As anticipated, Captain America: Civil War opened to huge numbers over its first three days in theaters. The third film to feature Captain America in the lead rang up $181 million in domestically over its opening weekend. That’s good enough to move Captain America: Civil War into fifth place on the all-time list of theatrical openings. Narrowing the comparisons to just Marvel films, Captain America: Civil War‘s opening weekend is the third highest to date, with Marvel’s The Avengers holding the title of top Marvel opening weekend at $207 million and Avengers: Age of Ultron in second with $191 million.
The Captain America: Civil War Plot: Marvel’s Captain America: Civil War finds Steve Rogers leading the newly formed team of Avengers in their continued efforts to safeguard humanity. But after another incident involving the Avengers results in collateral damage, political pressure mounts to install a system of accountability, headed by a governing body to oversee and direct the team. The new status quo fractures the Avengers, resulting in two camps—one led by Steve Rogers and his desire for the Avengers to remain free to defend humanity without government interference, and the other following Tony Stark’s surprising decision to support government oversight and accountability.
Emilia Clarke in ‘Game of Thrones’ season 6 (Photo: Macall B. Polay / Courtesy of HBO)
HBO’s Game of Thrones season six episode three split time between Jon Snow’s return from the dead, Arya’s journey to become no one, the High Sparrow’s continued demand for Cersei to finish atoning for her actions, Dany’s involvement with the Dothraki, and the reappearance of a Stark who’s been absent for a season. Episode three titled ‘Oathbreaker’ also caught us up on Sam’s voyage on the high seas, the wheelings and dealings of Cersei and Jamie, and even threw in another scene of Bran finding out the truth behind a legendary battle between his father and Sir Arthur Dayne. While not nearly as entertaining as either episode one or two, episode three did serve to set up the new chapter in Jon Snow’s journey which, hopefully, will be given more screen time in episode four.
The Recap:
Sir Davos (Liam Cunningham) stares at Jon Snow (Kit Harington) as he sits up, naked with the ever-faithful Ghost at his side. Jon gasps for breath, completely overwhelmed and confused by what’s transpired. He feels the wounds on his chest and tells Davos and Melisandre (Carice van Houten) that he remembers being stabbed, and even remembers Olly (Brenock O’Connor) putting a knife in his heart. “I shouldn’t be here,” he says, and Davos tells him the Red Woman brought him back. She demands to know what he saw after he died, and Jon Snow says there was nothing at all. “The Lord let you come back for a reason,” says Melisandre and tells him Stannis wasn’t the chosen prince, but someone has to be.
After asking for a moment alone, Davos tells Jon he was dead and now he’s not – and that’s “completely f**king mad.” Jon reconfirms he did what he believed was right, and he paid the price by being murdered. But, now he’s back. He has no idea why, and Davos tries to make him move on from the subject by saying they may never know why he’s back but he must continue to fight. Jon admits he’s not sure how to do that. He thinks he failed and Davos tells him that’s okay. “Now go fail again,” says Davos.
The Night’s Watch and the wildlings have gathered in the courtyard of Castle Black. Jon walks through them as they part to let him pass. Tormund (Kristofer Hivju) is the first to actually approach Jon Snow, letting him know the men think he’s a god. Jon shakes that suggestion off, saying he’s not. Tormund gives him a hug and jokes about the size of his penis, saying no god would ever have one so small. Jon continues walking through the men, still in pain, it seems as he finds Edd (Ben Crompton) in the crowd and hugs him. Edd tells Jon his eyes are still brown so he thinks Jon’s still in there. Jon, now in a joking mood following Tormund’s penis putdown, tells him to hold off burning his body for now.
Meanwhile out on the high seas, Sam (John Bradley) is dealing with a touch of seasickness. Gilly (Hannah Murray) tries to take his mind off it by rambling on about the definition of the word sea. Sam breaks the news the Citadel won’t take women or a baby, so she can’t stay there. She says she’ll stay in Old Town, but he tells her he’s taking her to Horn Hill – his home. His mom and sisters will take care of her, but she doesn’t want to be separated. Finally, she agrees to go as long as he thinks it’s for the best.
Bran Stark (Isaac Hempstead Wright) and the Three-Eyed Raven (Max von Sydow) are having another flashback of Ned as a young man. This time the peek back at Stark family history involves Bran’s dad and Sir Arthur Dayne (Luke Roberts), the best swordsman Ned Stark ever encountered. Stark tells Sir Dayne the Mad King is dead and wants to know why they weren’t there to protect their prince. Ned’s searching for his sister and Dayne, unwilling to disclose her location, draws his swords. Ned’s men and Sir Dayne’s square off until only Sir Dayne is left standing against Ned and a handful of men. Sir Dayne is holding his own, with only Ned and Howland Reed left standing.
Dayne is the better fighter and Bran recalls that his father told him he beat Dayne during this battle. Ned actually wasn’t able to kill Dayne until after Howland stabbed him in the back. When the fight is over, Ned heads up the hill after hearing his sister scream and Bran wants to follow him but is stopped by the Three-Eyed Raven. Bran demands to know who’s in the tower but the Three-Eyed Raven tells him he can’t stay too long in the past or he won’t be able to return to the present.
Daenerys (Emilia Clarke) and the Dothraki finally arrive at the temple housing the widows of Khals. The women strip her naked and she’s given simple, plain clothes to wear. She’s upset to be there and doesn’t understand why she has to stay, reeling off her long list of titles including Mother of Dragons. They explain that because she didn’t come to them immediately, there are many outcomes but the best would be she was allowed to stay with the rest of the widows. However, it’s up to the khalasars to decide her fate.
Lord Varys (Conleth Hill) meets with Valla to discuss her act of treason against Daenerys. She sacrificed her body for a cause and she helped the Sons of the Harpy kill the Unsullied and the Second Sons. She’s unapologetic, but Varys offers an explanation as to how he sees her actions. He uses the fact he knows about her son to scare her into talking, wondering how her young son will get along without her. He then offers her safe passage with her son on a boat leaving in the morning, if she spills the beans and tells what she knows about the Sons of the Harpy’s backers. It’s really her only option.
Back in Meereen, Tyrion (Peter Dinklage) is trying to get Grey Worm (Jacob Anderson) and Missandei (Nathalie Emmanuel) to engage in small talk. They are both horrible at it so Tyrion suggests they play a game. Missandei has played a (sex) game before but Tyrion says that’s not what he’s talking about. He makes up a drinking game but that doesn’t go over well either because they don’t drink. Thankfully, Varys enters and tells them he’s learned three rich foreign cities are funding the Sons of the Harpy. The Unsullied can’t march off to fight but Missandei says the masters only speak one language and if they want to be heard, they must speak it back to them. Tyrion wants Varys to send out his little birds to the three rich masters backing the rebellion.
Back at King’s Landing, Lord Varys’ children gather with Qyburn (Anton Lesser) and are given candied plums in exchange for whispers. In walks Sir Gregor, Cersei (Lena Headey), and Jamie (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau) and the little birds scatter. Qyburn says the little birds are now Cersei’s, not Varys’, which interests Cersei but Jamie is more interested in what exactly Qyburn did to Sir Gregor. Apparently, Sir Gregor does still understand orders and Jamie wants him to crush the High Sparrow’s head like a melon. Cersei reminds him that he has hundreds of faithful and Sir Gregor can’t face them all. Cersei says she wants little birds sent out throughout the kingdom. She wants to know everything that’s going on and wants news on anyone who disparages her family or laughs about her walk of shame.
Lena Headey and Nikolaj Coster-Waldau (Photo: Helen Sloan/Courtesy of HBO)
The small council is meeting and discussing Sir Gregor when he, Cersei, and Jamie barge in. Cersei wants to know why Olenna Tyrell (Diana Rigg) is involved in the meeting, and Olenna responds by telling her she’s there to check on the queen who is still imprisoned. Cersei starts to thank her for her concern when Lady Tyrell says she’s of course talking about her daughter, Margaery, the actual queen. “You are not the queen because you are not married to the king. I do appreciate these things can get a bit confusing in your family,” says Olenna Tyrell, delivering the second-best line of dialogue in the episode. Cersei wants to know if they consider Myrcella’s death an important issue, and even though Cersei isn’t a member of the small council she stays. The council leave en masse, refusing to discuss matters with her since she has no business dealing with them.
King Tommen (Dean Charles Chapman) visits the High Sparrow and tells him Cersei wants to see Myrcella’s final resting place. The High Sparrow turns down the request because she hasn’t fully atoned for her sins. She must stand trial but Tommen continues to demand that she be allowed to see the grave. The High Sparrow continues to say no and says there’s a great deal of falsehood in Cersei except for when she speaks of Tommen. Her love for her son is truly real. Her walk of atonement was for Tommen, but the High Sparrow says the gods still want more from her.
And now it’s time to catch up with Arya (Maisie Williams) who is, once again, getting beaten by the Waif. She talks about her old life – her brothers, sister, mother, and father. Arya doesn’t know if they’re all dead. The Waif asks about The Hound and Arya believes he’s dead because she left him to die even though she’d taken him off her list. Still left on Arya’s list are Cersei, Gregor, and Walder Frey. The Waif says that’s a short list and it can’t be everyone. “Which name would you like a girl to speak?” asks Arya. Jaqen H’ghar (Tom Wlaschiha) will give Arya her eyes back if she tells him her name. She says she has no name and she passes the final test. Her sight returns.
Ramsay Bolton (Iwan Rheon) and Lord Karstark meet with Lord Umber, representing a family that refuses to pledge themselves to the Boltons. He’s there delivering the news that Jon Snow led an army of wildlings past the Wall and now the Umbers need help. Bolton says if Umber pledges to House Bolton, they’ll fight together to defeat Jon Snow and the wildlings. Umber won’t kneel but he has a gift for Ramsay instead, revealing Rickon Stark and Osha (Natalia Tena). Bolton doesn’t trust that it’s Rickon but Lord Umber produces Rickon’s direwolf’s head as proof. “Welcome home, Lord Stark,” says Bolton, smiling.
Back at Castle Black, Jon Snow grabs his sword and allows the four Night’s Watch prisoners – including Sir Alliser Thorne (Owen Teale) – to say their final words. Alliser said he acted because Jon Snow brought the wildlings into their world and he’d do it all over again. Last up is Olly, who looks at Jon with utter contempt and says nothing. Jon slices the rope and the four men swing from the gallows. After they’re dead, he hands over his coat to Edd and tells him to wear it, burn it, or whatever he wants. And now comes the best line of dialogue from season six episode three: “You have Castle Black. My watch is ended.”
Ma Memoire est sans faille {My memory never fails}. There is something about the events of this episode that would not let you forget even if you wanted to. Several things come to light during the fifth episode of Starz’s Outlander’s season two, ‘Untimely Resurrection.’ The books are so context-rich, how they squash it down into episodes is astonishing to me. Have you ever sat to watch a show and when the credits rolled you shouted at the TV that it was lying to you? I seem to be doing that a lot with this show, but this one really took me by surprise when it ended. I was just so engrossed I could NOT believe it. Promise me you will watch for yourself, and tell me if it didn’t happen for you too. So, on to the recap…
We open with the Fraser home in complete disarray after the infamous dinner party. Furniture broke, glass and decor scattered about. The servants doing their best to set things right as quickly as possible. Again, can I get a few of those to run behind my teenagers? Just playing… Only Claire (Caitriona Balfe) and Fergus (Romann Berrux) are left to await Jamie’s (Sam Heughan) return after being taken away to the Bastille, along with the rest of the dinner guests who were still there when the police arrived. When Jamie comes in during the early morning hours he finds Claire, and a passed-out Fergus, awaiting his return.
Jamie scoops exhausted Fergus up and takes him to bed, then Claire and Jamie discuss the events of the night in their bedchamber. Alex Randall (Laurence Dobiesz) was kept in jail and charged with the rape of Mary Hawkins (Rosie Day). We all know that the nasty and dastardly deed was done by a gang of men, and our Sassenach scared them off, but not before Mary’s assault was realized. The Duke of Sandringham (Simon Callow) was so kind as to relieve Alex from his employment to allow him more time to contemplate his plight in the French Bastille {said in all sarcasm}. The Duke is the perfect politician in military clothing, sheesh!
The couple circled around to the topic of the attack and Claire mentions that they screamed that she was La Dame Blanche, and this is what saved her. See, you didn’t have to wait long to find out what that meant. La Dame Blanche is a mythical creature that is considered the ‘white witch’ in French stories. So you can see how Claire might react given her almost burning at the stake in Scotland after a witch trial. Jamie actually started this rumor though, much to Claire’s utter surprise. The rumor might be a good thing since it saved Claire, and because he knows where it originated. Jamie said it to Prince Charles (Andrew Gower) at the brothel where they usually meet. This gives them a starting place to investigate the men who did the crime. Events might lead to Le Comte St. Germain’s (Stanley Weber) involvement in the recent attacks on Claire, in the street and the poisoning event at Versailles.
Our poor gallant Murtagh (Duncan Lacroix) is kicking himself most profoundly for the events in the last episode. He and Jamie end up in the office down near the docks while Jamie conducts business as usual. Murtagh cannae forgive himself for the rape of Mary and the possible terrible events that could have harmed Claire and the bairn had the men not run off in fear of her reputation. Murtagh had been tracking St. Germain and also inquired after the clue from the brothel. St. Germain wasn’t presenting any curious evidence, but Murtagh did find out that an underground gang was formed by aristocrats from many of the noblest families in Paris.
The way into the gang was to take a woman’s virginity. This explains why the assailant screamed out in glee when he discovered that Mary was one. WAS being the operative word, devil take him for such a terrible thing {the character, not the real actor}. Murtagh is so downcast about the entire situation, Jamie knows the best way to make him feel like he was redeemed in his eyes would be to lay justice at Jamie’s feet by finding the criminals and evidence of St. Germain’s involvement. Murtagh vows that he will deliver no less than justice or his own life for the balance owed.
Claire goes to see Mary. She takes her medicine box and wants to see how she is doing. Mary asks her to deliver a letter to the jail explaining the attack and explaining how Alex could not have done the rape. Claire promises to deliver the letter but this is before she realizes that Mary and Alex are hoping to be married. Claire is forever troubled by the connection to Frank in the future through the direct line of Black Jack Randall and Mary being married. She considered not taking the letter to free Alex so that he cannot marry her. But as any good person would do, she cannot let an innocent man rot in the Bastille for a crime he did not commit.
Still at the docks and dealing with inventory, Jamie is surprised by the Prince’s arrival. The Prince looks in good spirits to have taken a sharp loss after the disastrous dinner party. A new scheme has been hatched by the Prince, and he is overjoyed to share it with Jamie. Le Comte St. Germain has agreed to be a business partner to the Prince in a shipment of fine brandy from Portugal.
Jamie looks happy for the news when the Prince is looking at him, but his face turns to frowning concern once the Prince looks away. Two reasons of course; the Prince wants Jamie to assist with the shipment which means he will have to work with St. Germain, AND the shipment would bring the Prince much-needed funds for the rebellion that Jamie and Claire hope to stop. Double disaster indeed! The Prince has arranged for Jamie and St. Germain to meet at the brothel to sort out the details. That should be fun! Look out Madam Elise (Michele Belgrand), you might need to take precautions.
Claire did get Alex released from jail but does her best to make him think about Mary’s future before running off to marry her. He is without an income, is of a sickly nature, and it would reduce Mary to a difficult existence as a consequence of all this. Alex takes the comments from Claire as her watching out for Mary, but Claire does have additional motives in the form of Frank that Alex knows nothing about. She feels bad about the attempt to talk him out of things, she knows that they feel deeply for each other.
And back to the lovely brothel we go. The supercharged meeting between Jamie and St. Germain could not be pricklier. Of course, the Le Comte has to get mouthy about Claire. He mentions his memory is long {the French note I started on} and has not forgotten about what Claire cost him by his ship having to be burned, along with the cargo, due to the Small Pox that she diagnosed. Jamie mentions that his memory is also long and enumerates all the recent events that Claire has endured with the attack, the poisoning, and Mary’s rape. They conclude the arrangements about the shipment and get the visit over quickly.
Jamie explains the situation to Claire when he returns home. Claire thinks she can fake a ship’s contaminant of Small Pox by using some other herbs and maybe get the shipment destroyed. Then Jamie presents Claire with a christening gift for the bairn, and Claire voices her concerns about being a good mother. Just about every mother goes through that, and many never lose that concern as their children grow. Jamie tells her she would be a wonderful mother, and calls her Mo Nighean Donn again for the first time in far too long {sqeeee}.
The next day they are back at Versailles, at the King’s stables to be more precise. I cannot believe, nor do I care, how they found this garden, but WOW. I have no words to help you know what I mean. That is one you will have to watch the episode to see, but you will NOT be disappointed. Just stunning and incredible to see. Jamie is there to help Sandringham purchase some horses. Jamie doesn’t owe him anything but also voiced a desire not to provoke the man either. Claire gets a wave of morning sickness standing so close to the horses, so she takes her leave just after the Duke shows up.
As Jamie and the Duke take the measure of the horses, Claire is met at the food table by an old flame of Jamie’s, Annalise de Marillac (Margaux Chatelier). An oddity in pregnancy, you can have morning sickness and turn right around and be super hungry. Okay, gotta do this just once this recap. Claire’s gown is just amazing. I love that gown so much. Yellow Rose as my Twitter handle might have given that away… The yellow coloring and the flowers are just lovely. I need this entire wardrobe, seriously I do!
As Claire and Annalise are walking about the gardens, they chat about Jamie. The green-eyed monster arrives to be sure. As they are having a lively banter back and forth, Annalise spots a handsome man looking most intently at Claire from over her shoulder. As Claire turns to look and see this gentleman, she vaper-locks when she sees that it is none other than Black Jack Randall (Tobias Menzies) himself. I think we can all relate to a sharp increase of blood pounding in the ears, and an attempt to keep our feet under us right about now. And the demon son has the nerve to use her first name as his first word. Boy, I don’t know that I could restrain myself like Claire did. My hand would have ached to smack him, or my foot to kick vital parts of his anatomy.
BJR flinches when he tries to bestow a bow on the Ladies. GOOD! At least he is not over his crushing encounter with the cows. Oh MY GOSH, he had the NERVE to use Jamie’s name after Annalise left to find Jamie because Claire looked unwell. Can we blame her? Like I said last time, that poor child will be born just bouncing off the walls due to all the stress she is under.
BJR has such incredulously twisted ways to look at things. He gives Claire a speech on how it is destined for them to have their paths cross so many times. I certainly hope I never understand the man; I would fear for my own sanity. While Captain Randall has a grasp of Claire’s arm, and she demands to be let go, the King of France, Louise XV (Lionel Lingelser) arrives behind them. Being the good King that he is, and having a fondness for Claire’s beauty and Jamie’s assistance with the whole constipation issue, the King puts BJR through some humiliation. This part was not in the books, but I LOVED it so much and giggle-snorted the entire time. BJR had to take it all with a grin and in silence. The King made him get on his knee no less. LOVE LOVE LOVE IT!!!!!
Jamie comes bounding up behind BJR and Claire, and into the King’s presence. Jamie and Claire get great enjoyment of the King putting BJR through his paces. The King noticed Claire’s discomfort and Jamie’s tense exchange with Black Jack. Everyone starts giggling at BJR as the King is messing with him. Claire asks to take her leave and the King allows her and Jamie to go. As they are walking away Jamie expresses concern for Claire and she says she is okay but wanted to get away.
Jamie walks, quick-paced, back to BJR and challenges him to a duel. Many things wrong with this concept, so more stress comes on Claire with this acknowledgment. They go back to the Fraser home, and Jamie jumps out all excited to prepare for the duel. He doesn’t even notice that Claire did not depart the coach. She went to the Bastille to swear out a statement that she and Mary were attacked by BJR so he could be arrested. She is trying to buy time so she can make Jamie understand that he cannot kill BJR yet.
Here comes the major blow up between Jamie and Claire. She begs him to reconsider the duel because of Frank. How can you beg your current husband not to kill the ancestor of your future husband, or is it the past husband? Jamie starts cussing in Gaelic, and tells Claire to choose between him and Frank. She is only asking that this devil be spared for one year. What could be wrong with that? He is only the demon spawn that tortured, raped, and mind warped our Jamie, that is all.
Claire’s only choice is to claim a life debt that Jamie owes her for saving his life from Wentworth. Jamie is disgusted by it, but he kisses his blade as a promise not to kill BJR for one year’s time. Every blasted time our dashing couple take one step toward each other they get shoved back two. How do they come back together from this ghastly rift? You will just have to watch next week. See, I told you this week’s episode passed quickly.
Director Jason Reitman and screenwriter Diablo Cody are teaming up with Oscar winner Charlize Theron once again on the comedy movie Tully. The trio previously worked together on the 2011 dramedy Young Adult which earned Charlize Theron both Golden Globe and Broadcast Film Critics Association nominations for her performance in the starring role. Tully will be produced by Bron Studios’ Aaron L. Gilbert, Right of Way Productions’ Reitman and Helen Estabrook, and Denver & Delilah Productions’ Theron, AJ Dix, and Beth Kono. Cody and Mason Novick are also producing the comedy which is aiming for a summer shoot in Vancouver.
Theron’s currently shooting American Express directed by Nash Edgerton and co-starring Amanda Seyfried and Joel Edgerton. She’s also working on Fast 8 alongside Vin Diesel, Dwayne Johnson, Kurt Russell, Jason Statham, and Michelle Rodriguez. Reitman most recently directed Men, Women & Children with Jennifer Garner and Adam Sandler. Cody’s writing credits include Juno, Jennifer’s Body, and Ricki and the Flash.
The Plot: The new comedy tells the story of Marlo (Theron), a mother of three including a newborn, who is gifted a night nanny by her brother. Hesitant to the extravagance at first, Marlo comes to form a unique bond with the thoughtful, surprising, and sometimes challenging young nanny named Tully.
Liev Schreiber stars in ‘Ray Donovan’ (Photo Credit: Showtime)
The official trailer’s arrived for season four of the critically acclaimed dramatic series Ray Donovan starring Liev Schreiber. Showtime’s unveiled the full length trailer for the upcoming season which will premiere on June 26, 2016 at 9pm ET/PT.
The cast of season four is led by Schreiber and includes Paula Malcomson, Eddie Marsan, Dash Mihok, Steven Bauer, Katherine Moennig, Pooch Hall, Kerris Dorsey, and Devon Bagby. Lisa Bonet, Stacy Keach, Embeth Davidtz, Ted Levine, Gabriel Mann, Ismael Cruz Cordova, Chris Coppola, and Billy Lush will guest star in Showtime’s hit drama created by Ann Biderman. David Hollander, Mark Gordon, Bryan Zuriff, and Lou Fusaro executive produce.
The new music-driven comedy series Roadies will debut on June 26th immediately following Ray Donovan‘s return.
The Plot:Ray Donovan stars Liev Schreiber as L.A.’s best professional fixer – the man called in to make the city’s celebrities, superstar athletes, and business moguls’ most complicated and combustible situations go away. Last season’s intense battle with the Armenian mafia leads a wounded Ray to reconnect with his forsaken faith. With this second chance at redemption, Ray is on a path to becoming a much better husband and father. But while things at home are improving, his work introduces him to worlds more formidable and dangerous than ever before. Meanwhile, Mickey (Jon Voight) has fled Los Angeles, hoping to plant roots on his own terms and to begin anew, one scam at a time.
Gabriel Macht as Harvey Specter and Patrick J. Adams as Michael Ross in ‘Suits’ (Photo by Shane Mahood / USA Network)
The sixth season of USA Network’s dramatic series Suits will kick off on Wednesday, July 13, 2016 at 9pm ET/PT with Gabriel Macht and Patrick J. Adams returning in starring roles. Guest stars for the upcoming season of Suits will include Erik Palladino (ER), Paul Schulze (Nurse Jackie), and Malcolm Jamal Warner (American Crime: The People vs. OJ Simpson).
The popular series was created by Aaron Korsh and Korsh executive produces along with Doug Liman (Mr. & Mrs. Smith), David Bartis (Covert Affairs), Gene Klein, Daniel Arkin (90210), and Rick Muirragui (Men of a Certain Age).
Suits season five averaged 3.7 million viewers and was USA Network’s top original series. The award-winning critically acclaimed Mr. Robot will follow Suits on the network’s primetime lineup, airing at 10pm ET/PT.
The Plot: For the past five seasons, Suits has centered on the fast-paced Manhattan corporate law firm, Pearson Specter Litt, led by legendary lawyer Harvey Specter (Gabriel Macht) and his not-so-legitimate associate Mike Ross (Patrick J. Adams), but after last season’s dramatic turn of events, everything has changed. Season six begins immediately following the events of the shocking season five cliffhanger that left Mike behind bars. After signing a plea deal to spare his colleagues at Pearson Specter Litt, Mike will be confronted with the harsh realities of prison life as he starts his two-year sentence.
Meanwhile, the once bustling Pearson Specter Litt offices are a ghost town – the partners have defected, leaving Harvey, Jessica (Gina Torres), Louis (Rick Hoffman), Donna (Sarah Rafferty) and Rachel (Meghan Markle) to pick up the pieces. But the firm’s troubles are far from over and they will have to deal with the fallout from Mike’s crime before they can even begin to rebuild.
Tim Matheson and Cynthia Nixon (Photo Courtesy of NGC)
Tim Matheson (The West Wing) and Cynthia Nixon (Sex and the City) are confirmed to play Ronald and Nancy Reagan in National Geographic Channel’s Killing Reagan, a two-more movie based on Bill O’Reilly’s bestselling book. Rod Lurie (The Contender) is attached to direct from a script by Eric Simonson.
“With this fourth installment of the highly successful Killing franchise, we are, along with our partners, Bill O’Reilly and Scott Free Productions, going to use the assassination attempt as a crucible to tell the fascinating and compelling story of Ronald Reagan and his lasting impact on the global stage,” stated Carolyn Bernstein, NGC executive vice president. “We’re delighted to have Tim and Cynthia on board to bring this story to life during an unpredictable and historic election year.”
Filming is expected to begin this month, and NGC is aiming for a fall 2016 premiere. O’Reilly and Scott Free Productions’ Ridley Scott, David W. Zucker, and Mary Lisio are on board as executive producers. Killing Reagan marks the fourth collaboration between NGC, Scott Free Productions, and O’Reilly after successful adaptations of Killing Lincoln, Killing Kennedy, and Killing Jesus.
“Even nearly 30 years after his presidency, and more than 10 years after his death, Ronald Reagan’s mark on American politics and the global geopolitical landscape, through both his actions and his policies, still reverberates today,” said Bill O’Reilly. “There is much that can be learned by looking back at that riveting period in history.”
The Plot:Killing Reagan takes a different approach than its predecessors, exploring how the attempted assassination on the newly elected president impacted his time in office. From the final, hotly contested months leading up to his 1980 election, the movie explores Reagan’s journey to the nation’s highest office and the challenges he faced to define himself as a leader.
During this time, the mental health and obsessive tendencies of his would-be assassin, John Hinckley, unravel — leading up to that fateful day in 1981. The story is told in the same riveting fashion that has made best-sellers of O’Reilly’s first four books, and must-see hits of NGC’s movie adaptations. It will premiere on National Geographic Channel in the U.S. this fall, and around the world early next year in 170 countries and 45 languages.
Amadeus Serafini in ‘Scream’ season 1 (Photo Courtesy of MTV)
Season two of MTV’s horror series Scream is set to premiere on May 30, 2016 with Willa Fitzgerald, Amadeus Serafini, Bex Taylor-Klaus, John Karna, Carlson Young, Tom Maden, and Austin Highsmith returning in starring roles. Season two kicks off with Emma’s return to Lakewood after spending a few months at a retreat in order to try and get over the brutal killings of her friends. Unfortunately, Lakewood isn’t going to be returning to its former peaceful state anytime soon as a killer is once again terrorizing Emma (Fitzgerald) and her friends.
In support of Scream season one’s release on DVD on May 10th and season two’s debut on May 30th, Amadeus Serafini took some time off from shooting to discuss what fans of the MTV series can expect from the upcoming season. He also talked about when he found out the killer’s identity in season one and how season two will expand on his character, Kieran’s, backstory.
Amadeus Serafini Interview:
Have you mastered the art now that you’re in season two of talking about the series without really talking about it, because you can’t give anything away? Was that hard throughout season one?
Amadeus Serafini: “If such a thing can be mastered, yeah. It was hard last season and it’s been hard this season. We actually just had our first bits of press – local and MTV stuff – but still we can’t share all that much, you know? They can’t print all that much yet. It makes it tough.”
When during season one did they let you know who the killer was?
Amadeus Serafini: “I didn’t know until very close to the end. It was that way with the rest of the cast as well, and they haven’t really changed their ways into the second season. It’s very, very much the usual suspects. It makes it challenging, definitely, but this season at least for my character – and for everyone’s character, but certainly my own – last season he was kind of not held back but slowly introduced as the new character. All of the other characters were a bit more established. So this time around we learn a lot more about him.”
Was there a point during season one when you were positive you were the killer?
Amadeus Serafini: “No. No. It’s funny, I keep getting asked that and I had my hopes. [Laughing] I think everyone would much rather be the killer rather than killed. I don’t know how long this is all going to go, I really don’t, but my fingers are crossed.”
You don’t get a heads up on how many episodes of season two’s 14 episodes you’ll be sticking around for?
Amadeus Serafini: “Right. I don’t know if I’m going to be there for all of it.”
How worried are you each time you open a script that you’ll read, “And now he’s dead?”
Amadeus Serafini: “I think we all hold our breath and we love saying this but it’s true… Whenever we get our new script of the next episode, we flip straight to the end and check to see if we’ve been killed off. It’s really hard to tell, but I think they’ve done a good job of not stretching the storyline but, you know, this is the show now – it’s not a movie – and 14 episodes is definitely an increase to the first season’s 10. But it’s not just horror, it’s not just slasher, it’s not just everyone getting killed off. There’s a lot of comedy at play and a lot of drama, and interpersonal stuff going on with the characters and of course between Emma and Kieran. As we’ll see he’s got a new family member coming to town. In fact, a couple new family members coming to town who kind of bring the dirt of his past to light, that makes Kieran perhaps a little more suspect as we learn about all of the characters and their flaws.”
Did they give you a backstory for season one or are you just learning about him as you go along?
Amadeus Serafini: “They did. There was a backstory; it was kind of just exclusively for me to work with and then it changed a little bit as we went into season two and it started explaining it to the audience. So, we just have to adjust a lot but that’s the nature of the whodunit.”
Can you tease anything about the relationship between Emma and Kieran this coming season?
Amadeus Serafini: “Yeah. It’ll be tumultuous. It’s going to fall off a little bit before it comes back. After that, I don’t even know.”
Are you the type of person who in real life would go into a haunted house and stay there walking around, even though you know freaky things are happening? Or are you the type of person who would bail at the first weird noise?
Amadeus Serafini: “It depends what kind of haunted we’re talking about. [Laughing] If it’s a squatter’s lodge, I would probably stick around and look. I think I’m more adventurous and skeptical enough to be led beyond superstition.”
Has being part of the Scream cast made you more of a horror fan than you were previously?
Amadeus Serafini: “Absolutely, especially since we have to get in touch with our directors’ materials. We have new directors every episode and these directors are typically of horror backgrounds. And so we, as a cast, we get together if we can and we watch at least one of each director’s movie. So for instance we have Leigh Janiak who will be directing our next episode and she did a movie called Honeymoon which was really brilliant. It’s really a slow-burn and a shocker. It’s not your typical horror. It’s not tons of blood and gore. It’s more psychological.”
And the cast really gets together to look at a director’s past films?
Amadeus Serafini: “Yeah, we definitely try to. We had our other director E.L. Katz who directed Cheap Thrills and that’s a crazy movie also worth checking out. I think Noah, played by John Karna my co-star, with all of his research he gets real method and kind of drags me down that rabbit hole, that horror rabbit hole, with his research.”
In season one you were able to channel your inner John Travolta and show off your Pulp Fiction dance moves. Are they having you do anything like that in season two? Do you get to show off any special skills this time around?
Amadeus Serafini: “Maybe some ass-kicking skills.”
So will there be more action in season two?
Amadeus Serafini: “There’s going to be some action. Like I said, it’s not just tumultuous between Emma and Kieran but between the group as a whole. One might use the word ‘hysteria’ and its hold on the town as things progress.”
Do you see the overall tone for season two as a little darker than season one?
Amadeus Serafini: “I think so. I think so, especially as everyone gets sullied. Each character gets tarnished in their own way. It’s really going to be difficult for the audience to contend with all that, getting pulled in all of these directions. And of course on social media they all have their favorites – all of our fans – and they don’t want anyone to be the killer. [Laughing] They also don’t want anyone to die, so I think our showrunners and the writers are really having fun stressing the audience out.”
Nick Hornby’s bestseller Juliet, Naked is making the leap to the screen with Jesse Peretz (Our Idiot Brother, Girls) now signed on as director. Los Angeles Media Fund is backing the project and Judd Apatow (Trainwreck), Albert Berger, Ron Yerxa, Barry Mendel (Bridesmaids), and Jeffrey Soros are on board as producers. Slums of Beverly Hills‘ Tamara Jenkins is adapting Hornby’s book for the screen.
“I’m thrilled to extend my long collaboration with Jesse to this film,” said Apatow. “He’s a master of bringing complicated characters to life with empathy and humor, and he’s just the perfect director to tell Nick Hornby’s great story.”
“We are very excited to have Jesse on board as the director of Juliet, Naked. Jesse’s background as a musician and his command of character-driven comedy are ideal for this wonderful project,” stated Los Angeles Media Fund’s Jeffrey Soros and Simon Horsman.
Juliet, Naked is the latest in a long line of books from Nick Hornby that have been adapted into feature films. Fever Pitch, High Fidelity, About a Boy, and A Long Way Down were previously adapted for the screen, and Hornby also wrote the screenplays for Brooklyn, Wild, and An Education.
The Plot:Juliet, Naked is the story of Annie, the long-suffering girlfriend of Duncan, and her unlikely transatlantic romance with once revered, now faded, singer-songwriter, Tucker Crowe, who also happens to be the subject of Duncan’s musical obsession.
The Temptations, Kool and the Gang, KISS, and the Bee Gees are featured on the soundtrack to the action comedy The Nice Guys starring Russell Crowe and Ryan Gosling. The film’s set for release on May 20, 2016 and the soundtrack will arrive digitally on May 13th followed by a release on CD on May 20th.
Discussing the selection of ’70s hits compiled for the The Nice Guys soundtrack, music supervisor Randall Poster said, “This is a noir film… this is dark… also? It’s 100% exuberant. Which brings us to the music.” The film’s producer Joel Silver provided input into the selection of artists and songs, convincing Poster to include Earth, Wind & Fire’s ‘Boogie Wonderland’. “Once on board, I was happy to help choose them,” explained Poster. “If you’re looking for oddly ironic 70’s deep tracks, somber commentary on a difficult time — you won’t find it here.”
Directed by Shane Black, The Nice Guys cast also includes Angourie Rice, Matt Bomer, Margaret Qualley, Keith David, Beau Knapp, and Kim Basinger. Black and Anthony Bagarozzi wrote the script, with Ken Kao, Hal Sadoff, Bagarozzi, Alex Walton and Michael J. Malone executive producing.
The Plot:The Nice Guys unfolds in 1970s Los Angeles, when down-on-his-luck private eye Holland March and hired enforcer Jackson Healy become the unlikeliest of partners. Working together, they have to find a missing girl, who seems to have a target on her back. And is her case related to the violent death of porn star Misty Mountain in a car crash? During their investigation, March and Healy begin to uncover a shocking conspiracy that reaches up to the highest circles of power … and just might get them both killed.
The Nice Guys Soundtrack Track List:
01. “Papa Was a Rollin’ Stone” – The Temptations
02. “Get Down On It” – Kool & The Gang
03. “Boogie Oogie Oogie” – A Taste of Honey
04. “September” – Earth, Wind & Fire
05. “Couldn’t Get It Right” – Climax Blues Band
06. “Love and Happiness” – Al Green
07. “Dazz”- Brick
08. “Boogie Wonderland” – Earth, Wind & Fire
09. “Jive Talkin’” – Bee Gees
10. “Rock and Roll All Night” – KISS
11. “Ain’t Got No Home” – The Band
12. Escape (The Piña Colada Song)” – Rupert Holmes
13. “Lonely Boy” – Andrew Gold
14. “A Horse with No Name” – America
15. “Green Peppers” – Herb Alpert & The Tijuana Brass
