"What if we were all meant to be together?" Paramount has released an official trailer for an inspiring, feel-good drama titled Mighty Oak, the latest from veteran producer / filmmaker Sean McNamara. In the ensuing years from losing her vocalist brother in a tragic car crash, a young guitar prodigy comes into play - which is left up to speculation that he could be a reincarnation of her late brother. The film tells the story of a band manager who encounters a 10-year-old music prodigy named Oak, played by newcomer Tommy Ragen, a real-life prodigy whose music inspired the screenplay. This film also stars Janel Parrish, Carlos PenaVega, Alexa PenaVega, Levi Dylan, Raven-Symoné, Nana Ghana, Rodney Hicks, Gianna Harris, & Ben Milliken. Sorry to say, it looks like made-for-tv extra cute, inspirational junk that some people will love. But there's not much to see here. Here's the official trailer (+ poster) for Sean...
- 6/24/2020
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
What happens when movie theaters have been closed for a pandemic, and studios are skittish about releasing content that might not get seen?
It seems that you get movies that would have otherwise gone direct to video suitable for the whole family(ish) that can play across the nation's few open theater chains and drive-ins.
One such film is Mighty Oak, a flick starring Janel Parrish of Pretty Little Liars fame and a young fellow named Tommy Ragen, a ten-year-old music prodigy and songwriter who can play a mean guitar.
The story of Mighty Oak follows Parrish's character, Gina Jackson aka Jean Jacket, as she works alongside and manages a band -- Army of Love -- fronted by her brother, Vaughn (Levi Dylan) on their quest for fame and fortune.
That rise is hardly meteoric as, on the night of their big break opening for Arcade Fire at the Hollywood Bowl,...
It seems that you get movies that would have otherwise gone direct to video suitable for the whole family(ish) that can play across the nation's few open theater chains and drive-ins.
One such film is Mighty Oak, a flick starring Janel Parrish of Pretty Little Liars fame and a young fellow named Tommy Ragen, a ten-year-old music prodigy and songwriter who can play a mean guitar.
The story of Mighty Oak follows Parrish's character, Gina Jackson aka Jean Jacket, as she works alongside and manages a band -- Army of Love -- fronted by her brother, Vaughn (Levi Dylan) on their quest for fame and fortune.
That rise is hardly meteoric as, on the night of their big break opening for Arcade Fire at the Hollywood Bowl,...
- 6/16/2020
- by Carissa Pavlica
- TVfanatic
Faith — the old-fashioned kind, call it spiritual or religious — is a feeling of earthly but ethereal belief. Yet most of the movies that get lumped into the category known as “faith-based” have a ploddingly literal, you-gotta-see-it-to-believe-it quality. They’re about having faith in something beyond the here and now, yet they tend to hinge on miracles that are as quantifiable and high concept as a secular person’s dogged rationality.
Take, for instance, “Mighty Oak.” It’s one of the first movies to be released in theaters since the onset of the pandemic, and technically speaking it’s not a “faith-based film.” Which is to say:
Yet the movie, which tells the story of a cherubic 10-year-old rock ‘n’ roll prodigy, is all about believing in the mystical phenomenon that is reincarnation. So yes, it’s a faith-based film.
But “Mighty Oak” is a faith-based film that wouldn’t look...
Take, for instance, “Mighty Oak.” It’s one of the first movies to be released in theaters since the onset of the pandemic, and technically speaking it’s not a “faith-based film.” Which is to say:
Yet the movie, which tells the story of a cherubic 10-year-old rock ‘n’ roll prodigy, is all about believing in the mystical phenomenon that is reincarnation. So yes, it’s a faith-based film.
But “Mighty Oak” is a faith-based film that wouldn’t look...
- 6/6/2020
- by Owen Gleiberman
- Variety Film + TV
Movies are slowly starting to trickle back into theaters, emphasis on the word “slowly.” For the time being, audiences’ options are still better at home, as this week’s crop of new films includes outrageous new genre fare — such as “Becky,” from the directors of “Cooties,” which plays a bit like a hard-r version of “Home Alone” — and festival standouts such as Hong Sang-soo’s “Yourself and Yours.”
“The Invisible Man” star Elisabeth Moss elaborates on her ever-widening scope of tortured women in the wildly unconventional Shirley Jackson biopic, a movie which portrays the author of “The Lottery” as the kind of character one might discover in her mind-bending horror tales.
Here’s a complete rundown of the week’s new releases, with excerpts from reviews and links to where you can watch them. Find more movies and TV shows to stream here.
Playing in drive-ins and extremely limited release:...
“The Invisible Man” star Elisabeth Moss elaborates on her ever-widening scope of tortured women in the wildly unconventional Shirley Jackson biopic, a movie which portrays the author of “The Lottery” as the kind of character one might discover in her mind-bending horror tales.
Here’s a complete rundown of the week’s new releases, with excerpts from reviews and links to where you can watch them. Find more movies and TV shows to stream here.
Playing in drive-ins and extremely limited release:...
- 6/5/2020
- by Peter Debruge
- Variety Film + TV
Paramount has acquired the drama-comedy “Mighty Oak” for a theatrical release on June 5 at North American movie theaters and drive-ins.
The studio plans to expand the film as more venues are deemed safe. Currently, 348 of the 5,400 North American theaters are open, including 169 drive-ins, according to Comscore. Most movie theaters across the country have been closed since mid-March due to the coronavirus outbreak.
“Mighty Oak” stars Janel Parrish as a music manager whose life is shattered when her brother and lead vocalist, played by Levi Dylan, is killed in a tragic accident. Ten years later, she meets a 10-year-old music prodigy named Oak, portrayed by Tommy Ragen, who seems to possess the same qualities as her late brother, and this inspires her to pull her life back together.
The cast includes Raven-Symoné, Alexa PenaVega, Carlos PenaVega, Nana Ghana, Rodney Hicks, Gianna Harris and Ben Milliken. Sean McNamara, whose credits include “Soul Surfer” and “Raise Your Voice,...
The studio plans to expand the film as more venues are deemed safe. Currently, 348 of the 5,400 North American theaters are open, including 169 drive-ins, according to Comscore. Most movie theaters across the country have been closed since mid-March due to the coronavirus outbreak.
“Mighty Oak” stars Janel Parrish as a music manager whose life is shattered when her brother and lead vocalist, played by Levi Dylan, is killed in a tragic accident. Ten years later, she meets a 10-year-old music prodigy named Oak, portrayed by Tommy Ragen, who seems to possess the same qualities as her late brother, and this inspires her to pull her life back together.
The cast includes Raven-Symoné, Alexa PenaVega, Carlos PenaVega, Nana Ghana, Rodney Hicks, Gianna Harris and Ben Milliken. Sean McNamara, whose credits include “Soul Surfer” and “Raise Your Voice,...
- 5/23/2020
- by Dave McNary
- Variety Film + TV
Exclusive: Janel Parrish (Pretty Little Liars: The Perfectionists, To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before), singer/songwriter Levi Dylan (grandson of Bob Dylan), Alexa PenaVega, and Carlos PenaVega have signed on to star in Mighty Oak, which is being directed by Soul Surfer helmer Sean McNamara.
11-year-old guitar prodigy Tommy Ragen (School Of Rock national tour) has been tapped to take on the title role of Oak while Nana Ghana (What/If) and Rodney Hicks also set to co-star.
Described as a dramedy along the lines of Wonder and A Dog’s Purpose, the film follows band manager Gina Jackson (Parrish), who struggles with losing her lead singer/brother (Dylan) in a fatal car accident on the way to a gig. A decade later, Gina meets a 10-year-old music prodigy named Oak (who seems to possess the same qualities as her brother,...
11-year-old guitar prodigy Tommy Ragen (School Of Rock national tour) has been tapped to take on the title role of Oak while Nana Ghana (What/If) and Rodney Hicks also set to co-star.
Described as a dramedy along the lines of Wonder and A Dog’s Purpose, the film follows band manager Gina Jackson (Parrish), who struggles with losing her lead singer/brother (Dylan) in a fatal car accident on the way to a gig. A decade later, Gina meets a 10-year-old music prodigy named Oak (who seems to possess the same qualities as her brother,...
- 1/31/2019
- by Amanda N'Duka
- Deadline Film + TV
In today’s film news roundup, Bill Bellamy and Julie Gonzalo join “The Great Illusion,” Tommy Ragen gets the lead in “Chasing,” and shooting wraps on human-trafficking drama “Natalie.”
Castings
Bill Bellamy, Julie Gonzalo, Ireland Basinger-Baldwin, and Ava Locklear are rounding out the cast of the horror-thriller “The Great Illusion,” Variety has learned exclusively.
Previously announced cast includes Graham Greene, Selma Blair, Glenn Morshower, Tokala Black Elk, Jon Lindstrom, Kenzie Dalton, and newcomer Oscar Cardenas. “The Great Illusion” is co-written by Cardenas and daughter Maria Gabriela Cardenas, who will direct as her feature film debut. Amy Williams is producing.
“The Great Illusion” follows a tortured FBI agent suffering from an irrational fear of darkness, as he investigates a mysterious former prostitute in order to catch a vicious serial killer. Production starts on June 4 in Los Angeles.
Bellamy hosts “Bill Bellamy’s Who’s Got Jokes?” Gonzalo starred in TNT’s “Dallas.
Castings
Bill Bellamy, Julie Gonzalo, Ireland Basinger-Baldwin, and Ava Locklear are rounding out the cast of the horror-thriller “The Great Illusion,” Variety has learned exclusively.
Previously announced cast includes Graham Greene, Selma Blair, Glenn Morshower, Tokala Black Elk, Jon Lindstrom, Kenzie Dalton, and newcomer Oscar Cardenas. “The Great Illusion” is co-written by Cardenas and daughter Maria Gabriela Cardenas, who will direct as her feature film debut. Amy Williams is producing.
“The Great Illusion” follows a tortured FBI agent suffering from an irrational fear of darkness, as he investigates a mysterious former prostitute in order to catch a vicious serial killer. Production starts on June 4 in Los Angeles.
Bellamy hosts “Bill Bellamy’s Who’s Got Jokes?” Gonzalo starred in TNT’s “Dallas.
- 6/2/2018
- by Dave McNary
- Variety Film + TV
Newcomers Ashley Brooke and Milan Ray have booked their first big studio feature in the Amazon Studios film Troupe Zero, joining Mckenna Grace, Viola Davis, Allison Janney, Jim Gaffigan, and Mike Epps. Bert & Bertie are directing the film which follows a group of elementary school misfits who start a Girl Scout troupe. The script is from Lucy Alibar and Todd Black is producing. 10-year-old Dallas based Ray has been cast in the supporting lead role of Hell-No, an adversary-turned friend of Grace’s character. Prior to this role, Ray appeared in a number of national ad campaigns. Brooke will play Piper, described as a rival of Troupe Zero. She’s lent her voice to the Oscar-nominated animated film Ernest & Celestine and appeared in Broadway’s Dr. Zhivago. Milan is repped by Manning Entertainment, Savage Agency, and Action Talent. Brooke is repped by The Green Room.
Tommy Ragen, the young...
Tommy Ragen, the young...
- 6/1/2018
- by Amanda N'Duka
- Deadline Film + TV
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