Friday Releases: Last Breath

Last Breath

Directed by: Alex Parkinson
Studio: Focus Features

A heart-pounding film that follows seasoned deep-sea divers as they battle the raging elements to rescue their crewmate trapped hundreds of feet below the ocean’s surface. Based on a true story, LAST BREATH is an electrifying story about teamwork, resilience, and a race against time to do the impossible.

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Woody Harrelson, Simu Liu, Finn Cole, Cliff Curtis
Drama | Thriller
PG-13 (for brief strong language)
USA | UK (English)
93 minutes

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My Dead Friend Zoe

Directed by: Kyle Hausmann-Stokes
Studio: Briarcliff Entertainment

MY DEAD FRIEND ZOE is a dark comedy drama that follows the journey of Merit (Sonequa Martin-Green), a U.S. Army Afghanistan veteran who is at odds with her family thanks to the presence of Zoe (Natalie Morales), her dead best friend from the Army. Despite the persistence of her VA group counselor (Morgan Freeman), the tough love of her mother (Gloria Reuben) and the levity of an unexpected love interest, Merit’s cozy-dysfunctional friendship with Zoe keeps the duo insulated from the world. That is until Merit’s estranged grandfather (Ed Harris) — holed up at the family’s ancestral lake house — begins to lose his way and needs the one thing he refuses… help. At its core, this is a buddy film about a complicated friendship, a divided family, and the complex ways in which we process grief.

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Sonequa Martin-Green, Natalie Morales, Gloria Reuben, Utkarsh Ambudkar, Morgan Freeman, Ed Harris
Comedy | Drama | War
R (for language)
USA (English)
98 minutes

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Riff Raff

Directed by: Dito Montiel
Studio: Roadside Attractions

Vincent is an ex-criminal who more than anything, just wants a normal, peaceful life. He and his wife Sandy have built a loving family with their son DJ and are spending the winter break in a cabin before he goes off to college. Chaos ensues when Vincent’s disowned son Rocco, his girlfriend Marina and Vincent’s ex-wife Ruth abruptly show up to spoil the festivities with an ominous warning: the famed gangsters Leftie and Lonnie are coming for them.

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Jennifer Coolidge, Gabrielle Union, Pete Davidson, Ed Harris, Bill Murray
Comedy | Crime
R (for some strong violence, pervasive language, sexual content/nudity and some drug use)
USA (English)
103 minutes

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Uppercut

Directed by: Torsten Ruether
Studio: Lionsgate

Golden Globe® winner Ving Rhames and Luise Grossmann star in an electrifying film about Toni, a determined female boxer, trying to break down barriers as she redefines what it means to be a woman in today’s world. When Elliott (Rhames), a tough ex-boxing champion, accepts the challenge to train Toni (Grossmann), the two mismatched characters form an unlikely alliance. Their sparring and Elliott’s keen insights show the resilient young fighter that real strength comes from the challenges you overcome when life throws its biggest punches your way.

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Ving Rhames, Luise Großmann, Jordan E. Cooper, Joanna Cassidy, Scott Monahan
Drama | Thriller
R (for language and brief sexual references)
USA | Germany (English)
104 minutes

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Adult Best Friends

Directed by: Delaney Buffett
Studio: Gravitas Ventures

Katie and Delaney, inseparable since childhood, find their paths diverging in their 30s. While Katie is happily committed and living with her boyfriend, Delaney is still single and living with a roommate. Despite the differences in their lives, their friendship is still a top priority. They’ve always been the most important person in each other’s lives. That is, until Katie’s boyfriend proposes. To soften the blow, Katie plans a nostalgic trip to their childhood beach town, intending to share the news in a familiar setting. But the journey takes unexpected turns, courtesy of a bizarre rental homeowner, a chance encounter with a former classmate, a bachelor party, and a few potential love interests. Caught in a whirlwind of emotions, Katie hesitates and withholds the news from Delaney, putting their lifelong friendship in peril.

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Delaney Buffett, Cazzie David, Mason Gooding, Zachary Quinto
Comedy
Not Rated
USA (English)
90 minutes

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Cold Wallet

Directed by: Cutter Hodierne
Studio: Well Go USA Entertainment

After losing everything in a cryptocurrency scam, a ragtag team of vigilante Redditors attempt to kidnap the kingpin who screwed them over. But when the home invasion takes a turn for the worst, they become victims in a sadistic game.

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Raúl Castillo, Tony Cavalero, Melonie Diaz, Josh Brener, Genevieve Adams
Thriller
R (for language throughout, and violence)
USA (English)
93 minutes

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The Golden Voice

Directed by: Brandon Eric Kamin
Studio: Vertical

A homeless veteran and a young street singer, both on a self-destructive path, who battle dark times through friendship and music.

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Nick Nolte, Dharon Jones, Sydney Mae Diaz, Carmen Ruby Floyd
Drama
Not Rated
USA (English)
86 minutes

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The Accidental Getaway Driver

Directed by: Sing J. Lee
Studio: Utopia

Long (Hiệp Trần Nghĩa), a Vietnamese driver in Southern California answers a late-night call for a ride. Already in his pajamas, he reluctantly accepts, picking up a man, Tây (Dustin Nguyen), and his two companions. But the men, recently escaped convicts from an Orange County jail, take Long hostage at gunpoint, thrusting him into their getaway plan. When complications arise, the fugitives and their hostage hole up at a motel, and a tense waiting game unfolds.

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Hiep Tran Nghia, Phi Vu, Dali Benssalah, Dustin Nguyen
Drama | Thriller
R (for language)
USA (English, Vietnamese)
102 minutes

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The Klezmer Project

Directed by: Leandro Koch & Paloma Schachmann
Studio: Greenwich Entertainment

A Jewish wedding cameraman falls in love with a klezmer clarinetist and pretends to be making a documentary in order to spend time with her. His fake project leads to a real journey through Eastern Europe in search of lost klezmer melodies and the remnants of Yiddish culture. A documentary-fiction hybrid. Winner of the Best First Feature Award at the Berlin Film Festival.

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Leandro Koch, Rebeca Yanover, Cesar Lerner, Marcelo Moguilevsky, Bob Cohen
Documentary | Biography | International | Music
Not Rated
Argentina | Austria (Spanish, Romanian, Ukrainian, Yiddish, English, German)
117 minutes

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A Sloth Story

Directed by: Tania Vincent & Ricard Cussó
Studio: Blue Fox Entertainment

Following a speedy 12-year-old sloth named Laura whose odd sloth family is left homeless by a devastating storm. Forced to pack up what little is left of their belongings, the family heads to Sanctuary City.

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Leslie Jones, Remy Hii, Olivia Vásquez, Teo Vergara, Benjamin Gorroño
Animation | Adventure | Family | International
PG (for thematic material, some scary moments and language)
Australia (English)
90 minutes

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I Heart Willie

Directed by: Alejandro G. Alegre
Studio: Rubey Entertainment

Popular YouTubers Daniel and Nico are invited to investigate a haunted property drawn by rumors of a malevolent force. The legend centers around a boy born with deformities, resembling a human-mouse hybrid, who inspired Walt Disney’s Steamboat Willie. Abused and isolated, the boy, now known as Willie, crafts a bodysuit from the skins of trespassers. Over the years, his gruesome legacy fades into folklore–until a series of disappearances sparks renewed interest. As Daniel and Nico set up for a night of thrills, they unknowingly step into a deadly game of survival.

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Maya Luna, Sergio Rogalto, Daniela Porras, Micho Camacho, David Vaughn
Horror | International
Not Rated
Mexico (English)
88 minutes

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Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX
-Beginning-

Directed by: Kazuya Tsurumaki
Studio: GKIDS

Amate Yuzuriha is a high-school student living peacefully in a space colony floating in outer space. When she meets a war refugee named Nyaan, Amate is drawn into the illegal mobile suit dueling sport known as Clan Battle. Under the entry name “Machu,” she throws herself into fierce battle day after day, piloting the GQuuuuuuX. Then an unidentified Gundam mobile suit pursued by both the space force and the police appears before her, along with its pilot, a boy named Shuji. Now their world is about to enter a new era.

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No Address

Directed by: Julia Verdin
Studio: Fathom Events

Inspired by true events, NO ADDRESS follows the harrowing journey of Lauren, a young woman pushed onto the streets and forced to survive against all odds. Alongside a makeshift family of outcasts–each with their own haunting story of struggle and loss–Lauren discovers that home is not just a place, but the people who refuse to let you fall. Featuring powerhouse performances from Lucas Jade Zumann, Beverly D’Angelo, Isabella Ferreira, William Baldwin, Xander Berkeley, Ty Pennington, Kristannna Loken, Patricia Velasquez, and GRAMMY® Award-winning singer/songwriter and actress, Ashanti, NO ADDRESS is a gripping journey of living without walls and rising above them. Experience the year’s most compelling movie event that reminds us to never stop believing in hope and the unstoppable human spirit.

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William Baldwin, Xander Berkeley, Beverly D’Angelo, Kristanna Loken, Isabella Ferreira, Ashanti
Drama
Not Rated
USA (English)
125 minutes

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Rats!

Directed by: Carl Fry & Maxwell Nalevansky
Studio: Yellow Veil Pictures

It’s 2007 in Pfresno, Texas. Raphael is in county jail following an arrest for graffiti. He’s a good kid. It’s just graffiti. So you can’t blame Raphael for the events that unfold after his arrest. He’s not responsible for the sting operation, the suicide, Pflophaus’ new mix-tape, Officer Williams and her delusional suspicions, the meth pipes, the FBI, the rich kids with nothing to lose, Mateo, Larry the pig, all the knives, the local aspiring TV newswoman, the plutonium deal gone wrong, or anyone who may or may not die due to that deal turning sour. None of it is Raphael’s fault, but it is his problem. The moment Raphael walks out of that cell, he’ll be stuck on this turbulent roller coaster of misguided chaos. An amusement ride that’s a joy to watch in motion, as long as you’re not the one on it.

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Danielle Evon Ploeger, Luke Wilcox, Darius Autry, Khali Sykes, Ariel Ash, Jacob Wysocki
Action | Comedy | Crime
Unrated
USA (English)
85 minutes

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The Stress Is Killing Me

Directed by: Tom Carroll
Studio: Freestyle Digital Media

Eight friends from college get together for their 20th reunion and take a house for the week. They are all in their 40’s, successful, professional. And they all hate their jobs. They reveal that they all have dream jobs they’d rather do. So for one week they decide to try their dream jobs, and it all goes hilariously wrong.

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Grayson Berry, Carly Christopher, April Hartman, Theron LaFountain, Lisa Lucas
Comedy
R (for language and some sexual material)
USA (English)
102 minutes

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Unholy Song

Directed by: Arthur G. Night
Studio: Hemdale Film Corporation

UNHOLY SONG is a skillfully executed reimagining of the greatest exorcism of all time: the Miracle of the Gerasene Swine, performed by Jesus Christ as chronicled in the New Testament. Set in modern-day Northern California, an obsessed landlord must fight to contain the demonic spirits that have been trapped inside of an audio cassette player. When his tenants unleash the evil force, it is up to their wits and the special skills of Father Bernard to cast the demons back into the bones of the swine–and forever trap the evil under the original spell.

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Jessica K. Chaves, Christopher Orozco, Sean Gestl, Eric Parkinson, Quint Gabriel, Kelley Lord
Horror
Not Rated
USA (English)
87 minutes

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The Jolly Monkey

Directed by: Ryan Ebert
Studio: The Asylum

Upon their mother’s death, siblings Jenny and Marshall return to renovate her crumbling motel, The Jolly Monkey. But as they work, a deadly force tied to their family’s dark past emerges, forcing them toface terrifying truths if they want to survive.

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Dominic Keating, Jane Hajduk, Courtney Fulk, Neirin Winter, Lisa Cole
Horror
Not Rated
USA (English)
93 minutes

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Arcades & Love Songs:
The Ballad of Walter Day

Directed by: Ed Cunningham
Studio: Monkey Wrench Films

A musical documentary following 74-year-old Walter Day — the father of esports and star of The King of Kong — as he battles a lawsuit threatening his legacy while fulfilling his dream of recording and performing the rock-opera style love songs he has been hearing in his head since having his heart broken at the height of the arcade era.

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Steve Wiebe, Billy Mitchell, Steve Sanders, Walter Day, Shane Harris
Documentary
Not Rated
USA (English)
91 minutes

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F Friendship

Directed by: Shylise Simpson
Studio: Buffalo 8

A poignant exploration of the complexities of human connection, highlighting the fragility of friendship and the resilience of the human spirit.

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Helecia Choyce, Danielle Hoskins, Kali Scott, Kawanna Lewis, Giovanni Watson
Drama
Not Rated
USA (English)
60 minutes

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Food For Thought

Directed by: Giles Alderson & Dan Richardson
Studio: Strike Media

Dan Richardson (Fyre Rises, Retribution, Disney’s The Lodge) and Giles Alderson (The Dare, Wolves of War, The Stranger in Our Bed) have spent the last few years filming as they travel with work. Follow as they discover the driving forces behind the global vegan phenomenon, meet pioneers who share their stories of plant-based living, and learn about the effect that the vegan movement is having on humans, animals and the planet alike.

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Giles Alderson, Katie Cleary, Alex Ferrari, Derrick Green, Jim Greenbaum, Nina Kristofferson
Documentary | International
Not Rated
UK (English)
90 minutes

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Brothers After War

Directed by: Jake Rademacher
Studio: SDG Releasing

In Brothers After War, Jake Rademacher reconnects with his brothers and soldiers he embedded with in Iraq. He creates a unique “then and now” journey into the toll of war and a never before seen look at war fighters and the veterans they become.

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Jake Rademacher, Isaac Rademacher, Joe Rademacher
Documentary
R (for language and some war images)
USA (English)
108 minutes

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Is It A Crime?

Directed by: Clifton Bell
Studio: Stonecutter Media

Helen, with her husband’s blessings, rents their guest house to a business man, Derrick, and they all get more than what they bargained for.

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Cam’ron, Samantha Opitz, Brian Stapf, La Rivers, Sprague Theobald
Thriller
Not Rated
USA (English)
91 minutes

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