Now Showing: Easy Money

Easy Money
Genre: Crime/Thriller
Director: Josh and Benny Safdie
Writer: Mark Newton
Based on the Swedish film
Cast: Robert Pattinson, Michael Pena, Cliff Curtis, Sharlto Copley, Rade Serbedzija, Alexia Fast, Glen Powell, Matthew Modine

Plot: John "JW" Weston (Robert Pattinson) is a student at Columbia Business School in New York. He pretends to be wealthy like most of his classmates, but really goes to school during the day and drives a taxi cab at night. One night, at a club he meets Sophia (Alexia Fast), who he hits on, but she ends up leaving with another guy. Abdul (Cliff Curtis), JW's boss at the taxi company, offers JW a side job running cocaine for him.

Jorge (Michael Pena) is on the run after escaping from police custody following a drug bust. He plans on getting revenge on those who snitched on him, including Yugoslavian mob boss Radovan (Rade Serbedzija), and to make enough money with one more cocaine deal to leave the country for good.

Abdul and Jorge decide that they should expand the business after things have been going well. Abdul has heard that Jorge has learned all there is to know about the cocaine business while behind bars.

Jorge begins trying to blackmail Radovan, head of the Yugoslavian mob, who he believes snitched on him. Radovan tells Mrado (Sharlto Copley), an enforcer, to kill Jorge so that he wont give information to any competitors. Abdul offers JW $20,000 to bring Jorge back to him. After noticing Mrado following Jorge, JW follows both of them, only losing sight of Jorge when he gets on the subway.

JW scrambles to drive along the subway line, but ends up across the bridge in Brooklyn with little hope of finding Jorge. He pulls over and happens to see Mrado's car parked near a park. When JW enters the park, he finds Mrado savagely beating Jorge. JW sets off Mrado's car alarm to distract him. Jorge runs off into darkness of the park. Mrado begins searching for Jorge. JW takes a badly wounded Jorge back to his college dorm. Abdul visits JW and Jorge and helps clean Jorge up. Abdul offers JW $1000 a day to keep Jorge in his dorm room.

At a party, JW meets Sophia again. He learns that the guy she left the club with is her on and off boyfriend Carl (Glen Powell). JW learns that Carl's farther's investment firm is in serious trouble and Carl may not be able to afford his extravagant lifestyle anymore.

Abdul tells JW that they need to figure out how to launder their profits as they grow. JW proposes that they buy shares of Carl's father's failing firm, giving it a stimulus that would not only save the business but immediately increase the price of the shares, making it more profitable. JW acts as the front man for Abdulkarim's cocaine syndicate as they attempt to purchase the investment firm. Though Carl's father (Matthew Modine) has reservations, he eventually relents and accepts the deal.

Jorge advises JW that he is unilkely to see any of the money promised by Abdul. JW visits Abdul in his hideout and, while talking to Abdul, realizes that Jorge is right. Mrado returns home to check on his eight-year-old daughter and wife. He finds his wife strung out on drugs and nobody around to take care of his daughter, so he takes her with him.

Mrado is waiting with his daughter at JW's new apartment and offers JW $2 million for his assistance in raiding a huge drug shipment Abdul has coming in. JW agrees on the understanding that no one will get hurt. Mrado takes his daughter to his mother's house and tells her that he'll call her soon.

Later, the drugs arrive and Jorge and Abdul's men start repackaging the drugs in a warehouse. JW assists Mrado and one of his friends in entering the warehouse. A firefight occurs and one of Abdul's men is seriously wounded right away. Jorge realizes that JW has doublecrossed them. Meanwhile, Radovan has tipped off the police to report the drug delivery. JW and Jorge escape to the rooftop and eventually get to a car. Mrado's friend is seriously wounded, but holds off the others just long enough to allow Mrado to escape. As Mrado runs from an alley, he is hit and seriously injured by the car with Jorge and JW in it. JW is angry with Mrado, who had promised him that no one would get hurt. JW shoots Mrado. JW then fires at the cops closing in. Jorge speeds off in the car. JW surrenders to the police. Mrado is taken away by an ambulance and calls his daughter on the way to the hospital. Jorge drives off towards Canada.

JW is visited by Sophia in prison. She asks him is he cares for her, but he doesn't answer.

Release: American Playboy

American Playboy
Genre: Biography/Drama
Director: Damien Chazelle
Writer: Dwight Gallo
Cast: Andrew Garfield, Jesse Plemons, Felicity Jones, Adam Scott, Cuba Gooding Jr., Lili Simmons, Ashley Greene



Budget: $42,000,000
Domestic Box Office: $87,990,008
Foreign Box Office: $72,479,676
Total Profit: $70,801,041

Reaction: So far, biographical films have done really at the box office for us. Not a single bomb, with American Playboy becoming our second most profitable film in the biography bunch, behind only the surprise hit Rasputin.

"Who knew Andrew Garfield had a performance in him like this? He manages to play the young, cocksure Hefner, as well as the slightly older public-image-based Hefner, lighting up the screen along the way." - Gillian Donaldson, Variety

"Covers all the standard biopic beats, but does so with an effortlessness and lightness thanks to the direction of Damien Chazelle and the charismatic performance from Andrew Garfield." - Ben Bernard, New York Times

"I would have expected a far more interesting film about such an interesting individual. Despite some highlights and some strong performances, American Playboy is ultimately a bit of a letdown." - Tim Greer, L.A. Weekly

Last Resort Films Jukebox: American Playboy

1. "Rags to Riches" - Tony Bennett

2. "Que, Sera, Sera (Whatever Will Be Will Be)" - Doris Day

3. "Gimme Little Sign" - Brenton Wood

4. "Be My Baby" - The Ronettes

5. "Walk Like A Man" - The Four Seasons

6. "Somebody to Love" - Jefferson Airplane

7. "Ruby Tuesday" - The Rolling Stones

8. "Crystal Blue Persuasion" - Tommy James and the Shrondrells

Now Showing: American Playboy

American Playboy
Genre: Biography/Drama
Director: Damien Chazelle
Writer: Dwight Gallo
Cast: Andrew Garfield, Jesse Plemons, Felicity Jones, Adam Scott, Cuba Gooding Jr., Lili Simmons, Ashley Greene

Plot: Hugh Hefner (Andrew Garfield), a copywriter for Esquire magazine in Chicago, enters his boss' office to ask for a $5 raise. When he is denied, he quits and storms out of the building. He takes out a loan against his house, without telling his wife Millie (Felicity Jones), and goes to various investors with his friend Eldon Sellers (Jesse Plemons) to raise money to start his own magazine: Stag Party. However, he is soon notified that a magazine named Stag will sue him if he publishes his magazine with that title. Sellers suggests the name "Playboy".

Hef decided the selling point of the magazine needed to be a nude photograph of a woman. No matter how he crunched the numbers, he would not have enough money to hire a model to photograph themselves. Sellers tells Hef that he just heard that Marilyn Monroe had posed topless for a Chicago calendar photographer before she changed her name and became famous. With only $1,000 left in the budget, Hef is unsure if they'll be able to afford the photo, but when they go to see him, the photographer only asks for $600. Hef proceeds to haggle the photographer down to $500. Hef, Millie and Sellers produce the magazine in the kitchen of the Hefner home.

When Playboy hits the newstands, it's an instant success. Hef scrambles to produce enough copies of the magazine to send to news stands. One night Hef invites Sellers and his wife Janie (Ashley Greene) over. Hef, Millie, Sellers and Janie all watch a stag film together. Hef proposes to everyone that they sleep with eachother's spouses. Hef sleeps with Janie, but Millie backs out of sleeping with Sellers.

Now that they can afford to hire models for the magazine, Hef comes up with the idea of having a different model each month to be a centerpiece. Sellers suggests they call the model the "Playmate of the Month". Hef talks to art director Art Paul (Adam Scott) about coming up with some sort of logo for the magazine to help with recognition. Art comes up with several ideas, but Hef is immediately drawn to the idea of a rabbit. The logo debuts in the second issue of the magazine, which also sells well, proving the first issue wasn't a fluke. Hef and Sellers move the operations of the magazine to offices in downtown Chicago.

While the magazine continues to grow in success, Hef and Millie's marriage fails and the get divorced. Following the divorce, Hef reinvents himself as a man about town sort, frequently donning a silk smoking jacket with pipe in hand. He buys a mansion in Chicago where he throws numerous extravagant parties. He also opens a nightclub in downtown Chicago where the food and drinks are served by "Playboy Bunnies", many of whom are models for the magazine. Hef becomes well-known for his high-class lifestyle and for sleeping with many of his magazine's models. Hef, having established himself as a celebrity, begins hosting his own television variety show.

Playboy Magazine publishes a magazine that features Jayne Mansfield in bed with a man present. Authorities arrest Hef arrested on charges of selling obscene literature. He stands trial, with his defense team citing the freedom of the press guaranteed by the First Amendment of the Constitution. The criminal charges are dropped after the jury fails to reach a verdict.  The trial does nothing to negatively affect Playboy's popularity.

Hef wants the magazine to be taken more seriously, so he hires Alex Haley (Cuba Gooding Jr.) to begin the "Playboy Interview" section of the magazine and interview various famous figures. These interviews help the magazine be taken more seriously by the mainstream media. Hef begins dating Barbi Benton (Lili Simmons), although he still sleeps with other women to maintain his image.

Hef decides to take Playboy Enterprises public, earning him enough money to purchase the new Playboy Mansion in Los Angeles.

Hef floats in the pool of the new expansive Playboy Mansion as countless nude playmates swim and play around him.

Premiere Magazine #25

Release: Six Billion Dollar Man

Six Billion Dollar Man
Genre: Action/Sci-Fi
Director: Daniel Espinosa
Writer: Matt Parker
Based on the television series
Cast: Chris Pratt, Guy Pearce, Willem Dafoe, Haley Bennett, Thomas Lennon



Budget: $129,000,000
Domestic Box Office: $171,752,001
Foreign Box Office: $215,637,809
Total Profit: $95,869,592

Reaction: Definitely more than we could hope for at the box office considering how old and the unknown to younger generations the source material is. That's where Chris Pratt came in though, helping bridge the gap with his star power. We probably would not have been willing to make the movie without a big, charismatic star like him in the lead. We're very happy with the result. Is the Bionic Woman next?

"It sure takes a lot of guts to make a film adaptation of The Six Million Dollar Man, and ask for it to be taken seriously, but it surprisingly works thanks to Daniel Espinosa's tight direction and Chris Pratt's charismatic performance." - Roger Taggart, Chicago Tribune

"The premise is inherently silly, and the film never gets serious enough for the stakes to ever feel real. Maybe if they had gone for more humor it would've worked better." - Mark Plainsview, ReelViews

"Six Billion Dollar Man is a curious film. It's well-shot and well-acted, but it's too obvious an attempt at starting a franchise and sorely lacks a villainous presence." - Eli McCown, NJ.com

Now Showing: Six Billion Dollar Man

Six Billion Dollar Man
Genre: Action/Sci-Fi
Director: Daniel Espinosa
Writer: Matt Parker
Based on the television series
Cast: Chris Pratt, Guy Pearce, Willem Dafoe, Haley Bennett, Thomas Lennon

Plot: Steve Austin (Chris Pratt), a civilian member of NASA's space program and the first man to step foot on the moon in nearly 50 years, is asked to conduct a test flight of a new aircraft being developed by the Air Force. While in flight, he loses control of the craft and crashes. Both his legs are crushed, his right arm is sheared off, and his left eye is irreversibly injured when his experimental aircraft crash-lands on the runway. He is on the brink of death and placed into a medically induced coma.

Meanwhile, the Office of Scientific Intelligence (OSI) holds a secret meeting overseen by an unidentified woman and a man named Oscar Goldman (Guy Pearce). Goldman indicates that the OSI has lost too many agents on recent missions, and that a new approach, a new type of agent is needed. Ideally preferring a robot, Goldman says the next best thing - a cyborg - is within the realm of current technological ability. When asked if he will seek a volunteer from the armed forces, Goldman replies that all they need to do is wait for an accident to occur, so that they can "work with scrap." A budget is set for the project: an initial $6 billion for set up costs, and about a billion a year after that for maintaining it.

Later, Goldman views the initial life-saving operations on Austin and learns from Dr. Rudy Wells (Willem Dafoe) the extent of the pilot's injuries. Goldman confronts Wells, whose research into the field of bionics has interested the OSI greatly. Goldman offers Wells money and support, and a facility in Utah, in order for him to perform the first bionic transplant surgery on Austin.

But before the operation can be undertaken, the issue of Austin's mental well-being must be addressed. Upon waking from electrosleep and learning of his injuries, Austin attempts suicide, but is saved by Nurse Carla Peterson (Haley Bennett), although he is initially resentful of her intervention. Soon after, Wells discusses the bionic surgery with Austin, showing him the bionic eye that will restore his sight, and also the work-in-progress bionic arm. Austin refuses to look at it, but Wells tells Austin there is nothing to be frightened of, adding that Austin will also be given two new legs and that, with the new arm and legs, Austin will be able to hold a woman in his arms again. Wells does not tell Austin is that the new limbs will have great strength compared to human limbs, and that the eye has the potential to transcend normal vision.

During an epic operation overseen by Goldman, Dr Wells and his team successfully fit Steve with the replacement bionic legs, right arm and left eye. Later, Austin awakens, surrounded by Wells and his team. He then proceeds to move his bionic arm and make a fist with it. However, Steve struggles to come to terms with the seriousness — and particularly the cost — of his "resurrection," and demands to know how much he's going to have to pay in medical bills. He is really wondering what will be required of him once he has fully recovered. One unwitting victim of his initial cynicism is Carol Peterson, who has fallen in love with Austin. Meanwhile, Austin begins learning to use his limbs, at first taking literal baby steps, and soon he is running at blurring speed, followed by closed circuit cameras. Goldman declares Austin ready. First, though, Austin is given a chance for some RnR and goes in a picnic with Carla. On the way back to the lab, they find a car that has gone down a ditch, and a frantic mother trying to get her child out. Austin uses his bionic arm to rescue the boy, but the mother treats him like a monster when she sees electronics poking out of a damaged portion of Austin's arm.

Depressed, Austin returns to the lab where he speaks to no one while his arm is repaired. Finally, Goldman meets Austin and finally reveals to Austin what the astronaut has known all along - that the price for his rebirth is service to the OSI. Austin reluctantly agrees to undertake his first mission: to rescue a diplomat from a prison camp in North Korea, but tells Goldman that he doesn't want to kill anyone. In return he requests that Carla be reassigned as he does not want to get too close to anybody. Carla, who overhears this, confronts Austin and tells him she loves him.

Austin parachutes down many miles from the prison camp and proceeds to run the distance, his newfound stamina sustaining him through the difficult terrain.

However, when Steve reaches his destination, he learns that the hostage he had been assigned to rescue has, in reality, been dead for several weeks. He begins to work out an escape plan with another hostage, a captured reporter (Thomas Lennon) after he himself is taken prisoner. Back home, Goldman confirms to Wells that Austin has been sent on a combined test/suicide mission to see if he is capable of work as an agent. If he fails, Goldman says, then they can always build a new bionic man.

Austin and the reporter manage to escape the prison, although Austin is forced to kill some North Korean soldiers in order to steal an aircraft. Having sustained damage, he is reunited with Carla before being put into electrosleep once again in order for Wells to repair the damage to his bionics. Goldman asks Wells if it would be feasible to keep Austin asleep indefinitely until he's needed again.