A new trailer’s arrived for Screen Gems and The H Collective’s BrightBurn starring Elizabeth Banks (the Pitch Perfect and The Hunger Games film franchises). Even more so than the first trailer, this new nearly three minute trailer gives off a very Superman-ish vibe. A child crashes to Earth, feels different, and is ostracized by his peers. Soon everyone learns this isn’t a kid you should mess with.
In addition to Elizabeth Banks, the cast includes David Denman (13 Hours, The Office), Jackson A. Dunn (Shameless, Legendary Dudas), Matt Jones (Mom, F is For Family), and Meredith Hagner (Search Party, Royal Pains). Guardians of the Galaxy‘s director James Gunn produced the film, and Mark Gunn and Brian Gunn (Journey 2: The Mysterious Island) co-wrote the screenplay and executive produced with Dan Clifton, Simon Hatt, and Nic Crawley. (James Gunn and Elizabeth Banks previously worked together on Slither).
David Yarovesky (The Hive) directed and Michael Dallatorre served as the director of photography. The behind the scenes team also included editor Andrew S. Eisen, production designer Patrick M. Sullivan Jr, special makeup effects designer Justin Raleigh, and visual effects supervisor Dietrich Hasse.
Screen Gems will be releasing the superhero horror film in theaters on May 24, 2019.
The Plot:
“What if a child from another world crash-landed on Earth, but instead of becoming a hero to mankind, he proved to be something far more sinister? With BrightBurn, the visionary filmmaker of Guardians of the Galaxy and Slither presents a startling, subversive take on a radical new genre: superhero horror.”
“Ladies and gentlemen, we finally have our hands on the metahuman cure,” says Cisco (Carlos Valdes) to Team Flash in an early scene of season five episode 15 of The CW series, The Flash.
Season five episode 15 titled “King Shark vs Gorilla Grodd” begins as Gorilla Grodd growls, puffing out his chest in the middle of Central City and hurdles himself at King Shark as The Flash (Grant Gustin) and XS (Jennifer Parker Kennedy) lie on the ground not moving. Next, the episode goes back in time 12 hours with Cisco telling Team Flash they have the meta-cure. Caitlin (Danielle Panabaker) says they need a volunteer to test it on since they all agreed never to force the cure on any unwilling meta. Sherloque (Tom Cavanagh) reminds everyone with all the metas hiding to avoid Cicada it’s not likely they’ll find a willing meta. Barry comes up with the idea to test it on King Shark who’s secure at A.R.G.U.S. Everyone figures the human side of King Shark would be willing.
Joe (Jesse L. Martin) is back and spending some quality time with Cecille (Danielle Nicolet) and Iris (Candice Patton). As they catch up, Joe mentions to Iris he thinks Cicada must have help from someone in order to always avoid getting captured. Iris quickly changes the subject.
At A.R.G.U.S., Barry, Caitlin, Cisco, and Nora meet up and talk to Lyla Michaels (Audrey Marie Anderson) about the possibility of speaking with King Shark about trying the metahuman cure on him. She agrees and takes the team to see Dr. Tanya Lamden (Haley Beauchamp) who’s been working with King Shark. She came up with a new tech device called the telepathic crown which allows her to communicate with King Shark who’s been much more relaxed lately.
King Shark jumps on the dock and Barry asks if he would want to take the meta-cure. King Shark wants to know if they believe it could help him, and Barry says yes. Suddenly, King Shark growls loudly, knocks off the crown, and swims away.
Team Flash take Dr. Lamden back to S.T.A.R. Labs to try to boost the crown’s reach and to track King Shark. While Cisco works to expand the crown’s power Sherloque talks to Dr. Lamden and tells her he believes from her body posture and inflection in her voice there’s more than just a doctor–patient relationship between her and King Shark (aka Shay Lamden). Before the conversation can go any further Team Flash get a lock on King Shark’s location.
Vibe breaches The Flash and XS to the dock as King Shark jumps up onto the dock. XS speeds around him to distract him and places the crown back on his head. Barry tries to talk to King Shark but he grabs Vibe and prepares to take a bite out of him. Barry speeds up and injects King Shark with the meta-cure. King Shark drops Vibe, stumbles backward, and falls into the water. “What’s going on?” asks a concerned Caitlin back at S.T.A.R. Labs listening on the coms.
A very human Shay Lamden (Dan Payne) pulls himself up onto the dock and passes out.
Shay wakes up at S.T.A.R. Labs and Barry brings him up to speed about what happened to him. Caitlin tells him he still has some Dark Matter in a part of his brain so they need to find a way to alter the cure to remove that as well or else he could become King Shark again. Sherloque asks Shay if it’s the man who controls King Shark or the shark. Shay says if he’s asking if he should be held accountable for what he did as King Shark the answer’s yes. Barry whispers to Caitlin to let him know right away when she’s ready to give Shay the altered cure.
Caitlin follows Barry out of the room, asking if he means to ask Shay if he wants to take the cure. Cisco joins them and Cisco and Caitlin both give Barry major grief over him injecting King Shark without his permission. Barry stands his ground saying he did it to save Cisco. Things get heated between the three best friends with Cisco finally asking if Barry thought of doing it on the dock or thought about doing it even earlier. Cisco and Caitlin walk away leaving Barry alone to think about what he did.
Joe and Iris have coffee at Jitters and she tells her dad about her fight with Cicada and how since then she doesn’t feel as though she can go to her office. Joe tells her to come with him. Joe takes Iris to Barry’s CSI office and gives her a boxing lesson, coaching her through her fear of Cicada.
At S.T.A.R. Labs, Cisco’s brooding when Caitlin comes in and reveals she did more tests on Shay and discovered he experienced a severe brain wave disruption in his frontal lobe. That must be the reason he snapped at Team Flash. Caitlin knows it wasn’t the crown that caused the problem. “What caused King Shark to go berserk?” wonders Caitlin. Barry arrives and starts to apologize to both Caitlin and Cisco. Cisco punches Barry and hits him with a Vibe blast as Caitlin walks away holding the crown. Barry speeds Cisco into a pipeline cell and speeds back, looking for Caitlin who he finds standing next to Gorilla Grodd and giving him the crown. “Hello, Flash,” says Grodd through Caitlin who then hits Barry with a cold blast as Grodd escapes.
The next scene is Barry asking Lyla how an 800-pound gorilla happened to get out of A.R.G.U.S. Lyla tells Team Flash it happened during The Enlightenment. For a split second they lost power and that was all Grodd needed to place a psychic command in a guard’s mind to release him when the time’s right.
Caitlin assures Barry she and Cisco are no longer under the control of Grodd and that Killer Frost says she’s sorry for the ice blast. It only happened because Grodd was controlling her. Barry waves it off, accepting the apology. Team Flash realizes with the power for the telepathic crown Grodd could control everyone in Central City.
The team locate Grodd up on a tower and Barry instructs Nora to suit up. He wants her to speed around Grodd as a distraction while he supersonic speed punches him.
Sherloque talks to Tanya and gets her to admit she has fallen for the doppelganger of her dead husband, Shay Lamden. She visits she and they kiss, confirming Sherloque’s assessment.
The Flash and XS take on Grodd and it works out, but not long enough. Just as The Flash is about to take off the crown, Grodd comes to and uses his psychic powers to pin The Flash and Nora to the ground.
Back at S.T.A.R. Labs, the team’s monitoring what’s going on and Shay volunteers to go back to being King Shark to fight Grodd. Caitlin informs him if he does that, he most likely will never be able to be human again. Sherloque and Cisco theorize that a blast from Vibe should be enough to turn Shay back to King Shark. Cisco blasts Shay and yes, it works.
King Shark comes out of a breach, thanks to Cisco, and tells Grodd to leave. And now we’re back to where the episode started. Grodd charges King Shark and the two meta-monsters fight in what has to be some of the best special effects the series has ever done. At one point Grodd puts King Shark on his back and Team Flash realizes that sharks become paralyzed when placed on their backs. A lighting jolt from a speedster should be enough to bring King Shark out of it. The Flash and XS, who are now free from Grodd’s control since he started fighting King Shark, speed up and hit both Grodd and King shark with two lightning bolts. Grodd is uneasy and King Shark knocks him out with a big punch. King Shark puts on the crown and Barry says, “Long live the King.”
Grodd is returned to A.R.G.U.S. and with Caitlin’s help is asleep in a medically-induced coma.
Sherloque talks to Tanya and reminds her love knows no bounds. She can find a way to make it work with King Shark. Tanya thanks Sherloque and hopes he finds what he’s looking for one day.
King Shark returns to his underwater tank at A.R.G.U.S. and talks to Tanya using the crown. He tells her he loves her.
Iris heads back to her office feeling empowered and able to shake the fear she was feeling. She gets a text and exclaims, “King Shark and Gorilla Grodd! I can’t believe I missed that.”
Barry apologizes again to Caitlin and Cisco for what happened earlier, promising not to give the cure to a metahuman without permission. He then suggests they offer the cure to Cicada to take instead of tricking him or forcing him. Both Cisco and Caitlin are surprised by Barry’s suggestion.
The Flash Season 5 Episode 15 Review:
Suspenseful, action-packed, and surprising, season five episode 15 titled “King Shark vs. Gorilla Grodd” brings a much-missed cast member back from medical leave and has some of the best CGI special effects the series has ever achieved. Jesse L. Martin’s return to the show as Joe West is a welcome sight. His presence has been greatly missed. His scenes with Candice as Iris trying to get over her fears of Cicada bring back the heartfelt moments that used to be in almost every episode of The Flash.
The exciting fight scene between King Shark and Gorilla Grodd is truly spectacular. It’s obvious the CGI department has been tweaking and altering the look and sound of both creatures since their debut in seasons one and two, and both have never looked better. The show deserves an Emmy for the groundbreaking work it’s done with special effects.
With Barry willing to try to offer the meta-cure to Cicada instead of taking him down with it in a fight, this most likely will not go the way Barry’s hoping. It seems Barry is just a bit too naïve for his own good.
The Smashing Pumpkins and Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds are teaming up for a North American summer tour which will kick off on August 8, 2019 in Camden, New Jersey. The August tour will stop in cities including Detroit, Chicago, Dallas, and San Diego before wrapping up on August 31st at the Shoreline Amphiteatre in Mountain View, CA.
AFI will be joining The Smashing Pumpkins and High Flying Birds as special guests on all the tour dates.
The 16 city tour will be produced by Live Nation. Tickets will go on sale beginning Friday, March 8th at 10am local time via LiveNation.com. A special presale for Citi cardmembers began on March 5th and runs through March 7th at 10pm local time at citiprivatepass.com.
The Smashing Pumpkins and Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds 2019 Tour Dates:
Thursday, August 08, 2019 – Camden, NJ at BB&T Pavilion Friday, March 8
Friday, August 09, 2019 – Wantagh, NY at Northwell Health at Jones Beach Theater
Saturday, August 10, 2019 – Darien Center, NY at Darien Lake Amphitheater
Tuesday, August 13, 2019 – Toronto, ON at Budweiser Stage
Wednesday, August 14, 2019 – Detroit, MI at DTE Energy Music Theatre
Thursday, August 15, 2019 – Chicago, IL at Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre
Saturday, August 17, 2019 – Columbia, MD at Merriweather Post Pavilion
Monday, August 19, 2019 – Cleveland, OH at Blossom Music Center
Tuesday, August 20, 2019 – Charlotte, NC at PNC Music Pavilion Charlotte
Wednesday, August 21, 2019 – Alpharetta, GA at Ameris Bank Amphitheatre
Friday, August 23, 2019 – Rogers, AR at Walmart AMP
Saturday, August 24, 2019 – Dallas, TX at Dos Equis Pavilion
Sunday, August 25, 2019 – Houston, TX at The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion presented by Huntsman
Wednesday, August 28, 2019 – San Diego, CA at North Island Credit Union Amphitheatre
Friday, August 30, 2019 – Los Angeles, CA at Banc of California Stadium
Saturday, August 31, 2019 – Mountain View, CA at Shoreline Amphitheatre
More on The Smashing Pumpkins, Courtesy of Live Nation:
“Formed in Chicago, IL in 1988, The Smashing Pumpkins released their heralded debut album Gish in 1991 and found mainstream success with 1993’s 4x multi-platinum Siamese Dream and 1995’s 10x multi-platinum Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness. With over 30 million albums sold to date, the two-time GRAMMY®, MTV VMA, and American Music Award winning band remains one of the most influential alternative rock bands in the world.
The seminal group toured their monumental Shiny And Oh So Bright Tour in 2018, which sold over 300,000 tickets across North America and saw them playing sold-out arena shows at venues including The Forum, United Center and Madison Square Garden. The tour was the band’s first in nearly two decades to feature Corgan, Chamberlin and Iha, alongside Schroeder, bassist Jack Bates and keyboardist Katie Cole.”
The second trailer has arrived for the Fox Searchlight drama, Tolkien, directed by Dome Karukoski (Tom of Finland) directed from a script by David Gleeson (The Front Line) and Stephen Beresford (Pride), has just debuted. The film’s based on the life of novelist J.R.R. Tolkien and explores his life leading up to the creation of the iconic fantasy books about hobbits, wizards, dwarves and elves.
Nicholas Hoult (Warm Bodies, Mad Max: Fury Road, The Favourite) leads the cast as J.R.R. Tolkien and Lily Collins (The Last Tycoon, Rules Don’t Apply) plays his wife, Edith. Colm Meaney (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine), Craig Roberts (Red Oaks), Anthony Boyle (The Lost City of Z), Patrick Gibson (The OA), Tom Glynn-Carney (Dunkirk), Genevieve O’Reilly (The Legend of Tarzan), Laura Donnelly (Outlander), Pam Ferris (Holmes and Watson), and Derek Jacobi (Murder on the Orient Express) also star in the 2019 drama.
Peter Chernin, Jenno Topping, David Ready, and Kris Thykier served as producers. Tolkien‘s behind the scenes team includes director of photography Lasse Frank Johannessen, editor Harri Ylönen, production designer Grant Montgomery, and costume designer Colleen Kelsall. The film’s score was provided by Thomas Newman.
Fox Searchlight will release Tolkien in theaters on May 10, 2019.
The Plot:
Tolkien explores the formative years of the orphaned author as he finds friendship, love and artistic inspiration among a group of fellow outcasts at school. This takes him into the outbreak of World War I, which threatens to tear the “fellowship” apart. All of these experiences would inspire Tolkien to write his famous Middle-Earth novels.
Summer Bishil as Margo Hanson in ‘The Magicians’ season 4 (Photo by: Eric Milner/SYFY)
The magician David Copperfield once said, “The real secret of magic lies in the performance.” Actress Summer Bishil has taken that to heart. Case in point: Her role as Margo Hanson on Syfy’s The Magicians.
Margo was originally a one-note character, but Bishil did so much more with her.
“It’s funny, I don’t think Margo wasn’t even supposed to evolve into what she evolved into. I think she was always supposed to be there for the funny little one-liners. I was determined to make her matter. I think the writers picked up on that. It’s not always that way. You can be on a show for years and have very little to do. I’m lucky that they (developed) her. I was always determined to show her humanity. As a person, it’s hard not to become invested in your character when all your character is doing or saying ‘F*** this, f***that,’ or just there to be looked at, or she’s a write-off. It motivates you. It motivates you to find something else, find something that resonates. I did that as much as I could. It really paid off,” explained Bishil.
Based on author Lev Grossman’s series of novels of the same name, The Magicians – created for television by John McNamara (Vengeance Unlimited) and Sera Gamble (Supernatural) – is currently on its fourth season. It has recently been renewed for a fifth.
“I love John,” said Bishil. “He’s a huge believer in me, in Margo. He identifies with Margo the most. I can tell he enjoys writing for her. He wrote Episode 10 (‘All That Hard, Glossy Armor’) for this season. It was the most professional episode I’ve ever done for television. I’ve got to say that I love that man.”
The Magicians centers around Quentin Coldwater (Jason Ralph, Aquarius – another McNamara show), who is a student at Brakebills University for Magical Pedagogy. A lifelong fan of the Fillory and Further series of fantasy novels from his childhood, Quentin discovers that they are, in fact, based in truth and pose a great danger to the world.
According to Bishil, this is the busiest she’s ever been on the series.
“There’s a lot going on. Margo finally gets to go on her quest and it finally comes to fruition by Episode 10. It really changes her, it’s a big moment for her. It’s a challenging time in her life. It was amazing to play. It’s what I signed up for in the pilot. I was waiting for this all these years,” she said. “Honestly, it would be very easy for Margo to become one-note. If I slept on the job in one scene, it would be very easy for her to become very obnoxious and without heart. I have to be constantly vigilant in order for her humanity to shine through.”
She continued: “I don’t have a lot of scenes that are slowly paced and are about character. You don’t often see her sad. There’s a lot of anger in Margo, so creating that dimension and showing a well-rounded spirit is golden. It’s really challenging with a lot of the lines I’m given. As profane as they are – there’s a lot of profanity – the scenes move very quickly. If I lose sight of who she is as a human being, she becomes a caricature.”
Bishil’s The Magicians co-star Rick Worthy (who appeared on McNamara’s short-lived detective series Eyes and on Supernatural with Gamble), who plays Henry Fogg, the dean of Brakebills, has high praise for her.
“I have so much respect for Summer. She’s taken the role of Margo and has done magic with it. She’s a fan-favorite. She’s taken the character and demanded from the producers that they give her something great to work with and she’s done it. (In the) first six episodes of Season 4, she really, really shines. They all do. She has taken the role and she’s made Margo funny and demanding and unapologetic. For lack of a better word, she’s got balls,” said Worthy, laughing. “She’s made Margo a sensational character. Young girls go up to Summer at cons, they hug her right away, and tell her how much they love her – it’s so nice to see that.”
According to Worthy, Bishil is the opposite of her character.
“Summer’s not like Margo. She’s pretty quiet and funny as well,” he said. “When she turns on that switch, she becomes Margo. It’s wonderful to watch.”
Summer Bishil as Margo Hanson and Hale Appleman as Eliot Waugh in a scene from ‘The Magicians’ season 3 (Photo by: Eric Milner/Syfy)
Born in Pasadena, Bishil lived in the Middle East from 1991-2002. Her mother is of Mexican descent and her father is of Indian descent. She and her family returned to the United States about a year after the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.
“I didn’t grow up around the arts per se – my father was in finance, my mom was a teacher. There wasn’t a lot of theater to watch… There was not a huge emphasis on it at the majority of schools I went to. It’s not like American schools where everybody gets a chance. If you weren’t good, you weren’t gonna be in the school play. You’d have to audition and it was brutal. I just wasn’t exposed to it a lot, so my exposure was just really the films and TV I’d watch. I loved it. A few resonated enough with me so that if we ever moved back to the U.S., that’s what I’m gonna do. I have incredibly supportive parents. When I moved back here when I was 15, my mom said, ‘Let’s do this. We’ll get you an acting teacher and see where this goes,’” recalled Bishil.
During her teens, she didn’t go to a school that focused on acting. Instead, Bishil took industry classes and completed industry workshops. She also got an agent and a manager.
“I started working in my teens,” said Bishil. “Acting classes revolved around getting jobs because I started working early. I was accepted to the American Conservatory (Theater in San Francisco), but I couldn’t work until I was done. But I already started working and I was really loving it. I didn’t want to take that step.”
Her very first acting role was at the age of 14 on the short-lived Nickelodeon TV series Just for Kicks, which was about a girls soccer team. Her breakthrough role was in 2007’s Towelhead, which was based on Alicia Erian’s novel of the same name that was adapted and directed by Emmy winner Alan Ball (Six Feet Under). It starred Oscar nominee Toni Collette (The Sixth Sense).
Set in 1990 during the first Gulf War, Towelhead is a coming-of-age story about Jasira (Bishil), a 13-year-old Lebanese American girl. She struggles with her sexual awakening and her strict father, Rifat (Peter Macdissi, Six Feet Under). Bishil received critical acclaim for her performance in Towelhead.
“It was a pretty run-of-the-mill audition. I was auditioning a lot at that time. What was different about it during that time was that I was actually right for it,” she explained. “This was before the winds of change with diversity were happening. Those roles were very limited. It was hard to cast me for more traditional roles like the girl at the school. This was before colorblind casting had taken hold in the industry.”
Bishil continued: “When I read it, I was immediately like, ‘Finally, something I could book. Something that feels tangible.’ It was special to me the minute I read the script. I felt honored to get it at such a young age. I was 17. I remember being incredibly painfully shy. I remember my representative when I got my first audition, ‘Forget about it. You’re never gonna carry a film. You just started acting.’ I dropped him. I said, ‘You’re not for me.’ It was this weird kismet, this-was-for-me thing. I went back to my callback and booked it. It was the first time I trusted my instincts and stood up for myself.”
Still, that’s not to say she wasn’t nervous, especially working with a seasoned veteran such as Collette, someone whom Bishil admires.
“I was nervous going into a situation with established talent and I had to carry film,” said Bishil. “It was terrifying, but I think those nerves helped me in a strange way.”
Next up was 2009’s crime drama Crossing Over with Hollywood legend Harrison Ford (Star Wars), Ray Liotta (Goodfellas), and Ashley Judd (Kiss the Girls). Although it was critically panned, Bishil was praised for her performance as Taslima Jahangir.
“It’s always surprising and amazing when you’re praised for a performance because you work so hard on it – you never know. At least I don’t,” she said. “I spent so much time working and, in the process, I shut myself off from the world. I immerse myself. When it comes out and people have related to it and it resonated with someone, it’s really rewarding.”
In 2010, she appeared as Azula in The Last Airbender – based on the animated series Avatar: The Last Airbender – directed by M. Night Shyamalan (The Sixth Sense). Even though the movie didn’t do that well, Bishil enjoyed working with Shyamalan.
“I absolutely loved it,” she said. “He’s a nice man. He’s a great director, obviously. It was a bummer it was so limited. My character would’ve been a tremendous one to take on. It was really upsetting when it didn’t pan out. But I had a nice experience with him, however brief it was, and I had been a huge fan of his over the years. I still am.”
She spoke about how there are more opportunities for minorities in Hollywood.
“Getting projects with diverse casts wasn’t happening as often back then. I do think they are plenty more roles like Margo where it doesn’t matter where you’re from,” said Bishil. “There’s definitely more opportunity for people from all walks of life. There’s this feeling of hope and excitement. It’s not something that’s going to hold me back, nor should it hold any actor back.”
The CW’s Roswell, New Mexico season one episode seven, directed by Paul Wesley, kicks off with a flashback to July 1947. A military team goes over a body on an autopsy table. It appears human but after being cut open, they discover a glowing orb inside. It’s weighed, photographed, and a video is shot of the entire procedure. They then discover a strange tattoo with three circles on the body’s palm.
Flash-forward to 2019 and Liz (Jeanine Mason) is ripping photos off Rosa’s bedroom wall and tossing other items in boxes. She then heads into work while her voice-over informs us she’s stuck in the anger stage of the grieving process. She also admits this rage is fueling her and she’s embraced it, wearing it as her armor.
Meanwhile, Jenna Cameron (Riley Voelkel) wakes in Max’s bed. The tattoo on his back, which matches the dead body’s tattoo, is exposed while he sleeps. Cameron checks her phone and notices Jesse Manes has texted her to find out her answer to his request. Before she can sneak away, Max’s alarm goes off. She admits she didn’t mean to spend the night and neither want to talk about their booty call. It doesn’t mean anything to either of them.
Once at the station, Cameron interviews Liz about the events that led up to Max shooting Wyatt. Liz describes being held in a shipping crate and then Max showed up to rescue her. She didn’t call Max and claims she doesn’t know how he knew she was in trouble.
Max (Nathan Dean Parsons) is also being given the third degree by an investigator looking into the officer-involved shooting and whether Max is fit to return to duty after having been shot and refusing to be treated by doctors. Max demands the investigator finish up and let him get back to work. That doesn’t go over well.
Liz and Max complete their interrogations at the same time, but Liz acts like Max has the plague and won’t acknowledge his presence as she charges past him and out of the station.
Liz’s day goes from bad to worse when she discovers Isobel (Lily Cowles) is outside waiting for her, armed with flowers and an apology. Isobel doesn’t remember what happened, and Liz can’t believe she killed three people and doesn’t know why. Liz admits the only reason she hasn’t gone to the cops is because that would bring attention to her dad, attention they can’t afford if he wants to remain in America. Liz can’t act, can’t clear the family name for fear her dad will be deported.
Isobel apologizes again but Liz reveals she thinks Isobel’s capable of killing someone else since her blackouts are back.
Alex (Tyler Blackburn) pays a visit to Liz at work in the hospital, worried because she’s not returning his phone call or Maria’s. It’s Saturday and Liz shouldn’t be at work, but she is just to avoid everyone. Alex calls Liz a crappy friend because she hasn’t even asked Maria how she’s doing. Maria’s going through a lot, but Liz has been so preoccupied she hasn’t noticed.
Speaking of Maria (Heather Hemmens), she’s at the bar listening to her mother discuss aliens. Her mom recalls Will being in the bunker and speaking to an alien. Will turns out to be Will Smith and the alien conversation is from Independence Day. Still, Maria’s patient with her mother.
Liz and Alex arrive as Maria’s still seated with her mom at a table, and a happy reunion ensues. Unfortunately, Maria’s mom thinks Liz is Rosa.
Isobel’s wallowing in her anger, grief, and confusion over at Michael’s trailer. When he arrives, she admits she’s worried she may hurt someone again. She reminds her brother he found her in the desert recently without a clue as to how she got there or what she did just prior to passing out alone.
Michael (Michael Vlamis) promises he won’t let her hurt anyone. Isobel describes a thing inside of her that she’s terrified of unleashing.
Back at the bar, Maria and Liz catch up over drinks. Maria says her mom, Mimi, actually isn’t sick. Doctors have cleared her of pretty much every possible disease, yet she wanders around obsessed with aliens on Earth and not making sense. Maria refuses to put her in a care facility, and Liz suggests a full-on Mama DeLuca day.
Wyatt’s still in the hospital, recuperating from Max shooting him in the knee. When Max demands to know why he tried to kill Liz and why he did kill Grant Green, Wyatt claims he doesn’t remember any of it. Cameron puts an end to any further questioning, reminding Max he’s not on duty and he’s violating Wyatt’s rights.
After Max leaves, Cameron instructs Wyatt to write down what he remembers from that night. He continues to claim he’s innocent and that he didn’t shoot anyone. Angry, Cameron tells him he almost killed Max. Just two inches to the right and Max would be dead. Of course, Wyatt drops the Blue Lives Matter line, denying he’d ever shoot a cop.
As they’re talking, Wyatt has been drawing the three circles tattoo without even realizing he’s doing it.
Max’s horrible, awful, very bad day continues when Michael is waiting for him at his place. Max tries to send Michael away, but Michael won’t leave. Instead, he insists he and Isobel had to send Liz away and had to keep what they did a secret. Max asks Michael to consider how he’d feel if he sent Alex away without telling him. Michael admits he’d hate his brother if he was the one who sent Alex off to war.
Maria and Liz finally have their first real heart-to-heart. Maria confesses she feels like another little piece of her mom slips away each day.
Max gives Sheriff Valenti a call, begging to come back to work. He’d even settle for desk duty. Apparently, she says no because he’s in a rotten mood when Noah (Karan Oberoi) arrives to talk about Isobel. Max mistakenly believes Noah wants to discuss what’s going on between him and Isobel, but actually Noah’s there to check on Isobel after he kicked her out. Noah assumed Isobel would be staying at Max’s and that’s why he’s there. Max thinks maybe he did the right thing by kicking out Isobel, and he thinks Noah deserves better than his sister.
Maria, Liz, Mimi, and Alex have an outdoor picnic at the drive-in. Mimi reads their auras and she still believes Liz is Rosa. Rosa tells Maria to just go with it, and then she describes to Mimi what she (as a very much alive Rosa) has been doing for 10 years. She gives her dead sister a wonderful life. Mimi tells Rosa she has a beautiful destiny as tears stream down Liz’s face.
A short while later, Noah’s at work at his law office and he reaches out to Max. This time their conversation is all about Wyatt. He warns Max that if he doesn’t lay off Wyatt, Wyatt’s lawyers will dig into his life and his record as a cop. They’ll discover Max has been protecting Liz’s dad, Arturo, from ICE. Max needs to allow Wyatt to say he attacked Grant Green in self-defense.
Maria and Alex leave Mimi and Liz at the table, and Mimi asks about Isobel. She remembers Rosa told her Isobel confessed her secrets and it scared her. Rosa had been thinking about telling her dad what Isobel revealed. Liz figures out that’s why Isobel killed her sister.
Max’s bad day continues when Cameron arrives with items he left at her place. She wants to end their sexual relationship and Max is okay with that. He wants to remain friends and they even relax and chat over beers. She leads him into a conversation about tattoos, asking about the one on his shoulder. Max says it doesn’t mean anything; it’s just a design he used to doodle as a kid.
Cameron knows he’s lying and shows him the exact same design that Wyatt drew in the hospital. Max, furious, rips off his arm sling and stalks off.
Liz and Mimi have one more short talk which turns to Will Smith, aliens, and Independence Day. Maria walks up as they’re talking and she asks Liz, out of Mimi’s earshot, to help her check in her mom at an assisted living facility. She finally believes it’s time.
Max does exactly what he shouldn’t be doing. He shows up in Wyatt’s hospital room and threatens him, warning him not to go after Liz or her family. Liz barges in and witnesses Max looming over Wyatt and demands he stop.
Up in her lab, Liz tells Max she’s no longer sure about him as a cop or a man. She demands to know what he stands for, questioning his character. Max reveals he’s just trying to keep her safe because Wyatt came after her for a reason.
Max then notices containers of his blood that Liz collected. When he asks, she admits she’s attempting to create a weapon. She was trying to create a serum to mute their powers, but she didn’t intend to cause them pain. She knows Isobel is having blackouts and is dangerous, and she’s determined to do something to stop the next murder spree from taking place.
Max drives over to Michael’s place and apologizes for earlier. However, the real reason he’s there is to discuss Isobel. They don’t know why she committed murder and he’s worried she’ll lose control again. Max’s solution is to leave Roswell, New Mexico and the people they love. It’s the only way to keep everyone safe. “We don’t get to have lives anymore, okay? We don’t get to be with the people we want to be with. The three of us – we only have each other,” says Max.
Michael’s skeptical and wants to know what changed. Max reveals Liz is working on an alien poison she wants to use on Isobel. Isobel overhears and isn’t surprised her brothers are trying to make all the decisions, but she’s now thinking for herself. She knows she’s a danger when she blacks out and running won’t help. She won’t hurt anyone again. Max doesn’t want her to inject herself with the serum, but Isobel tells her brothers she wants to make her own decisions moving forward.
Not long after, Isobel’s at the hospital with Max. She’s made her decision. She’ll be locked in on a psych hold (thanks to Kyle owing Max a favor) and won’t be able to hurt anyone if she blacks out. Or as Isobel says in a surprising little Buffy the Vampire Slayer nod, she goes all Dark Willow.
Michael shows up at the bar after it’s closed. (Why are the doors always unlocked on closed established in Roswell?) Maria reluctantly allows him to have a drink, if he doesn’t talk. She breaks down crying and Michael comforts her.
Noah arrives at the hospital concerned about Isobel. He thinks it was the booze, and he tells Max he won’t give up on his wife.
Max returns to Liz’s lab to inform her they’ve locked up Isobel to keep her from doing any harm. He asks that she please not test her poison on Isobel, and Liz confesses she’s getting rid of the serum. “I became a scientist to help people, to build something, and to keep people from slipping away before their time,” explains Liz. “What you did to Rosa made me forget that.”
Liz no longer wants to use her rage and vengeance to create something. Max shocks Liz by telling her she should continue her work on the serum. It might end this and make them normal. He also admits Isobel is dangerous as are he and Michael. He can’t give up on his family. “But if something happens and I can’t protect you and Isobel at the same time,” says Max, placing the syringe filled with serum in Liz’s hand, “You should have a way to protect yourself.”
All Liz can do is stare in shock as Max leaves.
Cameron goes over drawings of the circular design and looks at the photos of the zapped electrical boxes. She then sends Manes a text: “Look into Max Evans.”
Freeform’s moving forward on a new series about the Salem witches. The one-hour drama is titled Motherland: Fort Salem and takes place in an alternate version of modern day America.
The series will have a 10 episode first season.
Claws‘ Eliot Laurence created Motherland: Fort Salem and will handle showrunning duties for the inaugural season. Laurence is also writing season one and executive produces with Will Ferrell, Adam McKay, Maria Maggenti, Steven Adelson, and Kevin Messick. Steven A. Adelson (Riverdale, Siren) directed the pilot.
“We’re so excited to be able to tell this story rich with female empowerment, complex storytelling and an incredibly creative canon,” stated Tom Ascheim, president, Freeform. “While set in an alternative universe, Motherland: Fort Salem will continue the authentic and issues-driven storylines that our network is known for, and what our audience has come to expect. We are thrilled to be working with Eliot, Will, Adam and Kevin on this exceptionally creative tale and look forward to bringing this even further to life.”
“A writer couldn’t ask for more loyal and nurturing partners than Gary Sanchez and Freeform,” added Eliot Laurence. “I could not be more thrilled and grateful to share this long-simmering labor of love with the world.”
Season one stars Taylor Hickson (Deadly Class), Jessica Sutton (The Kissing Booth), Amalia Holm (Playground), and Demetria McKinney (The Saints and Sinners).
“Will, Adam and I couldn’t be more excited about the opportunity to take Eliot’s vision to series. Motherland: Fort Salem is bold and original storytelling and Freeform has been incredibly supportive in helping us realize Eliot’s alternate version of America. We can’t wait to get started on the season,” said executive producer Kevin Messick.
Vice director Adam McKay said, “So excited Freeform has given a platform to one of the most original writers working today; Eliot Laurence. Sanchez has worked with Eliot for years and he has astounded us yet again with the imaginative and layered world of Motherland: Fort Salem.”
The Plot:
“The series is set in an alternate, present-day America where witches ended their persecution 300 years ago by cutting a deal with the U.S. government to fight for their country. Motherland: Fort Salem follows three young women from basic training in combat magic into terrifying and thrilling early deployment. In this world, the traditional roles of gender and power are flipped with women on the front lines, the fight looming and terrorist threats that are strikingly familiar to our world, but with supernatural tactics and weapons.
Taylor Hickson portrays Raelle, a reluctant recruit with major authority issues whose mother recently died in the line of duty. Jessica Sutton is Tally, a kind, strong-willed and curious witch who enlisted despite her mother’s passionate disapproval. Amalia Holm rounds out the young witch recruits, playing Scylla, a playful yet dark and mischievous recruit who is not what she appears to be. Demetria McKinney plays Anacostia, a tough but wryly humorous drill sergeant whose chief concern is keeping the young recruits alive through basic training.”
America Ferrera as Amy in ‘Superstore’ (Photo by: Ron Batzdorff/NBC)
NBC’s definitely bringing back the half-hour comedy Superstore for a fifth season. The network just confirmed the critically acclaimed comedy series has been renewed for season five, with the announcement coming just days ahead of the series’ midseason four premiere on March 7, 2019.
Season four has been averaging 4.4 million viewers while competing for eyeballs in the same time slot as The Big Bang Theory and Grey’s Anatomy. According to the network, Superstore gets 44% of its live plus seven day plus digital from non-linear sources.
“Week after week Justin Spitzer, our amazing writers, and cast and crew masterfully deliver a comedy that not only makes us laugh but speaks to the larger issues of the day,” stated Lisa Katz and Tracey Pakosta, Co-Presidents of Scripted Programming, NBC Entertainment.
Season four airs on Thursdays at 8pm ET/PT. America Ferrera (Ugly Betty) leads the cast that includes Ben Feldman (Mad Men, A to Z), Colton Dunn (Key & Peele), Nichole Bloom (Shameless), Nico Santos (Crazy Rich Asians), Mark McKinney (The Kids in the Hall), and Lauren Ash (Super Fun Night).
The popular comedy was created by Justin Spitzer. Spitzer executive produces along with Ruben Fleischer, David Bernad, Gabe Miller, Jonathan Green, and Jackie Clarke.
The Plot:
“Superstore centers around Amy (Ferrera), the store’s most stalwart employee as well as the glue holding the place together, and Jonah (Feldman), a dreamer determined to prove work doesn’t have to be boring. Their fellow associates include the sardonic Garrett (Dunn), sweet teenager Cheyenne (Bloom), and the ambitious Mateo (Santos), who has recently learned he is undocumented. Overseeing the store is Glenn (McKinney), the store’s affable, clueless store manager, and Dina (Ash), the aggressive assistant manager who enforces Cloud 9 policy with an iron fist.
From the bright-eyed newbies and the seen-it-all veterans to the clueless seasonal hires and the in-it-for-life managers, together they tackle the day-to-day grind of rabid bargain hunters, riot-causing sales and nap-worthy training sessions.”
I didn’t grow up reading comic books, and superhero movies weren’t my thing as a kid. As an adult, I’ve come to enjoy most comic book adaptations. Even the terrible ones have their moments. However, you don’t need to be an expert on the superhero genre to understand, recognize, and appreciate the significant leaps the genre’s made over the past few years after being strictly a white male-filled arena. Black Panther broke records, earned multiple Oscars, and changed the Hollywood zeitgeist by forcing studio heads to reconsider talent in front of and behind the cameras. Wakanda Forever.
Would Captain Marvel have been made – or considered a box office threat – without the irrefutable success of Wonder Woman? Wonder Woman, helmed by Patty Jenkins and starring Gal Gadot, broke through the glass ceiling and changed the landscape of women in superhero films moving forward.
Of course, neither Black Panther nor Wonder Woman would have altered the path for future comic book adaptations if they had not been terrific, entertaining films. We can now add Captain Marvel to that list of groundbreaking comic book-inspired productions that worked.
Marvel’s 2019 Captain Marvel is, thankfully, a solid action film filled with humor and powered by top-notch performances. For those like me whose only knowledge of superheroes comes from films rather than the source material, Captain Marvel is a welcome addition to the superhero origin story movies.
We catch up with Captain Marvel (Brie Larson), who’s referred to as Vers by her Kree commander, Yon-Rogg (Jude Law), as she’s training to harness her powers. Vers is a soldier with a rebellious streak who has a difficult time listening to orders. She’s told, repeatedly, to keep her emotions in check, an instruction that justifiably riles up Vers (and half the audience).
Vers is with her squad on a rescue mission when things go sideways, and she winds up alone, plummeting to Earth and busting through the roof of a Blockbuster Video. That store, plus the nearby Radio Shack, the use of pagers, and Alta Vista as the default search engine, help establish that Vers is visiting Earth in the 1990s. It also helps confirm we have no reason to feel nostalgic about that particular decade.
She’s followed to Earth by the Krees’ arch enemies, the Skrulls, who staged the rescue mission in order to capture Vers and probe her brain for memories that might help them locate a power crucial to their survival. As Vers attempts to track down these alien intruders, she experiences flashbacks to her own life on Earth. Confused but not frightened, Vers joins forces with Nick Fury to discover the truth about herself, the war between the Krees and Skrulls, and the real reason she’s important to both races.
Captain Marvel’s powered by a dynamite performance by Oscar winner Brie Larson (Room) as Carol Danvers. Larson proves to be a thoroughly convincing action heroine. She can also handle the humor and is particularly adept at nailing smirks, side-eyes, and witty comebacks.
Samuel L Jackson gets more screen time than usual as Nick Fury, a character he’s played in Iron Man, Iron Man 2, Thor, Captain America: The First Avenger, The Avengers, Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Avengers: Age of Ultron, and Avengers: Infinity War. After 11 years of playing Fury (don’t call him Nick or Nicholas), it’s Captain Marvel that pulls the pieces together and fills in huge blanks in Fury’s story. And, yes, it’s a little bizarre to see Jackson aged backwards via some impressive technology.
Ben Mendelsohn handles the role of the shapeshifting Skrulls’ leader, Talos, and he’s one of the better antagonists to emerge from a Marvel production. Annette Bening is superb in a pivotal role that has more layers than expected and that, if I said any more about, would be considered a spoiler. And, Lashana Lynch provides the film its heart and humanity as Carol’s best friend and fellow U.S. Air Force pilot Maria Rambeau. Maria is confused about the return of her friend who was presumed dead following a horrifying plane crash, yet she welcomes her back even after learning Carol’s a soldier from an alien planet. Maria reminds Carol that even before she had superpowers, she was a fierce warrior.
Captain Marvel marks the first Marvel film with a female as the titular character. Incredibly, it’s also the first Marvel superhero film to be directed by a woman. Anna Boden co-directed with Ryan Fleck, and Boden and Fleck also co-wrote the screenplay with Geneva Robertson-Dworet. The trio worked in quite a few swipes at sexist tropes, but not an obnoxious amount. The film is also an indictment of powerful nations that repress and reject outsiders or those considered lessor individuals. Those swipes are both timely and well-placed.
Captain Marvel has a playful vibe and yet nails the full-on female-empowerment/empowering action thriller aspect as well. It’s also a pretty darn good buddy road trip sort of picture. Larson and Jackson have great buddy chemistry on screen, and Carol and Fury’s friendship is entertaining to watch develop.
I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention a certain scene-stealing feline. Goose the cat is just as important a supporting player as his two-legged co-stars, and I’d dare you—even if you’re a dog person—to come away from Captain Marvel not wanting to hug the nearest tabby.
I confess to being a bit lost during the first act’s explanation of Carol’s time on Earth, but ultimately it all came together in a completely satisfying conclusion. This is Carol Danvers’ story and we learn bits and pieces of her past as she comes to terms with her true identity and history. As Carol’s knowledge of her own backstory grows, her strength and determination to be the hero she realizes is inside emerge. Just as Carol embraces her power, audiences will embrace the wonder that is Captain Marvel.
GRADE: A-
Rating: PG-13 for sequences of sci-fi violence and action, and brief suggestive language
Please let Bran be in the process of revealing Jon’s real parents to the King in the North when he says, “Everything you did brought you where you are now. Where you belong. Home.” The full trailer for the eighth and final season of HBO’s Game of Thrones has finally arrived and it brings with it so many questions.
Are Jon Snow and Daenerys about to ride Rhaegal and Drogon into battle immediately after the clip of the two walking toward Dany’s dragons? Why is Cersei crying and drinking? Does that mean she miscarried? It’s apparent Tormund Giantsbane (Kristofer Hivju), Beric Dondarrion (Richard Dormer) and Edd Tollett (Ben Crompton) survived the fall of the Wall, but why are we provided that spoiler? The GoT people are normally very good at withholding any content that bares the slightest resemble to a spoiler. Does that mean they’ll die quickly in season eight?
Jaime, who went from being one of the most hated characters to one who’s gone a long way toward redeeming himself, says he “promised to fight for the living. I intend to keep that promise.” But, at what cost? He’s looking quite disheveled for Jaime as he readies for battle. Is Cersei’s brother-lover about to die in the war with the Night King?
Jon Snow’s been my favorite character since George R.R. Martin’s first book in the “A Song of Ice and Fire” series. If either he or Daenerys are seated on the Iron Throne at the end of season eight episode six, I’ll be a satisfied Game of Thrones fan. However, during the only opportunity I’ve had to interview Martin I asked/begged him not to kill off Jon…so of course he’s going to die. In that case, it better be the Mother of Dragons who triumphs.
Season eight’s cast includes Kit Harington as Jon Snow, Emilia Clarke as Daenerys Targaryen, Sophie Turner as Sansa Stark, Maisie Williams as Arya Stark, Peter Dinklage as Tyrion Lannister, Lena Headey as Cersei Lannister, and Nikolaj Coster-Waldau as Jaime Lannister. Iain Glen is Jorah Mormont, John Bradley is Samwell Tarly, Gwendoline Christie is Brienne, and Isaac Hempstead Wright is Bran Stark.
Nathalie Emmanuel returns as Misandei, Jacob Anderson is Grey Worm, Rory McCann is The Hound, and Daniel Portman’s back as Podrick Payne.
Season eight will premiere on Sunday, April 14, 2019 at 9pm ET/PT. Although there will only be six episodes to conclude the series, each episode is expected to be super-sized.
