By Mr. Will Wong

The time has arrived. We waited every year with baited breath for those Toronto International Film Festival guest announcements and finally they have been announced!  While several marquee titles like Beautiful Boy, First Man, Destroyer, Wildlife, High Life, A Star is Born, If Beale Street Could Talk and Ben is Back embark on their Awards Season trails, Toronto once again readies itself for the massive onslaught of starpower and talent set to shut down the City post-Labour Day.

With multiple titles at the Festival, stars like Jake Gyllenhaal, Dev Patel, Amanda Steinberg, Lucas Hedges and Nicole Kidman are set to make the best of the Fest!

Maggie Gyllenhaal, Mahershala Ali and Hilary Swank also will be having In-Conversations-With! More on that here.

Toronto’s own Drake also will introduced highly-buzzed MONSTERS AND MEN, Jason Reitman is back with fan favourite Live Read of The Breakfast Club and THE FIRST MAN will be presented at Ontario Place‘s Cinesphere!

Announced to attend TIFF ’18 earlier today are:

Who are you most excited to see?

Our Team are prepping feverishly for this our biggest and best year yet at TIFF as we get ready to bring you the buzz on all the biggest stars and Films of the Festival.

More on some of TIFF ’18’s most-talked-about titles here.

In the meantime, start planning your Festival, who and what you’ll see right here.

(Photo/video credit: TIFF)

eOne Films x Mr. Will want to take Readers to see WONDER. Screenings take place Wednesday, November 15, 2017 in Toronto, Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, Winnipeg, Ottawa, Halifax and Victoria.

Synopsis:

Based on the New York Times bestseller, WONDER tells the incredibly inspiring and heartwarming story of August Pullman.  Born with facial differences that, up until now, have prevented him from going to a mainstream school, Auggie becomes the most unlikely of heroes when he enters the local fifth grade.  As his family, his new classmates, and the larger community all struggle to discover their compassion and acceptance, Auggie‘s extraordinary journey will unite them all and prove you can’t blend in when you were born to stand out.

See the Trailer:

Artwork:

To enter to win, please click “like” on this Post at MR. WILL ON FACEBOOK and indicate your City. Re-Tweet this Tweet from @mrwillw for an extra chance!

eOne Films release WONDER Friday, November 17, 2017.

Official Hashtag: #ChooseKind

(Photo/video credit: eOne Films)

Right in time for Awards Season comes the release of the eagerly-awaited WONDER starring Mandy Patinkin, Owen Wilson, Julia Roberts and our v. own Jacob Tremblay!

Synopsis:
Based on the New York Times bestseller, WONDER tells the inspiring and heartwarming story of August Pullman. Born with facial differences that, up until now, have prevented him from going to a mainstream school, Auggie becomes the most unlikely of heroes when he enters the local fifth grade. As his family, his new classmates, and the larger community all struggle to find their compassion and acceptance, Auggie‘s extraordinary journey will unite them all and prove you can’t blend in when you were born to stand out.

See the Trailer:

eOne Films release WONDER Friday, November 17, 2017.

(Photo/video credit: eOne Films)

THIS IS HANDS DOWN THE BEST THING I’VE EVER SEEN!!! What starts off already as an amazing edition of Carpool Karaoke with James Corden and Gwen Stefani spirals into an epic explosion of starpower! What a brilliant solution to HOV lanes!!

Watch:

(Photo/video credit: CBS)

Elevation Pictures + Mr. Will want to take Readers to an Advance Screening of Garry Marshall’s star-studded opus, MOTHER’S DAY!  Bring your Mom, bring a friend!! Screenings take place in Halifax (Scotiabank), Victoria (Tilicum), Ottawa (Cineplex), Vancouver (Scotiabank), Toronto (Scotiabank), Winnipeg (St. Vital), Calgary (Sunridge Spectrum) and Edmonton (North Edmonton) on April 27, 2016.

MOTHER’S DAY stars Britt Robertson, Jennifer Aniston, Julia Roberts, Timothy Olyphant, Kate Hudson, Jason Sudeikis and is directed by Garry Marshall.

See the Trailer:

Artwork:

To enter to win, simply click “like” on this Post at MR. WILL ON FACEBOOK and indicate your City. For an extra chance you may click “share” from there or Tweet out the below:

http://www.mrwillwong.com/mothersday @MRWILLW wants us to #win Advance Screening Passes to see #MOTHERSDAY. Out 4.29.

G’luck.

Elevation Pictures release MOTHER’S DAY Friday, April 29, 2016.

(Photo/video credit: Elevation Pictures)

Only Garry Marshall has enough power in Hollywood to make a Movie that has a Cast List that is longer than the actual Film Synopsis.  We can’t wait to see MOTHER’S DAY.  That’s right. 

Synopsis:

Following the lives of mothers and daughters in interconnecting stories leading up to Mother’s Day.

MOTHER’S DAY stars Julia Roberts, Jennifer Aniston, Kate Hudson, Jason Sudeikis, Britt Robertson, Timothy Olyphant, Shay Mitchell, Sarah Chalke, Jon Lovitz, Aasif Mandvi, Grayson Russell and Margo Martindale; Garry Marshall directs.

See the Trailer:

Elevation Pictures release MOTHER’S DAY on Friday, April 29, 2016.

(Photo/video credit: Elevation Pictures)

eOne Films + Mr. Will want to take Readers to see one of this Fall’s most anticipated Thrillers, SECRET IN THEIR EYES. Julia Roberts, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Nicole Kidman. Casts don’t come more packed with star power than that! Screenings take place Thursday, November 19, 2015 in Toronto, Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, Winnipeg and Ottawa.

Official Synopsis:
A tight-knit team of FBI investigators, along with their District Attorney supervisor, is suddenly torn apart when they discover that one of their own teenage daughters has been brutally murdered. Written and directed by Academy Award® nominee Billy Ray (Captain Phillips, The Hunger Games), and produced by Academy Award® winner Mark Johnson (Rain Man, “Breaking Bad”), Secret In Their Eyes is an intense, powerful, haunting thriller starring Academy Award® nominee Chiwetel Ejiofor, and Academy Award® winners Nicole Kidman and Julia Roberts.

See the Trailer:

Artwork:

To enter to win, simply click “like” on this Post at Mr. Will on Facebook and state your city. For an extra chance, click “share” from there or Tweet out the below:

http://www.mrwillwong.com/secretintheireyes @mrwillw wants us to #win Advance Passes to see #SECRETINTHEIREYES. Out 11/20.

G’luck, Willionaire$!

eOne Films release SECRET IN THEIR EYES on Friday, November 20, 2015.

(Photo/video credit: eOne Films)

Toronto rolled out the Pink Carpet for a v. special Guest tonight as the talented and equally beautiful Matt Bomer made his way in to promote HBO‘s next sure-fire Awards Season Vehicle, a Film Adaptation of TONY-winning Play, The Normal Heart.

If the thought-provoking Storyline set in the early ’80s amidst the onset of the AIDS Epidemic doesn’t move you, then maybe its Cast will. A brilliant Ensemble of Mark Ruffalo, Taylor Kitsch, Jim Parsons, Jonathan Groff and Julia Roberts light-up the screen, telling a heartbreaking Tale about a Disease which some  thirty-plus years a later is still at the forefront of debate despite several educational and medical advancements.

I had the pleasure of interviewing the piercingly blue-eyed Bomer – known best for his starring role in White Collar as Neal Caffrey and for a glimpse in Magic Mike – who plays Felix, opposite Ruffalo’s Ned Weeks.  The latter is seen at the center of the Story as an Activist struggling to bring HIV/AIDS  to the political forefront, while also facing crippling internal struggle within his group of Activists at once.  Seen arriving tonight quietly also was Simon Halls, Bomer‘s Husband of three years.

Bomer tells me that he got much of his education about AIDS as a 14-year-old reading the original Play on which this Film is based. “It infuriated me growing-up in suburban Texas that nobody was doing anything about it”, he remembers. “I would’ve been honoured to tell this Story on on any medium.  The fact that we’re doing it for HBO just compounds the experience.”.

On building a passionate chemistry with Co-Star Mark Ruffalo, he has some high praise for his on-screen Lover. “Mark is just a consummate Professional and an incredible Man. We knew we had an unlimited amount of time to spend together so we kinda tried to just stay in character”, he states. “Thanks to him – I couldn’t have done it without him. He brought so much into it every day that he inspired me to do better.”.

The 24th edition of one of the World’s top LGBT Film Festivals reached a high point this year with much attention shined on the Festival in its securing an exclusive Premiere billing for the Marquee Title, The Normal Heart. On its steady ascension from a grassroots Film Festival to its lucrative partnership with TIFF, Andrew Murphy and Scott Ferguson of Inside Out explain, “It was an evolution.  It evolved as Queer Film evolved.  We’re lucky to have passionate people involved who are willing to fight for Queer Film.”.  Expect the partnership to flourish this Summer as Toronto celebrates World Pride with several Installations, Artist Talks and Screenings planned.

Olympic Gold Medalist Swimmer, Author and Philanthropist Mark Tewksbury we learned has actively been involved as the Spokesperson CANFAR, which in its 27 active years has raised more than $15 million for AIDS/HIV research. This of course isn’t the first time the Organization has attached its name to a cinematic partnership. Last fall, they had organized a Charity Screening of Dallas Buyers Club, which would go on to win multiple Academy Awards.  CANFAR‘s Chris Bunting stresses the importance of partnering with a high-profile Event such as this. “They think because people are living longer, the issue has gone away. This is an opportunity for a mass audience to see a very important Film and to re-engage in discussions”, states Bunting.

(Special thanks to Wongster Maria for helping Snap the above Pic!)

See Mr. Will‘s Chat with Bomer & Friends tonight:

The Normal Heart premieres on HBO this Sunday, May 25, 2014 at 9 PM EST.

Inside Out runs at TIFF Bell Lightbox from Thursday, May 22 – Sunday, June 1, 2014.

(Photo/video credit: Mr. Will Wong)

The 24th annual INSIDE OUT Film Festival runs in Toronto from Thursday, May 22, 2014 through Sunday, June 1, 2014.  I was fortunate enough to preview some of this year’s Marquee Titles and want to tell you all about ’em!

THE NORMAL HEART

Many eyes will be on this exciting new HBO Film Adaptation of the TONY Award-winning Stageplay of the same name. Directed by American Horror Story and Glee Creator Ryan Murphy, the Drama is set in New York City, in the early ’80s at the onset of the AIDS epidemic – a time when many turned a blind eye to its seriousness.

At the center of it all is AIDS Activist Ned Weeks (Mark Ruffalo) in one of his most compelling performances to date.  His passionate relationship with Lover Felix Turner (played beautifully by Matt Bomer) is the heart and soul of the Story,  succumbing tragically too to the Disease. Julia Roberts as a wheelchair-bound Doctor Emma Brookner, is phenomenal  in her plea to raise awareness of the far-reaching effects of the Disease not just as a “Gay Cancer”.  Particularly memorable too is a poignant performance by  Joe Mantello as Mickey Marcus in one pivotal moment in the Film.

We witness the internal struggles of this Activist Group, hindered by the pressures of having to deal with the spotlight in times when AIDS stigma was epidemic as the Disease itself. At moments its Screenplay restricted by the confines of the Small Screen, the Film manages to leave a lasting impression based on the strength of its performances.  A definite major player this forthcoming Awards Season.

Friday, May 23, 2014 at TIFF BELL LIGHT BOX, 9:00 PM

THE DOG

Perhaps my favourite Film of the Festival, this Documentary centers around infamous gay New York Bank Robber John Wojtowicz, on whom the 1975 Film starring Al Pacino, Dog Day Afternoon was based.  The unlikeliest of Heroes, Wojtowicz had robbed a bank brazenly in hopes of funding his Lover’s Sex Change.

Directors Alison Berg and Frank Keraudren takes ten years’ worth of footage and interviews with the Subject himself, his endearing Mother, Ex-Wife and multiple Lovers, painting a Portrait of a Man whose wrong choices would go on to change his life forever.  We learn all about his ordeal in prison, what life was like leading-up to his 2006 death after a battle with Cancer.  Although unconventional, Wojtowicz was ahead of his time in his unwavering stance on Gay Rights, inspiring others who felt marginalized and powerless.

And you’ll never believe what happened after his Lover’s Sex Change…

Saturday, May 31, 2014 at TIFF BELL LIGHT BOX, 4:00 PM

I ALWAYS SAID YES: THE MANY LIVES OF WAKEFIELD POOLE

How does a sweet, young Jacksonville Boy with the voice of an Angel and on the verge of Broadway Stardom,  wind-up going-on to create some of the most iconic Gay Porn Films of all time?  This Documentary, directed by Jim Tushinski, gives us an in-depth look at the rise of a fascinating Man of many talents, his struggles, disappointments and a behind-the-scenes look at how with little budget – even using his own apartment as a studio space, he would helm acclaimed and pioneering Films like Boys in the Sand and Bijou.  Through candid interviews from others close to affected by his work, we learn about Poole and his bittersweet road to finding contentment.

Anyone  who’s ever struggled  in making their dream a reality will identify with some of the sentiments explored here in this well-made exploration of a Man who would go on to leave an indelible mark on the face of Gay Culture.

Wednesday, May 28, 2014 at TIFF Lightbox Cinema, 5:15 PM

MATT SHEPARD IS A FRIEND OF MINE

Beyond the news reports and 2002 Biographical Film (The Laramie Project) made about Matthew Shepard, but what really do we know about one of the most talked about Gay Public Figures of all time, whose impact posthumously would change the conversation about Gay Rights forever?

This Documentary made by Shepard‘s Friend Michele Josue and narrated by her also, hits home with touching, candid interviews with his Family and Friends.  We learn about Shepard‘s own fears in coming to terms with his own sexuality – a revelation tragically which led eventually to his torture and murder.   Josue gives us a deeply humanistic perspective to  Shepard which ultimately makes us feel as though we knew him too.

Why would she revisit something so painful?  “Guilt. Confusion for not being there.  If the World knows our Matt – the real Matt – I know it wouldn’t be able to let him go either”, Josue says in her narration. A beautiful Piece which answers several questions many of us have long wanted to know.

Saturday, May 24, 2014 at TIFF Lightbox Cinema, 1:30 PM

 It’s still not too late to order Tickets for this year’s Festival!

Click here to #SEEFORYOURSELF ticket availabilities and to order online!

(Photo credit: HBO)

Now celebrating its tenth year on-air, the new Season of OUT THERE WITH MELISSA DIMARCO premieres this weekend!  Melissa is a dear Friend of ours and her quirky sense of humour, magnetic personality and sharp sense as an Interviewer have made for a successful, lasting Career in a Business which often sees quick highs and lows for many.

The Season Premiere is a star-studded one and this Season the Series features Interviews with the likes of Julia Roberts, Bradley Cooper, George Clooney and many, many more!  The Series is based off of real-life experiences for Melissa and has built a loyal following both north and south of the Border.

OUT THERE WITH MELISSA DIMARCO premieres Saturday, April 26, 2014 at  7:00 PM EST on Biography and 7:30 PM EST on CITY. Don’t forget to tune-in!

(Photo credit: Mr. Will Wong)