jennifer lawrence
#FIRSTLOOK: NEW RED BAND TRAILER FOR “NO HARD FEELINGS”
Jennifer Lawrence is back in Comedy NO HARD FEELINGS, hitting theatres this Summer!
Sony Pictures Canada release NO HARD FEELINGS June 13, 2023.
(Photo/video credit: Sony Pictures Canada)
#TIFF22: “CAUSEWAY”
By Mr. Will Wong
Jennifer Lawrence doesn’t miss a beat in this return to the screen after a hiatus. In addition to starring in the Drama as Lynsey, a soldier suffering injuries to her brain and body after some time in Afghanistan, she also produces.
The story centers on Lynsey as she returns home to New Orleans and she meets James (Brian Tyree Henry) after she brings her truck in to get repaired. The two form a complicated, unlikely friendship and layers are unravelled the more they get to know eachother. We learn of their past traumas which in ways have stunted their lives, though they cross each other’s paths in a fortune timing, forming a deep and intense connection.
This is Lila Neugebauer’s Feature directorial debut and she already is starting at the top with talent in this tight-knit Ensemble. Lawrence‘s Lynsey feels lived-in and is nuanced, really taking the character on a journey of self re-discovery. Henry’s performance however is a real revelation, suppressing James‘ pain under his good-guy exterior, while navigating his feelings for Lynsey at once. They pair play off each other perfectly. Who would’ve known?
CAUSEWAY is a slice of life which explores a very special friendship, while also exposing some of battle wounds a soldier carries for life.
CAUSEWAY screens as follows at TIFF ’22:
Sat, Sep 10 IN-PERSON Royal Alexandra Theatre 5:30pm
Sun, Sep 11 IN-PERSON Scotiabank Theatre Toronto 1:00pm
Thu, Sep 15 IN-PERSON Visa Screening Room at the Princess of Wales Theatre 3:00pm
#FIRSTLOOK: JENNIFER LAWRENCE STARS IN AND PRODUCES APPLE TV+ FEATURE “CAUSEWAY”
Jennifer Lawrence is set to make her return in upcoming Apple TV+ Feature, CAUSEWAY. Not only does she star in it, she also produces. Expect it later this year!
Synopsis:
“Causeway” is an intimate portrait of a soldier struggling to adjust to her life after returning home to New Orleans.
Emmy Award-nominee Brian Tyree Henry (“Atlanta,” “Bullet Train”) co-stars alongside Lawrence.
Filmed in New Orleans, the A24 film is written by Ottessa Moshfegh & Luke Goebel and Elizabeth Sanders. Lawrence produces alongside Justine Ciarrocchi for Excellent Cadaver. In addition to directing, Neugebauer serves as executive producer. “Causeway” is produced by IAC Films, IPR.VC, Excellent Cadaver, and A24.
#INTERVIEW: “DON’T LOOK UP”
By Mr. Will Wong
The incredibly star-studded DON’T LOOK UP comes to us from acclaimed Director/Writer Adam McKay (Vice, The Big Short). The Dark Comedy centers on two Astronomers, Randy Mindy (Leonardo DiCaprio) and Kate Dibiasky (Jennifer Lawrence) who embark on a Media Tour to warn the world that a comet is approaching, potentially destroying our planet.
We are incredibly-honoured to be among the group of Journalists selected to attend the global press conference for DON’T LOOK UP, and joining us were an impressive bunch
Leonardo DiCaprio tells us about working with McKay and also comments on the marred public perception of Scientists.
DiCaprio: “Adam created this Film, which was about the Climate Crisis, but made it with a sense of urgency by making it about a comet that is about to hit earth within eight months. And it’s about how Science has become politicized and there’s alternative facts. I was just thinking to play a character who’s solely based on so many people I’ve met from the scientific community, in particular Climate Scientists who have been trying to communicate the urgency of this issue and feeling like they’re subjected to the last page on the newspaper. There’s too many other things we’re inundated with. I love the way he portrayed these two different characters, one that is incredibly-outspoken, this Greta Thunberg-type of character in Jen‘s and mine who is trying to play within the system.”.
“I also love the way he was incredibly truthful about how we’re so immensely distracted from the whole truth nowadays and of course Covid hit and there was a whole new scientific argument going on there. It’s such an important Film to be a part of at this particular time.”.
Lawrence: “It’s just so sad and frustrating to watch people who’ve dedicated their lives to learning the truth and be turned away because people don’t like what the truth has to say.”.
Adam McKay talks about his use of Comedy in delivering this very serious real-life message.
McKay: “We were talking about the idea of dealing with Climate Crisis which is so overwhelming and arguably the greatest threat to life in the history of mankind. It almost can feel like an animal attacking you, but if you’re able to laugh, that means you have some distance. I actually think that’s really important and you can feel urgency and sadness, and feel lost, while also having a sense of humour. And that was the intention of the Movie after the crazy last five, ten years we’ve all had. Wouldn’t it be funny to just laugh at this? So that was kinda the approach.”.
DiCaprio talks about the necessity of some of the blockbuster names in the Film to get the message out about Climate Change.
DiCaprio: “I’ve been looking for a movie about the subject for decades now. This is an issue where everyone feels ultimately like, ‘What kind of difference can we make?’ and what can we contribute to this cause. Adam really cracked the code with so many comparisons that we can make to the Climate Change crisis with this story line. As a whole, it’s the most important topic we all can be talking about on a regular basis. It takes Artists like this to change the narrative, to create conversation.”.
In DON’T LOOK UP, the central comet is named after Lawrence‘s character. She is asked about how her character feels about this.
Lawrence: “I think at first it’s very exciting until it becomes a catastrophe, and you’re named something people are not happy about. There was an evolution where at first she was very proud of this and then resentment built.”.
Kid Cudi talks about his experience on this Film as DJ Chello, while also contributing to the Film’s theme song “Just Look Up” with Ariana Grande, who plays Riley Bina.
Cudi: “It was nerve-wrecking. It felt like even though I was there for three days, it felt like a family setting and everybody embraced me. It was my first time meeting Tyler Perry, and he’s so cool and I didn’t realize he was so tall! I learned sometimes you’ve just gotta relax and go with the flow and be within your space and comfortable. I talk to Kathryn Hahn, whom I’m friends with, and she told me about Adam. She said, ‘Just be ready for him to throw anything!’ and that made me even more scared.”.
“When Nicholas Britell (Song Producer) played the song for me, I said, ‘Holy shit! Where do I fit? How do I approach this?’. He had something written for me and we tried that, but it just wasn’t working. Maybe it would be better if I approach it with my own flavour and take that approach. This is not me writing a song from a Kid Cudi perspective, this is from DJ‘s perspective and they’ve (DJ and Riley) just linked back up, and he’s pretty much confessing and expressing his love to her, and he’s just kinda forgetting about the importance of the song. I’m just happy to be with my baby. I took this approach. You’re on-stage with this girl making this song with the love of your life. You just had a huge fallout and everyone around the world knew about it. So it was this reunion moment. It was intense at first because Ariana is such an incredible Artist. Her vocal performance is just stellar. I’m just really happy we were happy to figure it out and it worked.”.
“Just Look Up” can be heard here:
Lawrence also talks about her experience working with Grande, being a huge fan of hers.
Lawrence: “It was shocking, she’s so tiny. I’m a huge fan of her music. It was overwhelming. Our worlds don’t normally collide. I felt like a radio contest winner. I didn’t know how to talk to her. I just did my best.”.
Jonah Hill and DiCaprio each talk about their mutual admiration for one another, working together this a third time. Hill plays the President’s son Jason Orlean.
Hill: “Honestly, I’ve always been a fan of Leo and have had mad respect for how much he puts his money and time where his mouth is in regards to this issue, so not only as a friend, but someone who is out there talking a big game, and actually walks the walk.”.
DiCaprio: “He is an absolute genius, this friend of mine. He has this ability to improvise, take control of a scene and have the narrative be shifted in amazing, colourful ways. It is a sight to witness and truly remarkable to experience. He’s absolutely a genius. I would love to work on a hundred more films.”.
Lawrence: “Amen, really fun.”.
Hill: “I agree with what he said (laughs). Real talk, I’ve worked with now pretty much all the best Actors in the world, a lot who are up here right now, and there’s been no more loyal friend in show business. Aside from that, put all those feelings aside. What you see when they yell “action!’ and what he does, no disrespect, is unlike anything I’ve ever seen. Hands down. Just kidding! Duh! (looking at Meryl Streep) I’ll text you how I feel!”.
Tyler Perry talks about playing TV Host Jack Bremner, opposite Cate Blanchett who plays Brie Evantee.
Perry: “I actually made a couple phone calls to people who are on morning shows right now that I admire, I sent them part of the Script. I said, ‘Why don’t you read this and send it back to me on your iPhone?’. And they did, so I got some bits here and there. Those guys are professional Journalists. They were very helpful helping me pull that off.”.
McKay: “Tyler is being very humble, by the way. The big trick between him and Cate Blanchett is that they really had to have a chemistry. It was so remarkable within five minutes, it was as if they’d been on a show together for ten years!”.
Perry: “That happens when there’s sexual chemistry! That was obvious. I said, ‘Okay, I just have to flirt, I get it!’. She’s gonna kill me!”.
Meryl Streep talks about her character President Orlean and where she pulled inspiration and the sacrifices of being a public servant.
Streep: “There were so many places to take things from because there’s so many preposterous people who put themselves in public places shamelessly. It was kinda fun to put together this character who was about amassing power and money, more power and more money. And nice hair and nails to top it all off. And unfortunately, that’s what the cost of what being a public servant is. You really have to make a big sacrifice. Your family makes a sacrifice and you have to be willing to do that. It’s amazing we ever get good people to do it. We need them right now. It’s a high cost in public service, that’s for sure.”.
DiCaprio talks about a compelling moment in DON’T LOOK UP where he delivers an impassioned speech.
DiCaprio: “Adam and I worked on that speech probably 50 times together. What I really wanted to do was try to articulate the frustration of the scientific community, how one is sitting on a pulpit trying to tell the truth and all these other noises are drowning out the main message. So we worked a lot together trying to understand the frustration of the scientific community and how one would be in a situation like that. How do you put on this professional jacket to cut through straight to the truth of the situation?”.
The Cast is asked about moments in the Film they found chilling.
Streep: “There is a scene in a bar with Tyler and Cate and everything’s going to shit outside. She says, ‘I just wanna get drunk and talk shit about people’. I know a lot of people like that. It’s not an unusual reaction but it chilled my bones.”.
“I don’t want to give any spoilers, but there’s also when they’re in the car with Timothée Chalamet and he proposes an idea to Jen and she goes ‘Yeah’. And it’s so clear it’s no way it’s ever gonna happen. The human dream is you hope something good will happen even though we know something bad is. That’s the kernel of truth, that we push this information away because it’s too painful.”.
DON’T LOOK UP is in select theatres December 10, 2021 and on Netflix December 24, 2021.
Our Review will be up shortly.
(Photo/video credit: Netflix)
#FIRSTLOOK: “DON’T LOOK UP” ARTWORK AND TRAILER
Leonardo DiCaprio and Jennifer Lawrence star in DON’T LOOK UP, from the same mind that brought us THE BIG SHORT and VICE.
Synopsis:
DON’T LOOK UP tells the story of two low-level astronomers who must go on a giant media tour to warn mankind of an approaching comet that will destroy planet Earth. Written and Directed by Adam McKay.
DON’T LOOK UP arrives on Netflix December 24, 2021.
(Photo/video credit: Netflix)
#FIRSTLOOK: NEW TRAILER FOR “RED SPARROW”
This actually looks amazing. This new Trailer for Spy-Action-Thriller RED SPARROW sees Jennifer Lawrence reuniting with The Hunger Games Director Francis Lawrence.
Synopsis:
Young Russian “Sparrow” Dominika Egorova (Jennifer Lawrence) is a spy and trained seductress. She is assigned to a first-tour CIA agent (Joel Edgerton) who handles the organization’s most important Russian mole. But when Dominika meets the agent and sees past her mission, she begins to fall for him and suddenly considers becoming a double agent in order to act on her passion. Their lives are put in jeopardy, and consequently their affair puts others in danger as well.
See the Trailer:
20th Century Fox Canada release RED SPARROW Friday, March 9, 2018.
(Photo/video credit: 20th Century Fox)
#TIFF17: “MOTHER!”
Review by David Baldwin for Mr. Will Wong
It has been well over 12 hours since I watched Darren Aronofsky’s mother!, and I am still processing everything that happens within its 115-minute running time. Aronofsky has never been one to make films with easy interpretations, but mother! is far and away his densest movie to date.
The less you know about mother!, the better. But the plot revolves around a woman (Jennifer Lawrence) who lives with a famous poet (Javier Bardem). His house was destroyed, and she is helping to remodel and put it back together. But when unexpected guests arrive, things begin to get strange.
mother! is wrapped in layers of subtext and varying ideologies. It is at times frustrating to watch because Aronofsky is throwing so much at the screen at once, creating a nightmarish fever dream of a movie that goes to some shocking and bizarre places. But what it lacks in coherency, it more than makes up in astounding visuals and exquisite sound design. And at the heart of all the chaos is Lawrence, putting in an incredible performance that needs to be seen to be believed.
Paramount Pictures Canada will screen mother! at TIFF ’17 at the following times:
Sunday, September 10 9:15 p.m. Princess of Wales
Monday, September 11 11:30 a.m. Elgin Theatre
Wednesday, September 13 9:30 a.m. Princess of Wales
#TIFF17: DAY FOUR SIGHTINGS – ANGELINA JOLIE, JENNIFER LAWRENCE, JAVIER BARDEM, JULIANNE MOORE, SALLY HAWKINS + MORE!
TIFF ’17 will be remembered as one of the most electrifyingly star-studded Festivals in many years and today is exactly why!
Names don’t come any bigger than Angelina Jolie who walked her first of two Red Carpets this afternoon. She produces Animated Feature THE BREADWINNER and humbly came out to grace not only the Red Carpet but walk the line of Fans stopping for photos and autographs along Yonge Street in front of Winter Garden Theatre. We were among the lucky! What a thrill! Don’t miss her at her Premiere for well-reviewed Documentary FIRST THEY KILLED MY FATHER tomorrow!
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Academy Award winner Jennifer Lawrence also drew a large crowd at TIFF BELL LIGHTBOX for the Presser for Darren Aronofsky‘s well-reviewed mother! While there was no sign of Michelle Pfeiffer today, Javier Bardem and Ed Harris later would walk the Red Carpet after being absent at the Film’s Presser. We even got a photo with Lawrence although tragically, flashes going off would wash out the Photo! Devastation!
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THE SHAPE OF WATER continues to garner tons of Oscar buzz with Festival Creative Director Cameron Bailey touting it as his fave! We spotted its friendly cast today including two-time Oscar nominee Sally Hawkins, winner Octavia Spencer, nominee Richard Jenkins and Doug Jones. Hawkins is getting a lot of early buzz for her work.in this Toronto-made Fantasy by Guillermo del Toro. No signs of Michael Shannon however!
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We loved seeing Julianne Moore out earlier as she promoted George Clooney‘s SUBURBICON. We didn’t see Clooney though who was snuck-in, although we hear he has been really fantastic and giving to fans at TIFF ’17!
Sam Rockwell is back at it in the City, a place which work has brought him to many times, returning to TIFF with THREE BILLBOARDS OUTSIDE EBBING, MISSOURI.
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Dave Franco stars alongside brother James Franco in hilarious THE DISASTER ARTIST, based on THE ROOM star Greg Sestero‘s Memoir about working on that Cult Classic! He was in a bit of a rush today but we hope to see him around tomorrow as the Film premieres then at Midnight Madness.
James McAvoy consistently delivers and we were thrilled that he was able to make it in this year as we’ve wanted to meet him since we saw The Last King of Scotland, which also premiered here back in 2006. He’s here for SUBMERGENCE and was gracious sporting a bald look for his X-Men: Dark Phoenix role which he is shooting now in Montreal.
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(Photo/video credit: Mr. Will Wong)
#GIVEAWAY: ENTER TO WIN RUN-OF-ENGAGEMENT PASSES TO SEE “mother!”
Everyone’s talking about intriguing TIFF ’17 selection mother!, the latest from Black Swan Director Darren Aronofsky, starring Jennifer Lawrence and Javier Bardem. We want to give Readers a chance to win Run-of-Engagement Passes in Toronto, Montreal and Ottawa.
Synopsis:
A couple’s relationship is tested when uninvited guests arrive at their home, disrupting their tranquil existence. From filmmaker Darren Aronofsky (Black Swan, Requiem for a Dream), mother! stars Jennifer Lawrence, Javier Bardem, Ed Harris and Michelle Pfeiffer in this riveting psychological thriller about love, devotion and sacrifice.
See the Trailer:
Artwork:
To enter to win, click “like” on this Post at MR. WILL ON FACEBOOK. For an extra chance, Re-Tweet this Tweet at @mrwillw.
Paramount Pictures Canada release #motherMovie Friday, September 15, 2017.
(Photo/video credit: Paramount Pictures Canada)
#FIRSTLOOK: NEW TRAILER FOR “PASSENGERS”
Their chemistry is explosive! We cannot wait for the Holidays, partly because of PASSENGERS.
Synopsis:
Jennifer Lawrence and Chris Pratt are two passengers onboard a spaceship transporting them to a new life on another planet. The trip takes a deadly turn when their hibernation pods mysteriously wake them 90 years before they reach their destination. As Jim and Aurora try to unravel the mystery behind the malfunction, they begin to fall for each other, unable to deny their intense attraction… only to be threatened by the imminent collapse of the ship and the discovery of the truth behind why they woke up.
Trailer:
Sony Pictures Canada release PASSENGERS Friday, December 21, 2016.
(Photo/video credit: Sony Pictures Canada)
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