Wonder Park

Director Robert Iscove, Clare Kilner

Genre Animation | Adventure | Comedy

Cast Brianna Denski, Jennifer Garner, Ken Hudson Campbell, Kenan Thompson

Rating PG

Release Date March 15th, 2019

“Wonder Park tells the story of a magnificent amusement park where the imagination of a wildly creative girl named June comes alive.”

From directors Robert Iscove and Clare Kilner, Wonder Park is an animated adventure comedy that tells the story of a magnificent amusement park where the imagination of a wildly creative girl named June comes alive. Check out the official trailer below!!

Ted Takes Fun Facts, Wonder Park:

• The first of 3 Nickelodeon Movies Films to release in 2019. The other 2 would later be Dora the Explorer (2019) and Are You Afraid of the Dark? (2019).

• Kenan Thompson's first Nickelodeon movie role since Good Burger (1997).

Five Feet Apart

Director Justin Baldoni

Genre Drama | Romance

Cast Haley Lu Richardson, Cole Sprouse, Claire Forlani, Parminder Nagra

Rating PG-13

Release Date March 15th, 2019

“A pair of teenagers with life-threatening illnesses meet in a hospital and fall in love.”

The directorial debut for actor turned director Justin Baldoni, Five Feet Apart is a romantic drama about two teens with life threatening illnesses who meet in the hospital and fall in love. This looks to be another The Fault in Our Stars so you may want to stock up on the tissues. Check out the official trailer below!!

Juanita

Director Clark Johnson

Genre Drama

Cast Alfre Woodard, Blair Underwood, Adam Beach, LaTanya Richardson

Rating Unrated

Release Date March 8th, 2019 (Netflix)

“Fed up with her deadbeat grown kids and marginal urban existence, Juanita takes a Greyhound bus to Paper Moon, Montana where she reinvents herself and finds her mojo.”

From actor turned director Clark Johnson, Juanita is a drama that tells the story of a mom that is fed up with her deadbeat adult children and boring existence so she decides to take a Greyhound bus to Paper Moon, Montana where she reinvents herself and finds her mojo. Check out the official trailer below!!

Ted Takes Fun Facts, Juanita:

• Television and movie actress Alfrie Woodard has 118 acting credits on her resume as per IMDb filmography, dating all the way back to 1978.

• Based on the novel Dancing on the Edge of the Roof from author Sheila Williams.

The Mustang

Director Laure de Clermont-Tonnerre

Genre Drama

Cast Matthias Schoenaerts, Gideon Adlon, Connie Britton, Bruce Dern

Rating R

Release Date March 15th, 2019 (Limited)

“The story of Roman Coleman, a violent convict, who is given the chance to participate in a rehabilitation therapy program involving the training of wild mustangs.”

From director Laure de Clermont-Tonnerre, The Mustang is a drama that tells the story of Roman Coleman, a violent convict, who is given the chance to participate in a rehabilitation therapy program involving the training of wild mustangs. Check out the official trailer below!!

Ted Takes Fun Facts, The Mustang:

• Laure de Clermont-Tonnerre's feature film directorial debut. She developed Mustang through the Sundance Labs and received the Sundance Institute/NHK Award for the project in 2015.

• Based on Laure de Clermont-Tonnerre's short film Rabbit (2014), about a female prisoner entrusted with the titular animal as part of a correctional facility's 'pet partnership' program.

The Aftermath

Director James Kent

Genre Drama | Romance | War

Cast Keira Knightley, Alexander Skarsgård, Jason Clarke, Kate Phillips

Rating R

Release Date March 15th, 2019

“Post World War II, a British colonel and his wife are assigned to live in Hamburg during the post-war reconstruction, but tensions arise with the German who previously owned the house.”

From director James Kent, The Aftermath is a drama set in Post World War II and tells the story of a British colonel and his wife who are assigned to live in Hamburg during the post-war reconstruction, but tensions arise with the German who previously owned the house. Check out the official trailer below!!

Ted Takes Film Facts, The Aftermath:

• Based on the book from author Rhidian Brook.

• Keira Knightley and Jason Clarke's second collaboration since Everest (2015). In both films, they are married to each other.

The Hummingbird Project

Director Kim Nguyen

Genre Drama

Cast Jesse Eisenberg, Alexander Skarsgård, Salma Hayek, Michael Mando

Rating R

Release Date March 15, 2019

“A pair of high-frequency traders go up against their old boss in an effort to make millions in a fiber-optic cable deal.”

From director Kim Nguyen, The Hummingbird Project is a drama that tells the story of a pair of high-frequency traders as they go up against their old boss in an effort to make millions in a fiber-optic cable deal. Check out the official trailer below!!

Ted Takes Fun Facts, The Hummingbird Project:

• Jesse Eisenberg memorized the entire script before recording started. This was confirmed by him and the director at the Toronto International Film Festival. The director also confirmed that the story was fictional but that it reflects advances in trading technology.

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

Yardie

Director Idris Elba

Genre Crime

Cast Aml Ameen, Stephen Graham, Calvin Demba, Naomie Ackie

Rating Unrated

Release Date March 15th, 2019 (Limited)

“D, a courier carrying cocaine from Jamaica to London, decides to go it alone and disappears into the mean streets of Hackney carrying a kilo of white powder that his erstwhile friends are anxious to recover. But D’s treachery will never be forgotten - or forgiven.”

“Set in ‘70s Kingston and ‘80s Hackney, Yardie centres on the life of a young Jamaican man named D (Aml Ameen), who has never fully recovered from the murder, committed during his childhood, of his older brother Jerry Dread (Everaldo Creary). D grows up under the wing of a Kingston Don and music producer named King Fox (Sheldon Shepherd). Fox dispatches him to London, where he reconnects with his childhood sweetheart, Yvonne (Shantol Jackson), and his daughter who he’s not seen since she was a baby. He also hooks up with a soundclash crew, called High Noon. But before he can be convinced to abandon his life of crime and follow “the righteous path”, he encounters the man who shot his brother 10 years earlier, and embarks on a bloody, explosive quest for retribution - a quest which brings him into conflict with vicious London gangster Rico (Stephen Graham).”

Check out the official trailers below!!

Ted Takes Fun Facts, Yardie:

• Feature film directorial debut of Idris Elba. Elba proposed to his girlfriend Sabrina Dhowre at a screening of the film in East London.

Finding Steve McQueen

Director Mark Steven Johnson

Genre Crime | Romance

Cast Travis Fimmell, Rachael Taylor, William Fichtner, Forest Whitaker

Rating R

Release Date March 15th, 2019

“In 1972, a gang of close-knit thieves from Youngstown, Ohio attempt to steal $30 million in illegal contributions and blackmail money from President Richard Nixon’s secret fund.”

From director Mark Steven Johnson (Daredevil, Ghost Rider), Finding Steve McQueen is set in 1972, and tells the story of a gang of close-knit thieves from Youngstown, Ohio who attempt to steal $30 million in illegal contributions and blackmail money from President Richard Nixon's secret fund. Check out the official trailer below!!

Ted Takes Fun Facts, Finding Steve McQueen:

• Mark Steven Johnson directed the film based on the true story of the Ohio thieves who attempted to steal $30 million in illegal contributions and blackmail money from President Richard Nixon's secret fund - said to be the greatest bank heist in U.S. history.

Gloria Bell

Director Sebastián Lelio

Genre Drama | Romance

Cast Julianne Moore, Alanna Ubach, Jeanne Tripplehorn, Michael Cera

Rating R

Release Date March 8th, 2019

“A free-spirited woman in her 50s seeks out love at L.A. dance clubs.”

From director Sebastián Lelio (Gloria, A Fantastic Woman), Gloria Bell is a romance drama about a free-spirited woman in her 50’s who decides to spend the vast majority of her time club hopping in L.A. in search of love. Check out the official trailer below!!

Ted Takes Fun Facts, Gloria Bell:

• Sebastián Lelio, who wrote and is directing and producing the American version, is also the director and writer of the original Chilean version.

• The film premiered at the 2018 Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) in September.

The Kid

Director Vincent D’Onofrio

Genre Biography | Drama | Western

Cast Chris Pratt, Ethan Hawke, Dane DeHaan, Leila George D'Onofrio

Rating R

Release Date March 8th, 2019

“The story of a young boy who witnesses Billy the Kid’s encounter with Sheriff Pat Garrett.”

From actor turned director Vincent D’Onofrio, The Kid tells the true story of a young boy who witnesses Billy the Kid's encounter with Sheriff Pat Garrett. Check out the official trailer below!!

Ted Takes Fun Facts, The Kid:

• Chris Pratt, Ethan Hawke, and Vincent D'Onofrio all previously starred together in another western, The Magnificent Seven. Pratt and D'Onofrio also starred in Jurassic World.

• Dane Dehaan is 31, while the real Billy the Kid was ten years younger than Dehaan.

Apollo 11

Director Todd Douglas Miller

Genre Documentary

Cast Buzz Aldrin, Neil Armstrong, Michael Collins (Archive Footage)

Rating G

Release Date March 8th, 2019

“A look at the Apollo 11 mission to land on the moon led by commander Neil Armstrong and pilot Buzz Aldrin.”

From director Todd Douglas Miller, Apollo 11 is a documentary that gives an inside look at the Apollo 11 mission to land on the moon led by commander Neil Armstrong and pilot Buzz Aldrin. Check out the official trailer below!!

Walk. Ride. Rodeo.

Director Conor Allyn

Genre Drama

Cast Spencer Locke, Missi Pyle, Alyvia Alyn Lind, Kathleen Rose Perkins

Rating PG-13

Release Date March 8th, 2019 (Netflix)

“Tell the incredible true story of Amberley Snyder, a nationally ranked rodeo barrel racer who defies the odds after barely surviving a car accident that leaves her paralyzed from the waist down.”

“Walk. Ride. Rodeo. The incredible true story of nationally ranked barrel racer Amberley Snyder, who at 19 barely survives an automobile accident. Now paralyzed from the waist down, Amberley, with the support of her family, physical therapy and her own inspiring determination, fights to earn back her place in the sport she loves.”

Check out the official trailer for Walk. Ride. Rodeo below!!

American Gods: Season 2

Genre Drama | Fantasy | Mystery

Cast Ricky Whittle, Ian McShane, Emily Browning, Pablo Schreiber

Rating TV-MA

Series Premiere March 10th, 2019 (Starz)

“A recently released ex-convict named Shadow meets a mysterious man who calls himself “Wednesday” and who knows more than he first seems to about Shadow’s life and past.”

“The series is based on the 2001 fantasy novel by Neil Gaiman, which follows a former convict, Shadow Moon (played by Ricky Whittle in the show), after he’s hired by a mysterious individual named Mr. Wednesday (played by Ian McShane). He acts as a body guard and driver for the man as he travels across the country on a secretive mission. (Spoilers ahead) The first season of the highly stylized show saw the pair meeting a number of strange individuals on their journey, and it isn’t until the finale that Shadow Moon realizes that the man he’s been accompanying isn’t a human at all, but a manifestation of the Norse god Odin, who is busy recruiting allies for a coming war between the older pantheon of gods, and a newer, aggressive generation that wants to squash them out.

This new trailer teases that coming battle as the pair continue their journey. “Gradually, they abandoned us.” Wednesday intones. “Old, forgotten Gods. Now there are new Gods growing in America. And they want to destroy us.” Shadow Moon, it seems, has a bigger role to play coming up.”

— theverge.com

Now Apocalypse

Genre Comedy

Cast Avan Jogia, Kelly Berglund, Roxane Mesquida, Beau Mirchoff

Rating TV-MA

Series Premiere March 10TH, 2019 (STARZ)

“While on quests to pursue love, sex and fame with his friends in LA, Ulysses’ premonitory dreams make him question the possible presence of a dark and monstrous conspiracy.”

“Ulysses and his friends Carly, Ford, and Severine are on various quests pursing love, sex and fame in Los Angeles. Between sexual and romantic dating app adventures, Ulysses grows increasingly troubled as foreboding premonitory dreams make him wonder if some kind of dark and monstrous conspiracy going on...or is he just smoking too much weed?”

Check out the official trailer for the upcoming STARZ comedy series Now Apocalypse below!!

Ted Takes Fun Facts, Now Apocalypse:

• The first season was filmed in 40 days.

• Despite the number of sex scenes, Gregg Araki said in an interview that they had neither the time nor the budget to have intimacy coordinators on set, but said it was nonetheless a top priority for everyone on set to feel comfortable at all times.

After Life

Genre Comedy

Cast Ricky Gervais, Tom Basden, David Bradley, Roisin Conaty

Rating Unrated

Series Premiere March 8th, 2019 (Netflix)

“After Tony’s wife dies unexpectedly, his nice-guy persona is altered into an impulsive, devil-may-care attitude taking his old world by storm.”

After Life is a new Netflix comedy series that tells the story of a man who decides to drastically change his ways after losing his wife. After Tony's wife dies unexpectedly, his nice-guy persona is altered into an impulsive, devil-may-care attitude taking his old world by storm. Check out the official trailer below!!

Why The 2019 Oscars Are A JOKE

The 2019 Academy Awards is right around the corner (this Sunday night to be exact), but should you be excited or worried? We at Ted Takes have a multitude of reasons for why this year's culmination of accomplishments in film and television is a joke and will surely fall flat on its face…

'Saturday Night Live' Calls Out Hypocrisy Over Kevin Hart Oscars Controversy

•   The infamous (sort of) firing of host Kevin Hart

Sure, technically Hart made the decision to walk away from the gig after he was asked to publicly apologize for some insensitive comments he made on Twitter YEARS ago. He made it very clear that he apologized on a number of occasions already and would not go down that road again, and I don't blame him one bit. In all honesty, he probably felt like hosting the show would put a target on his back because this day and age if you crack a joke it becomes something more than it is. I have an idea, leave the past in the past!! (aside from the rapists and murders finally getting brought to justice thanks to advancements in DNA technology, I am pro that for sure). Society is WAAAAAYYYYYY too sensitive these days, so toughen up people otherwise you can get used to a watered down version of entertainment that will surely put you to sleep after a few wine coolers.

Marvel’s Black Panther (2018) received 6 Oscar nominations for the 2019 Academy Awards

• Oscars OR A Political Forum?!

Many of the nominations are an absolute JOKE. Okay, so let me get this straight, Black Panther received a nomination for best picture, and is the first comic book movie to EVER receive the nomination. This of course includes Christopher Nolan's 2008 masterpiece The Dark Knight, starring none other than Oscar-winning actor Christian Bale. You have to be kidding me right?! Don't get me wrong, I genuinely enjoyed Black Panther and I actually saw the film in theaters three times, but a nominee for best picture? Nahh, that is just plain old fashioned insanity. I can think of probably 10 comic book movies more deserving of the nomination (neither would win), and that is ignoring my previous mention of The Dark Knight. This is not a category for sheer entertainment value - it is for films like Manchester by the Sea, or Moonlight, films that include Oscar-worthy performances, top-tier directorial talent, and the ability to really "reach" the viewers. Director Ryan Coogler, who I am admittedly a HUGE fan of, delivered on his promise of an entertaining film worthy of the Marvel name, but the acting is average at best, the soundtrack/score is fitting but far from groundbreaking (yet somehow it was also nominated for best original score AND Best Sound Mixing?!), and the overall impact on the viewer is fine but not exactly life-changing. Bottom line, Black Panther may have made over 1 billion dollars worldwide but it is NOT a masterpiece. If you say otherwise you are simply lying to yourself. Please, please, pleasseeeeeeee get the politics out of the Oscars and focus on what is supposed to matter - quality filmmaking.

We could go on and on but we'd prefer to spread out our need to offend people throughout the rest of 2019. Once Sunday night gets here, we may find ourselves watching re-runs of The Office instead of the 2019 Oscars purely out of principle (and of course the fact that the show is about as politically incorrect as you can get and we love it).

#oscars

Will you be watching?! Share your thoughts with us in the comments.

A Madea Family Funeral

Director Tyler Perry

Genre Comedy

Cast Tyler Perry, Courtney Burrell, Patrice Lovely, Cassi Davis

Rating PG-13

Release Date March 1st, 2019

“A joyous family reunion becomes a hilarious nightmare as Madea and the crew travel to backwoods Georgia, where they find themselves unexpectedly planning a funeral that might unveil unsavory family secrets.”

From director Tyler Perry comes the next Madea adventure, A Madea Family Funeral tells the story of a joyous family reunion that becomes a hilarious nightmare as Madea and the crew travel to backwoods Georgia, where they find themselves unexpectedly planning a funeral that might unveil unsavory family secrets. Check out the official trailer below!!

Ted Takes Fun Facts, A Madea Family Funeral:

• Tyler Perry plays a new character named Heathrow, Madea and Joe's brother. He was also a Vietnam war veteran.

• This film was initially said to receive an R rating. However, like "Boo 2! A Madea Halloween," it was edited for a PG-13 rating.

• Said to be the last of the Madea films.

Greta

Director Neil Jordan

Genre Drama | Thriller

Cast Chloë Grace Moretz, Maika Monroe, Isabelle Huppert, Zawe Ashton

Rating R

Release Date March 1st, 2019

“After a young woman befriends a lonely widow, she discovers that their meeting was a setup.”

From director Neil Jordan, Greta is a drama thriller that tells the story of a young woman who befriends a lonely widow. Check out the official trailer below!!

Ted Takes Fun Facts, Greta:

• The distribution rights for the film were bought at the Toronto International Film Festival by Focus Features for $6 million.

The Widow

Genre Thriller

Cast Kate Beckinsale, Alex Kingston, Babs Olusanmokun, Charles Dance

Rating TV-MA

Series Premiere March 1st, 2019 (Amazon Prime)

“A woman’s search to uncover the mysterious disappearance of her husband leads her to the Congo, where she’s forced to seek the truth about what happened to the man she loved.”

“Amazon Studios has released the first trailer for its upcoming eight-episode series The Widow, starring Kate Beckinsale as Georgia, a woman mourning her beloved husband after he is killed in a plane crash in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Things take a turn, however, when she discovers he might not be dead. From there, she puts her life as a recluse behind her, and ventures out to uncover the truth of what happened.”

— Collider

Transit

Director Christian Petzold

Genre Drama

Cast Franz Rogowski, Paula Beer, Godehard Giese, Lilien Batman

Rating Unrated

Release Date March 1st, 2019 (Limited)

“When a man flees France after the Nazi invasion, he assumes the identity of a dead author whose papers he possesses. Stuck in Marseilles, he meets a young woman desperate to find her missing husband - the very man he’s impersonating.”

From director Christian Petzold, Transit tells the story of a man who flees France after the Nazi invasion and assumes the identity of a dead author whose papers he possesses. Stuck in Marseilles, he meets a young woman desperate to find her missing husband - the very man he's impersonating. Check out the official trailer below!!

Ted Takes Fun Facts, Transit:

• According to Christia Petzold, Transit is the last chapter of his trilogy called "Love in Times of Oppressive Systems". The trilogy also includes Barbara (2012) and Phoenix (2014).