Written and directed by Wilson Coneybeare, American Hangman is a thriller starring Donald Sutherland and Vincent Kartheiser.
The story is focused on a relentlessly ticking clock and a rapidly approaching deadline and verdict. A kidnapping, broadcast live on social media, turns into the trial of a judge, played by Sutherland, who presided over a botched criminal case.
This time, however, the audience gets to play judge and jury, deciding if the judge himself gets to live or die.
Coneybeare is best known for writing episodic television in the early 2000s.
It is a low-budget movie, and the screenplay is written with that in mind. The story is centered on three locations – elementary sets. Watch the trailer, and you will see what I mean.
Directed by Kenneth Branagh, Artemis Fowl is based on a popular book series by Eoin Colfer. It appears all the actors in the movie are from the UK.
Ferdia Shaw plays Artemis Fowl II, a young Irish criminal mastermind who kidnaps the fairy LEPrecon officer Holly Short, played by Lara McDonnell, for ransom to fund the search for his missing father.
Michael Goldenberg, Adam Kline, and Conor McPherson scripted the fantasy, action, and adventure movie. Goldenberg’s credits include Peter Pan, a great movie and a secret gem, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, and Contact.
Shaw is a newcomer, but McDonnell has starred in other movies. The movie also stars Judy Dench, Miranda Raison, and Hong Chau.
The following trailer shows a lot more about the movie. If you read the books, hopefully, the story stays the same as much as possible.
It is not your typical kid story; the featurette explains how it came to the movie screen.
Directed by Jon S. Baird, Stan & Ollie follows Laurel and Hardy, played by John C. Reilly and Steve Coogan. Some consider them the world’s most famous comedy duo.
The two comedians take a stab at reigniting their film careers as they embark on what becomes their swan song – a grueling theatre tour during post-war Britain.
Baird is best known for directing episodic television. The screenplay is by Jeff Pope who also wrote for many episodic television shows and the movie Philomena, which he won BAFTA Best Adapted Screenplay 2015 with Steve Coogan.
Watch the trailer and if you are familiar with the comedy duo, then you will see some great acting, and it’s uncanny how both actors look like Laurel and Hardy.
The movie also stars Stephanie Hyam and Shirley Henderson.
Watching the following movie clips and featurette, I honestly say these Reilly and Coogan created Laurel and Hardy. Sure, the make-up and hair designers along with the costumes and set designs are instrumental as well.
Watching Laurel and Hardy’s wives play off each other is fun. I hope the rhythm of the scenes performs better within the movie.
In the featurette, Reilly mentions how much Laurel and Hardy loved each other, so he and Coogan became friends and truly love each. They remain good friends to this day.
The featurette about Stan and Ollie’s relationship covers more than what went on between them. It is about the relationship they have without culture at large. They are an iconic comedy team forever embedded in our minds.
Directed by Jon Favreau, The Lion King is the same as the original Disney The Lion King. But this time, the production is taking the CGI and re-imagining the 1994 Disney classic. Both are from Disney, and Favreau directed The Jungle Book, which did great at the box office, and reviews were positive.
Some of you may be happy to know the voices are also being redone with James Earl Jones, Seth Rogen, Donald Glover, Keegan-Michael Key, Alfre Woodard, and Beyonce.
The movie hasn’t even been released yet. The movie’s soundtrack is nominated for a Grammy as well.
Look at the movie trailer and see that the story is no different from the original. The only difference is it’s not a cartoon. It looks totally real.
The second trailer shows what to expect from the movie—a real-life version of the animated The Lion King. The technology in filmmaking and animation arrives at a whole new level with Disney productions. I wish for original stories and new adventures in all this fantastical technology. There are classics untouched, like The Count of Monte Crisco or Treasure Island. Even Jules Verne’s Twenty Thousand Leagues Under The Sea is a great story to animate. I hope Disney will broaden their scope of future movies.
Still, I am impressed with the CGI; the movie will delight children of all ages. The box office will prove fruitful.
The TV spot is incredible because it shows us that the movie is like the original, but the computer-generated characters are more realistic.
The following three publicity clips show us the CGI and characters we know. The “Circle of Life” looks real, with all the African animals celebrating the birth of the Lion King. That clip is blocked, and you can only see the image from the video.
The two featurettes show the cast and director working together to make a new, different movie but the same movie.
Directed by Josie Rourke, Mary, Queen of Scots, is based on the book by John Guy called “Queen of Scots: The True Life of Mary Stuart”. Mary Stuart’s, played by Saoirse Ronan, attempt to overthrow her cousin Elizabeth I, Queen of England, played by Margot Robbie. Stuart finds herself condemned to years of imprisonment before facing execution.
The second trailer shows how fierce each woman gets over winning the throne. I posted some behind the scene clips on My YouTube Channel. The clips show details in the costumes, amazing.
Watch the trailer and clips. You will see some fine acting.
Mary, Queen of Scots appears to be Rourke’s first movie, but her theatrical experience is quite extensive. She is the Artistic Director of the Donmar Warehouse, and her productions have transferred to Broadway, the West-End and won Olivier Awards.
The two featurettes are put together showing how the two women interrelated with each other and their times. Rourke shares the difference between the two queens while Ronan talks about Mary Stuart as a dynamic woman. Robbie talks about how the two women were influenced by men who influenced and ruled the culture at the time.
Directed by Deon Taylor, The Intruder follows a young married couple, played by Michael Ealy and Meagan Good. They buy their dream house in the Napa Valley.
They found the perfect home to start a family and live happily together. But, the former homeowner, played by Dennis Quaid, is a bit strange. He continues to infiltrate their lives. It becomes obvious he is out to do some wacky stuff to the couple.
The screenplay is written by David Loughery, who wrote Lakeview Terrace and Tom and Huck. Taylor holds many directing credits, including Traffik and Meet the Blacks.
Dennis Quaid looks pretty creepy in this next trailer. I like how he transforms – becoming more and more deranged.
The second poster is pretty simple and shows the couple in danger and distress over Quaid’s presence.
The movie clip is called “He’s Cutting Our Grass” but should be called “It’s Hard to Let Go.” Quaid is doing an excellent job of being creepy.
This is looking intense, and having an intruder like Quaid is nerve-wracking. It is hard to communicate with people like this because they have an agenda. His agenda is to get them both.
Based on a book by Börge Hellström and directed by Andrea Di Stefano, The Informer follows an honorably discharged Special Ops soldier, played by Joel Kinnaman. Pete Koslow’s world turns upside-down when he is jailed after a fight to protect his wife, played by Ana de Armas.
He’s given a chance for early release by becoming an informant for the FBI agents, played by Rosamund Pike and Clive Owen. He uses his covert skills in an operation to take down The General. I believe, played by Sam Spruell. He is the most powerful crime boss in New York.
An FBI sting meant to finally earn Koslow his freedom results in the death of an undercover NYPD cop. Koslow was caught in the crossfire between the mob and the FBI.
The General insists Koslow takes the heat and sends him back to prison to spearhead a drug operation from inside, and the FBI affirms that going back to jail to do The General’s bidding is the only way for Koslow to keep his deal with them alive.
Caught in a world of impossible choices, Koslow must return to prison, where he formulates a plan to escape the clutches of three of New York City’s most influential organizations –the mob, the NYPD and the FBI –to save himself and his family.
Di Stefano is best known as an actor. He also directed Escobar: Paradise Lost and Last Night of Amore.
Written and directed by Stephen Wilkes, Jay Myself is a documentary that focuses on Jay Maisel’s work. Wilkes worked with Maisel, and this movie is a love letter to the photographer’s work while being a tribute to the 35,000 square foot, 100-year-old building in New York called “The Bank” that Jay used to call his home.
After 48 years, begrudgingly, Maisel sold his home. The famous photographer story is a monumental move told through the eyes of Wilkes, who is also Jay’s protege.
Wilkes is also a noted artist and photographer, which opens the story through this intimate lens that the viewer is taken on a remarkable journey through Jay’s life as an artist, mentor, and man. A man is grappling with himself, growth, change, and the end of an era in New York City.
Directed by Shaina Allen, Rebound follows the Miami Heat Wheels and their quest for their first-ever National Wheelchair Basketball Association (NWBA) Championship.
Allen helms a story that offers an insider’s look at the struggling wheelchair basketball team following a defeat at the national championships. Each player pushes their way physically, mentally and emotionally through each season. They play hard even though they receive no recognition or resources from mainstream sports. Money plays a factor in their game because without it they might not win the national title.
Written and directed by award-winner Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck, Never Look Away is a foreign film that won two awards at the Venice Film Festival 2018.
The movie follows young artist Kurt Barnert, played by Tom Schilling. Barnet fled from East Germany to West Germany. Yet, he is still tormented by his childhood experiences as a boy during the Nazi years and the GDR-regime. The German Democratic Republic began in 1949 and ended in 1990. The period when the eastern portion of Germany was part of the Eastern Bloc during the Cold War period with the Berlin Wall in existence.
He meets a student named Ellie, played by Paula Beer. He is positive he has met the love of his life. He begins an artist journey creating paintings that mirror not only his fate but also the traumas of an entire generation.
The next three movie clips are long but tell the story or at least part of the story. The oppression these Europeans experienced is appalling. Even though the movie fills with abuse, the colorful scenery and well-defined sets indicate hope for the people.
Written and directed by Wilson Coneybeare, American Hangman is a thriller starring Donald Sutherland and Vincent Kartheiser.
