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!

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!

Dion Conflict guest at TORONTO SCREAM FEST 2009

Hey Folks:

I'll be a special guest at "Toronto Scream Fest"
which happens August 6th at the Fox Cinema.

This fest looks to be a great new springboard for
up and coming horror film makers and it should be a fun night.


The Toronto Scream Fest was created so that film makers from all different areas and experiences could come together, network and showtheir films. We are trying to connect film makers that are juststarting out and haven't had much experience with other film makersthat do have the experience. The night is broken up into 3 sections;first being the "First Time Film Makers" section. Here is where we took submissions from anyone and everyone with no submission costs at all. We chose 4 films that have never been seen on the big screen togive these film makers a chance to have their films in a festival.

The next section has 2 short films made by more experienced film makers; first "Behind My Eyes" is a horror film made by Sheridan Media Arts Graduate Robert Barrow and second is a short grindhouse film byco-creator of Scream Fest and soon-to-be graduate of the SheridanMedia Arts program, Mike Klassen. Also in this section we have aspecial sneak peak at an independent feature film entitled "48 HoursIn Purgatory". This film was written and directed by Jason Armstrong.In our last section we wanted a to screen a film that has made somenoise in the industry but also has a strong independent feel. The film"Zombie Girl: The Movie" fit that bill perfectly. As an added bonus tothe night, one of the directors Justin Johnson will be coming downfrom Texas to Scream Fest and will be doing a Question and Answerperiod after the screening of the film.

Sites: Official Toronto Scream Fest site: www.torontoscreamfest.com

HOPE TO SEE YOU THERE!

I'll update my blog here shortly about some other upcoming events, and a bigger project I'm working on.

Hope you are all enjoying the summer. I'll have more to chat about here shortly!

SHOCK AND AWE-SOME and HUNKA JUNK OTTAWA

Again, it's been a stretch of time that I've got to write about film events that happened, or the follow up, including SHOCK AND AWE

In June, just before the SHOCK AND AWE madness, I went to Ottawa to another screening of HUNKA JUNK 6, the first time I've done a screening in Ottawa this decade (I actually had shown some background films there with Digital Poodle back in the 90's, but not as a showcase).

Playing 2 nights, HUNKA JUNK 6 had some serious competition being a well pushed screening for the unwatchable TROLL 2 (which I'm not a fan of, but GHOULIES 2 is a different story!). Driving up seemed somewhat long, but I got to Ottawa for the midnight screening on the Saturday and the people had a good time. After a flub with my accomodations, at 3am I headed to my bed and breakfast to crash for the night, a former Cuban consulate (!!). In the morning, drinking coffee and eating fresh strawberries, I talked with some folks there who were studying doctors, working on their masters in Dermocology. One was from St John, Newfoundland and the other from Edmonton, Alberta. We discussed the recession in our cities (and think the media had blown things out of proportion) then afterwards I explored the city and also searched for a helmet for my new scooter (which I could go ON about but I'll spare you). After my Sunday show, I hit the road to return my rental car for the 9am due date. It was a very strange ride home before getting on the 401 with my car being the only one on the road, except for 2 rental moving vans.

Back home, it was time to deal with preparations for SHOCK AND AWE. There was great press coverage in the Toronto Star, Metro, Blogto, and various other media outlets.

Our turnout was good, but hell, I'm always wanting to have a sell-out Toronto show. But the folks that came were ready for an all-night ride ready to be entertained. I came into the show, very tired and only got my 2nd wind around 7am. The films played pretty well and I got to meet so many nice people that I hadn't met before. When we wrapped up and cleaned the theatre, the Fox boys, Tim and myself hopped in Daniel's home ready to crash.

What was interesting afterwards was how the two shows kind of merged into something afterwards. I had pitched in Ottawa to bring SHOCK AND AWE there, and earlier this month, they kind of "borrowed" the idea of the "all night festival" including the mystery movie. I guess copying is a form of flattery and I had told the Fox boys that it would be a matter of time before someone would knock-off my creation. Ho well.

But both shows were good fun and I got to meet great folks. It was the first time in SOME time I gave intro's strictly in English! Hahahahaha!

SHOCK AND AWE RETURNS - JUNE 13TH TO FOX CINEMA - THE ALL NIGHT GRINDHOUSE EXPERIENCE RETURNS TO TORONTO!

The All-Night Grindhouse Festival RETURNS!
Saturday, June 13, 2009 at 11:30pm
The Fox Theatre
2236 Queen Street East
Toronto, ON
Tickets - $25 in advance, $30 at the door (see below for ticket retailers)

My favorite event to do in Toronto returns folks, and it's even BETTER than ever!


Relive the grindhouse experience with an all night (and Day) screening briging you back to the cinema experience of those "other theatres".For ONE NIGHT ONLY, the Fox Cinema brings you back to the days of exploitation, shock, shlock and fun!

Oddball Toronto film archivist Dion Conflict returns with one of his most ambitious projects to date with help from the FOX CINEMA and sponsors Rue Morgue Magazine and the After Dark Film Festival. "Shock and Awe" is an all night film festival running till almost the afternoon of the next day showcasing long lost drive-in shlock, and ending with the “unseen in ages on the big screen” Dan O’Bannon punk zombie epic "The Return of the Living Dead", long lost from Toronto Rep theatre repetoire.

With a dossier of 6 films, SHOCK AND AWE promises to provide the authentic grindhouse experience, touched upon by the Tarantino/Rodrigues film "Grindhouse"."SHOCK AND AWE" pays homage to the grindhouse experience unearthing some of the hardest and rarest 35mm and 16mm prints of these long lost films (which themselves more than likely ran in grindhouse theatres or low-rent drive-ins), with some prints being the only known elements left of the films themselves. The titles include Jack Nicholson’s onscreen partnership with one of North America’s most notorious biker gangs (Hell’s Angels On Wheels), The Louisiana student film which later inspired films such as “Evil Dead” and “Friday the 13th” (Screams of a Winter Night), West-German sexy coming-of-age trash (Swingin’ Pussycats), the first theatrically distributed adult film (Mona) and a mystery film. Between films will be vintage short subjects, cartoons, and grindhouse movie trailers, all shown from original film prints.

Not just a film screening, but even more of an event, 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).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). 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.So come out for a night and morning of marathon fun!

Here's the lineup!

MONA (1970):The first theatrical adult motion picture, complete with bad wigs and dungy allies! The trials and tribulations in the day of Mona, a Valleri Bertinelli knock-off and the weirdos she meets. Bukowski written actors seem like they've just popped out of the methadone clinic to do some summer stock. Complete with over the top, theatrical music sounded like it was ripped from "The Bible"

SWINGING PUSSYCATS (1969):Lost West-German Eurotrash showing the sexy hijinks at Filander Manor. Can Alexandra endure an entire summer at her family's castle after her return home from school? Filled with more loins than plates of schnitzel at Octoberfest!

HELL'S ANGELS ON WHEELS (1967): Jack Nicholson and REAL Hell's Angels terrorize the screen! A gas station attendant (Nicholson) finally gets into the Hells Angels & goes on a rampage of Sex, Drugs, Rock and Roll and violence! It's a battle of bikers against hippies! Ripped from todays headlines of Quebecois newspapers!

SCREAMS OF A WINTER NIGHT (1979): The under-rated horror gem from Louisiana which after seeing, you can see where "Friday the 13th", "The Evil Dead" and "Blair Witch Project" happily borrowed from. A group of teens camp out at an abandoned house and share ghost stories they have heard from the area. From it's opening credits, you know you're in for some VERY creepy thrills. Still unavailable on DVD.

MYSTERY FILM: An Ultra-Rare, seldom-seen film, guaranteed to delight!

and ending with the Dan O'bannon classic:

THE RETURN OF THE LIVING DEAD (1985): Thrills, chills and chuckles combine in the 80's zombie classic as a gas released in a medical supply company brings the dead to life! Brains! Brains!

TICKETS ARE AVAILABLE AT:
- Suspect Video (605 Markham St., near Bathurst and Bloor)
- Eyesore Cinema (801 Queen St. West above Rotate This).
AND the FOX THEATRE box office.

Get em before they're gone! And be sure to join the facebook group offering lots of prizes and goodies before the show!

Iso kiitos Suomi! Tänan Teid Eesti!

(Photo: At a luncheon with the Mayor of Haapsalu, Estonia (Ingrid Danilov) and Sten, the organizer of the Haapsalu Õudus- ja Fantaasiafilmide Festival)

It's been several weeks since my return from my tour of the Baltics but wow, indeed it was a month I would never forget.

My month of April was busy beyond belief and as I approached my final week in Finland, I was exhausted after over 40 bus rides, 7 train rides (including 2 Pendolino), various trams, subways, cars, and fast boat cruise ships.

The world debut of the program kicked off at the Night Visions festival in Helsinki and I gotta say their fest is incredible. There, I had two screenings with the 2nd one which was at 4am on a Saturday, had sold out! From there it went on to Jyväskylä, Lahti, and Tampere. After that, it was off on a cruise ship to Estonia to the Haapsalu Õudus- ja Fantaasiafilmide Festival, after spending the night in Tallinn, I was on a minibus with my pals from Night Visions and director of the horror film "Splintered" Simeon Halligan to Haapsalu, Estonia.

While some of the tour had me feeling like a ping pong ball, bouncing from town to town, it ended on a great note. The final stop of my program had me enjoying a nice Baltic Breakfast, a tour of Haapsalu by a great tour guide and Silja (the Guest Manager) showing us Haapsalu's gorgeous castle. There was a ceremonial luncheon with the Mayor of the town who embraced the festival (and they presented us with gifts including mud from the town - Haapsalu is a spa town). Before my final screening, I swam in a heated pool from inside the spa we stayed at, outside to see the orange red glow of the sun setting into the Golf of Finland. After doing sauna with my Night Visions crew, it was off to do the final screening. Afterwards, sign a couple DVD's and hang out in a Haapsalu club where lots of very nice Estonians came up to talk with me. The day ended with some Eesti booze, and Simeon and myself fighting over some stolen pepperoni from a fridge at the spa. Good times!

On top of it, my booker in central Finland had me speaking at a Polytechnic giving my first lecture to Cultural Managment students. My discussion focused on being proactive in saving our visual history, the unpredictable nature of popular culture, and breaking down the success of the "Hunka Junk" series for Finland. Afterwards a student presented me with gifts from the school. I was elated by the whole event and look forward to doing more.

Again, there's some BIG THANKS for the many "terveet kadet" that made this last tour such a huge success. First off, NIGHT VISIONS in Helsinki (Mikko & Crew) for bringing me over to be part of their amazing film offerings. Also: Keski-Suomen elokuvakeskus, Kino Iiris ja poikka(z) Janne ja Markus, Pirkanmaan Elokuvakeskus (Juha ja Juha-Pekka), Humak, and all my friends there that helped out either feedin me, letting me stay with them, or helping me get somewhere!

In Estonia: Big thanks to Haapsalu Õudus- ja Fantaasiafilmide Festival including Sten, Silja, Ingrid, Hotel Spa Fra Mare, Dynamit energy drink (which I miss back here in Canada), Naistemaailm, Trash Can Dance, and just all the nice people I met.

Hope to see everyone soon!

(Photo: Night Visions (Helsinki, Finland)
page from film program)

CREEPY CHRISTIAN FILMS - New films from Conflict Archives hits Finland AND Estonia!

I'm happy and delighted to tell you the launching of a new series of films pulled from my vault to premiere at the NIGHT VISIONS FILM FESTIVAL in Helsinki, Finland this week. "Creepy Christian Films" is a line-up of oddball films where your admission was a passing of the collection plate!

Night Visions and Dion Conflict present
"CREEPY CHRISTIAN FILMS"
USA 198x * m/v & väri * 16 mm * n. 115 min. *

Kino Engel 2 pe klo 23.00 ja la-su-yö klo 04.15

Night Visions -perjantain avajaiselokuvaksi valittu Borat-ohjaaja Larry Charlesin hulvaton dokumentti Religulous kohottaa uskonnon yhdeksi tämänkertaisen festivaalin tärkeistä teemoista. Teoksen aisapariksi on valittu ainutlaatuinen amerikkalaisten lyhytelokuvien kooste, joka ei voisi tarjoilla syventävää näkökulmaa aiheeseen piirunkaan vertaa ällistyttävämmin.
Kaksituntinen Creepy Christian Films -kokonaisuus näyttää, että propagandistinen elokuvakerronta taittui jo menneillä vuosikymmenillä muiltakin kuin idän diktatuurien elokuvantekijöiltä. Ken Andersonin animaatio Phantom Lake (1984) valjastaa hämmentävästi Scooby Doota muistuttavan koirahahmon pyhään tarkoitukseen. Tony Dew'n ohjaus Nikolai (1986) perehdyttää katsojansa rautaesiripun takaisiin kauhuihin Neuvostoliitossa. Championsissa (1984) saarnamieheksi on valjastettu NFL-tähti Neil Lomax. Hallelujah!

Kanadalainen elokuvatutkija ja -keräilijä Dion Conflict on poiminut kokonaisuuden teokset käsin Pennsylvaniassa toimineen lahkolaiselokuvateatterin jäämistöstä. Conflict saapuu myös Torontosta Helsinkiin esittelemään löydöksensä henkilökohtaisesti.
Luvassa on uskomaton show ällistyttävällä tyylillä, joka on tuttu kaikille Hunka Junk -mainos- ja lyhytelokuvakoosteiden hullaannuttamille katsojille.

Also, this will be playing the following cities in Finland as well..... -
Lahti (April 11th) - Kino Engel -
Jyväskylä (April 14th) -Ravintola Rentukka -
Tampere (April 15th) - Kino Niagara

AND ESTONIA!
Haapsalu - Haapsalu Õudus- ja Fantaasiafilmide Festival (April 17-19, check website for date - www.hoff.ee)

Be sure to check back for other dates and follow ups for other info and tune in this week to YLE-X radio for an exclusive interview as I discuss Christian cinema.

Look forward to seeing you all again VERY shortly!