2018 will go down as one of the best years in recent Cinema. While I’m not loving the current sound of what’s dominating the airwaves, there were a few Pop Gems that filled my heart and ears with joy. Those of you who are following me on Social Media know that my year was all about A STAR IS BORN. I had few expectations of it at the beginning of the year, but then came the Trailer in June and then came news of it premiering at TIFF ’18. Seeing it at the Festival, my year and life would be changed forever, single-handedly owning my two favourite realms, Music and Film. I am still not healed of the heartbreak I experience and can imagine what it’s like to be Lady Gaga or Bradley Cooper and carrying their characters with them after filming. If you still haven’t seen it, please do.
We loved the resurgence of the Musical with the likes of Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again, Bohemian Rhapsody and Mary Poppins Returns performing v. well in numbers. The World needs a lift in spirits and these all came to save the day at the right time.
Music wise, we are ever-excited about Dua Lipa‘s blooming career and she has gifted us with several earworms which still stand the test of time at the end of year. While there wasn’t really a big single off it, Mariah Carey‘s critically-acclaimed Caution is definitely a smooth, cohesive listen. Cardi B‘s Invasion of Privacy gave us life in a big way this spring and likewise, there wasn’t one particular 2018 single which impacted us, the Album was on repeat for quite a while for us.
Here are my Best of 2018 Lists:
MUSIC
One Kiss – Calvin Harris ft. Dua Lipa
The Middle – zedd ft. Maren Morris
Electricity – Silk City ft. Dua Lipa
I’ll Never Love Again – Lady Gaga
Shallow – Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga
God is a Woman – Ariana Grande
Breathin – Ariana Grande
Lights Down Low – M△X
Nothing Breaks Like a Heart – Mark Ronson ft. Miley Cyrus
Youngblood – 5 Seconds of Summer
FILM
A Star is Born
Green Book
Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again
Crazy Rich Asians
Ben is Back
Love, Simon
A Quiet Place
Vice
The Favourite
Mary Poppins Returns
Check-out Team Mr. Will’s Best Picpicks of 2018 here.
2018 also was my best year for Selfies ever. Will I ever stop? Why stop at something you love this much? Sorry, haters!
Adam Brody
We’ve been at this game for what is approaching our tenth year and we’re showing no signs of stopping. We are indebted to you, our Readers for all the support and love you’ve shown all these years and we’ll never forget being named NOW Magazine Readers’ Choice Best Blogger this year. Thank you. To a stellar 2019!
(Photo credit: Mr. Will Wong)
Mr. Will wants to give readers a chance to win a copy of CRAZY RICH ASIANS on Blu-Ray Combo Pack!
Synopsis:
Jon M. Chu (“Now You See Me 2”) directed the contemporary romantic comedy “Crazy Rich Asians,” based on the acclaimed worldwide bestseller by Kevin Kwan. The story follows New Yorker Rachel Chu (Constance Wu) as she accompanies her longtime boyfriend, Nick Young (Henry Golding), to his best friend’s wedding in Singapore. Excited about visiting Asia for the first time but nervous about meeting Nick’s family, Rachel is unprepared to learn that Nick has neglected to mention a few key details about his life. It turns out that he is not only the scion of one of the country’s wealthiest families but also one of its most sought-after bachelors.
See the Trailer:
Artwork:
CRAZY RICH ASIANS is in stores Tuesday, November 20, 2018.
(Photo/video credit: Warner Bros. Canada)
A smear campaign, nor critical panning could stop Marvel’s VENOM from taking the top of the Box Office this weekend. The Blockbuster starring Tom Hardy opens on-top with a stellar $80 million for Sony Pictures from 4,250 theatres across North America. It also gets 31% on the Tomatometer and much better B+ CinemaScore from Audiences.
By no means disgraced, A STAR IS BORN opens in second spot with an excellent $42.2 million from 3,686 theatres for Warner Bros. The directorial debut from Star and Writer Bradley Cooper gets unanimous praise out of the Festival circuit with 91% on the Tomatometer and an A CinemaScore from Audiences. It is seen as an Oscar Frontrunner at this point, getting a head start on Awards Season.
SMALLFOOT earns $14.5 million in its second week out for Warner Bros., a total $42.2 million gross over two weeks domestically.
NIGHT SCHOOL, last week’s #1 Movie, slips to fourth with $11.9 million for Universal Pictures, a total $39.1 million in two weeks.
THE HOUSE WITH A CLOCK IN ITS WALLS is in fifth this weekend with $7 million, bringing it to $54.7 million in its third week for Universal Pictures.
CRAZY RICH ASIANS shows incredibly longevity in eighth with $2.1 million for Warner Bros., now in its eighth week out. It is just shy of $170 million to date in these parts.
THE PREDATOR rounds-out the Top Ten with $900k for 20th Century Fox, a total $49 million over four weeks.
Director Eli Roth might be known to us for his Cult Classics and Horrors, but he makes his first foray into the children’s genre a winning one. THE HOUSE WITH A CLOCK IN ITS WALLS opens on-top with $24.6 from 3,592 theatres for Universal Pictures. Starring Jack Black and Cate Blanchett, the Film gets 67% on the Tomatometer and a B+ CinemaScore.
In second is A SIMPLE FAVOR with $10.5 million also for Universal Pictures. The Thriller starring Blake Lively and Anna Kendrick, also Director Paul Feig’s first try in Film outside of Comedy, has made $32.7 million over two weeks.
In third is THE NUN with $9.4 million for Warner Bros., just surpassing $100 million domestically in three weeks.
THE PREDATOR lands in fourth with $8 million for 20th Century Fox, a total $39.7 in two weeks for the TIFF ’18 Midnight Madness selection.
CRAZY RICH ASIANS still continues to slay in fifth with $6.3 million, tallying $159.2 million now over six weeks for Warner Bros.
FAHRENHEIT 11/9 opens with $2.8 million from 1,719 theatres, in eighth. This latest effort from Documentarian Michael Moore, gets 80% on the Tomatometer and an A CinemaScore for Briarcliffe Entertainment and levelFILM.
LIFE ITSELF which like the Moore Film just debuted at TIFF ’18, opens in ninth with $2.1 million for Amazon Films/VVS Films, getting 13% on the Tomatometer and a B+ CinemaScore. It has an all-star Cast including Oscar Isaac, Olivia Wilde, Annette Bening, Mandy Patinkin and Olivia Cooke.
Rounding-out the Top Ten is THE MEG with $2.1 million, a total $140.3 million over seen week for Warner Bros.
It’s a three-peat for CRAZY RICH ASIANS staying at #1 once again this weekend with $23 million for Warner Bros. It plays at 3,865 theatres, tallying-in at $118.7 million over three weeks.
THE MEG continues to stay afloat in second with $10.1 million in its fourth week for Warner Bros., a domestic total of $123 million.
In third is OPERATION FINALE with $6.4 million for MGM, playing at 1,818 theatres. The Drama starring Sir Ben Kingsley and Oscar Isaac, gets 62% on the Tomatoneter and an A- CinemaScore. It doesn’t yet have a Canadian release.
Debuting in sixth is SEARCHING starring John Cho, which is a feat in diversity with two Films starring Asian-American lead actors in the Top Ten. It earns $5.7 million from 1,198 theatres for Sony Pictures, getting 91% from Critics on the Tomatoneter. The Asian-American community have rallied to create the #GOLDOPEN campaign getting them to support this Film, hot off the success of Crazy Rich Asians.
MILE 22 rounds-out the Top Ten for STX ENTERTAINMENT/VVS Films with $3.7 million from 2,950 theatres scross North America. It has made $32.8 million to date.
CRAZY RICH ASIANS goes strong a second straight week at the Box Office taking the top spot once again with $25.5 million from 3,526 theatres and a healthy $77.4 million over two weeks for Warner Bros.
In second spot is THE MEG surpassing the $100 million-mark for Warner Bros. in just three weeks, earning $11.6 million this weekend.
THE HAPPYTIME MURDERS opens in third with $10.2 million from 3,256 theatres for STX Entertainment/VVS Films. It gets 23% on the Tomatometer and a C- CinemaScore.
In fourth is MISSION IMPOSSIBLE: FALLOUT with $8.2 million, a total $194 million grossed five weeks domestically for Paramount Pictures.
A.X.L., centering on a robot dog, rounds-out the Top Ten for Global Road Entertainment/Open Road Films with $2.3 million from 1,710 theatres. It gets 26% on the Tomatoneter and a B+ CinemaScore.
It’s a new era! With audiences embracing inclusion and diversity more and more, CRAZY RICH ASIANS is the Movie of the Now, taking the top of the Box Office with $21.6 million from 3,384 theatres for Warner Bros. Not only are Critics in love with the Kevin Kwan Bestseller Adaptation, it gets an A CinemaScore from Audiences which should be enough to propel it in coming weeks with word of mouth. Directed by Jon M. Chu, it opened Wednesday night, for a total $31 million over five days.
THE MEG continues to take a bit at the competition in second with $20 million from 4,118 theatres making it a Warner Bros. Top-Two. Over two weeks the shark Action-Thriller has made $82.6 million.
In third is MILE 22 with $14.3 million from 3,250 theatres for STX Entertainment/VVS Films. The fourth collaboration between Director Peter Berg and star Mark Wahlberg, gets 20% on the Tomatometer and a B- CinemaScore.
MISSION IMPOSSIBLE: FALLOUT is in fourth with $10.9 million for Paramount Pictures, a total $181 million over four weeks.
ALPHA debuts in sixth with $9.4 million from 2,719 theatres for Sony Pictures. The story about the first friendship between man and wolf, gets 84% on the Tomatometer and a B+ CinemaScore.
MAMMA MIA! HERE WE GO AGAIN is in ninth with $3.5 million for Universal Pictures in in its fifth a week, a tally of $111.3 million made domestically.
HOTEL TRANSYLVANIA 3: SUMMER VACATION gets $3.4 million for Sony Pictures, a total $153 million over six weeks.
One of the this summer’s most eagerly-awaited escapes at the Movies is almost before us and in-town today to ring-in the occasion are some of the stars of CRAZY RICH ASIANS!
The Warner Bros. Canada release, adapted from Kevin Kwan’s critically-acclaimed and best-selling Novel of the same name, looks to quench the thirsts of those looking for something juicy. Stars Awkwafina (Ocean’s 8), Ken Jeong (The Hangover Trilogy) and Nico Santos (2 Broke Girls) did the rounds this morning, gracing Toronto’s television sets with their magnetic personalities and they will be walking the Red Carpet tonight at TIFF Bell Lightbox at the Canadian Premiere for the Film. Directed by Jon M. Chu, it also stars Michelle Yeoh, Henry Golding and Constance Wu, the latter in the starring role as Rachel Chu, a New Yorker who learns suddenly that her boyfriend is extremely wealthy and is flown to Singapore for his best friend’s wedding, only to meet his disapproving mother.
See the Trailer:
Among the interviews the Cast did earlier today were Global’s The Morning Show (National Edition). Check-out their chat:
Travelling in a Mercedes Sprinter with a sizable entourage, the Cast were amazingly-friendly! And they may have made time for some Smoke’s Poutine also during the day! Who wouldn’t be giddy? Did you know Awkwafina also will be back to host the 2018 iHeartRadio MMVAs next month too?
Audiences at the packed Premiere were split into two theatres and delivered a spirited introduction from the Cast with the help of TIFF Artistic Director Cameron Bailey. The Trio had nothing but love for the City!
See the Intro:
CRAZY RICH ASIANS is everything I wished it would be. And even crazier! What a sumptuous feast for the eyes, equal parts a complicated web of emotions as it is a luxurious escape. Phenomenal performances from a talented Cast whom all bring their A-Game. Constance Wu is fantastic in this breakout role, as is screen legend Michelle Yeoh. If you couldn’t get enough of Awkwafina in Ocean’s 8, you will be delighted by her comedy again here. Gemma Chan is a gem waiting to be discovered by stateside audiences. The Film totally gets the experience of being a product of immigrant parents and honours the importance of traditions and family values. Fans of Kevin Kwan‘s bestselling novels will be overjoyed, new hearts will be won.
See our Snaps!
Awkwafina
Ken Jeong
Nico Santos
Warner Bros. Canada release CRAZY RICH ASIANS Friday, August 15, 2018.
(Photo/video credit: Global Television/Mr. Will Wong/Warner Bros. Canada)
And of course, some Selfies!
Mr. Will wants to give readers a chance to attend an advance screening of CRAZY RICH ASIANS, based on the best-selling novel by Kevin Kwan! Screenings take place on Monday, August 13, 2018, in Toronto, Vancouver, Montreal English, Calgary and Halifax!.
Synopsis:
Jon M. Chu (“Now You See Me 2”) directed the contemporary romantic comedy “Crazy Rich Asians,” based on the acclaimed worldwide bestseller by Kevin Kwan. The story follows New Yorker Rachel Chu (Wu) as she accompanies her longtime boyfriend, Nick Young (Golding), to his best friend’s wedding in Singapore. Excited about visiting Asia for the first time but nervous about meeting Nick’s family, Rachel is unprepared to learn that Nick has neglected to mention a few key details about his life. It turns out that he is not only the scion of one of the country’s wealthiest families but also one of its most sought-after bachelors.
See the Trailer:
Artwork:
CRAZY RICH ASIANS is in theatres August 15!
(Photo/video credit: Warner Bros. Canada)
Welcome to Asia, b*tches! We’ve waited so long for this! Jon M. Chu adapts the Best-Seller CRAZY RICH ASIANS from Kevin Kwan and this new Trailer looks positively juicy. We want everything to go wrong or else why the hell watch?
Synopsis:
Rachel Chu (Constance Wu), an American-born Chinese economics professor, realizes her current boyfriend, Nick (Henry Golding), is one of the most desired unmarried men in his home city of Singapore and probably the rest of Asia.
She discovers this, and that fact that her boyfriend comes from an insanely wealthy family, when she heads with Nick to the wedding of his best friend. She also learns that nearly every unattached woman in his class of society is after him and are ready to take out Rachel by any means necessary.
See the Trailer:
Warner Bros. Pictures Canada release CRAZY RICH ASIANS Friday, August 17, 2018.
(Photo/video credit: Warner Bros.)
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