Suck (film)
| Suck | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical poster | |
| Directed by | Rob Stefaniuk |
| Produced by |
Robin Crumley Jeff Rogers Victoria Hirst |
| Written by | Rob Stefaniuk |
| Starring |
Rob Stefaniuk Jessica Paré Malcolm McDowell Iggy Pop Alice Cooper |
| Cinematography | D. Gregor Hagey |
| Editing by | Michele Conroy |
| Distributed by | Capri Films |
| Release dates |
|
| Country | Canada |
| Language | English |
Suck is a 2009 rock-and-roll vampire black comedy film starring, written and directed by Rob Stefaniuk. Stefaniuk stars alongside Canadian actress Jessica Paré, Nicole de Boer (his castmate from the TV series Catwalk), Malcolm McDowell and rock legends Alice Cooper, Iggy Pop, Henry Rollins and Alex Lifeson of Rush.[1] Production took place in and around Toronto in late 2008.[2]
Premise and plot
The film is a rock and roll-vampire-comedy. It follows a petty rock band called the Winners, consisting of vocalist Joey Winner (Stefaniuk), bassist Jennifer (Jessica Paré), guitarist Tyler (Paul Anthony), drummer Sam (Mike Lobel), and French-Canadian roadie Hugo (Chris Ratz), along with their sleazy manager Jeff (Dave Foley), as they tour across Canada and the USA after Jennifer is turned into a vampire by Queeny (Dimitri Coats). Meanwhile, a vampire hunter—who is afraid of the dark—named Eddie Van Helsing (McDowell) quickly chases them down.
While on tour, one by one the band is turned into vampires. The band grows in popularity but Joey is losing interest in the vampire lifestyle. Joey tells Jennifer that they can become human but they will need to kill Queeny. The band, now working with Eddie, go to Queeny's mansion to fight him. During the fight Eddie discovers his lost love, Danielle, did not die but was turned. As Queeny is about to kill Eddie, he is stabbed in the heart by Joey. The band and Danielle become human again. Six months later Joey and Jennifer are bored living in suburbia when they are approached by the vampire bartender (Alice Cooper), an ancient and powerful vampire, who convinces them to become vampires again.
Cast
- Rob Stefaniuk as Joey Winner, lead vocalist of the Winners. He desperately wants the band to go somewhere, and considers this to be his last shot.
- Jessica Paré as Jennifer, bassist of the Winners. She becomes a vampire early in the film, and attracts numerous people to come see the band.
- Iggy Pop as Victor, a studio owner to whose studio the band goes to record a single.
- Alice Cooper as a vampire bartender at the Montreal club.
- Malcolm McDowell as Eddie Van Helsing, a vampire hunter, who is afraid of the dark and is tracking the Winners on their tour.
Flashback scenes, featuring the character of Van Helsing as a younger man, were edited from footage of the 1973 movie O Lucky Man!, starring McDowell at age 30.[3][4] - Dave Foley as Jeff, the band's sleazy manager.
- Moby as Beef Bellows, the metal singer in the Buffalo band 'Secretaries of Steak'.
- Henry Rollins as Rockin' Roger, a radio station DJ interviewing The Winners.
- Alex Lifeson as the border guard.
- Danny Smith as Jerry, the gas station employee
- Paul Anthony as Tyler, the guitarist.
- Mike Lobel as Sam, the drummer.
- Nicole de Boer as Susan, Joey's jealous girlfriend.
- Chris Ratz as Hugo.
- Dimitri Coats as Queeny, the vampire, who "turns" Jennifer. He's a musician himself.
- Carole Pope as the club bouncer.
- Calico Cooper as a barmaid.
- Barbara Mamabolo as Danielle.
Production
Filming
Filming commenced November 23, 2008 in the Toronto area. It was filmed on location, and many of the clubs throughout the film are underground clubs and bars in Toronto such as The Big Bop (accounting for three of the clubs, each floor representing a different city on the tour). Members of Toronto's goth scene were requested to perform as background extras for some of the club scenes.[5]
The US Customs scenes were shot at Toronto's defunct International Marine Passenger Terminal.[6]
Filming lasted 20 days, on a budget of about $3.5 million (CAD).[5]
Release
Rights to the film were acquired by Alliance Films. It premiered on Friday, September 11, 2009 at the Toronto International Film Festival[7] and was part of the South by Southwest Film Festival (SXSW) 2010 in Austin, Texas.[8] E1 Entertainment holds the rights for the Home video (Blu-ray and DVD), VOD, digital and TV sales.[9]
Soundtrack listing
- I'm coming to get you - The Winners
- Going Nowhere - The Winners
- The Fool - The Winners
- So Close it Hurts - The Winners
- Suck - The Winners
- Take it - The Winners
- This is your brain on drugs - The Winners
- I Am The Spider - Alice Cooper
- Here comes the night - David Bowie
- Oh! Sweet nuthin - The Velvet Underground
- Success - Iggy Pop
- Sympathy For The Devil - Styrofoam Bible
- T.V.Eye - The Stooges
- You Raised a Vampire - The Moog
- Crossroads - Robert Johnson
- Bright City - Groovy Religion
- 420 Ganja Song - Kidd Rasta & The Peacemakers
- Flesh and Bone - Burning Brides
- Goes Further - Burning Brides
- Old Emotions - Spoons
- Let You Down - Tin Star Orphans
- May Go Round - Spiral Beach
- Same old place - Blue Peter
- Still Bleeding - Secretaries of Steak
References
- ↑ A Taste of Immortal Cheese in First 'Suck' Clips
- ↑ Two Clips that Really Suck
- ↑ Lindsay Anderson's O Lucky Man! is noted in the DVD director's commentary and is cited in the end credits.
- ↑ Mention of O Lucky Man! on the movie connections page for Suck at the Internet Movie Database
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Shock Til You Drop article
- ↑ DVD director's commentary.
- ↑ SXSW '10: New Festival Trailer for Vampire Comedy 'Suck'
- ↑ SXSW '10 REVIEW: 'Suck' Fails to Bring the Rock 'n Roll
- ↑ E1 Entertainment Officially Announces Their Need to Suck and Gives Us New Stills
External links
- Suck
- Suck at the Internet Movie Database