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Stars: Chad Michael Collins, Ryan Robbins, Luna Fujimoto, Josh Brener, Dennis Haysbert, Matthew Sim, Toshiji Takeshima, Eugenia Caruso, Marko Nikolic, Paul Kissaun | Written and Directed by Oliver Thompson

It’s hard to believe that of All the action franchises that have come and gone over the years that the Sniper series would still be going strong some thirty, yes Thirty, years after the debut of the original film. Since that debut we’ve had ten films – this latest one, Sniper: G.R.I.T. included – all of which have adapted with the times yet have still managed to find a consistency that has kept audiences coming back time and again. It also helps that, since 2011’s fourth film Sniper: Reloaded, we’ve had a consistent lead in actor Chad Michael Collins, playing Brandon Beckett the son of Tom Berenger’s original lead Gunnery Sergeant Tom Beckett.

This time round Brandon...

Sniper: G.R.I.T. marks a passing of the torch in the Sniper franchise, with Chad Michael Collins appearing in more films than Tom Berenger. Despite the absence of Tom Berenger and Billy Zane, Sniper: G.R.I.T. promises thrilling action and the return of familiar characters. The film continues the story of the Global Response and Intelligence Team, with Brandon Beckett leading a mission to rescue a kidnapped agent.

Sniper: G.R.I.T. is the 10th film in the long-running Sniper series. The first Sniper film was released in 1993 and starred Tom Berenger as its protagonist, Master Gunnery Sergeant Tom Beckett. The franchise was eventually taken over by Chad Michael Collins as Brandon Beckett, the son of Berenger’s character. With Sniper: G.R.I.T. on the way, Collins will soon have appeared in more Sniper films (7) than Berenger (6), meaning the mantle of franchise lead...

The new action thriller "Sniper: Rogue Mission", written and directed by Oliver Thompson, stars Chad Michael Collins as 'Brandon Beckett', streaming December 2022 on Netflix:

"...when a corrupt federal agent becomes entangled in a human sex trafficking ring, 'CIA' Rookie 'Brandon Beckett' turns rogue...

"...teaming up with his former allies 'Homeland Security Agent Zero' and assassin 'Lady Death' to expose the corrupt agent and bring the criminal organization down."

Click the images to enlarge... ...

Welcome to Happiness, which originally played at festivals in 2015 and was released the following year, takes a mind-bending trip to memory and possibility through a magical door in the closet of its main character Woody (Kyle Gallner). A stellar ensemble cast includes Olivia Thirlby, Brendan Sexton III, Paget Brewster, Nick Offerman, Josh Brener, Keegan […]

The post Interview: Oliver Thompson, Paget Brewster, and Brendan Sexton III on ‘Welcome to Happiness’ (Exclusive) appeared first on Shockya.com.

Stars: Chad Michael Collins, Tom Berenger, Sayaka Akimoto, Ryan Robbins, Lochlyn Munro, Emily Tennant, Michael Jonnson, Vincent Gale, Sasha Piltsin, Bethany Brown, Gerald Paetz | Written by Oliver Thompson | Directed by Kaare Andrews

The Eighth(!) installment of the Sniper film series, Sniper: Assassin’s End is a sequel to 2017’s Sniper: Ultimate Kill and sees Special Ops Sniper Brandon Beckett (Chad Michael Collins) is set up as the primary suspect for the murder of a foreign dignitary on the eve of signing a high-profile trade agreement with the United States. Narrowly escaping death, Beckett realizes that there may be a dark operative working within the government and partners with the only person whom he can trust, his father legendary Sniper Sgt. Thomas Beckett (Tom Berenger). Both Becketts are on the run from the CIA, Russian Mercenaries, and a Yakuza-trained assassin with sniper skills that rival both legendary sharp shooters.

Who would...

Its self-conscious eccentricity is so banal that it feels like a parody of “the American indie.” Behold magic rocks and a Significant fortune cookie! I’m “biast” (pro): nothing

I’m “biast” (con): nothing

(what is this about? see my critic’s minifesto)

Woody (Kyle Gallner: American Sniper) writes children’s books, but he’s suffering a case of writer’s block on his latest. Perhaps if he wasn’t getting constantly interrupted by strangers coming to his door — invited or directed or drawn by unknown forces — looking to go through the portal in his closet, which leads to a mysterious place Woody knows not where, because he has never been able to go through it himself. He has a pretty neighbor, Trudy (Olivia Thirlby: The Wedding Ringer), who exists solely, apparently, that he may awkwardly flirt with her, and his landlord (a completely wasted Nick Offerman:...

Bad movies are a dime a dozen, but the truly pitiable ones are few and far between. Oliver Thompson's spellbindingly awful "Welcome to Happiness" isn't much worse than most first features — and, in some respects, it's far more ambitious — but this star-studded mess is the rare film that confronts you with the helplessness of watching someone self-sabotage their own work. Unfocused and unformed in the way that only a rookie effort can be, Thompson's debut is only enjoyable in fits and starts, but most of it is touched with a guilelessness that makes it difficult to hate. Things begin with promise, as the intriguingly enigmatic opening scene sets the stage for a movie we'll never get to see. Woody, a frustrated children's lit author, played by "Veronica Mars" alum Kyle Gallner, is twiddling his thumbs at home when a young woman he's never met before knocks on his door.

Has New York City’s toxic attitude finally jaded me beyond reason? I think I’m a happy person. Generally. I laugh, smile, and feel emotions, but if so, then why do I find Oliver Thompson’s Welcome To Happiness so cheerfully off-putting? It’s pretentiously good-natured, and plays like an almost two-hour music video for The Polyphonic Spree (You know, “Follow the day, and reach for the stars!” YouTube “Light & Day.”). I’d imagine this is the feeling you’d get after being force-fed an ice cream sundae by a rainbow-pooping unicorn. Thompson’s message of purity couldn’t be clearer, but I just can’t trust a person who smiles no matter what – same applies for my movies, apparently.

Kyle Gallner stars as Woody, an apartment tenant in charge of monitoring the tiny doorway that exists in his closet. At random times, people will knock on Woody’s actual door,...

When you think of short stories like W.W. Jacobs’ “The Monkey’s Paw” or Richard Matheson’s “Button, Button” (adapted to the small screen for The Twilight Zone and big for Richard Kelly’s underrated The Box), dark images of death are conjured. The consequences of earning personal reward come at great cost to those you may or may not know. They concern selfish acts that will incite chaos and a purveyor of their too-good-to-be-true opportunities who relishes in watching the destructive path cut by fate’s unyielding need to balance the scales explode. But what if this story was flipped? What if instead of supernatural dread at the hands of a grotesque figure seeking moral bankruptcy, the chance to alter destiny came from a sweet elderly couple with God-like omniscience?

Enter Oliver Thompson, the first-time writer/director of Welcome to Happiness. While the title is most definitely a philosophical...

Welcome To Happiness Minutehand Pictures Reviewed by: Harvey Karten, Shockya Grade: B Director: Oliver Thompson Written by: Oliver Thompson Cast: Kyle Gallner, Olivia Thirlby, Nick Offerman, Keegan-Michael Key, Brendan Sexton III, Josh Brener, Molly C. Quinn, Paget Brewster, Frances Conroy, Bess Rous, A.J. Trauth, Robert Pike Daniels Screened at: Critics’ link, NYC, 5/9/16 Opens: May 20, 2016 I’d like a dollar for everyone in the country who believes that happiness is life’s principal desideratum. While people may have different ideas about what happiness means, Wikipedia says that it is a mental or emotional state of well-being defined by positive or pleasant emotions ranging from contentment to intense joy. The question [ Read More ]

The post Welcome to Happiness Movie Review appeared first on Shockya.com.

Courageous people are often curious to find their next intriguing and daring adventure, especially when they witness other people taking bold risks. When those thrill-seekers do ultimately engage in the life-altering experiences they have so longingly desired, the event often changes their perspective on life, and particularly makes them appreciate everything they have. That’s certainly the case with the new comedy-drama, ‘Welcome to Happiness,’ which FilmBuff is set to release in theaters and On Demand on Friday. The fantasy movie marks the feature film writing and directorial debuts of Oliver Thompson, who made the risky decision to shoot the ambitious story on an independent budget. But his visionary choice to [ Read More ]

The post Interview: Oliver Thompson Talks Welcome to Happiness (Exclusive) appeared first on Shockya.com.

Plus: FilmBuff acquires Us to Welcome To Happiness; and more

China Film Co affiliate China Film Equipment Co is at CinemaCon touting an array of technology and equipment from the country’s leading innovators.

The roster includes Star Screen and Bosste silver or white screens, CineAppo laser projector light sources, Hb-Optical reflection prisms, and Yuyu Lighting’s xenon light bulbs.

Also on show on the trade floor and suites of Caesars Palace will be product from Carandi cinema seating company, and the Freedeo 3D device.

FilmBuff has picked up Us rights to Oliver Thompson’s ensemble drama Welcome To Happiness and will release in select theatres and on VOD on May 20.Rlj Entertainment has acquired all North American rights from ICM Partners to Joe Begos’ thriller The Mind’s Eye from and plans a theatrical and VOD launch later this year.Vancouver-based Rainmaker has hired Gregory R. Little to the newly created position of svp of content...

Read More: Dances With Films Festival Announces 2015 Competition Lineup Oliver Thompson managed to wrangle an impressive range of high-profile talent for his first feature film, "Welcome to Happiness," which premieres next week at the Dances With Films festival in Los Angeles. Notable cast members include Frances Conroy ("American Horror Story"), Paget Brewster ("Criminal Minds") and, of course, Nick Offerman ("Parks & Recreation"). Based on the trailer, which you can watch above exclusively on Indiewire, "Welcome to Happiness" offers up a quirky blend of fantasy, romance and comedy. Here's the official synopsis: "A children's book author, Woody Ward, is the gatekeeper to a mysterious door in his closet that only allows certain people to enter. One such person, a suicidal artist, is led down a rabbit hole of bizarre coincidences that ultimately bring him to Woody's doorstep. Though he has no idea where the door leads, Woody...

Jack Of The Red Hearts

Famke Janssen ("X-Men") and AnnaSophia Robb ("The Carrie Diaries") have joined the cast of the indie drama "Jack Of The Red Hearts" which just began filming in New York.

Janet Grillo ("Fly Away") helms the story of a teenage con artist who tricks a desperate mother into hiring her as a live-in companion for her autistic daughter. [Source: Deadline]

Welcome to Happiness

Nick Offerman ("Parks and Recreation") has joined the cast of Oliver Thompson's metaphysical drama "Welcome to Happiness" at Minutehand Pictures. Filming is currently underway in Los Angeles.

Kyle Gallner plays a children's book author with a secret door in his closet. Offerman will play the character's father-figure and landlord. Olivia Thirlby, Molly C. Quinn, Frances Conroy, Paget Brewster, Josh Brener and Brendan Sexton III also star. [Source: Variety]

Untitled Bateman Comedy

"Bad Words" actor/director Jason Bateman will star in and direct a currently untitled FBI-themed comedy.

• Silicon Valley’s Kumail Nanjiani and Orange Is the New Black’s Natasha Lyonne are set to join the ensemble cast of Michael Showalter’s Hello, My Name is Doris. Kyle Mooney (Saturday Night Live) and Wendi McLendon-Covey (Bridesmaids) have also boarded the comedy, which stars Sally Field as a woman who, in the wake of her mother’s death, decides to pursue a co-worker (Max Greenfield) and discover the local hipster scene. [The Wrap]

• Nick Offerman (Parks and Recreation) will play Kyle Gallner’s father-figure in Welcome to Happiness, which Variety describes as a metaphysical drama about a children’s book...

Parks and Recreation star Nick Offerman has joined the cast of the indie drama Welcome to Happiness, which is currently shooting in Los Angeles.

Nick Offerman will play the landlord and father figure to a children's book author (Kyle Gallner), who has a secret door in his closet. Olivia Thirlby, Paget Brewster, Molly C. Quinn, Frances Conroy, Josh Brener and Brendan Sexton III round out the supporting cast.

Oliver Thompson is directing from his own original screenplay, and serving as a producer alongside Kyle Gallner and Bay Dariz for Minutehand Pictures, along with Molly C. Quinn's On Q Productions.

Nick Offerman most recently starred in the Sony Pictures comedy sequel 22 Jump Street, and he will next be seen in A Walk in the Woods. The actor will also return as Ron Swanson for Parks and Recreation's seventh and final season on NBC.

Welcome to Happiness comes to theaters in 2015 and stars Nick Offerman,...

“Parks and Recreation” star Nick Offerman has signed on to join Kyle Gallner and Olivia Thirlby in the metaphysical drama “Welcome to Happiness,” which is the first production from Minutehand Pictures. Oliver Thompson is writing and directing the movie, which stars Gallner (“American Sniper”) as Woody Ward, a children's book author with a secret door in his closet, the destination of which is unclear to even him. Also read: ‘Walking Dead's’ Frank Darabont in Talks to Direct ‘Snow White and the Huntsman 2' (Exclusive) Offerman will play Moses, Woody's father figure and landlord, whose connection to the mysterious door is later revealed.