After significant wins at the 72nd annual Golden Globe Awards this past weekend, BIRDMAN and THE GRAND BUDAPEST HOTEL lead the way at the upcoming 87th annual Academy Awards, as announced earlier this morning in Los Angeles by Chris Pine, J.J. Abrams and Alfonso Cuarón. The two Films received nine nominations each and will be going head-to-head for top honours in Best Picture, Cinematography, Writing (Original Screenplay) and Directing.  The latter received no nominations in the Acting categories.

Following closely with eight nominations is Winner of the People’s Choice Award (on numerous occasions a Pre-cursor to Oscar success)  at the 2014 Toronto International Film Festival, THE IMITATION GAME. Meanwhile, BOYHOOD which won Best Motion Picture, Drama at the Golden Globes would go-on to garner six nominations today tying with AMERICAN SNIPER, which has had the quietest Awards Campaign thus far as it  proceeds in a gradual roll-out to theatres. All three of these Films are up for Best Picture.

THE THEORY OF EVERYTHING, WHIPLASH and INTERSTELLAR received five nominations apiece also, with the former two up for Best Picture and the latter receiving recognition almost exclusively in technical categories.

The Best Actor category is perhaps the most competitive with Golden Globe Winners Michael Keaton (Birdman) and Eddie Redmayne (The Theory of Everything) up against Steve Carell (Foxcatcher), Bradley Cooper (American Sniper) and Benedict Cumberbatch (The Imitation Game).  Many are seeing the omissions of David Oyelowo (Selma) and Jake Gyllenhaal (Nightcrawler) as major snubs, after being present much of this Awards Season for their riveting performances respectively. Bradley Cooper now has the distinction of being the first Actor in a decade to receive three consecutive (Silver Linings Playbook, American Hustle and now American Sniper) Oscar nominations; the last to do so was his former Partner, Renee Zellweger.

Julianne Moore leads a strong group in the Best Actress category after a win at the Golden Globes for Still Alice.  Her other strong Best Actress performance in Maps to the Stars did not get recognition this morning, but this could well be a blessing in eliminating split votes against herself. Reese Witherspoon (Wild) also is seen as a strong Contender, alongside Rosamund Pike (Gone Girl) and Felicity Jones (The Theory of Everything) – the latter whose Campaign has varied between Supporting Actress and Lead Actress. A surprise was Oscar Winner Marion Cotillard‘s appearance on the list for her work in French Drama Two Days, One Night. Amy Adams, who was awarded Best Actress in a Motion Picture, Comedy for Big Eyes on Sunday unfortunately will not be a Contender.

J.K. Simmons is seen as a definitive choice for Best Supporting Actor with his performance as a sadistic Conductor in Whiplash. Two-time Nominee Mark Ruffalo (Foxcatcher), three-time Nominee Edward Norton (Birdman),  four-time Nominee Ethan Hawke (Boyhood) and Oscar Winner Robert Duvall (The Judge) round-out the Group.

After being quiet this Awards Season, many are thrilled that Lauren Dern gets recognized for her work in Wild for Best Supporting Actress.  She is now a two-time Nominee after getting her first nod in 1992’s Rambling Rose.  Dern will be up against Golden Globe Winner Patricia Arquette (Boyhood), Keira Knightley (The Imitation Game), Emma Stone (Birdman) and three-time Oscar Winner Meryl Streep (Into the Woods).  Some are seeing Jessica Chastain‘s omission in A Most Violent Year also a snub.

For a complete list of Nominees, visit the official Oscars Website.

The  87th annual Academy Awards air on ABC Sunday, February 22, 2015 at 7:00 PM EST.

(Photo credit: ABC)

For the second week in-a-row, THE HOBBIT: THE BATTLE OF THE FIVE ARMIES reigns supreme at the Box Office, prevailing even over an onslaught of strong Christmas releases with $40 million from 3,875 theatres for Warner Bros.  In two weeks the Finale to The Hobbit Trilogy, has grossed $167.5 million.

Despite a strong opening, topping Christmas Day ticket sales at the Box Office, Angelina Jolie‘s UNBROKEN alas places second this weekend with $33.3 million from 3,131 theatres for Universal Pictures.  Audiences were wowed with an A- CinemaScore, although Critics were left with mixed feelings for the once-Oscar Contender, tallying-in with a 51% score on the Tomatometer.

INTO THE WOODS debuts a strong third with $32.6 million from 2,440 theatres for Disney, which is all the more impressive considering it is playing in 800 less theatres than the top two finishers this weekend.  Audiences gave it a B CinemaScore, although Critics gave the star-studded affair a better 71% on the Tomatometer.

NIGHT AT THE MUSUEM: SECRET OF THE TOMB actually betters its first week performance this weekend with $21.6 million grossed from 3,914 theatres for 20th Century Fox.  In two weeks it has made $56.3 million.

ANNIE meanwhile isn’t disgraced with $17.3  million in its second week out for Sony Pictures, edging closer to that $50 million-mark domestically.

THE GAMBLER debuts in seventh with $8.3 million for Paramount Pictures from 2,478 theatres across North America.  Critics and Audiences alike agreed the Remake was less than stellar with a C+ CinemaScore and a 47% on the Tomatometer.

Oscar Contender THE IMITATION GAME expands to 747 theatres for Elevation Pictures/The Weinstein Co., earning a healthy $7.9 million in its fifth week out.

WILD also continues to perform well in just 1,285 theatres with $5.1 million for Fox Searclight, rounding-out the Top Ten.

Despite many Moviegoers being preoccupied with  Holiday Parties and Shopping, 20th Century Fox still manages to debut on-top this weekend with Exodus: Gods and Kings by Director Ridley Scott. Made for $140 million, the Biblical Adaptation starring Christian Bale and Joel Edgerton earns $24 million from 3,053 theatres across North America.  Critics panned the Film with a paltry 27% on the Tomatometer and a B- CinemaScore from Audiences who were more forgiving.

The Hunger Games: Mockingjay, Part 1 still is going strong into the Holidays with $12.5 million in its fourth week out for eOne Films/Lionsgate Films. It just surpassed $276 million domestically.

The Penguins of Madagascar is in third spot this weekend, again for 20th Century Fox, with $7.1 million grossed. To-date it has grossed $58 million.

After a debut at TIFF ’14, Chris Rock‘s Top Five garners strong reviews in fourth with a stellar 89% on the Tomatometer and $6.8 million grossed from 979 theatres for Paramount Pictures. An expansion is likely in coming weeks for the Comedy.

Interstellar is in sixth spot this weekend with $5.4 million now in its sixth week out, for Paramount Pictures.

Wild rounds-out the Top Ten with $2.3 million earned from just 116 theatres, a stellar performance for the Fox Searchlight release which also premiered at TIFF ’14.

Are we wild for WILD or what?  It seems like just yesterday that we were reading about the eventual Oscar Contender being in production and just minutes ago that it debuted at TIFF ’14!  To get into the spirit of what many are calling a Reese Witherspoon 3.0 in Career Re-inventions, we are offering Readers across Canada a chance to win a Prize Pack from WILD!

Here’s what it includes:

          A WILD Soundtrack (featuring music from Simon & Garfunkel, First Aid Kit, Bruce Springsteen, Portishead, Wings and more! Available for download on iTunes)

         A copy of the Book WILD: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail, by Cheryl Strayed

          A WILD Windbreaker

         A special WILD edition of the Pacific Crest Trail Hat

         A WILD hiking headlamp (also could be used for late-night dog walks)

        Some WILD limited-edition Clif Bars (chocolate chip and white chocolate macadamia nut)

See below:

In case you haven’t seen the Trailer yet for the amazing journey, see it now:

Official Artwork:

To enter to win, simply click “like” on this Post at Mr. Will on Facebook.  Re-Tweet the below or share on Facebook using the “share” button for an extra chance:

http://www.mrwillwong.com/wild  @MRWILLW wants us to #win a #WILDMOVIE Prize Pack!

Reese and Mr. Will:

Fox Searchlight release WILD in Canada as follows:

December 5, 2014 – Toronto
December 12, 2014 – Vancouver
December 19, 2014 – Calgary, Edmonton, Montreal
December 25, 2014 – Halifax, Kitchener/Waterloo, Ottawa, St. Johns, Victoria, Winnipeg

(Photo/video credit: Fox Searchlight)

A new one-minute Clip for Jean-Marc Vallée‘s WILD has just been released. The Film which is garnering a ton of Oscar buzz for Reese Witherspoon on the Festival Circuit soon will see a release. Here, Cheryl (Witherspoon) looks exhausted, coming across a General Store on her on-foot journey, arriving at Kennedy Meadows, a Resort high in the Sierra Nevada Mountains. She’s been dreaming of Snapple and a bag of chips and gets it! Just as the Clip is about the end we’re about to hear Cheryl open-up and this is where we’re left hanging! How dare they!

Watch and see the Clip here:

Fox Searchlight release WILD on Friday, December 5, 2014.

(Photo/video credit: Fox Searchlight)

While we’re still waiting on a final list of Films and Celebrities to grace our City for TIFF ’14, Mr. Will‘s Dream Team had the chance to catch-up over Dinner tonight to share our excitement about our favourite Festival!  Running Wednesday, September 4 – Sunday, September 14, 2014, you can expect us to be front-row and center with unparalleled access to the Films and Stars which make TIFF basically, the greatest Festival on Earth!

We must take a moment to thank our Friends Jonathan Godfrey, Justin Waldman and David Baldwin who have played an instrumental role this past year delivering Fan-friendly Reviews of the latest Movies to hit theatres.  Without them, how else would we know what to take a chance on at the Box Office?  Together, we give you a snapshot of what’s worth your time, whether it be Indie Films to 3-D Blockbusters.

For the past five years, Mr. Will Wong has developed from a humble Blogspot Page to a real online experience for our Readers.  We love engaging you Willionaire$, taking you  to the hottest Advance Screenings throughout the Country and taking you along for a ride through our journeys spotting Stars around the City.  Earlier this year we even took you to Los Angeles and New York City!  This TIFF, we want to be your #1 Go-To in helping you pick-out the Award-worthy Films and give you unparalleled intimate access to the Stars with our Snaps!  These past five years have been an amazing ride and we look forward to another amazing ride this TIFF!

Whether it be Jon’s obsession with Kristen Stewart, Dave‘s quest to be Miles Teller‘s BFF or Justin‘s Michael Shannon meltdown, we’re all truly Fans of Cinema and the Stars underneath it all and we hope you’re just as thrilled as we are!

Without further a do, here are our Picks for TIFF ’14:

Based on the best-selling Memoir, WILD is set to make a splash this forthcoming Awards season.  Directed by Jean-Marc Vallée who brought us Academy Award-winning DALLAS  BUYERS CLUB, the Film is a chronicle of one woman, Cheryl Strayed, and her 1,100-mile solo hike undertaken as a way to recover from a recent catastrophe. 

Expect this to be at TIFF ’14.  Will this be the Film to get Witherspoon her second Oscar?

Official Artwork:

Watch the official brand-new Trailer here. 

Fox Searclight release WILD this Fall.

(Photo/video credit: Fox Searclight)

Fox Searchlight announced earlier today that Reese Witherspoon will be starring the Film Adaption of Best-Selling Novel WILD, which helped launch Oprah’s Book Club 2.0. This looks to perhaps be the most challenging Role for the Actress since her Academy Award-winning turn as June Cash in Walk the Line. Oscar-nominated Nick Hornby who wrote High Fidelity and An Education‘s Screenplays will be helming the Feature.  Witherspoon also will be serving as one of its Producers.

Official Synopsis:

With the dissolution of her marriage and the death of her Mother, Cheryl Strayed has lost all hope. After years of reckless, destructive behavior, she makes a rash decision. With absolutely no experience, driven only by sheer determination, Cheryl hikes more than a thousand miles of the Pacific Crest Trail, alone. WILD powerfully captures the terrors and pleasures of one young woman forging ahead against all odds on a journey that maddens, strengthens, and ultimately heals her.

Think Eat, Pray, Love but in the wild and less Yoga. I kid!

The Film begins production this Fall.

(Photo credit: Lionsgate Films)