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“City of Dreams” 12 million children are victims of modern-day slavery today according to the film “City of Dreams.” Jesus is one of those 12 million children here but he fought back. Wonderfully played by Ari Lopez and effectively directed by Mohit Ramchandani, “City of Dreams” is now out in theaters. “Greedy People” A dark-comedy

The post Movie Reviews: “City of Dreams,” “Greedy People,” “The Deliverance” appeared first on Manny the Movie Guy.

Edgar Wright’s cult classic horror-comedy Shaun of the Dead grossed an estimated $600k for the 3-day weekend and $720k for the four days in Focus Features re-release for the comic zombie-fest’s 20th anniversary.

That’s a bloody nice showing as fans turned out for the cult film starring Simon Pegg and Nick Frost playing exclusively in Dolby Cinema at 133 AMC theaters for a limited engagement. AMC Burbank was the highest grossing. The re-release is fully remastered with Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos for the first time ever.

Shaun of the Dead, from 2024, written by Wright and Pegg, quickly became a cultural phenomenon in the annals of horror-comedy history. Pegg’s Shaun is a 30-something loser working living in the outskirts of London who must rise to the occasion when the town is inexplicably overrun with zombies,

It’s the latest re-rerelease to stalk the box office with animated...

“Deadpool & Wolverine” notched a major box office milestone, surpassing $600 million in domestic ticket sales. It’s one of 16 films in history to reach that benchmark.

The Marvel superhero sequel hit this achievement during the otherwise desolate Labor Day weekend, in which “Deadpool & Wolverine” ruled over the box office in its sixth outing. The R-rated film, starring Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman, collected $15.2 million over the weekend and an estimated $19.5 million from 3,630 theaters through Monday’s holiday. “Deadpool & Wolverine” has claimed the No. 1 spot for five out of the past six weekends and ranks as the second highest-grossing movie of the year with $603.8 million in North America and $1.25 billion globally.

Labor Day isn’t a holiday that’s known for bringing people to the movies, but this weekend was among the most sluggish of the year. Summer season ended with domestic revenues down 14.3% from 2023 and 26.6% from 2019, the last pre-covid year,...

Mohit Ramchandani’s City of Dreams shines a light on the dark reality of human trafficking. At its core is Jesús, a teenage boy with dreams of soccer stardom who is preyed upon and smuggled across the border. Within the dreary walls of an LA sweatshop, he endures brutal conditions while clinging to hope of escape.

Ramchandani takes on an urgent task—raising awareness of victims like Jesus. But good intentions alone don’t make a whole film. While his direction brings the sweatshop to life, other elements feel exploitative or leave key questions unanswered. Jesús’ harrowing ordeal seems to demand shock value over compassion.

This review examines City of Dreams as both a cautionary story and a flawed artistic work. Through Jesus’ resilient spirit, it provides a window into lives often unseen. But in its ambition to shock, does it lose sight of its message? By exploring its successes and shortfalls,...

Last year’s “Sound of Freedom” made a splash at the box-office appealing to conspiracy theorists and religious groups and convincing audiences that watching it was a morally righteous action taken against those perpetuating the horrors of human trafficking.

“City of Dreams,” from producer-turned writer-director Mohit Ramchandani, seeks to repeat the formula. The “must-see” account this time comes from the perspective of non-verbal 15-year-old Jesús (Ari López) from the state of Puebla in central Mexico. With the promise that he’ll partake in a soccer camp, a cartel-backed trafficker (actor Francisco Denis in an embarrassingly awful part) convinces his father to let him go alone. Instead, the boy is held against his will inside a dark, windowless Los Angeles home that functions as clandestine clothing manufacturing operation. Throughout the ordeal, Jesús holds on to his dream of playing in a packed stadium, which materializes on screen as shiny dreamlike sequences.

Due to the sheer lack of compelling options, “Deadpool & Wolverine” is expected to top the box office in its sixth weekend of release.

Several movies will open nationwide — the Dennis Quaid-led biopic “Reagan” and Sony and Blumhouse’s AI horror fable “Afraid” among them — but none are projected to make a dent on box office charts over the Labor Day holiday weekend. Those newcomers are aiming for low-single digits and will be lucky to crack the top five, which looks to be populated with holdovers such as “Alien: Romulus” and romantic drama “It Ends With Us.”

In what’s shaping up to be one of the slowest weekends of the year, Disney’s Marvel sequel “Deadpool & Wolverine” looks to rule with $12 million to $13 million over the extended holiday frame. The R-rated film, starring Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman, has claimed the No. 1 spot for four out of the past five weekends.

Labor Day weekend has always been hit or miss for movie theaters, and the odds and ends released this weekend do not bode particularly well for the final holiday weekend of the summer. Essentially, this is another weekend where we have one bigger release and a bunch of smaller films, with many arriving into a vague number of theaters nationwide. Read on for Gold Derby’s box office preview.

Opening the widest in 3,000 theaters is the new high-concept horror movie “Afraid” from Sony and Blumhouse, written and directed by Chris Weitz (“About a Boy”) and starring John Cho, Katherine Waterston and Havana Rose Liu (“Bottoms”). It’s about a family selected to test out a Siri-like device called “Aia” which is meant to provide the family with anything it can possibly need … and it won’t let anything get in that family’s way either.

Being so high concept and...

The poster for writer-director Mohit Ramchandani’s City of Dreams touts that the film is “from Executive Producers of Sound of Freedom,” though picking them out of the laundry list of credited names might take some time. Among the many producers of Ramchandani’s feature directorial debut who’ve thrown their support behind its marketing campaign are Tony Robbins, Linda Perry, Thomas Jane, and former Republican presidential candidate and entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy. It would seem that nothing unites people across the political spectrum as fervently as exposing the horrors of child trafficking.

In contrast to Sound of Freedom’s law-enforcement-centred action-movie approach, City of Dreams presents its story through the vivid point of view of a young mute Mexican boy named Jésus (Ari Lopez) who’s been trafficked over the border and sold into the underground sweatshop industry. Lured by the promise of a soccer training camp in Los Angeles,...

Movie producer turned director Mohit Ramchandani has unveiled plans for a $1 million ticket giveaway to promote his upcoming Roadside Attractions’ release City of Dreams.

With sneak previews starting Aug. 28, Ramchandani is giving away tickets to individuals and groups for free thanks to a donation from John Devaney, founder of United Capital and Manor House Films. City of Dreams, based on true events, follows young Mexican teenager Jesús (Ari Lopez), who is enslaved, beaten and forced to work in the squalor of a Los Angeles sweatshop after being brought to the U.S. as part of a premier soccer camp that turns out to be a scam.

City of Dreams is produced by Sean Wolfington, executive producer of Sound of Freedom, the child trafficking drama that became a box office hit last year. The movie’s executive producers include Mira Sorvino, Sylvester Stallone, Pat Riley, Martin Sheen, Kathie Lee Gifford, Katheryn Winnick and Marisol Nichols.

With the theatrical release of Roadside Attractions’ child trafficking drama City of Dreams coming up, the filmmakers will be giving away $1 million in free tickets for a series of sneak previews beginning Wednesday, August 28, the studio announced today.

It’s expected that the giveaway will result in more than 50,000 moviegoers coming out. The hope is to bring out trafficking survivors and individuals from anti-trafficking organizations, as well as schools, churches, municipalities, and people who might not otherwise be able to afford a screening. Complimentary advance preview passes are available at the link.

In the top 25 markets nationwide, iHeart Media will provide live coverage, with on-air talent on site to help bring added awareness to the issue of child trafficking. The ticket giveaway was made possible through a donation from John Devaney, founder of United Capital and Manor House Films.

Inspired by a landmark sweatshop case in El Monte, CA, City of Dreams...

Former Republican Presidential candidate and entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy – who recently bought a minority stake in the media company BuzzFeed – is making his first foray into Hollywood by signing on to the forthcoming Roadside Attractions feature “City of Dreams” as an executive producer along with Oscar-winning actress Mira Sorvino (“Mighty Aphrodite”) – who has actively fought human trafficking around the world for decades – and Colleen Camp, a veteran character actor and producer known for “Apocalypse Now,” “Clue” and “American Hustle” (among many others). They join a production written, produced and directed by filmmaker Mohit Ramchandani that features in its cast Jason Patric, Paulina Gaitan, Renata Vaca, Samm Levine, Diego Calva and Nicole Andrews.

Also boarding the film as “elite ambassadors” supporting a “City of Dreams” awareness campaign are Golden Globe winner and Oscar nominee Sylvester Stallone, legendary NBA coach and executive Pat Riley, actor Martin Sheen, talk show host Kathie Lee Gifford...

Exclusive: Former Republican presidential candidate and entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy is making his first foray into Hollywood joining veteran actor and producer Colleen Camp as EPs on director Mohit Ramchandani’s City of Dreams.

The movie, inspired by true events, follows a young boy from Mexico who is trafficked across the border and sold to a sweatshop in downtown Los Angeles. The movie touches upon the current border crisis and the exploitation of migrant children in the supply chain of American corporations. Roadside Attractions, as previously announced, has set a Aug. 30 theatrical release.

“City of Dreams is a gripping thriller inspired by many true stories, and it’s one of the most important films of our time. It ought to make every American, and especially every parent, deeply uncomfortable – by exposing the underbelly of child trafficking in our own country. It’s an American nightmare. I don’t care if you...

Exclusive: John Devaney, CEO and Founder of the Miami-based United Capital Markets, on Wednesday announced the launch of Manor House Films, an equity-driven production company that he says will look to support “unique filmmakers and purpose driven films.”

Already, Devaney has had two occasions to do that through the company — first, as the financier of the addiction-themed drama The Prince, scripted by David Mamet, on which we were first to report. Currently in post, the film from director Cameron Van Hoy chronicles an addict’s tumultuous odyssey through the high-stakes world of power, pleasure, and pain on a transformative journey toward recovery.

Pic’s cast includes Nicolas Cage, J.K. Simmons, Giancarlo Esposito, Andy Garcia, Scott Haze, Simon Rex and more. Multiple sources told us the project was inspired by Hunter Biden, though sources close to the production denied it.

Devaney has also financed the P&a budget for City of Dreams,...

Exclusive: Mohit Ramchandani (City of Dreams) has co-written and will direct Asphyxia, a new survival thriller for Capstone Studios.

Daniel Negret and Ramchandani penned the script for the pic, to be produced by the Warner Bros-based Hunt Lowry. Capstone is fully financing with casting currently underway and production to kick off in Q1 2025. The project marks Ramchandani’s sophomore feature on the heels of City of Dreams, an enslaved child labor thriller that Roadside Attractions releases nationwide on August 30.

Asphyxia follows Dr. Joanna Miller, a marine biologist specializing in migratory and birthing patterns in whales, whose ship capsizes in a storm during a routine expedition, killing her entire crew. She’s left stranded in an air pocket inside the mess hall, trying to signal the patrolling coast guard rovers, when she comes across an unexpected survivor, the captain’s daughter. As...

Aiming to be a weapon of mass inspiration in the war against child trafficking, “City Of Dreams” written and directed by veteran producer Mohit Ramchandani showcases one boy’s story of ultimate resilience and hope as he’s trafficked across the border from Mexico and sold to a sweatshop in downtown Los Angeles. City Of Dreams

Visit: www.cityofdreamsmovie.com & watch the powerful trailer here.

Already critically acclaimed with a 100% critics rating on Rotten Tomatoes, the feature film hits theaters nationwide on Aug. 30 via Roadside Attractions, the studio behind Academy Award Winner “Manchester by the Sea,” “Margin Call” and “Winter’s Bone.” The “City Of Dreams” film is supported by icons of film, music and media including New York Times bestseller and speaker Tony Robbins, Academy Award Winning Producer Michael Phillips, award-winning singer-song-writer Linda Perry (“Beautiful”), Academy Award nominated actress Yalitza Aparicio (“Roma”), 5 Time Latin Grammy Winning artist Luis Fonsi, Producer...

“Babylon” breakout star Diego Calva is returning to his film roots for Mexican feature “City of Dreams.”

The drama, which is inspired by true events, follows young boy Jesús, whose dreams of becoming a soccer star are shattered when he’s trafficked across the border and sold to a sweatshop making fast fashion in downtown Los Angeles.

The official synopsis reads: “Thrust into a world of exploitation and despair, he’s forced to adhere to the grueling work schedule dictated by El Jefe, a boss who promises freedom for those who complete their quotas. Despite Jesus’s hellish existence, he finds solace in Elena, a girl who was similarly betrayed and sold into slavery. When she goes missing and another co-worker Carlito’s is severely beaten, Jesus realizes that his only hope for freedom is to make a daring escape.”

The film is written and directed by Mohit Ramchandani; Jason Patric,...

“City of Dreams,” an upcoming drama about a young Mexican boy who gets smuggled across the border, is lining up some heavy-hitting producers as Roadside Attractions looks to debut the film over Labor Day.

Sean Wolfington, the executive producer of “Sound of Freedom” and most recently “Cabrini”; Luis Fonsi, a five-time Grammy Award-winning singer, songwriter, musician and producer; and songwriter Linda Perry have joined the producing team for the film. It’s a group that also includes Oscar-nominated “Roma” star Yalitza Aparicio. In addition, Fonsi will record an original song for the film, which will be written by Perry. “City of Dreams,” which marks Mohit Ramchandani’s feature directorial debut, will open in theaters nationwide on Aug. 30.

The film looks at how the young man’s dreams of becoming a soccer star are shattered when he’s smuggled into the U.S. and sold to a sweatshop in downtown Los Angeles.

U.S. outfit Parmar Entertainment’s Daljit DJ Parmar along with Samir Gupta from India’s Impact Films and filmmaker Mohit Ramchandani (“Dreamer”) have acquired film adaptation rights to upcoming novel “The Muziris Empire” by U.K. author Hamish Morjaria.

The first in a trilogy, the book is set to be released by Pan Macmillan in summer 2024. It delves into India’s ancient history and its connection to the Roman Empire, unravelled by rebellious archaeologist Harveen Gill. Moving back and forth in time and set in present-day Kerala – once home to the ancient city of Muziris – the story revolves around Gill and a team of Indian archaeologists hunting down clues to locate the site of the ruins of the lost empire of Muziris. The soon-to-be-head of Santa Alleanza, a sacred alliance founded to safeguard the interests of the Vatican and the Papacy, is keeping close tabs on the Indian team’s progress,...

Exclusive: Roadside Attractions has claimed U.S. rights to City of Dreams, a thriller exec produced by Roma Oscar nominee Yalitza Aparicio, which examines enslaved child labor in the U.S. Inspired by a landmark sweatshop case in El Monte, CA, the film marks the feature directorial debut of veteran producer Mohit Ramchandani, and will bow exclusively in theaters nationwide April 5th, 2024.

Newcomer Ari Lopez leads an ensemble that also includes Alfredo Castro (Karnawal), Paulina Gaitan (Narcos), Golden Globe nominee Diego Calva (Babylon), and Renata Vaca (Saw X).

The story follows Jesús (Lopez), a young farmer in rural Mexico who dreams of playing for Club Puebla, his local soccer team. With the promise of training at a soccer camp in Los Angeles, Jesús is convinced by his father to leave home, but he soon discovers that he’s been sold to a sweatshop run out of a decrepit mansion in downtown Los Angeles.

The Mammoth Film Festival is set to open with Shia LeBeouf’s Padre Pio, Abel Ferrara’s historical drama that debuted at Venice.

Ferrara’s latest feature has LeBoeuf playing an Italian friar who rose to prominence at a time when fascist powers began to take over Italy. Padre Pio also stars Asia Argento, Marco Leonardi and Christina Chiriac, and director Ferrara will be at the northern California festival to do a post-film Q&a on March 2.

Mammoth will close with Bonded, which stars Diego Calva and is directed by Mohit Ramchandani. The thriller is inspired by a true story from the producers of Argentina 1985 and is executive produced by Yalitza Aparicio.

Mammoth, which is set to run from March 2 to 6 in Mammoth Lakes, California, has also added the horror thriller Night Shift, which stars Phoebe Tonkin, Lamorne Morris and Patrick Fischler and is directed and written by Benjamin and Paul China.

Mexico’s Yalitza Aparicio, Oscar nominated for her career-launching turn in Alfonso Cuaron’s “Roma,” and Infinity Hill, producers of the Oscar-nominated Argentine drama “Argentina 1985,” have boarded sweatshop thriller “City of Dreams” (previously titled “Dreamer”) as executive producers.

The drama features a stellar cast that includes Golden Globe nominee Diego Calva (“Babylon”), Chile’s Alfredo Castro (“From Afar”), Mexico’s Paulina Gaitán (“Narcos”) and Jason Patric (“The Lost Boys”).

The directorial feature debut of helmer-scribe Mohit Ramchandani, “City of Dreams” is produced by Mexican filmmaker Luis Mandoki (“Innocent Voices), Jon Graham (“The Vault”) and Kyle Stroud (“In Full Bloom”).

Drama will have its world premiere at the Mammoth Film Festival where it closes the event on Sunday, March 5.

Inspired by the 1995 El Monte California sweatshop raid, “…Dreams” follows a young Mexican boy who aspires to become a soccer star. His dreams are upended when he’s smuggled across the...

Click here to read the full article.

The Gersh Agency and The Cartel have signed writer-director Mohit “Mo” Ramchandani, who recently directed the indie feature Bonded.

Born in Mumbai, India and raised in London, Ramchandani initially worked as a film producer on projects that starred Paul Rudd, Anne Hathaway, Jamie Dornan, Luke Wilson and Tim Roth, among others.

He also directed the short film Devil’s Creek before helming Bonded, which stars Alfredo Castro, Paulina Gaitan, Francisco Denis and Diego Calva (Babylon).

The film follows a young Mexican teenager who is enslaved, beaten and forced to work in the squalor of a sweatshop with other illegal immigrants after being brought to the U.S. as part of a premier soccer camp. Bonded is based on true events that took place in and around Los Angeles sweatshops.

The film has a score by Oscar-nominated composer Lisa Gerrard and cinematography by Alejandro Chávez...

Jason Patric is set to star in the immigrant drama Bonded from writer-director Mohit Ramchandani.

The film follows a young Mexican teenager who is enslaved, beaten and forced to work in the squalor of a sweatshop with other illegal immigrants after being brought to the U.S. as part of a premier soccer camp. Patric (Sleepers, The Lost Boys) will play Officer Stevens, a police officer weathered by his own adversity and self-loathing and who doesn’t always play by the rules.

Bonded is based on true events around Los Angeles sweatshops. Lucas Akoskin and Luke Daniels are producing.

Patric also stars ...

Jason Patric is set to star in the immigrant drama Bonded from writer-director Mohit Ramchandani.

The film follows a young Mexican teenager who is enslaved, beaten and forced to work in the squalor of a sweatshop with other illegal immigrants after being brought to the U.S. as part of a premier soccer camp. Patric (Sleepers, The Lost Boys) will play Officer Stevens, a police officer weathered by his own adversity and self-loathing and who doesn’t always play by the rules.

Bonded is based on true events around Los Angeles sweatshops. Lucas Akoskin and Luke Daniels are producing.

Patric also stars ...

It's been a long road for The Lost Tribe to get released. It's been kicking around under several titles including The Forgotten Ones and simply just The Tribe and has been housed under several different shingles. Finally the good folks at Image Entertainment are bringing this one home.

The Lost Tribe stars Brianna Brown, Nick Mennell, Emily Foxler, and Lance Henriksen (for five minutes anyway) and will be released to DVD on October 19th.

Special features include a feature commentary with producer Mohit Ramchandani and actor Hadley Fraser, a behind-the-scenes featurette and a trailer.

Check out the artwork below after the plot crunch.

Synopsis

When a devastating boat crash shipwrecks a group of friends in the jungles of an uncharted island, they are savagely picked off one-by-one by a cannibalistic enemy that evolution forgot. A horrifying action-adventure in the vein of Predator and Lost.

- Uncle Creepy

Visit The Evilshop @ Amazon!

The long-delayed The Lost Tribe has been exhumed by Image Entertainment and is making its way to DVD on October 19. That's the cover art you see below. Special features include a feature commentary with producer Mohit Ramchandani and actor Hadley Fraser, a behind-the-scenes featurette and a trailer. Roel Reiné takes final director credit, although this production was in a few hands and has been tinkered with a number of times, we've heard, under the moniker The Tribe . Lance Henriksen has a small turn. Nick Mennell and Emily Foxler star.

Devil's Creek Movie StillThe Chicago Horror Film Festival has announced five films to attend this years event. Death Stop Holocaust, The Sacred, Devil's Creek, Alice Jacobs is Dead, and Necronimicon will be in appearance and this film festival is still accepting film entries. The Devil's Creek is a thriller with a twist, as a would-be rescuer turns in to a sadistic killer. The blood unfolds on the big screen September 24th, with more details on the other entries at the Chicago Horror Film Festival website.

The synopsis for The Devil's Creek here:

"When a small town preacher is saved from a near death experience by a park ranger, he soon finds that his rescuer quickly becomes his captor" (Chicago)

Release Date: September 24th (Limited Run).

Director/writer: Mohit Ramchandani.

Cast: Adrian Alita, Benhamin Mathes, Christa Mathis, Richard Brestoff, and Peter David Parasiliti.

The trailer for the Devil's Creek here:

The...

June 28, 2010: James Bond star, Pierce Brosnan, is going to team up with his son Sean in his next film titled Bonded, which is a crime thriller, set in California.

This is the first time Brosnan is doing a film with his son. Sean and his father will play cops in the film. It deals with the issues like human trafficking and slavery. A Mexican teenager will be shown attempting to release a friend from a sex trafficker.

Mohit Ramchandani is directing the film, which will be produced by the Irish Dream Team company of Brosnan. Mohit said, “I always try to come up with the films, which educates, inspires.

Pierce Brosnan is set to star alongside his son in a new movie - they have both landed roles in crime thriller "Bonded". The former 007 star and his son Sean will play cops in the film about a Mexican teenager who attempts to rescue a friend from a sex trafficker.

Brosnan's Irish Dream Team company will executive produce Bonded, while director Mohit Ramchandani will helm the project, according to The Wrap. The Devil's Creek filmmaker says, "I want to make movies that not only entertain people, but also empower, educate and inspire them."

Shooting is due to start in September this year.

In addition to preparing "Bonded", Pierce Brosnan also has another movie project "Salvation Boulevard". This time around, he will play alongside Jennifer Connelly, Isabelle Fuhrman, Greg Kinnear, Ed Harris, Marisa Tomei and Jim Gaffigan.

London, June 24 – ‘James Bond’ star Pierce Brosnan is set to star alongside son Sean in the crime thriller ‘Bonded’, which will be directed by Indian-born Mohit Ramchandani.

‘I want to make movies that not only entertain people, but also empower, educate and inspire them,’ Ramchandani, who wrote and produced ‘The Tribe’, which was filmed in Costa Rica, was quoted as saying.

The father and son will play cops in the movie about a Mexican teenager who attempts to rescue a friend from a sex trafficker, reports contactmusic.com.

Brosnan’s Irish Dream Team.

Pierce Brosnan is set to star alongside his son in a new movie - they have both landed roles in crime thriller Bonded.

The former 007 star and his son Sean will play cops in the film about a Mexican teenager who attempts to rescue a friend from a sex trafficker.

Brosnan's Irish Dream Team company will executive produce Bonded, while director Mohit Ramchandani will helm the project, according to The Wrap.

The Devil's Creek filmmaker says, "I want to make movies that not only entertain people, but also empower, educate and inspire them."

Shooting is due to start in September.

NEW YORK -- AfterDark Films has acquired North American distribution rights to Jorg Ihle's horror/action film The Tribe.

AfterDark partner Courtney Solomon and executive vp acquisitions and creative affairs Stephanie Caleb made a pre-emptive offer on the film after its promotional trailer was shown at the Berlin International Film Festival and closed the deal amid bids from several U.S. distributors during Presidents Day weekend. The project also was sold to ProSieben and Splendid Film for Germany, Quality for Mexico and Polar Star for Latin America.

The film, co-written by Ihle and producer Mo Ramchandani, follows a group of twentysomethings stranded on a deserted island who encounter humanoid creatures and must fight for their survival. It was shot on location in Costa Rica and Los Angeles.

Producer-distributor AfterDark, which launched a wide release of Solomon's An American Haunting last year and will distribute The Abandoned this weekend through its partnership with Lionsgate, plans a wide theatrical release of Tribe with a low-eight-figure P&A commitment.