There is something so nostalgic about English quartet THE 1975‘s sound that can instantly move you with the first few bars of their tunes. While their infectious sound, surprisingly still unfamiliar on North American airwaves, their following is sizable, filling-up Budweiser Stage in a stopoff in Toronto earlier this week. They’ve been nominated for a Grammy, have won prestigious BRIT and Ivor Novello Awards and have even landed a coveted musical guest spot on Saturday Night Live.

Comprised of frontman Matty Healy, Adam Hann (lead guitar), Ross MacDonald (keyboards, bass) and George Daniel (drums), the band is nothing short of charismatic. Their upcoming fourth studio disc through Universal Music Canada is due this summer, Notes on a Conditional Form.

We are thrilled to get to meet the Band this visit as they have visited the City but don’t often do press here. Despite completing an exhausting North American leg of their tour and being exhausted, they were amazing to make time for Fans accommodating photos and autographs, their security guard arranging a lined-up formation.

See our Snaps. Top to bottom: Daniel x Healy; Healy; Hann; and MacDonald

Some our our fave The 1975 Tracks:

It’s Not Living If It’s Not With You

The Sound

Somebody Else

We eagerly await new Music!

(Photo credit: Mr. Will Wong/Universal Music)

GODZILLA: KING OF THE MONSTERS destroys the competition in a big opening this weekend. The Warner Bros. release debuts at top spot with $51 million from 4,303 theatres. While getting 40% on the Tomatometer only, audiences gave it a B+ CinemaScore. Franchise best still belongs to 2014’s GODZILLA with $93 million.

ALADDIN slips to second spot this weekend with $43.6 million, which would be good enough to be #1 again most other weekends. It’s two week gross for Disney is $186.3 million domestically.

ROCKETMAN bows in third with $23.8 million for Paramount Pictures from 3,610 theatres across North America. Reviews are outstanding with a 90% on the Tomatometer and a strong A- CinemaScore.

MA lands in fourth in its debut for Universal Pictures, earning $18 million from 2,808 theatres. Reviews aren’t too bad, garnering 60% on the Tomatometer and a B- CinemaScore.

BOOKSMART is in eighth in week two of release, with $3.7 million and a $14.7 million total for United Artists Releasing/eOne Films.

THE HUSTLE rounds-out the Top Ten with $1.3 million, a three week tally of $33.1 million for Universal Pictures.

Filming quietly in Toronto is Brian Petsos’ directorial Feature debut, BIG GOLD BRICK, which he also penned. The Dark Comedy centers on a Writer hired to write enigmatic Floyd Devereux‘s Biography, encountering sheer chaos along the way.  The Film boasts an incredible Cast including Megan Fox, Oscar Isaac, Emery Cohen, Shiloh Fernandez and screen legend Andy Garcia.

Filming in the City’s east-end, we were ever lucky that production took place down the road from our home. We did our best to stay out of the way, but it was a thrill seeing a legend in Garcia operate and to see Cohen‘s level of energy while at work. Cohen you might remember from Oscar-nominated Brooklyn opposite Saoirse Ronan and The Place Beyond the Pines.

We know it’s early but this is the type of Movie that does the Festival rounds and we can only hope it makes it to TIFF next year when it sees a release!

Garcia was so nice to stop for a couple Selfies. He looks amazing still!

 

View this post on Instagram

 

So #AndyGarcia was filming on my street today. How was your day?

A post shared by Mr. Will Wong 📸 (@mrwillwong) on May 31, 2019 at 5:47pm PDT

(Photo credit: Mr. Will Wong)

Who knew Pink Ranger had such pipes? Naomi Scott blew us away in Disney’s Aladdin not only for her portrayal of Princess Jasmine, but also her amazing vocals on one of the Films’ signature tunes, SPEECHLESS penned by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul!

See a Clip:

The Original Motion Picture Soundtrack to Disney’s Aladdin is out now. Click here.

(Photo/video credit: Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures Canada)

GODZILLA fans, check this out!

From May 31 – June 2, 2019, you’ll have a chance to check out a world exclusive, a 3D art installation by Kurt Wenner, giving the public a chance to interact with a 3D painting, enabling them to be a part of an intense moment with Godzilla! Insta-ready! The painting is 15 x 15 and incredibly eye-popping we hear. Best of all, it’s free!

Details:

WHEN: Friday May 31st – Sunday June 2nd

WHERE: Toronto Eaton Centre — Level 2 (centre of the mall)
220 Yonge Street, Toronto, ON, M5B 2H1

TIMES:
Public is welcome Friday, May 31, 2019 from 10:30AM – 9:30PM;
Saturday, June 1 from 9:30AM – 9:30PM; and
Sunday, June 2, from 10:00AM – 7:00PM

See the Trailer!

Don’t forget to check it out. GODZILLA: KING OF THE MONSTERS is in theatres this weekend!

(Photo/video credit: Warner Bros. Canada)

It’s back! One of our favourite fixtures in Toronto, Union Summer presented by TD, is back at Union Station May 31 through August 3, 2019! The atmospheric food market offers Toronto a chance experience the taste delights of several hotspots a quick dine-and-go patio setup for 65 days. There’s live Music, Film and more for an immersive experience.

Dining options include Menu favourites from:

El Catrin Destileria

Union Chicken

Cabano’s Comfort Food

Moosehead Breweries

Bangkok Buri

Kathi Roll Express

Carbon Bar

Wvrst

Pancho’s Bakery

…and several more!

We had the pure joy of eating our way through the market and only wish we had more room in our stomach to try everything!

Watch us devour Union Summer with our buddy Habeyah:

For more, visit:

TorontoUnion.Ca/TDUnionSummer

(Photo/video credit: Mr. Will Wong)

Tom Holland and Chris Pratt team-up outside the Marvel Cinematic Universe as elf brothers in ONWARD!

Synopsis:

In Disney and Pixar’s “Onward,” two teenage elf brothers embark on an extraordinary quest in a van named Guinevere to discover if there is still a little magic left in the world. Featuring Tom Holland as the voice of Ian Lightfoot, and Chris Pratt as the voice of Ian’s older brother, Barley, “Onward” opens in theatres on March 6, 2020.

See the Trailer:

Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures Canada release ONWARDS Friday, March 6, 2010.

(Photo/video credit: Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures Canada)

We’re here for those THE LION KING updates! Check-out these brand-new character posters from this Summer’s most-awaited Movie!

Synopsis:
Staying true to the classic story, director Jon Favreau utilizes pioneering filmmaking techniques to bring the iconic characters to the big screen in a whole new way. Featuring the voices of Donald Glover as Simba, Beyoncé Knowles-Carter as Nala, James Earl Jones as Mufasa, Chiwetel Ejiofor as Scar, Seth Rogen as Pumbaa and Billy Eichner as Timon, Disney’s “The Lion King” opens in theatres on July 18, 2019.

See the Trailer:

Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures Canada release THE LION KING Friday, July 18, 2019.

(Photo/video credit: Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures Canada)

He’s back and badder than ever! Check-out this new Trailer for RAMBO: LAST BLOOD starring Sylvester Stallone in the titular role!

Synopsis:
Almost four decades after he drew first blood, Sylvester Stallone is back as one of the greatest action heroes of all time, John Rambo. Now, Rambo must confront his past and unearth his ruthless combat skills to exact revenge in a final mission. A deadly journey of vengeance, RAMBO: LAST BLOOD marks the last chapter of the legendary series.

See the Trailer:

VVS Films release RAMBO: LAST BLOOD Friday, September 20, 2019.

(Photo/video credit: VVS Films)

Back in 2016, The Secret Life of Pets took the Box Office by storm as an animated movie which could be enjoyed by kids and adults alike.

It told the story of Max, a terrier who enjoys an idyllic home life with his owner Katie. But the peace is shattered when she adopts another stray, Duke, who turns out to be something of a handful and an enemy to Max (until the generic Hollywood ‘we’re all the same, really’ narrative kicks in).

That first movie made $875 million worldwide – not bad for its $75 million budget – and so writer Brian Lynch, who penned the Minions movie, and director Chris Renaud, at the helm of Despicable Me, have returned for the sequel hoping for a similarly money-spinning epic.

There has been a crucial casting change: Louis C.K., who became persona non grata in Hollywood following a scandal, has been replaced as the voice of Max by Patton Oswalt, last heard voicing the eponymous blue unicorn Happy in the Netflix series of the same name. The sharp-eared will detect the dulcet tones of Harrison Ford, Dana Carvey and Hannibal Buress in cameo roles, too.

‘Patton Oswalt’ – Gage Skidmore via Flickr (CC BY-SA 2.0)

Animal Adventures

This time around the action focuses on Max’s visit to the terrifying vet, and the adventures he gets into on the way alongside his buddies Duke (Eric Stonestreet), Daisy (Tiffany Haddish), Snowball (Kevin Hart) and Gidget (Jenny Slate).

There’s also plenty of other side stories to enjoy, including the newcomer Daisy, a feisty foil to the more reserved Max, calling on the help of Snowball to help rescue and release a white tiger that she happens to have in her company. Hart’s cowardly rabbit is transformed into Captain Snowball, and some rib-tickling takes on superhero movie culture ensue.

The Secret Life of Pets 2 builds on the same tropes as the original movie. There’s plenty of cute fluffy animals for the kids to enjoy, a pleasing undertone of friendship and togetherness that parents will enjoy their children learning, and a few near-the-knuckle jokes that will have adults chuckling and the kids wondering what mommy and daddy are laughing at.

One of the standout scenes comes in the waiting room at the veterinary clinic, where Max waits nervously to be seen by a professional. He is regaled with horror stories from his fellow pets in a genuinely funny sequence that will have any animal-lover nodding in recognition.

And cat owners will enjoy the sequences involving Chloe, the rotund grey feline who is given Catnip and acts in rather psychedelic fashion thereafter. The scene where she tries to waken Katie and has, well, an accident that will be familiar to many.

Released by Universal Pictures with a PG certificate, The Secret Life of Pets 2 hits theaters on June 7. If you can’t wait that long, you can always pick up the DVDof the first movie in the series, which is available for just $3.44 from Amazon.

And if cute animals are your thing, there are games such as the Fluffy Favourites slots, available to play at Lucky Pants Bingo, from which to get your furry fix. Featuring a cast of adorable creatures, you’ll have a blast watching them spin on your reels and, who knows, you might even pick up some cash prizes along the way.

In summary, The Secret Life of Pets 2 is the perfect movie for children and big kids alike, and the addition of the brilliant Oswalt in the lead role of Max helps to take the franchise to the next level.