Written and directed by writer, producer and restauranteur Eddie Huang, Boogie is his directorial debut.
The coming-of-age story of Alfred “Boogie” Chin, played by Taylor Takahashi, a basketball phenom living in Queens, New York, who dreams of one day playing in the NBA.
While his parents pressure him to focus on earning a scholarship to an elite college, Boogie must navigate a new girlfriend, played by Taylour Paige, high school, on-court rivals and the burden of expectation.
The rest of the cast includes Pamelyn Chee, Jorge Lendeborg Jr., Mike Moh, Dave East, Perry Yung, Alexa Mareka, and Pop Smoke.
Co-written and directed by Gavin O’Connor, The Way Back follows Jack Cunningham, played by Ben Affleck, who had everything going for him back in high school.
A basketball phenom, he could have punched his ticket to college or even the pros, but he walked away from the game, forfeiting his future.
Jack’s glory days are long gone but not forgotten. Years later, he gets to take back his life when he offers to coach the struggling basketball team at his alma mater.
Jack reluctantly accepts, surprising no one more than himself, and as the boys come together as a team and win, he may get his last shot at redemption.
Brad Ingelsby co-wrote the screenplay with O’Connor. The cast also includes Janina Gavankar and Michaela Watkins.
The clip is Affleck promoting the movie at a Clippers game. Also included are soundbites about the film.
Written and directed by Alex Ranarivelo, Bennett’s War follows Marshall Bennett, played by Michael Roark. He is a young soldier with the Army Motorcycle Unit who survives an improvised explosive device (IED) explosion in combat overseas and medically discharged with a broken back and leg. He dispatched back to the U.S.
He arrives and finds out his dad, Cal Bennett, played by Trace Adkins, is behind on the family farm’s mortgage. The family may lose the farm.
Despite his physical condition, Marshall pledges to help his family as a motocross racer. Allison Paige plays Sophie Bennett, Marshall’s concerned wife, and Ali Afshar plays Cyrus, Marshall’s mentor. Trace Adkins is predominately known for being CMA Award-winning music singer, and he starred in Deepwater Horizon with Mark Walhberg.
The “Race” clip is awesome to watch because you get to see some honest dirt bike racing.
The next clip, “I Think I’ll Race” is worth watching because the scene between these two actors is tight and paced well.
Directed by Michael Oblowitz, Heavy Wave arrives at the movie theaters as a Fathom Event, so audiences have limited time to see this movie. The movie explores why surfing is so dangerous and why people like the Fletchers tackle the heavy waves worldwide.
I viewed the movie and interviewed Nathan Fletcher and Oblowitz, though I barely spoke with the director. I am mesmerized by the sheer extreme sport of surfing. I flooded Fletcher with questions about surfing.
The documentary follows the lives of several surfers. It’s a culture, a way of life that few get to adventure. Some pass away while living their dream of surfing the big one. I spoke with Fletcher about the spiritual aspect of surfing because it’s mentioned in the movie a lot. “You go to the water, and you see the sun, magnificent ocean, you’re right there. Then you get to see the fish and the birds and all the beauty…, obviously swells come from across the world, these magnificent pulses of energy, and you go out there, and you ride them. So, if that’s not spiritual…, or somehow connected to the water, and then you’re waiting for a wave, all of a sudden, your mind is somewhere else. And you’re totally in the moment because you’re totally concentrating on what’s happening right there.”
Watch the trailer and see how dangerous and unbelievably surreal surfing the heavy waves can be.
Directed by Tom Shadyac, Brian Banks is a true story about an injustice made right. The studios are calling it “inspirational true story” when in fact I feel treachery.
The true story follows Brian Banks, played by Aldis Hodge, an All-American high school football star verbally committed to USC. His life is upended when he is unjustly convicted of a crime he didn’t commit.
Despite lack of evidence, Banks is railroaded through a broken justice system and sentenced to a decade of prison and probation. Years later, with the support of Justin Brooks, played by Greg Kinnear, and the California Innocence Project, Banks fights to reclaim his life and fulfill his dreams of playing in the NFL.
Shadyac impressive credits offer encouragement for this movie to rock and entertain. He’s directed Ace Ventura, Bruce Almighty, and The Nutty Professional. Over the past decade or so, he’s involved himself in documentaries as director and producer. In 1983, he became the youngest staff writer for Bob Hope.
The cast also includes Sherri Shepherd, Melanie Liburd, and Morgan Freeman.
The injustice of what Banks went through is tough to face. The young woman lied and destroyed his life. The movie clip is a scene where Banks played the tap of the young woman confessing she lied.
The featurette tells what the story is about through the eyes of those who were there from Brian Banks as executive producer and Justin Brooks as executive producer to the actors who play the people who went through this tragic story about injustice.
The story is real, and injustice happens, unfortunately. In this clip, I understand what Banks mother is saying because I am a mother. I want nothing but good for my daughter.
“The System” movie clip sets the pace for going to trial.
Directed by Shaina Allen, Rebound follows the Miami Heat Wheels and their quest for their first-ever National Wheelchair Basketball Association (NWBA) Championship.
Allen helms a story that offers an insider’s look at the struggling wheelchair basketball team following a defeat at the national championships. Each player pushes their way physically, mentally and emotionally through each season. They play hard even though they receive no recognition or resources from mainstream sports. Money plays a factor in their game because without it they might not win the national title.
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.
