All posts by Kenna

“All the Old Knives” Movie Details, Trailer and Poster

based on a book, thriller, , , ,

Directed by Janus Metz with a screenplay by Olen Steinhauer, adapted from his bestselling novel of the same name, All the Old Knives starts on a bleak winter morning in Vienna. CIA Chief of Station Victor Wallinger, played by Laurence Fishburne, visits veteran case officer Henry Pelham, played by Chris Pine, and delivers volatile news.

Ilyas Shushani, played by Orli Shuka, the Chechen extremist who masterminded a deadly hijacking that killed more than 100 airline passengers and crew in Austria eight years ago, has been captured by the agency. During interrogation, Shushani revealed that a mole in the Vienna station provided vital intelligence to the hijackers, resulting in the catastrophic loss of life. With this new information, Henry is assigned to reopen the case of Flight 127 and identify the traitorous double agent.  

But the mission means revisiting painful memories and laying traps for old friends. Even for a spy as adept at compartmentalizing his emotions as Henry is, that’s no easy task. His first stop is a pub in London, where he surprises his former superior, Bill Compton, played by Jonathan Pryce, who was second in command in Vienna during the hijacking. Long since retired from the agency, Bill considers the incident ancient history. Still, Henry points out several disturbing inconsistencies in Bill’s story, suggesting he knows far more than he’s letting on.   

With troubling investigation details piling up, Henry travels to Northern California to question another retired Vienna station colleague, Celia Harrison, played by Thandiwe Newton. Henry and Celia were once passionate lovers, more than just ex-coworkers, but their relationship fell apart after the hijacking disaster.

When they meet for a meal together at a stylish cliffside restaurant in Carmel, romantic sparks reignite as the two seasoned spies reminisce about their bittersweet past. But as night falls and the dinner conversation gradually becomes an interrogation, their intimate rendezvous becomes a sly cat-and-mouse game played by two experts, where the stakes are life and death.

As his second feature film, Danish filmmaker Metz found the script most intriguing because of its powerful emotional depth and the complex ethical questions it raises. “I fell in love with the script from the moment I read it,” says Metz. “It was a very compelling story about two CIA agents meeting for dinner, one tasked with interrogating the other. Essentially, it’s a love story interwoven with a spy thriller. There’s a whodunit plot that drives the film, but Henry and Celia’s tragic relationship anchors everything.” 

Metz believes the film is about people forced to make difficult choices to preserve what they care about, regardless of the consequences. “It’s a story about trying to do the right thing at the right moment,” he says. “But the dilemma for Henry and Celia is that they are in a situation where that becomes next to impossible.”  

“Master” Trailer, Clip, Images and Poster

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Written and directed by Mariama Diallo, Master follows three women who strive to find their place at a prestigious New England university whose frosty elitism may disguise something sinister.

Regina Hall plays Professor Gail Bishop, who was recently promoted to “Master” of a residence hall, being the first Black woman to attain the post in the prestigious Ancaster College.

Determined to breathe new life into a centuries-old tradition, Gail soon finds herself wrapped up in the trials and tribulations of Jasmine Moore, played by Zoe Renee, an energetic and optimistic Black freshman.

ZOE RENEE stars in MASTER Photo: Linda Kallerus © AMAZON CONTENT SERVICES LLC

Jasmine’s time at Ancaster hits a snag early on when she’s assigned a dorm room that is rumored to be haunted. Things get worse when Jasmine clashes in the classroom with Liv Beckman, played by Amber Gray, a professor in the middle of her own racially charged tenure review.

As Gail tries to maintain order and fulfill the duties of a Master, the cracks show in Ancaster’s once-immaculate facade. After a career spent fighting to make it into Ancaster’s inner circle, Gail must confront the horrifying prospect of what lies beneath, her question ultimately becoming not whether the school is haunted but by whom.

As her feature film debut, Diallo first encountered the idea of a college “Master” when she was an undergraduate at Yale. Faculty members oversaw an undergraduate residence called Masters, shaping these communities’ cultural and intellectual life and helping students navigate academic and personal problems. A long-standing tradition at elite British universities, including Oxford and Cambridge, Yale adopted it in the 1930s.

Diallo recalls some of the older students downplaying the term’s connotation of enslavement. “It was very slickly normalized,” she says. “They induct you into this crazy system where they just tell you, ‘We know it sounds weird to call somebody master, but it’s nothing to do with slavery.’ And I was able to accept that in a remarkably and disturbingly short amount of time. So for my four years, it was just completely normal to have this person in your life who you would call Master so-and-so. They’re the person who you go to talk to if you’re having trouble in a class or if you’re feeling homesick or anything like that.”

But several years after graduating, Diallo ran into the former Master of her residential college and saw the title in a different light. “I was so excited to see him that I called out hello, addressing him as Master. He looked hugely uncomfortable because we were in earshot of a ton of people. It was almost like our kink was discovered. It’s a relationship that could only exist within the university gates. Anyway, we went on to have a lovely conversation. But as soon as I walked away, I told myself I had to make a film about it because it really threw into relief how bizarre that term, that relationship is. And I knew I wanted to call it Master because of the multiple layers of meaning.”

In response to student protests, Yale eliminated the term in 2016 — several years after Diallo graduated.

From that germ of an idea, Diallo drafted a screenplay that told the connected stories of three women at fictional Ancaster College: Professor Gail Bishop, the school’s first African-American Master; Jasmine Moore, a bright, optimistic incoming freshman; and Liv Beckman, an outspoken professor seeking tenure.

The movie streams on Amazon Prime.

“Elvis” Biographical Musical Drama

biography, drama, music, ,

Directed by Baz Luhrmann, Elvis follows Colon Tom Parker, played by Tom Hanks. At the beginning of the trailer, Parker says, “There are some who make me out to be a villain.”

With the story by Luhrmman and Jeremy Doner, the screenplay is co-written by Luhrmann, Soner, Craig Pearce and Sam Bromell.

The story follows the life and career of the rock-n-roll legend Elvis Presley, played by Austin Butler. Australian, Olivia DeJonge plays Priscilla Presley.

“Lucy and Desi” Documentary

biography, documentary, ,

Directed by Amy Poehler, Lucy and Desi explores the unlikely partnership and enduring legacy of one of the most prolific power couples in entertainment history.

Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz risked everything to be together. Their love for each other led to the most influential show in the history of television, I Love Lucy.

After his family lost everything during the Cuban revolution of 1933, Desi was a refugee from Cuba and became a bandleader, an actor, and a brilliant producer and technology pioneer. Lucille came from nothing and, with an unrivaled work ethic, built a career as a model, chorus girl and eventually as an actor in the studio system. She found her calling in comedy, first in radio.

When Lucille was finally granted the opportunity to have her own television show, she insisted that her real-life spouse, Desi, be cast as her husband. Defying the odds, they re-invented the medium on the screen and behind the cameras.

The foundation of I Love Lucy was the constant rupture and repair of unconditional love. Lucy and Desi couldn’t make it work with each other; they gave to the rest of the world.

Lucy and Desi documentary offers an insightful and intimate peek behind the curtain of these two remarkable trailblazers — featuring interviews with Lucie Arnaz Luckinbill, Norman Lear, Desi Arnaz Jr, Carol Burnett and Bette Midler.

Poehler’s earliest memories, as a child, of I Love Lucy are of countless chuckles coming from her family’s living room, hearing her parents’ laughter as they watched the show. 

“I Love Lucy and television were almost fused,” she states. “It was as if that show came with every television.” 

But it was not until she was deep in her own career that she truly connected with it — and with its stars. 

“It wasn’t until I got older, and doing comedy myself, that I really understood what they were doing and was able to see the many layers to their genius. I’m inspired by the big swings that the two of them took. They came to their success with a lot of confidence. 

And, because of that, they said ‘No’ to a lot of things. They took giant leaps. They left their homes and worked really hard and just kept gambling. And they didn’t play small. They were very, very brave.”

“The way into a lot of stories,” Poehler explains, “for most people, is a love story. It’s really universal. I knew I wanted to touch on important themes — the different ways they approached work, what kind of work comedy is, and what they did as pioneers for television. 

But we succeed and fail based on how much we care about their love story.”  

Poehler was also keen to tell the story of how Ball and Arnaz completely turned the television world upside down, Sinclair notes. “Amy came to this with a very strong point of view about who Lucille Ball was — an insurgent or a disruptor of the business. 

They shot in L.A. They shot it on film; they used three cameras; they cast a man of color in the leading role for a national sitcom. This isn’t just a story of ‘funny’ — it’s a story of disrupting the T.V. business, and of a relationship that breaks and makes.”

Another key part of their story for Poehler quickly became evident.  “One of the themes that I grasped onto very early on was the idea of ‘rupture and repair,’ which is something that comedy can do really well. It’s what people turn to when their own lives are chaotic. And I Love Lucy was one of the early adopters of that genre: you have a problem, let everything unravel, but, don’t worry, it’s gonna be okay.”

“Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness”

action, adventure, fantasy, science fiction, sequels, super heroes, ,

Sam Raimi is back directing in the superhero genre with Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. The film follows Dr. Stephen Strange, played by Benedict Cumberbatch, as he casts a forbidden spell and opens a portal to the multiverse.

A threat occurs and emerges that may be too big for his team to handle. Other cast members include Xochitl Gomez, Elizabeth Olsen and Rachel McAdams.

“Sonic the Hedgehog 2” Zooms Once Again

adventure, animation, children movies, sequels, ,

Directed by Jeff Fowler, Sonic the Hedgehog 2 starts out in Green Hills. Sonic, played by BE Schwartz, wants to prove that he truly is a hero. His abilities come face to face when Dr. Robotnik, played by Jim Carrey, returns with a new partner, Knuckles, played by Idris Elba.

The two evil dudes are in search of a mystical emerald. The gem has the power to destroy civilizations.

Jim Carrey in Sonic The Hedgehog 2 from Paramount Pictures and Sega. Photo Credit: Courtesy Paramount Pictures and Sega of America.

Sonic and his sidekick, Tails, played by Colleen O’Shaughnessey, embark on a global adventure to locate the emerald before it falls in the two scoundrels’ hands.

“Firestarter” Based on Stephen King Novel

based on a book, remakes, thriller, , ,

Coming to us again from Stephen King’s classic thriller and directed by Keith Thomas, Firestarter is about a girl, played by Ryan Kiera Armstrong, with extraordinary pyrokinetic powers, who fights to protect her family and herself from sinister forces that seek to capture and control her.

For decades, parents Andy a new adaptation of Stephen King’s classic thriller from the producers of The Invisible Man, a girl with extraordinary pyrokinetic powers fights to protect her family and herself from sinister forces that seek to capture to control her.

For more than a decade, parents Andy, played by Zac Efron, and Vicky, played by Sydney Lemmon, have been on the run. They are desperate to hide their daughter, Charlie, from a shadowy federal agency that wants to harness her remarkable gift for creating fire into a weapon of mass destruction.

Andy has taught Charlie how to defuse her power, triggered by anger or pain. But as Charlie turns 11, the fire becomes harder and harder to control. After an incident reveals the family’s location, a mysterious operative, played by Michael Greyeyes, becomes deployed to hunt down the family and seize Charlie once and for all. Charlie has other plans.

Drew Barrymore played the girl with the powers in the first movie. The CGI special effects will prove most beneficial as a popcorn thriller with the technology today.

“Nope” Peele’s Horror Film Brings Laughter

horror, , , ,

Written and directed by Jordan Peele, Nope is the Oscar-winning director’s next movie. The story is all hush-hush right now, but here is a teaser from Peele.

According to IMDB and the poster, the movie stars Barbie Ferreira, Daniel Kaluuya, Steven Yeun, Keke Palmer and Michael Wincott.

“No Exit” Thriller Based on Bestseller

based on a book, thriller, , , ,

Directed by Damien Power from the bestseller No Exit by Taylor Adams, the movie follows Darby Throne, played by Havana Rose Liu. Darby is driving to see her mother in the hospital when a blizzard hits.

Darby end ups at a lodge where a handful of people are also waiting out the snowstorm, played by Dale Dickey, Daniel Rameriz, Dennis Haysbert and David Rysdahl.

She discovers a young girl, played by Mila Harris, locked in a van parked in the parking lot outside. Darby tries to find out who of the handful of people snowbound put the girl in the van.

Goodreads and IMDB helped with information about this movie, which will play on Hulu.

“The Outfit” Gripping Thriller

historical, suspense, thriller, , , , ,

Written and directed by Graham Moore, the Oscar-winning writer of The Imitation Game, The Outfit is a gripping thriller that follows an expert tailor, Mark Rylance. He must outwit a dangerous group of mobsters in order to survive a fateful night.

Zoey Deutch (left) stars as “Mable” and Mark Rylance (right) stars as “Leonard” in director Graham Moore’s THE OUTFIT, a Focus Features release. Courtesy of Nick Wall / Focus Features.

Also starring in the movie are Dylan O’Brien, Zoey Deutch, Johnny Flynn, Nikki Amuka-Bird and Simon Russell Beale.