Category: Movie news

New documentary release: Worst to First: The True Story of Z100 New York

Worst to First: The True Story of Z100 New York is available on major US and Canadian Video on Demand platforms. Photo: Gunpowder & Sky, used with permission.

Worst to First is a feature-length documentary that portrays the against-all-odds inspirational story of the launch of the iconic and most successful radio station in history, New York City’s Z100. In 1983, Z100 launched from the swamps of New Jersey, where no artist would venture and the DJs had to buy their own records just to have music to play on air. Fun, poignant and aspirational, the film features Scott Shannon and several other Hall of Fame radio personalities as well as industry legends like Clive Davis and Elvis Duran. (Gunpowder & Sky, 2022)

Released on Video on Demand and cable in the United States and Canada on Friday, February 11.
US VOD platforms include Apple/ iTunes, Amazon, GooglePlay, Vudu, Microsoft, and more.
US cable platforms include InDemand (Comcast, Spectrum, Charter, Cox, Frontier), DirectTV, and more.
Canadian VOD platform: Apple/ iTunes

Worst to First: The True Story of Z100 New York
Feature Documentary/ Rated: G / Running Time: 64 Minutes

Directed, written, and produced by Mitchell Stuart. Produced by Trish Hunter Shannon, Elvis Duran, David Katz, and John McConnell

Cast: Scott Shannon, Elvis Duran, Jon Bon Jovi, Nile Rodgers, Clive Davis, Debbie Gibson, Joan Jett, Taylor Dayne, Tony Orlando, Joe Piscopo, “Magic” Matthew Alan, “Professor” Jonathan B. Bell, Anita Bonita, Ross Brittain, Pete Cosenza, Michael Ellis, Gavin DeGraw, Cathy Donovan, Gary Fisher, Frank Foti, Sean “Hollywood” Hamilton, David Hinckley, Donnie lenner, Jim Kerr, Steve Kingston, Ken Lane, Kenny Laguna, Jimi LaLumia, Tom Poleman, Geraldo Rivera, Trish Hunter Shannon, Patty Steele, Claire Stevens, Mitchell Stuart, John Sykes and Jim Wood.

Iconic artists who got their start on Z100 such as Jon Bon Jovi, Joan Jett, Nile Rodgers, and era superstars, Debbie Gibson and Taylor Dayne all share their personal stories of the importance of the station, their love of radio and passion for performing music.

Capturing the times, personalities and music of the era, Worst to First portrays the ultimate David and Goliath story that built the foundation for the world’s biggest radio station and the people behind the legacy that endures and continues to grow, reaching eight-digit audiences daily, and continuing to influence the face of media and entertainment.

Mitchell Stewart is a multiple film festival and Emmy-Award winning filmmaker and storyteller of compelling documentaries, groundbreaking digital series and industry-disrupting brand campaigns. Whether following his heart to tell an inspirational, against all odds story about female freedom fighters in Africa, or honoring his lifelong passion for music and filmmaking, Mitchell tells authentic stories that move and engage an audience. Known for riveting, thought-provoking visuals and for often composing original music for the soundtracks of his films, he has been honored with 15 NY Emmy-Award Nominations for his music and entertainment documentary series. Dozens of film festivals throughout the world have honored him and his partner, Cheryl Halpern, winning awards for directing, best film, social justice, world peace and humanitarian efforts with their documentaries, Natsanat (Ethiopian for freedom), Fighting to be Free and Remembering Maurits Kiek.

Top foreign movies to enjoy this weekend

Train to Busan is an exciting zombie movie. Photo: google

If you are an adventurous movie watcher and looking for foreign movies to watch this weekend, here is a list of my top favorites. I have personally watched them all and depending on your preferences, they are worth watching. With the exception of Snowpiercer, which is in English, these are foreign language films. Even though some have the dubbed version, I prefer to watch them in the original language with English subtitles. Thanks to the various streaming services available nowadays, there are plenty of such movies around, so take a chance, you might surprise yourself. (Wikipedia, 2022)

I tried watching Parasite, the much talked about South Korean movie, but could not get into it, but that is just me. I never got around to watching Guillermo Del Toro’s Pan Labyrinth, though I hear it is good. On my Amazon to watch list is A Hero – an Iranian film about a man who is in prison because of a debt he was unable to pay. During a two day leave, he tries to convince his creditor to withdraw his complaint but this plan does not go as planned. Sounds like an interesting plot, I might watch it this weekend.

Here is my personal list of foreign movies to watch, in no particular order:

Tell No One (2006)
A French neo-noir thriller film based on the 2001 novel of the same name by Harlan Coben. An accidental discovery near a doctor’s estate stirs up painful memories eight years after his wife’s hideous murder and now circumstances are bound to take a turn for the unexpected. Does the good doctor know more than he is letting on? There is plenty of action and suspense.

A Man Called Ove (2015)
A Swedish comedy-drama film. Ove is the typical angry old man next door. An isolated retiree with strict principles and a short fuse, who spends his days enforcing block association rules that only he cares about, and visiting his wife’s grave, Ove has given up on life. After a boisterous young family moves in next door and accidentally flattens Ove’s mailbox, an unlikely friendship forms.

Kung Fu Hustle (2004)
A Chinese action-comedy film. The film tells the story of a murderous neighborhood gang, a poor village with unlikely heroes, and an aspiring gangster’s fierce journey to find his true self. Could be considered a parody of the martial arts genre.

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000)
A Chinese martial arts drama film. Master Li, a warrior, asks Yu Shu Lien, the woman he loves, to pass on his sword, Green Destiny, to Sir Te. However, when the sword is stolen, Li embarks on a mission to find it. One of my favorite martial arts movie.

The Ring (1998)
A Japanese psychological supernatural horror film that follows a reporter who is racing to investigate the mystery behind a cursed videotape that kills the viewer seven days after watching it.
Also recommended – the original Japanese versions of The Grudge and Dark Water.

Train to Busan (2016)
A South Korean action horror film directed by Yeon Sang-ho. The film mostly takes place on a high-speed train from Seoul to Busan as a zombie apocalypse suddenly breaks out in the country and threatens the safety of the passengers. These are fast moving zombies like the ones in World War Z.

Snowpiercer (2013)
A South Korean post-apocalyptic science fiction action film. In a future where a failed climate change experiment has killed all life except for a few survivors who boarded the Snowpiercer, a new class system emerges.

The Artist (2011)
A French film that takes place in Hollywood, between 1927 and 1932 and focuses on the relationship between a rising young actress and an older silent film star as silent cinema falls out of fashion and is replaced by “talkies.” A must watch if you enjoy silent movies of the past, emphasis on the “silent” part – you have been warned.

Manikarnika: The Queen of Jhansi (2019)
An Indian Hindi-language period drama film based on the life of Rani Lakshmi Bai of Jhansi. Laxmi Bai was known for her bravery as she led the battle against the British army to protect her kingdom; however, she is killed in the battle. An inspiring historical drama with a female lead. 

New movie release: Exorcist Vengeance

Exorcist Vengeance is now available on Digital and DVD. Photo: Uncork’d Entertainment, used with permission.

Uncork’d Entertainment has acquired North American rights to supernatural horror film Exorcist Vengeance starring internationally recognized action star Robert Bronzi (Death Kiss, The Gardener) and acclaimed actor Stephen Berkoff (Rambo: First Blood Part II, Beverly Hills Cop, “Vikings”). Uncork’d released the Millman Productions, Titan Global Entertainment and Proportion Productions production on Digital and DVD on February 8, 2022. (Uncork’d Entertainment, 2022)

A possession horror movie with state-of-the-art special effects, the film tells of a tough priest (Bronzi), someone the Vatican calls to do their dirty work. When a prominent family is terrorized by a demonic force, the priest is called upon by Bishop Canelo to root out the evil, but soon realizes the solution to this mystery is tied to his own past. He must find the killer and stop the Devil’s hold on the family before it is too late.

Directed by Scott Jeffrey and Rebecca J Matthews and written by Matthew B.C. (Medusa: Queen of the Serpents) and Jeff Miller (The Toybox; Ouija House; Clowntown), Exorcist Vengeance is based on the latter’s story. The film also stars Sarah Alexandra Marks, Nicola Wright, Simon Furness, Nicole Nabi, and Anna Liddell.

Jeff Miller (Death Kiss, The Russian Bride) and veteran filmmaker Mark L. Lester (director of Commando and Firestarter) are the executive producers and Scott Jeffrey, Rebecca J Matthews, and Miller serve as producers.

Exorcist Vengeance is available on Amazon, iTunes, Vudu, Xbox, Google, DirecTV, Dish, and Comcast EST.

“This is my fifth movie with Bronzi, and this one packs an intriguing punch. It’s Death Wish meets The Exorcist meets Knives Out.” – Jeff Miller

“Exorcist Vengeance is a wildly entertaining horror film full of some dynamite scares and brilliant turns from Bronzi and Berkoff. Looking forward to horror fans seeing it.” – Keith Leopard, President Uncork’d Entertainment.

Uncork’d Entertainment was founded in July, 2012 by Keith Leopard, a Home Entertainment industry veteran with more than twenty-three years of experience in purchasing, acquisitions, merchandising, marketing, and analysis of major studio and independent supplier to the home entertainment market. The Company focuses on distribution in six areas: Digital Media, Physical Home Entertainment, Aggregation, Theatrical and Television, Foreign Sales, and has secured relationships across all platforms to ensure your film reaches the widest audience possible. Keith and his team are committed to maximizing revenue, controlling costs, and assuring their Content Partners the highest quality of service, a commitment to market and merchandise their film and a rewarding experience by partnering with Uncork’d Entertainment.

Punk rock documentary GRIDLOCKED: On Tour With The Briggs

GRIDLOCKED: On Tour With The Briggs is now available on digital and On Demand. Courtesy photo, used with permission.

From Gravitas Ventures, GRIDLOCKED: On Tour With The Briggs, the new rockumentary feature film on iconic punk band The Briggs, is now available on digital and On Demand. (Gravitas Ventures, 2022)

From writer-director Kevin James Barry (“Among Them”, “Serena and the RATTS”), GRIDLOCKED follows the Los Angeles-based punk rock band through their ten day tour of the west coast with personal interviews with the band’s front man, Joey LaRocca. From Joey’s engaging perspective, the film explores the sometimes harsh and other-times intensely rewarding lifestyle of musical artists. Joey must navigate a musical career that fell short of his youthful expectations as it collided with the realities of maturing and gaining family responsibilities. The story culminates, in what may be the final tour with the band that he loves, with the realization and acceptance that life does not always play out as planned.

“Avoids the usual pratfalls of reunion documentaries to really interrogate what it means to be a middle-aged artist finding new definitions of success.”
MIDWEST FILM JOURNAL

“I Can’t Recommend This Film Enough”
UNSEEN FILMS

“Such a beautiful film”
MOVIE-BLOGGER.COM

Award-winning documentary A Peloton of One opens in theaters

A Peloton of One, the award-winning sexual abuse survivor documentary, opens with a limited virtual theatrical release followed by a nationwide Video On Demand release March 11. Courtesy photo, used with permission.

Global Digital Releasing has acquired worldwide rights to directors John Bernardo and Steven E. Mallorca’s powerful documentary A Peloton of One, with plans for a limited virtual theatrical via Laemmle Theaters beginning February 18 and nationwide Video On Demand March 11, 2022. (Global Digital Releasing, 2022)

Winner of The JP Morgan Chase Audience Award at the Greenwich International Film Festival, A Peloton of One is a documentary film about surviving childhood sexual abuse, focusing on the next chapter in the survivors’ story – what happens after victims come forward. The film follows Dave Ohlmuller who conducts a solo bicycle ride from Chicago to New York, meeting a variety of other survivors and legal advocates along the way.

A Peloton of One was an official selection at the Golden Door International Film Festival, New Jersey Documentary Film Festival, and Jersey Shore Film Festival.

“We are so proud to have the opportunity to bring this powerful and inspiring documentary to a global audience. This isn’t a story of just surviving, this is a story of strength, resilience and hope.” – Digital Releasing President, Joe Dain.

“Sexually abused at 12 years old by a priest in his New Jersey parish, Dave Ohlmuller set out on a sprawling solo bicycle ride from Chicago to New York to inspire other Survivors to come forward and tell their own stories, as well as educate the masses (and himself) on the impacts of this scourge. Along this 700-mile journey, Dave meets other survivors abused by coaches, teachers, family members, and like Dave himself, Catholic priests. Through these interactions and common stories, Dave tries to find a way to connect and heal, mile by mile, as he heads back east towards his childhood home.

A ‘peloton’ is a cycling term that simply means a group of riders. But Dave Ohlmuller started his journey as a peloton of one. Like so many sexual abuse victims, he believed he was alone in his despair. At the end of this journey, he realized he is now part of a much greater whole, a true PELOTON OF ONE, dedicated to helping the millions of survivors of childhood sexual abuse in this country and across the globe.” – Directors John Bernardo and Steven E. Mallorca

FESTIVALS & AWARDS

Greenwich International Film Festival
Winner: Audience Award for Best Film

Golden Door International Film Festival
Official Selection

New Jersey Documentary Film Festival
Official Selection

Jersey Shore Film Festival
Official Selection

Terror Films to release Last Radio Call and Evil at the Door

Last Radio Call will be available across digital and Video on Demand platforms on January 21. Courtesy photo, used with permission.

Genre distributor Terror Films will officially launch their YouTube AVOD channel in 2022 with two new releases. The first film will be Isaac Rodriguez’ found footage horror film Last Radio Call on January 14, followed by Kipp Tribble’s home invasion horror film Evil at the Door on January 21. The films will premiere exclusively on the Terror Films channel featuring a live chat event with the filmmakers, cast and fans during the premiere. The films will be released wide, across Digital and Video On Demand platforms one week later after their premieres. (Terror Films, 2022)

In addition to new releases, the channel will also feature the distributor’s entire library of diverse, indie horror films, which will eventually expand to an international audience.

“This is such an exciting time for us as a company. This was a necessary, next step in our ongoing efforts to grow our brand while increasing the reach and revenue streams of our amazing library of horror films.” – Terror Films’ President Joe Dain

Written and Directed by Isaac Rodriguez, who also produced alongside Cynthia Bergen, Last Radio Call centers around Officer David Serling, who went missing inside the abandoned Yorktown Memorial Hospital. One year later, his wife has hired a film crew to help bring light on what really happened that night. Using recovered body cam footage, she discovers a dark secret that sends her spiraling down a horrific path of ancient evil. She must now face an unknown terror to find the answers she desperately seeks. Starring Sarah Froelich, Jason Scarbough, June Griffin Garcia, Ali Alkhafaji, KeeKee Takatsuki, Bert Lopez, and Makayla Rodriguez, the film will be available across digital and Video On Demand platforms January 21, one week after it debuts on the Terror Films Channel.

Written and Directed by Kipp Tribble, who also produced alongside Patrick Rivera, Kenny Yates, and Executive Producer Richard Siegelman, Evil at the Door centers around a secret guild that has operated for nearly a century, known as The Locusts. Once a year this guild treats its members to a night of curated home invasions (aka, “runs”), known underground as “The Night of The Locusts.” With 180 minutes to do as they please with the occupants of the selected home, four masked men enter the home of Daniel and Jessica and begin to engage in sick, twisted games with them. Unbeknownst to the intruders, Liz, Jessica’s younger sister, is hiding under the bed. While the run time winds down, Liz plots her escape as The Locusts realize there is a traitor in their group. But will the division among the intruders be enough distraction for Liz to survive before The Locusts’ clock runs out? Starring Bruce Davison, Andrea Sweeney Blanco, Robert Allen Mukes, Kipp Tribble, Kenny Yates, Sunny Doench and Richard Siegelman, the film will be available across digital and Video On Demand platforms January 28, one week after it debuts on the Terror Films Channel.

Salt in My Soul documentary: a rare look into life of Mallory Smith

Mallory Smith in Will Battersby’s Salt in My Soul. Photo: Giant Pictures, used with permission.

Powerful documentary Salt in My Soul will be released theatrically in New York (Cinema Village) and Los Angeles (Laemmle Royal) on January 21 followed by the VOD Release in the US, Canada, and UK & Ireland and key territories worldwide on January 25. (Giant Pictures, 2021)

A Feature Documentary Film by Will Battersby
Run time: 96 Minutes (USA- Feature Documentary)

VOD Platforms: 

US- Apple TV/iTunes, Amazon, Google Play, Microsoft/Xbox, Vudu
Canada- Apple TV/ITunes, Microsoft/Xbox
UK- Apple TV/iTunes, Amazon, Google Play, Microsoft/Xbox
Ireland- Apple TV/iTunes, Google Play

Cable Platforms: 

US- InDemand TVOD (Comcast, Spectrum, Cox), DirectTV/AT&T and more 

Based on the bestselling posthumously published memoir of the same name, Salt in My Soul is a documentary and classic coming of age story about a young woman figuring out how to live while dying. Mallory Smith was diagnosed with cystic fibrosis at the age of three. In her twenty five-year battle with the deadly disease, she carved out a life that most of us do not come close to. Using Mallory’s posthumously published 2500-page secret diaries, hundreds of hours of newly discovered footage, and audio recordings, the film offers Mallory as the narrator of her own extraordinary chronicle.

Following her realization at age nine that she would die young, Mallory secretly began to record her inner thoughts in her diary while throwing herself at life: friendships in elementary school, lovers and sports teams in high school, the little travel her disease would allow. She attended college and explored the wider world, one that was just beyond her grasp. She became a devoted environmentalist, seeing a startling and vivid metaphor for her declining health in the destruction of our world. Her father feverishly researched treatment options, desperate that the death sentence be commuted. Her mother obsessively helped her to live, cooking to maintain her weight and create community, raising money for research, and teaching her to prioritize relationships over all else. Mallory fought. And she wrote – about her fears, her loves, her pain, her depression, her hopes, and gave a voice to the many millions who struggle with invisible or visible illness. In Mallory’s final days, her father uncovered a long-forgotten treatment that is now changing the world of medicine. Heartbreakingly, it came too late to save his daughter.

Mallory was a young woman who lived with illness her whole life, who suffered immeasurably but who always found the will to live happy. Her story is a testament to enduring parental love and determination and the healing power of memoir as medicine, inspiring all of us to live life as fully as possible in the face of the challenges we all face. 

“Salt in My Soul: An Unfinished Life,” by Mallory Smith, is a powerful, intimate, and inspiring portrait of a brave young woman living with chronic illness. Mallory understood that patient voices need to be amplified in order to improve healthcare, that the intersection of human behavior and nature is critical to environmental sustainability, and that love and friendship give life meaning. As Mallory’s body deteriorated, she sharpened her mind, crystalized her thinking, and honed her writing skills. In her 2500 pages of private journal entries, she created poetry out of prosaic experiences. Beautifully written, provocative, and peppered with insights, “Salt in My Soul” reminds us to follow Mallory’s mantra and “Live Happy.”  

Giant Pictures is a leading digital distributor that is committed to empowering filmmakers to own their distribution. With offices in New York and Los Angeles, we work directly with rights owners to distribute movies and TV shows to VOD and streaming platforms in North America and worldwide. Our content partners range from first-time filmmakers to award-winning independent producers, as well as notable studios Alamo Drafthouse Films, Abramorama Selects, Participant, Tribeca Enterprises, Utopia Distribution, and XYZ Films. A division of Giant Interactive, the award-winning digital media and technology services company, we distribute across 45+ platforms, including AppleTV, Netflix, Prime Video, The Roku Channel, Pluto TV, Tubi, and Peacock. 

Movie adaptation: ‘The Lost Daughter’ by Elena Ferrante

The movie adaptation of ‘The Lost Daughter’ by Elena Ferrante is now playing in theaters everywhere. Photo: amazon

Elena Ferrante is the author of seven novels, including four New York Times bestsellers; “The Beach at Night,” an illustrated book for children; and “Frantumaglia,” a collection of letters, literary essays, and interviews. Her fiction has been translated into over forty languages and been shortlisted for the MAN Booker International Prize. In 2016 she was named one of TIME’s most influential people of the year and The New York Times has described her as “one of the great novelists of our time.” Her book “The Lost Daughter” has been adapted into a major motion picture directed by Maggie Gyllenhaal and starring Olivia Colman, Dakota Johnson, Paul Mescal, and Peter Sarsgaard. (amazon, 2022)

“The Lost Daughter” – Leda, a middle-aged divorcée, is alone for the first time in years after her two adult daughters leave home to live with their father in Toronto. Enjoying an unexpected sense of liberty, she heads to the Ionian coast for a vacation. But she soon finds herself intrigued by Nina, a young mother on the beach, eventually striking up a conversation with her. After Nina confides a dark secret, one seemingly trivial occurrence leads to events that could destroy Nina’s family in this “arresting” novel by the author of the New York Times–bestselling Neapolitan Novels, which have sold millions of copies.

Movie adaptation: ‘Nightmare Alley’ by William Lindsay Gresham

The movie adaptation of ‘Nightmare Alley’ is now in theaters. Photo: amazon

William Lindsay Gresham was a novelist and nonfiction writer. Gresham’s was a tortured mind and a tormented life, and he sought to banish his demons through a maze of dead-end ways, from Marxism to psychoanalysis to Christianity to Alcoholics Anonymous to Rinzai Zen Buddhism. From these demons came his novel “Nightmare Alley” (1946), one of the underground classics of American literature. It is a study of the lowest depths of showbiz and its sleazy inhabitants – the dark, shadowy world of a second rate carnival filled with hustlers, scheming grifters, and Machiavellian femme fatales. Guillermo del Toro directed the 2021 movie adaptation from a screenplay by del Toro and Kim Morgan. It stars Bradley Cooper, Cate Blanchett, Toni Collette and Willem Dafoe and focuses on Stan Carlisle, an ambitious carny who hooks up with corrupt psychiatrist Dr. Lilith Ritter, who proves to be as dangerous as he is. (amazon, Wikipedia, 2021)

“Nightmare Alley” – It all begins with an extraordinary description of a carnival-show geek—alcoholic and abject and the object of the voyeuristic crowd’s gleeful disgust and derision—going about his work at a county fair. Young Stan Carlisle is working as a carny, and he wonders how a man could fall so low. There is no way in hell, he vows, that anything like that will ever happen to him. Since Stan is clever and ambitious and not without a useful streak of ruthlessness, soon enough he is going places. Onstage he plays the mentalist with a cute assistant, then he graduates to full-blown spiritualist, catering to the needs of the rich and gullible in their well-upholstered homes. It looks like the world is Stan’s for the taking. At least for now.

Action-thriller Confession to be released in January

Stephen Moyer and Colm Meaney star in Confession, coming in January 2022. Courtesy photo, used with permission.

Uncork’d Entertainment has acquired North American rights to writer-director David Beton’s action-thriller, Confession. The film, starring Stephen Moyer (“True Blood,” “Fortunate Son”) and Colm Meany (Seberg, “Star Trek: Deep Space Nine”), had its market premiere at EFM earlier this year. Uncork’d will be releasing the film in theaters January 21, 2022 followed by a VOD release Jan 25. (Uncork’d Entertainment, 2021)

An intense-thriller played in real time during one fateful night, Confession fixes on a wounded man (Moyer) who takes a priest (Meany) hostage, determined to confess to a past misdemeanor before it is too late.

Written and directed by David Beton (One Last Heist), Confession also stars Clare-Hope Ashitey (Children of Men). Producers are Picture Perfect’s Lucinda Rhodes Thakrar and Jeet Thakrar. Signature’s Elizabeth Williams is an executive producer. Andrew Nerger of Signature Entertainment negotiated the deal on behalf of the film team with Keith Leopard of Uncork’d Entertainment.

“Confession is a very suspenseful, thrilling ride with terrific performances from two always-dependable performers, Moyer and Meany. It’s an incredible film to kick off our exciting 2022 slate.” – Keith Leopard, President Uncork’d Entertainment.

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