A scene from Universal and Illumination’s ‘The Grinch.’
Benedict Cumberbatch lends his distinctive voice to Dr. Seuss’ weird green creature who hates Christmas in this weekend’s top performer at the box office. The Grinch, based on Dr. Seuss’ beloved holiday tale, grossed $66 million over its opening weekend. The classic story was also brought to life on the screen in back in 2000, with Ron Howard directing and Jim Carrey starring. That live-action version grossed $55 million during its first weekend and rang up $345 million worldwide before exiting theaters.
The PG animated The Grinch reigns supreme at the box office and should have a lengthy stay among the top 10 heading into the holiday season as there aren’t any other Christmas movies planned for release. However, it’ll be giving up its spot on the top of the chart on November 16th when Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald begins its theatrical run.
The November 9-11, 2018 weekend’s other new releases – Overlord and The Girl in the Spider’s Web – were no match for the musical biopic, Bohemian Rhapsody. Audiences continue to embrace the story of Freddie Mercury and Queen, driving it to a decent second weekend box office take of $30.8 million.
The Grinch tells the story of a cynical grump who goes on a mission to steal Christmas, only to have his heart changed by a young girl’s generous holiday spirit. Funny, heartwarming and visually stunning, it’s a universal story about the spirit of Christmas and the indomitable power of optimism.
Academy Award nominee Benedict Cumberbatch lends his voice to the infamous Grinch, who lives a solitary life inside a cave on Mt. Crumpet with only his loyal dog, Max, for company. With a cave rigged with inventions and contraptions for his day-to-day needs, the Grinch only sees his neighbors in Who-ville when he runs out of food.
Each year at Christmas they disrupt his tranquil solitude with their increasingly bigger, brighter and louder celebrations. When the Whos declare they are going to make Christmas three times bigger this year, the Grinch realizes there is only one way for him to gain some peace and quiet: he must steal Christmas. To do so, he decides he will pose as Santa Claus on Christmas Eve, even going so far as to trap a lackadaisical misfit reindeer to pull his sleigh.
Meanwhile, down in Who-ville, Cindy-Lou Who—a young girl overflowing with holiday cheer—plots with her gang of friends to trap Santa Claus as he makes his Christmas Eve rounds so that she can thank him for help for her overworked single mother. As Christmas approaches, however, her good-natured scheme threatens to collide with the Grinch’s more nefarious one. Will Cindy-Lou achieve her goal of finally meeting Santa Claus? Will the Grinch succeed in silencing the Whos’ holiday cheer once and for all?
Netflix has released a new minute-long video titled “Mano a Mano” in support of the upcoming premiere of Narcos: Mexico. The new video sets up the battle between DEA Agent Kiki Camerena (played by Michael Pena) and Miguel Ángel Félix Gallardo (played by Diego Luna), head of the Guadalajara cartel.
Per Netflix, Michael Peña‘s Kiki Camarena is described as “a family man and an undercover DEA agent who garnered valuable intel through a series of informants around Félix and his newly minted Guadalajara cartel, but quickly found himself in c as he realized he had completely underestimated the sophistication of Gallardo’s system.”
Diego Luna‘s Miguel Ángel Félix Gallardo is “the leader of the Guadalajara cartel, one of the biggest narcos in the history of Mexico and the founder of the modern Mexican drug trade. Quiet but bold, inscrutable but sharp-minded, to all appearances he is a benevolent leader, loyal to his friends, associates, and employees…but his ambition comes before all else.”
The new season of Narcos also stars Aaron Staton (Mad Men), Alejandro Edda (Fear the Walking Dead), Alfonso Dosal (Hazlo como hombre), Alyssa Diaz (The Rookie), Clark Freeman (We Go On), Ernesto Alterio (Cable Girls), and Fermín Martinez (Lady of Steel).
In addition, Narcos: Mexico features Fernanda Urrejola (Bala Loca), Gerardo Taracena (Apocalypto), Gorka Lasaosa (Brain Drain), Guillermo Villegas (Sin Nombre), Horacio Garcia Rojas (Texas Rising), Jackie Earle Haley (Watchmen), and Joaquín Cosío (Quantum of Solace).
Netflix has set a November 16, 2018 premiere date for Narcos: Mexico. The new season is executive produced by Eric Newman, José Padilha, Doug Miro, and Carlo Bernard. Newman serves as the showrunner.
The Narcos: Mexico Plot:
“Shifting away from Colombia, where Narcos spent three seasons, Narcos: Mexico will explore the origins of the modern drug war by going back to its roots, beginning at a time when the Mexican trafficking world was a loose and disorganized confederation of independent growers and dealers. Witness the rise of the Guadalajara Cartel in the 1980s as Félix Gallardo (Luna) takes the helm, unifying traffickers in order to build an empire.
When DEA agent Kiki Camarena (Peña) moves his wife and young son from California to Guadalajara to take on a new post, he quickly learns that his assignment will be more challenging than he ever could have imagined. As Kiki garners intelligence on Félix and becomes more entangled in his mission, a tragic chain of events unfold, affecting the drug trade and the war against it for years to come.”
Poster for ‘Narcos: Mexico’ (Photo Credit: Netflix)
Josh McDermitt, Nadia Hilker, Dan Folger, Lauren Ridloff, and Angel Theory in ‘The Walking Dead’ season 9 episode 6 (Photo Credit: Gene Page / AMC)
AMC’s The Walking Dead season nine episode six, the first episode after the exit of Andrew Lincoln, finds Michonne (Danai Gurira) confessing nothing has gotten any easier even with time continuing to move forward. She has a one-sided conversation with the deceased love of her life, telling Rick she’s trying to look ahead to a brighter future but the path ahead has only gotten darker. It’s been about six years since Rick blew up the bridge, and his friends and family obviously still miss him.
Life does still go on for the rest of the survivors. Carol (Melissa McBride) and Ezekiel (Khary Payton) are a confirmed couple (and Carol has long hair!). Daryl (Norman Reedus) fishes and kills walkers.
Michonne continues her inner monologue, admitting there are occasional flashes of light. There are still reasons to keep going. During her voice-over we see Carol spotting a flower growing in a crack and Daryl finding a bird’s nest filled with baby birds.
Michonne confirms she keeps dreaming every second of every day and won’t give up. She promises she never will.
Aaron (Ross Marquand), Eugene (Josh McDermitt), and Rosita (Christian Serratos) frantically call out for Judith in the woods. They find her and she’s with the party she rescued at the end of season nine episode five. Rosita warns her they don’t bring in new people, but this group is obviously in need of help. Luke (Dan Fogler) immediately offers to make a fancy meal out of the dead deer Eugene’s carrying, but Eugene turns him down. “Stew. We make stew,” says Eugene, sternly. “More mileage for the masses.”
The new group can’t believe there are more people besides this group of Judith’s friends. As they’re talking walkers approach and Eugene appears to have honed his killing skills as he’s the first to take them on.
Judith (Cailey Fleming) wants to bring the newcomers back, refusing to return to Alexandria without them. With no other choice, Aaron invites them to come along.
Over at The Kingdom, Jerry (Cooper Andrews) assures Carol things will grow back. He addresses her as “My Queen,” and Carol rebuffs the title. He reminds her that she’s the Queen since she married the King and is the mother to the Prince. Their talk’s interrupted by noise from the pipes. Henry, who has definitely grown up during the time jump, works on bringing the pressure back down. He manages to but warns his dad they need better tools. They could also use someone who actually knows how to fix things.
A short while later, Carol and Ezekiel have a talk. She agrees with Henry. Ezekiel wants to make sure Henry stays safe and doesn’t want him to go out into the world. They discuss how everything is aging and falling apart.
As they return to Alexandria, Eugene reminds Rosita and the rest that bringing these strangers to their home is against the rules. The strangers are leery of entering, but Judith promises them they’ll be safe. She takes Magna (Nadia Hilker) by the hand and leads them in, and the group is stunned by what they see. Crops are thriving and there’s a working windmill, plus everything is so clean and calm.
The Alexandrians approach the group and Siddiq (Avi Nash) immediately springs into action to help the group’s injured member. Before the introductions can be made, Michonne rides in on horseback. She demands to know what happened and is told they are five “unknowns,” and they’re all clean. Eugene assures her they submitted their weapons willingly, and Aaron says it was his call to bring them back.
Judith steps up and confesses she made the decision. A short discussion’s held and Father Gabriel (Seth Gilliam) thinks it would be best to bring them in front of the council the following day since it’s almost dark. Michonne agrees, but they must stay in holding.
Back at The Kingdom, Ezekiel agrees to let Henry go to Hilltop for training. He tells him to be respectful, responsible, kind, and safe. Carol’s going with Henry, and they plan on returning before the upcoming fair begins. Ezekiel reminds Carol that Henry’s a dreamer, and she believes she knows where he gets that from.
The next day arrives and the council meeting’s crowded. Gabriel wants to know who’s the group’s leader, but they don’t seem to have one. Luke tries to explain who met who first, but he gets emotional recalling the ones they’ve lost to walkers.
Aaron wants to know who they were prior to the apocalypse and Luke says he was a music teacher. Magna waited tables and Connie (Lauren Ridloff), who’s deaf, was a journalist who exposed crooked politicians. Kelly (Angel Theory), who interprets for Connie, says she was in high school stressing about stupid stuff.
When Gabriel asks who they are now, Magna says she’s a fighter and Connie claims she’s Kelly’s guardian angel. Luke says he’s still a music teacher and that education never ends. They did what they had to to survive, never giving up. Luke admits he doesn’t know what he did to deserve still being alive. He thinks it was probably because he met the right people. The only thing they had in common was they’re breathing, but now they depend on each other.
Aaron wants to take a vote, but Michonne (the head of security) has a question. She assures the strangers they want to be kind and charitable, but decisions can come with a heavy price. She asks for Magna’s left hand and examines it. Magna has a prison tattoo and it’s evident she did hard time. Magna claims she has nothing to hide, but Michonne isn’t fooled. She knows the woman’s belt buckle is a knife. “I remember and I know that you do, too, so go ahead and take your vote,” says Michonne to the gathering of Alexandrians.
Michonne leaves before the vote’s taken. Magna yells after her but Michonne is done.
After the meeting breaks up, Gabriel sits down in front of what looks like a pretty decent radio set-up. As he’s about to key down the mic, Rosita arrives. He told her he gave up on calling out, but now he admits he thinks there might still be people out there. He believes the newcomers are good people, and they talk about how Michonne got the crowd riled up on purpose. For now, the strangers will stay in Alexandria until their injured friend is well enough to travel. Hopefully, Michonne will change her mind before then.
Gabriel explains that Eugene thinks they can go further out and set up an amplifier to find more people. They realize Michonne’s against the idea, but Gabriel’s optimistic they can find people. Rosita says she’ll take Eugene and set up the station. They kiss – we have a new couple! – and Gabriel calls her amazing.
Back at Michonne’s place, Judith creeps down the hallway listening to Michonne talk to herself. Judith turns around to give Michonne privacy but the floor squeaks and gives away her presence. Michonne reminds her it’s time for her lesson and Judith heads off.
Carol and Henry are taking a side trip on their way to Hilltop when they hear a woman screaming for help. Henry takes off running without thinking, and Carol’s forced to grab some weapons and follow him down an alley. Of course, it’s a trap and the woman immediately turns a weapon on Henry. Carol arrives, bow ready to shoot, and demands the woman drop her weapon.
Unfortunately, Carol and Henry are vastly outnumbered and now they’re surrounded by walls on two sides and enemies on the other two. The group holding Carol and Henry are the Saviors we last saw in a gun battle at the bridge camp. Jed (Rhys Coiro) is their leader and he seems pretty pleased to have captured Carol and her son.
Eugene and Rosita are on the road to set up a remote station when Eugene brings up Rosita’s relationship with Gabriel. Eugene’s sure Rosita really likes Gabriel, but he makes the case for her switching her affection to him. He points out she has other viable choices and Rosita smiles.
They stop talking as they notice fresh tracks on the ground. Fortunately, the 100+ walkers are heading in the opposite direction of where they want to set up a remote outpost.
Back in Alexandria, Siddiq tells Magna and Luke their friend should be well enough to travel in a day or so. Luke wonders how long Siddiq’s been with the group and he admits he was a stranger they took in. However, things changed. He won’t elaborate on what happened.
The Saviors reveal they’ve been watching Henry and Carol for about a mile. Jed explains that since the Sanctuary went bust, they’ve been on the road. They’re now using walkers to pull their wagon because they ate their horses. Carol asks why they didn’t join one of the other communities, and Jed says it’s not his bag.
Jed then makes Carol an offer. Because she spared him during the altercation at camp, he’s willing to allow them to keep their wagon and horses as well as their weapons. He’ll take their supplies and her wedding ring, and that will make them square.
The idea of Carol giving up her wedding ring prompts Henry to take action. He uses Carol’s stick against Jed and momentarily gets the best of him. However, there are too many Saviors and Henry’s soon on the ground. Carol covers him and then hands over her ring.
Cailey Fleming as Judith Grimes in ‘The Walking Dead’ season 9 episode 6 (Photo Credit: Gene Page / AMC)
In Alexandria, Judith does her math outside the prison. She reads word problems out loud and Negan (Jeffrey Dean Morgan), who looks much better, isn’t much help. He can’t help her with her math problems, but he’ll answer any real-world problems. She tells him about the strangers that arrived, and Negan knows Judith is the one who wants to help them.
Negan recalls as a child he would bring home stray dogs against his mom’s wishes. One day a stray dog he brought home killed the other strays and chewed off his mom’s ear. After that, he never brought home another dog.
Eugene climbs up a water tower and sets up the signal enhancer. As he’s about to climb down, he sees a herd approaching. Rosita yells for him to come down immediately and in his hurry, he drops his bag. The bag lands with a thud that scares away their horses.
Eugene continues climbing down when he accidentally knocks away the ladder. He falls the remainder of the way and messes up his knee. Rosita races to find him a make-shift crutch and then helps him hobble away in front of the herd.
Carol and Henry stop for the night, setting up camp. He’s upset she didn’t try and keep her wedding ring and instead just let them have it. He thinks she’s changed, and she admits she has because of him. Henry goes to bed mad as Carol rubs the empty place on her finger.
Over at Alexandria, the group of strangers isn’t happy with Magna. They know it’s her fault they’re being expelled from the community before they ever had a chance to fit in. Magna doesn’t think they should just leave since they won’t last long on their own. Luke reminds her they really don’t have a choice.
Magna believes they should fight, but Connie tells her to leave Michonne alone. Magna doesn’t want to give up but Luke sides with Connie. If Magna wants to debate Michonne, that’s one thing. He doesn’t think they should physically fight anyone in town.
And in a twist that should shock even diehard The Walking Dead fans, Carol sneaks back over to the Saviors’ camp. She tells Jed she could accept the loss of her wedding ring, but the supplies the group had in their wagon belonged to her friends. She thinks they killed those people to get supplies, and she can’t let that go. She lights a match and sets the Saviors ablaze. Carol calmly walks away as they scream.
Nighttime in Alexandria reveals Magna’s got another knife and is just about to break into Michonne’s home when she sees Michonne with a young boy. Apparently, Michonne gave birth to Rick’s son following his “death,” and their child is named R.J.
Instead of breaking in and attacking, Magna knocks on the door and hands over the knife. She admits Michonne missed it and that she’s right about her. Magna also admits to having done terrible things, and in Michonne’s shoes, she wouldn’t trust her either. As she walks away, Michonne says, “We’ve all done things or else we wouldn’t be here.”
Michonne closes the front door to find Judith sitting on the stairs holding Rick’s gun. They talk about what Rick would have wanted, and Michonne confirms both Rick and Carl would have been proud of Judith helping strangers. When Judith asks why Michonne won’t help them, Michonne tells her she’ll understand someday.
Judith admits she’s beginning to forget Rick and Carl’s voices. She hopes Michonne can still hear them.
Meanwhile, Rosita and Eugene run for their lives. Eugene finally has pushed himself as hard as he can and can’t continue. He volunteers to distract the walkers so she can escape because he’s just holding her back. Rosita refuses to allow him to stay behind.
Henry and Carol are back on the road and Henry apologizes for what he said. They’re still not heading toward Hilltop and Henry’s confused. It turns out Carol’s side trip is to check in on Daryl. Daryl’s no longer a part of any community and is now completely on his own. They smile at each other and she offers Daryl a ride.
Michonne changes her clothes, exposing a large X scar on her lower back. She takes out one of Rick’s shirts and holds it to her chest before putting it on. She breathes in Rick’s smell.
Magna’s group prepares to leave now that their companion is healthy enough for the road. Luke thanks Siddiq and Judith for their hospitality, and Gabriel leads the way to the gate. As they’re walking, Michonne rides up and says there’s been a change of plans. She’s going to take the group to Hilltop because the leader there will let them stay.
Eugene and Rosita slide down a small embankment by the river and cover themselves with mud to hide their smell. The walkers approach and as they walk by, we hear the first instances of talking walkers. Walker one asks where they are and walker two replies they must be close. A third walker says, “Don’t let them get away.”
Maria Doyle Kennedy, Sam Heughan and Caitriona Balfe in ‘Outlander’ season 4 episode 2 (Photo Credit: Starz)
On Starz’s Outlander season four episode two, “Do No Harm” refers to Claire’s Hippocratic Oath as you might expect, but there is another meaning that will become evident by the close of the episode. So, let’s get started…
We pick right back up where we left off, in the aftermath of the robbery of the Frasers. Jamie (Sam Heughan) and Claire (Caitriona Balfe) have lost all their money, jewels, and other valuables, save Claire’s ring from Frank. Jamie lost a valuable and longtime loyal friend in Lesley when Stephen Bonnet slit his throat.
As Jamie always does, he blames himself for not being able to stop the group of thieves, even though he was tremendously outnumbered in the situation. As Claire’s trying to console him, they come upon the River Run plantation. Ian’s (John Bell) eyes about pop out of his head at the sight of it. Homes of River Run’s size in England or Scotland would be owned by nobles or royals.
In the book there was a bit more time between the theft and the arrival at River Run. They visited a town where some of the events that took place in last week’s episode occurred in the show. Between the two episodes, they span a great deal of pages in the book and are rather jumbled, so I won’t dwell on the comparison.
As they approach the dock Jamie laments the fact he’s coming to his Aunt Jocasta as a beggar instead of in a position of financial independence. Aunt Jocasta (Maria Doyle Kennedy) and her servant Ulysses (Colin McFarlane) welcome them as they come up the dock from the boat. She warmly greets each of them as they arrive.
In the show, Jocasta announced bluntly she’s blind. In the book, you must infer that over time and Claire figured it out eventually. Jocasta hid it more effectively in the book. A wealthy woman of the time still didn’t have as much right to an opinion among most men, much less one in a vulnerable spot of being without her sight.
Ian (John Bell) darts after Rollo, but the rest of the party goes inside. Jamie informs Jocasta of the misfortune that befell them on the journey to River Run. Jocasta’s appalled by the attack and gracious in her welcome for them to stay as long as they are of a mind.
The book took much longer to get to the point of Jocasta quietly manipulating Jamie into the assistance of being the male head of the house. He got to know the fields and the sawmill very well before visitors appeared in the usual course of business that required Jocasta to have him speak to the other men on her behalf. In the show, Jocasta gets right to the point. MacKenzies are a bit sneakier in the book, but sneaky they remain even in the show. The show must demonstrate the quality in a different way.
As Jocasta’s explaining she’s been keeping up with Jamie’s actions in Paris and Edinburgh – all the legal aspects of course from Jenny’s point of view in her letters – an atrocious odor precedes the poor beast Rollo. Ian arrives at the front door and the smell dumbfounds he and Jamie. (Welcome to the New World and new creatures.) Rollo, being a local animal, should know better than to tangle with a skunk. Jocasta explains what a skunk is and informs Ian she has a friend that could rid Rollo of the smell. Claire orders Ian to take the beast outside and wait for the friend.
Jamie and Claire are taken to a room upstairs that Mary (Mercy Ojelade) and Phaedre (Natalie Simpson) are preparing for them. Claire stuns them when she asks them to call her Claire. Seeing their uneasiness at the request, Claire amends it to be Mistress Claire.
Ulysses and the servants leave quickly, and Jamie immediately points out how quiet Claire has been. He knows her feelings about the slaves on the plantation. In the book, Jamie didn’t like the slave situation either but was more able to see it for what it was than Claire. She knew the future was very different, but being faced with the actual reality of slavery hit her harder than it did Jamie. Jamie didn’t like it, of course, and he knew what it was to be forced into doing something you don’t want to do due to his time at Hellwater after the rising. However, he hadn’t yet been faced with the reality of slavery in the colonies. Claire knew the historic abuse and atrocities, so her disdain for the practice ran much deeper. Jamie was fully aware of how the British did him, and especially Black Jack Randall in forcing him to do things. The American slavery situation was similar but on a grander more terrible scale at times, depending on the owner or overseer.
Outside, Ian and his new helper, John Quincy Myers (Kyle Rees), are working to rid Rollo of his stench in a tub of vinegar. Myers was the character I had hoped would encounter Claire in the show the same as in the books. No filters or personal modesty was possessed by Myers. But, read the books to find out how Claire and he first met. It was hilarious or was to me anyway. In the show, Myers helps Ian and explains a bit about the Indians. Myers also has no shame in comparing his butt hair to a buffalo. As Myers draws attention to how the Indians behaved, Ian sees similarities to Highlanders clans and Indian tribes.
Maria Doyle Kennedy, Caitriona Balfe and Sam Heughan in ‘Outlander’ season 4 episode 2 (Photo Credit: Starz)
Back up at the main house, Jamie and Claire are on the front porch with Aunt Jocasta. Jamie gets the list of the plantation’s crops and revenue as Claire gazes uneasily at the fields and the slaves working the soil. Jamie asks how many slaves are on the plantation, and Jocasta explains there are 152 in total. She also explains she always bought them in lots, so family units could stay together. She treats them well and considers some to be friends. You knew Claire would pipe in to ask if Jocasta thought the feeling was mutual on the side of the slaves. Jocasta handles her slaves far better than most owners, but Claire can’t abide the practice in any fashion.
Claire leaves to go and replenish her herbs, and Ulysses announces that Lieutenant Wolff (Lee Boardman) is waiting to see Jocasta. Jocasta introduces Lieutenant Wolff to Jamie and he sets right to his purpose of getting Jocasta to consider planting wheat as her fellow local plantations are doing. Jamie chimes in to inform the Lieutenant that rice, not wheat, would do better along the river lands. Wheat required dryer soil. The Lieutenant doesn’t take well to the rebuke, but of course he wouldn’t take well to anything Jamie has to say. The Lieutenant has an eye on the plantation, given Jocasta’s status as a wealthy widow. Jamie’s arrival puts a kink in his plans, potentially.
In preparation for the gathering Jocasta set in honor of her nephew’s arrival, she and Phaedra oversee alterations on a dress for Claire to wear. Since Jocasta cannot see Claire, she starts inquiring after her appearance, hair color, and such. The look on Claire’s face is priceless as Jocasta and Phaedra start a back and forth about her appearance as if she isn’t in the room.
Jocasta asks Claire for her opinion about River Run, and Claire’s guarded reply doesn’t go unnoticed by Jocasta. She knew there was an element of disapproval in Claire’s voice. She asks Claire straight out about what it could be she doesn’t approve of about the plantation. Our always opinionated and forthright Claire gets right to the root of the matter in the slavery element. Since the opinion that Claire holds is rare in that time, Jocasta asks if she’s a Quaker. Claire must make up a story that some Quakers she healed once informed her opinion on slavery. That was not how it was handled in the book, but again you have a great many pages in a book to covertly handle such delicate matters. Jocasta muses that she does like Claire’s fiery spirit and likens her to a true MacKenzie.
That evening at the gathering that introduces Jamie to Cross Creek society, much of the conversation turns to political views ranging from taxes to Indians. Claire remains steadfast in her beliefs that people should not be property and the Indians owned the land first before the English arrived in the New World. These views don’t go over well with the local gentry and other leaders of the community.
Jocasta calls for a toast to announce she intends to leave her wealthy plantation to Jamie as her kin and heir. In the book she didn’t outright announce that intent; she discussed it with Jamie in private. As I mentioned, the MacKenzie way must be sped up in the show versus how the book rolls out the events. In the book he had time to consider the offer and what all of it would mean for him and Claire. In the show, the news took Jamie by surprise, as was Jocasta’s intention so he would be hard-pressed not to accept such an offer.
The news is not very welcome to Lieutenant Wolff or Farquard Campbell (James Barriscale).
Later that evening, Jamie and Claire discuss the offer in private. Claire declares, in rather panicked tones, that she unequivocally cannot own slaves. Jamie agrees and thinks that he might be able to set them free eventually. In the book, he doesn’t even propose it because he already knows it’s not possible. The laws of the times do not make it easy to free one slave, much less a plantation of 152.
The next day, Farquard Campbell who has been assisting Jocasta when male assistance in business had been needed, discusses Jocasta’s Will with Jamie and Jocasta in private. Jamie raises the idea of eventual freedom for the slaves and it becomes Campbell’s turn to restrain himself from panic. He lists the extensive process and cost it would take to free Jocasta’s slaves, and the possible cost to Jamie and Claire’s life in the bargain. Campbell clearly infers that others with similar ideals had disappeared in the past. Jamie outright says a threat to his life is of no concern to him.
Jamie discusses the unwelcome process to free the slaves with Claire to dash any ideas either of them had of being Lord and Lady of River Run. Jamie raises the idea of the land the Governor of North Caroline offered, but Claire is against that idea too. That would put Jamie in indenture to the British Governor for the sizable land grant given, putting them on the wrong side of history yet again.
As Jamie and Claire are discussing the quandary, Jocasta and Ulysses come outside in a hurry. Jocasta asks Jamie to represent her in a matter of the slaves. One slave, Rufus (Jerome Holder), chopped off the overseer, Byrnes’ (Cameron Jack) ear.
Claire immediately grabs her traveling medicine kit to see to the injury alongside Jamie as he tends to the other aspect on Jocasta’s behalf. When the pair arrive at the scene, Campbell’s explaining the law in the situation. Once Jamie and Claire see that Rufus is being hoisted on a metal hook through his side up into a tree, Jamie demands he be taken down. Naturally, the barbarism and excessiveness of the punishment isn’t allowed either, but Byrnes is determined to see it through. At least that is until Jamie thrusts a pistol in what’s left of his face that’s not covered in blood from his separated ear.
In Claire’s usual fashion, they bring Rufus back to the main house so she can operate on him to remove the hook. Little did Claire understand at that point that all she was doing was prolonging the lawful execution. Always the physician first, Claire’s only concerned with taking that hook out.
They get Rufus to the dining room table and she performs her usual skillful surgical duty to remove the hook and get Rufus quietly resting. The rest of the plantation’s exploding into chaos around them.
Wolff and Campbell come to the main house to speak with Jamie and Jocasta. Campbell knows Rufus must be turned over to receive his punishment of hanging. Jamie boisterously rejects that idea, but calmer heads prevail – namely Jocasta’s. Campbell and Wolff warn of the neighbors rioting at her front door if the lawful punishment’s not delivered. She requests the men allow her to work out a compromise of delivery of Rufus by midnight.
Jamie knows that while Claire’s working on Rufus there’s no wrenching him away from her.
Rufus wakes after his ordeal to see Claire and Ian standing over him. He asks why she healed him given his fate is to die for his crime. Claire says that she thought he had good reason for doing what he did, but she doesn’t understand that reason had nothing to do with the outcome. As Claire’s trying to get Rufus to rest, he speaks of his family far away and before he was taken across the sea to be a slave. Rufus drifts off to sleep talking of his sister, and Claire sends Ian to bed as well.
As she’s putting the dirty rags and metal hook in another room, Ulysses stands in one corner observing on Jocasta’s behalf. Ulysses informs Claire it would have been better if Rufus had died already. Ulysses is blunt and clear about what horror truly awaits Rufus.
Jamie enters the room as Claire’s sitting alone with the sleeping Rufus. He informs her that they must turn Rufus over at midnight. Claire doesn’t take kindly to that news, as we knew our Sassenach wouldn’t.
Jamie lays out the consequences of punishment to the others if Rufus doesn’t suffer his fated execution. As they’re talking, a mob of overseers storm the front of the house. Jocasta tells Jamie they’re out of time and Rufus must be delivered to the men for judgment. She heads to the front of the house to address the mob before they set her house up in flames.
Jamie returns to Claire to propose an idea that might ease the situation. He suggests Claire give Rufus the same way out that Jamie’s uncle took with the poison. Claire’s oath is to do no harm, but in that situation poison was the kindest way out. Rufus nor Claire can prevent the Reaper altogether. It’s down to a matter of how painful his death is to be.
As Jocasta’s outside trying to bring the mob to calm, Claire’s inside making a cup of tea spiked with poison for Rufus. Claire asks about his sister and keeps him talking until he drifts away to his everlasting sleep. Even through her tears, Claire tries to fulfill her oath to do no harm. A peaceful death is all she can provide.
Jamie takes Rufus’ body out to the mob as instructed, but not before saying a prayer over the man for all their souls: Rufus, Jamie, and Claire. As Jamie places the body on the porch, the mob places a rope around his neck and drags Rufus to a nearby tree. All they can do is stand and watch the monstrous display. Claire had robbed them of their prize. The mob wouldn’t hear Rufus scream in pain as he’s pulled by the neck across the ground and hoisted into a tree. His soul had long departed in peace.
Throughout the episode, the concept of Do No Harm kept coming to mind as I’m sure was the intent because everything in Jamie and Claire went against the way things had to be at River Run. Jamie was born to run such a place, but not run it with slaves. If those slaves were removed and paid for their activities, as is what happens 100 years later, it would set off other plantations into chaos. One plantation could not upset the order of things without upsetting the order of all. Do No Harm. Leave things as they are…for now. Decency and morality have their day in the end…always!
Fred Rogers on the set of his show ‘Mr. Rogers Neighborhood’ from the film, ‘Won’t You Be My Neighbor,’ a Focus Features release. (Photo by Jim Judkis / Focus Features)
Director Morgan Neville’s moving tribute to the late Fred Rogers took home the top award at the Third Annual Critics’ Choice Documentary Awards. Won’t You Be My Neighbor? earned the Best Documentary, Best Director, and Best Editing awards as voted on by members of the Broadcast Film Critics Association* and the Broadcast Television Journalists Association*.
The extraordinary account of Alex Honnold’s quest to be the first person to climb the 3,200-foot El Capitan in Yosemite National Park without a rope also earned three awards at the Critics’ Choice Documentary Awards. Free Solo, directed by Chai Vasarhelyi (Incorruptible, Meru) and Jimmy Chin (Meru), picked up the Best Sports Documentary, Best Innovative Documentary, and Best Cinematography awards. The documentary’s subject, Alex Honnold, was also one of the people recognized with a Most Compelling Living Subject of a Documentary award. Additional winners in that category included Scotty Bowers (Scotty and the Secret History of Hollywood), Ruth Bader Ginsburg (RBG), Joan Jett (Bad Reputation), Quincy Jones (Quincy), David Kellman and Bobby Shafran (Three Identical Strangers), John McEnroe (John McEnroe: In the Realm of Perfection), and Leon Vitali (Filmworker).
This year’s Critics’ Choice Documentary Awards gala was hosted by Bill Nye. Celebrities in attendance included Rashida Jones, Pamela Adlon, Matt Dillon, Natasha Lyonne, Steve James, D.A. Pennebaker, Chris Hegedus, Chai Vasarhelyi, Jimmy Chin, Bing Liu, and Morgan Neville.
“As the documentary world is exploding with great works, we are thrilled to shine a light on the best of the best,” stated BFCA President Joey Berlin. “In The Year of the Documentary this was a very special night celebrating the giants in our business and some amazing newcomers.”
In addition to the regular awards, special awards were given to Michael Moore and Stanley Nelson. Robert De Niro had the honor of presenting Moore (Fahrenheit 11/9) with the Critics’ Choice Lifetime Achievement Award. Last year’s Critics’ Choice Impact Award winner Joe Berlinger presented Nelson with this year’s award in that category.
The BFCA and BTJA’s Critic’s Choice Documentary Awards are sponsored by Focus Features, National Geographic Documentary Films, Netflix, CNN Films, and CuriosityStream.
NBC’s The Blacklist will return for its sixth season on Friday, January 4, 2019. The series will kick off season six with a two-hour special beginning at 8pm ET/PT, with subsequent sixth season episodes airing on Fridays at 9pm ET/PT.
According to the network, season five of the dramatic series averaged 8.6 million viewers. It took the number two spot on Wednesdays at 8pm ET/PT in total viewers and increased NBC’s viewership in its time slot year over year.
The Blacklist season six has Megan Boone as Elizabeth Keen and three-time Golden Globe nominee/three-time Primetime Emmy winner James Spader as Red Reddington returning to lead the cast. Additional season six stars include Diego Klattenhoff (Homeland) as Donald Ressler, Harry Lennix (Billions) as Harold Cooper, Amir Arison (Jane Wants a Boyfriend) as Aram Mojtabai, Mozhan Marnò (House of Cards) as Samar Navabi, and Hisham Tawfiq (Redemption) as Dembe Zuma.
The series was created by writer/executive producer Jon Bokenkamp. John Eisendrath, John Davis, John Fox, James Spader, Lukas Reiter, J.R. Orci, Carla Kettner, and Laura A. Benson also serve as executive producers. The behind the scenes team includes casting directors Bonnie Finnegan and Steven Jacobs, production designer Nicholas Lundy, directors of photography Mike Caracciolo and Saade Mustafa, and editors Chris Brookshire, Dave Post, and Orlando Machado, Jr.
The Blacklist Plot:
Following the startling revelation that Raymond “Red” Reddington (Spader) isn’t who he says he is, Elizabeth Keen (Boone) is torn between the relationship she’s developed with the man assumed to be her father and her desire to get to the bottom of years of secrets and lies. Meanwhile, Red leads Liz and the FBI to some of the most strange and dangerous criminals yet, growing his empire and eliminating rivals in the process.
All throughout, Liz and Red engage in an uneasy cat-and-mouse game in which lines will be crossed and the truth will be revealed.
The Backstreet Boys will be back on the road with their largest arena tour in nearly 20 years. The Backstreet Boys will be touring in 2019 in support of their upcoming album, DNA, which is dropping on January 25th.
“When this group started 26 years ago – and through all the highs and lows of our career – we’ve had to learn it wasn’t about us as individuals but about what’s best for the group,” said Howie D, explaining the title of the album and tour.
“That’s what I love about this album,” added Kevin Richardson. “We were able to bring all of our influences and styles into one coherent piece of work. These songs are a great representation of who we are as individuals and who we are as a group. It’s our DNA. We’re really proud of that.”
“The journey is ongoing with us and there is so much left to do,” stated Brian Littrell. “We’re living the next chapter that hasn’t been told yet, and that’s exciting.”
The DNA World Tour will kick off on May 11, 2019, just a few weeks after the group wraps up its “Backstreet Boys: Larger Than Life” Las Vegas residency. “Vegas has been amazing and these next set of dates are going to be a party,” said Howie. “Then it’s time for us to visit our fans all over the world.”
Tickets to the DNA World Tour will go on sale on November 14, 2108 via LiveNation.com. Every purchase will include a physical copy of DNA.
Backstreet Boys DNA Tour Dates:
UK and European Tour Dates:
11 May 2019 – Lisbon at Altice Arena
13 May 2019 – Madrid at Wizink Arena
15 May 2019 – Milan at Mediolanum Forum
17 May 2019 – Barcelona at Palau Sant Jordi
19 May 2019 – Paris at Accorhotel
21 May 2019 – Hannover at TUI Arena
22 May 2019 – Antwerp at Sportpaleis
23 May 2019 – Amsterdam at Ziggo Dome
25 May 2019 – Mannheim at SAP Arena
27 May 2019 – Munich at Olympiahalle
28 May 2019 – Vienna at Stadthalle
29 May 2019 – Berlin at Mercedes-Benz Arena
31 May 2019 – Gothenburg at Scandinavium
01 June 2019 – Oslo at Spektrum
02 June 2019 – Stockholm at Ericsson Globe
05 June 2019 – Helsinki at Hartwall Arena
08 June 2019 – Copenhagen at Royal Arena
10 June 2019 – Manchester at Manchester Arena
11 June 2019 – Dublin at 3Arena
14 June 2019 – Glasgow at SSE Hydro
15 June 2019 – Birmingham at Birmingham Arena
17 June 2019 – London at O2 Arena
20 June 2019 – Cologne at Lanxness Arena
21 June 2019 – Zurich at Hallenstadion
22 June 2019 – Prague at O2 Arena
24 June 2019 – Warsaw at Torwar Arena
25 June 2019 – Budapest at Budapest Arena
North American Tour Dates:
July 12th – Capital One Arena in Washington, DC
July 15th – Bell Centre in Montreal
July 17th – ScotiaBank Arena in Toronto
July 20th – Xcel Energy Center in Minneapolis, MN
July 22nd – Bell MTS Place in Winnipeg
July 24th – ScotiaBank Saddedome in Calgary
July 25th – Rogers Place in Edmonton
July 27th – Pepsi Live at Rogers Arena in Vancouver
July 29th – Angels of the Winds Arena in Seattle, WA
July 30th – Moda Center in Portland, OR
August 1st – Golden 1 Center in Sacramento, CA
August 3rd – Staples Center in Los Angeles
August 4th – SAP Center in San Jose, CA
August 5th – Honda Center in Anaheim, CA
August 7th – Vivint Smart Home Arena in Salt Lake City, UT
August 8th – Pepsi Center Arena in Denver, CO
August 10th – United Center in Chicago, IL
August 12th – Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, MI
August 14th – TD Garden in Boston, MA
August 15th – Barclays Center in New York, NY
August 17th – Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, PA
August 18th – Hersheypark Stadium in Hershey, PA
August 20th – PNC Arena in Raleigh, NC
August 21st – State Farm Arena in Atlanta, GA
August 23rd – BB&T Center in Ft. Lauderdale, FL
August 24th – Amway Center in Orlando, FL
August 26th – Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, TN
August 27th – Fed Ex Forum in Memphis, TN
August 28th – BOK Center in Tulsa, OK
August 30th – Smoothie King Center New Orleans, LA
August 31st – Toyota Center in Houston, TX
September 1st – American Airlines Arena in Dallas, TX
September 3rd – Cajundome in Lafayette, LA
September 4th – The Legacy Arena at the BJCC in Birmingham, AL
September 6th – Enterprise Center in St. Louis, MO
September 7th – Sprint Center in Kansas City, MO
September 8th – CHI Health Center in Omaha, NE
September 10th – Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, IN
September 11th – Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, WI
September 13th – KFC Yum! Center in Louisville, KY
September 14th – PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh, PA
September 15th – Prudential Center in Newark, NJ
Anna Paquin joins Showtime’s ‘The Affair’ season 5 (Photo by Kevin Scanlon)
Oscar winner Anna Paquin (The Piano) has signed on to the fifth and final season of Showtime’s The Affair. According to the network’s official announcement, Anna Paquin will play what’s described as a pivotal role as “Alison and Cole’s now adult daughter Joanie Lockhart who returns some years in the future to a climate-change ravaged Montauk to piece together the truth about what happened to her mother, bringing the whole story full circle.”
Anna Paquin joins the cast that’s led by Golden Globe nominee Dominic West and Golden Globe winner Maura Tierney. The season five regulars also include Julia Goldani Telles and Jadon Sand as Noah and Helen’s children, Whitney and Trevor Solloway; and Sanaa Lathan, as Janelle, Noah’s love interest.
Guest stars for the final season include Claes Bang (The Girl in the Spider’s Web) as Sasha Mann, a charismatic movie star and love interest for Helen. Emily Browning, Omar Metwally, Russell Hornsby, John Doman, Kathleen Chalfant, Max Fowler, Abigail Dylan Harrison and Jake Siciliano are also on board as guest stars.
WGA Award winner Sarah Treem (House of Cards, In Treatment) created the series and serves as an executive producer and showrunner. Jessica Rhoades (Sharp Objects), Hagai Levi (In Treatment), and Michele Giordono (Nurse Jackie) also executive produce.
Showtime expects the fifth and final season of The Affair to premiere in 2019.
The Affair Season 5 Plot:
Season four found Noah (West), Helen (GTierney), Alison (Golden Globe winner Ruth Wilson) and Cole (Screen Actors Guild Award nominee Joshua Jackson) in their own orbits, alienated from each other, spinning further and further away from where they all began. Season five will chronicle the aftermath of the season finale’s horrific events and find the characters coming to terms with the consequences of their choices – as they make the realization that if they really want to change their futures, they must first, face the past.
This final season is about how everything does really fall apart in the end, but somewhere in that wreckage, the seeds of change finally sprout.
The CW’s Legacies season one episode three revealed why Lizzie is so jealous of Hope, and found Hope and Josie growing closer. Episode three also featured a gargoyle attacking the school, Rafael showing off his werewolf skills, and the return to the world of The Vampire Diaries by Steven R. McQueen as Jeremy. It turns out Alaric’s hired Jeremy, an expert tracker, to keep an eye on Rafael and Landon.
Prior to episode three airing, The CW announced Legacies has earned an additional three episodes. The first season will now consist of 16 one-hour episodes.
Up next, season one episode four titled “Hope is Not the Goal” and airing on November 15, 2018. The episode was directed by Chris Grismer from a script by Bryce Ahart and Stephanie McFarlane (story by Brett Mathews).
The season one cast includes Danielle Rose Russell as Hope, Matt Davis as Alaric Saltzman, Jenny Boyd as Lizzie Saltzman, Kaylee Bryant as Josie Saltzman, and Quincy Fouse as Milton Greasley/MG. Aria Shahghasemi is Landon Kirby and Peyton Alex Smith plays Rafael Waithe.
The “Hope is Not the Goal” Plot: FOLLOWING THE TRAIL — When two local students go missing, Alaric (Davis) sends Hope (Russell), Lizzie (Boyd), MG (Fouse) and Landon (Shahghasemi) to Mystic Falls High to investigate. Meanwhile, as Josie (Bryant) helps Rafael (Smith) adjust to his new life at the school, his reluctance to follow the wolf pack’s rules puts a target on his back. Lastly, an unsettling discovery puts Alaric and Sheriff Donovan (guest star Zach Roerig) at odds with one another.
The Season One Plot:
“For the last decade, the iconic heroes and villains of The Vampire Diaries and The Originals have captivated audiences worldwide. They left an enduring legacy of love and family in their wake, which continues in Legacies, a thrilling new drama that tells the story of the next generation of supernatural beings at The Salvatore Boarding School for the Young and Gifted. It’s here that Klaus Mikaelson’s daughter, 17-year-old Hope Mikaelson; Alaric Saltzman’s twins, Lizzie and Josie Saltzman ; and other young adults — including high-energy vampire MG, newly-triggered werewolf Rafael Waithe and the mysterious Landon Kirby — come of age in the most unconventional way possible, nurtured to be their best selves…in spite of their worst impulses.
Will these young witches, vampires and werewolves become the heroes they want to be — or the villains they were born to be? As they fight to protect their secret, their town of Mystic Falls and eventually the world, they will have to rely on ancient folklore and tales to learn how to battle their far-reaching enemies.”
“Today we will steal Christmas in style,” says the Grinch (Benedict Cumberbatch) to his dog Max as he gets ready to steal all the presents from the Whos down in Who-ville in the 2018 big screen adaptation/extended version of the Dr. Seuss classic holiday tale, The Grinch.
The Grinch hates everything to do with Christmas, and every year the Whos down in Who-ville celebrate it bigger and louder than the year before. When The Grinch finds out the Whos intend to make Christmas three times bigger this year, he decides the only way he will ever have any peace is if he steals Christmas.
The Grinch sets out to rob the Whos of their Christmas by posing as Santa Claus, sneaking into their houses after the real Santa has visited, and stealing all their presents, trees, decorations, holiday food, and anything else Christmasy.
Bigger, louder, and much longer (of course) than the original 1966 animated classic Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas television special, 2018’s The Grinch is nothing more than a big screen, shiny, slapstick, empty extended remake of a perfect holiday classic.
Benedict Cumberbatch does a good job of bringing to life this not necessarily mean but more just misunderstood Grinch who is way too nice right from the start of the PG-rated film. The reason the original story works so well is that the Grinch is mean to everyone, even his loyal dog Max, until the end when he discovers the true spirit of Christmas. Cumberbatch’s performance of the cranky, ill-tempered green creature is just too tolerant of the Whos from the get-go and is a best buddy to Max. This is an awful, and seemingly unnecessary, change that weakens the moral of the story.
The storyteller this time out is Pharrell Williams who pales in comparison to the wonderful delivery and performance by the legendary Boris Karloff in the original television special. Karloff brought to life Dr. Seuss’ words and gave the Grinch his Grinchyness. (Granted, there aren’t many people who wouldn’t suffer in comparison to Karloff.) Williams’ style along with his hip-hop redoing of the original songs feels out of place and sounds as though they belong in a different film altogether.
The subplot of little Cindy Lou Who also feels like an unnecessary alteration.
In the 2018 version of Dr. Seuss’ beloved tale, Cindy Lou Who is no longer two but closer to 10. The film also trades out the character’s adorableness and innocence by turning her into a high-energy, overactive child who just wants to make her mom happy for Christmas. This change obliterates a very important element of the story.
This new remake of the television special lacks the heart, humor, magic, and Christmas spirit that makes the Chuck Jones animated TV show a holiday Christmas classic.
