The Four Horsemen (Jesse Eisenberg, Woody Harrelson, Dave Franco, Isla Fisher) are back — to unite with a new generation of illusionists (Justice Smith, Dominic Sessa, Ariana Greenblatt) for their most global, high-stakes magical adventure yet. Their mission: Expose the corruption of Veronika Vanderberg (Rosamund Pike), a powerful diamond heiress with ties to arms dealers, traffickers, and warlords. Aided by the legendary Thaddeus (Morgan Freeman), the two generations of magicians must overcome their differences to try and defeat their cunning and dangerous adversary, in this magic-fueled heist filled with the franchise’s signature twists, turns, and thrilling reveals — along with some of the most thrilling illusions ever captured on film.
NOW YOU SEE ME: NOW YOU DON’T is directed by Ruben Fleischer (Venom, Uncharted, Zombieland), from a screenplay by Michael Lesslie and Paul Wernick & Rhett Reese and Seth Grahame-Smith, story by Eric Warren Singer and Michael Lesslie, and based on characters created by Boaz Yakin & Edward Ricourt. Lionsgate presents, a Cohen Pictures production.
PG-13 for some strong language, violence and suggestive references.
Dominic Sessa as Bosco, Jesse Eisenberg as Daniel Atlas, Isla Fisher as Henley Reeves, and Justice Smith as Charlie in Now You See Me: Now You Don’t. Photo Credit: Katalin Vermes
Lionsgate surprised New Yorkers and fans nationwide this morning by giving away $250,000 in digital payments as part of a jaw-dropping Times Square stunt celebrating the trailer debut of Now You See Me: Now You Don’t.
Residents and tourists alike were met with a massive digital billboard flashing the words “NOW YOU SEE ME,” a live countdown clock, and a mysterious phone number, inviting them to text or call for a surprise.
As the countdown hit zero, the billboard flipped to reveal: “NOW YOU DON’T” and fans received a surprise text with the brand-new trailer – and instant cash prizes, courtesy of The Horsemen.
Franchise newcomers Ariana Greenblatt, Justice Smith, and Dominic Sessa joined the magic in person to help stage the visual “heist” in the heart of Times Square.
The stunt was designed to capture the spirit of magic and mischief that the franchise is known for.
The Four Horsemen return along with a new generation of illusionists performing mind-melding twists, turns, surprises, and magic unlike anything ever captured on film. Stars Jesse Eisenberg, Woody Harrelson, Dave Franco, Isla Fisher, Justice Smith, Dominic Sessa, Ariana Greenblatt, with Rosamund Pike, and Morgan Freeman.
NOW YOU SEE ME: NOW YOU DON’T is from director Ruben Fleischer and in theaters November 14, 2025.
Dominic Sessa as Bosco, Jesse Eisenberg as Daniel Atlas, Isla Fisher as Henley Reeves, and Justice Smith as Charlie in Now You See Me: Now You Don’t. Photo Credit: Katalin Vermes
So, did you have that one friend, or perhaps a family member, that drones endlessly about their ‘soul-sucking” occupation? Well, here’s the film that just might quiet them down. The team profiled really deals with life and death as they plunge into the deep, dark murky depths. Yes, it’s another tale set at sea, but it’s not merely a “rehash” of basic cable TV reality shows like “The Deadliest Catch”. And yes, it is indeed inspired by a true story of survival. The filmmakers really put you alongside these working class “daredevils”. And it all makes you wonder what you would do and how you would feel knowing that you might soon be taking your LAST BREATH.
That “profiled team” is a trio of men who work in “saturation diving”. They’ve got to do repair work on oil pipelines at the bottom of the ocean, for about four weeks at a time. Actually only two members of the trio get into the cold dark water. The first one we meet (after a spooky opening “fast-forward” scene) is twenty-something Chris Lemons (Finn Cole), who is spending his “off hours” refurbishing a home for his soon-to-be-bride Morag (Bobby Rainsbury) on farmland in rural Scotland. The other diver is the tough, focused, “all business” Dave Yuasa (Simu Liu). The third teammate is the “bellmaan”, affable nearly retired vet Duncan Allock (Woody Harrelson), who is somewhat of a mentor to Chris. They all report to the floating support vessel, the Bippy Topaz, which operates in the North Sea over a hundred miles from the coast of Scotland. Their “28-day shift” begins on board as they occupy one of several saturation pods (there are several teams) prior to the dive. A mixture of helium and oxygen (heliox) is pumped in to condition their bodies to deal with the pressure at depths of over three hundred feet. They all report to the ship’s Captain, Jensen (Cliff Curtis), though the divers’ main supervisor, who is in constant communication, is Craig (Mark Bonnar). The night of the first dive is a rough one, with huge rolling waves and wind gusts over thirty knots, difficult but not unworkable. The diving bell sinks below the ship, and Duncan sends Chris and Dave out to the cage above the oil pipeline (AKA the manifold) as he pushes them out via their “umbilical tether”, the thick series of hoses that pump in heliox and hot water while also housing the communications system (mikes, lights, and video). Then the unthinkable happens as the storms pull the Topaz away from them as the “dynamic positioning system” fails, basically a complete computer “crash”. As the divers rush back to the bell, Chris’ tether catches on part of the manifold and eventually snaps. Dave barely makes it back to Duncan as they formulate a plan to retrieve Chris. all while the Captain and Craig try to manually steer the ship as the crew attempts a “reboot”. But time is running out for Chris since he’s only got around five minutes of backup air. Gulp indeed!
I suppose the leader of the cast, at least for the marketing, is TV and film vet Harrelson, who brings his easy-going, gregarious charm to the role of the “old timer” that still thinks he’s got a few more missions in him. Actually he’s more of a “deep sea daddy’ to both the divers as he furls his brow and paces back at the “bell” when he’s not doling out the “lifeline”. Harrelson shows us that he’s fighting to contain his emotions when it looks like this’ll be a fatal ‘gig”. He’s also a buffer for the more abrasive, though polished. Dave who is given a somber swagger by the always engaging Liu. He’s concerned also, though his internal panic is not as pronounced. Although he’s somewhat “out-of-action” for most of the second act, newcomer Cole as Chris has a boyish, often contagious enthusiasm as he strives to prove himself to Dave while trying to break out of the “student/teacher” relationship with Duncan. Bonnar is excellent as the “man-at-the-desk” Craig, who is glued to his com and his screens until those “red lights” force him out of his chair and into “rescuer mode” alongside the somber Captain, given the proper gravitas and concern for the entire crew by the reliable Curtis. Kudos also for Rainsbury, who shines in some cellphone videos that fuel Chris’s zeal to survive.
This is such a compelling “true tale” that the director is returning to it after six years. That’s when filmmaker Alex Parkinson (then teamed with Richard da Costa) made a superb documentary about this captivating subject. In fleshing it out into a narrative “docudrama”, he actually builds on the tension and drama, thanks to the screenplay he co-wrote with Mitchell LaFortune and David Brooks. They’ve felt no great need to ” expand the scope” with lots of flashy CG effects or bombastic, dramatic declarations. Though they’re out in that rolling sea, it’s still an intimate study of average men and women rising to the herculean challenge of helping a fallen friend. Sure, this might harken back to the old “B movies” of yesterday. like the “late show” crime noirs or Westerns, but it’s just as gripping as any fictional tale of daring and spectacle. And it’s best enjoyed on the big screen, to really be immersed in that eerie pitch black sea floor and engulfed by the eerie stillness, making you feel as though Chris is floating untethered through the cosmos (those deep-pressure dive suits seem more like space suits). Parkinson paces the film perfectly with little slack (a big part of Duncan’s duties), guiding his excellent ensemble in a film that’s riveting and engrossing right from the first to the LAST BREATH.
A heart-pounding film that follows seasoned deep-sea divers as they battle the raging elements to rescue their crewmate trapped hundreds of feet below the ocean’s surface. Alex Parkinson’s film assembles Woody Harrelson, Simu Liu, and Finn Cole in a pulse-pounding survival thriller set deep underwater. Based on a harrowing true story, LAST BREATH honors the selflessness and perseverance of a team of divers whose lives changed forever when an accident strands one of their own deep beneath the surface of the North Sea.
Focus Features will release LAST BREATH in theaters nationwide on Friday, February 28th.
Focus Features has released a brand new poster for LAST BREATH, in theaters February 28th.
Starring Woody Harrelson, Simu Liu, Finn Cole and Cliff Curtis, the film is the heart-pounding story that follows seasoned deep-sea divers as they battle the raging elements to rescue their crewmate trapped hundreds of feet below the ocean’s surface. Based on a true story, and directed by Alex Parkinson, LAST BREATH is an electrifying story about teamwork, resilience, and a race against time to do the impossible.
In case you missed the effective first trailer, watch it below.
Woody Harrelson, Simu Liu, Finn Cole and Cliff Curtis star in the upcoming thriller LAST BREATH.
A heart-pounding film that follows seasoned deep-sea divers as they battle the raging elements to rescue their crewmate trapped hundreds of feet below the ocean’s surface. Based on a true story, LAST BREATH is an electrifying story about teamwork, resilience, and a race against time to do the impossible.
The film is from director Alex Parkinson, who helmed the 2021 HBO Max documentary film, Lucy the Human Chimp. (Trailer)
Focus Features will release LAST BREATH in theaters nationwide on Friday, February 28th.
Yes, I see that title and I immediately picture “ole’ blue eyes”, a trench coat draped over a shoulder, crooning that catchy 1954 Bart Howard classic. And that’s just what the producers want to evoke, to get you in a nostalgic mood for a frothy romance set against the backdrop of the “space race”. Mission accomplished, but could a “rom-com” really work against the somber historical backdrop we’ve seen in heavy, serious films like FIRST MAN, A MILLION MILES AWAY, HIDDEN FIGURES, APOLLO 13, and the HBO miniseries, “From the Earth to the Moon”.Now, that’s the trick, much like the possible results facing NASA, Will it blast off or crash land? But it’s “star power” rather than rocket fuel that propels FLY ME TO THE MOON.
Modern movie audiences need a short primer on events 55 years ago, and the filmmakers provide a brief one for the film’s prologue, In 1968 the “whiz kids” in Cocoa Beach Florida are rushing to make good on JFK’s promise to land a man on the moon before the end of the decade. Leading the “brainiac bunch” is former fighter pilot Cole Davis (Channing Tatum) whose steely determination stems from his part in the tragic events of Apollo One a few years before. The story shifts to NYC as we meet advertising/marketing expert Kelly Jones (Scarlett Johansson) who has just “put one over” on some auto execs. But her celebration is brief when she’s exposed by Nixon’s “special operative” Moe Berkus (Woody Harrelson). Why? Well, he has a bigger client for her and her trusty aide Ruby (Anna Garcia) because the Prez needs help “selling” the space program to the populace. The women fly down to Florida in time for Kelly to have a “meet cute’ with Cole at Wolfie’s Diner. Things take a sobering turn when they meet again, as Cole has little time or respect for their publicity plans. But they finally realize they must work together to get the money pipeline flowing from a stubborn group of congressmen. But then their renewed attraction is almost snuffed out by the return of Berkus who tasks Kelly with creating a “set” where they can film a phony moon landing, in case Apollo 11 fails. Can she get everything together for this fraud without Cole finding out? Or will she listen to her heart and do the right thing for “the right stuff”?
That aforementioned “star power”? That is ably supplied by the pairing of the lead duo at the center of the plot, bringing true sparks to the often formulaic rom-com genre. Tatum proves that he’s got more dramatic depth than you might gather from his mesmerizing moves as MAGIC MIKE. He projects an “old school” screen hero’s sense of decency as the project-focused Davis who has a huge weight on his shoulders that could be erased if he can get this job done to honor his fallen teammates (the first trio) and perhaps his “captain”, who set the stage but can’t be there for the finale. Not surprisingly, fun and romance are neglected until he meets her. In a nice twist on the genre’s conventions, Johansson’s Kelly is the free spirit with shaky morals who lightens the load for Cole, who helps her regain a sense of right and wrong, putting honor before profit and chipping away at her cynicism (in her first scenes, Kelly is almost a “Donna Draper” in a riff on “Mad Men”). This role really taps into the charm she gleaned in her MCU role of the Black Widow.
The “support team” is led by the always interesting Harrelson whose laid-back persona is given a dangerous edge as a quip quickly morphs into a threat, punctuated by his black attire and ever-present switchblade (to slice citrus for cocktails, of course). And there’s some great work here by two other TV sitcom vets. Ray Romano uses his hangdog everyman charisma as Cole’s right-hand man, who feels more like a proud “uncle’ as he fills in the “backstory” for Kelly. The biggest “scene stealer” is Jim Rash, an Oscar-winning screenwriter but forever Dean Pelton of “Community”, as Kelly’s snippy, flamboyant director Lance Vespertine (the name speaks volumes) who brings a bitchy sense of camp to the fairly somber “conspiracy”. Kudos also to the “junior squad” led by the energetic Garcia who can’t suppress her hippie leanings along with the NASA comic tag team of Donald Elise Watkins and Noah Robbins who provide a great jolt of manic comic energy.
Kelly Jones (Scarlett Johansson) and Cole Davis (Channing Tatum) in FLY ME TO THE MOON.
Guiding this talented ensemble is someone who’s best known for being a guiding force on the TV versions of several DC superheroes (streaming and broadcast), Greg Berlanti. This is actually his third feature film and a big dive into the mainstream as he harkens back to the “above the title” pairing of classic movie couples (Gable and Lombard, Bogie and Bacall, Tracy and Hepburn). Despite the somewhat lengthy 132-minute runtime, he keeps the story from Keenan Flynn and Bill Kirsten that Rose Gilroy crafted into a screenplay from getting too slogged down in space nostalgia. Like that neglected 80’s classic THE RIGHT STUFF it highlights the awe and wonder along with wit while mixing in the movie “mating rituals”. But it doesn’t leave out the sense of danger with several flashbacks to that fatal pre-launch tragedy to the hovering Berkus who could be more “spook” than a spy. The time period is recreated very well, though it may seem that it’s the early 60s since the engineers all have the white shirt/thin black tie basic except for the pseudo-turtlenecks favored by Cole, perhaps to set him apart or to better highlight Tatum’s rugged physique. As for Johansson, Kelly appears to channel Marilyn Monroe in her early makeup and hairstyles (those blonde “bobs” are dazzlin’) but she “loosens up’ by the finale, perhaps to reflect the changing times and her embracing a new “morality”. Unlike the teaming of Gosling and Blunt at the start of the Summer, this pair really connects as they size up each and verbally spur before the big “clinch”. The great “needle drops” of classic tunes really help “seal the deal” and send Kelly and Cole piloting fans of retro romance soaring “among the stars” in FLY ME TO THE MOON.
3 Out of 4
FLY ME TO THE MOON is now playing in theatres everywhere
Starring Scarlett Johansson and Channing Tatum, Fly Me To The Moon is a sharp, stylish comedy-drama set against the high-stakes backdrop of NASA’s historic Apollo 11 moon landing. Brought in to fix NASA’s public image, sparks fly in all directions as marketing maven Kelly Jones (Johansson) wreaks havoc on launch director Cole Davis’s (Tatum) already difficult task. When the White House deems the mission too important to fail, Jones is directed to stage a fake moon landing as back-up and the countdown truly begins…
Directed by Greg Berlanti, FLY ME TO THE MOON has been rated PG-13 for some strong language, and smoking. The film will be released in theaters nationwide on July 12, 2024.
The St. Louis advance screening is at B&B West Olive on Monday July 8, 7pm. (5:30PM or earlier Suggested Arrival)
Kelly Jones (Scarlett Johansson) and Cole Davis (Channing Tatum) in FLY ME TO THE MOON.
Columbia Pictures and Apple Original Films present a These Pictures production, FlyMe to the Moon. Starring Scarlett Johansson, Channing Tatum, Jim Rash, Anna Garcia, Donald Elise Watkins, Noah Robbins, Colin Woodell, Christian Zuber, Nick Dillenburg, with Ray Romano and Woody Harrelson.
Directed by Greg Berlanti. Screenplay by Rose Gilroy. Based upon the Story by Keenan Flynn & Bill Kirstein. Produced by Jonathan Lia, Scarlett Johansson, Keenan Flynn, and Sarah Schechter. The executive producer is Robert J. Dohrmann. The Director of Photography is Dariusz Wolski, ASC. The production designer is Shane Valentino. Edited by Harry Jierjian, ACE. The costume designer is Mary Zophres. Music by Daniel Pemberton. Music Supervision by Season Kent. Casting by Ellen Lewis
On the morning of July 16, 1969, Apollo 11 astronauts Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins sat atop another Saturn V at Launch Complex 39A at the Kennedy Space Center. The three-stage 363-foot rocket used its 7.5 million pounds of thrust to propel them into space and into history.
On July 20, 1969, at 10:56 p.m. EDT, Armstrong planted the first human foot on another world. With more than half a billion people watching on television, he climbed down the ladder and proclaimed: “That’s one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind.”
And now some 55 years later, NASA is preparing to send people back to the lunar surface. Scheduled for September 2025, the Artemis II flight test will be NASA’s first mission with crew under Artemis and will pave the way to land the first woman and next man on the Moon on Artemis III. Astronauts on their first flight aboard NASA’s Orion spacecraft will confirm all of the spacecraft’s systems operate as designed with crew aboard in the actual environment of deep space.
We will finally return to the lunar surface for the first time since 1972.
Kelly Jones (Scarlett Johansson) and Cole Davis (Channing Tatum) in FLY ME TO THE MOON.
Today Sony Pictures and Apple TV have debuted the trailer for FLY ME TO THE MOON.
Starring Scarlett Johansson and Channing Tatum, FLY ME TO THE MOON is a sharp, stylish comedy-drama set against the high-stakes backdrop of NASA’s historic Apollo 11 moon landing.
Brought in to fix NASA’s public image, sparks fly in all directions as marketing maven Kelly Jones (Johansson) wreaks havoc on launch director Cole Davis’s (Tatum) already difficult task. When the White House deems the mission too important to fail, Jones is directed to stage a fake moon landing as back-up and the countdown truly begins…
From director Greg Berlanti, check out the new trailer.
The cast includes Scarlett Johansson, Channing Tatum, Nick Dillenburg, Anna Garcia, Jim Rash, Noah Robbins, Colin Woodell, Christian Zuber, Donald Elise Watkins, with Ray Romano and Woody Harrelson.
With a screenplay by Rose Gilroy, FLY ME TO THE MOON is based upon the story by Bill Kirstein & Keenan Flynn.
The comedy opens on July 12, 2024.
Cole Davis (Channing Tatum) and Henry Smalls (Ray Romano) in FLY ME TO THE MOON.Kelly Jones (Scarlett Johansson) in FLY ME TO THE MOON.Kelly Jones (Scarlett Johansson) and Cole Davis (Channing Tatum) in FLY ME TO THE MOON.
With 2024 only about six weeks old, filmgoers are getting a very interesting family comedy/drama that isn’t a “holdover” from the previous year’s limited Oscar-qualifying run. As with last weekend’s SCRAMBLED, this is the feature film directing debut of a writer/actress, though she’s not working in front of the camera. And this is almost an autobiography, with some name changes and a few names that were real people in the news. Actually, they were in the headlines, so it’s a fictionalized story with a true event as its backdrop, similar to the Jack and Rose romance of TITANIC. And it all figures into an engaging “coming of age” story that happened in the sunny, but often turbulent, vacation spot known as SUNCOAST.
And, as you might have guessed, that spot was down in Florida about twenty years ago. Teenager Doris (Nico Parker) is stressed out about beginning her junior year at a brand new school while juggling her homelife, which revolves around her disabled older brother Max. Their single mother Kristine (Laura Linney) must leave Doris in charge while she struggles to make ends meet in the food service industry. The big reason for the recent move is to get Max into the local hospice facility as his brain cancer is in its final stages. Unfortunately, that facility has a much more famous patient, Terri Schiavo, who is at the center of a passionate euthanasia debate in the US. So much so that the clinic is constantly surrounded by protesters. As Kristine is hyper-focused on Max, Doris can wander out and befriends one of the picketers, an amiable widower named Paul (Woody Harrelson), who becomes a surrogate papa to her. When Doris does get to her private Christian high school, she feels isolated until she eavesdrops on a group of popular young women who don’t have a location for their weekend party. Since mom is spending all her time with Max, Doris offers up their modest home “in the boonies”. Naturally the “kegger” gets out of control, but Doris is able to get things back in order before a parental “drop by”. Can Doris get accepted by the “in crowd” or is she being used? And what will happen if Kristine finds out? Could this betrayal and the impending passing of Max destroy their familial bond?
The story’s focus and its beating conflicted heart is Doris played with remarkable skill and savvy by the gifted Ms. Parker, perhaps best known for her work in the Tim Burton remake of DUMBO. Sure we’ve seen plenty of awkward lonely teens in the world of “indie” cinema, but Parker conveys the huge weight (not quite the world, but close) on Doris’ young shoulders. Yes, she’s worried about the impending loss of her big bro, but she feels guilty for yearning to experience the joys of teenage life during this dark time. Parker wisely doesn’t make her a victim, as we see her make some selfish, dangerous decisions while not destroying our empathy for Doris, even as she lashes out at those in our corner. The main supporter there is Paul played with low-key energy and strength by Harrelson. Sure, he gets on his soapbox or pulpit, but we get to see the man inside the “card-holder behind the police barricades. He’s not so strident and singled-focused that he can’t reach out to this young woman so desperate for a parental “lifeline”. And she does need one, as her only parent is almost smothered by the fear of future grief and tragedy. Kristine is truly the most compelling and most divisive character of the story and the superb Linney tackles the challenge with full gusto, giving a bravado performance. I’d describe her as Aurora Greenway of TERMS OF ENDEARMENT in the big hospital screed (“Give her a shot!!!”) turned up to eleven, but that would dismiss the nuance Linney brings. Even after Kristine uses guilt to prod Doris, there’s the feeling that she herself could drown in the wave of darkness washing over her. And she gives us a hint that Kristine knows that both of her kids may disappear from her life. This is a career highlight for the exceptional Linney.
The aforementioned writer/director is actress Laura Chinn, who makes this very personal “slice of life” a very compelling and expertly crafted “calling card” for her future film work. As I just stated she has guided the main acting trio to utilize their gifts in new ways, but she’s also turned several “teen movie” cliches on their heads. We’re programmed to view the popular cliques as sneering harpies (ala “The Plastiques”) who delight in delivering “burns” and verbal abuse. And certainly, these kids are taking advantage of Doris at first. Then we see how they connect and bring the wounded woman into their circle, even trying to “up” her dating skills, while urging one of the team to “move on” from a “player”. That’s just one of the ways that Chinn constantly surprises us. It’s easy to take satiric ‘swipes” at the uptight moralists of the school and the picket line, but we’re shown that they’re more than comic “targets”. “Dying with dignity” is discussed and debated, but Chinn never pushes one view over to the forefront, letting us ponder the choices. Best of all is the unique mother/daughter dynamic that is the driving force of the plot. Perhaps that’s what shines the brightest in the somehow life-affirming SUNCOAST.
3.5 Out of 4
SUNCOAST is now playing in select theatres and streams exclusively on Hulu beginning on Friday, February 9. 2024
