Expertly crafted tension and paranoia take full effect in The Hole in the Ground, arriving on DVD April 30 from Lionsgate. After disappearing from his mother, a son returns home seemingly unharmed, but his mother fears the boy who has returned might not be her son at all. From writer-director Lee Cronin (Ghost Train), this ominous, original and Rotten Tomatoes Certified Fresh™ film “delivers skin-crawling scares throughout” (Dan Jackson, Thrillist) and stars Seána Kerslake, James Cosmo, and James Quinn Markey. The Hole in the Ground DVD will be available for the suggested retail price of $19.98.
Suspense, terror, and the supernatural meet when Sarah and her young son Chris move to a new home in the Irish countryside. One night, Chris vanishes; when he reappears, he seems unharmed and unchanged. But as Chris’s behavior grows increasingly disturbing, Sarah fears the boy who has returned may not be her son in this richly evocative feature debut from writer-director Lee Cronin.
CAST
Seána Kerslake TV’s “Can’t Cope, Won’t Cope,” A Date for Mad Mary
James Cosmo Outlaw King, In Darkness, T2Trainspotting
James Quinn Markey TV’s “Vikings,” TV’s “Mother’s Day”
POLICE STORY (1985) screens at Webster University’s Moore Auditorium (470 East Lockwood) Friday April 12th at 7:30pm and again Tuesday April 16th at 7:30. A Facebook invite for these two screenings can be found HERE. POLICE STORY 2 (1988) screens there Sunday April 14th at 7:30pm and again Friday April 19th at 7:30pm. A Facebook invite for these two screenings can be foundHERE
It is a shame that Jackie Chan’s eventual emergence as a fully -fledged Hollywood star did not happen much earlier when he was at his physical peak. Of course even now at age 65 he is pretty amazing, but the Jackie Chan of POLICE STORY and POLICE STORY 2 would have really amazed the world.
POLICE STORY – In the movie that made him an international star, Jackie Chan plays policeman Ka-kui in the newly-restored Police Story. Ka-kui finds the need to go rogue to protect a star witness (Brigitte Lin, Chungking Express) against the retribution of a local drug lord. All of this is a vehicle for Chan to engage in some of the most memorable cinematic stunts this side of Buster Keaton—haven’t you ever seen a man hang from an umbrella hooked to the side of a moving bus before? In Cantonese with English subtitles.
POLICE STORY 2 – After the events of the first Police Story, Jackie Chan’s Ka-kui has been demoted to a traffic cop and finds himself with a need to win back his girlfriend May (Maggie Cheung, In the Mood for Love). He finds a path to redemption in his pursuit of a group of extortionist bombers, which of course again results in Chan putting life and limb on the line for our collective amusement. In Cantonese with English subtitles.
Admission is:
$7 for the general public $6 for seniors, Webster alumni and students from other schools $5 for Webster University staff and faculty
MISSING LINK is an enjoyable effort
from the folks at Laika studios with irresistible
stop-motion look, an outstanding voice cast and the signature cheekily innocent
wit that have become their hallmarks. It may not be Laika’s best, but it’s
still highly recommended.
MISSING LINK opens with a hilarious sequence where
our fearless explorer hero Sir Lionel Frost (Hugh Jackman) fails to prove the
existence of the Loch Ness monster due to a broken camera. He soon receives a mysterious telegram which sends him to the
Pacific Northwest in search of the legendary “missing link” (aka Bigfoot aka
Sasquatch) that connects modern man to the apes. Frost hopes that this discovery means he’ll earn
membership in the Optimates Club, an exclusive society reserved for the best adventurers
and explorers. Turns out the telegram is from Mr. Link himself (Zack Galifinakis) and what he really wants is for Sir Frost to assist him on a journey to find
his long-lost relatives he’s convinced reside in the fabled valley of
Shangri-La. Mr. Link (who prefers to be called Susan) is 8 feet tall, 630
lbs, and covered in fur but he is funny, sweet, making him the world’s most lovable
legend. Along with adventurer Adelina Fortnight (Zoe Saldana), our brave trio
of explorers encounter more than their fair share of peril as they travel to
the far reaches of the world to help their furry friend, but Optimates anti-evolution chief Lord
Piggot-Dunceb (Stephen Fry) has hired hit man Stank (Timothy Olyphant) to stop them.
Laika Studio does their best to keep the magic of stop motion animation alive, and here they have once again fabricated an imaginative and colorful world, though one less spooky or dream-like than in their previous films BOXTROLLS and KUBO AND THE TWO STRINGS. It also lacks the depth of those earlier films. This is the first film from the studio that does not have a child character at the center of it. Instead, it has a comic actor – that man-child Zack Galifinakis, who does have some funny lines, especially the charmingly literal way he responds to Sir Frost’s figures of speech. Jackman’s portrayal of Sir Lionel Frost is a humorous enough blend of Sherlock Holmes and Indiana Jones and he and Galifinakis have playful chemistry, but the simple plot mechanics and often tired jokes could have benefited from some rewriting. Still, MISING LINK is silly, colorful, and a fun enough way to pass 95 minutes.
Experience a completely modern twist on the Frankenstein myth when Replicas arrives on Digital April 2 and on Blu-ray™ Combo Pack (plus DVD and Digital), DVD, and On Demand April 16 from Lionsgate. Keanu Reeves (John Wick franchise, The Matrix franchise) stars in and co-produces this sci-fi thriller from producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura (Transformers). The mind-bending film also stars Alice Eve (Star Trek: Into Darkness, She’s Out of My League), Thomas Middleditch (TV’s “Silicon Valley”, The Wolf of Wall Street), Emily Alyn Lind (TV’s “Revenge”), Emjay Anthony (The Jungle Book, Bad Moms), and John Ortiz (Silver Linings Playbook, American Gangster, Bumblebee).
In this suspenseful sci-fi thriller, Keanu Reeves stars as William Foster, a neuroscientist on the verge of transferring human consciousness into a computer when his beloved wife (Alice Eve) and children are tragically killed in a car crash. Desperate to resurrect his family, William recruits a fellow scientist (Thomas Middleditch) to help secretly clone their bodies and create replicas. When William learns that he can only replicate three of the four family members, he makes a decision with fateful consequences.
Take home Replicas and dive headfirst into the twists and turns of this intense brain-churner with an audio commentary with director Jeffrey Nachmanoff and executive producer James Dodson, a making of featurette, and never-before-seen deleted scenes. TheReplicas Blu-ray™ Combo Pack and DVD will be available for the suggested retail price of $24.99 and $19.98, respectively.
BLU-RAY / DVD/ DIGITAL SPECIAL FEATURES
· Audio Commentary with Director Jeffrey Nachmanoff and Executive Producer James Dodson
· “Imprint Complete: The Making of Replicas” Featurette
The Kid Who Would Be KingArrives on 4K Ultra-HD™, Blu-ray™ and DVD April 16
Old school magic meets the modern world in the epic family-friendly adventure,The Kid Who Would Be King. Alex thinks he’s just another nobody,getting bullied at school and told what to do by his teachers,until he stumbles upon the mythical Sword in the Stone, Excalibur. Now, with the help of the legendary wizard Merlin, he must unite his friends and school yard enemies into an alliedband of knights to defeat the wicked enchantress Morgana. With the future at stake, Alex must become the great leader he never dreamed he could be and save the world. THE KID WHO WOULD BE KING stars Louis Ashbourne Serkis, Denise Gough, and Dean Chaumoo
Touted as, “One of the best kids’ adventure movies in recent memory” (Matt Goldberg, Collider), and CertifiedFresh on Rotten Tomatoes®,
THE KID WHO WOULD BE KING arrives on 4K Ultra-HD™, Blu-ray™ andDVD April16.
Special Features
Deleted Scenes
Origins of a King
Young Knights
Hair, Makeup & Costume Tests•
Merlin’s Magic (x4)
*Knight School
*The Two Merlins
*Meet Morgana•
*Movie Magic
*“Be the King”, Lay Lay Music Video
*Available on Blu-ray and select digital accounts only
Pour a pitcher of cosmos and break out the Manolo Blahniks! Emery Entertainment, Inc. presents the St. Louis debut of ONE WOMAN SEX AND THE CITY: A PARODY OF LOVE, FRIENDSHIPS AND SHOES May 3-5 at the Playhouse @ Westport Plaza. Tickets for this hilarious, one-woman show are on sale now and may be purchased through MetroTix at www.metrotix.com or by calling 314-534-1111. Additionally, tickets will be available at the Playhouse @ Westport Plaza box office one hour prior to show time. Groups of 10 or more should call 314-616-4455 for special rates.
All seats are $50 butWe Are Movie Geeks has a pair of tickets to give away for the opening night performance of ONE WOMAN SEX AND THE CITY: A PARODY OF LOVE, FRIENDSHIPS AND SHOES ! That’s Friday May 3rd at 8pm p.m. Leave a message below letting us know who your favorite actress from the Sex and the City TV show is! (mine is Kim Cattrall) . It’s so easy!
OFFICIAL RULES:
1. YOU MUST BE IN THE ST. LOUIS AREA THE EVENING OF THE PLAY.
Join actress and comedian Kerry Ipema as she portrays all four of our favorite women Carrie, Samantha, Charlotte and Miranda in this 90 minute love-letter and hilarious tribute through six seasons of this mad-cap TV series. Kerry portrays Carrie, Samantha, Charlotte and Miranda as they eat brunch, banter, argue and swoon over men and Manolos.
Ipema and co-creator and director T.J Dawe (One Man Star-Wars/One Man Lord of the Rings) bring all of our favorite moments to life. The naked dress, the “post-it note” and the “tantric sex demonstration” all weave their way into this fantastic send-up. Who can forget how the Cosmopolitan drink swept into our lives? Mr. Big may even make an appearance.
Ryan Leeds of the Manhattan Digest raved, “’Brilliant’ is a word that I rarely use to describe performances and theatrical events. In this case, it is the most fitting description for Ipema. As she whips between several characters–both male and female–delivering spot-on impressions and embodiments, she has the audience eating from the palm of her hands and picking themselves off the floor in hysterics. Like a vocal swiss army knife, one wonders what other voices or talents she can show off. Mr. Big is here, along with Aleksandr Petrovsky, Trey, Steve, and Harry. Ipema leaves no stone unturned!”
ONE WOMAN SEX AND THE CITY: A PARODY OF LOVE, FRIENDSHIPS AND SHOES celebrates the power of friendship and why this show so firmly remains in our hearts and minds. We “can’t help but wonder” what waits in store for audiences at this perfect girls night out.
The Playhouse @ Westport Plaza is located at 635 Westport Plaza in Maryland Heights, Missouri and is a venue filling a niche for a variety of Broadway and Off-Broadway entertainment that would otherwise not find its way to the St. Louis area. Programming at the venue is offered at affordable ticket pricing so that anyone can have dinner at one of the many restaurants in the area as well as see a great show. For additional information on upcoming events and to download high resolution photos, please visitwww.playhouseatwestport.com.
Aleksei German’s KHRUSTALYOV, MY CAR will be available on Blu-ray April 30th From Arrow Academy.
Named after the apocryphal exclamation of Soviet security chief Lavrentiy Beria as he rushed to Stalin’s deathbed, this blackly funny, deliriously immersive satire distils the anticipation and anxiety in the Moscow air, as the Soviet despot lay dying.
Late winter 1953. The lives of nearly half the planet are in Stalin s hands. A military surgeon, General Yuri Georgievich Klensky (Yuri Tsurilo), finds himself a target of the ”Doctors’ Plot”: the anti-Semitic conspiracy accusing Jewish doctors in Moscow of planning to assassinate the Soviet elite. Pursued, abused, and marked for the gulags, Yuri is chased and dragged through a Stalinist Soviet nightmare. His desperate, jolting journey encapsulates the madness of the era.
Directed by Aleksei German (Hard to Be a God), Khrustalyov, My Car! proved wildly provocative when it was screened at the 1998 Cannes film festival, despite being championed as the best film of the festival by the president of the Cannes jury that year, Martin Scorsese. A one-of-a-kind collision of nightmare and realism, German s film is presented here in a new restoration with a wealth of illuminating extras.
LIMITED EDITION CONTENTS
New 2K restoration from the original camera negative by Arrow Films
High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) presentation
Original uncompressed 2.0 stereo Russian audio soundtrack
Newly translated English subtitles
Audio commentary by producer Daniel Bird
Between Realism and Nightmare, a new video essay on Khrustalyov, My Car! and the films of Aleksei German by historian and film critic Eugénie Zvonkine
Diagnosis Murder: Jonathan Brent on The Doctors’ Plot, the academic talks about Stalin’s anti-Semitic campaign which provides the backdrop for Khrustalyov, My Car!
Aleksei German, the veteran film historian and critic Ron Holloway interviews the Russian director
German… At Last, an interview with Aleksei German by producer Guy Séligmann
Re-release trailerDouble-sided fold-out poster
Limited edition 60-page booklet featuring new writing by Gianna D’Emilio, an archival essay by Joël Chaperon and original reviews
The 2nd Annual Saint Louis Science Fiction & Fantasy Short Film Festival will be held Friday, May 3, 6-10pm at the Saint Louis Science Center’s OMNIMAX Theater. This is a FREE event and parking is free. A Facebook invite for the event can be found HERE
Cinema St. Louis (CSL) and the Saint Louis Science Center are excited to announce the first edition of a science fiction and fantasy short film contest – an opportunity for regional filmmakers to let their imaginations shine.
The winning shorts will be featured at the Science Center’s First Friday program on Friday, May 3, 2019, and will screen in the Science Center’s OMNIMAX® Theater. This juried competition will award cash prizes to the top three entries: $500 for Best of Fest, $200 each for Best Sci-Fi and Best Fantasy selections. In addition to the three cash-prize winners, additional works will be chosen to screen throughout the First Friday program . Cinema St. Louis will then screen the winning film as part of the St. Louis Filmmakers Showcase (SLFS).
HELP MAKE A MOVIE
In addition to screening entries in the competition, there will be backstage access to movie magic!Learn about cinematography, special effects, editing, directing, lighting, costuming, and set design, by giving it a try.
FIRST FRIDAY FAVORITESAll of the First Friday favorites will also be part of the evening – a free Planetarium Show, Public Telescope Viewing, and First Friday Trivia.There will be an arcade/gaming area featuring local game developers. The evening will conclude with a 10pm OMNIMAX film in the Planetarium.
Come get your Q on! The 12th Annual QFest St. Louis, presented by Cinema St. Louis,runs April 28-May 2, 2019, at the Tivoli Theatre.The St. Louis-based LGBTQ film festival, QFest will present an eclectic slate of 28 films (14 shorts, seven narrative features, and seven documentary features). The participating filmmakers represent a wide variety of voices in contemporary queer world cinema. The mission of the film festival is to use the art of contemporary gay cinema to spotlight the lives of LGBTQ people and to celebrate queer culture.
The fest is especially pleased to host the St. Louis premieres of two bio-docs: “Halston,” about the renowned fashion designer, and “Making Montgomery Clift,” about the legendary anti-Hollywood film star. The documentary “TransGeek,” which is about transgender people who are gamers, programmers, and video-game designers, has many local connections, including director, producers, and interview subjects. Several international narrative features receive their St. Louis premieres, including the lush biopic “Vita & Virginia,” about a passionate affair between writer Virginia Wolfe and a British socialite; the sexy, stylish, ’70s-set murder thriller “Knife+Heart,” which stars Vanessa Paradis; the South African musical “Canary”; and “Tucked,” about an elderly drag queen who befriends an up-and-coming performer in a small British town.
Among the other QFest highlights is this year’s Q Classic, the recently restored “Funeral Parade of Roses,” which is an experimental and kaleidoscopic Japanese transgender odyssey from 1969. To make the festival more accessible to all, the first show each day will be free and open to the public.
The 2019QFest St. Louis begins on Sunday, April 28, and runs through Thursday, May 2. Tickets go on sale April 1. Cost is $13 each or $10 for students and Cinema St. Louis members with valid and current IDs. All screenings will be held at the Tivoli Theatre in the U. City Loop. Advance tickets are available through the Tivoli box office or online through the Landmark Theatres website. Direct ticket links are available on the QFest website.
For the schedule of screenings and events, including trailers and full descriptions of the films, visit the festival website at www.cinemastlouis.org/qfest. Social media: Facebook: www.facebook.com/QFestSTL, Twitter: @QFestSTL, Instagram: @QFestSTL. Advance digital screeners of the features and some of the shorts are available for press review on request. Please inquire with QFest St. Louis artistic director Chris Clark.
QFest St. Louis,a presentation of Cinema St. Louis, is sponsored by Jeffrey T. Fort, AARP in St. Louis, Whitaker Foundation, Regional Arts Commission, Missouri Arts Council, Arts & Education Council, CheapTRX, Tower Grove Pride, Just John Nightclub, Pauly Jail Building Co., Cindy Walker, Robert Pohrer, Donnie Engle, Matthew Kerns, Deb Salls, and Michael Reiser.
“The television screen is the retina of the mind’s eye.”
The ‘Grave Tales’ Horror film series continues at Webster University Thursday April 11th with a screening of David Cronenberg’s VIDEODROME. The screening will be at Webster University’s Moore Auditorium (470 East Lockwood). The movie starts at 7:00 and a Facebook invite for the event can be found HERE.
Have you ever woken up in front of the TV and found yourself watching some really bizzare show? Take that premise a few steps further and you end up in David Cronenberg’s 1983 shocker VIDEODROME. A strong statement about the influence of mass media on human conscience, VIDEODROME is one of the weirdest films ever made, even by Cronenberg standards. And although its outdated gore effects may seem a bit cheesy today, the underlying message Cronenberg wanted to convey through its over-the-top depiction of violence and gore hasn’t aged one bit.
The film tells the story of Max Renn; the CEO of a small television station who, while searching for a better content for his channel through pirate satellite dish comes across Videodrome; a broadcast signal depicting brutal torture & murder, which intrigues him and he bets on it as the next big thing. But while trying to uncover the signal’s source, Renn’s life slowly starts spinning out of control in a very bizarre manner. There is a great deal of social commentary in VIDEODROME criticizing the gruesome effects mass media can have on society. The body horror depiction carries the Cronenberg trademark and the performance by James Woods stands tall amongst the cast with fine contributions from Sonja Smits and a young and thin Deborah Harry.
Now you can relive the new flesh when VIDEODROME plays on the big screen this Thursday night at Webster University!
Admission is:
$7 for the general public $6 for seniors, Webster alumni and students from other schools $5 for Webster University staff and faculty
