BOY ERASED and ON THE BASIS OF SEX Release Date Announcements

Focus Features will release Anonymous Content’s BOY ERASED on November 2, 2018 (limited), moving off of September 28, and Participant Media’s ON THE BASIS OF SEX on December 25, 2018 (limited), moving off of November 9, both in North America.  

About BOY ERASED:

Academy Award® nominee Lucas Hedges (Manchester By the Sea) stars alongside Academy Award® winners Nicole Kidman (“Big Little Lies”, The Hours) and Russell Crowe (Gladiator, A Beautiful Mind) in Anonymous Content’s BOY ERASED.  Joel Edgerton (The Gift, Loving) directs, writes, produces and co-stars in the emotional coming-of-age and coming out drama about a young man’s journey to self-acceptance.  

BOY ERASEDtells the story of Jared (Hedges), the son of a Baptist pastor in a small American town, who is outed to his parents (Kidman and Crowe) at age 19.  Jared is faced with an ultimatum: attend a conversion therapy program – or be permanently exiled and shunned by his family, friends, and faith.  Boy Erased is the true story of one young man’s struggle to find himself while being forced to question every aspect of his identity. 

Edgerton produces alongside Anonymous Content’s Kerry Kohansky-Roberts and Steve Golin, an Academy Award-winning producer of Best Picture Oscar winner Spotlight.  Troye Sivan, Xavier Dolan, Cherry Jones, Michael “Flea” Balzary, Joe Alwyn, Emily Hinkler, Jesse LaTourette, David Joseph Craig, Théodore Pellerin, Madelyn Cline, and Britton Sear co-star. BOY ERASED will be released by Focus Features.

About ON THE BASIS OF SEX

Academy Award® nominee Felicity Jones stars in ON THE BASIS OF SEX, the inspiring and spirited true story that follows young lawyer Ruth Bader Ginsburg as she teams with her husband Marty to bring a groundbreaking case before the U.S. Court of Appeals and overturn a century of gender discrimination.  The feature will premiere in 2018 in line with Justice Ginsburg’s 25th anniversary on the Supreme Court.

For ON THE BASIS OF SEX, Jones is joined by co-stars Armie Hammer as Marty Ginsburg, Justin Theroux, Academy Award® winner Kathy Bates, Academy Award® nominee Sam Waterston, Jack Reynor, and Cailee Spaeny.  Mimi Leder (Deep Impact, “The Leftovers”) directs with Robert Cort producing a screenplay written by Daniel Stiepleman.  ON THE BASIS OF SEXwill be released by Focus Features.

EVIL RESURFACES IN DERRY AS CAMERAS ROLL ON NEW LINE CINEMA’S “IT CHAPTER TWO”

BURBANK, CA, July 2, 2018 – Principal photography has begun on New Line Cinema’s “IT CHAPTER TWO,” director Andy Muschietti’s follow-up to 2017’s critically acclaimed and massive worldwide box office hit “IT,” which grossed over $700 million globally.  Both redefining and transcending the genre, “IT” became part of the cultural zeitgeist as well as the highest-grossing horror film of all time.

Because every 27 years evil revisits the town of Derry, Maine, “IT CHAPTER TWO” brings the characters—who’ve long since gone their separate ways—back together as adults, nearly three decades after the events of the first film.  Bill Skarsgård returns in the seminal role of Pennywise.  James McAvoy (“Split,” upcoming “Glass”) stars as Bill, Oscar nominee Jessica Chastain (“Zero Dark Thirty,” “Mama”) as Beverly, Bill Hader (HBO’s “Barry,” “The Skeleton Twins”) as Richie, Isaiah Mustafa (TV’s “Shadowhunters: The Mortal Instruments”) as Mike, Jay Ryan (TV’s “Mary Kills People”) as Ben, James Ransone (HBO’s “The Wire”) as Eddie, and Andy Bean (“Allegiant,” Starz’ “Power”) as Stanley. 

Reprising their roles as the original members of the Losers Club are Jaeden Lieberher as Bill, Wyatt Oleff as Stanley, Sophia Lillis as Beverly, Finn Wolfhard as Richie, Jeremy Ray Taylor as Ben, Chosen Jacobs as Mike, and Jack Dylan Grazer as Eddie.

Muschietti directs from a screenplay by Gary Dauberman (“IT,” “Annabelle: Creation”) based on the novel by Stephen King.  Barbara Muschietti, Dan Lin and Roy Lee are producing the film.  Marty Ewing, Seth Grahame-Smith and David Katzenberg are the executive producers.

The behind-the-scenes creative team includes director of photography Checco Varese (“The 33”), Oscar-winning production designer Paul D. Austerberry (“The Shape of Water”), editor Jason Ballantine (“IT,” “Mad Max: Fury Road”), and Oscar-nominated costume designer Luis Sequeira (“The Shape of Water,” “Mama”).

Production will take place in Toronto, Canada.

Set to open in theaters September 6, 2019, “IT CHAPTER TWO” is a New Line Cinema production.  It will be distributed worldwide by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company.

Photo Caption:

(L-r) JESSICA CHASTAIN as Beverly, JAMES McAVOY as Bill, ISAIAH MUSTAFA as Mike, JAY RYAN as Ben, JAMES RANSONE as Eddie, BILL HADER as Richie and ANDY BEAN as Stanley in New Line Cinema’s horror thriller “IT CHAPTER TWO,” a Warner Bros. Pictures release.   Photo by Brooke Palmer

Check out these fun ‘MAMMA MIA! HERE WE GO AGAIN’ featurettes!

In these featurettes, Meryl Streep discusses how Lily James stepped into the role as Donna, and the cast and crew talk about their favorite Cher-able moment!

Get ready to sing and dance, laugh and love all over again.

 

Ten years after Mamma Mia! The Movie grossed more than $600 million around the world, you are invited to return to the magical Greek island of Kalokairi in an all-new original musical based on the songs of ABBA.  With the film’s original cast returning and new additions including Lily James (Cinderella, Baby Driver), the musical comedy will open on July 20, 2018.

Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again is produced by Judy Craymer and Gary Goetzman, producers of the original film.  Craymer is also the creator and producer of the worldwide smash-hit stage musical.  

Ol Parker, writer of The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, writes and directs the sequel from a story by Catherine Johnson, Richard Curtis and Parker.  Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus return to provide music and lyrics and serve as executive producers.  Tom Hanks, Rita Wilson, Phyllida Lloyd, Richard Curtis and Nicky Kentish Barnes also serve as executive producers.

Reprising their roles from Mamma Mia! The Movie are Academy Award® winner Meryl Streep as Donna, Julie Walters as Rosie and Christine Baranski as Tanya.  Amanda Seyfried and Dominic Cooper reunite as Sophie and Sky, while Pierce Brosnan, Stellan Skarsgård and Oscar® winner Colin Firth return to play Sophie’s three possible dads: Sam, Bill and Harry.

As the film goes back and forth in time to show how relationships forged in the past resonate in the present, James will play the role of Young Donna.  Filling the roles of Young Rosie and Young Tanya are Alexa Davies (A Brilliant Young Mind) and Jessica Keenan Wynn (Broadway’s Beautiful).  Young Sam will be played by Jeremy Irvine (War Horse), while Young Bill is Josh Dylan (Allied) and Young Harry is Hugh Skinner (Kill Your Friends).  www.mammamiamovie.com

Genre: Musical Comedy

Cast: Meryl Streep, Pierce Brosnan, Colin Firth, Stellan Skarsgård, Julie Walters, Dominic Cooper, Amanda Seyfried, Christine Baranski, Lily James, Josh Dylan, Hugh Skinner, Jeremy Irvine, Alexa Davies, Jessica Keenan Wynn, Andy Garcia and Cher

Directed by: Ol Parker

Screenplay by: Ol Parker

Story by: Catherine Johnson, Richard Curtis, Ol Parker

Produced by: Judy Craymer, Gary Goetzman

Executive Producers: Benny Andersson, Björn Ulvaeus, Tom Hanks, Rita Wilson, Phyllida Lloyd, Richard Curtis, Nicky Kentish Barnes

MAMMA MIA! HERE WE GO AGAIN – In Theaters July 20

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Alpha – Trailer

Mankind meets man’s best friend.

An epic adventure set in the last Ice Age, ALPHA tells a fascinating, visually stunning story that shines a light on the origins of man’s best friend. While on his first hunt with his tribe’s most elite group, a young man is injured and must learn to survive alone in the wilderness. Reluctantly taming a lone wolf abandoned by its pack, the pair learn to rely on each other and become unlikely allies, enduring countless dangers and overwhelming odds in order to find their way home before winter arrives.

Directed By: Albert Hughes Starring: Natassia Malthe, Kodi Smit-McPhee and Leonor Varela


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In Theaters August 17th

http://www.fandango.com

‘Glass’ – The announcement we’ve all been waiting for…

GLASS

 

In Theaters January 18, 2019

M. Night Shyamalan brings together the narratives of two of his standout originals—2000’s Unbreakable, from Touchstone, and 2016’s Split, from Universal—in one explosive, all-new comic-book thriller: Glass.

From Unbreakable, Bruce Willis returns as David Dunn as does Samuel L. Jackson as Elijah Price, known also by his pseudonym Mr. Glass.  Joining from Split are James McAvoy, reprising his role as Kevin Wendell Crumb and the multiple identities who reside within, and Anya Taylor-Joy as Casey Cooke, the only captive to survive an encounter with The Beast. 

Following the conclusion of Split, Glass finds Dunn pursuing Crumb’s superhuman figure of The Beast in a series of escalating encounters, while the shadowy presence of Price emerges as an orchestrator who holds secrets critical to both men.

Joining the all-star cast are Unbreakable’s Spencer Treat Clark and Charlayne Woodard, who reprise their roles as Dunn’s son and Price’s mother, as well as Golden Globe Award winner Sarah Paulson (American Horror Story series).

This riveting culmination of his worldwide blockbusters is produced by Shyamalan and Blumhouse Production’s Jason Blum, who also produced the writer/director’s previous two films for Universal.  They produce again with Ashwin Rajan and Marc Bienstock, and Steven Schneider, who executive produces.

A Blinding Edge Pictures and Blumhouse production, Glass will be released by Universal Pictures in North America on January 18, 2019, and by Buena Vista International abroad.

Cast: Bruce Willis, Samuel L. Jackson, James McAvoy, Anya Taylor-Joy, Spencer Treat Clark, Charlayne Woodard and Sarah Paulson

Written and Directed by: M. Night Shyamalan

Produced by: M. Night Shyamalan, Jason Blum, Ashwin Rajan, Marc Bienstock

Executive Producer: Steven Schneider

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‘Mission: Impossible – Fallout’ Links, Images and New Featurette Available!

 Mission: Impossible – Fallout 

ETHAN HUNT AND HIS IMF TEAM ARE BACK FOR THEIR BIGGEST MISSION YET  

Experience Mission: Impossible – Fallout in theatres, RealD 3D and IMAX on July 27, 2018

Tickets Available Now!

SYNOPSIS

The best intentions often come back to haunt you. MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE – FALLOUT finds Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) and his IMF team (Alec Baldwin, Simon Pegg, Ving Rhames) along with some familiar allies (Rebecca Ferguson, Michelle Monaghan) in a race against time after a mission gone wrong.  Henry Cavill, Angela Bassett, and Vanessa Kirby also join the dynamic cast with filmmaker Christopher McQuarrie returning to the helm.

WRITTEN & DIRECTED BY

Christopher McQuarrie

PRODUCED BY

Tom Cruise, Christopher McQuarrie, Jake Myers, J.J. Abrams

STARRING

Tom Cruise, Henry Cavill, Simon Pegg, Rebecca Ferguson, Ving Rhames, Sean Harris, Angela Bassett, Vanessa Kirby,

Michelle Monaghan, Alec Baldwin, Wes Bentley, Frederick Schmidt

www.MissionImpossible.com

#MissionImpossible

Sicario: Day of the Soldado Movie Review

The definition of the word Sicario is a hired gunman or assassin, esp. in Latin America. The film ‘Sicario,’ starring Emily Blunt, Josh Brolin and Benicio Del Toro was an incredibly powerful and violent film that took audiences by surprise. Director Denis Villeneuve, who went on to direct ‘Arrival’ and ‘Blade Runner: 2049’ didn’t direct ‘Sicario: Day of the Solado,’ which may be surprising to learn when you consider the fact that it was nominated for three Oscars. That said, it was instead directed by Stefano Sollima, who very much did carry on the dark brutality that both stories, written by Taylor Sheridan, who wrote ‘Wind River’ and ‘Hell or High Water,’ required. Not pulling punches, Sollima moves the second tale of the franchise, not quite a sequel but more of an offshoot, at an electric pace.

The film starts by showing a group of individuals being smuggled over the U.S. border from Mexico. This has turned into a substantial for-profit business for the Mexican Cartel as many of them are terrorists willing to pay big dollars. Rather than be caught, these men are prepared to and do blow themselves up if cornered. Pivotal to what’s going on in American politics today, several do the deed in a store. The last one alive is about to take his life for the cause and consequently end the lives of everyone around him, is confronted by a white woman as she begs for him to spare her and her child… thus the theme of the narrative materializes. The comparisons to today can’t be ignored.

The U.S. Secretary of Defense (Modine) hires government agent Matt Graver (Brolin) to help them seal Mexico off and make it appear as necessary to do so as possible. They want to stop the Mexican cartels once and for all. As unscrupulous and underhanded as he is, he suggests getting dirty and to make it appear as if one of the other cartels initiates the fight by attacking the other. He tells them they’re going to have to ‘kidnap a prince’ and explains that the king will start the war for you. He hires the unforgiving Alejandro (Del Toro) to help him kidnap rich, spoiled Isabela Reyes (Moner) the teenage daughter of the notorious cartel leader, Carlos Reyes. They stage everything to look like a rival gang of her fathers has her by allowing her to see pertinent information so she can relay it all back to her father. After, they set in motion a rescue. However, nothing ever goes as planned.
Day of the Solado, a word that means soldier, explores what it means to be a soldier, which is an enforcer of the rules he’s lead by, and what it means to be a man with a conscience. When Alejandro finds himself having to choose between the two, a second story emerges and helps rounds out the reasons for shootouts and the action and criminal element of the film and the more political motivation of the script.

Isabela Reyes is a character you’ll grow to abhor less as the movie winds down. Isabela Moner is an actress you’ll grow to adore as she does a fantastic job giving you what her director asks of her, but the script could have been a little more pointed as to what is expected from its audience. In fact, all the characters were hard for you to read, except for one and that’s Cynthia Foards. Played by Catherine Keener, Foards is a badass who isn’t in touch with her feelings and doesn’t care about yours, especially when it comes time to order a scene to be cleaned.

Even though it’s nothing like ‘Sicario,’ the acting in ‘Sicario: Day of the Solado’ is reason enough to see the second chapter. Oddly, it doesn’t necessarily matter which order you see them in but if you’re a fan of the genre, see them both. Also, you might be happy to learn there is a plan for number three. How it’s presented in the film will definitely leave you scratching your head… but in a good way, I promise.

Leave No Trace – Movie Review

‘Leave No Trace,’ a film based on the novel ‘My Abandonment’ by Peter Rock, which was written from a 2004 article in ‘The Oregonian’ about a girl discovered to be living in Forest Park with her father, is about a troubled veteran living illegally on public land in Portland, Oregon with his young daughter. As members of the human race, we must vow to protect this world. A member of the Armed Forces takes the ‘Oath of Enlistment,’ which states they will, Support and Defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic.
However, and unfortunately, what they’ve been finding when they get out of the service are promises made to them, broken without shame. Chief among those promises include that they are taken care of. Our service members are committing suicide at a rate of twenty-two per day. When they come back to their families, they’re not the same people they were when they were last home and with a VA and health care system unable to properly understand their Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder or PTSD, they often feel alone, shattered, powerless and scared.

In ‘Leave No Trace,’ a drama filled with analogies and parallels for what the human race can do to help one another and save itself, we find that we’d get a lot of assistance from nature, as well, if we’d only be willing to let it. Director Debra Granik (Winter’s Bone) shows us many examples of this ideology being embraced by her main character, Will (Foster). Will and his daughter Tom (McKenzie) are living off the grid, on their own and surviving just fine without societies rules being imposed on them. Granik’s methodology is to start her story by taking us through their daily chores of collecting water, eggs, and mushrooms and Will teaching Tom to cover her tracks and other techniques he learned in the military.
He’s aware she can’t miss out on a proper education and teaches her everything he learned in school but living off the land is giving her a scholarship we’d all be lucky to receive. She’s being trained how to respect, properly use, appreciate and give back to the earth. Currently, they’re living in a massive park but due to a mistake made by Tom, they’re spotted.
They’re removed right away and once tested, it’s deemed Will is well enough to give his daughter a proper home. He must also put her into school to be suitably socialized. The state helps him and sets them up with a small home working on a Christmas Tree farm where he is to work to pay for rent. Immediately, he feels like a bear trapped in a cage and grows restless.

At this stage in the narrative, we’re already wondering how they’ve reached this point in their lives, especially when Tom meets a youngster her age and makes what might be her first friend. She seems so delighted and you instinctively feel happy for her, yet at the same time are heartbroken for Will. The balancing act going on at in the story keeps you highly absorbed and perplexed at the same time. You rightly empathize with their situation but Granik purposefully shoots the chopping down of beautiful budding trees and your state of mind can’t help but be manipulated by the display. This is not the schooling Will wants for Tom and not how he’s capable of living so he wakes her in the middle of the night and they’re off. She wanted to stay but as before, he can’t live under ‘their’ rules. They head north and into a situation neither are prepared for.

What comes next in their journey is uncommon, moving and impactful. Granik is spectacular at giving us the opportunity to get to know these characters and explore their world while at the same time subliminally slipping in the significance, or perhaps forewarning, that it’s our world, too.

I highly recommend this for a theatre watch as does Rotten Tomatoes, who has it ‘Certified Fresh’ with a rating of 100%.

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#LeaveNoTrace

Official Website: http://www.leavenotrace.movie/

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Uncle Drew Movie Review

“Uncle Drew” is a movie that started as a series of viral web ads for Pepsi. Say what!? Yes, the current NBA star Kyrie Irving was put into ‘old man’ make-up and went around basketball courts to show the ‘youngbloods’ how to play the game. Basketball as played by a white-haired old fart – who could actually fool the fresh-faced young fellows into thinking he couldn’t do squat, and then run and jump and dunk on the fools. Yeah, it was good for a while, and then somebody got the brilliant idea to turn that into a full-length movie. And not just one old NBA geezer – let’s have an entire team!

So an orphan kid named Dax (LilRel Howery) who was terrible playing basketball finds himself as coach in midtown New York City. His team has mad skillz and they are ready to play in the Rucker Classic street ball tournament, located in Harlem. His girlfriend Jess (Tiffany Haddish) has eyes on the Classic purse, the big money cash prize that can fuel her next shopping spree. Dax then finds out that his major rival Mookie (Nick Kroll) has stolen his star player, his entire team and his girlfriend. Before you can say ‘urban legend’, Dax meets up with Uncle Drew (Kyrie Irving). Uncle Drew has been out of the spotlight since the ’70s, and his wins at the Rucker Classic are a thing a beauty.

But now Uncle Drew looks like a shriveled up old man. But he still shows Dax he’s got the moves. Drew agrees to play in the Classic, but only if he can get his old team back together. Before you can say ‘road trip’, Dax is onboard Uncle Drew’s customized van, which looks like an outtake form ‘Pimp My Ride’. Drew locates and convinces his past squad to come and play the Classic one more time. He gets Preacher (Chris Webber), but first has to elude Preacher’s wife Betty Lou (Lisa Leslie). She does not want him to go back to his old ways. They then find Lights (Reggie Miller) who has the wants to join in, but might be legally blind. They continue on and next find Boots (Nate Robinson), who is a nursing home. His granddaughter Maya (Erica Ash) says he goes nowhere without her to guide him.

The next stop is to get Big Fella (Shaquille O’Neal). But there is some real bad blood between Uncle Drew and Old Fella, so things might not work out. Dax is ready to get to the Rucker Classic so he can have a winning team. But this group of old fossils have none of the chemistry that they used to have. There is still a big rivalry with Mookie and the players that used to be loyal to Dax. Mookie does nothing but trash-talk the oldsters, so get their old motivations back. Betty Lou finally finds the crew, and she is hopping mad. Not mad they are going to be playing basketball, but more mad that they did not invite her…

Uncle Drew and Big Fella get it worked out, and all the other team plays get a boost of basketball mojo. They take on all the other teams, until it only Dax and Mookie’s up for the final showdown. The Big Fella has a medical scare, and Betty Lou comes in off the bench. But in clutch time, it all comes down to Dax – will he rise to the occasion and be able to take a shot to score for glory?

So you want an old formula ‘sports comeback movie’? Every cliché is in here. There is the two rivals who meet on the court. There is the player who lacks self-confidence, only to come back in the final stretch. There are the old-time players who hold a long standing grudge. There is the key player who gets side-lined with an injury, winds up in the hospital – then displays his wide-load booty in a hospital gown wardrobe accident. Well, maybe that last one is not a cliché, but now you have been warned!

This is a movie that is not looking for any Oscar recognition, especially in the Hair and Makeup Category. The ‘old guy’ looks are passable at best. So Uncle Drew started as a commercial, and it grew into a full length movie. It does not always score, but it does shoot some easy layups. But more often that that, it throws quite a few bricks.

Izzy Gets the F*ck Across Town Movie Review

Izzy, a very brash young woman, wakes up hung over and dizzy in Santa Monica. She’s in the apartment of someone she doesn’t know and who she doesn’t remember meeting. Right at this very moment, and you get the feeling there are many, she knows she must get her life together but continually makes excuses as to why nothing is her fault. Wearing her crumpled catering uniform from the night before, she leaves and finds out that her ex-boyfriend Roger (Russell) is marrying her former best friend. Knowing they were together was bad enough but she can’t stand the idea of forever if she isn’t the person he’s marrying. The rest of the film is about what she does to get to the engagement party and break them up.

Izzy calls in as many chits as she can but has burned every bridge she could possibly to use, finding her journey quite difficult. She tries desperately to get people to understand that this time is different, that she has changed, but that’s what she always says. She’s even, at that moment, getting kicked out of the home she’s been staying in because her friends are done enabling her, something she desperately needs someone to do if she’s ever to get better. Izzy has a strong belief and faith in signs from the universe and attempts to use this faith, and the explanation of destiny, on her friends to get them to help her on her journey, but they’ve had enough. During the rest of the film, we meet people who have tried to help her in the past and who she has regularly not appreciate, disappointed and pushed away, including family.

On her own, she gets creative with her methods of transportation. With the use of a bike, a scooter, a stranger, and theft she manages to make her way to her sister Virginia’s (Coon) house. The defining moment of the film is when the two siblings, once singers in a local band, perform a duet. Davis and Coon sound great together, and the time with her sister, while being used to get what she wants, brings Izzy to realize what she has been missing out on. You’d think by now she would have learned something about herself but even at her sister’s house, something happens that tells you she hasn’t changed, she’s only masking who she truly is.

The trip we take with Izzy is rabid and chaotic and once she reaches her destination, director Christian Papierniak uses color as a way to calm things down a bit, introducing us to the reason for all this pandemonium, Roger. The message of the movie is that Alcoholics don’t need the thing they want, only want what they think they need. It goes for people, too. Does Izzy’s heart remain shattered forever? Does she learn from previous mistakes? Will she get the boy in the end? The ending is what I enjoyed most about, ‘Izzy Gets the Fuck Across Town’ and I think you will too so I’m not about to answer any of those questions… you’ll have to go and see it for yourself.