#REVIEW: “SAINT MAUD”
Review by David Baldwin for Mr. Will Wong
Maud (Morfydd Clark) is a Nurse turned Personal Support Worker. Haunted by her past, she has become such a devout Catholic that she believes she can hear and feel God speaking to her. His message becomes clear when Maud is assigned to care for Amanda (Jennifer Ehle), a former dancer now dying of Lymphoma: she must cleanse and save her patient’s soul at any cost.
I watched Saint Maud almost a month ago and my skin is still crawling. The Film starts ...
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#REVIEW: “FALLING”
By Mr. Will Wong
Filmed right here in Toronto and also just premiering at TIFF '20, Viggo Mortensen makes his directorial debut, while also starring in self-penned FALLING. Full disclosure, this is not an easy film to watch, but it is not without its merit as Mortensen tackles some very heavy subject matter.
FALLING centers on John (Mortensen) and his father Willis (Lance Henriksen) and their challenging relationship. John and his husband Eric (Terry Chen) have built a content life together ...
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#REVIEW: “MALCOLM & MARIE”
By Mr. Will Wong
Writer/Director Sam Levinson and Zendaya team-up once more after her Emmy-winning success with Euphoria. MALCOLM & MARIE centers on a Filmmaker, Malcolm (John David Washington) and girlfriend Marie (Zendaya) one evening after the premiere of his latest Film. Marie feels the central character is based on her, much to Malcom's insistence not, and she is upset that he neglected to thank her. While waiting on reviews to come in, several buried issues within their relationship ...
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#REVIEW: “THE LITTLE THINGS”
By Mr. Will Wong
John Lee Hancock (The Blind Side, Saving Mr. Banks) writes and directs THE LITTLE THINGS, a '90s-set Psychological Thriller, which centers on a string of murders in Los Angeles. While the Film is considerably darker material than what we're used to from him, it does manage to grab our attention, keeping us just uncomfortable enough through its two-hour run time.
Both on the case are LAPD Detective Jimmy Baxter (Rami Malek) and Kern County Deputy Sherriff Joe Deacon (Denzel ...
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#REVIEW: “PALMER”
Review by David Baldwin for Mr. Will Wong
Eddie Palmer (Justin Timberlake) has just been released from prison and is trying to rebuild his life. He moves in with his grandmother Vivian (June Squibb) in Louisiana, gets a job as a school janitor and tries his best to ignore the judgements of everyone who remembers his troubled past. Soon after, Palmer meets Sam (Ryder Allen), who lives in the trailer behind Vivian’s home. Sam’s Mom Shelley (Juno Temple) tends to disappear on lengthy benders ...
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#REVIEW: “JIU JITSU”
Review by Justin Waldman for Mr. Will Wong
We admit the first thing that drew us to Jiu Jitsu was Nicolas Cage. However, in its absolute insanity and over-the-top, adrenaline-filled action, Jiu Jitsu holds its own weight even without enough of him.
The Movie starts with Jake (Alain Moussi) running away from invisible ninja star-throwing enemies in the forest. To try and escape, he jumps off a cliff, injures himself and is brought to a local US base. It appears that Jake lost his memory being ...
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#REVIEW: “PENGUIN BLOOM”
By Mr. Will Wong
After its Premiere at TIFF '20, Glendyn Ivin's PENGUIN BLOOM is ready to take flight as it arrives on Netflix. The inspiring true story based on the Novel of the same name by Photographer Cameron Bloom and Bradley Trevor Grieve, centers on Bloom and his wife Sam's time with an injured Magpie which they nursed back to strength. Sam had endured an injury in Thailand which left her paralyzed, and her family grappling with this catastrophic change. The Magpie, named Penguin ...
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#REVIEW: “OUR FRIEND”
By Mr. Will Wong
Despite some delays, we finally see Gabriela Cowperthwaite's OUR FRIEND (formerly titled The Friend) get its release. The Dramedy based on an autobiographical essay by Matthew Teague that appeared 2015 in Esquire Magazine, premiered at TIFF '19 to warm reception. Featured are a trio of sympathetic performances from stars Casey Affleck. Dakota Johnson and Jason Segel.
After Nicole (Johnson) is diagnosed with Cancer, we see her and husband Matthew (Affleck) try to prepare for ...
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#REVIEW: “THE 2ND”
By Justin Waldman for Mr. Will Wong
Sometimes we watch a movie and think to ourselves, “what ever happened to them?” and then they appear in movies like The 2nd. It is a "C" Action Film at best, with a lot of ridiculous action pieces, dialogue, and twists. The one positive thing it has going for it is a tight ninety-three minute running time packed with action that makes it short enough to be entertaining.
Shawn (Jack Griffo) and Erin (Lexi Simonsen) are the last ones at their boarding ...
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#REVIEW: “THE WHITE TIGER”
By Mr. Will Wong
Based on Aravind Adiga's best-selling and award-winning 2008 Novel, THE WHITE TIGER gets a film adaptation under Writer/Director Ramin Bahrani (Fahrenheit 451). And fans of the Novel should be delighted by this telling of the rags-to-riches story which recalls Balram's (Adarsh Gourav) rise from a poverty to becoming his own master - a chicken that escapes the coop, a rare animal like the titular animal this story is named.
It all begins with Balman joining his master Ashok ...
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