BLACK WIDOW (2021)

Directed By: Cate Shortland Written By: Eric Pearson  Story By: Jac Schaeffer & Ned Benson Cinematography: Gabriel Beristain  Editor: Leigh Folsom Boyd & Matthew Schmidt 

Cast: Scarlett Johansson, Florence Pugh, Rachel Weisz, David Harbour, Ray Winstone, O-T Fagbenie, William Hurt, Olga Kurylenko, Nanna Blondell

Natasha Romanoff aka Black  Widow confronts the darker parts of her ledger when a dangerous conspiracy with ties to her past arises. Pursued by a force that will stop at nothing to bring her down, Natasha must deal with her history as a spy and the broken relationships left in her wake long before she became an Avenger.

COPSHOP (2021)

 

Directed By: Joe Carnahan Written By: Kurt McLeod & Joe Carnahan  Story By: Mark Williams & Kurt McLeod  Cinematography: Juanmi Azpiroz  Editor: Kevin Hale

Cast: Frank Grillo, Gerard Butler, Alexis Louder, Toby Huss, Chad L. Coleman, Ryan O’Nan, Jose Pablo Cantillo, Kauai Lyman 

On the run from a lethal assassin, a wily con artist devises a scheme to hide out inside a small-town police station-but when the hitman turns up at the precinct, an unsuspecting rookie cop finds herself caught in the crosshairs.

PRISONERS OF GHOSTLAND (2021)

 

Directed By: Sion Sono Written By: Aaron Hendry & Reza Sixo Safai Cinematography: Sohei Tanikawa  Editor: Taylor Levy 

Cast: Nicolas Cage, Sofia Boutella, Nick Cassavettes, Bill Moseley, Tak Sakaguchi, Charles Glover, Young Dais, Tetsu Wantanabe 

Set in the treacherous frontier city of Samurai Town where a ruthless bank robber is sprung from jail by wealthy warlord The Governor, whose adopted granddaughter Bernice has gone missing. The Governor offers the prisoner his freedom in exchange for retrieving the runaway. Strapped into a leather suit that will self-destruct within three days, the bandit sets off on a journey to find the young woman and his own path to redemption.

WINE COUNTRY (2019)

 

Directed By: Amy Poehler Written By: Liz Cackowski & Emily Spivey  Cinematography: Tom Magill  Editor: Julie Monroe 

Cast: Amy Poehler, Rachel Dratch, Maya Rudolph, Ana Gasteyer, Paula Pell, Tina Fey, Jason a Schwartzman, Maya Erskine, Cherry Jones, Liz Cackowski, Emily Spivey, Jay Larson, Kate Comer 

During a vacation to Napa Valley, a group of long-time friends reunite and revisit past choices in this hilarious and heartfelt comedy. 

POMS (2019)

 

Directed By: Zara Hayes Written By: Shane Atkinson  Story By: Zara Hayes & Shane Atkinson  Cinematography: Tim Orr Editor: Annette Davey 

Cast: Diane Keaton, Jacki Weaver, Celia Weston, Alisha Roe, Charlie Tahan, Rhea Perlman, Pam Grier, Phyllis Somerville, Patrica French, Bruce McGill 

POMS is a comedy about a group of women who form a cheerleading squad at their retirement community, proving that you're never too old to 'bring it!'

COME AS YOU ARE (2019)

 

Directed, Cinematography & Editor: Richard Wong  Written By: Erik Linthrost

Cast: Grant Rosenmeyer, Hayden Szeto, Ravi Patel, Gabouray Sidibe, Janeane Garofolo, C.S. Lee, Jennifer Jelsema

Three young men with disabilities hit the road with a jaded nurse driver to a brothel in Montreal catering to people with special needs. Remake of the acclaimed Belgian film 'Hasta La Vista'.

THE TRIAL OF THE CHICAGO 7 (2020)

 

Written & Directed By: Aaron Sorkin  Cinematography: Phedon Papamichael  Editor: Alan Baumgarten

Cast: Eddie Redmayne, Sacha Baron Cohen, Jeremy Strong, Alex Sharp, John Carroll Lynch, Yahya Abdul-Manteen II, Mark Rylance, Joseph Gordon Levitt, Ben Shenkman, Frank Langella, Michael Keaton, Kelvin Harrison Jr., Caitlin Fitzgerald 

What was intended to be a peaceful protest at the 1968 Democratic National Convention turned into a violent clash with police and the National Guard. The organizers of the protest--including Abbie Hoffman, Jerry Rubin, Tom Hayden, and Bobby Seale--were charged with conspiracy to incite a riot. The trial that followed was one of the most notorious in history.

THE TWO POPES (2019)

Directed By: Fernando Meirelles Written By: Anthony McCarten  Cinematography: Cesar Charlone  Editor: Fernando Stutz 

Cast: Anthony Hopkins, Jonathan Pryce, Luis Gnecco, Christina Banegas, Renato Scarpa, Sidney Cole 

Behind Vatican walls, the conservative Pope Benedict XVI and the liberal future Pope Francis must find common ground to forge a new path for the Catholic Church.

WAR DOGS (2016)

 

Directed By: Todd Phillips  Written By: Todd Phillips, Stephen Chin & Jason Smilovic  Based on the ROLLING STONE Article “Arms and The Dudes” By: Guy Lawson  Cinematography: Lawrence Sher Editor: Jeff Groth 

Cast: Miles Teller, Jonah Hill, Ana De Armas, Kevin Pollak, Bradley Cooper, Eddie Jemison, Wallace Langham 

Two friends in their early 20s living in Miami Beach during the Iraq War exploit a little-known government initiative that allows small businesses to bid on U.S. Military contracts. Starting small, they begin raking in big money and are living the high life. But the pair gets in over their heads when they land a 300 million dollar deal to arm the Afghan Military - a deal that puts them in business with some very shady people, not the least of which turns out to be the U.S. Government. Based on true events.

MOVIES WATCHED IN NOVEMBER (2021)

CRIMSON PEAK

ANNETTE (2021)

Directed By: Leos Carax  Written by: Ron Mael & Russell Mael (Sparks) Cinematography: Caroline Champetier  Editor: Nelly Quettier 

Cast: Adam Driver, Marion Cotillard, Simon Helberg, Devyn McDowell 

Against all logic, Henry and Ann--he, a struggling stand-up comedian, she, a beloved opera diva. fall madly in love and become inseparable after a chance encounter in bustling, modern Los Angeles. However, all great romances are fraught with pain. Faced with the public's surprise and the dark side of success, Ann gives birth to gifted Annette: the fruit of their love, a miracle, a child prodigy, and the couple's damnation.

GREASE 2 (1982)

 

Directed By: Patricia Birch  Written By: Ken Finkelman Based On Characters Created By: Jim Jacobs & Warren Casey  Cinematography: Frank Stanley  Editor: John F. Burnett

Cast: Michelle Pfeiffer, Maxwell Caulfield, Didi Conn, Lorna Luft, Pamela Segall, Adrian Zmed, Eve Arden, Sid Caeser, Connie Stevens, Christopher McDonald, Tab Hunter

Two years after the life-altering events in Grease. Sandy's cousin Michael, a straight-laced English student, is the new guy at Rydell High. Stephanie, the Pink Ladies' foxy blonde leader, is about to break up with Johnny, the T-Birds' leader, but she still likes her men dangerous, even as Michael starts to attract her attention. Now Michael needs to up his game: learn how to ride a motorcycle and transform himself into Stephanie's hot leather-clad fantasy. Is he up to the task?

A HARD DAY’S NIGHT (1964)

 

Directed By: Richard Lester Written By: Alun Owen  Cinematography: Gilbert Taylor  Editor: John Jympson 

Cast: The Beatles, John Lennon, Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, George Harrison, Wilfrid Brambell, Norman Rossington, John Junkin, Victor Spinetti, Anna Quayle 

Over two "typical" days in the life of The Beatles, the boys struggle to keep themselves and Sir Paul McCartney's mischievous grandfather in check while preparing for a live TV performance.

RICHARD JEWELL (2019)

 

Directed By: Clint Eastwood Written By: Billy Ray Based Upon the article “American Nightmare: The Ballad Of Richard Jewell” By: Marie Brenner  Based Upon The Book “The Suspect” By: Kent Alexander & Kevin Salwen  Cinematography: Yves Belanger  Editor: Joel Cox 

Cast: Paul Walter Hauser, Sam Rockwell, Kathy Bates, Jon Hamm, Olivia Wilde, Ian Gomez, Nina Arianda, Mike Pniewski 

During the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, security guard Richard Jewell discovers a suspicious backpack under a bench in Centennial Park. With little time to spare, he helps to evacuate the area until the incendiary device inside the bag explodes. Hailed as a hero who saved lives, Jewell's own life starts to unravel when the FBI names him the prime suspect in the bombing.

THE WOLF OF WALL STREET (2013)

 

Directed by: Martin Scorsese  Written By: Terence Winter  Based on the Book “The Wolf Of Wall Street” By: Jordan Belfort  Cinematography: Rodrigo Prieto Editor: Thelma Schoonmaker

Cast: Leonardo DiCaprio, Jonah Hill, Margot Robie, Matthew McConaughey, Jon Bernthal, Kyle Chandler, Rob Reiner, Jon Favreau, Shea Whigham, Jean Dujardin, Joanna Lumley, Cristin Milioti, Aya Cash, Christine Ebersole, Ethan Suplee,  P.J. Byrne, Kenneth Choi, Jake Hoffman, Rizwan Manji, Thomas Middleditch, Fran Lebowitz 

Based on the true story of Jordan Belfort, from his rise to a wealthy stock-broker living the high life to his fall involving crime, corruption and the federal government.

CASINO (1995)

 

Directed by: Martin Scorsese Written By: Nicholas Pileggi & Martin Scorsese Based on the Book “Casino” By: Nicholas Pileggi Cinematography: Robert Richardson  Editor: Thelma Schoonmaker 

Cast: Robert DeNiro, Joe Pesci, Sharon Stone, James Woods, Frank Vincent, Don Rickles, Alan King, Kevin Pollak, Pasquale Cajano, Richard Riehle, L.Q. Jones, John Bloom, Dick Smothers, Vinny Vella, Melissa Prophet, Bill Allison, Steve Allen, Jayne Meadows, Frankie Avalon, Jerry Vale, 

A tale of greed, deception, money, power, and murder occur between two best friends: a mafia enforcer and a casino executive compete against each other over a gambling empire, and over a fast-living and fast-loving socialite.

SEOUL SEARCHING (2015)

 

Written & Directed By: Benson Lee Cinematography: Daniel Katz Editor: Steve M. Choe

Cast: Justin Chon, Jessika Van, In-Pyo Cha, Teo Yoo, Esteban Ahn, Rosalina Leigh, Albert Kong, Hee Jun Han, Crystal Kay, Nekhebet Kum Juch 

During the 1980s, the Korean government created a special summer camp for "gyopo" or foreign-born teenagers where they could spend their summer in Seoul to learn about their motherland. While the intentions of the program were honorable, the activities of the teens were not. The program was eventually canceled after a few years because the government simply could not control the youth. Seoul Searching is a teen comedy and coming of age film, based on a true story about one of the summer camps that took place in 1986.

THE NEW GUY (2002)

 

Directed By: Ed Decter Written By: David Kendall Cinematography: Michael D. O’Shea Editor: David Rennie 

Cast: DJ Qualls, Eliza Dushku, Zooey Deschanel, Parry Shen, Jerod Mixon, Sunny Mabrey, Ross Patterson, Lyle Lovett, Eddie Griffin, Ileana Douglas, Kurt fuller, Matt shogun, M.C. Gainey, Julius Carry, Geoffrey Lewis, Horatio Sanz, Gene Simmons, Kool Moe Dee, Tommy Lee, Henry Rollins, Jermaine Dupri, Jerry O’Connell, Charlie O’Connell, Tony Hawk, Rob Van Winkle 

A high school senior branded uncool in the ninth grade gets himself expelled so he changes his image to cool kid at the town's other high school.

TEACHERS (1984)

 

Directed By: Arthur Hiller Written By: W.R. McKinney Cinematography: David M. Walsh  Editor: Don Zimmerman 

Cast: Nick Nolte, Jobeth Williams, Judd Hirsch, Ralph Macchio, Allen Garfield, Lee Grant, Richard Mulligan, Laura Dern, Crispin Glover, Morgan Freeman, Steven Hill, William Schallert, Mary Alice, Anthony Heald Virginia Capers, Royal Dani, Art Metrano 

A teacher overcomes his frustration in a high-school full of flunkies. As he attempts to educate his students, he attempts to help them gets him into trouble with the school board, which only adds to his problems. With the support of his students, he beats the school board and his frustration.

ARMY OF THIEVES (2021)

 

Directed By: Matthias Schweighofer Written By: Shay Hatten  Story By: Zack Snyder & Shay Hatten Based On Characters created by: Zack Snyder  Cinematography: Bernhard Jasper  Editor: Alexander Berner 

Cast: Matthias Schweighofer, Nathalie Emmanuel, Ruby O. Fee, Stuart Martin, Guz Khan, Jonathan Cohen, Noemie Nakai, Christian Steyer 

A prequel, set before the events of Army of the Dead, focuses on German safecracker Ludwig Dieter leading a group of aspiring thieves on a top-secret heist during the early stages of the zombie apocalypse.

WITHOUT REMORSE (2021)

 

Directed By: Stefano Sellima Written By: Taylor Sheridan & Will Staples  Based On The Novel By: Tom Clancy  Cinematography: Philippe Rousselot Editor: Matthew Newman 

Cast: Michael B. Jordan, Jamie Bell, Jodie Turner-Smith, Guy Pearce, Lauren London, Cam Gigandet, Brett Gelman, Colman Domingo, Jacob Scipio, Todd Lasance 

An elite Navy SEAL, goes on a path to avenge his wife's murder only to find himself inside of a larger conspiracy.

LET HIM GO (2020)

 

Written & Directed By: Thomas Bezucha Based On The Novel By: Larry Watson Cinematography: Guy Godfree Editor: Jeffrey Ford & Meg Reticker

Cast: Diane Lane, Kevin Costner, Lesley Manville, Jeffrey Donovan, Kayli Carter, Booboo Stewart, Will Brittain, Greg Lawson, Ryan Bruce, Adam Stafford, Connor Mackay 

A retired sheriff and his wife, grieving over the death of their son, set out to find their only grandson.

SHIVA BABY (2021)

 

Written & Directed By: Emma Seligman Cinematography: Maria Rusche Editor: Hanna Park 

Cast: Rachel Sennot, Polly Draper, Molly Gordon, Fred Melamed, Dianna Agron, Jackie Hoffman, Danny Deferrari, Glynis Bell, 

At a Jewish funeral service with her parents, a college student runs into her sugar daddy.

MERMAIDS (1990)

 Directed By: Richard Benjamin  Written By: June Roberts Based on the book by: Patty Dann Cinematography: Howard Atherton  Editor: Jacqueline Cambas 

Cast: Cher, Bob Hoskins, Winona Ryder, Christina Ricci, Michael Schoeffling, Caroline McWilliams, Jan Miner 

An unconventional single mother relocates with her two daughters to a small Massachusetts town in 1963, where a number of events and relationships both challenge and strengthen their familial bonds.

SWEETIE (1989)

Directed By: Jane Campion Written By Gerard Lee & Jane Campion Cinematography: Sally Bongers  Editor: Veronika Haussler 

Cast: Genevieve Lemon, Karen Colston, Tom Lycos, Jon Darling, Dorothy Barry

An introspective young woman's life is upturned by the arrival of her maladjusted sister.

MOVIES WATCHED IN OCTOBER (2021)

SPIRAL: FROM THE BOOK OF JIGSAW (2021)

 

Directed by: Darren Lynn Bousman Written by: Josh Stolberg & Peter Goldfinger Cinematography: Jordan Oram Editor: Dev Singh 

Cast: Chris Rock, Samuel L. Jackson, Max Minghella, Marisol Nichols, Dan Petronijevic, Richard Zeppieri, Patrick McManus 

Working in the shadow of his father, an esteemed police veteran, brash Detective Ezekiel "Zeke" Banks and his rookie partner take charge of a grisly investigation into murders that are eerily reminiscent of the city's gruesome past. Unwittingly entrapped in a deepening mystery, Zeke finds himself at the center of the killer's morbid game.

NIGHTBOOKS (2021)

 

Directed By: David Yarovesky  Written By: Mikki Daughtry & Thomas Iaconis  Based on the Book by: J.A. White  Cinematography: Robert McLachlan  Editor: Peter Gvozdas

Cast: Krysten Ritter, Winslow Fegley, Lydia Jewett 

A young boy named Alex becomes the prisoner of a witch to avoid certain death, he convinces her to let him tell her a scary story every night. Upon meeting the witch's servant, Yazmin, the two must use their wits to escape her apartment, a magical labyrinth filled with various dangers, before the witch kills them both.

SCARE ME (2020)

 

Written & Directed By: Josh Ruben  Cinematography: Brendan H. Banks Editor: Patrick Lawrence 

Cast: Aya Cash, Josh Ruben, Chris Redd, Rebecca Drysdale 

During a power outage, two strangers tell scary stories. The more Fred and Fanny commit to their tales, the more the stories come to life in their Catskills cabin. The horrors of reality manifest when Fred confronts his ultimate fear.

VEROTIKA (2020)

 

Written & Directed By: Glenn Danzig  Cinematography: David Newbert  Editor: Brian Cox 

Cast: Sean Kannan, Ashley Wisdom, Alice Tate, Kayden Kross, Natalia Borowsky, Kansas Bowling, Rachel Alig

Follows the surreal and bloody trilogy of erotic horror stories culled from Danzig's comic.

WOLF (1994)

 

Directed By: Mike Nichols  Written By: Jim Harrison & Wesley Strick  Cinematography: Giuseppe Rotunno  Editor: Sam O’Steen 

Cast: Jack Nicholson, Michelle Pfeiffer, James Spader, Christopher Plummer, Richard Jenkins, Kate Nelligan, Eileen Atkins, David Hyde Pierce, Om Puri, Ron Rifkin, Allison Janney 

Worn down and out of luck, aging publisher Will Randall is at the end of his rope when a younger co-worker snatches his job out from under his nose. But after being bitten by a wolf, Will suddenly finds himself energized, more competitive than ever, and possessed with amazingly heightened senses. Meanwhile, the beautiful daughter of his shrewd boss begins to fall for him - without realizing that the man she's begun to love is gradually turning into the creature by which he was bitten.

BLOOD RED SKY (2021)

 

Directed By: Peter Thorwarth  Written By: Peter Thorwarth & Stefan Holtz  Cinematography: Yoshi Heimrath  Editor: Knut Hake 

Cast: Peri Baumeister, Dominic Purcell, Carl Koch, Alexander Scheer, Kai Ivo Baulitz, Kai Setti, Roland Moller, Gordon Brown 

A woman with a mysterious illness is forced into action when a group of terrorists attempts to hijack a transatlantic overnight flight.

VIVARIUM (2020)

Directed By: Lorcan Finnegan Written By: Garrett Shanley Story By: Lorcan Finnegan & Garett Shanley  Cinematography: MacGregor Editor: Tony Cranston

Cast: Jesse Eisenberg, Imogen Poots, Jonathan Aris, Eanna Hardwicke

A young couple is thinking about buying their starter home. And to this end, they visit a real estate agency where they are received by a strange sales agent, who accompanies them to a new, mysterious, peculiar housing development to show them a single-family home. There they get trapped in a surreal, maze-like nightmare.

SEANCE (2021)

 

Written & Directed By: Simon Barrett Cinematography: Karim Hussein Editor: James Vandewater

Cast: Suki Waterhouse, Ella-Rae Smith, Madisen Beaty, Stephanie Sy, Inanna Sarkis, Djouloet Amara, Jade Michael, Seamus Patterson, Marina Stephenson

At the prestigious Fairfield Academy, an elite boarding school for girls, six friends jokingly engage in a late-night ritual, calling forth the spirit of a dead former student who reportedly haunts their halls. Before morning, one of the girls is dead, leaving the others wondering what they may have awakened.

SUPERHOST (2021)

Written & Directed By: Brandon Christensen Cinematography: Clayton Moore 

Cast: Sara Canning, Osric Chau, Gracie Gilliam, Barbara Crampton 

With their follower count dwindling, travel vloggers Teddy and Claire pivot to creating viral content around their most recent "superhost," Rebecca, who wants more from the duo than a great review.

BLACK CHRISTMAS (2019)

Directed By: Sophia Takal  Written By: Sophia Takal, April Wolfe & Roy Lee Cinematography: Mark Schwartzbard  Editor: Ben Baudhuin & Jeff Betancourt 

Cast: Imogen Poots, Aleyse Shannon, Lily Donoghue, Brittany O’Grady, Cary Elwes, Caleb Eberhardt, Simon Mead, Madeline Adams, Zoe Robins, Ben Black

Hawthorne College is quieting down for the holidays. One by one, sorority girls on campus are being killed by an unknown stalker. But the killer is about to discover that this generation's young women aren't willing to become hapless victims as they mount a fight to the finish.