Tag: Focus Features

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Pressure

John Stark

Literally every time I think of this movie and its title, I think of “Under Pressure” by Queen and David Bowie, specifically that bassline right at the top, the one Vanilla Ice repurposed for “Ice Ice Baby” and then got into some legal trouble over. I hear it every single time. I don’t know why, but that is the pressure that has been put on me by the film Pressure: trying to remember the lyrics to a Queen and David Bowie song. Pressure is a nice, pleasant surprise for the year, a World War II drama that somehow manages to … Continue reading Pressure

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Obsession

John Stark

I don’t know if you’ve heard, but YouTube has arrived. It took a while, but all of a sudden it seems like YouTube is front and center this year, thanks to a couple of directors sending their creative goods into cinemas, including Kane Parsons, who leapt from YouTube into Backrooms, as well as Markiplier, who self-distributed his Iron Lung film earlier this year. While these directors are not the first to make the leap from YouTube, last year Chris Stuckmann finally released Shelby Oaks, and the RackaRacka duo has already broken through with Talk to Me and Bring Her Back. … Continue reading Obsession

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The Ballad of Wallis Island

John Stark

Cast: Tom Basden, Tim Key, Sian Clifford, Akemnji Ndifornyen, and Carey Mulligan. Written by: Tom Basden and Tim Key, based on the short film. Directed By: James Griffiths Original Score By: Adem Ilhan Studio: Focus features Release Year: 2025 Audio Description produced By: Written by: Narrated By: what Is It?: A musician takes a high paying gig to supposedly play a concert for a small crowd on Wallis island. When he arrives, he realizes just how small the audience will be, and his benefactor has booked another act, forcing a reunion of a musical duo that broke up years ago. … Continue reading The Ballad of Wallis Island

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The Phoenician Scheme

John Stark

Cast: Benecio Del Toro, Mia Threapleton, Michael Cera, Tom Hanks, Scarlett Johansson, Rupert Friend, Bill Murray, Willem Dafoe, f Murray Abraham, Riz Ahmed, Bryan Cranston, Charlotte Gainesborg Written By: Wes Anderson and Roman Coppola Directed By: Wes Anderson Original Score by: Alexandre Desplat Studio: Focus Features Release Year: 2025 Audio Description Provided By: Written By: Narrated By: What Is it?: A death prompts a rush for control of what he left behind, causing one of the parties (del toro), to traverse the globe finding ways of manipulating others into slowly helping him gain majority control. Along the way, he’s accompanied … Continue reading The Phoenician Scheme