Tag Archives: Megalyn Echikunwoke

“Emily the Criminal” Trailer and Poster

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Written and directed by John Patton Ford, Emily the Criminal follows Emily, played by Aubrey Plaza. She has saddled herself with student debt and locked herself out of the job market because of a minor criminal record.

Desperate for income, she takes a sketchy gig as a “dummy shopper,” buying goods with stolen credit cards supplied by a charismatic middleman named Youcef, played by Theo Rossi.

Faced with a series of dead-end job interviews, Emily soon finds herself seduced by the quick cash and illicit thrills of black-market capitalism and increasingly interested in her mentor Youcef.

Together, they scheme a plan to bring their black-market business to the next level in Los Angeles.

Ford brings his personal experience of having graduated with 90 thousand dollars in debt. “The housing crisis was still doing damage, and I ended up delivering food and struggling to pay my interest each month. Not the principal, just the interest.”

That’s when Ford decided to make a movie about a millennial hitting the breaking point and choosing to operate on her own rules.

On the surface, Emily the Criminal is about a woman who becomes a criminal to pay her student loans. “I’m not a criminal (or a woman for that matter), but the story is personal, nonetheless.”

Being in so much debt scared Ford. “I was trying to be a filmmaker, and the whole thing filled me with fear — the fear of failure, the fear that someday I might regret having spent so much time even trying.”

Ford poured all that fear into the script, and a story came about just going for it. “A story about running toward your passion despite the warning signs. Emily discovers that she loves being a criminal … and unlike most of us, she has the guts to follow her love to the bloody end. Maybe I was giving myself a hero to follow.”

Emily the Criminal

They made the film in 20 days, one hundred and thirty scenes, including stunts, a car chase and Covid. “Somewhere along the line, I morphed into the character: feral, driven, and no longer concerned with the imminent dangers of chasing the dream. I was all in.”

Ford was all in, just like Emily — Being all in. “The moment when you discover what you want — and commit to it. There is fear and joy in that moment, nobody escapes clean, and you suffer losses along the way.”

Emily the Criminal is a thriller, but to Ford, it’s also a coming-of-age story about embracing your deepest desires and daring to follow them. “Whether they lead you into the underbelly of the Los Angeles crime scene or into finishing your debut feature or into a new place altogether.”

Aubrey Plaza also produces the movie and starts in the latest Guy Ritchie movie, Operation Fortune: Rue de Guerre, which is not out in the theaters yet. Theo Rossi is on the Netflix limited series True Story opposite Kevin Hart and Wesley Snipes.

The rest of the cast includes Megalyn Echikunwoke and Gina Gershon.

“Late Night” Trailers, Interview, Posters, & Clip

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Directed by Nisha Ganatra, Late Night follows two women. Katherine, a late-night talk show host, played by Emma Thompson, suspects she is on the verge of losing her long-running show.

In walks Molly, played by Mindy Kaling, the new staff writer, who is a bit quirky. Sure enough, she slowly builds her trust with Katherine and is in good graces with her. Where the story goes from here is hard to tell from the movie trailer.

I watched the movie last night on Prime with my daughter. Emma Thompson is fantastic, she nails it, as does John Lithgow. However, the story falls flat, and it was not as upbeat as it could be. The script jumped around without intent of where it was headed. Thompson kept the focus and my interest. 

Mindy Kaling wrote the screenplay, and it seems funny. We are seeing more and more women buddy movies, and this is another one.

Ganatra directing credits are episodic television shows like Mr. Robot and You Me Her.

The rest of the cast includes Megalyn Echikunwoke, Amy Ryan, and John Lithgow.

The movie clip “Teachable Way” shows how Thompson’s character is so cut-throat with innuendoes.

The second poster shares the spotlight for both of the lead women in the movie. They are so opposite of each other that the poster attracts our attention.

The second trailer shows are the makings of a great comedy. The cast of professionals is stellar. It is obvious that they make their marks. I see a fun movie with some serious social issues staying out of the radar. I look forward to seeing Lithgow and Thompson play off each other as husband and wife.

The third movie trailer is like the second trailer. Only, it explains the story better, and we see more of Lithgow and Thompson together.

The interview with the female stars of Late Night discusses women’s roles in late-night television as hosts and writers, the lack thereof. It is definitely something everyone needs to watch whether male or female. Thompson’s viewpoint of men is funny.

Kaling talks about writing the role for Thompson before she even agreed to play the lead. There is so much more in this interview — don’t pass it up.

The movie clips are adorable and offer insight as to what you can expect when you see that movie at the theater. Thomspon is great in this movie. She nails it.

The studios are callling this the final trailer. It’s flashy and hard sell, but there are some clips we haven’t seen yet, so enjoy.