'Let's Be Cops' Is An Arrestingly Funny Comedy

By Darlene Donloe

Damon Wayans, Jr. and Jake Johnson are quickly making a name for themselves in Hollywood. This comedic dynamic duo has already made their presence known in the hit television show, New Girl.

Now they are bringing the funny to the big screen as they pair up, once again, in the comedy Let’s Be Cops, set for nationwide release August 13.

Buddy cop movies usually translate to big box office. This buddy cop movie will be no exception, well, except for the fact that the two characters aren’t really cops.

When two struggling pals dress as police officers for a costume party, they become neighborhood sensations. But when they take it a step too far and become involved in a real life web of mobsters and dirty detectives, they must put their fake badges on the line.

As the poster says: Fake cops! Real Trouble!

Wayans, a member of the comedic Wayans family comedy dynasty and Johnson and play Justin Miller and Ryan O’Malley, respectively.  Years before the two friends moved to Los Angeles from Ohio to make their dreams come true. 

Instead, Miller toils at a videogame company while O’Malley revels in his glory days as a college quarterback. 

Miller takes it on the chin when his colleagues reject his pitch for a new videogame featuring cops in real life situations.

After they attend a costume party where many of the college friends are in attendance, both Miller and O’Malley, dressed authentically as cops, are hit with the reality that their lives didn’t quite turn out like they planned.

However, as they walk down the street after leaving the party, it’s quite clear that everyone, including real cops, thinks the two friends are actual cops. The two become chick magnets while O’Malley is filled with a sudden sense of power.

Unfortunately, after they take on some bad guys, the ish gets real and Miller and O’Malley find themselves in a death and life struggle.

In the midst of the drama, Miller falls for a waitress at a local restaurant, who is also a would-be makeup artist.

The laughs are plenty in this comedic romp!

Wayans and Johnson do funny proud!

Let’s Be Cops, directed, produced and co-written by Luke Greenfield, stars Damon Wayans, Jr., Jake Johnson, Rob Riggle, Nina Dobrev, James D’Arcy, Andy Garcia and Keegan-Michael Key.

Let’s Be Cops, opening nationwide August 13, is Rated R.

On the DONLOE SCALE:  D (don’t bother), O (oh, no), N (needs work), L (likeable), O (OK) and E (excellent), Let’s Be Cops gets an O (OK).

'The Visionary Art Of JB Murray' Set For Aug. 16

On Sat., Aug. 15, join the Museum of African American Art, Black Hollywood Education & Resource Center and the cast of Visionary Man, the new hit musical now playing at the Hudson Theatre, for, The Visionary Art of JB Murray, an exhibition celebrating the visionary art of painter JB Murray. Murray was a poor, illiterate farmer who received a call from the Holy Spirit to create vivid abstract paintings that would eventually be displayed at prominent museums all over the world including in Tokyo, London and New York. Attendees will learn about the origins behind Murray’s visions and enjoy a live performance by the cast of Visionary Man.  The event is from 1:30-3p.m. at the Museum of African American Art, Macy's 3rd Floor, Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza, 4005 Crenshaw Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90008. For information: (323) 294-7071or http://www.maaala.org
The event and parking is FREE.

Patrick Bradley's CD Asks, 'Can You Hear Me'

 

“Can You Hear Me,” due September 23, features guest stars Dave Koz, Rick Braun and Eric Marienthal on the contemporary jazz fusion set produced by Jeff Lorber.

Aliso Viejo, Calif. (11 August 2014): To bolster his effort to be heard above the incessant din cluttering our world, keyboardist Patrick Bradley called upon a few high-profile friends on his third album, “Can You Hear Me,” produced by jazz fusion icon Jeff Lorber, which is slated for release September 23 on the Patrick’s Music Factory label. Boil it down further and the desire to be heard by our parents is inherent in all of us, which is the genesis of the title track and first radio single, a plaintive piano lullaby graced with the serene soprano sax presence of Dave Koz on the song inspired by Bradley’s late mother.     

Collaborating on their second album together, Bradley and Lorber composed and arranged all ten songs on “Can You Hear Me.” Bradley nimbly emotes graceful harmonies on piano, adds depth and texture via gurgling Moog synthesizer embellishments and uncorks feverish organ blasts with reckless abandon when the mood to pontificate strikes. A variety of jazz visages – fusion, contemporary and smooth - emerge from tracks rooted in R&B that reflect prisms of funk, soul and blues with the deep-pocketed grooves stitched by bassist Jimmy Haslip and drummer Gary Novak. David Mann’s fiery horns and crisp horn arrangements fatten the sound on “Blue Skies,” “Daylight,” “For Her” and “Voyage” with hitman Rick Braun captured blowing away on trumpet on a pair of cuts (“Blue Skies” and “Voyage”) and Eric Marienthal chiming in some swinging sax on a few numbers (“Blue Skies,” “Shoreline” and “Catalan”). Lorber’s keyboard and Dwight Sills’ guitar riff rhythmically throughout the session with Sills and guitarist Michael Thompson dousing kerosene before slash and burn solos. Both Bradley and Lorber solo on the blistering progressive rock thrill ride “North Of Evermore.”                  

“I’ve been playing my whole life and I’m trying to be heard in this noisy world as a musician. My mom passed before hearing my last album (“Under The Sun”) including the song I wrote for my (late) father (“Tears From The Sky”). I wonder if she can hear me and my music. I wrote ‘Can You Hear Me’ with her in mind, but it is also a question I ask God as well,” said Bradley, a man of faith who hails from Southern California. “The original album title was ‘All In’ (the first song on the record) because I wanted to dig deeper than ever before. The whole purpose of the album was to make sure that I got all of my musical chops into it and I think we did it.”

Bradley’s professional music career began as a member of a rock band (Joshua) signed to Polydor Records. He released his solo debut, “Come Rain or Shine,” in 2006, the title cut hitting the Billboard Contemporary Jazz Singles chart. “Under The Sun” arrived in 2011 and a few tracks from the offering garnered radio play while the album peaked at No. 6 on the Smooth Indie Chart. Over the years, Bradley and Koz have cultivated a friendship with the multimedia sax personality inviting Bradley to perform aboard the Dave Koz Cruise to Alaska next month as well as to open for Koz, Mindi Abair, Gerald Albright and Richard Elliot’s “Summer Horns” concert September 19 in Newport Beach, Calif. Balancing dual careers, Bradley “sunlights” as president of the Southern Pacific region for Whole Foods Market. Additional information about Bradley will soon be available at www.PatrickBradleyMusic.com.

The songs contained on “Can You Hear Me” are:

“All In”

“Blue Skies”

“North Of Evermore”

“Can You Hear Me”

“Daylight”

“Shoreline”

“Catalan”

“For Her”

“Sierra”

“Voyage”

Haunting 'The Giver' Opens Nationwide August 15

The haunting story of The Giver centers on Jonas (Brenton Thwaites), a young man who lives in a seemingly ideal, if colorless, world of conformity and contentment. Yet as he begins to spend time with The Giver (Jeff Bridges), who is the sole keeper of all the community’s memories, Jonas quickly begins to discover the dark and deadly truths of his community’s secret past. With this newfound power of knowledge, he realizes that the stakes are higher than imagined – a matter of life and death for himself and those he loves most. At extreme odds, Jonas knows that he must escape their world to protect them all – a challenge that no one has ever succeeded at before. THE GIVER is based on Lois Lowry’s beloved young adult novel of the same name, which was the winner the 1994 Newbery Medal and has sold over 10 million copies worldwide. 

The movie is directed by Phillip Noyce. The cast includes: Jeff Bridges, Meryl Streep, Brenton Thwaites, Alexander Skarsgard, Katie Holmes, Taylor Swift, Carmeron Monahan and Odeya Rush. 

The Giver opens nationwide August 15.

 

Running Time: 97 mins

MPAA Rating:    PG-13

LAWTF Presents 'Of Culture, Of Self' At Ivy SubStation, Sept. 5, In Culver City

            For one night, the Los Angeles Women’s Theatre Festival (LAWTF) comes to Culver City for a unique performance at 8 p.m., Fri., Sept. 5, 2014 at the Ivy Substation, 9070 Venice Blvd.

            The theme of the evening will be “Of Culture, Of Self,” featuring three of LAWTF’s favorite performers, as well as one artiste new to the Festival. Included are:

            Karen A. Clark: In this spoken word excerpt from “The Women,” Karen A. reflects on the powerful women in her family through music, poetry and storytelling. She recounts the ritual of baking bread at family reunions, an activity that brought everyone together. In particular, she pays homage to her loving mother, who added a “wow” factor to her life.

Sariyah Idan : "Homeless in Homeland" has a documentary hip-hop theatre aesthetic and is based on Sariyah’s journey that  took her to Israel and Palestine. It combines poetry, dance, and characters met. Idan conveys in this excerpt a young Jewish-American woman's struggle to understand her identity and the meaning of home through the lens of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Ada Luz Pla: "Tracing My Lineage: A Story of a Puerto Rican Spitfire" pays homage to the many women who raised Pla in Puerto Rico and later in the South Bronx projects where 15 of her family members shared a small three-bedroom apartment. In the lively excerpted piece, Pla brings to life some of the amazing women in her family.

Kat Kramer : MY DUET WITH MICK is an original one-person-musical-solo-show that follows Kramer's journey down "Rolling Stones Road" to meet the great and powerful "Sir Mick Of Jagger." Along the way, in this excerpt, Kat meets some unique characters, and makes an important discovery about herself.  

 

The Los Angeles Women’s Theatre Festival, a non-profits arts organization, was founded by Executive Producer Adilah Barnes and Miriam Reed. 

 

“Of Culture, Of Self” marks the LAWTF’s fourth-year program for residents of Culver City. This program is made possible in part by the City of Culver City Performing Arts Grants Program with support from Sony Pictures Entertainment.

 Tickets for the performance are $20 in advance, $25 at the door, and $18 for students, seniors, and groups of ten or more. 

Reservations: (818) 760-0408. Online reservations are available at http://www.lawtf.org 

 

To join and follow LAWTF on Facebook and Twitter, click on their links at http://www.lawtf.org

'The Remaining' Set For September 5 Release

CASEY LA SCALA DIRECTS THE SUPERNATURAL THRILLER

Los Angeles, CA (Friday August 8, 2014) - Releasing in theaters on September 5, 2014, The Remaining is an action-packed, supernatural thriller based on biblical accounts of the end times, in the aftermath of the Rapture. As a close-knit group of friends are celebrating a wedding, a series of catastrophic events turns the party into a life-and-death struggle. The young group desperately scrambles for refuge and self-preservation while a horrifying enemy unleashes its wrath against those remaining. They must figure out what is happening around them, and find a way to survive together in a terrifying new world of death and destruction. Directed by Casey La Scala and written by La Scala and Chris Dowling, the film stars Alexa Vega (Spy Kids: All the Time in the World in 4D), Shaun Sipos (Texas Chainsaw 3D, TV’s “The Vampire Diaries”), Johnny Pacar (Flight 29 Down), Italia Ricci (TVs “Chasing Life”), Bryan Dechart (Step Up 3D) and newcomer Liz E. Morgan. The Remaining is produced by Brad Luff (Urban Legends), Marc Bienstock (Quarantine 2: Terminal) and La Scala. Rounding out La Scala’s team are cinematographer Doug Emmett (Paranormal Activity 4), production designer Brian Stultz (Iron Man 3) and editor Paul Covington (30 Days of Night).

Director Casey La Scala describes events that led him to write the script, “A couple of things happened at the same time. When my father passed a lot of things ran through my mind. One being to love the one you’re with before it’s too late, because things could end in the blink of an eye. When I had begun writing Amityville, I thought about what it would look like to have global paranormal activity. The same thoughts occurred when I was involved with the production of A Walk to Remember. Writer Nicholas Sparks has a faith-based, very family-oriented voice, which led to me think, what if I put the two ideas together? I wanted to create a story that would capture the imagination of everyone, mainstream and faith-based audiences. The Remaining captures both by centering on the extreme and horrific circumstances surrounding the biblical accounts of the end times. When the audience sees the movie they will feel like they are there.”

Producer Brad Luff adds, “The Remaining is a compelling story that is meant to entertain a broad audience while also connecting strongly with those seeking spiritually-rich content.” In order for the filmmakers to ensure the film would seamlessly speak to faith-based audiences while appealing to the mainstream, they took the script to several pastors and youth leaders around the country for their critique and input.

Early response to the film amongst Christians has been very positive. "There are few movies that provide an opportunity for evangelism, where a youth pastor can do an altar call as the credits roll. The Remaining is that movie, an important message and outreach opportunity for churches,” according to Lifeway Films’ General Manager Scott Mills.

Adds AFFIRM Films Senior VP Rich Peluso, “The Remaining is a ground-breaking venture for AFFIRM Films, exploring the thriller/horror genre to bring to life a character-driven end-of-days story that is a glimpse of what life might be like as the world we know comes to an end. The filmmakers and cast built and delivered excellent characters that pull the audience into the human journey in the midst of supernatural events.”

Alexa Vega is cast in the leading role of Skylar, the bride who is from a very religious family and, surrounded by turmoil, comes to the realization of what being a Christian is truly about. “I think it’s an incredibly beautiful story . . . Even though her family is extremely religious, she practices but was not necessarily a believer. It was amazing to play this girl that makes this transition and finds herself and her faith despite the things going on around her,” she states.

Tyndale House Publishers will be partnering with Sony in the publication of The Remaining, a novelization by critically acclaimed novelist Travis Thrasher that will release in September 2014. Readers can get a sneak peek by downloading the free e-book prologue, The Foreboding, in August (www.tyndale.com). Kingstone Comics brings top horror artist Kyle Hotz to the graphic novel adaptation of The Remaining, which is set for a mid-August release on ComiXology, at retail and on all digital platforms. Kingstone is the largest publisher of Christian comic books and Biblical worldview graphic novels worldwide, sold and distributed in 95 countries.

The Remaining is rated PG-13 for intense sequences of terror, violence and destruction throughout, and thematic elements. Running time is 87 min.

SEE WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING ABOUT THE REMAINING:

“There has never been a more critical time for the soul of a human being than the times we are facing. This film forces one to ask determinative questions about faith and eternity, life and everlasting life, relationship and religion. The Remaining is a life-changing movie that will literally jolt you into the reality of Heaven vs. Hell.” - Bishop Neil C Ellis

“The Remaining dives, unapologetically, into the tough question: When the world reaches it's end, will I remain? In a powerful and sterilizing way, it scares you into the realization that we all have a choice. What choice have I made? How can I influence the right choice? It is an incredible movie that will change lives across the world.” - Bishop George Bloomer

“The Remaining is an epic contemporary dramatization of apocalyptic events. Its compelling realism thrusts the audience into an involuntarily self-examination and reassessment of personal life priorities. Movies are created to entertain you, this one will challenge or change you!” - Leonard N. Smith, Senior Minister, Mount Zion Baptist Church of Arlington, VA, and Chancellor of Richmond Virginia Seminary, Richmond, VA

CONNECT WITH THE REMAINING:

Teaser Trailer - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gEYj9rF8qrA
Facebook - facebook.com/TheRemaining
Instagram - instagram.com/theremainingmovie
Twitter - twitter.com/TheRemaining

About AFFIRM Films:
Affirm Films is a division of Sony Pictures Worldwide Acquisitions (SPWA), a Sony Pictures Entertainment (SPE) company, dedicated to producing, acquiring and marketing films which inspire, uplift and entertain audiences. Sony Pictures Entertainment (SPE) is a subsidiary of Sony Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Tokyo-based Sony Corporation. SPE's global operations encompass motion picture production, acquisition and distribution; television production, acquisition and distribution; television networks; digital content creation and distribution; operation of studio facilities; and development of new entertainment products, services and technologies. For additional information, go to http://www.sonypictures.com

Wesley Snipes Stars In 'The Expendables 3'

 

Actor Wesley Snipes join Terry Crews, Antonio Banderas, Harrison Ford and Victor Ortiz in the action-packed installment of the record-breaking franchise The Expendables 3. Snipes plays Doc, a master knife expert that his old team breaks out of prison.

 

 

(l-r) Jason Statham and Wesley Snipes

In The Expendables 3, Barney (Stallone), Christmas (Statham) and the rest of the team come face-to-face with Conrad Stonebanks (Gibson), who years ago co-founded The Expendables with Barney. Stonebanks subsequently became a ruthless arms trader and someone who Barney was forced to kill… or so he thought. Stonebanks, who eluded death once before, now is making it his mission to end The Expendables -- but Barney has other plans. Barney decides that he has to fight old blood with new blood, and brings in a new era of Expendables team members, recruiting individuals who are younger, faster and more tech-savvy. The latest mission becomes a clash of classic old-school style versus high-tech expertise in the Expendables’ most personal battle yet.

 

The Expendables 3 opens nationwide August 15.