Review: Go head over heels for ‘Ode to Joy.’

Martin Freeman sports an American accent in this film based on a story from This American Life. Charlie has a rare disorder that causes him to pass out when he experiences strong emotions but especially joy. This makes life and dating especially difficult. With odd coping mechanisms that keep him in a constant state of depression and boredom, he meets Francesca, a woman that challenges his sense of dull stability. When their first date goes awry, Charlie insists on setting her up with his very different younger brother, Cooper. Francesca must overcome her own fears while Charlie comes to grips with his disorder and stop making excuses. How does he really want to live his life?
The entire cast is a delight. Jake Lacy as Cooper is an amazing foil for Freeman. Young and hungry for more than a good time, he’s funny and a very relatable character, for better or for worse. Jane Curtin as Francesca’s ailing Aunt Sylvia is as lovable and sarcastic as Jane Curtin always is. Melissa Rauch as Charlie’s interim love interest is hilarious in her serious love of anything and everything tedious. Morena Baccarin is honest and grounded with an exuberant spirit. My girl-crush since her Firefly days, she’s also clearly a secret Timelord, but let’s not confuse fandoms. Martin Freeman is ridiculously charming. I cannot help but get wrapped up in each role he plays. He’s simply wonderful.
The rom-com is alive and well, people. Ode to Joy is a unique indie that’s sure to be a knockout this summer. It opens in theaters, on digital and On Demand this Friday. Check out the trailer below!

TITLE: ODE TO JOY

IN THEATERS: August 9, 2019

ON DIGITAL AND ON DEMAND: August 9, 2019

DIRECTOR: Jason Winer

WRITER: Max Werner

CAST: Martin Freeman, Morena Baccarin, Melissa Rauch, Jake Lacy, Jane Curtin, Shannon Woodward, Adam Shapiro

SYNOPSIS:  Martin Freeman (The Hobbit) has fallen in love and can’t get up. A man’s fervent attempts at subverting happiness once it begins to cause him bouts of narcolepsy are put to the ultimate test when he falls in love.

GENRE: Comedy

RUN TIME:  97 Mins

RATING: R

DISTRIBUTOR: IFC Films

Review: ‘The Operative’ deserves a pace that matches its performances.

SYNOPSIS:
“The Operative” is a taut psychological thriller about a young Western woman (Diane Kruger) recruited by the Mossad to go undercover in Tehran where she becomes entangled in a complex triangle with her handler (Martin Freeman) and her subject (Cas Anvar).
New thriller, based on Yiftach R. Atir‘s book, The English Teacher, The Operative shines when Martin Freeman‘s voiceovers guide the narrative along and when we actually see operations play out. You can feel the anxiety of the missions in real-time. Before I knew this was based upon the novel, the film brought a recognizably literary feel to its structure. Though you could easily cut 20 mins from this film’s first half without altering the intent or style. The story truly revolves around the protection of two people. Its emotional complexity is beguiling and that’s what keeps you watching.
Diane Kruger delivers a nuanced performance. The gears are turning in those quiet moments and you know there is much more going on from the very beginning. She is vulnerable and a bit mysterious. Martin Freeman is a star. He absolutely owns this role. A fan since Hitchhiker’s Guide and Sherlock, it’s incredible to see him in more and more lead roles that show is ever-expansive range. Cas Anvar is charming and powerful. He’s a real delight to watch. The Operative has a great overall plot. Intimately shot and superbly acted, it’s a solid spy thriller.

THE OPERATIVE
DISTRIBUTOR:
 Vertical Entertainment
THEATRICAL RELEASE DATE: August 2, 2019
WRITTEN AND DIRECTED BY: Yuval Adler
STARRING: Diane Kruger, Martin Freeman, and Cas Anvar
RUNNING TIME: 117 minutes
RATING: not yet rated

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. 

Tribeca Film Festival: ‘Cargo’ with Martin Freeman coming to Netflix May 26th

Cargo
Feature Narrative
Country: Australia
Director: Yolanda Ramke, Ben Howling
Writer: Yolanda Ramke
Starring: Martin Freeman
An infected father navigates a zombie-riddled Australian Outback with his infant daughter. Fortunately, he’s found an Aboriginal community that may hold the disease’s cure. Unfortunately, he has only 48 hours to live.

Streaming: 05-18-2018, Distributed by: Netflix

My interest in zombie stories had reached its absolute low but I really enjoyed ‘Cargo.’ Not only is Martin Freeman excellent, but the story really keeps you engaged as you wonder what you would do in his situation.

‘Whiskey Tango Foxtrot’ Starring Tina Fey has a Trailer

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Paramount Pictures has released the trailer for the new Tina Fey movie Whiskey Tango Foxtrot and we have it for you below!

The film also stars Margot Robbie, Martin FreemanAlfred Molina and Billy Bob Thornton and is directed by Glenn Ficarra & John Requa and is based on the book “The Taliban Shuffle: Strange Days In Afghanistan And Pakistan” by Kim Barker.

Whiskey Tango Foxtrot is in-theaters March 4, 2016!

Martin Freeman Joins Cast of ‘Captain America: Civil War’

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It has been announced today that Martin Freeman (The Hobbit) has joined the cast of Captain America: Civil War in an unspecified role.

“From his roles as Bilbo Baggins and Doctor Watson to Tim in ‘The Office,’ Martin’s range from the dramatic to the comedic has consistently impressed us,” Marvel Studios Head Kevin Feige said in a statement. “We couldn’t be more honored or excited to have such a talented actor join the Marvel Cinematic Universe.”

In other news, come concept art for the film has been leaked which you can view below! The pictures show a new Iron Man suit as well as the first visual look at the head on collision for the two biggest Avengers

BOOM! RT! #MARVEL #CIVILWAR #CAPTAINAMERICA #IRONMAN #HH #promo #art #artwork #marvelcomics

A photo posted by Umberto Gonzalez (@umbertogonzalez) on

 

Captain America: Civil War hits theaters on May 6, 2016.

Michael’s Review: ‘The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies’- Back to Middle Earth One Last Time

the-hobbit-the-battle-of-the-five-armies-poster1Peter Jackson faced some staunch criticism from fans when he announced he was splitting his announced Hobbit adaptation into a trilogy. Many cited the sheer size of the book as a cause for concern but the underlying belief was that the move looked more like a cash grab for the studio who were facing their final trip to Middle Earth. The Battle Of The Five Armies posed the biggest challenge for Jackson simply because of the subject of the film was presented to readers as a footnote that takes places place after the story (The story was published in the back of The Return of the King), but Jackson has put all the speculation to rest and released his best film in the Hobbit trilogy. Read More →