The Toronto Film Festival has selected the lineup for this year’s Midnight Madness sidebar that includes seven world premieres. The pics, whether they’re slashers, comedies or hard-R action titles, close out each of night of the festival with 11:59 p.m. screenings at the Royal Alexandra Theatre.
Of note is the world premiere of Ben Wheatley’s reunion of the Nobody franchise team of Bob Odenkirk, scribe Derek Kolstad and producer Marc Provissiero for Normal. Movie tells the story of Ulysses (Odenkirk), a substitute sheriff in a small, forgotten town who responds to a bank robbery, only to unknowingly uncover something far more explosive. Wheatley’s Brie Larson action movie Free Fire won the Midnight Madness People’s Choice Award in 2016.
Also world premiering is Dust Bunny, the feature directorial debut of TV showrunner Bryan Fuller (Hannibal, Pushing Daisies). In the horror drama thriller, a 10-year-old girl asks her scheming neighbor for help in killing the monster under her bed that she thinks ate her family. David Dastmalchian, Mads Mikkelsen and Sigourney Weaver star.
Midnight Madness opens with the Canadian premiere of Matt Johnson’s Toronto-set Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie. Based on Johnson’s cult Viceland series, this hysterical, death-defying time-travel caper earned a standing ovation and a coveted Midnighter Audience Award at this past spring’s SXSW.
The closing film is Dead Lover, a zany, macabre horror-comedy from Canadian director Grace Glowicki.
Kenji Tanigaki’s The Furious is billed as a frenetic martial arts thriller that assembles some of the genre’s fiercest fighters (whose combined credits include The Raid, Chocolate and Everything Everywhere All at Once).
Nick Corirossi’s comedy The Napa Boys stars Armen Weitzman, Chloe Cherry, Corirossi, Paul Rust and Beth Dover. Blurb: Jack Jr, Miles Jr and the gang are back for one last wine-related journey set forth by the mysterious “Sommelier.” Joined this time by Puck, a fan of The Napa Boys comics, the group will learn about love, loss, friendship and viticulture.
The 50th edition of the Toronto Film Festival, presented by Rogers, runs September 4–14.
Behold this year’s Midnight Madness:
Dead Lover | Grace Glowicki | Canada | Closing Film
Canadian Premiere
Dust Bunny | Bryan Fuller | USA
World Premiere
Fuck My Son! | Todd Rohal | USA
World Premiere
JUNK WORLD | Takahide Hori | Japan
International Premiere
Karmadonna | Aleksandar Radivojević | Serbia
World Premiere
Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie | Matt Johnson | Canada | Opening Film
Canadian Premiere
Normal | Ben Wheatley | USA/Canada
World Premiere
Obsession | Curry Barker | USA
World Premiere
The Furious | Kenji Tanigaki | Hong Kong/China
World Premiere
The Napa Boys | Nick Corirossi | USA
World Premiere
(via Deadline)