Review by Amanda Gilmore for Mr. Will Wong

This impressive First-Feature Debut by Co-Directors Riley Keough and Gina Gammell follows two Oglala Lakota boys on Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota. Bill (Jojo Bapteise Whiting) is a 23-year-old trying to make some money. When he finds an abandoned poodle, he starts his own dog breeding business. While Matho (Ladainian Crazy Thunder) is a 12-year-old desperate for his father’s approval. When the unexpected happens, Matho sees no other way but to follow in his father’s footsteps. Bound by their shared search for belonging, they grapple with identity, family, and loss, as they navigate their unique paths to manhood.

Keough and Gammell observe their endearing characters navigate reservation life. Although this is more of a character-driven piece, it’s more captivating than plot-focused narratives. Their two storylines give a ranged look at what these young men need to do to survive in a world that’s abandoned them. The Co-Directors use the two interlocking storylines as a way to give an authentic look into the lives of those on reservations.

Bill is a go-getter who’s trying to start his own business. His drive to succeed is infectious. Additionally, he’s a goofball who wants to get the mother of one of his children back. His endearing quality is that things never quite go right in his romantic life. Bapteise Whiting gives a star-making performance. We see the struggle he’s lived through, his desire to succeed and the bond that grows between him and his Poodle.

Matho’s story is much darker. He’s forced to act beyond his years due to his home life. He’s surrounded by a particular style of living and only wants his father’s approval. In seeking that, it backfires and his father kicks him out of the house. Forcing this 12-year-old to provide for himself, leads him right down the life his father led. Crazy Thunder gives a heartbreaking performance as the young boy who’s trying to find a way to survive.

The Co-Directors and Writers, with the help of Co-Writers Franklin Sioux Bob and Bill Reddy, bring in Native American beliefs through the use of the American Buffalo. The Lakota believe the American buffalo is a symbol that one does not have to struggle to survive if the right action is joined by the right prayer. The American buffalo is witnessed by both Bill and Matho at different moments. This, in addition to the editing by Affonso Gonçalves and Eduardo Serrano, brings these two young men together.

War Pony screens at Cannes ’22:

Sat, May 21 at 2:15 PM at SALLE DEBUSSY

Sun, May 22 at 8:30 AM at SALLE DEBUSSY

Sun, May 22 at 12:00 PM at CINEUM AURORE

Mon, May 23 at 11:30 AM at LICORNE

Mon, May 23 at 1:15 PM at CINEUM SCREEN X

A story so wild you’d never believe it! See the new Trailer for ZOLA!

Synopsis:

From writer/director Janicza Bravo and based on #TheStory​ by A’Ziah “Zola” King. Starring Taylour Paige, Riley Keough, Nicholas Braun, and Colman Domingo.

ZOLA is out this Summer via VVS Films.

(Photo/video credit: VVS Films)

Tom Holland, Robert Pattinson, Sebastian Stan and more star in Antonio Campos‘ THE DEVIL ALL THE TIME, coming soon to Netflix! Check-out this new Trailer!

Synopsis:
In Knockemstiff, Ohio and its neighboring backwoods, sinister characters — an unholy preacher (Robert Pattinson), twisted couple (Jason Clarke and Riley Keough), and crooked sheriff (Sebastian Stan) — converge around young Arvin Russell (Tom Holland) as he fights the evil forces that threaten him and his family. Spanning the time between World War II and the Vietnam war, director Antonio Campos’ THE DEVIL ALL THE TIME renders a seductive and horrific landscape that pits the just against the corrupted. Co-starring Bill Skarsgård, Mia Wasikowska, Harry Melling, Haley Bennett and Pokey LaFarge, this suspenseful, finely-woven tale is adapted from Donald Ray Pollock‘s award-winning novel.

See the Trailer:

THE DEVIL ALL THE TIME streams on Netflix Friday, September 16, 2020.

(Photo/video credit: Netflix)

Review by Amanda Gilmore for Mr. Will Wong

ZOLA  brings the unique Tweet-Storm story A’ziah King posted on October 27, 2015 about how her and her friend Stefani had a falling-out.

Writer-Director Janicza Bravo visually brings the Twitter Story to screen in a creative and captivating way. The true life story is filled with crazy, unexpected twists and eccentric real-life characters. Bravo has an impeccable attention to detail and keeps the provocative aspects of the story without ever being grotesque. Although the story is predominately told through A’ziah King’s point-of-view, Bravo does her best to question the perspectives of both her and Stefani.

The story is hilarious and Bravo makes sure the audience laughs, however, there are heavy themes and questions she presents. It’s clear that things can all be fun and games until they aren’t. And Bravo balances these hysterical moments with the hard-hitting serious reality of the things these two girls were experiencing. Her entire Cast consisting of Taylour Paige, Riley Keough, Nicholas Braun and Colman Domingo cleverly and masterfully teeter between her Comedy and Drama. Yet, it’s the brilliant, energetic performances from Paige and Keough that keep the audiences wanting more.

Zola screens at Sundance on Fri, Jan. 24th at 12:15 PM at Eccles, Sat, Jan. 25th at 12:15 PM at Grand, Sat, Jan. 25th at 11:45 PM at Egyptian, Mon, Jan. 27th at 3 PM at Sundance Resort, Tues, Jan. 28th at 9:30 PM at The Ray, Wed, Jan. 29th at 11:45 AM at The Ray, and Fri, Jan. 31st at 8:30 AM at The MARC.

Review by David Baldwin for Mr. Will Wong

Medora Slone’s (Riley Keough) son has gone missing in the Alaskan wilderness. She presumes wolves have taken him, and calls in expert Russell Core (Jeffrey Wright) to help track down the body and kill the wolf who did it. But Russell suspects something is not quite right, and when her husband Vernon (Alexander Skarsgård) returns home from a tour in the Middle East, things only become more violent.

Hold the Dark is Director Jeremy Saulnier’s most ambitious and sprawling film. The Alaskan landscapes (which were actually shot in Alberta) are absolutely gorgeous, even as the Film’s atmosphere becomes progressively darker and bleaker. The performances are all very good and Saulnier’s penchant for brutally graphic violence is amped-up considerably, with a vicious shootout scene ranking as some of the grisliest moments of the Festival. And while the Film is a slow-burn Thriller, it becomes glacially paced all too often. The second half of the Film especially feels dragged-out and overly enigmatic – which may benefit Netflix viewers but will genuinely frustrate some TIFF audiences.

Hold the Dark screens on Wednesday, September 12 at 6:00 PM at Princess of Wales Theatre [World Premiere], Thursday, September 13 at 1:00PM at Elgin Theatre, Friday, September 14 at 9:45 AM at TIFF Bell Lightbox and Saturday, September 15 at 2:00PM at Ryerson Theatre.

eOne Films x Mr. Will want to take you to see Steven Soderbergh‘s LOGAN LUCKY!  Screenings take place in Toronto, Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, Winnipeg, Ottawa, Halifax and Victoria on Wednesday, August 16, 2017.

Synopsis:

Trying to reverse a family curse, brothers Jimmy (Channing Tatum) and Clyde Logan (Adam Driver) set out to execute an elaborate robbery during the legendary Coca-Cola 600 race at the Charlotte Motor Speedway.

Cast: Channing Tatum, Riley Keough, Adam Driver, Seth MacFarlane, Daniel Craig, Hilary Swank, Katherine Waterston, Sebastian Stan, Katie Holmes, Jack Quaid, David Dennman, Brian Gleeson, Jim O’Heir

See the Trailer:

Artwork:

To enter to win, click “like” on this Post at MR. WILL ON FACEBOOK and indicate your City.  Click “share” from there for an extra chance or Re-Tweet this Tweet at @mrwillw.

G’lucky.

eOne Films release LOGAN LUCKY Friday, August 18, 2017.

(Photo/video credit: eOne Films)

After winning the Jury Prize in Cannes earlier this year and premiering at TIFF ’16, this is your chance to attend an Advance Screening of AMERICAN HONEY. Screenings take place in Toronto, Ottawa and Winnipeg the following dates:

Toronto – Oct. 12th, 2016, 7:30PM
Yonge & Dundas (10 Dundas St E #402, Toronto, ON M5B 2G9)

Winnipeg – October 12th, 2016, 7PM
Grant Park (1120 Grant Ave Unit 127, Winnipeg, MB R3M 2A6)

Ottawa– October 12th, 2016, 7:30PM
Scotiabank Ottawa (2385 City Park Dr, Gloucester, ON K1J 1G1)

Synopsis:
Star (Sasha Lane), a teenage girl from a troubled home runs away with a travelling sales crew that drives across the American mid-west selling Magazine subscriptions door to door. Finding her feet in this gang of teenagers, one of whom is Jake (Shia LaBeouf), she soon gets into the group’s lifestyle of hard partying, law-bending and young love.

See the Trailer:

Artwork:

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

Lane + Mr. Will

With #AmericanHoney star #SashaLane. #TIFF16 #nikond3300

A photo posted by Mr. Will Wong 📸 (@mrwillwong) on Sep 10, 2016 at 9:30pm PDT

Elevation Pictures release AMERICAN HONEY on:
October 14, 2016 – Toronto, Montreal

October 28, 2016 – Halifax, Ottawa, Winnipeg, Edmonton, Calgary and Victoria

(Photo/video credit: Elevation Pictures)