#REVIEW: “THE FRIEND”
Review by Amanda Gilmore for Mr. Will Wong
Naomi Watts’ latest is an intimate film about grief and healing for man and man's best friend.
Iris (Watts) is a New York City writer struggling with Writer's Block. Her solitary life gets thrown into disarray when her close friend and mentor Walter (Bill Murray) commits suicide. Following his passing, he bequeaths her his Great Dane named Apollo (Bing). The dog immediately creates practical problems for Iris, from furniture destruction to ...
Read more
#REVIEW: “A MINECRAFT MOVIE”
Review by David Baldwin for Mr. Will Wong
I have never played Minecraft and my knowledge of the game is minimal at best. I feel this is the best place to start this review of the bewilderingly titled A MINECRAFT MOVIE because trying to explain makes me question my sanity. A group of individuals get sucked through a mysterious portal into something called the Overworld, where everything is cubed shaped and creativity is paramount to survival, and must find their way back to the real world. And ...
Read more
#REVIEW: “THE PENGUIN LESSONS”
Review by Amanda Gilmore for Mr. Will Wong
The Penguin Lessons is a cute, quirky British Buddy Comedy.
Based on the Autobiography by Tom Michell, this Adaptation tells the story of an unlikely friendship that completely changed Tom’s outlook on life. Tom (Steve Coogan) arrives in Argentina in 1976, amidst a turbulent time in Argentinian history. The Englishman teaches at an all-boys school but lacks care for the position and pupils. That's until he takes a spontaneous trip to Uruguay, ...
Read more
#REVIEW: “THE BALLAD OF WALLIS ISLAND”
Review by Amanda Gilmore for Mr. Will Wong
The Ballad of Wallis Island is a megaphone of warmth and heart right when the world needs it.
Charles (Tim Key) is an eccentric lottery winner who lives alone on a remote island in Wales and dreams of getting his favourite bands, McGwyer Mortimer, back together. His dream turns into a reality when the two bandmates and former lovers, Herb McGwyer (Tom Basden) and Nell Mortimer (Carey Mulligan), accept his invitation to play a private ...
Read more
#REVIEW: “THE STUDIO”
Review by David Baldwin for Mr. Will Wong
Matt Remick (Seth Rogen) is a top executive working for the fictional Continental Studios. He is a lover of blockbuster cinema but likes to champion smaller prestige pictures – which is going to be a massive challenge now that he has been promoted to being the head of the studio and has been tasked with developing a new franchise revolving around the Kool-Aid Man.
This is the pitch that gets the ball rolling on THE STUDIO, the 10-episode Satire ...
Read more
#REVIEW: “MAGAZINE DREAMS”
Review by Amanda Gilmore for Mr. Will Wong
Writer-Director Elijah Bynum delivers a gripping character study of an amateur bodybuilder who battles both the limits of his physical body and his inner demons to gain recognition. It follows Killian Maddox (Jonathan Majors) who attempts to make it big as a bodybuilder, while caring for his grandfather in small-town America.
It’s clear from the beginning that Majors has put everything into this role. He completely changes his physical body to ...
Read more
#REVIEW: “OPUS”
Review by Nicholas Porteous for Mr. Will Wong
Opus follows Ayo Edebiri as an aspiring Writer summoned to a mysterious promotional retreat for a legendary Pop Artist’s first album in decades. The pop artist in question? Who else but John Malkovich (as Alfred Moretti). Joining Edebiri for the ride: Juliette Lewis, Murray Bartlett, and a small coterie of Music Journalists dying to get a first impression of Moretti‘s new work. Oh, and it’s worth mentioning that during his ...
Read more
#REVIEW: “BLACK BAG”
Review by Nicholas Porteous for Mr. Will Wong
In Steven Soderbergh's Black Bag, Michael Fassbender plays a steely-eyed British spy tasked with uncovering a traitor inside his agency. One big wrinkle--his wife (Cate Blanchett) tops the list of suspects. If Mr. and Mrs. Smith were a couple of decades older and hosted dinner parties with their work frenemies, you'd get this cool and exacting Thriller.
Black Bag wields an impressive ensemble, including Marisa Abela, Tom Burke, Naomie Harris, ...
Read more
#REVIEW: “NOVOCAINE”
By Mr. Will Wong
Dan Berk and Robert Olsen team-up to co-direct the action-packed NOVOCAINE. This 110 minute thrill ride a mashup of Comedy, Action and bloody gore, led by a charismatic leading man in Jack Quaid.
Meet Nathan Caine (Quaid), an assistant Bank Manager who quietly enjoys gaming and reading. His world changes when he meets Sherry (Amber Midthunder), a Teller at the bank he works and being complete opposites they fall for one another. Nathan has a rare condition called CIP ...
Read more
#REVIEW: “SEVEN VEILS”
By Mr. Will Wong
Visionary Writer/Director Atom Egoyan is ready to unveil SEVEL VEILS after premiering it at TIFF '23 to acclaim. The Drama-Thriller reunites him with Amanda Seyfried, whom he last worked with in 2009 Erotic Thriller CHLOE.
Having directed the Opera SALOME in the past, Egoyan gets meta here in this story centering on Jeanine (Seyfried), a Theatre Director tasked with directing a production of Salome, which prior was directed by a much older clandestine lover who recently ...
Read more