Written and directed by writer, producer and restauranteur Eddie Huang, Boogie is his directorial debut.
The coming-of-age story of Alfred “Boogie” Chin, played by Taylor Takahashi, a basketball phenom living in Queens, New York, who dreams of one day playing in the NBA.
While his parents pressure him to focus on earning a scholarship to an elite college, Boogie must navigate a new girlfriend, played by Taylour Paige, high school, on-court rivals and the burden of expectation.
The rest of the cast includes Pamelyn Chee, Jorge Lendeborg Jr., Mike Moh, Dave East, Perry Yung, Alexa Mareka, and Pop Smoke.
Directed by Gabriela Cowperthwaite, Our Friend tackles cancer in an unusual vein of how it not only affects the family but a close friend who steps in to help — based on a true story.
The film tells an inspiring and extraordinary true story of the Teague family—journalist Matt, played by Casey Affleck, his vibrant wife Nicole, played by Dakota Johnson, and their two adolescent daughters, played by Violet McGraw and Isabella Kai. The true story follows how their lives become upended by Nicole’s heartbreaking diagnosis of terminal cancer.
As Matt’s responsibilities as caretaker and parent become increasingly overwhelming, the couple’s best friend, Dane Faucheux, played by Jason Segel, offers to come and help. As Dane puts his life on hold to stay with his friends, the impact of this life-altering decision proves greater and more profound than anyone could have imagined.
Written by Natasa Drakulic and directed by Predrag Antonijevic, Dara of Jasenovac follows a little girl named Dara, played by Biljana Cekic, during the Holocaust in the Balkans to the infamous extermination camp complex Jasenovac — coined as Balkan’s Auschwitz. The story takes place in the Nazi-occupied Croatian Ustasha regime “NDH” in former Yugoslavia during WWII. They are told through the eyes of Dara, who the Nazis sent as a child during the Holocaust, ruled by sadistic camp commander Maks Luburic until the liberation. It is the first modern WWII movie that takes place in or shows the NDH-era camp.
It begins during the summer of 1942 when the family of twelve-year-old Dara is taken away and separated into two concentration camps. She witnessed all the horrors of the Ustashe regime. After they kill her brother and mother, she tries to save her younger brother’s life, hoping that her father is still alive.
Probably one of the most overlooked parts of history, Germans do not run Jasenovac, but the fascist Ustase runs the complex. He brutally murdered Jews, Serbs and Roma people, which included many women and children. As unspeakable atrocities unfold, Dara must summon tremendous courage to protect her infant brother from a terrible fate. At the same time, she safeguards her own survival and plots a precarious path toward freedom. The movie is the Serbian selection for the Academy Awards for Best International Feature.
The movie has English subtitles, and the rest of the talented cast includes Vuk Kostic, Natasa Ninkovic, and Nikolina Jelisavac.
Directed by Lena Khan, Flora and Ulysses follow a young girl’s adventures, played by Matilda Lawler, and a squirrel with superpowers.
Written for the screen by Brad Copeland and based on the book by Kate DiCamillo, the rest of the cast includes Alyson Hannigan, Ben Schwartz, and Danny Pudi.
Directed by Shaka King, Judas and the Black Messiah follows Fred Hampton, played by Daniel Kaluuya, who is the Chairman of the Illinois Black Panther Party. His fateful betrayal by FBI informant William O’Neal, played by LaKeith Stanfield, is a predictable and sad story of one individual’s goal to help others.
Only the trailer is available without images or poster. As soon as they become available, I will post them.
After her husband goes missing, Sue Buttons, played by Allison Janney, an under-appreciated suburban wife, gets a taste of being a local celebrity as she embarks on a city-wide search in Yuba County to find him.
To prolong her newfound fame, she stumbles into hilarious hijinks as her world turns upside down, dodging a wanna-be mobster, played by Awkwafina, a relentless local policewoman, played by Regina Hall, her half-sister, played by Mila Kunis, a local news reporter desperate for a story, and her husband’s dead-beat brother, played by Jimmi Simpson, who all set out to uncover the truth behind the disappearance.
Directed by Tate Taylor, who brought us The Help, and the talented cast, including Juliette Lewis, should make Breaking News in Yuba County worth seeing.
Written by Annie Mumolo and Kristen Wiig by the direction of Josh Greenbaum, Barb & Star Go to Vista Del Mar is a madcap story that, hopefully, is super fun with tons of laughs.
The screenwriters of this movie also star as Barb and Star take a trip and break out of their shell. Lifelong friends Barb and Star embark on the adventure of a lifetime when they decide to leave their small Midwestern town for the first time. They experience romance, friendship, and a villain’s evil plot.
Mumolo and Wiig brought Bridesmaids to the screen, but this time with a huge cast that includes Jamie Dornan, Damon Wayans Jr., Fortune Feimster, Wendi McLendon-Covey, Rose Abdoo, Vanessa Bayer, Phyllis Smith, and Kwame Patterson
Directed by David Prior, The Empty Man is a supernatural horror film that centers on shocking events originating in a small Midwestern town.
It follows the mysterious disappearance of a group of teenagers. James Lasombra, played by James Badge Dale, a troubled retired cop who thrusts into action to investigate. Following leads that may tie a secretive occult-minded group to a terrifying local legend, he soon realizes that his life — and those close to him — are in terrible danger. The screen story and screenplay are by David Prior.
In The Empty Man comics, it’s been one year since the first reported case of the titular disease, and no drug has slowed its progress. The cause is unknown, and the symptoms include fits of rage, hideous hallucinations, and suicidal dementia, followed by death or a near lifeless, “empty” state of catatonia.
As a group of followers rises nationwide, the FBI and CDC enter a joint investigation of the Empty Man, racing against the clock to piece together clues to stop them from following and uncover a cure.
Directed by Tom Story, Tom & Jerry stars several voice actors, which is a concern. The original classic cartoons had no dialogue, and it entertained kids of all ages. Why change it?
All is not lost since the feature film uses archive recordings of William Hanna. Hanna performed all the original shrieks, howls, screeches, yells, gasps, and screams heard in the cat and mouse cartoons of 1942 to 1957.
The second theatrical movie is the first rendition as live-action and animation. It is Warner Bros.’s first animated/live-action hybrid movie. It’s been 28 years since the release of the first Tom and Jerry in 1992.
The voice actors include Michael Pena, Chloe Grace Moretz, Rob Delaney, Colin Jost. The script is by Kevin Costello based on William Hanna and Joseph Barbera characters. Costello’s screen credits appear limited with Brigsby Bear and one episode for the Jean-Claude Van Johnson series.
For the teenager, Rain Burroughs, played by Madison Iseman, becomes caught in the synthetic psychiatric mumbo-jumbo of labeling and being diagnosed with made-up illness schizophrenia.
I look forward to the day where filmmakers can create a character, going through difficulties and horror without cookie cutting a psychiatric label. It’s lazy writing — without imagination. For example, Harry Potter grew up not knowing he was a wizard and had out-of-the-ordinary things happen around him, but did Rowlings label him or send him to a psychiatrist, no. She wrote a legendary story about a tough childhood, being different, having loyal friends, and saving the world.
Written and directed by Castille Landon, Rain struggles as she tries to figure out which of the disturbing images, harrowing voices, and traumatic feelings she experiences are real and which are all in her mind.
But when Rain goes against her parents, played by Katherine Heigl and Harry Connick, Jr., as they advise her. The shadows and cries from her neighbor’s attic appear to hide a dark secret. She enlists help from Caleb, played by Israel Broussard, the charmingly awkward new boy at school — who himself may not be real.
The movie is a terrifying thriller that takes you inside Rain’s mind as she confronts the frightening hallucinations of her imagination to determine whether there is genuine horror hiding right next door.
Also starring in the movie are Israel Broussard and Eugenie Bondurant.
