DUMB MONEY is the ultimate David vs. Goliath tale, based on the insane true story of everyday people who flipped the script on Wall Street and got rich by turning GameStop (yes, the mall videogame store) into the world’s hottest company. In the middle of everything is regular guy Keith Gill (Paul Dano), who starts it all by sinking his life savings into the stock and posting about it. When his social posts start blowing up, so does his life and the lives of everyone following him. As a stock tip becomes a movement, everyone gets rich – until the billionaires fight back, and both sides find their worlds turned upside down.
DUMB MONEY also stars Pete Davidson, Vincent D’Onofrio, America Ferrera, Nick Offerman, Anthony Ramos, Sebastian Stan, Shailene Woodley and Seth Rogen. Directed by Craig Gillespie, written by Lauren Schuker Blum & Rebecca Angelo, based on the book “The Antisocial Network” by Ben Mezrich.
Rebecca Angelo, Writer/Executive producer, Lauren Schuker Blum, Writer/Executive producer, Teddy Schwarzman, Producer, Aaron Ryder, Producer, and Craig Gillespie, Director, attend the gala screening of DUMB MONEY at the Toronto International Film Festival.
In their review, The Hollywood Reporter says: the film receiving its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival proves entertaining enough, thanks to its canny screenplay relating the story as a Frank Capra-style battle between the little people and the rich bigwigs hoisted by their own petards, and the fun performances by a terrific ensemble.
Dueling Emmas face off in a battle of fashionistas behaving badly, in CRUELLA, in which Emma Thompson’s Anna Wintour-like fashion giant is challenged by Emma Stones’ Vivienne Westwood-like punk designer upstart. CRUELLA is more entertaining that one might expect for the live-action backstory of a Disney villain, Cruella de Vil from the animated classic 101 DALMATIANS. CRUELLA is more entertaining that one might expect. Creative, energetic, dark and spiked with campy humor, CRUELLA is a surprising bit of fun.
CRUELLA is sympathetic backstory that paints the famous Disney villain as a misunderstood underdog, but one of the best things about CRUELLA is that it is not another MALEFICENT. If you liked that Disney villain origin story, you may not care for this one, as CRUELLA takes itself far less seriously. Director Craig Gillespie (I TONYA) makes CRUELLA clever, energetic fun with just enough campy fun and a dark humor twist. Although named for the Disney villain, this film stands on its own, and would be just as entertaining if the central character had a different name.
Estella (Tipper Seifert-Cleveland) is a rebellious, brilliant young girl with unusual black and white hair, who arrives in ’60s London after being orphaned when some vicious dalmatians pushed her mother (Emily Beecham) off a cliff. She is taken in by a pair of grifter street urchins, who teach her their trade. In the punk ’70s, grown-up Estella (Emma Stone) has become skilled at the life of petty crime but she is a fashionista with a flare for costumes and disguises, and longs to be a fashion designer.
Her grifter mates Jasper (Joel Fry) and Horace (Paul Walter Hauser) help Estella get her dream job at a posh department store, the Liberty, by creating a fake resume that claims she knows royalty. Ambitious Estella hopes to meet her favorite designer, the imperious Baroness (Emma Thompson), London’s top fashion designer, who has a connection to the store. Eventually, Estella does win a spot as an intern with the brutal Baroness but eventually Estella’s rebellious streak puts them at odds. Reinventing herself as an underground, wildly-creative punk designer named Cruella, the two face off on the runway and off.
CRUELLA samples a lot of other films, DEVIL WEARS PRAVDA certainly but also bits of TV’s “Queen’s Gambit,” Roald Dahl’s “Mathilda,” ALL ABOUT EVE, and a number of Charles Dickens novels. There was a team of scriptwriters, Tony McNamara (THE FAVORITE), Dana Fox, Aline Brosh McKenna, Kelly Marcel and Steve Zissis, whose creative, entertaining script samples a variety of sources. But the mix is melded well and it has plenty of energy and is a lot of fun, with dark edgy vibe and a killer soundtrack of mostly ’60s hits, including the Zombies, Rolling Stones and Animals.
However, if you liked that earlier Disney villain backstory film, MALEFICENT, this one may not be your cuppa. Disney purists probably will be displeased that is really doesn’t explain why the fashionista villain of 101 DALMATIONS would want a Dalmatian puppy skin coat, other than a tragic encounter with some attacking dalmatians, but then again, did MALIFICENT really explain her?
Better to think of this as an alternate universe prequel to the Disney classic, but however you can putting aside those pre-concieved ideas, the more you can just enjoy this wild ride. The story is more a dark, tongue-in-cheek comedy than anything. Emma Stone and Emma Thompson draw on their considerable talents to bring out their best, in a story that is a bit more feminist than might be excepted.
Fans of all things British, and particularly London in the punk ’70s, will find lots to like here, with street scenes and playful references, along with a spot-on soundtrack of mostly ’60s hits, including from the Zombies, Rolling Stones and the Animals.
Both Emma Stone and Emma Thompson are clearly having delicious fun playing these battling bad girls, to the delight of us in the audience. The combination of top-notch performances, with a clever script that samples from a number of sources, and wildly vibrant visuals, all packaged in a fast-paced, high-energy film makes this film a delight. The winning combination evokes both in the director’s previous film I TONYA and co-writer’s film THE FAVORITE.
CRUELLA is surprisingly fun, high-energy, creative romp that spills outside the boundaries of expectations for its premise. It opens Friday, May 28, at various theaters and streaming.
Toss on the life jackets (or as they were called during WWII, “Mae Wests”) and prepare yourself for a nautical thriller, one “inspired by true events” (barely a month into 2016 and here’s the second “non-fiction” flick after 13 HOURS). Now it’s not a wartime actioner with destroyers battling subs. As you may have gathered from the numerous TV spots, this story is more of “man versus Mother Nature” one, along the lines of THE PERFECT STORM from way back in 2000. Since then we’ve seen film heroes fighting storms and killer waves in LIFE OF PI, ALL IS LOST, and the very recent (maybe six weeks) IN THE HEART OF THE SEA. This new flick is not set a couple hundred years ago like that whale-hunting adventure, only 64 years next month. This is a tale of determination and courage exemplified by the US Coast Guard in one of the most astounding sea rescues, often referred in maritime legend and lore as THE FINEST HOURS.
The quiet seacoast village of Chatham, MA is where we first encounter Coast Guard Boatswain’s Mate First Class Bernard Webber (Chris Pine) in late 1951 as he meets Miriam (Holliday Grainger), on a blind date that a buddy has arranged. Jump ahead a few months, and things are going so well that the two decide to marry. Although as a formality, Bernie needs to get the OK from his boss, Warrant Officer Cluff (Eric Bana). But it’s a hectic day as a brutal “nor’ easter” storm is approaching. Meanwhile, ten miles off the coast, the T2 oil tanker SS Pendleton is being pummeled by said storm. First assistant engineer Ray Sybert (Casey Affleck) pleads over the ship’s phone with the captain to reduce speed. When Ray gets no response he sends one of the crew to run to the ship’s bow with an update. The sailor is horrified to see that the bow is gone (a great effects shot), the ship has split in two with the front half sinking into the sea. Ray must try to find a way to steer his half into the shoal while several crewmen insist that they use the lifeboats (useless against the violent wind and waves). Back at Chatham Station, the radio picks up distress calls from another tanker, SS Fort Mercer, but a closer radar blip shows up, the Pendleton. Cluff orders Webber to head out in the 36 foot wooden motor lifeboat the CG36500 with three others, just as Miriam shows up. She pleads with Bernie not to go, but he knows that they are the only hope for those men at sea. Despite his courage, can they make their way through the storm before Ray and his men perish?
As the soft-spoken, awkward Webber, Pine is almost playing the inverse of the film role that has brought him enormous success-the cocky younger rebooted Captain James T Kirk. There’s a sweetness to the shy sailor in the opening courtship sequences, but this almost works against the big action set pieces at the film’s center. His determination is admirable, but he almost merges with the steering wheel with his low key persona. Grainger is nearly the polar opposite as Miriam, whose personality runs over her usually passive fiancee. After the dreamy “meet cute” intro, she often comes off as strident and overbearing (almost emasculating) when she invades the CG station.
She’s particularly grating at she spouts an almost endless mantra to Cluff- “Call him back in. Call him back in. Call…etc.”. It’s a shame that the script does not serve the talented Ms. G. At least their characters are given more personality than the rest of the cast. Affleck is convincing as the voice of calm and reason on the floundering tanker, going from being MacGyver, rigging a way to steer, to a the Mr. Spock-like logical debater with a sailor insisting on using the lifeboats. Bana has little to do beside trotting out a Southern drawl, looking concerned, and being exasperated with Miriam.
The most underused may be Ben Foster as Webber’s co-captain on the rescue boat, who offers little beyond a world-weary cynicism. What is an incredibly inspiring true tale of courage is seriously scuttled by an inconsistent script, despite solid direction by Craig Gillespie. The three screenwriters attempt to mesh an intimate character study/romance with epic adventure making the finished piece neither fish nor fowl. Once the Chatham group is aware of the Pendleton’s plight, the movie settles into a pattern: Bernie’s boys getting tossed about the waves like a game of “hot potato”, cut to the antics of the increasingly abrasive Miriam, then cut away to the sullen Sybert arguing with his crew as the water seeps in. The repetitive rhythms wear down the most dedicated film goer ( losing 20 minutes might’ve made the whole thing a bit more buoyant). The thick “Baaasten” accents also wear thin (“Hey Webbah’! Webbah’!”) even as they mock Cluff’s ultra-genteel deep South twang. Perhaps due to the Disney label (the ole’ castle logo opens the flick), there are no rough edges to these hard-bitten sea dogs (there’s no one that “cusses’ like a sailor”). At least the vintage fashions and autos (love those tank-like behemoths) are great eye candy. Oh, and the 3D upconvert doesn’t add anything aside constant sea spray The real-life heroes deserve to be remembered while the soggy, water-logged, dreary dramatics of THE FINEST HOURS will be forgotten. Film overboard!
THE FINIEST HOURS is the remarkable true story of the most daring rescue mission in the history of the Coast Guard.
WAMG has your passes to the heroic action-thriller featuring Chris Pine, Ben Foster, Kyle Gallner, John Magaro, Casey Affleck and Eric Bana.
Directed by Craig Gillespie, Disney’s THE FINEST HOURS storms into theaters on January 29, 2016.
WAMG invites you to enter for a chance to win a pass (Good for 2) to the advance screening of THE FINEST HOURS on Wednesday, January 27 at 7PM in the St. Louis area.
We will contact the winners by email.
Answer the following:
Eric Bana and Ben Foster previously co-starred in which 2013 film?
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Watch the new featurette from the heroic action-thriller THE FINEST HOURS featuring Chris Pine, Casey Affleck, Ben Foster, Kyle Gallery, John Magaro and director Craig Gillespie talking about the spirit of camaraderie on set and praising the real-life heroes behind the remarkable true story of the most daring rescue mission in the history of the U.S. Coast Guard.
On February 18, 1952, a massive nor’easter struck New England, pummeling towns along the Eastern seaboard and wreaking havoc on the ships caught in its deadly path, including the SS Pendleton, a T-2 oil tanker bound for Boston, which was literally ripped in half, trapping more than 30 sailors inside its rapidly-sinking stern. As the senior officer on board, first assistant engineer Ray Sybert (Casey Affleck) soon realizes it is up to him to take charge of the frightened crew and inspire the men to set aside their differences and work together to ride out one of the worst storms to ever hit the East Coast.
Meanwhile, as word of the disaster reaches the U.S. Coast Guard station in Chatham, Massachusetts, Warrant Officer Daniel Cluff (Eric Bana) orders a daring operation to rescue the stranded men. Despite overwhelming odds, four men, led by Coast Guard Captain Bernie Webber (Chris Pine), set out in a wooden lifeboat with an ill-equipped engine and little, if any, means of navigation, facing frigid temperatures, 60-foot high waves and hurricane-force winds.
Disney’s THE FINEST HOURS which is directed by Craig Gillespie and stars Chris Pine, Academy Award and Golden Globe nominee Casey Affleck, Ben Foster, Holliday Grainger, John Ortiz and Eric Bana, storms into theaters on January 29, 2016.
The movie will be presented in Digital 3D, Real D 3D and IMAX 3D
Chris Pine stars as Bernie Webber and Holliday Grainger as Miriam in the heroic action-thriller THE FINEST HOURS, the remarkable true story of the most daring rescue mission in the history of the U.S. Coast Guard.
Presented in Digital 3D, Real D 3D and IMAX 3D, the film transports audiences to the heart of the action, creating a fully-immersive cinematic experience on an epic scale.
On February 18, 1952, a massive nor’easter struck New England, pummeling towns along the Eastern seaboard and wreaking havoc on the ships caught in its deadly path, including the SS Pendleton, a T-2 oil tanker bound for Boston, which was literally ripped in half, trapping more than 30 sailors inside its rapidly-sinking stern. As the senior officer on board, first assistant engineer Ray Sybert (Casey Affleck) soon realizes it is up to him to take charge of the frightened crew and inspire the men to set aside their differences and work together to ride out one of the worst storms to ever hit the East Coast.
Meanwhile, as word of the disaster reaches the U.S. Coast Guard station in Chatham, Massachusetts, Warrant Officer Daniel Cluff (Eric Bana) orders a daring operation to rescue the stranded men. Despite overwhelming odds, four men, led by Coast Guard Captain Bernie Webber (Chris Pine), set out in a wooden lifeboat with an ill-equipped engine and little, if any, means of navigation, facing frigid temperatures, 60-foot high waves and hurricane-force winds.
Disney’s THE FINEST HOURS which is directed by Craig Gillespie and stars Chris Pine, Academy Award and Golden Globe nominee Casey Affleck, Ben Foster, Holliday Grainger, John Ortiz and Eric Bana, storms into theaters on January 29, 2016.
Disney has released the first poster for THE FINEST HOURS.
The trailer will debut Wednesday, July 8th at 9am PDT at http://www.facebook.com/thefinesthoursmovie and watch it again during its broadcast debut on The Discovery Channel at 10PM EDT / PDT
A heroic action-thriller, THE FINEST HOURS is the remarkable true story of the greatest small boat rescue in Coast Guard history. Presented in Digital 3D and IMAX 3D, the film will transport audiences to the heart of the action, creating a fully-immersive cinematic experience on an epic scale.
On February 18, 1952, a massive nor’easter struck New England, pummeling towns along the Eastern seaboard and wreaking havoc on the ships caught in its deadly path, including the SS Pendleton, a T-2 oil tanker bound for Boston, which was literally ripped in half, trapping more than 30 sailors inside its rapidly-sinking stern. As the senior officer on board, first assistant engineer Ray Sybert (Casey Affleck) soon realizes it is up to him to take charge of the frightened crew and inspire the men to set aside their differences and work together to ride out one of the worst storms to ever hit the East Coast.
Meanwhile, as word of the disaster reaches the U.S. Coast Guard station in Chatham, Massachusetts, Warrant Officer Daniel Cluff (Eric Bana) orders a daring operation to rescue the stranded men. Despite overwhelming odds, four men, led by Coast Guard Captain Bernie Webber (Chris Pine), set out in a wooden lifeboat with an ill-equipped engine and little, if any, means of navigation, facing frigid temperatures, 60-foot high waves and hurricane-force winds.
Disney’s THE FINEST HOURS is the unforgettable story of the Coast Guard’s courageous mission, which is directed by Craig Gillespie and stars: Chris Pine; Academy Award and Golden Globe nominee Casey Affleck; Ben Foster; Holliday Grainger; John Ortiz; and Eric Bana. Produced by Jim Whitaker and Dorothy Aufiero, the screenplay is by Oscar nominee Scott Silver and Oscar nominees Paul Tamasy & Eric Johnson based on the acclaimed non-fiction book of the same name by Michael J. Tougias and Casey Sherman.
Doug Merrifield serves as executive producer. THE FINEST HOURS storms into U.S. theaters on January 29, 2016 in Digital 3D and IMAX 3D.
Production is scheduled to begin in September on THE FINEST HOURS, starring Chris Pine (“Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit,” “Star Trek”), Academy Award and Golden Globe nominee Casey Affleck (“The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford,” “Ocean’s Thirteen”) and Holliday Grainger (“Cinderella,” “Bonnie & Clyde”).
The thriller, which will be directed by Craig Gillespie (“Million Dollar Arm,” “Lars and the Real Girl”), will shoot on location in Quincy and Chatham, Massachusetts.
In February of 1952, one of the worst storms to ever hit the East Coast struck New England, damaging an oil tanker off the coast of Cape Cod and literally ripping it in half. On a small lifeboat faced with frigid temperatures and 70-foot high waves, four members of the Coast Guard set out to rescue the more than 30 stranded sailors trapped aboard the rapidly-sinking vessel.
“The Finest Hours” is the story of their heroic mission, which is still considered the greatest small boat rescue in Coast Guard history.
The film is produced by Jim Whitaker (“Cinderella Man”) and Dorothy Aufiero (“The Fighter”). The screenplay is by Academy Award nominees Paul Tamsay & Eric Johnson (“The Fighter”) and Academy Award nominee Scott Silver (“The Fighter,” “8 Mile”) based on the book by Casey Sherman and Michael J. Tougias.
THE FINEST HOURS will be released in the U.S. in Fall, 2015.
“We are thrilled to be able to film ‘The Finest Hours’ on location in Massachusetts, and are grateful to the Massachusetts Film Office for all their support,” says Aufiero.
Disney is giving amateur baseball pitchers in the nation a chance to compete for a $1 million prize in the Million Dollar Arm Pitching Contest. The Million Dollar Arm Pitching Contest is being held to celebrate the opening of Disney’s MILLION DOLLAR ARM, an incredible true story about two young men who went from never throwing a baseball to getting a Major League tryout.
Amateur baseball pitchers – male or female, who are legal United States residents at least 18 years of age or older – are invited to qualify to compete in the preliminary rounds of the Million Dollar Arm Pitching Contest at either Walt Disney World Resort in Florida,Disneyland Resort in California or at the Tribeca/ESPN Sports Day at the Tribeca Family Festival in New York City. The three contestants from each location who throw the fastest pitches will advance to the finals and have a chance to compete for a $1 million prize at the world premiere of Disney’s MILLION DOLLAR ARM in Hollywood, California.
Official rules are available on Disney.com’s “Million Dollar Arm” homepage:
Presented by SUBWAY restaurants, the three qualifying events will take place on April 25 and 26, from 7 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., at both Downtown Disney District in Anaheim, Calif. and ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex at Walt Disney World and on April 26 only, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., at the Tribeca/ESPN Sports Day during the Tribeca Family Festival in New York City. Contestants will throw three pitches, each tracked by a radar gun, in an attempt to throw the fastest pitch. All participants will receive tickets for themselves and a guest to see an advance screening of Disney’s MILLION DOLLAR ARM at an AMC Theatres location later that evening.
Nine finalists chosen during these qualifying events will have a chance to compete for the $1 million prize at the world premiere of Disney’s “Million Dollar Arm.” The top three eligible pitchers with the fastest pitches from each qualifying round location will be flown with his or her guest to the final contest, which will take place at the world premiere of Disney’s MILLION DOLLAR ARM in Hollywood, Calif., on May 6. Each of these finalists will throw three pitches on Hollywood Boulevard. Any eligible finalist who throws one 100 mph strike (out of three pitches) will become a potential winner of the $1 million grand prize.
The nine finalists and their guests will be VIPs at the film’s premiere along with stars, filmmakers, major league players, coaches, scouts and celebrities.
Based on a true story, sports agent JB Bernstein (Jon Hamm) finds that business has changed and things aren’t going well for his career. In a last ditch effort to save his livelihood he concocts a scheme to find baseball’s next great pitching ace. Hoping to find a young cricket pitcher he can turn into a major league baseball star, JB travels to India to produce a reality show competition called “The Million Dollar Arm.”
With the help of cantankerous but eagle-eyed retired baseball scout Ray Poitevint (Alan Arkin), he discovers Dinesh (played by Madhur Mittal from “Slumdog Millionaire”) and Rinku (played by Suraj Sharma from “Life of Pi”), two 18-year-old boys who have no idea about playing baseball, yet have a knack for throwing a fastball. Hoping to sign them to major league contracts and make a quick buck, JB brings the boys home to America to train. While the Americans are definitely out of their element in India, the boys, who have never left their rural villages, are equally challenged when they come to the States. As the boys learn the finer points of baseball, JB, with the help of his charming friend Brenda (Lake Bell), learns valuable life lessons about teamwork, commitment and what it means to be a family.
Directed by Craig Gillespie from a screenplay written by Tom McCarthy, Disney’s drama MILLION DOLLAR ARM stars Jon Hamm, Aasif Mandvi, Bill Paxton, Suraj Sharma, Lake Bell and Alan Arkin. The producers are Mark Ciardi, Gordon Gray and Joe Roth. The executive producers are Palak Patel, Kevin Halloran, Bill Simmons and Connor Schell.
The film will be release in the United States on May 16, 2014.
Something is amiss as kids and adults from a Vegas suburbia slowly begin to disappear. Many homes in the neighborhood are empty due to foreclosure which makes it ripe for anyone to take up residence in a town that comes alive at night. Enter senior high school student Charley Brewster (Anton Yelchin), former geek and now the cool guy who’s dating the girl of his dreams Amy (Imogen Poots). His big head has led him to abandon his former best friend Ed (Christopher Mintz-Plasse) who’s been trying to warn Charley and anyone who will listen that people are missing. Ed suspects the new guy, Jerry (Colin Farrell), who’s just moved in next door to Charley and his mom (Toni Collette). No one but Ed seems to notice Jerry’s unusual comings and goings and goes as far as to film the guy so he can prove the myth that vampires will come across as invisible if recorded. It’s not until Charley rescues a woman from Jerry’s house that he realizes the hunky construction worker is the evil one who’s been preying on his neighborhood.
In the same vein as the original, lonely Ed is turned into a vampire and Charley finds himself alone and unable to convince anyone that there’s a vampire among them. After being spied on enough, Jerry goes on the attack by blowing up the Brewster’s house and chases after Charley, Amy and Mrs. Brewster into the night. In a confrontation on the dark highway, along with being rear-ended by an unsuspecting driver, Charley’s mom is severely injured and hospitalized. There’s only once place to turn now. Charley goes for help with his vampire problem to Las Vegas illusionist Peter Vincent, deliciously played by David Tennant. He’s more than a little bonkers on stage during his show, all clad in leather and long haired, but with the wig off the magician is a disenchanted, shell of a man.
Once the realization sets in that he and Jerry have some back history, and sufficiently scared enough, Vincent decides he may have more expertise on this Nosferatu than he first thought. With only thoughts of surviving, Charley and Vincent venture deep into the vampire’s sanctuary for a final confrontation with Jerry and his multiple rows of shark-like teeth.
FRIGHT NIGHT plays out like a coming of age story wrapped within a vampire tale. Everyone can identify with that stage in life when you journey from adolescence to grownup, and in Charley’s case, hero. The audience can empathize and connect with Noxon’s script that’s a finely balanced tale of gore and humor. Ironically it’s Jerry who forces him into deciding what’s really important in life. There’s no denial that the once-geek Charley is desperately attempting to shy away from the fact that he really was a geek. He’s abandoned his old friends for the new, in-crowd cohorts. He’s making choices on how he views his Mom and friends and before he realizes he’s confronted by a vampire who he has to defeat.
Colin Farrell is terrifyingly sexy as Jerry. He’s very convincing as the 400 year old, charismatic killer who’s main purpose in life is to exist and feed, feed, feed. FRIGHT NIGHT’s CGI vampire metamorphosis is actually quite good alongside all the 3D crosses, blood and body parts flying at you, but ultimately it’s David Tennant’s turn as vampire slayer, Peter Vincent, that’s the red icing on the cake. Immortalized in the original by Roddy McDowall, Tennant really has the most fun as the self-proclaimed vampire expert who loves two things in life – sex and booze. Behind the facade of itchy leather and Vegas penthouse, Tennant is very believable as a guy who’s more comfortable in a t-shirt, jeans and sneakers.
FRIGHT NIGHT is that refreshingly, fanged remake that surpasses the original as a “staked through the heart” horror film. TWILIGHT fans need not apply
