Suck (film)
Encyclopedia
Suck is a 2009 rock-and-roll vampire comedy film
starring, written and directed by Rob Stefaniuk
. Stefaniuk stars alongside Canadian actress Jessica Paré
, Malcolm McDowell
and rock legends Alice Cooper
, Iggy Pop
, Henry Rollins
, Moby
and Alex Lifeson
of Rush
. Production took place in and around Toronto in late 2008.
-vampire
-comedy. It follows a petty rock band called the Winners, consisting of vocalist Joey Winner (Stefaniuk), bassist Jennifer (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.
were requested to perform as background extras for some of the club scenes.
The US Customs scenes were shot at Toronto's defunct International Marine Passenger Terminal.
Filming lasted 20 days, on a budget of about $3.5 million (CAD).
. It premiered on Friday, September 11, 2009 at the Toronto International Film Festival
and was part of the South by Southwest Film Festival (SXSW) 2010 in Austin, Texas
. E1 Entertainment holds the rights for the Home video
(Blu-ray and DVD), VOD
, digital
and TV sales.
Comedy film
Comedy film is a genre of film in which the main emphasis is on humour. They are designed to elicit laughter from the audience. Comedies are mostly light-hearted dramas and are made to amuse and entertain the audiences...
starring, written and directed by Rob Stefaniuk
Rob Stefaniuk
Rob Stefaniuk is a Canadian comedian, actor and writer who has worked in numerous television shows and films as both guest actor and series regular...
. Stefaniuk stars alongside Canadian actress Jessica Paré
Jessica Paré
Jessica Paré is a Canadian film and television actress. She has appeared in the films Stardom , Lost and Delirious , Wicker Park , Hot Tub Time Machine , and co-starred in the vampire horror-comedy Suck...
, Malcolm McDowell
Malcolm McDowell
Malcolm McDowell is an English actor with a career spanning over forty years.McDowell is principally known for his roles in the controversial films If...., O Lucky Man!, A Clockwork Orange and Caligula...
and rock legends Alice Cooper
Alice Cooper
Alice Cooper is an American rock singer, songwriter and musician whose career spans more than four decades...
, Iggy Pop
Iggy Pop
Iggy Pop is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and actor. Though considered an innovator of punk rock, Pop's music has encompassed a number of styles over the years, including pop, metal, jazz and blues...
, Henry Rollins
Henry Rollins
Henry Rollins is an American singer-songwriter, spoken word artist, writer, comedian, publisher, actor, and radio DJ....
, Moby
Moby
Richard Melville Hall , better known by his stage name Moby, is an American musician, DJ, and photographer. He is known mainly for his sample-based electronic music and his outspoken liberal political views, including his support of veganism and animal rights.Moby gained attention in the early...
and Alex Lifeson
Alex Lifeson
Aleksandar Živojinović, OC, better known by his stage name Alex Lifeson, is a second generation Serbian-Canadian musician, best known as the guitarist of the Canadian rock band Rush. In the summer of 1968, Lifeson founded the band that would become Rush with friend, drummer John Rutsey...
of Rush
Rush (band)
Rush is a Canadian rock band formed in August 1968, in the Willowdale neighbourhood of Toronto, Ontario. The band is composed of bassist, keyboardist, and lead vocalist Geddy Lee, guitarist Alex Lifeson, and drummer and lyricist Neil Peart...
. Production took place in and around Toronto in late 2008.
Premise and plot
The film is a rock and rollRock and roll
Rock and roll is a genre of popular music that originated and evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s, primarily from a combination of African American blues, country, jazz, and gospel music...
-vampire
Vampire
Vampires are mythological or folkloric beings who subsist by feeding on the life essence of living creatures, regardless of whether they are undead or a living person...
-comedy. It follows a petty rock band called the Winners, consisting of vocalist Joey Winner (Stefaniuk), bassist Jennifer (Paré), guitarist Tyler (Paul Anthony), drummer Sam (Mike Lobel
Mike Lobel
Michael Ryan "Mike" Lobel is a Canadian actor.-Life and career:Lobel is the oldest of three siblings. At a young age he began showing interest in music and visual arts which drew him to Etobicoke School of the Arts. He attended ESA from 1998 to 2003, first majoring in music then later switching...
), and French-Canadian roadie Hugo (Chris Ratz), along with their sleazy manager Jeff (Dave Foley
Dave Foley
David Scott "Dave" Foley is a Canadian comedian, writer, director, and producer best known for his work in The Kids in the Hall, NewsRadio, A Bug's Life, and Celebrity Poker Showdown...
), 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.
Cast
- Rob StefaniukRob StefaniukRob Stefaniuk is a Canadian comedian, actor and writer who has worked in numerous television shows and films as both guest actor and series regular...
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 ParéJessica ParéJessica Paré is a Canadian film and television actress. She has appeared in the films Stardom , Lost and Delirious , Wicker Park , Hot Tub Time Machine , and co-starred in the vampire horror-comedy Suck...
as Jennifer, bassist of the Winners. She becomes a vampire early in the film, and attracts numerous people to come see the band. - Iggy PopIggy PopIggy Pop is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and actor. Though considered an innovator of punk rock, Pop's music has encompassed a number of styles over the years, including pop, metal, jazz and blues...
as Victor, a studio owner to whose studio the band goes to record a single. - Alice CooperAlice CooperAlice Cooper is an American rock singer, songwriter and musician whose career spans more than four decades...
as a vampire bartender at the Montreal club. - Malcolm McDowellMalcolm McDowellMalcolm McDowell is an English actor with a career spanning over forty years.McDowell is principally known for his roles in the controversial films If...., O Lucky Man!, A Clockwork Orange and Caligula...
as Eddie Van Helsig, a vampire hunter, who is afraid of the dark and is tracking the Winners on their tour.
Flashback scenes, featuring the character of Van Helsig as a younger man, were edited from footage of the 1973 movie O Lucky Man!O Lucky Man!O Lucky Man! is a 1973 British comedy-drama fantasy film, intended as an allegory on life in a capitalist society. Directed by Lindsay Anderson, it stars Malcolm McDowell as Mick Travis, whom McDowell had first played as a disaffected public schoolboy in his first film performance in Anderson's...
, starring McDowell at age 30. - Dave FoleyDave FoleyDavid Scott "Dave" Foley is a Canadian comedian, writer, director, and producer best known for his work in The Kids in the Hall, NewsRadio, A Bug's Life, and Celebrity Poker Showdown...
as Jeff, the band's sleazy manager. - MobyMobyRichard Melville Hall , better known by his stage name Moby, is an American musician, DJ, and photographer. He is known mainly for his sample-based electronic music and his outspoken liberal political views, including his support of veganism and animal rights.Moby gained attention in the early...
as Beef Bellows, the metal singer in the BuffaloBuffalo, New YorkBuffalo is the second most populous city in the state of New York, after New York City. Located in Western New York on the eastern shores of Lake Erie and at the head of the Niagara River across from Fort Erie, Ontario, Buffalo is the seat of Erie County and the principal city of the...
band 'Secretaries of Steak'. - Henry RollinsHenry RollinsHenry Rollins is an American singer-songwriter, spoken word artist, writer, comedian, publisher, actor, and radio DJ....
as Rockin' Roger, a radio station DJ interviewing The Winners. - Alex LifesonAlex LifesonAleksandar Živojinović, OC, better known by his stage name Alex Lifeson, is a second generation Serbian-Canadian musician, best known as the guitarist of the Canadian rock band Rush. In the summer of 1968, Lifeson founded the band that would become Rush with friend, drummer John Rutsey...
as the border guard. - Danny SmithDanny Smith (actor, musician)Daniel Arthur "Danny" Smith is a Canadian actor and musician.-Life and career:Smith was born in Pickering, Ontario. After high school productions of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat , The Little Shop of Horrors , The Wizard of Oz and more, he began working at Stage West in...
as Jerry, the gas station employee - Paul Anthony as Tyler, the guitarist.
- Mike LobelMike LobelMichael Ryan "Mike" Lobel is a Canadian actor.-Life and career:Lobel is the oldest of three siblings. At a young age he began showing interest in music and visual arts which drew him to Etobicoke School of the Arts. He attended ESA from 1998 to 2003, first majoring in music then later switching...
as Sam, the drummer. - Nicole de BoerNicole de BoerNicole de Boer is a Canadian actress, perhaps best known for her roles as Ezri Dax on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine from 1998 to 1999 and as Sarah Bannerman on The Dead Zone from 2002 to 2007.-Career:...
as Susan, Joey's jealous girlfriend. - Chris Ratz as Hugo.
- Dimitri CoatsDimitri CoatsDimitri Coats is an American musician, songwriter, producer, and actor.-Music career:Dimitri Coats is best known as the frontman for the hard rock band Burning Brides and as the guitarist in the hardcore punk band Off!...
as Queeny, the vampire, who "turns" Jennifer. He's a musician himself. - Carole PopeCarole PopeCarole Pope is a Canadian rock singer-songwriter, whose provocative blend of hard-edged New Wave rock with explicit homoerotic and BDSM-themed lyrics made her one of the first openly lesbian famous entertainers in the world...
as the club bouncer. - Calico Cooper as a barmaid.
- Barbara MamaboloBarbara MamaboloBarbara Mamabolo is a Canadian actress. Since 1998, she has amassed an extensive list of theatre and television credits. She was born in Toronto, Ontario....
as Danielle.
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 show). Members of Toronto's goth sceneToronto goth scene
The Toronto goth scene, the cultural locus of the goth subculture in Toronto, Ontario, Canada and the associated music and fashion scene, has distinct origins from goth scenes of other goth subcultural centres, such as the UK or Germany. Originally known as the "Batcavers", the term "goth" appeared...
were requested to perform as background extras for some of the club scenes.
The US Customs scenes were shot at Toronto's defunct International Marine Passenger Terminal.
Filming lasted 20 days, on a budget of about $3.5 million (CAD).
Release
Rights to the film were acquired by Alliance FilmsAlliance Films
Alliance Films is a major Canadian motion picture distribution/production company, which serves Canada, the United Kingdom, and Spain.-History:It was formed in 1984 by Stephen Roth, Denis Heroux, John Kemeny, Robert Lantos and Jay...
. It premiered on Friday, September 11, 2009 at the Toronto International Film Festival
Toronto International Film Festival
The Toronto International Film Festival is a publicly-attended film festival held each September in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. In 2010, 339 films from 59 countries were screened at 32 screens in downtown Toronto venues...
and was part of the South by Southwest Film Festival (SXSW) 2010 in Austin, Texas
Austin, Texas
Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of :Texas and the seat of Travis County. Located in Central Texas on the eastern edge of the American Southwest, it is the fourth-largest city in Texas and the 14th most populous city in the United States. It was the third-fastest-growing large city in...
. E1 Entertainment holds the rights for the Home video
Home video
Home video is a blanket term used for pre-recorded media that is either sold or rented/hired for home cinema entertainment. The term originates from the VHS/Betamax era but has carried over into current optical disc formats like DVD and Blu-ray Disc and, to a lesser extent, into methods of digital...
(Blu-ray and DVD), VOD
Video on demand
Video on Demand or Audio and Video On Demand are systems which allow users to select and watch/listen to video or audio content on demand...
, digital
Digital
A digital system is a data technology that uses discrete values. By contrast, non-digital systems use a continuous range of values to represent information...
and TV sales.
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 BowieDavid BowieDavid Bowie is an English musician, actor, record producer and arranger. A major figure for over four decades in the world of popular music, Bowie is widely regarded as an innovator, particularly for his work in the 1970s...
- Oh! Sweet nuthin - The Velvet UndergroundThe Velvet UndergroundThe Velvet Underground was an American rock band formed in New York City. First active from 1964 to 1973, their best-known members were Lou Reed and John Cale, who both went on to find success as solo artists. Although experiencing little commercial success while together, the band is often cited...
- Success - Iggy Pop
- Sympathy For The Devil - Styrofoam Bible
- T.V.Eye - The StoogesThe StoogesThe Stooges are an American rock band from Ann Arbor, Michigan first active from 1967 to 1974, and later reformed in 2003...
- You Raised a Vampire - The Moog
- Crossroads - Robert JohnsonRobert JohnsonRobert Leroy Johnson was an American blues singer and musician. His landmark recordings from 1936–37 display a combination of singing, guitar skills, and songwriting talent that have influenced later generations of musicians. Johnson's shadowy, poorly documented life and death at age 27 have given...
- Bright City - Groovy Religion
- 420 Ganja Song - Kidd Rasta & The Peacemakers
- Flesh and Bone - Burning Brides
- Goes Further - Burning Brides
- Old Emotions - SpoonsSpoons (band)Spoons are a Canadian New Wave new romantic synth pop music group, formed in 1979 in Burlington, Ontario. They recorded several Canadian chart hits between 1982 and 1989, and in 1983, they won Group of the Year at the U-Know awards...
- Let You Down - Tin Star Orphans
- May Go Round - Spiral Beach
- Same old place - Blue PeterBlue Peter (band)Blue Peter was a Canadian new wave synthpop founded in 1978 in Markham, Ontario by Chris Wardman and Paul Humphrey. In their heyday, Blue Peter opened for major international acts such as The Police and Simple Minds...
- Secretaries of Steak - Still Bleeding