Friday Releases: Kraven The Hunter, The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim, Nickel Boys, September 5, & The Last Showgirl

Kraven The Hunter

Directed by: J.C. Chandor
Studio: Columbia Pictures

Kraven the Hunter is the action-packed, R-rated, standalone story of how one of Marvel’s most iconic villains came to be. Aaron Taylor-Johnson plays Kraven, a man whose complex relationship with his ruthless gangster father, Nikolai Kravinoff (Russell Crowe), starts him down a path of vengeance with brutal consequences, motivating him to become not only the greatest hunter in the world, but also one of its most feared.

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Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Ariana DeBose, Fred Hechinger, Alessandro Nivola, Christopher Abbott, Russell Crowe
Action | Thriller
R (for strong bloody violence, and language)
USA | Iceland | Canada | UK (English)
127 minutes

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The Lord of the Rings:
The War of the Rohirrim

Directed by: Kenji Kamiyama
Studio: New Line Cinema

Set 183 years before the events chronicled in the original trilogy of films, “The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim” tells the fate of the House of Helm Hammerhand, the legendary King of Rohan. A sudden attack by Wulf, a clever and ruthless Dunlending lord seeking vengeance for the death of his father, forces Helm and his people to make a daring last stand in the ancient stronghold of the Hornburg–a mighty fortress that will later come to be known as Helm’s Deep. Finding herself in an increasingly desperate situation, Héra, the daughter of Helm, must summon the will to lead the resistance against a deadly enemy intent on their total destruction.

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Nickel Boys

Directed by: RaMell Ross
Studio: Orion | Amazon MGM Studios

Elwood Curtis’s college dream shatters alongside a two-lane Florida highway. Bearing the brunt of an innocent misstep, he’s sentenced to the netherworld of Nickel Academy, a brutal reformatory sunk deep in the Jim Crow South. He encounters another ward, the seen-it-all Turner. The two Black teens strike up an alliance: Turner dispensing fundamental tips for survival, Elwood, clinging to his optimistic worldview. Backdropped by the burgeoning Civil Rights Movement, Elwood and Turner’s existence appear worlds away from Rev. Martin Luther King’s burnished oratory. Despite Nickel’s brutality, Elwood strives to hold onto his humanity, awakening a new vision for Turner.

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Ethan Herisse, Brandon Wilson, Hamish Linklater, Fred Hechinger, Daveed Diggs, Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor.
Drama
PG-13 (for thematic material involving racism, some strong language including racial slurs, violent content and smoking)
USA (English)
140 minutes

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September 5

Directed by: Tim Fehlbaum
Studio: Paramount Pictures

During the 1972 Munich Olympics, an American sports broadcasting crew finds itself thrust into covering the hostage crisis involving Israeli athletes.

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Peter Sarsgaard, John Magaro, Ben Chaplin, Leonie Benesch
Drama | History | Thriller
R (for language)
USA | Germany (English & German)
95 minutes

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The Last Showgirl

Directed by: Gia Coppola
Studio: Roadside Attractions

The Last Showgirl, a poignant film of resilience, rhinestones and feathers, stars Pamela Anderson as Shelley, a glamorous showgirl who must plan for her future when her show abruptly closes after a 30-year run.

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Pamela Anderson, Jamie Lee Curtis, Dave Bautista, Brenda Song, Kiernan Shipka, Billie Lourd, Jason Schwartzman
Drama
R (for language and nudity)
USA (English)
89 minutes

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Carry-On

Directed by: Jaume Collet-Serra
Studio: Netflix

A young TSA agent fights to outsmart a mysterious traveler who blackmails him into letting a dangerous package slip onto a Christmas Eve flight.

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Taron Egerton, Sofia Carson, Danielle Deadwyler, Jason Bateman
Action | Crime | Mystery | Thriller
PG-13 (for strong violence, bloody images, some language and suggestive references)
USA (English)
119 minutes

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Dirty Angels

Directed by: Martin Campbell
Studio: Lionsgate

Soldiers in an all-female commando unit pose as members of a relief organization to save a group of girls taken hostage by terrorists in Afghanistan.

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Eva Green, Maria Bakalova, Ruby Rose, Jojo T. Gibbs
Action | Drama | Thriller
R (for strong/bloody violence and language)
USA (English)
104 minutes

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Young Werther

Directed by: José Avelino Gilles Corbett Lourenço
Studio: Lionsgate

Patrick J. Adams, Douglas Booth and Alison Pill star in this romantic comedy based on the classic smash hit novel of tragic romance. While on a simple errand to Toronto, a carefree and charming young writer named Werther stumbles across the love of his life only to discover that the young woman is engaged. Despite the urgings of his hypochondriac best friend, Werther turns his world upside down in a desperate, misguided and hilarious quest to win her heart.

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Douglas Booth, Alison Pill, Iris Apatow, Patrick J. Adams
Comedy | International | Romance
R (for some language/sexual references)
Canada (English)
101 minutes

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What Lurks Beneath

Directed by: Jamie Bailey
Studio: Quiver Distribution

The crew of USS Titan find themselves on the brink of World War 3 with Russia when a stowaway appears in one of their torpedo tubes. Captain Banks fears she may be Russian, but she’s something far more dangerous.

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Dela Reilley, Simon Phillips, Ryan Giesen, Anne-Carolyne Binette, Sienna Star
Horror | International
Not Rated
Canada (English)
102 minutes

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Theater of Thought

Directed by: Werner Herzog
Studio: Argot Pictures

Through the lens of legendary filmmaker Werner Herzog, Theater of Thought takes audiences on a provocative journey into the study of the mind and consciousness, daring us to question whether we truly have autonomy over our thoughts, or if our brains will inevitably become infused with mind-controlling technology in the not so distant future. Gathering insight and predictions from some of the world’s most influential scientists and innovators, Theater of Thought is an exploration of the ethical, and existential, effects that neurotechnology presents in our rapidly advancing world.

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Rafael Yuste
Documentary
Not Rated
USA (English)
107 minutes

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The Man in the White Van

Directed by: Warren Skeels
Studio: Relativity Media

Inspired by a true story, “The Man in the White Van” delves into the eerie underbelly of a seemingly idyllic 1975 Florida town, and follows the harrowing experience of young Annie Williams, a spirited girl whose carefree existence is turned upside down as she becomes stalked by an ominous man in a white van.

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Madison Wolfe, Brec Bassinger, Ali Larter, Sean Astin, Skai Jackson
Thriller
PG-13 (for violent content, terror and smoking)
USA (English)
105 minutes

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Mudbrick

Directed by: Nikola Petrovic
Studio: Gravitas Ventures

In the haunting tale of MUDBRICK, PAUL’s return to his Serbian roots unearths a broken-down family home held hostage by secrets. As he confronts his estranged brother JAKOV, a chilling web of runes, totems, and whispered names ensnares him in a sinister dance with Slavic folklore. Unraveling a past woven with dark rituals and tragic choices, Paul discovers that the decaying walls harbor not just memories but a cyclical curse. Faced with the malevolent god VELES and the consequences of a desperate pact, he must navigate a treacherous path of familial tragedy, chilling revelations, and a fiery reckoning that echoes through the ages.

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Andrew Howard, Philip Brodie, Kamka Tocinovski, Dusica Nastova, Predrag Momcilovic, Joakim Tasic
Horror | International
Not Rated
Serbia (Serbian)
87 minutes

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Outbreak

Directed by: Jeff Wolfe
Studio: Vertical

A State Park Ranger and his wife, grappling with the disappearance of their teenage son, face a mysterious outbreak that threatens not only their relationship, but in the end, their grip on reality.

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Jessica Frances Dukes, Billy Burke, Taylor Handley, Raoul Max Trujillo, Alyshia Ochse
Horror | Mystery | Thriller
Not Rated
USA (English)
88 minutes

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Filthy Animals

Directed by: James T. North
Studio: Freestyle Digital Media

Two outlaw misfits, Lars, a thrill-seeking drug enthusiast, and Freddy, a bodybuilder recently out of rehab, hunt down child sexual predators on Christmas Eve.

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Raymond J. Barry, Austan Wheeler, Ryan Patrick Brown, Mena Elizabeth Santos, Peter Larney
Comedy | Crime | Thriller
Unrated
USA (English)
96 minutes

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Scrap

Directed by: Vivian Kerr
Studio: Cappu Films

Beth (Vivian Kerr) has recently been laid off and struggles to maintain the appearance of a successful middle-class lifestyle as she bounces around Los Angeles. Hoping to land a new job and change her situation before her estranged older brother Ben (Anthony Rapp) finds out, Beth must confront her own pride in order to reconnect with him and provide for her young daughter Birdy. Meanwhile, Ben and his wife Stacy (Lana Parrilla) consider a third round of IVF and Stacy, a successful attorney, must re-evaluate her own conflicted relationship with motherhood.

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Lana Parrilla, Anthony Rapp, Beth Dover, Khleo Thomas, Christina Ferraro
Drama
Not Rated
USA (English)
105 minutes

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Endless Summer Syndrome

Directed by: Kaveh Daneshmand
Studio: Altered Innocence

A lazy late-summer weekend is disrupted by a shocking allegation when Delphine gets an anonymous call from her husband’s colleague about an alleged affair with one of their adopted children. Before leaping to conclusions she decides to quietly observe her family for a shred of evidence; anything to subside her fear and erase doubt. After the truth presents itself in an unexpected, shocking manner, Delphine choses to look past the blame for a permanent solution. This boundary pushing debut feature by Kaveh Daneshmand paints an intimate portrait of an upper-class French family with sly black humor and sensuality aplenty.

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Sophie Colon, Mathéo Capelli, Gem Deger, Frédérika Milano
Comedy | Drama | International | Thriller
Not Rated
Czech Republic | France (French)
98 minutes

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A Brooklyn Love Story

Directed by: Steven Feder
Studio: Quiver Distribution

The beloved, longtime owner of a family run Brooklyn grocery is pressured to sell in a greedy bid to gentrify the neighborhood… until a lovable, local mobster concocts a crazy plan to save the day.

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Michael Rispoli, Vincent Pastore, Dan Grimaldi, Charlotte Fountain-Jardim, Joseph D’Onofrio
Action | Comedy | Horror | International
Not Rated
USA (English)
107 minutes

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The Activated Man

Directed by: Nicholas Gyeney
Studio: Stonecutter Media

As Ors Gabriel struggles with the grief from losing his best friend and beloved dog to cancer, the trauma brings on strange visions only Ors can see. While he questions whether his mind has fractured or if it’s actually real, a mysterious rise in murder-suicides takes hold of the city, and Ors becomes haunted by images of a shadowy figure known as ‘The Fedora Man’. Through torments and terror, Ors must face his fears and confront ‘The Fedora Man’ as he uncovers dark secrets from his past, while finally embracing who he really is, and what he is meant to do.

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Tony Todd, Kane Hodder, Sean Young, Andrew Keegan, Ivana Rojas
Thriller
R (for some strong violent content, and language)
USA (English)
115 minutes

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Trap City

Directed by: Tel Ganesan
Studio: Anchored Lens Productions

A struggling rapper turned drug runner becomes an overnight viral sensation just before his arrest, and must choose between prison or testifying against a ruthless crime boss who will stop at nothing to silence him.

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Brandon T. Jackson, Clifton Powell, Erica Pinkett, Tel Ganesan, Jeezy
Drama
Not Rated
USA (English)
82 minutes

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Disaster Holiday

Directed by: Rethabile Ramaphakela
Studio: Netflix

A workaholic dad, trying to win over his kids, heads to the coast of Durban for a big work meeting, under the guise of a family road trip vacation.

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Jacques Adriaanse, Tina Jaxa, Lunathi Mampofu, Kenneth Nkosi
Comedy | Family
Not Rated
South Africa (English)
93 minutes

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Mistletoe & Matrimomy

Directed by: Rhonda Baraka
Studio: HBO Max

Olivia, a wedding planner, is tasked to plan a last-minute Christmas Eve wedding for her sister. When sparks fly with a former flame and family drama unfolds, Olivia is torn between playing it safe and living life on her own terms this season.

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Ashlei Sharpe Chestnut, Etienne Maurice, Krista Nazaire, Nck Name, Andrea Reindl
Drama | International
Not Rated
Canada (English)
60 minutes

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