Ben Affleck has stayed out of the limelight ever since he retired from playing Batman. And it looks like he is getting back to something a bit more grounded and dramatic. Warner Bros. has released the first trailer for the sports drama The Way Back, which will reunite the actor with The Accountant director Gavin O’Connor.
In the film, Affleck plays a depressed alcoholic whose life has spiraled downward after a great tragedy. But he finds a second chance at life when someone offers him a job coaching basketball at his old high school. Of course, this job proves to be a bit difficult considering his personal problems, but it will also give him a chance to redeem himself and find a way to fight his demons in a more constructive way. Check out the trailer below.
Brittany Runs A Marathon
Director: Paul Downs Colaizzo
Writer: Paul Downs Colaizzo
Cast: Jillian Bell, Michaela Watkins, Utkarsh Ambudkar, Lil Rel Howery, and Micah Stock
Distributor: Amazon Studios
Rated PG-13 | Minutes: 103 Minutes
Release Date: August 23, 2019
It’s easy to see how some sports movies can be a bit repetitive given their formulaic nature. The training montages, the struggles, and achieving a championship form – whether that means getting an actual trophy or earning the respect of your peers.
But Paul Downs Colaizzo‘s Brittany Runs A Marathon, starring Jillian Bell, doesn’t oversell any of that nor does it become too preachy. Instead, it goes about all of that in an honest way by showing the beauty and ugliness of training hard to become a better person. My full review below.
Brigsby Bear Blu-ray
Director: Dave McCary
Screenwriters: Kevin Costello, Kyle Mooney
Cast: Kyle Mooney, Mark Hamill, Claire Danes, Jane Adams, Greg Kinnear, Matt Walsh, Michaela Watkins, Ryan Simpkins, Alexa Demie, Jorge Lendeborg Jr.
Distributor: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
Rated PG-13 | 97 Minutes
Release Date: November 14th, 2017
Combining elements of Blast From the Past, Room, and Perks of Being a Wallflower, Brigsby Bear is a wholly unique animal, and one to be greatly admired. This is a refreshingly original work of art that feels like a bizarro-world SNL sketch stretched into a 90+ minute film. Considering nearly everyone involved is connected to Saturday Night Live, it all kind of makes sense. Written by Kevin Costello and Kyle Mooney, and directed by their childhood friend Dave McCary, Brigsby Bear is full of wonder and creativity, a movie both heart-wrenching and heartwarming simultaneously. I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry at parts, and I spent most of the film doing some weird combination of the two.
Students of the Unusual™ comic cover used with permission of 3BoysProductions
The Mercuri Bros.™ comic cover used with permission of Prodigal Son Press