“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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The Glass Castle Movie Review

The story The Glass Castle is from a memoir written by 80’s gossip columnist, Jeanette Wells.  It’s about her very unconventional upbringing that gave us a fabulous subject to read about and now makes a fascinating film to watch.  Incredibly unorthodox or even oddball parents of four young children, Rex (Harrelson) and Rose Mary (Watts), decide to go off the grid with the kids.  Sick of people, especially government, telling them what to do and how to do it, they now decide what’s best.  They don’t want their brood of three girls and one boy taught in public schools because schools can’t teach them what having real life experiences can, nor can it pass on what they, Rex and Rose Mary, can themselves.  Wandering around mostly homeless is a lot to take on but the challenge is faced with eyes wide open.

Rose Mary is an artist so moving from place to place and living off the land gives her an opportunity to be in touch with the outdoors which is often the setting and the subject of her paintings.  Though she gives Rex some pushback, she does agree that it exposes the children to an environment they wouldn’t otherwise have a chance to experience.

Rex is a free spirit who comes more from a place of anger.  Intelligent like his mother, he wants the kids to touch a cactus and get poked rather than read about its piercing needles.  Unfortunately, and examples of this are plentiful in the film, he walks a fine line between devotion and callousness.  This is also something he inherited from his mother.  Leaving home, he now gets to live free but is he truly considering the family or feeding his narcissistic tendencies?  I’ll let you determine that on your own.  Director Cretton and Harrelson do an exceptional job of making that easy for you decide.

The title of the film comes from a promise Rex has made through their years of traveling from state to state and moving from one worn down dump to another.  Each time they actually live in a home, he tells the hungry and fatigued yet ambitious children that he’ll build them a castle made of glass.  He always piques their interest by showing their enthusiastic minds his designs for it and in one home they even pitch in to build its foundation… which eventually becomes a landfill.  As time goes by and the hole fills, they still do whatever they’re told and still remain loyal to show their love, trust and belief in him.  It’s excruciating to watch Rex himself crack what holds the family together.

Harrelson is intense as he brings Rex to life.  He’s well cast as a control freak that would rather drink himself unconscious than feed his children.  Watts matches wits with Harrelson as a caring mother who stays an adoring wife, going along with what he says not matter what the situation is. 
Brie Larson joins the cast halfway through and picks up where two younger actresses left off playing the younger versions of the smart, strong and fiercely opinionated and independent, Jeannette.  She does the character justice by showing the painful transition of a child following orders to a young adult realizing the very real circumstances and station in life they’re now facing.  Respect and affection for her parents are questioned and what makes The Glass Castle such an exceptional story is how it shows that you can still have both yet do what’s ultimately best for you.

This is quite an incredibly moving story with remarkable performances from the children on up and I highly recommend you see this as soon as you can.  Two notes for you… bring a tissue and stay for the pictures at the end.

Brigsby Bear Movie Review

Brigsby Bear is nothing if not quirky.  It’s a story about a boy who never has to give up his childish things because, essentially, he never has to grow up.  Well, until he’s rescued, that is.  I’ll explain. 
In the situation the main character, James (Mooney), finds himself, he wouldn’t know how to grow up so the subject would never be breached.  He lives in a perfect world with supportive parents who love him, take good care of him and always let him watch his favorite show, Brigsby Bear. 
Not unlike a popular children’s show of any era, from Mister Rogers to Barney, Brigsby Bear is fun and educational and James has watched it so long he couldn’t live without it.  It’s who he is.  It’s who he is because it was actually produced for him by his parents to teach him what they wanted him to learn and to inject only their feelings and belief system.

It turns out, though always taken care of by them, James’ parents, Ted (Hamill) and April (Adams), kidnapped him when he was a baby and they’ve been keeping him in an underground bunker, in the middle of the desert, ever since.  Sadly, never being around other children or seeing the real world, James is childlike, yet he’s in his twenties.  He’s immature and his life is only what they have allowed it to be. 
He hasn’t mentally grown beyond the age of a ten-year-old and his mind knows only what Ted and April have fed it.  The world of Brigsby, a sci-fi series given to him to watch on VHS, has so penetrated his psyche that no amount of truth could drill it out.  It’s who he is.  This is tested when the police finally discover what Ted and April have done and come to ruin the only world James has ever known.   

When he is taken away from the only parents he has ever known, he meets Detective Vogel (Kinnear) and his birth family and is introduced to the harsh reality of the real world; most especially, that the Brigsby Bear show is gone forever.  Or is it?  Saying too much will give away what’s so compelling about this flick.  It’s completely original… strangely and so absurdly unlike anything I’ve seen before.  An adult who acts like a child because he has been treated as one his whole life.  What a fascinating concept.  Saying too much at this point would give away the plot. 

He does try and thwart having to grow-up as much as he can but when he looks at the broader picture, he knows what he has to do to grow up and finally move on.  All he asks of everyone is to let him do it in his own way.  It’s this part that makes this narrative so unique.  Well, that and the unconventional jokes that make you draw back a bit… but that’s all on purpose.      

Brigsby Bear is an amusing ride.  There are a few bumps in the road but overall the story has heart, integrity and is surprisingly clever.  You’d do well to put it on your summer must-see list for the experience of watching the cooperation, love and support that helps a man-child become a man.  The saying goes that it takes a village to raise a child so imagine… 

Annabelle: Creation Movie Review

First in 2013 came ‘The Conjuring’, which later brought ‘The Conjuring 2’ and a movie called ‘Annabelle’, which was a spooky possessed doll first seen in ‘The Conjuring’. Now this movie ‘Annabelle: Creation’ goes way back to determine the reason this doll is so evil. It is basically an excuse to create a non-stop scare machine that runs in turbo mode. And it does that very well.

Samuel Mullins (Anthony LaPaglia) and Esther Mullins (Miranda Otto) have a little girl nicknamed ‘Bee’. Samuel is a dollmaker by trade and he is the one who created the ‘Annabelle’ doll. But the daughter dies tragically at a young age. Their house is empty for twelve years, until they open it up for new guests. The people moving in are orphans and a young nun named Sister Charlotte (Stephanie Sigman). One of the orphans is named Janice (Talitha Bateman) who suffers from polio and is crippled in one leg. Another orphan is Linda (Lulu Wilson), who is close friends with Janice.

All the orphans are told to stay out of a locked room, which was the dead daughter’s bedroom. Of course, this being a horror movie, Janice goes in there and (JUMP SCARE!) finds a secret locked room containing the ‘Annabelle’ doll. Soon things go very haywire (LOUD SCREECHING STRING NOISES!) and soon Janice is fighting off a demon (DOOR SLAM!). Linda wants to protect her friend but (QUICK CUT TO GLOWING EYES IN THE DARK!) the monster comes after her.

Mr. Mullins thinks he can control the evil (SOUND OF BONES CRACKING!) but that does not end well. Mrs. Mullins, who was attacked many years ago, by the creature, is set up for another attack (BLOODY IMAGES!). Also, that does not end well. Sister Charlotte does her best to protect the children (FLASH OF A SHARP KNIFE!) and ends up knocked out on the floor. Janice may have become a victim of the ‘Annabelle’ horror (JUMP SCARE!). Will the orphans and Sister Charlotte be able to get to safety and (SCARY SCARECROW ALERT!) contain the horrible monster?

This movie follows the basic formula of what a horror movie should be. It does follow the guidelines very well. All the dark backgrounds with a glimmer of movement are there. All the rising string crescendos that get louder and louder as the screen slowly zooms into a scary image are there. All the normal, standard common things are there, but they are done really well. This movie does not break any new ground, but the results are spooky and effective.

The acting is perfectly fine, with most of the good shots saved for reacting. Reacting to sounds, to quick sudden events, to all the weird paranormal things that are going on around them. As it always goes in these movies, everyone does the least logical thing to keep the scary stuff going on. Not supposed to go into that room? Sure, get in there – why not? Not supposed to open a locked door? Hey, here’s the key, go and get that possessed evil doll – that’s ok…

Yup, there is the normal amount of (JUMP SCARE!) and (BLOODY IMAGES!) that you would expect in a horror movie. “Annabelle: Creation” does not disappoint.

Wind River Movie Review

Taylor Sheridan has written the screenplays for some terrific movies, including ‘Sicario’ and ‘Hell or High Water’. Now you can add ‘Wind River’ to his growing list of accomplishments. On top of that, he also directed this movie. Sheridan is becoming a major player in Hollywood. ‘Sicario’ was set in the American Southwest and Northern Mexico. ‘Hell or High Water’ was set in West Texas. Now ‘Wind River’ is set in the Pacific Mountain West, and it is brutal look at the land and people who live there.

Cory Lambert (Jeremy Renner) works for U.S. government in Wyoming for Fish and Wildlife department. He is in charge of ‘predator control’, meaning he tracks and kills wolves, mountain lions and the like. One day he is out tracking and he finds the body of a young Indian woman. She is from the Wind River reservation. His ex-wife is also from the ‘rez’, so he goes and checks out what they say. He meets the Tribal Police Chief Ben (Graham Greene) and meets with the father of the young woman. Martin (Gil Birmingham) is the father and he is heart-broken.

 

They all meet up with a young and inexperienced FBI agent, Jane Banner (Elizabeth Olsen). she was sent to help solve the murder. The young woman was raped and beaten, then while bleeding still she ran six miles barefoot in the snow. However, the local coroner is not helping. Even with the amount of violence heaped on her, he will not mark the cause of death as ‘murder’. The FBI will not send any more resources in to help out. Jane must ask Cory for his help, even though he is not in law enforcement.

Cory knows how to track, so that is how he helps. They go out and discover another body. So there is plenty of bad stuff going on. They just need to see what is behind it all. They go with Chief Ben to visit the young woman’s druggie brother and a couple of loser friends. That ends in a violent confrontation. But they learn that the woman had a white boyfriend named Matt (Jon Bernthal). Matt works on a security team at a nearby oil rig setup, about six miles from where Cory found the body.

Cory and Jane are beginning to think that some things are starting to come together, as a cloud of suspicion falls over Matt. So they plan for a trip out the oil rig location to find out what the people stationed there know about Matt or the woman. If they can place Matt somewhere near the place where Cory found her body, then they might be able to solve the case. But could there be more twists and turns in store for the investigators?

 

Jeremy Renner plays Cory in a very understated manner. He is not flashy, but focused – his character also has a tragic past with a dead daughter. He agrees to assist Jane because she is out of her depth when she is out on the reservation and in the wilderness. He portrays a dedicated man in touch with deep inner sense of justice, and he is not afraid to be a tracker/hunter for all types of predators.

Elizabeth Olsen does a wonderful job as Jane. Because her character is struggling in an overwhelming situation, she uses the talents of the people around her; Cory, Chief Ben and others. She is not afraid to confront wrongdoers, and she can take charge when she needs to. She has a palpable sense of outrage over the young woman’s rape and murder. The local customs and traits of the reservation are alien to her, and she out of her range when in the wilds of Wyoming.

The rest of the cast fits in perfectly with all the roles helping move the story along. The pacing is slower at the beginning, and then there are some areas where the danger and suspense kicks in and keeps you tense. It is an intriguing story that marries the reservation world with the larger one surrounding it. It keeps you wanting to learn more of Cory’s background and what makes him tick. You want to see a murder solved, even if the local coroner is not able to declare it a ‘murder’.

Justice must be served, and it is served in the chilly snow of the Rocky Mountain peaks. Taylor Sheridan has created a new genre with this movie. I would call it ‘Snow Noir’.

Second Nature Trailer

Time to Flip the Glass Ceiling.

New Sam Huntington comedy “Second Nature”, directed and co-written by Michael Cross, will get a wide release this September through Nicholas Gyeney’s Mirror Images LTD.  The film, also produced by Gyeney – a filmmaker himself whose Beta Test received a wide theatrical release in 2016 – teams Huntington (Superman Returns, Sully) with Interstellar’s Collette Wolfe.  

Amanda (Wolfe) uses a magic mirror to reverse the gender roles in her small town, she gains the upper hand on her womanizing opponent, Bret (Hungtinton). As each experiences life in the other’s shoes, they must decide which reality they prefer before they’re stuck in the flipped world forever.
 
Second Nature, which premiered at the Napa Valley Film Festival, marks the feature debut of Michael Cross.  Theatrically, the film is scheduled to open in theaters starting September 8th so check your local theatres to see if it’s playing near you!!  Not to worry if it isn’t, Second Nature will be available on iTunes, Amazon, Google Play, Vudu, Blu-ray and DVD on September 19th.

In Theaters September 8th

http://www.fandango.com

mother! Trailer

Directed by: Darren Aronofsky

Starring: Jennifer Lawrence, Javier Bardem, Ed Harris and Michelle Pfeiffer 

Written by: Darren Aronofsky


A couple’s relationship is tested when uninvited guests arrive at their home, disrupting their tranquil existence. From filmmaker Darren Aronofsky (Black Swan, Requiem for a Dream), mother! stars Jennifer Lawrence, Javier Bardem, Ed Harris and Michelle Pfeiffer in this riveting psychological thriller about love, devotion and sacrifice.

mother! Official Channels

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Website: MotherMovie.com  

In Theaters September 15th

http://www.fandango.com

Eli Roth’s Death Wish Trailer is here!

DEATH WISH

Release Date: November 22, 2017

Genre: Action-Thriller

Director: Eli Roth

Screenplay: Joe Carnahan, based on a novel by Brian Garfield

Producer: Roger Birnbaum

Cast: Bruce Willis, Vincent D’Onofrio, Elisabeth Shue, Camila Morrone, Dean Norris and Kimberly Elise

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures presents director Eli Roth’s reimagining of the classic 1974 revenge thriller Death Wish. Dr. Paul Kersey (Bruce Willis) is a surgeon who only sees the aftermath of Chicago violence when it is rushed into his ER – until his wife (Elisabeth Shue) and college-age daughter (Camila Morrone) are viciously attacked in their suburban home. With the police overloaded with crimes, Paul, burning for revenge, hunts his family’s assailants to deliver justice. As the anonymous slayings of criminals grabs the media’s attention, the city wonders if this deadly vigilante is a guardian angel or a grim reaper. Fury and fate collide in the intense, action-thriller Death Wish.

Paul Kersey becomes a divided person: A man who saves lives, and a man who takes them; a husband and father trying to take care of his family, and a shadowy figure fighting Chicago crime; a surgeon extracting bullets from suspects’ bodies, and the vigilante called “The Grim Reaper” who detectives are quickly closing in on.

Updated from the original novel by Brian Garfield, director Eli Roth  and screenwriter Joe Carnahan’s (The Grey, Narc) Death Wish also stars Vincent D’Onofrio (The Magnificent Seven, TV’s Daredeviland Law & Order: Criminal Intent), Elisabeth Shue (Leaving Las Vegas), Camila Morrone, Dean Norris (Breaking Bad) and Kimberly Elise (The Great Debaters). It’s a knife’s-edge portrayal that challenges our assumptions, and pushes our buttons.

By bringing the complex psychology of Brian Garfield’s book up-to-the-moment and injecting new thrills and a stark, unflinching look at the American psyche in 2017, Eli Roth and Death Wish brings audiences to the height of unforgettable suspense.

DEATH WISH Official Channels

Site: http://deathwish.movie/ 

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In Theaters November 22nd

http://www.fandango.com

The Dark Tower Movie Review

By now, we’re all used to movies being two hours long, right?  That’s the norm these days.  With The Dark Tower at only 95 minutes, I felt I had just adjusted myself in the seat and I was hopping out of it again headed home.  Part of why it felt short was because what should have been an imaginative and vivid excursion across worlds, that promised so much, was dark (as in hard to see) and dull; almost as exciting as someone reading a menu.  Well, maybe not THAT dull.  There are a few moments that will thrill you.  The scenes that center on guns and bullets are quite enterprising but that’s about all The Dark Tower brings.  A scene fighting monsters is so amateurish if I had been watching a student film, I would have graded it higher.  

Perhaps directed by someone other than Nikolaj Arcel, who doesn’t have very much directing experience other than the film, A Royal Affair, we would have a much better, action-packed, colorful thriller on our hands.  Arcel may want to stick to writing which he is very good at doing.  As it is, we have this disjointed, routine, uninspired misfire that falls short of the expectations of, not only the general audience but of most of the Stephen King fans that have seen it.

The Dark Tower is a movie based on a series of eight King books; it’s number seven in the set.  The Tower, itself is a point where all universes connect.  The film is about Good vs. Evil but doesn’t give the impression that it believes in either.  Being that it’s a series, bringing number seven about doesn’t make sense and also leaves one to wonder if the previous six books are crammed into one film.  If so, this could be why it appears to be so vexing and why King fans are not or will not be too happy.  What is being missed and what is the point in doing this to a wonderful, successful series?

Anyway, rather quickly, we are introduced to the antagonist of the tale, the Man in Black, played mutedly by Matthew McConaughey.  We also meet Jake Chambers, (Tom Taylor).  He’s a young boy who has the ‘Shine.’  The Shine, referenced also in the King book and film, The Shining, is an amazing psychic ability.  The presence is strong with this one!  The Man in Black only wants to use Jake’s powers to his advantage to destroy the Tower but is also aware that the ‘mind of a child’ can work against him and this plan. 

We then make the acquaintance of the protagonist, Roland (Idris Elba), also known as a Gunslinger.  His guns are made from the metal of the Excalibur and he is the last living Knight who has the strength to defend the universe against the Man in Black.  What’s on the other side of the universe is death and destruction and the Tower is the only thing holding it back.  Children like Jake, and their strong, potent, telepathic minds, are being used to attack the Tower. 

In the beginning, we see that Jake has fevered dreams about the destruction of his world.  He stumbles on the mid-world of his dreams and meets the Gunslinger.  This Gunslinger is sold as powerful and almost unbeatable but the film almost immediately turns on that theme and shows him to be weak and vulnerable to a tiny stab and to infection.  Jake meets Roland, teams up with him to help stop evil from winning, there are battles and… The End.  Yes.  It’s like that.

So, maybe if you love the books and would like to examine this close enough to look for a few of the Easter eggs within, such as the Shine and the Man in Black seeming to resemble Randall Flagg, the bad guy from, The Stand, check it out for the curiosity factor.  I’d recommend going to the matinee or waiting for cable release.  Either way, you’re going to be disappointed in the results.  Maybe pick up a book instead?  

An Inconvenient Sequel: Truth to Power

A decade after AN INCONVENIENT TRUTH brought climate change into the heart of popular culture, comes the riveting and rousing follow-up that shows just how close we are to a real energy revolution. Vice President Al Gore continues his tireless fight traveling around the world training an army of climate champions and influencing international climate policy. Cameras follow him behind the scenes – in moments both private and public, funny and poignant — as he pursues the inspirational idea that while the stakes have never been higher, the perils of climate change can be overcome with human ingenuity and passion.

 
With the White House threatening to leave the Paris Climate Change Agreement, I cannot imagine a better time to go to the theatre and learn all you can about what this means to you and the future of your world!!!  DO NOT MISS THIS FILM!

#BeInconvenient

AIS Official Channels

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Website: InconvenientSequel.com