Annihilation

Director Alex Garland

Genre Adventure | Drama | Fantasy

Cast Natalie Portman, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Tessa Thompson, Oscar Isaac

Rating R

Release Date February 23rd, 2018

“A biologist signs up for a dangerous, secret expedition where the laws of nature don’t apply.”

Co-written and directed by Alex Garland who had a successful directorial debut with the sci-fi thriller Ex Machina, Annihilation is an action adventure fantasy based on the novel by Jeff VanderMeer, about a biologist who signs up for a secret and very dangerous expedition. The cast includes Natalie Portman, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Tessa Thompson, and Oscar Isaac. Check out the official trailers below!!  

Ted Takes Fun Facts, Annihilation:

• Based on the first book in the Southern Reach trilogy.
• Oscar Issac and Sonoya Mizuno previously starred together in Ex Machina, written and directed by Alex Garland.

Mute

Director Duncan Jones

Genre Mystery | Sci-Fi | Thriller

Cast Alexander Skarsgård, Paul Rudd, Justin Theroux, Seyneb Saleh

Rating Unrated

Release Date February 23rd, 2018 (Netflix)

“A mute bartender goes up against his city’s gangsters in an effort to find out what happened to his missing partner.”

From director Duncan Jones (Source Code, Warcraft: The Beginning), Mute is a sci-fi thriller about a mute bartender who goes toe to toe with the city's gangsters in an effort to find out what happened to his partner. The cast includes Alexander Skarsgård, Paul Rudd, Justin Theroux, and Seyneb Saleh. Check out the official trailer below!!

Ted Takes Fun Facts, Mute:

• According to Duncan Jones, this movie is the first project he suggested to Sam Rockwell, but it was considered too big and thus "Moon" was made as the first movie.
• The film has been described by Jones as a "spiritual sequel" to his 2009 film Moon

Seven Seconds

Genre Crime | Drama

Cast Regina King, Russell Hornsby, Clare-Hope Ashitey

Rating Unrated

Series Premiere February 23rd, 2018 (Netflix)

“Tensions run high between African American citizens and Caucasian cops in Jersey City when a teenage African American boy is critically injured by a cop.”

Created by Veena Sud (Cold Case, The Killing), Seven Seconds is a crime drama about racial and political tension that boils over after a teenage African American boy is critically injured by a police officer in Jersey City. The cast includes Regina King, Russell Hornsby, and Clare-Hope Ashitey. Check out the official trailer below!!

The Cured

Director David Freyne

Genre Horror

Cast Ellen Page, Peter Campion, Tom Vaughan-Lawlor, Sam Keeley

Rating R

Release Date February 23rd, 2018 (Limited)

“A disease that turns people into zombies has been cured. The once-infected zombies are discriminated against by society and their own families, which causes social issues to arise. This leads to militant government interference.”

Written and directed by David Freyne, his feature film directorial debut, The Cured is a tense horror thriller about a zombie outbreak that is eventually cured, leading to a traumatic existence for those that survived the disease. The cast includes Ellen Page, Peter Campion, Tom Vaughan-Lawlor, and Sam Keeley. Check out the official trailer below!! 

Ted Takes Fun Facts, The Cured:

• Some of the scenes were filmed in the old Belfast victorian prison called the Crumlin jail.
• Lead actress Ellen Page bought the entire production crew pancakes on the final day of filming.

Every Day

Director Michael Sucsy

Genre Drama | Fantasy | Romance

Cast Angourie Rice, Justice Smith, Jeni Ross, Lucas Jade Zumann

Rating PG-13

Release Date February 23rd, 2018 (Limited)

“A shy teenager falls for someone who transforms into another person every day.”

From director Michael Sucsy (The Vow), Every Day is a drama romance  about a shy teenager that falls for someone who transforms into a different person every day. The cast includes Angourie Rice, Justice Smith, Jeni Ross, and Lucas Jade Zumann. Check out the official trailer below!!

Ted Takes Fun Facts, Every Day:

• This film is based off the young adult novel Every Day by David Levithan.
• Author David Levithan is the recipient of three Lambda Literary Awards, for his books Boy Meets Boy (2003), The Full Spectrum (2006), and Two Boys Kissing (2013).

Beast of Burden

Director Jesper Ganslandt

Genre Action | Crime | Drama

Cast Daniel Radcliffe, Grace Gummer, Pablo Schreiber, Robert Wisdom

Rating R

Release Date February 23rd, 2018 (Limited)

“Sean Haggerty only has an hour to deliver his illegal cargo. An hour to reassure a drug cartel, a hitman, and the DEA that nothing is wrong. An hour to make sure his wife survives. And he must do it all from the cockpit of his Cessna.”

From director Jesper Ganslandt (The Ape, Blondie), Beast of Burden is a edge-of-your seat thriller about a man who has an hour to accomplish the impossible. The cast includes Daniel Radcliffe, Grace Gummer, Pablo Schreiber, and Robert Wisdom. Check out the official trailer below!!

Black Panther

Director Ryan Coogler

Genre Action | Adventure | Sci-Fi

Cast Chadwick Boseman, Michael B. Jordan, Lupita Nyong'o, Martin Freeman

Rating PG-13

Release Date February 16th, 2018

“T’Challa, after the death of his father, the King of Wakanda, returns home to the isolated, technologically advanced African nation to succeed to the throne and take his rightful place as king.”

From one of my favorite young up-and-coming directors Ryan Coogler (Fruitvale Station, Creed), Black Panther is the highly anticipated Marvel film that fans have been holding their collective breaths for. The more I look at images from the film the more excited I get, this is going to be so damn good. The cast includes Chadwick Boseman, Michael B. Jordan, Lupita Nyong'o, and Martin Freeman. Check out the official and admittedly AMAZING trailers below!! You're welcome.

Ted Takes Fun Facts, Black Panther:

• Actor Wesley Snipes was once attached to play the lead in Black Panther during the 1990s when it was in development at Columbia Pictures. Snipes even wrote a script treatment for the movie.
• The Black Panther was created in July 1966, two months before the founding of the Black Panther Party.
• This will mark Director Ryan Coogler's third collaboration with actor Michael B. Jordan after Fruitvale Station (2013) and Creed (2015).

Early Man

Director Nick Park

Genre Animation | Adventure | Comedy

Cast Tom Hiddleston, Eddie Redmayne, Maisie Williams, Richard Ayoade

Rating PG

Release Date February 16th, 2018

“Set at the dawn of time, when prehistoric creatures and woolly mammoths roamed the earth, Early Man tells the story of Dug, along with sidekick Hognob as they unite his tribe against a mighty enemy Lord Nooth and his Bronze Age City to save their home.”

From director Nick Park (Chicken Run), Early Man is a animated comedy about a man named Dug who is trying to fight for his home during the dawn of time. The cast includes Tom Hiddleston, Eddie Redmayne, Maisie Williams, and Richard Ayoade. Check out the exclusive trailer below!!

Ted Takes Fun Facts, Early Man:

• This will mark the first feature film that Nick Park will have directed by himself. Chicken Run (2000) and The Curse of the Were-Rabbit (2005) he directed alongside Peter Lord and Steve Box respectively.
• Timothy Spall, Mark Williams and Eddie Redmayne all have played characters in the "Harry Potter" universe. Spall played Peter Pettigrew, Williams played Mr. Weasley, and Redmayne played Newt Scamander(in "Fantastic Beasts", the prequel to the HP series).

The Boy Downstairs

Director Sophie Brooks

Genre Comedy | Drama | Romance

Cast Zosia Mamet, Matthew Shear, Deirdre O'Connell, Sarah Ramos

Rating PG-13

Release Date February 16th, 2018 (Limited)

“A young woman is forced to reflect on her first relationship when she inadvertently moves into her ex-boyfriend’s apartment building.”

Written and directed by Sophie Brooks, her directorial debut, The Boy Downstairs is a romantic comedy about a young woman forced to relive her first relationship after inadvertently moving in to her ex-boyfriends apartment building. The cast includes Zosia Mamet (Girls), Matthew Shear, Deirdre O'Connell, and Sarah Ramos. Check out the official trailer below!! 

Irreplaceable You

Director Stephanie Laing

Genre Comedy | Drama | Romance

Cast Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Kate McKinnon, Claire Holt, Michael Huisman

Rating Unrated

Release Date February 16th, 2018 (Netflix)

“A couple who have known each other since 8 are destined to be together until death do them apart.”

From director Stephanie Laing, who served as a producer for HBO's Eastbound & Down, Veep, Vice Principals, and Divorce, Irreplaceable You is a romantic comedy drama about a couple that has been destined to be together since they were 8 years old until death threatens to rip them apart. The cast includes Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Kate McKinnon, Claire Holt, and Michael Huisman. Check out the official trailer below!!

Nostalgia

Director Mark Pellington

Genre Drama

Cast Jon Hamm, Katherine Keener, John Ortiz, Nick Offerman

Rating R

Release Date February 16th, 2018 (Limited)

“A mosaic of stories about love and loss, ‘Nostalgia’ explores our relationships to the objects, artifacts, and memories that shape our lives.”

Co-written and directed by Mark Pellington, Nostalgia is a drama that includes multiple stories that explore feelings and relationships that help shape our lives. Honestly, I have no idea what any of that stuff means BUT the cast includes Jon Hamm, Nick Offerman, and Bruce Dern, and the trailer looks pretty good, so count me in! The full cast includes Jon Hamm, Katherine Keener, John Ortiz, Nick Offerman, and Bruce Dern. Check out the official trailer below!!

The 15:17 to Paris

Director Clint Eastwood

Genre Drama | History

Cast Spencer Stone, Anthony Sadler, Alek Skarlatos, Judy Greer

Rating R

Release Date February 9th, 2018

“Three Americans discover a terrorist plot aboard a train while in France.”

From director Clint Eastwood, The 15:17 to Paris is a drama based on true events telling the story of the attempted terrorist attack on a train bound for Paris. I am a huge fan of Eastwood's work behind the camera so I am looking forward to checking this one out. The cast includes the real heroes Spencer Stone, Anthony Sadler, and Alek Skarlatos, as well as Judy Greer. Check out the official trailer below!!

Ted Takes Fun Facts, The 15:17 to Paris:

• The film is based on the book The 15:17 to Paris: The True Story of a Terrorist, a Train, and Three American Heroes.
• On July 11, 2017, it was announced that Eastwood had cast Sadler, Skarlatos and Stone as themselves in the film which will "begin during their childhood and show their friendship leading up to the moment that changed their lives".

Fifty Shades Freed

Director James Foley

Genre Drama

Cast Jamie Dornan, Dakota Johnson, Arielle Kebbel, Tyler Hoechlin

Rating R

Release Date February 9th, 2018

“Anastasia and Christian get married, but Jack Hyde continues to threaten their relationship.”

From director James Foley (House of Cards), Fifty Shades Freed is the 4th feature-film based on the steamy and explicit E.L. James novels. The cast includes Jamie Dornan, Dakota Johnson, Arielle Kebbel, and Tyler Hoechlin. Check out the official trailers below!!

Ted Takes Fun Facts, Fifty Shades Freed:

• There was talk that Jamie Dornan wouldn't reprise his role as Christian Grey but those rumors were put to rest as of February 25th 2015 when his agent stated he was devoted to the sequels.
• The third and final chapter of Fifty Shades Trilogy.
• This third installment will not have a two parter unlike the other best selling novel adapted film series such as Harry Potter, Twilight, The Hunger Games and The Divergent Series.

Peter Rabbit

Director Will Gluck

Genre Animation | Adventure | Comedy

Cast James Corden, Domhnall Gleeson, Margot Robbie, Daisy Ridley

Rating PG

Release Date February 9th, 2018

“Feature adaptation of Beatrix Potter’s classic tale of a rebellious rabbit trying to sneak into a farmer’s vegetable garden.”

Co-written and directed by Will Gluck (Easy A, Annie), Peter Rabbit is a live-action version of the popular children's story. The cast includes James Corden, Domhnall Gleeson, Margot Robbie, and Daisy Ridley. Check out the official trailers below!!

Ted Takes Fun Facts, Peter Rabbit:

• Margot Robbie and Domhnall Gleeson's third collaboration, following About Time (2013) and Goodbye Christopher Robin (2017).
• This is the first Sony Pictures Animation's live-action/animated hybrid film to be rated G by the MPAA.
• Originally Sam Neill was going to play Mr. McGregor as opposed to Domhnall Gleeson, but was busy filming for Thor: Ragnarok (2017).

When We First Met

Director Ari Sandel

Genre Comedy

Cast Adam Devine, Alexandra Daddario, Robbie Amell, Noureen DeWulf

Rating Unrated

Release Date February 9th, 2018 (Netflix)

“Noah spends the perfect first night with Avery, the girl of his dreams, but gets relegated to the friend zone. He spends the next three years wondering what went wrong - until he gets the unexpected chance to travel back in time and alter that night - and his fate - over and over again.”

From director Ari Sandel (The Duff), When We First Met is a romantic comedy about a man who lands in the friend zone after a first date with the girl of his dreams, and is later given the chance to travel back in time to have another chance at the date with hilarious results. The cast includes Adam Devine, Alexandra Daddario, Robbie Amell, and Noureen DeWulf. Check out the official trailer below!!

Ted Takes Fun Facts, When We First Met:

• Once Adam was cast as the lead, the producers asked him to look over the script and re-write it to suit to his comedy style.
• Described as being 500 Days of Summer (2009) meets Groundhog Day (1993).

The Cloverfield Paradox

Director Julius Onah

Genre Horror | Mystery | Sci-Fi

Cast Gugu Mbatha-Raw, David Oyelowo, Daniel Brühl, John Ortiz

Rating TV-MA

Release Date February 4th, 2018 (Netflix)

“Orbiting a planet on the brink of war, scientists test a device to solve an energy crisis, and end up face-to-face with a dark alternate reality.”

From director Julius Onah, The Cloverfield Paradox is the latest film in the Cloverfield franchise so it has some big shoes to fill. The cast includes Gugu Mbatha-Raw, David Oyelowo, Daniel Brühl, and John Ortiz. Check out the official trailer below!!

Ted Takes Fun Facts, The Cloverfield Paradox:

• The first trailer was released during Super Bowl LII (2018) the same night the actual film was released on Netflix.
• This film is confirmed to be the third installment of J.J. Abrams' Cloverfield series. However, it was first supposed to be a movie of its own called God Particle in which, during a war against Russia, a group of American astronauts find themselves at stake when they come upon the fact that Earth has dissappeared and that a Russian ship is trying to make contact with them.

The Ritual

Director David Bruckner

Genre Horror

Cast Rafe Spall, Robert James Collier, Sam Troughton, Arsher Ali

Rating Unrated

Release Date February 9th, 2018 (Netflix)

“A group of college friends reunite for a trip to the forest, but encounter a menacing presence in the woods that’s stalking them.”

From director David Bruckner (Southbound), The Ritual is a horror film based on the novel from Adam Nevill, about four men who decide to reunite during a trip to the forest, only they find that they are not alone in those woods. The cast includes Rafe Spall, Robert James Collier, Sam Troughton, and Arsher Ali. Check out the official trailer below!!

Ted Takes Film Facts, The Ritual:

• The original tagline that was used when advertising the film was 'They should have gone to Vegas'. But due to the massacre in Vegas that took place on 1st of October 2017, the tagline has now been changed to 'They should have gone to Ibiza'.
•  Despite being based on a novel written a few years before the films release, some scenes in the film are based 70's horror "rituals".

Victor Crowley

Director Adam Green

Genre Comedy | Horror

Cast Parry Shen, Kane Hodder, Laura Ortiz, David Sheridan

Rating Unrated

Release Date February 6th, 2018

“Ten years after the events of the original movie, Victor Crowley is mistakenly resurrected and proceeds to kill once more.”

Written and directed by Adam Green, the man who also wrote and directed Hatchet 1 & 2 (he didn't direct the third but did write the screenplay), as well as the brutal thriller Frozen, Victor Crowley is the return of the aforementioned deformed psychopath who is once again out to kill in the Louisiana swamps. As a huge fan of slasher films in general I actually own the first two Hatchet films and they are enjoyable movies, definitely campy and a little corny as expected, but overall pretty good. The movies are known for the brutal kills and I am looking forward to seeing what Green has up his sleeve this time around. The cast includes Parry Shen, Kane Hodder (as Victor Crowley), Laura Ortiz, and David Sheridan. Hodder is a bit of a horror icon having played Jason Voorhees in a number of Friday the 13th films as well as the new videogame, and he is a busy guy with over 120 acting credits according to his IMDb filmography. Check out the official trailer below!!

Ted Takes Fun Facts, Victor Crowley:

• During his heartfelt introductions at the Los Angeles and London premieres for this movie, Adam Green cited how his hero Wes Craven's death had effected him so strongly, that it brought him back to his own franchise again, and made him realize that the Hatchet franchise is one of his own biggest contributions to the genre. While Craven's death put the notion of returning to Hatchet in Green's mind, it was another of his heroes, George A. Romero, specifically telling him to make more Hatchet films for the fans, that solidified his decision to make a fourth film in the franchise. Romero passed away just thirty-seven days before the surprise unveiling of this movie on August 22, 2017, and Green stated that this movie would not exist if not for Romero's pep talk assuring him that what he did as a filmmaker mattered, and was needed for the genre

Seeing Allred

Director Roberta Grossman, Sophie Sartan

Genre Documentary

Cast Gloria Allred

Rating Unrated

Release Date February 9th, 2018 (Netflix)

“Women’s rights attorney Gloria Allred takes on the biggest names in American culture as coverage of sexual assault allegations in the media become more prevalent.”

“The documentary, which will make its world premiere at Sundance 2018, chronicles the life of the civil rights attorney and renowned feminist as she gives a candid narration of her career over the last 40 years, in which she overcame personal trauma and media scrutiny while defending women’s rights.”

— The Hollywood Reporter

Check out the official trailer for Seeing Allred below.

Still/Born

Director Brandon Christensen

Genre Horror | Thriller

Cast Christie Burke, Jesse Moss, Rebecca Olson, Jenn Griffin

Rating R

Release Date February 9th, 2018 (Limited)

“When a woman gives birth to twins, only one child survives. She begins to suspect that something supernatural has chosen her remaining child, and it will stop at nothing to take it from her.”

The directorial debut for Brandon Christensen, who also co-wrote the script, Still/Born is a horror thriller about a mother who finds herself desperately trying to protect her infant child from a supernatural force. It is quite the feat to find a quality horror film these days and the best ones always seem to be under the radar indie horrors and this one looks like it could be pretty damn good. The cast includes Christie Burke, Jesse Moss, Rebecca Olson, and Jenn Griffin. Check out the official trailer below!!

Ted Takes Fun Facts, Still/Born:

• World premiere screening was held at The Overlook Film Festival at Mount Hood, Oregon.
• The baby who plays Adam is director Brandon Christensen's niece, and the production of the film was scheduled around her birth.