Poster for Romantic Comedy 'Palm Springs' - Starring Andy Samberg, Cristin Milioti, and J.K. Simmons.

Poster for Romantic Comedy 'Palm Springs' - Starring Andy Samberg, Cristin Milioti, and J.K. Simmons. Out on Hulu, July 10th.

When carefree Nyles (Andy Samberg) and reluctant maid of honor Sarah (Cristin Milioti) have a chance encounter at a Palm Springs wedding, things get complicated the next morning when they find themselves unable to escape the venue, themselves, or each other.

Cast:
Andy Samberg as Nyles
Cristin Milioti as Sarah
J. K. Simmons as Roy
Camila Mendes as Tala
Tyler Hoechlin as Abe
Meredith Hagner as Misty
Dale Dickey as Darla
Chris Pang as Trevor
Peter Gallagher as Howard
June Squibb
Jacqueline Obradors as Pia
Tongayi Chirisa as Jerry

The Luring - Poster and Official Trailer - From writer/director Christopher Wells

From writer/director Christopher Wells, comes The Luring – a terrifying new motion picture experience coming this summer from Wild Eye Releasing!

A man tries to recover a lost memory by returning to his family's Vermont vacation home where an unspeakable act took place leaving him institutionalized as a child.

Rick Irwin, Dan Berkey, Molly Fahey, Henry Gagliardi, and Michaela Sprague star in The Luring, available on digital and DVD June 16 from Wild Eye Releasing.

TRAILER: This Teacher - starring Hafsia Herzi from acclaimed director Mark Jackson

Synopsis: This Teacher follows a French Muslim woman (Hafsia Herzi) as she travels to New York City from the rough neighborhoods outside of Paris to visit her childhood best friend.

When the reunion proves disastrous, Hafsia steals her friend’s credit card and identity, then disappears to a remote cabin upstate. Deep in the woods and alone for the first time in her life, she experiences a divine revelation of an existence without borders. But when she discovers that she is not alone on the property, Hafsia’s sojourn in nature gradually descends into a terrifying study of the intolerance and suspicion she encounters and reflects back to an Islamophobic America.

From multi-award-winning director Mark Jackson ("Without", "War Story", arriving on DVD and VOD on June 9

First Image of Robert Pattinson in War-Drama 'Waiting for the Barbarians'

First Image of Robert Pattinson in War-Drama 'Waiting for the Barbarians'

Cast
Johnny Depp as Colonel Joll
Mark Rylance as Magistrate
Robert Pattinson as Officer Mandel
Gana Bayarsaikhan as "The Girl"
Greta Scacchi as Mai
David Dencik as The Clerk
Sam Reid as The Lieutenant
Harry Melling as Garrison Soldier 4
Bill Milner as Garrison Soldier 5

A magistrate working in a distant outpost begins to question his loyalty to the empire.

Interview with Jorgy Cruz - Director of Funny Pains

Jorgy Cruz’s “Funny Pains” follows stand-up comedian Wendi Starling, whose career, working process and life are closely examined in the film, as she navigates one of the entertainment’s toughest, most competitive professions - all during the height of the #MeToo movement, feminism, and the infiltration of stand-up comedy by the politically correct. Above all else, the film delves into serious issues of sexual assault and mental health, with Starling revealing her not-so-private personal traumas. 

Tell us when and how you came upon the idea for the film, sir? 
I kinda didn't, it just happened. I went to a bar my wife used to work at in midtown Manhattan and she told me about a comedy show they were having on a Saturday night and she was in charge of the event. I did not want to go, but she convinced me to attend. I was sitting at the bar chatting with my wife while comics did their thing and then all of the sudden this woman shows up looking like she hasn't slept in a while, she says hi and orders a glass of water. She seemed exhausted, and I asked her "are you ok?", to what she replied, "I went hard yesterday, I'm dying". Right there and then a comic named Manny Rondon introduces Wendi Starling to the stage, she put down the water and said "I'll be right back", Wendi hit the stage and she was full of energy, big smile and totally killed with a material so raw, so unique and personal that I was completely hypnotized and convinced I was in the presence of a special artist. Once her set was done she went downstairs to smoke a cigarette and out of the blue, I asked her if I could meet with her with a camera and shoot for a day. That day turned into years.

Were any of the names attached to the project before filming? 
No. After we shot I started editing and I remember talking to Krystyna Hutchinson, she starts in the film since she's a close friend to Wendi and they also have a monthly show in NYC called Glamourpuss, and she suggested we contact some comics so they could discuss what Wendi goes through in the film since the comic's journey is a tale of struggle and hardship before they "make it". I was not sure in the beginning but this really took the story to the next level, I'm a fanatic of stand-up comedy and I cannot express how much I love and respect this cast, it was a dream come true to meet them and have them in the doc.

How much of the documentary is scripted or outlined?  
Nada. We shot 2 short re-enactments and that's it. I did not want to stage anything and even if I wanted to that would have been impossible, Wendi was really clear about keeping everything real at all times.

If you had to compare it to another film, what might it be?
I have really tried to compare it to another film but have yet to find one that fits. When I was shooting, I intentionally did not watch a single movie, series, or documentary. That was not easy, but I did not want this movie to remind you of anything, I really wanted to test myself I see what came out of me as a director.

It looks superb. Do you expect it’ll appeal to a broad range of people?

I hope so. There is a lot here to digest, many layers of humanity. It's not a comedy doc per se, and more of a human experience documentary that happens to occur in the comedy world.

How much do you rely on good reviews as a filmmaker? I imagine you’d have to have a thick skin? 
I don't read them. Once a movie is done that's it, it's not yours anymore, it belongs to every person that watches it. I know the film that I have here and I hope it connects with many people.

FUNNY PAINS is released Monday on digital.

Interview with Frederick Keeve - The director of The Accompanist

Filmmaker Frederick Keeve’s latest film might be- like so many others – set within the world of dance but, as the director of The Accompanist explains, he wanted to “do something different to try and show ballet as an art form more honestly with realistic ballet classes and auditions” for this pic.


What do you think makes a good dance film, Frederick?

That’s an interesting question. One of the reasons I set out to make The Accompanist and also the upcoming sequel The Accompanist Awakening was to show ballet in a more realistic light and also bring back the beauty, grace and athleticism of ballet dancers to mainstream audiences. I’ve enjoyed other dance films over the years like The Turning Point, Center Stage, and even Black Swan, and of course a classic like The Red Shoes, but I wanted to do something different and try to show ballet as an art form more honestly with realistic ballet classes and auditions.


Can you remember the first one you saw?

The Turning Point.


And which ones do you think are the best?

I think all the films mentioned above have a piece of the puzzle and it really depends on what the filmmaker is trying to say and how dance is used in the movie—thematically, as a backdrop, essential to the rising action or conflict in the movie. In The Turning Point, Shirley MacLaine and Anne Bancroft’s characters as friends took completely different paths in life and then come back together in middle age with unresolved conflicts in their lives and friendship. In Center Stage, we follow the lives of young, ambitious dancers as they enroll in American Dance Academy and jockey with each other to be the best and succeed in the dance world with all its stresses and drama.

Black Swan is a character study of the disintegration of the personality of Natalie Portman’s character as she descends into madness portraying the “black swan” in Swan Lake. In The Red Shoes, a young ballet dancer is torn between the man she loves and her pursuit to become a prima ballerina.

So each movie deals with the art of ballet and the dramatic conflict set up in each film differently. Whether it’s choosing between love or career, or descent into madness, or unrelenting ambition, or friendship and regrets of path chosen in life, I think that if a film has good production values, a well-constructed screenplay, and good direction and acting, all of these dance movies mentioned have their own artistic life and are valid. My favourite? it would be hard to choose to be honest. I like each for different elements and different performance aspects.

Are you, yourself, interested in other styles of dance outside of ballet?

Ballet is my favourite by far. I’ve always loved ballet, and in particular, the melding of classical music and the grace, artistry and athleticism and purity of style in ballet. It is truly a magnificent art form involving classical style, training, beauty, grace, gorgeous music, costumes, staging and wonderful storylines of the classic ballets. Magnificent!


Where did this interest in ballet come from?

I always liked The Turning Point in terms of melding great actors’ performances like Shirley MacLaine and Anne Bancroft with beautiful dancing from American Ballet Theatre dancers, and lots of drama. But my original interest I’m sure would have been from studying classical music as a pianist from five years old, up through high school, and then as a student at UCLA, obtaining an undergraduate degree in music composition. I played piano for ballet companies, studios and classes since I was in graduate school at Oklahoma City University when I was quite young and played for Ballet Oklahoma master classes and professional classes. My interest in ballet continued later when my daughters took ballet classes at the Westside Academy of Dance, also known as Westside Ballet of Santa Monica for ten years, and currently I play piano today at this wonderful dance studio founded by Yvonne Mounsey and Rosemary Valaire over fifty years ago and is such an artistic force in the lives of not only Santa Monica residents where it is based, but also in the artistic lives and interests of Angelenos, and where I got the idea for the movie The Accompanist.


And is “The Accompanist” based on a personal experience?

Partially yes, but of course intermixed with a lot of imagination and carefully constructed dramatic structure and fictional characters, because, for example, I don’t really send people back in time “to be healed where they need to be healed the most,” with my piano music, but people, whether with dancers in the studio or music for my films, seem to enjoy my music and my musical scores. But I have been married for over twenty years (now divorced) and have four wonderful children of whom I am extremely proud of and feel blessed to have them in my life. So certainly in terms of family life, raising children, the complexities of one’s own sexuality, having to navigate middle age, and those types of themes and issues are part and parcel of my own life, and of course I bring this to my character of Jason Holden and use some of this in the storyline of The Accompanist. I only wish I could do magic like my character in the movie!


How would you describe the tone?

The tone of the movie The Accompanist is definitely dramatic and a bit mystical--akin to raw emotions and healing the pain of loss, tragedy, ambition, unhealthy relationships, and finding true love.


It’s hard to think of a film quite like it! Can you think of the closest comparison piece?

My pitch for this movie is: Black Swan (ballet classes and auditions) meets The Green Mile (the use of magic and invoking magical and esoteric powers and how these experiences inform the major characters) meets Call Me By Your Name (gay love between an older man and a younger man) meets The Sixth Sense (a big mystery that is only revealed at the end of the movie).

I would like to think we are finding a singular and hopefully prominent niche in the marketplace as the film opens to English-speaking audiences in the US on June 2nd, and across English-speaking countries across the world (from Canada, UK, Australia, Bahamas, etc.), because there is no other film like this that offers something beautiful and intriguing and dramatic to audiences hungry for beauty, ballet, art, healing family drama, fantasy, magic, gay love—a combination of emotional rawness, healing, beautiful dance and classical music, all wrapped up in a dramatic storyline.

Check out The Accompanist on Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/TheAccompanistMovie/

A Simple Wedding - Poster and new 60 second TV Spot

Synopsis:
Nousha, a young Iranian-American attorney, has a great job, supportive friends, and a comfortable life. Yet she is unable to please her conservative Persian parents. So when Nousha falls for the charming but unorthodox Alex, it brings instant chaos into her traditional family life—leading to a wedding that will be anything but simple.

Starring Tara Grammy ("The Persian Bachelorette"), Christopher O'Shea ("Madam Secretary"), Rita Wilson ("Jingle All the Way"), Shohreh Aghdashloo ("House of Sand and Fog"), Maz Jobrani ("Jimmy Vestvood: Amerikan Hero"), and Houshang Touzie ("Argo")

Executive Produced by Rita Wilson, arriving on DVD on June 9

https://amzn.to/2WJ6pnX

The High Note - Official Trailer (Universal Pictures) - Rent at Home May 29 - Stars Tracee Ellis Ross,Dakota Johnson and Ice Cube

Director:
Nisha Ganatra (“Late Night”)

Cast: 
Dakota Johnson, Tracee Ellis Ross, Kelvin Harrison Jr., Ice Cube, Zoe Chao, Eddie Izzard, Bill Pullman & Diplo

Set in the dazzling world of the LA music scene comes the story of Grace Davis (Tracee Ellis Ross), a superstar whose talent, and ego, have reached unbelievable heights. Maggie (Dakota Johnson) is Grace’s overworked personal assistant who’s stuck running errands, but still aspires to her childhood dream of becoming a music producer. When Grace’s manager (Ice Cube) presents her with a choice that could alter the course of her career, Maggie and Grace come up with a plan that could change their lives forever.

Rent on your local On Demand service from 29th May

Abe - Official Trailer and Poster - Starring Noah Schnapp

Synopsis:
Twelve-year-old Abe (Noah Schnapp) is an aspiring chef who wants his cooking to bring people together--but his half-Israeli, half-Palestinian family has never had a meal that didn't end in a fight. Ditching his traditional summer camp, Abe begins working with Chico (Seu Jorge), an adventurous street chef who encourages him to think outside his old cuisines. But when Abe's deceit is uncovered, he must grapple with his family, his background, and his passions, and whether even the most lovingly-cooked family dinner can heal old wounds.

Starring Noah Schnapp ("Stranger Things"), arriving on DVD on June 2
Get from Amazon Here

The Candy Witch - Trailer - From writer-director Rebecca J.Matthews

Sweet dreams… forever!

Two ghost hunters are called upon a distressed family who claim they are being tormented by an evil spirit known in their local town as The Candy Witch. But as the mystery of her curse is uncovered, surprising and sinister turns are discovered around The Candy Witch's identity. Their hardest case yet, can they solve this evil curse before more people are killed by the demonic spirit?

From writer-director Rebecca J.Matthews (Pet Graveyard), and starring Kate Lush, Abi Casson Thompson, Heather Jackson and Richard D Myers, The Candy Witch serves up sweet death June 9 on DVD and Digital from Uncork’d Entertainment.

Now on Amazon Prime! The terrifying DON'T RUN!

If you’re not in bed on time tonight, kids, the monster will get you!

From director Ben Rood comes Don’t Run, a horror-fantasy born from the fear files of children everywhere, now available on Amazon Prime.

A timid boy is trapped inside his house with a monster that threatens to eat him if he isn’t in bed by sundown every night.

Charlotte Arnold, Holly Arnold, Grant Brooks, Dan Foley, Danny Irizarry and Cody Cheatwood star.

Written, directed, produced, edited and financed by Cincinnati-native Ben Rood, Don’t Run is a little indie horror film that could. Stream it now on Amazon Prime!

https://amzn.to/2xUMZ5X

First Poster for Hammer - Starring Will Patton, Mark O'Brien, Dayle McLeod

A father faces a personal crisis when he discovers his estranged son fleeing a botched drug deal. The two men embark on a violent odyssey that grapples with themes of fatherhood, family and fate.

Cast
Will Patton - Stephen Davis
Mark O'Brien - Chris Davis
Dayle McLeod - Lori
Lara Jean Chorostecki - Debbie
Ben Cotton - Adams
Connor Price - Jeremy
Curtis Caravaggio - Samson

"You Just Don't Get It, Do You?" - A Montage of Cinema's Worst Writing Cliche

"You Just Don't Get It, Do You?"

The King of Staten Island – Official Trailer

This summer, Judd Apatow directs Saturday Night Live breakout Pete Davidson in a bracing comedy about love, loss and laughter on Staten Island.

Scott (Davidson) has been a case of arrested development ever since his firefighter father died when he was seven. He’s now reached his mid-20s having achieved little, chasing a dream of becoming a tattoo artist that seems far out of reach. As his ambitious younger sister (Maude Apatow, HBO’s Euphoria) heads off to college, Scott is still living with his exhausted ER nurse mother (Oscar® winner Marisa Tomei) and spends his days smoking weed, hanging with the guys—Oscar (Ricky Velez, Master of None), Igor (Moises Arias, Five Feet Apart) and Richie (Lou Wilson, TV’s The Guest Book)—and secretly hooking up with his childhood friend Kelsey (Bel Powley, Apple TV+’s The Morning Show).

But when his mother starts dating a loudmouth firefighter named Ray (Bill Burr, Netflix’s F Is for Family), it sets off a chain of events that will force Scott to grapple with his grief and take his first tentative steps toward moving forward in life.

The film also stars Steve Buscemi as Papa, a veteran firefighter who takes Scott under his wing, and Pamela Adlon (FX’s Better Things) as Ray’s ex-wife, Gina.

TRAILER - A Clear Shot - Starring Mario Van Peebles

Starring acclaimed actor Mario Van Peebles, A Clear Shot is inspired by the true story of the 1991 Good Guys Electronics Store siege in Sacramento, California, the largest hostage siege negotiation ever attempted in the United States.

An electronic store erupts into chaos as four gunmen storm the premises. Rick Gomez, Sacramento Police Departments’ top negotiator, realizes he needs to talk down the gunmen and keep everyone safe, all while juggling government politics. The gunmen leader doesn't want to hurt anyone, but his brother is a different story. A peaceful surrender quickly turns this sleepy city into a national tragedy.

A Clear Shot examines a bizarre turn of events as law enforcement attempt to save the hostages, as well the emotional trials and social pressures of immigrant assimilation into the American culture.

From writer-director Nick Leisure, and starring Mario Van Peebles (New Jack City, Posse), Mandela Van Peebles (Jigsaw), Jessica Meza (“General Hospital”), David Fernandez Jr (End of Watch), Marshal Hilton (Echoes of Fear), and Glenn Plummer (“Sons of Anarchy”), A Clear Shot comes to DVD and Digital June 2 from Uncork’d Entertainment.

Never Rarely Sometimes Always - Official Trailer (Universal Pictures) - Download and Keep May 13

An intimate portrayal of two teenage girls in rural Pennsylvania.  Faced with an unintended pregnancy and a lack of local support, Autumn and her cousin Skylar embark on a brave, fraught journey across state lines to New York City.

Directed by Eliza Hittman.
Starring Sidney Flanigan, Talia Ryder, Théodore Pellerin, Ryan Eggold, and Sharon Van Etten.

Download and keep from Amazon using the link below.
https://amzn.to/2W9dOMY

Ultimate Recap of the Justice League Dark Story

It’s almost time for the Justice League to reunite on our screens for Justice League Dark: Apokolips War. The new animation follows on from the brilliant Justice League Dark, so we thought we’d remind you of all the action that took place ahead of the DVD, Blu-Ray™, Blu-Ray™ Steelbook & Blu-Ray™ Minifig release on May 18.

The film is available on digital download now!

CHAOS ENSUES
At the start of Justice League Dark we see the world descending into chaos, as numerous violent incidents are committed all around the world. People live in fear that their fellow humans are in fact horrifying demonic creatures. The Justice League is called into action to bring order and peace back to civilisation. Under the impression that these are magical threats from a supernatural entity, the league come to the conclusion they are not the best equipped to deal with it, forcing them to call in the help of some mystical heroes.

CONSTANTINE AND BLOOD
Batman is highly sceptical that the threat actually originates from a supernatural entity and on his return to Wayne Manor, suffers a temporary blackout. When he wakes up, he sees the message ‘Constantine’ smeared on the walls. During a flashback, we find out that John Constantine is an exorcist and con man, who engaged the Demons Three in a poker game for high-end stakes, along with Jason Blood. During the game, Constantine offers his home in exchange for a box of artifacts, including a Dreamstone. When both parties are caught cheating, Constantine summons Blood’s demon alter ego Etrigan to dispatch demons. It’s safe to say, Blood wasn’t too happy with Constantine for making him summon Etrigan, and the two part ways.

After his blackout, Batman sets out to visit Zatanna at one of her shows to ask about John Constantine, whom she once shared a fractured romantic history with. Zatanna agrees to bring Batman to meet with Constantine, but the trio are faced with a rush of magic summoned by an unknown sorcerer. The trio narrowly manage to escape to the House of Mystery for shelter where they are joined by Black Orchid, the spiritual embodiment of the House. The group gathers to share information, and after a quick disagreement between John and Zatanna the group agree to team up to investigate the cause and reason for these supernatural circumstances.

THE KESHANTI KEY
Embarking on their investigation, the Justice League first pay a visit to Ritchie Simpson, an old friend of Constantine who is suffering from cancer and awaiting his fate of death. Simpson reluctantly agrees to hand over the powerful Keshanti Key, which can be used to unlock and search through a victim’s memories. Constantine and Zatanna do so on one of the victims, leading them to discover the victim had been possessed by an unknown entity wearing a strange and unique ring. All of a sudden the supernatural creature manages to escape the body of the victim, but is quickly subdued by Zatanna.

THE DREAMSTONE
On return to Ritchie’s home they find Ritchie close to death, as well as Blood who is on a mission to find the Dreamstone. In an attempt to save Ritchie’s life, Batman revives Ritchie with an adrenaline shot to the chest, leaving him in a coma. Blood then reflects on his past life and explains the significance of the Dreamstone, which was created during the era of King Arthur by a sinister, scheming magician named Destiny.

In order to defeat the power Destiny possessed though the stone, King Arthur ordered Blood to destroy Destiny who managed to cleave the stone into two, successfully banishing the sorcerer but leaving himself mortally injured. In anticipation that Destiny was only temporarily defeated and eventually would return, Merlin fused Blood with his demonic servant Etrigan so he could battle the evil magician, once the Dreamstone resurfaced.

DESTINY
When Ritchie awakens, he reveals he is the holder to the other piece of the Dreamstone, which he has been using it to keep his cancer in remission. Ritchie is then seemingly killed when the Dreamstone resurrects the powerful historic sorcerer, Destiny. Destiny destroys Constantine’s House of Mystery and is on mission to create further chaos and destruction.  Zatanna comes to the rescue to save the group from the war path of Destiny but passes out from the attempt.

THE BIG BATTLE
We then see the Justice League enter an all-out battle with Destiny, which leaves Jason Blood separated from Etrigan once again. Constantine summons Swamp Thing/ Alec Holland, a humanoid-plant elemental superhero to fight Destiny while Batman and the recovered Zatanna disable the Justice League. Swamp Thing surrenders as we witnessed Destiny ripping Alec Holland's corpse from Swamp Thing, weakening him against Destiny’s strength.

Eventually, Constantine pulls Destiny into his protective shield leaving him powerless against a second attack from Blood. This gives Constantine, Batman, and Blood enough time to destroy the Dreamstone and Destiny's body, which also results in Ritchie’s soul being dragged to Hell. After the battle, Blood succumbs to his mortal wounds from centuries before and is buried by Constantine, Batman and Zatanna near Blood’s old village. Etrigan now separated entirely from the body of Jason Blood sets off for the unknown.

Zatanna eventually agrees to join the Justice League, with Constantine also being offered a position of which he declines conscious that Batman wouldn’t approve. Zatanna is quick however to state it was Batman’s initial idea. The two return to the newly-rebuilt House of Mystery, taking the first step to rebuild their rocky relationship.

Justice League Dark: Apokolips War is available on digital download now and on DVD, Blu-Ray™, Blu-Ray™ Steelbook & Blu-Ray™ Minifig release on May 18.

The Candy Witch - Poster and Trailer - From writer-director Rebecca J.Matthews - Released June 9

Sweet dreams… forever!

Two ghost hunters are called upon a distressed family who claim they are being tormented by an evil spirit known in their local town as The Candy Witch. But as the mystery of her curse is uncovered, surprising and sinister turns are discovered around The Candy Witch's identity. Their hardest case yet, can they solve this evil curse before more people are killed by the demonic spirit?

From writer-director Rebecca J.Matthews (Pet Graveyard), and starring Kate Lush, Abi Casson Thompson, Heather Jackson and Richard D Myers, The Candy Witch serves up sweet death June 9 on DVD and Digital from Uncork’d Entertainment.