Super-impressive wire-to-wire score in blistering fractions, from the talented LAMIRADA in the Glorious Song for @jcarrollracing and owner Mark Dodson, with @FraserAebly aboard. #BetOntario
Enter for a chance to win a digital download of SPIDER-MAN: BRAND NEW DAY! AVAILABLE ON DIGITAL OCTOBER 6, 2026 AND ON 4K UHD, BLU-RAY & DVD DECEMBER 15, 2026.We are giving away digital copies of the #1 domestic movie of all time!"Like" this post for an entry, tagging 1 friend who loves SPIDER-MAN as much as you!Multiple entries allowed. Codes are for use in Canada only. You must be following.Details: mrwillwong. com/spidermanbrandnewday2/#SpiderMan #SpiderManBrandNewDay#win... See MoreSee Less
tiff '26 selection RUN TERRY RUN is in theatres this Friday! We're giving readers across Canada a chance to win Cineplex run-of-engagement passes to see it!Synopsis: A behind-the-scenes look at Terry Fox's legendary 1980 Marathon of Hope."Like" this post and tag a friend who's going with you! Multiple entries allowed.Elevation Pictures release RUN TERRY RUN on 10.9.26!The TARO Group... See MoreSee Less
Enter for your chance to win passes to an Advance Screening of #StreetFighter in Toronto 10.14.26!"Like" this post for an entry, tagging one lucky friend you are taking! Multiple entries allowed. You must be following.Paramount Pictures Canada release STREET FIGHTER 10.16.26.Details: mrwillwong. com/streetfighter@paramountpics@streetfightermovie@thetarogroup#WIN #CONTEST #GIVEAWAY #STREETFIGHTER ... See MoreSee Less
Enter for a chance to win run-of-engagement passes to see Aaron Sorkin's THE SOCIAL RECKONING.In theatres 10.9.26 via Sony Pictures Canada.Details are at mrwillwong.com/thesocialreckoning"Like" this post for an entry, tagging 1 friend you're taking, while indicating your city. Multiple entries allowed. ... See MoreSee Less
Enter for a chance to win run-of-engagement passes to see Cannes Palme d'Or winner and tiff '26 selection, FJORD.In theatres in Toronto + Vancouver 10.16.26.Details are at mrwillwong.com/fjord"Like" this post for an entry, tagging 1 friend you're taking, while indicating your City (Toronto/Vancouver). Multiple entries allowed. ... See MoreSee Less
We don’t believe we made it through another TIFF! While this year’s Festival certainly was a bit more scaled-back we definitely were not short of things to do, equally putting in long days. So thankful to the Team for contributing their Reviews of the most key titles to surface at TIFF ’21 including Dave Baldwin, Amanda Gilmore and George Kozera. So thankful to be a Torontonian and be gifted every year with this amazing Festival. We’re so appreciative of the considerations for our safety and the fact that we were able to enjoy the Festival both in-person and at-home. We will never take for granted this flexibility.
Once again we must thank some of our official partners in our coverage of the Festival this year! We couldn’t have done it without their generosity and support and we’re always thrilled to get our Readers and Followers excited about their amazing products and services.
•1 $50 Starbucks Canada Gift Card •1 $50 Chatime gift card + 1x T-shirt +1x Tumbler + 1x Stainless Steel Straw set •1 $50 Gift Card at Lone Star Texas Grill •1 $50 Gift Card at Frankie’s Nashville Hot Chicken •1 Happy Gift Set including 1 Rose Quartz Roller + Gua Sha set, 1 Happy Face Mask, 1 bottle 250ml Happy Sanitizer and a Happy 3-Toothbrush set •1 The Beauty of Eczema’s Bathing Oil and Bath Salts At-Home Spa Set •1 Antipodes Manuka Honey Skin-Brightening Beehive Box •1 boscia Skin Nutrition Body Collection •1 bottle of Nature’s Sunshine new Hair, Skin & Nails capsules and BioGuard Hand and Body Cream •1 H&M Canada VIP Card •1 Official MR. WILL WONG Baseball Cap
_______________________________________________
Team Mr. Will also share their favourites of the Festival and also their predictions which Film will win that coveted People’s Choice Award!
Although TIFF had less films in its lineup, there was no shortage of great Films! This list was VERY hard for me to make. NOTE: FLEE would be included but I viewed outside of TIFF!
Belfast Titane The Worst Person in the World
Petite Maman Spencer
Would Also Highly Recommend: The Eyes of Tammy Faye, The Power of the Dog, Dune & The Humans
TIFF’21 was a substantial upgrade from TIFF’20. Full Stop. The quality of films was substantially stronger, the in-person and digital offerings were better, and the all-around experience was so much closer to the TIFF we all know and love from those simpler, pre-pandemic times. There are some learnings the programming team will need to reflect on for next year’s festival, but I sincerely hope they continue with the hybrid experience despite some of the hiccups they encountered this year. It allows for an easier and more efficient means of discovery for everyone, and lets audiences still feel like they are part of the action even if they are watching from home. I had a blast watching so many movies this year, and am already looking forward to endlessly re-watching many of them. Yet I know in my bones that I would not have been able to see nearly as many had it only been an in-person festival. And while I am bummed to have missed out on Last Night in Soho and Spencer, I am overjoyed at everything I did get to see — including some of the more forgettable titles. Next year will no doubt look different again, but here’s hoping it will still feel like TIFF because where else can you go from watching a hit Broadway musical adaptation like Dear Evan Hansen to an Oscar-prestige play like The Power of the Dog to the absolute madness of the Palme d’Or winning Titane?
Spencer
The Eyes of Tammy Faye
Last Night in Soho
Belfast
Dear Evan Hansen
People’s Choice Award Prediction: Spencer
We’re still mesmerized by Kristen Stewart’s work in Spencer, which almost is side-by-side as our favourite with Jessica Chastain‘s mind-blowing portrayal of Tammy Faye Bakker in The Eyes of Tammy Faye! We still are obsessed with Last Night in Soho and can’t wait to see it again in October! We missed The Power of the Dog but are thankful it will be available soon on Netflix! So excited to see some of these titles propel into Awards Season success.
We are thrilled to announce our brand partners for the 2021 Toronto International Film Festival! With TIFF ’21 returning a bit more to a semblance of what we remember this year, we are excited to deliver you some amazing content! Whether it be snaps of and with the stars, bringing you the buzz on the who’s in town, our Reviews and also what Films are getting that Awards Season word of mouth, MRWILLWONG.COM and its Social Media channels are your go-to this TIFF!
We couldn’t do it without the support of our Brand Partners, returning and new!
Mobility during the Film Festival is super-important and we’re thrilled our ride of choice for TIFF ’21 is the 2021 Acura TLX. Crafted for performance, we’ll let its sleek style and action speak for itself. One of the world’s best sport cars has an incredible legacy of over 30+ years!
It’s PSL Season once again and for us TIFF has always been synonymous with a warm Pumpkin Spice Latte, while watching a movie during the Festival early in the morning! You cannot miss out on their Fall menu options including the Pumpkin Scone, Pumpkin & Cream Cheese Muffin, and the phenomenal Apple Crumble Macchiato.
H&M’s Fall 2021 Collection is all about comfort and style, with several officially licensed throwbacks. We’re thrilled to be wearing a few pieces from their Collection for the Festival again this year!
Nobody does tea like Chatime Canada and that’s the truth. So thrilled to see their brand flourish across Canada and we have been hooked for many years! You absolutely must try some of their seasonal beverages like Mango Tango, Guava Lava, Grape Escape and their brand new Golden Aged Milk Tea, rich and complex! It’s Midautumn Festival soon and select locations are carrying Bake Code’s amazing and decadent Moon Cakes.
Be following us on all our Social Media channels. We’ve got plenty of Drink Vouchers to give away throughout the Festival!
We love our Tex-Mex and Lone Star Texas Grill and Frankie’s Nashville Hot Chicken are the gold standard! With locations around the GTA are the perfect way to fire-up your Festival!
Keep your hair, skin and nails beautiful like the stars with Nature’s Sunshinenew Hair, Skin & Nailscapsules! And don’t forget to apply the ultimate protection and restoring benefits to your skin with their BioGuard Hand and Body Cream.
The secret’s out! It’s no coincidence the likes of Jennifer Aniston and Courtney Cox Arquette keep their faces looking fresh and we’re thrilled to partner with JetPeel Canada to keep our glow nice and bright for TIFF ’21!
We’re thrilled for an 11th year to be featured as a guest on CP24 during TIFF. Be sure to tune-in throughout the Festival. You never know when we’ll surface!
We swear by HappyNatural Products‘ 80% Alcohol Sanitizer. It’s our favourite and we foresee we’ll be using it forever, even after we make it through the Pandemic! In addition to this, they make fantastic face masks of the highest grade and also Gua Sha, Facial Rollers, Toothbrushes and more. Their products can be found at the likes of Whole Foods, Well.ca and more.
We know you’ve been waiting for it. We’re thrilled to give one Reader in the Greater Toronto Area a chance to win our TIFF ’21 Survival Prize Pack, loaded with products we know you can’t do without this Festival!
Our Prize Pack, a value of over $600 CAN, includes:
1 $50 Starbucks Canada Gift Card
1 $50 Chatime gift card + 1x T-shirt +1x Tumbler + 1x Stainless Steel Straw set
1 $50 Gift Card at Lone Star Texas Grill
1 $50 Gift Card at Frankie’s Nashville Hot Chicken
1 Happy Gift Set including 1 Rose Quartz Roller + Gua Sha set, 1 Happy Face Mask, 1 bottle 250ml Happy Sanitizer and a Happy 3-Toothbrush set
1 The Beauty of Eczema’s Bathing Oil and Bath Salts At-Home Spa Set
1 Antipodes Manuka Honey Skin-Brightening Beehive Box
1 boscia Skin Nutrition Body Collection
1 bottle of Nature’s Sunshine new Hair, Skin & Nails capsules and BioGuard Hand and Body Cream
1 H&M Canada VIP Card
1 Official MR. WILL WONG Baseball Cap
To enter for a chance to win, click “like” on this Post at MR. WILL ON FACEBOOK, tag a friend, and tell us in the comments there, which Film you’re most excited about at TIFF ’21. Note: entrants should be from the Greater Toronto Area. We will deliver you the prize in-person. *hint:here’s some of our #TIFF21 coverage so far*.
You must be following.
You might want to bookmark this link as it will be updated often during the Festival!
Not on Facebook? All good, you can enter to win also on Instagram. Details below.
In addition to this, the ILX Tech A-Spec got us to our interviews safe and efficient, which we appreciate more than ever especially during a Pandemic when we worry about the safety other means of transportation.
And did we mention we’re a Dad again? Our beanie was born during TIFF ’20 (how fitting!) and we had to rush to be by her side to welcome her into this world. We will be bringing her home end of October. So stoked!
As always, everything happens at once in our world, and we were thrilled to be only one of a few outlets granted access to North America’s most historic horse race, the Queen’s Plate – now in its 161st edition at Woodbine Racetrack.
As you know, we’ve been attending TIFF for several years now and we in all honesty were kinda excited for the first time to experience it in Drive-In format. This screening option is reserved more for the higher-profile titles at the Festival, with films divided between RBC Lakeside Drive-In and OLG Play Stage (Ontario Place Boulevard x Remembrance Drive) , plus VISA Skyline Drive-In (20 Polson Street).
We had the joy of seeing a Film at RBC Lakeside Drive-In and it was a pleasurable, well-executed experience which we can see being used again in future editions of the Festival. We loved the private experience of seeing a Movie with plenty of personal space from others. We could even make comments and not worry about distracting others. And the acoustics were perfect. Above this, we loved the retro charm of all this.
A few key things on the experience to guide you through it if you plan to see your films this way at TIFF ’20:
1. Doors open two hours before your Movie starts, but we arrived an hour early and had plenty of time to settle-in comfortably without having to queue to get in.
2. Upon arriving at the gate of the venue, you should have your digital tickets ready for scanning on your phone and you will be guided along by volunteers on a path to the theatre.
3. On your ticket, you are provided a reserved parking spot (sorted by colour coding) for your car and volunteers will guide you to that spot. Ensure you turn your headlights off. This is a courtesy to others.
4. A volunteer will brief you on the experience, including where washrooms are and what station to tune-into on your car radio to enjoy the Movie.
5. Concessions are available at the venues. You will be provided instructions or a link how to order on your phone and they will be brought to you, usually in a contactless manner. It also is totally fine to bring your own food. We did!
6. RBC Lakeside Drive-In has a stage with a live musical guest during the pre-show. It is good etiquette to honk your car to show appreciation for the performance.
7. With your car being on Accessory mode to keep your radio on to watch the Movie, it will turn off on its own at some point. If that happens just turn your car back on, carefully keep your headlights off so not to distract others.
8. There are Mazda Guest Automative Services available in case your car battery dies.
9. If you must leave your car during the Movie, ensure you keep at least 6 ft away from others and ensure you have a face covering on.
10. Do your research and check the length of your Film. It is a good idea to get a head start on the exit rush of cars out the venue once the Film ends, unless you do enjoy sitting through the credits. Which is totally fine too, but be prepared to wait!
Some snaps of our experience, which we were able to enjoy at TIFF ’20 courtesy of the 2020 Acura ILX!
A special thanks to H&M Canada for the fashion as well! Many of you are asking about the face covering and this is an official TIFF ’20 mask available only at the TIFF Bell Lightbox Gift Shop!
It’s that time of the year again! We admit TIFF ’20 couldn’t gave come any sooner as it is the highlight of our year every year. While our expectations have been managed of a reduced Festival in light of our current climate, we still plan to celebrate the best Film Festival in the world however we can. We understand the star power won’t be here in the City like previous years, but we are still excited to deliver you content just as you were there with us at the Festival! We’ve got our Films picked-out and look forward to bringing you highlights from some star-studded In-Conversations with the likes of Halle Berry, Denzel Washington, Saoirse Ronan and more, plus daily reviews of the Festival’s most-buzzed titles! Team Mr. Will are thrilled to deliver you our best coverage just like we do every year, even if on a different scale!
We spoke to The Toronto Sun‘s Jane Stevenson about how this year’s set-up impacts our plans here.
First are foremost we’d like to thank our partners, returning and new this year.
H&M CANADA – H&M still remains our favourite fashion go-to year after year and while there are a limited number of physical events to attend this year, we’re still honoured to showcase pieces from their Fall/Winter 2020 Collection! With the seasons changing, H&M wants to help you build your best and coziest Fall wardrobe. With all H&M stores officially reopened across Canada, they have great, fashionable Fall items and amazing deals happening both online and in store. We’re thrilled to rock a couple new pieces from their Fall/Winter 2020 Collection at some TIFF ’20 in-person events.
CHATIME CANADA – We are obsessed with Chatime and are delighted again this year to give our Readers and Followers a chance to win some gift vouchers. Others try, but Chatime has proven time and again to be the best Bubble Tea available and we’re thrilled they’re branching-out to several new areas for you to see what the crazy is all about! We live a walk away from a location but often just Uber Eats it in as nothing’s better than bypassing the wait! My recommendations are their Brown Sugar Pearl Milk Tea, Wintermelon Iced Tea or Iced Grapefruit Black Tea! Be sure to try their brand-new Tea of the Month, the Brown Rice Green Tea with Fresh Milk and also their 1 litre Super Cups Also right in-time for Mid-Autumn Festival, you also can find limited edition Mooncakes in select stores by Bake Code!
NTD APPAREL INC. – We understand safety should always come at the expense of fun and style. NTD Apparel Inc.’s official licensed merchandise are available at several retailers like Winners, Walmart, Canadian Tire and more! We offered you a chance to win some JAWS and BACK TO THE FUTURE face coverings in July and those were a huge hit!
SONY PICTURES HOME ENTERTAINMENT – One of our favourite purveyor of cinematic hits has in recent months brought us our favourites on Home Entertainment including Bad Boys For Life, Little Women, A Beautiful Day in the Neighbourhood, Once Upon a Time…in Hollywood, Bloodshot and more!
ACURA CANADA – As TIFF this year while largely is digital, it will include a Drive-In component, more than ever do we need an amazing ride for the task. We’ll be arriving in style TIFF ’20 in the 2020 ACURA ILX TECH A-SPEC!
We’ve already got a few Premieres on our schedule that we’ll enjoy in the ILX and we can’t wait to take you along with us for the ride!
NINJA KITCHEN CANADA – One of the joys of our pandemic has been sharpening our culinary skills and we were excited to launch a Cooking section on our website and the feedback has been amazing! Never did we realize before how much the Ninja Kitchen Air Fryer would elevate and simplify our cooking experience. We’ve made everything from Roast Chicken to Doughnuts to Steak and it is a joy to know we can have our favourite Sweet Potato Fries whenever we want now! Being home at TIFF this year more than ever for screenings, we appreciate the value of good food at home while we’re screening the Festival’s hottest titles.
STARBUCKS CANADA – Starbucks was a part of my daily life before the pandemic and it broke my heart that being home meant I couldn’t have my Starbucks every day. We’re so happy their stores are open again full-service and right in time for Pumpkin Spice Latte season – our favourite thing to have every TIFF, iced or hot! And don’t forget to try their brand-new Apple Oat Flat White. The ever-popular Oat Beverage is now available as a dairy alternative!
HAPPY HAND SANITIZER – More than ever before do we depend on staying safe with some sanitizer. Available at retailers like Well.ca and Whole Foods, Happy Hand Sanitizer sprays on easy, moisturizes, dries quick and is unscented. Best of all, it isn’t goopy like many others on the market. It also is safe for continued daily use at 80% alcohol and available in 2 and 8 oz. bottles. We don’t go anywhere without it! And best of all, it’s Canadian-made!
More excitingly, we’re thrilled to give our lucky Readers a chance to enjoy some of the products our partners offer! One lucky Readers will win our MR. WILL’S TIFF SURVIVAL PRIZE PACK which is an annual highlight. This year, the prize is more thrilling than ever!
The Prize Pack includes:
1 Ninja Kitchen Air Fryer, 3.8L (value $189 CAN) 4 Chatime Canada Gift Drink Vouchers with official Chatime Reusable Straws (value $60 CAN) $25 Starbucks Canada Gift Card (value $25 CAN) 1 H&M Canada VIP Discount Card, good for 25% off 1 Sony Pictures Home Entertainment CanadaBlu-ray™ Set including: Bad Boys For Life, Little Women, A Beautiful Day in the Neighbourhood, Once Upon a Time…in Hollywood and Bloodshot! (value $125) NTD Apparel Inc. official licensed BACK TO THE FUTURE and JAWS Face Coverings (value $25) 2 2 oz. bottles of HAPPY Hand Sanitizer (value $15)
A total value of at least $500 CAN! If the drawn winner is from the Great Toronto Area, I will hand-deliver the package to you during TIFF ’20.
To enter to win, click “like” on this Post at MR. WILL ON FACEBOOK. You can Re-Tweet this Contest Tweet from @mrwillw or tag two friends on this Post on our Instagram for an extra chance! You must be following and we will be verifying!
Even if you don’t win the Prize Pack, we’ve got some goodies to give away on our Social Media throughout the Fest!
Let’s face it, this weather has been pretty miserable this past week. The 2020 Acura ILX was there to lift us up out of these winter blahs! We previewed the vehicle in a gorgeous Apex Blue Pearl. One peek inside, we see its jaw-dropping red interior, black headliner, red illumination and stainless steel sport pedals. The ILX has a sporty sensibility, sleek and sexy, empowering its driver with a boost of confidence and style.
The car is powered by a 2.4L, 4-cylinder engine with 201 Horsepower and an 8 Speed Dual-Clutch Transmission. It bodes for a smooth drive which navigates easily with a tough, athletic composition. Drives down the 407, 401 and through bumpy, sloshy dirt roads all were handled like a pro by the ILX.
The ride is chalk-full of luxuries. It stands out with its Jewel Eye LED headlights, a beautiful Moonroof, giving your drive ambience. A Remote Engine Starter enables you to pop your trunk within proximity, is designed to make your life easier, although we do wish it had Proximity Entry too. Driver and passenger Seat Warmers are a blessing.
The car’s Multi-Use Display allows you to view road navigation, your smartphone, general info, climate control, audio and more. We do wish it had a few more charging port options with a couple ports under the driver’s arm rest, the USB port a bit tricky to use. Acura has collaborated with eight-time Grammy®* award-winning music producer, mixer, and engineer Elliot Scheiner on the ILX‘s ELS Studio® Premium Audio System. You can judge for yourself how it sounds!
Above this, the ILX also brilliantly tracks the sun’s position while a solar sensor helping maintain the vehicle’s temperature in its dual zones. Rain-sensing wipers are an added convenience, letting you drive with a clear view and focus.
Safety definitely is a priority, in addition to its optics. The ILX is armed with AcuraWatch™ coming with two cameras and six sensors which work together to help you avoid hazards on the road. The Multi-Angle Rearview Camera is a parking and reversing godsend, making city parking a breeze!
Its Anti-lock Braking System* (ABS) with Electronic Brake-force Distribution (EBD),Brake Assist, Collision Mitigation Braking System, Road Departure Mitigation, Lane Departure Warning, Lane Keeping Assist and Vehicle Stability Assist to ensure we’re as safe as we can be even in horrible weather like we’ve been subject to. It also comes with a litany of airbag options: Dual-stage, multiple threshold front airbags and front side airbags.
We do wish the ILX had an ECON MODE like its sister offerings at Honda. Fuel Economy tallies in at City/Highway/Combined 9.9/7.0/8.6L per 100 km which is great if you are driving often in the city, but less advantageous if you drive often on the highway.
Some happy moments granted to us by the 2020 Acura ILX:
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
Acura Simulator
The 2020 Acura NSX 😍 (valued at $189,900 CAN)
#PROJECTILX – a collaboration between Acura Canada x Importfest Performance to customize the 2019Acura ILX Premium. Fans can have their say. Follow @AcuraCanada on Instagram.
HONDA CANADA – The Civic has been the best-selling car in Canada 21 years straight!
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.
Toys “R” Us Pop-Up
At the Ontario Provincial Police Exhibit. Getting in trouble as usual! 🚨
The 2020 Canadian International AutoShow runs through Sunday, February 23, 2020. More here.
TIFF ’19 was one for the books and we dare you to disagree! Meryl, Tom, Natalie, J-Lo, Constance, Renée, Joaquin. Toronto played host to an explosive mass of starpower at the Toronto International Film Festival and we were right there! We celebrated our tenth anniversary, which happened to coincide with TIFF ’19 and fittingly it was our biggest year yet! It was amazing seeing so many of your friendly faces and taking Selfies with many of you in our travels and adventures and we love that Mr. Will has made a difference in your day for the past decade. We have always been about sharing our excitement with you and it touches us you are experiencing this with us! A huge thanks to Dave Baldwin and Amanda Gilmore on our Team who delivered us all the hits with their reviews, keeping savvy Festival Goers informed!
A huge thank you goes out to our official partners whom we couldn’t do it without.
CP24– we loved being paired with our new BFF,Kelly Linehan in our contributions to CP24 this TIFF! We know you tuned in because more than ever so many of you shouted at me, “You’re the guy on TV! Good job!”.
ACURA CANADA– We adored our 2019 Acura TLX Elite in Performance Red Pearl which had us travelling in luxury and style this TIFF.Acura also happens to be an official sponsor, with a set-up at Roy Thomson Hall. Drives were smooth and anyone who does the Festival like us will know the importance of mobility. We are in love with its gorgeous interior and spacious interior. Its superb audio system and array of charging options (including a wireless plate), plus the fact that it has a CD player says that this is a car after my heart! Seat heaters and warmers are perfect for unpredictable Toronto weather and let’s not forget its array of safety features like lane departure and a hyper-aware collision warning and parking assist (which was a mega-help in all those underground parking lots). We love the array of displays you can scroll through on its steering wheel, including also a tire pressure monitor which tells you to a T exactly what your tire pressure is at. For anyone who’s ever had a flat tire, you will appreciate the value in this. We drove assured and enlightened. It was like driving a race car with its fast acceleration, but also like a luxury Sedan in one.
HUAWEI CANADA– The Huawei P30 Pro was our MVP this TIFF! 32MP photos, 256GB memory and an amazing Kirin 980 Octa-core Processor! Our snaps speak for themselves. And its efficiency enabled us to blog, edit content on-the-go and share our photos with viewers right away. This put several hours back into our day and we are grateful for the best phone in the market.
H&M CANADA– We got many compliments about our H&M Fall/Winter Collection 2019 looks. In Shia LaBeouf‘s own words when we took our Selfie, he proclaimed “Dude, you are style as f*ck!”.
WESLODGE SALOON – Celebs can’t get enough of this TIFF go-to’s classic and inspired Canadian fare and cocktails. Several names like Bruce Springsteen, Dev Patel and Hugh Laurie enjoyed the amazing grub and drink here TIFF ’19. We told you it was gonna be a hotspot, and it did not disappoint!
Bruce Springsteen spotted at Weslodge in advance of his Western Stars Premiere. Toldja it would be a hotspot #TIFF19! pic.twitter.com/adRFFJyH34
STARBUCKS CANADA – We need our Americanos TIFF badly and we may have had a few Pumpkin Spice Lattes as a treat.The beverage has become synonymous with the Festival and Fall for us. And we loved giving our Readers a chance to win $20 Starbucks Canada Gift Cards too!
DUFFLET PASTRIES – The Queen of Cake’s® Queen Street location is the perfect spot for a treat between movies during TIFF and yes, I stopped by more than once because cake is necessary always. We loved rewarding one of our Readers with a free cake as well!
MARY BROWN’S – Celebrating their 50th anniversary, with locations allover the GTA including Mississauga, Pickering, North York, Scarborough and more, Mary Brown’s is a legend. With all this craze about chicken sandwiches of late, let the Big Mary silence the competition!
CHATIME CANADA – The Bubble Tea giant’s Queen Street location is right in the heart of TIFF and we loved popping by for a refreshing midday treat and also giving our Readers a chance to win some free drinks as well!
Congrats to Mike who won our Tenth Anniversary Prize Pack, loaded with goodies from our partners and more!
TIFF19: We love you guys and appreciate all your support these past ten years so much!! Congrats to Mike, who won our #TIFF ’19 Survival Pack – Tenth Anniversary Edition! pic.twitter.com/bVYOB9r3Fn
There’s no doubt about it, it’s our favourite time of the year! The 2019 Toronto International Film Festival runs from Thursday, September 5 through Sunday, September 14, 2019 and you’d better bet we’re stoked!
The Festival also marks our tenth anniversary as a Blogger. We remember not knowing which direction we’d go when we posted our first Blog Post and if anyone even cared what we thought! Looking back, it’s been an amazing journey – the experiences we’ve had and the people we’ve met along the way. We created the site originally as a platform to share all the awesome snaps we got during TIFF and to share our thoughts on what we saw since we loved the Festival so much. One thing led to another and who knew we’d be around kicking still today and that we’d be an accredited outlet? We don’t know how we’ve gotten here, but we’re touched deeply by your support all these years! We owe it all to you and the amazing contributors who have kept Mr. Will Wong afloat: Amanda Gilmore, Justin Waldman, Siobhán Rich, George Kozera, David Baldwin and Jon Godfrey! This ride has been magical.
See us talk about our tenth anniversary and our TIFF ’19 picks!
Recorded on the Huawei P30 Pro, audio recorded on the SHURE MV88+
TIFF ’19 we’re doing it bigger and better than ever. It’s our tenth anniversary and we want you to celebrate in all our joy. This is will be one of the best Festivals in recent memory with bigger names and the biggest Films set to premiere in our City. We want to thank you partners, new and returning for helping us celebrate the occasion!
A huge thank you goes out to:
CP24 – With over 3.1 million viewers a week, we are thrilled to partner again with the definitive choice in breaking news coverage, CP24 for a TENTH year! We’ll be teaming-up with Kelly Linehan to deliver you some celeb scoop and the Films getting all the buzz at the Fest!
HUAWEI CANADA– I’ve never gotten as many raves on my Social Media about my photographs as when I tested-out the Huawei P30 Pro. We are overjoyed that this will be our official new phone in gorgeous burnt orange (just released) beginning TIFF ’19! We can’t go wrong with its 32MP photos, 256GB memory and incredible Kirin 980 Octa-core Processor! We can’t wait to show you all our snaps and Selfies from the Festival from the phone, which will serve as our communication hub, keeping you all up-to-date on the excitement!
ACURA CANADA– we’ll be cruising in style TIFF ’19 in the 2019 ACURA TLX, And how super-fitting is it that Acura Canada is one of the official sponsors of the Festival? This car is gorgeous, sleek and luxurious, true to Acura form and we look forward to all these star-filled adventures the ride will take us on!
HUAWEI CANADA– I’ve never gotten as many raves on my Social Media about my photographs as when I tested-out the Huawei P30 Pro. We are overjoyed that this will be our official new phone in gorgeous burnt orange (just released) beginning TIFF ’19! We can’t go wrong with its 32MP photos, 256GB memory and incredible Kirin 980 Octa-core Processor! We can’t wait to show you all our snaps and Selfies from the Festival from the phone, which will serve as our communication hub, keeping you all up-to-date on the excitement!
H&M CANADA– H&M continue to keep us on-trend and we can’t wait to show you some of the pieces we’ll be wearing TIFF ’19. We always have fun with it and hope you enjoy the looks!
WESLODGE SALOON – Celebs can’t get enough of this TIFF go-to’s Canadian fare and cocktails and we love it! You must try their Southern Fried Chicken, Steaks and Fish & Chips. Also their Mac & Cheese is superb! Several stars like Isabelle Huppert, Richard Gere, Chelsea Handler, Chloë Moretz and more have been spotted here and we expect to see more this year.
STARBUCKS CANADA – TIFF means the Pumpkin Spice Latte is back and you know we love our PSLs! We look forward every fall to those early morning screenings, waiting in line in that cool, crisp air to get into our screenings and then getting a warm hug from the PSL inside the cool, dark theatre as we try to stay awake! The PSL is back in stores now only at Starbucks.
DUFFLET PASTRIES – We love our treats and Dufflet has and always will be the Queen of Cake®! We always make time for a bit of relaxation towards the end of TIFF, and can’t wait to indulge in a slice of Black Forest or Raspberry Vanilla Charlotte! Their Queen Street location isn’t too far from all the Festival excitement.
MARY BROWN’S – We recently got reacquainted with Mary and it was all for the better! We have so many fond memories of Mary Brown’s famous Chicken and Taters as a child and they are better than ever, celebrating their 50th anniversary! With locations allover the GTA including Mississauga, Pickering, North York, Scarborough and more, Mary Brown’s is WORTH. THE. DRIVE. Get on this.
CHATIME CANADA – I confess my Bubble Tea addiction still rages on. With more and more locations popping-up throughout the Greater Toronto Area, we can’t wait for you to discover our favourite cold beverage. Try the Wintermelon Iced Tea or Grapefruit Iced Tea – my favourites!
We hate leaving you guys out, so in celebration of our tenth anniversary, we’re giving you guys a chance to win our TIFF ’19Survival Pack – Tenth Anniversary Edition, which includes:
$100 Gift Card to WESLODGE SALOON or any INK Entertainment dining establishment in Toronto including TIFF hotspots Figo, Byblos, Estia, Kōst, Patria, Sofia, La Société, Mister C., Akira Back and more.
Ten select Blu-rays/DVDs including current blockbuster hits and past TIFF selections
$150 Chatime Prize Pack including T-Shirt
$30 Starbucks Canada Gift Card
$25 Mary Brown’s Gift Card
Two Martini Glasses
One cake at Dufflet Pastries
One pair of headphones
A value of $700 CAN!
*Winner must be able to pick-up the Survival Pack from me in the downtown core during the Festival.
To enter to win, click “like” on this Post at MR. WILL ON FACEBOOK, MR. WILL ON INSTAGRAM or MR. WILL ON TWITTER. Tell us in the comments your favourite memory of being a Mr. Will Reader all these years! In the comment, tag two friends for an extra chance.
Even if you don’t win the Prize Pack be following us on our adventures as we’ll be doing giveaways on our Social Media through TIFF ’19!
Don’t forget to follow us here on our TIFF ’19 adventures:
With just a few weeks left of Summer, we needed an adventure and we found it so odd that another Summer was about to pass why where were weren’t invited not to even one Barbeque! I mean, I’m fun right? I just never seem to make the cut to these cozy summer house parties which I imagine my friends having secretly without me!
Set on making this happen, we made it a priority to catch-up with friends we don’t get to see enough. This of course was all made possible by a test drive of the 2019 Acura RDX Elite. The luxurious SUV in Platinum White Pearl combines sophistication, style and utility in one spacious package, giving its driver a lift in status.
The RDX Elite’s 2.0L turbocharged four-cylinder engine operating at 272 hp and 280 lb-ft of torque is packed with power and we imagine this doing quite well in these frigid and snowy winters, yet still posessing versatility as a flashy summer ride with its sizy monroof and state-of-the-art climate control. The SUV is ready for the summer with high-powered vents, back-row climate control for passengers and both seat coolers and heaters. This is tailored to our unpredictable Canadian weather.
While Acura hasn’t caught-on yet to its sister company Honda yet in spoiling us with a charging plate for your smartphone, the ride comes with an abundance of charging ports. Its 12-speaker stereo system sounds glorious with great acoustics and we can prove it:
Connecting to our phone playlists was a breeze as was taking phone calls via Bluetooth. We love that the RDX Elite was SiriusXM-ready as our morning drive to work isn’t complete without Hits 1 Morning Mashup! Its console features a 10.2 inch LED display which has a laptop mouse-like touchpad located under its push-button gears on which you navigate its menu. Did we mention our perforated leather-trimmed seats were adjustable 16-ways with settable position memories?
The RDX Elite is crammed with meticulous safety features giving you ease of mind. Automatic High Beam makes driving that simpler whether you’re in the City or the Country like us. Automatic Emergency Braking with Forward Collision Warning is a life saver especially in unpredictable Toronto traffic which can seeing you cruising along the 401 one second and braking in a heartbeart. You all know what I’m talking about! Lane Departure Warning with Road Departure Mitigation are intuitive, as is its Lane Keeping Assist. The rear-view camera was invaluable helping us parallel park downtown and back-into tight underground garage parking.
One defining feature is the RDXElite‘s power-folding, auto-dimming side mirrors. You need to see them to believe how cool they are. And we will never complain about having a roomy trunk with an self-opening and closing hatchback! We’re obsessed.
We truly have been spoiled by Honda‘s game-changing Fuel Economy and environmental consciousness and wish that Acura took some inspiration too in this. The RDXElite operates at a Fuel Enconomy of 11.0 L/100km in the City and 8.7 L/100km on the Highway. This can be a bit of a challenge on the wallet, especially when commuting long distances. We went through a third of a tank of gas overnight driving to work and back and doing a one way drive from our Barbeque home Caledon to Markham.
In the end we were able to spend time with our friends and loved ones, and won’t forget what joy we had celebrating the Summer with our dear Princess, roasting marshmallows and making Smores on the bonfire!
See the wonderful time we had and the Bonfire we made! We’ve now met our BBQuota for the Summer! Hover cursor right to navigate gallery.
We even got to catch-up with our Contributor Dave over doughnuts at my fave, The Sunshine Doughnut Co. out his way and we’re thrilled he got to meet Mr Will finally!
