.

We’re right at about the halfway mark of the 2012 Toronto After Dark Film Festival, and it’s time to learn a few more lessons. I’ve already found out what happens when you wear the wrong coat in the rain, or the fact that if there are clouds, you should have an umbrella. Staying out to all hours of the night isn’t always the best idea either, but Sunday taught me a new twist on that idea. Two bagels, a plate of onion rings, two pints of beer, and four hours sleep is a terrible idea. It’s a good time, but a terrible idea.

Sunday is always the hardest for bloggers at TADFF. An average evening consists of two screenings and a bit of time at the pub. Sunday is made up of four films, plus that bit of time at the pub. Anybody who has sat in a theatre seat for more than one film, especially back-to-back, understands how uncomfortable it can be. Do that four times in a row and you start to appreciate lying down. There was plenty of enjoyment to be found this Sunday though, and only one of the films that day left me wanting more.

The day began with Doomsday Book, a fantastic film that still has me thinking about it. Next up was Lloyd the Conqueror, a bit slow to start but a movie that gets very funny. After that, ridiculous action kicked in with Universal Soldier: Day of Reckoning. It’s not perfect, but the action scenes are amazing, and it’s incredibly violent which was a bit of a surprise. The last film for the evening was After. Most of our conversation outside of the theatre revolved around this film. Some of the fans really enjoyed it, others did not. Between myself and a friend, we reached the decision that the film was obviously based on the Silent Hill video games, and was only missing pyramid head to solidify our argument.

Now that a few days have passed, conversation at pub nights has changed from catching up with old friends to discussing what we’ve seen and what’s coming up. Grave Encounters 2 was one that a few people were looking forward to. There was also talk about the strange hatred that [REC] 3: Genesis seems to get. With such a large departure from what people have come to expect, it seems that many fans don’t like what they’ve been given this time. Others embrace it for the fantastically fun film that it is. What time everybody would be going to sleep on Sunday evening also came up frequently, with many bloggers feeling burned out after four films in the theatre that day. After a second pint of beer, and an intense discussion about Alpha Flight, Spider-man, and Captain America being the Superman of Marvel, it was time to head home.

About an hour later, I was staring at 3:00 am on my clock again. Apparently I haven’t learned as much as I thought, because I still can’t manage to get home before 3:00 am. I hear that four hours sleep is good for a person though.

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William Brownridge

Raised on a healthy diet of Star Wars and every horror film on a video store shelf, Will has been watching movies since before he was able to talk. Inspired by an ever growing passion for film, and the occasional mind control experiment, Will began writing film review on his personal blog, The Film Reel. When the mind control experiments actually worked, he was able to secure a position with Toronto Film Scene. He now waits patiently in the TFS basement for October to come every year, when his love for horror films finally pays off.

Latest posts by William Brownridge (see all)

• Review: Fight Like Soldiers, Die Like Children – May 17, 2013
• Review: The Angels’ Share – May 17, 2013
• Review: The Last Will and Testament of Rosalind Leigh – May 8, 2013