Fox’s Gotham returns on Thursday, January 3, 2019 at 8pm ET/PT with an episode titled “Year Zero.” In support of the upcoming premiere of the show’s final season, Fox just released a new lengthy Gotham: Legend of the Dark Knight trailer. The network also unveiled a batch of photos from the first episode.
Season five of the dark and gritty comic book-inspired series stars Ben McKenzie as Detective James Gordon, Donal Logue as Detective Harvey Bullock, Sean Pertwee as Alfred Pennyworth, Robin Lord Taylor as Oswald Cobblepot/The Penguin, Erin Richards as Barbara Kean, David Mazouz as Bruce Wayne, Camren Bicondova as Selina Kyle/the future Catwoman, and Cory Michael Smith as Edward Nygma/The Riddler.
The final season cast also includes Chris Chalk as Lucius Fox, Morena Baccarin as Lee Thompkins, Jessica Lucas as Tabitha Galavan, Cameron Monaghan as Jerome/Jeremiah Valeska, and David W. Thompson as Jonathan Crane/The Scarecrow. Shane West joins the series as Eduardo Dorrance/Bane.
Executive producer John Stephens confirmed at the 2018 New York Comic Con that the series will end with a 10-year time jump. “The whole 10th episode takes place 10 years in the future,” explained John Stephens during our roundtable interview. “It’s all of our characters as we would see them when Batman arrives.”
Details on Season 5:
“Gotham is an origin story of the great DC Comics Super-Villains and vigilantes, revealing an entirely new chapter that has never been told. From executive producer and writer Bruno Heller and executive producers Danny Cannon and John Stephens, Gotham follows the rise of Det. James Gordon (McKenzie) through a dangerously corrupt city teetering between good and evil, and chronicles the birth of one of the most popular super heroes of our time.
Beginning in this January, Gotham will air its fifth and final season, wrapping up this beloved series in a farewell event that will focus on Bruce Wayne’s (Mazouz) transformation into the caped crusader.”
Disneynature’s upcoming Penguins film is showing off a new adorable poster. The poster made its debut on the official first day of winter, December 21, 2018.
Penguins was directed by Alastair Fothergirll and Jeff Wilson, the filmmakers behind Bears and Chimpanzee. Fothergill also produced along with Mark Linfield, Keith Scholey, and Roy Conli.
Disneynature’s previous theatrical releases include Earth, Oceans, African Cats, Chimpanzee, Bears, Monkey Kingdom, and Born in China. According to Walt Disney Studios, “Disneynature’s commitment to conservation is a key pillar of the label and the films empower the audience to help make a difference, with each film driving significant conservation outcomes, supporting wildlife featured in the films.”
The studio reports Disneynature’s releases currently hold seven of the eight spots on the biggest grossing feature length nature films list. Narrators of Disneynature’s theatrical releases have included James Earl Jones, Pierce Brosnan, Samuel L. Jackson, Tim Allen, John C. Reilly, Tina Fey, and John Krasinski.
Disneynature’s set to release Penguins in theaters on Earth Day, April 17, 2019.
The Plot:
Disneynature’s all-new feature film Penguins is a coming-of-age story about an Adélie penguin named Steve who joins millions of fellow males in the icy Antarctic spring on a quest to build a suitable nest, find a life partner and start a family. None of it comes easily for him, especially considering he’s targeted by everything from killer whales to leopard seals, who unapologetically threaten his happily ever after.
Donal Logue admitted he’s in a little bit of denial about having to say goodbye to his Gotham co-stars. During our interview at the 2018 New York Comic Con, Logue spoke about wrapping up his role as Harvey Bullock on season five – the final season – of Gotham.
Donal Logue revealed Gotham’s the most cinematic show he’s worked on, complimenting the series on its incredible amount of emphasis on the cinematography, sets, hair, and makeup. “In a way all you have to do is just inhabit it. It does so much of the work for you, as opposed to other acting jobs I’ve had where it’s more verité and you have to create a lot of the mood and emotion as an actor. I think Gotham is these beautiful set pieces that you just step into,” explained Logue.
Fox has set a January 3, 2019 premiere date for the comic book-inspired series’ fifth season.
Did you speak to the executive producers about anything you still wanted to see out of your character’s arc?
Donal Logue: “No. I would say that Ben probably has more authorship in that world. I’m kind of a soldier in that regard that, that I just, ‘What you’ve got for me I’ll take.’ Whatever comes down the pike.
They’re working on so many complicated arcs and storylines that I think it’s hard to interfere too much with that process. I also kind of like to see what they come up with and be kind of surprised myself.”
You got to have the big heroic moment last season which had fans on the edge of their seats. That was thrilling, even though we knew you survive in the comic books.
Donal Logue: “You know, obviously that’s a bit of a trick in these worlds is that you have the sense that there are consequences. But in Gotham there are consequences. People go…but I mean a lot of people come back from the dead. I honestly think that Harvey has very little life outside of his job in the GCPD and his relationship with Jim Gordon. I think he’s almost like an empty vessel if he doesn’t have it and so he’s more driven psychologically by that need to just have some purpose in life because I don’t think he has much of a life outside of work.”
That said, did you ever create a life for him?
Donal Logue: “Totally. It’s a lot darker than I think the showrunners think. I think if you got to see his life, you’d be shocked at how spartan and severe it is outside of work. I think when Gotham started, Harvey was just trying to claw out the last few years to get to pension. Jim Gordon reignited something inside of him and gave him some purpose to live and to continue and to care.”
After all these years, how’s it been working with Ben McKenzie? Do you feel like brothers?
Donal Logue: “We felt that way right off the bat. My sister worked with Ben on Southland and really enjoyed working with Ben. Somehow, we fell into step with each other. He’s an amazing human being. He’s incredibly kind and yet he has a very strong spine. He’s a great leader.
He’s a great #1 on the call sheet and it means a lot. I’ve seen shows and we all probably know of certain shows where that kind of stuff gets in and it really wrecks the dynamic of just showing up every day and doing your job. There was never an incident of that on Gotham, ever. I’m so appreciative. These are really beautiful human beings that we get to work with. There was no ego involved. It was such a pleasure to be a part of.
You know, when you’re away from your family working and you’re working 15 or 16 hours a day, usually in a city that you don’t live in, it’s so important that you have the connection with the cast and the crew that we have. I know people talk about that kind of stuff all the time. I’m a father and I just really come at this thing like you come at it. You’re just a human being showing up. Doing your job is what you do; who you are is who you are. But we’ve made this kind of family within Gotham. I’ll miss them dearly.”
What’s on your Bullock bucket list?
Donal Logue: “I didn’t really have one. Bullock’s role is really there to serve when stuff goes awry. He might twinge about it a little bit, he might bitch and moan, but when the stuff goes down, Bullock’s always there over Jim’s shoulder. I think that whatever the trajectory that they wanted for the last season, I just was there. I didn’t have any kind of personal thing that I would really like to see Harvey necessarily do. I just wanted him to be part of the team and do what he always does.”
What can you tease about the finale?
Donal Logue: “What I can tell you is that it’s pushed 10 years in the future. […] It’s going to jump in the future. You’re going to catch Gotham in the stage right before it needs intervention from what will be Batman.”
Hulu’s hysterical comedy series Future Man returns for season two on Friday, January 11, 2019. The new season finds Josh Futturman (Josh Hutcherson), Tiger (Eliza Coupe), and Wolf (Derek Wilson) stuck in 2162 after failing to stop the cure from being released.
The cast and executive producers took part in a panel at the 2018 New York Comic Con where they provided hints as to what’s in store for Josh, Wolf, and Tiger in the show’s second season. In addition to the Q&A with NYCC fans, the Future Man team participated in roundtable interviews. Chatting about the new season, Josh Hutcherson described what’s going on with his character, his co-stars, and his own gaming skills.
Is it weird, easier, or more difficult playing a character with your same name?
Josh Hutcherson: “It’s really, really weird and definitely harder because normally you get to hide behind a name, but I have the same name as my character. So, it’s very confusing on set because Josh is me and Josh is the character so then I start talking in the third person. I remember talking like, ‘So, when Josh enters…’ and they think I’m talking about me. It’s a mindf*ck.”
What sort of hell they put you through in the second season?
Josh Hutcherson: “All kinds of it. I think literally 70% of this season I’m restrained in some way, whether it’s handcuffs, tied to a chair about to be burned alive, shackled to a little shed while being muzzled, being fed bean mush, being fed mushrooms that make you shit your pants, being tied and strapped down to a chair… It’s the whole season. Drinking my own piss…there’s a lot of stuff.”
They like to torture you.
Josh Hutcherson: “They like to torture me. They really have some issues with me. I don’t know what it is. They really don’t like me. They want to see me restrained and held against my will.”
This season splits up the gang a little bit more. What was it like being away from Derek and Eliza? The first season you had so many scenes together.
Josh Hutcherson: “It was weird. We really developed quite the dynamic between the three of us, not even just as actors in scenes and sort of our comedy whatnot together, but just as friends and people working together. So, to not be with them when you’ve got the rare scene…I mean towards the later half of the season we get a lot more together, but the first half of the season we’re kind of separate a lot. When you get those rare moments of seeing each other it was lovely.”
Josh Hutcherson in ‘Future Man’ season 2 episode 1 (Photo by: Erin Simkin/Hulu)
Josh started a nerd and remains a nerd. Given that, what’s his greatest strength?
Josh Hutcherson: “I think his greatest strength is his fight. Not the physical ability to fight, but the fight within him. He’s never going to give up and he’s going to constantly, even when he’s put through hell he’s going to keep on fighting, so to speak, towards a better future and saving the world. I think he has a lot of heart in that sense.
I think that while he’s not very smart, he’s knowledgeable. He knows a lot of things especially when it comes to sci-fi and time travel. His references from movies and strategies from video games kind of come into play with some of his decision-making. That doesn’t mean it always goes well, but those are some of his strengths.”
Do you get much input into how Josh will evolve?
Josh Hutcherson: “Yeah, we talk a lot about it between the seasons, kind of like the general arc of where he’s going and everything like that. And then day-to-day on set when we get the new scripts coming in from new episodes, we all talk about it. We do read-throughs and kind of discuss things that work and things that don’t. It’s a super collaborative environment, so it’s a nice safe place to come up with ideas. And some of my ideas are shot down sometimes.”
What’s been shot down?
Josh Hutcherson: “Well, I had this idea for season three as a whole that was we’re being chased through the decades by like time police kind of thing. And, they actually had a similar idea. I think we’re working on that for if we have a season three. I think maybe that’s the direction we’ll head in for season three, if we get to that. So, it wasn’t really shot down. It’s like, ‘That’s cool. We’re going to put it over here for now.’”
Is there anyone in season two he’s going to team up with that we might not expect? Are there any new supporting players that come into his life?
Josh Hutcherson: “A robotic dog.”
Seriously?
Josh Hutcherson: “Yeah. It’s a sad, sad story for Josh Futterman. There’s actually a lot of great characters that come into play, especially with Wolf and his cluster of family that he now lives with. Really funny characters there. Dr. Stu Camillo, Haley Joel Osment’s character, has a much bigger role and he’s hilarious in this. And I have a few scenes where I play opposite myself again, so that’s really fun.”
What’s special about working with Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg?
Josh Hutcherson: “They’re great. Our whole writing team, they’re fantastic. They have unique minds and kind of the way they approach projects is like, ‘Hey, what if we made this?’ and then they go and make it and it’s hilarious. They have a great brand of comedy and they always bring in the highest level of actors and crew members possible to make something come to life.
I’d definitely love to work with them on other things. It’s just a collaborative environment. The best idea, the funniest idea, is the one that wins no matter where it comes from.”
How do your real life video game skills compare to Josh’s?
Josh Hutcherson: “You know, I think I’m fairly good at video games. I didn’t really know that I was and I started playing after the first season of Future Man. I haven’t played lately so I’m a bit rusty. I’ve been gaming online quite a bit, playing a lot of Overwatch.”
Who do you play as?
Josh Hutcherson: “I switch it up. I’m a filler. I fill whatever the team is needing.”
The Vampire Diaries‘ Nina Dobrev returns to series television with a starring role in CBS’s half-hour comedy, Fam. The new series features Dobrev and Tone Bell as an engaged couple who take in Dobrev’s half-sister, a good deed that drastically alters their lives.
Fam was created by Corinne Kingsbury who also serves as an executive producer along with Aaron Kaplan, Wendi Trilling, and Dana Honor. CBS will be debuting the comedy on Thursday, January 10, 2019 at 9:30pm ET/PT.
The Fam Cast:
Nina Dobrev stars as Clem, Tone Bell plays Nick, and Odessa Adlon is Shannon. The cast also includes Sheryl Lee Ralph as Rose and Brian Stokes Mitchell as Walt. Gary Cole appears in a recurring role.
The Fam Plot:
Fam stars Nina Dobrev and Tone Bell in a comedy about a woman whose vision of a perfect life with her adoring fiancé and his wonderful family is radically altered when her 16-year-old, out-of-control half-sister unexpectedly comes to live with her. Clem’s upbringing and teen years left a lot to be desired, but she pulled herself up, and built a fantastic life – great job, terrific apartment and an amazing fiancé, Nick, a college professor from a well-to-do “normal” family.
Nick’s warm and supportive parents, Rose and Walt, embrace Clem and complete the family she always wanted. But when Clem’s wild-child half-sister, Shannon, appears on their doorstep to escape their train wreck of a dad, Nick agrees that Clem can help her avoid all the mistakes she made, and they invite her to move in. As the family Clem chose and the family she has blend, Clem realizes that this happy fam may be the perfection she’s been seeking.
Following close behind with eight nominations were Vice, Roma, and Leave No Trace. Each earned nominations in the Best Film category where they’ll compete with The Favourite, Green Book, and BlacKkKlansman. If Beale Street Could Talk, Black Panther, and Blackkklansman were also multiple awards nominees, each picking up five nominations from the AWFJ*.
In addition to the normal film and acting categories, the group annually recognizes female filmmakers with specific awards promoting their work. Winners of the AWFJ EDA Awards will be announced on January 10, 2019.
Alliance of Women Film Journalists Awards Nominees:
Best Film
BLACKkKLANSMAN
THE FAVOURITE GREEN BOOK
LEAVE NO TRACE
ROMA
VICE
Best Director
Alfonso Cuaron – ROMA
Debra Granik – LEAVE NO TRACE
Yorgos Lanthimos – THE FAVOURITE
Spike Lee – BLACKkKLANSMAN
Adam McKay – VICE
Best Screenplay, Original
EIGHTH GRADE – Bo Burnham
THE FAVOURITE – Deborah Davis, Tony McNamara
FIRST REFORMED – Paul Schrader
ROMA – Alfonso Cuaron VICE – Adam McKay
Best Screenplay, Adapted
BLACK PANTHER – Ryan Coogler, Joe Robert
BLACKkKLANSMAN – Charlie Wachtel, David Rabinowitz, Spike Lee
CAN YOU EVER FORGIVE ME? – Nicole Holofcener, Jeff White
THE HATE U GIVE – Audrey Wells
IF BEALE STREET COULD TALK – Barry Jenkins
LEAVE NO TRACE – Debra Granik, Anne Rossellini
Best Documentary
FREE SOLO – Elizabeth Chai Vasarheliyi, Jimmy Chin
LIYANA – Amanda Knopp, Aaron Knopp
RBG – Julie Cohen, Betsy West
SHIRKERS – Sandi Tan
THREE IDENTICAL STRANGERS – Tim Wardle
WON’T YOU BE MY NEIGHBOR? – Morgan Neville
Best Animated Film
INCREDIBLES 2 – Brad Bird
ISLE OF DOGS – Wes Anderson
MARY AND THE WITCH’S FLOWER – Hiromasa Yonebayashi, Giles New
RALPH BREAKS THE INTERNET – Phil Johnson, Rick Moore
SMALLFOOT – Karey Kirkpatrick, Jason Reisig
SPIDERMAN INTO SPIDER-VERSE – Bob Perischerri, Peter Ramsay, Rodney Rothman
Best Actress
Yalitza Aparacio – ROMA
Glenn Close – THE WIFE
Olivia Colman – THE FAVOURITE
Viola Davis – WIDOWS
Lady Gaga – A STAR IS BORN
Melissa McCarthy – CAN YOU EVER FORGIVE ME?
Best Actress in a Supporting Role
Amy Adams – VICE
Claire Foy – FIRST MAN
Regina King – IF BEALE STREET COULD TALK
Thomasin McKenzie – LEAVE NO TRACE
Emma Stone – THE FAVOURITE
Rachel Weisz – THE FAVOURITE
Best Actor
Christian Bale – VICE
Willem Dafoe – AT ETERNITY’S GATE
Ben Foster – LEAVE NO TRACE
Ethan Hawke – FIRST REFORMED
Rami Malek – BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY
Viggo Mortensen – GREEN BOOK
Best Actor in a Supporting Role
Mahershala Ali – GREEN BOOK
Steve Carrell – VICE
Adam Driver – BLACKkKLANSMAN
Hugh Grant – Paddington
Richard E Grant – CAN YOU EVER FORGIVE ME?
Michael B Jordan – BLACK PANTHER
Best Ensemble Cast – Casting Director
BLACK PANTHER – Sarah Finn, Casting Director
BLACKkKLANSMAN – Kim Coleman, Casting Director
CRAZY RICH ASIANS – Terry Taylor, Casting Director
THE FAVOURITE – Dixie Chassay, Casting Director
IF BEALE STREET COULD TALK – Cindy Tolan
VICE – Francine Maisler
Best Cinematography
BLACK PANTHER – Rachel Morrison
THE FAVOURITE – Robbie Ryan
FIRST MAN – Linus Sandgren
IF BEALE STREET COULD TALK – James Laxton
ROMA – Alfonso Cuaron
Best Editing
BLACK PANTHER – Debbie Berman, Michael P Shawyer
THE FAVOURITE – Yorgos Mavropsaridis
ROMA – Alfonso Cuaron, Adam Gough
VICE – Hank Corwin
WIDOWS – Joe Walker
Best Non-English-Language Film
BURNING – Lee Chang-dong, Korea
CAPERNAUM – Nadine Labiki, Lebanon
COLD WAR – Pawel Pawlikowski, Poland
ROMA – Alfonso Cuaron, Mexico
SHOPLIFTERS – Hirokazu Kore-eda Japan
EDA FEMALE FOCUS AWARDS
Best Woman Director
Elizabeth Chomko – WHAT THEY HAD
Debra Granik – LEAVE NO TRACE
Marielle Heller – CAN YOU EVER FORGIVE ME?
Tamara Jenkins – PRIVATE LIFE
Karyn Kusama – DESTROYER
Nadine Labiki – CAPERNAUM
Rungano Nyoni – I AM NOT A WITCH
Sally Potter – THE PARTY
Lynn Ramsay – YOU WERE NEVER REALLY HERE
Chloe Zhao – THE RIDER
Best Woman Screenwriter
Diablo Cody – TULLY
Deborah Davis – THE FAVOURITE (with Tony McNamara)
Debra Granik and Anne Rossellini – LEAVE NO TRACE
Nicole Holofcener – CAN YOU EVER FORGIVE ME? (with Jeff Whitty)
Tamara Jenkins – PRIVATE LIFE
Lynne Ramsay – YOU WERE NEVER REALLY HERE
Audrey Wells – THE HATE U GIVE
Chloe Zhao – THE RIDER
Best Animated Female
Elastagirl, INCREDIBLES 2, Holly Hunter
Gwen Stacy, SPIDER-MAN INTO THE SPIDER-VERSE, Hailee Steinfeld
Meechee, SMALLFOOT, Zendaya
Tracy Walker, ISLE OF DOGS, Greta Gerwig
Vanellope, RALPH BREAKS THE INTRNET, Sarah Silverman
Best Breakthrough Performance
Yalitza Aparacio – ROMA
Elsie Fisher – EIGHTH GRADE
KiKi Layne – IF BEALE STREET COULD TALK
Thomasin McKenzie – LEAVE NO TRACE
Letitia Wright – BLACK PANTHER
Outstanding Achievement by A Woman in The Film Industry
82 women who stood on the Palais des Festivals steps at the Cannes Film Festival to protest gender inequality in festival programming.
Ava DuVernay for hiring women filmmakers for QUEEN SUGAR and other projects.
Megan Ellison for challenging the status quo and producing projects by unique and diverse voices.
Nicole Kidman for a banner year of performances in DESTROYER, BOY ERASED and AQUAMAN, and for opening opportunity or women in production.
Rachel Morrison for paving the road for women cinematographers with her Oscar nomination for MUDBOUND and scoring as DP on BLACK PANTHER.
Shondra Rhimes, Reese Witherspoon and all the women speaking out in the #MeToo movement.
EDA SPECIAL MENTION AWARDS
Actress Defying Age and Ageism
Glenn Close – THE WIFE
Viola Davis – WIDOWS
Nicole Kidman – DESTROYER
Sissy Spacek –THE OLD MAN & THE GUN
TEA WITH THE DAMES – Eileen Atkins, Judi Dench, Joan Plowright, Maggie Smith
Bravest Performance
Toni Collette – HEREDITY
Olivia Colman – THE FAVOURITE
Viola Davis -WIDOWS
Nicole Kidman – DESTROYER
Melissa McCarthy – CAN YOU EVER FORGIVE ME?
Charlize Theron – TULLY
Mary Elizabeth Winstead – ALL ABOUT NINA
Actress Most in Need Of A New Agent
Anna Faris – OVERBOARD
Jennifer Garner – PEPPERMINT
Dakota Johnson – FIFTY SHADES FREED
Jennifer Lawrence – RED SPARROW
Melissa McCarthy – Everything except CAN YOU EVER FORGIVE ME?
Amy Schumer – I FEEL PRETTY
Most Egregious Age Difference Between The Lead and The Love Interest Award
MANDY – Andrea Riseborough and Nicholas Cage
MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE – FALLOUT – Rebecca Ferguson and Tom Cruise
OVERBOARD – Anna Faris and Eugenio Derbez
RED SPARROW – Jennifer Lawrence and Joel Edgerton
SIBERIA – Ana Ularu and Keanu Reeves
Remake or Sequel That Shouldn’t Have Been Made
DEATHWISH
FIFTY SHADES FREED
OVERBOARD
THE PREDATOR
ROBIN HOOD
AWFJ Hall of Shame Award
Abusers Weinstein, Moonves, CK, Rush, Franco, Singer, Rose, Lauer, et al
FIFTY SHADES FREED
THE HAPPYTIME MURDERS
RED SPARROW
* – I am a member of the Alliance of Women Film Journalists
Liev Schreiber as Ray Donovan in ‘Ray Donovan’ season 6 Episode 4 (Photo: Jeff Neumann / Showtime)
Showtime’s critically acclaimed drama Ray Donovan will be back for season seven. The network announced today that the Emmy Award-winning series has been renewed for a seventh season.
Season six is currently airing on Sundays at 9pm ET/PT. The current season is set to wrap up on January 13, 2019.
The cast is led by Liev Schreiber in the title role. Season six also features Domenick Lombardozzi, Eddie Marsan, Dash Mihok, Katherine Moennig, Pooch Hall, Kerris Dorsey, Devon Bagby, and Graham Rogers. Lola Glaudini and Susan Sarandon are also featured in the sixth season.
The series was created by Ann Biderman and is executive produced by David Hollander, Mark Gordon, Bryan Zuriff and Lou Fusaro. Filming is expected to begin next spring on season seven.
Ray Donovan‘s been nominated for seven Golden Globes over its six season, winning once. It’s earned nine Primetime Emmy Award nominations, with Hank Azaria winning in the Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series category in 2016. The Broadcast Television Journalists Association has nominated the series for seven Critics’ Choice Awards, and in 2014 it received a Best New Series nomination from the Writers Guild of America.
Season 6 Plot:
As season six progresses, Ray’s journey in New York has been fueled by his subconscious need for help. After his life was saved by a Staten Island cop named Mac (Domenick Lombardozzi), Ray must navigate the complicated debts and emotions that grew out of that relationship while also trying to save the mayoral campaign of Anita Novak (Lola Glaudini), the favored candidate of Sam Winslow (Susan Sarandon). On the family front, Mickey (Jon Voight) is on a mission to hunt down Ray to seek revenge and Ray struggles to cope after Bridget (Kerris Dorsey) tells him that she must break away from her father and the havoc his life has brought.
Netflix has released details on the actors who’ll be joining Uma Thurman and Tony Goldwyn in starring roles in Chambers. The supernatural drama’s first season will consist of 10 one-hour episodes and will premiere in 2019.
Leah Rachel created Chambers and executive produces with Alfonso Gomez Rejon, Winnie Kemp, Wolfgang Hammer, Jennifer Yale, and Steve Gaghan.
The just-announced new cast members include Sivan Alyra Rose, Lilliya Reid, Nicholas Galitzine, Kyanna Simone Simpson, Lilli Kay, Sarah Mezzanotte, and Griffin Powell-Arcand. In addition to confirming the cast list, Netflix offered character descriptions for the main roles in the upcoming series.
The Plot:
A young heart attack survivor becomes consumed by the mystery surrounding the heart that saved her life. However, the closer she gets to uncovering the truth about her donor’s sudden death, the more she starts taking on the characteristics of the deceased — some of which are troublingly sinister.
Chambers Cast and Characters:
Introducing Sivan Alyra Rose who plays “SASHA YAZZIE”, a seventeen-year-old whose world is as big as what’s in front of her. But an untimely heart attack and subsequent complications from her donor set her life on a path riddled with sinister twists. What starts out as a mission to understand the mystery surrounding her heart donor’s death becomes a quest to understand her true identity and the darkness growing inside her.
Introducing Lilliya Reid who plays “BECKY LEFEVRE” a Suburban Prom Queen whose perfect veneer hides a much more complicated truth. After Becky dies in a tragic accident, her her heart saves Sasha’s life – before creating many complications.
Nicholas Galitzine plays “ELLIOTT LEFEVRE”, a charming, nihilistic rich kid hell-bent on throwing it all away. Newly sober and still privately reeling from his twin sister Becky’s death, Elliot is determined to move on with his life and keep his past behind him. Until he meets Sasha.
Kyanna Simone Simpson plays “YVONNE”, Sasha’s best friend. Growing up in the same low income housing development, Yvonne lives at home with two younger brothers, her father, and her terminally ill mother.
Lilli Kay plays “PENELOPE”, Becky’s highly unusual childhood best friend. Although their friendship fell apart, Penelope has never fully let Becky go — her obsession growing even deeper after her death, and transferring onto Sasha.
Sarah Mezzanotte plays “MARNIE”, a popular perfectionist who is happy to be the best at everything now that Becky’s gone. Marnie keeps a close eye on Sasha, but her motives are put into question when it’s revealed her parents are the head of a New Age organization with questionable ideals.
Introducing Griffin Powell-Arcand who plays “TJ”, Sasha’s boyfriend. A track star who gets bussed in from the reservation, he’s the pride of Cottonwood High. He’s good inside and street-smart, but most importantly, he loves Sasha. TJ is her rock and when Sasha starts to worry that there’s something’s wrong with her new heart. TJ struggles to keep the closeness they once had while at the same school.
Thor: Ragnarok‘s Chris Hemsworth and Tessa Thompson reunite for the reboot of the Men In Black franchise, Men in Black: International. The first official trailer reveals this new MIB film will capture the same tone as the original movies starring Tommy Lee Jones and Will Smith. The special effects are, obviously, upgraded but the Men in Black fundamentals are all on display in Columbia Pictures’ first unveiling of footage.
In addition to Chris Hemsworth and Tessa Thompson, the cast includes Rebecca Ferguson, Kumail Nanjiani, Rafe Spall, Laurent Bourgeois, Larry Bourgeois, Emma Thompson, and Liam Neeson. The sci-fi action film was directed by F. Gary Gray from a script by Art Marcum and Matt Holloway. The film franchise is based on the Malibu Comic by Lowell Cunningham.
The behind the scenes team includes director of photography Stuart Dryburgh, editor Christian Wagner, and production designer Charles Wood.
Walter F. Parkes and Laurie MacDonald produced, and Steven Spielberg, E. Bennett Walsh, and Barry Sonnenfeld executive produced. Sonnenfeld directed the first three films of the franchise, kicking off the story of a secret agency that monitors alien activity on Earth back in 1997. Men in Black 2 followed in 2002, with Men in Black 3 arriving in 2012.
The original film opened to a $51 million domestic weekend and went on to gross $589 million worldwide in theaters. Men in Black 2 barely edged out MIB‘s first weekend, taking in $52 million. That film wound up grossing $441 million worldwide. MIB 3 surpassed the first two films, ringing up $54 million its first weekend and $624 million worldwide.
Columbia Pictures is planning to release Men in Black: International in theaters on June 14, 2019.
The Plot:
The Men in Black have always protected the Earth from the scum of the universe. In this new adventure, they tackle their biggest, most global threat to date: a mole in the Men in Black organization.
2018’s Aquaman is DC’s attempt at capturing the lighthearted fun of Marvel’s 2017 Thor: Ragnarok. Were they successful? Not totally, but at least no one will accuse director James Wan of making a dark, inaccessible drama full of broody characters.
A mostly shirtless Jason Momoa stars in the titular role, diving into the part of a half-human/half-fishperson from Atlantis with as much machismo as he can muster. He’s so much easier on the eyes than Guillermo del Toro’s The Shape of Water fishman, and thankfully he’s not kept in a tank but instead spends the film attempting to stop an impending war between the citizens of Atlantis and the non-amphibious Earthlings.
Whether or not it was James Wan’s intention, Aquaman is pure camp. It’s not as cornball and goofy as Clash of the Titans (either the 1981 or 2010 versions), but it nudges close to that territory. Of course, it’s nearly impossible not to fall into a pit of silliness, given the characters ride around on sharks and seahorses. Add to that the underwater effects that demand time be spent marveling at Amber Heard’s flowing locks or the tiniest of movements from random strands of Patrick Wilson’s tight ponytail. Aquaman’s arrival in his own stand-alone film is obviously not going to be taken as seriously as a Batman or Superman origin story.
The PG-13 film establishes how Arthur Curry/Aquaman came to live among humans. His mom, Atlanna (a smooth as silk Nicole Kidman), fell head over fins for a lighthouse keeper, but the King of Atlantis wasn’t about to let her settle into a life of domestic bliss above the sea. Leaving her baby behind, Atlanna was forced to return to Atlantis where she gave birth to the current king, Orm (Wilson). Orm’s a power-hungry human hater who gathers his underlings and prepares to end the reign of land dwellers.
Fortunately for us helpless humans, Princess Mera (Heard) has a soft spot for our kind. She tracks down Arthur and convinces the reluctant hero to take on his half-brother in a battle for underwater supremacy with the…drumroll, please…fate of humanity (or at least coastal properties) hanging in the balance.
Jason Momoa’s flexing pecs can swim over most of the rough spots in the plot, busting out in a massive smile or tossing his hair as he delivers a smoldering glare to distract from the actual storyline. Momoa’s made for this sort of over-the-top action role, and if we can’t have him back romancing Khaleesi and leading the Dothraki, then an Aquaman outing will just have to suffice.
Amber Heard’s solid as a princess who’s more capable of leading than the men around her. Heard’s Mera, once you tear your eyes away from following the flow of her hair, is the best-developed character in the film. If it weren’t for Mera, men would destroy the planet. Heard, the least campy part of Aquaman, plays Mera as someone who totally understands the fact the fate of the world rests on her shoulders.
Nicole Kidman pops in and out of the film in the pivotal role of Aquaman’s mom. Kidman’s coming off an Emmy Award-winning role in HBO’s Big Little Lies and has two films – Boy Erased and Destroyer – that will keep her busy this awards season. Aquaman’s a smaller part for the Oscar-winning actress, but her presence feels large in the film despite the fact she’s on screen 15ish minutes.
Kudos to Aquaman’s writers for not spending much time on romance. It’s there, but not so much that it steals away focus from what’s really important, the CG-heavy action scenes. Two and a half hours feels about half an hour too long, and there’s a bizarre chunk of time spent trudging through the desert. However, for the most part, the film flows along fairly well. Momoa’s definitely having a good time playing Aquaman and that alone makes the film far more enjoyable than, given the material, it has a right to be.
GRADE: B-
MPAA: PG-13 for sequences of sci-fi violence and action, and for some language
