TIFF 2014 Mavericks: Conversation with Richard Gere

Moments before his highly-anticipated Mavericks interview last Saturday evening, Richard Gere surprised his adoring fans by not showing up in a big black Escalade, but by casually walking in from the street with a few companions. There was no grand, red carpet entrance. It was all very modest. Much like the man himself, who humbly expressed to the audience that he wasn't worthy of all the attention.

In the early 80's, I was very aware of Gere as an actor, which is interesting, considering that I hadn't seen any of his movies because I was much too young. In 1980, I remember staring at a poster of American Gigolo outside a theatre in Kitchener and being mesmerized by his cool, projected suaveness. In 1982, I was intrigued to see him in TV ads going toe to toe against Lou Gossett Jr.'s tough sergeant in An Officer and a Gentleman. Finally, in 1983, Gere's undeniable machismo in the Breathless trailer made me a loyal fan. Again, at that time, I hadn't seen a single Richard Gere film yet, but when his movies finally made their way to network television and home video, I quickly rectified that little technicality and was not disappointed. Richard Gere will forever be one of my favourite childhood movie stars -- so when TIFF announced that his career would be spotlighted in their Mavericks program, it was a no-brainer to see the multi-talented actor in-person.

Before appearing on stage, the audience was treated to a short film retrospective of Gere's celebrated work, which included Days of Heaven, American Gigolo, An Officer and a Gentlemen, Pretty Woman and Time Out of Mind. When asked how he felt seeing 40 years of his film work in such a montage, Gere compared it to a 'life flashing before your eyes' moment. The 65-year-old actor pleasantly joked that these retrospectives were happening now because people didn’t think that he would be around much longer.

As impressive as Gere's filmography is, it's surprising that he's never been nominated for an Oscar -- a fact that the interviewer made a point of mentioning, which elicited Gere to sarcastically respond, "it's not like I haven't been keeping a career for the last 40 years." Further inquiries about how he felt about his co-stars Debra Winger, Julia Roberts and Edward Norton earning Oscar nods in lieu of him finally prompted Gere to ask, "why are you obsessing about this?" Gere made it clear that he never bought into the whole Hollywood machine -- especially when it came to his appearance.

Earlier in his career, Gere was unaware of his leading man good looks. “No one ever thinks that they are particularly good looking,” he said. But seeing his younger self now in films like Gigolo, he admits that he was a pretty boy. Gere always approached his sex symbol roles as an actor first and that’s probably why he’s still around making movies today. Gere offered another theory as to why he’s getting meatier roles lately: “I’m older now and not as pretty as I used to be.”

Gere is at the Festival for his latest film, Time Out of Mind, a very personal project where he plays a homeless New Yorker forced to live in a shelter. Gere has been involved with the Coalition for the Homeless in New York and has visited many shelters over the years, so he was very familiar with the plight of the homeless prior to filming. “A homeless person is worse than invisible. He [or she] is a black hole,” Gere said. “When we see a panhandler, we don’t want to go near them.”

As research for the film, the actor dressed down and wandered the streets of New York, panhandling. It was a profound experience for Gere, who was unrecognizable to everyone. Everyone, except a Black couple in Grand Central Station. “I was getting really bold and getting into people’s faces and they said ‘Hello, Richard,’” he recounted. “I realized that us white people are really in our capsules. We don’t see the world around us at all. When we are going from here to there, we don’t want to know anything else in between. We don’t know the world. African-Americans are just more open. They’re more into their environment. They notice things.”

Gere is close friends with the Dalai Lama and has been politically active on behalf of Tibet for many years. The actor shared why he became a devout Buddhist. “I distrusted what everyone told me about the world and consciousness and why we are here,” he said. Buddhism helped the actor articulate all that on a deeper level and brought him more happiness in his personal life.

Interestingly, Gere wasn’t the first choice to play the lead in Days of Heaven, American Gigolo and An Officer and a Gentlemen -- his most acclaimed films. John Travolta was initially offered the parts, but turned them down. The interviewer teased Gere by asking if he sends Travolta a Christmas card in gratitude every year. “No, but it’s something that he never fails to remind me of,” Gere answered. 

When the interview came to an end, Gere graciously autographed memorabilia from the audience -- including a DVD copy of Breathless from yours truly. As he was signing the cover, I asked if he had any good memories of making the movie. “I LOVED this film,” he said. “And she was just so wonderful,” referring to his co-star Valerie Kaprisky.

Later that evening, I purchased a ticket online for next Saturday’s screening of Time Out of Mind. It’s great to see that after 34 years, I’m still very excited to see a Richard Gere film.


Time Out of Mind is playing at the Elgin/Wintergarden Theatre on Saturday, September 13th at 6pm.

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TIFF Begins!

The Toronto International Film Festival is here and beginning tomorrow TorontoVerve will be honouring it with TIFF-inspired creative shoots and stories to get you all excited for the event. 

[Lupita Nyong'o]

If you're a lover of all film genres like me, then you'll enjoy what we have in store for you. During the festival, we will be featuring stories of romance, science-fiction, thrillers, dramas and comedies accompanied with cinematic photographs, starring the fashionable street stylers we've profiled over the years.

[Elle Fanning]

In addition, we'll have film reviews, celebrity photographs -- not to mention, the amazing street style of festival-goers.

[Johnny Depp]

Before we begin our TIFF tribute, I want to thank all our stylish and artistic participants who helped us bring our original film stories to life. We greatly appreciate your time and generosity.

[Christina Hendricks]

If you missed last year's inaugural TIFF tribute, you can check it out here.

[Javier Bardem]

The 39th Toronto International Film Festival runs from September 4th to 14th. 

See you at the movies!

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Aisha Tyler in Toronto For One Night Only

Comedienne Aisha Tyler is arguably one of the hardest working people in show business. She's a co-host on CBS' The Talk, the new host of The CW's Whose Line Is It Anyway, the voice of Lana Kane on the hit cartoon series Archer and the producer and host of her own podcast, Girl on Guy. Last night, she performed 2 stand up shows at the historic Royal Theatre for one night only, and needless to say, she didn't disappoint.

When the curtain opened, the audience was first treated to her funny music video No Ass at All, where she raps about not fitting into black stereotypes and, you guessed it, having a modestly shaped derrière. Afterwards, Aisha briskly walked out on stage to an enthusiastic crowd and delivered a fun-filled set that covered many facets of life, including:

* The pains of getting older: seeing grey hairs in the nether region and waking up with mysterious cuts and bruises
* The benefits of having a white husband: gaining the perks of white privilege and having a handyman around the house
* How guys can get more sex from their partners: take her to a girly movie and don't forget Valentine's Day

After the show, Tyler personally met and took photos with fans, and also signed copies of her latest book, Self-Inflicted Wounds: Heartwarming Tales of Epic Humiliation.

It was her first performance in Canada and hopefully the first of many to come.

On the Red Carpet with OMG! Insider's Mary Kitchen

When it comes to fashion and entertainment, Canada's own Mary Kitchen has always had her finger on the pulse. She was a correspondent on shows such as Red Carpet Diary, FTV's In Fashion and City's Breakfast Television before packing her bags and moving to LA to join the OMG! Insider (formally The Insider) team. 

While in the city covering the Toronto International Film Festival, Mary sat down with us to talk about family, fashion and her much-deserved success.

TorontoVerve: Tell us about your childhood. Who was Mary Kitchen before all the success? 

Mary Kitchen: That is a good question. I think I was just like any other kid growing up in New Brunswick. I spent a lot of time with my little sister and I was the eldest so I took care of everybody. My aunt tells a story about when I was 2 years old and I supposedly brought her into my bedroom and then proceeded to explain every outfit that worked together in my entire wardrobe. So maybe I always had [that flare for style]. When I was in high school, there wasn’t a lot of coverage of fashion or the entertainment business so my joy came from magazines. I was obsessed with supermodels and cutting out pictures of clothes, hair, make-up and jewelry. But I was also a sporty kid. I was really into horses, cross-country running, soccer and playing lots of sports.

TV: Where did your love for show business come from in New Brunswick? 

MK: I think it all came naturally together with my love for fashion and doing theatre. When I was 6 years old, I remember telling my dad that I really want to be one of those kids in a toothpaste commercial and he kinda looked at me like I was crazy because that just wasn’t a thing. I also learned a lot of jingles. There was this Shell jingle and it went like this [sings lyrics]. I remember all of that.

TV: So you had aspirations of being in commercials as a kid? 

MK: Not really. I just was interested in what people said on television and learning their lines. I was really as interested in pop culture as I was theatre.

TV: Can you share a little about your family? 

MK: I’m extremely close with my brother and sister. I grew up with my cousins, aunts and uncles up at my family’s cottage. Those are probably my best memories: being in the water all day, lots of waterskiing, windsurfing, canoeing and going to family regattas. There was a tub race and winning the trophy basically defined your entire year. Those are probably some of my fondest childhood memories. My mom and dad are just so not show business-type people and it’s interesting because people always tell me: “your parents must love watching you on the show...” And I respond, “they think it’s fine.” [laughs] But it’s not something that anybody in my family has ever done.

TV: What advice from your mother do you still hold dear? 

MK: Well, she always says that if you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all, and I kinda try to do that. My mom is the sweetest lady that you can possibly imagine. She is honestly an angel from another planet so I’d be proud to have any of her qualities. And my mom is definitely not into beauty and fashion. She could care less about how she looks and I never understood that. The first thing I say whenever I see my mother is “mom, what’s with your hair? Do you want a little eye-liner? How about some lip-gloss? What’s going on with this look?” [laughs] And she just giggles and laughs. Sometimes the critic in her comes out and she comments on my hair on the show. And it’s funny because she never applies her feedback to herself.

TV: I’m a dog lover so I have to ask: do you still have Celery, your black lab? 

MK: Noooo, I don’t have Celery. She passed away 2 years ago and she is one of the most special things to ever happen to me. This year was the first time that I actually took her up to my cottage and sprinkled her ashes up there. That’s kind of weird and morbid, but I honestly have to say that it was so painful for so long because she really was my best friend. My friends and I always joke that she had a British accent because she was kinda a bit uptight and highly intelligent.

TV: Did she really save your life in a fire? 

MK: Yes, my house burnt down when I was in university and she woke me up. I can still remember her licking me and barking. At the time, I thought I was dreaming, but when I finally opened my eyes I was literally surrounded by flames and smoke. Had I waited another minute, I probably wouldn’t have gotten out.

TV: Is there anyone special in your life right now? 

MK: There is. There is a new relationship in my life. He’s amazing. We’ll see. I mean it’s very new so we’ll see.

TV: He’s from LA? 

MK: He’s from the East Coast, which I like. There are a lot of girls who [are new] to LA and the guys there can sense it. So you learn very quickly to seek out guys from the East Coast. I mean I’m from New Brunswick. If a guy does his hair more than me, that’s just not going to fly back home.

TV: You once dressed the stars for the Oscars and Grammy’s.  Can you tell us about that experience?

MK: When my girlfriend Diana was 21, she opened a store called San Remo and it became a really famous little boutique on St. Thomas Street right off of Bloor Street West. The celebrities would walk in and say, “Oh I’d love to wear something like this to the People’s Choice Awards or the Oscars.” And we’d say, “let us style you.” And for some reason they trusted us.

TV: Who were some of the celebrities you helped style? 

MK: We styled Britney Spears, Jennifer Lopez and Jennifer Love Hewitt. Heather Locklear was a great customer. She came in all the time and we’d send her things and put outfits together for her. That was when I was at grad school. To have the background in fashion, journalism and acting really prepared me for what I’m doing right now. My girlfriend Diana in particular who started the store -- she’s a huge inspiration. She really taught me everything I know about fashion.

TV: What is your greatest heartbreak that you would attribute to motivating you to reach your success today? 

MK: That is a good question. I guess all the things that I haven’t gotten ended up helping me do what I’m doing now. I was on a CBC reality show called Fashion File Host Hunt (10 contestants competing to be the show's new host) and it came down to me and the other guy and he got it. I remember thinking that maybe I wasn’t meant to do this, but then I was offered a job on the Fashion Television channel. I’ve gone to a million auditions and many times I didn’t get the part that I had my heart set on. Last year, there was a role I wanted, but I couldn’t do it due to scheduling conflicts and that broke my heart, but then another movie opportunity came up this year. It’s just the way it goes. What amazes me about the heartbreaks is when you do get your heart broken, you really know that you want to be in this business when you go at it again. That almost assures you that you’re doing the right thing because you’re like, 'Wow! That really sucks, but I still want to do this! How crazy am I about this business?' That’s great!

TV: You’re currently a correspondent for OMG! Insider. How did that great opportunity come about? 

MK: A friend of mine had my tape and somebody there ended up seeing it and they asked me to come in. I worked in LA off and on and I kept getting calls. I always thought it was a fun thing to do, but I felt that it was never going to actually be a permanent thing. And when it happened, I was ecstatic. I got to meet the people who I was working with and I learned the concept behind this new show. They really wanted it to be conversational not presentational and to me that was very exciting.

TV: You covered Rihanna’s 7-7-7 tour. It’s been widely reported that Rihanna virtually ignored the journalists on the plane and instead of Rihanna being the story, the journalists’ frustration for her ended up being the story. What was that experience like for you personally? 

MK: That was one of the craziest things I’ve ever done. You’re right -- the journalists did become the story. They really had a collective meltdown. You have to understand there were over a 150 entertainment journalists who were missing from their newsrooms back home and they didn’t have a story. Tensions definitely ran high. I’ll tell you a story about when I was really annoyed. We were sitting on the airplane for 4 hours in Paris [waiting for Rihanna] and it ended up that she was photographed that day shopping. I thought to myself: 'I wish that I was shopping. Why didn’t Rihanna just tell us that she was going shopping so we all could have a shopping day?' But having said that, on that last night in New York, I watched every second of her show because she is magnetic. I love her fashion. I think she’s really unique and she really has that IT factor. That to me is infinitely watchable. When she got up on that stage, I was dancing and loving every minute of it. It showed me that I had some serious endurance because I still wanted the story. At the end, I was there with my microphone thinking, 'I know she’s going to talk to me.' She didn’t, but I still believed that I could get the story. I think it was one of the best things I’ve ever done.

TV: It’s interesting that you went through all of that and your personal feelings about Rihanna hadn't changed. 

MK: No because she kinda does whatever she wants and to see it firsthand like that for a superstar that big was interesting. In Germany, she was 2 hours late for her show and the audience was booing her, but as soon as she got up on stage, everyone forgave her instantly. I think it takes huge star charisma to pull that off and she does.

TV: You’re currently covering TIFF.  Which celebrity interview stands out the most for you? 

MK: Julia Louis-Dreyfus was really cool. She has the most Emmy nominations--more than any other female in television history. She’s a real star. And I love James Galdolfini so much. [When he was alive], he was one of the stars that I didn’t want to meet because I didn’t want to be disappointed with him. So to sit there and talk to her about this really sweet film that they made together [called Enough Said] was really special. You know, it’s very strange because I never wanted to interview him before and now I’ll never get the chance. I also met Julia Roberts for the first time. She’s another one who has that crazy star charisma. This is my favourite time of year. I love the Toronto International Film Festival and it’s my 7th year covering it in a row and I hope I get to cover it for as long as possible. It’s so nice to see so many friends. You go to the red carpet and it’s great catching up with all the reporters, stars, directors, agents, producers, publicists and the camera guys. It’s a lot of fun.

TV: How would you rate the fashion you’ve seen at this year’s TIFF? 

MK: Alicia Vikander who stars in The Fifth Estate was wearing a strapless Erdem the other day and it was absolutely beautiful. I love that she was wearing a Canadian designer, but just a different shape -- something modern and fresh on the red carpet. Oh my God, Olivia Wilde had some crazy make-up going on and it was really fresh. Gone was that typical smoky eye and the bronze skin. Instead, she had this really defined black line with cobalt-like electric blue on top. It was simple and cool. I love seeing things like that. Something that’s different. When people take chances, it’s always fun.

TV: How would you describe Toronto street style? 

MK: Very urban obviously. You can tell that the girls here follow fashion blogs. I think that’s exciting. I do too, and not because of work, but because I want to. Fashion in Toronto is very eclectic. Different parts in Toronto have different styles. It’s like New York. You can define New York style from its different boroughs. Toronto is the same. You can pick out the Queen West girl versus the Yorkville girl....

TV: And the Kensington Market girl. 

MK: Yes, the Kensington Market girl. You’ve got many different vibes going on here and we need to see more of it. For a while, we’ve seen that same long blown out hair, same make-up and the same black dress with studs. I love it when someone wears a weird plaid coat with fluorescent nails, no make-up and maybe just lip-gloss or a ponytail. That just shakes the whole fashion world up a bit and I think that’s when you see the best street style.

TV: You had a part in the Kick-Ass 2 as a news reporter. Are we going to see more acting credits for Mary Kitchen on IMDB in the near future? 

MK: I think so. I have just signed with the Amanda Rosenthal Talent Agency here. I hadn’t really done a lot of acting in the last few years because I just haven’t had time. Agents get so frustrated with me because I can never go [to auditions]. I’m always at an interview or voicing something. So I hope I can do a little bit more acting in the future.

TIFF 2013: Hitoshi Matsumoto's R100 - Midnight Madness World Premiere

From the wonderfully strange imagination of director Hitoshi Matsumoto, Japan's comic genius, comes the outrageously funny and demented R100.

[Director & Actor Hitoshi Matsumoto at the Midnight Madness World Premiere of R100]

When a bored single father (Ichi the Killer's Nao Ohmori) joins a mysterious S&M club to spice up his life, he gets more than he bargains for. Suddenly, a league of dominatrixes, each with their own special skills, begin to terrorize him without warning throughout his normal day. Despite his bruises and cuts, he oddly gets an overwhelming euphoria from their painful interactions. But when the dominatrixes begin to threaten the lives of his family, all bets are off.

It’s hard to describe a Hitoshi Matsumoto film because they’re absolutely bizarre. But that's to be expected from Matsumoto -- there's not supposed to be any coherent direction. It's the visual sensory overload that makes the trip exciting.

R100 contains a lot of physical comedy, much at the expense of the lead actor. The film opens with a martial arts dominatrix (pictured below) completely pummelling him to submission in the streets. Additionally, there’s a hilarious scene of another femme fatale crushing each of the hero's sushi with her fist just before he consumes them.

If you think that Matsumoto is unaware of the film's craziness to general audiences, guess again. Interestingly, the gifted director breaks the action periodically so that a film panel can discuss the insanity and subsequently recommend edits palatable for a more conservative audience.

Matsumoto made a rare appearance to introduce the film to the Midnight Madness crowd and they were in a complete frenzy over him.

The film's title R100 parodies Japan's rating system. Their ratings include R15 and R18 representing the acceptable ages for viewing. R100 is Matsumoto's hint of who may be ready to see his latest opus.

Regrettably, R100 currently has no announced North American release date.

TIFF 2013: Shep Gordon & Mike Myers: "Supermensch: The Legend of Shep Gordon"

If you don't know who Shep Gordon is, then don't let that stop you from seeing Mike Myers' directorial debut, Supermensch: The Legend of Shep Gordon -- an extraordinary documentary about one of the entertainment industry's most successful managers.

Gordon's incredible journey first began after a chance meeting with Jimi Hendrix at a cheap LA hotel. The would-be legendary rocker casually suggested to the unemployed Gordon to consider managing musical artists simply because of his strongest qualification: he was Jewish. Gordon agreed and soon after guided a then unknown Alice Cooper to international fame. Gordon proved that his mentorship wasn't a fluke after he also spear-headed newcomer Anne Murray to the top of the Billboard charts. Some of his other celebrity clientele included: Blondie, Teddy Pendergrass, Luther Vandross, Raquel Welsh and for 9 days, Pink Floyd.

He earned the respect of the who's who in Tilseltown not only for his savvy business ideas but his enormously big heart. Decades later, Myers first met Gordon when negotiating the music rights to Alice Cooper's No More Mister Nice Guy for his rock-comedy Wayne's World. It would be the start of a beautiful and long-lasting friendship.

Mensch is a Jewish term that refers to a person with integrity and honour. To all of Gordon's closest friends, he whole-heartledly fits that bill and then some. In Supermensch, Myers assembled an array of Hollywood actors (Michael Douglas, Sly Stallone -- even Tom Arnold) and musicians (Alice Cooper, Blondie and Anne Murray) to recount their fondest memories of their friend Gordon. Myers perfectly weaves their stories using film clips and stock footage with recollections shared by Gordon himself. The result is an engaging love-letter to the manager, who never seemed to manage his own life with the same dedication as his clients.

Despite his failed marriage and lost loves, Gordon was never blessed with having children of his own. He says, "I don't know who to leave this all to," referring to his great wealth.

Why Myers chose to make this documentary his directorial premiere is evident on screen. He has tremendous love and respect for Gordon, who was there for Myers during his most troubling times.

Supermensch: The Legend of Shep Gordon has no official release date yet, but I urge you to see it when inevitably plays at a theatre near you.

Shahrokh Moshkin-Ghalam

Iranian actor and dancer Shahrokh Moshkin-Ghalam was the star attraction at Toronto's recent Tirgan festival. The multi-talented artist impressively sold out all 3 performances of the festival's presentation of Love Stories of the Shahnameh. 

Just before his debut show, I was fortunate to meet and capture Mr. Moshkin-Ghalam's brilliant style on King Street West. I just loved the boldness of his colourful paisley jacket and dazzling purple vest -- not to mention, his bright blue pants. North American men should dare to wear Mr. Moshkin-Ghalam's flashy colour palette.

TIFF 2012: Frank Grillo in "Disconnect"

Director Henry Alex Rubin's Disconnect is a heart-pounding drama that explores both the allure and dangers of the Internet in a small community.

[Pictured above: Frank Grillo plays one of the teen pranksters' stern father in Disconnect]

An estranged couple attempts to seek solace online when the husband (Alexander Skårsgard) gambles uncontrollably on a poker site and the wife (Paula Patton) searches for comfort in an online chat room. Soon after, their identities are stolen resulting in massive fraudulent credit card debt. Is the culprit the wife's online friend?

Meanwhile, two teenage boys pose as a pretty girl online to manipulate an unsuspecting schoolmate to email a naked picture. After they leak the revealing photo to the entire school to humiliate him, the devastated boy takes matters in his own hands, permanently rocking his family.

An ambitious news reporter is charmed by a handsome teen on a porn site and attempts to make a name for herself by covering his seedy story. But when the FBI forces her to reveal her source to bring down the illegal website, it could have life threatening results.

Disconnect is an absorbing film of solid intertwined stories that reveal how the anonymity of the web can have very real and harmful consequences.

Rubin's direction of this cautionary tale is first-rate. In lesser hands, Disconnect could have been relegated to a Hallmark television movie of the week. Writer Daniel Stern expertly delivers real empathetic characters and profoundly engaging stories. The performances are impressive, with special mention going to Jason Bateman as the humiliated boy's father (watching this movie, I concluded that Bateman is one of today's most underrated actors).

Indeed, the film's tense-filled climax, presented in extreme slow motion, is particularly impactful.

Disconnect should not be missed.

TIFF 2012: Rachel McAdams & Director Brian De Palma "Passion"

Brian De Palma's Passion is a remake of Alain Corneau’s thriller Love Crime, a story of a ruthless business executive (Kristin Scott Thomas) who takes credit for her naive assistant's (Ludivine Sagnier) ideas, setting the stage for all-out war.

In Passion, De Palma follows the same premise. Rachel McAdams (Mean Girls, The Notebook) plays Christine, the unscrupulous business executive who regards stealing her employees' ideas as standard practice. Noomi Rapace (The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo trilogy) is Isabel, her talented assistant and ideas person. When Christine takes credit for Isabel's innovative cell phone ad, she begins to steadily climb the corporate ladder. Determined to control her own destiny, Isabel subsequently makes a risky business move that quickly puts her in the spotlight and stalls Christine's promotion. Inevitably, war is waged and someone ends up dead, but that's only the beginning.

Passion is a reminder that De Palma (Carrie, Scarface) is a master in his craft. The film is wrought with twists and turns that will leave you guessing -- "who done it" -- to the very end. The pairing of McAdams and Rapace is superb. McAdams is convincing as the evil Christine and Rapace is a surprise as the wicked Isabel.

If you love Hitchcockian thrillers, then you shouldn't miss Passion.

Passion will be released sometime next year.

[Pictured above: Director Brian De Palma]

TIFF 2012: Miss Universe Canada, Sahar Biniaz

Although actress Monica Bellucci was the star-attraction at the Rhino Season premiere held at The Elgin on Wednesday, it was Sahar Biniaz, Miss Universe Canada, who stole the show in this stunningly beautiful red dress.

Miss Biniaz will be representing Canada in the 2012 Miss Universe competition in December.

TIFF 2012: Director Brandon Cronenberg, Sarah Gadon & Caleb Landry Jones "Antiviral"

Today's obsession with celebrity has reached an all-time high. Want George Clooney's chin? How about Jennifer Aniston's nose? Or Kim Kardashian's butt? Real fanatics wouldn't hesitate to visit a plastic surgeon to make themselves appear like their idol. In Antiviral, writer/director Brandon Cronenberg takes this obsession to an even sicker height.

Syd (Caleb Landry Jones) has a most unusual occupation -- he works for Lucas Clinic, a lab that specializes in deliberately infecting willing clients with celebrity diseases. In the opening scene, Syd injects a seemingly healthy boy with Syphilis inside his upper left lip. It's the ultimate devotion that a fan can express for their favourite celebrity -- contracting their viral affliction. But the insanity doesn't end there. Butchers also serve up steaks, engineered from celebrities' human cells.

Despite intense security, Syd smuggles viruses out of the lab to sell his own modified concoctions on the black market. Life goes according to plan for Syd until his superiors ask him to collect the latest virus from his favourite celebrity, Hannah Geist (Sarah Gadon). After collecting her blood, Syd doesn't hesitate to inject her virus into his own bloodstream. But things take a turn for the worse for our protagonist after he discovers that Hannah's virus may be life threatening.

With Antiviral, it's obvious to see that the apple doesn't fall far from the tree. Cronenberg's bleak tone in the film is very similar to his father's (director David Cronenberg) work. And like his dad, Cronenberg's vision is brilliant. Antiviral is original and shocks us to no end -- and not just because of the sight of blood. The idea that celebrity obsession could go the DNA route is not far gone.  Didn't a fan recently buy a lock of Justin Bieber's hair on eBay?

Whether you're squeamish or not, Antiviral will definitely creep you out. And don't just take my word for it; I asked the elder Cronenberg (Videodrome, The Fly) to rate the creep factor on his son's film and he said: "I'd give it 9 out of 10. No, make that 9.5 out of 10."

Be afraid. Be very afraid.

Antiviral hits our bloodstream on October 12th.

[Pictured above: Director David Cronenberg]

TIFF 2012: For the Ladies...Mr. Javier Bardem

Javier Bardem signs autographs for his enthusiastic fans at the premiere of Sons of the Clouds: The Last Colony at The Ryerson Theatre today.

Bardem produced the documentary, which examines "the colonization of the Western Sahara that has displaced nearly 200,000 people to refugee camps."

TIFF 2012: Director Nicolás López, Lorenza Izzo, Eli Roth & Andrea Osvárt "Aftershock"

Last night's Midnight Madness held the world premiere of Director Nicolás López's Aftershock, a disaster movie for the not-so faint of heart.

When an American tourist (Eli Roth) and two Chilean buddies hook up with 3 beautiful women: a Russian model, a party girl (Lorenza Izzo) and her uptight sister (Andrea Osvárt) for fun in Chile -- things appear to be looking up for the hapless men. That is until a massive Earthquake crashes their party, killing many people in cruel and gory fashion.

Desperate to stay alive, the group escape into the perilous night, seeking help for their wounded friend. But before long, the deadly aftershocks prove to be the least of their worries when they find themselves running from violent gang members and dangerous escaped convicts.

Aftershock is an original twist to the natural disaster movie genre. Usually in films such as Deep Impact (Meteor), The Perfect Storm (Tsunami) and Contagion (Viral), the good of humanity is what overcomes their adversity, but in Aftershock, their natural disaster unleashes the very horror of humanity. And you can only imagine that the horror is unspeakable when it comes from the creative mind of Eli Roth (Cabin Fever, Hostel).

When the mayhem begins, it becomes quickly obvious that it's not about who's going to live, but what horrific demise each will suffer. Besides heavy concrete crushing bone and a deadly Tsunami, the protagonists must avert gun fire, sexual violence and axe-wielding felons.

Aftershock is a terrifying disaster ride and if terror floats your boat, then this is right up your alley.

TIFF 2012: Alex Williams, Laura Wheelwright and Anthony LaPaglia in "Underground"

[Pictured above: Actors Alex Williams & Laura Wheelwright) 

Underground is the intriguing unauthorized biopic of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange when he was just a teenage computer hacker living with his mom. Armed with a Commodore 64, a young Assange easily broke into banks' and government firewalls searching for sensitive information -- not for profit, but for fun. However, the fun is short-lived when he's hunted by a determined police detective (LaPaglia), who's hot on his heels. It's a cat & mouse game that further heats up when the boy discovers a major US government cover-up after hacking into the Pentagon.

Underground is the Wargames of a new generation. It's thrilling, funny and provides great insight into the young hacker's complicated early life.

Newcomer Alex Williams does a wonderful job portraying a young Assange and Anthony LaPaglia is engaging as Dectective Roberts.

Underground is sure to please both the techie and non-techie types.

There is no theatrical release date at this time.

[Pictured above: Actor Anthony LaPaglia]

TIFF 2012: Johnny Depp & Natalie Maines at the "West of Memphis" Screening

Documentary filmmaker Amy Berg's latest film, West of Memphis, details the gross miscarriage of justice in West Memphis, Arkansas, that convicts 3 innocent teens of murdering three 8 year old boys in 1993.

14 years later, after new DNA evidence exonerates the men, the same judge, who originally presided over the case, promptly dismisses it. It's this reluctance admitting a mistake that prompts Lord of the Rings director Peter Jackson and Berg to produce a film chronicling the men's tragic story in an attempt to sway public opinion and change the court's decision.

The result is a thorough and compelling examination that uncovers shoddy police work and a sinister plan to wrongfully charge Damien Echols, Jessie Misskelley Jr. and Jason Baldwin with murder (one scene provides proof that the lead investigator manipulated a mentally-challenged Jessie Misskelley Jr. into changing his statement to incriminate the trio).

Thanks to the support of loved ones and influential people like Jackson, Pearl Jam's Eddie Vedder, Actor Johnny Depp and Dixie Chicks' Natalie Maines, the three wrongfully incarcerated gentlemen were released on August 19, 2011, but only after each making an Alford Plea, which admits their guilt. This is the Attorney Office's desperate move to avoid getting a wrongful conviction lawsuit, which could possibly cost the State $60 million.

Although they won their freedom, the men still lose their good name.

Johnny Depp and Natalie Maines attended the film's TIFF screening to help bring attention to the men's story and explain their involvement in the film. Also in attendance was Damian Echols and his wife, Lorri Davis, to share their long journey seeking justice, which still continues as they try to overturn Echols' guilty plea and receive a full pardon.

Echols almost missed the event when he was nearly denied entry into Canada for his criminal background.

[pictured above: Damian Echols and his wife Lorri Davis]

West of Memphis is an achievement in documentary filmmaking for Berg and deserves to be seen.

TIFF 2012: Elle Fanning, Christina Hendricks, Alice Englert & Alessandro Nivola at the "Ginger & Rosa" Premiere

This year, the first film that overwhelmingly captured my heart at the festival is writer/director Sally Potter's Ginger and Rosa.

[Elle Fanning]

Just after the atomic bomb hits Hiroshima, Japan, Ginger (Fanning) and Rosa (Englert) are first introduced to each other when their mothers give birth side-by-side in a hospital room in London, England. 15 years later, the two girls are inseparable, playing innocent patty-cake games, kissing boys in alleys and binge drinking. But the dawn of the Cuban Missile Crisis interrupts their carefree years and forces them to join a youth rally to protest against nuclear disarmament. Amidst this new threat, Rosa crosses the boundaries of their friendship when when she recklessly pursues a romantic liaison with someone very close to Ginger. These trying events inevitably send both families in a tail-spin and culminate in an emotionally explosive and life-threatening climax.

[Christina Hendricks]

Ginger and Rosa is a grand achievement for Potter, who crafts fully developed and empathetic characters -- not to mention a beautiful looking film.  The interactions and dialogue between characters are authentic and engaging. Each frame of the film appears like an extraordinary still photo -- vibrant with colour and light.

[Alice Englert]

Potter assembles an extraordinary and mostly American cast as her British protangonists. Fanning effortlessly carries the film, delivering an impressive performance as the often troubled Ginger, newcomer Alice Englert superbly holds her own as Rosa and Alessandro Nivola is a standout as Ginger's father. Moreover, the supportive cast, including Annette Benning and the incomparable Oliver Platt, often shine when onscreen. But it's Christina Hendricks who gives a breakout performance as Ginger's neglected and tormented mother. Much of the focus in Hendricks' career has been on her great beauty, however, its hopeful that this tremendous role gains her more credence as a serious actress.

[Alessandro Nivola]

A great measure of a film is how long its characters and story stay with you. It's two days later and I'm still charmed by Ginger and Rosa.

The entire cast appeared with Potter on stage and shared their deep appreciation and love for the experience of working with the respected director. Particularly, Fanning was moved to tears and had to catch her breath a few times before expressing how much she loved the film. Nivola remarked how Potter's eye for direction was meticulous. He confessed, "actors like to be looked at...Sally noticed I had long eyelashes and insisted they be curled before each take." Hendricks added that the cast developed a great bond and have agreed to reunite each year to perform the film's most powerful and gripping scene.

Evidently, the film continues to resonate with the cast as well.

[Writer/Directer Sally Potter]

TIFF 2012: James Franco, Vanessa Hudgens, Ashley Benson, Selena Gomez & Rachel Korine at "Spring Breakers" Premiere

When writer/director Harmony Korine's name is attached to a project (Kids, Gummo), you know you're not going to get your usual teen angst film. Korine's kids are vicious, sexually-obsessed, drug-fueled, unruly and self-destructive. And, as you would expect, this familiar cocktail is served up again in his latest teen feature, Spring Breakers.

It's Spring Break and 4 Floridian college friends (Vanessa Hudgens, Ashley Benson, Selena Gomez & Rachel Korine) are bored to tears on their deserted campus. Desperate and broke, they steal a car, don ski-masks and savagely rob the patrons of a fast food joint with heavy hammers and squirt guns. With cash in hand, they race to a party town to begin their wicked revelry, but the fun quickly comes to an end after they are arrested at a cocaine party. Unable to pay their high fine, they are sentenced to spend two days in jail, but a local wannabe rapper/drug dealer (James Franco) comes to their rescue and bails them out. That's when their adventure really begins.

Suddenly their world is introduced to automatic weapons, infinite cash, more drugs, gangsters, strippers and unadulterated sex. Half of them are scared off. The other half become gun-toting mob-girls and join the dealer's drug war against his rival. It's all a recipe for disaster, but that's just typical in a Harmony Korine movie.

Spring Breakers is destined to be Korine's first commercially successful film as a writer-director. Predominately because it stars some of today's most popular actresses -- specifically, Disney's Selena Gomez, High School Musical's Vanessa Hudgens and Dirty Little Liars' Ashley Benson. Throw in Franco (Spider-Man, Rise of the Planet of the Apes) and you've nearly cornered the market of every high school in North America. But star power is the only thing that Spring Breakers has got going for it.

Its myriad of scenes of drug use, innocuous girl talk and topless drunken beach dancing excruciatingly slow the pace down. Unlike the gritty reality of Kids, you get the sense that Korine is pushing the envelop less to reveal the struggle of youth and more to shock for the sake of shock value.

The film's only saving grace is Franco's overly-exaggerated and hilarious performance as a wigger gangster. It's so obvious that the actor is having fun in the role, and when he does, it's enough for us to regain consciousness. His most memorable scene comes when he sings a Britney Spears ballad to the girls by piano.

It's likely that Korine wanted the film's bloody climax to be epic because it's shot in slow motion to loud music, but its poor choreography and bad direction leave us empty. There's not much to like about Spring Breakers. More importantly, it's particularly unfortunate that a huge youth market will be subjected to its many shameful images of Black stereotypes.  And that's probably the only thing I didn't expect from this Harmony Korine movie.


Last night at the Ryerson Theatre, during the film's Q&A on stage, Korine shared that he wanted the film to be a cross between a Britney Spears video and a Gasper Noé (Irreversible, Enter the Void) film, which I think he reasonably achieved visually. Once again, Franco charmed the audience with his ultra-cool attitude and Selena Gomez noted that the film was a huge departure from her squeaky clean image and urged her young Disney fans to avoid seeing the mature film. How much you wanna bet they'll want to see it more now?

TIFF 2012: Karl Urban & Olivia Thirlby at the "DREDD 3D" Midnight Madness Screening

Karl Urban (Star Trek, Bourne Supremacy) and co-star Olivia Thirlby (Juno, No Strings Attached) attended their DREDD 3D premiere at the first Midnight Madness screening at the Ryerson Theatre on Thursday. It was a long night for both stars and audience due to the film's late 1:20 am start, but despite the late hour, the film proved to keep everyone riveted in their seats.

If you're into ultra-violent, high-octane action, then this reboot of the comic book hero (the comic's first film incarnation starred Sylvester Stallone in 1995) is precisely up your alley.

DREDD 3D opens nationwide on September 21st.

Hot Docs 2012 Film Review: Rick Springfield "An Affair of the Heart"

Last night, I attended the Canadian premiere of Sylvia Caminer's documentary An Affair of the Heart at the Bloor Hot Docs Cinema and in attendance was not only the film-maker, but the film's subject himself, pop-idol Rick Springfield (pictured below).

There's a sad moment in An Affair of the Heart when a jaded husband/father confesses the hurt he feels when his wife's teenage crush over Rick Springfield has manifested into an adult obsession.  It's clearly tearing the family apart, but they always acquiesce when she leaves to see yet another one of his concerts.  The husband recalls their daughter asking, "Daddy, do you hate Rick Springfield too?" And he responds with a resounding, "yes, hun.  Yes I do."

Director & Producer Sylvia Caminer's documentary An Affair of the Heart is a touching portrait of how the 80's icon has impacted his fans' lives (good and bad) through his music and friendship.  The film includes many revealing interviews with Springfield (about the loss of his father and surrogate mother, his infidelity to his wife and his struggle with his 'dark' alter-ego) and several of his concert performances interspersed with fans recounting how they overcame adversity with the help of his music.

One woman remembers how Springfield's Working Class Dog album helped her heal after her open-heart surgery in the 80's and a meeting with him 30 years later finally alleviated her self-pity and anger.  In another heart-wrenching scene, a minister, who was contemplating suicide after going through an extremely traumatic experience, explains how she persevered after identifying with the anger in Springfield's 2004 album, Shock/Denial/Anger/Acceptance.

Of course, there are the extreme fans who just want to recapture the innocence and freedom that they once felt when they were pre-teens.  Many of them hoard Springfield paraphernalia and bear tribute tattoos.  As strange as they may appear, Caminer never paints them in a bad light - instead, she leaves judgement to the disapproving bystanders (one witness on a Springfield & Friends Cruise compares the fanaticism to a cult).

An Affair of the Heart is an extraordinary examination of how an artist uplifts his fans' lives and they in turn fulfill his.  An emotional Springfield remembers when a fan came to his rescue when he was stranded in an airport after his flight was cancelled.   Sadly, it appeared that he would miss his surrogate mother's funeral, but a devoted fan offered her ticket and a grateful Springfield made the ceremony on time.  Springfield and the fan sharing that personal moment is one of the film's most moving scenes.

Caminer's film is a labour of love.  Not just for Springfield fans (aka "Rickaholics"), but everyone who appreciates a great documentary.



An Affair of the Heart also screens tonight at the Royal Cinema at 7pm (Rick Springfield will be in attendance) and Thursday, May 3rd at the Cumberland 3 at 6:30pm.

Foxy Grier!

Tonight, as part of a Black History Month Celebration, TD, Clement Virgo & the Canadian Film Centre paid tribute to one of my all-time favourite actresses -- the beautiful and talented, Pam Grier.

As a black adolescent in Montreal, I didn't see many black heroes on TV -- so seeing a young, tough, rifle-wielding Pam Grier on screen was quite the phenomenon.  Her action films Coffy, Foxy Brown and 'Sheba-Baby' not only solidified her as a superstar, but left an indelible impression on me.  Today, at 43, I still get excited when I see Pam Grier's name in movie credits.

After director Clement Virgo presented an epic film reel that celebrated her memorable roles, Grier nervously walked out amidst cheers and whistles from her adoring fans.  Wearing a sharp black ensemble, she quickly became relaxed after a few funny exchanges with actress/moderator, Sharon Lewis.

The interview covered her successful film career, her experience with racism in Hollywood and her difficult private life.  One of the most revealing moments occurred when she shared the story of being raped at the ages of 6 and 18.  Despite these excruciating events, she learned to persevere -- even when she had to recreate the brutal acts on film.  In fact, Grier used her real-life trauma to bring realism to her characters' devastation.

When asked about racism in Hollywood in the early 70's, Grier didn't hesitate to say that she harboured no resentment.  "As black actors, we were happy to be on this maiden voyage in cinema."  Grier amusingly shared that black stuntwomen didn't exist in her time; instead, producers resorted putting black make-up and padded bras on "skinny white men" to double for her.

Grier credits indie-director Quentin Tarantino for resuscitating her career in the 90's.  "I met him in the street and couldn't believe that the guy who directed Pulp Fiction couldn't afford shoes."  During that chance meeting, Tarantino informed her that he was writing a pivotal part for her in his latest film, but she wasn't convinced.  Later, she was shocked to find a script for Jackie Brown in her mailbox.  To her astonishment, Tarantino kept his promise and for that, she will always be grateful.

When the topic of today's female black action-stars came up, Grier quickly saluted Star Trek's Zoe Saldana and Mission Impossible 4's Paula Patton for their fine work, but she refuses to take credit as their trailblazer -- even after Lewis insisted.

What's next for the iconic actress?  Soon, she'll be the subject of a film, based on her life and book "Foxy: My Life in Three Acts" and she'll appear in a Coffy reboot.

The legend continues.