Netflix News: Adam Sandler & Chris Rock will release ‘The Week Of’ in 2018

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Netflix announced today that comedy icons Adam Sandler and Chris Rock will reunite to star in a new Netflix original film set to begin production in Long Island, New York this summer.  The Week Of will be directed by veteran Saturday Night Live writer and producer Robert Smigel.  The movie covers the week of preparation for a wedding in which Sandler’s daughter is marrying Rock’s son.  Happy Madison Productions’ Adam Sandler and Allen Covert will serve as producers and Barry Bernardi and Tim Herlihy will serve as executive producers.  Sandler and Smigel co-wrote the script.  The film will premiere globally on Netflix in 2018.

“Adam Sandler and Chris Rock are cornerstones of the Netflix comedy family and we are over the moon about these two legends reuniting to give our members worldwide a healthy dose of the hilarity that they have been creating together for years. Similar in the romantic comedy tone of Sandler’s most recent film Sandy Wexler, this film will be the perfect vehicle for Sandler and Rock and their millions of fans around the world,” said Ted Sarandos, Netflix Chief Content Officer.

Sandler, whose films have grossed over $3 billion, dominated box offices around the world with such films as Grown Ups, Billy Madison, Big Daddy and The Waterboy.  In 2014, the multi-hyphenate actor, writer, producer and occasional singer-songwriter set his sights on conquering the streaming world and his films have found enormous success on Netflix.  Sandler’s first three Netflix films, The Ridiculous 6, The Do-Over, and the recently launched Sandy Wexler are three of the biggest film releases ever on Netflix.  This film, which marks the reunion of Rock and Sandler who last starred together in the hit comedies Grown Ups and Grown Ups 2, is the fourth film in Happy Madison Productions’ original deal with Netflix.  Recently, the deal was extended to include four additional feature films.

Sandler began his career as a stand-up comedian and joined Saturday Night Live as a writer and featured player before founding Happy Madison Productions. He went on to star, produce and write numerous films which went on to become box office hits.  Sandler has received critical accolades for his work in Punch-Drunk Love, Reign Over Me, and Funny People. He will soon be seen in Noah Baumbach’s upcoming comedy The Meyerowitz Stories (New and Selected) alongside Dustin Hoffman, Ben Stiller and Emma Thompson.  The film will premiere at the 2017 Cannes Film Festival and will be released by Netflix later this year.

Rock is a four-time Emmy and three-time Grammy award-winning producer, writer, actor, director, best-selling author and comedian.  Rock, who began his career working with Sandler in the 1990’s on Saturday Night Live, has had starring roles in films ranging from Down to Earth, Head of State, 2 Days in New York and Top Five, which he also wrote and directed.  Rock has leant his voice to the hit animated film series Madagascar; produced the hit television series Everybody Hates Chris; and has won awards and acclaim for his hit comedy specials. In addition to Grown Ups, Rock also starred with Sandler in The Longest Yard. Rock and Netflix are also working together on two stand up comedy specials which Rock will star in.  Additionally, Rock appeared in the Netflix’s A Very Murray Christmas special with Bill Murray.  Rock is currently traveling the US on the first leg of his Total Blackout Tour 2017.  This is the acclaimed comedian’s first tour in over 9 years.

Upcoming 2017 Netflix Original film releases include David Michôd’s War Machine starring Brad Pitt, Meg Tilly, Tilda Swinton, Topher Grace, Lakeith Stanfield and Sir Ben Kingsley; Bong Joon-Ho’s Okja starring Tilda Swinton, Jake Gyllenhaal, Paul Dano, Lily Collins, Steven Yeun; Jim Strouse’s The Incredible Jessica James starring Jessica Williams and Chris O’Dowd; Marti Noxon’s To The Bone starring Lily Collins; Adam Wingard’s Death Note starring Nat Wolff, Lakeith Stanfield and Margaret Qualley; Duncan Jones’  Mute starring Alex Skarsgård, Paul Rudd and Justin Theroux; Dee Rees’ Mudbound starring Carey Mulligan, Mary J. Blige, Jason Mitchell, and Garrett Hedlund; Ritesh Batra’s Our Souls At Night starring Robert Redford and Jane Fonda; Angelina Jolie’s First They Killed My Father, based on Cambodian author and activist Loung Ung’s gripping memoir; Noah Baumbach’s The Meyerowitz Stories (New and Selected) starring Ben Stiller, Adam Sandler, Dustin Hoffman and Emma Thompson; and David Ayer’s Bright starring Will Smith, Joel Edgerton, Noomi Rapace, Lucy Fry and Edgar Ramirez.

Interview: Petra Volpe – writer/director of Tribeca Film Festival Selection ‘The Divine Order’ about Swiss women’s right to vote in 1971

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The Divine Order is a Swiss film from writer/director Petra Volpe produced with Reto Schaerli and Lukas Hobi. I got the opportunity to speak with Petra Volpe this week as her film screens at the Tribeca Film Festival.

1971: Nora is a young housewife and mother living with her husband and their two sons in a quaint little village in the Swiss countryside, which is so far untouched by the major social upheavals the movement of 1968 has brought about. Protests for Civil Rights, the Sexual Revolution, and the Youth and Counter Culture Movements are barely on the radar in Nora’s village. Nora’s life has not been affected either; she is a quiet person who is liked by everybody – but everything changes when she starts to publicly fight for Swiss women’s right to vote, which Swiss men are due to vote on in a ballot on February 7, 1971.

How does one go about telling a story so vast as this? Volpe did extensive research for the film, and a crucial place for information was the Gosteli Archive – the archive on the history of women in Switzerland, founded by Marthe Gosteli, who recently passed away in her 100th year.

Speaking with Gosteli, Volpe was inspired but realized that the character in her story must not be an “intellectual” but someone “like my mother. Not an actively political person, but then finds out she’s actually affected by politics.” Volpe describes how there was a lot of propaganda sent out against women’s suffrage. She goes on to say, “I found a note in this archive, that really touched me. It was from a young housewife, a mother.” She had sent back one of the pamphlets and wrote, “how dare you prevent women from voting! I was never a political person but this now makes me want to be a fighter.” How awesome is that? Volpe knew then that the main character shouldn’t be someone that was already involved in the movement.

This was my favorite part of the story. Nora is married, with a child and doesn’t really understand the point of women voting. Then when she wants to do something on her own, she realizes that she cannot do what she wants without the permission of her husband. This ignites a light in her to question why. Questioning drives her to learn more and seek out others.

Those others are the women of the village where she lives. Volpe says that she didn’t base the characters on any one person, but was inspired by the women in the village where they were shooting. “They were very charismatic, powerful women, in these pubs, who everybody trusts, they know every village secret. Everyone came to them with their worries and were the Queens of the village. Usually, they didn’t own their businesses, their husbands owned them, so they were completely dependent, financially on their husbands.”

Absurd as it seems now, not only were women not granted the right to vote until 1971, but women “were not allowed to open a bank account until 1988. They couldn’t sign contracts for an apartment. That’s one of the first things that women took on after the right to vote, they really said, we need to change marital law.”

Volpe is no stranger to women’s issues. “All my films are about women who liberate themselves.” However, the idea came from one of her producers and it upset her that she didn’t think of it. “I was so pissed! Why didn’t I have this idea? It’s so shameful!” We forgive you, Petra.

Since this is based on an actual event, I asked Volpe about her approach to the storytelling and its challenges. “There’s different challenges. One the challenge of tone. Humor is very important. Humor is a very important means to seduce people to look at things that they don’t like to look at.

I think humor is a way of opening up people’s hearts from more painful aspects of stories.”

“It’s so horrible, that you have to laugh. So, for me, it’s very important to have a humorous approach and not to make it too heavy, but to also show the absurdity of it. Humor is an anarchy and coping mechanism. We all know how much we need Saturday Night Live at the moment, for survival. So humor is very important to find a tone for the movie.”

Volpe also had a challenge with depicting the time period without losing the audience’s interest. “When I looked at the archives, people were talking so extremely slowly and they were moving so extremely slowly, the people were much slower. It was so interesting, as they were not so agile and everything was more stiff. I thought it adds a lot to this atmosphere of oppression. And yet, you have to tell a movie that people don’t fall asleep. [LAUGH] That is also a balance to find. How to keep that pace, to recreate this atmosphere like a visceral experience, for people to really feel how these women were in corsets, constrained in this world and to tell a movie that has a pace for a modern audience.”

A bit of propaganda at the time had a poster with “Women in politics is against the divine order.” Volpe felt this was a perfect title for the film. “It’s really crazy when you read these propaganda pamphlets, they really argue that God has created a world of men and women and they have their roles, and if you mess with these roles, it will be apocalypse.” Sound familiar? Scarily, it does.

The look of the movie is also very rich with color. Volpe says she spent a great deal of time getting the colors right before and after filming. She shot digitally and spent two weeks grading the color in post-production.

I also asked Volpe about her experience as a female filmmaker in an industry dominated by men. She talks about how it was hard in the beginning because so often she was told that she should be grateful for her opportunities. She was very grateful, but eventually, she developed the confidence to say, “no, they can be grateful that I work for them.”

“They can be grateful that I come up with stories they can sell and make money.”

“That took a little while for me to realize, that no, it’s me they should be grateful to, and not the other way around.” Bravo!

When asked about the timing of the film, Volpe laments, “good for the film, but unfortunate for society.” I couldn’t agree more.

You still have a chance to get RUSH tickets for 3 more showings – check here.

Tribeca Film Festival – Round 2 ‘The Departure’ ‘AlphaGo’ ‘The Wedding Plan’

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The Departure
Tribeca Film Festival
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The Wedding Plan

These 3 movies are completely different and all give you an insight into another world.

The Departure was especially emotional and filled me with empathy.

Lana Wilson follows up her award-winning documentary After Tiller with this lyrical, intimate character study of the complex figure Ittetsu Nemoto, an aimless and rebellious former punk rocker-turned-Buddhist priest. Most famously, he is renowned in Japan for saving the lives of countless suicidal men and women through his wise and compassionate counsel. But Nemoto is now approaching middle-age with a wife and young boy of his own, when he learns his life is at risk from heart disease, compounded by the heavy emotional workload of supporting those who no longer want to live. When saving others takes such a toll, can he find the resiliency to save himself? The Departure is an intimate portrait of one quietly extraordinary man who has helped so many learn to live, and now must find the strength to learn from his own advice.

—Cara Cusumano

Unlike many other documentaries, there are no talking heads. There are no interviews. This is a fly-on-the-wall account following a man who cares for others who are on the path to “depart,” i.e. take their own life. Giving no context, the viewer watches as a man who helps so many others, is not taking care of himself. It’s a deeply moving and intimate movie.

The ancient Chinese board game Go has long been considered the holy grail for artificial intelligence. Its simple rules but near-infinite number of outcomes make it exponentially more complex than chess. Mastery of the game by computers was considered by expert players and the AI community alike to be out of reach for at least another decade. Yet in 2016, Google’s DeepMind team announced that they would be taking on Lee Sedol: the world’s most elite Go champion. The match was set for a weeklong tournament in Seoul in early 2016, and there was more at stake than the million dollar prize.

Director Greg Kohs’ absorbing documentary chronicles Google’s DeepMind team as it prepares to test the limits of its rapidly-evolving AI technology. The film pits machine against man, and reveals as much about the workings of the human mind as it does the future of AI.

—Ian Hollander

I have heard of the game Go, and even after seeing AlphaGo, I’m still not quite sure how to play. Perhaps that’s the point, as a company, Deep Mind, set out to create an AI that could not only play the game but beat extremely skilled opponents. The most interesting part was the last third where the focus was on the 5 games set against the machine. An interesting view for sure, but it left me wanting to learn more about the origin of the game.

Exhausted by single life at 32, spirited bride-to-be Michal (Noa Koler) is eager for the comfort and companionship of marriage. Then, her fiancé dumps her one month before their wedding. Devastated but undeterred, she decides to keep her wedding date, leaving it to fate to provide a suitable groom.

With invitations sent, the venue booked, the clock counting down to the big day, and pressure from her family mounting, Michal enlists two matchmakers to help her find Mr. Right. After a series of comically mismatched dates — including with a charming but utterly unsuitable pop star — and many soul-bearing conversations with her sisters, Michal finds she has chemistry with someone she never expected.

Trailblazing writer-director Rama Burshtein (“Fill the Void”) returns to the cloistered Orthodox community she knows intimately with this funny and poignant screwball romantic comedy. When it comes to finding love, it’s equal parts luck, determination, and blind faith.

—Shayna Weingast

I was so annoyed by the premise of The Wedding Plan that I just had to see it. This could have been a very empowering movie about one woman’s struggle to define herself without marriage. But no. Instead, it’s a “poor me” story, albeit a funny one, that actually redeemed itself near the end, only to leave me with another last bit of annoyance. Bummer.

Tribeca Film Festival – Round 1 Top Picks – ‘Saturday Church’ ‘Flower’ ‘Super Dark Times’ ‘Take Me’

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I enjoy being surprised when watching a movie and these 4 movies were full of surprises.

Flower grabs you from the first scene and it’s the amazing performance of Zoey Deutch that captivates.

Seventeen-year-old Erica Vandross (Zoey Deutch) isn’t like most teenage girls. When school’s out, for example, she and her two best friends seduce older men in order to extort money from them—you know, typical extracurricular activities. Much of Erica’s rebellious attitude stems from the abandonment of her biological father, who’s in jail and has left her similarly free-spirited mother (Kathryn Hahn) to raise Erica alone. Everything changes, however, when mom invites her new beau (Tim Heidecker) and his overweight and fresh-out-of-rehab son (Joey Morgan) to move in with them, giving Erica an unexpected connection to the “hot older guy” (Adam Scott) she and her friends obsess over at the local bowling alley.

Where Flower goes from there is part of director/co-writer Max Winkler’s film’s unpredictable energy and edgy charm. Executive Produced by Danny McBride, Jody Hill, and David Gordon Green, Flower blossoms from female-driven coming-of-age comedy into bold and uncompromising directions as its unpredictable narrative unfolds. Front and center throughout is an excellent and multidimensional turn from Zoey Deutch, who solidifies her emerging star status with a performance that’s hilarious, raw, brash, and sneakily tender.

—Cara Cusumano

The handheld style served the material very well. The story moves in all kinds of directions while staying grounded in reality.

Working single mother Amara leaves her two boys at home with domineering Aunt Rose, and Rose has her eyes on the older son, Ulysses. Stealing nylons, wearing his mother’s shoes: Ulysses is just beginning to explore his identity and sexuality. When Rose demands an end to it, the boy escapes to the Village and discovers both supportive friends and the inspiration to become exactly what he is feeling inside. The problem: Rose is waiting back home. Luka Kain delivers a magnetic performance as Ulysses—who in his best moments hears music all around, and yet faces some of the worst circumstances imaginable—in this drama about finding a literal sanctum, so that you can find yourself. It’s a complicated life Ulysses leads, and Damon Cardasis’s musical coming-of-age story is all the better for tackling multiple sides of the young LGBTQ experience, with compassion and heart combined.

—Cara Cusumano

Saturday Church mixes in musical numbers in a way that I enjoyed. It’s always inspiring to see a story of someone discovering their identity and the people that support them.

Enjoying their normal lives in mid-’90s suburbia, Zach and Josh are best friends with numerous shared interests, chief of which is an attraction to their classmate Allison. One seemingly routine day, along with two other friends, Zach and Josh borrow the latter’s older brother’s prized samurai sword to goof around in the local park. But the afternoon soon spirals out of control. Wracked with guilt, Zach struggles to assimilate back into high school life, even as Allison begins to show a romantic interest in him. The situation gets even more complicated once Zach notices a disturbingly off-balance change in Josh’s behavior.

Blurring genre lines throughout, Super Dark Times marks a confidently audacious and impeccably assembled feature debut for director Kevin Phillips. In its adult depiction of innocence corrupted, Phillips’ midnight-dark film has shades of everything from Stand By Me to Donnie Darko and Stranger Things. Yet Phillips’ masterful command of mood, cinematographer Eli Born’s stunning use of wide-screen photography, a few unsettlingly horror-movie-like dream sequences, and the cast’s excellent performances all combine to elevate Super Dark Times above pastiche and into uncompromisingly bold filmmaking.

—Matt Barone

Super Dark Times seems like it’s for teenagers, but it’s really for those who remember being teenagers. Being a teenager feels like everything is so important. Sometimes it actually is. Such is the case for the boys who get themselves into a terrible situation. We see it coming, but it makes it no less impactful. Really amazing performances by the young cast that we will surely see again.

Ray Moody (Pat Healy) is a fledgling entrepreneur, trying to get his company off the ground in Los Angeles. His business: abduction, or as Ray describes his company, Kidnap Solutions, LLC, providing alternative therapy that his clients use for curative reasons. The market for such a service is unsurprisingly niche, and Ray is in dire straits. So when he receives a mysterious phone call late one night contracting him for a weekend abduction with a handsome payday at the end, Ray jumps at the chance. The only problem? His target, business consultant Anna St. Blair (Orange Is the New Black’s Taylor Schilling) may not be all that she seems. Take Me, Pat Healy’s feature directorial debut, threads the needle between crime thriller and slapstick farce. Working with writer Mike Makowsky and Executive Producers Jay and Mark Duplass, the film is a wonderfully droll, Hitchcockian black comedy with excellent lead performances that is as twisty as it is funny.

—Jason Gutierrez

Again, sometimes you know what’s going to happen, but that doesn’t spoil the journey. In Take Me, Pat Healy and Taylor Schilling are in a mental and physical battle. Its twisted sense of humor reminds me of last year’s Tribeca Orchard release, The Overnight, coincidentally also starring Schilling.

So far, Tribeca has not been disappointing!

RLJ Entertainment has released the new trailer for ‘Pilgrimage’ starring Tom Holland

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RLJ Entertainment has released the new trailer for Pilgrimage starring Tom Holland, Jon Bernthal and Richard Armitage and we have it for you below!

Ireland, 1209. A small group of monks begin a reluctant pilgrimage across an island torn between centuries of tribal warfare and the growing power of Norman invaders.  As they escort their monastery’s holiest relic to Rome, the true value of the bejeweled relic becomes dangerously apparent and their path becomes increasingly fraught with danger.

The film is directed by Brendan Muldowney (Savage, Love Eternal) and written by Jamie Hannigan.

Pilgrimage will have its world premiere at Tribeca Film Festival on April 23, 2017 and will be in theaters and available on VOD and Digital HD August 11, 2017.

Tribeca Film Festival 2017 review: ‘The Divine Order’ is gloriously relevant.

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SYNOPSIS: Switzerland, 1971: Nora is a young housewife and mother who lives with her husband, their two sons and her father-in-law in a little village. Here, in the Swiss countryside, little or nothing is felt of the huge social upheavals that the movement of May 1968 has caused. Nora’s life, too, has been unaffected; she is a retiring, quiet person, well liked by everyone – until she begins to campaign publicly and pugnaciously for women’s right to vote, an issue that will be put before the male voters on February 7th, 1971.

Impeccably acted and stunningly shot, The Divine Order is a film very much relevant in today’s political climate. In the continued fight against the patriarchy, we must first educate ourselves on how far we’ve come. This film demonstrates the power of women as a collective entity fueled by passion in pursuit of equality. With fully fleshed out female characters that are nuanced and honest, writer/director Petra Volpe has given us a true cinematic gift.

Tribeca Film Festival 2017

Won
Audience Award		 Narrative
Petra Biondina Volpe
Won
Jury Award		 Best Actress in an International Narrative Feature
Marie Leuenberger

“For a performance that is patient, intelligent and graceful, that captured the liberation of a … More
Won
Nora Ephron Prize		 Petra Biondina Volpe

“For its intrepid and compassionate storytelling, beautiful cinematography (DP-ed by a woman), … More
Nominated
Jury Award		 Best International Narrative Feature
Petra Biondina Volpe

Official Sites:

Official Site | Zodiac Pictures

Country:

Switzerland

Language:

German | English | Italian | Swiss German

Release Date:

27 October 2017 (USA)

Review: ‘NOLA Circus’… the most average show on Earth

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NOLA Circus

Theatrical release date: April 21, 2017
VOD (Video On Demand) release date: April 25, 2017

Guest review from Reel Reviews Over Brews

NOLA Circus is a comedy, directed by Luc Annest, about two competing barber shops in New Orleans, that are right across the street from one another, and the ridiculous events that take place surrounding the owners and their friends and families.

One of the barber shops is owned by Will (Martin Bradford), a black barber who loves afros and regularly gives speeches on racial issues. Will is having a secret love connection with Nola (Jessica Morali), a white woman dreaming of a career in showbiz. Will’s rival, Marvin (Vas Blackwood), is a sex addict who is having an affair with a local drug dealer, Karen (Kamille McCuin). The drama in everyone’s lives seems to all come together at once, creating a series of crazy events. Whether its Nola’s brother, Denzel (Reginal Varice), beating up pizza delivery guys to “protect” his sister or the KKK going after Will, you just never know what will happen next.

Nola (Jessica Morali) is the focal point in this movie. The “circus act” of events all seem to stem from her life. Without Jessica Morali this movie would have gotten an even lower rating. NOLA Circus is labeled a comedy, but we only found ourselves laughing only a few times and most of those times can be found in the trailer. With the amount of craziness going on in this movie, it’s easy to see why it would get put in the comedy genre… we however, just didn’t find it that amusing. With a similar premise to the Barbershop franchise, we were expecting more out of NOLA Circus. So was this circus, “The greatest show on Earth?” Not by a long shot… average at best.

Reel ROB Rating: 2.5 out of 5 stars

Post Credits Scene: No

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

Watch the official trailer ‘THE BEGUILED’ now

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Focus Features has released the official trailer for THE BEGUILED and we have it for you below!

THE BEGUILED is an atmospheric thriller from acclaimed writer/director Sofia Coppola. The story unfolds during the Civil War, at a Southern girls’ boarding school. Its sheltered young women take in an injured enemy soldier. As they provide refuge and tend to his wounds, the house is taken over with sexual tension and dangerous rivalries, and taboos are broken in an unexpected turn of events.

The film stars Colin Farrell, Nicole Kidman, Kirsten Dunst, Elle Fanning, Oona Laurence, Angourie Rice, Emma Howard and Addison Riecke.

Focus Features will release THE BEGUILED in select cities on June 23, 2017, expanding to more theaters on June 30, 2017

Warner Bros. Pictures Launches Worldwide “KING FOR A DAY” Event to Celebrate “KING ARTHUR: LEGEND OF THE SWORD”

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No need to pull a sword from stone!  In partnership with various theatres across the globe, Warner Bros. Pictures will crown lucky film fans “King (or Queen) for a Day,” giving them an opportunity to see Guy Ritchie’s gritty, modern take on the legendary tale in King Arthur: Legend of the Sword—for free!—and well in advance of its May 12 release date.

In North America: Moviegoers will just need to click a special link in order to take their place among the first fans to see the film.  Admission is on a first-come, first-served, while-supplies-last basis.

In the U.S.: Starting today, those who are the quickest to click will not only win two free tickets to an advance screening of the movie at one of 150 select AMC Theatres nationwide, they will also be given gifts fit for a movie king, including a limited edition “King Arthur: Legend of the Sword” hat and a special poster created by acclaimed artist Shepard Fairey.   Click: AMCKingForADay.com to find a participating AMC theatre and to win admission.  Screenings at all AMC locations will take place on Thursday, April 27, at 7:00 PM local time.

In Canada: Fans can start clicking on https://www.landmarkcinemas.com/king-for-a-day-screening/today to win their tickets and be gifted with the limited edition hat and Shepard Fairey poster inspired by the film.  Participating locations will include select theatres in Calgary (Landmark Cinemas 16 Country Hills); Edmonton (Landmark Cinemas 9 City Centre); Vancouver (Landmark Cinemas 12 Guildford Surrey); Winnipeg (Landmark Cinemas 8 Grant Park); Victoria (Landmark Cinemas 4 University Heights); and Kelowna (Landmark Cinemas Grand 10).

The screening event will have food and snacks for the intermission and for the end of the show, also there will be custom bottles of water for each person as a souvenir with a special designed label of the logo of the movie, all from custom water New York for special parties or events.  All screenings will take place on Thursday, April 27, at 7:00 PMlocal time.

Internationally: Fans in more than 20 markets, including China, South Korea, UK, Russia and Mexico, can also be dubbed “King for a Day” and among the first to see the film at early screenings in their cities, in partnership with local exhibitors.

Acclaimed filmmaker Guy Ritchie brings his dynamic style to the epic fantasy action adventure King Arthur: Legend of the Sword, from Warner Bros. Pictures and Village Roadshow Pictures.  Starring Charlie Hunnam in the title role, the film is an iconoclastic take on the classic Excalibur myth, tracing Arthur’s journey from the streets to the throne.

When the child Arthur’s father is murdered, Vortigern (Jude Law), Arthur’s uncle, seizes the crown.  Robbed of his birthright and with no idea who he truly is, Arthur comes up the hard way in the back alleys of the city.  But once he pulls the sword from the stone, his life is turned upside down and he is forced to acknowledge his true legacy…whether he likes it or not.

Starring with Hunnam (FX’s “Sons of Anarchy”) and Oscar nominee Law (“Cold Mountain,” “The Talented Mr. Ripley”) are Astrid Bergès-Frisbey (“Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides”) as Mage; Oscar nominee Djimon Hounsou (“Blood Diamond,” “In America”) as Bedivere; Aidan Gillen (HBO’s “Game of Thrones”) as Goose-Fat Bill; and Eric Bana (“Star Trek”) as Arthur’s father, King Uther Pendragon.

Guy Ritchie (“The Man from U.N.C.L.E.,” the “Sherlock Holmes” films) directed the film from a screenplay by Joby Harold (“Awake”) and Guy Ritchie & Lionel Wigram, story by David Dobkin (“The Judge”) and Joby Harold.  The film is produced by Oscar winner Akiva Goldsman (“A Beautiful Mind,” “I Am Legend”), Joby Harold, Tory Tunnell (“Awake,” “Holy Rollers”), and “The Man from U.N.C.L.E.” and “Sherlock Holmes” producers Steve Clark-Hall, Guy Ritchie and Lionel Wigram.  David Dobkin and Bruce Berman are executive producers.

King Arthur: Legend of the Sword is set for release on May 12, 2017, the film will be distributed in North America by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company, and in select territories by Village Roadshow Pictures.

The film has been rated PG-13 by the MPAA for sequences of violence and action, some suggestive content and brief strong language.

The amazing trailer for ‘Star Wars: The Last Jedi’ has debuted!

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The first official teaser trailer and teaser poster from STAR WARS: THE LAST JEDI just debuted at Star Wars Celebration Orlando and we have it for you!

 

STAR WARS: THE LAST JEDI is in theaters December 15, 2017!

Witness the restricted trailer for ‘The Hitman’s Bodyguard’ starring Ryan Reynolds and Samuel L. Jackson

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Lionsgate’s Summit Entertainment have released the first trailer for The Hitman’s Bodyguard and we have it for you below!

The world’s top protection agent [Ryan Reynolds] is called upon to guard the life of his mortal enemy, one of the world’s most notorious hitmen [Samuel L. Jackson]. The relentless bodyguard and manipulative assassin have been on the opposite end of the bullet for years and are thrown together for a wildly outrageous 24 hours. During their raucous and hilarious adventure from England to the Hague, they encounter high-speed car chases, outlandish boat escapades and a merciless Eastern European dictator [Gary Oldman] who is out for blood. Salma Hayek joins the mayhem as Jackson’s equally notorious wife. 

The film will be “hitting” your theatres on August 18.

Netflix News: Netflix Original Films selected for competition in Cannes Film Festival

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Cannes Film Festival announced today its Official Selection which will include two Netflix original films. The titles that will be featured at the festival will launch everywhere Netflix is available in 2017.

Two of Netflix’s upcoming narrative, feature films – The Meyerowitz Stories (New and Selected) and Okja – have been programmed in Official Selection, and will mark both their world premieres In Competition at the 70th Edition of the Film Festival. Okja marks the fifth time director Bong Joon Ho has been a guest of the Cannes Film Festival.

“The Cannes Film Festival’s commitment to giving an exceptional platform to distinct stories from the world’s most acclaimed auteurs is second to none. We are thrilled at the opportunity to premiere two of our highly-anticipated films from directors Noah Baumbach and Bong Joon Ho in this prestigious forum,” said Ted Sarandos, Netflix Chief Content Officer.

“I’m honored to be returning to Cannes, most especially this year with Okja and my partners at Netflix – it is wonderful to bring their first produced original film to premiere In Competition,” said Bong Joon Ho.

Written and directed by Noah Baumbach, The Meyerowitz Stories (New and Selected) stars Adam Sandler, Ben Stiller, Dustin Hoffman, Elizabeth Marvel, Grace Van Patten and Emma Thompson, and is the intergenerational tale of adult siblings contending with the influence of their aging father. From IAC Films, The Meyerowitz Stories (New and Selected) is produced by Scott Rudin, Baumbach, Lila Yacoub and Eli Bush.

Director Bong Joon Ho’s Okja stars Tilda Swinton, Jake Gyllenhaal, Paul Dano, Giancarlo Esposito, Steven Yeun, Lily Collins, Devon Bostick, Daniel Henshall, Shirley Henderson, Hee Bong Byun, Je Moon Yoon, Woo Sik Choi and newcomer An Seo Hyun. Written by Bong and Jon Ronson, Okja is the story of a young girl (An Seo Hyun) who must risk everything to prevent a powerful, multi-national company from kidnapping her best friend – a massive animal named ‘Okja’. The film was produced by Plan B Entertainment, Lewis Pictures and Kate Street Picture Company in association with Netflix.

The new trailer for ‘TRANSFORMERS: THE LAST KNIGHT’ is wow…just wow

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Paramount Pictures has released the jaw dropping new trailer for Transformers: The Last Knight and we have it for you below!

The Last Knight shatters the core myths of the Transformers franchise, and redefines what it means to be a hero. Humans and Transformers are at war, Optimus Prime is gone. The key to saving our future lies buried in the secrets of the past, in the hidden history of Transformers on Earth.  Saving our world falls upon the shoulders of an unlikely alliance: Cade Yeager (Mark Wahlberg); Bumblebee; an English Lord (Sir Anthony Hopkins); and an Oxford Professor (Laura Haddock).

There comes a moment in everyone’s life when we are called upon to make a difference.  In Transformers: The Last Knight, the hunted will become heroes.  Heroes will become villains.  Only one world will survive: theirs, or ours.

Transformers: The Last Knight opens in theaters June 23, 2017

The trailer for Kathryn Bigelow’s ‘DETROIT’ is here

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Annapurna Pictures has released the first trailer for the upcoming film DETROIT and we have it for you!.

From Kathryn Bigelow, the Academy Award winning director of THE HURT LOCKER and ZERO DARK THIRTY, DETROIT tells the gripping story of one of the darkest moments during the civil unrest that rocked Detroit in the summer of ‘67.

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

DETROIT – in theaters on August 4th, 2017

Review: ‘Queen of the Desert’… More Like, Queen of the Deserted

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Queen of the Desert

Theatrical release date: April 7, 2017

VOD (Video On Demand) release date: April 14, 2017

Guest review from Reel Reviews Over Brews

Queen of the Desert starring Nicole Kidman, is the true story behind Gertrude Bell, an English writer and traveler, among many other titles. She explored, mapped, and formed strong relationships with leaders of the Middle East. Her accomplishments lead her to become highly influential to British imperial policy-making. Bell was very trusted and given a tremendous amount of power by the British, for a woman at the time. Reading even a little bit about Gertrude Bell’s life, will open your eyes to just how incredible this woman’s accomplishments are… let alone for a woman in the early 1900’s! With the help from T. E. Lawrence, aka Lawrence of Arabia (Robert Pattinson), she gave support to the Hashemite dynasties, in what is known as Jordan and Iraq today.

Sadly, this movie boiled down to Bell (Nicole Kidman) dealing with the heartbreak of the men she fell for, British Officer Henry Cadogan (James Franco) and Lieutenant Colonel Charles “Richard” Doughty-Wylie (Damian Lewis).

Kidman did her best to keep Bell memorable throughout and was the main reason this movie didn’t sink further. Director Werner Herzog did a great job mesmerizing us with the panoramic shots of the desert and all of its beauty, but that was about it. Herzog had poor transitions throughout the movie, which certainly made things more difficult to follow than they could have been. The exploration portion of the movie felt empty as it seemed to just have her wandering around in the sand. The movie should have focused more on what the final 20 minutes were about, rather than the pointless relationships she made with the men she fell for. Gertrude Bell is an influential and powerful role model for women everywhere and deserved a better told story. In the end, we felt deserted from what could have been a great movie…

Reel ROB Rating: 2 out of 5 stars

Post Credits Scene: No

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

STAR WARS: FORCE FOR CHANGE CELEBRATES 40 YEARS OF STAR WARS WITH EPIC FUNDRAISING EVENT

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Star Wars: Force For Change in collaboration with Omaze will launch the Star Wars “Past, Present and Future” fundraising campaign to benefit UNICEF and Starlight Children’s Foundation. The campaign is themed around the timeless appeal of Star Wars, with experiences inspired by the saga’s past, present, and future. Lucky winners will receive prizes, like the chance to appear in the upcoming Han Solo movie, tickets to the world premiere of Star Wars: The Last Jedi, or, an overnight stay at the fabled Skywalker Ranch.

Over the course of four weeks between April 11th and May 11th, 2017, fans may enter at Omaze.com/StarWars for a chance to win these once-in-a-lifetime Star Wars experiences, with each week bringing a new prize to be awarded to a randomly-selected winner. Additionally, at the end of the campaign, one randomly-selected grand prize winner will be awarded all three amazing experiences.

Starlight Children’s Foundation is joining Star Wars: Force for Change as the initiative’s newest charity beneficiary in 2017. Through a $1 million grant, Star Wars: Force for Change supports the foundation’s core programs which are designed to bring comfort and joy and comfort to hospitalized kids through Starlight’s network of more than 700 children’s hospitals, clinics, camps and other partners across the US. Star Wars: Force for Change and fan donations through this campaign will also provide new Starlight programs, like fun, comfortable Star Wars-themed Starlight Brave Gowns, to tens of thousands of hospitalized children across the country.

Since 2014, Star Wars: Force for Change and UNICEF have joined together to help improve the lives of children around the world. With the support of Star Wars fans, the collaboration has raised more than $9 million to help the world’s most vulnerable children. To date, Star Wars: Force for Change has helped UNICEF save the lives of over 30,000 children suffering from severe acute malnutrition through the distribution of over 4 million packets of Ready to Use Therapeutic Food Packets (RUTF) around the world.

“In a year that we celebrate 40 years of the Star Wars saga, I continue to be inspired by the incredible generosity and charitable efforts of our fans,” said Lucasfilm President Kathleen Kennedy. “We are so proud of their tireless dedication to positively impact the lives of children and others around the world, and hope this year’s Force For Change campaign will offer a few of those wonderful fans an experience they will never forget.”

Star Wars “Past, Present, and Future” Winner Experiences:

  • Past – Stay at Skywalker Inn, tour of the archives & the Ranch, and a screening ofStar Wars: A New Hope
  • Present – Join the cast and attend the Star Wars: The Last Jedipremiere and exclusive after party
  • Future – Visit the set, meet the directors and have the chance to appear in the untitled Han Solo movie
  • Grand Prize – One winner will receive the Past, Present AND Future prizes!

Fans are encouraged to follow the campaign at Omaze.com/StarWars for exclusive updates each week.

NO PURCHASE NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN.  Void where prohibited.  Promotion begins 12:01 AM Pacific Time (PT) on April 11, 2017 and ends at 11:59 PM PT on May 11, 2017.  Must be at least eighteen (18) years old and a resident of an eligible domicile to enter and win prizes. Residents of of Belgium, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Cuba, Iran, Iraq, Italy, Malta, North Korea, Singapore, Sudan, Syria, or Thailand are not eligible to enter. Sweepstakes consists of four (4) prize drawings; if you understand how to calculate odds, the odds of winning a prize depend on number of entries received for each drawing. For free entry: (i) send postcard to Sponsor at P.O. Box 866, 9942 Culver Blvd, Culver City, California 90232 and write the following statement: “I have read and agree to the Star Wars: Force For Change Official Rules” and send by applicable mail date; or (ii) visit www.omaze.com/starwars.  Prizes that include being filmed in a movie scene do not guarantee that such footage will be included in the final movie. Travel and accommodations are at Sponsor’s discretion and subject to availability and change.  Winner and guest may be required to pass a background screening or security check to receive a prize and/or reward. Visa conditions may apply. All taxes are winner’s responsibility. Rapid Screening online provides employers the confidence to make better hiring decisions, knowing the individual they’re looking to recruit holds a relevant qualification.

Rewards are separate from sweepstakes prizes.  Some rewards are limited in quantity. Not sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with Facebook®.  Residents of certain territories may be required to successfully complete a trivia question to qualify.  For full sweepstakes entry requirements, methods & entry periods, prize details, list of rewards and all limitations & restrictions, see Official rules at www.omaze.com/starwars.   Sole Sponsor: Omaze, Inc., P.O. Box 866, 9942 Culver Blvd, Culver City, California 90232.

Coming soon: 2016 Tribeca Film Festival Selection ‘Maurizio Cattelan: Be Right Back’ at the Quad April 14th

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In Theaters on April 14th

Opening at The Quad in NY

Written, Produced and Directed by: Maura Axelrod

In Maura Axelrod’s iconoclastic documentary, we meet the art world’s enfant terrible Maurizio Cattelan. The film documents Maurizio from his early days to the recent Guggenheim retrospective with a few twists along the way. The film captures his heretical installation of a meteorite hitting the Pope and outlandish stunt of duct taping his gallerist to the wall until he faints. His place in the art world is solidified when he lands a major retrospective at the Guggenheim in 2011.  Axelrod’s equally playful profile leaves no stone unturned in trying to figure out: Who is Maurizio Cattelan?

Review: Anne Hathaway & Jason Sudekis surprise in the big budget sci-fi comedy ‘Colossal’

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Official Site – Facebook – Twitter – Instagram

OFFICIAL SELECTION – SXSW Film Festival 2017 – Festival Favorites
OFFICIAL SELECTION – Sundance Film Festival 2017 – Spotlight
OFFICIAL SELECTION – Fantastic Fest 2016
OFFICIAL SELECTION – Toronto International Film Festival 2016 – Vanguard

Just looking at the poster for Colossal, you know it’s different. Anne Hathaway and Jason Sudeikis in a movie about monsters? Well, yes and no. There is a monster but it’s only part of the story. Watch the trailer above.

After seeing Colossal, I realized I hadn’t seen anything like it before and I was dying to talk to someone about it. It’s a blend of genres that is original and goes in directions that are unexpected yet completely make sense. Do yourself a favor, watch with other people.

Gloria (Anne Hathaway) is an out-of-work party girl who, after getting kicked out of her apartment by her boyfriend (Dan Stevens), is forced to leave her life in New York and move back to her hometown. When news reports surface that a giant creature is destroying Seoul, South Korea, Gloria gradually comes to the realization that she is somehow connected to this far-off phenomenon. As events begin to spin out of control, Gloria must determine why her seemingly insignificant existence has such a colossal effect on the fate of the world.

The cast. Anne Hathaway is just likeable enough to accept her terrible behavior. It’s a really good blend. Jason Sudeikis stretches his acting muscles and shows how he can also work on the dark side. Tim Blake Nelson needs to be in more movies. Oh, and here’s Dan Stevens again. This guy is turning up everywhere lately.

I loved the blending of genres. It’s like four movies in one. You’ll be watching for a bit, then suddenly get the perspective of what happened in the scene before. Who’s the good guy? Who’s the bad guy? Does that matter?

Have you heard of anything like this before? This does not follow any traditional plot lines. Who says Hollywood isn’t original anymore? Major kudos to writer/director Nacho Vigalondo. He set out to make an indie and it became Colossal.

In theaters on April 7th, with more every week after – Find a theater here

Friday 4/7 @ The Landmark after the 7pm show
Q&A with Anne Hathaway & Nacho Vigalondo | Tix

Friday 4/7 @ Cinerama Dome after the 9pm show
Q&A with Anne Hathaway & Nacho Vigalondo
Moderated by Elijah Wood | Tix

Saturday 4/8 @ The Landmark after the 7pm show
Q&A with Nacho Vigalondo
Moderated by Kevin Smith | Tix

Saturday 4/8 @ Arclight Hollywood after the 9pm show
Q&A with Nacho Vigalondo | Tix

Review: Werner Herzog’s ‘SALT AND FIRE’ leaves a bitter taste.

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SALT AND FIRE

World Premiere – Shanghai Film Festival 2016

North American Premiere – Toronto International Film Festival 2016

Official Competition – Dubai International Film Festival 2016

Official Competition – Glasgow Film Festival 2017

SALT AND FIRE is about a mysterious hostage-taking where the leader of a small scientific delegation is deliberately stranded with two blind boys in an area of gigantic salt flats. Shot in Bolivia, the film stars Michael Shannon, Veronica Ferres, and Gael García Bernal and was written and directed by Werner Herzog.

I have to be honest. I had extremely high hopes for Salt and Fire based on Werner Herzog‘s direction and the star studded cast of Michael Shannon, Veronica Ferres, and Gael Garcia Bernal. Boy, oh boy, was I disappointed. Filled over the brim with overly philosophical quotes and MIA cast members, I struggled to even finish the film.  The disjointed feeling of the plot and the hyper theatrical dialogue delivery in the first half of the film are pretty brutal. Michael Shannon, however, gives another sterling performance especially considering what he’s been given to work with. The ending, the final 10 minutes of the film, is so syrupy I sort of just sat there with my mouth open. Maybe it’s just me. Maybe, somehow, the film is over my head. At this point, I just can’t tell. By all means, be your own judge. You can find the trailer below:

TITLE:  SALT AND FIRE
IN THEATERS: April 7, 2017
AVAILABLE ON VOD AND iTUNES: April 4, 2017
DIRECTOR: Werner Herzog
WRITER: Werner Herzog, based on the story “Aral” by Tom Bissell
CAST: Michael Shannon, Gael García Bernal, and Veronica Ferres
SYNOPSIS: SALT AND FIRE is about a mysterious hostage-taking where the leader of a small scientific delegation is deliberately stranded with two blind boys in an area of gigantic salt flats. Shot in Bolivia, the film stars Michael Shannon, Veronica Ferres, and Gael García Bernal and was written and directed by Werner Herzog.
GENRE: Thriller
DISTRIBUTOR: XLrator Media