Writer/executive producer Max Borenstein, executive producer Darryl Frank, and executive producer Kevin Falls teamed up at the San Diego Comic-Con to talk about the new sci-fi series Minority Report debuting on Fox on September 21, 2015. Minority Report, based on the 2002 movie that starred Tom Cruise and Colin Farrell, is set in 2065 and features Stark Sands, Meagan Good, Nick Zano, Wilmer Valderrama, and Laura Regan.
During our roundtable interview, the creative minds behind the series discussed the show’s technology, the premise, the characters, and the moral issues raised in both the film and the TV show it inspired.
How does the TV series expand on the world of the sci-fi movie?
Max Borenstein: “The show takes place 10 years after the film leaves off. It’s in the same world but we’re following the perspective of the three precogs who were at the center of the Precrime program, but they were in a milk bath hooked up to computers the whole time. In the film Tom Cruise’s character, Anderton, liberates one of them, Agatha, from the milk bath and that’s this incredibly memorable part of the movie because she’s essentially an adult fetus. She had very little life experience other than seeing the future murders before they happen.
And then at the end of the film, the last shot of the film has the three precogs sitting in a cabin where they’ve been sent anonymously and in essentially witness protection, reading books and learning about humanity. They’re there far from the world because the closer they are to people, the more they get those visions. So we say, ‘What happened next? What happens when you’re one of those precogs? Do you stay on the island? Do you come back to the city?’ That’s really where we pick up.”
Will the series feature all of the precogs from the movie?
Max Borenstein: “Dashiell and Arthur were twins, and Dash is sort of our main point of view, but Arthur and Agatha as well are key pieces in the show. Each of them has a very different way that they live with that gift.”
Do the precogs have the same abilities?
Kevin Falls: “Agatha stayed on the island so she has her own story and her own power. She’s probably the most powerful of the three. Arthur and Dash are in the same city and so they each have a point of view, which [Max] can speak to.”
Max Borenstein: “One of the big things when we were thinking about it is obviously when they were all together they were like a hive-mind. They talk about it in the film and they talk about Agatha as having been the strongest. They work like an antenna but when you separate them the question is how do they differentiate in those years out of the milk bath and after Precrime? And so we started talking about it and Dash gets this sort of visual component of the future vision. He gets kind of fragmented imagery in a sort of haunting, emotional stuff that’s difficult to make sense of but that’s a horrible thing to have to experience in the world.
If you remember in the film they also get the names of the murderer and the victim, and so his brother gets that kind of information: names, factual information. It’s not as assaultive to him and as a result Dash is this kind of open wound walking around the world whereas his brother has an easier time acclimating and having social interactions. He has this sort of predictive ability that makes him Sherlock Holmes on steroids. And, ironically enough, Arthur the character is named after Arthur Conan Doyle. So, we get to really play with that stuff.
And then Agatha is the strongest because she has what both her brothers kind of bring to the table. They’re two halves of a whole and she has a more emotional and intuitive understanding of what’s going to be happening, what’s going to happen in the future. And so it really when we eventually, perhaps, bring the three of them together it’s going to be a crazy thing.”
How did you decide on the approach of focusing on the precogs for the TV series?
Kevin Falls: “I have an overall deal with Fox and they said to me a year ago, ‘Here’s a project we want to do: Minority Report.’ And I was like, ‘Okay, I want to do that.’ And I would have done the lame remake with Anderton played by god knows who. And then I heard, ‘Max Borenstein, the guy who wrote Godzilla, he did it.’ And I heard his take and I’m like, ‘That’s great. That’ so genius.”
Max Borenstein: “I was going to sit down with these guys at Amblin and talk about it, and I was really excited about the idea because I remember loving the film so much but I hadn’t seen it in a few years. So I got it, I sat down and started watching it. The whole way I was thinking this is great but if you just do Precrime, it’s a straight procedural that feels like we’ve now seen it, and we’ve seen it because people have been copying Minority Report ever since. But we’ve seen it now before so I’m like, ‘What’s fresh? What’s a new way to do that?’ And then you get to that last shot of the movie and it goes Precrime’s over, the precogs have been liberated, they’ve been sent into anonymity.
The people who committed those future murders have been released, and people still sort of watch them. And you go, ‘Wow, that’s a really interesting world. What’s it like to be them?’ And so it’s not until the end of the movie…I was like pulling my hair out like, ‘Uh-oh, what am I going to say?’ And that’s the movie right there – that’s the whole movie.”
Will the show address the moral dilemma of arresting people prior to an actual crime being committed?
Max Borenstein: “What’s interesting for us is that whereas that was a bureaucratic system run by a police force with laws where you could just be dragged off the street for something you didn’t know you were ever going to do, we’re now putting this in the hands of Dashiell who was one of the precogs who’s now…he has to illegally and on his own try to act on his visions. He has no infrastructure, no political infrastructure, no judicial infrastructure. He teams up on the underground with a cop and they have to wrestle with those moral dilemmas themselves.
What do you do when you know someone is going to be a murderer but you have no evidence? Could you confront them? Can you scare them off? Do you follow them? What if you get it wrong? Are you using the victim as bait? Is that your job? On the other hand, can you play god? And so those kind of ethical dilemmas really become the heart of our show.”
Darryl Frank: “What happens when you stop one murder but it causes three others? So there’s a really rich area to play with. And also so timely in terms of privacy and security and what you trade for one to have the other.”
Max Borenstein: “Another thing we talk about with the characters is that with Precrime they were isolated and a SWAT team basically went and acted on their visions. Now, the precogs themselves – or in our case, Dash – he’s acting on those visions and the others are doing it in their own way. But when he intersects the timeline in the path of something that’s going to happen, it makes it messier. That’s why he can’t see his own future. Their own future is a blindspot and is impossible to predict, so it gives these great… Even though you say, ‘We know a murder is going to happen,’ it’s filled with surprises.”
The film featured some impressive futuristic technology. Does the series?
Max Borenstein: “That’s a huge part and we feel a real great responsibility following in the footsteps of the movie to push those boundaries. Steven Spielberg talked to panels of experts in every sort of area of science and social science to figure out what the world is going to look like 50 years from now and try to stay as grounded as he could. The proof is in the pudding because you watch that movie still and we now have gesture interfaces; we now have targeted advertising. And we’ve done the same. We have an expert at the MIT Media Lab who’s put together a panel of experts, Pulitzer Prize winners, an amazing guy I’m convinced is going to win the Nobel Prize.
They’ve talked to us and done a little private podcast for our writers just like, ‘Here’s what genetics are going to look like. Here’s what drone technology, robotic technology, soft robotics…’ It’s really insane. We just take that as inspiration and say, ‘How are we going to solve the problems of today in a different way in the future?’ That’s where you get the wit and humor. It’s not just about technology. It’s about the humor that you remember from the movie when he walks in and they’re advertising… He puts someone else’s eyes in and they’re Asian, it’s like, ‘Hi, Mr. Nagatomi. It’s time to get a new pair of underwear from the Gap.’
And so we have some fun stuff that we play with where he sits down in the train – Dash sits down in the train and the window next to him lights up and starts talking to him with an advertisement, but it’s an advertisement for essentially a Starbucks that sells pot brownies. They’re saying, ‘Come for our new Wake and Bake treats!’ So we did have fun thinking about the future technology and also other things that change.”
The Flash executive producer Andrew Kreisberg has perfected the art of not giving anything away while still answering questions using more than a dozen words. It’s a rare art, and thankfully what Kreisberg was willing to spill about season two of The Flash while at the 2015 San Diego Comic-Con was more than enough to make any fan anxious for the season’s October 6th premiere.
Kreisberg knows the source material, the audience, and how to produce a show that plays well to both comic book fans and those who are completely unfamiliar with The Flash comics. During our roundtable interview, Kreisberg touched on adapting the story for the small screen, the show’s serialized approach, and what’s happening with Tom Cavanagh.
On Barry and the Speed Force in Season One:
“Seeing what Barry saw in the Speed Force was very important for us. One of the things that we haven’t been shy about is really embracing some of the pivotal comic book stories from the various runs over the years. It’s not like when you adapt a novel for a movie. You’re literally adapting that one story. You’ve got 75 years of some of these characters and all these stories. As you see there’s been large parts certainly of Rebirth in season one and we’re not going to stop doing that. There’s some pretty iconic stuff that, obviously, we’re twisting as we do in season two. We’re just really excited.”
On Shifting Away from the Villain of the Week to a Serialized Approach:
“Look, there was always a serialized tone. I think what tends to happen just on any of these shows and certainly it’s the same on Arrow is that there’s a tendency in the beginning to have a little bit of villain of the week while you’re setting up all of your emotional cards. Part of the reason it works so well in the back half of the year where it became much more heavily serialized was because of all the groundwork that we laid in the beginning of the year in making sure you understood who these people were and what they can do, and what their relationships were with each other.
So obviously, now we’re not starting from a dead start. We’re building on season [one] so we have the momentum and all the storylines that we’re bringing across. There will be some villains of the week early on, but how and why they are there is part of an overall mythology. So, I would think those early episodes are going to feel disconnected from one another. I think the success of The Flash…it’s part and parcel of the show that it’s just not closed-ended episodes.”
On the Return of Tom Cavanagh:
“Tom Cavanagh continues to be a regular on season two. I think, you know, how he comes back is going to be something we’re really proud of and we’re really excited about, and Tom’s really excited about. So much of the success of this show was Tom’s portrayal of Thawne and Wells, and that relationship that he has with Barry,” explained Kreiberg. “That will continue and the form in which it continues, again, we want people to enjoy it on its own terms.
But, I think it’s just the nature of storytelling today with TV shows. I’m sure people, when they saw the pilot, were like, ‘Oh well, they’ll figure out he’s the Reverse Flash in year four or something.’ Like, ‘John will get out of jail in the series finale.’ Those things, especially with Tom and the revelations and the climax, all that stuff happened a lot faster. In some ways, it seems like maybe it ended. But what’s great about this show and what’s great about The Flash properties is that there’s always new ways to twist the stories and keep going.”
Yusuf Gatewood says that fans of The CW’s The Originals can expect a season three that’s vastly different from seasons one and two. Chatting about the upcoming season debuting on October 8, 2015, Gatewood (‘Vincent’) gave the new season high praise, saying it’s the best yet in his opinion.
“This is almost like a new series that we’re being presented with. I think that was the intention of Julie [Plec] and Michael [Narducci] when they set about setting up this season. We’ve got new characters coming in,” explained Gatewood. “We’ve got big bads – plural – coming in. We’re going to see some of the first vampires that the Originals sired. There’s going to be some conflict with that.”
And speaking of season three’s big bads, Gatewood said he hoped his character would be interacting with the new additions to the cast. “It seems as though that’s a possibility with the direction that the writing’s going in. But, I think Vincent has a few things that could creep up for him. I mean, I think he certainly wants to have some connection with Davina. He threw her into what is a political firestorm, so to speak. Though I think she can hold her own, I think he still wants to help her out with that,” said Gatewood during our roundtable interview at the San Diego ComicCon. “And also with these new big bads, I have to believe that there’s going to be some overlap there so I’m excited to see how that plays out. But the writing for these new big bads that I’ve seen so far is insane. It’s insane.”
Does Gatewood hope Vincent helps out Davina? Is that what he’d write for Vincent’s storyline in season three if he were to have his way? “Let me just say this. Every choice that the writers have made so far has worked out perfectly so I don’t want to put my finger in that dip,” replied Gatewood. “I love the opportunity that I get to do. They lay down the framework and I build upon that. That’s the most fun for me. But I would love working with Davina only because I love working with Danielle [Campbell] as an actress. I think that we play off of each other pretty well. But I can say the same thing with Leah. And fortunately, in this first episode especially, I get to work with Leah Pipes a little bit and I love working with her. I get to work with Charles Michael Davis, a great actor. He shows me up with the body that he has!”
Gatewood admits he never anticipated the direction his character would take and never predicted Vincent’s arc going into season three. “Absolutely not. When I first got this gig it was supposed to be two episodes. This is why I say I just let the writers do their job, because it’s served me well this far. And it expanded beyond that and it’s just such a blessing. I went to drama school for four years but I think the year that I’ve been working with these guys and doing this work over and over every day I’ve learned so much more than I could have learned just by studying,” said Gatewood. “It’s been a blessing. I’m so happy to be a student and I’m loving the work we’re putting out. Loving it.”
Fans have been wondering about the tone of this upcoming season and whether the rumor that it will be more action-oriented is true. I asked Gatewood that, and he replied, “If it is true, I’m excited by it because there’s a hell of a lot of action in the first two seasons. I got my ass kicked by a couple of different people. I will say this: there is a boxing MMA gym set that has been built and it ain’t going nowhere, so I think that speaks to some of the things that we have in store for this upcoming season.”
Season two of Fox’s Gotham will premiere on Monday, September 21, 2015 at 8pm with all of the key heroes and villains back as well as new players emerging in Gotham City. The second season is titled ‘Rise of the Villains’ and at the San Diego Comic Con Morena Baccarin (‘Dr. Leslie Thompkins’) said she’ll be having to deal with a few of the major bad guys.
Asked how Leslie’s going to be handling the rise of the super-villains, Baccarin replied, “I don’t know. I think she’s somebody that doesn’t run away from things, but I think at a certain point it just doesn’t make sense anymore to fight it.”
“She definitely, by the third episode, she has a face-to-face altercation with Barbara again – so that happens,” revealed Baccarin. “I think by nature of being involved with Jim and the GCPD that she’s going to be in the line of fire quite a lot, which is something new to her. And also her job, I think she’s going to be doing a little bit more investigative [work] probably.”
Season two will also find Dr. Thompkins once again in close proximity to another major villain in the world of Gotham: Edward Nygma/The Riddler. “He’s starting to take over my medical examiner’s office,” said Baccarin, laughing. “I think that we will interact; I’m not quite sure which way it’s going to go. But I think she’s starting to know that there’s something weird going on there.”
Katey Sagal and Kurt Sutter in ‘The Bastard Executioner’ season one (Photo by Ollie Upton / FX)
We’re only a week away from the much-anticipated premiere of Kurt Sutter’s new FX television series, The Bastard Executioner. You may have seen the teaser promos, but what’s the series all about? We compiled all the info we could get our hands on to get ourselves ready for the premiere of the ten-part series on Tuesday, September 15, 2015!
First, you’ll definitely see some crossover from the cast of Sons of Anarchy to the new series. Timothy V. Murphy and Katey Sagal have joined the cast, no doubt because of their relationship to Sutter (I mean, Katey’s his wife, so her casting was pretty much a no-brainer!) as well as the brilliance of the story. Murphy will play Father Ruskin and Sagal will portray Annora of the Alders. In addition, Sutter himself will be seen in every episode as The Dark Mute.
We’ll also see a bevy of new faces. There are plenty of cast members for whom the series is their breakout show, some even their first role. Sons certainly had some established actors in the lot, but they did skyrocket some to stardom (see Charlie Hunnam, whom women pretty much lose their minds for on an epic level). One of these new faces is Australian actor Lee Jones who, prior to Executioner, was mostly known for his work on stage rather than on screen. Jones will carry the lead role, Wilkin Brattle. Sutter seems to cast his roles well, so it will be interesting to see if, outside of Sons, he can pull off a successful show a second time.
Perhaps my main interest in the series is the swoon-worthy Stephen Moyer, best known to American audiences as Vampire Bill from True Blood. Moyer plays Milus Corbett, a character who attempts to use the executioner to his political benefit. Milus looks to be a bit of a baddie, which I’m certainly not going to complain about. Bring it on!
Enough about the cast! What about the story?
Just as Sons of Anarchy took us inside the fight for control of a dangerous political hierarchy, so too does The Bastard Executioner. The story is set in the 14th century, following reluctant-to-rise-to-power hero Wilkin Brattle, a former warrior who gave up his sword for a less violent life. After everything he holds dear is taken from him, Brattle is called to take on the job of a journeyman executioner in order to serve his destiny, while the Chamberlain Milus Corbett uses Brattle’s skills to help him rise up the political ladder. What that destiny is … you’ll just have to watch the series.
Oh, and don’t worry! Sutter’s gritty style is still firmly in place. You’re going to see a ton of violence, artfully done and all with a purpose.
Take a look at the brief teaser below – and prepare for retribution:
Without any big new releases to fuel the Labor Day weekend, two films already in release prior to September 4, 2015 swept the top spots on the domestic box office chart. TriStar’s War Room climbed from its second place position over its opening weekend to snag first place over its second weekend in theaters. Universal’s Straight Outta Compton continues to do big business, earning an estimated $11.1 million during its fourth weekend in theaters over the four day holiday weekend. And in a surprise move, A Walk in the Woods drew in older audiences and finished above the weekend’s new action-thriller Transporter Refueled.
Daisy Ridley and John Boyega star in ‘Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens’
As the kids head back to the classrooms and summer ends it’s time for the big summer blockbusters to leave the theaters to make way for films that are hoping to enter the Oscar race, and the potential Oscar contenders will be followed into theaters by this year’s batch of holiday movies. The end of the summer also means it’s time once again for the Fall Movie Preview. What can moviegoers expect to see up on the big screen in the last few months of 2015? A stranded astronaut trying to get home, the origin story of the Boy Who Could Fly, Johnny Depp portraying one of the most notorious mobsters of all time, the final installment of The Hunger Games, and a return to a galaxy far, far away – along with adult dramas and a handful of comedies.
SEPTEMBER MOVIES
SICARIO – Starring Emily Blunt, Josh Brolin, and Benicio Del Toro (Sept 18 in limited release, Oct 2 wide release)
Plot: In Mexico, SICARIO means hitman. In the lawless border area stretching between the U.S. and Mexico, an idealistic FBI agent (Blunt) is enlisted by an elite government task force official (Brolin) to aid in the escalating war against drugs. Led by an enigmatic consultant with a questionable past Del Toro), the team sets out on a clandestine journey forcing Kate to question everything that she believes in order to survive.
Outlook: With a strong cast and earning rave reviews after it premiered at Cannes Film Festival (Variety called it a “blisteringly suspenseful, ever surprising cartel thriller”), Sicario could be an early contender for some Oscar consideration.
BLACK MASS – Starring Johnny Depp and Joel Edgerton (Sept 18)
Plot: In 1970s South Boston, FBI Agent John Connolly (Edgerton) persuades Irish mobster James “Whitey” Bulger (Depp) to collaborate with the FBI and eliminate a common enemy: the Italian mob. The drama tells the story of this unholy alliance, which spiraled out of control, allowing Whitey to evade law enforcement, consolidate power, and become one of the most ruthless and powerful gangsters in Boston history.
Outlook: Sure to be as gritty and shocking as the gangster epic Goodfellas and with what looks like another unforgettable performance by Depp as Bulger, Black Mass is almost a lock for Depp to get awards attention after a series of career missteps.
Plot: In this next chapter of the epic Maze Runner saga, Thomas (Dylan O’Brien) and his fellow Gladers face their greatest challenge yet: searching for clues about the mysterious and powerful organization known as WCKD. Their journey takes them to the Scorch, a desolate landscape filled with unimaginable obstacles. Teaming up with resistance fighters, the Gladers take on WCKD’s vastly superior forces and uncover its shocking plans for them all.
Outlook: Instead of fighting a giant green killer maze, Thomas and his cohorts will now face a deadly desert. Will this addition to the Maze Runner series feel like a never-ending big screen video game or is there actually a compelling story ready to play out on screen? The trailer’s have stressed the action, but we can hope there’s more to this Maze Runner than that.
EVEREST – Starring Jason Clarke, Josh Brolin, and Jake Gyllenhaal (Sept 25)
Plot: Inspired by the incredible events surrounding an attempt to reach the summit of the world’s highest mountain, Everest documents the awe-inspiring journey of two different expeditions challenged beyond their limits by one of the fiercest snowstorms ever encountered by mankind. Their mettle tested by the harshest elements found on the planet, the climbers will face nearly impossible obstacles as a lifelong obsession becomes a breathtaking struggle for survival.
Outlook: With great cinematography, a strong cast, and a very impressive trailer, Everest just might be the thrilling disaster film of the year.
Plot: Everything seems to be changing for the better at Hotel Transylvania… Dracula’s rigid monster-only hotel policy has finally relaxed, opening up its doors to human guests. But behind closed coffins, Drac is worried that his adorable half-human, half-vampire grandson, Dennis, isn’t showing signs of being a vampire. So while Mavis is busy visiting her human in-laws with Johnny – and in for a major cultural shock of her own – “Vampa” Drac enlists his friends Frank, Murray, Wayne and Griffin to put Dennis through a “monster-in-training” boot camp. But little do they know that Drac’s grumpy and very old, old, old school dad Vlad is about to pay a family visit to the hotel. And when Vlad finds out that his great-grandson is not a pure blood – and humans are now welcome at Hotel Transylvania – things are going to get batty!
Outlook: Even though the first film ran out of laughs after the first 50 minutes, here’s hoping the sequel stays funny right through the credits.
THE WALK – Starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Sir Ben Kingsley, and James Badge Dale (Sept 30 in limited release, Oct 9 wide release)
Plot: 12 people have walked on the moon, but only one man – Philippe Petit (Gordon-Levitt) – has ever, or will ever, walk in the immense void between the World Trade Center towers. Guided by his real-life mentor, Papa Rudy (Kingsley), and aided by an unlikely band of international recruits, Petit and his gang overcome long odds, betrayals, dissension and countless close calls to conceive and execute their mad plan.
Outlook: Directed by Robert Zemeckis, The Walk focuses on the Twin Towers and looks to be a slow build to a very tension-filled last 10 to 20 minutes. Look for this to be an intense, heart-pounding drama.
OCTOBER MOVIES
THE MARTIAN – Starring Matt Damon, Jessica Chastain, and Kate Mara (Oct 2)
Plot: During a manned mission to Mars, Astronaut Mark Watney (Matt Damon) is presumed dead after a fierce storm and left behind by his crew. But Watney has survived and finds himself stranded and alone on the hostile planet. With only meager supplies, he must draw upon his ingenuity, wit and spirit to subsist and find a way to signal to Earth that he is alive. Millions of miles away, NASA and a team of international scientists work tirelessly to bring “the Martian” home, while his crewmates concurrently plot a daring, if not impossible rescue mission. As these stories of incredible bravery unfold, the world comes together to root for Watney’s safe return.
Outlook: Based on the best-selling novel, The Martian has a fantastic cast and impressive special effects. But, coming out only two years after the space thriller Gravity which earned Sandra Bullock her first Oscar and wowed audiences worldwide, moviegoers may not be in the mood for another dramatic thriller set in space. Working in its favor are Ridley Scott behind the camera and Damon at the heart of the film.
LEGEND – Starring Tom Hardy and Emily Browning (Oct 2)
Plot: The film tells the story of the identical twin gangsters Reggie and Ronnie Kray, two of the most notorious criminals in British history, and their organized crime empire in the East End of London during the 1960s.
Outlook: Variety has this to say about Legend: “Hardy’s astonishing, award-caliber twin turn as the notorious Kray brothers deepens and darkens Brian Helgeland’s biopic.” Hardy may be an awards contender for Legend, although the trailers haven’t done much to sell anyone other than Hardy fans on this crime saga. Hopefully this is one of those films in which the promotional clips don’t fully represent the story.
STEVE JOBS – Starring Michael Fassbender, Kate Winslet and Seth Rogen (Oct 9)
Plot: Set backstage at three iconic product launches and ending in 1998 with the unveiling of the iMac, Steve Jobs takes us behind the scenes of the digital revolution to paint an intimate portrait of the brilliant man at its epicenter.
Outlook: This will be the third attempt at making a film about the man who helped change and shape technology for all time, and the only thing that gives us hope it will be better than the first two movies is Fassbender as Steve Jobs.
PAN – Starring Hugh Jackman, Garrett Hedlund, and Levi Miller (Oct 9)
Plot: Peter (Miller) is a mischievous 12-year-old boy with an irrepressible rebellious streak, but in the bleak London orphanage where he has lived his whole life those qualities do not exactly fly. Then one incredible night, Peter is whisked away from the orphanage and spirited off to a fantastical world of pirates, warriors and fairies called Neverland. There, he finds amazing adventures and fights life-or-death battles while trying to uncover the secret of his mother, who left him at the orphanage so long ago, and his rightful place in this magical land. Teamed with the warrior Tiger Lily (Rooney Mara) and a new friend named James Hook (Hedlund), Peter must defeat the ruthless pirate Blackbeard (Jackman) to save Neverland and discover his true destiny—to become the hero who will forever be known as Peter Pan.
Outlook: With stunning cinematography, dazzling sets, colorful costumes, and impressive-looking CGI, Pan may turn out to be the must-see live-action film for families this fall.
Plot: Beasts of No Nation is based on the highly acclaimed novel by Nigerian author Uzodinma Iweala, bringing to life the gripping tale of Agu, a child soldier torn from his family to fight in the civil war of an African country. Newcomer Abraham Attah gives a stunning portrayal of Agu, while Elba dominates the screen in the role of Commandant, a warlord who takes in Agu and instructs him in the ways of war.
Outlook: Netflix dips their toes into the awards race with Beast of No Nation, a film the Hollywood Reporter calls “grim, grueling and gripping.” Other trade publications have applauded Elba’s performance, with Times UK saying Elba “finally gets a film role to match his breakthrough television performance in The Wire, a role that showcases his depth and complexity as an actor.”
Plot: Bridge of Spies tells the story of James Donovan, a Brooklyn lawyer who finds himself thrust into the center of the Cold War when the CIA sends him on the near-impossible task to negotiate the release of a captured American U-2 pilot.
Outlook: Directed by Steven Spielberg and based on a true story, Bridge of Spies looks like a compelling spy drama for audiences in the mood for something with some meat on its bones.
CRIMSON PEAK – Tom Hiddleston, Jessica Chastain, Mia Wasikowska, and Charlie Hunnam (Oct 16)
Plot: In the aftermath of a family tragedy, an aspiring author (Wasikowska) is torn between love for her childhood friend (Hunnam) and the temptation of a mysterious outsider (Hiddleston). Trying to escape the ghosts of her past, she is swept away to a house that breathes, bleeds…and remembers.
Outlook: Guillermo del Toro is a master at gothic tales and Crimson Peak‘s trailers are absolutely stunning. As long as the story matches the production value, del Toro will have a huge hit on his hands.
GOOSEBUMPS – Starring Jack Black, Dylan Minnette, and Odeya Rush (Oct 16)
Plot: A young kid teams up with the niece of young adult horror author R.L. Stine after the writer’s imaginary demons are set free on the town of Greendale, Maryland.
Outlook: Using almost all the famous creatures and monsters from the popular children books, Goosebumps should be a frightful fun time for kids at the multiplex this fall.
TRUTH – Cate Blanchett and Robert Redford (Oct 16)
Plot: The film chronicles the story of journalist/producer Mary Mapes (Blanchett) and Dan Rather (Redford) uncovered that a sitting US president may have been AWOL from the United States National Guard for over a year during the Vietnam War. When the story blew up in their face, the ensuing scandal ruined Dan Rather’s career, nearly changed a US Presidential election, and almost took down all of CBS News in the process.
Outlook: Based on a true story, Truth has a lot going for it but do audiences still care about this particular story? It’s going to take the over 50 crowd to make this one a box office contender.
ROCK THE KASBAH – Starring Bill Murray, Kate Hudson, and Zooey Deschanel (Oct 23)
Plot: A down-on-his-luck music manager discovers a teenage girl with a beautiful voice and the courageous dream of becoming the first woman to compete on national television in Afghanistan’s version of American Idol.
Outlook: Directed by Barry Levinson and with Murray looking to be the funniest he has been in years, Rock the Kasbah should be fun escapist fare for those looking for a laugh-out-loud comedy this fall.
SUFFRAGETTE – Starring Carey Mulligan and Meryl Streep (Oct 23 in limited release)
Plot: Suffragette tells the story of women who were willing to lose everything in their fight for equality in early 20th century Britain.
Outlook: One glance at the cast list for Suffragette and it’s not hard to imagine this film as an awards contender. Plus, a movie directed, produced, written by, and starring a predominately female talent is a rare thing in Hollywood and should draw women to theaters in support of this particular story.
NOVEMBER MOVIES
SPECTRE – Starring Daniel Craig, Monica Bellucci, and Christoph Waltz (Nov 6)
Plot: 007 is on the trail of a secret deadly organization while M fights political enemies to keep the Secret Service and the Double O operatives alive.
Outlook: Could this be the best of the Bonds since Daniel Craig took over as 007? With both Craig and director Sam Mendes supposedly leaving the Bond franchise after Spectre, and with Christoph Waltz portraying the main villain, it’s possible Craig and Mendes will be leaving the 007 film series on a high note.
THE PEANUTS MOVIE – With Charlie Brown, Lucy, Linus, Pig Pen, Snoopy Characters (Nov 6)
Plot: Charlie Brown, the world’s most beloved underdog, embarks upon an epic and heroic quest, while his best pal, the lovable beagle Snoopy, takes to the skies to pursue his arch-nemesis, the Red Baron.
Outlook: The classic Charles M. Schultz characters make their way to the big screen in an all new adventure. Considering the fact the Peanuts holiday classics still draw huge ratings every year on TV, this film is sure to be a big holiday hit at the box office.
SPOTLIGHT – Michael Keaton and Mark Ruffalo (Nov 6)
Plot: A group of Boston Globe reporters uncovers a shocking cover-up that would rock the city and cause a crisis in one of the world’s oldest and most trusted institutions. Spotlight tells the true story of the Globe’s tenacious “Spotlight” team of reporters who spent a year investigating allegations of abuse within the Catholic Church, ultimately revealing decades of deception at the highest levels of Boston’s religious, legal and government establishment and touching off a wave of revelations around the world.
Outlook: Time Out calls Spotlight both “important and engrossing” while other critics applaud the performances of the ensemble cast in bringing this true story to life on the screen.
BY THE SEA – Starring Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie Pitt (Nov 13)
Plot: An American writer named Roland (Pitt) and his wife, Vanessa (Jolie Pitt), arrive in a tranquil and picturesque seaside resort in 1970s France, their marriage in apparent crisis. As they spend time with fellow travelers, including young newlyweds Lea (Mélanie Laurent) and François (Melvil Poupaud), and village locals Michel (Niels Arestrup) and Patrice (Richard Bohringer), the couple begins to come to terms with unresolved issues in their own lives.
Outlook: Jolie Pitt wrote, directed, produced, and stars in this heavy drama opposite her husband. This is the sort of film Oscar voters love to support, but will audiences show up to check out the handsome couple at odds with each other on screen?
SECRET IN THEIR EYES – Starring Julia Roberts, Chiwetel Ejiofor, and Nicole Kidman (Nov 20)
Plot: After FBI investigator Ray (Ejiofor) finds the teenage daughter of his partner Jess (Roberts) murdered in a brutal crime, they team with the District Attorney, Claire (Kidman), and make it their crusade to bring the murderer to justice. Their passion meets cold reality, however, when they realize the murderer is a protected witness in an ongoing terror investigation – they can only watch as he walks free.
Outlook: With a stellar cast and Roberts’ co-stars raving about her performance in the film, there’s no question that Secret in Their Eyes is headed for Oscar consideration. The studio even bumped its release back a month so that it would be in theaters during the heart of awards season.
Plot: With the nation of Panem in a full scale war, Katniss confronts President Snow (Donald Sutherland) in the final showdown. Teamed with a group of her closest friends – including Gale (Hemsworth), Finnick (Sam Claflin), and Peeta (Hutcherson) – Katniss goes off on a mission with the unit from District 13 as they risk their lives to 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.
Outlook: It will break all kinds of box office records for the franchise, but this series peaked with the second installment and hasn’t lived up to expectations since.
CAROL – Starring Cate Blanchett and Rooney Mara (Nov 20)
Plot: Set in 1950s New York, two women from very different backgrounds find themselves in the throes of love. As conventional norms of the time challenge their undeniable attraction, an honest story emerges to reveal the resilience of the heart in the face of change.
Outlook: A forbidden lesbian love affair in the 1950s most likely won’t hold much interest for young moviegoers of today, but it could draw in adult audiences looking for something to dig their teeth into. Hopefully this one won’t get lost at the box office.
THE NIGHT BEFORE – Seth Rogen, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, and Anthony Mackie (Nov 25)
Plot: Ethan (Gordon-Levitt), Isaac (Rogen) and Chris (Mackie) have been friends since childhood, and for a decade, their yearly Christmas Eve reunion has been an annual night of debauchery and hilarity. Now that they’re entering adulthood, the tradition is coming to an end, and to make it as memorable as possible, they set out to find the Nutcracka Ball – the Holy Grail of Christmas parties.
Outlook: This fall’s not all about dramatic awards contenders, and The Night Before is aimed at moviegoers looking to have a little fun in theaters watching BFFs in their 30s attempt to recapture their youth.
Plot: Radical scientist Victor Frankenstein (McAvoy) and his equally brilliant protégé Igor Strausman (Radcliffe) share a noble vision of aiding humanity through their groundbreaking research into immortality. But Victor’s experiments go too far, and his obsession has horrifying consequences. Only Igor can bring his friend back from the brink of madness and save him from his monstrous creation.
Outlook: If the trailer is an accurate indication of the tone and humor to be expected in the film, Victor Frankenstein may be one of the best horror/comedies to come along since Young Frankenstein. But, releasing it during the Thanksgiving holiday might hurt box office sales. The studio should reconsider and move up the release date to October 30th, just in time for Halloween.
THE DANISH GIRL – Eddie Redmayne and Alicia Vikander (Nov 27)
Plot: The Danish Girl is the remarkable love story inspired by the lives of artists Einar and Gerda Wegener (Redmayne and Vikander) whose marriage and work are cast into the unknown when Einar begins a groundbreaking journey to become one of the world’s first transgender women, Lili Elbe.
Outlook: The Danish Girl received a 10 minute standing ovation at the Venice Film Festival, something that rarely happens. Eddie Redmayne could find himself once again at the center of an Oscar campaign.
I SAW THE LIGHT – Tom Hiddleston and Elizabeth Olsen (Nov 27)
Plot: I Saw the Light is the story of the legendary Country Western singer Hank Williams who, in his brief life, created one of the greatest bodies of work in American music. The film chronicles his meteoric rise to fame and its ultimately tragic effect on his health and personal life.
Outlook: Is I Saw the Light another Walk the Line? With Tom Hiddleston in the lead and focusing on a beloved music superstar, I Saw the Light should draw in more than just Country music fans.
Plot: In the winter of 1820, the New England whaling ship Essex was assaulted by something no one could believe: a whale of mammoth size and will, and an almost human sense of vengeance. The real-life maritime disaster would inspire Herman Melville’s Moby-Dick. But that told only half the story. In the Heart of the Sea reveals the encounter’s harrowing aftermath, as the ship’s surviving crew is pushed to their limits and forced to do the unthinkable to stay alive. Braving storms, starvation, panic and despair, the men will call into question their deepest beliefs, from the value of their lives to the morality of their trade, as their captain searches for direction on the open sea and his first mate still seeks to bring the great whale down.
Outlook: It may not be an awards contender, but In the Heart of the Sea has box office champ written all over it. A big budget action adventure set on the high seas, In the Heart of the Sea has Ron Howard directing and Thor‘s Hemsworth in the lead.
STAR WARS: EPISODE VII – THE FORCE AWAKENS – Starring Harrison Ford, Mark Hamill, and Carrie Fisher (Dec 18)
Plot: Set 30 years after the events in the film Return of the Jedi, Han Solo, Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia, Chewbacca, C-3PO and R2-D2 return for more space battles against a new enemy known as the First Order with help from some new allies.
Outlook: With all the main lead actors returning to reprise their characters and J.J. Abrams at the helm, The Force Awakens will hopefully bring back to the franchise the fun, magic, fantasy, humor and amazing action that made the very first trilogy the greatest space fantasy saga of all time.
THE HATEFUL EIGHT – Starring Kurt Russell and Samuel L. Jackson (Dec 25)
Plot: In post-Civil War Wyoming, bounty hunters try to find shelter during a blizzard but get involved in a plot of betrayal and deception. Will they survive?
Outlook: Quentin Tarantino is back with a new Western that might help reignite the genre.
JOY – Jennifer Lawrence and Bradley Cooper (Dec 25)
Plot: Betrayal, treachery, the loss of innocence and the scars of love, pave the road in this intense emotional and human comedy about becoming a true boss of family and enterprise facing a world of unforgiving commerce. Allies become adversaries and adversaries become allies, both inside and outside the family, as Joy’s inner life and fierce imagination carry her through the storm she faces.
Outlook: Joy has Jennifer Lawrence and Bradley Cooper back with their Silver Linings Playbook and American Hustle director David O. Russell, and the threesome can be counted on to deliver something entertaining whenever they collaborate.
THE REVENANT – Starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Tom Hardy (Dec 25)
Plot: Deep in the uncharted American wilderness, trapper Hugh Glass (DiCaprio) is severely injured and left for dead by a traitorous member of his team, John Fitzgerald (Hardy). With sheer will as his only weapon, Glass must navigate a hostile environment, a brutal winter, and warring Native American tribes in relentless quest to survive and exact vengeance on Fitzgerald.
Outlook: Directed by Birdman‘s Alejandro González Iñárritu, The Revenant is likely to be 20th Century Fox’s big Oscar push. Will this be the performance that finally gets DiCaprio a win in Oscar’s Best Actor category? González Iñárritu is one of the hottest directors in Hollywood right now and DiCaprio is overdue for a win.
POINT BREAK – Starring Edgar Ramirez and Luke Bracey (Dec 25)
Plot: Young FBI agent, Johnny Utah (Bracey), infiltrates a cunning team of thrill-seeking elite athletes – led by the charismatic Bodhi (Ramirez). The athletes are suspected of carrying out a spate of crimes in extremely unusual ways. Deep undercover, and with his life in imminent danger, Utah strives to prove they are the architects of this string of inconceivable crimes.
Outlook: Sure to be a forgettable remake of the 1991 cult classic that starred Patrick Swayze and Keanu Reeves.
With Marvel’s Avengers: Age of Ultron set for release on Blu-ray and DVD on October 2, 2015 (with a digital release available on September 8), the studio’s debuted a one minute gag reel of bloopers from the second Avengers movie. The gag reel shows Chris Evans as Captain America forgetting the word ‘assemble,’ Mark Ruffalo as The Hulk not being able to say his lines, and Robert Downey Jr and Chris Hemsworth screwing up a scene between Iron Man and Thor. Marvel’s also released a video with Jeremy Renner as Hawkeye showing how he really feels about Quicksilver (Aaron Taylor-Johnson).
The Plot:
When Tony Stark tries to jumpstart a dormant peacekeeping program, things go awry and Earth’s Mightiest Heroes, including Iron Man, Captain America, Thor, The Incredible Hulk, Black Widow and Hawkeye, are put to the ultimate test as the fate of the planet hangs in the balance. As the villainous Ultron emerges, it is up to The Avengers to stop him from enacting his terrible plans, and soon uneasy alliances and unexpected action pave the way for an epic and unique global adventure.
Columbia Pictures has released a new poster to go with the international trailer for The 5th Wave that was released on September 1st. The poster features the film’s star Chloe Grace Moretz with the tagline: “Protect Your Own.” Based on the first book in Rick Yancey’s bestselling book series, the cast of the sci-fi action film also includes Ron Livingston, Maggie Siff, Nick Robinson, Alex Roe, Maika Monroe, Zackary Arthur, and Liev Schreiber. J Blakeson directed The 5th Wave and Susannah Grant adapted Yancey’s book for the screen.
The 5th Wave opens in theaters on January 15, 2016.
The Plot:
In The 5th Wave, set in the present day, four waves of increasingly deadly attacks have left most of Earth decimated. Against a backdrop of fear and distrust, 16-year-old Cassie is on the run, desperately trying to save her younger brother. As she prepares for the inevitable and lethal 5th wave, Cassie meets a young man who may become her final hope.
Fans at the 2015 Dragon Con were treated to a look at the first trailer for season four of The CW’s Arrow today, and fortunately those of us who couldn’t make the trek to Atlanta can now watch the sizzle reel online. The new trailer for the upcoming season shows off not only Arrow’s new suit but also John Diggle’s costume which was just revealed in a photo released on September 3, 2015. The Arrow trailer also introduces the new villain Damien Darkh played by Neal McDonough as well as scenes with Katie Cassidy as Laurel Lance, Willa Holland as Thea Queen, Emily Bett Rickards as Felicity Smoak, and Paul Blackthorne as Detective Lance.
Arrow season four debuts on October 7, 2015 at 8pm ET/PT.
