Review by Amanda Gilmore for Mr. Will Wong

Terminally-ill matriarch Lily (Susan Sarandon) invites her family and close friend to her home for one final gathering.

Blackbird has a lot of emotional impact and a captivating story at its core about assisted-suicide. In using multiple characters, Screenwriter Christian Torpe is able to give a well-balanced view on this often tough topic. Those characters are brought beautifully to the screen by the impeccable Sarandon, along with scene-stealing and at times comedic Kate Winslet, and the captivating Mia Wasikowska.

Blackbird screens at TIFF on Fri, Sep 6 at Roy Thompson Hall at 9:30 PM, Sat, Sep 7 at Roy Thompson Hall at 12 PM, and Fri, Sep 13 at Princess of Wales at 3 PM.

Review by Mr. Will Wong

Make no mistake, HUSTLERS isn’t just ‘that stripper movie’. Lorene Scafaria (Nick & Norah’s Infinite Playlist, Ricki and the Flash) is back with this enthralling look at a group of woman, whom after thriving in the business relying much on Wall Street clientele, see it all fall apart after financial crisis ensues in the late 2000s. Refusing to fall in defeat, the women led by Ramona (Jennifer Lopez), band together in a carefully-executed plan, stealing from unassuming wealthy men silenced by the same of their habits being uncovered.

Hustlers is told from the perspective of Destiny (Constance Wu), as it cuts between past and present where she is being interviewed by Elizabeth (Julia Stiles), a journalist reporting on the scandal. Scafaria hones-in on the heart of the story, a story of two women brought together by their determination to care for their families and drive to give themselves a better life, even if it means doing illegal things.

Lopez has never been better. Wu is fantastic as our eyes into this irresistible, dark world which is both scary and fun at once.

HUSTLERS screens at TIFF Sat, Sep 07, Roy Thomson Hall at 9:30pm and Sun, Sep 08, Ryerson Theatre at 6:00pm.

Review by Amanda Gilmore for Mr. Will Wong

Robert Eggers‘ second Feature takes place on a remote New England island where two isolated lighthouse keepers (Willem Dafoe and Robert Pattinson) attempt to keep their sanity.

Everything about The Lighthouse is sublime.

It merges multiple genres into one of the most enthralling and unforgettable filmgoing experiences of the year. The direction by Robert Eggers is impeccable from the spellbinding opening shot until the horrifying finale. These consistently engrossing scenes are aided by the beautiful black-and-white Cinematography by Jarin Blaschke and the all-consuming sound by Damian Volpe. The Screenplay written by Eggers and Max Eggers infuses themes of isolation and power within their purposeful and story-advancing 19th-century dialogue. Then there are the outstanding career-best performances from Robbert Pattinson and Willem Dafoe. Both performances give everlasting haunting effects long after the credits roll.

The Lighthouse screens at TIFF on Sat, Sep 7 at Ryerson Theatre at 9 PM and Sun, Sep 8 at Scotiabank Theatre at 7:45 PM.

TIFF ’19 officially has kicked into high gear and you won’t believe the star power we witnessed!

Check it out. Hover right on each album to navigate.

HUSTLERS – #SheInspiresMe Panel

SEBERG – Press Stop

SYNCHRONIC – Press Stop

THE FRIEND – Press Stop

 

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#TIFF19: With the Cast of #TheFriend – #DakotaJohnson, #JasonSegel, #IsabellaKai + #JakeOwen. The Cast rolled around town in #LandRovers.

A post shared by Mr. Will Wong (@mrwillwong) on Sep 7, 2019 at 9:09am PDT

COLOR OUT OF SPACE – Press Stop

SOUND OF METAL – Press Stop

 

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#TIFF19: My biggest crush, #RizAhmed who is at #TIFF for #SoundofMetal. Stay tuned for @davemabaldwin’s chat with him and Co-Star #OliviaCooke! Ahmed just received the #IMDb Star Meter Award!

A post shared by Mr. Will Wong (@mrwillwong) on Sep 7, 2019 at 8:29am PDT

KNIVES OUT – Press Stop

 

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#TIFF19: With the Cast of #KnivesOut – #JamieLeeCurtis, #DonJohnson (whose daughter Dakota also is at #TIFF), #ToniCollette, #KatherineLangford, #JaedenMartell, #ChristopherPlummer + #ChrisEvans. #HuaweiP30Pro

A post shared by Mr. Will Wong (@mrwillwong) on Sep 7, 2019 at 10:38am PDT

JOJO RABBIT – Press Stop

 

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#TIFF19: The Cast and Director of #JojoWabbit! With #TaikaWaititi, #StephenMerchant + #ThomasinMcKenzie. #HuaweiP30Pro

A post shared by Mr. Will Wong (@mrwillwong) on Sep 7, 2019 at 10:09am PDT

THE LIGHTHOUSE – Press Stop

(Photo/video credit: Mr. Will Wong)

Review by Amanda Gilmore for Mr. Will Wong

When Lily (Dakota Fanning) arrives in London, England as a refugee she begins searching for the man she loves with the hope he ended up there too.

This Story centers on one woman trying to find the man she loves in a foreign city interweaves many prominent issues happening in our world today. Although the Film takes place in the 1970s, it touches on how the poor treatment of refugees in camps, race relations, and more. It also showcases tender performances from Fanning and Wunmi Mosaku who plays a fellow refugee expecting her second child.

Sweetness In The Belly screens at TIFF on Sat, Sep 7 at Scotiabank Theatre at 6 PM and Mon, Sep 9 at Scotiabank Theatre at 4:15 PM.

Review by Amanda Gilmore for Mr. Will Wong

Sarah (Eva Green) is an astronaut and mother who has dreamed of going to space her entire life. When the opportunity finally comes what will she have to sacrifice to make her dream a reality?

Proxima is a movie that talks about the sacrifices we make, specifically women, to have the delicate balance of family and dreams. What Director-Writer Alice Winocour does is never judge Sarah and her decisions. She uses the camera as a fly-on-the-wall allowing the audience to project their judgments upon her themselves. The writing is rich and Green is outstanding in the role. She also has great chemistry with her onscreen daughter which leads to the audience’s investment into their relationship.

Proxima screens at TIFF on Sat, Sep 7 at Winter Garden Theatre at 6:15 PM, Sun, Sep 8 at Scotiabank Theatre at 1:45 PM and Fri, Sep 13 at TIFF Bell Lightbox at 1:15 PM.

Review by Amanda Gilmore for Mr. Will Wong

Katie (TIFF ’19 Rising Star Kacey Rohl) has become the poster girl around her school campus after lying about being diagnosed with cancer. But how long can this fabrication continue when someone may know the truth?

Co-Directors and Writers Calvin Thomas and Yonah Lewis have created a female protagonist who’s hard to route for. Although Katie is doing the unthinkable Thomas and Lewis have brought in themes are fame and social media to help us understand why she’s doing what she’s doing. It’s a mix of those themes and Rohl’s vulnerable and stunning performance which allow the audience to often sympathize with the despicable things she does.

White Lie screens at TIFF on Sat, Sep 7 at TIFF Bell Lightbox at 3 PM and Fri, Sep 13 at Scotiabank Theatre at 6:30 PM.

Review by Amanda Gilmore for Mr. Will Wong

The Film follows the life of singer Helen Reddy (Tilda Cobham-Hervey) from the time she arrived in New York to her performance during the women’s rally in Washington years later.

This is one hell of a timely biopic. With women’s rights being a prominent topic today I Am Woman draws parallels between the 1960s and 1970s to the present, and all by focusing on one woman. Reddy is brought to the screen by Cobham-Hervey, who has a powerful presence and captures Reddy’s performance quirks completely. Tilda is surrounded by other strong cast members including  Peters who plays Reddy’s husband and manager, and Danielle Macdonald who plays prominent music journalist Lilian Roxon.

I Am Woman screens at TIFF on Thu, Sep 5 at Elgin Theatre at 5 PM, Fri, Sep 6 at Ryerson Theatre at 2:15 PM, and Fri, Sep 13 at Scotiabank Theatre at 9:15 AM.

Review by David Baldwin for Mr. Will Wong

After Nicole (Dakota Johnson) is diagnosed with cancer, her friend Dane (Jason Segel) moves in to help her and her husband Matthew (Casey Affleck) with her appointments and treatments, taking care of their kids and keeping the house in order. And what is initially planned as a short multi-week stay quickly extends into many months.

The Friend is based on a true story, so that alone makes the emotional turmoil this family endures that much more devastating. While some scenes are heavy-handed, the core ensemble of Johnson, Affleck and especially Segel all deliver terrific work. But the Film around them is a mess. It jumps back and forth around timelines much too often, rarely stopping before jumping back into some part of the present. These flashbacks should be developing the characters better, but they seem to function only to piece together a vaguely coherent backstory. They share some facts with us, but keep others enigmatic (although one needless gut punch gets a lot of focus). I understand the struggle of not knowing what to cut, but feel like there was some pertinent information left out that could have taken The Friend from just being good to being truly great. Make sure you bring the tissues.

THE FRIEND screens during TIFF at the following times:

Friday September 6, 6:00pm @ Princess of Wales [World Premiere]
Saturday September 7, 2:30pm @ Princess of Wales

Review by David Baldwin for Mr. Will Wong

Kathy (Anastasia Phillips) has always been taking care of her alcoholic mother Tammy (Felicity Huffman). She is constantly cleaning-up after her and literally talking her off the ledge of a train platform. But when Tammy gets diagnosed with cancer, Kathy must decide if she is going to continue assisting Tammy or move on completely.

In only her second Feature film, Amy Jo Johnson has given us a riveting depiction of the cycle of abuse and the long-term trauma it leaves behind. The Film runs 85-minutes long, and Johnson uses every single second to compose a very gritty and very real experience that lingers long after the credits. The strong direction extends into excellent work from both Phillips and Huffman, who practically light-up the screen. The Supporting Cast is wonderful as well, but they cannot even dream of competing with these two powerhouse talents. While the emotional catharsis of the ending was lost on me, the Film’s only other real stumbling block is a goofy subplot involving a trashy talk show. It aims to add some layer of satire, but ends up being a distraction that takes away valuable time watching Phillips and Huffman soar.

TAMMY’S ALWAYS DYING screens during TIFF at the following times:

Thursday September 5, 6:00pm @ Scotiabank Theatre [World Premiere]
Sunday September 8, 7:00pm @ Scotiabank Theatre
Saturday September 14, 1:00pm @ Scotiabank Theatre