Update On Toronto Film Festival Lineup including Midnight Madness!!!

The Toronto  Film Festival organisers have been very busy putting together a fantastic line up of movies from around the world something for every one to enjoy from the children right up to the parents and grandparents. It’s not unusal for festivals to drop movies but also add movies and usually its only the odd great movie added but this looks like a number of possible great movies on offer.

The Closing Night movie will be LAST NIGHT starring Sam Worthington, Kiera Knightley, Guillaume Canet and Eva Mendes with newcomer Massy Tadjedin directing. Danny Boyle’s 127 HOURS has also been added to the list the movie based on Aron Ralston a experienced climber who was stuck under a boulder for five days with no food or water and with the prospect of death looming he had to cut part of his arm off to be set free! James Franco will play the onscreen Ralston. Danny Boyle did say the movie was a challange to him at last weekend’s movie con with scenes possibly of graphical nature as well as part of the movie been 30 minutes of dialogue free.

Other noteable movies are Clint Eastwood’s Hereafter which has been promoted as a ‘supernatural movie’ but as he called it ‘His Own ChickFlick’, movie stars Matt Damon and Bryce Dallas Howerd. Will Ferrell, Rebecca Hall star in EVERYTHING MUST GO and Matt Reeves LET ME IN gets its world premiere at the festival too.

Midnight Madness is what you could call the alternative Festival line-up the weird and wonderful, maybe a little extreme or little naughty bit all in a electric array of brilliant movies that’ll be shown during the witching hour, it maybe late but this part of the festival has its devoted band of fans who just love the mix.

“From the streets of Hong Kong to a post-apocalyptic, vampire-plagued United States, from a town run by Kung Fu killers to the oil fields of Alberta, this year’s Midnight Madness selection will take audiences into worlds that are sure to excite, shock and thrill,”

FUBAR 2 is opening this part of the festival, the follow up to the 2002 cult movie of  2 headbanger hosers who are more interested in beer than given a rats behind about anything else think reallife bevis and butthead…’hhuhhh hhuuuh he said head’! other movies Include Bunraku, Dante Lam’s Fire Of Conscience, James Gunn’s SUPER and the world premiere of John Carpenters THE WARD starring Amber Heard.

check out the press releases in full below:

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TORONTO INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL ADDS NEW GALAS AND SPECIAL PRESENTATIONS TO ITS HIGH-CALIBRE LINE-UP
Toronto – The Toronto International Film Festival announces the exciting addition of two Galas and 18 Special Presentations to this year’s line-up, including 14 World Premieres. This year’s Festival includes the world premieres of new films by Clint Eastwood, Danny Boyle, John Sayles, Guillem Morales and Stefano Incerti. The Galas and Special Presentations announced today feature on-screen appearances by Matt Damon, James Franco, Jennifer Connelly, Will Ferrell, Keira Knightley, Joaquin Phoenix, Ed Harris, Toni Servillo, Mickey Rourke, Megan Fox, Bill Murray, Charlotte Rampling, Emma Roberts and Eva Mendes.

Galas Closing Night Film – Last Night Massy Tadjedin, USA/France World Premiere
A married couple are apart for a night when the husband takes a business trip with a colleague to whom he’s attracted. While he’s away, his wife encounters her past love. The film stars Keira Knightley, Eva Mendes, Sam Worthington and Guillaume Canet.

Sarah’s Key Gilles Paquet Brenner, France World Premiere
Based on Tatiana de Rosnay’s best-selling novel, Sarah’s Key tells the story of an American journalist on the brink of making big life decisions regarding her marriage and her unborn child. What starts off as research for an article about the Vel’d’Hiv Roundup in 1942 in France ends up as a journey towards self discovery as she stumbles upon a terrible secret. The film stars Kristin Scott Thomas, Mélusine Mayance, Niels Arestrup, Frédéric Pierrot, Michel Duchaussoy and Aidan Quinn.

Special Presentations
127 Hours Danny Boyle, USA World Premiere
127 Hours is the true story of mountain climber Aron Ralston’s (James Franco) remarkable adventure to save himself after a fallen boulder crashes on his arm and traps him in an isolated canyon in Utah. Over the next five days Ralston examines his life and survives the elements to finally discover he has the courage and the wherewithal to extricate himself by any means necessary. The film also stars Clémence Poésy, Amber Tamblyn and Kate Mara.

AMIGO John Sayles, USA World Premiere
At the beginning of the 20th Century, during the Philippine-American War, a garrison under the command of US Lieutenant Compton is left to ‘protect’ San Isidro, a remote region located in the Philippines. Compton can only communicate with Rafael, the Head of the barrio, through the friar Hidalgo who bears a deep resentment towards Rafael. Neither side can understand or trust the other, but are forced to live together, trying to survive in the middle of a war. When the American occupation policy gets tougher, Rafael has to answer to both the Americans and the Filipino patriots.

Deep in the Woods Benoît Jacquot, France/Germany North American Premiere
France, 1865. A young vagabond, Timothée, arrives in a village and is given food and lodging by Doctor Hughes and his daughter Joséphine. Joséphine runs after him, leaving her home and father, driven by an uncontrollable force. Distraught, she follows this young man for whom she seems to feel only fear and disgust. Their pilgrimage will reveal another truth.

Everything Must Go Dan Rush, USA World Premiere
After 16 years spent devising motivational speeches that promise certain success, Nick Porter (Will Ferrell) is abruptly fired. He returns home to discover his wife has left him, changed the locks on their home and dumped all his possessions on the front yard. Nick puts it all on the line – or, more properly, on the lawn – with an absurdly escalating garage sale that becomes a unique strategy for survival. Nick comes face-to-face with a life turned inside out and discovers in total exposure an unexpected path to renewal.

Gorbaciòf – The Cashier who Liked Gambling Stefano Incerti, Italy North American Premiere
A compulsive gambler who works in the petty-cash office of the Poggioreale prison falls in love with Lily, an illegal immigrant, and tries to free both of them from their dead-end lives. The film stars Toni Servillo, Mi Yang and Nello Mascia.

Hereafter Clint Eastwood, United Kingdom World Premiere
The story of three people haunted by mortality in different ways, Hereafter stars Matt Damon as a blue-collar American who has a special connection to the afterlife. On the other side of the world, a French journalist (Cécile de France), has a near-death experience that shakes her reality. And when London schoolboy Marcus (Frankie/George McLaren) loses the person closest to him, he needs answers. Each in search of the truth, their lives will intersect, forever changed by what might – or must – exist in the hereafter. The film also stars Jay Mohr, Bryce Dallas Howard, Marthe Keller, Thierry Neuvic and Derek Jacobi.

I’m Still Here Casey Affleck, USA International Premiere
The directorial debut of Oscar-nominated actor Casey Affleck, I’m Still Here is a portrayal of a tumultuous year in the life of internationally acclaimed actor Joaquin Phoenix. With remarkable access, I’m Still Here follows the Oscar nominee as he announces his retirement from a successful film career in the fall of 2008 and sets off to reinvent himself as a hip hop musician. The film is a portrait of an artist at a crossroads. Defying expectations, it deftly explores notions of courage and creative reinvention, as well as the ramifications of a life spent in the public eye.

Julia’s Eyes Guillem Morales, Spain World Premiere
Julia, a woman suffering from a degenerative eye disease, finds her blind twin sister Sara hanged in the basement of her house. Julia decides to investigate what she feels is a murder case, entering a dark world that seems to hide a mysterious presence. As Julia begins to uncover the terrifying truth about her sister’s death, her sight deteriorates further, until a series of unexplained deaths and disappearances cross her path. The film stars Belén Rueda and Lluis Homar.

The Last Circus Álex de la Iglesia, Spain/France North American Premiere
Álex de la Iglesia’s genius for dark humour is at its most eloquent in his latest parody about the Spanish Civil War. Two clowns attack and disfigure one another in jealous rages over a beautiful dancer. In the name of love, they destroy the very object of their affection.

Let Me In Matt Reeves, United Kingdom / USA World Premiere
Chloë Moretz (Kick-Ass) stars as Abby, a mysterious 12-year-old girl, who moves next door to Owen (Kodi Smit-McPhee, The Road), a social outcast who is viciously bullied at school. As a string of grisly murders occupy the town, Owen has to confront the reality that this seemingly innocent girl is really a savage vampire. Let Me In is based on the best-selling Swedish novel Låt den Rätte Komma (Let The Right One In), and the highly acclaimed film of the same name.

The House by the Medlar Tree Pasquale Scimeca, Italy International Premiere
The Malavoglia are a family of fishermen: Grandfather Padron ‘Ntoni, his son Bastianazzo and wife Maruzza, and their children ‘Ntoni, Mena, Alessi and Lia. One night Bastianazzo dies in a boating accident, leaving the family on the verge of a break down.

Mothers Milcho Manchevski, Macedonia/France/Bulgaria World Premiere
A child’s friend is accosted by a flasher so she decides to go to the police herself; a film crew sets out to find the old traditions and discovers a grandmother living alone in an abandoned village; retired cleaning women are found raped and strangled in a small town. The innovative structure of Mothers highlights the delicate nature of truth and fiction, of drama and documentary.

Passion John Turturro, Italy North American Premiere
Passion journeys through Napoli, one of the biggest jukeboxes in the world with a treasure chest of songs from the 1200s to present day. Each song conjures distant stories and myths that speak of love, sex, jealousy, crime, poverty, irony, superstition, and social protest.

Passion Play Mitch Glazer, USA World Premiere
Set in the desert and laced with the deep elements of a modern fable, Passion Play tells the tale of Nate (Mickey Rourke), a down-on-his-luck jazz trumpet player who forms a bond with Lily (Megan Fox), a woman born with wings who has wound up as a carnival sideshow attraction. Together these two damaged souls undertake a turbulent romantic journey while trying to avoid the witty and menacing Happy (Bill Murray), a local gangster.

The Poll Diaries Chris Kraus, Germany/Austria/Estonia World Premiere
On the eve of World War I, a 14-year-old German girl returns to her home on the Baltic coast, a place uneasily shared by Germans, Russians and Estonians. While her morbid scientist father controls the family with a cruel hand, the passionate young girl secretly nurses a wounded Estonian anarchist back to health – an act of curiosity and then of defiance that could set off an uncontrollable chain reaction.

Rio Sex Comedy Jonathan Nossiter, France/Brazil World Premiere
Rio Sex Comedy charts the misadventures of expatriates in Rio in their search for both personal pleasures and social justice. Charlotte Rampling is an English plastic surgeon determined to subvert anyone from going near the knife. Irène Jacob is a French anthropologist whose political correctness is upstaged by more carnal ambitions. Bill Pullman is a befuddled American ambassador who flees from his responsibilities into one of Rio’s most dangerous favelas. There he becomes co-opted by the schemes of Fisher Stevens, favela tour operator and romantic huckster.

Special Treatment Jeanne Labrune, France/Luxembourg/Belgium World Premiere
A high-class prostitute and a pre-eminent psychoanalyst discover that they share many things in common. They are both unhappy with their professions, seeking a way out that involves unique contact with each other’s worlds.

What’s Wrong With Virginia Dustin Lance Black, USA World Premiere
Jennifer Connelly stars as Virginia, a charming yet mentally ill mother whose greatest love is her protector and illegitimate son, Emmett (Harrison Gilbertson). Richard Tipton (Ed Harris), the local married Mormon sheriff, who is running for public office, might very well be Emmett’s father. Their boardwalk town’s peculiar secrets are threatened when Virginia’s son begins a romantic relationship with Tipton’s daughter (Emma Roberts) sending mother and son on a mad dash to seize their own brand of the American Dream – guns blazing.

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FESTIVAL’S MIDNIGHT MADNESS LINE-UP PACKED WITH BIG NAMES, BIG ACTION AND BIG THRILLS
Toronto – A superhero, a samurai, gun runners, vampire hunters and hosers stalk the night during the Toronto International Film Festival’s Midnight Madness programme. Programmed by Colin Geddes, this year’s line-up features premieres that deliver the thrills and chills that the devoted audience has come to expect and love from Midnight Madness.
“From the streets of Hong Kong to a post-apocalyptic, vampire-plagued United States, from a town run by Kung Fu killers to the oil fields of Alberta, this year’s Midnight Madness selection will take audiences into worlds that are sure to excite, shock and thrill,” said Colin Geddes, TIFF programmer.
The Midnight Madness selection includes films from John Carpenter, James Wan, James Gunn, Brad Anderson and Dante Lam and feature on-screen performances by Demi Moore, Ellen Page, Josh Hartnett, Liv Tyler, Hayden Christensen, Kevin Bacon, Thandie Newton, John Leguizamo, Rainn Wilson, Woody Harrelson and Rose Byrne.

MIDNIGHT MADNESS
Bunraku Guy Moshe, USA World Premiere
In a world with no guns, a mysterious drifter (Josh Hartnett), a young samurai and a bartender (Woody Harrelson) plot revenge against a ruthless leader (Ron Perlman) and his army of thugs, headed by nine diverse and deadly assassins. This visually stunning film is filled with uniquely choreographed action sequences of a new style that melds east with west and old school with new. The film also stars Demi Moore.

The Butcher, The Chef and the Swordsman Wuershan, Hong Kong, China/USA World Premiere
A group of misfits become mixed up in the struggle to own a deadly kitchen cleaver made from the top five swords of the martial arts world in this wild and brash action comedy that is sure to have audiences running to Chinatown after the film for a late night snack.

Fire of Conscience Dante Lam, Hong Kong, China North American Premiere
Dante Lam proves himself to be a talent to look out for in this slam bang action film where robbers and gunrunners battle with cops on the busy urban streets of Hong Kong. Starring Leon Lai, Fire of Conscience is easily one of loudest action films from Hong Kong in recent memory, with an orchestra of exploding grenades and machine gun rounds.

Insidious James Wan, USA World Premiere
When proud parents take possession of an old house, an accident results in one of their sons falling into a coma. The tragedy doesn’t stop there when they are beset by vengeful spirits from another realm in this new chiller by the director and writer of Saw and by the producers of Paranormal Activity. The film stars Rose Byrne, Barbara Hershey and Patrick Wilson.

Red Nights Julien Carbon, Laurent Courtiaud, Hong Kong, China/France World Premiere
This shocking debut by director duo Carbon and Courtiaud is a seductive cat-and-mouse thriller set in Hong Kong, about a woman’s obsessive desire to own a rare object that hides a deadly and perverse secret.

Stake Land Jim Mickle, USA World Premiere
In the aftermath of a vampire epidemic, a teen is taken in by a grizzled vampire hunter on a road trip through a post-apocalyptic America, battling both the bloodsuckers and a fundamentalist militia that interprets the plague as the Lord’s work.

SUPER James Gunn, USA World Premiere
After his wife (Liv Tyler) leaves him for a drug dealer (Kevin Bacon), a frustrated husband (Rainn Wilson) decides he will win her back as Crimson Bolt, a costumed vigilante armed with a monkey wrench. His actions bring him an admirer, an overeager comic store clerk (Ellen Page) who wants to be his sidekick.

Vanishing on 7th Street Brad Anderson, USA World Premiere
When a massive power blackout causes the population to inexplicably vanish, a small handful of survivors (Hayden Christensen, Thandie Newton, John Leguizamo) band together inside a desolate tavern, struggling to survive as the darkness hones in on them. From director Brad Anderson (The Machinist, Transsiberian) comes an apocalyptic thriller with a terrifying vision of our world’s end and a story that wrestles with the nature of existence itself.

The Ward John Carpenter, USA World Premiere
Acclaimed director John Carpenter (Halloween, The Thing) makes his long-awaited return to the screen with a thriller about a young woman (Amber Heard) in a 1960s mental institution who becomes terrorized by malevolent unseen forces.
Previously announced:

Midnight Madness Opening Night
Fubar II Michael Dowse, Canada      World Premiere
In the sequel to the 2002 cult comedy Fubar, headbanger hosers and lifelong friends Dean (Paul Spence) and Terry (Dave Lawrence) realize they’re weary of constantly trying to “give’r” while barely scraping by and hit the road to find wealth, happiness and more beer in the oil fields of Alberta.