Here is the trailer for Humor Me, Sam Hoffman’s heartfelt father-son comedy inspired by his acclaimed web series, off-Broadway play, and book series “Old Jews Telling Jokes” that tells the story of a struggling playwright who is forced to move in with his dad in a retirement community.
The film opens on Friday, January 12th in New York at the Village East Cinema and Los Angeles on January 19th with rollout to follow.
Humor Me is a heartfelt father-son comedy about a struggling playwright who is forced to move in with his joke-telling dad in a New Jersey retirement community and learns, as his father often says, “life’s going to happen, whether you smile or not.” Written and directed by Sam Hoffman, producer of Wes Anderson’s Moonrise Kingdom, John Carney’s Begin Again and Richard Loncraine’s 5 Flights Up, the film stars Jemaine Clement, Legion, Moana, What We Do In The Shadows, People, Places, Things, Flight of the Conchords, and Elliot Gould, The Ocean’s Series, M*A*S*H, The Long Goodbye, Bugsy. Currently, Hoffman produces and directs CBS’ critically acclaimed series “Madam Secretary” & also writing a screen adaptation of Michael Pollan’s best-seller The Omnivore’s Dilemma with producing partner Frances McDormand!
Independent Film
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VIDEO: Watch Trailer for HUMOR ME, Sam Hoffman’s Heartfelt Father-Son Comedy
Here is the trailer for Humor Me, Sam Hoffman’s heartfelt father-son comedy inspired by his acclaimed web series, off-Broadway play, and book series “Old Jews Telling Jokes” that tells the story of a struggling playwright who is forced to move in with his dad in a retirement community.
The film opens on Friday, January 12th in New York at the Village East Cinema and Los Angeles on January 19th with rollout to follow.
Humor Me is a heartfelt father-son comedy about a struggling playwright who is forced to move in with his joke-telling dad in a New Jersey retirement community and learns, as his father often says, “life’s going to happen, whether you smile or not.” Written and directed by Sam Hoffman, producer of Wes Anderson’s Moonrise Kingdom, John Carney’s Begin Again and Richard Loncraine’s 5 Flights Up, the film stars Jemaine Clement, Legion, Moana, What We Do In The Shadows, People, Places, Things, Flight of the Conchords, and Elliot Gould, The Ocean’s Series, M*A*S*H, The Long Goodbye, Bugsy. Currently, Hoffman produces and directs CBS’ critically acclaimed series “Madam Secretary” & also writing a screen adaptation of Michael Pollan’s best-seller The Omnivore’s Dilemma with producing partner Frances McDormand!
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VIDEO: Watch Trudie Styler’s FREAK SHOW Trailer Starring Bette Midler, Laverne Cox
Here is the trailer for Trudie Styler’s debut film Freak Show featuring an electric ensemble cast. The film opens January 12th, 2018 in New York City, and January 19th, 2018 in Los Angeles from IFC FILMS.
Freak Show stars Alex Lawther (Billy Bloom), Abigail Breslin (Lynette), AnnaSophia Robb (Blah Blah Blah), Ian Nelson (Flip), Celia Weston (Florence), Willa Fitzgerald (Tiffany), Laverne Cox (Felicia Watts), John McEnroe (Coach Carter), Charlotte Ubben (Sesame), Mickey Sumner (Dr. Veronica Vickers), Michael Park (Principal Onnigan), Daniel Bellomy (Bo-Bo), Christopher Dylan White (Bernard), Walden Bryan Hudson (Bib), Larry Pine (William), and Bette Midler (Muv).
Billy Bloom (Alex Lawther, The Imitation Game) is one-of-a-kind: a fabulous, glitter-bedecked, gender-bending teenager whose razor-sharp wit is matched only his by his outrageous, anything-goes fashion sense. When his glamorous mother (Bette Midler) is forced to send him to live with his straight-laced father (Larry Pine), Billy finds himself a diva-out-of-water at his new ultra-conservative high school. Undaunted by the bullies who don’t understand him, the fearless Billy sets out to make a big statement in his own inimitable way: challenging the school’s reigning mean girl (Abigail Breslin) for the title of homecoming queen. This proudly offbeat comedy is an irresistible ode to outsiders and nonconformists of all stripes. With Laverne Cox.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=drg74wOy8z8
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VIDEO: Watch New HOSTILES Trailer Starring Christian Bale
Here is the new trailer for Hostiles directed by Scott Cooper and starring Christian Bale. Hostiles opens on December 22nd in New York & Los Angeles, expands into top 10 US markets and the U.K. on January 5th. The film opens nationwide on January 19th.
Set in 1892, Hostiles tells the story of a legendary Army Captain (Christian Bale), who after stern resistance, reluctantly agrees to escort a dying Cheyenne war chief (Wes Studi) and his family back to tribal lands. Making the harrowing and perilous journey from Fort Berringer, an isolated Army outpost in New Mexico, to the grasslands of Montana, the former rivals encounter a young widow (Rosamund Pike), whose family was murdered on the plains. Together, they must join forces to overcome the punishing landscape, hostile Comanche and vicious outliers that they encounter along the way.
It features a cast that also includes Q’Orianka Kilcher, Adam Beach, Timothée Chalamet, Ben Foster, Tanaya Beatty, Jonathan Majors, Jesse Plemons, Rory Cochrane, Ryan Bingham, David Midthunder and John Benjamin Hickey.
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Watch First Trailer for Andrew Haigh’s LEAN ON PETE, Starring Charlie Plummer, Steve Buscemi, Chloë Sevigny
Watch first trailer for Andrew Haigh’s Lean On Pete, based on the beloved novel by Willy Vlautin — a deeply moving story about love, loneliness, family, and friendship, told through the unique prism of one boy’s connection to a very special racehorse.
Lean On Pete premiered to exceptional reviews at the Venice Film Festival in competition and also played Telluride and Toronto earlier this year.
Fifteen-year-old Charley Thompson (Charlie Plummer) arrives in Portland, Oregon with his single father Ray (Travis Fimmel), both of them eager for a fresh start after a series of hard knocks. While Ray descends into personal turmoil, Charley finds acceptance and camaraderie at a local racetrack where he lands a job caring for an aging Quarter Horse named Lean On Pete. The horse’s gruff owner Del Montgomery (Steve Buscemi) and his seasoned jockey Bonnie (Chloë Sevigny) help Charley fill the void of his father’s absence—until he discovers that Pete is bound for slaughter, prompting him to take extreme measures to spare his new friend’s life. Charley and Pete head out into the great unknown, embarking on an odyssey across the new American frontier in search of a loving aunt Charley hasn’t seen in years. They experience adventure and heartbreak in equal measure, but never lose their irrepressible hope and resiliency as they pursue their dream of finding a place they can call home.
Featuring an incredible breakout turn by Charlie Plummer (The Dinner; King Jack; Ridley Scott’s forthcoming All The Money in the World) and memorable supporting work by indie stalwarts Buscemi, Sevigny and Steve Zahn, Lean on Pete is a compassionate and heartrending look at the desire for love, family, and acceptance that drives all of us.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nzlazAyylw8
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Tonya Lewis Lee And Nikki Silver’s ToniK Productions’ Film “MONSTER” To Premiere At 2018 Sundance Film Festival
Monster, based on the award-winning novel of the same name by Walter Dean Myers, will world premiere at the 2018 Sundance Film Festival. The film from Tonya Lewis Lee and Nikki Silver’s ToniK Productions, and written by Radha Blank (She’s Gotta Have It, Empire), Colen C. Wiley and Janece Shaffer, will debut on Monday, January 22nd at 3PM in the Dramatic Competition.
Shot entirely in New York City, Monster surrounds the story of 17-year-old honors student Steve Harmon. Steve is an aspiring filmmaker attending an elite high school in New York, and is being charged with felony murder for a crime he says he did not commit. “Monster” is what the prosecutor calls Harmon, but is Steve truly a Monster? As Steve’s world comes crashing down around him, the film follows his journey from a smart, likeable young man from Harlem through a complex legal battle that could leave him spending the rest of his life in prison. Monster is sure to stimulate conversation in today’s relevant narrative on youth in prisons, excessive sentencing, peer pressure, and likeminded issues.
Monster features an outstanding ensemble cast including: Kelvin Harrison Jr. (The Birth of A Nation), Academy Award winner Jennifer Hudson (Dreamgirls), Jennifer Ehle (Little Men, Zero Dark Thirty), A$AP Rocky, (Dope, Zoolander 2), Nas, (The Get Down), Tim Blake Nelson (Fantastic Four, Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk), John David Washington (Ballers) and Jeffrey Wright (The Hunger Games: Mockingjay 1 & 2, Westworld).
“We’re thrilled and humbled to be participating in this year’s Sundance Film Festival. We believe the current social and cultural landscape makes the message of Monster even more relevant and important,” says Tonya Lewis Lee of ToniK Productions.
“As producers committed to tackling the toughest issues of our time, we believe Monster is no exception. This has been an ongoing passion project for us and we are thrilled to bring it to the public forum.” adds ToniK co-founder Nikki Silver.
In addition to Tonya Lewis Lee, Nikki Silver, and ToniK Productions, Monster producers include Aaron L. Gilbert and Bron Studios, Edward Nahem and Mike Jackson of Get Lifted Film Co. Nas, Red Crown’s Daniel Crown and Yoni Liebling, Creative Wealth’s Jason Cloth and Richard McConnell, Linnea Roberts and Get Lifted’s John Legend and Ty Stiklorius are all executive producers. Legend and Nas will both play a role in the film’s music.
Image: Kelvin Harrison Jr. appears in Monster by Anthony Mandler, an official selection of the U.S. Dramatic Competition at the 2018 Sundance Film Festival. Courtesy of Sundance Institute | photo by David Devlin.
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Michael Pearce’s BEAST Eyes a Spring 2018 Release Date After Sundance Debut
Michael Pearce’s Beast starring Jessie Buckley, Johnny Flynn and Geraldine James will make its U.S. debut in the Spotlight section of the 2018 Sundance Film Festival in January.
The film which premiered to critical and audience praise at the 2017 Toronto International Film Festival will be released in Spring 2018 by 30WEST and Roadside Attractions.
The psychological thriller, which is the first feature-length project from writer/director Pearce, centers around a small island community where a troubled young woman falls for a mysterious outsider who empowers her to escape from her oppressive family. When he comes under suspicion for a series of brutal murders, she defends him at all costs and learns what she is capable of.
Roadside Attractions’ Howard Cohen and Eric d’Arbeloff said: “Beast has been heralded as one of the indie success stories from the Toronto Film Festival. It is an extraordinary and deservedly acclaimed directorial debut from Michael Pearce, who delivers a taut, tense, and stirring thriller with a wonderfully complex heroine at the film’s core. Jessie Buckley gives a magnificent and memorable performance and we are thrilled to partner with the team at 30WEST as we help bring this psychosexual drama to audiences throughout the country.”
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VIDEO: Watch New Trailer for Uplifting Family Romance FOREVER MY GIRL
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Forever My Girl[/caption]
A new trailer is here for the uplifting family romance Forever My Girl which will be released wide in theaters on January 19, 2018.
Forever My Girl tells the story of music super-star Liam Page (Alex Roe) who left his bride, Josie (Jessica Rothe), at the altar choosing fame and fortune instead. However, Liam never got over Josie, his one true love, nor did he ever forget his Southern roots in the small community where he was born and raised. When he unexpectedly returns to his hometown for the funeral of his high school best friend, Liam is suddenly faced with the consequences of all that he left behind.
Written and directed by Bethany Ashton Wolf based upon the novel by Heidi McLaughlin, the film stars Alex Roe, Jessica Rothe, Abby Ryder Fortson, Travis Tritt, Judith Hoag and John Benjamin Hickey.
https://youtu.be/5iEOQn8UUHI
Executive Music Producer Brett Boyett assembled some of the biggest and most respected names in country music to perform the film’s original songs including white-hot CMA New Artist of the Year nominee Lauren Alaina performing WINGS OF AN ANGEL. Alaina also performs a duet with Phillip Sweet, member of four-time CMA-nominated Little Big Town, titled ENOUGH. The film’s star Alex Roe performs four original songs including DON’T WATER DOWN MY WHISKEY, ENOUGH, SMOKIN’ AND CRYIN’ and FINALLY HOME (with co-star Abby Ryder Fortson). In addition, co-star and award-winning singer/songwriter Travis Tritt performs SLOWING DOWN with additional contributions made by Josh Turner, Dan Tyminski, Destin Bennett and Canaan Smith.
ORIGINAL SONGS / Performers
ALWAYS AND FOREVER / Canaan Smith
BACK FROM GONE / Josh Turner
CAN’T TAME A FIRE / Dan Tyminski
DON’T WATER DOWN MY WHISKEY / Alex Roe
ENOUGH / Lauren Alaina & Phillip Sweet
FINALLY HOME / Alex Roe with Abby Ryder Fortson
SLOWING DOWN / Travis Tritt
SMOKIN’ AND CRYIN’ / Alex Roe
SOLID GROUND / Brett Boyett
WHO NEEDS MEXICO / Canaan Smith
WILD AND FREE / Destin Bennett
WINGS OF AN ANGEL / Lauren Alaina
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Gravitas Ventures will Release Kyle Rideout’s Comedy PUBLIC SCHOOLED in 2018
The comedy Public Schooled, directed by Kyle Rideout and starring Judy Greer, Daniel Doheny, Siobhan Williams, and Russell Peters has been acquired by Gravitas Ventures for release in the U.S. The film which recently made its World Premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival will be released theatrically in the U.S. in late Q1/early Q2 2018. Kaleidoscope Entertainment will release the film theatrically in the UK.
Based on an original script co-written by Rideout and Josh Epstein, Public Schooled follows socially awkward Liam (Doheny), who has been homeschooled his entire life. When he falls in love with a popular one-legged girl (Williams), he abandons his mother’s (Greer) suffocating love and enrolls in public school, getting a crash course in sex, drugs and social mayhem.
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VIDEO: Watch Trailer for Quinn Shephard’s High School Indie Drama BLAME Starring Nadia Alexander
Here is the new trailer for Blame, the debut of 22-year-old writer/director Quinn Shephard, and starring Nadia Alexander, winner of the award for Best Actress at 2017 Tribeca Film Festival for her performance in the film.
Blame, also starring Chris Messina, Nadia Alexander, Owen Campbell, Luke Slattery, Trieste Kelly Dunn, Tessa Albertson, Sarah Mezzanotte, and Tate Donovan will open in New York and LA, and on VOD on January 5th, 2018.
It’s the start of a new year at a small suburban high school and Abigail (Quinn Shephard) is an eternal outcast returning for the first time after a mysterious event the previous year. Facing constant bullying, Abigail escapes from her hostile surroundings by immersing herself in the worlds of the characters she reads about, much to the amusement of her manipulative classmate, Melissa (Nadia Alexander).
When the girls’ intriguing new drama teacher Jeremy (Chris Messina) announces Arthur Miller’s ‘The Crucible” as their fall show, and casts Abigail over Melissa in the starring role, Abigail’s confidence blooms — but soon her relationship with Jeremy begins to move beyond the fantasy world she’s constructed. This taboo bond strikes a nerve in Melissa, fueling a vengeful jealousy that quickly spirals out of control — and brings about a chain of events that draws even further parallels to the madness of Salem. The riveting debut of 22-year-old writer/director Quinn Shephard, Blame examines the indelible stain of rumor and suspicion in the contemporary suburban high school while delving into the psyches of the cell phone generation.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m17PYWD3Hio
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VIDEO: Watch SXSW Audience Award Winner MR. ROOSEVELT Trailer – in Theaters November 17
In Mr. Roosevelt, Noël Wells’ feature directorial debut, she portrays Emily, a talented but hard-to-classify comedic performer who left behind her home and boyfriend to pursue career opportunities in L.A.
When a loved one falls ill, Emily rushes back to Austin where she’s forced to stay with her ex-boyfriend (Nick Thune) and his new-and-improved girlfriend (Britt Lower), a totally together woman with a five-year plan.Though Emily is the same, everything else is different: her house has been smartly redecorated, her rocker boyfriend is training to be a real estate agent, and her old haunts show serious signs of gentrification. Holed up in her own guest room, Emily–who has no idea what she’ll be doing five days from now, let alone five years–is forced to question everyone’s values: are they sell-outs or have they just figured out what makes them happy? And is she following her dreams or is she just a self-absorbed loser?
Mr. Roosevelt premiered at SXSW, where it won the Audience Award in Narrative Spotlight and the Louis Black Lone Star Award, and most recently at Michael Moore’s Traverse City Film Festival, where it won the Founders Prize for Best US Fiction Film.
The film also starring Nick Thune, Britt Lower, Danielle Pineda, and Andre Hyland, will open in in Los Angeles, Friday, November 17, and in New York, Wednesday, November 22.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8CNhyOHqPAE
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VIDEO: Watch First Trailer for Muay Thai Boxing Thriller A PRAYER BEFORE DAWN
Watch Joe Cole fights his way out in first trailer for Muay Thai boxing thriller A Prayer Before Dawn. The film, directed by Jean-Stéphane Sauvaire premiered earlier this year at the 2017 Cannes Film Festival, and is set to be released in 2018 by A24.
A Prayer Before Dawn is the remarkable true story of Billy Moore, a young English boxer incarcerated in two of Thailand’s most notorious prisons. He is quickly thrown into a terrifying world of drugs and gang violence, but when the prison authorities allow him to take part in the Muay Thai boxing tournaments, he realizes this might be his chance to get out. Billy embarks on a relentless, action-packed journey from one savage fight to the next, stopping at nothing to do whatever he must to preserve his life and regain his freedom. Shot in a an actual Thai prison with a cast of primarily real inmates, A Prayer Before Dawn is a visceral, thrilling journey through an unforgettable hell on earth.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mp88Nuci68c
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VIDEO: Watch Dee Ree’s MUDBOUND Trailer Starring Carey Mulligan, Jason Mitchell, Mary J. Blige
The official trailer is finally here for Dee Rees’ Mudbound, set in the rural American South during World War II. Mudbound, based on the international bestselling novel by Hillary Jordan, is the timeless and timely story of two families – one black, one white – bound together by the farmland of the Mississippi Delta during the Jim Crow era of the 1940s.
A powerful ensemble cast including Carey Mulligan, Garrett Hedlund, Jason Mitchell, Jason Clarke, Jonathan Banks, Mary J. Blige and Rob Morgan portray the richly nuanced relationships between the McAllans and the Jacksons.
Rees commands a team of top craftspeople including a remarkable roster of female department heads – including cinematographer Rachel Morrison, editor Mako Kamitsuna, composer Tamar-kali, Oscar(R) nominee sound engineer Pud Cusack and makeup department head Angie Wells – to bring the past into the present and shine a light on a chapter of American history rarely seen on screen before.
Mudbound will be on Netflix and in select theaters on Friday, November 17.
Set in the rural American South during World War II, Dee Rees’ Mudbound is an epic story of two families pitted against one another by a ruthless social hierarchy, yet bound together by the shared farmland of the Mississippi Delta.
Mudbound follows the McAllan family, newly transplanted from the quiet civility of Memphis and unprepared for the harsh demands of farming. Despite the grandiose dreams of Henry (Jason Clarke), his wife Laura (Carey Mulligan) struggles to keep the faith in her husband’s losing venture. Meanwhile, Hap and Florence Jackson (Rob Morgan, Mary J. Blige) – sharecroppers who have worked the land for generations – struggle bravely to build a small dream of their own despite the rigidly enforced social barriers they face.
The war upends both families’ plans as their returning loved ones, Jamie McAllan (Garrett Hedlund) and Ronsel Jackson (Jason Mitchell), forge a fast but uneasy friendship that challenges the brutal realities of the Jim Crow South in which they live.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xucHiOAa8Rs