Described both as rugged and refined, WESLODGE was one of our official partners of TIFF ’18! The King Street West hotspot in Toronto from premier hospitality group ICONINK, has hosted several stars during the Festival including this year, Isabelle Huppert, Chloë Grace Moretz and Maika Monroe.

Executive Chef Ben Heaton delivers a sophisticated spin on Canadian classics. Open for brunch and dinner, plus a late night menu, Weslodge has been a fixture in the City and for good reason!

Favourites include:

Nashville Hot Chicken
Wagyu Beef Footlong
Burgers
Striploin Steaks
Buffalo Fried Chicken
The Full Weslodge Brunch

We are giving our Toronto readers a chance to experience the star treatment at Weslodge with a $200 Gift Card which should be more than enough for a fabulous dinner for two!

To enter to win, click “like” on this Post at MR. WILL ON FACEBOOK. Be following and “like” this Post on our Instagram @mrwillwong for an extra chance. Tag a friend in the comments there!

  You also may click “share” on this Post from Facebook too for another chance! Be sure to follow WESLODGE also!

Weslodge is located at 480 King St W Toronto, ON M5V 1L7

Weslodge.com for more.

(Photo credit: ICONINK)

Hot off the success of MAMMA MIA! HERE WE GO AGAIN comes Cher‘s upcoming all-ABBA tribute album. First off the Disc is her cover of SOS! While the legend doesn’t actually appear in the Video, several stars like Rumer Willis and Betty Who do! We are excited for the next as this Album is going to be pure fire!

Check-out the Video:

Official Tracklisting:

1. “Dancing Queen”
2. “Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight)”
3. “The Name Of The Game”
4. “SOS”
5. “Waterloo”
6. “Mamma Mia”
7. “Chiquitita”
8. “Fernando”
9. “The Winner Takes It All”
10. “One Of Us”

Warner Music Canada release DANCING QUEEN Friday, September 28, 2018.

(Photo/video credit: Warner Music Canada)

20th Century Fox Canada x Mr. Will want to take Readers in Toronto to see BAD TIMES AT THE EL ROYALE! The Screening takes place:

TORONTO

Monday, October 1

7:30PM

Scotiabank Theatre (259 Richmond St W)

MONTREAL ENGLISH

Monday, October 1

7:00PM

Cinema Banque Scotia

MONTREAL FRENCH

Wednesday, October 10

7:00PM

Starcite Montreal

VANCOUVER

Monday, October 1

7:00PM

Scotiabank Vancouver

SYNOPSIS:
Seven strangers, each with a secret to bury, meet at Lake Tahoe’s El Royale, a rundown hotel with a dark past. Over the course of one fateful night, everyone will have a last shot at redemption… before everything goes to hell. Jeff Bridges, Chris Hemsworth, Jon Hamm, Dakota Johnson and Cynthia Erivo lead an all-star cast in BAD TIMES AT THE EL ROYALE.

See the Trailer:

Artwork:

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

20th Century Fox Canada release BAD TIMES AT THE EL ROYALE Friday, October 12, 2018.

(Photo/video credit: 20th Century Fox)

By Amanda Gilmore for Mr. Will Wong

Assassination Nation had its International Premiere in the Midnight Madness Programme at TIFF this year. However, if you happened to miss it you’re in luck it will be releasing in theatres on September 21. While it was showing at TIFF ’18 we had the chance to sit down with the Director of the Film, Sam Levinson and Cast members Hari Nef, Suki Waterhouse and Abra about this imminent cult classic.

See the Trailer:

Q: Sam, why did you feel you needed to write this and bring this world to life?

LEVINSON: I started writing this five days before my wife gave birth to our first child. I was really nervous about where our country was headed, just the amount rage that seemed to be bubbling up. And I think I wanted to emotionally unpack it and deal with it in the only way I know how to, as a Writer and a Filmmaker. And I think that was part of it but also, I wanted to write a Film that I thought mirrored the emotional intensity and vitality of the internet. You open up your phone any morning and you’re reading about someone getting shot or here’s a street fight or here’s someone singing a song to a dying family member. And that’s all in the span of about 5 minutes. and it’s an emotional rollercoaster. It’s so intense and it adds this kind of, I don’t know the best way to describe it as, but this sort of dizzying feeling about how do you navigate this world and keep your sanity. If you were to take that and mix it with young people today in some way this movie sort of serves as a road map for how to navigate the world… and the fantasy of sometimes how you wish you could navigate this world, which is by, you know what, saying “fuck you, I don’t give a shit. I’m not going to take it anymore.” Its [The Film] this sort of crazy piece but I wanted to reflect the sort of madness of the internet.

WATERHOUSE: Its like being on the other side of being so scared about your privacy and not wanting anyone to know anything about you, and then the other side is like, you know my worst parts you know things I’m capable of and like “two fingers up to you. I don’t care what you think, I’ going to survive this.”

Q: If there is one thing you want audiences to take away from this Film, what would it be?

ABRA: I wish we all and the people watching, on how we watch each other, we should have more empathy, and be less judgmental about everything. Just take less judgement, be less harsh and step away from the lens and question you’re lens for a minute. Even if it’s the right one, just step away for a minute.

NEF: I would like people to question their own certainty of the truth, of what is right, of what is kind, of what is good. I think that our nation is stratified on to lines right now that are 100% sure of their own rightness, righteousness. And if this Film could parochialize that kind of view a little bit  and dig deeper and perhaps question it — that could be a catalyst for positive conversations.

LEVINSON: Yeah, and conversations that I think can ultimately move things forward because right now, at least in American, I feel like we are in this sort of stand off. And standoffs don’t normally end well. Its nerve wracking for all of us, in many ways.

NEF: I found myself questioning my own points of view, just during the filming of the Movie. When we were going to the Louisiana gun range and I was like “oh guns. I hate guns.” And I still have perhaps Liberal views on gun control, but you know, I was in a part of the country that I have never been in for an extended period of time. My prejudices about the conservative south or the lower belt where totally changed and shifted just by the time I spent down there. If you open your eyes and your heart you will be surprised.

LEVINSON: The thing with guns is, if I hear a gun shot I just wanna drop to the ground and hide. So it’s weird being in a gun range because you’re hearing shooting and you’re not supposed to react to it.

NEF: But also working with those guns, holding them and firing them, I understand why these things are important to people. Especially for people who feel extra vulnerable.

LEVINSON: 100% I get it. I think the emotional motivation and the psychological thought of being able to protect yourself. I completely understand that aspect of it no matter what my views are on the context of it. But I think that’s what the Movie is ultimately about. Their ideology in and of itself is bound to fail. And this Film is about discourse it’s about the way in which we communicate. It’s about the idea that if you operate with an absolute certainty that you are right, and that your actions are therefore just, then that is a recipe for a horror film and that’s what this Movie is about.

Elevation Pictures release ASSASSINATION NATION on Friday, September 21, 2018.

CRITICS ARE CALLING FIRST MAN “SPECTACULAR,” “A CINEMATIC TRIUMPH” AND “THE BEST MOVIE OF THE YEAR.” UNIVERSAL PICTURES AND ACADEMY AWARD®-WINNING DIRECTOR DAMIEN CHAZELLE INVITE YOU TO EXPERIENCE THE IMPOSSIBLE JOURNEY TO THE MOON. RYAN GOSLING AND CLAIRE FOY STAR IN FIRST MAN. IN THEATRES AND IMAX OCTOBER 12TH.

Mr. Will x Universal Pictures Canada want to give Readers a chance to attend an Advance Screening of TIFF ’18 selection, FIRST MAN.

Screenings take place as follows:
WEDNESDAY OCTOBER 10TH
TORONTO SCOTIABANK THEATRE TORONTO 7:30 PM
VANCOUVER CINEPLEX CINEMAS MARINE GATEWAY 7:00 PM
MONTREAL CINEPLEX MONTREAL FORUM 7:00 PM
CALGARY LANDMARK SHAWNESSY 7:00 PM
EDMONTON CINEPLEX SOUTH COMMONS 7:00 PM

Synopsis:
On the heels of their six-time Academy Award®-winning smash, La La Land, Oscar®-winning director Damien Chazelle and star Ryan Gosling reteam for Universal Pictures’ First Man, the riveting story of NASA’s mission to land a man on the moon, focusing on Neil Armstrong and the years 1961-1969. A visceral, first-person account, based on the book by James R. Hansen, the movie will explore the sacrifices and the cost—on Armstrong and on the nation—of one of the most dangerous missions in history.

See the Trailer:

Artwork:

To enter to win, click “like” on this Post at MR. WILL ON FACEBOOK and tell us what you would say to Ryan Gosling  if you were stuck together on a rocket to the moon. Also please indicate your City. Re-Tweet this Tweet from @mrwillw for an extra chance.

Universal Pictures Canada release FIRST MAN Friday, October 12, 2018.

(Photo/video credit: Universal Pictures Canada)

Imagine Dragons team-up with Wreck-It Ralph for a new Track for the eagerly-awaited Film, RALPH BREAKS THE INTERNET! The Track is called ZERO and it is available now!

See the Video:

Synopsis:
In “Ralph Breaks the Internet,” video-game bad guy Ralph (voice of John C. Reilly) and best friend Vanellope von Schweetz (voice of Sarah Silverman) leave the comforts of the arcade in an attempt to save her game, Sugar Rush. Their quest takes them to the vast, uncharted world of the internet where they rely on the citizens of the internet—the Netizens—to help navigate their way. Lending a virtual hand are Yesss (voice of Taraji P. Henson), the head algorithm and the heart and soul of the trend-making site “BuzzzTube,” and Shank (voice of Gal Gadot), a tough-as-nails driver from a gritty online auto-racing game called Slaughter Race, a place Vanellope wholeheartedly embraces—so much so that Ralph worries he may lose the only friend he’s ever had.

Artwork:

Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures Canada release RALPH BREAKS THE INTERNET Friday, November 21, 2018.

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

To have one racehorse named after you is a dream, but for this to happen twice has me feeling like Bob Baffert winning his second Triple Crown!

While my schedule was super-busy during TIFF, it was almost impossible not to make a trip north of the City to see adorable MR WILL. Those of you following on Social Media will know how overjoyed we were to hear that a colt named MR WILL would be going through the sales ring at the 2018 Canadian Thoroughbred Horse Society Premier Yearling Sale last month. Bred by Northern Dawn Stable (Sherry McLean and Bob Craig), the colt after multiple bids went to owner/trainer Michelle Love and her husband Rob, who has the all-important job of Outrider at Woodbine Racetrack, keeping horses, horsepeople and fans safe. Once again, we are so touched by the Horse Racing community’s love. I am so grateful and thrilled about what lies ahead!

While we were saddened that our dear Princess (@APicbymrwill) had to be retired prematurely earlier this year, this gives us something to be really excited about. We still try to visit her every chance we can and we find comfort knowing that she is under the amazing care of Emily Fisher. She looks rather amazing and continues to be spoiled like she deserves. A bonus is that she’s only about ten minutes away from MR WILL.  Emily is dealing with her beloved stallion Don’s Folly, who is nursing an injury right now so we wish her and Don all the best in his recovery.

After driving past their home a few times (GPS only gets you so far in the country!) and finally finding it, I was ever anxious to meet my adorable new namesake. Rob told me, “I thought that might’ve been you!” seeing a little red Acura ILX driving back and forth like a lost soul.  Michelle led me into her barn, which houses Rob‘s beloved pony Grouch, a handsome gray who is a great ambassador for Woodbine, having appeared at Toronto’s Nathan Phillips Square to promote the sport. Michelle also has there a sweet filly she bought at the sale by red-hot freshman stallion, Souper Speedy.  Although she warned me that MR WILL might bite (just like his namesake!) being the colt that he is, he was on his best behaviour, reaching over to give me a peck. He’s even getting the hang of Selfies and I’m sure we’ll be giving him lots of practice! The colt definitely loves an audience and I was so impressed watching him do laps around his pen as both Michelle and Rob each took turns on him. He is under amazing guidance and while many other yearlings are taking their time getting ready, this boy already is at work and a true professional about it. It also helps that he was prepped well entering the sale, making Michelle‘s job a lot easier.

MR WILL knows all about mini carrots already, surprising Michelle even! 🥕

See some Snaps:

Looking at his pedigree, I have every reason to expect that MR WILL should excel on the turf. He is by 2008 Queen’s Plate winner Not Bourbon who has some deep bloodlines tracing back to the great Northern Dancer and Secretariat, the latter whom he actually resembles with his chestnut coat and linear white blaze. He also has some stamina and turf breeding on his mom, Wila Brew‘s side.  He is her first foal and she was a winner at Woodbine back in 2015 for trainer Dave Cotey, a man who knows his bloodstock having picked-out Kentucky Derby winner Mine That Bird on whom the Film 50-to-1 is based. I even remember seeing MR WILL‘s great-grandmother Willamar race at Woodbine when I was a kid and she was remarkably fast, setting a course record. Tons of history there.

We’ll try to keep you all updated on our boy’s progress without having to crash at Michelle and Rob‘s all the time. Too tempting to just show up at their home!! We’ve created a Twitter and Instagram for MR WILL, so please be following his exciting story as he transforms into a star of tomorrow!

MR WILL ON TWITTER

MR WILL ON  INSTAGRAM

Oh, we forgot to tell you about MR WILL‘s adorable little buddy, Roo!

He’s channeling Christopher Lloyd, Back to the Future!!

All photos taken on the NIKON D3400.

Just as TIFF ’18 winds-down, one of the biggest weekends in Horse Racing in Canada took place this past weekend at Woodbine Racetrack, including the Grade I $800k RICOH WOODBINE MILE, plus two Breeders’ Cup Win and You’re-In races, the Grade I Natalma and Grade II Summer Stakes. The trio of races are seen as springboards to Horse Racing’s championship days, the Breeders’ Cup to be held this November at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky.

Saturday’s headlining Ricoh Mile proved a thrilling race, running deep in quality and class. Ultimately it would be former Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf winner OSCAR PERFORMANCE who would deliver that Academy gold in the one-mile race on the turf. The four-year-old son of top stallion Kitten’s Joy trained by Brian Lynch, would boost his earnings to $2.34 million for owner Amerman Racing LLC, stopping the clock at 1:33.1, winning by 1 1/2 lengths under red-hot U.S.-based jockey Jose Ortiz. Bettors were reward $7.20 to a $2.00 bet.

Oscar Performance

Giving the victor a fight for his money was Woodbine-based hero MR HAVERCAMP, finishing in second spot for owners Sean & Dorothy Fitzhenry and trainer Catherine Day Phillips. Eurico Da Silva was aboard the brave performance, for the same connections as 2018 Woodbine Oaks winner DIXIE MOON. British invader STORMY ANTARCTIC (GB) took third spot for Mr. P.K. Siu and trainer Ed Walker.

Watch the race here:

The excitement continued into Sunday with the Grade I Natalma Stakes highlighting the day. The one-mile turf race for fillies has spawned several champions including Alywow, Dance Smartly, Arravale, Wavering Girl, Kirby’s Song, Ginger Gold and Victory to Victory. This year’s Queen’s Plate champion Wonder Gadot finished third in the race last year.

The race was taken by British import, LA PELOSA (IRE), an Irish-bred daughter of Dandy Man, owned by international racing giant, Godolphin. Trained by Charles Appleby and ridden by Englishman Jamie Spencer, the filly kicked home a length clear of the field in a time of 1:33.7, less than a click slower than much more seasoned veterans in the Woodbine Mile one day prior. Bettors were rewarded with a return of $8.50 to a $2.00 bet. Woodbine-based filly MY GAL BETTY was an impressive second as the post-time favourite for Hall of Fame trainer Roger Attfield, her chances compromised by a wide run. Another promising local filly BOLD SCRIPT would run third. The winner is expected to be Kentucky-bound early November for the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf.

See the race:

The boys would not be outshone as exciting Chad Brown trainee FOG OF WAR would score in the Summer Stakes by 3/4 of a length under jockey Javier Castellano, defeating a game WAR OF WILL, who comes from the barn of leading trainer Mark Casse. The winner paid $4.20 on a $2.00 bet and is owned by Peter M. Brant, finishing in a time of 1:33.9, just marginally slower than the fillies earlier in the Natalma. The top two finishers are by in-demand stallion WAR FRONT, whose stud fee stands at $250k U.S. Both colts can be expected to square-off again in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf. Local colt NASHTRICK, trained by Josie Carroll, finished third.

Fog of War
 
War of Will
 
Avie’s Flatter would finish fourth 

See the race:

 

The Breeders’ Cup takes place November 2-3, 2018. Catch it on TSN in Canada.

 

All photography taken on the NIKON D3400.

(Photo/video credit: Mr. Will Wong/Woodbine Entertainment Group/TSN)

breeders' cup woodbine woodbine mile

By Mr. Will Wong

And in a blink of an eye, another TIFF has passed and this one had us working right to the finish line! It’s only after the fact that we have a moment to take it all in how much we went through. We estimate double our average in Celebrity Snaps this year. That’s how star-studded TIFF ’18 was. It was that kind of a year!

We had the pleasure of previewing several of this year’s Awards Season contenders and we are waiting with baited breath to see A STAR IS BORN and GREEN BOOK, both outstanding, duke it out for Oscars glory in coming months. We loved both, are thrilled the latter was honoured with the People’s Choice Award at the Festival, but something about the former makes our heart sing. We cannot stop thinking about it or its Soundtrack. It takes a magical Film to do that.

Let’s relive some of my favourite star-studded moments of the Festival, as lensed through the Nikon D3400. We wouldn’t have been able to do it without this amazing camera which worked amazingly-well with our Blackberry Key 2 in terms of file transmission to ensure we were able to get our photos uploaded and edited within moments for you all to enjoy! The clarity of these snaps speak for themselves.

A STAR IS BORN Press Conference

We will never stop taking our signature Celebrity Selfies and TIFF ’18 was unforgettable even if we saw many returning faces. We wouldn’t have been camera-ready without the right gear and depending on each scenario, sometimes the Blackberry Key 2 worked best for those Selfies, sometimes the Nikon D3400 worked better. What matters is that more often than not, we got the snap! And many we did.

Here’s some of our faves!

Alexander Skarsgård

Amandla Stenberg

Amber Heard

Anthony Ramos

Boyd Holbrook

Cara Delevingne

Chris Pine

Claire Foy

Daniel Kaluuya

Elizabeth Debicki

Gwendoline Christie

Hari Nef

Jacob Tremblay

Jamie Dornan

Jamie Lee Curtis

John David Washington

Julianne Moore

Kelly Marie Tran

Lady Gaga

Maggie Gyllenhaal

Margaret Qualley

Olivia Munn

Parker Sevak

Peter Sarsgaard

Quincy Jones

Riz Ahmed

Ryan Gosling

Steve Carell

Steven Yeun

Timothée Chalamet

Trevante Rhodes

Troye Sivan

Zhang Yimou

In case you missed our Television appearances during TIFF ’18 this is our first year hitting-up the three big media giants: Global, CITY and CP24 (Bell Media). Thrilled! Our brand continues to thrive as a Festival go-to and we are so happy for the recognition.

CP24 with George Lagogianes

Breakfast Television with Winston Sih

Until next year.  We’re already ready!

(Photo credit: Mr. Will Wong)

We love us some Brie Larson and many of you will agree how excited it is to see this first look at CAPTAIN MARVEL, the first female-fronted Film from the Marvel Cinematic Universe!

Synopsis:
Set in the 1990s, Marvel Studios’ “Captain Marvel” is an all-new adventure from a previously unseen period in the history of the Marvel Cinematic Universe that follows the journey of Carol Danvers as she becomes one of the universe’s most powerful heroes. While a galactic war between two alien races reaches Earth, Danvers finds herself and a small cadre of allies at the center of the maelstrom.

The film stars Brie Larson, Samuel L. Jackson, Ben Mendelsohn, Djimon Hounsou, Lee Pace, Lashana Lynch, Gemma Chan, Rune Temte, Algenis Perez Soto, Mckenna Grace, with Annette Bening, with Clark Gregg, and Jude Law.

See the Teaser:

Artwork:

Marvel Studios’ CAPTAIN MARVEL opens in theatres on March 8, 2019.

(Photo/video credit: Marvel Studios)