"Dead-Alive"

"Young People Fucking"

This is a film with a ton of potential.

From start to finish we see the sexual encounters of five couples: ex-lovers, plutonic best friends, a first date, a long-time couple, and an impromptu threesome. Each encounter starts with the uncomfortable conversation and works its way through the foreplay and the orgasm to the pillow talk at the end. With its provocative title, and its ambitiously frank attitude toward sex, "Young People Fucking" promises eroticism and insight. How can one not be intrigued?

"Pontypool"

I don't think that I do enough as a Canadian to comment on Canadian cinema. I feel bad about this, because I really am a proud Canadian guy, and while a lot of the stuff that's made here is intolerable to me, there are a few directors who consistently do great work. Guy Maddin (who is my favourite), David Cronenberg, and the director of the new horror flick "Pontypool" (as well as the beloved "Roadkill" and "Hard Core Logo") Bruce McDonald are a few of these directors. Carl Bessai opened last year's (2007) EIFF with his surprisingly good "Normal" and I didn't write about it. I regret that and shan't let it be the case for McDonald's new film, which opened the festival this year.

"Hank and Mike"

I'm a proud Canadian... I really am. As such, I have a hard time watching poorly made Canadian films (You must also understand that this is nearly all Canadian productions). They often seem to be made on a miniscule budget, yet somehow, when compared to American productions of a similar budget, they seem to be much more, well... shitty.

"End of the Line"

A word of warning – "End of the Line" may rub you the wrong way. Dealing with the subject of religious extremism and what may or may not be the impending apocalypse, "End of the Line" is bound to spark some controversy amongst those who view Maurice Devereaux's approach to the material as offensive.

"The Delicate Art of Parking"

The problem with the “Mockumentary” as a genre, is that they are generally unfocused, trying to tell an unrelated story, alongside the subject which is supposed to be the basis of the documentary. This is the major failing point of "The Delicate Art of Parking", as there are a number of scenes which are included, which would generally have no place within the documentary itself.

"Black Christmas" (1974)

If you look back to the original films that set the standard, and best define the modern slasher film, a number of titles will no doubt be mentioned. "A Nightmare on Elm Street" was released in 1984, and is often unfairly grouped within this particular sub-genre. The film is a little too intelligent to be pigeonholed within any particular group, yet is considered one of the most influential horror/slasher films of all time. Prior to that, in 1980, the original "Friday the 13th" was released, and is considered by many to be the quintessential slasher film. It has all the basic characteristics of a successful slasher: extreme violence, a healthy dose of nudity, and in the later instalments, what would be considered the most recognizable horror villain of all time. The original film played out more as a thriller, as the identity of the killer was kept secret until the end of the film.