Apple TV+ have announced today that they’ve ordered a new eight-episode Crime Thriller Series, CRIMINAL RECORD starring Peter Capaldi and Cush Jumbo! The Series currently is in production.

Synopsis:

“Criminal Record” is a powerful, character-driven thriller set in the heart of contemporary London. An anonymous phone call draws two brilliant detectives into a confrontation over an old murder case, one a young woman in the early stages of her career; the other a well-connected man determined to protect his legacy. The series touches on issues of race, institutional failure, and the quest to find common ground in a polarized Britain. Peter Capaldi (“Doctor Who,” “The Thick of It”) stars as Detective Chief Inspector Daniel Hegarty and Cush Jumbo (“The Good Wife,” “The Good Fight,” “The Beast Must Die”) stars as Detective Sergeant June Lenker.

BAFTA Award nominee Paul Rutman (Creator of “Vera” from the Anne Cleeves novels and “Indian Summers”), BAFTA Scotland Award winner Elaine Collins (“Shetland,“ ”Vera“), BAFTA and Academy Award winner Peter Capaldi (“Doctor Who,” “The Thick of It”) and Laurence Olivier Award and Critics Choice Award nominee Cush Jumbo (“The Good Wife,” “The Good Fight,” “Trying”) serve as Executive Producers. BAFTA Award winner Jim Loach (“Save Me Too,” “Oranges and Sunshine”) directs the Series.

(Photo credit: Apple TV+)

JURASSIC WORLD DOMINION for a second straight week demolishes the competition. In its second weekend, it pulls-in $66.2 million, a total $257.3 million from 4,697 theatres for Universal Pictures.

LIGHTYEAR which was expected to take the crown in its debut brightens up the Box Office settles for #2 at $55 million from 4,255 theatres for Disney, This origins story for the hero who inspired the Toy Story character and voiced by Chris Evans, gets 78% on the Tomatometer. Though not a a part of the Toy Story franchise, by comparison 2019’s Toy Story 4 opened with $120 million in North America.

TOP GUN: MAVERICK still is in-flight with $46.5 million from 4,035 theatres for Paramount Pictures, taking it to $468 million in its domestic run.

DOCTOR STRANGE IN THE MULTIVERSE OF MADNESS is in fourth with $3.8 million for Disney, a total $404 million grossed to date.

Fifth spot goes to THE BAD GUYS with $4 million in its eighth weekend for Universal Pictures.

It’s Elvismania allover again! The Cast and Director of ELVIS have landed in Toronto for a day of Press in advance of tonight’s Canadian Premiere of the Film at TIFF Bell Lightbox, where the Red Carpet will be rolled-out!

Stars Austin Butler and Olivia De Jonge were up and at it early today doing the Morning Show circuit, with stops at Breakfast Television and The Morning Show. They star as Elvis and Priscilla Presley respectively in Baz Luhrmann‘s upcoming spectacle which recounts The King of Rock ‘n’ Roll’s rise to fame, and complicated relationship with his Manager, Colonel Tom Parker (Tom Hanks).

After a Premiere at Cannes where it got a record extended standing ovation, the buzz continues to spread for this latest effort from the same Director who brought us The Great Gatsby and Moulin Rouge.

Some lucky fans were able to get Selfies with Butler, who actually spent a Summer here back in 2010 filming SHARPAY’S FABULOUS ADVENTURE back in 2010. De Jonge, in a bit of a rush, still was gracious enough to stop for a couple snaps, holding a Tim Hortons cup of coffee! Honourary Canadian!

Luhrmann returns to Toronto after having promoted The Great Gatsby here back in 2013. We were so lucky to get to chat with him. More here.

Our Review of ELVIS here.

See some Snaps:

Warner Bros. Pictures Canada release ELVIS Friday, June 24, 2022.

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

One of 2022’s biggest breakout hits no doubt will be CHA CHA REAL SMOOTH. Written, directed by and starring Cooper Raiff, the heartfelt Dramedy about a 22-year-old named Andrew who strikes an unlikely bond with a young mother, Domino (Dakota Johnson) and her daughter Lola (Vanessa Burghardt). This all set of course in the world of the Bar Mitzvah circuit.

It was our honour to chat with Raiff about this Film, which took the Audience Award in the Dramatic category at Sundance earlier this year. It possesses a rare magic to it that so compassionately takes us into the world of these characters. You don’t forget a Film like CHA CHA REAL SMOOTH and its people.

We ask Raiff about the genesis of the Film and whether or not it is autobiographical.

Raiff: “It’s a very personal movie. None of it’s autobiographical, but all of it is. It’s based on feelings I’ve had, experiences I’ve had, people in my life. It’s always difficult taking things that are personal to you onto a screen. You’re not just trying to have this cathartic thing, you’re trying to communicate to an audience.”

“The genesis of it is that I wanted to make a Movie about a young mom of a disabled daughter. I started pitching those two characters to people and they were like, ‘That’s not a Movie. That’s like two Characters.’. Then I thought of this other character and thought of this idea to tell the story through the lens of the person I knew best in the world, this 22-year-old dummy. I needed a way for them to keep coming into contact with each other and then the Bar Mitzvah circuit idea came in.”.

We ask about what struggles Raiff faced getting something so personal to him to the screen, and also the process of getting Dakota Johnson to sign-on as Executive Producer, in addition to starring as Domino.

Raiff: “Her Producer met her first, Ro Donnelly. I pitched her those four elements, and I pitched her the title CHA CHA REAL SMOOTH, and she told Dakota about it. And we all met, the three of us the next day, and it was night time for Dakota, she was in Greece, about to film The Lost Daughter. And I pitched her this Character and I told her how much I love her as a Performer and how much I really wanted to collaborate with her.”

“A big struggle was that the character of Domino is kinda based on my mom. Lola‘s in a way based on my sister. My sister’s disabled. She’s not Autistic, it’s more severe. She has a condition called Holoprosencephaly where she can’t walk or talk and I really wanted to make a Movie about her. This is what I’m talking about. The struggle of something so personal. I was going to make this Movie about my actual sister and I realized she would’ve been a very terrible Actress. She would’ve looked into the camera the whole time. So what I wanted to communicate was that bond.”

“The best moments of the Movie are when Vanessa Burghardt who plays Lola – watching her audition tape, it just triggered something in me where I started crying so hard, because I knew immediately she was reading with her mom, like her mom was behind the camera. I don’t know why I knew, but I could tell she was frustrated at one point. She was frustrated with her mom. It made me laugh and want to cry and that bond is what I wanted to make the Movie about.”.

Vanessa Burghardt delivers a breakout performance here, in what is her Feature Film debut. Raiff tells us about tackling the topic of Disability in his Film.

Raiff: “Vanessa said that Lola’s a person before she’s a poster for Autism. Something I really care about is that it’s important to respect that we are different. But there’s this line in the Movie where Andrew asks Domino, ‘Is it hard?’ to Lola being Autistic, and she says, ‘Yeah, but not because of her’. That is a key thing with people with disabilities. It’s really harsh. But it’s not hard because of this Disability, it’s hard because of the world we’re living in makes it difficult. And it’s not accessible in many ways. People are idiots. I think it’s important to show that embracing it is really easy.”.

After raves on the Festival Circuit including Sundance, SXSW and more recently the Tribeca Film Festival, Raiff reflects on all the accolades.

Raiff: “It’s been surprising and so emotional and nice. Hearing you talk about it, it gives me chills and I really feel so happy to be talking to you about it.”.

We ask Raiff what’s next?

Raiff: “I’m shooting a Hockey Movie this Fall called THE TRASHERS, based on a True Story about this dad named Jimmy Galante (David Harbour), who gifts his 18-year-old son a Hockey Team, and his son becomes the President of the Team and the story ends with the dad in federal prison. It’s really personal to me and I can’t wait for people to see it!”.

See our Chat here:

CHA CHA REAL SMOOTH arrives June 17, 2022 on Apple TV+.

(Photo/video credit: Apple TV+)

Attention Motorsport fans! Samsung Canada and Advanced SimRacing, have developed a one-of-a-kind Racing Simulator for their Samsung Neo QLED 8K TVs.

To ensure the simulator meets the needs of motorsports industry professionals, Samsung also partnered with Canadian professional Race Car Driver, Daniel Morad. A tech enthusiast and top-rated sim racing streamer, Morad’s range of expertise was an ideal match to help showcase the ultimate racing simulator.

The Samsung Neo QLED 8K Racing Simulator will be available for consumers to enjoy at the Samsung Experience Store at CF Toronto Eaton Centre, starting this Friday, June 17, 2022.

Also, Samsung recently announced that Xbox is joining the Samsung Gaming Hub, a brand new game streaming discovery platform available on 2022 Samsung Smart TV models (including the Neo QLED 8K) beginning June 30, 2022, making Samsung the world’s first Smart TV platform to include the Xbox app on Smart TVs.

(Photo credit: Samsung Canada)

Disney made several announcements today at the Annecy International Animated Film Festival about upcoming releases, STRANGE WORLD, BAYMAX! and ZOOTOPIA+!

STRANGE WORLD

The studio revealed key members of the voice cast joining previously announced actor Jake Gyllenhaal. Gyllenhaal lends his voice to Searcher Clade, a farmer who finds himself thrust into an adventure in a strange world. He is joined by an all-star cast, including: 

• Dennis Quaid as Jaeger Clade, Searcher’s larger-than-life explorer father 
• Jaboukie Young-White as Ethan Clade, Searcher’s 16 year-old son who longs for adventure beyond his father’s farm while also navigating a school crush
• Gabrielle Union as Meridian Clade, a pilot and natural leader, mom to Ethan, and wife of Searcher 
• Lucy Liu as Callisto Mal, the head of the land of Avalonia and the leader of the exploration into the strange world 

Within the Disney Animation presentation, Oscar-winning filmmaker and Chief Creative Officer Jennifer Lee received the Festival’s Honorary Cristal Award, from Annecy Festival Artistic Director Marcel Jean. In her remarks to the audience, Lee thanked the festival and all of those at Disney Animation. “We look ahead, together,” she said. “The ‘we’ is more important than ever as our studio can only truly shine when everyone feels welcome, feels the pride and responsibility of our legacy, and feels inspired to create, together.” 

Lastly, two-time Academy Award® winner and President of Disney Animation, Clark Spencer, surprised the audience with world premieres of episodes from Disney Animation’s first-ever series, “Baymax!” which releases June 29 on Disney+, and “Zootopia+,” which Spencer announced would debut on Disney+ November 9, 2022. 

“Baymax!” returns to the fantastical city of San Fransokyo where the affable, inflatable, inimitable healthcare companion, Baymax (voice of Scott Adsit), sets out to do what he was programmed to do: help others. Zootopia+ heads back to the fast-paced mammal metropolis of Zootopia in a short-form series that dives deeper into the lives of some of the feature film’s most intriguing characters, including Fru Fru, the newly married arctic shrew; Gazelle’s talented tiger dancers; and the sloth full of surprises, Flash. 

(Photo credit: Disney)

Prime Video have just announced today that THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE RINGS OF POWER will have its own Panel at San Diego Comic Con this Summer! For the first time, the world will meet the international team of Actors who will bring J.R.R. Tolkien‘s Second Age to life!

The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power is led by showrunners and executive producers J.D. Payne & Patrick McKay and stars a celebrated cast led by Cynthia Addai-Robinson, Robert Aramayo, Owain Arthur, Maxim Baldry, Nazanin Boniadi, Morfydd Clark, Ismael Cruz Córdova, Charles Edwards, Trystan Gravelle, Sir Lenny Henry, Ema Horvath, Markella Kavenagh, Tyroe Muhafidin, Sophia Nomvete, Lloyd Owen, Megan Richards, Dylan Smith, Charlie Vickers, Leon Wadham, Benjamin Walker, Daniel Weyman, and Sara Zwangobani.

Joining Payne & McKay are executive producers Lindsey Weber, Callum Greene, J.A. Bayona, Belén Atienza, Justin Doble, Jason Cahill, Gennifer Hutchison, Bruce Richmond, and Sharon Tal Yguado, as well as producers Ron Ames and Christopher Newman. Wayne Che Yip is co-executive producer and directs, along with J.A. Bayona and Charlotte Brändström.

The multi-season drama will premiere in multiple languages and in more than 240 countries and territories worldwide on Friday, September 2, 2022 exclusively on Prime Video, with new episodes available weekly.

(Photo credit: Prime Video Canada)

IMMERSIVE KING TUT: MAGIC JOURNEY TO THE LIGHT arrives in Toronto August 10, 2022! This is the latest from Lighthouse Immersive who brought us the Van Gogh, Kahlo and Klimt exhibits at One Yonge Street.

The Exhibit uses stunning visuals to tell the story of the Amduat, animportant ancient Egyptian funerary text, thought to be the oldest known illustrated story, that was depicted on the tombs of pharaohs. State-of-the-art video mapping and ground-breaking animation bring to life the story of King Tut’s passage into the afterlife as he escorts the sun through the underworld each night to rise again victoriously each morning. Mexico City-based Cocolab created the fantastical animations integrating breathtaking images acquired by UEG and IFFDA through their 30-year history of presenting spectacular touring exhibitions including those honoring King Tut and ancient Egyptian civilization. 

MMERSIVE KING TUT: MAGIC JOURNEY TO THE LIGHT was designed by the acclaimed creative team at Cocolab in Mexico City.  The project is headed by César Moheno-Pla, with original music by Edi Kistler and art direction by Renata Galindo.

After its Toronto run, the Exhibit is confirmed for five other North American cities in 2022, with more to be announced soon. Tickets, which start at $29.99, are available beginning today at immersive-kingtut.com.

Ana de Armas stars as Marilyn Monroe in BLONDE! See the stunning new Teaser Trailer.

Synopsis:
Based on the bestselling novel by Joyce Carol Oates, Blonde boldly reimagines the life of one of Hollywood’s most enduring icons, Marilyn Monroe. From her volatile childhood as Norma Jeane, through her rise to stardom and romantic entanglements, Blonde blurs the lines of fact and fiction to explore the widening split between her public and private selves. Written and directed by Andrew Dominik, the film boasts a cast led by Ana de Armas and featuring Bobby Cannavale, Adrien Brody, Julianne Nicholson, Xavier Samuel and Evan Williams.

 Netflix release BLONDE September 23, 2022.

(Photo/video credit: Netflix)

We miss Jean-Marc Vallée so much and it helps that a Documentary is in development by Marie-Julie Dallaire, to help us remember his incredible talent and body of work.

Details:

ITEM 7 is pleased to announce that a feature-length documentary on the life and career of Jean-Marc Vallée is in the works. Produced by Pierre Even and directed by Marie-Julie Dallaire, the film will benefit from the support and participation of the family of the late Canadian filmmaker, his sons Alex and Émile Vallée and their mother Chantal Cadieux. Made up of archives and original footage, this film will allow the audience to spend time with Jean-Marc Vallée, this sensitive filmmaker whose intensity left no one indifferent.  

“Jean-Marc and I became friends at the release of C.R.A.Z.Y.. His sudden departure leaves me without words. Yet I feel the need to express my love and gratitude to him loud and clear. CUT PRINT THANK YOU BYE will be my way of paying tribute to Jean-Marc, of keeping him alive, of mourning him, using our common language: cinema,” said director Marie-Julie Dallaire.

Pierre Even said, “Jean-Marc’s departure left a gaping hole in our lives. This great emptiness has brought together all those who knew him. CUT PRINT THANK YOU BYE is a work of sharing and memory, so that everyone has access to this great man of cinema, our friend Jean-Marc Vallée.”

“Cinema is a ribbon of dreams, inspired by the desire to share the human experience of loving and being loved. Jean-Marc understood this… Why make a film about JMV? Because we must not forget that we must dream, that we must love, that we must share. For those who follow us.” added Yves Bélanger, director of photography and initiator of this project.

For this film, an intimate portrait as well as a last opportunity to spend time with the extraordinary artist that was Jean-Marc Vallée, Pierre Even (producer of C.R.A.Z.Y. and Café de Flore) and Marie-Julie Dallaire (director of Comme une vague, Iris 2022 for Best Documentary with Jean-Marc Vallée as executive producer), long-time collaborators of the filmmaker, join forces with cinematographer Yves Bélanger (Dallas Buyers Club, Wild, Demolition, Sharp Objects, Big Little Lies), another frequent collaborator of the director.

(Photo credit: Searchlight Pictures)