Sam Mendes, the Oscar®-winning director of Skyfall, Spectre, and American Beauty, brings his singular vision to his World War I epic, 1917 Release date (limited): December 25, 2019 Release date (wide): January 10, 2020
At the height of the First World War, two young British soldiers, Schofield (Captain Fantastic's George MacKay) and Blake (Game of Thrones' Dean-Charles Chapman) are given a seemingly impossible mission. In a race against time, they must cross enemy territory and deliver a message that will stop a deadly attack on hundreds of soldiers—Blake's own brother among them.
1917 is directed by Sam Mendes, who wrote the screenplay with Krysty Wilson-Cairns (Showtime's Penny Dreadful). The film is produced by Mendes and Pippa Harris (co-executive producer, Revolutionary Road; executive producer, Away We Go) for their Neal Street Productions, Jayne-Ann Tenggren (co-producer, The Rhythm Section; associate producer, Spectre), Callum McDougall (executive producer, Mary Poppins Returns, Skyfall) and Brian Oliver (executive producer, Rocketman; Black Swan).
The film is produced by Neal Street Productions for DreamWorks Pictures in association with New Republic Pictures. Universal Pictures will release the film domestically in limited release on December 25, 2019 and wide on January 10, 2020. Universal and Amblin Partners will distribute the film internationally, with eOne distributing on behalf of Amblin in the U.K.
Genre: Epic Drama Cast: George MacKay, Dean-Charles Chapman, Mark Strong, Andrew Scott, Richard Madden, Claire Duburcq, with Colin Firth and Benedict Cumberbatch Director: Sam Mendes Writers: Sam Mendes, Krysty Wilson-Cairns Producers: Sam Mendes, Pippa Harris, Jayne-Ann Tenggren, Callum McDougall, Brian Oliver
Polish nurse Katia Wampusyk (Tanna Frederick, HOLLYWOOD DREAMS, THE M WORD) claims that she can "smell a Jew a kilometer away." Unfortunately for her, this special sense fails her on the TRAIN TO ZAKOPANÉ (2018) when she meets, and falls in love with, a Russian Jew named Sioma Sapir. And unfortunately for him, he falls in love with her, too.
Adapted from writer-director Henry Jaglom's (CAN SHE BAKE A CHERRY PIE?, BABYFEVER) long-running stage play, which was based on true events that happened to his own father, the story takes place in 1928 Europe just as anti-Semitism is really beginning to heat up and those who practice it most oppressively are rising to power.
Sharing the same compartment on board the train are Sioma, Katia, eccentric Mme. Nadia Selmeczy (Cathy Arden), and Father Alexandrov (Stephen Howard), who engage in all manner of lively and revealing conversation which, inevitably, gets around to the "Jewish problem."
It's here that Sioma (Mike Falkow, SMOKIN' ACES) learns of Katia's virulent hatred of Jews, which was passed down to her by her father and reinforced by her own experiences and perceptions.
Still, even as she is obviously taken with the handsome young businessman, he improbably finds himself falling for her as well, to the point where they actually leave the train together in the small village of Zakopané and have a torrid romantic fling.
Naturally the viewer will be in suspense throughout their time together, waiting for that other, very large shoe to drop when Katia discovers that her lover (her first, she will confide) is actually a Jew himself.
But first we must suffer along with Sioma as he agonizes over whether or not to even tell her, weighing the consequences of either decision to the point of madness.
Performances are all quite good, retaining the flavor of Jaglom's play as does his rather stagey direction of the dialogue scenes. This is offset by very sharp editing and staging which often resembles that of an engrossing live television production done in long takes with multiple cameras.
Also helping to open things up considerably are some absolutely gorgeous shots of the train making its way through mountains and tunnels (the black-and-white photography is exquisite) against a backdrop of various wintry panoramas.
For awhile we wonder where the story is going as the lovers' improbable whirlwind romance continues to be overshadowed by Sioma's impending revelation. As for me, I was puzzled by his sudden irresistible attraction to such a flighty, borderline-unlikable character with a penchant for being a silly drunk.
All of this, however, suddenly comes to just the kind of intense dramatic peak we've been waiting for, from a direction that's totally unexpected. So shattering is this surprise development, in fact, that it makes Sioma's admission that he's Jewish seem almost anticlimactic.
The juxtaposition of stagey dramatic scenes with breathtaking location photography makes TRAIN TO ZAKOPANÉ an intriguing cinematic experience. And I like that Jaglom gives us such a loaded premise, keeps us guessing where it's going, and then hits us with such a resounding payoff that it almost had my ears ringing.
Join Joe Bob and Last Drive-In musician John Brennan at Forbidden Planet NYC on December 4 from 6-8pm to celebrate the release of the newest LDI record and the upcoming JOE BOB'S RED CHRISTMAS special on Shudder! Joe Bob will also have t-shirts, posters, and 8x10s available for all your holiday shopping needs.
Joe Bob Briggs and John Brennan December 4, 6-8pm Forbidden Planet NYC
Universal Pictures' BLACK CHRISTMAS opens in theaters nationwide on December 13, 2019
Just in time for the holidays comes a timely take on a cult horror classic as a campus killer comes to face a formidable group of friends in sisterhood.
Hawthorne College is quieting down for the holidays. But as Riley Stone (Imogen Poots, Green Room) and her Mu Kappa Epsilon sisters—athlete Marty (Lily Donoghue, The CW's Jane the Virgin), rebel Kris (Aleyse Shannon, The CW's Charmed), and foodie Jesse (Brittany O'Grady, Fox's Star)—prepare to deck the halls with a series of seasonal parties, a black-masked stalker begins killing sorority women one by one.
As the body count rises, Riley and her squad start to question whether they can trust any man, including Marty's beta-male boyfriend, Nate (Simon Mead, Same But Different: A True New Zealand Love Story), Riley's new crush Landon (Caleb Eberhardt, Amazon's Mozart in the Jungle) or even esteemed classics instructor Professor Gelson (Cary Elwes).
Whoever the killer is, he's about to discover that this generation's young women aren't about to be anybody's victims.
This December, on Friday the 13th, ring in the holidays by dreaming of a Black Christmas.
From director Sophia Takal (Always Shine) from the script she wrote with April Wolfe (Widower), comes a bold new take on the 1974 slasher classic produced by Jason Blum (Halloween, Split) for his Blumhouse Productions, by Ben Cosgrove (The Good German, Rumor Has It) and by Adam Hendricks (Cam, Bloodline, Lucky) for Divide/Conquer and by Brigitte Berman (The River of My Dreams, Artie Shaw: Time Is All You've Got). Blumhouse's Couper Samuelson and Jeanette Volturno will executive produce with Divide/Conquer's Greg Gilreath and Zac Locke.
Release Date: December 13, 2019
Genre: Horror
Cast: Imogen Poots, Aleyse Shannon, Lily Donoghue, Brittany O'Grady, Caleb Eberhardt, Simon Mead and Cary Elwes
Directed by: Sophia Takal
Written by: Sophia Takal & April Wolfe
Producers: Jason Blum, Ben Cosgrove, Adam Hendricks, Brigitte Berman
Small Town Monsters Looks To the Stars in New Miniseries "On the Trail of UFOs" Debuts First Trailer Series Set to Explore America's Complicated Relationship with UFOs Episodes to Make First Contact Next Year
Wadsworth, OH -- Small Town Monsters has released the first look at their new miniseries "On the Trail of UFOs". The latest production from Small Town Media founder and director Seth Breedlove, "On the Trail of UFOs" takes an in-depth look at the current state of unidentified flying objects, and America's constantly-evolving relationship with the subject.
With unidentified flying objects being written and talked about in major news outlets and behind closed doors in Washington D.C., Breedlove and series host Shannon Legro set out to document what is by far the most tumultuous point in the history of "flying saucers".
Breedlove recently signed a deal with Adam Wingard (Godzilla vs. Kong, The Guest) to begin developing concepts for new projects, with an eye towards production in 2020. Breedlove's last foray into the episodic documentary arena was with 2019's On the Trail of Bigfoot, which became an Amazon best-seller and has been viewed over four million times.
The new trailer for "On the Trail of UFOs" includes a look at the wide array of interview subjects and locations. WATCH THE TRAILER
"On the Trail of UFOs" takes viewers from the gates of Area 51 itself, to the snow-capped White Mountains of New Hampshire. Filming took place across the United States, including New York City, Phoenix, Sedona, Los Angeles, Orlando, and Las Vegas.
The team interviewed numerous witnesses and investigators of unknown aerial phenomena, including those who claim to have been abducted and experimented upon by real aliens. No stone was left unturned in putting together what Breedlove believes to be the most comprehensive look at the subject ever filmed.
This was the first "Star Trek" movie, directed by Robert Wise.
How much do you remember about it?
Question: Who first meets Kirk upon his arrival at Starfleet HQ?
A. Spock B. Scotty C. Sonak D. Sarek E. Uhura
Question: When Kirk orders phasers while in the wormhole, Decker says ...?
A. "No! Phasers are inoperable!" B. "No! Ignore phaser command!" C. "No! Emergency photon override!" D. "No! Belay that phaser order!" E. "No! Fire full photon array!"
Question: When Spock first comes aboard, how many times does Kirk ask him to sit down?
A. One B. Two C. Three D. Four E. Five
Question: When Decker shows android Ilia a game, she says "This device ..."
A. ...intrigues me B. ...contains encoded data C. ...serves no purpose D. ...will be placed in data storage E. ...is not relevant
Question: At the end, Kirk asks "Did we just see ...?"
A. ...the death of an infinite being B. ...the beginning of a new lifeform C. ...the genesis of an alternate timeline D. ...the metamorphosis of pure thought E. ...the ultimate transcendence
I neither own nor claim any rights to this material. Just having some fun with it. Thanks for watching!
FAN EXPO Dallas Announces John Cleese Will Join Biggest Comic Event of the Year
DALLAS, TX— FAN EXPO DALLAS – the largest comic, sci-fi, horror, anime and gaming event in Texas has announced the addition of John Cleese to the growing celebrity line-up for March 27-29, 2020 event at the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center Dallas.
Cleese is famous for being a founding member of the famed Monty Python comedy troupe, the ensemble responsible for the surreal and groundbreaking sketch comedy series “Monty Python’s Flying Circus.” The group followed up on the show’s success with films such as “Monty Python’s Life of Brian” and “Monty Python and the Holy Grail.”
Cleese is also known for roles in series such as “Fawlty Towers,” and for films like “A Fish Called Wanda” and “Fierce Creatures” (he wrote the screenplay for both movies), “Time Bandits,” “Silverado,” and appearances in famed British franchises as James Bond and Harry Potter. Cleese is the recipient of the coveted Ernie Kovacs Award by Dallas VideoFest on December 4, 2019.
In addition to John Cleese, a ticket to the most epic weekend of the year will allow fans the chance to meet more of the most iconic names in entertainment and pop culture.
In a previous announcement, fans were invited to join the Fellowship of the Ring at FAN EXPO Dallas to celebrate the exclusive reunion of the Four Hobbits featuring Frodo, Samwise, Merry and Pippin with stars Elijah Wood, Sean Astin, Dominic Monaghan, and Billy Boyd.
Other highlights throughout the event include celebrity Q&As that give fans the opportunity to spend some time getting to know their favorite celebrities — these will be scheduled throughout the weekend along with throwback Q&A’s and other specially ticketed events. More attractions and celebrity guests will be announced at the beginning of the year.
Tickets are on sale now, early bird pricing is available until January 15, 2020. For the first time, FAN EXPO Dallas is introducing a new ‘fan focused’ ticket policy for the 2020 shows allowing admission ticket refunds. For hours and information visit, www.fanexpodallas.com.
FAN EXPO HQ is one of the largest entertainment convention groups in in the world. Collectively, it hosts more than 500,000 fans annually at FAN EXPO Boston, FAN EXPO Canada, FAN EXPO Dallas, FAN EXPO Vancouver, MEGACON Orlando, Toronto Comicon, Calgary Comic and Entertainment Expo and Dallas Fan Days.
4 DIGITAL MEDIA INVITES HOME AUDIENCES TO EXPERIENCE THE SCI-FI SUPERNATURAL THRILLER
"DARK ENCOUNTER" Arriving On VOD And Digital HD On Leading Digital Platforms And DVD On January 7, 2020
A year after Maisie Anderson vanished, her family return home from her memorial service only to be terrorized by strange lights in the sky, which may hold the truth behind Maisie’s disturbing disappearance.
WATCH THE OFFICIAL TRAILER:
PROGRAM INFORMATION VOD: Available on Apple iTunes and other Leading Digital Providers DVD: Available at Amazon and Walmart.com
Starring: Laura Fraser, Mel Raido, Alice Lowe, Sid Phoenix, Grant Masters, Vincent Regan, Spike White
Directed/Written by: Carl Strathie Produced by: Charlette Kilby, Alan Latham Distribution: 4Digital Media Run Time: 98 Minutes Rating: NR Genre: SciFi, Supernatural, Thriller Aspect Ratio: 16x9 (2.39:1) Audio: Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo and 5.1 Surround Language: English
