Author: marleneardoin@yahoo.com

NEW MOVIES: June 12-18, 2025, ” How to Train your Dragon,” “Materialists,” “The Unholy Trinity,” “Next Sohee”

HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON

HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON

How to Train Your Dragon is a media franchise from DreamWorks Animation and loosely based on the book series of the same name by British author Cressida Cowell. It consists of three feature films: How to Train Your Dragon (2010), How to Train Your Dragon 2 (2014), and How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World (2019). The franchise also contains five short films: Legend of the Boneknapper Dragon (2010), Book of Dragons (2011), Gift of the Night Fury (2011), Dawn of the Dragon Racers (2014) and How to Train Your Dragon: Homecoming and How to Train Your Dragon: Snoggletog Log (both 2019). A live-action remake of the first film is scheduled for release by Universal Pictures in June 2025. A sequel is also scheduled for June 2027.

The television series based on the events of the first film, DreamWorks Dragons, began airing on Cartoon Network in September 2012. The first and second seasons were titled Dragon: Riders of Berk and Dragons: Defenders of Berk respectively. After the two seasons on Cartoon Network, the series was given the new title Dragons: Race to the Edge. The characters are older and it served as a prequel to the second film, running from June 2015 to February 2018.[1] A second series, titled Dragons: Rescue Riders, began airing on Netflix in 2019 and features a completely different cast and locale than the original series of films and TV shows, but is set in the same universe. A third series, Dragons: The Nine Realms, began streaming on Hulu and Peacock in December 2021, with Rescue Riders transferring to Peacock beginning with the third season under the Heroes of the Sky subtitle. Unlike past entries in the franchise, The Nine Realms is set in the 21st century, specifically around 1,300 years after the events of The Hidden World.

The franchise primarily follows the adventures of a young Viking named Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III (voiced by Jay Baruchel), son of Stoick the Vast, leader of the Viking island of Berk. Although initially dismissed as a clumsy and underweight misfit, he soon becomes renowned as a courageous dragons expert, alongside Toothless, a member of the rare Night Fury breed as his flying mount and closest companion. Together with his friends, he manages the village’s allied dragon population in defense of his home as leader of a flying corps of dragon riders. Upon becoming leaders of their kind, Hiccup and Toothless are forced to make choices that will truly ensure peace between people and dragons. Dean DeBlois, the director of the film trilogy, described its story as “Hiccup’s coming of age“, taking place across a span of five years between the first and second film, and a year between the second and third film.[2]

The film series has been highly acclaimed, with each film nominated for the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature, in addition to the first film’s nomination for the Academy Award for Best Original Score.

Live-action remakes

How to Train Your Dragon (2025)

Main article: How to Train Your Dragon (2025 film)

In February 2023, a live-action remake of the first animated film was announced to be in development, to be produced by Marc Platt Productions and distributed by Universal Pictures, and will mark DreamWorks’ first live-action film. Dean DeBlois was set to return to write and direct, with John Powell returning to write the score. It was originally scheduled for release on March 14, 2025, but due to the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike, it was delayed to June 13 of that year.[19][20][21][22]

Premise

As an ancient threat endangers both Vikings and dragons alike on the isle of Berk, the friendship between Hiccup, an inventive Viking, and Toothless, a Night Fury dragon, becomes the key to both species forging a new future together.

How to Train Your Dragon 2 (2027)

In April 2025, a live-action remake of the second animated film was officially announced at CinemaCon. It is set to be released on June 11, 2027.[23]

Cast

___________________________________________________________________________

MATERIALISTS

MATERIALISTS

Materialists is an upcoming American romantic comedy film written and directed by Celine Song, and starring Dakota Johnson, Chris Evans, and Pedro Pascal.

It is scheduled to be released in the United States by A24 on June 13, 2025, and internationally by Sony Pictures Releasing International

Premise

A young, ambitious New York City matchmaker finds herself torn between the perfect match and her imperfect ex.

Cast

___________________________________________________________________________

THE UNHOLY TRINITY

THE UNHOLY TRINITY

The Unholy Trinity is a 2024 American western action film written by Lee Zachariah, directed by Richard Gray, and starring Pierce Brosnan, Samuel L. Jackson and Brandon Lessard.

Premise

Buried secrets of an 1870s Montana town spark violence when a young man returns to reclaim his legacy and is caught between a sheriff determined to maintain order and a mysterious stranger hell-bent on destroying it.

Cast

___________________________________________________________________________

NEXT SOHEE

NEXT SOHEE

Next Sohee (Korean: 다음 소희; RR: Daeum sohui) is a 2022 South Korean drama film, directed by Jung Ju-ri and starring Bae Doona and Kim Si-eun. The film revolves around a business-oriented high school student, Sohee (Kim Si-eun), who has to go on field training at her call center, and a female detective, Yu-jin, who investigates her subsequent death. It is loosely inspired by the real-life suicide of a girl on a similar temporary training program.[3] It was selected as the first Korean closing film at the 2022 Cannes Film Festival and screened in the Critics’ Week section for special screenings.[4]

The film was screened on May 25, 2022, at Espace Miramar in Cannes and received a 7-minute standing ovation.[5] It was also screened as the closing film at the 26th Fantasia International Film Festival. It won the Best Director award in the Cheval Noir competition category and the Best Asian Feature silver award in the Audience Award category. It was released on February 8, 2023, in South Korea.[6]

Synopsis

The film is about Sohee (Kim Si-eun), a high school student who starts training for a subcontracted position at a call center. She is unable to bear the stressful work culture. A mysterious incident leads to her death. Detective Oh Yoo-jin (Bae Doona) starts an investigation into her death.[7]

Plot

Sohee a high school student who enjoys dancing in her spare time is called in by one of her teachers who informs her that he has finally managed to get her an externship spot in a company called Human and Net, one of the many call service centers for S-Plus Korea Telecom(a fictional telecommunications company). Before starting her externship, Sohee had to attend a training session, which turned out to be just makeup lessons and body shaming of the trainees. Once she starts her externship, Sohee learns quickly that the company’s main goal is to increase and maintain sales of S-Plus’s subscription services to their customers instead of helping them when they have decided to cancel their services or face technical difficulties. She is advised to stall the customers as much as possible so they will eventually change their minds and decide to keep their services or buy others that S-Plus telecom provides. Throughout her externship, Sohee has to deal with the verbal abuse of rude customers who yell and swear at her, even experiencing an incident where a customer insinuates himself carrying out sexual assault on her, to which she loses her temper and yells back. Sohee also notices how she is getting exploited by the company as she is underpaid with the excuse of being an extern. Sohee also occasionally has to attend team meetings, including getting reprimanded for not being the top-performing call center under S-Plus. Junho, Sohee’s manager, is the only person in the call center who understands and tries to help Sohee and the other workers as much as possible. One day while walking to work, Sohee witnesses the discovery of Junho’s dead body in his car parked outside the parking lot of the company building. It is implied that he committed suicide by self-inducing carbon monoxide poisoning. It turns out that Junho felt guilty about exploiting the labour of the externs and had sent in whistleblower complaint letters to upper management, yet this was ignored.

A new female manager takes over, focusing on sales and driving them up. She pressures Sohee to sign a form that rebukes the complaints made by Junho (which Sohee unwillingly signs). At a company dinner, Sohee fights with one of the externs, who grudgingly blames her for performing so well, causing the other externs to add pressure to increase their sales. After experiencing only partially paid work yet again, even though she is now hitting sales targets, Sohee focuses on processing customer requests to cancel their subscriptions and services from S-Plus instead of persuading them to pay more for other services. Her manager witnesses this and angrily reprimands Sohee, Sohee calls out the blatant exploitation of externs in the company as well as the multiple instances of her underpaid work, to which the manager mocks Sohee for being poor and always grubbing for money, this angers Sohee and she hits the manager and is Subsequently put on three days of unpaid disciplinary leave of absence. While on leave and suffering from the guilt of signing the form stating Junho’s claims that the company mistreated externs were false, Sohee silts her wrists while on a drunk night out with a friend and is subsequently hospitalized. Sohee requests to quit her externship, but Sohee’s teacher scolds her and tells her to return to work. Depressed at the prospect of returning to the call center and slightly intoxicated from drinking alcohol, Sohee commits suicide by jumping into a reservoir after a night out with friends.

The second half of the film follows the investigations of Yoojin, a female detective officer into the suicide of Sohee after her body is found as well as reinvestigations of Junho’s suicide, which further details Human and Net’s violation of labour laws on their workers to drive up sales as well as Sohee’s high school’s irresponsible choices of externship placements for their students to meet an employment rate. Throughout the investigations, the human and net and the school’s management constantly blamed Sohee for her suicide, citing that she was undisciplined and had temper issues. Yoojin tries to take legal action against these institutions for their actions leading up to Sohee’s suicide, but is constantly reprimanded by her own superior to let go of the case as it is causing them trouble. The movie ends with Yoojin tearfully watching an old video recording of Sohee practicing a dance routine in a studio, which was the only video left on Sohee’s now-retrieved phone before she turned it off and committed suicide. It is unknown to the viewers whether the human and net or the school ultimately changed their unsafe practices following the suicide of Sohee.

Cast

  • Bae Doona as Yoo-jin[8]
  • Kim Si-eun as So-hee[9]
  • Sim Hee-seop as Lee Jun-ho
  • Park Woo-young as Dong-ho[10]
  • Yoo Jung-ho as Manager of the SAVE department of the call center[11]
  • Choi Hee-jin as Lee Bo-ram[12]
  • Jung Hoe-rin as Jun-hee[13]
  • Park Soo-young as Vice Principal[14]
  • Kim Woo-kyum
  • Song Yo-sep

___________________________________________________________________________

6/10/2025 #HowToTrainYourDragon #Materialists #TheUnholyTrinity #NextSohee

 

New Movies: June 5-11, 2025, “John Wick: Ballerina,” “The Ritual,” “I Don’t Understand You,” “The Life of Chuck”

JOHN WICK: BALLERINA

JOHN WICK: BALLERINA

Ballerina (marketed as From the World of John Wick: Ballerina) is an upcoming American action thriller film that is the fifth film in the John Wick franchise, serving as a spin-off set between the events of John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum (2019) and John Wick: Chapter 4 (2023). It is directed by Len Wiseman and written by Shay Hatten. It also stars Ana de Armas in the lead role, alongside Gabriel Byrne, Catalina Sandino Moreno, and Norman Reedus in supporting roles. Anjelica Huston, Lance Reddick (in his final screen appearance), Ian McShane, and Keanu Reeves reprise their roles from the previous films.

Lionsgate acquired Hatten’s spec script for the film in 2017, leading to his contribution to the final script for Parabellum and serving as the lead writer for Chapter 4. In October 2019, Wiseman was hired as director, with Chad Stahelski confirmed as a producer by May 2020. Ballerina was officially announced in April 2022, with de Armas confirmed to replace Unity Phelan, who portrayed the character in Parabellum, in the lead role; by that December, the rest of the main cast was rounded out.  Principal photography began soon after, taking place in Prague, Czech Republic. Additional action sequences were shot starting in February 2024.

Ballerina is scheduled to be released on June 6, 2025.

Premise

Taking place between the events of John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum and Chapter 4,[6] Eve Macarro, a ballerina-assassin, begins to train in the assassin traditions of the Ruska Roma and sets out to exact revenge for her father’s death.[7]

Cast

  • Ana de Armas as Eve Macarro, a ballerina who is beginning to train in the assassin traditions of the Ruska Roma.[7] According to co-star Ian McShane, the character is protected by Winston and Charon in the New York Continental Hotel during the film.[8]
    • Victoria Comte as young Eve
  • Anjelica Huston as the Director[9]
  • Gabriel Byrne as the Chancellor,[10] the film’s main antagonist, who leads the town against Eve.[8][11]
  • Lance Reddick as Charon, the concierge at the Continental Hotel in New York, Winston Scott’s friend, and John Wick’s acquaintance.[12] This was Reddick’s final appearance as Charon and his overall final on-screen appearance, released posthumously.[13]
  • Norman Reedus as Daniel Pine, a mysterious man.  [14]Reedus admired Keanu Reeves for the film series’ demanding “I-need-a-bottle-of-Advil-all-day-long type of job. Reedus contrasted the tightly choreographed fight scenes in the film with the “loose” and “sloppy” ones in his series The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon (2023–present).[15]
  • Ian McShane as Winston Scott, the enigmatic owner of the New York Continental Hotel and friend of John Wick.[16]
  • Keanu Reeves as John Wick, a professional hitman and legendary assassin who has gained a reputation for his skills and is on the run from the High Table.

Sharon Duncan-Brewster appears as Nogi, Eve’s mentor.[17] Choi Soo-young plays Katla Park, Eve’s first field mission protectee.[18] Catalina Sandino Moreno,[19] Jung Doo-hong,[20] and David Castañeda also appear in the film.[21]

_________________________________________________________________________

THE RITUAL

THE RITUAL

The Ritual is a 2025 American horror film directed by David Midell and written by Midell and Enrico Natale. Based on a true story, it follows priests Theophilus Riesinger (Al Pacino) and Joseph Steiger (Dan Stevens) as they attempt to put aside their differences to save an allegedly possessed young woman, Emma Schmidt (Abigail Cowen), through a series of dangerous exorcisms.  The film is set to be released by XYZ Films on June 6, 2025.

Cast

_________________________________________________________________________

I DON’T UNDERSTAND YOU

I DON’T UNDERSTAND YOU

I Don’t Understand You is a 2024 comedy horror film written and directed by David Joseph Craig and Brian Crano. It stars Nick Kroll, Andrew Rannells, Morgan Spector, Eleonora Romandini, and Amanda Seyfried. The film is about a gay couple vacationing in Italy who plan to adopt a baby without any knowledge of the Italian language or transportation.

Plot

Dom and Cole are a wealthy gay couple living in Los Angeles. They are celebrating their 10th anniversary with a trip to Italy. There, they receive a much-anticipated call from Candace, who is expecting a child that Dom and Cole are considering adopting.

They visit Daniele, an old friend of Dom’s father, who arranges a dinner for their anniversary at a farm restaurant in Orvieto that has been closed for several months. The cook wants to reopen her restaurant just for them. However, the directions are not very precise, and they get lost in the middle of rural nowhere on the way there. Their rental car gets stuck in the mud during a heavy rainstorm. A grumpy farmer with a shotgun shows up, and they initially assume the worst, but the man helps them, and when they get to the restaurant, they are warmly welcomed by the owner, Zia Luciana. The food is fantastic, although the staunch vegetarian Cole is forced to try a pizza with horse sausage.

Cast

  • Nick Kroll as Dom
  • Andrew Rannells as Cole
  • Morgan Spector as Massimo
  • Eleonora Romandini as Francesca
  • Amanda Seyfried as Candice
  • Nunzia Schiano as Zia Luciana
  • Paolo Romano as Daniele
  • Nicola Acunzo as Carabineiri Officer
  • Giuseppe Attanasio as Rimaldo
  • Jessamine Burgum as Young Mother
  • Valerio Da Silva as Waiter
  • Cecilia Dazzi as Ilaria
  • Arcangelo Iannace as Farmer
  • Fabio Salerno as Detective
  • Leonardo Verni as Jacopo

_________________________________________________________________________

THE LIFE OF CHUCK

THE LIFE OF CHUCK

The Life of Chuck is a 2024 American science fiction drama film written and directed by Mike Flanagan. It is based on Stephen King’s 2020 novella of the same name. The film stars Tom Hiddleston, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Karen Gillan, Jacob Tremblay, and Mark Hamill. Its plot follows Charles “Chuck” Krantz, whose life is chronicled in reverse chronological order and seemingly impacts the world and universe around him.

Summed up, Mike Flanagan made a deep, multilayered yet beautiful film about the value of life.

The Life of Chuck premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 6, 2024, where it won the People’s Choice Award. It is scheduled to be released in select theaters in the United States by Neon on June 6, 2025, before expanding nationwide on June 13.

Cast

_________________________________________________________________________

6/3/2025 #JohnWick:Ballerina #TheRitual #IDon’tUnderstandYou #TheLifeofChuck

NEW MOVIES: May 29 – June 4, 2025, “Karate Kid: Legends,” “The Phoenician Scheme,” “Bring Her Back,” “To Live and Die and Live”

KARATE KID: LEGENDS

KARATE KID: LEGENDS

Karate Kid: Legends is a 2025 American martial arts drama film directed by Jonathan Entwistle and written by Rob Lieber. It is the sixth film in The Karate Kid franchise, following the 2010 film of the same name, and is set after the events of the television series Cobra Kai (2018–2025).  [3]It stars Jackie Chan and Ralph Macchio, both reprising their roles from the franchise, while introducing Ben Wang as the main lead alongside Joshua Jackson, Sadie Stanley, and Ming-Na Wen. It is the first film in the series not to be produced by Jerry Weintraub, who died in 2015.[4][5] It is also the first PG-13-rated entry in the Karate Kid film series.

The film was confirmed to be developed in September 2022, with Entwistle set to direct and Lieber set to write the screenplay in November 2023. It serves as a continuation of the franchise’s original films, Cobra Kai, which starred Macchio, and the 2010 film starring Chan, merging them in a single shared universe.  [6]Casting took place from November 2023 to April 2024. Filming took place from April to June 2024.

Produced by Columbia Pictures and distributed by Sony Pictures Releasing, Karate Kid: Legends premiered in Mexico City on May 8, 2025, and is scheduled to be released in the United States and Canada on May 30.

Plot

Mr. Han is the revered shifu (master) of a large wuguan (kung fu school) in Beijing, China, with many young students learning his ancient way of kung fu. Among them is Li Fong, a quiet teenager living in the wuguan and hiding from his mother, a doctor who soon arrives to bring him back. She accepts a job position in New York City and makes Li promise to give up martial arts and violence before they leave China, after Li’s brother was stabbed to death by his defeated rival.

Li struggles to adjust and is unable to make friends at school. He meets Mia Lipani, the daughter of Victor Lipani, a former boxer turned traditional Italian pizzeria owner. Li and Mia develop a romantic relationship, but they are confronted by Connor Day, Mia’s aggressive ex-boyfriend and champion fighter at a local dojo known for its underground-style karate competitions. Connor violently beats Li, prompting his mother to assign him a tutor named Alan, whom Li befriends.

Li eventually clashes again with Connor. Though he defends himself, Connor is a stronger fighter. Li attempts to use a flying kick he once learned from his older brother, but Connor counters it, exploiting Li’s vulnerability mid-air and defeating him.

One night, Li witnesses Victor being attacked by thugs sent by his creditor, O’Shea, who also happens to own Connor’s dojo and is a karate sensei. Forced to intervene, Li defeats the attackers. Grateful, Victor confides in Li that he once boxed professionally and is planning a comeback to pay off his debt and save the pizzeria, and he asks Li to train him. Though hesitant initially, Li agrees, believing he will not be fighting himself. Li later becomes Victor’s employee in his pizzeria.

Cast

Main article: List of The Karate Kid and Cobra Kai characters
Ben Wang plays the main character, Li Fong.
  • Jackie Chan as Mr. Han, a revered shifu of a wuguan in Beijing, where Li Fong trains before leaving China with his mother for New York
  • Ralph Macchio as Daniel LaRusso, the Miyagi-do karate sensei who teaches Li the ways of Miyagi karate.
  • Ben Wang as Li Fong, a young Chinese boy mentored by Mr. Han who leaves Beijing with his mother to start a new life in New York
  • Joshua Jackson as Victor Lipani, Mia’s father, who is a former boxer turned pizzeria owner where Li works
  • Sadie Stanley as Mia Lipani, Victor’s daughter, who is a love interest to both Li and Connor
  • Ming-Na Wen as Dr. Fong, Li’s mother, who is reluctant to her son’s martial arts practice
  • Aramis Knight as Connor Day, a karate prodigy and Li’s rival
  • Wyatt Oleff as Alan, Li’s tutor and friend, who lends him his rooftop garden with pet pigeons as a training ground
  • Shaunette Renée Wilson as Ms. Morgan, a schoolteacher in New York, where Li attends as a new student

Additionally, Jennifer-Lyn Christie has been cast in an undisclosed role.  William Zabka reprises his role as Johnny Lawrence from previous media in the franchise.

___________________________________________________________________________

THE PHOENICIAN SCHEME

THE PHOENICIAN SCHEME

The Phoenician Scheme is a 2025 espionage black comedy film produced, written, and directed by Wes Anderson from a story he conceived with Roman Coppola.  [2]The film features an ensemble cast that includes Benicio del Toro, Mia Threapleton, Michael Cera, Riz Ahmed, Tom Hanks, Bryan Cranston, Mathieu Amalric, Richard Ayoade, Jeffrey Wright, Scarlett Johansson, Benedict Cumberbatch, Rupert Friend, and Hope Davis. An international co-production between the United States and Germany, it was produced by Anderson’s company, American Empirical Pictures, and Steven Rales’s company, Indian Paintbrush.

Anderson talked about the film in June 2023 while promoting Asteroid City; he said it had already been written before the 2023 WGA strike began. That September, he revealed that del Toro and Cera were planned to join the cast, and he hoped to begin filming soon after the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike ended. The rest of the cast signed on between January and June 2024. Filming occurred at Babelsberg Studio in Germany, between March and June 2024, with cinematographer Bruno Delbonnel. Frequent Anderson collaborator Alexandre Desplat returned to compose the score.

The Phoenician Scheme had its world premiere in the main competition of the 2025 Cannes Film Festival on May 18, 2025 [3]. It will be released theatrically in the United States by Focus Features on May 30 and in Germany by Universal Pictures on June 29, 2025. The film received generally positive reviews.

Premise

Wealthy businessman Zsa-zsa Korda appoints his only daughter, a nun, as sole heir to his estate. As Korda embarks on a new enterprise, they soon become the target of scheming tycoons, foreign terrorists, and determined assassins.

Cast

___________________________________________________________________________

BRING HER BACK

BRING HER BACK

Bring Her Back is an upcoming Australian supernatural horror film directed by Danny and Michael Philippou and written by Danny Philippou and Bill Hinzman. Produced by Causeway Films and RackaRacka, in association with Salmira Productions and South Australia Film Corporation,[4] the film stars Billy Barratt, Sora Wong, and Sally Hawkins.

It will be theatrically released by Sony Pictures Releasing International‘s Stage 6 Films in Australia on 29 May 2025.

Plot

A brother and sister uncover a terrifying ritual at the secluded home of their new foster mother.

Cast

  • Billy Barratt as Andy
  • Sally Hawkins as Laura
  • Sora Wong as Piper
  • Jonah Wren Phillips as Oliver
  • Sally-Anne Upton as Wendy
  • Stephen Phillips as Phil
  • Mischa Heywood as Cathy
  • Liam Damons
  • Olga Miller as Macia

___________________________________________________________________________

TO LIVE AND DIE AND LIVE

TO LIVE AND DIE AND LIVE

To Live and Die and Live is a 2023 American drama film written and directed by Qasim Basir. It stars Amin Joseph.

The film premiered at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival on January 20, 2023, and was released theatrically in the United States on May 16, 2025.

Plot

TO LIVE AND DIE AND LIVE follows a film director who returns to Detroit to bury his stepfather and settle his accounts, but his struggles with addiction and loss may finish him before he finishes the task. As old and new relationships unfold, he’s forced to confront the emotional and psychological toll of his past and the dark side of his city’s vibrant, gritty landscape.

Cast

___________________________________________________________________________

5/27/2025 #KarateKid:Legends #ThePhoenicianScheme #BringHerBack #ToLiveandDieandLive

NEW MOVIES: May 22-28, 2025, “Mission Impossible: The Final Reckoning,” “Lilo & Stitch,” “The Last Rodeo,” “The New Boy”

MISSION IMPOSSIBLE: THE FINAL RECKONING

MISSION IMPOSSIBLE: THE FINAL RECKONING

Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning is a 2025 American action spy film directed by Christopher McQuarrie from a screenplay he co-wrote with Erik Jendresen. The sequel to Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One (2023), it is the eighth and final installment in the Mission: Impossible film series.[6][7] Tom Cruise, Hayley Atwell, Ving Rhames, Simon Pegg, Henry Czerny, and Angela Bassett reprise their roles from the previous films.[8][9]

In January 2019, Cruise announced that the seventh and eighth Mission: Impossible films would be shot back-to-back, with McQuarrie co-writing and directing both films. Plans for the eighth film later changed in February 2021. Returning and new cast members were announced soon after, including Lorne Balfe, who composed the score for two other films in the franchise, returning to score Final Reckoning. However, Balfe later left the production and was replaced by his longtime collaborators Max Aruj and Alfie Godfrey. Filming began in March 2022 in the United Kingdom, with other filming locations including Malta, South Africa, and Norway. Production was halted in July 2023 due to the SAG-AFTRA strike, resumed in March 2024, and concluded in November 2024. The film, originally titled Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part Two, dropped its subtitle in October 2023, and the new subtitle was announced in November 2024. With an estimated budget of $300–400 million, it is one of the most expensive films ever made.

The Final Reckoning had its world premiere in Tokyo on May 5, 2025, was screened out of competition at the 78th Cannes Film Festival on May 14, and is scheduled to be theatrically released in the United States on May 23 by Paramount Pictures. The film received positive reviews from critics.

Plot

IMF agents Ethan Hunt and Grace pursue Gabriel, an agent working for the Entity artificial intelligence. Instead, Gabriel captures them and coerces Ethan into retrieving the core module, revealed to be the “Rabbit’s Foot”[a], from the sunken Russian submarine Sevastopol for him, which would give him control over the Entity’s source code. Ethan and Grace escape with the aid of IMF agent Benji Dunn and new recruits Paris and Theo Degas. They discover a device that Gabriel used to communicate with the Entity, which shows Ethan a vision of a coming nuclear apocalypse. Ethan realizes the Entity needs access to a secure digital bunker in South Africa to ensure its survival.

Ethan sends his team to retrieve the Sevastopol‘s coordinates, while he rejoins Luther Stickell to disarm a nuclear device Gabriel planted in London. Luther reveals that he developed a malware for the Entity called the Poison Pill, but Gabriel has stolen it. Sacrificing himself, Luther stays behind to stop the bomb. Ethan then surrenders to U.S. President Erika Sloane, who urges cooperation due to the Entity’s escalating control over global nuclear systems. With only four days before it launches global strikes, Ethan convinces Sloane to let him act independently to locate the Sevastopol, against CIA Director Eugene Kittridge‘s objections.

Cast

____________________________________________________________________________

LILO & STITCH

LILO & STITCH

Lilo & Stitch is a 2002 American animated science fiction comedy-drama film produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation and released by Walt Disney Pictures.[3][4] It was written and directed by Chris Sanders and Dean DeBlois in their directorial debuts and produced by Clark Spencer, based on an original story created by Sanders. It stars Daveigh Chase and Sanders as the voices of the title characters, with the voices of Tia Carrere, David Ogden Stiers, Kevin McDonald, Ving Rhames, Jason Scott Lee, Zoe Caldwell, and Kevin Michael Richardson in supporting roles. It was the second of three Disney animated feature films produced primarily at the Florida animation studio in Disney-MGM Studios at Walt Disney World near Orlando, Florida.[5][d]

The film tells the story of two individuals: an orphaned Hawaiian girl named Lilo Pelekai, who is raised by her struggling older sister, Nani, after their parents’ deaths, and the genetically engineered extraterrestrial creature Experiment 626, who Lilo adopts as her “dog” and renames “Stitch”. Stitch, who was designed to cause chaos and destruction, initially uses Lilo to avoid recapture by an intergalactic federation. They develop a close bond through the Hawaiian concept of ʻohana, or extended family, causing Stitch to reconsider his intended destructive purpose to keep his newfound family together.

The film is based on an idea by Sanders, who originally conceived Stitch in 1985, and the film’s design and aesthetics are based on his personal art style. Stitch was initially at the center of a children’s book Sanders had conceptualized, but later abandoned. A feature-length film starring the character entered development in 1997 when Thomas Schumacher, then the president of Walt Disney Feature Animation, approached Sanders intending to produce “the Dumbo for our generation.” The use of watercolor backgrounds hearkened back to early Disney productions such as Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937). The film and its accompanying soundtrack extensively used the music of Elvis Presley, while Alan Silvestri composed the film’s score.

Lilo & Stitch premiered at the El Capitan Theatre in Los Angeles on June 16, 2002, and was theatrically released in the United States on June 21. The film received positive reviews from critics, who praised its story, humor, charm, and originality. Produced on an $80 million budget and promoted with a marketing campaign that played up its oddities, it was a box-office success, grossing over $273 million worldwide. It was nominated for Best Animated Feature at the 75th Academy Awards but lost to Spirited Away.[6][7] The film’s success highlighted Disney’s post-animation renaissance era in the 2000s, spawning a franchise that includes three direct-to-video film sequels and three television series. A live-action adaptation is set to be released in 2025.

Plot

On planet Turo, the United Galactic Federation convicts evil scientist Dr. Jumba Jookiba of illegal genetic experimentation; he has created Experiment 626, an aggressive and near-indestructible creature with advanced learning capabilities. 626 is sentenced to exile on a desert asteroid, but he escapes and hijacks a space cruiser that crash-lands on Kauaʻi, Hawaii, on the planet Earth. Shortly after landing on Earth, 626 is hit by three passing trucks and taken to an animal shelter. The Federation’s Grand Councilwoman offers Jumba an early release if he retrieves 626 with the assistance of the council’s Earth expert, Agent Pleakley.

On Kauaʻi, orphaned teenager Nani Pelekai struggles to take care of her lonely, rambunctious younger sister, Lilo, following their parents’ death in a car crash. Social worker Cobra Bubbles doubts Nani can be a guardian for Lilo and threatens to place Lilo in foster care if the Pelekais’ situation fails to improve. After overhearing Lilo, who wishes for a friend, Nani brings her to the animal shelter to adopt a dog. Lilo adopts 626, who is impersonating a dog, and names him “Stitch”. Stitch causes chaos at the lūʻau where Nani works while trying to avoid capture by Jumba and Pleakley. Nani’s boss blames Nani for the chaos, and she is fired. The news of Nani’s unemployment reaches Bubbles, who orders Nani to find a new job and tells Lilo to teach Stitch to be a “model citizen”.

Voice cast

Main article: List of Lilo & Stitch characters

____________________________________________________________________________

THE LAST RODEO

THE LAST RODEO

The Last Rodeo is an upcoming American drama film written and directed by Jon Avnet. It stars Neal McDonough (who is also a co-writer and producer), Mykelti Williamson, Christopher McDonald, Sarah Jones, and Daylon Swearingen.

Film synopsis

A retired rodeo legend risks it all to save his grandson. Facing his own painful past and his family’s fears, he enters a high-stakes bull-riding competition as the oldest contestant ever. Along the way, he reconciles old wounds with his estranged daughter, proving that true courage is found in the fight for family.

Release Date

May 23, 2025

Director

Jon Avnet

Producers

Jon Avnet

Kip Konwiser

Neal McDonough

Ruve McDonough

Writers

Jon Avnet

Derek Presley

Neal McDonough

Cast

____________________________________________________________________________

THE NEW BOY

THE NEW BOY

The New Boy is a 2023 Australian drama film written and directed by Warwick Thornton. It stars Aswan Reid as the title character, Deborah Mailman, Wayne Blair, and Cate Blanchett, who also produced the film. The film follows a young Aboriginal Australian orphan boy who is brought into a Christian monastery run by a renegade nun, where he begins to question his faith and loyalty to his heritage.

The film premiered at the 76th Cannes Film Festival on 19 May 2023 and was theatrically released in Australia on 6 July 2023 by Roadshow Films. It received generally positive reviews from critics.

Plot

In the Australian outback in the mid-1940s, a nameless nine-year-old orphan boy, Aboriginal except that he has some fair hair, strangles a white horseman. Another horseman fells the boy with a boomerang; then the boy is taken in at a remote monastery for raising Aboriginal boys. The monastery is seemingly run by a male priest, who has been dead for a year without anyone appearing to know the cause. The lead nun, Sister Eileen, claims to outsiders that the priest is still alive and forges letters to create this impression. Eileen is supported in her work and her deception by a fellow nun who goes by the nickname “Sister Mum” and a man named George, both of whom are Aboriginal and assimilated to Christian beliefs. Though times are difficult, the nuns care for the boys and desire to protect them through Christian teachings and shared manual work. The boys are not provided with knowledge of Aboriginal values, language, or practices. Their fate is to be forced to leave early and be employed as farmhands. Sister Mum is implied to have converted to Christianity due to the loss of her two children, while George lives a secure life at the monastery.

The orphan boy, nicknamed the “New Boy,” initially struggles to fit in with the other boys. He is incapable of speaking or understanding English and lacks any desire for Western behaviour, such as footwear and clothing. After a period of bullying, the New Boy gradually asserts himself physically and emotionally and becomes accepted by everyone. Throughout this process, the New Boy is shown to possess mysterious supernatural abilities to conjure small balls of light and to heal sick animals and humans.

Cast

  • Aswan Reid as New Boy
  • Cate Blanchett as Sister Eileen
  • Deborah Mailman as Sister Mum
  • Wayne Blair as George
  • Shane McKenzie-Brady as Michael
  • Tyrique Brady as Matthew
  • Laiken Beau Woolmington as David
  • Kailem Miller as Steven
  • Kyle Miller as James
  • Tyzailin Roderick as Henry
  • Tyler Rockman Spencer as Johnny
  • Andrew Upton and Tyson Pawley as Firefighters

____________________________________________________________________________

5/20/2025 #MissionImpossible:TheFinalReckoning #Lilo&Stitch #TheLastRodeo #TheNewBoy

 

NEW MOVIES: May 15-21, 2025, “Final Destination Bloodlines,” “Hurry Up Tomorrow,” “Jane Austen Wrecked My Life,” “E. 1027 Eileen Gray – The House by the Sea”

FINAL DESTINATION BLOODLINES

FINAL DESTINATION BLOODLINES

Final Destination Bloodlines is a 2025 American supernatural horror film directed by Zach Lipovsky and Adam Stein and written by Guy Busick and Lori Evans Taylor, based on a story developed by them and Jon Watts. It is the sixth installment in the Final Destination film series and a direct sequel to The Final Destination (2009). The film stars Kaitlyn Santa Juana as a college student who inherits her grandmother’s sudden premonition about the collapse of a tower years ago and tries to save her entire family after they start dying one by one. Teo Briones, Richard Harmon, Owen Patrick Joyner, Rya Kihlstedt, Anna Lore, Brec Bassinger, and Tony Todd appear in supporting roles.

After the commercial success of Final Destination 5 (2011), the film entered development and was described as a “re-imagining” of the franchise. In March 2020, series producer Craig Perry said the film would be set “in the world of first responders,” but in October, series creator Jeffrey Reddick confirmed it was the sixth main film in the franchise. Filming took place in Vancouver, as did most previous installments.

Final Destination Bloodlines will be released in the United States by Warner Bros. Pictures on May 16, 2025. It has received positive reviews from critics.

Plot

 

In 1968, Iris Campbell and her fiancé Paul attend the opening ceremony of the Sky View Restaurant Tower. At the dance party, Iris is struck by a premonition in which a chandelier’s shard cracks the glass floor beneath the guests while a gas heater leaks and ignites a massive explosion, leading to the tower’s collapse and killing everyone.

Fifty-six years later, college student Stefani Reyes has nightmares about the collapse. Encouraged by her roommate, Val, Stefani travels home for answers and is greeted by her father, Marty, and her brother, Charlie. The siblings visit their uncle Howard, aunt Brenda, and cousins Erik, Julia, and Bobby. When Stefani asks Howard about Iris, her maternal grandmother, he explains that she not only subjected him and Stefani’s mother, Darlene, to a paranoid childhood of overprotection but also became reclusive and caused Darlene to leave them. Brenda gives Stefani letters Iris sent to Howard, and she goes to a fortified cabin in the woods where Iris resides.

Iris explains to Stefani that she disrupted Death‘s plan by warning Paul and the other guests to leave the glass floor before it broke. In response, the tower never collapsed, but Death began killing the survivors and their descendants generation after generation for being lives that should never have existed. Paul was among the casualties of the accident, and Iris compiled information about the omens in a book. Though Stefani does not seem to believe her, Iris leaves her cabin to give Stefani the book and prove her claims, as a chain reaction causes a weather vane to fatally impale Iris through her mouth.

Cast

Further information on individual characters: List of Final Destination Bloodlines characters
  • Kaitlyn Santa Juana as Stefani Reyes, a college student haunted by nightmares of a 1968 tower collapse[4][5]
  • Teo Briones as Charlie Reyes, Stefani’s younger brother[6][5]
  • Richard Harmon as Erik Campbell, one of Stefani’s cousins[6]
  • Owen Patrick Joyner as Bobby Campbell, one of Stefani’s cousins[6]
  • Rya Kihlstedt as Darlene Campbell, Stefani and Charlie’s estranged mother and Iris’ daughter[6][5]
  • Anna Lore as Julia Campbell, one of Stefani’s cousins[6]
  • Gabrielle Rose as Iris Campbell, Stefani’s grandmother, who had a premonition in 1968[7]
  • Tony Todd as William Bludworth[4]
    • Jayden Oniah as young William Bludworth
  • Tinpo Lee as Marty Reyes, Stefani’s father[7][5]
  • April Telek as Brenda Campbell, Stefani’s aunt[7]
  • Alex Zahara as Howard Campbell, Stefani’s uncle and Iris’ son[7]
  • Max Lloyd-Jones as Paul Campbell, Iris’ husband[7]
  • Brenna Llewellyn as Val, Stefani’s college roommate[7]
  • Yvette Ferguson as Mrs. Fuller, an elderly woman present in the tower’s collapse in 1968[8]
  • Mark Brandon as Mr. Fuller, an elderly man present in the tower’s collapse in 1968[7]

__________________________________________________________________________

HURRY UP TOMORROW

HURRY UP TOMORROW

Hurry Up Tomorrow is an upcoming American musical psychological thriller film directed and edited by Trey Edward Shults. The film serves as a companion to Abel “The Weeknd” Tesfaye‘s sixth studio album of the same name, which was produced in conjunction with the film. Shults wrote the screenplay with Tesfaye and Reza Fahim, who also produced the film with Kevin Turen and Harrison Kreiss. The film stars Tesfaye as a fictionalized version of himself, an insomniac musician on the verge of a mental breakdown who is pulled into an existential odyssey by a mysterious stranger. Jenna Ortega and Barry Keoghan also star.

The film will be released worldwide by Lionsgate on May 16, 2025.

Cast

__________________________________________________________________________

JANE AUSTEN WRECKED MY LIFE

JANE AUSTEN WRECKED MY LIFE

Jane Austen Wrecked My Life (French: Jane Austen a gâché ma vie) is a 2024 French romantic comedy film written and directed by Laura Piani.

The film had its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival on 9 September 2024.  [2]It was released in France on 22 January 2025 and is set to be released in the United States by Sony Pictures Classics on May 23, 2025.

Cast

__________________________________________________________________________

E. 1027 EILEEN GRAY & THE HOUSE BY THE SEA

E. 1027 EILEEN GRAY & THE HOUSE BY THE SEA

Documentary drama based on a true story.

E.1027 is a cinematic journey into the mind of Eileen Gray. A story about the power of female expression and men’s desire to control it.

__________________________________________________________________________

5-13-2025 #FinalDestinationsBloodlines #HurryUpTomorrow #JaneAustenWreckedMyLife #E.1027EileenGrayandtheHousebytheSea

NEW MOVIES: May 8-14, 2025, “Fight or Flight,” “Shadow Force,” “Lilly,” “Sharp Corner”

FIGHT OR FLIGHT

FIGHT OR FLIGHT

Fight or Flight is a 2025 action comedy directed by James Madigan, and written by Brooks McLaren and D. J. Cotrona. It stars Josh Hartnett as a man who is recruited to identity and protect a wanted criminal aboard a commercial airline; Charithra Chandran, Marko Zaror, and Katee Sackhoff also star. The film was released in the United Kingdom on February 28, 2025, and is scheduled to be in the United States on May 9.

Premise

A mercenary is tasked with a job on an airplane flight.[2]

Cast

___________________________________________________________________________

SHADOW FORCE

SHADOW FORCE

Shadow Force is an upcoming American action thriller directed by Joe Carnahan and co-written by Carnahan and Leon Chills. It stars Kerry Washington, Omar Sy, Mark Strong, Da’Vine Joy Randolph, and Cliff “Method Man” Smith.

Premise

Kyrah and Isaac were once the leaders of a multinational special forces group called Shadow Force. However, they broke the rules by falling in love, and they went underground to protect their son, with the rest of the Shadow Force hot on their trail.

Cast

[edit]

___________________________________________________________________________

LILLY

LILLY

Lilly is a 2024 American drama film directed and produced by Rachel Feldman from a screenplay by Feldman and Adam Prince. It stars Patricia Clarkson as Lilly Ledbetter, who battles the court case Ledbetter v. Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. John Benjamin Hickey and Thomas Sadoski also star.

It premiered at the Hamptons International Film Festival on October 10, 2024, and is scheduled to be released by Blue Harbor Entertainment on May 9, 2025.

Premise

The movie follows Lilly Ledbetter and the groundbreaking Ledbetter v. Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. case.

Cast

___________________________________________________________________________

SHARP CORNER

SHARP CORNER

Sharp Corner is a 2024 thriller film written and directed by Jason Buxton. Based on the short story by Russell Wangersky, the film stars Ben Foster as Josh McCall, a man who becomes obsessed with saving car accident victims at the sharp road corner near his home.[1] It is produced by Paul Barkin, Marc Tetreault, Jason Levangie, Susan Mullen, and Buxton.

The film also stars Cobie Smulders as Josh’s wife Rachel, William Kosovic as Max, and Gavin Drea, with Alexandra McDonald, Alexandra Castillo, Julia Dyan, Jonathan Watton, Reid Price, Leah Johnston, Andrew Shaver, Mark A. Owen, Bob Mann, Allison Wilson-Forbes, Wayne Burns, Trina Corkum, Gita Miller, Eugene Sampang, David Light, Steve Lawrence, Sebastien Labelle, Stephanie MacDonald, Rena Kossatz, Kevin Kincaid, Emily Jewer, Ryan Willis, and Susan Leblanc-Crawford in supporting roles.

Production

Buxton’s second feature film, following Blackbird in 2012 [1], entered the development process in the late 2010s, with its screenplay included in the International Financing Forum at the 2017 Toronto International Film Festival. [2]

It was filmed in 2023 in the Halifax, Nova Scotia, area.[3]

Release

The film was screened for distributors at the 2024 Berlin Film Market [4] and premiered at the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival.[5]

It was subsequently screened at the 2024 Atlantic International Film Festival, winning the Best Atlantic Canadian Feature and Best Atlantic Canadian Director awards. [6]In October 2024, it was showcased at the 19th Rome Film Festival.[7]

In November 2024, Vertical acquired the United States distribution rights for the film and will release the film theatrically in the second quarter of 2025.[8]

Critical reception

On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film scores 94%, based on 18 critic reviews with an average rating of 6.5/10.[9]

___________________________________________________________________________

5/6/2025 #FightorFlight #ShadowForce #Lilly #SharpCorner

NEW MOVIES: May 1-7, 2025, “Thunderbolts,” “The Surfer,” “Rosario,” “Rust”

THUNDERBOLTS

THUNDERBOLTS

Thunderbolts* is a 2025 American superhero film based on Marvel Comics featuring the team Thunderbolts. Produced by Marvel Studios and distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures, it is the 36th film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). The film was directed by Jake Schreier from a screenplay by Eric Pearson and Joanna Calo, and stars an ensemble cast featuring Florence Pugh, Sebastian Stan, Wyatt Russell, Olga Kurylenko, Lewis Pullman, Geraldine Viswanathan, David Harbour, Hannah John-Kamen, and Julia Louis-Dreyfus. In the film, a group of antiheroes are caught in a deadly trap and forced to work together on a dangerous mission.

Marvel Studios first teased the formation of a Thunderbolts team within the MCU in 2021. The film was revealed to be in development in June 2022, when Schreier and Pearson were attached. The main cast was revealed in September, with additional casting through early 2023. Lee Sung Jin joined to rewrite the script by March 2023, one of several creatives who returned to work with Schreier from the Netflix series Beef (2023–present). Production was delayed due to the 2023 Hollywood labor disputes, causing some cast changes in early 2024. Calo joined by then for further rewrites. Filming took place from February to June 2024 at Trilith Studios and Atlanta Metro Studios in Atlanta, Georgia, and also on location in Utah and Kuala Lumpur.

Thunderbolts* premiered on April 22, 2025, at the Empire Leicester Square in London, England, and is scheduled to be released in the United States on May 2, as the final film of Phase Five of the MCU. The film received positive reviews from critics.

Premise

A group of antiheroes are caught in a deadly trap by Valentina Allegra de Fontaine and are forced into a dangerous mission that could bring them redemption if they unite as a team.[3]

Cast

Additionally, Chris Bauer has been cast in an undisclosed role,[18] while Wendell Edward Pierce portrays a political figure.[19] Laurence Fishburne and Rachel Weisz are expected to reprise their respective MCU roles as Bill Foster and Melina Vostokoff.[20] There are conflicting reports about whether Harrison Ford will reprise his role as Thaddeus Ross from the film Captain America: Brave New World (2025).[21][22]

___________________________________________________________________________

THE SURFER

THE SURFER

The Surfer is a 2024 English-language psychological thriller written by Thomas Martin, directed by Lorcan Finnegan, and starring Nicolas Cage.[1][2][3]

A man returns to his childhood beach to surf with his son, but faces a humiliating confrontation with local bullies. The Surfer is a 2024 film directed by Lorcan Finnegan and starring Nicolas Cage, Finn Little, and Rahel Romahn.

The Surfer addresses the failures of perceived masculinity. The protagonist has lost everything he holds dear as a provider. His marriage, career, and authority as a father have crumbled into dust. He believes that reclaiming a source of childhood happiness will somehow fill that void. The Surfer will show his fractured family that he can still do the job and give them palpable security. The loathsome Scally preaches a similar message to the Bay Boys, but with a far more aggressive reach. Men have to be dominant, territorial, and unflinching when challenged. But you must first feel pain and worthlessness to claw your way back to an alpha position.

The Surfer had its world premiere in the Midnight Screenings section at the 77th Cannes Film Festival on 18 May 2024, before its theatrical release by Roadside Attractions on 2 May 2025.

Cast

Production

Nicolas Cage‘s casting in the film was announced in May 2023.[5] The film is an Australian and Irish co-production. It was produced by Tea Shop Productions, Arenamedia, Lovely Productions, and Gramercy Park Media, with support from Australia’s Screenwest.[6] In October and November 2023, it was reported that Cage was filming scenes in Yallingup.[7][8][9] Principal photography concluded in December 2023.[6]

___________________________________________________________________________

ROSARIO

ROSARIO

Rosario is an upcoming American horror film directed by Felipe Vargas in his feature directorial debut. The film stars Emeraude Toubia, David Dastmalchian, José Zúñiga, Diana Lein and Paul Ben-Victor.

Stockbroker Rosario “Rosie” Fuentes returns to her deceased grandmother’s New York apartment. While sorting through her grandmother’s belongings, Rosario discovers a hidden chamber with occult artifacts tied to dark rituals. Rosario begins to be plagued by supernatural events and “must confront her family’s buried secrets and the price of abandoning her roots.” She’s forced to spend the night with her grandmother’s corpse as she waits for an ambulance to arrive during a snowstorm.

Cast

Production

Development

In October 2023, it was reported that a high-concept horror film titled Rosario was in development by director Felipe Vargas in his feature directorial debut, and with David Dastmalchian, José Zúñiga, Diana Lein, Paul Ben-Victor, and Emeraude Toubia starring. Principal photography began in mid-November 2023 in Bogotá.[1]

___________________________________________________________________________

RUST

RUST

Rust is a 2024 American Western film written and directed by Joel Souza. It stars Alec Baldwin (who also produced and co-wrote the story with Souza), Patrick Scott McDermott, Josh Hopkins, Frances Fisher, and Travis Fimmel.[2] The film gained notoriety for a shooting incident in 2021, wherein cinematographer Halyna Hutchins was accidentally killed when a live round was discharged from a prop revolver that Baldwin was using. It premiered at the Polish film festival Camerimage on November 20, 2024, and is scheduled for a theatrical release on May 2, 2025.

Premise

In the 1880s, in Kansas, elderly outlaw Harland Rust comes out of hiding to rescue his 13-year-old nephew Lucas Hollister, after he is sentenced to hang for an accidental killing. Now fugitives, the pair must outrun the vicious bounty hunter Fenton “Preacher” Lang.[3][4]

Cast

  • Alec Baldwin as Harland Rust, an elderly outlaw
  • Patrick Scott McDermott as Lucas Hollister, Rust’s nephew.[5] Brady Noon was initially cast as Lucas, but when production was delayed for over a year, his other commitments made him unable to re-commit to the role.[6]
  • Travis Fimmel as Fenton “Preacher” Lang, a bounty hunter after Rust
  • Frances Fisher as Lucas’ grandaunt
  • Jake Busey as Drum Parker[7]
  • Josh Hopkins as Wood Helm, a sheriff. Jensen Ackles was originally cast as Helm before being replaced by Hopkins because the delayed production caused scheduling conflicts.[8][9]
  • Devon Werkheiser as Boone LaFontaine[10]

Production

Development

In May 2020, it was announced that Alec Baldwin would produce and star in Rust, a Western based on a story he created with writer and director Joel Souza.[3] Baldwin told The Hollywood Reporter that he was elated to work with Souza after missing the opportunity to star in Crown Vic (2019). He compared the screenplay to the film Unforgiven (1992), and said a true story inspired it. When asked about his gun slinging and horse riding skills, he said: “They’re always at the ready. I’m an actor of the old school. So if you read my resume, my motorcycle riding, my French, juggling, my horseback riding, my gunplay—is all right at my fingertips.”[11]

In October 2021, production was suspended after cinematographer Halyna Hutchins was fatally shot when a gun being used as a prop was fired by Baldwin during the preparation for a scene; the same round injured Souza. Several lawsuits were filed, and eventually, manslaughter charges were filed against Baldwin and armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed.[12][13][14] Filming finally restarted in April 2023 and was completed soon after. Gutierrez-Reed was ultimately found guilty, but Baldwin was acquitted.[15][16][17][18]

Rust was being produced on a $6–7 million budget and described as a “passion project” for Baldwin.[19][20][21] The film’s distribution rights were sold to The Avenue for $2 million during pre-production.[22] Travis Fimmel, Brady Noon, and Frances Fisher joined the cast in September 2021,[23] with Jensen Ackles being cast the following month.[24] The production involved approximately 150 crew members, half local, 22 principal, and 230 background actors from New Mexico.[25][26] The production had a filming schedule of 21 days.[22][27] Filming began in New Mexico on October 6, 2021.[28]

Shooting incident

These paragraphs are an excerpt from the Rust shooting incident § Events of October 21.

On the morning of October 21, 2021, which was to be the twelfth day of filming, seven unionized members of the film’s camera crew collected their belongings at approximately 6:30 a.m. MT in a walkout.[29] They claim they were told to leave the set, with a producer threatening to call the police, and were replaced.[30][31] According to a statement given to TheWrap by an anonymous insider, several crew members took some prop guns off-set that day, including the firearm involved in the incident, to pass the time shooting at beer cans with live ammunition.[32] After a lunch break, the prop guns had been returned.[32] It is not clear if the firearms were checked again.[33] On October 26, the Santa Fe County district attorney said these claims were still unconfirmed.[34]

Later that day, the cast and crew rehearsed a gunfight inside a Bonanza Creek Ranch church. Firearms and ammunition were retrieved from a locked safe, and armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed placed three guns for filming on a cart.[29] Among them were a plastic gun that could not shoot live ammunition, a modified weapon that could not fire any ammunition, and a solid-frame .45 Colt revolver replica made by Pietta.[29][35][36][37]

According to a search warrant, Gutierrez-Reed briefly checked the guns before assistant director David Halls took the Pietta revolver from the prop cart and handed it to Baldwin.[38][39] In a subsequent affidavit, Halls said the safety protocol regarding this firearm was such that he would open the loading gate of the revolver and rotate the cylinder to expose the chambers so he could inspect them himself. According to the affidavit, Halls said he did not check all cylinder chambers but recalled seeing three rounds in the cylinder at the time. After the shooting, Halls said in the affidavit, Gutierrez-Reed retrieved the weapon and opened it, and Halls said that he saw four rounds, which were blanks, and one which could have been the remaining shell of a discharged live round.[40] In the warrant, it is further stated that Halls announced the term “cold gun”, meaning that it did not contain live rounds.[38] Halls’s lawyer, Lisa Torraco, later sought to assert that he did not take the gun off the cart and hand it to Baldwin as reported, but when pressed by a reporter to be clear, she refused to repeat that assertion.[41]

B-camera operator Reid Russell was situated on a camera dolly, looking at a monitor with Hutchins and Souza both nearby. The scene involved Baldwin’s character removing a gun from its holster and pointing it toward the camera.[29][33] The trio behind the monitor was two feet (0.6 m) from the firearm’s muzzle, and none of them wore protective gear such as noise-canceling headphones or safety goggles.[29]

The trio behind the monitor began repositioning the camera to remove a shadow, and Baldwin explained to the crew how he planned to draw the firearm.[33] He said, “So, I guess I’m gonna take this out, pull it, and go, ‘Bang!'”[29] He removed it from the holster, and the revolver discharged a single time. Baldwin denied pulling the trigger of the gun, while ABC News described a later FBI report stating that the gun could only fire if the trigger were pulled.[42][43] Halls was quoted by his attorney Lisa Torraco as saying that Baldwin did not pull the trigger, and that Baldwin’s finger was never within the trigger guard during the incident.[44] When the gun fired, the projectile approached the three behind the monitor. It struck Hutchins in the chest, traveled through her body, and then hit Souza in the shoulder.[30][38][45] Script supervisor Mamie Mitchell called 9-1-1 at 1:46 p.m. MT, and emergency crews appeared three minutes later.[29] Footage of the incident was not recorded.[35]

Hutchins was flown by helicopter to the University of New Mexico Hospital in Albuquerque, where she was pronounced dead.[46] Souza was treated by EMS and transported by ambulance to Christus St. Vincent Regional Medical Center in Santa Fe, where he was admitted and released by the following morning.[47]

As a result of the incident, production on Rust was suspended indefinitely,[46] though co-producer Anjul Nigam was confident the film would resume production once the investigation ended. However, Nigam later clarified that he meant to express optimism and hope, rather than confidence, as he stated that many involved in the production hope to honor Hutchins by completing her final work.[48][49]

Spider bite incident

In November 2021, weeks after the shooting incident, lamp operator and pipe rigger Jason Miller was bitten in the arm by a brown recluse spider while closing the set. Miller suffered necrosis and sepsis. He was hospitalized and underwent multiple surgeries to avoid amputation of his arm.[50][51][52]

Resumed production

In October 2022, the Hutchins family settled the lawsuit,[53] with filming set to resume in January 2023 in California, with Matthew Hutchins, Halyna’s husband, as an executive producer.[54][55] Many of the film’s crew gave mixed reactions towards the news, with some supporting it and planning on resuming their work on it, but others condemning the decision and deciding not to return.[56] On January 18, filming was delayed again after New Mexico First Judicial District Attorney Mary Carmack-Altwies decided to charge Baldwin with involuntary manslaughter.[57] In February 2023, it was reported that filming would resume in spring 2023 with Souza directing and Bianca Cline as cinematographer. Grant Hill was added as producer.[58] The new shooting location was reported to be Yellowstone Film Ranch in Livingston, Montana.[59] Producers stated that the use of working weapons or ammunition would be prohibited.[58]

Production of the film resumed on April 20, 2023.[5][12] The same day, it was reported that prosecutors had informed Baldwin that the charges against him were being dropped, and the new, updated cast was released.[13] Meanwhile, Patrick Scott McDermott was confirmed to have replaced Noon.[6] By May 2023, Jensen Ackles left because of scheduling conflicts; Josh Hopkins plays a new character.[9] On April 24, 2023, Baldwin returned to the set to finish filming his scenes,[60] with the production concluding on May 22, 2023.[14]

___________________________________________________________________________

#Thunderbolts #TheSurfer #Rosario #Rust

NEW MOVIES: April 24-30, 2025, “The Accountant 2,” “Until Dawn,” “The Legend of Ochi,” “Another Day in America”

THE ACCOUNTANT 2

THE ACCOUNTANT 2

The Accountant 2 is a 2025 American action thriller film directed by Gavin O’Connor and written by Bill Dubuque.[2] It is the sequel to The Accountant (2016). Ben Affleck, Jon Bernthal, Cynthia Addai-Robinson, and J. K. Simmons reprise their roles from the previous film, with Daniella Pineda joining the cast.

The film premiered at the South by Southwest Festival on March 8, 2025, to positive reviews from critics. It will be theatrically released on April 25, 2025, in the United States by Amazon MGM Studios through Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and internationally by the original film’s domestic distributor, Warner Bros. Pictures.[3][4][5][6][7] A third film is in development.[8]

Premise

“When unknown assassins kill someone close to her, Treasury Agent Marybeth Medina is forced to contact Christian Wolff to solve the murder. With the help of his estranged but highly lethal brother Brax, Chris applies his brilliant mind and less-than-legal methods to piece together the unsolved puzzle. As they get closer to the truth, the trio draws the attention of some of the most ruthless killers alive, all intent on putting a stop to their search.”[9]

Cast

__________________________________________________________________________

UNTIL DAWN

UNTIL DAWN

Until Dawn is a 2015 interactive drama survival horror game developed by Supermassive Games and published by Sony Computer Entertainment. In it, players assume control of eight young adults who must survive on Blackwood Mountain when their lives are threatened. The game features a butterfly effect system in which players must make choices that may change the story. All playable characters can survive or die, depending on the choices made. Players explore the environment from a third-person perspective and find clues that may help solve the mystery.

Until Dawn was originally planned as a first-person game for the PlayStation 3‘s motion controller, PlayStation Move, but the motion controls were dropped when it became a PlayStation 4 game. The story was written by Larry Fessenden and Graham Reznick, who sought to create the video game equivalent of a slasher film. The development team took inspiration from various sources. These include the movies Evil Dead II and Poltergeist, and video games Heavy Rain, Resident Evil, and Silent Hill. To ensure the game was scary, the team used a galvanic skin response test to measure playtesters’ fear levels when playing it. Jason Graves composed the soundtrack and Guerrilla Games‘ Decima game engine was used for the graphics. Several noted actors, including Rami Malek, Hayden Panettiere, Meaghan Martin, Brett Dalton, Jordan Fisher, Nichole Sakura, and Peter Stormare, provided motion capture and voice acting.

 

__________________________________________________________________________

THE LEGEND OF OCHI

THE LEGEND OF OCHI

The Legend of Ochi (/ˈoʊtʃi/) is a 2025 American fantasy adventure film written and directed by Isaiah Saxon in his feature film debut. The film stars Helena Zengel, Finn Wolfhard, Emily Watson, and Willem Dafoe.

A24 released it in limited theaters in the United States on April 18, 2025, before a wide release on April 25.

Premise

In a secluded northern village in Carpathia, a farm girl named Yuri is taught not to go outside after dark and to fear the reclusive creatures known as the Ochi. But when she discovers a lost and injured baby Ochi, she sets off on a journey to return it to its family.[5]

Cast

__________________________________________________________________________

ANOTHER DAY IN AMERICA

ANOTHER DAY IN AMERICA

Based on true events, Another Day in America is a dark, radical comedy-drama that revolves around an ensemble of distinct characters going through a post-pandemic day in an American office. It’s not business as usual — it’s personal. It’s cultural guerrilla warfare, navigating the pains of disenfranchisement, misogyny, racism, perversion, and mental illness. They are at a tipping point, making things even more painful, damaging, and dangerous. Another Day in America focuses on its polarized society, fueled by our dependence on online internet culture, a culture that is quickly changing yet is anchored by a profoundly violent and painful history.

__________________________________________________________________________

4/22/2025 #TheAccountant2 #UntilDawn #TheLegendofOchi #AnotherDayinAmerica

NEW MOVIES: April 17-23, 2025, “Sinners,” “Sneaks,” “The Wedding Banquet,” “Evicted!”

SINNERS

SINNERS

Sinners is an upcoming American period supernatural horror film written, produced, and directed by Ryan Coogler. Set in the 1930s in the Southern United States, the film stars Michael B. Jordan in a dual role as twin brothers who return to their hometown but face greater evil.  [4]The film also features Hailee Steinfeld, Miles Caton, Jack O’Connell, Wunmi Mosaku, Jayme Lawson, Omar Miller, Li Jun Li, and Delroy Lindo.

By January 2024, when Jordan was cast, Coogler began developing the genre film through his production company, Proximity Media. Warner Bros. Pictures acquired distribution rights the next month following a bidding war, and casting for additional roles took place in April, before filming that month. Filming wrapped in July 2024.

Sinners is scheduled to be released in the United States on April 18, 2025.[5]

Premise

Trying to leave their troubled lives behind, twin brothers Smoke and Stack (Michael B. Jordan) return to their hometown to start again, only to discover that an even greater evil is waiting to welcome them back.[6]

— Warner Bros. Pictures

Cast

________________________________________________________________________

SNEAKS

SNEAKS

Sneaks is a 2025 animated sports comedy film directed by Rob Edwards and Chris Jenkins from a script by Edwards. It is Edwards’ feature directorial debut.[2][3][4]

The film features an ensemble cast, including the voices of Anthony Mackie, Martin Lawrence, Swae Lee, Chloe Bailey, Macy Gray, Ella Mai, Mustard, Roddy Ricch, Quavo, Young Miko, Amirah Hall, Kiana Ledé, Bobbito Garcia, Sam Jay, Sky Brown, Rayssa Leal, Rico Rodriguez, Keith David, Chris Paul, and Laurence Fishburne.

The film was released on Sky Cinema in the United Kingdom on March 28, 2025, and will be released theatrically in the United States on April 18.

Plot

Sneaks follows the adventures of Ty, a misguided designer sneaker who does not know life outside the comforts of his velvet-lined shoe box. After a shady collector steals his sister, Ty must venture into New York City to find and rescue her. In his adventure, Ty meets a ragtag group of footwear friends from all walks of life who help him find the courage to step outside his shoe box and find his “sole-mate.” [citation needed]

Voice cast

________________________________________________________________________

THE WEDDING BANQUET

THE WEDDING BANQUET

The Wedding Banquet[3] is a 1993 romantic comedy film directed, produced and co-written by Ang Lee. The story concerns a bisexual Taiwanese immigrant man (Winston Chao, in his film debut) who marries a mainland Chinese woman (May Chin) to placate his parents (Gua Ah-leh and Lung Sihung) and get her a green card. His plan backfires when his parents arrive in the United States to plan his wedding banquet, and he has to hide the truth about his gay partner (Mitchell Lichtenstein). It was a co-production of Lee’s Good Machine production company and the Taiwanese Central Motion Picture Corporation.

Lee’s second feature film and his first to get a theatrical release in the United States, The Wedding Banquet, premiered at the 43rd Berlin International Film Festival, where it won the Golden Bear. It was both a critical and commercial success, winning five Golden Horse Awards, including Best Film and Best Director. It received Oscar and Golden Globe nominations for Best Foreign-Language Film, as well as six Independent Spirit Award nominations.

Together with Pushing Hands (1991) and Eat Drink Man Woman (1994), all showing the Confucian family at risk and all starring the Taiwanese actor Lung Sihung, The Wedding Banquet forms what has been called Lee’s “Father Knows Best” trilogy.[4]

In 2023, the Library of Congress selected the film for preservation in the United States National Film Registry as being “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant.”

Plot

Gao Wai-Tung is a bisexual Taiwanese immigrant happily living in Manhattan with his gay Jewish partner, Simon. He has not come out to his traditionally minded parents, who live back in Taiwan, and, as he’s in his late 20s, they’ve become eager to see him get married and have a child to continue the family line. When his parents hire a dating service, Wai-Tung and Simon stall for time by inventing numerous impossible demands. They demand an opera singer while requesting that she be 5’9″, have two PhDs, and speak five languages. To their shock, the service locates a 5’8″ Chinese woman who meets all but one of their qualifications, having only a single PhD instead of two. She is very gracious when Wai-Tung explains his dilemma, as she, too, is hiding a relationship with a white man from her parents.

At Simon’s insistence, Wai-Tung decides to marry one of his tenants, Wei-Wei, a penniless artist from mainland China needing a green card. Besides helping Wei-Wei, the couple hopes this will placate Wai-Tung’s parents. To complicate matters, Mr. and Mrs. Gao announce they will visit. Before the parents arrive, Simon tells Wei-Wei everything she needs to know about Wai-Tung’s habits, body, and lifestyle, and the three hastily take down all gay imagery and décor from the house and hang Mandarin calligraphy scrolls in its place.

Mr. and Mrs. Gao arrive bringing gifts and US$30,000 to hold an extravagant wedding for their son, believing he has a wealthy fiancée. Wai-Tung dares not tell his parents the truth because his father (a retired army officer) has just recovered from a stroke. As a part of the lie, Wai-Tung introduces Simon as his landlord.

The day after his parents arrive, Wai-Tung announces that he and Wei-Wei plan to be married by a Justice of the Peace. However, the heartbreak his mother experiences at the courthouse wedding, both at the arrangement and at the discovery of the low social class of Wei-Wei, moves Wai-Tung to make up for the ‘disgraceful’ wedding by accepting the offer of a magnificent wedding banquet from Mr. Gao’s former batman, who now owns a restaurant and reception hall. After the lavish banquet, a huge party of relatives and friends barges into the bridal suite for an after-party and demands that the newlyweds get in bed naked before they leave. This leads to Wei-Wei’s pregnancy. Simon is extremely upset when he finds out, provoking an argument between them and Wei-Wei, and his relationship with Wai-Tung deteriorates.

Mr. Gao suffers another stroke, and in a moment of anger after the fight, Wai-Tung admits the truth to his mother. She is shocked and insists that he not tell his father. However, the perceptive Mr. Gao has seen more than he lets on. He tells Simon that he knows about their relationship and considers Simon his son, appreciating his considerable sacrifices to be together with Wai-Tung. Mr. Gao gives Simon a hongbao, a symbolic admission of their relationship. Still, Simon promises not to let on to the others that he knows the truth, saying that without the sham marriage, he’d never have a grandchild. While en route to an appointment for an abortion, Wei-Wei decides to keep the baby and asks Simon to stay together with Wai-Tung and be the baby’s father, too.

At the airport, before the Gaos’ flight home, Mr. Gao accepts Simon and warmly shakes his hand. Mrs. Gao bids Wei-Wei a fond farewell before they board their plane, leaving the unconventional new family to figure themselves out.

Cast

 

________________________________________________________________________

EVICTED!

EVICTED!

With an impending eviction hanging over their heads, freshly unemployed Maggie, gig-economy worker Will, and feuding couple Isabelle and May embark on a seemingly futile hunt for an affordable shared house. Along the way, they encounter unsanitary toilets, attic kitchens, and an alleged haunting. As Will forms an unlikely friendship with a war veteran, Isabelle hits it off with her local barista, and endless mishaps, coincidences, and hookups go awry.

The Story Mill is a fresh, new production studio crafting unique stories through visual mediums. Whether through narrative features or documentaries, we always know how to leave an impression.

________________________________________________________________________

4/15/2025 #Sinners #Sneaks #TheWeddingBanquet #Evicted!

 

NEW MOVIES: April 10-16, 2025, “The Amateur,” “Drop,” “The Teacher,” “One to One: John & Yoko”

THE AMATEUR

THE AMATEUR

The Amateur is an upcoming American vigilante action spy film directed by James Hawes and written by Ken Nolan and Gary Spinelli, based on the 1981 novel of the same name by Robert Littell, which was previously adapted into a Canadian film that same year. It stars Rami Malek, Rachel Brosnahan, Caitríona Balfe, Jon Bernthal, Michael Stuhlbarg, Holt McCallany, Julianne Nicholson, Adrian Martinez, Danny Sapani, and Laurence Fishburne.

The film is scheduled to be released in the United States by 20th Century Studios on April 11, 2025.

Premise

After Charles Heller, a CIA cryptographer, loses his wife in a London terrorist attack, he realizes his bosses will not act due to conflicting internal priorities. Having blackmailed the agency to train him as a field operative, Charles embarks on a one-man mission to hunt down his wife’s killers.[2]

Cast

_____________________________________________________________________

DROP

DROP

Drop is a 2025 American thriller film[2] directed by Christopher Landon and written by Jillian Jacobs and Chris Roach. It stars Meghann Fahy, Brandon Sklenar, Violett Beane, Jacob Robinson, Reed Diamond, Ben Pelletier, Gabrielle Ryan, Jeffery Self, Ed Weeks, and Travis Nelson.

Drop premiered at SXSW on March 9, 2025, and is scheduled to be released in the United States by Universal Pictures on April 11, 2025. The film has received positive reviews from critics.

Premise

Violet, a widowed mother, is on a date with Henry when she is terrorized by a series of anonymous messages on her phone. The caller instructs her to tell nobody and follow increasingly malicious instructions, or her younger sister, Jen, and her son, Toby, will be killed, culminating with her being told to kill Henry.[3]

The title refers to the AirDrop feature on Apple’s iPhone, which allows you to share pictures and videos with other phones within your proximity.

Cast

_____________________________________________________________________

THE TEACHER

THE TEACHER

The Teacher (Arabic: الأستاذ) is a 2023 drama film written and directed by British-Palestinian filmmaker Farah Nabulsi. It stars Saleh Bakri, Imogen Poots, and Muhammad Abed Elrahman. It premiered at the 48th Toronto International Film Festival on 9 September 2023.

Set in the present-day West Bank in the occupied Palestinian Territories, Nabulsi described the film as a “human drama set in a political landscape” and “a story about characters that represent a severely marginalized and underrepresented people,” stating that she “needed to make this film to cope with the injustice I’ve witnessed.”[3]

Plot

Basem is a Palestinian schoolteacher who finds himself caught between his commitment to political resistance and his role as a father figure to one of his students, Adam.

Cast

_____________________________________________________________________

ONE TO ONE: JOHN & YOKO

ONE TO ONE: JOHN & YOKO

One to One: John & Yoko is a 2024 documentary film co-directed by Kevin Macdonald and Sam Rice-Edwards. [2]The film follows the couple of years that John Lennon and Yoko Ono spent in a Greenwich Village apartment while also tracing developments in American politics like the presidency of Richard Nixon and opposition to United States involvement in the Vietnam War. It is centered around Lennon and Ono’s “One to One” benefit concert for the children at Willowbrook.[3] Sean Ono Lennon, son of Lennon and Ono, oversaw audio mastering for the concert footage.[4]

The film was announced on May 29, 2024.[5] It later premiered at the Venice Film Festival on August 30, 2024, and was followed by showings at the Telluride Film Festival and the Sundance Film Festival with distribution by Mercury Studios.  [6]On January 21, 2025, Magnolia Pictures announced their acquisition of North American rights for the film, after which they announced an April 11 release date in IMAX theaters, as well as plans for streaming releases later in the year.[4]

Synopsis

The film is centered around concert footage and audio from Lennon and Ono’s “One to One” benefit concert held at Madison Square Garden in August 1972 on behalf of children at the Willowbrook institution in Staten Island. The “One to One” benefit concerts were the only performances that Lennon performed following The Beatles‘ split in 1970.[7]

The film also follows the trajectory of their 18-month stay in a Greenwich Village apartment from 1971–1973.[8]

Background

The project began when Macdonald was presented with remastered, restored, never-before-seen footage of the “One to One” benefit concert. Macdonald then considered why the concert happened, probing further questions about Lennon and Ono’s lives and careers.[9]

Macdonald then sought to create a film around the benefit concert and the couple’s “political engagement” and their relationship with watching television.[9]

The original release of this concert is the Live in New York City album and home video in 1986.

Composition

Between clips of the “One to One” benefit concert, the film additionally cuts together video and audio recordings from television, phone calls, and other contexts from the same time, highlighting historical events such as Lennon’s failed “Free the People” tour and controversies around Ono’s relationship to Lennon and The Beatles.

The film also uses “newly transferred and restored footage” from the years Lennon and Ono spent in Greenwich Village “alongside previously unseen and unheard items from the couple’s archives, including phone calls and home movies”.[10] It additionally features a replica construction of Lennon and Ono’s apartment.[11]

_____________________________________________________________________

4/8/2025 #TheAmateur #Drop #TheTeacher #OneToOne:John&Yoko

 

 

 

© All rights reserved | License: | By BLAZE 2.5.2