Theatrical Releases: Dora and the Lost City Of Gold, The Kitchen, & Scary Stories To Tell In The Dark

August 9, 2019 / Leave a Comment

SCARY STORIES TO TELL IN THE DARK

Directed By: André Øvredal
Studio: CBS Films & Lionsgate

Official Synopsis: It’s l968 in America. Change is blowing in the wind… but seemingly far removed from the unrest in the cities is the small town of Mill Valley where for generations, the shadow of the Bellows family has loomed large. It is in their mansion on the edge of town that Sarah, a young girl with horrible secrets, turned her tortured life into a series of scary stories, written in a book that has transcended time–stories that have a way of becoming all too real for a group of teenagers who discover Sarah’s terrifying tome.

Starring: Zoe Colletti, Michael Garza, Gabriel Rush, Austin Abrams, Dean Norris, Gil Bellows, and Lorraine Toussaint.

Genre: Horror | Mystery | Thriller
Country: Canada | USA (English)
Rating: PG-13 (for terror/violence, disturbing images, thematic elements, language including racial epithets, and brief sexual references)
Runtime: 111 minutes

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THE KITCHEN (2019)

Directed By: Andrea Berloff
Studio: Warner Bros. Pictures & New Line Cinema

Official Synopsis: Based on the Vertigo comic book series from DC Entertainment, the film stars Oscar nominee Melissa McCarthy, Tiffany Haddish and Elisabeth Moss as three 1978 Hell’s Kitchen housewives whose mobster husbands are sent to prison by the FBI. Left with little but a sharp ax to grind, the ladies take the Irish mafia’s matters into their own hands–proving unexpectedly adept at everything from running the rackets to taking out the competition… literally.

Starring: Melissa McCarthy, Tiffany Haddish, Elisabeth Moss, Domhnall Gleeson, James Badge Dale, Brian d’Arcy James, Margo Martindale, Common, and Bill Camp

Genre: Action | Crime | Drama
Country: USA (English)
Rating: R (for violence, language throughout and some sexual content)
Runtime: 102 minutes

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DORA AND THE LOST CITY OF GOLD

Directed By: James Bobin
Studio: Paramount Pictures

Official Synopsis: Having spent most of her life exploring the jungle with her parents, nothing could prepare Dora (Isabela Moner) for her most dangerous adventure ever — High School. Always the explorer, Dora quickly finds herself leading Boots (her best friend, a monkey), Diego (Jeffrey Wahlberg), a mysterious jungle inhabitant (Eugenio Derbez), and a rag tag group of teens on a live-action adventure to save her parents (Eva Longoria, Michael Peña) and solve the impossible mystery behind a lost city of gold.

Starring: Isabela Moner, Eugenio Derbez, Michael Peña, Eva Longoria, Danny Trejo, and Benicio del Toro

Genre: Adventure | Family
Country: Australia | USA (English)
Rating: PG (for action and some impolite humor)
Runtime: 102 minutes

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THE ART OF RACING IN THE RAIN

Directed By: Simon Curtis
Studio: 20th Century Fox

Official Synopsis: Based on the best-selling novel by Garth Stein, THE ART OF RACING IN THE RAIN is a heartfelt tale narrated by a witty and philosophical dog named Enzo (voiced by Kevin Costner). Through his bond with his owner, Denny Swift (Milo Ventimiglia), an aspiring Formula One race car driver, Enzo has gained tremendous insight into the human condition and understands that the techniques needed on the racetrack can also be used to successfully navigate the journey of life. The film follows Denny and the loves of his life – his wife, Eve (Amanda Seyfried), their young daughter Zoe (Ryan Kiera Armstrong), and ultimately, his true best friend, Enzo.

Starring: Kevin Costner, Milo Ventimiglia, Amanda Seyfried, Martin Donovan, Gary Cole, and Kathy Baker

Genre: Comedy | Drama
Country: USA (English)
Rating: PG (for thematic material)
Runtime: 109 minutes

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THE PEANUT BUTTER FALCON

Directed By: Tyler Nilson & Michael Schwartz
Studio: Roadside Attractions

Official Synopsis: A modern Mark Twain style adventure story, THE PEANUT BUTTER FALCON tells the story of Zak (Zack Gottsagen), a young man with Down syndrome, who runs away from a residential nursing home to follow his dream of attending the professional wrestling school of his idol, The Salt Water Redneck (Thomas Haden Church). A strange turn of events pairs him on the road with Tyler (Shia LaBeouf), a small time outlaw on the run, who becomes Zak’s unlikely coach and ally. Together they wind through deltas, elude capture, drink whisky, find God, catch fish, and convince Eleanor (Dakota Johnson), a kind nursing home employee charged with Zak’s return, to join them on their journey.

Starring: Shia LaBeouf, Dakota Johnson, Zack Gottsagen, John Hawkes, Thomas Haden Church, Bruce Dern, Jon Bernthal, Yelawolf, Jake Roberts, and Mick Foley

Genre: Adventure
Country: USA (English)
Rating: PG-13 (for thematic content, language throughout, some violence and smoking)
Runtime: 93 minutes

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LIGHT OF MY LIFE

Directed By: Casey Affleck
Studio: Saban Films

Official Synopsis: A girl (Anna Pniowsky) and her father (Casey Affleck) journey through the outskirts of society a decade after a pandemic has wiped out nearly all the world’s female population. As a father struggles to protect his daughter’s innocence, shielding her from newfound dangers, their bond and the character of humanity is tested.

Starring: Elisabeth Moss, Casey Affleck, Anna Pniowsky, Tom Bower, Timothy Webber, and Hrothgar Mathews

Genre: Drama
Country: USA (English)
Rating: R (for some violence)
Runtime: 119 minutes

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BRIAN BANKS

Directed By: Tom Shadyac
Studio: Bleeker Street

Official Synopsis: The inspirational true story of Brian Banks (Aldis Hodge), an All-American high school football star committed to USC who finds his life upended when he is wrongly convicted of a crime he didn’t commit. Despite lack of evidence, Banks is railroaded through a broken justice system and sentenced to a decade of prison and probation. Years later, with the support of Justin Brooks (Greg Kinnear) and the California Innocence Project, Banks fights to reclaim his life and fulfill his dreams of playing in the NFL.

Starring: Aldis Hodge, Greg Kinnear, Sherri Shepherd, Melanie Liburd, Tiffany Dupont, and Matt Battaglia

Genre: Biography | Drama | Sport
Country: USA (English)
Rating: PG-13 (for thematic content and related images, and for language)
Runtime: 99 minutes

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THE TRACKER

Directed By: Giorgio Serafini
Studio: Lionsgate

Official Synopsis: This action-thriller stars Dolph Lundgren (The Expendables franchise) as a troubled warrior who returns home to solve the mystery of his family’s murder — and punish those he finds guilty.

Starring: Dolph Lundgren, Cosimo Fusco, Marta Gastini, Anna Falchi, Justin Fischer, Kai Portman, and Bruno Bilotta

Genre: Action | Thriller
Country: Italy | USA (English & Italian)
Rating: R (for some violence and language)
Runtime: 87 minutes

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AFTER THE WEDDING

Directed By: Bart Freundlich
Studio: Sony Pictures Classics

Official Synopsis: Isabel (Michelle Williams) has dedicated her life to working with the children in an orphanage in Calcutta. Theresa (Julianne Moore) is the multimillionaire head of a media company who lives with her artist husband (Billy Crudup) and their twin boys in New York. When word comes to Isabel of a mysterious and generous grant for the financially struggling orphanage, she must travel to New York to meet the benefactor–Theresa–in person.

Starring: Michelle Williams, Julianne Moore, Billy Crudup, Will Chase, Doris McCarthy, and Abby Quinn

Genre: Drama
Country: USA (English)
Rating: PG-13 (for thematic material and some strong language)
Runtime: 110 minutes

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ONE CHILD NATION

Directed By: Nanfu Wang
Studio: Amazon Studios

Official Synopsis: China’s One Child Policy, the extreme population control measure that made it illegal for couples to have more than one child, may have ended in 2015, but the process of dealing with the trauma of its brutal enforcement is only just beginning. From award-winning documentarian Nanfu Wang (Hooligan Sparrow, I Am Another You) and Jialing Zhang, the sweeping One Child Nation explores the ripple effect of this devastating social experiment, uncovering one shocking human rights violation after another — from abandoned newborns, to forced sterilizations and abortions, and government abductions. Wang digs fearlessly into her own personal life, weaving her experience as a new mother and the firsthand accounts of her family members into archival propaganda material and testimony from victims and perpetrators alike, yielding a revelatory and essential record of this chilling, unprecedented moment in human civilization.

Genre: Documentary | History
Country: USA (English & Mandarin)
Rating: R (for some disturbing content/images, and brief language)
Runtime: 85 minutes

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ECCO

Directed By: Ben Medina
Studio: Citadel Film Group

Official Synopsis: Michael is a ghost… Living in the shadows with his new family, years away from his former life as a nomadic, covert assassin. His peace and anonymity are shattered when his old employers return to bury their last surviving operative. With his truth exposed, Michael must protect his family and pursue his only chance at redemption: hunt those behind the organization where all his sins were born.

Starring: Lathrop Walker, Tabitha Bastien, Helena Grace Donald, Michael Winters, Vincent Cardinale, and Bruce Weech

Genre: Crime | Drama | Thriller
Country: USA (English)
Rating: R (for violence including bloody images, language, and some sexuality/nudity)
Runtime: 123 minutes

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EVERY TIME I DIE (2019)

Directed By: Robi Michael
Studio: Gravitas Ventures

Official Synopsis: When Sam is murdered in a remote lake, his consciousness begins to travel through the bodies of his friends in an effort to protect them from his killer. This dark passage leads him on a greater journey — discovering his own identity.

Starring: Marc Menchaca, Erica Camarano, Michelle Macedo, Drew Fonteiro, and Melissa Macedo

Genre: Thriller
Country: USA (English)
Rating: Not Rated
Runtime: 98 minutes

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EXIT

Directed By: Lee Sang-Geun
Studio: CJ Entertainment America

Official Synopsis: Yong-Nam (Cho Jung-Suk) has been unemployed for years. He holds a 70th birthday celebration for his mother at a convention hall. There, Yong-Nam meets Ui-Joo (Yoon-Ah). She graduated from the same university as Yong-Nam. At that time, poisonous gas spreads throughout the city.

Starring: Jung-suk Jo, Ji-yeong Kim, Du-shim Ko, In-hwan Park, and Yoona

Genre: Adventure | Comedy | International
Country: South Korea (Korean)
Rating: Not Rated
Runtime: 100 minutes

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ODE TO JOY (2019)

Directed By: Jason Winer
Studio: IFC Films

Official Synopsis: How does a man who is-literally-paralyzed by happiness find love? Thanks to a condition called cataplexy-a rare disorder that causes him to lose control of his muscles whenever he is overcome by strong emotion, particularly joy-Brooklyn librarian Charlie (Martin Freeman) has learned to carefully edit all delight-triggering people, places, and events out of his life. Family weddings, cute babies, adorable puppies, and, yes, romance are all fraught with peril in Charlie’s carefully managed world. But when the beautiful, spontaneous Francesca (Morena Baccarin) falls for him, the risk-averse Charlie finds himself at a crossroads: suppress his feelings of attraction, or take a chance and let love in? Based on a true story originally featured on This American Life, Ode to Joy is a hilarious and touching look at what happens when we stop being afraid and let ourselves truly live.

Starring: Morena Baccarin, Jake Lacy, Melissa Rauch, Martin Freeman, Shannon Woodward, Adam Shapiro, and Jane Curtin

Genre: Comedy
Country: USA (English)
Rating: R (for some language and sexual references)
Runtime: 98 minutes

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DYING TO SURVIVE

Directed By: Wen Muye
Studio: China Lion Film Distribution

Official Synopsis: When a father (Xu Zheng) struggling to keep custody of son, keep his business afloat and keep his own father alive, is given a chance to profit off of overseas pharmaceutical smuggling, he jumps at the chance. But what follows is one man’s profound evolution from what it is to make money to what it is to make a difference. Golden Horse Award winner for Best Actor, Best New Director and Best Original Screenplay.

Starring: Zheng Xu, Yiwei Zhou, Chuan-jun Wang, Zhuo Tan, Yu Zhang, Xinming Yang, Yanhui Wang, Naiwen Li, Beibi Gong, and Jiajia Wang

Genre: Comedy | Drama | International
Country: China (Mandarin & English)
Rating: Not Rated
Runtime: 115 minutes

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NEKROTRONIC

Directed By: Kiah Roache-Turner
Studio: Momentum Pictures

Official Synopsis: Howard North, a down-on-his-luck sewage worker, gets dragged into a global conflict between the Nekromancers, a family of badass demon hunters, and Finnegan (Monica Bellucci) — an evil demon who absorbs people’s souls to increase her power. When Howard finds out the truth behind Finnegan’s past and her dark plans for the future, he teams up with his new friends to discover he is the ultimate Nekromancer, the only one with the power to defeat her and save the world.

Starring: Ben O’Toole, Monica Bellucci, Caroline Ford, Tess Haubrich, Epine Bob Savea, David Wenham, and Benedict Hardie

Genre: Comedy | Horror | Sci-Fi
Country: Australia (English)
Rating: R (for bloody violence, and language throughout)
Runtime: 99 minutes

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SOCRATES

Directed By: Alexandre Moratto
Studio: Breaking Glass Pictures

Official Synopsis: After his mother’s sudden death, Socrates, a 15-year-old living on the margins of São Paulo’s coast, must survive on his own. As he faces isolation because of his sexuality, his search for a decent, worthy life reaches a breaking point.

Starring: Christian Malheiros, Tales Ordakji, Caio Martinez Pacheco, Rosane Paulo, and Jayme Rodrigues

Genre: Drama | International
Country: Brazil (Portuguese)
Rating: Not Rated
Runtime: 71 minutes

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BRING THE SOUL: THE MOVIE

Directed By: Park Jun-soo
Studio: Trafalgar Releasing

Official Synopsis: Following their landmark “Love Yourself” tour, BTS triumphantly returns to cinema screens in BRING THE SOUL: THE MOVIE. Shining brighter than any light on the stage, now the group invite us behind the spotlight. On the day following the final concert of their Europe tour, on a rooftop in Paris, BTS tells their very own stories from experiencing new cities to performing in front of thousands of ARMY across the globe. A glimpse into BTS’ world away from the stage, featuring intimate group discussions alongside spectacular concert performances from the tour, this is a cinema event not to be missed. The journey of BTS continues!

Starring: BTS, J-Hope, Jeong-guk Jeon, Nam-joon Kim, Seok-jin Kim, Tae-Hyung Kim, Ji-min Park, and Suga

Genre: Documentary | International | Music
Country: South Korea (Korean)
Rating: Not Rated
Runtime: 103 minutes

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VISION PORTRAITS

Directed By: Rodney Evans
Studio: Stimulus Pictures

Official Synopsis: VISION PORTRAITS is a deeply personal documentary by award-winning filmmaker Rodney Evans (Brother to Brother) as he explores how his loss of vision may impact his creative future, and what it means to be a blind or visually impaired creative artist. It’s a celebration of the possibilities of art created by a Manhattan photographer (John Dugdale), a Bronx-based dancer (Kayla Hamilton), a Canadian writer & storyteller (Ryan Knighton) and the filmmaker himself, who each experience varying degrees of visual impairment. Using archival material alongside new illuminating interviews and observational footage of the artists at work, Evans has created a tantalizing meditation on blindness and creativity, a sensual work that opens our minds to new possibilities.

Starring: John Dugdale, Rodney Evans, Kayla Hamilton, and Ryan Knighton

Genre: Documentary
Country: USA | Germany | Canada (English)
Rating: Not Rated
Runtime: 78 minutes

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RAPID EYE MOVEMENT

Directed By: Peter Bishai
Studio: Vertical Entertainment

Official Synopsis: In the heart of Times Square, radio DJ Rick Weider is driven to the edge of insanity as he tries to break the 11-day world record for staying awake. The stakes rise considerably when a deranged caller, who wants Rick to raise $5 million for charity, threatens to kill him unless he succeeds. With his life on the line, Rick unravels physically, emotionally and mentally, forced to confront his own demons while trying to outplay his seemingly powerful and unbeatable enemy.

Starring: François Arnaud, Reiko Aylesworth, Danny Ramirez, Godfrey, Chloe Brooks, Jamie Jackson, Stelio Savante, and Rebecca Watson

Genre: Thriller
Country: USA (English)
Rating: Not Rated
Runtime: 108 minutes