Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem and MadnessBlock Summary 58

Genre Documentary | Crime

Cast Joe Exotic, Howard Baskin, Carole Baskin, Erikm Cowie

Rating Unrated

Series Premiere March 20th, 2020 (Netflix)

“A rivalry between big cat eccentrics takes a dark turn when Joe Exotic, a controversial animal park boss, is caught in a murder-for-hire plot.”

Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness is a true crime documentary on Joe Exotic, an Oklahoma polygamist, country singer, and gun toter who houses a horde of lions, tigers, and bears in his roadside zoo and is accused of planning the killing of a local animal rights activist. Check out the official trailer below!!

Schitt's Creek

Genre Comedy

Cast Eugene Levy, Catherine O’Hara, Dan Levy, Annie Murphy

Rating TV-MA

Series Premiere All 5 Seasons Now Streaming on Netflix!!

“When rich video-store magnate Johnny Rose and his family suddenly find themselves broke, they are forced to leave their pampered lives to regroup in Schitt’s Creek.”

When rich video-store magnate Johnny Rose and his family suddenly find themselves broke, they are forced to leave their pampered lives to regroup in Schitt's Creek. The comedy series Schitt’s Creek has become a fan favorite, be sure to check out all 5 seasons for yourself now streaming on Netflix!!

Ted Takes Fun Facts, Schitt’s Creek:

• The series was created by father and son Eugene and Dan Levy who both also star in the series. Eugene Levy is best known for his earlier role as the dad in the American Pie films.

Lost Girls

Director Liz Garbus

Genre Drama | Mystery | Thriller

Cast Amy Ryan, Thomasin McKenzie, Gabriel Byrne, Lola Kirke

Rating R

Release Date March 13th, 2020 (Netflix)

“When Mari Gilbert’s daughter disappears, police inaction drives her own investigation into the gated Long Island community where Shannan was last seen. Her search brings attention to over a dozen murdered sex workers.”

From director Liz Garbus, Lost Girls is a tragic true story about the horrors of sex trafficking. When Mari Gilbert's daughter disappears, police inaction drives her own investigation into the gated Long Island community where Shannan was last seen. Her search brings attention to over a dozen murdered sex workers.

Ted Takes Film Facts, Lost Girls:

• Based on the Robert Folker book.

Films in Theaters Now Available On-Demand!!

With the coronavirus disrupting the global theater marketplace, Universal Pictures has made some of its current film releases available On-Demand!!

Universal said in a statement that it made its movies available in the home now because of the "current circumstances," which have "made it more challenging to view our films."

See below the films currently in theaters and now available On-Demand for your viewing pleasure!!

The Invisible Man (NOW AVAILABLE)

Director Leigh Whannell

Genre Horror | Sci-Fi | Thriller

Cast Elisabeth Moss, Oliver Jackson-Cohen, Aldis Hodge, Storm Reid

Rating R

Release Date February 28th, 2020

“When Cecilia’s abusive ex takes his own life and leaves her fortune, she suspects his death was a hoax. As a series of coincidences turn lethal, Cecilia’s works to prove that she is being hunted by someone nobody can see.”

The Hunt (NOW AVAILABLE)

Director Craig Zobel

Genre Action | Horror | Thriller

Cast Betty Gilpin, Emma Roberts, Hilary Swank, Ethan Suplee

Rating R

Release Date March 13th, 2020

“Twelve strangers wake up in a clearing. They don’t know where they are, or how they got there. They don’t know they’ve been chosen - for a very specific purpose - The Hunt.”

Emma (NOW AVAILABLE)

Director Autumn de Wildem

Genre Comedy | Drama

Cast Anya Taylor-Joy, Gemma Whelan, Josh O’Connor, Bill Nighy

Rating PG

Release Date February 21st, 2020

“In 1800s England, a well meaning but selfish young woman meddles in the love lives of her friends.”

Trolls World Tour (AVAILABLE APRIL 10TH)

Director Walt Dohrn, David P. Smith

Genre Animation | Adventure | Comedy

Cast Anna Kendrick, Justin Timberlake, James Corden, Ozzy Osbourne

Rating PG

Release Date April 17th, 2020

“Anna Kendrick and Justin Timberlake return in an all-star sequel to DreamWorks Animation’s 2016 hot animated film.”

Westworld III

Genre Drama | Mystery | Sci-Fi

Cast Evan Rachel Wood, Jeffrey Wright, Ed Harris, Aaron Paul

Rating TV-MA

Series Premiere March 15th, 2020 9:00 PM EST (HBO)

“Set at the intersection of the near future and the reimagined past, explore a world in which every human appetite can be indulged without consequence.”

One thing is for sure, HBO’s sci-fi drama series Westworld is absolutely epic in every way. This show is incredibly written, expertly acted, and includes one of the most impressive scores in television today, and season 3 (or III as they are calling it) looks to yet again throw a wrench into the “what we thought we knew” conversation. Most notably the new season brings in Breaking Bad’s Aaron Paul in what seems to be a starring role according to the trailer, and we now have a glimpse of what the world is like outside the walls of the park. I know people are upset that Game of Thrones is now over, but I simply cannot wait for Westworld III to release on March 15th. Check out the official trailer below!!

Ted Takes Fun Facts, HBO’s Westworld:

• Ben Barnes (Logan) broke his foot before arriving to the first day of shooting. Being afraid of losing the job, he didn't tell anyone, and just used the limp to look like a character choice. He then had to maintain the limp throughout filming.

• The quote "These violent delights have violent ends" is from Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet.

Spenser Confidential

Director Peter Berg

Genre Crime | Drama | Mystery

Cast Mark Wahlberg, Winston Duke, Alan Arkin, Iliza Schlesinger

Rating R

Release Date March 6th, 2020 (Netflix)

“An ex-felon named Spenser returns to Boston’s criminal underworld to unravel a twisted murder conspiracy.”

From director Peter Berg, the man behind Lone Survivor, Patriots Day, and Mile 22, Spenser Confidential is a crime drama that follows an en ex-felon named Spenser who returns to Boston's criminal underworld to unravel a twisted murder conspiracy. Really glad to see Black Panther actor Winston Duke who continues to get more work, I thought he was great in the CBS drama series Person of Interest. Check out the official trailer for Spenser Confidential below!!

Ted Takes Fun Facts, Spenser Confidential:

• Yet another collaboration for director Peter Berg and actor Mark Wahlberg, they previously worked together on Lone Survivor, Deepwater Horizon, Patriots Day, and Mile 22.

• The film is based on the novel Wonderland by Ace Atkins, based on the Spenser character created by Robert B. Parker.

Resident Evil 3

Developer Capcom

Genre Action | Adventure | Horror

Rating Mature

Formats PS4 | Xbox One | PC

Release Date April 3rd, 2020

“A remake for Resident Evil 3: Nemesis (1999), Resident Evil 3 aims to breath new life into the iconic Nemesis and a chaotic Raccoon City. ”

“The Resident Evil 3 Remake trailer was shown during the Project Resistance trailer due to the fact that the two are part of the same package. Project Resistance is now called Resident Evil Resistance and it comes with Resident Evil 3. Resident Evil Resistance is a co-op game that pits players against the horrors created by the Umbrella Corporation, while another player controls the monsters. Capcom has since issued a press release revealing more information about Resident Evil 3, including the fact that it’s also coming to PC and Xbox One on the same day as it will be released on PlayStation 4. There will also be a Collector’s Edition of Resident Evil 3, which contains a physical copy of the game, a figure of Jill Valentine, an artbook, a wall map of Raccoon City, a digital soundtrack, and the pre-order costume bonuses.”

Check out the official trailers for Resident Evil 3 below!!

Modern Warfare 2: Remastered

“The more things change, the more they stay the same. Boundaries shift, new players step in, but power always finds a place to rest its head.”

— General Shepherd, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2.

What is it? There are a lot of things with Modern Warfare in the title these days, and it helps to be specific. This is a remaster of the original Modern Warfare 2 campaign, sold as a standalone purchase. Unlike the original Modern Warfare remaster, it will not have a multiplayer mode, according to various leaks.

This is different from what we assume will be Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, the sequel to the reboot series we started last year, and which is likely still more than a year away.

When did it release? Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 Campaign Remastered is out on March 31, 2020, on PS4. It will come to Xbox One and PC on April 30.

Queen Sono

Genre Action | Crime | Drama

Cast Pearl Thusi, Vuyo Dabula, Loyiso Madinga, Chi Mhendi

Rating TV-MA

Series Premiere February 28th, 2020

“A drama about a secret agent who fights crime while dealing with crises in her personal life.”

Queen Sono is a crime drama about a secret agent who fights crime while dealing with crises in her personal life. Check out the official trailer below!!

The Letter for the King

Genre Action | Adventure | Family

Cast Amir Wilson, Ruby Ashbourne Serkis, Thaddea Graham, Jonah Lees

Rating TV-PG

Series Premiere March 20th, 2020

“Tiuri, a teenage squire, answers a call for help that sends him on a perilous mission across the three kingdoms to deliver a secret letter to the King.”

The Letter for the King is a family friendly action adventure that follows Tiuri, a teenage squire, who answers a call for help that sends him on a perilous mission across the three kingdoms to deliver a secret letter to the King. Check out the official trailer below!!

Hollywood's New Obsession, What Is Quibi?

There's a hot new app rolling out April 6th and everyone in Hollywood is talking about it. The entertainment world is buzzing about Quibi, a potentially major disruptor in streaming television, that aims to be the first app to actually make short-form TV and movies into a lasting medium on your phone. Steven Spielberg himself announced that he was on board to produce and write a series, and he's not the only big name Quibi has attracted. But what IS this exciting new app that's generated $1 billion in funding, and why should we all be so excited about it?

What is Quibi?

Quibi is a streaming service for short-form entertainment, founded by Jeffrey Katzenberg, who was the chairman of Disney during its animation renaissance in the 1990s, and Meg Whitman, also a former Disney exec, who has also been in charge of DreamWorks, Procter & Gamble, Hasbro, eBay, and Hewlett Packard. It markets itself as a new form of content consumption, creating "snackable" series and films each told via multiple short chapters. It's not available yet, but has recently been making headlines for attracting big names in Hollywood, from Jason Blum, Steven Soderbergh, Chrissy Teigen, and a bunch more people, to produce and star in these quick hits.

What does Quibi mean?

"Quibi" stands for "quick bites" -- that is, very, very short-form content that is easily consumable in one sitting -- made to "fit perfectly into any moment of your day," as the website tells us. It's the future the digital age promised! Whole shows designed just for millennials and their notoriously short attention spans. Am I wrong?

When will it launch?

It's set to launch on April 6, 2020, and it has two payment tiers: $4.99 with short ads, and $7.99 without them. This makes Quibi a big competitor of Apple TV+, also priced at $4.99 per month, and the likes of Netflix or Disney+, whose cheapest tiers are still not as cheap as $5.

How can I use it?

It's designed to be mobile-only -- that is, on your phones and tablets and that's it -- for the foreseeable future. At first Katzenberg and Whitman said they'd try a "mobile-first" approach with a TV component later on, but it looks like they're sticking to an app format. To do this, they've been hiring people from Instagram and Snapchat -- two apps that have pioneered short-form story content across their platforms through IGTV and Snap Originals. Quibi's chief product officer is Tom Conrad, formerly Snap's VP of product. (One of its series in production is a Social Network-style show about the creation of Snapchat.)

The mobile-only format allows Quibi to experiment with form: It will support both horizontal and vertical video and allow its users to switch between the two in the same video. Producers have also considered vertical video formats, which would make some shots look like the video and FaceTime you get on a smartphone screen (see below example).

Check out some of the most recent trailers for Quibi exclusives below including quite a few very recognizable actors and actresses and let us know your thoughts on the new streaming platform in the comments below!!

The Platform

Director Galder Gaztelu-Urrutia

Genre Horror | Sci-Fi | Thriller

Cast Ivan Massagué, Zorion Eguileor, Antonia San Juan, Emilio Buale

Rating Unrated

Release Date March 20th, 2020 (Netflix)

“A vertical prison with one cell per level. Two people per cell. One only food platform and two minutes per day to feed from up to down. An endless nightmare trapped in The Pit.”

Directed by Galder Gaztelu-Urrutia, The Platform is a twisted social allegory about mankind at its darkest and hungriest. Inside a vertical prison system, inmates are assigned to a level and forced to ration food from a platform that moves between the floors. Check out the official trailer below!!

The Plot Against America

Genre Drama

Cast Winona Ryder, Zoe Kazan, Morgan Spector, John Torturro

Rating TV-MA

Season Premiere March 16th, 2020 (HBO)

“Characters live in an alternative history in which Franklin D. Roosevelt was defeated in the U.S. presidential election of 1940 by Charles Lindbergh.”

The HBO series The Plot Against America follows characters living in an alternative history in which Franklin D. Roosevelt was defeated in the U.S. presidential election of 1940 by Charles Lindbergh. Check out the official trailer below!!

Ted Takes Fun Facts, The Plot Against America:

• Based on the novel by Philip Roth.

Little Fires Everywhere

Genre Drama

Cast Reese Witherspoon, Kerry Washington, Rosemarie DeWitt, Joshua Jackson

Rating TV-MA

Series Premiere March 18th, 2020 (Hulu)

“Adaptation of Celeste Ng’s novel, Little Fires Everywhere.”

The Richardson family lives in the planned community of Shaker Heights, Ohio—a place of wealth, comfort, and stability—and they are a clan that embodies those traits. But when Mia, a single mother, and her fifteen year old daughter, Pearl, rent a house in the area, their very different lives will merge with those of the Richardson family and begin to contort the carefully laid lattice that supports their views. Check out the official trailer for the Hulu original series Little Fires Everywhere below!!

Banana Split

Director Benjamin Kasulke

Genre Comedy

Cast Hannah Marks, Liana Liberato, Dylan Sprouse, Luke Spencer Roberts

Rating R

Release Date March 27th, 2020 (Netflix July 26th)

“Over the course of a summer, two teenage girls develop the perfect kindred spirit friendship, with one big problem: one of them is dating the other’s ex.”

From director Benjamin Kasulke, Banana Split is a comedy that picks up over the course of a summer, following two teenage girls who develop the perfect kindred spirit friendship, with one big problem: one of them is dating the other's ex. Check out the official trailer below!!

Vivarium

Director Lorcan Finnegan

Genre Mystery | Sci-Fi

Cast Imogen Poots, Jesse Eisenberg, Jonathan Aris, Eanna Hardwicke

Rating R

Release Date March 27th, 2020 (Prime July 11th)

“A young couple looking for the perfect home find themselves trapped in a mysterious labyrinth-like neighborhood of identical houses.”

From director Lorcan Finnegan (Without Name), Vivarium tells the story of a young couple looking for the perfect home but find themselves trapped in a mysterious labyrinth-like neighborhood of identical houses. Check out the official trailers below!!

Ted Takes Fun Facts, Vivarium:

• The film was first seen on May 18, 2019 at the Cannes Film Festival. The movie is being distributed in the U.S. by Saban Films.

Hooking Up

Director Nico Raineau

Genre Comedy | Drama

Cast Brittany Snow, Sam Richardson, Anna Akana, Kyle Ament

Rating R

Release Date March 20th, 2020

“A cynical writer and a hopeless romantic hit the road for a cross-country trip.”

Hooking Up tells the story of Bailey and Darla, two strangers who embark upon a misguided and mutually deceitful form of therapy, one in which they must drive across the country re-enacting Darla's colorful history as a sex addict. As their true motivations for the road trip come to light, the unlikely pair force one another to confront their issues, discovering that there might actually be more to love than just sex. Check out the official trailer below!!

Horror Streaming Service Shudder FREE for 30 Days

The reality is that most of us are going to be spending a whole lot of time indoors for at least the next 30 days, whether we like it or not. Also, it is the smart thing to do. The coronavirus pandemic is no joke, and avoiding unnecessary trips out of the house can go a long way when it comes to mitigating the spread. If you don’t have to leave, don’t leave. Simple.

While we’re all stuck at home, horror streaming service Shudder wants to help us use our time more productively by offering an extended 30 DAY FREE TRIAL to new members, which is available now.

Try Shudder free for 30 days with promo code: SHUTIN

Plans beyond that free 30 day trial start at $4.75/month, and you can cancel anytime.

With movies being pulled from release, productions being shut down and movie theaters closing up shop for several weeks and possibly even months, on-demand streaming is going to become an essential means to help us keep our sanity while enjoying some great content. And for horror fans specifically, there’s really no better streaming service to sign up for than Shudder.

To get you started, here are a handful of now-streaming titles I can personally recommend including Mayhem starring Steven Yeun, better known as The Walking Dead’s fan favorite character Glen:

• Mayhem (Preview & Trailer)

• Prevenge (Preview & Trailer)

• Mandy (Preview & Trailer)

• The Head Hunter

• Dog Soldiers

• Train to Busan

• Smoke and Mirrors: The Story of Tom Savini

• The Furies

• Bliss

• “Channel Zero: The Dream Door”

• “Eli Roth’s History of Horror”

• Horror Noire: A History of Black Horror

• The Taking of Deborah Logan

• Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon

• The Void (Preview & Trailer) The Void (Spoiler-Free Review)

• Revenge (Preview & Trailer)

• Audition

• One Cut of the Dead

• Incident in a Ghostland

Movie theaters may be closed, but digital streaming isn’t going anywhere. Take comfort in that and use this free time to kick back and watch horror movies. We’ll get through this together.

We’re not planning on going anywhere either. Stay strong, stay safe, and stay smart!

Devs

Genre Drama | Sci-Fi | Thriller

Cast Sonoya Mizuno, Nick Offerman, Jin Ha, Alison Pill

Rating Unrated

Series Premiere Thursday March 5th, 2020 (FX on Hulu)

“A computer engineer investigates the secretive development division in her company, which she believes is behind the disappearance of her boyfriend.”

Created by Alex Garland, the man behind sci-fi thrillers Ex Machina and Annihilation, Devs is a limited series that takes a similar route to his films and tells the story of a computer engineer who investigates the secretive development division in her company, which she believes is behind the disappearance of her boyfriend.

Garland is clearly quite creative when it comes to sci-fi, and I will watch anything with Nick Offerman so I am looking forward to this. Check out the official trailer and a few teasers below!! Just a side note, although this is “technically” an FX series, it will be exclusively found on Hulu via FX on Hulu.

Ted Takes Fun Facts, Devs:

• Devs marks Sonoya Mizuno's third project with filmmaker Alex Garland, as she was also in Ex Machina and Annihilation.

Never Rarely Sometimes Always

Director Eliza Hittman

Genre Drama

Cast Sidney Flanigan, Ryan Eggold, Sharon Van Etten, Théodore Pellerin

Rating Unrated

Release Date March 13th, 2020 (Limited)

“A teenage girl in rural Pennsylvania hops on a Greyhound bus and goes on a long, expensive and distressing pilgrimage to New York City to find an abortion clinic.”

Written and directed by Eliza Hittman (Beach Rats), Never Rarely Sometimes Always is a drama that tells the story of a teenage girl in rural Pennsylvania who hops on a Greyhound bus and goes on a long, expensive and distressing pilgrimage to New York City to find an abortion clinic. Check out the official trailer below!!