MARY QUEENS OF SCOTS
“Mary Queen of Scots” explores the turbulent life of the charismatic Mary Stuart (Ronan). Queen of France at 16 and widowed at 18, Mary defies pressure to remarry. Instead, she returns to her native Scotland to reclaim her rightful throne. But Scotland and England fall under the rule of the compelling Elizabeth I (Robbie). Each young Queen beholds her “sister” in fear and fascination. Rivals in power and in love, and female regents in a masculine world, the two must decide how to play the game of marriage versus independence. Determined to rule as much more than a figurehead, Mary asserts her claim to the English throne, threatening Elizabeth’s sovereignty. Betrayal, rebellion, and conspiracies within each court imperil both thrones – and change the course of history.
VOX LUX
VOX LUX begins in 1999 when teenage sisters Celeste (Raffey Cassidy) and Eleanor (Stacy Martin) survive a seismic, violent tragedy. The sisters compose and perform a song about their experience, making something lovely and cathartic out of catastrophe – while also catapulting Celeste to stardom. By 2017, the now 31-year-old Celeste (Natalie Portman) is mother to a teenage daughter of her own and struggling to navigate a career fraught with scandals when another act of terrifying violence demands her attention.
BEN IS BACK
“19 year-old Ben Burns (Lucas Hedges) unexpectedly returns home to his family’s suburban home on Christmas Eve morning. Ben’s mother, Holly (Julia Roberts), is relieved and welcoming but wary of her son staying clean. Over a turbulent 24 hours, new truths are revealed, and a mother’s undying love for her son is tested as she does everything in her power to keep him safe. Ben is Back also stars Courtney B. Vance (The People V. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story) and Kathryn Newton (Lady Bird).
DIVIDE AND CONQUER: THE STORY OF ROGER AILES
By coaching an unrivaled stable of politicians over the course of fifty years, Ailes heavily influenced Republican politics, steering the conservative movement from Nixon, to the Tea Party, to Trump. Under his tutelage, anger and fear became the coin of the realm, both on the ballot and on national television. Diagnosed with hemophilia at an early age, it took someone intimate with fear to skillfully manipulate the fear of others.
With Rupert Murdoch behind him, Roger Ailes started Fox News and turned it into a money-making juggernaut, with profits exceeding those of all its rivals combined. He discarded notions of traditional journalism and turned prime time television into flame-throwing TV. Short skirts and low necklines mesmerized his audience and, as long as Fox made money, there was little oversight of his fiefdom. But the carnival house mirror Ailes put up to America reflected his own distorted personal life.
This is a story of serial cruelty, both on the public stage and in private life. Like a true Shakespearean figure, ambition and desire were Ailes’ undoing. He was finally toppled when victims of his sexual harassment stepped forward. The accounts of these women—raw and infuriating—are the axis around which Ailes’ story inexorably turns.
DIVIDE AND CONQUER: THE STORY OF ROGER AILES TRAILER
BERNIE THE DOLPHIN
Kevin and Holly love splashing and playing with their dolphin friend Bernie and his family. But when Bernie goes missing, the kids go looking for him. While searching, they discover a real-estate development plan that threatens the baby sea turtles on their favorite beach. Can the brave duo stop the developers while racing to reunite Bernie with his loved ones? This sunny family adventure stars Kevin Sorbo (TV’s “Hercules: The Legendary Journeys”) and Patrick Muldoon (Starship Troopers).
THE APPEARANCE
Mateho the Inquisitor (Jake Stormoen, “The Outpost”) and his comrade (Kristian Nairn, “Game of Thrones”) are summoned to a monastery to investigate a series of mysterious murders and the alleged ‘witch’ accused of the horrific crimes. It soon becomes clear that something evil haunts the church and Mateho must act quickly to stop the dark vengeance from destroying everything in its path.
NEWLY SINGLE
American filmmaker Adam Christian Clark directs and stars in this jet black comedy centered around the Los Angeles dating scene, as a self-obsessed filmmaker finds himself on the market once again. The film is a darkly funny and sometimes brutal exercise. While the film is reminiscent of great American cinema of the 1970’s with a somewhat staccato structure made up of disparate moments, this is still a thoroughly modern affair replete with some graphic sexuality and an often harsh takedown on modern views of dating.
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