Red Sparrow Trailer

Here’s the first trailer for the upcoming spy thriller RED SPARROW starring Jennifer Lawrence has just been released by 20th Century Fox. Directed by Francis Lawrence and starring Jennifer Lawrence, Joel Edgerton, Matthias Schoenaerts, Charlotte Rampling, Mary-Louise Parker and Jeremy Irons

RED SPARROW

Directed by: Francis Lawrence
Screenplay by: Justin Haythe
Based upon the book by: Jason Matthews
Produced by: Peter Chernin, Steve Zaillian, Jenno Topping
Cast: Jennifer Lawrence, Joel Edgerton, Matthias Schoenaerts, Charlotte Rampling, Mary-Louise Parker and Jeremy Irons

SYNOPSIS
Dominika Egorova is many things.
A devoted daughter determined to protect her mother at all costs.
A prima ballerina whose ferocity has pushed her body and mind to the absolute limit.
A master of seductive and manipulative combat.

When she suffers a career-ending injury, Dominika and her mother are facing a bleak and uncertain future. That is why she finds herself manipulated into becoming the newest recruit for Sparrow School, a secret intelligence service that trains exceptional young people like her to use their bodies and minds as weapons. After enduring the perverse and sadistic training process, she emerges as the most dangerous Sparrow the program has ever produced. Dominika must now reconcile the person she was with the power she now commands, with her own life and everyone she cares about at risk, including an American CIA agent who tries to convince her he is the only person she can trust.

RED SPARROW Official Channels
OFFICIAL WEBSITE: RedSparrowMovie.com   

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In Theaters March 2nd

http://www.fandango.com

Jamie Lee Curtis returns to her iconic role as Laurie Strode in HALLOWEEN

Universal Pictures will release Trancas International Films, Blumhouse Productions and Miramax’s HALLOWEEN on Friday, October 19, 2018!

Jamie Lee Curtis returns to her iconic role as Laurie Strode, who comes to her final confrontation with Michael Myers, the masked figure who has haunted her since she narrowly escaped his killing spree on Halloween night four decades ago.

Master of horror John Carpenter will executive produce and serve as creative consultant on this film, joining forces with cinema’s current leading producer of horror, Jason Blum (Get Out, Split, The Purge, Paranormal Activity).  Inspired by Carpenter’s classic, filmmakers David Gordon Green and Danny McBride crafted a story that carves a new path from the events in the landmark 1978 film, and Green also directs.

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HALLOWEEN 
will be produced by Malek Akkad, whose Trancas International Films has produced the HALLOWEEN series since its inception.

Green and McBride will executive produce under their Rough House Pictures banner.

HALLOWEEN will be distributed worldwide by Universal Pictures.

American Assassin – Movie Review

American Assassin is kind of your typical spy thriller in that it has a very Jack Reacher or Jack Ryan or whoever has the name Jack and is a detective of some sort these days, feel to it with one very big exception; those guys don’t have Michael Keaton walking around in their movie.  Keaton gives every performance a little something special and this is no different.  Mitch Rapp, the hero in the book series by Vince Flynn, and what will no doubt be a successful movie franchise now, does have Keaton. 

Mitch has the drive, strength and the determination to get his immediate goals accomplished, even sometimes acting before he thinks.  What I like about the characters is that he is rarely ever wrong and his mentor and guru, Stan Hurley (Keaton), has to bang his head against the walls to try and pound sense and procedure into him.  However, Mitch runs on adrenaline and something else… the sense of what is right and wrong.  Love drove him to be a vigilante and is what, ultimately, led him to Hurley, a retired SEAL.  Hurley’s now training a Black Ops mission led by Irene (Lathan) of the CIA.  Hurley knew and worked with Irene’s dad and though he doesn’t trust her instinct on young Mitch, he agrees to train him and see if he’s what they need for their counterterrorism operation. 

Irene first stumbled onto Mitch while following his digital footprint.  At the beginning of the film, Mitch (O’Brien) was proposing to his girlfriend on the beach when terrorists struck the area and started shooting everyone in sight.  Mitch was struck several times but not fatally.  While passing out from his wounds, his beautiful fiance’ lies dying beside him.  After, he is determined to bring down every terror cell he can.  He learns Arabic and studies their history and ideology.  He learns to fight, practices martial arts and masters weaponry.  He grows a beard and becomes a one-man killing machine out for revenge.  Everything you could want in a good guy and your new spy. 

On his own and without the help of anyone, Mitch gets close to a terrorist cell but is captured.  He’s saved at the last minute by the CIA.  When they tell him how stupid, naïve and dangerous his scheme was and tells him he was lucky to have been rescued, he reminds them of the fact that they followed him in, not the other way around.  However, what remains a recurring theme in the film is a question, ‘is Mitch too driven by emotion to be any good to a team?’  A big lesson Hurley needs to get through to him is to never let it get personal… it clouds the judgment.  The scenes where Mitch is being trained are difficult but he takes his licks and remembers his training.  These scenes are entertaining and imaginative but in thinking of the training the actors had to go through to get all the training and fighting scenes shot, I couldn’t help but wince some watching it. 

Before long, Hurley decides Mitch is their guy and they go out on a mission to recover stolen plutonium.  Iranian operatives intend on making a nuclear weapon and must be stopped.  There are other characters introduced and some character driven subplots come and go, which all work in the film’s favor, especially when it comes to the most important one of all, Ghost (Kitsch).  He is a former student of Hurley’s with a chip on his shoulder.  He has different plans for the bomb once the trigger and a physicist is found to make it complete.  His plans are to get back at Hurley and the country that let him down.  Taylor Kitsch does a good job in a scene having fun torturing his old guru.  He may have had too much fun with it, in fact.  Dylan O’Brien, almost a Taylor Kitsch look alike, is terrific in this film, both looking the part and handling the script.  He’ll make a very admirable spy movie hero for both new and old fans of the genre, alike.

I liked American Assassin and I think you will, too.  Don’t take it too seriously; know you’re going to be captivated by this world for a while.  Just sit back and enjoy the show.  I did and I was in no way influenced by the audience I watched the screening of the movie with, which were a whole lot of Phoenix police officers who have read the series, love Mitch Rapp and are going to be there to support this film and any that follow.  I support it because it did one thing and that was, it entertained the hell out of me.  I am looking very forward to the next one.  This is a fresh perspective on an overly used but seemingly timeless subject and was appreciated.  It’ll be enjoyed by anyone who likes action thrillers and it’ll please them more by giving them a new hero to look up to.

Join the Justice League in a thrilling Virtual Reality experience!

Put your powers to the test in immersive VR experiences, leading up to
the film’s much-anticipated November 17th release and beyond

Warner Bros. invites fans to join the Justice League in a thrilling Virtual Reality experience that allows you to step into the shoes and feel the powers of the iconic DC Super Heroes: Batman, Wonder Woman, The Flash, Aquaman, and Cyborg.  The Justice League VR experience will be rolled out in stages—to be released prior to, during, and after the theatrical opening of Justice League, on November 17, 2017.  The four-stage unveiling will culminate with the at-home Justice League VR: The Complete Experience.

The first taste of the VR experience kicks off globally with a promotional demo in partnership with Gillette: Justice League VR: Join the League – Gillette Edition.  It will be available for iPhones and Android phones starting September 7 for free download from Apple App Store, the Google Play Store and at http://justiceleaguethemovie.com/vr.  This demo version is an interactive, gaze-based experience and will have up to 90 seconds of gameplay per character.  The experience requires Google Cardboard or an equivalent VR viewer to play.

The following month, the Justice League booth at New York Comic Con will offer attendees a more in-depth sneak peek of the HTC Vive version of the experience with the Justice League VR: Join the League – New York Comic Con Edition.  Users will be able to use the HTC Vive’s controllers for an enhanced version of the Super Hero simulations.  Located at the Javits Center, New York Comic Con runs from October 5 through October 8.

The IMAX VR: Justice League Experience will be unveiled at IMAX VR Centres beginning on November 17—the opening day of the feature film—and will be an IMAX exclusive for its first two weeks.  This totally immersive and completely interactive adventure will test if you are able to master your Super Hero powers. For more details and locations please visit http://imaxvr.imax.com.

Finally, in December, the VR experience comes home with an expanded Justice League Virtual Reality: The Complete Experience, to be released for transactional purchase on multiple VR platforms.  Featuring additional modes and expanded missions, the home-based VR experience will support controllers, spatial tracking and room scale tracking, depending on the platform. Targeted platforms include HTC Vive, Oculus Rift, Samsung GearVR, Google DayDream and Sony PSVR (subject to change).

The Missions include:

Play as the Justice League members and see if you can master their powers:

  • Outrace your enemies as BATMAN
  • Fight Parademons as WONDER WOMAN
  • Face a creature from the deep as AQUAMAN
  • Stop a ticking bomb as THE FLASH
  • Take out enemy drones as CYBORG

In addition, other characters from the DC universe may be added to the VR experience.

You can’t save the world alone. Join the league!

http://justiceleaguethemovie.com/vr

About Justice League:

Ben Affleck, Henry Cavill, Gal Gadot, Raymond Fisher, Jason Momoa and Ezra Miller star in the action adventure Justice League.

Fueled by his restored faith in humanity and inspired by Superman’s selfless act, Bruce Wayne enlists the help of his newfound ally, Diana Prince, to face an even greater enemy.  Together, Batman and Wonder Woman work quickly to find and recruit a team of metahumans to stand against this newly awakened threat.  But despite the formation of this unprecedented league of heroes—Batman, Wonder Woman, Aquaman, Cyborg and The Flash—it may already be too late to save the planet from an assault of catastrophic proportions.

 Justice League was directed by Zack Snyder from a screenplay by Chris Terrio and Joss Whedon, story by Terrio & Snyder.  Based on characters from DC Entertainment; Superman created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster.  Charles Roven, Deborah Snyder, Jon Berg and Geoff Johns produced the film, with Jim Rowe, Wesley Coller, Curtis Kanemoto, Chris Terrio and Ben Affleck serving as executive producers.

Opening beginning on November 17 in 3D and 2D in select theatres and IMAX, Justice League will be distributed worldwide by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company.

IT – Movie Review

 What IT gives you is a smart and psychotic action-thriller more than a horror film, to be honest. Yes, there were some fabulous jump-scares and a delightfully big creep factor going on, of course, but it didn’t really scare me all that often. The film is based on one of Stephen King’s bestselling books about a killer clown named Pennywise so that alone should tell you that it’s going to be worth the time. It was originally a TV miniseries in 1990. The original had the entire nation afraid of clowns and we may have that going on again. Creepy is definitely a good way to define what the character offers the audience but what you might not expect is some of the sound acting from its young cast.

Not surprisingly, some of the best comes from the Skarsgård in the group. There is plenty of talent to be had in his family and he’s no different. Bill, plays the movies evil clown. He’s the son of Stellan Skarsgård (Good Will Hunting, Thor) and the brother of Alexander Skarsgård (True Blood, The Legend of Tarzan). At age twenty-seven, Bill already has twenty-seven film credits to his name and now has gotten this opportunity to be the memorable Pennywise as did Tim Curry who originally played the role.

I would have preferred it if the script had given Pennywise more of a chance to be… scary! Skarsgård had what it took to frighten the pants off of you but the focus was more on the trials of the boyhood pals and their new friend Beverly. Beverly is played by Sophia Lillis who is another shining piece of the pie. Her story is that of an abused daughter who offers love and support to others in need rather than display the resentment and pain she may feel from the maltreatment and violation she is exposed to daily. She is not weakened from her struggles she is strengthened despite them.

The movie starts by giving us the information that children in Derry, Maine are disappearing. Little Georgie, (Jackson Robert Scott) an adorable boy afraid of his cellar who director Muschietti set us up to feel bad for right away, is Pennywise’s first victim. This is dreadful and sets up an expected tone. What you presume you’ll see is more of this but what you get is more like The Expendables when the men were pre-teens… facing their fears together and refusing to give up on defeating their biggest demons. At the end of the school year, Georgie’s older brother Bill (Lieberher) and Bill’s friends look for Georgie.

As the story plays out, each child’s inner skirmishes are displayed and what Pennywise ends up being is a metaphor of the life they are no longer willing to live. An emblem, even, of their fortitude. What one might wonder is, does this clown really exist? Is what they’re experiencing really happening or is he the manifestation of their trepidation to grow beyond childhood; to lose what they now have and be exposed to their vulnerabilities? Georgie was afraid of the cellar because of what his imagination made materialize. Bill and his boyhood friends are, essentially, suffering that same fate… each of which will get worse if they don’t confront their beast.

IT is an engaging watch that keeps you interested in the outcome of the characters. The friends are, for the most part, different from one another and you do care for them as they face their plight. The cinematography is beautiful and the humor and feeling sorry for all of them is a big part of what makes the kids more likable.  You’ll be rooting for them every step of the way.  I’d like to note for you that for the biggest chills, don’t miss the scene when Ben, (Taylor) follows the balloon into the back of the library or the scene in the garage.

Extended look at Darren Aronofsky’s “mother!”

See what this mysterious film has to offer at youllneveranswerthedooragain.com 

Written and Directed by: Darren Aronofsky

Starring: Jennifer Lawrence and Javier Bardem

A couple’s relationship is tested when uninvited guests arrive at their home, disrupting their tranquil existence.

This is a riveting psychological thriller about love, devotion and sacrifice.

mother! official channels

hashtag: #mothermovie 

facebook: /officialmothermovie

twitter: @mothermovie

instagram: @mothermovie 

website: mothermovie.com  

for ticketshttp://tickets.mothermovie.com  

In Theaters September 15th

http://www.fandango.com

The Trip to Spain Movie Review

Two good friends, Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon, have taken journey’s together eating wonderful food while Coogan writes about their experiences at the restaurants and the food they enjoyed.  The Trip to Spain is the third adventure they’ve had so far.  The first go-round was to review the best restaurants that the UK had to offer.  He was thrilled with the opportunity but when his girlfriend couldn’t join him, it was Rob who took her place.  Rob and Steve are very similar and constantly nag one another but they got through the trip without killing one another and the writing was successful.  Their second trip was to travel around Italy.  They went to Rome and Tuscany and though it has the same spirit, their travels and the film itself wasn’t quite as entertaining. 

Well, the boys have decided to do it once again and I’m very pleased they did.  Here, Brydon will work on a series of restaurant reviews while Coogan fits in time to put pen to paper on that new novel.  They take a week to wine and dine their way through beautiful Spain, enjoying one another’s repartee while basking in the magnificence of the scenery around them.  I’m not sure they take enough time to truly appreciate where they are for they are probably cracking wise too often to take it all in but director Winterbottom makes sure that we absorb the beauty of the land.  Once again, we go through every breathtaking moment of the trip simply in awe of where they are and what they get to do for a living and he makes the film better by accompanying the backdrop of Spain with the most marvelous music.  He takes us through the winding roads, the tiny villages and into the kitchens of the restaurants as the food is being prepared.  Most of the dishes will have you wanting to jump through the screen to join them. 

And then we have Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon.  It seems Coogan is having a rough time of things.  When the trip started, everything was fantastic but as we move further and further into the week, more and more of his life seems to get complicated and plans begin to fall apart.  On the contrary, Rob’s life couldn’t be better, especially since he can get away from his crying baby for a week without question. 

But evading everything when he can and concentrating only on the trip, Coogan battles Brydon as he did before in impersonating stars they romanticize and respect such as Robert De Niro, Sean Connery, Mick Jagger and John Hurt.  One of the best moments is when they, like a couple of gossips, discuss men having children too late in life.  They take it deep with how old Jagger was when he had his last child.  Never being able to avoid doing it, they both give their best Jagger impression and then get into specifics of why theirs was better than the others.  It’s a classic moment because they then start feeling their age but bury it quickly by adding they feel they are in the ‘sweet spot of life.’  I don’t think either of them convinced the other of that either.

This banter continues throughout and rarely gets old.  Speaking of never getting old, Brydon takes out his ‘small man trapped in a box,’ at one point and when the topic of the death of so many celebrities enters the conversation, they examine another favorite; David Bowie.  Coogan defines Bowie’s death as almost an ‘artistic act’ and starts to sing some notes.  Rob topped Coogan with explaining how he found out that before his death, Bowie followed him on Twitter.  This, of course, could never beat Coogan’s relationship with Dame Judi Dench or his Oscar nomination for Philomena so, of course, there’s plenty of time to mention this in case Brydon has had a chance to forget.  There are several musings which are hashed out in the previous films brought up again in this one but this adds to the charm of this The Trip to Spain.  It proves these characters know one another very well.  You buy into the characters more and by doing this, it makes you feel like you’re a part of this friendship, as well.

As if it would be hard to tell they were fans, they give a nod to Monty Python’s brilliant work and award a fair amount of time to the Spanish Inquisition.  Being a big Monty Python fan, I applaud them for this decision.  Python has touched us all at some point so it was special to see them included here in this very witty film.  They also talked about Terry Gilliam’s work.  The dialogue surrounding this accomplished writer/director’s is another highlight as they get into how much they value him. 

The film isn’t perfect because I must point out that on occasion, Braydon did get irritating.  The most bothersome is when Coogan explains the history of the Moors, and is even getting a little political, Brydon constantly interrupts with his Roger Moore impression.  I was enjoying what Coogan was saying and the interruption by Brydon was a bit much but, again, it makes the film authentic and maybe this was the intention. 

At the end, with Coogan blissfully upset that he is being dropped by his agent, replaced as the writer of an upcoming film, his son (who he was looking forward to seeing) can’t fly in now… he’s feeling lost.  That said, the ending couldn’t have been better.  The trip wraps up with the line, ‘It’s always good to say goodbye in the mist.’ Steve is left alone and when you think things may turn around for him… they don’t.  We are perfectly set up for The Trip to…???    

Patti Cake$ Movie Review

Patti Cake$ is a rather unusual coming of age story. It wasn’t something I expected to take very seriously. I thought it would be interesting, based on what I knew of it, but hadn’t expected the life lesson that’s woven into the plot. As the movie played on, the more I realized how uncommon it was. It’s nice to run across a diamond in the rough. This very much is one.
The very authentic approach it took in telling Patricia Dombrowski, a.k.a. Patti Cake$, a.k.a. Killa P’s (Macdonald) tale was sometimes almost painful to watch. What could be lost through your being repulsed or shocked at times, is more than made up for in its charm and ability to win you over as you start to feel for this young woman who seems to have everything against her.
Patti is a dreamer. She’s the overweight, overwhelmed, overworked, underappreciated and underpaid daughter of Barb (Everett), granddaughter of Nana (Moriarty) and best friend to Hareesh (Dhananjay). She takes everything expected of her seriously and gives all tasks her full attention but she isn’t necessarily happy about anything she does because what she wants to do seems, thus far, so out of reach. But she’ll never give up. Caught between negativity that surrounds her and the posters in her room of the Rapper, O-Z (Sahr Ngaujah) she idolizes and dreams of working with someday, she feels stuck. She wants to make it on her own but is starting to realize she can’t do it on her own. This is very frustrating for her.

Her diet alone could kill her but she eats what she can afford to and that isn’t exactly gourmet dining. It speaks of what many face daily as America becomes more divided into only the rich and the poor with no middle ground to be found. This is a very strong message in this film. Patti and her family are the very descriptions of what has happened to this country. But going back to food and to dining, Patti enjoys going out to eat with her friend. It’s a way for her to get out of the house and away from her routine and having to take care of Nana all the time. She and Hareesh like to hash out their plans to conquer the world while they eat as the restaurant is their sanctuary where bullies and tormentors out to kill their dreams don’t reside.

But no wonder Patti doesn’t want to go home. It’s bad enough that thugs around town tease her every waking moment but her mother doesn’t treat her much better. Barb is jealous of her daughter’s youth and often finds ways of making Patti regret having been born. Barb was on the brink of making it as a singer in the music business when she got pregnant and has never let Patti forget that it was because of the pregnancy that her life virtually came to an end. She’s been in a bottle ever since and Patti has been a useful tool to abuse. Now old enough, she’s good for one thing and that’s to help pay the bills.

Patti is getting worn down by not being taken seriously but one night out with Hareesh, Patti is impressed by the performance and attitude of a very angry punk rock musician, (and Marilyn Manson/Snoop Dogg mix), who refers to himself as the Antichrist (Athie). She eventually burrows her way into his life and she, Hareesh and Bob, as his name turns out to be, end up making a rather fun Rap song together. With Bob’s equipment, Hareesh’s vocals and Patti’s producing/Rapping skills, they make a demo and start passing it around. By the way, ‘PBNJ’ is still stuck in my head and Nana’s part of the process cracked me up way beyond anything I ever expected! You just have to see this to see what I mean.

So, watching this all happen, her dreams slowly become reality and seeing exactly how hard it is to do so much when the odds are not in your favor from day one, is awe inspiring. She proves you can battle with the best and come out okay. The big takeaways are don’t give anyone your dreams and don’t ever give up. No. This isn’t the typical Hollywood ending so don’t think that you don’t have anything new to look forward to. This is a very innovative film.
Macdonald, who is from Australia and had never rapped before, is absolutely fantastic and will win you over instantly, and this is Geremy Jasper’s feature film directorial debut so there is a lot of unfamiliar territory covered here. I recommend you see the pay off from Jasper’s years of being a music video director. You’ll be quite surprised at just how thought provoking and innovative Patti Cake$ turns out to be.

The Killing of a Sacred Deer Trailer

FIRST TRAILER FOR THE KILLING OF A SACRED DEER BRIMS WITH SUSPENSE STEEPED IN SUBURBAN GREEK TRAGEDY. 

From Academy Award-nominated filmmaker Yorgos Lanthimos (THE LOBSTER, DOGTOOTH), starring Colin Farrell and Nicole Kidman

Visit The Killing of a Sacred Deer WEBSITE: http://bit.ly/TheKillingOfASacredDeer…
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In Theaters October 2th

http://www.fandango.com

“Detroit” Extended clip released!

With their dreams on the line, local singing sensation The Dramatics gear up for their debut at the Fox Theatre.  Then everything changes.  See what happens in the new extended clip from DETROIT.  This is an outstanding and chilling film.  Director Kathryn Bigelow, Academy Award winning director of THE HURT LOCKER and ZERO DARK THIRTY, brings us the gripping story of one of the most terrifying moments during the civil unrest that rocked Detroit in the summer of ’67.  From start to finish you’ll be on the edge of your seat and by the time you leave, you’re not sure you can ever trust anyone again.  Watch this scene that focuses on the moment right before the riot reaches the theatre and showcases the talent of actor Algee Smith who plays Larry, the lead singer of The Dramatics.  See it today at a theatre near you to find out what happens next!

From start to finish you’ll be on the edge of your seat and by the time you leave, you’re not sure you can ever trust anyone again.  Watch this scene that focuses on the moment right before the riot reaches the theatre and showcases the talent of actor Algee Smith who plays Larry, the lead singer of The Dramatics.  See it today at a theatre near you to find out what happens next!   

Director: Kathryn Bigelow

Writer: Mark Boal

Cast: John Boyega, Will Poulter, Algee Smith, Jacob Latimore, Jason Mitchell, Hannah Murray, Kaitlyn Dever, Jack Reynor, Ben O’Toole, Joseph  David Jones, Ephraim Sykes, Leon Thomas III, Nathan Davis Jr., Peyton Alex Smith, Malcolm David Kelley, Gbenga Akinnabve, Chris Chalk, Jeremy Strong, Laz Alonzo, Austin Hebert, Miguel Pimentel, Kris Davis, with John Krasinski and Anthony Mackie

DETROIT is now playing in theaters nationwide. 

Get tickets here: http://annapur.na/DETROITtix  

DETROIT Official Channels

WEBSITE: Detroit.Movie

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#DetroitMovie