October 6, 2020 • No Comments • Entertainment News

Victor J. Blue/Getty Images(LOS ANGELES) — After Regal Cinemas announced it would be once again suspending operations of all of its U.S. theaters due to the COVID-19 pandemic, AMC and Cinemark say they plan to keep their theaters open.

Both theater chains said Tuesday that 80 percent of their theaters would remain open to the public, even as major markets in California and New York remain closed and most big movie releases have been delayed.

“We take great comfort in knowing that literally millions of moviegoers have already visited our theaters,” AMC CEO Adam Aron said in a press release. “Our guests are telling us that our theaters have never been cleaner, and that they recognize the great effort AMC is making to keep them healthy and safe.”

In a statement to The Hollywood Reporter, Cinemark said, “Cinemark’s reopening plan was designed with multiple contingencies in place to ensure we are able to be nimble and react as needed to this ever-changing environment.”

“We do not currently have plans to close our U.S. theaters and are continuing to align with demand, including reducing operating hours and days while we await new studio content to encourage theatrical moviegoing.”

Meanwhile, major tentpole films continue to shuffle their release dates. After Dune was moved from December 18, 2020 to October 1, 2021, The Batman, starring Robert Pattinson, was moved from October 1, 2021 to March 4, 2022.

By Andrea Tuccillo
Copyright © 2020, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

October 6, 2020 • No Comments • Entertainment News

Shanann Watts/Netflix/2020(NEW YORK) — The chilling true crime documentary American Murder: The Family Next Door took a uniquely personal approach when telling the story of the 2018 murders of pregnant Shannan [shuh-NAN] Watts and her young daughters, Bella and Celeste, at the hands of her husband, Chris Watts.

The doc, which is currently the number-one movie streaming on Netflix in the U.S., is made up entirely of archival footage — from Shannan’s own social media posts and text messages to police body cam footage to interrogation room tapes.

Director Jenny Popplewell was granted unfiltered access by Shannan’s family and entrusted to tell the story through the victims’ eyes. She calls Shannan an “amazing archivist of her own life.”

“They were so alive on Facebook and there were so many videos and photos of them that everyone felt like they knew them,” Popplewell says of Shannan and her daughters. “So I think it’s just that was what’s so unique about this story is that if you know them and empathize with them, you are so much more connected to the story.”

Popplewell adds that she hopes the documentary can erase some of the victim blaming Shannan has been subjected to and the pain it has caused her family.

“I think it’s incredible how the reporting on [Chris] was about all his qualities and the reporting on Shannan was about all of her failings,” she says. “And it was the epitome of victim blaming and what we do to women in society — how we minimized his violence and we further victimized her.”

American Murder is streaming now on Netflix.

By Andrea Tuccillo
Copyright © 2020, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

October 6, 2020 • No Comments • Entertainment News

Photo credit: Patti Perret/Amazon Studios(NEW YORK) — Phylicia Rashad and Jay Ellis are raving about their new sci-fi horror film, Black Box.

Rashad plays Lilian, a neurosurgeon set on helping a father regain his lost memories after an almost deadly car accident. Rashad tells ABC Audio that she had an immediate attraction to the project.

“I like this story and I like the script. That’s what I look for,” she says. “And it is Emmanuel [Osei-Kuffour Jr.], our director’s.. full length feature debut. And to be part of that is exciting.”

“And to work with a company of actors that I hadn’t met before,” she continues. “That was exciting as well.”

Producer Jay Ellis agrees, explaining it didn’t take long for him to say yes to the project.

“When I first read the script, I remember just kind of like sitting in silence for a second. And then I immediately picked my iPad back up and like, read it again,” he says. “And it was a page-turner. And it was fun. There was a plot twist that I didn’t see coming. I fell in love with the characters.”

Ellis admits that he did initially think about starring in the film, noting that his “actor brain always takes first,” but he realized if that didn’t work out, he still wanted to be a part of the alluring narrative.

“I read the script and was like, ‘Oh, Would I want to be in this? Would I want watch this? What I want to be a part of telling this story in some way?’,” he says. “And all of those things were like, ‘yes, yes, yes’ for me.” 

Black Box, also starring Mamoudou Athie, Amanda Christine, Tosin Morohunfola is available on Amazon Prime on October 6.

By Candice Williams
Copyright © 2020, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.