“Long Shot”
Politics and comedy and romance? Hmmm, seems like a difficult mix, but when it’s Seth Rogen, Charlize Theron and Jonathan Levine, director of “The Night Before,” “50/50” and “The Wackness,” that seems like a whole different prospect worth anticipating. Theron plays an ambitious diplomat with a spotless reputation and Rogen is a hard-partying journalist as they try to keep their red-hot romance under wraps. At the very least, the peanut butter and jelly combination of Theron (very underrated in comedy) and Rogen is an inspired pairing. O’Shea Jackson Jr., Andy Serkis, June Diane Raphael, Ravi Patel, and Alexander Skarsgård co-star and the film is set for a May 3 release.
“The Beach Bum”
Following “Spring Breakers,” director/screenwriter Harmony Korine promised us a Florida trilogy. And while his Florida crime movie with Robert Pattinson is delayed and may never happen, he at least followed through with the third installment “The Beach Bum” which definitely feels like a continuation of the mood, tone, and spirit of “Spring Breakers.” “The Beach Bum” follows the hilarious misadventures of Moondog (Matthew McConaughey), a rebellious rogue who always lives life by his own rules. Co-starring Snoop Dogg, Zac Efron, and Isla Fisher, “The Beach Bum” should hopefully be refreshingly original and subversive and not just a retread of “Spring Breakers,” but we shall see. Stefania Lavie Owen, Jimmy Buffett, Martin Lawrence, and Jonah Hill also make appearances. NEON films have set a March 29 release date, so you’ll be seeing it soon enough.
“Pet Sematary”
The Stephen King renaissance on the big screen continues and this time it’s a remake of the late 1980s horror movie, based on the seminal horror novel by King. Starring Jason Clarke, Amy Seimetz, Jeté Laurence, Hugo Lavoie, Lucas Lavoie and John Lithgow, this new “Pet Sematary” follows a similar story: A husband, wife and their two children Gage and Ellie move to a rural home where they are welcomed and enlightened about the eerie ‘Pet Sematary’ located nearby. Shit happens and things go South, but like any good remake, they’ll be sure to try and give us surprises and not just deliver the same old thing. The directors are Kevin Kölsch and Dennis Widmyer, known for “Scream: The TV Series” “Starry Eyes” and potentially “Mama 2” if it ever gets greenlit and comes back to life.
“The Day Shall Come”
You may not remember comedian/director Chris Morris because he has not made a movie since 2010, but if you remember that movie—the hilarious terrorism satire “Four Lions” that introduced most of the non-U.K. world to Riz Ahmed, you remember a spectacularly funny debut film. After directing some TV (“Veep”), lots of writing and acting, Morris finally returns with a new film, titled “The Day Shall Come.” His latest sounds just as politically incendiary and looks to expose the dark farce at the heart of the homeland security project. “The Day Shall Come” centers on an impoverished preacher who brings hope to the Miami projects is offered cash to save his family from eviction. He has no idea his sponsor works for the FBI who plan to turn him into a criminal by fueling his madcap revolutionary dreams. The movie stars newcomer Marchánt Davis, Anna Kendrick, Danielle Brooks, and Denis O’Hare. This sounds fiery to be sure.
“Stuber” (Work-in-Progress)
SXSW loves to present its work-in-progress comedies; they kinda of become a test screening and let the director know what’s working and what’s not, but so far, over the years, there’s not been one “work-in-progress” comedy screening that hasn’t yielded a good film (and one that was usually well received from the jump anyhow. Directed by Michael Dowse (“Goon,” “What If”), “Stuber” centers on a mild-mannered Uber driver (Kumail Nanjiani) picks up a cop (Dave Bautista) hot on the trail of a brutal killer, he’s thrust into a harrowing ordeal where he has to keep his wits, his life, and his five-star rating. Frankly, just saying Kumail Nanjiani and Dave Bautista team-up and we’re sold, but Nanjiani is super hot at the moment and this could be a hot ticket. “Stuber” co-stars Iko Uwais, Natalie Morales, Betty Gilpin, Jimmy Tatro, with Mira Sorvino and Karen Gillan.
“Adopt a Highway”
Actor Logan Marshall-Green is no Tom Hardy knock-off, sorry. And if you don’t believe us, believe that he’s added writer/director to his resume and made his directorial debut with “Adopt a Highway” that stars Ethan Hawke. The story is this: after being released from prison following a twenty-year sentence for a minor offense, an ex-con must learn to navigate the world while coming to terms with his own life which has moved on — all while caring for an abandoned baby he finds in a dumpster. Elaine Hendrix, Diana Gaeta, Betty Gabriel, Mo McRae, Chris Sullivan, Nate Mooney, Christopher Heyerdahl, and Anne Marie Johnson co-star.