SUMMER 2020 CONTENTS VOLUME 21 #3 From left: Wallace Wolodarsky, Bill Murray and Owen Wilson physical distancing in The French Dispatch before it was cool. Read more about the film in our Upcoming Movie Preview PLUS COVER STORY 16 22 24 32 UPCOMING MA’S PA EXCELLENT TIME TO BLOW 4 EDITOR’S MOVIE Veteran actor Tzi Ma FRIENDS YOUR MIND NOTE PREVIEW is proud to play Keanu Reeves Tenet’s breakout star Our moviegoing drought Mulan’s father in and Alex Winter John David Washington 10 UP FRONT is coming to an end. Disney’s live-action discuss their 30-year talks about shooting Take a deep dive redo of Mulan, friendship, the power Christopher Nolan’s 38 IN THE WORKS into 10 of the most and even prouder of great dialogue, and latest time-bending anticipated movies that the film is a why the time was right brainteaser and the 40 CINEPLEX scheduled to arrive by big-budget showcase to reunite for Bill & Ted football injury that led STORE year’s end, including for Asian actors Face the Music him to acting Wonder Woman 1984, BY INGRID RANDOJA BY MARNI WEISZ BY INGRID RANDOJA 46 RECIPES FROM Black Widow, Dune, THE VIP The French Dispatch and West Side Story WELCOME BACK 48 SCREEN BY INGRID RANDOJA From enhanced cleaning to physical distancing, we explain TEST AND MARNI WEISZ the new measures put in place for your return to theatres +8 50 ART OF FILM COVER PHOTO BY LORENZO AGIUS SUMMER 2020 CINEPLEX MAGAZINE 3 EDITOR’S NOTE MAGAZINE PUBLISHER Salah Bachir EDITOR Marni Weisz DEPUTY EDITOR Ingrid Randoja CREATIVE DIRECTOR & DESIGNER Lucinda Wallace CONTRIBUTING DESIGNER Darryl Mabey CONTRIBUTORS Sheri Block DIRECTOR, CONTENT STRATEGY Tina Boroviak Advertising sales for Cineplex Magazine is handled by Cineplex Media. Strange TORONTO HEAD OFFICE 416-539-8800 VICE PRESIDENT Robert Brown Times VICE PRESIDENT, PRODUCTION Sheila Gregory VICE PRESIDENT, SALES IF YOU KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT We also spoke with experienced time- John Tsirlis director Christopher Nolan, you know travellers and EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, NATIONAL SALES Keanu Reeves Alex Winter Giulio Fazzolari that the concept of time looms large in for this issue. Their 1989 comedy classic EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, SALES his movies. His new thriller Tenet is no Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure saw their Ed Villa EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, SALES different. The film’s characters utilize a characters travel through time in an old QUEBEC/EASTERN CANADA Jonathan Laflamme process called “inversion” to reverse the phonebooth to research a history project. MANAGER, THEATRICAL PROGRAMMING very flow of time. In “A Most Excellent Reunion,” page 24, Debi Kingston While we don’t quite understand how they explain why Bill and Ted now have to ACCOUNT MANAGERS inversion works, we certainly know how visit alternate timelines for the third film, TORONTO 416-539-8800 Cory Atkins, ext. 5257 it feels to have time move in weird ways. Bill & Ted Face the Music. Christina Clark, ext. 5278 Over the past few months, time has not Then in “Father Figure,” page 22, we Sheree Kyte, ext. 5245 Beth Leverty, ext. 5285 always behaved as expected. Has it really talk with Tzi Ma about being transported Zandra MacInnis, ext. 5281 been four months since movie theatres 1,500 years back in time to play the father Heather Marshall, ext. 5290 Jenna Paterson, ext. 5243 closed their doors; since we packed our in Mulan, which is based not just on the Julian Pieke, ext. 5216 bags and left the office to work from home? animated film but also a 6th-century poem. Brett Poschmann, ext. 5287 Lorelei von Heymann, ext. 5249 Though time has passed at an unnatu- And you should probably start thinking Wendell Sappor, ext. 5277 rally rapid rate, we somehow have more about how to make time to see all the Lesley Taylor, ext. 5266 of it. It’s time that some of us have used big movies still to come this year. In Tom Woyzbun, ext. 5253 OTTAWA 844-870-1112 to re-watch entire movie franchises like our movie preview “Looking Forward,” Nicole Beaudin The Lord of the Rings in a single shot page 16, we tell you about 10 major HAMILTON/NIAGARA 416-558-7190 before emerging, bleary-eyed, into our films expected to arrive in theatres Jennifer Wishart QUEBEC 514-868-0005 own reality wondering if it was time for from September to December. You’ll see Benoit Deschambault, ext. 224 second breakfast. It was. It always is. Wonder Woman 1984, Black Widow and Martine Ménard, ext. 222 MAN/SASK 204-396-3044 Time also feels formless. What day of Top Gun: Maverick, which in another Morgan Comrie the week is it? Saturday? Wasn’t yesterday timeline would have been out by now, CALGARY 403-264-4420 also Saturday? Time used to be linear. squeezed in amongst the fall and winter’s Kevin Leahy EDMONTON 780-919-3011 Now, not so much. previously scheduled blockbusters like Barb Kitzan Is this how Christopher Nolan has Dune and West Side Story. What a slate. BRITISH COLUMBIA 604-689-3068 always perceived time? I’m feeling positive that once we get Matt Watson Cineplex Magazine™ is published One of the few people who knows how going this will be one of the best years ever by Cineplex Entertainment. Subscriptions inversion works is Tenet’s compelling star at the movies. But, of course, the unfolding are $34.50 ($30 + HST) a year in Canada, $45 a year in the U.S. and $55 a year John David Washington. No surprise, of time may still take a few surprise turns, overseas. All subscription inquiries and letters to the editor should be Washington couldn’t say much about the so please check Cineplex.com for current directed to Cineplex Magazine at top-secret plot point for our cover story, release dates and theatre information. 1303 Yonge St., Toronto, ON, M4T 2Y9; or [email protected] “Time to Act,” page 32. He did however Time to start working Publications Mail Agreement No. 41619533. tell us how Nolan made being on the on the next issue. Return undeliverable Canadian addresses to: Cineplex Magazine, 1303 Yonge St., set of this massive blockbuster feel like Toronto, ON, M4T 2Y9 working on an indie, about his transition 656,500 copies of Cineplex Magazine are from pro football to acting, and whether distributed through Cineplex Entertainment, MARNI WEISZ, The Globe and Mail, and other outlets. it’s time to work with his dad, Denzel. EDITOR Cineplex Magazine is not responsible for the return of unsolicited materials. No material in this magazine may be reprinted without the express written consent of the publisher. © Cineplex Entertainment 2020. 4 CINEPLEX MAGAZINE SUMMER 2020 with the most hydrogen peroxide in a whitening toothpaste. † *When brushing twice daily for 4 weeks. †Offfered for salee in reetail channels. ©2020 Colgate-Palmolive Company Toothpaste fights cavities. ORC201000TA_OpticWhite_Cineplex_Mag_FP_E.indd 1 3/6/20 11:29 AM CLIENT Colgate ORC201000TA_OpticWhite_Cineplex_Mag_FP_E CREATED March 6, 2020 11:31 AM TRIM 8" x 10.5" CREATIVE ACCOUNT SkyB TAXI CANADA LTD LIVE MAC ARTIST PRODUCER 495 Wellington Street West 7.5" x 10" Pam C DennisS Suite 102, Toronto BLEED INSERTION DATE(S) PRODUCT Colgate Optic White ON M5V 1E9 8.25" x 10.75" April 1, 2020 T: 416 342 8294 COLOURS CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK F: 416 979 7626 I I I I PUBLICATION(S) MAGAZINE Cineplex All colours are printed as process match unless indicated otherwise. Please check before use. In spite of our careful checking, errors infrequently occur and we request that you check this proof for accuracy. TAXI’s liability is limited to replacing or correcting the disc from which this proof was generated. We cannot be responsible for your time, film, proofs, stock, or printing loss due to error. A NOTE TO OUR READERS Change is Coming IN A RACIST SOCIETY IT IS NOT ENOUGH TO be non-racist, we must be anti-racist. It took millions of people flooding the streets in hundreds of locations, across many countries, and countless arrests and deaths and injuries to charge four police officers in connection with the murder of a Black man captured on video in plain sight. We believe this is not a time for us to be silent, but the SALAH BACHIR ELLIS JACOB, (HE/HIM), PRESIDENT time to take action and make a real change in how PUBLISHER, AND CEO, our society functions. We know we can do more, we CM OONT CINEPLEX, CM want to do more. We have always strived to celebrate diversity and inclusion in our pages, and we will continue to do so. comfortable and welcoming. That priority has been at We value every one of our readers and feel that Black the heart of our preparations from the very beginning. lives matter in every possible way, including the We have used the past months to re-examine all of stories we tell. We also have a reason to thank every our buildings and processes, so that when our theatres one of you readers right now. For the first time in our and entertainment venues reopen, we will have imple- history, Cineplex Magazine is the most-read magazine mented an industry-leading program with end-to-end in Canada with more than 4.3-million readers. health and safety protocols. This magazine launched more than 20 years ago We are heartened that, while we’ve seen some ter- as Famous, back when it was distributed mostly in rible examples of human behaviour recently, we’ve Famous Players theatres. In addition to stories about also seen some of the best over the past few months.