#FIRSTLOOK: “THE UNBEARABLE WEIGHT OF MASSIVE TALENT” TRAILER

The semi-biographical THE UNBEARABLE WEIGHT OF MASSIVE TALENT pokes fun at Nicolas Cage and his fight to revive his celebrated career.

Synopsis:

Nicolas Cage stars as… Nick Cage in the action-comedy “The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent.” Creatively unfulfilled and facing financial ruin, the fictionalized version of Cage must accept a $1 million offer to attend the birthday of a dangerous superfan (Pedro Pascal). Things take a wildly unexpected turn when Cage is recruited by a CIA operative (Tiffany Haddish) and forced to live up to his own legend, channeling his most iconic and beloved on-screen characters in order to save himself and his loved ones. With a career built for this very moment, the seminal award-winning actor must take on the role of a lifetime: Nicolas Cage.

Mongrel Media release THE UNBEARABLE WEIGHT OF MASSIVE TALENT April 22, 2022.

(Photo/video credit: Mongrel Media)

#FIRSTLOOK: CANADIAN FILM FEST X SUPER CHANNEL PARTNER TO BRING FESTIVAL HOME TO VIEWERS

Super Channel and Canadian Film Fest are partnering again this year to bring the Festival home to Canadians!

Beginning Thursday, April 1 and running for three consecutive weekends, nine feature films will premiere on Super Channel Fuse on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays at 9 p.m. ET/PT. All festival feature films will have a linear only limited run, so viewers are encouraged to catch them while they can and experience them festival-style during their linear broadcast. In addition, 30 short films from the CFF will be interspersed into the schedule around the feature film presentations for viewers to enjoy as part of the film festival experience.

Virtually, pre-recorded and live Q&As with filmmakers will be made available, in addition to access to industry programs online (panel discussions, masterclass) and a virtual awards presentation.

Opening the Festival this year is Sugar Daddy (dir. Wendy Morgan), starring Kelly McCormack (Letterkenny, A Simple Favour) and Colm Feore (The Umbrella Academy, Sensitive Skin, The Borgias), which follows a young talented musician who signs up to a paid dating website which takes her down a dark path – and her music along with it. Closing out the festival on April 17, will be Range Roads (dir. Kyle Thomas) making its Canadian premiere. Starring Alana Hawley-Purvis (The Great Fear) and Joe Perry (Everfall, Blood Mountain), this poignant film is an intimate story of grief, longing, and forgiveness, that explores the painful and beautiful complexities of what it means to be a family.

A complete list of Films below:

Thursday, April 1: Sugar Daddy (Drama) – Toronto premiere
Director: Wendy Morgan
Cast: Kelly McCormack, Colm Feore, Amanda Brugel, Ishan Davé, Nicholas Campbell, Kaniehtiio Horn, Aaron Ashmore, Noam Jenkins
Darren is a wickedly talented and unconventional young musician who dreams of making music like nobody has ever heard before. But she’s broke, juggling multiple part-time jobs, and has no time to create. Desperate for cash, she signs up to a sugar daddy paid-dating website and throws herself down a dark rabbit hole that forces her to grow up fast, shaping her music, and how she sees the world.

Friday, April 2: White Elephant (Drama) – Toronto premiere
Director: Andrew Chung
Cast: Zaarin Bushra, Gurleen Singh, Dulmika Kevin Hapuarachchi, Jesse Nasmith, Yahya Amin, Kumar Kapasi, Amanda Catibog, Kalyna Fisher, Riley James Myers, Kessandra Cook
Set in 1996, in a majority-minority neighbourhood in Scarborough, 16-year-old Pooja finds herself torn between her crush on a white boy, and her Brown and Black friends. Her relentless pursuit takes a violent turn, ultimately making her quest for love, a question of self-love.

Saturday, April 3: Woman in Car (Drama) – Canadian premiere
Director: Vanya Rose
Cast: Hélène Joy, Liane Balaban, Gabrielle Lazure, Aidan Ritchie, Anthony Lemke
Anne seems to have it all – sophistication, a house on the hill, an upcoming wedding to the ideal man. But when her stepson returns home with a beautiful woman, Anne develops an obsession with the stranger whom she fears could destroy the privileged life she has built. In a story about a woman who struggles to keep her secrets hidden, Vanya Rose explores issues of class, family, desire and deception. As the countdown to her wedding day winds down, Anne drives head-on into redemption from a life of lies.

Thursday, April 8: Chained (Crime, Thriller) – Toronto premiere
Director: Titus Heckel
Cast: Marlon Kazadi, Aleks Paunovic, Adrian Holmes
An abused and bullied boy discovers and befriends a criminal chained inside an abandoned warehouse, but after a violent betrayal the abused becomes the abuser, putting both their lives in peril.

Friday, April 9: Between Waves (Drama, Sci-Fi) – Toronto premiere
Director: Virginia Abramovich
Cast: Fiona Graham, Luke Robinson, Miguel Damiao, Stacey Bernstein, Sebastian Deery
Even after his presumed death, Jamie continues to be visited by her lover Isaac, a quantum physicist, who pleads for her to join him in a parallel plane. Jamie follows a map and notebook Isaac’s left behind and embarks on a journey to the island of São Miguel in the Azores. At the centre of the Atlantic Ocean, Jamie begins to untangle the truth of what really happened the night Isaac disappeared, learning that she had a greater part in it than she cares to remember. Straddling a fine line between enlightenment and madness, how far will Jamie go before she’s in too deep?

Saturday, April 10: The Last Villains, Mad Dog & the Butcher (Documentary) – Toronto Premiere
Director: Thomas Rinfret
Cast: Paul Vachon, alias “The Butcher”
The Last Villains is the larger-than-life story of the legendary Vachon family of pro wrestlers, as recounted by its only surviving member, Paul “The Butcher” Vachon.

Thursday, April 15: The Corruption of Divine Providence (Drama) – Toronto premiere
Director: Jeremy Torrie
Cast: Ali Skovbye, Elyse Levesque, David La Haye, Corey Sevier, Tantoo Cardinal
This is the story of a sixteen-year-old Métis girl Jeanne. She resides in a small northern town, and one day she mysteriously disappears. When she is found, she is near death and has developed what appears to be stigmata, the wounds that echo those carried by Jesus Christ in his dying moments.

Friday, April 16: Events Transpiring Before, During and After a Highschool Basketball Game (Comedy) – Toronto premiere
Director: Ted Stenson
Cast: Andrew Phung, Benjamin Arthurs, Paul Cowling, Isra Abdelrahim
It’s 1999 and the Middleview Ducks boys’ basketball team are about to play the most low-stakes game of their lives. As the team prepares for another certain loss, the dramas around the game become more of a focus than the score. Locker room conversations about existentialism, an assistant coach’s obsession with an NBA offence technique, organizing a radical theatre protest, and frantically searching for an osteoporosis- stricken canine are just some of the events that take place before, during, and after the high school basketball game.

Saturday, April 17: Range Roads (Drama) – Canadian Premiere
Director: Kyle Thomas
Cast: Alana Hawley Purvis, Joe Perry, Chad Brownlee, Nicole de Boer
When her parents are killed in a sudden car accident, television actor Frankie King returns to her hometown in rural Alberta to face this tragedy after being estranged from her family for 20 years. As she struggles to reconnect with her truculent brother Grayson, old wounds are reopened, and family secrets uncovered.

All Features air at 9 PM ET with Short Film and introduction beforehand.

More details can be found here.

(Photo credit: Canadian Film Fest)

#FIRSTLOOK: CANADIAN RELEASE DATE SET FOR “CRISIS”

CRISIS stars Academy Award winner Gary Oldman and a stellar Cast, exploring the Opioid crisis north and south of the border. It arrives next week!

Synopsis:

Three stories about the world of opioids collide: a drug trafficker arranges a multi-cartel Fentanyl smuggling operation between Canada and the U.S., an architect recovering from an OxyContin addiction tracks down the truth behind her son’s involvement with narcotics, and a university professor battles unexpected revelations about his research employer, a drug company with deep government influence bringing a new “non-addictive” painkiller to market.

See the Trailer:

CRISIS arrives via Elevation Pictures on Digital and On-Demand Friday, March 16, 2021.

(Photo/video credit: Elevation Pictures)

#FIRSTLOOK: NEW CHARACTER POSTERS FROM “THE FALCON AND THE WINTER SOLDIER”

THE FALCON AND THE WINTER SOLDIER arrives later this month on Disney+ and to get you pumped, you now can check-out this new Character Posters from the Series with Anthony Mackie, Emily Van Camp, Daniel Brühl and Sebastian Stan!

See the Trailer:

THE FALCON AND THE WINTER SOLDIER arrives March 19, 2021 on Disney+.

(Photo/video credit: Disney)

#FIRSTLOOK: SCOOBY-DOO EATS ARRIVES IN CANADA

Scooby-Doo EATS is ready to make its debut, coming to us from the same people who brought us Garfield Eats. The selection of frozen entrees, a collaboration between Entergage Inc. and Warner Bros. Consumer Products, includes burgers, hot dogs and lasagna, arriving at popular Canadian grocers and PenguinPickup.

Supporting Canadian farmers with ingredients coming from local traditional breed livestock without added hormones, anti-biotics, or growth stimulants of any kinds, 55% of sales are returned to the farmers as seen on all their packaging. 

Their burgers are made of real Canadian Angus beef, hot dogs made from 100% RWA grass-fed cattle and their lasagna made from 100% semolina fresh egg Italian pasta since 1966 and triple A-grade ground minced beef with fresh farm tomatoes.

Scooby-Doo EATS adopts a Farm2Plate (F2P) approach, enabling 120 families to continue with sustainable farming and tradition.

More on their website here.

(Photo credit: Scooby-Doo Eats)

#COOKING: ABALONE AND RAMEN RECIPE

Abalone and Ramen. One of the most sumptuous items you can have in Chinese Cuisine is Abalone. This nutritious shellfish, high in protein and Omega-3 is reserved for special celebrations and is on the pricier side. It has been dubbed “White Gold” for the amount of money it fetches. While it can be rather tricky to prepare as it can succumb to toughness if overcooked, fortunately, you can find amazing quality Abalone canned from places like China and Chile, which save you a lot of work. A good quality can of Abalone would be around $35 CAN for about six pieces (about $6-7 a piece). The trick is to prepare on low heat and at a short duration. Traditional Chinese Cuisine often contains different types of sun-dried seafoods and fungus, reconstituted and stewed. These earthy-woodsy umami flavours complement Abalone perfectly. Where do you get this stuff? Try Chinese Herbal/Health Food Shops as a starting point.

This dish is a celebratory one! Dishes like this run deep in tradition.

Ingredients:
6 pieces of canned Abalone, sauce reserved
4 cups chicken stock
6 or more stalks Baby Bok Choy, rinsed
4 or more individual portions of Ramen
10 Shiitake Mushrooms, soaked in water one hour, stems chopped
Handful Dried Cloud Ear Fungus, soaked in water one hour
Handful of Dried Fat Choy (Black Moss), soaked in water one hour
Handful of Dried Daylillies, soaked in water one hour and stems chopped
3-4 Dried Conpoy, soaked in warm water one hour
8-10 tbsps Oyster Sauce
2 tbsps Organic Raw Sugar
2 tbsps Shaoxing Cooking Wine
1 1″ knob of organic ginger, minced
1 stalk green onion, minced
4 cloves garlic, minced
5-6 tbsps Tapioca/Corn Starch

Sea salt to taste
Vegetable Oil

Instructions:

1.Sautée green onion, ginger and garlic in oil. Add wine and oyster sauce and cook till it bubbles. Remove from heat.
2. With Slow Cooker on high heat, cook Conpoy, Shiitake, Daylillies, Fat Choy, Cloud Ear Fungus in Chicken Broth.
3. Add-in Oyster Sauce mixture from skillet and cook for 4 hours, reducing to low heat till pot boils.
4. Add-in reserved sauce from canned Abalone. Bring to boil.
5. Add Abalone pieces and simmer for half an hour.
6. In small bowl, mix starch and equal parts water, forming a slurry. Stir into the slow cooker mixture.
7. Allow sauce to thicken, stirring occasionally, keeping on low heat.
8. Prepare noodles and Bok Choy. Set aside.
9. Place noodles in bowl, top with Bok Choy, Abalone and stewed mixture, ladling sauce on-top.

Gallery:

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#FIRSTLOOK: WHAT TO WATCH MARCH 2021 – “ALLEN v. FARROW”, “SUPERVILLAIN: THE MAKING IF TAKESHI 6IX9INE”, “GINNY & GEORGIA”, “IT’S A SIN”, “MOXIE”, “COMING 2 AMERICA”, “COUNTRY COMFORT”, “

While things have slowed-down a bit in terms of new releases, we have a few watches which just might be worth your time! See our thoughts on these new releases, available now to stream.

ALLEN v. FARROW (CRAVE/HBO)

This four-part Documentary Series from HBO uncovers with first-hand accounts and never-seen-before footage, the sexual abuse allegations against American Film legend Woody Allen. Directors Kirby Dick and Amy Ziering explore in great detail the gray territory between Allen‘s wide critical acclaim and adoration in his craft, but also the very dark and disturbing trail of destruction he left behind. While Allen refused to respond or participate in the project and vehemently denies any wrong-doing, the evidence is compelling and upsetting. I mean, what could be expected of a man who took on his adopted daughter Soon-Yi Previn, as his lover? While it could be perceived as one-sided, using excerpts only from his Memoir to speak for him, the Documentary Series offers an empathetic lens to Farrow and family who experienced something devastating and not to be believed about it is even more hurtful. At 85 years of age Allen has escaped legal ramifications for his actions, though his career has been halted of late by a call for his “cancellation” post-#MeToo. It will be interesting to see the impact of the Series and what comes of this, especially seeing the public’s renewed interest in Britney Spears‘ conservatorship and a call to action following the arrival of FRAMING BRITNEY SPEARS (which also is available now on Crave). New episodes arrive weekly on Crave at 9 PM ET.

SUPERVILLAIN: THE MAKING OF TEKASHI 6IX9INE (CRAVE)

This Showtime Docu-Series, now available on Crave, takes a look at Tekashi 6ix9ine, who made headlines after snitching-out out against his former associates after pleading guilty to an array of conspiracy to commit murder and armed robbery charges. Now completing his term on house arrest due to COVID-19, the three-part Series looks at his poverty and trauma-ridden childhood, which led him to take on the “supervillain” persona. He cites The Joker as his inspiration, stating good guys always die and villains don’t. We get interviews with his family and ex-girlfriend and learn of his obsession with gaining clout on Social Media, ultimately mastering it and using it as a platform for his own celebrity, no matter the costs and little regard for consequences – including child exploitation charges resulting from the use of a minor in one of his Music Videos. The Series isn’t so much about glorifying the character as it is about seeking to understand why he has been so intriguing with 23 million Instagram followers. And in that regard is ably does so as a statement about a new order where clout and worth are measured by followers. SUPERVILLAIN: THE MAKING OF TEKASHI 6IX9INE is available now on Crave.

GINNY & GEORGIA (NETFLIX)

This ten-episode Series has already proven a hit for Netflix, claiming the #1 spot, so expect more time come. The Dramedy centers on Georgia (Brianne Howley) and her daughter Ginny (Antonia Gentry), who arrive in New England to begin a new life. Georgia is a hustler, relying on her charm which more often than not works, but acts often on impulse. Ginny however is level-headed, navigating being the outspoken new girl at school and balancing boys. She also is conscious of not making the same mistakes her mom made having her at such an early age. The Series rests on Georgia always barely make it out ahead, getting herself into some tricky situations, but also offers a bit of sympathy as we flash back in time and see that who she is, has been a result of her being a survivor. Engaging performances from our two leads, particularly Howley who keeps things fun as the Series is still figuring out its balance between lighthearted and heavy. GINNY & GEORGIA streams now on Netflix.

IT’S A SIN (AMAZON PRIME VIDEO)

Five-part Series IT’S A SIN recounts the ’80s as London encounters the HIV/AIDS pandemic. At the center of the story are a group of gay men including Ritchie (Olly Alexander), Nathaniel (Ash Mukherjee), Roscoe (Omari Douglas) and Colin (Callum Scott Howells) experiencing independence and sexual awakening for the first time. Alongside them is their friend Jill (Lydia West). Some fantastic performances to be found here from this Ensemble, as the young men are convinced of their invincibility but things take a turn for the tragic. Things get rather emotional in this Series written by Russell T. Davies and directed by Peter Hoar. We see how promising young men were robbed of their dreams by this pandemic and how difficult it was for men in, even more so in the time period, to confide in their families about their sexuality. A compelling Series which captures the emotions and paranoia that feels authentic to the era, in large part due to a fantastic re-imagined and nostalgic Soundtrack and impeccable attention to detail. Above this, Neil Patrick Harris and Stephen Fry also make an appearance. IT’S A SIN streams now on Amazon Prime Video.

MOXIE (NETFLIX)

Funnywoman Amy Poehler makes her Feature directorial debut with Moxie, based on the Novel of the same name by Jennifer Mathieu. The Film centers on Vivian (Hadley Robinson), a teenage girl who gets inspiration from her mother (Poehler) and secretly creates a magazine which calls-out the misogyny at her high school. The magazine begins shaking things up at her school and some of the girls at school band together to fight the patriarchy and as trouble begins to stir, she finds herself trying to conceal her identity and her own unhappiness spills to other parts of her life including a blooming relationship with Seth (Nico Hiraga), with her best friend Claudia (Lauren Tsai) and mother. We begin to wonder if all of this was for the greater good after all. Some really great performances from this young and talented Ensemble Cast including our star Robinson who shows plenty of promise here. Tsai also is a scene-stealer as Patrick Schwarzenegger as the antagonist Mitchell is perhaps his most memorable performance yet. The Film smartly examines timely conversations about intersectionality, institutionalized sexism, entitlement and bullying and was a pleasant surprise, but should we expect any less of Poehler?

COMING 2 AMERICA (AMAZON PRIME VIDEO)

We revisit King Akeem Joffer (Eddie Murphy) who learns that he has fathered a son back in his days in America. With only a daughter from his wife Queen Lisa (Shari Headley) and no male successor to the throne, he visits America once again to meet his son Lavelle (Jermaine Fowler), bringing back also his mother Mary (Leslie Jones) to Zamunda. General Izzi (Wesley Snipes) hopes to pair his daughter together with Lavelle, in a powerful union which would unite the two families together, but as we see times have changed. Craig Brewer (Dolemite is My Name) reunites with Murphy to direct this follow-up to 1988’s delightfully-funny Coming to America, but even with three strong Screenwriters in Kenya Barris, Barry W. Blaustein and David Sheffield, we get something outlandish that never hits the marks its predecessor did. Part of what made the first Film so funny was that comedic and political sensibilities were a bit different 33 years ago, so penis-bathing female servant jokes landed a bit differently back than they would in the now. Add to that an abundance of misguided McDonald‘s product placements, unnecessary musical numbers and an ill-conceived subplot that examines gender inequality that never quite says what it needs to, we were left underwhelmed. That aside, Snipes‘ performance is so committed, making for one of the few rewarding bright spots in this Sequel. We had such high hopes for this. COMING 2 AMERICA streams now on Amazon Prime Video.

COUNTRY COMFORT (NETFLIX)

So thrilled Katherine McPhee is back, it’s been so long! The former American Idol alumni stars as Bailey, a Country singer whose career has hit rock bottom. She finds herself an unexpected gig as a nanny for a widower named Beau (Eddie Cibrian) and his five kids in this Sitcom. The laugh track-humour gears a bit more to grown-ups and it does admittedly feel at times a little bit too familiar. If you loved Who’s the Boss in the ’80s this definitely takes some inspiration from that Series, with a musical twist and Cibrian‘s partner LeeAnn Rimes even makes an appearance! COUNTRY COMFORT streams now on Netflix.

Operation Varsity Blues: The College Admissions Scandal (NETFLIX)

This is the Documentary we didn’t realize we needed. OPERATIONS VARSITY BLUES: THE COLLEGE ADMISSIONS SCANDAL lives up exactly to its juicy title, combining re-enactments with Matthew Modine as Rick Singer, plus interviews and footage surrounding the College Admissions scandal. As you might recall, the admissions cheating scandal landed high-profile types like Felicity Huffman and Lori Loughlin in jail, exposing mastermind Singer who netted more than $25 million in bribes to before pleading guilty to racketeering charges. This is riveting, journalist-style storytelling from Director Chris Smith and in all of this, lessons to be learned and an exposé of corruption in the U.S. College System which enabled “backdoor admissions”. It streams now on Netflix.

(Photo credit: Crave/Netflix/Amazon Prime Video)

#COOKING: PORK FLOSS DOUGHNUTS RECIPE

Pork Floss Doughnuts. If you love bacon on your doughnuts, you’ll love Pork Floss on it! Pork Floss is pork that’s been dehydrated and seasoned to sweet-savoury goodness. Its texture is like a coarse Candy Floss and it’s eaten as a topping, a filling or a snack on its own. We added these to our fave Ghetto Doughnuts with a vanilla icing and the results are magic! So simple! You’ll love these.

Ingredients:

1 tube of Pillsbury Country Biscuit Dough (10 Biscuits)

Topping:

2 tbsps Black Sesame Seeds, toasted
4 tbsps Pork Floss
1/4 tsp sea salt
2 tsps Brown Sugar

Coconut Oil

Icing:

1/2 cup Icing Sugar
2 tbsps Whole Milk
1/2 tsp Organic Vanilla Extract

Instructions:

1. Preheat Air Fryer at 360°F for 3 minutes.
2. Brush Biscuits with Coconut Oil.
3. Combine Pork Floss, Brown Sugar, Sea Salt and Sesame Seeds.
4. Place in batch 5 pieces at a time and fry 6-7 minutes, flipping once half-way through.
5. Transfer to platter. Brush with more Coconut Oil.
6. Prepare Icing, mixing all ingredients together till smooth.
7 Dip doughnuts into icing.
8. Sprinkle Pork Floss mixture on-top of doughnuts.
9. Allow to stand about 10 minutes before serving.

Gallery:

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#FIRSTLOOK: R.J. CUTLER’S “DEAR….” SEASON TWO COMING TO APPLE TV+

Hot on the success of his Documentary BILLIE EILISH: THE WORLD’S A LITLE BLURRY, Ten-part Series DEAR…. is coming later this year to Apple TV+!

Season Two will include the following esteemed thought leaders!

• Academy, Emmy and Tony Award-winning actress and producer Viola Davis
• Multi-Platinum Recording artist, actress and producer Selena Gomez
• Two-time Academy Award-winning actor, producer, New York Times Best-Selling author, and activist Jane Fonda
• Academy and Emmy Award-nominated filmmaker Ava DuVernay 
• Emmy, Tony and Grammy Award-winning actor and singer Billy Porter
• Former Vogue creative director and journalist Andre Leon Talley
• Golden Globe and SAG Award winner, and Emmy Award nominated actress Sandra Oh
• Renowned Waterman Laird Hamilton
• The NBA’s All-Time Leading Scorer & Presidential Medal of Freedom Recipient  Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

DEAR…. arrives on Apple TV+ later this year.

(Photo credit: Apple TV)

#NEWMUSIC: BRUNO MARS + ANDERSON .PAAK ARE SILK SONIC – “LEAVE THE DOOR OPEN”

Anderson .Paak x Bruno Mars are SILK SONIC and they have teamed-up to record an eagerly-awaited new Album together, AN EVENING WITH SILK SONIC, out later this year.

Here’s the first Single from the Disc, LEAVE THE DOOR OPEN! The tune is signature Bruno with a bit of Paak’s edge, and deeper layer of old-school Soul!

(Photo/video credit: Warner Music)