ConvoTrack

The Wright Stuff - Toronto

Announcing:

Following its successful Kevin Smith Fest, the Bloor Cinema is proud to announce that filmmaker Edgar Wright (director/co-writer, Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz) will be presenting a selection of his favourite movies at the Bloor every week from March 1 through April 12th.  

Wright, currently in town shooting the Toronto-set Scott Pilgrim vs. the World (based on the graphic novels by Bryan Lee O’Malley), has chosen a diverse collection of movies, from kung fu classics (Stephen Chow’s Shaolin Soccer, Jackie Chan’s Drunken Master 2) to semi-forgotten musical treasures (Busby Berkeley’s Dames, The Monkees’ Head) to Torontopocalypse nightmares (David Cronenberg’s The Brood, Don McKellar’s Last Night).

The Bloor will also be showing a double bill of Wright’s own films on Saturday, February 28th, and a marathon of his TV series Spaced (originally broadcast from 1999-2001 on the UK’s Channel 4).

Wright be introducing and doing Q&As following the Feb. 28 and Mar. 1 screenings, and will attend the others, his schedule permitting.

Saturday, February 28


 

  • 7:00 Shaun of the Dead (Edgar Wright, 2004)

Wright and star Simon Pegg send a bloody valentine to George Romero and the resurgent popularity of zombie movies, giving the genre a wry British twist.

  • 9:30 Hot Fuzz (Edgar Wright, 2007)

Wright and Pegg reteamed to pay manly homage to action movies, pondering what would happen if a little Michael Bay ADD carnage were injected into a village in the English countryside.

Edgar Says: Watching my two films in other countries is always a trip. Both are weirdly very personal to me; the first being a love/hate letter to London and in the second I gleefully tear up my very own home town. Clearly I have issues. I shall also be bringing an uncut version of “Don’t”, which features at least seven extra utterances of  Don’t!

 

Sunday, March 1


 

  • 7:00 Shaolin Soccer (Stephen Chow, 2001)

Stephen Chow (Kung Fu Hustle) broke through in North America with this kung fu comedy that plays like a live-action cartoon.

  • 9:30 Riki-Oh: The Story of Ricky (Ngai Kai Lam, 1991)

Based on the manga by Masahiko Takajo and Saruwatari Tetsuya, this comically brutal film is probably best known in North America as the source of the head-crushing clip played nightly on The Daily Show and The Late Late Show during their respective Craig Kilborn eras.

Edgar Says: What a double. “Shaolin Soccer” blew my mind back in 2001 and deserves even more recognition in the Western world as the magical, hilarious crowd pleaser it is. And as for “Riki-Oh”, if you haven’t seen it before prepare for sheer, bloody awesomeness. You won’t believe your peepers. Anyone who has seen it before, is already in line.

 

Sunday, March 8


 

  • 7:00 The Wanderers (Philip Kaufman, 1979)

Ken Wahl and Karen Allen star in this New York gang film from the director of The Right Stuff and Henry & June.

  • 9:30  The Warriors (Walter Hill, 1979)

This bizarre update of The Odyssey tells the story of the titular posse making its back way home through the territories of rival gangs.

Edgar Says: In 1979, not one but two colorful New York gang films were born. One was a period piece, Philip Kaufman’s fantastic 60’s set “The Wanderers” and the other is now a period piece, the colorful, incendiary “The Warriors” . Both are rightly considered cult classics. Come along to both and argue about which gang are harder; the Baseball Furies or the Ducky Boys. Please: no slashing seats.

 

Saturday, March 14


 

  • 9:45 Head (Bob Rafelson, 1968)

Before he directed Jack Nicholson in Five Easy Pieces, Bob Rafelson directed The Monkees in Head.

Edgar Says: They may have never existed without The Beatles, but the Monkees one cinematic contribution manages to outweird the Fab Four. “Head” is one of the best, most ambitious and downright insane films ever made by a band. As well as a mindbending meta script by Bob Rafelson and (yes) Jack Nicholson, the songs are just sublime; Porpoise Song, Circle Sky, Can You Dig It? and Daddy’s Song. A contact high guaranteed.

 

Sunday, March 15

  • 7:00 Dames (Ray Enright & Busby Berkeley, 1934)

How often do you get to see a Busby Berkeley musical in a theatre?

  • 9:00 Phantom of the Paradise (Brian De Palma, 1974)

De Palma (Scarface, The Untouchables) does a rock update of The Phantom of the Opera.

Edgar Says: If you are a fan of Michel Gondry and yet have never seen a Busby Berkley film, you need to rectify this immediately. Whether you are a musical fan or not, you cannot fail to be dazzled by the eye popping beauty of his choreography. The fact that his wildly inventive setpieces were made in the 1930s is just staggering, they still look impressive by today’s standards. And “Phantom Of The Paradise” is one of my all time favourite movies. Brian De Palma and Paul Williams’ 1970’s rock opera is genuine one off; satirical, magical, dark and hilarious. It’s both one of the most atypical films in De Palma’s canon, and one of his best.

 

Sunday, March 22


 

  • 5:00 Spaced Marathon (Edgar Wright, 1999-2001)

Wright, Simon Pegg and Jessica Hynes’ breakneck, surreal, pop-culture-drenched TV series.

Edgar Says: “Spaced” is ten years old this year. Come and watch the whole darn thing in one sitting. It’s like my life flashing before my eyes in 25 minute chunks. Do not attempt a drinking game where you take a shot whenever there is a whip pan. You will die.

 

Sunday, April 5

  • 7:00 Police Story (Jackie Chan, 1985)

“You may know the name, but the game has changed.”

  • 9:30: Drunken Master 2 (Chia-Liang Liu, 1994)

Jackie Chan finds he can fight better while inebriated, in what’s frequently considered his best movie.

Edgar Says: Jackie Chan was always my kung fu hero. The martial arts Buster Keaton delivers here again in his groundbreaking (and glass shattering) classic Police Story and in the barnstorming sequel to Drunken Master. Come worship at the altar of Jackie.

 

Sunday, April 12

  • 7:00 The Brood (David Cronenberg, 1979)

Cronenberg’s breakthrough body-horror.

  • 9:00 Last Night (Don McKellar, 1998)

The end of the world, as experienced by Torontonians.

Edgar Says: Two of my very favorite Canadians films. David Cronenberg is the King Of Canada as far as I’m concerned. I was watching his films and seeing Toronto on screen, before I even knew where it was. His body of work and his journey from making genre films to being one of our most lauded international auteurs continues to amaze. “The Brood” is a cult classic and deserves to be seen more often.  Cronenberg also appears in “Last Night”, an outstanding film about the apocalypse by the great Don McKellar. This bleak gem is one of the films that influenced “Shaun of the Dead”, so I’m very happy to present it at the Bloor. See you there.

 

Ticketing Information

Single movie tickets are $8 for Bloor Cinema members and $11 for non-members.  (Non-member tickets include a six-month membership.)

Double bills are $14 for members and $19 for non-members.

A pass for all screenings is $90, ($75 if not including Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz).  Pass-holders receive priority seating and 10% off Silver Snail products from the merchandise table set up at various screenings.

Passes are available in advance via TOtix (http://totix.ca), Silver Snail, and the Bloor Cinema box office.

Booking, timetables and further information from http://www.bloorcinema.com

Media contact:

Phone: Peter Kuplowsky, Bloor Cinema, 647-227-2728

Email: Jonathan Goldsbie, Bloor Cinema, [email protected]

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