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:

The 2017 Academy Awards air on ABC Sunday, February 26, 2017 at 7 PM EST.

(Photo credit: Oscars)

Elevation Pictures x Mr. Will want to take Readers to see TIFF ’16 selection TRESPASS AGAINST US at participating Cineplex Event Cinemas this and next weekend!

Synopsis:

Trespass Against Us centers on three generations of the Cutler family, a close-knit clan of nomads living an outlaw existence in their own anarchic corner of Britain’s most affluent countryside. Chad Cutler (Michael Fassbender) is the heir apparent to the family patriarch, his bullying father Colby (Brendan Gleeson), and has been groomed to spend his life hunting, stealing and tormenting local law enforcement. But with his own son Tyson (Georgie Smith) coming of age and his wife Kelly (Lyndsey Marshal) pushing him to stand up to Colby, Chad finds himself locked in a battle for the future of his young family.

Trailer:

Artwork:

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

Elevation Pictures release TRESPASS AGAINST US Friday, January 27, 2017 on-demand and in select theatres:

Halifax / Park Lane
Ottawa / South Keys
Toronto / Yonge & Dundas
Calgary / Eau Claire
Vancouver / Park

(Photo/video credit: Elevation Pictures)

VVS Films x Mr. Will want to take Toronto Readers to a special Advance Screening on Monday, January 30, 2017 with star Asa Butterfield in-attendance!

Synopsis:

A group of astronauts go on a mission to colonize Mars. After they land on Mars, one of the astronauts discovers she’s pregnant. She gives birth to a boy, but dies from complications.

Sixteen years later, her son, Gardner Elliot (Asa Butterfield), is now a teenager who has lived his entire life on Mars, raised by the remaining astronauts. He wants to find his father, whom his mother never named, so he uses the Internet to communicate with Tulsa (Britt Robertson), a teenage girl who lives in Colorado.

When Gardner and the astronauts return to Earth, he begins exploring in order to find his father, but discovers his organs aren’t used to the Earth’s atmosphere. He’s placed in a medical facility but breaks out, finds Tulsa and they go on the run.

Trailer:

Artwork:

To enter to win, simply click “like” on this Post at MR. WILL ON FACEBOOK.

VVS Films release THE SPACE BETWEEN US Friday, February 3, 2017.

G’luck.

(Photo/video credit: VVS Films)

Sony Pictures Home Entertainment x Mr. Will want to give Canadian Readers a chance to win an INFERNO Prize Pack including all three Blu-rays in the Robert Langdon Trilogy and the book by Dan Brown on which this final installment is based.

Synopsis:
Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon (Tom Hanks) wakes up in a hospital room in Florence, Italy, with a wound on his head and no recollection of the last 48 hours. Physician Sienna Brooks (Felicity Jones) explains that he’s suffering from temporary amnesia. Before he has time to figure out what’s happening to him, he learns he is being chased by the World Health Organization and a private security firm. A fan of Langdon, Sienna decides to tag along and help him solve the mystery.

Langdon soon finds out that billionaire Bertrand Zobrist (Ben Foster) is too invested into the future of mankind and has plotted a deadly global genocide scheme. It is now up to Langdon to solve the clues left behind by Zobrist and save mankind from destruction.

See the Trailer:

Artwork:

To enter to win, click “like” on this Post at MR. WILL ON FACEBOOK. Canadian Readers only please.

Sony Pictures Home Entertainment release INFERNO on DVD and Blu-ray Tuesday, January 24, 2017.

(Photo/video credit: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment)

SPLIT makes a big splash at the Box Office in its debut for Universal Pictures with a stellar $34.1 million from 3,038 theatres. Starring James McAvoy, the Thriller gets a 76% on the Tomatometer, while Audiences responded similarly with a B+ CinemaScore.

In second is xXx: THE RETURN OF XANDER CAGE, which many projected to take the top spot in its opening. Alas it earns $19 million from 3.561 theatres, earning a 42% on the Tomatometer from Critics and an A- CinemaScore from Audiences.

HIDDEN FIGURES still is going strong in third with $15 million for 20th Century Fox from 3,416 theatres. In total it has grossed $82 million over four weeks.

SING lands in fourth with $8.6 million for Universal Pictures, nearing the $250-million-mark in five weeks.

LA LA LAND places fifth with $8.3 million from 1,865 theatres, still riding a high from its Golden Globes glory. It has earned $90 million thus far over seven weeks, a majority in limited release.

PATRIOTS DAY is in eighth with $5.3 million for eOne Films/Lionsgate Films, tallying-in at $23 million over two weeks.

Rounding-out the Top Ten is THE BYE BYE MAN with $3.3 million from 2,220 theatres, nearing the $20-million-mark in its second week out for VVS Films/STX Entertainment.

Beijing-born and American-educated, LEAH DOU might be obscure to North America, but that is about to change. The Alternative-Pop Singer/Songwriter quickly is becoming a force to be reckoned with in Asia where she released her debut disc, Stone Café, last April. Dou, the 20-year-old daughter of Chinese rocker Dou Wei and visionary Singer/Songwriter/Actress Faye Wong, is currently touring in support of that English-language disc, fresh off a stint in the U.K. where she just had a supporting gig for Electronic outfit, Bastille.

The soft-spoken Artist possesses an understated elegance also in her music which translated well to an energetic rhythmic set at Adelaide Hall in Toronto tonight before a sold-out crowd of primarily Chinese fans who have admired her from afar on the internet. Highlighted by mesmerizing vocals reminiscent of both her mother (and a young Stevie Nicks), hypnotic harmonies and sensual grooves, the crowd was on its feet start to finish during the abbreviated performance. The concert originally was to be at Drake Hotel before overwhelming ticket demand led to an expansion of venue. Toronto is the second city of her tour, which saw her stop in New York last night at the Mercury Lounge.

Surprising fans in the audience tonight was Chinese R&B/Soul star Khalil Fong who just played Sony Centre for the Performing Arts last night!

See some Snaps from the show:

Although good on recording, the live renditions of her tracks show a more confident and self-assured Dou. Check out her track My Days below:

Pure honour meeting Singer/Songwriter #LeahDou, in Toronto tonight for a rare, super-intimate sold-out show at Adelaide Hall, hot off a supporting gig for #Bastille. Dou is touring in support of stellar debut disc, #StoneCafe. Love her understated sensibility. For those unfamiliar, she is the daughter of Chinese rocker Dou Wei and visionary and legendary Singer/Songwriter/Actress, #FayeWong.

A photo posted by Mr. Will Wong 📸 (@mrwillwong) on Jan 21, 2017 at 2:41pm PST

Filmed right here in Vancouver, COLOSSAL won big raves at TIFF ’16. Since then it has gotten distribution in the U.S. from newly-created NEON and it premiered at Sundance yesterday where it won more accolades.  An April release date has been set for the Sci-Fi/Action/Thriller/Comedy starring Jason Sudeikis, Dan Stevens and Anne Hathaway.

Synopsis:
After losing her job and boyfriend in New York, Gloria (Hathaway) moves back to her home town and is shocked to discover that the catastrophic events hitting Earth are somehow connected to her mental state.

See the Trailer:

Cannot wait to see this!

We’ll NEVER forget meeting Hathaway at TIFF ’16!

Anne. #TIFF16 #COLOSSAL #AnneHathaway

A photo posted by Mr. Will Wong 📸 (@mrwillwong) on Sep 9, 2016 at 11:50am PDT

Amazing Anne. #AnneHathaway #Colossal #TIFF16

A photo posted by Mr. Will Wong 📸 (@mrwillwong) on Sep 9, 2016 at 4:44pm PDT

NEON release COLOSSAL Friday, April 7, 2017.

(Photo/video credit: NEON)

Universal Pictures Canada x Mr. Will want to take Readers to GET OUT, from the mind of Jordan Peele!

Screenings take places as follows:

Toronto Wed Feb 22 7:00 PM Scotiabank Theatre Toronto
Montreal Wed Feb 22 7:00 PM Cineplex Montreal Forum
Edmonton Wed Feb 22 7:00 PM Cineplex Cinemas South Edmonton
Vancouver Wed Feb 22 7:00 PM Cineplex International Village
Calgary Wed Feb 22 7:00 PM Landmark Shawnessy

Synopsis:
In Universal Pictures’ Get Out, a speculative thriller from Blumhouse (producers of The Visit, Insidious series and The Gift) and the mind of Jordan Peele, when a young African-American man visits his white girlfriend’s family estate, he becomes ensnared in a more sinister real reason for the invitation. Now that Chris (Daniel Kaluuya, Sicario) and his girlfriend, Rose (Allison Williams, Girls), have reached the meet-the-parents milestone of dating, she invites him for a weekend getaway upstate with Missy (Catherine Keener, Captain Phillips) and Dean (Bradley Whitford, The Cabin in the Woods). At first, Chris reads the family’s overly accommodating behavior as nervous attempts to deal with their daughter’s interracial relationship, but as the weekend progresses, a series of increasingly disturbing discoveries lead him to a truth that he could have never imagined.

See the Trailer:

Artwork:

To enter to win, click “like” on this Post at MR. WILL ON FACEBOOK and indicate for us your City. In the comments there, tell us one time you got out of an uncomfortable situation.

G’luck.

Universal Pictures Canada release GET OUT Friday, February 27, 2017.

(Photo/video credit: Universal Pictures Canada)

eOne Films x Mr. Will want to take Readers across Canada to see JOHN WICK 2!  Screenings take place as follows:

Toronto – Wednesday February 8th – 7:00 PM – Scotiabank Toronto
Vancouver – Wednesday February 8th – 7:00 PM – Scotiabank Vancouver
Calgary – Wednesday February 8th – 7:00 PM – Sunridge
Edmonton – Wednesday February 8th – 7:00 PM – North Edmonton
Winnipeg – Wednesday February 8th – 7:00 PM – Scotiabank Winnipeg
Ottawa – Wednesday February 8th – 7:00 PM – Lansdowne
Halifax – Wednesday February 8th – 7:30 PM – Scotiabank Halifax
St. John’s – Wednesday February 8th – 7:00 PM – Scotiabank St. John’s
Hamilton – Wednesday February 8th – 7:00 PM – Silvercity Hamilton
London – Wednesday February 8th – 7:00 PM – Silvercity London

Synopsis:

In a follow up to 2014’s John Wick, this Film brings back Keanu Reeves in the title role as the former hit man pulled out of retirement. The story tracks John‘s life since the first film and explores the identity crisis he finds himself in: is he John, the family man who’s mourning the death of his wife, or John Wick, the ruthless international assassin?

When a former associate hatches a plan to seize control of a shadowy international assassins’ guild, John realizes his hit man days are far from over. He makes the trip to Rome to demolish the plot, and an epic battle ensues between him and some of the globe’s deadliest killers.

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!

G’luck.

eOne Films release JOHN WICK 2 Friday, February 10, 2017.

(Photo/video credit: eOne Films)

This announcement couldn’t have been more timely with today’s inauguration! While we’re waiting on the return of our favourite series, here’s a quick teaser announcing the upcoming streaming date for the fifth season of HOUSE OF CARDS.

Watch below:

One nation. Underwood. House of Cards returns Tuesday, May 30, ,2017 on Netflix.

(Photo/video credit: Netflix)