THE VOICES: More Dark Comedies!

"You picked the movie last night, Mr Whiskers. I want to watch a romantic comedy." 

If you’ve been paying attention to the Vanguard blog lately, we’ve been going on and on about how The Voices is one of the darkest comedies of the year; maybe even of ever. If you haven’t been paying attention, um, where have you been? Excuse you. EXCUSE YOU. Anyway, to keep this awesome dark comedy ball rolling (it’s kind of like a bowling ball, we think) we’ve put together a list of some of our other favourite dark comedies. It was really hard, guys, because there are so many good ones. SO MANY. 

Think of all the notes we could write if we had our own giant novelty pencil.

Obviously Sightseers is the first on this list. Because erotic knit underthings, and that pasta sauce and hands down the best use of “Tainted Love.”  Sightseers, from Vanguard and Midnight Madness favourite Ben Wheatley, tells the tale of . They’re on a grand adventure to visit such amazing places as the Keswick Pencil Museum. Wow, sign us up for that road trip. Except things take an unexpected turn because it sort of (read: really, actually, no doubt about it) turns  into a killing spree. Don’t you hate it when that happens? There are still plenty (and plenty) of laughs, though, and a giant pencil. What more could you want? 

Great day for a stroll in the park, eh.

Happiness is admittedly a little tougher to digest, even for fans of the darkest of dark comedies. Did you manage to find the humour in happiness? This author did, so take that as you will. She understands if you don’t want to associate with her anymore because DAMN does this movie go down a bleak path. Happiness weaves together a story of some very not happy people—in fact, they’re downright despicable. From a sex-craved phone masturbator to a pedophile who also happens to be a kind of devoted father, we understand why it would be hard to get behind Happiness. We will say that we agree about the plastic baggies. They ARE very relatable. Everyone uses ‘em, after all. 

See what Lance had to put up with? So rude.

World’s Greatest Dad asks the question: what if you have the worst son ever and he dies (because he’s literally the worst) but you sort of want to memorialize a better version of him? We almost don’t blame Robin Williams’ character, Lance. To finally be able to create the awesome son you always wish you had, to make people actually miss him and think he was some sort of awe-inspiring hidden-talent writer when it's really your own writing that everybody is loving is almost impossible to resist. Okay, fine, it’s also super horrible.

Well, how do we even begin to describe Killer Joe. All we can say is we'll never think of Kentucky Fried Chicken the same ever again. We mean K Fried C. Killer Joe is your typical "I'm in gambling debt so I'm going to have to kill my mum for the insurance money" tale. Don't you love those? Chris (Emile Hirsch) hires contract killer Joe (Matthew McConaughey-hey-hey) to get the job done but then Joe decides to take Chris' sister as a retainer. It used to be so easy to kill your mum but it's really hard to find decent contract killers these days. The movie is pretty violent as every character gets their face smashed into something (don't want anyone to feel left out, of course) but that's okay because it's worth it for this amazing McConaughey performance. 

"Did we make it past the first round?" 

Yeah, yeah, we already mentioned one Bobcat Goldthwait film in this list (World's Greatest Dad) but we can't help if he's one of the best at crafting absolutely bananas dark comedies. God Bless America was also a Midnight Madness favourite so it's only fitting we end our list with it. This film is a classic, all-American tale of a man becoming so enraged with how disgusting and awful and selfish people have become that he decides to go on a rampage and kill them all. But just the bad ones, don't worry. He inspires a teenage girl to join his cause and off they go to live the bloody, ultraviolent American dream! Ah, inspring isn't.

This list could be a helluva lot longer but we've got movies to see and more blogs to write so look up some more on your own, jokers. And when you're done with that, make sure you're seeing The Voices this week for the dark comedy to end all dark comedies.

The Voices is screening at the 2014 Toronto International Film Festival as part of the Vanguard Programme. Check out more Vanguard films on the official Festival website.

THE VOICES screening times:

Thursday, Sept 11th 9:00 PM RYERSON
Friday, Sept 12th 6:00 PM THE BLOOR HOT DOCS CINEMA

The Vanguard Blog Mascot Battle Winner Announcement!

Well jabrones, it's been a harrowing few days. We dropped Benson, Moorhead, and the mole cricket on an island with nothing but a match, a rubber band, a party size bag of M&Ms (plain, if you're curious), and a bowling ball and set them loose in a battle...TO THE DEATH. Okay, not actually. But only because that would be really, really expensive. We mean, as much as we here at the Vanguard Blog would love to just be dropping directors and insects on islands left and right, we have our expenses to think about. Cats too. Children and significant others? Maybe.

Enough shenanigans! It's time—finally—to announce the winner of the 2014 Vanguard Blog Mascot Battle. Who will come out on top?! Why do we still not know the best breed of cat for lifting?! Why does the mole cricket look so adorable in his boxing gloves? At least one of these questions we can answer and we will do it right now! RIGHT EFFIN' NOW!

But first, let's recap our intrepid contenders. You know, to draw this out as much as possible.

Justin Benson is apparently a respectable skateboarder and we're pretty sure he told us he also does yoga. Does he have what it takes to knock the other contenders out of the running?! DO THOSE TOWEL CONSERVING SKILLZ REALLY PAY THE BILLZ?! 

While we admire Aaron Moorhead's ability to put on sunglasses whilst lifting cats, we wonder how he held up in this battle to the death. Maybe the age old question of "cat versus towels: which is better?" will finally be answered! 

The mole cricket is just so damn cute. Lookit those boxing gloves! Ehehehehehehhehehehehehe. \

Or maybe last year's victor, Joe Swanberg, will somehow use his unstoppable charisma to reach all the way from Chicago and snatch the title back?! It's anyone's game at this point. Do you have any idea who will come out the victor?!? Neither do we! Oh, yeah. Wait, yes we do. The winner of the 2014 Vanguard Blog Mascot Battle is....

 ...a pencil?! A giant novelty pencil? Wait, but that's no ordinary giant novelty pencil. That, friends, is the giant novelty pencil from the Keswick Pencil Museum in Sightseers! How did this happen, you say? Sightseers was from 2012, you say?! Can a pencil even win things, you say?! Listen, that giant novelty pencil transcends all space and time and is also super practical, because you can write notes with it, use it as a weapon, maybe even a door stop. Tina and Poppy understand where we're coming from, right guys?

Seriously, what could be better than that pencil?! 

This has been the 2014 Vanguard Blog Mascot Battle. Congrats to all of our contenders but, sorry, not sorry, this pencil is really rad and we wish we had one and doesn't it look great in a crown? Deal with it. AND IN ONE YEAR WE WILL RETURN WITH THE NEXT VANGUARD BLOG MASCOT BATTLE. EXCELSIOR!

(PS - if anyone were to know of the location of such a glorious pencil (and not one of those barely larger than normal sized ones Amazon sells, pfft, please inform Siân immediately. Thank you.)

Director Profile: A FIELD IN ENGLAND'S Ben Wheatley

Does director Ben Wheatley really need an introduction at this point? Well, maybe if you've been living under a rock for the past few years. In that case: all you really need to know if Ben Wheatley is freakin' awesome. (In fact, The Guardian listed him as one of the 23 Best Film Directors in the World.)

Okay, okay: we'll elaborate.

Wheatley's first feature film, Down Terrace (2009), is a crime drama that won awards from the British Independent Film Awards, Next Wave Awards, and Fantastic Fest. Kill List (2011) premiered at SXSW, went on to simultaneously wow and terrify Midnight Madness audiences at the 2011 Toronto International Film Festival and, because of course it didn't stop there, it was nominated for six British Independent Film Awards, winning one. In 2012, Wheatley took his third feature film, the hilariously dark Sightseers, to the Directors' Fortnight section at Cannes Film Festival, went on to screen at a bajillion (maybe an exaggeration) film festivals, including the Vanguard Programme at the 2012 Toronto International Film Festival, and (you're probably noticing a trend here) also went on to be nominated for a bajillion (also maybe an exaggeration) of awards, winning another British Independent Film Award for Best Screenplay and an Empire Award for Best British Film.

Phew. Okay, we need to take a break now. Here, enjoy this picture.

director Ben Wheatley, writer/cctor Alice Lowe, and programmer Colin Geddes
at the 2012 Toronto International Film Festival

…Anddddd, we're back. Deadpan, comedic crime drama; twisty, terrifying horror; dark and hilarious road trip adventure--what could Wheatley possibly get up to next?

A psychedelic, black and white, freak-fest imagining of the English Civil War. Obviously. Now Wheatley's A Field in England is technically part of the Wavelengths Programme, but we love it so much and Wheatley IS a part of the Vanguard family, so we're blogging about it any way. Try and stop us.

A Field in England

The film picked up a Special Jury Prize at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival and was released in the UK through various platforms this past July. After it's North American Premiere at the Festival, Drafthouse Films--in its infinite wisdom and solid understanding of kickass-ery--has secured the US rights and Films We Like will be distributing in Canada.

As if you're still on the fence about catching A Field In England at the Festival, here's a few more reasons why it's not to be missed:

"A tough film to synopsise or encapsulate, it evokes classic British horror . . . but is closer in tone to a grittier yet still metaphysical brand of arthouse mystification."

"What a unique film-maker Wheatley is becoming. From the realms of contemporary social realism, crime, comedy and fear, he has moved on to lo-fi period drama, but cleverly alighted on the one period that suits his stripped-down visuals and subversive instincts perfectly."

"What is most refreshing about the film is its utterly offbeat quality.


A FIELD IN ENGLAND Screening Times:

• Friday, Sept 13th, 9:00 PM RYERSON
• Saturday, Sept 14, 9:00 PM TIFF BELL LIGHTBOX 3

SIGHTSEERS: Final Screening!

Quick, get out your favourite giant pencil and softest pair of erotic knit panties because we've got one final screening of Sightseers tonight. We don't think there's a single person out there who hasn't enjoyed this film. And if they haven't, well, then they're crazy. Duh. And they obviously don't appreciate the natural beauty of vistas. Or dead, bloodied people. If you know what's good for you--so help us--you'll put down that copy of the Daily Mail and get yourself to The Bloor Hot Docs Cinema for tonight's final screening of Sightseers.

SIGHTSEERS Sun., Sept. 16th, 7:00 PM BLOOR HOT DOCS CINEMA

SIGHTSEERS: Talking About The Soundtrack

A huge part of the fun in Ben Wheatley's Sightseers is its terrific soundtrack, with many songs used as commentary on the hilarity and depravity within.

If you were sentient in the 1980s or even if you weren't, chances are you've heard Soft Cell's ginormous hit "Tainted Love." What you may not know is that it's a cover of Gloria Jones's 1964 song, written by Ed Cobb, which became an underground smash in the 1970s when Northern Soul was all the rage. Miss Jones was also later romantically involved with T.Rex's Marc Bolan, and performed on several of that band's albums.

But back to Soft Cell. The version used in Sightseers is actually the EP version, which goes right into "Where Did Our Love Go?" yet another cover, this of the1964 hit by The Supremes. Soft Cell may have covered well-known radio hits, but their own creations were considerably more salacious. (See also: "Sex Dwarf.")

Wheatley cleverly opens Sightseers with the Soft Cell version and ends it with the Gloria Jones version, a bookending that makes the phrase "tainted love" funny at first and then both funny and sinister later on.

Skipping ahead, past Francoise Hardy's "Amour Toujour Tendresse Caresses" (not on YouTube), there's another tune that became popular through a cover version, in this case, Vanilla Fudge's "Season of the Witch." You may know the Donovan version from 1966, but Vanilla Fudge's 1968 cover is perhaps creepier, especially in the context of Sightseers and Tina's witchy behavior.

It gets even weirder with Neu!'s "Lieber Honig" (translating to "come to me"). Even if you've heard Mrs. Miller or The Shaggs,  you may still be distressed by this track. As one YouTube commenter notes, " I love? Neu!, but this might honestly be one of the worst vocal performances ever... lol." It's definitely . . . something.

NEU!

However, Neu! is a band that has serious diehard fans despite the fact that they were never hugely famous. You can find out more about them on their official website.

Next up is "Ah!" from Popol Vuh, another German group from the 1970s, considered one of the earliest ambient groups. When you think about the fact that Brian Eno was just making his first solo albums in 1972, the year "Ah!" was released, it kinda blows your mind.

Things take a turn for the classical and British with the stately "Nimrod" from Edward Elgar's Enigma Variations. Elgar was a British composer during the early 20th century, appointed "Master of the King's Musick" in 1924. So says Wikipedia.

There is also a performance of Henryk Wieniawski's "Violin Concerto No. 2 in D Minor, Opus 22" (that's a mouthful) with the Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra and Marat Bisengali on violin. This version is not on YouTube, but another one, featuring Rudolf Koelman and the Fremantle Chamber Orchestra is.

Not one to stay too serious for too long, Wheatley ends the movie proper with Frankie Goes To Hollywood's "The Power Of Love" which is absolutely ridiculous in the scene in which it appears in Sightseers. To quote Tina Turner, "what's LOVE got to do with it?"

Anyway, if you only know of Frankie Goes To Hollywood from those FRANKIE SAY RELAX T-shirts from the '80s or "Relax" from the Body Double soundtrack (and every radio station and club for much of the 1980s), you're really missing out

They were such a great band, and real pioneers in British pop music and particularly in gay culture (as were Soft Cell, actually). As a bit of an extra treat, you should definitely check out their cover of Bruce Springsteen's "Born To Run."

If you want to hear all this great music, you're in luck! There's one more screening of Sightseers on Sunday!

Sun., Sept. 16th, BLOOR HOT DOCS CINEMA 7:00PM

SIGHTSEERS: Review

Gorgeous cinematography, ghastly characters, and an incredibly cute dog. These are the three main things I took away from Sightseers. These things, and also this: Ben Wheatley is one twisted dude.

If we're talking twisted, I must also include Steve Oram and Alice Lowe, who portray Chris and Tina in Sightseers. The pair had already created these characters for live comedy shows and along with writer Amy Jump and Wheatley himself, have now brought them to film fruition. Unlike Dr. Frankenstein's creation, however, Chris and Tina are not misunderstood. They truly are despicable people. It's okay to think they're monstrous.

It's a big gamble to make the protagonist a bad person; it's an even bigger one to have two bad people. In truth, no one is very likeable in Sightseers, except for the dog. It results in a lot of howling laughter; some of it feels justified, while some of it will make you feel terribly ashamed. These conflicting feelings can take place one after another, layered repeatedly throughout the entire movie.

With no overarching conflict to resolve, Sightseers becomes even more dependent upon its characters. You may think you have them figured out in the beginning, certain of who you'll be rooting for and against, until the movie pulls the rug out from under you, watches mutely while you crack your skull on the floor, and then snickers.

As a contest of "who is the least repugnant?" it seems that Tina is the clear "winner," but she's no anti-hero like Taxi Driver's Travis Bickle or Alex from A Clockwork Orange, dysfunctional figures that elicit sympathy due to the terrible circumstances of their lives. Even with a manipulative harridan of a mother, Tina becomes more difficult to root for than Monster's Aileen Wuornos, and not just because Wuornos was a real person.

In this way, Sightseers is more brutal and cynical than your average horror movie because there is no point to the bad behavior. There's no message of hope or triumph of the human spirit, even though Tina is the Final Girl. Though she does undergo a change from the beginning of the movie to the end, it's not one that induces a wave of relief, only the grim realization that she's just become more awful.

Do not misunderstand: Sightseers is a ridiculously funny, can't-breathe-from-laughing so hard movie. Remembering the oversized pencil, the knitted crotchless panties, the line about Daily Mail readers, and the misuse of the word "muse" will make you laugh during the movie, and later. I think ultimately, however, the movie will have the last laugh, at our expense.

SIGHSTSEERS Screening Times:
Sun., Sept. 16th, BLOOR HOT DOCS CINEMA 7:00PM

SIGHTSEERS: Twitter Round Up

If you knew what was good for you, you were at the Sightseers premiere the other night. And if you really, really knew what was good for you, you were at the second screening today. Because what is good for you is the watching the movie Sightseers. Well, that and eating a healthy, balanced diet. Also brushing your teeth. Yeah, that's good for you too. But, but! Way more important than something like "eating healthy" (pssh) is making sure you saw Sightseers. The packed house at the Ryerson premiere knew they were in for a treat when director Ben Wheatley introduced the film by saying there was a lot of f*cking in it. And dogs and vistas. You know--all the things that make a good film.

To those of you who apparently don't know what is good for you, you're in luck too because there is one more screenings of Sightseers during the festival. This is the best news since we found out that Yorkshire has the good kind of pasta sauce. See you at the last screening, Vanguarders.


SIGHTSEERS Screening Times:
Sun., Sept. 16th, 7:00 PM BLOOR HOT DOCS CINEMA

Sightseers was an excellent little film that really shows off Ben Wheatley's amazing style, really loved it #tiff
— Charlotte Stear (@Kidsbecool) September 12, 2012

SIGHTSEERS (Wheatley, 2012) **** Uproarious & gory "evil Thelma & Louise" TIFF's most downright fun comedy in years. #TIFFvanguard #TIFF12
— Corey Caplan (@CoreyCaplan) September 12, 2012

Yes! SIGHTSEERS is equally as hilarious as KILL LIST is gonzo and every bit as violent. Funniest movie I've seen at #TIFF & a definite fave.
— Ryland Aldrich (@RylandAldrich) September 12, 2012

Looking forward to Sightseers AGAIN tonight. One of the best films I've seen this year.
— Phelim O'Neill (@Phelimo) September 13, 2012

SIGHTSEERS - Pitch-black comedy dripping with crimson red. Wickedly funny. Ryerson crowd loved it. #TIFF12
— Ben Gordon (@itsbengordon) September 12, 2012

SIGHTSEERS: utterly dark & brilliant; somebody take me to the pencil museum! "Check to see if he has any sandwiches." #TIFF12 #TIFFVanguard
— Siân Elizabeth-Anne (@sharnacious) September 12, 2012

Sightseers: "This is the worst movie ever made" - 75 year old woman next to me 4.5/5 #TIFF12
— Corey Pierce (@coreypierceart) September 12, 2012

SIGHTSEERS Premieres Tonight!

Ben Wheatley's Sightseers premieres tonight at the Ryerson Theatre at 9:00 PM. Head over to our previous post to see the film's trailer and poster.

Tickets can be purchased:

• ONLINE: TIFF.net/thefestival
• BY PHONE: 416.599.TIFF or 1.888.599.8433 (Toll-free) 
• IN PERSON
• Festival Box Office; 225 King St. West
• Ryerson Theatre Box Office; 350 Victoria Street

Further information about Ben Wheatley's Sightseers can be found on the Festival website, as well as on the Sightseers website, Twitter account, Facebook page, and IMDB page.

SIGHTSEERS screening times:

• Tues., Sept. 11, Ryerson Theatre 9:00 PM 
• Thurs., Sept. 13, Ryerson Theatre 12:00 PM 
• Sun., Sept. 16, The Bloor Hot Docs Cinema 7:00 PM

SIGHTSEERS: Writer/Actor Profiles: Alice Lowe & Steve Oram

Hilarious, dark movies about dog-loving murderous couples caravanning around the English countryside don't just pop out of thin air. So lucky for us there are people like Alice Lowe and Steve Oram, the writers/actors responsible for the story and original characters of Tina and Chris from the upcoming Vanguard film, Sightseers. Lowe and Oram originated the characters and perfected them before teaming up with Ben Wheatley and his collaborator, Amy Jump, who helped to refine the script. 

Alice Lowe is no stranger to comedy, already having won our hearts as Madeleine Wool as Dr Liz Asher in Garth Marenghi's Darkplace. She aced all of her classes at Harvard-College-Yale, can sometimes talk to cats, and is on top of the chicken situation. Sanchez might want her, but we want her more. Lowe has also appeared on episodes of Horrible Histories, Little Britain, The IT Crowd, and The MIghty Boosh. 

Steve Oram appeared in the feature film It's All Gone Pete Tong and was a regular on Tittybangbang. He also wrote and starred in "Matthew & Tone: Tales Of Friendship and Innocence", which screened during BBC's Comedy Lab. And, for reasons we aren't entirely sure of (but the Canadian in us is super thrilled, because Canadian tuxedo), Steve Oram really loves denim. Denim, denim, denim. Denim.

See both of these hilarious (and possibly denim clad, but we can't make any promises) comedians in Sightseers, screening times below:

SIGHTSEERS Screening Times:

Tue., Sept. 11th, 9:00 PM RYERSON

Thurs., Sept. 13th, 12:00 PM RYERSON

Sun., Sept. 16th, 7:00 PM BLOOR HOT DOCS CINEMA

5 Behind The Camera: Directors Of Photography

We'd like to focus on some of the talented people whose work you can enjoy in five of the films playing at the Toronto International Film Festival. Each is a Director of Photography, also known as a DP: Ernesto Herrera (Here Comes The Devil), Gary Shaw (iLL Manors), Linda Wassberg (Blondie), Laurie Rose (Sightseers), and Robin Thomson (Peaches Does Herself).

Ernesto Herrera, the DP for Here Comes The Devil, also worked with director Adrián García Bogliano on 2011's Penumbra. Variety made specific mention of his skills in their review, stating that he "intensifies audience unease in several scenes by portentously framing characters in mirrors, doorways and hallways, subtly suggesting that power is shifting and screws are tightening."

"What stood out most to me [in Penumbra] was the slick cinematography" which "added an almost surreal atmosphere to the film that was quite effective," said Cinema Head Cheese blog. We look forward to Herrera's work in Here Comes The Devil, which plays at the Festival.

 We have already seen DP Gary Shaw's excellent work in Duncan Jones's 2009 Moon.
"The lighting is subtle yet brilliant and the cinematography definitely succeeds in highlighting Sam's isolation," remarked Cinemaroll in their review, while Zarzax The Blog classified the cinematography as "amazing."

Shaw's work on iLL Manors, playing at the Festival, is also getting recognition. Eat Sleep Live Film proclaims, "The film's visual style belies its low-budget origins. Director of photography Gary Shaw (who also shot Duncan Jones film Moon) ensures it looks good, even when things get very bad."

Before Blondie, Linda Wassberg lensed She Monkeys in 2011. For that, she won the prize for Best Cinematography at the Transylvania International Film Festival in Romania. Sound on Sight praised Wassberg's work highly, saying, she "amps up the atmosphere: shadows, natural darkness, and narrow scope are used to emphasize the claustrophobia of the girl's lives."

Variety also took note of Wassberg's prowess in their review of She Monkeys: "The stellar tech package is led by Linda Wassberg's atmospheric, tightly focused widescreen lensing." Wassberg's work impressed Chorus and Echo, who said She Monkeys was, "beautifully shot and convincingly styled-one can only hope for more from cinematographer Linda Wassberg." We feel sure that  "more" will be more than obvious in Blondie, which will be playing at the Festival.

Ben Wheatley has previously collaborated with DP Laurie Rose on the films Kill List and Down Terrace. The two team up again on Sightseers, which is playing at the Festival. "From the very outset the cinematography is striking," notes Sound on Sight in their review of Sightseers, "direct credit to DP Laurie Rose whose use of darkness in particular is masterful."

Telegraph also had great things to say about Sightseers, remarking "Laurie Rose gives the Yorkshire and Cumbrian landscapes a dewily gorgeous sheen." The Hollywood Reporter admired how Rose's "widescreen digital cinematography presents the countryside in a sufficiently splendid and alluring manner to delight UK tourist authorities—even if Wheatley's vision of this 'green and pleasant land' tends to be strewn with messily-dispatched corpses.We don't doubt that such a contrast will be stunning in Sightseers.

Robin Thomson, who shot and edited Peaches Does Herself, graduated with a BA of Fine Arts from Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art & Design, Dundee, Scotland in 2008. According to his website he is also working in Berlin as a video editor, artist, and musician, as well as managing Peaches' various online platforms, including her blog and social media.

Recently, Thomson compiled and edited a guerilla video that Peaches organized with her fans to support the Russian punk activist band Pussy Riot, who were charged and convicted of "hooliganism" (for real) for their song "Putin Lights Up The Fires." Watch the video here.

While you're waiting for a screening of Peaches Does Herself at the Festival,  you can also watch more of Thomson's work on his website.

HERE COMES THE DEVIL screening times:
Tues., Sept. 11th, 6:00PM, BLOOR HOT DOCS CINEMA
Wed., Sept. 13th, 7:00PM, SCOTIABANK THEATRE 3
Sun., Sept. 16th, 3:30PM, SCOTIABANK THEATRE 4

ILL MANORS Screening Times:
Sun., Sept. 9th, BLOOR HOT DOCS CINEMA 9:00PM
Tues., Sept. 11th, SCOTIABANK 4  4:15 PM
Sat., Sept. 15th, SCOTIABANK 4  9:30 PM

BLONDIE Screening Times:
Mon., Sept. 10th, SCOTIABANK 2  9:45PM
Wed., Sept. 12th, BLOOR HOT DOCS CINEMA 12:00PM
Fri., Sept. 14th, SCOTIABANK 3  6:15PM

SIGHTSEERS Screening Times:
Tues., Sept. 11th, RYERSON THEATRE 9:00PM
Thurs., Sept. 13th,  RYERSON THEATRE 12:00PM
Sun., Sept. 16th BLOOR HOT DOCS CINEMA 7:00PM

PEACHES DOES HERSELF Screening Times:
Thur., Sept. 13th, BLOOR HOT DOCS CINEMA 9:00PM
Sat., Sept. 15th, TIFF BELL LIGHTBOX 4 3:15PM
Sun., Sept. 16th, JACKMAN HALL (AGO) 4:00PM

Vanguard Film Picks from Critics

Happy Toronto International Film Festival, fellow Vanguarders! (Yes, it's a word now; embrace it, love it; monogram a pillow with it.) We hope you've all enjoyed the first few days of the festival. Are you sleeping at all? If the answer is no, don't worry about it. Sleeping is what you do after the festival is over.

Now, we all know that the Vanguard programme is one of the best programmes in the festival, because duh. We've talked with some of our favourite critics and they've given us some of their Vanguard picks for this years festival. 

Jason Gorber of FilmFest.ca wrote an amazing preview review of the Vanguard films just before the festival. BERBERIAN SOUND STUDIO was one of the films he was most looking forward to due to "the fact that a bunch of crazy people have made films about madcap sound designers … speaks directly to my cinemanerdy heart." 

Gorber was also excited about the documentary ROOM 237, as was Adam Nayman, an associate editor for Cinema Scope. Of the documentary he says, "[Room 237] is a remarkable commentary on the subjective nature of art and the technologically motivated evolution of film scholarship, and confirms that The Shining is a movie by an obsessive, about an obsessive, and for obsessives."

Ben Wheatley's SIGHTSEERS also made Gorber's list as one of his most anticipated films of the programme. Nayman also cited the film as one of his picks, saying "[Sightseers] consolidates the reputation of Ben Wheatley, who is now 3 for 3; if Kill List was a home run, this is more like a solid base hit up the middle but it's not always about hitting it out of the park. It's nasty, brutish and short--a slapstick variation on the thrill killer genre where the badlands are merely mediocre and there are no perfect getaways.

Kurt Halfyard of Row Three reviewed I DECLARE WAR at ActionFest earlier this year and puts it at the top of his picks for the Vanguard programme: "I Declare War delights in juxtaposing war-film cliches with a real ear for 12 year old banter. Its war sequences are a combination of thrilling battles and humorous knowing nods; certainly for those who grew up in the 1970s, but probably anyone who grew up with a creek behind their house."

Links to these film's info pages (as well as links to the ticketing website) are below along with the screening times.

BERBIAN SOUND STUDIO Screening Times:
Mon., Sept. 10th, 6:00 PM BLOOR HOT DOCS CINEMA
Tue., Sept. 11th, 2:45 PM CINEPLEX YONGE & DUNDAS 3


I DECLARE WAR Screening Times:
Sun., Sept. 9th, 4:15 PM SCOTIABANK 4
Tue., Sept. 11th, 2:00 PM CINEPLEX YONGE & DUNDAS 10
Fri., Sept. 14th, 9:45 PM SCOTIABANK 4

ROOM 237 Screening Times:
Thurs., Sept. 13th, 6:00 PM BLOOR HOT DOCS CINEMA
Sat., Sept. 15th, 5:45 PM CINEPLEX YONGE & DUNDAS 2
Sun., Sept. 16th, 12:00 PM TIFF BELL LIGHTBOX 3

SIGHTSEERS Screening Times:
Tue., Sept. 11th, 9:00 PM RYERSON
Thurs., Sept. 13th, 12:00 PM RYERSON
Sun., Sept. 16th, 7:00 PM BLOOR HOT DOCS CINEMA

SIGHTSEERS: 5 Question Director Interview with Ben Wheatley

The Vanguard Blog had a chance to ask Ben Wheatly, director extraordinaire of Sightseers, some questions. Five to be exact. As the title of this blog would suggest. Check them out below and don't forget to add Sightseers to your list of "Must See" films at the Toronto International Film Festival this year.

1.) Sightseers is a comedy, as you are probably well aware (hopefully)--albeit a black one. How do you feel having a film that will be judged primarily based on how "funny" people find it? I imagine sitting in on screenings would be nerve-wracking: "Will they laugh at this?"; "Why aren't they laughing now?"; "Why ARE they laughing now?" 

All screenings are nerve-wracking initially. You always know that the film is made or broken by a handful of gags, if they don't play then the smaller ones won't play either. Once you have the main 'tent pole' gags working then the other laughs are a bonus, and can be very different from audience to audience, you can't worry about this.

2.) The screenplay was developed by your two main actors, Alice Lowe and Steve Oram. Would you mind explaining a little more about how the story came about and how you became involved? 

The characters had come from Alice and Steve creating them for stand up. Later they made a short film based around them and that was seen by Edgar Wright and he took the project to Big Talk and Nira Park. Nira and I had a chat after I directed Down Terrace and asked if I'd like to direct the feature film version of Sightseers. I had worked with Alice and Steve before and liked the idea of doing something a bit lighter after Kill List. Amy Jump rewrote the script and away we went. Producers Andy Starke and Claire Jones came in from Rook Films and we used pretty much the crew from Down Terrace/Kill List. 

3.) If you were going to go on a caravan holiday, where would you go and would you bring anyone along? Also, would you participate in a killing spree whilst on holiday? (I promise I won't tell on you.)

I would probably travel on the route that Chris and Tina took because it was beautiful. I suppose I could use the Catherine Tramell defence if I went on a killing spree in a caravan.

4.) Sightseers is the first feature you didn't also write. How was it working with someone else's material?

It was fine. It was about things I'm interested with and fitted with the other two films. Also I've directed a lot of TV and adverts from other peoples' scripts, so its not new territory for me.

5.) I promised I wouldn't ask about whether or not you are a pirate, so instead I'll end with: what's next, Mr Ben Wheatley? Another film? World domination via Mechanical Death Spiders? Inquiring minds want to know. (I've always wanted to say that.)

I am not a pirate. I wore a pirate hat once and there is a photo of it.* I have a couple of projects in the pipeline. A film about monsters and cops called Freakshift and a film about the English civil war called A Field in England.

(Questions thought up by Siân Melton; answers provided by Ben Wheatley)

*That is a very pirate-y answer, hmmm. 

SIGHTSEERS Screening Times:
Tue., Sept. 11th, 9:00 PM RYERSON
Thurs., Sept. 13th, 12:00 PM RYERSON
Sun., Sept. 16th, 7:00 PM BLOOR HOT DOCS CINEMA

Food Trucks At The Bloor Hot Docs Cinema

Imagine this: It's Wednesday September 12th. You have tickets to the 9:00PM screening of Soi Cheang's Motorway at The Bloor Hot Docs Cinema, but you're starving. What are you possibly going to eat!? Luckily The Bloor Hot Docs Cinema is located right in the middle of the Annex, so the food options are plentiful.

This year your options are even broader as the Toronto International Film Festival is teaming up with Toronto Food Trucks to bring the food to you. A rotating selection of food trucks will be located outside of The Bloor Hot Docs Cinema September 7th to 16th from 7PM to midnight.

http://torontofoodtrucks.ca/photos

Toronto food truck locations and schedule during the festival can be found on the Toronto Food Trucks website, Twitter and Facebook pages.

The following Vanguard films will be playing at The Bloor Hot Docs Cinema:

PUSHER
Fri., Sept. 7, 9:00 PM, THE BLOOR HOT DOCS CINEMA

PAINLESS
Sat., Sept. 8, 6:00 PM, THE BLOOR HOT DOCS CINEMA

ILL MANORS
Sun., Sept. 9, 9:00 PM, THE BLOOR HOT DOCS CINEMA

BERBERIAN SOUND STUDIO
Mon., Sept. 10, 6:00 PM, THE BLOOR HOT DOCS CINEMA

BEIJING FLICKERS
Mon., Sept. 10, 9:00 PM, THE BLOOR HOT DOCS CINEMA

HERE COMES THE DEVIL
Tues., Sept. 11, 6: 00PM, THE BLOOR HOT DOCS CINEMA

BLONDIE
Wed., Sept. 12, 12:00 PM, THE BLOOR HOT DOCS CINEMA

THALE
Wed., Sept. 12, 6:00 PM, THE BLOOR HOT DOCS CINEMA

MOTORWAY
Wed., Sept. 12, 9:00 PM, THE BLOOR HOT DOCS CINEMA

ROOM 237
Thurs., Sept. 13, 6:00 PM, THE BLOOR HOT DOCS CINEMA

PEACHES DOES HERSELF
Thurs., Sept. 13, 9:00 PM, THE BLOOR HOT DOCS CINEMA

SIGHTSEERS
Sun., Sept. 16, 7:00 PM, THE BLOOR HOT DOCS CINEMA

Director Ben Wheatley: Viral, Commercial, TV Works

When we mentioned in a previous post that Mr Ben Wheatley has won at both the Internet and TV, we simply made the statement and moved on. Oh-ho, but wait! What about proof? Proof? Yes, proof. Has that word now lost all meaning to you from saying it too many times as well? Proof. 

Anyway, we here at the Vanguard Blog love our loyal minons--er, readers--and want them to be happy. That is why we scoured the Internet for all of Wheatley's prior works. And it was not an easy task, let us tell you. You know how people say that once something is on the Internet, it is there forever? Well, they're wrong. We were rooster-blocked from viewing a lot of his early viral work. Ugh, right? Never fear: we still managed to curate this super rad playlist of Wheatley's hilarious viral, commercial, TV, and wizard work:

This viral video not only won awards, but teachers children a valuable lesson: if you play video games, you will die. (AMBX viral advert)

The Mechanical Death Spider comes in four colours, so it really is the gift for everyone in the family. (Ratchet and Crank fake advert)

Yeah. Less salt. (Pot Noodles commercial)

The entire Cardboard Robot Foundry of America (CRFA) resents the implication that they don't have friends. (Phones 4 U commercial)

There was a time when yo-yoing (is that right?) was popular. We are glad it is no longer that time. (Phones 4 U commercial)

Ugh, not again Anna Hensen. (Dustin commercial)

Finally a game we can get behind. (Shooting Stars advert)

Quick, pass the carbonated dipping jam. (Shooting Stars advert) 

Nobody liked Sophie anyway. (The Wrong Door - a BBC sketch comedy series written and directed by Ben Wheatley)

We take it back: Ikea isn't that bad after all. (The Wrong Door - a BBC sketch comedy series written and directed by Ben Wheatley)

Mmm, pie. (Modern Toss - a BBC series with live action segments directed by Ben Wheatley)

And, lastly, the jury is still out on whether or not Wheatley is a pirate, but it appears he is definitely a wizard. 

You can find even more hilariousness on Ben Wheatley's website. And if you go back far enough, there are even comics. They can't be posted here because of bad words and such, so you know you totally want to go find them. 

And don't forget you totally want to go see Wheatley's latest feature, Sightseers, screening at the 2012 Toronto International Film Festival. We'll see you there--don't forget the carbonated dipping jam!


SIGHTSEERS Screening Times:
Tue., Sept. 11th, 9:00 PM RYERSON
Thurs., Sept. 13th, 12:00 PM RYERSON
Sun., Sept. 16th, 7:00 PM BLOOR HOT DOCS CINEMA