By Amanda Gilmore

When Louise (Marin Ireland) and Michael (Michael Abbott Jr.) come home to visit their mother (Julie Oliver-Touchstone) and slowly dying father (Michael Zagst) on their secluded rural farm, they quickly learn that something evil is lurking among them.

The Strangers Writer-Director Bryan Bertino is back with a bone-chilling horror Film that mixes grief with a terrifying possession story. The Occult-Horror theme of the devil seeking the souls of those with fractured families is used here. Bertino brings it to his Script creating a portrait of a fragmented family with grieving characters we care for. Their love becomes tested when they sense an unseen evil is terrorizing and possessing them. Early Bertino unsettles audiences and offers no lulls. The scares come from the excellent Lighthing, Directing, Sound and Production Design, combined with its stellar Cast led by Ireland. She carries the Film transitioning between grief, fear and disbelief with agility. Abbott Jr. turns in a restrained yet expressive performance and Xander Berkley gives a memorable, creepy supporting performance as a priest.

The Dark and The Wicked screens live online at Fantasia Fest on Fri. Aug. 28 at 9:45 PM.

By Amanda Gilmore

It’s clear that Vancouver-born actor Finn Wolfhard is a talented guy. At the young age of 17, he’s a successful musician and actor, solidifying his career through performances as Mike in Stranger Things and Richie in IT. But now he’s making his transition from in front of the camera to behind it. His Short Film Night Shifts, which he wrote and directed, premiered at Fantasia Festival 2020 and has been garnering buzz. It’s about two old friends connecting unexpectedly during a convenience store hold-up. With a running time of four minutes, Wolfhard is able to garner nostalgia for lost friendships through whip-smart direction and hilarious dialogue. Today he sat down on a Zoom chat with fellow Canadian filmmaker Jay Baruchel to talk about his leap from actor to writer-director. Wolfhard’s cast of the film, Malcolm Sparrow-Crawford, Artoun Nazareth and Billy Bryk, also came in half-way through to talk about their experience. Below are some highlights.

Wolfhard on 2020 and career so far:

“It’s easily the weirdest year of my young life so far. I’ve gotten very lucky to have the career I’ve had so far.”

Wolfhard on advice from Shawn Levy (I Am Not Okay With This, Stranger Things):

“Just because you have an idea, doesn’t mean that it’s the idea.”

Wolfhard on his directorial debut, Night Shifts:

“Last year I was shooting the new Ghostbusters. And I was talking to Jason Reitman about making movies and he said, ‘Well, write a Short, it’s the best thing you can do’.”. He asked himself, “What was the most uncomfortable situation you could have with a friend from high school? And I was like oh, I know, a robbery!”. “I wanted it to be fast, I wanted it to be in and out. We shot it in 12 hours. We had fun.”

Baruchel on Night Shifts:

“It’s really, really smooth and confident and restrained. It doesn’t feel like a first Movie, man.”.

Wolfhard on Crowdfunding for Night Shifts:

“I feel like I’m very happy and very, very, very surprised that I can get on Social Media and people will give it to me. And then I feel terribly guilty. I don’t know it’s incredible. I started giving incentives, like a signed prop or something.”.

Wolfhard on his Cast:

“I’d met Artoun and Billy on the set of Ghostbusters, they are both in that. I’ve known Malcolm since I was a baby.”

Bryk on Ghostbusters and Night Shifts:

“Artoun and I, it was pretty much the first movie we did. It was this insane experience and we really got to know everybody. And then we all got together again for this.”

Favourite mments from set:

Nazareth:

“So many prop chip bags. So many fake chips it was awesome. That was amazing.”.

Sparrow-Crawford:

“It was a fun, fun time…it was a bunch of dudes being guys.”.

Bryk:

“There was one line in the Movie that got cut that Finn and I thought was funny…and one guy in the back laughed.”.

Wolfhard:

“I want to do this for the rest of my life. I think it’s the best feeling in the world.”

Wolfhard on a possible Feature Film:

“Billy and I are writing a Script (for a Feature Film)…it’s a Comedy-Slasher Movie.”

Finn on Director Inspirations:

“Wes Anderson is big for me…Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg are huge for me. Also, Spike Jones, PTA (Paul Thomas Anderson).”.

“Putting characters into situations that are serious but add Comedy…If I can blend that with magical realism, then that would be awesome.”.

The entire Cast, along with Wolfhard also talked about having an actual attempted robbery happen at the convenience store they were filming at overnight. When the attempted robber entered the store, they didn’t know what to do, so Nazareth raised his fake gun up. By some miracle this made the actual robber leave the store. They were laughing about the scenario.

See the Chat:

Night Shifts will be available on-demand for Fantasia Fest Aug 20 – Sept 2, 2020.

(Photo/video credit: Fantasia Fest)

By Amanda Gilmore

A strange force is thriving just off the coast of Block Island and it’s creating terrifying experiences among residents and wildlife.

Brother duo Kevin and Matthew McManus have written and directed a brilliant piece of Supernatural Horror. They impressively expand on this genre to involve our real-life fears surrounding technology and our environmental crisis. As if that wasn’t enough to terrify an audience, the brothers go further to skillfully layer a theme of inherited illness. Both through genetics and the inexplicable force which infects one family member and moves to another, threatening to break the family unit. 

The entire Cast, led by the magnificent performances of Michaela McManus and Chris Sheffield, is outstanding. They root the supernatural in reality with their wholly believable performances while leaving space for the mystery to grow.  Early, audiences are thrust into the mysterious world and bathe in the mystery throughout. Refreshingly that mystery is never entirely solved, rather labelling the force as a ‘thing’. Therefore, allowing the audience to project their opinion and categorize the force as an alien, mystical sea creature, or others. The Block Island Sound tops all that off with the excellent sound design and mixing that builds tension and creates unease. This is one film not to be missed.

The Block Island Sound screens live online at Fantasia Fest on Fri. Aug. 28 at 7 PM.

Pad Thai. Who doesn’t love Pad Thai? You can actually make this at home rather easily. I don’t love Bean Sprouts, hence I didn’t include them in my version, but if you do like them, you can add in 1-2 cups. You can substitute shrimp for chicken breast or thigh pieces. And I get some people just don’t do Shrimp Paste and Fish Sauce as they are pungent, but truly you’re not a fan of Pad Thai if you don’t enjoy those essential notes which make it authentic.

Ingredients:

1/2 package of Rice Noodles
12 Jumbo Argentinian Shrimp, shells removed and deveined
1 block of firm Tofu pat-dry and cut into small cubes
1/2 cup cashews, crushed
1/2 sweet red pepper, sliced thin
3 tbsps Tamarind Paste (if you absolutely can’t find, then ketchup it is)
3 tbsps Brown Sugar
2 tbsps Oyster Sauce
2 tbsps Fish Sauce
2 tbsps Rice Vinegar
1/2 tsp Sambal Sauce
1/4 tsp Shrimp Paste
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 white onion, minced
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 stalks green onion, chopped
1 lime, sliced in wedges
Cilantro, minced
Olive oil
Sea salt and pepper

Instructions:

1. In bowl, coat tofu cubes in a drizzle of olive oil. Air-fry at 380°F for about 12 minutes, stirring once. Divide in two batches if too crowded. You also can deep fry in oil till golden for same effect. Set aside.
2. Soak noodles in a large pot of hot water for about 7 minutes till noodles are “cooked”. Drain noodles, but ensure they are not out of water for more than 10 minutes as they will dry and harden.
3. In small bowl, mix fish, tamarind and oyster sauces with sugar, rice vinegar and shrimp paste. Set aside.
4. In large skillet, heat oil on medium-high heat. Sautée red peppers, green and white onions and garlic (also sprouts if you like) till caramelized.
5. Add shrimp and cook 1-2 minutes till slightly cooked. Shift with spatula to side of skillet.
6. Add whisked eggs and scramble with shrimp, pepper and onion mixture. Once almost cooked, shift to side of skillet again. The trick is not to cook the eggs and shrimp too well just yet.
7. Toss-in tofu, half of cashews and bowl of sauce and cook till you get a bit of bubbling.
8. Toss-in noodles and coat in sauce entirely. Heat for about 2 minutes and remove from skillet.
9. Transfer to plate, layering shrimp and tofu on-top of noodles. Garnish with lime wedges, cilantro, more cashews and some green onion. Serve.

Gallery:

(Photo credit: Mr. Will Wong)

Dua Lipa has released one of the year’s finest albums in FUTURE NOSTALGIA. She pairs with Producer The Blessed Madonna to bring us CLUB FUTURE NOSTALGIA, a flowing Remix Album which features collaborations with Missy Elliott, Gwen Stefani, Mark Ronson, Madonna and many more familiar snippets!

Check-out the Visualizer for the Album:

You can stream the entire album now.

(Photo/video credit: Warner Music)

Salty ‘n’ Sweet Rice Krispie Treats. You haven’t had a Rice Krispie Treat till you’ve had it done like this. These are dangerous. What a crunch! Sorry for any addictions that may result.

Ingredients:

5 cups Rice Krispies
3 cups Mini Marshmallows
1/3 cup peanut butter
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup cashews, broken
1 cup Original Pringles, crushed
1/2 tsp sea salt

Instructions:

1. In large pot, melt butter with salt and 2 1/2 cups mini marshmallows over medium heat, stirring often.
2. Add-in peanut butter and stir till smooth.
3. Turn-off heat and add Rice Krispies, half of the Pringles and cashews. Stir with spatula till evenly combined.
4. Add-in remainder of marshmallows, careful not to stir too much.
5. Transfer mixture with spatula into a pan.
6. Press remainder of Pringles on-top till surface is even.
7. Cool at room temperature for about an hour. Cut into squares and serve. You can wrap each square individually in plastic wrap and store in air-tight container for about two days or you can freeze them.

Gallery:

(Photo credit: Mr. Will Wong)

It’s just been announced that Kelly Marie Tran has been cast as Raya in upcoming Animated Feature, RAYA AND THE LAST DRAGON! Above is a brand-new still from the Film.

Synopsis:

Long ago, in the fantasy world of Kumandra, humans and dragons lived together in harmony. But when sinister monsters known as the Druun threatened the land, the dragons sacrificed themselves to save humanity. Now, 500 years later, those same monsters have returned and it’s up to a lone warrior, Raya, to track down the last dragon in order to finally stop the Druun for good. However, along her journey, she’ll learn that it’ll take more than dragon magic to save the world—it’s going to take trust as well. From directors Don Hall and Carlos López Estrada, co-directors Paul Briggs and John Ripa, producers Osnat Shurer and Peter Del Vecho, and featuring the voices of Kelly Marie Tran as Raya and Awkwafina as Sisu. 

Walt Disney Studios Canada release RAYA AND THE LAST DRAGON Friday, March 11, 2021.

(Photo/video credit: Disney)

Right in time for Halloween is COME PLAY starring Gillian Jacobs, John Gallagher Jr. and Azhy Robertson. See the new Trailer!

Story: 

Newcomer Azhy Robertson stars as Oliver, a lonely young boy who feels different from everyone else. Desperate for a friend, he seeks solace and refuge in his ever-present cell phone and tablet. When a mysterious creature uses Oliver’s devices against him to break into our world, Oliver’s parents (Gillian Jacobs and John Gallagher Jr.) must fight to save their son from the monster beyond the screen. The film is produced by The Picture Company for Amblin Partners.

See the Trailer:

Focus Features release COME PLAY Friday, October 30, 2020.

(Photo/video credit: Focus Features)

By Amanda Gilmore

Writer and Actor Grant has created a brilliant Film about the fears women have and the lasting effects of PTSD. Grant shows her tremendous talent as a writer by inventing an entirely different feminist character. Grant extends on her written character by successfully portraying the solitary mentality of her refreshingly imperfect heroine. She flawlessly merges into May, encapsulating her fear, determination, doubt (often due to repeatedly being gaslighted) and more. Director Natasha Kermani and Cinematographer Julia Swain cleverly use the camera to bolden the deep themes within the script. Most notably during the climactic scene involving multiple women, their recurring violent stalkers, and a parking garage. Overall, Lucky is an outstanding horror film about being a woman, surviving, and PTSD.

Lucky screens live online at Fantasia Fest on Sun. Aug. 23 at 9:45 PM and Fri. Aug. 28 at 11 PM.

By Amanda Gilmore

Recently widowed Jessica (Jules Willcox) begins a journey back to her hometown when a cold-blooded killer begins hunting her down.

Alone works thanks to Director John Hyams building ample amounts of tension in each scene through staging and sound, along with Wilcox’s captivating performance as a woman fighting to survive. However, for those looking for a twist or something new being brought to a popular genre they won’t find it here. As the story progresses it becomes predictable and at moments the 97-minute runtime drags a little. Yet, it’s Wilcox’s hungry performance at the ever-persistent Jessica that holds the audience throughout.

Alone screens live online at Fantasia Fest on Thu. Aug. 27 at 7 PM.