Dreamland (2019 Canadian film)

Dreamland
Film poster
Directed byBruce McDonald
Written byTony Burgess
Patrick Whistler
Produced byJesus Gonzalez-Elvira
Sebastian Schelenz
StarringStephen McHattie
Juliette Lewis
Henry Rollins
Tómas Lemarquis
CinematographyRichard Van Oosterhout
Edited byDuff Smith
Music byJonathan Goldsmith
Production
companies
Calach Films
Goodbye Productions
Velvet Films
Distributed byA71 Entertainment
Dark Star Pictures
Release date
  • April 14, 2019 (2019-04-14) (BIFFF)
Running time
92 minutes
CountryCanada
LanguageEnglish

Dreamland is a 2019 Canadian fantasy drama-thriller film, directed by Bruce McDonald.[1] The film stars Stephen McHattie in a dual role as The Maestro, a jazz musician who has been hired by the Countess (Juliette Lewis) to play at the wedding of her vampire brother (Tómas Lemarquis), and Johnny Deadeyes, a hitman who has been hired by crime boss Hercules (Henry Rollins) to kill the musician.[2]

The film has been described as a "spinoff" of McDonald's 2008 film Pontypool, in that it jumps off from the post-credits scene in Pontypool in which McHattie and Lisa Houle were depicted in period garb speaking a foreign language.[3]

The film premiered at the Brussels International Fantastic Film Festival in 2019,[4] and was screened at various film festivals before going into commercial release in 2020.[1] It received mixed reviews from critics who noted the lack of coherence.

  1. ^ a b Alex Rose, "Bruce McDonald’s totally gonzo new movie Dreamland needs to be seen". Cult MTL, May 29, 2020.
  2. ^ Pat Mullen, "Dreamland Review: WTF Bruce?". That Shelf, May 30, 2020.
  3. ^ Chris Vander Kaay (April 3, 2018). "[Exclusive] 'Pontypool' Spinoff Coming Soon and Direct Sequel in the Works!". Bloody Disgusting.
  4. ^ Joseph Perry, "Brussels IFFF Review: Doppelgängers, Vampires, and Killer Kids Inhabit Bruce McDonald’s Dreamland". Diabolique Magazine, May 6, 2019.