GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY Vol. 3

 

Jeri Jacquin

Coming to theatres this Friday from writer/director James Gunn, Marvel Studios and Walt Disney Studios is the final voyage of the GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY Vol. 3.

The gang is almost all together on a ship called Knowhere but Peter Quill (Chris Pratt) is still dealing with the loss of Gamora (Zoe Saldana). Being basically babysat by Nebula (Karen Gillian), Mantis (Pom Kiementieff), Drax (Dave Bautista), Groot (Vin Diesel) and Rocket (Bradley Cooper), things are about to get a shakeup.

Adam Warlock (Will Poulter) is racing across the galaxy on a mission, to capture Rocket. Becoming seriously hurt by the attack, the group tries to save Rocket but only discovers that inside him is a kill switch. The only thing that can save their friend is to find Orgocorp and get the code.

That’s going to require some help, when Quill, Mantis, Drax and Nebula get to the headquarters, they are met by the Ravangers and Gamora. She is not Quill’s love Gamora but the Gamora that doesn’t love Quill, with it so far? While Rocket is unconscious, he is remembering how his life came to be and that it is all because of the High Evolutionary aka Dr. Herbert Wyndham (Chukwudi Iwuji).

Back to Quill and the gang, believing that they have Rocket’s sphere-file, they discover the code is not there. Now they have to go to Counter-Earth and take on the High Evolutionary. Quill orders Gamora, Mantis and Drax to stay with the ship so he, Nebula and Groot take on what ever is head of them.

But when the High Evolutionary gets his fill of incompetents not retrieving what he thinks is his property aka Rocket, his anger starts to boil over. The thing is, he truly has no idea who he is up against, but he will soon enough.

Pratt as Quill is back with a totally broken heart and no seeming will to get his life right. It isn’t until best friend Rocket needs him desperately does he put his big boy Guardian pants on and get back to work. That doesn’t mean he isn’t going to keep talking about his broken heart, even when he comes face to face with the ‘other’ Gamora. Pratt is delightful, charming and funny, but then again, we have come to expect nothing less.

Saldana as Gamora is still salty and hostile. She doesn’t want to be part of the Guardians and at the same time sees what Quill had been trying to tell her from the get go. Gillian as Nebula has taken the lead flexing the feminine side of the group with less hostility and more forethought.

Cooper as Rocket gets to take off in this storyline. His story is meshed into the big picture and it is cute, heartwarming, sad and thrilling all at the same time. Through all the films Cooper has given Rocket the voice of frustration, anger and unresolved issues wrapped up in a mystery wrapper. This time out Rocket is heard.

Iwuji as the High Evolutionary thinks he is put in the universe to change it and he doesn’t mind doing it with pain, suffering and trauma. There isn’t a moment that is redeeming about this character and Iwuji makes sure of that with his dark portrayal. Poulter as Warlock flies in, wreaks havoc and is the reason Rocket is hurt in the first place. His reason for agreeing to retrieve Rocket causes him to consistently show up at the most unexpected times.

Kiementieff as Mantis is still protecting the group with her gift and this time out she does not hesitate to speak her mind, careful Nebula! Bautista as Drax still cracks me up with his thought process. He has a huge heart and no gift of gab but I wouldn’t have this character any other way or any other actor to portray Drax. Diesel as Groot has become so powerful in his own right. Past the teenage back talking stage, he is strong, quick and truly protective of his guardian-family.

Shout out to Fillion for his contribution to the hilarity. He is so good at being Master Karja and I loved the giggle he brought to the audience.

Other cast include Sean Gunn as Kraglin Obfonteri, Elizabeth Debicki as Ayesha, Maria Bakalova as Cosmo, Michael Rosenbaum as Martinex, Sarah Alami as Gloob, Jerry Beharry as Dark, Linda Cardellini as Lylla, Asim Chaudhry as Teefs, Michelle Civile as Cassowary, Stephen Blackehart as Steemie Blueliver, Mikaela Hoover as Floor, Miriam Shor as Recorder Vim, Judy Greer as War Pig,Daniela Melchior as Ura, Jennifer Holland as Administrator Kwol, Tara Strong as Mainframe, Nico Santos as Theel, Gregg Henry as Quill’s grandfather, Nathan Fillion as Master Karja and Sylvester Stallone as Stakar Ogord.

Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment continues to bring quality programming to kids and kids at heart. Home of the most beloved animated features including SNOW WHITE, PINOCCHIO and SLEEPING BEAUTY to name a few is what keeps families coming back for more. To see what is currently available to add to your own family library please visit. www.movies.disney.com for their At Home titles!

Marvel Studios has released sixteen films since 2008 in what is known as the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Marvel is built on a library of over eight thousand characters featured in a variety of media content for over seventy years. For more of what they have to offer please visit www.marvel.com.

This is an ending to the Guardians story and it is covered in a thick coat of charm and feels. The film is filled with special effects, dark moments, fast talking, lots of explosions, very colorful and familiar faces. Fans will be delighted with the razzle dazzle of it all. Coming in at two hours and 30 minutes, each of the characters make their own decisions in the end.

That being said, I’m just ‘okay’ with the film. Personally, I expected more for a grand finale. The ending seems awkward and thrown together. I’m sure that 30 minutes could have been cut off the time and it would have been fine. Even saying that, I’m sure that the film will bring people into theatre seats. The soundtrack is worth owning but then again that has been something each of the films has in common.

In the end – it is time to face the music!

They are UNWELCOME

 

Jeri Jacquin

Coming to Bluray from writer/director Jon Wright, writer Mark Stay and Well Go USA is a thriller that brings about a mythology when you are UNWELCOME.

Jamie (Douglas Booth) and Maya (Hannah John-Kamen) are a happy couple cooking in their apartment one London evening. As they are about to celebrate some good news, they are viciously attacked in their apartment. The trauma has left them both wary of city life. Unexpectedly, Jamie’s great aunt has passed away leaving them a cottage in lovely Ireland.

Thrilled with starting over in a quiet place, the house does need some work. Jamie hires the Whelan’s led by Daddy (Colm Meaney) and adult kids Aisling (Jamie-Lee O’Donnell), Eoin (Kristian Nairn), and Killiam (Chris Walley).

One of the great-aunts’ friends, Niamh (Niamh Cusack), comes to meet the couple and lets them know that there is something they need to do each day. At the back of the garden is a small opening and that an offering must be left each evening for the Red Caps. Explaining a bit about who they are, Jamie and Maya think its all a bit superstitious.

At first Maya is a bit shocked but later is confronted for not taking it seriously and finally agrees to continue the tradition, especially after hearing the story of a lost child and a promise.

Trying to get the house ready, Jamie and Maya soon learn that the Whelan’s are bullies. When Jaime has had enough, he makes it clear they are no longer welcome at the house. Maya goes walking in the woods and discovers the Red Caps home but leaves it well enough alone. On her way out she experiences terror at the hands of one of the Whelan’s.

Running home to explain everything to Jamie, he does not understand what is happening to Maya and her story of the Red Caps. Daddy Whelan is also looking for a missing kid and suspecting the new couple, all hades breaks loose because the Red Caps want it to be known that they have their own plans.

Booth as Jamie just wants life to go back to being happy with his wife. The trauma of the apartment attack is a lot but nothing could prepare him for what Ireland has waiting for them. John-Kamen as Maya also wants peace and to get their home fixed and ready for the next phase of their life. That being said, she also makes a promise to the Redcaps and that is going to turn their world inside out.

Meany as Daddy Whelan is a total bully, not only of the entire Irish town and his own family but now of the new couple. He clearly isn’t afraid of anything or anyone and makes it clear that he starts what he finishes. O’Donnell, Narin and Walley are just as down right disgusting as their parental unit but the they have met their match in the Redcaps.

Speaking of the Redcaps, what a band of misfit creatures who know what they want and have no problem with taking it. When you make a promise to the Redcaps you had better keep it or they will keep it for you!

Other cast include Paul Warren as Redcap Sniff, Rick Warden as Redcap Chief and Ania Marson as Mother Redcap.

Well Go USA Entertainment is a theatrical and home entertainment company specializing in bringing the best Action, Genre and Independent films from around the world to North American markets. As a leader in independent film distribution, Well Go USA Entertainment’s titles can be seen across a variety of platforms including theatrical, digital, subscription and cable VOD, packaged media and broadcast television. Well Go USA Entertainment currently releases three to five films per month. To see more please visit www.wellgousa.com.

The Bluray Special Features include Behind the Scenes, Making the Redcaps and Trailer.

The UNWELCOME is a big thriller with small creepy creatures that won’t hesitate to live up to their reputation. Jamie and Maya just want peace, quiet and safety and thinking they have that in the lovely cottage, they discover that country living can be just as deadly.

It is a look at mythology and the question of who is deadlier – man or superstition. The couple must find out if they are weaker because of past trauma or stronger because of past trauma. Although it’s hard to know when you have creepy little dudes who want something in return for favors.

In the end – break a promise and pay the price!

It is Time to Tell HerStory

 

Jeri Jacquin

Coming from director Min Kyu-dong and Well Go USA is a story of pain, sadness and the memories that are now part of HerStory.

In the 1990’s, a group of women living in Busan are meeting to discuss what else they can do for their community. Business owner Moon Jung-sook (Kim Hee-ae) is dealing with a situation at her travel agency that forces it to pay a fine and lose clients. At home is her rebellious daughter who only seems to listen to the woman they call grannie, Seo Gwi-soon (Moon Sook).

Seo Gwi-soon also has a son at home who is going through mental health issues and when Moon goes to visit Gwi-soon, she sees a woman who is being abused by a family member. Everything is in chaos yet Moon gets involved in trying to find a way to help a group of elderly Korean women who were forced to be comfort women (sexual slavery) by the Japanese soldiers in World War II.

Deciding to get their stories together and find an attorney willing to represent them, a court case is being set up in Shimonoseki. The Japanese government tried everything possible to look for holes in the women’s cases and statements. As each woman testifies as to what happened to them, it isn’t until one woman opens the door wide open providing visual proof of the trauma that still haunts her.

This is their story, their truth and understanding that what they want as a result of the case may not be possible. Now the question becomes, can they live with that?

Kim Hee-ae as Moon Jung-sook is an aggressive and stubborn business woman. Once she sets her sights on something, she will not quit until the issue is resolved. This makes her the perfect person to go after the Japanese government on behalf of the women. Starting out knowing just a bit about their stories, in the courtroom she is stunned the things she hears. Hee-ae is wonderful in this role and her characters motives have may started one way but changes Hee-ae’s character into so much more.

Moon Sook as Seo Gwi-soon is a woman who has lived with her trauma for years. Trying to be a part of the court case, it becomes clear that she is hesitant and untrusting. Then again why would she trust anyone with what she knows. Moon Sook gives us the performance of a woman getting older and still dealing with old trauma mixed with new. Part of that is a haunting secret that will shock everyone she knows. Moon Soon’s performance is stellar and breaks the heart.

Other cast include Kim Hae-sook as Bae Jung-gil, Ye Soo-jung as Park Soon-nyeo, Lee Yong-nyeo as Lee Ok-joo, Kim Sun-young as President Shin, Kim Jun-han as Lee Sang-il, Lee Yong-lee as Yoo So-deuk, Jung In-gi as Choi, Choi Byung-mo as Soon-mo, Lee Seol as Hye-soo, Lee Ji-ha as Director, Kim In-woo as Presiding judge, Yokouchi Hiroki as the Japanese prosecutor, Han Ji-min as Teacher and Kim Lee-woo as Hawyer Hashimoto Shinobu.

Well Go USA Entertainment is a theatrical and home entertainment company specializing in bringing the best Action, Genre and Independent films from around the world to North American markets. As a leader in independent film distribution, Well Go USA Entertainment’s titles can be seen across a variety of platforms including theatrical, digital, subscription and cable VOD, packaged media and broadcast television. Well Go USA Entertainment currently releases three to five films per month. To see more please visit www.wellgousa.com.

This sub-titled film is based on the real-life story of these women who were tagged ‘comfort women’ but were truly used as sex slaves and given no way out. From 1932 to 1945, Korean women became part of the human trafficking by the Japanese government. Captured from Japanese-occupied territories and taken away from their families, young women (some as young as early teens) were subjected to sexual violence.

The women dealt with diseases and even pregnancies due to the sexual abuse. It is estimated that ninety percent of these women did not survive the war. Even worse, after the war not only did some of the ‘comfort stations’ continue, but Japan denied that they ever existed.

HerStory is a look at the few remaining women who had the chance to talk about their experience. What they lost, how their lives have been and the shame they have carried for something that was not their fault in any way. Director Min Kyu-dong has brought the story to light with such emotion and shares with the audience their story that needed to be told.

In the end – not history but HerStory!

Disney+ Brings PETER PAN & WENDY

 

Jeri Jacquin

Currently streaming on Disney+ from writer/director David Lowery based on the story by author J.M. Barrie is the classic tale of PETER PAN & WENDY.

In London, Wendy Darling (Ever Anderson) is at home with her brothers John (Joshua Pickering) and Michael (Jacobi Jupe) enjoying her last night at play. Parents George (Alan Tudyk) and Mary (Molly Parker) have decided that it is time for her to grow up and go off to boarding school. Make it clear to her mother that she is unhappy does not change their decision.

Mother may not be listening but Peter Pan (Alexander Molony) and fairy Tinker Bell (Yara Shahidi) are! They decide to take the Darling children back to Neverland. Almost immediately they are introduced to Captain Hook (Jude law) who just can’t get over losing his hand to a crocodile. Helping in the chaos is Mr. Smee (Jim Gaffigan) who stands at Hook’s side even though he might not always agree with what is happening.

Becoming separated, Wendy is on her own and meets Tiger Lily (Alyssa Wapanatahk) and the Lost Boys as they all watch when John and Michael are captured by Hook. Peter sees this all as part of the adventure but Wendy sees it as her brothers are in serious trouble. Following them to Skull Rock, the skirmish begins.

Wendy is furious with Peter Pan but the Lost Boys explain to her the history with Captain Hook and Peter. She also learns the story of James, Peter and Neverland as she begins to understand her friend more. Captain Hook makes another attack and he believes his problems with Peter are over.

Tiger Lily makes sure that Peter Pan has one more chance to rescue the Darling children. Now, it is time to finally settle their differences one last time, or is it one last time?

Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment continues to bring quality programming to kids and kids at heart. Home of the most beloved animated features including SNOW WHITE, PINOCCHIO and SLEEPING BEAUTY to name a few is what keeps families coming back for more. To see what is currently available to add to your own family library please visit. www.movies.disney.com for their At Home titles!

Disney+ is the subscription home streaming entertainment with Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars, National Geographic and more. There are exclusive originals with new feature films, shows, short form content, documentaries, and actions series such as THE MANDALORIAN. For more information, please visit www.disneyplus.com.

Other cast include Forence Bensberg as Curly, Sebastian Rodriguez as Nibs, Jesse Pierce as Skylight, Ian Tracey as Sallyport, Skyler and Kelsey Yates as Twin 1 and 2, Diana Tsoy as Birdie, Noah Matofsky as Slightly, John DeSantis as Jukes, Gargield Wilson as Gurley, and Caelan Edie as Tootles.

PETER PAN & WENDY is a sweet family film that deserves to be on Disney+ along side the animated film and Robin Williams version of the same name. Attempting to expand on the tale is fine but nothing earth shattering. Flying boy - check, fairy - check, Lost Boys – check, Hook and pirates on a ship – check, adventures – check, and crocodile – check. Done.

Basically, it is the Peter Pan story told again when it truly didn’t need to be. Disney has gone well out of its way to rewrite their own story telling and it isn’t really doing much for me. To be honest, my family watches Disney+ more for the original telling because that is what we love. The original animation and characters have continued to delight us again and again.

The re-telling, re-thinking, re-imaging and whatever other label they want to attach to their filmmaking in the past few years isn’t needed. You can tell the story of Peter Pan any way you want but it’s still the story of Peter Pan so instead of rehashing old stories, making our favorite animation into silly live-action – I have a great idea.

How about the money go for new and smart storytelling? Create new characters that are fair and balanced, spend the funds on all those great writers and directors and actors just waiting to be a part of something special, something Disney.

That’s my opinion for what it’s for, PETER PAN & WENDY is a nice, charming family fun film but it doesn’t offer anything new and exciting and I miss that about an icon that is generational. Oh well, it was the wonderful world of Disney.

In the end – it is the next adventure!

ANT-MAN AND THE WASP: Quantumania

 

Jeri Jacquin

Currently on Digital and coming to 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray and DVD May 16 from director Peyton Reed, Marvel Studios and Walt Disney Studios is the return of ANT-MAN AND THE WASP: Quantumania.

Scott Lang/Ant-Man (Paul Rudd) is enjoying his life post-Thanos catching up with daughter Cassie (Kathryn Newton) and visiting with Hope’s/Wasp (Evangeline Lilly) parents Hank Pym (Michael Douglas) and Janet (Michelle Pheiffer). Cassie talks about a device that she is working on that will allow them to get back to the Quantum Realm.

Janet freaks out to everyone’s surprise and tries to stop is from working. What they didn’t expect was to be pulled into and back to the Quantum Realm. Separated, Scott and Cassie are in the middle of nowhere while Hope, Janet and Pym are in a strange city that Janet seems to know a lot about.

Now she explains that when she was missing, her time spent in the Quantum Realm had her dealing with Lord Krylar (Bill Murray) and her time with Kang (Jonathan Majors). Kang was helping Janet to try and escape the Quantum Realm by rebuilding his multiversal power core. When Janet discovers who Kang truly is, she stops his plan.

When Scott and Cassie are captured, they are taken to Kang the Conqueror and he makes it clear that he will get to their world one way or another. With the help of Jentorra (Katy O’Brian), an uprising begins as the people want to be free of Kang’s rule.

Rudd as Lang reprises the role and makes it look not only effortless but a lot of fun. I just love how he is still that sort of innocent guy who just knows what’s right and feels the fatherly-guilt of his time dealing with Thanos. He is still a bit bumbly but when is called upon to be heroic, he sees it as just doing what is right for the good of everybody. Let’s face it, Rudd is not only the man for this particular job but is our Ant-man now and forever.

Pheiffer as Janet has a big role here as she knows how the Quantum Realm was and walks through its streets like a pro. Her time with Kang gives her the advantage in the crucial fight that is to come. Pheiffer is tough as nails and pretty darn awesome to watch. Douglas as Hank just goes along to get along trying to keep tabs on what is happening, good thing he has a good thing going with the ants!

Lilly as Hope is also surprised that Janet knows so much and has a history with Kang. Now she just wants to get her family home safely. Newton as Cassie has come into her own and dad Scott has missed it. Once in the Quantum Realm, she works with her dad to bring their situation to its right end.

Shout out to Bill Murray as Lord Kylar because what film doesn’t need a bit of Murray added to it?

Other cast include David Dastmalchian as Veb, William Harper as Quaz, and Corey Stoll as Darren Cross/M.O.D.O.K.

Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment continues to bring quality programming to kids and kids at heart. Home of the most beloved animated features including SNOW WHITE, PINOCCHIO and SLEEPING BEAUTY to name a few is what keeps families coming back for more. To see what is currently available to add to your own family library please visit. www.movies.disney.com for their At Home titles!

Marvel Studios has released sixteen films since 2008 in what is known as the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Marvel is built on a library of over eight thousand characters featured in a variety of media content for over seventy years. For more of what they have to offer please visit www.marvel.com 

Bonus Features include Gag Reel - Take a look at some of the fun outtakes on set with the cast and crew of Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, Audio Commentary - Watch the film with audio commentary by director Peyton Reed and writer Jeff Loveness, Featurettes - All in the Family – Paul Rudd, Evangeline Lilly and Michelle Pfeiffer discuss the complex layers and secrets – yet incredibly strong bond of this heroic family.

Also, Formidable Foes – Discover how Jonathan Majors, Bill Murray and Corey Stoll bring gravitas to the villains of Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. Learn more about how Kang brings a Thanos-level threat to this adventure and the larger MCU, Deleted Scenes, Drink The Ooze – Upon entering the Quantum Realm, Scott Lang nervously drinks the ooze, and I Have Holes – Veb expresses great excitement when he discovers he finally has holes.

ANT-MAN AND THE WASP: Quantumania brings non-stop action and a fight to the finish for Lang and his family. There are some very interesting characters and, as always Rudd starts the comedy with his one-liners and joking nature. One minute it is serious and then a joke or two will slip in to break the tension.

The film is colorful, and the CGI is, as one would expect from Marvel, full of eye-catching things. The characters are a great mix of intensity and humor at the same time. This is definetly the kind of film that brings families together for an evening in front of the big screen and if you have a soundbar, this is going to be an epic movie night at home.

In the end – get ready to enter the Quantum Realm!

 

 

 

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

More Surprises at CinemaCon 2023

 

Jeri Jacquin

Day three of CinemaCon brings an early morning presentation at Caesar’s Palace and the large Colosseum by Walt Disney Studios and 20^th Century Studios. It is a big presentation that ends with the screening of THE BOOGEYMAN.

Disney jumped right in with a trailer of the GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY Vol. 3 which opens in a little over a week. Celebrating in theatres for Thanksgiving is the Disney Animation film WISH with Chris Pine voicing King Magnifico (what a name eh?).

Another holiday weekend opening film is Disney’s live-action LITTLE MERMAID with Melissa McCarthy as Ursula. “Ursula is everything – she’s a dishy, conniving broad, maybe that’s why I relate to her”, says McCarthy. Look for it in theatres Memorial Day weekend.

A trailer for Marvel Studios works THE MARVELS is shown as well. HAUNTED MANSION stars Tiffany Haddish along with LaKeith Stanfield, Rosario Dawson, Winonya Ryder and Jamie Lee Curtis in a cool role! Coming in June is the animated film ELEMENTAL.

From 20^th Century Studios is THE CREATOR and from Searchlight and director Taika Waititi is NEXT GOAL WINS with Michael Fassbender as a soccer coach sent to American Samoa to turn their horrible team into winners. Indy is returning as Lucasfilm’s INDIANA JONES AND THE DIAL OF DESTINY returns for another adventure.

OPPENHEIMER opens the Universal and Focus Features slate of films and the introduction of its director Christopher Nolan. He says, “I know of no more dramatic tale. J. Robert Oppenheimer is the most important person who ever lived. He made the world we live in, for better or for worse. His story has to be seen to be believed.” OPPENHEIMER will be in theatres July 31.

Illumination has become a legend in its own right with some amazing animated films. Chris Meledandri is coming off of a THE SUPER MARIO BROS. MOVIE high to present MIGRATION starring Kumail Nanjiana, Elizabeth Banks and Danny DeVito. It is a story about a family of ducks getting lost in an adventure.

If you haven’t seen the trailer for the Will Ferrell-Jamie Foxx film STRAYS, you are really missing out. Ferrell plays Reggie, a dog that doesn’t realize how he is being treated by his owner until the strays set him straight.

Blumhouse gets a chance to brag a bit about the hits M3GAN and THE BLACK PHONE and will try once again with the film THE EXORCIST: Believer. DreamWorks brings RUBY GILLMAN: Teenage Kraken about a girl who has the ability to turn into, well, a kraken. Starring Toni Collette, Jane Fonda, Annie Murphy and more in this blue character fun this summer.

The gang is back in TROLLS BAND TOGETHER as Anna Kendrick and Justin Timberlake talk about the film’s premise. Branch and Poppy take the gang to save Branch’s brothers and that will not be taken troll-lightly.

KUNG FU PANDA 4 has Jack Black returning as Po the Panda. It’s time for Po to move up the spiritual ladder of success but in order to do that, he has to find a replacement for himself as the Dragon Warrior. Black says, “My films have made more than 48 quadrillion dollars around the world. You’re welcome! But none is more iconic than the noodle eating panda in the most successful trilogy in cinema history, the saga of KUNG FU PANDA.”

Upcoming films from Focus Features include a huge cast in the new Wes Anderson film ASTEROID CITY coming in June featuring Jason Schwartzman, Tom Hanks, Tilda Swinton, Edward Norton, Steve Carell, Matt Killion, Margot Robbie, Jeff Goldblum and the list goes on and on!

Also coming is the films DRIVE-AWAY DOLLS and THE HOLDOVERS with Paul Giamatti as a prep school teacher who goes from instructor to babysitter. Not to be left behind is America’s favorite Greek family (hold the Windex) with MY BIG FAT GREEK WEDDING 3 as Nia Vardalos writes and directs the Portokalos family back onto screen, this time for a family reunion in Greece. Look for it in theatres this September.

It is time for FAST X with Michelle Rodriguez, Sung Kang, Jordana Brewster and Tyrese Gibson getting the chance to talk about the film. They talk about the beginnings of the franchise and where it has taken them all from past to future. The walk down memory lane leads to the walk on stage of franchise fearless leader Vin Diesel.

“FAST is now the longest franchise in motion picture history with the same actors playing the characters. This is our family. The audience is our family. As we were building toward this achievement, we were attracting directors who each brought their own magic to the saga. I’m proud to say that for exactly two decades, the Fast films has been the most successful film of every one of our directors’ careers.”

That’s one way to end a presentation!