SPOTLIGHT, Leonardo DiCaprio, Brie Larson and Alejandro González Iñárritu emerge as the big winners of the 88th Academy Awards, marking a finale to Awards Season in Hollywood.

Despite pundit predictions pointing to The Big Short winning Best Picture based on its Producers Guild Awards win, it would be Toronto-filmed SPOTLIGHT to take the coveted golden statue. The Catholic molestation scandal Drama also won for Best Original Screenplay.

With the acting categories being less open to discussion, we would witness Leonardo DiCaprio’s long overdue Best Actor win in a celebrated career with several close calls. He in addition, THE REVENANT Director Alejandro González Iñárritu would get recognized for the Film, which was seen also as a legitimate contender to take Best Picture. Filming for the Movie took place in Alberta.

Brie Larson after building Oscar buzz during the festival circuit for ROOM, became a clear frontrunner in an Awards Season trail which saw her win virtually every Lead Actress award including the Golden Globes, BAFTAs, SAGs, Critics’ Choice Awards and many more. The Actress who filmed her Oscar-winning role in Toronto, next can be seen in Skull Island, the latest in the King Kong franchise.

Swedish star Alicia Vikander quickly has risen in Hollywood after multiple plum roles of late including Ex_Machina (winner for Visual Effects), wins Supporting Actress for The Danish Girl. After seeing her Friday night in Hollywood, we whispered to her “You’re so winning on Sunday”, to which she replied back “You’re so sweet! Thank you!”.

Mark Rylance would win Supporting Actor shining brightest in Steven Spielberg’s Cold War Drama BRIDGE OF SPIES.

MAD MAX: FURY ROAD dominated the technical categories, winning Sound Editing, Sound Mixing, Costume Design, Hair & Makeup, Production Design and Editing.

Chris Rock had many debating just how controversial he would go on #OSCARSSOWHITE and he would not disappoint as host with a biting opening which snapped at Hollywood, which he says flat-out is “racist” and also those who would boycott the Oscars this year due to a lack of diversity. He jokes about Jada Pinkett-Smith‘s refusal to attend this year comparing it to Rihanna‘s panties, “Neither of us were invited!”. He also makes valid points about dividing actors by sex having categories for Actor and Actress stating there shouldn’t be a separation. He also points to progress, calling Michael B. Jordan‘s success in Creed, or as he says “Black Rocky“, and the fact that the race of nominees at Awards shows being a hot topic also is indicative of positive change as black people were dealing with more important concerns like social rights issues in the decades leading to this.

In addition to playing a pivotal role in the filming of SPOTLIGHT and ROOM, Canada would win for Short Documentary with THE GIRL IN THE RIVER by Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy. AMY, a detailed recounting of fallen singer Amy Winehouse, would win for Documentary.

Fashion always is at the forefront at the Oscars and Rooney Mara in Givenchy, Charlize Theron in Dior, Cate Blanchett in Armani Privé, Saoirse Ronan in Calvin Klein, Alicia Vikander in Louis Vuitton and Jennifer Lawrence in Dior, would win on the Red Carpet.

Complete list of Winners here.

(Photo credit: Getty Images)

Despite Moviegoers being busy with the Holidays right now, enough of them went out this tepid weekend to make THE HUNGER GAMES: MOCKINGJAY, PART 2 number one a fourth straight week with $11.1 million for eOne Films/Lionsgate Films.  In its run domestically, it has grossed $244.3 million.

IN THE HEART OF THE SEA debuts in second spot with $10.5 million for Warner Bros., from 3,103 theatres. Despite a decent B+ CinemaScore from Audiences, the Ron Howard-directed Drama starring Chris Hemsworth, garnered only 43% on the Tomatometer from Critics.

THE GOOD DINOSAUR continues to show great consistency, in third with $10 million this weekend for Disney, from 3,606 theatres in its third week out.  This time next week it will have exceeded the $100-million-mark.

CREED lands in fourth this weekend with $9.6 million for Warner Bros., tallying-in at $78 million in North America in its third week out.

KRAMPUS after a second-place debut, slips to fifth this week with $7.6 million from 2,919 theatres. It has made $27.2 million in two weeks.

SPOTLIGHT is in ninth with $2.3 million for Open Road Films/ eOne Films, earning now $20 million in six weeks of limited release. It plays at an increasing 1,089 theatres.

BROOKLYN rounds-out the Top Ten with $1.9  million for Mongrel Media/Fox Searchlight, bringing its total to $14 million in six weeks out.

It may be Thanksgiving weekend in the U.S., but people certainly are going to the Movies!  THE HUNGER GAMES: MOCKINGJAY, PART 2 maintains its dominance at the Box Office a second week with $50.3 million from 4,175 theatres for Lionsgate Films/eOne Films.  Domestically in two weeks it has grossed $197.1 million!

THE GOOD DINOSAUR debuts strong for Pixar/Disney with $39.5 million from 3,749 theatres. Audiences gave the Animated Feature an A CinemaScore, while Critics gave it a solid 77% on the Tomatometer.

CREED, the latest installment of the Rocky Franchise opens in third with $28.7 million from 3,404 theatres for Warner Bros.  Very strong reviews at 93% on the Tomatometer for the Boxing Drama starring Michael B. Jordan and Sylvester Stallone, and also an A CinemaScore should give it legs to run on in coming weeks.

SPECTRE is in fourth this weekend with $12.7 million for Sony Pictures, from 2,940 theatres.  In four weeks it has made over $176 million in North America.

SPOTLIGHT expands to 897 theatres for eOne Films/Open Road Films and does it successfully with $4.2 million. The Catholic Church Scandal Drama filmed partly in Toronto, is seen widely as a major Oscar contender. In four weeks of limited release mostly, it has made $12 million domestically.

BROOKLYN, also an Oscar contender expands to 824 theatres for Mongrel Media/Fox Searclight with $3.7 million. In four weeks of limited opening, the Film starring Saoirse Ronan  has made $7 million.

THE MARTIAN rounds-out the Top Ten after an extremely successful run for 20th Century Fox, with $3.2 million in its ninth week out.  It is nearing the $220-million-mark domestically.

After much Box Office success, THE HUNGER GAMES: MOCKINGJAY, PART 2 wraps-up the franchise on a high note, debuting with $104 million for Lionsgate Films/eOne Films from 4,175 theatres. This marks a significant drop from 2014’s Mockingjay, Part 1 which opened the exact same weekend with $121 million last year. Critics gave it 70% on the Tomatometer, signaling generally-positive reviews. Audiences gave it an A- CinemaScore.

SPECTRE is in second spot in its third week out earns $14.3 million for Sony Pictures. Thus far it has grossed over $153 million domestically.

THE PEANUTS MOVIE takes third spot this weekend with $12.6 million for 20th Century Fox. It has tallied-in at $98 million in three weeks out.

Holiday Comedy THE NIGHT BEFORE starring Seth Rogen, Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Anthony Mackie opens in fourth with $10 million for Sony Pictures from 2,960 theatres. Critics gave it 64% on the Tomatometer and Audiences an A- CinemaScore.

In fifth this weekend is SECRET IN THEIR EYES in its debut for eOne Films/STX with $6.9 million. Critics gave it 42% on the Tomatometer, while Audiences were more forgiving of the Thriller starring Julia Roberts, Chiwetel Ejiofor and Nicole Kidman, giving it a B- CinemaScore.

Oscar-Contender SPOTLIGHT (made partly in Toronto) expands to 538 theatres for Open Road Films/eOne Films, earning $3.4 million. Thus far it has made $5.7 million in three weeks.

BRIDGE OF SPIES rounds-out the Top Ten for DreamWorks with $1.9 million. The Spielberg Drama has made $65 million in North America over six weeks.

eOne Films + Mr. Will want to take Readers to see one of this Awards Season’s brightest contenders, SPOTLIGHT. After a rousing reception at TIFF ’15, the Toronto and Boston-filmed Drama now is ready to keep the conversation going in theatres. Screenings take place on Thursday, November 12, 2015 in Toronto, Vancouver, and Monday, November 16, 2015 in Calgary, Edmonton, Winnipeg, Ottawa, Halifax and Victoria.

Official Synopsis:
SPOTLIGHT tells the riveting true story of the Pulitzer Prize-winning Boston Globe investigation that would rock the city and cause a crisis in one of the world’s oldest and most trusted institutions. When the newspaper’s tenacious “Spotlight” team of reporters delve into allegations of abuse in the Catholic Church, their year-long investigation uncovers a decades-long cover-up at the highest levels of Boston’s religious, legal, and government establishment, touching off a wave of revelations around the world. Directed by Academy Award-nominee Tom McCarthy, SPOTLIGHT is a tense investigative thriller, tracing the steps to one of the biggest crime stories in modern times.

See the Trailer:

Artwork:

To enter to win, simply click “like” on this Post at Mr. Will on Facebook and state your city. For an extra chance, click “share” from there or Tweet out the below:

http://www.mrwillwong.com/spotlight @mrwillw wants us to #win Advance Passes to see #SPOTLIGHTMovie. Out 11/20.

G’luck, Willionaire$!

eOne Films release SPOTLIGHT in Toronto and Vancouver on Friday, November 13, 2015 and everywhere  Friday, November 20, 2015.

(Photo/video credit: eOne Films)

Named after an actual group of investigative journalists at The Boston Globe, Spotlight gives us the true story and detailed process that led to the prosecution of a group of priests in a shocking abuse scandal in the Boston Archdiocese, placing sexual abuse of minors by Catholic priests at the forefront of the media. These journalists were lauded and awarded a Pullitzer Prize for their work in this partly-Toronto-filmed drama.

We meet Michael (Mark Ruffalo), Matt (Brian d’Arcy James) and Sacha (Rachel McAdams) who report to a chain of editors in Walter (Michael Keaton), Ben (John Slattery) and Marty (Liev Schreiber) who become growingly-invested in the investigation, encountering first-hand the procedural and systemic challenges in getting access to buried information with the Catholic Church being so powerful in Boston.

Spotlight shines in its attention to detail and while the Tom McCarthy Film is a great piece of filmmaking and while it very well explains the team’s struggle, it more would have made an impact with a bit more focus on the victims’ damaging impacts as while it truly captivates, it affect emotionally as it should. Ruffalo and Keaton excel in their roles in this important piece, which gets a release via eOne Films.

You can screen it at TIFF:

Mon Sep 14 6:00 PM
PRINCESS OF WALES

Tue Sep 15 11:30 AM
VISA SCREENING ROOM (ELGIN)

It’s that time of the year again and we couldn’t be more thrilled with this initial batch of Films announced as part of the TIFF ’15 (aka #TIFF40, now in its 40th year) Lineup. The annual unveiling took place at TIFF Bell Lightbox as Filmlovers and Industry types awaited eagerly as titles were announced at 10:00 AM.

Although the Celebrity and Filmmaker Guest List is still to come, thus far we can expect A-Listers like Johnny Depp, Matt Damon, Tom Hardy, Michael Caine, Helen Mirren, Jake Gyllenhaal, Rachel McAdams, Sandra Bullock, Kristen Stewart, Eddie Redmayne, Tom Hiddleston, Kate Winslet, Liam Hemsworth, Emily Blunt, Julianne Moore, Jessica Chastain and several, several, more.

In addition, there will be several exciting Documentaries including Davis Guggenheim‘s latest, He Called Me Malala and two about Horse Racing, Being Ap and Dark Horse.

DEMOLITION has been announced as the Opening Night Gala, from Canadian Director Jean–Marc Vallée, who has brought us delights WILD and DALLAS BUYERS CLUB in recent years.  And it would appear once again we have eclectic mix of Films from all around the World, ranging from The Danish Girl from Oscar-winning Director Tom Hooper (The King’s Speech) which sees Oscar Winner Eddie Redmayne in a transgender role, to gritty Dramas like BLACK MASS starring Johnny Depp as Gangster Whitey Bulger and highly-buzzed SICARIO from Canadian Director Denis Villeneuve (Prisoners) about an FBI Agent caught in a dangerous Mexican cross-border sting.  Emily Blunt is getting tons of Oscar buzz for her performance in this and this will mark a pivotal moment in her campaign trail at the TIFF.

Closing Night Gala looks to end on a light-hearted note with Paco Gazeba‘s MR. RIGHT starring Anna Kendrick and Sam Rockwell.

London also has been chosen as the city of focus in this year’s City to City Programme with Films starring Nicholas Hoult and Tom Hardy being featured.

Also just announced is an opening night Charity Soirée with Academy Award Winner Natalie Portman where she talks about her successful career and upcoming work.  Tickets range from $350 to $650. Details here.

As part of TIFF‘s  new Primetime Programme, showcasing Television for the first time, we learned that NBC‘s Toronto-filmed HEROES: REBORN will be premiering its first episode in its two-hour entirety at the Festival.

Whether it be part of Documentaries, Special Presentations or Gala Presentations, here are some of the highlights to rock the City this September.

45 YEARS (Andrew Haigh)

ABOUT RAY (Gaby Dellal)

BEASTS OF NO NATION (Cary Fukunaga)

BEEBA BOYS (Deepa Mehta)

BEING AP (Anthony Wonke)

BEING CHARLIE (Rob Reiner)

BLACK MASS (Scott Cooper)

BORN TO BE BLUE (Robert Budreau)

BOXING (Grayson Moore, Aidan Shipley)

BROOKLYN (John Crowley)

COLONIA (Florian Gallenberger)

THE DANISH GIRL (Tom Hooper)

DARK HORSE (Louise Osmond)

THE DAUGHTER (Simon Stone)

DISORDER (Alice Winocour)

DEMOLITION (Jean-Marc Vallée) 

THE DRESSMAKER (Jocelyn Moorhose)

EQUALS (Drake Doremus)

EYE IN THE SKY (Gavin Hood)

THE FINAL GIRLS (Todd Strauss-Schulson)

FREEHELD (Peter Sollett)

THE FAMILY FANG (Jason Bateman)

FORSAKEN (Jon Cassar)

THE GIRL IN PHOTOGRAPHS (Nick Simon)

GREEN ROOM (Nick Saulnier)

HE NAMED ME MALALA (Davis Guggenheim)

HIGH-RISE (Ben Wheatley)

HYENA ROAD (Paul Gross)

I SAW THE LIGHT (Marc Abraham)

I SMILE BACK (Adam Salky)

IT’S NOT YOU (Don McKellar)

JANIS: BLUE LITTLE GIRL (Amy Berg)

JE SUIS CHARLIE (Daniel Leconte, Emmanuel Leconte)

KILL YOUR FRIENDS (Owen Harris)

KILO TWO BRAVO (Paul Katis)

THE LADY IN THE VAN (Nicolas Hynter)

LEGEND (Brian Helgeland)

LEN AND COMPANY (Tim Godsall)

THE LOBSTER (Yorgos Lanthimos)

LOLO (Julie Delpy)

LONDON FIELDS (Matthew Cullen)

LONDON ROAD (Rufus Norris)

LOUDER THAN BOMBS (Joachim Trier)

MAGGIE’S PLAN (Rebecca Miller)

MAN DOWN (Dito Montiel)

THE MAN WHO KNEW INFINITY (Matthew Brown)

THE MARTIAN (Ridley Scott)

THE MEDDLER (Lorraine Scafaria)

MISS SHARON JONES! (Barbara Kopple)

MISSISSIPPI GRIND (Ryan Fleck and Anna Boden)

MISS YOU ALREADY (Catherine Hardwicke)

MOUNTAINS MAY DEPART (Jia Zhang-ke)

MR. RIGHT (Paco Gazeba)  – Closing Night Gala

OFFICE (Johnnie To)

THE ONES BELOW (David Farr)

OUR BRAND IS CRISIS (David Gordon Green)

THE PROGRAM (Stephen Frears)

THE REFLEKTOR TAPES (Kahlil Joseph)

REMEMBER (Atom Egoyan)

ROOM (Lenny Abrahamson)

SEPTEMBERS OF SHIRAZ (Wayne Blair)

SICARIO (Denis Villeneuve)

SPOTLIGHT (Tom McCarthy) – didn’t Rachel McAdams hint at us first it would be at TIFF?

STONEWALL (Roland Emmerich)

A TALE OF LOVE AND DARKNESS (Natalie Portman)

A TALE OF THREE CITIES (Mabel Cheung)

TRUMBO (Jay Roach)

TRUTH (James Vanderbilt)

UN PLUS UNE (Claude Lelouch)

WHERE TO INVADE NEXT (Michael Moore)

THE WITCH (Robert Eggers)

WOMEN HE’S DRESSED (Gillian Armstrong)

YOUTH (Paolo Sorrentino) – NSFW Trailer

Complete list of Titles complete Synopses announced thus far here.

Just 14 more days to go! Final titles to be announced in a week.

(Photo credit: eOne Films/Warner Bros./Studio Canal/Majestic Filmproduktion/20th Century Fox)

Let’s be honest now. The Films being made in Toronto of late haven’t been all that enticing, but when we hear of something with substance being made we’re the first to give credit where it’s due.  SPOTLIGHT from acclaimed Director and Actor Thomas McCarthy has been under production here in our City and although we’ve met most of the Cast already, we actually were rather excited about meeting the Man helming the Project.  Although he was in-town during TIFF promoting The Cobbler, which stars Adam Sandler, McCarthy himself has been a bit illusive to us!  SPOTLIGHT stars Rachel McAdams, Liev Schreiber, Mark Ruffalo, Brian d’Arcy James, John Slattery, Michael Keaton, Stanley Tucci and more.

We were so happy today that we saw him out and about heading off for a day of filming.  We recognized him right away Flags of our Fathers, The Wire, Law & Order, The Lovely Bones and Little Fockers. Surely at some point in your Television or Movie viewing, you’ve seen McCarthy!  Production wraps in Toronto shortly so we’re so happy we got a chance to meet him, although we had no luck spotting Tucci, who’s been busy in the U.S. promoting his Cookbook.

Official Synopsis for SPOTLIGHT – believe me, it’s highly intriguing:

In 2001, the Boston Globe began an investigation that would rock the city and shock the world. SPOTLIGHT tells the story of that investigation, the story of Marty Baron (Schreiber), Ben Bradlee Jr. (Slattery) and the four members of the Globe‘s investigative Spotlight team – Walter Robinson (Keaton), Mike Rezendes (Ruffalo), Sacha Pfeiffer (McAdams) and Matt Carroll (James) – who would sacrifice everything to expose the Boston Archdiocese‘s systemic cover up of sexual abuse of children by ordained priests. For years, whispers of scandal were ignored by society, the media, by police and by the legal system. Silenced by shame, victims of sexual abuse often became victims of suicide. For their commitment to truth, the Spotlight team received the Pulitzer Prize for Public Service.

SPOTLIGHT sheds new light on the investigation and the men and women who were integral to uncovering the story. It points to the necessity of good, local journalism, the type of journalism that has been decimated over the past fifteen years by the decline of the newspaper industry. Spotlight explores the larger themes of complicity and deference, attempting to grapple with the question of how an evil so widespread could go undetected for so long.

Our Snap:

eOne Films release SPOTLIGHT, release date to be determined.

(Photo credit: Fox Searchlight/Mr. Will Wong)

Finally! A Title we’re extremely excited about to film in our City this Fall. Acclaimed Writer/Actor/Director Thomas McCarthy and the Cast of Spotlight currently are in Boston beginning filming for the Drama based on a True Story. The Film centers on the Boston Globe‘s investigation, which began in 2001 uncovering an abuse scandal within the Boston Archdiocese involving several victims of sexual abuse at the hands of ordained Priests. Suicides resulted often among victims as a result of the shame they had experienced.

The Film stars Rachel McAdams (seen in above new Still), Stanley Tucci, Liev Schreiber, Mark Ruffalo, James Slattery, Billy Crudup, Brian d’Arcy James and Michael Keaton, the latter on the verge of a major career rebirth with all the acclaim BIRDMAN is receiving.

Filming takes place in Boston for the next week before heading to Toronto through early November. eOne Films will be handling distribution in Canada. We are terribly excited!

In other news, the Thriller Room starring Up-and-Comer Brie Larson is set to film in Toronto early October through mid-December. The Film its told from the perspective of a five-year-old Boy who is held captive in a room with is Mother, played by Larson.  Lenny Abrahamson directs the Project.

(Photo credit: eOne Films)