morgan freeman

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GUNNER (2024) Review – BMC Preview

It’s been close to twelve years since I restarted this journey a little more formally as a “news guy” – less so of a “review” guy as I was only just beginning to find my own rhythm. That search eventually evolved into something that implored me to be a little more responsible in how I watch movies, thusly calibrating a lot of my viewpoints into that of someone who some filmmakers won’t take kindly to. I’m okay with that, frankly, as I would rather be a critic and enjoy what I do than someone’s proverbial cat’s paw, and be a little more honest with my perceptions on film. Especially when it comes to action. Enter Acme Rocket Fuel’s Dimitri Logothetis, known as the frontman for the current Kickboxer reboot franchise which includes its upcoming third installment, and sci-fi action thriller, Jiu Jitsu, which is based on an in-house graphic novel. […]

57 SECONDS: Don’t Miss The Trailer For The New Sci-Fi Starring Josh Hutcherson And Morgan Freeman

Lee B. Golden III

The Avenue rolled out the official trailer and keyart this week for 57 Seconds, the new sci-fi action thriller from director Rusty Cundieff. Based on a short story by E.C. Tubb, the film was written by Cundieff and by Macon Blair, for a cast led by Josh Hutcherson, Greg Germann, Lovie Simone, Bevin Bru, Sammi Rotibi, and Morgan Freeman. Josh Hutcherson (The Hunger Games) and Academy Award® winner Morgan Freeman (Million Dollar Baby) star in this heart-racing action thriller. When a tech blogger discovers a time-altering device, he unleashes its power to rewrite the past and seek revenge against the ruthless corporate empire that destroyed his family. But his actions soon trigger a terrifying chain of events, propelling him into a pulse-pounding battle for survival where every second counts. 57 Seconds opens in theaters and on Digital beginning September 29.

GUNNER: Hemsworth And Freeman Featured In First Look As Deals Land At Cannes

Lee B. Golden III

Highland Film Group has locked distribution deals in key international territories for action thriller Gunner. The new film is directed by Dimitri Logothetis from a script by Gary Scott Thompson. Gunner follows Special Ops veteran Lee Gunner (Luke Hemsworth) who takes his two sons on a fishing trip to reconnect. The trip soon turns awry when the boys stumble upon a massive drug running operation and are kidnapped by Dobbs, the son of the gang’s kingpin Kendric Ryker (Morgan Freeman) who runs the organization from prison. With no one but himself to retaliate and with elite combat skills they won’t see coming, an enraged Gunner wreaks havoc to rescue his two sons from Ryker’s gang. You don’t cross Gunner! The deals sealed this week include Daro Film Distribution for Germany and Eastern Europe, Premiere TV Distribution for Benelux, Spentzos Film for Greece, IIF for Italy, NOS Lusomundo Audiovisuais for Portugal, […]

Luke Hemsworth Actioner GUNNER Casts Morgan Freeman For Spring Shoot

Lee B. Golden III

New Dimitri Logothetis action thriller Gunner is casting up as of Thursday with the addition of Morgan Freeman according to a new news release. The Academy Award-winner whose credits partly include Million Dollar Baby and The Hitman’s Wife’s Bodyguard, joins lead actor Luke Hemsworth with a script by Gary Scott Thompson (The Fast and The Furious). In Gunner, we follow Special Ops veteran Lee Gunner (Hemsworth) who takes his two sons on a fishing trip to reconnect. The trip soon turns awry when the boys stumble upon a massive drug-running operation and are kidnapped by Dobbs, the son of the gang’s kingpin Kendric Ryker (Freeman) who runs the organization from prison. With no one but himself to retaliate and with elite combat skills they won’t see coming, an enraged Gunner wreaks havoc to rescue his two sons from Ryker’s gang. You don’t cross Gunner! Logothetis, best known for shepherding two […]

57 SECONDS: Less Than A Minute To Take A First Look At Morgan Freeman And Josh Hutcherson In The New Action Sci-Fi

Lee B. Golden III

Production is now underway in Louisiana for action sci-fi thriller, 57 Seconds, starring Morgan Freeman (Million Dollar Baby) and Josh Hutcherson (Hulu series “Future Man”), and we now have our first look photo from the film which you can view above. Written by Macon Blair (I Don’t Feel At Home In This World Anymore), 57 Seconds centers on tech blogger Franklin Fausti (Hutcherson) who lands a career-defining interview with the visionary technology guru Anton Burrell (Freeman). After thwarting an attack against the celebrated technophile, Franklin picks up a mysterious ring that Burrell has dropped and soon discovers the ring allows its possessor to travel 57 seconds into the past. Driven by revenge and with Burrell’s support, Franklin uses the ring to dismantle the pharmaceutical company responsible for his sister’s death. But he soon gets entangled in a treacherous and brutal chain of events with much more than his own destiny […]

57 SECONDS Lines Up Freeman, Hutcherson For Action Sci-Fi Shoot This Spring

Lee B. Golden III

Highland Film Group is off to the races for the upcoming European Film Market with their slate this year, including action sci-fi thriller 57 Seconds starring Morgan Freeman (Million Dollar Baby) and Josh Hutcherson (The Hunger Games movies). Cameras are set to roll this April in Lousiana for Rusty Cundieff (Tales from the Hood, “Chappelle’s Show”) who is directing from a script by Macon Blair (Netflix’s I Don’t Feel at Home in This World Anymore), who adapted the pic based on the acclaimed story by British author E.C. Tubbs. Hutcherson stars as Franklin Fausti, a tech blogger Franklin Fausti who lands a career-defining interview with the visionary technology guru Anton Burrell (Freeman). After thwarting an attack against the celebrated technophile, Franklin picks up a mysterious ring that Burrell has dropped and soon discovers the ring allows its possessor to travel 57 seconds into the past. Driven by revenge and with Burrell’s support, Franklin […]

Filmmaker George Gallo talks about his new film “Vanquish” starring Morgan Freeman & Ruby Rose

Matthew Essary

Writer turned director George Gallo has had a long and active career in Hollywood spanning 35 years. In that time, he has written the script for the classic comedy MIDNIGHT RUN starring Robert DeNiro and had a hand in creating the characters of the wildly successful BAD BOYS franchise which helped launch the film career of mega-star Will Smith. He has also directed and written for actors such as Nicolas Cage, Bruce Willis, Luke Wilson, and Tommy Lee Jones in various comedies during that time as well. Gallo’s latest film though is a big departure from his mostly comedic oeuvre. That film, VANQUISH, finds him fully stepping into the world of action filmmaking with a gritty tale of corrupt cops, criminals, and deadly assassins. Here is the film’s official plot synopsis: Victoria (Ruby Rose, ORANGE IS THE NEW BLACK), is trying to put her dark past as a Russian […]

VANQUISH: Action Thriller Shoot Underway With Morgan Freeman And Ruby Rose From ‘Midnight Run’ Director

Lee B. Golden III

Principal photography is underway in Biloxi, Mississippi for action thriller, Vanquish, from director George Gallo (The Comeback Trail, Midnight Run). Academy Award winner Morgan Freeman (Million Dollar Baby) and Ruby Rose (The Meg) are starring from a script by Gallo and co-scribe Samuel Bartlett who also storied the pic. Strict Covid-19 protocols are in place for the production which sees Freeman in the role of a retired police commissioner who blackmails his caretaker (Rose), by kidnapping her daughter (Journey Brener), forcing her into helping him double cross his team of dirty detectives in an attempt to clean up the city and cleanse his soul before it’s too late. March On Production’s Richard Salvatore and David E. Ornston (upcoming The Comeback Trail) are producing with Chassy Media’s Nate Adams. Christian Mercuri’s Capstone Group is co-financing the project alongside Gary Leff’s Southland Equity. Mercuri and Leff will exec produce. “With the state […]

PANAMA Reteams Grillo And Freeman For November Production

Lee B. Golden III

News out of Toronto brings word that Frank Grillo and Oscar-winning actor Morgan Freeman will star in the based-on-true-events action thriller, Panama. Filming begins in November after Grillo wraps recent photography on John Swab’s ensemble crime thriller, Body Brokers, which began this month. In Panama, James Becker (Grillo), a rugged, decorated ex-marine is assigned by Starks (Freeman), his former commander to execute a high-value deal with shady adversaries. The two will work together as Becker takes on assassins, courts femme fatales and negotiates with the enemy in order to complete his mission and come home. Daniel Adams (The Golden Boys, An L.A. Minute) will direct from a script he wrote with co-scribe, exec producer William R. Barber. Michelle Chydzik Sowa and Michelle Reihel are producing. Highland Film Group is boarding world sales at TIFF next week. Grillo and Freeman will also be seen next year in action comedy sequel, The […]

EFM 2018: Action Thriller MANUSCRIPT Sets Scott Eastwood And Morgan Freeman To Star

Lee B. Golden III

Highland Film Group is out and about with their package in Berlin for buyers. Featured in their slate is Manuscript which, per The Hollywood Reporter, has Nick Cassavetes replacing John Moore to direct from a script by Louis Rosenberg and Joe Rosenbaum. In this cat and mouse style thriller, a jailed genius convict (Morgan Freeman), leads an ambitious junior editor, through clues in his memoir, to the 20 million in missing diamonds he stole years earlier. As the junior editor gets closer to finding out the truth about the mystery, he falls in to a greater criminal ploy that leaves his life in danger. Mike Witherill (John Wick) and Mark Williams (The Accountant) will produce next to Paris Film Inc.’s Rob Paris for the film’s New Orleans shoot in April. Eastwood, who has appeared in several major franchise pics – namely DC adaptation Suicide Squad and Universal’s The Fate Of The […]

Ric Roman Waugh To Call The Shots As ANGEL HAS FALLEN Lands Director

Lee B. Golden III

Saban Films is poised to release the new crime thriller, Shot Caller, on August 18 in theaters following its current availability on demand. For this, keep an eye out for more news thereafter regarding the film’s director, Ric Roman Waugh, who reportedly just landed Millenium Film’s trilogy finale, Angel Has Fallen. Actor Gerard Butler will reprise the role of secret service agent Mike Banning who now finds himself the target of killers while aboard Air Force One. Creighton Rothenberger and Katrin Benedikt, who wrote the first two titles in the trilogy – Olympus Has Fallen and London Has Fallen – were last attached to pen the script. Morgan Freeman will also return to the role of Alan Trumbull who was Speaker Of The House in the first film and U.S. Vice President in the second. Butler is producing the film via his G-BASE banner next to Alan Siegel and Danielle Robinson, and […]

Action Thriller VILLA CAPRI Sets Ron Shelton To Direct, Freeman And Jones To Star

Lee B. Golden III

White Men Can’t Jump and Raging Bull helmer Ron Shelton is making a comeback as of this week with the new action comedy, Villa Capri. Sierra/Affinity is taking the film to Cannes this week with Morgan Freeman and Tommy Lee Jones set to star. The film is a return to the chair for Shelton following his his last two misfires, boxing road comedy Play It To The Bone in 1999 and Hollywood Homicide. This Summer will see him rolling cameras in New Mexico with his own script, in the vein of the 1988 comedy, Midnight Run, centering on a former FBI agent and former mob boss who are forced to cast their petty differences aside in order to fend off a mob hit. THR reports eOne has already snagged rights to territories in Europe and Australia/New Zealand and will finance the film with Endurance Media, whose own Steve Richards will […]

Watch Jesse Eisenberg Control The Elements In The Latest NOW YOU SEE ME 2 Trailer.

Lee B. Golden III

Director Jon M. Chu is picking up some steam this week now that he’s being tapped to adapt Kevin Kwan’s novel, Crazy Rich Asians. His latest film, however, is coming out next month in the form of Now You See Me 2 with a much more appealing product led by a cast including returning actor Jesse Eisenberg to help you magically forget last year’s woes from, you know, that other movie. SYNOPSIS: THE FOUR HORSEMEN [Jesse Eisenberg, Woody Harrelson, Dave Franco, Lizzy Caplan] return for a second mind-bending adventure, elevating the limits of stage illusion to new heights and taking them around the globe. One year after outwitting the FBI and winning the public’s adulation with their Robin Hood-style magic spectacles, the illusionists resurface for a comeback performance in hopes of exposing the unethical practices of a tech magnate. The man behind their vanishing act is none other than WALTER […]

LONDON HAS FALLEN Gets A Second Trailer

Lee B. Golden III

Director Babak Najafi appears intent on living up to the fervor left over from Antoine Fuqua’s 2013 White House hostage thriller, Olympus Has Fallen. His newest, London Has Fallen, brings back Gerard Butler as he works to cement his way into action hero history as the next, less grumpy version of John McClaine, now tackling terror on the streets of London where a new threat looms. Aaron Eckhart reprises his role as the American president everyone seems to be trying to kill these days, with actress Charlotte Riley in the role of a British MI-6 agent unbeknownst of who to trust amid the chaos. But be warned, terrorists! If you kill off Eckhart, you’ll have to deal with the convicting voice of his Vice President, actor Morgan Freeman, who will rightly narrate your demise! The film opens on March 4 in the U.S.. Check out the latest trailer!

Clive Owen Revenge Epic, LAST KNIGHTS Gets A New Poster!

Lee B. Golden III

Following last month’s trailer unveiling of Casshern helmer, director Kaz I Kiriya‘s newest period action foray, Last Knights, ComingSoon.net provided the official poster art which you can now view just beneath. The film has seen quite a journey as its taken a few years to see through, but you can mark April 3, 2015 as the official date of the film’s theatrical and video-on-demand release, with the promise of what looks to be an entertaining sword-swinging thriller of epic proportions. SYNOPSIS: Academy Award® Nominee Clive Owen (Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role, Closer, 2004) delivers an electrifying performance as a fallen warrior who rises against a corrupt and sadistic ruler to avenge his dishonored master, Academy Award® Winner Morgan Freeman (Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role, Million Dollar Baby, 2004) in this epic, sword-clashing adventure of loyalty, honor, and vengeance. Grindstone Entertainment Group presents […]

Sir Clive Owen Comes Out Swinging In The New Trailer For THE LAST KNIGHTS

Lee B. Golden III

While I have always wondered what would come of director Kiriya Kaz since he blew my mind about a decade ago with the live-action manga adaptation, Casshern, I didn’t suspect his follow-up to 2009’s Goemon would be a more international career transition. Evidently, the existence of the 2012 US-Korean production of his newest film, The Last Knights, would change all that, and while it does away with a lot of the CGI-infused spectacle he’s known for on his earlier films, it certainly looks like it bodes well for fans of medieval swordplay and brutal action with great depth and details suitable for a film of this caliber, with actor Sir Clive Owen and Morgan Freeman leading the pack! SYNOPSIS: A knight seeks vengeance when his lord is unjustly executed by a tyrannical emperor. Knight’s commander Raiden receives an honor above all else when Bartok, his childless lord, names him as […]

LUCY Will Be Rated-R Upon Theatrical Release

Lee B. Golden III

Hey you, action fan. Guess what? Writer and director Luc Besson‘s forthcoming sci-fi action thriller, Lucy, is getting a kick-ass R-rating. And in a world where PG-13 movies (some good, and some needlessly rated as so) are domimating the conversation, it’s good to see that a portion of action film fans who love a good old-fashioned, grown-up R-rated movie haven’t been forgotten. So take note: Set the new rescheduled theatrical release date for July 25, 2014 on your calendar, and by all means, bring friends! Lucy also stars Morgan Freeman, Choi Min-sik and Amr Waked. SYNOPSIS: Scarlett Johansson stars as the eponymous Lucy, a poor girl who is kidnapped and forced by the mob to work as a drug mule. One day, a container of futuristic drugs that has been implanted inside her begins to leak, and as a result Lucy begins to develop superhuman powers. Now, with the ability […]

LUCY Controls The World Around Her In The First Trailer

Lee B. Golden III

Marvel’s The Avengers 1 and 2 and Captain America 2 leading lady, actress Scarlett Johansson will be delivering her own brand of telekinetic, metahumanoid ass-kickery when she appears front and center in French action auteur Luc Besson‘s new sci-fi thriller, Lucy. And this week, we have a new trailer that shares all of the glorious action that awaits fans later this year following the exclusive first screenshot of the film courtesy of EW, and previous reports of the film’s exclusive footage screening at CinemaCon last month. Johansson stars as the titular character, a woman living in Taipei, Taiwan forced to work as a drug mule when the mysterious drug suddenly leaks into her body, giving her unbelievable superhuman powers of mind and body, and much more. Actors Morgan Freeman and Choi Min-Sik round out the cast for the film’s North American release on August 8, 2014.