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.

Fun Mom Dinner

Director Althea Jones

Genre Comedy

Cast Katie Aselton, Toni Collette, Molly Shannon, Bridget Everett

Rating R

Release Date August 4th, 2017 (Limited) 

“Four moms whose only common ground is their kids’ preschool class, decide to get together for a harmless “fun mom dinner.””

Fun Mom Dinner is the feature-film directorial debut for Althea Jones, and is written by Julie Rudd, the wife of successful actor Paul Rudd. The film has a premise similar to that of Bad Moms, but doesn't seem to be quite as raunchy as far as I can tell. The trailer is also rather restrained, but considering the film is rated R I expect an unrated Red Band trailer to surface at some point. The cast includes Katie Aselton, Toni Collette, Molly Shannon, and Bridget Everett. Check out the exclusive new trailer below!

Sharknado 5: Global Swarming

Director Anthony C. Ferrante

Genre Horror | Sci-Fi

Cast Dolph Lundren, Tara Reid, Olivia Newton-John, Masiela Lusha

Rating TV-14

Release Date Sunday, August 6th, 2017 (SyFy Network)

“With much of America lying in ruins, the rest of the world braces for a global sharknado, Fin and his family must travel around the world to stop them.”

The cult classic Sharknado is making its return with Sharknado 5: Global Swarming, and fans will rejoice on August 6th!! The cast includes Dolph Lundren, Tara Reid, Olivia Newton-John, and Masiela Lusha. Check out the trailers below!!

Ted Takes Fun Facts, Sharknado: Global Swarming:

• Aired as the last of six original films in SyFy's 2017 "Sharknado Week" lineup.

The Dark Tower

Director Nikolaj Arcel

Genre Action | Adventure | Fantasy

Cast Tom Taylor, Idris Elba, Matthew McConaughey, Abbey Lee

Rating PG-13

Release Date August 4th, 2017

“The Gunslinger, Roland Deschain, roams an Old West-like landscape where “the world has moved on” in pursuit of the man in black. Also searching for the fabled Dark Tower, in the hopes that reaching it will preserve his dying world.”

From director Nikolaj Arcel (King's Game, A Royal Affair), The Dark Tower is based on Stephen King's best-selling novel, and is considered one of the authors best works of his illustrriois career by many fans. The trailer looks amazing and I can't wait for this release, I might need to check out the book myself. The cast includes Tom Taylor, Idris Elba, Matthew McConaughey, and Abbey Lee. Check out the newly released official trailer for the highly anticipated film below!!

Ted Takes Fun Facts, The Dark Tower:

• The Dark Tower is a series of eight books which span an entire connected universe which links several other books and stories by Stephen King, including Bag of Bones, The Talisman, Black House, The Stand, Everything's Eventual, From a Buick 8, Hearts in Atlantis, Insomnia, The Eyes of the Dragon and 'Salem's Lot, with minor references to It and The Mist.
• Stephen King sold the film rights to The Dark Tower for $19.19. This is a significant, recurring number in later books in the series.

The official international trailer #2 is here!! Check it out below.

Kidnap

Director Luis Prieto

Genre Thriller

Cast Halle Berry, Robert Walker Branchaud, Dana Gourrier, Lew Temple

Rating R

Release Date August 4th, 2017

“A mother stops at nothing to recover her kidnapped son.”

Directed by Luis Prieto, Kidnap is an intense thriller starring Halle Berry, Robert Walker Branchaud, Dana Gourrier, and Lew Temple. Check out the official trailer below.

Detroit

Director Kathryn Bigelow

Genre Drama | History | Thriller

Cast Anthony Mackie, John Boyega, John Krasinski, Will Poulter

Rating R

Release Date August 4th, 2017

“A police raid in Detroit in 1967 results in one of the largest citizen uprisings in the United States’ history.”

From Academy Award winning director Kathryn Bigelow, who directed hit films The Hurt Locker and Zero Dark Thirty, Detroit is an intense drama based on the largest citizen uprising in United States history. Zero Dark Thirty was fantastic and The Hurt Locker is one of my favorite war films so I cannot wait for this!! The cast includes Anthony Mackie, John Boyega, John Krasinski, and Will Poulter. Check out the official trailers below!!

Ted Takes Fun Facts, Detroit:

• A set depicting Detroit 1967 was also built in Brockton, Massachusetts, right at the site of the Liberty Tree, a sycamore planted in 1863 which marked a stop on the Underground Railroad where, during the Civil War, slaves on their way north to freedom were hidden during the day in the stables of Edward Bennett so they could travel at night under the cover of darkness. Filming took place here during September 2016.
• This is the third collaboration between director Kathryn Bigelow and screenwriter Mark Boal. The first two were Zero Dark Thirty (2012) and The Hurt Locker (2009). Both Bigelow and Boal won Oscars for The Hurt Locker, including Best Picture.

Wind River

Director Taylor Sheridan

Genre Action | Crime | Thriller

Cast Jeremy Renner, Elizabeth Olsen, Graham Greene, Jon Bernthal

Rating R

Release Date August 4th, 2017

“An FBI agent teams with the town’s veteran game tracker to investigate a murder that occurred on a Native American reservation.”

Written and directed by actor turned writer/director Taylor Sheridan (Vile), Wind River is a crime thriller with a very talented cast. The talented Sheridan previously penned the script for the Oscar winning drama Hell or High Water. The cast includes Jeremy Renner, Elizabeth Olsen, Graham Greene, and Jon Bernthal. Check out the official trailers below!!

Ted Takes Fun Facts, Wind River:

• The project was announced with Chris Pine and Elizabeth Olsen in the lead roles. Pine eventually dropped out and was replaced by Jeremy Renner.
• Taylor Sheridan's first screenplay which he didn't write on spec. Sicario and Hell or High Water were written on spec.
• Filmed on location in Park City, Utah. Coincidentally, the film would go on to have its world premiere in Park City at the 2017 Sundance Film Festival.

Columbus

Director Kogonada

Genre Comedy | Drama | Romance

Cast John Cho, Haley Lu Richardson, Parker Posey, Rory Culkin

Rating Unrated

Release Date August 4th, 2017 (Limited)

“A Korean-born man finds himself stuck in Columbus, Indiana, where his architect father is in a coma. The man meets a young woman who wants to stay in Columbus with her mother, a recovering addict, instead of pursuing her own dreams.”

Directed by Kogonada, who is known for his widely acclaimed video essays, Columbus is an infectious indie romantic drama that critics have been raving about. Admittedly I hadn't even heard of this film until recently, but the trailer is amazing and I really like John Cho (most well known for Harold & Kumar) and Haley Lu Richardson, who was amazing in Edge of Seventeen. This will be a limited release but I hope to check it out sooner than later!! The cast includes i, Check out the official trailer below.

Ted Takes Fun Facts, Columbus:

• The film takes place and is named after Columbus, Indiana, which is known for its unique modern architecture, and is known as "The Athens on the Prairie".
• Columbus, Indiana is the childhood home of Vice President Mike Pence.

The Sinner

Genre Thriller

Cast Jessica Biel, Bill Pullman, Christopher Abbott, Robert Funaro

Rating TV-MA

Series Premiere Wednesday August 2nd, 2017 10:00 PM EST (USA Network)

“A young mother stabs a man to death, in front of dozens of witnesses, without motive or explanation.”

Written and directed by Derek Simonds, The Sinner is based on the international best selling book of the same name, written by Petra Hammesfahr. The show is of the "whydunit" as opposed to the traditional "whodunit", and chronicles the apparent unraveling of a woman with a dark past. The trailer is INTENSE and I am a sucker for crime dramas so I am looking forward to checking this one out. The cast includes Jessica Biel, Bill Pullman, Christopher Abbott, and Robert Funaro. The show will premiere on USA August 2nd at 10:00 pm EST. Check out the official trailer below!

Ted Takes Fun Facts, The Sinner:

• Premiered during the TriBeCa Film Festival April 25, 2017.

Atomic Blonde

Director David Leitch

Genre Action | Mystery | Thriller

Cast Charlize Theron, James McAvoy, Eddie Marsan, John Goodman

Rating R

Release Date July 28th, 2017

“An undercover MI6 agent is sent to Berlin during the Cold War to investigate the murder of a fellow agent and recover a missing list of double agents.”

From director/stunt coordinator David Leitch, who contributed to the directing of John Wick and is slated to direct the highly anticipated Deadpool sequel, Atomic Blonde looks like it could be the female version of John Wick and just as brutal. Sign me up! The cast includes Charlize Theron, James McAvoy, Eddie Marsan, and John Goodman. Check out the badass official trailers below.

Ted Takes Fun Facts, Atomic Blonde:

• The movie is based on Antony Johnston's 2012 graphic novel The Coldest City.
• Charlize Theron spent five years developing this project, and cracked two teeth during filming.
• Before filming resumed, James McAvoy broke his hand on the set of Split (2016) and had to endure all his action scenes of "Atomic Blonde" with his imperfect hand-condition.
• Charlize Theron had eight personal trainers help her overcome the intense psychical performance. She also trained with Keanu Reeves who was preparing for John Wick: Chapter 2 (2017).

Need more?! Check out the newly released official trailer #2 below!!

Check out the newly released final trailer below!!

Room 104

Genre Comedy | Drama

Cast Davie-Blue, Spencer Garrett, Will Tranfo

Rating TV-MA

Series Premiere Friday July 28th, 2017 11:30 PM EST (HBO)

“Set in a single room of an average American hotel, Room 104, which tells a different story of the assorted guests who pass through it.”

From creators Mark Duplass and Jay Duplass, Room 104 is a unique comedy drama surrounding the events that take place inside one motel room involving the variety of guests that accompany it. HBO rarely misses on a series and I like the unique structure, reminds me of a anthology type film almost. Also, the trailers look pretty awesome! Some of the cast includes Davie-Blue, Spencer Garrett, and Will Tranfo. Check out the trailers for yourself below!!

Ted Takes Fun Facts. HBO's Room 104:

• David Lynch and Monty Montgomery attempted a similar, albeit more 'them' version of this idea - oddly enough ALSO on HBO - back in 1993. Their idea, known as Hotel Room, lasted one, three-part, episode with a different cast for each, set in room number 603 of the New York City-based "Railroad Hotel", in the years 1969, 1992, and 1936, respectively. The three episodes were created to be shown together in the form of a feature-length pilot. Unfortunately the reception was very lukewarm and it was not picked up for further production.

The Emoji Movie

Director Tony Leondis

Genre Animation | Comedy | Family

Cast T.J. Miller, James Corden, Ilana Glazer, Steven Wright

Rating PG

Release Date July 28th, 2017

“Gene, a muli-expressional emoji, sets out on a journey to become a normal emoji.”

From director Tony Leondis,  The Emoji Movie is an animated take on the "social media" generation. Most people today use the aforementioned emoji's to express how they are feeling or to simply add a little flavor to a text message or social media post. It is too early to tell whether or not this film will be of the raunchy variety similar to Sausage Party, but considering the director I expect a film with a PG-13 rating with content more than okay for kids but geared towards adults. The cast of voice actors includes T.J. Miller, James Corden, Ilana Glazer, and Steven Wright. Check out the teaser trailer below. 

Check out the official full length trailer below!!

Brigsby Bear

Director Dave McCary

Genre Comedy | Drama

Cast Mark Hamill, Claire Danes, Kyle Rooney, Greg Kinnear

Rating PG-13

Release Date July 28th, 2017 (Limited)

“After being freed from the kidnappers he thought were his parents, a man sets out to make a movie of the only TV show he has ever known.”

Directed by Dave McCary, Brigsby Bear is a unique indie comedy drama about a young man attempting to recreate a TV show that meant everything to him during his childhood. The cast includes Mark Hamill, Claire Danes, Kyle Rooney, and Greg Kinnear. Check out the official trailers below!!

Ted Takes Fun Facts, Brigsby Bear:

• Following the world premiere at Sundance Film Festival 2017 at the Eccles theatre during the Q&A, the cast were asked what attracted them to the project. Mark Hamill talked about how much he liked the script and the originality of the story, but also joked: 'Also, I actually had lines. You know, that's always a bonus for me'. This is a reference to the fact that all of his lines were cut from Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015).
• Extremely talented actor/writer/director/producer Kevin Smith has stated that this is his favorite film of 2017 so far.

2017 Oscar Nominees

Check out the previews & exclusive trailers for the 2017 Oscar Nominated films. Who do you think deserves the gold?! Let us know in the comments section.

Be sure to watch the 89th Annual Academy Awards show LIVE on Sunday, February 26th 7:00 PM EST on ABC.

Ballers Season 3

Genre Comedy | Drama | Sport

Cast Dwayne Johnson, Rob Corddry, John David Washington, Troy Garity

Rating TV-MA

Series Premiere Sunday July 23rd, 2017 10:00 PM EST (HBO)

“A series centered around a group of football players and their families, friends, and handlers.”

Ballers is returning for its 3rd season, following the up and down careers of two sports agents trying to make it big. The show doesn't have as much of an edge as I wish it did, but it is still very entertaining and full of eye candy so I am looking forward to this new season. The cast includes Dwayne Johnson, Rob Corddry, John David Washington, Troy Garity, and a number of professional athlete cameos. Check out the official trailer for season 3 below!!

Ted Takes Fun Facts, HBO's Ballers:

• Dwayne Johnson was the first and only choice for the lead.
• Dwayne Johnson was a college football player himself for the University of Miami in the 1990s. He can be seen in his playing uniform in the beginning of opening credits.
• John David Washington is the son of two-time Academy Award-winning actor Denzel Washington. He also played professional football as a runningback for the St. Louis Rams in the NFL and in the defunct United Football League. He is an alumni of Morehouse College where he was also a star player on the football team.

Menashe

Director Joshua Z Weinstein

Genre Drama

Cast Menashe Lustig, Yoel Falkowitz

Rating PG

Release Date July 28th, 2017 (Limited)

“Within Brooklyn’s ultra-orthodox Jewish community, a widower battles for custody of his son. A tender drama performed entirely in Yiddish, the film intimately explores the nature of faith and the price of parenthood.”

From director Joshua Z Weinstein, Menashe is a drama that takes place in the ultra-orthodox Jewish community in Brooklyn, New York. I'm not a huge fan of films with subtitles but this is one that I would be more than willing to give a try. The credited cast includes Menashe Lustig and Yoel Falkowitz. Check out the official trailer below. 

A Family Man

Director Mark Williams

Genre Drama

Cast Alison Brie, Gerard Butler, Willem Dafoe, Gretchen Mol

Rating R

Release Date July 28th, 2017 (Limited & On-Demand)

“A Chicago personnel recruiter is hungry to stay on top of his competitive profession, but when his son is diagnosed with cancer, his priorities are called into question.”

Director Mark Williams directorial debut, A Family Man is a drama about a family and their struggle trying to find a work life balance while dealing with a real-life tragedy. The cast includes Alison Brie, Gerard Butler, Willem Dafoe, and  Gretchen Mol. Check out the official trailer below!

Ted Takes Fun Facts, A Family Man:

• Screenplay writer Bill Dubuque's wrote the story for the film in November 2012 under the title "The Headhunter's Calling" which remained its title until late January of 2017, in early February of 2017 it's distributor Voltage Pictures renamed the film "A Family Man".
• Is the 1st time ever that both Gerard Butler and Willem Dafoe have starred in a movie together.