INSIDIOUS: THE RED DOOR takes the top spot at the Box Office in its opening with $26 million from 3,188 theatres for Sony Pictures and it was a tight finish. This fifth installment in the Horror franchise starring Patrick Wilson and Rose Byrne, gets 36% on the Tomatometer. Best opening in the Series still goes to 2013’s INSIDIOUS: THE NEXT CHAPTER with $40 million.

Second spot likely will go to last week’s champ INDIANA JONES AND THE DIAL OF DESTINY, coming in with $24 million from 4,600 theatres for 20th Century Studios. This takes it to $120 million in its second weekend.

Third is Angel Studios’ SOUND OF FREEDOM starring Jim Caveziel and Mira Sorvino, with $9 million from 2,850 theatres, a total $36 million thus far.

Fourth is Disney & Pixar’s ELEMENTAL with $8.4 million for Disney, bringing its total to $107 million domestically.

SPIDER-MAN: ACROSS THE SPIDER-VERSE takes fifth with $7.5 million for Sony Pictures, a run of $357 million.

After its premiere at TIFF ’22, Luis De Filippis’ debut feature SOMETHING YOU SAID LAST NIGHT has patiently waited in the wings for its moment. In late June, it was announced that Actress/Model Julia Fox would come aboard as Executive Producer of the Film which centers on 20-something aspiring trans Writer Ren (Carmen Madonia) and her younger sister Siena (Paige Evans), reluctantly joining their parents on a family vacation. The Drama already has swept awards on the Festival Circuit, including the Shawn Mendes Change Maker Award at TIFF.

Toronto is so incredibly lucky to have Fox in-town appearing two nights at TIFF Bell Lightbox. Friday night was a screening of the Film, moderated by Fox with De Filippis and the Film’s Principal Cast. Saturday night is an extended one-hour conversation following the Film with Fox and De Filippis.

So thrilled to catch-up with Fox after meeting her in L.A. during Awards Season for her breakout role UNCUT GEMS. The New Yorker attended a dinner with Cast, Crew and influencers at new Financial District Hotspot DAPHNE. She wore an eye-catching ensemble, sporting her daring signature style and was so sweet to stop for a couple Snaps. Adore her, and am waiting for her next power play, but this is huge that she came to town to support this important Film from Elevation Pictures. It is playing right now exclusively at TIFF Bell Lightbox.

Some Snaps. What an Ensemble! Check-out the Bible Bag made from actual re-purposed bibles, by Aylah Gallardo!

(Photo/video credit: Mr. Will Wong/Elevation Pictures/The Image Direct)

Universal Pictures Canada x Mr. Will want to give Readers a chsnce to win passes to an Advance Screening of Christopher Nolan‘s long-awaited OPPENHEIMER. We also are giving away T-Shirts from the Film now too! *Note: sizing requests are not guaranteed.

Screenings take place as follows on Wednesday, July 19, 2023:

Toronto: Cineplex Varsity
Montreal (EN): Cinema Banque Scotia
Vancouver: The Park Theatre

Synopsis:

Written and directed by Christopher Nolan, Oppenheimer is an IMAX^®-shot epic thriller that thrusts audiences into the pulse-pounding paradox of the enigmatic man who must risk destroying the world in order to save it. 

The film stars Cillian Murphy as J. Robert Oppenheimer and Emily Blunt as his wife, biologist and botanist Katherine “Kitty” Oppenheimer. Oscar^® winner Matt Damon portrays General Leslie Groves Jr., director of the Manhattan Project, and Robert Downey, Jr. plays Lewis Strauss, a founding commissioner of the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission. 

Academy Award^® nominee Florence Pugh plays psychiatrist Jean Tatlock, Benny Safdie plays theoretical physicist Edward Teller, Michael Angarano plays Robert Serber and Josh Hartnett plays pioneering American nuclear scientist Ernest Lawrence.

Oppenheimer also stars Oscar^® winner Rami Malek and reunites Nolan with eight-time Oscar^® nominated actor, writer and filmmaker Kenneth Branagh. 

The cast includes Dane DeHaan (Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets), Dylan Arnold (Halloween franchise), David Krumholtz (The Ballad of Buster Scruggs), Alden Ehrenreich (Solo: A Star Wars Story) and Matthew Modine (The Dark Knight Rises). 

The film is based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning book American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer by Kai Bird and the late Martin J. Sherwin. The film is produced by Emma Thomas, Atlas Entertainment’s Charles Roven and Christopher Nolan. 

Oppenheimer is filmed in a combination of IMAX^® 65mm and 65mm large-format film photography including, for the first time ever, sections in IMAX^® black and white analogue photography. 

Nolan’s films, including Tenet, Dunkirk, Interstellar, Inception and The Dark Knight trilogy, have earned more than $5 billion at the global box office and have been awarded 11 Oscars and 36 nominations, including two Best Picture nominations. 

Genre: Epic Thriller

Cast: Cillian Murphy, Emily Blunt, Robert Downey, Jr., Matt Damon, Rami Malek, Florence Pugh, Benny Safdie, Michael Angarano, Josh Hartnett and Kenneth Branagh

Written and Directed by: Christopher Nolan

Produced by: Emma Thomas, Charles Roven and Christopher Nolan

To enter for a chance to win, click “like” on this Post at MR. WILL ON FACEBOOK. In the comments there, indicate for us your City. Re-Tweet the below for an extra chance. And guess what? We’re now on Threads! You can enter there too! Be sure to follow!

Universal Pictures Canada release OPPENHEIMER July 21, 2023.

Rules and regulations here.

(Photo/video credit: Universal Pictures Canada)

TALK TO ME, the new film from Directors Danny and Michael Philippou, will have its Canadian Premiere at the Fantasia Film Festival. It is a pulse-pounding, virtual twist on possession horror unlike anything you’ve ever seen!

The film will open in theatres across Canada on July 28, 2023 via VVS Films.

(Photo/video credit: VVS Films)

Christina Saliba of Misfit Films is thrilled to announce that the psychological thriller short, White Noise, directed by Tamara Scherbak (Is Your Teen a Homosexual?, Only Sky & Water, Dedashka) will have its world premiere at the 2023 Fantasia International Film Festival in the Les Fantastiques Week-ends du Cinéma Québécois programme on July 23rd, 2023 at 8:00 pm at the Cinema du Musée.

White Noise, starring Bahia Watson (The Handmaid’s Tale, Star Trek: Discovery), Ryan Hollyman (X-Men: Apocalypse, The Strain), and Guifre Bantjes-Rafols (Coroner, Private Eyes), is based on a screenplay by Scherbak and Christina Saliba.

White Noise is produced by Christina Saliba (A Score to Settle, Bandit), associate produced by Cynthia Amsden, (2020 CAFTCAD Awards) and executive produced by Anne-Marie Gélinas (SLAXX). It was shot in Montreal, Quebec, Canada and it will be broadcast on Bell Media’s CRAVE in Winter, 2024.

White Noise follows Ava, who suffers from an extreme hyper-sensitivity to sound. When this reaches new terrifying heights, her doctor enrolls her in an experimental trial involving an anechoic chamber: the world’s quietest room.

“I’m so excited that White Noise will be having its world premiere at Fantasia! Being from Montreal, Fantasia was the film festival that captured my heart even before I knew I wanted to be a filmmaker, so it’s really special to be able to screen here. Fantasia is the perfect place to launch White Noise as both the programmers and the audience are so engaged in every screening and the adoration for genre films is palpable. It really feels like a community of film lovers,” says writer/director Tamara Scherbak. “I can’t wait to share White Noise with the world so everyone can see the incredible performance of our lead, Bahia Watson, who was absolutely phenomenal in the role of Ava, which was such a physically and emotionally demanding role. Sylvain Bellmare’s sound design and Hans Laitres’ sound mix really turned sound into a character of its own. The entire crew did a stunning job bringing the world of White Noise to life, from the evocative cinematography of Roland Cody Laroque, the miracle work of Christina Vincelli’s production design and the rhythmic editing of Craig Scorgie, just to name a few. Filmmaking is truly a team and collaborative effort, and this really shines through with White Noise.”

“White Noise is a very personal story, as it is based on a condition I have had since I was a child called misophonia (a hyper-sensitivity to certain everyday sounds),” says producer Christina Saliba. “It is an affliction that devastated my relationships and caused extreme social isolation. What is equally destructive is the medical system’s dismissiveness and neglect to the plight of those that suffer with it. White Noise is a story about the horrors of invisible illness, medical gaslighting, and reclaiming one’s power in unconventional ways, told through the lens of genre. Having our world premiere at the Fantasia is beyond exciting as not only is Montreal our hometown, but Fantasia audiences are some of the best in the world. Not only are they die-hard fans of genre films but they appreciate the deeper meanings told behind the horror. We hope White Noise haunts audiences long after its initial viewing, yet resensitizes them to the very real challenges of silent sufferers.”

Cinematography by Roland Cody Larocque (Oversight, I Want to Be Like You), production design by Christina Vincelli (Nadia, Butterfly, LARPs), costume design by Marie-Elyse McGuire (The Changeling, Handmaid’s Tale), sound design by Sylvain Bellemare (Arrival, Incendies), and editing by Craig Scorgie (In Flames, Women Talking).

White Noise is produced with the financial participation of the Société de développement des entreprises culturelles (SODEC), the Harold Greenberg Fund, and the Canadian Film Centre in association with Bell Media’s Crave.

ABOUT TAMARA SCHERBAK
Tamara Scherbak has written and directed a body of work across the genres of fiction, documentary and experimental cinema that have travelled to film festivals around the globe.Notable works include Dedashka (2009), winner of Best Director at the Montreal Festiv’elles Film Festival for women filmmakers, Only Sky & Water (2011), which screened in competition at the Hot Docs Film Festival and Is Your Teen a Homosexual? (2018), one of nine scripts selected for development at the 2015 Berlinale Talents Short Form Station. That short fiction film has screened at over 30 film festivals such as NewFest, Rendez-vous Québec Cinema and the Kyiv International Short Film Festival. Tamara has also directed work for the National Film Board of Canada, and Vice Quebec including the 4-part web series For The Better. She is an alumna of multiple prestigious talent labs of the Toronto, Berlin and Reykjavik International Film Festivals as well as the Netflix-Banff Diversity of Voices Initiative.

ABOUT CHRISTINA SALIBA
Christina Saliba started off her career as a wildlife biologist working with marmots, prairie dogs, and rehabilitating seal pups. She then fell into the world of film and started writing pitches for a documentary film production company looking to venture into wildlife docs. She worked her way up the ladder as a production coordinator on shorts, features, and commercials. In 2017, she joined Goldrush Entertainment as a development executive, discovering new intellectual property, creating pitch materials, and providing support in pre- to post-production. Through Goldrush Entertainment she was an Associate Producer on A Score to Settle (Nicolas Cage) and Most Wanted (Josh Hartnett).

In 2021, Saliba graduated from the Norman Jewison’s Film Program Producers’ Lab at the Canadian Film Centre and won the Whistler Film Festival’s Power Pitch Competition for her psychological horror film, White Noise. In 2022, she also graduated from the Whistler Film Festival’s Producers’ Lab, the Women in Film and TV – Vancouver’s Genre Lab, and the Blood in the Snow Film Festival’s Horror Development Lab. She’s been a recipient of funding from the art councils, the Harold Greenberg Fund’s shorts-to-features program, SODEC, the Canadian Film Centre, and Telefilm Canada.

Ivan D. Ossa of Kine Ukiyo Ma and Malachi Ellis of Malachi Ellis Productions are pleased to announce that their short film, the slice-of-Gen Z-life drama, Express, has finished post-production and is ready to begin the festival circuit. Express is written and directed by Ossa (In Other News, It’s You) and stars Joshua Obra (Scarborough), Martin Marticorena, Rebecca Ablack (Luckiest Girl Alive, Ginny & Georgia, The Good Karma Hospital) and Isaiah Peck (Sneakerella, Brother, The Next Step).

Express is produced by Malachi Ellis (Streams Flow From a River, Fish Boy, Diaspora, I Live Here), co-produced by Lauren Saarimaki (Streams Flow From a River, Queen Tut, Only Light Will Touch Us) and executive produced by Ivan D. Ossa.

Tarik (Joshua Obra) is the poster boy for the Gen Z work ethic. When he is coerced out of his success-oriented schedule to celebrate what seems to be a lifetime achievement, he is confronted by one of life’s ironies.

“We live in a world where your occupation is so intertwined with your identity that after you give your name, the next question asked is, “What do you do?”. When asked what you’ve been up to, most people instinctively talk about work. With social media shoving hustle culture and people’s life highlights down our throats, It’s no wonder my generation has become obsessed with the idea of early material success. “To live your life, you must first build it.” Sadly, I’m also a victim of this mentality. I have this innate feeling that tells me we’re put on this earth to experience connections, but I can’t seem to shake off my aspirations. I’m the type to turn down a night out because I told myself I have to finish a project. I struggle with balancing living my life and building a better one. I know I’m not the only one. I told myself that I’m working hard now to rest later, but since when is your time on earth promised? How do I know today isn’t my last? Isn’t life itself the whole point? Why am I sacrificing experiencing my life for the sake of a future that isn’t Guaranteed? These questions gave birth to this script,” said Ivan D. Ossa.

Cinematography by Brandon Kenney (In Other News, It’s You), production design and costume design by Rebecca Fadoju (In Other News, It’s You, Kashif) and editing by Jadon J.B. Williams

Express was produced with the participation of the Canada Council for the Arts, the Ontario Arts Council, the National Film Board of Canada – Filmmaker Assistance Program and the OYA Black Arts Coalition

ABOUT IVAN D. OSSA
Ivan D. Ossa is an award-winning director, writer and actor based in Toronto, Ontario. Adapting his father’s love for motion pictures, it wasn’t long before Ivan decided to learn about filmmaking. Post academics, Ivan became the protégé of prolific music video director Julien Christian Lutz PKA Director X. He most recently worked as a showrunner assistant on Director X’s new TV drama Robyn Hood. Ivan’s written, directed, and executive-produced short films that have received recognition from various domestic and international film festivals; In Other News (Standout Producer In A Short Film Award at the 2021 Reelworld Film Festival, Best Student Director (Male) at the Independent Shorts Silver Awards), It’s You (Award of Excellence at the One-Reeler Short Film Competition, Best Romantic Short at the Independent Shorts Bronze Awards).Throughout his career, Ivan aims to continue writing and depicting humanity. He wants to make thought-provoking films that encourage empathy, brings about peace and instills hopefulness and love in viewers. He is a storyteller who has been lucky enough to find film as a medium to achieve these artistic, professional and personal goals.

ABOUT MALACHI ELLIS
Malachi Ellis is a Black Gay Producer based in Toronto. He is an alumnus of TMU’s Media Production & OYA Media Group’s Emerging Filmmakers. Post academics, Malachi has focused on telling diverse and authentic stories that challenge the status quo and amplify BIPOC and LGBTQIA+ voices. His producing skills have led him to work at some of the largest Canadian production companies, such as eOne and Bell Media. As an independent producer, he has worked with some of Canada’s most talented emerging writers/directors. His most recent producing credits include I Live Here (Aspen Shortsfest, CBC Gem), Diaspora (TIFF, Palm Springs International ShortFest), and FISH BOY (BFI Flare, Frameline47). Malachi is currently a participant in both the Reelworld Producers’ Program and the Canadian Film Centre’s Norman Jewison Film Program: Producers’ Lab. In 2021, Malachi participated in Kidscreen’s The Next Wave: Diverse Voices program and was named one of Playback Magazine’s 10 to Watch.

ABOUT LAUREN SAARIMAKI
Lauren Saarimaki (she/they) is a producer, actress and mental health advocate. She is an alumna of TMU’s Creative Industries program. She has contributed to film sets in roles such as production manager, location manager and production coordinator. However, her focus is producing. She co-produced Streams Flow From A River (dir. Christopher Yip). The series had its international premiere at 2023 Cannesseries. She also co-produced the feature film Queen Tut (dir. Reem Morsi). She held the role of Executive Director at the Future of Film Showcase in 2018. In 2023, she was the festival coordinator for the Get Reel Mental Health Film Festival. She currently works at Fae Pictures as Director of Operations. She hopes to continue to build a career in film and mental health advocacy by focusing her work in the not- for-profit sector and explore the relationship between art and healing

The Female Eye Film Festival (FeFF) – Always Honest, Not Always Pretty – celebrates its 21st edition July 26 to July 30 at the Hot Docs Ted Rogers Cinema, 506 Bloor Street West, (Toronto, Canada). Tickets, $20; all-access pass, $120.

FeFF 2023 proudly presents documentary, feature, experimental, animated, and short films directed by women and female-identifying filmmakers. It showcases films from across North America, Germany, Iran, Spain, France, Colombia, China, Ireland, the UK, South Africa, Malaysia, Mexico, Turkey, Japan, Italy, Belgium, Latvia, and more. And it presents a lineup of award-winning screenwriters whose work will be read live at the Script Reading series, which is free and open to the public.

FeFF will continue its long-standing tradition of celebrating CANADIAN INDIGENOUS FEMALE FILMMAKERS on Wednesday July 26 at 5PM with the Toronto premiere of THE NATURE OF HEALING, by debut Mohawk director Faith Leone Howe. The spoken truth of seven courageous Elders, all survivors of the Mohawk Institute in Brantford, Ontario, Canada’s first and longest-running Indian residential school. From victims to survivors to activists, their story is one of resistance, resilience, and a healing path. Proceeds from this screening will be donated to the Mohawk Village Memorial Park, located on five acres adjacent to the Mohawk Institute, in commemoration of all the children taken and institutionalized over the course of more than 160 years.

The OPENING GALA FEATURE STELLA, directed by Jessica Fox (UK), follows at 8PM, making its Canadian premiere. Set in 1937, Scotland. Stella, a 20-year-old German Jewish student, finds work on a large country estate owned by the fascist Earl of Rig. With war looming and desperate to find her missing parents, Stella is quickly accepted as one of the family and must hide her true identity to survive. While there she falls in love, with life-changing consequences. Based on the folktale of Cinderella, championing the struggle for identity, home, and love, Stella is the tale of a refugee.

FEATURE HIGHLIGHTS:

EVERY DAY, directed by Tara Alexandra Brown and Vin Chandra (USA). When Maddie takes a job as a tutor to a wealthy family, she meets Laurel, the family’s nanny. The two become instant friends, much to the consternation of her long-time friends and roommates. When Maddie’s trauma is triggered, she’s forced to decide who she really trusts.

MY HOME UNKNOWN, directed by and starring Yaz Canli (USA). After Mina (Yaz Canli), a gifted artist experiencing homelessness, loses the last thing she loves – her dog, Burrito – she is forced to battle through the downward spiralling journey of a mental health crisis to find “home.” Lost between fragments of her Muslim past and the harsh realities of her present – from substance abuse and the loss of faith to abusive voices in her head – Mina must find a way to reconcile with deep grief and accept the kindness of others so she can start life anew. A raw and unflinching story of mental illness, life on the streets, and the courage it takes to find a way home.

MONTRÉAL GIRLS, directed by Patricia Chica (CAN). A Middle-Eastern medical school student, new to Montreal, puts his relationship with his father at risk when he forfeits his education after being forever changed by two young women who help him see his destiny.

GREY MATTER, directed by Arabella Burfitt-Dons (UK). When a family’s matriarch gets diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease, she must move into the family home, and Chloe is forced to become a stay-at-home teenager overnight.

BEYOND THE LIGHT BARRIER, directed by Uga Carlini (South Africa/Ukraine). Based on the true story of South African meteorologist Elizabeth Klarer, who spent her days convincing the world that her alien lover from an advanced human race existed and held the solutions to all our problems here on Earth. Science or fiction? Definitely one of the greatest science-fiction love stories of all time.

FeFF’S INTERNATIONAL SHORTS and DOCUMENTARY PROGRAMS are aptly titled: Excavating Truths; Violence Against Women; The Personal Is Political; With Cause; Intergenerational Familial Response; Sexual Rights and Liberty; Rights, Women, and Sports; and Love, Sex, and Identity.

LATE-NIGHT THRILLS & CHILLS: FRIDAY, JULY 28 and SATURDAY, JULY 29. Friday features an eclectic variety of 13 horror, thriller, and suspense shorts that will keep you on the edge of your seat. On Saturday at 9:45PM, check out erotic thriller SPOONFUL OF SUGAR, directed by Mercedes Bryce Morgan. A disturbed babysitter who experiences a sexual awakening while using LSD to alternatively treat a seemingly “sick” child from a family with dark secrets of their own.

The CLOSING GALA on SUNDAY, JULY 30, at 8PM is MY LOVE AFFAIR WITH MARRIAGE, a bold and brilliant animated feminist feature written and directed by Signe Baumane. Hungry for love and acceptance, Zelma feels incomplete. Hounded by a Greek chorus, she sets out on a 23-year quest for perfect love and a lasting marriage, unaware that her own biology is the force to be reckoned with. Signe Baumane is a Latvia-born, Brooklyn-based independent filmmaker, artist, writer, and animator.

FeFF was founded in 2001 by filmmaker Leslie-Ann Coles in response to the need for representation of women and female-identifying filmmakers and that need is just as strong today. The Female Eye is an accredited festival with the Academy of Canadian Cinema &
Television and is a Telefilm Canada Talent to Watch Partner. In April, it was voted one of MovieMaker magazine’s 2023 “Top Fifty Film Festivals Worth the Entry Fee” for the 11th consecutive year!

FeFF thanks its sponsors – Ontario Arts Council, Telefilm Canada, IATSE 873, ACTRA Fraternal Benefit Society, Rolling Pictures, CIUT 89.5 FM, and ACTRA Toronto – and WIFT Toronto and Women In the Director’s Chair for their support.

For more information: https://www.TheFemaleEyeFilmFestival.com
https://www.instagram.com/femaleeye

Very excited about this. See this brand new Teaser Trailer for ONE LOVE, a Biopic about legendary Bob Marley.

SYNOPSIS:

BOB MARLEY: ONE LOVE celebrates the life and music of an icon who inspired generations through his message of love and unity. On the big screen for the first time, discover Bob’s powerful story of overcoming adversity and the journey behind his revolutionary music. Produced in partnership with the Marley family and starring Kingsley Ben-Adir as the legendary musician and Lashana Lynch as his wife Rita, BOB MARLEY: ONE LOVE is in theatres January 12, 2024.

Paramount Pictures Presents

A Plan B Entertainment / State Street Pictures / Tuff Gong Production

“BOB MARLEY: ONE LOVE”

Executive Producers

Richard Hewitt, Orly Marley, Matt Solodky

Produced by

Robert Teitel, Brad Pitt, Jeremy Kleiner, Dede Gardner, Ziggy Marley, Rita Marley, Cedella Marley

Directed by

Reinaldo Marcus Green

Starring

Kingsley Ben-Adir, Lashana Lynch, James Norton, Tosin Cole, Anthony Welsh, Michael Gandolfini, Umi Myers, Nadine Marshall

(Photo/video credit: Paramount Pictures Canada)

Today, Prime Video released the official trailer for Amazon Original series The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart, launching exclusively on Prime Video in over 240 countries and territories on August 4, 2023. Three episodes will be released on August 4, with one episode rolling out weekly until the series finale on September 1. The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart is the latest addition to the Prime membership. Prime members in Australia enjoy savings, convenience, and entertainment, all in a single membership.

Based on Holly Ringland’s best-selling debut novel, the seven-part series tells the emotionally compelling story of Alice Hart. When Alice, aged 9, tragically loses her parents in a mysterious fire, she is taken to live with her grandmother June at Thornfield flower farm, where she learns that there are secrets within secrets about her and her family’s past. Set against Australia’s breathtaking natural landscape, and with native wildflowers and plants providing a way to express the inexpressible, this enthralling family drama spans decades. As she grows from her complicated past, Alice’s journey builds to an emotional climax when she finds herself fighting for her life against a man she loves.

The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart stars Academy Award-nominated and BAFTA and Golden Globe-winning actress Sigourney Weaver (Avatar, Alien), Gold Logie and AACTA award winner Asher Keddie (Nine Perfect Strangers, Offspring), 2022’s AACTA Best Lead Actress winner Leah Purcell (The Drover’s Wife: The Legend of Molly Johnson, Wentworth), Alycia Debnam-Carey (Fear the Walking Dead, Saint X), Frankie Adams (The Expanse), Alexander England (How to Please a Woman), Charlie Vickers (The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power), Tilda Cobham-Hervey (I Am Woman), Sebastián Zurita (Amazon Original series Como Sobrevivir Soltero), Alyla Browne (Nine Perfect Strangers), and Xavier Samuel (Elvis).

The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart is produced by Amazon Studios, Made Up Stories, and Fifth Season. The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart is executive produced by Jodi Matterson, Bruna Papandrea, and Steve Hutensky of Made Up Stories and Sigourney Weaver, Sarah Lambert, and Glendyn Ivin. Ivin directs all seven episodes and Lambert serves as showrunner.

Review by David Baldwin for Mr. Will Wong

A rogue A.I. referred to as “the entity” has gone missing. A mysterious cross-shaped key the entity needs is out on the black market and Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) and his IMF team have been tasked with finding it. With various forces standing in their way, including the sentient algorithm that is always multiple steps ahead, finding the key will not be simple.

That is about the simplest way I can describe the plot of MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE – DEAD RECKONING PART ONE without getting too far into the weeds or giving away some of the fun that transpires over the Film’s gargantuan 163-minute running time. Much like the rest of the Series, there are double and triple crosses, people wearing intricate face masks and impersonating others, an overcomplicated plot that is best enjoyed without much scrutiny, and Tom Cruise yelling, running and taking part in some of the most outrageous stunts ever captured on film.

You know, your typical MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE film.

Sitting down to watch DEAD RECKONING PART ONE, you would never know it is the seventh entry in a Franchise that is nearly 30 years-old (that itself was based on a TV Series from nearly sixty years ago). Oscar-winning Co-Writer/Director Christopher McQuarrie – who has been steering the ship since 2015’s Rogue Nation – does an incredible job keeping the proceedings fresh and ridiculously exciting. Yes, a knowledge of the Franchise’s previous films certainly helps with understanding character motivations and who some of these characters are (Canadian Henry Czerny returns to the Series and is just as much of a thorn in Ethan Hunt’s side as he was back in 1996!), though not as necessary as you might think. Once the fuse is lit after the extended prologue, the Movie turns everything up to 11 and only lets up from its relentless barrage of action and thrills once before slamming to credits. The packed crowd I saw this with were left gasping for air more than once, and you could genuinely feel the anxiety pulsing through the crowd throughout some of the more hair-raising moments.

That Tom Cruise really knows how to keep an audience enthralled from beginning to end.

Speaking of Cruise, he is terrific here no matter the situation. McQuarrie and Co-Writer Erik Jendresen put him through hell and back, and then right back to hell, and Cruise just keeps rolling with the punches. He remains one of our last bonafide movie stars and remains committed throughout. The determination on his face in some scenes is worth the price of admission alone, and coupled with the spectacular stunts he takes part in make DEAD RECKONING PART ONE an absolute must-see on the biggest and loudest screen you can find. He is my favourite Working Actor and when he turns on the charisma and shines those beautiful teeth, it is not hard to see why. The man just turned 61 and is showing no signs of slowing down anytime soon.

While nothing will ever top the Burj Khalifa climb in Ghost Protocol, the stunts here do a damn good job trying. A relentless car chase through Rome is among the finest ever conceived and will leave you dumbfounded trying to figure out how they pulled it off. And that mountain top freefall that you have seen promoted all over the trailers and posters? Seeing it play out entirely is an exhilarating, show-stopping moment for the ages. You know Cruise survives, but your heart will still be mere seconds from exploding out of your chest as you grip the arm rests praying we are not watching him perish for the sake of entertainment. My blood pressure is skyrocketing just from thinking about it.

All of that said, there are a few elements that hold DEAD RECKONING PART ONE back from eternal greatness. There are too many exposition dumps filled with enough scientific jargon and nuclear hyperbole that will make your head spin. I expected a lot of nonsensical dialogue hyping up the stakes, just maybe not as much as this. The CGI is also a bit dodgy in some sequences, especially in the lengthy Third Act aboard the Orient Express. New Cast members like Pom Klementieff and Hayley Atwell (who nearly steals the show on numerous occasions) are wonderful additions, while others like the villainous Esai Morales remain frustratingly enigmatic. Even the returning characters not named Ethan Hunt seem to be undercut and underutilized, with one specific character egregiously fridged and getting even less to do than you would ever expect.

Some of these issues can be chocked up to this Film being the first part of a two-part story, and may end up being smoothed out once PART TWO is (hopefully) released next year. With this Film coming in at 163-minutes – by far the longest running time of any entry in the franchise – I expected a little more on some of these fronts. McQuarrie, to his credit, thankfully ends the film at exactly the right moment, ensuring you will not feel cheated by its semi-cliffhanging ending.

Though there are definitely some rough elements that could have been better finessed, I would be lying if I suggested MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE – DEAD RECKONING PART ONE was anything short of an adrenaline shot straight to the heart. Cruise is great, Atwell is aces, and the stunt work is absolutely breathtaking. Lorne Balfe’s Score goes hard and makes this mission an epic must-see this July. Once the Movie ended and the credits rolled, I was immediately ready to get lost in PART TWO. Since I cannot do that just yet, I will settle for rewatching PART ONE as soon as I can. I just need to remember to wear an oxygen mask so I do not forget to breathe.

Paramount Pictures Canada release MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE – DEAD RECKONING PART ONE
on Wednesday, July 12, 2023, with Special Advanced Screenings on Monday, July 10 and Tuesday, July 11, 2023.