#REVIEW: “MANCHESTER BY THE SEA”
Review by David Baldwin for Mr. Will Wong
It has been ten long months since the premiere of Manchester by the Sea at this year’s Sundance Film Festival, and the critical acclaim just keeps growing. It finally hits select theatres in Canada this weekend after a spectacular response at TIFF in September. But is the hype justified?
After the sudden death of his brother Joe (Kyle Chandler), Lee Chandler (Casey Affleck) is forced into becoming the guardian of his nephew Patrick (Lucas Hedges). ...
Read more
#REVIEW: “MOANA”
Review by Siobhán Rich for Mr. Will Wong
With still another month left on the calendar, it is safe to say that 2016 will go down in cinematic history as one of the greatest years ever for animation. Adding to the mythos is the brilliant Moana; the story of a girl destined to be Chief of a great tribe who wants nothing more than to travel and explore beyond the reef. When her father tells her to “find happiness right where you are” she looks out the Ocean and sees endless dreams and ...
Read more
#REVIEW: “BAD SANTA 2”
Review by David Baldwin for Mr. Will Wong
Willie Soke (Billy Bob Thornton) is still an alcoholic, still working dead-end jobs, still sleeping with whoever he can, and still cannot get rid of Thurman Merman (Brett Kelly), the kid he befriended 13 years ago. By chance, Willie’s former partner Marcus (Tony Cox) calls with a job that will net the pair millions of dollars. But there’s a catch: they will have to work alongside Willie’s estranged mother Sunny (Kathy Bates), who might actually ...
Read more
#REVIEW: “ALLIED”
Review by Siobhán Rich for Mr. Will Wong
During the height of the Second World War, a Canadian intelligence officer and a French Resistance fighter fall in love while taking down Nazis in Casablanca. After completing their mission, the two return to London where they hope marriage and a daughter will lead to their own happily ever after. Sadly, World War II was a time when suspicions of foreigners ran deep in England and Allied plays on these historical tendencies to paint a world where love ...
Read more
#REVIEW: “RULES DON’T APPLY”
Review by Siobhán Rich for Mr. Will Wong
Bio-pics about billionaire Howard Hughes are nothing new – even Leonardo DiCaprio has played the famous recluse. What makes Rules Don’t Apply unique is that it is obstinately not a Bio-pic. Instead it is a film which happens to revolve around Hughes but is actually about two fictional characters who work for him.
Marla Mabrey (Lily Collins) arrives in Hollywood at the invitation of Howard Hughes so she can train and audition to star in an upcoming ...
Read more
#REVIEW: BRUNO MARS – “24K MAGIC”
Everything U.S. Thanksgiving, we are graced with that one blockbuster album and around this time last year, it was Adele's 21. This year, singer/songwriter/multi-instrumentalist and entertainer extraordinaire Bruno Mars gifts us with a celebratory ode to the late '80s and early '90s in 24K MAGIC, a long-awaited follow-up to his 2012 sophomore disc, UNORTHODOX JUKEBOX which before UPTOWN FUNK dominated our airwaves. Coincidentally, Mars even contributed a track to that English songstress' ...
Read more
#REVIEW: “BLEED FOR THIS”
Review by David Baldwin for Mr. Will Wong
Vinny Pazienza (Miles Teller) is a hot shot boxer in the 1980s with an immaculate record. Just after winning the junior middleweight world championship, Pazienza is involved in a horrific car accident that leaves him with a broken neck and the fear that he may never fight or even walk again. Not taking his diagnosis lightly, he gets outfitted with a halo – a medical device used to heal his spine, but screws into his skull in four places – and ...
Read more
#REVIEW: “NOCTURNAL ANIMALS”
Based on the novel Tony and Susan by Austin Wright, the tale-within-a-tale gets the big screen treatment in NOCTURNAL ANIMALS, under the meticulous guidance of Writer/Producer/Director/Fashion Icon Tom Ford. Already, the suspenseful drama has won the acclaim of the festival circuit and is poised to impact the same moviegoing audience that loved the likes of Gone Girl and The Girl on the Train.
After affecting us with his 2009 debut A Single Man, Ford shows great growth in this sophomore ...
Read more
#REVIEW: “FANTASTIC BEASTS AND WHERE TO FIND THEM”
Review by Justin Waldman for Mr. Will Wong
Back in 2011, the world said goodbye to the wizarding world of Harry Potter. However fast-forward five years and there is a new play based on the beloved wizard and this new Franchise entitled Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. As someone who self identifies as a no-maj or a muggle, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them is still pretty great as it appeases the casual fans of the Franchise, while die-hard fans will certainly fall in love all ...
Read more
#REVIEW: “BILLY LYNN’S LONG HALFTIME WALK”
Review by Amanda Gilmore for Mr. Will Wong
Ang Lee has created an honest Film about what the realities of war are and what the media perceive them to be.
Billy Lynn (Joe Alywn) and his fellow soldiers have come back home to America for a victory tour. This comes after Lynn’s team, Bravo, is caught on camera in a harrowing battle in Iraq. Yet, the young soldier isn’t handling being back home so well, and neither are his comrades. The Film takes place at the final stop of the victory ...
Read more