Searchlight Pictures x Mr. Will are thrilled to give Readers a chance to win Advance Passes to see TIFF ’22 selection, EMPIRE OF LIGHT from visionary Director Sam Mendes.

Screenings take place as follows Wednesday, December 7, 2022:

• Toronto: Cineplex Varsity at 7:30 pm
• Montreal: Cineplex Forum at 7:30 pm 
• Vancouver: Fifth Avenue at 7:00 pm 

Synopsis:

From Academy Award®-winning director and writer Sam Mendes, EMPIRE OF LIGHT is a moving drama about the power of human connection during turbulent times. Set in and around a faded old cinema in an English coastal town in the early 1980s, it follows Hilary (Olivia Colman) a cinema manager struggling with her mental health, and Stephen (Micheal Ward), a new employee who longs to escape this provincial town in which he faces daily adversity. Both Hilary and Stephen find a sense of belonging through their unlikely and tender relationship and come to experience the healing power of music, cinema, and community.

To enter for a chance to win, click “like” on this Post at MR. WILL ON FACEBOOK and indicate in the comments there your City. Re-Tweet the Contest Tweet below for an extra chance.

Rules and regulations here.

Searchlight Pictures release EMPIRE OF LIGHT in theatres December 9, 2022.

(Photo/video credit: Searchlight Pictures)

We have an official Trailer fo TIFF ’22 selection EMPIRE OF LIGHT starring Olivia Colman, from Director Sam Mendes.

Synopsis:

Set in an English seaside town in the early 1980s, EMPIRE OF LIGHT is a powerful and poignant story about human connection and the magic of cinema, from Academy Award®-winning director Sam Mendes.

Cast: Olivia Colman, Micheal Ward, Tom Brooke, Tanya Moodie, Hannah Onslow, Crystal Clarke, Toby Jones, Colin Firth

Searchlight Pictures release EMPIRE OF LIGHT December 9, 2022.

(Photo/video credit: Searchlight Pictures)

By Amanda Gilmore

Set in the 1980s in a seaside town in England, Empire of Light follows Hilary (Olivia Colman) and Steven (Michael Ward) who work at The Empire picture house. Hilary has worked at the movie theatre for a long time, however, Steven is a new employee. The two share a connection and begin a relationship that changes them both.

Writer-Director Sam Mendes gives us a love letter to Cinema through the love story blossoming between his two characters. The Empire picture house is one we don’t often see anymore. For instance, it has the bright lights of a marquee on the outside. Inside, it looks more like a theatre rather than a cinema. This picture house, and the love story, is beautifully captured by the immense talent of revered Cinematographer Roger Deakins.

The Empire is the backdrop of the connection Hilary and Steven have. It’s one based on respect, care and empathy. The two are experiencing life differently. Hilary lives a repetitive, mundane life. Oh, and she’s never seen a movie before. While Steven has his whole life ahead of him and desires to go to college. As their relationship goes on, we notice that they are struggling with more than we thought.

Hilary has been dealing with mental health issues. She recently sought help and returned to work. However, she came off her medication and begins to relapse. Colman, once again, gives a breathtaking performance. Steven is dealing with racism and nationalism happening. He gets assaulted both verbally and physically. Ward is a revelation as the empathetic, patient Steven. Colman and Ward have undeniable chemistry. Although the audience is aware that this relationship won’t last due to their life experiences, we still root for them because the connection they share changes them both for the better.

Empire of Light screens as follows at TIFF ’22:

Mon, Sep 12 IN-PERSON at Visa Screening Room at the Princess of Wales Theatre at 3:00 pm

Tue, Sep 13 IN-PERSON at Visa Screening Room at the Princess of Wales Theatre at 3:00 pm

Sat, Sep 17 IN-PERSON at Royal Alexandra Theatre at 5:00 pm

Academy Award winner Olivia Colman stars in THE LOST DAUGHTER, in theatres and on Netflix later this year! See the new Trailer for the Film which just premiered at the New York and London Film Festival.

Some new Stills:

THE LOST DAUGHTER is in select Theaters December 17, 2021 and on Netflix December 31, 2021.

(Photo credit: Netflix)

Premiering at TIFF ’21, here is your first glance at Eva Husson’s MOTHERING SUNDAY starring Odessa Young, Josh O’Connor, Colin Firth and Olivia Colman.

Synopsis:

On a warm spring day in 1924, house maid and foundling Jane Fairchild (Odessa Young) finds herself alone on Mother’s Day. Her employers, Mr and Mrs Niven (Colin Firth and Olivia Colman), are out and she has the rare chance to spend an afternoon of abandon with her secret lover, Paul (Josh O’Connor), the boy from the manor house nearby who is Jane’s long-term love despite the fact that he’s engaged to be married to another woman, a childhood friend and daughter of his parents’ friends. But events that neither can foresee will change the course of Jane’s life forever.

(Photo/video credit: Lionsgate Films)

Elevation Pictures x Mr. Will want to give Readers a chance to win a Digital Download of Academy Award-nominated THE FATHER starring Anthony Hopkins and Olivia Colman.

Synopsis:

A man refuses all assistance from his daughter as he ages. As he tries to make sense of his changing circumstances, he begins to doubt his loved ones, his own mind and even the fabric of his reality.

Trailer:

To enter for a chance to win, click “Like” on this Post at MR. WILL ON FACEBOOK. Re-Tweet this Contest Tweet for an extra chance!

Rules and regulations here.

Elevation Pictures release THE FATHER digitally and on-demand Friday, March 26, 2021.

(Photo/video credit: Elevation Pictures)

Some gorgeous new stills have surfaced from Netflix’s THE CROWN Season 4. You won’t believe your eyes! The costumes and make-up are astounding!

Synopsis:

As the 1970s are drawing to a close, Queen Elizabeth (Olivia Colman) and her family find themselves preoccupied with safeguarding the line of succession by securing an appropriate bride for Prince Charles (Josh O’Connor), who is still unmarried at 30. As the nation begins to feel the impact of divisive policies introduced by Britain’s first female Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher (Gillian Anderson), tensions arise between her and the Queen which only grow worse as Thatcher leads the country into the Falklands War, generating conflict within the Commonwealth. While Charles’ romance with a young Lady Diana Spencer (Emma Corrin) provides a much-needed fairytale to unite the British people, behind closed doors, the Royal family is becoming increasingly divided.

See some stills:

THE CROWN Season 4 arrives on Netflix November 15, 2020.

(Photo credit: Netflix)

Review by Mr. Will Wong

While many Films before have tackled the issue of Dementia and father-daughter relations, we have yet to see it treated as delicately and with as much sympathy as this. Florian Zeller co-written and directed THE FATHER left us mesmerized and devastated at once.

Anne (Olivia Colman) is ready to move on with her life and desires to move to Paris. Her father Anthony (Anthony Hopkins) has been able to take care of himself for quite some time but now is battling Dementia. Anne takes him in to live with her and her husband Paul (Rufus Sewell). This causes strain on their marriage and it becomes increasingly-difficult for her to achieve balance in her life as she navigates Anthony‘s unpredictable mental and emotional spirals where he finds himself sometimes being vulnerable, sometimes confused or often downright cruel.

Based on Zeller‘s Play, Le Père, this Film Adaptation co-written by Christopher Hampton has an innovative way of making us see the world through Anthony‘s eyes. The narrative weaves in and out of truths and distortions, blurring our sense of time as Anthony confuses faces and facts, but in the end giving us a complete picture and history through unravelling the present.

This Film showcases some phenomenal performances including those by its Oscar-winning leads, Colman and Hopkins. Indisputably, the Film belongs to Hopkins who is compelling, commanding our attention whether he is full of fervour fighting to keep his home, dancing with joy or tenderly reminiscing about his other daughter Lucy. He is overbearing, yet we cannot resist. Colman exercises great restraint where Anne is constantly being done-to, her father’s Dementia stripping layer upon layer off her until she is raw and tormented, no longer sure what to do. We feel deeply for her and when we aren’t as one with Anthony, we are bearing all the weight she carries.

THE FATHER bravely confronts head-on an uncomfortable discussion surrounding care for the elderly which many of us have or will face at some point in our lives. It does so remarkably with an acute awareness of the taxing toll that comes with it on both sides of the matter.

THE FATHER screens at TIFF ’20 as follows:

Mon, Sep 14
RBC Lakeside Drive-In at Ontario Place
9:00pm

Tue, Sep 15
Online at Bell Digital Cinema
Streaming in Canada

Review by Amanda Gilmore for Mr. Will Wong

This heartbreaking and poignant film follows Anne (Olivia Colman) who attempts to take care of her father Anthony (Anthony Hopkins) who has Dementia.

We’ve seen films about caring for ill parents before, but none anywhere close as good as Florian Zeller’s The Father. His Camerawork and Script don’t just document the memory loss Anthony is experiencing, instead, it propels you into his world. When he doesn’t know where he is and who he is with, the audiences don’t either. This Film has two jaw-dropping performances from Colman and Hopkins. Colman is, as usual, a real force who brings her vulnerability to Anne’s despair. And Hopkins gives a tour-de-force performance that will go down as one of his greatest.

The Father screens at Sundance on Mon, Jan. 27th at 3:30 PM at Eccles Theatre, Wed, Jan. 29th at 2:45 PM at The Ray, Thurs, Jan. 30th at 6:30 PM at Rose Wagner Center, and Sat, Feb. 1st at 8:45 PM at Egyptian Theatre.

Olivia Colman takes the reigns (pardon the pun) from Claire Foy in the role of Queen Elizabeth in Netflix’s THE CROWN! Check-out this brand-new Trailer from Season Three!

Synopsis:

The third season of The Crown sees a new guard sweep into Downing Street, as Queen Elizabeth (Olivia Colman) and her family struggle to meet the challenges of a rapidly changing Britain. From cold-war paranoia, through to the jet-set and the space age – the exuberance of the 1960s and the long hangover of the 1970s – Elizabeth and the Royals must adapt to a new, more liberated, but also more turbulent world.

See the Trailer:

Season Three of THE CROWN screens Sunday, November 17, 2019.

(Photo/video credit: Netflix)