Universal Pictures Canada x Mr. Will want to give Readers a chance to win Advance Passes
to see A DOG’S JOURNEY.

Screenings take place 7 PM Wednesday, May 15, 2019 in:

TORONTO – Cineplex Yonge & Dundas
VANCOUVER – Scotiabank
MONTREAL (English) – Forum
EDMONTON – Scotiabank
CALGARY – Au Claire Market

SYNOPSIS:
Some friendships transcend lifetimes. In A DOG’S JOURNEY, the sequel to the heartwarming global hit A DOG’S PURPOSE beloved dog Bailey finds his new destiny and forms an unbreakable bond that will lead him, and the people he loves, to places they never imagined.

Bailey (voiced again by Josh Gad) is living the good life on the Michigan farm of his “boy,” Ethan (Dennis Quaid) and Ethan’s wife Hannah (Marg Helgenberger). He even has a new playmate: Ethan and Hannah’s baby granddaughter, CJ. The problem is that CJ’s mom, Gloria (Betty Gilpin), decides to take CJ away. As Bailey’s soul prepares to leave this life for a new one, he makes a promise to Ethan to find CJ and protect her at any cost.

Thus begins Bailey’s adventure through multiple lives filled with love, friendship and devotion as he, CJ (Kathryn Prescott), and CJ’s best friend Trent (Henry Lau) experience joy and heartbreak, music and laughter, and few really good belly rubs.

See the Trailer:

Artwork:

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

 A DOG’S PURPOSE is in theatres Friday, May 17, 2019.

(Photo/video credit: Universal Pictures Canada)

It was a Good Friday, indeed! We’ve been looking for a quick escape from the City for a bit and both Mom and I needed a pick-me-up after  what’s started as a dismal 2019. Hence, some shopping and family time was in good order and when it comes to shopping, one blessing of living in Toronto is that Buffalo’s array of awesome malls are just a short drive away.

The 2019 HONDA CIVIC 5D SPORT came to the rescue this Easter Holiday weekend and true to form, it carries on the Civic‘s amazing legacy of practicality and style. And if anything Mom and I needed that jumbo hatchback trunk from our Walden Galleria, Target and Fashion Outlets adventures!

We just drove the 2019 Honda Accord Touring recently, hence we got used to shift gear-free driving that oddly when going back to a shift gear, it took a bit of getting used to. That is the magic of Honda innovation influencing our behaviour! The 2019 Honda Civic 5D Sport with its 2.0-litre, 16-valve, Port Injections, DOHC, i-VTEC 4-Cylinder and 158-hp engine made us a master of the highways, powering us through a torrential downpour of rain on Good Friday and the long weekend Saturday where my parents and I partook in our annual tradition, opening day at Woodbine Racetrack!

While fuel prices have skyrocketed earlier this year, we still were able to fill a tank and drive to Buffalo, plus run errands around the City for $50 only, much thanks to the Civic‘s game-changing ECON Mode.

The Civic‘s style remains untouchable and we felt sheer confidence being seen in Aegean Blue Metallic, giving us a spiritual lift in the gloomy gray weather we experienced this long weekend. Its 18″ dark aluminum-alloy wheels are a scene-stealer. Its one-touch moonroof was made for this improving weather and will come in super-handy. Honda spoils us continually with Proximity Key Entry so that fumbling for keys no longer is in our vocabulary.

Like many recent offerings from Honda, its centerpiece is its 7″ colour TFT centre meter display which acts as a control hub for the roomy ride including Climate Control, which allows the driver and front passenger to customize their temperature. Heated front seats were a warm blanket of snuggles when temperatures dipped this past weekend, while Android Auto/Apple CarPlay have evolved for drivers of the now. And when we weren’t busy being obsessed with SiriusXM Hits 1, we were streaming our new favourite artist, LIZZO with the car’s Bluetooth Steaming Audio. We stayed charged with a variety of charging options.

Your safety is top priority with Honda and the Civic is no different. A Forward Collision Warning System was on-top of things as was its Lane Depature Warning System. Changing to the right lane or backing-out was made easy with its signature Honda LandWatch Blind Spot Display and Multi-angle Rearview Camera. Although we never hope to have to see them, there are the i-SRS Airbag System and SmartVent Side Airbags to protect us from harm’s way. We also will never get bored of its automatic wipers which went to work with the first drops of rain and also its helpful rear-windshield wipers which we feel every car needs.

A first happened, my Mom said “Goodbye” and pat the car after dropping her off. I asked her where she thought I was going and she told me “I wasn’t saying bye to you, I was saying goodbye to the car!”. That’s the Honda effect.

See some our adventures!

 

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So much fun doing a #Buffalo Road Trip with Mom! We both needed a pick-me-up and couldn’t have done it without the #HondaCivic 5D Sport Touring! She tried on dresses for some upcoming weddings in our family and she is #CheesecakeFactory’s newest fan… and she is picky! I scored some awesome deals at #WaldenGalleria including a #MichaelKors long coat reduced from $550 to just $50, a pair of shimmery sneakers from #Macys for $19 which you will be obsessed with like I am, a #MarthaStewart Cake Pan reduced from $50 to $12, some fab Summer looks at #HM and an early Mother’s Day gift! I also stocked-up on #Easter candies at #Target. God, I love Buffalo. It was a #GoodFriday, indeed! 🐇

A post shared by Mr. Will Wong 📸 (@mrwillwong) on Apr 19, 2019 at 7:25pm PDT

 

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It’s Opening Day at Woodbine! Loved seeing so many smiling faces! All the best to everyone and to an amazing 2019 season! #HorseRacing #BetWoodbine #Horse #Thoroughbreds #Woodbine

A post shared by Mr. Will Wong 📸 (@mrwillwong) on Apr 20, 2019 at 4:55pm PDT

 

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Dined like a #CrazyRichAsian at authentic Singaporean hotspot, #LionCity! That Singaporean Chili Crab in Sambal Sauce was sent from heaven as was that Stingray! More on the link in my Bio line.

A post shared by Mr. Will Wong 📸 (@mrwillwong) on Apr 21, 2019 at 11:20am PDT

The 2019 HONDA CIVIC 5D SPORT starts at $27,376 CAN.

Click here for more.

(Photo credit: Mr. Will Wong)

Ang Lee‘s latest, GEMINI MAN stars Will Smith up against himself and here’s a first look at its Trailer!

Synopsis:
Gemini Man is an innovative action-thriller starring Will Smith as Henry Brogan, an elite assassin, who is suddenly targeted and pursued by a mysterious young operative that seemingly can predict his every move. The film is directed by Academy Award®-winning filmmaker Ang Lee and produced by renown producers Jerry Bruckheimer, David Ellison, Dana Goldberg and Don Granger. Also starring are Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Clive Owen and Benedict Wong.

See the Trailer:

Paramount Pictures Canada release GEMINI MAN Friday, October 11, 2019.

(Photo/video credit: Paramount Pictures Canada)

We love us some Renée Zellweger! It’s been a minute since we’ve heard from the Oscar-winning Bridget Jones’s Diary star and our day was made seeing that she stars in a new Netflix ten-episode Series, WHAT/IF coming to us in May!

Synopsis:
Neo-noir social thriller WHAT/IF explores the ripple effects of what happens when acceptable people start doing unacceptable things. The first season of the Netflix original series focuses on a mysterious woman’s lucrative, but dubious offer to a cash-strapped pair of San Francisco newlyweds.

The Netflix original series WHAT/IF stars Renee Zellweger (Cold Mountain, Jerry Maguire), Jane Levy (Castle Rock, Suburgatory), Blake Jenner (American Animals, Glee), Samantha Ware (Glee), Keith Powers (Famous in Love), Daniella Pineda (Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom), Juan Castano (Shades of Blue), John Clarence Stewart (Marvel’s Luke Cage) & Dave Annable (Brothers & Sisters).

See a Sneak Peek:

WHAT/IF streams Friday, May 24, 2019 on Netflix.

(Photo/video credit: Netflix)

There’s so much mystique surrounding Cannabis edibles and believe it or not I still hadn’t ever tried them until now.  A “Green Angel” was kind enough to get me a couple packs of Buudabomb Gummies to satisfy my curiosity at long last and I wasn’t quite sure what to expect of it.  I am the type of Drinker who gets drunk after a couple drinks, but yet oddly I do admit to having smoked marijuana once or twice in my life to no real effect so I was super-curious how I’d react to edibles.

I document my journey over four days on the advice of friends to start slow.  Watch my journey below:

In summary, if you are gonna do this, do it in the safety of your home – or in my case in bed at the end of your day.  Find your balance, find your dosage.

Hope your 4.20 was amazing! 🌿

(Photo/video credit: Mr. Will Wong)

It’s been about 18 years since I last visited Singapore and one thing I took away from the trip was my love for the Cuisine. With epic food markets which we could only dream of like Lau Pa Sat and Newton Circus, we’ve longed for some dishes like their selection of exotic fruits, authentic Chicken Rice and Sambal Stingray ever since. My palate always has been a bit more adventurous than that of my family, my parents enjoying cleaner and lighter fare. I thought I’d bring them out for Easter weekend for a taste adventure to Mississauga’s Singaporean hotspot, LION CITY after opening day at Woodbine Racetrack, just 20 minutes away from the oval.

With all the rage of Crazy Rich Asians having swept the nation of late, Toronto palates are as curious as ever about the delicious cuisine featured in the Film. Let’s be honest. Toronto’s take on Chinese, Japanese and Korean fare are a cut above the rest. Singaporean cuisine however, still is a bit of a mystery and there isn’t an amazing selection of offerings in the City.

Entrepreneurs Elle Sim and Greg Woon, a real-life couple, debuted their Laksa in Toronto’s Leslieville Market back in 2017. The  popular noodle in coconut-curry soup dish in their native Singapore, developed a following and soon the rest of Toronto will be able to try it at STACKT, the City’s first ever Shipping Container Food Market at 28 Bathurst Street.

After meeting in their previous lives in the finance industry, the couple married, had a son and together they moved to Canada.  Just earlier this year, they took ownership of west-end staple LION CITY and have given the Menu their own spin, while keeping many of the original staff. Buzz has taken flight at a steady pace, with Sim taking the brand to Social Media and she tells me at a curated meal on a busy Saturday night, that she manages all the establishment’s accounts herself.

The night before our meal, we peruse their offerings on Social Media and we couldn’t get their Singaporean Crab off our mind, taking note of 24-hour advance request policy. We messaged around midnight and Sim was gracious enough to take care of us, picking-out a crab for us in the AM.  Priced at $65 (changes seasonally) the Singaporean Chili Crab might seem a bit expensive, but one taste and you realize why.  It is sinfully-meaty and that Sambal Sauce (chili, shrimp paste, garlic, onion, ginger, lime and more) with okra, tomato, egg plus crab fat/roe folded-in, was sent from heaven. It tasted so authentic I started getting nervous about having gum in my pocket. Fact: chewing gum is banned in Singapore.

It is a good thing there were leftovers for me to savour the next day.  Rice or Roti on the side is necessary to scoop-up or sop-up that thick paste. And yes, you need a drink like a Kopi Tarik (pulled iced coffee) or an iced Chrysanthemum Tea to go with that salty goodness.  There was a spicier Black Pepper Crab on the Menu as well, but we’ll save that for another visit.

Singaporean Chili Crab

While we couldn’t quite get to it, we took home their take on the Sambal Stingray and it was delectable even the next day. The fins fried to a crisp and edible. That Sambal Sauce again was front and center here and we found ourselves searching for something to dip into it. Fact: Crocodile Hunter Steve Irwin‘s life was claimed by a stingray. How could something so fatal be so delicious?

Grilled Fish in Banana Leaf

My Dad is a fan of this spicy and full-bodied noodle soup. My Mom found it too spicy but doable with a bit of tea.  I do feel Lion City’s take is a bit on the spicier side and I do love spicy, but be warned.  Fried Fish Cake, Chicken Breast, Fried Tofu Puffs and Shrimp add taste, texture and nourishment to the carbs.

Laksa

A Singaporean restaurant simply cannot be without mastering the art of Chicken Rice and the dish is in fact the national dish of Singapore. I’ve had several takes on the dish at Chinese and Malaysian hole-in-the-walls and to this day, the best I’ve ever had is at a Hong Kong-style diner in Scarborough. Lion City‘s interpretation hits the mark, the boiled chicken pieces juicy and the rice just greasy enough. The Ginger-Scallion Sauce that accompanies it is a must for dipping as is the Sweet Chili Sauce.  I found it interesting that they paired the dish with a thick and caramelized Soy Sauce which we don’t get to see much in these parts. A clear broth accompanies this in a bowl. It seems everyone ordered this dish around us.

Hainanese Chicken Rice

We have a serious sweet tooth and it isn’t often you find a place in Toronto that serves this cold coconut milk-based concoction with gummy-like jellies, taro and yam. This is one of a few offerings including Mango/Durian Sticky Rice, Black Glutinous Rice (Pulot Hitam) and more.

Buboh Cha Cha

By Amanda Gilmore for Mr. Will Wong

Wild Rose follows Glasgow born and raised Rose-Lynn (Jessie Buckley) who dreams of escaping to Nashville to become a country music star. It had its World Premiere in the Special Presentations Programme at TIFF ’18. In case you missed it the Film is set to release on February 8, 2019 in the UK and May 10, 2019 in the USA. As of right now there is no Canadian release date but the Film is bought by eOne Films. We were lucky enough to sit down with the star of the Film, Jessie Buckley, along with the Director Tom Harper and Writer Nicole Taylor while they were in Toronto for the Festival.

Q: Glasgow and Rose-Lynn are gritty on the outside but very colourful on the inside. How important was it to write the duality of the two and then make that duality visual?

TAYLOR: Because I’m from there it’s so hard to have any perspective on it. I have not lived there for a very long time, but it’s almost like the longer I live away from it the more respect I have for it. Just as you say, Glasgow has this reputation for being this hard-ass place but the people are so warm, and they chat away whether you want them to or not. Its like the biggest move cliche to say that the city is like a character in the Movie but this is a love letter to Glasgow. And everything I love about Glasgow, the lack as sentimentality, the humour, the way that Rose-Lynn’s mom played by Julie Waters — people just get on with it, they just isn’t no chat. I just love the city.

HARPER: For me it’s like I didn’t know much about Glasgow but obviously I have spent a lot of now for the Film. With the lead up, the locations and the casting and pre-production. It [Glasgow] was amazingly welcoming. You know when you go somewhere and make something somewhere there is always a danger, or you have this fear, that people might not want to, they might question why if you aren’t from somewhere why you would want to be there. But actually what I felt was that there was a great welcoming, like they were saying, “look at our culture, be apart of that culture, tell the stories.” And I think also because people we worked with who read the script were so warming to the Script, and loved it so much that it was sort of easy. That’s one side of it, but the other side is that the Film even though it couldn’t be set anywhere else there are a set of themes. Thematically it resonates with, I think it could be anybody anywhere. So even though in some ways it’s very specific, thematically it’s quite universal. And I think that, having been to Glasgow only a couple of time before reading the script, it didn’t stop me from immediately falling in love with Rose-Lynn and the character and identifying or empathizing with her, particularly with her struggles and hardships.

TAYLOR: You know that thing in Film where its got to be super particular but then also be universal, this couldn’t be more particular it was bloody autobiographical. I had to write this Film about this girl who couldn’t wait to leave this place. But it was so useful to have somebody who didn’t have that relationship with Glasgow, who could find and express that universal energy. Because it’s about someone who just doesn’t belong really to where they come from.

HARPER: That’s a nice way to describe our collaborative working relationship.

Q: Jessie, you have played a lot of authentic characters throughout your career what sets Rose-Lynn apart from the others?

BUCKLEY: She is just herself. With Beast or War and Peace they all have their own little mission, you know? They all have their own little thing they are trying to get something out of their life. And for Rose-Lynn it’s her courage to grab her dream. Even when she knows that the consequences of what that might be for everybody else. And it’s not only destructive to them but also to her. That bold journey of identity where she thinks she needs to go far away from who she is in order to find herself, and at the end she realizes that you can’t do that because it’s who you are is the boldest part of your dream.

eOne Films release WILD ROSE as follows:

June 21, 2019 – Toronto
July 5, 2019 – Vancouver, Montreal
July 12, 2019 – Expands

THE CURSE OF LA LLORONA delivers an Easter surprise, taking the top of the Box Office with $24.6 million from 3,372 theatres for Warner Bros. The James Wan production gets 34% on the Tomatometer and a B- CinemaScore.

In second is SHAZAM! with $17.2 million week three for Warner Bros. after two weeks on-top.

BREAKTHROUGH debuts in third spot with $11 million after a Wednesday opening in 2,824 theatres. The 20th Century Fox release gets a decent 64% on the Tomatometer and an A CinemaScore.

In fifth is LITTLE with $6.8 million in its second week out for Universal Pictures.

Rounding-out the Top Ten is MISSING LINK with $3.9 million in week two for United Artists Releasing/Elevation Pictures.

eOne Films x Mr. Will want to give Readers a chance to win Advance Passes to see LONG SHOT, which just premiered at SXSW to rave reviews!

Screenings take place as follows on Wednesday, May 1, 2019:

Toronto

Vancouver

Calgary

Edmonton

Winnipeg

Ottawa

Halifax

One lucky winner will win this official windbreaker, like the one Seth Rogen wears in the Film:

Synopsis:
Fred Flarsky (Seth Rogen) is a gifted and free-spirited journalist with an affinity for trouble. Charlotte Field (Charlize Theron) is one of the most influential women in the world. Smart, sophisticated, and accomplished, she’s a powerhouse diplomat with a talent for…well, mostly everything. The two have nothing in common, except that she was his babysitter and childhood crush. When Fred unexpectedly reconnects with Charlotte, he charms her with his self-deprecating humor and his memories of her youthful idealism. As she prepares to make a run for the Presidency, Charlotte hires Fred as her speechwriter, much to the dismay of her trusted advisors. A fish out of water on Charlotte’s elite team, Fred is unprepared for her glamourous lifestyle in the limelight. However, sparks fly as their unmistakable chemistry leads to a round-the-world romance and a series of unexpected and dangerous incidents.

See the Trailer:

Artwork:

To enter to win, click “like” on this Post at MR. WILL ON FACEBOOK and indicate your City. Click Re-Tweet from this Tweet from @mrwillw for another shot!

eOne Films release LONG SHOT Friday, May 3, 2019.

(Photo/video credit: eOne Films)

Fox Searchlight x Mr. Will want to give Readers a chance to win Advance Passes to see TOLKIEN in Toronto Monday, May 6, 2019. One lucky winner gets a set of collectible stills from the Film!

Synopsis:

TOLKIEN explores the formative years of the renowned author’s life as he finds friendship, courage and inspiration among a fellow group of writers and artists at school. Their brotherhood strengthens as they grow up and weather love and loss together, including Tolkien’s tumultuous courtship of his beloved Edith Bratt, until the outbreak of the First World War which threatens to tear their fellowship apart. All of these experiences would later inspire Tolkien to write his famous Middle-earth novels.

See the Trailer:

Artwork: