Columns
David Cronenberg is arguably Canada’s most famous director. Okay, perhaps he’s not better known than James Cameron, but he’s certainly the auteur most widely known outside of our borders, while still continuing to live and work in Canada. Throughout his career, Cronenberg has featured Toronto as the location for many of his films, and not in a self-conscious, “hey look, Toronto is playing itself” way (as in Atom Egoyan’s Chloe) but casually, as though it was no big deal (dare we suggest even perfectly normal) for Toronto to be the setting for a film. After all, things happen here. In...
The horror genre certainly has its own army of devotees who love being terrified by flying gore, shrieking ghosts and lurching monsters. But oddly enough, there’s a whole segment of the population who just don’t get the same kind of high from being scared… or maybe thy just don’t quite have the inner fortitude to make it all the way through a feature-length horror movie. Luckily for them, there is a whole host of terrifying, gruesome, spooky and sometimes darkly funny short form horror films out there that can act as an easy-to-swallow introduction to a wary potential fan, while...
Just imagine how great it would be if there were some magical place in Toronto that regularly churned out talented filmmakers who would eventually go on to create some of Canada’s best film and television. It sounds like something that L. Frank Baum would dream up, but in fact, there is just such a place located at Bayview and York Mills. Situated in a stately and historical mansion surrounded by rolling, green fields, it’s exactly the type of ideal setting that has proven to be an inspiration to scores of Canadian filmmakers for the last 20+ years. You may have...
Hey, it’s short film month here at Toronto Film Scene! We all love short films, those bite-sized bits of cinema that tell a complete story in 20 minutes or less. But too often, short films get short shrift because there aren’t too many venues for them. Sure there are short film festivals and shorts programs at film festivals, but where do get a steady supply? Not very many places, that’s where. I like to think that it’s this state of affairs that gave birth to the anthology film. Also known as an omnibus film or a portmanteau film, an anthology film is a...
Larissa Fan never thought she’d be a filmmaker, much less one whose focus is the often-challenging (for both audiences and filmmakers) experimental genre. “I always liked art, and did still photography in high school, but being an artist never seemed like a viable option.” Says Fan. “After university I went to OCADU to study graphic design, thinking it would be a practical way to do something creative but still earn a living, but didn’t like the program and after taking a summer course in film, wound up taking film and video instead.” Once that cinematic fire was lit, it seemed...
This week’s releases include: an epic historical drama; a reenactment of the making of TV’s first reality show; the suave Avenger in cartoon form; a sexy sci-fi series; an extended version of an ill-fated voyage; a horror picture wrapped in tradition; and a new cartoon adventure for Marvel’s team of mutants....
3-D film is all the rage these days, not least because the Hollywood superstructure decided to invest heavily in the production and distribution of this technology. “This is it!” they say, “3-D is here to stay this time!” “You’re gonna love it!” But as Ray Zone thoroughly demonstrates in Stereoscopic Cinema and the Origins of 3-D Film 1838-1952 inventors, technologists, filmmakers, and production studios have been chasing that stereoscopic dragon for a long, long time. For over 25 years, Ray Zone has been perhaps the world’s most passionate advocate for 3-D as an art form. He’s made numerous 3-D works,...
Tucked over a convenience store in the bustling Yonge and Eglinton area, the unassuming sign for Upstairs Video beckons to northern Toronto cinephiles tired of the dearth of DVD rental options in the area. “We’re one of the last video stores north of Bloor.” says J.P Maijala of his less-than-year-old store, a true hidden gem if there ever was one. HISTORY Upstairs Video started its life in 2004 as Film Fest DVD Rentals, just a block away from its current location. Maijala explains: “My background is in filmmaking and editing and I sort of turned that interest into video rental. I...
