From Oi Canadian : "Every JJ Abrams movie, ranked by rewatchability"

Some of JJ Abrams’ movies, like Super 8 and Star Wars: The Force Awakens, are more reviewable than others, like Star Trek Into Darkness.

JJ Abrams’ latest ambitious TV project, Demimonde, was recently canceled by HBO. The project had been in development for a while, but was canceled due to concerns over the skyrocketing budget. Abrams’ production company, Bad Robot, reportedly asked for around $200 million to produce the show. It’s a shame Abrams’ TV series didn’t materialize, but it could free him up to work on more movies.

Since his directorial debut with Mission: Impossible III, Abrams has only directed five other feature films. He has since directed two Star Trek films and two Star Wars films, with an original story in the middle. Some of these movies, like Super 8 and Trek ’09, warrant more rewatches than others, like the very disappointing The Rise of Skywalker.

3 Super 8 (2011)

Abrams’ only original film to date, Super 8, is a nostalgic homage to Amblin classics like ET and The Goonies, but with a much darker tone. A mix of sci-fi thriller and coming-of-age drama, Super 8 was essentially Stranger Things before Stranger Things. A group of kids making a Super 8 zombie movie in 1979 stumble upon a government plot to cover up the arrival of alien visitors.

Anchored by the well-matched insightful performances of Joel Courtney and Elle Fanning, Super 8 is a promising sign that Abrams should focus on telling more personal, non-IP stories.

From Deadline : "‘Jesus Revolution’: Releasing February 2023!"

Lionsgate also dated Jesus Revolution for Feb. 24, 2023.

Inspired by a true movement, the Jon Erwin-Brent McCorkle directed feature tells the story of a young Greg Laurie (Joel Courtney) being raised by his struggling mother, Charlene (Kimberly Williams-Paisley) in the 1970s. Laurie and a sea of young people descend on sunny Southern California to redefine truth through all means of liberation. Inadvertently, Laurie meets Lonnie Frisbee (Jonathan Roumie), a charismatic hippie-street-preacher, and Pastor Chuck Smith (Kelsey Grammer), who have thrown open the doors of Smith’s languishing church to a stream of wandering youth.

From GameRant : "Netflix: 10 Exciting Movies Set To Debut In 2023"

Netflix is a streaming giant in the world of online entertainment and has seen a lot of shakeups in both its pricing and production over the last few years. That being said, there are always new projects on the horizon and 2023 could be a good year for Netflix if it manages to consistently release quality movies and television series.

From action-packed blockbuster adventures to romantic comedies and animated features, there's something for everyone with their upcoming slate of movies. It's time to look forward to 2023 and see what Netflix may have in store for its subscribers in the year to come.

7/10: Players

As much as they hate to admit it most people love a well-crafted romantic comedy, despite the genre being packed with mediocre releases. Players is Netflix's next big stab at the genre and stars Tom Ellis and Gina Rodriguez in the featured roles.

It follows the life of a sports writer who ends up falling head-over-heels for a woman he was simply trying to hook up with. The cast is rounded out with appearances from Damon Wayans Jr., Liza Koshy, and Joel Courtney. Trish Sie is set to direct, who had her big breakout with Pitch Perfect 3 back in 2017.

From What's on Netflix : "New Netflix Movies Coming to Netflix in 2022 and Beyond"

Genre: Romantic Comedy | Director: Trish Sie
Cast: Tom Ellis, Gina Rodriguez, Damon Wayans Jr., Augustus Prew, Joel Courtney.

Lucifer’s Tom Ellis and Jane the Virgin’s Gina Rodriguez will be teaming up for this romantic comedy set in New York City. It’s about a sportswriter Mack who falls for one of the targets that his “successful hook-up plays” scooped him.

Filming began in summer 2021.

From Alabama Life and Culture : "‘The Jesus Revolution:’ Director discusses project being filmed in Mobile"

“And Joel Courtney is just this incredible kid and wonderful actor. I loved him in ‘Super 8,’ that was his first movie. He got chased out of the theater where we were at because a bunch of teenage girls saw him, and they love the ‘Kissing Booth’ movies on Netflix. The whole cast is really incredible. It’s a wonderful ensemble.”

“Mobile actually makes for a really good California,” says Jon Erwin, a Birmingham-born filmmaker who has been in coastal Alabama filming a movie with Kelsey Grammer and other actors of note.

“The Jesus Revolution,” which will be released in 2023, is a very California story, and a very ‘70s story, at least on one level. It retells the movement born when free spirit Greg Laurie connected with hippie street preacher Lonnie Frisbee and older, more conventional pastor Chuck Smith in Costa Mesa, California, in 1968. It was a pivotal moment in the process of fusing the energy of the ‘60s youth movement with Christianity.

Many elements of contemporary Christian worship and culture, and many of its leaders, took shape as the “Jesus Movement” exploded in the following years. Laurie, who’s still active, went on to found Harvest Christian Fellowship, one of the biggest churches in the country.

From Movie Web : "These Movies & TV Series Are Based on Wattpad Stories"

In 2018, Netflix released The Kissing Booth with Joey King taking the lead role as the quirky, lovable Elle Evans. The high school rendezvous were originally written by a then-15-year-old Beth Reekles, who published chapter by chapter online. It gained over 19 million readers and won the 2011 award for Most Popular Teen Fiction on Wattpad. The Kissing Booth follows the classic “best friend’s brother” trope, with Elle falling for Noah (Jacob Elordi), the sibling to her especially codependent bestie/partner-in-crime/birthday twin/dance partner and more, Lee (Joel Courtney). The movies might not be considered magnum opuses of cinema, but, even so, each film accumulated groundbreaking ratings, with the first one being one of the most watched Netflix movies in the world.

From Geek Tyrant : "Kelsey Grammer is Set To Star in Lionsgate's JESUS REVOLUTION"

Kelsey Grammer, Anna Grace Barlow, and Jonathan Roumie have joined the cast of Lionsgate’s upcoming film Jesus Revolution. The film is inspired by the true story of “a national spiritual awakening in the early 1970s and its origins within a community of teenage hippies in Southern California.”

The movie also stars Joel Courtney, Kimberly Williams-Paisley, Ally Ioannides, Julia Campbell, Nic Bishop, and Jolie Jenkins.

In the story, “young Greg Laurie (Courtney) sets out to redefine truth through all means of liberation, and instead, meets Lonnie Frisbee (Roumie), a charismatic hippie street preacher. Laurie and Frisbee, along with Pastor Chuck Smith (Grammer), open the doors of Smith’s languishing church to an unexpected revival by way of rock and roll, newfound love, and a twist of faith leading to a Jesus Revolution that changed the world. Laurie went on to start Harvest Christian Fellowship, one of the largest congregations in America, with over 15,000 regular members. Over the years, six million people have attended Harvest Christian Fellowship.”

It’s explained, “Modern-day cause-related crusades and rallies for change are everywhere. Jesus Revolution is the story of one such movement that not only set a model for changemakers thereafter, but that sparked a revival with ripple effects that still matter today.”

Grammer will play Chuck Smith, the real-life pastor of Calvary Chapel in Costa Mesa, “who served as a mentor to Greg Laurie. Chuck famously opened his church to a generation of hippies and seekers, helping to launch the last great spiritual revival in America.”

The film was written by Jon Erwin (I Can Only Imagine, American Underdog) and Jon Gunn, and Erwin will also direct the film. Erwin said in a statement, “The movie is set in a very specific time and place, but the theme of finding a deeper meaning to life, in the midst of a fractured and broken world, is timeless. In his iconic performances, Kelsey has a proven ability to connect with audiences in a real, vulnerable way, which will make him a tremendous presence in this film.”

Grammer added, “Jesus has been a profound influence in my life. I am proud to be a part of this film.”