Oscar nominee Kenneth Branagh (Henry V, Thor) will produce, direct, and star in Murder on the Orient Express based on Agatha Christie’s bestselling novel. Branagh will play Detective Poirot in the 20th Century Fox production which also has Ridley Scott, Simon Kinberg, and Mark Gordon on board as producers. Michael Green (Blade Runner 2) has been tapped to adapt Christie’s book.
Agatha Christie’s great grandson and Chairman of Agatha Christie Ltd James Prichard is one of the executive producers on the film. Commenting on the adaptation, Prichard said, “The extraordinary thing about my Great Grandmother’s stories is just how timeless they are and how perfectly they lend themselves to the cinematic experience. Eighty years after the publication of the novel, Fox and its creative team will bring Murder on the Orient Express, a classic Christie tale, to new audiences across the world. We are genuinely excited about this partnership and with 33 Poirot stories to be told, we look forward to this being the first of many collaborations.”
“We have been working with the fantastic team at Fox for some time now and could not be happier with the creative talent that they have brought together for this wonderful project,” stated Hilary Strong Chief Executive Officer at Christie production and rights management business, Agatha Christie Ltd, who’s also an executive producer on the new adaptation. “Michael Green has crafted a brilliant script, full of the essence of Agatha Christie and the mischief and brilliance of Hercule Poirot and I cannot think of a better director or actor to bring that script and character to light than Kenneth Branagh. We have also been delivered an amazing team of producers – Simon Kinberg, Ridley Scott and Mark Gordon – and I have no doubt that the alchemy of this extraordinary group of talented individuals and Agatha Christie’s brilliant story and character will create a cinematic feast that is truly memorable.”
The plot revolves around a murder on board the famous train, and Belgian detective Hercule Poirot must solve the case – but there are a number of passengers who could potentially be the murderer.
CBS is so happy with their new dramatic series Code Black‘s ratings that the network’s ordered five more episodes. The medical drama will now have an 18 episode season one run, airing on Wednesday nights at 10pm ET/PT. The series has 9+ million people tuning in on Wednesdays, with 3 million more tuning in via DVR and other playbacks.
Code Black is based on Ryan McGarry’s critically acclaimed documentary and stars Marcia Gay Harden, Bonnie Somerville, Raza Jaffrey, Luis Guzmán, Melanie Chandra, Harry M. Ford, Benjamin Hollingsworth and William Allen Young. McGarry executive produces the medical drama along with Michael Seitzman, Marti Noxon, Linda Goldstein-Knowlton, and David Semel.
The Code Black Plot:
Code Black is a heart-pounding medical drama that takes place in the busiest, most notorious ER in the nation, where the staggering influx of patients can outweigh the limited resources available to the extraordinary doctors and nurses whose job is to treat them all – creating a condition known as Code Black. At the heart of the ER’s controlled chaos is Residency Director Dr. Leanne Rorish (Harden), renowned for successfully performing high-risk procedures in Center Stage, the trauma area reserved for the most critical cases. Her four new first-year residents are Christa Lorenson (Somerville), Malaya Pineda (Melanie Kannokada), Mario Savetti (Hollingsworth) and Angus Leighton (HFord). Leanne’s confidante, Jesse Sallander (Guzman), is an amiable seen-it-all senior nurse who manages the residents.
Also working in the ER is Dr. Neal Hudson (Jaffrey), an excellent physician who sometimes disagrees with Leanne’s “cowboy” approach, and Dr. Rollie Guthrie (Young), the energetic, longest-serving attending. In Center Stage, life is measured in seconds, and these heroic doctors and nurses operate with speed and skill within an overwhelmed system to treat the crowds of people who are often there for one of two reasons: to die or to receive a life-saving miracle.
Showtime’s set a January 10, 2015 premiere date for season six of Shameless and today a full trailer’s arrived for the upcoming season. William H. Macy returns as Frank Gallagher and Emmy Rossum’s back as Fiona, Frank’s oldest wild-yet-responsible daughter.
The cast also includes Jeremy Allen White, Ethan Cutkosky, Shanola Hampton, Steve Howey, Emma Kenney and Cameron Monaghan. Shameless was developed by John Wells who serves as an executive producer along with Andrew Stearn, Christopher Chulack, Davey Holmes, Nancy M. Pimental, and Krista Vernoff.
The Shameless Season Six Plot:
This season, Shameless picks up a few months after last year’s finale as the Gallaghers prepare for yet another long Chicago winter. Season six will see more than just the arctic Lake Michigan winds whipping through the Southside. Change is hard, and the Gallaghers are as surprised as anyone at how life is turning out for them. But the question remains, as they come into their own and find out who they are, is it really possible that the Gallaghers could grow apart for good?
Game of Thrones‘ Natalie Dormer unveiled the new poster for The Forest (featured above) on her Facebook page and Gramercy Pictures just released a brand new creepy trailer from the 2016 film. The Forest was directed by Jason Zada who made his feature film directorial debut with this thriller starring Dormer, Taylor Kinney, Eoin Macken, and Yukiyoshi Ozama.
Gramercy Pictures will launch The Forest in theaters on January 8, 2016.
The Forest Plot:
Rising with terrifying grandeur at the base of Mt. Fuji in Japan, the legendary real-life Aokigahara Forest is the suspense-filled setting of the supernatural thriller. A young American woman, Sara (Dormer), journeys there in search of her twin sister, who has mysteriously disappeared. In the company of expatriate Aiden (Kinney), Sara enters the forest having been well warned to “stay on the path.”
Determined to discover the truth about her sister’s fate, Sara will have to face the angry and tormented souls of the dead that prey on anyone who dares come near them. These malevolent spirits lying in wait for Sara at every turn will plunge her into a frightening darkness from which she must fight to save herself.
The final theatrical poster for the Western The Hateful Eight has been released featuring the tagline: ‘No one comes up here without a damn good reason.’ Written and directed by Quentin Tarantino, The Hateful Eight ensemble includes Samuel L. Jackson, Kurt Russell, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Walton Goggins, Demian Bichir, Tim Roth, Michael Madsen, Bruce Dern, and Channing Tatum. The Weinstein Company will launch Tarantino’s latest film in limited theaters in 70mm on December 25, 2015 followed by a wide release on January 8, 2016.
The Hateful Eight Plot:
In The Hateful Eight, set six or eight or twelve years after the Civil War, a stagecoach hurtles through the wintry Wyoming landscape. The passengers, bounty hunter John Ruth (Kurt Russell) and his fugitive Daisy Domergue (Jennifer Jason Leigh), race towards the town of Red Rock where Ruth, known in these parts as “The Hangman,” will bring Domergue to justice. Along the road, they encounter two strangers: Major Marquis Warren (Samuel L. Jackson), a black former union soldier turned infamous bounty hunter, and Chris Mannix (Walton Goggins), a southern renegade who claims to be the town’s new Sheriff. Losing their lead on the blizzard, Ruth, Domergue, Warren and Mannix seek refuge at Minnie’s Haberdashery, a stagecoach stopover on a mountain pass. When they arrive at Minnie’s, they are greeted not by the proprietor but by four unfamiliar faces. Bob (Demian Bichir), who’s taking care of Minnie’s while she’s visiting her mother, is holed up with Oswaldo Mobray (Tim Roth), the hangman of Red Rock, cow-puncher Joe Gage (Michael Madsen), and Confederate General Sanford Smithers (Bruce Dern). As the storm overtakes the mountainside stopover, our eight travelers come to learn they may not make it to Red Rock after all…
Warner Bros Pictures has unveiled a new trailer for the sci-fi film Midnight Special from writer/director Jeff Nichols (Take Shelter). Michael Shannon and Joel Edgerton lead the cast of the thriller along with Kirsten Dunst, Adam Driver, Jaeden Lieberher, Sam Shepard, Bill Camp, Scott Haze and Paul Sparks. Glen Basner, Hans Graffunder, and Christos V. Konstantakopoulos executive produce with Sarah Green and Brian Kavanaugh-Jones producing. Warner Bros Pictures is aiming for a March 18, 2016 release date.
The Midnight Special Plot:
Michael Shannon plays a father who goes on the run to protect his young son, Alton (Lieberher), and uncover the truth behind the boy’s special powers. What starts as a race from religious extremists and local law enforcement quickly escalates to a nationwide manhunt involving the highest levels of the Federal Government. Ultimately his father risks everything to protect Alton and help fulfill a destiny that could change the world forever, in this genre–defying film as supernatural as it is intimately human.
Melissa McCarthy stars in, co-wrote, and produces The Boss, a 2016 comedy film co-written and directed by Ben Falcone. Universal Pictures just released the first trailer and poster for The Boss featuring McCarthy, Kristen Bell, Kathy Bates, Peter Dinklage, and Annie Mumolo. Expect to see The Boss in theaters on April 18, 2016.
The Boss Plot:
Academy Award®-nominated star Melissa McCarthy (Bridesmaids) headlines The Boss as a titan of industry who is sent to prison after she’s caught for insider trading. When she emerges ready to rebrand herself as America’s latest sweetheart, not everyone she screwed over is so quick to forgive and forget.
Peeta Mellark (Josh Hutcherson), Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence), Boggs (Mahershala Ali) and Gale Hawthorne (Liam Hemsworth in ‘The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2’ (Photo by Murray Close)“Ladies and Gentleman, welcome to the 76th Hunger Games,” says Finnick (Sam Claflin) to Katniss (Jennifer Lawrence) as they get ready to try to sneak into the Capitol through countless mine fields and booby traps on their way to assassinate President Snow (Donald Sutherland) in the final chapter of the Hunger Games saga, The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2.
It’s all-out war in Panem with all 13 districts joining forces for the first time under the leadership of President Alma Coin (Julianne Moore) to take on the upper-class and President Snow himself. Katniss has been a valuable tool for the rebellion as the perfect model of strength and determination, but now that the fighting and killing is going to increase on a monumental level Coin has her ordered to stay out of the hot zones and basically sit the invasion out. Coin believes Katniss is more valuable in front of the camera filming rebellion propaganda.
Having no intention of being sidelined, Katniss sneaks aboard a cargo ship headed to the front lines. Once there, she makes up the lie to her squad that she is on special assignment to sneak into the Capitol and assassinate President Snow. Things become a little more complicated and dangerous for Katniss when Peeta (Josh Hutcherson) shows up and is added to her unit the day before they are supposed to head into the hot zone. It seems the young man who used to love Katniss and would gladly sacrifice his life to save her has been programmed by Snow (think Manchurian Candidate) to not believe anything she says and to kill her if possible. Teamed up with Gale (Liam Hemsworth), Finnick, a handcuffed Peeta, and the rest of her small unit, Katniss begins her journey into the war-torn hot zone headed for the Capitol to hopefully kill Snow and bring about an end to the war and a new beginning for Panem.
Uneven and sluggish, The Hunger Games: The Mockingjay – Part 2 brings the dystopian saga of Katniss and Peeta to a close with more of a whimper than an explosive bang. For what’s supposed to be an action-packed fighting finale, there are far too many scenes of hiding, sleeping, contemplating, and of course more inner-revelations. Didn’t the characters do enough of that in Part 1?!
Jennifer Lawrence is solid as Katniss who now, being the experienced war-torn soldier and survivor of not one but two Hunger Games, is more cold and calculating than ever. Gone is the young and terrified woman putting herself in harm’s way to protect her kid sister. She’s been replaced with an almost stone-cold assassin who lives for the day she can look President Snow in the eyes and kill him. It’s an interesting arc the character goes through in the films and Lawrence brings it genuinely to the screen.
Josh Hutcherson is still the heart and soul of the franchise as Peeta, the young man who has also survived two Hunger Games and has suffered unspeakable torture and brainwashing but still holds on to his humanity and his love for Katniss. In truth, the best parts of these films has always been the chemistry between Lawrence and Hutcherson as Katniss and Peeta and their working together to survive while falling for each other. This, unfortunately, is missing for a good portion of the film as it was with Part 1 because the characters are apart or aren’t working together due to Peeta being a threat because of the brainwashing. This only detracts from their scenes together and sadly makes what used to be the soul of the films feel more like a boring afterthought.
The action scenes in The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2 are fairly unimpressive and there are less of them than one would think with this being the final film about overthrowing President Snow and his government. The pacing of the film is extremely uneven with quick chase or fighting scenes followed by quiet hiding and waiting scenes that almost always lead to more inner turmoil and discussion about the turmoil…Zzzzzzzzzzzz.
Woody Harrelson and Elizabeth Banks as Katniss’ mentor Haymitch and stylist Effie, two characters who have always been on her side, are basically sidelined for most of the film and have only a few quiet scenes that unfortunately don’t give either actor any real time to shine as they have in the earlier films.
With awful pacing, unimpressive action scenes, and an underwhelming outcome, The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2 brings the blockbuster franchise to a lackluster end.
GRADE: C
MPAA Rating: PG-13 for intense sequences of violence and action, and for some thematic material.
50/50 stars Seth Rogen and Joseph Gordon-Levitt reunite with that film’s director for The Night Before, a wild and raunchy holiday comedy that has a surprising amount of heart. Amid all the debauchery of a final Christmas Eve night out together for three best bros, a story of friendship, loyalty, and healing unfolds that makes The Night Before something more than just a goofy R-rated comedy.
The holiday tradition began when Isaac (Rogen) and Chris (Anthony Mackie) helped their friend Ethan (Gordon-Levitt) celebrate Christmas Eve following the death of his parents. The annual holiday tradition involves the donning of ugly Christmas sweaters followed by karaoke in a dive bar and a performance on FAO Schwartz’ giant piano (think Tom Hanks in Big). There’s lots of drinking and carousing involved in the annual Christmas Eve trek around New York, but now that the guys have grown up and grown apart it’s time to put an end to their annual night out. Isaac is just days from being a first-time dad and Chris is now a big-time football star. Only Ethan, who is still moping about a break-up with his longtime girlfriend (Lizzy Caplan), feels left behind as his buddies are moving on with their lives and starting new traditions of their own.
The stage is set to send off the tradition of ho-ho-drunken-ho’ing with a bang after Ethan steals three tickets to the hottest, most exclusive party in town: the Nutcracka Ball. And when Isaac’s wife (the wickedly funny Jillian Bell) presents him with a box loaded with a sampler pack of drugs including cocaine and shrooms, the Christmas Eve tradition escalates to a whole new level of depravity.
The Night Before is often silly and occasionally too sweet, but the trio of Seth Rogen, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, and Anthony Mackie make the more unexpectedly emotional moments easy to swallow. Rogen in particular is in the groove as a soon-to-be-dad who attempts to balance out his overindulgence in cocaine with more shrooms. Mackie is more of the straight man of the group, playing an NFL player who’s obsessed with his social media accounts and with scoring primo weed for his QB. Gordon-Levitt is the trio’s heart and the way into the story for audiences.
The Night Before also features a Santa’s toy bag full of celebrity cameos including Mindy Kaling,, Miley Cyrus, and James Franco, as well as the appearance of Michael Shannon in a supporting role as the weed-dealing ghost of Christmas Past, Present, and Future.
The Night Before is naughty but nice, spreading holiday cheer delivered through a cloud of weed smoke by a cast with real chemistry. There are penis jokes, drunken Santas, crazy slapstick moments, and Rogen as a Jewish guy who finds himself stoned out of his mind throwing up in the middle of a Christmas Eve mass in a Catholic Church. Not since Bad Santa has there been a holiday comedy quite this fun and twisted.
GRADE: B
MPAA Rating: R for drug use and language throughout, some strong sexual content and graphic nudity
Laurie Metcalf, Niecy Nash, and Alex Borstein in ‘Getting On’ (Photo: Lacey Terrell / HBO)HBO’s released the details on the final episodes of the comedy series Getting On starring Laurie Metcalf, Niecy Nash, and Alex Borstein. Executive produced by Mark V. Olsen, Will Scheffer, Jane Tranter, Julie Gardner, Miguel Arteta, Geoff Atkinson, Jo Brand, Joanna Scanlan and Vicki Pepperdine, the third season – and the series – will wrap up on December 13, 2015.
Getting On December 2015 Episodes:
Episode #17 (season 3, episode 5): “Please Partake of a Memorial Orange”
Debut: SUNDAY, DEC. 6 (10:15-10:45 p.m. ET/PT)
Other HBO playdates: Dec. 6 (12:30 a.m., 2:15 a.m.), 7 (11:45 p.m.), 8 (3:55 p.m.), 9 (7:45 p.m., 4:40 a.m.) and 12 (1:15 a.m.)
HBO2 playdates: Dec. 7 (10:00 p.m.), 10 (5:45 p.m.), 12 (4:00 p.m.) and 20 (8:00 p.m.)
With the ward’s fate up in the air, DiDi (Niecy Nash) hunts for ways to save it, while dealing with pressure from Dawn (Alex Borstein) to be her health advocate. Troublemaking Varla (June Squibb) returns, and butts heads with her equally opinionated, long-lost daughter (Kristen Johnson). Caught in a mountain of lies, Jenna (Laurie Metcalf) comes clean to her husband, Richard (Daniel Stern). After a memorial service full of drama, the staff gets a rude awakening
Written by Mark V. Olsen & Will Scheffer; directed by Miguel Arteta.
Episode #18 (season 3, episode 6) “Reduced to Eating Boiled Magazines and Book Paste” (series finale)
Debut: SUNDAY, DEC. 13 (10:00-10:30 p.m.)
Other HBO playdates: Dec. 13 (12:55 a.m., 3:25 a.m.), 14 (12:55 a.m.), 15 (5:15 p.m.), 16 (10:30 p.m.) and 19 (3:55 a.m.)
HBO2 playdates: Dec. 14 (10:00 p.m.), 17 (5:50 p.m.), 19 (8:45 a.m.) and 20 (8:30 p.m.)
As the staff attempts to stave off the closure of Billy Barnes, DiDi takes to the picket lines in a last-ditch effort. Jenna tries to weasel her way out of a hastily made offer. Patsy (Mel Rodriguez) is intrigued by Margueritte’s (Lindsey Kraft) revelation during a secret-sharing session. After a ruse is exposed, Dawn inadvertently sets in motion a chaotic chain of events that seals the fate of the ward.
Written by Mark V. Olsen & Will Scheffer; directed by Miguel Arteta.
The final theatrical poster for the Western 
