As this Toronto-shot cult classic turns 25, a new book celebrates its dreamlike production
The first time I saw director Sofia Coppola' s 'The Virgin Suicides,' I was a 19-year-old university student. Balancing my new-found adulthood and the desire to stay rooted in my girlhood, I was fascinated by the world of the Lisbon sisters. Through Coppola's dreamy lens, I was instantly mesmerized from the opening scene, as Kirsten Dunst's Lux takes the last licks of her popsicle on her suburban street.
Upon entering the film's enigmatic universe, we see lovely shots of the suburbs — someone watering a lawn, a pair of girls walking a dog, workers cutting down a tree — that make it easy to fall in love with the monotony of the Lisbons' Michigan town in the mid-1970s. If it all looks familiar, that's because 'The Virgin Suicides' was filmed in Toronto.
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Toronto Star
24-05-2025
- Toronto Star
As this Toronto-shot cult classic turns 25, a new book celebrates its dreamlike production
The first time I saw director Sofia Coppola' s 'The Virgin Suicides,' I was a 19-year-old university student. Balancing my new-found adulthood and the desire to stay rooted in my girlhood, I was fascinated by the world of the Lisbon sisters. Through Coppola's dreamy lens, I was instantly mesmerized from the opening scene, as Kirsten Dunst's Lux takes the last licks of her popsicle on her suburban street. Upon entering the film's enigmatic universe, we see lovely shots of the suburbs — someone watering a lawn, a pair of girls walking a dog, workers cutting down a tree — that make it easy to fall in love with the monotony of the Lisbons' Michigan town in the mid-1970s. If it all looks familiar, that's because 'The Virgin Suicides' was filmed in Toronto.
Globe and Mail
23-05-2025
- Globe and Mail
‘Pub Delivery': Heineken® brings fans' matchday ritual – and their ‘lucky pub' - with them to Lisbon for the UEFA Women's Champions League final
A Media Snippet accompanying this announcement is available in this link. AMSTERDAM, May 23, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Half of football fans have matchday rituals – and nearly as many (46%)* believe their superstitions can influence the score. For two Arsenal fans, that ritual meant watching every game from the same corner of The Twelve Pins bar in North London - same seats, same beers, same pre-match routine. So, when their team reached the UEFA Women's Champions League final, Heineken did what needed to be done: packed up their lucky pub setup and shipped it to Lisbon. Rebuilt inside a truck, it gave the two women the ultimate matchday experience - ready for the game at the Estádio José Alvalade, ritual and all. For years, London-based Amelie Margaret Kirk and Sophie Hurst have made The Twelve Pins their matchday home - pints in hand, seats unchanged. As part of its ongoing celebration of football's most devoted hardcore fans and the women's game, Heineken transformed their personal tradition into a portable pre-match pub experience. Painstakingly recreated and transported over 2,200 kilometres from North London to the heart of Lisbon, every detail of their ritual was brought to life - beermats, bar stools, pint glasses and all - so they could follow the same routine they believe helps set their team up for success. For these two superstitious fans, it's not just a pub - it's a travelling talisman. Of course, it wouldn't be a real pub without Heineken on tap. Football legend and former Lioness, Jill Scott MBE, will be hitching a ride to raise a glass with two of football's most superstitious fans. Jill Scott MBE, former England midfielder, says: 'I've seen plenty of matchday rituals over the years – some hilarious, some heartfelt, but all completely serious to the person who believes in them. I love that Heineken is matching the energy of superstitious fans at the UEFA Women's Champions League final. It makes me happy to see hardcore fans of the women's game being acknowledged and celebrated in this way.' Nabil Nasser, Global Head of Heineken ® Brand, says:"Who are we to stand between superstitious fans and their matchday rituals? From recreating a lucky pub at the UEFA Women's Champions League final to shining a light on the fans who make the game what it is, 'Cheers to the Superstitious Fans' is all about celebrating fandom in all its forms. Since joining the women's game in 2021, we've seen it grow in incredible ways—and we're proud to continue championing that momentum.' Heineken has supported the UEFA Women's Champions League since 2021 and continues to spotlight the stories of real hardcore fans whose love for the game makes football more than just a sport. To learn more about the campaign and celebrate fan superstitions, visit: HERE Notes to editors: Editorial information: Fans can follow the campaign by searching using the hashtag #SuperstitiousFans Please find the campaign video: HERE Please find the high-resolution campaign image: HERE For more information, please contact: HNKNFootball@ Research: The research was conducted by Censuswide, among a sample of 12,011 Football fans in the UK, USA, Germany, Brazil, Portugal, and South Korea. The data was collected between 01.04.2025 - 07.04.2025. Censuswide abides by and employs members of the Market Research Society and follows the MRS code of conduct and ESOMAR principles. Censuswide is also a member of the British Polling Council. HEINEKEN is the world's most international brewer. It is the leading developer and marketer of premium beer and cider brands. Led by the Heineken ® brand, the Group has a portfolio of more than 300 international, regional, local and specialty beers and ciders. We are committed to innovation, long-term brand investment, disciplined sales execution and focused cost management. Through "Brewing a Better World", sustainability is embedded in the business. HEINEKEN has a well-balanced geographic footprint with leadership positions in both developed and developing markets. We employ over 85,000 employees and operate breweries, malteries, cider plants and other production facilities in more than 70 countries. Heineken N.V. and Heineken Holding N.V. shares trade on the Euronext in Amsterdam. Prices for the ordinary shares may be accessed on Bloomberg under the symbols HEIA NA and HEIO NA and on Reuters under and HEINEKEN has two sponsored level 1 American Depositary Receipt (ADR) programmes: Heineken N.V. (OTCQX: HEINY) and Heineken Holding N.V. (OTCQX: HKHHY). Most recent information is available on HEINEKEN's website: and follow us on Twitter via @HEINEKENCorp. A photo accompanying this announcement is available at:
Toronto Sun
09-05-2025
- Toronto Sun
Stow your tray tables and brace for comedy in ‘Fight or Flight'
Published May 09, 2025 • 3 minute read Josh Hartnett stars in "Fight or Flight." MUST CREDIT: Csaba Aknay/Vertical Entertainment Photo by Csaba Aknay/Vertical Entertainme / Csaba Aknay/Vertical Entertainme Some actors are best left to weather outside until they've properly aged, like firewood or a good Scotch. (Humphrey Bogart being the ideal example.) Josh Hartnett was something of an It Boy at the turn of the millennium, with lead roles in 'The Virgin Suicides,' 'Pearl Harbor,' 'Black Hawk Down' and more. Then, like with many It Boys, his career cooled. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account Two decades on, Hartnett's in his mid-40s and popping up again, as a serial-killer dad in M. Night Shyamalan's 'Trap' (2024) and, this week, in the ratty, fizzy action comedy 'Fight or Flight.' An actor who once seemed a passable carbon copy of the young Tommy Lee Jones has apparently decided he has little left to lose, and it's made him … interesting. He's grumpier, wearier, wilier. He's having FUN. 'Fight or Flight' gives Hartnett ample room to play. An unrepentant B-movie with a Grade A concept – the star plays a former Secret Service agent who has to find and arrest an unknown terrorist on a plane full of assassins – the film takes what could have been grim going in the hands of, say, Steven Seagal and gives it an antic, often hilarious spin. Yes, it's violent in arcs and spurts of increasing absurdity, but the frenetic pace, slaphappy fight choreography and committed performances keep 'Fight or Flight' teetering on the edge of farce. If the John Wick movies were played for laughs, they might look something like this. Your noon-hour look at what's happening in Toronto and beyond. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Hartnett's Lucas Reyes is bottle-blond, burned-out and washed-up in Thailand when the movie opens, but he's the only one on the ground when his higher-ups in America need someone to catch the Ghost, a brilliant international hacker-terrorist who's boarding a red-eye to San Francisco. The Ghost's identity is unknown, so he could be anybody on the plane, but Lucas's job, once he sobers up from his latest bender, is to find the terrorist and bring him in alive. Unfortunately, the Ghost has a $10 million bounty on his head and a travel itinerary that just went public on the dark web, which means that some, or most or all of the agent's fellow passengers aren't tourists on their way to the City by the Bay. Josh Hartnett and Charithra Chandran in 'Fight or Flight.' Photo by Csaba Aknay / Vertical Entertainme Helmed by James Madigan, a second-unit director moving up to the big chair, from a screenplay by Brooks McLaren and D.J. Cotrona, 'Fight or Flight' is high-spirited junk, too full of itself at times but mostly content to work out every last variation on a theme: How do you kill someone on an airplane? The assassins come in baroque waves and are dispatched in the same manner, from a pompous actor-hitman (Marko Zaror) to a lady 'apex predator' (Nóra Trokán) to Chinese gangsters and Italian mobsters and a lot of hulking guys played by actors named Tíbor and Gábor and István. (The movie was filmed in Hungary.) This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Not everyone on the plane is out for blood. The flight crew includes an officious prat (Hughie O'Donnell), an OCD newbie (Danny Ashok) and Isha (Charithra Chandran of TV's 'Bridgerton' and 'Alex Rider'), who becomes Lucas's ally, social conscience and impromptu medic. The Ghost has a few ringers on the flight, as well, including a trio of lady samurai because – well, just because. Believable? Not in the least. Enjoyable? Surprisingly so, once you hop on the wavelength of giddy, exhausted overkill along with Hartnett's increasingly woozy hero. 'Fight or Flight' juggles not only chain saws but also ice axes, small in-flight butter knives, a clarinet wielded with lethal force, and a vial of toad venom that briefly causes Lucas and the movie as a whole to hallucinate pretty fireworks where other characters see geysers of blood. On its way to an ending that's both preposterous and the only logical way out, the filmmakers broker the notion that not ALL international hacker-terrorists might be bad people, and that some of the shadowy figures who move between the worlds of national intelligence and Silicon Valley might be measurably worse. But that's taking 'Fight or Flight' more seriously than it deserves. 'How much more f—ed up can this get before it qualifies as f—ed up?' someone asks here. The answer: a lot. – – – Ty Burr is the author of the movie recommendation newsletter Ty Burr's Watch List at – – – RATING: Three stars Read More Toronto & GTA Columnists NBA NFL Ontario
