When the remake of Ocean’s Eleven first came out, I tried my hardest to convince my wife that I had won a contest on iWon.com. The prize? Don Cheadle was coming to our house for dinner! I told her we had to make a fantastic meal because it was Don Cheadle, and he was used to fancy cooking. This charade went on for weeks, with me saying things like, “Just two more days until Mr....

As a reviewer for Film Threat and other publications, I get to see a lot of movies. Over the years I think I’ve become pretty good at spotting talent. When I saw Beth Ulrich, I knew there was something there. I could easily see her on stage accepting an Oscar (not that that should be the goal of any actor, but it is what society recognizes as “making it”). She was everything Hollywood promised Sandra Bullock to be, but with talent....

1. Understanding the Art of Adaptation 1.1 The Essence of the Source Material Books have a certain characteristic that makes them perfect for film or television adaptations. They create complex and engaging storylines by frequently delving into the inner workings of their characters’ minds, hearts, and minds. The success of a film adaptation depends on faithfully capturing the book’s spirit and major ideas without changing them. 1.2 Selecting the Right Source Material It’s not possible to adapt every novel into a film or TV series....

The films that began with The Hangover in 2009 and ended with The Hangover Part III in 2013 were always intended to be a trilogy. However, after their critical and commercial success, fans have been desperate for more action from the legendary Wolfpack. Is there any chance of the franchise returning? Original Hangover Film Was a Cultural Revelation When The Hangover was first released, there had been few pictures like it in the same vein....

Staring at a very similar fate may be Morgan Creek Studios as they have to contend with the troubled prospects of their latest release Exorcist: The Beginning. From conception this had to be considered a true challenge; forging interest in a franchise that first began 30 years ago and has been followed with largely forgettable sequels. One other burden might also be the scariest: it is directed by the Nordic outlet of bloated action-bombs, Renny Harlin....

Unsurprisingly, Anna and Sarel butt heads often. When she tells him she doesn’t want a husband, he erupts. As the days pass, Sarel slips into violent hallucinations brought on by the internal demons he’s fighting. But those demons seem to have a life of their own and threaten Anna as well. Can Anna survive her hellish new job and finally become the person she’s meant to be? Peacock is a slow burn, but in the best sense of the phrase....

Peter Case left and played on the streets of San Francisco for money while reading his way through the stacks of City Lights bookstore. He was part of the seminal Bay Area punk band The Nerves, best known for their song “Talkin’ on the Telephone,” which was later recorded by Blondie. When signed by Geffen Records, his new wave act, The Plimsouls, had everything needed to go straight to the top....

Pomp and Circumstance, directorial debut for filmmakers Adrian Anderson and Patrick Gray, is nothing you haven’t seen before– and more. In stylish vignettes, Anderson and Gray explore the existential tribulation of three undergraduate students: Charlie, Marie, and Thomas. The trio is pulled from collective ennui by the dark designs of Professor James Cherry, having announced his mayoral campaign and his intent to purge Burlington of ‘low’ art. As ‘JC’ stokes flames of righteous indignation in Burlington’s student body, Charlie, Marie, and Thomas must push back, saving their beloved karaoke bar from certain doom....

Carlos “El Loco” Molina (Gonzalo Molina) is a part-time cab driver, part-time security guard, and full-time habitual liar. He seems unable to stop himself from telling whatever story he made up in that moment to make him the center of attention. This behavior, along with his inability to keep his promises, has estranged him from his ex-wife Elena (Jimena Lindo) and his two daughters, Aurora (Luana Vega) and Lucia (Abril Gjurinovic)....

The remarkable Vicky Knight plays Franky, a troubled nurse who suffered severe burns from an accident in her youth. She blames her estranged father for the fire that turned the pub she slept in to ash and harbors bitter resentment toward him and his new family. Living with her burnt-out mother and impressionable sister in East London, much of Franky’s time is spent smoking pot with friends and hanging out with her deadbeat boyfriend....

Sydney flees across the country to New York City, where she falls under the protection of Detective Alan Mortal (Alan Merrill). To help Sydney evade her pursuers, Mortal calls in a favor with his ex-wife (Lynn Lowry), a TV anchor who announces Sydney is dead. Meanwhile, Ingrid awakens on a road unconscious, almost hit by a speeding car. The drivers of the car, twin sisters Parker (Kansas Bowling) and Kansas (Parker Bowling), let Ingrid know she is in California and take her home to their foster mother, Miss Skylace (Cherie Currie)....

When Stolen Memories opened in sepia tint, I thought to myself, “I really hope they have a reason for this, and just aren’t playing with effects.” To the film’s credit, the visual choice is a functional one, as the film ponders a couple different timelines for out main character, and the image changes from sepia to full color to black-and-white, depending on what segment is being explored. It’s a nice visual shorthand to show you that something is different now, and not, as I first feared, just something that looked “neat....

But then the power grid gets fried, and it becomes clear that the solar flare has done significant damage. Out on the farm, with Hannah stuck in work at the hospital in the city, the family doesn’t know what to do. There’s not much panic, at first, as there’s no predicting how long the power will be down or how bad things are getting, but then Ben (Christopher Marrone) shows up, beaten and bloodied, after being car jacked at a gas pump....

When you consider these two massive industries together – Filmmaking and Journalism – it is impossible to think about the fate of independent film without considering the state of film journalism. Indies, more so than large studio fare, are dependent on a positive critical buzz to propel them success. Lady Bird, famously, has a 99% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. So important was critical praise to Lady Bird’s success that the first negative review online was said to solicit death threats!...

Growing up in this area might have had something to do with it. Or perhaps it’s that I first saw “Deliverance” when I was just ten years old. Wherever it came from, I’ve acknowledged it: the fear of hillbillies (Moonshynaphobia?). And it’s not a bad thing. I’m a film nut, and I love horror flicks. Like most people, I like to go to the movies and have the living daylights scared out of me....

28 Days Later (2002) After a virus outbreak leaves Britain in ruins, a few survivors must navigate a post-apocalyptic world filled with “infected” and hostile humans. This film blends horror with a sense of urgency and survival. While not directly related to Memorial Day, the themes of resilience and endurance resonate well. Overlord (2018) On the eve of D-Day, American paratroopers discover a Nazi lab conducting horrifying experiments. They must combat not just enemy soldiers but also monstrous creations....

Being autodidactic, Jones is a quick student and soon masters the instrument. Soon, he’s making good money busking on the street. After a video of Jones goes viral, he lands a job performing at a nightclub. His most significant discovery comes when meeting singer Grace (Alexa Rachelle). The two form a partnership and then a marriage. All is grand for Trombone Jones, but the memories and PTSD he picked up in battle come back around to potentially thwart his success....

To map out the basics, we have a small frontier town, a woman in trouble named Annie McBride (Stephanie Northrup), a corrupt sheriff (Jeff Dolan) arch-villain, and a rogue-ish good guy named Jim Dawson (Robert Kotecki) who wants to be a rancher. Still, we can’t seem to stay away from the lead-slinging type of trouble. The robbery of a stagecoach just outside of town sparks off a series of events that bring all the main elements together in a chaotic surge of violence....

This insane treasure hunt may sound like a father’s cruelty, but her father is emphatic that Kate ventures into the great outdoors and lives life instead of living her reclusive existence in the family cabin home. Ironically, after living her entire life in the forest, she has no clue how to do simple wilderness tasks…such as hiking. Yet, not being homeless is a great motivator to fulfill her father’s wishes....

Filmed over the course of five years, the documentary takes a thorough look at workers in various textile facilities in the Chinese manufacturing town of Zhili. As the film’s name would imply, these workers are young, often in their twenties, but some are as adolescent as sixteen. They often come from rural parts of the country to make money, living in tight dormitories and less-than-ideal conditions. Some come to make enough to chase their dreams or plan for the future....