#TIFF18: “HALLOWEEN” REVIEW

Review by David Baldwin for Mr. Will Wong

Director David Gordon Green unleashed Halloween and Michael Myers on TIFF audiences for the World Premiere earlier tonight, forty years after Director John Carpenter’s legendary Film. Despite that forty-year time gap, Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis)  still is haunted by the murders committed by Myers (Nick Castle) to her family and friends. She has spent that time training and preparing for his return, praying he will be set free so she can take her revenge. And after Myers escapes from a bus crash and starts murdering local citizens, Laurie just might get her wish.

Halloween is a total blast from start to finish, full stop. Green and Co-Writer Danny McBride (yes, that Danny McBride) pay homage to the original Film and add plenty of references and endlessly entertaining in-jokes. But more importantly, they deliver a satisfying Sequel that feels very much in vein of the series, but still feels like a unique entry that builds and improves upon the existing foundations set in Carpenter’s legendary Film. They also deliver some of the gnarliest kills and most gruesome violence of the series – and this is a franchise that had Rob Zombie at the helm for a short period of time.

The scares are abundant, the score (co-written by Carpenter) is spectacular and the Supporting Cast is great in their roles. But the Film belongs to Curtis. She is a certified bad bitch who is not to be messed with, and she owns every moment she appears on-screen. And while there is nuance to some of her early scenes, the later scenes where she faces off against Michael Myers play out just as amazing as you hoped they would.

Halloween screens on Saturday, September 9 at 11:30 PM at Elgin Theatre and 11:59 PM at Winter Garden Theatre [World Premiere].

#SPOTTED: SETH ROGEN & EVAN GOLDBERG IN TORONTO FOR “THIS IS THE END”

They don’t come much more down-to-earth than these two Guys and Toronto gave two of its favourite Canadians a welcome return home at Scotiabank Theatre tonight.  Writer/first-time Director Evan Goldberg (Superbad, Pineapple Express) and Funnyman Seth Rogen both hail originally from Vancouver but have found widespread success south of the Border.

The Duo who have long been Friends and Collaborators, are in-town to promote  highly-touted Comedy This is The End, boasting an A-List Cast of Hollywood Heavyweights starring as themselves including: James Franco, Jonah Hill, Danny McBride, Jay Baruchel, Michael Cera, Craig Robinson, Emma Watson, Channing Tatum, Rihanna and several, several more. Set around a wild Party at Franco‘s House, This is the End suddenly places these Celebrities amidst a sudden Apocalypse.  Faced with the challenges of having to ration what limited supplies are left in his home, they find their Friendships tested to every possible limit.   Tempers flare, daggers are thrown and the laughs are infinite.

Walking an intimate Red Carpet tonight with a few select Media Outlets, the order of the day was Work as both Rogen and Goldberg plowed through a series of Interviews, opting to stay-in for Dinner at the Theatre.  They even treated Fans to a Q&A following the Advance Screening, fielding questions from Fans ranging from the Backstreet Boys’ surprise involvement in the Finale to the difficulties of shopping their Script originally. “I wish I could say it was really hard to get the Backstreet Boys, but it wasn’t that hard!”, laughs Rogen. “We released a scene in December and the Backstreet Boys had heard about the Movie and had seen a Trailer for it.  Evidently, it was Movie they were excited for and we were all losing our minds!”.

On the challenges the Duo faced shopping their Script, Rogen told the Audience, “We do this thing every time we write a Script thinking we’ve re-invented the wheel, and then we put it out to sell and nobody wants to buy it!”.  “We even had all six major Movie Stars attached to it and because the idea we all are playing ourselves, people were terrified”, he says. “I think it’s never been done before and Movie Studios hate to be the first one to do something. It’s happened enough times that whatever scares them, ultimately they will embrace and love in the end!”.

I captured some Clips of Rogen & Goldberg at tonight’s Screening. Watch below:

 Rogen was nice enough to sign a Photo which one of my Readers will win!  Simply click “like” on this Post at Mr. Will Wong on Facebook to enter.  Share on Facebook with your Friends and double those chances!  All are welcome to enter. Good luck.

Sony Pictures releases the hilarious This is the End on Friday, June 12, 2013.

Brace yourselves for one of this Summer’s funniest Surprises!

(Photo/video credit: Mr. Will Wong)