How To Plan An Orgy In A Small Town

Comedy

Available on VOD: 8 maart 2016

Director: Jeremy Lalonde

Cast: Jewel Staite (Stargate: Atlantis, The Killing), Katharine Isabelle (American Mary, Insomnia), Ennis Esmer (The Rocker, Young People Fucking), Jonas Chernick (The Border, Degrassi, An Awkward Sexual Adventure), Lauren Lee Smith (The Listener, If I Stay), James McGowan (Total Recall, Suicide Squad)

How To Plan An Orgy In A Small Town is a comedy about a group of friends who live in the picturesque town of Beaver's Ridge whose orderly lives get interrupted with the homecoming of big city sex columnist Cassie Cranston.

In her youth Cassie suffered a public humiliation that got her labeled as the town slut, and now that her former friends are looking to spice up their sex lives it's her chance for revenge... and to make some money in the form of a book she owes to her publisher.

Reviews

• Cinemagazine.nl: How to Plan an Orgy in a Small Town’ is een lekker, zeer toegankelijke komedie, die handig balanceert tussen vulgair en ongelooflijk lief. Filmmaker Jeremy Lalonde lijkt zich geïnspireerd te hebben door Kevin Smith (‘Chasing Amy’, ‘Zack and Miri Make a Porno’). De karakters hebben zo hun voorspelbare trekjes, maar zijn toch voldoende psychologisch uitgediept om interessant te blijven. Naast een fantastische Jewel Staite (“Firefly”) – die heerlijk cynische one-liners mag quoten en toch charmant blijft – schittert Katharine Isabelle als foute seksgodin. Ook Lauren Lee Smith weet te overtuigen als egocentrische, opgefokte überbitch, zo iemand die niemand graag in de familie zal krijgen. Het scenario zit goed in elkaar en de meeste grappen doen wat grappen moeten doen. Niet te missen als je van scherpzinnige sekskomedies houdt. Lees de hele recensie hier.
• Dorkshelf.com: Jeremy Lalonde's delightfully named How To Plan An Orgy In A Small Town goes well beyond its titillating title to craft a little gem of a film, a droll take on the conflation of small towns and small-mindedness, finding in its provocative yet accessible storyline a way to tell a rich character piece with moments of broad silliness. Lalonde's brand of fuckery is fun, his ensemble game for whatever comes their way, unafraid to let it all hang out until the final moments. Kudos to the commitment of the performers, and applause for Lalonde and his team for making such a cheeky, fun little flick.
• Dcfilmdom.com: Hearing the title How to Plan an Orgy in a Small Town is titillating, no? You get images in your head of sweet-natured types suddenly unleashing sides of them they've never even shown their dearest lover whilst surrounded by similar-minded folk. True, that's part and parcel of the film, but it's in getting to that point where the film spends its time being outrageously funny. Written and directed by Jeremy Lalonde, his script pushes friendship boundaries to their limits and still has room for sweetness alongside the delightfully vulgar. It's like a wonderful cross between Kevin Smith's two films Chasing Amy and Zack and Miri Make a Porno (which I liked, damn it!) where sexual misgivings lead to truth and hilarity. Lalonde keeps the movie fast-paced and earnest, making How to Plan an Orgy in a Small Town sharp and witty, earning your laughs with gusto as it goes full steam ahead toward its – erm – climax.
• Filmpulse.net: If you're looking for a nudity-ridden, sexual saga featuring hot, pornographic-quality sex scenes, this film is not for you. Yes, the dialogue is very adult and the content extremely hypersexual, but this movie is instead an amusing, somewhat sentimental, prudish take on connecting with old friends and sticking it to your enemies.
• Assholeswatchingmovies.com: This little Canadian gem is written and directed by Jeremy Lalonde. The jokes landed. In fact, the jokes were funny to begin with, and then well-executed. So this is how you assemble a successful indie film: you work and rework the script; you find great talent.
• Influxmagazine.com: The film's plot is all about sex...there's no way around that. By the end of the film a lot of folks are having sex..in fact, pretty much everyone is. That's not exactly a surprise. But what makes the film worth seeing isn't the bits of nudity and titillation but the little stories you see as well as the fullness of the characters. I enjoyed most of the stories though I felt that they were occasionally a bit uneven and difficult to believe. At times, it seems like a comedy but at other times it's a bit dark and even sad..plus who acts like these folks?! This made the experience of watching the film a bit odd to say the least. And, overall it was still a very good and very original movie...and it's worth seeing with someone you love.

The Toll

Horror, Thriller

Available on VOD: 20 mei 2021

Director: Michael Nader

Cast: Jordan Hayes, Max Topplin (Carrie), James McGowan (Total Recall, Suicide Squad), Rosemary Dunsmore (Orphan Black), Paul Kaye (After Life)

A socially awkward driver and a weary passenger they try to make it to their destination while being haunted by a supernatural threat.

Reviews

• RogerEbert.com: The two leads, the great set-up, and the overall love for the genre embedded in every scene leads to an overall success.
• Rue-morgue.com: Nader puts well-earned trust in his two leads, as Hayes and Topplin ably engage our sympathy and occasional suspicion as their characters’ situation keeps shifting. As they become more deeply ensnared in the Toll Man’s web, Nader unveils a series of revelations, some of which work and surprise us better than others. Cami and Spencer’s personal histories inevitably come into play, and what we learn about Cami has a low-hanging-fruit feeling when it comes to motivating backstory. While these past circumstances add a bit of depth to the duo, THE TOLL is at its best when it’s observing them in the moment, faced with uncertain and frightening circumstances and just trying to figure out a way to survive the night.