Death Note

Director Adam Wingard

Genre Horror | Mystery | Thriller

Cast Nat Wolff, Lakeith Stanfield, Margaret Qualley, Willem Dafoe

Rating Unrated

Release Date August 25th, 2017

“Light Turner, a bright student, stumbles across a mystical notebook that has the power to kill any person whose name he writes in it.”

From director Adam Wingard (You're Next, The Guest, Blair Witch), Death Note is a horror mystery/thriller based on the famous Japanese manga written by Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata. Wingard has proven he is a talented director and although I am not very familiar with the manga this movie is based on, the trailers look pretty damn good. The cast includes Nat Wolff, Lakeith Stanfield, Margaret Qualley, and Willem Dafoe. Check out the official trailers below!

Ted Takes Fun Facts, Death Note:

• Right before going into production, Warner Bros dropped the project. Since Adam Wingard was passionate about the project, the studio let him move the film into another platform, with Netflix buying the rights.
• Producer Roy Lee stated that the film is "definitely for adults. It has a zero chance it will get below an R-rating." He also stated that it "will be one of the first manga adaptations that feels very grounded but still has fantastical elements."

Birth of the Dragon

Director George Nolfi

Genre Action | Biography | Drama

Cast Billy Magnnussen, Philip Ng, Terry Chen, Teresa Navarro

Rating PG-13

Release Date August 25th, 2017

“Young Bruce Lee is trying to make a name for himself while working as a martial arts instructor in 1964 San Francisco. When Lee meets Wong Jack Man, he challenges the kung fu master to a no-holds-barred fight that became the stuff of legend.”

From director George Nolfi, Birth of the Dragon is the story of a young Bruce Lee, who would become one of the greatest martial artists of all-time. The cast includes Billy Magnnussen, Philip Ng, Terry Chen, and Teresa Navarro. Check out the official trailer below!!

Ted Takes Film Facts, Birth of the Dragon:

• The original cut of the movie was so poorly received by audiences that the film had to be extensively re-edited in a desperate attempt to please fans by removing many scenes of Billy Magnussen and focusing more on Philip Ng as Bruce Lee.
• The character of Steve McKee was based on actor Steve McQueen who studied with Bruce Lee in the late 1960s.

Crown Heights

Director Matt Ruskin

Genre Drama

Cast Lakeith Stanfield, Nestor Carbonell, Adriane Lenoz, Nnamdi Asomugha

Rating R

Release Date August 25th, 2017 (Limited)

“When Colin Warner is wrongfully convicted of murder, his best friend Carl King devotes his life to proving Colin’s innocence.”

Written and directed by Matt Ruskin (Booster), Crown Heights is a drama based on true events, chronicling the life of an 18-year old wrongfully convicted of murder. The cast includes Lakeith Stanfield, Nestor Carbonell, Adriane Lenox, and Nnamdi Asomugha. Check out the exclusive new trailer below!!

Ted Takes Fun Facts, Crown Heights:

• Keith Stanfield and Bryan Tyree Henry star in the FX series Atlanta
• Now an actor, Nnamdi Asomugha is a former all-pro NFL defensive back, and is proving to have quite the talent in a very difficult industry. He plays a pivotal role in this film.

Beach Rats

Director Eliza Hittman

Genre Drama

Cast Harris Dickinson, Madeline Weinstein, Kate Hodge, Neal Huff

Rating R

Release Date August 25th, 2017

“An aimless teenager on the outer edges of Brooklyn struggles to escape his bleak home life and navigate questions of self-identity, as he balances his time between his delinquent friends, a potential new girlfriend, and older men he meets online.”

Written and directed by Eliza Hittman, Beach Rats is a coming-of-age drama about a teen struggling with his identity and trying to find his place in life. The cast includes Harris Dickinson, Madeline Weinstein, Kate Hodge, and Neal Huff. Check out the official trailer below!!

Ted Takes Fun Facts, Beach Rats:

• The film made its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival on January 23rd, 2017.

The Hitman's Bodyguard

Director Patrick Hughes

Genre Action | Comedy

Cast Ryan Reynolds, Samuel L. Jackson, Salma Hayek, Gary Oldman

Rating R

Release Date August 18th, 2017

“The world’s top bodyguard gets a new client, a hit man who must testify at the International Court of Justice. They must put their differences aside and work together to make it to the trial on time.”

Directed by Patrick Hughes (Red Hill, The Expendables 3), The Hitman's Bodyguard looks to be a fun action comedy similar to last years hit The Nice Guy's. At least that's what I am hoping anyway! The cast includes Ryan Reynolds, Samuel L. Jackson, Salma Hayek, and Gary Oldman. Check out the official trailers below!!

Ted Takes Fun Facts, The Hitman's Bodyguard:

• The movie poster showing Ryan Reynolds carrying Samuel L. Jackson is a spoof of the poster for the 1992 film "The Bodyguard" where Kevin Costner is carrying Whitney Houston.
• During the trailer the song from the movie "The Bodyguard" from 1992 plays in the background. The movie poster from both films share similarities.
• A video of its filming in Amsterdam turned up on social media networks showing a car chase. A Porsche Cayenne is shown crashing into a Smart and pushing it in the water. The video went viral and the story changed to it being a stolen car in a real chase.

Logan Lucky

Director Steven Soderbergh

Genre Comedy

Cast Channing Tatum, Adam Driver, Daniel Craig, Riley Keough

Rating PG-13

Release Date August 18th, 2017

“Two brothers attempt to pull off a heist during a NASCAR race in North Carolina.”

From director Steven Soderbergh, the man behind Oceans Eleven, Twelve, and Thirteen, as well as Haywire, Magic Mike, and Side Effects, Logan Lucky is a goofy heist flick with a fantastic cast. The cast includes Channing Tatum, Adam Driver, Daniel Craig, and Riley Keough. Check out the official trailer below!!

Ted Takes Fun Facts, Logan Lucky:

• Will be the first movie directed by Steven Soderbergh since announcing his retirement from film. The last being Behind the Candelabra (2013).
• Michael Shannon and Matt Damon were a part of the cast. Both dropped out due to scheduling conflicts.
• Channing Tatum's fourth collaboration with Director Steven Soderbergh. The others being Haywire (2011), Magic Mike (2012), and Side Effects (2013). Riley Keough also starred in Magic Mike.

Shot Caller

Director Ric Roman Waugh

Genre Crime | Drama | Thriller

Cast Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Jon Bernthal, Lake Bell, Emory Cohen

Rating R

Release Date August 18th, 2017 (Limited)

“A newly released prison gangster is forced by the leaders of his gang to orchestrate a major crime with a brutal rival gang on the streets of Southern California.”

Written and directed by Ric Roman Waugh (Felon, Snitch), Shot Caller is a crime drama about a gangster newly released from prison who gets forced back into the life. I have been waiting patiently for this trailer to release after stumbling across this film while browsing Emory Cohen's upcoming projects on IMDb. I'm pretty excited to check it out once it becomes available. The cast includes Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, (Jaime Lannister in Game of Thrones), Jon Bernthal, Lake Bell, and Emory Cohen. Check out the official trailer below!!

Ted Takes Fun Facts, Shot Caller:

• Second collaboration between Jon Bernthal & Benjamin Bratt, Snitch (2013).
• Scheduled to premiere at the Los Angeles Film Festival on June 16, 2017.
• The film's release was postponed due to Relativity Media filing Bankruptcy in July 2015, Saban Film's then acquired U.S. distribution rights in April 2017.

Patti Cake$

Director Geremy Jasper

Genre Drama

Cast Danielle Macdonald, Bridget Everett, Siddharth Dhananjay, Mamoudou Athie

Rating R

Release Date August 18th, 2017 (Limited)

“PATTI CAKE$ is centered on aspiring rapper Patricia Dombrowski, a.k.a. Killa P, a.k.a. Patti Cake$ who is fighting an unlikely quest for glory in her downtrodden hometown in New Jersey.”

Written and directed by Geremy Jasper, his full-length film directorial debut, Patti Cake$ is a infectious drama about real-life struggle and what it takes to follow your dreams. The film has received widespread critic praise from film festival's and the trailer certainly has me intrigued. The cast includes Danielle Macdonald, Bridget Everett, Siddharth Dhananjay, and Mamoudou Athie. Check out the official trailer below!! 

The Defenders

Genre Action | Adventure | Crime

Cast Mike Colter, Charlie Cox, Krysten Ritter, Finn Jones

Rating TV-MA

Series Premiere August 18th, 2017 (Netflix)

“Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, and Iron Fist team up to fight crime in New York City.”

An exclusive Netflix series, The Defenders brings together fan favorites Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, Daredevil, and Iron Fist, to fight crime in the big apple (NYC). I have really enjoyed the stand alone shows and if the newly released official trailer is any indication, this should be pretty damn good!! The cast includes Mike Colter (Luke Cage), Charlie Cox (Daredevil), Krysten Ritter (Jessica Jones), and Finn Jones (Iron Fist). Check out the trailer for yourself below.

Ted Takes Fun Facts, The Defenders:

• In this series, the founding members of the Defenders are Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage and Iron Fist. In the comics the Defenders were formed by the Incredible Hulk, Doctor Strange, Silver Surfer and Namor the Sub-Mariner.
•  One of the trailers shows black and white security camera footage of the four defenders in a light with a time stamp in the top right corner. The time says 8:18 in hours and minutes. This is a reference to the release date of August 18th.

Lemon

Director Janicza Bravo

Genre Comedy | Drama

Cast Brett Gelman, Judy Greer, Michael Cera, Gillian Jacobs

Rating Unrated

Release Date August 18th, 2017 (Limited)

“A man watches his life unravel after he is left by his girlfriend of 10 years”

Directed and co-written by Janicza Bravo, Lemon is a indie dramedy (comedy/drama) about a man who's life falls apart after his girlfriend of 10 years decides to leave him. The cast includes Brett Gelman, Judy Greer, Michael Cera, and Gillian Jacobs. Check out the official trailer below!!

Ted Takes Fun Facts, Lemon:

• Writer/director Janicza Bravo and writer/actor Brett Gelman are married in real life. When the movie premiered, their families - that are portrayed quite dysfunctional in the movie - hadn't seen the film yet.

6 Days

Director Toa Fraser

Genre Action | Drama

Cast Abbie Cornish, Mark Strong, Jamie Bell, Emun Elliott

Rating R

Release Date August 18th, 2017 (Limited)

“In April 1980, armed gunmen stormed the Iranian Embassy in Princes Gate, London and took all inside hostage. Over the next six days a tense standoff took place, all the while a group of highly trained soldiers from the SAS prepared for a raid the world had never seen the likes of.”

From director Toa Fraser, 6 Days is an action drama based on a 1980 hostage crisis. The cast includes Abbie Cornish, Mark Strong, Jamie Bell, and Emun Elliott. Check out the official trailer below!! 

Ted Takes Fun Facts, 6 Days:

• Rusty Firmin was the technical advisor on the film, he served 15 years in the SAS and led blue team who went in through the library at the back of the embassy. He also wrote a book about the siege entitled "Go, Go, Go!".

Marjorie Prime

Director Michael Almereyda

Genre Comedy | Drama | Mystery

Cast Jon Hamm, Geena Davis, Tim Robbins, Lois Smith

Rating Unrated

Release Date August 18th, 2017 (Limited)

“A service that provides holographic recreations of deceased loved ones and allows a man to come face-to-face with the younger version of his late father-in-law.”

Co-written and directed by Michael Almereyda (Experimenter, Hamlet), Marjorie Prime is a sci-fi comedy drama based on Jordan Harrison's Pulitzer-nominated play, exploring memory and identity, love and loss. The trailer looks great and early critic and user feedback has been mostly positive, with the general consensus being that this is a very unique experience. The cast includes Jon Hamm, Geena Davis, Tim Robbins, and Lois Smith. Check out the official trailer below!!

Gook

Director Justin Chon

Genre Drama

Cast Simone Baker, Justin Chon, Curtiss Cook Jr., David So

Rating Unrated

Release Date August 18th, 2017 (Limited)

“Eli and Daniel, two Korean American brothers, own a struggling shoe store and have an unlikely friendship with Kamilla, a street wise 11-year-old African American girl.”

Written and directed by actor Justin Chon, his 2nd feature-film, Gook is a powerful drama based on an unlikely relationship formed during a racially charged time in our history. After watching the trailer I am pretty excited as this looks like it could be the most powerful film of 2017 thus far. The cast includes Simone Baker, Justin Chon, Curtiss Cook Jr., and David So. Check out the official trailers below!!

Ted Takes Fun Facts, Gook:

• Justin Chon was 11 years old at the time of the Rodney King L.A. riots.

What Happened to Monday

Director Tommy Wirkola

Genre Sci-Fi | Thriller

Cast Noomi Rapace, Willem Dafoe, Glenn Close, Robert Wagner

Rating Unrated

Release Date August 18th, 2017 (Netflix)

“In a world where families are limited to one child due to overpopulation, a set of identical septuplets must avoid being put to a long sleep by the government and dangerous infighting while investigating the disappearance of one of their own.”

From director Tommy Wirkola (Dead Snow, Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters). What Happened to Monday is a sci-fi thriller set in the future during a time when families are only allowed one child due to overpopulation issues. The cast includes Noomi Rapace, Willem Dafoe, Glenn Close, and Robert Wagner. The film will release exclusively on Netflix August 18th. Check out the official trailer below!!

Ted Takes Fun Facts, What Happened to Monday:

• Filmed in only 94 days and shot entirely in Romania.
• Actress Noomi Rapace and her ex-husband chose the surname "Rapace" as opposed to taking the others name. Rapace means "bird of prey" in French and Italian.

Annabelle: Creation

Director David F. Sandberg

Genre Horror | Mystery | Thriller

Cast Stephanie Sigman, Miranda Otto, Lulu Wilson, Javier Botet

Rating R

Release Date August 11th, 2017

“Several years after the tragic death of their little girl, a dollmaker and his wife welcome a nun and several girls from a shuttered orphanage into their home, soon becoming the target of the dollmaker’s possessed creation, Annabelle.”

From director David F. Sandberg who brought us the horror gem Lights Out, Annabelle: Creation is the next film in the "Conjuring universe" that tells the origin story for the Annabelle doll. The first Annabelle film fell well short of expectations but after watching this trailer I think horror fans are in for a treat. I can't wait!! The cast includes Miranda Otto, Javier Botet, Stephanie Sigman, and Lulu Wilson. Check out the newly released official trailer below.

Ted Takes Fun Facts, Annabelle: Creation:

• Originally scheduled to be released on May 19, 2017, but was moved to August 11, 2017 to avoid competition with Alien: Covenant (2017).
• Alicia Vela-Bailey previously collaborated with David F. Sandberg on Lights Out (2016).

Need more?! Another trailer just released, check it out below!

The Glass Castle

Director Destin Daniel Cretton

Genre Biography | Drama

Cast Brie Larson, Naomi Watts, Woody Harrelson, Sarah Snook

Rating PG-13

Release Date August 11th, 2017

“A young girl comes of age in a dysfunctional family of nonconformist nomads with a mother who’s an eccentric artist and an alcoholic father who would stir the children’s imagination with hope as a distraction to their poverty.”

Directed by Destin Daniel Cretton and based on the memoir of Jeannette Walls, The Glass Castle is a powerful biography drama with a spectacular cast, including Brie Larson, Naomi Watts, Woody Harrelson, and Sarah Snook. Check out the official trailer below!!

Ted Takes Fun Facts, The Glass Castle: 

• Jennifer Lawrence was attached to star and produce the movie for a long period of time but dropped out. Brie Larson was cast in the lead role after Lawrence dropped out.
• Brie Larson's second collaboration with director Destin Daniel Cretton. She previously starred in his 2013 feature "Short Term 12."
• Based on a true story about a family on the run from the government, often hiding in small towns, living in poverty

The Nut Job 2: Nutty by Nature

Director Cal Brunker

Genre Animation | Adventure | Comedy

Cast Will Arnett, Katherine Heigl, Maya Rudolph, Jackie Chan

Rating PG

Release Date August 11th, 2017

“Following the events of the first film, Surly and his friends must stop Oakton City’s mayor from destroying their home to make way for a dysfunctional amusement park.”

Directed and co-written by Cal Brunker, mostly known as a storyboard artist who worked on films such as The Secret Life of Pets, ratchet & Clank, Minions, Despicable Me etc, The Nut Job 2: Nutty by Nature is a follow-up to the successful 2014 animated film. The talented cast of voice actors includes Will Arnett, Katherine Heigl, Maya Rudolph, and Jackie Chan. Check out the official trailers below!!

Ingrid Goes West

Director Matt Spicer

Genre Comedy | Drama

Cast Aubrey Plaza, Elizabeth Olsen, O'Shea Jackson Jr., Wyatt Russell

Rating R

Release Date August 11th, 2017

“An unhinged social media stalker moves to LA and insinuates herself into the life of an Instagram star.”

The feature-film directorial debut for Matt Spicer, Ingrid Goes West is an over the top comedy drama about an obsessed fan who just so happens to have some significant mental issues. Ingrid Goes West premiered at Sundance Film Festival and has received decent critic endorsement thus far. The cast includes Aubrey Plaza, Elizabeth Olsen, O'Shea Jackson Jr., and Wyatt Russell. Check out the official trailers below!

Ted Takes Fun Facts, Ingrid Goes West:

• The production was delayed by some setbacks when director Matt Spicer accidentally walked through a sliding glass door after yelling "cut" and gaffers had to remove fragments of glass from his arm with duct tape. At one point the production had to evacuate their location due to the raging Santa Clarita brush fires in L.A. county.
• Considering the theme of the film, actor Wyatt Russell does not, ironically, participate in social media at all.

Good Time

Director Ben Safdie, Joshua Safdie

Genre Crime | Drama

Cast Robert Pattinson, Ben Safdie, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Barkhad Abdi

Rating Unrated

Release Date August 11th, 2017

“Constantine “Connie” Nikas goes through a dangerous and desperate journey to get his brother out of jail after a bank robbery goes wrong, while also trying to keep himself from law’s reach.”

Directed by brothers Ben and Joshua Safdie, Good Time is a crime drama revolving around the lengths a person will go to protect those they love. I have yet to come across a film distributed by A24 that I didn't like so I look forward to giving this one a fair shake. The cast includes Robert Pattinson, Ben Safdie, Jennifer Jason Leigh, and Barkhad Abdi. Check out the official trailers below!!

The Only Living Boy in New York

Director Marc Webb

Genre Drama

Cast Callum Turner, Kate Beckinsale, Jeff Bridges, Pierce Brosnan

Rating R

Release Date August 11th, 2017

“Adrift in New York City, a recent college graduate’s life is upended by his father’s mistress.”

From director Mark Webb (500 Days of Summer, The Amazing Spider-Man, Gifted), The Only Living Boy in New York is a drama about a recent college graduates life being turned upside down by his father's seemingly unstable mistress. The cast includes Callum Turner, Kate Beckinsale, Jeff Bridges, and Pierce Brosnan. Check out the official trailer below!!

Ted Takes Fun Facts, The Only Living Boy in New York:

• The title is taken from a Paul Simon song.
• Second film to be directed by Marc Webb being released in 2017. The first was "Gifted" in April.