Final Day of CinemaCon 2026 with Paramount and Disney

 

Jeri Jacquin

It is the final day of CinemaCon here in Las Vegas and jumping right in this morning after a late night is Paramount and Disney.

David Ellison, Paramount Skydance CEO, took the stage to talk about the acquisition of Warner Bros, saying that the goal with combining the companies is to release 30 films across them both in a year. He says that Paramount is looking at a 45-day window for theatrical releases and streaming release after 90 days.

The first film up is James Mangold’s THE HIGH SIDE and CALL OF DUTY films, although no release date yet. Also in the hopper is STAR TREK, G.I. JOE, TRANSFORMERS, WORLD WAR Z (Yaaaaassss!), PARANORMAL ACTIVITY, POSESSION, LONGLEGS (Another Yaaaaaas!), and JACKASS.

The big announcement, however, is that TOP GUN 3 with Tom Cruise is in development. Along with GET LIFE, THE NAUGHTY LIST, and the Korean action film THE GANGSTER, THE COP, THE DEVIL, with James Wan’s English remake.

SONIC THE HEDGEHOG 4 has James Marsden and Tika Sumpter showing the first footage via video of the fourth in the series. Look for Sonic, Knuckles, Shadow and Amy along with my family’s favorite Jim Carrey as Dr. Robotnik. Especially when Robotnik screams, “Robotnik…Saves…World!”

If you are wondering about the Turtles in a Half Shell, Seth Rogan lets the audience know they are working on the next film. I have a grandson who is waiting, dudes, get on that!

Love the A QUIET PLACE films? Then you’ll be thrilled to know that a part 3 is on its way. Krasinski is scouting locations, but did not reveal much else. Now that’s not cool, dude, still excited about it though!

CALL OF DUTY brings a short teaser with director Peter Berg sending his regards, mentioning that Taylor Sheridan is also working on the film. “Taylor and I are both very attached to the special operations community.” That, translated, means the film is going to be intense. Release date is June 30, 2028.

James Cameron gets into the docu-music genre with the 3D Billie Eilish concert film HIT ME HARD AND SOFT. Speaking about the film is a theatrical experience; he expresses that he used tools that he didn’t even have for the AVATAR movies.

SCARY MOVIE 6, which has sprinkles of it around Caesar’s Palace, has Shawn Wayans and Anna Faris talking about their R-rated comedy. This time, they are out to parody GET OUT, WEAPONS, and other films. This time, Ghostface gets a big, ummm, appendage in his gullet, and the ‘Wazzzzaaaap!’ makes a return. Johnny Knoxville intros his new film JACKASS film showing all his intros but adding this time a new cast member, Larry. Steve-O is also there. Of course, there is going to be a popcorn bucket being designed for the film, and all I can think of is that everyone is going to want one, at least those of us who love JACKASS.

For the family, Paramount hasn’t forgotten them at all. The lineup includes PAW PATROL: The Dino Movie with music from The Backstreet Boys and ANGRY BIRDS 3 (and parents love it too!) with Jason Sudeikis. Both of these are the reasons families go to the theatres, because it may be for kids, but adults have a great time as well.

Not to be outdone with musical guests in the films, ‘Sabotage’ by The Beastie Boys rolls out for the film STREET FIGHTER. Bringing a trailer for the film, Eric Andre, Cody Rhodes, and the cast appear on stage looking as badass as they want to be. Phil Simms hits the stage to talk about the film MR. IRRELEVANT: The John Tuggle Story. Starring David Corenswet of SUPERMAN fame, the film is definitely going to be tissue-worthy.

Director David Ayer is back directing THE HEART OF THE BEAST about an ex-special forces soldier and the dog served beside him. Brad Pitt stars in the film of survival and loyalty between the two with, “One last mission. I’m not going to let you die out here.”

Are you ready for the holidays already? Ti West brings video to talk EBENEZER: A Christmas Carol. Johnny Depp once again comes to CinemaCon and this time says the Dickens story has made his obsessed since he was a kid. The trailer shows Depp doing what he does best, embracing a character with a darkness that only he can do. The film also stars Ian McKellen.

Depp says, “When I was approached by Ti West [director], my first thought was there’s no one who can do it as well as Alastair Sim (1951) did. It’s a magical performance. But, then I thought, that’s no reason not to attempt something. I think Ti really did something very special.”

Director Gina Prince-Blythewood brings CHILDREN OF BLOOD AND BONE with the cast of Chiwetel Ejiofor, Damson Idris, Thuso Mbedu, Amandla Stenberg, and Regina King. Viola Davis also stars as Mama Agba in a struggle of an African kingdom without magic. I think it’s cool looking!

As CinemaCon is famous for, that is keeping me on the edge of my seat. Walt Disney Studios is the final presentation, and I’m here for two things in particular. Can you guess? Well, lets get to some of the other films first.

With THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA 2 mere weeks away (hurry up!!!), a video message from star Anne Hathaway thanks theatre owners and announces, “Twenty years later, we are back!” Yes, and looking good girl!

Yes, this is the biggest reason I am here right now, Jon Favreau, writer and director, arrives to talk about the how the original STAR WARS film made an impression on him. The trailer for THE MANDALORIAN AND GROGU shows Pedro Pascal’s Mando, doing what he does best and is moving on to his bounty hunting. As a STAR WARS fan since I was 16 (do the math kids), I haven’t been this excited for another installment in a long time. THE MANDALORIAN AND GROGU is due in theatres in May. Are you ready?

Another film that has become so iconic and generational has a new story with TOY STORY 5. Buzz and the gang are going through growing pains as Bonnie begins to turn away from the toys to become tech savvy, but a Lily Pad. Of course, Woody is going to come help his friends. On stage, to the cheer of the audience, are Tim Allen and Tom Hanks. Tim Allen says, “We love playing Buzz and Woody, and we can’t believe how lucky we are to be able to continue telling these stories that keep people moving from infinity to beyond!” A duo that lives in our hearts.

In 2016, audiences were introduced to a young girl named Moana and the curly-haired Maui. The animated MOANA film was a massive hit, and now, in 2026, the live-action MOANA film is coming to the screen. Returning as Maui himself, Dwayne Johnson, makes his way to the stage. It is so sweet that he says his performance is inspired by his grandfather. Also joining Johnson is Catherine Laga’aia, Moana herself. Johnson says of the power of the film, “The hero of our story is not a princess; she’s a warrior. All men of all ages, we should empower, support, and champion all women. That’s what real masculinity looks like.” The trailer looks amazing!

Ridley Scott's film THE DOG STARS is right up my alley. Jackob Elordi, Margaret Qually, and Josh Brolin star in this story about the world after a pandemic (sounds eerie, right?) Hig, played by Elordi, lives along with his dog and now has a friend in Brolin’s character. When they get a weird radio transmission, off they go to find out what it means.

The film WHALEFALL looks totally amazing! It is the story of a scuba diver looking for his father, who gets, well, swallowed by an 80-foot whale and only has an hour of oxygen. I’m just grateful it isn’t a shark. Director Brian Duffield and star Austin Abrams hit theatres in October.

HEXED stars Hailee Steinfeld and Rashida Jones as a teenage girl and her mom who discover magic and a secret world that is going to turn their lives into chaos. The animated film is due out in November, just in time for the season.

The band is back together! Taking the stage are the voices of Manny in the form of Ray Romano, Diego in the body of Denis Leary, and Ellie looking lovely as Queen Latifah for ICE AGE: Boiling Point. Now, as wonderful as that is, and it is – it is baby Scratch that just took my heart. Let's hope Scratch jr. has more luck than his parental unit.

Dropping like a bomb is Kevin Feige taking over the stage to talk about-yes-AVENGERS:Doomsday.  He also brings news of INFINITY VISION. Infinity Vision sets a new benchmark for theatrical presentation, certifying auditoriums that meet rigorous technical standards, including a focus on: The largest screens for maximum scale, laser projection for superior brightness and clarity, and premium audio formats for fully immersive sound. Translated folks? That means AVENGERS: Doomsday is going to blow us all away. Added gasoline to the fire, directors Anthony and Joe Russo come to the stage. As always, there is only one person to take their thunder – Robert Downey Jr., who gets the audience going, teasing that he would love to give away “37,000 spoilers” but shows ‘The Trailer of Doom’. Good choice!

The trailer shows the Fantastic Four, Gambit, Shang-Chi, Mystique/Yelena, Thor and Dr. Doom. But wait, there’s more because that’s not all, and not to be outdone, Chris Evans walks on stage and when asked about returning to his role, he says, “I’d only come back if there was a real reason. The Avengers really needed Steve Rogers.”

Well, that’s it! CinemaCon 2026 is in the books. The studios have upped their game, bringing announcements, surprises, and everything theatre owners want to bring to the audiences that visit their seats. The movie theatre is still the most epic place to see film, and the stories, directors, actors, and studios are working hard to make that experience everything we want it to be. Until then, see you next year! 

Final Day of CinemaCon 2025 Brings Paramount and Disney

 

Jeri Jacquin

These past four days have completely flown by here at CinemaCon in Las Vegas. The studios have brought anticipated films and a few surprises with their upcoming slates. This morning begins with Paramount and later today Disney to wrap up this year’s conference. Let’s get started!

It doesn’t take but a hot minute to get things going starting off with motorcycle stunts on stage as the iconic (and often repeated in people’s minds when they are doing something stunt-y) Mission Impossible theme. Chris Aronson, Domestic distribution president for Paramount gets a chance to joke with the audience “on the heels of Sony releasing four Beatles movies, they’re gonna release four Paw Patrol films for each character”. No worries my grandson, he’s just being silly. CEO Brian Robbins talks of CHILDREN OF BLOOD AND BONE being adapted for the screen saying the film is “a labor of love” and in regards to SCREAM 7, “Sidney Prescott is back with old suspects and fresh new victims” which is code for ut-ohhhhhh.

Edgar Wright’s film THE RUNNING MAN with the very handsome Glen Powell, Colman Domingo and Josh Brolin. On stage Wrights says “the media and the world have gone out of control. It’s worth mentioning that Stephen King’s original book was set in 2025.” Now if that doesn’t send King-like chills down one’s spine! In the film, Domingo’s character says, “This is American goddamnit, and we don’t put up with no bullsh*t!”, amen to that sir! From this film to the endless possibilities of THE LEGEND OF AANG: The Last Airbender is another project for Paramount.

SMURFS will be making their blue trail back to theatres this summer but made sure to nod at CinemaCon with Papa Smurf’s brother says, “You don’t see that at CinemaCon!”. However, I’m all googly-eyed as Mark Hamill and, of course, Tom Kenney hit the stage to talk about THE SPONGEBOB MOVIE: Search for Squarepants. Okay, so I’m still 16 and see Luke watch the sunset at this moment, but I digress. Hamill takes the role as the voice of the Flying Dutchman saying, “I actually did an episode of SpongeBob in the fifth season, and I did such a great job they asked me back 18 years later – and if I do my job correctly, every child in America will hate my guts.” The one thing about Mark Hamill you can be sure of is you can never be sure what he will say next! Paramount has decided to reboot THE NAKED GUN with Liam Neeson and I’m actually all about it right now. The trailer is totally hilarious and I will be the first to buy a ticket, I mean come on – if Liam Neeson dressing like a school girl entering a bank with a lollipop doesn’t crack you up, then maybe you need to have your funny bone checked!

Distinguished Decade of Achievement in Film Honoree Channing Tatum previews his film ROOFMAN saying the project is special to him and is “an immensely entertaining ride and unbelievably hilarious”. Congratulations to Tatum for his award this year and the film looks fun and funny.

A big moment for everyone is Tom Cruise arriving to push MISSION: Impossible - The Final Reckoning but first, he grabbed my heart with this, “I’d like to take a moment before we move on. I’d like to honor my dear friend Val Kilmer. I really can’t tell you how much I admire his work, how much I thought of him as a human being, and how honored I was when he joined TOP GUN and returned for TOP GUN: Maverick.” He also talks about Brad Pitt and his film F1 and just being openly supportive of film in general. The trailing always gets me when Kittridge says, “Everything you are, everything you’d done, has gone to this” because it sounds so brutally cold in tone. The director for MISSION: Impossible – The Final Reckoning’s director Christopher McQuarrie received CinemaCon’s Director of the Year Award for this year speaking of his twenty-year relationship with Cruise saying, “Tom, it’s an honor to work with you and to place you in harm’s way for people’s entertainment.”

The final presentation on the last day is Disney and all it has to offer. Starting off with their reel that, if I’m not mistaken, includes a bit of TRON in a quick flash. The much anticipated live-action LILO & STITCH gives a look at the friendship that might make fans happy to know it feels like the animated story. That will come as a happy thing for some kids in my household who love Stitch more than our dog! On the stage, and nice to see, is Lindsay Lohan and Jamie Lee Curtis to show that time hasn’t changed them much and previewing their new film FREAKIER FRIDAY. Mother and daughter are living the grown-up life – enter Chad Michael Murray which will bring problems of its own. I was right, Jared Leto and Jeff Bridges returning as Flynn in the house to promote TRON: Ares. Leto plays Ares and says, “Ares is a highly advanced program who crosses over from the digital world to the real world on a mission”. Directed by Joachim Ronning, the look it there to bring audiences from as far back as 1982 when the original hit theatres.

PREDATOR: Badlands is next up with star Elle Fanning letting the audience know that “Something unprecedented happens in this movie…my character teams up with the predator!” Set in the Predator universe, Fanning takes up the mantle and we hear “I didn’t think you survived” and I’m here for whatever comes next. This next pairing is for the Springsteen biopic of DELIVER ME FROM NOWHERE starring Jeremy Allen White and Jeremy Strong (having two Jeremy’s on the set ought to be fun!). The reel offers up a look at pieces of Springsteen’s childhood and into music. Jamie Lee Curtis is certainly centered in the Disney world and back on stage with Emma Mackey for the film ELLA MCCAY. Following a idealistic politician, she follows her mentor preparing to take over the job – as governor, while also dealing with home issues. The film also stars Woody Harrelson and Kumail Nanjiani directed by James L. Brook. The director also receives CinemaCon’s Cinema Verite Award and well deserved for movies like AS GOOD AS IT GETS and TERMS OF ENDEARMENT. When the perfect couple of Benedict Cumberbatch and Olivia Coleman become not-so-perfect, director Jay Roach gives us THE ROSES.

Marvel is up bringing out Hannah-John-Kamen, Wyatt Russell, Florence Pugh, Julia-Louis-Dreyfus and David Harbour for THUNDERBOLTS. The trailer shows Red Guardian and Bucky talking about what happened at the Soviet Union in a truck with Yelena, Walker and Ghost in the back. Cracking me up is when Fontaine refers to Red Guard as “old Santa”. The film opens up soon! They are not the only heroes (or anti-heroes depending) as Kevin Feige video messages from the set of AVENGERS: Doomsday. He says the entire cast of the film hasn’t totally been revealed but, does reveal that the Thunderbolts, Wakandans, Fantastic Four and original X-Men are going to take on Doctor Doom. That means a huge cast and full theatres everywhere. THE FANTASTIC FOUR: First Steps gets new footage with a shot of the Silver Surfer as well.

Pixar has the chance to show a bit of their new animated adventure ELIO. The boy Elio voiced by Yonas Kibreab, is taken by aliens and going to their community, he meets Glordon voiced by Remy Edgerly. The vocal cast also includes Zoe Saldana as Aunt Olga, Brad Garrett, Jameela Jamil and Shirley Henderson. It’s a story of friendship in outer space! Saldana says of the film, “it is a heartfelt, funny and beautiful story”. On pace is Ke Huy Quan voicing Gary in the new ZOOTOPIA 2 as Nick and Judy are back as partners having partner issues after only a week but their job is to find the snake.

Finally, James Cameron messages the audience with “I’m in New Zealand finishing up Avatar: Fire and Ash. I think we can agree that’s a good use of my time since this sucker’s coming at us like a freight train. I’m sending you a reel to give a taste of the spectacle – and the increased emotional heart and soul”. He is speaking about the next installment of AVATAR: Fire & Ash. Cameron’s next storyline shows the Na’vi, Wind Traders who have ships that float with the help of giant creatures. Jake and his family are together as Kiri still communes with Ewya but the Fire People tell her “Your goddess has no dominion here”.

That’s they way to end CinemaCon’s presentations for 2025. Later this evening is the CinemaCon Awards Ceremony and its has been another amazing CinemaCon and we want to thank everyone for making it possible to be here and bring all the exciting events to you. See you next year!

Do They Know Each Other from BEFORE?

 

Jeri Jacquin

Coming to Apple TV+, director Adam Bernstein and creator Sarah Thorp is a story of loss in a thriller that will keep you guessing till the very shocking end with BEFORE.

Eli (Billy Crystal) is a child psychologist who is dealing with the loss of his wife Lynn (Judith Light). One morning at his front door, a young boy named Noah (Jacobi Jupe) appears and tries to discover where he is from as the boy leaves. After his therapy appointment, Eli begins to question whether he will ever be able to help kids as he once did. When friend Gail (Sakina Jaffrey) asks him to take on a case of a troubled boy, Eli does so begrudgingly.

Later that night, the boy at the door is now the boy at his bedside. Following him home, he meets Denise (Rosie Perez), Noah’s foster mother who cares so much for the boy. He also learns that the boy has stopped talking and Denise does not know why. Eli visits his friend Jackson (Robert Townsend) to try and make sense of what is happening but isn’t thrilled with the answers. Arriving to meet Gail, Eli is stunned to learn that her client is none other than Noah!

Learning that if Eli doesn’t attempt to reach the boy, Noah will go to a state facility. During their session, things begin to happen that Eli cannot explain. Now Eli is even more intrigued with what could possibly be driving the boy and he is not going to stop until he has looked at every aspect of Noah’s life. The clues are there and they are frightening!

Crystal as Eli plays a man who needs to come to terms with the death of his wife but only in a way that he can accept. When Noah shows up in his life, everything turns upside down but he can not stay away from what is happening to him. Becoming involved means he does not have to deal with his own pain and the dreams that haunt him. Crystal is really quite thrilling in this role and to see him take this character to places that can be quite frightening is everything. This fine comedic actor is allowed moments of a chuckle or two and even pieces of sarcasm but when things become intense, Crystal goes deeper than I’ve ever seen him go before.

Jupe as Noah is a very young actor who has taken on a very big and powerful role. As the frightened Noah, Jupe gives the audience a look inside what is going through this young boy’s mind. Jupe’s performance is absolutely stellar and as each episode progresses, he continues to provide the audience a chance to follow him and I was hooked immediately. Yes, he is an adorable kid but he is also a young actor who is showing the audience what he can do given a role such as this. Absolutely well done!

Perez as Denise is a woman who wants to give so much love to the young Noah. Having things go sideways for no reason, in her eyes, is a combination of frustration and total worry for her ward. She provides the audience with a safe link between Eli and Noah with her love for the child and the realization that only Eli seems to be able to reach him. Such a strong performance and a memorable one as well. Jaffrey as Gail believes that Eli is the only person who can help Eli but there comes a point when all becomes muddled. Following the case, she begins to see Eli as part of the problem rather than the solution.

Shout out to Townsend as Jackson is a sounding board for Eli but he is not listening to his friend. Perhaps he should as there might be some truth in what he is saying.  

The cast that will expand as the series runs includes Rebecca Ruane as Sophie, Maria Dizzia as Barbara, Will Hochman as Benjamin Walker, Jorie Rosen as Nikki, Miriam Shor as Sue Ann, David Mattle as Alex, Christina Renee as Nurse Jo and Ava Lalezarzadeh as Cleo.

AppleTV+ is a video on demand web television that debuted in 2019 viewable through the Apple TV app. CEO Tim Cook wanted original content calling it “a great opportunity for us from a creation point of view”. From THE MORNING SHOW to TRYING and THE BANKER and Jason Momoa in SEE, there is plenty of choices for everyone. Plenty of genres? That is exactly what they are bringing to viewers and to see more of what they have to offer please visit www.apple.com/tv/.

The 10-episode series includes The Imposter, the Scientist, The Liar, Symbols and Signs, Folie a Deux, Fever Dream, The Power of Belief, When We Dead Awaken, And the Darkness Was Called Night and Before.

Hailing from Paramount Television Studios, the limited series is created by Sarah Thorp. Thorp serves as showrunner, writer and executive producer. Crystal executive produces alongside Academy Award winner Eric Roth, pilot director Adam Bernstein and producing director Jet Wilkinson.

BEFORE is a series that needs to be followed from start to the last episode. I am a huge fan of original pieces and this is one of them. The characters of Eli and Noah are complex with strings leading in every twisted direction. Crystal and Jupe are just amazing and as their story unfolds, the characters go deeper and deeper into a story that connects them together – but how?

Being a fan of thrillers with huge twists, BEFORE gives just that. Each episode is a piece of a larger puzzle and telling it means we have to be patient weekly and get a large bowl of popcorn ready because this…is going to get good.

In the end – the connection is real!

The Final Day of CinemaCon 2023

 

Jeri Jacquin

The final day has come swiftly and there is no time to waste. Wrapping up another year of the amazing convention will dazzle with everything possible in film.

Starting out with Paramount they want to make sure the new generation of movie goers about the turtles on a half-shell with TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES: Mutant Mayhem. Paramount CEO Brian Robbins makes a dashing entrance through a manhole and carries what we all love – pizza!

He also announces that SCREAM VI brings the franchise in as its high-grossing film and that SMILE 2 will be coming as well. That all being said, the biggest thrill is the return of the fastest blue streak in red shoes with SONIC THE HEDGEHOG 3.

Seth Rogen takes over the stage to talk about TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES: Mutant Mayhem making sure everyone knows it is a film families can see together. Michelangelo, Donatello, Raphael and Leonardo are the crimefighters that are generational icons. A star-studded vocal cast led by Chris Hemsworth, Scarlett Johansson and Laurence Fishburne bring TRANSFORMERS ONE, the animated prequel coming in 2024.

On the animated side of fun is director Chris Miller showcasing Rihanna as Smurfette in THE SMURFS. Also, SPONGEBOB SQUAREPANTS back for more fun but this time facing foe the Flying Dutchman as both film debut in 2025. More animation comes from Aang, Katara, Sokka, Zuko and Toph returning for AVATAR: The Last Airbender. Rounding out the fun is PAW PARTROL: The Mighty Movie with Chris Rock.

TRANSFORMERS: Rise of the Beasts brings back the struggle as Decepticons and Autobots go head-to-head once again.

The next three films are going to fill the theatres for sure as John Krasinski brings A QUIET PLACE: Day One as another family struggles against what has landed on earth. The film stars Lupita Nyong’o, Joseph Quinn and Alex Wolff. Krasinski also brings IF, a live-action family film with Ryan Reynolds and Steve Carrell and with those two actors together, it is going to be amazing.

The next Tom Cruise installment directed by Christopher McQuarrie is MISSION IMPOSSIBLE: Dead Reckoning Part One. The film is due to be released this July and that will make for an extended firework celebration.

KILLERS OF THE FLOWER MOON due out in October is directed by Martin Scorsese and stars Leonardo DiCaptrio, Robert DeNiro, Lily Gladstone, Jessie Plemons, Tantoo Cardinal, John Lithgow and Brendan Fraser. The film tells the story of the Osage natives in 1920’s Oklahoma when the native people are being murdered as more and more settlers come to Osage County. It is a story of greed and sacrifice with a couple in the middle with loyalties to both sides.

Lionsgate is the very last studios presentation for 2023’s CinemaCon with its slate of films. The first is the highly anticipated continuation of HUNGER GAMES: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes takes us back in time sixty-four years before anyone ever heard of Katniss Everdeen.

The story follows the Snow family and the young Coriolanus who is looking to battle good and evil. He is paired up with Lucy Baird from District 12 and it becomes clear that it is a good pairing but will it change Snow? The film stars Tom Blyth, Rachel Zegler, Peter Dinklage, and Viola Davis. Coming this Thanksgiving 2023.

Lionsgate’s slate for 2023 includes About My Father, The Blackening, Joy Ride, White Bird: A Wonder Story, The Expendables 4, Ordinary Angels, and a Saw sequel.

Finally, the last event bringing CinemaCon 2023 to a close is the Big Screen Achievement Awards for 2023. This year’s winners include:

NATO Spirit of the Industry Award – Christopher Nolan and Emma Thomas

Star of the Year – Zendaya

Comedy Ensemble Award – The cast of “Joy Ride” - Ashley Park, Sherry Cola, Stephanie Hsu, and Sabrina Wu

CinemaCon Award of Excellence in Animation - Chris Meledandri

Cinéma Vérité Award - Melissa McCarthy

Rising Stars of the Year – Anthony Ramos and Dominique Fishback

CINEMACON 2022 Brings Out the Red Carpet for Studios and Theatre Owners

 

Jeri Jacquin

This past week, Las Vegas hosted the annual NATO (National Association of Theatre Owners) CINEMACON gathering together to experience what the studios have to offer theatres with their coming slates for 2022-2023 and beyond.

Caesar’s Palace was the place to be as each studio called us into the Colosseum to talk about the return of the theatrical experience and thanking the theatre owners for hanging on during the Covid shutdown. Reopening to movie-lovers, theatre owners were thanked by studio executives and stars for recognizing that everyone wants to get back into theatres!

Starting on Monday, Sony studios began the convention with director David Leitch giving the audience a look at the new film starring Brad Pitt with BULLETTRAIN. The lovely Reese Witherspoon joins the fun via the big screen to talk about the highly anticipated summer film WHERE THE CRAWDADS SING.

One of my favorite actresses, Viola Davis is introduced by the director of her latest film THE WOMAN KING, Gina Price-Bythewood and receives the CinemaCon Trailblazer of the Year award. Marvel’s film EL MUERTO brings Bad Bunny to star in its Latinx character driven film that will hit theatres in January of 2024.

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse gives us a look at what’s to come and introduced by Phil Betancourt and Chris Miller. This installment has over two hundred and forty characters in six universes and that’s going to test my attention span for sure. Other films coming from Sony include 65 MOVIE, DEVOTION, MADAME WEB, KRAVEN, THE EQUALIZER, GHOSTBUSTERS AND VEMON.

Sony’s Chairman/CEO Tom Rothman talks about the upcoming film about George Foreman to close out the studio’s presentation.

Tuesday morning brought the studio Neon and right out of the gate is Matt Reeves, the director of the successful recent release of BATMAN. He announces that he will be heading up the next BATMAN film much to the excitement of the audience. My shock of the morning is watching the iconic David Cronenberg arrive on stage to introduce the trailer for the Viggo Mortensen-Kristen Stewart film CRIMES OF THE FUTURE. He says, “Seems an appropriate place to launch our attack on the world.”

Cronenberg also admits that writing CRIMES OF THE FUTURE took about 20 years and adding another confession that he has never been to Las Vegas. Welcome sir!

The film FIRE OF LOVE explores the relationship of love between a couple who also happens to love volcanos. An odd but interesting top for this Sundance award winner and I cannot wait to see it.

To finish the Neon presentation is MOONAGE DAYDREAM which is a film about the amazing David Bowie. We were treated to a performance of Hallo Spaceboy as director Brett Morgen says, “Bowie cannot be defined, he can be experienced”. If that were not enough, another performance of Heroes. Everyone in the audience was engrossed and emotional.

Warner Bros. presentation begins with Chairman Toby Emmerich talking about Reeves return for the next installment of BATMAN, followed by Denis Villenueve talking about his own excitement bringing DUNE 2 to the big screen in theatres. That is when the presentation is taken over by none other than Aisha Tyler.

Baz Luhrmann takes the stage to talk about the power of seeing a film in theatres and also talks about his next film ELVIS starring Austin Butler and Tom Hanks. He says, “it is not really a biopic but more about America in the 50s, 60s and 70s with Elvis Presley at the center of culture.”

Next, a look at the film WONKA starring Timothy Chalamet and THE FLASH starring Ezra Miller. Olivia Wilde takes the stage to talk about her directed film DON’T WORRY DARLING with Florence Pugh and Harry Styles. She says her film is a “love letter to the movies that push the boundaries of our imagination”. I don’t know Ms. Wilde, I can imagine quite a lot!

I absolutely loved seeing Helen Mirren enter the stage along with Zachy Levi and Asher Angel to talk about their new film SHAZAM! Fury of the Gods. Mirren says of her character, “She’s convinced of her righteousness.” James Wan offers up a trailer for AQUAMAN AND THE LOST KINGDOM and director Gary Dauberman gives us a take on the new Stephen King film SALEM’S LOT.

The roof always comes down when The Rock enters a large room, and the Colosseum is no exception. Coming in to do double duty introducing two of his films DC SUPER PETS and BLACK ADAM, he couldn’t waste the chance to talk about the bromance with Kevin Hart “who continues to be like my third child”.

Talking about BLACK ADAM, Johnson says it is “truly a dream of mine” and shares the stage with Quintessa Swindell and Noah Cent and a peek at the film. Chairman of Warner Bros. Pictures Toby Emmerich is on hand to give Johnson the Entertainment Icon of the Decade Award. Well deserved!

Jason Blum refers to his new film THE BLACK PHONE as ‘scary as hell’ and the audience will have a chance to see it for themselves later in the evening. Ethan Hawke gives a startling and stunning performance in this eerie film that is going to keep me up nights for a while.

Wednesday morning starts out with a smile on my face particularly because Disney is bringing it all it has to offer. Starting out the morning with a peek at the upcoming slate, it is exciting to see more. Starting with Chris Evans, as the voice of Buzz Lightyear, screening to the audience a thirty-minute preview of the highly anticipated family film LIGHTYEAR coming this summer.

The film AMSTERDAM stars Christian Bale and Robert DeNiro is coming in November and BOB’S BURGER coming in May. Jon Landau announced the re-release of AVATAR this September as James Cameron gives the audience a peek at AVATAR: The Way of Water. And that is exactly how you end a presentation, with a big blue bang!

Universal Pictures and Focus Features bring their presentations starting out with writer/director Jordan Peele talking about his next film NOPE. Waiting for its release, he says, “I’m going to personally thrive on the amount of times I hear the word nope”, and I hope he has a counter on hand because from the looks of it – the number of times is going to be infinite!

Jamie Lee Curtis is always a joy and a laugh to see as I did a few years ago when she was promoting the HALLOWEEN film. She is back to talk about the next film HALLOWEEN ENDS saying that playing Laurie Strode has “been the ride of my life”. Her final warning about the new film is “trust me it’s gonna f**k you up!” and I trust her!

Allison Williams brings a trailer for the film M3GAN and the film BEAST OF NO NATION with Idris Elba. Ko Joy decides to have a little fun with the audience to get them ready for a look at his new film EASTER SUNDAY. I am so looking forward to the dark film THE LAST VOYAGE OF THE DEMETER since I am a wicked period piece fan, this is going to be good.

If lots of laugh is what anyone is looking for, Steve Carell promises that we will get just that with the new installment from Illumination of MINIONS: The Rise of Gru. Along with that, Carell does not mind offering up Gru-voice lessons that are equally as hilarious.

The first entire LGBTQ cast is brought about by Billy Eichner and the film BROS, George Clooney and Julia Roberts come together again with a TICKET TO PARADISE, Carey Mulligan brings SHE SAID to the screen in November and MRS. HARRIS GOES TO PARIS is coming this July. Other films include VENGEANCE, SPOILER ALERT, CHAMPIONS, Anthony Hopkins film ARMAGEDDON TIME, and the Kate Blanchett starring in TAR.

Like a kid weeks before Christmas, I am excited to see any sneak peek or just the name mentioned of DOWNTON ABBEY: A New Era. On stage a special message is brought from the cast that just gets me giddy all over again.

Speaking of Christmas, what is the holiday season without a good horror film as David Harbour gives the audience a look at VIOLENT NIGHT. Our favorite swash-buckling cat is back with PUSS IN BOOTS: The Last Wish but a certain perro in the film thinks he has what it takes to declaw our hero with new charm.

Finally, and what a way to end the evening, Jeff Goldblum and Bryce Dallas Howard give a never-before-seen footage peek at JURASSIC WORLD: Dominion. Bigger, badder and madder dinosaurs are hitting the screen in weeks!

On Thursday, the final day of CinemaCon, the Paramount presentation begins with a supersonic performance that reminds us that SONIC THE HEDGEHOG 2 is still ringing at the box office. Chris Aronson, President of Domestic Distribution for Paramount, dressed like Eggman with the warning “papa has a brand new stache’!” He also introduces a reel to show what is coming with such films as TOP GUN MAVERICK, PAWS OF FURY, BABYLON, DUNGEONS & DRAGONS, IF, TIGERS APPRENTICE, PAWS and A QUIET PLACE: Day One. Brian Robbins talks films of 2023 with TRANSFORMERS, TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES and BOB MARLEY.

That all leads up to a message from Tom Cruise who could not attend CinemaCon because he was filming his newest MISSION IMPOSSIBLE: Dead Reckoning Part One. On the wings of a biplane, he apologizes for not being able to attend and hopes we all understand before hanging on as the plane makes a daring dive! All of this leads up to a first screening of TOP GUN MAVERICK.

The final presentation on the final day of CinemaCon comes from Lionsgate with host Sebastian Mariscalco. Starting off with an introduction by 50 Cent, a preview of EXPENDABLES 4 hits the screen followed by a look at the horror offering THE DEVIL’S LIGHT. Rachel McAdams and Abby Fortson have the chance to talk about their newest film ARE YOU THERE GOD? IT’S ME MARGARET.

Helen Mirren makes another appearance on stage to present WHITE BIRD: A Wonder Story. Director Mark Forster says it “is a film of magical realism that is both beautiful and emotional”. That is an amazing description of the film.

Robert DeNiro and Kim Cattrall talk the film ABOUT MY FATHER from Sebastian Mariscalco. DeNiro says, “Your father was a guy I sort of understand” which is probably the most amazing compliment ever.

Director Chad Stahciski and Keanu Reeves talk JOHN WICK CHAPTER 4. Keanu cracked me up saying, “and to think, this all started because of a puppy.” Dang it Keanu, can you be any cuter? Just a personal observation.

To wrap up the Lionsgate presentation, more films coming include Eli Roth’s BORDERLANDS, BALLERINA, DIRTY DANCING 2 and HUNGER GAMES: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes.

The final show at CinemaCon is the BIG SCREEN ACHIEVEMENT AWARDS that go the following actors, congratulations to them all and well deserved.

 

Cinema Verite Award – Robert DeNiro

Comedy Star of the Year – Billy Eichner

Rising Star of 2022 – Abby Ryder Fortson

CinemaCon Vanguard Award – Rachel McAdams

Star of Tomorrow – Glen Powell

CinemaCon Star of the Year – Zoe Saldana

 

There you have it, the four days of presentations, stars, studios and theatre owners all gathered in one place to celebrate what we love the most – MOVIES! As 2022 begins to reopen, so do our favorite theatres that are popping the popcorn, keeping the soda’s cold, and stocking up on our favorite movie candy’s. As the theatrical experience brings us all back together to see everything as it was meant to be seen, you can be sure I will review it all.

Our thanks to Sony, Neon, Warner Bros. Pictures, Walt Disney Studios, Universal Pictures, Focus Features, Paramount, and Lionsgate for bringing us such exciting previews. Thanks to Cesar’s Palace for our yearly home away from home with your thoughtful staff.

See you next year CinemaCon and thank you!

ASSAULT on VA-33

 

Jeri Jacquin

Coming soon to theatres and On Demand from director Christopher Ray, Saban Films and Paramount is the story of a man doing the right thing by his family until there is an ASSAULT ON VA-33.

Jason Hill (Sean Patrick Flanery) is a veteran who suffers from PTSD. Seeing the struggle is wife Jennifer (Gina Holden) who works for Veteran's Affairs and decides for Jason to continue seeing a therapist. On this particular day, Jason has daughter Sara (Sarah Jensen) with him staying in the truck.

Almost immediately Jason knows something is wrong at the VA. Calling local law enforcement officer Chief Malone (Michael Jai White), he explains that something is not right. Malone pushes his concerns aside concentrating on another telephone call he received asking about criminal Andrian Rabikov (Weston Cage Coppola).

What he does not yet know is that Jason is on to something, especially when he sees General Welch (Gerald Webb) walking down the halls of the VA guarded. That is when everything breaks loose as Rabikov takes hostages including the General. He wants information and he will either get it or there will be consequences.

Jason begins his efforts to once again tell Chief Malone what is happening inside the VA knowing that he must save as many people as possible and protect his family at the same time. His training kicks in but so does his PTSD and the clock is ticking.

Flanery as Jason portrays a man who knows he has issues that need professional help. Having a supportive family helps a great deal and as much as he resists during session, he knows the importance of being there. Flanery has made himself an independent action star for quite some time now and uses in this film his skills of Jiu Jitsu and Gracey.

Holden and Jensen have wife Jennifer and daughter Sara support what Jason must do. Of course, you can guarantee as with all movies in the last five years, teen daughter Sara does not listen to her father putting them both in danger.

Coppola as Rabikov gives us a well-dressed charming ruthless criminal who wants just one thing (see for yourself) and if he does not get it, has no problem making the person responsible pay. White as Chief Malone lives in this small town where nothing happens and treats most telephone calls as such, but this time he might want to listen to what Jason Hill has to say.

Other cast includes Rob Van Dam as Zero, Rachel True as Sasha, Brittany Underwood as Vee, Richard Gabai as Eric, Max Adler as Reino, Tim McKiernan as Max, Matt Riker as Brian, Sean Huze as Jerry, Brian Stapf as Ivan, Brandon Amano as Andrei, Frank Rossi as Agent Richards, Sheila Ball as Dr. Gutterman, Mark Dacascos as Jackson, and Abigail Hawk as Mrs. Welch.

Saban Films was launched in 2014 and has built an impressive slate of high-quality feature films distributed with partner Lionsgate. Focusing on talent-driven films, the company looks at projects in all stages of production to be released across multiple platforms. Films such as SISTER OF THE GROOM, FATMAN and BREACH are part of the wonderful Saban slate, and more information can be found at www.sabanfilms.com.

Paramount Pictures is the longest operating and remaining major studio in Hollywood that has been on the ground floor of every major development in film. From the advent of motion pictures to the emergence of television, through the digital revolution, Paramount Pictures has been there. During our 100-year history, we have served as the production site for thousands of notable movies and television shows. For more please visit www.paramountstudios.com.

ASSAULT ON VA-33 is a fast-moving action film that keeps Sean Patrick Flanery on his toes. The film gives a complex story with a background of soldiering and PTSD as well as international criminals wanting revenge. Of course, innocents are in the way but that does not matter to criminals as much as it does for Jason Hill.

The fight is mainly inside a building which means every twist and peek around the corner is going to bring a few jumps. There are moments of predictability but not enough to pull focus away from the action and story.

In the end - the battlefield comes home!

 

CINEMACON 2019 Delivers the Best in what is To Come for This Year

Jeri Jacquin

Every year I look forward to a trip with my favorite traveling companion Jenise aka Film Brat to Las Vegas, Nevada for CinemaCon that began Monday, April 1st! We always start the very early drive 5+ hours and make sure to take time to stop at our favorite places along the way, have great conversations, crank up the music and enjoy our little working vacation.

We make our usual pit-stops along the way for gas and snack breaks but this time the stops were to see the majestic snow covered mountains that surrounded us. From San Bernardino to Victorville, I can not remember the last time I saw so much snow. We also stopped to see the masses of butterflies everywhere and the fields that are coated with flowers of every kind and color.

Our usual stop at the World’s Largest Thermometer in Baker, California also coincided with our stop at the place where humans meet aliens. Alien Fresh Jerky surprised us this year as we discovered serious renovations to the general store and the beginnings of what is to be a new alien hotel. I already asked if it was possible to make reservations for next year but alas – no lift off.

Then the long stretch of road that is good for having the window down for fresh air before coming over the slight hill that shows the ever expanding city of Las Vegas in Nevada. Of course it isn’t a surprise to find as the roadside is covered with billboards warning of impending fun times no matter what you might be into.

Our favorite place to check into is The Linq which is right across the street from Cesar’s Palace. That works out ducky since Cesar’s is where we spent our entire week with CinemaCon 2019. Checking into our rooms and a quick freshening up, we head off to the first day of the four days of a mixture of work and fun.

After a few conferences, we are welcomed to a pre-reception welcoming us to CinemaCon 2019 and to get us in the mood for what is to come, NEON premiers a screening of the film WILD ROSE. Afterwards we finally have a chance to say hello to other attendees who we have come to know over the years. It’s a great time to catch up, show off kid and grandkid pictures, and talk about what’s new in theatres and our schedules.

Tuesday morning we hit up a little breakfast time before seating to see what STX Films has to share with us. Jon M. Chu walks on stage to talk about the three movies that brought him to be a part of filmmaking and they are E.T., BATMAN and THE JOY LUCK CLUB. We were thrilled with his choices because, as for me, those three are on my top 20 list without question. His next project is IN THE HEIGHTS working with Lin-Manuel Miranda and will be in theatres in 2020.

Charles Rivkin, Chairman & CEO of the MPAA says, “As technology grows, it always speaks of doom for theaters. Yet, as Edna Mode says, ‘here we are!’ Cinema continues to grow, become more diverse and tell stories people want to see and hear. The audiences take magic seriously.”

Adam Fogelson, Chairman of the MPG introduces what is to come for STX and there are a few things we are personally waiting for. Beginning with a look at BEST OF ENEMIES which is the story of Ann Atwater starring Taraji P. Henson and Sam Rockwell and POMS starring Diane Keaton (who takes the stage of charm us all), Jackie Weaver and Pam Grier is the story of women of a certain age who start their own cheerleading group.

Chadwick Boseman arrives on stage to talk about his upcoming city thriller 21 BRIDGES as New York shuts down the bridges to apprehend criminals. The film also stars JK Simmons and Taylor Kitch who gets a chance to try on his bad boy chops.  Dave Bautista arrives to talk about his comedy MY SPY with Ken Jeong, Chloe Coleman and Kristen Schaal.

If horror is more your style, BRAMS: The Boy II is back and this time Katie Holmes comes along to talk about the next chapter. Holmes says she saw the universal connection of a mother and child. Working with the young actor Christopher Convery was very exciting as well. As for the supernatural aspect, Holmes says, “There were a couple of times during shooting that things happened that gave me moments of a scare”.

THE GENTLEMEN is next on the slate and it starts one of our favorites Charlie Hunnam, Henry Golding, Hugh Grant and Matthew McConaughey. Golding who starred in the hit CRAZY RICH ASIANS says he would do anything they asked to be in the film, “My character is unpredictable, young and hungry and not a character anyone would expect me to play”.

Hunnam says, “I play a guy named Ramundo who is the right hand man to Matthew, who is the biggest weed dealer in the U.K. Most of the time I play the guy who is quite bookish and does the logistics but once in the while I pull out the bone saw.” That being said, please put us down for two tickets immediately!

Colin Firth returns to the screen with his upcoming film THE SECRET GARDEN, Jennifer Lopez also has another film in the hopper with HUSTLERS, the film COUNTDOWN, HORIZON LINE, WORK IT, CRIME AFTER CRIME are waiting to jump into theatres. Gerard Butler returns with GREEN LAND, Vin Diesel is MUSCLE and the Moms’ Moms are back with BAD MOM’S MOMS.

Finally, the one we have personally been waiting for. A few years ago at CinemaCon, STX teased us with the story for a film called UGLY DOLLS. After their presentation, we were handed two of the strangest looking dolls but there was something surprisingly cute about them. Well, after two minutes of looking at it, my then two-year-old granddaughter took the pink ‘Dreamy Bat’ into her arms and they have been friends ever since. Now, the animated film is finally complete and will be in theaters in a few short weeks. It looks to be fun, full of moments and songs we will remember for a very long time.

WARNER BROS. STUDIOS brought their studio presentation hosted by Aisha Tyler, who is the voice of Lana in the animated hit series ARCHER, and she brought the laughs and a few special guests. Starting with animation, Toby Emmerich announces the coming DC PETS, TOM & JERRY, SCOOBY-DOO and SPACE JAM II.

DC brings its offerings of SUICIDE SQUAD II, BATMAN, WONDER WOMAN 84 and the highly anticipated Joaquin Phoenix as the JOKER. Director Todd Phillips says of the film, “What people hear about the film isn’t accurate. If anything, my description of the film would be that it is sad”.

Samuel L. Jackson brings the character of SHAFT back to the big screen, BIRDS OF PREY, and THE SUN IS ALSO A STAR is also in the works. THE GOOD LIAR starring Helen Mirren and Ian McKellan is directed by Bill Condon. SUPER INTELLIGENCE brings one of our favorite funny lady’s Melissa McCarthy to the screen and is directed by husband Ben Falcone.

POKEMON DETECTIVE PIKACHU brings Justice Smith together with the yellow and furry animated Ryan Reynolds as Pikachu together for some fun. BLINDED BY THE LIGHT is a film that believes that trying to find the best of yourself is universal. Ansel Elgort and Aaron Finn star in THE GOLDFINCH DIRECTED BY John Crowley. Elgort says of the book to film, “I hope what ever drew people to the book draws them to the movie.”

DOCTOR SLEEP directed by Mike Flanigan is a sequel to 1980 film THE SHINING. Ewan McGregor stars as the very grown up Danny Torrance who meets a young girl with powers like his own. GODZILLA: King of the Monsters brings Mothra, Rodan and King Ghidorah back to tear up the planet.

It is 1950s New York as Edward Norton, Bruce Willis, Willem Dafoe, Leslie Mann and Alec Baldwin star in the film MOTHERLESS BROOKLYN. Director and writer Andrea Berloff brings together Melissa McCarthy, Tiffany Haddish, Elisabeth Moss and Domnall Gleeson for the Vertigo graphic novel THE KITCHEN.

Finally, horror is back with a new friend and two repeat offenders as THE CURSE OF LA LLORNA wants your kids, ANNABELLE COMES HOME from writer James Wan and writer/director Gary Dauberman. Our favorite clown is back as the next installment prepares us for IT: Chapter Two with James McAvoy, Jessica Chastain, Bill Hader, Javier Botet and Pennywise himself Bill Skarsgard and all of it put together by director Andy Muschietti.

Now we can not be in Vegas without walking around in the evening to see the big lights and people watching that is what makes this working vacation so much fun. Watching the water fun at Treasure Island, visiting Gordon Ramsay’s restaurant of fish right outside the door of The Linq with Hell’s Kitchen right across the street. If you are looking for even more tasty treats, Guy Fieri has his steak house just waiting to grill to order, Robert Irvine Public House is next to the Tropicana, Nobu, and Searsuckers. Opening only a few days before our arrival is Vanderpump Las Vegas with her own unique style of flowers and class nestled inside Caesar’s Palace next to the Coliseum.

Onto Wednesday’s presentations, UNIVERSAL PICTURES begins their showings with my favorite creator Chris Meledandri who brings the question to animation of ‘what are our pets doing when we aren’t home?’ with SECRET LIFE OF PETS 2 with Kevin Hart as Snowball and Tiffany Haddish as the new pet Daisy. Both made their way onto the stage and Hart was immediately upstaged by a rabbit that seemed to have an agenda of his own.

Dennis Quaid and director Gail Mancuso brings a look with the next chapter of a dog we have all come to love with A DOG’S JOURNEY. Quaid says of the film and the story that, “magical things happen in our own backyard.” Director Mancuso believes that the film shows how we can transcend lifetimes.

Jason Blum of Blumhouse Productions says, “In film – all sizes matter!” and with that introduces Justin Hartley and Emma Thompson in THE HUNT. Then, the audience goes wild when Octavia Spencer and director Tate Taylor bring us a sneak peek at her first shot at the horror genre with the film MA.

Will Packer Productions brings Regina Hall, Issa Rae, Marsai Martin and director Tina Gordon with a big film about LITTLE. 127 HOURS and T2 TRAINSPOTTING director Danny Boyle brings Lily James and Himesh Patel into a little story that has something to do with the Beatles and YESTERDAY.

Seth Rogen brings his boyish cast of Jacob Tremblay, Josh Caras, Brady Noon and Chance Murstfield and Keith L. Williams to crack the audience up with a look at GOOD BOYS. DREAMWORKS brings the adorable look to ABOMINABLE, a story about Everest who is a 2,000 year old Yeti living in China and the young girl Yee who helps him when he needs it the most!

FOCUS FEATURES has brought giddy to a whole new level for me personally as the film DOWNTON ABBEY brings back the entire cast from the Masterpiece hit television series of the same name from the small screen to the big one. Now, the Crawley family is about to have a royal guest and its all staff at the ready.

Emma Thompson and Henry Golding along with Emilia Clarke get ready to celebrate the holidays in the film LAST CHRISTMAS. Thompson makes her way to the stage to entertain us and has the cutest snort-laugh I’ve ever heard. Also slated for the theaters is QUEEN + SLIM with Lena Waith and the film 1917 where time is the enemy.

Dwayne Johnson and Jason Statham get the audience going with a sneak peek at their film Fast & Furious Presents: HOBBS & SHAW. These two are on the hunt to stop Idris Elba who plays Brixton, a genetically enhances villain who seems to be tickles by the two.

Finally, director Tom Hooper brings a Broadway sensation to the silver screen as Taylor Swift, Rebel Wilson, Judy Dench, Ian McKellan, James Corden, Ray Winstone and Jennifer Hudson bring CATS. If that isn’t enough, Ms. Hudson enthralled the audience with her rendition of the song Memory. She was stunning and our collective breaths were being held from the first note to the last, just extraordinary.

DISNEY wasted no time in delighting the audience with the upcoming slate of Disney, Marvel, Blue Sky, Pixar, Fox Searchlight, 20^th Century Fox, Disney Animation and Lucasfilms now that they are under one roof. The list is long with STUBER, THE WOMAN IN THE WINDOW, BREAKTHROUGH, THE NEW MUTANTS, SPIES IN DISGUISE, FORD VS. FERRARI, TOLKIEN, CALL OF THE WILD, AD ASTRA and ARTEMIS FOWL.

Not to be forgotten is the highly anticipated sequel of Anna, Elsa and Hans with FROZEN II, the coming excitement of DARK PHOENIX and the out of this world excitement of AVENGERS: Endgame.

ALADDIN brings Mena Massoud, Naomi Scott and Will Smith bring live action to the 1992 animated favorite. Director Jon Favreau takes the jungle from animation to live action with THE LION KING. Finally, Angelina Jolie returns to take on new threats to Aurora and the beloved Moors with MALEFICENT: Mistress of Evil.

PIXAR is bringing back our favorite toys with Woody, Buzz, Jessie, Bo Peep, Trixie, Rex, Dolly and the newly created Forky in TOY STORY 4. After a look at what is to come, all I can say is bring your giggles, your friends, family and Kleenex.

AMAZON STUDIOS brings Emma Thompson (and we don’t mind that she’s everywhere!) and Mindy Kaling with their work with LATE NIGHT. Thompson plays a late night talk show host and Kaling is hired to be the only woman in an all male writers’ room. They work together to bring back failing ratings and we think only these two ladies can make that happen.

It’s THURSDAY and we can’t believe the final day of CinemaCon 2019. So much has happened that this write-up is only a fraction of it all. Beginning the morning with PARAMOUNT PICTURES who start the presentation off on the right note as Taron Egerton stars as Sir Elton John in the film ROCKETMAN. Egerton says, “We always felt we wanted to be reverent about the role. We wanted to tell a raw human story about a great man. Elton was hands-off really and wanted us to have fun with it.” We can say it’s going to be a good time at the movies!

Director Alexandre Aja brings a little creepy with Barry Pepper and Kaya Scodelario in the film CRAWL. Paramount in conjunction with Nickelodeon bring DORA & THE LOST CITY OF GOLD starring Eva Longoria and Michael Pena, LIMITED PARTNERS stars Tiffany Haddish and Rose Byrne as two friends who want to start their own business and when they do Selma Hayek wants to take it all.

SONIC THE HEDGEHOG brings live action to the screen as James Marsden and Ben Schwartz (who voices Sonic) fight off Dr. Ivo Robotnik played by Jim Carrey. Of course the audience practically lost its mind when Carrey walked across the stage with a huge tub of popcorn and an announcement that we all needed to see his Robotnik work in all its glory. Well, he wasn’t going to get any argument from anyone!

Carrey says of his role, “He is pure unbridled evil with a 300 IQ so I had to take a couple of weeks to prepare. I made sure that there were some winks, nods and edgy things that work for all age groups.”

I would hate to have been Jon Cena after Carrey’s popcorn fun with the audience as he follows to the stage with his film PALYING WITH FIRE. He gives it his best shot when saying, “This film is lit! It is the hottest film of the year! No other movie can hold a candle to it, you will not be able to extinguish it, it practically sizzles with excitement. Wait, the fire puns aren’t working. I thought you were going to love them but its not turning out like I thought. We are actually still filming but I came here today to tell you guys about it. The film has heart, comedy, great characters which make you think, laugh and cry.”

TERMINATOR: Dark Fate brings is directed by Tim Miller and stars Natalia Reyes, Gabriel Luna, Mackenzie Davis and sees the return of Arnold Schwarzenegger and Linda Hamilton to reprise her role as Sarah Connor. Miller says of his cast, “I never knew that one day I would be continuing the story of these iconic characters. Even more so is that I get to do it the right way and this is a direct sequel to the movie that allowed me to bring back the original cast.”

Miller brings the cast of the film to the stage and Schwarzenegger takes the mic who says, “It’s really great to be back here and I want to thank Tim Miller and James Cameron for bringing us all back together again. I’m so excited about that. It all began in 1994 and changed my life. They cast has worked so hard and I am so proud of all the work they have put into this film. I’m so happy that Linda Hamilton is back, remember when she was in TERMINATOR 1 and 2 and doing pushups? Well, she’s back doing pushups again and I was blown away. It was like magic for James Cameron to come up with this story. I love this franchise but am bummed that I can’t do this forever so I can do this for another 20 or 30 years but that’s it, that’s all”.

Hamilton had to say, “Well it has been nearly 30 years since I last stepped into the shoes of Sarah Connor. She is a character that changed my life and I have to thank everyone for bringing me back into this world. This is an event I could not turn away from and I can’t wait to share this movie with all of you.”

GEMINI MAN is a film that brings Will Smith and Academy Award winner Ang Lee together to bring a story about a man who comes face to face with a younger clone of himself. Lee wanted to everyone to know that, “When you are a director and you can get Will Smith you should consider yourself lucky, in this case I get to work with two of them. Working with Smith over the last year I discovered that he is such a fine actor and this film shows that.”

At the CinemaCon 2019 Filmmakers Roundtable, Elizabeth Banks, Olivia Wilde, Anthony Russo and Dexter Fletcher share what it was like to see an audience watch their films. Russo says, “The only reason you make a movie is for the audience to see it. That’s been one of the great thrills for me. We have always been fed and fired by the audience reaction. You don’t know what you’ve created until you experience that.” Olivia Wilde says that it was, “One of the most terrifying experiences of my life. You never know how its going to go but the audience reaction was amazing.”

Fletcher says, “My first film was called WILD BILL that was a father and son story. They showed it to 16 year old kids and the feeling of their response was indescribable.” Banks says, “I made my first feature with PITCH PERFECT 2 and it’s very funny and very musical. When I took it to my first screening it was like a rock concert. I was throwing up in the back but the audience loved it. You always test and show it to people and make sure you are not insane before you put it in theatres. I knew the movie worked but I didn’t know it would be so well received as it was.”

To end the studio presentations before the award ceremony, LIONSGATE brings Joe Drake, Chairman of the MPG to talk about their upcoming slate of films. Beginning with LONG SHOT, Seth Rogen and Charlize Theron star in this comedy of fun that comes to theaters in a few weeks. David Harbour hits the stage to push his upcoming little film called HELLBOY.

Our collective lady hearts skip a beat when JOHN WICK: Chapter 3 – Parabellum is introduced by director Chad Stahelski. On hand to talk about the film is Halle Berry who says that she wanted so much to be a part of the franchise that she didn’t need to read the script. For once we might be in total agreement on her movie choices because John Wick is definitely our man if we ever need someone dealt with!

I STILL BELIEVE caters to the spiritual and faith-based films that have become popular in recent years. This film is about Jeremy Camp who deals with the death of his wife and through it comes to write the song by the same name.

Jamie Lee Curtis takes the stage and just when I thought she couldn’t be any funnier than she was last year pushing HALLOWEEN, she proved me wrong. The film is KNIVES OUT which is about a family that caught everyone’s attention. Also staring Daniel Craig, Toni Collette, Chris Evans, Don Johnson, Christopher Plummer and the ever amazing Michael Shannon, the film is directed by Rian Johnson and will be out later this year.

And just when you think you might have a moment to slip a dollar in the slot machine or grab a sandwich or a Starbucks…it’s time for the 2019 BIG SCREEN ACHIEVEMENT AWARDS with host Natalie Morales from Access Hollywood. Here are a list of the winners and their categories!

Male Star of Tomorrow:     Henry Golding

Female Stars of Tomorrow: Kaitlyn Dever & Beanie Feldstein

Directors of the Year: Anthony & Joe Russo

International Star of the Year: Kevin Hart

Breakthrough Director of the Year: Olivia Wilde

Action Star of the Year: David Harbour

CinemaCon Spotlight Award: Octavia Spencer

CinemaCon Ensemble Award: The cast of TERMINATOR: Dark Fate – Linda Hamilton, Natalia Reyes, Mackenzie David and Gabriel Luna.

Comedy Stars of the Year: Seth Rogen & Charlize Theron

CinemaCon Vanguard Award: Jamie Lee Curtis

There you have it! Four days of everything that Hollywood has to offer for this years CinemaCon 2019. Jenise aka Film Brat and I are always surprised at what we see and experience as well as who we meet and become reacquainted with. We love what we do in general but CinemaCon is our chance to dive into what we love morning, noon and night.

Now that you’ve had a look inside the slates of these remarkable studios, keep up to date with us at http://moviemaven.homestead.com for the reviews and so much more. It’s time to hope in the car and take the long drive home. We have so much to talk about that I don’t think five hours will be enough for us. Of course we are both willing to try.

Until then – see you next year from CinemaCon!