Will Ferrell and Amy Poehler (Photos by Richard Chavez)
New Line Cinema announced filming has begun on an untitled comedy movie starring Will Ferrell and Amy Poehler. First-time feature film director Andrew Jay Cohen is at the helm and co-wrote the script with Brendan O’Brien. The cast also includes Jason Mantzoukas, Ryan Simpkins, Nick Kroll, Jessie Ennis, Rob Huebel, and Cedric Yarbrough.
The film marks a reunion for SNL alum Poehler and Ferrell who’ll be playing a married couple in the upcoming comedy. Ferrell, Cohen, O’Brien, Nathan Kahane, Joseph Drake, Adam McKay, and Jessica Elbaum are producing, with Spencer Wong, Chris Henchy, and Marc S. Fischer executive producing.
The Plot:
After Scott (Ferrell) and Kate (Poehler) Johansen lose their daughter Alex’s college fund, they become desperate to earn it back so she can pursue her dream of attending a university. With the help of their neighbor Frank (Mantzoukas), they decide to start an illegal casino in the basement of his house.
“We’ve got to teach this kid how to be a monster. If we get his fangs to come out, Mavis can’t leave,” says Dracula (voiced by Adam Sandler). Drac’s counting on his monster buddies to help him get his grandson Dennis to sprout fangs in the animated comedy sequel, Hotel Transylvania 2.
Things have changed drastically at Hotel Transylvania since we first visited the secret monster vacation destination. Human guests are allowed to interact with all the monsters after Dracula had a big change of heart towards humans since his daughter, Mavis (voiced by Selena Gomez), married the human, Jonathan (voiced by Andy Samberg). And now that Drac has become a “Vampa,” he has gone bat happy.
But nearing his grandson’s fifth birthday Drac starts to worry because if Dennis doesn’t grow his vampire fangs and show other signs of being a vampire, Mavis has said it might be best to move away from the hotel and live in California near Jonathan’s parents so Dennis can grow up with other human kids.
Desperate not to lose both his daughter and his grandson to the sunny state, Dracula comes up with a plan. While Mavis goes out to California with Jonathan to visit his parents and experience life around humans for herself, Drac enlists the help of his friends Franky (voiced by Kevin James), Wayne the Werewolf (voiced by Steve Buscemi), Murray the Mummy (Voiced by Keegan-Michael Key), and Griffin the Invisible Man (voiced by David Spade) to put little Dennis through a “monster-in-training” boot camp to scare the fangs right out from him and teach him how to turn into a bat.
With laugh-out-loud sight gags, a stronger story, and tighter pacing, Hotel Transylvania 2 accomplishes something most sequels fail at – it surpasses the original film. All the original voice cast are back and much better and funnier the second time as they toss out some great one-liners. Adam Sandler is still the only member of the cast trying to put on a bit of the “classic” Dracula-sounding voice; the rest use their own voices, steering away from the classic stereotyped sound.
The film is bright and colorful and never runs out of chaotic visual antics. However, the use of 3D is fairly ineffective and adds zero to the action up on the screen, so spending the extra money at the box office to see it in that format is unnecessary. The writing is much sharper and wittier this time out. A perfect example is when Drac tells Frankenstein to scare two young ladies out for their nightly jog so Dennis can see how to scare someone. Franky replies, “What, who me? Uh, but uh, I don’t think I remember how,” and when he tries, the two young women smile and shout, “Oh Frankenstein, we just love you! Can we take a selfie with you, please?” and flattered Franky readily poses with the women while Drac just shakes his head in disgust.
The film also has a good, solid message for children about learning to be true to yourself and not to pretend to be something you aren’t for anyone. Fortunately, the message is delivered without getting preachy or heavy-handed.
With a strong script, solid pacing, some truly hilarious one-liners, and crazy, outrageous visual goofiness, Hotel Transylvania 2 is a sequel moviegoers should check into for a frightfully good time for the entire family.
GRADE: B
MPAA Rating: PG for some scary images, action and rude humor
Lionsgate has just debuted this teaser poster of a bear wearing goofy glasses for the 2016 animated comedy Norm of the North from director Trevor Wall. The voice cast includes Rob Schneider, Heather Graham, Ken Jeong, Gabriel Iglesias, Loretta Devine, Michael McElhatton, Colm Meaney, and Bill Nighy, with Schneider providing the voice of Norm the Polar Bear.
Norm of the North opens in theaters on January 15, 2016.
The Plot: A polar bear of many words, Norm’s greatest gripe is simple: there is no room for tourists in the Arctic. But when a maniacal developer threatens to build luxury condos in his own backyard, Norm does what all normal polar bears would do…he heads to New York City to stop it. With a cast of ragtag lemmings at his side, Norm takes on the big apple, big business and a big identity crisis to save the day.
Jon Hamm has found a new gig post-Mad Men and it’s not one you’d expect. Nickelodeon confirmed new Emmy winner Jon Hamm will be playing the role of Don Grouper on a 2016 episode of the popular animated series, SpongeBob SquarePants. Technically, Hamm isn’t reprising Don Draper but at least Mad Men fans will get to see what an animated fish version of the character looks like.
Here’s the details on the role, courtesy of Nickelodeon: “He will play the role of Don Grouper – a charismatic head ad executive of the ad agency Grouper, Goby & Koi. His sharp mind and devastating charm make him an irresistible force. When Don’s in the room everyone laps up his words like overpriced organic honey. In the episode, Mr. Krabs goes to Don for help as Mr. Krabs tries to launch his line of frozen Krabby Patties.”
Dania Ramirez, Judy Reyes, Ana Ortiz and Roselyn Sanchez star in season three of Lifetime’s hit series ‘Devious Maids’ (Photo by Annette Brown)
Devious Maids received a fourth season order from Lifetime, according to an announcement by the network’s Executive Vice President of Programming, Liz Gateley. Season four will consist of 10 new episodes with Marc Cherry, Eva Longoria, Sabrina Wind and Brian Tanen back as executive producers. The series stars Ana Ortiz, Dania Ramírez, Roselyn Sánchez, Judy Reyes and Susan Lucci, and is based on the telenovela, Ellas son… la alegría del hogar.
“Devious Maids is a steady hit that continues to deliver for us. It has found a loyal audience that is socially engaged with the show,” said Gateley. “The entire writing and production team worked hard to up the storytelling this year and the cast delivered great performances, so the show just gets better and better. I am very excited to renew it for another season.”
The Plot:
Devious Maids is set in a world where murder and mayhem collide in the mansions of Beverly Hills’ wealthiest and most powerful families. Class warfare has never been as fun and dirty as it is in the tony enclave where the staff is as clever, witty and downright as devilish as their employers. The series centers on a close-knit group of maids, Marisol (Ortiz), Rosie (Ramírez), Carmen (Sánchez) and Zoila (Reyes), who are bonded together by their jobs, life struggles and the melodramatic universe that engulfs their employers.
Sherlock’s Martin Freeman and Benedict Cumberbatch (Photo Courtesy of BBC One)
Any video that starts off with Benedict Cumberbatch and includes clips of scenes with Tom Hiddleston, Idris Elba, and a polar bear is a must-see video, isn’t it? BBC One has released a promotional video that’s only three minutes in length but is packed with clips of their upcoming shows, including Luther, Doctor Who, War and Peace, Capital, River, and Sherlock
Announcing the upcoming slate of programming, BBC One Controller, Charlotte Moore stated, “This autumn, BBC One will bring the nation together with a distinctive mix of high-quality programmes that will empower, surprise and inspire audiences. From Abi Morgan’s River to landmark natural history series The Hunt and Great Barrier Reef, original 20-part series Dickensian, Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall’s Waste, to The Night Manager, the epic War And Peace, the Tracey Ullman Show and returning global hits Luther and Sherlock, to name just a few.”
Richard Sammel as Thomas Eichhorst and Ruta Gedmintas as Dutch Velders in ‘The Strain’ (Photo by Michael Gibson / FX)
Episodes ten and 11 of FX’s The Strain season two featured Dutch Velders (Ruta Gedmintas) kidnapped by Thomas Eichhorst (Richard Sammel) and held chained up in a soundproof, padded room. Their scenes were some of the most disturbing yet from the series, with Eichhorst completely in control and demanding Dutch comply to his every whim. Creepy on multiple levels, the torture room scenes were difficult to watch but Sammel and Gedmintas said that while they were challenging, they were made easier by their respect for each other and the friendship they’ve developed while working on the horror series.
Sammel and Gedmintas teamed up for a conference call to discuss the much-talked about “Dead End” episode as well as their characters’ motivations:
Can you talk about filming the scenes in the torture room?
Ruta Gedmintas: “It was torturous, but it was really fun. It was really nice to work with Richard. He’s a brilliant actor and it was a really crazy experience for us both to have, to film these quite, intense, dark scenes and but be friends too, I think it brought us closer together.”
Richard Sammel: “I would agree to that. These were the kinds of scenes that you long for as an actor, professionally you’re longing for difficult stuff, but once it’s written and in front of you in the pages, you’re [thinking], ‘How am I going to do this?’ t was a torture scene, an action scene, very emotional scenes, but this was very creepy stuff. I was kind of really apprehending how are we going to work this out? Then you stick to your professionalism and you talk yourself into it.
You have your character anyhow in that situation, so you have a lot of backup from that side. But the thing for me was that actually really something special happened between me and Ruta. I’m not talking about the creepy stuff; I’m talking about the friendship. I’m very convinced now that doing those scenes you are able to do them in a professional way when you bond. You need to bond. You have a friendship that sustains you to go to those dark places together.
The confidence was building up little by little and it was mixed with a lot of fun to get rid of all the dark side. I remember we had after work we had sessions of drinking beer, or cocktails, or ice cream, or whatever to get rid of that s*it. Sometimes I needed an hour of a hot shower to bring me back somewhere to a human place.”
Ruta Gedmintas: “It was really dark and there were a couple of moments where when we were filming these very intense scenes, and I would be in tears and Richard would be very creepy and dark, and then we’d just burst out laughing. It was a good, safe environment for us. It meant that we could push our emotions further because we knew that we were safe in each others hands, and afterwards we would be able to have a hug and go for a dance.”
Will the tragedy of being kidnapped by Eichhorst permanently traumatize Dutch?
Ruta Gedmintas: “It’s definitely a huge trauma. It would be for anyone. I think that slowly as this season continues and into the next potentially she will have to deal with that experience. It touched her on many levels, on a very dark, emotional scrutiny that Eichhorst did of her. Her whole being was completely under scrutiny and it’s made her question herself and who she is in this life.
Before she even gets to answer those questions and to take anything from it, she has to get over the initial terror that happened that at any moment they can get snatched and tortured. That’s the world that these characters live in now. It’s a trauma that she’s definitely going to have to prep herself to deal with.”
How did you prepare physically for the scenes in the torture room?
Ruta Gedmintas: “There definitely were for me. I had to have stunt molds made of my back so that Richard could drag me up the stairs safely. There’s a scene where he was pulling me along the floor and pulling me up the stairs, and that would have hurt a lot if the amazing stunt team hadn’t stepped in. I remember when I had the mold of my back. I was sort of bent over a table having plaster put on my back and when we tested the plaster I had to come out of that.
We walked around and I had to kind of be curved, so I’m walking like a hunchback. They put me on the floor and they dragged me up the stairs, and I was just hysterically laughing, screaming how fun it was. And they were like, ‘We’re going to have to work on that acting, Ruta, because you’re having too much fun.’
But it was quite strenuous on me and on my skin. The chain around my neck, and just pulling the chain constantly to try and make it not choke me gave me huge blisters on my hands so we had to develop these see-through gloves that I could wear. There were so many tricks that we were using to try and stop me from hurting myself and bruising my neck. It was 16 hours chained up to a wall and it was quite difficult, but we did it.”
What would Eichhorst have done with Dutch if she hadn’t been able to disable him with pepper spray?
Rich: “I would just say it’s a very strong metaphor for what he’s lost. He’s lost Helga and he’s lost his genitals. He’s consuming, he’s drinking, and he’s basically nourishing himself but in a very perverted and special way. Whether he would kill her or turn her depends on how much worth he would think Dutch would have as a fighter for the right cause. I tend to think that he would’ve turned her. I’m tempted to think he wouldn’t just kill Setrakian, he would turn him. They are the real valuable fighters, you know? They would be as valuable on our side.”
Palmer has been getting on Eichhorst’s nerves. What do you think about the tension that is brewing between the two of them?
Richard Sammel: “There is definitely a tension growing from the very beginning. From Palmer’s point of view Eichhorst is accepted as a necessary evil, if I may say so. We need his funds, his means, in order to realize our plan. It’s a business relationship, but there are parallels. I think the reason why they are so emotional with each other is because they want to go the same path. Palmer wants to go the same path as Eichhorst did.
Eichhorst wanted to be turned in order to get eternal life and in order to do so, he needed to do a lot of stuff for the Master. All that was told in flashback the first season, like the coffin and stuff like that. And Palmer goes the same way but the problem with Palmer is that he’s a self made man, he never accepts anybody above him. Whereas Eichhorst is a guy who was trained to lead, he was trained as a leader and he was trained to submit and that gives him, in terms of the Master’s breed, it gives him an advantage over Palmer.
Palmer from Eichhorst’s point of view, he will never get it. If you project yourself into the future, we have overthrown humanity and all is good and Palmer will become a vampire. Do you really believe that Palmer will be satisfied sharing the CEO with the Master? He would immediately start intrigue against the Master in order to overthrow the Master and become the Master himself, and I think Eichhorst knows that. That’s vampire world politics.”
Kenan Thompson and Kel Mitchell during the “Good Burger” skit on September 23, 2015 (Photo by: Douglas Gorenstein / NBC)
The Tonight Show host Jimmy Fallon brought Nickelodeon’s All That stars Kenan Thompson and Kel Mitchell back together to revisit Good Burger with a special sketch on the September 23, 2015 episode of the late night talk show. Kenan was back as hangry (hungry + angry) construction worker Lester Oaks while Kel reprised his role as Ed, a Good Burger employee who’s been promoted to supervisor, joining Jimmy Fallon behind the counter to take orders.
The skit, which first appeared on All That back in the 1990s, was adapted into the Good Burger feature film released in 1997 that starred Thompson and Mitchell.
Ray Santiago (as Pablo), Bruce Campbell (as Ash), and Dana DeLorenzo (as Kelly) in ‘Ash vs Evil’ Dead’ (Photo Courtesy of Starz)
Starz just released a new behind the scenes video spotlighting the key players in Ash vs Evil Dead. The new series based on the Evil Dead film franchise is set to premiere on October 31, 2015 with Bruce Campbell back as the chainsaw-wielding Ash Williams.
In the new video, Campbell and his co-stars talk about their characters and what they’ll be up to in the horror series from Sam Raimi, Rob Tapert, and Craig DiGregori.
The cast also includes Lucy Lawless, Ray Santiago, Dana DeLorenzo, and Jill Marie Jones.
The Plot:
The cast is led by Bruce Campbell, reprising his role of Ash Williams, the stock boy, aging lothario and chainsaw-handed monster hunter 30 years avoiding responsibility, maturity and the terrors of the Evil Dead. Rounding out the cast are Lucy Lawless as Ruby a mysterious figure who believes Ash is the cause of the Evil outbreaks, Ray Santiago as Pablo Simon Bolivar, an idealistic immigrant who becomes Ash’s loyal sidekick, Dana DeLorenzo as Kelly Maxwell, a moody wild child trying to outrun her past and Jill Marie Jones as Amanda Fisher, a disgraced Michigan State Trooper set to find our anti-hero Ash and prove his responsibility in the grisly murder of her partner.
Margaret Qualley and Justin Theroux in ‘The Leftovers’ (Photo by Van Redin / HBO)
The HBO dramatic series The Leftovers returns for a second season on October 4, 2015 at 9pm ET/PT with Justin Theroux, Amy Brenneman, Christopher Eccleston, and Liv Tyler back in starring roles. The cast of the 10-episode season two also includes Carrie Coon, Ann Dowd, Margaret Qualley, Chris Zylka, Regina King, Kevin Carroll, Jovan Adepo and Janel Moloney.
Created by Damon Lindelof (Lost) and novelist Tom Perrotta (season one was based on his novel), The Leftovers season two will focus on a small Texas that managed to have no departures.
The Plot of Season Two:
More than three years ago, 2% of the world’s population inexplicably vanished. 140 million people, gone in an instant. No country, no state, no city was spared – except for one small town in eastern Texas. Population: 9261. Departures: Zero.
This is the setting for a tale of two families: the Garveys, whose lives were forever changed by The Departure, and have since moved to this special place, and the Murphys, a local family who seems to have been spared from an event that shook the rest of the world.
After last season’s elaborate Memorial Day initiative by the Guilty Remnant plunged Mapleton into chaos, season two of The Leftovers finds many searching for a fresh start. Kevin Garvey (Justin Theroux) has retired from his post as chief of police of Mapleton and is moving his new family to Texas. With him is Nora Durst (Carrie Coon), who’s discovered new purpose in caring for the baby she found on Kevin’s doorstep and welcomes leaving behind Mapleton and the incredible tragedy she suffered there. Kevin’s daughter, Jill (Margaret Qualley), is equally eager to leave the town she grew up in and the friends she made there.
Upon their arrival in Jarden, Texas, the newly formed Garvey family meets their neighbors, the Murphys: John (Kevin Carroll) and Erika (Regina King) and their teenage twins, Evie (Jasmin Savoy Brown) and Michael (Jovan Adepo). Attracted to this special town and hoping for miracles for his whole family, Matt Jamison (Christopher Eccleston) has moved with his wife, Mary (Janel Moloney), who still suffers from consequences of the terrible car accident on Oct. 14.
Meanwhile, Kevin’s ex-wife, Laurie Garvey (Amy Brenneman), has left the Guilty Remnant and reunited with her son, Tom (Chris Zylka), who may have finally discovered a cause to help replace the pain in his heart. And while Meg (Liv Tyler) remains in the Guilty Remnant, it may not be the same cult she originally joined.
The Leftovers October 2015 Episodes:
Episode #11 (season 2, episode 1): “Axis Mundi”
Debut: SUNDAY, OCT. 4 (9:00-10:05 p.m. ET/PT)
Other HBO playdates: Oct. 4 (11:35 p.m., 2:15 a.m.), 5 (2:50 a.m.), 6 (8:00 p.m., 2:20 a.m.), 7 (8:45 p.m.), 8 (11:50 p.m.), 9 (9:00 p.m.), 10 (9:45 p.m.) and 16 (8:00 p.m.)
HBO2 playdates: Oct. 5 (8:30 p.m.), 7 (5:50 p.m.) and 11 (7:55 p.m.), and Nov. 27 (noon)
Jarden, Texas was renamed “Miracle” after it was discovered that no one had departed. The town has since become a magnet for tourists and people who are convinced it is special and can keep them safe. Among the local families is the Murphys: the father, John (Kevin Carroll), the mother, Erika (Regina King), and their twins, Evie (Jasmin Savoy Brown) and Michael (Jovan Adepo). While trying to protect his town from frauds and charlatans, John gets an ominous warning from a man who claims to have psychic powers. Soon afterwards, Kevin Garvey (Justin Theroux), Nora Durst (Carrie Coon) and Jill Garvey (Margaret Qualley) show up in Miracle. This newly formed “family” left Mapleton to start over, but Kevin cannot seem to escape his past. The Murphy family and Kevin subsequently experience a mysterious event that will that change their lives forever.
Written by Damon Lindelof & Jacqueline Hoyt; directed by Mimi Leder.
Episode #12 (season 2, episode 2): “A Matter of Geography”
Debut: SUNDAY, OCT. 11 (9:00-10:00 p.m.)
Other HBO playdates: Oct. 11 (11:30 p.m., 2:00 a.m.), 12 (1:00 a.m.), 13 (8:00 p.m., 4:40 a.m.), 14 (10:00 p.m.), 15 (11:50 p.m.), 16 (9:00 p.m.), 17 (11:00 p.m.) and 23 (8:00 p.m.)
HBO2 playdates: Oct. 12 (9:30 p.m.), 14 (6:30 p.m.), 17 (12:30 p.m.) and 18 (8:00 p.m.), and Nov. 27 (1:00 p.m.)
Kevin, Nora and Jill try to pick up the pieces in the aftermath of the Mapleton riots, but problems from the past keep resurfacing. The new Garvey clan finds a fresh start in the safety of Miracle. Nora makes an impulsive choice, while Kevin gets entangled in the Murphy family’s problems.
Written by Damon Lindelof & Tom Perrotta; directed by Mimi Leder.
Episode # 13 (season 2, episode 3): “Off Ramp”
Debut: SUNDAY, OCT. 18 (9:00-10:00 p.m.)
Other HBO playdates: Oct. 18 (11:30 p.m., 2:00 a.m.), 19 (11:30 p.m.), 20 (7:00 p.m., 4:40 a.m.), 21 (10:00 p.m.), 22 (midnight), 23 (9:00 p.m.), 24 (1:30 a.m.) and 30 (8:00 p.m.)
HBO2 playdates: Oct. 19 (9:30 p.m.), 21 (7:00 p.m.), 24 (2:30 p.m.) and 25 (8:00 p.m.), and Nov. 27 (2:00 p.m.)
Laurie (Amy Brenneman) and Tom Garvey’s (Chris Zylka) work to rescue lost souls takes a toll on theirs. Laurie seeks to spread the word about the Guilty Remnant’s dangers, while Tom’s infiltration of the cult uncovers a whole new nest of problems.
Written by Damon Lindelof & Patrick Somerville; directed by Carl Franklin.
Episode # 14 (season 2, episode 4): “Orange Sticker”
Debut: SUNDAY, OCT. 25 (9:00-10:00 p.m.)
Other HBO playdates: Oct. 25 (11:30 p.m., 1:30 a.m.), 26 (10:30 p.m.), 27 (8:00 p.m., 1:15 a.m.), 28 (10:00 p.m.), 29 (midnight), 30 (9:00 p.m.) and 31 (11:15 p.m.), and Nov. 6 (8:00 p.m.)
HBO2 playdates: Oct. 26 (9:00 p.m.), 28 (7:00 p.m.) and 31 (2:00 p.m.), and Nov. 1 (8:00 p.m.) and 27 (3:00 p.m.)
In the midst of an earthquake, Nora awakens to find Kevin missing and her hopes of safety in their new town dashed. The Murphys are left reeling after Evie’s disappearance. Kevin returns home, but without his memory of the night before or his cell phone, which would link him to the missing girls. Meanwhile, an old enemy makes her return in an unexpected way.
Written by Damon Lindelof & Tom Spezialy; directed by Tom Shankland.
