The Guilty (2021)

Made for Netflix, airing on instant streaming, October 1st in the US.

Filmed in California.

The story: Wildfires are currently taking over Los Angeles.

This keeps the LAPD super busy, not to mention there is a complete lack of patrol cars to go around for normal emergencies.

Joe Baylor is working as a 911 dispatcher after getting in trouble in the line of duty.

He is annoyed, impatient, struggling with the air quality, and going through a separation which causes him to not get to see his young daughter as much as he would like.

Joe has been taking routine 911 calls all morning until he gets a really serious one.
A woman calls him from her cell phone and from what Joe can make out, she has been abducted.

He does his best to help, going above and beyond, and asking as many questions as possible.

The call consumes Joe until he can make sure for certain that the woman is safe.

Stars Jake Gyllenhaal, Maurice Webster, Christina Vidal, Adrian Martinez, David Castaneda, Becky Wu, Oscar Balderrama,  (voice) Riley Keough, (voice) Peter Sarsgaard, Eli Goree, Ethan Hawke, Da Vine Joy Randolph, Christiana Montoya, (voice) Edi Patterson, (voice) Dru Knapp, (voice) Paul Dano, (voice) Gillian Zinser

Directed by Antoine Fuqua

Rated R
MYSTERY/THRILLER

"Broken people help broken people."

Lover , Stalker , Killer (2024)

Made for Netflix, airing on instant streaming February 9th in the US.

Filmed entirely in Nebraska.

The story: In 2012, Dave Kroupa is recently divorced.

He moves to Nebraska, where his ex-wife has moved so he can be close to his children.

There, Dave is new in town and finds he is a bit lonely. He decides to join an online dating community.

In this community, Dave meets single mother of two, Liz Golyar. The two meet up for a date and immediately hit it off.

But there is one thing they both agree on, their relationship is to be a casual one.

No commitments, just good times between two friends.

Soon, Dave meets single mother of one Cari Farver and they also make a connection.

Once again, the same rules apply. No serious commitments.

On Dave and Cari's first date, they make their way back to Dave's place.

No sooner do they get inside, they find Liz is at the door, claiming she left something at Dave's that she needs.

Cari leaves, Dave allows Liz inside to get her things and after she leaves, Dave goes over to Cari's house.

Dave does not see Cari too many more times after that...

One day after Dave and Cari have spent the prior evening together, he gets a text from her, stating that she thinks they should move in together.

Dave, surprised about this because they have a mutual agreement, just kind of shrugs it off.

Right after that, Dave begins getting massive amounts of text messages from a very irate Cari.

The texts are mean-spirited and threatening and they seem to never end.

As time goes on, the texts get worse and worse, each one containing a more dangerous message.

It seems no one in Dave's life, including himself, is safe...

Stars Dave Kroupa,  Nancy Raney, Amy Flora, Chris LeGrow, Jim Doty, Ryan Avis, Tony Kava, Brenda Beadle, Todd Butterbaugh, Liz/Shanna Golyar

Directed by Sam Hobkinson

Not Rated

DOCUMENTARY/HISTORY

The Lesson (2023)

Released July 2nd in the US.

Filming location(s) unknown.

The story: Liam is a brilliant young man who wants to be an author.

He has been working on a novel for many years but has recently put it down for a bit.

Liam works as a tutor and is very good at what he does. 

So good, that to his surprise, he is sought after by famous author J M Sinclair.

You see, Liam looks up to and admires Sinclair's work and knows it all by heart.

He strives to be just as good as him one day.

So, it is purely an honor and delight that Sinclair has hired him.

Liam's hired job is to tutor Sinclair's youngest son, Bertie.

Bertie is struggling with his writing and Sinclair believes he must do the best he can to make it into the college that he must attend...

What Liam ends up learning while tutoring Bertie, is that the household in which he lives, along with his mother, is quite oppressed by Sinclair.

Sinclair rules over his household with a heavy hand, leaving everyone around him feeling unworthy and somber.

Liam even finds that in time, Sinclair makes him feel the very same way he makes his family feel.

But Liam was hired to help...

Stars Daryl McCormack, Tomas Spencer, Julie Delpy, Stephen McMillan, Richard E Grant, Crispin Letts, Joseph Meurer

Directed by Alice Troughton

Rated R
MYSTERY/THRILLER

"Good authors borrow, great authors steal."

Follow Her (2022)

Released June 2, 2023 in the US.
Filming location(s) unknown.

The story: Jess is a young woman, struggling to live out her dreams of being an actress.
She applies for jobs, some of which she secretly records for her YouTube live-streaming channel.

This isn't making her much money,  but she has high hopes that it will someday make her internet famous.

After posting her latest video and realizing that it has skyrocketed her popularity, she believes she has finally made it to the top of the charts.

Shortly thereafter though, Jess notices a big glitch in the video and begins freaking out.

With nothing more to do but wait for help, she continues job searching until she finds an ad looking for a co-scriptwriter.

Jess believes the job is legit, and after traveling to a farmhouse in the middle of nowhere to meet Joe, the main screenwriter of the project, she begins loosening up a bit.

Joe seems nice enough but after some time, Jess cannot determine if Joe's intentions are real or if he is setting her up for something far more sinister.

Stars Dani Barker, Brian Vincent, Eliana Jones, Mark Moses, Luke Cook, Justin L Wilson, Lorraine Farris, Maayan Laufer, Jean Remy Monnay, Clay Vanderbeek, Chris Gaunt, Cristala Carter, Bettina Bilger

Directed by Sylvia Caminer

Not Rated

MYSTERY/THRILLER

Farming (2018)

Released October 25, 2019 in the US.

Filmed entirely in England.

Based on truths.

The story: Tilbury, England, 1967.

New Nigerian parents Femi and Paddy have come to England to pay for their six-week-old son Enitan to live in a foster home. 

They believe it is best for the time being, as they need to go back home and continue on with their studies and work.

But it will not be forever.

Many years go by and Enitan is still living with the same foster parents, along with many other children two of whom are his younger blood sisters.

Enitan tries very hard to capture the love and adoration of his foster mother, but she isn't exactly interested.

He begins feeling alienated and alone, knowing he is different. Everyone who is cruel to him is white and this makes him want to be white as well.

Suddenly, Enitan's life is uprooted when Femi and Paddy show up to take him back to Nigeria.

Enitan is scared and confused there and, after some time, not able to adapt.

With no choice, his parents send him back to his foster parents once again, but he's really confused, scared, and traumatized now.

The only thing Enitan seems to be interested in is escape. 

He is a kind soul who is misunderstood time and time again, while just wanting to be accepted somewhere.

When Enitan becomes a young teenager, he is a violent and unruly loner, just living inside himself.

But not as violent and unruly as the gang that is cruelest to him, whom Enitan begins thinking he was born to run with.

Stars Adewale Akinnuoye Agbaje, Ademola Adedoyin, Kate Beckinsale, Ann Mitchell, Lee Ross, Zephan Hanson Amissah, Adejola Adeyemi, Brooklyn Appiah, Michael Akinsulire, Shane Attwooll, Zach Avery, Rachael Banjo, Theo Barklem Biggs, Bradley Bissett, Scarlett Brookes, Kirstie Brough, Damson Idris, Gugu Mbatha Raw, Craig Canning, Tom Canton, John Dagleish, James Eeles, Ryan Enever, Cosmo Jarvis, Skye Lourie, Robert Maskell, Ella McLoughlin, Mike Shanti

Directed by (& story written) Adewale Akinnuoye Agbaje

Rated R
DRAMA/BIOGRAPHY/HISTORY

"Between the 1960s and the 1980s, tens of thousands of Nigerian children were fostered out by their parents to white working-class families in the UK.

This informal system became known as "farming".

This is one of their stories..."

The Last Shift (2020)

Released September 25th in the US.

Filmed in Chicago.

The story: Stanley has been a dedicated, honest employee of the slow-paced , fast-food chain Oscar's Chicken and Fish for the last 38 years.

He will be retiring next Tuesday. He will also be training the new employee during his last weekend for the graveyard shift.

Jevon is a young man, who has recently done time for defacing a monument.

He is a bright guy, who is good at and enjoys writing. He is also the father of one young son.

Jevon's parole requires him to either get a job or attend college.

He believes college is a waste of time for him, as he already knows how to write. 

So, working will pay the bills...

After applying for many jobs, Jevon is hired at Oscars.

Stanley quickly begins to teach Jevon the ropes and Jevon learns a lot from him.

But when Stanley asks his boss for his check before he is completely done training Jevon, and she gives him a hard time about it, Stanley loses his regular, easy-going cool.

Stars Richard Jenkins , DaVine Joy Randolph , Ed ONeill , Shane Paul McGhie , Jennifer Engstrom , Deron J Powell , Allison Tolman , Julian Parker , Birgundi Baker , Tracey Bonner , Cairo McCarter , Carter McCarter , Lyle Miller , Dano Duran , Bradley Grant Smith , Tara Mallen , Alex Stein

Directed by (& story written) Andrew Cohn

Rated R
DRAMA

Sparkle (1976)

Released April 7th in the US.

Filmed entirely in California.

The story: In the 50s, Harlem,  Sister, Delores, and Sparkle are three sisters who sing in their local church choir.

They are such good singers, that they should be famous.

Two of the boys in their choir who are also friends of the sisters decide to go around to local clubs to get the girls a gig and show off their talents hopefully to the right people.

They land a show and are quickly picked up by the shadiest of local businessmen.

But that shady fellow has taken a liking to the eldest sister, Sister.

Soon she is withdrawn, drug addicted, and physically abused by him.

Then, Delores, scared for Sister, does her best to put an end to Sister's drug problems.

But her plans, although doing the right thing, scare her to the point that she wants out of the spotlight and everything they have been working towards.

Sparkle , the youngest sister, continues to stay true to her roots.

Although her sisters have gone off and left her alone with her mother, Sparkle continues to do what's right.

When her boyfriend from the choir shows back up in her life and wants to help make her famous, Sparkle is unsure she can do it.

But he convinces her she can and that finally sends her off in the direction of stardom.

Stars Lonette McKee, Dwan Smith, Irene Cara, Michael Phillip Thomas, Dorian Harewood, Mary Alice, Tony King, Beatrice Winde, Paul Lambert, Joyce Easton, Otis Day, Norma Miller, Tayla Ferro, Bob Delegall, Armelia McQueen, Don Bexley, Timmie Rogers, Ken Renard 

Directed by Sam Osteen

Rated PG
DRAMA/MUSIC

The Impossible Years (1968)

Released December 5th in the US.

Filmed in California.

The story: Dr. Jonathan Kingsley is a happily married, father of two girls - 17-year-old Linda and 13-year-old Abbey.

The doctor is the professor of Psychology at the local university. He is also writing a book about parents and their relationships with their teenagers.

Currently, the students of the university are protesting and when the school paper wants to do an interview with the doctor, he is more than willing.

He claims that if you are close with your children, they will not stray from what is the right way and he firmly stands by that philosophy.

Shortly thereafter, the doctor gets a frantic call from his wife.

Their daughter Linda has been arrested for protesting in the campus demonstration.

In shock , the doctor rushes to the police station , believing it all must be a mistake.

There , he learns it is no mistake , Linda was infact arrested and the charges are not good.

The doctor and his wife find out soon enough that their beloved daughter , who they trust and thought they knew , isnt as easily understood or trustworthy as they thought.

Stars David Niven , Trudi Ames , Lola Albright , Cristina Ferrare , Rich Chalet , Darleen Carr , Ozzie Nelson , Chad Everett , Jeff Cooper , John Harding , Michael McGreevey , Don Beddoe , Lousie Lorimer , Karen Norris , Susan French , J Edward McKinley , Ned Wertimer , Ion Berger

Directed by Michael Gordon

Rated G
COMEDY

"Here's my favorite. 'Please excuse Linda  , as her father is using her for LSD experiments and she doesnt know who she is in the afternoon.'"