SEPTEMBER 24, 2021
<Click film’s poster to see info/trailer>
Dear Evan Hansen
Directed By: Stephen Chbosky
Studio: Universal Pictures
The breathtaking, generation-defining Broadway phenomenon becomes a soaring cinematic event as Tony, Grammy and Emmy Award winner Ben Platt reprises his role as an anxious, isolated high schooler aching for understanding and belonging amid the chaos and cruelty of the social-media age.
Starring: Ben Platt, Amy Adams, Julianne Moore, Kaitlyn Dever, Amandla Stenberg, Nik Dodani, Danny Pino, and Colton Ryan
Genre: Drama | Musical
Country: USA (English)
Rating: PG-13 (for thematic material involving suicide, brief strong language and some suggestive reference)
Runtime: 137 minutes
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The GUILTY
Directed By: Antoine Fuqua
Studio: Netflix
The film takes place over the course of a single morning in a 911 dispatch call center. Call operator Joe Baylor (Jake Gyllenhaal) tries to save a caller in grave danger-but he soon discovers that nothing is as it seems, and facing the truth is the only way out.
Starring: Jake Gyllenhaal, Ethan Hawke, Riley Keough, Christina Vidal, Eli Goree, Da’Vine Joy Randolph, Paul Dano, and Peter Sarsgaard
Genre: Crime | Drama | Thriller
Country: USA (English)
Rating: R (for language throughout)
Runtime: 90 minutes
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MIDNIGHT MASS
Directed By: Mike Flanagan
Studio: Netflix
The arrival of a charismatic priest brings miracles, mysteries and renewed religious fervor to a dying town.
Starring: Zach Gilford, Kate Siegel, Hamish Linklater, and Rahul Kohli
Genre: Drama | Horror | Mystery
Country: USA (English)
Rating: TV-MA
Runtime: 450 minutes
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BIRDS OF PARADISE
Directed By: Sarah Adina Smith
Studio: Amazon Studios
Kate Sanders is an ambitious and gifted, if tomboyish, aspiring ballerina from Virginia who, because of her low-income status, is given a scholarship to attend a prestigious ballet school in Paris, France. Upon arriving at the cutthroat, internationally-renowned institution, her confidence and emotional fortitude are tested by a beautiful, mysterious fellow dancer, Marine Durand, who recently lost her brother (and dance partner) to suicide. While confrontational at first, Kate and Marine’s relationship evolves into an emotionally-charged, competitive union beset by lies, sexual awakening and, ultimately, emotional breakthrough as they risk everything to win the school’s ultimate prize: a contract to join the Opéra national de Paris.
Starring: Kristine Frøseth, Diana Silvers, Caroline Goodall, Eva Lombay, and Jacqueline Bisset.
Genre: Drama
Country: USA (English, French, & Portuguese)
Rating: R (for drug use, sexual content, language and brief nudity)
Runtime: 113 minutes
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MY LITTLE PONY: A NEW GENERATION
Directed By: Robert Cullen & José Luis Ucha
Studio: Netflix
The unimaginable has happened… Equestria has lost its magic! Earth Ponies, Unicorns, and Pegasi are no longer friends and now live separated by species. But idealistic Earth Pony Sunny (Vanessa Hudgens) is determined to find a way to bring enchantment and unity back to their world. Teaming up with open-hearted Unicorn Izzy (Kimiko Glenn), the pair travel to faraway lands where they encounter the likes of charismatic and brave Pegasi Pipp (Sofia Carson) and Zipp (Liza Koshy) and the ever-responsible fellow Earth Pony Hitch (James Marsden). Their mission is full of misadventures, but these new best friends each possess their own unique and special gifts that may be just what this ponyverse needs to restore magic and prove that even little ponies can make a big difference.
Starring: James Marsden, Vanessa Hudgens, Jane Krakowski, Elizabeth Perkins, Michael McKean, Ken Jeong, Kimiko Glenn, and Phil LaMarr
Genre: Animation | Adventure | Comedy | Family | Fantasy | Musical
Country: USA (English)
Rating: PG (for some thematic elements)
Runtime: 90 minutes
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I’m Your Man
Directed By: Maria Schrader
Studio: Bleecker Street
In order to obtain funds for her research, Alma (Maren Eggert) is persuaded to participate in an extraordinary study. For three weeks she is required to live with Tom (Dan Stevens), a humanoid robot designed to be the perfect life partner for her, tailored to her character and needs. I’M YOUR MAN is a playful romance about relationships, love, and what it means to be human in the modern age.
Starring: Maren Eggert, Dan Stevens and Sandra Hüller
Genre: Comedy | Romance | Sci-Fi
Country: Germany (German)
Rating: R (for some sexual content and language)
Runtime: 105 minutes
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Apache Junction
Directed By: Justin Lee
Studio: Saban Films
Apache Junction is an outpost of lawlessness, a haven for thieves and cold-blooded killers. After big-city reporter Annabelle Angel (Scout Taylor-Compton) arrives to write an article on the town, she becomes a target when notorious gunslinger Jericho Ford (Stuart Townsend) comes to her aid. Now Annabelle must entrust her future to a man with a deadly past, as Jericho heads toward a tense showdown in this thrilling Western that unloads a double-barreled blast of action.
Starring: Thomas Jane, Scout Taylor-Compton, Stuart Townsend, Victoria Pratt, and Trace Adkins
Genre: Action | Crime | Western
Country: USA | Thailand (English)
Rating: R (for some violence)
Runtime: 94 minutes
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SURGE
Directed By: Aneil Karia
Studio: FilmRise
Joseph (Ben Whishaw) is trapped in a soulless job, living a life devoid of emotion and meaning. After an impulsive act of rebellion, Joseph unleashes a wilder version of himself. He is propelled on a reckless journey through London, ultimately experiencing what it feels like to be alive. Premiered at Sundance and Berlinale.
Starring: Ben Whishaw, Ellie Haddington, Ian Gelder and Jasmine Jobson
Genre: International | Thriller
Country: UK (English)
Rating: Not Rated
Runtime: 105 minutes
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LONE WOLF
Directed By: Jonathan Ogilvie
Studio: Gravitas Ventures
It’s not exactly what the Minister of Justice wants to be doing: watching an endless stream of video footage. But a former police officer is very insistent. Together, all this footage — from hidden cameras, phone taps, Skype sessions and security surveillance — can tell an interesting story. The focus here is on an obscure bookstore where a group of environmental activists are meeting in secret. Idealistic Winnie and her boyfriend Conrad want to disrupt the G20, but aren’t aware that they are possibly being lured into a trap.
Starring: Tilda Cobham-Hervey, Josh McConville, Diana Glenn, Marlon Williams, and Hugo Weaving
Genre: Drama | International
Country: Australia (English)
Rating: Not Rated
Runtime: 99 minutes
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East of the Mountains
Directed By: S.J. Chiro
Studio: Quiver Distribution
Ben Givens, a retired heart surgeon and recent widower who learns he has terminal cancer. Determined to navigate his final days on his own terms, he shares the news with no one–not even his daughter–instead traveling back to his boyhood home in Eastern Washington with only his dog in tow. But the journey does not go as planned; the familiar landscape triggers memories and a connection with a kind stranger inspires new insight. Based on David Guterson’s best-selling novel and unfolding against the scenic vistas of the Columbia Basin, this compelling character study offers a long-overdue showcase for one of cinema’s greatest treasures.
Starring: Mira Sorvino, Tom Skerritt, Annie Gonzalez, Victoria Summer Felix, and Wally Dalton
Genre: Drama
Country: USA (English)
Rating: Not Rated
Runtime: 93 minutes
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This Is The Year
Directed By: David Henrie
Studio: Vertical Entertainment
In a last-ditch effort to win over the girl of his dreams, a nerdy high school senior (Lorenzo Henrie) and his best friends embark on a road trip to see their favorite band at the biggest music festival of the year, only to discover true love in the most unexpected place.
Starring: Gregg Sulkin, Vanessa Marano, Bug Hall, Jeff Garlin, and Kate Katzman
Genre: Comedy | Drama
Country: USA (English)
Rating: Not Rated
Runtime: 97 minutes
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Man in the Field: The Life and Art of Jim Denevan
Directed By: Patrick Trefz
Studio: Greenwich Entertainment
MAN IN THE FIELD profiles pioneering artist and chef Jim Denevan, founder of Outstanding in the Field, a radical alternative to the conventional dining experience. The documentary intimately reveals Denevan’s artistic and culinary gifts with land art in epic geometric formations alongside grand dinners in beautiful natural settings. Instead of bringing the food to the restaurant, Outstanding in the Field has brought the restaurant to the food since 1999. Hosted at one long table, with 100 to 1000 guests dining together, Denevan has set tables in vineyards, beaches, meadows, fishing docks, and city streets. Over 120,000 lucky patrons in all 50 states and 16 countries have experienced this once-in-a-lifetime event.
Starring: Jim Denevan
Genre: Documentary
Country: USA (English)
Rating: Not Rated
Runtime: 77 minutes
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On These Grounds
Directed By: Garrett Zevgetis
Studio: Gravitas Ventures
An explosive video goes viral, showing a white school resource officer in South Carolina pull a Black teenager from her school desk and throw her across the floor. An outraged nation divides over who is at fault and what role race played in the incident. Healer-Activist Vivian Anderson uproots her life in NYC and moves to South Carolina to help the girl and dismantle the system behind the “Assault at Spring Valley,” including facing the police officer. To contextualize this incident, geographer Janae Davis treks the surrounding swamps to unearth the overgrown and neglected homes of formerly enslaved people of African descent, drawing a throughline connecting trauma from the past to present. Against the backdrop of a racial reckoning and its deep historical roots, one incident illuminates a persistent American power structure. Much like the nation at large, the arresting officer and the girl thrown from the desk have starkly different perspectives of what happened. Through intimate verite footage and extensive interviews with both, a hidden truth is unearthed about what actually happened that day. Throughout the film, select scholars, historians, and experts provide further context to the story, as well as an examination of race, school discipline, and police accountability.
Starring: Vivian Anderson & Janae Davis
Genre: Documentary
Country: USA (English)
Rating: Not Rated
Runtime: 108 minutes
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SOLITARY
Directed By: Luke Armstrong
Studio: Vertical Entertainment
When Issac wakes up inside a room with no memory of how he got there, he discovers he’s a prisoner sent into space to form Earth’s first colony on another planet. The only thing worse than his fate is his unpredictable and ruinous cellmate, Alana, who is determined to destroy everything, including Issac.
Starring: Johnny Sachon, Lottie Tolhurst, and Michael Condron
Genre: Drama | International | Sci-Fi | Thriller
Country: UK (English)
Rating: Not Rated
Runtime: 89 minutes
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Through the Glass Darkly
Directed By: Lauren Fash
Studio: Blue Fox Entertainment
A year after Charlie’s daughter disappears, another girl from Elrod, Georgia goes missing. Convinced there is a connection, Charlie draws suspicion and contempt from local law enforcement and townspeople as she stops at nothing to expose its darkest and most devastating secret.
Starring: Judith Ivey, Robyn Lively, Michael Trucco, Shanola Hampton, and Bethany Anne Lind
Genre: Thriller
Country: USA (English)
Rating: Not Rated
Runtime: 104 minutes
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Aware: Glimpses of Consciousness
Directed By: Frauke Sandig & Eric Black
Studio: Area23A
What is consciousness? Is it in all living beings? Why are we predisposed for mystical experience? And what happens when we die? AWARE follows six brilliant researchers approaching the mystery from radically different perspectives, opening as a science film but emerging beyond the explicable.
Starring: Richard Boothby, Mary Cosimano, and Justine Fritz
Genre: Documentary | International
Country: Germany (English)
Rating: Not Rated
Runtime: 102 minutes
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Aileen Wuornos: American Boogeywoman
Directed By: Daniel Farrands
Studio: Dark Star Pictures
Based on Aileen Wuornos’s early life, America’s most notorious female serial killer, who went on a killing spree in Florida in 1989 and 1990. What few people know, is that back in 1976 a young and beautiful Aileen Wuornos arrived in Florida searching for a new life that would help her escape her tragic past, married a wealthy Yacht Club President and had the chance to start again as part of Florida’s high society… or did she?
Starring: Peyton List, Lydia Hearst, Nick Vallelonga, Swen Temmel, Andrew Biernat, Meadow Williams, and Tobin Bell
Genre: Thriller
Country: USA (English)
Rating: Not Rated
Runtime: 100 minutes
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The Village Detective: A Song Cycle
Directed By: Bill Morrison
Studio: Kino Lorber
Examining the life and career of Soviet actor Mikhail Zharov after four reels of 35mm film were discovered off the coast of Iceland in 2016.
Starring: Mikhail Zharov
Genre: Documentary
Country: USA (English)
Rating: Not Rated
Runtime: 81 minutes
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Chernobyl 1986
Directed By: Danila Kozlovsky
Studio: MPI Media Group
After the explosion at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant number 4, the USSR and all of Europe is faced with an even greater threat — a possible steam explosion that would eject even more radioactive material into the atmosphere over the entire continent. Firefighter Alexey volunteers for what seems like a suicide mission: manually drain the plant’s reservoir before the melting reactor collapses into it. Risking their lives in service to their country, Alexey and his colleagues must navigate the labyrinthine passages of the plant’s underground, facing danger at every turn from the facility’s quickly failing infrastructure. With time running out, and the fate of all of Europe hanging in the balance, this team of ordinary citizens turned heroes must use all their strength and bravery to save their nation from complete devastation.
Starring: Danila Kozlovskiy, Oksana Akinshina, Filipp Avdeev, and Ravshana Kurkova
Genre: Drama | History | International | Romance
Country: Russia (Russian)
Rating: Not Rated
Runtime: 136 minutes
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The Most Beautiful Boy in the World
Directed By: Kristina Lindström & Kristian Petri
Studio: Dogwoof
In 1971, at the world premiere of Death in Venice in London, Italian director Luchino Visconti proclaimed Björn Andrésen, the teen star of his latest film, “The most beautiful boy in the world.” This is the story of a boy who was thrust to international stardom for his iconic looks and lived a life of glamour. 50 years later, Björn looks back.
Starring: Annike Andresen, Björn Andrésen, and Silva Filmer
Genre: Documentary | International
Country: Sweden (English, French, Italian, Japanese, & Swedish)
Rating: Not Rated
Runtime: 93 minutes
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Courageous Legacy
Directed By: Alex Kendrick
Studio: Affirm Films
Sheriff’s deputy Adam Mitchell (Alex Kendrick) endures a terrible personal tragedy that causes him to question what is really important to him. Taking comfort in his religion, Adam vows to become a better parent to his teenage son (Rusty Martin), and convinces his friends on the force to sign a pledge that they will all strive to become better Christians and better parents. Unfortunately, one of the men’s moral compass appears to be broken when it comes to earning some fast money.
Starring: Alex Kendrick, Ken Bevel, and Kevin Downes
Genre: Drama
Country: USA (English)
Rating: PG-13 (for some violence and drug content)
Runtime: 130 minutes
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El Planeta
Directed By: Amalia Ulman
Studio: Utopia
Amidst the devastation of post-crisis Spain, mother and daughter bluff and grift to keep up the lifestyle they think they deserve, bonding over common tragedy and an impending eviction.
Starring: Ale Ulman, Amalia Ulman, and Nacho Vigalondo
Genre: Comedy
Country: USA (Spanish)
Rating: Not Rated
Runtime: 79 minutes
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