Honouring the best in Television and Cinema, the 82nd Golden Globe Awards were held tonight in Los Angeles. Leading the way in the Cinema categories was THE BRUTALIST taking Best Director (Brady Corbet), Actor (Adrien Brody) and Best Motion Picture Drama, strengthening its case for Best Picture at the impending Academy Awards in March.

But if anything, the race for Best Picture is as competitive as ever with Jacques Audiard‘s EMILIA PÉREZ also taking Best Motion Picture Comedy or Musical, Best Motion Picture Non-English Language, Best Original Song (“El Mal”), and Best Supporting Actress (Zoe Saldana).

Cinematic and Box Office Achievement would go to Jon M. Chu‘s WICKED, which also is in the running for Best Picture at the Academy Awards. The Film, released late November, already has grossed over $680 million globally.

FX‘s SHŌGUN dominated the Television categories, winning Best Television Series Drama, Best Actor in a Television Series Drama (Hiroyuki Sanada), Best Actress in a TV Series (Anna Sawai), and Best Supporting Actor in a Television Series (Tadanobu Asano).

In the Television Series Comedy categories, HBO‘s HACKS would dominate, taking Best Television Series Comedy and Best Actress in a Television Series Comedy (Jean Smart).

Some of the biggest surprises of the night include wins from THE SUBSTANCE star Demi Moore upsetting the Best Actress in a Motion Picture Comedy category, a category in which ANORA‘s Mikey Madison is seen as the frontrunner. Brazilian screen legend Fernanda Torres also would upset Best Actress in a Motion Picture Drama for her work in I’M STILL HERE, denying the likes of Nicole Kidman who has been lauded for her work in BABYGIRL.

Complete list of winners:

Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in any Motion Picture

• Zoe Saldaña, “Emilia Pérez” — Winner
• Ariana Grande, “Wicked”
• Selena Gomez, “Emilia Pérez”
• Felicity Jones, “The Brutalist”
• Margaret Qualley, “The Substance”
• Isabella Rossellini, “Conclave”

Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series — Musical or Comedy

• Jean Smart, “Hacks” — Winner
• Kristen Bell, “Nobody Wants This”
• Quinta Brunson, “Abbott Elementary”
• Ayo Edebiri, “The Bear”
• Selena Gomez, “Only Murders in the Building”
• Kathryn Hahn, “Agatha All Along”

Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in Any Motion Picture

• Kieran Culkin, “A Real Pain” — Winner
• Yura Borisov, “Anora”
• Edward Norton, “A Complete Unknown”
• Guy Pearce, “The Brutalist”
• Jeremy Strong, “The Apprentice”
• Denzel Washington, “Gladiator II”

Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series — Drama

• Hiroyuki Sanada, “Shōgun” — Winner
• Donald Glover, “Mr. & Mrs. Smith”
• Jake Gyllenhaal, “Presumed Innocent”
• Gary Oldman, “Slow Horses”
• Eddie Redmayne, “The Day of the Jackal”
• Billy Bob Thornton, “Landman”

Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Television Series

• Jessica Gunning, “Baby Reindeer” — Winner
• Liza Colon-Zayas, “The Bear”
• Hannah Einbinder, “Hacks”
• Dakota Fanning, “Ripley”
• Allison Janney, “The Diplomat”
• Kali Reis, “True Detective: Night Country”

Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Television Series

• Tadanobu Asano, “Shōgun” — Winner
• Javier Bardem, “Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story”
• Harrison Ford, “Shrinking”
• Jack Lowden, “Slow Horses”
• Diego Luna, “La Maquina”
• Ebon Moss-Bachrach, “The Bear”

Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series — Musical or Comedy

• Jeremy Allen White, “The Bear” — Winner
• Adam Brody, “Nobody Wants This”
• Ted Danson, “A Man on the Inside”
• Steve Martin, “Only Murders in the Building”
• Martin Short, “Only Murders in the Building”
• Jason Segel, “Shrinking”

Best Screenplay — Motion Picture

• Peter Straughan, “Conclave” — Winner
• Jacques Audiard, “Emilia Pérez” 
• Sean Baker, “Anora”
• Brady Corbet, Mona Fastvold, “The Brutalist”
• Jesse Eisenberg, “A Real Pain”
• Coralie Fargeat, “The Substance”

Best Performance in Stand-Up Comedy on Television

• Ali Wong, “Single Lady” — Winner
• Jamie Foxx, “What Had Happened Was”
• Nikki Glaser, “Someday You’ll Die”
• Seth Meyers, “Dad Man Walking”
• Adam Sandler, “Love You”
• Ramy Youssef, “More Feelings”

Best Motion Picture — Non-English Language

• “Emilia Pérez” — Winner
• “All We Imagine as Light”
• “The Girl with the Needle”
• “I’m Still Here”
• “The Seed of the Sacred Fig”
• “Vermiglio”

Best Performance by an Actor in a Limited Series, Anthology Series or Motion Picture Made for Television

• Colin Farrell, “The Penguin” — Winner
• Richard Gadd, “Baby Reindeer”
• Kevin Kline, “Disclaimer”
• Cooper Koch, “Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story”
• Ewan McGregor, “A Gentleman in Moscow”
• Andrew Scott, “Ripley”

Best Performance by an Actress in a Limited Series, Anthology Series or Motion Picture Made for Television

• Jodie Foster, “True Detective: Night Country” — Winner
• Cate Blanchett, “Disclaimer”
• Cristin Milioti, “The Penguin”
• Sofia Vergara, “Griselda”
• Naomi Watts, “Feud: Capote vs. The swans”
• Kate Winslet, “The Regime”

Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture — Musical or Comedy

• Demi Moore, “The Substance” — Winner
• Amy Adams, “Nightbitch”
• Cynthia Erivo, “Wicked”
• Karla Sofía Gascón, “Emilia Pérez”
• Zendaya, “Challengers”
• Mikey Madison, “Anora”

Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture — Musical or Comedy

• Sebastian Stan, “A Different Man” — Winner
• Jesse Eisenberg, “A Real Pain”
• Hugh Grant, “Heretic”
• Gabriel LaBelle, “Saturday Night”
• Jesse Plemons, “Kinds of Kindness”
• Glen Powell, “Hit Man”

Best Motion Picture — Animated

• “Flow” — Winner
• “Inside Out 2”
• “Memoir of a Snail”
• “Moana 2”
• “Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl”
• “The Wild Robot”

Best Director — Motion Picture

• Brady Corbet, “The Brutalist” — Winner
• Jacques Audiard, “Emilia Pérez”
• Sean Baker, “Anora”
• Edward Berger, “Conclave”
• Coralie Fargeat, “The Substance”
• Payal Kapadia, “All We Imagine as Light”

Best Original Score — Motion Picture

• Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross, “Challengers” — Winner
• Volker Bertelmann, “Conclave”
• Daniel Blumberg, “The Brutalist”
• Kris Bowers, “The Wild Robot”
• Clément Ducol, Camille, “Emilia Pérez”
• Hans Zimmer, “Dune: Part Two”

Best Original Song — Motion Picture

• “El Mal,” by Clément Ducol, Camille and Jacques Audiard (from “Emilia Pérez”) — Winner
• “Beautiful That Way,” by Miley Cyrus, Lykke Li and Andrew Wyatt (from “The Last Showgirl”)
• “Compress/Repress,” by Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross & Luca Guadagnino (from “Challengers”)
• “Forbidden Road,” by Robbie Williams, Freddy Wexler & Sacha Skarbek (“Better Man”)
• “Kiss The Sky,” by Delacey, Jordan Johnson, Stefan Johnson, Maren Morris, Michael Pollack & Ali Tamposi (from “The Wild Robot”)
• “Mi Camino,” by Clément Ducol and Camille (from “Emilia Pérez”)

Cinematic and Box Office Achievement

• “Wicked” — Winner
• “Alien: Romulus”
• “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice”
• “Deadpool & Wolverine”
• “Gladiator II”
• “Inside Out 2”
• “Twisters”
• “The Wild Robot”

Best Television Limited Series, Anthology Series or Motion Picture Made for Television

• “Baby Reindeer” — Winner
• “Disclaimer”
• “Monsters: The Lyle and Eric Menendez Story”
• “The Penguin”
• “Ripley”
• “True Detective: Night Country”

Best Television Series — Comedy Or Musical

• “Hacks” — Winner
• “Abbott Elementary”
• “The Bear”
• “The Gentlemen”
• “Nobody Wants This”
• “Only Murders in the Building”

Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series — Drama

• Anna Sawai, “Shōgun” — Winner
• Kathy Bates, “Matlock”
• Emma D’Arcy, “House of the Dragon”
• Maya Erskine, “Mr. and Mrs. Smith”
• Keira Knightley, “Black Doves”
• Keri Russell, “The Diplomat”

Best Television Series — Drama

• “Shōgun” — Winner
• “Mr. and Mrs. Smith”
• “The Diplomat”
• “Squid Game”
• “Slow Horses”
• “The Day of the Jackal”

Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture — Drama

• Fernanda Torres, “I’m Still Here” — Winner
• Pamela Anderson, “The Last Showgirl”
• Angelina Jolie, “Maria”
• Nicole Kidman, “Babygirl”
• Tilda Swinton, “The Room Next Door”
• Kate Winslet, “Lee”

Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture — Drama

• Adrien Brody, “The Brutalist” — Winner
• Timothée Chalamet, “A Complete Unknown”
• Daniel Craig, “Queer”
• Colman Domingo, “Sing Sing”
• Ralph Fiennes, “Conclave”
• Sebastian Stan, “The Apprentice”

Best Motion Picture — Drama

• “The Brutalist” — Winner
• “A Complete Unknown”
• “Conclave”
• “Dune: Part Two”
• “Nickel Boys”
• “September 5”

Best Motion Picture — Musical or Comedy

• “Emilia Pérez” — Winner
• “Anora”
• “Challengers”
• “A Real Pain”
• “The Substance”
• “Wicked”

Our highlights on CBC News:

(Photo credit: Elevation Pictures)

It’s truly a Battle Royale at the Box Office, but MUFASA: THE LION KING prevails over stubborn competition in SONIC THE HEDGEHOG 3. The two films have been first and second in either order these past three weekends. MUFASA takes $24 million from 3,925 theatres, taking its North American run thus far to $168 million for Disney. SONIC gets $20 million from 3,746 theatres, a total $186 million for Paramount Pictures.

NOSFERATU continues to perform well in third spot with $12.3 million from 3,132 theatres for Universal Pictures/Focus Features, a two week total of $68 million.

Fourth is MOANA 2 with $12 million, bringing its run to $424.7 million domestically for Disney.

Fifth goes to WICKED – now on demand – with $9.5 million, a total $450 million grossed to date for Universal Pictures.

Happy New Year! Mongrel Media x Mr. Will are thrilled to give Readers a chance to attend Advance Screenings in Toronto and Vancouver, of HARD TRUTHS and THE LAST SHOWGIRL. Both premiered last year at TIFF ’24 to raves. The respective performances by Marianne Jean-Baptiste and Pamela Anderson, respectively, are both in awards contention.

Screenings:

Hard Truths

Legendary filmmaker Mike Leigh returns to the contemporary world with a fierce, compassionate, and often darkly humorous study of family and the thorny ties that bind us. Reunited with Leigh for the first time since multiple Oscar-nominated Secrets and Lies, the astonishing Marianne Jean-Baptiste plays Pansy, a woman wracked by fear, tormented by afflictions, and prone to raging tirades against her husband, son, and anyone who looks her way. Meanwhile, her easygoing younger sister, played by Michele Austin (Another Year), is a single mother with a life as different from Pansy’s as their clashing temperaments – brimming with communal warmth from her salon clients and daughters alike. This expansive film from a master dramatist takes us into the intensities of kinship, duty, and the most enduring of human mysteries: that even through lifetimes of hurt and hardship, we still find ways to love those we call family. In theatres January 24, 2025.

Toronto: Jan 15th at 7pm Varsity Cinema

Vancouver: Jan 15 at 7pm International Village 

The Last Showgirl

A seasoned performer must plan for her future when her show abruptly closes after a 30-year run. Pamela Anderson, Jamie Lee Curtis, and Dave Bautista star in Gia Coppola’s #TheLastShowgirl —opening JANUARY 17, 2025 in Canadian theatres.

Toronto: Jan 16 at 7pm Yonge and Dundas

Vancouver: Jan 16 at 7pm International Village 

To enter for a chance to win, click “like” on this Post at MR. WILL ON FACEBOOK. In the comments there, please let us know which film you are signing-up for, and which city. And it is fine to sign-up for both! Tag a friend in the comments whom you will take along with you!

Rules and regulations here.

(Photo/video credit: Mongrel Media)

Toronto’s Mocktail Competition returns once again, brought to you by NOA and Sobar Social Club!

Taking place during Dry January, this event will showcase the artistry of spirit-free cocktails as Toronto’s top mixologists compete to create the city’ best Mocktail. The winner, determined by the votes of the attendees, will take home a $500 prize pack from Cocktail Emporium and the title of creator of Toronto’s BEST Mocktail!

Looking to attend? We have a special discount code just for you!

Toronto’s 2nd Annual Mocktail Competition

January 15th, 2025

Doors open at 6pm
Offworld Bar, 739 Queen St W

Participating Mixologists:

Mixology Matt

Max Vyshnivetsky-Le Caprice

Jess Grey -Top Shelf Spirit

Saurav Kaushal- Sauka Events

Tickets available online here.

Each Ticket includes 4 expertly crafted zero proof cocktails, food catered by Offworld Bar, the live cocktail competition, DJ set, interactive photo booth as well as giveaways from Othership, DAVIDsTEA, JAYBIRD, Liquid I.V. and more.

Readers get a special discount, getting half off tickets by using code Will50 at TMC25.eventbrite.ca.

Apple TV+ is ringing in the New Year by offering an all-access pass to customers all around the world. Enjoy Apple TV+ for free the first weekend of 2025 (January 3 through January 5). Apple TV+ will be available for free on any device where Apple TV+ is available. All you need is an Apple ID to see what all the buzz is about.

Kick off 2025 by streaming Apple’s acclaimed originals, including the buzzy new seasons of “Silo,” “Shrinking” and “Bad Sisters,” to the twisty, the riveting “Presumed Innocent,” to Golden Globe nominees “Slow Horses” and “Disclaimer,” and award-winning hits like “The Morning Show” and “Ted Lasso.” Plus, catch up on global phenomenon “Severance” before its second season debut; get your mind blown by celebrated sci-fi series like “Dark Matter,” “For All Mankind” and “Foundation;” and, discover movies for the whole family like “Fly Me to the Moon” and “The Family Plan,” and action-packed hit features like “Wolfs” and “The Instigators.”

Subscribe to Apple TV+ after the preview weekend to watch even more hit series and films.

About Apple TV+
Apple TV+ is available on the Apple TV app in over 100 countries and regions, on over 1 billion screens, including iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, Apple Vision Pro, Mac, popular smart TVs from Samsung, LG, Sony, VIZIO, TCL and others, Roku and Amazon Fire TV devices, Chromecast with Google TV, PlayStation and Xbox gaming consoles, and at tv.apple.com, for $12.99 per month with a seven-day free trial for new subscribers. For a limited time, customers who purchase and activate a new iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, Mac or iPod touch can enjoy three months of Apple TV+ for free.*

Luke Hutchie and Matthew Finlan were celebrity guests on CBC’s Canada Live! 2025 Countdown! Hosted by Adrienne Arsenault at Harbourfront Centre in Toronto and Ian Hanomansing at the VanDusen Botanical Garden in Vancouver, with reporters in communities from coast to coast and surprise messages from Canadian personalities.

Season two of Ghosting with Luke Hutchie and Matthew Finlan premieres March 21, 2025 on CBC Gem. This season goes cross country with celebrity Guests as Luke and Matthew work to determine if some of Canada’s most haunted places are truly haunted. The cross country season features locations in the Yukon Territory, British Columbia, Newfoundland, Halifax and Ontario.

Season one premiered January 26th 2024 on CBC Gem and featured celebrity guests like Frankie Grande, Hale Grande, Katie Douglas, Devyn Nekoda, Kevin Alves, Zoe De Grand Maison, Bukola Ayoka, Jade Hassoune, and Synthia Kiss.

(Photo credit: Albert Hoang)

Two of Toronto’s most acclaimed chefs, Chef Nuit Regular (PAI, Kiin, Chaiyo, Sukhothai) and Chef Eva Chin (Yan Dining Room, The Soy Luck Club), are joining forces for an exclusive Lunar New Year dinner that promises to delight and inspire. This special event, hosted at Hong Shing Restaurant on Sunday, February 2, 2025, will feature a carefully curated dining experience celebrating the vibrant culinary traditions of Chinese and Thai cultures.

The evening’s 8-course menu will take guests on a journey through thoughtfully crafted dishes that
honour tradition while embracing innovation. Highlights include white pepper broth with heritage pork and sticky rice, steamed fish with aged soy and shiitake mushrooms, lotus leaf rice with garlic crab and sea urchin sabayon, and prosperity noodles with stuffed pork hock and pistachios. Sweet endings, like salted plum sorbet and poached apple infused with longan tea and goji berries, provide a perfect close to the celebration. Each course reflects the chefs’ unique perspectives and shared passion for storytelling
through food.

“This collaboration is about celebrating our shared respect for heritage while bringing something fresh to
the table,” says Chef Eva Chin. “It’s an exciting way to honour Lunar New Year with creativity and
connection.”

Chef Nuit Regular adds, “Lunar New Year is a time for connection, celebration, and incredible food. Chef
Eva and I are excited to craft a menu that honours our roots while offering guests an unforgettable
experience.”

Yan Dining Room Details:
● Location: Hong Shing Private Dining Room, 195 Dundas St. West, Toronto
● Date: Sunday, February 2, 2025
● Time: 7:00 PM
● Capacity: 40 seats
● Price: $188.00 per person
● Reservations: Available via Tock

Having launched with success in late 2024, Yan Dining Room was born from Chef Eva Chin’s vision to
redefine Chinese cuisine alongside restaurateur Colin Li. The dining series explores the evolution of
Chinese flavours through refined multi-course menus that pair classic techniques with innovative ideas.
This collaboration with Chef Nuit Regular continues that ethos, showcasing the harmony of two culinary
worlds and pushing the boundaries of tradition.

For more information and updates on this exciting series, follow @YanDiningRoom on Instagram or visit
the Hong Shing website for reservation details.

About Hong Shing
Hong Shing is a Cantonese-style Chinese restaurant that has been a long-time local favourite, since
1997, by consistently providing delicious Chinese food to communities throughout Toronto. Using family
recipes, Hong Shing has created some of Toronto’s most beloved ‘family-style’ dishes and comfort foods
with fresh, traditional Chinese ingredients. The Hong Shing name is derived from the Cantonese
language meaning “Strong and Healthy” and “City Fortress Gate,” while the water flowing through the
fortress symbolizes wisdom and fluidity of life. All of these were the inspiration for their iconic logo. For
more information visit https://hongshing.com or follow @hongshingto on Instagram.

About Chef Nuit Regular:
Chef Nuit Regular is the Executive Chef and Co-Owner of PAI, Kiin, Chaiyo, By Chef Nuit Events &
Catering, and Sukhothai. She has transformed the Thai food scene in Toronto through the distinct flavours
of Northern Thai cuisine and hospitality. The first Thai SELECT Ambassador for Canada, Chef Nuit has
been recognized by the government of Thailand for the authenticity of her Thai cooking and was awarded
the prestigious Thai SELECT Signature designation for her restaurants. She is the recipient of the 2024
WXN Top 100 SKIP Food Industry Award and 2024 Pinnacle Awards Chef of the Year, and a finalist for
the RBC CWEA Momentum Award. She was also awarded the WXN Top 100 BMO Entrepreneurs Award
and the American Express Award for Business Leadership in 2022. Her debut cookbook, Kiin: Recipes
and Stories from Northern Thailand, won a 2021 IACP Cookbook Award and a Taste Canada Gold
Award.

About Kiin:
Kiin means “to eat” in Thai. From restaurateur couple and award-winning Chef Nuit Regular and Jeff
Regular, Kiin expands beyond their Northern Thai roots to showcase the diversity of culinary traditions
found all across Thailand. Within a casual fine dining atmosphere, an ingredient-driven, Royal
Thai-inspired tasting menu will guide guests through the bright, rich, and complex flavours drawn from
Chef Nuit’s experiences in her home country. Kiin is a MICHELIN Guide Recommended Restaurant and a
Thai SELECT Signature restaurant certified by the Royal Thai Government.

Today, Prime Video recently announced the April 10, 2025 premiere date for the upcoming film G20, an action-thriller starring Academy Award winner Viola Davis. Directed by Patricia Riggen, G20 follows U.S. President Danielle Sutton (Davis), who becomes the number one target after the G20 summit comes under siege. After evading capture by the attackers, she must outsmart the enemy to protect her family, defend her country and safeguard world leaders. The film will be available to stream in more than 240 countries and territories worldwide. Today we get a new Trailer.

“This is Viola Davis as you’ve never seen her—heroically kicking tons of ass in a global thrill ride,” said Riggen. “With G20, I wanted to make the kind of classic, edge-of-your-seat action film that I’ve always been such a fan of, but one that draws on the high stakes of our modern and technologically advanced world we live in. I hope to give audiences an experience that will captivate them from start to finish.”

Alongside Davis, G20 stars Anthony Anderson as Derek Sutton, Marsai Martin as Serena Sutton, Ramón Rodríguez as Agent Manny Ruiz, Douglas Hodge as Oliver Everett, Elizabeth Marvel as Joanna Worth, Sabrina Impacciatore as Elena Romano, Christopher Farrar as Demetrius Sutton, and Antony Starr as Rutledge.

“G20 is a high-stakes action film with a lot of heart,” said producers Davis and Julius Tennon. “It boasts a fantastic ensemble cast, and is rooted in the fundamental drive we all have to protect the people and places that matter most to us,” said producer Andrew Lazar.

G20 was written by Caitlin Parrish and Erica Weiss, and Logan Miller and Noah Miller, with story by Logan Miller and Noah Miller. The movie is produced by Andrew Lazar, p.g.a., Viola Davis, and Julius Tennon. It is a co-production of Amazon MGM Studios and MRC with Mad Chance Productions and JuVee Productions also producing.

Netflix‘s action packed espionage series starring Noah Centineo returns for its second season on January 30, 2025. Today, we get a brand-new official Trailer!

ABOUT THE RECRUIT S2
Season Two of The Recruit finds CIA Lawyer, Owen Hendricks (Noah Centineo), pulled into a life-threatening espionage situation in South Korea, only to realize that the bigger threat just might be coming from inside the Agency.

CREDITS:
Format: Drama; 6 x 1-hour episodes
Creator/Showrunner/Executive Producer: Alexi Hawley
Executive Producers: Noah Centineo, Doug Liman, Gene Klein, David Bartis, Adam Ciralsky, Charlie Ebersol, Julian Holmes
Director(s): Julian Holmes (201, 205), Jessica Yu (202), Viet Nguyen (203), John Hyams (204) Alexi Hawley (206)
Writer(s): Alexi Hawley, Maya Goldsmith, George Ghanem, Brian Oh, Sue Chung, Hadi Deeb
Series Regulars: Noah Centineo, Teo Yoo, Aarti Mann, Colton Dunn, Fivel Stewart, Kristian Bruun, Kaylah Zander, Maddie Hasson, Angel Parker and Vondie Curtis-Hall.
Additional Key Cast: Young-Ah Kim, Felix Solis, James Purefoy, Do Hyun Shin, Sanghee Lee, Omar Maskati, Brooke Smith, Devika Bhise, Alana Hawley Purvis, Daniel Quincy Annoh, Jesse Collin and Nathan Fillion
Studio: Lionsgate Television

A luxury Sedan for the ages! We were thrilled to test drive the 2025 Acura TLX A-SPEC for the Holidays. In a timeless Liquid Carbon Metallic, with a festive red and black interior trimming, we couldn’t imagine a more fitting way to ring-in the new year!

What makes an A-SPEC package so unique, you ask? This means more aggressively sculpted body panels and larger wheels, with driver-focused paddle shifters.

Running on Premium Unleaded fuel with a capless system, the TLX A-SPEC is powered by a 2.0-litre, 16-valve, Direct Injection, DOHC, VTEC® turbocharged 4-cylinder enging, operating at 272 horsepower with an idle stop option. Its Super Handling All-Wheel Drive™ is native to the Acura family of vehicles.

In terms of Fuel Economy, you get 11.3/8.1/9.8 L/100 km. Yes, you spending and filling a bit more, but you are getting MORE.

Everything about the TLX A-SPEC suggests sophistication and luxury. Driver and the Front Passenger benefit from heated/cooling seats, and let me tell you there were a few frosty days during the holidays where we were begging for that heated steering wheel – and it was conveniently mounted on the steering wheel too!  

The Driver’s seat has 12-way power adjustment, while front passenger gets 4-way. We couldn’t wait till it got dark sometimes to appreciate Acura‘s Iconic Drive™ ambient LED cabin lighting, complete with a whopping 27 themes! The power moonroof with slide and tilt, punctuates the ambience. And those red and black seats came perforated, made of Milano Premium Leather and Ultrasuede®. Gorgeous.

The TLX A-SPEC is very focussed improving the driving experience, making the Driver and Passenger more at home than ever.  It comes with a 12.3″ HD digital instrument cluster, and also a 12.3″ HD dual-content centre display.  I’ll be honest though that I do wish the display was touchscreen, which would make it much easier to navigate using handwriting with my finger on the touchpad or attempting voice commands, which weren’t functional during the drive.  There were also periods where Google Maps went completely blank on the screen and I couldn’t get it back without turning the car completely off for a duration. Syncing with Android Auto™ however, was a breeze though and once I got the hang how to navigate Google Maps and Spotify through it, we were good!

We are a huge fan of the TLX A-SPEC‘s dual-zone automatic climate control, as everyone has different body temperature preferences and enjoy its keyless access system and walk-away door lock. Parking and reversing are rather easy with its Multi-angle rearview camera with dynamic guidelines, plus a surround-view camera system. A rear seat reminder keeps us mindful of loved ones in the back or things we might have left behind.

Now for the fun stuff! We love that the TLX A-SPEC has a generous amount of charging ports – front and rear – but best of all, it has a wireless charging pad.  Our one critique though, is we prefer to have our phone within eyeshot and here it is positioned at a bit of a reach.

The TLX A-SPEC comes with an ELS Studio 3D® Premium Audio System Speakers, compatible with Bluetooth® Streaming Audio, Wireless Apple CarPlay® and Android Auto™, as we mentioned. And you know how much we adore SiriusXM™. It’s there and ready for you if you need it!

Other nice-to-haves here included perimeter/approach puddle lights and rain-sensing windshield wipers. We certainly saw enough rain this Holiday to make use of it! It also has integrated turn indicators, plus Jewel Eye™ headlights, daytime running lights and fog lights – all of which are LED.

We really appreciated the TLX A-Spec‘s hyper-awareness of surroundings. Perhaps even when it didn’t need to be alarming me, it was very proactively doing so. Among its safety features are: 4-wheel Anti-lock Braking System (ABS), Electronic Brake-force Distribution (EBD), Collision Mitigation Braking System™ (CMBS®)* with pedestrian detection, Forward Collision Warning (FCW) system, Hill Start Assist, Lane Departure Warning (LDW) system, Road Departure Mitigation (RDM) system, Tire Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS) with location and pressure indicators, Blind Spot Information (BSI) system, Lane Keeping Assist System (LKAS), Rear Cross Traffic Monitor system, Traffic Jam Assist, and Traffic Sign Recognition (TSR). With traffic fines increasing and being tracked more aggressively around the City, this is a good friend to have.

Lastly, we drive assured knowing Acura has us covered with Advanced front airbags (SRS), Front side airbags, Front knee airbags, Side curtain airbags, and Vehicle Stability Assist (VSA®) with Traction Control. The latter was hard at work as we navigated some low visibility driving conditions on wet roads on a couple long-distance treks to the border and also beautiful Elora.

Highlights from our festive Holiday Test Drive in the 2025 Acura TLX A-SPEC.

 

 

 

 

 

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More here on the 2025 Acura TLX A-SPEC.

(Photo/video credit: Mr. Will Wong)