tiff50 selection ARCO is hitting theatres via Elevation Pictures later this month. Here’s a new Trailer!

Directed by: Ugo Bienvenu
Starring: Will Ferrell, America Ferrera, Flea, Natalie Portman,
Mark Ruffalo, Andy Samberg

A magical and beautifully animated journey through time, Arco is a dazzling adventure about a 10-year-old boy from a peaceful, distant future who accidentally travels back to the year 2075 and discovers a world in peril. As Arco develops a charming and touching friendship with a young girl named Iris, they band together and along with her trusted robot caretaker Mikki, set out on a quest to get Arco home, while the two children may also be the only ones who can save our planet. A wondrous odyssey filled with hope and optimism for our future, Arco is an enchanting fable from breakout filmmaker Ugo Bienvenu, produced by Remembers’ Bienvenu and Felix de Givry, and mountainA’s Natalie Portman and Sophie Mas.

If there’s one film I’m most excited about, I’d say it would be this. The new Trailer for MAY DECEMBER, has just arrived.

Details:

DIRECTOR: Todd Haynes
SCREENPLAY BY: Samy Burch
STORY BY: Samy Burch and Alex Mechanik
PRODUCERS: Natalie Portman, Sophie Mas, Pamela Koffler, Christine Vachon, Grant S. Johnson, Tyler W. Konney, Jessica Elbaum, Will Ferrell
EXEC. PRODUCERS: Madeleine K. Rudin, Thomas K. Richards, Lee Broda, Jeff Rice, Jonathan Montepare, Samy Burch, Alex Brown, Thorsten Schumacher, Claire Taylor
KEY CAST: Natalie Portman, Julianne Moore, Charles Melton
LOGLINE: Twenty years after their notorious tabloid romance gripped the nation, a married couple (Julianne Moore, Charles Melton) buckles under the pressure when an actress (Natalie Portman) arrives to do research for a film about their past.

Release schedule for MAY DECEMBER is as follows:

Opens New York Film Festival This Friday, September 29, 2023
In Select Theaters November 17, 2023 (US & Canada)
On Netflix December 1, 2023 (US & Canada)

We cannot wait to see this but are thrilled we finally get a teaser for MAY DECEMBER, which premiere at Cannes to raves.

LOGLINE:

Twenty years after their notorious tabloid romance gripped the nation, a married couple (Julianne Moore, Charles Melton) buckles under the pressure when an actress (Natalie Portman) arrives to do research for a film about their past.

DIRECTOR: Todd Haynes
SCREENPLAY BY: Samy Burch
STORY BY: Samy Burch and Alex Mechanik
PRODUCERS: Natalie Portman, Sophie Mas, Pamela Koffler, Christine Vachon, Grant S. Johnson, Tyler W. Konney, Jessica Elbaum, Will Ferrell
EXEC. PRODUCERS: Madeleine K. Rudin, Thomas K. Richards, Lee Broda, Jeff Rice, Jonathan Montepare, Samy Burch, Alex Brown, Thorsten Schumacher, Claire Taylor
KEY CAST: Natalie Portman, Julianne Moore, Charles Melton

Opens New York Film Festival on September 29, 2023
In Select Theatres November 17, 2023
On Netflix December 1, 2023 (US & Canada)

By Amanda Gilmore

Director Todd Haynes’ campy Dark Comedy May December is a sharp look at trauma and a critique of Hollywood’s invasive nature.

Actress Elizabeth Berry (Natalie Portman) travels to Savannah, Georgia to research her newest role. It’s for a biographical Film of a notorious tabloid romance between Gracie (Julianne Moore) and Joe (Charles Melton) that happened 20 years prior. Lucky for Elizabeth, Gracie (who she’s going to portray) has invited her into the now-married couple’s home. But when the Actress begins asking personal questions to get to the heart of her character, it forces the couple to confront their past.

Haynes’ tempered direction infuses camp humour into an unsettling story. Gracie and Joe began their affair twenty years prior. Gracie was a fully-formed adult with children and a husband, while Joe was in seventh grade. Their relationship shocked the news when they were caught in the stockroom of the pet store they both worked at. Gracie went to prison where she discovered she was pregnant with Joe’s child. Now, 20 years later, they’re married and share three children.

When Elizabeth arrives, it’s clear there are cracks in the marriage. Gracie spends her time anxious, often sobbing in bed in the middle of the night. Additionally, she controls Joe, treating him more like one of her children than her husband. In her fifth collaboration with Haynes, Moore is at her most mysterious ever. Balancing Gracie on the fine line between neurotic fragility and savagery. 

May December critiques not only Gracie for her stomach-churning crime. It’s an examination of Hollywood’s invasive nature of these stories. Even the Cinematography by Christopher Blauvelt is hazy and feels glamorous like an old Hollywood film. Elizabeth inserts herself into the lives of Gracie, Joe, their children and their extended family. She has invasive questions without remorse for the effect they cause. Portman is in top form as the Actress whose true motivations become clearer the more people she meets who are impacted by the affair.

This theme becomes ever more prominent once Elizabeth tells Joe that she’s doing all this for the “story”. That’s when it hits Joe that Elizabeth never cared about him. She doesn’t even look at him as human. He’s just a character that Hollywood is going to use to earn profit and accolades. Melton is a revelation as he goes toe-to-toe with the caliber of talent he is placed alongside. His performance is heartbreaking as a — still — young man whose unaddressed trauma is turning into crippling stress and anxiety.

Haynes’ camera observes his characters, allowing the audience to become the judge and jury to Gracie and Elizabeth. The only character who can walk away with a clean conscious is Joe, who both women are traumatizing in different ways. With the diligent pacing of the script by Samy Burch, each character slowly unravels like one of the monarchs Joe cares for. Well, all but Gracie who remains an enigma.

May December screens at Cannes ’23:

Sat May 20 at 10:30PM at GRAND THÉÂTRE LUMIÈRE

Sun May 21 at 9AM at GRAND THÉÂTRE LUMIÈRE

Sun May 21 at 11AM at AGNÈS VARDA THEATRE

Sun May 21 at 6:15PM at CINEUM IMAX

Sun May 21 at 7PM at LICORNE

Mon May 22 at 11AM at CINEUM AURORE

Tue May 23 at 11AM at CINEUM SCREEN X

…

We’ve been wondering about this for a bit but are happy to share a new Teaser Trailer and Poster for THOR: LOVE AND THUNDER!

Synopsis:

A new trailer and poster are now available for Marvel Studios’ “Thor: Love and Thunder,” offering long-awaited clues to what’s in store for the God of Thunder. The film finds Thor (Chris Hemsworth) on a journey unlike anything he’s ever faced – a quest for inner peace. But his retirement is interrupted by a galactic killer known as Gorr the God Butcher (Christian Bale), who seeks the extinction of the gods. To combat the threat, Thor enlists the help of King Valkyrie (Tessa Thompson), Korg (Taika Waititi) and ex-girlfriend Jane Foster (Natalie Portman), who – to Thor’s surprise – inexplicably wields his magical hammer, Mjolnir, as the Mighty Thor. Together, they embark upon a harrowing cosmic adventure to uncover the mystery of the God Butcher’s vengeance and stop him before it’s too late. Directed by Waititi (“Thor: Ragnarok,” “Jojo Rabbit”) and produced by Kevin Feige and Brad Winderbaum, “Thor: Love and Thunder” opens in theatres  July 8, 2022.

Marvel Studios’ THOR: LOVE AND THUNDER arrives in theatres July 8, 2022.

(Photo/video credit: Marvel Studios)

Some new Disneynature releases hitting-up Disney+ really soon! Coming soon on the streaming service in celebration of Earth Month, are ELEPHANTS, featuring the voice of Duchess of Sussex Meghan Markle and also DOLPHIN REEF, told by Natalie Portman.

See the Trailer for both:

ELEPHANTS and DOLPHIN REEF stream only on Disney+ Friday, April 3, 2020.

(Photo/video credit: Disney)

Review by Mr. Will Wong

Lucy in the Sky centers on an astronaut’s successful journey into space and the aftermath of this when she re-evaluates her life.  We witness Lucy‘s (Natalie Portman) unravelling as she loses her perspective on the world after she accomplishes the mission. She becomes unhinged, losing her inhibitions and what ensues is a downward spiral from which we can’t keep our eyes off.

The Drama-Thriller is Noah Hawley‘s directorial debut. While it is an ambitious task telling this story, which starts on solid footing in its First Act, before turning tonally into the unpredictable, he manages to maintain our interest as we witness Lucy‘s fall from grace.

Portman cannot be faulted as she is fully committed to making us see the world through Lucy’s eyes and she does it in a compelling way. However, even she – a master of her craft – is unable to resuscitate the Film’s implausabilities and unevenness, where we never see developed fully, Jon Hamm‘s Mark nor Lucy‘s husband Drew (Dan Stevens). And this was better needed to pave the way for her eventual path.

Lucy in the Sky screens at TIFF:

Wed, Sep 11
Visa Screening Room at the Princess of Wales Theatre
9:00pm

Thu, Sep 12
Visa Screening Room at the Princess of Wales Theatre
2:30pm

Fri, Sep 13
Elgin Theatre
1:00pm

Sun, Sep 15
Scotiabank Theatre
5:45pm

Things finally are reaching a simmering point now at TIFF ’19, giving us a chance to catch some screenings finally! Tonight’s big ticket was Noah Hawley’s LUCY IN THE SKY at Princess of Wales Theatre, which saw Natalie Portman narrowly escaped rain! She channeled some major Black Swan tonight!

See some Snaps below. Hover cursor right and left to navigate album.

(Photo credit: Mr. Will Wong)

From the upcoming release VOX LUX, Natalie Portman makes her Pop Star debut in-character in this new Video for WRAPPED UP from the Film. Penned by Sia, we are pleasantly surprised by the results! What do you think?

See the Video:

The Original Motion Picture Soundtrack to VOX LUX is out now. More here.

Elevation Pictures release VOX LUX in Toronto Friday, December 21, 2018.

(Photo/video credit: Warner Music)

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)