“Red, we’ve discovered a third island. We need to put aside our differences and work together,” says Leonard (voiced by Bill Hader), the leader of the green pigs. Leonard would love nothing more than to call a truce between the pigs and the birds in order to stop a mysterious third island that’s attacking them both in the animated sequel, The Angry Birds 2 Movie.
Red (voiced by Jason Sudeikis) became Bird Island’s hero after saving all the eggs from the green pigs’ attacks in the first film based on the popular game. Along with his pals – Bomb (voiced by Danny McBride) and Chuck (voiced by Josh Gad) – Red spends his days keeping the island safe by watching out for Pig Island and attacking them with pranks.
When Leonard suggests a truce, Red is both wary and concerned he’ll lose his status as island hero. However, when he realizes both islands need a “hero” to save them, he’s all in because he loves his special status.
Joining Red’s team this time around is Chuck’s sister, Silver (voiced by Rachel Bloom). Silver’s all in on this adventure and she’s a huge help given her status as the smartest bird on the island. (She’s apparently close to genius level. Way to go, Silver!) The only problem is Silver and Red get on each other’s nerves. Only because the fate of both islands is now at stake, Red allows Silver to join his squad.
Teaming up with Chuck, Boom, Leonard, and Mighty Eagle (voiced by Peter Dinklage), they head out to stop whoever is in charge of the mysterious third island that’s attacking their homes.
Cute, chaotic, and sporadically funny, The Angry Birds 2 Movie is a colorful, juvenile adventure that will entertain children but has nothing to offer the adults. Sorry moms and dads – this film’s strictly for the younger set.
The Angry Birds 2 Movie, like its predecessor, is full of silly slapstick and sophomoric humor. On the plus side, it does serve up some solid messages about team work, friendship, and sharing credit.
The voice cast is stronger than the script, with Jason Sudeikis once again leading the way as the voice of Red, the ex-“angry bird” who fears if he loses his hero status he’ll go back to being ignored and forgotten on Bird Island. Josh Gad and Danny McBride bring to life Red’s two best friends – the energetic and speedy Chuck and the exploding Bomb – with just the right enthusiasm. Bill Hader is very funny as the voice of Leonard, the leader of the pigs who creates the truce between the two islands and helps convince Red to join forces to save their homes. Hader’s Leonard has some of the best lines in the film.
The Angry Birds 2 Movie is a hectic, vibrant, fast-paced, and harmless animated film that should have children laughing and smiling throughout. Watching the sequel will try parents’ patience, but it’s worth putting up with a little silliness for the sake of the kids.
GRADE: B-
MPAA Rating: PG for rude humor and action
Release Date: August 13, 2019
Running Time: 100 minutes
Directed By: Thurop Van Orman
The Hatchlings, Red (Jason Sudeikis), Chuck (Josh Gad) and Bomb (Danny McBride) in Columbia Pictures and Rovio Animations’ ‘Angry Birds 2’
Alan Arkin and Michael Douglas in ‘The Kominsky Method’ season 2 (Photo by Michael Yarish/Netflix)
Netflix just released the first batch of photos from season two of the Golden Globe-winning comedy series, The Kominsky Method. Netflix also announced the second season premiere date along with a synopsis and guest stars.
The Kominsky Method‘s eight episode second season two will premiere on Friday, October 25, 2019, with Jane Seymour and Paul Reiser joining in guest starring roles. Michael Douglas returns as Kominsky and Alan Arkin reprises his role as Newlander. Nancy Travis plays Lisa and Sarah Baker is back as Mindy Kominsky.
The half-hour comedy comes from Emmy Award winner Chuck Lorre. Lorre, Al Higgins, and series star Michael Douglas executive produce.
Season one debuted on November 16, 2018 and earned two Golden Globes and three Screen Actors Guild Awards. It also received Critics’ Choice and Emmy Award nominations.
The Season 2 Plot:
“The sun isn’t setting yet on aging actor slash acting coach Sandy Kominsky and his longtime agent Norman Newlander in the award-winning Netflix comedy series The Kominsky Method. Academy Award Winners Michael Douglas (Kominsky) and Alan Arkin (Newlander) continue their journey as two friends tackling life’s inevitable curveballs as they navigate their later years in Los Angeles, a city that, above all else, values youth. This season, Sandy meets and bonds with his daughter’s new boyfriend (guest star Paul Reiser) who is uncomfortably close to Sandy’s age. Meanwhile, Norman reconnects with an old flame from his youth (guest star Jane Seymour) and after fifty years, they decide to start again. “
Nancy Travis and Michael Douglas in season 2 (Photo by Michael Yarish/Netflix)Paul Reiser and Sarah Baker in season 2 (Photo by Michael Yarish/Netflix)Jane Seymour and Alan Arkin in season 2 (Photo by Michael Yarish/Netflix)Michael Douglas and Alan Arkin in season 2 (Photo by Michael Yarish/Netflix)
Fox’s new primetime series Prodigal Son is set to premiere on September 23, 2019. The drama features Michael Sheen, hot off his starring role in Good Omens, and Tom Payne, a season nine casualty of The Walking Dead.
Michael Sheen stars as a convicted serial killer named Dr. Martin Whitly. Tom Payne plays Dr. Whitly’s conflicted son, Malcolm. The cast also includes Bellamy Young as Jessica Whitly, Lou Diamond Phillips as Gil Arroyo, and Halston Sage as Ainsley Whitly.
Aurora Perrineau plays Dani Powell, Frank Harts is JT Tarmel, and Keiko Agena plays Edrisa Tanaka.
Prodigal Son comes from Berlanti Productions, Warner Bros. Television, and Fox Entertainment. Chris Fedak and Sam Sklaver guide the series as showrunners and writers. Fedak and Sklaver also executive produce along with Greg Berlanti and Sarah Schechter. The first episode was directed by Lee Toland Krieger (Riverdale).
Season one will air on Mondays at 9pm ET/PT.
The Plot:
Fox describes the series as a crime show with a twist. The tone’s also different from the standard crime drama, with the show aiming for a “darkly comedic tone.”
The season one description: “Malcolm Bright (Payne) has a gift. He knows how killers think and how their minds work. Why? Back in the 1990s, his father was one of the worst, a notorious serial killer called ‘The Surgeon.’ So it makes sense Bright is the best criminal psychologist around; murder is the family business.
He will use his twisted genius to help the NYPD solve crimes and stop killers, all while dealing with a manipulative mother, annoyingly normal sister, a homicidal father still looking to bond with his prodigal son, and his own constantly evolving neuroses.
Meet the happy family. Dr. Martin Whitly (Sheen) is intelligent, wealthy, charismatic and also happens to be a predatory sociopath who killed at least 23 people. Bright’s mother, Jessica Whitly (Young), an elegant and WASPy New Yorker, wields sarcasm like a samurai sword and has an opinion on every aspect of Bright’s life.
Perhaps Bright’s only ally is his sister, Ainsley Whitley (Sage), a TV journalist who wishes her brother would “take a break from murder” and have a normal life.
Unfortunately for his sister, the only way Bright feels normal is by solving cases with the help of his longtime mentor, NYPD Detective Gil Arroyo (Phillips). Arroyo’s one of the best detectives around, and he expects no less from his team – Detective Dani Powell (Perrineau), a headstrong no-nonsense cop who quickly becomes impressed with Bright’s work; and Detective JT Tarmel (Harts), a born-and-bred New Yorker who questions whether Bright is a psychopath himself.
ABC’s new summer drama Grand Hotel continues with episode 10, “Suite Little Lies.” Guest stars Katey Sagal (Sons of Anarchy) and Adrian Pasdar (Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.) return as Teresa and Felix, respectively. Season one episode 10 was directed by John Terlesky from a script by Danny Fernandez and will air on August 19, 2019 at 10pm ET/PT.
The cast of season one includes Oscar nominee Demián Bichir (Best Actor, A Better Life) as Santiago Mendoza, ALMA award winner Roselyn Sánchez (Outstanding Actress in a Drama Television Series, Without a Trace) as Gigi Mendoza, Denyse Tontz (The Fosters) as Alicia Mendoza, and Bryan Craig (Valor) as Javi Mendoza. Wendy Raquel Robinson (The Mayor) is Mrs. P, Lincoln Younes (Home and Away) is Danny, Shalim Ortiz (Magic City) is Mateo, and Anne Winters (13 Reasons Why) plays Ingrid.
Chris Warren (The Fosters) plays Jason, Feliz Ramirez is Carolina, and Justina Adorno (Seven Seconds) is Yoli in the show’s first season.
Grand Hotel is written and executive produced by Brian Tanen. Eva Longoria, Ben Spector, Bob Daily, Ramón Campos, Teresa Fernández-Valdés, and director Bill D’Elia also executive produce.
The “Suite Little Lies” Plot: Santiago and Gigi’s relationship is on the mend after secrets they have been keeping from each other are revealed. Danny teams up with the police to try and figure out what happened to Sky, and Javi takes on a new hobby.
Series Details:
“Charismatic Santiago Mendoza owns the hotel, while his glamorous second wife, Gigi, and their adult children enjoy the spoils of success. The hotel’s loyal staff round out a contemporary fresh take on an upstairs/downstairs story. Wealthy and beautiful guests bask in luxury, but scandals, escalating debt and explosive secrets hide beneath the picture-perfect exterior.”
Roselyn Sanchez in ‘Grand Hotel’ season 1 episode 10 (ABC/Eric McCandless)Shalim Ortiz and Demian Bicher in season 1 episode 10 (ABC/Eric McCandless)Feliz Ramirez in season 1 episode 10 (ABC/Eric McCandless)Justina Adorno and Feliz Ramirez in season 1 episode 10 (ABC/Eric McCandless)Feliz Ramirez in season 1 episode 10 (ABC/Eric McCandless)
The first season of The CW’s sci-fi action drama Pandora continues with episode six titled “What Was It You Wanted.” Episode six was directed by Jenn Wexler from a script by Lisa Klink (story by Mark A. Altman) and will air on August 20, 2019.
In addition to Priscilla Quintana as JAX (a.k.a. Pandora), series regulars include Oliver Dench as Xander Duvall, Raechelle Banno as Atria Nine, and John Harlan Kim as Greg Li. Ben Radcliffe plays Ralen, Banita Sandhu is Delaney Pilar, Martin Bobb-Semple is Thomas James Ross, and Noah Huntley plays Professor Donovan Osborn.
Mark A. Altman executive produces with Steve Kriozere (NCIS, Necessary Roughness), Thomas P. Vitale, Karine Martin, and Chris Philip.
The “What Was It You Wanted” Plot: HACKED AND EXPOSED – When Pilar’s (Sendhu) bio-organic implants are hacked, Jax (Quintana) and Ralen (Radcliffe) lead an investigation to help save their friend and find out who’s responsible and stop them from continuing to torment Pilar.
Series Description, Courtesy of The CW:
Set in the year 2199, Pandora is a sci-fi action series about a resourceful young woman who has lost everything but finds a new life at Earth’s Space Training Academy where she and her friends learn to defend the galaxy from threats, both alien and human. When secrets about the nature of her own identity begin to surface, she must uncover the truth, and whether she will be humanity’s savior or the instrument of its destruction.
Kelly Reilly in ‘Yellowstone’ season 2 episode 8 (Photo Credit: Paramount Network)
Paramount Network’s Yellowstone season two episode seven featured an emotional, gut-wrenching performance by Kelly Reilly. The episode, titled “Resurrection Day,” drew in a record number of viewers (5.4 million) and if the world is fair, it will earn Reilly multiple award nominations.
Yellowstone season two episode eight begins with the wranglers preparing for work. Kayce (Luke Grimes) grabs his brother from the bunkhouse and tasks him with feeding the horses. Jamie (Wes Bentley) is the low man on the totem pole, and Kayce apologizes and asks him not to hold the position against him. Kayce assures Jamie he’ll forgive him anything because they’re brothers.
From that quiet moment between brothers, the setting switches to Beth nursing her nearly unrecognizable swollen face. For a brief moment it appears the sink is full of bloody teeth, but it turns out it’s actually bloody tissues. She picks up her makeup and almost immediately sets it back down. No amount of concealer will hide her bruised and battered face.
Beth returns to the bedroom and gently kisses a sleeping Rip (Cole Hauser) on the forehead.
In the big house, John (Kevin Costner) advises Monica (Kelsey Asbille) and Tate (Brecken Merrill) not to bother waiting for everyone to arrive to eat. Beth makes her way slowly into the dining room, and all Monica can do is stare. Beth’s unable to chew and asks for a special smoothie (two scoops of ice cream with three shots of vodka). Given her condition, no one dares to suggest she forego the vodka.
As she’s leaving the room, she pauses by Monica’s chair. “You should see the other guy,” says Beth.
John joins his brave daughter outside, and she wonders what they’ll tell Jason’s parents. John assures Beth he’s not thinking about that; he’s only worried about her condition.
Thomas Rainwater (Gil Birmingham) and his right-hand man arrive at the ranch as John and Beth are outside talking. Shortly thereafter Dan Jenkins (Danny Huston) and his bodyguard also arrive for a meeting. Beth wonders what her dad’s up to.
Dan’s the only one who approaches Beth, asking if the Becks are responsible for her condition. Beth, never one to mince words, replies, “My face was just the appetizer.”
Dan’s clearly upset at what happened to Beth, and when she tries the old “what doesn’t kill us” bit, he cuts her off. He believes it might make us harder, but not necessarily stronger. Beth assures him she’s shooting for Teflon. That elicits a smile from Dan who then admits he thinks he understands the Duttons better after being on their ranch.
The meeting begins between Thomas, Dan, and John and they compare the damage done by the Becks. Dan doesn’t understand the Becks’ goal, and John explains the Becks want Dan to leave, Thomas to quit building, and John to be the enforcer.
Prior to the Becks’ intrusion, the fight between these men had not involved any families. It’s basically been against each other with minimal collateral damage. They grudgingly admit their if not admiration then at least tolerance of each other’s tactics thus far.
John thinks the Becks will now move to killing whoever it is they each hold most dear. Dan demands John speak plainly and say that he wants to kill the Becks. John doesn’t hesitate as he reaches into Dan’s jacket pocket. He pulls out a recorder, and Dan confesses he’s using it because he had no idea what John was going to expect of them at this meeting.
Dan claims the recorder’s for his protection and to prove it he says, “We should kill them,” into the recorder. He’s now the first to voice the opinion out loud but not the last. Thomas takes the recorder and explains that it’s different for him because he has the weight of the Indian nation on his shoulders. He doesn’t explicitly say to kill the Becks but implies the sentiment into the recorder. He gives the men his word no one will look for the Becks on the reservation when they go missing.
John won’t say to kill the Becks. Instead, he tells Thomas and Dan he’s the one who will be doing the killing. He expects their help if he needs it, no questions asked.
Beth is sucking on her smoothie when Monica asks to speak with her. The women admit they don’t know each other, and Beth assures Monica the attack was not committed by anyone in her family. When she says it was busy, Monica asks, “What kind of business does that?”
Beth replies, “The family business. With that face, I recommend you stick with teaching.” She then tells Monica not to judge them and not to try and understand them.
Malcolm Beck (Neal McDonough) storms into his brother’s office, throwing items, and tossing desks. He’s furious and his brother’s worried people will notice if this fight against Thomas Rainwater, Dan Jenkins, and John Dutton expands.
Malcolm believes they have to take the fight “all the way,” no matter what at this point. Teal (Terry Serpico) agrees and asks who’ll they start with. Malcolm replies, “The one he loves the most.”
The scene immediately shifts to a close-up of Tate.
Brecken Merrill and Luke Grimes in ‘Yellowstone’ (Photo Credit: Paramount Network)
Tate watches his dad work his horse, smiling as he takes it all in. Monica joins them but doesn’t bring up Beth. She explains she doesn’t have doubts, she has worries. Kayce asks her to trust him.
Monica lets them know she’s got a field trip planned for her students and will be home late.
Livestock Agent Steve Hendon (James Jordan) reports in and it’s not good news. He tells John he still hasn’t found out who rented the airplane that was used to kill the cattle. He can’t even locate a feed store that sells clover. However, he does have paperwork from a packing house in Butte.
A lightbulb goes off and John, frustrated with himself over missing the connection, tells Steve to look up Malcolm Beck on the FAA website out of Billings or Butte. Steve discovers Malcolm has three cargo planes at the airfield in Billings. John realizes Malcolm used his own plane.
John dismisses Steve and sets things in motion.
Monica takes her class to a concert on the reservation. Rappers describe life as Native Americans and as Monica listens, she looks torn between two worlds.
That evening Beth returns to bed with Rip. She stares at him as he rests, recovering from a gunshot to the abdomen. He stares at her and then says, “God I wish they would come back to life so I could kill them again.”
Bruised but not broken, they hold each other gently.
Monica arrives home and attempts to quietly get into bed. Kayce’s not asleep and tells her they can not fall back into the trap of not speaking to each other. She wants to know what happened to Beth and Kayce pauses before explaining his dad used to tell him about all the wars he had to fight to keep this place. He didn’t believe him then but does now.
“There’s people who all they care about is more – how to get more, take more – and they’ll stop at nothing,” says Kayce.
Monica compares Yellowstone Ranch to the Alamo, describing the whole family as prisoners. She doesn’t want that to be them, and Kayce agrees they can live in town if that’s what she wants. He doesn’t care where they live as long as they live together. Monica thanks him and actually smiles before moving in for a kiss. They even tease each other about expanding their family.
Rip manages to get up and get dressed, saying he was built to go through hell. He’s returning to the bunkhouse, explaining that’s where he belongs. For one of the rare moments in two seasons, Beth looks lost and forlorn.
Rip makes his way slowly to the bunkhouse where the wranglers are all awake. Jimmy asks to borrow a truck to take money owed to his grandfather, and the men joke about whether Jimmy can actually drive.
Shortly thereafter, Jimmy’s the first customer at the bank. He takes his winnings (now that the check’s cleared) and heads over not to his grandfather’s but to the druggie he owes money to. The small house is packed but Ray, the guy he owes, isn’t there. Jimmy gives the new meth cook the cash and demands they leave his grandfather alone. The cook’s still angry over Avery dousing him with bear spray. He’ll take another $1,000 in exchange for letting Avery off the hook.
Jimmy doesn’t have it and instead the cook’s satisfied with taking the belt buckle Jimmy just won.
Back at the ranch, Kayce and Tate work with Tate’s horse. Monica’s watching them as John arrives, admitting watching Kayce work the horse helps remind him why he loves the ranch. He realizes Monica doesn’t like it there and she confirms she doesn’t want her family to be involved in this fight.
When she says it wouldn’t happen if they lived in the city, John contradicts her. He points out the scale in the city is smaller but there are still plenty of people who want to rob you and do harm. He asks her to give them a chance and she agrees.
Next, John meets up with Rip as Rip is slowly making his way around. He asks John if he happens to have any spare pain pills and John doesn’t respond.
They both spot Beth not far away, walking by herself. John thanks Rip for saving his daughter, assuring him he sincerely means it.
Rip takes over for Kayce in the ring as John needs to talk privately with his son. He informs Kayce the Becks have their own plane, wondering if that’s important information to a soldier. Kayce confirms it is and John gives him the go-ahead to act on the info. When Kayce asks how much John wants to know about his plans, John says everything.
Kayce asks John to set a meeting too far away for a man with a plane to drive. John wants to be able to control the location, so it has to be the Yellowstone Ranch or the reservation. Kayce does a quick calculation and tells his dad to set the meeting for Jackson Hole so the Becks will fly over the ranch.
Kayce asks his dad to get Dan’s bodyguard on board to help him, but John’s leery of bringing him in. Kayce reminds him Dan won’t be able to use anything against them if his employee’s part of the plan.
Beth walks up as Rip is having a man-to-man with Tate about horses. Rip’s explaining why horses shy away and that it has to do with where the horse stands in the world and who’s their friend. Rip’s really good with Tate and John, who’s returned from speaking with Kayce, calls him a big Teddy Bear. Beth doesn’t respond and simply walks away.
Rip tells Tate they’ll make the horse the best they’ve got on the ranch.
Beth runs into Jamie who’s in the barn shoveling horse manure. She refuses to soften toward her brother, telling him that someday when someone loves him she’ll take them away from him. Her hatred toward Jamie is palpable.
Beth begins to cry as she tells her brother she’ll kill the person herself. Jamie stands silently and absorbs his sister’s vitriol.
Elsewhere, the Becks begin the next phase of their plan by shooting a guard on the reservation.
Monica and Kayce relax in a bathtub full of bubbles. Kayce teases her that John outfoxed her, and they laugh as they enjoy a quiet, peaceful moment alone together. She admits she loves the bathroom but not the bedroom. The house is so huge she wants to have more children just to fill the empty spaces.
They’re interrupted by John knocking at the bathroom door.
John orders Kayce to get dressed and then wakes up Jamie and tells him the same.
Jamie joins Kayce and his dad in the truck, and immediately notices their guns. As they drive in silence, Jamie’s face reveals he thinks he’s about to be shot.
They arrive at the guard shack which is blocked off with crime scene tape. John needs Jamie to be a lawyer and as Jamie reacts, it dawns on John that Jamie assumed the worst.
A discussion’s going on over who has jurisdiction and Thomas Rainwater says they all know who’s responsible. Sheriff Donnie Haskell (Hugh Dillon) believes the best course is for Thomas to say they’re halting construction because it’s obvious that’s what the Becks want. It’ll give them time to figure out their next move. Haskell warns John he’ll be the next target, unaware of the attack on Beth.
John says he’s fine with the Becks coming for him on his ranch. He’ll even leave the gate open.
John calls Malcolm and sets the meeting for Jackson Hole during the day in a public place. Malcolm seems to agree and hangs up. There are photos of Monica, Tate, Kayce, Beth, and Jamie on the table, and Malcolm uses his boot to push the photo of Tate toward his brother. Malcolm says, “Who he loves the most.”
Paranormal pioneers Steve Gonsalves, Jason Hawes and Dave Tango star in ‘Ghost Nation’ (Photo Courtesy of Travel Channel)
Ghost Hunters stars Jason Hawes, Steve Gonsalves, and Dave Tango return to investigate spooky things that go bump in the night with Travel Channel’s new series, Ghost Nation. Travel Channel’s set a Friday, October 11, 2019 premiere date for the paranormal series, with new episodes airing on Fridays at 9pm ET/PT.
Season one will consist of 10 episodes.
“My local organization handles cases all across the East Coast,” said Hawes, co-creator and former narrator, producer and star of Ghost Hunters. “But in the last 20 years, because the paranormal movement has become so huge and spread all over the world, we formed an organization to connect all those involved in the field – fans, investigators or those just searching for answers to questions. Many organizations reach out to us for help with their best and toughest cases.”
Ghost Nation is a Ping Pong Productions for Travel Channel. Vaibhav Bhatt, Brad Kuhlman, Casey Brumels, Josh Gates, Jason Hawes, and Steve Gonsalves are executive producing.
Ghost Nation Series Details, Courtesy of Travel Channel:
“The trio is getting back to its roots, helping homeowners who are dealing with harrowing hauntings and people whose lives have been overtaken and threatened by unexplained phenomena. Each of the 10, hour-long episodes features a high-stakes case and a robust, multi-stage investigation that begins with a shocking paranormal story and a tantalizing piece of evidence. Stories featured this season include a couple who recently gained notoriety when their nanny-cam footage captured a ghostly shadow figure walking by their baby’s crib; a local team that captured possible shadow people moving throughout a notorious haunt; and an investigator who is actually scratched by an unseen phantom.
Armed with brand new state-of-the-art technology and their meticulous methodology, the team, under its new banner, United Paranormal Research Organization (UPRO), will face the most challenging and dangerous paranormal mysteries the country has to offer. In every investigation, collecting evidence is just the beginning. The team isn’t merely conducting a cursory review of the case. With the help of their local contacts, team members will embed themselves in the community, conducting multi-day investigations in an effort to track down the true source of these hauntings and restore peace to the living … and the dead.
In the series premiere, the paranormal pioneers announce the formation of UPRO at the Fanboy Expo Event in Knoxville, Tennessee. Amateur paranormal investigator Jessica Clevinger is in the audience and immediately asks for help with a local case that’s over her head. Single mom Brittany Totherow bought a White Pine, Tennessee, farmhouse because it was the perfect home in which to raise her young son. But soon after moving in, she experienced unnerving phenomena and witnessed a female apparition. Her future husband, Cory, eventually moved into the home with his own children, but it wasn’t long before he began experiencing events himself. Within days, Cory started hearing unexplained footsteps and captured video of an apparition standing behind Brittany. Now, their children are starting to have strange encounters. At a loss for what to do, Jessica, Cory and Brittany turn to the UPRO team for help.”
Tricia Helfer, most recently seen playing Lucifer Morningstar’s mom in Lucifer, joins the cast of Syfy’s Van Helsing for the show’s fourth season. When the series returns on September 27, 2019, Helfer will be introduced as the most iconic vampire of them all – Dracula.
Tricia Helfer joined her fellow Van Helsing cast members, including series newcomers Nicole Munoz and Keeya King, at the 2019 San Diego Comic Con. During our roundtable interview, Helfer teased what’s in store and praised the genre for its inclusion of strong female characters.
We miss you on Lucifer but now you’re tackling Dracula. How much fun is it to sink your teeth into that?
Tricia Helfer: “It’s so much fun. it really is a character… A lady over there said, she goes, “Normally you play a lot of bad characters but they’re always layered with vulnerability,’ you know, on purpose because you’re trying to show this character has sides to her as well. With Dracula, not so much.
I have not, at least in what I’ve filmed, discovered a soft or a vulnerable side to her. I only have a few episodes in the season. My character is sort of introduced. But it’s delicious I think is how I would describe it to play because you’re just playing this all-powerful, confident being and it’s really fun to play bad.”
Does she have minions?
Tricia Helfer: “She does, yes. She’s been locked away for a very long time so she definitely is relishing the being able to be out and kind of in control, learning also what the world is now like. You know, locked away for a long time.
She doesn’t ever worry. You don’t see her sweat, so to speak, at least so far. It’s an enjoyment factor of what she’s going to discover. But, she also goes right into her mode of demanding things from her minions or an explanation of why something wasn’t done the way she would have expected to have been done.”
Are we going to flashback to see her origin or why she was locked up or who locked you up?
Tricia Helfer: “There will be a discussion. We won’t see it. I don’t know how much more I can say. If there’s a next season, it might go a little bit more into that. Again, she’s just sort of introduced.
There is some discussion though. You find out who locked her away, how she got locked away, but you don’t see it. But there’s some revenge on her part that is wanted. But, again, we don’t see that yet but she has a few people she has to contend with along the way that obviously don’t want her to be out and active again because all hell will probably break loose.”
This genre seems to attract strong, kickass women. Is that why you’ve played in it so often and been so successful?
Tricia Helfer: “I think you nailed it. There are strong female characters. I mean, there’s definitely getting to be a lot more but what I like with Van Helsing, it’s not like, ‘Oh, we’re checking the box.’
You know, the show already is about Vanessa Van Helsing and there’s so many other strong female characters in it that it’s not like, ‘Oh, okay, we have to do this to be whatever.’ So, it feels very organic; it doesn’t feel forced. And I think that’s what I like in the genre is it’s sort of like, ‘Okay, whatever.’ You never feel like it’s checking the box just for the sake of checking the box. And the stories can be broad and dynamic and cover lots of different elements and stories. That’s what the genre is all about.”
Emilia Clarke’s following up the final season of Game of Thrones, in which Daenerys went full-on Mad Queen, with a starring role in Last Christmas. Universal Pictures just released a new trailer for the holiday film which features the music of George Michael, including the title song.
In addition to Emilia Clarke, the cast of the 2019 romantic comedy includes Henry Golding (A Simple Favor, Crazy Rich Asians), Michelle Yeoh (Star Trek: Discovery, Marco Polo), and Emma Thompson (Saving Mr. Banks). Oscar winner Thompson (Sense and Sensibility, Howards End) and Bryony Kimmings wrote the screenplay and Paul Feig (A Simple Favor, Spy, Bridesmaids) directs.
Feig, Thompson, David Livingstone, and Jessie Henderson produced, with Sarah Bradshaw executive producing. Feig’s behind the scenes team includes director of photography John Schwartzman, production designer Gary Freeman, and costume designer Renee Ehrlich Kalfus.
The Last Christmas Plot, Courtesy of Universal Pictures:
“Kate (Clarke) harumphs around London, a bundle of bad decisions accompanied by the jangle of bells on her shoes, another irritating consequence from her job as an elf in a year-round Christmas shop. Tom (Golding) seems too good to be true when he walks into her life and starts to see through so many of Kate’s barriers. As London transforms into the most wonderful time of the year, nothing should work for these two. But sometimes, you gotta let the snow fall where it may, you gotta listen to your heart … and you gotta have faith.
Last Christmas features the music of George Michael, including the bittersweet holiday classic of the film’s title. The film will also premiere brand new unreleased material by the legendary Grammy-winning artist, who sold more than 115 million albums and recorded 10 No. 1 singles over the course of his iconic career.”
Poster for the holiday romantic comedy, ‘Last Christmas’ (Photo Credit: Universal Pictures)
The two and a half minute official trailer for season three of 13 Reasons Why begins with an announcement over the school’s PA system. “We received some extremely sad news from the Evergreen County Sheriff. Bryce Walker was found and has been confirmed dead,” says the voice while we see the reactions of some of the key players to the news.
The trailer also shows Bryce Walker’s mom, Nora (Brenda Strong), demanding to know who’s responsible for her son’s death. The Sheriff assures her they’ll get to the bottom of it and uncover the truth surrounding his death.
The season three cast is led by Dylan Minnette as Clay Jensen. Season three also stars Brandon Flynn as Justin Foley, Justin Prentice as Bryce Walker, Alisha Boe as Jessica Davis, Christian Navarro as Tony Padilla, and Miles Heizer as Alex Standall. Devin Druid plays Tyler Down, Ross Butler is Zach Dempsey, Timothy Granaderos is Montgomery de la Cruz, Anne Winters is Chloe, Steven Weber is Principle Bowen, and Amy Hargreaves is Mrs. Jensen.
Newcomers to the critically acclaimed series include Grace Saif as Ani, Bex Taylor Klaus as Casey, and Tyler Barnhardt as Charlie.
Season three is made up of 13 one-hour episodes and will premiere on August 23, 2019.
The Season 3 Plot, Courtesy of Netflix:
“Who killed Bryce Walker? Everyone has their reasons… The secrets at Liberty High run deep, and in the aftermath of the Homecoming game all of the friends have something to hide. As the mystery of his death engulfs the town, there are numerous suspects in focus. But were any of them truly capable of murder? And who is the new girl? Police are determined to get to the truth, but with a web of secrets and lies this tangled, will anyone be found guilty?”
A scene from Bryce Walker’s funeral (Photo Credit: David Moir/Netflix)Miles Heizer in season 3 (Photo Credit: David Moir/Netflix)Dylan Minnette in season 3 of ’13 Reasons Why’ (Photo Credit: Phil Bray/Netflix)
