If the film shoots here in Accordion City are going to be any indication, the sequel to Resident Evil is going to be incredibly over-the-top.
Last week, they closed the Don Valley Parkway intermittently so that they could shoot a helicopter chase scene.
Last night, while running to the store for snacks, we noticed that New City Hall was all aglow. Being the curious sort, we walked over there — a mere ten minutes from my house — to find the buildings bathed in the light emitted by some extremely powerful spotlights. As we walked closer, we noticed an stuntperson in a harness scaling the wall of the west tower. She was suspended from her back and facing downwards. A few moments later, the director yelled action, and the stuntperson ran headfirst down the wall. It was amazing to watch, and I kicked myself for not having my camera with me. Murphy’s Law of Cameras — there’s never one when you need it — had bitten me again.
Someone nearby told us that the stuntperson was in fact Milla Jovovich, who’s had a fair bir of training in “wirework” and likes doing some of her own stunts. There were a number of close-up shots for this scene, so it was necessary for her to do at least some of the stunt work. The budget for the film, he told us, was US$42 million, $30 million of which would be spent here in Canada. Many blockbuster films are filmed in Toronto, but the well ran dry with the SARS scare. He speculated that this film is supposed to help bring Hollywood movie crews back, but it may be tricky, what with SARS paranoia and Hollywood believing that America’s exclusive right to be a movie location was handed down to them by God (it’s the “Free Market” you guys cherish so much — it cuts both ways).
The guy also remarked on the fact that this new Resident Evil movie was yet another zombie film in a wave of horror flicks, and we both noted that the last big horror wave was also when America was undergoing paranoid fits — terrorism now, and the red scare back then.
With any luck, Milla and her filmmates (including host Carson’s brother, Zack Ward) will unwind again at tomorrow night’s Kickass Karaoke.
