ENTER TO WIN A DOUBLE PASS TO SEE "LAWLESS" IN TORONTO

Official Artwork for Lawless

Mr. Will-W.:Pop Maven &Alliance Films are thrilled to give Readers a chance to win a Double Pass to see Lawless, starring Gary Oldman, Guy Pearce, Tom Hardy, Shia Labeouf, Mia Wasikowska and Jessica Chastain.

In the mountains of Franklin County, Virginia, the Bondurant Brothers are the stuff of legend. Times are tough and jobs are scarce, but the Bondurants are Entrepreneurs and have built a thriving local business by concocting an intense and popular brand of moonshine. But Franklin County’s bootlegging days are about to end with the arrival of Special Deputy Charlie Rakes (Guy Pearce) from Chicago. The new “law” Rakes brings is lethal and corrupt and will challenge everything the brothers have built and represent. Determined to do whatever is necessary to fight for what is theirs, the Bondurants take up arms and confront the corrupt forces of the law in a faceoff to determine who controls the wettest county in the World.

The Screening takes place in Toronto, Monday, August 27, 2012.

To enter, click "like" on this Post at Mr. Will-W.:Pop Maven on Facebook. You should also be following on Twitter too!  Your deadline is Friday, August 24, 2012.

Watch the Trailer for Lawless here.

Alliance Films releases Lawless on Wednesday, August 29, 2012.

(Photo credit: Alliance Films)

"THE DARK KNIGHT RISES": MOVIE REVIEW

Still from The Dark Knight Rises

Expectations are impossibly high for Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight Rises, the Finale to his epic Batman Trilogy. Fans of its two Predecessors however, have little to worry about here.  This Installment introduces us to a battle-worn Bruce Wayne (Christian Bale) eight years in exile after Batman is seen as being responsible for the death of Gotham's Community Pillar, D.A. Harvey Dent. 

Gotham however is under-siege with the imminent danger brought-on by a menacing presence with a Terrorist Agenda, Bane (Tom Hardy).  Although she appears immediately as a Foe, the beguiling Burglar Catwoman (Anne Hathaway) is called-upon by a soon to be out-of-exile Batman to save the City of its greatest threat yet.  Will this be enough we wonder, and at what lengths will Batman go to in order to protect a City which continually has shunned him despite his good intentions?

The Dark Knight Rises is without a question a Work of Art.  The Film is breathtakingly-shot, with some masterfully choreographed Action sequences and first-rate performances from the best Hollywood has to offer.  At the same time, it presents some thought-provoking parallels to the World we live in and also Humanity today - if only we all had an all-consuming drive for Justice and Selflessness like Batman...   Perhaps as we approach possibly a Post-Obama Era even, this Film needed to be made as a reflection of the Collective Consciousness and where we stand right now in the continuous War against Terrorism.

Bale as always can be counted upon to deliver and he does so once again with understated charm.  A hardly-recognizable Hardy is terrifying to watch as Bane - deliciously ruthless, albeit lacking enough dimension for my liking, considering his outstanding range as an Actor. We never really get a true sense of what lies beneath his unquenchable thirst for Destruction. Gary Oldman as the vulnerable Jim Gordon and Joseph Gordon-Levitt as John Blake round-out what quite possibly is the Dream Team of Ensemble Casts.  I however, cannot mask my excitement for Hathaway's irresistible portrayal of  Catwoman/Selina Kyle, silencing any doubt that she could really pull-off that daunting assignment.  Dare I say she might even find herself in-contention for her second ever Oscar Nomination?

MATTHEW MODINE & NESTOR CARBONELL AT CANADIAN PREMIERE OF "THE DARK KNIGHT RISES"

Nestor Carbonell & Matthew Modine at Canadian Premiere of The Dark Knight Rises

Although more a modest Cousin to the The Dark Knight Rises Premiere which took place in London tonight at Leicester Square, Toronto played host to the Canadian Premiere of perhaps 2012's most eagerly-anticipated Film. The final Installment of Christopher Nolan's Batman Trilogy is poised to open big with estimates just-shy of the $200 million mark to be made domestically this weekend.

Stars Matthew Modine (Any Given Sunday, Full Metal Jacket) and Nestor Carbonell (Lost, Ringer) flew-in to the City for a round of Press in support of what is seen at this point as a Frontrunner for Best Picture at the Oscars.  Modine plays the integral Role of Deputy Commissioner Foley, while Carbonell reprises the Role of Gotham's Mayor Anthony Garcia in The Dark Knight Rises.  The Actors combined made appearances earlier today on CityTV's Breakfast Television, CP24 Breakfast and also CTV's Canada AM.

Modine and Carbonell graced the Red Carpet tonight in the City's Financial District at a Venue which for one night only was re-branded Wayne Manor - of course an Homage to the Film's Hero, Bruce Wayne (Christian Bale). The glamorous Affair thematically was tied into the Film, named the Black & White Masquerade Ball. Earlier in the evening, Modine sat-in on the Canadian Premiere at Scotiabank Theatre.

I was one of the lucky few who was able to attend the Premiere and will be posting my full Review of The Dark Knight Rises on Friday.  Stay tuned!

Warner Bros. releases The Dark Knight Rises on Friday, July 20, 2012 with several theatres offering Midnight Screenings. 

(Photo credit: Mr. Will-W.)

ENTER TO WIN A DOUBLE PASS TO THE CANADIAN PREMIERE OF "THE DARK KNIGHT RISES"

Still from The Dark Knight Rises

With its Premiere descending upon us, our Friends at Warner Bros. Canada are giving Fans a chance to rise to the occasion!  The Dark Knight Rises premieres Wednesday, July 18, 2012 here in Toronto and you can enter to win via Twitter a Double Pass to see it first.

Simply ReTweet the below and remember to follow @WBPicturesCan and @WarnerBrosTDot!

"I want to RISE with @warnerbrostdot at the Toronto Premiere of ‪#TheDarkKnightRises‬" to win 2 passes. Contest ends Sunday." 

Yes, there will be Cast in-attendance, although who still has yet to be confirmed.  Good luck!  See you there!

(Photo credit: Warner Bros.)

FIRST TRAILER: "THE DARK KNIGHT RISES"

Still from The Dark Knight Rises

"There's a storm coming Mr. Wayne.  You and your friends better batten down the hatches cause when it hits, you're all gonna wonder how you ever thought you could live so large and leave so little for the rest of us." - Catwoman

At long last, a proper 2:00 minute official Trailer for Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight Rises has surfaced after Moviegoers were enticed last week with a six-minute Prologue before Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol.

Without giving too much away, we see that Bruce Wayne (Christian Bale) has his doubts about his ability to resurface again, although ultimately he is forced to resurface again to protect Gotham City against the ruthlessly tyrannical Bane (Tom Hardy).  We also see the sometimes villainous Catwoman/Selina Kyle (Anne Hathaway) introduced as an ever imposing presence.  Looks superb and it's actually pretty exciting to see Hathaway break out the claws in one of her more daring roles ever. Are you excited?

Watch the Trailer in full below:

INTERVIEW: CATHERINE HARDWICKE, DIRECTOR OF "TWILIGHT" AND "RED RIDING HOOD" | SIGNED PHOTO GIVEAWAY

Catherine Hardwicke in Toronto - March 2011

Known commercially as the Most Successful Female Director of all time, Catherine Hardwicke would appear to have a lot - pardon the pun - riding on her re-imagination of The Brothers Grimm classic, Red Riding Hood. After surprisingly opting not to sign-on for the second Film in The Twilight Saga franchise due to the rushed demands of its studio, many are wondering: will Catherine Hardwicke be able to replicate her success without that franchise?

Sitting down to chat with Hardwicke recently during the Toronto stopoff of her promotional tour for Red Riding Hood, the Architect-turned-Production Designer-turned Filmmaker sure had me fooled if there was an inkling of pressure. The effervescent Texas native walked into the room all smiles, apologizing for running behind schedule in one of many interviews she had slated for the day.  "Ooh, that`s cute!", she said as she  admired a Paul Smith-designed Limited Edition bottle of Evian on the table.

Despite Red Riding Hood being Hardwicke`s fifth time directing a Feature Film with critical successes Lords of Dogtown and moreso Thirteen on her Résumé, this is the first project which allowed her to incorporate her talents as an Architect and an Artist into her Filmmaking. "When I first arrived in Hollywood I was so naïve and thought they only wanted creative people.  I thought I could be like Tim Burton and just do whatever I wanted", she  giggles.  Incorporating her artistic vision into the Film wasn`t an easy feat though as  Hardwicke had to draft various images, paintings and drawings and present them to the studio, "Essentially, I had to sell Warner Bros. on their own project", she admits.

RED RIDING HOOD - MOVIE REVIEW

Still from Red Riding Hood

Catherine Hardwicke has a lot - pardon the pun - riding on her re-imagining of Red Riding Hood after much criticism for the first Film in The Twilight Saga series.  She does however, step up to the challenge and prevails in her darker take on The Brothers Grimm Fairy Tale.

Amanda Seyfried stars in the role of Valerie, a Girl in the village of Daggerhorn who is caught between two lovers - one aristocratic in Henry (Max Irons, son of Jeremy) and one whom she loves by choice in Peter (Shiloh Fernandez). After her Sister is found dead at the paws of a Wolf which terrorizes her Village, soon we learn that it has its eyes on her with the intentions of taking her away. Valerie is frightened to learn that she is in fact able to communicate with the Wolf and after this is uncovered, she is accused of being a Witch.

Unsure of its true identity and desperate to rid of the Wolf, the Village calls upon the corrupt and tyrannical Father Solomon (Gary Oldman), who reveals that the Wolf actually can manifest itself in human form as long as it bites its Victim before the end of the Blood Moon (the first Full Moon after the Harvest Moon). As the Village grows mad with paranoia as the deadly Wolf ever-presently lurks in the background, we wonder whether the Wolf's true identity ever will be unveiled and whether or not Valerie will escape from it unharmed. All the while, with both her Suitors risking their lives to protect her, we want to know who she will choose as her Lover, Henry or Peter?