For visually-impaired Netflix subscribers, viewing shows and movies can be difficult. To rectify this problem, the streaming platform has introduced a new audio description feature which describes exactly what’s happening on the screen.
In a company blog post, Netflix’s director of content operations Tracy Wright wrote that the audio description is a narration track which can be turned on under the same settings for choosing a different language or turning on subtitles. The audio description then explains “physical actions, facial expressions, costumes, settings and scene changes.” VentureBeat tested the new accessibility feature and noted its thoroughness, including an accurate description of the Netflix title screen: “Some letters pop out from a white background, then turn red, Netflix.”
“Netflix is actively committed to increasing the number of audio-visual translations for movies and shows in our English-language catalogues,” explained Wright. “We are also exploring adding audio description into other languages in the future.
In a company blog post, Netflix’s director of content operations Tracy Wright wrote that the audio description is a narration track which can be turned on under the same settings for choosing a different language or turning on subtitles. The audio description then explains “physical actions, facial expressions, costumes, settings and scene changes.” VentureBeat tested the new accessibility feature and noted its thoroughness, including an accurate description of the Netflix title screen: “Some letters pop out from a white background, then turn red, Netflix.”
“Netflix is actively committed to increasing the number of audio-visual translations for movies and shows in our English-language catalogues,” explained Wright. “We are also exploring adding audio description into other languages in the future.
- 4/14/2015
- by Bree Brouwer
- Tubefilter.com
Netflix, in an effort to be more inclusive of visually impaired television fans, has introduced a feature to add audio descriptions to its original programming, beginning with new Marvel series "Daredevil."
In a blog post, Tracy Wright, the director of content operations at Netflix, explained that the streaming service wanted to increase its accessibility for all viewers, and that now includes the visually impaired. Netflix's decision to begin this process with "Daredevil" is especially significant, since the show's protagonist, Matt Murdock, is blind, and the comics starring the superhero are especially popular in the visually impaired community.
"Audio description is a narration track that describes what is happening on-screen, including physical actions, facial expressions, costumes, settings and scene changes," Wright explained in her blog post. "Customers can choose audio narration just like choosing the soundtrack in a different language."
Entertainment Weekly tried out the feature, and it's quite detailed, with...
In a blog post, Tracy Wright, the director of content operations at Netflix, explained that the streaming service wanted to increase its accessibility for all viewers, and that now includes the visually impaired. Netflix's decision to begin this process with "Daredevil" is especially significant, since the show's protagonist, Matt Murdock, is blind, and the comics starring the superhero are especially popular in the visually impaired community.
"Audio description is a narration track that describes what is happening on-screen, including physical actions, facial expressions, costumes, settings and scene changes," Wright explained in her blog post. "Customers can choose audio narration just like choosing the soundtrack in a different language."
Entertainment Weekly tried out the feature, and it's quite detailed, with...
- 4/14/2015
- by Katie Roberts
- Moviefone
You Are Here
Written by Daniel Cockburn
Directed by Daniel Cockburn
Canada, 2010
Equal parts video essay, fragmented “thought experiment,” and social satire, Daniel Cockburn’s You Are Here is one of the most audacious English Canadian features to come down the pike in years. (Admittedly, that’s not a terribly prestigious body of films.) Imbued with enough dry wit and obscure observations to fill a dozen Charlie Kaufman treatments, the film dares to invent a cinematic language at least partially its very own in a scant 78 minutes.
Equal parts Library of Babel and errant-psychology portraiture (akin to the subjects of Errol Morris’s First Person), You Are Here contains few concrete characters – only a couple of figures recur. The film’s opening sequence is of a lecture – though it is never made clear if there is actually an audience present, besides the viewer(s) themselves. Projected behind the lecturer is...
Written by Daniel Cockburn
Directed by Daniel Cockburn
Canada, 2010
Equal parts video essay, fragmented “thought experiment,” and social satire, Daniel Cockburn’s You Are Here is one of the most audacious English Canadian features to come down the pike in years. (Admittedly, that’s not a terribly prestigious body of films.) Imbued with enough dry wit and obscure observations to fill a dozen Charlie Kaufman treatments, the film dares to invent a cinematic language at least partially its very own in a scant 78 minutes.
Equal parts Library of Babel and errant-psychology portraiture (akin to the subjects of Errol Morris’s First Person), You Are Here contains few concrete characters – only a couple of figures recur. The film’s opening sequence is of a lecture – though it is never made clear if there is actually an audience present, besides the viewer(s) themselves. Projected behind the lecturer is...
- 5/23/2012
- by Simon Howell
- SoundOnSight
(thanks, Matt!) Chlotrudis Society for International Film Best Director Asghar Farhadi for A Separation Best Movie The Artist Best Actor Michael Shannon for Take Shelter Best Actress Tracy Wright for...
- 3/20/2012
- by Ryan Adams
- AwardsDaily.com
One of my favorite films of last year was an indie called Trigger, which followed two women who were together in a band during the 1990s reunited for a one-night only show present day. The film starred Molly Parker and Tracy Wright, the latter who tragically died shortly after filming. Parker attended the NBC TCA night in Los Angeles to speak about her new role in The Firm and I was able to ask about her experience working on Trigger, in which Wright's character was a lesbian and Parker's was a little more vague.
Parker described their characters' relationship as "not sexual and not romantic but really full of love. To me, that movie is just all about the way we love the people we first fall in love with. As girls, if they had been good they would have been so happy to be with each other. And they weren't,...
Parker described their characters' relationship as "not sexual and not romantic but really full of love. To me, that movie is just all about the way we love the people we first fall in love with. As girls, if they had been good they would have been so happy to be with each other. And they weren't,...
- 1/12/2012
- by Trish Bendix
- AfterEllen.com
If there’s a theme to 2011’s crop of films featuring lesbian/bi women, it’s that this was a very good year for emerging voices. First time and younger filmmakers made a mark in huge ways this year, providing everything from spellbinding documentaries (No Look Pass), heart-wrenching drama (Pariah, Break My Fall, Circumstance), and fresh comedy (Jamie and Jessie are Not Together, Codependent Lesbian Space Alien Seeks Same). Pair that with the quality coming from established filmmakers like Celine Sciamma (Tomboy), and you have a year marked by the presence of strong, unique voices.
Hard Hitters
Nowhere is that strength of vision more prominent than in the year’s dramas. Well-meaning (but tired) melodramas were drowned out by clear-eyed, nuanced filmmaking, most evident in Pariah, the story of a young African-American woman struggling with her identity, and Circumstance, which features the romance between two teenaged girls in Iran.
As AfterEllen.
Hard Hitters
Nowhere is that strength of vision more prominent than in the year’s dramas. Well-meaning (but tired) melodramas were drowned out by clear-eyed, nuanced filmmaking, most evident in Pariah, the story of a young African-American woman struggling with her identity, and Circumstance, which features the romance between two teenaged girls in Iran.
As AfterEllen.
- 12/27/2011
- by Danielle Riendeau
- AfterEllen.com
Release Date: Nov. 22, 2011
Price: DVD $24.95
Studio: Wolfe Video
Tracy Wright (l.) and Molly Parker rock out in Trigger.
The music-filled 2010 film drama Trigger stars avant-garde actress Tracy Wright (Highway 61) in her final performance before her death from cancer that same year.
Wright and Molly Parker (TV’s Deadwood) portray two female rockers who reunite 10 years after their friendship — and band — has fallen apart. Coming together for a benefit concert following their long estrangement, the two begin with a dinner, followed by the gig, and finally the after-party, all with the hope of recapturing their once-magical connection.
Directed by Bruce McDonald (This Movie is Broken), the unrated Canadian movie also stars Don McKellar (Scott Pilgrim vs. the World), Sarah Polley (Splice) and Callum Keith Rennie (TV’s The Killing).
Trigger was first seen at the 2010 Toronto International Film Festival, where it was selected as one of the fest’s Top Ten films.
Price: DVD $24.95
Studio: Wolfe Video
Tracy Wright (l.) and Molly Parker rock out in Trigger.
The music-filled 2010 film drama Trigger stars avant-garde actress Tracy Wright (Highway 61) in her final performance before her death from cancer that same year.
Wright and Molly Parker (TV’s Deadwood) portray two female rockers who reunite 10 years after their friendship — and band — has fallen apart. Coming together for a benefit concert following their long estrangement, the two begin with a dinner, followed by the gig, and finally the after-party, all with the hope of recapturing their once-magical connection.
Directed by Bruce McDonald (This Movie is Broken), the unrated Canadian movie also stars Don McKellar (Scott Pilgrim vs. the World), Sarah Polley (Splice) and Callum Keith Rennie (TV’s The Killing).
Trigger was first seen at the 2010 Toronto International Film Festival, where it was selected as one of the fest’s Top Ten films.
- 10/31/2011
- by Laurence
- Disc Dish
If there's one thing you want to happen in Trigger, it's for Kat and Vic to end up happily ever after. That can be as a couple (preferably) or as friends, but you just want them to be Ok with one another. (Well, maybe you'll want a little more.)
Tracy Wright (in her last film before she passed away from pancreatic cancer in 2010), plays Vic, a recovering drug addict who reunites with her ex-bandmate Kat (Deadwood's Molly Parker) for a tribute show in their honor. The two couldn't be more different: Vic is low-key where Kat is high-strung. Vic wants to stay under the radar while Kat craves attention. Their meeting at a restaurant for dinner has them picking at each other instantly. They're like ex-lovers, but you never know if it went that far.
Vic is a lesbian, and is hit on by an old friend at the tribute party.
Tracy Wright (in her last film before she passed away from pancreatic cancer in 2010), plays Vic, a recovering drug addict who reunites with her ex-bandmate Kat (Deadwood's Molly Parker) for a tribute show in their honor. The two couldn't be more different: Vic is low-key where Kat is high-strung. Vic wants to stay under the radar while Kat craves attention. Their meeting at a restaurant for dinner has them picking at each other instantly. They're like ex-lovers, but you never know if it went that far.
Vic is a lesbian, and is hit on by an old friend at the tribute party.
- 10/10/2011
- by Trish Bendix
- AfterEllen.com
Patricia Rozema's 1995 film When Night is Falling followed the story of Camille, a "straight" woman who is trying to find happiness in the things that are going right for her. But when her dog dies and she meets an alluring circus performer at the laundromat, things begin to shift, and she can't tell if it's for better or for worse.
Whatever came of the actors and director behind the '90s circus-lesbian flick? We'll tell you!
Pascale Bussières as Camille, a professor at a religious university who falls for another woman
The redheaded French Canadian beauty has starred in several films in her home country, including another gay-themed film, Set Me Free (1999) and one called Replay, in which she was obsessed with her best friend. In more recent years, she's appeared on French TV shows Belle-Baie and Mirador, while continuing to make films. (She's starred in two that came out this year already.
Whatever came of the actors and director behind the '90s circus-lesbian flick? We'll tell you!
Pascale Bussières as Camille, a professor at a religious university who falls for another woman
The redheaded French Canadian beauty has starred in several films in her home country, including another gay-themed film, Set Me Free (1999) and one called Replay, in which she was obsessed with her best friend. In more recent years, she's appeared on French TV shows Belle-Baie and Mirador, while continuing to make films. (She's starred in two that came out this year already.
- 9/22/2011
- by Trish Bendix
- AfterEllen.com
You Are Here
Written by Daniel Cockburn
Directed by Daniel Cockburn
Canada, 2010
Equal parts video essay, fragmented “thought experiment,” and social satire, Daniel Cockburn’s You Are Here is one of the most audacious English Canadian features to come down the pike in years. (Admittedly, that’s not a terribly prestigious body of films.) Imbued with enough dry wit and obscure observations to fill a dozen Charlie Kaufman treatments, the film dares to invent a cinematic language at least partially its very own in a scant 78 minutes.
Equal parts Library of Babel and errant-psychology portraiture (akin to the subjects of Errol Morris’s First Person), You Are Here contains few concrete characters – only a couple of figures recur. The film’s opening sequence is of a lecture – though it is never made clear if there is actually an audience present, besides the viewer(s) themselves. Projected behind the lecturer is...
Written by Daniel Cockburn
Directed by Daniel Cockburn
Canada, 2010
Equal parts video essay, fragmented “thought experiment,” and social satire, Daniel Cockburn’s You Are Here is one of the most audacious English Canadian features to come down the pike in years. (Admittedly, that’s not a terribly prestigious body of films.) Imbued with enough dry wit and obscure observations to fill a dozen Charlie Kaufman treatments, the film dares to invent a cinematic language at least partially its very own in a scant 78 minutes.
Equal parts Library of Babel and errant-psychology portraiture (akin to the subjects of Errol Morris’s First Person), You Are Here contains few concrete characters – only a couple of figures recur. The film’s opening sequence is of a lecture – though it is never made clear if there is actually an audience present, besides the viewer(s) themselves. Projected behind the lecturer is...
- 7/22/2011
- by Simon Howell
- SoundOnSight
Brent Corrigan, Judas Kiss Gay and lesbian movies Judas Kiss, Trigger, Mangus!, Leading Ladies and Suicide Room have been acquired by Wolfe Releasing. Those five titles will be released on DVD and VOD this fall. In Judas Kiss, a filmmaker returns to his alma mater, where he gets the chance to reshape his future. In the cast: Charlie David, Sean Paul Lockhart (aka gay adult star Brent Corrigan), and Richard Harmon. Directed by J. T. Tepnapa, from a screenplay by Tepnapa and Carlos Pedraza. Featuring Molly Parker, Tracy Wright, Don McKellar, and Sarah Polley, Trigger chronicles the ups and downs in the friendship of two female rockers. Bruce McDonald directed from a screenplay by Daniel MacIvor. Writer-director Ash Christian's comedy Mangus! tells the story of a young man, Mangus (Ryan Boggus), whose major goal in life is to play Jesus in a school production of "Jesus Christ Spectacular." Also...
- 5/13/2011
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
Trigger, the newest film from Canadian director Bruce McDonald (Pontypool), is a quiet, contemplative little film that ended up being one of the most intelligent, interesting one that I saw at the 2011 International Film Festival Boston. A heavy, intense film comprised almost entirely of dialogue between two actors, it walks a careful line between self-indulgent and self-aware, between pretentious and intricate complexity. Fortunately, even when it's being pretentious, it works. It's a thoroughly satisfying film.
Two women -- Kat (Molly Parker) and Vic (Tracy Wright) -- are former members of the fictional alt-rock band Trigger, a band whose star shone hot and bright and fast years ago, but whose members have scattered down very different paths since then. After a short rock and roll life replete with addiction and arguments, the two women turned away from both their band and each other. Kat has settled into a thriving life writing...
Two women -- Kat (Molly Parker) and Vic (Tracy Wright) -- are former members of the fictional alt-rock band Trigger, a band whose star shone hot and bright and fast years ago, but whose members have scattered down very different paths since then. After a short rock and roll life replete with addiction and arguments, the two women turned away from both their band and each other. Kat has settled into a thriving life writing...
- 5/2/2011
- by TK
The nominees for the 31st Annual Genie Awards, Canada’s answer to the Oscars, were unveiled at simultaneous press conferences in Montreal and Toronto yeseterday. After being snubbed by the major Hollywood awards, only receiving 1 nomination and win for Paul Giamatti at the Golden Globes, Barney’s Version has been highly recognized by Canadian audiences. This is no surprise as its source material is a novel from beloved Canadian treasure Mordecai Richler and the film was partially shot in Montreal. Barney’s VersionIncendies leads the pack with 11 nominations including Best Motion Picture and populating most of the acting categories including one for Paul Giamatti for a Performace by an Actor in a Leading Role and Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role for Dustin Hoffman. Following closely is the other Canadian darling this year, Incendies , which garnered 10 nominations such as Adapted Screenplay (Denis Villeneuve) and Performance by an Actress...
- 2/4/2011
- by Alan L
- SoundOnSight
Richard J. Lewis’ “Barney’s Version,” a festival favorite and big-screen version of the Mordecai Richler, garnered 11 nominations — including Best Motion Picture and Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role (Paul Giamatti) — to lead the way for the 31st Annual Genie Awards, presented by the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television.
Denis Villeneuve’s “Incendies,” a contender this year for Best Foreign Film at the Academy Awards, was next with 10 nominations, including Best Motion Picture and Achievement in Direction.
The Genies will be handed out on Thursday, March 10, at the National Arts Centre in Ottawa. The following is a list of nominees in some of the major categories.
Best Motion Picture
“10 ½”
Pierre Gendron
“Les amours imaginaires” (“Heartbeats”)
Xavier Dolan, Carole Mondello, Daniel Morin
“Barney’s Version”
Robert Lantos
“Incendies”
Luc Déry, Kim McCraw
Splice
Steven Hoban
Achievement in Direction
Podz
“10 ½”
Xavier Dolan
“Les amours imaginaires” (“Heartbeats”)
Denis Villeneuve
“Incendies”
Vincenzo Natali...
Denis Villeneuve’s “Incendies,” a contender this year for Best Foreign Film at the Academy Awards, was next with 10 nominations, including Best Motion Picture and Achievement in Direction.
The Genies will be handed out on Thursday, March 10, at the National Arts Centre in Ottawa. The following is a list of nominees in some of the major categories.
Best Motion Picture
“10 ½”
Pierre Gendron
“Les amours imaginaires” (“Heartbeats”)
Xavier Dolan, Carole Mondello, Daniel Morin
“Barney’s Version”
Robert Lantos
“Incendies”
Luc Déry, Kim McCraw
Splice
Steven Hoban
Achievement in Direction
Podz
“10 ½”
Xavier Dolan
“Les amours imaginaires” (“Heartbeats”)
Denis Villeneuve
“Incendies”
Vincenzo Natali...
- 2/3/2011
- by admin
- Moving Pictures Network
Richard J. Lewis’ “Barney’s Version,” a festival favorite and big-screen version of the Mordecai Richler, garnered 11 nominations — including Best Motion Picture and Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role (Paul Giamatti) — to lead the way for the 31st Annual Genie Awards, presented by the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television.
Denis Villeneuve’s “Incendies,” a contender this year for Best Foreign Film at the Academy Awards, was next with 10 nominations, including Best Motion Picture and Achievement in Direction.
The Genies will be handed out on Thursday, March 10, at the National Arts Centre in Ottawa. The following is a list of nominees in some of the major categories.
Best Motion Picture
“10 ½”
Pierre Gendron
“Les amours imaginaires” (“Heartbeats”)
Xavier Dolan, Carole Mondello, Daniel Morin
“Barney’s Version”
Robert Lantos
“Incendies”
Luc Déry, Kim McCraw
Splice
Steven Hoban
Achievement in Direction
Podz
“10 ½”
Xavier Dolan
“Les amours imaginaires” (“Heartbeats”)
Denis Villeneuve
“Incendies”
Vincenzo Natali...
Denis Villeneuve’s “Incendies,” a contender this year for Best Foreign Film at the Academy Awards, was next with 10 nominations, including Best Motion Picture and Achievement in Direction.
The Genies will be handed out on Thursday, March 10, at the National Arts Centre in Ottawa. The following is a list of nominees in some of the major categories.
Best Motion Picture
“10 ½”
Pierre Gendron
“Les amours imaginaires” (“Heartbeats”)
Xavier Dolan, Carole Mondello, Daniel Morin
“Barney’s Version”
Robert Lantos
“Incendies”
Luc Déry, Kim McCraw
Splice
Steven Hoban
Achievement in Direction
Podz
“10 ½”
Xavier Dolan
“Les amours imaginaires” (“Heartbeats”)
Denis Villeneuve
“Incendies”
Vincenzo Natali...
- 2/3/2011
- by admin
- Moving Pictures Magazine
Yesterday, the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television (Acct) announced the nominees for the 31rst Genie Awards, Canada's own Oscars.
Best Motion picture:
* 10 1/2
* Les amours imaginaires
* Barney's Version
* Incendies
* Splice
Best Actor in a Leading Role:
* Jay Baruchel in The Trotsky
* Paul Giamatti in Barney's Version
* Robert Naylor in 10 1/2
* Timothy Olyphant in High Life
* François Papineau in Route 132
Best Actor in a Supporting Role:
* Martin Dubreuil in 10 1/2
* Dustin Hoffman in Barney's Version
* Alexis Martin in Route 132
* Callum Keith Rennie in Gunless
* Rossif Sutherland in High Life
Best Actress in a Leading Role:
* Lubna Azabal in Incendies
* Tatiana Maslany in Grown Up Movie Star
* Molly Parker in Trigger
* Rosamund Pike in Barney's Version
* Tracy Wright in Trigger
Best Actress In a Supporting Role:
* Sonja Bennett in Cole
* Anne-Élizabeth Bossé in Les amours imaginaires
* Minnie Driver in Barney's Version
* Terra Hazelton in Fubar 2
* Mary Walsh in Crackie
Best Adapted Screenplay:
* Michael Konyves...
Best Motion picture:
* 10 1/2
* Les amours imaginaires
* Barney's Version
* Incendies
* Splice
Best Actor in a Leading Role:
* Jay Baruchel in The Trotsky
* Paul Giamatti in Barney's Version
* Robert Naylor in 10 1/2
* Timothy Olyphant in High Life
* François Papineau in Route 132
Best Actor in a Supporting Role:
* Martin Dubreuil in 10 1/2
* Dustin Hoffman in Barney's Version
* Alexis Martin in Route 132
* Callum Keith Rennie in Gunless
* Rossif Sutherland in High Life
Best Actress in a Leading Role:
* Lubna Azabal in Incendies
* Tatiana Maslany in Grown Up Movie Star
* Molly Parker in Trigger
* Rosamund Pike in Barney's Version
* Tracy Wright in Trigger
Best Actress In a Supporting Role:
* Sonja Bennett in Cole
* Anne-Élizabeth Bossé in Les amours imaginaires
* Minnie Driver in Barney's Version
* Terra Hazelton in Fubar 2
* Mary Walsh in Crackie
Best Adapted Screenplay:
* Michael Konyves...
- 2/3/2011
- by anhkhoido@gmail.com (Anh Khoi Do)
- The Cultural Post
David Fincher's "The Social Network" was the big winner at the Vancouver Film Critics' Circle winning three trophies including Best Film, Best Director for Fincher, and Best Screenplay for Aaron Sorkin.
In the Canadian film categories, "Incendies" won Best Canadian Film, Best Director for Denis Villeneuve, and Best Actress for Lubna Azabal. I'm glad that Delphine Chaneac won Best Supporting Actress in a Canadian Film for "Splice." (Check out my interview with Delphine Chaneac for "Splice" right here)
Here's the complete list of winners (bolded) and nominees (Check our Awards Avenue for complete winners/nominees for all award-giving bodies):
Best Film
The Social Network
True Grit
Black Swan
Best Actor
Colin Firth, The King.s Speech
James Franco, 127 Hours
Jesse Eisenberg, The Social Network
Best Actress
Jennifer Lawrence, Winter.s Bone
Natalie Portman, Black Swan
Annette Bening, The Kids Are All Right
Best Supporting Actor
Christian Bale,...
In the Canadian film categories, "Incendies" won Best Canadian Film, Best Director for Denis Villeneuve, and Best Actress for Lubna Azabal. I'm glad that Delphine Chaneac won Best Supporting Actress in a Canadian Film for "Splice." (Check out my interview with Delphine Chaneac for "Splice" right here)
Here's the complete list of winners (bolded) and nominees (Check our Awards Avenue for complete winners/nominees for all award-giving bodies):
Best Film
The Social Network
True Grit
Black Swan
Best Actor
Colin Firth, The King.s Speech
James Franco, 127 Hours
Jesse Eisenberg, The Social Network
Best Actress
Jennifer Lawrence, Winter.s Bone
Natalie Portman, Black Swan
Annette Bening, The Kids Are All Right
Best Supporting Actor
Christian Bale,...
- 1/11/2011
- by Manny
- Manny the Movie Guy
The film that opened LightBox, the multiplex/gallery/condo-tower/festival-headquarters in the middle of this years edition of Tiff, was Bruce McDonald's Trigger which went a long way toward adding a scrappy spirit, and a bit of the old T-dot love, to all the pomp and circumstance of a project that was hyped for years around Toronto. The best eulogy-film since Robert Altman's A Prairie Home Companion, Trigger is a film about community (using many of the McDonald-regulars) and relationships and the spirit of keep on keepin' on. Tracy Wright's star has never shone brighter than her all night bickering, conversation and reflection with her friend and rival Molly Parker. Equal parts Before Sunset, My Dinner With Andre and good old fashioned Rock n' Roll, Trigger is getting a full run at Lightbox starting September 30th, and the first few screenings, McDonald will be on hand to...
- 9/29/2010
- Screen Anarchy
All together now: Oskee-Wee-Wee, Oskee-Wa-Wa, Holy Mackenaw, Tigers! Eat 'em Raw!! Did you all see that amazing comeback tonight? Cats down by 19 in the 4th quarter and they climb back for a win in B.C. against the Lions. Absolute gold. Made even better by the wings I ate while watching it. I have to say "Let's Wing It" at Yonge and College might be one of my favourite places ever. All right, now that we have that out of the way... I hadn't decided whether I was going to see 3 or 4 movies today, but after the 3 hours of sleep I had, I think 3 is a better idea. Morning starts off great as my friend Krista went out a got me coffee and made me brunch. Poached eggs in tomato sauce on beet greens and toast. That's right! I had vegetables! First up today is a Canadian film by director Bruce McDonald called Trigger.
- 9/19/2010
- by Greg
- FilmJunk
It's difficult to write about Bruce McDonald's latest film, if only because I feel like I'm examining someone else's very personal correspondence. Co-star Tracy Wright, a truly bright light of Canadian theatre, television, and film, died this summer of cancer. She was only 50. Trigger, rushed into production as her health declined, is really a love letter to her from many of the people who held her dear. Her performance is her letter back: to her husband; to her friends; to her professional community; perhaps most of all to her art. It's a letter delivered personally, so to speak.
Vic (Wright) and Kat (Molly Parker) had a measure of success with their final band together, the titular Trigger. A decade or so after their band and their friendship implode on stage due to (remember, this is a Bruce McDonald film) drugs, alcohol, sex, and self-loathing, they meet again to make...
Vic (Wright) and Kat (Molly Parker) had a measure of success with their final band together, the titular Trigger. A decade or so after their band and their friendship implode on stage due to (remember, this is a Bruce McDonald film) drugs, alcohol, sex, and self-loathing, they meet again to make...
- 9/14/2010
- Screen Anarchy
Celeb Sightings
Woody Allen was snapped sneaking off during his new film. Couple Blake Lively and Penn Badgley had to go separate ways Saturday night as 'The Town' premiered at the same time as 'Easy A.' The only way I can slip in a link to my beloved Richard Ayoade is via a photo with Ben Stiller. Are those really oysters on Bryce Dallas Howard's 'Hereafter' premiere gown? Woody Harrelson looks creepy on the Bunraku red carpet. Peter Fonda's still an easy rider at the Best Buddies Gala. Jon Hamm smiles wide, which I haven't seen him do much of on 'Mad Men' lately.
Our Coverage
Erik Childress really did not like Clint Eastwood's 'Hereafter': "Peter Morgan's ('The Queen,' 'Frost/Nixon') script beats around the bush so emphatically that it is easy to forget this is a film...
Woody Allen was snapped sneaking off during his new film. Couple Blake Lively and Penn Badgley had to go separate ways Saturday night as 'The Town' premiered at the same time as 'Easy A.' The only way I can slip in a link to my beloved Richard Ayoade is via a photo with Ben Stiller. Are those really oysters on Bryce Dallas Howard's 'Hereafter' premiere gown? Woody Harrelson looks creepy on the Bunraku red carpet. Peter Fonda's still an easy rider at the Best Buddies Gala. Jon Hamm smiles wide, which I haven't seen him do much of on 'Mad Men' lately.
Our Coverage
Erik Childress really did not like Clint Eastwood's 'Hereafter': "Peter Morgan's ('The Queen,' 'Frost/Nixon') script beats around the bush so emphatically that it is easy to forget this is a film...
- 9/14/2010
- by Christopher Campbell
- Cinematical
I had a plan for this week's column. As a Tiff-centric offering, I would celebrate the late Canadian actress Tracy Wright, whose two final films are gracing the festival this year -- Trigger and You Are Here. She was a Toronto-centric gem, stolen much too soon from the big screen. But then I saw Trigger, the latest offering from Pontypool and Hard Core Logo director Bruce McDonald, and my plans changed for the inspiring and blissful better.
Imagining a fun film, only hoping it could be half the adventure Pontypool was, I was greeted with what is, perhaps, the best example of female friendship I've ever seen on the big screen. Suddenly, I realized that this column couldn't possibly be a retrospective; its theme was utterly perfect for Girls on Film, destined to please anyone trying to follow the Bechdel Rule, or those hungry for well-developed female characters.
Quite simply,...
Imagining a fun film, only hoping it could be half the adventure Pontypool was, I was greeted with what is, perhaps, the best example of female friendship I've ever seen on the big screen. Suddenly, I realized that this column couldn't possibly be a retrospective; its theme was utterly perfect for Girls on Film, destined to please anyone trying to follow the Bechdel Rule, or those hungry for well-developed female characters.
Quite simply,...
- 9/14/2010
- by Monika Bartyzel
- Cinematical
Reviewed at the 2010 Toronto Film Festival.
It is hard to imagine a more appropriate film than "Trigger" to open the Bell Lightbox in Toronto, though festival organizers who intend the gleaming cube in the middle of downtown to be their new home might do well to prepare to have the roof blown off after this premiere alone. For the most part, the latest from "Pontypool" director Bruce McDonald is actually quite quiet, a tête-à-tête between two of Canada's finest actresses Molly Parker and Tracy Wright as they navigate a one-off reunion of their grrrl rock band from the '90s. And while their band Trigger is quite loud -- think Veruca Salt with a dash of Stevie Nicks -- it's the little throwaway moments offstage that speak volumes.
Like a soothing B-side to McDonald's grungy 1996 punk mockumentary "Hard Core Logo," McDonald is once again drawn to the idea of what...
It is hard to imagine a more appropriate film than "Trigger" to open the Bell Lightbox in Toronto, though festival organizers who intend the gleaming cube in the middle of downtown to be their new home might do well to prepare to have the roof blown off after this premiere alone. For the most part, the latest from "Pontypool" director Bruce McDonald is actually quite quiet, a tête-à-tête between two of Canada's finest actresses Molly Parker and Tracy Wright as they navigate a one-off reunion of their grrrl rock band from the '90s. And while their band Trigger is quite loud -- think Veruca Salt with a dash of Stevie Nicks -- it's the little throwaway moments offstage that speak volumes.
Like a soothing B-side to McDonald's grungy 1996 punk mockumentary "Hard Core Logo," McDonald is once again drawn to the idea of what...
- 9/12/2010
- by Stephen Saito
- ifc.com
Not so long ago we posted some great looking clips from Bruce McDonald’s Trigger. Starring Molly Parker and Tracy Wright as two rockers who used to perform together in a band, the film focuses on the best friends who lost track of each other and rediscover their friendship over an evening.
I loved the first clips and was excited to see the trailer and though we don’t have one as of yet, we do have a new teaser which shows us a little more of the action and if it’s any indication, Trigger should deliver more than a handful of fireworks.
And wow, does Molly Parker ever age?
Teaser after the break.
Embedded video stripped, see full HTML version.
I loved the first clips and was excited to see the trailer and though we don’t have one as of yet, we do have a new teaser which shows us a little more of the action and if it’s any indication, Trigger should deliver more than a handful of fireworks.
And wow, does Molly Parker ever age?
Teaser after the break.
Embedded video stripped, see full HTML version.
- 9/10/2010
- QuietEarth.us
Entertainment One, a Canadian independent film distributor, has finally released online the first trailer of Bruce McDonald's Trigger. The film will be released in Canada on September 30 and is currently being shown at the Toronto International Film Festival.
Trigger is the story of a friendship between two women. Victoria ."Vic". Sawchyn (Tracy Wright) and Kathryn ".Kat". Lake (Molly Parker) are friends from childhood who started a neighbourhood band together . sort of like the Go-Go's meet Patti Smith with a little Siouxsie and the Banshees thrown in. Sticking to their rock .n' roll dream, they continued to trade up bands until they began to have real success with a hit single and a European tour. On the tour, things went to hell and, due to egos and drugs and rock .n. roll, the band imploded as did the friendship. Now it's 10 years later and a local record label is having...
Trigger is the story of a friendship between two women. Victoria ."Vic". Sawchyn (Tracy Wright) and Kathryn ".Kat". Lake (Molly Parker) are friends from childhood who started a neighbourhood band together . sort of like the Go-Go's meet Patti Smith with a little Siouxsie and the Banshees thrown in. Sticking to their rock .n' roll dream, they continued to trade up bands until they began to have real success with a hit single and a European tour. On the tour, things went to hell and, due to egos and drugs and rock .n. roll, the band imploded as did the friendship. Now it's 10 years later and a local record label is having...
- 9/10/2010
- by anhkhoido@hotmail.com (Anh Khoi Do)
- The Cultural Post
The engine of Bruce McDonald's "Trigger" is chatter, and it rarely lets up. Gliding along on the controlled nature of its two lead performances, the movie portrays two aging women rockers in unflattering detail. Former childhood friends Vic (Tracy Wright, in her last performance before succumbing to cancer earlier this year) and Kat (Molly Parker) hit it big with their titular nineties punk band. A decade later, both have transitioned into ...
- 9/9/2010
- Indiewire
Fans of Canadian director Bruce McDonald, another film about people who live by music is coming. By the way, here's the poster of his upcoming film Trigger.
First of all, this Canadian film's storyline was penned by Daniel MacIvor (Marion Bridge).
According to the information provided by New Real Films, the studio behind the film, the story two rock n' roll women who once shared a friendship, a band and a whole lot of chaos. Now a dozen years later they meet again, and over the course of one evening rediscover friendship, remember rock n'roll and reignite chaos.
The film's leading actors are Tracy Wright, Molly Parker, Don McKellar. Other members of the star-studded cast include Sarah Polley, Callum Keith Rennie, Julian Richings, Aislinn Paul, Melinda Shankar, Samantha Munro, Lenore Zann, Marline Yan and Daniel MacIvor.
Finally, the film will be shown at the upcoming Toronto International Film Festival, which...
First of all, this Canadian film's storyline was penned by Daniel MacIvor (Marion Bridge).
According to the information provided by New Real Films, the studio behind the film, the story two rock n' roll women who once shared a friendship, a band and a whole lot of chaos. Now a dozen years later they meet again, and over the course of one evening rediscover friendship, remember rock n'roll and reignite chaos.
The film's leading actors are Tracy Wright, Molly Parker, Don McKellar. Other members of the star-studded cast include Sarah Polley, Callum Keith Rennie, Julian Richings, Aislinn Paul, Melinda Shankar, Samantha Munro, Lenore Zann, Marline Yan and Daniel MacIvor.
Finally, the film will be shown at the upcoming Toronto International Film Festival, which...
- 9/2/2010
- by anhkhoido@hotmail.com (Anh Khoi Do)
- The Cultural Post
Although the trailer of Trigger, the next film by Canadian director Bruce McDonald, isn't online, the folks at Twitch have found the first clips from the film.
First of all, this Canadian film's storyline was penned by Daniel MacIvor (Marion Bridge).
According to the information provided by New Real Films, the studio behind the film, the story two rock n' roll women who once shared a friendship, a band and a whole lot of chaos. Now a dozen years later they meet again, and over the course of one evening rediscover friendship, remember rock n'roll and reignite chaos.
The film's leading actors are Tracy Wright, Molly Parker, Don McKellar. Other members of the star-studded cast include Sarah Polley, Callum Keith Rennie, Julian Richings, Aislinn Paul, Melinda Shankar, Samantha Munro, Lenore Zann, Marline Yan and Daniel MacIvor.
Obviously, this Canadian film will premiere at the upcoming Toronto International Film Festival, which...
First of all, this Canadian film's storyline was penned by Daniel MacIvor (Marion Bridge).
According to the information provided by New Real Films, the studio behind the film, the story two rock n' roll women who once shared a friendship, a band and a whole lot of chaos. Now a dozen years later they meet again, and over the course of one evening rediscover friendship, remember rock n'roll and reignite chaos.
The film's leading actors are Tracy Wright, Molly Parker, Don McKellar. Other members of the star-studded cast include Sarah Polley, Callum Keith Rennie, Julian Richings, Aislinn Paul, Melinda Shankar, Samantha Munro, Lenore Zann, Marline Yan and Daniel MacIvor.
Obviously, this Canadian film will premiere at the upcoming Toronto International Film Festival, which...
- 8/18/2010
- by anhkhoido@hotmail.com (Anh Khoi Do)
- The Cultural Post
Regular visitors of the web site IMDb.com can find the first stills of the Canadian film You Are Here, the first feature film by Daniel Cockburn. While no release date has been announced, the film will be screened at the Toronto International Film Festival, which will take place from September 9 to 19.
According to the film's press kit, the storyline has many sub-plots that follow:
An obsessive, hermetic Archivist (Tracy Wright) roams the city collectingstrange documents – films, videotapes, audiorecordings. But her Archive has taken over herliving space, there are indications that it’s begunto think on its own, and worst of all, it doesn’tseem to want her around any more.An office of Tracking Operatives keeps tabson the whereabouts of Field Agents roaming thecity… but one day a monkey wrench gets throwninto their archaic operation, and they experiencea collective system crash.Alan (Scott Anderson) is a simple man with asimple life…...
According to the film's press kit, the storyline has many sub-plots that follow:
An obsessive, hermetic Archivist (Tracy Wright) roams the city collectingstrange documents – films, videotapes, audiorecordings. But her Archive has taken over herliving space, there are indications that it’s begunto think on its own, and worst of all, it doesn’tseem to want her around any more.An office of Tracking Operatives keeps tabson the whereabouts of Field Agents roaming thecity… but one day a monkey wrench gets throwninto their archaic operation, and they experiencea collective system crash.Alan (Scott Anderson) is a simple man with asimple life…...
- 8/16/2010
- by anhkhoido@hotmail.com (Anh Khoi Do)
- The Cultural Post
Bruce McDonald’s new rock ‘n’ roll saga, Trigger, is set to open Tiff’s Bell Lightbox, and has a few big-name Canadian actors including Sarah Polley, Callum Keith Rennie and Don McKellar. The movie is about Molly Parker and Tracy Wright, two good friends who broke up after performing together in a band. Years later, they reunite and rediscover their friendship and success as a duo in music. Some footage from the film has been released by the guys at Twitch and you can watch it below.
- 8/13/2010
- by tiffreviews
- TIFFReviews
Trigger is the story of two rock n' roll women who once shared a friendship, a band and a whole lot of chaos. Now a dozen years later they meet again, and over the course of one evening rediscover friendship, remember rock n'roll and reignite chaos.
From the much loved director of Hard Core Logo, Bruce McDonald, and starring indie stalwarts Molly Parker (Deadwood), Tracy Wright (Me And You And Everyone We Know, here in her final performance) and Don McKellar (Last Night) with smaller parts going to the likes of Sarah Polley (Splice) and Callum Keith Rennie (Battlestar Galactica), Trigger will be taking a bow at the Toronto International Film Festival in September and we are very pleased to offer up your first look at footage from the film. Check out the clip reel below but beware the salty language, should you happen to be at work.
From the much loved director of Hard Core Logo, Bruce McDonald, and starring indie stalwarts Molly Parker (Deadwood), Tracy Wright (Me And You And Everyone We Know, here in her final performance) and Don McKellar (Last Night) with smaller parts going to the likes of Sarah Polley (Splice) and Callum Keith Rennie (Battlestar Galactica), Trigger will be taking a bow at the Toronto International Film Festival in September and we are very pleased to offer up your first look at footage from the film. Check out the clip reel below but beware the salty language, should you happen to be at work.
- 8/12/2010
- Screen Anarchy
Canadian movie god Bruce McDoanald is on a music kick at the moment. Earlier this year he followed up Pontypool (review) with This Movie is Broken and now his other 2010 music film is about to premiere at Tiff (and Hard Core Logo 2 is till in the works – see what I mean about a music kick?).
The movie stars Molly Parker and Tracy Wright as two rockers who used to perform together in a band. Best of friends who eventually lost track of each other, they reunite years later and over the course of one evening rediscover friendship, remember rock n'roll and reignite chaos.
No official trailer yet but some footage from the film has appeared online and it sizzles appropriately, particularly the first minute and a half which features Parker and Wright chatting amicably over dinner, a chat that quickly deteriorates and opens up old wounds. How they get from...
The movie stars Molly Parker and Tracy Wright as two rockers who used to perform together in a band. Best of friends who eventually lost track of each other, they reunite years later and over the course of one evening rediscover friendship, remember rock n'roll and reignite chaos.
No official trailer yet but some footage from the film has appeared online and it sizzles appropriately, particularly the first minute and a half which features Parker and Wright chatting amicably over dinner, a chat that quickly deteriorates and opens up old wounds. How they get from...
- 8/12/2010
- QuietEarth.us
Deemed one of the strongest lineups yet by festival CEO and co-director Piers Handling, this year's impressive selection of Canadian projects, including 28 features 19 of which are world premieres, was announced today in a sweltering, bustling ballroom within Toronto's Royal York Hotel and the crop was met with considerable excitement, intermittent claps and plenty of laughs as we edge ever closer to September's main event.
Among the features debuting at Tiff 2010 are Jacob Tierney's Good Neighbours - starring two of the lead's from his 2009 Tiff entry The Trotsky, Jay Baruchel and Emily Hampshire - which chronicles murders and the Quebec referendum in a Montreal neighbourhood, Quebec wunderkind Xavier Dolan's Les amours imaginaires, pictured, fresh from two wins at the Cannes Film Festival and Bruce McDonald's Trigger starring Molly Parker and the late Tracy Wright as a bickering, recently-reunited rock duo.
Among the features debuting at Tiff 2010 are Jacob Tierney's Good Neighbours - starring two of the lead's from his 2009 Tiff entry The Trotsky, Jay Baruchel and Emily Hampshire - which chronicles murders and the Quebec referendum in a Montreal neighbourhood, Quebec wunderkind Xavier Dolan's Les amours imaginaires, pictured, fresh from two wins at the Cannes Film Festival and Bruce McDonald's Trigger starring Molly Parker and the late Tracy Wright as a bickering, recently-reunited rock duo.
- 8/10/2010
- by Andrea Miller
- Cineplex
Long considered one of the finest video artist in Canada, director Daniel Cockburn makes his first step into feature film with You Are Here, a picture described as a "meta-detective" story that has already drawn comparisons to the work of Charlie Kaufman at the World Premiere in Locarno. Here's the official synopsis:
You Are Here is a Borgesian fantasy composed of multiple worlds, circling and weaving around each other in always-unexpected ways. At the centre of this narrative labyrinth is a reclusive woman (Tracy Wright) who searches for meaning in the mysterious documents that keep appearing to her. Her investigation begins when she finds a tape recording of a man giving a bizarre lecture: calming and sinister at the same time, he instructs how to "get where you need to go". Is this a random find, or a message to her?
Another strange document presents itself, and another ... Swiftly her...
You Are Here is a Borgesian fantasy composed of multiple worlds, circling and weaving around each other in always-unexpected ways. At the centre of this narrative labyrinth is a reclusive woman (Tracy Wright) who searches for meaning in the mysterious documents that keep appearing to her. Her investigation begins when she finds a tape recording of a man giving a bizarre lecture: calming and sinister at the same time, he instructs how to "get where you need to go". Is this a random find, or a message to her?
Another strange document presents itself, and another ... Swiftly her...
- 8/10/2010
- Screen Anarchy
The Toronto International Film Festival announced their complete slate of Canadian titles today, including the first announced midnight title in Michael Dowse's Fubar II. The Canadian slate this year looks to be a pretty compelling slate of newcomers and familiar names. Check all the news below!
Galas
A Beginners Guide to Endings Jonathan Sobol, Canada World Premiere
Raucous, charming and very funny, Jonathan Sobol's comedy A Beginners Guide to Endings follows three sons as they deal with their gambler father's somewhat complicated legacy. Featuring the legendary Harvey Keitel, the film also stars Scott Caan, Paolo Costanzo, Wendy Crewson, Tricia Helfer, Jason Jones, and J.K. Simmons.
Previously announced Canadian Galas include: The Bang Bang Club, Steven Silver; Barney's Version, Richard J. Lewis; Casino Jack, George Hickenlooper; Score: A Hockey Musical, Mike McGowan.
Special Presentations
Force of Nature: The David Suzuki Movie Sturla Gunnarsson, Canada World Premiere
At 75 years old,...
Galas
A Beginners Guide to Endings Jonathan Sobol, Canada World Premiere
Raucous, charming and very funny, Jonathan Sobol's comedy A Beginners Guide to Endings follows three sons as they deal with their gambler father's somewhat complicated legacy. Featuring the legendary Harvey Keitel, the film also stars Scott Caan, Paolo Costanzo, Wendy Crewson, Tricia Helfer, Jason Jones, and J.K. Simmons.
Previously announced Canadian Galas include: The Bang Bang Club, Steven Silver; Barney's Version, Richard J. Lewis; Casino Jack, George Hickenlooper; Score: A Hockey Musical, Mike McGowan.
Special Presentations
Force of Nature: The David Suzuki Movie Sturla Gunnarsson, Canada World Premiere
At 75 years old,...
- 8/10/2010
- Screen Anarchy
"Award-winning actor Maury Chaykin, a familiar face in Canadian movies and TV shows since the 1970s, died Tuesday on his 61st birthday," reports the Toronto Sun.
"Boasting an impressive 153 film and television credits, Chaykin was known in and out of the land of the maple leaf," writes Monika Bartyzel at Cinematical. "In Canada, he graced a number of Atom Egoyan films including The Sweet Hereafter, Exotica, and Where the Truth Lies, he teamed up with Don McKellar (who recently lost wife Tracy Wright) on Blindness and Cooking with Stella, and more recently played Sam Blecher in the Mark McKinney-produced Less Than Kind. But his accomplishments and impact reached stateside features as well. Chaykin played Major Fambrough in Dances with Wolves, Sam Tipton in My Cousin Vinny, and in recent years, he played 'Harvey Weingard' — aka 'Harvey Weinstein' — in Entourage."
"His death comes just as it was announced that his latest movie,...
"Boasting an impressive 153 film and television credits, Chaykin was known in and out of the land of the maple leaf," writes Monika Bartyzel at Cinematical. "In Canada, he graced a number of Atom Egoyan films including The Sweet Hereafter, Exotica, and Where the Truth Lies, he teamed up with Don McKellar (who recently lost wife Tracy Wright) on Blindness and Cooking with Stella, and more recently played Sam Blecher in the Mark McKinney-produced Less Than Kind. But his accomplishments and impact reached stateside features as well. Chaykin played Major Fambrough in Dances with Wolves, Sam Tipton in My Cousin Vinny, and in recent years, he played 'Harvey Weingard' — aka 'Harvey Weinstein' — in Entourage."
"His death comes just as it was announced that his latest movie,...
- 7/28/2010
- MUBI
Canadian film and television actor Maury Chaykin passed away today in a Toronto hospital on his 61st birthday. Born in New York to an American father and Canadian mother, Chaykin made his way to Toronto in the '70s, where he remained for the rest of his life, amassing a myriad of roles, Genie nominations for Iron Eagle II and Cold Comfort, and a win for 1994's Whale Music.
Boasting an impressive 153 film and television credits, Chaykin was known in and out of the land of the maple leaf. In Canada, he graced a number of Atom Egoyan films including The Sweet Hereafter, Exotica, and Where the Truth Lies, he teamed up with Don McKellar (who recently lost wife Tracy Wright) on Blindness and Cooking with Stella, and more recently played Sam Blecher in the Mark McKinney-produced Less Than Kind. But his accomplishments and impact reached stateside features as well.
Boasting an impressive 153 film and television credits, Chaykin was known in and out of the land of the maple leaf. In Canada, he graced a number of Atom Egoyan films including The Sweet Hereafter, Exotica, and Where the Truth Lies, he teamed up with Don McKellar (who recently lost wife Tracy Wright) on Blindness and Cooking with Stella, and more recently played Sam Blecher in the Mark McKinney-produced Less Than Kind. But his accomplishments and impact reached stateside features as well.
- 7/27/2010
- by Monika Bartyzel
- Cinematical
On Tuesday morning, indie actress Tracy Wright lost her battle with pancreatic cancer, passing away at the age of fifty. You may not know her by name, but if you've followed Canadian filmmakers like Don McKellar (who she married earlier this year), Miranda July, and Bruce McDonald, you've seen her work.
Her big screen career began in 1991 with McDonald and McKellar's Highway 61. Wright then appeared in a number of indie productions over the last twenty years, including July's Me You and Everyone We Know in 2005, but it was her work with McKellar that made her name recognizable outside the limits of Canadian cinema. She played Donna in Last Night, took on the Elimination Dance, and was able to wreak havoc alongside McKellar as radicals in Reginald Harkema's anarchy-filled Monkey Warfare. Just last year, she re-teamed with both men to play Leslie's mother in Leslie, My Name is Evil.
Her big screen career began in 1991 with McDonald and McKellar's Highway 61. Wright then appeared in a number of indie productions over the last twenty years, including July's Me You and Everyone We Know in 2005, but it was her work with McKellar that made her name recognizable outside the limits of Canadian cinema. She played Donna in Last Night, took on the Elimination Dance, and was able to wreak havoc alongside McKellar as radicals in Reginald Harkema's anarchy-filled Monkey Warfare. Just last year, she re-teamed with both men to play Leslie's mother in Leslie, My Name is Evil.
- 6/24/2010
- by Monika Bartyzel
- Cinematical
The trailer of the Canadian film This Movie Is Broken, the next film from director Bruce McDonald, is online. Besides, the film will be released in Canada this summer.
According to the dudes at Twitch, the story can be described like this:
Unbelievable! Bruno (Greg Calderone) wakes up in bed next to Caroline (Georgina Reilly), his long time crush. But tomorrow she's off for school in France, and maybe she only granted this miracle as a parting gift for her long time friend. So tonight -- tonight is Bruno's last chance. And tonight, as it happens, Broken Social Scene, her favourite band, is throwing a big outdoor bash. Maybe if Bruno, with the help of his best pal Blake (Kerr Hewitt), can score tickets and give Caroline a night to remember, he can keep this miracle alive.
Besides, the film also stars Stephen McHattie, Tracy Wright, Lyndie Greenwood and Mayko Nguyen.
According to the dudes at Twitch, the story can be described like this:
Unbelievable! Bruno (Greg Calderone) wakes up in bed next to Caroline (Georgina Reilly), his long time crush. But tomorrow she's off for school in France, and maybe she only granted this miracle as a parting gift for her long time friend. So tonight -- tonight is Bruno's last chance. And tonight, as it happens, Broken Social Scene, her favourite band, is throwing a big outdoor bash. Maybe if Bruno, with the help of his best pal Blake (Kerr Hewitt), can score tickets and give Caroline a night to remember, he can keep this miracle alive.
Besides, the film also stars Stephen McHattie, Tracy Wright, Lyndie Greenwood and Mayko Nguyen.
- 5/23/2010
- by anhkhoido@hotmail.com (Anh Khoi Do)
- The Cultural Post
Today is the release of the Canadian film Leslie, My Name Is Evil in Canada. For this occasion, The Cultural Post would like to give you a look at the film's making-of.
Perry (Gregory Smith), a sheltered chemical engineer, falls in love with Leslie (Kristen Hager), a former homecoming princess, when he is selected to be a jury member at her hippie death cult murder trial. Perry has always done what is expected of him. He was a straight A student who got a good job at a chemical company and proposed to his virgin Christian girlfriend, Dorothy (Kristin Adams).
Leslie took a different path after she was traumatized by Kennedy’s assassination, her abortion and the divorce of her parents. She took LSD, joined a hippie death cult and helped murder a God-fearing citizen in her own home. When Perry and Leslie lock eyes in court, Perry is forced...
Perry (Gregory Smith), a sheltered chemical engineer, falls in love with Leslie (Kristen Hager), a former homecoming princess, when he is selected to be a jury member at her hippie death cult murder trial. Perry has always done what is expected of him. He was a straight A student who got a good job at a chemical company and proposed to his virgin Christian girlfriend, Dorothy (Kristin Adams).
Leslie took a different path after she was traumatized by Kennedy’s assassination, her abortion and the divorce of her parents. She took LSD, joined a hippie death cult and helped murder a God-fearing citizen in her own home. When Perry and Leslie lock eyes in court, Perry is forced...
- 5/21/2010
- by anhkhoido@hotmail.com (Anh Khoi Do)
- The Cultural Post
After he has successfully ventured into the genre of horror films with Pontypool, Canadian director Bruce McDonald (Hard Core Logo) goes back into making a film about people who live by music. As a matter of fact, The Cultural Post just found the first images of his upcoming film Trigger.
First of all, this Canadian film's storyline was penned by Daniel MacIvor (Marion Bridge).
According to the information provided by New Real Films, the studio behind the film, the story two rock n' roll women who once shared a friendship, a band and a whole lot of chaos. Now a dozen years later they meet again, and over the course of one evening rediscover friendship, remember rock n'roll and reignite chaos.
The film's leading actors are Tracy Wright, Molly Parker, Don McKellar. Other members of the star-studded cast include Sarah Polley, Callum Keith Rennie, Julian Richings, Aislinn Paul, Melinda Shankar,...
First of all, this Canadian film's storyline was penned by Daniel MacIvor (Marion Bridge).
According to the information provided by New Real Films, the studio behind the film, the story two rock n' roll women who once shared a friendship, a band and a whole lot of chaos. Now a dozen years later they meet again, and over the course of one evening rediscover friendship, remember rock n'roll and reignite chaos.
The film's leading actors are Tracy Wright, Molly Parker, Don McKellar. Other members of the star-studded cast include Sarah Polley, Callum Keith Rennie, Julian Richings, Aislinn Paul, Melinda Shankar,...
- 5/3/2010
- by anhkhoido@hotmail.com (Anh Khoi Do)
- The Cultural Post
After a presence at the latest Toronto International Film Festival and Montreal's Festival du nouveau cinéma, Reginald Harkema's Leslie, My Name Is Evil will finally be released in Canada on May 21, 2010. This Canadian film is obviously a mix of drama, comedy and horror.
Synopsis:
Perry (Gregory Smith), a sheltered chemical engineer, falls in love with Leslie (Kristen Hager), a former homecoming princess, when he is selected to be a jury member at her hippie death cult murder trial. Perry has always done what is expected of him. He was a straight A student who got a good job at a chemical company and proposed to his virgin Christian girlfriend, Dorothy (Kristin Adams).
Leslie took a different path after she was traumatized by Kennedy’s assassination, her abortion and the divorce of her parents. She took LSD, joined a hippie death cult and helped murder a God-fearing citizen in her own home.
Synopsis:
Perry (Gregory Smith), a sheltered chemical engineer, falls in love with Leslie (Kristen Hager), a former homecoming princess, when he is selected to be a jury member at her hippie death cult murder trial. Perry has always done what is expected of him. He was a straight A student who got a good job at a chemical company and proposed to his virgin Christian girlfriend, Dorothy (Kristin Adams).
Leslie took a different path after she was traumatized by Kennedy’s assassination, her abortion and the divorce of her parents. She took LSD, joined a hippie death cult and helped murder a God-fearing citizen in her own home.
- 4/30/2010
- by anhkhoido@hotmail.com (Anh Khoi Do)
- The Cultural Post
Old-school rock is hot these days. We're quickly approaching the release of The Runaways, full of Joan Jett, Cherie Currie, and rock chaos, and now another project is on the horizon. But this time, however, it's a modern look back. Twitch found out that Bruce McDonald is heading back to his days of Hard Core Logo rock with a new film called Trigger -- news that's a nice way to finish off a week with two McDonald retro pieces (Elimination Dance and Pontypool).
According to New Real Films, Trigger was written by Marion Bridge scribe Daniel MacIvor and will star Molly Parker and Tracy Wright as two "rock 'n' roll women who once shared a friendship, a band, and a whole lot of chaos. Now, a dozen years later, they meet again, and over the course of one evening rediscover friendship, remember rock 'n' roll, and reignite chaos." Somewhere in that new chaos,...
According to New Real Films, Trigger was written by Marion Bridge scribe Daniel MacIvor and will star Molly Parker and Tracy Wright as two "rock 'n' roll women who once shared a friendship, a band, and a whole lot of chaos. Now, a dozen years later, they meet again, and over the course of one evening rediscover friendship, remember rock 'n' roll, and reignite chaos." Somewhere in that new chaos,...
- 2/7/2010
- by Monika Bartyzel
- Cinematical
Years ago, there were elimination dances. They weren't like the National Bandstand dance-off at Rydell High, where it all came down to stunning Travolta moves. Rather, a caller (announcer) would call out random, arbitrary disqualifications -- such as "anyone wearing a red hat" -- and the couple would have to leave the floor. Remembering the old days, writer Michael Ondaatje took the idea to its most illogically funny extreme with his book Elimination Dance, detailing a caller who comes up with strange disqualifications that somehow hit the mark.
It wasn't long before the book was made into a short film full of Canadian talent. Bruce McDonald directed and co-wrote with Don McKellar, who also starred alongside oft-collaborator Tracy Wright, with the whole thing edited by Leslie, My Name is Evil helmer Reginald Harkema. Tracy and Don meet just before the elimination dance begins, and on the floor, they dance along...
It wasn't long before the book was made into a short film full of Canadian talent. Bruce McDonald directed and co-wrote with Don McKellar, who also starred alongside oft-collaborator Tracy Wright, with the whole thing edited by Leslie, My Name is Evil helmer Reginald Harkema. Tracy and Don meet just before the elimination dance begins, and on the floor, they dance along...
- 2/3/2010
- by Monika Bartyzel
- Cinematical
Film review: 'Last Night'
The world is coming to an end. Only six more hours to go. But wait, that's not the worst of it. The worst is that "Last Night" makes us spend these final hours with a bunch of morose people who act as if they've read too many Russell Banks novels. Talk about the world ending with a whimper rather than a bang.
This oddball Canadian film, which unaccountably has won three Genies and a few other prizes in the past year and a half, has little to recommend it other than an austere production design created on Toronto city streets. Boxoffice prospects for the Lions Gate release appear marginal at best.
"Last Night" represents the directorial debut of Don McKellar, a major figure in the Canadian film industry as an actor ("eXistenZ," "The Red Violin") and writer ("Thirty-Two Short Films About Glenn Gould," "The Red Violin"). In straining for high-minded seriousness here as the film's writer and director, McKellar winds up with lugubriousness in the stilted dialogue and artless direction.
The story takes place on the globe's final night. The world will come to an end at the stroke of midnight, though it's unclear why the world will end at midnight Eastern Standard Time. If it does, does this means the world has already ended in Asia and Europe but everyone in Hawaii can party on?
Of course, McKellar would protest that he is aiming here for allegory, not literal-mindedness. Yet he mires his drama in such mundane miscellany as shopping trips, cell phones, answering machines and family gatherings that it's hard to perceive any allegorical intent.
McKellar plays the main character, a brooding man who desires to welcome the end of mankind in splendid isolation, the recent death of his wife having cut him off from friends and family. Against his wishes, he gets involved with a young woman (Sandra Oh) who is desperate to reach her husband to spend the last night with him. Incredibly, she became separated from him because she needed to run a few errands. (On the last night of the world?)
A buddy Callum Keith Rennie) is successfully bedding as many women as possible, including his long-ago French teacher (Genevieve Bujold) and a spinster virgin (Tracy Wright). Meanwhile, director David Cronenberg plays a gas company employee who calls up every customer in greater Toronto to explain that they will enjoy uninterrupted service until the very end. Well, that's a comfort at least.
There is little urgency to any of this. And rather than panic gripping the populace, everyone seems to be celebrating. The streets are generally deserted, which is as good a way as any to make the most out of budgetary limitations. John Dondertman's production design well establishes the desolation of a city abandoned to its fate, but his interiors are rather cool and off-putting.
McKellar's portrait of the demise of mankind could have used a little black humor -- or any humor at all for that matter. About as close as he gets is a radio station playing the top 500 tunes of all time.
"Last Night" is a film that manages to make one wish the world would come to an end sooner rather than later.
LAST NIGHT
Lions Gate Films
Producers:Niv Fichman, Daniel Iron
Writer-director:Don McKellar
Executive producers:Caroline Benjo, Carole Scotta, Pierre Chevalier, La Sept Arte
Director of photography:Doug Koch
Production designer:John Dondertman
Music:Alex Pauk, Alexina Louie
Costumer:Lea Carlson
Editor:Reginald Harkema
Color/stereo
Cast:
Patrick:Don McKellar
Sandra:Sandra Oh
Craig:Callum Keith Rennie
Jennifer:Sarah Polley
Duncan:David Cronenberg
Donna:Tracy Wright
Mrs. Carlton:Genevieve Bujold
Running time -- 93 minutes
MPAA rating: R...
This oddball Canadian film, which unaccountably has won three Genies and a few other prizes in the past year and a half, has little to recommend it other than an austere production design created on Toronto city streets. Boxoffice prospects for the Lions Gate release appear marginal at best.
"Last Night" represents the directorial debut of Don McKellar, a major figure in the Canadian film industry as an actor ("eXistenZ," "The Red Violin") and writer ("Thirty-Two Short Films About Glenn Gould," "The Red Violin"). In straining for high-minded seriousness here as the film's writer and director, McKellar winds up with lugubriousness in the stilted dialogue and artless direction.
The story takes place on the globe's final night. The world will come to an end at the stroke of midnight, though it's unclear why the world will end at midnight Eastern Standard Time. If it does, does this means the world has already ended in Asia and Europe but everyone in Hawaii can party on?
Of course, McKellar would protest that he is aiming here for allegory, not literal-mindedness. Yet he mires his drama in such mundane miscellany as shopping trips, cell phones, answering machines and family gatherings that it's hard to perceive any allegorical intent.
McKellar plays the main character, a brooding man who desires to welcome the end of mankind in splendid isolation, the recent death of his wife having cut him off from friends and family. Against his wishes, he gets involved with a young woman (Sandra Oh) who is desperate to reach her husband to spend the last night with him. Incredibly, she became separated from him because she needed to run a few errands. (On the last night of the world?)
A buddy Callum Keith Rennie) is successfully bedding as many women as possible, including his long-ago French teacher (Genevieve Bujold) and a spinster virgin (Tracy Wright). Meanwhile, director David Cronenberg plays a gas company employee who calls up every customer in greater Toronto to explain that they will enjoy uninterrupted service until the very end. Well, that's a comfort at least.
There is little urgency to any of this. And rather than panic gripping the populace, everyone seems to be celebrating. The streets are generally deserted, which is as good a way as any to make the most out of budgetary limitations. John Dondertman's production design well establishes the desolation of a city abandoned to its fate, but his interiors are rather cool and off-putting.
McKellar's portrait of the demise of mankind could have used a little black humor -- or any humor at all for that matter. About as close as he gets is a radio station playing the top 500 tunes of all time.
"Last Night" is a film that manages to make one wish the world would come to an end sooner rather than later.
LAST NIGHT
Lions Gate Films
Producers:Niv Fichman, Daniel Iron
Writer-director:Don McKellar
Executive producers:Caroline Benjo, Carole Scotta, Pierre Chevalier, La Sept Arte
Director of photography:Doug Koch
Production designer:John Dondertman
Music:Alex Pauk, Alexina Louie
Costumer:Lea Carlson
Editor:Reginald Harkema
Color/stereo
Cast:
Patrick:Don McKellar
Sandra:Sandra Oh
Craig:Callum Keith Rennie
Jennifer:Sarah Polley
Duncan:David Cronenberg
Donna:Tracy Wright
Mrs. Carlton:Genevieve Bujold
Running time -- 93 minutes
MPAA rating: R...
- 11/4/1999
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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