Taken on their own, zombie flicks and buddy comedies are two of the most overused and unoriginal sub-genres out there; the bad films far outweigh the good films. The VHS bargain bins of the world are filled to the brim with terrible undead schlock and allegedly funny buddy “comedies.” So while it’s hardly novel to combine these two genres, actually doing so successfully is another thing entirely. Does DeadHeads manage to create something that transcends the sum of its parts or is it just more dreck for the pile?

Mike Kellerman is undead… sort of. He’s a zombie in all the usual ways, save one: he’s not a mindless, flesh-craving monster. Confused but coherent, Mike (Michael McKiddy) wakes up in a body bag on the side of the road, with no idea of where he is or how he got there. Still unaware that he is, in fact, a zombie, Mike starts to freak out when he encounters several standard, run-of-the-mill zombies. Enter Brent (Ross Kidder), another walker whose faculties seem (mostly) unaffected by his otherwise zombified state. Brent wastes no time letting Mike know the facts: they’re both zombies and they have likely been dead for close to three years. With this gut-punching revelation, Mike sets off (with Brent in tow) to find his girlfriend (Natalie Victoria) and find out how exactly he became a zombie.

What DeadHeads lacks in production value, it makes up for in heart. Yes, the film tries too hard at times. Yes, despite the unusual concept the story is clichéd and full of plot holes. And yes, you’d better believe the multitude of 80′s pop culture references-for-the-sake-of-references become a bit stale (kudos on a very obscure Transformers reference though.) But despite these shortcomings, the two leads throw everything they’ve got at these roles, bringing life and energy to the quickly decomposing Mike and Brent.

As a mash-up of two genres, the film has certain obligations that it needs to satisfy — A buddy comedy needs a straight man and a goofball, after all. This kind of film relies on the chemistry of its leads as the central pillar of the operation, even when said characters are rotting, reanimated corpses. The back and forth between stoner-zombie Brent and uptight Mike is one of the film’s strongest element. And, as it turns out, buddy comedy dynamics work surprisingly well against the backdrop of a zombie uprising; surviving as zombies in a hostile human-filled world is harder than it looks. It was refreshing to see things from the zombie’s perspective for once. The undead duo are repeatedly thrown into situations that go from ridiculous to absurd very quickly. More could have been done on this front, but given the budgetary constraints it’s understandable that the filmmakers needed to keep the film small in scope.

DeadHeads is a film that mostly knows what it is. You won’t find Romero-style social allegory, big budget thrills, or anything terribly original here, but you will find a fun little mash-up about a zombie in love.

Confirmed guests include Paul McGillion (Stargate: Atlantis, Star Trek), Eisner Award Hall of Fame writer Marv Wolfman (DCU Online, Crisis on Infinite Earths), and artists Mike Deodato Jr. (Amazing Spider-Man, Wonder Woman), John McCrea (“Hitman, Transmetropolitan) and Barry Kitson (Uncanny X-Force, FF”). More guest announcements are sure to be made over the coming months.

“Wizard World Toronto Comic Con has grown tremendously in its first two years, making this move to the Metro Toronto Convention Center a natural,” said John Macaluso of the Wizard World Board of Directors. A larger venue with the more convenient and accessible location? This move sounds like a win-win for both Wizard World and Canadian convention goers. Dork Shelf will be there with bells on. And no, that doesn’t mean we’re dressing up like Khal Drogo.

The 2012 Wizard World Toronto Comic Con is set to take place April 14-15 at the MTCC. More information here.

The festival runs from October 20 – 27 at the Toronto Underground Cinema. Be sure to visit the Toronto After Dark website for the full schedule of films playing this year.

Below you can find a few of our picks for the fest. There are many great films playing at Toronto After Dark this year, but we think these ones are particularly noteworthy

Redline, dir. Takeshi Koike

A film that could easily be described as a mash-up of Speed Racer and Death Race 2000, Redline takes futuristic auto racing to a place where most cars never go: outer space! This break-neck anime feature from the animation gurus at Madhouse was seven years in the making. Blisteringly fast-paced and beautifully realized, Redline is unlike any anime you’ve ever seen. The film follows JP, an up-and-coming race jockey who qualifies to compete in the Redline – the galaxy’s most dangerous (and lucrative) race.

Redline features the voice talents of Takuya Kimura, Yû Aoi, and Tadanobu Asano.

Screenings: Saturday, Oct. 22, 4.15pm at Toronto Underground Cinema
More info here.

The Divide, dir. Xavier Gens

Sheltered in the basement of an apartment building, eight survivors of a nuclear apocalypse have trouble surviving one another. Think of The Divide as a post-apocalyptic riff on Lord of the Flies, only with adults, fallout, and no beach. Director Xavier Gens made a splash on the horror scene with his bleak and brutal 2007 film Frontier(s). The Divide looks to be a claustrophobic return to form for Gens. Seriously though, what is with this guy and axes?!

The Divide stars Michael Biehn, Rosanna Arquette, Milo Ventimiglia, Michael Eklund, and Lauren German.

Screenings: Tuesday, Oct 25, 7.00pm at Toronto Underground Cinema
More info here.

The Innkeepers, dir. Ti West

Director Ti West (House of the Devil) tackles the well-tread haunted hotel subgenre head on with The Innkeepers. A New England hotel with a history of unearthly phenomenon and mysterious sightings is about to be shut down. With only one weekend left before the hotel is shuttered forever, two employees take it upon themselves to uncover the secrets of the old inn.

 The Innkeepers stars Sara Paxton, Pat Healy, and Kelly McGillis.

Screenings: Thursday, Oct 27, 9.45pm at Toronto Underground Cinema
More info here.

Featuring nearly 100 films (mostly documentary), the 2011 edition of Planet in Focus kicks off tomorrow, October 12th, and runs until Sunday, October 16th. Below is a short list of the films that we think are worth watching, but for more of the films playing at the festival be sure to check out the full Planet in Focus 2011 schedule here.

Revenge of the Electric Car, dir. Chris Paine

It’s not often that a documentary warrants a sequel, but if there were ever a subject matter worth revisiting it would be the storied tale of the electric car. Revenge of the Electric Car is director Chris Paine’s follow-up to his sobering doc Who Killed The Electric Car? The film is a decidedly optimistic look at the emerging field of electric vehicle production and four individuals at the centre of this EV renaissance. Revenge of the Electric Car is the opening night gala of Planet in Focus 2011.

Screening: Oct 12 2011 – 7:00 PM at the TIFF Bell Lightbox
More info here.

Darwin, dir. Nick Brandestini

A documentary portrait of the isolated California community of Darwin – population 35. Inhabited by hippies, artists, miners, and ex-cons trying to live off the grid, the town — which has no government or economy of any kind — struggles to get by in the shadow of a military base and bombing range. What makes the residents of this shade of a town decide to stay?

Screening: Oct 15 2011 – 9:30 PM at the ROM
More info here.

The Whale, dir. Suzanne Chisholm & Michael Parfit

The Whale is the strange story of Luna, a young killer whale who lost contact with his pod off the coast of Vancouver Island. Desperate for companionship Luna began to follow local boaters in Nootka Sound, vying for their time and attention. The locals obliged the young orca, but it wasn’t long before Luna’s arrival set off a conflict between the Canadian government, marine mammal NGO’s and the local First Nation.

The Whale was produced by Ryan Reynolds and Scarlett Johansson, with Reynolds providing the film’s narration. The film is the closing night gala of Planet in Focus 2011.

Screening: Oct 16 2011 – 7:00PM at the TIFF Bell Lightbox
More info here.

The National Parks Project

Sections of The National Parks Project (which played in its entirety at Hot Docs earlier this year) will be playing at Planet in Focus 2011. The short film anthology invites some of Canada’s most talented filmmakers and musicians to take on some of Canada’s most amazing landscapes. Read our full review here.

Screenings: Being screened before multiple feature length documentaries.
More info here.

View the full Planet in Focus 2011 schedule at their official site here.

There is a certain character that just seems to crop up again and again on celluloid: the principled crook. The cinematic underworld is rife with characters like this, from Jean-Pierre Melville’s laconic hitmen to Micahel Mann’s stable of killers and thieves. They are career criminals who live by an unspoken code that places professionalism above all else – something that they seem to rarely, if ever, get in return from their lawless compatriots. With a number of crime films already under his belt, director Nicolas Winding Refn (Pusher Trilogy, Bronson) has proven that he knows this dark world well. His new film Drive manages to be both an immaculate homage to the seminal crime films of Melville and Mann, and a worthy addition to a genre already full of classics.

The film’s nameless and nearly silent protagonist (Ryan Gosling) — referred to only as the driver — has an affinity for automobiles. He has a talent for fixing cars and a talent for driving them. He puts these skills to good use, working by day as a stunt driver in Hollywood movie productions and at the garage of Shannon (Bryan Cranston), a aging hustler with a limp. It’s a legitimate front for a double life. After hours he works as a wheelman for hire, spiriting thieves away from the scene of their crimes. All the driver provides is the getaway vehicle and his considerable driving skills, beyond that he refuses to get involved in the illicit activities of his employers. Confident that this detachment protects him, the driver tries to live an unremarkable existence out of his spartan apartment.

Things change when he meets his neighbour Irene (Carey Mulligan), a young mother raising her son, Benicio, alone. While her boyfriend — and son’s father — Standard finishes a prison sentence, the driver forms a quick bond with the pair, becoming very protective of Irene and the young boy. When Standard (Oscar Isaac) returns home from prison, the driver discovers that the ex-con owes a local crime boss for the protection he was provided in prison. Determined to protect Irene and Benicio, the driver offers to help Standard repay his debt, but events do not go to plan.

Watching Drive, it is hard to not be reminded of movies like Le Samourai and Thief. In classic neo-noir tradition, the protagonists of these films pride themselves on having no attachments; after all, any lasting relationship would be a liability in their line of work. Invariably a woman lures them out of their self-made shell and that relationship is used against them. It’s a fairly clichéd setup, but Refn breathes new life into the well-used heist-gone-wrong story with a compelling central character, strong style and moody ambience.

Drive is a very quiet film in terms of dialogue. In the spirit of “the man with no name”, its protagonist rarely speaks, and when he does his questions and statements are almost entirely utilitarian. There is an intensity to Gosling’s character that can be likened to a wild animal. Men in this world are naturally violent creatures, behind every one lies a “tiger in the jungle”. The driver, for all of his apparent virtue, is merely a beast trying to survive in a dangerous world. If the scorpion emblazoned on his jacket does not remind viewers of this fact, his many shocking outbursts of violence certainly will.

Despite his character’s less than chatty demeanour, Gosling holds the audience hostage whenever he’s on screen. He has a silent charisma that makes him perfect for the role of the driver, carrying entire scenes without so much as a word. The equally talented Carey Mulligan feels underused, as does the wonderful Christina Hendricks. Drive, like most noirs, features a male dominated world where women are mostly relegated to plot points or femme fatales. It’s unfortunate, as I’d like to have seen more of both characters.

Of all the great performances in the film, perhaps none stand out more than Albert Brooks. The actor, known mostly for his comedic roles, turns in a truly sinister performance as the gangster Bernie Rose. By the end of the film I was terrified to see what the character would do next.

Composer Cliff Martinez’s synth-heavy score infuses the film with the hot neon flavour of Michael Mann’s classic crime dramas. His score is complemented well by a mostly modern soundtrack that evokes this same feeling. The standout track “Nightcall” by French electrohouse artist Kavinsky helps to set the tone early on.

Drive is a classic crime film stripped down to the bone. The film is as much about pulling off the caper and outsmarting the crooks, as it is about character and tone. You’ve seen the tropes of this film before, but never so expertly and confidently packaged. Refn’s understanding and appreciation of the genre shine bright like high beams on a dark Los Angeles street.

The Toronto After Dark Film Festival has announced the first wave of feature films slated for this year’s event. The Canadian genre fest features some of the best and most off-beat horror, sci-fi, action and cult cinema from around the world. Some of the highlights from the recent announcement include creature wrestling feature Monster Brawl, Canadian splatterfest Father’s Day, claustro-pocalyptic The Divide, full-throttle anime Redline and horror anthology The Theatre Bizarre.

The sixth annual edition of After Dark has a new date and a new venue, a move that will likely please fans. TADFF will officially return to the Halloween season this year, running from October 20-27. The fest has also left its long time home at the Bloor Cinema (due to ongoing renovations) in favour of the entirely suitable Toronto Underground Cinema.

You can get a taste of this year’s offerings in this awesome sizzle reel put together by Toronto After Dark.

Toronto After Dark 2011 runs October 20th – 27th. For ticket info and to see the full list of announced films, be sure to visit the official Toronto After Dark Film Festival website here.

It’s hard not to like Paul Rudd. The actor has an affable, everyman charm and a real gift for comedy that comes through in almost every role he plays – even when the source material isn’t particularly inspired. Rudd’s new film, Our Idiot Brother — in which he plays the titular dumb sibling — is not a particularly inspired piece of filmmaking, but it nevertheless manages to coast by on good intentions and happy accidents much like its central character.

Rudd plays Ned, a directionless, organic farm-dwelling, hippie doofus who gets arrested for idiotically selling marijuana to a uniformed police officer in broad daylight. Ned is just a friendly guy whose penchant for giving people the benefit of the doubt usually gets him into hot water. After a short stint in jail, Ned heads to the big city for a fresh start and a visit with his family. Or at least that is what he’s hoping for. Ned’s sisters Miranda (Elizabeth Banks), Natalie (Zooey Deschanel) and Liz (Emily Mortimer) are too busy with their own lives to give him much of a helping hand, and he gets passed around from sister-to-sister like a pariah. He does get a little help from Liz’s smarmy filmmaker husband Dylan (the criminally under-utilized Steve Coogan) in the form of a job, only to blow it when inadvertently reveals that Dylan is having an affair. Similarly, Ned nearly destroys the relationship of Natalie and her girlfriend Cindy (Rashida Jones), all through misunderstanding and miscommunication.

Our Idiot Brother ends up being very episodic in its construction. The audience is presented with a hilarious-yet-tired concept at the beginning of the film – a naive and trusting man in the big city – and that’s pretty much it. We follow Ned on his wacky adventures, wondering what kind of trouble he’s going to get into next and who he’s next going to alienate. Make no mistake, Our Idiot Brother is an amusing film with legitimately funny parts spread throughout, but the film never really comes together to be anything more than that. The conclusion — which I suppose was intended to be a heartwarming moment where the whole family realize they’ve taken Ned for granted — just feels artificial. His family doesn’t deserve him. They spend the entire film being pretty terrible people, only to have a sudden change of heart at the end. All so that the audience can be treated to a disingenuous and clichéd conclusion that some studio exec probably dreamed up.

Counterfeit ending aside, the film does have a lot going for it, if only in moments. Where else can you see Steve Coogan’s ball sack? Or watch Zooey Deschanel and Rashida Jones kiss? Or behold Adam Scott impersonating Kyle MacLachlan from Dune? Our Idiot Brother boils down to a series of funny vignettes, but not much else. Paul Rudd is great; he plays Ned as a more likable and somehow more stupid version of The Dude. In fact, the whole ensemble of Our Idiot Brother is really solid, but the film is ultimately so directionless that it feels almost unworthy of its wonderful cast. Directionless… why does that seem so familiar?

Griff the Invisible is an odd little film, one that wears a big heart on its sleeve. Writer/director Leon Ford has created a film that is equal parts enamouring and sad. The film stars Ryan Kwanten (True Blood‘s Jason Stackhouse) as the titular Griff, a quiet loner who doubles as a masked vigilante by night. What makes Griff the Invisible different from the growing roster of DIY vigilante movies (Kick-Ass, Defendor, Super, et al.) is that our hero’s crime-fighting adventures are essentially made up. His foes are imagined fantasies and his feats gross exaggerations of his own creation. It’s a relatable tale of outsiders who try to fit in the only way they know how.

Griff’s main issue is that he never really grew up. Always daydreaming, his runaway imagination gets him into trouble more often than not. He is ostracized by his office coworkers, toiling away his days in a lonely cubicle and escaping to his small apartment at night. It’s here, at home and alone, that Griff really comes into his own. Donning a home-made costume he becomes Griff the Invisible, patrolling the streets of Sydney and fighting crime… apparently. He soon meets Melody (Maeve Dermody), an equally quirky soul who is convinced that she has the power to phase through solid objects. When she inadvertently discovers Griff’s dual identity, she encourages his “crime-fighting” capers, if only so that he will come to believe her own outlandish pursuits. The two share a child-like sense of wonder, suspending their disbelief in the impossible in the way that only children can.

Having only seen Kwanten as Jason Stackhouse on HBO’s True Blood, it was strange to see him play such a sullen character (it was also surprising to learn that Kwanten is in fact Australian. ACTING!). He turns in equally solid performances as the introverted Griff and his take-charge, costumed alter ego. Griff’s ridiculous schemes to create an invisibility suit — one which entails soaking a cloth suit in invisible ink — become believable simply because Kwanten sells the character so well. Griff thinks he is invisible so the audience accepts that reality. Maeve Dermody’s portrayal of Griff’s counterpart Melody is just as intriguing. Perpetually sporting a bruise on her forehead (from trying to pass through her bedroom wall) and spouting obscure science factoids at inopportune moments, she’s exactly what Griff needs: A kindred spirit. The two main characters are very strange people, but despite their eccentricities they never become caricatures of themselves. Thanks to Kwanten and Dermody Griff and Melody feel like real people. Very odd, slightly disturbed real people, but real people nonetheless.

Director Leon Ford and his production team manage to show Australia in a different light than perhaps North American audiences are used to. No dusty outback found here. The dark streets that Griff stalks at night — which could easily be at home in Gotham City — and his grey and white office space — like something out of The Matrix — offer a stark contrast to the colourful locations that populate the city’s daylight hours. Shot on 16mm, the film has a decidedly “filmy” look. It’s an interesting aesthetic choice that doesn’t do the low-budget feature many favours, but the rough around the edges feel certainly fits with the do-it-yourself message of the movie.

The film does tend to drag in the third act and the conclusion is a slightly anti-climactic, but this opinion could be my expectations talking. Griff the Invisible is marketed as a low-rent superhero actioner, but it’s actually more of a romantic-comedy of sorts. Despite these minor complaints, the bottom line is that solid, sympathetic performances and charming style make this indie a real hero.

The Devil’s Double is the disturbing and mostly true tale of Latif Yahia, a well to-do Iraqi man who is forced to become the body double of Uday Hussein, the sadistic elder son of dictator Saddam Hussein. Dominic Cooper (An Education, Captain America), in what is sure to be a star turn, impressively fills both roles. Cooper’s performance absolutely makes this movie, but despite a strong first half, it is director Lee Tamahori (The Edge, Die Another Day) who ultimately drops the ball. The result is a very uneven film, one that goes from an interesting character study of two wildly different men to an unnecessary action film by the third act.

But let’s talk about the film’s lead(s). Cooper is insanity and excess personified as the psychotic Uday, while channeling a kind of quiet sadness as the principled body double Latif. Uday’s paranoid narcissism leads him to become obsessed with his doppelganger, and Cooper plays both sides of this twisted relationship to a tee. It must be acknowledged that his performances were aided by some very strong visual effects work. The Social Network played a similar trick for a handful of scenes featuring the Winkelvoss twins, but here Cooper plays most of the film against himself. It’s an impressive feat for anyone, and even more impressive when you consider how compelling each individual performance is on its own. Full credit to Cooper and to the effects team.

The film itself is a bit of a disappointment. The wild shift in tone between the first and second half makes The Devil’s Double feel like two separate films. The first two thirds of the film focus on Latif’s transformation from humble army officer to indentured double of Saddam’s son. Latif must learn to emulate the spoiled (and likely insane) Uday perfectly if he is to double for him. With the help of some plastic surgery and research Latif becomes Uday, doubling for him during public appearances, state functions and numerous assassination attempts.

This section of the film spans from the mid-eighties during the Iran-Iraq War to the waning days of the first Gulf War, with each temporal chunk of narrative book-ended by actual footage from the conflicts. Through the eyes of Latif we witness Uday’s unbridled depravity over the years. It’s a world of privilege and excess, of fast cars, drugs and loose women – all paid for by the blood of Iraqi citizens. Kidnapping, rape, torture and murder were standard tools of Saddam’s regime, but Uday’s violent outbursts are revealed to be pointlessly cruel and mostly recreational. With each chapter of the film Tamahori methodically ramps up the shock factor, climaxing with Uday’s public disemboweling and murder of one of his father’s confidants. This unbelievably violent act would be almost comedic if not for the fact that it actually occurred in real life.

It’s here that the film takes a turn for the worse. Given the subject matter of The Devil’s Double, it’s reasonable for viewers to expect a violent resolution to the film. However the realistic tone that Tamahori goes so far to establish in the preceding acts is immediately squandered by the finale – all in the name of action. The director hammers home the gravity of Latif’s situation again and again throughout the film, but when it comes time for the double to make his escape the movie descends into a series of cartoonish gunfights, car chases and unnecessary twists. This has turned into a pattern of sorts for Tamahori, having serially failed to “bring it home” with his finales in previous films. The Edge and Die Another Day suffered similarly muddled conclusions.

The Devil’s Double paints a terrifying portrait of life in Iraq during Saddam Hussein’s rule. It’s offers bloody education in the suffering endured by her people for more than thirty years, and a look at the true madness at the heart of the regime. The film suffers from an episodic construction and weak conclusion, but Dominic Cooper is tremendous in the dual roles of Latif and Uday. His performance(s) make the The Devil’s Double worth seeing.

An intense new trailer for Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy has hit the web courtesy of MSN Movies. The film — an adaptation of the John le Carré’s novel of the same name — is the first English-language effort from Let the Right One In director Tomas Alfredson. Set during the coldest days of the Cold War, semi-retired spy George Smiley (Gary Oldman) is enlisted by MI6 to help sniff out a Soviet double agent within their ranks.

The film also happens to have of the strongest movie casts we’ve seen in ages, featuring the likes of Gary Oldman, Colin Firth, Mark Strong, John Hurt, Tobey Jones, Tom Hardy and Ciarán Hinds, to name just a few. The cast alone has us eagerly anticipating this espionage thriller.

Alfredson’s film version is not the first adaptation of le Carré’s spy novel, and certainly not the first to feature a strong cast. A stellar 1979 TV mini-series produced by the BBC featured the great Alec Guinness as George Smiley and Patrick Stewart as his Soviet nemesis, Karla.

Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy is due out November 18, 2011 and may also make an appearance at this year’s Toronto International Film Festival.

This morning, TIFF announced the full slate of Midnight Madness titles, and it’s an extremely exciting line-up featuring films from newcomers and returning vets alike. Some of the highlights include Lovely Molly – a psychological horror from the director of The Blair Witch Project, God Bless America - scathing social commentary by way of Bobcat Goldthwait, The Raid – bone-crunching martial arts action from Indonesia, and more!

Midnight Madness is where you’ll find world premieres of some of the best genre flicks of the year. This programme is for your inner dork; the place to be if you don’t feel up for the stuffiness and pretension found elsewhere in the festival. Crime, action, horror, sci-fi – it’s all here.

Check out the full line-up courtesy of TIFF.

The Day – Doug Aarniokoski, Canada (World Premiere)

In a post-apocalyptic future, an open war against humanity rages. Five survivors wander along rural back-roads, lost, starving and on the run. With dwindling food stocks and ammunition, an attempt at seeking shelter turns into a battleground where they must fight or die. Starring Ashley Bell, Dominic Monaghan and Shannyn Sossamon.

Watch the trailer for The Day here.

God Bless America – Bobcat Goldthwait, USA (World Premiere)

Loveless, jobless and possibly terminally ill, Frank has had enough of the downward spiral of America. With nothing left to lose, Frank takes his gun and decides to off the stupidest, cruellest and most repellent members of society with an unusual accomplice: 16-year-old Roxy, who shares his sense of rage and disenfranchisement. From stand-up comedian and director Bobcat Goldthwait comes a scathing and hilarious attack on all that is sacred in the United States of America.

The Incident – Alexandre Courtes, France (World Premiere)

George, Max and Ricky are in a rock band and waiting for their big breakthrough. Between small gigs and rehearsals they work in the kitchen of a high-security asylum for good pay at minimum risk – they have no physical contact with the inmates. One night just before dinnertime, a big storm shuts down the security system, the doors open and the lunatics break loose. Help is on its way and should soon arrive… they just have to survive until it does.

Kill List – Ben Wheatley, United Kingdom (Canadian Premiere)

Eight months after a disastrous job in Kiev left him physically and mentally scarred, ex-soldier-turned-contract-killer Jay is pressured by his partner Gal into taking a new assignment. As they track their prey, they descend into a disturbing world that is darker and more depraved than anything they experienced on the battlefield.

Watch the trailer for Kill List here.

Livid – Julien Maury and Alexandre Bustillo, France (World Premiere)

The directors of 2007’s Midnight Madness hit A L’Interieur (Inside) return with a twisted gothic nightmare. A young woman and her friends break into a decrepit mansion looking for treasure, only to unlock a dark secret of unspeakable horror ready to dish out bloody punishment for their greed.

Lovely Molly – Eduardo Sanchez, USA (World Premiere)

When newlywed Molly Reynolds returns to her long-abandoned family home, frightful reminders of a nightmarish childhood begin seeping into her new life. She soon begins an inexorable descent into evil that blurs the lines between psychosis and possession. From the director of The Blair Witch Project.

The Raid – Gareth Evans, Indonesia (World Premiere)

Deep in the heart of Jakarta’s slums lies an impenetrable safe house for the world’s most dangerous killers and gangsters. Until now, the run-down apartment block has been considered untouchable to even the bravest of police. Cloaked under the cover of pre-dawn darkness and silence, an elite swat team is tasked with raiding the safe house in order to take down the notorious drug lord that runs it. But when a chance encounter with a spotter blows their cover and news of their assault reaches the drug lord, the building’s lights are cut and all the exits blocked. Stranded on the sixth floor with no way out, the unit must fight their way through the city’s worst to survive their mission. Starring Indonesian martial arts sensation Iko Uwais.

Watch the trailer for The Raid here.

Sleepless Night – Frederic Jardin, France/Belgium/Luxembourg (World Premiere)

When Vincent, a double-dealing cop, steals a big bag of cocaine from some drug dealers they counter by kidnapping and threatening to kill his son if the bag isn’t returned – fast. The swap is to go down at their headquarters in a big nightclub on the outskirts of Paris, but Vincent gets caught in a spiral of deception and betrayal and must fight his way through packed dance floors and dark corridors of the labyrinth-like club.

Smuggler – Katsuhito Ishii, Japan (World Premiere)

After his dreams of becoming an actor go nowhere, 25-year-old Kinuta does nothing but gamble every day. Broke, framed and now neck-deep in debt, he is recruited as a smuggler – an underground mover of everything from dead bodies to illegal goods – but one cargo triggers the rage of a psychotic gangster hellbent on revenge. By acclaimed cult director Katsuhito Ishii of Shark Skin Man and Peach Hip Girl and Funky Forest fame.

Watch the trailer for Smuggler here.

You’re Next – Adam Wingard, USA (World Premiere)

From the director-writer team that brought TIFF audiences A Horrible Way To Die in 2010 comes a new experiment in tension. A family comes under a terrifying and sadistic attack during a reunion getaway. Barricaded in their secluded country home, they have
to fight off a barrage of axes, crossbows and machetes from both inside and outside the house. Unfortunately for the killers, one of the victims proves to have a talent for fighting back.

Watch the trailer for You’re Next here.

A Dangerous Method by director David Cronenberg

It’s that time of year again! With the 2011 edition of the Toronto International Film Festival just around the corner, the festival group today announced the first batch of special presentations and galas.

Toronto can expect films from some of the most important and influential directors working today. The 2011 festival will feature world premieres from directors like Luc Besson, Cameron Crowe, Mark Duplass, Roland Emmerich, Francis Ford Coppola, Marc Foster, Alexander Payne, Sarah Polley and Michael Winterbottom. The fest will also play host to North American debuts from Pedro Almodóvar, George Clooney, David Cronenberg, Ralph Fiennes, William Friedkin, Ann Hui, Madonna(huh?), Steve McQueen, Todd Solondz and Lars von Trier. It’s definitely a great line-up, be sure to check out the full list below.

And this announcement is just the tip of the iceberg. Every year TIFF showcases hundreds of the best films from Canada and around the world; we can expect more big announcements between now and early September. We’re particularly excited about what TIFF has in store for the Midnight Madness programme.

TIFF 2011 runs from September 8th to the 18th.
For more details visit the official TIFF 2011 website here.

GALAS

Albert Nobbs – Rodrigo Garcia, Ireland (World Premiere)

Butter Jim - Field Smith, USA (World Premiere)

A Dangerous Method – David Cronenberg, France/Ireland/United Kingdom/Germany/Canada (North American Premiere)

A Happy Event – Rémi Bezancon, France (World Premiere)

The Ides of March – George Clooney, USA (North American Premiere)

The Lady – Luc Besson, France/United Kingdom (World Premiere)

Moneyball - Bennett Miller, USA (World Premiere)

Peace, Love, & Misunderstanding – Bruce Beresford, USA (World Premiere)

Take this Waltz - Sarah Polley, Canada (World Premiere)

W.E. – Madonna, United Kingdom (North American Premiere)

SPECIAL PRESENTATIONS

11 Flowers – Wang Xiaoshuai, China/France (World Premiere)

50/50 – Jonathan Levine, USA (World Premiere)

360 – Fernando Meirelles UK/Austria/France/Brazil (World Premiere)

The Artist – Michel Hazanavicius, France (Toronto Premiere)

Americano – Mathieu Demy, France (World Premiere)

Anonymous – Roland Emmerich, Germany (World Premiere)

A Better Life – Cédric Khan, France (World Premiere)

Burning Man – Jonathan Teplitzky, Australia (World Premiere)

Chicken with Plums – Marjane Satrapi, Vincent Paronnaud, France/Germany/Belgium (North American Premiere)

Coriolanus – Ralph Fiennes, United Kingdom (North American Premiere)

Countdown – Huh Jong-ho, Korea (World Premiere)

Dark Horse – Todd Solondz, USA (North American Premiere)

The Deep Blue Sea – Terence Davies, United Kingdom (World Premiere)

The Descendants – Alexander Payne, USA (World Premiere)

Drive – Nicolas Winding Refn, USA (Canadian Premiere)

Elles – Malgoska Szumowska, France/Poland/Germany (World Premiere)

The Eye of the Storm – Fred Schepisi, Australia (International Premiere)

Friends With Kids – Jennifer Westfeldt, USA (World Premiere)

Habemus Papam – Nanni Moretti, Italy/France (North American Premiere)

Headhunters – Morten Tyldum, Norway (North American Premiere)

Hick – Derick Martini, USA (World Premiere)

The Hunter – Daniel Nettheim, Australia (World Premiere)

Jeff, Who Lives at Home – Jay Duplass, Mark Duplass, USA (World Premiere)

Killer Joe – William Friedkin, USA (North American Premiere)

Like Crazy – Drake Doremus, USA (International Premiere)

Machine Gun Preacher – Marc Forster, USA (World Premiere)

Martha Marcy May Marlene – Sean Durkin, USA (Canadian Premiere)

Melancholia – Lars von Trier, Denmark/Sweden/France/Germany (North American Premiere)

The Oranges – Julian Farino, USA (World Premiere)

Pearl Jam Twenty – Cameron Crowe, USA (World Premiere)

Rampart – Oren Moverman, USA (World Premiere)

Salmon Fishing in the Yemen – Lasse Hallstrom, United Kingdom (World Premiere)

Shame – Steve McQueen, United Kingdom (North American Premiere)

A Simple Life – Ann Hui, Hong Kong, China (North American Premiere)

The Skin I Live In – Pedro Almodóvar, Spain (North American Premiere)

Take Shelter – Jeff Nichols, USA (Canadian Premiere)

Ten Year – Jamie Linden, USA (World Premiere)

Trishna – Michael Winterbottom, United Kingdom (World Premiere)

Twixt – Francis Ford Coppola, USA (World Premiere)

Tyrannosaur – Paddy Considine, United Kingdom (Canadian Premiere)

We Need to Talk About Kevin – Lynne Ramsay, United Kingdom (North American Premiere)

Where Do We Go Now? – Nadine Labaki, France/Lebanon/Italy/Egypt (International Premiere)

Woman in the Fifth – Pawel Pawlikowski, France/Poland/United Kingdom (World Premiere)