Why Watch That Radio

On this episode of Why Watch That:

MOVIE SNEAK PEEKS

Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom

Website: Netflix

Synopsis: Tensions and temperatures rise over the course of an afternoon recording session in 1920s Chicago as a band of musicians await trailblazing performer, the legendary “Mother of the Blues,” Ma Rainey (Academy Award® winner Viola Davis). Late to the session, the fearless, fiery Ma engages in a battle of wills with her white manager and producer over control of her music. As the band waits in the studio’s claustrophobic rehearsal room, ambitious trumpeter Levee (Chadwick Boseman) — who has an eye for Ma’s girlfriend and is determined to stake his own claim on the music industry — spurs his fellow musicians into an eruption of stories revealing truths that will forever change the course of their lives.

Release Date: December 18, 2020

Directed by: George C. Wolfe

Screenplay by: Ruben Santiago-Hudson

Based on the play by August Wilson

Starring: Viola Davis, Chadwick Boseman, Colman Domingo, Glynn Turman, Michael Potts, Taylour Paige, Dusan Brown, Jeremy Shamos, and Jonny Coyne

Distributor: Netflix

Genre: Drama, Music

Running Time: 1 hour 34 minutes

Rated R

Small Axe: A Collection of Five Films

Website: Prime Video

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MANGROVE

Starring Letitia Wright, Shaun Parkes and Malachi Kirby

Mangrove centers on Frank Crichlow (Shaun Parkes), the owner of Notting Hill's Caribbean restaurant, Mangrove, a lively community base for locals, intellectuals and activists. In a reign of racist terror, the local police raid Mangrove time after time, making Frank and the local community take to the streets in peaceful protest in 1970. When nine men and women, including Frank and leader of the British Black Panther Movement Altheia Jones-LeCointe (Letitia Wright), and activist Darcus Howe (Malachi Kirby), are wrongly arrested and charged with incitement to riot, a highly publicized trial ensues, leading to hard-fought win for those fighting against discrimination. Letitia Wright (Black Panther), Shaun Parkes (Lost in Space), and Malachi Kirby (Curfew) star alongside Rochenda Sandall (Line of Duty), Jack Lowden (The Long Song), Sam Spruell (Snow White and the Huntsmen), Gershwyn Eustache (The Gentleman), Nathaniel Martello-White (Collateral), Richie Campbell (Liar), Jumayn Hunter (Les Miserables), and Gary Beadle (Summer of Rockets). Mangrove was co-written by Alastair Siddons and Steve McQueen. 

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LOVERS ROCK

Starring Amarah-Jae St. Aubyn and Micheal Ward

Lovers Rock tells a fictional story of young love at a Blues party in 1980. The film is an ode to the romantic reggae genre called "Lovers Rock" and to the Black youth who found freedom and love in its sound in London house parties, when they were unwelcome in white nightclubs. Amarah-Jae St. Aubyn makes her screen debut opposite the BAFTAs 2020 Rising Star award recipient Micheal Ward (Top Boy). Shaniqua Okwok (Boys), Kedar Williams-Stirling (Sex Education), Ellis George (Dr Who), Alexander James-Blake (Top Boy), and Kadeem Ramsay (Blue Story) also star, as well as Francis Lovehall and Daniel Francis-Swaby who make their screen debuts. Lovers Rock was co-written by Courttia Newland and Steve McQueen. 

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RED, WHITE AND BLUE 

Starring John Boyega

Red, White and Blue tells the true story of Leroy Logan, a young forensic scientist with a yearning to do more than his solitary laboratory work. When he sees his father assaulted by two policemen, he finds himself driven to revisiting a childhood ambition to become a police officer; an ambition borne from the naïve hope of wanting to change racist attitudes from within. First, Leroy has to face the consequences of his father's disapproval, never mind the blatant racism he finds in his new role as a despised yet exemplary Constable in the Metropolitan Police Force. John Boyega (Star Wars: The Force Awakens) and Steve Toussaint (Prince of Persia) star with talented newcomers Tyrone Huntley, Nathan Vidal and Jaden Oshenye. Red, White and Blue was co-written by Courttia Newland and Steve McQueen. 

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ALEX WHEATLE 

Starring Sheyi Cole and Jonathan Jules

Alex Wheatle follows the true story of award-winning writer, Alex Wheatle (Sheyi Cole), from a young boy through his early adult years. Having spent his childhood in a mostly white institutional care home with no love or family, he finally finds not only a sense of community for the first time in Brixton, but his identity and ability to grow his passion for music and DJ'ing. When he is thrown in prison during the Brixton Uprising of 1981, he confronts his past and sees a path to healing. Sheyi Cole stars opposite Jonathan Jules. Alex Wheatle was co-written by Alastair Siddons and Steve McQueen.

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EDUCATION

Starring Kenyah Sandy and Sharlene Whyte

Education is the coming of age story of 12-year-old Kingsley, a boy with a fascination for astronauts and rockets. When Kingsley is called to the Headmaster's office for disruptive behaviour in class, he is shocked to discover his transfer to a school for those with "special needs." Distracted by working two jobs, his parents are unaware of what was an unofficial segregation policy at play, preventing many Black children from having the education they deserve until a group of West Indian women take matters into their own hands. Newcomer Kenyah Sandy stars opposite Sharlene Whyte (We Hunt Together, Casualty), Daniel Francis (Once Upon A Time, Homefront), Tamara Lawrance (The Long Song, Kindred) and Josette Simon (Wonder Woman, Silent Witness, Law & Order: UK).  

Release Dates: November 20, 2020-December 18, 2020

Directed by: Steve McQueen 

Distributor: Amazon Studios

Genre: Drama, History

Running Times: from 1 hour to 2 hours 7 minutes each 

Rated TV-MA

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On this episode of Why Watch That:

SERIES PREMIERES

Big Sky

Website: ABC

No Man’s Land 

Website: Hulu

The Flight Attendant

Website: HBO Max

Your Honor 

Website: Showtime

FINAL SEASON PREMIERE

Shameless 

Website: Showtime

SEASON FINALE

Fargo 

Website: FX

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On this episode of Why Watch That:

MOVIE SNEAK PEEKS

Minari 

Website: A24

Synopsis: A tender and sweeping story about what roots us, Minari follows a Korean-American family that moves to a tiny Arkansas farm in search of their own American Dream. The family home changes completely with the arrival of their sly, foul-mouthed, but incredibly loving grandmother. Amidst the instability and challenges of this new life in the rugged Ozarks, Minari shows the undeniable resilience of family and what really makes a home. 

Release Date: December 11, 2020 (limited); February 12, 2021 (expanded)

Directed by: Lee Isaac Chung 

Screenplay by: Lee Isaac Chung 

Starring: Steven Yeun, Yeri Han, Alan Kim, Noel Kate Cho, and Scott Haze, with Yuh-Jung Youn and Will Patton 

Distributor: A24

Genre: Drama

Running Time: 1 hour 55 minutes

Rated PG-13

Parallel

Website: Vertical Entertainment

Synopsis: A group of friends stumble upon a mirror that serves as a portal to a "multiverse", but soon discover that importing knowledge from the other side in order to better their lives brings increasingly dangerous consequences.

Release Date: In select theaters and on demand December 11, 2020

Directed by: Isaac Ezban

Screenplay by: Scott Blaszak

Starring: Aml Ameen, Martin Wallström, Georgia King, Mark O'Brien, and Alyssa Diaz, with David Harewood and Kathleen Quinlan

Distributor: Vertical Entertainment

Genre: Drama, Sci-Fi, Thriller

Running Time: 1 hour 43 minutes

Not Rated 

Wild Mountain Thyme

Website: Official Site

Synopsis: John Patrick Shanley, who created the classic MOONSTRUCK, brings his sweeping romantic vision to Ireland with Wild Mountain Thyme. The headstrong farmer Rosemary Muldoon (Emily Blunt) has her heart set on winning her neighbor Anthony Reilly’s love. The problem is Anthony (Jamie Dornan) seems to have inherited a family curse, and remains oblivious to his beautiful admirer. Stung by his father Tony's (Christopher Walken) plans to sell the family farm to his American nephew (Jon Hamm), Anthony is jolted into pursuing his dreams in this comedic, moving and wildly romantic tale. 

Release Date: In theaters and on demand December 11, 2020

Directed by: John Patrick Shanley

Screenplay by: John Patrick Shanley

Based on the play "Outside Mullingar" by John Patrick Shanley

Starring: Emily Blunt, Jamie Dornan, Jon Hamm, Dearbhla Molloy, and Christopher Walken 

Distributor: Bleecker Street

Genre: Drama, Romance

Running Time: 1 hour 42 minutes

Rated PG-13

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On this episode of Why Watch That:

MOVIE SNEAK PEEKS

Farewell Amor

Website: IFC Films

Synopsis: After 17 years apart, Angolan immigrant Walter is joined in the U.S. by his wife and teen daughter. Now absolute strangers sharing a one-bedroom Brooklyn apartment, they struggle to overcome the emotional distance between them. Walter is trying to let go of a previous relationship while his wife Esther struggles with a new country, culture and a husband who seems distant. (Can religion help her cope?) Their daughter Sylvia is a dancer just like her father, and while she also finds her new life difficult, she bravely starts to explore the city and show herself through dance. (But what do her parents, especially her mother, think about that?) ... The film is both a universal immigrant story and the unique perspective of three characters bound together by history and hope. It is an intimate and deeply personal look at an inter-generational tale that has defined America since its inception.

Release Date: In theaters and on demand December 11, 2020

Directed by: Ekwa Msangi

Screenplay by: Ekwa Msangi

Starring: Ntare Guma Mbaho Mwine, Zainab Jah, Jayme Lawson, Joie Lee, Marcus Scribner, and Nana Mensah

Distributor: IFC Films

Genre: Drama

Running Time: 1 hour 41 minutes

Not Rated 

Wander Darkly 

Website: Lionsgate

Synopsis: In WANDER DARKLY, a traumatic accident leaves a couple, Adrienne (Sienna Miller) and Matteo (Diego Luna), in a surreal state of being that takes them on a disorienting journey through the duality of their shared moments. By reliving fond recollections from the beginning of their romance while also navigating the overwhelming truths of their present, they must rediscover the love that truly binds them together. Writer-director Tara Miele offers a profound new perspective on the delicate nature of relationships with this emotionally moving story about a couple who must reflect on their past in order to face their uncertain future.

Release Date: In select theaters and on demand December 11, 2020 

Directed by: Tara Miele

Screenplay by: Tara Miele

Starring: Sienna Miller and Diego Luna

Distributor: Lionsgate

Genre: Drama

Running Time: 1 hour 37 minutes

Rated R

Ip Man: Kung Fu Master 

Website: Ip Man: Kung Fu Master

Synopsis: IP MAN: KUNG FU MASTER harks back to Ip's early days before the Communist Revolution in 1949. Ip, portrayed by Dennis To for the third time as the martial artist who famously tutored Bruce Lee, was then a police captain who was framed for the murder of a ruthless but honorable mobster, and targeted for vengeance by his dangerous daughter. Forced to quit the force, Ip soon also has to contend with the arrival of the Japanese army in Guangzhou.

Release Date: In theaters and on demand December 11, 2020

Directed by: Liming Li

Screenplay by: Liming Li and Shi Qingshui

Starring: Dennis To, Yuan Li Ruoxin, Tong Xiaohu, Yue Dongfeng, Chang Qinyuan, Zhao Xioguang, Ren Yu, and Michael Wong

Distributor: Magnolia Pictures & Magnet Releasing

Genre: Action

Running Time: 1 hour 24 minutes

Not Rated

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On this episode of Why Watch That:

MOVIE SNEAK PEEK

I’m Your Woman 

Website: Prime Video

Synopsis: Suburban housewife Jean (Rachel Brosnahan, “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel”) lives a seemingly easy life, supported by husband Eddie’s (Bill Heck) career as a thief. But when Eddie betrays his partners, Jean and her baby are forced to go on the run, and Eddie’s old friend Cal (Arinzé Kene) is tasked with keeping them safe. After Cal mysteriously disappears, Jean befriends his wife Teri (Marsha Stephanie Blake) and the two women set out on a perilous journey into the heart of Eddie’s criminal underworld. A decidedly female take on crime dramas of the 1970s, I’m Your Woman is a tale of love, betrayal, motherhood — and what it takes to claim your life as your own.

Release Date: In select theaters December 4, 2020 and on Prime Video December 11, 2020

Directed by: Julia Hart

Screenplay by: Julia Hart and Jordan Horowitz

Starring: Rachel Brosnahan, Marsha Stephanie Blake, and Arinzé Kene, with Frankie Faison and Bill Heck

Distributor: Amazon Studios

Genre: Crime, Drama

Running Time: 2 hours

Rated R

ACORN TV SNEAK PEEK

A Suitable Boy 

Website: Acorn TV

ANOTHER MOVIE SNEAK PEEK

Sneak Peek: Ammonite

Website: Neon

Synopsis: In the 1840s, acclaimed self-taught paleontologist Mary Anning works alone on the wild and brutal Southern English coastline of Lyme Regis. The days of her famed discoveries behind her, she now hunts for common fossils to sell to rich tourists to support herself and her ailing widowed mother. When one such tourist, Roderick Murchison, arrives in Lyme on the first leg of a European tour, he entrusts Mary with the care of his young wife Charlotte, who is recuperating from a personal tragedy. Mary, whose life is a daily struggle on the poverty line, cannot afford to turn him down but, proud and relentlessly passionate about her work, she clashes with her unwanted guest. They are two women from utterly different worlds. Yet despite the chasm between their social spheres and personalities, Mary and Charlotte discover they can each offer what the other has been searching for: the realization that they are not alone. It is the beginning of a passionate and all-consuming love affair that will defy all social bounds and alter the course of both lives irrevocably.

Release Date: In theaters November 13, 2020 and available Premium On Demand December 4, 2020

Directed by: Francis Lee

Screenplay by: Francis Lee

Starring: Kate Winslet, Saoirse Ronan, Gemma Jones, James McArdle, Alec Secareanu, and Fiona Shaw

Distributor: Neon

Genre: Biography, Drama, Romance

Running Time: 2 hours

Rated R

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On this episode of Why Watch That:

Nomadland

Website: Official Site

Synopsis: Following the economic collapse of a company town in rural Nevada, Fern (Frances McDormand) packs her van and sets off on the road exploring a life outside of conventional society as a modern-day nomad. The third feature film from director Chloé Zhao, NOMADLAND features real nomads Linda May, Swankie and Bob Wells as Fern’s mentors and comrades in her exploration through the vast landscape of the American West.

Release Date: Limited Run December 4-10 in the Film at Lincoln Center Virtual Cinema

Directed by: Chloé Zhao

Screenplay by: Chloé Zhao

Based upon the book “Nomadland: Surviving America in the Twenty-First Century” by Jessica Bruder

Starring: Frances McDormand, David Strathairn, Linda May, and Swankie

Distributor: Searchlight Pictures

Genre: Drama

Running Time: 1 hour 48 minutes

Rated R

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On this episode of Why Watch That:

Uncle Frank 

Website: Prime Video

Synopsis: In 1973, teenaged Beth Bledsoe (Sophia Lillis) leaves her rural Southern hometown to study at New York University where her beloved Uncle Frank (Paul Bettany) is a revered literature professor. She soon discovers that Frank is gay, and living with his longtime partner Walid “Wally” Nadeem (Peter Macdissi) — an arrangement that he has kept secret for years. After the sudden death of Frank's father — Beth’s grandfather — Frank is forced to reluctantly return home for the funeral with Beth in tow, and to finally face a long-buried trauma that he has spent his entire adult life running away from. 

Release Date: November 25, 2020

Directed by: Alan Ball

Screenplay by: Alan Ball

Starring: Paul Bettany, Sophia Lillis, Peter Macdissi, Judy Greer, Steve Zahn, Lois Smith, with Margo Martindale and Stephen Root

Distributor: Amazon Studios

Genre: Drama

Running Time: 1 hour 35 minutes

Rated R

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On this episode of Why Watch That:

SERIES PREMIERES

Roadkill 

Website: PBS

A Teacher 

Website: FX on Hulu

Valley of Tears 

Website: HBO Max

SEASON PREMIERES

Young Sheldon 

Website: CBS

Grey’s Anatomy 

Website: ABC

SEASON FINALE

We Are Who We Are 

Website: HBO

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On this episode of Why Watch That:

The Nest

Website: The Nest

Synopsis: Rory (Jude Law), an ambitious entrepreneur and former commodities broker, who persuades his American wife, Allison (Carrie Coon), and their children to leave the comforts of suburban America and return to his native England during the 1980s. Sensing opportunity, Rory rejoins his former firm and leases a centuries-old country manor, with grounds for Allison's horses and plans to build a stable. Soon the promise of a lucrative new beginning starts to unravel, the couple have to face the unwelcome truths lying beneath the surface of their marriage.

Release Date: November 17, 2020 (VOD)

Directed by: Sean Durkin

Screenplay by: Sean Durkin

Starring: Jude Law, Carrie Coon, Charlie Shotwell, and Oona Roche

Distributor: IFC Films

Genre: Drama, Romance

Running Time: 1 hour 47 minutes

Rated R

Sound of Metal 

Website: Prime Video

Synopsis: During a series of adrenaline-fueled one-night gigs, itinerant punk-metal drummer Ruben (Riz Ahmed) begins to experience intermittent hearing loss. When a specialist tells him his condition will rapidly worsen, he thinks his music career — and with it his life — is over. His bandmate and girlfriend Lou (Olivia Cooke) checks the recovering heroin addict into a secluded sober house for the deaf in hopes it will prevent a relapse and help him learn to adapt to his new situation. But after being welcomed into a community that accepts him just as he is, Ruben has to choose between his equilibrium and the drive to reclaim the life he once knew. Utilizing startling, innovative sound design techniques, director Darius Marder takes audiences inside Ruben’s experience to vividly recreate his journey into a rarely examined world. 

Release Date: In select theaters November 20, 2020 and on Prime Video December 4, 2020

Directed by: Darius Marder

Screenplay by: Darius Marder and Abraham Marder

Starring: Riz Ahmed, Olivia Cooke, Paul Raci, Lauren Ridloff, and Mathieu Almaric

Distributor: Amazon Studios

Genre: Drama, Music

Running Time: 2 hours 10 minutes

Rated R

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On this episode of Why Watch That:

The Life Ahead 

Website: Netflix

Synopsis: In seaside Italy, a Holocaust survivor with a daycare business, Madame Rosa (Sophia Loren), takes in 12-year-old street kid Momo, the boy who recently robbed her. The two loners become each other’s protectors, anchoring an unconventional family.

Release Date: November 13, 2020

Directed by: Edoardo Ponti

Screenplay by: Edoardo Ponti and Ugo Chiti

Based on “The Life Before Us” by Romain Gary

Starring: Sophia Loren and Ibrahima Gueye

Distributor: Netflix

Genre: Drama

Running Time: 1 hour 34 minutes

Rated PG-13

Fatman 

Website: Nelms Bros.

Synopsis: To save his declining business, Chris Cringle (Mel Gibson), also known as Santa Claus, is forced into a partnership with the U.S. military. Making matters worse, Chris gets locked into a deadly battle of wits against a highly skilled assassin (Walton Goggins), hired by a precocious 12-year-old after receiving a lump of coal in his stocking. ‘Tis the season for Fatman to get even, in the action-comedy that keeps on giving.

Release Date: In select theaters November 13, 2020 and on demand and digital November 17, 2020

Directed by: Eshom Nelms and Ian Nelms

Screenplay by: Eshom Nelms and Ian Nelms

Starring: Mel Gibson, Walton Goggins, and Marianne Jean-Baptiste

Distributor: Saban Films

Genre: Action, Dark Comedy

Running Time: 1 hour 39 minutes

Rated R

Dreamland 

Website: Paramount

Synopsis: Eugene Evans (Finn Cole) is coming of age in the Texas Dust Bowl. Clinging to a dream of escape and reunion with his biological father, Eugene and his family struggle to keep their home amidst a plague of Dust Storms and foreclosures. In a nearby town, five innocent civilians are killed in the midst of a holdup, and the local authorities are pursuing the fugitive bank robber, Allison Wells (Margot Robbie). When a $10,000 bounty is placed for the capture of Ms. Wells, Eugene seizes the opportunity in hopes that this monetary reward will prevent the foreclosure of his family farm. However, the task comes easier than anticipated when Eugene finds her hiding out in his family farm.

Release Date: In select theaters November 13, 2020 and available via Premium VOD and digital November 17, 2020

Directed by: Miles Joris-Peyrafitte

Screenplay by: Nicolaas Zwart

Starring: Margot Robbie, Finn Cole, Travis Fimmel, Kerry Condon, Garrett Hedlund, and Darby Camp

Distributor: Paramount Pictures and Vertical Entertainment

Genre: Drama, Thriller

Running Time: 1 hour 38 minutes

Rated R

Wolfwalkers 

Websites: GKIDS and Apple TV+

Synopsis: In a time of superstition and magic, a young apprentice hunter, Robyn Goodfellowe, journeys to Ireland with her father to wipe out the last wolf pack. While exploring the forbidden lands outside the city walls, Robyn befriends a free-spirited girl, Mebh, a member of a mysterious tribe rumored to have the ability to transform into wolves by night. As they search for Mebh’s missing mother, Robyn uncovers a secret that draws her further into the enchanted world of the WOLFWALKERS and risks turning into the very thing her father is tasked to destroy.

Release Date: In theaters November 13, 2020 and available via Apple TV+ December 11, 2020

Directed by: Tomm Moore and Ross Stewart

Screenplay by: Will Collins

Starring: Honor Kneafsey, Eva Whittaker, Sean Bean, Simon McBurney, and Maria Doyle Kennedy

Distributor: Apple TV+ and GKIDS

Genre: Animation, Adventure, Fantasy

Running Time: 1 hour 43 minutes

Rated PG

Come Away

Website: Come Away

Synopsis: In this imaginative origin story of two of the most beloved characters in literature – Peter Pan and Alice in Wonderland – eight-year-old Alice (Keira Chansa), her mischievous brother Peter (Jordan A. Nash) and their brilliant older sibling David (Reece Yates) let their imaginations run wild one blissful summer in the English countryside. Encouraged by their parents Jack and Rose (David Oyelowo and Angelina Jolie), the kids' make-believe tea parties, sword fights and pirate ship adventures come to an abrupt end when tragedy strikes. Peter, eager to prove himself a hero to his grief-stricken and financially-struggling parents, journeys with Alice to London, where they try to sell a treasured heirloom to the sinister pawnshop owner known as C.J. (David Gyasi). Returning home, Alice seeks temporary refuge in a wondrous rabbit hole while Peter permanently escapes reality by entering a magical realm as leader of the "Lost Boys."

Release Date: November 13, 2020

Directed by: Brenda Chapman

Screenplay by: Marissa Kate Goodhill

Based on J.M. Barrie’s “Peter Pan” and Lewis Carroll’s “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland”

Starring: Angelina Jolie, David Oyelowo, Anna Chancellor, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Clarke Peters, Derek Jacobi, and Michael Caine

Distributor: Relativity Media

Genre: Adventure, Drama, Family, Fantasy

Running Time: 1 hour 34 minutes

Rated PG 

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