Friday Releases: Death Of A Unicorn, The Woman In The Yard, & The Ballad Of Wallis Island

Death Of A Unicorn

Directed by: Alex Scharfman
Studio: A24

A father (Paul Rudd) and daughter (Jenna Ortega) accidentally hit and kill a unicorn while en route to a weekend retreat, where his billionaire boss (Richard E. Grant) seeks to exploit the creature’s miraculous curative properties.

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Jenna Ortega, Paul Rudd, Richard E. Grant, Téa Leoni, Will Poulter, Anthony Carrigan, Sunita Mani
Comedy | Fantasy | Horror | Thriller
R (for strong violent content, gore, language and some drug use)
USA | Hungary (English)
107 minutes

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The Woman In The Yard

Directed by: Jaume Collet-Serra
Studio: Universal Pictures

Danielle Deadwyler (Till, The Harder They Fall, The Piano Lesson) stars as Ramona, a woman crippled by grief after she survives a car accident that takes her husband (Russell Hornsby; BMF, Fences). Seriously injured, Ramona now must care for their 14-year-old son (Peyton Jackson; Respect, American Refugee) and 6-year-old-daughter (Estella Kahiha; Will Trent, BMF), alone in her rural farmhouse. Then one day the woman takes form in their yard. Ramona assumes the woman (Okwui Okpokwasili; The Exorcist: Believer, Julie Taymor’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream) is lost or demented, but as the woman creeps nearer and nearer to the house, it becomes clear she is no ordinary figure and her intentions are anything but peaceful. Now Ramona must rally to protect herself and her children from the grasp of the woman who simply won’t leave them alone.

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Danielle Deadwyler, Okwui Okpokwasili, Russell Hornsby, Peyton Jackson, Estella Kahiha
Drama | Horror | Thriller
PG-13 (for terror, some violent content/bloody images, suicide-related content, and brief strong language)
USA (English)
88 minutes

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The Ballad Of Wallis Island

Directed by: James Griffiths
Studio: Focus Features

THE BALLAD OF WALLIS ISLAND follows Charles (Tim Key), an eccentric lottery winner who lives alone on a remote island and dreams of getting his favorite musicians, McGwyer Mortimer (Tom Basden & Carey Mulligan) back together. His fantasy turns into reality when the bandmates and former lovers accept his invitation to play a private show at his home on Wallis Island. Old tensions resurface as Charles tries desperately to salvage his dream gig.

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Tom Basden, Tim Key, Sian Clifford, Akemnji Ndifornyen, Carey Mulligan
Comedy | Drama | International | Music
PG-13 (for some language and smoking)
UK (English)
100 minutes

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A Working Man

Directed by: David Ayer
Studio: Amazon MGM Studios

Levon Cade left behind a decorated military career in the black ops to live a simple life working construction. But when his boss’s daughter, who is like family to him, is taken by human traffickers, his search to bring her home uncovers a world of corruption far greater than he ever could have imagined.

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Jason Statham, Jason Flemyng, Michael Peña, David Harbour
Action | Thriller
R (for strong violence, language throughout, and drug content)
USA | UK (English)
116 minutes

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The Penguin Lessons

Directed by: Peter Cattaneo
Studio: Sony Pictures Classics

Inspired by the true story of a disillusioned Englishman who went to work in a school in Argentina in 1976. Expecting an easy ride, Tom discovers a divided nation and a class of unteachable students. However, after he rescues a penguin from an oil-slicked beach, his life is turned upside-down.

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Steve Coogan, Björn Gustafsson, David Herrero, Jonathan Pryce, Aimar Miranda
Drama | International
PG-13 (for strong language, some sexual references and thematic elements)
Spain | USA | Ireland | UK (English & Spanish)
110 minutes

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Holland

Directed by: Mimi Cave
Studio: Amazon MGM Studios

In this wildly unpredictable thriller, Nicole Kidman is the meticulous Nancy Vandergroot, a teacher and homemaker whose picture-perfect life with her community pillar husband (Matthew Macfadyen) and son (Jude Hill) in tulip-filled Holland, Michigan tumbles into a twisted tale. Nancy and her friendly colleague (Gael García Bernal) become suspicious of a secret, only to discover nothing in their lives is what it seems.

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Nicole Kidman, Gael García Bernal, Matthew Macfadyen, Jeff Pope, Chris Witaske, Rachel Sennott
Thriller
R (for some bloody violence, language and brief sexuality)
USA (English & Dutch)
110 minutes

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The Friend

Directed by: Scott McGehee, Stacey Battat, & David Siegel
Studio: Bleecker Street

In The Friend, writer and teacher Iris (Naomi Watts) finds her comfortable, solitary New York life thrown into disarray after her closest friend and mentor (Bill Murray) dies suddenly and bequeaths her his beloved 150 lb. Great Dane. The regal yet intractable beast, named Apollo, immediately creates practical problems for Iris, from furniture destruction to eviction notices, as well as more existential ones, his looming presence constantly reminding her of her friend’s problematic choices in both life and death. Yet as Iris finds herself unexpectedly bonding with the animal, she begins to come to terms with her past, her lost friend, and her own creative inner life.

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Naomi Watts, Bill Murray, Ann Dowd, Constance Wu, Sarah Pidgeon, Carla Gugino, Owen Teague
Drama
R (for language including a sexual reference)
USA (English)
120 minutes

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Audrey’s Children

Directed by: Ami Canaan Mann
Studio: Blue Harbor Entertainment

AUDREY’S CHILDREN tells the untold true story of visionary British physician Dr. Audrey Evans, who burst onto the scene in 1969 as the first female Chief of Oncology at the world-renowned Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. Battling sexism, medical conventions, and the subterfuge of her peers, Evans developed the first Neuroblastoma Staging System, co-founded the first Ronald McDonald House for families of patients, and, ultimately, impacted the lives of millions of children and families around the world.

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Natalie Dormer, Clancy Brown, Jimmi Simpson, Brandon Micheal Hall, Evelyn Giovine
Biography | Drama
PG (for thematic content, smoking and some language)
USA (English)
110 minutes

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Princess Mononoke
(1997 Re-Release)

Directed by: Hayao Miyazaki
Studio: Miramax

A prince becomes involved in the struggle between a forest princess and the encroachment of mechanization.

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Yōji Matsuda, Yuriko Ishida, Yūko Tanaka, Kaoru Kobayashi, Masahiko Nishimura
Animation | Adventure | Fantasy | International
PG-13 (for images of violence and gore)
Japan (Japanese)
133 minutes

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Julie Keeps Quiet

Directed by: Leonardo Van Dijl
Studio: Film Movement

Julie is a star player at an elite tennis academy. When her coach falls under investigation and is suddenly suspended, all of the club’s players are encouraged to speak up. But Julie decides to keep quiet.

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Tessa Van den Broeck, Ruth Becquart, Koen De Bouw, Claire Bodson, Laurent Caron
Drama | International
Not Rated
Belgium | Sweden (Dutch & French)
100 minutes

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The Life List

Directed by: Adam Brooks
Studio: Netflix

When Alex Rose’s mother sends her on a quest to complete her childhood bucket list, it takes her on a journey that will make you both laugh and cry as she uncovers family secrets, finds romance, and discovers herself along the way.

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Sofia Carson, Kyle Allen, Sebastian De Souz, Connie Britton, José Zúñiga, Jordi Mollà
Comedy | Drama | Romance
PG-13 (for sexual material, drug content and strong language)
USA (English)
123 minutes

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Grand Tour

Directed by: Miguel Gomes
Studio: MUBI

From Miguel Gomes, the award winning director of Tabu and Arabian Nights, comes a globe-trotting tale of unrequited love. Earning Gomes the Best Director prize at the 77th Cannes Film Festival, Grand Tour blends melodrama and screwball comedy in this cat-and-mouse chase between lovers. 1917, colonial Burma. Edward, a civil servant for the British Empire, jilts his lovestruck fiancée Molly the day she arrives to be married. As he escapes into an unexpected odyssey across Asia, she quickly follows suit amused by his moves. Rendered in stunning black-and-white period visuals interspersed with modern-day documentary footage, Grand Tour–Portugal’s Best International Feature entry to the 97th Academy Awards®–is a dazzling multi-city symphony that will leave audiences reeling with wonder.

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Viet And Nam

Directed by: Minh Quý Trương
Studio: Strand Releasing

In the depths of the underground coal mines, where danger awaits and darkness prevails, Nam and Việt, both young miners, cherish fleeting moments, knowing that one of them will soon leave for a new life across the sea. But the departure cannot happen as lying somewhere deep within the earth, in the far-off forest is Nam’s father, a soldier, whose remains they’re compelled to find. Together, following the mysteries of memories and dreams, they retrace the path to the past.

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The Encampments

Directed by: Michael T Workman & Kei Pritsker
Studio: Watermelon Pictures

When a group of students at Columbia University in New York launch a movement protesting the war in Gaza, they spark a nationwide uprising in solidarity with the people of Gaza. Encampments spring up at hundreds of other campuses as students object to their own university’s investment in the US and Israeli arms industry. Featuring detained student activist Mahmoud Khalil, The Encampments takes viewers inside America’s student uprising with incredible intimacy and urgency. Professors, whistleblowers, and student activists shed light on a moment that captivated the nation’s attention and continues to make headlines today.

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Maya Abdallah, Jamal Joseph, Mahmoud Khalil, Grant Miner, Sueda Polat
Documentary
Not Rated
USA (English)
85 minutes

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Janis Ian: Breaking Silence

Directed by: Varda Bar-Kar
Studio: Greenwich Entertainment

In 1965, Janis Ian, a 14-year-old singer-songwriter from New Jersey, wrote “Society’s Child” about an interracial relationship. Recorded and released a year later, the song launched Ian’s career, but its subject matter ignited controversy, even resulting in death threats. The fallout plunged Ian into an emotional tailspin–and yet a few years later she emerged from the ashes with an even bigger hit, “At Seventeen.” Over six decades, Janis Ian gained ten Grammy nominations in eight different categories, saw her song “Stars” recorded by such luminaries as Nina Simone and Cher, and overcame homophobia, misogyny, and a life-threatening illness to produce an indelible body of work that continues to draw audiences around the globe. Featuring Janis Ian, Joan Baez, Jean Smart, Arlo Guthrie, Lily Tomlin, and Tom Paxton, among other icons.

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Joan Baez, Arlo Guthrie, Janis Ian, Laurie Metcalf, Jean Smart, Lily Tomlin
Documentary | Biography | History | Music
Not Rated
USA (English)
114 minutes

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Holy Cow

Directed by: Louise Courvoisier
Studio: Zeitgeist Films

After the tragic death of his father, 18 year old Totone is thrust into the unexpected and very adult role of looking after his younger sister and their failing family farm in the Jura section of France. He assumes even more responsibility when he enters a cash competition for the best Comte cheese made in this western part of the French Alps. A “verité” look at the hardscrabble life of French agriculture, it is simultaneously a moving love story and above all an ode to the love of cheese.

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Clément Faveau, Maïwene Barthelemy, Luna Garret, Mathis Bernard
Comedy | Drama | International
Not Rated
France (French)
92 minutes

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Black Heat

Directed by: Wes Miller
Studio: Dark Star Pictures

After their fifteen-year-old daughter goes missing, two parents take her rescue into their own hands in a dangerous mission to infiltrate a high-level drug dealer’s apartment complex

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Johnny Messner, Jason Mitchell, NLE Choppa, DreamDoll, Han Soto, Shiobann Amisial
Action | Drama | Thriller
Not Rated
USA (English)
93 minutes

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The Chosen: Last Supper – Part One

Directed by: Dallas Jenkins
Studio: Fathom Events

Jesus rides into the holy city as king, but finds his Father’s house has been turned from a place of prayer into a corrupt market. As the Jewish High Priest schemes against the would-be Messiah, Jesus strikes first–turning the tables on religious corruption.

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Jonathan Roumie, Shahar Isaac, Elizabeth Tabish, Paras Patel, Noah James
Drama
Not Rated
USA (English)
130 minutes

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Crossroads

Directed by: Andy Delaney
Studio: Vertical

Holly and her group of friends hit crossroads in their lives, stumbling over decisions about relationships and careers.

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Eric Nelsen, Jake Thomas, Jack Falahee, Hannah James, Will Brittain
Comedy | Drama
Not Rated
USA (English)
82 minutes

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Meet Cute in Manhattan

Directed by: Karen Morey
Studio: Quiver Distribution

Our story begins like all good New York rom-coms: with a montage and a voiceover from Jason, who grew up watching romantic comedies with his family and longs to see an Asian lead who looks like him. His meet cute with Nora, an aspiring architect, leads to their casting in a viral dating app commercial, where their on-screen chemistry captivates viewers citywide and sparks genuine feelings between them. Inspired by this unexpected romance, Jason writes a script based on their burgeoning relationship. The film unfolds through the lens of Jason pitching the script, creating a rom-com within a rom-com as the executives listening to his pitch find themselves falling in love as well.

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Terence Chen, Kendall Leary, Amanda Shi, Carolyn Kang, Martin K. Lewis
Comedy | Romance
Not Rated
USA (English)
93 minutes

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Thank You Very Much

Directed by: Alex Braverman
Studio: Drafthouse Films

A look at the all-too-short life and career of enigmatic comedy legend Andy Kaufman, including never-before-seen footage and intimate interviews with friends, colleagues and family members.

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Andy Kaufman, Danny DeVito, Marilu Henner, Steve Martin
Documentary | Biography | Comedy
Not Rated
USA (English)
99 minutes

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The Problem of the Hero

Directed by: Shaun Dozier
Studio: Buffalo 8

In March of 1941, at the St. James Theatre in New York, two 20th century literary giants, ground breaking author Richard Wright and Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Paul Green collaborate to adapt Wright’s best-selling book, Native Son, into a Broadway play. Days from opening night, they differ over a single page of the script. The difference of opinion evolves into a spirited contention over issues of race, social justice, politics, and personal and creative agency. The argument threatens to dissolve their friendship.

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J. Mardrice Henderson, David zum Brunnen, Derrick Ivey, Brandon Haynes, Josephine Hall, Charlie Cannon
Drama
Not Rated
USA (English)
84 minutes

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Art For Everybody

Directed by: Miranda Yousef
Studio: Fourth Act Film

Thomas Kinkade’s landscapes made him the most collected and despised painter ever. After his shocking death, his family discovers a vault of unseen paintings that reveal a complex artist whose life and work embody our divided America.

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Thomas Kinkade
Documentary
Not Rated
USA (English)
99 minutes

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Yaniv

Directed by: Amnon Carmi
Studio: Menemsha Films

A high school teacher in the Bronx (Ben Ducoff) loses funding for the school musical and convinces his fellow statistics teacher–secretly a recovering gambling addict–to help him cheat at an underground card game run by the Hasidic Jewish community. The plan goes awry with mounting consequences, but help comes at an unexpected time from the least likely people.

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Catherine Curtin, Christine McBurney, Scott Zimmerman, Nik Sadhnani, Lisa Ann Loggins
Comedy | Drama
Not Rated
USA (English)
85 minutes

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Day of Reckoning

Directed by: Shaun Silva
Studio: ESX Entertainment

On the verge of losing his wife and his job as sheriff, put-upon lawman John Dorsey reluctantly teams up with bullish U.S. Marshall Butch Hayden to hold outlaw Emily Rusk hostage. A battle of wills ensues as Emily turns the posse on themselves, but as her marauding husband and his gang approach, Emily and John realize they will need each other to survive.

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Zach Roerig, Billy Zane, Scott Adkins, Trace Adkins, Yelawolf
Action | Western
R (for violence, a grisly image, language throughout and some sexual references)
USA (English)
106 minutes

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My Love Will Make You Disappear

Directed by: Chad Vidanes
Studio: Star Cinema

A woman who believes she’s cursed meets a troubled landlord while fighting community displacement. As they grow closer, her fear that all her lovers disappear threatens their connection.

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Kim Chiu, Paulo Avelino, Wilma Doesnt, Lovely Abella, Benj Manalo
Comedy | International | Romance
Not Rated
Philippines (Tagalog & Filipino)
104 minutes

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