Apple TV+ today debuted a first look at “The Crowded Room,” the gripping, limited series starring and executive produced by Tom Holland, and created by Academy Award-winning writer and executive producer Akiva Goldsman (“A Beautiful Mind”). Starring an ensemble cast led by Holland, Amanda Seyfried and Emmy Rossum, “The Crowded Room” will make its global debut on Apple TV+ with the first three episodes of its 10-episode first season on Friday, June 9, 2023, followed by one new episode weekly every Friday through July 28, 2023.

“The Crowded Room” follows ‘Danny Sullivan’ (Holland), a man who is arrested following his involvement in a shooting in New York City in 1979. A captivating thriller told through a series of interviews with curious interrogator ‘Rya Goodwin’ (Amanda Seyfried), Danny’s life story unfolds, revealing elements of the mysterious past that shaped him, and the twists and turns that will lead him to a life-altering revelation.

In addition to Holland, Seyfried and Rossum, the series stars Sasha Lane, Will Chase and Lior Raz along with guest stars Jason Isaacs, Christopher Abbott, Thomas Sadoski and Zachary Golinger.

“The Crowded Room” is a co-production between Apple Studios and New Regency. Goldsman serves as executive producer through his Weed Road Productions banner. The series is also executive produced by Alexandra Milchan for EMJAG Productions; and New Regency’s Arnon Milchan, Yariv Milchan and Michael Schaefer. Kornel Mundruczo directed several episodes, including the pilot, and executive produces.

Apple TV+ offers premium, compelling drama and comedy series, feature films, groundbreaking documentaries, and kids and family entertainment, and is available to watch across all your favourite screens. After its launch on November 1, 2019, Apple TV+ became the first all-original streaming service to launch around the world, and has premiered more original hits and received more award recognitions faster than any other streaming service in its debut. To date, Apple Original films, documentaries and series have been honoured with 348 wins and 1,436 award nominations and counting, including multi-Emmy Award-winning comedy “Ted Lasso” and Oscar Best Picture winner “CODA.”

Chris Hemsworth is back in EXTRACTION 2. Here’s a look at the new Trailer.

SYNOPSIS:

Chris Hemsworth returns as Tyler Rake in EXTRACTION 2, the sequel to Netflix’s blockbuster action film EXTRACTION. After barely surviving the events of the first movie, Rake is back as the Australian black ops mercenary, tasked with another deadly mission: rescuing the battered family of a ruthless Georgian gangster from the prison where they are being held.

Hemsworth reunites with director Sam Hargrave, with Joe and Anthony Russo’s AGBO producing and Joe Russo writing. Golshifteh Farahani reprises her role from the first film, with Adam Bessa, Olga Kurylenko, Daniel Bernhardt and Tinatin Dalakishvili also co-starring.

This is a sequel to the first film that was based on the graphic novel ‘Ciudad’ by Ande Parks, from a story by Ande Parks, Joe Russo & Anthony Russo, with illustrations by Fernando León González. EXTRACTION 2 is produced by Anthony Russo, Joe Russo, Mike Larocca, Angela Russo-Otstot, Chris Hemsworth, Patrick Newall and Sam Hargrave, with Jake Aust, Benjamin Grayson, Steven Scavelli, Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely as executive producers.

EXTRACTION 2 arrives June 16, 2023 on Netflix.

(Photo/video credit: Netflix)

The Canadian Film Fest (CFF), an indie-spirited festival dedicated to celebrating Canadian filmmakers, revealed the award winners for their 2023 edition on Saturday, April 1, 2023 following a successful 5-day festival at Toronto’s Scotiabank Theatre and virtually across Canada on Super Channel Fuse.

Monia Chokri’s Babysitter won Best Feature and Best Set Design, Adrian Murray was honoured with DGC Ontario’s Best Director award for his film Retrograde, Fanie Pelletier’s documentary, Bloom, was awarded the William F. White Reel Canadian Indie Award, and Sandrine Brodeur-Desrosiers’s How To Get My Parents To Divorce won the feature film jury awards. Additionally, Joy Webster’s Menace won Best Short Film and Polarized took home People’s Pick for Best Flick.

“Congratulations to all of this year’s Canadian Film Fest winners. We’re honoured to be part of the film’s journey,” said Ashleigh Rains, Festival Director, Canadian Film Fest. “We are immensely proud of the incredible line-up of homegrown films we were able to showcase and grateful to those who participated and supported CFF this year. A special thanks to the jury who carefully reviewed all of the films and to Super Channel for being an amazing partner.”

See below for the complete list of winners for the 2023 Canadian Film Fest. For more information, visit canfilmfest.ca.

The 2023 Canadian Film Fest Award Winners:

BEST FEATURE – Babysitter

DGC ONTARIO’S BEST DIRECTOR – Adrian Murray, Retrograde

BEST SET DESIGN – Babysitter

WILLIAM F. WHITE REEL CANADIAN INDIE AWARD – Bloom
*The winner will receive a $5,000 gift certificate for equipment rental at William F. White.

BEST SHORT FILM – Menace

BEST SHORT FILM PRODUCER – Shyam Valera, Desi Standard Time Travel

PEOPLE’S PICK FOR BEST FLICK – Polarized

Feature Film Jury Awards:
The feature film jury included Barb Godfrey (The Arthur Agency), Jonas Chernick (actor and screenwriter), Faran Moradi (director) and Stephanie Sonny Hooker (producer).

BEST SCREENPLAY – How To Get My Parents To Divorce

BEST YOUTH ENSEMBLE – How To Get My Parents To Divorce, Charlotte St-Martin, Liam Patenaude, Charlie Fortier, Louka Amadeo Bélanger-Leos, Simone Laperle

Short Film Jury Awards:
The short film jury consisted of Michelle McLeod (actor), Emily Andrews (producer) and Rodrigo Fernandez-Stoll (actor).

BEST DOCUMENTARY – Quiet Minds Silent Streets

BEST PERFORMANCE – Eric Peterson, Junior’s Giant

BREAKOUT PERFORMANCE – Cassandra Paige, No Bedroom

BEST ENSEMBLE – The Untouchable

OUTSTANDING ANIMATION – Corvine

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY – There Was Nothing

About the Canadian Film Fest

The Canadian Film Fest (CFF) is a non-profit organization that is dedicated to supporting Canadian independent films and cultivating emerging and established filmmaking talent. Film-loving audiences come to enjoy a diverse selection of 100% Canadian film screenings (features & shorts) and filmmakers flock to the CFF’s various industry events to take advantage of essential networking opportunities. CFF’s mission is to celebrate the art of cinematic storytelling by showcasing Canadian films and filmmakers.

By Mr. Will Wong

If like me, you love seeing stories where picture-perfect worlds crumble, BEEF is here to satisfy your hunger. The ten-episode A24 Series stars Funnywoman Ali Wong as Amy Lau, a businesswoman who married into an iconic Art family. Her world unravels one day when she gets into a road rage incident with Danny Cho (Steven Yeun) and both their lives subsequently spiral out of control.

While we saw this idea in 2020’s Unhinged, BEEF travels its own course as we delve into each side of the fight with these adults facing a lifetime of consequences after their missteps. Amy decides to vandalize Danny’s truck and sabotages his business online, but winds-up meeting his little brother Paul (Young Manzino) and forms an unlikely secret bond with him which if uncovered, could further destroy both the brothers’ already strained relationship and also Amy‘s marriage to George (Joseph Lee).

As the stylishly-shot Series progresses, we quickly learn that both Amy and George already actually have broken lives and toxic habits of their own. Did this road rage incident really ruin their lives or did it just uncover things in their lives that really needed to be confronted head-on?

Writer Lee Jung Sin, Jake Schreier (Robot & Frank, Paper Towns) and Hikari (Tokyo Vice) share directing duties here and draw a wide range of emotions from this talented Ensemble. We never have thought of Ali Wong as a dramatic actress but she is perfect here in Amy‘s more nuanced moments, just as when she’s full-on raging. Yeun embodies Danny‘s lostness and desire to find himself, even though he can’t help but be drawn to trouble. A joy also seeing Maria Bello back as the larger-than-life Jordan, whom Amy spends much of the Series stressed-out striking a deal with, which could secure the future of her family’s legacied business. Did we mention Ashley Park (Emily in Paris) also stars in a Supporting Role as a meddling neighbour?

We weren’t quite sure where the Series was gonna go, but it proves a funny, twisty and worthwhile watch. BEEF arrives April 6, 2023 on Netflix.

Tonight, the trailer for Marvel Studios’ espionage thriller “Secret Invasion” debuted and is now available. Key art and stills are also available for the live-action, original series premiering June 21, 2023 exclusively on Disney+.

In Marvel Studios’ new series “Secret Invasion,” set in the present day MCU, Nick Fury learns of a clandestine invasion of Earth by a faction of shapeshifting Skrulls. Fury joins his allies, including Everett Ross, Maria Hill and the Skrull Talos, who has made a life for himself on Earth. Together they race against time to thwart an imminent Skrull invasion and save humanity.

Marvel Studios’ “Secret Invasion” stars Samuel L. Jackson, Ben Mendelsohn, Cobie Smulders, Martin Freeman, Kingsley Ben-Adir, Charlayne Woodard, Killian Scott, Samuel Adewunmi, Dermot Mulroney, Christopher McDonald, Katie Finneran, with Emilia Clarke and Olivia Colman, and Don Cheadle.

(Photo/video credit: Marvel Studios Canada)

Toronto’s Liam Benayon can do it all! A self-taught Singer/Songwriter/Producer, he is on the verge of big things, meeting next week with Warner Records actually!

Benayon just released fun Pop Bop “Don’t Call Me At A Party” and had a bash to celebrate it at Cameron House in Toronto. We learned that the song was born from being excluded by a friend who called him from a party he wasn’t invited to. And we even got to hear that friend’s side of the story via a voicenote!

Benayon‘s BFF Jordan Alexander, the new face of Rihanna‘s Savage x Fenty and star of HBO Max‘s Gossip Girl even came out to show love. She even helped him put-up posters around town promoting the single!

It was a fun, energetic set that got the crowd singing along and dancing. We need more of this energy!

See a reel of highlights from the night:

(Photo/video credit: Mr. Will Wong)

DUNGEONS & DRAGONS: HONOR AMONG THIEVES debuts atop the Box Office with $40 million from 3,855 theatres for Paramount Pictures. Following its premiere at SXSW, buzz for the Action-Fantasy has continued to grow and it gets a stellar 91% on the Tomatometer.

JOHN WICK: CHAPTER 4 isn’t too far behind in second with $30 million from 3,855 theatres in its second weekend for Lionsgate and Cineplex Pictures, a total $124 million grossed in North America.

Faith film HIS ONLY SON debuts in third with $5.8 million from 1,920 theaters for Angel Studios.

CREED III gets $5.2 million this weekend for Warner Bros., taking its five-week tally of $148.7 million.

Fifth is SCREAM VI earns $4.6 million from 3,106 theaters for Paramount Pictures, edging close to $100 million in its run.

If you follow me on my Social channels, you know I love me some RuPaul’s Drag Race! The ever-competitive Season 14 remains one of my favourite seasons of all time, my favourite Drag Queen of all-time WILLOW PILL being crowned winner that season. Coincidentally she studied at Toronto Metropolitan University (formerly Ryerson) back in the day as an International Student.

The top five finalists of Season 14 – Willow Pill, Lady Camden, Angeria Van Michaels, Daya Betty and Bosco – landed at Toronto’s Danforth Music Hall last night for their FANTASTIC FIVE of 14, joining forces to in a tour-de-force of Drag for a revue show!

We know Willow was supposed to appear at Toronto Pride last summer but couldn’t make it out and I wasn’t going to get this opportunity pass! Love all the Top Five, including Lady Camden who I had a chance meeting with last Summer, but Willow is my Queen.

And apparently Oscar Iscaac’s too!

I am deceased!

(Photo/video credit: Mr. Will Wong)

Universal Pictures Canada x Mr. Will want to give Readers a chance to win Advance Passes to see RENFIELD!

Advance screenings will be held Wednesday, April 12, 2023 in:

Toronto: Cineplex Yonge and Dundas at 7 pm
Montreal: Cineplex Forum at 7 pm
Vancouver: Scotiabank Theatre at 7 pm

Synopsis:

Evil doesn’t span eternity without a little help.

In this modern monster tale of Dracula’s loyal servant, Nicholas Hoult (Mad Max: Fury Road, X-Men franchise) stars as Renfield, the tortured aide to history’s most narcissistic boss, Dracula (Oscar® winner Nicolas Cage). Renfield is forced to procure his master’s prey and do his every bidding, no matter how debased. But now, after centuries of servitude, Renfield is ready to see if there’s a life outside the shadow of The Prince of Darkness. If only he can figure out how to end his codependency.

Renfield is directed by Chris McKay (The Tomorrow War, The LEGO Batman Movie) from a screenplay by Ryan Ridley (Ghosted series, Rick & Morty series), based on an original idea by The Walking Dead and Invincible creator Robert Kirkman.

The film co-stars Awkwafina (The Farewell, Marvel’s Shang-Chi and the Legend of Ten Rings), Ben Schwartz (Sonic, The Afterparty) and Adrian Martinez (The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, Focus) and Emmy winner and Oscar® nominee Shohreh Aghdashloo (House of Saddam, House of Sand and Fog).

Renfield is produced by Skybound Entertainment partners Robert Kirkman and David Alpert (The Walking Dead, Invincible), co-presidents Bryan Furst (Daybreakers) and Sean Furst (Daybreakers) and by Chris McKay. McKay’s producing partner Samantha Nisenboim (co-producer, The Tomorrow War) will executive produce.

Genre: Horror Comedy

Cast: Nicholas Hoult, Nicolas Cage, Awkwafina, Ben Schwartz, Adrian Martinez and Shohreh Aghdashloo

Director: Chris McKay

Screenplay By: Ryan Ridley, based on an original idea by Robert Kirkman

Producers: Robert Kirkman, David Alpert, Bryan Furst, Sean Furst, Chris McKay

Executive Producers: Samantha Nisenboim

To enter for a chance to win, click “like” on this Post at MR. WILL ON FACEBOOK and in the comments, tell us your City! Re-Tweet the Tweet embedded below for another chance!

Rules and regulations here.

NOTE: Do not respond to comments from third-party accounts telling you you’ve won and to provide your personal banking information.

RENFIELD is in theatres April 14, 2023.

(Photo/video credit: Universal Pictures Canada)

Netflix‘s STRANGER THINGS: THE EXPERIENCE TORONTO (brought to us by FEVER), is now on at Cinespace Studios (8 Unwin Avenue). This immersive experience takes fans of the global phenomenon to 1986 Hawkins, consisting of two parts: a 45-minute interactive experience, followed by an afterparty in a hyper-coloured, neon space called THE MIX-TAPE where guests can enjoy show-themed cocktails, ice cream at SCOOPS AHOY, Pizza, Corndogs, all the merch and photo ops!

We can’t tell you too much about the interactive part, but it takes you into a lab where your supernatural powers will be realized! Trust me, you’ll need them! So much fun!

Tickets are on-sale now here.

(Photo/video credit: Mr. Will Wong)