By Mr. Will Wong

Easily one of the hottest tickets at tiff50, Actor/Writer/Director Benny Safdie is coming into awards season with his latest effort, THE SMASHING MACHINE, in an admirable position. The Biopic about Mixed Martial Arts legend Mark Kerr diverts from the typical Sports Drama, giving us a film that more rests its focus on obstacle, resilience, and the emotional costs of success on a grand scale.

We meet Kerr at the top of his game, an undisputed king who fights for big prize money in Japan’s PRIDE league.  He quietly is battling an addiction to narcotics, while competing in a sport that is still relatively new, and discovering its own rules with ever-shifting boundaries. Losing isn’t something Kerr knows until he truly feels what it is like, triggering a downward spiral which also affects his relationship with girlfriend Dawn (Emily Blunt). Kerr is determined to reclaim his throne, but at what cost?

Make no mistake, all the buzz about Dwayne Johnson‘s career-best work here is warranted and validated, as he taps into Kerr’s vulnerability, sensitivity and emotional awareness. These perhaps, are muscles in Johnson‘s body of work which haven’t always had a proper showcase, but they are flexed fully here.

Undoubtedly aided by their prior work together, Johnson and Blunt pair beautifully together again with an electric, palpable chemistry. Whether they’re sharing a moment of tenderness or at each other’s throats ans getting under one another’s skin, they are a convincing (troubled) couple.

MMA star Ryan Bader plays Kerr’s best friend and fellow fighter Mark Coleman, who despite not being an Actor, puts forth a commendable effort from the sidelines.

While we never experienced the tremors and tears we thought we would with your typical epic Sports Dramas, we appreciate the lens through which Safdie tells Kerr‘s story through. Instead of the typical tropes we see in fighter films, this isn’t a portrait of glory and winning as much as it is about surviving, overcoming, and just living as a successful athlete. A fantastic piece of Cinema with performances we will remember for some time.

THE SMASHING MACHINE screens at TIFF ’25 as follows:

Monday, September 8
VISA Screening Room at the Princess of Wales Theatre
Premium
Closed captions (CC),
Audio description (AD)
9:45 pm

Tuesday, September 9
Scotiabank Theatre Toronto
Closed captions (CC),
Audio description (AD)
7:30 pm

THE SMASHING MACHINE cast members Dwayne Johnson and Emily Blunt attended the UFC Hall of Fame Induction of combat sport legend Mark Kerr, who Johnson depicts in the film. Blunt portrays Dawn Staples-Kerr, Mark’s first wife. Johnson presented Kerr with the trophy in honor of his induction as the 21st member of the Pioneer Era Wing of the Hall of Fame. The ceremony took place on Thursday, June 26, 2025 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

Other 2025 inductees into the UFC Hall of Fame include Craig Piligian (Emmy Award-winning producer), Israel Adesanya (Former Middleweight Champion), Robbie Lawler (Former Middleweight Champion), Kelvin Gastelum (Former Interim Title Challenger), Amanda Nunes (Former 2-Division Champion), and Vitor Belfort (Former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion and UFC 12 Heavyweight Tournament Winner).
ABOUT MARK KERR:
Mark Kerr, a former NCAA wrestling champion and ADCC Hall of Famer, rose to prominence in MMA by winning back-to-back UFC heavyweight tournaments in 1997. Nicknamed “The Smashing Machine” for his dominant style, Kerr fought in both UFC and PRIDE, earning victories over top-tier opponents during a 12-year career.

ABOUT UFC:
UFC is the world’s premier mixed martial arts organization (MMA), with more than 700 million fans and approximately 300 million social media followers. The organization produces more than 40 live events annually in some of the most prestigious arenas around the world, while broadcasting to over 950 million households across more than 170 countries. UFC’s athlete roster features the world’s best MMA athletes representing more than 70 countries. The organization’s digital offerings include UFC FIGHT PASS, one of the world’s leading streaming services for combat sports. UFC is part of TKO Group Holdings (NYSE: TKO) and is headquartered in Las Vegas, Nevada. For more information, visit UFC.com and follow UFC at Facebook.com/UFC and @UFC on X, Snapchat, Instagram and TikTok: @UFC.

ABOUT THE SMASHING MACHINE:
From filmmaker Benny Safdie and starring Dwayne Johnson and Emily Blunt, THE SMASHING MACHINE is the story of legendary mixed martial arts & UFC fighter Mark Kerr.

From Writer/Director Benny Safdie and starring Dwayne Johnson and Emily Blunt. THE SMASHING MACHINE – In Theaters October 3, 2025 via VVS Films. Today we get a brand new Trailer. This looks incredible!

DIRECTOR: Benny Safdie
CAST: Dwayne Johnson, Emily Blunt

About Mark Kerr

Mark Kerr is an American former wrestler and mixed martial artist. During his MMA career he was a two-time UFC Heavyweight Tournament Champion, World Vale Tudo Championship tournament winner, a PRIDE FC Heavyweight Champion, 1992 NCAA National Wrestling Champion, 1994 National Freestyle Champion and 4x ADCC World Submission Champion. In 2003, Kerr was the subject of an HBO documentary titled THE SMASHING MACHINE, which detailed his MMA career fighting in Vale Tudo, the UFC and PRIDE.

(Photo/video credit: A24)

THE SMASHING MACHINE is coming to theatres this Fall, October 3, 2025 via VVS Films, reuniting Dwayne Johnson and Emily Blunt.

Written, directed and produced by Benny Safdie and starring Dwayne Johnson and Academy Award-nominated Emily Blunt.

THE SMASHING MACHINE is a drama based on the story of Mark Kerr (Dwayne Johnson), the legendary MMA fighter from the no-holds-barred era of the UFC at the peak of his career, as he questions himself and struggles with life and his relationships. While Mark’s girlfriend, Dawn Staples (Emily Blunt) struggles as well to find her place in Mark’s chaotic and contradictory world.

PRESS MATERIALS
About Mark Kerr

Mark Kerr is an American former wrestler and mixed martial artist. During his MMA career he was a two-time UFC Heavyweight Tournament Champion, World Vale Tudo Championship tournament winner, a PRIDE FC Heavyweight Champion, 1992 NCAA National Wrestling Champion, 1994 National Freestyle Champion and 4x ADCC World Submission Champion. In 2003, Kerr was the subject of an HBO documentary titled THE SMASHING MACHINE, which detailed his MMA career fighting in Vale Tudo, the UFC and PRIDE

Universal Pictures Canada x Mr. Will want to give Readers a chance to win passes to an Advance Screening of FALL GUY.

Advance screenings will be held Monday, April 29, 2024 at 7 pm in:

Toronto:
Cineplex Yonge & Dundas

Vancouver:
Scotiabank Theatre

And Monday, April 29 at 7:30 pm in:

Montreal (EN): Cinema Banque Scotia

Synopsis:

He’s a stuntman, and like everyone in the stunt community, he gets blown up, shot, crashed, thrown through windows and dropped from the highest of heights, all for our entertainment.

And now, fresh off an almost career-ending accident, this working-class hero has to track down a missing movie star, solve a conspiracy and try to win back the love of his life while still doing his day job. What could possibly go right?

From real life stunt man and director David Leitch, the blockbuster director of Bullet Train, Deadpool 2, Atomic Blonde and Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw and the producer of John Wick, Nobody and Violent Night, comes his most personal film yet. A new hilarious, hard-driving, all-star apex-action thriller and love letter to action movies and the hard-working and under-appreciated crew of people who make them: The Fall Guy.

Oscar® nominee Ryan Gosling (Barbie, La La Land, Drive) stars as Colt Seavers, a battle-scarred stuntman who, having left the business a year earlier to focus on both his physical and mental health, is drafted back into service when the star of a mega-budget studio movie—being directed by his ex, Jody Moreno, played by Golden Globe winner Emily Blunt (Oppenheimer, A Quiet Place films, Sicario)—goes missing.

While the film’s ruthless producer (Emmy winner Hannah Waddingham; Ted Lasso), maneuvers to keep the disappearance of star Tom Ryder (Golden Globe winner Aaron Taylor-Johnson; Bullet Train) a secret from the studio and the media, Colt performs the film’s most outrageous stunts while trying (with limited success) to charm his way back into Jody’s good graces. But as the mystery around themissing star deepens, Colt will find himself ensnared in a sinister, criminal plot that will push him to the edge of a fall more dangerous than any stunt.

Inspired by the hit 1980s TV series, The Fall Guy also stars Winston Duke (Black Panther franchise) and Academy Award® nominee Stephanie Hsu (Everything Everywhere All at Once).

From a screenplay by Hobbs & Shaw screenwriter Drew Pearce, The Fall Guy is produced by Kelly McCormick (Bullet Train, Nobody, Atomic Blonde) and David Leitch for their company 87North, and by Ryan Gosling and by Guymon Casady (Game of Thrones, Steve Jobs and executive producer of the upcoming series Ripley) for Entertainment 360. The film is executive produced by Drew Pearce, Entertainment 360’s Geoff Shaevitz and the creator of the original FallGuy television series, Glen A. Larson.

Genre: Action Thriller

Starring: Ryan Gosling, Emily Blunt, Winston Duke, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Hannah Waddingham, Stephanie Hsu

Directed by: David Leitch

Screenplay by: Drew Pearce

Produced by: Kelly McCormick, David Leitch, Ryan Gosling, Guymon Casady

Executive Producers: Drew Pearce, Geoff Shaevitz, Glen A. Larson

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Rules and regulations here.

Universal Pictures Canada releaae FALL GUY in theatres May 3, 2024.

(Photo/video credit: Universal Pictures Canada)

In a heart-stopping display of precision and skill, Logan Holladay, stunt driver for Oscar® nominee Ryan Gosling’s character in Universal Pictures’ new 87North film, The Fall Guy, shattered the GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS title for most cannon rolls in a car, achieving an astonishing eight and a half rolls during the film’s 2022 production on the beaches of Sydney, Australia. This groundbreaking feat in blockbuster director David Leitch’s latest film surpassed the previous record held by stuntman Adam Kirley, who achieved seven cannon rolls during the filming of 2006’s Casino Royale.

The cannon roll, a classic stunt dating back to the early days of cinema, involves fitting a cannon-like apparatus beneath a car that shoots toward the ground. As the vehicle reaches a designated speed, the mechanism triggers and propels the car into a series of rolls. Holladay executed the stunt behind the wheel of a modified Jeep Grand Cherokee fitted with an external fiberglass body.

The Fall Guy, inspired by the 1980’s hit TV series of the same name, is directed by filmmaker and former stunt performer Leitch, whose company, 87North Productions, is synonymous with adrenaline-fueled action in films such as Bullet Train, Deadpool 2 and Atomic Blonde. The film, which stars Gosling as a stuntman and Emily Blunt as a film director, pays homage to the unsung heroes of the stunt community. Thus, the production prioritized practical stunts. “With The Fall Guy, I’m honoring my roots as a stunt performer,” Leitch says. “We wantedto deliver action that was true to the spirit of the stunt community by incorporating techniques that have become somewhat of a lost art. The cannon roll is a classic stunt and was a must-have for this film. And since we were making a movie that honors the work of stunt performers, we didn’t just set out to achieve the cannon roll; we set out to break records and make a statement. Logan executed it flawlessly and showcased why he’s a standout in the stunt community.”

Holladay, whose impressive list of credits includes Shazam and Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw, demonstrated his unparalleled skills on the set of The Fall Guy in various jaw-dropping vehicular stunts, including an astonishing 200-plus-foot ramp jump. Holladay’s performance underscored his remarkable talent and deep-seated dedication to his craft, rooted in a family legacy of stunt performers. “Growing up, my dad was a stuntman, so the influence of film sets and the world of stunts was always there,” Holladay says. “When I learned about The Fall Guy going into production, I knew I had to be part of it. As for the cannon rolls, after two practice runs and one real take, we had one car and one shot left. And after I hit the eight and a half rolls, I had a pretty good feeling that I had broken the record because it felt like the spinning was never going to stop. It was a surreal moment and I’m incredibly proud of what the team achieved.”

The record-breaking stunt demanded thorough planning and collaboration across multiple departments within the film’s production, with special attention given to the choice of landscape. The stunt was executed on a flat beach, which required rigorous planning and meticulous adjustments given the changing tides and specific terrain requirements. The team conducted extensive testing to fine-tune every aspect of the stunt, experimenting with different pressure settings for the cannon mechanism, strategically placing it underneath the vehicle and analyzing the car’s speed and ground density.

Producer and star Ryan Gosling and David Leitch presented Holladay with the Guinness World Records certificate celebrating his achievement on Wednesday, March 13, at a special screening of The Fall Guy in Los Angeles. Before the presentation, attendees were treated to a behind-the-scenes piece showcasing the world record-breaking stunt. Following this, Fandango’s Naz Perez moderated a Q&A session with director David Leitch, producer Kelly McCormick, producer Guymon Casady, stunt coordinator Chris O’Hara, and stars Ryan Gosling, Emily Blunt, Hannah Waddingham, Stephanie Hsu and Winston Duke. The event was streamed to theaters in New York, Atlanta and Miami.

The Fall Guy arrives in theatres on May 3, 2024.

Universal Pictures Home Entertainment x Mr. Will want to give Readers a chance to win a copy of Christopher Nolan‘s masterpiece OPPENHEIMER on 4K ULTRA HD!

Synopsis: 

Experience the breathtaking global phenomenon that has captivated audiences around the world. Written for the screen and directed by Christopher Nolan, Oppenheimer thrusts audiences into the mind of physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer (Cillian Murphy), whose landmark work on the Manhattan Project created the first atomic bomb. An unprecedented cinematic event, Oppenheimer features an all-star cast that includes Emily Blunt, Oscar® winner Matt Damon, Oscar® nominee Robert Downey Jr., Oscar® nominee Florence Pugh, Josh Hartnett, and Oscar® winners Casey Affleck, Rami Malek and Kenneth Branagh.

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Rules and regulations here.

OPPENHEIMER arrives on Digital, DVD, Blu-Ray and 4K on November 21, 2023.

(Photo/video credit: Univeral Pictures Home Entertainment)

Premiering at TIFF ’23, today we get a new Teaser Trailer for PAIN HUSTLERS starring Emily Blunt and Chris Evans!

SYNOPSIS:

Liza Drake (Emily Blunt) is a blue-collar single mom who has just lost her job and is at the end of her rope. A chance meeting with pharmaceutical sales rep Pete Brenner (Chris Evans) puts her on an upwards trajectory economically but dubious path ethically as she becomes entangled in a dangerous racketeering scheme. Dealing with her increasingly unhinged boss (Andy Garcia), the worsening medical condition of her daughter (Chloe Coleman), and a growing awareness of the devastation the company is causing forces Liza to examine her choices. Pain Hustlers is a sharp and revealing look at what some people do out of desperation and others do out of greed. The film is directed by BAFTA award winner David Yates, produced by Lawrence Grey, and also starring Catherine O’Hara, Jay Duplass and Brian d’Arcy James.

DIRECTOR: David Yates
SCREENPLAY BY: Wells Tower
BASED ON THE BOOK BY: Evan Hughes
PRODUCERS: Lawrence Grey, David Yates
EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS: Emily Blunt, Mark Moran, Yvonne Walcott-Yates, Lewis Taylor, Ben Everard
CAST: Emily Blunt, Chris Evans, Catherine O’Hara, Chloe Coleman, Jay Duplass, Brian d’Arcy James, Amit Shah, Aubrey Dollar, Willie Raysor and Andy Garcia

In select theatres October 20, 2023
On Netflix October 27, 2023

Emily Blunt stars in Prime Video‘s upcoming Western Series, THE ENGLISH. Here’s a look at the new Trailer!

Synopsis:

The English is an epic chase Western, from award-winning writer and director Hugo Blick (The Honourable Woman, Black Earth Rising, The Shadow Line). The series takes the core themes of identity and revenge to tell a uniquely compelling parable on race, power, and love. An aristocratic Englishwoman, Lady Cornelia Locke (Emily Blunt), and a Pawnee ex-cavalry scout, Eli Whipp (Chaske Spencer), come together in 1890 middle America to cross a violent landscape built on dreams and blood. Both of them have a clear sense of their destiny, but neither is aware that it is rooted in a shared past. They must face increasingly terrifying obstacles that will test them to their limits, physically and psychologically. But as each obstacle is overcome, it draws them closer to their ultimate destination—the new town of Hoxem, Wyoming. It is here, after an investigation by the local sheriff Robert Marshall (Stephen Rea, The Shadow Line) and young widow Martha Myers (Valerie Pachner, A Hidden Life) into a series of bizarre and macabre unsolved murders, that the full extent of their intertwined history will be truly understood, and they will come face-to-face with the future they must live. The series’ ensemble cast includes Rafe Spall (The Salisbury Poisonings), Tom Hughes (A Discovery of Witches), Toby Jones (Marvellous), and Ciarán Hinds (The Terror).

The English is produced by Drama Republic Ltd, a Mediawan company, and Eight Rooks Ltd. The series is created by Hugo Blick—who also serves as an executive producer, director, and writer. Emily Blunt also serves as executive producer, alongside Greg Brenman (Peaky Blinders, The Honourable Woman) for Drama Republic. Colin Wratten (Killing Eve) serves as a producer on The English. Global distribution is handled by All3Media International.

THE ENGLISH arrives on Prime Video November 11, 2022.

(Photo/video credit: Prime Video)

Paramount Home Entertainment x Mr. Will want to give Readers a chance to win a A QUIET PLACE Prize Pack! Prize Pack includes:

–A Quiet Place Two-Movie Collection on Blu-ray (package will not include Digital copy as seen below)

-Limited Edition Poster

-“Screaming Internally” T-Shirt 

-Branded Mug

-Mini Survival Kit 

Hailed by critics and audiences alike and Certified Fresh by Rotten Tomatoes, Writer and Director John Krasinski’s exhilarating thriller A QUIET PLACE: PART II is available now on Digital and arrives on 4K Ultra HD Combo Pack, Blu-ray and DVD July 27, 2021.

The A QUIET PLACE: PART II 4K Ultra HD Combo Pack, Blu-ray and Digital releases boast exclusive special features that take viewers deeper into the world originated in the global smash hit A Quiet Place.

The A Quiet Place Two-Movie Collection is also available exclusively on Digital or Blu-ray with bonus content on both films.

A QUIET PLACE: PART II Synopsis
Following the deadly events at home, the Abbott family (Emily Blunt, Millicent Simmonds, Noah Jupe) must now face the terrors of the outside world as they continue their fight for survival in silence. Forced to venture into the unknown, they quickly realize that the creatures that hunt by sound are not the only threats that lurk beyond the sand path in this gripping, edge-of-your-seat thriller written and directed by John Krasinski.

A QUIET PLACE 2-Movie Collection Synopsis
If they hear you, they hunt you! Silence is survival in these two terrifyingly suspenseful thrillers. Follow the Abbott family (Emily Blunt, John Krasinski, Millicent Simmonds, Noah Jupe) as they face the terror of mysterious creatures that hunt by sound.

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Paramount Home Entertainment release in-stores A QUIET PLACE PART II Tuesday, July 27, 2021.

(Photo/video credit: Paramount Home Entertainment)