Rachel Griffiths is back in Amazon Prime Video Series THE WILDS, coming soon! See the new Trailer!

Synopsis:

Part survival drama, part dystopic slumber party, The Wilds follows a group of teen girls from different backgrounds who must fight for survival after a plane crash strands them on a deserted island. The castaways both clash and bond as they learn more about each other, the secrets they keep, and the traumas they’ve all endured. There’s just one twist to this thrilling drama… these girls did not end up on this island by accident. 

The Series stars  Rachel Griffiths, as well as a mix of familiar and fresh faces that include Sophia Ali, ,Shannon Berry, Jenna Clause, Reign Edwards, Mia Healey,  Helena Howard, Erana James, Sarah Pidgeon, David Sullivan, and Troy Winbush. 

See the Trailer:

THE WILDS arrives on Amazon Prime Video Friday, December 11, 2020.

(Photo/video credit: Amazon Prime Video)

Great news, Quentin Tarantino fans! The Visionary Filmmaker has just inked a two book deal with HarperCollins, the first book to come out in 2021.

Tarantino debuts Summer 2021 with ONCE UPON A TIME IN HOLLYWOOD, a Novel which expands upon the characters Rick Dalton and Cliff Booth from his Oscar-winning Film of the same name. The Novel goes back and forward in time. A Hardcover version will be available Fall 2021.

The second book is non-fiction, titled CINEMA SPECULATION. This is said to be a deep dive into the movies of the 1970’s with a mix of essays, reviews, personal writing, and tantalizing “what if’s”.

Artwork:

We can’t wait!

(Photo credit: HarperCollins/Sony Pictures)

Cinéfranco is back in its 23^rd edition later this month! The Festival celebrating French Cinema on a Canadian and international scale runs November 20-November 28, 2020.

For the first time ever, fans across Canada can access the Festival which is available on a digital platform. It is comprised of 17 features, 2 shorts programs, post-screening Conversations, and Panels.

Among the Films to premiere at the Festival this year are:

BELLE FILLE (OPENING NIGHT) – When Louise (Alexandra Lamy) escapes her cheating husband in Corsica for a wild night of passion with a man who ends up dead, she’s mistaken for his secret long-time girlfriend by his fearsome and loving mother played by Miou-Miou.

MONT FOSTER (OPENING NIGHT) –  Chloe (Laurence Leboeuf) and Matthieu (Patrick Hivon) retreat to their country house to reconnect as Chloe’s fragile mental state deteriorates

QUEBEXIT –  When the construction of an interprovincial pipeline results in a successful third Québec sovereignty referendum, a small road at the Québec-New Brunswick border becomes a lightning of conflict between the new Québec military, the Canadian Armed Forces and two indigenous women who cross the border frequently. 

VACARME – Thirteen-year old Émilie placed in a group home is subjected to the bad influence of her roommate and chafes against the strict rules.  Choosing to escape she learns the art of resilience and confidence in this social drama that breaths fresh air to the theme of children under youth protection.

NADINE BUTTERFLY (CLOSING NIGHT) – Olympian Katerine Savard stars as Nadia, who decides to retire from pro swimming after the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games to escape a rigid life of sacrifice.

Our George Kozera had the pleasure of previewing some of the Festival’s key titles. Some of his favourites below.

BELLE FILLE

What does a woman do when not only does she finds out that her husband is having an affair, she also has a hugs fight with her rebellious teenaged daughter who want to play house with an older guy? In Cinéfranco’s opening night film, BELLE FILLE, Louise (a luminous Alexandra Lamy) leaves her home and flies to Corsica, where she meets hunk-du-jour, Florent (Thomas Dutronc who also composed this Movie’s Score). Their initial meeting and shared dinner turns into an alcohol and drug-fuelled, sexually-uninhibited raucous and rambunctious night. In the morning, Louise is very hungover and Florent is very, very dead. Not only is the detective assigned to the case Florent’s brother Anto (a wonderful low-key performance from Jonathan Zaccai), the boys’ mother Andrea (French megastar Miou-Miou) is convinced that Louise is Florent’s fiancée.

Director Meliane Marcaggi skillfully keeps this comedy of errors moving briskly and believably while incorporating the stunning vistas of Corsica and its countryside and keeping maudlin sentimentality to a bare minimum. BELLE FILLE is a joyous romp. Bravo!

LA BELLE EPOQUE

If you missed this critically-acclaimed and audience favourite at TIFF ’19, here’s your chance to bask in the glory that is LA BELLE EPOQUE. It is a high-concept Comedy about revisiting one’s glory days. Time Travellers is a service that immerses clients in whatever moment they wish to to relive, whether it be historical, fantasy or personal. Long-time married couple Victor and Marianne (the legendary Daniel Auteuil and Fanny Ardant) have reached the end of the rope and separate. Victor decides to use Time Travellers, run with dictatorial fervour by Antoine (an excellent Guillaume Canet) to return to Lyons 1974 when he first met Marianne, who will be played by actress for hire Margo (Doria Tllier).

LA BELLE EPOQUE is fiercely original and tackles a myriad of themes and topics with insight, humour and intelligence. Does love prevail? Do daily technological advances help or hinder or overwhelm us and stifle our innate creativities? I enjoyed LA BEEL EPOQUE equally, if not more, the second time around.

LA BELLE EPOUSE

Set in the late ’60s when Paris was rocked by students uprising and revolution was thick in the air, there were still schools in smaller towns that focused singularly on turning young teenaged girls into the perfect, subservient wife. One such institution is run by Paulette Van De Beck (Juliette Binoche), her sister-in-law Gilberte (Yolande Moreau) and Marie-Therese (Noemie Lvovsky) who happens to a nun. LA BELLE EPOUSE (HOW TO BE A GOOD WIFE) is a Comedy rife with Sapphic alliances, death by asphyxiation, re-establishing bygone love affairs, some fun recipe ideas, tips on how to be the perfect wife if you lived the decade of “Leave it to Beaver”, rifle-toting nuns and even a choreographed song and dance routine. One rarely sees Binoche’s fun freak flag fly and watching her immerse herself into this outlandish character is enjoyable.

ENORME

In ENORME, Claire (Marina Fors) is a world class concert pianist whose career is managed by her husband Fred (Jonathan Cohen). Claire is even more self-absorbed than she is talented to the point that Fred offers to take her debit card to buy himself a birthday present from her as she forgot his 40^th birthday. Happily childless, Fred’s paternal instincts furiously ignite after participating in an emergency childbirth on a plane. After substituting Claire’s birth control pills and sweeteners until the day his dream and her nightmare come through…she’s pregnant!

Unlike the French, I have never been a fan of the Jerry Lewis style of Slapstick Comedy, but I was completely invested in this zany and madcap film. Fors and (especially) Cohen’s comedic timing are sheer gold.

NADIA, BUTTERFLY

The Closing Night film, NADIA, BUTTERFLY is Quebec director Pascal Plante’s unique rendition of the lives of Olympic athletes. Starring real-life Olympian Katherine Savard as Nadia is a detailed account of her last days swimming at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics as she plans to retire from competitive swimming immediately afterwards. The swim meets are thrilling to watch and it must be ingrained in us to rot for the Canadian teams even if the competition is fictitious! Plante’s strength is that he doesn’t paint these young athletes as boring with only one goal in mind. They are also young party people who swig from tequila bottles, take drugs and have indiscriminate sex. Though a few scenes go on way too long (did we realize have to watch two characters lip synch to Avril Lavigne’s “Complicated” in its entirety?), when his camera concentrates of the faces of these young people as they face their future with doubt and uncertainties, NADIA, BUTTERFLY succeeds.

More on the Festival including tickets here.

(Photo credit: Cinéfranco)

We had nothing but raves for Martin Scorcese-produced PIECES OF A WOMAN coming out of TIFF ’20 and we’re so excited to share with you this Trailer! Witness Vanessa Kirby’s Best Actress-winning performance from the Venice Film Festival.

Synopsis:

Martha (Vanessa Kirby) and Sean (Shia LaBeouf) are a Boston couple on the verge of parenthood whose lives change irrevocably when a home birth ends in unimaginable tragedy. Thus begins a yearlong odyssey for Martha, who must navigate her grief while working through fractious relationships with Sean and her domineering mother (Ellen Burstyn), along with the publicly vilified midwife (Molly Parker), whom she must face in court. Directed by Kornél Mundruczó (WHITE GOD, winner of the 2014 Prix Un Certain Regard Award), written by Kata Wéber, and executive produced by Martin Scorsese, PIECES OF A WOMAN is a deeply personal, searing, and ultimately transcendent story of a woman learning to live alongside her loss.

Trailer:

PIECES OF A WOMAN arrives in theatres December 30, 2020 and on Netflix January 7, 2021.

(Photo/video credit: Netflix)

Jack O’Connell and Charlie Hunnam star in JUNGLELAND. Enter for your chance to win a Digital Download code.

Synopsis:

Produced by Romulus Entertainment in association with Scott Free Productions and Big Red Films, and directed and co-written by Max Winkler (Flower), JUNGLELAND is a love story between two brothers whose bond is tested as they hustle and scrape towards their slice of the American Dream. Stanley (Charlie Hunnam, “Sons of Anarchy”) and Lion (Jack O’Connell, Unbroken) are brothers struggling to stay relevant in the underground world of bare-knuckle boxing. When Stanley fails to pay back a dangerous crime boss (Jonathan Majors, “Lovecraft Country”), they’re forced to deliver an unexpected traveler (Jessica Barden, “The End of the F***ing World”) as they journey across the country for a high stakes fighting tournament. While Stanley trains Lion for the fight of his life, a series of events threaten to tear the brothers apart, but their love for one another and belief in a better life keep them going in this gripping drama that proves family pulls no punches.

See the Trailer:

To enter to win, click “like” on this Post at MR. WILL ON FACEBOOK. Re-Tweet this Contest Tweet for another chance:

Rules and regulations here.

JUNGLELAND is available now on Digital and On-Demand.

(Photo/video credit: Paramount Pictures)

This hits all the right feels! Not sure if you’ve seen this yet, but Taika Waititi collaborates with Coca-Cola for this outstanding TV Spot for the soft drink maker in time for the Holidays! A father at working at sea is tasked with delivering a letter to Santa for Christmas and he goes to great lengths to get it to him. Tissue, please. A two-minute emotional triumph!

See the Ad:

Disney+‘s powerful and moving Drama SAFETY arrives next month. Here’s your first look.

Synopsis:

“Safety” is inspired by the empowering true story of former Clemson University football safety Ray McElrathbey, a young man facing a series of challenging circumstances, whose dedication and persistence help him to triumph over repeated adversities. Aided by his teammates and the Clemson community, he succeeds on the field while simultaneously raising and caring for his 11-year-old brother Fahmarr.  “Safety” will debut exclusively on Disney+ on Friday, December 11, 2020.

See the Trailer:

(Photo/video credit: Disney)

Toronto, are you ever in for a treat! World-travelling and award-winning immersive exhibit Marvel Avengers S.T.A.T.I.O.N.: The Experience is arriving sooner than you think! It has just been confirmed after a tease last month that it will run November 20, 2020 until January 31, 2021 at Yorkdale Shopping Centre!

We had the pleasure of previewing the 25,000 square foot space devoted entirely to the fandom of Marvel’s Avengers, but not only this – it gives fans, no matter what age, a coveted chance to experience what it’s like to be a member of the Avengers team! Agents all come in with their own individual personas and their own specialities, so this is really all about you!

Safety is everyone’s top concern right now. Guest Experience Manager Mark Fraser-Davidson tells us, “The Toronto exhibit has been built specifically with COVID-19 in mind”. They have had to get creative in putting together contact-free ways to interact, with frequent sanitation (yes, we saw “Hulk Serum” sanitizer), boosted ventilation and social distancing measures in place. Guests are advised still to practice and observe COVID-19 safety protocols when attending.

The dazzling display contains individual rooms devoted to some of our favourite Avengers including Iron Man (you have an opportunity to transform into him!), Hulk, Captain America, Thor and a Toronto-exclusive in Black Panther, as we commemorate the late Chadwick Boseman. Actual set pieces, models and costumes are enclosed behind glass, and we learned that the latter’s costume is valued at $40k! Even Supervillain Thanos is paid tribute to here with his own section. Actors are present to send us on and guide us through our mission, for an even more heightened experience.

See some of our Snaps from start to finish!

IRON MAN

HULK

CAPTAIN AMERICA

BLACK PANTHER

THOR

MORE COOL STUFF!

We learned that a cap of 40 people will be allowed in every 15 minutes, with a space so large that up to 1,500 people can be accommodated at the exhibit.

Guests have three ticketing options:

General – you must attend at a set time slot.

Flexi – you have a two hour window in which you can enjoy the experience.

VIP – you get increased flexibility with the ability to change your time, with a green screen print of yourself with The Avengers, a VIP Poster and a lanyard.

The Exhibit which can run you between an hour to 90 minutes, also has a retail space with a variety of Avengers merchandise, from figurines to face masks. We learned that clothier Roots and the Exhibit also will collaborate for some special limited edition pieces as well!

It is located directly across from the LEGO store and if you are driving, it is best to park around Shopper’s Drug Mart.

Learn more about Marvel Avengers S.T.A.T.I.O.N.: The Experience here.

See what people are saying on the Hashtag #AvengersStationCanada!

(Photo credit: Mr. Will Wong/Mark Fraser–Davidson)

The timeless tale of BLACK BEAUTY comes alive once again later this month on Disney+!

Synopsis:

This modern day reimagining of Anna Sewell’s timeless classic, follows Black Beauty (Kate Winslet), a wild horse born free in the American West. Rounded up and taken away from her family, Beauty is brought to Birtwick Stables where she meets a spirited teenage girl, Jo Green (Mackenzie Foy). Beauty and Jo forge an unbreakable bond that carries Beauty through the different chapters, challenges, and adventures of her life.

See the Trailer:

BLACK BEAUTY arrives on Disney+ Friday, November 27, 2020.

(Photo/video credit: Disney)

Disney+ present their brand-new Docu-Series INSIDE PIXAR, a must-watch for Disney Pixar fans, as it traces the process how the magic is made by the animation giant!

Synopsis:

The series consists of four collections with five short stories in each collection, centered around a central theme. The first collection releasing on Friday is “Inspired,” exploring what sparks inspiration and the journey from idea to execution.

Produced by Pixar Animation Studios, “Inside Pixar” is directed by Erica Milsom and Tony Kaplan, the series offers insights into the personal and cinematic stories that provide an inside look into the people, artistry, and culture of Pixar Animation Studios.

See the Trailer:

INSIDE PIXAR arrives on Disney+ Friday, November 13, 2020.

(Photo/video credit: Disney)