TIFF announces its Wavelengths and Midnight Madness titles later this morning, so I’m crouched and ready, preparing to take that release and turn it into a news blurt for the NOW website.
I do love the Midnight Madness program; my very first festival experience as a member of the press was the midnight screening of “Hellbound: Hellraiser II” at the Bloor, all the way back in 1988, and I try to catch at least a couple of MM titles every year. As I was telling a friend yesterday, the year I don’t get excited about that series is the year I realize I’m officially old.
I’ll post a link to the piece when it goes up. Until then, just try to stay calm …
UPDATE: Here it is!
WHERE’S THE LINK? WHERE’S THE LINK? So much for my staying calm.
Yeah, Midnight Madness sounds like a plan this year.
Daybreakers, Solomon Kane, and Jennifer’s Body seem like fun, and Ong Bak 2 can be promising.
Ah, memories! Here’s a good link for the history. http://www.ultra8.ca/content2/mmhistory.html
I’ve been TIFFin’ since 1991, and the Midnight Madness has long been my fave program. Either it’s feeding my inner 14 year old or fraking up my skull.
I tend to catch the daytime shows these days, but I can still remember stumbling out of the Bloor theatre at 2am after seeing Tokyo Decadence and feeling confused and strange and maybe a little freaked out.
I was about suggest the program has been a little weak as of late, but generally, most years have one great, transgressive gem.
Some personal highlights –
2008 – Deadgirl
2006 – The Host
2003 – Ju-On: The Grudge, Haute Tension, Undead
2001 – The Brotherhood of the Wolf (the chairman from Iron Chef America!), Ichi the Killer
1995 – Screamers (terrible movie, but the director, Christian Duguay showed up in a non ironic flowing pirate shirt)
1994 – Dellamorte Dellamore
1993 – Dazed and Confused
1992 – Candyman