I think this is at the top of all our TIFF ’22 wishlists. Olivia Wilde‘s sophomore directorial effort DON’T WORRY DARLING stars Harry Styles and Florence Pugh and we cannot wait. Here’s the official Canadian Trailer!

Synopsis:

Alice (Pugh) and Jack (Styles) are lucky to be living in the idealized community of Victory, the experimental company town housing the men who work for the top-secret Victory Project and their families. The 1950’s societal optimism espoused by their CEO, Frank (Chris Pine)—equal parts corporate visionary and motivational life coach—anchors every aspect of daily life in the tight-knit desert utopia.

While the husbands spend every day inside the Victory Project Headquarters, working on the “development of progressive materials,” their wives—including Frank’s elegant partner, Shelley (Gemma Chan)—get to spend their time enjoying the beauty, luxury and debauchery of their community. Life is perfect, with every resident’s needs met by the company. All they ask in return is discretion and unquestioning commitment to the Victory cause. But when cracks in their idyllic life begin to appear, exposing flashes of something much more sinister lurking beneath the attractive façade, Alice can’t help questioning exactly what they’re doing in Victory, and why. Just how much is Alice willing to lose to expose what’s really going on in this paradise?

An audacious, twisted and visually stunning psychological thriller, “Don’t Worry Darling” is a powerhouse feature from director Olivia Wilde that boasts intoxicating performances from Florence Pugh and Harry Styles, surrounded by the impressive and pitch-perfect cast. The film also stars Nick Kroll (“How It Ends”), Sydney Chandler (“Pistol”), Kate Berlant (“Once Upon a Time… In Hollywood”), Asif Ali (“WandaVision”), Douglas Smith (“Big Little Lies”), Timothy Simons (“Veep”) and Ari’el Stachel (upcoming “Respect the Jux”).

A New Line Cinema presentation, “Don’t Worry Darling” will be distributed worldwide by Warner Bros. Pictures and is set to open in theatres in North America on September 23, 2022 and internationally beginning 21 September 2022.

(Photo/video credit: Warner Bros. Pictures Canada)

Based on a French film of the same name, Samara Weaving stars in THE VALET alongside Eugenio Derbez. Check-out this brand-new Trailer!

Synopsis:

In “The Valet,” world famous movie star, Olivia (Samara Weaving) faces a PR disaster when a paparazzi snaps a photo of her with her married lover, Vincent (Max Greenfield). The hard-working valet Antonio (Eugenio Derbez) accidentally appears in the same photo and is enlisted to pose as Olivia’s new boyfriend as a cover up. This ruse with Olivia thrusts Antonio into the spotlight and unexpected chaos. In this fish out of water romantic comedy, two worlds and cultures collide as both Olivia and Antonio start to see themselves more clearly than ever before. “The Valet,” directed by Richard Wong and written by Rob Greenberg and Bob Fisher, is the English-language remake of the hit French film.

Stills:

THE VALET arrives May 22, 2022 on Disney+.

(Photo/video credit: Disney)

The amazing Ashe brought her Faultline Tour to Toronto to a sold-out crowd at The Danforth Music Hall last night. Known best for her smash hits “Moral of the Story” with Niall Horan, and Till Forever Falls Apart, the San Jose-born Singer-Songwriter is prepping the release of her new track “Hope You’re Not Happy” and she states, “Some songs are about moving on and wishing someone the best. This is not that song.”.

Her fans came out full force tonight, wish handmade posters proclaiming “Ashe is Jesus” and during a rendition of her track “Always“, they held up signs showing names of people they’ve lost in their lives as the song is about coping with loss. During the twangy “Another Man’s Jeans“, she stopped the show as a fan was overheating and needed water. The same occurred a couple times more during the show with her checking-in to ensure fans were okay before continuing. The hour-plus set also contained a cover of Queen‘s “Somebody to Love“, drawing an ecstatic response from the young crowd. Ashe told the audience this Toronto show was one of her best ones yet on this Tour.

We met Ashe quickly at a bar, enjoying a pint and she was exactly that girl on stage. Sweet, personable and caring! She gets a quick day off tomorrow before heading to Detroit. She tells us she hopes to play a venue next like Massey Hall. Can’t wait! Loved her energy and presence on-stage!

See some snaps:

(Photo/video credit: Mr. Will Wong)

By George Kozera

Montreal-born Writer/Producer/Director Barry Avrich may be one of Canada’s most prolific Filmmakers. His critically-acclaimed Documentaries often showcase the notorious (Harvey Weinstein, Garth Drabinsky) or well-established, show business personalities (David Foster, Oscar Peterson, Howie Mandel). His latest, THE TALENTED MR. ROSENBERG, will have its World Premiere at Hot Docs and with a sly wink and tweaking of the title of a renowned novel by Patricia Highsmith (Ripley anyone?) tells the addictive tale of con-artist extraordinaire Allen Albert Rosenberg, best known as the Yorkville Swindler.

With input from two of his ex-wives and one of his daughters, alongside interviews with the police, various lawyers and journalists, Avrich paints a shocking portrait of a man with no remorse after fraudulently absconding with millions of dollars to upkeep a lavish lifestyle in one of Toronto’s most toniest districts. Described by the courts as someone with “Machiavellian Chutzpah” (a term I will use endlessly from this day forward!), THE TALENTED MR. ROSENBERG is Barry Avrich’s most compelling Documentary to date.

Screening:

Sunday, May 1 at 5:15PM at Ted Rogers Cinema

Thursday, May 5 at 7:00PM at the TIFF Bell Lightbox

Reigning Grammy-winning Best New Artist Olivia Rodrigo, continues her Sour Tour and concludes its Toronto dates tonight at Massey Hall. The nineteen-year-old Singer-Songwriter and Actress continues to see the fruits of her hard work flourish, selling-out theatres on both sides of the Atlantic with the Tour in support of her phenomenal debut album of the same name.

Rodrigo continues to have an amazing year, hot off three Grammy wins, a Documentary DRIVING HOME 2 U on Disney+ and this Tour, and we cannot wait to hear new Music. SOUR was the Soundtrack of our 2021! Also cannot wait to finally see her live in-concert with hopefully more tickets as she expands the size of the venues she plays. Believe us, we tried really hard to get tickets to this and it’s rare we don’t get to see a concert.

We were so happy to meet Rodrigo quickly as she went to get lunch quickly with tourmate Holly Humberstone. While her bodyguard was kind to come chat with us giving headsup she wouldn’t be stopping for Selfies in the City, she was sweet enough to sign our Cassette Tape for us and as she walked by me she did look over whispering a bright, friendly “Hello!”. Wish I had that on-video! Enjoying the beautiful weather, she looked so chic in a black shirt, bikini top, striped cardigan and “MOMA” baseball cap!

Rodrigo is believed to be headed back to New York City for Monday’s Met Gala, before hitting-up Boston for her next tour date. The Tour concludes July in London. Perhaps that MOMA cap really was a clue she’ll be at the Met Gala since Fashion’s most star-studded night takes place at the Metropolitan Museum of Modern Art?

In case you missed it, Avril Lavigne surprised fans on-stage at the first night of Rodrigo‘s Toronto dates! More here.

Really happy to have finally met Rodrigo! And cannot wait to get that official Selfie with her one day. Love her!

(Photo credit: Mr. Will Wong)

THE BAD GUYS hangs-onto to top spot a second straight week taking $14.4 million from 4,042 theatres for Universal Pictures. In its second weekend it has grossed a total $42.7 million.

In second is SONIC THE HEDGEHOG 2 with $9.7 million from 3,801 theatres for Paramount Pictures, a fantastic four week run at $159 million domestically.

Third goes to FANTASTIC BEASTS: THE SECRETS OF DUMBLEDORE with $7.5 million from 3,962 theatres for Warner Bros. It edges oh-so-close to $80 million in its third weekend out!

THE NORTHMAN is up in fourth with $6 million from 3,234 theatres for Focus Features/Universal Pictures, a total $22.4 million over two weeks.

EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE ALL AT ONCE is in fifth with $5.3 million, a total $35.2 million over six weeks for A24/Elevation Pictures.

It was the hottest ticket in the City and Toronto got treated to two nights of triple Grammy winner Olivia Rodrigo at Massey Hall, on her first self-headlining Sour Tour. With tickets selling-out instantly, the Tour gave fans a chance to see Rodrigo perform in an intimate setting versus going the arena/stadium route. This was surprising seeing how popular she is. That being said, the tickets were highly-coveted and many got shut-out. And yes, we’re a little sour about that!

Rodrigo performed a 13-track set, with English Singer-Songwriter Holly Humberstone supporting her. The set featured tracks off her debut album SOUR, but included one special cover of Avril Lavigne‘s smash hit “Complicated“. And ever better, Lavigne, who happened to be in Toronto getting ready to kick-off her BITE ME Tour tomorrow night, was able to join her on-stage! Fans were ecstatic!

Lavigne, who herself would understand the instant meteoric success that Rodrigo is experiencing, having dominated Pop Charts in the early ’00s, just recently got engaged to Singer MOD SUN, who also was in-attendance at the show. She will appear in May at the JUNOs again in Toronto!

We spotted Lavigne and Mod Sun leaving the show tonight together, both stopping for autographs and selfies with fans. The commotion reached a high-peak with a huge crowd lining the stage door at the theatre for a chance to see Rodrigo up-close, only for her to be snuck-out quietly out the venue.

See our Snaps:

Rodrigo is expected to head next to New York for Monday’s Met Gala, her second time attending. Many are guessing she will wear Vivienne Westwood after she sported a creation by her at the Grammys recently.

We cannot wait to see Rodrigo live one day! So jealous of everyone who got a chance to see her live!

We were lucky enough to spot Rodrigo around town. More on that here.

(Photo/video credit: Mr. Will Wong/Olivia Rodrigo Daily)