Moviegoers are showing-up for THE WOMAN KING, debuting at #1 this weekend for Sony Pictures with $16 million from 3,271 theatres. The Film, which just premiered at TIFF ’22, has received a stellar 94% on the Tomatometer.

In second is the Horror BARBARIAN, with $4.5 million for 20th Century Studios, a total $20 million over two weeks. It plays in 2,340 theatres.

PEARL debuts in third with $3.6 million from 2,900 theatres for VVS Films/A24, after premiering earlier this week at TIFF as well. This Prequel to Horror X, which came out earlier this year, gets 86% on the Tomatometer and we can expect a third Film for a Trilogy per Director Ti West.

BULLET TRAIN is in fourth with $2.4 million from 3,056 theatres for Sony Pictures, as it edges so close to the $100 million mark domestically.

TOP GUN: MAVERICK rounds out our Top Five with $2.2 million for Paramount Pictures. It now is at $709 million in earnings in North America over 16 weekends, never missing Top Five.

By David Baldwin

A group of the worst of the worst prisoners are being transferred in secret from the Philippians to South Korea on a cargo ship. The cops assigned on board are doing their best and putting on happy faces, though they all know they are in over their heads.

What follows this elevator pitch can be summed up quite succinctly as “Shit gets real”. I do not use the phrase lightly – I should have worn a poncho when I saw PROJECT WOLF HUNTING in order to save myself from all the blood spraying on-screen. And I’m not talking buckets of blood. No, I am talking oil tankers full the stuff. It is obscene, it is intense and it is outrageous. If you are the least bit squeamish, look elsewhere because this movie is not for you. If the idea of someone getting their arm ripped off and then getting beaten to death with it does not sound like your idea of a fun time at the movies, then stop reading.

If you are as twisted as I am though, then you are in for a film that is certifiably bonkers.

Writer/Director Kim Hongsun has created a picture that is literally a litmus test of bad taste. The screening I went to had multiple walkouts and I can only imagine the mayhem that is going to descend on Midnight Madness when this plays. It is a little rough around the edges in certain instances and I wish it did not get so caught up in the conspiracy, Sci-Fi and world building nonsense that tries to at least partially explain what is going on. When he is focusing on what does work though, PROJECT WOLF HUNTING is damn near perfect.

PROJECT WOLF HUNTING screens as follows at TIFF ’22:

Fri, Sep 16 IN-PERSON Royal Alexandra Theatre 11:59pm

Sat, Sep 17 IN-PERSON Scotiabank Theatre 7:30pm

By David Baldwin

It is the 1870s and Will Andrews (Fred Hechinger of The White Lotus and the Fear Street Trilogy) has just dropped out of Harvard. He is looking to experience more of what life has to offer and travels West to the titular Butcher’s Crossing in Kansas. He desperately wants to go on a buffalo hunt, yet cannot join any hunter’s party. That is until he meets Miller (Nicolas Cage), who claims he knows of a remote valley in the Colorado Rockies, untouched by hunters and teeming with buffalo. Will finances the hunt off this very promise, and as you might expect, gets more than he bargained for.

Days later and I am still perplexed by BUTCHER’S CROSSING. It looks absolutely stunning, doing its very best to accurately depict what the Old West looked like (without relying on extensive CGI to help). The outstanding vistas, the hand built buildings, the costumes, the horses, I could go on and on. It all looks outstanding and really goes a long way in depicting the time period the Film takes place during. The Script could have used some of that high-level attention to detail, rather than the plethora of themes, allusions and metaphors it gets bogged down by. Are we watching a movie about loneliness, despair, obsession and/or the effects of Icarus flying too close to the sun? Or, as the credits spontaneously suggest, is it about buffalo and animal preservation? I am completely unsure and it seems like the Film itself feels the same way.

Supporting turns from Xander Berkeley, Jeremy Bobb and especially Oscar-nominee Paul Raci (of TIFF’19 selection Sound of Metal) are all solid, and Hechinger does a great job as the audience surrogate. He holds his own against everyone on-screen and continues to prove his worth as an emerging talent to watch out for. Of course, they all are standing in the shadow of Cage, who brings a God-like gravitas and charisma to every one of his scenes. He has an edginess to himself and gloriously unleashes his inner Cage-Rage a handful of times. It is not exactly Earth-shattering work, but seeing Cage in his element is worth the price of admission all on its own.

Also – I am not sure just how much buffalo skinning is too much buffalo skinning, but BUTCHER’S CROSSING could have done with substantially less of it. So prepare yourself in advance should you choose to venture in.

BUTCHER’S CROSSING screens as follows at TIFF ’22:

Fri, Sep 9 IN-PERSON Roy Thomson Hall 9:30pm

Sat, Sep 10 IN-PERSON Scotiabank Theatre 1:00pm

Sat, Sep 17 IN-PERSON Scotiabank Theatre 5:30pm

By Mr. Will Wong

Based on Writer/Director Elegance Bratton‘s autobiographical account of his time in the military, THE INSPECTION truly is a hidden gem of the Festival.

The Film centers on French (Jeremy Pope), a young black gay man who finds himself homeless, with his mother (Gabrielle Union) kicking him out, disapproving of his sexuality. He decides to join the military, but when others suspect that he is homosexual, he finds himself without an ally as his fellow recruits vie with him to graduate a Marine. But not first without testing his every physical and mental limit.

He finds himself attracted to his Drill Sargeant (Raúl Castillo) who encourages him to keep to task despite being met with a complete lack of support. And underneath it all, French is eager to make his mother proud, hopeful for a reconciliation.

Bratton gives us a deeply-personal and compelling film, which is detailed in its exploration of the rigorous training these recruits undergo. It isn’t long before we are drawn into this world, seeing the world through French‘s eyes, thanks to an outstanding performance by Pope in the lead role. He is vulnerable, fearful yet driven to make it. He masters the physical demands of the role as well. An unrecognizable Union also delivers a superb performance even though she is seen sparingly, breathing humanity into a challenging character. It also proves very tough not to gravitate to Castillo, who commands the screen, grounding the story which is entrenched in a world of hyper-toxic masculinity.

Such a fantastic film and a story that needs to be seen in understanding the events that led to the need for a “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy permitting homosexuals to serve in the military.

THE INSPECTION screens as follows at TIFF ’22:

Thu, Sep 08 IN-PERSON Royal Alexandra Theatre 8:30 pm

Sat, Sep 10 IN-PERSON Scotiabank Theatre Toronto 11:30am

Fri, Sep 16 IN-PERSON Scotiabank Theatre Toronto 11:30am

By Amanda Gilmore

This exceptional Thriller follows a group of Environmental Activists, who band together on a daring mission to blow up a pipeline in West Texas.

Co-Writers Ariela Barer (who also stars as Xochitl), Jordan Sjol, and Daniel Goldhaber (who also serves as Director and Editor) have adapted the controversial book by Andreas Malm of the same name. It’s a non-fiction Novel that claims sabotage is an effective solution in fighting climate change. The Co-Writers have used this theory and created one of the most enthralling heist Thrillers of the year.

We watch as the group of activists plan, prepare and carry out their audacious mission. Goldhaber’s expert Direction and Editing cut back in time, giving each character a reason for carrying out this dangerous act. The connection between each character is that they’ve all been impacted by climate change. For instance, Xochitl’s mother died due to an abnormal heat wave and Theo (Sasha Lane) has been diagnosed with a rare Blood Cancer that has been linked to people who grew up near chemical factories.

Some characters question what they’re doing and the ramifications of their actions. Such as gas prices being raised, making life harder on the poor. Or them committing what is considered a terrorist act. These open conversations, along with the layered, heartrending backstories show a balanced look at the climate debate. There aren’t any right answers given, instead, How To Blow Up A Pipeline allows a space to explore facts, opinions and calls to action.

Overall, How To Blow Up A Pipeline is a remarkable suspenseful heist thriller, with an intense Score from Gavin Brivik. The entire cast (Barer, Lane, Kristine Froseth, Lukas Gage, Forrest Goodluck, Jayme Lawson, Marcus Scribner, and Jake Weary) are exceptional. And the Cinematography by Tehillah De Castro dazzles. Most importantly it’s a brilliant Film that will provoke essential conversation about climate change.

How To Blow Up A Pipeline screens as follows at TIFF ’22:

Sat, Sep 10 IN-PERSON at TIFF Bell Lightbox at 9:00 pm

Sun, Sep 11 IN-PERSON at Scotiabank Theatre at 3:15 pm

Sun, Sep 18 IN-PERSON at Scotiabank Theatre at 5:45 pm

We’ve made it to the finish! What a Festival this was! We’re still reeling literally from all the excitement, and have really been doing as much as we can before the curtain drops Sunday. Though I love the stars so much, I love cozying-up with a Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Latte in a dark theatre and just escaping with the Movies. The Team and I have shared our thoughts on everything we saw at the Festival here and there are a few more Reviews coming.

By the way, we will soon be drawing our $25 Starbucks Canada Gift Card winners! More below and a few chances across our Social channels.

We were so delighted finally to get to participate in a Press Line. Believe me, we’ve been putting-in our requests but with so many outlets being here earlier in the Festival, it didn’t leave a lot of room for smaller outlets like ours to get on. Either way, we get it and made our moments happen either way! We adore SQUID GAME and can’t wait for Season Two. Such an honour chatting with star-turned-Director Lee Jung-jae and also Korean Action Star Jung Woo-sung. HUNT is an Action-Thriller which has Lee starring as Park, a Central Intelligence Chief uncovering a plot assassinate the South Korean President, but learns there also is a mole in the agency.

Lee tells us this actually isn’t his first time in Toronto – he actually came here about ten years back. We ask him about one important lesson he took away from the character he crafted in this Film, Park.

Lee: I didn’t learn much from the character because I wrote, directed and acted it myself. What I learned from this experience is working harmoniously with the other Actors and trying to communicate well with the staff.

We also ask Jung to tell us a bit about his character Kim and what he took away from the experience.

Jung: This is a character based on actual historical events that took place. When I created the character, I reflected on the victims of the incident and the perpetrators, and the ethical issues. I was able to reflect on these things.

(Photo/video credit: Mr. Will Wong)

Legendary Songwriter David Foster is giving musicians a change to take a class with him at upcoming Song & Score Week in Toronto!

The inaugural Song & Score Week presented by RBC Emerging Artists will be one of Canada’s largest celebrations dedicated to honouring, fostering, and shining a spotlight on the lifeblood of the music industry – songwriters, composers and music publishers. The first-ever Song & Score Week will include songwriting camps, workshops, listening parties, film screenings, and industry panels to help and inspire music creators and emerging music publishers to achieve their career goals.

As part of Song & Score Week, the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame in partnership with RBC Emerging Artists, Ontario Creates, Music Publishers Canada and peermusic, will present a David Foster Masterclass on September 23rd at 8 pm at the El Mocambo in Toronto.

2022 Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame inductee David Foster, one of the most successful songwriters and record producers in history, will reflect on his illustrious songwriting career in front of a live audience comprising of young music creators. Moderated by Ralph Peer II Executive Chairman of peermusic and emceed by singer-songwriter and CBC Radio host Damhnait Doyle, participants will hear Foster play some of his biggest hits while sharing his personal journey and relationship with his long-time music publisher, peermusic.

2022 Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame inductee David Foster to present a Songwriting Masterclass on September 23rd at 8pm at the El Mocambo in Toronto, as part of the inaugural Song & Score Week, presented by presented by RBC Emerging Artists.
The Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame is also pleased to present Songwriters’ Circle, in partnership with SiriusXM Canada, on September 22nd at 8pm at the El Mocambo. Fefe Dobson, Tyler Shaw, Ruby Waters, TOBi and Tim Hicks will reveal the stories behind their songs in an intimate setting with pared-down performances and enlightening conversations surrounding the art of music creation. The Songwriters’ Circle will be hosted by Jeff Leake and will air on SiriusXM Channel 173 The Verge on Saturday, September 24 prior to the Gala.

Song & Score Week is organized collectively by the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame, Music Publishers Canada, the Screen Composers Guild of Canada, SOCAN, the SOCAN Foundation, and the Songwriters Association of Canada. By providing educational programming to build skills, support industry growth, and deliver opportunities to connect, Song & Score Week works to bridge knowledge and skills gaps for music creators.

Song & Score Week is proud to acknowledge the support of RBC Emerging Artists, SiriusXM Canada, Ontario Creates and the City of Toronto.

Additional Highlights of Song & Score Week: 
 
Indigenous Song Camp (Industry Only)
Sept. 19 – 21 (12pm – 8pm), Kilometre House
Presented by RBC Emerging Artists in partnership with Ontario Creates, City of Toronto, SOCAN Foundation, sākihiwē festival
A 4-day creative journey, bringing together 17 Indigenous and non-Indigenous writers, artists and producers to explore new writing styles, develop new relationships, and create a positive community experience.
 
Scores, Songs & Screens: Pulling Back The Curtain Panel (Industry Only)
Sept. 21 (3:30pm – 4:30pm), El Mocambo
Panelists discuss composing original music to picture and how the role of the composer today encompasses a wide gamut of responsibilities. With panelists Rob Carli, Darren Fung, Aaron Paris, Alexandra Petkovski and Sarah Slean. Panel will close with special performance from Sarah Slean.
 
2022 Screen Composers Guild of Canada Canadian Screen Music Awards (CASMA) (Industry Only)
Sept. 21 (5:30pm – 7pm), El Mocambo
The SCGC’s biggest night as they award the accomplishments of Canadian Composers over the past year.
 
How To Optimize Your Vocal Recordings (Industry Only)_
Sept 22 (12:30pm -2:30pm) El Mocambo
Dr. Amandine Pras, Lecturer in Sound Recording and Music Production at the University of York, UK offers tips and tools on how to optimize your vocal production. 
 
NXTGen Workshop and Networking (Industry Only)
Sept. 23 (4pm – 6:30pm), El Mocambo
NXTGen is a new Music Publishers Canada membership level created to foster the next generation of Canadian music publishing leaders.
 
Women in the Studio: Producing, Mixing, Mastering (Industry Only)
Sept. 23 (10am – 5pm), El Mocambo
A full day of career development for six  talented producer-songwriters from across Canada who are part of the Music Publishers Canada Women in the Studio National Accelerator.
 
For full schedule and details on Song & Score Week, go to www.songandscoreweek.com. 
 

By Mr. Will Wong

Shot in secret during the Pandemic in Wales, Joanna Hogg continues the story of Julie, which began in 2019’s The Souvenir. Looking to make a Film about her mother, Julie (Tilda Swinton) takes her mother Rosalind (also played by Tilda Swinton) to a home she grew-up in, now a hotel. The vacation is meant as bonding time between mother and daughter, culminating in Rosalind‘s birthday, all the while avoiding family.

Julie hopes to get a bit of work done on this working vacation, but is struggling to focus. She hears howling noises at night that keep her up. She then learns that the house holds also some sad memories in addition to happy ones, and this is a turning point for Julie as she faces her mother’s mortality, and realizes she doesn’t have much time.

Hogg strikes a unique tonal balance here in THE ETERNAL DAUGHTER. It is dark, mysterious and eery, but also incredibly heartfelt and affecting. This very much falls in my own personal Top Five of the Festival this year entirely on the tremendous and exact work from incomparable Swinton. It’s just mindblowing how she is able to play two characters who are bantering through most of the Film, so seamlessly. Quite the feat.

THE ETERNAL DAUGHTER screens at TIFF ’22 as follows:

Sun, Sep 11 IN-PERSON TIFF Bell Lightbox 6:15pm

Mon, Sep 12 IN-PERSON Scotiabank Theatre TorontoClosed captioning, Descriptive sound 3:00pm

Thu, Sep 15 IN-PERSON Scotiabank Theatre TorontoClosed captioning, Descriptive sound 5:30pm

Sun, Sep 18 IN-PERSON Scotiabank Theatre TorontoClosed captioning, Descriptive sound 1:00pm

By Mr. Will Wong

Jennifer Lawrence doesn’t miss a beat in this return to the screen after a hiatus. In addition to starring in the Drama as Lynsey, a soldier suffering injuries to her brain and body after some time in Afghanistan, she also produces.

The story centers on Lynsey as she returns home to New Orleans and she meets James (Brian Tyree Henry) after she brings her truck in to get repaired. The two form a complicated, unlikely friendship and layers are unravelled the more they get to know eachother. We learn of their past traumas which in ways have stunted their lives, though they cross each other’s paths in a fortune timing, forming a deep and intense connection.

This is Lila Neugebauer’s Feature directorial debut and she already is starting at the top with talent in this tight-knit Ensemble. Lawrence‘s Lynsey feels lived-in and is nuanced, really taking the character on a journey of self re-discovery. Henry’s performance however is a real revelation, suppressing James‘ pain under his good-guy exterior, while navigating his feelings for Lynsey at once. They pair play off each other perfectly. Who would’ve known?

CAUSEWAY is a slice of life which explores a very special friendship, while also exposing some of battle wounds a soldier carries for life.

CAUSEWAY screens as follows at TIFF ’22:

Sat, Sep 10 IN-PERSON Royal Alexandra Theatre 5:30pm

Sun, Sep 11 IN-PERSON Scotiabank Theatre Toronto 1:00pm

Thu, Sep 15 IN-PERSON Visa Screening Room at the Princess of Wales Theatre 3:00pm

By Nicholas Porteous

Florence Pugh, as a solemn English nurse, visits a hyper-religious Irish village to watch over a child who claims to have survived four months without food–worshipped as a miracle. Pugh‘s rational approach clashes with the deep-seated beliefs of the community, and the life of the child hangs in the balance.

Left, right and center, people were checking their phones throughout this Movie. While I find that behaviour super lame–ESPECIALLY during a Festival film, it is indicative of just how restless my audience was. To be fair, this is a pretty dry, dreary period piece with minimal dialogue and lots of long walks through vast fields. Visually, it has a lot of nice texture to it. The strange choral score is as refreshing as it is haunting. The performances are good across the board, but they’re also not particularly demanding–mostly requiring a lot of restraint.

The Wonder is all about belief, and how a collective, communal belief can seem as real as any fact. It establishes this theme by opening with a fourth wall-breaking view of the soundstage the Movie is being filmed on, and an extremely meta voiceover explaining we’re watching a movie filled with Actors who deeply believe in the story they’re telling. I think the Movie is trying to say we all believe in things that aren’t necessarily proveable or scientific, and this movie is one of those things. It’s a flimsy metaphor, because I don’t know anyone who literally believes movies are real to the same extent that these people believe a child can survive without food. Moreover, without spoiling anything, I found the ending of this particular Movie preposterous. And the more I think about it, the more toxic I find its message as it relates to the present. I also don’t find these ideas narratively or cinematically satisfying at all, particularly as a means of justifying an absurd ending.

THE WONDER screens at TIFF ’22 as follows:

Tues, Sep 13 IN-PERSON TIFF Bell Lightbox 6:45pm

Wed, Sep 14 IN-PERSON TIFF Bell Lightbox 2:00pm

Thu, Sep 15 IN-PERSONRoyal Alexandra Theatre 8:30pm