The 89th annual Academy Awards took place tonight at Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles and in a shock of a finale, MOONLIGHT would win coveted Best Picture. Presenters Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway would make a not-soon-to-be-forgotten gaffe of announcing LA LA LAND and Best Picture, which eventually was corrected. Beatty clarified on-stage he had in fact received the envelope for Emma Stone, Best Actress. The acclaimed Barry Jenkins coming of age Film also would win for Adapted Screenplay and Supporting Actor (Mahershala Ali).
In an era where inclusion and diversity are at the forefront of discussion, Ali becomes known as the first ever Muslim Actor to win an Oscar. Noted this year was an increased presence of talent whether it be Presenters or Nominees, of various ethnicities.
After dominating Awards Season, Damien Chazelle‘s LA LA LAND would sweep in several categories including Production Design, Cinematography, Original Score, Original Song, Directing and Actress (Emma Stone). Chazelle has the distinction of at age 32 being the youngest to ever win Best Directing.
Jimmy Kimmel filled hosting duties this year, delivering his signature brand of biting humour (much directed to a running friendly feud with Matt Damon) which drew big laughs and at once awkward silence when he joked about O.J. Simpson deserving an extra piece of bologna tonight after OJ: MADE IN AMERICA won Best Documentary.
The night reached a comedic high point where Kimmel told the audience that he had planned for a bus full of random tourists to visit Kodak Theatre without their knowing. Much to their surprise, they were greeted by a front row of Hollywood Who’s-Who which included the likes of Emma Stone, Meryl Streep, Ryan Gosling, Denzel Washington, Mahershala Ali and several more!
.@jimmykimmel bringing tourists into the #oscars was pretty Fresh. pic.twitter.com/xetZUSL0pd
— Rotten Tomatoes (@RottenTomatoes) February 27, 2017
Accepting the Cecil B. DeMille Award just earlier this year, three-time Oscar winner Meryl Streep stole the show tonight right from the get-go without even speaking with Kimmel poking fun about Donald Trump‘s statement that she was over-rated getting the audience to giver her a standing ovation as the “highly-overrated Meryl Streep“.
‘Highly overrated’ Meryl Streep gets standing ovation at #Oscars after being slammed by Trump https://t.co/K3lOQiFiE5 pic.twitter.com/FTI72LIq5u
— People Magazine (@people) February 27, 2017
The iconic Actress has appeared much in the news of late after Fashion Designer Karl Lagerfeld claimed to Women’s Wear Daily that Streep refused a dress from Chanel after she was denied monetary compensation for donning the label’s creation. Streep vehemently has denied the accusation, issuing a statement: “I do not take this lightly, and Mr. Lagerfeld’s generic ‘statement’ of regret for this ‘controversy’ was not an apology. He lied, they printed the lie, and I am still waiting.”.
The other acting categories went to heavy favourites. Casey Affleck won Best Actor for MANCHESTER BY THE SEA, Viola Davis won Best Supporting Actress for her work in stage-to-film Adaptation FENCES.
Canada was represented well, with Montreal’s Sylvain Bellemare winning Best Sound Editing for ARRIVAL. The Best Picture-nominated Film also saw our Denis Villeneuve receive a nomination for Directing.
As always the evening’s fashion is a huge part of the spectacle and here are some of the evening’s winning looks!
(Photo/video credit: Oscars/Getty Images)
For a second straight week, THE LEGO BATMAN MOVIE takes the top of the Box Office with $41.9 million from 4,088 theatres for Warner Bros. In two weeks it has made $106 million domestically.
FIFTY SHADES DARKER is in second again in its second week out with $20.8 million for Universal Pictures. Thus far it has made $92.6 million in North America.
THE GREAT WALL debuts in third with $17.1 million from 3,325 theatres for Universal Pictures. The Matt Damon-starring epic gets a 36% on the Tomatometer and a B CinemaScore.
JOHN WICK: CHAPTER 2 continues to perform v. well in fourth with $15 million in its second week out for eOne Films/Lionsgate Films, just shy of the $60-million-mark.
FIST FIGHT opens in fifth with $10.7 million for Warner Bros. from 3,185 theatres. Starring Charlie Day and Ice Cube, the Comedy gets a B CinemaScore and 36% on the Tomatometer.
LA LA LAND is in ninth with $4.7 million for eOne Films/Lionsgate Films, a total $134 million since its domestic release.
LION rounds-out the Top Ten with $4 million for eOne Films/The Weinstein Co. It has made $37 million thus far.
As anticipated, LA LA LAND leads the 89th Academy Award nominations which were announced at 8:30 AM EST in Los Angeles. The Musical, hot off seven Golden Globe wins garnered a whopping 14 nominations including Best Picture, Actress (Emma Stone), Best Actor (Ryan Gosling), Directing (Chazelle), Writing (Chazelle) and more. It also has two nods for Original Song with Audition and City of Stars. Chazelle in a statement today said, “I am thrilled that the Academy is celebrating the work of Emma and Ryan, who brought these characters to life with such humanity and depth, and also the work of my college roommate Justin who created the beautiful music.”.
Up for Best Picture are:
ARRIVAL
FENCES
HACKSAW RIDGE
HELL OR HIGH WATER
HIDDEN FIGURES
LA LA LAND
LION
MANCHESTER BY THE SEA
MOONLIGHT
We had the pleasure of running promotions in 2016 for seven out of nine of these nominations and would like to congratulate our friends at these Canadian companies who distribute these Films: Elevation Pictures (Moonlight, Hacksaw Ridge), 20th Century Fox Canada (Hidden Figures), Paramount Pictures Canada (Arrival, Fences), VVS Films (Hell or High Water), Mongrel Media (Manchester by the Sea) and eOne Films (Lion, La La Land).
MOONLIGHT, seen widely as LA LA LAND‘s biggest threat for Best Picture, garners the second-most nods, tallying-in at a total of eight. The Film directed by up-and-comer and nominee Barry Jenkins has been a major force this Awards Season, a powerful response to an outcry of the prestigious awards lacking diversity.
This year, we see a total six black actors nominated including Viola Davis (Fences), Denzel Washington (Fences), Ruth Negga (Loving), Mahershala Ali (Moonlight), Naomie Harris (Moonlight) and Octavia Spencer (Hidden Figures). We also see an Actor of English-Indian descent nominated for Supporting Actor, Dev Patel (Lion). FENCES, starring an all-black cast, gets four nominations, while HIDDEN FIGURES, fronted by three black female principal actors, gets three nominations.
Davis, seen widely as the favourite in the Supporting Actress category stated, “Thank you to the Academy for recognizing this extraordinary, important film and my work in it. Thank you Denzel for being at the helm!”.
Although Canada’s submission for Foreign Language Film IT’S ONLY THE END OF THE WORLD missed the final shortlist, Canadians have plenty to be proud of with a total eight nominations, according to a congratulatory Press Release from Telefilm Canada:
Howard Barish, co-producer (13th), Documentary (Feature)
Sylvain Bellemare (Arrival), Sound Editing
Bernard Gariépy Strobl and Claude La Haye (Arrival), Sound Mixing
Ryan Gosling (La La Land), Actor in a Leading Role
Shawn Levy, co-producer (Arrival), Best Picture
Theodore Ushev (Blind Vaysha), Short Film (Animated), National Film Board of Canada
Patrice Vermette (Arrival), Production Design
Denis Villeneuve (Arrival), Directing
Some surprises from today’s announcements include a nod for three-time winner Meryl Streep (Florence Foster Jenkins) in the Lead Actress category and Viggo Mortensen (Captain Fantastic) getting his second nomination today for Lead Actor. Many are surprised that despite getting recognized for Best Picture, ARRIVAL star Amy Adams did not garner a nod for Actress in a Leading Role with two strong performances this year – the other being NOCTURNAL ANIMALS – being a major force all Awards Season. Newcomer and a soon to be on Broadway Lucas Hedges (Manchester by the Sea) finds himself among great company for Supporting Actor.
Streep in a humorous visual statement, had this to say about her recognition:
Hilarious. Meryl Streep’s visual statement from @eOneFilms for her #FlorenceFosterJenkins nomination. pic.twitter.com/FANFWXG5kw
— MR. WILL WONG (@mrwillw) January 24, 2017
The 2017 Academy Awards air on ABC Sunday, February 26, 2017 at 7 PM EST.
(Photo credit: Oscars)
eOne Films x Mr. Will want to give Readers a chance to see acclaimed Drama, LION. Screenings take place in the following:
Vancouver – Wednesday December 14th – 7:00 PM at Fifth Avenue
Calgary – Wednesday December 14th – 7:00 PM at Eau Claire
Edmonton – Wednesday December 14th – 7:00 PM at South Edmonton
Winnipeg – Wednesday December 14th – 7:00 PM at Landmark Grant Park
Halifax – Wednesday December 14th – 7:00 PM at Park Lane
Victoria – Wednesday December 14th – 7:00 PM at Silvercity Victoria
Synopsis:
A five-year-old Indian boy, Saroo, lives with his single mother and siblings in poverty. He and his brothers often beg for food and money at the train station. When his older brother, Guddu, tells Saroo that he’s going to take the train to another city, Saroo asks if he can come. Guddu agrees and when they reach their destination, he tells Saroo to wait for him on the platform.
When Guddu doesn’t come back, Saroo hops on another train in search of his brother and winds up many miles away from his home. The little boy is unable to tell the police exactly where he’s from and is eventually declared an abandoned child. He winds up at the Indian Society for Sponsorship and Adoption, where he’s soon adopted by an Australian couple (Nicole Kidman, David Wenham).
Saroo grows up as a typical Australian boy, learning English and eventually forgetting his native tongue, Hindi. Meanwhile, his mother endlessly searches for her son.
See the Trailer:
Artwork:
To enter to win, click “like” on this Post at MR. WILL ON FACEBOOK and indicate your city.
eOne Films release LION in Toronto Friday, December 9, 2016 and additional cities Wednesday, December 21, 2016.
(Photo/video credit: eOne Films)
TIFF ’16 officially is in high flight and we aren’t stopping! Around tonight will be the likes of Natalie Portman and Lily-Rose Depp (daughter of Johnny) walking the Red Carpet for PLANETARIUM at Roy Thomson Hall. Down the road also will be real-life couple Naomi Watts and Liam Schreiber walking the Carpet at Princess of Wales Theatre for their Film, THE BLEEDER, set in the Boxing world. French Cinema also was front and center tonight at the annual UniFrance TIFF Bash as heavyweights including the likes of icons Isabelle Huppert and Paul Verhoeven came out to to celebrate. Tonight also is the biggest bash in the City, the In Style Magazine Party put-on by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association and it never is a disappointment!
See some of the names we saw out and about today, but stay tuned throughout the day for more sightings!
Liev Schreiber, THE BLEEDER
Liev. #RayDonovan #LievSchreiber #TheBleeder #TIFF16
A photo posted by Mr. Will Wong 📸 (@mrwillwong) on
Naomi Watts, THE BLEEDER
Rooney Mara, UNA + LION
Goddess #RooneyMara at #TIFF16 with #Una + #Lion.
A photo posted by Mr. Will Wong 📸 (@mrwillwong) on
Dev Patel, LION
#DevPatel at #TIFF16 with #LionMovie.
A photo posted by Mr. Will Wong 📸 (@mrwillwong) on
Elisabeth Moss, THE BLEEDER
#MadMen’s #ElisabethMoss at #TIFF16 for #TheBleeder.
A photo posted by Mr. Will Wong 📸 (@mrwillwong) on
Oliver Stone, SNOWDEN
Oliver. #TIFF16 #OliverStone #Snowden #NikonD3300
A photo posted by Mr. Will Wong 📸 (@mrwillwong) on
With #OliverStone. #Snowden #TIFF16
A photo posted by Mr. Will Wong 📸 (@mrwillwong) on
Zachary Quinto, SNOWDEN
#ZacharyQuinto at #TIFF16 for #Snowden.
A photo posted by Mr. Will Wong 📸 (@mrwillwong) on
Mahershala Ali, MOONLIGHT
#HouseofCards star #MahershalaAli at #TIFF16 with #MOONLIGHT.
A photo posted by Mr. Will Wong 📸 (@mrwillwong) on
Bingbing Fan, I AM NOT MADAME BOVARY
Selfie with China’s highest paid actress, #FanBingBing, at #TIFF16 with #IAmMadameBovary.
A photo posted by Mr. Will Wong 📸 (@mrwillwong) on
Joel Edgerton, LOVING
Ruth Negga, LOVING
Ricky Whittle out enjoying TIFF
Kathryn Hahn out enjoying TIFF
#BadMoms star #KathrynHahn at #TIFF16.
A photo posted by Mr. Will Wong 📸 (@mrwillwong) on
Haley Bennett, The Magnificent Seven
Aaron Taylor Johnson, NOCTURNAL ANIMALS
#AaronTaylorJohnson at #TIFF16 for #NocturnalAnimals.
A photo posted by Mr. Will Wong 📸 (@mrwillwong) on
Michael Shannon, NOCTURNAL ANIMALS
#MichaelShannon at #TIFF16 with #NocturnalAnimals. Love the Hawaiian theme.
A photo posted by Mr. Will Wong 📸 (@mrwillwong) on
Uzo Aduba, AMERICAN PASTORAL
Colman Domingo, THE BIRTH OF A NATION
#ColmanDomingo at #TIFF16 with #TheBirthofaNation.
A photo posted by Mr. Will Wong 📸 (@mrwillwong) on
Nate Parker, THE BIRTH OF A NATION
Tom Felton, A UNITED KINGDOM
#TomFelton at #TIFF16 for #AUnitedKingdom.
A photo posted by Mr. Will Wong 📸 (@mrwillwong) on
Nicole Kidman, LION
Pharrell, HIDDEN FIGURES
Octavia Spencer, HIDDEN FIGURES
Taraji P. Henson, HIDDEN FIGURES
It’s COOKIE TIME, B*TCHES! Worst selfie ever but happy as hell I met #TarajiPHenson. #Empire #TIFF16
A photo posted by Mr. Will Wong 📸 (@mrwillwong) on
Sasha Lane, AMERICAN HONEY
Timothy Spall, DENIAL
With #JeffreyTambor at #TIFF16 with #Transparent.
A photo posted by Mr. Will Wong 📸 (@mrwillwong) on
Ewan McGregor, AMERICAN PASTORAL
Jeffrey Tambor, TRANSPARENT
With #JeffreyTambor at #TIFF16 with #Transparent.
A photo posted by Mr. Will Wong 📸 (@mrwillwong) on
Isabelle Huppert + Paul Verhoeven
Jean-Paul Salomé, Isabelle Huppert + Piers Handling
Jean-Paul Salomé, Isabelle Huppert + Piers Handling have a moment at Unifrance #TIFF16 Bash.
A photo posted by Mr. Will Wong 📸 (@mrwillwong) on
Olivier Assayas + Isabelle Huppert
A photo posted by Mr. Will Wong 📸 (@mrwillwong) on
Karolina Gruszka, MARIE CURRIE, THE COURAGE OF KNOWLEDGE
#KarolinaGruszka, star of #MarieCurrie Biopic #CourageofKnowledge at Unifrance Bash. #TIFF16
A photo posted by Mr. Will Wong 📸 (@mrwillwong) on
Kristian Bruun (3-WAY)
#OrphanBlack star #KristianBruun at the Unifrance #TIFF16 Bash.
A photo posted by Mr. Will Wong 📸 (@mrwillwong) on
Amanda Brugel
“Room” star #AmandaBrugel at the Unifrance Bash. #TIFF16
A photo posted by Mr. Will Wong 📸 (@mrwillwong) on
(Photo credit: Mr. Will Wong)
Premiering at TIFF ’16, a brand new Trailer has just surfaced for what looks like an emotional ride, starring Dev Patel, Nicole Kidman and Rooney Mara.
Synopsis:
Five year old Saroo gets lost on a train which takes him thousands of Kilometers across India, away from home and family. Saroo must learn to survive alone in Kolkata, before ultimately being adopted by an Australian couple. Twenty five years later, armed with only a handful of memories, his unwavering determination, and a revolutionary technology known as Google Earth, he sets out to find his lost family and finally return to his first home.
See the Trailer:
eOne Films release LION Friday, November 25, 2016.
(Photo/video credit: eOne Films)
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