NEW MOVIES: Oct 10-16, 2024, “We Live in Time,” “10 Lives,” “The Apprentice,” “Daytime Revolution”

WE LIVE IN TIME

WE LIVE IN TIME

We Live in Time is a 2024 romantic drama film directed by John Crowley from a screenplay by Nick Payne. It follows the relationship of a couple (Andrew Garfield and Florence Pugh) over the course of a decade.

The film premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival on 6 September 2024, and is scheduled to be released by StudioCanal in the United Kingdom on 1 January 2025.

Plot

The film is presented in a nonlinear narrative. The following is a linear summary of the plot.

Weetabix representative Tobias Durand, while out purchasing a pen to sign divorce papers served to him by his wife, wanders into the road and is struck by a car driven by Almut Brühl, a former figure skater turned Bavarian-fusion chef. At the hospital, Almut offers to treat Tobias and his wife to a meal at the restaurant she works at, though Tobias does not disclose his divorce to her. On the night of his dinner, Tobias, now separated, goes to the restaurant alone, informing Almut about his divorce. The two have sex and begin living with each other soon after.

Months later, Tobias expresses to Almut his desire to start a family with her and that he’s begun to fall in love with her. Almut viciously rebuffs him, and Tobias leaves without saying a word. Later, at a baby shower for one of Almut’s co-workers, Tobias sneaks in and apologizes to Almut for his hastiness while criticizing the way she responded to him in front of all the guests. Tobias once again professes his love to her and they reconcile.

Cast

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10 LIVES

10 LIVES

10 Lives is a 2024 animated comedy film directed by Chris Jenkins from a screenplay by Jenkins, Karen Wengrod and Ken Cinnamon. The film features the voices of Mo Gilligan, Simone Ashley, Sophie Okonedo, Zayn Malik, Dylan Llewellyn, Jeremy Swift, Tabitha Cross and Bill Nighy. The story follows a pampered housecat named Beckett who totally takes for granted the lucky hand he has been dealt; rescued and loved by Rose, a kind-hearted and passionate student focused on saving the world’s bee population after she looses his ninth life.

10 Lives had its world premiere on January 20, 2024, at the Sundance Film Festival, Park City, Utah.[1] In the United Kingdom, the film classes as a Sky Original, where it became available to watch on Sky Cinema and streaming on Sky’s streaming service NOW. Briarcliff Entertainment acquired the North American distribution rights to the film, and it is set to be released on an underdetermined date in the United States.[2]

Plot

As a kitten, Beckett is adopted by Rose, a student specialised in bees. Later, Rose receives the visit of Larry, her ex-boyfriend, who helps her find a solution to the problem of the recent death of numerous bees. Beckett is jealous and tries to make Larry leave the house but the cat loses his ninth life. Beckett pleads Grace, responsible for the afterlife of animals, to be allowed to return to his former life: the Gatekeeper allows him to return to earth with a new set of lives, but in a variety of different forms: badger, rat, cockroach, parrot, fish, dog and horse.

Cast

  • Mo Gilligan as Beckett, a pampered and selfish housecat. His fur is entirely gray and white and his eyes are yellow and blue with are odd-eyed. He is rescued and loved by Rose.
  • Simone Ashley as Rose, a kind-hearted and passionate student.
  • Sophie Okonedo as Grace, an ethereal, no-nonsense woman with the power to grant Beckett the cat his new lives.
  • Bill Nighy as Professor Craven, Rose’s superior and the main antagonist.
  • Dylan Llewellyn as Larry, Rose’s socially discomfited lab partner.
  • Zayn Malik as Kirk and Cameron, a bee pair of tough-acting twins.
  • Jeremy Swift as Happy, a wisecracking American Pit Bull Terrier.
  • Tabitha Cross as Beatrice

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THE APPRENTICE

THE APPRENTICE

The Apprentice is a 2024 biographical drama film directed by Ali Abbasi and written by Gabriel Sherman. The film stars Sebastian Stan, Jeremy Strong, Martin Donovan, and Maria Bakalova. Its plot examines Donald Trump‘s career as a real estate businessman in New York in the 1970s and 1980s.

The Apprentice had its world premiere at the 77th Cannes Film Festival on May 20, 2024, and is scheduled to be released in the United States on October 11, 2024.[4]

Premise

Set during the early years of Trump’s business career, the film focuses on the relationship of Trump and Roy Cohn, a New York City prosecutor known for working with Senator Joseph McCarthy during the Second Red Scare.[5]

Cast

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DAYTIME REVOLUTION

DAYTIME REVOLUTION

Documentary

 It may sound hard to believe, but John Lennon and Yoko Ono became daytime talk show hosts more than 50 years ago–For one week only.

The new documentary Daytime Revolution, directed by Erik Nelson, chronicles that pop culture moment in February 1972 when John and Yoko took over The Mike Douglas Show, producing and co-hosting the afternoon talker. Kino Lorber plans to release the film on more than 50 screens across the country on October 9 — what would have been Lennon’s 84th birthday.

“Daytime Revolution takes us back in time, as we observe John and Yoko interacting with a transfixed studio audience in revealing Q and A sessions where John Lennon was astonishingly candid about his life after the Beatles,” notes a release. “John and Yoko also got to pick the guests, some very controversial at the time, like [anti-war activist and Yippie] Jerry Rubin and Black Panther Bobby Seale, as well as Ralph Nader and George Carlin. In addition, the shows featured blazing musical performances, including an epic duet with Chuck Berry, and a poignant rendition of the now classic ‘Imagine.’ Conceptual art events and even cooking segments were woven into the crazy fabric of the format.”

Yoko Ono explained at a press conference in 1972, “We wanted to do the shows to show that we are working for peace and love, and also to change the world, not with violence, but with love. And everybody that we selected is participating in efforts to change the world.”

1972, of course, was a presidential election year (and the year of the Watergate break-in), when incumbent Pres. Richard Nixon would face off against the eventual Democratic presidential nominee, George McGovern. Fifty-two years later, we’re in another momentous presidential election cycle. The timing didn’t escape director Erik Nelson.

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1/8/2024 #WeLiveinTime #10lives #TheApprentice #DaytimeRevolution

 

NEW MOVIES: Oct 3-9, 2024, “White Bird: A Wonder Story,” “Leap of Faith,” “Blink,” “Joker: Folie a Deux”

WHITE BIRD: A WONDER STORY

WHITE BIRD: A WONDER STORY

White Bird (marketed with the subtitle A Wonder Story) is a 2024 American coming-of-age period drama film directed by Marc Forster from a screenplay by Mark Bomback, based on the 2019 graphic novel of the same name by R. J. Palacio. Serving as both a prequel and sequel to Wonder (2017), the film stars Ariella Glaser, Orlando Schwerdt, Bryce Gheisar, Gillian Anderson, and Helen Mirren, with Gheisar reprising his role as Julian from Wonder.

White Bird was released in Italy, Slovenia, and Croatia on January 4, 2024; it is scheduled to be released in the United States by Lionsgate on October 4, 2024.[3]

Plot

After the events of Wonder, Julian has left Beecher Prep for good. He is visited by his grandmother, Sara, from Paris, who, in response to Julian’s reflection about his need to be socially passive in order to fit in at his new school, tells him about her childhood as a young Jewish girl in Nazi-occupied France during World War II.

In 1942, Sara evades being rounded up by the German troops and spends more than one year being hidden by her classmate Julien (one of whose legs is congenitally paralysed by poliomyelitis) in a barn of the house where he lives with his parents. She is instructed never to leave the barn so as not to be discovered by the neighbours suspected of being informants for the Germans. At night, Julien teaches Sara what he has learned at school during the day. Affection between them eventually grows into love.

In 1944 after the liberation of Monte Cassino, Julien is stopped on his way to school at a German checkpoint by the Milice and thrown into the back of a lorry for transportation to a remote camp in the mountains. During an escape attempt by the other prisoners, he is shot dead. At the end of the war, Sara is reunited with her father, but she finds out that her mother has been killed at KZ Auschwitz.

Cast

  • Ariella Glaser as Sara Blum, a Jewish girl living in Nazi-occupied France
  • Orlando Schwerdt as Julien Beaumier, Sara’s polio-lamed classmate, in the barn of whose family Sara hides from the Germans
  • Bryce Gheisar as Julian Albans
  • Gillian Anderson as Vivienne Beaumier, Julien’s mother
  • Helen Mirren as Grandmère, a renowned artist
  • Patsy Ferran as Mlle Petitjean, Sara and Julien’s teacher
  • Ishai Golan as Max Blum, Sara’s father
  • Jem Matthews as Vincent
  • Stuart McQuarrie as Pastor Luc, the headmaster of Sara and Julien’s school
  • Olivia Ross as Rose Blum, Sara’s mother
  • Jo Stone-Fewings as Jean Paul Beaumier, Julien’s father

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LEAP OF FAITH

LEAP OF FAITH

Documentary –

Over a year, 12 diverse Christian leaders explore contentious issues and seek fellowship at retreats in Grand Rapids, Michigan. They navigate divisions while holding onto their shared belief in love, testing the bonds they build.

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BLINK

BLINK

Blink is a 2024 American documentary film directed by Edmund Stenson and Daniel Roher. It follows a family who journey around the world prior to their children losing their vision to a rare genetic disorder, in order to experiences the world’s beauty while they still can.

It had its world premiere at the 51st Telluride Film Festival on August 30, 2024, and is scheduled to be released on October 4, 2024, by National Geographic Documentary Films through Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures.

Premise

A family journeys around the world prior to their children losing their vision to a rare genetic disorder, in order to experiences the world’s beauty while they still can.

Production

Edmund Stenson and Daniel Roher co-directed the film, with Stenson primarily involved in the production of the film, due to Roher’s commitments to Navalny and the birth of his child.[2]

In September 2023, it was announced Stenson and Roher would direct the film, with National Geographic Documentary Films, MRC and Fishbowl Films set to produce.[3

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JOKER: FOLIE A DEUX

JOKER: FOLIE A DEUX

Joker: Folie à Deux[a] is a 2024 American musical psychological thriller film directed by Todd Phillips from a screenplay co-written with Scott Silver. It is the sequel to Joker (2019), loosely based on DC Comics characters, and stars Joaquin Phoenix reprising his role as the Joker with Lady Gaga joining the cast as his love interest Harley Quinn. Zazie Beetz also reprises her role from the previous film, while Brendan Gleeson and Catherine Keener join the cast. It is produced by Warner Bros. Pictures and DC Studios in association with Joint Effort.

Joker was conceived as a standalone film, although Warner Bros. intended for the film to launch a DC Black film series. Phillips expressed interest in making a sequel but confirmed that Joker was not set up to have one. The sequel entered development in June 2022, with Gaga and Beetz joining later that year. Principal photography took place in New York City, Los Angeles, and Belleville, New Jersey, from December 2022 to April 2023.

Joker: Folie à Deux premiered at the 81st Venice International Film Festival on September 4, 2024,[6] and is scheduled to be released in the United States on October 4, 2024. It has received mixed reviews from critics.

Cast

[edit]

Joaquin Phoenix.
Joaquin Phoenix
Lady Gaga .
Lady Gaga
  • Joaquin Phoenix as Arthur Fleck / Joker, a mentally ill, nihilistic criminal with a clown-inspired persona, formerly an impoverished party clown and aspiring stand-up comedian. Director Todd Phillips assured that while the sequel will venture further into Fleck’s psyche, he would not become the “Clown Prince of Crime”, as his “Joker” persona is an unwilling symbol to people who give him the love he always wanted.[7]
  • Lady Gaga as Harleen “Lee” Quinzel / Harley Quinn, a patient at Arkham State Hospital who meets Arthur; her curiosity eventually turns to obsession, and she forms a deadly romantic relationship with him.[8][9] Describing Quinzel, Phillips noted how this version of the character is manipulative, amoral and “more grounded”, with the film deliberately ignoring much of the character’s classic mannerisms and style to fit into the world created in Joker (2019).[10]
  • Brendan Gleeson as Jackie Sullivan, a guard at Arkham State Hospital.
  • Catherine Keener as Maryanne Stewart, Arthur’s lawyer.[11]
  • Zazie Beetz as Sophie Dumond, a single mother and Arthur’s former neighbor, who Arthur imagined being in a romantic relationship with.[12]
  • Steve Coogan as Paddy Meyers, a popular TV personality who interviews Arthur in Arkham.[13]
  • Harry Lawtey as Harvey Dent, the newly elected assistant district attorney who plans to bring Arthur to justice for his crimes.[14] Lawtey developed his own backstory for the character in order to accurately play the role, with Phillips instilling in him the idea that, in the dawn of televised trials, Dent has his eyes on the prize and is cynically willing to put Arthur on trial for his own gain. To prepare for the role, Lawtey avoided watching the versions of Harvey Dent in Batman (1989), The Dark Knight (2008) and Batman vs. Two-Face (2017) portrayed by Billy Dee Williams, Aaron Eckhart and William Shatner respectively. Despite his character being a courtroom showman, Lawtey never sings in the film, being grateful at not singing in front of Gaga.[15]

Leigh Gill and Sharon Washington reprise their roles as Arthur’s former co-worker Gary and Arthur’s social worker, respectively.[16][17][18] Jacob Lofland, Ken Leung and Bill Smitrovich have been cast in undetermined roles.[16][18]

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10/1/2024 #White Bird: A Wonder Story #Leap of Faith #Blink #Joker: Folie a Deux

NEW MOVIES: Sept 26-Oct 2, 2024, “Megalopolis,” “Lee,” “The Wild Robot,” “Amber Alert”

MEGALOPOLIS

MEGALOPOLIS

Megalopolis[a] is a 2024 American epic science fiction drama film written, directed, and produced by Francis Ford Coppola. The film stars Adam Driver, Giancarlo Esposito, Nathalie Emmanuel, Aubrey Plaza, Shia LaBeouf, Jon Voight, Laurence Fishburne, Talia Shire, Jason Schwartzman, Kathryn Hunter, Grace VanderWaal, Chloe Fineman, James Remar, D. B. Sweeney, and Dustin Hoffman. Set in an imagined modern United States, it follows visionary architect Cesar Catilina (Driver) as he clashes with the corrupt Mayor Franklyn Cicero (Esposito) in determining how to rebuild the metropolis of New Rome after a devastating disaster. The film references the characters involved in the Catilinarian conspiracy of 63 BC, including Catiline and Cicero, in addition to Caesar.

In development for decades, Megalopolis came from Coppola’s desire to make a film drawing parallels between the fall of Rome and the future of the United States by setting the events of the Catilinarian conspiracy in modern New York. He conceived the idea for the film in 1977 and actively started developing it in 1983 by assembling notes for a future script. Preparations for a film based around his initial concept came together in 1989 to be shot in Rome, but it was postponed after Coppola prioritized other projects to pay his debt to Hollywood after a string of box-office disappointments. Coppola revived the project in 2001, holding table reads with prominent actors in New York. After the September 11 attacks, an event that resembled the film’s plot and themes, Megalopolis was again abandoned. Having become disheartened working for the studio system, Coppola soon after declared his intentions to self-finance the project if it ever came to fruition.

Coppola announced his return to the film in 2019 and, two years after, sold a portion of his winery in California to spend $120 million of his own money to fund it. After a delay caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, casting was underway by 2021. The film reunited Coppola with past collaborators, including actors Esposito, Fishburne, Remar, Shire, and Sweeney, cinematographer Mihai Mălaimare Jr., second-unit director Roman Coppola, and composer Osvaldo Golijov. Principal photography took place from November 2022 to March 2023, in Georgia.

Premise

In a decaying metropolis called New Rome, idealist architect Cesar Catilina is granted a license by the federal government to demolish and rebuild the city as a sustainable utopia using Megalon, a material that can give him the power to control space and time.[3] His nemesis, Mayor Franklyn Cicero, remains committed to a regressive status quo. Torn between them is Franklyn’s socialite daughter and Cesar’s love interest Julia, who, tired of the influence she inherited, searches for her life’s meaning.[1][4]

Cast

MEGALOPOLIS

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LEE

LEE

Lee is a 2023 British biographical drama film directed by Ellen Kuras in her feature directorial debut, from a screenplay by Liz Hannah, John Collee and Marion Hume, and story from Hume, Collee and Lem Dobbs, adapted from the 1985 biography The Lives of Lee Miller by Antony Penrose.

It stars Kate Winslet as WWII journalist Lee Miller. The cast includes Marion Cotillard, Andrea Riseborough, Andy Samberg, Noémie Merlant, Josh O’Connor and Alexander Skarsgård in supporting roles.

The movie took eight years to make and, at one point, due to precarious funding, Kate Winslet (who also produced the movie) paid the entire cast and crew’s salaries for two weeks. The film made its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival on 9 September 2023. It was released theatrically in the United Kingdom by Sky Cinema on 13 September 2024.

Premise

Lee Miller goes from a career as a model to enlisting as a photographer to chronicle the events of World War II for Vogue magazine.

Cast

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THE WILD ROBOT

THE WILD ROBOT

The Wild Robot is a 2024 American animated science fiction survival film based on the book series of the same name by Peter Brown, produced by DreamWorks Animation and distributed by Universal Pictures. The film was written and directed by Chris Sanders, produced by Jeff Hermann, and executive-produced by Sanders’ longtime collaborative partner Dean DeBlois. It stars Lupita Nyong’o as Roz, the title character, alongside an ensemble voice cast including Pedro Pascal, Kit Connor, Bill Nighy, Stephanie Hsu, Mark Hamill, Catherine O’Hara, Matt Berry, and Ving Rhames.

DreamWorks announced an animated film adaptation of the book series The Wild Robot in September 2023, with Sanders, Hermann, and DeBlois attached. Sanders took inspiration from Disney animated classic films and the works of Hayao Miyazaki. It would be the final film to be animated entirely in-house at DreamWorks, as it was reported in October 2023 that the studio would be shifting away from producing films in-house to relying more heavily on outside studios after 2024. Kris Bowers composed the film’s score, marking his first score for an animated film.

The Wild Robot premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 8, 2024, and is scheduled to be theatrically released in the United States on September 27, 2024. The film received critical acclaim.

Plot

In a future Earth, a Universal Dynamics cargo ship runs aground on an uninhabited island. The only one of the ROZZUM utilitarian robots still whole, unit 7134, who calls herself “Roz” for short, is activated by the local wildlife, and after repeated misunderstandings between it and her, Roz decides to enter a learning safe mode observing nature, emerging days later fluent in all animal language. Roz decides to leave for having no assignment, but after a failed attempt to contact her manufacturer, Roz accidentally destroys a goose nest, aside from a single egg. Roz stops a fox from eating the egg and it then hatches, and the gosling imprints itself onto Roz, eventually breaking the robot’s communication module. A discussion with Pinktail, a mother opossum, ends up setting up a mission on Roz regarding raising the gosling before it needs to leave the island for its winter migration. Roz asks the help of the fox, Fink, and a conversation between them while building a shelter leads the bird to be named Brightbill.

Once Brightbill has grown, Roz tries teaching him to swim, and Brightbill meets other geese, being bullied for his short stature and awkward social manners. Once Brightbill discovers Roz caused the death of his family, making him grow alone and unadjusted, he gets resentful and decides to get away from her. After learning more about her purpose and getting another communication module from the wreckage containing the destroyed ROZZUM robots, the elder goose Longneck encourages Roz to make Brightbill learn to fly. Once he is capable and flies away with the other geese, Roz is unnerved at how she challenged her programming, became attached to the bird and is sad that he left. She activates her communication module, but as soon as the beacon shows up at the Universal Dynamics headquarters Roz shuts it off again.

Voice cast

  • Lupita Nyong’o as ROZZUM unit 7134 (“Roz”), an abandoned robot that was washed onto a forest island and learns to adapt to the new environment, partially by using her processing ability to learn how to communicate with the native animals, and becomes the adoptive mother of Brightbill.[3] The name of her product line, ROZZUM, and her manufacturer, Universal Dynamics, are references to Rossum’s Universal Robots, the play that created the term “robot”.[4]
  • Pedro Pascal as Fink, a mischievous red fox who is the first animal that Roz helps and befriends.[3]
  • Kit Connor as Brightbill, an orphaned runt Barnacle goose who is raised by Roz as her own son.[3]
    • Boone Storme as Baby Brightbill.[5]
  • Catherine O’Hara as Pinktail, a mother opossum who gives Roz some advice on raising Brightbill.[3]
  • Bill Nighy as Longneck, a wise elder goose who helps Roz understand teaching Brightbill how to fly.[3]
  • Stephanie Hsu as Vontra, an evil robot of Roz’s race who has been sent to retrieve Roz.[3]
  • Mark Hamill as Thorn, a grizzly bear.
  • Matt Berry as Paddler, a beaver.
  • Ving Rhames as Thunderbolt, a falcon who helps Brightbill learn to fly.[3][6]

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AMBER ALERT

AMBER ALERT

An ordinary rideshare becomes a high-stakes game of cat and mouse when Jaq (Hayden Panettiere) and Shane (Tyler James Williams) receive an alert of a child abduction on their phones. Quickly realizing they are behind a car that matches the description of the kidnappers, Jaq and Shane desperately race against time to save the child’s life.

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9/24/2024 #MEGALOPOLIS #LEE #THE WILD ROBOT #AMBER ALERT

NEW MOVIES: Sept 19-25, 2024, “Transformers One,” “Never Let Go,” “The Substance,” “Giants Rising”

TRANSFORMERS ONE

TRANSFORMERS ONE

Transformers One is a 2024 American animated science fiction action film based on Hasbro‘s Transformers toy line. It was directed by Josh Cooley from a screenplay by Eric Pearson and the writing duo of Andrew Barrer and Gabriel Ferrari, based on a story by Barrer and Ferrari. The ensemble voice cast includes Chris Hemsworth, Brian Tyree Henry, Scarlett Johansson, Keegan-Michael Key, Steve Buscemi, Laurence Fishburne, and Jon Hamm. The film depicts the origins and early relationship of Optimus Prime and Megatron and how they forever changed the fate of Cybertron, the home planet of the Transformers. It is the franchise’s first theatrical animated feature film since The Transformers: The Movie (1986).

In March 2015, following the release of Transformers: Age of Extinction (2014), Paramount Pictures tasked Akiva Goldsman to set up a writers’ room to create ideas for potential future Transformers films. By May 2015, Barrer and Ferrari had signed on as writers, and they came up with the idea of an animated prequel set on Cybertron. The film was announced in August 2017, and by April 2020, Cooley had been hired to direct. Animation services were provided by Industrial Light & Magic.

Transformers One premiered in Sydney, Australia on September 11, 2024, and is scheduled to be released by Paramount Pictures in the United States on September 20, 2024. The film received largely positive reviews from critics.

Plot

The film depicts the origins and early relationship of Optimus Prime and Megatron and how they forever changed the fate of Cybertron, the home planet of the Transformers.[4]

Voice cast

Main article: List of Transformers film series cast and characters

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NEVER LET GO

NEVER LET GO

Never Let Go is an upcoming American survival horror film directed by Alexandre Aja and written by Kevin Coughlin and Ryan Grassby. The film stars Halle Berry, Percy Daggs IV, Anthony B. Jenkins, Matthew Kevin Anderson, Christin Park, and Stephanie Lavigne.

Lionsgate is scheduled to release Never Let Go in the United States on September 20, 2024.

Premise

A family consisting of a mother and her twin sons has suffered from the torment of a malicious spirit for many years. However, when one of the boys starts to doubt the existence of evil, the family’s sacred bond is broken, leading to a dangerous fight for survival.[3]

Cast

  • Halle Berry
  • Percy Daggs IV
  • Anthony B. Jenkins as Sammul
  • Matthew Kevin Anderson
  • Christin Park
  • Stephanie Lavigne

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THE SUBSTANCE

THE SUBSTANCE

The Substance is a 2024 body horror film co-produced, written, and directed by Coralie Fargeat. The film stars Demi Moore, Margaret Qualley, and Dennis Quaid. An international co-production between the United Kingdom and France, its plot follows a fading celebrity who decides to use a black-market drug. This cell-replicating substance temporarily creates a younger, better version of herself, unknowingly giving her horrifying side effects.

The Substance premiered on 19 May 2024 at the 77th Cannes Film Festival, and was selected to compete for the Palme d’Or in its main competition section, where Fargeat won Best Screenplay. It is scheduled to be theatrically released in the United Kingdom and the United States by Mubi on 20 September 2024 and in France by Metropolitan Filmexport on 6 November 2024.

Plot

Elisabeth Sparkle, star of a popular TV aerobics show, is fired on her 50th birthday and subsequently gets in a car accident after seeing her billboard getting taken down. At the hospital, a young nurse secretly gives her a flash drive labeled “The Substance,” which promotes a mysterious supplier’s invention: a serum that, when injected, creates a younger, beautiful, “perfect” version of the user, though the two remain connected as “one.” After some deliberation, Elisabeth orders the product and is forced to “birth” a younger version of herself from her back.

The younger form, adopting the name “Sue,” is instructed by the mysterious supplier to inject a “Stabilizer” serum extracted from Elisabeth daily. The two also have to switch bodies every seven days without exception. Sue is quickly hired back onto Elisabeth’s old show, quickly ascending to new heights of fame and admiration. When Elisabeth is forced to switch bodies with her, however, she continues to struggle with a deepening sense of inadequacy and low self-esteem.

The contrast between her and Sue becomes increasingly stark, fueling Elisabeth’s growing envy and desire to misuse the serum to extend her time as Sue. This causes one of Elisabeth’s fingers to age. Elisabeth contacts the supplier, who tells her she can keep obeying the switches or terminate the Substance, which would not revert her appearance. She reluctantly continues to switch.

Cast

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GIANTS RISING

GIANTS RISING

Summaries

Trailer:

Giants Rising Documentary – Official Trailer 2024 (youtube.com)

https://youtu.be/F9cX1v9zLdU

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9/17/2024 #Transformers One #Never Let Go #The Substance #Giants Rising

 

NEW MOVIES: Sept 12-18, 2024, “God’s Not Dead: In God We Trust,” “Will & Harper,” “The Critic,” “Winner”

GOD’S NOT DEAD: IN GOD WE TRUST

GOD’S NOT DEAD: IN GOD WE TRUST

Amid political and spiritual turmoil, Reverend David Hill runs for Congress. Opponent Peter Kane aims to erase religion from policy, and the fight becomes a beacon of hope for people seeking moral leadership in a divided world.

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WILL & HARPER

WILL & HARPER

Will & Harper is a 2024 American documentary film that follows Will Ferrell and Harper Steele on a 17-day road trip across the United States.

The film premiered at the 40th Sundance Film Festival in January 2024, with Netflix acquiring distribution rights the following month. It will receive a limited theatrical release in the United States on September 13, 2024, before streaming worldwide on Netflix on September 27.[3]

Production

“I should’ve made that decision 40 years ago. But I wouldn’t have had you guys; I wouldn’t have gotten hired [at Saturday Night Live]. I would have had a completely different life.”

—Harper Steele in Will & Harper[4]

Comedian Will Ferrell and writer Harper Steele met at the American sketch comedy television program Saturday Night Live where Ferrell was a cast member for several years;[5] they later co-wrote Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga.[4] Steele reached out to Ferrell among other friends during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2021 to inform them of her intention to go through gender transition. Ferrell helped produce the film, documenting a road trip the two subsequently took, alongside Jessica Elbaum, Christopher Leggett, and Rafael Marmor. The filmmakers initially considered deliberately creating comedic moments, but decided to let funny moments occur spontaneously instead.[6]

Release

The film premiered at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival.[5] In February 2024, Netflix acquired distribution rights to the film.[7] It will also play at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 5, 2024.[8]

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THE CRITIC

THE CRITIC

The Critic is a 2023 British period thriller film directed by Anand Tucker and written by Patrick Marber. It is based on Anthony Quinn’s 2015 novel Curtain Call.

The Critic premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival on 7 September 2023[2] and is scheduled to be released in the United Kingdom on 13 September 2024.[3][4]

Premise

In 1934 London, an actress finds herself in a dark situation involving a gay theatre critic and his paper’s editor.

Cast

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WINNER

WINNER

The Winner is a 2024 black comedy-drama film directed by Susanna Fogel and written by Kerry Howley. It stars Emilia Jones as Reality Winner.

Synopsis

The film is based on the life of Reality Winner, who leaked an intelligence report about Russian interference in the 2016 United States elections.[2]

Cast

Production

Described as a darkly comedic biopic, Emilia Jones was confirmed to be portraying the whistle-blower Reality Winner from a script written by Kerry Howley based on her own 2017 New York magazine feature, “Who Is Reality Winner?,” with Susanna Fogel also on board to direct.[3] It marks the second collaboration between Fogel and Jones following Cat Person.[4]

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9/10/2024 #God’s Not Dead: In God We Trust #Will & Harper #The Critic #Winner

NEW MOVIES: Sept 5-11, 2024, “Beetlejuice 2,” “His Three Daughters,” ” The Cowboy & The Queen,” “Lover of Men”

 BEETLEJUICE 2

 BEETLEJUICE 2

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice is a 2024 American fantasy comedy horror film directed by Tim Burton from a screenplay by the writing team of Alfred Gough and Miles Millar, based on a story by Gough, Millar, and Seth Grahame-Smith. A sequel to Beetlejuice (1988) and the second film of the Beetlejuice franchise, it stars Michael Keaton, Winona Ryder, and Catherine O’Hara reprising their roles alongside new cast members Justin Theroux, Monica Bellucci, Jenna Ortega, and Willem Dafoe.

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice opened the 81st Venice International Film Festival on August 28, 2024.[2] It was theatrically released overseas on September 4, 2024, and in the United States two days later on September 6, 2024, by Warner Bros. Pictures. It received generally positive reviews from critics.

Premise

36 years after the events of Beetlejuice, the Deetz family returns home to Winter River after Charles Deetz’s unexpected death. Lydia’s life is turned upside down when her rebellious teenage daughter, Astrid, discovers the mysterious model of the town in the attic and the portal to the Afterlife is accidentally opened, releasing Betelgeuse.

Cast

The cast and crew of Beetlejuice Beetlejuice at the 81st Venice International Film Festival.
  • Michael Keaton as Betelgeuse (pronounced “Beetlejuice”), an afterlife ghost and “bio-exorcist” who wants to marry someone from the realm of the living. Both Keaton and director Tim Burton opted to keep the character as politically incorrect as he was in the original film due to their love for that character trait in spite of the political correctness in modern films, with Burton deeming Betelgeuse as a character whose whole point is that he does not undergo any character arc or development, never evolving.[3]
  • Winona Ryder as Lydia Deetz, the former Goth teen who nearly married Betelgeuse in 1988, now mother of Astrid Deetz and hostess of the Ghost House with Lydia Deetz show. Hoping to keep the first film’s essence, Ryder never thought her character would become a mother but a spinster in the Maitland residence’s attic, but Lydia’s daughter Astrid justifies such change.[4]
  • Catherine O’Hara as Delia Deetz, Lydia’s stepmother, Astrid’s stepgrandmother and Charles Deetz’s widow, now the hostess of a real art show located in a Soho, London gallery.[4]
  • Jenna Ortega as Astrid Deetz, Lydia’s teen daughter and Delia’s stepgranddaughter[5][6]
  • Justin Theroux as Rory, Lydia’s current boyfriend and a television producer[7][4]
  • Monica Bellucci as Delores, Betelgeuse’s ex-wife who, in life, was a mysterious woman and a soul-sucking witch who poisoned Betelgeuse several years earlier during the Black Plague
  • Willem Dafoe as Wolf Jackson, a ghost detective who, in life, was a B movie action star[8]
  • Burn Gorman as Father Damien, a reverend in Winter River

Additionally, Danny DeVito, Arthur Conti, and Filipe Cates have been cast in undisclosed roles.[9][10][11][12]

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HIS THREE DAUGHTERS

HIS THREE DAUGHTERS

His Three Daughters is a 2023 American drama film written and directed by Azazel Jacobs. The film stars Carrie Coon, Natasha Lyonne and Elizabeth Olsen as three estranged sisters who come back together to care for their ailing father. It also stars Rudy Galvan, Jose Febus, Jasmine Bracey, Jay O. Sanders, and Jovan Adepo.

It premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 9, 2023, and is scheduled to be released in select theaters in the United States on September 6, 2024, before its streaming debut by Netflix on September 20, 2024.

Cast

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THE COWBOY & THE QUEEN

THE COWBOY & THE QUEEN

Renegade horse trainer Monty Roberts finds an unlikely ally in Queen Elizabeth II, who helps him overcome fierce skeptics to spread his nonviolent message globally.  Documentary

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LOVER OF MEN

LOVER OF MEN

Lover of Men: The Untold History of Abraham Lincoln

Historians have long argued over whether Abraham Lincoln, revered as one of the greatest American presidents, had romantic, sexual relationships with men. A new documentary, Lover of Men: The Untold History of Abraham Lincoln, comes squarely to the conclusion that he did.

Lover of Men, using interviews with historians, documents, and reenactments, goes into Lincoln’s relationships with four men: Billy Greene, Joshua Speed, Elmer Ellsworth, and David Derickson. Lincoln moved to in New Salem, Ill., in 1831, after growing up in Kentucky and Indiana, and he became fast friends with Greene, a cousin of the local schoolmaster. The two shared a small cot above the store where they worked. The historians in the film believe both men gained pleasure from the arrangement.

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9/3/2024 #Beetlejuice 2 #His Three Daughters #The cowboy & The Queen #Lover of Men

NEW MOVIES: Aug 29-Sept 4, 2024, “Reagan,” “Freedom Hair,” “Across the River and Into the Trees,” “Merchant Ivory”

REAGAN

REAGAN

Reagan is an upcoming American biographical drama film directed by Sean McNamara and written by Howard Klausner, based on Paul Kengor‘s 2006 book The Crusader: Ronald Reagan and the Fall of Communism. The film stars Dennis Quaid as Ronald Reagan. Penelope Ann Miller, Robert Davi, Lesley-Anne Down and Jon Voight feature in supporting roles.

Principal photography on the film began on September 9, 2020, and included locations such as Guthrie, Oklahoma.

Reagan is scheduled to be theatrically released in the United States on August 30, 2024.

Premise

The film follows Ronald Reagan‘s life from his childhood to his years as president of the United States, told through a conversation between by a former KGB agent, Viktor Petrovich (Jon Voight) and a young up-and-coming Russian politician, Andrei Novikov (Alexey Sparrow).

Cast

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FREEDOM HAIR

FREEDOM HAIR

When a determined mother decides to start a natural hair braiding business to achieve financial independence, she must overcome unexpected obstacles imposed by a powerful cosmetology cartel and the state of Mississippi.

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ACROSS THE RIVER AND INTO THE TREES

ACROSS THE RIVER AND INTO THE TREES

Across the River and into the Trees is a 2022 war drama film directed by Paula Ortiz and adapted by Peter Flannery from the 1950 novel by Ernest Hemingway. It stars Liev Schreiber, Matilda De Angelis, Josh Hutcherson, Laura Morante, Massimo Popolizio, and Danny Huston. The film premiered at the Sun Valley Film Festival on 30 March 2022.

Premise

American Army Colonel Richard Cantwell confronts the news of his terminal illness with stoic indifference and enlists a military driver for presumably his final hunting trip and a visit to Venice. Along the way, Cantwell has a chance encounter with a young countess.

Cast

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MERCHANT IVORY

MERCHANT IVORY

Cohen Media Group will give “Merchant Ivory,” a documentary about the professional and personal partnership of director James Ivory and producer Ismail Merchant and their  production company — Merchant Ivory Productions — a theatrical release on Aug. 30 in select markets, including New York and Los Angeles, before expanding to theaters nationwide in September.

Directed by Stephen Soucy, “Merchant Ivory” chronicles the pair’s road to success and how their company became synonymous with nuanced literary adaptations in the 1980s and 1990s, making an indelible impact on film culture. The company’s output of more than 40 productions over nearly 50 years includes Academy Award-winning films “A Room With a View” and “Howards End,”  as well “The Remains of the Day,” “Mr. & Mrs. Bridge” and “Maurice.”

The doc is split into chapters with sections devoted to Merchant, Ivory, screenwriter Ruth Prawer Jhabvala (“A Room With a View,” “Howards End”) and composer Richard Robbins (“Howards End,” “The Remains of the Day”). Crew members and frequent Merchant Ivory film collaborators including Emma Thompson, Vanessa Redgrave, Helena Bonham Carter and Hugh Grant are all featured in the doc, which combines talking heads with archival footage to tell the story of  Ivory and Merchant’s 44-film partnership professionally and as a couple. (Ivory is 96 years-old. Merchant, Jhabvala and Robbins have all died.)

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August 27, 2024 #Reagan #Freedom Hair #Across the River and Into the Trees #Merchant Ivory

 

 

NEW MOVIES: August 22-28, 2024, “Blink Twice,” “The Crow,” “The forge,” “Greedy People”

BLINK TWICE

BLINK TWICE

Blink Twice is a 2024 American psychological thriller film directed by Zoë Kravitz, in her directorial debut, from a script she co-wrote with E.T. Feigenbaum. The film stars Naomi Ackie, Channing Tatum, Christian Slater, Simon Rex, Adria Arjona, Haley Joel Osment, Kyle MacLachlan, Geena Davis, and Alia Shawkat.

Blink Twice premiered at the DGA Theater in Los Angeles on August 8, 2024, and is scheduled to be released in the United States by Amazon MGM Studios through the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer banner on August 23, 2024.[3]

Premise

A cocktail waitress becomes infatuated with a billionaire tech mogul and travels with him to his private island for a luxurious party, where things begin to go wrong after her friend vanishes.[4]

Cast

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THE CROW

THE CROW

The Crow is a 2024 American gothic[5] superhero film[6][7] directed by Rupert Sanders from a screenplay by Zach Baylin and William Schneider. A reboot of The Crow film series, it is the fifth film in the franchise, and is the second film, after the 1994 film, to directly adapt the 1989 comic book series of the same name by James O’Barr.[a] The film stars Bill Skarsgård as Eric / The Crow, a murdered musician who is resurrected to avenge the deaths of himself and his fiancée, played by FKA Twigs.

The film entered development in December 2008, with Stephen Norrington stating that he would write and direct a “reinvention” of The Crow. It entered a complicated production process with various directors, screenwriters, and cast members attached at various points. Filmmakers Norrington, Juan Carlos Fresnadillo, F. Javier Gutiérrez, and Corin Hardy were initially signed to direct while Bradley Cooper, Luke Evans, Jack Huston, and Jason Momoa were all cast as Eric during various points in development. Skarsgård was announced as Eric in April 2022, along with Sanders as director. Filming began in July, occurring in Prague and Penzing near Munich.

The Crow is set to be released in the United States by Lionsgate Films on August 23, 2024.

Plot

Soulmates Eric and Shelly are brutally murdered when the demons of her dark past catch up with them. Given the chance to save his true love by sacrificing himself, Eric sets out to seek merciless revenge on their killers, traversing the worlds of the living and the dead to put the wrong things right.

Cast

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THE FORGE

THE FORGE

The Forge is an upcoming American Christian biblical drama film directed by Alex Kendrick and co-written by Stephen Kendrick. A spin-off to War Room, it is the Kendrick brothers’ ninth film and the sixth through their subsidiary, Kendrick Brothers Productions. Their initial five films were created under Sherwood Pictures. It stars Cameron Arnett, Priscilla Shirer, Aspen Kennedy, Karen Abercrombie, T.C. Stallings, BJ Arnett, Ken Bevel, Benjamin Watson, Jonathan Evans, Jerry Shirer, and Tommy Woodard.

The film is scheduled to be released in the United States on August 23, 2024.

Premise

After graduating from high school without any plans for the future, Isaiah receives a push to start making better life decisions.

Cast

  • Cameron Arnett as Joshua Moore
  • Priscilla Shirer as:
    • Cynthia Wright, Elizabeth’s identical twin sister
    • Elizabeth Jordan, Cynthia’s identical twin sister (reprising her role from War Room)
  • Aspen Kennedy as Isaiah Wright, Cynthia’s teenage son
  • Karen Abercrombie as Miss Clara Williams (reprising her role from War Room)
  • T.C. Stallings as Tony Jordan, Elizabeth’s husband (reprising his role from War Room)
  • BJ Arnett as Janelle Moore, Joshua’s wife
  • Ken Bevel as James
  • Benjamin Watson
  • Jonathan Evans as Jonathan
  • Jerry Shirer as Vaughn
  • Tommy Woodard as Bobby
  • Marianne Haaland as Wanda

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GREEDY PEOPLE

GREEDY PEOPLE

Greedy People is an upcoming American comedy mystery film directed by Potsy Ponciroli and written by Michael Vukadinovich. The film stars Himesh Patel, Lily James, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Simon Rex, Tim Blake Nelson, Joey Lauren Adams, Uzo Aduba, and Jim Gaffigan.

The film is scheduled to be theatrically released in the United States on August 23, 2024, by Lionsgate.

Synopsis

A cop in a small island town has to investigate a murder and the discovery of a large sum of money.

Cast

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August 20, 2024 #Blink Twice #The Crow #The Forge #Greedy People

 

NEW MOVIES: August 15-21, 2024, “Alien: Romulus,” “Good One,” “Rob Peace,” “Crescent City”

ALIEN: ROMULUS

ALIEN: ROMULUS

Alien: Romulus is an upcoming American science fiction horror film. Directed by Fede Álvarez, who co-wrote it with Rodo Sayagues, the film was produced by Scott Free Productions and Brandywine Productions. It is the seventh installment in the Alien franchise and serves as a standalone interquel set between the events of Alien (1979) and Aliens (1986).[2] It stars Cailee Spaeny, David Jonsson, Archie Renaux, Isabela Merced, Spike Fearn, and Aileen Wu.

The film is scheduled to be theatrically released by 20th Century Studios on August 16, 2024.

Premise

Set between the events of Alien (1979) and Aliens (1986),[3] the story concerns a group of young space colonists who, while scavenging a derelict space station, come face to face with the most terrifying life form in the universe.[4]

Cast

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GOOD ONE

GOOD ONE

Good One is a 2024 American drama film written, directed, and produced by India Donaldson in her directorial debut. It stars Lily Collias, James Le Gros, and Danny McCarthy.

It had its world premiere at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival on January 21, 2024, and was released by Metrograph Pictures on August 9, 2024.

Premise

Sam, a young Queer woman, navigates clashes between her father and his friend during a backpacking trip in the Catskills.

Cast

  • Lily Collias as Sam
  • James Le Gros as Chris
  • Danny McCarthy as Matt
  • Sumaya Bouhbal as Jessie
  • Diana Irvine as Casey
  • Sam Lanier as Zach
  • Peter McNally as Jake
  • Eric Yates as Andy

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ROB PEACE

ROB PEACE

Rob Peace is a 2024 American biographical drama film written and directed by Chiwetel Ejiofor and starring Ejiofor, Jay Will, and Mary J. Blige. It is based on the 2014 biography The Short and Tragic Life of Robert Peace by Jeff Hobbs.[3]

The film premiered at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival[4] on January 22, 2024, and Republic Pictures is scheduled to release it in limited theatrical release in the United States on August 16, 2024.

Premise

Yale University graduate Rob Peace, known as Shaun at the time his father was arrested for crimes he may not have committed, turns to drug dealing to get his father out of jail while maintaining other activities.[5]

Cast

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CRESCENT CITY

CRESCENT CITY

Crescent City is an upcoming American crime thriller written by Rich Ronat, directed by R. J. Collins, and starring Alec Baldwin, Esai Morales, Terrence Howard, and Nicky Whelan.[1]

A small town in the south is ravaged by a serial killer, with everyone being a suspect, including the police.

Cast

[edit]

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8/13/2024 #Alien:Romulus #Good One #Rob Peace #Crescent City

 

NEW MOVIES: August 8-14, 2024, “Borderlands,” “It Ends with Us,” “A Carpenter’s Prayer,” “Dance First”

BORDERLANDS

BORDERLANDS

Borderlands is an upcoming American science fiction action comedy film directed by Eli Roth, who co-wrote the screenplay with Joe Crombie, based on the video game series developed by Gearbox Software. Starring an ensemble cast featuring Cate Blanchett, Kevin Hart, Jack Black, Edgar Ramírez, Ariana Greenblatt, Florian Munteanu, Gina Gershon, and Jamie Lee Curtis, the film follows Lillith (Blanchett), an infamous outlaw who returns to the place where she grew up and forms an alliance with a team of misfits to find the missing daughter of the most powerful man in the universe.[4]

A film adaptation of the video game series was announced in August 2015, with Lionsgate developing the project with Ari and Avi Arad producing, and Leigh Whannell in talks to direct it. By February 2020, Roth was attached to direct the film from a screenplay written by Craig Mazin, and Erik Feig joined as producer. Casting occurred from May 2020 to April 2021, with Blanchett cast first and others added the following year. Principal photography began in April 2021 in Budapest, Hungary, during the COVID-19 pandemic, and wrapped in June. However, two weeks of reshoots occurred in early 2023, directed by Tim Miller due to Roth’s commitments to Thanksgiving (2023).[5]

Borderlands is set to be released by Lionsgate in the United States on August 9, 2024.

Premise

Lilith, an infamous outlaw with a mysterious past, reluctantly returns to her home planet of Pandora to find the missing daughter of the universe’s most powerful S.O.B., Atlas. Lilith forms an alliance with an unexpected team — Roland, a former elite mercenary, now desperate for redemption; Tiny Tina, a feral teenage demolitionist; Krieg, Tina’s musclebound, rhetorically challenged protector; Tannis, the scientist with a tenuous grip on sanity; and Claptrap, a persistently wiseass robot. These unlikely heroes must battle alien monsters and dangerous bandits to find and protect the missing girl, who may hold the key to unimaginable power. The fate of the universe could be in their hands but they’ll be fighting for something more: each other.[6]

— Lionsgate Films

Cast

Additionally, Penn Jillette has a cameo in the film as a preacher overseeing a wedding, after voicing Pain in the video game Borderlands 3 (2019).[18]

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IT ENDS WITH US

IT ENDS WITH US

It Ends with Us is an upcoming American romantic drama film directed by Justin Baldoni from a screenplay by Christy Hall, based on the 2016 novel of the same name by Colleen Hoover. The film stars Blake Lively, Baldoni, Brandon Sklenar, Jenny Slate, and Hasan Minhaj.

Adapted from the Colleen Hoover novel, Lily overcomes a traumatic childhood to embark on a new life. A chance meeting with a neurosurgeon sparks a connection but Lily begins to see sides of him that remind her of her parents’ relationship.

It Ends with Us is scheduled to be released by Sony Pictures Releasing in the United States on August 9, 2024.[6][7][8]

Cast

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A CARPENTER’S PRAYER

A CARPENTER’S PRAYER

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DANCE FIRST

DANCE FIRST

Dance First is a 2023 biographical film about Irish playwright Samuel Beckett, directed by James Marsh and written by Neil Forsyth. Gabriel Byrne stars as Beckett, with a supporting cast featuring Fionn O’Shea as a younger Beckett and Aidan Gillen as James Joyce.

Synopsis

The film documents the Irish writer’s life, from his childhood, his friendship with James Joyce until the incarceration of the latter’s mentally ill daughter Lucia Joyce, his relationship with his future wife Suzanne Dumesnil, his time as a fighter for the French Resistance during the Second World War, his postwar literary rise and subsequent Nobel Prize for Literature in 1969, his affair with translator Barbara Bray and his later life until his death in 1989. Throughout the film, Beckett carries out an interior monologue.[3]

Cast

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August 6, 2024 #Borderlands #It Ends with Us #A Carpenter’s Prayer #Dance First

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