Yellow Veil Pictures Has Acquired All North American Rights For Gaspar Noé’s LUX AETERNA.The Saint Laurent Commissioned Film Stars Famed Actress Charlotte Gainsbourg and Béatrice Dalle, Theatrical Release Planned For Later This Year
Yellow Veil Pictures announced today that they have acquired all North American rights to Gaspar Noe’s LUX ÆTERNA and are planning a theatrical release in May, followed later in the year by a full digital and collector’s edition home video release. The film made its world premiere at the 2019 Cannes Film Festival and was later selected for the Tribeca Film Festival prior to cancellation due to the pandemic.
LUX ÆTERNA takes place backstage of a French film production, often utilizing split-screens to follow two characters at once. Charlotte Gainsbourg, acting as herself, plays the film’s — and the film-within-a-film’s — leading role of an actress taking on the role of a witch burned at the stake while French actress Beatrice Dalle, playing a version of herself as well, takes on the on-screen role of director. The film progresses with mounting tension as the set descends into aggressive chaos— both in style, form, and plot. Actress and model Abbey Lee (The Neon Demon), Karl Glusman (Love), Claude-Emmanuelle Gajan-Maull (Climax), Félix Maritaud (Sauvage / Wild, Knife + Heart), and Clara Deshayes also appear as interpretations of themselves.
LUX ÆTERNA is written and directed by Gaspar Noé (Climax, Enter The Void), and produced by Anthony Vaccarello for iconic French fashion label Saint Laurent, Gary Farkas, Clément Lepoutre, and Olivier Muller for Vixens, Lucile Hadzihalilovic (Vortex, I Stand Alone), and Noé.
“This is pure, unfiltered Noé; prepare yourself for the spectacle event of the year,” said Yellow Veil Pictures Co-Founder Joe Yanick.
The deal was negotiated by Yellow Veil Pictures Co-Founders Hugues Barbier, Justin Timms, and Joe Yanick, with Wild Bunch International’s Eva Diederix.
Get ready! NO TIME TO DIE is in theaters April 10, 2020! And here’s the new trailer everyone’s been waiting for:
In No Time To Die, Bond has left active service and is enjoying a tranquil life in Jamaica. His peace is short-lived when his old friend Felix Leiter from the CIA turns up asking for help. The mission to rescue a kidnapped scientist turns out to be far more treacherous than expected, leading Bond onto the trail of a mysterious villain armed with dangerous new technology.
Director Cary Joji Fukunaga helms the new films, written by Neal Purvis & Robert Wade, and Cary Joji Fukunaga and Phoebe Waller-Bridge. NO TIME TO DIE is produced by Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli.
The cast includes Daniel Craig, Rami Malek, Léa Seydoux, Lashana Lynch, Ben Whishaw, Naomie Harris, with Jeffrey Wright, with Christoph Waltz and Ralph Fiennes as “M”. NO TIME TO DIE also stars Rory Kinnear, Ana de Armas, Dali Benssalah, David Dencik, and Billy Magnussen.
Coming to theaters on April 17, 2020 is TROLLS WORLD TOUR.
Anna Kendrick and Justin Timberlake return in an all-star sequel to DreamWorks Animation’s 2016 musical hit: Trolls World Tour. In an adventure that will take them well beyond what they’ve known before, Poppy (Kendrick) and Branch (Timberlake) discover that they are but one of six different Troll tribes scattered over six different lands and devoted to six different kinds of music: Funk, Country, Techno, Classical, Pop and Rock. Their world is about to get a lot bigger and a whole lot louder.
A member of hard-rock royalty, Queen Barb (Rachel Bloom), aided by her father King Thrash (Ozzy Osbourne), wants to destroy all other kinds of music to let rock reign supreme. With the fate of the world at stake, Poppy and Branch, along with their friends – Biggie (James Corden), Chenille (Caroline Hjelt), Satin (Aino Jawo), Cooper (Ron Funches) and Guy Diamond (Kunal Nayyar) – set out to visit all the other lands to unify the Trolls in harmony against Barb, who’s looking to upstage them all.
Cast as members of the different musical tribes is one the largest, and most acclaimed, groups of musical talent ever assembled for an animated film. From the land of Funk are Mary J. Blige, George Clinton and Anderson .Paak. Representing Country is Kelly Clarkson as Delta Dawn, with Sam Rockwell as Hickory and Flula Borg as Dickory. J Balvin brings Reggaeton, while Ester Dean adds to the Pop tribe. Anthony Ramos brings the beat in Techno and Jamie Dornan covers smooth jazz. World-renowned conductor and violinist Gustavo Dudamel appears as Trollzart and Charlyne Yi as Pennywhistle from the land of Classical. And Kenan Thompson raps as a hip-hop newborn Troll named Tiny Diamond.
TrollsWorld Tour is directed by Walt Dohrn, who served as co-director on Trolls, and is produced by returning producer Gina Shay. The film is co-directed by David P. Smith and co-produced by Kelly Cooney Cilella, both of whom worked on the first Trolls.
Trolls World Tour will also feature original music by Justin Timberlake, who earned an Oscar® nomination for his song for 2016’s Trolls, “Can’t Stop the Feeling!,” and a score by Theodore Shapiro (2016’s Ghostbusters, The Devil Wears Prada).
Today, Director/Writer J.J. Abrams and Producer Kathleen Kennedy were joined by stars Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Kelly Marie Tran, Oscar Isaac, Billy Dee Williams, Naomi Ackie, Joonas Suotamo and Anthony Daniels, and droids BB-8 and D-0, for a panel discussion at Star Wars Celebration in Chicago, moderated by Stephen Colbert.
It was a day of surprises at Star Wars Celebration for the enthusiastic fans in attendance as the title of the final installment of the Skywalker saga was also revealed, Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, and along with the first trailer for the film a brand-new teaser poster.
Where do we start!?!? The trailer is brilliantly cut and is very cool!
The nostalgic sound of “Luke and Leia” theme by John Williams from STAR WARS: RETURN OF THE JEDI puts this first look at the final film over the edge! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9HXwju2UXio
Finn (John Boyega), Poe Dameron (Oscar Isaac) and Rey (Daisy Ridley) in STAR WARS: EPISODE IX.
Emperor Palpatine is back or is he?! And has he been corrupting Kylo Ren this whole time or has Kylo been a good guy all along? It was chilling to see the Death Star in the last scene of the teaser!
Lando is back! The Falcon is Back! Kudos to J.J. Abrams for pulling at the heart-strings of the diehard fans.
Lando Calrissian (Billy Dee Williams) in STAR WARS: EPISODE IX.
Director Rian Johnson’s THE LAST JEDI went against STAR WARS canon and dogma about the Jedi Knights and for some fans (this Geek included), it wasn’t well accepted.
Many disgruntled fans have already spent months arguing that The Last Jedi distorts the Force (Force projection, etc.), but in the behind-the-scenes featurette “Balance the Force,” director Rian Johnson specifically states that he wanted the Force to be viewed as malleable. “The Force is not a superpower,” he says, as reported by GameSpot. “I wanted in this movie to do a little bit of a reset lesson.” After The Force Awakens, many fans thought that Rey’s innate connection to the Force meant she had to be a descendant of Jedi, sparking rumors that Luke Skywalker himself might be her father. However, by widening our understanding of the Force, Johnson also opens up the possibility that neither Rey, nor any other young potential Jedi, has any Jedi blood.
Luke Skywalker: Lesson two. Now that they’re extinct, the Jedi are romanticized, deified. But if your strip away the myth and look at their deeds, the legacy of the Jedi is failure. Hypocrisy, hubris.
Luke Skywalker: At the height of their powers, they allowed Darth Sidious to rise, create the Empire, and wipe them out. It was a Jedi Master who was responsible for the training and creation of Darth Vader.
Yoda: Oh, read them, have you? Page-turners they were not. Yes, yes, yes. Wisdom they held, but that library contained nothing that the girl Rey does not already possess. Skywalker, still looking to the horizon. Never here, now, hmm? The need in front of your nose.
Yoda: Heeded my words not, did you? Pass on what you have learned. Strength. Mastery. But weakness, folly, failure also. Yes, failure most of all. The greatest teacher, failure is. Luke, we are what they grow beyond. That is the true burden of all masters.
Are generations of Skywalkers and Jedis embodied in Rey? Will the saga conclude with her finally bringing true balance to the Force? I sure hope so because after STAR WARS: THE LAST JEDI made us think the Jedi were a buncha selfish asshats, with Yoda and Luke’s conversations, along with them burning the books, tree and temple to the ground, the true Rise of The Skywalkers will be the redemption of the Jedi Knights who were, as Obi-Wan Kenobi said in A NEW HOPE, “For over a thousand generations, the Jedi Knights were the guardians of peace and justice in the Old Republic. Before the dark times… before the Empire.”
Rey (Daisy Ridley) in STAR WARS: EPISODE IX.The Millenium Falcon in STAR WARS: THE RISE OF SKYWALKER.
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalkeropens in U.S. theaters on December 20.
Memory of Victory’s Past in STAR WARS: EPISODE IX.Rey (Daisy Ridley) in STAR WARS: EPISODE IX(Left to right( Chewbacca (Joonas Suotamo), BB-8, D-O, Rey (Daisy Ridley), Poe Dameron (Oscar Isaac) and Finn (John Boyega) in STAR WARS: THE RISE OF SKYWALKERKylo Ren (Adam Driver) in STAR WARS: THE RISE OF SKYWALKERKylo Ren’s restored helmet in STAR WARS: THE RISE OF SKYWALKER.
Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures has unveiled synopses, images and information for their 2016 releases.
First up is the highly anticipated DOCTOR STRANGE.
Marvel’s DOCTOR STRANGE follows the story of neurosurgeon Doctor Stephen Strange who, after a horrific car accident, discovers the hidden world of magic and alternate dimensions.
The cast includes Benedict Cumberbatch, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Rachel McAdams, and Michael Stuhlbarg with Mads Mikkelsen and Tilda Swinton. Marvel’s DOCTOR STRANGE is directed by Scott Derrickson and produced by Kevin Feige. The film opens in U.S. theaters on Nov. 4, 2016.
Chris Pine stars as Captain Bernie Webber in Disney’s THE FINEST HOURS, the heroic action-thriller presented in Digital 3D (TM) and IMAX (c) 3D based on the extraordinary true story of the most daring rescue mission in the history of the Coast Guard. (Trailer)
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.
The film storms into theaters on January 29, 2016.
THE JUNGLE BOOK – (L-R) MOWGLI and BAGHEERA. 2016 Disney Enterprises, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Directed by Jon Favreau (“Iron Man”), based on Rudyard Kipling’s timeless stories and inspired by Disney’s classic animated film, “The Jungle Book” is an all-new live-action epic adventure about Mowgli (newcomer Neel Sethi), a man-cub who’s been raised by a family of wolves. But Mowgli finds he is no longer welcome in the junglewhen fearsome tiger Shere Khan (voice of Idris Elba), who bears the scars of Man, promises to eliminate what he sees as a threat. Urged to abandon the only home he’s ever known, Mowgli embarks on a captivating journey of self-discovery, guided by panther-turned-stern mentor Bagheera (voice of Ben Kingsley), and the free-spirited bear Baloo (voice of Bill Murray). Along the way, Mowgli encounters jungle creatures who don’t exactly have his best interests at heart, including Kaa (voice of Scarlett Johansson), a python whose seductive voice and gaze hypnotizes the man-cub, and the smooth-talking King Louie (voice of Christopher Walken), who tries to coerce Mowgli into giving up the secret to the elusive and deadly red flower: fire. (Trailer)
The all-star cast also includes Lupita Nyong’o as the voice of the fiercely protective mother wolf Raksha, and Giancarlo Esposito as the voice of wolf pack’s alpha male Akela. “The Jungle Book” seamlessly blends live-action with photorealistic CGI animals and environments, using up-to-the-minute technology and storytelling techniques to immerse audiences in an enchanting and lush world. The wild adventure swings into theaters in 3D onApril 15, 2016.
Marvel’s “Captain America: Civil War” finds Steve Rogers leading the newly formed team of Avengers in their continued efforts to safeguard humanity. But after another incident involving the Avengers results in collateral damage, political pressure mounts to install a system of accountability, headed by a governing body to oversee and direct the team. The new status quo fractures the Avengers, resulting in two camps—one led by Steve Rogers and his desire for the Avengers to remain free to defend humanity without government interference, and the other following Tony Stark’s surprising decision to support government oversight and accountability. Get ready to pick a side and join the nonstop action playing out on two fronts when Marvel’s “Captain America: Civil War” opens in U.S. theaters on May 6, 2016.
QUEEN OF KATWE is the colorful true story of a young girl selling corn on the streets of rural Uganda whose world rapidly changes when she is introduced to the game of Chess, and, as a result of the support she receives from her family and community, is instilled with the confidence and determination she needs to pursue her dream of becoming an international chess champion.
Directed by Mira Nair (MONSOON WEDDING), the film stars Oscar winner Lupita Nyong’o, David Oyelowo and newcomer Madina Nalwanga. Based on the book by Tim Crothers “Queen of Katwe.”
Opens in U.S. theaters Fall 2016.
Michael Fassbender stars as Tom Sherbourne and Alicia Vikander as his wife Isabel in DreamWorks Pictures’ poignant drama THE LIGHT BETWEEN OCEANS, written and directed by Derek Cianfrance based on the acclaimed novel by M.L. Stedman.
The film also stars Oscar winner Rachel Weisz, Bryan Brown and Jack Thompson.
In the years following World War I, Tom Sherbourne (Michael Fassbender), a young veteran still numb from his years in combat, takes a job as lighthouse keeper on Janus Rock, a remote island off the coast of Western Australia. As the island’s sole inhabitant, he finds comfort in the monotony of the chores and the solitude of his surroundings. When he meets the daughter of the school’s headmaster, Isabel Graysmark (Alicia Vikander), in the local town of Partageuse on the mainland, Tom is immediately captivated by her beauty, wit and passion, and they are soon married and living on the island. As their love flourishes, he begins to feel again, their happiness marred only ny their inability to start a family, so when a rowboat with a dead man and infant girl mysteriously washes ashore, Isabel believes their prayers may have finally been answered. As a man of principle, Tom is torn between reporting the list child and pleasing the woman he loves, and against his better judgement he agrees to let Isabel raise the child as their own, making a choice with devastating consequences.
The film opens in theaters 2016.
Alice (Mia Wasikowska) returns to the whimsical world of Underland and travels back in time to save the Mad Hatter (Johnny Depp) in Disney’s ALICE THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS, an all-new adventure featuring the unforgettable characters from Lewis Carroll’s beloved stories. (First Look)
In Disney’s “Alice Through the Looking Glass,” an all-new spectacular adventure featuring the unforgettable characters from Lewis Carroll’s beloved stories, Alice returns to the whimsical world of Underland and travels back in time to save the Mad Hatter. Directed by James Bobin, who brings his own unique vision to the spectacular world Tim Burton created on screen in 2010 with “Alice in Wonderland,” the film is written by Linda Woolverton based on characters created by Lewis Carroll and produced by Joe Roth, Suzanne Todd and Jennifer Todd and Tim Burton with John G. Scotti serving as executive producer. “Alice Through the Looking Glass” reunites the all-star cast from the worldwide blockbuster phenomenon, including: Johnny Depp, Anne Hathaway, Mia Wasikowska and Helena Bonham Carter along with the voices of Alan Rickman, Stephen Fry, Michael Sheen and Timothy Spall. We are also introduced to several new characters: Zanik Hightopp (Rhys Ifans), the Mad Hatter’s father and Time himself (Sacha Baron Cohen), a peculiar creature who is part human, part clock.
Disney’s Alice Through The Looking Glass is in theaters May 27.
Rogue One, which takes place before the events of Star Wars: A New Hope, tells the story of resistance fighters who have united to steal plans to the dreaded Death Star. The film is produced by Kathleen Kennedy and directed by Gareth Edwards (“Godzilla,” “Monsters”).
The cast includes Felicity Jones, Diego Luna, Ben Mendelsohn, Donnie Yen, Jiang Wen, Forest Whitaker, Mads Mikkelsen, Alan Tudyk, and Riz Ahmed.
The film will be released December 16, 2016.
Star Wars: Rogue One. L to R: Actors Riz Ahmed, Diego Luna, Felicity Jones, Jiang Wen and Donnie Yen. Photo Credit: Jonathan Olley. Lucasfilm 2016
In “Moana,” Walt Disney Animation Studios’ upcoming big-screen adventure, a spirited teenager named Moana (left) sails out on a daring mission to prove herself a master wayfinder. Along the way, she meets once-mighty demi-god Maui (right).
Featuring Native Hawaiian newcomer Auli’i Cravalho as the voice of Moana, and Dwayne Johnson as the voice of Maui, “Moana” sails into U.S. theaters on Nov. 23, 2016.
NATURAL ENEMIES – Zootopia’s first bunny officer Judy Hopps finds herself face to face with a fast-talking, scam-artist fox in Walt Disney Animation Studios’ “Zootopia.” Featuring the voices of Ginnifer Goodwin as Judy and Jason Bateman as Nick, “Zootopia” opens in theaters on March 4, 2016.
THE BFG, directed by Steven Spielberg based on the beloved novel by Roald Dahl, is the exciting tale of a young London girl (Ruby Barnhill) and the mysterious Giant (Mark Rylance) who introduces her to the wonders and perils of Giant Country. (Trailer)
The BFG hits theaters on July 1, 2016.
DO I KNOW YOU? — In Disney-Pixar’s “Finding Dory,” everyone’s favorite forgetful blue tang, Dory (voice of Ellen DeGeneres), encounters an array of new?and old?acquaintances, including a cantankerous octopus named Hank (voice of Ed O’Neill). Directed by Andrew Stanton (Finding Nemo, WALL-E) and produced by Lindsey Collins (co-producer WALL-E), Finding Dory swims into theaters June 17, 2016.
The reimaging of Disney’s cherished family film, PETE’S DRAGON is the adventure of an orphaned boy named Pete and his best friend Elliott, who just so happens to be a dragon.
For years, old wood carver Mr. Meacham (Robert Redford) has delighted local children with his tales of the fierce dragon that resides deep in the woods of the Pacific Northwest. To his daughter, Grace (Bryce Dallas Howard), who works as a forest ranger, these stories are little more than tall tales… until she meets Pete (Oakes Fegley). Pete is a mysterious 10-year-old with no family and no home who claims to live the woods with a giant, green dragon names Elliott. And from Pete’s description, Elliott seems remarkably similar to Mr. Meacham’s stories. With the help of Natalie (Oona Lawrence), an 11-year-old girl whose father (Wes Bentley) owns the local lumber, Grace sets out to determine where Pete came from, where he belongs, and the truth about this dragon.
Directed by David Lowery (AIN’T THEM BODIES SAINTS), PETE’S DRAGON opens August 12, 2016.
STX Entertainment has acquired motion picture rights to David Jaher’s “The Witch of Lime Street: Seance, Seduction and Houdini in the Spirit World,” it was announced today by Oren Aviv, President and Chief Content Officer for the STX Entertainment Motion Picture Group.
The true story inspired by real events chronicles the thrilling rivalry that simmered and grew more intense and mysterious as Harry Houdini and a panel of investigative experts embarked on a quest to debunk the world’s most gifted and accurate psychic and spirit medium of the era, Margery Crandon, known as The Witch of Lime Street.
Andres Muschietti (Mama) will develop, direct and produce the mystery thriller from a screenplay written by Jaher. The film will also be produced by Barbara Muschietti.
Based on David Jaher’s book of the same name, The Witch of Lime Street will be a gripping supernatural film set in post war 1920s about Harry Houdini, the legendary magician and occult expert, and his escalating rivalry with Margery Crandon, a woman who was considered to be the only real medium in New York City. An era better known for its jazz and glamour than for its dark obsession with the occult, the loss of lives in World War 1 gave rise to an intense desire to communicate with the dead and spawned a rash of self-proclaimed psychics. Houdini made it his personal mission to debunk fake spiritualists as frauds and charlatans by revealing their tricks. But Houdini meets his match in an alluring high society flapper known to her many astonished followers as Margery, The Witch of Lime Street, pitting the brash illusionist against dark and dangerous forces of the underworld, with Margery his ultimate target.
“Quite a few producers and studios were pursuing rights to this book for very good reason,” said Oren Aviv. “This is a spellbinding and exciting true story that weaves a fantastic mystery and lots of intrigue with history involving some of the most renowned and iconic figures of the era. The timeless question: ‘is there life after death?’ is explored through a scientific quest to investigate and validate supernatural phenomena. Ultimately the film leads to an epic showdown and otherworldly confrontation as the world renowned occult master Harry Houdini takes on the world’s greatest psychic Margery Crandon.”
STX Entertainment’s Vice President of Production Sheroum Kim will oversee development of the project on behalf of the studio.
The middle of Spring actually means a new selection of summer blockbusters to look forward to, and with a ton of big-budget films slated to come out within the next few months and beyond, the summer of 2015 looks like one to remember.
From the new Mad Max (which is already on our end-of -year top ten list event though we haven’t yet seen it) to Avengers, Poltergeists, male strippers, talking teddy bears, and a reboot of the Jurassic Park franchise, this summer’s trips to the theaters will be jam-packed with sequels and new tales. From May 1st right through to the end of August, some of the movies on our list could wind up on year-end “best of” lists or even receive some Oscar talk by December.
Grab your calendar, because WAMG has a rundown of this summer’s films we’re most excited about, so check them out below!
May
AVENGERS: AGE OF ULTRON (May 1)
Marvel Studios presents AVENGERS: AGE OF ULTRON, the epic follow-up to the biggest Super Hero movie of all time. When Tony Stark tries to jumpstart a dormant peacekeeping program, things go awry and Earth’s Mightiest Heroes, including Iron Man, Captain America, Thor, The Incredible Hulk, Black Widow and Hawkeye, are put to the ultimate test as the fate of the planet hangs in the balance. As the villainous Ultron emerges, it is up to The Avengers to stop him from enacting his terrible plans, and soon uneasy alliances and unexpected action pave the way for an epic and unique global adventure.
MARVEL’S AVENGERS: AGE OF ULTRON stars Robert Downey Jr., who returns as Iron Man, along with Chris Hemsworth as Thor, Mark Ruffalo as Hulk and Chris Evans as Captain America. Together with Scarlett Johansson as Black Widow and Jeremy Renner as Hawkeye, and with the additional support of Don Cheadle as James Rhodes/War Machine, Cobie Smulders as Agent Maria Hill, Stellan Skarsgård as Erik Selvig and Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury, the team must reassemble to defeat James Spader as Ultron, a terrifying technological villain hell-bent on human extinction. Along the way, they confront two mysterious and powerful newcomers, Pietro Maximoff, played by Aaron Taylor-Johnson, and Wanda Maximoff, played by Elizabeth Olsen and meet an old friend in a new form when Paul Bettany becomes Vision.
MARVEL’S AVENGERS: AGE OF ULTRON is written and directed by Joss Whedon.
WELCOME TO ME (May 1)
When Alice Klieg (Kristen Wiig) wins the Mega-millions lottery, she quits her psychiatric meds and buys her own talk show. Inspired by the immortal Oprah, she broadcasts her dirty laundry as both a form of exhibitionism and as a platform to share her peculiar views on everything from nutrition to relationships to neutering pets.
Stars Kristen Wiig, Wes Bentley, Linda Cardellini, Joan Cusack, Loretta Devine, Jennifer Jason Leigh, James Marsden, Tim Robbins, and Alan Tudyk.
FAR FROM THE MADDING CROWD (May 1)
Based on the literary classic by Thomas Hardy, FAR FROM THE MADDING CROWD is the story of independent, beautiful and headstrong Bathsheba Everdene (Carey Mulligan), who attracts three very different suitors: Gabriel Oak (Matthias Schoenaerts), a sheep farmer, captivated by her fetching willfulness; Frank Troy (Tom Sturridge), a handsome and reckless Sergeant; and William Boldwood (Michael Sheen), a prosperous and mature bachelor. This timeless story of Bathsheba’s choices and passions explores the nature of relationships and love – as well as the human ability to overcome hardships through resilience and perseverance.
Directed by Thomas Vinterberg.
HOT PURSUIT (May 8)
From New Line Cinema and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures comes the comedy HOT PURSUIT, starring Academy Award winner Reese Witherspoon (“Walk the Line,” “Wild”) and Sofía Vergara (“Chef,” TV’s “Modern Family”), under the direction of Anne Fletcher (“The Proposal”).
In HOT PURSUIT, an uptight and by-the-book cop (Witherspoon) tries to protect the sexy and outgoing widow (Vergara) of a drug boss as they race through Texas, pursued by crooked cops and murderous gunmen.
MAGGIE (May 8)
When a deadly zombie virus sweeps the nation, a father will stop at nothing to save his infected daughter in this post-apocalyptic thriller starring Arnold Schwarzenegger and Abigail Breslin.
A Lionsgate/Roadside Attractions release, Henry Hobson directs the post-apocalyptic thriller.
SAINT LAURENT (May 8)
1967-1976. As one of history’s greatest fashion designers entered a decade of freedom, neither came out of it in one piece.
“This film doesn’t show how Saint Laurent became Saint Laurent, but what its costs him to be Saint Laurent. What it costs him to go from black and white to color, from steady to aerial, having to deliver four collections a year, being a star…,” says director Bertrand Bonello of SAINT LAURENT.
The film stars Gaspard Ulliel, Jeremie Renier, Louis Garrel, Lea Seydoux, Amira Casar, Aymeline Valade
THE D TRAIN (May 8)
All his life, Dan Landsman (Jack Black) has never been the cool guy. That’s about to change – if he can convince Oliver Lawless (Marsden), the most popular guy from his high school who’s now the face of a national Banana Boat ad campaign, to show up with him to their class reunion. A man on a mission, Dan travels from Pittsburgh to LA and spins a web of lies to recruit Lawless. But he gets more than he bargains for as the unpredictable Lawless proceeds to take over his home, career, and entire life.
Showcasing Jack Black and James Marden’s most intoxicating performances to date, D-TRAIN serves up the question: how far would you go to be popular? Co-starring Kathryn Hahn and Jeffrey Tambor. From IFC Films.
I’LL SEE YOU IN MY DREAMS (May 15)
Blythe Danner stars as a widow who’s settled into her life and her age, until a series of events propel her into a renewed engagement with the people and the world around her. The film also stars Martin Starr, Sam Elliott, Malin Akerman, June Squibb, Rhea Perlman, and Mary Kay Place. The film was written by Brett Haley and Marc Basch and produced by Rebecca Green, Laura D. Smith, and Brett Haley.
MAD MAX: FURY ROAD (May 15)
From director George Miller, originator of the post-apocalyptic genre and mastermind behind the legendary “Mad Max” franchise, comes MAD MAX: FURY ROAD, a return to the world of the Road Warrior, Max Rockatansky. Haunted by his turbulent past, Mad Max (Tom Hardy) believes the best way to survive is to wander alone. Nevertheless, he becomes swept up with a group fleeing across the Wasteland in a War Rig driven by an elite Imperator, Furiosa (Charlize Theron). They are escaping a Citadel tyrannized by the Immortan Joe (Hugh Keays-Byrne), from whom something irreplaceable has been taken. Enraged, the Warlord marshals all his gangs and pursues the rebels ruthlessly in the high-octane Road War that follows.
PITCH PERFECT 2 (May 15)
The Barden Bellas are back in PITCH PERFECT 2, the follow-up to 2012’s smash hit. The comedy is helmed by Elizabeth Banks, co-star and producer of Pitch Perfect, and produced by Paul Brooks, Max Handelman and Banks. Writer Kay Cannon returns to the team to pen the next chapter.
Stars Anna Kendrick, Rebel Wilson, Hailee Steinfeld, Brittany Snow, Skylar Astin, Adam DeVine, Katey Sagal, Anna Camp, Ben Platt, Alexis Knapp, Hana Mae Lee, John Hodgman, Jason Jones, Joe Lo Truglio, Reggie Watts with John Michael Higgins and Elizabeth Banks.
ALOFT (May 22)
Directed by Claudia Llosa and starring Jennifer Connelly, Cillian Murphy and Mélanie Laurent, ALOFT follows a mother (Jennifer Connelly) and her son (Cillian Murphy), and delves into a past marred by an accident that tears them apart. She will become a renowned artist and healer, and he will grow into his own and a peculiar falconer who bears the marks of a double absence. In the present, a young journalist (Mélanie Laurent) will bring about an encounter between the two that puts the very meaning of life and art into question, so that we may contemplate the possibility of living life to its fullest, despite the uncertainties littering our paths.
POLTERGEIST (May 22)
Sign us up for this one!
Legendary filmmaker Sam Raimi (“Spiderman,” “Evil Dead”, “The Grudge”) and director Gil Kenan (“Monster House”) contemporize the classic tale about a family whose suburban home is haunted by evil forces. When the terrifying apparitions escalate their attacks and hold the youngest daughter captive, the family must come together to rescue her before she disappears forever.
Stars Sam Rockwell, Rosemarie DeWitt, Jared Harris, Jane Adams.
SUNSHINE SUPERMAN (May 22)
A heart-racing documentary portrait of Carl Boenish, the father of the BASE jumping movement, whose early passion for skydiving led him to ever more spectacular –and dangerous– feats of foot-launched human flight. Experience his jaw-dropping journey in life and love, to the pinnacle of his achievements when he and wife Jean broke the BASE jumping Guinness World Record in 1984 on the Norwegian ‘Troll Wall’ mountain range. Incredibly, within days, triumph was followed by disaster. Told through a stunning mix of Carl’s 16mm archive footage, well-crafted re-enactments and state-of-the-art aerial photography, Sunshine Superman will leave you breathless and inspired.
TOMORROWLAND (May 22)
From Disney comes two-time Oscar winner Brad Bird’s TOMORROWLAND, a riveting mystery adventure starring Academy Award winner George Clooney. Bound by a shared destiny, former boy-genius Frank (Clooney), jaded by disillusionment, and Casey (Britt Robertson), a bright, optimistic teen bursting with scientific curiosity, embark on a danger-filled mission to unearth the secrets of an enigmatic place somewhere in time and space known only as “Tomorrowland.” What they must do there changes the world—and them—forever.
Featuring a screenplay by “Lost” writer and co-creator Damon Lindelof and Brad Bird, from a story by Lindelof & Bird & Jeff Jensen, “Tomorrowland” promises to take audiences on a thrill ride of nonstop adventures through new dimensions that have only been dreamed of.
The film also stars Hugh Laurie as brilliant scientist David Nix, Raffey Cassidy, Tim McGraw, Judy Greer, Kathryn Hahn, Keegan-Michael Key and Thomas Robinson.
SURVIVOR (May 27)
After being mysteriously framed for a terrorist bombing, a Foreign Service Officer (Milla Jovovich) must evade government capture and death by a ruthless assassin (Pierce Brosnan) in order to stop the real perpetrators master and much deadlier plan. Directed by James McTeigue.
RESULTS (May 29)
Recently divorced, newly rich, and utterly miserable, Danny (Kevin Corrigan) would seem to be the perfect test subject for a definitive look at the relationship between money and happiness. Danny’s well-funded ennui is interrupted by a momentous trip to the local gym, where he meets self-styled guru/owner Trevor (Guy Pearce) and irresistibly acerbic trainer Kat (Cobie Smulders). Soon, their three lives are inextricably knotted, both professionally and personally.
SAN ANDREAS (May 29)
After the infamous San Andreas Fault finally gives, triggering a magnitude 9 earthquake in California, a search and rescue helicopter pilot (Dwayne Johnson) and his estranged wife make their way together from Los Angeles to San Francisco to save their only daughter. But their treacherous journey north is only the beginning, and when they think the worst may be over…it’s just getting started.
ALOHA (May 29)
In Aloha, a celebrated military contractor (Bradley Cooper) returns to the site of his greatest career triumphs – the US Space program in Honolulu, Hawaii – and reconnects with a long-ago love (Rachel McAdams) while unexpectedly falling for the hard-charging Air Force watchdog (Emma Stone) assigned to him. From Academy Award®-winner Cameron Crowe, the writer-director behind such films as Jerry Maguire and Almost Famous, Aloha also stars Bill Murray, John Krasinski, Danny McBride, and Alec Baldwin.
June
ENTOURAGE (June 5)
Movie star Vincent Chase (Adrian Grenier), together with his boys, Eric (Kevin Connolly), Turtle (Jerry Ferrara) and Johnny (Kevin Dillon), are back…and back in business with super agent-turned-studio head Ari Gold (Jeremy Piven). Some of their ambitions have changed, but the bond between them remains strong as they navigate the capricious and often cutthroat world of Hollywood.
INSIDIOUS: CHAPTER 3 (June 5)
The newest chapter in the terrifying horror series is written and directed by franchise co-creator Leigh Whannell. This chilling prequel, set before the haunting of the Lambert family, reveals how gifted psychic Elise Rainier (Lin Shaye) reluctantly agrees to use her ability to contact the dead in order to help a teenage girl (Stefanie Scott) who has been targeted by a dangerous supernatural entity.
Written and Directed by Leigh Whannell. Starring Dermot Mulroney, Stefanie Scott, Lin Shaye, Angus Sampson, Leigh Whannell.
LOVE & MERCY (June 5)
LOVE & MERCY presents an unconventional portrait of Brian Wilson, the mercurial singer, songwriter and leader of The Beach Boys. Set against the era defining catalog of Wilson’s music, the film intimately examines the personal voyage and ultimate salvation of the icon whose success came at extraordinary personal cost.
SPY (June 5)
Susan Cooper (Melissa McCarthy) is an unassuming, deskbound CIA analyst, and the unsung hero behind the Agency’s most dangerous missions. But when her partner (Jude Law) falls off the grid and another top agent (Jason Statham) is compromised, she volunteers to go deep undercover to infiltrate the world of a deadly arms dealer, and prevent a global disaster.
from director/writer Paul Feig, SPY stars Melissa McCarthy, Jason Statham, Rose Byrne, Bobby Cannavale, Allison Janney, Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson, Miranda Hart, and Jude Law.
JURASSIC WORLD (June 12)
Steven Spielberg returns to executive produce the long-awaited next installment of his groundbreaking Jurassic Park series, Jurassic World. Colin Trevorrow directs the epic action-adventure from a screenplay he wrote with Derek Connolly.
Cast includes Chris Pratt, Bryce Dallas Howard, Ty Simpkins, Nick Robinson, Irrfan Khan, Vincent D’Onofrio, Jake Johnson, Omar Sy, BD Wong, and Judy Greer.
MADAME BOVARY (June 12)
Gustave Flaubert’s classic story of Emma Bovary, a young beauty who impulsively marries a small-town doctor to leave her father’s pig farm far behind. But after being introduced to the glamorous world of high society, she soon becomes bored with her stodgy husband, and seeks prestige and excitement outside the bonds of marriage.
ME AND EARL AND THE DYING GIRL (June 12)
Winner of the 2015 Sundance Grand Jury Prize and the Audience Award, ME AND EARL AND THE DYING GIRL is the story of Thomas Mann plays Greg Gaines, an awkward high school senior whose mom forces him to spend time with Rachel – a girl in his class (Olivia Cooke) whom he hasn’t spoken to since kindergarten – who was just diagnosed with cancer.
INSIDE OUT (June 19)
From an adventurous balloon ride above the clouds to a monster-filled metropolis, Academy Award-winning director Pete Docter (“Monsters, Inc.,” “Up”) has taken audiences to unique and imaginative places. In Disney•Pixar’s original movie “ Inside Out,” he will take us to the most extraordinary location of all—inside the mind.
Growing up can be a bumpy road, and it’s no exception for Riley, who is uprooted from her Midwest life when her father starts a new job in San Francisco. Like all of us, Riley is guided by her emotions – Joy (Amy Poehler), Fear (Bill Hader), Anger (Lewis Black), Disgust (Mindy Kaling) and Sadness (Phyllis Smith). The emotions live in Headquarters, the control center inside Riley’s mind, where they help advise her through everyday life. As Riley and her emotions struggle to adjust to a new life in San Francisco, turmoil ensues in Headquarters. Although Joy, Riley’s main and most important emotion, tries to keep things positive, the emotions conflict on how best to navigate a new city, house and school.
A LITTLE CHAOS (June 26)
Sabine (Kate Winslet), a talented landscape designer who is building a garden at Versailles for King Louis XIV (Alan Rickman), struggles with class barriers as she becomes romantically entangled with the court’s renowned landscape artist (Matthias Schoenaerts).
The film is directed by Alan Rickman and starring Kate Winslet, Matthias Schoenaerts, Alan Rickman and Stanley Tucci.
MAX (June 26)
A precision-trained military dog, Max serves on the frontlines in Afghanistan alongside his handler, U.S. Marine Kyle Wincott. But when things go terribly wrong on maneuvers, Kyle is mortally wounded and Max, traumatized by the loss of his best friend, is unable to remain in service. Shipped stateside, the only human he seems willing to connect with is Kyle’s teenage brother, Justin, so Max is adopted by Kyle’s family, essentially saving his life. But Justin has issues of his own, such as living up to his father’s expectations for him; he isn’t interested in taking responsibility for his brother’s troubled dog.
However, Max may be Justin’s only chance to discover what really happened to his brother that day on the front, and with the help of a tough-talking young teen, Carmen, who has a way with dogs, Justin begins to appreciate his canine companion. Justin’s growing trust in Max helps the four-legged veteran revert back to his heroic self, and as the pair race against time to unravel the mystery, they find more excitement—and danger—than they bargained for. But they each might also find an unlikely new best friend…in each other.
TED 2 (June 26)
Seth MacFarlane returns as writer, director and voice star of Ted 2, Universal and Media Rights Capital’s follow-up to the highest-grossing original R-rated comedy of all time. Joined once again by star Mark Wahlberg and fellow Ted writers Alec Sulkin & Wellesley Wild, MacFarlane produces the live action/CG-animated comedy alongside Bluegrass Films’ Scott Stuber, as well as John Jacobs and Jason Clark.
July
TERMINATOR GENISYS (July 1)
When John Connor (Jason Clarke), leader of the human resistance, sends Sgt. Kyle Reese (Jai Courtney) back to 1984 to protect Sarah Connor (Emilia Clarke) and safeguard the future, an unexpected turn of events creates a fractured timeline. Now, Sgt. Reese finds himself in a new and unfamiliar version of the past, where he is faced with unlikely allies, including the Guardian (Arnold Schwarzenegger), dangerous new enemies, and an unexpected new mission: To reset the future.
MAGIC MIKE XXL (July 1)
Picking up the story three years after Mike (Channing Tatum) bowed out of the stripper life at the top of his game, MAGIC MIKE XXL finds the remaining Kings of Tampa likewise ready to throw in the towel. But they want to do it their way: burning down the house in one last blow-out performance in Myrtle Beach, and with legendary headliner Magic Mike sharing the spotlight with them. On the road to their final show, with whistle stops in Jacksonville and Savannah to renew old acquaintances and make new friends, Mike and the guys learn some new moves and shake off the past in surprising ways.
JIMMY’S HALL (Sony Picture Classics – July 1)
Starring Barry Ward, Simone Kirby, Andrew Scott, Jim Norton, Brian F. O’Byrne.
Directed by Ken Loach and written by Paul Laverty.
In 1921 Jimmy Gralton’s sin was to build a dance hall on a rural crossroads in an Ireland on the brink of Civil War. The Pearse-Connolly Hall was a place where young people could come to learn, to argue, to dream… but above all to dance and have fun. As the hall grew in popularity, its socialist and free-spirited reputation brought it to the attention of the church and politicians who forced Jimmy to flee and the hall to close. A decade later, at the height of the Depression, Jimmy returns to County Leitrim from the US to look after his mother and vows to live the quiet life. The hall stands abandoned and empty and, despite the pleas of the local youngsters, remains shut. However as Jimmy reintegrates into the community and sees the poverty, and growing cultural oppression, the leader and activist within him is stirred. He makes the decision to reopen the hall in the face of what they may bring.
THE GALLOWS (July 10)
Twenty years after an accident caused the death of the lead actor during a high school play, students at the same small town school resurrect the failed stage production in a misguided attempt to honor the anniversary of the tragedy—but ultimately find out that some things are better left alone.
The film stars Cassidy Gifford, Ryan Shoos, Reese Mishler, Pfeifer Brown and is directed by Chris Lofing & Travis Cluff.
MINIONS (July 10)
The story of Universal Pictures and Illumination Entertainment’s MINIONS begins at the dawn of time. Starting as single-celled yellow organisms, Minions evolve through the ages, perpetually serving the most despicable of masters. Continuously unsuccessful at keeping these masters—from T. rex to Napoleon—the Minions find themselves without someone to serve and fall into a deep depression.
But one Minion named Kevin has a plan, and he—alongside teenage rebel Stuart and lovable little Bob—ventures out into the world to find a new evil boss for his brethren to follow.
The trio embarks upon a thrilling journey that ultimately leads them to their next potential master, Scarlet Overkill (Academy Award winner Sandra Bullock), the world’s first-ever female super-villain. They travel from frigid Antarctica to 1960s New York City, ending in mod London, where they must face their biggest challenge to date: saving all of Minionkind…from annihilation.
Featuring a soundtrack of hit music from the ’60s that still permeates our culture today, Minions is produced by Illumination’s Chris Meledandri and Janet Healy, and is directed by Pierre Coffin and Kyle Balda.
SELF/LESS (July 10)
In this provocative psychological science fiction thriller, an extremely wealthy man (Academy Award winner Ben Kingsley) dying from cancer undergoes a radical medical procedure that transfers his consciousness into the body of a healthy young man (Ryan Reynolds). But all is not as it seems when he starts to uncover the mystery of the body’s origin and the organization that will kill to protect its cause.
ANT-MAN (July 17)
The next evolution of the Marvel Cinematic Universe brings a founding member of The Avengers to the big screen for the first time with Marvel Studios’ ANT-MAN. Armed with the astonishing ability to shrink in scale but increase in strength, master thief Scott Lang must embrace his inner-hero and help his mentor, Dr. Hank Pym, protect the secret behind his spectacular Ant-Man suit from a new generation of towering threats. Against seemingly insurmountable obstacles, Pym and Lang must plan and pull off a heist that will save the world.
Marvel’s ANT-MAN stars Paul Rudd as Scott Lang aka Ant-Man, Evangeline Lilly as Hope Van Dyne, Corey Stoll as Darren Cross aka Yellowjacket, Bobby Cannavale as Paxton, Michael Peña as Luis, Judy Greer as Maggie, Tip “Ti” Harris as Dave, David Dastmalchian as Kurt, Wood Harris as Gale, Jordi Mollà as Castillo and Michael Douglas as Hank Pym. Peyton Reed directs Marvel’s ANT MAN.
IRRATIONAL MAN (July 17)
Woody Allen’s new movie IRRATIONAL MAN, his latest annual gift to moviegoers everywhere, stars Jamie Blackley, Joaquin Phoenix, Parker Posey and Emma Stone.
MR HOLMES (July 17)
Ian McKellen leads a stellar cast including Laura Linney, Hiroyuki Sanada, Hattie Morahan, Patrick Kennedy, Roger Allam, Frances de la Tour, Phil Davis and newcomer Milo Parker in Bill Condon’s MR HOLMES. The film reunites McKellen with director Bill Condon after their collaboration on the Academy Award-winning Gods and Monsters.
Based on the novel A Slight Trick of the Mind by Mitch Cullin, MR HOLMES reimagines Sherlock Holmes as a real person whose adventures have been turned into best-selling novels by his friend and partner Dr John Watson. Now old and in failing health, the famously rational detective is forced to engage for the first time with his emotions as his mental powers dwindle.
TRAINWRECK (July 17)
Judd Apatow, in his fifth feature film as a director, brings a portrait of an unforgettable character, and a portrayal by a breakout new comedy star, together in TRAINWRECK, written by and starring Amy Schumer (Inside Amy Schumer) as a woman who lives her life without apologies, even when maybe she should apologize.
Since she was a little girl, it’s been drilled into Amy’s (Schumer) head by her rascal of a dad (Colin Quinn) that monogamy isn’t realistic. Now a magazine writer, Amy lives by that credo—enjoying what she feels is an uninhibited life free from stifling, boring romantic commitment—but in actuality, she’s kind of in a rut. When she finds herself starting to fall for the subject of the new article she’s writing, a charming and successful sports doctor named Aaron Conners (Bill Hader), Amy starts to wonder if other grown-ups, including this guy who really seems to like her, might be on to something.
The comedy, from a script written by Schumer, co-stars Brie Larson, John Cena, Tilda Swinton and LeBron James.
PAN (July 24)
From director Joe Wright comes “Pan,” a live-action feature presenting a wholly original adventure about the beginnings of the beloved characters created by J.M. Barrie.Peter (Levi Miller) is a mischievous 12-year-old boy with an irrepressible rebellious streak, but in the bleak London orphanage where he has lived his whole life those qualities do not exactly fly. Then one incredible night, Peter is whisked away from the orphanage and spirited off to a fantastical world of pirates, warriors and fairies called Neverland.
There, he finds amazing adventures and fights life-or-death battles while trying to uncover the secret of his mother, who left him at the orphanage so long ago, and his rightful place in this magical land. Teamed with the warrior Tiger Lily (Rooney Mara) and a new friend named James Hook (Garrett Hedlund), Peter must defeat the ruthless pirate Blackbeard (Hugh Jackman) to save Neverland and discover his true destiny—to become the hero who will forever be known as Peter Pan.
PAPER TOWNS (July 24)
Adapted from the bestselling novel by author John Green (“The Fault in Our Stars”), PAPERTOWNS is a coming-of-age story centering on Quentin and his enigmatic neighbor Margo, who loved mysteries so much she became one. After taking him on an all-night adventure through their hometown, Margo suddenly disappears–leaving behind cryptic clues for Quentin to decipher. The search leads Quentin and his quick-witted friends on an exhilarating adventure that is equal parts hilarious and moving. Ultimately, to track down Margo, Quentin must find a deeper understanding of true friendship–and true love.
In PIXELS, when intergalactic aliens misinterpret video-feeds of classic arcade games as a declaration of war against them, they attack the Earth, using the games as models for their various assaults. President Will Cooper (Kevin James) has to call on his childhood best friend, ’80s video game champion Sam Brenner (Adam Sandler), now a home theater installer, to lead a team of old-school arcaders (Peter Dinklage and Josh Gad) to defeat the aliens and save the planet. Joining them is Lt. Col. Violet Van Patten (Michelle Monaghan), a specialist supplying the arcaders with unique weapons to fight the aliens.
BEST OF ENEMIES (July 31)
In the summer of 1968, television news changed forever. Dead last in the ratings, ABC hired two towering public intellectuals to debate each other during the Democratic and Republican national conventions. William F. Buckley, Jr. was a leading light of the new conservative movement. A Democrat and cousin to Jackie Onassis, Gore Vidal was a leftist novelist and polemicist. Armed with deep-seated distrust and enmity, Vidal and Buckley believed each other’s political ideologies were dangerous for America. Like rounds in a heavyweight battle, they pummeled out policy and personal insult—cementing their opposing political positions. Their explosive exchanges devolved into vitriolic name-calling. It was unlike anything TV had ever broadcast, and all the more shocking because it was live and unscripted. Viewers were riveted. ABC News’ ratings skyrocketed. And a new era in public discourse was born. Directed with consummate skill by filmmakers Robert Gordon and Academy Award-winning Sundance Film Festival alum Morgan Neville (Twenty Feet From Stardom), Best of Enemies unleashes a highbrow blood sport that marked the dawn of pundit television as we know it today.
MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE 5 (July 31)
Ethan and team take on their most impossible mission yet, eradicating the Syndicate – an International rogue organization as highly skilled as they are, committed to destroying the IMF.
Based on the television series created by Bruce Geller, MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE – ROGUE NATION reunites Tom Cruise with MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE – GHOST PROTOCOL stars Jeremy Renner, Simon Pegg and Ving Rhames. The film also stars Rebecca Ferguson, Sean Harris and Alec Baldwin.
Paramount Pictures and Skydance Productions present a Tom Cruise / Bad Robot production. The film is directed by Christopher McQuarrie and produced by Tom Cruise, J.J. Abrams and Bryan Burk.
SOUTHPAW (July 31)
From acclaimed director Antoine Fuqua (TRAINING DAY) and starring Academy Award nominated Jake Gyllenhaal (NIGHTCRAWLER, BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN) comes a story of tragedy, loss and the painful road to redemption… Billy “The Great” Hope (Gyllenhaal) is the reigning Junior Middleweight Champion whose unorthodox stance, the so-called “Southpaw,” consists of an ineloquent, though brutal, display of offensive fighting…one fueled by his own feelings of inadequacy and a desperate need for love, money and fame. With a beautiful family, home and financial security, Billy is on top both in and out of the ring until a tragic accident leaves his wife dead and sends him into a downward spiral.
His days now an endless haze of alcohol and prescription drugs, his daughter taken by Child Services and his home repossessed by the bank, Billy’s fate is all but sealed until a washed up former boxer named Tick agrees to take the bereaved pugilist under his wing so long as he agrees to his strict ethos. Relentless and utterly committed to a fighter that thinks as much as he throws punches, Tick rebuilds Billy into a new man: one that is agile, fearsome and uncompromising in the ring while thoughtful, loving and disciplined outside of it.
Now, as he works to regain custody of his daughter and mounts a professional comeback, Billy must face his demons head-on as he learns that, sometimes, your greatest opponent can be yourself.
VACATION (July 31)
The next generation of Griswolds is at it again. New Line Cinema’s VACATION, starring Ed Helms (“The Hangover” films) and Christina Applegate (the “Anchorman” films), takes the family on the road for another ill-fated adventure. The film marks Jonathan Goldstein and John Francis Daley’s directorial debut.
Following in his father’s footsteps and hoping for some much-needed family bonding, a grown-up Rusty Griswold (Helms) surprises his wife, Debbie (Applegate), and their two sons with a cross-country trip back to America’s “favorite family fun park,” Walley World.
Rounding out the cast are Leslie Mann (“The Other Woman”) as Rusty’s sister, Audrey; Chris Hemsworth (the “Thor” films) in the role of Stone Crandall, Rusty’s irritatingly successful brother-in-law; and Skyler Gisondo (“Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb,” “Hard Sell”) and Steele Stebbins (“A Haunted House 2”), who play Rusty’s sons, James and Kevin.
Chevy Chase and Beverly D’Angelo reprise their roles as Clark and Ellen Griswold from the classic “Vacation” comedies.
THE LOOK OF SILENCE (July)
THE LOOK OF SILENCE is Joshua Oppenheimer’s powerful companion piece to the Oscar®-nominated The Act Of Killing. Through Oppenheimer’s footage of perpetrators of the 1965 Indonesian genocide, a family of survivors discovers how their son was murdered, as well as the identities of the killers. The documentary focuses on the youngest son, an optometrist named Adi, who decides to break the suffocating spell of submission and terror by doing something unimaginable in a society where the murderers remain in power: he confronts the men who killed his brother and, while testing their eyesight, asks them to accept responsibility for their actions. This unprecedented film initiates and bears witness to the collapse of fifty years of silence.
Winner of the 2015 SXSW Audience Award: Festival Favorite.
TEN THOUSAND SAINTS (Late July)
Stars Ethan Hawke, Hailee Steinfeld, Emile Hirsch, Asa Butterfield, Emily Mortimer Written & Directed by Shari Springer Berman & Robert Pulcini Produced by Luca Borghese, Anne Carey, Amy Nauiokas, Celine Rattray, and Trudie Styler
Set in the 1980s, following tragedy, teenage Jude (Asa Butterfield) moves from Vermont to New York City to live with his father (Ethan Hawke) in the punk-fueled East Village. Caught in the chaos of city life, Jude and his friends, Eliza and Teddy (Hailee Steinfeld and Emile Hirsch) embark on a journey of self-realization in a neighborhood on the verge of riots.
August
FANTASTIC FOUR (Aug 7)
FANTASTIC FOUR, a contemporary re-imagining of Marvel’s original and longest-running superhero team, centers on four young outsiders who teleport to an alternate and dangerous universe, which alters their physical form in shocking ways. Their lives irrevocably upended, the team must learn to harness their daunting new abilities and work together to save Earth from a former friend turned enemy.
Directed by Josh Trank, the film stars Miles Teller, Michael B. Jordan, Kate Mara, Jamie Bell, Toby Kebbell.
MASTERMINDS (Aug 7)
In this action comedy based on true events, directed by Jared Hess (Napoleon Dynamite; Nacho Libre), David Ghantt (Zach Galifianakis) discovers the true meaning of adventure far beyond his wildest dreams. He is an uncomplicated man stuck in a monotonous life. Day in and day out he drives an armored vehicle, transporting millions of other people’s money with no escape in sight. The only glimmer of excitement is his flirtatious work crush Kelly Campbell (Kristen Wiig) who soon lures him into the scheme of a lifetime.
Along with a group of half-brained criminals led by Steve Chambers (Owen Wilson) and an absurdly faulted heist plan, David manages the impossible and makes off with $17 million in cash…only problem is he foolishly hands the money over to this wild group of double crossers and has been set up to take the fall. With the bandits blowing the millions on lavish and ridiculous luxuries, they leave behind a glaring trail of evidence. Now on the lam and in over his head, David must dodge the authorities, evade a hilarious hit man, Mike McKinney (Jason Sudeikis), and try to turn the tables on the ones he trusted most.
THE MAN FROM UNCLE (Aug 14)
A fresh take on the hugely popular 1960s television series, THE MAN FROM U.N.C.L.E. is set against the backdrop of the early 1960s, at the height of the Cold War and centers on CIA agent Napoleon Solo (Henry Cavill) and KGB agent Illya Kuryakin (Armie Hammer).
Forced to put aside longstanding hostilities, the two team up on a joint mission to stop a mysterious international criminal organization, which is bent on destabilizing the fragile balance of power through the proliferation of nuclear weapons and technology. The duo’s only lead is the daughter of a vanished German scientist, who is the key to infiltrating the criminal organization, and they must race against time to find him and prevent a worldwide catastrophe.
STRAIGHT OUTTA COMPTON (Aug 14)
In the mid-1980s, the streets of Compton, California, were some of the most dangerous in the country. When five young men translated their experiences growing up into brutally honest music that rebelled against abusive authority, they gave an explosive voice to a silenced generation. Following the meteoric rise and fall of N.W.A., Straight Outta Compton tells the astonishing story of how these young men revolutionized music and pop culture forever the moment they told the world the truth about life in the hood and ignited a cultural war.
Starring O’Shea Jackson Jr., Corey Hawkins and Jason Mitchell as Ice Cube, Dr. Dre and Eazy-E, Straight Outta Compton is directed by F. Gary Gray (Friday, Set It Off, The Italian Job). The drama is produced by original N.W.A. members Ice Cube and Dr. Dre, who are joined by fellow producers Matt Alvarez and Tomica Woods-Wright. Will Packer serves as executive producer of the film alongside Gray.
SINISTER 2 (Aug 21)
Directed by Ciaran Foy, Scott Derrickson, director of SINISTER, has written the SINISTER 2 screenplay with C. Robert Cargill
In the aftermath of the shocking events in Sinister, a protective mother (Shannyn Sossamon of Wayward Pines) and her 9-year-old twin sons (real-life twins Robert and Dartanian Sloan) find themselves in a rural house marked for death.
James Ransone, who portrayed the concerned sheriff’s deputy in SINISTER, will be reprising his character in SINISTER 2.
HITMAN: Agent 47 (August 28)
HITMAN: AGENT 47 centers on an elite assassin who was genetically engineered from conception to be the perfect killing machine, and is known only by the last two digits on the barcode tattooed on the back of his neck. He is the culmination of decades of research and forty-six earlier Agent clones — endowing him with unprecedented strength, speed, stamina and intelligence.
His latest target is a mega-corporation that plans to unlock the secret of Agent 47’s past to create an army of killers whose powers surpass even his own. Teaming up with a young woman who may hold the secret to overcoming their powerful and clandestine enemies, 47 confronts stunning revelations about his own origins and squares off in an epic battle with his deadliest foe.
STEVE JOBS: THE MAN IN THE MACHINE (Aug, TBD)
In his signature black turtleneck and blue jeans, shrouded in shadows below a milky apple, Steve Jobs’ image was ubiquitous. But who was the man on the stage? What accounted for the grief of so many across the world when he died? From Oscar-winning director Alex Gibney, Steve Jobs: The Man In The Machine is a critical examination of Jobs who was at once revered as an iconoclastic genius and a barbed-tongued tyrant. A candid look at Jobs’ legacy featuring interviews with a handful of those close to him at different stages in his life, the film is evocative and nuanced in capturing the essence of the Apple legend and his values which shape the culture of Silicon Valley to this day.
Z for Zachariah (Aug, TBD)
In the wake of a nuclear war, a young woman (Margot Robbie) survives on her own, fearing she may actually be the proverbial last woman on earth, until she discovers the most astonishing sight of her life: another human being. A distraught scientist (Chiwetel Ejiofor), he’s nearly been driven mad by radiation exposure and his desperate search for others. A fragile, imperative strand of trust connects them. But when a stranger (Chris Pine) enters the valley, their precarious bond begins to unravel.
Directed by Geeta V. Patel and Ravi V. Patel, MEET THE PATELS is from Alchemy.
MEETTHEPATELS is a laugh-out-loud real life romantic comedy about Ravi Patel, an almost-30-year-old Indian-American who enters a love triangle between the woman of his dreams and his parents. Filmed by Ravi’s sister in what started as a family vacation video, this hilarious and heartbreaking film reveals how love is a family affair.
Stars Josh Greenbaum, Champa V. Patel, Geeta Patel, Ravi Patel, and Russell Petters.
The movie won this year’s Audience Award for Best Documentary Feature at the Los Angeles Film Festival. The film, which was the Audience Award Winner Runner up at Hot Docs, had its US premiere at LAFF.
“A hilarious investigation…One almost wants “Meet the Patels 2” just to spend more time with them.”–Katie Walsh,The Playlist
Director Genndy Tartakovsky is back in the animator’s chair with the new video test from his upcoming film, POPEYE.
Popeye the Sailor Man was created by Elzie Crisler Segar and first appeared in the daily King Features comic strip Thimble Theatre on January 17, 1929 and hit the silver screen first in 1934 in a series of Paramount animated shorts produced by the Fleischer Brothers and later with a live-action feature film, POPEYE, directed by Robert Altman with Robin Williams in the lead role in 1980.
Sony Pictures Animation’s film is the CG adaptation of the famous sailor man’s origin story.
In addition to POPEYE, Tartakovsky is also returning to the director’s chair for Hotel Transylvania 2, scheduled for September 2015, which will bring back Adam Sandler’s Dracula.
Tartakovsky himself says, “It’s good to be back at the Hotel Transylvania, and I’m very excited to work on Popeye, a character that I’ve loved since I was a kid.
So what does the footage tell us. Since I’m a graduate of Chicago’s Columbia College like Genndy, I was pleased to hear him mention my animation mentor, the late, great Gordon Sheehan, who’s first movie job was painting animation cells on the Betty Boop short that introduced the “sailor-man” to movie audiences. It looks like the “squash and stretch” style of the early Fleischer shorts is expanded upon with a much more frenetic pace for today’s younger audiences. Olive is without her standard red blouse and black long skirt, while Bluto, who appears to lead the pirates in an attack, still has his signature black coarse beard while sporting a bald pate! Speaking of losing, much as was done with the sailor’s last TV show, “Popeye and Son” on CBS Saturday mornings, he’s without his corncob pipe, perhaps in order to set a good example for the kiddies. From all reports, comedian Tom Kenny (also the voice of SpongeBob Squarepants) is in the lead role and does a terrific job emulating Jack Mercer’s gravelly vocals. And while Bluto got scalped, it appears Popeye now has a full head of brown hair. With the addition of Eugene the magical Jeep, the new screen incarnation promises to be great slapstick fun for all ages.
Moviegoers who are eagerly anticipating the December 14 release of the epic fantasy adventure THE HOBBIT: AN UNEXPECTED JOURNEY, will be able to secure their seats over a month in advance when tickets go on sale, online and in theaters across North America, at 12:00pm Eastern Time, on Wednesday, November 7. See the 17 new posters HERE.
The film, a production of New Line Cinema and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures (MGM), is the first in Peter Jackson’s highly anticipated trilogy adapting the enduringly popular masterpiece The Hobbit, by J.R.R. Tolkien. Being released domestically by Warner Bros. Pictures, all three films in THE HOBBIT Trilogy tell a continuous story set in Middle-earth 60 years before THE LORD OF THE RINGS, which Jackson and his filmmaking team brought to the big screen in the blockbuster trilogy that culminated with the Oscar-winning THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE RETURN OF THE KING.
As part of the celebration, moviegoers will have the opportunity to re-experience Middle-earth in big screen marathons of THE LORD OF THE RINGS Trilogy in their Extended Cut editions on Saturday, December 8, and Sunday, December 9. Tickets for these all-day events will also go on sale, online and in theaters throughout the U.S., at noon Eastern time on Wednesday, November 7.
THE HOBBIT: AN UNEXPECTED JOURNEY follows the journey of title character Bilbo Baggins, who joins the Wizard Gandalf and 13 Dwarves, led by the legendary warrior Thorin Oakenshield, on an epic quest to reclaim the lost Dwarf Kingdom of Erebor from the fearsome dragon Smaug.
Ian McKellen returns as Gandalf the Grey, the character he played in “The Lord of the Rings” Trilogy, with Martin Freeman in the central role of Bilbo Baggins, and Richard Armitage as Thorin Oakenshield. Also reprising their roles from “The Lord of the Rings” in “The Hobbit” Trilogy are: Cate Blanchett as Galadriel; Ian Holm as the elder Bilbo; Christopher Lee as Saruman; Hugo Weaving as Elrond; Elijah Wood as Frodo; and Andy Serkis as Gollum. The international ensemble cast of the trilogy also includes (in alphabetical order) Manu Bennett, Jed Brophy, Adam Brown, John Callen, Mark Hadlow, Peter Hambleton, Barry Humphries, Stephen Hunter, William Kircher, Sylvester McCoy, Bret McKenzie, Graham McTavish, James Nesbitt, Dean O’Gorman, Conan Stevens, Ken Stott and Aidan Turner.
The screenplay for THE HOBBIT: AN UNEXPECTED JOURNEY is by Fran Walsh & Philippa Boyens & Peter Jackson & Guillermo del Toro. Jackson is also producing the film, together with Carolynne Cunningham, Zane Weiner and Fran Walsh. The executive producers are Alan Horn, Toby Emmerich, Ken Kamins and Carolyn Blackwood, with Boyens and Eileen Moran serving as co-producers.
Under Jackson’s direction, “The Hobbit” Trilogy has been shot in 3D 48 frames-per-second and will be released in High Frame Rate 3D (HFR 3D), other 3D formats, IMAX and 2D. Production has taken place at Jackson’s own facilities in Miramar, Wellington, and on location around New Zealand.
Among the creative behind-the-scenes team returning to Jackson’s crew were director of photography Andrew Lesnie, production designer Dan Hennah, conceptual designers Alan Lee and John Howe, composer Howard Shore and make-up and hair designer Peter King. The film is edited by Jabez Olssen. The costumes were designed by Ann Maskrey, Richard Taylor and Bob Buck.
Taylor also oversaw the design and production of weaponry, armor and prosthetics, which were once again being made by the award-winning Weta Workshop. Weta Digital took on the visual effects for the films, led by the film’s visual effects supervisor, Joe Letteri. Post production is taking place at Park Road Post Production in Wellington.
THE HOBBIT: AN UNEXPECTED JOURNEY and the second and third films of the trilogy are productions of New Line Cinema and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures (MGM), with New Line managing production. Warner Bros. Pictures is handling worldwide theatrical distribution, with select international territories as well as all international television distribution being handled by MGM.
THE HOBBIT: AN UNEXPECTED JOURNEY will be released in the U.S. on December 14, 2012, with the second film, THE HOBBIT: THE DESOLATION OF SMAUG, releasing December 13, 2013, and the third film, THE HOBBIT: THERE AND BACK AGAIN slated for July 18, 2014.
