Multiple GRAMMY Award-winning Country Megastar Keith Urban returns to Toronto for a whirlwind visit, meeting Press in support of his eleventh Studio Disc, GRAFFITI U. Arriving in the City late last night, he did interviews for most of the day out of his Hotel before performing material from the new Album at a secret location for contest winners. He also chat with George Stroumboulopoulos for the low-key event discussing among other things his artistic process including working with Julia Michaels on current Single, Coming Home.

While he’s visited on many occasions in the past for touring, promotion and also to accompany his partner Nicole Kidman during TIFF, this was our first time ever meeting the New Zealander-Australian. Spotting familiar Fans whom ardently have followed him City to City, he came over to take a few Selfies before rushing-off to his private jet and onto the next City.

Urban will be back in Toronto this summer at Budweiser Stage and also this September at the Canadian Country Music Association Awards in Hamilton!

In case you haven’t checked it out just yet, listen to Coming Home below:

See our Snap:

Pleasant surprise ‘running into’ #KeithUrban! I mean I just looked over and said “Man, it’s Keith Urban!”. Hashtag #lovinglife. Joking aside, the Country King is in #Toronto for new Disc #GraffitiU.

A post shared by Mr. Will Wong 📸 (@mrwillwong) on May 16, 2018 at 5:48pm PDT

(Photo/video credit: Mr. Will Wong/S. Fernandez/Universal Music Group)

The 75th annual Golden Globes Awards took place tonight in Beverly Hills, California. With the #TimesUp initiative front and center of our attentions, we saw all talent uniformly wearing black to draw attention to the cause for equality and an end to sexual harassment in the workplace.

Seth Meyers hosted the affair boldly poking-fun at the likes of Kevin Spacey and Harvey Weinstein. In the face of change, he calls 2018 “the year marijuana was allowed and sexual harassment wasn’t anymore.”.

Oprah Winfrey who next can be seen in Disney‘s A Wrinkle in Time, was awarded the Cecil B. DeMille Award for lifetime achievement. Her Wrinkle Co-Star Reese Witherspoon introduced her as being all “a noun, a verb and an adjective”. And even Meyers joked DeMille should be honoured she was given the award. Winfrey recalls herself as a kid in Milwaukee back in 1964, watching Anne Bancroft speak a historic five words on television, “The winner is Sidney Poitier“. She hopes to inspire another black girl watching tonight seeing her be named the first ever black Cecil B. DeMille Award Winner. Winfrey states, “I wanted to express gratitude to all women who endured years of abuse and assault as they like my mother had mouths to feed, bills to pay and dreams to pursue.”. Recounting the story of rape (1944) victim Recy Taylor whose six attackers never were persecuted, she defiantly states that we are at the end of an era, “Their time us up!”.

“I want all of the girls watching here now to know, that a new day is on the horizon.” @Oprah accepts the 2018 Cecil B. de Mille award. #GoldenGlobes pic.twitter.com/hbquC1GBjm

— Golden Globe Awards (@goldenglobes) January 8, 2018

Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri scored huge in the Film categories including a win for Motion Picture Drama. Martin McDonagh was awarded Screenplay for the Film which he also directed. He jokes, “My mother really wanted Lady Bird to win.”. Oscar Winner Frances McDormand before tonight had been nominated seven times for a Globe, but finally received her first win for Actress in a Motion Picture Drama.  She declined to make political comments but expressed pride that the Film still is filling seats in brick and mortar theatres across the U.S. the “old-fashioned” way. Sam Rockwell, after a career spanning almost three decades, finally won a Golden Globe for his work in Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri. “It’s nice to be in a movie people saw”, he kids before thanking others involved with the TIFF ’17 People’s Choice Award-winning Film and also wife Leslie Bibb.

Let’s hear it for our winner of Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama, Frances McDormand! She’s honored for her role in @3Billboards. #GoldenGlobes pic.twitter.com/1bJOBP3YNW

— Golden Globe Awards (@goldenglobes) January 8, 2018

HBO’s Big Little Lies was a major force in the Television categories winning TV Miniseries or Movie. Nicole Kidman was awarded her fourth Golden Globe for her Actress work, thanking her Co-Star, Co-Producer and fellow Nominee Reese Witherspoon with whom together she brought the HBO release to Television. Kidman despite getting the cue to shorten her speech, thanked her husband Country Star Keith Urban last, telling him “When your cheek is pressed against mine, the whole world just melts away, I love you.”. Co-Stars Laura Dern and Alexander Skarsgård also won for their work as Supporting Actor and Supporting Actress (Dern‘s fourth Globe too!) in the Miniseries.

Lady Bird, which premiered at TIFF ’17, won Comedy or Musical. The Film which loosely is based on Greta Gerwig‘s life, also is her directorial debut. Gerwig thanked her hometown Sacramento for giving her the wings and roots needed to succeed in life. 23-year-old Saoirse Ronan already has been nominated for three Globes but alas gets her first win tonight for her acclaimed work in Lady Bird. She kept pointing-out in her humble speech how her mom out of excitement was in the audience on FaceTime while she was on-stage.

A round of applause for Saoirse Ronan taking home the award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy for her role in @LadyBirdMovie! #GoldenGlobes pic.twitter.com/fXm4pygZ41

— Golden Globe Awards (@goldenglobes) January 8, 2018

Visionary Guillermo del Toro made a teary acceptance for Director with The Shape of Water while the Orchestra had tried drowning his speech out due to time restrictions. “Turn the music down, it’s taken me 25 years to get here” he said, drawing cheers from the audience. Moments before, Natalie Portman presenting his award alongside Ron Howard, pointed-out how all Nominees in the Category were male.

Gary Oldman was awarded Actor in a Motion Picture Drama for his portrayal of Winston Churchill in TIFF ’17 selection Darkest Hour. In his speech, he told us how his wife puts-up with his incredible dedication telling others “I go to bed with Winston Churchill and wake-up with Gary Oldman.”.

A massive congratulations to Gary Oldman for being awarded the Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama award for his role in @DarkestHour! #GoldenGlobes pic.twitter.com/YyPfI7iBNl

— Golden Globe Awards (@goldenglobes) January 8, 2018

Jeered widely for having made the worst movie of all time, The Room, Filmmaker and Cult Icon Tommy Wiseau got the last laugh joining Actor in a Motion Picture Comedy Winner James Franco on-stage tonight. Franco stars in and directs The Disaster Artist which recounts Wiseau‘s process making that Cult Classic. Franco thanked his younger brother Dave in his speech saying “He always wanted his own Coen Brother” to make Films with and it looks like he too along with Wiseau saw his dream come true.

Allison Janney who delivers a chilling portrayal of Tonya Harding’s mother LaVona Golden in I, Tonya, was awarded a well-deserved Globe beating-out some stiff competition including Laurie Metcalf whom many also feel is deserving for her work in Lady Bird. Janney made a poignant statement about perception of truth in Media, an enlightenment after having worked on the Film which gives us a fresh perspective on the disgraced Figure Skater. It was a good night for both Tommy Wiseau and Tonya Harding.

.@AllisonBJanney is awarded Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in any Motion Picture for her outstanding work in @ITonyaMovie. Yay! 👏 pic.twitter.com/tgg72x8p30

— Golden Globe Awards (@goldenglobes) January 8, 2018

The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel was this year’s Dark Horse, winning Comedy Series and also Rachel Brosnahan (House of Cards) winning Actress in a Comedy Series. The Amazon Series centers on a Jewish housewife in the ’50s who becomes a Stand-up Comedian.

Elisabeth Moss shone a light on Canada dedicating her Actress in a Drama Series win to Margaret Atwood who wrote the source material on which Toronto-made The Handsmaid’s Tale is based. The Series also took home a Globe for Drama Series. This is her second Golden Globe win, her first for Miniseries Top of the Lake.

After four nominations, Ewan McGregor finally gets his first Globe win for Actor in a TV Miniseries or Movie with Fargo.  Another Canadian connection, the Series was filmed in Calgary.

Sterling K. Brown was awarded his first Globe for his work on Series This is Us.  The rising star next can be seen in Marvel’s Black Panther and reminded his kids in his speech he’d be there to take them to school tomorrow morning, in addition to expressing his awe of Oprah Winfrey being seated before him on the podium.

The ONLY way to start an acceptance speech. 🙌 @SterlingKBrown 🙌 #GoldenGlobes pic.twitter.com/34vexLiKA1

— GIPHY (@GIPHY) January 8, 2018

After getting a nod last year and seeing MASTER OF NONE, for which he has directing and writing credits, Funnyman Aziz Ansari gets a Globe for Actor in a Comedy Series. He becomes the first ever South Asian Actor to win a Globe.

In addition to having grossed almost $600 million worldwide, Disney•Pixar‘s Coco goes on to Globe success, winning Animated Feature.

Hot off its #1 success on the Billboard Hot 200 Album Chart, The Greatest Showman also wins a Globe for Original Song, This is Me, sung by Keala Settle and also Kesha.

Fatih Akin‘s In the Fade won Foreign Language Film. The German Film starring Diane Kruger as a woman dealing with the aftermath of a terrorist attack, received a TIFF ’17 Premiere.

Awards Season culminates in the Academy Awards which air Sunday, March 4, 2018 on ABC, 7 PM ET.

(Photo credit: Getty Images)

Elevation Pictures x Mr. Will want to give Readers a chance to win Run-of-Engagement Passes to see TIFF ’17 Selection THE KILLING OF A SACRED DEER starring Colin Farrell and Nicole Kidman.

Synopsis:
Dr. Steven Murphy (Colin Farrell) is a renowned cardiovascular surgeon presiding over a spotless household with his ophthalmologist wife Anna (Nicole Kidman) and their two exemplary children, 12-year-old Bob (Sunny Suljian) and14-year-old Kim (Raffey Cassidy). Lurking at the margins of his idyllic suburban existence is Martin (Barry Keoghan), a fatherless teen who Steven has covertly taken under his wing. As Martin begins insinuating himself into the family’s life in ever-more unsettling displays, the full scope of his intent becomes menacingly clear when he confronts Steven with a long-forgotten transgression that will shatter the Murphy family’s domestic bliss. Lanthimos has crafted a sensational thriller brimming with unsettling humor and creeping dread, steeped in Greek tragedy, existential horror, Hitchcockian psychodrama, and riveting suspense. Darting confidently between genres to subvert our expectations at every turn, The Killing of a Sacred Deer firmly cements Lanthimos in the pantheon of world-class auteurs and marks him as a cinematic provocateur without precedent.

Trailer:

Artwork:

To enter to win, click “like” on this Post at MR. WILL ON FACBEOOK and indicate for us your City.

Elevation Pictures release THE KILLING OF A SACRED DEER Friday, November 3, 2017.

(Photo/video credit: Elevation Pictures)

Review by Justin Waldman for Mr. Will Wong

Yorgos Lanthimos made a big name for himself with 2015’s The Lobster, he now returns to TIFF with his newest Film The Killing of a Sacred Deer and takes creepy and sinister to a new level. The Film is something truly disturbing and gut wrenching, so strap yourself in for one hell of a ride.

The Film focuses on surgeon Steven (Colin Farrell) who takes Martin (Barry Keoghan) under his wing. At first everything seems relatively normal, despite the fact that a grown man is befriending a young boy, until we find out that Martin’s father died on Steven’s surgery table. This is where the movie starts to take a twist for Steven and his family consisting of Anna (Nicole Kidman), Kim (Raffey Cassidy) and Bob (Sunny Suljic). Steven is faced with an impossible task, can Steven make the ultimate sacrifice or will it be made for him?

The Killing of a Sacred Deer is not for the faint of heart, but it is an intense Thriller that is lightened with a sprinkling of dark humour throughout.

It screens at TIFF on Saturday, September 9th at 9 PM at the Elgin Theatre, and Sunday, September 10th at 11:15 AM at the Princess of Wales Theatre.

Universal Pictures Canada x Mr. Will want to give Readers in Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver a chance to see Sofia Coppola‘s THE BEGUILED on Monday, June 26, 2017.

Synopsis:
World-premiering at the 2017 Cannes International Film Festival. “The Beguiled” is an atmospheric thriller from acclaimed writer/director Sofia Coppola. The story unfolds during the Civil War, at a Southern girls’ boarding school. Its sheltered young women take in an injured enemy soldier. As they provide refuge and tend to his wounds, the house is taken over with sexual tension and dangerous rivalries, and taboos are broken in an unexpected turn of events.

See the Trailer:

Artwork:

To enter to win, click “like” on this Post at MR. WILL ON FACEBOOK and indicate your City in the comments. Tell us also about a time a good deed you did backfired.

For an extra chance, “Re-Tweet” this Tweet at @mrwillw.

Universal Pictures Canada release THE BEGUILED Friday, June 30, 2017.

(Photo/video credit: Universal Pictures Canada)

We admit a month ago having known v. little about HBO‘s new series BIG LITTLE LIES, based on the novel by Liane Moriarty. Since discovering it though, we’re helplessly hooked. We have previewed the first six of seven episodes and cruelly were left hanging at the end of it.  It consumed us fully this weekend and it’s been on our mind all day.

The seven-part series follows the lives of three mothers in Monterey, California as they cope with family-life balance, each facing their own unique demons. We have Madeline (Reese Witherspoon), a well-to-do stay at home mom of two, invested in a local theatre production of Avenue Q much to the disapproval of the local mayor and conservative locals. Celeste (Nicole Kidman), a lawyer-on-hiatus, has a seemingly-perfect life too with twin boys, a gorgeous house and a handsome husband in Perry (Alex Skarsgård).  Enter to the picture, mysterious single mother Jane (Shailene Woodley) and her son who are new to the area, drawn to its affordable private school education at a public school cost.  Things begin to unravel one day at school when Jane’s son Ziggy (Iain Armitage) is accused of hurting Renata’s (Laura Dern) daughter Anabella (Ivy George). This ignites what becomes a rampant fire as we see these mothers go to all costs to protect their children. Passions flare as Celeste and Madeline rally to support their new friend Jane and the consequences are well, fatal.  As the story unfolds we get eyewitness accounts, some less reliable than others, and we learn the deep, dark secrets each of our three leading women are harbouring, leading them together to where they are today. Who dies?  Why? Who did it?  How?  We have so many questions.

Canada’s very own Jean-Marc Vallée does a phenomenal job at the reins here and while BIG LITTLE LIES at times is a bit of a meditative slow-burn, we nonetheless are invested every step of the way.  Our characters are richly-developed, complex, aware, intelligent and multi-dimensional. Nothing is ever just black or white with them, there is a rather large, beautifully-messy gray area. Domestic violence, consent, sexuality, infidelity are just some of the meaty matters the series examines with great depth and it leaves us with plenty to think about.

Although Witherspoon’s brand has become synonymous with being Elle Woods and Rom-Coms like Sweet Home Alabama, we really love her pairing with Vallée which as we saw in Oscar-nominated WILD, has given her a real opportunity to shine as a dramatic force. Kidman seldom disappoints and she has shown that when she is in full-control of her output (remember the outstanding Rabbit Hole?), as she is here serving with Witherspoon as Executive Producers, she is devastatingly good. We also really enjoy Woodley’s work as Jane, careful never to give too much away about her character as one of the story’s most fascinating aspects. And we love Laura Dern in a performance that is worthy of top-billing, as a woman on fire in the deeply-angry Renata.

See a Tease:

HBO Canada airs BIG LITTLE LIES Sunday, February 19, 2017 at 9 PM EST.

More here.

(Photo/video credit: HBO)

eOne Films x Mr. Will want to give Readers a chance to see acclaimed Drama, LION. Screenings take place in the following:

Vancouver – Wednesday December 14th – 7:00 PM at Fifth Avenue

Calgary – Wednesday December 14th – 7:00 PM at Eau Claire

Edmonton – Wednesday December 14th – 7:00 PM at South Edmonton

Winnipeg – Wednesday December 14th – 7:00 PM at Landmark Grant Park

Halifax – Wednesday December 14th – 7:00 PM at Park Lane

Victoria – Wednesday December 14th – 7:00 PM at Silvercity Victoria

Synopsis:
A five-year-old Indian boy, Saroo, lives with his single mother and siblings in poverty. He and his brothers often beg for food and money at the train station. When his older brother, Guddu, tells Saroo that he’s going to take the train to another city, Saroo asks if he can come. Guddu agrees and when they reach their destination, he tells Saroo to wait for him on the platform.

When Guddu doesn’t come back, Saroo hops on another train in search of his brother and winds up many miles away from his home. The little boy is unable to tell the police exactly where he’s from and is eventually declared an abandoned child. He winds up at the Indian Society for Sponsorship and Adoption, where he’s soon adopted by an Australian couple (Nicole Kidman, David Wenham).

Saroo grows up as a typical Australian boy, learning English and eventually forgetting his native tongue, Hindi. Meanwhile, his mother endlessly searches for her son.

See the Trailer:

Artwork:

To enter to win, click “like” on this Post at MR. WILL ON FACEBOOK and indicate your city.

eOne Films release LION in Toronto Friday, December 9, 2016 and additional cities Wednesday, December 21, 2016.

(Photo/video credit: eOne Films)

Premiering at TIFF ’16, a brand new Trailer has just surfaced for what looks like an emotional ride, starring Dev Patel, Nicole Kidman and Rooney Mara.

Synopsis:
Five year old Saroo gets lost on a train which takes him thousands of Kilometers across India, away from home and family. Saroo must learn to survive alone in Kolkata, before ultimately being adopted by an Australian couple. Twenty five years later, armed with only a handful of memories, his unwavering determination, and a revolutionary technology known as Google Earth, he sets out to find his lost family and finally return to his first home.

See the Trailer:

eOne Films release LION Friday, November 25, 2016.

(Photo/video credit: eOne Films)

Elevation Pictures + Mr. Will want to take Readers in Toronto + Vancouver on Wednesday, June 15, 2016 to see Colin Firth + Jude Law in GENIUS, the story behind the relationship between Thomas Wolfe and Max Perkins.

Synopsis:
Genius centers on the real-life relationship between literary giant Thomas Wolfe and renowned editor Max Perkins. Finding fame and critical success at a young age, Wolfe is a blazing talent with a larger-than-life personality to match. Perkins is one of the most respected and well-known literary editors of all time, discovering such iconic novelists as F. Scott Fitzgerald and Ernest Hemingway. Wolfe and Perkins develop a tender, complex friendship. Transformative and irrepressible, this friendship will change the lives of these brilliant, but very different men forever.

Trailer:

Artwork:

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

http://www.mrwillwong.com/genius @MRWILLW wants us to #win Advance Passes to see #GENIUSMovie. Out 6.17.

Elevation Pictures release GENIUS Friday, June 17, 2016 in Toronto + Vancouver, additional cities to follow.

(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)