Train to Busan 2: Peninsula (Bando)
"Train to Busan 2: Peninsula" was directed by South Korean filmmaker, animator and screenwriter Yong Sang-ho. He also released the original Train to Busan in 2016. The two films are set in the same universe, but this is where the similarities end.
"Train to Busan 2: Peninsula" is not a traditional sequel, continuing the stories of characters already familiar to the audience. In the center of the plot are new heroes forced to survive after the outbreak of a terrible virus. The train, which unfolded almost all the events of the first film, is not here either: this time zombies occupied the entire Korean Peninsula, isolated from the rest of the world.
In fact, neither North nor South Korea exists in this world. As the director explained, according to the plot, all the authorities of both countries were destroyed, and now it is just a “peninsula”. And the main character, who at one time managed to get out of there, now returns to complete a dangerous mission.
Work on the film was carried out before the coronavirus pandemic. Yong Sang-ho notes that with the spread of COVID-19, people have seen with their own eyes how selfishness can lead to tragedy. According to the director, this is the topic he seeks to explore in his zombie horror movies.
Greenland
The heroes of the action movie "Greenland" from the director of "The Fall of the Angel" Rick Roman Waugh are experiencing another global catastrophe (though not mystical, but quite natural). A huge asteroid flies to Earth, one of the debris of which falls on Florida. People are forced to flee in a bunker in Greenland. Heroes played by Gerard Butler (Phantom of the Opera), Morena Baccarin (Deadpool) and Roger Dale Floyd (Doctor Sleep) will try to get there.
According to film critic Jenmary Tang of The New Paper, Greenland is a traditional race against time thriller packed with classic genre clichés. However, already from the trailer it is clear that at least an impressive picture awaits the audience: explosions, falling helicopters, fires and other destructions were shown effectively and convincingly.
"Agent Eva" (Ava)
Jessica Chastain, known for her roles in such action-packed films as Sloan's Dangerous Game, The Big Game, Target Number One and The Most Brutal Year, again appears in her usual role in the crime thriller Agent Eve. This time, Chastain played an experienced and charming assassin. One of the operations of her heroine is not going according to plan, and the girl decides to end her career. Of course, the criminal world is not going to let her go.
The film was directed by Tate Taylor, who worked with Chastain on the set of The Servant. The script for the film was written by Matthew Newton (Who We Become). At first, it was assumed that he would also be the director, but Newton refused to shoot due to accusations of domestic violence. John Malkovich and Colin Farrell also played the roles in the film.
The High Note
The leading roles in the Nisha Ganatra melodrama about the musical world of Los Angeles were performed by the star of the tape "Fifty Shades of Gray" Dakota Johnson and the daughter of legendary singer Diana Ross Tracy Ellis. The heroine Johnson is the personal assistant of the famous singer (Ross), a woman with a difficult character. The girl is happy to help the idol, but secretly dreams of working as a producer. One day she has the opportunity to change her life forever.
Colorful musical numbers became an important part of the film. For these scenes, costume designer Jenny Egan and her team made a variety of flashy outfits. By the way, Egan "dressed" the heroes of the pictures "Get Knives" and "The Illusion of Deception", and for work on the project "What does Olivia know?" was nominated for an Emmy Award.
"Shadow of the Star"
Russian show business is described in Dmitry Gubarev's musical melodrama ("Fizruk") "The Shadow of a Star". The idol of millions, the popular rapper Ilya, was played by Pavel Priluchny. According to the plot, the hero of Priluchny comes to St. Petersburg on tour. There, an attempt is made on Ilya, and a bodyguard is hired for the musician. It becomes the girl Sasha performed by Alexandra Cherkasova-Servant. A romantic relationship is struck between the characters.
In the film "The Shadow of the Star" viewers will be able to appreciate the musical abilities of the star of "Major" Pavel Priluchny for the first time: all the compositions performed by Ilya were recorded by the actor himself.
His partner also had to learn new skills: for the sake of filming, the actress learned to shoot and box. As a result, she managed to perform all the tricks on her own.
The Bay of Silence
The plot of the detective thriller Bay of Silence is centered on a happy married couple performed by Claes Bang and Olga Kurylenko. The family idyll ends when their child dies during childbirth. This incident has a strong impact on the mental state of the heroine. In addition, she is re-experiencing the aftermath of a long-standing trauma, which she never told her husband about. The woman accuses others of abducting a non-existent baby, and one night she disappears, taking with her older children and their nanny.
The plot of the film is based on the novel of the same name by British writer Lisa Saint-Aubin de Teran, which examines the problems of a married couple from two different points of view. According to Variety film critic Guy Lodge, Bay of Silence is an ambitious project that combines a twisted puzzle story with a highly emotional exploration of sexual abuse and the trauma it causes.