Weekly Entertainment Digest – May 13th

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Weekly Entertainment Digest - May 13th

Are you ready for some great screenings, movie announcements, and a giveaway? We have a lot going on right now in entertainment and we can’t wait to share it with you.

Be sure to stay up to date with the latest movie releases!

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Metro Detroit Screenings

Movie and Series Reviews

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Movie and Entertainment Updates:

BORN FREE: BIRTH IN AMERICA Streaming for Free this Mother’s Day

Semi Retired Films in co-production with Digital Harvest Media has announced that their documentary BORN FREE: BIRTH IN AMERICA, investigating women’s birthing rights in the United States, will be released on streaming platforms for free on Mother’s Day.  The debut feature documentary from director Paula James-Martinez takes a deep dive into what it is like to have a baby in modern day America and asks the difficult questions to unlock why it is the most dangerous and most expensive nation in the developed world to give birth in.

Inspired by James-Martinez’s own childbirth experience, the documentary features a host of experts and maternal health advocates including Christy Turlington, equitable maternal outcomes expert Chanel Porchia-AlbertCharles Johnson, whose own wife died in childbirth, Senator Tammy Duckworth and Senator Joe Kennedy, amongst others, who discuss the impact of current medical system standards and ultimate failure for those who experience traumatic pregnancies.

Director Paula James-Martinez said, “Born Free is really a film asking the question, “why are things going so wrong?” If we look at having the worst maternal mortality rate in the US since 1965, it is an indication of the state of both women’s health and how we are caring for mothers. It’s showing pretty clearly that we are in crisis mode. Born Free aims to educate women and birthing people about the problems we are facing, but also ways in which to find solutions. Birth and motherhood certainly aren’t easy, but having a child is an act of hope, and I’m adamant that we can’t accept so many awful stories as the norm.“

BORN FREE: BIRTH IN AMERICA sheds light on the maternal health crises facing America and also led to the founding of the non-profit organization The Mother Lovers, which focuses on educating people to achieve healthier and safer birthing outcomes.

The United States is the only nation in the developed world with a rising maternal mortality rate. From 2019 to 2023, The number of maternal deaths per 100,000 births in the United States of America has increased by 40%. Today the U.S. has a maternal mortality rate of 32.9 deaths per 100,000 live births, the highest level since 1965.

Previously Fashion Director of Refinery 29, the world’s largest online women’s publication and with a background in fashion publishing as an editor for some of Europe’s most respected luxury style magazines, James-Martinez shot her first film in locations across the United States with an all-female crew.

The Mother’s Day AVOD streaming release for free across all platforms will allow even larger audiences to access the film, providing more women, mothers and families with knowledge about the current state of maternal health and giving them the tools to understand their right to the best possible care. 

Created with support from The Mother Lovers and produced by Moon Cookie Media, BORN FREE: BIRTH IN AMERICA is directed by Paula James-Martinez and written by Paula James-Martinez and Steph Zenee Perez. Producers are Paula James-Martinez, Rebecca Dayan, Steph Zenee Perez and Lianne Turner, with Maritza Cayo co-producing.  The film is executive produced by Sara Ojjeh, Anthony James-Martinez, Vanessa Hope, Robert C. Profusek and Claire Olshan. Director of Photography is Seannie Bryan and the editor is Steph Zenee Perez. Art direction and visual effects are by Iskra Tirado Karadzhova and Chanel Porchia-Albert is Associate Producer.  Margot serves as the film’s composer with Johanna Cranitch as music supervisor and composer.

The film will be distributed by Rock Salt Releasing and made available for free on the following platforms: Tubi, Roku, Amazon’s Freevee, Plex, Local Now, Xumo, and Fawesome.

The Wandering Earth II is now on Digital

As the sun dies, humans desperately try to propel Earth to a new solar system, leaving the fate of humankind in the hands of a few brave individuals in the sci-fi action-adventure THE WANDERING EARTH II, debuting on Digital May 9 from Well Go USA Entertainment. The much-anticipated prequel to 2019 sci-fi blockbuster The Wandering Earth—the #5 highest-grossing non-English film of all-time—returns with the same director, Frant Gwo, and returning stars starring Wu Jing (Wolf Warrior 2) and Wang Zhi (Drug War), along with new cast members Li Xuejian (Home Coming), Ning Li (Myth of Love), the legendary superstar Andy Lau (Infernal Affairs), Zhu Yanmanzi (The Guilt series), Sha Yi (My Own Swordsman), and Zhang Yi (Wolf Pack).

Synopsis:        In the near future, after learning that the sun is rapidly burning out and will obliterate Earth in the process, humans build enormous engines to propel the planet to a new solar system, far out of reach of the sun’s fiery flares. However, the journey out into the universe is perilous, and humankind’s last shot at survival will depend on a group of young people brave enough to step up and execute a dangerous, life-or-death operation to save the earth.

Stillwater – TRAILER: Season 3 – May 19th

Apple TV+ today released the trailer for the third season of beloved hit “Stillwater,” premiering globally on Friday, May 19. 

The third season of the Peabody and Daytime Emmy Award-winning series, “Stillwater,” centers on siblings Karl (Judah Mackey), Addy (Eva Ariel Binder) and Michael (Tucker Chandler), who encounter everyday challenges – big and small – which sometimes feel insurmountable. Fortunately for these three, they have Stillwater (James Sie), a wise panda, as their next-door neighbor. Through his example, stories and gentle humor, Stillwater teaches the children the concept of mindfulness, while offering them a deeper understanding of their feelings as well as tools that help them face their own day-to-day challenges.

Based on the award-winning and bestselling Scholastic “Zen” book series by Jon J Muth, Gaumont and Scholastic Entertainment produce with Sidonie Dumas; Christophe Riandee; Nicolas Atlan; Terry Kalagian; Iole Lucchese; Caitlin Friedman; Jef Kaminsky; Jun Falkenstein; and Rob Hoegee serving as executive producers. In addition, the series features the voice talents of James Sie, Eva Ariel Binder, Tucker Chandler, and Judah Mackey.

Stillwater was produced in collaboration with awareness and intention expert Mallika Chopra, author of “Buddha and The Rose” and the “Just Be” series for kids, and CEO of Chopra Global, through Apple TV+’s changemakers initiative.

The award-winning slate of original series and films for kids and families on Apple TV+ includes this year’s Academy Award and BAFTA Award-winning animated short film “The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse”; star-studded animated adventure film “Luck” from Apple Original Films and Skydance Animation; and, BAFTA Award-winning and Academy Award-nominated animated film “Wolfwalkers.”

“Stillwater” is a part of all-ages offerings now streaming globally on Apple TV+, including the BAFTA Award and Humanitas Prize-winning “El Deafo,” BAFTA Award-winning “Lovely Little Farm,” “Duck & Goose,” GLAAD Media Award nominated “Pinecone & Pony,” Emmy Award-winning “Fraggle Rock: Back to the Rock” from The Jim Henson Company, “Helpsters” from Sesame Workshop, “Wolfboy and the Everything Factory” from Joseph Gordon-Levitt, HITRECORD and Bento Box Entertainment, “Sago Mini Friends,” Emmy Award-nominated “Hello, Jack! The Kindness Show” from Jack McBrayer and Angela C. Santomero, “Harriet The Spy” produced by The Jim Henson Company, “Eva the Owlet,” Emmy Award nominee “Snoopy in Space,” “The Snoopy Show” and “Get Rolling with Otis.” Live-action offerings include Bonnie Hunt’s DGA and WGA Award nominated “Amber Brown,” DGA Award winner “Best Foot Forward,” “Surfside Girls,” WGA Award winner “Life By Ella,” Emmy Award-winning “Ghostwriter” from Sesame Workshop, and “Puppy Place.” 

Hulu’s “Drag Me To Dinner” – May 31st

Drag Me To Dinner is a riotous, format-busting, fourth-wall-breaking, unapologetic sendup of traditional reality competition shows! In each episode, two teams of successful drag queens go head-to-head to throw the most fabulous, awe-inspiring, drag-tastical dinner parties of all time, and be crowned champion by our three judgers: the multi-talented Neil Patrick Harris, drag superstar Bianca Del Rio, and the funny and fabulous Haneefah Wood.
 
Hosted by the hardest-working middle-aged man in show business: dapper NYC legend Murray Hill, each episode has its own unique theme, as revealed by resident expert, life of the party, and show producer David Burtka. Teams will focus on multiple criteria: Food & Drink, Design & Decor, and Entertainment & Overall Vibe ­– let the comedic culinary costumed chaos commence!
 
At the end of each episode, one team will be proclaimed the winner and walk away with the grandest “prize” in the history of television: The Glorious Golden Grater – because one team may be GREAT … but the other is GRATER!

Drag Me To Dinner is the glamorous, messy, faux competition show that no one takes too seriously. It’s deliciously addictive, so pull up a chair and dig in!

SPIDER-MAN: ACROSS THE SPIDER-VERSE – Experience It In IMAX – June 2nd

Miles Morales returns for the next chapter of the Oscar®-winning Spider-Verse saga, Spider-Man™: Across the Spider-Verse. After reuniting with Gwen Stacy, Brooklyn’s full-time, friendly neighborhood Spider-Man is catapulted across the Multiverse, where he encounters a team of Spider-People charged with protecting its very existence. But when the heroes clash on how to handle a new threat, Miles finds himself pitted against the other Spiders and must redefine what it means to be a hero so he can save the people he loves most. 

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse is coming exclusively to movie theaters on June 2, 2023.

TRANSFORMERS: RISE OF THE BEASTS – Experience It EARLY In IMAX – 6/7

Paramount Pictures today announced a special Early Access Fan Event screening to celebrate the theatrical release of Transformers: Rise of the Beasts opening nationwide exclusively in theatres. The Early Access Premiere will include one special showing on Wednesday, June 7 at 7PM local time at participating theatres across the country. In select locations, the Early Access show will be presented in a premium format including Dolby Cinema, 4DX and IMAX, in advance of the movie’s national release on Friday, June 9th.

Returning to the action and spectacle that have captured moviegoers around the world, Transformers: Rise of the Beasts will take audiences on a ‘90s globetrotting adventure with the Autobots and introduce a whole new faction of Transformers – the Maximals – to join them as allies in the existing battle for earth. Directed by Steven Caple Jr. the film stars Anthony Ramos, Dominique Fishback, Tobe Nwigwe, Peter Cullen, Ron Perlman Peter Dinklage, Michelle Yeoh, Pete Davidson, Liza Koshy, John DiMaggio, David Sobolov, Michaela Jaé Rodriguez, Colman Domingo, Cristo Fernández and Tongayi Chirisa.

Says Paramount Pictures President of Domestic Distribution Chris Aronson, “We’re thrilled to give fans an early opportunity to roll-out and catch this latest, spectacular installment of the Transformers franchise on the big screen in advance of its exclusive theatrical debut on June 9th.”

Tickets for the Transformers: Rise of the Beasts Early Access + general Transformers: Rise of the Beasts tickets are on sale today. To purchase tickets for the Transformers: Rise of the Beasts Early Access Fan Event Screening and for participating theatre listings in your area, go to transformersmovie.com/seeitfirst. General tickets are also on sale at transformersmovie.com. Tickets for all shows are also on sale at exhibitors’ websites & mobile apps, and at participating theatre box offices nationwide.

Ticketholders seeing Transformers: Rise of the Beasts at this advance Early Access Fan Screening will also see special bonus content curated for this event, plus will receive limited-edition collectibles including an exclusive collector’s print of Primal and Maximals Patch, given away at their local theatre on the date of the event and while supplies last.

Returning to the action and spectacle that have captured moviegoers around the world, Transformers: Rise of the Beasts will take audiences on a ‘90s globetrotting adventure with the Autobots and introduce a whole new faction of Transformer – the Maximals – to join them as allies in the existing battle for earth. Directed by Steven Caple Jr. and starring Anthony Ramos and Dominique Fishback, the film arrives in theatres June 9, 2023.

Paramount Pictures and Skydance Present In Association with Hasbro and New Republic Pictures A Don Murphy/Tom DeSanto Production A di Bonaventura Pictures Production A Bay Films Production

FLAMIN’ HOT | Trailer Debut – On Hulu and Disney+ June 9th

Flamin' Hot Movie

FLAMIN’ HOT is the inspiring true story of Richard Montañez (Jesse Garcia), the Frito Lay janitor who channeled his Mexican American heritage and upbringing to turn the iconic Flamin’ Hot Cheetos into a snack that disrupted the food industry and became a global pop culture phenomenon Cast: Jesse Garcia, Annie Gonzalez, Dennis Haysbert, Emilio Rivera, Tony Shalhoub, Matt Walsh, Pepe Serna, Bobby Soto, Jimmy Gonzales, Brice Gonzalez, Vanessa Martinez, Fabian Alomar, Mario Ponce, Hunter Jones

The Crowded Room – June 9th on Apple TV+

Apple TV+ today unveiled the trailer for “The Crowded Room,” the gripping, upcoming limited series starring and executive produced by Tom Holland, and created by Academy Award-winning writer and executive producer Akiva Goldsman. The highly anticipated 10-episode series will make its global debut on Apple TV+ with the first three episodes on Friday, June 9, 2023, followed by one new episode weekly every Friday through July 28, 2023. 

“The Crowded Room” follows ‘Danny Sullivan’ (Holland), a man who is arrested following his involvement in a shooting in New York City in 1979. A captivating thriller told through a series of interviews with curious interrogator ‘Rya Goodwin’ (Amanda Seyfried), Danny’s life story unfolds, revealing elements of the mysterious past that shaped him, and the twists and turns that will lead him to a life-altering revelation. 

Featuring an ensemble cast led by Holland, the series also stars Amanda Seyfried, Emmy Rossum, Sasha Lane, Will Chase and Lior Raz along with guest stars Jason Isaacs, Christopher Abbott, Thomas Sadoski and Zachary Golinger. 

“The Crowded Room” is a co-production between Apple Studios and New Regency. Goldsman serves as executive producer through his Weed Road Productions banner. The series is also executive produced by Holland; Alexandra Milchan for EMJAG Productions; and New Regency’s Arnon Milchan, Yariv Milchan and Michael Schaefer. Kornel Mundruczo directed several episodes, including the pilot, and executive produces. 

BONE COLD is on Digital & Blu-ray on June 13th

n experienced elite sniper attempts a nightmarish escape after a failed mission, tracked by enemy soldiers hellbent on revenge, and hunted by something sinister and monstrous, hungry and determined in the action-thriller BONE COLD, debuting on Digital, Blu-ray and DVD June 13 from Well Go USA Entertainment. The first feature film for writer/director Billy Hanson, BONE COLD stars Jonathan Stoddard (Falling for a Killer), Matt Munroe (Independence Day: Resurgence), Trinity Bliss (Avatar: The Way of Water), Jennifer Khoe (Fear FrequencyOverrun), Shaan Sharma (“The Chosen”), Elise Greene (Torn: A Wicked Trilogy), and newcomer Danielle Poblarp. Bonus content includes a Making-of featurette and blooper reel.

Synopsis:        After bad intel from headquarters results in a tragic civilian death, an elite sniper duo attempts to flee the area but can’t seem to shake a mysterious, inhuman creature stalking them from the shadows.

SURROUNDED – AVAILABLE ON DIGITAL EVERYWHERE JUNE 20th

Five years after the Civil War, freedwoman and former Buffalo Soldier Moses “Mo” Washington travels west to lay claim on a gold mine- the summation of years of toil for Mo and her community. It is a mean, dangerous world for an unaccompanied Black woman in 1870 America and so Mo travels into the deep frontier disguised as a man. After her stagecoach is ambushed by a group of murderous thieves, Mo is forced to hold legendary outlaw Tommy Walsh captive while the remaining surviving passengers seek out help. What ensues is a battle of wills, blurring the line between captor and captive, as they both try to survive the harsh western landscape. Directed by Anthony Mandler and written by Andrew Pagana & Justin Thomas and Andrew Pagana, the film stars Letitia Wright, Jamie Bell, Jeffrey Donovan, with Brett Gelman and Michael K. Williams.  

ASTEROID CITY |Official Poster – In theaters June 23rd

The itinerary of a Junior Stargazer/Space Cadet convention (organized to bring together students and parents from across the country for fellowship and scholarly competition) is spectacularly disrupted by world-changing events.

LOVE GETS A ROOM – In Theaters June 23rd

Inspired by true events during the 1942 Nazi occupation of Poland, LOVE GETS A ROOM is the story of a Jewish stage actress who must make the gut-wrenching decision to follow her heart or escape the Warsaw ghetto. Told in real-time like Cortés’ critically-acclaimed BURIED, the film is a romantic tale of love and survival in the face of harrowing circumstances.

Oppenheimer is only in theaters July 21st

Written and directed by Christopher Nolan, Oppenheimer is an IMAX®-shot epic thriller that thrusts audiences into the pulse-pounding paradox of the enigmatic man who must risk destroying the world in order to save it. 

The film stars Cillian Murphy as J. Robert Oppenheimer and Emily Blunt as his wife, biologist and botanist Katherine “Kitty” Oppenheimer. Oscar® winner Matt Damon portrays General Leslie Groves Jr., director of the Manhattan Project, and Robert Downey, Jr. plays Lewis Strauss, a founding commissioner of the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission. 

Academy Award® nominee Florence Pugh plays psychiatrist Jean Tatlock, Benny Safdie plays theoretical physicist Edward Teller, Michael Angarano plays Robert Serber and Josh Hartnett plays pioneering American nuclear scientist Ernest Lawrence.

Oppenheimer also stars Oscar® winner Rami Malek and reunites Nolan with eight-time Oscar® nominated actor, writer and filmmaker Kenneth Branagh. 

The cast includes Dane DeHaan (Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets), Dylan Arnold (Halloween franchise), David Krumholtz (The Ballad of Buster Scruggs), Alden Ehrenreich (Solo: A Star Wars Story) and Matthew Modine (The Dark Knight Rises). 

The film is based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning book American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer by Kai Bird and the late Martin J. Sherwin. The film is produced by Emma Thomas, Atlas Entertainment’s Charles Roven and Christopher Nolan. 

Oppenheimer is filmed in a combination of IMAX® 65mm and 65mm large-format film photography including, for the first time ever, sections in IMAX® black and white analogue photography. 

Nolan’s films, including TenetDunkirkInterstellarInception and The Dark Knight trilogy, have earned more than $5 billion at the global box office and have been awarded 11 Oscars and 36 nominations, including two Best Picture nominations. 

The Disney 100 Celebration Continues with the Unveiling of Cinderella and Beauty and the Beast – August 31st

This special series of anniversary re-releases are of some of the most beloved films from the Disney, Pixar, Marvel and Lucasfilm studios as part of Disney’s 100th anniversary celebration.
Selected titles will be released nationwide in special platinum-style collectible O-sleeves. There will also be numerous retail exclusives, with Best Buy offering special SteelBooks of select titles and Walmart offering exclusive collectible pins on all Disney100 animated titles.
June 6: Coco SteelBook, Toy Story SteelBook and Cars SteelBook
June 13: Finding Nemo, Coco, Brave, Cars, Up, The Incredibles and Monsters, Inc.
June 27: Mickey & Friends 10 Classic Shorts – Volume 2
August 1: Cinderella 4K UHD SteelBook, Beauty and The Beast SteelBook and Frozen SteelBook. This will be the first time that Cinderella will be available on 4K Ultra HD disc.
September 5:Iron Man SteelBook
October 3:The Little Mermaid SteelBook, The Lion King SteelBook, Moana SteelBook and Aladdin SteelBook
October 17:The Lion King, Aladdin, The Nightmare Before Christmas, The Fox and the Hound, Cinderella, Snow White and The Seven Dwarfs and Alice In Wonderland

MY BIG FAT GREEK WEDDING 3 – In Theaters September 8th

From writer and director Nia Vardalos, the worldwide phenomenon My Big Fat Greek Wedding is coming back to theaters with a brand-new adventure. Join the Portokalos family as they travel to a family reunion in Greece for a heartwarming and hilarious trip full of love, twists and turns. Opa!

POOR THINGS | In Theaters September 8th

From filmmaker Yorgos Lanthimos and producer Emma Stone comes the incredible tale and fantastical evolution of Bella Baxter (Stone), a young woman brought back to life by the brilliant and unorthodox scientist Dr. Godwin Baxter (Willem Dafoe). Under Baxter’s protection, Bella is eager to learn. Hungry for the worldliness she is lacking, Bella runs off with Duncan Wedderburn (Mark Ruffalo), a slick and debauched lawyer, on a whirlwind adventure across the continents. Free from the prejudices of her times, Bella grows steadfast in her purpose to stand for equality and liberation. Cast: Emma Stone, Mark Ruffalo, Willem Dafoe, Ramy Youssef, Jerrod Carmichael Christopher Abbott

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