Kevin Costner Says FIELD OF DREAMS In Dyersville, Iowa “Perfect” – Watch The Highlights From NY Yankees And Chicago White Sox

“The one constant through all the years has been baseball.”

On Thursday evening in Iowa, MLB proved that the game of baseball is truly America’s great past time.

More than three decades after “Field of Dreams” seeped into the country’s cultural consciousness, with a one-year delay caused by the pandemic, one of the most famous cornfields in Hollywood history finally gets the opportunity to host real major league ball.

“Is this heaven?” the ghost of John Kinsella asked in the movie that inspired the game to be played Thursday between the Chicago White Sox and New York Yankees next to the actual site used in the 1989 film, which is maintained as a tourist attraction.

“No, it’s Iowa,” dutiful farmer Ray Kinsella — played by Kevin Costner — responded to his father with a smile before they played catch under the lights in the movie’s most poignant scene.

Source: AP

Fittingly, Costner was here, there and everywhere during the Iowa festivities, including on the field for a pregame ceremony that was everything a fan of this particular movie could have hoped for.

With dramatic music playing over the loudspeaker, Costner, holding a baseball, emerged from the cornfield beyond the outfield. He looked around, soaking in the scene, and then turned back to the outfield, where White Sox and Yankees players, dressed in throwback uniforms and looking so much like the characters in the movie, walked out from the corn fields. Just like the movie.

“Thirty years ago, on the other side of that corn, we filmed a move that stood the test of time,” Costner said to the crowd. “Tonight, thanks to the enduring impact that little movie had, it’s allowed us to come here, again, on a field that Major League Baseball made. We come to see a first place White Sox play the mighty Yankees, in a field that was once corn. It’s perfect.”

Source AP https://www.mlb.com/news/best-moments-from-field-of-dreams-game

Players didn’t compete on the actual field used in the movie but rather one just a corn maze away. 

MLB broke ground in Iowa in 2019 for a game that was originally set for the Chicago White Sox and the Saint Louis Cardinals. The diamond was designed to resemble that of Chicago’s Comiskey Park.

Thursday night, 8,000  fans were in attendance at the makeshift stadium. MLB conducted a public lottery for the opportunity to purchase tickets for those with Iowa zip codes.

This won’t be a one-time visit, either. Commissioner Rob Manfred confirmed that the Field of Dreams game will return in August 2022, with the teams to be determined.

In the end, the White Sox outslugged the Yankees 9-8 in the first Major League Baseball game in Iowa.

“We love numbers in baseball, and here is one to remember: 30,000 — as in, construction crews moved 30,000 cubic yards of material in order to clear the acreage and level the terrain necessary to build the MLB field. You’ll see why on Thursday night, if you notice the upward slope of the cornfields beyond the left-field (corn) wall. The terrain’s natural grade had to be smoothed in order to build an MLB-caliber playing surface.

As your eyes trace the outfield perimeter, you’ll notice a few more unique features. The batter’s eye is a perfect hitting backdrop, in the shape of a country barn with a dark brown hue. The bullpens are situated beyond the wall in straightaway center field, a nod to their location in the original Comiskey Park. And there’s a hand-operated scoreboard in right field, completing the aesthetic that would have been familiar to Shoeless Joe Jackson and the film’s fellow “ghost players.”

For more read here: https://www.mlb.com/news/featured/field-of-dreams-keeps-reality-on-deck

A Field of Dreams Game just wouldn’t be the same without “Field of Dreams” actors, and this event featured two. Fittingly, given how much the father-son theme of the film still resonates today, Ray Kinsella (Costner) and his pops, John (Dwier Brown) were part of the Iowa festivities.

“Hey Dad? You wanna have a catch?” Brown tweeted, while standing on the field.

Field of Dreams is about the Chicago “Black Sox” scandal that plagued baseball and that fascinates Ray Kinsella (Kevin Costner) as he undertakes an extraordinary gamble before setting off on a journey that connects him with three unlikely allies: reclusive author Terence Mann (James Earl Jones), baseball player Archibald “Moonlight” Graham (Burt Lancaster) and “Shoeless Joe” Jackson himself (Ray Liotta). With the support of his wife (Amy Madigan), Ray discovers the importance of long-sought forgiveness in director Phil Alden Robinson’s film, which has become synonymous with baseball.

Michael Keaton, Amy Ryan And Stanley Tucci Star In The Trailer For WORTH – On Netflix September 3

An attorney learns a lesson in empathy when he is faced with the near-impossible task of determining how to compensate families who suffered incalculable losses as a result of the September 11th attacks in 2001.

Watch WORTH, on Netflix September 3: https://www.netflix.com/title/80226212

Following the horrific 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon, Congress appoints attorney and renowned mediator Kenneth Feinberg (Michael Keaton) to lead the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund. Assigned with allocating financial resources to the victims of the tragedy, Feinberg and his firm’s head of operations, Camille Biros (Amy Ryan), face the impossible task of determining the worth of a life to help the families who had suffered incalculable losses. When Feinberg locks horns with Charles Wolf (Stanley Tucci), a community organizer mourning the death of his wife, his initial cynicism turns to compassion as he begins to learn the true human costs of the tragedy.

Based on true events, WORTH is a moving reminder of the power of empathy and the value of human connection. The film is directed by Sara Colangelo, written and produced by Max Borenstein and produced by Marc Butan, Anthony Katagas, Michael Sugar, Bard Dorros, Sean Sorensen, and Michael Keaton.

Tate Donovan, Shunori Ramanathan, Talia Balsam, Laura Benanti, Marc Maron, Ato Blankson-Wood, Chris Tardio, Carolyn Mignini and Victor Slezak also co-star.

WORTH (2021), Michael Keaton as Kenneth Feinberg, Amy Ryan as Camille Biros.
WORTH (2021), Michael Keaton as Kenneth Feinberg
WORTH (2021), Michael Keaton as Kenneth Feinberg and Stanley Tucci as Charles Wolf. Cr Monika Lek / Netflix

Watch The Trailer For Director Denzel Washington’s A JOURNAL FOR JORDAN, Starring Michael B. Jordan and Chanté Adams

Dana Canedy (Chanté Adams) and Charles Monroe King (Michael B. Jordan) in Columbia Pictures’ JOURNAL FOR JORDAN.

Hitting theaters on December 10, 2021 (LA & NY) and December 22, 2021 (Wide) is the upcoming film A JOURNAL FOR JORDAN.

Directed by Denzel Washington and starring Michael B. Jordan with a screenplay by Virgil Williams, A JOURNAL FOR JORDAN is based on the true story of Sergeant Charles Monroe King (Jordan), a soldier deployed to Iraq who begins to keep a journal of love and advice for his infant son. Back at home, senior New York Times editor Dana Canedy (Chanté Adams) revisits the story of her unlikely, life-altering relationship with King and his enduring devotion to her and their child. A sweeping account of a once-in-a-lifetime love, the film is a powerful reminder of the importance of family.

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • “A hauntingly beautiful account of a family fractured by war . . . filled with vivid and heartbreaking details.”—The New York Times Book Review

Check out the book here: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/23531/a-journal-for-jordan-by-dana-canedy-pulitzer-prize-winner-and-senior-editor-for-the-new-york-times/

Director Denzel Washington on the set of Columbia Pictures’ JOURNAL FOR JORDAN.

Dana Canedy is the executive vice president and publisher of Simon & Schuster. Previously, she was the administrator of the Pulitzer Prizes and a senior editor at The New York Times, where she was a journalist for twenty years. In 2001, she was part of a team that won a Pulitzer Prize for national reporting for “How Race Is Lived in America.” Raised near Fort Knox, Kentucky, she lives in New York City with her son, Jordan.

Dana Canedy (Chanté Adams) and Charles Monroe King (Michael B. Jordan) in Columbia Pictures’ JOURNAL FOR JORDAN.

RAGING FIRE – Review

Donnie Yen in RAGING FIRE. Photo courtesy of Well Go USA

RAGING FIRE is a contemporary Hong Kong Chinese martial arts crime flick that’s a perfect vehicle for its two male leads – Donnie Yen and Nicholas Tse. Yen plays the good cop. Tse is his former good-cop buddy, who has become really good at being really bad for reasons we learn along the way. Many of these films are thrown together with a muddled plot that exists only to set up their action sequences. Here we have a shining exception, as main characters and their backstories are fleshed out to fine advantage, making for a production that satisfies the brain as well as fulfilling the desired adrenaline quota.

Yen has nearly 80 acting credits and handful of directing stints, including fight-scene choreography. He comes by his art honestly, as the son of a martial arts master (fun fact – that’s his mom, not his dad), trained from childhood in multiple disciplines. Although I’ve only seen about a fourth of his films, I’m inclined to think that at this stage of his career, Yen may be incapable of cranking out a bad movie. (I specify the present because after writing the previous sentence, I caught one of his flicks from1991, showing he didn’t always have good scripts to choose from.) He’s perhaps best known for starring in the history-based IP MAN series. There, as here, Yen embodies the stoic integrity of a Gary Cooper, with the bonus gift of kicking butt like a Jet Li.

The RAGING FIRE plot involves a cop-killing band of robbers, motivated by both grudges and gains. Yen is in charge of catching them; we learn early that Tse is the ringleader, with his motives unfolding throughout. The tale plays out more coherently than is often the case in Asian cops vs. gangs flicks (actually, the same is true for many Hollywood entries as well), magnifying the emotional impact of its splendidly-staged action sequences, stuffed with all the fights, shootouts, chases and explosions genre fans crave. A couple of Yen’s one-on-ones are particularly exciting and creatively staged.

Late director Benny Chan deserves credit for not only pacing the action flawlessly, but editing and lighting those scenes for clarity of who’s doing what to whom in a way that’s way above the norm from both sides of the Pacific, in what is, lamentably, his final project. Tse is also superb as a more complex villain than usual, with an understandable, almost sympathetic, transition from valued colleague to nemesis. That all adds up to a gem within its genre.

RAGING FIRE, in Cantonese Chinese with English subtitles, opens in theaters August 13 and later streaming on-demand.

RATING: 3.5 out of 4 stars

RESPECT – Review

R_25682_R (l-r.) Hailey Kilgore stars as Carolyn Franklin, Jennifer Hudson as Aretha Franklin and Saycon Sengbloh as Erma Franklin in RESPECT, A Metro Goldwyn Mayer Pictures film Photo credit: Quantrell D. Colbert

As Summer’s season of movie escapism draws to a close, the Fall and Winter awards season gets a bit of an early start as a new film in one of Oscar’s favorite genre “hybrids” is released. On Friday we get a new entry in the “musical biography” line of award ‘”showcases”. Yes, playing a popular singer/performer has proven to be quite a “gold gatherer” for many actors and actresses. Most recently Rami Malek took the big trophy for “channeling” Freddie Mercury in 2018’s BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY and the following year it was Renee Zellweger in the title role of JUDY, as in Ms. Garland. Of course, the years have seen several tune-filled biopics take home the “gold’ from James Cagney’s George M. Cohen, that YANKEE DOODLE DANDY to Jamie Foxx as RAY Charles. So will the Academy face, and embrace, the music as the story of the “Queen of Soul”, Miss Aretha Franklin, is dramatized in RESPECT?

The film of her story begins fairly early. We’re introduced to little “Ree-Ree” (Skye Dakota Turner) at around age five, as her father, Baptist minister C.L. Franklin (Forrest Whitaker” wakes her from bedtime to sing for the adults at an “after church” boozy social.. Of course, she wows the crowd there as she does in front of Daddy’s congregation. But things aren’t harmonious at home as Ree-Ree happily spends weekends away with her mom, Barbara (Audra McDonald), the ex Mrs. Franklin. When tragedy strikes, the tot’s spirit is almost crushed until music rescues her. As a teen, Aretha (Jennifer Hudson) continues to sing at Daddy’s church, but he has bigger plans for her (aside from helping raise funds for her pal MLK). The two travel to New York, where he negotiates a contract with John Hammond (Tate Donovan) at Columbia records. While Aretha struggles to find her voice (Hammond assigns her pop standards and remakes of other singers’ hits), she reconnects with a suave “bad boy” from Detroit, Ted White (Marlon Wayans) who offers to be her new manager. This angers Daddy, but she takes a chance on Ted when Columbia drops her. Luckily he gets her a deal with Jerry Wexler (Marc Maron) at Atlantic Records, who gives her full creative control, though he suggests she travel to Alabama to record a new jazz/blues tune with the talented studio musicians at Muscle Shoals. The collaboration on “I Never Loved a Man” clicks, though Ted’s ego and fiery temper erupt, as he begins abusing his star (and now wife and mother of his son). Thus begins a tumultuous trek to super-stardom as Aretha tries to free herself from the emotional tug-of-war between Ted and the reverend while attempting to drown her inner darkness with booze and live concerts. Will her musical talents grant her peace and serenity?

As you’ve probably guessed from the marketing barrage, this biopic is meant as a showcase for its star, Hudson, in the hopes that it will rocket her back onto the movie “A-list”. It seems that, after winning a much-deserved Oscar in 2009 for DREAMGIRLS, Hollywood has had problems finding the perfect film “fit” for her. Well, after several small roles in some “indies”, and a stint in Broadway’s revival of the musical “The Color Purple”, Hudson has honed her acting skills and commands the screen as she recreates Franklin’s dynamic stage presence. Off-stage, things don’t go quite as smooth or as silky as her rich singing voice. The Franklin character seems to bounce from buoyant to broken with little reason. Hudson handles the big emotions well, but is often overshadowed by the men vying to control “the Queen”. That’s certainly true of the confrontations with the Reverend, played with intensity and passion by Whitaker, who can fill up several big tents with his “semonizin'”. Then there’s her “arch-enemy”, Ted who has a smooth, devilish charm thanks to the surprising Wayans (who was a delight in the recent ON THE ROCKS). We see him as a master of seduction, denying his gifts to Aretha to keep him on her mind. These early bits of affection make his dive into the “dark side” especially disturbing, as Ted displays his violent hair-trigger temper, that kicks in despite his wife’s “tiptoeing on eggshells” around him. Ah, but there is one “good guy’ in this story. That’s Maron as Wexler, whose endearing blunt proclamations jolt life in the often turgid tale. Who wouldn’t want a fellow like that in your corner to cut through the BS? Some of the even smaller roles stand out. McDonald brings warmth and dignity to Ree-Ree’s adored mama. Titus Burgess also scores as the sympathetic and straightforward James Cleveland. And though she’s only got a couple of scenes, Mary J, Blige is in full diva mode as the haughty Dinah Washington who steers Franklin to greatness.

Introducing a new generation to the wonders of Ms. Franklin’s artistry is quite commendable, but you know what that “road to Hell” is paved with? The script seems to roll out every “rags to riches”, “stardom suffering” cliche we’ve seen in so many better musical biographies. Plus they were done superbly in so many efforts. The abusive, controlling spouse was more compelling in WHAT’S LOVE GOT TO DO WITH IT. The “booze battles” and “on stage collapse’ just reminds us of the superior COAL MINER’S DAUGHTER. Perhaps they’re so glaring is because they seem rushed. Even at nearly 145 minutes, the life and career of the Queen, only taking us to 1972 (she passed in 2018), feels like a quick highlight “reel”. A TV miniseries might have been better suited, though the one from last year on cable with Cynthia Erivo had its fumbles. I had seen the first couple of hours and was surprised how the big-time feature movie sugar-coated much of the story, Ted’s shady former business is hinted at here, while the TV version had him in full “love-broker” (from the 1982 classic NIGHT SHIFT) mode (it’s teased with some bloody crumbled currency). And usually, I decry the overuse of smoking, int his film we merely see Hudson holding a cigarette, while the real Aretha had to later fight lung cancer. I will say that the recreation of the era’s fashions is done well, though we never see Hudson in some of Franklin’s more, “out there” outfits (during the end credit montage we see when she went blonde). I did find Ted’s ill-fitting fedoras a bit much. And the film does start to spark in a couple of scenes that try to illustrate the “creative process”. The first is with Muscle Shoals, and later we see Franklin and her two sisters working out the title tune in the pre-dawn hours (much to Ted’s annoyance). But soon we rushed through more life and career milestones, though new children seem to pop up after a record album montage that denotes time passage, almost as an afterthought. The songs (many are just presented as “snippets” and segments) are compelling, but the pedestrian direction from TV vet Liesl Tommy never injects that energy into the often overwrought (Aretha verbally blasts everyone in sight, family and staff, during some downtime at home) life story. Aretha Franklin will forever deserve our admiration and RESPECT. This film, well not so much. You’re better off downloading a greatest hits compilation,

2 Out of 4

RESPECT opens in theatres everywhere on 8/13/2021

First Look At FINCH, Starring Tom Hanks – Premieres On AppleTV+ On November 5

Apple Original Films announced today that the highly anticipated film “Finch” will debut on Apple TV+ on Friday, November 5. “Finch” stars Tom Hanks and Screen Actors Guild Award winner Caleb Landry Jones (“Get Out,”“Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri”), who recently won best actor at the 2021 Cannes Film Festival.

Hanks’ follow up to the blockbuster Apple Original Film “Greyhound” comes from cutting-edge filmmaker Miguel Sapochnik (“Game of Thrones,” “True Detective”), with an original screenplay by Craig Luck, making his feature-film writing debut, and Ivor Powell (associate producer of “Blade Runner” and “Alien”).

The film is produced by Kevin Misher (“Coming 2 America,” “Fighting With My Family”), Jack Rapke (“Cast Away,” “Flight”), Jacqueline Levine (“Witches,” “Allied”), and Ivor Powell. The executive producers are Academy Award winner Robert Zemeckis, Luck, Sapochnik, Andy Berman, Adam Merims and Jeb Brody. Apple Original Films’ “Finch” is an Amblin Entertainment and Reliance Entertainment presentation, in association with Walden Media. “Finch” is an Imagemovers and Misher Films production.

In “Finch,” a man, a robot and a dog form an unlikely family in a powerful and moving adventure of one man’s quest to ensure that his beloved canine companion will be cared for after he’s gone. Hanks stars as Finch, a robotics engineer and one of the few survivors of a cataclysmic solar event that has left the world a wasteland. But Finch, who has been living in an underground bunker for a decade, has built a world of his own that he shares with his dog, Goodyear. He creates a robot, played by Jones, to watch over Goodyear when he no longer can. As the trio embarks on a perilous journey into a desolate American West, Finch strives to show his creation, who names himself Jeff, the joy and wonder of what it means to be alive. Their road trip is paved with both challenges and humor, as it’s as difficult for Finch to goad Jeff and Goodyear to get along as it is for him to manage the dangers of the new world.

Momentum around Apple Original Films continues to build with the upcoming premiere of history-making “CODA,” the first film to win all top prizes at Sundance Film Festival; “Emancipation” from director Antoine Fuqua and starring and produced by Academy Award nominee Will Smith; Martin Scorsese’s “Killers of the Flower Moon,” starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Robert De Niro; the Mahershala Ali and Naomie Harris’-starred “Swan Song”; Joel Coen’s “The Tragedy of Macbeth,” starring Denzel Washington and Frances McDormand, in partnership with A24; “Sharper,” from A24, Brian Gatewood and Alessandro Tanaka, starring and produced by Academy Award winner Julianne Moore; upcoming YA adaptation “The Sky is Everywhere,” directed by Josephine Decker and starring Grace Kaufman, Cherry Jones and Jason Segel, and more. Apple’s also has feature deals with A24, Imagine Entertainment, Skydance Animation and Adam McKay’s Hyperobject Industries.

FREE GUY – Review

Jodie Comer as Molotov Girl and Ryan Reynolds as Guy in 20th Century Studios’ FREE GUY. Photo by Alan Markfield. © 2020 Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation. All Rights Reserved.

The Summer season is “fun and games” time at the local multiplex. Oh, but you’re thinking, “Isn’t it always”. Well, sure many still have big arcade areas around their entrances. Yes, but we’re talking about the content on the individual screens. And, after a year trying to entertain ourselves at home, the reopening (hopefully) studio flicks are reflecting much of that “home content”. As usual (in the “fun” category) we’re seeing the comic book-based blockbusters with recent entries THE SUICIDE SQUAD and BLACK WIDOW from several weeks ago (but still on the entertainment page). and a big flick was actually based on a toy, as the action figure SNAKE EYES emerged from the decades-long GI Joe toy franchise. As for the games, we’ve not seen many based on the board ones like CLUE (hurrah) or BATTLESHIP (shudder), although there’s been a “reboot” on the iconic video game MORTAL KOMBAT. This weekend’s new film is certainly inspired by that world, though it goes beyond the action/battle genre to encompass broad slapstick comedy, fantasy, and (really) romantic comedy. And it’s all part of the odyssey of an ordinary FREE GUY..

The title Guy (Ryan Reynolds), often referred to as “Blue Shirt Guy”, is an ordinary fellow living a routine life as a resident of “Free City”. Every morning he wakes up at the same exact time, eats the same breakfast, grabs the same “chain coffee store” pick-me-up, as he dodges all matter of street mayhem (shoot-outs, car-chasers, copter crashes) on the way to his bank teller job. Luckily he has a work BFF, aptly nicknamed Buddy (Lil Rel Howery). who’s an ineffectual security guard. During the daily armed hold-up, the two make weekend plans. But then something, no someone, breaks Guy’s routine, He is perplexed by a mysterious and beautiful woman, who is later called “Molotov Girl” (Jodie Comer). She tells Guy that a pair of sunglasses worn by the criminals will literally open his eyes. Wearing a pair, Guy sees floating signs and icons, along with messengers and secret pathways. Yes, it’s all part of a subscriber-driven online “first-person” video game called, of course, “Free City”, and in the “non-virtual” world, MG is controlled by disgruntled game-designer Millie (Comer too) who wants to wreck the company, Soonami, who stole her work. A big part of her plan involves making Guy, who is known as an NPC (Non-Player Character) more active and a force for good. At the big tech company that owns FC, two of the techs, “Mouser” (Utkarsh Ambudkar) and “Keys” (Joe Kerry), who was Millie’s old design partner and pal, try to go into FC and stop Guy. They fail as Guy soon begins a relationship, a romantic one, with MG/Millie. All this havoc is impacting sales of the upcoming “upgrade of FC, so Soonami’s founder/CEO, the arrogant Antoine (Taiki Waitiki) instructs his staff to “scrub and reboot” FC before the “launch” in 48 or so hours. Can Millie find a way to thwart him, as she aids Guy in the fight to save his world, and himself?

Although he’s been keeping quite busy before the cameras, this is a side of Reynolds we’ve rarely gotten to see. Much of his recent work has been as the manic, often surly, motor-mouthed wiseguy delivering under-his-breath “burns” amidst the surrounding carnage, seen just a few weeks ago in THE HITMAN’S WIFE’S BODYGUARD, and as the star of the wildly popular DEADPOOL franchise (“the merc with the mouth”). But as Guy we get to see him as wide-eyed optimist, gleeful spewing positive greetings (“Don’t have a good day…have a great day!!”) even as others roll their eyes. He’s truly endearing in his over-the-top enthusiasm, and, dare I say, kinds’…sweet. His sincere charms make his Guy a true, well, “dream-guy”. MG and Millie barely stand a chance. Comer, mainly known for the cult TV hit “Killing Eve” achieves film stardom. showing us her versatility with her sexy swagger as MG (something of a mix of Lara Croft and GI Joe’s Duchess) and her avenging geek angel Millie, whose world is “rocked’ by Guy. She’s also got great chemistry with Keery, also a cult TV vet on “Stranger Things”, who is given a “wake call” from her that adjusts his value system and rekindles a spark with his tech partner and pal. Speaking of pals, Howery is a hoot as Buddy, a softer riff on his previous “sidekick” role in GET OUT, who wants to support Guy, but can’t make himself go against his “programming” ( a scene of him “wavering” over joining Guy is full of pathos). And in the villain role, the Oscar-winning Waititi is a bombastic goofball as he struts about his skyscraper/castle, issuing threats while trying to look “too cool” for this business “jazz”. Even as he executes several terrific bits of slapstick (his attempt to leap upright from a prone position is priceless), he’s still a big obstacle for the heroes in and outside the game.

Director Shawn Levy, following up on his hit NIGHT AT THE MUSEUM trilogy, proves again that he’s a master of mixing witty comedy with state-of-the-art CGI effects. His Free City is a magical marvel as it mocks gaming cliches and big noisy action blockbusters. Everything there, at least during the day, is bright, crisp, and shiny while the world of Millie and her cohorts can be grimy and messy, especially morally. Happily, Levy doesn’t neglect the humanity of this modern fable, thanks in large part to the clever, cutting screenplay from Matt Lieberman and Zak Penn. They’ve blended the zippy fun of the gaming world we’ve previously seen in READY PLAYER ONE (which Penn worked on), the WRECK-IT-RALPH series, even the TRON flicks, with the moral questing of DEMON SEED (a tiny bit), A-I ARTIFICAL INTELLIGENCE and especially HER to create a high-tech “rom-com”. Yes, as with most modern comedies, there’s a bit of a “lull” after about an hour, and some virtual gags get overused (another collapsing bridge), but the finale is a big bouncy pop culture celebration, with iconic imagery and a treasure trove of unexpected cameos (I’m not a-spoilin’). And a reminder to back away from the “screen” and engage in the world is always a needed lesson. But that’s after enjoying the big screen (the visuals are so rich that a theater viewing is needed if possible) adventures of a truly FREE GUY. Game on!

3 Out of 4

FREE GUY opens in theatres everywhere on 8/13/2021

THE HITMAN’S WIFE’S BODYGUARD Arrives on 4K Ultra HD Combo Pack, Blu-ray Combo Pack, DVD, and On Demand August 17th

Join the Mayhem on 4K Ultra HD Combo Pack, Blu-ray Combo Pack, DVD,  & On Demand August 17th from Lionsgate

 After hitting theaters as the #1 movie in America, The Hitman’s Wife’s Bodyguard – the highly anticipated sequel to the blockbuster film The Hitman’s Bodyguard – arrives on Digital July 23 and on 4K Ultra HD Combo Pack (plus Blu-ray and Digital), Blu-ray Combo Pack (plus DVD and Digital), DVD, and On Demand August 17 from Lionsgate. The Hitman’s Wife’s Bodyguard stars Ryan Reynolds (Deadpool franchise, The Hitman’s Bodyguard), Academy Award®, Golden Globe®, and Primetime Emmy® Award nominee Samuel L. Jackson (Academy Award®: 1994, Actor in a Supporting Role, Pulp Fiction; Golden Globe®: 1998, Best Actor – Motion Picture – Musical/Comedy, Jackie Brown; Primetime Emmy® Award: 2009, Outstanding Animated Program, “Afro Samurai: Resurrection”), Academy Award® nominee Salma Hayek (2002, Actress in a Leading Role, Frida), with Academy Award® nominee  Antonio Banderas (The Skin I Live In, The Mask of Zorro), and Academy Award® winner  Morgan Freeman (Academy Award®: 2005, Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture – Million Dollar Baby; Se7en, Driving Miss Daisy, Now You See Me franchise).


The world’s most lethal odd couple – bodyguard Michael Bryce (Ryan Reynolds) and hit man Darius Kincaid (Samuel L. Jackson) – are back. Still unlicensed, Bryce is forced into action by Darius’s wife, the infamous international con artist Sonia Kincaid (Salma Hayek). As Bryce is driven over the edge by the volatile spouses, the trio get in over their heads in a global plot and soon find that they are all that stand between Europe and a vengeful and powerful madman (Antonio Banderas). Joining in the fun and deadly mayhem is Morgan Freeman as…well, you’ll have to see.


The 4K Ultra HD Combo Pack, Blu-ray Combo Pack, and DVD of TheHitman’s Wife’s Bodyguard will be available for the suggested retail price of $42.99, $39.99, and $29.96, respectively.


4K ULTRA HD / BLU-RAY / DVD / DIGITAL SPECIAL FEATURE

  • “Ryan, Sam, Salma: One F’d Up Family” Featurette
  • “Gone Soft: The New Michael Bryce” Featurette
  • “Hitman’s Wife’s Bodyguard: #stuntlife” Featurette
  • “On the Set of Hitman’s Wife’s Bodyguard” Featurette
  • Gag Reel
  • Theatrical Trailers

CAST
Ryan Reynolds                         Deadpool franchise, The Hitman’s Bodyguard
Samuel L. Jackson                    The Avengers franchise, Pulp Fiction, Star Wars
Salma Hayek                            Frida, Savages, The Hitman’s Bodyguard
with Antonio Banderas             The Skin I Live In, The Mask of Zorro
and Morgan Freeman               Se7en, Driving Miss Daisy, Now You See Me franchise

Win Passes To The St. Louis Advance Screening Of Nia DaCosta’s CANDYMAN – In Theaters August 27

DARE TO SAY IT.  CANDYMAN.  CANDYMAN.  CANDYMAN.  CANDYMAN…

Oscar® winner Jordan Peele unleashes a fresh take on the blood-chilling urban legend: Candyman. Filmmaker Nia DaCosta (Little Woods, next year’s The Marvels) directs this contemporary incarnation of the cult classic.  

For as long as residents can remember, the housing projects of Chicago’s Cabrini-Green neighborhood were terrorized by a word-of-mouth ghost story about a supernatural killer with a hook for a hand, easily summoned by those daring to repeat his name five times into a mirror. In present day, a decade after the last of the Cabrini towers were torn down, visual artist Anthony McCoy (Emmy winner Yahya Abdul-Mateen II; The Trial of the Chicago 7, Us) and his partner, gallery director Brianna Cartwright (Teyonah Parris; If Beale Street Could Talk, WandaVision), move into a luxury loft condo in Cabrini, now gentrified beyond recognition and inhabited by upwardly mobile millennials.

With Anthony’s painting career on the brink of stalling, a chance encounter with a Cabrini-Green old-timer (Colman Domingo; Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, If Beale Street Could Talk) exposes Anthony to the tragically horrific nature of the true story behind Candyman. Anxious to maintain his status in the Chicago art world, Anthony begins to explore these macabre details in his studio as fresh grist for paintings, unknowingly opening a door to a complex past that unravels his own sanity and unleashes a terrifying wave of violence that puts him on a collision course with destiny.

Universal Pictures presents, from Metro Goldwyn Mayer Pictures and Jordan Peele and Win Rosenfeld’s Monkeypaw Productions, in association with BRON Creative, Candyman. Candyman is directed by DaCosta, and is produced by Ian Cooper (Us), Rosenfeld and Peele. The screenplay is by Peele & Rosenfeld and DaCosta. The film’s executive producers are David Kern, Aaron L. Gilbert and Jason Cloth.

The film’s director of photography is JOHN GULESERIAN (Love, Simon), its production designer is CARA BROWER (2022’s The Marvels) and it is edited by CATRIN HEDSTRÖM (Little Woods). Candyman’s music is by ROBERT AIKI AUBREY LOWE (musical collaborator, It Comes at Night) and its costume designer is LIZZIE COOK (Showtime’s The Chi).

The film’s director of photography is JOHN GULESERIAN (Love, Simon), its production designer is CARA BROWER (2022’s The Marvels) and it is edited by CATRIN HEDSTRÖM (Little Woods). Candyman’s music is by ROBERT AIKI AUBREY LOWE (musical collaborator, It Comes at Night) and its costume designer is LIZZIE COOK (Showtime’s The Chi).

https://www.candymanmovie.com/

WAMG has passes for 10 winners to the St. Louis advance screening. Click on the link to enter for a chance to win 2 seats.

http://gofobo.com/URSRv89579

Screening: Tuesday, August 24

Time: 7pm

Winners will be notified via email on August 20th at Midnight.

No purchase necessary.

CANDYMAN.  AUGUST 27TH ONLY IN THEATERS AND RATED R

Candyman, in silhouette, in Candyman, directed by Nia DaCosta.

Alfred Hitchcock’s DIAL M FOR MURDER Screening at The Wildey Theater in Edwardsville August 17th

“People don’t commit murder on credit.”

Alfred Hitchcock’s DIAL M FOR MURDER (1954) starring Grace Kelly and Ray Milland is one of the most suspenseful films of the 1950’s . Those thrills will be on the big screen when it plays at The Wildey Theater in Edwardsville, IL (252 N Main St, Edwardsville, IL 62025) at 7:00pm Tuesday August 17th. $3  Tickets available starting at 3pm day of movie at Wildey Theatre ticket office.  Cash or check only. (cash, credit cards accepted for concessions)  Lobby opens at 6pm.

In London, wealthy Margot Mary Wendice had a brief love affair with the American writer Mark Halliday while her husband and professional tennis player Tony Wendice was on a tennis tour. Tony quits playing to dedicate to his wife and finds a regular job. She decides to give him a second chance for their marriage. When Mark arrives from America to visit the couple, Margot tells him that she had destroyed all his letters but one that was stolen. Subsequently she was blackmailed, but she had never retrieved the stolen letter. Tony arrives home, claims that he needs to work and asks Margot to go with Mark to the theater. Meanwhile Tony calls Captain Lesgate (aka Charles Alexander Swann who studied with him at college) and blackmails him to murder his wife, so that he can inherit her fortune. But there is no perfect crime, and things do not work as planned.

Check out this great classic trailer: