Category Archives: thriller

“Beirut” Poster, Featurette,Trailer, and Clip

action, drama, thriller,

Directed by Brad Anderson and written by Tony Gilroy, Beirut follows a former US diplomat Mason Skiles, played by Jon Hamm, CIA operatives Sandy Crowder and Donald Gaines, played by Rosamund Pike and Dean Norris. Caught in the crossfires of civil war, they must send the former U.S. diplomat to Beirut to negotiate for the life of a friend he left behind.

The first part of the story takes place in 1972, where Skiles, his wife and hopefully to adopted 13-year old Lebanese orphan, played by Yoau Saian Rosenberg are having a cocktail party in there home. Mason’s best friend, CIA Agent Cal Riley, played by Mark Pellegrino, arrives and seconds later terrorists attack the party with tragic results.

Ten years later and now an alcoholic working as a mediator for labor disputes in Boston, Mason gets approached by a stranger in a bar. He hands him a passport, cash, and a plane ticket along with an urgent invitation from mutual “friends” that he travel to Beirut. Grudgingly, Mason arrives in Beirut only to find that the formerly picturesque city on the sea has become a violence-ridden warzone. Mason soon discovers the real reason he’s been called back. CIA and Embassy officials Donald Gaines, Gary Ruzak, played by Shea Whigham, and Ambassador Frank Whalen, played by Larry Pine explain that terrorists have kidnapped a CIA agent. The offer Mason a mission. He negotiates a swap for the release of terrorist leader Abu Rajal, played by Hicham Ouraqa, believed to be imprisoned by Israeli secret police, in exchange for the American. The story unfolds with intrigue and competing agendas.

Under the helm of Anderson is a tight spring action thriller
You might recognize Gilroy’s name as the writer behind Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. Before the Star Wars franchise was resurrected, he formulated his fictional script around facts on the ground including the 1984 kidnapping of CIA Station Chief William Buckley. “For me, that was very much the model for what would happen if a high-level CIA officer were kidnapped,” Gilroy says. “Buckley’s body actually turned up just as I was finishing the script and there was a lot of reporting about that case that I drew on. It was all very garish and gothic and horrifying and dramatic.”

Beirut’s central character prefigured the flawed heroes that would later anchor some of Gilroy’s best-known works. “Mason was the beginning of my fascination with characters in need of redemption, which is also true for Jason Bourne and Michael Clayton,” Gilroy says. “With Beirut, I was interested in writing about people trapped inside a political situation, while at the same time Mason is forced to confront his past and his own weakness.”
After Gilroy finished his script in 1992, numerous A-list actors and directors circled the project, known at the time as High Wire Act. It was just too hot to handle because of the authenticity of the story.

Anderson says related to the script as a great story that was well written. “I was very taken by the world of Tony’s story. I frankly didn’t know very much about Beirut, so for me, it was more the character elements that drew me in. I was fascinated with Mason as this tortured soul who’s trying to redeem himself by saving his friend. That’s a very classic dramatic sensibility.”

The featurette, trailer and clip offer an excellent idea of how good this movie is put together.

“Traffik” Trailer, Clips, and Poster

horror, thriller

Written and directed by Deon Taylor, Traffik follows Brea, played by Paula Patton, and John, played by Omar Epps They are taking a romantic weekend in the mountains and run into some major trouble.

The thriller spends most of the time in an isolated and remote estate, but the couple is dumbfounded by the arrival of two friends, Darren, played by Laz Alonso, and Malia, played by Roselyn Sanchez.

Just when the weekend starts to get back on track, a violent biker gang turns up and begins to torment them. The foursome is forced to fight for their lives against the gang who will stop at nothing to protect their secrets.

The Blu-ray, DVD, and streaming are available now. This movie is a horror movie in its own right.  In other words, it is intense and scary.

The movie clip shows their endearing relationship.

The movie clip shows how dangerous the story is getting.

We have a nice car chase.

This movie makes it clear that these two couples had no plans but to have fun.

Watching the trailer, the movie seems more of a horror movie than a thriller with the gruesome-looking female at their door. There is a kind of haunting undertone to the overall trailer.

“Den of Thieves” Trailer, Movie Clips from Blu-ray/DVD

action, thriller

Directed by Christian Gudegast, Den of Thieves stars Gerard Butler as corrupted cop Nick  Flanagan. The movie follows Flanagan as he and an elite group of crooks try to steal 120 million dollars from the Los Angeles Federal Reserve.

The movie looks like a typical shoot-them-up with the bad guys against the good guys for the common good of making things go right. The film also stars Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson, Pablo Schreiber, O’Shea Jackson Jr., Evan Jones, Dawn Olivieri, Mo McRae, and UFC Featherweight Champion Max Holloway.

There are some awesome movie clips after you scroll down below the movie trailer.

This is how a shootout scene is filmed.

The interviews with Gerard Butler and Christian Gudegast tell us about the story.

“Ocean’s 8” Trailer

adventure, comedy, drama, sequels, thriller

Directed and co-written by Gary Ross, Ocean’s 8 follows Danny Ocean’s estranged sister, Debbie, played by Sandra Bullock, who attempts to pull off the heist of the century at New York City’s star-studded annual Met Gala. Her first stop is to assemble the perfect crew: Lou, Rose, Daphne Kluger, Nine Ball, Tammy, Amita, and Constance. These roles are played part and parcel by Cate Blanchett, Anne Hathaway, Mindy Kaling, Sarah Paulson, Awkwafina, Rihanna, Helena Bonham Carter and Dakota Fanning in an undisclosed role.

The Truth About “7 Days In Entebbe” is Astonishing

drama, thriller, true stories

Directed by José Padilha (Narcos, Elite Squad), 7 Days in Entebbe follows the truly inspired events of the 1976 hijacking of an Air France flight en route from Tel Aviv to Paris.

Watching the trailer, I can sense the gripping terror of the passengers and those who attempted to rescue the hijack victims. The movie shows the most daring rescue mission ever attempted.

Written by Gregory Burke, who wrote 71, a gripping film about Ireland’s Civil War, 7 Days in Entebbe is a heartwrenching story. The talent cast includes Rosamund Pike (Gone Girl), Daniel Brühl (The Zookeeper’s Wife), Eddie Marsan (Sherlock Holmes), Ben Schnetzer, Lior Ashkenazi, and Denis Ménochet.

The featurette explains the true story, and it was an exciting time in history. Hijacking planes happen during this era, and it was frightening. From the clips and trailers I’ve seen, the director has done a fantastic job of capturing this situation.

Hijacking is an intense clip based on a true story. The tight shots and unspoken intention drive this scene.

“Act of Violence” Trailer

action, thriller

Directed by Brett Donowho, Acts of Violence follows three Midwestern brothers, a crime lord, played by Cole Hauser, and an incorruptible cop, played by Bruce Willis, are on a deadly collision course when the youngest brother’s fiancée is kidnapped by human traffickers.

The story is simple, they have to save her, the MacGregor boys call on their military training – and the strength of family – to fight the most important battle of their lives.   Also, starring is Sophia Bush as Detective Brooke Baker.

 

“The Commuter” Trailers, Clips, Blu-ray/DVD Trailer

action, thriller, , , , ,

Directed by Jaume Collet-Serra, The Commuter follows Michael Woolrich, played by Liam Neeson, who is in the midst of his daily commute. He is an insurance salesman—a typical guy who used to be a cop. A mysterious woman on the train contacts him. She forces him to uncover the identity of a hidden passenger on the train before the last stop.

The movie has a great cast, including Elizabeth McGovern from Downton Abby, Vera Farmiga, Patrick Wilson, and Sam Neil.

Just watching the trailer, I can tell the movie is suspenseful. Neeson is so good at playing these types of roles. It is unique for him to play an everyman, not some high-skilled gunman who has a kidnapped daughter.

The Commuter’s Blu-ray/DVD combo pack hits the streets with two never-before-seen featurettes that focus on the cast’s experience shooting the film and the technical details of shooting on a train.  The trailer is so intense.

I saw the movie on my flight from Denver to Sacramento. The movie started off well but was predictable.  If you want to kill a couple of hours on a phone, this is the movie to watch.

The movie clip below shows the intensity of Liam Neeson.

Here is the final trailer.

The domestic trailer doesn’t look all that different. What do you think?

“Red Sparrow” Poster, Trailers, TV Spot

action, based on a book, thriller, , , , , , , ,

I will pick up the book and give it a read before watching the movie. My daughter took ballet for 10 years, and it is a demanding, alluring, and disciplined art.

Directed by Francis Lawrence, Red Sparrow follows Dominika Egorova, played by Jennifer Lawrence, when she suffers a career-ending injury, Dominika, and her mother faces a bleak and uncertain future. That is why she finds herself manipulated into becoming the newest recruit for Sparrow School, a secret intelligence service that trains exceptional young people like her to use their bodies and minds as weapons.

After enduring the perverse and sadistic training process, she emerges as the most dangerous Sparrow the program has ever produced. Dominika must now reconcile the person she was with the power she now commands, with her own life and everyone she cares about at risk, including an American CIA agent who tries to convince her he is the only person she can trust.  The thriller also stars, Joel Edgerton, Matthias Schoenaerts, Charlotte Rampling, Mary-Louise Parker, and Jeremy Irons.

Another interesting note is the movie is based on a book series, and I wonder if the next book in the series will be produced.

The Blu-ray/DVD hit the streets with streaming at the usual platforms.  I am not sure how the movie did at the box office. If you haven’t seen it, now is the time to take a look. I find the storyline interesting because it is based on a book written by a former government operative.  In interviews, they claim he based it on his experiences in the secret intelligence agency.

Here is the TV Spot. Like all TV Spots, it’s a bit short.

The second trailer tells us the story of a ballerina turn spy in Russia. The trailer also tells us who is starring with Jennifer Lawrence.

Here is the first movie trailer but it doesn’t say much, which is why I am interested in reading the novel.

“Lady Macbeth” Trailer

based on a book, drama, thriller,

Directed by William Oldroyd, Lady Macbeth occurs in rural England in 1865. Don’t let the title fool you. It has nothing to do with Shakespeare.  The story is about a woman who is trapped in a loveless marriage to a much older man and begins a passionate affair with a man her own age

The movie is adapted from Nikolai Leskov’s 1865 novel Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk District. The director’s debut weaves a storyline that is nothing new, but the trailer seems intense, not revealing too much like most trailers do these days.

“Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle” Trailers and Vignette

action, adventure, children movies, comedy, family movies, thriller, , , , ,

Directed by Jake Kasdan, son of Lawrence Kasdan (Body Heat), who also directed Bad Teacher, Zero Effect, and Sex Tape, Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle follows a breakfast club theme where four teenagers end up as avatars in the Jumanji game.

The teenagers discover an old video game console with a game they’ve never heard of, they are immediately thrust into the game’s jungle setting, into the bodies of their avatars, played by Dwayne Johnson, Jack Black, Kevin Hart, and Karen Gillan.  Nick Jonas plays one on the teenagers. The trailer is fun to watch since the avatars are against type.

What teenagers discover is that you don’t just play Jumanji –Jumanji plays you. They’ll have to go on the most dangerous adventure of their lives, or they’ll be stuck in the game forever. If you haven’t seen the first Jumanji, then you wouldn’t know how to play the game.

I have to mention the first move because it is awesome and still available with Robin Williams and Kirsten Dunst starring. 

The newest poster is funnier. It really shows the characters. This could be a fun movie because giving it a Christmas release date shows the studios are banking on it being successful at the box office.  But, box office success doesn’t always mean a fun movie.