Category Archives: drama

“A Dog’s Way Home” Trailer, Vignette, Movie Clips, and Poster

based on a book, drama, family movies, kid movies, , , , , ,

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.

“The Best of Enemies” Trailer, Interviews & Featurettes

based on a book, drama, true stories, , ,

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.

The Ann Atwater featurette tells about the story.

“Mid90s” Trailers and Poster

drama, independent, , ,

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.

We know Hill for his acting talent in Money Ball and 21 & 22 Jump Street movies.

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.

“The Upside” Trailer, Movie Clips, & Poster

comedy, drama, true stories, , , , ,

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.

“Vice” Trailer, Movie Clips, Featurettes

comedy, drama, true stories, , , , , , , , , ,

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.

“Silencio” Trailer and Poster

drama, horror, science fiction, supernatural, , ,

Written and directed by Lorena Villarreal, Silencio is based on her fascination with (la Zona del Silencio) the Zone of Silence in Mexico. It provides supernatural tales time and time again. “We really wanted to focus on the mysteries of all these mysterious occurrences that had no explanations,” says Villarreal. “We did a lot of research, interviewed multiple sources, including certified experts to long-living locals.”

Villarreal story strays from the facts for dramatic storytelling, but she wanted to stay true to the overall facts and tales of the area. Even though there are unknown supernatural elements in the film, the team could preserve the essence of the Zone of Silence. “We are all naturally curious about these types of places—the Pyramids of Giza, the Bermuda Triangle, and finally, the world will learn about the Zone of Silence, which lies on the same parallel line to both of these great areas,” says Villarreal.

The type of odd occurrences in the Zone of Silence, Mexico are Instruments and communications failures, as well as strange happenings, which tie into the many stories of the area, just like Bermuda and the Pyramids, but few people know it exists. “Audiences will be in awe of the Zone of Silence, but they will also be drawn to a story about family and hard choices. Silencio revolves around the life of Ana and her family and how this powerful stone found in the Zone of Silence will affect their future. It is about love, courage and the unknown,” says Villarreal. “The central question Silencio asks is, “How far would you go to save the ones you love?”

Producer Denisse Chapa agrees with Villarreal. “It was important for us to film part of the movie on-site, in the actual location of the Zone of Silence. We were told about some magnetism in the area that may cause all sorts of mechanical failures of equipment, cars, rockets. We were nervous about the footage being affected.”

Chapa explained, “When the team tried to use drones for aerial shots, they experienced some of the local oddities they had heard tales of. The drone got lost, and we did not find it until the next day. So, we experienced some of the mysteries firsthand.”

Ana, played by Melina Matthews, is a young psychiatrist and single mother who lives a quiet life, taking care of her young son and grandfather, Dr. James White, played by John Noble, a world-renowned scientist who now struggles with dementia.

The backstory began in 1970, Dr. White, with the help of his apprentice, Peter, played by Nic Jackman (Rupert Graves plays the older Peter), found a very powerful stone in the Zone of Silence, Mexico, a mysterious place where inexplicable things happen and are often referred to as the “Bermuda Triangle” of Mexico.

After uncovering the stone’s powers, Ana’s grandfather hid it to prevent the terrible consequences it could unleash if it fell into the wrong hands.

Someone now knows the stone’s power and believes it is worth killing for. Ana’s life turns upside down when she realizes she has to find the stone to save her son’s life.

The cast includes Michel Chauvet and Hoze Meléndez.

“Serenity” Trailers, Movie Clips and Posters

drama, mystery, suspense, thriller, , , , , ,

Written and directed by Steven Knight, Serenity follows Baker Dill, played by Matthew McConaughey, a fishing boat captain. Dill leads tours off a serene, tropical enclave called Plymouth Island.

I watched the movie last night on Prime. It is nothing like what we see in these clips and trailers, and the poster is not true to the story. I recommend this movie because it has a message that lingers with you long after the film ends.

The movies gradually become daringly original, sexy, stylized thriller as Dill’s quiet life is shattered. His former wife Karen, played by Anne Hathaway, tracks him down with a desperate plea for help. She begs Dill to save her – and their young son – from her new, violent husband, played by Jason Clarke, by taking him out to sea on a fishing excursion, only to throw him to the sharks and leave him for dead.

Karen’s appearance thrusts Dill back into a life he’d tried to forget, and as he struggles between right and wrong, his world is plunged into a new reality that may not be all that it seems.

The third trailer shows more of the movie and how it plays out for Dill.

These clips are intense, and this movie will have me on the edge of my chair. Such good acting in these two clips is all I can say right now until I see more. Here, we have two Oscar winners and a strong supporting cast. It is a suspenseful movie, which means it is plot-driven. That is even better. I love a good story.

The story thickens with three more intense and story-driven scenes. The whole time I am watching each scene, I think, “Dill is being taken advantage of.” He is vulnerable and surrounded by unscrupulous people. I am being kind when I say “unscrupulous.” McConaughey plays Dill as if he has no control over everything that happens; he is just being affected by the circumstances.

“Bigger” Trailer and Poster

drama, true stories, , , , , , , , , , ,

Co-written and directed by George Gallo, the movie Bigger follows Joe and Ben Weider. They were brothers who originated the muscle. The bodybuilding contests launched several careers. Not only did they discover Arnold Schwarzenegger, but they inspired female empowerment. They promoted championing diversity and started a fitness movement that literally changed how the world viewed men.

If you think about it, how did bodybuilding and muscle start and become so popular? We all know Schwarzenegger led the way in building more enormous muscle mass. But who was the impetus behind the craze? This movie is supposed to answer that question.

The ensemble cast includes Tyler Hoechlin, Aneurin Barnard, Julianne Hough, Victoria Justice, Colton Haynes, Max Martini, Tom Arnold, Steve Guttenberg, Calum Von Moger, DJ Qualls, with Kevin Durand, and Robert Forster.

Gallo wrote the screenplay with Andy Weiss, Ellen, and Brad Furman. Gallo is known more for his screenwriting credits for movies like Midnight Run and Bad Boys.

“If Beale Street Could Talk” Trailers, Movie Clip & Posters

based on a book, classic, drama, family movies, , , , , , , , , , , ,

Directed by Barry Jenkins, If Beale Street Could Talk, is set in early-1970s Harlem as a timeless and moving love story of both a couple’s unbreakable bond and the African-American family’s empowering embrace, as told through the eyes of 19-year old Tish Rivers, played by KiKi Layne. Tish is a daughter and wife-to-be. She vividly recalls the passion, respect and trust connect her and her artist fiancé Alonzo Hunt, who goes by the nickname Fonny, played by Stephan James. Friends since childhood, the devoted couple dream of a future together but their plans are derailed when Fonny is arrested for a crime he did not commit.

The movie clip shows how sharp and poignant the movie comes across.

The second poster shows the love story and the bonding of the main characters.

Tish knows that Fonny is innocent, and is mindful that his good friend Daniel Carty, played by Brian Tyree Henry, was recently freed after an unjust incarceration. Fonny’s mother, played by Aunjanue Ellis, clings to her devotion to God and his father, played by Michael Beach, struggles with feelings of powerlessness. Tish’s earthly father Joseph, played by Colman Domingo, and fierce older sister Ernestine, played by Teyonah Parris, hold steadfast in their support. Even more anxious to clear Fonny’s name is Tish’s deeply compassionate mother Sharon, played by Regina King, readying to put herself on the line for her daughter and future son-in-law’s happiness.

The undercurrents fill the story including the couple’s unborn child, whose arrival will herald new joys and challenges. Facing the unexpected prospect of parenthood and holding down a job without her partner at her side. Tish must adjust her perspective on the realities of her existence. She visits Fonny regularly, trying to shore up his spirit even as prison takes its toll. As the weeks turn to months, Tish reaffirms their hopes and resilience, relying on familial and inner strength.

If Beale Street Could Talk is based on a book by James Baldwin, charting the vivid emotional currents navigated in an unforgiving and racially biased world as the Jenkins poetically crosses time frames to show how love and humanity endure.

The talented cast also includes Brian Tyree Henry, Michael Beach, Ed Skrein, Diego Luna, Dave Franco, and Pedro Pascal.

The song playing in the background might seem cheesy to some but I like it because it shows how poetic and deep their lives are intertwined. Just beautiful – true love.

Jenkins won an Oscar for directing Moonlight and Beale Street is his beautiful and poetic follow up. Watch the movie and be transformed. 

The Blu-ray and DVD are hitting the streets with streaming available as well. The movie is poetry. If you haven’t seen it yet, now is your chance. It’s a beautiful love story about bigotry and family. Both disc sets have deleted scenes and featurettes about the making of the movie.

“Air Strike” Trailer and Poster

action, drama, , , , ,

Produced and directed by Xiao Feng, Air Strike follows a U.S. Army colonel, played by Bruce Willis. The studios call this movie a pulse-pounding epic about the courage of China’s citizens during WWII.

The colonel trains Chinese pilots for Japanese battle fighters, and a hotheaded pilot, played by Ye Liu, begs to fly a mighty bomber that could stop the attacks. I bet he flies the craft.

In another storyline, a team of spies and refugees must carry an advanced decoder device through the war-torn countryside.

Air Strike is Feng’s second movie. His first is Hushed Roar.

Also starring are Adrien Brody and Willis’ daughter Rumer.

The screenplay is by Ping Chen, whose other credits include episodic television. 

The video will only play on YouTube, where you can see the movie.