Weekly Trailer Updates 6/30/2010

The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader

In theaters December 10th, 2010

The Green Hornet

In theaters January 14th, 2011

The Tillman Story

In theaters August 20th, 2010

Middle Men

In theaters August 6th, 2010

Red

In theaters October 15th, 2010

The Extra Man

In theaters July 30th, 2010

Conviction

In theaters October 15th, 2010

Flick Releases 6/30/2010-7/4/2010

Here are this week's releases...We have a few that are coming out a little earlier in the week so stay tuned!

June 30th, 2010
Love Ranch (NR): Starring Helen Mirren and Joe Pesci as Grace Bontempo and Charlie Bontempo, the husband and wife team who own and run Nevada’s first legalized brothel.

The Twilight Saga: Eclipse (PG-13): Bella once again finds herself surrounded by danger as Seattle is ravaged by a string of mysterious killings and a malicious vampire continues her quest for revenge. In the midst of it all, she is forced to choose between her love for Edward and her friendship with Jacob — knowing that her decision has the potential to ignite the ageless struggle between vampire and werewolf.

July 1st, 2010

The Last Airbender (NR): Air, Water, Earth, Fire. Four nations tied by destiny when the Fire Nation launches a brutal war against the others.

July 2nd, 2010

Great Directors (NR): A celebration of films and filmmaking starring ten of the worlds most acclaimed, provocative, and individualistic living directors. The documentary is a deeply personal and intimate look at the art of cinema and the artists who create it, and features original, in-depth conversations with world-class filmmakers Bernardo Bertolucci, David Lynch, Stephen Frears, Agnes Varda, Ken Loach, Liliana Cavani, Todd Haynes, Catherine Breillat, Richard Linklater and John Sayles.

Leaves of Grass (R): When Ivy League classics professor Bill Kincaid receives news of the murder of his estranged identical twin brother, Brady (Edward Norton), in a pot deal gone bad, he leaves the world of Northeastern academia to travel back to his home state of Oklahoma. 

The Girl Who Played With Fire (NR): Two journalists on the verge of exposing their story in Millennium about an extensive sex trafficking operation between Eastern Europe and Sweden are brutally murdered.

July 4th, 2010

Phenom (NR): After a high school basketball prodigy (Chris Brown) goes pro and snooping journalists discover that he's the illegitimate son of a prominent NBA star, the playoffs get particularly interesting as father and son's respective teams appear poised to square off in the biggest game of the year.

DVD Releases 6/29/2010

Here are this week's DVD releases:

Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief (PG)

Hot Tub Time Machine (R)

The Crazies (R)

Enjoy!!

Anthony Anderson to join 'Scream 4' cast

According to Entertainment Weekly, with the recent cancellation of NBC's longest running series, 'Law and Order,' Anthony Anderson is back in Hollywood to do more films and has just signed on to be in Wes Craven's Scream 4.

Along with Marielle Jaffe, Anderson joins returning cast members Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox, and David Arquette, and newcomers Emma Roberts, Hayden Panettiere, Rory Culkin, Lake Bell, Nico Tortorella, and Lauren Graham.

It's been ten years since Scream 3 (2000) was released. Kevin Williams, who wrote the first three films, is back to write a new trilogy for the franchise. The movie will be set ten years later in Woodsboro, and is described as "an ensemble" which will introduce several new characters. In an interview with EW, Craven stated that the new film will take place a decade later, a decade without the ghostface killer.

"This is a film about the progress of, at this point, three core characters, and how all of these events have changed their lives, and how the events in their lives have been reflected in the movies around them, which they might like or might really not like at all. I think that makes it really different." (Kevin Williams)

Shooting will begin later this month in Michigan for an April 15, 2011 release date.

14th Annual American Black Film Festival (ABFF) Winners

Film Life's 14th annual American Black Film Festival (ABFF) announced the winners of their independent film awards at the Lincoln Theatre on June 26, 2010. And here are the results:

The Grand Jury Prize for Best Film: Legacy, directed by Thomas Ikimi. Starring Idris Elba, the film centers on a Black Ops operative Malcolm Gray (played by Elba) returns home after a botched mission in Eastern Europe. Holed up in a Brooklyn motel room, he is torn between retribution and personal salvation as he mentally unravels. When the walls close in, his story may be all he can leave behind. (He also received film stock valued at $5000.)

The Grand Jury Prize for Best Performance by an Actor: Golden Brooks for her performance in The Inheritance. Robert O'Hara makes his directorial debut with this film, also being produced by Effie T. Brown and her production company, Duly Noted Inc., the story centers on family friends (played by Golden Brooks, Darrin Dewitt Henson, Rochelle Aytes, Shawn Michael Howard, and D.B. Woodside) who gather during a winter storm for a 'secret' reunion at the family estate. The connection to their tortured history is one of only passing fascination. The reunion turns deadly when the elders have to make good on an ancient pact with a spirit of an ancestor. Now, it's this generation's turn to make the ultimate sacrifice. It is their duty and their destiny, but they won't give up without a fight to survive. (Prize includes $5000 sponsored by Gold Peak Tea.)

The HBO Short Film Award: Stag and Dow, directed by Daniel Patterson and John Staley. Stag and Doe is the story of Christian and Camille on the eve of their wedding night. With the promise of "forever" looming, Camille presents Christian with a unique proposition: one last "freebie" before the wedding, on the condition she gets to do the same...What will they decide?

The HBO Star Project grand-prize winners: Emayatzy Corinealdi of Los Angeles and Stephen Hill of New York. Emayatzy Corinealdi has played a range of characters, from a naive and tough teenager in the cable pilot Katrina, to an over-zealous and independent divorcee in indie flick Cordially Invited. Her latest projects include an episode of the ABC show 'Romantically Challenged;' independent films entitled Legend of The Black Lotu's and The Dating Game of which the short version has been chosen as an official selection for the Cannes Film Festival. Stephen Hill is noted as a genuine talent with onscreen charisma. He receives positive industry nods from Susan Batson (Black Nexxus Inc.) NYU Graduate Film, HBO/HBO Sports, the American Black Film Festival (ABFF) and Adcolor, among others. (Star Project is an international acting competition for emerging multicultural artists.)

The Career Achievement Award: Lee Daniels in celebration of his success and in recognition of his great talent. (ABFF Honors Past honorees have included Spike Lee and Melvin Van Peebles.)

The 1st Annual National 'Rising Icons' Award: Chrisette Michele talented Def Jam R&B singer. 'Rising Icons' is a TV series on BET network honoring the spirit of musical excellence by recognizing the world's most influential new-found artists.
 
The event was hosted by director Robert Townsend.

Friday Flicks 6/25/2010

Check out what hits theaters this week...

Knight and Day (PG-13): A wholesome, Midwestern woman accidentally gets involved with an international super spy and is forced to flee the country with him while he protects a dangerous new piece of technology.

Grown-Ups (PG-13): The death of their childhood basketball coach leads to a reunion for some old friends (Adam Sandler, Kevin James, Chris Rock), who gather at the site of a championship celebration from years ago. Picking up right where they left off, the buddies , with their wives and children in tow, discover why age does not necessarily equal maturity.

Dogtooth (NR): Focusing on three "teenagers" confined to an isolated country estate, Dogtooth tells the story of a nuclear family tightly run by über-controlling parents.

Wild Grass (PG): Is the whimsical, romantic and wildly imaginative tale of two strangers, Marguerite and Georges (played by Resnais regulars Sabine Azéma and André Dussollier) whose paths meet when George finds Marguerite’s wallet after her purse was snatched. 

Restrepo (R): From June 2007 to July 2008, Hetherington and Junger embedded with the soldiers of Second Platoon, Battle Company in the remote Korengal Valley in eastern Afghanistan, as they fought to build and maintain a remote 15-man outpost named “Restrepo” after a platoon medic who was killed in action.

Unthinkable

Armed with the knowledge that their suspect has planted three nuclear bombs in three U.S. cities, black ops interrogator H (Samuel L. Jackson) and FBI Agent Helen Brody (Carrie-Anne Moss) resort to extreme methods to get the confession that could save missions of innocent lives.
 
This movie is one of those that almost slipped past me on the radar. Watching it you will understand why...

Unthinkable is the perfect example of the "what-if" scenario type movie. In the back of your mind you are saying I know this happening, but when will the world truly see it. You have to prep your mind and almost trick it into watching this film. If you don't you might easily close your eyes through the whole thing. It's not often that you are able to come across a film that truly makes you think afterwards, and at the same time get you to fully appreciate the fact that you've just been entertained and watched something good....that's what successfully does. Unthinkable

The movie's biggest strength are its characters and roles within the film. The acting by the lead roles is superb - both Samuel L. Jackson and Carrie-Ann Moss are playing at the peak of their acting careers. Memorable roles for both of them. And we can't forget Michael Sheen and why he is one of the most sought after actors today. You can't help but believe that Jackson's "H" is capable of doing ANYTHING to save innocent lives including the "unthinkable".While the storyline is not the most politically popular film, it doesn't have to be, as long as you are thinking, the film has done its job.

DISCLOSURE: Let me also forewarn you the numerous torture scenes are very tough to take, definitely not for someone under the age of 16. It does require a fairly strong stomach not intended for the uneasy person but this is exactly the purpose of the film.

Keep in mind this film is not condoning torture, but merely asking these questions: When do we stop being human beings? How do you balance the morality of torture against its real world 'benefits'?...

Grade: 3 out of 4 stars