Teen Wolf star Tyler Posey and Pretty Little Liars‘ Lucy Hale team up for Truth or Dare, a 2018 horror film that just debuted a new trailer and poster along with three photos. The supernatural thriller comes from director Jeff Wadlow (Kick-Ass 2, Never Back Down, Cry Wolf) who also co-wrote the script with Michael Reisz, Jillian Jacobs, and Chris Roach. Blumhouse Productions’ Jason Blum produces and writer/director Jeff Wadlow executive produces.
In addition to Tyler Posey (Jane the Virgin) and Lucy Hale (Life Sentence), the Truth or Dare cast includes Violett Beane (The Flash, The Leftovers), Nolan Gerard Funk (Major Crimes, Counterpart), Hayden Szeto (Lodge 49, The Edge of Seventeen), Landon Liboiron (Frontier, Last Teenagers of the Apocalypse), and Sophia Taylor Ali (Grey’s Anatomy, Faking It).
Universal Pictures is set to launch Truth or Dare in theaters on April 27, 2018.
Blumhouse Productions has developed a reputation for producing box office hits out of films with smaller budgets. In 2017, the production company’s Split and Get Out were huge hits, with Split grossing $278 million off a $9 million budget and Get Out ringing up $254 million from a $5 million budget. In addition, Get Out has been raking in awards from critics groups and will likely earn at least two Oscar nominations for Best Director and Best Original Screenplay. 2018 releases include Insidious: The Last Key, Benji, The Purge: The Island, and a revamp of the Halloween film franchise starring Jamie Lee Curtis.
The Plot: A harmless game of “Truth or Dare” among friends turns deadly when someone-or something-begins to punish those who tell a lie-or refuse the dare.
Poster for the horror film ‘Truth or Dare.’A scene from Universal Pictures’ ‘Truth or Dare.’Lucy Hale stars in Universal Pictures’ ‘Truth or Dare.’Tyler Posey stars in Universal Pictures’ ‘Truth or Dare.’
Movies didn’t invent rubber monster suits to fool audiences. That credit might rest with American showman P.T. Barnum who would dress a performer in an ape suit as part of his circus sideshow. But an ape suit is probably where the tradition of suit acting in the cinema had its roots when an uncredited actor appeared as a primate in the 1918 silent film Tarzan of the Apes. A decade later the compact Charles Gemora would get credit (and start a career impersonating apes) for donning a gorilla suit and playing “The Ape” in The Leopard Lady. Of course there is a long history of hokey rubber suit monsters from the silly dinosaur in Unknown Island (1948) to the endearingly DIY styling of the sea monster in The Horror of Party Beach (1964).
But it was Japanese special effects director Eiji Tsuburaya and performer Haruo Nakajima who helped elevate suit acting to an art form in 1954 with Godzilla.
Filmmaker Frank H. Woodward was so impressed by the work these performers did that he dedicated a documentary Men in Suits (2012) to them and their craft.
“What I’ve always loved about monster movies, especially the ones I grew up on like Creature from the Black Lagoon and Star Wars, is that they made magic into reality,” Woodward said. “To my young eyes, George Lucas went out and rounded up every beastie in Central Casting to make the Cantina Bar come alive. And those creatures were there! You could feel the space they occupied. The way smoke and light curved around their horns or how their tentacles squirmed around when they moved. Later, of course, I realized that squirm was just loose latex, but the magic that made Greedo feel like an actual threat to Han Solo came from someplace else. It came from the actor underneath the rubber. The guy in the suit.”
Movies have used other techniques to make us believe that fantastical creatures are real. Willis O’Brien famously employed stop motion animation to bring King Kong, The 8th Wonder of the World, to life. Other films have used make up, prosthetics, and costuming as opposed to full on rubber suits as in the old Frankenstein and The Wolf Man or the original Planet of the Apes or with Ron Perlman’sHellboy. More recently Andy Serkis and teams of digital artists have produced amazingly subtle work with motion capture suits and CGI in films like The Lord of the Rings Trilogy and The Planet of the Apes reboot.
But there is something special about the practical effect of men in suits.
Woodward explained his fascination with them: “It was only when I was introduced to more intricate characters like the Predator and those gorillas in the mist that I came to respect the actor inside. It was their movement, the way they held their body, and, if they were lucky to have use of their own eyes, the way they engaged their fellow actors. That made the reality of a creature suit totally magical.”
Here’s a list paying tribute to performers who not only endured the agony and unique challenges of wearing painfully heavy creature suits but who also elevated it to an art form. They made us believe apes, kaiju, aliens, and other monsters were real in the context of their films. Since narrowing the list to 10 was brutal, I went with not just the best suit actor performances but with films that were also great and in which the suit performance was key.
Top 10 Men in Suits Creature Performances:
1. Gojira/Godzilla (1954)
The King of the Monsters serves up the undisputed king of suit acting: Haruo Nakajima (who passed away August 7, 2017). Nakajima was 25 years old when he first put on the Gojira suit that weighed more than 200 pounds (which was probably more than the 5’ 6” actor weighed). Temperatures inside the suit could rise past a hundred degrees and the actor often found himself in pools of sweat that collected inside the suit. But Nakajima never let the pain or hardship of moving inside this creature suit appear visible to the audience. What we saw was an amazing creature come to astonishing life on screen.
As the suit improved over the two decades Nakajima played Gojira, he was able to improve his performance in each of the 11 films he appeared in as Gojira. One of the reasons Godzilla is such an iconic and memorable monster is that Nakajima is inside that suit performing live and giving Big G a truly big and unique personality.
2. Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster (1964)
Okay, I could do an entire list of 10 great suit performances just from Japanese kaiju films like Godzilla and Gamera but I want a list that reflects more of the diversity of the craft. I did, however, want to highlight at least one kaiju baddie that faced off against Godzilla and after consulting with a fellow kaiju fan we decided the best example would be Hirose Shoichi as Ghidorah because not only is Ghidorah the first real villain Godzilla had to face, but also because the three-headed costume itself was such an unwieldy challenge.
Of course, I also have to give a shout out to Kenpachirô Satsuma as Hedorah, the Smog Monster. That costume looked impossibly heavy and difficult to work in as well. Satsuma would later take over the duties of playing Godzilla from Nakajima in 1984.
3. The Creature From the Black Lagoon (1954)
It took two actors to bring The Gill Man to life: Ben Chapman when the creature was on land and Ricou Browning for the underwater scenes. Also key to making this monster so effective was the suit created by Bud Westmore, Jack Kevan, Chris Mueller, and Millicent Patrick (although her involvement was uncredited and that’s a whole other story). In order to create the Gill-Man suits (there were more than one since the two actors were significantly different in height and one had to go into the water), full body casts of both actors had to be made and the suit took months to make. It’s especially impressive to see how well the suit looked and worked underwater and how beautiful Browning’s movements were for the Gill-Man swimming.
4. The Shape of Water (2017)
It seems appropriate to go from the Gill Man to the Amphibian Man created by Doug Jones for Guillermo Del Toro’s The Shape of Water. The film pays obvious tribute to The Creature From the Black Lagoon, of which both Jones and Del Toro are long-time fans. Jones is the finest suit actor working today and this film represents not just his best work but the film that showcases him in the best way. Jones also excelled in Del Toro’s Hellboy (as Abe Sapien) and in Pan’s Labyrinth (as both Fauno and the Pale Man).
In The Shape of Water, Jones not only manages to look graceful in a heavy, painful suit but he also gets to dance like Fred Astaire in a dream sequence. This film is a fairy tale for anyone who felt like Julie Adams and the Gill Man should have lived happily ever after together.
5. 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)
Dan Richter’s appearance as a man-ape in Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey may have been brief but its impact was phenomenal, both in terms of its influence on cinema and its position in the narrative of the film. Richter was a mime and he helped choreograph the Dawn of Man sequence in Kubrick’s film. It was a turning point in the epic film as Richter’s man-ape plays with a bone and discovers its potential as a tool and weapon. You could say it represented the moment when primitive man first discovers technology. The sequence was breathtaking and one of the most memorable in film history.
6. Alien (1979)
Horror is as much about what you don’t see as what you do. Ridley Scott masterfully ratcheted up the tension in this sci-fi horror film by teasing the audience with hints of what the alien creature was and what it could do before letting you catch ever so brief glimpses of what he actually looked like. Bolaji Badejo brought the first xenomorph to life in 1979 and it was the only time he enacted the role even though the film launched a profitable franchise. In fact, Alien was the only feature film this 6’ 10” Nigerian man ever made. But if you are only going to make one, this was an unforgettable one and he helped to create one of the most terrifying monsters of all time. Sadly, the actor died of sickle cell anemia in 1992.
7. Predator (1987)
Kevin Peter Hall’s exquisitely intimidating performance as the lethal alien at the center of Predator helped launch this film as a blockbuster franchise. The alien being may have been invisible for most of the movie but when he finally appears in all his glory it is a sight to behold. He repeated the role for Predator 2.
8. Gorillas in the Mist (1988)
Make up artist and creature designer Rick Baker deserves as much credit as any of the actors who have worked in his creature suits or make up. Sadly, some brilliant work he did was wasted in awful films such as the 1976 King Kong remake and Greystoke, Legend of Tarzan. But in 1981, the Academy essentially had to create an Oscar for make up effects in order to recognize his work on An American Werewolf in London.
For Gorilla in the Mist, the biography of naturalist Dian Fossey, Baker would create a mix of make up, puppets, and gorilla suits to bring to life the gorillas that Fossey studied and befriended in the jungle. As Fossey’s beloved Digit, John Alexander led a group of actors and mimes that would interact extensively with Sigourney Weaver’s Fossey on screen. Alexander’s performance is moving and absolutely convincing. This is an instance where the suit actor is not creating some fantastical creature or terrifying monster but rather making us forget that there is even an actor onscreen. Audiences were completely taken in by the work he and Baker did, and believed that they were seeing real gorillas on screen.
9. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1990)
As with Baker, Jim Henson was a genius when it came to creating creatures. In Henson’s case he generally worked with puppets in innovative ways to give us characters on Sesame Street, The Muppets, and to create films such as The Dark Crystal. But for the first theatrical film to bring the famous TMNT comic book characters to life Henson’s Creature Shop designed some “rubber suits.” The style of the suits fittingly drew on the Japanese tokusatsu style of special effects. There were two sets of suits made for the four teenage mutant turtles, one that was heavier and more detailed for the dialogue scenes and then lighter weight ones for action scenes and stunt work. The facial expressions were controlled from inside the suits via motorized cables.
With the exception of Josh Pais, who played Raphael and voiced the character, the other three turtles required two actors to bring them to life on the big screen. David Forman was in the suit for Leonardo with Brian Tochi providing the voice; Leif Tilden was Donatello with Corey Feldman as the voice actor; and Michelan Sisti was Michaelangelo with Robbie Rist voicing. TMNT may not be high art but it was lots of fun and the suit actors prove far more engaging and appealing than the newer CGI turtles in the rebooted franchise.
10. Star Wars (1977)
And, finally, let’s end with a film that is just overflowing with monsters, creatures, robots, and all sorts of impressive work. The first Star Wars (yeah I know we are supposed to call it A New Hope now) gave us Peter Mayhew as Chewbacca in a furry suit, Anthony Daniels and Kenny Baker hidden inside the droids C-3PO and R2D2, David Prowse beneath the Darth Vader suit with James Earl Jones’ voice, and a host of aliens and creatures in the Cantina scene. George Lucas’ epic Saturday morning serial ignited imaginations with what could be done.
The film is a celebration of behind-the-scenes ingenuity in creating all these amazing creatures and aliens on what was by no means a big budget. The Cantina scene alone is guaranteed to put a smile on your face and make your jaw drop at all the possibilities film is capable of. And that is essentially what suit acting at its best is all about, the joy and wonder of a team of supremely talented individuals creating something that had never existed before on screen.
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Stopping at 10 is painful because there are so many more I could include. So here are some honorable mentions: Teruo Aragaki in a number of Gamera films; Kevin Peter Hall as Harry in Harry and the Hendersons; Brian Steele (and as mentioned earlier Jones) in Hellboy I and II; John Rosengrant and Mark ‘Crash’ McCreery as raptors in Jurassic Park; and Tom Woodruff, Jr. as Gillman in Monster Squad and as the title character in Pumpkinhead.
Sony Pictures explores the Slender Man urban legend in an upcoming 2018 horror film directed by Sylvain White (Hawaii Five-O, Stomp the Yard). The studio just released a new Slender Man trailer along with a poster for the thriller which is based on a 2009 creepypasta Internet meme featuring the bizarre character created by Victor Surge (real name: Eric Knudsen).
David Birke (A Kidnapping in the Family) wrote the screenplay and Bradley J. Fischer, James Vanderbilt, William Sherak, Robyn Meisinger, and Sarah Snow served as producers. Sony Pictures is set to open the horror film in theaters on May 18, 2018.
The cast of Slender Man includes Joey King (Independence Day: Resurgence, White House Down), Julia Goldani-Telles (The Affair, Nurse Jackie), Jaz Sinclair (Paper Towns, When the Bough Breaks), Annalise Basso (Philip K. Dick’s Electric Dreams, Ouija: Origin of Evil), and Javier Botet (Insidious: The Last Key, The Conjuring 2).
In an interview with Know Your Meme, creator Eric Knudsen discussed the creation and spread of his popular Slender Man character. “Before you had angels and succubi, and then ghosts and spirits, today we have shadow people and inter-dimensional beings. The Slender Man, and other newly created entities, are just the newest addition in the progression of a long, and very real, human tradition. You’ve seen him, now you can’t unsee him,” said Knudsen.
The Plot: In a small town in Massachusetts, four high school girls perform a ritual in an attempt to debunk the lore of Slender Man. When one of the girls goes mysteriously missing, they begin to suspect that she is, in fact, HIS latest victim.
Poster arrives for the horror film, ‘Slender Man.’
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures just unveiled a new poster and trailer for the action thriller, Death Wish. The 2018 version of the classic 1974 film has Bruce Willis taking over the lead role originally played by Charles Bronson.
In addition to Bruce Willis (A Good Day to Die Hard), 2018’s Death Wish stars Vincent D’Onofrio (The Magnificent Seven, Daredevil, Law & Order: Criminal Intent), Elisabeth Shue (Leaving Las Vegas), Camila Morrone, Dean Norris (Breaking Bad), and Kimberly Elise (The Great Debaters). Joe Carnahan’s script is based on 1974’s film written by Wendell Mayes which was inspired by the novel by Brian Garfield. Eli Roth (Hostel, Cabin Fever) directed and Roger Birnbaum produced.
Death Wish is set to open in theaters everywhere on March 2, 2018.
The Plot: Dr. Paul Kersey (Bruce Willis) is a surgeon who only sees the aftermath of his city’s violence when it is rushed into his ER – until his wife (Elisabeth Shue) and college-age daughter (Camila Morrone) are viciously attacked in their suburban home. With the police overloaded with crimes, Paul, burning for revenge, hunts his family’s assailants to deliver justice. As the anonymous slayings of criminals grabs the media’s attention, the city wonders if this deadly avenger is a guardian angel or a grim reaper. Fury and fate collide in the intense action-thriller Death Wish.
Paul Kersey becomes a divided person: a man who saves lives, and a man who takes them; a husband and father trying to take care of his family, and a shadowy figure fighting crime; a surgeon extracting bullets from suspects’ bodies, and a man seeking justice that detectives are quickly closing in on.
By bringing the complex psychology of Brian Garfield’s book up-to-the-moment and injecting new thrills and a stark, unflinching look at the American psyche in 2017, Eli Roth and Death Wish bring audiences to the height of unforgettable suspense.
Poster for the 2018 action thriller ‘Death Wish’ starring Bruce Willis.
The CW’s Supernatural returns from its lengthy winter break on Thursday, January 18, 2018 at 8pm ET/PT. Season 13 episode 10 finds Jody organizing a search party for the missing Winchester brothers. Robert Berens and Andrew Dabb wrote the script and Phil Sgriccia directed episode 10 titled “Wayward Sisters.”
The season 13 cast includes Jensen Ackles as Dean, Jared Padalecki as Sam, Misha Collins as Castiel, Mark Pellegrino as Lucifer, Alexander Calvert as Jack, and Samantha Smith as Mary Winchester. Season 13 episode 10 guest stars include Kathryn Newton, Kim Rhodes, Katherine Ramdeen, Briana Buckmaster, Clark Backo, and Yadira Guevara-Prip.
The “Wayward Sisters” Plot: When Sam (Padalecki) and Dean (Ackles) go missing, Jody Mills (guest star Kim Rhodes) calls Claire Novak (guest star Kathryn Newton), the rebellious rogue hunter, and tells her it is time to come home – they need to find the Winchesters. Claire returns and reunites with Alex Jones (guest star Katherine Ramdeen), who has stayed behind with Jody and tries to balance a “normal” life with being a part time hunter. While Jody is happy to have Claire home again, she’s plagued by Patience’s (guest star Clark Backo) disturbing vision involving her adopted daughter. Claire and Alex search for Kaia Nieves (guest star Yadira Guevara-Prip), the dreamcatcher responsible for opening the rift that Sam and Dean went through, as she holds the key to their whereabouts. Jody calls her friend, Donna Hanscum (guest star Briana Buckmaster), to round out the team and the women head off on the most important hunt of their lives.
The Season 13 Plot: The exciting journey of the Winchester brothers continues as Supernatural enters its thirteenth season. Sam and Dean have encountered every kind of supernatural threat, facing down monsters, demons, and gods. Saving people, hunting things, and keeping the world safe. In the show’s twelfth season, the Winchesters were reunited with their long-dead mother, and joined forces with the British arm of the Men of Letters. But things turned from bad to worse, with the return of Lucifer and the surprising revelation that the Devil is expecting a child. Now, Sam and Dean find themselves facing a creature of almost unimaginable power… one that could save the world… or destroy it.
Universal Pictures has debuted a new trailer for the third Fifty Shades film, Fifty Shades Freed. The erotic drama finishes up the Fifty Shades trilogy that kicked off with Fifty Shades of Grey which was followed by Fifty Shades Darker.
The Fifty Shades films are adapted from E.L. James bestselling book trilogy, with the first two movies grossing nearly $950 million during their theatrical runs. Fifty Shades of Grey opened in theaters on February 13, 2015, ringing up $85 million domestically during its first weekend. The 2015 film grossed more than $571 million worldwide before leaving theaters.
Fifty Shades Darker was released in theaters on February 10, 2017 and didn’t match the first film’s box office gross. Fifty Shades Darker grossed just $378 million during its run in theaters.
All three films of the Fifty Shades movies star Jamie Dornan as Christian Grey and Dakota Johnson as Anastasia Steele. The final Fifty Shades film’s cast includes Eric Johnson, Eloise Mumford, Rita Ora, Luke Grimes, Victor Rasuk, Max Martini, Callum Keith Rennie, Bruce Altman, Arielle Kebbel, Robinne Lee, Brant Daugherty, and Marcia Gay Harden.
Fifty Shades of Grey was directed by Sam Taylor-Johnson. James Foley came on as director for the second film and stayed to finish up the trilogy.
The Fifty Shades Freed Book’s Plot: “When unworldy student Anastasia Steele first encountered the driven and dazzling young entrepreneur Christian Grey it sparked a sensual affair that changed both of their lives irrevocably. Shocked, intrigued, and, ultimately, repelled by Christian’s singular erotic tastes, Ana demands a deeper commitment. Determined to keep her, Christian agrees.
Now, Ana and Christian have it all—love, passion, intimacy, wealth, and a world of possibilities for their future. But Ana knows that loving her Fifty Shades will not be easy, and that being together will pose challenges that neither of them would anticipate. Ana must somehow learn to share Christian’s opulent lifestyle without sacrificing her own identity. And Christian must overcome his compulsion to control as he wrestles with the demons of a tormented past.
Just when it seems that their strength together will eclipse any obstacle, misfortune, malice, and fate conspire to make Ana’s deepest fears turn to reality.”
E! has greenlit a new limited series starring actor/activist Rose McGowan. The five part series is titled Citizen Rose and will premiere this spring. A special two-hour documentary will kick off the limited series on Tuesday, January 30, 2018 at 8pm ET/PT.
The limited series will be produced by Bunim/Murray Productions. Jonathan Murray, Gil Goldschein, Farnaz Farjam Chazan, Andrea Metz, and Rose McGowan serve as executive producers.
“You are formally invited into my mind and world. I am thrilled to partner with E! to amplify my message of bravery, art, joy and survival. As I ready my book, BRAVE, I realized I wanted to show how we can heal through art even when being hounded by evil,” stated Rose McGowan. “I want to have a conversation with everyone, and most especially, you about looking at things differently and seeing beauty everywhere. E!’s tremendous reach and impressive platform allow me to globally communicate the importance of living a BRAVE life.”
“Rose McGowan’s courage in addressing sexual abuse and harassment in Hollywood ignited a conversation and inspired other women to speak out against their abusers,” said Amy Introcaso-Davis, Executive Vice President, Development and Production, E!. “We look forward to taking viewers inside this talented, dynamic woman’s world as the first allegations unfold and she becomes a leading voice in a critical cultural change.”
The Plot: “In the span of ten days, artist/activist Rose McGowan was arrested, met with former President Barack Obama, and became one of TIME Magazine’s ‘People of the Year,’ all while navigating the minefield of those trying to silence her. […] Citizen Rose is a project that reflects a dramatically changing world. We follow McGowan as she readies her memoir/manifesto, BRAVE, for release.
Citizen Rose is McGowan’s world: the art, the #ROSEARMY, her special punk brand of activism and the music she makes to heal. By going up against the Hollywood machine, McGowan has shown true courage in the face of adversity and this documentary will take you behind-the-scenes of her tumultuous and fascinating life. She will process, in almost real-time, the massive social change she has helped usher in as well as fight back against those who have hurt so many, including her.”
Orion Pictures has just released a new motion poster for the romantic film, Every Day, backed by the song “What About Us” by Pink. The new poster features the film’s star Angourie Rice holding sparklers while waves crash behind her.
In addition to Angourie Rice (The Nice Guys, The Beguiled), the cast includes Maria Bello (NCIS: Naval Criminal Investigative Service), Debby Ryan (Disney’s Jessie, The Suite Life on Deck), Jacob Batalon (Spider-Man: Homecoming), Justice Smith (Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, Detective Pikachu), Owen Teague (It, Bloodline), Lucas Jade Zumann (20th Century Women), and Colin Ford (Under the Dome, Jake and the Never Land Pirates).
Every Day is based on the bestselling novel by David Levithan (co-author of Will Grayson, Will Grayson and Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist). Jesse Andrews (Me and Earl and the Dying Girl) adapted the novel for the screen and Michael Sucsy (The Vow, Grey Gardens) directed. Christian Grass, Paul Trijbits, Anthony Bregman, and Peter Cron served as producers.
David Levithan’s young adult romantic fantasy was released in 2012. He followed the bestseller up in August 2015 with the companion novel, Another Day, which explores Rhiannon’s side of the story.
Every Day is scheduled to open in theaters on February 23, 2018.
The Plot:Every Day tells the story of Rhiannon (Angourie Rice), a 16-year old girl who falls in love with a mysterious spirit named “A” that inhabits a different body every day. Feeling an unmatched connection, Rhiannon and “A” work each day to find each other, not knowing what or WHO the next day will bring. The more the two fall in love, the more the idea of loving someone who is a different person every 24 hours takes a toll on Rhiannon and “A,” leaving them to make a decision that will change their lives forever.
Netflix has just released the new trailer for Disjointed Part 2 along with a super psychedelic new poster. The network will launch all new episodes of the comedy series on January 12, 2018.
The first 10 episodes of season one of the half-hour comedy debuted on August 25, 2017.
Disjointed was created by Chuck Lorre (The Big Bang Theory, Two and a Half Men) and David Javerbaum (The Daily Show writer) and stars Oscar winner Kathy Bates (Misery). The cast also includes Chris Redd (Saturday Night Live), Nicole Sullivan (black-ish, The Mindy Project), Tone Bell (Truth Be Told, Bad Judge), Betsy Sodaro (All Hail King Julien), Elizabeth Alderfer (Better Off Single, The Passing Season), Dougie Baldwin (Upper Middle Bogan, Nowhere Boys: The Book of Shadows), Elizabeth Ho (Fifty Shades of Black, The Last Tour), and Aaron Moten (Mozart in the Jungle, The Night Of).
The Disjointed Season One Part 2 Plot: From Emmy winning creators Chuck Lorre and David Javerbaum, Disjointed is a modern twist on the American Dream, a story of the highs, the lows, and half-baked drama of a family-run marijuana dispensary. The irreverent workplace comedy stars Kathy Bates as Ruth, a lifelong advocate for legalization whose dreams are finally realized when she becomes the owner of a cannabis dispensary in LA. Ruth’s cannabis cohorts include three budtenders, her twenty-something son and deeply troubled security guard.
In Part 2 of the series, Ruth and her squad are back in business (after being shut down by the DEA) and are celebrating this next chapter in their lives as they navigate through new milestones and misadventures at Ruth’s Alternative Caring.
Fox’s Lucifer returns from its winter break with a throwback episode devoted to exploring the beginning of Lucifer’s vacation on Earth. Season three episode 11 titled “City of Angels?” begins in Los Angeles in 2011 with Lucifer (Tom Ellis) strutting down the street in full swagger mode while wearing a Saturday Night Fever-ish white leisure suit. Women smile as he walks by and he assumes it’s because he looks amazing.
As he gazes at his reflection in a window, his wings spring out and startle a homeless dude. Lucifer admits he forgot wings aren’t something people normally see and he retracts them before causing a major scene. He’s finally confronted about his out-of-style suit, thanks to a gorgeous young woman who compares it to one her grandfather owned.
Suit gone, Lucifer gets down to serious semi-naked partying which is interrupted by Amenadiel (DB Woodside), disturbed Lucifer’s toying with humans. He wants to return his brother to Hell, and they argue over who’s the strongest of their dad’s children. Amenadiel finally agrees to give his brother 10 minutes to say goodbye. As he waits on the street, he’s shot by a robber and left for dead. Of course, he’s not dead, but the robber does manage to steal his necklace when he’s temporarily knocked out.
Coming to and angry his necklace is gone, Amenadiel shows up in Lucifer’s bedroom and strips down to his undies while the ladies and Lucifer watch. He then quickly dresses in random discarded clothes near the very full bed. Lucifer wonders why his brother’s dress has a hole in it, and without going into detail Amenadiel lets the Devil off the hook for a few hours. He just wants to get his necklace back; that’s priority #1.
Amenadiel shows up at the police station and runs into Officer Chloe Decker (Lauren German) who takes the info about his stolen necklace. He even has a very rudimentary drawing to help her (it’s just a ski mask) and when Chloe wonders if a Jack O’Lantern stole his necklace, Amenadiel is clueless to the reference and believes Mr. O’Lantern is indeed the suspect. Decker gets distracted by a phone call from her husband Dan (Kevin Alejandro) who explains he’ll be home late. Dan’s going to be busy with a body very near the location where Amenadiel was robbed.
Talking to the police didn’t help, so Amenadiel has no choice but to turn to Lucifer for assistance in recovering his necklace. And, of course, Lucifer’s super happy his brother needs his help.
Chloe heads to where Amenadiel indicated the robbery took place and it’s just around the corner from Dan’s crime scene. She finds a clue and hands it over to Dan, and it even has blood on it. Dan’s not sure there’s a connection because he believes his victim was a random mugging victim. Chloe doesn’t think so and wants permission to do some more snooping. She reminds him it was his suggestion that she had to show initiative.
Meanwhile, Lucifer and Amenadiel show up at a classy outdoor bar and Lucifer immediately loves the music provided by a live piano player. He reveals music in Hell is mainly just for torture and that Justin Bieber’s songs are currently the favorites in Hell.
Lucifer shoos the piano player away and takes over playing. Amenadiel finally realizes Lucifer isn’t helping him but instead just wanted to drink and have a good time. Lucifer doesn’t believe Amenadiel will ever find his necklace, but then Amenadiel sees the news report on Aidan Scott, Dan’s murder case, and is sure he saw the victim right before he was shot and his necklace was taken. He’s positive the two crimes were committed by the same masked man.
Lucifer finally decides to help after noticing a large pair of breasts on the woman standing next to the murder victim. He makes a deal with Amenadiel to help in exchange for more hours on earth. And because he can’t think of what else he wants, he requests “a blank check” to be cashed at the time of his choosing.
Tom Ellis and D.B. Woodside in season 3 episode 11 of ‘Lucifer’ (Photo: Fox)
Lucifer and Amenadiel show up at a porn shoot, with Lucifer explaining it’s all about boobs. He recognized the woman in the photo as Misty Canyons (Taylor Black) because of her mole and her curves. Lucifer’s positively giddy when he recognizes the porn actresses, revealing no porn stars reside in Hell because they did such good work on earth.
When Lucifer introduces himself to Misty as a fan, she confesses she loves being a porn star and loves sex. She suggests if you want to be happy and free, you must move to LA.
While Lucifer’s meeting Misty, Amenadiel’s being mistaken as a porn actor and is dressed up as a window washer. Amenadiel ends up in a scene with Misty who has no idea he doesn’t realize what’s going on. Only when he mentions Aidan Scott’s dead does she figure out Amenadiel isn’t her co-star.
Amenadiel and Misty have a serious talk and she confirms Aidan was a decent guy. However, he did anger some people who wanted him to throw a fight. He refused to lose on purpose, even though they offered him a lot of money. Amenadiel thinks that person may be the killer, and Misty thinks he should talk to the people organizing the fight.
Chloe pursues her lead and interviews Gil (Chris Mulkey), the owner of the gym where Aidan trained. She wonders if Aidan ran the same route every day and then drops the bombshell that it wasn’t a random killing. Gil gives Chloe the name Tio Sorrento, saying Tio and Aidan butted heads.
Lucifer and Amenadiel show up at Rico’s where women are fighting in the ring. Lucifer instantly falls in love with the place but then he senses something… Chloe is standing within a few feet watching the same fight.
Lucifer decides to grab a drink as Chloe spots a person of interest and gives chase. Lucifer orders a Scotch and learns Tio looks after the fights. When Lucifer approaches Tio (John Charles Meyer), Tio immediately assumes Amenadiel wants to take Aidan’s spot and that Lucifer is his manager. Tio’s unimpressed until Amenadiel knocks out the former heavyweight champ with a single punch.
Later, Lucifer explains the plan to Amenadiel, saying he wants whoever wanted Aidan to throw the fight to try and make the same deal with Amenadiel. Amenadiel can’t believe Lucifer wants him to train, given that he’s their father’s finest fighter. Lucifer suggests that in order not to draw undue attention, he needs to learn to fight like a human. Needless to say, that doesn’t go well but it does lend itself to a pretty entertaining training montage.
Tio approaches Lucifer while Amenadiel’s training and offers him the same deal as Aidan. Lucifer replies by punching him out.
Back at the station, Chloe tells Dan about the guy she’s brought in and that he works for Tio. Tio could have tried to fix Aidan’s fight and he refused which led to his death. Dan reminds Chloe she doesn’t have any proof, but she has a gut feeling she’s right. Dan warns her to be patient.
Lucifer relaxes for a bit and pops in Chloe’s Hot Tub High School DVD. He’s about to pleasure himself to the video when Amenadiel arrives, destroying the mood. Amenadiel reveals Tio claims not to have the necklace so now he needs Lucifer to torture the information out of him. Lucifer figured Amenadiel would request that and so he made a quick jaunt to Hell to retrieve the best torturer: Mazikeen (Lesley-Ann Brandt).
Tio’s tied to a bed and claims to know nothing about Aidan’s killer. Maze laughs and introduces herself as a demon sent to torture him. Maze, as always, is very happy to get to do her work. In fact, she’s so turned on that she has sex with Tio instead of ripping off his testicles.
Afterward, Maze lets Amenadiel know Tio didn’t kill anyone and doesn’t know about the necklace. Apparently, Tio wouldn’t stop talking after they had sex. Someone else placed a half a million-dollar bet on Aidan losing, and that person is probably the killer. Tio doesn’t know who the man is, and Lucifer and Amenadiel decide to fix the fight and then wait at the location where the money is supposed to be exchanged to learn the killer’s identity.
And now we get another flashback shocker… Tio’s attorney is Charlotte Richards! Chloe wants to make a deal to speak with Tio since Tio is a suspect in Aidan’s murder. Charlotte (Tricia Helfer) explains nothing Chloe has to offer is worth getting Tio to talk. Chloe’s not easily dissuaded and figures out she can hold the fact Charlotte is representing warring crime families to get her to help. It works, and Charlotte is mildly impressed at Chloe’s spunk.
Amenadiel thanks Lucifer for his help as he’s about to step into the ring to lose. However, when Amenadiel calls Lucifer “evil,” Lucifer’s taken aback. In fact, Lucifer’s so angry he takes Amenadiel’s opponent’s spot in the ring.
Shirtless Amenadiel and shirtless Lucifer square off. “You wanted the Devil. Well, you got him,” says Lucifer, eyes flashing red. Lucifer taunts his brother, while Amenadiel thinks it’s all pointless. Amenadiel also reminds Lucifer the result of this fight doesn’t prove anything since he has to lose to reveal the killer.
Lucifer seems to relish the fact Amenadiel can’t let himself win the fight. “I’ll make sure I tell everyone in Heaven and Hell how the undefeated warrior lost to his loser, evil little brother,” says Lucifer. However, all bets are off after Lucifer calls Amenadiel “daddy’s boy.” Amenadiel and Lucifer get into it for real, not holding anything back. Lucifer’s getting the worst of it but Amenadiel can’t deliver the final blow. Instead, he tells Lucifer he’s better than he is and won’t stoop to his level.
Lucifer refuses to stop and gets Amenadiel in a chokehold. He taps out and Lucifer wins.
Elsewhere, Chloe and Dan are on stakeout duty waiting for Tio to drop cash in a locker. Charlotte said Tio promised to help them find Aidan’s killer, and Chloe believes he’ll do it because it will clear his name. Dan’s not so sure and thinks her visit to see Charlotte will set back her career. Chloe insists on following her gut, and she’s quickly proven right. Tio drops off the bag into a locker.
Amenadiel and Lucifer are still pissed at each other, but they’re also on stakeout duty. They watch Gil pick up the cash and then see Chloe chasing after him, ordering him to drop the bag of cash. When she follows him around the corner, the bag of cash is there but Gil’s gone.
Lucifer and Amenadiel snag Gil and he’s confused how he was running from Chloe one minute and somewhere completely different the next. Gil admits he shot Amenadiel and can’t believe he’s alive. He offers to get Amenadiel a new necklace, but Amenadiel is furious and demands the necklace his father gave him be returned.
Gil, still confused, confesses he didn’t mean to kill Aidan. Gil needed money, Aidan wouldn’t throw the fight, and he shot him in a panic when he fought back. He shot Amenadiel because he was a witness.
Gil claims he put Amenadiel’s necklace in his safe and Amenadiel wants to retrieve it. But first, Lucifer decides to flash his Devil face since he’s the King of Evil and Gil is most definitely evil.
The feuding celestial brothers drop Gil back on the beach where he confesses everything to Chloe and Dan.
Day over, Lucifer reveals he’s not going back to Hell. Walking through Rico’s, Lucifer tells his brother he’s realized he’s no longer an angel. “If that’s true, then why am I still trying to please father?” asks Lucifer. He doesn’t want to play a part in his dad’s play any longer and instead he’ll accept the fact that he’s the rebel everyone believes he is. Amenadiel demands Lucifer return to Hell with him, but Lucifer reminds him they made a deal. Amenadiel can’t break his vow and Lucifer says what he wants is to be left alone. Amenadiel reminds him their dad will be upset and he’ll end up suffering his wrath.
Lucifer has found his new home at Rico’s. All it needs is a piano.
Lucifer and Maze meet on the beach and he unfurls his wings. Maze, crying, cuts them off and they fall to the sand as Lucifer looks up at Heaven and smiles.
4. 
