Screenplay by Bragi Schut and Maria Melnik with the story by Schut and directed by Adam Robitel, Escape Room is a psychological thriller that follows six strangers. Each one finds themselves in circumstances beyond their control. They must use their wits to find the clues or die.
The ensemble cast includes Taylor Russell, Logan Miller, Deborah Ann Woll, Jay Ellis, Tyler Labine, Nik Dodani, and Yorick van Wageningen.
Robitel directed a horror movie called The Taking of Deborah Logan, which won him an iHorror Award for Best Direct Release Film. Schut scripted Season of the Witch and episodic TV shows while Melnik scripted episodic TV shows from Black Sails to American Gods.
The interview with Jay Ellis and Deborah Ann Woll explains the story behind the movie. It appears to have a tinge of horror. Also, there are brick and mortar places called Escape Rooms, and they are fun as a group outing.
The featurette explains the movie and compares the story to a real escape room.
Directed by Alister Grierson, Tiger comes to us from the true story of Pardeep Nagra, played by Prem Singh, a practicing Sikh man banned from the sport of boxing due to his religious beliefs.
Tiger follows Pardeep’s journey as he, with the support of his coach and mentor, played by Mickey Rourke, does what any strong American would do, fight back.
The backlash is a result of racial profiling, stereotypical threats, and the daily pressure to change, even from his loved ones who got caught amid the crossfire.
Consequently, his two biggest battles will remain forever connected to his legacy—one in the courtroom and the other in the ring.
Some Fight For The Glory, Others Fight For Their Rights.
Directed by Karyn Kusama, Destroyer follows Erin Bell, played by Nicole Kidman, a veteran LAPD detective spinning out of control emotionally and physically while on a dangerous journey to find the murderer and gang leader, Silas, played by Toby Kebbell. Bell’s journey’s purpose is finally to make peace with her tortured past.
“Destroyer is, at its core, a film about confronting your mistakes and making the brave decision to be accountable for your actions. Within the relatable frameworks of crime thriller and cop movie, it’s also an insistent character study, hinging on the wounded but resilient psychic landscape of an LAPD detective named Erin Bell. The criminal underworld she investigates, alongside a storytelling structure that allows for a narrative surprise,” says Kusama.
Kusama’s directing credits include episodic TV series and feature movies The Invitation and Girlfight. The screenplay is written by Phil Hay and Matt Manfredi, who worked together on The Invitation and other projects.
A pivotal aspect of the movie is Bell’s relationship with her sixteen-year-old daughter, Shelby, played by Jade Pettyjohn, with whom she is estranged. Her clumsy attempts to reach out to Shelby consistently backfire, exacerbating Bell’s overwhelming sense of hopelessness and loss.
The movie clip “I’m Bad” pretty much says it all about Kidman’s character. She believes she is terrible, but what do the other characters in the movie believe she is bad? I want to find out. At this point in the story, she might realize she is terrible and then become good or better than she was – bad. As I mentioned before, and I might again, I hope the movie storyline includes some high points because it is obvious there are quite a few low points.
The movie seems like a downer, but hopefully, the story has some high points, and the ending is upbeat. So far, the movie trailer doesn’t show any upbeat points.
Directed by James Kent and based on the book of the same title by Rhidian Brook, The Aftermath follows the lives of three people in a love triangle: Rachel Morgan, played by Kiera Knightly; Lewis Morgan, played by Jason Clarke, and Stephan Lubert, played by Alexander Skarsgard.
Kent’s credits include several episodic TV shows such as The White Queen and Inside Men. He’s directed a documentary and feature movies as well. Currently, he is in production with Jessica Chastain for the film Seducing Ingrid Bergman.
If you haven’t seen it yet or want to see it again, the movie is available on Blu-ray/DVD or streaming.
The story takes place during post-World War II. A British colonel and his wife were assigned to live in Hamburg during the post-war reconstruction, but tensions with the Germans who had previously owned the house took a toll on the British couple.
Joe Shrapnel and Anna Waterhouse pen the screenplay for The Aftermath. This isn’t the first time these two wrote together. Other movies include Frankie & Alice and Race.
Watching the trailer, I kept thinking this story had a twist. Otherwise, the mundane attitude of “poor me” turns the movie into a wet toast. Yet, I am intrigued and want to read the novel before I see the film because there appear to be many deep-seated thoughts.
Very few movie clips are available to see if the movie does follow the book or what the film is about. I posted some studio interviews that offer insight into the story based on the movie’s three actors.
The first interview is with Keira Knightley, and she reveals that the movie does not follow the book. I think the married couple in the story are without children. Their son is killed during a German air raid in England, and there is no second son like in the book.
Jason Clarke has played so many different roles in movies. He is so much fun to watch. In Serenity, he played an evil and disgusting man. In The Aftermath, he plays Lewis Morgan, who is trying to rebuild Germany and his life.
Alexander Skarsgard explains how the book and the movie are similar and relates the book to his role in the film. Skarsgard stars in another movie posted on Movie Roar calledThe Hummingbird Project, which is quirky with dark humor and quite different from The Aftermath.
The featurette tells the movie’s story, so there are spoilers, and beware—you watch at your own risk. The film doesn’t follow the book, which is a bit disappointing. I wonder if it will end the same way. I liked the book’s ending.
After the featurette is a movie clip, hopefully, the studios will not block it. They sometimes do block them. I don’t know why. Showing the clips promotes the movie and helps the box office draw. As you can see, eventually, the studio blocked the clip.
The Characters and Story featurette covers everything about the movie. It’s a nice piece because you become familiar with where the story physically takes place and when it takes place.
The next feature encompasses Clarke’s character. He plays a kind and troubled man, and it’s good to see him in this type of role.
It is Knightley’s turn to explain her role. She’s done an excellent job in this movie, making quite an impression.
Directed by Catherine Hardwicke and based on a Spanish-language film, Miss Bala follows Gloria, played by Gina Rodriguez, who finds a power she never was aware of before. Her power draws her into a dangerous world of cross-border crime, which is a nebulous term. With that, it makes for an excellent drama as Gloria tries to survive through her cunning, strength, and inventiveness.
Hardwicke cut her directing teeth with the sleeper hit Lords of Dogtown, a movie about skateboarding. Twilight and Red Riding Hood were directed by her as well. Screenwriter Dunnet-Alocer scripted and directed short films before Miss Bala.
Rodriguez starred in Deepwater Horizon and Annihilation, two completely different movies. It good to see her taking on a variety of roles, which includes episodic television including Jane the Virgin and Big Mouth.
The movie also stars Ismael Cruz Córdova and Anthony Mackie. Of late, Mackie walked several red carpet premieres for such movies like The Hate U Give.
These movie clips are intense. I hope the story keeps the viewers’ interest because intensity is not everything in a movie. We need to care about the characters who are in danger and understand why they need to be in a dangerous situation. Not just place the protagonist in harm’s way because the screenwriter and director believe that is a good story. The movie clips are not showing how the story is important to us. It is showing over-the-top acting that doesn’t bring any undercurrents that are visceral. I am thinking Silence of the Lambs or even The Lion King as adequate examples of the protagonist having the purpose to be in harm’s way. One is a mental game and the other is physical death.
The red carpet interview at the movie premiere in LA with director Catherine Hardwicke shows how much energy she gives as she describes each character and actor.
The interviews on the red carpet of Miss Bala premiere are upbeat and fun to watch. Gina Rodriguez is quite a talent and is in quite a bit of movies of late.
Directed by Charles Martin Smith and based on the book by W. Bruce Cameron, A Dog’s Way Home narrates the heartfelt and sensitive adventure of Bella. Bella is a dog who embarks on a tremendous 400-mile journey home after she is separated from her greatly loved human, played by Jonah Hauer-King.
If you don’t recognize Charles Martin Smith, you will recognize him in George Lucas’ American Graffiti as Terry “The Toad” fields. Smith considers himself an actor, rightly so, writer and director, both right so as well. He’s worked with Ashley Judd, who also stars in the movie, before when he directed another heartfelt movie called The Dolphin Tale. Smith also starred in the movies The Untouchables and Never Cry Wolf.
Cameron co-wrote the screenplay with Cathryn Michon, who is also an actress, and wrote the screenplay for A Dog’s Purpose and Cook Off!, which she also co-directed and starred as Sharon Solfest.
The rest of the cast is impressive including Bryce Dallas Howard, Alexandra Shipp, Wes Studi, and Edward James Olmos.
The vignette tells us about the movie.
The movie trailer is adorable. Bring tissues to the movie theater. It looks like a tearjerker.
Ashley Judd is in this movie clip, and she is so much fun to watch. Bella is adorable and so much fun to watch as well. I hope kids will be able to follow the story. It looks like the movie is for kids 7 or older.
The two movie clips are so cool to watch because you can see how much Bella is loved, and how much Bella loves her people. It’s hard to imagine Bella spends about two-thirds of the movie away from her home and loved ones trying to get back home.
Adapted from Osha Gray Davidson’s book and directed by Robin Bissell, The Best of Enemies lines up with other racial and civil rights themes movies of late. It is a story that needs to be seen and is a timely drama.
Bissell makes his directorial debut based on producing several successful and influential movies like The Hunger Games, Seabiscuit, and The Free State of Jones.
The stellar cast includes Taraji P. Henson and Oscar winner Sam Rockwell.
Attributed to actual events during the racially-charged summer of 1971 in Durham, North Carolina, the movie follows the unlikely relationship between Ann Atwater, played by Henson, an outspoken civil rights activist. C.P. Ellis, played by Rockwell, a local Ku Klux Klan leader,
Ellis reluctantly co-chaired a community summit that dealt with the debate and battle regarding the desegregation of schools in Durham, North Carolina. The improbable events that unfolded and changed Durham as well as the lives of Atwater and Ellis forever.
The movie also stars Anne Heche and Wes Bentley.
The featurette introduces the dramatization of the two people who are in this movie. It is incredible to think that these two people became friends in the Deep South.
The two movie clips show Henson entirely morphed into Atwater. She makes it look so easy. The movie is not box office material, but Henson’s performance is worth an Oscar nomination.
I watched Bissell’s soundbites, and I ended up liking him. He is a smart man who sees the importance of telling a good story about a phenomenal woman.
Henson’s soundbites are different from Bissell’s because she seems unassuming. Yet, she is fantastic as Atwater.
Rockwell and Henson do an interview together, and it’s worth watching because they have so much admiration for each other.
Written and directed by Jonah Hill, Mid90s follows Stevie, played by Sunny Suljic, who is a thirteen-year-old in 90s-era Los Angeles. He spends his summer navigating between his troubled home life with his brother, played by Lucas Hedges, and a group of new friends that he meets at a Motor Avenue skate shop.
Mid90s premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival, where Hill teared up over the stand ovation from the audience. Sunny Suljic also stars in The House with a Clock in its Walls.
Directed by Neil Burger, The Upside is a “heartfelt comedy” about a convict, played by Kevin Hart, is recently paroled. He begins a friendship with a paralyzed billionaire, played by Bryan Cranston. Clearly, the friendship is unusual and unlikely.
Still, the relationship builds and the two men form a union and help each other. The film also stars Nicole Kidman, Aja Naomi King, and Julianna Margulies.
Burger credits include The Illusionist, Divergent, and Limitless.
Inspired by a true story, The Upside is written by Jon Hartmere, based on the hit 2011 French film The Intouchables. All I can imagine is Hart is a not so serious man playing a serious role.
With his recent roles in Night School and The Secret Life of Pets 2, Hart is taking a chance at drama. That is a good thing because he is talented. We just need to see him stretch a bit with Cranston and Kidman.
Here are three movies clips that show the banter between Hart’s character and Cranston’s character. The whole time I am watching these trailers and movie clips I am thinking how tough it must have been for this man to live like this. It is based on a true story. It’s tough to watch. In the “Identity Theft” movie clip, Aretha Franklin, the queen of soul, is mentioned in their banter. You click on her name to find out why she is so special and talented as a singer.
It is absolutely uncanny how Christain Bale looks so much like Dick Cheney in Vice. Bale takes a role and literally becomes the character. This will garnish him another Oscar nomination.
Amy Adams stars as Cheney’s wife with Sam Rockwell as President Bush and Steve Carell as Donald Rumsfeld.
Directed by Adam McKay who is known for writing and directing comedies with Will Ferrell, who also is one of the producers of Vice, takes on this more serious parody movie about a businessman who grew more powerful as the Vice President to George W. Bush.
There are two movie clips. One shows Cheney as a young drunk and the other as a cunning politician. Each clip captured my attention and the acting is incredible. I only posted the cunning Cheney because the young drunk clip is not embedding to the site, right now, but you can click on the young drunk movie clip at the end of movie clip.
Here are two powerful featurettes describing Lynne Cheney and the influence of Dick Cheney’s realm. With that, it is unbelievable how much Christian Bale looks like the real Cheney.
I saw Vice this week and my first impression is joking and degrading of an ignorant, evil man, who is responsible for killing hundreds of thousands of people. Not to mention, he changed laws that now influence news and social media. Cheney was sneaky and worked his way into power to destroy so many lives. Sure, the movie twists with liberal influence, but those liberals in office at the time are just as responsible for the evil doing.
Christian Bale is fantastic as Cheney. Hats off to the makeup and costume designers. Amy Adams is good, but I will be surprised if she wins the Oscar. I enjoyed the cameos by Naomi Watts and Alfred Molina. Adam McKay wrote a clever screenplay, and he might when an Oscar.
The movie is hitting the streets with Blu-ray and DVD combo packs as well as streaming. The movie is filled with shocking information about our government. It’s wild and crazy to think this actually happened. Cheney is truly evil.
The special features available are worth getting the Blu-ray or DVD including Deleted Scenes, Making of the Movie, and Gallery.
Screenplay by Bragi Schut and Maria Melnik with the story by Schut and directed by Adam Robitel, Escape Room is a psychological thriller that follows six strangers. Each one finds themselves in circumstances beyond their control. They must use their wits to find the clues or die.
