FIRE AND WINE leads wire to wire in the Grade III Ontario Derby under @SamuelJalon, for trainer Zeljko Krcmar and owner Paul Ryder. Does this victory lock his title for 3-year-old champion male?
4
#Wildwood, I mean truly this is the pinnacle of stop motion animation. No one does it better than Laika, Travis Knight & co have set the bar high, it is impossible not to just be in awe of how magnificent this movie is. Full thoughts later for @mrwillw @vvsfilms @LAIKAStudios
#TIFF15: “BROOKLYN”
Review by George Kozera for Mr. Will Wong
Every now and then I will see a movie so perfect that I want to scream from the rooftop or grab strangers by the lapels and urge them to see it. BROOKLYN is perfection personified!
Set in 1952, it tells the compelling story of Ellis Lacey (Saoirse Ronan), who leaves her widowed mother and older sister in Ireland to start a new life in America where she ultimately meets and falls in love with Tony (a blistering, compelling, career-making performance from Emory Cohen). As their relationship progresses, Ellis must return to Ireland briefly for tragic reasons and is reacquainted with Jim (Domhnall Gleeson) and is immediately smitten with him. Torn between 2 lovers and 2 countries, what will Ellis do?
Peppered with outstanding supporting performances by a multinational and outstanding cast that includes Julie Walters, Canada’s own Jessica Pare and Jim Broadbent, BROOKLYN is a brilliant blend of comedy and drama that will have you reaching for the tissues to wipe away copious tears elicited from laughter, sadness and joy. I adore this movie and don’t be surprised if it wins the TIFF People’s Choice Award.
You can see it at TIFF ’15:
Sun Sept.13 6pm Elgin Theatre
Mon Sept.14 11am Elgin Theatre
#TIFF15: DAY 1 SPOTTINGS – HELEN MIRREN, EMILY BLUNT, JOHN KRASINSKI, ELLEN PAGE, MICHAEL PENA, PATRICK STEWART, BENICIO DEL TORO, CHIWETEL EJIOFOR, SEBASTIAN STAN, JESSICA CHASTAIN, KATE MARA, SEAN BEAN, ODESSA YOUNG, SEAN BEAN, MARILYN LIMA + MORE!
We’ve only just begun! TIFF ’15 officially has kicked-off and we’re out spotting every one we can! See who was spotted around town today!
Chiwetel Ejiofor for The Martian. The Academy Award nominee for 12 Years a Slave is back this year in Ridley Scott‘s latest.
Odessa Young. Be on the lookout for this talented Australian actress who stars alongside Miranda Otto and Geoffrey Rush in The Daughter.
Rising Star #OdessaYoung at #TIFF15 with #TheDaughter. A photo posted by Mr. Will Wong (@mrwillwong) on
Marilyn Lima. This young actress makes her debut in Bang Gang at TIFF ’15.
The brilliant Josh Brolin, everyone. He is at TIFF ’15 with the highly-buzzed Sicario.
#JoshBrolin at #TIFF15 for #Sicario. A photo posted by Mr. Will Wong (@mrwillwong) on
The radiant Jessica Chastain at TIFF once again with Ridley Scott‘s The Martian.
Veteran actor Sean Bean at TIFF with The Martian.
#SeanBean at #TIFF15 for #TheMartian. #TIFF #TIFF40 #TorontoFilmFestival A photo posted by Mr. Will Wong (@mrwillwong) on
Emily Blunt +John Krasinski. Blunt is getting tons of early Oscar buzz for her performance in Sicario from Canadian Director Denis Villeneuve.
Benicio del Toro at TIFF ’15 with Sicario. Expect warranted Awards Season buzz.
#BenicioDelToro at #TIFF15 for #Sicario. #TIFF40 #TorontoFilmFestival A photo posted by Mr. Will Wong (@mrwillwong) on
Patrick Stewart at TIFF ’15 for Green Room.
Breaking Bad star Dean Norris at TIFF ’15 for Remember.
#BreakingBad’s #DeanNorris at #TIFF15 with #RememberMovie. #TIFF40 #TorontoFilmFestival A photo posted by Mr. Will Wong (@mrwillwong) on
Emily Blunt, stunning. Light makeup.
The brilliant Helen Mirren all smiles, at TIFF ’15 for Trumbo, a Biopic about writer Dalton Trumbo.
#HelenMirren at #TIFF15 for #Trumbo. #TIFF40 #TIFF #TorontoFilmFestival A photo posted by Mr. Will Wong (@mrwillwong) on
Handsome Captain America: The Winter Soldier star Sebastian Stan at TIFF for The Martian.
Kate Mara at TIFF for The Martian. Cute Pixie Cut, right?
#KateMara at #TIFF15 for #TheMartian. #TIFF40 #TorontoFilmFestival A photo posted by Mr. Will Wong (@mrwillwong) on
Veteran Michael Pena at TIFF for The Martian.
Greg Grunberg at TIFF ’15 for Heroes Reborn, making a debut in the Festival’s new TV Programme.
#GregGrunberg at #TIFF15 for #HeroesReborn! #TIFF40 #TorontoFilmFestival A photo posted by Mr. Will Wong (@mrwillwong) on
Ellen Page, who slays it in Into the Forest + Freeheld, premiering at TIFF ’15.
#TIFF15: “MISS YOU ALREADY”
One of the greatest surprises to come out of TIFF ’15 is BFF-Dramedy MISS YOU ALREADY. Director Catherine Hardwicke already has shown us flashes of her brilliance in her career and to this day we still are mesmerized by her 2003 effort Thirteen, before going on to achieve blockbuster success with Twilight.
This Film centers on two best friends in flashy Milly (Toni Collette) and confidante Jess (Drew Barrymore) and their inseparable bond. After Milly is diagnosed with breast cancer, their friendship reaches a turning point, which impacts the lives of each other’s families. Despite seemingly having it all, Milly begins to question what it is she wants in the face of her mortality and Jess tries balancing being a friend to Milly with her own family life as she looks to conceive a child after some struggle.
Miss You Already explores with great detail and compassion the heartbreaking ripple effect of terminal illness on family and friends. Toni Collette is superb, capturing Milly as someone who is complex, flawed and hungry to live. Barrymore complements perfectly and is wonderful in Jess’ journey to find herself as her own person.
There will not a pair of dry eyes in the house. MISS YOU ALREADY is deeply-affecting as it is joyously a celebration of friendship and life.
eOne Films release and it plays at TIFF ’15:
Sat Sep 12 3:30 PM
ROY THOMSON HALL
Sun Sep 13 8:45 AM
THE BLOOR HOT DOCS CINEMA
#TIFF15: “THE LOBSTER”
Review by David Baldwin for Mr. Will Wong
The Lobster is straight-up the most absurd and bat-shit crazy Movie I have seen in a very long time. Right from the Film’s wordlessly strange opening, Co-Writer/Director Yorgos Lanthimos takes you on a relentlessly-unpredictable ride that is unlike anything you will ever expect. And I loved every minute of it.
In the near future, single people like David (Colin Farrell) are sent to a hotel to find a partner. They have 45-days to accomplish this task, or else they are turned into an animal. Lanthimos goes a little deeper with the rules and conditions, but suffice to say, his deadpan-satirical depiction and dissection of love and marriage is not going to sit well with everyone. But this shocking, wildly unique and preposterously hilarious film is easily one of the best of the year.
Farrell is at his hysterical best here, giving a real poignancy to David despite how ridiculous the Film around him becomes. Rachel Weisz, John C. Reilly, Ben Whishaw, Léa Seydoux, Jessica Barden, Olivia Colman and just about everyone who inhabits the Wes Anderson-themed hotel from hell are all aces. Relative unknown Angeliki Papoulia (who starred in Lanthimos’ Films Alps and Dogtooth) is among the most memorable as a Heartless Woman who will make you laugh just as hard as she will repulse every fibre of your being.
The Lobster screens Friday September 11 at 3:00PM at Princess of Wales and Saturday September 12 at 4:45PM at the Bloor Hot Docs Cinema.
#TIFF15: “SICARIO”
Every once in a while we get the opportunity to see a Film at TIFF which leaves us shaken and in all honesty, the last one that affected me that deeply was 12 Years a Slave, going-on to win Best Picture at the Academy Awards. Sicario, the latest from celebrated Canadian filmmaker Denis Villeneuve, is a Film which deserves to be mentioned in the same breath as that contemporary Steve McQueen classic.
Sicario takes us on a riveting ride with Kate Macy (Emily Blunt) as she accepts a joint-government mission in Juarez, Mexico to uncover the identity of a mysterious drug lord, whom caused the death of her colleagues in an operation turned fatal in Arizona. The true reason why she is chosen is somewhat of a mystery. She meets mercenary Alejandro (Benicio del Toro) who doesn’t appear to be working for the U.S. government and with a purpose none to clear other than it being eluded to that something shameful has happened to him. Kate reports to Matt (Josh Brolin), who also is careful not to unveil too much, clearly withholding information.
We go underground into dark tunnels of Juarez, unsure whom to trust at any turn on a mission in which several liberties are taken much to the disapproval of a by-the-book Kate. Actions are taken and only explained after, keeping us invested fully along the way with burning questions.
Villeneuve accomplishes a great triumph in storytelling with Sicario, a devastatingly-good Thriller. Blunt acts as our eyes in this dangerous, corrupt underworld, a real presence in all her vulnerability. An armed and fearsome del Toro aims with precision, delivering his best work in quite some time.
eOne Films release SICARIO, which is sure to make a great impact come awards season. During TIFF ’15, it screens as follows:
SICARIO
Fri Sep 11 10:00 PM
PRINCESS OF WALES
Sat Sep 12 11:00 AM
VISA SCREENING ROOM (ELGIN)
#TIFF15: “THE WITCH”
Review by Justin Waldman for Mr. Will Wong
In Robert Eggers’ first attempt at writing and directing a Feature, he manages to wow audiences with his haunting and eerie debut, The Witch. The Movie comes across as a Brothers Grimm-like Fairy Tale, before they became Disney-fied, embracing the dark and disturbing in this suspenseful Horror that will deeply satisfy a crowd that has been looking for a good scare.
The Movie focuses on a family as they have to go through their lives after a strange encounter with a witch, something that leaves several of the children affected in horrifying ways. The parents, Katherine (Kate Dickie) and William (Ralph Ineson) believe that the witch is in fact their oldest daughter Thomasin (Anya Taylor-Joy) despite their being a very dark and ominous factor to their billy goat, Black Philip (Wahab Chaudhry).
What makes The Witch completely unsettling is the elements that Eggers takes from similarly-styled movies such as The Shinning, this resemblance of a rather normal life thrown in super-powers outside our comprehension, to create a supernatural thriller. The soundtrack also helps play an important part in the creation of this deeply-unnerving Film. The Witch is an absolute must-see for any Horror fanatic.
Elevation Pictures release THE WITCH, which premieres on Friday, September 18th at 6:15 pm at Ryerson Theatre and has a second screening Saturday, September 19th at 9:15 pm at the Bloor Hot Docs Theatre.
#TIFF15: “THE DAUGHTER”
Based on the his play The Wild Duck, Australian Theatre Director/Writer/Actor Simon Stone‘s The Daughter offers a modernization of the award-winning production. The Drama centers on two childhood friends, Christian (Paul Schneider) and Oliver (Ewen Leslie) as they reunite. A recovering alcoholic, Christian returns home for his estranged father Henry‘s (Geoffrey Rush) wedding to a woman half his age. Upon reuniting, we realize that there are buried tensions between son and father. We meet also Oliver‘s wife Charlotte (Miranda Otto) and their teenage daughter Hedvig (Odessa Young). This reunion, which should be a joyous affair, culminates in great tension with a deep, dark, buried history. Combined with the fact that Henry is forced to close his mill, which employs Oliver and several others in their town, leads to the untangling of a web of secrets and lies which if uncovered, could prove detrimental to all involved.
Despite building-up in unsuspecting enough a manner, The Daughter veers sharply to melodrama late, becoming a full-on theatrical tragedy. And this inconsistency tonally is a little off-putting even with some sprinkles of foreshadowing earlier on. That being said, young talent Odeya Young actually is quite a presence, and it is quite easy to sympathize with her as her world unravels. Australian actor Ewen Leslie begins as the easy Oliver and he transforms also his world unravels, doing so with great commitment. Academy Award winner Geoffrey Rush sadly is underutilized and we wish there was a bit more development on his Henry.
Certainly not the feel-good Movie of TIFF ’15, The Daughter should still find an audience at the Festival for those looking for something more emotionally-heavy.
Mongrel Media release THE DAUGHTER, which screen at TIFF ’15:
Fri Sep 11 5:00 PM
WINTER GARDEN THEATRE
Sat Sep 12 8:45 AM
ISABEL BADER THEATRE
#TIFF15: “DARK HORSE”
This year at TIFF, we are gifted with not one but two films about Horse Racing. Mongrel Media handles distribution on Dark Horse, a heartwarming documentary about a syndicate of non-experienced, working class pub-goers who wound-up comprising the band of owners behind Welsh racehorse, Dream Alliance. The horse of non-remarkable pedigree was bred from the combined savings of 10£ a week multiplied by 30 people, surpassing all expectations to be good enough to compete in the important 2010 Grand National.
Regardless if you are a fan of the sport or not, Director Louise Osmond does a fantastic job engaging us from the get-go. It is impossible not to be sucked-in by the small village charm of breeders Brian & Jan Vokes, Howard Davies and some of the humble owners in the Syndicate as they recount the brilliant highs and devastating lows of their dream come true of a story. Osmond manages to do this while still maintaining a lightheartedness. The Film overcomes racing technicality and jargon which can alienate those not familiar with the subject matter, speaking to a wide audience. It is little wonder this got such strong reception at Sundance.
Dark Horse might not be on the radars of many this TIFF, but is a rewarding experience. You can see it:
Tue Sep 15 4:30 PM
TIFF BELL LIGHTBOX 3
Thu Sep 17 6:15 PM
THE BLOOR HOT DOCS CINEMA
#TIFF15: TIFF 40 SOIREE WITH NATALIE PORTMAN
An absolute joy being able to ring-in TIFF ’15 at the TIFF 40 Soiree tonight with none other than Natalie Portman. The Academy Award winner before an intimate audience reflected upon a massively-successful career which began at the age of 11 – just a girl from Long Island – in Luc Besson‘s The Professional. We received an extra-special surprise later in the conversation with TIFF Artistic Director Cameron Bailey as Black Swan Director Darren Aranofsky made an appearance too.
Several local talents came out to show their support for the affair, gracing the Red Carpet at TIFF Bell Lightbox including Patrick J. Adams, Amanda Brugel, Kristian Bruun,Megan Follows, Natalie Brown, Kristin Booth, Sarah Gadon and many more.
Portman shed some light on her career, admitting a bit of embarrassment after a clip of The Professional played in the background. “I’ve got to be more forgiving on my 11-year-old self”. She adds that fortunately her childhood was free of unsettling things, especially after hearing stories from some of her colleagues who were child actors who saw drugs or experienced weird passes made at them. “My parents were always hovering, but they gave me this great freedom to do whatever I wanted.”.
She admits she wasn’t quite thinking about her career path and more just happy to get a job acting when she was cast in The Professional, stating “I have always loved singing, dancing and putting on shows for the family. A lot of kids form Long Island would do commercials and put it into a college fund. I knew a lot of kids who had agents, so I begged my parents to get me an agent. I think it was pure chance my first job I got a good director.”.
On her role in Beautiful Girls in which she starred opposite a Timothy Hutton, disarming him much like her character in Garden State, she says “It is a trope of cinema to have a very, very young girl disarm a much older man. She’s nubile and wise beyond her years. It’s not particularly a good trend. It (Beautiful Girls) was more screenwriters writing a fantasy of a young girl who an intellectual equal.”.
Portman openly admits to being a huge fan of the series Broad City, but admits she has some changed feelings now about her performance in Garden State. “Some of the coolest people I know hated Garden State, so that’s got me feeling a little bit insecure.”.
After a bit of time away starting a family, she now is ready to re-immerse herself as an Actress and we wait with great anticipation.
The Actress-turned-Director is set to premiere her directorial debut at Elgin Theatre tomorrow night, a Biopic about Israeli Author Amos Oz called A Tale of Love and Darkness.
(Photo credit: Mr. Will Wong)
#TIFF15: “LONDON ROAD”
Review by Justin Waldman for Mr. Will Wong
London Road tells the horrific story of murder that shook the town of Ipswich in 2006. Theatrically adapted from the National Theatre musical production, the Film tells the story of how the town of Ipswich deals with the murder of five prostitutes from the side of the prostitutes themselves and the community that was greatly affected. The Film on the surface makes light of this situation which perhaps is its intention to satirize how the community coped, however there are small glimmers of hope.
The saving grace of the Film comes from the films leads, Julie (Olivia Colman), whose singing voice is remarkable. The songs are delivered in such a way at times you forget they actually are singing. However, we would be terribly amiss if we didn’t point out how misleading it is that Tom Hardy (the cab driver, Mark) gets one of the top billings despite being in the Movie for a minute portion only. What makes London Road appeasing for the audience is the final few minutes of some intense drama that leaves the audience wondering the prostitutes’ fate.
Compelling is how the Filmmakers decided to show actual footage of those in Ipswich affected directly by the murders of 2006 that shook their entire neighbourhood.
LONDON ROAD premieres at TIFF ’15 Thursday, September 10th at 9:30 pm at the Elgin VISA Screening Room, with a second screening on Friday, September 11th at 12:30 pm at the Bloor Hot Docs Theatre and a third screening on Sunday, September 20th at 6 pm at the Bloor Hot Docs Theatre.
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