#TIFF24: DENIS VILLENEUVE AT TIFF FOR “DUNE” IN-CONVERSATION

Following IMAX screenings of Dune: Part One and Dune: Part Two, the Academy Award–nominated French-Canadian filmmaker invites you into his creative process in adapting the conclusion of Frank Herbert’s epic saga for the screen.

Having reconciled profound and deeply relevant human themes with an intimate and layered narrative, Villeneuve will share insights into the cinematic craftsmanship and collaboration that led to this visionary artistic achievement.

Public tickets go on sale Wednesday, August 28 at 10AM on the TIFF website. 

#FIRSTLOOK: DENIS VILLENEUVE AT MONTREAL “DUNE: PART TWO” FAN EVENT

Quebec native and award-winning visionary director Denis Villeneuve brought the highly anticipated Dune: Part Two celebrations home to Montreal on February 28, 2024, delighting fans with an exclusive red-carpet screening event of the epic sci-fi adventure!

Hundreds of fans gathered in anticipation at the downtown Cineplex Cinéma Banque Scotia Montréal for the Canadian stop of the global publicity tour for Dune: Part Two. Presented by Audi Canada and The Ritz-Carlton Montreal, the evening was a grandiose heartwarming homecoming for Denis as well as fellow filmmakers Producer Tanya Lapointe and Academy Award® Winning Production Designer Patrice Vermette.

The screening was introduced by one of Quebec’s top comedians and television personalities, Jay Du Temple. Jay and Denis thrilled audiences by awarding multiple trips to Hollywood as exclusive prizing to celebrate the night.

Beyond early access to watch the film in IMAX®, fans were treated to immersive photo moments, gift bags, and spice-infused takeaways courtesy of David’s Tea and Kanel.

Dune: Part Two hits theatres across Canada on March 1. Tickets are on sale now!

#GIVEAWAY: ENTER FOR A CHANCE TO WIN PASSES TO AN ADVANCE SCREENING OF “DUNE: PART TWO”

Warner Bros. Pictures Canada x Mr. Will want to give Readers in Toronto and Vancouver a chance to win passes to an Advance Screening of DUNE: PART TWO.

Screenings take place as follows on February 28, 2024:

Toronto

7:30 PM

CPX Scotiabank

Vancouver

7:30 PM

Scotiabank Theatre Vancouver

SYNOPSIS:

The saga continues as award-winning filmmaker Denis Villeneuve embarks on “Dune: Part Two,” the next chapter of Frank Herbert’s celebrated novel Dune, with an expanded all-star international ensemble cast. The film, from Warner Bros. Pictures and Legendary Pictures, is the highly anticipated follow-up to 2021’s six-time Academy Award-winning “Dune.”

The big-screen epic continues the adaptation of Frank Herbert’s acclaimed bestseller Dune with returning and new stars, including Oscar nominee Timothée Chalamet (“Wonka,” “Call Me by Your Name”), Zendaya (“Spider-Man: No Way Home,” “Malcolm & Marie,” “Euphoria”), Rebecca Ferguson (“Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning”), Oscar nominee Josh Brolin (“Avengers: End Game,” “Milk”), Oscar nominee Austin Butler (“Elvis,” “Once Upon A Time…In Hollywood”), Oscar nominee Florence Pugh (“Black Widow,” “Little Women”), Dave Bautista (the “Guardians of the Galaxy” films, “Thor: Love and Thunder”), Oscar winner Christopher Walken (“The Deer Hunter,” “Hairspray”), Stephen McKinley Henderson (“Fences,” “Lady Bird”), Léa Seydoux (the “James Bond” franchise and “Crimes of the Future”), with Stellan Skarsgård (the “Mamma Mia!” films, “Avengers: Age of Ultron”), with Oscar nominee Charlotte Rampling (“45 Years,” “Assassin’s Creed”), and Oscar winner Javier Bardem (“No Country for Old Men,” “Being the Ricardos”).

“Dune: Part Two” will explore the mythic journey of Paul Atreides as he unites with Chani and the Fremen while on a warpath of revenge against the conspirators who destroyed his family. Facing a choice between the love of his life and the fate of the known universe, he endeavors to prevent a terrible future only he can foresee.

Villeneuve directed from a screenplay he co-wrote with Jon Spaihts based on Herbert’s novel. The film is produced by Mary Parent, Cale Boyter, Villeneuve, Tanya Lapointe and Patrick McCormick. The executive producers are Josh Grode, Herbert W. Gains, Jon Spaihts, Thomas Tull, Brian Herbert, Byron Merritt, Kim Herbert, with Kevin J. Anderson serving as creative consultant.

Villeneuve is again collaborating with his “Dune” creatives: Oscar-winning director of photography Greig Fraser; Oscar-winning production designer Patrice Vermette; Oscar-winning editor Joe Walker; Oscar-winning visual effects supervisor Paul Lambert; Oscar-nominated costume designer Jacqueline West. Oscar-winning composer Hans Zimmer is again on hand to create the score.

“Dune: Part Two” was filmed on location in Budapest, Abu Dhabi, Jordan and Italy. The film is slated for a March 1, 2024 worldwide release from Warner Bros. Pictures.

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Rules and regulations here.

Warner Bros. Pictures Canada release DUNE: PART TWO only in theatres March 1, 2024.

(Photo/video credit: Warner Bros. Pictures Canada)

#OSCARS: “THE POWER OF THE DOG” LEADS 2022 OSCAR NOMINEES

Nominations were announced earlier today for the 94th Academy Awards, to be held Sunday, March 27, 2022 at Dolby Theatre in Hollywood at 8 PM ET. Tracee Ellis Ross and Leslie Jordan made announcements this year. Leading the pack this year with a total 12 nominations is Jane Campion‘s THE POWER OF THE DOG, followed closely by Denis Villeneuve’s DUNE which garnered 10.

This year’s biggest snubs include Lady Gaga for House of Gucci, and while Denis Villeneuve‘s DUNE received much recognition technically, he isn’t up for Best Director. Though it achieved record-breaking Box Office success and acclaim, SPIDER-MAN: NO WAY HOME only garnered one nomination for Special Effects.

Nominees are as follows.

BEST PICTURE

“Belfast”

“CODA” 

“Don’t Look Up” 

“Drive My Car”

“Dune”

“King Richard”

“Licorice Pizza”

“Nightmare Alley”

“The Power of the Dog”

“West Side Story”

BEST DIRECTOR

Kenneth Branagh (“Belfast”)

Ryûsuke Hamaguchi (“Drive My Car”)

Paul Thomas Anderson (“Licorice Pizza”)

Jane Campion (“The Power of the Dog”)

Steven Spielberg (“West Side Story”)

BEST LEAD ACTOR

Javier Bardem (“Being the Ricardos”)

Benedict Cumberbatch (“The Power of the Dog”)

Andrew Garfield (“Tick, Tick … Boom!”)

Will Smith (“King Richard”)

Denzel Washington (“The Tragedy of Macbeth”)

BEST LEAD ACTRESS

Jessica Chastain (“The Eyes of Tammy Faye”)

Olivia Colman (“The Lost Daughter”)

Penélope Cruz (“Parallel Mothers”)

Nicole Kidman (“Being the Ricardos”)

Kristen Stewart (“Spencer”)

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

Ciarán Hinds (“Belfast”)

Troy Kotsur (“CODA”)

Jesse Plemons (“The Power of the Dog”)

J.K. Simmons (“Being the Ricardos”)

Kodi Smit-McPhee (“The Power of the Dog”)

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

Jessie Buckley (“The Lost Daughter”)

Ariana DeBose (“West Side Story”)

Judi Dench (“Belfast”)

Kirsten Dunst (“The Power of the Dog”)

Aunjanue Ellis (“King Richard”)

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

“CODA,” Siân Heder

“Drive My Car,” Ryûsuke Hamaguchi, Takamasa Oe

“Dune,” Jon Spaihts, Denis Villeneuve, Eric Roth

“The Lost Daughter,” Maggie Gyllenhaal

“The Power of the Dog,” Jane Campion

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

“Belfast,” Kenneth Branagh

“Don’t Look Up,” Adam McKay, David Sirota

“King Richard,” Zach Baylin

“Licorice Pizza,” Paul Thomas Anderson

“The Worst Person in the World,” Eskil Vogt, Joachim Troer

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY

“Dune,” Greig Fraser

“Nightmare Alley,” Dan Laustsen

“The Power of the Dog,” Ari Wegner

“The Tragedy of Macbeth,” Bruno Delbonnel

“West Side Story,” Janusz Kamiński

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE

“Encanto”

“Flee”

“Luca”

“The Mitchells vs. the Machines”

“Raya and the Last Dragon”

BEST ANIMATED SHORT

“Affairs of the Art”

“Bestia”

“Boxballet”

“Robin Robin”

“The Windshield Wiper”

BEST COSTUME DESIGN

“Cruella” 

“Cyrano” 

“Dune” 

“Nightmare Alley” 

“West Side Story” 

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE

“Don’t Look Up,” Nicholas Britell

“Dune,” Hans Zimmer

“Encanto,” Germaine Franco

“Parallel Mothers,” Alberto Iglesias

“The Power of the Dog,” Jonny Greenwood

BEST SOUND

“Belfast” 

“Dune” 

“No Time to Die” 

“The Power of the Dog” 

“West Side Story”

BEST ORIGINAL SONG

“Be Alive” (“King Richard”), Beyoncé Knowles-Carter, Dixson

“Dos Oruguitas” (“Encanto”), Lin-Manuel Miranda

“Down to Joy” (“Belfast”), Van Morrison

“No Time to Die” (“No Time to Die”), Billie Eilish, Finneas O’Connell

“Somehow You Do” (“Four Good Days”), Diane Warren

BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE

“Ascension” 

“Attica”

“Flee”

“Summer of Soul (…Or, When The Revolution Could Not Be Televised)”

“Writing With Fire” 

BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT

“Audible”

“Lead Me Home”

“The Queen of Basketball”

“Three Songs for Benazir”

“When We Were Bullies”

BEST FILM EDITING

“Don’t Look Up”

“Dune”

“King Richard”

“The Power of the Dog”

“Tick, Tick … Boom!”

BEST INTERNATIONAL FEATURE

“Drive My Car” (Japan)

“Flee” (Denmark)

“The Hand of God” (Italy)

“Lunana: A Yak in the Classroom” (Bhutan)

“The Worst Person in the World” (Norway)

BEST MAKEUP AND HAIR

“Coming 2 America”

“Cruella” 

“Dune” 

“The Eyes of Tammy Faye”

“House of Gucci” 

BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN

“Dune” 

“Nightmare Alley” 

“The Power of the Dog”

“The Tragedy of Macbeth”

“West Side Story” 

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS

“Dune” 

“Free Guy” 

“No Time to Die” 

“Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings” 

“Spider-Man: No Way Home” 

BEST LIVE ACTION SHORT

“Ala Kachuu – Take and Run”

“The Dress”

“The Long Goodbye”

“On My Mind”

“Please Hold”

The Academy Awards will air on ABC on March 27, 2022.

(Photo credit: Netflix)

#TIFF21: DAY THREE SIGHTINGS – JESSICA CHASTAIN, BENEDICT CUMBERBATCH, DIONNE WARWICK, DENIS VILLENEUVE, REBECCA FERGUSON, HALEY LU RICHARDSON, OWEN TEAGUE + MORE

We’ve hit peak starpower at TIFF ’21 and even with Red Carpets and talent scaled back there’s still plenty enough to keep us busy!

The 2021 TIFF Tribute Gala took place earlier today at Roy Thomson Hall with this year’s Honourees taking the stage to accept their awards. Those in attendance included:

Jessica Chastain — TIFF Tribute Actor Award supported by the Tory Family
Benedict Cumberbatch — TIFF Tribute Actor Award
Denis Villeneuve — TIFF Ebert Director Award
Alanis Obomsawin — Jeff Skoll Award in Impact Media supported by Participant Media
Ari Wegner — TIFF Variety Artisan Award
Danis Goulet — TIFF Emerging Talent Award presented by L’Oréal Paris and supported by MGM
Dionne Warwick — TIFF Special Tribute Award

We caught some special moments as the stars arrived and we even saw Benedict Cumberbatch and Dionne Warwick share an embrace. R&B Legend Warwick, here for Documentary DON’T MAKE ME OVER, shared that she admittedly was a little starstruck seeing Cumberbatch, whom she admires for her work on SHERLOCK, which she was obsessed with streaming during the Pandemic! Cumberbatch is receiving tons of Oscar buzz for his work in Jane Campion‘s THE POWER OF THE DOG. Review here.

Chastain and Villeneuve, both busy with Press Days today for their respective films THE FORGIVEN and DUNE, made time to walk over to the fans, snapping Selfies and signing autographs. Chastain was stunning in a colour block Moschino outfit!

The Awards air Saturday, September 18, 2021 at 7pm ET on CTV, CTV.ca and the CTV app in Canada.

Some Snaps:

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Several other Premieres took place across the City including MONTANA STORY which stars Owen Teague and Haley Lu Richardson, which many are commending for its heart and compassion. We spotted the stars and Co-Directors Scott McGehee and David Siegel, Ubering about with the Film’s stars earlier. Review to come shortly.

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One of our greatest highlights finally is a moment with Rebecca Ferguson, whom we admire so deeply. This chameleon of an Actress has won acclaim for her work on the Mission: Impossible Franchise, The White Queen and more popularly, The Greatest Showman. Oh yeah, her! Ferguson stars in DUNE, which premiered at Ontario Place‘s Cinesphere and will be busy with Villeneuve with a day of press in support of the hotly-anticipated October 22, 2021 release. Review here.

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One parting note, I attended a screening of Edgar Wright‘s LAST NIGHT IN SOHO and it was incredible! My thoughts below…

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How amazing Wright even threw me a “like”!

We decided to take it easy tonight, wrapping early. Tomorrow will be pretty much the last day we’ll be out snapping content with more of a focus on the Films after Monday. Who knows, I might even have a little special sidekick out with me tomorrow!

(Photo credit: Mr. Will Wong)

TIFF21: “DUNE” REVIEW

Review by David Baldwin

After years of anticipation and fan hype, Co-Writer/Director Denis Villeneuve’s take on DUNE has finally arrived. The tale of warring house factions and the native Fremen people over spice on the planet Arrakis is dense to say the least, but fans and novices like myself will equally find something to enjoy in this science fiction epic for the ages.

Long thought unfilmable (though there have been a few attempts to differing results), Villeneuve has taken everything he has learned as a Filmmaker over the past decade and has created something truly breathtaking. The world (or worlds in this case) are fully realized through incredible Production Design and Cinematography. The Visual Effects are spectacular, as are the Makeup Effects and Costuming. Hans Zimmer’s Score is legendary. I do not even have words to describe the sound design; it really is that great. Every single detail is precise, specific and may find you losing focus on the story just to take in everything Villeneuve has packed into the frame. This is not actors playing dress up in front of a green screen – this is next level filmmaking on a grand scale with everyone behind the scenes firing on all cylinders.

While I soaked in every single minute of Villeneuve’s take on DUNE, I found myself held back from truly adoring it because it is only half a story. People who have been following its development will not be surprised to see it called DUNE Part 1 in the opening reel, though some casual audience members may not be particularly pleased to see the Film end on a cliffhanger (nor the multiple false stopping points that make up the Film’s last half hour). I found myself increasingly annoyed by the prophetic visions lead character Paul Atreides (Timothée Chalamet) because I knew I would need to wait until Part 2 in order to see them come to fruition. Moreover, being only half a story takes away from the magnificent performances given by the entire cast because they are not fully formed whatsoever. Zendaya is very clearly pivotal to this story, yet only hovers in the background as an enigmatic presence for the majority of the Film.

All of that may sound like a pan, but it is actually quite the opposite. I was so taken by the story of DUNE and what Villeneuve created that I really did not want to see it end. I wanted to see the next part of the story immediately and genuinely hope the film finds its audience in order to make Part 2 become a reality. Like every great artist, Villeneuve left me wanting more. So believe the hype. DUNE is everything you hoped it would be. Villeneuve is at the top of his game here and this just might be his finest hour.

DUNE screens at TIFF ’21:

Sat, Sep 11 Ontario Place Cinesphere 7:15 PM

Sun, Sep 12 Ontario Place Cinesphere 7:30 PM

Mon, Sep 13 Scotiabank 12 8:00 PM

Sat, Sep 18 Ontario Place Cinesphere 8:00 PM

#GIVEAWAY: ENTER TO WIN ADVANCE PASSES TO SEE “ARRIVAL”

Paramount Pictures Canada + Mr. Will want to take Readers to see TIFF ’16 selection, ARRIVAL. Screenings take place in Toronto, Ottawa and Montreal on Wednesday, November 9, 2016.

Synopsis:

When mysterious spacecraft touch down across the globe, an elite team – led by expert linguist Louise Banks (Amy Adams) – are brought together to investigate.  As mankind teeters on the verge of global war, Banks and the team race against time for answers – and to find them, she will take a chance that could threaten her life, and quite possibly humanity

Trailer:

Artwork:

To enter to win, click “like” on this Post at MR. WILL ON FACEBOOK and indicate your City!

Paramount Pictures Canada release ARRIVAL on Friday, November 11, 2016.

(Photo/video credit: Paramount Pictures)

#FIRSTLOOK: NEW TRAILER FOR TIFF ’16 SELECTION “ARRIVAL” STARRING AMY ADAMS

Premiering at TIFF ’16 next month, here comes a First Look at ARRIVAL starring Amy Adams, from Canada’s v. own Denis Villeneuve (Prisoners, Sicario)!

Synopsis:
When mysterious spacecraft touch down across the globe, an elite team – lead by expert linguist Louise Banks (Amy Adams) – are brought together to investigate. As mankind teeters on the verge of global war, Banks and the team race against time for answers – and to find them, she will take a chance that could threaten her life, and quite possibly humanity.

See the Trailer:

Paramount Pictures Canada release ARRIVAL on Remembrance Day.

(Photo/video credit: Paramount Pictures Canada)

#TIFF15: “SICARIO”

Every once in a while we get the opportunity to see a Film at TIFF which leaves us shaken and in all honesty, the last one that affected me that deeply was 12 Years a Slave, going-on to win Best Picture at the Academy Awards. Sicario, the latest from celebrated Canadian filmmaker Denis Villeneuve, is a Film which deserves to be mentioned in the same breath as that contemporary Steve McQueen classic.

Sicario takes us on a riveting ride with Kate Macy (Emily Blunt) as she accepts a joint-government mission in Juarez, Mexico to uncover the identity of a mysterious drug lord, whom caused  the death of her colleagues in an operation turned fatal in Arizona. The true reason why she is chosen is somewhat of a mystery. She meets mercenary Alejandro (Benicio del Toro) who doesn’t appear to be working  for the U.S. government and with a purpose none to clear other than it being eluded to that something shameful has happened to him. Kate reports to Matt (Josh Brolin), who also is careful not to unveil too much, clearly withholding information.

We go underground into dark tunnels of Juarez, unsure whom to trust at any turn on a mission in which several liberties are taken much to the disapproval of a by-the-book Kate. Actions are taken and only explained after, keeping us invested fully along the way with burning questions.

Villeneuve accomplishes a great triumph in storytelling with Sicario, a devastatingly-good Thriller. Blunt acts as our eyes in this dangerous, corrupt underworld, a real presence in all her vulnerability. An armed and fearsome del Toro aims with precision, delivering his best work in quite some time.

eOne Films release SICARIO, which is sure to make a great impact come awards season. During TIFF ’15, it screens as follows:

SICARIO
Fri Sep 11 10:00 PM
PRINCESS OF WALES

Sat Sep 12 11:00 AM
VISA SCREENING ROOM (ELGIN)

#FIRSTLOOK: TRAILER FOR “SICARIO” STARRING EMILY BLUNT

“You saw things you should’ve have seen”.

We absolutely love Emily Blunt and after seeing this Trailer, we’re thinking this could well be the Film that gets her an Oscar. French Canadian Master-Helmer Denis Villeneuve‘s latest SICARIO (which means “Hitman” in Mexico) looks every bit the Oscar Contender and here’s your gritty first look.

Synopsis:
FBI Agent Kate Macy (Emily Blunt) gets a first-hand view into the world of international drug trafficking between the U.S. and Mexican border when two members of a government task force (Benicio Del Toro, Josh Brolin) draw her into their plan to bring down a Mexican drug lord.

See the Trailer:

Absolutely no doubt about it, we’re willing to bet it all that this will be at TIFF ’15!

eOne Films release SICARIO on Friday, September 25, 2015.

(Photo/video credit: eOne Films)