Eighth Grade

Director Bo Burnham

Genre Comedy

Cast Elsie Fisher, Josh Hamilton, Emily Robinson, Imani Lewis

Rating Unrated

Release Date July 13th, 2018

“A teenager tries to survive the last week of her disastrous eighth-grade year before leaving to start high school.”

Written and directed by Bo Burnham, Eighth Grade is the story of a teenage girl trying to survive the last week of her disasterous eighth-grade year before leaving for high school. The cast includes Elsie Fisher, Josh Hamilton, Emily Robinson, and Imani Lewis. Check out the official trailer below!!

Ted Takes Fun Facts, Eighth Grade:

• Premiered at the 2018 Sundance Film Festival.

Shock and Awe

Director Rob Reiner

Genre Biography | Drama | History

Cast James Marsden, Woody Harrelson, Jessica Biel, Milla Jovovich

Rating R

Release Date July 13th, 2018 (Limited & On-Demand)

“A group of journalists covering George Bush’s planned invasion of Iraq in 2003 are skeptical of the president’s claim that Saddam Hussein has “weapons of mass destruction.””

From actor/director Rob Reiner (Stand by Me, A Few Good Men), Shock and Awe tells the story of a group of journalists covering President Bush's Iraq invasion in 2003 and become skeptical of the idea that Saddam Hussein is in possession of weapons of mass destruction. The cast includes James Marsden, Woody Harrelson, Jessica Biel, Milla Jovovich, Tommy Lee Jones, and Rob Reiner. Check out the official trailer below!! 

Ted Takes Fun Facts, Shock and Awe:

• The film reunites Tommy Lee Jones and Woody Harrelson after their appearances in Natural Born Killers (1994), A Prairie Home Companion (2006) and No Country for Old Men (2007).
• John Walcott, Warren Strobel, Jonathan Landay, and their families all make cameos in the film.

The Legacy of a Whitetail Deer Hunter

Director Jody Hill

Genre Comedy

Cast Josh Brolin, Danny McBride, Montana Jordan, Carrie Coon

Rating TV-14

Release Date July 6th, 2018 (Netflix)

“The great hunter Buck Ferguson and his trusted cameraman Don set out for an epic weekend adventure to reconnect with Buck’s young son.”

Co-written and directed by Jody Hill, the comedic mind who brought us The Foot Fist Way, Eastbound & Down, and Vice Principals (all starring Danny McBride), The Legacy of a Whitetail Deer Hunter centered on great hunter Buck Ferguson (Josh Brolin) and his trusted cameraman Don (Danny McBride) as they set out on an epic weekend adventure to reconnect with Buck's young son. The cast includes Josh Brolin, Danny McBride, Montana Jordan, Carrie Coon, and Scoot McNairy. Check out the official trailer below!! 

Ted Takes Fun Facts, The Legacy of a Whitetail Deer Hunter:

• Josh Brolin gained forty pounds and grew a mustache for the role.
• While filming, Brolin stayed at local coffee house "The Cork and Bean" in Bryson City, North Carolina.
• Josh Brolin and Carrie Coon also worked together in Avengers: Infinity War (2018).

The Devil's Doorway

Director Aislinn Clarke

Genre Horror

Cast Lalor Roddy, Ciaran Flynn, Helena Bereen, Lauren Coe

Rating Unrated

Release Date July 13th, 2018 (Limited & On-Demand)

“In the fall of 1960, Father Thomas Riley and Father John Thornton were sent by the Vatican to investigate a miraculous event in an Irish home for ‘fallen women’, only to uncover something much more horrific.”

Co-written and directed by Aislinn Clarke, The Devil's Doorway is a horror film about two priests sent to the Vatican to investigate a miraculous event in a Irish home for "fallen women", only to discover something horrific. The cast includes Lalor Roddy, Ciaran Flynn, Helena Bereen, and Lauren Coe. Check out the official trailer below!! 

Siberia

Director Matthew Ross

Genre Crime | Romance | Thriller

Cast Keanu Reeves, Ana Ularu, Molly Ringwald, Aleks Paunovic

Rating R

Release Date July 13th, 2018 (Limited)

“When an American diamond trader’s Russian partner goes missing, he journeys to Siberia in search of him, but instead begins a love affair.”

From director Matthew Ross, Siberia is a crime/romance thriller about an American diamond trader who ventures to Siberia in search of his missing Russian Partner, and ends up falling in love. The cast includes Keanu Reeves, Ana Ularu, Molly Ringwald, and Aleks Paunovic. Check out the official trailer below!!

Ant-Man and the Wasp

Director Peyton Reed

Genre Action | Adventure | Sci-Fi

Cast Paul Rudd, Evangeline Lilly, Michael Douglas, Walter Goggins

Rating PG-13

Release Date July 6th, 2018

“As Scott Lang balances being both a Super Hero and a father, Hope van Dyne and Dr. Hank Pym present an urgent new mission that finds the Ant-Man fighting alongside The Wasp to uncover secrets from their past.”

From director Peyton Reed, Ant-Man and the Wasp is the follow-up to the 2015 hit Marvel film Ant-Man, which Reed also directed. A part of the Marvel Universe and technically one of the Avengers, Ant-Man took quite a while to hit the big screen due to hesitation from the studio but it was very well received once it finally did. I loved the first film and I felt that it was cast perfectly so I can't wait for this one! The cast includes Paul Rudd, Evangeline Lilly, Michael Douglas, and Walter Goggins. Check out the official trailers below!!

Ted Takes Fun Facts, Ant-Man and the Wasp:

• This movie was announced 3 months after Ant-Man (2015) was released and due to Marvel's packed phase 3 lineup, they had to move the release dates of Black Panther (2018) and Captain Marvel (2019).
• This will be the twentieth film to be released by Marvel Studios for the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

The First Purge

Director Gerald McMurray

Genre Action | Horror

Cast Y'Lan Noel, Lex Scott Davis, Joivan Wade, Marisa Tomei

Rating R

Release Date July 4th, 2018

“To push the crime rate below one percent for the rest of the year, the New Founding Fathers of America test a sociological theory that vents aggression for one night in one isolated community. But when the violence of oppressors meets the rage of the others, the contagion will explode from the trial-city borders and spread across the nation.”

Directed by Gerald McMurray and written by James DeMonaco (who wrote the other films in the franchise), The First Purge is the prequel to the "Purge" films that feature a time where one day a year society can commit heinous acts, including murder, without consequence. This film will chronicle the first ever Purge and how it came to be. The cast includes Y'Lan Noel, Lex Scott Davis, Joivan Wade, Luna Lauren Velez and Marisa Tomei. Check out the official trailers below!!

Ted Takes Fun Facts, The First Purge:

• The Purge franchise has become one of the most profitable movie series' to date, capitalizing on micro-budget productions that reap big rewards. 2014's The Purge took in $64.4 million domestic and $89.3 million worldwide, from just a $3 million budget, while the 2015 follow-up took in $71.9 million domestically and $111.9 million worldwide from a $9 million budget. Last year's The Purge: Election Year took in $79.2 million domestically and $118.5 million worldwide from a $10 million budget. - MovieWeb

Sorry to Bother You

Director Boots Riley

Genre Comedy | Fantasy | Sci-Fi

Cast Lakeith Stanfield, Tessa Thompson, Terry Crews, Armie Hammer

Rating R

Release Date July 6th, 2018 (Limited)

“In an alternate present-day version of Oakland, black telemarketer Cassius Green discovers a magical key to professional success - which propels him into a macabre universe.”

Written and directed by composer Boots Riley (The Losers, Superbad), his directorial and writing debut, Sorry to Bother You is a unique comedy fantasy in an alternate present-day Oakland, centered on a man trying to make a living in telemarketing. The cast includes Lakeith Stanfield, Tessa Thompson, Terry Crews, and Armie Hammer. Check out the official trailer below!!

Ted Takes Fun Facts, Sorry to Bother You:

• Many of the scenes were shot in downtown Oakland, CA.

Sharp Objects

Genre Crime | Drama | Mystery

Cast Amy Adams, April Brinson, Violet Brinson, Patricia Clarkson

Rating TV-MA

Series Premiere Sunday July 8th, 2018 9:00PM EST (HBO)

“A reporter confronts the psychological demons from her past when she returns to her hometown to cover a violent murder.”

Created by Marti Noxon, a veteran in the world of television having worked on Prison Break, Grey's Anatomy, Private Practice, Mad Men, and Glee, to name a few, Sharp Objects is a crime drama based on Gone Girl author Gillian Flynn's debut 2006 novel of the same name. The limited series is centered around a reporter with a checkered past who returns home to report on a brutal murder, forcing her to face her demons head on. The cast includes Amy Adams, April Brinson, Violet Brinson, and Patricia Clarkson. Check out the official trailers below!!

Ted Takes Fun Facts, HBO's Sharp Objects:

• Amy Adams was previously set to star in Dark Places (2015), but dropped out. This then marks her first collaboration with Gillian Flynn.
• While writing Sharp Objects, Flynn found that it was initially difficult to maintain the book's "moist," gothic tone", as she didn't want it to feel like something from Entertainment Weekly. As she was working for Entertainment Weekly while she was writing the novel, Flynn wrote the book predominantly on nights and weekends, a few hours at a time.

Whitney

Director Kevin Macdonald

Genre Documentary | Biography | Music

Cast Whitney Houston, Bobby Brown, Bobbi Kristina Brown, Cissy Houston

Rating R

Release Date July 6th, 2018 (Limited)

“An in-depth look at the life and music of Whitney Houston.”

From director Kevin Macdonald, Whitney is an in-depth look at the life of the beloved and famed singer with a magical voice, Whitney Houston. The primary contributors in the biography as themselves is Whitney Houston, Bobby Brown, Bobbi Kristina Brown, and Cissy Houston. Check out the official trailer below!!

Ted Takes Film Facts, Whitney:

• Many of the interviews filmed wound up in the cutting-room floor, like Jennifer Hudson's. The director felt that much of its content was banal and uninteresting.

Ideal Home

Director Andrew Fleming

Genre Comedy | Drama

Cast Paul Rudd, Steve Coogan, Kate Walsh, Alison Pill

Rating Unrated

Release Date July 6th, 2018 (Limited & On-Demand)

“A bickering gay couple must now deal with the unexpected task of raising a ten-year-old boy.”

Written and directed by Andrew Fleming, Ideal Home is the story of a bickering gay couple who find themselves having to uproot their lives in order to care for a ten-year-old boy. The cast includes Paul Rudd, Steve Coogan, Kate Walsh, and Alison Pill. Check out the official trailer below!!

Ted Takes Fun Facts, Ideal Home:

• Many of the straight characters are played by openly gay actors.
• The film had its world premiere at the Mardi Gras Film Festival on February 15, 2018.

Sicario: Day of the Soldado

Director Stefano Sollima

Genre Action | Crime | Drama

Cast Benicio Del Toro, Josh Brolin, Jeffrey Donovan, Matthew Modine

Rating R

Release Date June 29th, 2018

“The drug war on the US-Mexico border has escalated as the cartels have begun trafficking terrorists across the US border. To fight the war, federal agent Matt Graver re-teams with the mercurial Alejandro.”

Directed by Stefano Sollima and written by talented writer Taylor Sheridan (Hell or High Water, Wind River, Sicario), Sicario: Day of the Soldado is the follow-up to the hit 2015 crime thriller, and Sheridan promises that the sequel will take the violence to the next level which is crazy considering how intense the first film was. Sheridan has proven to be a genius when it comes to writing scripts for intense crime thrillers so I can't wait for this! I am sad that Emily Blunt won't be returning but considering how the first film ended i'm not necessarily surprised. The cast includes Benicio Del Toro, Josh Brolin, Jeffrey Donovan, and Matthew Modine. Check out the official trailers below!!

Ted Takes Fun Facts, Sicario: Day of the Soldado:

• The first installment in the series was titled "Sicario", a Spanish word that is translated into "hitman" in English. "Soldado" in English, means soldier.
• Denis Villenevue could not return to direct this sequel due to scheduling conflicts with Arrival (2016) and Blade Runner 2049 (2017).
• This is the 2nd film in a proposed trilogy.

Uncle Drew

Director Charles Stone III

Genre Comedy

Cast LilRel Howery, Kyrie Irving, Nick Kroll, Shaquille O'Neal

Rating Unrated

Release Date June 29th, 2018

“After draining his life savings to enter a team in a street ball tournament in Harlem, Dax is dealt a series of unfortunate setbacks, including losing his team to his longtime rival. Desperate to win the tournament and the cash prize, Dax stumbles upon the man, the myth, the legend UNCLE DREW (NBA All-Star Kyrie Irving) and convinces him to return to the court one more time”

From director Charles Stone III, the man who brought us Paid in Full, Mr 3000, and Drumline, Uncle Drew is a sports comedy about a man bets it all on a team of aging athletes to try and win a basketball tournament and reclaim his pride. The cast includes LilRel Howery, Kyrie Irving, Nick Kroll, and Shaquille O'Neal. Check out the official trailer below!!

GLOW: Season 2

Genre Comedy | Drama | Sport

Cast Alison Brie, Betty Gilpin, Britney Young, Marc Maron

Rating TV-MA

Series Premiere June 29th, 2018 (Netflix)

“A look at the personal and professional lives of a group of women who perform for a wrestling organization in Los Angeles.”

The first season of GLOW took Netflix by storm and much to the delight of viewers the girls are back in their ridiculously outdated yet oddly appealing wrestling attire. I absolutely loved the first season and enjoyed the balance between comedy and drama, plus I am all for supporting Tokyo born actress Britney Young who was raised in the same picturesque Alaska town my girlfriend grew up in, Eagle River. It's a funny story actually, I was watching the first season of the show and my girlfriend just happened to be on the couch working on her laptop and she recognized Britney's voice and looked up and said "I went to high school with her!". Needless to say I thought she was mistaken, and lo and behold, she was correct. Crazy right?! She is soooo damn good in this show too. The cast includes Alison Brie, Betty Gilpin, Britney Young, Marc Maron, Britt Baron, Sydelle Noel, and Kia Stevens. Check out the official trailer below!!

Ted Takes Fun Facts, GLOW:

• Kia Stevens, who plays Tamee/Welfare Queen in the series, is the only female cast member who is actually a professional wrestler. Stevens has been a champion all over the world wrestling under the name Awesome Kong (sometimes Amazing Kong). She also briefly wrestled in WWE as Kharma.
• The wrestler who trained the actresses for this series, Chavo Guerrero Jr., is the nephew of Armando Guerrero a.k.a. Mando, the trainer for the wrestlers on the original 1980s series.

Leave No Trace

Director Debra Granik

Genre Drama

Cast Ben Foster, Dale Dickey, Jeff Kober, Thomasin McKenzie

Rating PG

Release Date June 29th, 2018 (Limited)

“A father and his thirteen year-old daughter are living in an ideal existence in a vast urban park in Portland, Oregon, when a small mistake derails their lives forever.”

From director Debra Granik, who also wrote the screenplay, Leave No Trace is a drama based on the 2009 novel "My Abandonement" from author Peter Rock. The film is based on the true story of a 13-year old girl and her father who live an ideal existence in a vast urban park in Portland, Oregon, but after a single misstep their ideal lives spiral out of control. The cast includes Ben Foster, Dale Dickey, Jeff Kober, and Thomasin McKenzie.

Ted Takes Fun Facts, Leave No Trace:

• Debra Granik previously directed and co-wrote the Oscar nominated drama Winter's Bone (2010), which served as a breakout performance for actress Jennifer Lawrence.

Woman Walks Ahead

Director Susanna White

Genre Biography | Drama | History

Cast Jessica Chastain, Sam Rockwell, Ciarán Hinds, Bill Camp

Rating R

Release Date June 29th, 2018

“Catherine Weldon, a portrait painter from 1890s Brooklyn, travels to Dakota to paint a portrait of Sitting Bull and becomes embroiled in the Lakota peoples’ struggle over the rights to their land.”

From director Susanna White, the director behind the acclaimed HBO miniseries Generation Kill, Woman Walks Ahead is the story of a portrait painter from 1890's Brooklyn who travels to Dakota to paint a portrait of a sitting bull but finds herself mixed up in a struggle over land rights. The cast includes Jessica Chastain, Sam Rockwell, Ciarán Hinds, and Bill Camp. Check out the official trailer below!!

The Domestics

Director Mike P. Nelson

Genre Horror | Thriller

Cast Kate Bosworth, Tyler Hoechlin, Sonoya Mizuno, Lance Reddick

Rating R

Release Date June 29th, 2018 (Limited & On-Demand)

“In the future, a young couple must travel through a gang-ravaged and post-apocalyptic countryside in an attempt to get home.”

Written and directed by Mike P. Nelson, a relatively unknown director known for his violence themed short films and work as a sound guy, The Domestics is set in a terrifying post-apocalyptic world inhabited by gangs divided into deadly factions, and the story follows a husband and wife as they race desperately across the countryside in search of safety- and must work together as they are pushed to the breaking point in order to survive. The cast includes Kate Bosworth, Tyler Hoechlin, Sonoya Mizuno, and Lance Reddick. Check out the official trailer below!!

Ted Takes Film Facts, The Domestics:

• In May 2018, Orion Classics acquired distribution rights to the film and set it for a June 28, 2018, release. Orion Classics is known for acquiring indie and foreign films for North American distribution.
• Actress Kate Bosworth has two different color eyes: Brown and Blue. This condition is known as Heterochromia Iridum.

Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom

Director J.A. Bayona

Genre Action | Adventure | Sci-Fi

Cast Chris Pratt, Bryce Dallas Howard, Jeff Goldblum, BD Wong

Rating PG-13

Release Date June 22nd, 2018 

“When the island’s dormant volcano begins roaring to life, Owen and Claire mount a campaign to rescue the remaining dinosaurs from this extinction-level event.”

From director J.A. Bayona (A Monster Calls) and writer Colin Trevorrow (Jurassic World), Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom is the follow-up to the hit 2015 film that reignited one of the best movie franchises ever. The cast includes Chris Pratt, Bryce Dallas Howard, Jeff Goldblum, BD Wong, and Toby Jones. Check out the official trailers below!!

Ted Takes Fun Facts, Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom:

• Full teaser trailer set to premiere with Star Wars: The Last Jedi.
• The Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom (2018) will be released 25 years after Jurassic Park (1993), 21 years after The Lost World: Jurassic Park (1997), 17 years after Jurassic Park III (2001), and three years after Jurassic World (2015).

American Animals

Director Bart Layton

Genre Crime | Drama

Cast Evan Peters, Barry Keoghan, Blake Jenner, Jared Abrahamson

Rating R

Release Date June 1st, 2018 (Wide Release 6/22/18)

“Four young men mistake their lives for a movie and attempt one of the most audacious heists in U.S. history.”

From writer and director Bart Layton (The Imposter), American Animals is based on the true story of four friends who attempted to execute one of the most daring heists in U.S. history, stealing a rare book from a college library's secure archives. The film made it's debut at The Sundance Film Festival to mostly positive reviews and has been described as a high energy and flashy heist thriller. I was excited for this after all of the Sundance hype and the trailer really out this film on my radar, i can't wait to check it out. The cast includes Evan Peters (Kick-Ass, X-Men: Days of Future Past), Barry Keoghan (Dunkirk, The Killing of a Sacred Deer), Blake Jenner (Everybody Wants Some!!, Edge of Seventeen), and Jared Abrahamson. Check out the official trailers below!!

Ted Takes Fun Facts, American Animals:

• The film is based on true events.

• MoviePass Ventures (a subsidiary of the controversial service MoviePass) partnered with The Orchard to purchase North American distribution rights for American Animals at Sundance Film Festival in a $3 million dollar deal.

Damsel

Director David Zellner, Nathan Zellner

Genre Comedy | Drama | Western

Cast Robert Pattinson, Mia Wasikowska, David Zellner, and Nathan Zellner

Rating R

Release Date June 22nd, 2018 (Limited)

“It’s the Wild West, circa 1870. Samuel Alabaster, an affluent pioneer, ventures across the American frontier to marry the love of his life, Penelope. As his group traverses the west, the once-simple journey grows treacherous, blurring the lines between hero, villain and damsel.”

Written and directed by David and Nathan Zellner, Damsel is a western comedy/drama about an affluent pioneer who ventures across the American frontier to marry the love of his life. Along the way the journey proves to be much more troublesome than anticipated. The cast includes Robert Pattinson, Mia Wasikowska, David Zellner, and Nathan Zellner. Check out the official trailer below!!

Ted Takes Fun Facts, Damsel:

• Mia Wasikowska and Robert Pattinson were supposed to star in another western called Brimstone (2016). Both dropped out from the production weeks before filming began.
• The film premiered at the 2018 Sundance Film Festival on January 23, 2018