City of Lies Trailer #1 (2018) “Who Shot Biggie?”

City of Lies, the crime drama that follows the investigation behind the unsolved murder of the Notorious B.I.G., aka Biggie Smalls, following the death of Tupac Shakur, has released its first trailer.

Based on the book LAbyrinth by Randall Sullivan, the film stars Johnny Depp as LAPD detective Russell Poole and Forest Whitaker as journalist Jack Johnson. The two team in an attempt to solve the mystery of the rapper’s death and the conspiracy to cover up the case.

“Why is this case so important to you?” Johnson asks in the beginning of the trailer. Poole responds, “A murder like that only goes unsolved if the police don’t want to solve it.”

After discussing some theories regarding Smalls’ death, Johnson asserts, “If we could prove the connection between cop and Biggie’s murder, it would not only break the LAPD…” Poole finishes the thought: “It would ruin the city.”

Brad Furman directed the movie, which was produced by Miriam Segal’s Good Films.
City of Lies is set to bow Sept. 7.

*Text from The Hollywood Reporter

Jennifer Connelly’s 10 Best Movies

Jennifer Connelly had a stellar 2017, making a welcome comeback.  I’ve loved Connelly since I was a kid and she was the girl trapped in Jim Henson’s Labyrinth, but she’s tremendously underrated as an actress.  Requiem for a Dream, A Beautiful Mind (for which she deservedly won an Oscar), and Blood Diamond alone are enough to prove you’re one of the most talented actresses working.  It’s just good to see her working more often.  In 2017, she joined the Marvel Cinematic Universe as “Karen”, the AI in Spider-Man’s upgraded suit in Spider-Man: Homecoming.  In real life, Connelly is married to actor Paul Bettany, who provided the same service for Tony Stark as JARVIS before he transitioned to The Vision.  She was also a lynch pin in a great ensemble cast in the firefighter drama Only the Brave.  It looks like she has projects lined up, and I’m looking forward to seeing more of her on TV and in films to come.

My Favorite Scene: Pan’s Labyrinth (2006)

Last week, I said that the Balrog from The Fellowship of the Ring was the best movie monster of all-time.  I stick by that in terms of freaking awesomeness.  In the category of monster most likely to give you nightmares forever, there is nothing that comes close to The Pale Man from Pan’s Labyrinth.  Guillermo del Toro‘s masterpiece adult fairy tale is one of my favorite films and I had the privilege of screening it at the Arclight in LA with del Toro present when the film first released.  The scene is the most harrowing part of Ofelia‘s journey in the fantasy realm (though arguably her stepfather is far more the monster in reality, but he doesn’t have eyeballs on his palms).  It’s terrifying and phantasmic and my favorite scene from this modern classic.