BHARAT (2019 film)

Bharat, is an Indian Hindi-language period drama film written and directed by Ali Abbas Zafar. It is jointly produced by Atul Agnihotri, Alvira Khan Agnihotri, Bhushan Kumar, Krishan Kumar, Nikhil Namit and Salman Khan under the banners Reel Life Productions, Salman Khan Films and T-Series.

The film stars Salman Khan, Katrina Kaif, Tabu, Disha Patani and Jackie Shroff. It traces India's post-independence history from the perspective of a common man, and follows his life from the age of 18 to 70.

Based on the 2014 South Korean melodrama Ode to My Father, principal photography for Bharat began in April 2018. Shooting took place at such locations as Abu Dhabi, Spain, Malta, Punjab and Delhi. Kaif joined the cast soon after Priyanka Chopra opted out of the role after filming commenced, for her impending engagement to Nick Jonas.

Filming concluded in March 2019. The film's soundtrack was composed by Vishal-Shekhar, with lyrics written by Irshad Kamil, and released under the banner T-Series.

Bharat is scheduled to be theatrically released in India on 5 June 2019, on the occasion of Eid al-Fitr.

Premise

Bharat is based on the South Korean melodrama Ode to My Father (2014), which traces the history of South Korea parallel to a man's life, spanning from the 1950s to the 2010s.

During the Partition of India in 1947, Bharat's father stays back in present-day Pakistan and makes his eight-year-old son promise to lead the household and keep the family together, no matter what. Bharat's life over a period of 60 years, from 18 to 70 years of age, traces India's post-independence history.

Bharat joins The Great Russian Circus in 1964 and earns a reputation for being a playboy. The discovery of oil in the Gulf region in the mid-1970s leads to a subsequent Indian migration to the territory; here, Bharat begins a romantic relationship with his chief engineer Kumud Raina.

He volunteers for the Indian Navy and later holds the family business together during the period leading to economic liberalisation in the 1990s, all the while keeping his promise to his father.

Read more »

Rocketman (2019 film)

Rocketman is a 2019 biographical musical film based on the life of musician Elton John. Directed by Dexter Fletcher and written by Lee Hall, it stars Taron Egerton as John, with Jamie Bell, Richard Madden, and Bryce Dallas Howard. The film follows John's early days as a prodigy at the Royal Academy of Music to his musical partnership with Bernie Taupin. The film is titled after John's 1972 song "Rocket Man".

An Elton John biopic had been in development for almost two decades, with the project going through studios including Walt Disney Studios and Focus Features, directors including Michael Gracey, and actors including Tom Hardy and Justin Timberlake. After creative differences with Focus halted an initial production start in 2014, John took the project to Paramount Pictures, with Egerton and Fletcher signing on in April 2018. Principal photography began in August 2018 and was completed later that year. 

Rocketman premiered at the Cannes Film Festival on 16 May 2019, and was released in the United Kingdom on 22 May 2019. It is scheduled to be released in the United States on 31 May 2019. The film received mostly positive reviews from critics, with general praise for Egerton's performance. It is the first major Hollywood production to show a gay male sex scene on-screen.

The film tells the story of Elton John's life, from his early years in Pinner, Middlesex as a prodigy at the Royal Academy of Music, through his influential and enduring musical partnership with lyricist Bernie Taupin, as well as his struggles with depression, substance abuse, and acceptance of his sexual orientation.

The events of the film are told in flashback with the frame narrative of Elton in an alcoholics anonymous meeting. The flashbacks also contain staged musical numbers of Elton's songs, as imagined in his head during pivotal moments in his life.

Read more »

MA (2019 film)

Ma is a 2019 American psychological horror film directed by Tate Taylor, from a screenplay by Scotty Landes and Taylor, and a story by Landes. It stars Octavia Spencer, Juliette Lewis, Diana Silvers, Luke Evans, McKaley Miller, Missi Pyle, Corey Fogelmanis, Marjay Ross, Gianni Paolo, and Dante Brown. The film is being produced by Jason Blum through his Blumhouse Productions company and John Norris.

The film is scheduled to be released on May 31, 2019, by Universal Pictures. The film is noted for being one of the few horror movies to feature a black female lead.

Sue Ann is a loner who keeps to herself in her quiet Ohio town. One day, she is asked by Maggie, a new teenager in town, to buy some booze for her and her friends, and Sue Ann sees the chance to make some unsuspecting, if younger, friends of her own.

She offers the kids the chance to avoid drinking and driving by hanging out in the basement of her home. But there are some house rules: One of the kids has to stay sober. Don’t curse. Never go upstairs. And call her “Ma.” But as Ma’s hospitality starts to curdle into obsession, what began as a teenage dream turns into a terrorizing nightmare, and Ma’s place goes from the best place in town to the worst place on earth.

Read more »

Godzilla: King of the Monsters (2019)

Following the global success of “Godzilla” and “Kong: Skull Island” comes the next chapter in Warner Bros. Pictures’ and Legendary Pictures’ cinematic MonsterVerse, an epic action adventure that pits Godzilla against some of the most popular monsters in pop culture history.  The new story follows the heroic efforts of the crypto-zoological agency Monarch as its members face off against a battery of god-sized monsters, including the mighty Godzilla, who collides with Mothra, Rodan, and his ultimate nemesis, the three-headed King Ghidorah.  When these ancient super-species—thought to be mere myths—rise again, they all vie for supremacy, leaving humanity’s very existence hanging in the balance.

Godzilla: King of the Monsters (marketed as Godzilla II: King of the Monsters in some territories) is a 2019 American monster film directed and co-written by Michael Dougherty. It is a sequel to the 2014 film Godzilla, and is also the 35th film in the Godzilla franchise, the third film in Legendary's MonsterVerse, and the third Godzilla film to be completely produced by a Hollywood studio. The film stars Kyle Chandler, Vera Farmiga, Millie Bobby Brown, Bradley Whitford, Sally Hawkins, Charles Dance, Thomas Middleditch, Aisha Hinds, O'Shea Jackson Jr., David Strathairn, Ken Watanabe, and Zhang Ziyi. It is dedicated to executive producer Yoshimitsu Banno and original Godzilla suit performer Haruo Nakajima, who both died in 2017. In the film, humans must rely on Godzilla to defeat King Ghidorah and other Titans who have awakened, and are causing destruction around the world.

The sequel was green-lit during the opening weekend of Godzilla, with original director Gareth Edwards expected to return. After Edwards left the project in May 2016, Dougherty, who had been hired in October 2016 to re-write the script with Zach Shields, was announced as the director in January 2017. Principal photography began in June 2017 in Atlanta, Georgia and wrapped in September 2017.

Godzilla: King of the Monsters is scheduled to be theatrically released in the United States on May 31, 2019, in 2D, 3D, Dolby Cinema, and IMAX. The film received mixed reviews from critics, with praise for the visual effects, musical score and action sequences but criticism aimed at the underdeveloped human characters and thin storyline. A sequel, Godzilla vs. Kong, is scheduled to be released on March 13, 2020.

Read more »