After resounding commercial and critical success, HAMILTON finally has arrived in Toronto at Ed Mirvish Theatre now through May 17, 2020.  The Musical centering around America’s founding father Alexander Hamilton by Lin-Manuel Miranda, has been setting the world on-fire since its debut off-Broadway at The Public Theatre in New York back in 2015.  Since then it has won a whopping 11 TONY Awards and Pullitzer Prize with an inclusive, modern way of telling American history through Hip-Hop and R&B.  The Production makes its way now in Toronto – known as the Phillip Ty our – with a Touring Cast led by Joseph Morales in the leading role. Morales will be in Toronto till end of March, when the role will be taken over by a new star.  As expected, ticket sales have  been feverish with Torontonians resorting to a daily digital lottery in hope of tickets.

See some of this talented Cast!

Joseph Morales as Alexander Hamilton

Jared Dixon as Aaron Burr

Stephanie Jae Park as Eliza

Marcus Choi as King George

Elijah Malcomb as John Laurens/Philip Hamilton

Desmond Sean Ellington as Hercules Mulligan/James Madison

Ta’Rea Campbell as Angelica

Darilyn Castillo as Peggy Schuyler/Maria Reynolds

Warren Egypt as Lafayette/Jefferson

Aaron Albano – Swing

Trevor Miles – Ensemble

DeMarius Copes – Ensemble

Conroe Brooks – Standby

Jonathan Christopher – Ensemble

Gabe Hyman – Swing

More here.

(Photo credit: Mr. Will Wong)

It was amazing night celebrating Amazon Prime Video’s gritty new Series, HUNTERS. The gripping Series produced by Jordan Peele (Get Out, Us) is set late ’70s in New York City. We are taken to a violent underworld where Holocaust survivors and Nazis are out for blood, settling unfinished business. As a once-again brilliant Al Pacino‘s character Meyer Offerman says, “The best revenge is revenge” and the Series sets-out to do that, exacting catharsis through bloody, gory revenge.

The Series feels authentic to the era and we meet several fascinating characters including Jonah played beautifully by Logan Lerman, out to avenge the loss of his grandmother. We meet also Detective Millie Morris (Jerrika Hinton) who is hot on the trail of a murder spree, ready to uncover some dark secrets she might not be prepared for.

Hunters is a must-watch and applause was loud after a screening at The Danforth Music Hall tonight. Kudos to Aamazon Prime Video for outdoing themselves on a great bash, inspired by the surroundings where HUNTERS is set. The fun, festive ’70s bash took us right into the streets of New York, complete with graffiti, cops, break dancers, pretzels, candied nuts and hot dogs. ET Canada’s Morgan Hoffman hosted the evening which saw guests leaving with collectible puzzles from the Series.

In case you haven’t seen it, here is a Trailer to HUNTERS:

Some Snaps from the night. Click right to navigate album:

 

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Fresh-off her wins at the BBC Music Awards where she was named as The Sound of 2020 and also a BRIT Award for Rising Star, we introduce you to American-born, British Singer-Songwriter CELESTE. The 25-year-old who hails from Brighton, has a beautiful gift of a voice that maneuvers over Soul, Jazz and R&B in a deeply-emotive way that we haven’t really heard since the likes of Adele first emerging.

Check-out a couple of her Tracks below.

STRANGE

STOP THIS FLAME

We’re eager to hear more!

For now, you can follow Celeste on Instagram here.

(Photo/video credit: Universal Music)

Sophia Lillis stars in Netflix‘s I’M NOT OKAY WITH THIS based on the popular graphic novel.

SYNOPSIS:
I Am Not Okay With This is an irreverent origin story that follows a teenage girl who’s navigating the trials and tribulations of high school, all while dealing with the complexities of her family, her budding sexuality, and mysterious superpowers just beginning to awaken deep within her. From director/EP of The End of the F***ing World Jonathan Entwistle and the producers of Stranger Things comes a new series based on the Charles Forsman graphic novel.

See the Trailer:

I’M NOT OKAY WITH THIS streams Friday, February 26, 2020.

(Photo/video credit: Netflix)

Nominees were announced today for the 2020 Canadian Screen Awards. Leading all nominees is SCHITT’S CREEK with 26 nominations with nods for Best Comedy Series; Best Writing, Comedy; and Best Direction, Comedy, as well as multiple acting nominations in Best Lead Actor, Comedy; Best Lead Actress, Comedy; Best Supporting Actress, Comedy; and Best Supporting Actor, Comedy. The  Series about a bankrupt wealthy family left with only one asset, an ugly town, has continued to gained critical acclaim over its six seasons, garnering an international following.

Leading the Film nominees is SONG OF NAMES, up for Achievement in Art Direction / Production Design, Achievement in Costume Design, and Achievement in Visual Effects. The Film is about a man’s journey to find his childhood best friend, a violin prodigy who goes missing.

Awards across 141 categories will be distributed over a series of galas on Canadian Screen Week – March 23 – 29, 2020.

The Broadcast Gala airs and streams on CBC and CBC GEM Sunday, uarch 29, 2020 at 8 PM ET.

(Photo credit: CBC)

SONIC THE HEDGEHOG races to #1 this weekend at the Box Office, a total $57 million from 4,167 theatres in its opening for Paramount Pictures. The SEGA video game adaptation gets 64% on the Tomatometer and an A CinemaScore.

BIRDS OF PREY perches in second with $15.3 million for Warner Bros. This takes its tally to $61 million domestically.

FANTASY ISLAND opens in third with $13.5 million from 2,784 theatres for Sony Pictures. The Horror adaptation of the popular TV Series, gets 10% on the Tomatometer and a C- CinemaScore.

THE PHOTOGRAPH debuts in fourth for Universal Pictures, with $12.2 million from 2,516  theatres. The Romance starring Lakeith Stanfield and Issa Rae, gets 76% on the Tomatometer and a B+ CinemaScore.

PARASITE going strong off its Best Picture win at the Oscars, surfaces in eighth with $5.5 million from 2,001 theatres for NEON/MK2.

DOWNHILL debuts in tenth with $4.7 million for Searchlight Pictures. The English adaptation of Swedish film Force Majeure starring Will Ferrell and Julia Louis-Dreyfuss gets 41% on the Tomatometer and a D CinemaScore.

Now in its 46th year, the Canadian International AutoShow takes place once again at Metro Toronto Convention Centre. The Show which draws about 300k visitors annually, features the latest and greatest from some of the world’s top auto manufacturers, giving car enthusiasts a chance to see up-close concept cars and the cars of their dreams.

Some of our favourites made a huge splash at the Show, including Acura, Honda, BMW and Ford! A huge thanks goes to Acura Canada who are back with their dazzling A-Spec vehicles, inviting us out to the Show!

See some highlights for us!

ACURA CANADA

The 2020 Acura NSX 😍 (valued at $189,900 CAN)

#PROJECTILX – a collaboration between Acura Canada x Importfest Performance to customize the 2019 Acura ILX Premium. Fans can have their say. Follow @AcuraCanada on Instagram.

FORD CANADA – their Ford Mustang has been crowned best-selling Coupe four years straight!

BMW CANADA

ALPHA ROMEO CANADA

Other things to see which are fun for the family are a Toys “R” Us Pop-Up and also Disney‘s ONWARD (And a Bit Backwards) Exhibit, featuring fan favourites Lightning McQueen from Cars, Toy Story 4‘s Duke Caboom motorcycle and also Guinevere, a van seen in Disney and Pixar’s upcoming ONWARD starring Chris Pratt and Tom Holland. Photo Ops are welcome. The Animated Feature opens March 5, 2020.

At the Ontario Provincial Police Exhibit. Getting in trouble as usual! 🚨

The 2020 Canadian International AutoShow runs through Sunday, February 23, 2020. More here.

(Photo credit: Mr. Will Wong)

Following its People’s Choice Award win, comes the new Teaser for AFTER WE COLLIDED, the eagerly-awaited followup to global phenomenon, AFTER.

Synopsis:
Hardin will always be… Hardin. But is he really the deep, thoughtful guy Tessa fell madly in love with— or has he been a stranger all along? She wishes she could walk away. It’s just not that easy. Not with the memory of the passionate nights they spent together. Still, Tessa’s not sure she can endure one more broken promise. She’s focused on her studies and just starting an exciting new internship at Vance Publishing. She’s also being pursued by Trevor, a handsome new co-worker who is exactly the kind of guy she should be with. Hardin knows he made a mistake, possibly the biggest one of his life. He wants to right his wrongs and overcome his demons. He’s not going to lose Tessa without a fight. But can he change? Will he change… for love? AFTER WE COLLIDED… Life will never be the same.

Director: Roger Kumble (Cruel Intentions)

Writer: Anna Todd, Mario Celaya

Cast: Josephine Langford (After), Hero Fiennes Tiffin (Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince), Dylan Sprouse, Charlie Weber (How to Get Away With Murder), Candice King (The Vampire Diaries), Karimah Westbrook (Save the Last Dance, Suburbicon), Rob Estes (90210), Shane Paul McGhie (Deputy), Samuel Larsen (Glee), Dylan Arnold (Halloween), Khadijha Red Thunder (After).

See the Teaser:

VVS Films release AFTER WE COLLIDED, Friday, September 11, 2020.

(Photo/video credit: VVS Films)

By David Baldwin for Mr. Will Wong

Today might be Valentine’s Day, a day filled with love and passion. But today is also the day Fantasy Island hits theatres. Co-Writer/Director Jeff Wadlow takes the reins on the film adaptation of the classic television series where a group of people are brought to a beautiful tropical island to live out their wildest dreams – except they turn out to be closer to nightmares. Lucy Hale (from Pretty Little Liars and new series Katy Keene) stars as Melanie, who  realizes quickly that justice and revenge might not be exactly what she hoped for.

We had the chance earlier this week to speak to Hale and Wadlow in a conference call (the pair’s first ever!) with other journalists to discuss the challenges of bringing Fantasy Island to the screen and their love for the Horror genre.

What drew you to Fantasy Island and remaking this classic TV show into a film?

WADLOW: I had an idea for a story that was loosely inspired by Fantasy Island. [Producer] Jason Blum heard it, called up Sony, got the rights and then he called me and said “Why do something inspired by Fantasy Island – let’s just do Fantasy Island!”

HALE: We were on [a different project] and Jeff came up to me and said “I have this Script I want you to read. It’s a character that I think is different for you and I think you’d kill it.” And all he had to say after was “Fiji. Two months,” and I was in. But I read the Script and it kept me on the edge of my seat the whole time I was reading it.

What do you look for in your actors?

WADLOW: I look for actors who bring themselves to the role. I always say I cast the actor, not the character. In the Script, there’s just a sort of sketch of a person and I’m looking for a real person who is going to bring something interesting that I could never have imagined to the part and really flesh it out and make it their own. Then I’m going to start rewriting for them and thinking of new ways to express the character on screen through wardrobe, dialogue and blocking. And a lot of that comes from the actor. I think it is really important that an actor takes ownership of the role. I don’t like actors who say “Oh yeah, just tell me what to do.” I don’t want to tell you what to do. I want to tell you what I’m trying to do and then I want you to play [this character] with me.

How do you challenge yourselves to continue to bring fresh and exciting elements to this genre?

WADLOW: There is never a moment where you’re not being challenged in some capacity. What I try to do is look for surprises on the set. I always show up every day with a plan so that if everything goes well, you have a plan to rely on. But I still want to be surprised. My favourite moments in every movie I’ve worked on were moments that I did not plan.

HALE: With this Film and Truth or Dare [which was also co-written/directed by Wadlow], we’re hustling the whole time and there’s so much to get done in a little amount of time. It’s always fresh and new and you just don’t know what’s going to happen and whether it’s good or bad. It just is what it is. But I think with Fantasy Island in particular, we were in a climate and a new place where most of us had never been before. We never spent time there. We’re trying to dodge rain storms, we’re hiking up mountains, there’s bugs and people are getting sick and…you just didn’t know what was going to happen. And that’s enough to keep it fresh.

From a character standpoint, Melanie is unlike any character I’ve played before. She’s very complex, layered, damaged and tormented. I loved stepping into her head but that was a challenge for me because our moral compass is so different…Never in a million years would I do the things Melanie does. My idea of revenge is much different.

What draws you to the horror genre?

WADLOW: I’m drawn to the genre the same way I’m drawn to Action movies I’m very interested in the dialogue between the film and the audience, how we are choosing the sequences, images and sounds to create an experience, and how we create tension and then release it. I love doing that with Action movies and I love doing it with Thrillers and Horror movies. It’s just a difference of scale and you have to be much more focused and smaller with a thriller to create that intensity.

Do you find that you ever borrow from your Pretty Little Liars character Aria, especially when acting in horror films?

HALE: I feel like if they brought that Show back, it should be made into a Horror film! It has all the makings of it! But there were so many suspense and Thriller elements from that Show that prepared me for Truth or Dare and then Fantasy Island. But all three characters are so different and I never try to play the same thing twice. But I do feel like after being chased and stalked by someone for eight seasons of a show, I definitely have my Horror Face down!

Sony Pictures Canada release FANTASY ISLAND on Friday, February 14, 2020.

Premiering at TIFF ’19 , here is the new Trailer and Poster for THE PERSONAL HISTORY OF DAVID COPPERFIELD starring Dev Patel.

Synopsis:
THE PERSONAL HISTORY OF DAVID COPPERFIELD re-imagines Charles Dickens’ classic ode to grit and perseverance through the comedic lens of its award-winning filmmakers— giving the Dickensian tale new life for a cosmopolitan age with a diverse ensemble cast of stage and screen actors from across the world. Emmy® winners and Oscar® nominees Armando Iannucci (IN THE LOOP, THE DEATH OF STALIN, HBO’S Veep) and Simon Blackwell (IN THE LOOP, HBO’S Succession) lend their wry, yet heart-filled storytelling style to revisiting Dickens’ iconic hero on his quirky journey from impoverished orphan to burgeoning writer in Victorian England.

See the Trailer:

Release date to come.

(Photo/video credit: Searchlight Pictures)