Story by Diane Paragas and Andy Bienen and co-wrote with Paragas, Annie Howell, and Celena Cipriaso, Paragas also directed Yellow Rose. The movie follows a Filipina teen, played by Eva Nolblezada, from a small Texas town. She fights to pursue her dreams as a country music performer while having to decide between staying with her family or leaving the only home she has known.
Noblezada is a Grammy-winner and two-time Tony Award nominee for Broadway’s Hadestown and Miss Saigon. This is her feature film debut with award-winning country music artist Dale Watson, Princess Punzalan and Lea Salonga.
As her first narrative feature film, Paragas had this to say, “…a deeply personal story that is filled with heart, acceptance, and hope set to an unforgettable original soundtrack. This release has given us a unique opportunity to present the Filipino-American experience and the struggles of undocumented families to a wide spectrum of audiences, who we hope will embrace Rose’s story and leave the theater singing her songs.”
Funny, fresh and romantic, The High Note is a delightful, female-driven modern comedy about talent, persistence and the power of music to bring people together.
Directed by Nisha Ganatra, The High Note brings us a hilarious and moving story about following your dreams set inside the dynamic world of L.A.’s glamorous music scene.
Superstars don’t come much bigger than Grace Davis, played by Tracee Ellis Ross, the celebrated diva. Her unbelievable talent has won her countless accolades and the adoration of generations of fans. Keeping pace with Grace’s every demand is her devoted if overworked personal assistant Maggie played by Dakota Johnson. Maggie spends her days traversing Los Angeles running errands, yet she still aspires to make it in the cutthroat, male-dominated music business as a producer.
From the confines of the apartment she shares with her spunky roommate Katie, played by Zoe Chao, Maggie is secretly perfecting her mix of Grace’s upcoming live greatest hits album. She’s convinced that her dogged work ethic and her devotion to preserving the classic elements of Grace’s sound will pay dividends. Her skills are put to the test when Maggie meets gifted musician David Cliff, played by Kelvin Harrison, Jr. As they write and record new material together, Maggie finds herself pulled between pursuing her passion and her commitment to Grace.
Things come to a head when Grace’s long-time manager, played by Ice Cube, presents the singer with a choice that could alter her career, and Grace must wrestle with a decision that could have life-altering consequences. What follows is a series of surprises that not even the ultra-prepared assistant could have predicted—events poised to change both Maggie and Grace’s lives forever.
Directed by Liesl Tommy and starring Jennifer Hudson as Aretha Franklin, following the rise of her career from a child singing in her father’s church’s choir to her international superstardom, Respect is the remarkable true story of the music icon’s journey to find her voice.
(ctr) Marlon Wayans stars as Ted White and Jennifer Hudson as Aretha Franklin.
The movie also stars Forest Whitaker, Marlon Wayans, Audra McDonald, Marc Maron, Tituss Burgess, Saycon Sengbloh, Hailey Kilgore, Tate Donovan, Heather Headley, Skye Dakota Turner, and Mary J. Blige.
The Transparent: Musical Finale takes the beloved Emmy and Golden Globe award-winning series to new heights as a dazzling movie fantasia inspired by the classic musicals that shaped society.
When the Pfeffermans face a life-changing loss, they begin a journey hilarious and melancholy, brazen and bold.
As they face this new transition, they confront grief and come together to celebrate connection, joy, and transformation.
Created by Jill Soloway, with original music by Faith Soloway, the finale features returning cast including Judith Light, Gaby Hoffmann, Amy Landecker, Jay Duplass, Alexandra Billings, Kathryn Hahn, Shakina Nayfack, Trace Lysette, as well as several fan-favorite characters returning for this special send-off.
Paul Feig directs Last Christmas based on Emma Thompson and Bryony Kimmings’ screenplay. Thompson also stars as Kate’s mother. Emilia Clarke of HBO’s Game of Thrones plays Kate, and Henry Golding of Crazy Rich Asians plays Tom.
The story begins with Kate harrumphing around London, making terrible decisions with an irritating job as an elf at a year-round Christmas store. The store owner, played by Michelle Yeoh, is not a pleasant boss.
Billed as a romantic comedy, I believe Feig, whose directed raunchy all-women comedies, is vying for a cute, lovable, clean movie hitting it big at the box office.
Last Christmas will be the one that makes it big compared to A Simple Favor, which had the makings of success but missed the opportunity because of the storyline and pace of the movie.
When Kate meets Tom, who seems too good to be true when he walks into her life and starts to see through so many of Kate’s barriers, London transforms into the most incredible time of the year. Nothing should work for these two.
But sometimes, you got to let the snow fall where it may, you got to listen to your heart, and you got to have faith.
Last Christmas features the music of George Michael, including the bittersweet holiday classic of the film’s title. The film will also premiere new unreleased material by the legendary Grammy-winning artist, who sold over 115 million albums and recorded 10 No. 1 singles throughout his iconic career.
Look at the movie trailer; you will agree this is a must-see for the Christmas holiday.
The second trailer looks hopeful, and I don’t think the ending is sad; fingers crossed.
I hope something worthwhile happens in the movie, but nothing tragic. While watching the clips, I kept thinking the shoe would never drop but fate may have a different destiny. Golding’s character must be an angel of some sort.
The featurette tells where the movie was filmed in London. It’s a cute piece, fast passed, and worth watching.
Emma Thompson, who wrote this screenplay, is marvelous in this clip.
Directed by Tom Hopper, Cats is a musical film adaptation of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s musical theatre sensation and the poems from Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats by T.S. Eliot.
Idris Elba plays Macavity with a stellar cast.
The film stars James Corden, as Bustopher Jones, Judi Dench as Old Deuteronomy, Jason Derulo as Rum Tum Tugger, Idris Elba as Macavity, Jennifer Hudson as Grizabella, Ian McKellen as Gus, Taylor Swift as Bombalurina, Rebel Wilson as Jennyanydots, and Francesca Hayward, principal dancer with The Royal Ballet, as Victoria.
Tom Hooper, who directed The King’s Speech, Les Misérables, and The Danish Girl, brings a new technology to transform his cast members in vivid cats, unlike the ones we see on stage. Costumes will not be in the movie, but CGI images of the cats created as they captured the actors performing for the camera. Hooper and Lee Hall, who wrote Billy Eliot, scripted the screenplay.
One of the longest-running shows in West End and Broadway history, the London stage production of Cats received its world premiere at the New London Theatre in 1981—where it played for 21 record-breaking years and almost 9,000 performances. Based on T.S. Eliot’s Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats, the show won the Olivier and Evening Standard Awards for Best Musical. In 1983 the Broadway production became the recipient of seven Tony Awards, including Best Musical, and ran for an unbelieve 18 years.
The next featurette shows excellent dancing. It appears that the movie has tons of dancing.
Seeing Taylor Swift creating with Andrew Lloyd Webber and the director is an inspiration to working in film. “Beautiful Ghosts” sounds like a lovely song, and I hope it inspires the movie to do well.
I was skeptical about this movie, but now, after seeing the new trailer, if the story moves along as it does in the second trailer and at a good pace, we have ourselves a box office hit.
Cats TV spot plays with Taylor Swift singing her song recorded especially for this musical movie.
Directed by Rupert Goold, Judy begins during the Winter of 1968. The showbiz legend Judy Garland, played by Renee Zellweger, arrives in Swinging London to perform a five-week sold-out run at The Talk of the Town.
It is 30 years since she shot to global stardom in The Wizard of Oz, but if her voice has weakened, its dramatic intensity has only grown. As she prepares for the show, battles with management, charms musicians, and reminisces with friends and adoring fans, her wit and warmth shine through.
The movie derives from the play End of the Rainbow by Peter Quilter and the screenplay adaption by Tom Edge. On the IMDB website, Quilter says Edge’s screenplay is more edger than the imaginative play.
Judy is available on Amazon Prime or wherever Blu-rays and DVDs can be purchased.
Goold directing credits include True Story, King Charles III, and The Hollow Crown, which won Broadcasting Press Guild Awards for Best Single Drama. Goold works with executive producer Sam Mendes, who directed a couple of James Bond 007 movies. Mendes is not involved with the production of Judy.
The movie looks promising with Zellweger as Judy. We come to find even her dreams of love seem undimmed as she embarks on a whirlwind romance with Mickey Deans, played by Finn Wittrock, her soon-to-be fifth husband. Featuring some of her best-known songs, we celebrate the voice, the capacity for love, and the sheer pizzazz of “the world’s greatest entertainer.”
The next trailer shows more of the movie with is flashbacks and Garland’s drug dependency and separation from her children because she needs to go to London and make money. We see more of the other actors in the movie, including Jessie Buckley, Finn Wittrock, Rufus Sewell, and Michael Gambon.
Buckley is making quite a name for herself with her starring role in the award-winning Wild Rose.
Zellweger becomes Judy Garland, and she embodies her. She makes the movie.
Judy Garland is an endearing soul who understood the hardships that life can bring. She lived tragically in the end. But I am sure she is doing well.
In this clip, I can see Judy Garland as Dorothy when she comforts the Scarecrow, Tin Man, and Cowardly Lion. Zellweger is brilliant, and I hope she gets nominated for both the Golden Globe and Oscar.
It’s heartbreaking to watch this scene because of Judy Garland’s life rollercoaster. Here she is on an upswing when we know it will be tragic again.
Directed by Tom Harper, Wild Rose follows just out of prison Rose-Lynn Harlan, played by Jessie Buckley. She is bursting with raw talent, charisma, and cheek. Reunited with her son and daughter, she wants to leave Glasgow and become a country singer in Nashville.
On the other hand, Rose’s mother, Marion, played by Julie Walters, has had a bellyful of her worthless nonsense. Forced to take strict responsibility, Rose gets a cleaning job, only to find an unlikely champion in the middle-class lady of the house.
Harper is best known for directing episodic television shows and feature films. He has BAFTA nominations for both television and British cinema.
Written by Nicole Taylor, Wild Rose has a message — follow your dreams but keep your responsibilities in check. Home is where the heart is. Taylor is known for writing episodic television. Buckley also started in War & Peace, playing Marya Bolkonskaya, for which Harper directed several episodes.
Buckley won several awards, including the Dublin Film Critics Award for her role in this movie. She also starred in Beast, for which she won an award.
Watching the trailer, you get a feel for the pure Scottish story.
Ron Howard brought together the same filmmaking team that forged the documentaryThe Beatles: Eight Days A Week – The Touring Years. Pavarotti takes the opera star’s talent, personality, and forbearance by lifting the curtain on the icon. We understand how he brought opera to the people.
The Oscar winner Howard trailer puts us in the front row for an “exploration of The Voice… The Man… The Legend. Luciano Pavarotti gave his life to music and a voice to the world. This cinematic event features history-making performances and intimate interviews, including never-before-seen footage.”
They all brought Dolby ATMOS technology into production, a fancy way of saying a whole new technology that makes the presentation even better.
The movie clip shows Princess Diana in the audience, outside in the pouring rain. She looks delighted and spectacular—a memorable moment in this extraordinary documentary.
The following featurettes show Pavarotti’s ambition and desire to spread opera worldwide. He wanted to give it to the people, as he felt opera was for the people.
The following two movie clips are about Bono’s relationship with Pavarotti and how he was a master at developing relationships with anyone.
Co-directed by Alan Elliott and the late Sydney Pollack, Amazing Grace documents Aretha Franklin’s live recording of her “Amazing Grace” album. Presenting Franklin with the choir at the New Bethel Baptist Church in Watts, Los Angeles on January 1972, she arrived, sang her heart out, and brought the house down to its knees.
The movie trailer shows a young and impressionable Mick Jagger of the Rolling Stones. Other notables are in the crowd as well. You need to pay attention to who is in the church.
