Midnight Madness Blog

- 2008
- 2007
Archival footage
Chocolate Intro & Q&A;
Two Girls, One Movie
CITYNews Does Midnight Madness
J.T. Petty Holding A Large Dog!
Before the Bargin Bin There Was BloodSport

Biography
Blogging By The Numbers
Movie Theatre Memories
Geeking Out At Not Quite Hollywood (warning: Leprechaun inside)
"He has his own music"

Celebrities
JCVD's New Film - "FULL LOVE"
Sexykiller and The Horror Mashup
Who is Macarena Gómez?
Meet The Ladies Of Martyrs
JCVD, JT and the "Re-Emergence" Film

Cinematography
Orphans - The Lost Films of Midnight Madness 2008
FLASH POINT: Who is Donnie Yen?

Directors
JCVD's New Film - "FULL LOVE"
Sexykiller and The Horror Mashup
Genre Down Under: An Email Roundtable
"The Burrowers" Joins Revisionist Canon
"Ozploitation": A Model for Canada?

Distribution
"Ozploitation": A Model for Canada?
Deposit More Coins!
So THAT's How Much a Zombie Costs...
MM Flashback: ALL THE BOYS LOVE MANDY LANE

Free Speech
THE CIRCUIT - Film Festival Reviews From Space
Conversation From The Line Reaction to Deadgirl
In The Rush Line For JCVD

Humour
Love and Madness
"He has his own music"
Training like a MADMAN!!!
We Love You Too, Suzie.

Memories
Midnight Madness: Year One
Day Ten
Sexykiller and The Horror Mashup
More Conversations From The Line
Detroit Metal City and Japanese Duality

Music
Cue Theme Music
What's That Sound?

Panels
Devil's Chair video
Sukiyaki opening!

Parties
The Burrowers Intro & Q&A;
Deadgirl Intro & Q&A;
Detroit Metal City Intro & Q&A;
JCVD Intros & Q&As;
Flash Point: no longer just an overlooked Rolling Stones live album

Picks
Tear the roof off the suckah
What to doin the event a giant bouncing, squeezing baby eyeball attacks your city
And now for something completely different...
And that was the best beating I've ever seen
Catch That Rave!

Politics
"Ozploitation": A Model for Canada?
Detroit Metal City and Japanese Duality
Horror as a Political Platform

War & Conflict
Detroit Metal City and Japanese Duality

Posts by: Robert Mitchell
September 15, 2021
Blogging By The Numbers
Posted By Robert Mitchell At 10:34 PM
File under: Biography
It is the day after Midnight Madness and the post fest blues are setting in. Being in the film festival world is a crazy and surreal world. For ten days I get to embrace my obsession and meet many others who share the same obsession in film. How to survive ten days averaging four hours sleep.This was my schedule for Sept 4th to the 13th. Nine pm. Make sure video camera was charged. DV Tape was labeled and in video camera. Still camera was charged. The pictures from the previous day were...

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September 13, 2021
Acolytes Footage and Interview with Jon Hewitt at the Big Slice on Yonge Street
Posted By Robert Mitchell At 7:47 PM
Here is day five footage of Acolytes at Midnight Madness plus a video interview conducted myself with Jon Hewitt at the Big Slice pizzeria on Yonge street shorty after his film premiered.                 Jon Hewitt interviewed by Robert Mitchell Sept. 9th

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Was There A Heat Wave in TO Last Night or a Sexykiller in the House?
Posted By Robert Mitchell At 1:56 PM
Macarena Gomez definitely had some temperatures soaring last night at the world premiere of Sexykiller, I know mine did.  This photo would make Jacques Tourneur proudI heard somewhere outside of the festival that is Midnight Madness that Paris Hilton has been running around town. We at Midnight now have our own heiress her name you guessed it Macarena Gomez. She is funny charming and down right sexy.Here we are nine days in. A lot of late nights followed by getting up far too...

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1200 Hundred People Need A Group Hug. Reaction To Martyrs
Posted By Robert Mitchell At 11:19 AM
We hear a lot about the word buzz at film festivals and I must say sitting in Ryerson theater in early September at around eleven thirty at night buzz is a palpable feeling. To watch a theater fill up from  couple of people to over a thousand people in less than a half an hour is an amazing thing. The sound of conversations at first discernible than becoming one giant murmur of sound is the very sound of buzz. Which brings me to Martyrs, to say that this film was anticipated...

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September 12, 2021
Not Quite Hollywood Video
Posted By Robert Mitchell At 9:16 PM
Here is some footage from the OzPloitation Doc Not Quite Hollywood

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September 11, 2021
DEADGIRL VIDEO!!!!!!
Posted By Robert Mitchell At 11:26 AM
Here is Day Three coverage of Midnight Madness and The World Premiere of Dead

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September 10, 2021
Meet The Ladies Of Martyrs
Posted By Robert Mitchell At 6:25 PM
File under: Celebrities
Martyrs screens tonight. Here is a YouTube clip of them on set.Morjana Alaoui and Mylene Jampanoi will be in attendance and on the red carpet tonight!Here is more about Mylene Jampanoi here. Her official website is here. If that is not enough here is Mylene Jampanoi's imdb listing......here.Robert Mitchell, currently packing up multiple cameras and rushing out the door see ya all

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Thank You J.T. Petty
Posted By Robert Mitchell At 7:48 AM
The Western is something I cultivated into an appreciation, perhaps like someone discovering wines. You have to sip a lot of wine to find a good vintage or in my case make sure that first bottle is a great one.Director of The Burrowers J.T. Petty (Far Left) alongside Karl Geary and Clancy Brown. Earlier this morning (September 10th 2008) at the Q&A.When I was a younger man over dosing on movies at my friend's house on the weekend or my place, depending on where ever we would end up. He and I...

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September 9, 2021
What Does A Director Do After His Film Premieres At Midnight Madness?
Posted By Robert Mitchell At 11:31 AM
File under: Directors
Acolytes begins with John Ford-esque vistas of Australia, defining the landscape that forms the backdrop to this film. Both a character study of three teenagers as well as a thriller, once a terrible secret is unearthed. Acolytes will have you swept away in its vistas, jumping with the shocks, as well as the amazing sound design and great musical score. As a viewer you will be pulled in as the film takes a slow decent to the darkest places of the human condition.Jon Hewitt (left) speaking during the Q&A last night after...

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September 8, 2021
A Few Words with JT Petty
Posted By Robert Mitchell At 11:36 AM
File under: Directors
Director  JT Petty holding a large dog.                   Last night after the great documentary Not Quite Hollywood  that screened at Midnight Madness I ran into director JT Petty (The Burrowers) and spoke with him about his career. Robert Mitchell - RMJ.T. Petty - JTRM "You went to NYU film school and I was wondering what your first job was from film school?"JT "I didn't know film school resulted in jobs. The first film I made, Soft For Digging, was made at NYU and was my senior project. It was shot for six thousand...

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Conversation From The Line Reaction to Deadgirl
Posted By Robert Mitchell At 5:01 AM
File under: Free Speech
There are many different qualities that can constitute what makes up a good film, great acting, great cinematography, an excellent movie score. When all of these components all work in tandem - often times more than not results in a great film. A film in my opinion should also inspire conversation once the credits roll. Deadgirl is one such film. As someone who has watched scores of horror films Deadgirl made me squirm in my seat, made me uncomfortable and somehow made me laugh at the same time. The backbone of this...

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New Video From Detroit Metal City!
Posted By Robert Mitchell At 2:51 AM
Here is day two coverage of Detroit Metal City at Midnight Madness                        This is Sheleigh Bober. Videographer and                         an amazing editor.Robert

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September 7, 2021
J.T. Petty Holding A Large Dog!
Posted By Robert Mitchell At 3:54 PM
File under: Archival footage
This is J.T. Petty, Director of The Burrowers holding a large dog. Not only has he made one great film that landed in Midnight Madness and we are highly anticipating his next film The Burrowers but he is also a friend to all animals great and small!Check out his official website here link to official website. Not only is J.T. a director but he has written for video games such as Splinter Cell and Batman Begins, written books, graphic novels and on and on. Truly an artist I cannot wait to see...

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A Short Shout Out To The Volunteers
Posted By Robert Mitchell At 10:36 AM
             Dedicated volunteers at Ryerson at Eleven thirty last night              helping to insure things run smoothly at Midnight MadnessI briefly read something in a lesser paper whose writer was critical of volunteers and went on to write"Instead, volunteers shouted for donors to come forward. Even when none did, we were left standing -- such as the high school history teacher and his wife standing behind me in line. With no information. When we asked for guidance, we were dismissed rudely by TIFF staff."The volunteers I have met are helpful, dedicated and very polite. In...

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Interview with Trent Haaga
Posted By Robert Mitchell At 5:10 AM
Trent Haaga has acted in over thirty movies, has held many different jobs behind the camera and is most recently noted as quite a talented screenwriter which the screenplay for Deadgirl very much proves. The script is both challengingly horrific, darkly funny and often moves amongst coming of age story and horror film. Deadgirl goes to depths that few films in the horror genre dare to go.Robert Mitchell interviews Trent Haaga after the World Premiere of Deadgirl September 6th 2008Mr Haaga having gotten his start working for Lloyd Kaufman and Troma Studios...

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September 6, 2021
Jon Hewitt Speaks
Posted By Robert Mitchell At 9:30 PM
Jon Hewitt director of Acolytes talks about film making. In an audience with a lot of aspiring film makers I thought others would wish to see thisAcolytes screens Monday September 8th at Ryerson theater at

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More Conversations From The Line
Posted By Robert Mitchell At 6:06 PM
File under: Memories
One of my favorite aspects of attending Midnight Madness and waiting in line for the audience to be let in is meeting my fellow audience members. All year I talk to friends or colleagues at work about great films I have seen such as L'Interieur and I get a blank eyed stare, shrugged shoulders, "that's really great Rob" or "that woman tried to do what to a pregnant woman? And you actually watched this and liked it?!"However for ten days in September I like many other moths drawn to the flame line...

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September 5, 2021
My First Look at Martyrs
Posted By Robert Mitchell At 8:13 PM
I know we are gearing up for some Detroit Metal City tonight but really wanted to share this with readers of the MM08 blogWhile blogging away the the other day I stumbled upon this 42 sec YouTube video of Martyrs I was stunned. Simple, short and left me with oh this is going to be intense Dictionary.com Unabridged...

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Video of JCVD
Posted By Robert Mitchell At 5:40 PM
This will be a little more informal than I planned but let me introduce you to Sheleigh Bober my partner in crime. Her first Midnight Madness film was Sheitan and last year I dragged her to the entire Midnight Madness lineup where she brought her video camera and started making videos from the insanity that is Midnight Madness. A natural talent when it comes to editing it is also rumoured that she was born with a video camera in her hand. So without further...

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In The Rush Line For JCVD
Posted By Robert Mitchell At 2:45 AM
File under: Free Speech
I showed up at Ryerson theater tonight just before ten p.m and decided to make like Johnny Cash and walk the line. Find out what compelled people (the line was 80 people long when I started talking to people) to wait in the Rush line for the hopes of seeing JCVD       The Rush line up for JCVD 10 o'clock pm Thursday Sept 4th 2008Here is why Rudy one of the first in the Rush line waited to see JCVDI thought this would be a really interesting comedy and I would like to...

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September 3, 2021
Twas the day before the Madness....
Posted By Robert Mitchell At 7:43 PM
Twas the day before the Madness not a ghost was stirring, not even some shambling zombiesThe red carpet was rolled out with care in the hope of a world premiere.The ninjas all lay stealthy snug in their beds while dreams of defeated foes danced in their headsArmed with a video camera and a laptop I set out to blog the madnessWhen out from the darkness arose such a clatter I rushed to the...

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August 20, 2021
Before the Bargin Bin There Was BloodSport
Posted By Robert Mitchell At 7:54 PM
File under: Archival footage
I am sure that there may be some folks sitting in Ryerson Theater in early September that may not have seen or even remember one of JCVD's greatest films, BloodSport.    (Spolier Alert By clicking here you will see the final fight in Bloodsport)Well this film has it all. Forrest Witaker, exotic locales, intrigue, Bolo Yeung, a cool martial arts tournament named "The Kumite", that big guy from Revenge of the Nerds and it was directed by a guy by the name of Newt.  Van Damme   plays Frank Dux, who is based...

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August 19, 2021
The Genesis of a Midnight Madness junkie (a.k.a. The Night I Met Prachya Pinkaew)
Posted By Robert Mitchell At 6:14 PM
Howdy All. As a way of introducing myself, and also to take a little time to do a some reminiscing, I wanted to talk about my first Midnight Madness screening. It was a Saturday, the second day of the 2003 film festival and the second year I was attending. I was set to watch two films that day. The first was Takeshi Kitano's latest film Zatoichi at the Elgin theater theater at the base of Yonge street followed by a screening of Alien with Sir Ridley Scott in attendence. That is already an amazing day of cinema....

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