“I thought we were going to a funeral,” says Reverend Mueller (Laurence Fishburne). “We are going to a funeral, just looks like it’s going to take a little longer to get there,” responds Sal (Bryan Cranston) as the former Marines opt to accompany their buddy Larry ‘Doc’ Shepherd (Steve Carell) as he sets out to take his son home to bury him in the comedy/drama, Last Flag Flying.
In 2003, Larry hits the road to try and locate the old friends he served in Vietnam with over 30 years ago. He locates Sal first, finding him in a bar he now owns. After a night of drinking and reminiscing, Larry asks Sal to join him on a short trip. They drive to a church where they find Reverend Richard Mueller who also served with them in Vietnam. A surprised Mueller invites Sal and Larry back to his house for dinner.
Near the end of the meal, Larry reveals he sought out his old friends in the hopes they would go with him to Arlington to bury his son who died in action in the Iraq war. Sal, annoyed by Mueller’s holier-than-thou attitude, tells Larry he can’t offer him comforting words but he can and will help him bury his boy. After a short conversation with his wife, the reluctant Reverend also agrees to accompany his friends on the trip.
Once they arrive at Arlington, Larry, Sal, and Richard are surprised to learn some upsetting facts about how Larry’s son died. Larry decides not to bury him at Arlington after all, but instead wants to take his body in the casket on a bittersweet trip up the East Coast to his home in suburban New Hampshire – a road trip that’s only possible with the help of his friends.
Heartfelt and at times very funny, Last Flag Flying is a touching and thought-provoking comedy/drama that’s elevated by the three excellent performances delivered by Carell, Fishburne, and Cranston. It’s a moving film that focuses on friendship, family, patriotism, and honor.
Cranston practically steals the film as the salty, crass, bar-owning former Marine, Sal. Sal’s obnoxious, loud, and drinks way too much, but is always steadfast to his friends in need. The scene in which he tells Larry, after hearing about his son’s death, he’ll help him bury his boy is pitch perfect and shows just how loyal and good-hearted Sal really is.
Carell delivers an extremely effective and understated performance as Larry, the loving father who’s in shock over the news of losing his son and is in desperate need of his former Marine friends’ company to get his boy home where he belongs. There’s a terrific scene with Carell’s Larry explaining to Cranston’s Sal and Fishburne’s Richard why he really looked them up. It’s so powerfully and realistically presented it’s sure to cause a lump in your throat. (It did in mine.)
Fishburne has the lighter, more fun role of Reverend Mueller who’s not proud of his past and the things he did in Vietnam but is proud that he served. His scenes with Cranston as the two get on each other’s nerves and bicker gives the somber film the lift and humor needed to keep it from being too heavy-handed of a drama.
The writing is strong and the dialogue is realistic, with some very funny lines as well as a few heart-wrenching ones. The music used in the film helps set and keep the mood without ever becoming intrusive or overwhelming. With three stand-out performances, some funny moments as well as a few heartbreaking ones, Last Flag Flying is a touching, provocative film that shouldn’t be missed.
GRADE: B+
MPAA Rating: R for language throughout including some sexual references
Running Time: 124 minutes
Directed By: Richard Linklater
Bryan Cranston, Steve Carell and Laurence Fishburne star in ‘Last Flag Flying.’
The chart-topping Korean pop band BTS will make their U.S. television performance debut on this year’s American Music Awards. The band’s confirmed to perform their new single, “DNA,” live during the AMAs. ABC will broadcast the 2017 American Music Awards beginning at 8pm ET on Sunday, November 19th.
Commenting on their upcoming American television debut, BTS stated, “We are so excited to be invited to the American Music Awards and to perform on the stage for the first time. All the members are honored to be on the show with other amazing artists, and we’re proud to share this great news with our fans, ARMY.”
Nominees for the American Music Awards are selected based on “key fan interactions as reflected in Billboard Magazine and on Billboard.com, including album and digital song sales, radio airplay, streaming, social activity and touring. These measurements are tracked by Billboard and its data partners, including Nielsen Music and Next Big Sound. The eligibility period for the 2017 American Music Awards was September 9, 2016 to September 14, 2017.”
Voting is currently underway for the winners via billboard.com/amas and theamas.com/vote. Fans can also vote by tweeting the nominee’s name or Twitter handle plus the category name and #AMAs.
Bruno Mars tops the list of 2017 American Music Awards nominees with eight nominations. The Chainsmokers, Drake, Kendrick Lamar, Ed Sheeran and The Weeknd followed with five nominations each. Justin Bieber, Daddy Yankee and Luis Fonsi picked up four nominations.
More on BTS, Courtesy of the American Music Awards:
Idolized and passionately supported by their massive fan ARMY, BTS has quickly risen from the ranks as K-pop newcomers and are poised for immense growth. With their popularity thriving in markets across all of Asia and mounting tremendously in the Americas, the boy band’s super-stardom has garnered a sky-rocketing trajectory of success in just a few short years. BTS has notched more than 40 weeks at No. 1 on Billboard’s Social 50 chart, which ranks the most popular artists across social networks. Most recently, BTS became the first ever K-pop act to break into the Top 10 of the Billboard 200. Their fifth and latest EP, Love Yourself: Her, debuted at No. 7, the highest-ever for a K-pop act on the chart.
Within four years of their 2013 debut, BTS went from winning several newcomer awards – including the Newcomer Award at the 2014 Golden Disc Awards, New Artist Award at the 2014 Seoul Music Awards, and Best New Artist at the 2015 Japan Gold Disc Awards – to becoming full-fledged Korean super idols. Comprised of band members Rap Monster, V, JungKook, Jin, Suga, J-Hope and Jimin, their remarkable impact is felt not only in Korea and all of Asia, but across the globe. Concert tickets and merchandise sales around the world confirm their universal appeal. Most recently, BTS has been recognized with awards including Best Korean Act at the 2015 MTV Europe Music Awards, Choice International Artist at the 2017 Teen Choice Awards, and Favorite International Artist or Group at the 2017 Nickelodeon Mexico Kids’ Choice Awards. BTS also won the Top Social Artist award at the 2017 Billboard Music Awards, ultimately proving K-pop can compete and thrive on a global scale.
Thor: Ragnarok is exactly the film we need right now. The world’s gone bonkers and we can all use a two-hour break, and Thor: Ragnarok is the perfect distraction. It’s incredibly entertaining, genuinely funny, and it features some truly amazing action scenes. Pretty much everything you could possibly want out of a standalone Avengers film is packed into Thor: Ragnarok with room to spare for things you didn’t know you needed, like a walking, talking pile of rocks with a New Zealand accent.
Director Taika Waititi wasn’t the most obvious choice to direct a film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. His movie credits include a handful of independent films, all of which I highly recommend. (2007’s Eagle vs Shark, 2014’s What We Do in the Shadows, and 2016’s Hunt for the Wilderpeople should all be on your must-see list.) Hopefully with the success of Thor: Ragnarok and the praise Waititi’s earning for the comic book-inspired movie, his indie films will be discovered by new audiences.
This third Thor film is substantially different in tone than 2011’s Thor and 2013’s Thor: The Dark World. The original Thor injected more humor than Thor: The Dark World, however the third movie tosses out all pretense at serious drama. Thor #3 is a wild ride from minute one, although MCU purists might not be quite as pleased with its treatment of the source material as those of us who only know Thor through the Marvel films.
Chris Hemsworth has never seemed more at home in Thor’s world, and it doesn’t hurt that the cast surrounding him is absolutely first-rate. Tom Hiddleston’s Loki grows more appealing with each film appearance and the chemistry between Hiddleston and Hemsworth is a blast to watch onscreen.
Mark Ruffalo’s Hulk has an unexpectedly goofy sense of humor, and when Ruffalo’s finally on screen as Bruce Banner he puts an entirely new spin on the character. Tessa Thompson’s Valkyrie is a welcome addition to Thor’s “Revengers” team, kicking ass and doing so as a strong, fiercely independent woman. Jeff Goldblum plays one of his most Jeff Goldblum-ish characters to date as the scenery-chewing Grandmaster who rules the junkyard planet of Sakaar.
Taika Waititi brings joy to the world of Thor and his actors all appear to be having an incredible time populating this comic book-inspired world. Two-time Oscar winner Cate Blanchett (Blue Jasmine, The Aviator) is simply delicious as the evil Hela, Thor and Loki’s older sister. On paper, the role’s a strange fit for the actress best known for awards caliber indie films and period dramas. Hela brings out a surprisingly fresh and naughty side to Blanchett. (I’d love to see a film devoted to Hela’s backstory.)
The plot of Thor: Ragnarok is relatively basic, centering around Thor putting together a team to take on his sister and save his fellow Asgardians. Benedict Cumberbatch pops in for a fun Dr. Strange bit and there are enough fight scenes to keep action junkies entertained throughout. Also working in its favor is the fact the film doesn’t take itself seriously, and even the collections of songs in the soundtrack evoke laughs from the audience. (Led Zeppelin’s “Immigrant Song” was an inspired choice.) Thor: Ragnarok really does have it all and claims the title of the most entertaining Marvel movie to date.
GRADE: A
MPAA Rating: PG-13 for intense sequences of sci-fi violence and action, and brief suggestive material
A scene from ‘Jane’ (National Geographic Creative / Hugo van Lawick)
The Broadcast Film Critics Association* (BFCA) and the Broadcast Television Journalists Association* (BTJA) have selected the winners of this year’s Critics’ Choice Documentary Awards. Jane, directed by Brett Morgen with an original score by Philip Glass, was chosen as the winner of the 2017 Best Documentary Award. Jane delves into the life of conservationist Dr. Jane Goodall and features footage taken during Dr. Goodall’s research in Tanzania’s Gombe National Park during the 1960s.
The winners were announced during a gala event held on November 2, 2017 at BRIC in Brooklyn. Penn Jillette hosted the second annual celebration of documentaries and documentary filmmakers. Clive Davis, Damien Echols, Gilbert Gottfried, Colin Hanks, Dolores Huerta, Barbara Kopple, Lawrence O’Donnell, Linda Perry, Kathryn Schulz, Fisher Stevens, Hannah Storm, and Diane Warren were among the presenters and attendees.
The 2017 Critics’ Choice Documentary Awards also featured a special presentation of the Critics’ Choice Impact Award to filmmaker Joe Berlinger. Errol Morris was honored with the Critics’ Choice Lifetime Achievement Award.
Professor Pyg is terrorizing the city as Fox’s Gotham season four episode seven begins. Harvey (Donal Logue) is back at work after surviving Pyg’s attack, and he’s just in time to witness a massive delivery of severed pigs’ heads to the Gotham City Police Department. 44 heads have been delivered and the instructions say it’s one pig’s head for each of the department’s officers. The only cop who doesn’t get one is Jim Gordon.
Catching up with Bruce Wayne (David Mazouz), he’s still depressed about taking a life – even if it was Ra’s al Ghul’s. A charity event’s being hosted at Wayne Manor, but that in no way lifts Bruce’s spirits. He’s snippy with the staff and races from the event to be alone. Of course, Alfred (Sean Pertwee) follows to question him about his feelings.
Bruce is reluctant to talk but finally opens up to Alfred. Bruce confesses he doesn’t feel sad, just angry. Alfred warns him to face his feelings head-on.
Back at the station, Penguin (Robin Lord Taylor) has shown up to offer his help. He’s brought along his new security consultant, Headhunter (Kyle Vincent Terry), who’s subbing in for Victor. Penguin says since Professor Pyg is killing cops, he’s basically killing his employees and that must stop. Jim (Ben McKenzie) angrily replies that the cops don’t work for him.
After Penguin leaves, Jim yells at Harvey for legitimatizing Penguin’s criminal activities. Harvey’s equally pissed about being questioned, especially by the one cop who didn’t receive a death threat. Harvey’s fine with Penguin going after Professor Pyg, and Jim swears he’ll find him himself. As their angry discussion is breaking up, they’re told three cops just went missing in the Narrows.
Over at Barbara’s place, she informs Tabitha (Jessica Lucas) and Selina (Carmen Bicondova) she’s closing shop. With Ra’s al Ghul gone, there’s no more money backing Barbara’s operation. Selina thinks they can make it work but Barbara (Erin Richards) is ready to break up their unhappy little family.
After Barbara leaves, Selina tells Tabitha about a potential heist they can pull off on their own. Tabitha says no because it’s impossible for them to rip off one of Gotham’s biggest motorcycle gangs.
Jim, Harvey, and plenty of backup arrive in the Narrows and find the missing cops’ car with blood in the front seat. Penguin’s gang joins in to help in the search and as Harvey explains how they’ll approach the search, furniture starts flying out of an apartment building.
Inside the building, Jim stops the cops and Penguin’s men from beating up potential witnesses. Harvey’s fine with what’s going on and how the search is being handled, caring not at all about innocent people getting hurt.
Bruce is hanging out in his kitchen when an old classmate, Grace (Samia Finnerty), shows up to say hi. She’s bored at the fundraiser and asks if he wants to go somewhere. Bruce actually smiles.
Jim respectfully questions one of the residents, asking what she saw. She keeps denying she saw anything when Headhunter and another one of Penguin’s men barge in and yank the potential witness’s husband out of his wheelchair and into the hallway. Jim’s pissed and goes after Headhunter who takes the elderly man to the street and is about to kill him if his wife doesn’t talk. A standoff ensues between Penguin’s men and the cops, and finally, the wife says she saw the cops taken away in a hearse.
Jim, Harvey, the cops, and Penguin’s guys head out to Hoover Island, following the witness’s lead. Jim locates one dead cop with a pig’s head and one cop who’s still alive but severely injured.
Penguin’s with Sofia Falcone (Crystal Reed) and the orphans when a breaking news report reveals two of the cops have been found. Sofia’s paying more attention to the orphans than Penguin and isn’t really listening to Penguin bragging about his accomplishments. She finally offers her opinion that her dad would never have taken the approach of aligning with the GCPD because they always fail. That means Penguin will ultimately fail. He decides that actually means he should get more involved, not less.
Selina ignores Tabitha’s advice and breaks into the motorcycle gang’s warehouse. She steals their stash out from under their noses, causing the men to torture one of their own who wasn’t paying attention and let it happen.
Jim’s in the ambulance with the injured cop when Harvey calls to tell him they haven’t found the third cop or Professor Pyg. The injured cop comes to and Jim asks if he saw Pyg’s face. He didn’t since he wore a mask, but he remembers the man tortured them for hours while singing nursery rhymes. Jim thinks Pyg’s doing this because of all the rot in Gotham, and he admits he also feels like he’s reached a breaking point.
The injured cop admits to being on Penguin’s payroll. Jim says he’s done bad stuff too, but they can make it right. He reveals that he’s going to take down Pax Penguina and then go after every single dirty cop. He asks the cop to join him, and the cop says he remembers Pyg is planning something. Pyg mentioned he’d bring justice to where there is justice no more.
Jim deduces Pyg is at the abandoned courthouse in the Narrows.
Grace brings Bruce to party with some of her friends. It turns out Bruce knows them from school and even previously punched one. When one of Grace’s friends asks about Alfred, Bruce has a vision of viciously punching the kid in his face. Instead, he controls his anger and agrees to go with them to a club.
Jim arrives at the abandoned courthouse along with the cops, Penguin, and Penguin’s men. Penguin seems to be in command and tells Jim, “We’ll take it from here.” Harvey appears to be fine with that.
Barbara counts out Tabitha’s money as Selina calls for help. She couldn’t escape the motorcycle club warehouse and the men there are all packing heat. Tabitha says she’ll be right there, but Barbara’s not anxious to go rescue her. Instead, she thinks it’s a teachable moment.
Robin Lord Taylor in the “A Dark Knight: A Day in the Narrows” episode of ‘Gotham’ (Photo by Jeff Neumann/FOX)
Penguin is having a blast speaking to the press, pointing out the cop may be trapped in the courthouse. Harvey pulls Jim aside to say Penguin’s men should be the cannon fodder and to let them go in first.
Pyg rings up Jim and explains his name is short for Pygmalion, chosen because he’s creating a new, better Gotham and a new, better Jim. He warns Jim that if he goes inside the courthouse, he’ll die. Pyg says to let Penguin’s men play cops and robbers. It’s then that Pyg reveals he’s actually the injured cop in the ambulance.
Meanwhile, Bruce is with Grace’s friends trying to get into a club. The bouncer won’t let the group’s leader, Brant Jones, in and once again the guy insults Bruce. He calls him a freak as Bruce’s hand clinches into a fist. Bruce pushes past Brant and talks to the bouncer on his own. Bruce then talks to someone else and comes back to tell Grace’s friends they can come in – but not Brant. Seems Bruce has just bought the place and he’s not in the mood to forgive the insults.
The group abandon Brant, and Bruce puts a finishing touch on the situation by taking Brant’s sunglasses and putting them on before heading in to party.
Jim warns Penguin and Harvey to call off the raid. He tells them about the switcheroo and that Pyg warned him not to enter the building. Jim’s sure it’s a trap and that he was warned because he’s not a dirty cop. Penguin thinks Pyg is actually trying to stop the raid and thus save himself. Penguin also believes Jim’s being played. Jim warns Harvey that the ambulance isn’t at the hospital, but Harvey says a spotter saw Pyg standing in the courthouse next to a cop tied to a chair.
Jim remains certain it’s a trap and asks Harvey to trust him. Harvey doesn’t and neither does Penguin, with Jim warning Harvey he’ll get their men slaughtered. The raid gets underway as Jim and Penguin watch from outside.
Tabitha makes it to the warehouse to rescue Selina, but they’re forced to hide after more members of the gang arrive. Tabitha and Selina prepare to fight their way out and just then Barbara appears and begins shooting the gang members. Selina and Tabitha enter into the action, wiping out the gang. Barbara wants her cut, but then she explains the team’s back together and they have a business to run.
Harvey, the cops, and Penguin’s men enter the building and find Professor Pyg next to the tied-up cop. However, after Harvey shoots Pyg, it turns out Pyg is the cop wearing a pig’s head and the tied-up cop is fake. Machine guns are exposed and start firing on the cops and Penguin’s men, proving Jim was right and this was a setup.
Jim informs Penguin the men inside are penned down. Penguin’s remaining men refuse to enter the building so Jim takes it into his own hands and goes in for the rescue. Headhunter is hit and Jim rescues him before taking out both machine guns. If it weren’t for Jim, they’d all be dead.
Later, Penguin tells the press he didn’t order the cops to go in, shifting the blame back on the police. The press leave Penguin in mid-sentence as Jim arrives at the station. They ask how he had the courage to save everyone and Jim says, “If the Pyg is watching, the GCPD is going to take you down.” He walks away as officers congratulate him.
Harvey also congratulates him, calling him a hero. Harvey calls himself “just a cop who shot a cop.” After Harvey walks away, Pyg calls Jim again and says he’s amazing. Jim swears he’s going to find Pyg, and as Pyg speaks we see he’s taking off his mask. He tells Jim next will come an epic spectacle. After calling Jim his muse, he tells him he’ll see him soon and then hangs up.
Penguin returns to his club and when Headhunter says Jim was right, Penguin stabs him twice.
Checking in again with Bruce, he’s now decided he’s going to check out this other side of himself for a while. Bruce Wayne the rich playboy is born. Drinking, dancing, making out…a new side of Bruce emerges. But, is he happy?
Jim watches as a robber is brought in to be booked. He claims to have a license for the crime, but when he shows it it’s immediately torn up. He’s told the GCPD isn’t accepting Penguin’s licenses anymore.
Jim watches a drunk and angry Harvey unsteadily make his way to his office.
Fox has officially announced there will be a second season of The Orville. Season one’s premiere attracted more than 14 million viewers and ranks as the network’s most watched/highest rated series premiere since Empire. It also ranks in the top three in new dramas debuting this fall season.
Seth MacFarlane created and stars in the series which has been compared favorably to the original Star Trek. Discussing the series’ tone prior to its premiere, MacFarlane said, “The thing I like that makes me feel good about this show is that it’s hard to compare it…take the Star Trek element aside…tonally it’s hard for me to compare it to anything that’s been on the air. I don’t think a science fiction show of this type that walks this line has been attempted before. I mean, shows like M.A.S.H. have walked that line between comedy and drama beautifully. If we can have that kind of balance, that would be a major victory for us. But, it’s hard. I think we come pretty damn close, but that is for the audience to decide.”
“Once again Seth has struck a powerful chord with viewers,” said Michael Thorn, President, Entertainment, Fox Broadcasting Company. “He has delivered a series full of optimism, drama and his trademark humor. We want to thank him and the rest of the talented cast, as well as the producers and crew, for an incredible first season. We can’t wait to see where The Orville travels in the second.”
MacFarlane writes and also executive produces along with Brannon Braga (Terra Nova), David A. Goodman (Family Guy), Jason Clark (Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey) and Liz Heldens (Deception). In addition to MacFarlane, the cast includes Adrianne Palicki (Kelly Grayson), Penny Johnson Jerald (Dr. Claire Finn), Scott Grimes (Gordon Malloy), Peter Macon (Bortus), Halston Sage (Alara Kitan), J Lee (John Lamarr), Mark Jackson (Isaac), and Chad L. Coleman (Klyden).
Season one airs on Thursdays at 9pm ET/PT.
The Plot: From Emmy Award-winning executive producer and creator Seth MacFarlane, The Orville is a live-action, one-hour space adventure series set 400 years in the future that follows The U.S.S. Orville, a mid-level exploratory spaceship. Its crew, both human and alien, face the wonders and dangers of outer space, while also dealing with the problems of everyday life.
Paramount Pictures just released a new two-minute trailer for Downsizing, written by Alexander Payne (Election, The Descendants) and his frequent collaborator, Jim Taylor. Alexander Payne also directed and produced the dramedy, with Mark Johnson and Jim Taylor also producing. Megan Ellison, Jim Burke, and Diana Pokorny served as executive producers.
Matt Damon, Christoph Waltz, Jason Sudeikis, Hong Chau and Kristen Wiig lead the cast of what is likely to be one of Paramount Pictures’ awards season contenders. The ensemble cast also features Neil Patrick Harris, Niecy Nash, Laura Dern, Margo Martindale, Kerri Kenney, Maribeth Monroe, Mary Kay Place, and James Van Der Beek.
Early reviews are mixed, with Downsizing currently sitting at 65% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes. Tasha Robinson from The Verge says, “There’s so much to love about Downsizing, in its self-aware dialogue, its consciously corny gags, its sense of creativity and adventure, and its vivid creation of an entire new world.” Vanity Fair’s Guy Lodge wasn’t as impressed, writing, “Goes soft and strangely condescending on us, coming within perilous distance of white-savior tradition as Damon becomes the change he’d like to see in the new world.”
Paramount Pictures is planning a prime awards season wide release of Alexander Payne’s latest film. Downsizing is set to open in theaters on December 22, 2017.
The Plot:Downsizing imagines what might happen if, as a solution to over-population, Norwegian scientists discover how to shrink humans to five inches tall and propose a 200-year global transition from big to small. People soon realize how much further money goes in a miniaturized world, and with the promise of a better life, everyman Paul Safranek (Matt Damon) and wife Audrey (Kristen Wiig) decide to abandon their stressed lives in Omaha in order to get small and move to a new downsized community — a choice that triggers life-changing adventures.
Kiefer Sutherland in ‘Designated Survivor’ season 2 episode 6 (ABC/Ian Watson)
“Sir, they need to see you in Command Ops. The Verona is sinking,” says Mike Ritter (LaMonica Garrett) to President Tom Kirkman (Kiefer Sutherland) as his boss struggles to save a U.S.S. Destroyer in hostile waters in season two episode six of ABC’s political thriller series, Designated Survivor.
As the episode begins, the U.S.S. Verona is in the Persian Gulf dealing with a storm when she collides with a garbage barge from Kunami. 16 crewmen have lost their lives, and the captain was one of them. Kirkman is brought up to speed about the international incident and tells his staff he wants to speak with the officer now in charge. That turns out to be Lt. Griffin (Gregory Smith) who brings the President up to speed on the condition of the ship and the crew. The President assures Griffin he’ll get his crew back home.
Moments later, Secretary Moss (Geoff Pierson) offers the President assistance with Thorne’s murder, letting him know that he has a good past relationship with the Prime Minister. Kirkman thanks Moss and tells him to visit Hannah Wells (Maggie Q) and she’ll bring him up to speed.
Over at the FBI, Agents Wells and Damian Rennett (Ben Lawson) talk to Ms. Peyton Lane who tells them Cray’s wife moved a large number of Euros from her husband’s account just after he got shot. Wells and Rennett decide to go see Cray, convinced she’s behind the murder of Thorne.
Back at the White House, Aaron (Adan Canto) talks to the Ambassador of Kunami who’s upset an American Destroyer was in its waters and relays the info his country’s leader is convinced it was there spying on their country. Aaron tries to convey that all the President wants to do is work out a rescue mission, but the ambassador will not allow any other American ships in their waters. In fact, a little while later Kirkman learns of a blockade by the Kunami government to stop any rescue ships.
Emily (Italia Ricci) is extremely distracted and is repeating herself. Seth (Kal Penn) notices and asks what’s wrong. She confides in him that she’s supposed to have lunch with her father who walked out on her and her mom 23 years ago. Seth tells her he would never tell her what to do but that she shouldn’t use the chaos at the White House as an excuse to see her dad and face her past.
Emily visits her dad and confronts him about walking out on his family. He reveals he didn’t think he could be in her life if he weren’t with her mother. Emily tells her father about birthday after birthday hoping he would show up or send a card, which he never did. She tells him to say goodbye and as he starts to leave, he shows her an old newspaper clipping of her winning the national spelling bee when she was 13 years old, giving the clip to her to keep. As he walks away, Emily gets teary-eyed and calls out to him.
Wells and Rennett sit down to talk with Mrs. Cray and her lawyer, and she still insists she had nothing to do with Thorne’s murder or her husband’s business. Her lawyer threatens the agents with a lawsuit. Chuck Russink (Jake Epstein) pulls Wells and Rennett out of the meeting to show them a video he found of Peyton Lane being taken hostage. The kidnappers declare that if Darius isn’t extradited to Malaysia, they will kill her.
Back at the White House, in-house council Kendra Daynes (Zoe McLellan) approaches the President and tells him she needs to have full access to the First Lady’s mother in order to try to kill her hearing. Kirkman reluctantly agrees.
Meanwhile, the Kunami government holds a presser claiming the U.S. warship was spying on their country and is now their property. The Admiral of the U.S. Fleet tells the President that indeed the U.S.S. Verona was spying and they cannot afford to let the ship be taken by the Kunami government because of the diplomatic mess it would create. Kirkman reminds everyone his first priority is to save the men on board.
Emily’s dad is visiting the White House and in a running gag-style of humor keeps getting sidelined while Emily keeps getting pulled in to do her job. She and Aaron meet with some senators to see if the President can get Congress to lift the sanctions on Kunami to appease them into letting them save the crew. However, the vibe is that the Hill won’t go for it. They tell Kirkman how it went and Ritter informs Kirkman he’s needed in Command Ops because the ship is now sinking.
President Kirkman talks to Captain Griffin (yes, Kirkman promoted him to Captain) and tells him to let his crew know they’re taking the diplomatic route but will save them. Griffin informs the President he and his crew are willing to go down with the ship if that’s what needs to happen. Kirkman assures Griffin it won’t come to that.
Wells and Rennett meet with Moss and tell him they believe Mrs. Cray is behind the Thorne murder and Lane kidnapping. Moss says moving Darius to Malaysia is out because he’ll only get a slap on the wrist for all his crimes since he has major holdings in East Asia. Wells and Rennett head out to track down Ms. Lane.
Kendra meets with the First Lady’s mother, Eva Booker (Bonnie Bedelia), trying to get her to sign a document saying she hasn’t had any contact with contractor Eric Little for 30 years. Booker doesn’t want to sign and says maybe she’ll have her own attorney look at it. Finally, Booker admits she did see Little about three or four weeks ago, but it slipped her mind because it was only for a few minutes. This could open up the First Lady to charges of obstruction of justice.
The Verona is taking on more water and has only five or six hours left to stay afloat. Running out of options and realizing all of this tilts in favor of Kunami, Kirkman orders a re-creation of the Verona’s collision with the garbage vessel. In recreating it, they realize the Kunami vessel turned at the Verona and speed up, deliberately ramming the ship. Kirkman confronts the Kunami ambassador with this new information, and he responds by informing Kirkman the U.S. has turned his nation into a pariah. He threatens to bring in neighboring allies against America in the name of war.
Kirkman returns to Command Ops and tells the Admiral to run the blockade, adding, “Admiral, if they engage sink every ship they’ve got.” The result is good news as all of the dead have been accounted for and the rescue ship saves the crew of the U.S.S. Verona.
Meanwhile, Wells, Rennett, and Chuck are watching the hostage video of Lane when they realize she mentions siblings but in fact, she is an only child. It’s a code that Chuck breaks and they realize she’s giving them the names of the cross streets where she’s being held captive. Wells and Rennett charge in with a handful of FBI men, take out the kidnappers and save Lane.
Everyone on board the Verona has evacuated except Captain Griffin. Kirkman calls up the live video and asks what the Captain is still doing on board. Griffin tells the President he’s staying so the VDR and war equipment is properly destroyed and don’t fall into Kumani hands. He’s going to scuttle the ship. Kirkman asks him where he’s from and if he has any family. Griffin says he has two sisters and a girl back home. Kirkman asks Griffin not to go through with his plan and to let him bring him home. Griffin pauses for a few moments and replies, “No. It’s been an honor to serve you, sir. Verona out.”
Over at the White House, Emily gets a rude awakening. It turns out her father wasn’t interested in reconnecting with her at all but merely wanted to meet the President and hopefully get a picture of him with his new product – a new and improved corkscrew. Seth visits Emily later in her office and she opens up to him with tears in her eyes about why her father really came to see her. Seth suggests that if her father can’t see how great she is, then forget him. He continues by showering her with heartfelt compliments, and Emily responds with a kiss and a hug.
Wells and Rennett talk to Cray again. It seems the kidnappers’ burner phone was traced back to her phone. She finally admits to being an arms dealer but not to killing Thorne. In fact, she needed her to keep the attention away from her business. So, it’s back to the drawing board for Wells and Rennett. Fortunately, Chuck has been going over hours of video footage and sees someone out of focus visiting Thorne the night before she died. He tries to enhance it and it’s none other than Secretary Moss! (Seriously, Chuck needs to get a huge raise for all the leads he discovers!)
At the Oval Office, Kirkman is heading to the residency for the night when Ritter asks him the name of the officer who stayed and scuttled the ship. Kirkman asks why and Ritter replies, “Because he was a hero and I want to tell my kids about him.” The President tells Ritter he was the Captain and walks out. Kendra enters the office asking if the President has left and Ritter says yes. He asks her what she has and Kendra tells him it’s bad news. Ritter asks if it can wait until tomorrow and she admits it can. “Let it then. The man has done enough for today.”
Designated Survivor Season 2 Episode 6 Review:
Dramatic and stirring, Designated Survivor season two episode six titled “Two Ships” moves the show back on course to its political thriller origins and finally has a crisis worthy of Kirkman’s presidency with the U.S. destroyer in peril. The strong writing, fast-paced drama, and political game-playing are reminiscent of the series’ first season.
Kiefer Sutherland delivers a stand-out performance in this episode as he perfectly conveys Kirkman’s concern for saving the crew and his sadness in losing the young officer who stepped up and took over as captain when all the other senior officers were lost in the collision. Sutherland subtly conveys the connection Kirkman feels with Captain Griffin since both of them are men who want to serve their country but never dreamed of becoming the man in charge.
Italia Ricci’s also outstanding as she shows Emily’s heartbreak not once but twice in this episode. It’s heartbreaking to watch Ricci as Emily look at the clipping her father saved all these years. And it’s equally emotionally moving when Emily realizes her father used her to get to President Kirkman.
With Moss now the main suspect in the murder of Thorne and the First Lady possibly being targeted for obstruction of justice, it looks as though life is going to get difficult and dangerous for President Kirkman once again.
Weezer and Pixies just announced a seven week co-headlining tour. The North American tour will take place over the summer of 2018, kicking off on June 23rd in Tampa, Florida. The tour will stop in cities including Houston, Toronto, Atlanta, and Cincinnati before finishing up on August 12th in Phoenix, Arizona.
The 2018 summer tour is being presented by Live Nation, with The Wombats providing support from June 23rd through July 15th. The supporting act for the tour’s second half will be announced soon. Tickets are set to go on sale beginning Friday, November 10, 2017 at 10am local time. Fans can access pre-sale tickets through the groups’ email lists at weezer.com and pixiesmusic.com.
“We’re all big Weezer fans,” said Pixies’ Black Francis, “so we’re really looking forward to this summer. We have a lot of respect for Weezer, they’re not afraid to take risks with their music.”
Weezer will be touring in support of the group’s 11th studio album, Pacific Daydream, which features the hit alternative single “Feels Like Summer.” According to the tour’s official announcement, fans can expect a “mix of new songs and classics from their revered 25-year catalogue, featuring countless chart-topping hits that have made them one of the world’s greatest bands.”
Pixies fans can look forward to 75 minutes of the group playing whatever they feel like with little to no in-between song banter.
Weezer and Pixies 2018 Tour Dates:
6/23/18 at Tampa, FL @ MIDFLORIDA Credit Union Amphitheatre
6/26/18 at New Orleans, LA @ Bold Sphere Music at Champions Square
6/27/18 at Dallas, TX @ Starplex Pavilion
6/29/18 at Houston, TX @ The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion
6/30/18 at Austin, TX @ Austin360 Amphitheatre
7/6/18 at Cincinnati, OH @ Riverbend Music Center
7/7/18 at Tinley Park, IL @ Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre
7/8/18 at Noblesville, IN @ Ruoff Home Mortgage Music Center
7/10/18 at Burgettstown, PA @ KeyBank Pavilion
7/11/18 at Cuyahoga Falls, OH @ Blossom Music Center
7/13/18 at Clarkston, MI @ DTE Energy Music Theatre
7/14/18 at Toronto, ON @ Budweiser Stage
7/15/18 at Syracuse, NY @ Lakeview Amphitheatre
7/17/18 at Mansfield, MA @ Xfinity Center
7/18/18 at Wantagh, NY @ Northwell Health at Jones Beach Theater
7/20/18 at Holmdel, NJ @ PNC Bank Arts Center
7/21/18 at Camden, NJ @ BB&T Pavilion
7/22/18 at Bristow, VA @ Jiffy Lube Live
7/24/18 at Raleigh, NC @ Coastal Credit Union Music Park at Walnut Creek
7/25/18 at Charlotte, NC @ PNC Music Pavilion
7/27/18 at Atlanta, GA @ Cellairis Amphitheatre at Lakewood
7/28/18 at Nashville, TN @ Ascend Amphitheatre
7/29/18 at Rogers, AR @ Walmart AMP
7/31/18 at Greenwood Village, CO @ Fiddler’s Green Amphitheatre
8/1/18 at West Valley City, UT @ USANA Amphitheatre
8/4/18 at Auburn, WA @ White River Amphitheatre
8/7/18 at Mountain View, CA @ Shoreline Amphitheatre
8/11/18 at Chula Vista, CA @ Mattress Firm Amphitheatre
8/12/18 at Phoenix, AZ @ AK-Chin Pavilion
The CW’s Legends of Tomorrow season three episode five finds the Legends still attempting to fix their screw up and set the world right. Their quest will lead them to a time-traveling vampire in episode five titled “Return of the Mack.” Directed by Alexandra La Roche from a script by Grainne Godfree and Morgan Faust, season three episode five airs on November 7, 2017.
The season three cast includes Brandon Routh as Ray Palmer/Atom, Dominic Purcell as Mick Rory/Heat Wave, Franz Drameh as Jefferson “Jax” Jackson/Half of Firestorm, Victor Garber as Professor Stein/Half of Firestorm, Caity Lotz as Sara Lance/White Canary, Nick Zano as Dr. Nate Heywood/Steel, Maisie Richardson-Sellers as Amaya Jiwe/Vixen, and Tala Ashe as Zari Tomaz.
The “Return of the Mack” Plot: HELPING ONE OF THEIR OWN — When Nate (Zano) thinks he has found a pattern to the anachronisms, it leads the Legends to London in 1897 to hunt down a time-traveling vampire. When they arrive in London, they run into Rip (Arthur Darvill), but not everyone welcomes him back so quickly, leaving Sara (Lotz) to make a tough choice in the end. Amaya (Richardson-Sellers) tries to connect with Zari (Ashe), but she is still struggling with being part of the team. Meanwhile, Stein (Garber) discovers what Ray (Routh) and Jax (Drameh) are up to and is not entirely pleased.
The Legends of Tomorrow Season 3 Plot: After the defeat of Eobard Thawne and his equally nefarious Legion of Doom, the Legends face a new existential threat created by their actions at the end of last season. In revisiting a moment in time that they had already participated in, they have essentially fractured the timeline and created anachronisms – a scattering of people, animals, and objects all across time! Our team must find a way to return all the anachronisms to their original timelines before the time stream falls apart. But before our Legends can jump back into action, Rip Hunter and his newly established Time Bureau call their methods into question.
With the Time Bureau effectively the new sheriffs in town, the Legends disband – until Mick Rory discovers one of them in the middle of his well-deserved vacation in Aruba. Seeing this as an opportunity to continue their time-traveling heroics, Sara wastes no time in getting the Legends back together. She reunites with billionaire inventor Ray Palmer, the unconventional historian-turned-superhero Nate Heywood, former member of the JSA Amaya Jiwe, and Professor Martin Stein and Jefferson “Jax” Jackson, who together form the meta-human Firestorm.
Once reunited, the Legends will challenge the Time Bureau’s authority, and, in true Legends style, eventually run afoul of the Bureau when they recruit a hacker from the future, Zari Tomaz. Against the wishes of the bureau, they welcome Zari to the team and continue their time traveling shenanigans, while insisting that however messy their methods may be, some problems are beyond the Bureau’s capabilities. Some problems can only be fixed by Legends.
