Selena Gomez visited the Radio Disney Studios (Disney Channel/Paul Hebert)
Selena Gomez is confirmed to perform her new single “Wolves” during the 2017 American Music Awards. This year’s AMAs will take place at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles on November 19th and will air at 8pm ET on ABC. Winners of the music awards are voted on by fans, with the American Music Awards nominees selected based on fan interactions in Billboard Magazine and Billboard.com between September 9, 2016 and September 14, 2017.
Bruno Mars leads the list of AMA nominees with eight, including Artist of the Year, Video of the Year, and Favorite Male Artist – Pop/Rock. The Chainsmokers, Drake, Kendrick Lamar, Ed Sheeran and The Weeknd followed with five nominations each. Justin Bieber, Daddy Yankee and Luis Fonsi earned four nominations, Keith Urban picked up three, and Halsey and Rihanna each earned two.
dick clark productions and ABC previously announced Diana Ross will be honored with the American Music Award for Lifetime Achievement and will take the stage to perform. The Lifetime Achievement award is being given in “recognition of her remarkable career and her outstanding artistic contributions to the entertainment industry and popular culture.”
More on Selena Gomez, Courtesy of ABC and dick clark productions:
Selena Gomez made her mark in entertainment by conquering film, music and television at an early age. On the big screen, she began making the transition from young actress to adulthood with such films as the much talked about Harmony Korine’s “Spring Breakers.” The film premiered at the Venice Film Festival to critical acclaim while Gomez’s performance was singled out as a “breakout.” She appeared in the Academy Award® nominated film “The Big Short” opposite Brad Pitt and Ryan Gosling as well as “Fundamentals of Caring” alongside Paul Rudd. The later film premiered at the 2016 Sundance Film Festival and Gomez was named by Vulture.com as one of “The 20 Best Performances of Sundance 2016.” Other credits include: “Rudderless,” “Neighbors 2” and the James Franco directed “Indubious Battle.” She is currently filming the untitled Woody Allen feature opposite Timothée Chalamet, Elle Fanning and Jude Law.
As a recording artist, Selena has sold over 50 million tracks worldwide. She recently released two new singles “Bad Liar” and “Fetish” which garnered enthusiastic reviews. Entertainment Weekly wrote Gomez is making “the most unexpected pop music of the year” while Rolling Stone proclaimed the first single as “smart and streamlined.” In 2015, Gomez released her critically acclaimed album “Revival.” The first three singles off the album “Good For You,” “Same Old Love” and “Hands to Myself” went to number one on the US Top 40 chart. Gomez joins an elite group and becomes only the sixth female artist to have at least three songs from one album reach the #1 position since the chart launched in 1992. Gomez has added executive producer to her impressive list of credits serving as an executive producer of the hit Netflix original series “13 Reasons Why.”
Giving back has always been an important element in her life. She was named the youngest goodwill Ambassador for UNICEF at 18 years old and has worked tirelessly to support this organization ever since. Gomez has traveled to Ghana, Chile and Nepal as an advocate for some of the world’s most vulnerable children with UNICEF. Selena was honored for her continued support at Variety’s first ever Unite4: Humanity event with the Young Humanitarian Award alongside Bill Clinton. She has hosted “We Day” in Vancouver, Chicago and Los Angeles for We The Children, an organization that empowers young people to achieve their fullest potential as agents of change by being active local and global citizens.
Netflix released a new official trailer for the dramatic film, Mudbound, directed by Dee Rees (Pariah, Bessie). The film’s based on the bestselling novel by Hillary Jordan and was adapted for the screen by Rees and Virgil Williams. The cast includes Carey Mulligan (Suffragette), Jason Clarke (All I See Is You), Jason Mitchell (Detroit), Mary J. Blige (How to Get Away with Murder), Rob Morgan (Stranger Things), Jonathan Banks (Better Call Saul), and Garrett Hedlund (Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk).
Mudbound is opening in select theaters and on Netflix on Friday, November 17, 2017.
The Plot: Set in the post-WWII South, Mudbound is an epic story of two families pitted against a barbaric social hierarchy and an unrelenting landscape as they simultaneously fight the battle at home and the battle abroad. The film is about friendship, unacknowledged heritage and the unending struggle for and against the land.
Newly transplanted from the quiet civility of Memphis, the McAllan family is underprepared and overly hopeful for Henry’s (Clarke) grandiose farming dreams. Laura (Mulligan) struggles to keep the faith in her husband’s losing venture, meanwhile, for Hap (Morgan) and Florence Jackson (Blige), whose families have worked the land for generations, every day is a losing venture as they struggle bravely to build some small dream of their own. The war upends both families’ plans as their returning loved ones, Jamie (Hedlund) and Ronsel (Mitchell) forge a fast, uneasy friendship that challenges them all.
A scene from ‘Mudbound’ (Photo Courtesy of Netflix)
The CW’s The Flash season four episode three found Team Flash discovering that by rescuing Barry from the Speed Force, new metahumans were created from the burst of energy. The first new metahuman the team had to deal with was ex-casino employee, Becky, who happened to be the unluckiest person in town. Now that the group realizes what’s happening, the upcoming episodes will deal with tracking the new metahumans before they can cause havoc in the city and figuring out who’s behind the Samuroid.
Up next, season four episode four titled “Elongated Journey Into Night.” Series star Tom Cavanagh directs from a script by Sterling Gates and Thomas Pound. Episode four will air on October 31, 2017 at 8pm ET/PT.
The season four cast includes Grant Gustin as Barry Allen/The Flash, Tom Cavanagh as Harrison Wells, Danielle Panabaker as Caitlin Snow, Candice Patton as Iris West, Keiynan Lonsdale as Wally West/Kid Flash, Carlos Valdes as Cisco, and Jesse L Martin as Joe West.
The “Elongated Journey Into Night” Plot: DANNY TREJO GUEST STARS AS BREACHER — Cisco (Valdes) is shocked when Gypsy’s (guest star Jessica Camacho) father, Breacher (guest star Danny Trejo), shows up on Earth-1. Breacher takes an immediate disliking to Cisco and decides to hunt him. Meanwhile, Barry (Gustin) runs into his old nemesis, Ralph Dibny (guest star Hartley Sawyer).
The third season of Syfy’s horror anthology series Channel Zero is officially titled Channel Zero: Butcher’s Block. The reveal of next season’s title came just hours before the season two finale airing on October 25th at 10pm ET/PT. Channel Zero was created by Nick Antosca and season three is inspired by Kerry Hammond’s “Search and Rescue Woods” Creepypasta tale.
Season three will arrive in early 2018.
Showrunner Nick Antosca is writing and executive producing. Max Landis (Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency) is executive producing and Arkasha Stevenson will direct season three.
The Plot:Channel Zero: Butcher’s Block tells the story of a young woman named Alice (Olivia Luccardi, It Follows) who moves to a new city and learns about a series of disappearances that may be connected to a baffling rumor about mysterious staircases in the city’s worst neighborhoods. With help from her sister, they discover that something is preying on the city’s residents.
Cast includes:
Olivia Luccardi stars as Alice Woods, an idealistic young woman who devotes her life to helping the less fortunate, including her schizophrenic sister. But behind a facade of composure, Alice’s struggles with family, money and her own personal health are threatening to push her over the edge.
Holland Roden (Teen Wolf) as Zoe Woods, Alice’s older sister – a sharp, tough young woman whose struggles with mental illness have worn her down over the years. She hates that her younger sister has to take care of her and she’d give anything to go back to the way things used to be.
Rutger Hauer (Blade Runner) as Joseph Peach, a 1950s meatpacking magnate who grew increasingly reclusive and then disappeared after his beloved daughters were murdered.
Brandon Scott (Wreck-It Ralph) as Officer Luke Vanczyk, a young but already jaded cop, living in the shadow of his father, the Chief of Police. Luke’s world-weary exterior hides a fierce commitment to justice, and a deep love for his troubled community.
Krisha Fairchild (Krisha) as Louise Lispector, a retired journalist who has lived in Garrett, Michigan her whole life. Now she spends her days doing taxidermy and working on her personal project: A book about a pattern of disappearances in the city’s worst neighborhood. But when she rents out part of her house to Alice and Zoe Woods, she finds herself in danger from the people behind the disappearances.
Prolific series creator Ryan Murphy has made television history with his new series, Pose. Pose marks the largest number of transgender actors ever assembled in series regular roles for a scripted show. The FX series will begin shooting this November in New York City, with series co-creator Steven Canals working on the scripts along with Our Lady J (Transparent) and author/transgender rights activist Janet Mock.
Per FX, Pose takes place in the 1980s and “looks at the juxtaposition of several segments of life and society in New York: the rise of the luxury Trump-era universe, the downtown social and literary scene and the ball culture world.”
“We are thrilled that Pose pushes the narrative forward by centering on the unique and under-told experiences of trans women and gay people of color,” said Canals. “Ryan has assembled a strong team of storytellers and innovators to collaborate on telling this important narrative. As a Bronx-bred queer writer of color, I’m honored to aid in ushering this groundbreaking show into homes.”
Michael Roberson and Twiggy Pucci Garcon will serve as ball culture consultants and, according to FX, will “help populate the series with people from within the New York ball community, as well as to help develop authentic ball world stories to be featured in the show.”
Brad Falchuk co-created the series and Alexa Fogel (Atlanta) is the show’s casting director. Nina Jacobson, Brad Simpson, Alexis Martin Woodall, and Sherry Marsh are executive producing. Hector Xtravaganza, Skylar King and Sol Williams are serving as Pose consultants. Leiomy Maldonado and Danielle Polanco are choreographing the series’ ball scenes. Trans activist director Silas Howard is the co-executive producer, and Murphy will be bringing in emerging transgender directors to participate in his Directing Mentorship Program.
Details on the Cast:
“MJ Rodriguez (Blanca) is a theater and film actress who has appeared on Nurse Jackie, The Carrie Diaries, Luke Cage and was recently featured with Indya Moore (Angel) in Saturday Church at the Tribeca Film Festival. Dominique Jackson (Elektra) is a fashion model and icon in the current New York ball scene. Hailie Sahar (Lulu) has been seen on Mr. Robot and Transparent. Angelica Ross (Candy) was recently on Transparent as well as on several episodes of Claws. All will be playing authentic transgender characters.
Additional casting for the series includes Ryan Jamaal Swain (Damon), who recently filmed God’s Rock. Billy Porter (Pray Tell) is currently reprising his Tony® award-winning role as “Lola” in Kinky Boots on Broadway. Dyllon Burnside (Ricky) was seen in Holler If Ya Hear Me on Broadway.”
The CW’s Legends of Tomorrow season three episode three introduced the team to the new key character, Zari. The episode also reunited Nate with his recent ex, Amaya, and found poor Nate spending much of the episode high as a kite. Next up, season three episode four titled “Phone Home.” Directed by Kevin Mock from a script by Matthew Maala, episode four will air on October 31, 2017 at 9pm ET/PT.
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.
The “Phone Home” Plot: HELPING ONE OF THEIR OWN — The Legends learn that Ray Palmer (Routh) will die because they broke time, causing them to race back to 1988 to try and save his life. When they arrive, they are surprised to learn that young Ray Palmer has befriended a time-displaced baby Dominator putting him in harm’s way with the government and the Dominator’s mother. New to the ship and missions, Zari (Ashe) must find her place and learn to trust the team. Meanwhile, Stein (Garber) begins working on a secret project on the ship which makes Rory (Purcell) and Jax (Drameh) suspicious.
“Guys, the particle accelerator turned back on. It’s going to explode!” yells Iris (Candice Patton) to Team Flash as they struggle to deal with multiple problems happening around Central City in season four episode three of The CW’s comic-book inspired series, The Flash.
As the episode begins, The Thinker (Neil Sandilands) is observing a young lady named Becky Sharpe (Sugar Lyn Beard) he calls Subject Two. She’s a blackjack dealer who he says has a defeatist attitude and has the worst luck imaginable. Over the last three weeks, poor Becky walked in on her boyfriend cheating on her, got fired from her job at the casino, and her car was impounded. Becky was forced to take the bus home after losing her car and as the bus pulled away, there was a flash of very bright light.
Jump to present day and Barry (Grant Gustin), Cisco (Carlos Valdes), and Caitlin (Danielle Panabaker) are playing laser tag and losing to a group of obnoxious kids. (Finally, an original Team Flash scene outside of S.T.A.R. Labs!) Afterward, Cisco, Barry, and Caitlin meet up in the park with Joe (Jesse L. Martin), Iris, and Cecile (Danielle Nicolet) for a fast food dinner and that’s when they get an alert that an unauthorized breacher is about to enter S.T.A.R. Labs.
At S.T.A.R. Labs, Wally (Keiynan Lonsdale) is anxiously waiting for Jesse (Violett Beane) so they can have their long-awaited date night when her dad, Harry (Tom Cavanagh), comes through instead. It seems Jesse has sent her dad with a break-up cube that contains a hologram message from Jesse. To make things more awkward, the device doesn’t work so Harry has to tell poor Wally that Jesse thinks he’s great but she needs to work on herself now. With the rest of Team Flash watching, Wally’s heart is broken. Caitlin shoots Harry dagger looks for how horribly he handles delivering the bad news just as a crime alert goes off.
Over at one of Central City’s banks, Becky walks in all smiles. As the song “Luck Be A Lady” plays, a series of bad events happen to those who work in the bank which gives Becky the chance to go into the bank’s vaults and steal some cash. As she leaves the bank, The Flash is racing to catch up to her when a large tub of marbles (what business needs a tub of marbles?!) accidentally spills onto the street and causes The Flash to stumble and fall as though he’s Wile E. Coyote in a Road Runner cartoon.
Team Flash put their heads together and realize Becky is a new meta-human. Her power seems to be a “Good Luck Field,” as Cisco calls it. As her luck improves and things go her way, negative energy – or bad luck – goes out to those close by. Joe asks again where these new metas are coming from because Becky only moved to Central City three years ago. She wasn’t in town when the particle accelerator exploded four years ago. Harry and Cisco realize that somewhere in town Becky had to be exposed to dark matter.
Cisco, Harry, and Barry head out to try to find the spot, using a new device that can detect residue of dark matter. It’s not too long before they do and Barry remembers it’s where he came out of the Speed Force. A bus with 12 passengers was exposed to the dark matter when Cisco and Caitlin pulled Barry out of the Speed Force.
Back at S.T.A.R. Labs, Harry blames Cisco specifically for the new metas, saying he should never have tried to get Barry out of the Speed Force without consulting him. It gets heated between the two and Joe breaks it up when he gets a phone call from Cecile. He tells Barry he needs The Flash to carry him home immediately. When they get to Joe’s home, both Barry and Joe see Cecile dealing with plumbing leaks all around the house. Cecile encourages Joe to sell the house so they can get a new, smaller place for just the two of them.
Barry gets a call from Cisco saying he and Harry tracked Becky and she’s at Jitters. Barry goes to talk to Becky hoping he can talk her down. (He told the team earlier that Becky isn’t the same kind of villain they usually deal with and he hopes to reason with her.) Alas, no such luck. It seems Becky is enjoying her new luck and believes the universe is finally sending her some long overdue payoffs. She also believes that if other people around her are hurt, that’s fine. They can feel what it’s been like for her her whole life. As she leaves, she warns Barry not to get in her way because bad things happen to people who do that.
Barry gets another call, this time from Iris who wants him to meet her at a church. He shows up with a nice new white shirt and tie as she instructed, asking why she wanted him to meet her at a funeral. Iris tells him she wants to get married now. It seems earlier they lost their wedding venue and Iris is afraid if they don’t get married soon, it will never happen. Barry tries to talk some sense into her, but Iris is in panic mode. In one of the funnier scenes in the episode, Iris turns the photo of the dearly departed, who has just been carried out in a coffin, around and asks the priest to marry her and Barry right now. Taken a bit aback, the priest does agree but must stop early on when he breaks out in hives from being exposed to the cinnamon incense the altar boy used. Wedding canceled.
Harry’s working on a way to help Team Flash stop Becky, who Cisco has nicknamed “Hazard,” when Cisco walks in to apologize for the fight they had earlier. Harry confesses to Cisco that Jesse kicked him off her crime-fighting team for being too controlling and strict. Cisco tells Harry he’s part of the Team Flash family and he should stay on their Earth to fight crime. Cisco assures Harry he’ll always have a place with them.
More alarms are set off at S.T.A.R. Labs and Iris yells to the team that Becky is back at her old job in the casino and is having such good luck that her negative energy field is expanding out over Central City. Barry races over to the casino to try to stop her but ends up slipping on some loose change and accidentally handcuffs himself with the power-reducing handcuffs. Over at Joe’s house, Cecile is dealing with one big leak after another, slipping and knocking herself out as Joe tries to get into the house.
Back at S.T.A.R. Labs, the particle accelerator turns back on and starts its countdown. Cisco and Harry work frantically to shut it down but the system is not cooperating. Fortunately, Harry has a mental breakthrough and tells Cisco they should let it explode. He thinks it will temporarily mute Becky’s powers. Boom! The particle accelerator does go off and the wave spreads out stopping Becky’s powers long enough for Barry to get the power-reducing cuffs off himself and on her.
A little later Harry tries to apologize to Cisco and they agree he’ll stay with them on Earth-1. Team Flash will help Harry make a new life for himself with them. As the Team congrats itself on stopping another meta-human, and for figuring out how many are out there, Wally reappears telling everyone that he was on Earth-2 talking to Jesse and he’s realized he needs to leave Central City and find out where he belongs. Barry tells him he understands and that every hero has to discover his own road. Caitlin and Cisco hug him goodbye and Joe tells Wally he just wants him to be happy but that he doesn’t want to lose him. Wally tells Joe he could never lose him and if he ever needs him, he’ll race over in a second since he’s a speedster.
Harry realizes whoever sent the Samuroid to demand the original Flash face him orchestrated it to force Cisco and Caitlin to rescue Barry from the Speed Force so innocent people would be exposed to the dark matter and new metas would be created. The next scene is in The Thinker’s lair where he’s spying on Team Flash from the Samuroid helmet they kept after they defeated it.
In the final scene, Joe goes home and tells Cecile he’s ready to give up his old house. However, Cecile has changed her mind saying when she heard Joe talking about raising Iris and Barry in the house, she couldn’t think about selling it. Besides, she has some news of her own. “Joe, I’m pregnant,” says Cecile to a shocked and speechless Joe.
The Flash Season 4 Episode 3 Review:
Funny, lighthearted, and a little silly, episode three titled “Luck Be a Lady” continues to bring the series back to the formula that made season one such a big hit: some fun humor, a few heartfelt scenes between members of the team, bonding moments, and some exciting heroics. The stand-out performance in this episode goes to the team of Carlos Valdes and Tom Cavanagh as Cisco and Harry. The wonderful chemistry between these two actors make their scenes crack with energy and humor. The way Cisco and Harry argue and call each other names and then apologize and confess what’s really hurting them is a perfect mix of laughs and pathos.
The big surprise in this episode is not The Thinker spying on Team Flash but the departure of Wally aka Kid Flash from the team. To be honest, with Barry back and Jesse off having fun with her superhero team on Earth-2, it’s a fair argument to make that there doesn’t seem to be a storyline for Wally so far this season. The real question is just how long will he be absent from the show. And, will he be missed?
With Team Flash now realizing there’s a mastermind behind the new meta-humans and The Thinker spying on our heroes, it should be interesting to see who makes the next move and just what is the end game for The Thinker.
STXfilms just unveiled the first official trailer and movie poster for the action thriller, Den of Thieves. Christian Gudegast makes his feature film directorial debut with Den of Thieves and wrote the script, with Gerard Butler (London Has Fallen, Machine Gun Preacher, 300), Curtis ’50 Cent’ Jackson (Power, War Dogs), Pablo Schreiber (American Gods, Orange is the New Black), O’Shea Jackson Jr. (Straight Outta Compton, Ingrid Goes West), Evan Jones (A Million Ways to Die in the West), Cooper Anderson (I Hate My Neighbor!), Maurice Compte (A Walk Among Tombstones, End of Watch), Kaiwai Lyman-Mersereau (American Violence, Westworld), Mo McRae (Wild, Thirteen), Meadow Williams (Apollo 13), and Brian Van Holt (S.W.A.T.) starring.
Den of Thieves will open in theaters on January 19, 2018. That opening date puts it up against Warner Bros Pictures’ war drama, 12 Strong, starring Chris Hemsworth, Michael Shannon, and Michael Pena.
STX Entertainment and Diamond Film Productions financed the film and Gerard Butler, Alan Siegel, Mark Canton, and Tucker Tooley served as producers. Scott Lumpkin, Jamie Marshall, and Glenn D. Feig executive produced the 2018 thriller. Prior to making his directorial debut with Den of Thieves, Christian Gudegast wrote London Has Fallen, Pink Panther Mafia, and A Man Apart. He also executive produced the 2009 documentary, Sequestro, directed by Jorge W. Atalla.
The Plot: A Los Angeles crime saga in the vein of Heat, Den of Thieves follows the intersecting and often personally connected lives of an elite unit of the LA County Sheriff’s Dept. and the state’s most successful bank robbery crew as the outlaws plan a seemingly impossible heist on the Federal Reserve Bank of downtown Los Angeles.
Joel Edgerton and Will Smith partner up in Netflix’s action film, Bright, directed by David Ayer (Suicide Squad, End of Watch, and Training Day). The new trailer shows off the cop team of Will Smith as Officer Ward (a human) and Joel Edgerton as Officer Jakoby (an orc), as well as more footage of the world in which orcs and humans exist side-by-side.
In addition to Smith and Edgerton, the Bright cast includes Noomi Rapace (Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows), Lucy Fry (Wolf Creek), Edgar Ramirez (The Girl on the Train), Ike Barinholtz (The Mindy Project), Enrique Murciano (Bloodline), Jay Hernandez (A Bad Mom’s Christmas), Andrea Navedo (Jane the Virgin), Veronica Ngo (The Lost Dragon), Alex Meraz (Animal Kingdom), Margaret Cho (Drop Dead Diva), Brad William Henke (Orange is the New Black), Dawn Oliveri (Secrets and Lies), and Kenneth Choi (The Last Man on Earth). Max Landis (Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency) wrote the script and David Ayer, Eric Newman, and Bryan Unkeless produced the action thriller.
The just-released trailer also includes two new singles from the film’s soundtrack: “Danger” by Migos & Marshmello, and “Home” by Machine Gun Kelly, X Ambassadors & Bebe Rexha. Bright: The Album will be available for pre-order on November 9th. The film will be released in select theaters and on Netflix beginning December 22, 2017.
The Plot: Set in an alternate present-day, this action-thriller directed by David Ayer (Suicide Squad, End of Watch, writer of Training Day) follows two cops from very different backgrounds (Ward, a human played by Will Smith, and Jakoby, an orc played by Joel Edgerton) who embark on a routine patrol night that will ultimately alter the future as their world knows it. Battling both their own personal differences as well as an onslaught of enemies, they must work together to protect a thought-to-be-forgotten relic, which in the wrong hands could destroy everything.
Will Smith and Joel Edgerton in the Netflix original film ‘Bright.’
Domhnall Gleeson and Will Tilston star in ‘Goodbye Christopher Robin’ (Photo Courtesy of Fox Searchlight)
I guarantee you’ll never look at Winnie the Pooh the same way again after watching Fox Searchlight’s Goodbye Christopher Robin. The dramatic film delves into the life of author A.A. Milne (played by Domhnall Gleeson) and the events surrounding the creation of the chubby little cubby all stuffed with fluff. Those expecting a lighthearted tale of a boy and his beloved stuffed bear are going to be shocked to learn the real Christopher Robin was traumatized by the stories his father penned.
The film begins by addressing A.A. Milne’s struggles with what appears to be Post Traumatic Stress Disorder following his service in the British Army during World War I. Neither A.A. nor his wife, Daphne (Margot Robbie), seem fit to raise a child, yet Daphne apparently believed adding a child to their marriage would not only save it but also ease some of her husband’s pain.
The birth was difficult and Daphne never bonded with her son, leaving him in the care of a loving nanny (the always incredible Kelly Macdonald) while she and A.A. traveled and attended society events. A move to the country helped clear A.A.’s head, but didn’t solve his writer’s block. When the prospect of her husband writing anything new dimmed, Daphne took off to spend more time partying with her high-society friends.
Left at home with neither Daphne nor the nanny available to see to Christopher, A.A. (nicknamed Blue) spent quality time with Christopher and his ever-present stuffed bear, Winnie, in the woods. The one-on-one time inspired A.A. to write stories about Winnie the Pooh and his circle of stuffed animal friends that included Tigger, Kanga, Roo, Eeyore, and Rabbit.
The books were an instant hit when they were published in the 1920s and, unfortunately for Christopher, Daphne returned home and was instrumental in promoting the books. Multiple public appearances and interviews were scheduled each day for Christopher, and he grew to resent not only sharing his bear with the world but also losing the connection to his father. A.A. and Daphne were oblivious to the harm being done to their child until it was almost too late.
Goodbye Christopher Robin is inspired by real events, although the film’s approach to the real Christopher’s life during his formative years differs from his actual upbringing. The real Christopher Robin credited his mother with helping to create the Winnie the Pooh stories and said they were close when he was very young, according to an interview he did with the New York Times and what he wrote in his book, The Enchanted Place.
Minor differences between reality and fiction aside, Goodbye Christopher Robin reflects the real teddy bear-loving child’s life after he was thrust into the spotlight following the publication of Winnie-the-Pooh in 1926 and The House at Pooh Corner in 1928. The film also examines A.A. Milne’s battle with PTSD and how it affected his ability to return to his pre-WWI life and his ability to fully enjoy his success as a novelist.
There’s also an undercurrent of jealousy from A.A. Milne toward his innocent child who becomes the focus of the publicity and is embraced by the world more so than the man who wrote the Winnie the Pooh stories. That tinge of bitterness toward Christopher is portrayed beautifully by Domhnall Gleeson. Gleeson also does a terrific job in making A.A. Milne a sympathetic character, even when his actions adversely affect his young son.
Margot Robbie is equally terrific as the socialite who lacks a maternal instinct and who deserts her family at a time when both her husband and son desperately need her support. And, young Will Tilston delivers an engaging performance as the boy with the active imagination and a desire to connect to his distant father. Kelly Macdonald as Christopher’s loving nanny/surrogate mother is the voice of the audience in Goodbye Christopher Robin, ultimately demanding both parents open their eyes and face the truth of what they’ve done to their son.
Goodbye Christopher Robin goes down a dark path to reveal the world in which Winnie the Pooh was created. It’s a heart-wrenching, well told story that leaves you wanting to a hug a stuffed bear.
GRADE: B
Directed By: Simon Curtis
Written By: Frank Cottrell Boyce and Simon Vaughan
MPAA Rating: PG for thematic elements, some bullying, war images and brief language
