Daisy Edgar-Jones
#TIFF24: “ON SWIFT HORSES” REVIEW
By Amanda Gilmore
On Swift Horses is set in Eisenhower America in the 50s. Just after the war and when California was a promise of the best place to live. It follows married couple Muriel (Daisy Edgar-Jones) and Lee (Will Poulter) who plan to move to California. Yet, when Lee’s brother Julius (Jacob Elordi) arrives back from the Korean War, Muriel and Julius notice something inside both of them that creates a bond no matter the distance they are.
Adapting beloved novels is a tough thing to accomplish. On Swift Horses is adapted from the novel of the same name by Shannon Pufahl. This book was a prize winner for lesbian fiction, however, this adaptation has placed more focus on a romantic drama mixed with gambling. It’s clear Muriel and Julius ignite something within the other. They see the need for freedom brimming within. This makes the first half of On Swift Horses focused.
However, we’re soon brought into the world of gambling and stay there for a while. Muriel bets on horses in California while Julius is in Vegas counting cards. During this time, Julius falls for a fellow gambler Henry (Diego Calva). The heart of Pufahl’s novel begins coming through as we see Julius and Henry’s relationship grow. In his supporting role, it’s Calva’s strong performance that stays with the audience. It’s also at this time that Muriel begins having an affair with her neighbour Sandra (Sasha Calle). However, there isn’t enough time spent with the two to truly show the care they have for each other.
Overall, On Swift Horses is a queer romance film that at times loses that focus at the expense of a gambling story and adds the question of a possible love triangle. Yet, it is beautifully shot by Canadian Cinemaographer Luc Montpellier who makes 50s America feel like a neo-noir film.
On Swift Horses screens at TIFF ’24:
Sat, Sept 7 at 6:15 PM at VISA Screening Room at the Princess of Wales Theatre
Sun, Sept 8 at 9 PM at Scotiabank Theatre Toronto
Sat, Sept 14 at 9:45 PM at Scotiabank Theatre Toronto
Sun, Sept 15 at 12:30 PM at Scotiabank Theatre Toronto
#TIFF24: DAY FOUR HIGHLIGHTS – SYDNEY SWEENEY, RON HOWARD, ANA DE ARMAS, JACOB ELORDI, MIKEY MADISON, DAISY EDGAR-JONES, JENNIFER LOPEZ, JHARREL JEROME AND MORE
This was by far the most the most hectic.of the Festival and we are thrilled at the names we spotted out and about today! Totally exhausting, but so rewarding!
Some of the names we saw:
•Jennifer Lopez and Jharrel Jerome for UNSTOPPABLE
•Margaret Qualley for THE SUBSTANCE
•Ron Howard, Daniel Brühl, Vanessa Kirby, Sydney Sweeney and Ana de Armas for EDEN
•Brett Goldstein for ALL OF YOU
•Mena Suvari and Brandom Routh for ICK
•Rebecca Hall for THE LISTENERS
•Barry Keoghan for BRING THEM DOWN and BIRD
Jessica Matten, Amber Midthunder and Kauchani Bratt for REZ BALL
•Manuel Garcia Rulfo and Tenoch Huerta for PEDRO PARAMO
•Jacob Elordi, Daisy Edgar-Jones, Diego Will Poulter for ON SWIFT HORSES
•Mikey Madison for ANORA
•Jason Reitman for SATURDAY NIGHT
Some highlights from today:
(Photo/video credit: Mr. Will Wong)
#GIVEAWAY: ENTER FOR A CHANCE TO WIN PASSES TO AN ADVANCE SCREENING OF “TWISTERS”
Universal Pictures Canada x Mr. Will want to give readers a chance to win passes to an Advance Screening of TWISTERS on Monday, July 15, 2024 at 7 PM.
Toronto:
Scotiabank Theatre
Montreal EN:
Cinema Banque Scotia
Vancouver:
Scotiabank Theatre
Synopsis:
This summer, the epic studio disaster movie returns with an adrenaline-pumping, big-screen thrill ride that puts you in direct contact with one of nature’s most wondrous—and destructive—forces.
From the producers of the Jurassic, Bourne and Indiana Jones series comes Twisters,
a current-day chapter of the 1996 blockbuster, Twister. Directed by Lee Isaac Chung, the Oscar® nominated writer-director of Minari, Twisters stars Daisy Edgar-Jones (Where the Crawdads Sing), Glen Powell (Top Gun: Maverick)and Anthony Ramos (Transformers: Rise of the Beasts) as equal forces, with opposing motivations, who come together to try to predict, and possibly tame, the immense power of tornadoes.
Edgar-Jones stars as Kate Carter, a former storm chaser haunted by a devastating encounter with a tornado during her college years who now studies storm patterns on screens safely in New York City. She is lured back to the open plains by her friend, Javi (Ramos)to test a groundbreaking new tracking system. There, she crosses paths with Tyler Owens (Powell), the charming and reckless social-media superstar who thrives on posting his storm-chasing adventures with his raucous crew, the more dangerous the better.
As storm season intensifies, terrifying phenomena never seen before are unleashed, and Kate, Tyler, Javi and their crews find themselves squarely in the paths of multiple storm systems converging over central Oklahoma in the fight of their lives.
Twisters features an exciting new cast, including Nope’s Brandon Perea, Golden Globe winner Maura Tierney (Beautiful Boy), Sasha Lane (American Honey), Harry Hadden-Paton (The Crown), David Corenswet (We Own This City), Daryl McCormack (Peaky Blinders), Tunde Adebimpe (Leave the World Behind), Katy O’Brian (Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania), Nik Dodani (Atypical), Kiernan Shipka (Chilling Adventures of Sabrina) and Paul Scheer (Black Monday).
From Amblin, Twisters is directed by Lee Isaac Chung and is produced by Oscar®nominee Frank Marshall (Jurassicand Indiana Jones franchises) and by Patrick Crowley (Jurassicand Bourne franchises). The screenplay is by Mark L. Smith, writer of the Best Picture nominee The Revenant, from a story by Joseph Kosinski (Oblivion), based on characters created by Michael Crichton & Anne Marie Crichton. The executive producers are Academy Award® winner Steven Spielberg, Thomas Hayslip and Ashley Jay Sandberg. Twisterswill be distributed by Universal Pictures domestically and by Warner Bros. Pictures internationally.
Genre: Disaster Epic
Cast: Daisy Edgar-Jones, Glen Powell, Anthony Ramos, Brandon Perea, Maura Tierney, Sasha Lane, Harry Hadden-Patton, David Corenswet, Daryl McCormack, Tunde Adebimpe, Katy O’Brian, Nik Dodani, Kiernan Shipka, Paul Scheer
Director: Lee Isaac Chung
Screenplay by: Mark L. Smith
Story by: Joseph Kosinski
Based on characters created by Michael Crichton & Anne Marie Crichton
Producers: Frank Marshall, Patrick Crowley
Executive Producers: Steven Spielberg, Thomas Hayslip, Ashley Jay Sandberg
To enter for a chance to win, click “like” on this Post at MR. WILL ON FACEBOOK and indicate your City in the comments. Tag a friend who you’d like to bring along with you. Enter as many times as you wish. You can also enter on your IG and X accounts as well!
Rules and regulations here.
Universal Pictures Canada release TWISTERS in theatres July 19, 2024.
(Photo/video credit: Universal Pictures Canada)
#FIRSTLOOK: “UNDER THE BANNER OF HEAVEN”
By Justin Waldman
I just want to start this review stating that I am a True Crime afficionado. Documentaries, Mini-Series and Movies just gets me excited. I’m not a Sociopath, I swear! Now when you add Mormons to the mix and the Cast de la Casts, there really is nothing more one person could ask. Everything about the first two-thirds of Under the Banner of Heaven feels like a continuation of True Detective, especially in the vein of its Season One. There is so much to uncover and discover throughout this Show that you will not be able to pull yourself away from the screen and will have to watch it all in one swift go.
The Show focuses on Detective Jeb Pyre (Andrew Garfield) who is a Mormon Detective investigating the grizzly death of Brenda Lafferty (Daisy Edgar-Jones), which causes him to start questioning his faith in his religion. However, the family at the height of this gruesome murder is very anti-government and will do anything to make sure they don’t have to answer to any branch of the government, even if it means finding out who murdered one of their own. Throughout the Show, Ron Lafferty (Sam Worthington), Dianna (Denise Gough), Dan (Wyatt Russell), Allen (Billy Howle), Matilda (Chloe Pirrie), Robin (Seth Numrich), Samuel (Rory Culkin) and Doreen (Megan Leitch) are all butting-heads with the local police department and Jeb, which starts to strain on his wife, Rebecca (Adelaide Clemens).
The Storyline in Under the Banner of Heaven isn’t quite linear, but instead tells three different stories over different timelines (a few years) and these stories intercut with each other – which gets confusing at times. However, the main Storyline of who killed Brenda Lafferty is the most compelling story that shines throughout. Since this is True Crime, and if you read the 2003 Book of the same name, you might already know how this ends, but that never seems to cause issues as every moment is as captivating as the last.
Moreover though, the performances in Under the Banner of Heaven are truly exceptional. Andrew Garfield, Sam Worthington, Wyatt Russell and Daisy Edgar-Jones are all incredible throughout their performances. Garfield delivers a performance with such passion and heart that is almost akin to his performance on stage in Angels in America. Edgar-Jones plays the innocent woman who just fell for the wrong person in the wrong family perfectly to a tee, while Worthington and Wyatt play the sinister characters excellently.
There is so much to admire and to enjoy within Under the Banner of Heaven if true crime subject matters are something one is into. With the pacing and mystery (if one allows there to be one) present, every moment is more gripping than the last as one tries to piece together who is responsible. The brilliant performances throughout this Mini-series as well, bring it all together and this is one of the most compelling things we’ve seen on Television in recent memory. Under the Banner of Heaven is must-see TV and provides some career highlights for its plethora of brilliant performances.
UNDER THE BANNER OF HEAVEN arrvies Wednesday, June 8, 2022 on Disney+.
(Photo credit: Disney)
#FIRSTLOOK: NEW TRAILER FOR “UNDER THE BANNER OF HEAVEN”
Upcoming Thriller UNDER THE BANNER OF HEAVEN stars Oscar nominee Andrew Garfield and will be streaming on Disney+ under its Star banner. Here’s the new Trailer. Dustin Lance Black (MILK) directs this Limited Series.
Synopsis:
As Detective Jeb Pyre (Andrew Garfield) investigates events that transpired within the Lafferty family, he uncovers buried truths about the origins of the LDS religion and the violent consequences of unyielding faith. What Pyre, a devout Mormon, unearths leads him to question his own faith.
The seven episode limited series also stars Sam Worthington, Denise Gough, Wyatt Russell, Billy Howle, Gil Birmingham, Adelaide Clemens, Rory Culkin, Seth Numrich, Chloe Pirrie and Sandra Seacat.
UNDER THE BANNER OF HEAVEN arrives on Disney+ June 8, 2022.
(Photo/video credit: Disney)
#FIRSTLOOK: NEW TRAILER FOR “FRESH”
Fresh, pardon the pun, off its Sundance Premiere comes the Horror FRESH starring Daisy Edgar-Jones and Sebastian Stan. Here’s a look at its new Trailer.
Synopsis:
“FRESH” follows Noa (Daisy Edgar-Jones), who meets the alluring Steve (Sebastian Stan) at a grocery store and – given her frustration with dating apps – takes a chance and gives him her number. After their first date, Noa is smitten and accepts Steve’s invitation to a romantic weekend getaway. Only to find that her new paramour has been hiding some unusual appetites.
Jojo T. Gibbs (“Twenties”), Charlotte Le Bon (“Anthropoid”, “The Hundred-Foot Journey”), Andrea Bang (“Luce”), and Dayo Okeniyi (“Runner Runner”, “The Spectacular Now”) round out the cast. The expert crafts team includes cinematographer Pawel Pogorzelski (“Hereditary”, “Midsommar”), editor Martin Pensa (“Wild”, “Dallas Buyers Club”), production designer Jennifer Morden (“Riot Girls”), and composer Alex Somers (“Honey Boy”, “Captain Fantastic”).
STAR arrives on Disney+ via its Star banner March 4, 2022.
(Photo/video credit: Disney)
#SUNDANCE: “FRESH”
By Amanda Gilmore
FRESH is a delicious Horror film that’s perfectly twisted, fun and well — fresh.
Noa (Daisy Edgar-Jones) is sick of online dating. It’s only led to bland, often repulsive dates. So when she runs into the seemingly enchanting Steve (Sebastian Stan) she takes a chance and gives him her number. What she soon finds out is that behind Steve’s charming grin lays a surprising appetite.
Screenwriter Lauryn Kahn has written a knockout Horror about the risks women face in today’s dating world. Imagine the worst thing that could happen…Kahn takes it to the next level. In doing so, she’s also created a film about the commodification of women’s bodies. The entire concept is dark, however, she brilliantly infuses witty Comedy through dialogue and situations. Thus, allowing the audience moments of levity while swallowing down its feminist message.
Director Mimi Cave builds on this Dark Comedy by adding textual layers and killer retro hits. Cave and Cinematographer Pawel Pogorzelski work together to bring close-up shots that thrust the audience into Noa’s claustrophobia. Further, when it gets to the intoxicating late-second and Third Act the Cinematography dazzles to its zealous finish.
At the forefront is the magnetic, wicked performances from Edgar-Jones and Stan. They share a strong rapport and are radiant together. Edgar-Jones is a force having to balance between desire, terror and survival. Later in the second half, Noa begins putting on a performance of her own. Therefore, causing the talented Edgar-Jones to play a double act, which she excels at. And Stan uses his natural charisma to create a terrifying psychopath hidden within a charming exterior. He is truly great at playing bad.
FRESH screens virtually at Sundance:
Premiere: Jan. 21 at 1:55AM EST
Second Screening: Jan. 23 at 10AM EST (available for 24hrs)
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