Jamie Foxx hunting vampires! Are you ready? Here’s a new Trailer for DAY SHIFT in which Foxx stars alongside Dave Franco and Snoop Dogg!

Synopsis:

Jamie Foxx stars as a hard working blue collar dad who just wants to provide a good life for his quick-witted daughter, but his mundane San Fernando Valley pool cleaning job is a front for his real source of income, hunting and killing vampires as part of an international Union of vampire hunters.

DAY SHIFT arrives August 12, 2022 on Netflix.

(Photo/video credit: Netflix)

Stallone‘s back! Prime Video Canada will be streaming the Action icon’s TV Series debut in SAMARITAN, coming this August. Some new Stills are available!

Synopsis:

Thirteen-year-old Sam Cleary (Javon “Wanna” Walton) suspects that his mysterious and reclusive neighbor Mr. Smith (Sylvester Stallone) is actually a legend hiding in plain sight. Twenty years ago, Granite City’s super-powered vigilante, Samaritan, was reported dead after a fiery warehouse battle with his rival, Nemesis. Most believe Samaritan perished in the fire, but some in the city, like Sam, have hope that he is still alive. With crime on the rise and the city on the brink of chaos, Sam makes it his mission to coax his neighbor out of hiding to save the city from ruin.

SAMARITAN arrives August 26, 2022 on Prime Video Canada.

(Photo/video credit: Prime Video Canada)

It was one for the books as the second CCYAA (Canadian Chinese Youth Athletic Association) Celebrity Classic powered by Virgin Plus, took place last night at the University of Toronto‘s Goldring Centre! Headlined by and featuring guest appearances by the likes of Simu Liu and NBA star Jeremy Lin, Comedian Ronny Chieng, Comedian Hasan Minhaj, Bling Empire star Kim Lee, Shang-Chi star Meng’er Zhang and more, the weekend was highlighted by a series of events leading up to the match. The event raises funds for the Jeremy Lin Foundation and the CCYAA’s new Community Centre.

Among the festivities this weekend were three Comedy Shows at Yuk Yuk’s with Comedian Julie Kim headlining. Kim recently wrote the Script for the JUNOS, hosted by Liu, and is confirmed for the upcoming Just for Laughs Festival! There also was a Youth Jam held at Goldring Centre, plus a four-day vendor Festival, FRESH FEST, at indoor Asian Night Market, SUPERFRESH in the Annex. For one day only, popular California Bubble Tea Chain BOPOMOFE CAFE did a pop-up shop which saw at one point, a 90-minute queue outside the hotspot.

As expected, Lin strut his stuff at the tournament, not to be outshined by Content Creator Mike Wu, whom many were saying deserved MVP! Fans went wild seeing up-close and personal some of their Asian-Canadian/American idols!

We were out and about and so thrilled to get to meet some of the stars in-town for the affair celebrating North American Asian Excellence.

See who we spotted, with a little help from beanie!

This event is amazing and hoping in coming years it remains an annual thing! So important to celebrate the accomplishments of this Community!

Learn more about it here.

(Photo credit: Mr. Will Wong)

Adrianne Ho CCYAA Charles Melton Chase Sui Wonders Hasan Minhaj Jeremy Lin Julie Kim Kim Lee Lucia Liu Meng'er Zhang Simu Liu

THOR: LOVE AND THUNDER roars in its opening weekend, taking $135 million from 4,375 theatres for Disney. This fourth film in the Thor franchise gets 67% on the Tomatometer, which still didn’t deter Moviegoers from making this the fifth-highest opening of all time for the Marvel Cinematic Universe, top spot still belonging to Avengers: Endgame which debuted with $357 million in 2019.

Second spot goes to MINIONS: THE RISE OF GRU, last weekend’s #1 Film, with $47.2 million from 4,426 theatres, a total $205 million over two weekends for Universal Pictures.

Third belongs to the ever-resilient TOP GUN: MAVERICK with $14.6 million from 4,513 theatres for Paramount Pictures. This takes its domestic run just shy of $600 million.

ELVIS is still in the building in fourth spot with $11 million from 3,714 theatres, a four week total of $93 million for Warner Bros.

JURASSIC WORLD DOMINION takes $8.1 million this weekend, taking its run to $351 million for Universal Pictures.

Bobby Farrelly is back with CHAMPIONS (There’s Something About Mary, Me, Myself & Irene) and a release date has been set for March 24, 2023 via Focus Features and Universal Pictures Canada.

About CHAMPIONS
CHAMPIONS, directed by Bobby Farrelly from a screenplay by Mark Rizzo, stars Woody Harrelson, Kaitlin Olson, Ernie Hudson, Cheech Marin, and Matt Cook. Producers on the project are Paul Brooks and Scott Niemeyer via their Gold Circle Entertainment banner, and Jeremy Plager via his 7 Deuce Entertainment banner. The film is executive produced by Woody Harrelson, Gold Circle Entertainment’s Brad Kessell, Alexander Jooss, Morena Films’ Álvaro Longoria, and Películas Pendelton’s Javier Fesser and Luis Manso. 

In CHAMPIONS, Harrelson stars in the hilarious and heartwarming story of a former minor-league basketball coach who, after a series of missteps, is ordered by the court to manage a team of players with intellectual disabilities. He soon realizes that despite his doubts, together, this team can go further than they ever imagined.

About CHAMPIONS
CHAMPIONS, directed by Bobby Farrelly from a screenplay by Mark Rizzo, stars Woody Harrelson, Kaitlin Olson, Ernie Hudson, Cheech Marin, and Matt Cook. Producers on the project are Paul Brooks and Scott Niemeyer via their Gold Circle Entertainment banner, and Jeremy Plager via his 7 Deuce Entertainment banner. The film is executive produced by Woody Harrelson, Gold Circle Entertainment’s Brad Kessell, Alexander Jooss, Morena Films’ Álvaro Longoria, and Películas Pendelton’s Javier Fesser and Luis Manso. 

In CHAMPIONS, Harrelson stars in the hilarious and heartwarming story of a former minor-league basketball coach who, after a series of missteps, is ordered by the court to manage a team of players with intellectual disabilities. He soon realizes that despite his doubts, together, this team can go further than they ever imagined.

(Photo credit: Paramount Pictures)

CITIZEN WATCH CANADA have launched a brand-new collection of watches in Canada, including their Accutron, Alpina, Bulova, Citizen and Frederique Constant watches. You won’t believe your eyes. Literally something for everyone and extremely fitting there’s even an official Thor watch!

See some of the new pieces:

Reintroducing The Bulova Parking Meter Chronograph

Today, Bulova is proud to present the Archive Re-edition of the original 1973 Chronograph “31008-6W” timepiece, popularly known as the “Parking Meter.”

The new Bulova Parking Meter Chronograph boasts the same “Parking Meter” case shape with top pushers and unique crown positioning as the original. This new timepiece is a Limited Edition of individually numbered 5,000 pieces, available now for $750.

Channel a Timeless Chic with the new Bulova American Girl

Striking a delicate balance of femininity and powerful charm, our new American Girl “K” timepiece is inspired by the original ladies’ design from 1957 that has become an instant style sensation.

Reimagined from the Bulova Archives with a new elegance, the limited-edition American Girl timepiece features a faceted gold-tone stainless steel design with a petite tonneau-shaped case and white dial finished with a double-domed sapphire crystal. Limited to 2,000 numbered pieces worldwide and presented in an elegant red keepsake case with white satin lining. Available now for $750.

Accutron x La Palina Spaceview 2020

Recreating the stunning visual impact of the original open dial design with the exact-same signature green accents, the Accutron x La Palina Spaceview 2020 boasts a brown open-work dial with signature Accutron green accents and brown outer ring, light green super luminous markers, hour and minute hands and warm yellow second hand.

Finished on a matching brown alligator strap, the watch comes with a humidor set with a cigar cutter and ten cigars. This is a limited edition set of 222 and is available for pre-order now with shipping in October for $6,500.

Frederique Constant Austin Healey 70th Anniversary ​

2022 marks the 70th anniversary of Frederique Constant’s long-standing automotive partner, Austin-Healey, and is renewing its intangible loyalty with two exclusive limited editions. For the occasion, its new mechanical chronograph, the Vintage Rally Healey Chronograph Automatic, has adopted the “British racing green” colour of the legendary vintage car with the NOJ393 number plate.

With a bicompax dial and two racing red hands, this timepiece is produced in two versions: the first, limited to 10 watches with the 70 figure visible at midday, and the second, with a run of just 700 watches, with the “12” in its normal place. Available now for $4,095.

Show You’re Worthy with the new CITIZEN Thor Watch

Just in time for this summer’s biggest blockbuster – Thor: Love and Thunder, this new men’s watch from Citizen’s Marvel Classic Avengers Collection brings the mighty hammer down. The black 3-hand dial with date features luminous hammer head markers on the hours, glowing hands, an encircled hammer, and a dynamic jagged lightning bolt crossing the watch face.

The black stainless-steel bracelet has a fold over clasp with push buttons. This exceptional watch has Eco-Drive technology and is powered by any light, but maybe avoid lightning bolts. Available now for $450.

Embrace Art Déco with the Frederique Constant Classics Carrée Ladies Watch

The Classics Carrée Ladies represents the utmost of elegance bringing timeless sophistication among Frederique Constant’s collection. Influenced by Art Déco, this is the only square design in the Frederique Constant collection. Inspired by the elegant and fashionable women of the late 1920s, this design cuts off from the mainstream and offers a different, vintage style.

The seamless lines and elegant polished case reveal a classical white dial showcasing intricate “clous de Paris” decoration and traditional Roman numeral indexes. The new Classics Carrée Ladies is a timeless, classic piece perfect for all occasions, where a touch of glamour is important making you feel elegant, graceful but at the same time supporting a stylish and vintage look. Available now for $895.

Transcend Borders with the Frederique Constant Worldtimer Native Edition

This new launch is dear to Frederique Constant’s history, which itself crosses continents and transcends borders. A true travel icon presented for the first time in 2012, the Classic Worldtimer Manufacture, now a must, is celebrating its 10-year anniversary. To mark the event, on top of the 2 models launched in March 2022, the Native Edition is the latest member of the family. The Native Edition will remain as the most innovative in term of design, thanks to the light blue city disc with 24 cities printed in 9 languages English, Arabic, Urdu, Bengali, Thai, Chinese, Japanese, Spanish and Brazilian. Limited to 100 pieces, available now for $5,750.

“Sea” Green with the Alpina Seastrong Diver 300 Heritage Green

Alpina’s diving watches are brought together in the Seastrong collection, presenting strong and readable features true to the Maison’s legacy. Designed to please water sports lovers, these models perpetuate the brand’s proud tradition established over the last century and can be used at depths up to 300m underwater. This Heritage green model features a green dial with sunray finishing an applied silver color indexes. Available now for $2,195.

Prices are in Canadian dollars. More here.

So proud of our LILYISTHATYOU! Not only does she release her new Single “COMPETITION” today, she is also the EQUAL Ambassador on Spotify. The feature spot goes to a female Artist who is a voice for the LGBTQ+ community. Lily takes on the persona of “Lola” for this new era which has her tackling her demons and traumas.

When asked to share her story with EQUAL, Lilyisthatyou says “My story starts with poetry. It starts with being a young, anxious, depressed 13-year-old who was already lost in social media and substances to distract from the issues at home and in my head. My songwriting now reflects what I have grown out of and what I have grown into being. I write about forgiveness for the past and fill my songs with affirmations that will help me find comfort in the strong woman I have become because of the sexual abuse and addiction in my past. I want to tell it in a way that makes others feel less ALONE. I want my story to be one of hope and relatability for young women growing up, looking for ways to understand what holds them back and how to let go of the judgement the world has taught them to view themselves. I want how I share my story, piece by piece, character by character, to be the brutal truth.”

Check-out “Competition“:

Her debut EP THE CHARACTER arrives July 29, 2022. Pre-save here.

(Photo/video credit: Spotify/Warner Music)

By David Baldwin

It is the mid-90s and Jimmy Keene (Taron Egerton) has just been arrested for a multitude of offenses. The high school football star and son of retired cop Big Jim Keene (the late Ray Liotta in one of his last filmed roles) is encouraged to take a plea deal with the hope of getting out jail quickly. Instead, the judge makes an example of Jimmy and sentences him to ten years with no chance of parole. Months later, he is offered a deal: elicit a confession from suspected serial killer Larry Hall (Paul Walter Hauser) – who is currently residing in a maximum security prison for the criminally insane – and get out of jail early, or turn it down and wait out the remainder of his sentence.

BLACK BIRD is inspired by true events and comes with the added pedigree of being written and created by Dennis Lehane, the acclaimed Novelist behind titles like Mystic River, Gone Baby Gone and Shutter Island. The first two episodes make for a compelling set-up for the six-episode Mini-Series, introducing us to all of the players and setting the stakes sky high right from the start. The transitions from present to past and back again are a little clunky in some areas while being downright riveting in others. Hauser, who has truly honed his craft over the past half-decade, is incredible as Hall, creating a character that we are immediately unsure of. Is he telling the truth? How does he know certain details, but not others? Why is he so soft spoken? I had a lot of questions and uneasy feelings about him, and the series plays right into all of that and allows Hauser the freedom to dig deep and explore Hall’s idiosyncrasies. I will not call it his best work yet (not when his turns in I, Tonya and Richard Jewell still exist), yet I look forward to being endlessly fascinated by his performance and genuinely hope it sticks the landing.

And yes, it is just as gut-wrenching and heartbreaking to see Liotta on-screen after being taken from us less than two months ago. He is absolutely mesmerizing in his supporting role. Such a tremendous loss.

Sadly, I cannot speak highly of the rest of the Series at this point. The first two episodes are slickly-produced and look great, but also feel unnecessarily dragged out. Whole swaths of scenes could have been trimmed down to mere montages, mere pieces of dialogue or excised entirely. What that boils down to is the hard truth that these early episodes do not make a great case for why BLACK BIRD exists as a prestige Mini-Series and not a two-and-a-half-hour film. Egerton’s accent is great and he gets to show off his acting range (and his ridiculously sculpted abs, which I have to assume are in place for his rumoured desire to play the MCU’s Wolverine), but does not really wow. His chemistry with Sepideh Moafi’s FBI Agent Lauren McCauley is fiercely palpable at least – as is the edginess Moafi brings to her character. Greg Kinnear is solid as Detective Brian Miller, but again, is not really afforded the chance to wow.

BLACK BIRD may prove to be compelling, must-watch Television. There are certainly hints of greatness parsed throughout these early episodes and I do look forward to keep watching, if only for Hauser. My fear is that the next four will be just as stretched thin and padded-out. But I genuinely hope I get proven wrong.

The first two episodes of BLACK BIRD premiere Friday, July 8, 2022 on Apple TV+, with each new episode arriving every Friday throughout July.

B.J. Novak writes, directs and stars in VENGEANCE! Check-out the new Poster and Trailer!

Synopsis:

VENGEANCE, the directorial debut from writer and star B.J. Novak (“The Office”), is a darkly comic thriller about Ben Manalowitz, a journalist and podcaster who travels from New York City to West Texas to investigate the death of a girl he was hooking up with. With an ensemble cast that includes Issa Rae, Ashton Kutcher, Boyd Holbrook, J. Smith-Cameron, and Dove Cameron.

Universal Pictures Canada and Focus Features release VENGEANCE Friday, July 29, 2022.

(Photo/video credit: Focus Features)

After raves in Cannes, James Gray’s ARMAGEDDON TIME now has a release date! The Film starring Jeremy Strong and Anne Hathaway is in theatres October 28, 2022 via Universal Pictures Canada and Focus Features. Thinking we might see this on the Festival circuit in Toronto?

Synopsis:
From acclaimed filmmaker James Gray, ARMAGEDDON TIME is a deeply personal coming-of-age story about the strength of family and the generational pursuit of the American Dream.

ARMAGEDDON TIME, written and directed by James Gray, stars Anthony Hopkins, Jeremy Strong, Anne Hathaway, Banks Repeta, Jaylin Webb, Tovah Feldshuh, John Diehl, Andrew Polk, and Ryan Sell. Producers on the project are Anthony Katagas via his Keep Your Head banner, Marc Butan via his MadRiver Pictures banner and Rodrigo Teixeira via his RT Features banner. The film is executive produced by Lourenço Sant’anna, Alan Terpins, Marco Tulio Kehdi, Prodigo Films’ Francisco Civita and Beto Gauss, Gustavo Debs.