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THE HIGH NOTE – Review

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So this weekend brings another new film that’s set in the world of “things we could do three months ago”. Last week it was world travel with Steve and Rob in THE TRIP TO GREECE along with Kristin and Sharon singing in a choral group in MILITARY WIVES. This week the “now verboten” activity in concert-going. Well, that’s really just a part of the flick’s story, but it’s a big part. There are several scenes with one of the characters filling big stadiums and amphitheaters, usually for “one-night-only” shows, and often not knowing the locale (“Good evening…um..where are we?”). Now the story’s main focus is not the chart-bustin’, seat-fillin’ superstar, but their lowly assistant, the “errand-runner” actually. We saw a bit of that in the recent A STAR IS BORN remake, to a lesser degree in the indie drama THE ASSISTANT, and as fodder for TV comedies like “Entourage” and “30 Rock”. And there was LATE NIGHT from last year, which, oddly enough, was from the same director as this flick. So, in this current effort, does she hit THE HIGH NOTE?

Much like the central character, this movie hits the ground running as we observe “star aide” Maggie (Dakota Johnson) embarking on several “morning missions” for her boss, pop diva Grace Davis (Tracee Ellis Ross). “Pick up this” “Grab that” until her now packed to the roof “seen better days” car arrives at the Davis mansion somewhere in Hollywood. In addition to the “pop diva”, Maggie must also deal with long-time, usually surly (oh, can he give the “stink-eye”) talent manager Jack (Ice Cube) and the “dim bulb” housekeeping supervisor Gail (June Diane Raphael), who seems to think that she’s a font of wisdom. Grace is at somewhat of a career “crossroad”. Should she keep playing big arenas around the globe, doing “one-nighters” and belting out the old familiar hits, or should she go with Jack’s idea to hook up with a Vegas casino to be an “artist in residence” and croon the same tunes in the same showroom for several months (maybe a year or two). But Maggie hopes to offer another alternate. In her precious “downtime” she’s been using new software and apps to give her standards a bold “new” sound without “drowning out” her still sharp vocals. Soon she’s got another “side gig” when she “meets cute” the owner of a produce chain, David Cliff (Kelvin Harrison Jr.) who is also quite the pop balladeer. Maybe Maggie can produce some songs with him, if she can keep things “professional” (a big challenge with the charming Cliff). But will this interfere with her work with Grace? Could she make “beautiful music” with both of them?

In a big break from the FIFTY SHADES trilogy, Johnson brings a low-key charm to her “everywoman” role as the often unappreciated Maggie. Her aide role is close to the classic “plate-spinner” act as she tries to keep track of Grace’s itinerary while trying to predict her abrupt mood changes while brushing aside those who would curry favor or exploit her. Johnson gives us the “vibe” that Maggie is forming a “hard shell”, putting on armor, while fretting over losing her own sense of empathy for others. Unfortunately her character is not as compelling or complex as Grace, played with a dramatic flourish by the commanding Ellis-Ross. Sure the comparisons to her famous mother Diana are evident, but Ellis-Ross resists the notion of turning her into a petulant, campy primadonna. The film only comes alive when she switches personas on a dime, from demanding dictator (at a party Maggie spits out a drink when caught in Grace’s icy stare), to gossipy gal pal, to the uncertain artiste, showing her vulnerability as she regrets past choices and faces an uncertain future, being a minority singer of a “certain age”. She’s paired with a great sparring partner, as Cube struts and growls as he presents his talent, but makes sure to get in every photo or video. At times they behave like an endearing but often bickering old married couple. Though he grumbles we know that Jack would do anything for his Grace. Like Johnson, Harrison tackles another real “change of pace” role, coming off his superb dramatic 2019 “one-two-punch” of LUCE and WAVES. His Davis is pure silky-smooth laid-back charm as he flits into Maggie’s orbit. And when he gets to the mike stand, she (and many others) will almost swoon at his charisma wrapped in some powerful “pipes”. As for the rest of the comic support team, Raphael is underutilized as the daft Gail, while Zoe Chao is a very funny encouraging roomie to Maggie. On the male side, veteran Bill Pullman strides in for the final act, while real-life tech music guru Diplo appears to be having a great time skewering his hipster image.

The aforementioned director, Nisha Ganatra, ably conveys the twirling hectic life of a professional “go-fer” in the opening scenes giving us a sparkling “city of dreams” in the often familiar California backdrops (plus Catalina Island looks idyllic in the final moments). And when we’re following in the bedazzling footsteps of Grace, the glow of superstardom is mesmerizing. Unfortunately, the script, from newcomer Flora Greeson, cuts away to the rather limp romantic subplot, along with lots of “sound mix” collages. The Maggie and David courtship fizzles (some chemistry clashes), as we wait…and wait… to get back to Grace and (gone for most of the middle hour) Jack. In the last half, much of the comedy lands with a clunk (and there are some very funny people on screen). And then, in the last few minutes, a twist/curve is sprung on the audience that’s both ludicrous (not in a comic sense) and frustrating, with characters making “off-kilter’ decisions just in order to provide some dramatic conflict. And despite tossing off bits of pop music trivia, and kissing pics of superstars that adorn the hallways of Capitol Records, Maggie never seems plausible as a musical mastermind. Ellis-Ross, on the other hand, feels like the “real deal” although we’re cheated on any full vocals until the near fade-out. Oh, her wardrobe from Jenny Eagan is worthy of a pop queen. Ultimately though, THE HIGH NOTE is one off-key backstage tune. And here comes the hook…

2 Out of 4

THE HIGH NOTE opens in select theatres and drive-ins. It is also available as a Video On Demand on most cable and satellite systems and is streaming on demand via most apps and platforms

DARK WATERS (2019) – Review

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Summer’s not the only season where heroes rule the multiplex. Well, that’s the main time for the fictional, larger than life heroes, the super spies, super cops, and, well, superheroes. But after Fall began the real-life heroes started to arrive, usually the subject of the big end of the year awards contenders. First to make her mark was Harriet Tubman in her inspiring biographical slice of history. Then there were the countless military men and women, from generals to sailors (and their wives) in MIDWAY. As we near the major holidays, we’ve seen more recent heroes, like Dan Jones played by Adam Driver in THE REPORT. Now comes a crusader from a profession generally derided and scorned by the public (especially in this weekend’s MARRIAGE STORY), a lawyer. Ah, but he’s got the spirit of an Avenger, apropos since he’s played by one of the original sextet. But rather than facing off against a scaly beast, he stands his ground against a near-invincible corporate behemoth. And to think this decades-long battle began with a tiny vial filled with deadly DARK WATERS.

After a foreboding flashback (it could’ve been lifted from any of the late 70’s “slash n’ hack” teen flicks), we meet an unassuming corporate lawyer named Robert Bilott (Mark Ruffalo), a briefcase-carrying cog in a Cincinnati legal firm. One day, the receptionist pulls him out of a big meeting because a farmer friend of his West Virginia-based grandma, Wilbur Tennant (Bill Camp), has made the trip to the city (seems Robert wasn’t returning his calls fast enough). Tennant believes that the nearby DuPont factory is poisoning his crops and livestock (they maintain a landfill in his brother’s former property), and leaves lots of photos and samples (soil and water) as proof. But this seems out of Bilott’s expertise since he ‘s usually defending big companies. After consulting his wife, Sarah (Anne Hathaway), a lawyer now taking care of him and their kids at home, Robert makes the trek to Parkersburg, West Virginia, and the Tennant farm. There he’s shocked by the multitude of cattle graves, along with the strange behavior of the remaining farm animals, and the diseased cattle organs kept in the freezer. After some persuasion, Robert’s boss, senior partner Tom (Tim Robbins) gives the okay to formally request files and records from DuPont. After much stalling, the boxes finally arrive. And keep on (and on) arriving until Robert is nearly buried in undecipherable paperwork. Can he fight the chemical company with bottomless pockets, along with the “push-back” from his colleagues who believe this litigation will turn away other big business clients, and prove, without a doubt, that they were, indeed, knowingly poisoning the little town and its residents, and perhaps everyone in the world who has used their “product”?

Ruffalo is far from the muscular green goliath, the Hulk, as this very down to Earth seeker of truth (he could’ve used those Gamma-ray biceps in lifting all those research boxes). Like his role in SPOTLIGHT, he tries to “blend in”, and not call attention to himself. This makes the sequence on the farm even more powerful as Robert gets “woke” and summons his courage to charge at the chemical “dragon”. But resolve takes its toll, and Ruffalo shows it in his body language, “slumping” down and taking heavy steps, that this mission is a long one. Particularly in the film’s last act, the exhaustion makes him more withdrawn as it literally chips away at his health and marriage. He seems to only be energized by paranoia, especially in one taut sequence in a parking garage (nearly always a place of movie doom, like those 24-hour desert gas stations) as he hesitates to turn that key (much like a similar scene recently in THE IRISHMAN). Ruffalo is ably supported by Hathaway who turns the typical “working wife at home” character into a gutsy partner, summoning her inner “She-Hulk” when confronting Tom after a health crisis. He, as played by the terrific Robbins, is an original take on the powerful, but often aloof, supervisor. In his first scenes with Robert, Tom is the “bottom-line” guy, questioning his motives and evidence. Then comes the big boardroom showdown, as he watches his co-workers and partners “dog pile” Robert, Robbins becomes a protective lion, surprising the other lawyers while delighting and stunning all who thought they knew this man. Camp is a growling pit bull as Tenant, who may not have the “book smarts” but will defend his home with his last breath. Also of note is usual film and TV “nice guy” Victor Garber as the affable DuPont exec who abruptly morphs into a hissing, spitting cobra when approached by Robert at a fancy function. Plus we get great work from Bill Pullman as the folksy, “low key” with lightning instincts (think Atticus Finch and Matlock) hometown lawyer, and Mare Winningham (been a long time, former “brat-packer”) as the local housewife who may have suffered the biggest loss, one sadly shared by many of the village residents.

This film also marks a big change, or maybe “out of his comfort zone”, for director Todd Haynes, whose resume’ has included several lush, retro-inspired romances like CAROL and FAR FROM HEAVEN. He’s knee-deep (literally) in grim and gritty down-home drama where truly horrible things happen to good “salt of the Earth” people. Sure, there are moments of hope, but Haynes also delivers a couple of scenes of nail-biting terror. Aside from the aforementioned garage sequence, there’s an eerie early moment when Robert gets a too close for comfort look at the crime when delirious bovine staggers out. Whether it was puppetry or CGI, or a combination, this was one of the scariest sequences of the film year. Kudos also to the script by Matthew Michael Carnahan and Mario Correa based on the New York Times article by Nathaniel Rich, “The Lawyer Who Became DuPont’s Worst Nightmare” for never condescending to the farm folk (Tenant has a hard-shelled dignity), and for presenting a real married couple who are true partners. Many may think this story to be a male spin on ERIN BROCKOVICH, but there’s no zany outfits (Ruffalo does rock a dark three-piece-suit) or romantic subplots or lovable ole’ bosses. It is dark, often in the extreme as it’s hard to make out the action even in the fluorescent-lit offices. And the pace loses some of its momentum as it inches towards a densely packed resolution montage. But these are minor quibbles as it delivers a message that is echoed in the current news cycle. While many deride the truth-seekers as unpatriotic and even criminal, this work reminds us that honesty still matters, and “blowing the whistle” on evil is truly noble. The world could use a lot more people like the Bilotts. And the multiplex can stand to have a few more inspiring docudramas like DARK WATERS.

3.5 Out of 4

DARK WATERS opens everywhere and screens exclusively in the St. Louis area at Landmark’s Plaza Frontenac Cinemas

Win Free Passes To The St. Louis Advance Screening Of DARK WATERS

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From Participant (Spotlight), DARK WATERS tells the shocking and heroic story of an attorney (Mark Ruffalo) who risks his career and family to uncover a dark secret hidden by one of the world’s largest corporations and to bring justice to a community dangerously exposed for decades to deadly chemicals.

Starring Mark Ruffalo, Anne Hathaway, Tim Robbins, Bill Camp, Victor Garber, Mare Winningham, William Jackson Harper and Bill Pullman, DARK WATERS is directed by Todd Haynes.

DAKR WATERS opens in St. Louis November 27.

Enter for your chance to win two free passes to the St. Louis advance screening of DARK WATERS. The theatrical sneak preview will be on November 19 at 7pm.

Answer the Following: Which film was Todd Haynes nominated for an Academy Award for best original screenplay ?

Leave your name, answer and email address in our comments section below.

NO PURCHASE NECESSARY.

Rated PG 13.

Get tickets: https://www.darkwaterstickets.com/

Mark Ruffalo stars as “Robert Bilott” in director Todd Haynes’ DARK WATERS, a Focus Features release. Credit : Mary Cybulski / Focus Features

Mark Ruffalo (center) stars as ‘Robert Bilott’ in director Todd Haynes’ DARK WATERS, a Focus Features release.
Credit : Mary Cybulski / Focus Features

Denzel Washington Is Back As Robert McCall In First Trailer For Antoine Fuqua’s THE EQUALIZER 2

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Check out the first trailer for director Antoine Fuqua’s THE EQUALIZER 2, starring Oscar winner Denzel Washington.

Washington, who was nominated for Best Actor in 2017 and 2018 for FENCES and ROMAN J. ISRAEL, ESQ., returns to one of his signature roles in the first sequel of his career. Robert McCall serves an unflinching justice for the exploited and oppressed – but how far will he go when that is someone he loves?

The film also stars Bill Pullman and Melissa Leo.

Antoine Fuqua is best known for his 2001 Academy Award-winning film TRAINING DAY, and recently THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN and SOUTHPAW. Fuqua also helmed 2004’s KING ARTHUR and the excellent BROOKLYN’S FINEST, one of 2009’s best films of the year.

THE EQUALIZER 2 opens in theaters on July 20.

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THE BALLAD OF LEFTY BROWN – Review

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Bill Pullman as Lefty Brown in THE BALLAD OF LEFTY BROWN. Photo by Ezra Olson. Courtesy of A24 ©

THE BALLAD OF LEFTY BROWN has a classic Western story but with a different twist: this time the sidekick is the hero.

In the late 1880s, Lefty Brown (Bill Pullman) is the long-time friend and partner of legendary Montana lawman turned rancher Eddie Johnson (Peter Fonda), who has just been elected senator from the new state. Eddie and his strong-willed wife Laura (Kathy Baker) are preparing to leave for Washington, D.C. and Eddie plans to leave his loyal friend Lefty in charge of his ranch. It is a plan his wife opposes, arguing that Lefty isn’t up to the job and is little more than a useless hanger-on who has been living off his friend for years. Even modest Lefty might agree he’s not up to the task: at 63, he walks with a limp, seems overly cautious, is more fond of talk than work, and even seems a bit befuddled. He does what Eddie asks but he doesn’t show much initiative. Still, none of that matters to Eddie, who values his old friend’s steadfast loyalty. He stands by Lefty as his friend always stood by him.

But before Eddie can leave, a ranch hand reports some of his horses have been stolen, and Eddie and Lefty ride out to investigate. When Eddie is murdered in an ambush by a vicious horse thief named Frank (Joe Anderson), everything changes. Lefty knows there is only thing he can do – find the killer.

Eddie’s death brings in two of Eddie’s friends from back in their younger Wild West days. Tom Harrah (Tommy Flanagan) was a legendary lawman, who after years of alcoholism is now back on the job as a U.S. Marshall. Tom is there with the grieving widow Laura when word arrives from the third friend, Jimmy Bierce (Jim Caviezel), now Montana’s governor, that he has called out the military to hunt down the killer. There is no need to Lefty and Tom to track him down and, in fact, the Governor would rather they stay out of the way. But nothing can stop Lefty from going after his partner’s killer, and so Tom goes with him.

During the search, Lefty comes across a lost young man named Jeremiah (Diego Josef), who has ambitious to be a gunslinger. The teen is packing a couple of pistols and a passel of Western dime-novels, including one’s extolling the legendary heroics of Eddie Johnson, Tom Harrah and Jimmy Bierce. Lefty is not mentioned, as the young man tells him. Nonetheless, Jeremiah joins the search, eager to ride with the legendary lawman Tom Harrah.

 

Laura’s opinion of Lefty is harsh but neither Harrah nor Bierce have a high opinion of him either. Tom Harrah knows he can count on Lefty in a pinch or a gun battle but he also knows he will have to take the leadership role and come up with the ideas on finding the murderer. When they corner the gang of horse thieves, it doesn’t go well. When Lefty returns to the ranch for help, he finds himself accused of the murder. Now he must not only find the murderer but prove his own innocence.

In director Jared Moshe’s involving drama, Lefty is the very picture of the classic Western hero’s sidekick, the loyal guy always on hand to help but never outshining the hero in their adventures. Eddie’s murder turns the hero and sidekick stereotype upside down, and steadfast, unassuming Lefty finds himself in the hero role as he tracks down his friend’s murderer. It is a clever twist on the standard Western and Bill Pullman pulls it off with considerable appeal. You can’t help but pull for this unusual underdog getting his chance to show he is more than an amusing companion.

Fans of fine cinematography should relish this film. The photography and locations look stunning, shot on film rather than digital, which adds to the old Western feel of the film. The Montana vistas are perfect, just the kind of sweeping Western landscape you hope for. The starkly beautiful landscape and well-composed shots give the film the feel of a classic John Ford Western, where the landscape is almost a character. In the respect, and the camera’s intimate focus on Pullman’s subtly expressive face, the film is near perfect.

The cast can not be matched for this Western in a classic style, but most of the focus is on Pullman. Pullman does a splendid job, and his fine performance as an overlooked man with inner strengths is much of the appeal of the film.

If there is a shortcoming, it is that the some of other cast’s characters seem a bit underwritten. Even Tommy Flanagan, who gets considerable screen time, seems more to be playing a type than a person. One especially wishes the wonderful Kathy Baker could have had a little more to work with. Although the hints are there for an deeper character, there is not the time.

Similar things could be said about the script. Apart from the twist of making the sidekick into the hero, there is a lot of standard Western in the story. It is satisfying but not very original.

THE BALLAD OF LEFTY BROWN is a tale of a sidekick turned hero, a nice spotlight for Pullman, who has often appeared in those kinds of roles throughout his career, which some stunning Montana scenery framing an otherwise classic Western in the spirit of John Ford.

RATING: 3 1/2 out of 5 stars

BATTLE OF THE SEXES – Review

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If you’re over age 50, you likely recall the Billie Jean King-Bobby Riggs tennis match from 1973, a feminist landmark and time-capsule of male chauvinist history that attracted one of the biggest audiences ever for a sporting event at that time. Over 100 million worldwide watched the 29-year old Number 2 ranked women’s champion take on the 55-year old former men’s champ in a $100,000 tournament that’s now been dramatized in BATTLE OF THE SEXES, a flawed but mostly entertaining look at a repressive time when women athletes weren’t taken seriously and ‘lesbian’ was a dirty word.

Loudmouth hustler and gambling addict Bobby Riggs (Steve Carrel), was a self-confessed ‘male chauvinist pig’ even though he lived off the family money of his second wife Priscilla (Elizabeth Shue). Riggs had been a tennis champ decades earlier and was still active on the senior circuit in the early ‘70s. He got the crazy idea to challenge any “hairy-legged feminist” to a match, just to prove male superiority in the sport, then handily defeated number 1-ranked Margaret Court (Jessica McNamee). His ego kicked into high gear, he boosted the prize purse and the number 2 player, Billie Jean King (Emma Stone), accepted his challenge. King had recently butted heads with Jack Kramer (Bill Pullman) the head of the ATP (Association of Tennis Professionals) over women’s place in the sport and saw the battle with Riggs as a chance to prove that she should be taken just as seriously as her male counterparts. King was also battling her own sexual identity as she found herself falling for Marilyn Barnett (Andrea Riseborouh), the women’s team hairdresser, though she was married to male model-handsome Larry King (Austin Stowell).

BATTLE OF THE SEXES is a fun time, with the right mix comedy and drama, telling a true story so lively and cinematic that I’m surprised hasn’t been filmed before. Married co-directors Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris do an impressive job in balancing the King’s complicated love life with the media circus at the center of the story .The script by Oscar-winner Simon Beaufoy (SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE) portrays Riggs as a clown, which he was. A proud clown at that, he promised to put the ‘show’ in chauvinism. His view toward women, whom he believed shouldn’t be on the tennis court—unless they’re there to retrieve stray balls, was best summed up when he claimed to love them “in the bedroom and in the kitchen”, yet Riggs in THE BATTLE OF THE SEXES is never unlikeable for a second. Carrel was born to play Riggs, and the actor’s comic chops come in handy, especially during a series of training and public relations montages that include a giant racket, a Burt Reynolds-inspired nude photo shoot, and Riggs chasing sheep off the court dressed as Little Bo Peep. A scene where he disrupts his Gamblers Anonymous meeting with some horrible advice is a gut-buster and I honestly can’t imagine another actor in this role. But Riggs isn’t the villain of the film, nor is Larry King, who was always in his wife’s corner, urging her to fight gender establishment politics. The real bully in BATTLE OF THE SEXES is Pullman’s small-minded and intimidating Jack “It’s a man’s game” Kramer and there’s a superbly-written scene near the end when King tells him off, explaining the dangerous difference between Riggs attitudes towards women athletes and his.

My main problem with BATTLE OF THE SEXES is that Riggs is such a colorful and charismatic character that Ms King often seems dull by contrast. Stone is good, playing King with conviction and with all the innocent, wide-eyed optimism of a woman determined to change the world, but whenever the movie focused on her, I found myself getting impatient, wanting the action to move back to Mr. Riggs. The many scenes between King and lover Marilyn are redundant, and the obvious “sexism is bad” message is hammered home again and again, resulting in some pacing issues. Directors Dayton and Valerie do a credible job of capturing the mood of the times through fashion and hairstyles and ever-present TVs in the background (shots of Howard Cosell digitally interacting with the film’s actors are startling and effective). While I think this is a less-lazy approach than drenching the soundtrack with period songs (though there are a few), Nicholas Brittell’s drab score underwhelms. Despite some weaknesses, BATTLE OF THE SEXES is a funny and engrossing crowd-pleaser with strong performances and plenty of memorable moments.

3 1/2 of 5 Stars

Emma Stone and Steve Carell In First Trailer For Tennis Drama BATTLE OF THE SEXES

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With The French Open and Wimbledon right around the corner, the Grand slam matches are on the minds of every tennis fan.

Today, Fox Searchlight Pictures has released this first trailer for the upcoming film BATTLE OF THE SEXES.

The electrifying 1973 tennis match between World number one Billie Jean King (Emma Stone) and ex-champ and serial hustler Bobby Riggs (Steve Carell) was billed as THE BATTLE OF THE SEXES and became one of the most watched televised sports events of all time. The match caught the zeitgeist and sparked a global conversation on gender equality, spurring on the feminist movement.

Trapped in the media glare, King and Riggs were on opposite sides of a binary argument, but off-court each was fighting more personal and complex battles. With a supportive husband urging her to fight the Establishment for equal pay, the fiercely private King was also struggling to come to terms with her own sexuality, while Riggs gambled his legacy and reputation in a bid to relive the glories of his past.

Together, Billie and Bobby served up a cultural spectacle that resonated far beyond the tennis courts and animated the discussions between men and women in bedrooms and boardrooms around the world.

The huge cast features Andrea Riseborough, Sarah Silverman, Bill Pullman, Alan Cumming, Austin Stowell, Jessica Mcnamee, Natalie Morales, Fred Armisen, Martha MacIsaac, Mickey Sumner, Bridey Elliott, Eric Christian Olsen, Wallace Langham, Matt Malloy and Elisabeth Shue.

Directed by Valerie Faris & Jonathan Dayton (LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE) and produced by Danny Boyle, BATTLE OF THE SEXES opens in theaters at the start of awards season on September 22, 2017.

http://www.foxsearchlight.com/battleofthesexes/

Dean Devlin’s Electric Entertainment Acquires N. American Rights To Rob Reiner’s LBJ starring Woody Harrelson

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Dean Devlin’s Electric Entertainment announced today that it has acquired all rights for the U.S. and Canada for director Rob Reiner’s LBJ starring Woody Harrelson in the role of the bombastic 36th President.

The film also stars Jennifer Jason Leigh, Richard Jenkins, Bill Pullman, Jeffrey Donovan and Michael Stahl-David, and was produced by Reiner, Matthew George, Liz Glotzer, Trevor White and Tim White. LBJ had its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival, and is set for a theatrical release in 2017.

The deal was brokered by Electric Entertainment’s Head of Domestic Distribution, Zac Reeder and by CAA on behalf of the filmmakers.

After powerful Senate Majority Leader Lyndon Johnson (Woody Harrelson) loses the 1960 Democratic presidential nomination to Senator John F. Kennedy (Jeffrey Donovan), he agrees to be his young rival’s running mate. But once they win the election, despite his extensive legislative experience and shrewd political instincts, Johnson finds himself sidelined in the role of vice president. That all changes on Nov. 22, 1963, when Kennedy is assassinated and Johnson, with his devoted wife Lady Bird (Jennifer Jason Leigh) by his side, is suddenly thrust into the presidency. As the nation mourns, Johnson must contend with longtime adversary Attorney General Bobby Kennedy (Michael Stahl-David) and one-time mentor Georgia Senator Richard Russell (Richard Jenkins) as he seeks to honor JFK’s legacy by championing the historic Civil Rights Act of 1964.

“This is exactly the kind of film that Electric’s domestic division was created for, and we couldn’t be more excited to work with Rob Reiner and Woody Harrelson as we bring this engrossing and timely picture to North American audiences,” said Electric CEO Dean Devlin.

“Rob Reiner is one of the great American directors; together with Woody Harrelson’s mesmerizing performance, they have created an incredible portrait of the 36th President. We are very excited to be working with Dean Devlin, Zac Reeder and the team at Electric,” said Matthew George.

This marks the latest release for Electric Entertainment’s newly created domestic division, which also released the Tribeca Film Festival title THE BOOK OF LOVE starring Jason Sudeikis, Jessica Biel and Maisie Williams on January 13th, 2017.

Reiner is currently directing the Iraq War political drama SHOCK AND AWE from LBJ screenwriter Joey Hartstone, which stars Jessica Biel, Harrelson, Tommy Lee Jones, James Marsden and Milla Jovovich.

Harrelson can currently be seen in the Sundance Film Festival premiere WILSON, which debuted at the fest in January, and the upcoming WAR FOR THE PLANET OF THE APES. He has also recently been cast in the forthcoming STAR WARS standalone HAN SOLO film.

INDEPENDENCE DAY RESURGENCE – Longstanding Conspiracy Theory Debunked!

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Today Earth Space Defense director David Levinson is finally debunking a long-standing conspiracy theory that has persisted since the War of 1996. In this video – which provides irrefutable proof – he and famous Hollywood actor Jeff Goldblum prove once and for all that they are not the same person – despite their uncanny resemblance. Learn the truth now. Check out this video:

We always knew they were coming back. After INDEPENDENCE DAY redefined the event movie genre, the next epic chapter delivers global spectacle on an unimaginable scale. Using recovered alien technology, the nations of Earth have collaborated on an immense defense program to protect the planet. But nothing can prepare us for the aliens’ advanced and unprecedented force. Only the ingenuity of a few brave men and women can bring our world back from the brink of extinction.

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INDEPENDENCE DAY RESURGENCE hits theaters everywhere June 24, 2016!

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SYNOPSIS
We always knew they were coming back. After INDEPENDENCE DAY redefined the event movie genre, the next epic chapter delivers global spectacle on an unimaginable scale. Using recovered alien technology, the nations of Earth have collaborated on an immense defense program to protect the planet. But nothing can prepare us for the aliens’ advanced and unprecedented force. Only the ingenuity of a few bra

Celebrate Earth Day With New Trailer For INDEPENDENCE DAY: RESURGENCE

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Don’t Mess with Earth.

Just in time for Earth Day, a new INDEPENDENCE DAY: RESURGENCE trailer has arrived.

To help us all defend our planet, for a limited time, the original INDEPENDENCE DAY (1996) movie will be available for only $0.99, with all of Fox’s net proceeds being donated to Earth Day Network! Get your $0.99 download of ID4 here: http://bitly.com/1qWSDvc.

Fans can also participate in a global #IndependenceDayLive Earth Day Watch Party, starting at 4pm PT by following #IndependenceDayLive and @IndependenceDay.

We always knew they were coming back. After INDEPENDENCE DAY redefined the event movie genre, the next epic chapter delivers global spectacle on an unimaginable scale. Using recovered alien technology, the nations of Earth have collaborated on an immense defense program to protect the planet. But nothing can prepare us for the aliens’ advanced and unprecedented force. Only the ingenuity of a few brave men and women can bring our world back from the brink of extinction.

The film hits theaters this summer on June 24th.

Facebook: Facebook.com/IndependenceDayMovie
Twitter: Twitter.com/IndependenceDay

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