Tuesday, September 17, 2013

THE SAD STORY OF JOHNNY YUMA - SHOCK AND AWE NEWS


I'm getting prepared not only for SHOCK AND AWE, but an insanely busy next couple of months.

Yes, It's true.  SHOCK AND AWE returns September 28th at the Revue Cinema at 11pm for an all night grindhouse festival.  There's a great collection of materials from my archive including the product friendly ET rip-off MAC AND ME, the softcore classic THE NAUGHTY CHEERLEADER, the infamous and elusive MYSTERY FILM, Klaus Kinski in the grotesque JACK THE RIPPER, ending with the JCVD power house vehicle BLOODSPORT, all being projected from glorious 35mm and 16mm film prints (None of this digital video s**t - In fact, I have still not seen a digital film projection).

Oh yes, the other film which will be presented will be a very good spaghetti western called JOHNNY YUMA, and more than likely for the last time ever.... But more on that in a moment.

I'll be honest,, I'm not a huge western fan, but after viewing JOHNNY YUMA it for sure entertains and on top of it, in order for SHOCK AND AWE to get bigger-stronger-faster, I think there's some film genres that need to be represented during the evening.  We had never shown a western before, and I think it was high time we did.  JOHNNY YUMA is great for it's high body count, risque interactions (for the time) and on top of it, a theme song you will be humming in your head for weeks.

Sadly, when I had got the film print (which was the same English language print that was used for the DVD release), it came with a a strong case of vinegar syndrome.  For those who don't know what this is, it basically is when acid is released in the plastic base of the film, which initially leaves the film smelling like vinegar, but starts to lead to it's deterioration of the film, leading it to its slow demise.

More than likely, this will be the last time the 35mm print that will be able to be enjoyed on the big screen.  Nobody has been knockin at my door offering to restore it for digital cinemas, and I'm pretty sure that won't be happening.  So therefore, it looks like JOHNNY YUMA might have it's final ride at the Revue Cinema.  For me that's kinda sad.

Anyhow, look forward to seeing you all for SHOCK AND AWE on September 28th!  Remember, tickets are at the Revue box office, Film Buff West, Suspect Video and Eyesore Cinema - See you soon!

Monday, March 11, 2013

CREEPY CHRISTIAN CINEMA MAKES NORTH AMERICAN DEBUT!
MARCH 21st @ 7PM - REVUE CINEMA, TORONTO!



Hey friends!

I've been terribly slow updating my blog, but alas time to break that with a great event I have coming up at the Revue Cinema with a collection of films that were saved from an abandon Christian cinema, somewhere in PA.

It had taken some time to have the program play here, but FINALLY audiences in Toronto get to see this collection of short films that I toured with all over Finland and Estonia, playing the HOFF festival in Estonia, and the NIGHT VISIONS festival in Helsinki, which had its screenings all sell out, including a 4AM slot.

Anyone who has been to one of my screenings has heard me say, that ALL film, regardless of genre, is important and stands as a document of a particular message, not only visually.  These films are no exception.  

But alas, here is the details with a program I am FINALLY glad to present on these shores!



DION CONFLICT PRESENTS....
"CREEPY CHRISTIAN CINEMA: A COLLECTION OF ODDBALL CHRISTIAN FILM KITSCH"
Thursday, March 21st @ 7:00 PM
Revue Cinema; (400 Roncesvalles Ave; Toronto, ON)
Regular Box Office Prices
16mm film prints - NO DIGITAL PROJECTION

AFTER SELL OUT SHOWS IN ESTONIA AND FINLAND (Including one 4am screening at the Night Visions Film Festival), CREEPY CHRISTIAN CINEMA MAKES IT'S NORTH AMERICAN DEBUT!

No need to go to church for a sermon of guilt! CREEPY CHRISTIAN CINEMA is a collection of obscure films designed to not only hammer in the message about the "big guy above", but also to be entertaining and "hip". Shown in church basements and Christian movie theatres, these have been nearly impossible to see, until now!

Highlights include a Christian rip off of Hanna Barbara's Animated "Scooby Doo" entitled PHANTOM LAKE (1984, Dir: Ken Anderson) which has a Sunday School class learn that God can protect them from "ghosts" during a camping trip, while CHAMPIONS (1984) pumps bad Christian music videos along with professional NFL Football Player Neil Lomax teaching kids how to deal with peer pressure, and be "cool, and love the Lord". The pitchy films end with the unbelievable "Nikolai" (1986, Dir: Tony Tew) which deals with the USSR and the evils of communism (and Young Pioneer Camps) when the KGB pressure young Nikolai to give up his faith, and be a good comrade. These films, plus more strangeness from the world of "film-making for Jesus", including an introduction and prizes by Dion Conflict (Hunka Junk series). Hallelujah!



Look forward to seeing you there, and will be updating on my blog here shortly some other projects I have in development, and news on some upcoming film screenings :) - Enjoy the spring!

Monday, June 25, 2012

SHOCK & AWE 6 - Notes behind the scenes

It started and ended on some funny notes.... More on that in a second.

SHOCK & AWE is THEE event that I do in the Toronto area which I have the most fun doing.  Sure, I have done S&A's before, and there's always a great energy to go along with it, but this one definitely had an amazing buzz for staff and audience.  It's great to see the fans of the event amped up for it, and along with Andy and Dan of Team Shock and Awe, we get excited about doing it like kids at Christmas.  


I hop my cab to go to the Revue, which is now closer to me, with boxes of merch in hand and tons of prizes (luckily the 5 Islamic Prayer Clocks went earlier to the theatre with the film prints) when my cab got pulled over by the Police for turning right on a red light (on this particular street, you cannot).  While my cab driver fumbles through a million business cards trying to find his licence, another cab driver pulls over to pick me and my wares, thanks to the help of the police officer.  I made it to the theatre, just before the doors open.

Andy goes through and hands me the line-up of the evening while I down a ginseng tablet from Dollar Tree and a protein shake (virtually my diet for the last couple of days).  I had slept about 4 hours of the 24 that I have been up and feel my motor skills sliding from the sleep deprivation, even tho I was able to cram in an hour long workout during the day.  But all is good as our ticket sales almost doubled within a period of 24 hours.  After an intro by Dan, I go out to speak a bit and intro our first film of the night, THE GROOVE TUBE.  I love seeing some of the folks in the audience being hardcore enough to pack sleeping bags and blankets (Seeing people with their tickets at the door remind me of people checking in for some trans-atlantic airline flight, and thinking about it... Shock and Awe is JUST as long as flying to Finland!).  Onto the films...

Now some discussed beforehand with THE GROOVE TUBE that maybe some younger people might not get some of THE GROOVE TUBES dated humour, but this was FAR from the case.  This was the perfect kick off film and had the audience in stitches.  At one point, I pull in Karen, the house manager at the Revue for the event, to check out the "Brown 25" segment and tell her "Just wanted you to see real s**t on the screen" which has her chuckling.  Afterwards, Twitter was alive with tons of jokes referring to the "Uranus Corporation", "Brown 25" and to "Remember to brush your teeth!" - LOL and people discussing how the film is actually still ahead of time in regards to the humour.  This one has been a favourite of mine, and I can say the first film Shock & Awe superfan and Movie Feast Blogster Douglas Tilley saw nudity.  It's a shame it's not been enjoyed by audiences for decades (this was possibly the first time it was screened for an audience in Canada for DECADES).  It's more fun than making 4th of July heritage loaf. ;)

With burritos arriving during the first intermission, it was onto the next film WHAT WAITS BELOW, a surprise hit.  I've seen the film numerous times before, but it looked pretty impressive on the big screen and projected in 35mm.  Some of it was totally laughable, especially after the crew sends poor Carlos back through the cave after being mulled by some alien-looking monster in his arm.  He didn't have a chance!  I'm not sure if WHAT WAITS BELOW is trying to be an action film, a horror flick, or science fiction, but it seemed to entertain all the same as Toronto After Dark's Peter Kuplowsky sang it's praises to me afterwards.

Another line-up for our flashing light special, and then onto Film #3, HORROR HOSPITAL.  Again, seeing this print on the big screen, even with its warming colors, looked great.  Many times sorting out things in the lobby, I could hear poor Judy screaming.  It was fun all the same and the audience seemed to eat up leather motorcycle-geared-out-zombies and a person of small statue servant along with Michael Gough as the mad scientist.  Seeing it on the big screen, it looks a lot more grizzly then home video additions.

I had the audience swear on oath not to tell anyone outside of the theatre the title of the mystery film.  It's great that everyone has pretty much kept the promise in the digital age, and it's a special thing that we get to share as participants of the event.  You can talk a bit about the film, but NOTHING to give away exactly what it is.  Instead of party horns, the would boo the villain and clap after one older actor would say anything they agreed with.   Again, a fairly decent 35mm print which looked so much better than any vhs or dvd copies in circulation.  When we cut the ending credits (which had the catchy theme song) a bunch of people said, "I want to hear the theme song again!" which I happily belted out.  Remember, I have seen the film about 30 times.

RAPPIN' had a funny story before it hit the screen.  My vault has A LOT of film reels and it had taken a bit to find (and the last one I did), but loading it up to bring to the theatre, an end of the box holding it wasn't fastened properly and Reel 1 feel out with half of it shattering on the floor.  But this film had to happen, so RAPPIN' got repaired at the theatre (the reel, the print was beautiful).  Andrew Parker at Dork Shelf sang the films praises so I knew we had one fan going into it, but by the end when the audience was clapping to some very goofy rhymez, and being screened at an ungodly hour, Rappin' John Hood gave to the audience.  Why this film is not on the radar of the old school hip hop community continually has me scratching my head... or a turntable.

Before the headliner, I'm in the men's room and joking with Andy about tips Safety Sam gives in THE GROOVE TUBE, when I go to tighten my belt, and it snaps in half.  I've been working out tons so most of my older clothes are far too big any-more and my shorts are a size 34, when now I fit nicely into a 30, so I get to hold up my pants on the way to give away our final prizes of the night (and hold them up for the rest of the night).  

SLEEPAWAY CAMP, a film Andy adores hits the screen as our headliner.  That print was absolutely jaw droppingly beautiful.  Again, compared to home video, the colors and detail were so rich, you could actually see the comb marks on one of the roid-bustin summer camp counsellors hair!  I hadn't seen it in decades and I must say it's lots of fun.  While it's cheap on the slasher count, and the director basically films on a medium shot and lets scenes play out, it's so damn entertaining, and that last scene is just priceless.

Last Call for 6AM Pizza
After the final film, the audience head out into the brightness of the morning, and the hardcore had lasted another 6 film marathon.  I gave out packs of All-Bran Buds to start their morning right even if they didn't win  one of the Islamic Prayer Clocks (which seemed to be a sought after prize to win).  I finally nodded off around 4pm.



With big companies dictating the direction of theatrical projection going, I love doing SHOCK & AWE more and feel it's importance to see films how they were originally made to be shown to an audience, and get nervous for the time when it might not be possible, technically.  Despite how much the industry might gush about digital, seeing these prints on the big screen, and seeing digital version available for the consumer, there's no comparison.

Again, thanks to all who came out, and those who wrote such nice articles about it. Big ups to all the staff of the Revue Cinema (and Fox) who made the event happen along with or team of projectionists that give you the final product on the screen.  It was great reading the loads of tweets before during and afterwards about the films and the event itself (I'm finally on the Twitter bandwagon (@dionconflict), and encouraged people to tweet during intermission) I can happily say that all involved had a blast.  If you missed out, well, you REALLY missed out!  

Back to work on my script, and to dream how great SHOCK & AWE 7 will be!



Friday, June 08, 2012

SHOCK AND AWE RETURNS!
JUNE 23RD AT THE REVUE CINEMA!




Shock & Awe returns for it's 6th time presenting grindhouse goodies from the Conflict Archives for an all-night screening of six seldom seen films all from 16mm and 35mm film prints.  Not one, but SIX films in a row!  Patrons will also have a great selection of food beyond the typical popcorn and soda from the snack bar including pizza, fresh fruit, burritos and more!

PLUS it has now moved to the Revue Cinema (400 Roncesvalles Avenue), close to the subway and streetcar lines.

This line-up will be the best yet, with most of the films not seeing the light of day on Toronto movie screens in decades, or impossible to find on any home video formats!  They include:

THE GROOVE TUBE (1973) - Chevy Chase and Richard Belzer (Law and Order: SVU) star in this hilarious bong-busting spoof on television (one of the first!).  


HORROR HOSPITAL (1973) - Michael Gough (Batman) and Robin Askwith (Three Dimensions of Greta) star in the UK cult horror about a burnt out rock star who books a getaway with "Hairy Holidays" who's vacation ends up being a battle with a mad scientist!


WHAT WAITS BELOW (1985) - When a team goes to Central America to find out what's wrong with their short wave radio transmissions, then end up exploring caves and meeting a race of rare albino cave dwellers!


RAPPIN' (1985) - Mario Van Peebles and Ice-T bust the screen in forever rhymez in the first hip hop/breakdance musical.


MYSTERY FILM (????) - A mystery film, guaranteed to delight and thrill!

and the night ends with...

SLEEPAWAY CAMP (1983) - Poor Angela can't seem to make friends at summer camp.  It will be their loss... LITERALLY!  The slasher/horror home video classic gets the big screen treatment!

For more information, be sure to join the Facebook groups for both SHOCK AND AWE and the event...

Shock & Awe Fan Page:
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Shock-and-Awe-The-Dusk-Till-Dawn-Grindhouse-Marathon/121123931268364

Shock & Awe 6 @ Revue Cinema - June 23rd
https://www.facebook.com/events/183755471752453/

Tickets are available at the Revue and Fox Cinema box offices, plus Film Buff (Roncesvalles), Eyesore Cinema, and Suspect Video.  Buy ahead and save $5 at the door!

If you have never been to a SHOCK & AWE before, I can't emphasize how fun the event is!  Lots of food, lots of merchandise, and lots of fun!

See you there!


Thursday, May 03, 2012

A Long Overdue Update / Twitter

Life provides us with some interesting twists and turns....

It's been some time since my last posting on here, and I can say it's very simple, yet somewhat complicated.  

Awhile back, I was involved in an accident.  I was driving my moped when all of a sudden a Toyota truck side-swiped me, dragging me about 4 meters, and stopping about a meter from my head.  My head was actually turned that I could see the back tire, not too far from my face.  Luckily my handlebars caught on something while it dragged me, otherwise I would have fallen beforehand and run over, and more than likely, dead.

This little brush of death has you analyse many things in your life, and you realise that life itself is a gift that we should never take for granted, as it can be gone in a heartbeat.  Even doing a year of physiotherapy, I'm glad that I still am able to approach life's bigger challenges, and am ready with plenty of gusto.  

Some great things are planned for this year, which marks the 20th anniversary of the CONFLICT ARCHIVES which by far has exceeded what I would have imagined the first time I was asked to share some of my collection during an industrial concert in the back room of the Rivoli.  With many tours, countries, continents, cities.  

I'm happy to also say, I am now on Twitter.  If you want to follow me, get at me at @DionConflict 

Hope you are all getting ready for summer!  And let it be your best yet!

Monday, September 20, 2010

SHOCK AND AWE RETURNS TO THE FOX CINEMA! SEPTEMBER 25TH!!!!


It's back!!!!!!!!!!!
Can't wait to host the upcoming SHOCK AND AWE, the first and best all night grindhouse film festival here in Toronto!
Seriously, where are you going to see in one film fest the Osmonds, Dolph Lundgren, and Bill Shatner?


Dion Conflict and the Fox Cinema Present
"Shock And Awe: The All-Night Grindhouse Experience"
Saturday September 25th @ 11:30 pm
2236 Queen Street East
Toronto, ON
Tickets $25 in advance, $35 at the door.


SHOCK AND AWE returns!

SHOCK AND AWE is the dusk till dawn grindhouse homage showcasing an eclectic mix of exploitation, from killer tarantulas (Kingdom of the Spiders), awol commie agents (Dolph lundgren in Red Scorpion), an Osmonds espionage musical (Goin Coconuts) and ending with the home video classic GHOULIES. Most of the prints have been unseen on the big screen in Canada for decades, and the event padded with lots of ta...sty themed food at the snack bar, SHOCK AND AWE is not a film screening, it's an event! 6 films, one night/morning! Sleep when your dead, and join the celluloid sleepover!

Presenting (ALL ON FILM! 35mm and 16mm)

KINGDOM OF THE SPIDERS – Bill Shatner returns as a small town vet in Arizona who deals with an onslaught of deadly spiders. This cast of creepy crawlers will stop at nothing to take over your ranch… or take down a 747 ! Can Shatner out emote the evil eight legged menace!??

GOIN’ COCONUTS – Donny and Marie “That Nutri-System girl” Osmond in an espionage/musical shot in Hawaii and Utah? Crime was never such a laugh riot as in this wonderful mega flop that is just as disastrous as you’d think.

MYSTERY FILM – A rare film, guaranteed to delight! First Canadian screening in decades!

THE STUD: Joan Collins (Dynasty) plays Khalid Fontaine a woman with an unmatched sexual appetite who gets what she wants! Amidst LSD disco pool parties, she discards inadequate men like common garbage! High society divas treat each other like dirt in this trash epic!!

RED SCORPION – The ‘world’s greatest actor’ Dolph Lundgren plays Nikolai, a KGB agent sent to kill an African revolutionary. When the commies double cross Nikolai he goes into killing machine mode to deliver boatloads of vengeance. Makes Rambo look like Justin Bieber.

GHOULIES –Satan worshippers and sexy girls bring to life the Gremlins’ ghastly gorgon relatives. Your toilet bowl will never be safe again!

Please note: The order listed below will be adhered to on the 25th.

Tickets on sale Wednesday September 1st.
Only $25 in advance and $35 at the door.


SHOCK AND AWE tickets can be purchased at:
- Fox Cinema box office
- Suspect Video (605 Markham St., near Bathurst and Bloor)
- Eyesore Cinema (801 Queen St. West above Rotate This).
- The Film Buff West & East (73 Roncesvalles Ave. & 130

Tickets are cash only at these locations and a $1 service charge may apply.

Wristbands will also be given to patrons for "in out privleges" or "to get some air" for the marathon film screening, the first of it's kind in Toronto.

Marketed as much of an event as a film screening, SHOCK AND AWE will also have tables of merchandise offering obscure explotation collectables including Super 8 films, B-movie DVD's, and small press publication from other GTA area film publications. Intermissions will also feature themed snack bar offerings at the FOX including breakfast items, film tie-in themed treats, and local area business restauranteurs. Curator and host Dion Conflict will also showcase some lost music videos, surprise celebrities, world premier short films by local directors, and trailers of other obscure grindhouse offerings from his archive (one of Canada's most eclectic private archives).

Some serious fun goes down at these, so DEF come check it out! See you there!

Long Overdue Update - May I introduce you to my other baby.... PAXELS.COM




Pics: Paxels screen capture at live event. 2nd pic: Fox Cinema kingpins Andy and Dan (and me in the Sean John Suit) at the Paxels Streaming Video Network launch (March 1st, 2010).

Wow.

I'm shocked as to how long it's been since I've updated my website/blog. One of the reasons is that sometimes I think Social Media can really be tiring, and since with something like Facebook, you get instant interaction (somewhat) in regards to doing events and the such. Also recently, I got injured on my beloved moped and when I haven't been consumed with projects, I've been doing my rehab. And for months and months, I worked exclusively on one main project, and that is PAXELS.COM

PAXELS is the world's first 24 hour streaming "superstation" on the web showing everything from sports, to concerts, to seminars, to movies, to music vids. With a little help from my team on Bay Street, we were able to launch what some people thought could never be done..... my own TV Station!

But besides clearing the legal rights for the material, PAXELS consistantly creates it's own content. With exclusive shows like "The Sports Junkie", my own music program (Late Bar with Dion Conflict), Seminars/Talk shows (Social Networking for Success), "Analog Gallery" (a show featuring local artists, where you can buy their work via paypal), and "Concert Capsule" which features live and retro concerts. A helluva lot of content, pretty good considering I had about 10 cents to get it off the ground. And with more financing, it will really fly.

It also had me develop my editing and directing chops, sometimes shooting 5 different shows, promos, and parts of a show in a day. It really helped me develop my true love, directing, and do it, in abundance!

Here's some pics from out launch, so go over and check it out. We also launched "The POD" (Paxels on Demand) where you can watch some of our shows, live events, etc.

And here's some pics from the launch, which we did at the amazing JPC POST facility in the Junction. Long overdue to our sponsors Boardwalk Chocolates and Cool Brewery for making the night so great!

Saturday, November 21, 2009

SHOCK AND AWE RETURNS NOVEMBER 28TH!




The Best Revival Programming in the city returns for it's 4th time around. This time we're bringing you a massacre in one of the lower states. The original Texas Chainsaw Massacre is the headliner for the next Shock and Awe which includes everything from weird 1960's mod horror to Blaixploitation Kung Fu and the Canadian Star Wars.

DION CONFLICT AND THE FOX CINEMA PRESENT
"SHOCK AND AWE" - THE DUSK TILL DAWN GRINDHOUSE EXPERIENCE
Presenting (ALL ON FILM! 35mm and 16mm)

Saturday, November 28, 2009 at 11:30pm
Fox Theatre
2236 Queen St. East
Toronto, ON

Please note: The order listed below will be adhered to on the 28th.

THE SHAPE OF THINGS TO COME (1979) - Beyond the earth! Beyond the moon! Beyond your wildest imagination! Jack Palance disco dances with toy robots in Canada’s cosmic “Star Wars” knock off.

MYSTERY FILM!

SUPERGIRLS DO THE NAVY (1984) - Ron Jeremy, Taija Rai, and Paul Thomas take "serving your country" to a whole new level! The supergirls and the naughty navy team up in a submarine of sin! This sub is equipped with a cockpit!

SATANIK (1968) - An old bag sips a "youth potion" and turns from drab to fab, but was the potion created by Satan himself?

BAMBOO GODS AND IRON MEN (1974) - In this Philippino Blaxploitation film, a soul brother on his Hong Kong honeymoon must battle some bad crackers who want to put his Honeymoon action in traction.

THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE (1974) - The classic hits the screen again after a long-overdue absence when a vanload of hippies cross paths with leatherface, his chainsaw and a carnivorous cannibalistic family. Nothing cuts like the original!

Tickets on sale Monday November 9th.
Only $25 in advance and $30 at the door.
GET YOURS NOW!!

SHOCK AND AWE tickets can be purchased at the Fox Cinema box office and also at Suspect Video (605 Markham St., near Bathurst and Bloor) and Eyesore Cinema (801 Queen St. West above Rotate This). Tickets are cash only at these locations and a $1 service charge may apply.

Wristbands will also be given to patrons for "in out privleges" or "to get some air" for the marathon film screening, the first of it's kind in Toronto.

Marketed as much of an event as a film screening, SHOCK AND AWE will also have tables of merchandise offering obscure explotation collectables including Super 8 films, B-movie DVD's, and small press publication from other GTA area film publications. Intermissions will also feature themed snack bar offerings at the FOX including breakfast items, film tie-in themed treats, and local area business restauranteurs. Curator and host Dion Conflict will also showcase some lost music videos, surprise celebrities, world premier short films by local directors, and trailers of other obscure grindhouse offerings from his archive (one of Canada's most eclectic private archives).

Most of the night's offerings haven't been screened in theatres for decades! And for the instance of "Bamboo Gods and Iron Men", this film hasn't been released on DVD or VHS and this is the last known print of this flick, PERIOD!

Look forward to seeing you there!