The 94th annual Academy Awards returned once again to Dolby Theatre as Cinema’s most prestigious night had altered course during the Pandemic. Taking top honours was Sian Heder‘s CODA, taking Best Picture. The Film is the first-ever Film with a predominantly Deaf Cast to win Best Picture. It premiered at Sundance in 2021, before selling to Apple for a record $25 million, proving a smart investment. The Film written and directed Heder, is based on the 2014 French coming-of-age film La Famille Bélier, centering on a young woman who is the child of deaf parents.

In addition to winning Best Picture, CODA also won Heder Best Adapted Screenplay and Troy Kotsur would take Supporting Actor.

Other major winners included Will Smith for his work in KING RICHARD, landing him Best Actor, proving third time’s the charm after having been nominated thrice for an Oscar.

Jessica Chastain gained much momentum in recent weeks, taking Best Actress for her portrayal of Tammy Faye Bakker in THE EYES OF TAMMY FAYE. This also was her third time being nominated for an Oscar, proving once again that third time’s the charm!

Best Director went to Jane Campion for THE POWER OF THE DOG, which was seen as the favourite to win Best Picture. She has the distinction of being the third woman ever to win the category.

Hosted by a Trio of Wanda Sykes, Amy Schumer and Regina Hall, the night was not without drama. Funnyman Chris Rock when presenting Best Documentary, poked fun at Jada Pinkett Smith‘s baldness which landed him a slap on-stage from eventual Will Smith, in defense of his wife.

Things got lighter as this year’s In Memoriam took an uplifting turn with a gospel choir paying tribute to among others Ivan Reitman, Sidney Poitier and Betty White.

Some of the evening’s standout looks at the Oscars:

Complete list of winners below:

Best Picture

“Belfast”
“CODA” (Winner)
“Don’t Look Up”
“Drive My Car”
“Dune”
“King Richard”
“Licorice Pizza”
“Nightmare Alley”
“The Power of the Dog”
“West Side Story”

Best Actress

Jessica Chastain, “The Eyes of Tammy Faye” (Winner)
Olivia Colman, “The Lost Daughter”
Penelope Cruz, “Parallel Mothers”
Nicole Kidman, “Being the Ricardos”
Kristen Stewart, “Spencer”

Best Actor

Javier Bardem, “Being the Ricardos”
Benedict Cumberbatch, “The Power of the Dog”
Andrew Garfield, “Tick, Tick, Boom”
Will Smith, “King Richard” (Winner)
Denzel Washington, “The Tragedy of Macbeth”

Best Director

Kenneth Branagh, “Belfast”
Ryusuke Hamaguchi, “Drive My Car”
Paul Thomas Anderson, “Licorice Pizza”
Jane Campion, “The Power of the Dog” (Winner)
Steven Spielberg, “West Side Story”

Best Original Song

“Be Alive” from “King Richard”
“Dos Oruguitas” from “Encanto”
“Down to Joy” from “Belfast”
“No Time to Die” from “No Time to Die” (Winner)
“Somehow You Do” from “Four Good Days”

Best Documentary Feature

“Ascension”
“Attica”
“Flee”
“Summer of Soul” (Winner)
“Writing with Fire”

Best Adapted Screenplay

“CODA,” Sian Heder (Winner)
“Drive My Car,” Ryusuke Hamaguchi, Takamasa Oe
“Dune,” Jon Spaihts and Denis Villeneuve and Eric Roth
“The Lost Daughter,” Maggie Gyllenhaal
“The Power of the Dog,” Jane Campion

Best Original Screenplay

“Belfast,” Kenneth Branagh (Winner)
“Don’t Look Up,” Adam McKay, Story by McKay and David Sirota
“King Richard,” Zack Baylin
“Licorice Pizza,” Paul Thomas Anderson
“The Worst Person in the World,” Eskil Vogt and Joachim Trier

Best Costume Design

“Cruella” (Winner)
“Cyrano”
“Dune”
“Nightmare Alley”
“West Side Story”

Best International Feature Film

“Drive My Car” (Winner)
“Flee”
“The Hand of God”
“Lunana: A Yak in the Classroom”
“The Worst Person in the World”

Best Supporting Actor

Ciarán Hinds, “Belfast”
Troy Kotsur, “CODA” (Winner)
Jesse Plemons, “The Power of the Dog”
JK Simmons, “Being the Ricardos”
Kodi Smit-McPhee, “The Power of the Dog”

Best Animated Feature

“Encanto” (Winner)
“Flee”
“Luca”
“The Mitchells vs. the Machines”
“Raya and the Last Dragon”

Best Visual Effects

“Dune” (Winner)
“Free Guy”
“No Time to Die”
“Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings”
“Spider-Man: No Way Home”

Best Cinematography

“Dune” (Winner)
“Nightmare Alley”
“The Power of the Dog”
“The Tragedy of Macbeth”
“West Side Story”

Best Supporting Actress

Jessie Buckley, “The Lost Daughter”
Ariana DeBose, “West Side Story” (Winner)
Judi Dench, “Belfast”
Kirsten Dunst, “The Power of the Dog”
Aunjanue Ellis, “King Richard”

Best Makeup and Hairstyling

“Coming 2 America”
“Cruella”
“Dune”
“The Eyes of Tammy Faye” (Winner)
“House of Gucci”

Best Production Design

“Dune” (Winner)
“Nightmare Alley”
“The Power of the Dog”
“The Tragedy of Macbeth”
“West Side Story”

Best Editing

“Don’t Look Up”
“Dune” (Winner)
“King Richard”
“The Power of the Dog”
“Tick, Tick, Boom”

Best Original Score

“Don’t Look Up”
“Dune” (Winner)
“Encanto”
“Parallel Mothers”
“The Power of the Dog”

Best Live Action Short

“Ala Kachuu – Take and Run”
“The Dress”
“The Long Goodbye” (Winner)
“On My Mind”
“Please Hold”

Best Animated Short

“Affairs of the Art”
“Bestia”
“Boxballet”
“Robin Robin”
“The Windshield Wiper” (Winner)

Best Documentary Short Subject

“Audible”
“Lead Me Home”
“The Queen of Basketball” (Winner)
“Three Songs for Benazir”
“When We Were Bullies”

Best Sound

“Belfast”
“Dune” (Winner)
“No Time to Die”
“The Power of the Dog”
“West Side Story”

(Photo credit: Getty Images)

Nobody brings them to the Movies like Sandra Bullock! THE LOST CITY debuts atop the Box Office with a strong $31 million for Paramount Pictures from 4,253 theatres. The Film has the distinction of the biggest opening for a female-driven Film since the Pandemic started. The Comedy also starring Channing Tatum and Daniel Radcliffe, gets 76% on the Tomatometer.

THE BATMAN is in second this weekend with $20.5 million from 3,967 theatres for Warner Bros. This brings its domestic run to $332 million.

Third spot goes to Bollywood Action/Drama RRR – RISE ROAR REVOLT with $9.5 million from 1,200 theatres for Sarigama Cinemas.

UNCHARTED pulls-in $5 million for Sony Pictures, bringing its total to $133.5 million.

JUJUTSU KAISEN 0: THE MOVIE is fifth with $4.5 million for Funimation, a two week total of $27 million. Very impressive for a niche genre release.

Universal Pictures Canada x Mr. Will want to give Readers in Toronto and Montreal a chance to win Advance Passes to see AMBULANCE.

Advance screenings are Wednesday, April 6, 2022 as follows:

• Toronto: Yonge & Dundas at 7:00 PM
• Montreal: Cinema Banque Scotia at 7:00 PM 

Synopsis:

Over one day across the streets of L.A., three lives will change forever.

In this breakneck thriller from director-producer Michael Bay, decorated veteran Will Sharp (Emmy winner Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Candyman, The Matrix Resurrections), desperate for money to cover his wife’s medical bills, asks for help from the one person he knows he shouldn’t—his adoptive brother Danny (Oscar® nominee Jake Gyllenhaal, Zodiac, Spider-Man: Far From Home). A charismatic career criminal, Danny instead offers him a score: the biggest bank heist in Los Angeles history: $32 million. With his wife’s survival on the line, Will can’t say no. 

But when their getaway goes spectacularly wrong, the desperate brothers hijack an ambulance with a wounded cop clinging to life and ace EMT Cam Thompson (Eiza González, Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw, Baby Driver) onboard. In a high-speed pursuit that never stops, Will and Danny must evade a massive, city-wide law enforcement response, keep their hostages alive, and somehow try not to kill each other, all while executing the most insane escape L.A. has ever seen. 

Ambulance is produced by Michael Bay, p.g.a., Bradley J. Fischer, p.g.a. (Zodiac, Shutter Island) for New Republic Pictures, James Vanderbilt (Zodiac, 2022’s Scream) and William Sherak (Ready or Not, 2022’s Scream) for Project X, and Oscar® nominee Ian Bryce (Transformers franchise, Saving Private Ryan).

The screenplay is by Chris Fedak (Prodigal Son, Chuck), based on the original story and screenplay for the 2005 Danish thriller Ambulancen by Laurits Munch-Petersen and Lars Andreas Pedersen.

To enter to win, click “like” on this Post at MR. WILL ON FACEBOOK. In the comments, please indicate your City.

Re-Tweet this Contest Tweet below for an extra chance.

Rules and regulations here.

Universal Pictures Canada release AMBULANCE Friday, April 8, 2022.

(Photo/video credit: Universal Pictures Canada)

The talented Humberly Gonzalez (the “H” is silent) made an appearance tonight at ONSCREEN/BACKSTAGE, an event put-on by the Femme Fatale Film Festival celebrating local female Filmmakers, BIPOC Filmmakers and the work of marginalized Creators. The event took place at charming Annex haunt BAMPOT HOUSE OF TEA & BOARD GAMES, an intimate affair with Short Films like REVERENCE by Teaunna Gray was shown. The Documentary centers on an anti-slavery convention that had taken place at Toronto’s St. Lawrence Hall in the 1850s.

See the Short Film here:

Gonzalez is based now in Toronto by way of Montreal, born in Venezuela. Things are taking off very-quickly for the disarming Actress. She starred as Sophie Sanchez in popular Netflix Series GINNY & GEORGIA, which is wrapping-up its second season soon. She also will star in FALLEN ANGELS MURDER CLUB, a series of TV Movies starring Toni Braxton coming April 2, 2022 and the following week April 9, 2022 to Lifetime in the U.S. The Movies will be airing at a later date on CTV Drama in Canada. This is a huge year for her as she stars in Toronto-set STAY THE NIGHT which just premiered at SXSW earlier this month, and she stars alongside Jason Momoa in Francis Lawrence’s Slumberland, coming soon as well!

It warms our heart we got to meet this amazing and lovely young woman. And yes, we cannot wait any more for the second season of GINNY & GEORGIA, which hopefully will be out later this year seeing that it has a Holiday arc, hopefully in-time for a release around then.

But above this, Romi Shraiter, who also starred in the first season of GINNY & GEORGIA as Samantha, also was at the event! What a treat!

(Photo/video credit: Mr. Will Wong/Teaunna Gray)

Nicole Kidman executive produces upcoming Apple TV+ Anthology Series ROAR, based on stories be Cecelia Ahern, spanning many genres. Your first look at the Trailer.

Synopsis:

Roar is an anthology series of darkly comic feminist fables. Spanning genres from magical realism to psychological horror, these eight stand-alone stories feature ordinary women in some pretty extraordinary circumstances. In “Roar,” women eat photographs, date ducks, live on shelves like trophies. And yet, their struggles are universal. 

The gripping trailer highlights the award-winning cast of actors that star across the eight distinct stories, including Academy, Emmy and Golden Globe Award winner Nicole Kidman (“Being the Ricardos”), who also executive produces; Emmy, Grammy and Tony Award winner Cynthia Erivo (“Harriet”); six-time Emmy Award-nominee Issa Rae (“Insecure”); Emmy Award winner Merritt Wever (“Unbelievable”); SAG Award nominee Alison Brie (“Happiest Season,” GLOW); three-time Emmy Award-nominee Betty Gilpin (“GLOW,” “The Tomorrow War”); Meera Syal (“Yesterday”), Fivel Stewart (“Atypical”) and Kara Hayward (“Us”). 

Each instalment of the anthology series will also feature notable stars such as Nick Kroll (“Big Mouth”), Judy Davis (“Nitram”), Alfred Molina (“Spider-Man: No Way Home”), Daniel Dae Kim (“Lost”), Jake Johnson (“New Girl”), Jason Mantzoukas (“Big Mouth”), Chris Lowell (“GLOW”), Ego Nwodim (“Saturday Night Live”), Griffin Matthews (“The Flight Attendant”), Peter Facinelli (“YesterYear”), Simon Baker (“The Mentalist”), Hugh Dancy (“Law & Order”), Jillian Bell (“Brittany Runs a Marathon”), Bernard White (“Evil Eye”), Justin Kirk (“Weeds”) and more.   

ROAR arrives on Apple TV+ Friday, April 15, 2022.

(Photo/video credit: Apple TV+) 

BAD SISTERS is coming soon to Apple TV+. Your first look at this Dark Comedy led by an amazing female Ensemble Cast.

Synopsis:

A delicious blend of both dark comedy and thriller, “Bad Sisters” follows the lives of the Garvey sisters bound together by the premature death of their parents and a promise to always protect one another.  In addition to Horgan, the series will star Anne-Marie Duff (“Suffragette,” “The Salisbury Poisonings”), Eva Birthistle (“Brooklyn,” “The Last Kingdom”), Sarah Greene (“Frank of Ireland,” “Dublin Murders”) and Eve Hewson (“Behind her Eyes,” “The Luminaries”) as the Garvey sisters.  The ensemble cast also includes Claes Bang (“Dracula,” “The Northman”), Brian Gleeson (“Frank of Ireland,” “Peaky Blinders”), Daryl McCormack (“Good Luck to you, Leo Grande,” “Peaky Blinders”), Assaad Bouab (“Call My Agent,” The Pursuit of Love”) and newcomer Saise Quinn (“Monster”).

The ten episode Series arrives later this year on Apple TV+.

(Photo credit: Apple TV+)

Two important dates coming-up for all your fans of STRANGER THINGS!

May 27, 2022 (Volume One arrives)

July 1, 2022 (Volume Two arrives)

While we’re waiting, some new stills from the upcoming season have arrived!

Starring: Winona Ryder (Joyce Byers), David Harbour (Jim Hopper), Millie Bobby Brown (Eleven), Finn Wolfhard (Mike Wheeler), Gaten Matarazzo (Dustin Henderson), Caleb McLaughlin (Lucas Sinclair), Noah Schnapp (Will Byers), Sadie Sink (Max Mayfield), Natalia Dyer (Nancy Wheeler), Charlie Heaton (Jonathan Byers), Joe Keery (Steve Harrington), Maya Hawke (Robin Buckley), Priah Ferguson (Erica Sinclair), Brett Gelman (Murray), Cara Buono (Karen Wheeler) and Matthew Modine (Dr. Brenner)

Additional Cast Members: Jamie Campbell Bower (Peter Ballard), Joseph Quinn (Eddie Munson), Eduardo Franco (Argyle), Sherman Augustus (Lt. Colonel Sullivan), Mason Dye (Jason Carver), Nikola Djuricko (Yuri), Tom Wlaschiha (Dmitri), Myles Truitt (Patrick), Regina Ting Chen (Ms. Kelly), Grace Van Dien (Chrissy), Logan Riley Bruner (Fred Benson), Logan Allen (Jake), Elodie Grace Orkin (Angela), John Reynolds (Officer Callahan), Rob Morgan (Chief Powell), Amybeth McNulty (Vickie) and Robert Englund (Victor Creel)

(Photo credit: Netflix)

Amy Schumer not only stars in, but writes, directs and produces new Series LIFE & BETH. The ten episode Series centers on its titular character (Schumer), who is grappling with some deeply-rooted unhappiness. She works for a wine distribution company and is up for a promotion, about to get married to Matt (Kevin Kane). After a loss, she finds herself trying to navigate grief, deciding to head back to Long Island for work, breaking things off with Matt. She soon meets a farmer named John (Michael Cera) at a vineyard she represents, and she begins to re-evaluate her life.

LIFE & BETH isn’t necessarily what you’d expect of Schumer. The Series is actually surprisingly subtle and perhaps her most mature work to date. At 30 minutes each, the story takes a few episodes to figure where it’s going as we go between present and flashbacks to Beth‘s adolescent self, played by Violet Young. Before you know it, you are drawn-in to her world and all these new relationships she’s forming.

The humour isn’t hysterical, and in fact LIFE & BETH feels more like a Dramedy than Comedy. Its jokes often coming from Beth‘s constant feeling like a fish out of water, and the fact that the wine company she works for sounds like “Keurig” – which everyone seems to confuse everyone – as she goes on this journey back to herself again.

If you’re willing to invest your time this Series, it’ll reward you with its heart and message of forgiveness. LIFE & BETH streams now on Disney+ via its Star banner.

After winning raves at Sundance 2022 including the NEXT Audience Award and the NEXT Innovator Award, Documentary FRAMING AGNES will premiere at HOT DOCS 2022.

Synopsis:

The film follows a young trans woman named Agnes in the late 1950s, who participated in Harold Garfinkel’s gender health research at UCLA, to gain access to the gender affirming care she so willfully sought out. Her story was considered to be singular until 2017 when eight never-before-seen case files of other patients from the same era were uncovered. In this rigorous cinematic exercise, director Chase Joynt explores how medicine and media have set various frames of understanding for trans existence and experience. Through a collaborative practice of reimagination, a stellar cast of trans talent including Zackary Drucker (Transparent), Angelica Ross (Pose), Jen Richards (Her Story), Silas Howard (A Kid Like Jake), Max Wolf Valerio (The Testosterone Files) and Stephan Ira take on vividly rendered, impeccably vintage reenactments, bringing to life groundbreaking artifacts of mid-century trans health care.

Framing Agnes was selected by Telefilm Canada’s Talent to Watch program and made in partnership with Canada Council for the Arts, Hot Docs Ted Rogers Fund, XTR, University of Victoria, Into the Noise and Inside Out Re: Focus Fund. The documentary was first developed as a short film and premiered at the 2019 Tribeca Film Festival.

More info about this year’s HOT DOCS Festival can be found here.

(Photo/video credit: Hot Docs)

Canneseries 2021 Dior Prize and Best Screenplay winner THE ALLEGATION is about to make its debut here in Canada. The German Drama based on true events in the ’90s, has received much acclaim and it arrives only on Hollywood Suite, the first two episodes airing April 7, 2022.

Synopsis:

Conceived by German criminal lawyer turned best-selling author Ferdinand Von Schirach, The Allegation is inspired by the true story of a shocking child sexual abuse scandal that rocked the German legal system in the 1990s. When a pediatrician discovers seemingly incontrovertible evidence that a young girl has been abused, events are set in motion that lead to a judicial scandal of immense proportions. Stirred up by frenzied news coverage, prosecutors make a devastating case against the accused, with shocking implications. The Allegation is a poignant examination of the search for truth and justice, and the distorting power of social media.

“We are excited to showcase such a high-quality series for Canadian audiences. Like the compelling hit series Broadchurch, it’s a fast-paced, riveting thriller and represents a continuation of our commitment to bring top-tier international programming. We are excited for our audience to discover The Allegation, and I hope they will find it just as captivating as our programming team has,” said Sharon Stevens, VP Programming, Hollywood Suite.

The Allegation stars Peter Kurth (Inventing Anna; Babylon Berlin), Narges Rashidi (Gangs of London) and Sebastian Urzendowsky (The Way Back). Directed by Daniel Prochaska, the critically-acclaimed series was written by Von Schirach.

(Photo/video credit: Canneseries/Hollywood Suite)