Dead Man Down

Movie Preview 2013: Film District’s Parker, Dead Man Down & More

Parker starring Jason Statham and Jennifer Lopez

Let’s take a look at the films being released this year from Film District. The company was founded in 2010 and generally releases six to eight films a year. They also have an agreement with Netflix to distribute films there. Which is nice. I’m a big Netflix fan now.

Film District seems to release a lot of edgy, dark films like “Drive,” “Insidious,” “Looper,” and many of the films coming out this year, but they also have the occasional lighter fare, like “Playing for Keeps” and “Soul Surfer.” If you count losing your arm to a shark “lighter fare.”  Here’s what’s ahead this year:

PARKER”  – Jan. 25, 2013

Set amidst the unparalleled wealth and glamour of Palm Beach, Jason Statham and Jennifer Lopez team up to get their cut in this crime thriller based on the series of bestselling novels by Donald E. Westlake.

The film is directed by Academy Award nominee Taylor Hackford (“Ray”) and also stars Michael Chiklis, Wendell Pierce, Nick Nolte and Micah Hauptman.

Read Melanie Votaw’s great interview with Micah here

Dead Man Down“DEAD MAN DOWN” – March 8, 2013

Niels Arden Oplev, the director of the original “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” (you know, the good one),  makes his American theatrical debut with a provocative new thriller, “Dead Man Down.”

Colin Farrell and Noomi Rapace star as two strangers, irresistibly drawn to each other, whose mutual desire for revenge unravels in an escalating trail of violence.

The film co-stars Terence Howard and Dominic Cooper, from a screenplay by J.H.Wyman (“Fringe”).

It looks fantastic, and I love Noomi Rapace. Wonder if she and Oplev will continue working together for a good long while.

“OLYMPUS HAS FALLEN” – March 22, 2013

This action thriller stars Gerard Butler as a disgraced Secret Service agent who’s called back to duty when the White House is taken over by terrorists. Directed by Antoine Fuqua, the all-star ensemble includes Morgan Freeman, Melissa Leo, Angela Bassett and Robert Forster. What a great cast.

INSIDIOUS Chapter 2″ – Aug. 30, 2013

This sequel to last year’s hit film (I didn’t see it – did you?) stars Patrick Wilson, Rose Byrne, Lin Shaye and Ty Simpkins, all reprising their roles from the first film. James Wan, who directed the first film, will direct this one from a script written by Leigh Whannell who also wrote the first film.

Ok, so basically the entire cast and crew from the first movie is in this one. The first movie chronicled the story of a family in search of help for their son, Dalton, who fell into a coma after a mysterious incident in attic. Don’t go in the attic, people. Bad things happen there.

Little did the family know that there was much more to that endless sleep than met the eye as they explored the paranormal and rediscovered the past. I’m thinking I might never sleep again if I see this movie.

OLDBOY” – Oct 11, 2013

This provocative, visceral thriller follows the story of an advertising executive (Josh Brolin) who’s abruptly kidnapped and held hostage for 20 years in solitary confinement. When he’s inexplicably released, he embarks on an obsessive mission to discover who orchestrated his bizarre and torturous punishment, only to find he’s still trapped in a web of conspiracy and torment.

Co-starring Elizabeth Olsen and Sharlto Copley, “Oldboy” is directed by Spike Lee, from a script by Mark Protosevich (“I Am Legend,” “The Cell,” “Thor”). The film is produced by Roy Lee, Doug Davison and Nathan Kahane.

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