We Are Movie Geeks

A QUIET PLACE PART TWO New Trailer And Featurette – Fan Event Thursday, May 27th, To Feature Live Q&A With Director John Krasinski

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.

Hitting theatres on May 28, check out the brand new and final trailer and featurette from Paramount Pictures. Get ready for director John Krasinki’s long awaited sequel.

Paramount Pictures and Cinemark Theatres today announced an Opening Night Fan Event to celebrate the debut of Paramount’s feature film “A Quiet Place Part II”, the sequel to the 2018 smash hit “A Quiet Place”.

The event is to take place at Cinemark Playa Vista and XD on Thursday, May 27th, and will feature a live Q&A with director John Krasinski. This event comes as part of the film’s opening week Welcome Back to Cinema fanfare, in advance of the movie’s nationwide opening on Friday, May 28th. Tickets to “A Quiet Place Part II” go on sale today, Thursday, May 6th.

This paid screening event will air at 5:00PM PT, 6:00PM MT, 7:00PM CT, and 8:00PM ET at Cinemark locations and other participating movie theatres nationally. Tickets will be available at the standard ticket price, and moviegoers can get event theatre listings and tickets at www.aquietplacemovie.com. Tickets will also be on sale at www.cinemark.com and on the Cinemark mobile app, as well as at all participating theatres.

The event will include a special pre-taped intro from the film’s star, Emily Blunt, as well as a live Q&A with John Krasinski which will be broadcast live to over 500+ theatres nationwide.

Emily Blunt, left, and John Krasinski on the set of Paramount Pictures’ “A Quiet Place Part II.”

Says Paramount Pictures’ President of Domestic Distribution Chris Aronson, “The wait is over. We are excited to share this very special, one-of-a-kind film with audiences. Like the first movie, ‘A Quiet Place Part II’ delivers another truly immersive, unforgettable cinematic experience. We are equally thrilled to team up with John to welcome moviegoers back into theatres with this unique fan event in collaboration with our partners at Cinemark.”

Says Cinemark CEO Mark Zoradi, “Cinemark is all about providing unforgettable entertainment experiences to moviegoers, and we are so excited collaborate with Paramount on bringing this unique movie theatre moment to fans across the U.S. Audiences have been waiting to see ‘A Quiet Place Part II’, and we can think of no better way to welcome film lovers back to the immersive, cinematic experience and what is sure to be a robust blockbuster summer.”

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

SIXTEEN CANDLES Double Feature With THE BREAKFAST CLUB Showing at The Starlite Drive-in in Cadet, MO This Weekend

“That’s why they call them crushes. If they were easy, they’d call ’em something else.”

St. Louis-area John Hughes fans! The Starlite Drive-in (15605 N. State Highway 21, Cadet, MO 63630) will be showing SIXTEEN CANDLES Double Feature With THE BREAKFAST CLUB. It’s this weekend, May 7-9, and the show starts at 8:30. The Starlite’s other screen will be showing THE WRATH OF MAN and MORTAL COMBAT. It’s always best to order tickets in advance! The Starlite’s site can be found HERE.

THE PARALLAX VIEW Soundtrack by Michael Small Coming May 7th

THE PARALLAX VIEW SOUNDTRACK by MICHAEL SMALL will be available Coming Friday May 7th from Cinema Paradiso Recordings on limited edition color vinyl and deluxe bundles.

“Michael Small’s score raises the spectre of all that is hidden in American history, and superimposes them in a collage that reveals itself to be the unseen hands that shape it.” – Jim O’Rourke

Cinema Paradiso Recordings is proud to announce the release of the soundtrack to the motion picture ‘The Parallax View’, on vinyl for the first time ever, this coming May 7th 2021. Based on the book by Loren Singer, The Parallax View is directed and produced by Alan J Pakula as the second installment of his Political Paranoia trilogy – alongside Klute (1971) and All the President’s Men (1976). With cinematography by Gordon Willis (The Godfather trilogy, Annie Hall) and starring Warren Beatty, this political thriller from 1974 is perhaps even more relevant today than it was back then. The legendary score by composer Michael Small is regarded as a benchmark in the sound of paranoia thrillers that dominated cinema in the 1970s, with revered film critic Pauline Kael hailing the film as essential for all fans of the genre. Now, 47 years later, the soundtrack newly remastered by Bob Weston, will finally be available to own on vinyl. The single LP, deluxe gatefold limited edition in coloured vinyl includes liner notes with two essays by Scott Bettencourt and Alexander Kaplan (of Film Score Monthly), which provide a fascinating insight into the making of the film and an analysis of the score. The CPR edition of The Parallax View soundtrack includes for the first time the infamous brainwashing scene, an influence on countless films and TV shows over the years. Notably, most recently with the Watchmen series and shows Mr Robot and Homecoming even using the music from the film. To be able to include the dialogue of the brainwashing scene – the disembodied voice from Warren Beatty’s “Parallax Test” – was fundamental to the label’s decision to release the soundtrack on vinyl. In order to include the segment, they needed authorization from Paramount and the original voice actor. With permission granted from Paramount, they scoured the film credits but gained no insight into whom the mysterious voice belonged. Researching every other name on the credits hoping to find a contact that might know who the actor was, they settled on Jon Boorstin (Alan Pakula’s assistant on The Parallax View) who they duly contacted. Jon replied immediately saying, “…And yes, I know who that actor is, who welcomes Warren so mellifluously. It was Alan Pakula. He did a temp track, and we got used to it, and never replaced it.“ Thanks to this never-before-revealed information, they were put in touch with Hannah Pakula – Alan’s widow – and obtained permission to use the dialogue which can be heard before the Parallax Test at the start of side B.

Boorstin states, “The Parallax View embodies a particularly paranoid moment for America, when assassination wounds were still fresh and the President’s bungling burglars were running him out of the White House. Michael Small’s music beautifully captures our hope, our dread, and our nostalgia for truer values. In the Parallax Test sequence, he brilliantly seduces the assassin in all of us. Watching this today, wrapped in Michael’s music, what was once wild fantasy feels at least as credible as the pronouncements of our Kool-Aid drinking Congressmen.”

he Parallax View Soundtrack will be available in limited edition red, blue or white vinyl of just 500 each. There is also a super limited edition white vinyl Abraham Lincoln ‘card stunt’ sleeve version. Limited to just 200 copies world wide, each copy comes with a removable Abraham Lincoln sticker placed over the “card stunt” depiction on the original cover. The label is also partnering with Criterion, who released the Blu-ray in North America in February, by offering a bundle to US customers of the Blu-Ray plus the limited edition Abraham Lincoln cover vinyl LP for $73 (US only). Finally, there will be 5 extra-super limited edition packages available which includes the Abraham Lincoln cover with white vinyl, a Criterion Blu-ray, and a First Edition copy of The Parallax View book by Loren Singer. One of these packages will be given away on Cinema Paradiso’s Instagram (click for details). Formats Available:

Red or blue vinyl, each limited to 500 copies – available in record stores
Special Ltd Edition Abraham Lincoln with white vinyl (RoW) : £33.99 / $48
Special Ltd Edition Abraham Lincoln with white vinyl + Criterion Blu-Ray (US only) : $79
Special Ltd Edition Abraham Lincoln with white vinyl + Criterion Blu-Ray + Book : $140

Special editions and the white vinyl only available at www.cinemaparadisorecordings.com

Anthony Hopkins Won His Second Best Actor Oscar for THE FATHER – Available to Own on Blu-ray May 18th

NOMINATED FOR SIX ACADEMY AWARDS – WINNER OF ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE (ANTHONY HOPKINS)
AND WRITING (ADAPTED SCREENPLAY) – Available on Digital today and to Own on Blu-ray May 18th

A man (Anthony Hopkins) refuses all assistance from his daughter (Olivia Colman) as he ages. As he tries to make sense of his changing circumstances, he begins to doubt his loved ones, his own mind and even the fabric of his reality.

BLU-RAY, DVD AND DIGITAL BONUS MATERIALS

Deleted Scenes
Homecoming: Making THE FATHER
Perception Check: Portrait of THE FATHER

CAST AND CREW
Directed By: Florian Zeller
Screenplay By: Christopher Hampton and Florian Zeller
Based on the Play “The Father” By: Florian Zeller
Producers: Christophe Spadone, Simon Friend, David Parfitt, Jean-Louis Livi, Philippe Carcassonne
Executive Producers: Héloïse Spadone, Alessandro Mauceri, Lauren Dark, Ollie Madden, Daniel Battsek, Tim Haslam, Hugo Grumbar, Paul Grindey
Cast: Anthony Hopkins, Olivia Colman, Mark Gatiss, Imogen Poots, Rufus Sewell, Olivia Williams

DISNEY PLUS Celebrates MAY THE 4TH With “STAR WARS: THE BAD BATCH” Series Premiere

On May the 4th, otherwise known as Star Wars Day, Disney+ will release a brand-new original Star Wars series, “Star Wars: The Bad Batch;” a first-of-its-kind Star Wars-themed short from “The Simpsons;” and multiple themed cinematic experiences in celebration of a galaxy far, far away.

As a special treat for fans, Disney+ will debut “Maggie Simpson in ‘The Force Awakens From Its Nap,’” a new Star Wars-inspired short, bringing characters from the Star Wars galaxy to the fictional town of Springfield. The new promotional short is the first of several from “The Simpsons” that Disney+ will release throughout the year paying tribute to the service’s marquee brands and titles.

Additionally, to celebrate the creativity and artistry of the Star Wars community, Lucasfilm and Disney+ have commissioned original artwork to take over the service for several days – a first for the platform. A global group of artists and Star Wars fans have created illustrations representing an assortment of Star Wars movies and original series, bringing them to life in their own unique styles. The artwork will be featured on the service until May 9 and will also be available for purchase through Amazon.

The new series, short, and artwork will be available on Disney+ in the U.S. beginning May 4, 2021 at 12:00am PT.

Premiering May 4, 2021 at 12:00am PT

“Star Wars: The Bad Batch”

The series follows the elite and experimental clones of the Bad Batch (first introduced in “The Clone Wars”) as they find their way in a rapidly changing galaxy in the immediate aftermath of the Clone War. Members of Bad Batch – a unique squad of clones who vary genetically from their brothers in the Clone Army — each possess a singular exceptional skill which makes them extraordinarily effective soldiers and a formidable crew. In the post-Clone War era, they will take on daring mercenary missions as they struggle to stay afloat and find new purpose.

“Maggie Simpson in ‘The Force Awakens From Its Nap’”

In a daycare far, far away… but still in Springfield, Maggie is on an epic quest for her stolen pacifier. Her adventure brings her face-to-face with young Padawans, Sith Lords, familiar droids, Rebel scum, and an ultimate battle against the dark side, in this original short celebrating the Star Wars galaxy.

“Star Wars Biomes”

Take a virtual vacation to some of the Star Wars films’ most iconic and beloved locations like Hoth, Tatooine, and Sorgan as this charming series whisks you off for fly-over tours of a galaxy far, far away.

“Star Wars Vehicle Flythroughs”

Get up-close-and-personal with two of the Star Wars films’ most iconic and beloved ships as this charming content leads viewers on an exploration of the memorable interiors and exteriors of the Millennium Falcon and an Imperial Star Destroyer.

H.P. Lovecraft’s THE DEEP ONES Arrives on DVD and Digital June 15th

The bizarre world of H.P. Lovecraft comes to life by combining monster movie thrills with dark body horror!

In the wicked vein of Brian Yuzna’s Society and the horror classic Rosemary’s Baby, Chad Ferrin’s The Deep Ones ably explores the murky depths of fellowship and motherhood through the crimson lens of H.P. Lovecraft’s Cthulhu mythos. Winner of Best Film, Best Director, Best Actor, and Best FX – Anatomy Crime & Horror International Film Festival, and winner of Best Film – Arizona Underground Film Festival, H.P. Lovecraft’s The Deep Ones will be available on DVD, Digital, On Demand, and available to rent at Redbox Kiosks June 15.

A married couple rents a beachside cottage only to be surrounded by peculiar neighbors and strange occurrences. They soon discover themselves in the grips of a mysterious cult and their ancient sea god.

Winner of Best Film, Best Director, Best Actor, and Best FX – Anatomy Crime & Horror International Film Festival, and winner of Best Film – Arizona Underground Film Festival, H.P. Lovecraft’s The Deep Ones is written and directed by Chad Ferrin (Parasites, Someone’s Knocking at the Door) and stars Gina La Piana (Stay With Me, Ali G Indahouse, Our Bnb Life), Johann Urb (“Arrow,” Resident Evil: Retribution, “Californication”), Robert Miano (Fast & Furious, Donnie Brasco, Get Done), and Jackie Debatin (“The Office,” “Kroll Show,” “According to Jim”).

H.P. Lovecraft’s The Deep Ones is distributed by 123 Go Films and Distribution Solutions, a division of Alliance Entertainment.

AMERICAN GRAFFITI at The Sky View Drive-in in Litchfield, IL May 9th – Mother’s Day CRUISE-IN!

“Peel out, I just love it when guys peel out!”

AMERICAN GRAFFITI screens Sunday Night May 9th at the Sky View Drive-in in Lichtfield, Il. (1500 Historic Old Route 66) ARRIVE EARLY for a MOTHER’S DAY Cruise In, co-sponsored by Gearhead Invasion. Gates open at 5:00 pm. AMERICAN GRAFFITI starts at 8:05. This is part of the Sky View’s ‘Throwback Sundays’. The second Sunday of the month, they screen a classic movie. Drivers of Pre 1979 cars get one free entry! Admission is only $7 (free for kids under 5). The Sky View’s site can be found HERE.

You can have all the STAR WARS movies, Episodes One through whatever – I’ll trade them all straight up for AMERICAN GRAFFITI and consider myself as having got the best end of the deal.. AMERICAN GRAFFITI (1973) was only George Lucas’ second major film as a director (though he was already plenty experienced at filmmaking) and it is an extraordinary movie that has aged wonderfully. AMERICAN GRAFFITI chronicles one long night in the lives of some recent high school graduates in a north California in 1962. But it’s not just a look at the teenage ritual of cruising. By the time the next day is dawning, the main characters have all learned lessons about life and themselves and glimpsed the directions their futures will go in.

A group of talented young actors form the core of the large cast in this film. Ronny Howard, as he’s billed here, pulls off the formidable task of turning in a performance that makes one forget about his past as a well-known child actor from a popular TV show. He plays Steve, an All-American boy eager to enter the new world of college, which means leaving home. He talks with his girlfriend Laurie (Cindy Williams) about how their relationship might change now that they’re both soon to be worldly adults. Perhaps they should consider seeing other people. Fighting ensues between the two, causing Laurie to at least temporarily abandon him for another cruiser, one in whom she has no interest whatsoever.

Steve’s good friend Curt likes to have a good time too, but he’s also a sensitive budding writer. His great ambition is to shake JFK’s hand. But he’s having his doubts this evening about going away to college, something Steve can hardly believe he’s hearing. He spends the night getting mixed up with a local gang and chasing a fantasy woman he sees at a stoplight. Another friend, Terry (or “Toad”), played by Charlie Martin Smith, is in heaven this evening. This Vespa-driving, awkward bumbler is to be entrusted with Steve’s fine automobile while he’s away. In it he picks up a fast girl with a bit of a reputation who under normal circumstances he’d never have a chance with. The group is rounded out by Big John Milner (Paul Le Mat), king of the cruisers who can outrun all challengers in his rod. But this local legend is once again going to be left behind by another group of high-school grads while he cruises the same strip.

There are also several other fine supporting performances, led by a young Mackenzie Phillips as a 13-year old who gets pawned off on Big John. Bo Hopkins also shines as the leader of the small-time local gang, the Pharaohs. Also seen here are Harrison Ford and Kathy (Kathleen) Quinlan in their pre-star days. In addition, Suzanne Somers, “the girl in the white T-Bird,” has one of the most effective cameo roles in Hollywood history.

All the actors mentioned are good ones, but they all benefit from Lucas’ guidance. The film is enlivened by a knowledgeable choice of period rock & roll which serves as a pervasive but unobtrusive backdrop for the action. The conclusion wraps things up beautifully as we get a taste of what will happen to these characters we’ve come to care so much about in this short time. George Lucas may have made films with more flash and more popular appeal, but none has more heart and soul than AMERICAN GRAFFITI, a true classic of American cinema. Movie lovers will get a chance to experience AMERICAN GRAFFITI CAUSE in all of its big screen glory when it plays May 9th at The Sky View

TOM CLANCY’S WITHOUT REMORSE – Review

*Michael B. Jordan stars in WITHOUT REMORSE Photo: Nadja Klier © 2020 Paramount Pictures*

TOM CLANCY’S WITHOUT REMORSE is an action film origin tale for John Clark, who Tom Clancy fans will recognize as one of the characters in the best-selling author’s Jack Ryan universe. Our hero John Kelly (Michael B. Jordan) is a Navy SEAL whose team is betrayed on its opening rescue mission, costing one life under much heavier fire than the CIA led them to expect. At home three months later, two members of his unit are murdered; then the attempt at getting him leads to losing his pregnant wife. Who’s behind all of this? What are the hidden agendas? Can Jordan get the answers and avenge these losses?

No matter how many times one sees action movies with this premise, whether in contemporary spy and crime fare; vintage Asian martial arts, or Spaghetti (and domestic) Westerns, viewers can generally find satisfying entertainment, and even catharsis, if the characters are strong and the action is sufficiently visceral. In many cases, as is true here, the other piece is for the plot to be arcane enough to be unsure just who the villains actually are. All three boxes are adequately checked in a brisk production, that is just confusing enough for the right amount of suspense.

So there is nothing new to be found in this one. TOM CLANCY’S WITHOUT REMORSE is just a solid entry into the genre, like dozens of others, that can be perfect for anyone craving this sort of cinematic snack. With all the problems and upheavals of the past few years, this is a timely bit of escapism that may nourish the frustrated spirit.

TOM CLANCY’S WITHOUT REMORSE opens streaming only on Friday, April 30, exclusively on Amazon Prime Video,

LIMBO – Review

*Vikash Bhai (left) stars as “Farhad” and Amir El-Masry (right) stars as “Omar” in director Ben Sharrock’s LIMBO, a Focus Features release. Cr. Courtesy of Colin Tennant / Focus Features*

A young Syrian musician and a motley collection of other refugees wait on a remote Scottish island while the British government decides their asylum claims, in writer/director Ben Sharrock’s wry funny, poignant LIMBO. LIMBO paints a dryly comic, often absurdist tale of life in limbo, but it also takes us to unexpected places, just as their journey took to them to this unlikely spot.

LIMBO features excellent direction, a tightly-crafted script, fine performances and stunning photography of the harsh, windswept island landscape. This smart, well-crafted film, both funny and touching, was a BAFTA nominee and a winner at the British Independent Film Awards and the Cairo International Film Festival.

The British government has sent this group of refugees to a distant, sparsely-populated, fictional Scottish island to await their fate. The story focuses mainly on the young Syrian musician, Omar (Amir El-Masry), who is both a comic and pitiable figure with his hand in a cast but clutching the case with his musical instrument as he wanders this windswept island. He joins a group that includes Farhad (Vikash Bhai), an Afghan refugee who is a member of a religious minority as well as a Freddie Mercury fan, and a pair of young men from Africa, Abedi (Kwabena Ansah) and Wasef (Ola Orebiyi), one of whom aspires to be a soccer star. One of the group opines that they were sent to this remote location because they are all the least desirable applicants – single men without families or special skills. Actually, the musician has a special skill – he is a talented musician from a family of famous musicians – but he plays the oud, a stringed instrument much beloved in Syria, although here, no one has even heard of it.

While they wait, the men spend their days attending comically-bizarre classes that are supposed to acclimate them to a new culture. The classes are run by a pair of former immigrants, Helga (Sidse Babett Knudsen) and Boris (Kenneth Collard), who act out scenarios that are supposed to represent potential cultural misunderstandings, skits whose oddness leave the refugees staring in open-jawed disbelief. The instructors’ accents, a weird mix of their original ones and Scottish burrs, adds another bit of comic weirdness.

You can hear the humor potential in all that, and writer/director Ben Sharrock takes full advantage of that, but also uses the characters’ uniqueness to deepen them. Theater of the absurd is very present here, while the storytelling makes uses that to help make its points. In one telling scene, Omar stands on a desolate roadside, stoically listening as a group of Scottish teens berate and mock him for being an immigrant – but then offer him a ride. With little choice, the musician accepts, a perfect metaphor for his whole situation.

Filled with dry humor, LIMBO does not preach about immigrants but merely puts a human face on them by putting us in their shoes, particularly the young musician, as they wait in limbo for a distant government’s decision that will determine their fate. The comic elements are combined with pointed observations about the human condition, not just the plight of these wanderers, and some emotionally searing personal moments.

Omar is in limbo in more than one way. Separated from his family, he broods about his life. Omar’s oud belonged to his grandfather, a famous musician in Syria, and Omar was a rising talent himself before war tore his country apart. His family fled to Turkey but faced hostile treatment there, and Omar decided to take a chance in Britain, thinking his musical ability might give him a chance. His decision to seek asylum was paired with his brother’s decision to return to Syria to fight, a choice that caused a rift between them as well as separating the family, something Omar struggles with.

The photography is stunning, and adds enormously to the appeal of the film. Time and again, cinematographer Nick Cooke frames the action against a back drop of pale, waving grasses and gray skies, and repeatedly transforms a stark landscape into painterly scenes that sink into our consciousness as we follow the characters struggles amid the waiting.

This excellent film uses humor and insightful storytelling to deliver a thought-provoking, unexpected, and deeply human tale that rises above just the issue of immigration to a more universally human place. LIMBO opens Friday, April 30, at Landmark’s Plaza Frontenac Cinema, and Marcus’ Ronnies and St. Charles Cinemas.

RATING: 3 1/2 out of 4 stars

Jackie Chan in DRUNKEN MASTER II Available on Blu-ray May 18th From Warner Archive

“Drinking gives Herculean strength!”

Jackie Chan in DRUNKEN MASTER II will be available on Blu-ray May 18th from Warner Archive

The film that cemented Jackie Chan’s iconic status as an action hero unlike any other pack a punch and brings a belly laugh in this eye-popping presentation taken from the original negatives! In turbulent China before World War I, the collapse of the Manchu Dynasty fuels violent uprisings and political chaos–the perfect setting for a grand-scale smuggling ring led by an unscrupulous British consul. When the ring plots to steal China’s crown jewels only one man, legendary “Drunken Fist” master Huang Fei-hung (Chan), possesses the courage and ferocity to stop the ruthless gang. Contains three different audio tracks, the original Cantonese language track, Mandarin and English. *Note* This new high definition master taken from the original camera negative offers the option of the original English subtitles that appeared on theatrical prints in Hong Kong, as well as other venues, and contain the spelling and grammatical errors as seen at the time. Also offers English SDH sub-titles.

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