19 August
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FLAG DAY Director: Sean PennStarring: Dylan Penn, Sean Penn, Josh Brolin, Kathryn Winnick, Regina King, Hopper Penn Sean Penn’s latest film finds him directing and starring opposite his daughter Dylan Penn in the true story Flag Day. It’s a complicated father daughter relationship for their characters, John Vogel and Jennifer Vogel.  Dylan Penn provides Jennifer’s voice over narration recounting their relationship. He was in and out of her life making reckless, imperfect decisions every step of the way. She always preferred life at her dad’s as he made it exciting with their adventures at his cabin home. Life with her mom (Katheryn Winnick) was filledRead More →

12 August
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RESPECT Director: Liesl TommyStarring: Jennifer Hudson, Forest Whitaker, Marlon Wayans, Marc Maron, Audra McDonald, Heather Headley, Titus Burgess, Mary J. Blige, Saycon Sengbloh, Hailey Kilgore It’s clear that Jennifer Hudson was born to play the Queen of Soul, Aretha Franklin. She’s even said Franklin hand-picked her to star in the film version of her life. Like far too many biopics before it, Respect covers a lot of ground spanning decades of Aretha’s life going back to her troubled childhood. We learn that her father, played by Forest Whitaker, was a respected preacher with a large following. Six-time Tony winner Audra McDonald stars as her motherRead More →

12 August
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CODA Director: Sian HederStarring: Emilia Jones, Marlee Matlin, Troy Kotsur, Daniel Durant, Ferdia Walsh-Peelo,  Eugenio Derbez  The new film CODA walked away from the Sundance Fest Festival leaving an imprint on its audience and picked up four big awards including the Grand Jury Prize and the Audience Award. At the center of the film is Ruby Rossi, played by Emilia Jones. Get to her name as you’ll blown away by her performance. Ruby is a high school student who has spent her life being the sole American Sign Language interpreter for her family. Her parents (Marlee Matlin and Troy Kotsur) and her brother Leo (DanielRead More →

09 August
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ANNETTE Director: Leos CaraxStarring: Adam Driver, Marion Cotillard, Simon Helberg Imagine if Marriage Story was turned into a performance art piece of rock opera theater. That’s the vibe I was getting with Annette, starring Adam Driver and Marion Cotillard. Driver and Cotillard’s characters are somewhat of a power couple both being performers with high acclaim. As Henry McHenry, Driver plays a stand-up comedian who’s not really funny but draws a large crowd for his angry stage antics. Marion Cotillard’s Anne is an accomplished soprano playing to sold out opera houses. There’s a bit of a power struggle as Henry’s a chauvinist who wants more ofRead More →

04 August
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THE SUICIDE SQUAD Director: James GunnStarring: Idris Elba, Viola Davis, John Cena, Margot Robbie, Joel Kinnaman, Jai Courtney, Sylvester Stallone, David Dastmalchian, Michael Rooker, Peter Capaldi, Mayling Ng, Alice Braga James Gunn jumps comic book worlds from Marvel to DC with his new iteration of The Suicide Squad. This is the second Suicide Squad movie following director David Ayer’s film from 2016. Some of those characters have returned like Viola Davis’ Amanda Waller, who’s the mastermind behind gathering this group of super villains together. We learn that follow prisoner Bloodsport, played by Idris Elba, is a world class marksman and the one who put SupermanRead More →

30 July
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STILLWATER Director: Tom McCarthyStarring: Matt Damon, Abigail Breslin, Camille Cottin, Lilou Siauvaud Matt Damon’s new film, Stilwater, finds him leaving every trace of his Massachusetts upbringing behind to play an Oklahoma dad with a complicated family life. Damon plays Bill Baker, a construction worker whose work is light and would like to get back into the oil industry. He’s had a rough life, which is further complicated by the fact his daughter Allison, played by Abigail Breslin, is serving prison time for the murder of her girlfriend. She’s always proclaimed her innocence, and now Bill heads back to Marseille, France hoping to re-open the caseRead More →

28 July
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JUNGLE CRUISE Director: Jaume Collet-SerraStarring: Emily Blunt, Dwayne Johnson, Jesse Plemons, Jack Whitehall, Edgar Ramírez, Paul Giamatti Pairing Dwayne Johnson and Emily Blunt together for a family adventure is a no-brainer. They’re a winning pair that will make you hop on board Jungle Cruise. The legend of the Tears of the Moon tree has mystified explorers for centuries. It’s been said that one pink petal from the tree will cure any ailment. It’s the early 1900s and Emily Blunt plays Dr. Lily Houghton who sets out from England to the Amazon with her brother McGregor, played by Jack Whitehall, to find the Tears of theRead More →

22 July
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OLD Director: M. Night ShyamalanStarring: Gael García Bernal, Vicky Krieps, Alex Wolff, Thomasin McKenzie, Rufus Sewell, Abbey Lee, Eliza Scanlen M. Night Shyamalan has taken audiences on a mysterious journey for most of his career. His latest film, Old, is another head scratcher but one that have you thinking until the last scene. Heading out to a gorgeous resort sounds pretty perfect right now. For Guy and Prisca Capa, played by Gael García Bernal and Vicky Krieps, it’s the last time their whole family will be together before they divorce. They’ve been keeping this a secret from their two kids. The resort seems to haveRead More →

22 July
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THE LAST LETTER FROM YOUR LOVER Director: Augustine FrizzellStarring: Shailene Woodley, Callum Turner, Felicity Jones, Nabhaan Rizwan, Joe Alwyn There’s something about settling in for a sweeping romantic drama hoping that it takes your breath away. That’s the goal for the new Netflix weeper, The Last Letter from Your Lover. Author Jojo Moyes is no stranger for taking readers on a ride. Her latest page to screen adaptation spans decades thanks old fashioned, long form love letters. It’s London 1965 and Shailene Woodley’s Jennifer Stirling seems a bit unhappy in her new life with her husband. It’s the stuffy and privileged life she isn’t accustomedRead More →

22 July
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JOE BELL Director: Reinaldo Marcus GreenStarring: Mark Wahlberg, Reid Miller, Connie Britton, Gary Sinise, Maxwell Jenkins Mark Wahlberg has played plenty of Boston tough guys in his career. His latest role in Joe Bell offers up a newer side to the actor taking audiences on a heartbreaking journey of being a parent. Joe Bell is based a true story of a Oregon dad, played by Mark Wahlberg, who goes out to walk cross country from his home in LeGrand, Oregon to New York City sharing the story of his gay son, Jaydin, played by newcomer Reid Miller. His goal is to hopefully open the mindsRead More →