#REVIEW: “RENFIELD”
Review by Nicholas Porteous for Mr. Will Wong
Just as Frankenstein has Igor and Sherlock has Watson, Dracula has Renfield--and it's about time he got his moment to shine. Renfield follows the lesser-known monster assistant through a time of transition, struggling to find a way out of an abusive, co-dependent relationship. Nicholas Hoult gives a hilariously vulnerable performance as a guy who has an easier time ripping the limbs off his victims than saying "no" to his evil master. Nicolas Cage ...
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#REVIEW: “HOW TO BLOW UP A PIPELINE”
By Mr. Will Wong
Daniel Goldhaber won all the praise at TIFF '22 with HOW TO BLOW UP A PIPELINE, which he co-wrote, directed and produced this adaptation of the novel by Andreas Malm. The fast-paced, intense Thriller went on to take the Platform Prize at the Festival for its artistry and strong vision.
At the center of the story are a group of young people, brought together to stop the development of a pipeline. They plot to destroy it in the name of self-defence - but not without struggle. ...
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#REVIEW: “JUDY BLUME FOREVER”
Review by Amanda Gilmore for Mr. Will Wong
This fun and entertaining Documentary chronicles the life of trailblazing Novelist Judy Blume.
Blume’s novels have been beloved by millions around the globe. And it’s most likely that you picked up your first Blume book sometime in middle school. One of the titles might have been, “Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret,” “Blubber,” “Forever…,” or one of the many more. In each, it’s Blume’s honesty that makes us feel seen and ...
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#REVIEW: “LITTLE RICHARD: I AM EVERYTHING”
By Mr. Will Wong
LITTLE RICHARD: I AM EVERYTHING explores its fascinating titular subject in the same unfiltered lens he saw the world through. But through a wider scope, it is a look at how Rock n' Roll can trace its origins to Black roots, which often was whitewashed. Little Richard is a case in example of a pioneer and an Emancipator continually failed to get the recognition in a world in which he paved the way for Artists to express themselves freely.
Director Lisa Cortés (Hip Hop X ...
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#REVIEW: “AIR”
Review by Amanda Gilmore for Mr. Will Wong
Air brings to the big screen the true story of the Michael Jordan-Nike partnership that revolutionized the world of sports and contemporary culture.
It’s 1984 and Nike is struggling to compete against Converse and Adidas. Known as the running shoe company, Nike must reinvent its image to stay relevant. That’s where Sonny Vaccaro (Matt Damon) comes in. He’s got an eye for basketball talent and Nike has asked him to find a player they can partner ...
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#REVIEW: “THE SUPER MARIO BROS. MOVIE”
Review by Mr. Will Wong
Attempts have been made to give iconic The Super Mario Bros. that big screen (and TV!) treatment but none have ever been on this grand a scale. Directing duo Aaron Horvath and Michael Jelenic's THE SUPER MARIO BROS. MOVIE never stops dazzling from start to finish. It is a dazzling spectacle that fans who grew-up with its Video Game legacy will find plenty of throwbacks planted within, to adore. And did we mention how incredibly-cute it is?
We meet Mario (Chris Pratt) ...
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#REVIEW: “RYE LANE”
Review by Amanda Gilmore for Mr. Will Wong
There’s something about the Rom-Com genre that the Brits do so well. They brought us Notting Hill, Four Weddings and a Funeral and the unforgettable Bridget Jones Trilogy. Now they bring us the delightful, enchanting and hilarious Rye Lane. A guaranteed smash-hit Romantic Comedy for the ages, just having raised the curtain at the 2023 TIFF Next Wave Film Festival.
It follows 20-somethings Dom (David Jonsson) and Yas (Vivian Oparah) who are both ...
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#REVIEW: “A THOUSAND AND ONE”
Review by Amanda Gilmore for Mr. Will Wong
Writer-Director A.V. Rockwell delivers an exceptional story of family and parenthood.
We start off in New York City in 1994. Free-spirited and loyal Inez (Teyana Taylor) has just been released from prison. With a beeper clipped to her waist, she’s doing hair to make some money. When she sees her six-year-old son Terry (a mesmerizing Aaron Kingsley Adetola) across the street, she decides to kidnap him from the foster care system. Together they ...
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#REVIEW: “DUNGEONS & DRAGONS: HONOR AMONG THIEVES”
Review by Nicholas Porteous for Mr. Will Wong
How does one go about adapting an open-ended, decades-old tabletop RPG--devoid of any well-established characters, where the narrative completely changes from game to game depending on the players--in a world of medieval fantasy epics like Game of Thrones, Lord of the Rings, and their countless spin-offs and would-be clones? Dungeons and Dragons: Honour Among Thieves' answer to this riddle is wonderfully straightforward: don't take it too ...
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#REVIEW: “A GOOD PERSON”
Review by Nicholas Porteous for Mr. Will Wong
A Good Person is Zach Braff's fourth film as a Director, along with his first (and possibly last?) feature collaboration with then-girlfriend Florence Pugh. Though I wouldn't say it's completely bereft of Braffiness--that is, his specific visual panache and desire for melodrama mixed with borderline screwball-level gags more evident in Garden State and Wish I Was Here--I will say this is the least Braffy movie he's made thus far. Whether that's ...
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