Friday Releases: Borderlands, Cuckoo, & It Ends With Us

Borderlands

Directed by: Eli Roth
Studio: Lionsgate

Lilith (Cate Blanchett), an infamous bounty hunter with a mysterious past, reluctantly returns to her home, Pandora, the most chaotic planet in the galaxy. Her mission is to find the missing daughter of Atlas (Edgar Ramírez), the universe’s most powerful S.O.B. Lilith forms an unexpected alliance with a ragtag team of misfits — Roland (Kevin Hart), a seasoned mercenary on a mission; Tiny Tina (Ariana Greenblatt), a feral pre-teen demolitionist; Krieg (Florian Munteanu), Tina’s musclebound protector; Tannis (Jamie Lee Curtis), the oddball scientist who’s seen it all; and Claptrap (Jack Black), a wiseass robot. Together, these unlikely heroes must battle an alien species and dangerous bandits to uncover one of Pandora’s most explosive secrets. The fate of the universe could be in their hands — but they’ll be fighting for something more: each other. Based on one of the best-selling videogame franchises of all time, welcome to BORDERLANDS.

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Cate Blanchett, Kevin Hart, Jack Black, Edgar Ramírez, Ariana Greenblatt, Florian Munteanu, Gina Gershon, and Jamie Lee Curtis
Action | Adventure | Comedy | Sci-Fi | Thriller
PG-13 (for intense sequences of violence and action, language and some suggestive material)
USA (English)
102 minutes

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Cuckoo

Directed by: Tilman Singer
Studio: NEON

Reluctantly, 17-year-old Gretchen leaves her American home to live with her father, who has just moved into a resort in the German Alps with his new family. Arriving at their future residence, they are greeted by Mr. König, her father’s boss, who takes an inexplicable interest in Gretchen’s mute half-sister Alma. Something doesn’t seem right in this tranquil vacation paradise. Gretchen is plagued by strange noises and bloody visions until she discovers a shocking secret that also concerns her own family.

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Hunter Schafer, Jan Bluthardt, Marton Csokas, Jessica Henwick, and Dan Stevens
Horror | Mystery | Thriller
R (for violence, bloody images, language and brief teen drug use)
USA | Germany (English, German, French, & American Sign Language)
102 minutes

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It Ends With Us

Directed by: Justin Baldoni
Studio: Columbia Pictures

IT ENDS WITH US, the first Colleen Hoover novel adapted for the big screen, tells the story of Lily Bloom, a woman who overcomes a traumatic childhood to embark on a new life in Boston and chase a lifelong dream of opening her own business. A chance meeting with charming neurosurgeon Ryle Kincaid sparks an intense connection, but as the two fall deeply in love, Lily begins to see sides of Ryle that remind her of her parents’ relationship. When Lily’s first love, Atlas Corrigan, suddenly reenters her life, her relationship with Ryle is upended, and Lily realizes she must learn to rely on her own strength to make an impossible choice for her future.

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Blake Lively, Justin Baldoni, Brandon Sklenar, Jenny Slate, and Hasan Minhaj
Drama | Romance
PG-13 (for domestic violence, sexual content and some strong language)
USA (English)
130 minutes

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Good One

Directed by: India Donaldson
Studio: Metrograph Pictures

In India Donaldson’s insightful, piercing debut, 17-year-old Sam (Lily Collias) embarks on a three-day backpacking trip in the Catskills with her dad, Chris (James Le Gros) and his oldest friend, Matt (Danny McCarthy). As the two men quickly settle into a gently quarrelsome brotherly dynamic, airing long-held grievances, Sam, wise beyond her years, attempts to mediate. But when lines are crossed and Sam’s trust is betrayed, tensions reach a fever pitch, as Sam struggles with her dad’s emotional limitations and experiences the universal moment when the parental bond is tested. Selected in both Sundance and Cannes’ Directors’ Fortnight, Good One is an emotionally expansive work that probes the limits of familial trust, understanding, and ultimately, forgiveness.

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Lily Collias, James Le Gros and Danny McCarthy
Drama
R (for language)
USA (English)
89 minutes

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Sugarcane

Directed by: Emily Kassie & Julian Brave NoiseCat
Studio: National Geographic Documentary Films

A stunning tribute to the resilience of Native people and their way of life, SUGARCANE, the debut feature documentary from Julian Brave NoiseCat and Emily Kassie, is an epic cinematic portrait of a community during a moment of international reckoning. In 2021, evidence of unmarked graves was discovered on the grounds of an Indian residential school run by the Catholic Church in Canada. After years of silence, the forced separation, assimilation and abuse many children experienced at these segregated boarding schools was brought to light, sparking a national outcry against a system designed to destroy Indigenous communities. Set amidst a groundbreaking investigation, SUGARCANE illuminates the beauty of a community breaking cycles of intergenerational trauma and finding the strength to persevere.

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Charlene Belleau, Ed Archie Noisecat, Julian Brave NoiseCat, Chief Willie Sellars, and Whitney Spearing
Documentary
R (for some language)
USA | Canada (English & French)
107 minutes

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Running On Empty

Directed by: Daniel André
Studio: Lionsgate

Keir Gilchrist, Lucy Hale, Francesca Eastwood and comic legend Jim Gaffigan star in a brilliantly quirky romantic comedy about celebrating life and living it to its fullest. Mortimer is an odd but clever young man living a lukewarm existence in California’s San Fernando Valley until he receives some life-changing news. Determined to make the most of every day, Mort sets out on a spirited quest to find meaning in his existence and discovers the girl of his dreams along the way.

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Lucy Hale, Monica Potter, Francesca Eastwood, Keir Gilchrist, Rhys Coiro, and Jim Gaffigan
Comedy
R (for language and sexual content)
USA (English)
91 minutes

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Daughters

Directed by: Angela Patton & Natalie Rae
Studio: Netflix

Four young girls prepare for a special Daddy Daughter Dance with their incarcerated fathers, as part of a unique fatherhood program in a Washington, D.C. jail. A generation of youth bare the weight of mass incarceration on their childhoods. These wounds impair development and can last a lifetime. In-person visitation for these families has been systematically shut down across the US since 2014, replaced with video conference apps the families have to pay for. This unique program involves dance, touch and celebration that transcends the prison walls. On the inside, we watch the fathers go through a 12-week Fatherhood Training Program that prepares them for the intensity of the dance and the emotional fallout.

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Documentary
PG-13 (for some thematic elements and language)
USA (English)
102 minutes

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The Conversation
(1974 Re-Release)

Directed by: Francis Ford Coppola
Studio: Paramount Pictures

Surveillance expert Harry Caul (Gene Hackman) is hired by a mysterious client’s brusque aide (Harrison Ford) to tail a young couple, Mark (Frederic Forrest) and Ann (Cindy Williams). Tracking the pair through San Francisco’s Union Square, Caul and his associate Stan (John Cazale) manage to record a cryptic conversation between them. Tormented by memories of a previous case that ended badly, Caul becomes obsessed with the resulting tape, trying to determine if the couple are in danger.

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Gene Hackman, John Cazale, Allen Garfield, Cindy Williams, Frederic Forrest, Harrison Ford, Teri Garr, and Robert Duvall
Drama | Mystery | Thriller
PG
USA (English)
113 minutes

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Duchess

Directed by: Neil Marshall
Studio: Saban Films

Duchess, a small-time crook, tries to enter the treacherous underworld of diamond trafficking and ends up left for dead when a deal goes wrong. Determined to seek retribution, she launches into an unwavering pursuit for vengeance.

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Colm Meaney, Sean Pertwee, Stephanie Beacham, Philip Winchester, and Charlotte Kirk
Action | Crime | International
R (for strong bloody violent content, pervasive language, some sexual content and brief drug use)
UK (English)
114 minutes

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The Mouse Trap

Directed by: Jamie Bailey
Studio: Shudder

Stuck working the late shift at the amusement park arcade, Alex receives a surprise visit from her friends on her 21st birthday. However, their night of fun soon turns into a fight for survival when a killer dressed as Mickey Mouse crashes the party.

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Simon Phillips, Sophie McIntosh, Madeline Kelman, Ben Harris, and Callum Sywyk
Comedy | Horror | International | Thriller
Not Rated
Canada (English)
80 minutes

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The Beautiful Summer

Directed by: Laura Luchetti
Studio: Film Movement

Turin, 1938. Seventeen-year-old Ginia leaves the countryside with her brother in search of a new life in the city. Though Turin lies in the shadow of a rising fascist government and her brother yearns to return home, Ginia is optimistic about the future. In a short time, she excels in her work as a seamstress at an atelier, gaining new clients with her designs and impressing her otherwise irascible employer. Restless and seeking adventure, Ginia soon finds it in a beautiful, enigmatic young woman named Amelia. Though similar in age, her new friend’s sensuality and confidence embolden Ginia to begin modeling for the bohemian artists in their circle. A whirlwind affair ensues, and the young seamstress finds herself swept up in this new and unfamiliar world, all the while never escaping Amelia’s spell. The young women grow closer, and Ginia makes an emotional journey towards self-discovery over the course of one beautiful, sun-dappled summer.

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Yile Yara Vianello, Deva Cassel, Nicolas Maupas, Alessandro Piavani, Adrien Dewitte, Cosima Centurioni, and Andrea Bosca
Drama | International
Not Rated
Italy (Italian & French)
112 minutes

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Sirocco and the Kingdom of the Winds

Directed by: Benoît Chieux
Studio: GKIDS

One day, the adventurous Juliette and her sister Carmen find an enchanted toy and get swept away into the Kingdom of Winds. They are transformed into cats and find themselves in a fantastical new world full of flying divas, technicolor dragons, and other mind-melting creations. When Juliette causes an accident that draws the ire of the local inhabitants, the Mayor gives Juliette to the beautiful songstress Selma and sentences Carmen to marry his son as punishment. The sisters must find a way to escape before the wedding bells ring, but the key to their journey home lies with Sirocco, the mysterious wizard feared for his ferocious storms.

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Loïse Charpentier, Maryne Bertieaux, Aurélie Konaté, Pierre Lognay, and Laurent Morteau
Animation | Adventure | Fantasy | International
Not Rated
France | Belgium (French)
74 minutes

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Dance First

Directed by: James Marsh
Studio: Magnolia Pictures

Literary genius Samuel Beckett lived a life of many parts: Parisian bon vivant, WWII Resistance fighter, Nobel Prize-winning playwright, philandering husband, recluse. But despite all the adulation that came his way, he was a man acutely aware of his own failings. Titled after Beckett’s famous ethos “Dance first, think later,” the film is a sweeping account of the life of this 20th-century icon.

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Aidan Gillen, Robert Aramayo, Gabriel Byrne, Bronagh Gallagher, Maxine Peake, and Fionn O’Shea
Biography | Drama
Not Rated
USA | UK | Hungary | Belgium (English & French)
100 minutes

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Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In

Directed by: Pou-Soi Cheang
Studio: Well Go USA Entertainment

Many years after the bloody turf war that ushered in an uneasy era of peace in Hong Kong’s underworld, the notorious Kowloon Walled City serves as a fortified, lawless safe haven for gangs and refugees alike. But when a skilled underground fighter runs afoul of the most feared Triad boss in Hong Kong, a bounty is placed on his head despite his connections to the leader of the infamous enclave. As his pursuers violate the tenuous territorial truce to exact their vengeance, the fallout reignites old grudges, bringing decades of building tension to a brutal, bloody boiling point.

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Louis Koo, Sammo Hung, Richie Jen, Raymond Lam, Terrance Lau, Kenny Wong, Philip Ng, Tony Wu and German Cheung
Action | Crime | International | Thriller
R (for violence throughout, language and some drug content)
Hong Kong (Cantonese & Mandarin)
126 minutes

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Girl You Know It’s True

Directed by: Simon Verhoeven
Studio: Vertical

Hit producer Frank Farian (Matthias Schweighöfer) takes on unknown dancers Rob Pilatus (Tijan Njie) and Fab Morvan (Elan Ben Ali) for his next music project. A meteoric rise ensues that exceeds all bounds. The two friends Rob and Fab conquer the international charts under the name of Milli Vanilli, have three Number One hits in the US and enjoy a life of excess in Hollywood. There is only a small circle of insiders who know their secret: the duo don’t sing themselves at all — they merely move their lips to the voices of the real singers. At the height of their fame, when Milli Vanilli win a Grammy and tour America, the truth finally comes to light. While the mighty apparatus that has been pulling the duo’s strings quickly washes its hands of the affair, Rob and Fab find themselves in the middle of the biggest scandal in music history….

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Matthias Schweighöfer, Bella Dayne, Graham Rogers, Mitsou Jung, and Darlene Tejeiro
Biography | Drama | International | Music
Not Rated
Germany (English & French)
124 minutes

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Wildflower: The Documentary

Directed by: Matt Smukler
Studio: Buffalo 8

On the surface, Christina Stahl has the perfect life. She is an honors student. She is the captain of the track and field team. She has a full time job. To many she is your classic eighteen year old overachiever on the college track. But there is nothing typical about Christina. Her mother, Sheila Stahl, has a 59 IQ. She can’t read or drive or handle money. Her father, Mike Stahl, was in a motorcycle accident when he was a teenager and suffered a brain injury. Despite the odds, the two mentally disabled adults met and fell in love. They wanted nothing more than to have a family and be like everyone else. Christina must now make the difficult choice whether to stay at home and continue to parent her “parents” or leave the household that she runs and go off to college. The film explores the often silenced sterilization debate in America with regards to the mentally disabled and does so in a very personal way.

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Shelia Stahl, Christina Stahl, and Mike Stahl
Documentary | Family
Not Rated
USA (English)
73 minutes

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The Last Front

Directed by: Julien Hayet-Kerknawi
Studio: Enigma Releasing

In a Belgian village during the tumultuous start of World War I, the Lambert family finds themselves thrust into the heart of the conflict in THE LAST FRONT. At the center is Leonard Lambert (Iain Glen), a devoted husband and father who grapples with protecting his family amidst the chaos of war as German forces advance to their village. Amidst the war, a tender love story blossoms between Adrien Lambert, Leonard’s son, and Louise Janssen, a local villager. Their relationship serves as a beacon of hope and resilience in the face of adversity. With its compelling portrayal of familial bonds, love amidst chaos, and the indomitable human spirit, THE LAST FRONT promises to immerse audiences in a gripping tale of survival, love, and the enduring impact of war on both individuals and communities.

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One Fast Move

Directed by: Kelly Blatz
Studio: Amazon MGM Studios

Mary is 11 years old and has an insuppressible passion for cooking: she dreams of becoming a great chef. Her grandmother, Emer, with whom she has a very special relationship, encourages her to make this dream come true. But every path has its pesky obstacles, and facing them turns into quite an adventure. Mary thus begins a journey across the barriers of time, in which four generations of women come together and get to know each other truly and deeply. A delicate coming-of-age story, sprinkled with irony.

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KJ Apa, Eric Dane, Maia Reficco, Edward James Olmos, and Austin North
Action
R (for language, some sexual content, drug use and nudity)
USA (English)
118 minutes

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Mission: Cross

Directed by: Lee Myung-hoon
Studio: Netflix

In the ultimate test of marriage, an agent-turned-househusband gets tangled in a perilous mission with his detective wife, who’s clueless about his past.

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Jolene Kim, Hwang Jung-min, Kim Joo-hun, Yum Jung-ah, and Jeon Hye-jin
Action | Comedy | Crime
Not Rated
South Korea (Korean)
105 minutes

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Electric Lady Studios:
A Jimi Hendrix Vision

Directed by: John McDermott
Studio: Abramorama

The critically acclaimed, full-length documentary Electric Lady Studios: A Jimi Hendrix Vision, chronicles the creation of the studio, rising from the rubble of a bankrupt Manhattan nightclub to state-of-the-art recording facility inspired by Hendrix’s desire for a permanent studio. Produced by Janie Hendrix, George Scott and John McDermott and directed by McDermott, the film features exclusive interviews with Steve Winwood, Experience bassist Billy Cox, and original Electric Lady staff members who helped Hendrix realize his dream. The documentary includes never-before-seen footage and photos as well as track breakdowns of Hendrix classics such as “Freedom”, “Angel” and “Dolly Dagger” by recording engineer Eddie Kramer.

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Steve Winwood and Billy Cox
Documentary
Not Rated
USA (English)
89 minutes

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Mickey Hardaway

Directed by: Mickey Hardaway
Studio: Indie Rights

A young sketch artist visits a well-renowned psychiatrist as his life begins sprawling out of control after years of physical and verbal abuse has taken a toll on him.

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Samuel Whitehill, Dennis L.A. White, David Chattam, Stephen Cofield Jr., and Sean Alexander James
Drama
Not Rated
USA (English)
106 minutes

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Happy Campers

Directed by: Amy Nicholson
Studio: Grasshopper Film

Every summer, working-class families enjoy waterfront living in a scrappy trailer park off the coast of Virginia. When the relentless march of capitalism threatens their shabby Shangri-La, the denizens of Inlet View face the inevitable, and reveal the secrets to a rich life.

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Documentary
Not Rated
USA (English)
80 minutes

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Free LSD

Directed by: Dimitri Coats
Studio: Buffalo 8

Elderly sex shop owner, Keith, falls for a younger customer, but struggles with performance. Seeking help from a strange doctor, he discovers an experimental drug leading to renewed vitality and a journey into a parallel universe where he’s a rock star targeted by an advanced AI set on stopping his band’s album, crucial for human consciousness awakening.

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Keith Morris, Dimitri Coats, Chelsea Debo, David Yow, and Jack Black
Comedy | Music | Sci-Fi
Not Rated
USA (English)
97 minutes

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The Shakedown

Directed by: Ari Kruger
Studio: Prime Video

When his mistress threatens to expose the secret of their affair, a respectable medical aid broker seeks the help of his criminal underworld brother to save his reputation.

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Carl Beukes, Emmanuel Castis, Julia Anastasopoulos, Berenice Barbier, and Milton Schorr
Comedy | Crime | International
Not Rated
South Africa (English)
104 minutes

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This Must Be The Place

Directed by: Adam Liddicoatt
Studio: Freestyle Digital Media

Benny and Victoria, with the help of James and Moscow Mules, discover their personal insecurities growing up in such a divided home, now left to them after their parents have gone.

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Julie Kline, Sara Kmiec, and Adam Liddicoatt
Drama
Not Rated
USA (English)
88 minutes

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A Carpenter’s Prayer

Directed by: Matt Webb
Studio: Family Movie Events

The inspiring true story of a pastor and his family building a new church and an afflicted carpenter who becomes their unlikely source of hope, proving that faith in God is the true path to redemption, even in the most tragic circumstances.

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Stephen Baldwin, Bethany Anne Lind, Alicia Kelley, Rebekah Ward, and Jeff Dernlan
Drama | Family
Not Rated
USA (English)
91 minutes

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My First Horror Film

Directed by: Shihan Van Clief
Studio: Dread | Epic Pictures

An aspiring influencer documents her journey to booking her first horror film but receives a bloody surprise when a real-life killer begins murdering her cast mates on set.

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Alyssa Aguilos, Arianna Basco, Miles Crawford, Ronald Erickson, and Justyn Franco
Comedy | Horror
TV-14
USA (English)
87 minutes

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Lolo and the Kid

Directed by: Benedict Mique
Studio: Netflix

A hustler and the child he took in routinely con the wealthy — but a life-changing opportunity could end their inseparable bond.

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Euwenn Mikael Aleta, Joel Torre, Juan Karlos Labajo, Iza Calzado, Meryll Soriano, and Joem Bascon
Drama | International
Not Rated
Philippines (Filipino)
97 minutes

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