Directed, co-written and produced by Rhyan LaMarr, the screenplay for Canal Street is co-written by Jon Knitter, with additional writing by Adam Key. LaMarr and Knitter wrote the first draft in 2005 at Columbia College Chicago and developed the script together over the next 13 years.
LaMarr remembers, “I would get on the red line and take it from the Southside of Chicago all the way to the end of the line on the Northside, and just people watch and dream up some of the diverse characters we birthed in Canal Street. Chicago, to me, was one of those cities that had caught a bad rap, and I wanted to shine a different light on it through politics and grit. Me and Jon started writing about our different experiences, and that is really how the script began to take form.”
Canal Street is a faith-based, modern-day thriller about a teen, Kholi Styles, trying to get by in an unwelcoming new world. After the mysterious death of a classmate, all eyes fall on Kholi, the new kid at his high school. It’s up to his father, Jackie Styles, an up-and-coming lawyer from the slums of Chicago, to defend his son in court and battle an outraged public before time runs out. Jackie fights to keep his faith and prove his son is not the monster of the world.
The story of Little sounds familiar because it is a take-off on some top-rated comedies.
Co-written and directed by Tina Gordon Chism, Little resembles movies like Freaky Friday or Thirteen Again. A woman suddenly becomes a teenager again. The film follows Jordan Sanders, played by Regina Hall (adult) and Marsai Martin (teenager). The adult Sanders is Hall, taking no prisoners tech mogul, and the 13-year-old version of Sanders is Martin.
Young Sanders wakes up in her adult self’s penthouse just before a do-or-die presentation. Watching the movie trailer, Martin is hilarious and fun to watch.
Sanders’ assistant, April, played by Issa Rae, is there to help. But Sanders is one of the worst bosses anyone has ever experienced. April’s suffering under her abusive behavior is now confrontational with Sanders at a younger age. Yet, April is the only one loyal enough to be in on the secret of her daily tormentor -Sanders. As everything is on the line, Sanders is now trapped in an awkward tween body.
Little is an irreverent new comedy about the price of success, the power of sisterhood and having a second chance to grow up — and glow up — right. The movie is an all-new perspective to the body-swap comedy.
The story is by Tracy Oliver, and the screenplay is by both Oliver and Chism and is based on an idea from Martin. Martin is a talented teenager who is also executive producing this movie.
The movie trailer is a kick to watch. I laughed a lot, and it has some funny bits.
The movie clip shows how mean and domineering Sanders comes across, but her assistant is just as strong.
The following two interviews I am adding because Hall is a fantastic actress and Martin is funny. These two separate interviews tell you what the movie is about and how it plays out.
The following two movie clips shine a light on Issa Rae and how talented she is on film. She carries the movie and is a fine choice of casting.
The following three clips take you on a great escape from a typical office or home day. Do yourself a favor and watch these clips. They are hilarious and move at a nice clip. The first one is with the Child Protective Services representative. This lady is funny, and both these actresses have met their match. My hat goes off to the casting director and director.
The following movie clip is so cute, with the school security watching these two actresses in the parking lot.
Here, we have Oscar winner Regina King playing the older version of Sanders before she becomes little. I am amazed at how she is owning up to being a tyrant. King is a true talent. The movie clip is no longer available, but the movie is super funny.
I posted a movie clip with some nice eye candy for us girls, but the studio blocked it. It is an essential clip because it gets interesting when Little Jordan goes to school. I can see the jealousy happening between these two women.
Directed by Jeffrey Nachmanoff, Replicas is a story created through an idea producer Stephen Hamel shared with Keanu Reeves. Once they discussed and shared ideas, they became enthusiastic about telling a story that raises moral issues – science vs. ethics. “Replicas was born from my interest in the benefits and dangers of emerging technologies that could overcome fundamental human limitations and ethical limitations of using such technologies. Specifically, those human beings may eventually be able to transfer their consciousness from one body to another,” explains Hamel.
Hamel wrote the story, and Chad St. John wrote the screenplay. The story follows William Foster, played by Reeves. After a car accident kills his loving family, he faces enormous intellectual and emotional stakes.
In a daring move by Foster, a neuroscientist who will stop at nothing to bring his family back to life as replicas – does so. The results pit him against a government-controlled laboratory, a police task force, and the physical laws of science.
Alice Eve plays his wife and is best known for her role as Dr. Carol Marcus in Star Trek Into Darkness. The other cast members included Emily Alyn Lind, John Ortiz, and Thomas Middleditch.
Science Fiction is nothing new to Reeves, with significant roles in movies like The Matrix and Bill & Ted’s Bogus Journey. The movie trailer looks pretty darn good.
