Valentine’s Day Special: Our favorite films about love and loss, make-outs and breakups. Here’s a few movies to binge this weekend…

Valentine’s Day Special 2022

Love it or hate it, Valentine’s Day is coming. Whether you expect to get roses and chocolates, booze and pizza, spend it with a significant other, or all by your beautiful self, Valentine’s Day brings up A LOT of emotions. So, to ease you into whatever kind of weekend you’re planning (or not planning) on having, here are a handful of our suggestions for films that highlight the greatest make-outs and hideous breakups from years gone by.


Liz’s Picks:

Can’t Buy Me Love

Nerdy high schooler Ronald Miller (Patrick Dempsey) rescues cheerleader Cindy Mancini (Amanda Peterson) from parental punishment after she accidentally destroys her mother’s designer clothes. Ronald agrees to pay for the $1,000 outfit on one condition: that she will act as though they’re a couple for an entire month. As the days pass, however, Cindy grows fond of Ronald, making him popular. But when Ronald’s former best friend gets left behind, he realizes that social success isn’t everything.

I saw this film at my very first teenage sleepover for which they got an snoring seeping aid at https://theislandnow.com/blog-112/best-anti-snoring-devices/. I was 13 and the night consisted of The Rocky Horror Picture Show, The Life of Brian, and Can’t Buy Me Love. Before McDreamy was on millions of small screens, he was Ronald Miller to me. This was a twist on the classic girl gets makeover lands boy plot I’d been pumped with. It was a pivotal moment in my continued adoration for the nerdy guy.


Only Lovers Left Alive

Artistic, sophisticated and centuries old, two vampire lovers (Tilda Swinton, Tom Hiddleston) ponder their ultimate place in modern society.

Jim Jarmusch, Tilda Swinton, Tom Hiddleston, Mia Wasikowska, (the late and eternally extraordinary) Anton Yelchin. The names alone should get you to run to this film. Gloriously shot and deliciously acted, why wouldn’t you watch a film about a depressed rockstar vamp and his ultra-cool wife getting disrupted in their centuries-long affair by her younger sister’s shenanigans? This film is sexy and romantic. Trust me when I say it will be on the list of top films you force your friends to watch.


The Notebook

A poor yet passionate young man falls in love with a rich young woman, giving her a sense of freedom, but they are soon separated because of their social differences.

“If you’re a bird, I’m a bird.” Noah and Allie’s complicated and oftentimes volatile love story is one that has become a household name. In fact, it was my husband’s first pick when it came to Valentine’s Day films. We watched the onscreen couple become real-life couple Ryan Goslin and Rachel McAdams and followed along as they dated, broke up, became engaged, and finally parted ways. I’m not going to lie, I still pine for those two to end up together, however irrational it might be.


Marriage Story

A stage director and his actor wife struggle through a gruelling, coast-to-coast divorce handled by child access lawyers that pushes them to their personal and creative extremes.

If you’re looking for an award-worthy performance from Adam Driver, look no further than Marriage Story. The complexities of this script are far beyond anything you’re prepared for. I was lucky enough to speak with writer-director Noah Baumbach and the cast in 2019 when the film premiered at NYFF. If you’re a Broadway buff, you’ll find the gravity of the numbers from COMPANY particularly poignant. Marriage Story is a Netflix film.


Fatal Attraction

For Dan Gallagher (Michael Douglas), life is good. He is on the rise at his New York law firm, is happily married to his wife, Beth (Anne Archer), and has a loving daughter. But, after a casual fling with a sultry book editor named Alex (Glenn Close), everything changes. Jilted by Dan, Alex becomes unstable, her behavior escalating from aggressive pursuit to obsessive stalking. Dan realizes that his main problem is not hiding his affair, but rather saving himself and his family.

This film has inspired so many copycats since it premiered in 1987. A woman spurned is taken to new heights in one of the scariest and most intense reactions from being ignored. If you haven’t seen this classic breakup film, a little warning; Don’t get too attached to the family rabbit.


Blue Is The Warmest Color

A French teen (Adèle Exarchopoulos) forms a deep emotional and sexual connection with an older art student (Léa Seydoux) she met in a lesbian bar.

Fearless, sexy, raw, captivating, in 2013 I sat in the fullest theatre at NYFF and experienced this film with a hushed audience. While there has since been much controversy surrounding the sex scenes and the treatment of the leading ladies during filming, there is no denying the life they breathe into this film. Know your audience. Do Not Watch with children or your parents in the room.



Melissa’s Picks:

War of the Roses

After 17 years of marriage, Barbara (Kathleen Turner) and Oliver Rose (Michael Douglas) want out. The trouble is, neither one wants to part with their opulent home. So begins a long war between husband and wife, reaching farcical heights that leave much of the house — not to mention their lives — in shambles. The couple’s children (Sean Astin, Heather Fairfield) watch in horror while lawyer Gavin D’Amato (Danny DeVito) tries his best to stem the bloodshed.

Kathleen Turner and Michael Douglas were an “it” couple of the 80s which was great on its own, but then once you add in Danny DeVito, you get something special. The three of them blended well in Romancing the Stone and Jewel of the Nile, but by War of the Roses, Danny DeVito started directing and had just finished Matilda. His style is subtle but unbelievably purposeful. From camera angles thanks to technology like the drones from Droneuncover to choreography, he toes the line of comedy/drama/horror with a story where you yearn for them to get back together while at the same time anxiously looking forward to the bigger jab.


She-Devil

A surprisingly resourceful housewife vows revenge on her husband when he begins an affair with a wealthy romance novelist.

“Don’t get mad, get revenge” is taken to new levels when Ruth (Roseanne Barr) decides to turn the tables on her husband (Ed Begley, Jr) when he leaves her after an affair (Meryl Streep). This time capsule of a movie gives you “Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous,” Sally Jesse Raphael, and stories in People magazine, all following this love train. At times, grotesque, you’ll get lost in the 80s clothes, decor, and the slang. Like, totally.


Presumed Innocent

Prosecuting attorney Raymond Horgan (Brian Dennehy) assigns his chief deputy, the taciturn Rusty Sabitch (Harrison Ford), to investigate the rape and murder of colleague Carolyn Polhemus (Greta Scacchi), unaware of their torrid affair. When evidence implicates Rusty, Horgan’s political enemies demand his arrest, devastating Rusty’s wife, Barbara (Bonnie Bedelia). In desperation, Rusty turns to crafty defense attorney Sandy Stein (Raul Julia), only to be stunned by his trial’s revelations.

This made an impression on me as the first movie I saw with Harrison Ford in a dramatic role. I was so thrown and hanging on every moment. It’s classic crime and trial drama ala Law & Order. It’s so full of twists and turns, it was easy to get lost and get that pow of the final twist. Love. It’s quite something.


Britni’s Picks:

The Best Man

After writing a soon-to-be bestselling novel, writer and committed bachelor Harper Stewart (Taye Diggs) attempts to hide the fact that his saucy new book is loosely based on the lives and loves of his tight-knit group of friends. Harper is set to be best man at his friend Lance’s (Morris Chestnut) wedding, and all his friends will be in attendance. When an advance copy of the book makes its way into the hands of his ex-flame, Jordan Armstrong (Nia Long), Harper attempts to keep it under wraps.

  • The Best Man + Best Man Holiday – 5 stars for both


You’ve Got Mail

Struggling boutique bookseller Kathleen Kelly (Meg Ryan) hates Joe Fox (Tom Hanks), the owner of a corporate Foxbooks chain store that just moved in across the street. When they meet online, however, they begin an intense and anonymous Internet romance, oblivious of each other’s true identity. Eventually Joe learns that the enchanting woman he’s involved with is actually his business rival. He must now struggle to reconcile his real-life dislike for her with the cyber love he’s come to feel.

Perfect rom-com! Meg Ryan is honestly living my best life with her cute independent book store and also gigantic Manhattan apartment.


What Lies Beneath

It had been a year since Dr. Norman Spencer (Harrison Ford) betrayed his beautiful wife Claire (Michelle Pfeiffer). But with Claire oblivious to the truth, Norman’s life and marriage seem so perfect that when Claire tells him of hearing mysterious voices and seeing a young woman’s image in their home, he dismisses her terror as delusion. Claire moves closer to the truth and it becomes clear that this apparition will not be dismissed, and has come back for Dr. Spencer and his beautiful wife.

A bit of a wild card, but I think we can categorize it as a breakup!


The First Wives Club

Despondent over the marriage of her ex-husband to a younger woman, a middle-aged divorcée plunges to her death from her penthouse. At the woman’s funeral, her former college friends (Bette Midler, Goldie Hawn, Diane Keaton) reunite for the first time in nearly 30 years. When the three discover the reason for their friend’s suicide, they realize that all of their ex-husbands have taken them for granted — and deciding it’s time for revenge, they make a pact to get back at their exes.

Ultimate breakup film.


Forgetting Sarah Marshall

Struggling musician Peter Bretter (Jason Segel) is better-known as the boyfriend of TV star Sarah Marshall (Kristen Bell). After she unceremoniously dumps him, he feels lost and alone but makes a last-ditch bid to get over it by going to Hawaii. However, she and her new boyfriend (Russell Brand) are there in the same hotel.

I feel like this should be a classic but no one talks about it!


 

 

Netflix review: ‘Misha and The Wolves’ documentary reveals victim and villain.

presents

Misha and The Wolves

Misha and the Wolves is the dramatic tale of a woman whose holocaust memoir took the world by storm, but a fallout with her publisher – who turned detective – revealed an audacious deception created to hide a darker truth.


I’ve never trusted wolves. You could argue this is because I’ve always been raised around ultra-docile dogs, but I think my 20+ years of watching movies are really to blame. The ratio just doesn’t hold water. For every domesticated wolf acting as Kevin Costner’s sidekick, there are countless more stalking our hero through a snowy tundra, howls echoing through the night.

So you could imagine my skepticism when faced with the story of Misha Defonseca. Here is the supposedly true story of a young Jewish girl who evaded the Nazis in the woods of Europe during WW2 by falling in with a pack of wolves. In Netflix’s stirring documentary, we hear Misha describe being taken in as a Mowgli-esque family member – traveling with the wolves and surviving on scraps from their hunts. It’s one of those “you have to hear it to believe it” type stories – I mean, these are wolves we are talking about!  It’s crazy to believe that Misha would be seen as family instead of a feast.

And yet, aren’t all stories of Holocaust survival are to some degree impossible? At their core, they are all linked by showcasing the triumph of the human spirit against overwhelming circumstances.  So it is not surprising that we are swept up in Misha’s story, just as the world was in the early 1990s. A book deal, publicity tour, and movie option are a natural fit for such a fantastical tale.

Sam Hobkinson’s smooth direction compels the audience forward. There’s a charming and particularly modern manner to the way that Hobkinson features key figures in Misha’s journey to stardom – their whole essence summarized into a single characteristic (“The Publisher”, “The Journalist”) We are not really meant to get to know these people (although “The Survivor” radiates winking humor with deep emotion in her few minutes of screen-time) – they are here to feed us the facts we need to drive the narrative forward, to build momentum towards the film’s core question. Which is, of course, can we believe Misha?

If you want to play detective, you’ll find the answers to Misha and the Wolves questions pretty quickly. A quick Google search will do the trick. The affirming or refuting of Misha’s story is only one part of the equation. Hobkinson’s film stumbles slightly on this follow-through: the film concludes with finality on the situation but left me wanting more on the motivations beneath the surface. A more rigorous interrogation would have been appreciated, but it is also fair to acknowledge that it might not have been possible.

Whether it be based on truth or lies, this is ultimately a story of family, legacy, and survival. Philipp Larkin once summed this story up a little more quickly:

“They f*ck you up, your mom and dad.

They may not mean to, but they do.

They fill you with the faults they had

And add some extra, just for you.”

Larkin was more to the point, but there weren’t any wolves.


 *Streaming on Netflix on August 11th*

Written and Directed by Sam Hobkinson

*Official Selection Sundance Film Festival 2021*

Netflix review: ‘Sisters on Track’ Proves that You’ve Got to Work for Your Dreams, They Don’t Just Come.

Sisters on Track chronicles the coming-of-age story of the Sheppard sisters: Tai, Rainn, and Brooke who were propelled into the national spotlight in 2016 with their first-time wins at the Junior Olympics. The resulting media storm landed the trio on the cover of Sports Illustrated Kids as “SportsKids of the Year” and they were able to move from shelters into their own home. The film offers a rare intimate glimpse into a tight-knit Brooklyn family’s journey to recover from trauma and tragedy. With the support of their mother, Tonia Handy, and the guidance of coach Jean Bell, the Sheppard sisters aim to beat the odds, dream big, and aspire to higher education as they are finding their voices as athletes and students – all while processing the growing pains of adolescence. At the heart of the story is the bond between sisters and an entire community of women, passing the baton of self-empowerment and hope through track and field, from one generation to another.

“You’re not the only one raising these girls,” Coach Jean Bell says to Tonia Handy, mother of the Sheppard sisters Tai, Rainn, and Brooke in a heartfelt moment that perfectly articulates the thesis of this story. Although the sisters have faced the kind of adversity that makes their success all the more inspiring, the magic of the film is in watching a village pull together to prepare these young ladies for bright futures of their choosing. 

The sisters’ meteoric rise in the track world is only amplified by the challenges they have faced. When they exploded onto the track scene in 2016 with first-time wins at the Junior Olympics, the family was living in a homeless shelter. The resulting media storm landed them on the cover of Sports Illustrated Kids as “SportsKids of the Year” which caught the attention of director Tyler Perry. Inspired by their story, Perry generously secured the family a furnished apartment in their Brooklyn neighborhood and committed to paying the rent for two years. 

The documentary picks up in the aftermath of these exceptional events as the girls navigate the demands of high-level competitive sport and more universal trials like coming-of-age. In the hands of a different group of filmmakers, the documentary may have focused gratuitously on the tragedy and hardship of the girl’s early lives or the precariousness of what they have now. Sisters On Track, however, is a joy to watch. Although the reality of the girls’ home lives is apparent, it is not exploited for pathos. Instead, the bulk of the film is watching a group of talented young women train and compete at the highest levels amid a continuous stream of motivational pep talks from Coach Jean Bell who is an inspiration in her own right (I could write an entire piece on the Jeuness Track Club where they train).  

The documentary is extremely heartfelt and honest, bolstered by the Sheppard sisters themselves who are blessed with vibrant personalities in addition to their clear athletic talents. Middle sister Rainn says it best, “You’ve got to work for your dreams, they don’t just come.”

Watch the Official Trailer:

SISTERS ON TRACK launches on Netflix on Thursday, June 24th
Directed by: Corinne van der Borch & Tone Grøttjord-Glenne
Producer: Anita Rehoff Larsen & Tone Grøttjord-Glenne
Executive Producer: Sam Pollard
Story Consultant: Shola Lynch
Run Time: 94 minutes
Featuring the Original Song:
“The Dream”
Performed by: Mark Batson featuring Tarriona “Tank” Ball
Written by: Mark Batson and Tarriona “Tank” Ball

Netflix Original Documentary review: ‘STRIP DOWN, RISE UP’ is raw and revelatory film on the power of pole dance.

STRIP DOWN, RISE UP

STRIP DOWN, RISE UP is a cinema verité film about women from different walks of life—all ages and ethnic backgrounds—who shed trauma, body image shame, sexual abuse, and other issues locked in their bodies to reclaim their sensuality and sense of self through sensual movement and pole dance. While pole has the stigmas of being a strip club activity, and more recently, an exercise fad, the film tells deeply transformative stories of women within this little-known, supportive community who embark on a journey to heal themselves.

Did I think I would be weeping while watching a documentary about pole dancing? Absolutely not. Strip Down, Rise Up is one of the most personally impactful docs I’ve ever seen. As a dancer, a competitor, a choreographer, a performer, a wife, a mother, a sexual trauma survivor, a film critic, this movie is a therapy session and motherf*cking triumphant scream into the abyss. The stigma that pole dancing carries were created by, everyone say it with me, “Patriarchal Structure!” When I say this, I don’t just mean men. When someone tells you that a particular thing “isn’t feminine” they are part of the problem. Suggesting a stripper is a whore, that’s definitely part of the problem. These are just two examples of how we’ve all been trained to toe the line in outdated gender normative behavior. Take your bullshit standards and eat them. Strip Down, Rise Up is empowerment to the nth degree.

Actress Sheila Kelley began The S Factor after doing research for a role. After falling in love with the art and sport and strength of pole she decided to start a studio. This movement is about the reclamation of our bodies. The power, both physically and emotionally it takes to do pole is beyond most of our basic understanding. The women profiled in the film come from every background, are every age and shape. One is a widow, one a victim of Dr. Larry Nassar. Another is a cancer patient, another a first-time mother. Then there’s the lawyer, pole competitor, and studio owner. And that’s just a few of the unique individuals spotlighted here Through pole exploration, these women are allowed to feel sexy, build strength, and reclaim their bodies. Too often they are sexual assault survivors. The fear and disconnection spread so much further than I ever thought, even after the #MeToo movement kicked off. The amount of trauma is both shocking and not. Which is a scary commentary unto itself. There is so much complexity built into the intimate stories of these women. Director Michèle Ohayon has given every viewer a gift. Throw your expectations out the window. Burn them to the ground. Strip Down, Rise Up will free you.

Oscar-nominated filmmaker Michèle Ohayon‘s new doc feature, STRIP DOWN, RISE UP, is now on Netflix.

57th New York Film Festival begins with the world premiere of Scorsese’s ‘The Irishman’ arriving soon on Netflix & select theaters

If you aren’t catching one of the few screenings of The Irishman at the New York Film Festival, it will come to Netflix on November 1st and will go do select theaters (major cities) on November 27th.

I’m so excited to see a Netflix movie premiere as the opening night film. What makes a movie? It’s not definable. You know when you see it. This is a movie.

Robert De Niro, Al Pacino and Joe Pesci star in Martin Scorsese’s THE IRISHMAN, an epic saga of organized crime in post-war America told through the eyes of World War II veteran Frank Sheeran, a hustler and hitman who worked alongside some of the most notorious figures of the 20th century. Spanning decades, the film chronicles one of the greatest unsolved mysteries in American history, the disappearance of legendary union boss Jimmy Hoffa, and offers a monumental journey through the hidden corridors of organized crime: its inner workings, rivalries and connections to mainstream politics.

 

Review: Award-winning documentary ‘The Push’ now available on VOD platforms.

The Push


Grant Korgan is a scientist and a professional athlete. Grant Korgan should not be able to do the things he does. After sustaining a spinal cord injury that left him paralyzed from the belly button down, his entire spirit was deflated. Until he discovered other disabled athletes were training to continue their sports and beyond. Along comes an opportunity of a lifetime; go to The South Pole, and not just go, traverse 100 miles across the polar plateau of Antarctica using only his arms to pull himself on a sled. It had never been done by someone like Grant. His entire journey, from the accident on is documented. He literally had a camera on his person as he hit the ground and, unbeknownst to him, became paralyzed. Not only does he have a camera, but his best friends and extreme sports buddies are also filming him from the bottom of the mountain. The Korgans have a camera running for all the good, the bad, the ugly of recovery and training. The Push is a story of the human spirit and the determination of Grant, his wife Shawna, and Tal, Grant’s trekking partner, and ultimate caretaker on the ice. The bond forged between these two people is unreal. Teamwork doesn’t accurately define their relationship. Tal essentially becomes the lifeguard that Shawna had been. Now she’s not there and Tal has to make decisions for the both of them. Things do not go as planned. It’s impossible to predict how Mother Nature will treat you. Faith is a real driving force in this story. Not the religious kind of faith but the belief that anything can be achieved if you just persist hard enough, long enough. The Push will make you root for these guys to succeed. Challenge after challenge will they make it to the South Pole?  And at the point of real-life danger and all the odds against them, and after all they’ve already achieved, does it even matter? Not only do we experience Grant’s South Pole excursion, but the aftermath. This is where it comes back to the human spirit, once again. There is a lot of soul searching and as Grant says, ” there is a beauty in being broken” and how you choose to view your circumstances. If you’re not crying at the end of this film I don’t even know if you’re a human being. The Push is inspiring and a film that should be shared far and wide for anyone struggling. It’s truly uplifting.

A Gravitas Ventures release, the film has just landed on Amazon and Netflix and other VOD platforms.

THE PUSH

Winner of “Best Documentary” at AmDocs Palm Springs, Flickers’ Rhode Island International Film Festival, The Impact DOCS Awards, Long Beach International Film Festival, Santa Barbara International Film Festival, Sonoma International Film Festival, and the Vero Beach Wine & Film Festival.

How to see the Tribeca Audience Award Winners & Runner-ups

These films will be showing tomorrow on the last day of the Tribeca Film Festival or you can also catch them below. See You Yesterday is coming to Netflix!

  • Documentary Audience Award
  • Narrative Audience Award

Airbnb-produced Gay Chorus Deep South is making its way around the country on the festival circuit. Next stop will be Montclair, NJ followed by Greenville, SC. Check out the schedule here: https://www.gaychorusdeepsouth.com/seethefilm

Gay Chorus Deep South, directed by David Charles Rodrigues, written by David Charles Rodrigues, Jeff Gilbert. Produced by Bud Johnston, Jesse Moss. (USA) – World Premiere, Feature Documentary. To confront a resurgence of anti-LGBTQ laws, the San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus embarks on an unprecedented bus tour through the Deep South, celebrating music, challenging intolerance, and confronting their own dark coming out stories. With The San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus, Oakland Interfaith Gospel Choir, Dr. Tim Seelig, Ashlé, Jimmy White


Plus One is to be released June 14th, and I assume that means theatrically, although it is not clear.

Plus One, directed and written by Jeff Chan, Andrew Rhymer. Produced by Jeremy Reitz, Debbie Liebling, Ross Putman, Jeff Chan, Andrew Rhymer, Greg Beauchamp. (USA) – World Premiere. In order to survive a summer of wedding fever, longtime single friends Ben and Alice agree to be each other’s plus one at every goddamn wedding they’re invited to. With Maya Erskine, Jack Quaid, Ed Begley Jr., Rosalind Chao, Beck Bennett, Finn Wittrock.


You’ll find See You Yesterday on Netflix on May 17th.

See You Yesterday, directed by Stefon Bristol, written by Stefon Bristol & Fredrica Bailey. Produced by Spike Lee, Jason Sokoloff, Matt Myers. (USA) – World Premiere, Feature Narrative. Two Brooklyn teenage prodigies, C.J. Walker and Sebastian Thomas, build make-shift time machines to save C.J.’s brother, Calvin, from being wrongfully killed by a police officer.


Watson, directed by Lesley Chilcott. Producers: Louise Runge, Lesley Chilcott, Wolfgang Knöpfler. . (USA, Costa Rica, Tonga) – World Premiere. Co-founder of Greenpeace and founder of Sea Shepherd, Captain Paul Watson has spent 40 years fighting to end the destruction of the ocean’s wildlife and its habitat. Part pirate, part philosopher, Watson’s methods stop at nothing to protect what lies beneath.

Here’s how to watch the 20 movies of the Marvel Cinematic Universe

It’s hard to believe there are have been 20 movies since Iron Man started it all in 2008. Crazy, right? Why not revise your favorites? All are available to rent or buy, but here’s where they can also be found with subscriptions:

amazon Prime & hulu & EPIX

  • Iron Man 2 (2010)

FX (FXNOW app with a subscription from your service provider)

Warning: commercials

  • Iron Man 3 (2013)

Syfy (Syfy app with a subscription from your service provider)

Warning: commercials

  • Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015)
  • Ant-Man (2015)

STARZ

  • Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)

Netflix

  • Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017)
  • Thor: Ragnorok (2017)
  • Black Panther (2018)
  • Avengers: Infinity War (2018)
  • Ant-Man and the Wasp (2018)

The rest are Rent or Buy only – find pretty much anywhere you want to rent

  • Iron Man (2008)
  • The Incredible Hulk (2008)
  • Thor (2011)
  • Captain America: The First Avenger (2011)
  • The Avengers (2012)
  • Thor: The Dark World (2013)
  • Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014)
  • Guardians of the Galaxy (2014)
  • Captain America: Civil War (2016)
  • Doctor Strange (2016)

Prefer to see them in order? Of release date, that is. There is debate on the actual chronological order.

  • Iron Man (2008) Rent/Buy only
  • The Incredible Hulk (2008) Rent/Buy only
  • Iron Man 2 (2010) Prime Video, hulu, EPIX
  • Thor (2011) Rent/Buy only
  • Captain America: The First Avenger (2011) Rent/Buy only
  • The Avengers (2012) Rent/Buy only
  • Iron Man 3 (2013) FXNOW (commercials)
  • Thor: The Dark World (2013) Rent/Buy only
  • Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014) Rent/Buy only
  • Guardians of the Galaxy (2014) Rent/Buy only
  • Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015) SyFy (commercials)
  • Ant-Man (2015) SyFy (commercials)
  • Captain America: Civil War (2016) Rent/Buy only
  • Doctor Strange (2016) Rent/Buy only
  • Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017) Netflix
  • Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017) STARZ
  • Thor: Ragnorok (2017) Netflix
  • Black Panther (2018) Netflix
  • Avengers: Infinity War (2018) Netflix
  • Ant-Man and the Wasp (2018) Netflix

12 Tribeca Film Festival movies already picked up

HBO has already snagged two documentaries: The Apollo (Opening Night), about the legendary Harlem theater, and At the Heart of Gold: Inside the USA Gymnastics Scandal, which is pretty much self-explanatory. Introducing younger audiences to the delightful Dr. Ruth Westheimer will be Ask Dr. Ruth acquired by hulu. At 90 years old, she’s still leaving her mark on the world. IFC Films will release Charlie Says from director, Mary Harron. I’m just glad they waited to make a movie until after his death. Same goes for the Ted Bundy story starring Zac Efron, Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile, which Netflix picked up at Sundance.

After premiering at the Berlin Film Festival, Goldie looks to be a promising tale of the pursuit of happiness. The latest Halston documentary seems to be less talking heads than Ultrasuede: In Search of Halston, which played at the 2011 Tribeca Film Festival. Dan Krauss won best documentary at the Tribeca Film Festival in 2013 for The Kill Team and has now made a narrative of the same with Nat Wolff and Alexander Skarsgård from A24.

In the documentary, Leftover Women, the story surrounds the effects of the gender imbalance of the “one child” policy in China. A24’s second release is the summertime drama, Low Tide. The documentary acquired by Sony Pictures Classics, Maiden, tells of an all-female crew in 1989 who competed in a prestigious yacht race. And last but not least, is The Quiet One from Sundance Selects, telling the story of Bill Wyman a founding member of The Rolling Stones that walked away from it all to be his own legend.

  1. The Apollo (HBO)
  2. Ask Dr Ruth (hulu)
  3. At the Heart of Gold: Inside the USA Gymnastics Scandal (HBO)
  4. Charlie Says (IFC Films)
  5. Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile (Netflix)
  6. Goldie (Vice Media, Fox)
  7. Halston (The Orchard, CNN Films)
  8. The Kill Team (A24)
  9. Leftover Women (MetFilm Sales)
  10. Low Tide (A24)
  11. Maiden (Sony Pictures Classics)
  12. The Quiet One (Sundance Selects)

Review: ‘Making Babies’ brings humor to a delicate subject.

MAKING BABIESWriter/Director: Josh Huber

Cast: Eliza Coupe, Steve Howey, Bob Stephenson, Elizabeth Rodriguez, Ed Begley Jr, and the late Glenne Headly

Katie and John Kelly (Eliza Coupe and Steve Howey) are ready to settle down and have kids but five years later, all they have to show for their efforts is a mountain of negative pregnancy tests and an increasingly elaborate home micro-brewing rig, which John hopes will launch his company with the help of a new amazing product the gundry md.  As they run out of traditional options and their window closing, the couple explores the daunting world of medical, spiritual, and homeopathic methods to conceive a child. With an ensemble cast that also includes Bob Stephenson, Elizabeth Rodriguez, Ed Begley Jr., Jon Daly, and the late Glenne Headly, MAKING BABIES puts a couple through the ringer of modern infertility treatments and questions whether their marriage will withstand the ultimate test.

Couples struggling to get pregnant is an extremely personal and very common occurrence. It can tank marriages. It can lead to depression and hopelessness. But the realities of creating life can also be ridiculous and pretty damn funny. On the heels of Netflix’s Private Life, comes a new comedy Making Babies. Life doesn’t stop when you’re trying to conceive and it doesn’t get any easier once pregnant. This film does a great job of balancing the seriousness of stress for which many experts now recommend CBD gummies, disappointment, commitment, and the excitement that comes with having kids. Everyone has an opinion on how you can get pregnant. Most couples don’t want to discuss it, but perhaps more people should. Making Babies delves into the hilarious and oftentimes heartbreaking honesty of everyone involved in the process, be it doctors, friends, other parents, and ourselves. The cast has fantastic, natural chemistry. Making Babies is a bright light on an otherwise dark topic.

New York Film Festival Review: ‘Private Life’ – Now on Netflix!

There is an age-old dilemma in Manhattan in respect to career and family. When I was a preschool teacher 10 years ago, the average age of the parents in my class when they gave birth was 40. My own mother had me at 22. This was the “normal” I understood. But, after I got married at 31 and moved back to Manhattan after years of traveling the world, I realized that I was faced with the same dilemma. My husband had not just hinted but boldly stated that he was ready for kids. I had just gotten deep into film criticism and similar projects, there was no way I was about to slow down now. Then, once I was ready it took a grueling 8 months to get pregnant. I know, some people will say that’s not a very long time, it takes years for some women to get pregnant. But that feeling of disappointment and fear month after month is palpable still. Those visceral memories are what made Tamara Jenkins new film Private Life so engrossing for me.

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Kathryn Hahn and Paul Giamatti play a couple that put arts careers first and family second. Then the reality of the situation slams into them head-on. With adoption, fertility treatments, and surrogacy all on the table, this couple cannot seem to catch a break. The brilliance of this film is the fact that it’s rooted in reality. The emotional rollercoaster that is trying to be parents is all emotions at once. The comedy is as pure as the heartbreak. Giamatti is always fantastic. There is a beautiful juxtaposition in a performance from Molly Shannon. On the surface, it may appear to be an uncomplicated foil for Katherine’s character, but it is anything but. Private Life‘s essence lies in Hahn’s performance. Her soul-baring work will most certainly catch you off guard. It’s the quietest moments that crush you. Her specificity is award-worthy stuff, no doubt. Private Life is not just about having a kid, it’s about marriage. It’s about the delicate balance of love and hate and resentment between two people who promise to be together forever. Hands down, in my top three films from the festival this year. You can catch Private Life right now on Netflix. I highly recommend you do.

Review: ‘Dead Envy’

Dead Envy

Release Date: August 24, 2018

Digital HD: September 3, 2018

Run Time: 1 hour 11 minutes

Reviewed By: Reel Reviews Over Brews

Aging rock artist David Tangier’s (Harley Di Nardo) sense of identity is all but destroyed as he works cutting hair to provide a comfortable life for himself and his wife. His sound and age bind him to the rock of the 2000s when his band Katatonic Spin ruled the scene. David cannot tolerate that he has become a has-been. Taking one last long shot at maintaining his integrity, David sets out to organize the follow-up album that he never had the chance to make.

I was pleasantly surprised by Dead Envy. Most movies I have the pleasure of reviewing I try to go in with low expectations so I won’t be disappointed. Well, Dead Envy succeeded my expectations in all aspects. The acting, the storyline, the quality, even the soundtrack was pretty solid… you won’t hear many negatives (if any at all) from me. I really enjoyed how Adam Reeser portrayed the psycho-obsessed fan. He played the role great and honestly don’t think I could picture as anything else after this one. Harley Di Nardo also killed it with his role of washed-up musician, David, still trying to follow his dream. I don’t see this as a theatrical movie, but absolutely could see it being on TV or Netflix. Great movie for steaming. If you come across Dead Envy on one of those outlets, tune it. I think you’ll enjoy it.

Reel ROB Rating: 5.25 out of 10 stars

Post Credits Scene: No

We want to thank our friends at Reel News Daily for allowing us to do this guest review!

Watch 3 Press Conferences from the New York Film Festival

The Ballad of Buster Scruggs will be available on Netflix in a little over a month on 11/16/18, The Favourite will be in theaters shortly after that on 11/23/18, but High Life hasn’t been announced, so we can only assume 2019.

The Ballad of Buster Scruggs
North American Premiere
Country: USA
Here’s something new from the Coen Brothers—an anthology of short films based on a fictional book of “western tales,” featuring Tim Blake Nelson as a murderous, white-hatted singing cowboy; James Franco as a bad luck bank-robber; Liam Neeson as the impresario of a traveling medicine show with increasingly diminishing returns; Tom Waits as a die-hard gold prospector; Zoe Kazan and Bill Heck as two shy people who almost come together on the wagon trail; and Tyne Daly, Saul Rubinek, Brendan Gleeson, Chelcie Ross, and Jonjo O’Neill as a motley crew on a stagecoach to nowhere. Each story is distinct but unified by the thematic thread of mortality. As a whole movie experience, Buster Scruggs is wildly entertaining, and, like all Coen films, endlessly surprising.
Venice Film Festival
Awards: Best Film – Venice Film Festival (Nominee)
Distributed by: Netflix, Annapurna Production 11/16/2018

‘The Ballad of Buster Scruggs’ Press Conference | Joel & Ethan Coen and Cast | NYFF56


High Life
U.S. Premiere
Country: Germany, France, USA, UK, Poland
Claire Denis’s latest film is set aboard a spacecraft piloted by death row prisoners on a decades-long suicide mission to enter and harness the power of a black hole. But as is always the case with this filmmaker, the actual structure seems to evolve organically through moods and uncanny spells, and the closest juxtapositions of violence and intimacy. High Life features some of the most unsettling passages Denis has ever filmed, as well as moments of the greatest delicacy and tenderness. With Robert Pattinson, Juliette Binoche, André Benjamin, and Mia Goth.
Distributed by: A24 2019


The Favourite
Country: USA, Ireland, UK
In Yorgos Lanthimos’s wildly intricate and very darkly funny new film, Sarah Churchill, the Duchess of Marlborough (Rachel Weisz), and her servant Abigail Hill (Emma Stone) engage in a sexually charged fight to the death for the body and soul of Queen Anne (Olivia Colman) at the height of the War of the Spanish Succession. This trio of truly brilliant performances is the dynamo that powers Lanthimos’s top-to-bottom reimagining of the costume epic, in which the visual pageantry of court life in 18th-century England becomes not just a lushly appointed backdrop but an ironically heightened counterpoint to the primal conflict unreeling behind closed doors.
Venice Film Festival
Awards: Best Film – Venice Film Festival (Nominee)
Distributed by: Fox Searchlight Pictures 11/23/2018

Netflix News: Everything new to watch today & released in the last week – June 22nd

Films

Brain on Fire (Film) [NETFLIX ORIGINAL] – Available Friday, June 22
One morning, 24-year-old Susannah Cahalan woke up in a hospital bed. She couldn’t speak. She couldn’t move. And she had no idea how she got there.

Derren Brown: Miracle (Film) [NETFLIX ORIGINAL] – Available Friday, June 22
Derren toured the UK and returned to London’s historic Palace Theatre with his seventh one-man show, MIRACLE. Through extraordinary demonstrations and exposés of evangelical faith healing, the sell-out show examined the stories we tell ourselves and the value of the present moment.

Hannah Gadsby: Nanette (Film) [NETFLIX ORIGINAL]- Available Tuesday, June 19
Winner of Best Show at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe and Melbourne International Comedy Festival, Hannah Gadsby is bringing her show ‘Nanette’ to New York.

In Bruges (Film) – Available Saturday, June 16
Guilt-stricken after a job gone wrong, hitman Ray and his partner await orders from their ruthless boss in Bruges, Belgium, the last place in the world Ray wants to be. Director: Martin McDonagh | Stars: Colin Farrell, Brendan Gleeson, Ciarán Hinds, Elizabeth Berrington

Set It Up (Film) [NETFLIX ORIGINAL] – Available Friday, June 15
Two young assistants in New York City realize they can make their lives easier by setting up their workaholics bosses to date. While trying to perpetuate this romantic ruse between their nightmare bosses, the assistants realize they might be right for each other. Starring: Glenn Powell, Zoey Deutch, Lucy Liu, Taye Diggs Written by: Katie Silberman Directed by: Claire Scanlon

Sunday’s Illness (La Enfermedad del Domingo) (Film) [NETFLIX ORIGINAL] – Available Friday, June 15
After Anabel hosts an opulent dinner, she is confronted by Chiara, the daughter she abandoned decades earlier. Chiara arrives with just one request: that she and her mother spend ten days together.

Lust Stories (Film) [NETFLIX ORIGINAL] – Available Friday, June 15
Get ready for a climactic event this June. Karan Johar, Zoya Akhtar, Dibakar Banerjee and Anurag Kashyap come together for Lust Stories premiering 15th June only on Netflix.

La Hora Final (Film) – Available Friday, June 15
The hunting and capture of Abigail Guzmán, Leader of Sendero Luminoso (Shining Path), and the man that killed thousands of people in his reign of terror. Director: Eduardo Mendoza de Echave | Stars: Nidia Bermejo, Katerina D’Onofrio, Pietro Sibille, Miguel Vargas

Step Up 2: The Streets (Film) – Available Friday, June 15
Romantic sparks occur between two dance students from different backgrounds at the Maryland School of the Arts. Director: Jon M. Chu | Stars: Robert Hoffman, Briana Evigan, Cassie Ventura, Adam Sevani

The Imaginarium Of Doctor Parnassus (Film) – Available Friday, June 15
A traveling theater company gives its audience much more than they were expecting. Director: Terry Gilliam | Stars: Christopher Plummer, Lily Cole, Heath Ledger, Andrew Garfield

Maktub (Film) [NETFLIX ORIGINAL] – Available Friday, June 15
Two criminals are the sole survivors of a terrorist attack at a restaurant in Jerusalem. They decide to change their ways and become guardian angels.

Cutie And The Boxer (Film) – Available Thursday, June 14
This candid New York love story explores the chaotic 40-year marriage of famed boxing painter Ushio Shinohara and his wife, Noriko. Anxious to shed her role as her overbearing husband’s assistant, Noriko finds an identity of her own with the help of CBD gummies to handle the anxiety. Director: Zachary Heinzerling | Stars: Ushio Shinohara, Noriko Shinohara, Alex Shinohara, Ethan Cohen

Series

Luke Cage: Season 2 [NETFLIX ORIGINAL] – Available Friday, June 22
After clearing his name, Luke Cage has become a celebrity on the streets of Harlem with a reputation as bulletproof as his skin. But being so visible has only increased his need to protect the community and find the limits of who he can and can’t save. With the rise of a formidable new foe, Luke is forced to confront the fine line that separates a hero from a villa

Cooking On High: Season 1 [NETFLIX ORIGINAL] – Available Friday, June 22
COOKING ON HIGH is a high-stakes cooking competition series involving one key ingredient: weed. Josh Leyva hosts while chefs hash it out over cannabis edibles like those you find if you visit this website, all for judges with a serious case of the munchies.

Heavy Rescue: 401: Season 2 [NETFLIX ORIGINAL] – Available Friday, June 22
Crews work to keep North America’s most intense stretch of highway open in any weather conditions.

Encerrados (Series)Available Monday, June 18

La Balada de Hugo Sanchez (Series) [NETFLIX ORIGINAL] – Available Sunday, June 17
Hugo Sanchez receives his most important mission since he was named Chava Iglesias’ Personal Assistant: lead the “Cuervos” team to win the Tournament “Duel of the Birds” in Nicaragua. Hugo Sánchez takes off from the nest towards the adventure of a lifetime, but for that he’ll have to confront Luna, his mother, who wants him to return to the family caskets sale business. Hugo will not only have to prove his skills go beyond being Chava’s assistant but it will also be a journey into manhood. The series is produced by Alazraki Entertainment. Created by Mark Alazraki, Moises Chiver and Gaz Alazraki. Mark Alazraki, Moises Chiver, Mehar Sethi and Gaz Alazraki serve as executive producers. The directors include Alvaro Curiel and Mark Alazraki. Screenwriters include: Mehar Sethi (as lead writer), Mark Alazraki, Conor Galvin, Dave Newberg, L.E. Correia and Jack Moore.

Marvel’s Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D.: Season 5Available Sunday, June 17

The Break with Michelle Wolf (Series) [NETFLIX ORIGINAL] – Available Sunday, June 17
The Break with Michelle Wolf, a weekly half hour variety/sketch series, launches Sunday, May 27 on Netflix.
With four years of working on shows including, The Daily Show and Late Night w/ Seth Meyers, it’s now Michelle’s turn to host and her new weekly show will take a break from the seriousness of today’s late night comedy.
Michelle Wolf will also be hosting the White House Correspondents’ Dinner on Saturday, April 28.

Grey’s Anatomy: Season 14 (Series)Available Saturday, June 16

The Ranch: Part 5 [NETFLIX ORIGINAL] – Available Friday, June 15
Set in present day on a Colorado ranch outside Denver, this multi-camera family comedy series stars Ashton Kutcher, Danny Masterson, Sam Elliott and Debra Winger. The show follows Colt’s (Kutcher) return home after a brief and failed semi- pro football career to run the family ranching business with his older brother Jameson “Rooster” (Masterson) and father Beau (Elliott), whom he hasn’t seen in 15 years. Winger stars as Colt’s and Jimmy’s mother, Maggie, who runs the local town bar. The series also features Elisha Cuthbert (Abby), and fellow That 70’s Show alum Wilmer Valderrama (Umberto).

True: Magical Friends: Season 1 [NETFLIX ORIGINAL] – Available Friday, June 15
The power of friendship can solve any problem – and the Rainbow Kingdom’s got plenty to go around. Cue Bartleby and True for the resuce!

True: Wonderful Wishes: Season 1 [NETFLIX ORIGINAL] – Available Friday, June 15
Do-gooding True and Bartleby will go anywhere to make wishes come true – from the bottom of the Living Sea to the tip of Mount Tippy Tippy Top!

Voltron: Legendary Defender: Season 6 [NETFLIX ORIGINAL] – Available Friday, June 15

Queer Eye: Season 2 [NETFLIX ORIGINAL] – Available Friday, June 15
Queer Eye is back and ready to transform the stylistically challenged into hip and happening savants at the hands of the new Fab Five. These fearless ambassadors of taste are about to embark on Queer Eye’s boldest crusade ever, bringing a message of encouragement and uplift to eight new heroes in season two.

Marlon: Season 1Available Thursday, June 14

Netflix News: A whole lotta Barbra Streisand specials releasing tomorrow & ‘A Star Is

As previously announced by Barbra Streisand and Netflix at the 2018 Netflix FYSee closing night celebration which featured Streisand in conversation with Jamie Foxx in support of Barbra: The Music… The Mem’ries… The Magic! Netflix audiences worldwide will soon enjoy a fresh selection of content from the Streisand library including award-winning My Name Is Barbra (1965), Color Me Barbra (1966), Barbra Streisand: A Happening in Central Park (1968), Barbra Streisand and Other Musical Instruments (1973), Barbra Streisand: The Concert (1994), and Barbra Streisand: Timeless (2001). Netflix is also thrilled to present a special edition of Barbra Streisand’s classic movie A Star Is Born (1976). Supervising the edit, Ms. Streisand was happy to include never-before-seen footage – the scene where she first plays “Evergreen” on the guitar for Mr. Kristofferson. To Ms. Streisand’s surprise almost a year later, the song went on to win the Academy Award, the Grammy, and the Golden Globe. The other never-before-seen footage includes a rock n’ roll version of the film’s finale “Watch Closely Now.”  All of the titles will launch on Netflix in the US this Friday, June 15.

5 new documentaries on Netflix this week – a movie star invented wifi?

As if you didn’t already have enough in your queue, here’s some more very interesting additions this week.

The Staircase [NETFLIX ORIGINAL] (DOCUMENTARY)
The Staircase follows the compelling story of Michael Peterson, a crime novelist accused of killing his wife Kathleen after she is found dead at the bottom of a staircase in their home, and the 16 year judicial battle that followed. Academy Award-winning documentary filmmaker, Jean-Xavier de Lestrade was granted unusual access to the case immediately following Kathleen’s death in 2001 in Durham, North Carolina. Her husband, Michael, a local public figure and successful novelist, quickly becomes the prime suspect.

De Lestrade’s cameras were on hand to capture every moment of this extraordinary story from arrest to verdict, following in intimate detail Peterson’s home, the family and his defense team as it considered its strategic options. Brand new episodes of The Staircase will premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival on April 28 before they launch on Netflix this summer alongside the original series.
One of many Netflix Originals at Tribeca Film Festival, I’m hungry for another crime story.


November 13 : Attack on Paris: 3-part series [NETFLIX ORIGINAL] (DOCUMENTARY)
November 13 is a three part documentary in which Jules and Gédéon Naudet, directors of 9/11, explore the human stories behind the terrorist attacks that took place in Paris on November 13th, 2015.
Following the chronology of the events, the documentary will share testimonies of the people brought together by tragedy, from the survivors, the fire department, the police and the leaders of the French government.


He Named Me Malala (DOCUMENTARY)
A look at the events leading up to the Taliban’s attack on Pakistani schoolgirl, Malala Yousafzai, for speaking out on girls’ education followed by the aftermath, including her speech to the United Nations.
Director: Davis Guggenheim | Stars: Malala Yousafzai, Ziauddin Yousafzai, Toor Pekai Yousafzai, Khushal Yousafzai
Now we don’t have an excuse. We should all watch this.


Terms and Conditions May Apply (DOCUMENTARY)
A documentary that exposes what corporations and governments learn about people through Internet and cell phone usage, and what can be done about it … if anything.
Director: Cullen Hoback | Stars: Max Schrems, Moby, Mark Zuckerberg, Orson Scott Card

Timely.


Bombshell: The Hedy Lamarr Story (DOCUMENTARY)
The life and career of the hailed Hollywood movie star and underappreciated genius inventor, Hedy Lamarr.
She invented wifi and they still wouldn’t take her seriously. SERIOUSLY.


Newest on Netflix to watch over the Memorial Day weekend!

Happy Friday! Just in time for the long weekend, there’s all kinds of new stuff to watch! Here’s the latest:

Ibiza [NETFLIX ORIGINAL] – Available Friday, May 25
When Harper’s two best friends tag along on her work trip to Barcelona, they ditch work and fly to Ibiza for Harper, who against her better judgment, falls for a hot DJ.

Gillian Jacobs, Vanessa Bayer

Steve Martin and Martin Short: An Evening You Will Forget for the Rest of Your Life  [NETFLIX ORIGINAL] – Available Friday, May 25
Comedy icons Steve Martin and Martin Short team up for musical sketches and conversations about their legendary lives in show business and stand-up.

The Toys That Made Us  [NETFLIX ORIGINAL] – Available Friday, May 25
For the casual to the hardcore collector, Toys is an international journey through parts of our history and culture shaped by popular toys (Barbie, GI Joe, etc).

Trollhunters  [NETFLIX ORIGINAL] – Available Friday, May 25
Tatiana Maslany, Diego Luna and Emile Hirsch have joined the third and final season of Netflix’s critically acclaimed, Emmy-winning original series DreamWorks Trollhunters, from Oscar-winner Guillermo del Toro. They join an already star-studded cast from seasons one and two that includes Kelsey Grammer in his Emmy-winning role as Blinky, Mark Hamill (Dictatious), Lena Headey (Morgana), David Bradley (Merlin), Ron Perlman (Bular), Steven Yeun (Steve), Anjelica Huston (Queen Ursurna), Jonathan Hyde (Strickler), Amy Landecker (Barbara), Charlie Saxton (Toby), Lexi Medrano (Claire) and Fred Tatasciore (AAARRRGGHH!!!)

Fauda  [NETFLIX ORIGINAL] – Available Thursday, May 24
Learning that the Hamas militant he thought he killed is still at large, veteran Israeli operative Doron comes out of retirement to hunt down his foe.

Survivors Guide to PrisonAvailable Thursday, May 24
Narrated by Academy Award® winner Susan Sarandon, the nonstop film chronicles the stories of two men who spent decades behind bars for murders they did not commit. With additional narration by activist celebrities like Danny Trejo, Patricia Arquette, Jesse Williams, Ice T, RZA, Busta Rhymes, Tom Morello, Macklemore, B-Real, Deepak Chopra, Warren G and more joining forces to change this broken system, the Survivors Guide exposes a failed punishment model.

Explained  [NETFLIX ORIGINAL] – Available Wednesday, May 23
Produced by Vox Entertainment, this weekly short-form series will explore a wide range of global topics and take on the big “why” questions that animate our age. Each episode will pull a different subject from the zeitgeist, from politics to science to pop culture, and give the bigger picture story — featuring interviews with some of the most authoritative experts in their respective fields. Ezra Klein, Vox co-founder and editor-at-large, will serve as an executive producer; along with Joe Posner, Vox’s executive producer; and showrunner Claire Gordon.

Mob Psycho 100  [NETFLIX ORIGINAL] – Available Tuesday, May 22
There’s an organization gathering espers for a nefarious purpose. Powerful psychic Mob, however, is just trying to be the protagonist of his own life.

Shooter: Season 2Available Tuesday, May 22
A conspiracy thriller that follows the journey of Bob Lee Swagger, a highly-decorated veteran who is coaxed back into action to prevent a plot to kill the President.

Terrace House: Opening New DoorsAvailable Tuesday, May 22
Terrace House: Opening New Doors is a Japanese reality television series in the Terrace House franchise set in Karuizawa of the Nagano prefecture in Japan.

Tig Notaro Happy To Be Here  [NETFLIX ORIGINAL] Available Tuesday, May 22
Comedian Tig Notaro brings her signature deadpan silliness in Tig Notaro Happy To Be Here, available only on Netflix starting May 22, 2018. Filmed at the historic Heights Theater in Houston, Tig tackles the comedic sides of marriage, parenting and being invited to an Ellen DeGeneres party, then closes the set with a tease that will leave you on the edge of your seat.

Señora Acero: Season 4Available Monday, May 21
This season of the hit series follows the adventures of Vicenta Acero, the feared coyote who now leads the dynasty of illicit dealings once under the control of her father. With the help of Daniel Phillips, a United States ICE agent, she has brought an end to the life of the ruthless drug lord Chucho Casares. This season, there are more enemies than ever, including the violent Colombian drug lord Julian Romero, and the head of the Homeland Security Department and Texas Border Patrol, Indira Cardenas. Romero, who seeks revenge on the Acero clan, ends up madly obsessed with Vicenta. Meanwhile, Indira cannot forgive Daniel for choosing Vicenta over her. Together, Vicenta and Daniel fight to survive and escape from the threats that endanger their love.

Some Kind of BeautifulAvailable Sunday, May 20
A woman (Salma Hayek) starts to fall in love with a successful college professor (Pierce Brosnan) who had a baby with her younger sister (Jessica Alba).

Bridge to TerabithiaAvailable Saturday, May 19
A preteen’s life turns upside down when he befriends the new girl in school and they imagine a whole new fantasy world to escape reality.

Disney’s Scandal: Season 7Available Saturday, May 19
The season focuses on the new direction of Olivia Pope’s crisis management firm, which is now headlined by Quinn Perkins, as well as staff at the White House in Washington, D.C. Season seven will have twelve series regulars, all returning from the previous season, out of which six are part of the original cast of eight regulars from the first season.

Small Town CrimeAvailable Saturday, May 19
When alcoholic ex-cop Mike Kendall finds the body of a young woman, he becomes obsessed with redeeming himself by finding the killer. In the process, he puts himself and his family in danger while hanging out with an assortment of shady characters.

Cargo  [NETFLIX ORIGINAL] – Available Friday, May 18
Stranded in rural Australia in the aftermath of a violent pandemic, an infected father desperately seeks a new home for his infant child, and a means to protect her from his own changing nature.
Starring: Martin Freeman
Written by: Yolanda Ramke
Directed by: Yolanda Ramke and Ben Howling
Produced by: Russell Ackerman, Kristine Ceyton, Samantha Jennings and John Schoenfelder.

Catching Feelings  [NETFLIX ORIGINAL] – Available Friday, May 18
A dark romantic comedy which follows an urbane young academic and his beautiful wife, as their lives get turned upside down when a celebrated hedonistic older writer moves into their Johannesburg home with them.

Inspector Gadget  [NETFLIX ORIGINAL] – Available Friday, May 18
Inspector Gadget is back with his niece, Penny, and her dog Brain, to stop the evil Dr. Claw, who has reactivated M.A.D., his global crime syndicate

13 Reasons Why  [NETFLIX ORIGINAL] – Available Friday, May 18
Season 2 picks up in the aftermath of Hannah’s death and the start of our characters’ complicated journeys toward healing and recovery. Liberty High prepares to go on trial, but someone will stop at nothing to keep the truth surrounding Hannah’s death concealed. A series of ominous polaroids lead Clay and his classmates to uncover a sickening secret and a conspiracy to cover it up.

SUNDAY

The Break with Michelle Wolf [NETFLIX ORIGINAL] – Available Sunday, May 27
The Break with Michelle Wolf, a weekly half hour variety/sketch series, launches Sunday, May 27 on Netflix.
With four years of working on shows including, The Daily Show and Late Night w/ Seth Meyers, it’s now Michelle’s turn to host and her new weekly show will take a break from the seriousness of today’s late night comedy.

Sara’s Notebook [NETFLIX ORIGINAL] – Available Saturday, May 26
A naive Madrid lawyer travels to Africa to search for her younger sister who has gone missing in a part of Congo plagued by violence and strife.

Netflix News: Ryan Reynolds to star in ‘Six Underground’ directed by Michael Bay

Press release – Skydance Media announced today they will partner with Netflix to co-produce and release their upcoming original feature film Six Underground directed by Michael Bay (Transformers) and starring Ryan Reynolds (Deadpool). The action film is based on an original idea from writers and executive producers Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick, best known for their irreverent work on Deadpool and Deadpool 2. Skydance’s David Ellison, Dana Goldberg, and Don Granger will produce Six Underground along with Bay.

Bay, best known for high-concept action films is one of the most commercially successful filmmakers. Reynolds’ latest film, Deadpool 2 is coming off a blockbuster opening weekend and Deadpool is the highest-grossing R-rated movie in box office history.

The film, produced by Skydance Media and Netflix, is targeting a summer start of production for worldwide release in 2019 on Netflix.

This marks the first collaboration between Skydance Media and Netflix for an event level feature film and the first Netflix project for both Michael Bay and Ryan Reynolds.

Skydance has a long-standing relationship with Netflix in television where they produce the critically acclaimed and Emmy Nominated series “Grace and Frankie” and earlier this year launched the high-concept, strong IP based sci-fi series “Altered Carbon” on the platform.

 

Netflix News: The Obamas partner with Netflix for a bunch of new projects

“Barack and Michelle Obama are among the world’s most respected and highly-recognized public figures and are uniquely positioned to discover and highlight stories of people who make a difference in their communities and strive to change the world for the better,” said Netflix Chief Content Officer Ted Sarandos. “We are incredibly proud they have chosen to make Netflix the home for their formidable storytelling abilities.”

According to the press release, President Barack Obama and Michelle Obama have entered into a multi-year agreement to produce films and series with Netflix, the world’s leading internet entertainment service.

The Obamas will produce a diverse mix of content, including the potential for scripted series, unscripted series, docu-series, documentaries and features. These projects will be available to the 125 million member Netflix households in 190 countries.

The Obamas have established Higher Ground Productions as the entity under which they will produce content for Netflix.

“One of the simple joys of our time in public service was getting to meet so many fascinating people from all walks of life, and to help them share their experiences with a wider audience,” said President Obama. “That’s why Michelle and I are so excited to partner with Netflix – we hope to cultivate and curate the talented, inspiring, creative voices who are able to promote greater empathy and understanding between peoples, and help them share their stories with the entire world.”

“Barack and I have always believed in the power of storytelling to inspire us, to make us think differently about the world around us, and to help us open our minds and hearts to others,” said Mrs. Obama. “Netflix’s unparalleled service is a natural fit for the kinds of stories we want to share, and we look forward to starting this exciting new partnership.”

Tribeca Film Festival Reviews: ‘Cargo’ & ‘The Night Eats The World’ breathe new life into the zombie genre.

Cargo

Director: Ben Howling, Yolanda Ramke

Writer: Yolanda Ramke

Producers: Samantha Jennings, Kristina Ceyton, Russell Ackerman, John Schoenfelder, Mark Patterson

Cast: Martin Freeman, Anthony Hayes, Susie Porter

Stranded in rural Australia in the aftermath of a violent pandemic, an infected father desperately seeks a new home for his infant child, and a means to protect her from his own changing nature.

 

Cargo, starring Martin Freeman will undoubtedly rip your heart out if you are a parent. It’s a race against time form the very first scene. It contains an intriguing bit of cannon with respect to this particular zombie outbreak. I’m always curious how this will be addressed in the genre and in Cargo, it’s very different from what we’re used to seeing. This film has a wonderful pace. It is dark with a constant feeling of dread looming. Freeman plays a believably loving and caring father of his infant daughter. The action and terror are unrelenting. In the genre what more can you really ask for? The film will be coming to Netflix next Friday, May 18th!


The Night Eats The World

Directed by

Dominique Rocher

Writing Credits (in alphabetical order)

Pit Agarmen (novel)
Jérémie Guez (screenplay) (adaptation) (dialogue)
Guillaume Lemans (screenplay) (adaptation) (dialogue)
Dominique Rocher (screenplay) (adaptation) (dialogue)

The morning after a party, a young man wakes up to find Paris invaded by zombies.

The Night Eats The World is all about isolation. Sam is alone in his ex’s apartment, walls splattered with blood, and the other floors are not much better. Realizing the outside is even less safe, he begins to use his wits by gathering what he can find, little by little, staying organized but perhaps not sane. Actor Anders Danielsen Lie is in every single scene of the film. His performance is so engrossing that I almost missed his complete physical transformation along the way. He must remain as calm as possible, which is pretty difficult considering the circumstances. An interesting element to his character is that he is a musician. This becomes both an advantage and a misstep in the plot. We’ve all watched The Walking Dead for years now but off the top of my head, I’m not sure I would be as methodic in my solitary survival as Sam. While we don’t get any information about the outbreak specifically, it never stopped me from enjoying the film, rooting for Sam to stay alive. Sometimes you don’t need it all spelled out for you, sometimes great storytelling is more than enough.