#FIRSTLOOK: “FIVE DAYS AT MEMORIAL” TRAILER

Filmed right here in and around the GTA, Apple TV+‘s FIVE DAYS AT MEMORIAL starring Academy Award nominee Vera Farmiga, arrives this August. Here’s a first look at the Trailer!

Synopsis:

From Academy Award-winner John Ridley and Emmy Award-winner Carlton Cuse, who both also serve as directors, and starring an award-winning ensemble cast that includes Vera Farmiga, Cornelius Smith Jr. and Emmy Award-winner Cherry Jones, “Five Days at Memorial” chronicles the impact of Hurricane Katrina and its aftermath on a local hospital. When the floodwaters rose, power failed, and heat soared, exhausted caregivers at a New Orleans hospital were forced to make decisions that would follow them for years to come. “Five Days at Memorial” will premiere globally on Apple TV+ with the first three episodes on August 12, 2022, followed by one new episode every Friday through September 16.

In addition to  Farmiga, Smith Jr. and Jones, the limited series stars Robert Pine (“CHiPs”), Julie Ann Emery (“Better Call Saul,” “Preacher”), Adepero Oduye (“The Falcon and the Winter Soldier,”“Pariah”), Molly Hager (“Happyish,” “It’s Kind of a Funny Story”), Michael Gaston (“Blindspot,” “The Leftovers”) and W. Earl Brown (“Deadwood,” “Preacher”).

“Five Days at Memorial” is executive produced and written by Cuse and Ridley, the series is directed by Cuse, Ridley and Wendey Stanzler (“For All Mankind,” “Dispatches From Elsewhere”). The series hails from ABC Signature, a part of Disney Television Studios.

(Photo/video credit: Apple TV+)

#INTERVIEW: “HAWKEYE”

By Mr. Will Wong

Taking place post Avengers: Endgame, Marvel Studios’ HAWKEYE gives us a chance the explore the world of its beloved titular Marvel Cinematic Universe superhero. With Jeremy Renner reprising the role of Clint Barton/Hawkeye, Hailee Steinfeld joins him as protégée Kate Bishop and they work together to confront some of his enemies of the past. And if you’re wondering why this is being released in time for the Holidays, the goal is for Hawkeye to make this happen in time to get home to his family for Christmas.

Our Justin Waldman was fortunate enough to sit-in on a Press Conference for the upcoming Series and in-attendance were:

Jeremy Renner 

Hailee Steinfeld 

Vera Farmiga 

Tony Dalton 

Trinh Tran

Rhys Thomas 

Kevin Feige

Producer Kevin Feige comments on why the decision to explore more of Hawkeye in this Mini-Series.

Feige: “Well, primarily it’s Jeremy Renner. We want to see more Jeremy Renner... and more Jeremy Renner. And that goes back to the earliest days (yes, we’re both grandfathers now in the MCU), and the trust Jeremy had to jump into the MCU before Moderators said ‘Welcome to the MCU‘. It was ‘Hey! Do you want to do this thing with us and it could be really neat?’. And he said ‘yes’ and he got nominated for an Academy Award and he still said ‘yes’, and I thought that was pretty cool. But, all of the above they were relatively small obviously. Ultron we saw a little bit more. And then he just started stealing all the scenes. But it was always the intention to explore much more of the character’s history.”.

Tony Dalton plays Jack Duqesne and speaks on his relationship to the Bishop family in HAWKEYE.

Dalton: “Well he’s sort of a family friend and then he comes and falls in love Eleanor Bishop and they have a bit of a relationship. You don’t know where he’s coming from. What the hell else am I supposed to say? (laughs) You don’t wanna give away too much.”.

Vera Farmiga plays Eleanor Bishop and talks about what drew her most to the role of this mother and mentor to Kate.

Farmiga: “There’s a couple of things. I love Archery, hands down. I am an Archer. You guys don’t know this about me. My first job I played an Archer with Heath Ledger in a series called Roar where I had my bow and arrow and I’m good at it to be honest with you. If I wasn’t gonna be wielding that bow and arrow, I wanted to be next to someone with true grit and to be honest with you, I have marvelled at this young lady (Hailee Steinfeld) since that first movie. I also loved this very delicate and complex maternal relationship. It is a tricky sport raising a successful daughter, especially when the daughter and the mother have different ideas what that success means.”.

Director Rhys Thomas talks about Die Hard comparisons to Hawkeye.

Thomas: “The Holidays I think predated me. I’ll take the Die Hard feel, why not? The story of a character like Clint just trying to live his life and trouble trying to find him is a trope we all love and enjoy. That clash of family time with business time, it’s a classic combo. For me it was just wonderful to wrap my arms around that.”.

Kevin Feige comments on maybe getting to see more Avengers: The Musical throughout the Show.

Feige: “Rogers: The Musical” was an idea early on about why he comes to New York, but I loved the idea and it gave a reason for a generic Christmas in New York. Clint taking the kids, it was a Daddy weekend before Christmas. And I had met the amazing Composer Mark Shaiman at an event – and I’m not a social guy – his husband is a giant Marvel fan. It gave us context for why he is in New York, context for Clint seeing himself in a way that the world sees Hawkeye. And gave us an amazing opportunity to have a song by Mark Shaiman.”.

Hailee Steinfeld talks about building a bond with Renner and whether or not he gave her any Archery tips.

Steinfeld: “I was never gonna shoot an actual arrow. That’s the first thing he told me. And for whatever reason, it didn’t occur to me that would be the case. So that’s that. As far as bonding, we really jumped right into this thing straight into the deep end together. So we were taking it as it was coming. I felt so grateful to have his support and mentorship in real life and as Kate. We shared a lot of laughs, didn’t we?”.

Renner: “For me, I just wanted to communicate that I had her back and that there was gonna be a lot of straight things that go on. It’s different than other types of Filmmaking. I only gave her the answers if she needed them.”.

Jeremy Renner talks about the theme of Survivor’s Guilt and how that might impact Hawkeye.

Renner: “I don’t operate on Survivor Guilt. I deal with the loss. There’s a lot of things that are loss. It’s addressed in this Show, which is beautifully intimate and brings our characters closer together, as well as the audience. There’s a lot of weight that’s carried. There’s seemingly a veneer of grumpiness in his resting face, but it comes from the horrors and tragedies and loss that come with the game. Managing losses is the superhero game. The brightness and lightness that Hailee‘s character brings-in counteracts that.”.

The first two episodes of Marvel Studios’ HAWKEYE arrive on Disney+ November 24, 2021, with the Mini-Series concluding December 22, 2021.

(Photo/video credit: Marvel Studios Canada)

#FIRSTLOOK: “THE CONJURING: THE DEVIL MADE ME DO IT” NEW TRAILER

THE CONJURING has propelled itself into the largest Horror franchise in history grossing over $1.8 billion worldwide. The next installment is about to arrive. See the new Canadian Trailer for THE CONJURING: THE DEVIL MADE ME DO IT starring Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga.

Synopsis:

“The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It” reveals a chilling story of terror, murder and unknown evil that shocked even experienced real-life paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren.  One of the most sensational cases from their files, it starts with a fight for the soul of a young boy, then takes them beyond anything they’d ever seen before, to mark the first time in U.S. history that a murder suspect would claim demonic possession as a defense.

THE CONJURING: THE DEVIL MADE ME DO IT opens in theatres and IMAX nationwide on June 4, 2021. 

(Photo/video credit: Warner Bros. Canada)

#TIFF14: DAY 2 RECAP – ASA BUTTERFIELD, ROBERT DOWNEY JR., RAFE SPALL, VERA FARMIGA, ROBERT DUVALL, KEVIN MCHALE, EDDIE IZZARD, RENE RUSSO, FELICITY JONES, LONE SCHERFIG AND MORE

Day 2 of TIFF ’14 certainly was not short on the Starpower, however it would be the torrential downpour of rain and a Thundershower early evening which would curtail what I anticipated would be a long night. That being said, I am going to rest-up and be up and at ’em early with a proper night of rest!

The Day began with the Press Conference for David Dobkin‘s THE JUDGE, starring Robert Downey Jr., Robert Duvall, Vera Farmiga, Dax Shepard and more!  Downey  drew a vast majority of the Crowd today and certainly tried rewarding them all with some Autographs, zipping along in circular fashion before heading into his Photo Call.

See the Snaps below!

Robert Downey Jr.

Robert Duvall, who also was celebrated at an In-Conversation-With at TIFF Bell Lightbox

Vera Farmiga

Dax Shepard – he had to school me on how to use my Samsung S5!

David Dobkin

With few expectations in mind, we crossed paths today with many Stars out and about! Check-out some of these familiar faces!

Rene Russo at TIFF ’14 for Nightcrawler in which she stars opposite Jake Gyllenhaal, looks absolutely stunning and is amazingly sweet in-person I’m pleased to say!

 

I’ve long been touting British Star Felicity Jones as one to look out for. The Actress appears in much-buzzed The Theory of Everything opposite Eddie Redmayne, and despite checking-in quickly at her Hotel, she still came out to say “hello” to everyone after. She also was here a couple years back with Like Crazy and Hysteria. We kinda match, no?

 

Although we’re unsure which Film she’s at TIFF ’14 for, Orange is the New Black Star Alysia Reiner surprised us all today and in all honesty she looked a little surprised how excited Fans were to see her!

 

Not a Woman of many words, Director Lone Scherfig was shocked to be recognized today. I loved her 2010 Film An Education starring Carey Mulligan, which also premiered at TIFF, and am eagerly awaiting her latest, The Riot Club, which debuts this weekend at TIFF ’14!

Funnyman Eddie Izzard certainly is no stranger to Toronto, having brought his Shows here on multiple occasions and also filming Hannibal in the City. He is at TIFF ’14 with Dustin Hoffman-starring Boychoir.

I admit it! I’m still a bit of a Gleek at heart! Was absolutely surprised to see Kevin McHale, who plays Artie on the Series, out and about today. He also stars in Boychoir alongside Izzard.

I adore Rafe Spall, the talented British Actor known best for his work in Films like The F Word and The Life of Pi. I lucked-out totally seeing him at Ryerson Theatre tonight for the Premiere of X+Y which saw its Red Carpet go on despite heavy rains.

 

Young Hollywood is filled with promising Stars, but Asa Butterfield certainly would be at the top of his class. Starring in critical and Box Office successes Ender’s Game and also Martin Scorcese‘s Hugo, the 17-year-old Brit is at TIFF ’14 with X+Y which seems him starring as a socially-awkward young Math Prodegy.

Tomorrow the excitement reaches a peak as we expect to see the likes of Jennifer Garner, Tina Fey, Bill Murray, Ansel Elgort and several, several more! Stay tuned.

Twitter: @MRWILLW

Instagram: @MRWILLWONG

All Photos captured on the NIKON D3300 and communicated via the Samsung Galaxy Tab S.

 

(Photo credit: Mr. Will Wong)

#TIFF14: OFFICIAL LIST OF STARS ANNOUNCED

It absolutely is our favourite time of the year again and announced this morning is the official list of Talent coming to Toronto for TIFF ’14! We look forward to seeing plenty of returning names – some just here last year like the likes of Jennifer Aniston and Kate Winslet – and also plenty of Stars from years past making their way back here once more!

Among the names attending TIFF ’14 this year include:

Jon Stewart, Martin Scorcese, Richard Gere, Andrew Garfield, Viggo Mortensen, Gael Garcia Bernal, James Franco, Jane Fonda, Chloë Moretz, Brit Marling, Laura Dern, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Vanessa Redgrave, Vera Farmiga, Al Pacino, Tina Fey, Haley Joel Osment, Robert Pattinson, Ansel Elgort, Alice Eve, Sam Rockwell, Amanda Seyfried, Michael Shannon, Dax Sheppard, Robert Duvall, Ben Stiller, Robert Downey Jr., Hailee Steinfield, Justin Chatwin, Method Man, Jennifer Connelly, Bobby Cannavale, Kuoth Wiel, Cassie Williams, Danny Webb, Dominic West, Jung Woo-Sung, John Boylan, Sam Worthington, Tye Sheridan, Andrew Scott, Timothy Spall, Alan Rickman, Connie Britton, Reese Witherspoon, Evan Bird, Zhao Wei, Han Ye-Ri, Melissa Benoist, Haley Bennett, Sonja Bennett, John Travolta, Julianne Moore, Isaach De Bankolé, Dan Stevens, Jason Bateman, Corey Stoll, Xavier Dolan, Peter Stormare, Ben Schnetzer, Abigail Spencer, Ellen Barkin, Bill Pullman, Charlotte Aubin, Kate Winslet, Ryan Reynolds, Rene Russo, Roger Waters, Simon Pegg, Rosamund Pike, Loreto Aravena, Tobey Maguire, Aubrey Plaza, Tobey Maguire, Gemma Arterton,  Juliette Binoche, Zhang Yimou, Rosemarie DeWitt, Kristen Wiig, Adam Sandler, Rose Byrne, Channing Tatum, Chris Evans, Jake Gyllenhaal, Dustin Hoffman, Mark Ruffalo, Bill Murray, Daniel Barber, Liam Aiken, Mike Leigh, Olivier Assayas, Richard LaGravenese, Diane Keaton, Kevin Kline, Anna Kendrick, Morgan Freeman, Benicio del Toro, Michael Douglas, Rosario Dawson, Chris Rock, John Cusack, Benedict Cumberbatch, Octavia Spencer, Keira Knightley, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Kevin Costner, Anthony Mackie, Patricia Clarkson, J.K. Simmons, Miles Teller, Priyanka Chopra, Daniel Bruhl, Michael Winterbottom, Justin Chon, Steve Carell, Gong Li, Hayden Christensen, Tory Kittles, Jordana Brewster, Holliday Grainger, Max Irons, Lone Scherfig, Sam Claflin, Douglas Booth, Paul Bettany, Daniel Barnz, Noah Baumbach, Barry Avrich, Jennifer Aniston, Akon, Nick Kroll, Holly Hunter, Catherine Keener, Greta Gerwig, Omar Sy Jennifer Garner, Salma Hayek, Kevin Smith, Eddie Redmayne,  Felicity Jones, Faye Marsay, Bill Nighy, Justin Long, Christopher Plummer, Marton Csokas, David Cronenberg, Sarah Gadon, Tom Schilling, Tom Hardy and more!

TIFF also will be hosting a series of In-Conversations-With as part of their Mavericks Programme. Joining-in are the likes of Reese Witherspoon, Robert Duvall, Denzel Washington, Richard Gere, Juliette Binoche, Jon Stewart, Dan Savage, Julie Taymor and several more!

As is the case always, it’s sometimes not just who’s coming – it’s who they’re bringing.  Don’t be surprised if Jennifer Garner brings Husband Ben Affleck along and be warned if Andrew Garfield brings Emma Stone along!

Who’s on our list of Must-Meets?  Plenty!  We hope finally to get a positive moment with Reese Witherspoon and Kate Winslet!  Excited about Martin Scorcese, J.K. Simmons, Bobby Cannavale, Miles Teller, Corey Stoll, Tobey Maguire, Rose Byrne, Michael Douglas and newer names like Max Irons and Douglas Booth, that’s for sure.  And did we read TINA FEY!?!?  Finally!  AND WHERE IS TOM HARDY?!?!

The list is always subject to surprise and no-shows as we know all too well!

Visit the official TIFF Website for more.

TIFF ’14 runs September 3 – 14, 2014.

(Photo credit: Mr. Will Wong)

#GIVEAWAY: ENTER TO WIN A “THE CONJURING” BLU-RAY/ULTRAVOILET & DVD COMBO PACK

Right in-time for Halloween, Warner Bros. Home Entertainment release acclaimed Horror Film, The Conjuring Blu-Ray/Ultraviolet/DVD Combo Pack!  Mr. Will Wong and PartnersHub want to give you a chance to take The Conjuring home with you!  Uh-oh.  Don’t clap just yet.

 

Official Synopsis:

Based on a True Story, the Movie tells the horrifying account of how famed paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren were summoned to help a Family terrorized by a dark presence in a secluded Farmhouse which they recently bought. In fighting this powerful Demonic Being, The Warrens find themselves in the middle of the most terrifying case of their lives! 

The Film stars Patrick Wilson, Vera Farmiga, Lili Taylor, Ron Livingston and Joey King.  We had the pleasure of chatting with King this past Spring and she warned us just how scary this Movie is.  Read more here.

 

While we’re at it, let’s have some fun with five interactive GIFs with things you need to know about The Conjuring!

1) The Conjuring is directed by the acclaimed James Wan, the Australian-born director of the fright-fests Insidious and the Saw Series. His Twitter handle is @CreepyPuppet. Say no more.

2) The Conjuring has been given an “R” rating by the MPAA. Not because of blood, gore, or violence, but simply because it’s just so scary from start to finish!

3) The Conjuring’s Cast and Crew experienced creepy events during filming. Scratches appeared out of nowhere on Vera Farmiga’s computer soon after she agreed to act in the Movie, the Crew were routinely woken by something in the “Witching Hour” between 3 and 4AM, and the real-life Carolyn Perron fell and broke her hip while visiting the Set.

4) The Rhode Island Farmhouse where The Conjuring is set once belonged to an accused Witch, Bathsheba, who tried to sacrifice her children to the Devil and killed herself in 1863.

5) Hold your applause! The Conjuring will make you terrified to clap! Whether it’s playing a traditional game of Hide-and-Seek by following the clapping sounds like the Mother and Daughter in the Movie, or being terrorized by ghostly claps in different rooms of the haunted Farmhouse, these claps throughout the Movie will give you the creeps!

To enter to win, simply click “like” on this Post at Mr. Will Wong on Facebook. Double your chances by sharing this Post with your Friends on Facebook or Re-Tweeting the below:

http://www.mrwillwong.com/theconjuring @MRWILLW wants us to #win a #THECONJURING Blu-ray/DVD Combo Pack! In stores 10/22.

 

Readers across North America are eligble to win. Good luck!

 

Official Artwork:

 

To order The Conjuring on Blu-ray/Ultraviolet/DVD Combo Pack, click here.

Warner Bros. Home Entertainment releases The Conjuring on Tuesday, October 22, 2013.

 

(Photo/video credit: Warner Bros.)

#FIRSTLOOK: “THE CONJURING” FEATURETTE

Based on a true Story The Conjuring is about two Paranormal Investigators, Ed and Lorraine Warren (Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga), who assist the Perron Family (Ron Livingston and Lili Taylor) after they experience some disturbing things at the Farmhouse. The Horror is definitely one of the most anticipated Films of Summer 2013 and after seeing its Trailer, you will understand exactly why!  James Wan (Saw, Insidious) directs.

 

Watch the Featurette below and be terrified for the rest of the day:

 

The Conjuring hits theatres this Friday, July 19, 2013 via Warner Bros. Pictures Canada.

 

(Photo/video credit: Warner Bros. Pictures Canada)