Pick of the Litter

Director Don Hardy Jr., Dana Nachman

Genre Documentary

Cast Cute Dogs

Rating Unrated

Release Date August 31st, 2018

“Following five spirited puppies from the moment they’re born through their quest to become guide dogs for the blind.”

From directors Don Hardy Jr. and Dana Nachman, Pick of the Litter is a documentary that tells the story of how our canine counterparts come to be guide dogs for the blind. The film follows man's best friend from puppy to full grown contributor to society and simply shouldn't be missed! Check out the official trailer below!!

Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan

Genre Action | Drama | Thriller

Cast John Krasinski, Ali Suliman, Wendell Pierce, Karim Zein

Rating TV-14

Series Premiere August 31st, 2018 (Amazon Prime)

“Up-and-coming CIA analyst, Jack Ryan, is thrust into a dangerous field assignment as he uncovers a pattern in terrorist communication that launches him into the center of a dangerous gambit.”

Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan is based on the character created by Tom Clancy for his novels, and is also inspired by the Jack Ryan films starring Harrison Ford, such as Patriot's Games and Clear and Present Danger. The cast includes John Krasinski, Ali Suliman, Wendell Pierce, and Karim Zein. Check out the exclusive trailer below!!

Ted Takes Fun Facts, Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan:

• John Krasinski becomes the fifth actor to play Jack Ryan and, like all the other replacements in between, has appeared in at least one film with the original, Alec Baldwin. Krasinski and Baldwin appeared in State and Main (2000), It's Complicated(2009), and Aloha (2015).

To All the Boys I've Loved Before

Director Susan Johnson

Genre Drama | Romance

Cast Lana Condor, Noah Centineo, Janel Parrish, Anna Cathcart

Rating TV-14

Release Date August 17th, 2018 (Netflix)

“A teenage girl’s secret love letters are exposed and wreak havoc on her love life.”

Based on the New York Times Bestselling book from author Jenny Han, To All the Boys I've Loved Before is the story of a teenage girl who finds her secret love letters exposed which threatens to wreak havoc on her love life. I recently watched this Netflix exclusive film and it may share the predictability of most romantic comedies, but trust me when I saw this is a genuinely enjoyable film that will easily earn you a few brownie points with your lady. The cast includes Lana Condor, Noah Centineo, Janel Parrish, and Anna Cathcart. Check out the official trailer below!!

Ted Takes Fun Facts, To All the Boys I've Loved Before:

• Lara Jean's phone background is actually a crew member's photo of Lana Condor (Lara Jean) and Noah Centineo (Peter) sleeping on set during a filming break.

• The letters seen in the movie, including the contract, were all physically written by Lana Condor. During a lunch break Lana had to write several copies as her character Lara Jean rips them.

• Netflix bought the rights of the movie in March 2018.

Reprisal

Director Brian A. Miller

Genre Action

Cast Bruce Willis, Frank Grillo, Johnathon Schaech, Olivia Culpo

Rating R

Release Date August 31st, 2018 (Limited)

“A veteran looks to raise money for his son’s healthcare by teaming up with another vet to track down criminals.”

From director Brian A. Miller (Officer Down, Vice), Reprisal is the story of a veteran who is in need of money for his sons healthcare so he decides to team up with another vet as criminal bounty hunters. The cast includes Bruce Willis, Frank Grillo, Johnathon Schaech, and Olivia Culpo. Check out the official trailer below!!

Blaze

Director Ethan Hawke

Genre Biography | Drama | Music

Cast Ben Dickey, Alia Shawkat, Josh Hamilton, Charlie Sexton

Rating Unrated

Release Date August 17th, 2018 (Limited)

“The life of musician Blaze Foley.”

Co-written and directed by actor Ethan Hawke, Blaze tells the story of American country music singer-songwriter Blaze Foley. The cast includes Ben Dickey, Alia Shawkat, Josh Hamilton, and Charlie Sexton. Check out the official trailer below!!

Ted Takes Fun Facts, Blaze:

• Blaze Foley's lover Sybil Rosen, who is played in the film by Alia Shawkat, is Ethan Hawke's co-writer on the film.

• Sybil Rosen plays her own mother in the film.

Puppet Master: The Littlest Reich

Director Sonny Laguna, Tommy Wiklund

Genre Horror

Cast Thomas Lennon, Barbara Crampton, Michael Paré, Charlyne Yi

Rating Unrated

Release Date August 17th, 2018 (Limited & On-Demand)

“All hell breaks loose when a strange force animates the puppets up for auction at a convention, setting them on a bloody killing spree that’s motivated by an evil as old as time.”

From directors Sonny Laguna and Tommy Wiklund, Puppet Master: The Littlest Reich is the latest of the cult horror franchise that burst onto the scene in 1989 with the original Puppetmaster. Now these movies are FAR from perfect, but they are a guilty pleasure for fans of B-movie horror and I have always enjoyed them. The Little Reich seems to have hit the nail on the head as far as what fans have come to expect. The cast includes Thomas Lennon, Barbara Crampton, Michael Paré, and Charlyne Yi. Check out the official trailer below!!

Ted Takes Fun Facts, Puppet Master: The Littlest Reich:

• The crew rescued an abandoned tabby kitten during the filming of this movie that they found under the floorboards of one of the movie sets. They named the kitten 'Toulon' after the main character of the movie.

• This movie stars Barbara Crampton, she also starred in the original 1989 Puppet Master movie.

Blood Fest

Director Owen Egerton

Genre Comedy | Horror

Cast Zachari Levi, Robbie Kay, Seychelle Gabriel, Tate Donovan

Rating Unrated

Release Date August 31st, 2018 (Limited & On-Demand)

“Fans flock to a festival celebrating the most iconic horror movies, only to discover that the charismatic showman behind the event has a diabolical agenda.”

Written and directed by Owen Egerton, Blood Fest tells the story of a festival that is assembled to celebrate iconic horror movies, only the showman behind the event has much more sinister ideas in mind for his visitors. The cast includes Zachari Levi, Robbie Kay, Seychelle Gabriel, and Tate Donovan. Check out the official trailer below!!

Ted Takes Fun Facts, Blood Fest:

Owen Egerton, the director and producer of the film, also plays the character Gamemaster Anthony Walsh.

The Happytime Murders

Director Brian Henson

Genre Action | Comedy | Crime

Cast Melissa McCarthy, Elizabeth Banks, Joel McHale, Maya Rudolph

Rating R

Release Date August 24th, 2018

“When the puppet cast of an ‘80s children’s TV show begins to get murdered one by one, a disgraced LAPD detective-turned-private eye puppet takes on the case.”

From director Brian Henson (The Muppet Christmas Carol, Muppet Treasure Island), The Happytime Murders is a kids movie gone bad showing what really happens with The Muppets behind closed doors. The trailer looks absolutely nutty but i'd be lying if I didn't say I was intrigued. The cast includes Melissa McCarthy, Elizabeth Banks, Joel McHale, and Maya Rudolph. Check out the official UNRATED trailer below!!

Ted Takes Fun Facts, The Happytime Murders:

• The film is directed by Brian Henson, the son of Jim Henson, the creator of The Muppets.
• This is the first theatrical film by director Brian Henson in 22 years, since Muppet Treasure Island (1996).

A.X.L

Director Oliver Daly

Genre Sci-Fi | Action

Cast Alex Neustaedter, Becky G, Thomas Jane, Dominic Rains

Rating PG

Release Date August 24th, 2018

“A.X.L. is a top-secret, robotic dog who develops a special friendship with Miles and will go to any length to protect his new companion.”

Written and directed by Oliver Daly, A.X.L is a sci-fi action film about a young man who develops a special relationship after stumbling across a top secret robotic dog, and he finds himself fighting to keep his new friend from his former owners. To me this looks like Transformers meets Monster Truck, and both have their fair of criticisms, and combine that with a novice director and a unseasoned cast, I'll be interested to see how this one does. Plus the dirt bike riding aspect looks cool. The cast includes Alex Neustaedter, Becky G, Thomas Jane, and Dominic Rains. Check out the official trailer below!!

Arizona

Director Jonathan Watson 

Genre Comedy | Thriller

Cast Danny McBride, Elizabeth Gillies, Kaitlin Olson, Rosemarie DeWitt

Rating Unrated

Release Date August 24th, 2018 (Limited & On-Demand)

“Set in the midst of the 2009 housing crisis, this darkly comedic story follows Cassie Fowler, a single mom and struggling realtor whose life goes off the rails when she witnesses a murder.”

Directed by Jonathan Watson, Arizona is a dark comedy/thriller taking place during the 2009 housing crisis, about a struggling realtor who finds herself in some hot water after she witnesses a murder. From the producers of Eastbound & Down, this looks like a delightful dark comedy with McBride reprising his trademark "Kenny Powers" and I am looking forward to checking it out. The cast includes Danny McBride, Elizabeth Gillies, Kaitlin Olson, Rosemarie DeWitt, and Luke Wilson. Check out the official trailer below!!

Ted Takes Fun Facts, Arizona:

• Jonathan Watson's directorial debut. He has previously worked as the second unit director or assistant director on shows and movies like Vice Principals (2016), The Disaster Artist(2017), 21 Jump Street (2012) and The Green Mile (1999).

Support the Girls

Director Andrew Bujalski

Genre Comedy

Cast Regina Hall, Haley Lu Richardson, Dylan Gelula, AJ Michalka

Rating R

Release Date August 24th, 2018

“The general manager at a highway-side ‘’sports bar with curves” has her incurable optimism and faith, in her girls, her customers, and herself, tested over the course of a long, strange day.”

Written and directed by Andrew Bujalski, Support the Girls is a comedy about a general manager at a highway-side sports bar featuring beautiful girls who has her incurable optimism and faith in her girls and her customers tested over the course of a long and strange day. The cast includes Regina Hall, Haley Lu Richardson, Dylan Gelula, and AJ Michalka. Check out the official trailer below!!

Replicas

Director Jeffrey Nachmanoff

Genre Crime | Mystery | Sci-Fi

Cast Keanu Reeves, Alice Eve, Thomas Middleditch, Emily Alyn Lind

Rating PG-13

Release Date August 24th, 2018

“A scientist becomes obsessed with bringing back his family members who died in a traffic accident.”

From director Jeffrey Nachmanoff (Traitor), Replicas is a sci-fi thriller about a scientist who becomes obsessed with bringing his family back after they are tragically lost in a car accident. The cast includes Keanu Reeves, Alice Eve, Thomas Middleditch, and Emily Alyn Lind. Check out the official trailer below!!

Ted Takes Fun Facts, Replicas:

• The story and screenplay for REPLICAS was developed at Keanu Reeves and Stephen Hamel's production company Company Films. Hamel writes the majority of all the stories produced there.

Papillon

Director Michael Noer

Genre Drama

Cast Charlie Hunnam, Rami Malek, Tommy Flanagan, Eve Hewson

Rating R

Release Date August 24th, 2018 (Limited)

“A prisoner detained on a remote island plots his escape. A remake of the 1973 film ‘Papillon’.”

From Denmark born directer Michael Noer, Papillon is a remake of the 1973 film about a prisoner detained on a remote island who plots his escape. The cast includes Charlie Hunnam, Rami Malek, Tommy Flanagan, and Eve Hewson. Check out the official trailer below!!

Ted Takes Fun Facts, Papillon:

• Based on a true story, Papillon was adapted from a memoir written by Charrière and first released in France back in 1969.
• Reunites Sons of Anarchy (2008) co-stars Tommy Flanagan and Charlie Hunnam.

The Bookshop

Director Isabel Coixet

Genre Drama

Cast Emily Mortimer, Bill Nighy, Patricia Clarkson, Hunter Tremayne

Rating PG

Release Date August 24th, 2018 (Limited)

“Set in England 1959, a small East Anglian town, Florence Green decides, against polite but ruthless local opposition, to open a bookshop.”

From director Isabel Coixet, The Bookshop is a drama about a woman that decides to go against the opposition in 1959 and open a bookshop. The cast includes Emily Mortimer, Bill Nighy, Patricia Clarkson, and Hunter Tremayne. Check out the official trailer below!!

Ted Takes Fun Facts, The Bookshop:

• Based on the novel by Penelope Fitzgerald.
• Isabel Coixet's screenplay won the Frankfurt Book Fair prize for Best International Literary Adaptation 2017.

Mile 22

Director Peter Berg

Genre Action | Thriller

Cast Mark Wahlberg, Lauren Cohan, John Malkovich, Ronda Rousey

Rating R

Release Date August 17th, 2018

“An elite American intelligence officer, aided by a top-secret tactical command unit, tries to smuggle a mysterious police officer with sensitive information out of the country.”

From talented director Peter Berg, the man who brought us Friday Night Lights, The Kingdom, Lone Survivor, and Patriots Day, Mile 22 is an action thriller about an elite American intelligence officer who is tasked with smuggling a mysterious police officer with sensitive information out of the country. Berg has built up quite the reputation with star Mark Wahlberg, so this is yet another opportunity for the two to show what they are capable of. The cast includes Mark Wahlberg, Lauren Cohan, John Malkovich, and Ronda Rousey. Check out the official trailers below!!

Ted Takes Fun Facts, Mile 22:

• This is the fourth time actor Mark Wahlberg and director Peter Berg have worked together, and the script was written with Wahlberg envisioned in the lead role.
• Mark Wahlberg was originally cast as Linus Caldwell in Ocean's Eleven (2001) but dropped out. The role went to Matt Damon.

Alpha

Director Albert Hughes

Genre Action | Drama | Thriller

Cast Kodi Smit-McPhee, Natassia Malthe, Leonor Varela, Jóhannes Haukur Jóhannesson

Rating PG-13

Release Date August 17th, 2018

“A story of survival set 20,000 years ago during the last Ice Age.”

Alpha is directed and co-written by Albert Hughes, the man who co-directed Menace II Society, Dead Presidents, and The Book of Eli, alongside his brother. The film is a survival story that takes place 20,000 years ago during the last Ice Age. I will be honest and say that this is actually the first I have heard of this movie but the trailer looks pretty damn good! The cast includes Kodi Smit-McPhee, Natassia Malthe, Leonor Varela, and Jóhannes Haukur Jóhannesson. Check out the official trailers below!!

Ted Takes Film Facts, Alpha:

• Film cannot bear a "no animals were harmed in the making of this film" tag, as 4 bison were slaughtered for use on a skinning/hide-removal scene. The bison were dispatched humanely by staff from Longview Beef Jerky.
• It was filmed near East Coulee, Alberta, Canada, at Dinosaur Provincial Park.

Blue Iguana

Director Hadi Hajaig

Genre Comedy

Cast Sam Rockwell, Ben Schwartz, Phoebe Fox, Amanda Donohoe

Rating Unrated

Release Date August 24th, 2018

“Ex-jailbirds Eddie and Paul are on parole and working in a New York diner. Their lives are a dead end. That is, until English lawyer Katherine Rookwood walks into the diner with an offer they can’t refuse.”

Written and directed by Hadi Hajaig, Blue Iguana is a comedy about two ex-jailbirds who are on parole and working in a diner realizing their lives have reached a dead end, until an English lawyer walks into their diner with an offer they cannot refuse. The cast includes Sam Rockwell, Ben Schwartz, Phoebe Fox, Amanda Donohoe, and Frances Barber. Check out the official trailer below!!

Ted Takes Fun Facts, Blue Iguana:

• Actor Sam Rockwell Had a minor appearance in Killer Klowns from Outer Space (1988) but his part was removed from the final cut. The scene was the one of the "lover's lane" of sorts, when the Terenzi brothers drive up in their ice cream truck.
• A blue iguana is a breed of iguana that is indigenous to the Cayman Islands.

Crazy Rich Asians

Director Jon. M. Chu

Genre Comedy | Romance

Cast Constance Wu, Michelle Yeoh, Henry Golding, Gemma Chan

Rating PG-13

Release Date August 15th, 2018

“This contemporary romantic comedy, based on a global bestseller, follows native New Yorker Rachel Chu to Singapore to meet her boyfriend’s family.”

From director Jon M. Chu (G.I. Joe: Retaliation, Now You See Me), Crazy Rich Asians is a romantic comedy based on the global bestselling novel. Native New Yorker Rachel Chu must step out of her comfort zone when she heads to Singapore to meet her boyfriends family. The cast includes Constance Wu, Michelle Yeoh, Henry Golding, and Gemma Chan. Check out the official trailer below!!

Ted Takes Film Facts, Crazy Rich Asians:

• The first Western-produced film with an exclusively Asian cast in more than 25 years.
• Based on a novel by the same name. The book the film is based on is the first part of a trilogy by Kevin Kwan.
• Per "The Hollywood Reporter, the film's creators turned down (in their words) "Life Changing Money" from Netflix before deciding to go the feature film route.

Juliet, Naked

Director Jesse Peretz

Genre Comedy | Drama | Music

Cast Rose Byrne, Ethan Hawke, Chris O'Dowd, Megan Odds

Rating R

Release Date August 17th, 2018

“The story of Annie, the long-suffering girlfriend of Duncan, and her unlikely transatlantic romance with once revered, now faded, singer-songwriter, Tucker Crowe, who also happens to be the subject of Duncan’s musical obsession.”

From director Jesse Peretz (Our Idiot Brother, HBO's Girls), Juliet, Naked is a romantic comedy/drama about a messy love triangle between Annie Rose Byrne), Tucker (Ethan Hawke), and Duncan (Chris O'Dowd). The rest of the cast includes Megan Odds, Jimmy O. Yang, Lily Newmark, and Azhy Robertson. Check out the official trailer below!!

Disenchantment

Genre Animation | Adventure | Comedy

Cast Eric André, Jeny Batten, Matt Berry, John DiMaggio

Rating TV-MA

Series Premiere August 17th, 2018 (Netflix)

“The medieval misadventures of a hard-drinking princess, her feisty elf, and her personal demon.”

A new show from creator Matt Groening (The Simpsons, Futurama), Disenchantment tells the misadventures of an alcoholic princess, a feisty elf, and her own personal demon. The cast of voice actors include Eric André, Jeny Batten, Matt Berry, John DiMaggio, Nat Faxon, Noel Fielding, and Rich Fulcher. Check out the official trailer below!!

Ted Takes Fun Facts, Disenchantment:

• On January 15, 2016, it was announced that Groening is in talks with Netflix to develop a new animated series. At the time it was said that Netflix was considering giving the series a two-season order, totaling 20 episodes.
• This will be the third animated series by Matt Groening, the other two being The Simpsons (1989), and Futurama (1999). This is his first developed for a streaming services network.