2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY (1968) is one of the seminal points in the development of film and cinema. Future directors like Steven Spielberg, George Lucas and James Cameron, to mention just a few, were  inspired by Stanley Kubrick’s masterpiece. It’s easy to see why. You’ll have a rare chance  to revisit this majestic cinema classic on the big screen when it plays midnight at the Tivoli in St. Louis as part of their Reel Late Midnight series this weekend (May 24th and 25th).

I’ve watched 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY recently and the positives for me were how good the film looks for something made in 1968. Yes, there are a few scenes that are clearly influenced by 60′s fashion but the past and future sets on the whole have a timeless quality. The use of music and the ballerina-like atmosphere were things of beauty and proof that Kubrick really was a genius.

I will be there with 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY trivia and prizes FRIDAY NIGHT ONLY so bone up on your H.A.L. knowledge!

Admission is only EIGHT BUCKS!

The Tivoli is located at 6350 Delmar in The Loop. Visit Landmark’s The Tivoli’s website HERE
http://www.landmarktheatres.com/market/st.louis/tivolitheatre.htm

Here’s the rest of the Reel Late at the Tivoli Midnight schedule:

May 31-June 1 A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET
June 7-8 BRAZIL (European Cut)
June 14-15 CASABLANCA
June 21-22 BATMAN (1989)

Here’s my 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY poster signed by stars Gary Lockwood and Keir Dullea

Four talented magicians mesmerize an international audience with a series of bold and original heists, all the while pursuing a hidden agenda that has the FBI and Interpol scrambling to anticipate their next move in NOW YOU SEE ME, a visually spectacular blend of astonishing illusions and exhilarating action from director Louis Leterrier (Clash of the Titans).

The Four Horsemen, a magic super‐group led by the charismatic J.Daniel Atlas (Jesse Eisenberg), perform a pair of hightech, high‐profile magic shows, first amazing audiences by remotely robbing a Paris bank while in Las Vegas, and then exposing a white‐collar criminal and funneling his millions into the audience members’ bank accounts, baffling the authorities with their intricately planned capers.

FBI Special Agent Dylan Rhodes (Mark Ruffalo) is determined to make the magicians pay for their crimes—and to stop them before they pull off what promises to be an even more audacious heist. But he’s forced to partner with Alma (Mélanie Laurent), an Interpol detective about whom he is instantly suspicious. Out of desperation, he turns to Thaddeus Bradley (Morgan Freeman), a famed magic debunker, who claims the Paris bank trick was actually a meticulously planned illusion. Dylan and Alma begin to wonder if the Horsemen have an outside point person. If so, finding him (or her) would be the key to ending the magicians’ crime spree. But who could it be? Or could it really be… magic?

As pressure mounts and the world awaits the Horsemen’s spectacular final trick, Dylan and Alma race to stay one step ahead of the magicians.

But it soon becomes clear that outmaneuvering these masters of illusion is beyond the skills of any one man – or woman.

NOW YOU SEE ME will be in theaters on May 31st.

Watch the first four minutes of the film and answer the question below.

WAMG invites you to enter to win a pass (good for 2) to the advance screening of NOW YOU SEE ME on May 29th at 7:00 PM in St. Louis.

Answer the following question:

In the clip above, what name does Woody Harrelson guess?

OFFICIAL RULES:

1. YOU MUST BE IN THE ST. LOUIS AREA THE DAY OF THE SCREENING.

2. SEND YOUR NAME AND ANSWERS TO: michelle@wearemoviegeeks.com

3. YOU MUST SUBMIT THE CORRECT ANSWER TO OUR TRIVIA QUESTION ABOVE TO WIN.

4. WINNERS WILL BE CHOSEN THROUGH A RANDOM DRAWING OF QUALIFYING CONTESTANTS. NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. PASSES WILL NOT BE SUBSTITUTED OR EXCHANGED. DUPLICATE TICKETS WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED.

Rated PG‐13 for language, some action and sexual content

NOW YOU SEE ME stars Jesse Eisenberg (The Social Network, Zombieland), Mark Ruffalo (The Avengers, Shutter Island), Woody Harrelson (The Hunger Games, 2012), Mélanie Laurent (Inglourious Basterds), Isla Fisher (Wedding Crashers), Dave Franco (21 Jump Street, “Scrubs”), Common (Terminator Salvation, “Wanted”), José Garcia, with Michael Caine (Inception, The Dark Knight) and Morgan Freeman (Olympus Has Fallen, Million Dollar Baby).

The film is directed by Louis Leterrier (Clash of The Titans, The Incredible Hulk) from story by Boaz Yakin (Safe, Hostel) & Edward Ricourt and a screenplay by Ed Solomon (Men in Black) and Boaz Yakin & Edward Ricourt. Producers are Alex Kurtzman (Star Trek, The Proposal), Roberto Orci (Star Trek, The Proposal) and Bobby Cohen (Cowboys & Aliens, Jarhead). Executive producers are Boaz Yakin, Michael Schaefer and Stan Wlodkowski (Monte Carlo, Eat, Pray, Love).

Directors of Photography are Larry Fong, ASC (300, Watchmen) and Mitchell Amundsen (Red Dawn, Odd Thomas). Production Designer is Peter Wenham (21 Jump Street, Fast Five). Editors are Robert Leighton (People Like Us, The Bucket List), and Vincent Tabaillon (Taken 2, Clash of the Titans). Costume Designer is Jenny Eagan (Contraband, Cowboys and Aliens). Original Music is by Brian Tyler (The Expendables, Law Abiding Citizen).

http://www.nowyouseememovie.com/

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Photos: Barry Wetcher, SMPSP © 2013 Summit Entertainment, LLC. All rights reserved.

Review by Sam Moffitt
Men are very protective of their sex organs. From a young age men are all too aware of how vulnerable their junk is and how easily all or part of their manhood can be removed from the rest of our body. But it’s not something we talk about a lot.

Not Suitable for Children deals with a young Australian man, a party animal really, named Jonah (Ryan Kwanten “True blood”) who learns, almost by accident, that he has testicular cancer. The infected one has to be removed, which will not affect his sexual performance but will render him sterile. Then he also finds out that his sperm will not keep if cryogenically frozen.

I was circumcised as an adult, in 1983. I also had a vasectomy in 2001. I can assure you that any surgery to the male sex organs can be traumatic and I assumed that would be the focus of Not Suitable for Children. Nope, this movie has a lot more on it’s mind than male castration anxiety.
Jonah and his two roommates, Stevie (Sarah Snook) and Gus (Ryan Corr) seem to have a found a great way to delay adulthood, party all night and make money at it. Jonah has inherited his family home after the death of his mother. He and his roommates throw parties with light shows and live music and charge money for people to attend. They live the ultimate frat house life style and don’t even have to go to college to do it.

Jonah realizes how shallow his life style is and how much he would really like to be a Father when he finds out he will not be able to get any woman pregnant after his surgery. He starts noticing children and how much he’d like to have one, or two, sometimes to the discomfort of strangers who notice him watching children in a play ground or day care center.

I didn’t think I could find anything to identify with in Jonah’s character. I made the decision in 1968 not to have children. When Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert Kennedy were both assassinated in the same year I made the decision not to bring children into this world and I have never once regretted that decision. I also read science fiction voraciously back then and almost every novel of the future predicted what we have right now, massive over population, climate change, exhaustion of natural resources, all that and so much more. Did I want my children to have to deal with all that in the future? Nope!

But if I were faced with the same dilemma that Jonah faces, sterility and not by choice, with no options, might I feel differently? Maybe so, it’s to the movie’s credit that someone with my attitude about reproduction would find Jonah very sympathetic.

Basically the poor guy has three weeks to find a woman willing to bear his child, with or without marriage, or love or even friendship coming into play. This is where the movie has some fun, the different reactions of women from Jonah’s past are priceless when he tries to find a willing partner. This is not however a laugh out loud, gross out comedy, far from it. This is a movie, like many Australian films, that loves its characters, treats them, and the audience, with respect and asks us to think about what is being played out on screen.

Where it gets complicated and messy is in the character of Stevie, very, and I mean very well played by Sarah Snook (what a name!) Stevie and Jonah have been friends for years, never were involved with each other, and neither of them thinks of the other in “that way.” And Stevie has an attitude that seems odd for a woman, she doesn’t like kids and doesn’t want one, (she says.) All that starts to change when she, and we the audience, realize she has serious strong feelings about Jonah.

Stevie changes her mind and, I don’t want to give out any spoilers but as you can guess it does get complicated. Jonah and Stevie’s intimate scenes together are some of the most realistic I have ever witnessed in a movie. All the awkwardness and clumsy moves, on both their parts, are almost too real, too painful to watch. These are the kind of scenes that really make you feel you’re seeing something you shouldn’t. Yet there is a great depth of feeling here. Like I said, this movie loves and respects it’s characters, and wants us to do the same.

Their love making remains humorous in that they have to hide it from Gus the other roommate, who has his own ideas about how Jonah can get the child he wants before he goes under the knife.

I never expected to be so emotionally moved by a movie about a 20 something party animal who is losing a testicle. But Not Suitable for Children is a warm hearted and very intelligent look at an issue that has never been addressed in a movie,(to my knowledge) a man who feels his biological clock ticking and wants to be a Father before that clock’s time runs out.

Well Go USA’s Blu-Ray disc has excellent interviews with the director, writer and principal actors. Sarah Snook is even more delightful in person than when acting a part. Also a making of documentary which reveals that the intimate scenes were tough to do, and a preview trailer, are included.

A crash landing leaves teenager Kitai Raige (Jaden Smith) and his legendary father Cypher (Will Smith) stranded on Earth, 1,000 years after cataclysmic events forced humanity’s escape. With Cypher critically injured, Kitai must embark on a perilous journey to signal for help, facing uncharted terrain, evolved animal species that now rule the planet, and an unstoppable alien creature that escaped during the crash. Father and son must learn to work together and trust one another if they want any chance of returning home.

After writing the story for AFTER EARTH, Will Smith – also a producer of the film – would turn over the writing reins to Gary Whitta and M. Night Shyamalan. Shyamalan would also direct the movie.  Smith called Shyamalan on his birthday, and Shyamalan told Smith how great Jaden Smith was in The Karate Kid.  Will Smith said, “Well, we do have a movie idea in the works…” and they took off from there.

“Night is a master of building suspense and fear,” he says, explaining why Shyamalan was the perfect choice for After Earth. “If there were a single thing that I would say is clearly Night’s genius, it’s how to take a single, still image and terrify you with it.  There can be no movement – nothing happening, really – and still, you’re riveted.  He is so good at setting the shot, setting the lighting, and setting the moment.”

“I’m fascinated by the question of why human beings fear the unknown,” says Shyamalan. “In our earliest days as cave-people, that was really important – fear could keep us safe.  Fear could keep you alive.  But now, we’ll fear a new job or a new relationship, because we don’t know what’s going to happen – and that’s not necessarily a good thing.  Playing with that in a movie is a fun thing, and in this movie, it’s about a father teaching a son how to overcome that.  It’s a wonderful lesson, because if you can learn how to control your fear of the unknown, you can do anything.”

Enter for your chance to receive a pair of passes to the advance screening of AFTER EARTH on May 29th at 7:00 PM in St. Louis.

Answer the following question:

AFTER EARTH is about the relationship between a father and his son. Tell us your favorite Parent & Child film.

OFFICIAL RULES:

1. YOU MUST BE IN THE ST. LOUIS AREA THE DAY OF THE SCREENING.

2. SEND YOUR NAME AND ANSWERS TO: michelle@wearemoviegeeks.com

3. YOU MUST SUBMIT THE CORRECT ANSWER TO OUR TRIVIA QUESTION ABOVE TO WIN.

No purchase necessary. Void where restricted or prohibited by law. At the screening seating is not guaranteed and is available on a first-come, first-served basis. Refer to screening pass for further restrictions. Screening pass winners will be drawn at random and notified via email. Limit two (admit-one) passes per person. Must be age 13 or over to enter.

This has been rated PG-13 by the MPAA for SCI-FI ACTION VIOLENCE AND SOME DISTURBING IMAGES.

© 2013 Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Columbia Pictures presents an Overbrook Entertainment / Blinding Edge Pictures production, a film by M. Night Shyamalan, After Earth.  Starring Jaden Smith and Will Smith. Directed by M. Night Shyamalan. Produced by Caleeb Pinkett, Jada Pinkett Smith & Will Smith, James Lassiter, and M. Night Shyamalan.  Story by Will Smith. Screenplay by Gary Whitta and M. Night Shyamalan.  Executive Producer is E. Bennett Walsh. Director of Photography is Peter Suschitzky, ASC. Production Designer is Tom Sanders.  Editor is Steven Rosenblum, A. C. E.  Visual Effects Supervisor is Jonathan Rothbart.  Costume Designer is Amy Westcott. Music by James Newton Howard. Co-Producers are Ashwin Rajan and John Rusk.

AFTER EARTH
opens in theaters
May 31st!

http://www.afterearth.com/site/

https://www.facebook.com/AfterEarth

https://twitter.com/AfterEarth #AfterEarth

The Board of Governors of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences approved rules for the 86th Oscars®. The most significant change affects the Animated Feature Film category.

In this category, the new rule designates a maximum of two award recipients, one of whom must have a producer credit.  The director and/or key creative individual shall continue to be a recipient, and in the circumstance of a two-person team with shared and equal director credit, a third statuette may be awarded.

Previously announced rules changes for the 86th Academy Awards® include allowing members to see the nominated documentary shorts and foreign language films either at a theatrical screening or on DVD.  Prior to the final round of voting, the Academy will provide members with DVDs of the nominated films in five categories: Foreign Language Film, Documentary Feature, Documentary Short Subject, Animated Short Film, and Live Action Short Film.

Other adjustments to the rules include standard date and other routine changes.

Rules are reviewed annually by individual branch and category committees.  The Awards Rules Committee then evaluates all proposed changes before presenting its recommendations to the Academy’s Board of Governors for approval.

Academy Awards for outstanding film achievements of 2013 will be presented on Oscar® Sunday, March 2, 2014, at the Dolby Theatre™ at Hollywood & Highland Center and televised live on the ABC Television Network.  The presentation also will be televised live in more than 225 countries worldwide.

Michael Bay and Paramount Pictures jointly announced today that Chinese actress Li Bingbing (“RESIDENT EVIL: RETRIBUTION”) has been cast in the eagerly awaited TRANSFORMERS 4. The actress joins Mark Wahlberg, Stanley Tucci, Kelsey Grammer, Jack Reynor, Nicola Peltz and Sophia Myles in the fourth installment in the hit series of movies based on the best-selling Hasbro toyline. Paramount Pictures will release the film on June 27th, 2014.

“I am excited to have Li Bingbing join our cast and to be shooting portions of the movie in her native China. I have always aspired to work with the best actors and this cast is especially exciting now with the addition of Li,” said Michael Bay.

Li’s recent hits in China include the Tsui Hark-directed “DETECTIVE DEE AND THE MYSTERY OF THE PHANTOM FLAME” and “1911.” She has already begun to cross over into American films, most recently co-starring in the Paul W.S. Anderson-directed “RESIDENT EVIL: RETRIBUTION,” and before that “SNOW FLOWER AND THE SECRET FAN” and “FORBIDDEN KINGDOM.”  She was recently named Variety’s “Asian Star of the Year” which was celebrated in Los Angeles last month.

“I am thrilled to get to work with Michael Bay. ‘TRANSFORMERS’ has influenced generations in China and the movie franchise has a massive fan base. I am very happy to be able to join this international production. Thank you Paramount for the invitation! Looking forward to it!” said Li Bingbing.

Paramount, China Movie Channel and Jiaflix Enterprises announced this past April a Cooperation Agreement regarding the production of “TRANSFORMERS 4” in China. Under the agreement, China Movie Channel, under the State Administration of Radio Film and Television (SARFT), will cooperate with Paramount in broad-based support of the production of the film in China.  “TRANSFORMERS 4” is expected to be released in China on or about June 27, 2014. The parties also intend to cooperate in a number of other areas related to “TRANSFORMERS 4,” including the selection of filming sites within China, theatrical promotion, and possible post-production activities in China as well as casting of Chinese actors and actresses in the film.

This agreement represents the first time that China Movie Channel will work with a western studio in the production of a major motion picture.

“We are delighted to see Ms. Li Bingbing being selected for a major role in ‘TRANSFORMERS 4,’ a very successful global film franchise,” said Yan Xiaoming, Chairman of China Movie Channel.  “Ms. Li is an excellent and famous Chinese actress with many fans in China. She has had many successful projects with China Movie Channel and M1905.com in the past. We wish her every success in ‘TRANSFORMERS 4’ and with the worldwide audience that will enjoy her great talent.”

Said Sid Ganis, Chairman of Jiaflix, “Li Bingbing is an enormously talented Chinese artist who is fast becoming a worldwide movie star and is a great addition to a stellar cast.”

Shooting this summer in multiple locations in the U.S. and China, the film is directed by Bay and re-unites the filmmaking team from the hit franchise, including producers Lorenzo di Bonaventura, Don Murphy & Tom DeSanto and Ian Bryce; and executive producers Steven Spielberg, Bay, Brian Goldner and Mark Vahradian. TRANSFORMERS 4 is written by Ehren Kruger, based on Hasbro’s Transformers™ Action Figures.

The third, and most recent installment of the franchise, “TRANSFORMERS: DARK OF THE MOON,” is the fifth highest global grossing film of all time with $1.124 billion dollars of worldwide box office success.  The “TRANSFORMERS” movies are among the most popular films ever released in China, and Michael Bay is among the most popular directors with Chinese audiences. “TRANSFORMERS: DARK OF THE MOON,” released theatrically in 2011, grossed $165 million in China and more than $1.1 billion worldwide.

Martin Scorsese will present Mel Brooks with the American Film Institute’s 41st Life Achievement Award – America’s highest honor for a career in film. The private black tie gala will be held at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood on June 6 and will air on TNT Saturday, June 15, at 9 p.m. ET/PT and as part of an all-night tribute to Brooks on Turner Classic Movies (TCM) Sunday, July 24, at 8 p.m. ET. Brooks will be recognized for his range of mastery as a director, producer, writer, actor and composer.

Martin Scorsese is widely regarded as one of the greatest directors of all time having received the AFI Life Achievement Award for his contributions to cinema, two AFI Awards, an Academy®Award, a Palme d’Or, Grammy® Award, two Emmys®, four Golden Globes®, a BAFTA and three DGA Awards. Scorsese’s body of work includes films such as THE DEPARTED, GANGS OF NEW YORK, GOODFELLAS, HUGO, MEAN STREETS, RAGING BULL, TAXI DRIVER and the upcoming WOLF OF WALL STREET, which will be released in Fall 2013.

“For over 50 years, Mel Brooks has given the world its greatest gift – laughter,” said Sir Howard Stringer, Chair of the AFI Board of Trustees. “At the American Film Institute, we also want to shine a proper light on his contributions to the art form as writer, producer, director and actor – and who better to bestow this honor than one of the masters of American film, Martin Scorsese.”

In addition to airing the AFI Life Achievement Award special, TCM’s July 14 celebration of Mel Brooks will include two of his classic films: the rarely shown THE TWELVE CHAIRS (1970), making its TCM debut, and THE PRODUCERS (1968), the wild comedy that earned Brooks an Oscar® for Best Original Screenplay. Also included with TCM’s presentation will be classic interviews with Brooks by television legends Johnny Carson and Dick Cavett.

Proceeds from the AFI Life Achievement Award gala event directly support the Institute’s national education programs and the preservation of American film history. Sponsors of the 2013 AFI Life Achievement Award tribute to Mel Brooks include Audi of America, Deloitte, HP and American Airlines, the official airline of the American Film Institute.

Mel Brooks, director, producer, writer, actor and composer, is in an elite group as one of the few creative individuals to earn all four major entertainment prizes – the Tony®, Emmy®, Grammy® and Oscar®. His career began in the borscht belt and then television, writing for YOUR SHOW OF SHOWS. He teamed up with Carl Reiner to write and perform the Grammy®-winning“2000 Year Old Man” comedy albums and books. Brooks and Buck Henry created the long running TV series GET SMART.

Brooks won his first Oscar® in 1964for writing and narrating the animated short THE CRITIC and his second for the screenplay of his first feature film THE PRODUCERS in 1968. Many hit comedy films followed including THE TWELVE CHAIRS, BLAZING SADDLES, YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN, SILENT MOVIE, HIGH ANXIETY, HISTORY OF THE WORLD PART I, TO BE OR NOT TO BE, SPACEBALLS, LIFE STINKS, ROBIN HOOD: MEN IN TIGHTS and DRACULA: DEAD AND LOVING IT.

His film company, Brooks films Limited, also produced critically acclaimed films such as THE ELEPHANT MAN, THE FLY, FRANCES, MY FAVORITE YEAR and 84 CHARRING CROSS ROAD. For three successive seasons, 1997-1999, Mel Brooks won Emmy Awards® for his role as Uncle Phil on the hit sitcom MAD ABOUT YOU. Brooks received three 2001 Tony Awards® and two Grammy Awards® for “The Producers: the New Mel Brooks Musical,” which ran on Broadway from 2001 to 2006. He followed that success with “The New Mel Brooks Musical Young Frankenstein,” which ran on Broadway from 2007 to 2009, and both musicals continue to be performed and enjoyed by audiences all over the world.

In 2009 Mel Brooks also received The Kennedy Center Honors, recognizing a lifetime of extraordinary contributions to American culture. His most recent projects include the Emmy®-nominated HBO comedy special MEL BROOKS AND DICK CAVETT TOGETHER AGAIN and a career retrospective DVD box set titled “The Incredible Mel Brooks: An Irresistible Collection Of Unhinged Comedy.”

AFI Life Achievement Award Recipients

Mel Brooks joins an esteemed group of individuals who have been chosen for this distinguished honor since its inception in 1973.

1973   John Ford

1974   James Cagney

1975   Orson Welles

1976   William Wyler

1977   Bette Davis

1978   Henry Fonda

1979   Alfred Hitchcock

1980   James Stewart

1981   Fred Astaire

1982   Frank Capra

1983   John Huston

1984   Lillian Gish

1985   Gene Kelly

1986   Billy Wilder

1987   Barbara Stanwyck

1988   Jack Lemmon

1989   Gregory Peck

1990   David Lean

1991   Kirk Douglas

1992   Sidney Poitier

1993   Elizabeth Taylor

1994   Jack Nicholson

1995   Steven Spielberg

1996   Clint Eastwood

1997   Martin Scorsese

1998   Robert Wise

1999   Dustin Hoffman

2000   Harrison Ford

2001   Barbra Streisand

2002   Tom Hanks

2003   Robert De Niro

2004   Meryl Streep

2005   George Lucas

2006   Sean Connery

2007   Al Pacino

2008   Warren Beatty

2009   Michael Douglas

2010   Mike Nichols

2011   Morgan Freeman

2012   Shirley MacLaine

2013   Mel Brooks

For more information about AFI, visit AFI.com or connect with AFI at twitter.com/AmericanFilm, facebook.com/AmericanFilmInstitute and youtube.com/AFI.

DARK SKIES was a derivative yet engaging affair that hit the spot and gave me 97 minutes of genuine chills and thrills. It was not well-received when it opened theatrically in February and I never got around to seeing it. Maybe it was bad timing, what with its ad campaign that made it look like the Paranormal Activity movies, which it is similar to except it plays as a thriller instead of a found-footage tape, and with aliens as the home invaders rather than evil spirits. That’s a shame, because despite some forgivable flaws, DARK SKIES is a genuinely scary movie. Now it can be rediscovered on the new Blu-ray disc from Starz/Anchor Bay.

DARK SKIES a supernatural/sci-fi thriller that follows a young family living in the suburbs. As comfortably suburban husband and wife Daniel and Lacey Barret (Kerry Russell, Josh Hamilton) witness an escalating series of disturbing events involving their family, their safe and peaceful home quickly unravels. The younger of the couple’s two sons (Kadan Rockett) begins having strange dreams in which a faux-friendly presence visits and tells him creepy things. The older son (Dakota Goyo) seems somewhat immune to all these mysterious goings-on, but that may be because he’s preoccupied: He’s just at the age where he’s noticing girls, and the soft-core porn he watches while visiting the house of a slightly older pal has put some confused romantic ideas into his head involving a neighborhood cutie. When it becomes clear that the Barret family is being targeted by an unimaginably terrifying and deadly force, Daniel and Lacey take matters in their own hands to solve the mystery of what is after their family.

The roots of DARK SKIES can be traced back to POLTERGEIST, the 1982 shocker that saw the average American family besieged by an unwanted houseguest – a spook that targeted the youngest child. The Barret OF DARK SKIES are normal Americans enjoying the luxuries of suburbia, where the worst threat is a stubborn neighbor or a rude construction worker. The aliens attack pretty much out of the blue and therein lies the chills. Easy jump scares are absent, instead director Scott Stewart actually focuses on building tension and delivering honest payoffs. Stewart orchestrates a myriad of visual and aural delights (the soundtrack of this film is a technical marvel) and sells them hard, even though they don’t add up to anything particularly coherent. We never figure out the limits of the alien’s powers and there are more good ideas here than actual scares. Also, Kerry Russell and Josh Hamilton spend much of the first half of the film bickering in an unpleasant way that’s hard to sit through, but once the alien invasion plot kicks in, you genuinely start to care about the characters. By keeping the audience always on the side of the good guys and investing us in the minutae of their lives, he keeps us rooting for the team. There are some brief CGI effects late in the game, but they don’t submerge the story. Keri Russell is very good as a mother trying to hold everything together, increasingly fearful for her oddly behaving youngest son and there’s a nice cameo from J. K. Simmons, downplaying things effectively as a conspiracy buff who insists aliens are already amongst us.

DARK SKIES has a great 1080p HD transfer presented in 1.85:1 aspect ratio. The image looks gorgeous throughout the 97 minute run-time, with the flesh tones looking natural and smooth. The detail is crisp, with very clean closeups. The colors are well saturated and quite bold, especially in the interiors of the house. The black levels are deep and inky and everything seems to be true to its source. I did not notice any banding, aliasing, or artifacts. This is an outstanding video presentation for a small sci-fi movie and just adds that much more to the film. This release comes with an impressive audio mix that packs a serious punch. When watching this type of suspenseful sci-fi movie, you want your audio to slowly build, add some creepy surround ambient noises, and then pack a loud kick to make you jump out of your seat. This is what DARK SKIES does to a tee. The dialogue is always crystal clear and easy to understand. Even the tiny whispers can be heard clearly and are haunting all the same.

Extras include a feature commentary with Writer/Director Scott Stewart, Producer Jason Blum, Executive Producer Brian Kavanaugh-Jones and Editor Peter Gvozdas as well as alternate and deleted scenes from the film.

“A feast such as this has not been performed in 5,000 years. “

BLOOD FEAST (1963) is the stomach churning movie by “The Godfather of Gore ” Herschell Gordon Lewis that opened the floodgates to the countless blood and slasher movie that followed since its release fifty years ago. BLOOD FEAST was a midnight movie drive-In mainstay for years. No Punches are pulled and no organs left inside from our view in BLOOD FEAST. This film is a true classick in every sense of the word. Remember this was the mid 60′s folks. Sure the effects were cheap & fake, but the bad intentions were there from the get go. Gotta love that Mr. Lewis. 2,000 MANIACS, THE GORE-GORE GIRLS, and COLOR ME BLOOD RED – he cranked ‘em out with no shame. That crazy Egyptian Fuad Ramese and his fowl deeds have kept gorehounds, drives-ins, fans, & curiosity seekers amazingly shocked for five decades and now you’ll have the chance to help celebrate its half century this Saturday night (May 25^th) at GRINDHOUSE NITE AT THE MOVIES at The Way Out Club (2525 Jefferson Avenue in South St. Louis) starting at 9pm.

Get ready for a night of GUNS, GIRLS, and EXPLOSIONS (or, more accurately, Burlesque, Exploitation movies, and live music). So give my regards to 42nd Street – it’s a spectacular not seen since the 70′s!!! The St. Louis band RIVERSIDE NATIVES will open the show their own brand of greasy Rock and Roll and the local band SHADOW THIEVES will perform songs from their upcoming third CD including one inspired by Barbara Steele’s performance in Black Sunday.  In between will be a burlesque set from local beauty Rayna Skye who will be performing her one-of-a-kind special Burlesque tribute to the 1974 Blaxploitation/Martial Arts Masterpiece TNT JACKSON. Between these acts vintage Grindhouse trailers will be screened. There will be lots of great Door Prizes, Giveaways and raffles for some amazing Kung Fu, Blaxploitation, Biker, and Horror Grindhouse Box Sets. All of this amazing entertainment leads up to the midnight screening of BLOOD FEAST.

There will be 5 Grindhouse DVD Box Sets to Raffle off that evening, Savage Cinema (Biker Exploitaion) Dragon Immortal (Bruce Lee Exploitation) Cult Terror Cinema (60′s-80′s B Movie Horror) Drive In Cult Classics (Sexploitation) and lastly Gorehouse Greats (Splatterhouse) To help raise money for the mastering sessions for SHADOW THIEVES third CD. There will also be $1 raffles for a few Vintage 70′s Sexploitation Posters Campus Swingers and The Van. We’ll also have raffles for two Kung Fu Movie Posters; Dragon Vs Needles Of Death and The Iron Dragon Strikes Back. TIckets are $1 a piece or 10 tickets for $5. Winners will be drawn and announced at the end of the SHADOW THIEVES set before Blood Feast is shown.

Admission to GRINDHOUSE NITE AT THE MOVIES is only $7!

For those of you living or heading to the Southern California area this summer, the biggest Movie Geeks in the world (the folks who run the Oscars) have got a treat in store for you under the stars.

Grab the blankets, lawn chairs, your friends and get ready to find a spot on the grass to enjoy The Academy’s 2013 Oscars Outdoors summer movie season. Tickets will be available starting this Wednesday, May 22, at www.oscars.org/outdoors.

The series kicks off with Joss Whedon’s “Much Ado about Nothing,” presented by KCRW’s “Matt’s Movies,” on Wednesday, June 5. The movie stars Amy Acker, Alexis Denisoff, Clark Gregg, Nathan Fillion, Fran Kranz and Sean Maher, all of whom will join Whedon for a post-screening Q&A moderated by KCRW’s Matt Holzman.

Academy Nicholl Screenwriting Fellow Destin Cretton’s “Short Term 12” and festival favorite “Twenty Feet from Stardom” will have advance screenings in partnership with Rooftop Films Summer Series in New York City. Morgan Neville’s music documentary “Twenty Feet from Stardom” will also screen in Hollywood at Oscars Outdoors. The film opens June 14.

The Oscars Outdoors summer lineup, which runs through August 24, will also include such classics as “Big,” “Rushmore” and “Cinema Paradiso.” Screenings will take place at the Academy’s open-air theater in Hollywood.

“After a successful launch last summer, we continue to strive to be the gold standard of outdoor movie events,” said Randy Haberkamp, the Academy’s managing director of programming, education and preservation.  “Special guests and surprises will make each evening memorable and fun for the audience.”

The 2013 Oscars Outdoors schedule is as follows:

Tickets to each Oscars Outdoors screening are $5 for the public; free for children 10 years and younger; and $3 for Academy members and students with ID.  Seating is unreserved.  Gates will open at 6:30 p.m.  Screenings begin at sunset.

Attendees are encouraged to bring lawn chairs, blankets and warm clothing.  Picnic baskets, beer and wine are permitted.  Popular food trucks will be on site during each screening.

The Academy Hollywood campus is located at 1341 Vine Street in Hollywood (between De Longpre Avenue and Fountain Avenue, and between Vine Street and Ivar Avenue).  It is accessible via the Metro Red Line train and the Metro Local 210 bus.  Free parking is located behind the Pickford Center for Motion Picture Study.  Enter from Homewood Avenue off Vine Street, one block north of Fountain Avenue.  The lot opens 90 minutes prior to the event and closes 30 minutes afterwards.

For additional information, visit oscars.org/outdoors or call (310) 247-3600.  For tickets to NYC’s Rooftop Films Summer Series, visit http://rooftopfilms.com/.

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Photos: ©A.M.P.A.S.

They’re coming.  How will you survive and will you be prepared?

Before the Zombie threat invades theaters worldwide on June 21st, Paramount Digital Entertainment and award-winning Phosphor Games Studio bring global apocalyptic panic to you in the newly announced World War Z game. Set to release on May 30, the game will launch on iOS and select Android devices.

Offering a fully immersive experience, players are dropped into the middle of the World War Z chaos. Casual and core gamers will both love the game’s action-packed first person experience and electrifying story. Featuring 28 visceral levels, intense combat, engaging puzzles, upgradable weapons and armor, an unlimited challenge mode, and a global scale, this game challenges you: play to survive.

“We loved the rich world that the filmmakers created, and are thrilled to tell a story that runs parallel to its film counterpart,” said Amy Powell, President of Paramount Digital Entertainment. “We wanted to give audiences a chance to truly live the movie in this story-based game.”

“We were excited to be able to use the cutting-edge Unreal Engine 3 to bring World War Z to life,” said Chip Sineni, Phosphor Games Studio Director. “Our goal was to build Paramount a AAA game, and with that came all our favorite bells and whistles, like ambient occlusion lighting, multipass blended textures, and hordes of enemies to fight.”

The World War Z game is available on iOS and select Android devices on May 30.

(c) 2013 Paramount Pictures. All Rights Reserved.

Starring Academy Award-nominee Brad Pitt, with Marc Forster (Quantum of Solace) directing, the story revolves around United Nations employee Gerry Lane (Pitt), who traverses the world in a race against time to stop a pandemic that is toppling armies and governments and threatening to decimate humanity itself.

Produced by Pitt, Dede Gardner, Jeremy Kleiner and Colin Wilson, the screenplay is written by Matthew Michael Carnahan (State of Play) . Starring Pitt (Moneyball), Mireille Enos (AMC’s “The Killing”), Daniella Kertesz in her feature film debut, James Badge Dale (The Departed) and Matthew Fox (“Lost”), the film’s Executive Producers are Forster, Brad Simpson, David Ellison, Paul Schwake, Dana Goldberg, Graham King and Tim Headington.

WORLD WAR Z will be in theaters June 21st

Visit the film’s official site: http://www.worldwarzmovie.com/

Like on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WorldWarZMovie

Follow on Twitter: https://twitter.com/WorldWarZMovie

PG-13 for intense frightening zombie sequences, violence and disturbing images.

Lionsgate is celebrating THE HUNGER GAMES: CATCHING FIRE at the 2013 Cannes Film Festival.

Stars Liam Hemsworth, Jennifer Lawrence, and Sam Claflin and director Francis Lawrence were on hand for the photocall at the Majestic Barrière.

Producer Jon Kilik, Lionsgate Motion Picture Group Co-Chairman Patrick Wachsberger, Lionsgate Motion Picture Group Co-Chairman Robert Friedman and Producer Nina Jacobson were also in Cannes to promote the film.

THE HUNGER GAMES: CATCHING FIRE begins as Katniss Everdeen has returned home safe after winning the 74th Annual Hunger Games along with fellow tribute Peeta Mellark. Winning means that they must turn around and leave their family and close friends, embarking on a “Victor’s Tour” of the districts. Along the way Katniss senses that a rebellion is simmering, but the Capitol is still very much in control as President Snow prepares the 75th Annual Hunger Games (The Quarter Quell) – a competition that could change Panem forever.

THE HUNGER GAMES: CATCHING FIRE will be directed by Francis Lawrence, and produced by Nina Jacobson’s Color Force in tandem with producer Jon Kilik. The novel on which the film is based is the second in a trilogy that has over 50 million copies in print in the U.S. alone.

Photographer credit: Dave Benett

Lionsgate will release THE HUNGER GAMES: CATCHING FIRE on November 22, 2013.

Official Facebook Page: facebook.com/thehungergamesmovie

#TheSpark #CatchingFire

New Cologne, same News Team.

Paramount Pictures has sent over on this Saturday afternoon the new teaser for director Adam McKay’s ANCHORMAN 2: THE LEGEND CONTINUES.

So check it out below … It’s kind of a BIG deal.

Get ready for more stories from the KVWN Channel 4 News Team - Champion “Champ” Kind, Brick Tamland, Brian Fantana and Ron Burgundy - when ANCHORMAN 2: THE LEGEND CONTINUES hits theaters December 20, 2013. Until then, stay classy!

http://www.anchormanmovie.com/

https://www.facebook.com/anchormanmovie

https://twitter.com/RonBurgundy

Worldview Entertainment has optioned the Marilyn Monroe biopic, BLONDE, from writer-director Andrew Dominik (“Killing Them Softly,” “The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford”). The screenplay was adapted from the Joyce Carol Oates fictionalized biography of the late starlet. Wild Bunch is handling international sales on the project, while CAA, who arranged financing, will be packaging and representing the domestic rights.

“Andrew is an extremely talented writer and director and we are big fans of his work. ‘Blonde’ is a fantastic project and we are looking forward to seeing it come to life,” said Worldview CEO, Christopher Woodrow.

Dominik is represented by CAA.

Worldview’s 2013 slate includes the upcoming drama, “Song One,” starring Academy Award winner Anne Hathaway; Zach Braff’s drama, “Wish I was Here;” David Gordon Green’s drama, “Manglehorn,” starring Academy Award winner Al Pacino; and two studio co-financing deals: Academy Award nominee Alejandro Gonzalez Innaritu’s comedy, “Birdman,” with Fox Searchlight and New Regency, starring Michael Keaton, Emma Stone, Academy Award nominee Naomi Watts, Zach Galifianakis and Academy Award nominee Edward Norton; and Daniel Espinosa’s crime thriller “Child 44,” with Summit/Lionsgate, starring Tom Hardy, Noomi Rapace, Academy Award nominee Gary Oldman and Joel Kinnaman.

Worldview’s 2012 slate included three films making their world premieres here in Cannes: James Gray’s period drama, “The Immigrant,” starring Academy Award winner Marion Cotillard and Academy Award nominees Joaquin Phoenix and Jeremy Renner, which is screening in competition and will be released by The Weinstein Company; Arnaud Desplechin’s drama, “Jimmy P.,” starring Benicio Del Toro, which is also screening in competition; and Guillaume Canet’s crime thriller, “Blood Ties,” starring Academy Award nominee Clive Owen, Billy Crudup, Cotillard, Mila Kunis, Zoe Saldana and Academy Award nominee James Caan.

Worldview also has several completed films, which will premiere later this year including Academy Award nominee Atom Egoyan’s crime thriller, “Devil’s Knot,” starring Academy Award winners Colin Firth and Reese Witherspoon; David Gordon Green’s drama, “Joe,” starring Academy Award winner Nicolas Cage; Eli Roth’s highly anticipated return to directing with the horror thriller, “The Green Inferno;” and Ti West’s horror thriller, “The Sacrament,” presented and produced by Eli Roth.

Part MOON, part 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY, watch the new trailer for EUROPA REPORT. The groundbreaking sci-fi film starring Sharlto Copley (District 9), is about the exploration of Jupiter’s moon, Europa. The film will be On Demand June 27 and in theatres August 2 from Magnet Releasing.

EUROPA REPORT follows a contemporary mission to Jupiter’s moon Europa to investigate the possible existence of alien life within our solar system.

When unmanned probes suggest that a hidden ocean could exist underneath Europa’s icy surface and may contain single-celled life, Europa Ventures, a privately funded space exploration company, sends six of the best astronauts from around the world to confirm the data and explore the revolutionary discoveries that may lie in the Europan ocean.

After a near-catastrophic technical failure that leads to loss of communication with Earth and the tragic death of a crewmember, the surviving astronauts must overcome the psychological and physical toll of deep space travel, and survive a discovery on Europa more profound than they had ever imagined.

The film stars Sharlto Copley, Michael Nyqvist, Christian Camargo, Dan Fogler and Embeth Davidtz.

https://www.facebook.com/europareport

https://twitter.com/magnetreleasing #EuropaReport

THE MUPPET MOVIE is coming to Blu-ray Combo Pack & HD Digital for the first time on August 13th.

See how the Muppets began with this new special edition of the original classic that started it all - THE MUPPET MOVIE, produced by cultural icon and Muppets creator, Jim Henson!

Witness the hilarious origins of everyone’s favorite Muppets: Kermit the Frog, Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear, Gonzo, Animal and the rest, as they embark on an inspirational and laugh-filled road trip to follow their Hollywood dreams. And now for the first time, you and your family can see the Muppets make the “Rainbow Connection” in vibrant Hi-Definition.

Bring home the story of the Muppets’ rise to stardom on Blu-ray for the first time ever, complete with all-new bonus features and the non-stop entertainment of Disney Intermission.

Pre-order: http://di.sn/hCb 

Set to hit theaters on May 31st, AFTER EARTH begins more than one thousand years in the future – in fact, one thousand years after humanity was forced to abandon the only home they had ever known.

Legendary General Cypher Raige (played by Will Smith) returns from an extended tour of duty to his estranged family, ready to be a father to his 13-year-old son, Kitai (played by Jaden Smith). When an asteroid storm damages their craft, they crash-land on a now unfamiliar and dangerous Earth. As his father lies dying in the cockpit, Kitai must trek across the hostile terrain to recover their rescue beacon. His whole life, Kitai has wanted nothing more than to be a soldier like his father. Today, he gets his chance.

To celebrate the theatrical release of AFTER EARTH, WAMG is doing a giveaway!

Two (2) winners will receive an AFTER EARTH Prize Pack, including:

• 1 T-shirt
• 1 Titanium bracelet

Answer the following:

AFTER EARTH’s screenplay is by Gary Whitta and M. Night Shyamalan. 

Whitta is the former Editor-in-Chief of PC Gamer magazine and writer of what 2010 film?

OFFICIAL RULES:

1. YOU MUST BE A US RESIDENT. PRIZE WILL ONLY BE SHIPPED TO US ADDRESSES. NO P.O. BOXES.

2. SEND YOUR FULL NAME and ANSWER TO: michelle@wearemoviegeeks.com.

3. WINNERS WILL BE CHOSEN FROM ALL QUALIFYING ENTRIES. NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. PRIZES WILL NOT BE SUBSTITUTED OR EXCHANGED.

The giveaway ends 11:59 a.m. PT on May 28th, 2013.

A crash landing leaves teenager Kitai Raige (Jaden Smith) and his legendary father Cypher (Will Smith) stranded on Earth, 1,000 years after cataclysmic events forced humanity’s escape. With Cypher critically injured, Kitai must embark on a perilous journey to signal for help, facing uncharted terrain, evolved animal species that now rule the planet, and an unstoppable alien creature that escaped during the crash. Father and son must learn to work together and trust one another if they want any chance of returning home.

Columbia Pictures presents an Overbrook Entertainment / Blinding Edge Pictures production, a film by M. Night Shyamalan, AFTER EARTH. Starring Jaden Smith and Will Smith. Directed by M. Night Shyamalan. Produced by Caleeb Pinkett, Jada Pinkett Smith & Will Smith, James Lassiter, and M. Night Shyamalan. Story by Will Smith. Screenplay by Gary Whitta and M. Night Shyamalan.  Executive Producer is E. Bennett Walsh.  Director of Photography is Peter Suschitzky, ASC. Production Designer is Tom Sanders.  Editor is Steven Rosenblum, A. C. E.  Visual Effects Supervisor is Jonathan Rothbart.  Costume Designer is Amy Westcott.  Music by James Newton Howard.  Co-Producers are Ashwin Rajan and John Rusk.

AFTER EARTH has been rated PG-13 by the Motion Picture Association of America for Sci-Fi Action Violence and Some Disturbing Images.

AFTER EARTH
opens in theaters
May 31st!

http://www.afterearth.com/site/

https://www.facebook.com/AfterEarth

https://twitter.com/AfterEarth #AfterEarth

This summer director J.J. Abrams takes STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS as the young officers of The U.S.S. Enterprise set course for their most epic journey yet.  Abrams reunites with the team that created the fun, the humor, and the spirit of 2009’s acclaimed hit reboot of the beloved franchise.

On this second voyage, they’ve amped the action, raised the emotional stakes and launched the Enterprise into a high-wire, life-or-death game of chess with an unstoppable force of destruction.

With everything the men and women of The Enterprise believe on the line, love will be challenged, friendships will be torn and sacrifices must be made for the only family Captain Kirk has left: the crew he commands.

It’s really exciting to be back on the Enterprise! Read our review HERE.

To celebrate the theatrical release of STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS, WAMG is doing a giveaway!

Three (3) winners will receive a STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS Prize Pack, including:

2 Exclusive Star Trek IMAX 3D Glasses
1 Star Trek Into Darkness – Enterprise Poster
1 Trek Knuckle Tattoos

Answer the following:

Gene Roddenberry once said of Star Trek: “Almost all of this comes out of my feeling that the human future is bright. We’re just beginning. We have wonders ahead of us. I don’t see how it can be any other way.”

What was Roddenberry’s nickname?

OFFICIAL RULES:

1. YOU MUST BE A US RESIDENT. PRIZE WILL ONLY BE SHIPPED TO US ADDRESSES. NO P.O. BOXES.

2. SEND YOUR FULL NAME and ANSWER TO: michelle@wearemoviegeeks.com.

3. WINNERS WILL BE CHOSEN FROM ALL QUALIFYING ENTRIES. NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. PRIZES WILL NOT BE SUBSTITUTED OR EXCHANGED.

The giveaway ends 11:59 a.m. PT on May 22nd, 2013.

Returning to The Enterprise is the crew that brought it so viscerally to life in Abrams’ “Star Trek”:  Chris Pine as Captain James T. Kirk, Zachary Quinto as First Officer Spock, Karl Urban as Dr. Leonard “Bones” McCoy, Simon Pegg as Chief Engineer “Scotty” Scott, Zoe Saldana as Communications Officer Uhura, John Cho as Helmsman Hikaru Sulu, Anton Yelchin as Pavel Chekov and Bruce Greenwood as Admiral Christopher Pike. Joining the cast is Benedict Cumberbatch in the role of the mysterious intergalactic terrorist John Harrison, Alice Eve as ship newcomer Carol Marcus and Peter Weller as the Star Fleet Admiral who comes into conflict with the Enterprise.

Paramount Pictures and Skydance present a Bad Robot production of a J.J. Abrams film, STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS. The film is written by Robert Orci & Alex Kurtzman & Damon Lindelof based upon Star Trek created by Gene Roddenberry. The producers are Abrams, Bryan Burk, Lindelof, Orci and Kurtzman and the executive producers are Jeffrey Chernov, David Ellison, Dana Goldberg and Paul Schwake.

The reuniting behind-the-scenes team includes director of photography Dan Mindel, production designer Scott Chambliss, costume designer Michael Kaplan, editors Maryann Brandon and Mary Jo Markey and composer Michael Giacchino – and the film’s interstellar visual effects and animations have once again been forged by the wizards at Industrial Light & Magic, under the aegis of Roger Guyett, who was Oscar®-nominated for his work on “Star Trek.”

WWW.STARTREKMOVIE.COM  

Like on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/StarTrekMovie 

Follow on Twitter:  https://twitter.com/startrekmovie #StarTrek #IntoDarkness

 http://www.startrekmovie.com/StarTrekApp/

Photos: (c) 2013 Paramount Pictures. All Rights Reserved.

The apocalypse is coming to theaters and on VOD on June 7, 2013. Only this time, Craig Robinson, Anna Kendrick, John Francis Daley, Rob Corddry, Paul Scheer, and many more are along for the ride. Check out the new trailer and poster for RAPTURE-PALOOZA.

Nowhere is safe from the effects of the Rapture in RAPTURE-PALOOZA, a new end of the world comedy from Lionsgate.

When the Apocalypse actually happens and a billion people are raptured up to heaven, Lindsey (Anna Kendrick, Pitch Perfect) and her boyfriend Ben (John Francis Daley, TV’s “Bones”) are left behind in suburban Seattle. The young couple tries their best to lead a normal life surrounded by talking locusts, blood rain showers and pot-smoking wraiths. But when The Beast (Craig Robinson, TV’s “The Office”) makes his home base in their neighborhood, Lindsey finds herself the object of his affection. With the help of her family, friends and a lawn-mowing zombie neighbor (Tom Lennon, TV’s “Reno 911”), the young couple set off to stop the Anti-Christ from taking her as his bride…and just maybe, saving the world in the process.

RAPTURE-PALOOZA is directed by Paul Middleditch and written by Chris Matheson. Starring Craig Robinson, Anna Kendrick, John Francis Daley and Rob Corddry, the cast also includes Ana Gasteyer, John Michael Higgins, Rob Huebel, Tom Lennon, Ken Jeong, Paul Scheer, Mike O’Connell, Adrianna Costa, Jesse Camacho, Calum Worthy and Tyler Labine. Lionsgate and Mimran Schur Pictures present a Mosaic production, a Lionsgate / Mimran Schur Pictures production. RAPTURE-PALOOZA is produced by Jimmy Miller, David Householter and Ed Solomon. Executive Producers are Matt Kaplan, M. Riley, Jordan Schur, David Mimran, Craig Robinson and Chris Matheson.

The film is rated R for language including crude sexual references throughout, and for drug use.

https://www.facebook.com/RapturepaloozaMovie

Olga Kurylenko (OBLIVION), Luke Bracey (G.I. JOE: RETALIATION) and Bill Smitrovich (IRON MAN) are set to join Pierce Brosnan in the espionage action-thriller NOVEMBER MAN directed by Roger Donaldson (THE BANK JOB). The announcement was made by producers Beau St. Clair of Irish Dreamtime and Sriram Das of Das Films.  Written by Michael Finch (PREDATORS) and Karl Gajdusek (OBLIVION), the script was developed from Bill Granger’s There Are No Spies, the seventh book in Granger’s thirteen-part November Man series.

With shooting set to start in Europe on May 20th, NOVEMBER MAN tells the story of an ex-CIA operative (Brosnan) who finds himself pitted against his former pupil (Bracey) in a race to find a woman hiding from her past (Kurylenko) who holds the key to an international conspiracy. NOVEMBER MAN is financed by Merced Media Partners, Envision Entertainment Corporation and PalmStar Media Capital.  Executive Producers include Merced’s Raj Singh and Stuart Brown, PalmStar’s Kevin Frakes, Envision’s Grant Cramer, Remington Chase and Stepan Martirosyan, and Myles Nestel and Lisa Wilson of The Solution.

Financing for NOVEMBER MAN was arranged by PalmStar’s Kevin Frakes and Envision’s Grant Cramer.  The Solution is handling international rights and CAA represents the U.S. distribution rights.

“Pierce and I couldn’t be happier with the cast we’ve put together on a project that’s been a true labor of love,” producer Beau St. Clair said. “We’re excited to reintroduce Pierce to the spy game, especially with such great talent surrounding him.”

“Brosnan and Bracey are a great match as the disillusioned ex-agent and his determined protégé,” added producer Sriram Das. “I’m thrilled to be working with such a talented cast to introduce the NOVEMBER MAN franchise to audiences around the world.”

One of the most internationally recognized actors today, Brosnan has starred in blockbuster hits such as THE THOMAS CROWN AFFAIR, MAMMA MIA! and four JAMES BOND films. He’s also starred in critical favorites like Roman Polanksi’s THE GHOST WRITER, John Borman’s THE TAILOR OF PANAMA, and was nominated for a Golden Globe for his turn in THE MATADOR. He can currently be in seen in Oscar-winning director Susanne Bier’s LOVE IS ALL YOU NEED.

Olga Kurylenko is currently starring alongside Tom Cruise in the box office hit OBLIVION  She rose to fame by playingBond girl, Camille Montes, in the 22nd James Bond film, QUANTUM OF SOLACE. She recently starred in Terrence Malick’s TO THE WONDER and recently signed to play Headmistress Kirova in The Weinstein Company’s VAMPIRE ACADEMY: BLOOD SISTERS. She is represented by CAA and Tavistock Wood Management.

Newcomer Luke Bracey is currently on screens in Paramount’s box office hit G.I. JOE: RETALIATION alongside Dwayne Johnson and Channing Tatum. The film has already earned over $350 million worldwide. In2011 he starred in Fox’s romantic comedy MONTE CARLO with Selena Gomez and Leighton Meester and was recently cast as the male lead in the ABC drama Westside alongside Odette Annable and Jennifer Beals. Bracey is repped by CAA and managed byWill Ward at ROAR.

Bill Smitrovich has been playing memorable characters for over 25 years, working early with Michael Mann on MIAMI VICE and CRIME STORY before starring in the critically acclaimed dramatic series LIFE GOES ON. Smitrovich’s film credits include blockbusters INDEPENDENCE DAY, AIR FORCE ONE, IRON MAN, EAGLE EYE and TED. The founding member of the No Theatre Company, Smitrovich just starred in David Mamet’s AMERICAN BUFFALO at the Geffen Playhouse. He is represented by Pearl Wexler of The Kohner Agency and Craig Dorfman of Frontline Management.

Working with some of the industry’s leading actors, Donaldson has directed over sixteen films, including box office hits NO WAY OUT, THE RECRUIT, THIRTEEN DAYS, DANTE’S PEAK, THE BOUNTY, THE GETAWAY, THE BANK JOB, SPECIES and COCKTAIL.  Donaldson both wrote and directed the acclaimed film THE WORLD’S FASTEST INDIAN starring Anthony Hopkins. Donaldson is reuniting with Brosnan, Patton and Smitrovich, having directed the three actors in DANTE’S PEAK, NO WAY OUT, and THIRTEEN DAYS respectively.

Finch is currently rewriting AMERICAN ASSASSIN for CBS Films and Lorenzo DiBonaventura. He also completed work on Sony’s MASTERS OF THE UNIVERSE. Gajdusek wrote the screenplay for Universal’s OBLIVION starring Tom Cruise, which has earned over $200 million at the worldwide box office so far.  He is the co-creator of television series THE LAST RESORT, and currently writing VIKING for Working Title and director Baltasar Kormakur.

In addition to NOVEMBER MAN, The Solution’s Cannes slate on offer to buyers includes HOW TO MAKE LOVE LIKE AN ENGLISHMAN starring Pierce Brosnan, Jessica Alba and Kristin Scott Thomas, WRITERS (aka STUCK IN LOVE) starring Greg Kinnear, Jennifer Connelly and Lily Collins and produced by Judy Cairo, romantic comedy TWO NIGHT STAND starring Miles Teller and Analeigh Tipton, police thriller FELONY starring Joel Edgerton, Tom Wilkinson and Jai Courtney, GRAND PIANOstarring Elijah Wood and John Cusack and produced by Adrian Guerra and Rodrigo Cortes and 5 TO 7, starring Glenn Close, Frank Langella, Bérénice Marlohe, Lambert Wilson, Anton Yelchin and Olivia Thirlby and THE FORGER starring John Travolta.