Focus Features and Universal Pictures Canada will release HONEY DON’T! In Theatres Nationwide on Friday, August 22, 2025. This premiered at Cannes to big raves!

Details:

Directed By: Ethan Coen

Written By: Ethan Coen & Tricia Cooke

Producers: Ethan Coen, Tricia Cooke, Robert Graf, Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner

Cast: Margaret Qualley, Aubrey Plaza, Charlie Day, Billy Eichner, and Chris Evans

Genre: Dark Comedy

Synopsis: HONEY DON’T! is a dark comedy about Honey O’Donahue, a small-town private investigator, who delves into a series of strange deaths tied to a mysterious church.

(Photo/video credit: Focus Features)

Focus Features and Universal Pictures Canada will release
HONEY DON’T! in theatres Nationwide on Friday, August 22nd
Following a World Premiere at The 2025 Cannes Film Festival.

Details:

Directed By: Ethan Coen
Written By: Ethan Coen & Tricia Cooke
Producers: Ethan Coen, Tricia Cooke, Robert Graf, Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner
Cast: Margaret Qualley, Aubrey Plaza, Charlie Day, Billy Eichner, and Chris Evans
Genre: Dark Comedy
Synopsis: HONEY DON’T! is a dark comedy about Honey O’Donahue, a small-town private investigator, who delves into a series of strange deaths tied to a mysterious church.

By David Baldwin

Elisabeth Sparkle (Demi Moore) was once Hollywood royalty. Fearing she may fade into total obscurity after getting sacked from her TV fitness show, she turns to a black-market injection program called “The Substance”. Using it creates a younger version of herself, Sue (Margaret Qualley), but it comes with a catch: each body is only allowed to exist for a week at a time before they need to swap back or else they risk irreversible consequences.

You may have an idea of where it goes from there, but trust me when I tell you that nothing can prepare you for THE SUBSTANCE. You will not be the same after watching this satirical nightmare that is as much an indictment of archaic female beauty standards as it is a masterpiece of Body Horror that would make even the genre’s Maestro David Cronenberg blush. I will not mince words – THE SUBSTANCE is disgusting and goes to some absolutely revolting places. In other words, this is one the Midnight Madness sickos are going to adore and anyone else should probably avoid.

I am one of those sickos and I loved every minute of THE SUBSTANCE.

Writer/Director Coralie Fargeat’s first film, the bloody thriller Revenge, was awesome. What she does here in only her second picture makes that film look like an angry Disney Princess movie. She swings for the fences right from the jump, crafting an experience that gradually takes over nearly every one of your senses. The way she incorporates sound is impeccable and her Editing (done alongside Jerome Eltabet and Valentin Féron) is magnificent. While I was not a fan of some of the CGI effects, the stunning makeup work more than makes up for it.

Even better are the genuine special effects on display here: the performances by Moore and Qualley. They are both incredible, firing on all cylinders and delivering the best performances of their careers. They both tap into something primal and give off an aura of raw, animalistic energy that continually grows stronger throughout. They compliment each other and breathe frighteningly real life into Fargeat’s poison-laced dialogue. And though he is used sparingly, Dennis Quaid is deliciously over-the-top as the shit weasel studio executive named (of course he is), Harvey. For my money, he has the most sickening, stomach-churning scene in the entire film – which says a lot given the places this theme park ride from hell takes you.

THE SUBSTANCE screens at TIFF’24:

Thursday, September 5 at 11:59PM at Royal Alexandra Theatre

Friday, September 6 at 7:30PM at Scotiabank Theatre Toronto

Friday, September 13 at 5:45PM at Scotiabank Theatre Toronto

MUBI, the global film distributor, production company and streaming service is thrilled to announce the Canadian release date for Coralie Fargeat’s deliriously entertaining and ruthlessly satirical new film THE SUBSTANCE, which received its World Premiere at the 77th Cannes Film Festival to riotous acclaim, winning the prize for Best Screenplay. Also, launched today is the new official teaser for the film.

Starring Demi Moore, Margaret Qualley and Dennis Quaid, this Cannes sensation turns toxic beauty culture inside out with a be-careful-what-you-wish-for fable for the ages. Explosive, provocative and twisted, THE SUBSTANCE announces the arrival of a thrillingly visionary filmmaker.

Have you ever dreamt of a better version of yourself? You. Only better in every way. Seriously. You’ve got to try this new product, The Substance. IT CHANGED MY LIFE.

It generates another you.

A new, younger, more beautiful, more perfect, you. And there’s only one rule: You share time.
One week for you. One week for the new you.
Seven days each. A perfect balance.
Easy. Right?

Written and directed by Coralie Fargeat (Revenge), The Substance stars Demi Moore (G.I. Jane, A Few Good Men, Indecent Proposal), Margaret Qualley (Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, Maid, Kinds of Kindness, Fosse Verdon), and Dennis Quaid (Far from Heaven, The Rookie, The Day After Tomorrow).

Director of Photography on the film is Benjamin Kracun (Promising Young Woman, Beast), co-editors are Coralie Fargeat, Jerome Eltabet (Revenge) and Valentin Féron, music is composed by Raffertie (I May Destroy You), Production Design is led by Stanislas Reydellet (Le Bal Des Folles), and Costume Design is by Emmanuelle Youchnovski (Café de Flore, La belle époque).

The Substance is produced by Coralie Fargeat, and Eric Fellner and Tim Bevan for Working Title following Fargeat’s acclaimed debut feature Revenge, which world premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2017 and was written, directed and co-edited by Fargeat. Alexandra Loewy of Working Title and Nicolas Royer of A Good Story are Executive Producers.

While this might be our last day at the Festival, it certainly wasn’t our least! The Premiere for Baz Luhrmann’s ELVIS took place last night, and the Junket today. The Film not only received a ten-minute standing ovation, but above this, has received the approval of Elvis Presley’s family – and there can be no higher honour. Amanda tells us the Film is told more through the lens of Elvis‘ Manager Colonel Tom Parker, played by Tom Hanks.

From the junket for Baz Luhrmann‘s ELVIS:

And also Claire Denis’ STARS AT NOON, set in 1984 Nicaragua, about a Businessman and Journalist who find themselves in trouble and trying to escape.

Thanks for checking-out our coverage. Our Amanda Gilmore‘s thoughts on ELVIS here!

(Photo credit: Amanda Gilmore/Mr. Will Wong)

Margaret Qualley stars in upcoming Series MAID. Here’s your first look at this adaptation of Stephanie Land‘s Memoir.

MAID arrives October 1, 2021 on Netflix.

(Photo/video credit: Netflix)

Mongrel Media x Mr. Will want to give Readers a chance to win a Digital Download of MY SALINGER YEAR starring Margaret Qualley (Once Upon A Time…. in Hollywood).

Synopsis:

In New York City in the late ‘90s, Joanna (Margaret Qualley) is a young aspiring writer who lands a day job at J.D. Salinger’s literary agency. While her eccentric, old-fashioned boss Margaret (Sigourney Weaver) assigns her to answer Salinger’s voluminous fan mail, Joanna struggles to find her own voice.

See the Trailer:

To enter to win, click “like” on this Post at MR. WILL ON FACEBOOK. Re-Tweet this Contest Tweet below for a chance also!

Rules and regulations here.

MY SALINGER YEAR is available now digitally and on-demand via Mongrel Media.

(Photo/video credit: Mongrel Media)

Review by Amanda Gilmore for Mr. Will Wong

This Biopic follows Jean Seberg (Kristen Stewart) in a particular time in her life: in the late 60s and early 70s as she has become a target of the FBI’s due to her support and contributions to the Black Panther Movement.

Usually Biopics tell a story of the entire life of their subjects, however, this screenplay focuses on a short moment and succeeds in displaying who she was. Within this is a story of a woman who stood up and aligned herself with what she knew was right: equality. Stewart is the heart of the Film and completely merges into Seberg. The audience sees Seberg as a fiery presence in the beginning, but slowly she unhinges due to the horrible things the FBI was targeting her with. And Stewart is there unraveling Jean’s inner psyche with empathetic vulnerability.

Seberg screens at TIFF on Sat, Sep 7 at Ryerson Theatre at 6 PM, Mon, Sep 9 at 11:45 PM, and Sat, Sep 14 at TIFF Bell Lightbox at 6:15 PM.

Review by Amanda Gilmore for Mr. Will Wong

Native Son is based on the Novel of the same name written by Richard Wright. It follows Big (Ashton Sanders), who copes with racism on the daily in Chicago. His life begins to shift as he gets a job as a chauffeur for a wealthy white family.

The Film showcases a great Ensemble who get rich, complex characters to play. Two performances that stand out the most are from Kiki Layne (If Beale Street Could Talk) and Margaret Qualley (Novitiate). Each woman commands every scene they are in even when placed against a standout performance by Sanders who made a huge impression in Oscar-winning Moonlight.

Changes were made in the Film’s adaptation to connect with a contemporary audience which might be divisive for fans of the source material. The Film makes a statement which makes it a Film of the now.

Native Son screens at Sundance on Thurs., Jan 24 at 9PM at Eccles PC, Fri., Jan 25 at 9:30AM at The Ray PC and 9PM at Tower SLC, Sat., Jan 26 at 12PM at Resort Sundance, Wed., Jan 30 at 6PM at PC Library PC, and Thurs., Jan 31 at 11:45PM at Egyptian PC.