#REVIEW: “GOODBYE CHRISTOPHER ROBIN”

Review by Siobhán Rich for Mr. Will Wong The basics about Winnie the Pooh are well-known: Christopher Robin was based on a real boy, and the bear shared his name with a proud Canadian city. It turns out the one piece of that story we were all missing was the utter misery the real Christopher Robin’s felt about the books. In Goodbye Christopher Robin, Screenwriters Frank Cottrell Boyce and Simon Vaughan introduce the world to a dysfunctional family and a deeply-unhappy little boy. Upon his ... Read more

#REVIEW: “HAPPY DEATH DAY”

Review by David Baldwin for Mr. Will Wong Tree Gelbman (Jessica Rothe) wakes up in a stranger’s dorm room after a late night of drinking. Embarrassed, she leaves and spends the day trying to forget it is her birthday. On her way to a party that evening, she is murdered. She wakes up in bed moments later and has déjà vu as she plays out the same events as the previous day, including getting murdered. And then it happens again. Rather quickly, Tree realizes she will not stop reliving the ... Read more

#REVIEW: “THE MEYEROWITZ STORIES (NEW AND SELECTED)”

Review by Justin Waldman for Mr. Will Wong Think Noah Baumbach’s The Royal Tenenbaums but even more next-level. The Meyerowitz Stores (New and Selected) is a Family Drama focused on three children, their relationship with each other and their father. Something in this Film. While feeling very much familiar like the rest of Baumbach’s work, this arguably is his greatest and most ambitious project to date. Netflix certainly is stamping itself a new player in the Awards Season race and The ... Read more

#REVIEW: “BREATHE”

Andy Serkis' directorial debut is an ambitious one, but is able to soar emotionally thanks to its phenomenal leads. Produced by Jonathan Cavendish (Bridget Jones Series), Breathe is based on the true story of his father Robin (Andrew Garfield), a British World War II veteran who sadly is crippled by Polio at the age of 28. Defiant about remaining in the confines of a hospital, he and wife Diana (Claire Foy) go against the wish of their doctors taking his respirator home knowing well that he ... Read more

#REVIEW: “PROFESSOR MARSTON AND THE WONDER WOMEN”

Review by Justin Waldman for Mr. Will Wong Professor Marston and The Wonder Women is a love letter to the Wonder Woman, telling the story behind her creation and the dynamics between her creator, his family and lovers. The Movie is equal parts an investigation if Wonder Woman can in fact be published because of what could be seen as 'crude' content (in the original comics and even today) and a Biopic about William Marston himself. The Movie focuses on Marston (Luke Evans), his wife ... Read more

#REVIEW: “BLADE RUNNER 2049”

Review by David Baldwin for Mr. Will Wong In college, I wrote about my frustrations with Ridley Scott and Blade Runner. The Film is considered by many to be a definitive Science Fiction masterpiece. I understand and appreciate how incredibly influential its visuals are, but it seems more interested in existential dilemmas and the question of “What makes us human?” rather than telling a coherent story. And the multiple versions of the Film – the latter of which removes the subtlety of ... Read more

#REVIEW: “THE MOUNTAIN BETWEEN US”

Review by Justin Waldman for Mr. Will Wong Two strangers end up on a non-commercial plane together to avoid missing engagements due to weather conditions, what is the worst thing that could happen? The Movie focuses on Ben (Idris Elba) who joins Alex (Kate Winslet) on her crusade to make her wedding, while the former has to make his surgery in the morning by taking a non-commercial aircraft. All is fine until the pilot suffers a heart attack mid-flight and the plane crashes in the mountains ... Read more

#REVIEW: “VICTORIA AND ABDUL”

Review by Siobhán Rich for Mr. Will Wong Heavy is the head that wear the crown in Stephen Frears’ latest Costume Drama, Victoria & Abdul. Starring Dame Judi Dench, the movie, based “mostly” on a true story, is a plodding take on platonic love, court machinations, and racism. Jailhouse clerk Abdul Karim (Ali Fazal) and his lamentably shorter countryman Mohammed (Adeel Akhtar) are chosen to sail from India to England to present Queen Victoria a ceremonial coin. Despite having been ... Read more

#REVIEW: “AMERICAN MADE”

Review by Justin Waldman for Mr. Will Wong Director Doug Liman has delivered time and again with hits like Mr & Mrs. Smith and The Bourne Identity. While his latest night feel a little too long, American Made is a blast from start to finish, and maybe even a little exhausting through it all. The Movie centers on Barry Seal (Tom Cruise), an airline pilot who gets caught in some shady business like smuggling in Cuban cigars through Vancouver and Montreal. Schafer (Domhnall Gleeson) ... Read more

#REVIEW: “DON’T TALK TO IRENE”

By David Baldwin for Mr. Will Wong When it comes to TIFF, the majority of films shown over the course of 11 days are not always the most uplifting. Outside of the Midnight Madness and Documentary programmes (and Vanguard, may it rest in peace), the main focus is on Oscar-baiting Dramas and adult fare. It is rare for actual comedies to land a spot during the Festival – and even rarer for those films to be Canadian. Irene Willis (newcomer Michelle McLeod) is an outcast and the so-called ... Read more