THE VOICES: Ryan Reynolds? Ryan Reynolds!

"Who said I have creepy eyes?" 

Let's just come out and say it: you're probably a little wary of The Voices because of its star, Ryan Reynolds. Maybe you're all, "Um, Ryan Reynolds?" But trust us, after you see this film you'll be all, "RYAN EFFING REYNOLDS!"

First of all, Reynolds gets props for being Canadian. As Canadians, we must hold all of our National Treasures dear (except Justin Bieber and Nickelback, but that goes without saying.) Second of all, his performance in The Voices is absolutely astonishing and career-changing. This is soooooo not the Reynolds we all remember from Two Guys, A Girl, and a Pizza Place. (Aw! Who remembers that show? Oh god, are we showing our age? Dammit.)

Reynolds' slowly eased his way into the mainstream consciousness in the early 2000s with movies like Van Wilder, Blade: Trinity, Waiting..., Amityville Horror, Smoking Aces, Just Friends, and The Proposal. While we can't say they were all amazing films (except obviously The Proposal is hilarious and amazing because rom-com with Sandy Bullock, duh) but they show a crazy variety of characters and style that normally isn't seen in young actors. It was his small role as Wade Wilson (um, Deadpool for anyone who isn't in the know) in one of those Wolverine movies that landed him on the good side of the comic fan radar because he is the Deadpool we need and deserve, yet his turn as Hal Jordan in Green Lantern did the complete opposite. (And we don't wanna talk about R.I.P.D.) 

We'll always love you furrr-ever, Ryan Reynolds!

Lately, though, he's been taking more challenging roles like The Croods. Kidding. We're talking about the much talked about Buried (2010) where Reynolds plays a dude literally buried in a box the entire movie, which was described as claustrophobic (you think?!) and incredibly suspensful. And then there was 2007's The Nines (directed by the screenwriter of Big Fish). While it wasn't met with rave reviews, the multi-character, bizarre, philosophical story gave Reynolds another chance to display his potential star power. This year, there was Atom Egoyan's Captive. While the film premiered in Cannes to, uh, mixed reviews, it still speaks volumes that the acclaimed director cold-called Reynolds for the role. Reynold's IMDb page shows upcoming films with Tarsem Singh (The Fall!!!!!), Simon Curtis (My Week with Marilyn), Ariel Vromen (The Iceman), and Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck(Half-Nelson) so we can expect interesting things from Mr Reynolds in the future.

"I'm so loveable, honest!"

And all of that brings us to the reason you're going to completely fall in love with him (yes, even though he plays a serial killer): The Voices. Director Marjane Satrapi talks very candidly about how he reached out to her regarding the role and even she was hesitant but after meeting him, she decided he was perfect for the role. You know, because he had very, very creepy eyes. Serial Killer eyes! The Hollywood Reporter said it was a "go-for-broke performance that’s intentionally mannered, yet entirely in sync with, the film’s shifting tones," and Collider said,

[H]e proves that he’s most certainly a skilled actor, as he proves adept at taking on darker, more difficult characters; he plays Jerry with a mix of glee, loneliness, anger, and, well, insanity. It’s a truly go-for-broke performance, and it’s to Reynolds’ credit that Jerry remains sweet and sympathetic throughout the entirety of the film, despite the fact that Jerry is doing some very bad things.

What does this tell us? That movie reviewers like saying "go-for-broke" apparently. But also that Ryan Reynolds is amazing and you should all definitely be seeing The Voices at this year's Festival. There are still some tickets left so you know what to do. (Um. Get the tickets.)

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

HYENA: Actor Profiles

"I actually wouldn't have minded hearing a rap. What a let down..." 

[Updated: Sept 3, 2014]

After our director profile last week, we have to say we're even more excited to see what Gerard Johnson has in store for us with Hyena. To get you even MORE excited (if such a thing is possible), we're going to break it down with a rap. Not actually. But we will highlight a few of the actors appearing in Hyena. (Trust us, this is preferable.)

"Peter who?" 

Hyena stars acclaimed actor Peter Ferdinando. You'd be lying if you said you recognized him from Midnight Madness/Vanguard darling Ben Wheatley's A Field in England (we're still recovering from that crazy awesome trip) because Ferdinando is such a chameleon from role to role. His portrayal of a 17th century war-deserter is absolutely fantastic.

How do we even describe A Field in England? Well, there's a field. And some war-deserters. And an alchemist. And, hm, might as well watch the trailer embedded above because it all gets a little (read: a lot) stranger after that. Wheatley and Ferdinando fans can rejoice, because they'll both be together again in Wheatley's upcoming High-Rise, which also stars dreamy Tom Hiddleston. Not that we care or anything. Ahem.

If need to get your Ferdinando fix sooner, check out Starred Up in the trailer above. It's a gritty, amazingly acted prison drama. Ferdinando, again nearly unrecognizable has a smaller—yet still memorable—role as the "head-honcho" (very technical term, trust us) inmate and he doesn't take shit from anybody. 

"No, afraid I don't know of any Peter."

And, of course, we couldn't end our profile of Peter Ferdinando without mentioning the other Gerard Johnson film he starred in: Tony. Now Tony is worthy of writing a completely separate post about (stay tuned!) but we will say that again Ferdinando completely embodies his character, this time that of a rather odd serial killer. 

"Sigh, I kinda miss my old-timey hat."

A film and its star are only as good as their co-stars. Lucky for Hyena and Ferdinando, he's got an amazing supporting cast. Take Stephen Graham, for instance. He is probably most recognizable for playing the young Al Capone in Boardwalk Empire but you might also recognize him from his roles in This is England, Gangs of New York, Snatch, and Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides. From skinhead to pirate to gangster, we're mighty impressed with Graham's body of work and ability to transform himself into pretty much anything on screen.

"I'm just a regular hit-man and this is totally just your run-of-the-mill hit-man movie. Promise." 

Ferdinando and Neil Maskell can be part of a rousing game of "Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon" as they not only appear in Hyena together, but they've both also starred in Ben Wheatley films. Maskell shocked and delighted Midnight Madness audiences in 2011 with his role as a hitman in Kill List, another nearly indescribable genre-bending film from Wheatley. Maskell has a role in Wheatley's upcoming High-Rise, so him and Ferdinando will be together on screen again (awwww). Maskell was also a part of The ABCs of Death, where he briefly appeared in, you guessed it, Wheatley's segment "U is for Unearthed." [Update: It was brought to our attention (uh, totally not by Gerard Johnson because wouldn't that be embarrassing) that due to an oversight we failed to mention Neil Maskell's appearance in the aforementioned Tony.  This is not just great because Maskell is great and Tony is great and Gerard Johnson is great, but also because it further perpetuates the amazing crossover love-fest going on with the cast of Hyena. Please all keep making movies together.]

"Yeah, I'd rather not talk about that vampire movie..."

We're really on a roll with these Johnson/Wheatley film crossovers because MyAnna Buring not only appears in Hyena but also stars opposite Neil Maskell in Kill List where she holds her own as his wife, struggling to wrap her head around his job as a hitman. It makes us pretty much forget about the time she was a sparkly vampire. Don't worry Downton Abbey fans, we haven't forgotten about you: Buring plays maid Edna Braithwaite, who (according to the internet because this author doesn't watch Downton Abbey, oops) is basically there to stir shit up. And also find a husband. Get it, girl. 

This film is sure to be an electrifying film, given director Johnson's considerable filmmaking talents along with the combined talents of all of these seasoned actors. Screening times can be found below—mark your calendars!

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


HYENA screening times:
Sunday, Sept 7th  6:45 PM THE BLOOR HOT DOCS CINEMA
Tuesday, Sept 9th 9:00 PM SCOTIABANK 12
Friday, Sept 12th 12:00 PM THE BLOOR HOT DOCS CINEMA

Actor Profile: HORNS' Daniel Radcliffe

When you really think about it, up to the final instalment of the Harry Potter franchise, Daniel Radcliffe had devoted almost half of his life to being the titular character. For nearly ten years--ten, glorious, magic-filled years--Radcliffe wore robes and waved wands in the air and played Quidditch (which is SO a word, dictionary). 

We'd have to say you must live under a rock if you haven't heard of Harry Potter by now. And if that is the case well, we also don't feel the need to go in to the entire Harry Potter history for you. You know, since you live under a rock, you probably haven't any access to the internet and aren't reading this anyway. J.K. Rowling is responsible for the books, and characters, that have sparked the imaginations of children and adults alike but it will always be Radcliffe--and his many costars--who will be remembered as the faces, the embodiments, really, of these characters. (Thanks, Warner Bros!)

Awww, you guys, memories!

It didn't take very long in to the franchise before we all started to wonder: what is Daniel Radcliffe going to do when it's all over? He had established himself not as an actor, but as Harry Potter so he would soon be faced with the arduous task of first un-establishing himself as The Boy Who Lived and then establishing himself as an actor all over again. So what did he do? The usual: star in Equus, a stage play about a young man with an unnatural obsession with horses. The play caused a tizzy amongst what seemed like everybody (this WAS our beloved Harry Potter, after all) due to the fact that Radcliffe appeared nude on stage. Despite the tizzy, the play was a huge success and eventually the London production was transferred to Broadway, where Radcliffe reprised his role and was eventually nominated for the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actor. 

Really, the kid can dance. 

Now that Radcliffe had out attention, we were curious to see what he would do next. Would it involve more horses? After acting in 2007's December Boys (you probably don't even remember it, or maybe haven't heard of it), and wowing Broadway audiences in How To Succeed in Business Without Even Trying with his impressive singing and dancing (seriously, he was amazing), it wasn't until 2012 that Radcliffe appeared in another film and this time, it was a horror film. Wait, what? Yup, Radcliffe starred in the remake of The Woman in Black. Theatres were packed with adorable little Harry Potter fans who went in delighted to see their beloved Radcliffe and left terrified--muahahaha. Er, we mean that The Woman in Black went on to become the highest grossing British horror film in about 20 years. 

Woman in Black still

If a horror film wasn't enough to permanently shake off the wizard robes, Radcliffe is starring in not one, and not two, but three--yes, three!--films at this year's Festival. We've got Horns, a dark horror fantasy based on a Joe Hill novel and directed by Alexandre Aja; The F Word, a romantic comedy from FUBAR director Michael Dowse also starring Zoe Kazan; and Kill Your Darlings, a biopic about the 1940s beat poet generation directed by John Krokidas. 

We'd also like to take this opportunity to point out that Radcliffe, aside from being very down-to-earth and eerily "normal", has an incredible sense of humour, especially about himself. The episode of Extras he guest-starred on is one of the most memorable ("Ready for action!"), and check out this handy guide on How To Be Daniel Radcliffe: 

The thing is, Daniel Radcliffe didn't need to keep acting. Nah, he could have lived comfortably for the rest of forever, surrounded by the little trinkets we know he stole from the Harry Potter sets (Because we totally would have taken at least one Golden Snitch. Okay, two.) and just became part of the phrase, "So what ever happened to that Harry Potter kid?" Instead, he's proven his love for the craft and his incredible talent both on stage and screen. And we have a feeling after this year's Festival, you won't be referring to Daniel Radcliffe as "Harry Potter" any longer. 

Horns still

Solidify your love for amazing cinema, multiple Festival Programmes, AND Daniel Radcliffe by seeing all three of his films at this year's Festival. But, hey, leave the Harry Potter costumes at home, okay? 

HORNS Screening Times:
Friday, Sept 6th, 6:00 PM THE BLOOR HOT DOCS CINEMA
Sunday, Sept 8th, 1:00 PM SCOTIABANK 4

THE F WORD Screening Times:
Saturday, Sept 7th, 9:00 PM RYERSON
Sunday, Sept 8th, 11:30 AM THE BLOOR HOT DOCS CINEMA

KILL YOUR DARLINGS Screening Times:
Tuesday, Sept 10th, 6:30 PM ROY THOMSON HALL
Wednesday, Sept 11th, 2:30 PM VISA SCREENING ROOM (ELGIN)