"All you need for a blog is a gun and a girl."

You have to be asking yourself: Does the world need yet another blog? And one on film at that?

Well, for starters, this blog won't be a place for me to wax idiotic about the latest flick I caught at the bijou. There are enough sites out there lending a critical eye to world cinema, written by people far more qualified to do so than myself, to justify adding one more to their ranks.

Then on what will Kino-Eye focus? Toronto's film scene. What do I mean by that? Well, it will include postings regarding...

• revue theatres (a dying breed)


• upcoming film festivals of all sizes (including calls for submissions)


• listings for film screenings


• meetings of local film clubs or associations


• interviews with local film makers, video artists, programmers, film critics, or anyone else even remotely connected to the local film scene


• talks by (local) film makers and scholars


• student-run film projects


• the launch of new film-related publications


• film-related contests and events


• anything else related to film happening in the greater Toronto area. (And I mean anything - from the latest offering at the Royal to whatever Reg Hart happens to be showing in his living room on a Thursday night.)

But the question remains: for whom is this blog intended? Generally speaking, anyone. More precisely, students. Perhaps I'm just projecting my own interests onto my peers, but I believe the majority of students at the University of Toronto, York, Ryerson, and OCAD genuinely enjoy watching films (films from the grindhouse, the arthouse, and anything in-between). Unfortunately, many are simply unaware that there is a world beyond the multiplex and Blockbuster. It's amazing how many students aren't even aware of Cinematheque - and that's pretty mainstream. This blog is for those students, the ones who have grown tired of the impersonal film-going experience dished out by places like the Scotiabank Theatre and who crave something more.

So how is this site going to work? Obviously, I can't do this on my own - I'm only one man, I need your help. So I encourage all of you to contribute to this blog. Send me interviews, articles, event listings, reviews of local cinemas or festivals, or anything else concerning Toronto's film scene. Ideally, I'll simply act as the editor of this site, posting the pieces you send me. So whether it's a heads-up concerning a screening you and your friends are having in your basement apartment, notification of the release of a new student-made film, or an in-depth interview with Bruce LaBruce (oh, do we dare to dream?), send it to me and I'll post it. It's that easy. This site will be what we make it.

So now you know what it's all about. Now it's your turn. Get your Jimmy Olsen on and hit up the cinemas, the video stores, the galleries, and the location shoots for the latest scoop. Then return here with your updates. To quote Ekin Cheng in the under-rated 1999 Hong Kong racing flick 'The Legend of Speed': "Sometimes you must step on the gas...and sometimes you must step on the brake. Now is the time to step on the gas."

Gun it!

(Many thanks to my friend Peter for designing the logo for Kino-Eye.)