and probably always will be one of my favourite cities, and as a new resident, I am already jumping on as many opportunities as I can to explore and take part in Toronto's culture and events. One of my favourite things already about Toronto is the ability to take part in the many events the Toronto International Film Festival Group and TIFF Bell Lightbox has to offer. TIFF and the Toronto Entertainment District BIA have been hosting special free, I repeat free, screenings of Romance Classics every wednesday night at David Pecaut Square running from July through August.

The theme of this ongoing summer event is "A Summer of Romance" with classics like Sleepless in Seattle, Clueless, City Lights, and Sense and Sensibility on the list. Last night was the screening of the 1953 classic Roman Holiday that won Audrey Hepburn an Academy Award and launched her career. And I mean, who wouldn't want to spend a night with Audrey under the stars? Here are some photos of the event.

David Pecaut Square, west of Roy Thomson Hall

 So bring your blankets and pull out chairs because next week, the Nicholas Sparks classic The Notebook will be concluding this summer event! Check out tiff's website for more details.

Stay tuned for my TIFF experience starting in September.

New Trailer: Scarlett Johansson is the Must-Have Gadget in Her

In a technology enriched society, with gadgets left and right designed to meet our every need, it's not hard to admit they are becoming almost human-like. And it's not hard to admit we've got deeper connections with our gadgets than we do with some of our fellow humans. Spike Jonze, director of Being John Malkovich and Where The Wild Things Are explores this concept in his new love story with a twist: Her. The film stars Joaquin Phoenix as Theodore, a lonely divorced writer, who develops the most unlikely relationship with his newly purchased operating system "Samantha", voiced by Scarlett Johansson, who is designed to grant his every command. A weirdly fascinating idea, it feels similar to the idea of falling in love with Siri, except Samantha's a little more advanced, almost human actually, and the sound of Scarlett Johansson's voice is there at the click of a button. The film continues to present itself with a strong female cast, with Rooney Mara, Amy Adams, and Olivia Wilde also starring. Her is set to open later this year on November 20th.

What do you think of the trailer?

Another Year of Madness: TIFF's Midnight Madness Lineup

One of the things I've yet to experience at Toronto International Film Festival is Midnight Madness. As one might know, Midnight Madness are special midnight screenings showcasing the best of the "wild side" of cinema. There's something thrilling about gathering with a bunch of strangers, in the middle of the night, in the streets of Toronto, and bond over our madness for mad cinema.

It's a new year, and TIFF has just announced their new lineup for the best in action, horror, shock, and fantasy.

Afflicted 
Directed by Derek Lee and Clif Prowse, the film follows two friends who, on a trip around the world, undergo a strange and sickly transformation after a mysterious meeting with a woman. Shot in a documentary style narrative, Afflicted is the filmmaker duo's feature debut.

Almost Human
Also with a feature debut, US filmmaker Joe Begos' horror sci-fi indie flick follows a quiet rural town in Maine, which becomes a raging inferno of axe murders and alien abductions. Blood and gore galore.
Watch the trailer here.

Oculus
This horror, directed by Mike Flanagan tells the story of a woman who tries to absolve her murder-convicted brother, by proving that the crime was committed by a supernatural phenomenon: a 300-year old cursed mirror who has left a trail of bloody tragedy on their family's history.

Rigor Mortis
Director Juno Mak pays homage to the Hong Kong cult classic horror-comedy series of the 1980's. Reuniting some of the original cast members, the films is set in a creepy and moody Hong Kong housing unit, who's halls are occupied by the supernatural.

Why Don't You Play In Hell?
Described to have similarities to Quentin Tarantino's Kill Bill, Japanese director Sion Sono' action flick follows a renegade film crew who becomes entangled with a yakuza clan feud.
Watch the trailer here.

All Cheerleaders Die
In this fresh horror comedy from directors Lucky McKee and Chris Sivertson, a rebel high school outsider signs up a group of cheerleaders to help her take down the captain of their school football team, but a supernatural turn of events plunges the girls in a different, and bloodier, battle.

The Green Inferno
Wizard of the horror genre, Eli Roth returns to the director chair for this gruesome homage to the Italian cannibal films of the 70's-80's. The Green Inferno follows a group of New York City student activists who, on an expedition to save a dying tribe in the Amazon, crash in the jungle and are taken hostage by the very tribe they came to protect.

R100
In this bizarre and humorous take on sex comedy, Japanese director Hitoshi Matsumoto brings us the story of a mild-mannered family man who's secret taste for S&M finds him pursued by a ruthless gang of butt-kicking dominatrixes.





The Station
Marking the first time an Austrian film makes the mix, this horror thriller by Marvin Kren follows the crew of a remote weather research station in the German Alps who soon discover that a retreating glacier is genetically mutating the local wildlife into biological monstrosities.
Watch the trailer here.

Flashback: The Sea of Many Depths in Life of Pi

I suppose in the end, the whole life becomes an act of letting go, but what always hurts the most is not taking a moment to say goodbye.

Best Directing, Best Original Score, Best Cinematography. This 2012 award winning film tells the sweeping story of a young man who, upon surviving a disaster at sea with a single lifeboat, forms the most unlikely connection with another survivor: a Bengal tiger. With vivid imagery and bewitching visual effects, Life of Pi is one of the most visually beautiful films that I've seen in my life time. Through Ang Lee's incredible artistic eye, he is able to communicate a beauty that grants us an experience of eye-opening moments. Life of Pi is a film of moments.

Movie Moment: What do you see? If you look at it, the sea is another entire world, deep and profound, breathing with another force of life. It's an infinite universe immersed with creatures known and unknown, familiar and strange. It's both terrifying and astounding. Understanding the sea is as difficult to grasp as understanding outer space, the universe, and heaven. In this "sea montage scene," Ang Lee bridges the idea of the sea with the universe, with a spiritual approach; The reflecting stars and planets merge with the glowing sea creatures, the sea becomes one with night sky. It's as if the boat is suspended, drifting above this unfathomable universe. Through a montage of images, we are pulled deeper into this expansive sea-universe and see things never imagined to be seen.

What was your Life of Pi Movie Moment?

Toronto International Film Festival Opening Film Announced

A story about the relationship between WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange and his early supporter and colleague Daniel Domscheit-Berg, a story about a friendship torn apart as a website's power and influence expands across the globe. This 2013 thriller drama, The Fifth Estate, will kick off this year's Toronto International Film Festival, which runs between September 5th - 15th. The film, directed by Bill Condon (Dream Girls), stars English actor Benedict Cumberbatch and Spanish-German actor Daniel Brühl.

Cumberbatch seems to be a headliner this festival, with several appearances in several star-studded films. For one, he is among the stars of the Steve McQueen directed film 12 Years A Slave, which will premier at the festival. The film, a pre-civil war historical drama about a free black man who is abducted and sold into slavery, also features the likes of Michael Fassbender, Paul Giamatti, and Brad Pitt.

Among the Gala presentations announced, August: Osage County, a dark comedy drama based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning play, presents an all-star cast of Meryl Streep, Julia Roberts, and Ewan McGregor, with a third Benedict Cumberbatch feature this festival.

Other special presentations announced include, Gravity, the highly anticipated space thriller starring Sandra Bullock and George Clooney; Bad Words, a boisterous comedy directed and starring Jason Bateman, The Invisible Woman, a period drama directed and starring Ralph Fiennes about Charles Dickens' secret affair with young actress Nelly Terman (Felicity Jones); Prisoners, a gripping thriller starring Jake Gyllenhaal and Hugh Jackman; and Tracks, a story about a young woman, played by Mia Wasikowska, who set out on a 2,700 km journey across the Australian outback by foot.

Which TIFF film are you most looking forward to?

Visit tiff.net to view the full list of announcements.

Flashback: Quintessential Quentin Tarantino in Pulp Fiction

Pulp Fiction (n.)

1. A publication, such as a magazine or book, containing lurid subject matter.

2. Mass produced magazine, printed on cheap "pulp" paper.

3. A 1994 Quentin Tarantino classic

Pulp Fiction, directed and written by Quentin Tarantino, intertwines the four stories of two hit men, their mob boss gangster's wife, a boxer, and a pair of diner bandits in one unconventional timeless film. With quintessential Quentin style, it has everything you'd typically find in one of his films: violence, dark comedic moments, and witty dialogue. It was a major breakthrough for not only Tarantino's career but because it turns the gangster crime genre on it's head. Cool guns, fancy suits, the extravagant car chases charge most gangster films. Pulp Fiction, on the other hand, finds it's charge from it's wisecracking witty dialogue, it's alternative long-take camera style, it's blend of many genres, it's trademark non-linear narrative structure, and it's smart, sometimes oddball, cast. 

Tarantino is an undoubtedly a quirky, eccentric, and brilliant original. And his writing truly stems from his originality. He has the ability to focus on small details, often seeming so irrelevant and trivial, and follows them where they lead, even if they move the story away from atypical plot developments. He follows the unconventional path.

"That's when you know you found somebody really special.
When you can just shut the fuck up for a second and comfortably share silence."

Movie Moment: The Diner scene with Vincent (John Travolta) and Mia (Uma Thurman). The scene showcases some of the finest Quentin Tarantino writing. And the writing allows the characters to shine. With the dance number at the end of the scene, it's outlandish, quirky, and sparkling with clever one-liners. The scene is basically a portrait of Quentin Tarantino himself. 

With that said, the real movie moments for me exist in Tarantino's ability to focus on small details in important, often nail-biting situations. Whether it's Jules (Samuel L. Jackson) and Vincent (John Travolta's) random chat about french hamburgers in the car on the way to a mob hit, or Jimmy (Quentin's cameo character) asking how Wolfe likes his coffee while Jules and Vincent are cleaning a blood splattered car. Quentin's true artistry comes in his ability to add seemingly insignificant dialogue in significant places, adding a delicious irony and inventive wit to his films. Pulp Fiction is vintage Tarantino- a film to establish that Tarantino-esque style that we know of so well.

                                       What was your Pulp Fiction movie moment?

Candid Moments - Behind the Scenes of Our Favourite Films

I've always been fascinated with behind the scenes photos. They're not only amusing to look at, but they allow us a glimpse into the world behind the faces, behind the facades, and behind the images we know so well. Photographs capturing candid moments break the illusion, giving us a peak into the humanity and normalcy of the people and films we idolize and admire. Here are a few of my favourites.

On set of Fritz Lang's Metropolis (1927)

Leonardo Dicaprio & Tobey Maguire at a rehearsal of The Great Gatsby (2013)

Barry Levinson, Tom Cruise, and Dustin Hoffman on the set of Rain Man (1988)

Quentin Tarantino and Christoph Waltz joking around on set of Django Unchained (2012)

Stanley Kubrick photographing Jack Nicholson on the set of The Shining (1980)

Robert De Niro and Martin Scorsese in the ring - Raging Bull (1980) 

An Ape taking a break on set of Stanley Kubrick's 1968 film 2001: A Space Odyssey

Leonardo Dicraprio and Kate Winslet aka Jack and Rose on set of Titanic (1997)

Steven Spielberg and Drew Barrymore - E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial

Johnny Depp and Tim Burton on-set of Edward Scissorhands (1990) 

Anthony Michael Hall,  Judd Nelson, and Molly Ringwald fooling around on-set - The Breakfast Club (1985) 

Hugh Jackman and Anne Hathaway behind the scenes of Les Misérables (2012)

Quentin Tarantino and Uma Thurman on set of Pulp Fiction (1994)

Alfred Hitchcock and the (not-so-creepy) creepy Norman Bates (Anthony Perkins) on set of Psycho (1960)