EL NORTE – The Classic Film About Immigration, Returns to Movie Theaters September 15th

35 Years After Its Original Theatrical Release, the Oscar® Nominated Classic, Restored by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences, to Play on More Than 200 Screens to Celebrate National Hispanic Heritage Month

 “El Norte,” the epic, widely acclaimed masterpiece about the dreams of immigrants from Central America and the promise of America, will return to movie theaters in select markets this September in a special one-day-only 35th anniversary presentation from Fathom Events and global content leader Lionsgate.

Directed by Gregory Nava from a screenplay co-written by Anna Thomas, “El Norte” will play on Sunday, September 15 – the first day of National Hispanic Heritage Month – in more than 200 movie theaters in select markets nationwide. This special one-day-only presentation will include an exclusive introduction by Nava, whose films also include the beloved hits “Selena” and “Mi Familia.” The Fathom Events screenings will also include a brand-new featurette that explores the making of the film and features the film’s stars, Zaide Silvia Gutiérrez and David Villalpando. Nava’s introduction and the behind-the-scenes featurette will be presented in both English and Spanish.

Tickets for “El Norte 35th Anniversary” are available at www.FathomEvents.comand at participating movie theater box offices. All event attendees will also receive a free, two-week trial offer to Pantaya, where they can find the best movies and TV series in Spanish, all in one place. 

The Fathom Events presentation of “El Norte” is the film’s first theatrical release since it debuted in U.S. theaters in 1984, and will be shown in an exquisite, state-of-the-art restoration produced by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences and the Getty Foundation. Following this special event, Lionsgate will release “El Norte” on digital formats on September 17.

“Nava’s groundbreaking and achingly humanistic narrative is the quintessential film about immigration,” wrote noted film critic Claudia Puig (USA Today/NPR). “Today, 35 years after its debut, ‘El Norte’ is the film of our time.” 

Nominated for an Oscar® for its emotional and compassionate original screenplay, written by Nava and Anna Thomas, “El Norte” was named to the U.S. National Film Registry of “culturally significant films” in 1995, and has now been exquisitely restored by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences. After their family is killed in a government massacre, brother and sister Enrique (Villalpando) and Rosa (Gutiérrez) flee Guatemala and embark on a perilous journey to “El Norte”: the United States.  This timeless, visually epic story of Enrique and Rosa’s courageous struggle to make a better life in the U.S. as undocumented immigrants resonates today with remarkable force and remains an unforgettable portrait of the power of the human spirit.

“El Norte” features a cast filled with noted Latin actors, led by Gutiérrez and Villalpando and also including Lupe Ontiveros, Ernesto Gómez Cruz, Enrique Castillo and Tony Plana. 

“‘El Norte’ is a special, magical film, a cinematic epic we are proud to showcase, particularly as issues of immigrants and their hopes and dreams fill the headlines,” said Tom Lucas, Fathom Events Vice President of Studio Relations. “Gregory Nava has created a modern American epic, one that resonates as strongly today as it did 35 years ago.”

ABBAFAB Brings the Music of ABBA to Playhouse @ Westport Plaza – Starring American Idol Finalist Hollie Cavanagh

Having played to sold-out crowds across the U.S. and abroad, ABBAFAB brings a stunning tribute to the music of ABBA to the Playhouse @ Westport Plaza stage September 19-22. Tickets are $60 and on sale now.  Tickets may be purchased through MetroTix at www.metrotix.com or by calling 314/534-1111. Additionally, tickets will be available at the Playhouse @ Westport Plaza box office one hour prior to show time. Groups of ten or more should call 314/402-2430 for special rates.

This multimedia production is a tribute to some of the greatest music produced in the 70s and 80s including monster hits such as “Waterloo,” “Fernando,” “Honey Honey,” “Dancing Queen” and countless others. From ABBA’s earliest hits to the sensational “Mamma Mia,” ABBAFAB takes audiences on a technicolor journey that is unmatched.

ABBA’s record breaking string of hits has stood the test of time and continues to thrill audiences of all ages. With vocals and musicianship that are second to none, the ABBAFAB vibe is infectious! ABBA fans love it and new ABBA fans are created at every show. There is no generation gap, so let’s ALL party like it’s 1979!

Hollie Cavanagh (Agnetha)

Hollie Cavanagh catapulted into the spotlight on the eleventh season of “American Idol.” Hollie was a frontrunner in the live shows, impressing the judges with her powerful diva-like voice. She advanced to the final four earning praise from industry legends such as Stevie Nicks and Mary J. Blige for her larger than life vocals. After the show, Hollie delighted crowds in sold out arenas across the country in the American Idol Tour. Since her start on “American Idol,” Hollie has released singles, sung the title track for an award-winning short film and racked up millions of views on YouTube. Hollie is back to what she does best, performing live for audiences across the world.

Kayla Kenzior (Anna-Frid)


Kayla Kenzior has always dreamed of performing on stage. Little did she know that her dreams would become reality when she auditioned for Idol in the Skye, a singing competition, when she was just 13 years old. Now, at 24 years old, she performs in five TAD Management productions such as AbbaFab, Those British Girls, Rock Me Gently, Diamond Rocks and Adventures in Parrotdise.

Chris Whiteley (Benny/Piano/Sax)

With nearly 30 years of performance experience, Chris touts himself as a multi-instrumentalist, composer and arranger. He began playing saxophone in grade school and picked up flute and clarinet in high school. Between college and his professional career, he’s added piano, guitar, percussion, bassoon, folk whistles and some brass. Throughout his years as a cruise ship musician and touring member of both tribute and original acts Chris has had the pleasure of backing up renowned artists such as Judy Carmichael, Dale Kristien, Fabio Zini, Kenny Cetera, and Melissa Manchester.

Scotty Pearson (Bjorn/Guitar)

Scotty loves to say he was “Bjorn” to be in AbbaFab as the guitarist and one of the two front men. “Any opportunity to put smiles on people’s faces is what makes my job as a performer so fulfilling.” Scotty grew up in Portland, Oregon and as a teenager began learning, playing and performing music as soon and as often as he could. Now living in Phoenix, Arizona, Scotty has a wife and two boys that mean the world to him. If he is not on the stage trying to entertain an audience he is probably with his family trying to achieve the same thing.

Playhouse @ Westport Plaza is located at 635 Westport Plaza in Maryland Heights, Missouri and is a venue filling a niche for a variety of Broadway and Off-Broadway entertainment that would otherwise not find its way to the St. Louis area. Programming at the venue is offered at affordable ticket pricing so that anyone can have dinner at one of the many restaurants in the area as well as see a great show. For more information, please visitwww.playhouseatwestport.com.  To download high resolution photos and video, please visit ABBAFAB photos.PERFORMANCE SCHEDULE

Thursday, September 19 at 7:30 p.m.

Friday, September 20 at 7:30 p.m.

Saturday, September 21 at 4 p.m. & 7:30 p.m.

Sunday, September 22 at 2 p.m.

SWORD OF TRUST – Review

(l-r) Jon Bass as Nathaniel, Marc Maron as Mel, Michaela Watkins as Mary and Jillian Bell as Cynthia in Lynn Shelton’s SWORD OF TRUST. Courtesy of IFC Films. An IFC Films release.

There’s a sword but not much trust at the start of Lynn Shelton’s oddball indie comedy SWORD OF TRUST but it does have comic surprises and a lot to say about how appearances can be deceiving and the dangers of assumptions and stereotyping. And, yes, trust becomes a central factor in this tale of conspiracy theorists and strangers joining forces.

A curmudgeonly pawnshop owner named Mel (Marc Maron) and his nearly-useless, web-surfing employee Nathaniel (Jon Bass) are eking out a thin living in a small Southern town, but Mel find an unexpected opportunity when out-of-towners Cynthia (Jillian Bell) and her wife Mary (Michaela Watkins) stroll in hoping to sell a Civil War-era sword. Mary was expecting to inherited her grandfather’s house when the couple traveled to this remote spot, but got the sword instead,. The Civil War relic came with a rambling letter detailing a convoluted tale and a claim that the sword proves the South really won the Civil War.

The pawnshop owner, a transplant from New Mexico by way of New York, is as out of place in this sleepy, dusty little Southern town as this out-of-town same-sex couple. Nathaniel tips them off that the sword is a hotly-sought object among conspiracy theorists, a long-rumored “prover” artifact that supports their cause. Seeing a mutually beneficial opportunity, the four form a partnership to cash in by selling it to the highest bidder. What could go wrong, right?

Plenty, of course, as that plan plunges them into the strange world of Civil War conspiracy theory extremists in the Deep South, a situation filled with both tension and comic potential. But director/co-writer Lynn Shelton (HUMP DAY, YOUR SISTER’S SISTER, OUTSIDE IN) also uses it to uncover emotional truths, and hits the mark on all counts.

Shelton, who has directed both comedy and drama, co-wrote this South By Southwest breakout hit with Mike O’Brien, a surprising, funny, unexpectedly beguiling film, where appearances can be misleading and assumptions often mistaken. Both writers take small roles in the film and SWORD OF TRUST has plenty of indie comedy quirkiness. Some of the scenes are improvised, which is often a formula for disaster, but in this case, it creates magic, thanks to this remarkable cast. The cast, all experienced comedic actors, excel as an ensemble, mining comically outlandish situations for laughs while simultaneously crafting unusual, fascinating characters who have unexpected depth. Trust is indeed a running theme, in a tale where assumptions and stereotypes are often way off the mark.

SWOED OF TRUST is comedy but also partly a thriller and drama. This is a film where you never know what will happen next, but you are eager to see what’s around that next bend. Even more, these are people we come to care about, despite silly first impressions, as Shelton and the cast offer revelations step-by-step.

The cast is outstanding, working seamlessly in improv and balancing humor and character development but particularly impressive is Marc Maron as Mel, the central character in this crazy web. Maron’s performance as good comically as it is dramatically as the de facto leader of this unlikely partnership, but he brings an extra level of emotional depth with Mel’s complex backstory. All the cast is good, and that praise extends to include supporting roles by Al Elliott as cafe owner and Mel’s best buddy Jimmy and Daniel Bakkedahl as a would-be buyer and conspiracy-theorist powerbroker Kingpin.

Director Shelton does a masterful job. She draws us in with the humor then throws us off balance, upending assumptions and turning things around every time we get too comfortable. But she also makes us love this twisty, head-spinning, edge-of-the-seat journey and the people on it, despite expectations at the start. Meanwhile, the actor’s characters win us over with their personal stories. The hidden story behind the characters, and the sword, are revealed in this wonderful film, which creeps up on you with humor and suspense to steal your heart.

SWORD OF TRUST opens, Friday, August 2, at the Tivoli Theater.

RATING: 4 out of 4 stars

THE MOUNTAIN (2018) – Review

Time to take a detour from the big noisy summer blockbusters and take a trip with an actual person. Well, sort of, since the main character in this film has a different name than the actual famous (or in some circles infamous) medical inventor. But it’s really more of a biography told from an unknown character’s perspective. It’s somewhat like this year’s Best Picture Oscar winner THE GREEN BOOK. The more renown subject there was celebrated classical pianist Dr. Donald Shirley, but we get to learn about him via the more prominent (leading role) of his driver Tony “Lip” Vallelonga. Now they used the actual names. The new film is just a few years before GREEN, and a lot of time is spent cruising in a classic auto. However, the doctor of THE MOUNTAIN doesn’t use his skills (yes, his hands really) to bring joy and happiness. Far, far from it.


The tale begins in the early 1950s as teenager Andy (Tye Sheridan) struggles to deal with his mother’s banishment to a mental health facility. He pleads with his sullen father Frederick (Udo Kier) to visit her, to no avail. Frederick is a skating coach at the local ice rink where Andy drives the Zamboni and shovels slush. A family tragedy puts Andy in contact with one of his mom’s former doctors, Wallace Fiennes (Jeff Goldblum). ‘Wally’ can’t help Andy with any visitation, so he instead offers the young man a job: photographer. The ‘doc’ is traveling across the country, to different mental hospitals, skilled care facilities, and asylums to promote his medical breakthrough, the transorbital lobotomy (basically removing bits of the brain through the eye socket using an ice pick-like device and a hammer). Sam is needed behind the polaroid to document Wally’s triumphs and achievements. After the day’s demonstrations, the duo would head to the local restaurants and bars (even bowling alleys) so the great doctor can pick up accommodating ladies. The depressing rituals take their toll on Andy who soon becomes involved with an eccentric therapist, Jack (Denis Lavant) and his disturbed young daughter Susan (Hannah Gross). Could Andy be headed to the same fate as his mother?

The film biggest asset (and biggest star) is Goldblum in one of his quirkiest performances (and that’s really saying something). In the early scenes, as he befriends Andy, Goldblum plays Wally as a most gentle, sympathetic mentor, a kindly father-figure the teen desperately needs ( the encouragement as he teaches the basics of camera use is endearing). Ever so slowly Goldblum reveals the egotistical monster beneath the academic exterior, one that’s barely kept in check by random drunken sexual encounters. It’s in those seductions that we get more of Goldblum’s “loosey-goosey” oddball charm. He then takes us back to the doc’s “dark side” as a botched “treatment” barely elicits any concern (he barks “Take her away” as though he were sending back an undercooked steak), and later he mixes bewilderment with rage when Wally can’t understand his “method’s” rejections (“I have all these letters thanking me!”). Goldblum brings the only sense of life to this dismal drama. The gifted Mr. Sheridan (so great in MUD and JOE) mainly wanders hallways, mumbling, chain-smoking, and looking at the floor. He never gets a chance to make Andy compelling, despite his acting skills. Ditto for Ms. Gross, who instead stares straight out, late-show zombie-style, uttering nary a peep. Unfortunately the same can’t be said of Lavant as her bombastic papa. Taking over the story’s last act, Lavant emits almost incomprehensible guttural growls, bouncing from English to French (thankfully both subtitled) and later flailing about to twin xylophones. Keir keeps most of his dignity, directing the skaters as though they were an orchestra, then quickly exiting (lucky him).

Director/co-writer Rick Alverson pushes the plot along at a glacier pace, locking the camera down for countless shots of interchangeable hazy white hallways, the silence occasionally broken by distant screams. As we wonder how (or if) Wally’s patients are sedated, the monotony makes us feel as though we’re going under, with only Goldblum’s schtick jolting us awake (perhaps to avoid any litigation, he’s not named after the actual inventor/doc, Walter Freeman). For a flick highlighting such a gruesome procedure, there’s almost no blood (making us concoct the torture going on just below the bottom of the screen). No blood and little life to this pretentious bit of historical hysterics. And what’s the title about, aside from Jack’s pointless tirade about Americans and paintings? Who knows, and the film doesn’t make us care. Only for hardcore Goldblum fanatics, THE MOUNTAIN is an energy-draining uphill trudge that is a true test of stamina for any filmgoer.


Half a Star Out of 4


THE MOUNTAIN opens everywhere and screens exclusively in the St. Louis area at Landmark’s Tivoli Theatre

FAST & FURIOUS PRESENTS: HOBBS AND SHAW – Review

FAST & FURIOUS PRESENTS: HOBBS AND SHAW is no less boneheaded than the previous couple of F&F films, but it’s brimming with eye-popping action sequences and rollicking stunt work from Dwayne Johnson and Jason Statham (and their doubles) so if all you require from a night out at the movies is 135 minutes of shiny, noisy fun, then step on up. Hobbs and Shaw were characters from the last couple of F&Fs, but Dom (Vin Diesel), Brian (Paul Walker), and Letty (Michelle Rodriguez) were always the heart of the franchise. Their absence is missed in this spin-off, as is anything else resembling dimensional human beings, recognizable emotions, or reality.

The plot of FAST & FURIOUS PRESENTS: HOBBS AND SHAW is fairly simple. H&S team up in a race against time to stop a deadly virus being unleashed into the world. Vehicles explode, fists fly, stuntmen tumble, glass shatters, and physics is ignored all while sneering kiss-off insult lines between the two leads flow like water. All the shootings, pyrotechnics and chases are staged with knowing panache by director David Leitch who, after entries in the John Wick and Deadpool franchises, is no stranger to this type of big-budget flash and dazzle. The teaming of Johnson and Statham clicks from the outset (again), with both right at home handling action and comedy. Even when it’s not particularly funny, their interplay is engaging, and their lively, raucous personalities keep the proceedings punchy for the overlong running time. There’s a scene on an airplane where the pair trade barbs (mostly about their testicles) that goes on and on with no payoff except for an extended cameo from Kevin Hart as an excitable air marshal. Speaking of pointless cameos, Ryan Reynolds has a couple of scenes as Agent Locke, who, with his high-pitched ad-libbing, is never for a second amusing (likely done as a favor to director Leitch who helmed DEADPOOL 2). Another weak link is Idris Elba’s lead villain Brixton – nicknamed ‘Black Superman’ by the boys. With his cyborg-enhanced strength and a POV Interface that seemed cool 35 years ago in THE TERMINATOR, he’s like every villain from every sci-fi and action movie tossed in a blender (and he recites the year’s worst line: “Genocide, Shmenocide!”). With two musclebound physical actors in the lead(s), perhaps they could have mixed it up with a more cerebral, Blofeld-like villain instead of just another big guy to fight. At the center of the story is Vanessa Kirby as Shaw’s sister Hattie, who’s hosting this virus. She has long eyelashes but makes little impression though other supporting performances are more colorful. Eddie Marsan is a scene stealer as the scientist behind the virus while Helen Mirren has a fun early scene as Shaw’s jailbird mum.

I enjoyed the final 30 minutes of FAST & FURIOUS PRESENTS: HOBBS AND SHAW when Hobbs leads the Shaw siblings back to his boyhood home in Samoa where he’s reunited with his mother Sefina (a very funny Lori Tuisano – “Eat something! You’re all skin and bones!”). After figuring out how to disarm the villains’ electronically-locked weapons, Hobbs, along with his brother (Cliff Curtis) and cousins fight Brixton and his army with native wooden weapons. This leads up to the big action climax, a helicopter-vs-hot-rods mountain chase that’s a lot of fun but far less intense or realistic than a similar ending of the last Mission Impossible film. How you feel about FAST & FURIOUS PRESENTS: HOBBS AND SHAW is likely a matter of perspective. Fans of the F&F franchise will be happy, though while the actions scenes are up to par with the series predecessors, the in-between material is not.

2 of 4 Stars

Epic First Trailer For Sam Mendes’ 1917 Storms In

In 2017 audiences witnessed Christopher Nolan’s brilliant thriller DUNKIRK, depicting the Dunkirk evacuation of World War II. At the 90th Academy Awards, it was awarded Best Sound Editing, Best Sound Mixing, and Best Film Editing, with five further nominations for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Cinematography, Best Original Score, and Best Production Design.

Two war movies are set to land this awards season. ROland Emmerich’s WWII film MIDWAY and now the movie 1917.

Sam Mendes, the Oscar-winning director of Skyfall, Spectre and American Beauty, brings his singular vision to his World War I epic, 1917.

The First World War was fought on a vast scale and raised unprecedented challenges for the leaders of the combatant nations.

The political leaders were responsible for the decision to go to war, and for deciding what war aims to pursue. The horrific casualties sustained early in the war meant that none of them could consider accepting a peace without victory. They were forced to oversee ever-increasing social and industrial mobilization to support the war, and to mortgage the financial future of their countries to pay for it.

Official synopsis:

At the height of the First World War, two young British soldiers, Schofield (Captain Fantastic’s George MacKay) and Blake (Game of Thrones’ Dean-Charles Chapman) are given a seemingly impossible mission. In a race against time, they must cross enemy territory and deliver a message that will stop a deadly attack on hundreds of soldiers—Blake’s own brother among them.

The cast also features Mark Strong, Andrew Scott, Richard Madden, Claire Duburcq, with Colin Firth and Benedict Cumberbatch.

Oscar season is officially here.

Before seeing the film, visit the Imperial War Museum website and read the 5 things you need to know about the First World War. https://www.iwm.org.uk/history/5-things-you-need-to-know-about-the-first-world-war

1917 is directed by Sam Mendes, who wrote the screenplay with Krysty Wilson-Cairns (Showtime’s Penny Dreadful). The film is produced by Mendes and Pippa Harris (co-executive producer, Revolutionary Road; executive producer, Away We Go) for their Neal Street Productions, Jayne-Ann Tenggren (co-producer, The Rhythm Section; associate producer, Spectre), Callum McDougall (executive producer, Mary Poppins Returns, Skyfall) and Brian Oliver (executive producer, Rocketman; Black Swan). The film is produced by Neal Street Productions for DreamWorks Pictures in association with New Republic Pictures.

Thomas Newman will team up once again with Mendes to score the film. 1917 also reunites Mendes and cinematographer Roger Deakins. The last film Deakins shot was BLADE RUNNER 2019 which earned him his first Academy Awars after 14 nominations.

Universal Pictures will release the film domestically in limited release on December 25, 2019 and wide on January 10, 2020. Universal and Amblin Partners will distribute the film internationally, with eOne distributing on behalf of Amblin in the U.K.

https://www.1917.movie/

Hello, America! HELLO DOLLY! Returns to Movie Theaters August 11th and 14th

It’s been 50 years since Barbra Streisand dazzled audiences as Dolly Levi in director Gene Kelly’s lavish, eye-popping Hello, Dolly!– and she’ll be looking swell when the dazzling musical returns to movie theaters for two days only to mark its milestone anniversary.

Streisand leads a huge cast that also includes Walter Matthau, Michael Crawford, Marianne McAndrew, E.J. Peaker, Danny Lockin and Tommy Tune as they sing and dance through more than a dozen memorable songs by Jerry Herman, including “Put on Your Sunday Clothes,” “It Only Takes a Moment,” “Before the Parade Passes By” and, of course, the title tune, which features a cameo by jazz legend Louis Armstrong.

Winner of three Academy Awards®, the spare-no-expenses production transformed Hello, Dolly! from a Broadway musical-comedy into an extravagant Hollywood production – which most recently enjoyed newfound popularity as the favorite movie of Wall-E in the Disney-Pixar film. Now, fans of all ages can get to know the incomparable Mrs. Levi and this fabled film in all of its big-screen splendor.

W

Presented by Fathom Events, Turner Classic Movies and Twentieth Century Fox

• Sunday, August 11, 2019 – 1:00 p.m. and 4:00 p.m. (local time)

• Wednesday, August 14, 2019 – 12:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. (local time)

Tickets for Hello, Dolly! 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 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).

First Look Trailer: Robert De Niro, Al Pacino And Joe Pesci Star In Martin Scorsese’s THE IRISHMAN

THE IRISHMAN (2019) Ray Ramano (Bill Bufalino ) Al Pacino (Jimmy Hoffa) and Robert De Niro (Frank Sheeran)

Robert De Niro, Al Pacino and Joe Pesci star in Martin Scorsese’s THE IRISHMAN, an epic saga of organized crime in post-war America told through the eyes of World War II veteran Frank Sheeran, a hustler and hitman who worked alongside some of the most notorious figures of the 20th century. Spanning decades, the film chronicles one of the greatest unsolved mysteries in American history, the disappearance of legendary union boss Jimmy Hoffa, and offers a monumental journey through the hidden corridors of organized crime: its inner workings, rivalries and connections to mainstream politics.

Here’s your first look at the phenomenal first trailer for THE IRISHMAN.

THE IRISHMAN will be in theaters and on Netflix Fall 2019.

https://www.netflix.com/title/80175798

THE IRISHMAN (2019) Joe Pesci (Russell Bufalino) , Robert De Niro (Frank Sheeran)

Robert Pattinson And Willem Dafoe Star In Trailer For A24 Films’ THE LIGHTHOUSE

Robert Eggers is back. The director of THE WITCH returns this October to drive Robert Pattinson and Willem Dafoe to the brink of madness.

Opening October 18, check out the trailer for A24 Films’ THE LIGHTHOUSE.

THE LIGHTHOUSE is a hypnotic and hallucinatory tale of two lighthouse keepers on a remote and mysterious New England island in the 1890s.

In his 2016 review of THE WITCH, Michael Haffner wrote:

“When THE WITCH conjures up the spooky imagery, it does so with such a pure and classic horror style. Without delving into too many specifics, some of the images seem like old wood carving prints straight out of that one book you weren’t supposed to look at when you were 10 yrs. old. Once again, Eggers gives the hair-raising imagery a look that is rooted in the time period without relying on modern horror cliches. The finale alone delivers sights that will haunt your dreams for a very long time.

THE WITCH drips with dread. What it lacks in scares, it makes up for in genuine fear. It’s the fear of the unknown; the fear of losing your family’s trust; and the fear of living in a world where religious rule is just as terrifying as what’s lurking deep in the woods.”

https://a24films.com/films/the-lighthouse

TRIAL BY FIRE Arrives on Digital July 30th and on DVD August 13th

Experience the unbelievable, touching, and controversial story of hope despite a broken system when Trial by Fire arrives on Digital July 30 and on DVD August 13 from Lionsgate. Based on the true story of Cameron Todd Willingham, who was wrongfully sentenced to death in Texas for a gruesome triple homicide, this powerful film was directed by Edward Zwick (Blood Diamond, Jack Reacher: Never Go Back), written by Academy Award® winner Geoffrey Fletcher (2009, Best Adapted Screenplay, Precious), and stars Jack O’Connell, Academy Award® nominee Laura Dern (2014, Best Suporting Actress, Wild), Emily Meade, and Jeff Perry. The Trial by Fire DVD will include a photo gallery and will be available for the suggested retail price of $19.98.

In 1992, Cameron Todd Willingham (Jack O’ Connell), a poor, uneducated heavy metal devotee with a violent streak, was convicted of arson-related triple homicide and put on death row. Trial by Fire is the true-life Texas story of the unlikely bond that formed between Willingham and Elizabeth Gilbert (Laura Dern), a Houston mother of two, who battled against the state for 12 years to try and save Willingham by exposing suppressed evidence and illogical conclusions.


DVD / DIGITAL SPECIAL FEATURES

  • Photo Gallery

CAST
Jack O’Connell           Unbroken, Starred Up, TV’s “Skins”
Laura Dern                  TV’s “Big Little Lies,” Jurassic Park, Cold Pursuit
Emily Meade               TV’s “The Leftovers,” Money Monster, Nerve
Jeff Perry                    TV’s “Scandal”, TV’s “Grey’s Anatomy,” Lizzie