By Mr. Will Wong

Emmy and Golden Globe nominee Lily James delivers a tremendous performance in Rachel Lee Goldenberg‘s SWIPED as Whitney Wolfe, founder and CEO of online dating platform Bumble, prior to that co-founder of Tinder. And she did it all before she turned 30. This Film however, isn’t a celebration of success as much as it is a story about a woman’s battle with misogyny, betrayal, and being resilient.

We first meet Whitney in her college days where she meets Justin (Jackson White) and together they aim to re-invent dating for millennials in an app format. Justin however, is quick to take credit for some of her ideas, taking the recognition. While this all starts off as a great idea, we soon begin to see how misogyny gets reinforced with male users getting away with deplorable behaviour, and this same toxic culture is mirrored behind the scenes as well at the office. Whitney not only is forced to deal with Justin‘s constant degradation as both his partner romantically and at work, but finds herself feeling alienated and hurt until she is forced to dig deep, take a stand for herself and re-invent herself with an app that has the interest of women at heart, Bumble.

Not only is this Film acted very well, it is written smartly, credit to Goldenberg, who gets to the heart of Whitney‘s struggle, illustrating it eloquently. You’ll need Disney+ to stream this one, but it is a worthwhile watch which could well see James in-contention this awards season.

SWIPED screens at TIFF ’25 as follows:

Tuesday, September 9
Roy Thomson Hall
Premium
Closed captions (CC),
Audio description (AD)
9:30 pm

Wednesday, September 10
TIFF Lightbox
Audio description (AD),
Open captions (OC)
3:15 pm

Friday, September 12
TIFF Lightbox
Closed captions (CC),
Audio description (AD)
6:00 pm

The Hulu Original film “Swiped” from 20th Century Studios will debut exclusively September 19, 2025 on Disney+ in Canada. The film will hold its premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 9, 2025.

Inspired by the provocative real-life story of the visionary founder of online dating platform Bumble, “Swiped” introduces recent college grad Whitney Wolfe, played by Lily James, as she uses extraordinary grit and ingenuity to break into the male-dominated tech industry and launch an innovative, globally lauded dating app (two, actually), paving the way to becoming the youngest female self-made billionaire. “Swiped” is directed by Rachel Lee Goldenberg and written by Bill Parker & Rachel Lee Goldenberg and Kim Caramele. The film also stars Jackson White, Myha’la, Ben Schnetzer, Pierson Fodé, Clea DuVall, Pedro Correa, Ian Colleti, Coral Peña, and Dan Stevens. Jennifer Gibgot, Andrew Panay, and Lily James produce.

Having premiered at TIFF ’24, today we get a new Trailer for RELAY starring Riz Ahmed and Lily James!

Elevation Pictures release August 22, 2025 in theatres.

Synopsis:

In Relay, Riz Ahmed plays a world class “fixer” who specializes in brokering lucrative payoffs between corrupt corporations and the individuals who threaten their ruin. He keeps his identity a secret through meticulous planning and always follows an exacting set of rules. But when a message arrives one day from a potential client (Lily James) needing his protection just to stay alive, the rules quickly start to change.

Directed by: David Mackenzie
Starring: Riz Ahmed, Lily James, Sam Worthington, Willa Fitzgerald, Jared Abrahamson, Victor Garber and Matthew Maher

Elevation Pictures x Mr. Will want to give Readers a chance to win passes to an Advance Screening of THE IRON CLAW.

Screening Details:

TORONTO – Thursday, December 14th at 7:00 PM, Scotiabank Theatre Torontos

VANCOUVER – Monday, December 18th at 7:00 PM, Scotiabank Theatre Vancouver

CALGARY – Monday, December 18th at 7:00 PM, Scotiabank Theatre Chinook

From writer/director Sean Durkin and starring Zac Efron, Jeremy Allen White, Harris Dickinson, Maura Tierney, Stanley Simons, with Holt McCallany and Lily James. THE IRON CLAW – In Theatres Everywhere December 22, 2023.

To enter for a chance to win, click “like” on this Post at MR. WILL ON FACEBOOK. Re-Tweet the below from our “X” account for an extra chance!

Rules and regulations here.

(Photo/video credit: Elevation Pictures)

Eight-episode Series PAM & TOMMY thrust its way onto our radar the moment we saw that first look photo of Lily James transforming amazingly into a dead-ringer for Pamela Anderson. Craig Gillespie (I, Tonya, Disney’s Cruella) once again brings us a fascinating glimpse into the world of a misunderstood heroine and we’re here for it.

The ’90s-set Series is very intentional in its nostalgic references, whether it be in its Soundtrack, or keen attention to details in set decor and costumes. Just as many of us were getting our first dial-up modem and signing-up for our first e-mail addresses in the mid-90s, it was impossible to avoid the controversy of Mötley Crüe Drummer Tommy Lee (Sebastian Stan) and Pamela Anderson‘s Sex Tape Scandal. The VHS tape, recorded during the former couple’s honeymoon, was stolen by Rand Gauthier (Seth Rogen), a spiteful electrician owed money by Lee, who had been hired to do some renovation work in their home. Gauthier then began reproducing copies of the tape for sale, before things got out of hand, the tape continued to get pirated and surfaced online before Lee and Anderson even knew how to long onto the internet.

James is just superb as Anderson, really embodying her as a woman in love who wants nothing more than to be a mom, an Actress determined to advance her career, and when probed indignantly about her sexual past. All this, while being the blonde bombshell in a bikini whom America loved. Whether she is tilting her head up defensively or cautiously looking backwards at fans crowding around her, we believe every second that she is Anderson. Stan while given less to work with as the clueless Lee, gives it his all still and is in on the joke and all of Lee‘s absurdities. Similar can be said about Rogen, who is cast well as our eyes and ears into Pam & Tommy‘s world, but also acting often before thinking.

One thing we were fearful of with PAM & TOMMY was that it was taking the couple’s misfortune for the sake of entertainment. After all, wasn’t it enough that they had to go through it all once? Much of the earlier part of the Series has us being annoyed at the hormone-charged escapades between the couple, them oblivious to much else other than themselves. We also get to know Gauthier and establishing the motives for doing what he did. To be frank, these parts could have been condensed into an episode or two.

Where PAM & TOMMY truly takes flight is where we see Gauthier begin to face the consequences of his actions, not exactly getting rewarded for his “big business venture”. Writer Robert D. Siegel explores the impacts of this tape on the couple’s marriage and more so on Anderson‘s career. She seemed to be on the brink of something huge. No disrespect to her legacy. The Series examines gender double standards and how Anderson bears the weight of scrutiny and judgment as a woman, and also the question of consent which still bears just as much today in 2022 as it did when this controversy surfaced. In looking back at it all through fresh lens, we hope viewers not only see the Series as entertaining and often comical, but that what had taken place was a crime with lasting impacts.

PAM & TOMMY streams on Star, via Disney+ February 2, 2022.

We are way excited for this! Love seeing Sebastian Stan and Lily James transform completely as Pamela Anderson and Tommy Lee in one of the biggest scandals of the late ’90s! See the new Teaser for PAM & TOMMY!

Synopsis:

Set in the Wild West early days of the Internet, “Pam & Tommy” is based on the incredible true story of the Pamela Anderson (Lily James, “Yesterday”) and Tommy Lee (Sebastian Stan, “The Falcon & the Winter Soldier”) sex tape. Stolen from the couple’s home by a disgruntled contractor (Seth Rogen, “Long Shot”), the video went from underground bootleg-VHS curiosity to full-blown global sensation when it hit the Web in 1997. A love story, crime caper and cautionary tale rolled into one, the eight-part original limited series explores the intersection of privacy, technology and celebrity, tracing the origins of our current Reality TV Era to a stolen tape seen by millions but meant to have an audience of just two.

“Pam & Tommy” is executive produced by Seth Rogen, Evan Goldberg, James Weaver and Alex McAtee at Point Grey, and Megan Ellison, Sue Naegle and Ali Krug at Annapurna. The series is written by executive producers Rob Siegel and DV DeVincentis, and directed by executive producer Craig Gillespie. Dylan Sellers, Dave Franco, Chip Vucelich and Sarah Gubbins also serve as executive producers.

The drama series premieres with three episodes on February 2, 2022 on Disney+ under the Star banner. New episodes stream weekly.

(Photo/video credit: Disney)

Actress Emily Mortimer makes her TV directorial debut in THE PURSUIT OF LOVE. See this first look from the Series!

Synopsis:

Based on Nancy Mitford’s classic novel, The Pursuit of Love is unlike many other period dramas (e.g. Jane Austen romances). Witty, sexy and quirky—steeped in a rich historical setting, it explores the complex realities of finding purpose as a woman in 1930s England. By satirizing classic British tropes and modernizing a period drama, this series is the antidote to Downton Abbey. At the heart of the tale we see Fanny and Linda, two young women on a lifelong pursuit of love and marriage, but what’s really left are the bonds of intimacy and friendship—and the love between these women. As pre-war political divisions split the nation, these women’s diverging choices raise intimate personal questions that are relevant today – about freedom, love, sex, politics and the mystery of the human heart. Like other successful period dramas, we will see beautiful sets and costumes, and the lifestyles of the very posh and privileged juxtaposed with the confined societal realities for the characters, especially the women, as told through a woman’s lens. Beyond the themes and historical setting of Pursuit of Love, Prestige Romantics will be drawn to the noteworthy, attractive celebrity cast, particularly as it is Emily Mortimer’s TV directorial debut. 

Cast: Lily James (“Linda Radlett”), Emily Beecham (“Fanny Logan”), Dominic West (“Uncle Matthew Radlett”), Dolly Wells (“Aunt Sadie Radlett”), Andrew Scott (“Lord Merlin”), Emily Mortimer (“The Bolter”), Beattie Edmondson (“Louisa Radlett”), Assaad Bouab (“Fabrice de Sauveterre”), Shazad Latif (“Alfred Wincham”), Freddie Fox (“Tony Kroesig”). 

THE PURSUIT OF LOVE is coming to Amazon Prime Video July 30, 2021.

(Photo credit: Amazon Prime Video)

Check-out these brand-new stills from THE DIG, coming soon to Netflix!

Synopsis:

As WWII looms, a wealthy widow hires an amateur archaeologist to excavate the burial mounds on her estate. When they make a historic discovery, the echoes of Britain’s past resonate in the face of its uncertain future‎.

Cast: Carey Mulligan, Ralph Fiennes, Lily James, Johnny Flynn, Ben Chaplin, Ken Stott, Archie Barnes, Monica Dolan

See the Trailer:

THE DIG is coming soon to Netflix January 29, 2021.

(Photo credit: Netflix)

We know many of you are stoked about this upcoming Reboot of REBECCA, so here’s a look at the brand-new Trailer!

Synopsis:

After a whirlwind romance in Monte Carlo with handsome widower Maxim de Winter (Armie Hammer), a newly married young woman (Lily James) arrives at Manderley, her new husband’s imposing family estate on a windswept English coast. Naive and inexperienced, she begins to settle into the trappings of her new life, but finds herself battling the shadow of Maxim’s first wife, the elegant and urbane Rebecca, whose haunting legacy is kept alive by Manderley’s sinister housekeeper Mrs. Danvers (Kristin Scott Thomas). Directed by Ben Wheatley (High Rise, Free Fire) and produced by Working Title Films (Emma, Darkest Hour), REBECCA is a mesmerising and gorgeously rendered psychological thriller based on Daphne du Maurier’s beloved 1938 gothic novel.

Trailer:

REBECCA streams on Netflix Wednesday, October 21, 2020.

(Photo/video credit: Netflix)

Lily James and Armie Hammer star in the Thriller REBECCA, based on Daphne du Maurier‘s Novel. Check-out these new steamy stills!

Synopsis:

After a whirlwind romance in Monte Carlo with handsome widower Maxim de Winter (Armie Hammer), a newly married young woman (Lily James) arrives at Manderley, her new husband’s imposing family estate on a windswept English coast. Naive and inexperienced, she begins to settle into the trappings of her new life, but finds herself battling the shadow of Maxim’s first wife, the elegant and urbane Rebecca, whose haunting legacy is kept alive by Manderley’s sinister housekeeper Mrs. Danvers (Kristin Scott Thomas). Directed by Ben Wheatley (High Rise, Free Fire) and produced by Working Title Films (Emma, Darkest Hour), REBECCA is a mesmerising and gorgeously rendered psychological thriller based on Daphne du Maurier’s beloved 1938 gothic novel.

Stills:

REBECCA arrives on Netflix Friday, October 21, 2020.

(Photo/video credit: Netflix)