(from left) Norah (Leah Sava Jeffries) and Nathan (Idris Elba) in Beast, directed by Baltasar Kormákur.
Here’s your first look at the just released trailer for BEAST, starring Idris Elba, only in theaters August 19
Sometimes the rustle in the bushes actually is a monster.
Idris Elba (Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw, The Suicide Squad) stars in a pulse-pounding new thriller about a father and his two teenage daughters who find themselves hunted by a massive rogue lion intent on proving that the savannah has but one apex predator.
Elba plays Dr. Nate Daniels, a recently widowed husband who returns to South Africa, where he first met his wife, on a long-planned trip with their daughters to a game reserve managed by Martin Battles (Sharlto Copley, Russian Doll series, Maleficent), an old family friend and wildlife biologist. But what begins as a journey of healing jolts into a fearsome fight for survival when a lion, a survivor of blood-thirsty poachers who now sees all humans as the enemy, begins stalking them.
Iyana Halley (The Hate U Give, This is Us series) plays Daniels’ 18-year-old daughter, Meredith, and Leah Sava Jeffries (Rel series, Empire series) plays his 13-year-old, Norah.
From visceral, experiential filmmaker Baltasar Kormákur, the director of Everest and Universal Pictures’ 2 Guns and Contraband, Beast is produced by Will Packer, the blockbuster producer of Girls Trip, the Ride Along franchise, and ten movies that have opened No. 1 at the U.S. box office, including Night School, No Good Deed and Think Like a Man, by James Lopez, president of Will Packer Productions, and by Baltasar Kormákur. The film is written by Ryan Engle (Rampage, Non-Stop) from an original story by Jaime Primak Sullivan and is executive produced by Jaime Primak Sullivan and Bernard Bellew.
Watch the official trailer tease for THREE THOUSAND YEARS OF LONGING starring Idris Elba and Tilda Swinton, directed by George Miller. See the full trailer online this Friday.
The film’s score was composed by TOM HOLKENBORG, who had written the music for MAD MAX: FURY ROAD.
Dr Alithea Binnie (Tilda Swinton) is an academic – content with life and a creature of reason. While in Istanbul attending a conference, she happens to encounter a Djinn (Idris Elba) who offers her three wishes in exchange for his freedom.
This presents two problems. First, she doubts that he is real and second, because she is a scholar of story and mythology, she knows all the cautionary tales of wishes gone wrong. The Djinn pleads his case by telling her fantastical stories of his past. Eventually she is beguiled and makes a wish that surprises them both.
THREE THOUSAND YEARS OF LONGING is written by George Miller and Augusta Gore, based upon The short story “The Djinn in the Nightingale’s Eye” by A.S. Byatt.
SONIC THE HEDGEHOG 2 FAN EVENT EARLY ACCESS SCREENING
Fans will have the opportunity to see Sonic the Hedgehog on Wednesday, April 6th, prior to the film’s opening on Friday, April 8th
This screening event will air at 6:00PM local time in participating theatres and will be presented exclusively in premium formats. Moviegoers can get Early Access Screening Theatre Listings and buy tickets to all Sonic the Hedgehog 2 shows at www.sonicthehedgehogmovie.com. Tickets will also be on sale at exhibitors’ websites & mobile apps, and at participating theatre box offices nationwide.
Tails (Colleen O’Shaughnessey) in Sonic The Hedgehog 2 from Paramount Pictures and Sega. Photo Credit: Courtesy Paramount Pictures and Sega of America.
Additionally, commemorative gifts commissioned for this event will be given to each ticketholder. Each fan attending the event will receive an exclusive, limited edition Collector’s Print designed by artist Tyson Hesse, best known for his work on the Sonic the Hedgehog franchise; and a limited-edition comic book reprinted with cinema-exclusive cover art illustrated by Nathalie Fourdraine, an illustrator and animation concept artist who contributes to the IDW Sonic the Hedgehog comic series.
SONIC THE HEDGEHOG 2IS IN THEATRES APRIL 8, 2022
Knuckles (Idris Elba) in Sonic The Hedgehog 2 from Paramount Pictures and Sega. Photo Credit: Courtesy Paramount Pictures and Sega of America.
The world’s favorite blue hedgehog is back for a next-level adventure in SONIC THE HEDGEHOG 2. After settling in Green Hills, Sonic is eager to prove he has what it takes to be a true hero. His test comes when Dr. Robotnik returns, this time with a new partner, Knuckles, in search for an emerald that has the power to destroy civilizations. Sonic teams up with his own sidekick, Tails, and together they embark on a globe-trotting journey to find the emerald before it falls into the wrong hands.
From the filmmakers behind The Fast and the Furious and Deadpool, SONIC THE HEDGEHOG 2 stars James Marsden, Ben Schwartz as the voice of Sonic, Tika Sumpter, Natasha Rothwell, Adam Pally, Lee Majdoub and Jim Carrey returning, alongside new additions Shemar Moore, with Idris Elba as the voice of Knuckles and Colleen O’Shaughnessey as the voice of Tails.
Paramount Pictures Presents In Association with SEGA Sammy Group
An Original Film / Marza Animation Planet / Blur Studio Production
Sonic (Ben Schwartz) in Sonic The Hedgehog 2 from Paramount Pictures and Sega.
What say we saddle up and mosey’ down to the ole’ multiplex, pardner’? Or something like that since we’ve got an opportunity to take in a true cinematic rarity. Several decades ago the Western (or as the Variety “trade paper’ called them “Oaters”) was a staple at the local “Bijou”, just like comedies, musicals, romances, and horror flicks. And TV “rode alongside’ with the genre encompassing over half of network primetime fare. Oh, but now…(cue the tumbleweeds). Sure, there have been modern Westerns like the recent LET HIM GO and CRY MACHO, but they’re pretty much set in modern times (yes, I know Clint’s last entry was a 1980s story). No, this new one takes place near the tail end of the 19th century and its cast is mainly black (I’d say African-American but many of the actors hail from foreign lands), But this isn’t a first as it follows in the “boot-steps’ of ADIOS AMIGO, BUCK AND THE PREACHER, and POSSE (that’s nearly 30 years ago). And before you ask, this isn’t a remake of Bogie’s last flick, though it’s also called THE HARDER THEY FALL. Giddeyup’!
This “sagebrush saga’ opens with a flashback, showing us a decade-old attack on a frontier family by notorious outlaw Rufus Buck (Idris Elba). The tale jumps forward as a survivor (no, he didn’t become Batman or even the Lone Ranger), Nat Love (Jonathan Majors) exacts his revenge on one of the Buck gang in a deserted church. Meanwhile two members of the “Love crew”, “crack” rifle “shot” Bill Pickett (Edi Gathegi) and cocky confident “quick draw” kid Jim Beckworth (RJ Cyler) ambush the “Vermillion Gang” (they wear colored hoods now closer to pink) and relieve them of their stolen bank loot, which was intended for the Buck gang, though he’s “rotting” in jail. Or is he? Far away a locomotive is stopped and bordered by “Treacherous” Trudy Smith (Regina King) and “fast-draw” killer Cherokee Bill (LaKeth Stanfield). And what is the train’s treasure? Cash? Gold? No, it’s their boss, Buck himself who was being transported to another “facility” (it seems that the gang has an unlikely ally high up in the government). Meanwhile, Nat visits a high-class saloon, after checking his gunbelt with the tough bouncer/ bodyguard “Cuffee” (Danielle Deadwyler) and reunites with its owner, and “lost flame”, “Stagecoach” Marie (Zazie Beets). Later, the saloon hosts another reunion as Love is approached by famed lawman Bass Reeves (Delroy Lindo), who delivers the news of Buck’s escape. The next morning the two are joined by Pickett and Beckworth on the trail to Redwood City, where, much to Love’s surprise, they are joined by Mary and Cuffee. Over in their destination, Buck re-establishes himself as the town’s “kingpin”, tossing off the law, acting Sheriff Wiley (Deon Cole), and levying a hefty “protection tax” (to make up for the earlier “ripoff”) on its poor citizens. When Love’s crew arrives, Mary insists that she go into town “incognito” to “scope out” the situation. When things go awry, Nat and his gang are caught in a jam. Do they become outlaws to rescue Mary? Either way, the Buck Gang could triumph and make the town a stronghold for the lawless. Sounds like a “showdown” is a-comin’!
An excellent ensemble helps make the West very wild indeed. Heading up the forces of good (well, not as bad as the other “sidewinders”) as Love is the very compelling Major (so great in the recent Disney+ streaming show “Loki”) who proves to be one confident cowbo…er…man. His Love is an excellent leader who backs up his six-gun skills while somehow being several steps ahead of anyone else. His fighting and romantic partner is played with equal part allure and danger by the radiant Beetz (there’s a lady worthy of their “ride into Hell”). Lindo is filed with righteous gravitas as the somber Reeves. Luckily the mood is lightened somewhat by the comic sparring of Gathegi as the usually pessimistic Bill and Cyler’s full of motor-mouthed swagger Jim. Rounding out the “heroic six” is Deadwyler whose Cuffee has a fierce sense of loyalty to offset her often awkward social skills. They’re all “put through the wringer” by the enigmatic Elba as the hulking Buck who quietly hovers over his victims, waiting to strike with unbridled fury, like a simmering powderkeg. King as Trudy seems to be his good “right hand” as she does his bidding while barely suppressing a sadistic smile. Her cohort Cherokee Bill as portrayed by Stanfield is a cold, dead-eyed one-man army, whose banal stare is almost as deadly as his trigger finger (and it’s so itchy). Cole also provides a bit of levity as the ineffectual Wiley whose bellowing bark is much more painful than his bite (even with those shiny gold choppers).
Director Jeymes Samuel, helming the script he co-wrote with Boaz Yakin, brings a lot of kinetic energy to this “horse opera”, mixing the visuals of Sergio Leone with some of the ultra-violent snark of Tarantino (if only his THE HATEFUL EIGHT had this sense of style and brevity). Samuel takes all that we love about the genre and makes it feel somewhat fresh. And there’s a nice sense of history as he uses the names of real Western icons for this fictional fable (I only knew about Reeves via the recent HBO sequel to “The Watchmen”). Yes, some of the humor is hammered into a pulp (the color of a very unfriendly town) and a few scenes seem too weird for the time period (a saloon entertainer painted blue ala’ Mystique from the X-Men would not have “played” well with thirsty cowpokes). Oh, and the carnage of the final “throwdown” is more than a bit mind and backside numbing. However, the cast seems to be having a terrific time ( no matter how old we get, playing “cowboy’ is a blast), and the art direction is top-notch from the saloons and side shops to the wardrobe. Any fans of SILVERADO and THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN should get that same rawhide rush from watching the “souped-up”, hip hop, shoot-em-up’ spectacle of THE HARDER THEY FALL. And when they topple, look out for those popping “blood squibs”.
3 Out of 4
THE HARDER THEY FALL is now playing in select theatres and is streaming exclusively on Netflix
As we enter the final weeks of Summer, the multiplex presents a new entry in the film adaptations of the (as they used to say in their comic books) “Distinguished Competition” to Marvel (sounds nicer than their other label, “Brand Ecchh”). Yes, the MCU made its return to the cinemas several weeks ago with BLACK WIDOW, which continues on the smaller screens (and its behind-the-scenes” conflicts are played out in the entertainment news venues), so it was only a matter of time before Warners shot back with a film based on its DC properties. And yes, it’s a sequel, with several characters from the 2016 original coming back, but it’s also kind-of-a-reboot since one of the Marvel “guiding lights” has “jumped the fence” to serve up a new take on the “high-concept” “revolving door” comic series. Perhaps that’s why the title sports a “proper article’ rather than a number two (or II). So. let’s strap in for a new movie mission for the misfits known as THE SUICIDE SQUAD.
So, did you need to see the David Ayers-directed original before viewing this? Not really, as the film begins with a zippy retelling of its basic premise. Amanda Waller (Viola Davis) , the head of a “hush-hush” deep underground government agency is still “recruiting” imprisoned”super-villains” for clandestine projects. She explains to the “newbie”, that a microchip will be planted at the base of his skull, and if he deviates from the “errand”, like say trying to run away, she’ll press a button at the monitoring center and the chip will explode his noggin. But if all goes well, he’ll be released from jail. Soon we’re onboard a stealth flying craft as several agents jump into the dark murky ocean waters off the coast of a South American island nation known as “Corto Maltese”. And though several SS vets are there, including military liason Col. Rick Flagg (Joel Kinnaman) and the Joker’s ex Harley Quinn (Margot Robbie), things go “sideways” and those two are scooped up in the surrounding jungle. Luckily there’s another crew on a deserted nearby beach. Their releuctant leader is the skilled super-assassin “Bloodsport” (Idris Elba), who’s only there because Waller threated his teen daughter with an “adult’ prison sentence. But also claiming to be the “boss” is the stubborn and deadly vigilante known as “The Peacemaker” (John Cena). Either way, they’ve got to keep tabs on the others: “Ratcatcher 2” (Daniela Melchoir) who can command the rodents, “Polka-Dot Man” (David Dastmalchian), a twitched guy with extreme “mother issues” who shoots destructibe multi-colored “balls” from his body, and “King Shark” (voice of Slyvester Stallone), a powerful hulking man-shark metahuman with a near-insatialble appetite for…anybody. So, can these squabbling cons join forces to free Harley and Quinn, in addition to completing their task of destroying a secret lab that’s trying to harness a deadly captured alien entity? If they don’t liqiidate each other, then …maybe.
Of this motley squad, the most prominent, this time around is played by Elba, who makes a good “straight man”, or “sounding board” for the more outrageous and wacky characters. He’s a weary, jaded “everyman” who only wants to keep his head down (often scrubbing toilets) and get through his “time”. Then we see his rage begin to emerge as the threats from Waller make his cold blood begin to boil. He makes us wish for a “prequel” in order to see Bloodsport in his element. That’s hinted at during his frequent verbal and sometimes physical stand-offs with Peacemaker, played with fervent comic glee by an energized Cena, tossing off his glowering villain role in the recent F9. In his shiny helmet, Cena is a beacon of pure confidence, deluding himself into believing he’s an indestructible hero, that even society can’t see it. Robbie as Harley has a smaller, though still vital role in this outing, As opposed to that 2016 original and the BIRDS OF PREY follow-up, Harley is often part of a “cutaway” “B” plot, but her dangerous unpredictability makes her a most compelling “wild card”. I was most delightfully surprised by the addition of Dastmalchian, a scene-stealer from the MCU’s ANT-MAN series, who brings unexpected pathos to the seemingly silly “gimmick” anti-hero Polka-Dot man. We can see by the sadness in his eyes that he’s been a hapless Patsy” for most of his life, thanks to his super-scientist matriarch. Stallone generates lots of laughs as the child-like King Shark, though he often comes off as a mix of Groot and Drax from the GUARDIANS flicks. Fans of TV’s “Doctor Who” may be bummed that Peter Capaldi, a recent “time lord”, has little to do as the arrogant Thinker. He’s more of a human “MacGuffin” who mainly warns the heroes and baddies that they don’t comprehend the powerful forces only he can control, all the while he resembles a human virus with his bald head sporting multi-colored tubes. Kinnaman is once again the stalwart, stoic soldier who can still keep up with these “weirdos”. And Davis builds on the ruthless Waller, even as she’s kept within the confines of the monitoring station (the “lady behind the desk” ala the recent SPIDER-MAN flicks), making her the ultimate screeching, spewing “boss from Hell”. Her counterpoint might be Melchoir who brings a sweet vulnerability to the often emotional fragile Ratcatcher, especially as she thinks back to her childhood years with RC 1, played by Taika Waititi in fuzzy, fairytale-like flashbacks.
So, who’s the filmmaker playing “both sides” of the comic book movie battlefield. None other than James Gunn, who changed “sides” after a social media scandal (all’s resolved now as he’s working on his last film in the GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY trilogy). A big incentive for him might have been the lifting of the “PG-13” restraints as Warners continues their pursuit of that “R” rating box office that the DEADPOOL series unleashed (that last SS flick had the tamer rating). Without Kevin Feige and the MCU masterminds, to watch over him, Gunn lets his Troma Studio (the TOXIC AVENGER exploitation house gave him his early movie “breaks”) roots show. There’s a barrage of “F-bombs” that is almost matched in volume for the gallons of gore and exploding bodies. When the baddies (and a lot of the semi-reformed, now “goodies”) take a hail of bullets, the blood splatters the camera lens (wonder how that looks in 3D, if that version’s being provided) with lingering corpse close-ups. Though it may be catering to the “first shooter” gaming fanatics, it becomes quite numbing after a while despite some of Gunn’s directorial “flourishes”. During a long Harley blitzkrieg, animated flowers and birds cover much of the carnage (perhaps to show her indifference, but I’m thinking to may have been done to steer the rating board away from an “NC-17′ box-office dooming label). Oh, and later we view much of a brutal hand-to-hand fight in the reflection of Peacekeeper’s shiny helmet (perhaps this should’ve been trimmed) Ditto for the often cloying “chapter headings” As the script’s sole screenwriter Gunn sometimes goes to the “schtick” well a couple of times too many (another “everybody is Mom” mirage), but much of the humor does “stick”, especially as he has some fun at the expense of many second…no…third-rate supervillains like Nathan Fillon’s T.D.K. and the man-sized furball known as Weasel (who we’re told is the killer of dozens of kids). Yes, the lil’ ones are not off-limits as collateral damage, along with with some cute feathered friends (don’t get me started with the way-too-frequent tobacco usage). And while Corto Maltese and its residents seem to have wandered in from a 60s spy flick, Gunn literally demolishes the cliche with an inspired tribute to the lumbering giant monster flicks of that same era (and featuring a “Silver Age” comics creature that will delight the pulp fans). Oh, if you’re wondering if this is better than the 2016 flick, well that’s an enthusiastic yes, despite the obligatory multiple ending (if only there were a movie bartender who’d yell “Cut ’em off!”). So if you can handle your comic heroes and villains with blood and brains staining those nice latex and kevlar super suits, then you’ll want to “blow s#*t up real good” with THE SUICIDE SQUAD.
3 Out of 5
THE SUICIDE SQUAD opens in theatres everywhere and is streaming for the next 30 days on HBO Max.
One of the most wildly anticipated films of the summer hits theaters and on HBO Max on August 6, director James Gunn’s THE SUICIDE SQUAD.
Gunn, along with actors Margot Robbie and John Cena, joined Jimmy Kimmel’s guest host Anthony Anderson about their new movie and Cena “stealing” his costume. Gunn also talked about working with Sylvester Stallone, why he put “Ratcatcher” in the movie, the craziest stunts that he had Robbie and Cena do on set, Anderson’s former co-worker Steve Agee playing the Shark in a motion capture suit for the film, and the upcoming Peacemaker show on HBO Max.
Gunn says of his latest film, “I wanted to do the ultimate all-time comic book movie!”
The best part of the visit was Robbie’s story of sleeping with a cardboard cutout of John in the room for two years, followed by the surprise for Cena with the cutout of Robbie to return the favor.
From writer/director James Gunn comes Warner Bros. Pictures’ superhero action adventure “The Suicide Squad,” featuring a collection of the most degenerate delinquents in the DC lineup.
Welcome to hell—a.k.a. Belle Reve, the prison with the highest mortality rate in the US of A. Where the worst Super-Villains are kept and where they will do anything to get out—even join the super-secret, super-shady Task Force X. Today’s do-or-die assignment? Assemble a collection of cons, including Bloodsport, Peacemaker, Captain Boomerang, Ratcatcher 2, Savant, King Shark, Blackguard, Javelin and everyone’s favorite psycho, Harley Quinn. Then arm them heavily and drop them (literally) on the remote, enemy-infused island of Corto Maltese. Trekking through a jungle teeming with militant adversaries and guerrilla forces at every turn, the Squad is on a search-and-destroy mission with only Colonel Rick Flag on the ground to make them behave…and Amanda Waller’s government techies in their ears, tracking their every movement. And as always, one wrong move and they’re dead (whether at the hands of their opponents, a teammate, or Waller herself). If anyone’s laying down bets, the smart money is against them—all of them.
The film stars Margot Robbie (“Birds of Prey,” “Bombshell”), Idris Elba (“Avengers: Infinity War”), John Cena (upcoming HBO Max series “Peacemaker,” “Bumblebee”), Joel Kinnaman (“Suicide Squad”), Jai Courtney (the “Divergent” franchise), Peter Capaldi (“World War Z,” BBC’s “Doctor Who” ), David Dastmalchian (upcoming “Dune,” “Ant-Man and the Wasp”), Daniela Melchior (“Parque Mayer”), Michael Rooker (the “Guardians of the Galaxy” films), Alice Braga (“Elysium”), Pete Davidson (“The King of Staten Island,” TV’s “Saturday Night Live”), Joaquín Cosio (“Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse,” TV’s “Narcos: Mexico”), Juan Diego Botto (“The Europeans”), Storm Reid (“The Invisible Man,” “A Wrinkle in Time”, “Euphoria”), Nathan Fillion (“Guardians of the Galaxy,” TV’s “The Rookie”), Steve Agee (“Brightburn,” “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2”), Sean Gunn (the “Guardians of the Galaxy” films, the “Avengers” films), Mayling Ng (“Wonder Woman”), Flula Borg (“Ralph Breaks the Internet”), Jennifer Holland (“Brightburn,” upcoming HBO Max series “Peacemaker”) and Tinashe Kajese (TV’s “Valor,” “The Inspectors”), with Sylvester Stallone (the “Rocky,” “Rambo” and “Expendables” franchises), and Viola Davis (“Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom,” “Suicide Squad”).
Gunn (the “Guardian of the Galaxy” films) directs from his own screenplay, based on characters from DC. The film is produced by Charles Roven and Peter Safran, with Zack Snyder, Deborah Snyder, Walter Hamada, Chantal Nong Vo, Nikolas Korda and Richard Suckle executive producing.
Gunn’s creative team includes director of photography Henry Braham (“Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2”), production designer Beth Mickle (“Captain Marvel”), editors Fred Raskin (“Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2,” “Once Upon a Time… In Hollywood”) and Christian Wagner (the “Fast & Furious” films) and Oscar-nominated costume designer Judianna Makovsky (“Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2,” “Avengers: Endgame,” “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone”).
The music is by John Murphy (“Kick-Ass”).
Warner Bros. Pictures Presents An Atlas Entertainment/Peter Safran Production, A James Gunn Film, “The Suicide Squad.” The film will be distributed worldwide by Warner Bros. Pictures. It is set for release nationwide in theaters and IMAX on August 6, 2021 and will be available on HBO Max’s Ad-Free plan for 31 days from theatrical release.
FAST & FURIOUS PRESENTS: HOBBS & SHAW hits theaters August 2 and WAMG has your free passes to the St. Louis advance screening on July 30.
After eight films that have amassed almost $5 billion worldwide, the Fast & Furious franchise now features its first stand-alone vehicle as Dwayne Johnson and Jason Statham reprise their roles as Luke Hobbs and Deckard Shaw in Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw.
Ever since hulking lawman Hobbs (Johnson), a loyal agent of America’s Diplomatic Security Service, and lawless outcast Shaw (Statham), a former British military elite operative, first faced off in 2015’s Furious 7, the duo have swapped smack talk and body blows as they’ve tried to take each other down.
But when cyber-genetically enhanced anarchist Brixton (Idris Elba) gains control of an insidious bio-threat that could alter humanity forever — and bests a brilliant and fearless rogue MI6 agent (The Crown’s Vanessa Kirby), who just happens to be Shaw’s sister — these two sworn enemies will have to partner up to bring down the only guy who might be badder than themselves.
Hobbs & Shaw blasts open a new door in the Fast universe as it hurtles action across the globe, from Los Angeles to London and from the toxic wasteland of Chernobyl to the lush beauty of Samoa.
Directed by David Leitch (Deadpool 2) from a story by longtime Fast & Furious narrative architect Chris Morgan and a screenplay by Morgan and Drew Pearce (Mission: Impossible-Rogue Nation, Iron Man 3), the film is produced by Johnson, Statham, Morgan and Hiram Garcia. The executive producers are Kelly McCormick, Dany Garcia, Steven Chasman and Ethan Smith.
Enter for your chance to win two free passes to the St. Louis advance screening of FAST & FURIOUS PRESENTS: HOBBS & SHAW. The theatrical sneak preview will be on July 30 at 7pm.
Answer the Following: Jason Statham starred alongside Melissa McCarthy in which 2015 comedy spy film written and directed by Paul Feig.
Add your name, answer and email in our comments section below. You will be notified if you are a winner.
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.
FAST & FURIOUS PRESENTS: HOBBS & SHAW has been rated PG-13 (Parents Strongly Cautioned – Some Material May Be Inappropriate for Children Under 13) for prolonged sequences of action and violence, suggestive material and some strong language.
Here’s your first look at the upcoming and highly anticipated film version of CATS. The first trailer hits this Friday.
Oscar-winning director Tom Hooper (The King’s Speech, Les Misérables, The Danish Girl) transforms Andrew Lloyd Webber’s record-shattering stage musical into a breakthrough cinematic event.
CATSstars James Corden, Judi Dench, Jason Derulo, Idris Elba, Jennifer Hudson, Ian McKellen, Taylor Swift, Rebel Wilson and introduces Royal Ballet principal dancer Francesca Hayward in her feature film debut.
CATS will be in theaters this Christmas, December 20.
Featuring Lloyd Webber’s iconic music and a world-class cast of dancers under the guidance of Tony-winning choreographer Andy Blankenbuehler (Hamilton, In the Heights), the film reimagines the musical for a new generation with spectacular production design, state-of-the-art technology, and dance styles ranging from ballet to contemporary, hip-hop to jazz, street to tap. Universal Pictures presents a Working Title Films and Amblin Entertainment production, in association with Monumental Pictures and The Really Useful Group.
Cats is produced by Debra Hayward, Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner and Tom Hooper. The screenplay is by Lee Hall (Billy Elliot, Rocketman) and Hooper, based on Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats by T.S. Eliot and the stage musical by Lloyd Webber. Cats is executive produced by Lloyd Webber, Steven Spielberg, Angela Morrison and Jo Burn.
One of the longest-running shows in West End and Broadway history, the stage musical “Cats” received its world premiere at the New London Theatre in 1981, where it played for 21 years and earned the Olivier and Evening Standard Awards for Best Musical. In 1983, the Broadway production became the recipient of seven Tony Awards, including Best Musical, and ran for an extraordinary 18 years. Since opening in London in 1981, “Cats” has continuously appeared on stage around the globe, to date having played to 81 million people in more than fifty countries and in nineteen languages. It is regarded as one of the most successful musicals of all time.
Ami Ameen as D, in Idris Elba’s directorial debut, the Jamaican-British crime thriller YARDIE. Photo courtesy of Rialto Pictures
Actor Idris Elba makes his directing debut with YARDIE, a tale about a young Jamaican, haunted by his DJ brother’s murder, who makes his way to London in the employ of a Kingston-based gang boss.
“Yardie” is slang for Jamaican gang members, a term the pops up on the streets of the London’s Hackney neighborhood, home to large Jamaican immigrant community. It is where D (Ami Ameen) finds himself after his boss King Fox (Sheldon Shepherd) sends him to London to deliver a package of drugs to Rico (Stephen Graham), a fuzzy-haired, white Jamaican under-boss.
But the story really starts years earlier in Jamaica, where 10-year-old Dennis (Antwayne Eccleston), who goes by the nickname D., lives just outside Kingston with his older brother, a street DJ known as Jerry Dread (Everaldo Creary). When D witnesses the murder of his beloved brother, while Jerry is trying to bring peace between two warring Kingston gangs, the trauma of that loss haunts him. He grows up under the care of gang leader King Fox yet D remains obsessed with getting revenge on his brother’s killer, another young boy named Clancy.
In London, where the majority of the story takes place, things quickly go wrong between D and Rico, and the young Jamaican finds himself loose in London’s Hackney neighborhood. He decides to seek out his childhood sweetheart Yvonne (Shantol Jackson), who moved there to raise their young daughter and give her a better life.
Dividing the story between the two places reflects many immigrant experiences, of coming to a strange land for an new chance in life, something with which the London-raised Elba could identify. YARDIE follows a familiar plot about vengeance and immigrant dreams but its major strength lies in the distinctive flavor of Jamaican culture that fills it. Based on a 1980s bestseller by Victor Headley, the story is set in the overlapping worlds of Jamaican drug syndicates and its music industry. While D works for a drug lord, his heart is really with the music.
One of YARDIE’s delights is its score, filled with Jamaican music, none of which is by Bob Marley, although there is one by his grandson Skip Marley. The film immerses the audience in Jamaican culture, and director Elba makes the most of that, adding interesting locations and clever camera angles to charm the audience. The “good boy drawn to the dark side” story is a serviceable crowd-pleaser but it is built around a “mystery” we figure out long before the protagonist. A stronger script would have been nice but it gives Elba enough to get his directorial start on, and it’s positive message about Jamaican immigrants overcoming is pleasing enough, if only mildly entertaining.
The acting is good but not particularly remarkable. The only recognizable face is Graham, who appeared in supporting roles in several Guy Ritchie films, usually as a comic criminal. He’s a criminal in this one too but much less comic.
Idris Elba does some interesting things with his camera and the backdrop of life in Jamaican and on poor London streets are evocative and immersive. A stronger story could have made better use of the atmosphere of authenticity Elba creates, but it is only fitfully engaging as a thriller. Likewise, the cast, even the attractive leads, are not able to add enough emotional depth and subtext to make up for what is missing in the script.
However, the story is a crowd-pleaser, even if it is predictable, and will leave audiences with a nice little taste of Jamaican culture.
YARDIE opens Friday, March 15, at Landmark’s Tivoli Theater.
Dwayne Johnson, Jason Statham, Vanessa Kirby, and Idris Elba star in this first preview of FAST & FURIOUS PRESENTS: HOBBS & SHAW.
Did we also mention that the film also stars IDRIS ELBA?
After eight films that have amassed almost $5 billion worldwide, the Fast & Furious franchise now features its first stand-alone vehicle as Dwayne Johnson and Jason Statham reprise their roles as Luke Hobbs and Deckard Shaw in Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw.
Ever since hulking lawman Hobbs (Johnson), a loyal agent of America’s Diplomatic Security Service, and lawless outcast Shaw (Statham), a former British military elite operative, first faced off in 2015’s Furious 7, the duo have swapped smack talk and body blows as they’ve tried to take each other down.
But when cyber-genetically enhanced anarchist Brixton (Idris Elba) gains control of an insidious bio-threat that could alter humanity forever — and bests a brilliant and fearless rogue MI6 agent (The Crown’s Vanessa Kirby), who just happens to be Shaw’s sister — these two sworn enemies will have to partner up to bring down the only guy who might be badder than themselves.
Helen Mirren also stars.
Hobbs & Shaw blasts open a new door in the Fast universe as it hurtles action across the globe, from Los Angeles to London and from the toxic wasteland of Chernobyl to the lush beauty of Samoa.
Directed by David Leitch (Deadpool 2) from a script by longtime Fast & Furious narrative architect Chris Morgan, the film is produced by Morgan, Johnson, Statham and Hiram Garcia. The executive producers are Kelly McCormick, Dany Garcia, Steven Chasman, Ethan Smith and Ainsley Davies.
