The Four Horsemen (Jesse Eisenberg, Woody Harrelson, Dave Franco, Isla Fisher) are back — to unite with a new generation of illusionists (Justice Smith, Dominic Sessa, Ariana Greenblatt) for their most global, high-stakes magical adventure yet. Their mission: Expose the corruption of Veronika Vanderberg (Rosamund Pike), a powerful diamond heiress with ties to arms dealers, traffickers, and warlords. Aided by the legendary Thaddeus (Morgan Freeman), the two generations of magicians must overcome their differences to try and defeat their cunning and dangerous adversary, in this magic-fueled heist filled with the franchise’s signature twists, turns, and thrilling reveals — along with some of the most thrilling illusions ever captured on film.
NOW YOU SEE ME: NOW YOU DON’T is directed by Ruben Fleischer (Venom, Uncharted, Zombieland), from a screenplay by Michael Lesslie and Paul Wernick & Rhett Reese and Seth Grahame-Smith, story by Eric Warren Singer and Michael Lesslie, and based on characters created by Boaz Yakin & Edward Ricourt. Lionsgate presents, a Cohen Pictures production.
PG-13 for some strong language, violence and suggestive references.
Dominic Sessa as Bosco, Jesse Eisenberg as Daniel Atlas, Isla Fisher as Henley Reeves, and Justice Smith as Charlie in Now You See Me: Now You Don’t. Photo Credit: Katalin Vermes
Lionsgate surprised New Yorkers and fans nationwide this morning by giving away $250,000 in digital payments as part of a jaw-dropping Times Square stunt celebrating the trailer debut of Now You See Me: Now You Don’t.
Residents and tourists alike were met with a massive digital billboard flashing the words “NOW YOU SEE ME,” a live countdown clock, and a mysterious phone number, inviting them to text or call for a surprise.
As the countdown hit zero, the billboard flipped to reveal: “NOW YOU DON’T” and fans received a surprise text with the brand-new trailer – and instant cash prizes, courtesy of The Horsemen.
Franchise newcomers Ariana Greenblatt, Justice Smith, and Dominic Sessa joined the magic in person to help stage the visual “heist” in the heart of Times Square.
The stunt was designed to capture the spirit of magic and mischief that the franchise is known for.
The Four Horsemen return along with a new generation of illusionists performing mind-melding twists, turns, surprises, and magic unlike anything ever captured on film. Stars Jesse Eisenberg, Woody Harrelson, Dave Franco, Isla Fisher, Justice Smith, Dominic Sessa, Ariana Greenblatt, with Rosamund Pike, and Morgan Freeman.
NOW YOU SEE ME: NOW YOU DON’T is from director Ruben Fleischer and in theaters November 14, 2025.
Dominic Sessa as Bosco, Jesse Eisenberg as Daniel Atlas, Isla Fisher as Henley Reeves, and Justice Smith as Charlie in Now You See Me: Now You Don’t. Photo Credit: Katalin Vermes
Now that we’re a few days into Spring and the temps are rising and the sun’s breaking through, it’s easy to forget that for many it’s always dark, cold, and gloomy no matter what’s displayed on the calendar. Just as the movie theatres are slipping into escapist blockbusters a new drama isn’t waiting for the somber. late in the year, “award time”. It is worth seeking out as it’s a showcase for two acclaimed actors. One is a “star on the rise”, gaining a reputation for compelling work over several genres. The other is a screen veteran, an Oscar winner who has achieved iconic status over the last five decades. The story that brings them together poses an interesting and very complex question: can someone whose act of carelessness resulted in a fatality, ever possibly be thought of as A GOOD PERSON?
When we meet Allison (Florence Pugh). her future looks bright and shiny. The twenty-something is a pharmaceutical rep and a pianist/lounge singer (a “side hustle”). But she’s most excited about her upcoming nuptials to the adoring Nathan (Chinaza Uche). Soon after their engagement party, she’s driving Nathan’s sister Molly and her hubby Jesse to her wedding gown fitting. While maneuvering through construction zones on the busy highway Ally glances down at her phone, when a backhoe lurches into her lane leading to tragedy. When she awakes, Ally’s in a hospital bed with her single mom Diane (Molly Shannon) hovering over her. Before she can stop him, an over-eager state trooper bursts into the room and drops a bombshell on Ally: she’s the only survivor of the accident. Across town, Nathan and Molly’s retired policeman widowed papa Daniel (Morgan Freeman) gets the same news as he’s dropping his granddaughter Ryan (Celeste O’Connor) off at her high school. Cut to several months later as Ally now lives with her mom (the engagement crumbled) who implores her to get off the couch and get a job as they battle over Ally’s increasing reliance on prescription painkillers. When her docs “cut her off”, Ally becomes desperate to “score”. Meanwhile, Daniel is so frustrated as the caregiver to the angry rebellious Ryan that he’s about to “fall off the wagon”. When Ally finally hits “rock bottom”, she asks Diane to contact her dad about paying for a rehab facility. As he’s completely MIA, Ally bicycles to a local church to attend an addiction support meeting. Inside she’s stunned to see….Daniel, who begs her to stay. Could this chance reunion lead to defeating their inner demons and be part of the healing process, or perhaps a friendship?
After being universally praised in last year’s flawed fantasy flick DON’T WORRY DARLING, Ms. Pugh (I’m not calling her Miss Flo, as a leaked phone video call revealed during that PR mess). proves how her considerable talents can take flight with much better material. Ally is a complex, troubled figure but never a victim, as Pugh shows how her physical and emotional scars are slow to heal. We see her in the depths whether literally wrestling with her Mom over “Oxy” or degrading herself at a neighborhood pub with a cruel former classmate (a very good Alex Wolff), but Pugh conveys this as her much-needed “wake-up” call, though her heavy-lidded eyes show us that she’s not out of the fog quite yet. With her new support team, Ally goes past the “survivor” role to real maturity and self-reliance. A big part of that is her initially hesitant relationship with Daniel, and could Pugh ask for a more compelling scene partner than the forever fantastic Freeman? After dropping in for cameos in too many forgettable action flicks, it’s great to see him sink his teeth into this “meaty meal” of a man, reminding us of his deserved regard amongst his acting peers. Freeman does bring some humor to the grizzled ex-cop, especially in dealing with a modern team (loved his “crate” gag), but Daniel has his own challenges as he tries to push through the ever-closing walls of regret and remorse. Like Ally, he must contend with the damage he’s inflicted on others, particularly his son Nathan. Uche is superb as the young man whose grief over the loss of his sister is acerbated by the horrors of his past, still bearing the never-healed cruelty of his father. But he shows how his healing may start with the ending or at least ease the rift. Speaking of parent/sibling squabbles, how great is it to see the comedy powerhouse Shannon flexing her dramatic muscles as Ally’s often flighty (Her “Etsy” plan is hilarious), but steely strong mother Diane? Often wearing her “work duds” (company logo shirt and khakis), she goes from “walking on eggshells” to firmly giving her kin a “kick in the keister”. Kudos also to O’Connor as the often exasperating furious Ryan and Zoe Lister-Jones as the support group’s compassionate but tough (she has a keen BS radar) Simona AKA “Mama”.
It seems logical that this impressive stellar cast would be brought together by another actor, as Zach Braff steps behind the camera to guide them through his screenplay. Making expert use of the New Jersey locations, Braff captures the gritty working-class spirit of the area’s neighborhoods. Though a brutal accident puts the story in motion, he prefers to treat it as bursts or snippets of a waking nightmare for Ally, effectively illustrating how the brain reacts to such intense trauma. Plus he allows the characters to frustrate us, to let their interactions get ugly and often “messy”, as they sometimes fall into old destructive patterns. Save for a convoluted near-catastrophe in the city which brings most of the characters careening together (and violence threatens), Braff avoids the melodrama, opting to show how time can really heal (perhaps the third act is too reliant on montages). He’s made a solid foundation, but it’s the ensemble led by the inspired pairing of Pugh and Freeman that is the real strength of A GOOD PERSON.
(l-r) Morgan Freeman and Cole Hauser in THE RITUAL KILLER. Courtesy of Screen Media
Any time Morgan Freeman is in the cast, a film is going to be worth considering. In the RITUAL KILLER, he’s second banana but still key to the proceedings. The crime drama opens with a grisly killing and dismemberment in Rome before an immediate switch to the Southern U. S. of A., where similar slayings start occurring in what may be some sort of occult ritual style. Cole Hauser stars as , Detective Boyd, the lead detective on the domestic cases, soon turning to a nearby professor of African cultures and historical practices, Professor Mackles (Freeman) who might understand why the bodies are piling up. Not because he’s the prime suspect. It’s just that aspects of the murder scenes seemingly relate to his slice (inadvertent pun) of academia. Hauser is right, and Freeman starts contributing to the task of ending the spree.
We see the perpetrator (Vernon Davis) before they do. The dude has exceptional skills, bordering on the mystical, in evading capture while he continues his conspicuously gruesome mission. Hauser’s investigation ties Davis to the Rome murder, helping I.D. the guy, while making that early scene shift less disjointed than it felt at the time. There is method to this seeming madness. No need for the whodunit component, as sufficient suspense lingers on the why, and whether they’ll be able to catch this elusive, prolific killer.
Director George Gallo, whose diverse resume spans many genres, spares little of the gory details of Davis’ acts and their results. He also wastes no time, completing the package with admirable efficiency. This film is for the strong of stomach, not the faint of heart. The script from veteran actor and first-time screenwriter Bob Bowersox and a handful of other credited penners is mainly a by-the-numbers procedural, upgraded by a few unusual and intriguing variations along the way. The three leading actors carry the load, with the rest of the cast, including gifted character actor Peter Stormare, called upon for little more than dutifully filling the standard roles for such tales.
Though not yet MPAA rated as this is written, the gore factor would warrant at least an R, and possibly an NC-17, depending on who’s doing the job. You’ve now been warned about the yucky parts. If that’s not a deal-breaker, then step right up for this solid crime drama. And Morgan.
THE RITUAL KILLER opens Friday, Mar. 10, in theaters and video on demand.
Morgan Freeman in director Michael Mailer’s suspense tale THE MINUTE YOU WAKE UP DEAD. Courtesy of Saban Films.
THE MINUTE YOU WAKE UP DEAD is a title that looms as ominously as it plays for a concept that aptly grows in levels of menace as this quiet, twisty suspense tale unfolds.
The setting is a small, less-than-wealthy Southern town. An investment broker (Cole Hauser) has done well by his fellow citizens in the past, but has just cost a whole lotta folks a whole lotta money when a huge deal he’d touted fell apart, making their extremely non-discretionary funds evaporate.
We meet him as he enters the local diner to icy stares from all, and threats from a few, as he’s just become the redneck version of Bernie Madoff. The hot waitress (Jaime Alexander) he’d had a crush on since their school days is the only one who is still kind to him. He’s also renting the house next door from her and her father.
Hauser keeps getting whispered anonymous phone calls using the film’s title as a threat to life and limb. He tells the sheriff (Morgan Freeman, who also provides his special brand of voice-over, but the law is mostly helpless when the perp can’t be identified. Romance surprisingly blossoms with Alexander until her sickly father is gunned down one night. The theory is that the shooter was going for Hauser but missed HIS home by one door.
That’s when a surprising number of layers begin to unfold. We learn why the old man was shot but so do others, making a simple plan spin out of control, causing more bodies to pile up. One of my favorite Alfred Hitchcock films, THE TROUBLE WITH HARRY, is a wry little comedy about having to keep moving a corpse found in the woods, as everyone in a little neighborhood thinks they’re protecting someone else. This one vaguely evokes the memory of that, albeit with a higher body count and none of its whimsical humor. Or any other type of humor, for that matter.
The small-town setting provides a perfect backdrop for the tone of the tale, enhanced by the expected reality of everyone knowing everyone else’s business, or learning about it with little effort. Performances are solid, and Michael Mailer’s (Norman’s oldest son) direction is admirably efficient, as the script he co-wrote with Timothy Holland piles more and more problems upon the principal players. It’s an understated little film, with the essential sex and violence elements occurring either off-camera, or visually minimized. Nothing great, but most should find this tangled web they weave a satisfactory diversion.
It’s got Morgan Freeman, folks. That’s pretty much a guarantee of at least some merit on its own.
THE MINUTE YOU WAKE UP DEAD opens Friday, Nov. 4, in select theaters, and is available on-demand and via digital platforms starting the same day.
Juliette Binoche as Sally and Hala Finley as Leila in Paradise Highway. Photo Credit: Courtesy of Lionsgate
Lionsgate has dropped the trailer for director Anna Gutto’s film PARADISE HIGHWAY.
Academy Award® winners Juliette Binoche and Morgan Freeman lead this riveting thriller set in the trucking industry and its seamy underbelly of human trafficking. To save the life of her brother (Frank Grillo), Sally (Binoche), a truck driver, reluctantly agrees to smuggle illicit cargo: a girl named Leila (Hala Finley). As Sally and Leila begin a danger-fraught journey across state lines, a dogged FBI operative (Freeman) sets out on their trail, determined to do whatever it takes to terminate a human-trafficking operation — and bring Sally and Leila to safety.
PARADISE HIGHWAY is available on Digital, On Demand, and in Select Theaters July 29, 2022.
Rated R
Morgan Freeman and Juliette Binoche as Sally in Paradise Highway. Photo Credit: Courtesy of LionsgateFrank Grillo as Dennis in the thriller film, PARADISE HIGHWAY , a Lionsgate release. Photo courtesy of Lionsgate
“I guess it comes down to a simple choice, really. Get busy living, or get busy dying.”
Nothing’s more fun than The Wildey’s Tuesday Night Film Series. THE SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION(1994)will be on the big screenwhen it plays at The Wildey Theater in Edwardsville, IL (252 N Main St, Edwardsville, IL 62025) at 7:00pm Tuesday March 8th. Tickets are only $3 Tickets available starting at 3pm day of movie at Wildey Theatre ticket office. Cash or check only. (cash, credit cards accepted for concessions) Lobby opens at 6pm.
Adapted from the novella “Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption” by best-selling author Stephen King, The Shawshank Redemption stars Tim Robbins as mild-mannered banker Andy Dufresne who is wrongly convicted of murder. When Dufresne is sentenced to life in Shawshank State Penitentiary and befriends fellow inmate Ellis “Red” Redding (Morgan Freeman), a sweeping tale of unlikely friendship, survival at any cost and the unrelenting human spirit unfolds. Bob Gunton, William Sadler, Clancy Brown and Gil Bellows co-star in the film directed and written (adapted screenplay) by Frank Darabont (The Green Mile, The Majestic), and produced by Niki Marvin.
The Shawshank Redemptionwas nominated for seven Academy Awards® in 1995, including Best Picture (Marvin), Best Actor (Freeman), Best Adapted Screenplay (Darabont), Best Cinematography, Best Editing, Best Sound Mixing, and Best Original Score. In 2015, the United States Library of Congress selected The Shawshank Redemption for preservation in the National Film Registry, finding it “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant.”
Lionsgate has released a brand-new trailer and poster for the upcoming film THE HITMAN’S WIFE’S BODYGUARD.
Watch Ryan Reynolds, Samuel L. Jackson, Salma Hayek, with Antonio Banderas, and Morgan Freeman, Frank Grillo, Caroline Goodall, Rebecca Front, Gabriella Wright, Alice McMillan, Kristofer Kamiyasu, Tom Hopper, Blake Ritson, with Richard E. Grant in this latest preview.
The world’s most lethal odd couple – bodyguard Michael Bryce (Ryan Reynolds) and hitman Darius Kincaid (Samuel L. Jackson) – are back on another life-threatening mission. Still unlicensed and under scrutiny, Bryce is forced into action by Darius’s even more volatile wife, the infamous international con artist Sonia Kincaid (Salma Hayek). As Bryce is driven over the edge by his two most dangerous protectees, the trio get in over their heads in a global plot and soon find that they are all that stand between Europe and a vengeful and powerful madman (Antonio Banderas). Joining in the fun and deadly mayhem is Morgan Freeman as… well, you’ll have to see.
THE HITMAN’S WIFE’S BODYGUARD is in cinemas June 16, 2021.
Here’s a look at the brand-new trailer for the highly anticipated Amazon Original anthology series SOLOS, created by David Weil and starring Academy Award-winning actors Morgan Freeman, Anne Hathaway and Helen Mirren, Emmy Award-winning actor Uzo Aduba, Nicole Beharie, Anthony Mackie, Dan Stevens, and Constance Wu
Look for the premiere on May 21 exclusively on Prime Video.
The seven-part anthology series explores the strange, beautiful, heart-breaking, hilarious, wondrous truths of what it means to be human. The series spans our present and future and illuminates that even during our most isolated moments we are all connected through the human experience.
These character-driven stories contend that even during our most seemingly isolated moments, in the most disparate of circumstances, we are all connected through the human experience. Amazon Studios’ Solos is executive produced by Weil and Laura Lancaster with Pixie Wespiser serving as a producer. Weil makes his directorial debut, helming three episodes. Sam Taylor-Johnson directs and executive produces two episodes. Additional directors include Zach Braff and Tiffany Johnson.
Hitting theaters on June 16 is the much-anticipated sequel THE HITMAN’S WIFE’S BODYGUARD. Lionsgate has released the brand-new trailer for the film starring Ryan Reynolds, Samuel L. Jackson, Salma Hayek, Antonio Banderas, and Morgan Freeman.
The world’s most lethal odd couple – bodyguard Michael Bryce (Ryan Reynolds) and hitman Darius Kincaid (Samuel L. Jackson) – are back on another life-threatening mission. Still unlicensed and under scrutiny, Bryce is forced into action by Darius’s even more volatile wife, the infamous international con artist Sonia Kincaid (Salma Hayek). As Bryce is driven over the edge by his two most dangerous protectees, the trio get in over their heads in a global plot and soon find that they are all that stand between Europe and a vengeful and powerful madman (Antonio Banderas).
Joining in the fun and deadly mayhem is Morgan Freeman as…well, you’ll have to see.
From the director of 2017’S THE HITMAN’S BODYGUARD, Patrick Hughes, THE HITMAN’S WIFE’S BODYGUARD stars Ryan Reynolds, Samuel L. Jackson, Salma Hayek, with Antonio Banderas, and Morgan Freeman, Frank Grillo, Caroline Goodall, Rebecca Front, Gabriella Wright, Alice McMillan, Kristofer Kamiyasu, Tom Hopper, Blake Ritson, with Richard E. Grant.
