Patricia Clarkson and Alexander Siddig in Cairo Time

An Education, dir Lone Sherfig, with Carey Mulligan, Alfred Molina, Peter Saarsgard, Rosamund Pike, Dominic Cooper

Behind The Scenes: Nick Hornby, who wrote the screenplay, is also responsible for About A Boy, Slam, Fever Pitch and High Fidelity. If you’ve read any of these novels, you know he specializes in coming-of-age youth stories. An Education is no different. Insert predictability factor here.

Story: Carey Mulligan plays Jenny, a cello-playing, Parisian-obsessed Catholic school girl in 1961 Twickenham who meets a suave, cavalier, high-rolling older man (played by Peter Saarsgard) and begins to experience all the adult pleasures of haute-couture, fine dining, extravagant holidays and London’s high society, putting her school work and future university education in peril. As their relationship progresses, secrets are revealed and yadda yadda yadda.

Reality: After viewers get over the fact that this film feels like a reunion of the Keira Knightley co-stars (Mulligan, Rosamund Pike, Dominic Cooper), you’ll probably enjoy Mulligan’s breakthrough performance which is loaded with heart but reigned in with a solid resolve. However, the film follows a formula from Act 1 to denouement, and it’s hard to feel the high stakes, if any, involved.

Verdict: Only if you’re looking to kill a few hours.

Cairo Time, dir Ruba Nadda, with Patricia Clarkson, Alexander Siddig, Tom McCamus

Behind The Scenes: Although shot entirely in Egypt, this is a Canadian funded and produced film. Some may recognize Canadian actor Tom McCamus from several of his roles in the films of Atom Egoyan. Many will recognize British-raised Alexander Siddig from his 7-year-stint on Star Trek: Deep Space 9 (then billed as Siddig El Fadil), but also from his more prominent roles in Hollywood blockbusters such as Syriana and Kingdom of Heaven.

Story: Juliette (Clarkson) is in Cairo to visit her husband who has been away for many months on a UN mission, but due to conflicts is unavailable, and sends his colleague and trusted friend Tareq (Siddig) to keep her company and show her around. Cultural clashes and mutual understanding blossom into a friendship, and then something more.

Reality: What’s fascinating here is the non-sexuality of this transnational love affair. There’s no heated passion, not even any forbidden hand-holding or kisses. Director Nadda has crafted a story that shows not all love-affairs are based on sex. This is one of emotion and quiet respect. The city of Cairo is as much a character here as the people involved. The Nile, the Pyramids, the hooka bars, the bustling markets, and the jewellery shops all have their significant roles to play. And the colourful Cairo city-scape adds a high-gloss sheen to a film already loaded with substance.

Verdict: Don’t miss it!

Cooking With Stella, dir Dilip Mehta, with Don McKellar, Seema Biswas, Lisa Ray

Behind The Scenes: written by Canadian Deepa Mehta, infamous for her Water-Earth-Fire trilogy and Bollywood/Hollywood, she is reunited with Lisa Ray who starred in several of those films, and Seema Biswas who gave a memorable performance in Water.

Story: Set in the Canadian embassy compound in Delhi, India, McKellar and Ray play Michael and Maya, transferred to live in the compound from Toronto. Maya is an embassy official and brings home the bacon, while Michael is a stay-at-home Dad and former chef still indulging in his love affair with food. Stella (Biswas) is their scheming maid who uses every opportunity to skin off the top and profit from her less-than-saavy Canadian employers. But when Michael asks her to teach him the intricacies of Indian cookery, a sacred teacher-student relationship is formed – a relationship that could crumble when the new nanny threatens to expose Stella and all her scheming.

Reality: It’s dangerous territory to make a film where the Indians are treacherous, selfish, hucksters and the white people are innocent hard-working victims. But this film feels less like a comment on thievery in India and more like a light-hearted screwball comedy. We root for the hilarious thieves, and yet still root for the dizzy-headed victims. Those looking to engage in a love-affair with food, à la Chocolat or Julie & Julia, will be somewhat disappointed as the cooking scenes are very few and lack passion or emphasis. Which begs the question, why is even this called Cooking with Stella?

Verdict: Skip it.

Bright Star, dir Jane Campion, with Abbie Cornish Ben Whishaw

Behind The Scenes: Those already familiar with director Jane Campion’s work, such as 1993′s Oscar-sweeping The Piano, know they can expect a sumptuous, ornate film of colour and beauty. She’s cast fellow Australian Abbie Cornish, who last made waves as a junkie in Candy, opposite Heath Ledger in one of his final performances, and Ben Whishaw who made his mark as serial killer Grenouille in Perfume. Based on their published letters, this film explores the famous love affair between canonized Romantic poet John Keats and his neighbour Fanny Brawne in 1813′s Hampstead Heath. It makes good employ of Keats’ actual poetry, and is named after the poem written for and about Brawne.

Story: Keats (Whishaw) is a penniless poet struggling to sell even 20 copies of his book, and Brawne (Cornish) is his headstrong neighbour with a flair for creating striking fashions and putting bothersome men in their place with her clever wit. Brawne doesn’t think much of Keats as a person or poet until she learns of his delicate care of his dying brother Tom, another victim to the TB epidemic, and offers compassion and solace in his hour of mourning. They fall in love slowly and tenderly, through brief encounters and an ardent exchange of letters, but Keats lack of fortune prevents them from marrying. Then Keats’ health begins to fail, and things begin to look grave.

Reality: Campion shows love here as a very subtle thing, seen in elongated glances, butterflies dancing in the air, slight brushes of hands, the wind billowing up a curtain, or quiet knocks on a shared wall. Tree tops and flowered-laden meadows and wet marshes are all put to good use here, as Campion uses natural light and colour and scenery to pepper her film. So it’s surprising when the sexual tension seems to just gallop off the screen. Romantic poetry suddenly becomes something sizzling and fervent. Abbie Cornish does not disappoint, her performance is gut-wrenching and achingly bittersweet, while Ben Whishaw makes every gesture and emotion seem effortless.

Verdict: Don’t miss it, even if you’re on your TB death bed!!

The Wild Hunt, dir Alexandre Franchi, with Mark Antony Krupa, Ricky Mabe

Behind The Scenes: Set and filmed entirely at Duché de Bicolline, a role-playing venue near Shawinigan, Quebec. Mark Antony Krupa also co-wrote the script.

Story: Erik (Mabe) goes searching for his estranged girlfriend at a Medieval re-enactment camp where his brother Bjorn (Krupa) is also participating in the role-playing “Wild Hunt:” the Celts battling the Vikings in a weekend-long extravaganza. Sporting flounced dressed, fat steel swords, Norse horned-hats, and Medieval armour that puts Braveheart to shame, Erik and Bjorn set out into the forest on a quest to save the Princess girlfriend from the evil King she has left Erik for. Without breaking character and always dressing accordingly, of course. But mirroring the ancient Norse myths and legends this film is based on, the battle re-enactment and real life are about to get very bloody and deadly for this group of geeky boys who bruise easily.

Reality: Forgiving the fact that Krupa looks eerily like Don Henley, this film offers moments of sheer geekdom-hilarity and brutal violence that don’t mesh as well as they could have, Krupa, although in a supporting role, is the shining beacon of this film, fanatically-obsessed with leading the Vikings to victory, and always sporting an awesome blonde wig. His performance is a blend humour with humility, but he’s not enough to save this all-over-the-place modern retelling, that by Act 3, has confused you so much, you’ve stopped caring.

Verdict: Skip it.

Broken Embraces, dir Pedro Almodovar, with Penelope Cruz, Lluis Homar

Behind the Scenes: Almodovar has always used his films as homages to his of-the-moment muses and the process of filmmaking itself, and Broken Embraces is no different, this time worshipping the goddess that is Penelope Cruz, who starred in previous TIFF entry Volver. Almodovar also makes tongue-in-cheek references to his previous film Mujeres al borde de un ataque de nervios (1988). Keep an eye out for Rossy de Palma, star of Mujeres… who makes a cameo.

Story: Henry Caine (Homar) is a blind screenwriter who is paid a cryptic visit by the son of his former producer, Ernesto Martel. Their very brief encounter brings a flood of memories back to Caine: the film he never finished editing, the star of the film Lena (Penelope Cruz) whom he fell in love with, her unhappy marriage with Martel, and the tragedy that ended their affair and took his sight. Caine’s agent Judit (Blanca Portillo) and her son Diego (Tamar Novas) get drawn into the drama when the truth about their relationship is revealed as well. As Caine relives the experience of filming the ill-fated movie, the movie within the movie unfolds before him. Confused yet? Join the club.

Reality: Almodovar is a master of the sexual psychological thriller, utilizing all elements in equal forceful measure – voice-overs, flashbacks, spooky soundtrack music and blatant sexuality. Unfortunately, this genre of film died out after 1993′s Sliver, along with Sharon Stone’s career. Several times throughout this movie-within-a-movie thriller, the characters can be quoted as saying, “This kind of stuff only happens in a movie!” Very true, all the tropes of a predictable thriller are here – forbidden lovers killed, jealous husbands, the “he’s-really-your-father” revelation, a film-within-a-film scenario, and the big confession in the end where everyone’s secrets are exposed. This film works better satirizing the genre than actually as a serious addition to it. Many scenes are laughably histrionic, feel dated, and in many ways underestimate the intelligence of the audience. The only benefit from sitting through this 120+ minutes wank-fest is getting to see Penelope Cruz’s mesmerizing face in every scene. I may be a straight woman, but I could watch her strut her stuff on the silver screen happily for days. So creating an ode to her here is understandable. But after La Mala Educacion, Almodovar should have called it a day.

Verdict: Skip it.

2009 Toronto International Film Festival poster

Some highlights from the massive list include directors Neil Jordan, Jason Reitman, Steven Soderbergh, Michael Moore, George A. Romero, Werner Herzog, and Joel Coen and Ethan Coen. While actors include George Clooney, Nicolas Cage, Penelope Cruz, Colin Firth, Colin Farrell, Michael Douglas, Michael Sheen, Michael Cera, Sir Michael Caine, Naomi Watts, Ellen Page, Rani Mukerji, Woody Harrelson, Til Schweiger, Demi Moore, David Duchovny, Priyanka Chopra, Mariah Carey, Jennifer Connelly, Paul Bettany, Paul Dano, Eva Green and Viggo Mortensen.

The 2009 TIFF runs from September 10 to 19 and single tickets go on sale September 4. Visit www.tiff.net for more information, and stay tuned to The GATE for more festival coverage.

The full list of stars is below, listed alphabetically by first name.

A to D:
Aaron Schneider, Abbie Cornish, Abhay Deol, Adam Brody, Adam Scott, Adrián Biniez, Ahmad Abdalla, Aidan Quinn, Aksel Hennie, Alan Jacobs, Alejandro Amenábar, Alex Craig, Alexander David, Alexander De Jordy, Alexander Siddig, Alexandre Franchi, Alexia Fast, Alfred Molina, Alia Shawkat, Alla Kovgan, Ally Sheedy, Amanda Seyfried, Amber Heard, Ameríca Olivo, Amos Gitaï, Amy Kirwan, Ana de la Reguera, Ana Kokkinos, Anatole Taumban, André Dussollier, Andrea Arnold, Andrew James, Andrew Nikiforuk, Andrew Wilson, Anne Dorval, Anne-Marie Caicco, Annet Malherbe, Anthony LaPaglia, Anurag Singh, Apinya Sakuljaroensuk, Arnaud Larrieu, Arnobio Salazar Rivas, Arsinée Khanjian, Ashutosh Gowariker, Asli Özge, Atef Yousef, Atom Egoyan, Aya Soliman

Barbara Sukowa, Barry Levinson, Ben Barnes, Ben Bruhmuller, Ben Hollingsworth, Ben Russell, Ben Whishaw, Bernard Émond, Bill Murray, Bill Nighy, Blaine Thurier, Bob Richman, Bobby Del Rio, Bong Joon-ho, Brenda Blethyn, Brian Cox, Brigitte Berman, Brendan Gleeson, Bruce Beresford, Bruce Raino, Bruce Sweeney, Bruno Dumont, Bryan Brown, Buddhadeb Dasgupta, Bui Thac Chuyen

Caitriona Cantillon, Cam Cronin, Candice Breitz, Carey Mulligan, Carl Bessai, Carlos Carrera, Carlos Saura, Caroline Monnet, Carter Gunn, Catherine Corsini, Celines Toribio, Cesc Gay, Charles Kernaghan, Chelsea McMullan, Chris Chong Chan Fui, Chi Cao, Chris Kennedy, Chris Landreth, Chris Rock, Chris Smith, Christian Carion, Christopher Plummer, Cillian Murphy, Ciro Guerra, Claire Denis, Claire McCarthy, Clive Owen, Coleen Fitzgibbon, Colin Farrell, Colin Firth, Colm Feore, Connie Nielsen, Cordell Barker, Corey Adams, Cornelia Foss, Corneliu Porumboiu, Cristian Mungiu, Cristin Milioti

Dagur Kári, Damjan Kozole, Dan Fallshaw, Daniel Barber, Daniel Ellsberg, Daniel Monzon, Daniel Stern, Danis Tanovic, Dany Boon, Danny DeVito, Danny Glover, Danny Lerner, David Duchovny, David Fox, David Gatten, David Kross, Deborra-Lee Furness, Demi Moore, Denis Côté, Denise Quiñones, Derrick Borte, Detlev Buck, Dev Benegal, Dev Khanna, Diablo Cody, Dilip Mehta, Dima El-Horr, Do Hai Yen, Dominic Cooper, Don Argott, Don Hahn, Don McKellar, Don Roos, , Doron Paz, Dorothée van den Berghe, Drew Barrymore, Dror Keren, Dusty Mancinelli, Dyana Gaye, Dylan Akio Smith, Dylan Reibling

E to K:
Ed Gass-Donnelly, Ed Mendoza, Edward Norton, Elias Koteas, Elipidia Carrillo, Ellen Page, Émile Proulx-Cloutier, Emily Blunt, Emily Hampshire, Emily Lape, Emily Mortimer, Emmett Malloy, Erik Gandini, Erin Cummings, Ermek Tursunov, Ernie Dingo, Ernie Gehr, Ethan Coen, Eva Green, Eve, Ewan McGregor

Fatih Akin, Félix Dufour-Laperrière, Félix Lajeunesse, Felix van Groeningen, Frances O’Connor, Francesca Gregorini, François Ozon, Frederick Wiseman, Friedl vom Gröller, Fridrik Thor Fridriksson, Friedl vom Gröller (Kubelka)

Gabourey Sidibe, Gabriel Thibaudeau, Gabrielle Rose, Gary Magness, Gary Yates, Gaspar Noé, Gaspard Ulliel, Geoffrey Fletcher, Geoffrey Smith, George A. Romero, George Clooney, Georgina Reilly, Giuseppe Capotondi, Giuseppe Piccioni, Giuseppe Tornatore, Glendyn Ivin, Golam Rabbany Biplob, Goran Paskaljevic, Gordon Pinsent, Granaz Moussavi, Grant Heslov, Gregory Smith, Gulsharat Zhubayeva, Xiaolu Guo, Guy Maddin

Haim Tabakman, Hannu-Pekka Björkman, Hany Adel, Harman Baweja, Harmony Korine, He Ping, Hélène Florent, Hemky Madera, Henrique Goldman, Hiam Abbass, Hirokazu Kore-eda, Ho Yuhang, Horacio Camandulle, Hugh Hefner

Ian Fitzgibbon, Igor Drljaca, Isaac Cravit, Isabella Rossellini, Ismail Necmi, Ivan Grbovic,

J Blakeson, Jack White, Jacob Tierney, Jacques Audiard, James Purefoy, Jamie Travis, Jan Kounen, Jane Campion, Jason Lehel, Jason Reitman, Jaume Balagueró, Javorn Drummond, Jay Baruchel, Jean Yoon, Jean-Marc Vallée, Jean-Marie Larrieu, Jean-Pierre Jeunet, Jeff Bridges, Jennifer Connelly, Jennifer Garner, Jérémie Renier, Jesper Ganslandt, Jessica Romero, Jessie Marchessault-Brown, Jim Jennings, Jimmy Smits, João Pedro Rodrigues, Joe Dante, Joe Raico, Joel Bissonnette, Joel Coen, John Greyson, John Hillcoat, John Powers, John Pyper-Ferguson, Johnnie To, Johnny Hallyday, Jon Amiel, Jonathan King, Jools Topp, Jordan Scott, Josef Dabernig, Josh Crook, Joshua Ligairi, Juan Fernandez, Juan José Campanella, Judith Ehrlich, Julia Voth, Julianne Moore, Juliette Lewis, Julio Andrade, Juno Temple

Karyn Kusama, Katarzyna Roslaniec, Kate del Castillo, Kazik Radwanski, Keanu Reeves, Keir Gilchrist, Keisha Castle-Hughes, Kevin McDonald, Kevin Spacey, Kerry Washington, Khaled Abol Naga, Klaus Lutz, Koji Yakusho, Kongdej Jaturanrasamee, Kristen Hager, Kristin Booth, Kristin Scott Thomas, Kyle MacLachlan

L to R:
Laara Sadiq, Laxmikant Shetgaonkar, Laz Alonso, Lea Nakonechny, Leanne Pooley, Lee Daniels, Leon Prudovsky, Liam Neeson, Linda Theodosakis, Lisa Kudrow, Lisa Ray, Lluís Homar, Landon Pigg, Lou Ye, Lu Chuan, Luca Guadagnino, Lucas Black, Luis Ortega, Lynda Topp

Mads Mikkelsen, Maneel de Oliveira, Manny Perez, Marc Bendavid, Marc Levin, Marica Gay Harden, Marciano Martinez, Marco Bellocchio, Margaret Corkery, Margarethe von Trotta, Margreth Olin, María Valverde, Mariah Carey, Marina Gioti, Mark A. Krupa, Mark Lewis, Mark Rendall, Martin Pieter Zandvliet, Matt Damon, Matthew Bissonnette, Matthias Emcke, Matthias Schoenaerts, Megan Fox, Meghan Greeley, Mehran Tamadon, Sir Michael Caine, Michael Cera, Michael Douglas, Michael J. Bassett, Michael Moore, Michael Sheen, Michael Snow, Michael Spierig, Michael Tucker, Michael Caine, Michèle Hozer, Miguel Arteta, Mika Kaurismäki, Mike Escareal Sandejas, Mike Hoolboom, Min Sook Lee, Minae Noji, Mio Adilman, Miranda Otto, Miranda Richardson, Mogens Hagedorn

Naomi Watts, Natalie Lisinska, Natalie Portman, Neil Diamond, Neil Jordan, Neils Arestrup, Nick Stringer, Nicky Hamlyn, Nicolas Cage, Nicolás Pereda, Nicolas Winding Refn, Niki Caro, Nikos Theodosakis, Nina Ivanišin, Niv Klainer

Ole Bornedal, Olga Kurylenko, Oliver Hermanus, Oliver Parker, Oprah Winfrey, Oscar Ruiz Navia, Ounie Lecomte

Pablo Stoll, Paco Plaza, Paprika Steen, Paramita Nath, Pat Mills, Patricia Clarkson, Patricia Ellsberg, Patxi Amézcua, Paul Anthony, Paul Bettany, Paul Dano, Paul Fierlinger, Paul Raphaël, Paul Schneider, Paula Patton, Pedro González-Rubio, Pedro Pires, Pen-Ek Rataruang, Penélope Cruz, Peter Berg, Peter Mettler, Peter Raymont, Peter Sarsgaard, Peter Spierig, Peter Stebbings, Peter Wellington, Petra Epperlein, Petra Woschniak, Pham Linh Dan, Phil Gordon, Philip Hoffman, Philippe van Leeuw, Priyanka Chopra

Qin Lan

Rachael Scdoris, Rachel Korine, Rachel Ward, Rachel Wilson, Radha Mitchell, Ran Danker, Randall Okita, Rani Mukherjee, Raoul Peck, Raphaël Nadjari, Rebecca Miller, Reginald Harkema, Renato De Maria, Renée O’Connor , Ricardo Darín, Riccardo Scamarcio, Richard de Klerk, Richard Kerr, Rick Goldsmith, Rick Jacobson, Ricky Gervais, Sir Ridley Scott, Rigoberto Perezcano, Rob Lowe, Rob King, Rob Stefaniuk, Robert Connolly, Robert Duvall, Robert Perry, Roberto Hernández, Robin Wright Penn, , Rodrigo Garcia, Rodrigo Vélez, Romalito Mallari, Romola Garai, Ron Melendez, Ross McDonnell, Rossana Torres, Rossif Sutherland, Ruba Nadda, Rupert Friend, Ruth Gruber, Ruth Nirere, Ryan Mullins, Ryan Robbins,

S to Z:
S. Epatha Merkerson, Sacheen Littlefeather, Samantha Morton, Samer Najari, Sami Khan, Samuel Maoz, Sandra Fierlinger, Sapphire, Sarah Ferguson, the Duchess of York, Sarah Siegel-Magness, Sarah Watt, Satoko Yokohama, Scandar Copti, Scott Hicks, Sean Byrne, Sebastián Cordero, Sebastjan Henrickson, Serge Bromberg, Shahidul Alam Shacchu, Shalizeh Arefpour, Shanti Roney, Shauna Cross, Sheila McCarthy, Sherri Shepherd, Sherry White, Shirin Neshat, Sissy Spacek, Snoop Dogg, Soi Cheang, Sonya Di Rienzo, Sook-Yin Lee, Spencer Maybee, Stan Herman, Stephen Poliakoff, Steven Soderbergh, Susanne Schneider, Suzana Amaral

T. Marie, Suzanne Clément, Tahar Rahim, Tatiana von Furstenberg, Ted Kotcheff, Terry Gilliam, Tiio Horn, Til Schweiger, Tilda Swinton, Tim Blake Nelson, Timothy Olyphant, Todd Solondz, Tom Ford, Tom Hooper, Tracy Wright, Trevor Anderson, Tsai Ming-liang, Tygh Runyan, Tyler Perry

Ute Aurand

Valery Todorovsky, Vera Farmiga, Vic Sarin, Victoria Thaine, Viggo Mortensen, Vikram Jayanti, Vimukthi Jayasundara, Violeta Ayala

Wan Ma Cai Dan, Werner Herzog, Willem Dafoe, Woody Harrelson

Xavier Dolan, Xavier Samuel

Yaron Shani, Yoav Paz, Yoichi Sai, Yorgos Lanthimos, Yousry Nasrallah

Zippi Brand Frank, Zoe Sandejas.

With a mix of short and feature films, the festival will kick off Friday with Mulberry Street, an intense apocalyptic zombie film that’s been praised for the way it blends action, horror, and a political commentary. The opening film will be followed by the official opening night party, which will take place at the Gladstone Hotel (1214 Queen Street West).

Canadian premiers set to hit the festival include Blood Car, Audience of One, The Rebel, Alone, and Simon Says (which notably features Crispin Glover as psychotic twins).

There are also a number of buzz films coming to Toronto After Dark.

Poultrygeist: Night of the Chicken Dead is a bizarre-looking, horror-comedy that bites back at fast food chains with blood, guts, and musical numbers.

In the Name of the King: A Dungeon Siege Tale, a fantasy action film directed by schlock-master Uwe Boll, has the biggest star power at the festival with Jason Statham, John Rhys-Davies, Ray Liotta, Leelee Sobieski, Ron Perlman, Burt Reynolds, Kristanna Loken, and Claire Forlani. Statham stars as Farmer, a reluctant hero only rises to fight a rampaging horde or creatures after his son is killed and his wife is captured.

David Arquette‘s The Tripper has its own share of star power though, including Jason Mewes, Paul Reubens, Thomas Jane, and an appearance by Courteney Cox. It also sounds like a killer slasher comedy, set in the woods during a music festival where the promoter (Reubens) wants to cover up the bloody mess of bodies that are piling up.

The festival also includes the annual Toronto Zombie Walk, which hits the streets of Toronto on Sunday, October 21 starting at 3:30.

Toronto After Dark runs from October 19 to 25 at the Bloor Cinema (506 Bloor Street West) and tickets are already on sale, starting at $10 for regular films, or you can up a VIP pass for $99 to check out the entire festival. Head over to the official website for more information.

The GATE will be blogging from the festival with film reviews, photos, and more.

Case in point, this person who thinks it’s a hanging offense for the Canadian and Ontario governments to have funding available for filmmakers like the folks behind Young People Fucking – a comedy about sex. (And I’m not even sure if it’s the name or the description that bothers her more.)

Let me start on the obvious point here – has she been paying attention to the crap the governments have already paid for? Do I have to mention all the horrific CBC shows and movies that have been made, or all the footage shot for dumb films from the 70s and 80s? Canada has been funding films for ages now, and for a change YPF is actually a good one.

Next up, how many films does she think get funded, and how much does it cost? The list of films getting made in Canada, especially those by Canadians, is pretty short and the amount of money spent would look like a joke next to the average cost of those election promises we hear about. And ultimately, isn’t a little culture worth the investment, because after all, the cash is an investment in productions happening within Canada.

Which brings me to my biggest point. She hasn’t even seen the fucking movie. She’s complaining based on the concept, and ultimately that might only hold water if the movie sucked. It’s a good movie – it’s not some dumb T&A flick. Go see it before you decide if the money was worth it. Maybe once it opens Canadians will also go out to a cinema and see a Canadian movie for a change. I’d rather see that than more cash coming out of the pockets of Canadians and going to American corporations for their brain dead multiplex films.

So why do I care what some person said? Because it pisses me off that no matter what happens for Canadian filmmakers, there always seems to be someone trying to flog the industry to death. Go worry about the amount of money spent on useless studies if you’re so worried about money, but for the love of God, leave the paltry cash being given to culture and filmmaking alone.

Okay, this is going to be good. The second annual Toronto After Dark Film Festival hits the city in just 24 days and tomorrow they announce the last seven feature films that will complete this years lineup. This is the second year for the horror and sci-fi event, which will also include 36 short films, and the always cool Zombie Walk.

I missed last year’s event, but I’m definitely going to be covering this year’s festival, which runs from October 19 to 25 at the Bloor Cinema here in Toronto. And just to whet your appetite, here’s the initial rundown on the films that they’ve announced:

THE TRIPPER – David Arquette’s star-studded debut horror film as writer-director
POULTRYGEIST: NIGHT OF THE CHICKEN DEAD – Lloyd Kaufman’s much anticipated new new zombie musical
THE WOLFHOUND – The most expensive Russian fantasy film ever made
AACHI & SSIPAK – A groundbreaking new sci-fi animation from Korea
MULBERRY STREET and AUTOMATON TRANSFUSION – Two critically acclaimed and gut-renching new zombie outbreak films
AUDIENCE OF ONE – A hilarious, award-winning documentary about one priest’s disastrous attempt to shoot a Christian version of Star Wars.

You can get more information on the festival at their website – www.torontoafterdark.com.