tiff 24 ICK World Premiere Zeke Jones Interview with Robert Aaron Mitchell

 

The first Saturday is very special during the Toronto International Film Festival. King street is closed for festival street. There are a lot of food trucks, film related vendors, music fills the air. The hot humid late Toronto summer gives way to a brisk evening. The sun sets, the city glows and around The Royal Alexandria the buzz of the audience making their way to midnight movie can be heard. This year the buzz was palpable as Joseph Kahn returned to the Midnight Madness programme with his latest film, Ick. A creature feature, much different then his underground hip hop battle movie, Bodied - which was a huge hit in 2017 at tiff. Joseph assured me that the audience would have a different yet equal amazing film experience. At the red carpet world premiere I was able to talk with actor Zeke Jones who plays Griffin in the movie Ick. Here is our conversation. 

tiff 24 ICK World Premiere Interview Harrison Cone with Robert Aaron Mitchell

 

Excitement was definitely in the air surrounding The Royal Alexandria theatre as the first Saturday of the Midnight Madness programme at the Toronto International Film Festival was nearing the midnight hour. Anticipation was high as Joseph Kahn's new film Ick was set to have it's World Premiere. Kahn's previous film Bodied also received it's World Premiere at Midnight Madness. That screening was one of the all time great premieres of the programme. Ick is Kahn's take on the creature feature. As he said to me he wanted to make a film that he watched as a kid in the 1980s. I spoke with actor Harrison Cone who plays quarterback Dylan on the red carpet

tiff 24 ICK World Premiere Mena Suvari interview with Robert Aaron Mitchell

 

The last time I saw Mena Suvari in Toronto was in 2007 when she was at the Midnight Madness World Premiere of Stuart Gordon's Stuck. It was great to speak with her ahead of the World Premiere of Joseph Kahn's new creature feature, Ick. Always a delight, smart, funny and insightful. Here is Mena and I's conversation on the Midnight Madness red carpet at the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival.

tiff 24 ICK World Premiere Brandon Routh interview with Robert Aaron Mitchell

 

The excitement was very present the first Saturday of Midnight Madness at the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival. As present as the mysterious substance that is everywhere in Joseph Kahn's new creature feature, ICK. The ick is around doing not much, until it is doing something...trying to consume everyone in it's path. Leading the stellar cast is Brandon Routh. Brandon plays Hank a guy who had it all, quarterback, the girl Staci (Mena Suvari) and then it's all gone like a Mellencamp song. He starts working at the high school as a janitor and becomes a science teacher. He is still in contact with Staci and her husband Peter (Ted Kim) As the ick begins to threaten the town Brandon leads the town in a heroic charge against the mysterious substance. In person, Brandon is a delight, charming, charismatic and possessing great sense of humor. Here is our conversation.

tiff 24 ICK World Premiere Interview with Joseph Kahn with Robert Aaron Mitchell

Joseph Kahn has returned to the Midnight Madness at the Toronto International Film Festival with his latest film ICK. He premiered Bodied here in 2017 and that screening was one of the all time best premieres I have attended at Midnight Madness. This time around Kahn and his team of collaborators are shifting gears and take us to a small town focused on the high school. A mysterious gross substance has been around for years. Not doing much just....around... It has been dubbed the ick. Then one day it is not static, it has started to move and consume. The town is very much in denial. Conversations mirror those that were centered around a certain corona virus of this decade. It is always great when I am able to talk to Joseph Kahn. He is a filmmaker I can listen talk about the craft for hours. Here is our conversation from the red carpet. 

BODIED World Premiere Interviews Joseph Kahn, Dizaster, Alex Larsen aka Kid Twist, Charlamagne Tha God

                Dizaster speaking with Robert Mitchell at the world premiere of Bodied.

Bodied, the new film directed by Joseph Kahn and written by Alex Larsen aka Kid Twist was the opening movie of the 2017 Midnight Madness programme at the Toronto International Film Festival and it rocked the Ryerson Theatre. Robert Mitchell was on the red carpet and spoke with director Joseph Kahn, writer/actor Alex Larsen, Dizaster, Charlamagne Tha God, Calum Worthy and Rory Uphold.

MIDNIGHT MADNESS 2017 Photo Gallery Ft. James Franco, Vince Vaughn, Dizaster, Joseph Kahn, Coralie Fargeat, Ryûhei Kitamura, Sôichi Umezawa

Here is a photo gallery of Robert Aaron Mitchell and Sarah Dillard Mitchell's adventures at the 2017 Midnight Madness programme at the Toronto International Film Festival. Here is a link to a New York Times piece about the programme. Photos by Ian Goring, Sarah Mitchell, Daniel Pearl & Dominik Magdziak.

  Talking to Dizaster at the world premiere of Bodied. 09/07/17 Photo by: Ian Goring

Speaking with Director Joseph Kahn at the world premiere of Bodied. Photo by: Ian Goring

Talking to Director Joseph Kahn at the world premiere of Bodied. Photo by: Sarah Mitchell

In conversation with actor Calum Worthy at the world premiere of Bodied. Photo by: Ian Goring

Interviewing writer Alex Larsen aka Kid Twist at the world premiere of Bodied Photo By: Ian Goring

 Speaking with Charlamagne Tha God about his role in Bodied Photo by: Ian Goring

Interviewing actor Rory Uphold at the Bodied world premiere. Photo by: Sarah Mitchell

Talking to Director David Bruckner at the world premiere The Ritual 09/08/17 Photo by: Ian Goring

 Speaking to actor Sam Troughton about his role in The Ritual Photo by: Sarah Mitchell

"Crank-styled" interview with writer/director Brian Taylor at the world premiere of Mom & Dad Photo by: Sarah Mitchell

Talking to writer/director at Mom & Dad premiere 09/09/17 Photo by: Ian Goring

In conversation with Anne Winters about her character in Mom & Dad. Photo by: Sarah Mitchell

 Anne Winters at the world premiere of Mom & Dad. Photo by: Ian Goring

With cinematographer Daniel Pearl (The Texas Chainsaw Massacre) at the premiere of Mom & Dad Photo by: Daniel Pearl

Talking to writer/director Coralie Fargeat actor Matilda Lutz at premiere of Revenge 09/10/17 Photo by: Ian Goring

Talking to James Franco at the world premiere of The Disaster Artist 09/11/17 Photo by: Ian Goring

Talking to James Franco at the world premiere of The Disaster Artist Photo by: Sarah Mitchell

 Speaking to Ari Graynor about portraying Lisa in The Disaster Artist Photo by: Sarah Mitchell

 

Talking to screenwriters Scott Neustadter & Michael H. Weber Photo by: Sarah Mitchell

 

With Vince Vaughn at the world premiere of Brawl In Cell Block 99

09/12/17 Photo by: Sarah Mitchell

Interviewing actor Dan Amboyer at premiere of Brawl In Cell Block 99

Photo by: Sarah Mitchell

Speaking with the Let The Corpses Tan writers/directors Bruno Forzani & Hélène Cattet

World Premiere 09/13/17 Photo by: Sarah Mitchell

 With actor Hervé Sogne at the premiere of Let The Corpses Tan

Photo by: Sarah Mitchell

Talking to The Crescent Director Seth A. Smith 09/14/17

Photo by: Ian Goring

Speaking to actor Danika Vandersteen at the world premiere of The Crescent

Photo by: Ian Goring

 With director Ryûhei Kitamura at world premiere of Downrange

09/15/17 Photo by: Ian Goring

Talking to actor Graham Skipper about Downrange & Sequence Break

Photo by: Ian Goring

Speaking with Anthony Kirlew about his character in Downrange

Photo by: Sarah Mitchell

Interviewing Kelly Connaire at the premiere of Downrange

Photo by: Sarah Mitchell

Talking with Downrange actor Rod Hernandez-Farella

Photo by: Sarah Mitchell

In conversation with Stephanie Pearson at the Downrange premiere.

Photo by: Sarah Mitchell

Talking to Alexa Yeames at the Downrange premiere.

Photo by: Sarah Mitchell

With actor Jason Tobias at the Downrange premiere.

Photo by: Sarah Mitchell 

Talking to Tamotsu Kimura, director Sôichi Umezawa & Asuka Kurosawa

at the world premiere of Vampire Clay 09/16/17

Photo by: Ian Goring

Robert & Sarah Mitchell 

Photo by: Ian Goring

 Robert & Sarah Mitchell Midnight Madness Progammer Peter Kuplowsky Photographer Ian Goring

Photo by: Dominik Magdziak

Nicolas Cage

Photo by: Sarah Mitchell