#REVIEW: “MATTHIAS & MAXIME”

Review by George Kozera for Mr. Will Wong I make no secrets of my admiration and borderline obsession with the works of Quebec’s auteur, Xavier Dolan. As an actor, he is charismatic and hypnotic even in movies he did not direct (check out his stellar work in “Boy Erased”). As a Writer/Director, Dolan’s movies are unique, visually spellbinding and impossible to forget. There may have been one or two missteps in his career, but which Director can say, with any honesty, that they may have ... Read more

#REVIEW: “JOKER”

Review by David Baldwin for Mr. Will Wong When I first heard about Co-Writer/Director Todd Phillips developing a Joker origin film for adults, I scoffed and wrote it off as a horrendous idea. Did we really need a film chronicling the rise of Batman’s greatest villain? Had Heath Ledger not already given us the definitive cinematic portrayal of the character? How could Joaquin Phoenix even fathom the idea that he could live up to that legendary, Oscar-winning performance? Fast-forward to ... Read more

#REVIEW: “THE LAUNDROMAT”

Review by Justin Waldman for Mr. Will Wong Steven Soderbergh and Scott Z. Burns team-up again to deliver an important movie about the Panama Papers, and what they exactly are for people who do not follow the news as closely as the rest of the world. It’s a cat-and-mouse story followed by an excellent Cast as well as fourth wall-breaking throughout, with a final impactful blow. The Laundromat follows a widow, Ellen (Meryl Streep) as she tries to get to the bottom of an insurance fraud issue ... Read more

#REVIEW: “ABONIMABLE”

Review by George Kozera for Mr. Will Wong My initial thought was “yet another animated movie about a Yeti?” when I entered the theatre with hundreds of the target audience in their seats alongside the adults. ABOMINABLE is the first major co-production between an American studio (DreamWorks) and China’s Pearl Studio, so I was relatively certain that the animation itself would be unique, and I was not disappointed with the spectacular visuals. Set in modern day China, Yi (Chloe Bennet) ... Read more

#REVIEW: “JUDY”

Review by Mr. Will Wong While Rupert Goold's JUDY might not be that feel-good Film of the year, it is a fascinating portrait framed around the final weeks of Hollywood icon Judy Garland's (Renée Zellweger) life. Set in 1969, we see her homeless and struggling to support her children, hence taking on a string of sold-out London shows, which pull her away from her children as she fights to retain custody of them. We see her fall in love with her much-younger fifth husband Mickey Deans (Finn ... Read more

#REVIEW: “AD ASTRA”

Review by George Kozera for Mr. Will Wong The spectacular AD ASTRA opens with a close-up of the most striking blue eyes since Paul Newman’s. Brad Pitt plays Major Roy McBride, an astronaut who appears to be serene and calm under intense pressure which belie the angry voice over we hear of his inner thoughts and turmoil. In what has to be the most visually arresting ten minutes opening sequences we will probably see at the movies this year, we see Roy in space repairing a rig which is huge in ... Read more

#REVIEW: “OFFICIAL SECRETS”

Review by George Kozera for Mr. Will Wong In the early 2000s, the administrations of George W. Bush and Tony Blair asserted that Saddam Hussein's weapons programs were still actively building weapons, and that large stockpiles of “weapons of mass destruction” were hidden in Iraq. Despite lack of evidence, President George W. Bush launched a second Gulf War. The war lasted four years and over 150,000 U.S. and British soldiers lost their lives. Katherine Gun, played Keira Knightley, had a ... Read more

#REVIEW: “HUSTLERS”

Review by Mr. Will Wong Make no mistake, HUSTLERS isn't just 'that stripper movie'. Lorene Scafaria (Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist, Ricki and the Flash) is back with this enthralling look at a group of woman, whom after thriving in the business relying much on Wall Street clientele, see it all fall apart after financial crisis ensues in the late 2000s. Refusing to fall in defeat, the women led by Ramona (Jennifer Lopez), band together in a carefully-executed plan, stealing from ... Read more

#REVIEW: “IT: CHAPTER TWO”

Review by Mr. Will Wong 27 years following the events of IT, the Losers' Club are summoned once again to return to their hometown of Derry. Mike (Isaiah Washington), the only one of the band of outcasts to remain in town, gathers his estranged childhood friends together after local children once again begin to go missing again. The Losers after having forgotten their dark past, must face again head-on their deepest fears and conquer the shapeshifting monster whom they defeated in their youth. ... Read more

#REVIEW: “BRITTANY RUNS A MARATHON”

Review by Justin Waldman for Mr. Will Wong Brittany Runs a Marathon is based on the true story of one woman taking control of her life, and the way that Writer/Director Paul Downs Colaizzo tells this story, while one small problematic aspect gets in the way is truly inspiring and heartwarming and provides a really beautiful message that was needed this year. Brittany Runs a Marathon is delightful from start to finish sharing a positive message with no alternative message or heavy-handedness; ... Read more