Bumblebee

Director Travis Knight

Genre Action | Adventure | Sci-Fi

Cast Hailee Steinfeld, John Cena, Martin Short, Pamela Adlon

Rating PG-13

Release Date December 21st, 2018

“On the run in the year 1987, Bumblebee finds refuge in a junkyard in a small Californian beach town. Charlie, on the cusp of turning 18 and trying to find her place in the world, discovers Bumblebee, battle-scarred and broken.”

From director Travis Knight (Kubo and the Two Strings), Bumblebee is the story of where it all began for the yellow Transformers star. On the run in 1987, Bumblebee finds himself in a junkyard in a small California beach town and is discovered by nearly 18-year old Charlie who who is searching for a sense of belonging. The cast includes Hailee Steinfeld, John Cena, Martin Short, and Pamela Adlon. Check out the official trailers below!!

Ted Takes Fun Facts, Bumblebee:

• This won't be a sequel but a spin-off based on the popular Autobot Bumblebee, as well as a prequel tale to the Transformers films.

• Bumblebee's alternate mode in this feature is a Volkswagen Beetle, his original mode in The Transformers (1984).

• In an interview Hailee Steinfeld revealed that her "Edge of Steventeen" writer/director/producer Kelly Fremon Craig did a rewrite of the script.

Mary Poppins Returns

Director Rob Marshall

Genre Family | Fantasy | Musical

Cast Emily Blunt, Meryl Streep, Colin Firth, Dick Van Dyke

Rating PG

Release Date December 19th, 2018

“In Depression-era London, a now-grown Jane and Michael Banks, along with Michael’s three children, are visited by the enigmatic Mary Poppins following a personal loss. ”

From director Rob Marshall (Chicago, Into the Woods), Mary Poppins Returns is the latest foray into the world of the enigmatic Mary Poppins, a character that was brought to life by Walt Disney himself in 1964 when he personally cast Julie Andrews as Mary Poppins, alongside Dick Van Dyke. Now Mary Poppins is played by Emily Blunt (great choice if you ask me), and the rest of the cast includes Meryl Streep, Colin Firth, and a welcome return for Dick Van Dyke. Check out the official trailers below!!

Ted Takes Fun Facts, Mary Poppins Returns:

• When the first Mary Poppins movie was being written, the lead role was offered to Julie Andrews by Walt Disney himself. Andrews told Disney that she was pregnant and couldn't do the movie. Disney wanted Andrews so much that he postponed the production in order to accommodate Andrews' pregnancy. When this movie was announced, the history repeated as Emily Blunt was also pregnant and the movie was postponed to accommodate her pregnancy.

Welcome to Marwen

Director Robert Zemeckis

Genre Biography | Drama

Cast Steve Carell, Leslie Mann, Diane Kruger, Eiza González

Rating PG-13

Release Date December 21st, 2018

“A victim of a brutal attack finds a unique and beautiful therapeutic outlet to help him through his recovery process.”

From director Robert Zemeckis, the man who brought us Forrest Gump, Cast Away, and Flight, just to name a few, Welcome to Marwen is a biography drama about a man who is the victim of a brutal attack but finds a beautiful and therapeutic outlet to help him through his recovery process. The cast includes Steve Carell, Leslie Mann, Diane Kruger, and Eiza González. Check out the official trailer below!! 

Ted Takes Film Facts, Welcome to Marwen:

• The film is a dramatization of the 2010 documentary film Marwencol which told the story of Mark Hogancamp. Hogancamp, an artist and photographer, was attacked outside of a bar by 5 men who nearly beat him to death. After a lengthy stay in the hospital he began to form a new reality to help in his recovery process.

• The documentary received widespread critic acclaim, holding a 98% critic rating on Rotten Tomatoes and also received the "Golden Tomato" award for best reviewed documentary of the year.

Second Act

Director Peter Segal

Genre Comedy | Romance

Cast Jennifer Lopez, Milo Ventimiglia, Vanessa Hudgens, Leah Remini

Rating PG-13

Release Date December 21st, 2018

“A big box store worker reinvents her life and her life-story and shows Madison Avenue what street smarts can do.”

From talented director Peter Segal, the man who brought us 50 First Dates, Get Smart, and Grudge Match, to name a few, Second Act is a romantic comedy about a woman who uses her street smarts to reshape her life and proves those who doubted her wrong in the process. The cast includes Jennifer Lopez, Milo Ventimiglia, Vanessa Hudgens, and Leah Remini. Check out the official trailer below!!

Ted Takes Fun Facts, Second Act:

• Food Bazaar Supermarket in Long Island City, New York, was used for location filming and remained open for three days while filming in October, 2017.

• Actor Milo Ventimiglia made his acting debut in 1995 on an episode of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.

Mowgli

Director Andy Serkis

Genre Adventure | Drama | Family

Cast Christian Bale, Kate Blanchett, Benedict Cumberbatch, Naomi Harris

Rating PG-13

Release Date December 7th, 2018 (Netflix & Limited Theaters)

“A human child raised by wolves, must face off against a menacing tiger named Shere Khan, as well as his own origins.”

From veteran actor turned director Andy Serkis, Mowgli is a much darker version of the live-action film The Jungle Book (2016). The film was originally slated to release in 2016 but the release was delayed to 2018 after news broke that Disney would be releasing The Jungle Book. The cast includes Christian Bale, Kate Blanchett, Benedict Cumberbatch, Naomi Harris, Andy Serkis, and Matthew Rhys. Check out the official trailer below!! 

Ted Takes Fun Facts, Mowgli:

• Andy Serkis directs the film and provides the voice of Baloo.

• This is the third time Christian Bale has provided voice work for a non live-action role in his career. He previously played Thomas in Pocahontas (1995) and Howl in the English version of Howl's Moving Castle (2004).

Top 10 Netflix Binge Worthy Shows

Finding something good to watch on Netflix can take all night sometimes, and who wants that?! Lucky for you, your friends at Ted Takes are here to offer some suggestions for what we consider to be "binge worthy" shows currently available on Netflix. Check out the trailers below!!

- note that many of these shows have multiple seasons and the trailer may be for the latest season.

Happy binge watching!!

Bird Box

Director Susanne Bier

Genre Drama | Sci-Fi | Thriller

Cast Sandra Bullock, Trevante Rhodes, John Malkovich, Sarah Paulson

Rating Unrated

Release Date December 21st, 2018 (Netflix)

“Something is out there, something terrifying that must not be seen. One glimpse of it, and a person is driven to deadly violence. No one knows what it is or where it came from.”

From director Susanna Bier, Bird Box is a Netflix exclusive dystopian horror/thriller about a mother and her children attempting to navigate a dangerous world inhabited terrifying that cannot be seen. The premise sounds very familiar to the recent sci-fi thriller The Quiet Place, but i’m still willing to give this a fair shake especially considering it is based on a book and seems to have a great deal of story depth in comparison. Check out the official trailer below!!

Ted Takes Fun Facts, Bird Box:

• Based on the 2014 novel of the same name written by Josh Malerman, the lead singer of The High Strung.

• Second collaboration between Sandra Bullock and Sarah Paulson following Ocean's Eight.

Dirty John

Genre Drama

Cast Connie Britton, Eric Bana, Julia Garner, Juno Temple

Rating TV-14

Series Premiere Sunday, November 25th, 2018 10:00 PM EST (BRAVO Network)

“Debra’s seemingly perfect life is disrupted as she falls for a handsome doctor who sweeps her into a whirlwind romance. But her handsome new beau pulls Debra into a sinister game of psychological manipulation.”

Dirty John is a limited series based on true events that tells the story of Debra's seemingly perfect life when it is disrupted as she falls for a handsome doctor who sweeps her into a whirlwind romance. What she did not expect is for her new newfound lover interest to pull her into a sinister game of psychological manipulation. Check out the official trailer below!!

Ted Takes Fun Facts, Dirty John:

• Based on a Los Angeles Times report and podcast by Christopher Goffard.

The Possession of Hannah Grace

Director Diederik Van Rooijen

Genre Horror

Cast Stana Katic, Shay Mitchell, Grey Damon, Louis Herthum

Rating R

Release Date November 30th, 2018

“When a cop who is just out of rehab takes the graveyard shift in a city hospital morgue, she faces a series of bizarre, violent events caused by an evil entity in one of the corpses.”

From director Diederik Van Rooijen, The Possession of Hannah Grace is a horror film that tells the story of a cop fresh out of rehab who takes the graveyard shift at the city morgue, inadvertently setting herself up for the most terrifying night of her life. Check out the official trailer below!!

Ted Takes Fun Facts, The Possession of Hannah Grace:

• Shay Mitchell is the third lead actress of "Pretty Little Liars" to have played a leading role in a horror movie, after Ashley Benson in "Ratter" and Troian Bellisario in "Martyrs."

• Shot entirely on a 3.000 USD camera, Sony A7S II.

Anna and the Apocalypse

Director John McPhail

Genre Comedy | Fantasy | Horror

Cast Ella Hunt, Malcolm Cumming, Sarah Swire, Christopher Leveaux

Rating R

Release Date November 30th, 2018 (Limited)

“A zombie apocalypse threatens the sleepy town of Little Haven - at Christmas - forcing Anna and her friends to fight, slash and sing their way to survival, facing the undead in a desperate race to reach their loved ones.”

From director John PcPhail, Anna and the Apocalypse is the story of a zombie apocalypse that threatens the sleepy town of Little Haven - at Christmas - forcing Anna and her friends to fight, slash and sing their way to survival, facing the undead in a desperate race to reach their loved ones. But they soon discover that no one is safe in this new world, and with civilization falling apart around them, the only people they can truly rely on are each other. The cast includes Ella Hunt, Malcolm Cumming, Sarah Swire, and Christopher Leveaux. Check out the official trailer below!!

Ted Takes Film Facts, Anna and the Apocalypse:

• The film closes with a dedication to Ryan McHenry - McHenry, who sadly passed away in 2015, wrote and directed the short film Zombie Musical (2011) from which this feature film was adapted.

• Made it’s debut at the 2017 Fantastic Fest film festival in Austin, Texas, September 22nd, 2017.

A Christmas Prince: The Royal Wedding

Director John Schultz

Genre Romance

Cast Ben Lamb, Rose McIver, Alice Krige, Sarah Douglas

Rating TV-PG

Release Date November 30th, 2018 (Netflix)

“A year after helping Richard get to the throne, Amber is about to become his wife. But is she really made to be queen?”

From director Ben Schultz (Drive Me Crazy, Like Mike), A Christmas Prince: The Royal Wedding is a romance story about Amber who a year after helping Richard reach the throne is about to become Queen, but is she ready?! Check out the official trailer below!!

Creed II

Director Steven Caple Jr.

Genre Drama | Sport

Cast Michael B. Jordan, Sylvester Stallone, Tessa Thompson, Dolph Lungren

Rating PG-13

Release Date November 21st, 2018

“Under the tutelage of Rocky Balboa, newly crowned light heavyweight champion Adonis Creed faces off against Viktor Drago, the son of Ivan Drago.”

The directorial debut for Steven Caple Jr., Creed II is the follow-up to the successful 2015 film that has brought the Rocky franchise back to the forefront. Ryan Coogler, (Fruitvale Station, Black Panther) directed and co-wrote the screenplay for the original film, but this time around he only receives credit for the characters, with Sylvester Stallone and Cheo Hodari Coker (Notorious, Lowriders) taking credit for the screenplay. Check out the official trailers below!!

Ted Takes Fun Facts, Creed II:

• Ryan Coogler, who directed the first Creed, said in an interview that he wanted to direct the sequel but the timing conflicted with work he was doing for Black Panther. Coogler actually went to film school with director Steven Caple Jr..

• Coogler also said in an interview that the deeper layer of the story of the first Creed was about him and his dad, so he has a strong personal attachment to the film.

Ralph Breaks the Internet: Wreck-It Ralph 2

Director Phil Johnston, Rich Moore

Genre Animation | Adventure | Comedy

Cast Kelly Macdonald, Kristen Bell, Mandy Moore, Auli'i Cravalho

Rating PG

Release Date November 21st, 2018

“Six years after the events of “Wreck-It Ralph,” Ralph and Vanellope, now friends, discover a wi-fi router in their arcade, leading them into a new adventure.”

From directors Phil Johnston and Rick Moore (Wreck-It Ralph), Ralph Breaks the Internet: Wreck-It Ralph 2 is the follow-up to the hit 2012 animated comedy taking place since years later, finding Ralph on yet another adventure. The cast of voice actors includes Kelly Macdonald, Kristen Bell, Mandy Moore, and Auli'i Cravalho. Check out the newly released official trailers below!!

Ted Takes Fun Facts, Ralph Breaks the Internet: Wreck-It Ralph 2:

• First feature-length film to feature characters from all four of Disney's major brands: Disney Animation, Pixar, Marvel and Lucasfilm.

• This sequel takes place 6 years after Wreck-It Ralph (2012), the same amount of time that's passed in real life between the release of the two films.

Robin Hood

Director Otto Bathurst

Genre Adventure

Cast Taron Egerton, Ben Mendelsohn, Jamie Foxx, Jamie Dornan

Rating PG-13

Release Date November 21st, 2018

“Robin Hood returns from fighting in the Crusades to find that Sherwood Forest is rife with corruption.”

From director Otto Bathurst (Peaky Blinders, Black Mirror), Robin Hood is a gritty origin story for the legendary and heroic outlaw first depicted in English folklore and eventually featured in literature and film. The cast includes Taron Egerton, Ben Mendelsohn, Jamie Foxx, and Jamie Dornan. Check out the official trailers below!!

Ted Takes Fun Facts, Robin Hood:

• Shooting for this film has been postponed so that Taron Egerton could film Kingsman: The Golden Circle (2017) first. The director wanted Taron Egerton as Robin Hood so much that he decided to postpone filming so that he could still play the title character.

• The Nottingham scenes are being filmed in the old town (Stradun) in Dubrovnik, Croatia. This is the same location at the same castle where some episodes of Game of Thrones(2011) and some scenes for Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015) were filmed.

Green Book

Director Peter Farrelly

Genre Drama | Comedy

Cast Viggo Mortensen, Mahershala Ali, Linda Cardellini, Don Stark

Rating PG-13

Release Date November 21st, 2018

“A working-class Italian-American bouncer becomes the driver of an African-American classical pianist on a tour of venues through the 1960s American South.”

From director Peter Farrelly (There's Something About Mary, Fever Pitch, Hall Pass), Green Book is drama/comedy about a working-class Italian-American bouncer who becomes the driver of an African-American classical pianist on a tour of venues through the 1960s American South. The cast includes Viggo Mortensen, Mahershala Ali, Linda Cardellini, and Don Stark. Check out the official trailer below!!

Ted Takes Fun Facts, Green Book:

• Italian-American stand up comedian Sebastian Maniscalco joined the cast. He will play Tony's (Viggo Mortensen) fast-talking brother-in-law, Johnny.

• Actor Mahershala Ali won his first Academy Award only four days after becoming a father for the first time in February 2017 (age 43).

The Favourite

Director Yorgos Lanthimos

Genre Biography | History

Cast Olivia Colman, Emma Stone, Rachel Weisz, Nicholas Hoult

Rating R

Release Date November 23rd, 2018

“In early 18th century England, a frail Queen Anne occupies the throne and her close friend Lady Sarah governs the country in her stead. When a new servant Abigail arrives, her charm endears her to Sarah.”

From director Yorgos Lanthimos (The Lobster, The Killing of a Sacred Deer), The favourite tells the story of a frail Queen Anne (Colman) who occupies the throne and her close friend Lady Sarah (Weisz) governs the country in her stead. When a new servant Abigail (Stone) arrives, her charm endears her to Sarah. The cast includes Olivia Colman, Emma Stone, Rachel Weisz, and Nicholas Hoult. Check out the official trailer below!!

Ted Takes Fun Facts, The Favourite:

• Kate Winslet was originally cast but dropped out and Rachel Weisz replaced her.

• This will be the second film collaboration of director Yorgos Lanthimos and actress Rachel Weisz after The Lobster (2015).

• This is the First time Yorgos Lanthimos directed a film in which he is not the screenwriter and nor is his regular partner, Efthimis Filippou.

The Christmas Chronicles

Director Clay Kaytis

Genre Animation | Comedy | Family

Cast Kurt Russell, Oliver Hudson, Kimberly Williams-Paisley, Lamorne Morris

Rating Unrated

Release Date November 22nd, 2018 (Netflix)

“The story of sister and brother, Kate and Teddy Pierce, whose Christmas Eve plan to catch Santa Claus on camera turns into an unexpected journey that most kids could only dream about.”

From director Clay Kaytis, who made his directorial debut with The Angry Birds Movie (2016), The Christmas Chronicles tells the story of a brother and sister who have plans to catch Santa Claus on camera but instead end up on an adventure that kids only dream about. Check out the official trailer below!!

Ted Takes Fun Facts, The Christmas Chronicles:

• Oliver Hudson, the brother of Kate Hudson, is Kurt Russell's stepson with Goldie Hawn.

The Front Runner

Director Jason Reitman

Genre Biography | Drama

Cast Vera Farmiga, Hugh Jackman, Molly Ephraim, Kaitlyn Dever

Rating R

Release Date November 21st, 2018

“American Senator Gary Hart’s presidential campaign in 1988 is derailed when he’s caught in a scandalous love affair.”

From director Jason Reitman (Juno, Up in the Air, Tully), The Front runner is a biography drama that tells the story of American Senator Gary Hart's presidential campaign in 1988 that is derailed when he's caught in a scandalous love affair. The cast includes Vera Farmiga, Hugh Jackman, Molly Ephraim, and Kaitlyn Dever. Check out the official trailer below!!

Ted Takes Fun Facts, The Front Runner:

• The film premiered at TIFF (Toronto international Film Festival) in Canada in September 2018.

• Reunites Mike Judge and Toby Huss who worked together on the animated series King of the Hill (1997).

Escape at Dannemora

Genre Drama

Cast Benicio Del Torro, Patricia Arquette, Paul Dano, Bonnie Hunt

Rating TV-MA

Series Premiere November 18th, 2018 (SHOWTIME)

“An employee at a prison in upstate New York becomes romantically involved with a pair of inmates and helps them escape.”

From director Ben Stiller, Escape at Dannemora is a limited-series drama based on true events telling the story of a prison break in Upstate New York that brought on a massive manhunt. The series is only available on SHOWTIME. Check out the official trailer below!!

Ted Takes Fun Facts, Escape at Dannemora:

• First time in nearly 20 years that Bonnie Hunt and David Morse have shared screen time, they both appeared in "The Green Mile" (1999) which also takes place in a prison.

• Dannemora was named after a Swedish mining town.

The Final Table

Genre Cooking | Reality-TV

Cast Andrew Knowlton

Rating Unrated

Series Premiere November 20th, 2018 (Netflix)

“Teams of chefs vie to impress some of the world’s toughest palates as they whip up iconic dishes from different nations in this reality cooking competition.”

The Final Table is a cooking competition reality show where teams of chefs come together to try and impress some tough critics with food from all over the world. Check out the official trailer below!!

Ted Takes Fun Facts, The Final Table:

• Celebrity tasters for the show include Colin Hanks and Dax Shepard. They briefly spoke about the experience on Dax's podcast Armchair Expert.