By George Kozera

In NORTH STAR, three sisters reunite at their family home set in the visually sumptuous Itchen Hampshire England area to attend their mother’s third marriage. Katherine (Scarlett Johansson) is a Royal Navy officer, recently promoted to a new position and is ignoring many calls from her partner Jack. Middle sister Victoria (Sienna Miller) is a Hollywood Actress, single again with a 14-year-old son. Georgina (Emily Beecham) is the youngest and is quite emotional as she suspects her husband is having an affair. The mother Diana (Kristin Scott Thomas, who also directs and co-wrote the script) tragically lost two husbands, who were Navy pilots, while in action. We are now deeply entrenched with the world of one sub plot, to a second subplot, to a third subplot ad infinitum.

Don’t mistake the last comment as a negative as I enjoyed NORTH STAR for the most part. Johansson nails the British accent with aplomb and the big reveal as to who Jack is was a surprise. Miller oozes charisma and plays the Hollywood star, always getting what she wants, effectively and likability. I found Beecham’s character overly emotional and mopey, but I’d be mopey as well if I was the baby of the family with more established siblings and am married to someone who may have issues keeping it in his pants. Ever since “Four Weddings and a Funeral”, Scott Thomas has mastered the all-knowing, velvet-fisted character, yet hers was my favourite performance in the movie and I basked in her radiant smile and wisdom. Furthermore, her real-life mother did lose two husbands in combat so this may have contributed to her performance and making this her directorial debut.

Multiple storylines have enhanced many movies (think “Love Actually”) but in NORTH STAR it caused more head scratching than needed. Don’t get me started on the character who crashes the outdoor wedding reception in a helicopter, trying to win Victoria’s affection. Or why did Victoria’s teenaged son get drunk, then get stuck in a tree? Oh, then there’s the private detective that Victoria hired while still in Hollywood by interviewing candidates attending AA meetings in the U.K. So much is needless fodder. The critic in me was irritated while the audience member in me accepted the ride I was being taken on.

NORTH STAR won’t make any dents during the awards season, but there is nothing wrong with just sitting in a darkened theatre and be entertained by a talented ensemble.

NORTH STAR screens TIFF ’23 as follows:

Friday, September 15, 2:45PM, Scotiabank

Saturday, September 16, 2:00PM, Royal Alexandra Theatre

Gary Oldman and Kristin Scott Thomas star in SLOW HORSES, coming soon to Apple TV+! See the brand-new Trailer.

Synopsis:

“Slow Horses” is a darkly humourous espionage drama that follows a dysfunctional team of British intelligence agents who serve in a dumping ground department of MI5 known un-affectionately as Slough House. Oldman stars as ‘Jackson Lamb,’ the brilliant but irascible leader of the spies, who end up in Slough House due to their career-ending mistakes as they frequently find themselves blundering around the smoke and mirrors of the espionage world. The ensemble cast includes Academy Award-nominee Kristin Scott Thomas, BAFTA Scotland Award-winner Jack Lowden, Olivia Cooke, Saskia Reeves, Dustin Demri-Burns, Rosalind Eleazar, Christopher Chung, Paul Higgins, Freddie Fox, Chris Reilly, Steve Waddington, Paul Hilton, Antonio Aakeel, Peter Judd, and a special guest appearance by Academy Award-nominee Jonathan Pryce. 

The series is produced for Apple TV+ by See-Saw Films and adapted for television by Will Smith (“Veep”). Graham Yost executive produces alongside Smith. Jamie Laurenson, Hakan Kousetta, Iain Canning, Emile Sherman, Gail Mutrux and Douglas Urbanski also serve as executive producers on the series. James Hawes directs all six episodes and executive produces.

SLOW HORSES arrives on Apple TV+ April 1, 2022.

(Photo/video credit: Apple TV+)

We know many of you are stoked about this upcoming Reboot of REBECCA, so here’s a look at the brand-new Trailer!

Synopsis:

After a whirlwind romance in Monte Carlo with handsome widower Maxim de Winter (Armie Hammer), a newly married young woman (Lily James) arrives at Manderley, her new husband’s imposing family estate on a windswept English coast. Naive and inexperienced, she begins to settle into the trappings of her new life, but finds herself battling the shadow of Maxim’s first wife, the elegant and urbane Rebecca, whose haunting legacy is kept alive by Manderley’s sinister housekeeper Mrs. Danvers (Kristin Scott Thomas). Directed by Ben Wheatley (High Rise, Free Fire) and produced by Working Title Films (Emma, Darkest Hour), REBECCA is a mesmerising and gorgeously rendered psychological thriller based on Daphne du Maurier’s beloved 1938 gothic novel.

Trailer:

REBECCA streams on Netflix Wednesday, October 21, 2020.

(Photo/video credit: Netflix)

Lily James and Armie Hammer star in the Thriller REBECCA, based on Daphne du Maurier‘s Novel. Check-out these new steamy stills!

Synopsis:

After a whirlwind romance in Monte Carlo with handsome widower Maxim de Winter (Armie Hammer), a newly married young woman (Lily James) arrives at Manderley, her new husband’s imposing family estate on a windswept English coast. Naive and inexperienced, she begins to settle into the trappings of her new life, but finds herself battling the shadow of Maxim’s first wife, the elegant and urbane Rebecca, whose haunting legacy is kept alive by Manderley’s sinister housekeeper Mrs. Danvers (Kristin Scott Thomas). Directed by Ben Wheatley (High Rise, Free Fire) and produced by Working Title Films (Emma, Darkest Hour), REBECCA is a mesmerising and gorgeously rendered psychological thriller based on Daphne du Maurier’s beloved 1938 gothic novel.

Stills:

REBECCA arrives on Netflix Friday, October 21, 2020.

(Photo/video credit: Netflix)

Mr. Will and D Films want to give Readers a chance to win  acclaimed MY OLD LADY on DVD!

Official Synopsis:

My Old Lady tells the story of Mathias Gold (Kevin Kline), a down-and-out New Yorker who travels to Paris to liquidate a huge and valuable apartment he has inherited from his estranged father. When he reaches his apartment in Paris he finds Mathilde Girard (Maggie Smith), a refined old lady living in the apartment with her daughter, Chloe (Kristin Scott Thomas). He then discovers the romantic history between Mathilde and his father, a romance that lasted over half a century.

To enter to win, simply click “like” on this Post at Mr. Will Wong on Facebook.

Watch the Trailer below:

D Films release MY OLD LADY on Home Entertainment Tuesday, February 3, 2015.

(Photo/video credit: D Films)

Kristin Scott Thomas, you naughty Girl you!  The Weinstein Co. unveiled Clips from a few of their upcoming Marquee releases at Cannes on Friday and shocking just about everybody is Nicolas Winding Refn‘s Follow-up to 2010’s excellent Drive.

The Thriller, Only God Forgives, competes in-competition at the Festival this year and shot entirely in Bangkok, the Film centers around Julian (Ryan Gosling), a Drug Smuggler whose life  is complicated further by her Mother’s (Thomas) mission to find who killed his older Brother, Billy (Tom Burke).

“You know what he does for a living right? Heroine, Cocaine… that’s where the money comes. That’s how he can afford to pay you to f*** him”, she says to the Girl her Son brings home to her, Mai (Rhatha Phongam), in quite possibly her most shocking role to date.  Believe me, it takes a lot to shock me and this is pretty darn shocking and might I add, completely NSFW.  I can just imagine the room of international Journalists gasping at the Subtitles!

Watch the Clip below:

Losing my mind here!  Kristin Scott Thomas is one of my favourite Actresses of all time and it was such an honour to spot her earlier today just as she was about the head-out and fly home to France.  She is in-town for François Ozon‘s latest, In the House. Although I threw over a subtle wave at her, catching her attention. She remained low-key, waiting right until the final moment to come by for a Snap. Slayed! 

(Photo credit: Mr. Will Wong)