Entertainment Maven

Toronto After Dark 2012: Lloyd the Conqueror Review (Robert Harding)

Toronto After Dark Film Festival 2012

Lloyd the Conqueror

Starring Brian Posehn, Mike Smith, Evan Williams, Scott Patey and Jesse Reid

Directed by Michael Peterson

Most people have heard of Dungeons & Dragons, the game where players take on the roles of fantasy characters (elves, dwarfs, knights, rogues, etc) and using pen, paper and dice play out adventures fighting dragons, orcs, goblins and any evils their “dungeon master” can think of. But what happens when pen and paper doesn’t quite fill that void anymore? What if you want to dress up in costume and actually hit people using foam weapons? That’s when you enter the world of LARPing (Live Action Role Playing).

Lloyd and his two friends, Patrick and Oswald, are your regular slackers. Leaving projects to the last minute is standard fare. When they leave their Medieval Literature project to the day before it’s due only to get sucked into playing a video game, eventually falling asleep and having to improvise their project come the morning, they end up getting a failing grade and risk loosing their financial aid. Their only hope? Beg and plead with their professor to give them a redo. Their devious teacher Derek upon hearing their “we’ll do anything” plea decides that the trio of less than stellar students should join his LARPing league. Along with the guidance of the wise wizard (game store manager) and the addition of an elven ranger (love interest and overzealous self protection instructor) the group sets out to defeat the dark lord Derek.

Lloyd the Conqueror is a very low budget film. It might even be considered a micro budget film. Everything from locations, to actors, to costumes shows a lack of funds. This is especially apparent when you consider the costumes worn by some of the extras (played by actual LARPers) were a lot better than those worn by the main cast.

Much of the humour in this film revolves around making fun of the LARPing subculture and those that are involved. I’m not sure if actual LARPers might take offense to being made fun of, but I would hope that they would be able to laugh with the film as much as I did. If you can find it within yourself to forgive the shortcomings of the film you’ll find a very entertaining and extremely humourous movie. The additions of funny men Brian Posehn and Mike Smith not only adds a little star power to the film but their comedic experience has clearly benefited the entire production.

One aspect about Lloyd the Conqueror that I couldn’t help but notice is that because the scope of the project was so small, it seemed out of place with the feature film world. I continue to think that if the filmmakers involved had gone the route of a web series a la The Guild, Pretty in Geek or Legend of Neil, it would have garnered a bigger and better response, likely been seen by more people, and in the end, managed to find its proper audience. In its current form, I’m not sure Lloyd the Conqueror will survive.

A film like Lloyd the Conqueror is not an easy sell to general audiences. LARPing is a very small demographic and even if you open up the field to fans of similar fare (RPG, fantasy, gaming), Lloyd the Conqueror would on the surface, seem to have at most a Comic-Con level fan base. But, while Lloyd may not be accessible for general audiences, this often loyal fan base should easily get a laugh or two out of this film… if they are ever able to see it.

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Toronto After Dark 2012: Citadel Review (Kirk Haviland)

Toronto After Dark Film Festival 2012

Citadel (2012)

Starring Aneurin Barnard, James Cosmo, Wunmi Mosaku, Jake Wilson and Amy Shiels

Written and Directed by Ciaran Foy

After receiving numerous awards at festivals around the world, including SXSW, Citadel finally makes its Toronto debut as part of this year’s Toronto After Dark Film Festival. The dark/grimy tale of a man that desperately wants to protect his family but has been so traumatized that he can’t, features a breakout performance from both its lead actor and director.

Tommy (Barnard) and his pregnant wife Joanne (Shiels) were set to finally make it out of Edentown, a crumbling Irish housing estate, when Joanne was attacked by a pack of strange hooded youngsters at their very doorstep. Left traumatized and with a crippling case of agoraphobia, Tommy is trying his best to raise his infant daughter, even though he is terrified to leave his home. Just as Tommy is set to leave again, and having attracted the affections of a caring nurse (Mosaku) who has reached out to help him, the hoodies return. And this time they seemed hell bent on taking his daughter with them. Almost at his wits end, Tommy must decide whether or not to trust and team up with an angry renegade priest (Cosmo) and his blind companion, a young boy named Danny (Wilson), who are convinced that these hooded figures are no longer human, and that their tower block citadel must be destroyed once and for all.

Citadel is easily one of the best films I have seen all year. With a stellar lead performance by Aneurin Barnard and supported by an amazing turn by James Cosmo as the Priest, the casting of the film is perfect. The crippling paranoia that infests Tommy is as palpable onscreen as it is in the theater. His performance never hits a wrong note and keeps you engaged throughout. The script is original and tense, the levels of tension piling up to match the growing level of paranoia coming from Barnard’s Tommy. The choice of director Foy to not fully reveal our adversary here except in fragments keeps the audience as much in the dark as Tommy is for most of the film. The setting of a UK tower block seems to be in vogue right now with films like last year’s Attack the Block using the same. That said the tower block in Citadel is a hollow, grimy, claustrophobic shell of a building that works immensely well. The forced evacuation that the condemned building sets up in the script adds to Tommy’s exasperation. The use of no vibrant color in the entire film, even Tommy’s baby daughter’s purple snow suit looks grey in most shots, lends credence to the tone presented here.

The real winning combination in Citadel is the tone and fantastic performances captured onscreen. Some may argue in the end that the film is a little style over substance, but this is far from the truth. Citadel is a must see.

Till Next Time,

Movie Junkie TO

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Toronto After Dark Short Film Roundup Part 2 (Matt Hodgson)

The 2012 edition of the Toronto After Dark Film Festival is nearly over and we’re still pumping out the feature film reviews here at Entertainment Maven, but it’s time for part 2 of our short film roundup. One Canadian short film preceded each of the features at Toronto After Dark, while nine International shorts were grouped together for a short film slot this past weekend.

Synopses in Italics and from http://www.torontoafterdark.com

Henri

Eli Sasich, 20 min, USA, 2011

The lonely odyssey of sentient spacecraft and its desperate, bittersweet bid for humanity. An awe-inspiring blend of miniatures, in-camera effects and computer animation featuring Margot Kidder (SUPERMAN) and the voice of Kier Dullea (2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY).

Henri keeps to a major theme of this year’s short programme: the use of miniatures and special effects without the presence of actual actors, although Henri does break this trend for a few shots by using some living actors, including a brief appearance by Margot Kidder. The visuals are beautiful and in some cases jaw dropping. Sasich truly manages to make this long uninhabited spacecraft feel alive. The twenty minute short even manages to tug at our heart strings which is a very impressive feat in any short film. Henri is highly recommended and one of the best shorts at Toronto After Dark.

Numbers

Robert Hloz, 9 min, Czech Republic/South Korea, 2012

Minimalist FX and first-rate world-building come together in this lo-fi sci-fi slice of life, wherein a man’s perception of those around him is forever changed.

Numbers may be the most cerebral and well written short out of the ones I have watched at Toronto After Dark. Despite being only 9 minutes long it manages to set the scene for what could very well be a feature film storyline. A young man sees numbers above the heads of everyone around him. Some of the numbers are quite small (single digits), while others are five or six digits long. Our main character seems to have some grasp regarding the meaning of some of these numbers, but overall he is understandably confused. A young woman with the same strange ability provides some much needed insight into the meaning of the numbers, but at a frightening cost. Sometimes ignorance is bliss. Numbers is definitely worth checking out, and the little short may lead its filmmaker into much bigger projects in the future as Hloz demonstrates serious storytelling skills.

Vicki

Bill Palmer, 14 min, USA, 2012

Both John Carpenter’s CHRISTINE and the general milieu of 1980s Hollywood genre cinema are lavishly parodied throughout this slick and funny nostalgia trip about the age old tale of boy meets possessed demon car, boy falls in love with possessed demon car, boy and possessed demon car kill everybody.

Vicki is very intentionally silly as we experience the lead character fall in love with sexy sports car. The romantic incident takes place after the young man in the leading role is run down by a group of toughs while he is biking home. The toughs destroy his bike, but the young man decides to finally get on the same level as them by getting a sick ride of his own. There are some very funny moments throughout the short, although I didn’t completely dig the over-the-top silliness for the entire runtime. Overall it’s a very nice looking short and Palmer definitely shows some promise as a filmmaker. My only complaint is that I would have liked to have seen some better writing.

Family Nightmare

Dustin Guy Defa, 10 min, USA, 2011

Family dysfunction becomes a near-Lynchian nightmare when Dustin Guy Defa reconstructs and redubs a series of home movies. A haunting and atmospheric experimental masterpiece!

Family Nightmare was hands down the most terrifying film at the entire festival, and I am including the features. The short is made up of home video footage from a single family, the voices re-dubbed with some very disturbing ones. From the opening scene, depicting a young child playing with a knife, there is a feeling of dread which will slowly envelop the audience. The members of the family seem to preoccupy themselves with copious amounts of smoking and drinking. Despite a few really solid laughs, the crescendo of this short is one of the most disturbing things I have experienced in recent years. Highly recommended but I will not be watching this short anytime soon – for my own sanity.

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Toronto After Dark 2012: Grave Encounters 2 Review (Robert Harding)

Toronto After Dark Film Festival 2012

Grave Encounters 2

Starring Richard Harmon, Reese Alexander and Stephanie Bennett

Directed by John Poliquin

Let me preface my review by stating that I have not seen the first Grave Encounters film and as such any comparison between the two films can only be limited. But, for all those in the same boat as myself you will be happy to know that because of the story and the fashion in which Grave Encounters 2 was shot, you don’t need to have seen the first film at all.

2011 saw the film Grave Encounters released upon an unknowing public. The film was a found footage horror film about a ghost hunting TV crew that unfortunately didn’t make it out of their latest “hunt” in an old abandoned mental institution. The film quickly spread via social media and the internet. One particular vlogger named Alex, who also happened to be a film student in California, posted a particularly scathing review of the film via his vlog (video blog). Not long after his post, Alex starts receiving tips from an anonymous source known only as “DeathAwaits666.” This starts him down a road of research and inquiry until he convinces himself that the footage from Grave Encounters is real. Determined to prove that the film was not a work of fiction Alex and a few friends set out to find and film their own encounter at the same mental institution. Grave Encounters 2 is their story.

Grave Encounters_1 — Photo from http://www.torontoafterdark.com

One of the common problems with found footage films is making it believable that people would film everything. The worst reason a film can give (and one that’s used often) is the “People need to see this. They need to know what’s going on here.” Grave Encounters 2 does a great job of explaining why this footage exists. From using many multiple reason (needing proof, can’t leave $50,000 of camera equipment, need night vision camera to see in dark, etc.) to be filming all the way to actually having a slimy producer who is behind actually putting the final edited film together and releasing it to the public. While there are still moments that make the viewer shake their head, at least there is an explanation for the footage most the time.

One of the best things about this film is the acting. Everyone involved comes across as very genuine. There are a few scenes of extremely terrible acting during the shooting of their student film but this was done on purpose. This was a very smart move on the part of the filmmakers. It’s hard to talk down about the acting in the film when the film clearly shows you what bad acting truly looks like.

Fans of the first film will probably be disappointed with the sequel. From what I can gather, Grave Encounters has some genuinely creepy moments. Those expecting more of the same will find the sequel lacking. Grave Encounters 2 concentrates more on the story, background and the meta aspects of each. While there are a couple decent scares, the rest of the film is more of a dark adventure as the “guests” try and escape the evil that is the mental institution.

But the biggest disappointment for anyone might come from the reveal of the identity of “DeathAwaits666” and the actions that develop afterwards. This is where the film goes from a decent watch to being rather silly. Unfortunately, I can’t go into detail without spoilers so if you’re truly curious, you’ll have to see the film.

Despite what many may think, Grave Encounters 2 isn’t a bad film, I just don’t think the film is what they expected (high or false expectations often lead to negative feelings). Thanks to some fantastic acting, above par camera work and FX, the film rises well above it’s low budget and extremely short production schedule to form an entertaining and interesting found footage film, even if it isn’t the scariest film ever made.

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Argo Review (Paolo Kagaoan)

Argo (2012)

Starring Ben Affleck, Bryan Cranston, John Goodman, Alan Arkin, Taylor Schilling, Clea Duvall, Tate Donovan, Christopher Denham, Kerry Bishe, Scoot McNairy, Victor Garber, Sheila Vand, Kyle Chandler, and Philip Baker Hall

Directed by Ben Affleck

Instead of shooting an expensive montage, Argo efficiently uses a prologue of storyboards to contextualize Iranian anger. And even in this business-like decision or omission, the movie still captures the shades that make Americans and Iranians more alike than they think they are. It shows a young Iranian woman spewing the Revolution’s ideologies, even if an American character (most likely Arkin’s) looks at her on television with a cynical distance. It also shows, as I should have expected, that not all Iranians are frothing at the mouth with anti-Americanism. Some want to emigrate to the US, despite possibly being caught by revolutionary guards as traitors. They also risk facing racism, as the movie shows news footage of Americans mobbing on one Iranian in the States. There’s also a maid in the ambassador’s house named Sahar (Vand) who has to decide what to do to her new and suspicious guests. But that’s because her suspicions are right – that the guests are six American workers (including Donovan, Denham and Bishe) trying to hide from the guards instead of being hostages at the embassy.

Argo also renders the Americans with variation. As noticed by other reviewers, the prologue shows American culpability in the Iranian Revolution. The fact that it’s showing the hoorah-ers in a derisive way is evidence to its own healthy national self-deprecation. Those ‘Mericans are the opposite of the upper brass in Washington (including Cranston, Chandler and Baker Hall) who are more balanced, and concerned about the hostages. In fact Argo shows the characters in Washington hating each other more, their infighting and oversights inadvertently letting the Crisis drag on longer than it should have. And besides, while the six Americans in hiding are having dinner with their host, Cora Lijek (Duvall) tells everyone in the table that she agrees with the revolution’s demand to put the Shah on trial.

Thankfully Cora doesn’t have to deal with tense conversations and tense everything. That’s because across the Atlantic, CIA operative Tony Mendez (Affleck) plans to get her and her coworkers out with the best dumb idea ever – for Tony, Cora and the other five to pose as a film crew. Speaking of which, the transitions from sombre political drama to snappy heist movie is as delicate as watching someone walk on water. The people Tony enlists in California (including Goodman) make repetitive jokes but Goodman and Arkin’s delivery of those jokes are subtle enough that they don’t make their side too distasteful nor oppositional in tone compared to the other.

Yes, Argo emotionally manipulates us in telling a story in which we know the ending. Affleck is the perfect person to direct this movie because his earlier ones feature characters with malleable sympathies and can mold from one polarized group to its total opposite. There’s a scene where (spoiler) one of the six Americans, Mark Stafford (McNairy), convincingly argues that a half-naked woman drawn in a storyboard is relate-able to a Revolutionary Guard. His movies also tie sinewy knots instead of bows, refusing to give us perfectly happy endings. I say this particularly because of Sahar’s ending which, and I’m projecting here, makes me worry about her. There’s a part of me that, because of the movie’s endings, thinks Affleck is a sadist but we can argue that he’s also a realist. The brutal honesty in his films is a refreshing feeling even if it gives us equal bouts of discomfort.

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