It’s so hard to believe we’re only a couple days away from the end of what has been a memorable TIFF ’16! Highlights tonight around town included our v. own Jacob Tremblay and Vera Farmiga walking the Red Carpet for BURN YOUR MAPS at Ryerson Theatre, plus Lily James, Jai Courtney and Oscar Winner Christopher Plummer walking the Red Carpet for the World Premiere of THE EXCEPTION at VISA Screening Room. Rooney Mara also walked the Carpet at her third Film of the Festival, THE SECRET SCRIPTURE, at Princess of Wales Theatre.
See some of our sightings:
Lily James, THE EXCEPTION
Christopher Plummer, THE EXCEPTION
#ChristopherPlummer at #TIFF16 for #TheException.
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Jai Courtney, THE EXCEPTION
Peter Gallagher
(Photo credit: Mr. Will Wong)
While TIFF ’16 begins to wind down, we still are seeing some quality Films premiere. At VISA Screening Room, we have Rebecca Hall in what Critics are calling a riveting performance in CHRISTINE, baaed on real events surrounding a reporter who commit suicide on-air. Michelle Rodriguez and Sigourney Weaver also brought starpower to Ryerson Theatre for (Re)ASSIGNMENT. Gerard Butler is set too to walk the Red Carpet at Roy Thomson Hall for Toronto-made THE HEADHUNTER’S CALLING. Meanwhile, Rooney Mara walks the Red Carpet at Princess of Wales for UNA.
Michelle Rodriguez, (Re)ASSIGNMENT
Sigourney Weaver, (Re)ASSIGNMENT
#SigourneyWeaver making a low-key escape to her #ReASSIGNMENT Premiere. #TIFF16
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Jacob Tremblay, BURN YOUR MAPS
My favourite!!! #JacobTremblay back at #TIFF16 for #BurnYourMaps.
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LeeHom Wang, Concert Documentary + Performance
Rebecca Hall, CHRISTINE
The beautiful and elegant #RebeccaHall. #ChristineMovie #TIFF16
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(Photo credit: Mr. Will Wong)
We’re past the halfway point at TIFF ’16 and things begin to slow down to another gear after today. Premieres around the City tonight include DEEPWATER HORIZON which sees Mark Wahlberg, Kate Hudson and Kurt Russell walk the Red Carpet at Roy Thomson Hall. Meanwhile, MANCHESTER BY THE SEA which continues to gain Oscar momentum, brings Casey Affleck and Michelle Williams to the Carpet at Princess of Wales Theatre. Megastar Justin Timberlake also presents Documentary JT AND THE TENNESSEE KIDS at Roy Thomson Hall also.
Casey Affleck, MANCHESTER BY THE SEA
Kyle Chandler, MANCHESTER BY THE SEA
#KyleChandler at #TIFF16 for #ManchesterbytheSea. #MongrelatTIFF
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Matt Damon, MANCHESTER BY THE SEA
Mark Wahlberg, DEEPWATER HORIZON
#TIFF16: #MarkWahlberg who quickly made an appearance for the #DeepwaterHorizon afterparty.
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Gina Rodriguez, DEEPWATER HORIZON
With the beautiful and gracious #GinaRodriguez. #DeepwaterHorizon #TIFF16
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Kurt Russell, DEEPWATER HORIZON
#KurtRussell at Premiere for #DeepwaterHorizon. #TIFF16
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Kate Hudson, DEEPWATER HORIZON
Director Peter Berg, DEEPWATER HORIZON
With #DeepwaterHorizon Director #PeterBerg. #TIFF16
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Virginia Madsen, BURN YOUR MAPS
Director Morgan Spurlock, RATS
Jason Momoa, THE BAD BATCH
Suki Waterhouse, THE BAD BATCH
(Photo/video credit: Mr. Will Wong)
Review by Siobhán Rich for Mr. Will Wong
In real life very few situations end with a tidy bow and the words “happily ever after.” Writer/director Kenneth Lonergan takes this notion to heart in the Movie Manchester By the Sea as his characters must reconcile past sorrows if they want survive the tragedies of today.
Lee Chandler (Casey Affleck) is quietly enduring his life when he learns his beloved brother Joe (Kyle Chandler) has died of congestive heart failure. At the reading of Joe’s will, Lee is horrified to learn that he has been given guardianship of his 16-year-old nephew, Patrick (Lucas Hedges). As the two struggle to find common ground, the audience slowly learns the truth behind Lee’s painful past and why he is so reluctant to stay in the seaside town.
With a Supporting Cast that boasts Matthew Broderick, Gretchen Mol and Michelle Williams, Manchester by the Sea suffers from no shortage of heavy-hitters. That said, the best part of the Movie is Casey Affleck who captures Lee’s tortured soul in a way that is never played for melodrama, but rather fleshed out with unexpected subtlety and nuance.
With plenty of hopeful Oscar buzz already surrounding this Movie, Manchester By the Sea is sure to be a hot ticket during TIFF ’16.
Manchester by the Sea screens at TIFF:
Tuesday, September 13, 2016 6:00 PM Princess of Wales
Wednesday, September 14, 2016 11:30 AM Visa Screening Room
Premiering at TIFF ’16, Elevation Pictures + Mr. Will want you to attend an Advance Screening of DENIAL Monday, October 3, 2016.
Screenings take place in the following cities:
Toronto
Date: October 3rd
Time: 7:00pm
Location: Varsity (55 Bloor St W, Toronto, ON, M4W 1A5)
Vancouver
Date: October 3rd
Time: 7:00pm
Location: 5th Ave (2110 Burrard Street, Vancouver, BC, V6J 3H6)
Calgary
Date: October 3rd
Time: 7:00pm
Location: Eau Claire (200 Barclay Parade SW #200, Calgary, AB T2P 4R5)
Edmonton
Date: October 3rd
Time: 7:00pm
Location: Scotiabank Edmonton (#3030, 8882-170 Street, Edmonton, AB, T5T 4M2)
Victoria
Date: October 3rd
Time: 7:00pm
Location: Odeon Victoria (780 Yates Street, Victoria, BC, V8W 1L4)
Ottawa
Date: October 3rd
Time: 7:00pm
Location: Scotiabank Ottawa (2385 City Park Dr, Gloucester, ON K1J 1G1)
Winnipeg
Date: October 3rd
Time: 7:00pm
Location: Grant Park (1120 Grant Ave Unit 127, Winnipeg, MB R3M 2A6)
Halifax
Date: October 3rd
Time: 7:30pm
Location: Park Lane (5657 Spring Garden Road, Halifax, NS, B3J 3R4)
Synopsis:
Based on the acclaimed book History on Trial: My Day in Court with a Holocaust Denier, DENIAL recounts Deborah E. Lipstadt’s (Academy Award® winner Rachel Weisz) legal battle for historical truth against David Irving (BAFTA nominee Timothy Spall), who accused her of libel when she declared him a Holocaust denier. In the English legal system, in cases of libel, the burden of proof is on the defendant, therefore it was up to Lipstadt and her legal team, led by Richard Rampton (Academy Award® nominee Tom Wilkinson), to prove the essential truth that the Holocaust occurred.
See the Trailer:
Artwork:

To enter to win, simply click “like” on this Post at MR. WILL ON FACEBOOK and indicate your City. Click “share” from there for an extra chance!
Elevation Pictures release DENIAL Friday, October 7, 2016 in select cities.

(Photo/video credit: Elevation Pictures)
By George Kozera for Mr. Will Wong
The Canadian Film Fest in association with the Directors Guild of Canada always throw the most relaxed and fun-filled parties during TIFF and this year was no exception! With no VIP section and a strict “no posers, just hosers” policy in effect, this year’s Soirée was spread across two floors at the iconic DRAKE HOTEL.
The fashionable Canuck Glitterati feasted on luxurious poutine, cupcakes, craft beers, wines and ciders and munched from huge bowls of a variety of flavours of the addictive Miss Vickie’s chips strewn throughout. And when special guest DIRECTOR X took over the DJ duties, inhibitions were lost and everyone danced to the classics from Prince to Michael Jackson from a booth decorated with retro radios, tuners and speakers.
After an evening of talking about what’s and who’s been seen at TIFF ’16, all guests left with a swag bag that included wild socks from GOTSTYLE, tea from GENUINE TEA and goodies from M0851.
Another great evening from the hosts with the mosts!
(Photo credit: George Kozera)
Telefilm Canada and Birks joined forces once again this year to honour 12 Canadian Women in Film at the Birks Diamond Tribute. Honourees were selected based on their accomplishments at home and abroad. Held traditionally during TIFF, the event took place tonight at the Shangri La Hotel in a dazzling display of fashion among many of Toronto’s top social influencers and screen talents.
Notables celebrating the affair included Nolan Funk, Kris Holden-Reid, Stacey Mackenzie, Tracy Moore, Steven Lund, Amanda Brugel, The Property Brothers, Kiesza, Eric Johnson and several more.
I am honoured to be among a jury of 20 who selected this year’s recipients of the Birks Diamond Tribute and together we selected the following brilliant women:
Amanda Crew
Tracey Deer
Caroline Dhavernas
Emma Donoghue
Ann Marie Fleming
Christine Horne
April Mullen
Sandra Oh
Jennifer Podemski
Léa Pool
Ann Shin
Marie Vien
See some Snaps from the Affair:















(Photo credit: Birks/Mr. Will Wong)
Review by George Kozera for Mr. Will Wong
Two years after the wildly successful WHIPLASH screened at TIFF, Writer/Director Damien Chazelle returns with a reimagined twist on the Hollywood Musicals of yesteryear. Filmed in glorious Cinemascope, LA LA LAND takes the old plot chestnut (boy-meets-girl, they fall in love, complications arise), infuses it with a mostly jazz soundtrack and from the opening scene on a gridlocked Los Angeles freeway where, one by one, drivers leave their cars that aren’t going anywhere and break into an exuberant song and dance routine, we are swept away into a magical world.
The effervescent Emma Stone plays Mia, a struggling actress who dreams of success while working at a café located inside a movie studio. Sebastian (played irresistibly by Ryan Gosling) is a jazz freak who makes ends meet by tinkling the piano keys at restaurants or playing at parties as part of a cover boy band. We watch transfixed as their relationship together blossoms against a backdrop of Los Angeles never looking more beautiful in brilliant vignettes of song and dance. Their banter is witty, their chemistry is translucent.
Not since Bob Fosse reinvented the cinematic musical genre with CABARET have I seen a more ambitious and lavish example of Movie Magic. LA LA LAND feels old fashioned, but its sensibilities are audacious and the original score is the most inventive since FAME. The cinematography is breath-taking. Gosling and Stone are perfection personified. Laurels must be laid on the head and feet of Damien Chazelle. He has given us a movie of Olympian proportions.
I la la loved LA LA LAND!
LA LA LAND screens Monday, September 12, 2016 Princess of Wales Theatre at 6:15 PM, Tuesday, September 13, 2016 VISA Screening Room at 11:30 AM and Friday, September 16, 2016 TIFF Bell Lightbox 2 at 9:30 PM.
The weekend might be over but you wouldn’t know it if you were at TIFF! Day Five perhaps is the grandest one yet with the Festival’s most anticipated title making its debut here after a huge splash in Venice, Damien Chazzelle‘s LA LA LAND starring Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone. The duo are set to walk the Red Carpet tonight at Roy Thomson Hall. Miles Teller (who coincidentally worked with Chazzelle on his first Film, WHIPLASH) also is set to make a case for Best Actor in BLEED FOR THIS, which debuts tonight at Princess of Wales Theatre. Down the road, Amy Adams and Jeremy Renner are set to walk the Carpet for Denis Villeneuve‘s Sci-Fi romp ARRIVAL at Roy Thomson Hall.
See the names we spotted today in the City!
Ryan Gosling, LA LA LAND
#RyanGosling at #TIFF16 for #LaLaLand.
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Emma Stone, LA LA LAND
With the mesmerizing #EmmaStone at #TIFF16 for #LaLaLand.
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John Legend, LA LA LAND
#JohnLegend at #TIFF16 for #LaLaLand.
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Rosemarie DeWitt, LA LA LAND
#RosemarieDeWitt at #TIFF16 for #LaLaLand.
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Director Damien Chazzelle, LA LA LAND
J.K. Simmons, LA LA LAND
Amy Adams, NOCTURNAL ANIMALS + ARRIVAL
Aaron Taylor-Johnson, NOCTURNAL ANIMALS
Because I needed another. #AaronTaylorJohnson #TIFF16 #NocturnalAnimals
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Oscar Isaac, THE PROMISE
Richard Gere, NORMAN: THE MODERATE RISE AND TRAGIC FALL OF A NEW YORK FIXER
Mark Wahlberg, DEEPWATER HORIZON
Marky Mark. He was spotted at #Wahlburgers today! #TIFF16 #DeepwaterHorizon
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Marky Mark. #TIFF16 #MarkWahlberg #DeepwaterHorizon #Wahlburgers 🍔
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A photo posted by Mr. Will Wong 📸 (@mrwillwong) on
Ethan Hawke, THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN + MAUDIE
#EthanHawke at #TIFF16 for #TheMagnificentSeven + #Maudie.
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Aaron Eckhart, BLEED FOR THIS
Miles Teller, BLEED FOR THIS
#MilesTeller at #TIFF16 for #BleedforThis.
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Dave Matthews out enjoying TIFF
Lennox Lewis out enjoying TIFF
Boxing icon #LennoxLewis at #TIFF16.
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(Photo/video credit: Mr. Will Wong)
Review by Siobhán Rich for Mr. Will Wong
Everyone goes through phases in their lives when they allow themselves dream and to be more than the box society has prepared for them: they embrace their identities as anarchists, heroes, poets, or artists. It is only when outside forces conspire to suggest that reality should be free of symbolism or poetry that people begin to forget their dreams and accept settling.
Paterson (Adam Driver at his finest) is a former Marine from Paterson, New Jersey. Every day he wakes up next to wife Laura (Golshifteh Parahani) before heading off to drive Bus 0936 – the Paterson 23 – where he listens in on the stories of the people on his route. After work, he heads home and eats the bizarre meal wife has dreamed up before taking Marvin the dog for a walk that ends a local bar where he continues his day of quiet observation. This mightn’t seem like a thrilling life but the poet in Paterson seeks contentment in the people who populate the periphery of his life.
If Michael Bay is a Director of big moments and even bigger explosions, then Writer/Director Jim Jarmusch is the opposite: his Movies are defined by a series small moments that seemingly add up to nothing but when taken as a whole mean Everything. His camera frames each scene as if to highlight the poetry of everyday life while never interfering in the subtle interactions captured in its lens.
The internal rhymes and beats of Paterson will reinforce the notion that Jarmusch-y should be an official adjective in the Cinematic dictionary. It is brilliant filmmaking punctuated by outstanding performances and a must see at this year’s TIFF.
Paterson screens:
Monday, September 12, 2016 at 3:15 PM Ryerson Theatre
Wednesday, September 14, 2016 at 9:00 AM TIFF Bell Lightbox 2
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