#FIRSTLOOK: “RED BALLOON” TRAILER

Avi Federgreen‘s directorial debut RED BALLOON is a Short Film. It screens at both the Cinéfest Sudbury International Film Festival and Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival.

Synopsis:

Tim’s young son Devon is very ill. To cope with his emotions, Tim takes daily jogs to the boardwalk. It is here that he buys Devon a red balloon every day to encourage him to keep fighting. Devon always begs to join him but Tim refuses, worried about his condition. While reflecting with his wife Milly on days when Devon was still well, their younger daughter hurries in to tell them Devon’s acting up. Tim rushes in to discover Devon cutting the balloon strings, wishing to see them fly. Overwhelmed with emotion, Tim ventures out alone immediately for a new balloon, despite Devon’s pleas to tag along. But at the boardwalk, the vendor is all out of red balloons, sending Tim into a panic. The Vendor offers some sage advice that helps Tim understand he needs to let Devon keep living his life, despite his diagnosis. Tim collects Devon and brings him to the boardwalk where they are welcomed by the Vendor holding an enormous bunch of red balloons. Later, when Devon wants to let this new balloon fly, Tim can finally release his fear for the future and enjoy this moment with his son by his side. Together on the beach they watch the balloon float up and out of sight. 

See the Trailer:

(Photo/video credit: Federgreen Entertainment)

#COOKING: SPICY PEACH CALIFORNIA ROLL RECIPE

Spicy Peach California Rolls. We had forgotten how fun it is to make Sushi at home! These are simple and while it might take a couple tries to perfect a nice tight roll, this is totally worth it and fun to do with others.

Maki:

1 1/2 cups Botan Calrose Rice
4 sheets Nori
2 eggs, beaten
4 strips of Surimi (artificial crab), halved length-wise
1/4 cucumber, sliced into thin strips
1/2 avocado, sliced into thin strips
4 tbsps seasoned rice vinegar
2 tbsps organic raw sugar
3 tbsps black sesame, toasted
Sea salt

Sriracha-Peach Mayo:
1 peach, skinned and sliced thin
1 tbsp organic raw sugar
3 tbsps Mayonnaise
1 tsp Sriracha

Instructions:

1. Cook rice in rice cooker with 2 1/4 cups of water. Unplug once cooked and cool for 10 minutes. Stir-in vinegar, sugar and salt to taste and set aside. Sprinkle sesame seeds and mix gently into rice.
2. In sauce pan, cook peach slices with 1 tbsp sugar and 1 tbsp water on medium heat till softened (about 5 minutes), stirring often. Once cooked, transfer to a bowl and mix-in Mayo and Sriracha and whisk with fork till smooth.
3. Set toaster oven to 200°F. Toast Nori for about 1 minute, careful not to toast too long as these burn quickly. Set aside.
4. Grease skillet and fry beaten egg, folding over with spatula 3-4 times as it cooks till it forms a narrow rectangular bar. Set aside once cooked and slice into thin strips.
5. Line plastic wrap on bamboo sushi mat. Once rice cools down, divide into four equal portions. Use clean hands and pat rice down onto wrap. Flatten rice with hands until you have enough to cover about 3/4 of a Nori sheet. Occasionally rinse hands with water if too sticky. Place Nori sheet on-top of rice, shiny side facing you.
6. Line avocado, cucumber, artificial crab and egg strips length-wise in rows.
7. Carefully lift edge of Nori and roll it over filling. Continue to roll over about 2-3 more times over and cover it with plastic wrap. Take bamboo mat and wrap it over the sushi roll. Roll 2-3 times tightly, careful not to press too hard.
8. Using a sharp knife, cut each roll in half. Then take each half and cut three pieces. Rinse knife with water if it gets too sticky.
9. Arrange pieces on plate. Top with small dollop of Sriracha-Peach Mayo and a small bit of avocado. Serve with wasabi and soy sauce if you like. Yields about 24 maki.

Gallery:

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A post shared by Mr. Will Wong 📸 (@mrwillwong) on Sep 2, 2020 at 6:08am PDT

(Photo credit: Mr. Will Wong)

#GIVEAWAY: ENTER TO WIN A COPY OF “I’M THINKING OF ENDING THINGS”

From the Writer of Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Charlie Kaufman, comes I’M THINKING OF ENDING THINGS. The Psychological Thriller is based on the acclaimed Novel by Canadian Writer Iain Reid. The Film Adaptation starring Jessie Buckley, Jesse Plemons, Toni Collette and David Thewlis arrives on Netflix this week.

To celebrate its release, we are giving Canadian Readers a chance to win a copy of the Bestseller on which it is based.

See the Trailer:

To enter for a chance to win, click “like” on this Post at MR. WILL ON FACEBOOK. You also can Re-Tweet this Tweet from @mrwillw for an extra chance.

Charlie Kaufman, Writer of Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind directs I'M THINKING OF ENDING THINGS, coming this Friday to Netflix. Your chance to #win a copy of the Novel on which it is based! https://t.co/whR25nZXoV pic.twitter.com/1bbTQDoRkj

— MR. WILL WONG 📸 (@mrwillw) September 1, 2020

I’M THINKING OF ENDING THINGS is out Friday, September 4, 2020 on Netflix.

Rules and regulations here.

(Photo/video credit: Netflix)

#FIRSTLOOK: “JURASSIC PARK: CAMP CRETACEOUS”

JURASSIC PARK fans will be excited about this brand-new eight-episode Animated Series coming soon to Netflix.

Synopsis:

Set against the timeline of the blockbuster film Jurassic World, Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous follows a group of six teenagers trapped at a new adventure camp on the opposite side of Isla Nublar. When the events of the film unfold and dinosaurs are unleashed across the island, each kid realizes their very survival rests on the shoulders of themselves and their fellow campers. Unable to reach the outside world, our six teens will go from strangers to friends to family as they band together to survive the dinosaurs and uncover hidden secrets so deep they threaten the world itself.

See the Trailer:

JURASSIC WORLD: CAMP CRETACIOUS arrives on Netflix Friday, September 18, 2020.

Also check-out its interactive website here!

(Photo/video credit: Netflix)

#FANTASIA: “FOR THE SAKE OF VICIOUS”

By Amanda Gilmore

A kind-hearted nurse Romina (Lora Burke), a revenge-infused Chris (Nick Smyth), and a suspicious hostage Alan (Colin Paradine) are forced to defend themselves against random and violent intruders on Halloween night.

Directors Gabriel Carrer and Reese Evenshen have created a non-stop thrill ride with For The Sake Of Vicious. Screenwriter Evenshen has written three well-developed character’s with clear goals while constructing sufficient mystery within these characters and story. Burke, Smyth and Paradine give gratifying performances which anchor the Film’s many riveting twists. This Intruder Film is parts horror, thriller and action and is filled with gruesome, realistic special effects which are wholly impressive for this smash indie-flick.

For The Sake Of Vicious screens live online at Fantasia Fest on Tue. Sept. 1 at 7:15 PM.

#NEWMUSIC: TONI BRAXTON – “SPELL MY NAME”

It’s been a minute since we’ve heard from Toni Braxton. We confess. Her early catalog was the sound of our teen years which still stand among our favorite albums of all time. Seeing her live finally in the mid-2000s was a highlight and well worth the trouble getting all the way to a casino two hours out of the City. While we haven’t kept-up with her music, which we admit hasn’t had the same lustre it had at the height of her fame, it is like a warm blanket listening to her soothing, velvety Alto again in what’s been a not-so-great run for Pop/R&B – a genre she helped pioneer – in the past decade.

Braxton is back with her tenth studio album, SPELL MY NAME and Producer Antonio Dixon (Ariana Grande, Beyonce) returns once again after the Grammy-nominated success of 2018’s Sex & Cigarettes. Braxton has a hand in writing all tracks on the Collection – a concise nine tracks including two versions of Do It, one with Missy Elliott. The Album is a quick listen, a majority of it minor-sounding despite starting-off on a upbeat note with current single DANCE. The Disco-infused track recalls Chic and Nile Rodgers, as Braxton shrugs-off the blues of her lover and his infidelity, instead wanting to just dance. While this goes completely against the grain of where R&B is right now, Braxton does this well. The rhythm and her vocals are precise and we want more, but this is the end of the fun as she has something to say and things slow down.

First single DO IT lands on familiar territory. Braxton is the voice of your soul sister. Some of you out there might be stuck in a stagnant relationship or you might be putting-up with some damage that is beyond repair and she is that confidante you need to tell you that you need to do exactly what it is you know you need to. You get one version with Missy Elliott bantering with Braxton, and a solo version which is fine as is, towards the end.

H.E.R. lends a hand on GOTTA MOVE ON, which carries on the the conversation in DO IT. Titular track SPELL MY NAME is a gorgeous, sexy showpiece modernizing Braxton‘s repertoire with some Drake-esque moodiness, as she carries-on a fling with a younger man. Gorgeous orchestration that spares no cost with some elegant strings.

The remainder of the Disc sees Braxton grappling with a love that feels so right even though it is so wrong for her on SATURDAY NIGHT.

We are gifted with gorgeous Country-Soul ballad NOTHIN‘ a bonus track co-produced and co-written by longtime Collaborator Babyface that is so good we wish the Album had more of this melodic beauty that we’ve come to love of Braxton. In all, some of Braxton‘s best work in a bit over the span of a career which has always placed quality over quantity.

Universal Music Canada release SPELL MY NAME, in stores now. Buy it now here.

Babyface Toni Braxton

#NEWMUSIC: LADY GAGA X ARIANA GRANDE PERFORM AT 2020 VMAs

This was so epic and made it so much better that we have to wait another year for Lady Gaga’s Chromatica Ball. We were originally to see her in August!

See Gaga‘s superb performance at the 2020 MTV VMAs last night, joined by Ariana Grande in a show of Pop excellence in a performance of their track RAIN ON ME. IN MASKS! This was legit as you can hear the reverb coming out of her mask as she sang.

We’re floored. So good.

Gaga swept for Cinematography, Song, Collaboration, Artist of the Year and the TRICON Award! Well-deserved.

Other great performances last night:

DOJA CAT – Say So

BTS perform their debut English single DYNAMITE

THE WEEKND – Blinding Lights

MILEY CYRUS – Midnight Sky

Complete list of winners here.

(Photo/video credit: MTV)

ariana grande BTS Doja Cat lady gaga miley cyrus vmas

#NEWMUSIC: “MARIAH CAREY’S MAGICAL CHRISTMAS SPECIAL” COMING TO APPLETV+

Like we’ve said, be prepared for a Mariah takeover! A Memoir, album and now a TV Special celebrating the 25th anniversary of her holiday classic “All I Want for Christmas is You” also will be on the way.

The Special will be directed by BAFTA Award winner Hamish Hamilton (Oscars, Super Bowl Halftime show, London Olympics Opening & Closing Ceremonies), and Oscar nominee and Golden Globe winner Roman Coppola (“Mozart in the Jungle,”Moonrise Kingdom,” “A Very Murray Christmas”).

Date TBA. We can’t wait!

(Photo credit: Sony Music Entertainment)

#NEWMUSIC: SAWEETIE (FT. POST MALONE, DABABY + JACK HARLOW) “TAP IN” (NSFW)

This jam is pure-fire! Saweetie has stamped herself as one to watch her hit My Type blew-up on TikTok and now she follows- up with a banger in TAP IN, a new version featuring an all-star slate including Post Malone, DaBaby and Jack Harlow! The Track already got nominated at the VMAs for Song of the Summer and this new collaboration should help push it to the top!

Check it out:

Warner Music Canada will release her debut Disc this Fall, PRETTY B*TCH MUSIC. Music includes new tracks with Timbaland and Danja.

(Photo/video credit: Warner Music)

#FANTASIA: “THE DARK AND THE WICKED”

By Amanda Gilmore

When Louise (Marin Ireland) and Michael (Michael Abbott Jr.) come home to visit their mother (Julie Oliver-Touchstone) and slowly dying father (Michael Zagst) on their secluded rural farm, they quickly learn that something evil is lurking among them.

The Strangers Writer-Director Bryan Bertino is back with a bone-chilling horror Film that mixes grief with a terrifying possession story. The Occult-Horror theme of the devil seeking the souls of those with fractured families is used here. Bertino brings it to his Script creating a portrait of a fragmented family with grieving characters we care for. Their love becomes tested when they sense an unseen evil is terrorizing and possessing them. Early Bertino unsettles audiences and offers no lulls. The scares come from the excellent Lighthing, Directing, Sound and Production Design, combined with its stellar Cast led by Ireland. She carries the Film transitioning between grief, fear and disbelief with agility. Abbott Jr. turns in a restrained yet expressive performance and Xander Berkley gives a memorable, creepy supporting performance as a priest.

The Dark and The Wicked screens live online at Fantasia Fest on Fri. Aug. 28 at 9:45 PM.