THE APPRENTICE. No, not the Reality Series. Ali Abbasi (Shelley, Holy Spider) is back in Toronto, this time around writing and directing THE APPRENTICE, which centers around former President Donald Trump and his rise from a fledgling real estate mogul throughout the ’70s and ’80s, exploring themes of power and corruption.

Sebastian Stan (Pam & Tommy, I, Tonya) stars as Trump, while Jeremy Strong (Succession) stars as Roy Cohn, who was Trump‘s attorney and mentor. Academy Award-nominee Maria Bakalova (Borat Subsequent Moviefilm), who will be in Canada much of the year filming on multiple projects, stars is Ivana Trump.

The Drama begin filming in the City back in November, before proceeding again in the new year after a brief hiatus during the Holidays. Filming has taken place over weekends around the City to navigate the regular downtown bustle during weekdays. They even were at the Richmond Hill David Dunlap Observatory for a stretch!

We quickly caught a glimpse of Stan and Strong filming a scene, exiting a Stretch Limo, convicingly capturing the essence of the ’70s. And we are hearing both Actors have gotten very deep into their characters, keeping a very low profile off-set.

We are hearing from insiders that the Film is being eyed for the Film Festival circuit. Do not be surprised if we see it at TIFF! Cannot wait to see this and we’re sure this one will be much-talked-about! Mongrel Media will be releasing this one in Canada.

(Photo/video: Mr. Will Wong)

MEAN GIRLS burns its competitors, taking top spot at the Box Office in its debut, taking $29 million from 3,791 theatres for Paramount Pictures. The musical adaptation of the 2004 film, gets 70% on the Tomatometer from Critics. By comparison, its predecessor opened with $24 million.

In second is THE BEEKEEPER with $17 million from 3,303 theatres for VVS Films/Amazon Studios/MGM. This latest effort from David Ayer and starring Jason Statham, gets 67% on the Tomatometer.

Third is WONKA with $9 million from 3,346 theatres for Warner Bros., bringing it to $170 million domestically.

Fourth goes to ANYONE BUT YOU with $7.7 million from 2,935 theatres for Sony Pictures, a total of $57 million over four weekends.

MIGRATION rounds things out with $4.7 million for Universal Pictures, a tally of $85 million.

This is the Ariana Grande we’ve missed! New single yes, and? was co-written with Max Martin and Ilya and it is a throwback to early ’90s Piano House Dance-Pop. Highly-Vogueable! The Video, directed by Christian Breslauer has her reiterating she doesn’t really care what anyone thinks about her and her choices! And the Choreography looks so effortless and smart! Looking forward to Ari’s new era!!!

(Photo/video credit: Universal Music)

Singing Back the Buffalo the new feature length documentary from award-winning Cree filmmaker Tasha Hubbard (nîpawistamâsowin: We Will Stand Up, Birth of a Family) will have its world premiere this February at the 2024 Big Sky Documentary Film Festival. Singing Back the Buffalo follows Indigenous visionaries and communities who are rematriating the buffalo to the heart of the North American plains they once defined, signaling a turning point for Indigenous nations, the ecosystem, and all our collective survival.

Singing Back the Buffalo is written and directed by Hubbard and produced by Hubbard, Jason Ryle (Amplify), George Hupka (nîpawistamâsowin: We Will Stand Up, Obmin, On the Edge), associate produced by Marie-Eve Marchand (Iniskim), and executive produced by Bonnie Thompson (The Secret Society, nîpawistamâsowin: We Will Stand Up). A one-hour version will be broadcast on CBC The Nature of Things, feature version on APTN later in 2025.

As a girl growing up on the prairies in Saskatchewan, Hubbard would imagine herds of buffalo roaming vast open plains on which she lived. 165 years ago, it was common for big herds to stretch out as far as the eye could see and take two days to pass by. Three decades later, after massive campaigns of deliberate slaughter, there were as little as 250 buffalo left from the over 50 million that moved across the continent. The impact on Indigenous plains nations, who had depended on the buffalo for food, shelter, and spiritual sustenance, was disastrous. The buffalo’s fate forced Indigenous Peoples, now starving, into confinement on the reserves. For over a century, neither have been free to walk the lands for which Indigenous Peoples have cared for millennia.

Hubbard is now an award-winning filmmaker, a buffalo academic and buffalo activist. With Singing Back the Buffaloshe takes viewers on an epic journey that has not yet been told on screen, exploring concepts of buffalo consciousness, buffalo personhood, and relationships between buffalo and Indigenous Peoples. From her Indigenous point of view, we learn the importance of rematriating teachings from the buffalo, and how the land needs the buffalo back more than ever in this time of climate change, food insecurity, and uncertainty. We meet Indigenous visionaries, leaders, scientists, and communities who are restoring the buffalo to the land they once defined. Their return back across the heart of North America signals a turning point for the long-term collective survival of Indigenous nations, the environment and all of humanity.

“I’m thrilled to premiere Singing Back the Buffalo at the Big Sky Documentary Film Festival. It is the ideal place to start our journey of sharing this film to honour the Buffalo and the Great Plains and those who love them. So much of this story’s heart is in Montana, and we’re excited to bring our buffalo family to the festival,” said Hubbard.

Singing Back the Buffalo is produced in association with CBC and APTN and produced with the participation of the Canada Media Fund, the Indigenous Screen Office and Telefilm Canada, with the assistance of the Government of Alberta, the participation of the Canadian Film or Video Production Tax Credit and Rogers Documentary Fund, as well as support from the Nia Tero Foundation. Fiscal sponsorship provided by Redford Center.

ABOUT THE TEAM
Dr. Tasha Hubbard, Writer/Director/Producer: Dr. Tasha Hubbard is a filmmaker and an associate professor in the Faculty of Native Studies at the University of Alberta. She is from Peepeekisis First Nation in Treaty Four Territory and has ties to several First Nations in Treaty Six Territory. She is also the mother of a seventeen-year-old son. Her academic research supports Indigenous efforts to return the buffalo to the lands, as well as Indigenous narrative sovereignty in North America. She has been working to support the Buffalo Treaty since 2015 and is one of the founding directors of the International Buffalo Relations Institute. Her first solo writing/directing project Two Worlds Colliding, about Saskatoon’s infamous Starlight Tours, premiered at ImagineNATIVE in 2004 and won the Canada Award at the Gemini Awards in 2005. In 2017, she directed an NFB-produced feature documentary called Birth of a Family about a 60s Scoop family coming together for the first time during a holiday in Banff. It premiered at Hot Docs International Film Festival and landed in the top ten audience choice list. It also won the Audience Favourite for Feature Documentary at the Edmonton International Film Festival and the Moon Jury prize at ImagineNATIVE. Her last film was nîpawistamâsowin: We Will Stand Up, an exploration of the impact of the death of Colten Boushie that premiered in the spring of 2019. It was the first Indigenous-directed film to open the Hot Docs International Film Festival and it won the top Canadian documentary prize. It also won the Colin Low Award for the top Canadian film at the DOXA International Film Festival and the Canadian Screen Award for Best Feature Documentary in 2020. Hubbard was awarded the DGC Discovery award in 2019.

Jason Ryle, Producer: Jason Ryle is a producer, programmer, curator, story editor, and arts consultant based in Toronto. Through his mother, he is Anishinaabe and a member of Lake St. Martin First Nation, Manitoba. Jason was the Executive Director of imagineNATIVE from July 2010 to June 2020. In addition to Singing Back the Buffalo, Jason has produced the docuseries Amplifyfor APTN and several award-winning shorts. In February 2021, Jason received the Clyde Gilmour Award from the Toronto Film Critics Association. The award is bestowed to Canadians whose work has in some way enriched the understanding and appreciation of film in their native country. Jason is also the International Programmer, Indigenous Cinema for TIFF.

George Hupka, DOP, Producer: George is a freelance Director and DP, who has worked with Tasha for over 25 years. They formed Downstream Documentary Productions to make nîpawistamâsowin and continue to bring Indigenous stories to the screen. As a cinematographer, Hupka has shot projects around the world for the UK’s Windfall Films, documentary features and shorts for the National Film Board, and many award-winning projects for CBC, CTV, and TSN. He directed and produced Obmin, a documentary about the Soviet Union before the fall of the Berlin Wall as seen through the eyes of Canadian exchange students and was the producer and DP of the Rogers series On the Edge. His short film about photographer and artist Lesia Maruschak, The Diggers, was recently screened at Landskrona Foto Festival in Sweden.

Bonnie Thompson, Executive Producer: Bonnie is a veteran and independent Canadian media producer of documentary, animation, and interactive projects. She worked as a producer with the National Film Board of Canada for many years, and now works independently. Her productions have been screened by national and international broadcasters and streamers (CBC, The Doc Channel, SuperChannel, APTN, PBS, NHK, Netflix, Apple), in festivals around the world (TIFF, Hot Docs, IDFA, Berlin, Sundance, Annecy) and on the web, with numerous awards and nominations, including Canadian Screen nominations and awards, an Oscar and Emmy nomination, and Webby awards.

Marie-Eve Marchand, Associate Producer/Production Manager: Marie-Eve is the Director of the International Buffalo Relations Institute supporting the implementation of the Buffalo Treaty with over thirty indigenous communities in the Great Plains of North America and she is Business Manager and Strategy for the UICN WCPA Beyond the Aichi Task Force working globally on setting global goals for people, nature and climate. She successfully coordinated the movement to bring the plains bison back to Banff National Park and received the Golden Leaf National Award for her conservation work in Quebec.

In celebration of Columbia Pictures’ 100th anniversary, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment (SPHE) will be presenting a wide variety of unique catalogue offerings throughout 2024, across the entire Sony Pictures Entertainment library of movies and TV shows. This celebration will highlight the studio’s blockbuster franchises, fan-favourites and cult classics, quotable perennials and little-known gems, award-winners, iconic star-making performances, filmmaker-driven showcases, and everything in between.

January kicks off with two great ways to revisit the studio’s library and supercharge movie collections, with both a physical disc sale at Amazon and a one-of-a-kind “100 movies for $100” digital bundle. The Amazon sale—across 4K Ultra HDs, Blu-rays and DVDs—has begun and includes deals on major library titles such as GHOSTBUSTERS, CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND, TAXI DRIVER and more.

Then on January 16th, in addition to an overall digital movie sale, there will be a “100 movies for $100” digital bundle available at participating digital retailers, featuring such acclaimed and iconic titles as THE LADY FROM SHANGHAI, TOOTSIE, 2012, MR. SMITH GOES TO WASHINGTON and many more.

The 100th anniversary celebration will continue throughout 2024 with more details to come.

Engage with Sony Pictures Home Entertainment and share your favourite moments, memorable quotes and milestone movies from the studio’s library.

Hashtag: #ColumbiaPictures100

Instagram: @SonyHomeEntCa

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SonyHomeEnt/

YouTube: youtube.com/SonyPicturesHomeEntertainmentCanada

Cast your sights on North America’s largest indoor boat show coming to Toronto’s Enercare Centre next week! The 66th edition of the Toronto International Boat Show officially launches January 19th to 28th, 2024, to connect consumers and the boating community with the industry’s top boat dealers, manufacturers, retailers, services, and experts over a million sq.ft. of space at Exhibition Place.

NEW this year – Glow in the Dark Boating! The world’s largest indoor lake for boating (and wakeboarding) is back, and cooler than ever. Transforming the ice rink in Coca-Cola Coliseum with over a million gallons of water, boaters will enjoy an all-new glow in the dark immersive boating experience with colourful LED lights. The Lake will also offer free boat rides and demonstrations, stand up paddleboard races, seaflea races, and exhilarating wakeboarding and waterskiing shows.

The annual 10-day show kicks off on First Look Friday (Jan. 19) when organizers anticipate dozens of product unveilings across the show floor among 500 exhibitors; and welcomes the boating public to rendez-vous, re-connect, and rev up for the upcoming season.

No other show in Canada can boast the most product launches from the marine industry, the most comprehensive offering of educational resources for new boaters, and the most-ever seminars and hands-on demonstrations for a wide array of boating interests and lifestyles. The 2024 show just announced more than 440 free seminars, 8 seminar locations throughout the show, and new engaging speakers including record-breaking solo kayaker Mark Ervin Fuhrmann who just completed his 11,000km adventure at 65 years young.

Returning highlights include the Great Canadian Fish Tank, Antique & Classic Boats, Boating Resource Centre, Cottage Country for accessories, and the Ontario Sailing Booth where visitors can try virtual sailing, and learn about sailing programs for women, sustainable initiatives, and the newest in sail technology and sports including kiteboarding and windsurfing.

The Indoor Wakeboard Canadian Championship takes over on Opening Weekend (Jan. 19 – 21) when the best riders from across the country converge to compete, including reigning Canadian champions Riley Dillon (Men) and Kelsey Chiappa (Women).

Visitors can whet their appetites après-boating at the NEW Traeger Grills Flavour Stage featuring cooking demonstrations, bbq recipes, and sampling!

Canada’s Official Boating Event of the Year
Enercare Centre, Exhibition Place
Jan. 19 – 28

66th Annual Toronto International Boat Show Gets Ready to Debut Glow-in-the-Dark Boating!

Demand for electric boats, wind and surf sports, and inflatables are among top trends for 2024

Connecting consumers, industry and the boating community for more than 65 years

Toronto, ON (January 11, 2024) – Cast your sights on North America’s largest indoor boat show coming to Toronto’s Enercare Centre next week! The 66th edition of the Toronto International Boat Show officially launches January 19th to 28th, 2024, to connect consumers and the boating community with the industry’s top boat dealers, manufacturers, retailers, services, and experts over a million sq.ft. of space at Exhibition Place.

NEW this year – Glow in the Dark Boating! The world’s largest indoor lake for boating (and wakeboarding) is back, and cooler than ever. Transforming the ice rink in Coca-Cola Coliseum with over a million gallons of water, boaters will enjoy an all-new glow in the dark immersive boating experience with colourful LED lights. The Lake will also offer free boat rides and demonstrations, stand up paddleboard races, seaflea races, and exhilarating wakeboarding and waterskiing shows.

The annual 10-day show kicks off on First Look Friday (Jan. 19) when organizers anticipate dozens of product unveilings across the show floor among 500 exhibitors; and welcomes the boating public to rendez-vous, re-connect, and rev up for the upcoming season.

No other show in Canada can boast the most product launches from the marine industry, the most comprehensive offering of educational resources for new boaters, and the most-ever seminars and hands-on demonstrations for a wide array of boating interests and lifestyles. The 2024 show just announced more than 440 free seminars, 8 seminar locations throughout the show, and new engaging speakers including record-breaking solo kayaker Mark Ervin Fuhrmann who just completed his 11,000km adventure at 65 years young.

Returning highlights include the Great Canadian Fish Tank, Antique & Classic Boats, Boating Resource Centre, Cottage Country for accessories, and the Ontario Sailing Booth where visitors can try virtual sailing, and learn about sailing programs for women, sustainable initiatives, and the newest in sail technology and sports including kiteboarding and windsurfing.

The Indoor Wakeboard Canadian Championship takes over on Opening Weekend (Jan. 19 – 21) when the best riders from across the country converge to compete, including reigning Canadian champions Riley Dillon (Men) and Kelsey Chiappa (Women).

Visitors can whet their appetites après-boating at the NEW Traeger Grills Flavour Stage featuring cooking demonstrations, bbq recipes, and sampling!

DATES:
January 19 – 28, 2024

LOCATION:
Enercare Centre, Exhibition Place

TICKETS:
Ticket prices range from $5 to multi-day passes; General Admission tickets are $25. Kids 16 and under attend for FREE.

WEBSITE: www.TorontoBoatShow.com

PLAYERS arrives February 14, 2024 on Netflix with an all-star Cast, right in time for Valentine’s Day!

DIRECTOR: Trish Sie
WRITER: Whit Anderson
PRODUCERS: Ross M. Dinerstein, Marc Platt, Adam Siegel, Ryan Christians
EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS: Ross Girard, Sophia Lin, Gina Rodriguez, Molly Breeskin
CAST: Gina Rodriguez, Damon Wayans Jr., Joel Courtney, Augustus Prew, Liza Koshy, Ego Nwodim, Marin Hinkle and Tom Ellis

About

New York sportswriter Mack (Gina Rodriguez) has spent years devising successful hook-up “plays” with best friend Adam (Damon Wayans Jr.) and their crew. While it has led to countless one-night stands over the years, following their playbook comes with a strict set of ground rules — chief among them: you can’t build a relationship from a play. When Mack unexpectedly falls for her latest target, charming war correspondent Nick (Tom Ellis), she begins to rethink the game entirely. As the lines between work, fun, friendship, and romance begin to blur, Mack must learn what it takes to go from simply scoring to playing for keeps.

Also starring Joel Courtney, Augustus Prew, Liza Koshy, Ego Nwodim, and Marin Hinkle, PLAYERS is directed by Trish Sie from a screenplay by Whit Anderson and produced by Ross M. Dinerstein, Marc Platt, Adam Siegel, and Ryan Christians.

(Photo/video credit: Netflix)

Today, Prime Video released the trailer and key art for its new series Mr. & Mrs. Smith. All eight episodes will be available on February 2, 2024, exclusively on Prime Video in more than 240 countries and territories worldwide. From co-creators and executive producers Donald Glover (Swarm, Atlanta) and Francesca Sloane (Atlanta, Fargo), the series, a reimagining of the 2005 film, stars Glover as John Smith and Maya Erskine (PEN15) as Jane Smith.

In this version, two lonely strangers land jobs working for a mysterious spy agency that offers them a glorious life of espionage, wealth, world travel, and a dream brownstone in Manhattan. The catch? New identities in an arranged marriage as Mr. and Mrs. John and Jane Smith. Now hitched, John and Jane navigate a high-risk mission every week while also facing a new relationship milestone. Their complex cover story becomes even more complicated when they catch real feelings for each other. What’s riskier: espionage or marriage?

Mr. & Mrs. Smith will be a part of the savings, convenience, and entertainment that Prime members enjoy in a single membership.

Paramount+ today revealed the official trailer for season two of the hit series HALO. The new season will premiere the first two episodes globally on Thursday, February 8, 2024 in all countries where Paramount+ is available.

In season two, Master Chief John-117 (Pablo Schreiber) leads his team of elite Spartans against the alien threat known as the Covenant. In the wake of a shocking event on a desolate planet, John cannot shake the feeling that his war is about to change and risks everything to prove what no one else will believe – that the Covenant is preparing to attack humanity’s greatest stronghold. With the galaxy on the brink, John embarks on a journey to find the key to humankind’s salvation, or its extinction: the Halo.

Led by showrunner and executive producer David Wiener (Brave New World), the series takes place in the universe that first debuted in 2001 with the launch of Xbox®’s first HALO game. Dramatizing an epic 26th-century conflict between humanity and an alien threat known as the Covenant, HALO the series weaves deeply drawn personal stories with action, adventure and a richly imagined vision of the future.

HALO stars Pablo Schreiber (American Gods) as Master Chief, Spartan-117 and Natascha McElhone (CALIFORNICATION) as Dr. Halsey, who also both serve as producers this season. Additional returning cast members include Jen Taylor (HALO game series, RWBY), Bokeem Woodbine (Fargo), Shabana Azmi (Fire), Natasha Culzac (The Witcher), Olive Gray (Half Moon Investigations), Yerin Ha (Reef Break), Bentley Kalu (Avengers: Age of Ultron), Kate Kennedy (Catastrophe), Charlie Murphy (Peaky Blinders) and Danny Sapani (PENNY DREADFUL).

New additions to the cast this season include Joseph Morgan (Vampire Diaries, The Originals), Cristina Rodlo (No One Gets Out of Here Alive, The Homeless World Cup) and Christina Bennington (Midsomer Murders). Fiona O’Shaughnessy (The Forgiven) and Tylan Bailey will also return as series regulars in season two.

HALO is produced by SHOWTIME® in association with 343 Industries and Amblin Television. The second season of HALO is executive produced by David Wiener alongside Steven Spielberg, Darryl Frank and Justin Falvey for Amblin Television. Kiki Wolfkill serves as executive producer for Xbox/343 Industries with Otto Bathurst and Toby Leslie for One Big Picture and Gian Paolo Varani. The series is distributed internationally by Paramount Global Content Distribution.

By Mr. Will Wong

Marvel‘s ECHO is an historic venture in that it is the first time they are telling a story focused on Indigenous and hearing-impaired characters. The five-episode Limited Series debuted earlier this week on Disney+, giving space for Maya Lopez‘s (Alaqua Cox) story to be told as part of Marvel’s SPOTLIGHT series, bringing more grounded, character-driven stories to the screen. The character was introduced into the Marvel Cinematic Universe in 2021’s Hawkeye, as the adopted daughter of Wilson Fisk (Vincent D’Onofrio). In ECHO, we see her being pursued by his criminal empire.

The red carpet was rolled-out at TIFF Lightbox for a special imagineNATIVE screening of Marvel‘s ECHO. In attendance were Canada’s own Devery Jacobs who stars as Bonnie and Katarina Ziervogel, who plays Taloa.

Ziervogel tells us about her journey getting involved with ECHO via an American Sign Language interpretor.

Ziergvogel: I remember when the casting call went out for ECHO and they were looking for a dead individual in their 20s. I wasn’t quite sure if I wanted to audition for this role because I’ve only acted in a few projects before. None had lines like this one would. So I decided to go for it and submitted my audition. Didn’t hear anything for six months, so automatically assumed I didn’t get it. I wound up getting a callback but again there was a three week waiting period, so assumed I didn’t get it. I finally got a call that the Director (Sydney Freeland) wanted to meet with me, and on the day if it wound up being cancelled. Yet again, thought I didn’t get it. It turns out that she didn’t want to meet with me and just wanted to offer me the role. I was so excited and never thought it could happen in my life. So to be in this Marvel production, this has been amazing. This is the best part.

Ziervogel also sheds some light how her character Taloa fits into Maya Lopez‘s world.

Ziervogel: Taloa is a deaf Indigenous woman. She fits into Maya‘s world because she’s both deaf and Indigenous. They decided to make Maya‘s mother deaf so that you can see the generational pass-down between them. You wanna see that she had a deaf family so that she wasn’t the only one in the family. Because we really wanted her to tie into that familial connection. So we wanted Maya to be able to live in both worlds, so that she has that deaf mother to look-up to and also her Indigenous family as well.

Canadian treasure Devery Jacobs has the distinction of having two separate roles in the MCU as Kahhori in What If…? and Bonnie in Echo. She tells us about what drew her to the role of Bonnie.

Jacobs: I actually had no idea what the character was going to entail. When the casting breakdown was originally listed, they had a fake name for her. Her name was Julie. They had some fabricated sides. My role was under lock and key. There was no Script. I didn’t know what I was auditioning for. I knew it was for ECHO and I saw that Sydney Freeland was at the helm and I had the chance to work with Sydney on Rutherford Falls, as well as Reservation Dogs before. So I knew it was going to be something special. And Sydney comes with such a distinct directorial voice. I sent in an audition and was able to connect with Sydney before the callback. She gave me a little bit of insight into the world. When auditioning I had to learn some ASL which I didn’t previously know before the project. The original reason I wanted to get onboard was because of Sydney.

Jacobs also tells us about reuniting with many of her Reservation Dogs castmates in ECHO and how that was different this go.

Jacobs: I come from Indie film. I am used to projects like BACKSPOT (Director D.W. Waterson came out to show support) which shot over 17 days as a low budget Indie-Canadian feature. But getting to go from Reservation Dogs where we shoot every episode over four or five days to working in the MCU – where we have all the resources at our disposal, incredible sets, beautiful cranes, unbelievable choreographed fight sequences – was really cool because it centered on Indigenous communities, specifically the Choctaw Nation.

I’m being spoiled right now and it’s never gonna happen again!

Watch our Chats here:

All five episodes of ECHO stream now on Disney+.

(Photo/video credit: Disney+/Mr. Will Wong)