Category Archives: biography

“Burden” Trailers, Clips and Posters

biography, drama, faith-based, true stories,

Written and directed by Andrew Heckler, Burden is a true story about Michael “Mike” Burden, played by Garrett Hedlund, an ardent young South Carolina Ku Klux Klan member.

He rose to the rank of Grand Dragon – and walked away from all of it with the help of his new love and an unlikely ally, the African American religious leader and social activist Reverend David Kennedy, played by Forest Whitaker.

Mike Burden, rejected by his own racist family and raised by Klan leader Tom Griffin, played by Tom Wilkinson, becomes a pillar of the KKK and proponent of the divisive Redneck Shop, a Klan memorabilia store.

But then Mike meets and falls in love with Judy Harbeson, played by Andrea Risborough, a single mother deeply opposed to the Klan and Mike’s allegiance to the group.

Cut off from the only family he has ever known, Mike and Judy reach out to the Reverend, Mike’s former mortal enemy. In turn, Reverend Kennedy proves the power and conviction of his faith when he accepts Mike’s disavowal of the Klan and welcomes him into his home and church.

Together, they face down irate and vengeful Klan members and win over Reverend Kennedy’s skeptical parishioners, forming a genuine bond and forging a path toward redemption and forgiveness.

Heckler is known for directing Armageddon and the TV series Ally McBeal. Burden won the Audience Award for Best Narrative Feature at the Sundance Film Festival 2018.

The second trailer tells more of the story and journey of this former Klansman and the priest.

The three movie clips show exceptional acting and directing skills.

“The Warrior Queen of Jhansi” Trailer, Clip & Poster

action, adventure, biography, , , , ,

Co-written by Swati Bhise, Devika Bhise, and Olivia Emden, with Swati Bhise also directing, The Warrior Queen of Jhansi tells the true story of the legendary Rani of Jhansi, played by Devika Bhise, a feminist icon in India and a fearless freedom fighter. Rani means Queen. 

In 1857 India, this 24-year-old General led her people into battle against the British Empire, earning the reputation of Joan of Arc of the East.  This real-life Wonder Woman’s insurrection shifted the balance of power in the region and set the demise of the notorious British East India Company and the beginning of the British Raj under Queen Victoria, played by Jodhi May.

The rest of the impressive cast includes Rupert Everett, Nathaniel Parker, Ben Lamb, and Derek Jacobi.

It’s hard to imagine this culture allowed women to fight in battles. How did it change to what it is today?

“The Report” Posters, Clips & Trailers

biography, drama, thriller, true stories, , , , , , ,
Based on a true story that made headlines.

Written and directed by Scott Z. Burns, The Report story played out on the headlines and newscasters had a field day with the conspiracy behind the expose of the evil, brutality at CIA’s Detention Center and Interrogation Program. The movie is a far cry from A Few Good Men.

The Report is a gripping thriller based on actual events. Naive and unrealistic staffer Daniel J. Jones, played by Adam Driver, is tasked by his boss Senator Dianne Feinstein, played by Annette Bening, to lead an investigation of the CIA’s Detention and Interrogation Program, which developed from the aftermath of 9/11.

Jones’ unremitting pursuit of the truth leads to dangerous findings that uncover the lengths to which the nation’s top intelligence agency went to suppress evidence, subvert the law, and hide a brutal secret from the American public.

The next trailer shows a pretty hard subject to explain in a matter of two hours.

The next six clips show what this man went through to get to the truth of what happened during the CIA’s interrogations of potential terrorists. Driver is so good at conveying the feeling that maybe all his work will be for not.

Powerful Faith-Based “I Still Believe” Poster, Clips, Trailer

biography, drama, faith-based, romance, true stories, ,
Faith can lead you to hope.

Directed by Andrew and Jon Erwin, I Still Believe, a faith-based movie follows the true-life story of Christian music star Jeremy Camp.

watch the powerful, faith-based movie about love forever

The tearjerker story follows Camp’s journey of love and loss that looks to prove there is always hope as long as you still believe in God.

Erwin brothers’ last Christian movie I Can Only Imagine did well at the box office for a faith-based film winning the 2018 GMA Dove Award for Inspirational Film of the Year.

The movie clip is simple but shows the love and support Camp received from his family.

Monumental Revenge “Bombshell” Posters, Clips & Trailers

biography, drama, , ,
kidman, robbie, theron

Directed by Jay Roach, Bombshell focuses on the stories of multiple female Fox News employees. If you like following the headlines, then you should know about this story.

The movie follows three females, Megyn Kelly, Gretchen Carlson, and Kayla Pospisil, played by Charlize Theron, Nichole Kidman, and Margot Robbie, respectively. The movie focuses on their altercations with founder Roger Ailes, played by John Lithgow

The Blu-ray and DVD are available on Amazon, or you can stream it on your device as well.

Kate McKinnon, Malcolm McDowell, and Allison Janney also star in the movie written by Charles Randolph.

The casting is explosive, and the movie explains what the headlines failed to tell us correctly.

The next three movie clips are entertaining and heartfelt with a bit of wit and sarcasm.

The next clip is Lithgow as Roger Ailes, and he resonates as the news mogul.

“A Hidden Life” Trailer, Clips & Posters

biography, drama, historical, independent, war, , ,

Rightfully written and directed by Terence Malick, The Hidden Life follows the life of Franz Jägerstätter, which the Catholic church beautified in 2007, as a conscientious objector to World War II and Hilter.

Winner of Cannes 2019 François Chalais Award, Terrence Malick, masterfully guides August Diehl, who plays Jägerstätter, an Austrian. Known as a rambunctious young man and womanizer, Franz leaves the small town where he grew up to work in the salt mines.

He returns three years later, riding a motorcycle and a devout Catholic. He marries Franziska, played by Valerie Pachner, whose religious faith is almost as powerful as Franz.

Franz denounces Hilter and WW II, resulting in the small town cauterizing him. He continues tending farm alongside his wife and children.

Eventually, the Nazis sent him to prison for his religious faith and denouncing Hilter and the war, saying he could not be both Catholic and Nazi. They executed him in 1943, and Franz becomes a martyr and beatified by the Catholic church.

I invite you to take a look at Malick’s movie, The Tree of Life, starring Brad Pitt, Sean Pen, and Jessica Chastain. He uses similar angles and tender moments to tell the story of a young boy growing up with an angelic mother and a spiteful father.

The trailer shows Malick’s talent for serene and pastoral countrysides of quiet long and buoyant moments of love and joy. Only Malick can tell the story of Jägerstätter’s tragic end to a blissful life taken by a strong belief and devotion to God.

The red carpet interviews at TIFF discuss Malick’s direction and the area where they filmed the farmhouse. The Jägerstätters lived in St. Radegund, a small village of 500 people in Upper Austria, near Salzburg and the German border. In the same province, where Hitler was born and spent his early youth–not far from Berchtesgaden, his mountain retreat during his years as head of the German state.

The video captures them sharing their experiences working with Malick.

He arrives home, but the consequences of him being a conscientious objector will be a sad and frightful ending. The camera work and acting drive the scene forward with Malick’s direction.

The next two clips are Malick’s signature work, narrative with telling their story through his wife’s letters.

https://youtu.be/MqhOYTZ0ei4
https://youtu.be/5Z-RtkFgvQs

“Honey Boy” Posters and Trailers

biography, drama, , ,

Biography projects can be touchy because the screenwriter, Shia LaBeouf, takes a subjective look at his own traumatic experiences.

Directed by award-winning filmmaker Alma Har’el, Honey Boy journeys the life of the young actor’s mean-spirited childhood, including his fledging adult years.

He struggles to reconcile with his father, played by LaBeouf, and deal with his mental health, fictionalizing his ascent to stardom and subsequent crash-landing into rehab and recovery.

Noah Jupe plays the young actor, with Lucas Hedges playing the older version of Otis Lort.

Har’el navigates the different stages in LaBeouf’s frenetic career. LaBeouf takes on the therapeutic challenge of playing a version of his father, an ex-rodeo clown and a felon.

Enter dancer-singer FKA Twigs makes her feature-film debut, playing neighbor and kindred spirit to the younger Otis while living in their garden-court motel home.

Har’el’s feature narrative debut is a one-of-a-kind collaboration between filmmaker and subject, exploring art as medicine and imagination as hope through the life and times of a talented, traumatized performer who dares to go in search of himself.

The trailer shows hardline misery, though Jupe is hardcore and shows committed acting skills.

Learning about LaBeouf’s traumatized childhood and knowing he worked for Disney studios in Even Stevens, what role did the studios play in helping him overcome, clearly, a bad upbringing?

In the red band trailer, I don’t see any difference from the “regular” movie trailer.

“Harriet” Posters, Clips, Featurettes & Trailer

biography, drama, , , , ,
The movie tells the true story of Harriet Tubman.

Co-written and directed by Kasi Lemmons, Harriet follows a story based on the inspirational life of an iconic American freedom fighter. Harriet Tubman, played by Cynthia Erivo, is one of America’s genuine heroes.

Erivo is a talented singer and starred in the movie Widows, directed by Steve McQueen.

Harriet escaped from slavery and fought slavery by helping to free other slaves. Her courage, ingenuity, and tenacity freed hundreds of enslaved people and changed the course of history.

Lemmons’ directing credits include Eve’s Bayou, and she is also an actress. The story is by Gregory Allen Howard, and he contributed to the screenplay.

The following two clips show a well-acted movie with exciting talent.

The following two featurettes describe Harriet as having superpowers like a superhero. Fascinating, and I wonder if that is true or just folklore.

The following two movie clips are scenes in the trailers and featurettes. The settings seem extended and offer more than what was in the trailers and featurettes.

“A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood” Trailer, Clips, Featurettes & Posters

based on a book, biography, drama, true stories, , ,
Tom Hanks as Fred Rogers is perfect casting.

Only Tom Hanks can play Fred Rogers in A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood. Watch the trailer, and tears will form. The kindness and generosity of Hanks are distinguished to portray one of the most well-known icons in children’s television.

Directed by Marielle Heller, who brings emotional rhythm to movies like Can You Ever Forgive Me? – nurturing Oscar-nominated performances from Melissa McCarthy and Richard E. Grant.

The studio calls this movie “a timely story of kindness triumphing over cynicism,” based on the true story of a real-life friendship between Fred Rogers and journalist Tom Junod.

After a jaded magazine writer, Junod, played by Matthew Rhys, is assigned a profile of Fred Rogers, he overcomes his skepticism, learning about empathy, kindness, and decency from America’s most beloved neighbor.

Inspired by the article “Can You Say. . . Hero?” by Tom Junod, Micah Fitzerman-Blue and Noah Harpster turned the story into a screenplay. Both writers worked together on the episodic show Transparency and the movie Maleficent: Mistress of Evil.

The rest of the exceptional cast includes Susan Kelechi Watson and Chris Cooper.

The featurette is a deserving message about a man who wanted people to be happy with themselves. It was okay to have feelings.

After viewing this featurette, all I want to do is see the movie.

I hope this movie changes people’s hearts, and they see the good in everyone.

Watching Tom Hanks in the next three clips is a treasure. He is such a fine actor and makes the movie believable.

“David Crosby: Remember My Name” Trailer and Poster

biography, documentary, true stories, ,

Directed by A.J. Eaton, David Crosby: Remember My Name is a documentary produced by filmmaker Cameron Crowe. The movie is a portrait of Crosby in his Golden year with no thought of retirement. The studio is not much is being said about the documentary.

Watching the trailer, you get a sense that Crosby burned bridges and is lonely. He has his wife and land, but he is no longer in touch Stephen Stills, Graham Nash, and Neil Young.

He still goes on tour, performs with ailing health. His wife fears for his overall health as he tours with his band.

Cameron Crowe, a former writer for the Rolling Stone magazine, is in the documentary. Crowe is a celebrated screenwriter and director for such movies at Jerry Maguire, Almost Famous, and Say Anything…