NEON is already crushing it in 2024.. First the horror film IMMACULATE, and now this summer comes CUCKOO.
Reluctantly, 17-year-old Gretchen leaves her American home to live with her father, who has just moved into a resort in the German Alps with his new family. Arriving at their future residence, they are greeted by Mr. König, her father’s boss, who takes an inexplicable interest in Gretchen’s mute half-sister Alma. Something doesn’t seem right in this tranquil vacation paradise. Gretchen is plagued by strange noises and bloody visions until she discovers a shocking secret that also concerns her own family.
Following his festival sensation LUZ, German director Tilman Singer has once again succeeded in creating an atmospheric and visually outstanding horror trip with an original plot and perfidious twists. The film, shot on 35 mm, features EUPHORIA’s star Hunter Schafer alongside a brilliant and terrifying Dan Stevens.
Watch the trailer for CUCKOO now.
The film also features Jessica Henwick and Marton Csokas.
Look for CUCKOO in theaters August 9.
Image courtesy of NEON / Photography by Felix Dickinson of Studio AAA
Image courtesy of NEON / Photography by Felix Dickinson of Studio AAA
NEON has wrapped production on Tilman Singer’s Cuckoo, the feature film debut of Hunter Schafer (Euphoria). The horror film, written and directed by Singer, was shot on 35mm in Germany.
With plot details being kept under wraps, post-production is currently underway for the film’s 2023 release. Following his 2018 debut Luz, Singer became one of the most sought-after up-and-coming filmmakers. Lauded as a “major new talent” in cinema, Singer has been critically acclaimed for his genre-bending storytelling and wholly unique approach to horror.
The ensemble cast, led by Schafer, includes Dan Stevens, along with Jessica Henwick, Marton Csókás, and Greta Fernández.
Cuckoo reunites Singer with Luz lead actor Jan Bluthardt, as well as cinematographer Paul Faltz and production designer Dario Mendez Acosta. Simon Waskow will also return as composer and Henning Hein as sound designer.
Executive produced by Tom Quinn, Jeff Deutchman, Emily Thomas, and Ryan Friscia for NEON, Cuckoo is produced by Markus Halberschmidt, Josh Rosenbaum, Maria Tsigka, and Ken Kao, Thor Bradwell and Ben Rimmer, in a cooperation between FICTION PARK (Germany) and Waypoint Entertainment (USA). Additional funding led by the Film und Medien Stiftung NRW, HessenFilm and the German Federal Film Fund (DFFF).
Schafer made her acting debut portraying Jules in the HBO Emmy-winning series “Euphoria.” After co-writing and co-executive producing a special episode of the critically acclaimed series, Schafer expanded her resume, directing Girl in Red’s music video for ‘hornylovesickmess’. In 2021, Time named Schafer to its Next list of 100 emerging leaders who are shaping the future. She recently joined the cast of The Hunger Games prequel: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes. Schafer is represented by CAA, Untitled Entertainment and Sloane, Offer, Weber & Dern.
Dan Stevens photo by Sam Jones
Stevens starred in I’m Your Man, Germany’s official Academy Award submission for Best International Feature, which made the 2022 shortlist. The film premiered at the Berlin International Film Festival and received multiple nominations at the German Film Awards including Best Actor for Stevens. Stevens currently stars in the Starz political thriller series, “Gaslit,” alongside Sean Penn and Julia Roberts.
He was recently announced as the lead of Adam Wingard’s Godzilla vs. Kong sequel.
Henwick will begin filming NEON’s Kitty Green film, The Royal Hotel this summer alongside Julia Garner. She was most recently seen in the Warner Bros. box office hit Matrix: Resurrections, as well as in Blade Runner: Black Lotus. She will next be seen in the Russo Brothers film The Gray Man for Netflix this summer and Knives Out 2 this Fall.
Jessica Henwick photo by Matthew Berberi
After graduating from Toi Whakaari: New Zealand Drama School in 1989 with a Diploma in Acting, Csókás has worked extensively in film, television and on stage across New Zealand, Australia, and the United States. With notable roles such as Celebron in the Lord of the Rings trilogy and working opposite Denzel Washington in The Equalizer, Csókás was last seen in Ridley Scott’s The Last Duel and stars along Russell Crowe in Prizefighter: The Life of Jem Belcher.
Greta Fernandez is an exciting and talented Spanish actress who is currently shooting Carlos Lopez’s highly anticipated Netflix series “Santo.” She is likely best known as the lead of Belen Funes’ critically-acclaimed feature La Hija De Un Ladron, for which she won a Concha de Plata in the category of Best Actress. The film was part of the official selection for the 2019 San Sebastian Film Festival and won Greta a handful of international awards and recognitions. Additionally, for her fiery supporting role in Isaki Lacuesta’s The Next Skin, Greta received a nomination in the 2017 Gaudi Awards. With over 15 films and TV shows under her belt, Greta has proven herself a force to be reckoned with across the new wave of Spanish cinema.
Academy Award® nominee Liam Neeson (Best Actor, Schindler’s List, 1993) heads an all-star cast as the Watergate whistleblower in the gripping drama MARK FELT: THE MAN WHO BROUGHT DOWN THE WHITE HOUSE, debuting on digital, Blu-ray™ and DVD January 9 from Sony Pictures Home Entertainment. Written and directed by Peter Landesman (Concussion), the film tells the story of “Deep Throat,” the G-Man who leaked information to journalists Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein to uncover the Watergate scandal and bring down the President. MARK FELT also stars Academy Award nominee Diane Lane (Best Actress, Unfaithful, 2002), Marton Csokas (The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King), Tony Goldwyn (“Scandal”), Ike Barinholtz (Suicide Squad), Josh Lucas (J. Edgar), Wendi McLendon-Covey (“The Goldbergs”), Brian D’Arcy James (Spotlight), Maika Monroe (It Follows), Michael C. Hall (“Dexter”), Bruce Greenwood (Kingsman: The Golden Circle), Julian Morris (“Pretty Little Liars”), Kate Walsh (“13 Reasons Why”), Noah Wyle (ER”) and Eddie Marsan (“Ray Donovan”).
The digital, Blu-ray and DVD releases of MARK FELT: THE MAN WHO BROUGHT DOWN THE WHITE HOUSE include deleted and extended scenes, commentary with Writer/Director Peter Landesman and a behind-the-scenes featurette. “The Secrets of Making Mark Felt” features the filmmakers and extraordinary cast exploring their experiences on the set and their journey to tell this powerful story.
MARK FELT: THE MAN WHO BROUGHT DOWN THE WHITE HOUSE centers on “Deep Throat,” the pseudonym given to the notorious whistleblower for one of the greatest scandals of all time, Watergate. The true identity of the secret informant remained a mystery and source of much public curiosity and speculation for more than 30 years. That is until, in 2005, special agent Mark Felt shockingly revealed himself as the tipster. This unbelievable true story chronicles the personal and professional life of the brilliant and uncompromising Felt, who risked and ultimately sacrificed everything – his family, his career, his freedom – in the name of justice.
Based on the books by Mark Felt and John O’Connor, MARK FELT: THE MAN WHO BROUGHT DOWN THE WHITE HOUSE was written and directed by Peter Landesman. The film was produced by Jay Roach, Peter Landesman, Steve Richards, Marc Butan, Anthony Katagas, and Ridley Scott and executive produced by Michael Schaefer, Nik Bower, Deepak Nayar, Peter Guber, Jeffrey Vinik, Yale Badik, Des Carey and Colin Wilson.
“LOVING is a warm, moving, deeply romantic film.” – Cate Marquis (review)
Follow the incredible real-life tale of courage and commitment as an interracial couple fights for marriage equality in the case that went all the way to the United States Supreme Court in Loving, arriving on Digital HD on January 24, 2017 and on Blu-ray™, DVD and On Demand on February 7, 2017, from Universal Pictures Home Entertainment. Just in time for Valentine’s Day, Loving on Blu-ray™, DVD and Digital HD features a revealing behind-the-scenes look at the making of the film and insightful commentary from writer/director Jeff Nichols. The Focus Features movie is nominated for two Golden Globe Awards: Best Actor [Drama] (Joel Edgerton) and Best Actress [Drama] (Ruth Negga).
Loving is the new film from acclaimed writer/director Jeff Nichols (Take Shelter, Mud, Midnight Special). Richard and Mildred Loving (portrayed in the film by Golden Globe nominees Joel Edgerton and Ruth Negga), fell in love and were married in 1958. The couple had grown up in Central Point, a small town in Virginia that was more integrated than surrounding areas in the American South. Yet it was the state of Virginia, where they were making their home and starting a family, that first jailed and then banished them. Richard and Mildred relocated with their children to the inner city of Washington, D.C. While relatives made them feel welcome there, the more urban environment did not feel like home to them. Ultimately, the pull of their roots in Virginia would spur Mildred to try to find a way back. Their civil rights case, Loving v. Virginia, went all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court, which in 1967 reaffirmed the very foundation of the right to marry. Richard and Mildred returned home and their love story has become an inspiration to couples ever since.
Also starring Marton Csokas (The Bourne Supremacy), Nick Kroll (Sing), and Academy Award® nominee Michael Shannon (Nocturnal Animals), Loving is a moving film that Ben Dickinson of Elle calls “a deeply romantic and irresistibly human story.”
BLU-RAY and DVD BONUS FEATURES:
Making Loving- Filmmakers and cast discuss the importance of staying true to the story of Richard and Mildred Loving.
A Loving Ensemble- The filmmakers describe how they assembled the perfect cast.
Loving v. Virginia- A look back at this historic court case and its impact on American history.
Virginia: A Loving Backdrop– Filmmakers and cast describe how shooting on location in Virginia added to the film’s authentic feel.
Feature Commentary with Writer/Director Jeff Nichols
It would be easy to call the pulpy revenge thriller THE EQUALIZER a standard action movie. It has all the trappings of a tired Hollywood genre effort: a loner with a mysterious past, a young hooker with a heart of gold that provides the catalyst for his return to action, and an army of sneering Russian gangsters for our hero to dispatch in all variety of gruesome manner. Put these elements in the hands of someone like Brett Ratner or another Hollywood hack and you’ve got the makings of a mundane, lifeless drama. But thanks to star Denzel Washington and his talented director Antoine Fuqua (who directed Washington to his TRAINING DAY Oscar), what should be tired and tenuous has a weird, electrifying life all its own. Sure, there are moments when THE EQUALIZER overdoses on bullets and explosions and the cliché-heavy script by Richard Wenk offers one too many convenient contrivance, but the end result is still a stylish, engaging thriller that knows there’s nothing really new to say within said cinematic style, but still gives it a roaring, bloody try.
In THE EQUALIZER (which doesn’t seem like a movie based on a TV show though it is), Washington plays McCall, a man who leads a quiet life riding the Boston public transportation system, putting in a 40-hour work week at Home Depot, and reading the 100 greatest novels at an all-night diner plucked right out of that famous painting by Edward Hopper. There he meets Teri (Chloë Grace Moretz), a teen call girl under the control of merciless Russian gangsters. When they beat her half to death, McCall can’t stand idly by – he has to help. Armed with hidden skills that allow him to serve vengeance against anyone who would brutalize the helpless, McCall comes out of his self-imposed retirement and finds his desire for justice reawakened.
There may be less to THE EQUALIZER than meets the eye, but what does meet the eye is badass. The violence kicks off at about the half-hour mark with a remarkable scene in which McCall dispenses with five scar-faced Russkies in less than 20 seconds after a lengthy, wordy standoff that ratchets up the tension to an excruciating level. It’s a wild, eye-gouging, skull-smashing, corkscrew-through-the-jaw sequence that you don’t expect to be topped – and yet it is in the film’s climax which takes place in McCall’s place of employment. The final showdown is TOOLBOX MURDERS redux with death by power drill, pruning poll, barbed wire, and nail gun. It’s all such a gory, over-the-top blast that you just gotta smile and admire. Washington emotes little but his familiar charisma and brooding presence effortlessly carries the film through its 131 minutes and Marton Csokas’ psychotic Russian mob fixer Teddy is one of the more repellant movie villains in recent memory. I feel a little guilty about so enthusiastically endorsing THE EQUALIZER; its violence is excessive, its central character is a complete cypher, and the film certainly isn’t meaningful in any deep way. But Fuqua is a notably accomplished filmmaker, and there is much here that is fun – and funny. Harry Gregson-Williams turns in a full-blooded score, the Boston locations are used to strong effect and the action never lags. McCall may only be the creature of a filmmaker’s imagination, but Washington and Fuqua bring him to life with a forcefulness that’s seductive. THE EQUALIZER is highly recommended.
A bad storm is about to unleash in the form of Denzel Washington in this first trailer for director Antoine Fuqua’s THE EQUALIZER.
Written by Richard Wenk and based on the television series created by Michael Sloan and Richard Lindheim, the film stars Marton Csokas, Chloë Grace Moretz, David Harbour, with Bill Pullman and Melissa Leo.
In THE EQUALIZER, Denzel Washington plays McCall, a man who believes he has put his mysterious past behind him and dedicated himself to beginning a new, quiet life. But when McCall meets Teri (Chloë Grace Moretz), a young girl under the control of ultra-violent Russian gangsters, he can’t stand idly by – he has to help her.
Armed with hidden skills that allow him to serve vengeance against anyone who would brutalize the helpless, McCall comes out of his self-imposed retirement and finds his desire for justice reawakened. If someone has a problem, if the odds are stacked against them, if they have nowhere else to turn, McCall will help.
He is The Equalizer.
The film opens in theaters September 26, 2014.
Teri (CHLOE GRACE MORETZ) and McCall (DENZEL WASHINGTON) walk across the bridge in Boston in Columbia Pictures’ THE EQUALIZER.
PAWN is an overplotted, low-expectations hostage drama that manages to work up a fair share of suspense despite some ridiculous plot holes. It opens with cop Forest Whitaker entering a diner just before midnight and quickly realizing all the employees and customers are on edge. Turns out he’s walked into the middle of a hostage situation. An armed robber named Derrick (Michael Chiklis) and his two accomplices are waiting until midnight when the time-locked safe can be opened. I won’t go into much more of the plot but I’ll say no one’s hands are clean and the story has enough double-crosses, ulterior motives, and conspiracies to make your head spin. The chief problem with THE PAWN is its lack of originality; this is simply a story which is too familiar to be told in a straightforward manner…. and it’s not. Director David Armstrong and writer Jay Anthony White jump back and forth in time, leaving clues that are revisited, and showing the same scenes from different points of view. This is an obvious way to cover up the fact that they don’t have an original story to tell but it’s done in a clear, orderly way so on many level their trickery works. The ‘hostage drama’ subgenre is so overdone and one of my least favorites, but damn if PAWN isn’t an engrossing enough film that I was compelled to stay with and see how the situation was resolved. It’s just well-paced and engaging enough to overlook its many flaws.
Forest Whitaker and Ray Liotta are the name stars in PAWN but Whitaker is out of the picture quickly and Liotta, who can play this criminal type in his sleep, comes and goes. The real star is Michael Chiklis, sporting, for no reason, a British accent. It’s a needless touch but he does such a convincing job with it, it works. Chiklis has a way of holding your attention the way a snake stares down its prey and he’s a really good villain here. Rapper Common, Stephen Lang, Sean Faris, Nikki Reed, Max Beesley, Marton Csokas, and Jessica Szohr all add able support. PAWN is an exercise in ideas and suspense that is instantly forgettable but a decent ride while you’re talking it.
Presented in 2.40:1 Cinemascope Aspect Ratio, the Blu-ray features 1080p image that is always rock solid. Detail is impressive, with excellent depth throughout and shadow delineation superior. Even the darkest scenes reveal fine texture in the backgrounds, and close-ups and skin tones are tremendous. Great video (and audio) aside, PAWN does feel a bit like a rushed release in terms of extras. The only significant one is “Pawn: Behind the Scenes”, a 23-minute, featurette featuring interviews with several cast members and producer Jeff Most. It’s standard stuff and not very interesting.
Nothing else, not even a trailer is included here.
This movie re-enforces the old adage “what goes around comes around.” Or more specifically that it’s always easier to tell the truth than try to keep track of a lie. With John Madden’s (SHAKESPEAARE IN LOVE) new drama/thriller based on an Israeli film from 2007, three people must deal with a ghost form the past that returns to haunt them more than thirty years later. The question becomes whether they can continue their story and keep the past buried.
The film begins in 1997 at the release party for a book that Sarah Gold has written about the capture of the notorious Nazi Dr. Dieter Vogel (a Dr. Mengale-type) by her mother Rachel Singer (Helen Mirren), father Stephan Gold (Tom Wilkinson), and David Peretz (Ciaran Hinds), all former Mossad agents. A recent tragedy causes the former married couple, Rachel and Stephan, to reflect on the true events that inspired the new book. We then return to East Berlin, 1966, where young Rachel ( Jessica Chastain ) meets with fellow agents Stephan (Marton Csokas) and David (Sam Worthington). Their mission is to capture Vogel, now posing as a gynecologist named Bernhardt, smuggle him into West Berlin, and ship him to Israel where he will stand trial for his war crimes. All three suffered great losses during World War II, and while training become enmeshed in a romantic triangle. After much preparation the day of the capture arrives. And, as they say, “Even the best laid plans…” Can they now retired agents keep their pledge to each other?
For the mid-section of the film set in 1966, THE DEBT is a tense, taut edge0of your-seat thriller that reminded me of another recent film about the Mossad, MUNICH. Chastain (who’s having quite a year with great roles in THE HELP an TREE OF LIFE) shows her chops as an action hero to great effect particularly in the scenes set in Bernhardt’s examining room. Worthington has an effecting, smoldering intensity as the emotionally wounded David. I was impressed by relative screen newcomer Csokas’s cynical, world-weary portrayal of Stephan. The scenes of them dashing through the Berlin streets and hiding at a train station are very suspenseful. My problem with the film is in the return to Israel 1997. Wilkinson and Mirren are in top form as usual, but the sequences of her returning to her spying days are fairly unbelievable (she was much more convincing in the much lighter recent action flick RED). The final scenes at a medical facilities seem laughably ludicrous compared to the earlier 1966 mission set pieces. I would enjoyed the film more if it just concerned that thirty year old tale of dedicated Nazi hunters. Two thirds of THE DEBT is a terrific, first class thriller. It’s a shame the other third isn’t as compelling.
Reminds me of MUNICH. I’m so glad to see John Madden back in the game. I truly liked his last film KILLSHOT. And director of next summer’s X-MEN: FIRST CLASS, Matthew Vaughn, is listed as co-writer & producer. This guy already has a proven track record with LAYER CAKE, STARDUST, and KICK-ASS. Count me in!
Synopsis:
Helen Mirren and Sam Worthington star in “The Debt,” the powerful story of Rachel Singer, a former Mossad agent who endeavored to capture and bring to trial a notorious Nazi war criminal—the Surgeon of Birkenau—in a secret Israeli mission that ended with his death on the streets of East Berlin.
Now, 30 years later, a man claiming to be the doctor has surfaced, and Rachel must go back to Eastern Europe to uncover the truth. Overwhelmed by haunting memories of her younger self and her two fellow agents, the still-celebrated heroine must relive the trauma of those events and confront the debt she has incurred.
From Miramax Films, THE DEBT will be in theaters on December 29, 2010. Perfect timing to make a bid for an Oscar.
