GEORGE CLOONEY, DANIEL CRAIG & MATT DAMON COVER "VANITY FAIR LEADING MEN ISSUE"

February 2011 Issue of Vanity Fair

Three of our favourites: George Clooney, Daniel Craig and Matt Damon cover February's Leading Men Issue of Vanity Fair, getting up close and personal, answering some random and intimate questions.

Clooney tells Vanity Fair that if he had a choice, he'd come back in his next life as his Dog, joking "My Dog, he lives better". Craig who admits to lying when answering Questionnaires, reveals what he's most proud of, answering back with a question, "Apart from my Penis and my Health?".  In true Gentleman form, Damon admits he's most proud of his Marriage.  He makes his Life Motto, "Don't be a Douchebag". Good words to live by and obviously the key to his success.

Annie Leibovitz photographs the Handsome Coverboys.

Click here to read more.  The Issue is in-stores tomorrow.

(Photo credit: Annie Leibovitz/Vanity Fair)

"WE BOUGHT A ZOO" - MOVIE REVIEW

Still from We Bought a Zoo

After his Wife Katherine (Stephanie Szostak) passes away, Benjamin Mee (Matt Damon) is left alone to care for his rebellious Son Dylan (Colin Ford) and charming Daughter Rosie (Maggie Elizabeth Jones). He decides to quit his job one day, moving out of their home to start a new life with his Family.  Together, they stumble upon the perfect house... only to realize it's actually situated on a desperately ailing Zoo. Here we meet Zookeeper Kelly (Scarlett Johansson), Robin (Patrick Fugit) and Lily (Elle Fanning) who are struggling to keep things afloat until Benjamin decides to commit himself fully to making the Zoo's relaunch a reality.  Realizing soon that his money is depleting as expenses pile-up, Benjamin and his helping hands are in a race against the clock with an inspection from the meticulous Walter Ferris (John Michael Higgens) soon-to-come, deciding the Zoo's fate ultimately.

With theatres being flooded with Dramas over the Holidays/Awards Season, We Bought a Zoo from acclaimed Director Cameron Crowe (Jerry Maguire, Almost Famous) offers a welcome lighthearted option for Moviegoers.  Do not however, mistaken this as fluff as there actually is substantial enough a story here with tons of heart and a struggle worth fighting for. Never for a minute do we not want this Zoo to succeed as each setback is thrown our way.

ENTER TO WIN A "WE BOUGHT A ZOO" PRIZE PACK

We Bought a Zoo Prize Pack

How wonderful is this?  20th Century Fox Canada & Mr. Will-W.:Pop Maven want to give one lucky Reader a We Bought a Zoo Prize Pack!  Contents include a copy of the Film's Original Motion Picture Soundtrack with Music by Jónsi of Sigur Ros, a copy of its original Novel by Benjamin Mee and of course a Double Pass to see a Toronto Advance Screening of We Bought a Zoo on Tuesday, December 20, 2011.

Directed by Cameron Crowe, the Family Dramedy takes place in Southern California where a Father moves his Children to the Countryside, coming together to restore a troubled Zoo. Matt Damon, Scarlett Johansson, Elle Fanning and Thomas Haden Church star in the heartwarming Tale.

To enter to win the Prize Pack, click "like" on this Post at Mr. Will-W.:Pop Maven on Facebook.  Double your chances by following me on Twitter and Re-Tweeting the following:

@mrwillw wants me to win a WE BOUGHT A ZOO Prize Pack including a chance to see it in Toronto 12/20/11. #MRWILLZOO

Your deadline is December 17, 2011 and I will be handing you your Prize Pack in-person!  Good luck, Mavenati!

Watch the Trailer for We Bought a Zoo below:

CANADA GOOSE'S FALL/WINTER 2011 COLLECTION

Mr. Will-W. in Drake's Canada Goose Chilliwack Jacket

Maggie Gyllenhaal, Daniel Craig, Drake, Josh Duhamel, Hilary Duff, Matt Damon and Bill Clinton all have one thing in common - other than being notable names, that is. They all love their Canada Goose Jackets!

Founded in 1957 by Sam Tick of Toronto, Canada Goose has flourished into a luxury Apparel Company with products available in over 40 countries worldwide, catering both practically to the frigid Winter temperatures of our Country and also those discerning tastes of the Fashionable.  Dani Reiss has carried-on the Legacy of his Grandfather (Tick), acting as the President & CEO of the Company since 2001.  In 2007, Canada Goose saw a great surge in popularity with great demand for their Parka Jackets.

Canada Goose Accessories

I was thrilled to be invited to a private Media Launch for this, one of Canada's most iconic Fashion Lines, getting to try on an array of different Jackets.  One which caught my eye in particular was one designed last year by our v. own Drake.  Weighing in-excess of 10 lbs and complete with a hood trimmed lavishly in dyed black Coyote Fur, instantly I could feel the warmth of comfort of its Goose Down insulation.  Costing in-and-around the $1k mark, a Boy can only dream of possessing such Luxury!

I was thoroughly impressed at the quality of some of the Accessories I saw too like thickly-insulated Gloves, Merino Wool Scarves and their super-awesome PBI Aviator Hat - lined in Coyote Fur.

CONTAGION - MOVIE REVIEW

Still from Contagion

As always, Steven Soderbergh aims high and his latest $60 million Sci-Fi/Thriller imagines a World at the mercy of a mysterious Airborne Killer Disease. It is portrait of what life would be like for us if we were reduced to our most primal need to fight for survival. The Story centers around an international team of Doctors who are called upon with a daunting assignment from the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, while the number of victims impacted quickly multiplies into the millions.

Contagion follows the interweaving stories of people around the World impacted by the Disease. Beth (Gwyneth Paltrow) returns to the U.S. after a visit to Macau, falling gravely ill within days. Her death then is linked to a number of other mysterious deaths around the World and soon we see the implications of this Disease as it spreads, whether it be her Husband Thomas (Matt Damon) who  never gets an opportunity to grieve her passing as he too is forced to worry about his own health. We also see Erin (Kate Winslet) step-up as a Doctor to face the challenge of dealing with the Outbreak, risking her own life to save others.   

Meanwhile, Ellis (Laurence Fishburne), struggles to suppress his own fears on a personal level to ensure both he and his Wife (Sanaa Lathan) survive, while at once having to maintain order on a public surface as access to an effective Vaccine is extremely limited. We also see Alan (Jude Law), a Medical Blogger out to expose corruption in the treatment of the Disease. Leonora (Marion Cotillard) is sent to China to study the Disease, but soon finds herself also caught amidst the corruption.

TIFF CANDIDATE - "CONTAGION" TRAILER

Still from Contagion

"On day one there were two people.  And then four.  And then 16.  In three months there'll be a billion - that's where we're heading." - Alan Krumwiede (Jude Law)

An international team of Doctors are sent out to deal with the outbreak of a deadly disease.  Contagion opens in theatres via Warner Bros. on September 9, 2011.  Damon, Law, Paltrow, Cotillard, Cranston, Fishburne, Winslet.  Soderbergh.  Bring it!

 

Watch the terrifying Trailer below:

TIME MAGAZINE REVEALS ITS MOST INFLUENCIAL PEOPLE OF 2011

May 2011 issue of TIME

TIME Magazine has announced its annual TIME 100, honouring the most influencial People in the World. whose ideas have sparked dialogue and even revolution.  Included on the list this year are Arianna Huffington, Bruno Mars, Chris Colfer, Blake Lively,  Justin Bieber, Hillary Clinton, Oprah Winfrey, Matt Damon, Mark Zuckerberg, Colin Firth, Sting, Amy Poehler, Michelle Obama and more!

Check out the complete list here.

(Photo credit: TIME)

THE ADJUSTMENT BUREAU - MOVIE REVIEW

Still from The Adjustment Bureau

The first telling sign of a troubled Film always is multiple delays with its release and The Adjustment Bureau is no exception to that rule. David Norris (Matt Damon) is a charismatic, young Politician who has everything going for him until his aspirations are derailed by a Photo Scandal. He has a chance to change it all though with secret forces known as The Adjustment Bureau, working behind-the-scenes to change his Fate. Doing so however would result in him not being together with the one Woman he loves most, a Ballet Dancer named Elise (Emily Blunt).

Finding that the forces of nature cannot help but pull them together, David is stuck between being passionately in love and  both he and Elise never realizing their full potentials, which would mean that success in their careers would be compromised.  Realizing this, David yields to The Adjustment Bureau's advice to stay away from Elise who has the potential of becoming a world-class Dancer, but ultimately he realizes that he cannot do without her.  Is it too late though?  Will the Bureau succeed in keeping David from Elise?

On paper, The Adjustment Bureau would appear rather heartfelt and visceral, but it gets lost in all of first-time Director/Screenwriter George Nolfi's Science Fiction-lite which try to elevate it beyond what The Adjustment Bureau truly is.  Despite all the undertones of Free Will winning over Pre-destiny in a debate as old as Time, this still is a Love Story - what Nolfi should have stuck with.

TRUE GRIT (2010) - FILM REVIEW

Still from True Grit

It really did not need to be made, but The Coen Brothers have re-interpreted 1969 Western True Grit. This remake though, more closely follows Charles Portis' Novel than its predecessor zoning-in on its 14 year-old Heroine Mattie Ross, played by newcomer Hailee Steinfeld. Mattie is out to avenge the murder of her Father by a Traitor named Tom Chaney (Josh Brolin).

Left with none more than $320 and a Family to care for, the Girl hires the help of tough-talking, sharp-shooting Marshal Rooster Cogburn (Jeff Bridges) to help capture her Father's Murderer. Texas Ranger LaBoeuf (Matt Damon) as it turns out, also is in pursuit of Tom Chaney. Despite having a bit of a challenge in persuading these two Men to aid in her cause, she manages to convince them and together they find themselves trekking through Arkansas in a dangerous guns-out fight for justice. Will Mattie be able to avenge the death of her Father or will she, Laboeuf and Rooster suffer a similar fate?

I'll admit that I am not a fan of Westerns and in a year where there have been many strong, original stories on-screen, it's easy for a Film like True Grit to be forgotten.  Everything about this Film though, feels authentic.  The Screenplay is brilliant and despite little back story being given, we somehow are left wanting to unravel the missing pieces to the murder of Mattie's Father and also understand Chaney's justification.  Chalk full of humorous and memorable one-liners, like Rooster describing Mattie's straight talking ways: "You give out very little sugar with your pronouncements", The Coen Brothers delve that one layer deeper into the Psyche. Never do they underestimate the intelligence of their audience.

Particularly engaging is Steinfeld in one of the finest breakout performances in recent memory.  The level of conviction she delivers here is breathtaking - of a maturity many years beyond her youth.  She nails the physicality and emotionality required of her role effortlessly.

WESTERN "TRUE GRIT" NOW AN OSCARS DARK HORSE

Still from True Grit

Looking more and more like a Dark Horse in the race for Best Picture at next February's Oscars, the reviews are now pouring in for The Coen Brothers' True Grit.  And they're unanimously positive and I mean unanimous.  Critical aggregate Rotten Tomatoes now has the Western at a stellar 96% on the Tomatometer.

Here's what many of the bigger names are saying about it:

Ann Hornaday, The Washington Post - "True Grit has sweep and scope and entertainment value to burn, but it's Mattie who invests even the grandest aesthetic elements with meaning."

Christy Lemire, The Associated Press - "It's sort of a screwball Western, if you will, with vivid performances and strikingly vast, picturesque vistas, the always gorgeous work of the always great Roger Deakins, the Coens' frequent cinematographer."

CLINT EASTWOOD'S "HEREAFTER" REVIEW

Still from Hereafter

When you're a Director of Clint Eastwood's stature, rarely do you ever make a bad film. The question instead is, just how good your film is. Eastwood teams with Oscar-winning Screenwriter Peter Morgan (The Queen, Frost/Nixon) on Fantasy-Drama Hereafter, which ties together the stories of three people in different parts of the world who experience death in different ways.

George Lonegan (Matt Damon) is a man with the psychic ability to communicate with the dead, although he never has truly come to terms with this. Instead, he opts to live the simple life as a factory worker in anonymity. Under the persistent urging of his brother Billy (Jay Mohr), George is encouraged once again to re-visit a joint venture, capitalizing off his psychic abilities, despite his hesitance to do so.

While taking a Cooking Class, George meets Melanie (Bryce Dallas Howard) who starts a new life in San Francisco, attempting to bury a dark past. Once she discovers that George is psychic, the possibility of them pursuing a relationship together is destroyed after he unveils some pieces of Melanie's past (at her urging) she also has never come to terms with.

Meanwhile, while vacationing on an Island with her lover, renowned French journalist Marie LeLay (Cécile De France) has a near-death experience, almost getting killed in a catastrophic Tsunami. Soon after, she returns back to France and tries to re-adjust to her life there, but struggles to do so as she becomes fixated on what she saw while she was unconscious, prior to being revived by rescuers. She then makes the decision to focus on writing a book which explores the concept of a Hereafter, much to the disapproval of her colleagues.

Meanwhile in London, identical twins Marcus and Jason (Frankie and George McLaren) are fighting to keep Children's Aid workers from tearing them apart from their Alcoholic mother. Tragedy strikes, resulting in Jason's accidental death. After being separated from his mother, Marcus devotes his energies to finding a way to communicate with his beloved deceased brother. How is it then, that the stories of these seemingly unrelated people become connected?

MORE FILM TITLES ADDED TO TIFF 2010 LIST

Still from Hereafter

In what's shaping up to be a v. exciting TIFF, more titles have been confirmed for the festivities beginning September 9, 2010. I cannot wait.

Among the titles added were Passion Play (starring Mickey Rourke, Megan Fox), What's Wrong With Virginia (Emma Roberts, Ed Harris - directorial debut of Dustin Lance Black who penned Milk), Last Night (Sam Worthington, Keira Knightley), SUPER (Ellen Page, Kevin Bacon, Liv Tyler), Everything Must Go (Will Ferrell in a rare dramatic role), Let Me In (Chloë Moretz), Casey Affleck-directed Mockumentary I'm Still Here (Joaquin Phoenix) and Clint Eastwood's Hereafter (Matt Damon). Also as rumoured, Slumdog Millionaire director Danny Boyle's 127 Hours (James Franco) has also been given the green light.

Definitely one of the better years in recent memory. Click here for the updated list of films and synopses on IndieWire.

REVIEW: INVICTUS

I have no idea how he finds time to do it, but Clint Eastwood has done it again. Invictus won't be winning any Oscars, but it is his third great effort to be released in a span of 13 months, the last two being 2008's The Changeling and Gran Torino.

Invictus is the true story of Nelson Mandela (Morgran Freeman) in his first term as South African President in 1995. He has a plan to unite his people and does so via one thing they are jointly passionate about, Rugby. He enlists underdogs The Springboks, led by Francois Pienaar (Matt Damon) to accomplish this. The team had been hovering near the bottom of the league for quite some time, and perception wise, they fared unfavourably with black South Africans and more favourably with white South Africans.

The Springboks are a metaphor for apartheid in South Africa as ethnically speaking, they resembled "the same people" who wrongfully arrested Nelson Mandela. And if the team were able to overcome this negative perception, it could perhaps inspire the people of South Africa, black or white, to come together. Mandela challenges and inspires Pienaar to lead his team by example, setting their sights on the 1995 Rugby World Cup Championship. Although seemingly impossible, the team makes it there while Mandela watches eagerly from the sidelines.

TIFF DAY 2 - CONTINUED | THE INFORMANT REVIEW

I just got home from my assignment as CTV/CP24's official TIFF Correspondent and it was a blast. George Lagogianes made me feel at ease and he even texted me afterwards on my Blackberry to tell me that I was amazing to work with. I'll be popping in and out throughout the festival, so remember to stay tuned if you're in the Toronto area. It seems a bunch of you found my blog through my appearance, so a warm welcome goes to all of you!

So apparently Megan Fox and Michael Caine of all people, were seen shopping together at the Roots flagship store in Yorkville around 8:00 PM. Although they might seem like an odd pair, it turns out that Fox was recently cast in the role of Catwoman in the next Batman film, in which Caine also stars. Ahh.

And earlier in the evening I attended a screening of the latest Steven Soderbergh film The Informant! starring Matt Damon. The film wasn't quite what I was expecting as it turned out to be much more a comedy than I was anticipating. Damon immerses himself completely in this role as an obsessive-compulsive liar who is startlingly convincing. He spins a web of lies as an informer to the FBI, leaking information about his company's involvement in a price fixing scandal. As the story continues however, you begin to see his character flaws revealed very gradually. I didn't love it, but really enjoyed Damon's performance as he carried the whole film with appearances in pretty much every scene. Grade: B

On my way into Elgin Theatre, I crossed paths with Damon by chance and he posed graciously for this photograph for me. This photo is so amazing it deserves a post of its own!

After the gala, Damon treated his parents and the crew behind The Informant! to a big dinner at celeb haunt Sassafraz in Yorkville, reserving the whole top floor. It was pretty much chaos outside the restaurant, which is only minutes from my flat. Take a look for yourself:

Anyhow, I've got a slew of screenings to attend tomorrow including the new Pedro Almodovar film Broken Embraces, which stars Penelope Cruz. 9:30 AM is way too early for subtitles! Later in the day, I'll be seeing the Hugh Hefner documentary and yes, Hefner himself will be in attendance. Surreal.

I'm beat. See you tomorrow!

xW

TIFF DAY 2

Just taking a quick break after an afternoon of Press Conference gawking. It was amazing getting up close and personal with Amanda Seyfried (again!), Diablo Cody (again!), Megan Fox (!!!), Jeff Bridges, Scott Bakula... Matt Damon (!!!!) and get this, George Clooney (!!!!!!!). It was mass pandemonium for the latter two.

Damon was extremely kind posing for photographs and signing as many autographs as he could, as was the case with Clooney who arrived today with a cast on his right hand. Not quite sure what the story is there but he is truly amazing. I was lucky enough to get both Damon's and Clooney's signatures also. Gratuitous.

My good friend Josh is going to squeal when he receives my personalized copy of Transformers: The Movie signed by Fox herself. Happy Early Birthday!

Check out these photos I got below:

Off to attend the gala for Steve Soderbergh's The Informant!, starring Damon. For those of you in the Toronto area, I'll be on CTV/CP24 around 9 PM EST as their TIFF correspondent, so don't forget to tune in! I was on earlier today being interviewed by George Lagogianes and that segment should also be on loop throughout the day.

xW