With this years St. Louis Filmmakers Showcase, we’ve again proven that our city is packed with ridiculously talented filmmakers, actors, and other artisans.
The St. Louis Filmmakers Showcase, an annual presentation of the nonprofit Cinema St. Louis, serves as the area’s primary venue for films made by local artists. The Showcase screens works that were written, directed, edited, or produced by St. Louis natives or films with strong local ties. The various film programs that screened at the Tivoli from July 13-22, 2018 serve as the Showcase’s centerpiece. The programs ranged from full-length fiction features and documentaries to multi-film compilations of fiction and documentary shorts. Many programs included post-screening Q&As with filmmakers. Filmmakers of all ages within a 120 mile radius of St. Louis were strongly encouraged to submit their works, or at the very least attend the event to celebrate the amazingly talented St. Louis filmmakers.
The jury for the St. Louis Filmmakers Showcase gave out more than two dozen awards to filmmakers at the closing-night awards party held on Sunday, July 22, at Blueberry Hill’s Duck Room. Cinema St. Louis also announced the Showcase films chosen for inclusion in the St. Louis International Film Festival.
Two films, narrative feature “Parallel Chords” and narrative short “Foxes,” each received the major awards. The full list of winners and films invited to screen this fall in the St. Louis International Film Festival are posted below.
The 18th Annual Whitaker St. Louis Filmmakers Showcase, a presentation of the nonprofit Cinema St. Louis, serves as the area’s primary venue for films made by local artists. The Showcase screens works that were written, directed, edited, or produced by St. Louis residents or films with strong local ties.
Twenty film programs screened at Washington University’s Brown Hall from July 13-15 and 20-22. The programs ranged from full-length fiction features and documentaries to multi-film compilations of fiction and documentary shorts. This year’s Showcase featured 107 films
The Whitaker Foundation again served as the Showcase’s title sponsor. The foundation’s twofold mission is to encourage the preservation and use of parks and to enrich lives through the arts.
The event’s other sponsors included the Arts & Education Council, Missouri Arts Council, Missouri Film Office, The Muny, Regional Arts Commission, St. Louis Convention and Visitors Commission, and Urban Chestnut Brewing Co.
GRAY AREA: WOLVES OF THE SOUTHWEST, directed by Dean Cannon,screens At Webster University Friday July 27th through Sunday July 29th. The movie starts at 7:30 each evening.
Executive Producer Alan Lacy’s film GRAY AREA: WOLVES OF THE SOUTHWEST explores the plight of a species the world almost lost forever. Along with Director Dean Cannon and TLP Media, the 50-minute feature tells the story of “El Lobo”, the Mexican gray wolf once exterminated from the wild but, through the efforts of dedicated people, is now making a comeback. This wolf is a subspecies of the northern gray wolf and has historically existed from the northern tip of Arizona to central Mexico. Now, growing in number from a very small foundation and living in the wild, the Mexican gray wolf faces new and old problems as it comes back from the brink of extinction. Alan Lacy uses his love of photography, storytelling, and a passionate connection with “El lobo” in the creation of this film. Starting in 2011, Lacy has followed the path of the Mexican wolf from the captive breeding program to release in the wild. With his ability of storytelling he shares the perspectives of dedicated people behind the wolf recovery program and what it has taken to reach a wild population of just under 100 wolves and growing. Also from his desire to do something for the cause he created a website to educate others on the natural history and endangered status of the wolf, at the same time adding to the support of the film and recovery program.
Director Dean Cannon grew up in the Sonora Desert of Arizona where he developed a passion for flying and photography. These two things brought him around the world working for such organizations as Animal Planet, Discovery HD, and National Geographic Channel. Dean continues to work with Alaska Fish and Game flying around the entire state filming. These two have brought the experience, background, and connection with the natural world to the story of a species vying for its very existence in the area that it has historically called home. The film starts with a narration on the history of the species. Once roaming from the top of Arizona to central Mexico, they numbered over 10,000 strong. Yet, very similarly to their northern relatives, encroaching human populations sponsored by government bounties eradicated the species. Thought to be extinct from the wild in the Southwestern US completely by the 1940s, the potentially last 5 remaining wild individuals were captured in remote states of Mexico between 1977 and 1980. Along with two individuals from captivity these 7 were the genetic foundation of future populations. Through interviews with the current and former Coordinators of the US Fish and Wildlife Mexican Wolf Recovery Program and historic imagery, the viewer gains perspective on this history and the efforts to keep “El Lobo” from extinction once it was listed as an endangered species in 1976. After nearly 20 years of captive breeding some were released in 1998. Very similar to footage taken in Bob Landis’ 1998 film “Wolf Pack” during the Yellowstone release into localizing pens, the audience sees the actual historic footage of this localization before complete release into the wild. The audience starts to get a sense of the plight of the species historically while being drawn in by the efforts of reestablishing a top predator and their eventual release.
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.
Advance tickets are available from the cashier before each screening or contact the Film Series office (314-246-7525) for more options. The Film Series can only accept cash or check.
BILL & TED’S EXCELLENT ADVENTURE plays this weekend (July 27th and 28th) at The Tivoli at midnight as part of their Reel Late at the Tivoli midnight series.
Since its release in 1989, Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure inspired a sequel (BILL & TED’S BOGUS JOURNEY), a Saturday morning cartoon, a comic book series, and launched actor Keanu Reeves into movie stardom. That is excellent enough reason to explain why Bill and Ted went on to become a cult classic of epic proportions. But why is this film so loved even today?
Bill & Ted doesn’t exactly have the most sophisticated of plots: This shaggy dog story follows a pair of teenage airheads, Ted “Theodore” Logan (Keanu Reeves) and Bill S. Preston (Alex Winter), in risk of flunking out at high school, if they don’t pass history. Along comes George Carlin from the future, equipped with a time machine (a variant on Doctor Who’s TARDIS), which allows the boys to experience history first hand. Borrowing the time travelling phone booth, Bill and Ted journey to the past to retrieve a few historical characters for their oral exam, but Bill and Ted soon discover that bringing them back to the future won’t be easy.
It’s a no-brainer of a film, but an effective one, no less. BILL & TED’S EXCELLENT ADVENTURE sparkles with simple charm, a vibrant cast, and a brand of Valley-dude-speech, delivered with perfect timing throughout, by the young cast. It also identifies itself completely with its heroes and their simple philosophy to ‘be excellent to each other’. Unlike the protagonists of recent comedies, Bill and Ted demonstrate a heavy dose of likability, allowing the viewer to keep rooting for them.
The Tivoli’s located at 6350 Delmar Blvd., University City, MO. Admission is a mere $8!
A Facebook invite for the screening can be found HERE
Reel Late at the Tivoli takes place every Friday and Saturday night and We Are Movie Geeks own Tom Stockman (that’s me!) is there with custom trivia questions about the films and always has DVDs, posters, and other cool stuff to give away. Ticket prices are $8. We hope to see everyone late at night in the coming weeks.
Advance tickets for Disney’s “Christopher Robin” are now available for purchase (HERE), and to celebrate the upcoming movie, WAMG is giving away Family Four packs to the advance screening. Starring Ewan McGregor, Hayley Atwell, and directed by Marc Forster, “Christopher Robin” hits theaters August 3, 2018!
In Disney’s heartwarming live action adventure, the young boy who shared countless adventures with his stuffed animal friends in the Hundred Acre Wood has grown up and lost sight of what’s important in life. Now it is up to his childhood friends to venture into our world and help Christopher Robin rediscover the joys of family life, the value of friendship and to appreciate the simple pleasure in life once again.
“Christopher Robin” is directed by Marc Forster from a screenplay by Alex Ross Perry and Allison Schroeder and a story by Perry based on characters created by A.A. Milne and E.H. Shepard. The producers are Brigham Taylor and Kristin Burr, with Renée Wolfe and Jeremy Johns serving as executive producers. The film stars Ewan McGregor as Christopher Robin; Hayley Atwell as his wife Evelyn; Bronte Carmichael as his daughter Madeline; and Mark Gatiss as Keith Winslow, Robin’s boss. The film also features the voices of: Jim Cummings as Winnie the Pooh and Tigger; Brad Garrett as Eeyore; Toby Jones as Owl; Nick Mohammed as Piglet; Peter Capaldi as Rabbit; and Sophie Okonedo as Kanga.
ENTER FOR YOUR CHANCE TO WIN FREE PASSES – GOOD FOR FOUR!
Date: JULY 31ST at 7pM in the St. Louis area.
Answer the follow: Winnie the Pooh, Piglet, Eeyore, Tigger and the other characters – tell us your favorite!
Add you name, answer and email in our comments section below.
NO PURCHASE REQUIRED. A pass does not guarantee a seat at a screening. Seating is on a first-come, first served basis. The theater is overbooked to assure a full house.
On Monday, 20th Century Fox hosted a worldwide live Q&A with ALITA: BATTLE ANGEL’s producer James Cameron, director Robert Rodriguez, producer Jon Landau, the star Rosa Salazar and fans across the movie’s official social and YouTube channels.
During this live Q&A at Lightstorm Entertainment, the studio that brought you TITANIC and AVATAR, the film’s new trailer and a additional image for ALITA: BATTLE ANGEL were released.
The movie also stars Christoph Waltz, Jennifer Connelly, Mahershala Ali, Ed Skrein, Jackie Earle Haley and Keean Johnson.
This trailer debut and live chat were shared across Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube in 30+ markets worldwide, localized in multiple languages in real time: English, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, Russian, and Spanish.
ALITA: BATTLE ANGEL will arrive in theaters everywhere on December 21, 2018 in 3D & IMAX.
From visionary filmmakers James Cameron (AVATAR) and Robert Rodriguez (SIN CITY), comes ALITA: BATTLE ANGEL, an epic adventure of hope and empowerment.
When Alita (Rosa Salazar) awakens with no memory of who she is in a future world she does not recognize, she is taken in by Ido (Christoph Waltz), a compassionate doctor who realizes that somewhere in this abandoned cyborg shell is the heart and soul of a young woman with an extraordinary past. As Alita learns to navigate her new life and the treacherous streets of Iron City, Ido tries to shield her from her mysterious history while her street-smart new friend Hugo (Keean Johnson) offers instead to help trigger her memories. But it is only when the deadly and corrupt forces that run the city come after Alita that she discovers a clue to her past – she has unique fighting abilities that those in power will stop at nothing to control. If she can stay out of their grasp, she could be the key to saving her friends, her family and the world she’s grown to love.
A masked serial killer turns a horror themed amusement park into his own personal playground, terrorizing a group of friends while the rest of the patrons believe that it is all part of the show.
The upcoming film stars Amy Forsyth (Rise, Beautiful Boy), Reign Edwards (The Bold and The Beautiful, Snowfall), Bex Taylor-Klaus (Voltron, The Killing), Christian James (Nashville, Exposed), Roby Attal (The Long Road Home, Red Eleven), Matt Mercurio (Black Lightning, The Resident) and Tony Todd (Candyman, The Man From Earth).
Watch the teaser for the film below.
College student NATALIE (Forsyth) is visiting her childhood best friend BROOKE (Edwards) and her roommate TAYLOR (Taylor-Klaus). If it was any other time of year these three and their boyfriends might be heading to a concert or bar, but it is Halloween which means that like everyone else they will be bound for HELL FEST – a sprawling labyrinth of rides, games, and mazes that travels the country and happens to be in town. Every year thousands follow Hell Fest to experience fear at the ghoulish carnival of nightmares.
But for one visitor, Hell Fest is not the attraction – it is a hunting ground. An opportunity to slay in plain view of a gawking audience, too caught up in the terrifyingly fun atmosphere to recognize the horrific reality playing out before their eyes. As the body count and frenzied excitement of the crowds continues to rise, he turns his masked face to NATALIE, BROOKE, TAYLOR and their boyfriends who will fight to survive the night.
A terrifying thrill ride from iconic horror producer Gale Anne Hurd (The Walking Dead, The Terminator), Tucker Tooley (Limitless, Den of Thieves) and director Gregory Plotkin (Paranormal Activity: The Ghost Dimension, Editor – Get Out, Happy Death Day), this September, audiences will discover that it’s fun going in… but it’s hell getting out.
The score for HELL FEST will be composed by legendary composer Bear McCreary (The Walking Dead, 10 Cloverfield Lane, Happy Death Day)
CBS Films and Lionsgate will release HELL FEST in theaters September 28, 2018.
Movie fans in Hall H at Saturday’s San Diego Comic-Con 2018 got a spectacular first look at the brand new trailers for Warner Bros. Pictures’ AQUAMAN, GODZILLA II: KING OF THE MONSTERS, SHAZAM! and FANTASTIC BEASTS: THE CRIMES OF GRINDELWALD.
Check out the previews now and get ready for one awesome, fun time at the movies.
AQUAMAN
From Warner Bros. Pictures and director James Wan comes an action-packed adventure that spans the vast, visually breathtaking underwater world of the seven seas, “Aquaman,” starring Jason Momoa in the title role.
The film reveals the origin story of half-human, half-Atlantean Arthur Curry and takes him on the journey of his lifetime—one that will not only force him to face who he really is, but to discover if he is worthy of who he was born to be…a king.
The film also stars Amber Heard (“Justice League,” “Magic Mike XXL”) as Mera, a fierce warrior and Aquaman’s ally throughout his journey; Oscar nominee Willem Dafoe (“Platoon,” “Spider-Man 2”) as Vulko, council to the Atlantean throne; Patrick Wilson (“The Conjuring” films, “Watchmen”) as Orm/Ocean Master, the present King of Atlantis; Dolph Lundgren (“The Expendables” films) as Nereus, King of the Atlantean tribe Xebel; Yahya Abdul-Mateen II (Netflix’s “The Get Down”) as the vengeful Black Manta; and Oscar winner Nicole Kidman (“The Hours,” “Lion”) as Arthur’s mom, Atlanna; as well as Ludi Lin (“Power Rangers”) as Captain Murk, Atlantean Commando; and Temuera Morrison (“Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones,” “Green Lantern”) as Arthur’s dad, Tom Curry.
Wan directs from a screenplay by David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick (“The Conjuring 2”) and Will Beall (“Gangster Squad,” TV’s “Training Day”), story by Geoff Johns & James Wan and Will Beall, based on characters from DC, Aquaman created by Paul Norris and Mort Weisinger. The film is produced by Peter Safran and Rob Cowan, with Deborah Snyder, Zack Snyder, Jon Berg, Geoff Johns and Walter Hamada serving as executive producers.
Wan’s team behind the scenes includes such frequent collaborators as Oscar-nominated director of photography Don Burgess (“The Conjuring 2,” “Forrest Gump”), his five-time editor Kirk Morri (“The Conjuring” films, “Furious 7,” the “Insidious” films), and production designer Bill Brzeski (“Furious 7”).
They are joined by costume designer Kym Barrett (“The Matrix” trilogy, “The Amazing Spider-Man”) and composer Rupert Gregson-Williams (“Wonder Woman”).
Warner Bros. Pictures Presents a Safran Company Production, a James Wan Film, “Aquaman.” The film is set to hit theaters beginning December 21, 2018, in 3D and 2D and IMAX, and will be distributed worldwide by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company.
FANTASTIC BEASTS: THE CRIMES OF GRINDELWALD
Warner Bros. Pictures’ “Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald” is the second of five all new adventures in J.K. Rowling’s Wizarding World™.
At the end of the first film, the powerful Dark wizard Gellert Grindelwald (Johnny Depp) was captured by MACUSA (Magical Congress of the United States of America), with the help of Newt Scamander (Eddie Redmayne). But, making good on his threat, Grindelwald escaped custody and has set about gathering followers, most unsuspecting of his true agenda: to raise pure-blood wizards up to rule over all non-magical beings. In an effort to thwart Grindelwald’s plans, Albus Dumbledore (Jude Law) enlists his former student Newt Scamander, who agrees to help, unaware of the dangers that lie ahead.
Lines are drawn as love and loyalty are tested, even among the truest friends and family, in an increasingly divided wizarding world.
The film features an ensemble cast led by Eddie Redmayne, Katherine Waterston, Dan Fogler, Alison Sudol, Ezra Miller, Zoë Kravitz, Callum Turner, Claudia Kim, William Nadylam, Kevin Guthrie, Carmen Ejogo, Poppy Corby-Tuech, with Jude Law and Johnny Depp.
“Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald” is directed by David Yates, from a screenplay by J.K. Rowling. The film is produced by David Heyman, J.K. Rowling, Steve Kloves and Lionel Wigram. Tim Lewis, Neil Blair, Rick Senat and Danny Cohen serve as executive producers.
The film reunites the behind-the-scenes creative team from the first “Fantastic Beasts” film, including Oscar-winning director of photography Philippe Rousselot (“A River Runs Through It”), three-time Oscar-winning production designer Stuart Craig (“The English Patient,” “Dangerous Liaisons,” “Gandhi,” the “Harry Potter” films), four-time Oscar-winning costume designer Colleen Atwood (“Chicago,” “Memoirs of a Geisha,” “Alice in Wonderland,” “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them”), and Yates’ longtime editor Mark Day (the last four “Harry Potter” films).
The music is by eight-time Oscar nominee James Newton Howard (“Defiance,” “Michael Clayton,” “The Hunger Games” films).
Slated for release beginning November 16, 2018, the film will be distributed worldwide in 2D and 3D in select theatres and IMAX by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company.
GODZILLA II: KING OF THE MONSTERS
Their reign begins. Prepare for an epic action adventure that pits Godzilla against some of the most popular monsters in pop culture history in the first trailer for Godzilla II: King of the Monsters.
The story follows the heroic efforts of the crypto-zoological agency Monarch as its members face off against a battery of god-sized monsters, including the mighty Godzilla, who collides with Mothra, Rodan, and his ultimate nemesis, the three-headed King Ghidorah. When these ancient super-species—thought to be mere myths—rise again, they all vie for supremacy, leaving humanity’s very existence hanging in the balance.
The next chapter in Warner Bros. Pictures’ and Legendary Pictures’ cinematic MonsterVerse is directed by Michael Dougherty (Krampus), starring Oscar nominees, Vera Farmiga (Up in the Air, The Conjuring films), Ken Watanabe (The Last Samurai), Sally Hawkins (The Shape of Water) and Strangers Things’ Millie Bobbie Brown makes her feature film debut.
The all-star cast also includes Kyle Chandler (Manchester-By-The-Sea), Bradley Whitford (Get Out); Thomas Middleditch (HBO’s Silicon Valley); Charles Dance (HBO’s Game of Thrones); O’Shea Jackson Jr. (Straight Outta Compton); Aisha Hinds (Star Trek Into Darkness); and Golden Globe nominee Zhang Ziyi (Memoirs of a Geisha, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon).
David F. Sandberg (“Annabelle: Creation”) directs New Line Cinema’s “Shazam!,” the origin story that stars Zachary Levi (TV’s “Chuck”) as the titular DC Super Hero, along with Asher Angel (TV’s “Andi Mack”) as Billy Batson, and Mark Strong (the “Kingsman” movies) in the role of Super-Villain Dr. Thaddeus Sivana.
Peter Safran (upcoming “Aquaman,” “The Conjuring” and “Annabelle” films) serves as the film’s producer.
We all have a superhero inside us, it just takes a bit of magic to bring it out. In Billy Batson’s (Angel) case, by shouting out one word—SHAZAM!—this streetwise 14-year-old foster kid can turn into the adult Super Hero Shazam (Levi), courtesy of an ancient wizard. Still a kid at heart—inside a ripped, godlike body—Shazam revels in this adult version of himself by doing what any teen would do with superpowers: have fun with them! Can he fly? Does he have X-ray vision? Can he shoot lightning out of his hands? Can he skip his social studies test? Shazam sets out to test the limits of his abilities with the joyful recklessness of a child. But he’ll need to master these powers quickly in order to fight the deadly forces of evil controlled by Dr. Thaddeus Sivana (Strong).
“Shazam!” also stars Jack Dylan Grazer (“IT”) as Billy’s best friend and ultimate superhero enthusiast, Freddy, part of the foster family that includes Mary, played by Grace Fulton (“Annabelle: Creation”); Darla, played by Faithe Herman (TV’s “This is Us”); Eugene, played by Ian Chen (TV’s “Fresh Off the Boat”); and Pedro, played by Jovan Armand (TV’s “Hawaii Five-O”). Cooper Andrews (TV’s “The Walking Dead”) and Marta Milans (TV’s “Killer Women”) play foster parents Victor and Rosa Vasquez, with Oscar nominee Djimon Hounsou (“Blood Diamond”) as the Wizard.
Firmly set in the DC universe but with his own distinctly fun, family-centric tone, the screenplay is by Henry Gayden, story by Gayden and Darren Lemke. Shazam was created by Bill Parker and C.C. Beck. Christopher Godsick, Jeffrey Chernov, Dwayne Johnson, Dany Garcia and Hiram Garcia serve as executive producers.
Sandberg’s creative team includes his “Annabelle: Creation” director of photography Maxime Alexandre, production designer Jennifer Spence, editor Michel Aller and costume designer Leah Butler.
A New Line Cinema production, “Shazam!” is set for release on April 5, 2019. It will be distributed worldwide by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company.
Plus, filming began this week on location in Atlanta for “Superintelligence,” starring Melissa McCarthy, Bobby Cannavale and James Corden. Ben Falcone is directing the new action comedy, from a script by Steve Mallory.
Nothing extraordinary ever happens to Carol Peters (McCarthy), so when she starts getting snarky backtalk from her TV, phone and microwave, she thinks she’s being punked. Or losing her mind. In fact, the world’s first superintelligence has selected her for observation, taking over her life…with a bigger, more ominous plan to take over everything. Now Carol is humanity’s last chance before this artificial intelligence-with-an-attitude decides to pull the plug.
Falcone and McCarthy are also producing, alongside Rob Cowan, whose credits include the Falcone/McCarthy comedy “Tammy” and the “Conjuring” films. Screenwriter Mallory additionally serves as an executive producer.
Falcone’s creative behind-the-scenes team includes director of photography Barry Peterson (“22 Jump Street,” “Game Night”); editor Tia Nolan (“How to be Single,” TV’s “Angie Tribeca”); production designer Jefferson Sage, who has worked with McCarthy on several films, including “Spy,” “The Heat” and “Bridesmaids”; and costume designer Louise Mingenbach (the “Hangover” and “X-Men” franchises).
“Superintelligence” is filming on location in and around Atlanta, Georgia.
The film is scheduled for release on December 25, 2019.
A New Line Cinema presentation of an On The Day Production, “Superintelligence” will be distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Entertainment Company.
“I’ve been waiting for the world to see that we exist”
In theaters on January 18, 2019 is director M. Night Shyamalan’s long awaited followup to UNBREAKABLE… GLASS.
Universal Pictures released an awesome first trailer on Friday during the Comic-Con panel in San Diego.
I… cannot… wait… for… this! We loyal fans of the Oscar-nominated director thought we’d never see a “sequel” to Shyamalan’s 2000 film that put a unique twist on the mythology of superheroes and villains. Twenty years later, we’ll finally get to see what happened to David Dunn and Elijah Price.
M. Night Shyamalan (THE SIXTH SENSE) brings together the narratives of two of his standout originals—2000’s UNBREAKABLE, from Touchstone, and 2016’s SPLIT, from Universal—in one explosive, all-new comic-book thriller: GLASS.
From Unbreakable, Bruce Willis returns as David Dunn as does Samuel L. Jackson as Elijah Price, known also by his pseudonym Mr. Glass. Joining from Split are James McAvoy, reprising his role as Kevin Wendell Crumb and the multiple identities who reside within, and Anya Taylor-Joy as Casey Cooke, the only captive to survive an encounter with The Beast.
Following the conclusion of Split, Glass finds Dunn pursuing Crumb’s superhuman figure of The Beast in a series of escalating encounters, while the shadowy presence of Price emerges as an orchestrator who holds secrets critical to both men.
Joining the all-star cast are Unbreakable’s Spencer Treat Clark and Charlayne Woodard, who reprise their roles as Dunn’s son and Price’s mother, as well as Golden Globe Award winner Sarah Paulson (American Horror Story series).
This riveting culmination of his worldwide blockbusters is produced by Shyamalan and Blumhouse Production’s Jason Blum, who also produced the writer/director’s previous two films for Universal. They produce again with Ashwin Rajan and Marc Bienstock, and Steven Schneider and Kevin Frakes, who executive produce. Gary Barber and Roger Birnbaum also serve as executive producers.
A Blinding Edge Pictures and Blumhouse production, Glass will be released by Universal Pictures in North America on January 18, 2019, and by Buena Vista International abroad.
(L to R) Young Tanya (JESSICA KEENAN WYNN), Young Donna (LILY JAMES) and Young Rosie (ALEXA DAVIES) in “Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again.” Ten years after “Mamma Mia! The Movie,” you are invited to return to the magical Greek island of Kalokairi in an all-new original musical based on the songs of ABBA. Photo courtesy of Universal Studios.
The sequel MAMMA MIA! HERE WE GO AGAIN is explosion of late ’70s spandex and glitter set to the tune of ABBA hits, which is just what fans of the original MAMMA MIA! are looking for.
For fans of either the stage musical, its movie adaptation or even just ABBA songs, this sequel hits all the right marks. Set on a sun-drenched Greek island where nothing very bad happens, it is light, sentimental romantic comedy packed to the rafters with those absurd late ’70s-early ’80s fashions. It is also filled with song and dance production numbers, each one topping the one before and all set to ABBA songs. For those less enthused about the Swedish disco-pop band or lacking nostalgia for mid-to-late ’70s fashions of gold lame and flowery pink overalls, no need to bother. This one is strictly for the fans.
The original MAMMA MIA! stage musical uncovered a nostalgia for the bouncy pop hits of Swedish band ABBA. The Broadway hit musical was a romantic comedy centered on a wedding on an idyllic Greek island, where unbeknownst to her free-spirited single mom, the young bride has secretly invited her three possible dads. In the 2008 movie version, Meryl Streep played the mom Donna with Amanda Seyfried as daughter Sophie, and Pierce Brosnan, Stellan Skargard and Colin Firth as the potential dads, successful architect Sam, Swedish playboy Bill, and shy rich guy Harry. Doubtless the sequel will make the leap back to the stage, now that the original musical has done its farewell tour.
The sequel tells dual, alternating stories. The first continues from the first movie, about daughter Sophie (Seyfried) and her struggles as she prepares for the grand opening to re-launch the tarverna her late mom Donna ran as a newly-renovated fancy hotel. The other story is a sort of origin tale, a flashback to Donna,played by Lily James, as a young woman in the ’70s. The dual story was an inspired idea, tapping into fans’ love of the original while keeping things more interesting than either plot probably could on its own.
Apparently there is a great hunger among big name stars, particularly older ones, to appear in a light-hearted musical, as the sequel boasts an impressive cast. The original cast returns with Seyfried as Sophie, Brosnan as architect Sam, Colin Firth as shy rich guy Harry and Stellan Skarsgard as Scandinavian playboy Bill. Dominic Copper again plays Sophie’s husband Sky and Christine Baranski and Julie Walters are back as Donna’s friends Tanya and Rosie. Even Streep makes an appearance. New cast members include Lily James as the young Donna, but also Andy Garcia as the mysterious Fernando, Sophie’s hotel manager in the contemporary story, and Cher, appropriately, as Sophie’s glam rock star grandma.
The sequel’s writer/director Ol Parker directed THE BEST EXOTIC MARIGOLD HOTEL, which also has a young/old theme. The music is all ABBA and band members/composers Benny Andersson and Bjorn Ulvaeus are executive producers.
Basically, its a mom movie, based on nostalgia for ABBA and for musicals generally, but have a sense of fun and the young that some others of that type lack. The cast is enthusiastic and there is a campy charm to the sequel, despite the risk of sparkly spandex overdose. It does have a hook for younger audiences with the parallel tale about young Donna, played perfectly by the appealing Lily James. The two-track story keeps the pace humming along and provides lots of room for humor, sweet sentiment, sunny scenery and musical numbers.
The ensemble musical numbers are among the film’s most enjoyable moments, sprinkled with high-energy dancing and acrobatics by the chorus. While the first one used up most of the Swedish band’s big hits, the sequel does feature the one the original missed, “Waterloo,” the band’s breakout hit. It is featured in the young Donna story, in a rather crazy production number set in a Paris cafe with waiters are dressed in Napoleonic uniforms. Fan favorite songs “Mamma Mia” and “Dancing Queen” get a second outing in new colorful production numbers.
Comedy, romance and sentiment are all part of the musical mix. As is often the case, Christine Baranski steals much of the comedy spotlight, delivering her lines and zingers with accuracy and style. The dads get less screen time in this one, although Stellan Skarsgard has a little fun with a dual role, but Andy Garcia gets a nice featured role as the romantic and mysterious Fernando, as well as being focus of a musical number using the song of that name. The wildly energetic, color-filled and splashy ensemble musical numbers are among the film’s best moments. There is more comedy than romance in the sequel but there are sad or dramatic moments too. There is one particularly sweet, touching scene between Streep and Seyfried that is a sure tear-jerker.
For those who loved the first movie or the stage musical, this sequel hits all the right notes, in all the sparkly, sky-blue and pink spandex fans could want.
THE EQUALIZER 2 is a case where ‘more of the same’ would have been just fine but somehow they screwed this up. The powerful director/actor team of Antoine Fuqua and Denzel Washington gave us THE EQUALIZER in 2014, a pulpy urban revenge thriller that had all the trappings of a tired Hollywood genre effort: a loner with a mysterious past, a young hooker with a heart of gold that provided the catalyst for his return to action, and an army of sneering Russian gangsters for him to dispatch in all variety of gruesome manner. But it worked surprisingly well, with a weird, electrifying life of its own thanks to Washington’s brooding presence and Fuqua’s dazzling direction. It also helped that they kept the scope small, focusing on its hero’s simple existence in Boston. The paint-by-numbers sequel, which opens things up with some globe-hopping tangents in Istanbul and Belgium, is far inferior with less violence and no emotional affect.
Washington is back in THE EQUALIZER 2 as retired CIA operative Robert McCall who, when not rescuing kidnapped children in Turkey, makes a living driving for Lyft (no mention is made of why he lost his job at Home Depot – probably something to do with the mangled corpses he left there). When his former CIA boss Susan Plummer (Melissa Leo) is murdered in Brussels, McCall unleashes his particularly lethal set of skills on those responsible. I barely remember Ms Leo from part one, so her demise meant little to me, but the film’s central plot revolves around her murder and with so many red herrings and double-crosses, it’s hard to keep allegiances straight. The highlight of part one was a remarkable skull-smashing, corkscrew-through-the-jaw sequence in which McCall dispensed with five Russkies while checking the seconds on his watch. Part two attempts to recreate this in a scene where McCall similarly dispatches a hotel room full of finance-industry white boys after they sexually assaulted a young woman and dumped her in his Lyft. That stopwatch is back as is the way McCall visually assesses his surroundings, but the scene has far less impact, in part because all these bros are still alive at the end of it. But it’s still the best scene in the sequel, which goes downhill from there. See, though still bad-ass, this is the (relatively) kinder, gentler Robert McCall, a killing machine who spends a great deal of time passing out books and caring for his neighbors. These include an Indian woman whose garden is vandalized, a teenager (Ashton Sanders) he’s determined to save from the Thug Life and an old Jewish man (Orson Bean) still grieving for a sister from who he was separated during the Holocaust. Where the original’s crazy showdown finale took place in a big-box hardware store where McCall had access to nail guns, blow torches and barbed-wire nooses, the sequel climaxes with a lackluster, drawn-out gun battle between McCall and a quartet of bland villains in a rainstorm. On the plus side, Washington is as charismatic as ever and throws out a few memorable quips (“don’t forget my 5-star rating” he reminds someone he’s just crippled). Boston locations are again used to strong effect but the action lags and this sequel is one of this summer’s bigger disappointments.
