By Amanda Gilmore
Patricia Arquette makes her feature debut with Gonzo Girl the adaptation of Cheryl Della Pietra’s semi-autobiographical novel chronicling her time as Hunter S. Thompson’s personal assistant.
Set in 1992, we follow Alley Russo (Camila Morrone) who’s been hand-picked to be the assistant to the father of gonzo journalism, Walker Reade (Willem Dafoe). It’s been 15 years since Walker’s written anything decent. He’s more interested in consuming cocaine, acid and alcohol than sitting down and writing. Getting him to finish his latest novel is what Alley’s hired to do.
Gonzo Girl is a fast-paced, bold trip through the few months Alley spends with Walker. Arquette and screenwriters Rebecca Thomas and Jessica Caldwell focus on Alley. Allowing the audience to see this man and the women around him, his girlfriend Devaney (Elizabeth Lail) and long-term manager Claudia (Arquette), through her eyes.
Everything she sees is spellbindingly brought to the screen by cinematographer Bobby Bukowski. When Alley first takes acid, he brings us into the world as she sees it. Filled with animation and walls pulsating. Even when no drugs are being taken, Bukowski uses the lens to capture the bizarre world Alley is now a part of, such as seeing the room through the reflection of Water’s sunglasses.
At the centre of Gonzo Girl are two powerhouse performances from Dafoe and Morrone. Dafoe gives a controlled yet outlandish performance as Walker. With a filmography loaded with best performances, his take on Walker will stand near the very top. Rising talent Morrone gives a firecracker performance as Alley who learns more about herself and steps into her independence.
Gonzo Girl screens at TIFF ’23:
Thursday, September 7 at 8:45 PM at Royal Alexandra Theatre
Friday, September 8 at 5:30 PM at Scotiabank Theatre Toronto
Saturday, September 16 at 3 PM at TIFF Bell Lightbox
It’s official TIFFMAS! It was a bit of running about today but thrilled that TIFF ’23 finally has kicked-off. While the Opening Night Gala took place at Roy Thomson Hall and Princess of Wales Theatre for Hayao Miyazaki’s THE BOY AND THE BLUE HERON, it was just like every other TIFF we’ve loved with King Street lit abuzz with starpower in front of Royal Alexandra Theatre for the Premiere of GONZO GIRL, based on true accounts by Hunter S. Thompson‘s assistant. This marks Oscar winner Patricia Arquette‘s first time directing, and in addition to starring in the Film, we also get Camila Morrone (Daisy Jones & The Six) and icon Willem Dafoe also! Arquette receives TIFF’s Share Her Journey Changemaker Award this weekend as well. Well deserved.
We’re only getting started but this is a promising start!
Some Snaps:
Not sure if you had a chance to check-out our chat with Sonia Mangat in the CTV eTalk TIFF Lounge, but it was so much fun!
(Photo/video credit: Mr. Will Wong)
Willem Dafoe stars in INSIDE. Here is a new Poster, with a new Trailer coming tomorrow!
Synopsis:
INSIDE tells the story of Nemo, an art thief trapped in a New York penthouse after his heist doesn’t go as planned. Locked inside with nothing but priceless works of art, he must use all his cunning and invention to survive.
Focus Features release INSIDE March 10, 2023.
(Photo credit: Universal Pictures Canada)
Focus Features announced today that it has acquired and will release INSIDE, a psychological thriller starring Academy Award® nominee Willem Dafoe in filmmaker Vasilis Katsoupis’s directorial debut, on March 10, 2023. Ben Hopkins wrote the script based on an original idea by Katsoupis. The deal was negotiated by Bankside’s Stephen Kelliher on behalf of the filmmakers.
The film is produced by Giorgos Karnavas alongside producers Marcos Kantis, and Dries Phlypo and executive produced by Katsoupis, Jim Stark, Konstantinos Kontovrakis, Charles E. Breitkreuz, Martin Lehwald, Jean-Claude Van Rijckeghem, and Stephen Kelliher. Focus Features is distributing INSIDE domestically, with Universal Pictures International distributing internationally.
Creator-Director Katsoupis and Karnavas, the critically acclaimed producer of Greek boutique production and sales outfit, Heretic, whose credits include the Cannes Palme d’Or winner Triangle of Sadness, La Semaine de la Critique winner Feathers and Greece 2022 Academy Award® entry Magnetic Fields, said in a joint statement, “It’s a dream to have made this film, the way we wanted to, having the priviledge to work with Willem and all these amazing filmmakers that supported us. Focus is the perfect place for the film, and we can’t wait to share it with the world.”
INSIDE tells the story of Nemo, an art thief trapped in a New York penthouse after his heist doesn’t go as planned. Locked inside with nothing but priceless works of art, he must use all his cunning and invention to survive.
“With INSIDE, Focus continues our commitment to first-time and international filmmakers,” said Kiska Higgs, President of Production & Acquisitions at Focus Features. “Vasilis’s thought-provoking film explores an experience we’re all now familiar with – isolation – and explores it in a visually stunning way.”
Dafoe’s additional upcoming projects include Yorgos Lanthimos’ Poor Things and Patricia Arquette’s Gonzo Girl. His most recent credits include Walter Hill’s Dead for A Dollar, Robert Eggers’ The Northman, Guillermo del Toro’s Nightmare Alley and Jon Watt’s Spiderman: No Way Home.
Upcoming features for Focus include Todd Field’s TÁR, starring Cate Blanchett in the titular role; James Gray’s Armageddon Time starring Jeremy Strong and Academy Award winners Anthony Hopkins and Anne Hathaway; Champions directed by Bobby Farrelly and starring Woody Harrelsonl A.V Rockwell’s directorial debut A Thousand and One starring Teyana Taylor; Spoiler Alert based on Michael Ausiello’s Memoir and starring Jim Parsons, Sally Field, and Ben Aldridge; Polite Society directed by Nida Manzoor and starring Ritu Arya; Bill Holderman’s Book Club 2: The Next Chapter starring Jane Fonda, Diane Keaton and Andy Garcia, and Alexander Payne’s The Holdovers starring Paul Giamatti.
Currently in production for the studio is Asteroid City, the star-studded feature reuniting Wes Anderson and Focus for the first time since Moonrise Kingdom, and Lisa Frankenstein from debut feature filmmaker, Zelda Williams, written by Academy Award and Tony winner, Diablo Cody, and starring Cole Sprouse and Katheryn Newton.
Dafoe is represented by WME and Circle of Confusion. Hopkins is represented by Curtis Brown Group.
Christoph Waltz, Willem Dafoe and Rachel Brosnahan star in Western DEAD FOR A DOLLAR. See the new Trailer!
Synopsis:
Veteran bounty hunter Max Borlund is deep into Mexico where he encounters professional gambler and outlaw Joe Cribbens – a sworn enemy he sent to prison years before. Max is on a mission to find and return Rachel Kidd, the wife of a wealthy businessman, who as the story is told to Max, has been abducted by Buffalo Soldier Elijah Jones. Max is ultimately faced with a showdown to save honor.
Quiver Distribution release DEAD FOR A DOLLAR September 30, 2022.
(Photo/video credit: Quiver Distribution)
Robert Eggers who brought us THE LIGHTHOUSE and THE WITCH, is back with THE NORTHMAN! See the new Trailer.
Story:
From visionary director Robert Eggers comes THE NORTHMAN, an action-filled epic that follows a young Viking prince on his quest to avenge his father’s murder. With an all-star cast that includes Alexander Skarsgård, Nicole Kidman, Claes Bang, Anya Taylor-Joy, Ethan Hawke, Björk, and Willem Dafoe.
New Poster:
Focus Features and Universal Pictures Canada release THE NORTHMAN April 22, 2022.
(Photo/video credit: Focus Features)
Willem Dafoe x Julianne Nicholson star in TOGO, a new Feature on Disney+ that takes us to the Alaskan Tundra!
Synopsis:
Starring Willem Dafoe and Julianne Nicholson, “Togo” is the untold true story set in the winter of 1925 that treks across the treacherous terrain of the Alaskan tundra for an exhilarating and uplifting adventure that will test the strength, courage and determination of one man, Leonhard Seppala, and his lead sled dog, Togo.
Disney+ streams TOGO Friday, December 20, 2019.
(Photo/video credit: Disney)
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
View this post on Instagram
#TIFF19: #KristenStewart winning raves for her work in #Seberg. #TIFF #KStew #HuaweiP30Pro
SYNCHRONIC – Press Stop
THE FRIEND – Press Stop
COLOR OUT OF SPACE – Press Stop
SOUND OF METAL – Press Stop
KNIVES OUT – Press Stop
JOJO RABBIT – Press Stop
THE LIGHTHOUSE – Press Stop
Informative and fun segment Will!! We’re on Festival Street tonight and off to a film tomorrow. Hope to see you around town Handsome! You’re always in the heart of all the media excitement. pic.twitter.com/SIZEnlLlxL
— YYZ Bliss (@yyz_bliss) September 7, 2019
(Photo/video credit: Mr. Will Wong)
Elevation Pictures x Mr. Will want to give Readers want to give Readers a chance to win Run-of-Engagement Passes to see THE FLORIDA PROJECT. The Film premiered at TIFF ’17 to rousing reception and has a tremendous amount of Awards Season buzz!
Synopsis:
Warm, winning, and gloriously alive, Sean Baker’s The Florida Project is a deeply moving and unforgettably poignant look at childhood. Set on a stretch of highway just outside the imagined utopia of Disney World, The Florida Project follows six-year-old Moonee (Brooklynn Prince in a stunning breakout turn) and her rebellious mother Halley (Bria Vinaite, another major discovery) over the course of a single summer. The two live week to week at “The Magic Castle,” a budget motel managed by Bobby (a career-best Willem Dafoe), whose stern exterior hides a deep reservoir of kindness and compassion. Despite her harsh surroundings, the precocious and ebullient Moonee has no trouble making each day a celebration of life, her endless afternoons overflowing with mischief and grand adventure as she and her ragtag playmates—including Jancey, a new arrival to the area who quickly becomes Moonee’s best friend—fearlessly explore the utterly unique world into which they’ve been thrown. Unbeknownst to Moonee, however, her delicate fantasy is supported by the toil and sacrifice of Halley, who is forced to explore increasingly dangerous possibilities in order to provide for her daughter.
Cast: Willem Dafoe, Brooklynn Prince, Valeria Cotto, Bria Vinaite, Mela Murder and Christopher Rivera
See the Trailer:
Artwork:
To enter to win, click “like” on this Post at MR. WILL ON FACEBOOK and indicate for us your City! Re-Tweet this on Twitter: @mrwillw for an extra chance!
Elevation Pictures release THE FLORIDA PROJECT Friday, October 13, 2017 in Toronto, Friday, October 20, 2017 in Vancouver, Friday, October 27, 2017 nationwide.
(Photo/video credit: Elevation Pictures)
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