Category: Movies

Hold On! Vin Diesel And John Cena Go Head To Head In Insane First Trailer For F9 THE FAST SAGA

No matter how fast you are, no one outruns their past.

Universal has dropped an awesome first trailer for F9 aka FAST AND FURIOUS 9.

Summer 2020 is the time for F9, the ninth chapter in the saga that has endured for almost two decades and has earned more than $5 billion around the world.

Vin Diesel’s Dom Toretto is leading a quiet life off the grid with Letty and his son, little Brian, but they know that danger always lurks just over their peaceful horizon. This time, that threat will force Dom to confront the sins of his past if he’s going to save those he loves most. His crew joins together to stop a world-shattering plot led by the most skilled assassin and high-performance driver they’ve ever encountered: a man who also happens to be Dom’s forsaken brother, Jakob (John Cena, next year’s The Suicide Squad).

(from left) Dom (Vin Diesel) and Jakob (John Cena) in F9, directed by Justin Lin.

F9 sees the return of Justin Lin as director, who helmed the third, fourth, fifth and sixth chapters of the series when it transformed into a global blockbuster.

(from left) Director of photography Stephen F. Windon and director Justin Lin on the set of F9.

The action hurtles around the globe—from London to Tokyo, from Central America to Edinburgh, and from a secret bunker in Azerbaijan to the teeming streets of Tblisi. Along the way, old friends will be resurrected, old foes will return, history will be rewritten, and the true meaning of family will be tested like never before.

The film stars returning cast members Michelle Rodriguez, Tyrese Gibson, Chris “Ludacris” Bridges, Jordana Brewster, Nathalie Emmanuel and Sung Kang, with Oscar® winner Helen Mirren and Oscar® winner Charlize Theron. F9 also features Grammy-winning superstar Cardi B as new franchise character Leysa, a woman with a connection to Dom’s past, and a cameo by Reggaeton sensation Ozuna.

F9 is produced by Neal H. Moritz, Vin Diesel, Jeff Kirschenbaum, Joe Roth, Justin Lin, Clayton Townsend and Samantha Vincent.  www.fastandfurious.com

(from left) Jakob (John Cena) and Cipher (Charlize Theron) in F9, directed by Justin Lin.

Get Your First Look At John Krasinski In New A QUIET PLACE PART II New SuperBowl TV Spot/Featurette

L-r, Marcus (Noah Jupe), Regan (Millicent Simmonds), and Evelyn (Emily Blunt) brave the unknown in “A Quiet Place Part II.”

THERE ARE PEOPLE OUT THERE WORTH SAVING.

Here’s a look at Paramount Pictures’ SuperBowl TV commercial for the upcoming A QUIET PLACE PART II.

We will finally get the answers to many questions from the chilling first movie – how quickly did the aliens wipe out most of humanity, what happened on Day One during the initial invasion and subsequent panic and to what lengths did John Abbott go to protect his family and home.

PART I was one of the best horror and most unexpected blockbusters to hit the cinemas in recent years. I’m hoping we’ll be shown where the idea came from to lay sand on the ground as a means to keep their foot steps silent. The innovative story of this post-apocalyptic world was so frightening with the thought that the invaders would take out anyone that made noise.

We ached for this family that had one child taken out by the invaders in front of their eyes, while watching how they planned to take care of a newborn.

Go behind the scenes with director John Krasinski and star Emily Blunt in this featurette where the filmmaker and actress discuss the continuing journey of the Abbott family.

Following the deadly events at home, the Abbott family (Emily Blunt, Millicent Simmonds, Noah Jupe) must now face the terrors of the outside world as they continue their fight for survival in silence. Forced to venture into the unknown, they quickly realize that the creatures that hunt by sound are not the only threats that lurk beyond the sand path.

The film opens in theaters and IMAX on March 20.

Guillermo del Toro Begins Principal Photography on His NIGHTMARE ALLEY Remake Starring Bradley Cooper and Cate Blanchett

Searchlight Pictures announced that principal photography on NIGHTMARE ALLEY began this week on location in Toronto, Canada. The film stars Academy Award nominee Bradley Cooper (A STAR IS BORN, AMERICAN SNIPER), Academy Award winner Cate Blanchett (BLUE JASMINE, ELIZABETH), Academy Award nominee Toni Collette (KNIVES OUT, “Unbelievable”), Academy Award nominee Willem Dafoe (THE LIGHTHOUSE, AT ETERNITY’S GATE), Academy Award nominee Richard Jenkins (THE SHAPE OF WATER, THE VISITOR), Academy Award nominee Rooney Mara (CAROL, GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO), Ron Perlman (PACIFIC RIM, HELLBOY), and Academy Award nominee David Strathairn (LINCOLN, GOOD NIGHT AND GOOD LUCK). 

Academy Award winner Guillermo del Toro (THE SHAPE OF WATER, PAN’S LABYRINTH) directs and co-writes with Kim Morgan (THE FORBIDDEN ROOM).  The film is being produced by del Toro and Academy Award winner J. Miles Dale (ANTLERS, THE SHAPE OF WATER). It is based on the novel by William Lindsay Gresham. The film will be overseen by Searchlight Pictures Presidents of Production for Film and Television David Greenbaum and Matthew Greenfield and Senior Vice President DanTram Nguyen.

Writer/director Guillermo del Toro said “I’m inspired and elated to be joined by this brilliant cast. Kim Morgan and I have worked with great passion to bring the dark, raw world and language of William Gresham to the screen and now we are joined by a superb group of artists and technicians to bring it to life.”

“Given the depth of this incredible cast, I consider it a bucket list privilege to be working alongside them all with the support of our great partners at Searchlight. It’s going to be a joy to watch these world class actors and Guillermo elevate each other’s craft in this new interpretation of Gresham’s seminal novel,” said producer Dale.

In NIGHTMARE ALLEY, an ambitious young carny (Bradley Cooper) with a talent for manipulating people with a few well-chosen words hooks up with a female psychiatrist (Cate Blanchett) who is even more dangerous than he is.

The carnival cast includes carnival worker Molly (Rooney Mara), head barker Clem (Willem Dafoe), and Ron Perlman as Bruno the Strongman. Richard Jenkins is part of the high society crowd as wealthy industrialist Ezra Grindle.

“It is an absolute thrill and honor to be collaborating with Guillermo once again. He has assembled what can only be described as a dream team of actors and creative talent to help bring his singular vision of NIGHTMARE ALLEY to the big screen,” said Greenbaum and Greenfield.  

Joining del Toro on the film are long time collaborators costume designer Luis Sequeira (THE SHAPE OF WATER, MAMA), director of photography Dan Laustsen, ASC, DFF (THE SHAPE OF WATER, JOHN WICK: CHAPTER 3), and visual effects supervisor Dennis Berardi (THE SHAPE OF WATER, CRIMSON PEAK),  production designer Tamara Deverell (“Star Trek: Discovery”, “The Strain”) and editor Cam McLauchlin (THE SHAPE OF WATER, “The Strain”).  Searchlight shall distribute the picture worldwide.

Searchlight Pictures is a specialty film company that both finances and acquires motion pictures. It has its own marketing and distribution operations, and is part of The Walt Disney Studios.

THIS GUN FOR HIRE Kicks Off a 3-Film Alan Ladd & Veronica Lake Series at Webster University February 4th

THIS GUN FOR HIRE (1942) starring Alan Ladd and Veronica Lake screens at Webster University’s Moore Auditorium(470 E Lockwood Ave) screens Tuesday February 4th. The film begins at 7:00pm. This is the opening film in a 3-film ‘Lake and Ladd’ series that continues February 11th with THE GLASS KEY and February 18th with THE BLUE DAHLIA. A Facebook invite can be found HERE. 

The first pairing of Alan Ladd and Veronica Lake wasn’t meant to be so—Ms. Lake’s love interest in the film is played by Robert Preston (The Music Man)—and yet all of the chemistry is between her nightclub singer and Mr. Ladd’s hit man. Based on the Graham Greene novel A Gun for Sale, This Gun for Hire shot Ladd to instant stardom and immediately had audiences clamoring for more Lake/Ladd films.

Admission is:

$7 for the general public
$6 for seniors, Webster alumni and students from other schools
$5 for Webster University staff and faculty

Free for Webster students with proper I.D.

THE FRENCH DISPATCH, a New Film Directed by Wes Anderson, Opens July 24th

We Are Movie Geeks does not have much more information on this film, nor have any photos from the set been released yet, but this is exciting news for fans of the eccentric director. This will be Anderson’s first live-action film since THE GRAND BUDAPEST HOTEL in 2014. The IMDB describes the plot of THE FRENCH DISPATCH as: ” A love letter to journalists set in an outpost of an American newspaper in a fictional 20th-century French city that brings to life a collection of stories published in “The French Dispatch” magazine. “

Timothée Chalamet, Saoirse Ronan, Cécile de France, Willem Dafoe, Bill Murray, Tilda Swinton, Owen Wilson, and Christop Waltz all co-star in the film. Look for further coverage here at We Are Movie Geeks.

Yang Mingming’s GIRLS ALWAYS HAPPY Screening at Webster University January 31st – February 2nd

Yang Mingming’s GIRLS ALWAYS HAPPY screens at Webster University’s Moore Auditorium(470 E Lockwood Ave) screens Friday January 31 through Sunday February 2nd . The film begins each evening at 7:00pm. A Facebook invite for the event can be found HERE. Sponsored by the Confucius Institute at Webster University.

With an introduction and post-film discussion on January 31 only by Dr. Yongzhen (Joy) Shu Curtin, researcher and teacher on Chinese cinema and popular culture.

Girls Always Happy calls to mind the acidic/comedic mother/daughter relationship of a film like Lady Bird, but here the daughter, Wu (writer/director/star/editor Yang Mingming), is more firmlyin the realm of the adult. Making matters worse is that she and her mother (Nai An) live in a hutong, a neighborhood of small ground-floor apartments, which affords them no real privacy from their neighbors, let alone one another. Both shot and edited in a quietly peculiar way, Girls Always Happy comes to the Webster Film Series with awards from Berlin and the Hong Kong International Film Festival in tow.

In Mandarin 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

Free for Webster students with proper I.D.

CIMARRON Starring Glenn Ford Available on Blu-ray From Warner Archives

CIMARRON (1960) starring Glenn Ford is available on Blu-ray From Warner Archives. Order info can be found HERE

Edna Ferber’s epic Western, famously lensed in 1931 with Irene Dunne and Richard Dix, gets the widescreen full color treatment in this remake starring Glenn Ford, Maria Schell and Ann Baxter. As thousands of would-be settlers race across a barren desert to be the first to stake their claim to a plot of land during the Oklahoma Land Rush, Yancey Cravat (Ford) is outwitted by dance hall girl Dixie Lee (Baxter). Without the farm they had hoped to start, Yancey and his wife, Sabra (Schell), take over the local newspaper after the editor is assassinated. But as the newspaper helps bring order to a lawless land, Yancey feels the wanderlust to find new frontiers and new adventures, while Sabra stays to build a publishing empire. Western master Anthony Mann (Winchester ’73, The Naked Spur) directs while the legendary Franz Waxman contributes the film score. 16×9 Letterbox. New 2020 1080p HD Master 

April 22, 1889. Tens of thousands of hopeful homesteaders are poised at the Oklahoma border, waiting for the gunshots that will send them on a feverish dash to claim a share of two million acres free for the taking. The spectacular Oklahoma Land Rush is just one of many pivotal moments in this rousing saga based on the novel by Edna Ferber (Giant) and filmed for a 1931 release to Academy Award®-winning* effect as the recipient of Best Picture and two other Oscars®. Anthony Mann (Winchester ’73, The Naked Spur) directs, and Glenn Ford, Maria Schell and Anne Baxter play central figures in this epic tale set where towns spring up, black gold rains, greed vies with goodness, and settlers sink roots into a land big enough to hold their dreams.

Steven Spielberg’s THE COLOR PURPLE Returns to Movie Theaters February 23rd – One Day Only

In honor of the film’s 35th anniversary, The Color Purple returns to movie theaters nationwide during Black History Month, its first nationwide release in more than three decades. Prior to and after the film, TCM Primetime host Ben Mankiewicz will provide new commentary and insight into the making and legacy of this unforgettable movie.

The unforgettable characters of Alice Walker’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel brighten the screen in this rhapsodically cinematic adaptation, directed by Steven Spielberg. At the center of the tale is Celie (Whoopi Goldberg, in her Oscar®-nominated movie debut), whose search for fulfillment in a world closed to her becomes a triumph of cruelty overcome by love, of pain eclipsed by joy. Acting and filmmaking honors all came to The Color Purple upon its initial release in 1985, with an outstanding supporting cast including Danny Glover, Margaret Avery and Oprah Winfrey. It is a timeless film that remains a powerful and unforgettable cinematic masterpiece.

Goldberg, Winfrey and Avery each were nominated for an Oscar, among the film’s 11 nominations, which also included Best Picture, Writing (Menno Meyjes, Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium) and Original Score. The Color Purplereceived NAACP Image Awards for Best Picture and Best Actress, and was named Best Film of 1985 by the National Board of Review. 

Presented by Fathom Events, Turner Classic Movies and Warner Bros.

Sunday, February 23, 2020 – 1:00 p.m. and 5:00 p.m. (local time)

Tickets for The Color Purple can be purchased at www.FathomEvents.com or participating theater box offices. Fans throughout the U.S. will be able to enjoy the event in more than 600 select movie theaters through Fathom’s Digital Broadcast Network (DBN). For a complete list of theater locations visit the Fathom Events website (theaters and participants are subject to change).

Jose Larraz’s DEADLY MANOR Available on Blu-ray February 28th From Arrow Video

Jose Larraz’s DEADLY MANOR will be available on Blu-ray February 28th From Arrow Video

An old, dark house… A maniac on the loose… An orgy of bloodlust! All the hallmarks of late master of Spanish macabre José Ramón Larraz (Edge of the Axe, Vampyres) are present and correct in 1990 s Deadly Manor – the final horror movie from one of the genre s most unheralded filmmakers.

Whilst en route to a lake, a group of youngsters make an unscheduled stop-off at a remote, seemingly abandoned mansion where they plan to spend the night. But the property is full of foreboding signs – a blood-stained car wreck in the garden, coffins in the basement, scalps in the closet, and photographs of a beautiful but mysterious woman adorning every corner of the house. Before daybreak, the group will unwittingly uncover the strange and terrifying truth that lurks behind the walls of this dreadful place.

The last in a trio of transcontinental slice-and-dice co-productions helmed by Larraz towards the end of the 80s (all of which which he directed under the anglicized moniker of Joseph Braunstein), Deadly Manor – released on VHS in the US under the title Savage Lust – is a fitting capper to the director s prolific career in fear, now finally unearthed for the first time on Blu-ray.

SPECIAL EDITION CONTENTS

  • Brand new 2K restoration from original film elements
  • High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) presentation
  • Original uncompressed mono audio
  • Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
  • Brand new audio commentary with Kat Ellinger and Samm Deighan
  • Newly-filmed interview with actress Jennifer Delora
  • Making a Killing – a newly-filmed interview with producer Brian Smedley-Aston
  • Extract from an archival interview with Jose Larraz
  • Original Savage Lust VHS trailer
  • Image Gallery
  • Original Script and Shooting Schedule (BD-ROM content)
  • Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Adam Rabalais (TO BE REVEALED)

FIRST PRESSING ONLY: Collector s booklet featuring new writing on the film by author John Martin

3rd Annual Saint Louis Science Fiction & Fantasy Short Film Festival at the Saint Louis Science Center’s OMNIMAX Theater Now Accepting Submissions

Cinema St. Louis (CSL) and the Saint Louis Science Center are excited to announce the third edition of their science-fiction and fantasy short film contest – an opportunity for regional filmmakers to let their imaginations shine. This year’s edition has a Mega Monster Movie focus.

This juried competition will award cash prizes to the top three entries: $500 for Best of Fest and $200 each for Best Sci Fi and Best Fantasy selections. The winning shorts will then be featured at the Science Center’s First Friday program on Friday, May 1, 2020, and will screen in the Science Center’s OMNIMAX® Theater. In addition to the three cash-prize winners, additional works will be chosen to screen throughout the First Friday program. This year’s First Friday theme is Mega Monster Movies. Filmmakers are encouraged to incorporate a mega monster into their films, along the lines of Godzilla, King Kong, or Pacific Rim.

A four-person jury of film professionals (filmmakers, film scholars, film critics) and a scientist will select the finalists, including both the three cash-prize winners and the additional films. Jury members will be announced on CSL’s website.

Cinema St. Louis will then screen the winning film as part of the St. Louis Filmmakers Showcase (SLFS). CSL will also consider other submissions for inclusion in SLFS, held annually each July at Washington University’s Brown Hall.

The cash-prize winners and additional works in the program will be announced on Friday, May 1, 2020, at the Science Center’s First Friday: Mega Monster Movies.

Contest

Rules & Terms

Filmmakers interested in participating must submit shorts that meet the following criteria:

  • Films must be easily categorized as science fiction or fantasy.
  • Run a maximum of five minutes, including credits (no minimum running time).
  • Contain no profane language or offensive imagery; if CSL and the Saint Louis Science Center deem a work inappropriate for viewing by audiences of all ages, it will be eliminated from consideration.
  • Include sound (e.g., dialogue, ambient sound, effects, and/or music).
  • All conceivable approaches – including experimental, narrative, and animated– are acceptable. The shorts can be shot in any film or video format, in either color or black-and-white.
  • Films must have a production date no earlier than 2014.
  • Films with a monster-film theme are encouraged but not required.

In addition, the following conditions apply:

  • Filmmakers must have secured rights to any music, words, or images used in the work.
  • Filmmakers will retain ownership rights to submitted works, but by submitting a short to the competition, a filmmaker grants the Saint Louis Science Center the right to screen the work in its exhibition spaces. Submission of a short does not guarantee its use.
  • Filmmakers must live within a specified geographical location, which includes the states Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Tennessee, and Wisconsin.
  • All films must be submitted using FilmFreeway with a secure online screener link. No entry fee is required. Submission deadline is March 15, 2020.