NEW MOVIES: May 2-8, 2024, “The Fall Guy,” “Jeanne du Barry,” “Rocket Club: Across the Cosmos,” “The Philadelphia Eleven”

THE FALL GUY

THE FALL GUY

The Fall Guy is a 2024 American action comedy film directed by David Leitch and written by Drew Pearce, loosely based on the 1980s TV series about stunt performers. The film follows a stuntman working on his ex-girlfriend’s directorial debut action film, only to find himself involved in a conspiracy surrounding the film’s lead actor. It stars Ryan GoslingEmily BluntAaron Taylor-JohnsonHannah WaddinghamTeresa PalmerStephanie Hsu, and Winston Duke.

The Fall Guy premiered at SXSW on March 12, 2024, and was released in countries including Australia and New Zealand on April 24. It will be released in the United States and Canada by Universal Pictures on May 3. Critics generally praised the film, which set a Guinness World Record for the most cannon rolls performed in a car.

Plot

Hollywood stunt performer Colt Seavers, who primarily works as the stunt double for famous action star Tom Ryder, is severely injured during a stunt gone wrong. Blaming himself, Colt abandons his career and his girlfriend, camera operator Jody Moreno.

Eighteen months later Colt, now a valet for a small Mexican restaurant, is contacted by Tom’s film producer Gail Meyer. She says Moreno is directing her first film, a science fiction epic called Metalstorm, and wants him to join the production in Sydney, Australia.

However, when Colt arrives on set, he learns that Jody never asked for him and is still angry about their breakup. Gail reveals that Tom has disappeared after getting involved with drugs, and she wants Colt to find him before his absence causes the film’s cancellation.

Not wanting to ruin Jody’s directorial debut, Colt visits Tom’s hotel room and a nightclub, where he gets into fights. In the hotel room, Colt finds a dead body in a bathtub full of ice, but when he returns with the police, the body is gone.

Cast

Lee Majors and Heather Thomas, who starred in the original television series, have cameo appearances in the film as police officers,[9] while Jason Momoa cameos as himself.

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JEANNE DU BARRY

JEANNE DU BARRY

Jeanne du Barry is a 2023 historical drama film directed, co-written, and produced by Maïwenn. It stars her and Johnny Depp in the leading roles. It also stars Pierre Richard, Benjamin Lavernhe, Noémie Lvovsky, Pascal Greggory, Melvil Poupaud, and India Hair. The plot centers on Madame du Barry, who uses her intelligence and allure to rise in society. She becomes King Louis XV’s favorite, they fall in love, and against all propriety and etiquette, du Barry moves to Versailles, where her relationship with the king scandalizes the court.

Jeanne du Barry is a collaboration between France, Belgium, and the United Kingdom. It was produced by Why Not Productions and Depp’s IN.2 Film, a European sister company to his L.A.-based Infinitum Nihil, and is distributed by Le Pacte. With a budget of $22.4 million, Jeanne du Barry was one of the most expensive French films in 2023, one of only three with a budget of over 10 million euros. The film had its world premiere as the opening film at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival on May 16, 2023, and was released theatrically in France on the same day by Le Pacte, 15 months before its scheduled streaming release on Netflix in France.

Premise

Jeanne, a young working-class woman hungry for culture and pleasure, uses her intelligence and allure to rise step by step to the highest levels of society. She becomes King Louis XV’s favorite, who regains his appetite for life through her. They fall madly in love, and, against all propriety and etiquette, Jeanne moves to Versailles, where her relationship with the king scandalizes the court.[8]

Cast

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ROCKET CLUB: ACROSS THE COSMOS

ROCKET CLUB: ACROSS THE COSMOS

When Rocket Club’s mission to return a stranded alien to its home planet is jeopardized by their rival Calvin’s plan to freeze the Earth, our heroes must unite to unlock the secret of WUP speed to save the Earth before supper time.

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THE PHILADELPHIA ELEVEN

THE PHILADELPHIA ELEVEN

The Team

Picture

MARGO GUERNSEY
Director/Producer
Margo Guernsey is a documentary Director/Producer, impact strategist, and founder of Time Travel Productions LLC. Her films include Councilwoman (America ReFramed 2019) and No Time To Fail (America Reframed 2023). Before film, Margo worked as a union organizer, non-profit development director, and Spanish/English translator. Margo’s work has received support from Chicken & Egg Pictures, ITVS, Catapult Film Fund, GoodPitch, Perspective Fund, Ford Foundation, and the National Endowment for the Humanities. She speaks both Spanish and English and holds an MFA in Film (University of Miami), an MA in History (UMass Amherst), and a BA in History (Brown University). Margo teaches producing as an affiliated faculty member at Emerson College and is a current member of the Board of Directors of the Documentary Producers Association. 

Picture

NIKKI BRAMLEY
Co-Producer / Director of Photography
Nikki is a documentary Director of Photography. Her work ranges from independent documentaries to high-end commercial projects. Recent broadcast credits include: Recent documentary camera credits include: Zora Neale Hurston: Claiming a Space (American Experience 2023), Runner (Festivals 2020), Frederick Douglass in Five Speeches (HBO 2022), This Is A Robbery (Netflix 2021), Trial 4 (Netflix 2020), Councilwoman (America ReFramed 2019), Breaking Big (PBS 2018), Seeing Eyes/Feeling Heart (American Masters 2018), NOVA “Addiction” (2018), NOVA “Prediction by the Numbers” (2017), Frontline (2017, 2015). Nikki graduated from the S.I. Newhouse School of Communications at Syracuse University in 2002 with a BS in Television, Radio, and Film Production.

Director’s Statement

I am not Episcopalian. I was raised in a Congregational Church, and this story is for everyone. It is about breaking down barriers with grace and being true to oneself in the process. It is about standing up to institutions that do not allow all people to be who they are called to be.

The story of the first Episcopal women priests has been under the radar for decades. Perhaps this is because they disregarded certain institutional edicts, or their story is inconvenient. After all, they challenged the very core of patriarchal culture. These pioneers have taught me new ways to think about whose history is recorded and remembered and who does the work of remembering. ​They also provide a vision for a just and inclusive community in practice. Suppose we are serious about loving every human being as they are. In that case, we must find new ways to disrupt the hierarchies we have inherited and replace them with the same kind of radical inclusivity demonstrated by these priests.

My greatest hope is that viewers will watch, listen deeply, and engage with others about how you might stand up so that we can fully live who we are called to be.

The women ordained as priests in 1974 and 1975

Merrill Bittner
Alla Renée Bozarth
Alison Cheek
Marie Moorefield Fleischer
Emily Hewitt
Suzanne Hiatt
Carter Heyward
Lee McGee Street
Alison Palmer
Jeannette Piccard
Betty Powell
Betty Bone Schiess
Katrina Swanson

Diane Tickell
Nancy Wittig

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April 30, 2024#”The Fall Guy,” “Jeanne du Barry,” “Rocket Club: Across the Cosmos,” “The Philadelphia Eleven”

NEW MOVIES: April 25-May 1, 2024, “Challengers,” “Unsung Hero,” “Breathe,” “Cash Out”

CHALLENGERS

CHALLENGERS

Challengers is a 2024 American romantic sports film directed by Luca Guadagnino and written by Justin Kuritzkes. The plot follows a professional tennis champion (Mike Faist) who plots a comeback with the help of his wife (Zendaya), a former tennis prodigy who retired after an injury, as he goes up against another player (Josh O’Connor), who also happens to be his former best friend and wife’s former lover.[3]

After being delayed from its initial September 2023 release date and pulled out from its slot as the opening film of the 80th Venice International Film Festival due to the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strikeChallengers premiered in Sydney, Australia, on March 26, 2024, and is scheduled to be released in the United States by Amazon MGM Studios on April 26, 2024. The film received critical acclaim, with the cast performances (especially Zendaya) being the main highlight.

Premise

Tashi Duncan, a former tennis prodigy turned coach after a career-ending injury, is married to a champion on a losing streak. Her strategy for her husband’s redemption takes a surprising turn when he must face off against his former best friend, Tashi’s former boyfriend.[3]

Cast

  • Zendaya as Tashi Duncan[4]
  • Josh O’Connor as Patrick Zweig[4]
  • Mike Faist as Art Donaldson[4]
  • Darnell Appling as New Rochelle Final Umpire
  • AJ Lister as Lily Donaldson
  • Nada Despotovich as Tashi’s Mother
  • Naheem Garcia as Tashi’s Father
  • Hailey Gates as Helen
  • Jake Jensen as Finn Larsen[5]

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UNSUNG HERO

UNSUNG HERO

Unsung Hero is an upcoming American Christian drama film directed by Richard Ramsey and Joel Smallbone. The film follows the Smallbone family, including Rebecca (stage name Rebecca St. James) and Joel and Luke Smallbone of For King & Country, who become Christian recording artists.

Plot

In 1991, the Smallbone family moved from Australia to Nashville, Tennessee.

Cast

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BREATHE

BREATHE

Breathe is an upcoming American science fiction action thriller film directed by Stefon Bristol, written by Doug Simon, and starring Jennifer HudsonMilla JovovichQuvenzhané WallisCommon, and Sam Worthington. The film is set in a world where oxygen levels on Earth have dropped making it impossible to live on the planet’s surface without specialised equipment.

Cast

Production

In December 2019, Doug Simon’s screenplay Breathe was revealed to be on that year’s “Black List” of the most-liked unproduced screenplays in Hollywood.[1] In May 2022, it was announced that Sam WorthingtonJennifer HudsonMilla JovovichQuvenzhané Wallis, and Common were set to star in the film, to be directed by Stefon Bristol.[2]

Filming took place on location in Pennsylvania in late 2022.

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CASH OUT

CASH OUT

Cash Out is an upcoming American action film starring John TravoltaKristin DavisLukas HaasQuavo, and Joel Cohen. It was directed by Ives, and written by Dipo Oseni and Doug Richardson. The film is scheduled to be released on April 26, 2024.

Plot

In the tense thriller Cash Out, John Travolta is Mason, the leader of a high-end crew of thieves that hang it up for good after a double-cross spells a near miss with the law. Still, when thrust into his younger brother Shawn’s hare-brained scheme to rob a bank—and tempted by what could be his biggest score ever—Mason jumps right back into his old ways. Then the heist goes awry, and the thieves are trapped inside the bank with hostages while surrounded by SWAT teams, the FBI, and Interpol. Among the authorities waiting to nab the crew is someone Mason knows well: lead negotiator Decker (Kristin Davis) — Mason’s former lover.”

Cast

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4/23/2024#”Challengers,” “Unsung Hero,” “Breathe,” “Cash Out”

NEW MOVIES: April 18-24, 2024, “The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare,” “Abigail,” “Sasquatch Sunset,” “Villains Inc.”

THE MINISTRY OF UNGENTLEMANLY WARFARE

THE MINISTRY OF UNGENTLEMANLY WARFARE

The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare is an upcoming spy action comedy film directed and co-written by Guy Ritchie. It is based on Damien Lewis’s 2014 book Churchill’s Secret Warriors: The Explosive True Story of the Special Forces Desperadoes of WWII. The film portrays a heavily fictionalized version of Operation Postmaster.

The film will be released in the United States on April 19, 2024.

Plot

Based in part on real historical events, the film’s storyline is about the Special Operations Executive, a covert British World War II organization formed in 1940 at the instigation of Prime Minister Winston Churchill for conducting espionage and sabotage in Nazi-occupied Europe. SOE operations contributed significantly to the Allied victory over Nazi Germany and were forerunners of modern-day black operations and irregular warfare.[2]

Cast

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ABIGAIL

ABIGAIL

Abigail is a 2024 American vampire horror film[3] directed by Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett from a screenplay written by Stephen Shields and Guy Busick. Based on and a reimagining of the 1936 Universal Classic Monsters film Dracula’s Daughter, the film stars Alisha Weir as the eponymous daughter of Count Dracula, alongside Melissa BarreraDan StevensKathryn Newton, William Catlett, Kevin DurandAngus Cloud, and Giancarlo Esposito.

A reboot of Dracula’s Daughter was announced to be in development in April 2023, with Bettinelli-Olpin and Gillett attached as directors, and Shields and Busick hired to write the screenplay. It was also announced that the film would be a co-production between Bettinelli-Olpin, Gillett, and Chad Villella‘s Radio Silence ProductionsJames Vanderbilt, Paul Neinstein, and William Sherak’s Project X Entertainment, and Tripp Vinson‘s Vinson Films. Barrera was cast that same month, with Weir, Stevens, Newton, Durand, Cloud, and Catlett hired the next month, and Esposito rounding out the main cast in June.

Principal photography began that month in Dublin, Ireland, but was suspended at the beginning of July due to the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike. Filming resumed at the end of that month and wrapped in December. This was the last film that Cloud worked on during his lifetime, as he died on July 31, 2023, shortly after wrapping filming of his scenes. Brian Tyler, a frequent collaborator of Bettinelli-Olpin and Gillett, was hired to compose and conduct the film’s score.

Abigail had its world premiere at the Overlook Film Festival on April 7, 2024, and is scheduled to be released by Universal Pictures on April 19, 2024.

Premise

The film focuses on a group of kidnappers who capture and must watch over Abigail, the daughter of a powerful underworld figure from whom they demand a $50 million ransom. However, they soon get more than what they bargain for when they realize that they are trapped inside with no ordinary little girl but a vampire child who hunts them down one by one.[4]

Cast

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SASQUATCH SUNSET

SASQUATCH SUNSET

Sasquatch Sunset is a 2024 American surreal comedy film directed by David Zellner and Nathan Zellner, and written by David Zellner. Starring Riley KeoughJesse Eisenberg, Christophe Zajac-Denek, and Nathan Zellner. The film follows a family of Sasquatch over one year. Ari Aster served as an executive producer under his Square Peg banner. It had its world premiere at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival on January 19, 2024. Bleecker Street released the film on April 12, 2024.

Plot

The film follows a family of Sasquatch over one year.

Cast

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VILLAINS INC.

VILLAINS INC.

After the death of their boss, Beatrix, Cain and Harold are left destitute living in an abandoned grocery store. Beatrix is determined that they will fight on their own and take over the world by any means necessary.

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4/16/2024#”The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare,” “Abigail,” “Sasquatch Sunset,” “Villains Inc.”

 

NEW MOVIES: April 11-17, 2024, “Civil War,” “Arcadian,” “Housekeeping for Beginners,” “The Long Game”

CIVIL WAR

CIVIL WAR

Civil War is a 2024 dystopian action film written and directed by Alex Garland.[4] The film stars Kirsten DunstWagner MouraCailee SpaenyStephen McKinley Henderson, and Nick Offerman. Its plot follows a team of journalists who travel across the United States during a rapidly escalating Second American Civil War, which has engulfed the entire nation.

Civil War had its world premiere at South by Southwest on March 14, 2024, and is scheduled to be theatrically released in the United States by A24 and in the United Kingdom by Entertainment Film Distributors on April 12, 2024. The film received positive reviews from critics.

Premise

In the near future, a team of journalists travel across the United States during a rapidly escalating multiparty civil war that has engulfed the entire nation.[5][6] The film documents the journalists struggling to survive during a time when the U.S. government has become a dystopian dictatorship and partisan extremist militias regularly commit war crimes.[6][5]

Cast

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ARCADIAN

ARCADIAN

Arcadian (formerly titled Sand and Stones) is a 2024 action horror film written by Michael Nilon, directed by Ben Brewer, and starring Nicolas Cage.

The film premiered at South by Southwest on March 11, 2024, followed by a theatrical release in the United States on April 12, 2024, by RLJE Films.

Premise

A father and his twin teenage sons fight to survive in a remote farmhouse at the end of the world.

Cast

Production

In October 2022, it was announced that Nicolas Cage would star in the film.[2] In November, Jaeden MartellMaxwell Jenkins, and Sadie Soverall had joined the cast, and filming began in Dublin, Ireland.[1] In February 2023, it was announced that filming wrapped and that the film was in post-production.[3]

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HOUSEKEEPING FOR BEGINNERS

HOUSEKEEPING FOR BEGINNERS

Housekeeping for Beginners (MacedonianДомаќинство за почетнициromanizedDomaḱinstvo za početnici) is a 2023 drama film written, directed and edited by Goran Stolevski. It stars Anamaria MarincaAlina Serban, Samson Selim, Vladimir Tintor, Mia Mustafi, and Dżada Selim. It is an international co-production between North MacedoniaCroatiaSerbiaKosovoPolandAustralia and the United States.

The film premiered on 6 September 2023, at the 80th Venice International Film Festival, where it won the Queer Lion. It was selected as the Macedonian entry for the Best International Feature Film at the 96th Academy Awards.[4] It was released in the United States on 5 April 2024, and later in Australia on 9 May 2024.

Summary

Dita is forced to raise her girlfriend’s two daughters even though she has never aspired to be a mother. A touching tale about an odd family’s battle to be together emerges when their separate wills collide.

Cast

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THE LONG GAME

THE LONG GAME

The Long Game is a 2023 American historical drama film adaptation of Humberto G. Garcia’s 2010 novel Mustang Miracle. The film is directed by Julio Quintana and stars Jay Hernandez, Julian Works, Jaina Lee OrtizBrett CullenOscar NuñezPaulina ChávezGregory Diaz IV, José Julián, Cheech Marin, and Dennis Quaid.

The film is scheduled to be released theatrically in the United States by Mucho Mas Media on April 12, 2024.

Plot

The Long Game tells a true story of the San Felipe Mustangs, a group of Mexican-American youths located in Del Rio, Texas. In the 1950s, the group set out to play golf at a white country club in town. Despite prejudice, the Mustangs overcame these obstacles to become the 1957 Texas state champions.[1][2]

Cast

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4/9/2024#”Civil War,” “Arcadian,” “Housekeeping for Beginners,” “The Long Game”

NEW MOVIES: April 4-10, 2024, “Monkey Man,” “The First Omen,” “Someone Like You,” “The Old Oak’

MONKEY MAN

MONKEY MAN

Monkey Man is a 2024 American action thriller film directed by Dev Patel, who co-wrote the screenplay with Paul Angunawela and John Collee.[5][6] The film marks the directorial debut of Patel, who co-produced the film and stars in the lead role, alongside Sharlto CopleyPitobashSobhita DhulipalaSikandar KherVipin SharmaAshwini Kalsekar, Adithi Kalkunte, and Makarand Deshpande.

Monkey Man had its world premiere at South by Southwest on March 11, 2024, and is scheduled to be released in the United States by Universal Pictures on April 5, 2024.[7][8]

Premise

Kid, an anonymous young man, sets on a journey to hunt down a group of corrupt leaders who are responsible for his mother Neela’s death. However, Kid’s journey of exacting revenge soon makes him become the savior of the poor and powerless people, who are tormented by the corrupt leaders.[9]

Cast

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THE FIRST OMEN

THE FIRST OMEN

The First Omen is an upcoming American supernatural horror film directed by Arkasha Stevenson, who co-wrote the screenplay with Tim Smith and Keith Thomas from a story by Ben Jacoby. It is a prequel to The Omen (1976), being the sixth film in The Omen franchise. The film stars Nell Tiger FreeTawfeek BarhomSônia BragaRalph Ineson, and Bill Nighy.

The First Omen is scheduled to be released in the United States by 20th Century Studios on April 5, 2024.

Premise

The plot follows an American woman sent to work at a church in Rome who uncovers a sinister conspiracy to bring about the birth of the Antichrist.[2]

Cast

  • Nell Tiger Free as Margaret Daino, an American sent to Rome to work at an orphanage before taking the veil[a]
  • Sônia Braga as Sister Silvia, the Abbess of Vizzardeli Orphanage in Rome
  • Ralph Ineson as Father Brennan, a priest who warns Margaret of a conspiracy within the church[b]
  • Bill Nighy as Cardinal Lawrence, a senior member of the Catholic church
  • Tawfeek Barhom as Father Gabriel, a member of the Catholic clergy working at the orphanage
  • Maria Caballero as Luz Valez, Margaret’s roommate at Vizzardeli
  • Nicole Sorace as Carlita Skianna, an older child at Vizzardeli
  • Charles Dance[4]

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SOMEONE LIKE YOU

SOMEONE LIKE YOU

  • Director: Tyler Russell
  • Writer: Karen Kingsbury, Tyler Russell
  • Stars: Sarah Fisher, Jake Allyn, Lynn Collins
  • Genre: Romance
  • Release Date: 2024-04-02
  • Run Time: 118
Based on the novel by #1 NYTimes bestselling author Karen Kingsbury, “Someone Like You” is an achingly beautiful love story. After the tragic loss of his best friend, a grieving young architect launches a search for her secret twin sister.

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THE OLD OAK

THE OLD OAK

The Old Oak is a 2023 drama film directed by Ken Loach and written by Paul Laverty. It is a co-production between the United Kingdom, France and Belgium.[1]

After its world premiere at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival, where it competed for the Palme d’Or, the film was released in the United Kingdom on 29 September 2023, by StudioCanal. The film was nominated for Outstanding British Film at the 77th British Academy Film Awards.

Premise

Pub landlord TJ Ballantyne, living in a previously thriving mining community in County Durham, struggles to hold onto his pub and keep it as the one remaining public space where people can meet in the town. Meanwhile, tensions rise when Syrian refugees are placed there, but Ballantyne strikes up a friendship with one of the refugees, Yara.[3][6]

Cast

  • Dave Turner as TJ Ballantyne
  • Ebla Mari as Yara
  • Claire Rodgerson as Laura
  • Trevor Fox as Charlie
  • Chris McGlade as Vic
  • Col Tait as Eddy
  • Jordan Louis as Garry
  • Chrissie Robinson as Erica
  • Chris Gotts as Jaffa Cake
  • Jen Patterson as Maggie
  • Arthur Oxley as Archie
  • Joe Armstrong as Joe
  • Andy Dawson as Micky
  • Maxie Peters as Tommy
  • Debbie Honeywood as Tania
  • Neil Leiper as Rocco

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4/2/2024# “Monkey Man,” “The First Omen,” “Someone Like You,” “The Old Oak’