Review: ‘Grace And Grit’
Stuart Townsend And Mena Suvari Capture Respect And Elegance In Love Story Filled With Heartbreak

By
Jen Pourreza
-

Grace and Grit is the true love story of iconic philosopher Ken Wilber (Stuart Townsend, Salem) and his wife Treya (Mena Suvari, American Horror Story). They meet in sunny California during the early start of the 1980’s and instantly fall madly in love. A few days after their wedding they receive some bad news. Ken and Treya now face an unexpected illness that challenges and threatens to tear them apart. This film is based on the 1991 book by Ken Wilber that chronicles the journey of his wife’s breast cancer and how they got through it together. Ken and Treya endure a five-year battle of conventional to alternative treatments, a tug-o-war of physical and mental emotions, and the turmoil it takes on their relationship.

Grace and Grit is written and directed by British-American filmmaker, Sebastian Spiegel and produced alongside Eric Brenner and Lucas Jarach. Ken (Townsend) and Treya (Suvari) are not alone and have the love and support from family and friends played by the great supporting cast of Frances Fisher, Mariel Hemingway, Rebekah Graf, Nick Stahl, and Brian McGovern.

The cinematography for Grace and Grit is fabulous. Sebastian Spiegel does an excellent job of being respectful to Ken and Treya’s predicament but also elegantly captures the emotional whirlwind of it all. There’s a great use of camera angles and shots that makes you feel like you’re there with each of the characters. A beautiful display of artistic imagery that connects the film to the memoir of a philosopher and the unfortunate death of his wife. It gives heartbreaking insight of Treya (Suvari) going through conflicting phases as the disease takes over her body and Ken (Townsend) often finds himself in moments of detriment and suffocation. Despite the hardships, they are both determined to fulfill the love they promised each other. Their eternal vow reminds me of the 2006 film, ‘The Fountain’. Another good love story with similarly unique cinematography that just so happens to be one of my personal favorites.

Grace and Grit is set in the early 1980’s but does not reflect an 80’s vibe at all. The color scheme and background set have practically a modern feel. Objects like touch dial and payphones to photo albums were used to fit the period but felt placed. The hair, wardrobe, and even the furniture resemble more closely to today’s style. Those bit of details are really peanuts compared to the wonderful execution of performance and creative emotional imagery but admittedly, are off-putting. Nevertheless, be prepared for a hard-hitting and in-depth truth that still affects many women and some men to this day. Grab a box of tissues!

Grace and Grit opens in select theaters, on Digital, and On-Demand, June 4th.

‘Mary J. Blige’s My Life’ Trailer Has The Singer Reflecting On Her Music And Career

By

-

June 2, 2021

Hard to believe Mary J. Blige dropped “What’s the 411” way back in 1992(!!!), launching a decades-long career that would see her release multiple chart-topping songs that would sell millions and win the hearts of millions more fans. She followed that up with 1994’s “My Life”, which would send her rocketing to superstardom, and that also happens to be the title of the upcoming Amazon documentary on the making of that album.

Directed by Vanessa Roth (Daughters of Destiny) and featuring interviews with contemporaries such as Sean Combs and Alicia Keys, Mary J. Blige’s My Life details the personal and professional struggles the singer faced in the production of that album. She would open up about her story in the music, forging a connection with fans that has endured over the decades.

Mary J. Blige’s My Life hits Amazon Prime Video on June 25th.

Nine-time Grammy-winning recording artist and Academy Award-nominated singer and actress Mary J. Blige set the music world on fire with her trailblazing 1994 LP “My Life,” a collection of powerful confessionals about her battles with abuse, depression, and addiction that forged a profound and enduring connection with millions of fans around the globe. In Oscar-winning filmmaker Vanessa Roth’s documentary Mary J. Blige’s My Life, the singer, producer, and actress reveals the demons and blessings that inspired the record and propelled her from the soul-crushing world of New York’s housing projects to international stardom. In the process, she celebrates the 25th anniversary of her most influential work by performing the album live for the first time.

New ‘F9: The Fast Saga’ Clip Has Dom & Letty Defying The Laws Of Gravity

By

Travis Hopson

-

June 2, 2021

It’s been a very long wait, but F9: The Fast Saga is rapidly approaching. Not that it’s needed, but a new clip hypes up the arrival with a stunt that, shocker, defies the laws of gravity and physics.

The scene finds Dom (Vin Diesel) and Letty (Michelle Rodriguez) in a high-speed chase from pursuing helicopters. So what are they to do? Why, accelerate and swing across two completely separate land masses, that’s what.

You don’t need me to tell you this is complete bullshit, but that’s what we go to these movies for, isn’t it?

SYNOPSIS: Vin Diesel’s Dom Toretto leads a quiet life off the grid with Letty and his son, little Brian, but they know that danger always lurks just over their peaceful horizon. This time, that threat will force Dom to confront the sins of his past if he’s going to save those he loves most. His crew joins together to stop a world-shattering plot led by the most skilled assassin and high-performance driver they’ve ever encountered: a man who also happens to be Dom’s forsaken brother, Jakob (John Cena, next year’s The Suicide Squad).

F9: The Fast Saga opens June 25th.

“Well, that was new.” Watch an exclusive clip from #F9 – swinging into theaters June 25th. pic.twitter.com/uoejVBiH1F

— Rotten Tomatoes (@RottenTomatoes) June 1, 2021

Will The Shenanigans of ‘Loki’ Reach ‘Doctor Strange and The Multiverse of Madness’?

By

John Nolan

-

June 1, 2021

Michael Waldron may not be a household name at the moment, but as the writer for Loki and one of the credited writers on Doctor Strange In The Multiverse of Madness Marvel fans will be hearing it alot, very soon. We fans, never content with what we have in front of us, have been looking for the connecting lines to the Doc Strange sequel in everything this year, but it looks like we just needed some patience. Waldron sat down with TotalFilm this week, so of course the conversation eventually steered to the connective tissue that would be generated from the upcoming MCU show.

“All of these stories, in their own way, are interconnected and have ramifications. I think that certainly, our aim with the ‘Loki’ series was for it to have wide-reaching ramifications across the MCU moving forward. So, you know, was I having to clean up some of the messes that I made [with ‘Loki’]? Maybe so.”

It did seem for a while that WandaVision was the most likely show to connect directly with ‘Multiverse of Madness’, and while that still would have made sense, Loki fits the bill perfectly as well. Each Multiverse, as we learned in Avengers: Endgame can be created by a variance in the time line. Well, the TVA, that features prominently in Loki is the Time Variance Authority. That’s not a coincidence.

We won’t have long to wait to find out if there’s something here or if we’re all grabbing at Mephisto like straws again, Loki debuts on Disney+ in 7 days on June 8th, 2021

‘The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It’ Final Trailer Brings Evil Into The Courtroom

By

Travis Hopson

-

June 1, 2021

Evil will come to theaters and HBO Max this weekend with the release of The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It. What began as James Wan’s horror film starring Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga as real-life paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren has blossomed into a franchise eight movies deep. This one marks the third in the core series, and chronicles a wild true story from the 1980s that brought the idea of the devil into the courtroom.

Here’s the synopsis: “The Devil Made Me Do It reveals a chilling story of terror, murder and unknown evil that shocked even experienced real-life paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren. One of the most sensational cases from their files, it starts with a fight for the soul of a young boy, then takes them beyond anything they’d ever seen before, to mark the first time in U.S. history that a murder suspect would claim demonic possession as a defense.”

For the first time, Wan steps aside as director and hands the reins over to Michael Chaves. Wan stays in a producer role, while David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick is back on the script.

Reviews are already starting to trickle out, and I’m trying not to hear a thing before our screening tomorrow. Not that The Conjuring is known for huge twists or anything, and this one in particular is base on a case you can look up on Wikipedia, but I want to go in expecting the best because these movies are always great.

The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It hits theaters and HBO Max on June 4th.

Taylor Swift’s Next Role Will Be In David O. Russell’s Star-Studded Film

By

Travis Hopson

-

June 1, 2021

I know what’s been on your mind. You can admit it. What, pray tell, will be Taylor Swift’s follow-up to her acclaimed performance in Cats? Unfortunately, it won’t force her to dress up like a horror kitty from our nightmares, but instead is the latest star-studded effort from David O. Russell.

There’s very little that we actually know about Russell’s film, but it, like all of the others, has a tremendous cast. Christian Bale, Margot Robbie, John David Washington, Rami Malek, Zoe Saldana, Anya Taylor-Joy, Chris Rock, Mike Myers, Robert De Niro, Michael Shannon, Timothy Olyphant, Andrea Riseborough, Matthias Schoenaerts, and Alessandro Nivola are all on board. And Swift, like her or not, is a bigger star than all of them. That said, with this many folks chances are the roles will be very small, even for her.

Chances are Russells’s film will be ready in time for next awards season. Can we get a title soon, please? [Variety]

‘Code 8’ Sequel In The Works With Stephen And Robbie Amell Returning

By

Travis Hopson

-

June 1, 2021

One of the great crowd-funding success stories, the sci-fi film Code 8 starred brothers Stephen and Robbie Amell. It became something of a cult favorite back in 2019, and launched a Quibi spinoff series that died along with the streaming service. But fans can take heart, because where one project goes away, a sequel has emerged in its place.

A Code 8 sequel is in the works, with the Amells returning alongside director Jeff Chan, who also created the 2016 short film in which the original was based. Original writer Chris Paré is also back to co-write the screenplay with Chan, along with Sherren Lee and Jesse LaVercombe.

Code 8 takes place in fictional Lincoln City and centers on the 4% of people who possess superpowers and are faced with advanced police technology.

Deadline says the sequel “follows the journey of a teenage girl fighting to get justice for her slain brother at the hands of corrupt police officers. After becoming a witness to the cover-up, she becomes a target and enlists the help of an ex-con (Robbie Amell) and his former partner-in-crime (Stephen Amell). Together, they face a highly regarded and well protected police sergeant who will use every tool to prevent himself from being exposed.”

Production on Code 8: Part II is to begin at year’s end. Robbie Amell can currently be seen on Amazon series Upload, while Stephen is set to star in the Starz wrestling drama Heels.

‘Hypnotic’: Alice Braga Joins Ben Affleck In Robert Rodriguez’s Action Thriller

By

Travis Hopson

-

June 1, 2021

Announced two years ago and due to begin filming one year ago, Robert Rodriguez’s action film Hypnotic is finally moving again. With Ben Affleck still on board, the film has now added Queen of the South star Alice Braga to join him.

Deadline has the news of Braga joining Affleck in Hypnotic, which centers on a detective embroiled in a mystery involving a shadowy government program, his missing daughter, and the investigation into a series of impossible high-end heists.

The script is by Rodriguez and Max Borenstein, who previously wrote Kong: Skull Island.

Braga had her breakthrough role in City of God back in 2002, and has since moved on to much bigger things including New Mutants, I Am Legend, Predators, and Luca Guadagnino’s series We Are Who We Are. She’ll be seen next as part of The Suicide Squad cast.

Filming on Hypnotic begins in September so a 2022 release date is likely.

‘America: The Motion Picture’ Trailer Has Channing Tatum As A Chainsaw-Wielding George Washington

By

Travis Hopson

-

June 1, 2021

This Fourth of July celebration coming is going to be wild. You think you’ve seen fireworks before? You think you’ve seen crowded parks? Considering we weren’t really able to celebrate the day last year, this one promises to be pretty special. And Netflix is offering its viewers something to commemorate the occasion: the R-rated animated film America: The Motion Picture, which takes a comical, wildly-revisionist take on the founding of this country.

Channing Tatum leads the voice cast as George Washington, with Simon Pegg as King James, Bobby Moynihan as Paul Revere, Raoul Trujillo as Geronimo, and Jason Mantzoukas as a beer-loving Sam Adams, along with Judy Greer, Olivia Munn, Will Forte, Andy Samberg, rapper Killer Mike, Amber Nash, and more.

The script is by Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings writer Dave Callaham, with Archer exec-producer Matt Thompson directing. He knows a thing or two about absurdist animation and his skills are definitely in play here. Phil Lord and Chris Miller are also on board as producers, and we know everything they touch turns to gold. They’re coming off another animated Netflix film, The Mitchells vs. the Machines, which is one of the year’s best.

SYNOPSIS: In this wildly tongue-in-cheek animated revisionist history, a chainsaw-wielding George Washington assembles a team of rabble-rousers — including beer-loving bro Sam Adams, famed scientist Thomas Edison, acclaimed horseman Paul Revere, and a very pissed off Geronimo — to defeat Benedict Arnold and King James in the American Revolution. Who will win? No one knows, but you can be sure of one thing: these are not your father’s Founding… uh, Fathers.

America: The Motion Picture hits Netflix on June 30th.

Mask Wearing No Longer Mandated At AMC, Regal, And Cinemark Theaters

By

Travis Hopson

-

June 1, 2021

When factoring in why last weekend’s box office was the best since before the pandemic, there’s one crucial component that can’t be left out. AMC, Regal, and Cinemark, the three largest movie theater chains in the U.S., are no longer mandating mask-wearing for those who have been fully vaccinated.

“Consistent with the latest CDC guidance and following consultation with public health experts, AMC Theatres guests who are fully vaccinated are no longer required to wear face coverings at AMC locations, unless it is mandated by state or local ordinances,” AMC said in a statement. “Guests who are not fully vaccinated are asked to continue wearing masks. All other aspects of the AMC Safe & Clean policies and procedures, including seat blocking, remain in place at this time.”

Local and state guidelines still apply, so you may see some theaters still practicing social distancing. At the Fairfax Cinemark I visited on Sunday, there were still signs telling people to wear masks. Not that everyone did, mind you.

And this is the issue. There’s a lot of confusion out there right now, ever since the CDC changed its recommendations for those who have been vaccinated. The problem is that most of the people who refused to get vaccinated are also the ones who wouldn’t wear masks, and they are probably flocking back into theaters now that mandates have been lifted. This is anecdotal, but I have a few friends exactly like that. So how do these theaters plan to police this new policy?

The sure answer is that they won’t. You think some kid making popcorn or taking your tickets is going to ask you to show your vaccine card? Not fucking likely. And so it may be that it’s wise to continue wearing masks in public places for a while, if not longer.

Personally, I’m treating the U.S. like I’m living in Japan. Masks are just a part of life now. If I’m in a crowded place then I’ll be rockin’ a mask. [Variety]