We hope you’ve had a blast following along on our Sundance adventures. We couldn’t have done it without Amanda Gilmore who did a super job screening over 40+ titles, there every step of the Festival in Park City.  As the Festival comes to a wrap, we’ve noticed a major theme of female empowerment over and over in some of this year’s most-buzzed Films and this couldn’t be timelier with #TimesUp and #MeToo being at the forefront of discussion right now.  You’ll notice that this year’s top-priced purchase ($10 million) was Misogyny Horror Assassination Nation, centering on female high schoolers who seek revenge on assailants, indicative of the times we are in. The Film starring Odessa Young, Suki Waterhouse, Bella Thorne and Bill Skarsgård will see a release via NEON in America. It appears an early candidate for TIFF 18‘s Midnight Madness Programme.

In fact, Amanda places the Film at the top of her list of favourites from the Festival:

1. 1. Assassination Nation
   2. Search
   3. Sorry To Bother You
   4. Blindspotting
   5. Wildlife

Amanda says, “This year Sundance was filled with Films involving a variety of different storytelling perspectives and a range of genres, including a lot of genre-bending Films.”.

Other Honorable Mentions:

HEREDITARY – Best Horror Film in Years!

TULLY – Would be in her Top Five but technically it was a surprise screening not an official part of the Festival lineup.

THE MISEDUCATION OF CAMERON POST – Best young-adult Film people of every age will be touched by!

The latter wound-up winning top prize at the Festival, for U.S. Grand Jury Prize: Dramatic Film. The Film by Desiree Akhavan is about a teen girl (Chloë Grace Moretz) who is sent to Conversion Therapy after it is learned she is in a relationship with her female best friend. The Film has yet to find a Distributor and it wouldn’t be a surprise to see it at TIFF ’18.

U.S. Grand Jury Prize: Documentary went to Derek Doneen‘s KAILASH, about Kailash Satyarthi  and his fight to end Child Slavery.

Audience Award: U.S. Dramatic went to BURDEN by Director/Writer Andrew Heckler. The Film is about a man who leaves the KKK and falls in love with a woman who questions his behaviour. Garrett Hedlund stars alongside Tom Wilkinson and Andrea Riseborough.

Audience Award: NEXT went to SEARCH, an innovative Film by Aneesh Chaganty and starring Debra Messing and John Cho, about a father’s search for his missing daughter over Social Media and told on screens. Sony Pictures purchased the Film for $5 million.

Directing Award: U.S. Dramatic went to THE KINDERGARTEN TEACHER by Director/Writer Sara Colangelo about a teacher who becomes obsessed with a talented child in her class leading to a downward spiral in nurturing him. Maggie Gyllenhaal stars.

Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award: U.S. Dramatic went to NANCY, by Director/Writer Christina Choe centering on a woman who believes she may have been kidnapped as a child. It also stars Andrea Riseborough, who was hot at the Festival this year with others titles MANDY and BURDEN.

U.S. Dramatic Special Jury Award for Excellence in Filmmaking went to I THINK WE’RE ALONE NOW, a post-Apocalyptic Drama starring Peter Dinklage and Elle Fanning; Reed Morano directs.

U.S. Dramatic Special Jury Award for Achievement in Acting went to Benjamin Dickey who plays songwriting legend Blaze Foley in this Film by Ethan Hawke.

NEXT Innovator Prize was a two-way tie between NIGHT COMES ON (Actress/Director Jordana Spiro) about a troubled teen girl who embarks on a journey with her little sister which could ruin their future, and WE THE ANIMALS (Jeremiah Zagar) about three brothers who push against the love of their parents only to become versions of them.

Complete list of Winners here. We hope to be back again next year!

To catch-up on our Sundance coverage including several Reviews for these Films, click here.

Review by Amanda Gilmore for Mr. Will Wong

Assassination Nation follows four female high school best friends in Salem. When a hacker releases personal web and phone data of Salem’s citizens, the girls have to protect themselves at all costs.

Writer-Director Sam Levinson creates a Film unlike any made before it. He follows his lead characters, four females, and depicts the violence and misogyny they face in their daily life. But he doesn’t make his characters passive and weak. Instead, they are active and powerful. Able to fend for themselves. Its action-packed from beginning to end with humour, violence, and blood … lots of blood. What very refreshing is that Levinson writes his heroes with flaws and questionable decisions. All which add to the believability of his characters in this satirical yet all-too-real world. And Levinson has found a perfect Ensemble of dominant women consisting of Odessa Young, Suki Waterhouse, Hari Nef and Abra.

Assassination Nation screens at Sundance on Jan. 21 at 11:59PM at PC Library, Jan. 22 at 12:15PM at Ray PC, Jan. 24 at 11:30PM at Prospector PC, Jan. 25 at 12:30PM at Ray PC, Jan. 25 at 11:59PM at Tower SLC, and Jan. 27 at 11:59PM at Tower SLC.

Review by Amanda Gilmore for Mr. Will Wong

Eighth Grade is a coming-of-age story that follows Kayla (Elsie Fisher) in her last week of her disastrous last year of middle-school before entering high school.

Writer-Director Bo Burnham crafts a beautiful coming-of-age story that doesn’t use cliches. The Film is earnest in its depiction of a young girl trying her hardest to fit. And in being earnest Eighth Grade has moments of hilarity and awkwardness that many can relate to. Fisher gives a breakthough performance as Kayla. She never misses a beat and carries the Film effortlessly. Josh Hamilton (American Horror Story, 13 Reasons Why), who plays the father, gives ones of his best performances as the worried and caring father.

Eighth Grade screens at Sundance on Jan. 19 at 6PM at PC Library, Jan. 20 at 8:30AM at Egyptian PC, Jan. 21 at 9:30PM at Rose Wagner SLC, Jan. 24 at 5:30PM at The MARC PC, Jan. 25 at 6PM at Sundance Resort, and Jan. 26 at 3:30PM at Eccles PC.

Review by Amanda Gilmore for Mr. Will Wong

The Tale tells the true story of Jennifer Fox (Laura Dern) whose mother gives her a story she wrote as a child, which forces her to re-examine everything she thought about her first sexual experience.

Writer-Director Fox controls her own powerful story and never shies away from the cruelty she encountered. This is a beautiful and important Film that Fox shares bravely with the world. This is a timely Film about the lies we tell ourselves in order to move on and the harsh realities we face when coming to terms with the truth. Dern is at her best playing the self-investigating Fox. Jason Ritter is in a career changing-performance as the manipulative offender, Bill. Elizabeth Debicki is mysterious as the mistrusted Mrs. G. While the young and remarkably-talented Isabelle Nelisse commands the screen as the childhood Jenny.

The Tale screens at Sundance on Jan. 20 at 12:15PM at Eccles PC, Jan. 21 at 9:30PM at Redstone 1 PC, Jan. 25 at 6PM at SLC Library, Jan. 26 at 8:30PM at Prospector PC, and Jan. 27 at 9AM at PC Library.

We finally have a new champ! MAZE RUNNER: DEATH CURE takes the top of the Box Office in its debut, closing-out the popular Young Adult Franchise on a high note. It earns $23 million from 3,787 theatres for 20th Century Fox.  Among the Series this one ranks third, the top opening still going 2014’s first installment. It gets a 44% on the Tomatometer and a B+ CinemaScore.

Make no mistake, JUMANJI: WELCOME TO THE JUNGLE still is performing great in second with $15.8 million, showing incredible staying power for Sony Pictures now in its sixth week out. It has made $337 million in its domestic run so far.

HOSTILES has a solid wide release expansion in third with $9.9 million, playing now in 2,696 theatres for Entertainment Studios/Elevation Pictures. The TIFF ’17 selection starring Christian Bale and Rosamund Pike gets 72% on the Tomatometer and a B CinemaScore.

THE GREATEST SHOWMAN v. much is still alive in fourth with $9.3 million from 2,663 theatres for 20th Century Fox in its sixth week. It has made $126 million in North America.

THE POST is in fifth with $8.7 million for 20th Century Fox, hot off its Best Picture nomination. It has made $58 million to-date.

STAR WARS: THE LAST JEDI rounds-out the Top Ten with $4 million for Disney. It has earned a whopping $610 million in its seven-week run.

Review by Amanda Gilmore for Mr. Will Wong

Lizzie takes place six months leading up to the murder of Lizzie Borden’s father and step-mother. It follows the relationship between Borden (Chloë Sevigny) and the Irish housemaid Bridget Sullivan (Kristen Stewart), who lived in the Borden house during that time.

Writer Bryce Kass based the Film off a theory of what happened in the Borden house the day of the murders, August 4 1892. And Director Craig William Macneill creates the period and intimate moments between Borden and Sullivan beautifully. Sevigny relishes in Borden and makes her captivating. While seen often as a murderer, she humanizes the character and makes the audience feel something for her. Stewart masters the Irish accent and captures the innocence in Bridget’s eyes. Together their chemistry is explosive.

Lizzie screens at Sundance on Jan. 19 at 9PM at PC Library, Jan. 20 at 8:30AM at Prospector PC, Jan. 21 at 12:15PM at The Grand SLC, Jan. 25 at 9:30PM at Eccles PC, and Jan. 26 at 12PM at Temple PC.

Hong Kong Singer/Actor/Model Pakho Chau is back in Toronto after having visited six years back when he was just an emerging name.

Considered now a megastar back in Asia where he is known equally as an Actor and a Recording Artist, Chau brings his One Step Closer Tour to Toronto as part of the annual CUA Spring Gala  taking place Saturday at Sony Centre for the Performing Arts. 

The Fashion Entrepreneur has the distinction of over 80 million Music Video views on YouTube, making him the second most-viewed Artist in Hong Kong. After having found success with Warner Music, he signed with indepdendent label The Voice Entertainment this past summer.

Arriving in Toronto after a hectic tour schedule which saw him filming in frigid Dongyang, China in-between breaks, Chau came incognito with a mask covering his face. Easily recognizable with his good looks and tall stature, fans pointed him out right away. Despite his handler insisting on no photos after signing what seemed like a shopping cart full of CDs for one female fan, he accommodated Selfies for those who asked as long as his handler took the snap. He was gracious before heading-off in a bus allocated for his entire crew.

See our Snap:

Celebrity Selfies, Asia style! 😷 Awesome meeting megastar Actor/Singer/Fashion Entrepreneur #PakHoChau here for the CUA Spring Gala in celebration of #ChineseNewYear at Sony Centre for the Performing Arts. 🌸🏮 He is the #2 Most-Viewed Hong Kong Artist on YouTube. #OneStepCloser #周柏豪 #CUAUTSG #SpringGala

A post shared by Mr. Will Wong 🏮 (@mrwillwong) on Jan 26, 2018 at 2:02pm PST

For more on Pakho Chau, visit his YouTube Channel.

(Photo credit: Mr. Will Wong/The Voice Entertainment Group)

Elevation Pictures x Mr. Will want to take Readers to see Toronto-made EVERY DAY! The Film screens Wednesday, February 21, 2018 in the following cities: Toronto, Vancouver, Edmonton, Calgary, Winnipeg, Halifax and Ottawa.

Synopsis:
Based on David Levithan’s acclaimed New York Times bestseller, Every Day tells the story of Rhiannon, a 16 year old girl who falls in love with a mysterious soul named “A” who inhabits a different body every day. Feeling an unmatched connection, Rhiannon and A work each day to find each other, not knowing what or who the next day will bring. The more the two fall in love, the more the realities of loving someone who is a different person every 24 hours takes a toll, leaving Rhiannon and A to face the hardest decision either has ever had to make.

Trailer:

Artwork:

To enter to win, click “like” on this Post at MR. WILL ON FACEBOOK and indicate there your City.

Elevation Pictures release EVERY DAY Friday, February 23, 2018.

(Photo/video credit: Elevation Pictures)

Review by Amanda Gilmore for Mr. Will Wong

The Miseducation of Cameron Post is set in 1993 and follows Cameron (Chloë Grace Moretz) who is caught on prom night in the back seat of a car kissing another girl. When her legal guardians find out they send her to a gay conversion therapy camp.

The Film is a beautiful Coming-of-Age story set in an ugly world. Writer-Director Desiree Akhavan crafts a heartbreaking and heartwarming story of accepting who you are no matter the odds stacked against you. What’s refreshing about the story is that is never shies away from the cruelty these teenagers face at the camp.

The Ensemble is outstanding. Moretz has given one of her best performances as Cameron. And  Sasha Lane who plays the self-assured Jane is enthralling. There are other great performances from Jennifer Ehle as the shockingly horrible leader of the conversion camp and John Gallagher Jr. as the lost Reverend.

The Miseducation of Cameron Post screens at Sundance on Jan. 22 at 12:15PM at Eccles PC, Jan. 23 at 6:30PM at Redstone 1 PC, Jan. 25 at 2:30PM at The MARC PC, Jan. 26 at 3PM at PC Library, and Jan. 27 at 3:15PM at The Grand SLC.

Review by Amanda Gilmore for Mr. Will Wong

Piercing is an unconventional love story that follows Reed (Christopher Abbott) who leaves his wife and newborn at home to kill a seemingly unsuspecting prostitute, Jackie (Mia Wasikowska). But she has plans of her own.

Writer-Director Nicolas Pesce creates an outrageously-stylish, twisted romance. Adapted from the Novel of the same name by Ryu Murakami, the characters have dozens of layer that peel away throughout. And the two leads relish in those never-ending layers. Abbott is phenomenal as the calm and sadistic Reed. While Wasikowska is a firework as the eccentric Jackie. Together they ignite something inexplicable and heat-up the screen. And because of them no matter how fiendish the characters become, you always want them to end up together.

Piercing screens at Sundance on Jan. 22 at 11:59PM at PC Library, Jan. 21 at 8:30PM at The Egyptian PC, Jan. 24 at 8:30PM at The MARC PC, Jan. 26 at 11:59PM at Broadway 6 SLC, and Jan. 27 at 11:59PM at PC Library.