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Best. Christmas. Ever!

November 19, 2023

Best. Christmas. Ever! is a 2023 American Christmas romantic comedy film directed by Mary Lambert (Pet Sematary) and written by Todd Gallicano and Charles Shyer. The film stars Heather Graham (Boogie Nights, The Hangover), Brandy Norwood (Cinderella, I Still Know What You Did Last Summer), Matt Cedeño, and Jason Biggs (American Pie film series).

When a twist of fate lands Charlotte (Graham) and her family at her old college friend Jackie’s (Norwood) house only days before Christmas, she seizes the opportunity to prove her old friend’s life isn’t as wonderful as it seems from her holiday newsletter.

Best. Christmas. Ever! was released by Netflix on November 16, 2023. Watch the official trailer below.

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The Wonder

November 13, 2022

The Wonder is a 2022 period drama film directed by Sebastián Lelio (Gloria, A Fantastic Woman) from a screenplay by Emma Donoghue (Room), Lelio, and Alice Birch. It is based on the 2016 novel of the same name by Donaghue. The film stars Florence Pugh (Midsommar, Little Women), Tom Burke (The Souvenir, Mank), Niamh Algar (Raised by Wolves), Josie Walker, Elaine Cassidy, Kíla Lord Cassidy, Toby Jones (Captain America: The Winter Soldier), Dermot Crowley, Brían F. O’Byrne, and Ciarán Hinds (Justice League, Belfast).

Set in the Irish Midlands in 1859 as an English nurse, Lib Wright (Pugh), goes to a tiny village to observe what some see as a medical anomaly and others a miracle, that a girl has survived without food for months. Tourists flock to see 11-year-old Anna O’Donnell (Cassidy), and a journalist has come to cover the sensation as two strangers transform each other’s lives in a story of love pitted against evil.

The Wonder had its world premiere at the Telluride Film Festival on September 2, 2022, and is scheduled to be released in select cinemas on November 2, 2022, before its streaming release on November 16, 2022, by Netflix. Watch the official trailer below.

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Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald

September 1, 2016

Director David Yates

Genre Adventure | Family | Fantasy

Cast Eddie Redmayne, Katherine Waterston, Johnny Depp, Zoë Kravitz

Rating PG-13

Release Date November 16th, 2018

“Magizoologist Newt Scamander joins forces with young Albus Dumbledore to prevent the devious Gellert Grindelwald from raising pure-blood wizards to rule over all non-magical beings.”

Director David Yates, the man who brought us Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, The Legend of Tarzan, and the last four Harry Potter Films, returns for the sequel Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald. From the imagination of J.K Rowling, the film follows Magizoologist Newt Scamander who joins forces with young Albus Dumbledore to prevent the devious Gellert Grindelwald from raising pure-blood wizards to rule over all non-magical beings. The cast includes Eddie Redmayne, Katherine Waterston, Johnny Depp, and Zoë Kravitz. Check out the official trailers below!!

Ted Takes Fun Facts, Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald:

  • Newt Scamander carries a wand, practices magic, and works for the Ministry of Magic even though he was expelled from Hogwarts, which puzzled several fans online especially since Hagrid wasn't afforded those liberties. J.K. Rowling explained that the reason for this will be revealed throughout the series.

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Widows

September 1, 2016

Director Steve McQueen

Genre Crime | Drama | Thriller

Cast Viola Davis, Michelle Rodriguez, Elizabeth Debicki, Cynthia Erivo

Rating R

Release Date November 16th, 2018

“Set in contemporary Chicago, amidst a time of turmoil, four women with nothing in common except a debt left behind by their dead husbands’ criminal activities, take fate into their own hands, and conspire to forge a future on their own terms.”

From director Steve McQueen (Shame, 12 Years a Slave), Widows is a crime thriller about four women who all lose their husbands and find themselves in the same situation- badly in-debt to some extremely dangerous people. Having only their current circumstances in common, these four women must risk it all to redeem their livelihoods. The cast includes Viola Davis, Michelle Rodriguez, Elizabeth Debicki, Cynthia Erivo, Liam Neeson, Colin Farrell, Brian Tyree Henry, and Daniel Kaluuya. Check out the official trailer below!!

Ted Takes Fun Facts, Widows:

  • Steve McQueen's first film as a director since his Academy-Award winning film 12 Years a Slave (2013).

  • The film is based on the 1985 British series.

  • Liam Neeson and Colin Farrell are both Irish actors and are working together for the first time. They were both runners for James Bond which eventually went to Pierce Brosnan and Daniel Craig.

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Instant Family

September 1, 2016

Director Sean Anders

Genre Comedy

Cast Rose Byrne, Mark Wahlberg, Isabela Moner, Octavia Spencer

Rating PG-13

Release Date November 16th, 2018

“A couple find themselves in over their heads when they adopt three children.”

Directed and co-written by Sean Anders, Instant Family of a couple who decide to start a family and are inspired to pursue adoption through the foster care system. They feel like wonderful, altruistic people until they suddenly have three wild kids in their home. The cast includes Rose Byrne, Mark Wahlberg, Isabela Moner, and Octavia Spencer. Check out the official trailer below!!

Ted Takes Fun Facts, Instant Family:

  • The movie is inspired by the real events from the life of writer/director Sean Anders.

  • This is the 3rd collaboration between director Sean Anders, and Mark Wahlberg. Their previous 2 films being, Daddy's Home (2015) & Daddy's Home 2 (2017).

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Jonathan

September 1, 2016

Director Bill Oliver

Genre Drama | Sci-Fi

Cast Ansel Elgort, Patricia Clarkson, Suki Waterhouse, Matt Bomer

Rating Unrated

Release Date November 16th, 2018 (Limited & On-Demand)

“Jonathan leaves the office everyday at noon. When he gets home, he goes to sleep. Every morning he wakes up and there is a breakfast prepared for him along with a video telling him about the second part of his day.”

From director Bill Oliver, his directorial debut, Jonathan is a sci-fi drama about a man who essentially lives as two separate people. Jonathan leaves the office everyday at noon and goes to bed as soon as he gets home, waking the next morning to a prepared breakfast and a video telling him about the second part of his day. I really like the cast and the trailer is pretty damn good so this is one I will be keeping an eye out for. Check out the official trailer below!!

Ted Takes Fun Facts, Jonathan:

  • Actor Ansel Elgort, known for the drama The Fault in Our Stars and Baby Driver, is 6 ft 3 inches tall which is unusually tall compared to most actors.

  • Both Ansel Elgort and Suki Waterhouse were in both Insurgent (2015) and Billionaire Boys Club (2018).

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The Ballad of Buster Scruggs

September 1, 2016

Director Ethan Coen, Joel Coen

Genre Comedy | Drama | Western

Cast Tim Blake Nelson, James Franco, Liam Neeson, David Krumholtz

Rating R

Release Date November 16th, 2018 (Netflix)

“An anthology western following six different storylines centering on a man named Buster Scruggs.”

Written and directed by Ethan & Joel Coen, The Ballad of Buster Scruggs is a western comedy/drama that plays out as an anthology with six different story-lines focused on a man named Buster Scruggs. The cast includes Tim Blake Nelson, James Franco, Liam Neeson, David Krumholtz, Brendan Gleeson, and Zoe Kazan. Check out the official trailer below!!

Ted Takes Fun Facts, The Ballad of Buster Scruggs:

  • Was originally envisioned as a feature film, however the Coen's decided they had enough material to create both a miniseries and a theatrically released movie.

  • At 132 minutes, this is the longest film directed by the Coen Brothers.

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Narcos: Mexico

September 1, 2016

Genre Crime | Drama

Cast Diego Luna, Michael Peña, Teresa Ruiz, Clark Freeman

Rating Unrated

Season Premiere November 16th, 2018 (Netflix)

“The rise of the Guadalajara Cartel as an American DEA agent learns the danger of targeting narcos in Mexico.”
“Narcos: Mexico exploring the origins of the modern drug war by going back to its roots, beginning at a time when the Mexican trafficking world was a loose and disorganized confederation of independent growers and dealers. Witness the rise of the Guadalajara Cartel in the 1980s as Félix Gallardo takes the helm, unifying traffickers in order to build an empire. When DEA agent Kiki Camarena moves his wife and young son from California to Guadalajara to take on a new post, he quickly learns that his assignment will be more challenging than he ever could have imagined. As Kiki garners intelligence on Félix and becomes more entangled in his mission, a tragic chain of events unfold, affecting the drug trade and the war against it for years to come.”
— IMDb
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A Private War

September 1, 2016

Director Matthew Heineman

Genre Biography | Drama | War

Cast Rosamund Pike, Jamie Dornan, Stanley Tucci, Faye Marsay

Rating R

Release Date November 16th, 2018 (Limited)

“One of the most celebrated war correspondents of our time, Marie Colvin is an utterly fearless and rebellious spirit, driven to the frontline of conflicts across the globe to give voice to the voiceless.”

From director Matthew Heineman (Cartel Land, City of Ghosts), A Private War tells the true story of one of the most celebrated war correspondents of our time, Marie Colvin, as her courage and fearlessness drove her to the front line of conflicts across the globe to give a voice to the voiceless. Check out the official trailer below!!

Ted Takes Fun Facts, A Private War:

  • Taron Egerton was originally cast but ended up dropping out. Jamie Dornan replaced him.

  • The film premiered at TIFF in September 2018.

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