Warner Bros Pictures and Alcon Entertainment are set to release the dramatic, life-affirming film The 33 in theaters on November 13, 2015. The 33 is based on the incredible true story of the 33 Chilean miners who were trapped 200 stories underground when the mine they were working in collapsed around them. With very little food and unsure whether rescue attempts would be successful, the 33 pulled together as a family to survive the harsh conditions.
The international cast is led by Antonio Banderas who plays Mario Sepulveda, the de facto leader of the group. Nicknamed Super Mario, Sepulveda was in charge of managing the group’s meager amount of food. When the rescuers were ultimately able to speak with the miners, it was Super Mario who took the lead and made sure messages where passed along and the miners’ needs were met to the extent possible. In the film, Mario holds the group together for the 69 grueling days it took to return them to the Earth’s surface.
Banderas has been busy on the promotional circuit leading up to the film’s theatrical release. However, in addition to doing press junkets and talk shows, Banderas took the time to make a special trip to San Diego to introduce the film to Marines and their families at the Marine Corps Air Station Miramar. Prior to signing autographs, posing for pictures, and screening The 33, Banderas took part in just a couple of interviews about his role in the inspirational film.
The 33 wasn’t shot on soundstages and instead director Patricia Riggen (Girl in Progress, Under the Same Moon) chose to shot entirely on location in Colombia mines and in the Atacama Desert in Chile. The shoot was obviously physically intense, but as Banderas explains it was also emotionally challenging. “It was not easy. It was difficult but at the same time very enlightening because practically the whole entire story is about faith. It’s about hope. It’s about resilience, and the outcome of the story was so positive,” explained Banderas during our exclusive interview. “I think the movie tries to be an ode and a poem to life itself, to the supreme value of life. We live too distracted with many different things that are offered to us continuously making us believe that actually we will not be happy if we don’t have the new car, the new house, the new coat. And these guys actually when they face death straight into the eyes, they value the important things, the essential things of life and those are very simple things.”
Viewers around the world watched as the miners emerged after 69 days, and with the film Banderas hopes to help everyone understand the heart and soul of these men who lived through this disaster. “That was obvious, but there was a question that we were asking ourselves when we were shooting and it was, ‘How many of these stories happened before in mines around the world and they called it off and they stopped because there’s not enough faith?’ Essential in the whole entire story besides the miners and their persistent challenge, it was women. This is the story actually with a very strong female element. They were fighting outside for the rescue teams to don’t stop. It was very, very important because they were this close many, many times.
Also important was the capacity of the Minister of the Interior of Chile at the time…there’s a dichotomy of what I’m going to say, an anachronism, but it’s true…to stop being a politician and become a human being, and just understand this situation of 6,000 people actually were outside – family members, friends, all of the miners from other mines – they built practically an entire city over there. It was very important that they kept pushing because otherwise they would have just given condolences to the families, give some beautiful ceremonies, and forget about the case. These 33 men would have died down there. And the question is how many of these people died because there was not enough will to look for them?”
Asked if this was a difficult role to put aside once he was done, Banderas replied, “It was because people recognize all of them like heroes but in reality they are human beings. They have their weak moments. There was a moment actually very essentially in the movie, and you will see it very clearly, in which actually when they are found and they’re providing them with food, water, the medicines and stuff, also through those tubes came information. And the information was that they got in there being miners and suddenly they were international heroes and celebrities. It’s very difficult to deal with that, and they started receiving very important offers. People who actually don’t manage that amount of money, suddenly that thing actually broke the team apart and the brotherhood in some way disappeared and individualism started coming. So, it was even stronger, you know, what happened outside once they were going to be rescued than the twice the size of the Empire State Building stone that actually collapsed the mine. So they had to face these two different situations. At the end, it’s also a story of redemption because Mario Sepulveda confronted that situation, went to his brothers and asked for apologizes while eating his pride at that particular moment.”
Watch the full Antonio Banderas interview:
(Interview by Rebecca Murray. Video by Gary Murray.)
Nia Vardalos and John Corbett reprise their roles from the 2002 sleeper hit My Big Fat Greek Wedding in My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2, and Universal Pictures has just released the first trailer for the 2016 comedy. My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2 was written by Vardalos, directed by Kirk Jones (Nanny McPhee), and features Lainie Kazan, Gia Carides, Joey Fatone, Elena Kampouris, Alex Wolff, Louis Mandylor, Bess Meisler, Bruce Gray, Fiona Reid, Ian Gomez, Jayne Eastwood, Mark Margolis, Andrea Martin and Michael Constantine.
My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2 opens in theaters on March 25, 2016.
My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2 Plot:
The film reveals a Portokalos family secret that will bring the beloved characters back together for an even bigger and Greeker wedding.
Disney just released a new trailer for the dramatic movie The Finest Hours along with a theatrical poster for the feature film. The Finest Hours is based on what’s considered one of the most daring rescues in U.S. Coast Guard history. Adapted from the book by Scott Silver, Paul Tamasy, and Eric Johnson, the action thriller was directed by Craig Gillespie (Million Dollar Arm) and stars Chris Pine, Casey Affleck, Ben Foster, Holliday Grainger, John Ortiz, and Eric Bana. Disney will be releasing The Finest Hours in theaters on January 29, 2016.
The Finest Hours Plot:
A heroic action-thriller, The Finest Hours is the remarkable true story of the most daring rescue mission in the history of the Coast Guard. Presented in Digital 3D™, Real D 3D and IMAX® 3D, the film will transport audiences to the heart of the action, creating a fully-immersive cinematic experience on an epic scale. On February 18, 1952, a massive nor’easter struck New England, pummeling towns along the Eastern seaboard and wreaking havoc on the ships caught in its deadly path, including the SS Pendleton, a T-2 oil tanker bound for Boston, which was literally ripped in half, trapping more than 30 sailors inside its rapidly-sinking stern. As the senior officer on board, first assistant engineer Ray Sybert (Casey Affleck) soon realizes it is up to him to take charge of the frightened crew and inspire the men to set aside their differences and work together to ride out one of the worst storms to ever hit the East Coast. Meanwhile, as word of the disaster reaches the U.S. Coast Guard station in Chatham, Massachusetts, Warrant Officer Daniel Cluff (Eric Bana) orders a daring operation to rescue the stranded men. Despite overwhelming odds, four men, led by Coast Guard Captain Bernie Webber (Chris Pine), set out in a wooden lifeboat with an ill-equipped engine and little, if any, means of navigation, facing frigid temperatures, 60-foot high waves and hurricane-force winds.
DreamWorks Studios announced filming is now underway on The Girl on the Train starring Emily Blunt, Rebecca Ferguson, Haley Bennett, Justin Theroux, Luke Evans, Allison Janney, Edgar Ramirez, Lisa Kudrow, and Merritt Wever. The Help‘s Tate Taylor is directing and co-wrote the script with Erin Cressida Wilson. The film is based on the bestselling novel by Paula Hawkins which has sold more than seven million copies. Hawkins’ The Girl on the Train holds the title of the fastest selling adult novel in history and has been a constant presence on the New York Times bestsellers list for 42 weeks. Amazon.com recently named it one of the top books of 2015.
The film is being shot throughout New York, NY and Westchester County, NY. The Girl on the Train is targeting an October 7, 2016 theatrical release.
The Girl on the Train Plot:
Rachel takes the same commuter train every morning. Every day she rattles down the track, flashes past a stretch of cozy suburban homes, and stops at the signal that allows her to daily watch the same couple breakfasting on their deck. She’s even started to feel like she knows them. “Jess and Jason,” she calls them. Their life—as she sees it—is perfect. Not unlike the life she recently lost.
And then she sees something shocking. It’s only a minute until the train moves on, but it’s enough. Now everything’s changed. Unable to keep it to herself, Rachel offers what she knows to the police, and becomes inextricably entwined in what happens next, as well as in the lives of everyone involved. Has she done more harm than good?
Amazon.com’s editors have pulled together the list for the Best Books of 2015, with Lauren Groff’s Fates and Furies earning the top spot on this year’s list. “Fates and Furies, our #1 pick of 2015, is a novel about a marriage from two different points of view, but it’s no linear ‘he said, she said,’” noted Sara Nelson, Editorial Director of Books and Kindle at Amazon.com. “Groff’s language is electric and her ingenious plotting is fascinating and unlike anything I’ve read in years. Our editors adored it.”
In addition to the overall Best Books of 2015 list, the editors also compiled Best of lists in a variety of other categories. Waiting was named the winner in the Children’s Picture Books category, Circus Mirandus earned the top spot on the Middle Grade – ages 9-12 list, and An Ember in the Ashes was the top Young Adult book this year. My Kitchen Year is 2015’s best cookbook and Girl on the Train is the #1 Mystery book.
The full list of the 100 top books of 2015 and winners in other categories are available on amazon.com/bestbooks2015, but here’s the top 10 as selected by the editors who read hundreds of thousands of pages throughout the year.
2015’s Top 10 Books:
1. Fates and Furies by Lauren Groff: An unusual, fascinating and intricate look at how two people can be married for years and still know so little about each other.
2. Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates: A fiercely intelligent book about race in America, told by a father to his teenaged son.
3. Becoming Nicole by Amy Ellis Nutt: The inspiring true story of how one transgendered child began to change the world.
4. An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir: Addictive and harrowing, this Young Adult novel is about political power, crippling deceit, and, ultimately, hope.
5. The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah: Two French sisters cope very differently with WWII in this compulsively readable novel.
6. The Wright Brothers by David McCullough: This is classic McCullough: a complete, erudite and engagingly human story about the early days of aviation and the all-American boys who pioneered it.
7. H is for Hawk by Helen Macdonald: A brilliant memoir about the unusual, personal way one woman dealt with the loss of her father.
8. Purity by Jonathan Franzen: A big fat novel about disaffected youth, the Internet and journalism. Oh, and love and family, too.
9. Hold Still by Sally Mann: In her memoir, the award-winning and controversial photographer Sally Mann uses words to create pictures of her life.
10. The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins: A wildly popular thriller about all the bad things that can happen when you step into other people’s lives.
Brad Mann as Gale Kitchen, Bokeem Woodbine as Mike Milligan, and Todd Mann as Wayne Kitchen in ‘Fargo’ (Photo by Chris Large / FX)
The battle between the Kansas City Mafia and the Gerhardts of Fargo continues to drive the action in season two of FX’s Fargo. The critically acclaimed series is set in the 1970s and features a stellar cast that includes Patrick Wilson, Ted Danson, Jean Smart, Brad Garrett, Jeffrey Donovan, Jesse Plemons, Kirsten Dunst, and Bokeem Woodbine. Not everyone will survive the full season as the body count builds due to a war between the two criminal factions, so it’s best not to get too attached to any one character. Still, it’s difficult to not have a few favorites to root for and Bokeem Woodbine’s “Mike Milligan” has become a fan favorite. Milligan is a ruthless enforcer with the KC Mafia who delivers some of season two’s most memorable lines.
In support of season two, Woodbine took part in a conference call to discuss the series, the scripts, and playing Mike Milligan. The Q&A was spoiler free so even if you’re not completely caught up on season two, it’s safe to read on.
Bokee Woodbine Fargo Season 2 Interview:
Can you tell us how you got cast in the role and what drew you to the part?
Bokeem Woodbine: “I got the audition last December, early December, I would say. It was just a simple audition sheet outlining the network, the show, who all else was already involved as far as who had been cast. I think there were only maybe two people cast at that time who I was aware of. Where the audition was, what have you. It really took me by surprise. I would have never, in my mind, imagined that I would be auditioning for Fargo. I have so much respect for the movie. To me, it was a perfect film. I hadn’t seen the first season, but I was aware of just how many people that I knew loved it and were going on and on about it and were actually giving me a hard time for not having watched it.
It really took me by surprise. I just dialed in for about 72 hours. I think I probably slept seven hours in three days. I spent the whole time just working on the material for the audition and intermittently watching Kung Fu films when I needed a break.
After three days I went in and auditioned, and actually kind of flubbed one of the lines. I rearranged the sequencing and I figured when I left the room, I said, ‘Okay, that’s not going to happen.’ In the television world, generally, if you mess up a line in an audition, you might as well just stop right there, get up, and apologize for wasting everybody’s time. It’s been my experience that they suffer no fools in the auditioning process for television. I think the logic being if you can’t get your lines right for an audition, you might waste time on the set, and TV is a very time-orientated filming process. They have a very strict and very tight schedule. I left the room thinking it’s not going to happen, but had one of the most wonderful surprises of my life – and probably the biggest surprise of my career to date saying, quote, ‘You killed it in the room today. You’ll be getting the offer in a few hours.’ It was just a thrill, and it remains a very thrilling experience.”
Mike is so fascinating, but we really know absolutely nothing about his backstory. Are we going to learn anything? What do you know about him?
Bokeem Woodbine: “There might be some glimpses. Viewers might be able to extrapolate a little bit of a sense of where he’s from in later episodes. The backstory that I developed, I shared with Noah [Hawley] and he co-signed. He said, ‘Well, if that’s his backstory, that’s his backstory.’ I really don’t want to give too much away about that, but Noah Hawley, aside from being a genius, he puts a lot of faith in his actors and he kind of lets you do your thing. Every once in a while he might give you an adjustment or a note, but he really gave me free rein as far as creating Mike Milligan. I just went with what made sense to me at the time, as far as who I believe Mike Milligan to be. Nine times out of ten, he was okay with my choices.”
Do you prefer that way of working, of not knowing that much about the backstory?
Bokeem Woodbine: “I always develop a backstory. Whether or not there’s time or I feel comfortable sharing it with the director, it’s a situation by situation scenario. I love when me and the director can collaborate. That’s always great. Things being the way they are, there’s not always time.
I’m a mercenary, so I just get the lay of the land, per se, which would be the script. I get certain specifics as far as who’s working on my side or who the ‘enemy’ is, just to use that as a metaphor, and what my weapons are, if you will, what I have working for me, what I have working against me. A lot of times, that’s all the information I have.
You might find out you have a job on Monday and then you’re in another country on Wednesday, get off the plane, get right on the set. There’s not always the time to formulate a backstory or to confer with the director or the creative entities, the writer, what have you, to get on the same page about the backstory, so you don’t always have that luxury. Generally, of course, I would prefer to have the time that I had with Fargo. I had the gig and I didn’t shoot for five, maybe almost six weeks, so I had plenty of time to talk with Noah, to work on things, to develop my sense of the character, and that’s always a blessing and a preferable situation. But you don’t always get that.”
Is there any room to improv while you’re on set?
Bokeem Woodbine: “All the text is the Bible, if you will. We don’t mess with the text. To me, there’s no need to. There’s nothing I could have come up with on my own, as far as dialogue is concerned, that would have been better or even as good as what was already there.
As far as the way Mike Milligan speaks, it’s just something that occurred to me when I was getting ready for the audition. I could kind of hear him in my head talking, and that’s how he sounded. When I did the audition, I did it like that and I got the part. Then when we were getting ready to shoot, I kept waiting for them to tell me not to do that. I kept waiting for them to say, ‘Okay, that worked in the audition but we’re going to do it like this,” but they never did. I just kind of went with it. It was organic. The character really spoke to me like that. That’s how I imagined him talking from the very beginning when I got the material initially for the audition. I could hear that voice in my head.”
Can you talk about about working with Brad Garrett?
Bokeem Woodbine: “It was a true pleasure. Brad’s a pro. He’s got a great sense of humor, even when the cameras aren’t rolling. The only challenge was, there were a few moments where he would just say something hilarious. The cameras would start rolling and I had to try to get myself together in time to complete the scene because I would just be laughing 10 seconds before we start shooting. I’d be laughing so hard. I’d be like, ‘Okay, can you stop because I’ve got to try to get back into character now?’
I think that his approach to Joe Bulo is magnificent. It was obvious that he spent a lot of time preparing for it. He’s laid back, easygoing, a lot of fun to work with, no pretension. He’s just there to work. I actually learned some things about comedic timing from him, not so much when we were shooting, but just how funny he is when the cameras aren’t rolling. I really do think he’s a comedic powerhouse. His dramatic turn in this is going to surprise a lot of people. I think he’s doing a great job.”
How would you describe your time filming in the cold climate?
Bokeem Woodbine: “The landscape and the weather are a character unto themselves. They really play an integral part in the show. I’m not the biggest fan of cold weather. The challenge can be sometimes to try to figure out how to stay warm. We have these little hot pocket things. They’re like these little squares and they give off heat. You put them in your sock, you put them in your jacket, and in between takes, you put your hands in your jacket. It had its challenges even though, for the region, talking to the locals they explained to me that this last winter was considered a mild one. But it was still cold to me. It wasn’t quite as snowy as the previous year and that created a little bit of a challenge, but they worked that out. They’re very industrious and resourceful, so sometimes we require bringing snow from places rather far away and dumping it, creating the snowy background with the lack of snow.
It had its challenges. Sometimes you have to fight hard to maintain your concentration during such a cold climate. You had to try and do your best to stay warm and stay in the zone. I think for me, in my career, it was a unique challenge. I’d never really worked in weather like that before.”
Is there a particular aspect of this show that you’re drawn to?
Bokeem Woodbine: “The surrealism. There’s something that Fargo captures quite well that’s very hard to describe with words, but I’ll do my best. It’s the, I call it the humor of the gods, whereby we have the strangest incidences in our life occur that almost seem like it would be in a movie. It’s just so off the wall. Truth is stranger than fiction. I think we all have those experiences in our life at different times. Fargo manages to capture the feeling that we all get from time to time that maybe we’re being watched, or this is so crazy there has to be a camera rolling. What are the odds that this would happen? I think we’ve all had those kind of sensations, and Fargo captures that, the surreal nature of life, at times. To me, that’s my favorite part about it.”
Noah Hawley and the writers have a particular language that they write where there’s a certain rhythm and rhyme to it. How do you casualize that language?
Bokeem Woodbine: “You just spend a lot of time. A lot of time. It’s true that there is a cadence to an extent. There is a certain rhythm. The vernacular is what it is. How does one try to make that honest was the ongoing challenge. Every line, every word, every page, every scene had that same challenge. How do I make this as authentic and natural as possible for me? There was not a formula; it was just many many hours. Fargo is the kind of piece, the scripts have the kind of dialogue that you’ll literally obsess over. You’ll obsess over it. You won’t think about anything else. Then when you think you might have solved the riddle or unlocked the treasure chest, there’s no feeling like it. The reward is indescribable when you feel like you might have figured out the honest and true way to deliver these rather, at times, bizarre but yet quite technical lines. It was an amazing challenge. I only attribute putting time into it.”
Is it important for you to understand every component of this show, whether it is your lines or just the show in general? Do you need to understand everything about the entire storyline and other characters to play your part?
Bokeem Woodbine: “I don’t know if it’s necessary, but I definitely made it a priority to understand where everybody else was going with their character, what they were going through. And a lot of times you’ll get material and you’ll dog-ear your pages and focus on your responsibilities, but this is such a great read and so much fun to be a part of that I really found myself being curious about, not just what was going to happen with my character in the next episode, but how it fits in the show as a whole. I was really swept up with the individual stories and it carried me along for a ride. My character’s also trying to figure some things out, so in my mind he might want to keep an eye on other people and what’s going on. I guess I did that myself by following all aspects of the story very closely. It’s a fascinating read. I have never seen a script like this. It’s in its own category. I try to be as informed as I could about the whole thing.”
Ted Danson as Hank Larsson, Todd Mann as Wayne Kitchen, Bokeem Woodbine as Mike Milligan, and Brad Mann as Gale Kitchen in ‘Fargo’ (Photo by Chris Large / FX)
The scene with Hank Larsson (played by Ted Danson) confronting Mike and the Kitchen brothers on the road was incredible. What was it like filming that and did you have any idea it would be so tense when viewed on screen?
Bokeem Woodbine: “That scene was nerve-wracking. I hope Mr. Danson doesn’t mind me saying this…I’m sure he wouldn’t…he was kind of nervous, too. He told me so. I kind of confronted him like, ‘Man, this material…’ I was like, ‘I’m kind of nervous.’ And he’s like, ‘Me, too.’ I didn’t know if it would resonate with the audience. I spent a lot of time preparing for that scene and all the scenes, really. That particular one for me, it had a lot of challenges insomuch as it’s getting towards the end of the day for Mike and the Kitchen brothers and they really don’t want to be stopped by the Sheriff. They want to keep going and end the day. They get pulled over at a bad time. I think one of the challenges for Mike was to try to keep his temper. I don’t think that he was scared for even a second. I think that it was more about, ‘Let’s get out of here without having to kill this guy.’
I didn’t know it was going to be so tense. When I saw it, I was like, ‘Wow! That’s what we shot?’ It looks great, in my opinion. I was like, ‘This looks fantastic.’ We were so in the moment, all of us, just speaking for myself, I didn’t think about how it would come out. I just wanted to do the best I could in every moment.”
We never see Mike’s fear and it’s almost as if he’s performing for those around him to disguise any emotions. Has that been a challenge to navigate as an actor?
Bokeem Woodbine: “Absolutely. Absolutely. Mike is a natural showman. At the same time, as an actor you’ve got to temper certain things with reality. This show is so heavily steeped in reality, but yet it has so many bizarre, surrealistic moments. How do you do that? That was a constant challenge. How do we deal with this bizarre, off-the-wall material and this crazy world and yet do it justice by being realistic and honest? How do you do that? It was a challenge every day on the set. Not just that particular scene, but all the material has a certain Fargo-esque flavor to it, and how do we respect the audience, respect ourselves, respect the craft, and still bring it to life and still make it exciting? For me, there was no formula. It’s just one scene at a time.”
How do you feel about the role comedy plays in this season of Fargo?
Bokeem Woodbine: “I just started watching the first season not too long ago, the first five episodes. They all have a sense of humor. I think this season is no different. It’s just an aspect of the Fargo-verse – humor. I wouldn’t necessarily say that this season is funnier, but I would say that there are so many comedic moments in this season that I’ve seen this far that I didn’t even necessarily realize were going to play as funny as they did until I saw them. Humor is an incredibly important part of this season, and with Fargo in general, in my opinion. I don’t think we ever really try to be funny, per se. There were some lines, there was some material that is obviously meant to be funny, then there’s so much other stuff that’s just funny by accident, almost. I don’t think anybody ever tried to try too hard to hit the joke. It’s just kind of in there. It’s on the page. It’s in the text. It’s already written there. I think we just did our best to honor the material and that means being funny sometimes, whether you know it or not.”
“Today you get to kill Jim Gordon,” says Theo Galavan (James Frain) to Barbara (Erin Richards) as he plans to get young Bruce Wayne to sell control of Wayne Enterprises to him and needs to make sure that Detective Gordon is out of the way in season two episode eight of FOX’s gritty comic-book inspired crime series Gotham.
Gordon (Ben McKenzie) goes to his boss Capt. Barnes (Michael Chiklis) with his new intelligence about Galavan being behind the breakout at Arkham and forcing the Penguin to kill the other candidates for mayor so he would be voted in as the mayor of Gotham City. Barnes reminds Jim he has no evidence and tells him to go get it. He believes his right-hand man but wants hard evidence before moving against the new mayor of Gotham. Bullock (Donal Logue) suggests a darker way he could get Theo to talk just as Barbara walks into the precinct saying, “Hello, Jim. Long time no see.”
In the interrogation room, Jim and Barbara face-off with Bullock, Barnes, and Lee (Morena Baccarin), who hates seeing Jim anywhere near Barbara and can’t help feeling threatened by her presence, watching through the two-way mirror. Gordon tries to manipulate Barbara’s feelings for him – she believes they still belong together and deep down only she really understands Jim – and kisses her, which really bothers Lee. Barbara tells Jim she has to show him something and then she’ll tell him everything he wants to know. Jim goes out of the room to tell Barnes they should play along since Barbara is their only lead. The minute Jim steps out, Barbara stands up, walks over to the mirror, and smiles devilishly at Lee, almost as though she knows she’s right there which causes Bullock to ask, “What is she playing at?”
Gordon, Bullock, Lee, and Barnes all debate over what to do with Barbara and her offer, and Jim wants to play along and see what she gives them. Lee doesn’t want Jim dealing with someone she says belongs in a hospital for being mentally ill, and Harvey disagrees with Lee saying Barbara knows exactly what she’s doing and this is obviously some sort of trap. Barnes finally sides with Gordon and gives them the go-ahead to go on a short road trip with Barbara in cuffs in the back of their car as long as they have an escort. Lee tries to talk to Jim, telling him this is a horrible idea and that Barbara still has a hold on him, but Jim won’t be stopped.
Meanwhile, Ed Nygma (Cory Michael Smith) brings Miss Kringle’s corpse out to a secluded area in the woods for one last picnic and to put her in the ground. Just as Nygma is finishing saying his final goodbye to Miss Kringle, a lone hunter comes along and asks Ed what he’s doing. As the hunter begins to notice the newly dug grave, Ed uses his shovel to quickly strike and kill the man. Sighing, Ed says, “It seems it’s going to get a bit crowded in there,” referring to now having to put the hunter in with Miss Kringle.
Theo meets with Bruce (David Mazouz) and makes him an offer he believes Bruce won’t be able to refuse. Theo tells Bruce that if he sells his 51% of Wayne Enterprises to him he will clean up the corruption in his late father’s business as well as give him the identity of the man who murdered his parents. Theo ends the meeting by giving Bruce 48 hours to decide.
During the car trip Jim keeps trying to convince Barbara there’s still good in her and she shouldn’t throw her life away for Galavan. As Gordon and Bullock, with Barbara in the back seat, get in a tight and dangerous area Capt. Barnes gets uneasy about continuing and orders them back to base to which Harvey, seeing Jim wants to follow through with this, tells Barnes on the radio that he’s cutting out and can’t hear him. Just then their car is hit by an oncoming truck and Barbara escapes out the back. She stands over Jim who is only semi-consciousness as one of her helpers injects him with a knock-out drug.
Jim wakes up tied to a chair in a church with Father Callahan tied to a chair on the altar and a handful of poor innocent citizens tied up and sitting in the pews. Barbara walks down the aisle singing the classic wedding song and reminds Jim this is where they had planned on getting married. Things get worse for Jim when Barbara has her helpers bring out Lee who’s also tied to a chair. Barbara tells Jim he needs to stop fighting his dark side and that they truly belong together. It really seems that in some weird, twisted way Barbara still loves Jim and really believes they belong together.
Back at the precinct, Bullock keeps listening to the recording made in the police car while he and Jim were driving with Barbara when he realizes she mentioned the church where they almost got married. Bullock goes to Barnes, who threw him out earlier for insubordination (he didn’t fall for the whole “can’t hear you, Captain” act), and tells him Barbara took Jim to the church where they were supposed to get married. “She wants a do-over wedding,” says Harvey. Barnes sends Bullock after Jim with backup.
Back in the woods, Ed is getting ready to cut up the hunter’s body so he’ll fit with Miss Kringle in the grave when he notices someone ate his sandwich. Seeing a trail of blood leading away from his picnic site, Ed follows the blood ready to add yet another corpse to his already overcrowded gravesite.
At Wayne Manor, Bruce asks Alfred (Sean Pertwee) when he thinks he’ll be ready to clean up the corruption in Wayne Enterprises, and Alfred answers that it will take many years. Bruce tells Alfred about Theo’s offer and Alfred tells young Bruce it’s not so much a business deal but more like extortion. Bruce asks Alfred if he has a moral obligation to help the new mayor clean up his father’s business now instead of years from now and that it’s his father’s legacy. Alfred tells Bruce that Thomas Wayne’s legacy is standing in front of him. Bruce tells Alfred he just wants it to be over and move on and begins to cry. Alfred hugs and consoles him, saying there is nothing wrong with that.
Back at the church, Barbara has turned her attention to Lee. She holds a knife to her throat, telling her she could never understand Jim’s dark side and asks if she even knows how he got his job back at the GCPD. Lee tells her she does, saying he killed a man for Penguin. That surprises Barbara because she didn’t think Jim would admit something like that to her. Jim keeps Barbara talking, which honestly isn’t that hard since she is enjoying her “do-over wedding” so much, and gets her to reveal that Galavan has Gotham’s real mayor tied up and stowed away at the docks. Barbara then puts her knife to Lee’s throat and says she’s going to carve her face up to prove her love for Jim. Lee gets Barbara to stop and stand back by asking her where she got that beautiful wedding dress. While Barbara is enjoying the compliment Jim, who’s been working to loosen the ropes around his wrists, breaks free and picks up the shotgun.
It’s then that Barnes, Bullock, and the GCPD burst into the church. Jim shoots and wounds a masked Tabitha as Barbara runs up and towards the top part of the church. Jim follows and confronts her again and she charges Jim. Instead of shooting her the two wrestle and almost go out the window, with Jim holding onto Barbara’s hand. She smiles at Jim and says, “Sorry, baby,” lets go of his hand and falls, with Jim screaming, “No!” Luckily, she is alive – only in Gotham would a person survive a fall like that – and is in critical condition. Gordon tells Barnes about Mayor James being held captive. They find him still tied up with a box on his head and he tells them it was Theo Galavan who kidnapped and tortured him.
Bruce is meeting with Theo with Alfred by his side and is just about to sign over Wayne Enterprises when he changes his mind and tells Theo that it’s his responsibility to clean up his father’s business. That’s when Gordon and the GCPD bust in. Jim punches Theo in the face and then arrests Galavan for kidnapping and torturing Mayor James but not before Theo is able to toss the file supposedly containing the identity of the person who murdered Bruce’s parents into the fire. Bruce screams no and is devastated.
Back in the woods, Ed is following the blood trail when he comes across a mobile home and gets knocked out by a dark figure. When he gets his glasses back on he sees that it’s Penguin (Robin Lord Taylor). Penguin’s losing a lot of blood from the gunshot wound inflicted by Tabitha in the last episode. The episode ends with Oswald looking down at Ed and saying, “Help me, please,” before passing out.
GOTHAM SEASON 2 EPISODE 8 REVIEW
Dark and action-packed, season two episode eight titled “Tonight’s the Night” moves the series closer to the madness that will finally consume Gotham and gives actress Erin Richards the spotlight to shine as the crazed, beautiful, Gordon-obsessed Barbara Kean. Richards, who was honestly pretty boring and uninteresting as Jim’s wavering fiancé in the first season, is incredibly dynamic and scene-stealing in season two as the insane Barbara who wants to upset and hurt Jim but still believes they belong together. It’s at times a bit over-the-top but definitely a performance that belongs in a show about Gotham’s early days.
The stand-out scene/performances once again go to Sean Pertwee and David Mazouz as Alfred and Bruce as Bruce confides in Alfred and seeks his help in deciding whether to sell his company to Galavan. It’s a powerful scene capturing perfectly the strain and stress that weighs on Bruce as he’s still attempting to cope with the loss of his parents. Pertwee and Mazouz have excellent chemistry together.
With two of the most iconic Batman villains finally meeting at the end of this episode, could it be the beginning of a new alliance between The Penguin and The Riddler?! Can’t wait for episode nine.
Spectre stars Daniel Craig and Lea Seydoux joined producer Barbara Broccoli in Beijing, China to accept a certificate from Guinness World Records. Oscar winning special effects supervisor Chris Corbould earned the world record for an explosion in the 24th James Bond film, using 8,418 litres of fuel and 33kg of explosives to create a gigantic explosion for a key scene in Spectre. The record-breaking scene was actually shot in Erfoud, Morocco on June 29, 2015.
The Guinness World Records title is for the “Largest Film Stunt Explosion” in movie history.
“It is absolutely tremendous that the Guinness World Records have recognized Chris Corbould’s incredible work in Spectre in which he created the largest explosion ever in film history,” stated producers Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli.
“The James Bond movies are synonymous with pushing cinematic boundaries. The latest film, Spectre, has again captured the imagination of global cinemagoers, and this will certainly be due in part to the phenomenal stunts. The scene featuring the world’s largest film stunt explosion is spectacular and will live long in the memory as one of the outstanding moments in the Bond franchise,” said Guinness World Records Editor-in-Chief Craig Glenday.
Spectre was directed by Skyfall‘s Sam Mendes from a script by John Logan and Neal Purvis & Robert Wade and Jez Butterworth.
The Spectre Plot:
A cryptic message from the past sends James Bond (Daniel Craig) on a rogue mission to Mexico City and eventually Rome, where he meets Lucia Sciarra (Monica Bellucci), the beautiful and forbidden widow of an infamous criminal. Bond infiltrates a secret meeting and uncovers the existence of the sinister organisation known as SPECTRE.
Meanwhile back in London, Max Denbigh (Andrew Scott), the new head of the Centre for National Security, questions Bond’s actions and challenges the relevance of MI6, led by M (Ralph Fiennes). Bond covertly enlists Moneypenny (Naomie Harris) and Q (Ben Whishaw) to help him seek out Madeleine Swann (Léa Seydoux), the daughter of his old nemesis Mr White (Jesper Christensen), who may hold the clue to untangling the web of SPECTRE. As the daughter of an assassin, she understands Bond in a way most others cannot.
As Bond ventures towards the heart of SPECTRE, he learns of a chilling connection between himself and the enemy he seeks, played by Christoph Waltz.
Fox released details on their winter lineup of shows and announced that the Frankenstein series has another new name. First it was known as The Frankenstein Code and then in August 2015 the network switched it to Lookinglass. Now apparently we have the final title and it’s Second Chance. I think The Frankenstein Code sounded the most interesting of the three names; Second Chance sounds like a reality dating series for divorced people and doesn’t capture the Frankenstein vibe. The winter schedule also includes premiere dates for Cooper Barrett’s Guide to Surviving Life, the animated comedy Bordertown, and Lucifer, along with the new The X-Files limited series. It also includes the return of American Idol to the lineup for the singing competition’s final season.
FOX WINTER 2016 RECAP
Sunday, Jan. 3:
8:00-8:30 PM THE SIMPSONS (Winter Return)
8:30-9:00 PM COOPER BARRETT’S GUIDE TO SURVIVING LIFE (Series Premiere)
9:00-9:30 PM FAMILY GUY (Winter Return)
9:30-10:00 PM BORDERTOWN (Series Premiere)
Monday, Jan. 4
8:00-10:00 PM SUPERHUMAN (Two-Hour Special)
Tuesdays, beginning Jan. 5:
8:00-8:30 PM NEW GIRL (Season Premiere)
8:30-9:00 PM GRANDFATHERED (Time Period Premiere)
9:00-9:30 PM BROOKLYN NINE-NINE (Time Period Premiere)
9:30-10:00 PM THE GRINDER (Time Period Premiere)
Wednesday, Jan. 6:
8:00-10:00 PM AMERICAN IDOL (Season Premiere, Part One)
Thursdays, beginning Jan. 7:
8:00-10:00 PM AMERICAN IDOL (Season Premiere, Part Two)
8:30-9:00 PM COOPER BARRETT’S GUIDE TO SURVIVING LIFE
9:00-9:30 PM FAMILY GUY
9:30-10:00 PM BORDERTOWN
Wednesdays, beginning Jan. 13:
8:00-9:00 PM AMERICAN IDOL (Time Period Premiere)
9:00-10:00 PM SECOND CHANCE (Series Premiere)
Fridays, beginning Jan. 15:
8:00-9:00 PM MASTERCHEF JUNIOR
9:00-10:00 PM HELL’S KITCHEN (Season Premiere)
Sunday, Jan. 24:
10:00-11:00 PM ET/ THE X-FILES (Season Premiere, Part One)
7:00-8:00 PM PT
Mondays, beginning Jan. 25:
8:00-9:00 PM THE X-FILES (Season Premiere, Part Two)
9:00-10:00 PM LUCIFER (Series Premiere)
Sunday, Jan. 31:
7:00-10:00 ET Live/PT tape-delayed GREASE: LIVE
Fridays, beginning Feb. 5:
8:00-9:00 PM SLEEPY HOLLOW (Time Period / Spring Premiere)
9:00-10:00 PM HELL’S KITCHEN
Mondays, beginning Feb. 29:
8:00-9:00 PM GOTHAM: RISE OF THE VILLAINS (Spring Premiere)
9:00-10:00 PM LUCIFER
Wednesdays, beginning March 2:
8:00-9:00 PM ROSEWOOD (Spring Premiere)
9:00-10:00 PM SECOND CHANCE
Wednesdays, beginning March 30:
8:00-9:00 PM ROSEWOOD
9:00-10:00 PM EMPIRE (Spring Premiere)
COOPER BARRETT’S GUIDE TO SURVIVING LIFE: COOPER BARRETT (Jack Cutmore-Scott, Kingsman: The Secret Service) still doesn’t have the job he wants; he’s accidently fallen in love with his across-the-hall neighbor, KELLY BISHOP (Meaghan Rath); one of his roommates, NEAL (Charlie Saxton), just can’t seem to dump his bodybuilder girlfriend; his other roommate, BARRY (James Earl), is a “loveable jackass” who can’t stop getting into trouble; and his 40-year-old-brother, JOSH (Justin Bartha) is constantly popping in to hang with the fellas and get some peace from his wife, LESLIE (Liza Lapira), and their two kids. The one thing they do have is each other.
As Cooper struggles to survive each of life’s many challenges – a night in jail, an inappropriate text he never should have sent, an ill-advised household pet – he will guide us through the often-messy, always-hilarious ordeal, so that our lives don’t have to be nearly the entertaining disaster that Cooper’s is turning out to be.
LUCIFER: Based upon the characters created by Neil Gaiman, Sam Kieth and Mike Dringenberg for DC Entertainment’s Vertigo imprint, LUCIFER is the story of the original fallen angel. Bored and unhappy as the Lord of Hell, LUCIFER MORNINGSTAR (Tom Ellis) has abandoned his throne and retired to L.A., where he owns Lux, an upscale nightclub.
Charming, charismatic and devilishly handsome, Lucifer is enjoying his retirement, indulging in a few of his favorite things – wine, women and song – when a beautiful pop star is brutally murdered outside of Lux. For the first time in roughly 10 billion years, he feels something awaken deep within him as a result of this murder. Compassion? Sympathy? The very thought disturbs him – as well as his best friend and confidante, MAZIKEEN aka MAZE (Lesley-Ann Brandt), a fierce demon in the form of a beautiful young woman.
The murder attracts the attention of LAPD homicide detective CHLOE DANCER (Lauren German), who initially is dismissive of Lucifer. But she becomes intrigued by his talent for drawing out people’s secrets and his desire to dispense justice, doling out punishment to those who deserve it. As they work together to solve the pop star’s murder, Lucifer is struck by Chloe’s inherent goodness. Accustomed to dealing with the absolute worst of humanity, Lucifer is intrigued by Chloe’s apparent purity and begins to wonder if there’s hope for his own soul yet.
At the same time, God’s emissary, the angel AMENADIEL (DB Woodside), has been sent to Los Angeles to convince Lucifer to return to the underworld…can the Devil incarnate be tempted toward the side of Good, or will his original calling pull him back toward Evil?
Rob Kazinsky stars in ‘Lookinglass’ (Photo Credit: Fox)
SECOND CHANCE: Seventy-five-year-old JIMMY PRITCHARD (guest star Philip Baker Hall) is a shell of his former self. A drinker, a womanizer and a father who always put work before family, Pritchard was forced to resign as L.A. County Sheriff for corrupt conduct more than a decade ago. Now, some 15 unkind years later, he is killed when he stumbles upon a robbery at the home of FBI Agent DUVAL PRITCHARD (Tim DeKay), one of his two children. But death is surprisingly short for Jimmy, who is brought back to life by billionaire tech-genius twins MARY GOODWIN (Dilshad Vadsaria) and her brother, OTTO (Adhir Kalyan), founders of a social networking empire.
Resurrected as a younger, better version of himself, with physical abilities of which he never dreamed, a re-animated Pritchard (Rob Kazinsky) is given a second chance at life. What will he do with it? Will he try to repair the damage he did to his family? Will he embrace a new sense of purpose or fall prey to old temptations?
BORDERTOWN:BORDERTOWN centers on two clans: the Buckwalds and the Gonzalezes. BUD BUCKWALD (Hank Azaria) is a married father of three and a Border Patrol agent who is just a tad behind the times and feels slightly threatened by the cultural changes transforming his neighborhood. He lives next door to ERNESTO GONZALEZ (Nicholas Gonzalez), an ambitious family man, who has been in the country less than 10 years, but is already doing better than Bud – which, it turns out, is a bit of an issue for Bud.
Bud is married to JANICE BUCKWALD (Alex Borstein), both the wisest and most oblivious member of the family. The Buckwald kids include BECKY (Borstein), a socially awkward, big-boned geek; SANFORD (Judah Friedlander), a loser who thinks he’s a player; and GERT (Missi Pyle), a beauty pageant-obsessed five-year-old with a pet pig. Meanwhile, living the American Dream next door are the Gonzalezes, including MARIA (Stephanie Escajed), Ernesto’s no-nonsense wife; their son, RUIZ (guest voice Efren Ramirez); and their 21-year-old nephew, J.C. (Gonzalez), a graduate student who is engaged to Becky and frequently butts heads with Bud.
As Bud and Ernesto’s paths begin to cross, their two families soon become bound by romance, conflict and, perhaps most importantly, friendship – a word that means the same, no matter what side of the border you’re from.
Paramount Pictures has released two teaser posters for the 2016 comedy Zoolander 2, the long-awaited, much anticipated sequel to 2001’s Zoolander. Zoolander introduced the world to male models Derek Zoolander (Ben Stiller) and his runway rival Hansel (Owen Wilson), ringing up $15.5 million domestically over its opening weekend and $60 million worldwide during its theatrical run. Made with budget of $28 million, the comedy film easily earned back its budget and went on to become a huge seller on DVD. Rated PG-13, the first Zoolander was written and directed by Ben Stiller. Zoolander 2 has Stiller back as director working from a script he co-wrote with Justin Theroux.
Zoolander opened in September, however Zoolander 2‘s steering away from the crowded summer months and will be released over 2016’s Valentine’s Day weekend. In addition to Stiller and Wilson, the cast of the sequel includes Penélope Cruz, Christine Taylor, Kristen Wiig, Cyrus Arnold, Will Ferrell, Billy Zane, Fred Armisen, Justin Bieber, Kyle Mooney, and Ariana Grande.
Disney just released a new trailer for the dramatic movie 
