Andrew Garfield and Michael Shannon in ’99 Homes’ (Photo Courtesy of Broad Green Pictures)
How desperate would you have to be to accept a job from a man who kicked your family to the curb? Would you be able to put aside your anger and moral outrage over the loss of your home if the man who tossed you out dangled a lifeline when no other options were available? And if you said yes to his offer of employment, how much shame would you feel at being grateful for his money?
99 Homes is set during the worst U.S. housing crisis in history, a period in which homes were foreclosed on at one of the highest rates in history in large part due to abusive lending practices by financial institutions and mortgage companies. The court system was unsympathetic to homeowners behind on their payments, and banks snatched up properties while families were left struggling to find an alternate place to call home.
Andrew Garfield plays Dennis Nash, a single father faced with taking jobs from Rick Carver (Michael Shannon), the realtor who enforced the bank’s foreclosure order. The Nash family was literally given just a few minutes to take only the items they could not live without, with their neighbors and friends watching in shock from the sidewalk as Dennis was blocked from re-entering his home by law enforcement officers working with Carver. After losing his family’s home, Dennis, his young son, and his mother (Laura Dern) have no choice but to move into a low-rent motel where other families in similar situations are also temporarily housed.
Dennis works in construction, but the jobs are few and far between, so when Rick offers him a chance to earn much-needed cash, there isn’t an option to say anything other than yes if he wants to feed his family. He’s too ashamed to admit who he’s working for to his mother and son, but he’s not too ashamed to take on additional job duties for Rick, eventually becoming his right-hand man. And in that elevated capacity, Dennis becomes the man he hated, knocking on doors and delivering the devastating eviction news to people who have no means to fight the legal orders.
Co-writer/director Ramin Bahrani (Man Push Cart, At Any Price) doesn’t paint Rick as the devil in a business suit but instead allows him to be multi-layered, providing a plausible backstory into how he became a millionaire at the expense of struggling Orlando, Florida homeowners. Michael Shannon is near brilliant as a man who, on the surface, appears to barely register the consequences of his actions as they’re taking place, yet you know he fully realizes the impact he has on the lives of strangers in financial trouble.
Andrew Garfield is terrific as Dennis Nash, a father who will do anything, no matter how it tears him apart inside, to keep his son fed and safe. The best scenes in 99 Homes come when it’s just Shannon and Garfield’s characters on screen, feeling each other out, and Shannon’s Carver pushing all the right buttons in order to get Dennis to alter his moral code in order to collect a healthy, life-altering paycheck.
99 Homes is exceptional storytelling until the final act. The resolution to Dennis’ moral dilemma over being employed by a man he despises is too tidy and false. It plays out as though the true ending would have been too harsh for audiences to accept and so this alternate ending was selected just so we could feel slightly better about having empathized with Dennis in the first place. Was this ending what Bahrani had in mind all along? I walked out of the theater feeling cheated by just how neatly the story ended and disappointed by what’s basically a cop-out after having been emotionally invested in Dennis’ journey from the opening scenes. 99 Homes rang the doorbell on greatness and then ran away before letting the audience see what’s really behind the door.
GRADE: B-
MPAA Rating: R for language including some sexual references, and a brief violent image
Jason Bateman and Nicole Kidman in ‘The Family Fang’
Jason Bateman’s comedy/drama The Family Fang has been picked up by Starz for U.S. distribution. Bateman directed the film and stars alongside Nicole Kidman, Christopher Walken, and Maryann Plunkett. Kidman and her producing partner at Blossom Films, Per Saari, optioned Kevin Wilson’s book and David Lindsay-Abaire adapted the novel for the screen.
Starz is planning a 2016 theatrical release through Starz Digital followed by a release on demand and a TV premiere on Starz.
“Jason Bateman continues to impress as a director,” stated Brett Marottoli, Vice President of Acquisitions for Starz, commenting on the acquisition. “The Family Fang is as moving as it is funny and features a stellar cast at the top of their game. We can’t wait to bring such an impassioned film to audiences.”
The Family Fang Plot:
Adult siblings Baxter (Bateman) and Annie (Kidman), scarred from an unconventional upbringing, return to their family home. When their parents (Walken and Plunkett) — performance artists famous for elaborate public hoaxes — go missing under troubling circumstances, Baxter and Annie investigate. Unsure whether it’s foul play or just another elaborate ruse, nothing can prepare them for what they discover.
ABC Family’s debuted the first official trailer for the upcoming fantasy series Shadowhunters starring Katherine McNamara as Clary Fray and Dominic Sherwood as Jace Wayland. The new series, which will debut in 2016, also features Alberto Rosende as Simon, Emeraude Toubia as Isabelle Lightwood, Matthew Daddario as Alec Lightwood, Isaiah Mustafa as Luke Garroway, and Glee‘s Harry Shum Jr. as Magnus Bane.
McG (Terminator Salvation) is executive producing Shadowhunters and directed episode one.
The Plot:
Based on the bestselling young adult fantasy book series The Mortal Instruments by Cassandra Clare, Shadowhunters follows 18-year-old Clary Fray, who finds out on her birthday that she is not who she thinks she is but rather comes from a long line of Shadowhunters – human-angel hybrids who hunt down demons.
When her mother Jocelyn is kidnapped, Clary is thrown into the world of demon hunting with mysterious Shadowhunter Jace and her best friend, Simon. Now living among faeries, warlocks, vampires and werewolves, Clary begins a journey of self-discovery as she learns more about her past and what her future may hold.
‘True Blood’ star Sam Trammell (Photo by Richard Chavez / Showbiz Junkies)
With filming getting underway in Virginia, Lionsgate Premiere’s just announced Toni Collette, Sam Trammell, and Tracy Letts have signed on to the cast of Imperium. Collette, Letts and Trammell are joining previously announced star Daniel Radcliffe in the dramatic film based on true events. Daniel Ragussis is directing and co-wrote the script with former FBI agent Mike German. German’s experience in counter-terrorism inspired the film.
Andrew Mann, Jeff Elliott, Chad Moore, Barry Brooker, Stan Wertlieb, Eric Gold, and Warren Goz are on board as executive producers. Atomic Features and Tycor International Film Company are producing the thriller.
The Plot: Based on true events, Imperium focuses on Nate Foster, a special agent with the Federal Bureau of Investigation who specializes in domestic terrorism and covert operations. Foster (Radcliffe) goes undercover and joins a white supremacist group in order to expose a sizable terrorist plot to create a dirty bomb. The bright up-and-coming analyst must confront the challenge of sticking to a new identity while maintaining his real principles as he navigates the dangerous underworld of white supremacy.
Toni Collette plays veteran battle-hardened colleague FBI Agent Angela Zampino, and Tracy Letts is Dallas Wolf, a modern-day leader of the white supremacy movement. Sam Trammell plays Jerry Conrad a seemingly normal suburban Dad who is also the local Ayran youth recruiter.
Nasser Faris as Khaled, Alice Krige as Amira, Ashraf Barhom as Jamal, Moran Atias as Leila, Adam Rayner as Barry, Anne Winters as Emma, Jennifer Finnegan as Molly, Noah Silver as Sammy in ‘Tyrant’ season 2 (Photo by Patrick Harbron / FX)
FX will be bringing back Tyrant from executive producer Howard Gordon for a 10 episode third season. Season two recently wrapped up after averaging 2.47 million viewers, and season three is expected to air in 2016. The dramatic series also has Glenn Gordon Caron, Chris Keyser, David Fury, Gideon Raff, Avi Nir, and Hugh Fitzpatrick involved as executive producers.
Making the renewal order announcement, FX Networks and FX Productions President of Original Programming Eric Schrier said, “Tyrant’s second season took the show to a new level thanks to the skill and direction of Howard, Chris and Glenn and their creative team, the exceptional cast and a story steeped in family, loyalty and intrigue. We look forward to the next chapter and a sensational third season of Tyrant.”
The Season Two Plot:
Tyrant is the story of an unassuming American family drawn into the inner workings of a turbulent Middle Eastern nation. Bassam “Barry” Al-Fayeed (Adam Rayner), the youngest son of a war-torn country’s controversial dictator, returns to his homeland after a self-imposed 20-year exile in America, only to be forced back into the treacherous familial and national politics of his youth. When his brother, Jamal (Ashraf Barhom), assumes the presidency, Barry becomes a powerful force within the government, fueled by visions of bringing humanitarian freedoms to his homeland. Upon realizing that Jamal lacks any sense of justice or morality, Barry colluded with members of the U.S. government on a failed attempt at overthrowing his tyrannical reign and was arrested on charges of treason. Having been betrayed by the West, Jamal now sets his sights on the East, developing an alliance with China that he hopes will make Abuddin a global power. But Barry continues to be a thorn in Jamal’s side, becoming a symbol of freedom for the increasingly vocal insurgency.
Scoot McNairy as Gordon Clark and Lee Pace as Joe MacMillan in ‘Halt and Catch Fire’ (Photo by Richard DuCree / AMC)
There’s no stopping Halt and Catch Fire as AMC just announced the dramatic series has been picked up for a third season. Season three will consist of 10 new episodes, and creators/writers Christopher Cantwell and Christopher C. Rogers will be the new season’s showrunners.
Halt and Catch Fire season three will air in the summer of 2016. Lee Pace, Scoot McNairy, Kerry Bishé, and Mackenzie Davis star, and Cantwell, Rogers, Mark Johnson, and Melissa Bernstein executive produce.
“We love what the creative team and cast have been able to deliver on Halt and Catch Fire and are particularly grateful to the critics and fans who supported the show throughout the second season and have been pulling for its renewal,” said Joel Stillerman, president of original programming and development for AMC and SundanceTV. “We’re so thankful for the talent and leadership of Jonathan Lisco over these first two seasons and glad that we are able to continue this story with co-creators and showrunners Chris Cantwell and Chris Rogers at the helm. In a world of TV series filled with scary, mythical creatures like zombies and dragons, we’re thrilled to be able to follow these characters to Silicon Valley and finally bring unicorns to television.”
“We are beyond thrilled to have the opportunity to continue telling this story. Halt and Catch Fire has been a passion project of ours from day one, and we are so thankful that AMC not only shares this passion, but also continues to champion bold character-driven storytelling in an increasingly crowded television landscape,” added Cantwell and Rogers. “While we know we would not be here were it not for the leadership and mentorship of former showrunner Jonathan Lisco, we’re incredibly excited to continue working with our wonderful producing partners at Gran Via, as well as our extremely talented cast and crew. Much in the way that Halt is about underdogs overcoming convention and breaking new ground, the story of season 3 will endeavor to further stretch the medium and challenge the form.”
The Plot:
Halt and Catch Fire captures the rise of the PC era in the early 1980s, focused on four main characters attempting to innovate against the changing backdrop of technology and Texas’ Silicon Prairie.
The first Ant-Man movie starring Rudd, Michael Douglas, and Corey Stoll opened on July 17, 2015. Ant-Man made $57 million domestically over its opening weekend and has collected $409 million worldwide thus far during its theatrical run.
With Ant-Man‘s sequel now scheduled to come out on July 6, 2018, Black Panther has moved up to February 16, 2018. And, Captain Marvel will now open on March 8, 2019. The studio also revealed three untitled films have secured May 1, 2020, July 10, 2020, and November 6, 2020 release dates.
Special IMAX poster for ‘The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2’
Tickets are now on sale for The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2 starring Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss Everdeen, Josh Hutcherson as Peeta, Liam Hemsworth as Gale, and Sam Claflin as Finnick, and Lionsgate’s just released a few new assets from the action film to mark the start of ticket sales. In addition to its release in conventional theaters, the final Hunger Games film is getting an IMAX release and today a new special IMAX poster has arrived along with a new clip. The clip is titled ‘Star Squad’ and provides a look at the group of rebels (including Katniss and Finnick) who will be the face of revolution during the invasion of the Capitol.
The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2 was directed by Francis Lawrence and will open in theaters on November 20, 2015. The cast also includes Woody Harrelson, Elizabeth Banks, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Jeffrey Wright, Willow Shields, Jena Malone, Stanley Tucci, Donald Sutherland, Julianne Moore, Mahershala Ali, Natalie Dormer, Wes Chatham, Elden Henson, and Evan Ross.
The Plot:
With the nation of Panem in a full scale war, Katniss [Lawrence] confronts President Snow [Donald Sutherland] in the final showdown. Teamed with a group of her closest friends – including Gale [Hemsworth], Finnick [Claflin] and Peeta [Hutcherson] – Katniss goes off on a mission with the unit from District 13 as they risk their lives to liberate the citizens of Panem, and stage an assassination attempt on President Snow who has become increasingly obsessed with destroying her. The mortal traps, enemies, and moral choices that await Katniss will challenge her more than any arena she faced in The Hunger Games.
Landon Liboiron in ‘Hemlock Grove’ (Photo by Steve Wilkie / 2015 Netflix)
Netflix’s original horror series Hemlock Grove is coming to an end with the third and final season set to be released on October 23, 2015 at 12:01am PT. The Final Chapter has just released the official two minute trailer with a warning it’s restricted to fearless audiences due to gory mayhem, organ harvesting, and blood bank orgies.
All 10 new episodes of the series will be available for binge-watching on October 23rd. Executive produced by Eli Roth, Charles Eglee, Brian McGreevy, Lee Shipman, Eric Newman and Michael Connolly, Hemlock Grove stars Famke Janssen, Bill Skarsgard, Landon Liboiron, and Madeleine Martin.
The Plot:
Hemlock Grove comes to a riveting and deliciously disturbing conclusion. As the town’s grim secrets continue to unravel at an alarming pace, Olivia (Janssen), Roman (Skarsgård), Peter (Liboiron) and Shelley (Martin) are introduced to mysterious new people while facing dangerous and unexpected obstacles. As enemies both foreign and familial close in, Peter and Roman learn that in order to prevent the ‘end of days,’ they will both need to sacrifice their humanity and release their true inner monsters.
The CW’s Arrow season four episode one introduced new villains and found fan favorite couple Oliver (Stephen Amell) and Felicity (Emily Bett Rickards) living a relatively blissful life away from Team Arrow. Felicity can’t cook, but otherwise the couple’s domestic life seems calm and peaceful. Of course, a season of Oliver whipping up delicious dishes wouldn’t be all that thrilling so it wasn’t long before the twosome were back on the job and protecting Starling City’s citizens.
(Warning: the following is a recap and contains all the details from the first episode of season four titled “Green Arrow.”)
Season four starts off with Oliver appearing as though he’s running from danger but he’s actually just out for a jog in a well-manicured neighborhood. He arrives home to Felicity who’s failing at cooking omelettes. Suddenly they’re in bed, talking quietly, and Felicity asks him how he’d like his company back. Oliver dismisses that suggestion with a thanks but no thanks response.
Thea (Willa Holland) and Black Canary/Laurel Lance (Katie Cassidy) are on a motorcycle chasing bad guys in a truck. Thea is fully into the costumed hero role and wants to be called Red Arrow from now on. Diggle (David Ramsey), wearing his new mask, helps Red Arrow and Black Canary disable the truck. Unfortunately for our heroic threesome, a van races up and is able to hold the good guys off long enough to grab the weapon containers from the truck and race off.
Back at Team Arrow’s headquarters (we’ll keep referring to it as Team Arrow even when Oliver’s not around, for convenience sake), the threesome try to figure out who these “Ghosts” are. Laurel wants them to call on Oliver for help but Diggle vetoes that idea.
Quentin Lance (Paul Blackthorne) is in a meeting with city bigwigs, trying to explain why these Ghosts are so hard to catch and talks about how they have brought some peace to the Starling City despite this new threat. He even jokes that maybe they can have a Flash Day, just like Central City (nice nod to The Flash episode one of season two). In comes a stranger (Neal McDonough) who compares the city to puppies writhing in pain. He says you put them down…“You don’t let them suffer.” He tosses out a threat to the city’s movers and shakers before leaving.
Back at Oliver and Felicity’s peaceful home, they’re having breakfast with neighbors and discussing schools and getting kids on waiting lists. Felicity jokes, “Would it help to have kids first – or at least a kid?” Felicity leaves to go get more mimosas and while she’s gone Oliver shows the neighbors his mom’s ring that he hopes to give to Felicity later that day.
Flashback to when Arrow was pushed off a roof by a drug dealer.
Laurel’s the first to realize the leadership of the city is being targeted. They’re all under attack, including Quentin Lance. Masked gunmen kill police officers to get to Quentin but Black Canary arrives just in time to help save her dad. The city’s leadership, including the district attorney, have been killed.
After an intimate dinner at home with wine and candles, Oliver is ready to serve up dessert along with the engagement ring. Talk about your bad timing…Laurel and Thea arrive to tell them about the Ghosts. They don’t know the end game but they do know the Ghosts are building war chests. They don’t know the Ghosts’ base of operations, and Thea thinks they’re in over their heads. Laurel says, “We need The Arrow.” “The Arrow is dead,” responds Oliver. Thea promises he can return to his domestic life if he helps them. Felicity agrees, saying, “Our friends need our help. We should already be in the car.”
Another flashback arrives with Amanda Waller (Cynthia Addai-Robinson) in a bar talking to Oliver who’s drowning his troubles in alcohol. “Stop trying to run from your inner darkness. Embrace it,” Amanda advises. She’s drugged him but before he passes out, she tells him she’s just trying to help him.
Oliver and Felicity are in the back of a limo and he’s looking out at boarded-up buildings, wondering what they really accomplished. At their headquarters Thea and Laurel admit they don’t have much they can offer him in way of leading to the Ghosts. Diggle is pissed Oliver’s back and won’t go into battle with a man he can’t trust. Felicity quickly figures out what the Ghosts are stealing: extremely powerful cluster bombs. Diggle says he’ll do whatever he has to to save his city.
Oliver gives the team orders but they just stand there. After Laurel and Diggle finally leave, Thea tells her brother the team will come around. Felicity and Oliver continue to investigate the Ghosts and Oliver quickly figures out Felicity has been helping the team behind his back, but he doesn’t seem too upset.
Laurel offers her father help with the Ghosts, but he’s reluctant to work with her and Team Arrow.
Diggle’s at home playing with his baby daughter while Lyla (Audrey Marie Anderson) wants to know what went down with Team Arrow. Lyla forgives Oliver for kidnapping her six months ago. She reminds Diggle that in times of war “we do what we have to do.” Lyla says, “Oliver did what he thought he had to do to defeat Ra’s.”
Felicity has apparently been working with the team a long time, even faking illness during their vacation. She jokes that listening to cooking tips has made her want to gouge her eyes out. She was bored to tears and missed saving the city. Oliver doesn’t care that she lied but he does care that when they were together part of her was still with the team. The discussion comes to a halt when she gets an alert on a possible lead at a truck depot and off Oliver goes, but not before she lets him know Cisco made him a new suit before he knew Oliver was hanging it up as The Arrow. “I’m not staying long enough for a new suit,” says Oliver, heading out the door in just his regular clothes.
Black Canary, Oliver, Speedy/Red Arrow/Thea and Diggle go to the truck depot and witness the Ghosts and their leader in a meeting. One of the Ghosts is called out for his mishandling of the incident with the truck, and the leader kills him simply by placing his hand on his chest.
Team Arrow attack the Ghosts with Red Arrow beating one of the bad guys senseless. SCPD arrives but not before Oliver (still not wearing his The Arrow suit) gets one of the Ghosts to tell him they’re going to destroy the train station.
Back at headquarter, they tell Felicity about the target of the attack and discuss the guy who just killed someone by laying his hand on the victim’s chest. “Wait, we’re dealing with a metahuman? Like we didn’t have enough problems,” says Felicity. “He wasn’t a metahuman; he was mystical,” corrects Oliver.
Thea and Oliver are out investigating things the next day at the train depot and Oliver tells her it’s restraint that separates them from the bad guys. He thinks she’s out of control. Thea jokes that he’s only been back 24 hours and he’s already giving her a lecture, but Oliver is serious. Thea says she’s just a better fighter now, but Oliver knows that’s not the truth.
Oliver meets up with Diggle at the depot and tells him he’s happy Diggle took his advice about concealment with the helmet. Diggle isn’t about to let Oliver off easy, saying Oliver doesn’t trust anyone and he doesn’t love. He thinks Oliver is dark inside, just like everyone in the League.
Laurel’s happy she’s working with her dad again as Captain Lance shows up at the train depot. Quentin approaches Oliver and tells him he brought madness to the town and inspired monsters. Everyone is putting Oliver down and he’s got to be wondering why he ever agreed to help take down the Ghosts.
Flashback, Oliver is in a plane and forced to take on a mission. Amanda Waller chose him for the mission because he knows the terrain; he’s headed by to Lian Yu. He’s supposed to infiltrate the island, assess the threat, and report back.
Back at Team Arrow’s headquarters, Oliver tells Felicity he ran into Lance. “We should never have come back here.” Felicity says they should just go home but Oliver knows she doesn’t want that. Oliver likes the sense of purpose, but Lance was right in saying he brought pain and darkness back from the island. The only way he knows to fight the darkness is to be the darkness. Felicity tells him he’s not doing it alone anymore.
Thea, Diggle, and Laurel didn’t find the bomb at the train station and Felicity figures out that’s because the bomb is arriving via train. Time to suit up and Oliver finally dons his new The Arrow suit!
The train zooms toward the station with The Arrow and Diggle racing alongside it in a van. Meanwhile at the station Red Arrow tells everyone gathered at the station to leave immediately because it’s not safe. Felicity keeps the guys informed about the status of the train, and The Arrow boards the train to tell the leader of the ghosts to stop the train. He can’t because he destroyed the braking system and reveals he’s Damien Darhk. The Arrow shoots at him but Damien easily stops each of the arrows and bests Oliver in hand to hand combat. He’s killing The Arrow when Diggle shows up and shoots him in the back. Damien’s not there when they turn around. They jump off and blow up the train before the bomb can explode at the station.
“What are you going to call yourself now? Everyone thinks Roy was The Arrow,” says Thea. Oliver says he’s missed everyone and so has Felicity. Damien Darhk is leading the Ghosts and has a hive of operatives at his disposal. “Hive” rings a bell with Diggle, but he’s not quite ready to tell Oliver why.
Team Arrow takes over the broadcast system. “Six months ago The Arrow died but what he stood for didn’t,” declares Oliver, “Tonight I am declaring my intention to stand with them to fight for this city, to be the symbol of hope that The Arrow never was. I am the Green Arrow.”
Damien opens a cabinet and pulls out a blade, cutting himself and letting the blood drip into a statue’s bowl. He chants something and symbols appear on his forearm. Interrupted, he has a visitor and it’s Captain Lance. Damien reminds Lance he doesn’t have a choice but to do whatever he asks him to do.
Felicity and Oliver move back into Oliver’s family home. They kiss and the camera pans down to the ring, which he still hasn’t given her.
Six months later, Oliver and Barry Allen (Grant Gustin) are in suits at a cemetery in front of a freshly covered grave. Barry’s sorry he missed the funeral because of Zoom. Oliver says in the past he would have thought he brought the darkness upon them but he now knows it’s not his fault. It is his responsibly to end it. “I’m going to kill him,” announces Oliver. Barry asks if there’s anything he can do and Oliver says he wants to be left alone. Oliver kneels down in front of the tombstone and cries. Who is it?!
Season four episode one finished up with a jaw-dropping scene, and Arrow viewers can expect to be kept in the dark as to who is in the grave for quite a while as six months in the future could be at the end of this new season or even next season. If it’s Felicity fans will be in an uproar, but we’ll also miss any of the other likely choices: Diggle, Laurel, or Thea.
Episode one kicked off the new season by throwing in a few game-changers, including Captain Lance’s association with Damien Darkh. It was great to get to see Oliver and Felicity share a few quiet, relaxed moments together, but getting the two back into headquarters and reintegrated with Team Arrow quickly was the perfect way to start off season four.
