Wes Ball directs the latest Kingdom Of The Planet Of The Apes. Many generations passed after Caesar’s reign, and that’s when the story begins. The apes are the dominant species, hoping to live harmoniously. The humans are now reduced to living in the shadows.
The # 1 worldwide hit song by Michael Martin Murphey inspired Wildfire: The Legend of the Cherokee Ghost Horse. It’s that tale of the Cherokee ghost horse and a young girl coming to terms with a guilty conscience.
Directed by Eric Parkinson, Wildfire: The Legend of the Cherokee Ghost Horse tells a story of redemption and forgiveness as a young girl deals with her guilt following the tragic death of her parents.
With the family facing financial ruin, the survivors move from Texas to Oklahoma to live with Grandma Bette on her horse farm outside Tahlequah. Emotionally lost and distraught, young Samantha finds peace from the attention she receives from a mysterious wild horse that seems to follow her as she walks home from school each day.
The late Anne Heche plays Diana Jones, and this could be her last acting role.
Eventually, Samantha can contact and ride the horse, and with training help from a champion rodeo cowgirl, she enters competitive rodeo barrel racing and accepts her new situation.
But her guilt remains, as Samantha hides the dark secret that she feels responsible for her parent’s death. She cannot forgive herself.
With the help of a local Cherokee spiritual leader and the town’s local pastor’s wisdom, Samantha realizes a greater truth and a solace to her worries.
Was the horse real? Or was it a spiritual messenger to help guide Samantha? Wildfire combines a tale of native spirituality with Christian doctrine and values to create an enchanting film for all audiences.
Written for the screen and directed by Cord Jefferson, American Fiction is a hilarious twist on the obsession with reducing people to outrageous stereotypes.
Based upon the novel Erasure by Percival Everett, Jeffrey Wright stars as Monk, a frustrated novelist fed up with the establishment profiting from “Black” entertainment that relies on tired and offensive tropes.
Apple TV+ brings us the eight-episode and limited series Lessons in Chemistry. Brie Larson is the executive producer and stars based on the best-selling novel by author, science editor and copywriter Bonnie Garmus.
Set in the early 1950s, the series follows Elizabeth Zott, played by Larson, whose dream of being a scientist they put on hold in a patriarchal society. When Elizabeth finds herself fired from her lab, she accepts a job as a host on a TV cooking show and sets out to teach a nation of overlooked housewives — and the men who are suddenly listening — a lot more than recipes.
Lewis Pullman, Aja Naomi King, Stephanie Koenig, Kevin Sussman, Patrick Walker, and Thomas Mann are starring alongside Larson.
The Burial took inspiration from actual events and was co-written by Doug Wright and Maggie Betts. Betts also directs the story about a handshake deal that goes sour.
Funeral homeowner Jeremiah O’Keefe, played by Tommy Lee Jones, enlists charismatic, smooth-talking attorney Willie E. Gary, played by Jamie Foxx, to save his family business.
Tempers flare, and laughter ensues as the unlikely pair bond, exposing corporate corruption and racial injustice in this inspirational, triumphant story.
Jurnee Smollett, Mamoudou Athie, Pamela Reed, Bill Camp, and Alan Ruck also star in the comedy-drama.
Written and directed by Jeff Nichols, The Bikeriders follows the glory days of a 1960s motorcycle gang to its inevitable demise. Danny Lyon’s photo book The Bikeriders inspired the movie with a great cast, including Tom Hardy, Michael Shannon, Mike Faist, Austin Butler and Jodie Comer.
Academy Award-winning filmmaker Emerald Fennell brings us Saltburn. It’s a beautifully wicked tale of privilege and desire. Student Oliver Quick, played by Irish actor Barry Keoghan, struggles to find his place at Oxford University.
He finds himself drawn into the world of the charming and aristocratic Felix Catton, played by Jacob Elordi. Felix invites him to Saltburn, his eccentric family’s sprawling estate, for a summer never to be forgotten.
Rosamund Pike, Alison Oliver, Carey Mulligan, Richard E. Grant and Ewan Mitchell also star in the movie.
Based on actual events about an engineer, Jose Hernandez and directed by Alejandra Marquez Abella, A Million Miles Away follows the first migrant farmworker, played by Michael Pena, to travel to space.
It’s a tale of perseverance, sacrifice, and community to accomplish an impossible dream.
Ashley Ciarra and Bobby Soto also star in the movie that lands on Prime Video.
Trish Sie directed Sitting in Bars With Cake, inspired by true events. The film follows best friends Jane, played by Yara Shahidi, and Corinne, played by Odessa A’zion.
Navigating life in Los Angeles in their twenties, the ultimate extrovert, Corinne convinces her shy but extremely talented home baker best friend Jane to commit to a year of baking cakes. Then they bring them to bars to meet people and develop confidence called “cakebarring.”
During their year of “cakebarring,” Corinne receives a life-altering diagnosis, and the pair face a challenge unlike anything they’ve experienced before. Sitting in Bars with Cake isn’t only a madcap joyride through some of L.A.’s most colorful watering holes. It’s a moving celebration of female friendship, forging identity, and finding joy in unexpected places.
Ron Livingston, Bette Midler, and Martha Kelly also star in the film.
Dreamin’ Wild is a true story of love and redemption. It’s about Donnie Emerson, played by Casey Affleck, and his family. His album was rediscovered after thirty years and was praised by music critics.
Rediscovering the album brings up buried emotions for Donnie, Nancy, Joe, and Don Sr. as they face their past and newfound fame.
Directed by Bill Pohlad, other cast members are Noah Jupe, Jack Dylan Grazer, Beau Bridges, Walton Goggins and Chris Messina.