Friday Releases: Gladiator II & Wicked

Gladiator II

Directed by: Ridley Scott
Studio: Paramount Pictures

Years after witnessing the death of Maximus at the hands of his uncle, Lucius must enter the Colosseum after the powerful emperors of Rome conquer his home. With rage in his heart and the future of the empire at stake, he looks to the past to find the strength and honor needed to return the glory of Rome to its people.

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Wicked

Directed by: Jon M. Chu
Studio: Universal Pictures

Wicked, the untold story of the witches of Oz, stars Emmy, Grammy and Tony winning powerhouse Cynthia Erivo (Harriet, Broadway’s The Color Purple) as Elphaba, a young woman, misunderstood because of her unusual green skin, who has yet to discover her true power, and Grammy-winning, multi-platinum recording artist and global superstar Ariana Grande as Glinda, a popular young woman, gilded by privilege and ambition, who has yet to discover her true heart. The two meet as students at Shiz University in the fantastical Land of Oz and forge an unlikely but profound friendship. Following an encounter with The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, their friendship reaches a crossroads and their lives take very different paths. Glinda’s unflinching desire for popularity sees her seduced by power, while Elphaba’s determination to remain true to herself, and to those around her, will have unexpected and shocking consequences on her future. Their extraordinary adventures in Oz will ultimately see them fulfill their destinies as Glinda the Good and the Wicked Witch of the West.

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Cynthia Erivo, Ariana Grande, Jonathan Bailey, Ethan Slater, Bowen Yang, Marissa Bode, Peter Dinklage, Michelle Yeoh, Jeff Goldblum
Fantasy | Musical | Romance
PG (for some scary action, thematic material and brief suggestive material)
USA | Canada | Iceland (English)
160 minutes

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Flow

Directed by: Gints Zilbalodis
Studio: Sideshow | Janus Films

A wondrous journey, through realms natural and mystical, Flow follows a courageous cat after his home is devastated by a great flood. Teaming up with a capybara, a lemur, a bird, and a dog to navigate a boat in search of dry land, they must rely on trust, courage, and wits to survive the perils of a newly aquatic planet. From the boundless imagination of the award-winning Gints Zilbalodis (Away) comes a thrilling animated spectacle as well as a profound meditation on the fragility of the environment and the spirit of friendship and community. Steeped in the soaring possibilities of visual storytelling, Flow is a feast for the senses and a treasure for the heart.

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Armor

Directed by: Justin Routt
Studio: Lionsgate

Academy Award Nominee Sylvester Stallone and Jason Patric star in an action-packed thriller about the lengths one man will go to save what’s left of his family and reclaim his own life. James and his son Casey are armored truck drivers tasked with delivering a suspicious package. After a violent ambush on the road, James and Casey are trapped until they discover the value of what they have been carrying and join forces to outgun and outwit their attackers.

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Sylvester Stallone, Josh Wiggins, Dash Mihok, Jason Patric
Action | Crime | Thriller
R (for violence and language)
USA (English)
89 minutes

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Porcelain War

Directed by: Brendan Bellomo & Slava Leontyev
Studio: Picturehouse

Amidst the chaos and destruction of the brutal Russian invasion of Ukraine, three artists defiantly find inspiration and beauty as they defend their culture and their country. In a war waged by professional soldiers against ordinary civilians, Slava Leontyev, Anya Stasenko and Andrey Stefanov choose to stay behind, armed with their art, their cameras and, for the first time in their lives, their guns. Despite daily shelling, Anya finds resistance and purpose in her art, Andrey takes the dangerous journey to get his young family to safety abroad, and Slava becomes a weapons instructor for ordinary people who have become unlikely soldiers. As the war intensifies, Andrey picks up his camera to film their story, and on tiny porcelain figurines, Anya and Slava capture their idyllic past, uncertain present and hope for the future. Co-directed by Leontyev and Brendan Bellomo, with extraordinary footage from first-time cinematographer Stefanov, Porcelain War embodies the passion and fight, that only an artist can put back into the world when it’s crumbling around them.

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Slava Leontyev, Anya Stasenko, Andrey Stefanov
Documentary
R (for language)
USA | Ukraine | Australia (Ukrainian, Russian, & English)
87 minutes

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Bread & Roses

Directed by: Sahra Mani
Studio: Apple Original Films

“Bread & Roses” offers a powerful window into the seismic impact on women’s rights and livelihoods after Kabul fell to the Taliban in 2021. The film follows three women, in real time, as they fight to recover their autonomy. Mani captures the spirit and resilience of Afghan women through a raw depiction of their harrowing plight.

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Documentary
Not Rated
USA (Pashtu)
90 minutes

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Spellbound

Directed by: Vicky Jenson
Studio: Netflix

Spellbound follows the adventures of Ellian, the tenacious young daughter of the rulers of Lumbria who must go on a daring quest to save her family and kingdom after a mysterious spell transforms her parents into monsters.

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Joy

Directed by: Ben Taylor
Studio: Netflix

Joy tells the remarkable true story behind the ground-breaking birth of Louise Joy Brown in 1978, the world’s first ‘test-tube- baby’, and the tireless 10-year journey to make it possible. Told through the perspective of Jean Purdy, a young nurse and embryologist, who joined forces with scientist Robert Edwards and surgeon Patrick Steptoe to unlock the puzzle of infertility by pioneering in vitro fertilization (IVF). The film celebrates the power of perseverance and the wonders of science as it follows this maverick trio of visionaries who overcame tremendous odds and opposition to realize their dream, and in doing so allowed millions of people to dream with them.

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Bill Nighy, Thomasin McKenzie, James Norton
Biography | Drama | History | International
PG-13 (for thematic material, brief strong language, some sexual references and surgery images)
UK (English)
115 minutes

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Black Dog

Directed by: Hu Guan
Studio: Seventh Art Pictures

On the edge of the Gobi desert in Northwest China, Lang returns to his hometown after being released from jail. While working for the local dog patrol team to clear the town of stray dogs before the Olympic Games, he strikes up an unlikely connection with a black dog. These two lonely souls now embark on a new journey together.

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Eddie Peng, Miyi Huang, Jiuxiao Li, Jing Liang, Liya Tong
Drama | International | Thriller
Not Rated
China (Mandarin)
116 minutes

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Never Look Away

Directed by: Lucy Lawless
Studio: Greenwich Entertainment

CNN camerawoman Margaret Moth fearlessly captures footage of war zones. After receiving catastrophic injuries in the crosshairs of battle, she returns to work with more courage than ever. An intimate portrait of a trailblazing female photojournalist.

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Christiane Amanpour, Margaret Moth, Joe Duran, Stefano Kotsonis, Jeff Russi
Documentary | Biography | International
Not Rated
New Zealand | UK (French & English)
85 minutes

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Ernest Cole: Lost and Found

Directed by: Raoul Peck
Studio: Magnolia Pictures

Ernest Cole, a South African photographer was the first to expose the horrors of apartheid to a world audience. His book House of Bondage, published in 1967 when he was only 27 years old, led him into exile in NYC and Europe for the rest of his life, never to find his bearings. Raoul Peck recounts his wanderings, his turmoil as an artist and his anger, on a daily basis, at the silence or complicity of the Western world in the face of the horrors of the Apartheid regime. He also recounts how, in 2017, 60,000 negatives of his work were discovered in the safe of a Swedish bank.

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LaKeith Stanfield
Documentary
Not Rated
USA (English & French)
105 minutes

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Omar & Cedric: If This Ever Gets Weird

Directed by: Nicolas Jack Davies
Studio: Oscilloscope Laboratories

Since their explosive breakout album in 2000, At the Drive-In–and then as their next incarnation, The Mars Volta–have fearlessly redefined the progressive rock genre. Fronted by Omar Rodríguez-López and Cedric Bixler-Zavala, two outsiders from El Paso, their unique style seamlessly fused jazz, punk rock, latin influences and experimental sounds into something utterly electrifying. But their immense artistic success gave way to deep personal fissures that ended their musical partnership in 2013, and inflicted wounds that would take more than a decade to heal. Culled from hundreds of hours of footage filmed by Omar over the past 40 years, OMAR AND CEDRIC: IF THIS EVER GETS WEIRD charts the duo’s intense and profound journey as they navigate success, addiction, tragedy, betrayal, forgiveness and, ultimately, redemption.

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Cedric Bixler-Zavala, Omar Rodriguez-Lopez
Documentary | International | Music
Not Rated
Germany (English)
127 minutes

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Out Of My Mind

Directed by: Amber Sealey
Studio: Disney+

Melody Brooks, a sixth grader with cerebral palsy, has a quick wit and a sharp mind, but because she is non-verbal and uses a wheelchair, she is not given the same opportunities as her classmates. When a young educator notices her student’s untapped potential and Melody starts to participate in mainstream education, Melody shows that what she has to say is more important than how she says it.

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Phoebe-Rae Taylor, Rosemarie DeWitt, Luke Kirby, Judith Light, Jennifer Aniston
Drama
Not Rated
USA (English)
102 minutes

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The Black Sea

Directed by: Crystal Moselle & Derrick B. Harden
Studio: Metrograph Pictures

Khalid, a charismatic big dreamer from Brooklyn with no follow-thru gets stuck in a small Bulgarian resort town and finds unexpected connection.

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Derrick B. Harden, Irmena Chichikova, Samuel Finzi, Stoyo Mirkov
Comedy | Drama
R (for language and some sexual material)
USA | Bulgaria (English & Bulgarian)
96 minutes

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Night Is Not Eternal

Directed by: Nanfu Wang
Studio: HBO Max

NIGHT IS NOT ETERNAL is a deeply personal exploration of political activism through the eyes of Chinese American filmmaker Nanfu Wang. For over seven years, Nanfu follows Rosa María Payá, a young Cuban activist and daughter of five-time Nobel Peace Prize nominee Oswaldo Payá, in her fight for democratic change in Cuba. Driven by her own experiences in China, Nanfu is drawn to Rosa’s story and the parallels between their homelands. With intimate access, Nanfu follows Rosa’s journey from the streets of Havana to rallies and conferences worldwide, capturing her transformation from a grassroots activist to an international public figure, and documenting the challenges faced by activists resisting authoritarian regimes.

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Ofelia Acevedo, Sayli Navarro Alvarez, Rosa María Payá, Lía Villares, Nanfu Wang
Documentary
TV-MA
USA (English)
92 minutes

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The Tale of the Princess Kaguya
(2014 Re-Release)

Directed by: Isao Takahata
Studio: GKIDS | Studio Ghibli

A tiny nymph found inside a bamboo stalk grows into a beautiful and desirable young woman, who orders her suitors to prove their love by completing a series of near-impossible tasks.

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Aki Asakura, Kengo Kora, Takeo Chii, Nobuko Miyamoto, Atsuko Takahata, Tomoko Tabata, Tatekawa Shinosuke, Takaya Kamikawa, Hikaru Ijūin, Ryudo Uzaki, Nakamura Shichinosuke II, Isao Hashizume
Animation | Drama | Family | Fantasy | International | Romance
PG (for thematic elements, some violent action and partial nudity)
Japan (Japanese)
137 minutes

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A Great Divide

Directed by: Jean Shim
Studio: Gravitas Ventures

The Lee family leave the Bay Area for a fresh start in the rural expanses of Wyoming, only to encounter hostility and xenophobia in their new community. How they confront these issues will break them — or make them stronger.

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Ken Jeong, Jae Suh Park, Emerson Min, Miya Cech, MeeWha Alana Lee
Drama
Not Rated
USA (Korean & English)
100 minutes

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The Glassworker

Directed by: Usman Riaz
Studio: Megacom Film

A young, gifted Vincent and his father Tomas run the finest glass workshop in the country and find their lives upended by an approaching war in which they want no part. The arrival in their town of an army colonel and his young aspiring violinist daughter, Alliz, shakes their reality and tests the relationship between father and son. As the love develops between Vincent and Alliz, they will need to gather up their courage to confront their fathers.

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The Fix

Directed by: Kelsey Egan
Studio: Gravitas Ventures

A dark, dystopian thrill ride with an environmental slant, “The Fix” explores identity, perception and autonomy in a frighteningly viable future. A toxic compound infects earth’s atmosphere. Pharmaceutical giant, Aethera, sells immunity to those who can afford the daily dose… most can’t. When an image-conscious wild child takes a new designer drug at a house party, she inadvertently becomes an unintended test subject. Pursued by a dangerous gang and authorities in cahoots with Aethera, she hunts desperately for a “fix” that will reverse the drug’s effects… only to discover that her mutations could save the human race.

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Clancy Brown, Grace Van Dien, Daniel Sharman, Aidan Scott, Ryan Kruger, Chris Fisher
Action | International | Sci-Fi
Not Rated
South Africa (English)
98 minutes

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Sabbath Queen

Directed by: Sandi Simcha DuBowski
Studio: Roco Films

SABBATH QUEEN, a feature documentary filmed over 21 years, follows Rabbi Amichai Lau-Lavie’s epic journey as the dynastic heir of 38 generations of Orthodox rabbis including the Chief Rabbis of Israel. He is torn between rejecting and embracing his destiny and becomes a drag-queen rebel, a queer bio-dad and the founder of Lab/Shul–an everybody-friendly, God-optional, artist-driven, pop-up experimental congregation. SABBATH QUEEN joins Amichai on a lifelong quest to creatively and radically reinvent religion and ritual, challenge patriarchy and supremacy, champion interfaith love, and stand up for peace, ceasefire, and an end to the Occupation in Israel/Palestine. The film interrogates what Jewish survival means in a difficult rapidly changing 21st century.

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Amichai Lau-Lavie
Documentary | Animation | Biography
Not Rated
USA (English, Hebrew, & Yiddish)
105 minutes

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A Traveler’s Needs

Directed by: Hong Sang-soo
Studio: The Cinema Guild

A comedy of improbable encounters and unlikely language lessons, A Traveler’s Needs marks the third collaboration between Hong and Huppert (following 2012’s In Another Country and 2017’s Claire’s Camera). This time Huppert plays Iris, a woman who finds herself adrift in Seoul and without any means to make ends meet, turns to teaching French via a très peculiar method. Through a series of encounters, as we grow to know more about Iris and her situation, the mysteries of her circumstances only deepen.

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Isabelle Huppert, Yunhee Cho, Kwon Hae-hyo, Lee Hye-yeong, Ha Seong-guk
Drama | International
Not Rated
South Korea (French, Korean, & English)
90 minutes

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Trapped Inn

Directed by: Leah Sturgis
Studio: Quiver Distribution

An American cycling team gets trapped in a historic lodge during training camp high in the remote mountains in Europe. After members from the team mysteriously die, two rival teammates, Connor and Greg, clash as they fight for survival and try to uncover what’s killing everyone on the team.

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Matt Rife, Robert Palmer Watkins, Rickey Eugene Brown, Jaylen Moore, Oliver Trevena, Brian Gross, Jacy King
Sci-Fi | Thriller
Not Rated
USA (English)
80 minutes

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Whiteout

Directed by: Derek Barnes
Studio: Saban Films

After escaping a brutal Russian labor camp, three men must overcome the treacherous wilderness and each other, as their journey home turns into a brutal fight for survival.

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James McDougall, Douglas Nyback, Joel Labelle, Ian Matthews, Dru Viergever
Drama | Romance
Not Rated
Canada (English)
90 minutes

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Useful Idiots

Directed by: Maurizio Mistretta
Studio: Buffalo 8

An assassin, going rogue, kills an accomplice without his partner’s knowledge. Meanwhile, two sisters, fueled by a burning desire for justice for their slain sibling, embark on a relentless hunt for the perpetrators. As they delve deeper, they uncover a tangled web of accomplices, all puppets of a shadowy organization orchestrating events from the shadows.

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Willy Zogo, Maurizio Mistretta, Bobby Gerrits, Gib Chuayjuljit, Matas Danielius, Cici Tanchanco
Action | International | Thriller
Not Rated
Thailand (Thai & English)
92 minutes

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Say A Little Prayer

Directed by: Patrick Perez Vidauri
Studio: New Cadence Productions

Three best friends recite an ancient prayer to the patron saint of “all things lost” to find their true loves, unleashing an unexpected turn of events that will put their friendship to the test.

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Jackie Cruz, Chris Kattan, Tatanka Means, Angélica María, Dyana Ortelli, Vannessa Vasquez
Comedy | Romance
Not Rated
USA (English)
103 minutes

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Bonhoeffer: Pastor. Spy. Assasin.

Directed by: Todd Komarnicki
Studio: Angel Studios

On her way to the most important meeting of her career, a New York executive is forced to share a rental car with her ex-fiancé’s mother, only to discover that the mother is hiding a major secret.

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Jonas Dassler, Phileas Heyblom, August Diehl, David Jonsson, Flula Borg
Drama | International | Thriller
PG-13 (for violent content, thematic elements and some smoking)
Belgium | Ireland (English)
132 minutes

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Saint Nick of Bethlehem

Directed by: Spencer T. Folmar & Daniel Roebuck
Studio: Hard Faith

Based on a true story about Allen Smith’s life, this inspiring story follows a man who, after the heartbreaking loss of his son, transforms his grief into a beacon of hope for others by embodying the spirit of Santa Claus. As he brings joy to countless lives, he not only reunites with his true love but also discovers profound healing through the act of giving. Through his journey, he learns that in sharing love and kindness, he can rise above his sorrow, inspiring an entire community and proving that even in our darkest moments, we can illuminate the world around us.

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Daniel Roebuck, Cathy Moriarty, Duane Whitaker, Marsha Dietlein, Elias Kemuel
Biography | Drama | Family | Romance
PG (for thematic elements)
USA (English)
93 minutes

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