A number of new movies and limited television series will debut this week, including the following titles opening in theaters or premiering via video on demand on various streaming platforms:
‘Heart of the Beast’
- Genre: Survival thriller
- Cast: Brad Pitt, J.K. Simmons, Anna Lambe, Uber
- Director: David Ayer
- Rated: PG-13
After a harrowing plane crash, Special Forces officer James Belmont (Brad Pitt) and his combat dog, Odin (Uber), find themselves stranded deep in the Alaskan wilderness. Together, they are forced into a brutal fight for survival against the elements.
The film is scheduled for a theatrical release on Sept. 25 through Paramount Pictures.
‘Forgotten Island’
- Genre: Animated fantasy, adventure and comedy
- Cast: H.E.R., Liza Soberano, Dave Franco, Jenny Slate, Manny Jacinto, Dolly de Leon, Jo Koy, Ronny Chieng, and Lea Salonga
- Directors: Joel Crawford and Januel Mercado
- Rated: PG
While celebrating their last night together, Jo (H.E.R.) and Raissa (Liza Soberano) stumble upon a mysterious portal that transports them to the fantastical island of Nakali, packed with magical and mythological creatures they grew up hearing stories about from their Filipino families.
Some of these figures will become friends, some foes. Joined by well-meaning-but- hapless weredog Raww (Dave Franco) and a small-but-mighty pack of pals, Jo and Raissa must face The Dreaded Manananggal (Lea Salonga), the most feared creature on the island. When they discover that the memories of their entire friendship are the price for returning home, Jo and Raissa will race to find a way to leave the island before they forget each other forever.
The film is scheduled to be released by Universal Pictures on Sept. 25.
‘Primetime’
- Genre: Psychological crime thriller
- Cast: Robert Pattinson, Merritt Wever, Skyler Gisondo, and Phoebe Bridgers
- Director: Lance Oppenheim
- Rated: R
In 2006, “To Catch a Predator” host Chris Hansen (Robert Pattinson) sets out to make television history.
The film will be released theatrically on Sept. 25 by A24.
‘Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother’
- Genre: Action and thriller
- Cast: Mahershala Ali, John Cho, Giancarlo Esposito, Abubakr Ali, Tramell Tillman, Tiffany Boone, and Laith Nakli
- Director: Bassam Tariq
- Rated: R
From writer-director Bassam Tariq, “Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother” stars Mahershala Ali as Latif, a devoutly religious hitman who struggles to balance work, faith and fatherhood. When his wife dies, he embarks on a desperate journey across Houston to protect his children, confronting the forces closing in around him — and the beliefs threatening to unravel within.
The film is scheduled to be released by Amazon MGM Studios on Sept. 25.
‘Unabomber’
- Genre: Crime drama
- Cast: Russell Crowe, Jacob Tremblay, Annabelle Wallis, and Shailene Woodley
- Director: Janus Metz Pedersen
- Rated: R
Inspired by true events, “Unabomber” follows Ted Kaczynski’s (Jacob Tremblay) transformation from 16-year-old Harvard prodigy into the infamous Unabomber. Subjected to controversial psychological experiments by Professor Henry Murray (Russell Crowe), Kaczynski’s troubled past resurfaces decades later when his manhunt, led by FBI agent Joanne Miller (Shailene Woodley), brings to light the chilling consequences of ambition and isolation.
The film is set to be released by Netflix on Sept. 25.
‘Charlie Harper’
- Genre: Romance
- Cast: Emilia Jones and Nick Robinson
- Directors: Mac Eldridge and Tom Dean
- Rated: R
“Charlie Harper” is an emotional modern romance that explores the tension between love, ambition, identity, and personal growth. Through the evolving relationship of Charlie and Harper, the film examines what happens when two people deeply connected to one another begin growing in different directions, forcing them to confront whether love alone is enough.
The film is scheduled to be released on Sept. 25 through Row K Entertainment.
‘Ha-Chan, Shake Your Booty!’
- Genre: Drama
- Cast: Rinko Kikuchi, Alberto Guerra, Alejandro Edda, You, Yoh Yoshida, and Damián Alcázar
- Director: Josef Kubota Wladyka
- Rated: R
Haru (Rinko Kikuchi) and Luis (Alejandro Edda) love competing in Tokyo’s ballroom dance scene, but after tragedy strikes, Haru withdraws into isolation. When friends coax her back to the studio, she develops an infatuation with the new instructor. She must face what comes next as sparks fly.
The film is scheduled to be theatrically released on Sept. 25 by Sony Pictures Classics.
‘Long Day’s Journey into Night’
- Genre: Drama
- Cast: Jessica Lange, Ed Harris, Ben Foster and Colin Morgan
- Director: Jonathan Kent
- Not rated
Over the course of a day, a married couple, Mary (Jessica Lange) and James Tyrone (Ed Harris), and their two sons, Jamie (Ben Foster) and Edmund (Colin Morgan), grapple with Mary’s morphine addiction and confront each other over the past in a series of emotionally tense and volatile exchanges.
The film is scheduled to be released on Sept. 25 by Quiver Distribution.
‘Family’
- Genre: Psychological horror
- Cast: Ruth Wilson, Ben Chaplin, Cameron Dawson Gray, Ryan Lucy, Allan Corduner and Beau McConnell
- Director: Benjamin Finkel
- Rated: PG-13
Johanna (Cameron Dawson Gray) is a lonely 10-year-old whose family has relocated to another part of the country so her father can receive better cancer treatment. As the isolation and grief close in around her, Johanna becomes convinced that her parents (Ruth Wilson and Ben Chaplin) are trying to kill her, and that a malevolent spirit lurking in their new home is behind it all. Unable to separate what’s real from what her fractured mind is conjuring, Johanna spirals deeper into a haunting fantasy world built entirely from her own fears, one where every creak of the house and every strange look from her parents feels like a threat.
The film is scheduled for a commercial theatrical and VOD release on Sept. 25 by Vertical.
‘The Scout’
- Genre: Drama
- Cast: Mimi Davila, Rutanya Alda, Max Rosen, Ikechukwu Ufomadu, Sarah Herrman, Otmara Marrero and Matt Barats
- Director: Paula González-Nasser
- Not rated
A location scout is tasked with finding the perfect interiors for a television pilot. Over the course of a single day, she drives around New York City, interacting with strangers, taking photos of their cozy apartments and eclectic shops, while attempting to satisfy the demands of her erratic employers. For her debut feature, filmmaker Paula González-Nasser draws on her own experiences as a location scout to capture the poetry and costs of being a young creative in a commercialized industry.
The film is scheduled for limited release on Sept. 25 by Greenwich Entertainment.
‘The Love Hypothesis’
- Genre: Romantic comedy
- Cast: Tom Bateman, Lili Reinhart, Rachel Marsh, Jaboukie Young-White, Nicholas Duvernay, and Arty Froushan
- Director: Claire Scanlon
- Rated: R
Based on the New York Times best-selling novel by Ali Hazelwood, “The Love Hypothesis” follows Olive (Lili Reinhart), a brilliant Ph.D. candidate focused on her future in academia. But when she realizes her best friend Anh (Rachel Marsh) has fallen for her crush Jeremy (Nicholas Duvernay), Olive impulsively kisses intimidating professor Adam Carlsen (Tom Bateman) to prove she’s moved on. What begins as a desperate act of friendship spirals into a fake relationship with rules, boundaries, and a mutually beneficial agreement. When their arrangement begins to blur the lines between performance and reality, Olive is forced to test her most daunting hypothesis yet: that love might actually be worth the risk.
The film is scheduled to premiere on Amazon Prime Video on Sept. 23.
‘Take Me Home’
- Genre: Drama
- Cast: Anna Sargent, Victor Slezak, Ali Ahn, Marceline Hugot, and Shane Harper
- Director: Liz Sargent
- Not rated
Anna (Anna Sargent making her acting debut), a middle-aged Korean adoptee with a cognitive disability, cares for her aging parents in a fragile balance of meeting one another’s needs. Alongside her sister Emily (Ali Ahn) and her father (Victor Slezak), they must confront challenging questions about the future, but she remains determined to build a life where all of them can thrive.
The film is scheduled to be released on Sept. 23 through Willa.
For more movie news, visit www.TampaBayBeacons.com. Lee Clark Zumpe is the Beacons entertainment editor. He can be reached by email at lzumpe@TBNweekly.com.