HBO’s new poster for the sports mockumentary 7 Days in Hell features Kit Harington of Game of Thrones‘ “You know nothing Jon Snow” fame and Andy Samberg (Brooklyn Nine-Nine). Instead of actually pairing up the actor with his name, the poster mixes things up and shows Harington first with Samberg’s name and vice-versa.
In addition to Samberg and Harington starring as tennis players, the cast of this HBO comedy includes cameos by tennis superstars Serena Williams, John McEnroe, and Chris Evert.
Directed by Jake Szymanski, HBO’s set to premiere 7 Days in Hell on July 11, 2015.
The Plot:
This outrageous sports “documentary” brings together Andy Samberg and Kit Harington for a look back at a pair of fictional players from the not-too-distant past who played on the longest and greatest tennis match of all time: a seven-day, five-set marathon that took literally everything out of them. In addition to highlights (and lowlights) from the match, the special looks back at the lives and careers of the competitors: Aaron Williams (Samberg), a hyper-malcontent, and Charles Poole (Harington), a dim-witted prodigy who carried England’s hopes for a tennis champion on his shoulders.
Denis Leary as Johnny Rock in ‘Sex&Drugs&Rock&Roll’ (Photo by Patrick Harbron / FX)
FX’s music-driven new series Sex&Drugs&Rock&Roll will debut on July 16, 2015 at 10pm ET/PT and the network’s just released new clips from the show. FX is also showing off an official music video with Elizabeth Gillies performing “Die Trying.” Denis Leary leads the cast and also executive produces the new comedy series that features Gillies, John Ales, Bobby Kelly, John Corbett and Elaine Hendrix.
The Sex&Drugs&Rock&Roll Plot:
Leary stars as “Johnny Rock,” lead singer of a legendary early 90s New York band called The Heathens. Known for living up to their name, the band partied so long and so hard that even Keith Richards thought they needed to slow things down. The Heathens were on the brink of becoming famous for their kickass live shows and the release of their highly anticipated first album. Until they broke up. The same day the album dropped. Because lead guitarist Flash (Corbett) found Johnny in bed with his wife. So the band became legendary for all the wrong reasons – like self-destructing sooner than any group in rock ‘n’ roll history.
25 years later the only thing bigger than Johnny’s ego is his prostate. The drugs he really needs now aren’t cocaine and marijuana – they’re Crestor, Cymbalta and Cialis. He’s out of work, out of money and out of show business options. That’s when a massively talented young singer named Gigi (Gillies) shows up – with a burning desire to be famous, a throwback appreciation for The Heathens only album, and a stack of cash big enough to bring the whole band back into the studio. Only this time, SHE’S the lead singer and Johnny’s just a behind-the-scenes songwriter.
Justin Theroux stars in ‘The Leftovers’ (Photo: Paul Schiraldi / HBO)
HBO’s just unveiled the first teaser trailer for season two of The Leftovers and although there’s not much going on in the teaser, it does confirm the action in the new season will take place a new city – Jarden, Texas to be exact. The little town has a population of 9,261 and zero departures, so it’s become a popular destination.
The Leftovers was created by Damon Lindelof (Lost) and novelist Tom Perrotta and is executive produced by Lindelof, Perrotta, Peter Berg, and Sarah Aubrey. Justin Theroux and Amy Brenneman star in the series based on Perrotta’s novel.
A Look Back at Season One – The Plot:
The Leftovers is an original look at The Rapture…or was it The Rapture at all? Set in a small New York suburb, the intimate family drama focuses on the residents of the fictional town of Mapleton, whose preconceptions are shattered in the wake of a global event dubbed “The Sudden Departure.”
Three years after the fateful day when 140 million people disappeared without a trace, the series looks at the ways ordinary people react to inexplicable events that can unite or divide families and communities, examining how their untold grief and the strain of an unprecedented calamity can turn faith into cynicism, paranoia, madness or cult-like fanaticism.
Quentin Tarantino’s new film The Hateful Eight will get a limited December 25, 2015 theatrical release in 70mm. The film will be playing in that format in select theaters during a two-week roadshow and, according to TWC, The Hateful Eight will be screened in 70mm in more theaters than any film released in the last 20 years.
Following the limited release, The Weinstein Company plans a wide release of the Western in digital format on January 8, 2016.
“Our long relationship with Quentin Tarantino is one of the cornerstones of this company, so it’s incredibly special to us to be releasing his latest film in such a spectacular way on 70mm – we can’t think of a finer Christmas gift to be giving movie lovers and Tarantino fans this year,” said TWC President of Theatrical Distribution and Home Entertainment Erik Lomis.
Tarantino’s latest film almost didn’t get made after a copy of the script leaked online. Disappointed over the leak, Tarantino decided not to move forward and shelved the project. However, after a live script reading in Los Angeles Tarantino changed his mind.
The Hateful Eight stars Samuel L. Jackson, Kurt Russell, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Walton Goggins, Demian Bichir, Tim Roth, Michael Madsen, and Bruce Dern, and was executive produced by Harvey Weinstein, Bob Weinstein, and Georgia Kacandes.
The Plot:
In The Hateful Eight, set six or eight or twelve years after the Civil War, a stagecoach hurtles through the wintry Wyoming landscape. The passengers, bounty hunter John Ruth (Russell) and his fugitive Daisy Domergue (Leigh), race towards the town of Red Rock where Ruth, known in these parts as “The Hangman,” will bring Domergue to justice. Along the road, they encounter two strangers: Major Marquis Warren (Jackson), a black former union soldier turned infamous bounty hunter, and Chris Mannix (Goggins), a southern renegade who claims to be the town’s new Sheriff.
Losing their lead on the blizzard, Ruth, Domergue, Warren and Mannix seek refuge at Minnie’s Haberdashery, a stagecoach stopover on a mountain pass. When they arrive at Minnie’s, they are greeted not by the proprietor but by four unfamiliar faces. Bob (Bichir), who’s taking care of Minnie’s while she’s visiting her mother, is holed up with Oswaldo Mobray (Roth), the hangman of Red Rock, cow-puncher Joe Gage (Madsen), and Confederate General Sanford Smithers (Dern). As the storm overtakes the mountainside stopover, our eight travelers come to learn they may not make it to Red Rock after all…
With the return to the world of cloned dinosaurs in Jurassic World, now’s the perfect time to turn back the clock and revisit the summer of 1993 when the movie-making master who brought us the very first summer movie blockbuster Jaws, Steven Spielberg, decided to do for dinosaurs what he did for Great White Sharks…make them every moviegoer’s worst horror.
“Welcome to Jurassic Park,” says John Hammond (played by the late great Sir Richard Attenborough) to Dr. Grant (Sam Neill) and Dr. Sattler (Laura Dern). Billionaire mogul Hammond hopes to get the two dinosaur experts to sign off and approve his new dinosaur theme park on an island off of Costa Rica that’s full of living, cloned dinosaurs. So began the adventure of a lifetime for movie audiences in the summer of 1993 when director Spielberg set out to bring to the big screen Michael Crichton’s best-selling novel about cloned dinosaurs running wild through the park after a major security and power breakdown occur.
The film has stand-out performances by Sam Neill, Laura Dern, Jeff Goldblum, Sir Richard Attenborough, and two young newcomers: Joseph Mazzello and Ariana Richards as Hammmond’s grandchildren Tim and Lex Murphy. The actors’ reactions in character to this bizarre new world of living dinosaurs are perfect, mixing excitement, shock, fear, and horror at just the right moments in the film all while playing opposite a green screen, a model, or a robotic T-Rex or multiple Velociraptors. Even among the effects, the characters in Jurassic Park were all able to establish their own personalities, and the dialogue was both strong and believable.
The film also broke new ground with brand-new special effects and the birth of what we now commonly know as CGI. Never before had dinosaurs looked or sounded so real in a feature film or so close to what we and artists have imagined. It was a major breakthrough in filmmaking that made it possible for other filmmakers to at least attempt to create other creatures and worlds on a much bigger, epic scale.
Of course, with Spielberg directing Jurassic Park has that impeccable tense pacing, exhilarating action scenes, and a few quiet moments and scenes in order to keep alive the humanity of the characters struggling to survive in the land of the monsters. Composer and conductor John Williams once again worked with Spielberg to create a stirring, riveting soundtrack for the film which enhanced and added tension and suspense to every scene. Even the opening scene of the film with simple drum beats and a flute accompanying just the title up on a huge black screen can still send chills and shivers down the backs of viewers.
After debuting in theaters on June 11th, Jurassic Park went on to become the top-grossing film of 1993 earning $402,453,882 at the box office, generating three sequels, a toy line, and an amusement park ride at Universal Studios Tours. It seems almost every television network has been airing the dinosaur classic as a build-up to the latest entry in the franchise, and checking it out now 20+ years later proves the film still holds up today and is just as thrilling and exciting as it was back in ’93 when audiences were first welcomed to Jurassic Park.
Disney Pixar’s animated comedy The Good Dinosaur has finally announced the actors who’ll be making up the film’s voice cast. Pixar’s set a November 25, 2015 theatrical release date for the movie from first-time feature film director Peter Sohn who revealed the voice cast, saying, “We were lucky to work with a number of incredible pros along the way and our story ultimately led us to this amazing and talented group. We’re all taking this journey with Arlo, and it’s been a privilege to see these performers bring our characters to life.”
The Plot: “The Good Dinosaur asks the question: What if the asteroid that forever changed life on Earth missed the planet completely and giant dinosaurs never became extinct? Pixar Animation Studios takes you on an epic journey into the world of dinosaurs where an Apatosaurus named Arlo makes an unlikely human friend. While traveling through a harsh and mysterious landscape, Arlo learns the power of confronting his fears and discovers what he is truly capable of.”
The Good Dinosaur Voice Cast:
· RAYMOND OCHOA (NBC’s The Night Shift, TNT’s Rizzoli & Isles, Disney’s A Christmas Carol) provides the voice of an Apatosaurus named Arlo.
· JEFFREY WRIGHT (The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – parts I & II, HBO’s Boardwalk Empire) was tapped as the voice of Poppa, Arlo’s father.
· STEVE ZAHN (Captain Fantastic, Ridiculous Six, Rescue Dawn, Mad Dogs) provides the voice of a pterodactyl named Thunderclap.
· AJ BUCKLEY (TNT’s Murder in the First, FX’s Justified) voices a T-Rex called Nash.
· ANNA PAQUIN (HBO’s True Blood) is the voice of T-Rex Ramsey.
· SAM ELLIOTT (FX’s Justified, I’ll See You In My Dreams, Grandma) was called on as the voice of a tough T-Rex named Butch.
· FRANCES MCDORMAND (HBO’s Olive Kitteridge, Fargo) was tapped as the voice of Momma, Arlo’s mother.
· MARCUS SCRIBNER (ABC’s black•ish) voices Arlo’s brother Buck.
· JACK BRIGHT (Monsters University) provides the voice of Arlo’s unlikely human friend, Spot.
Jon Turteltaub (Photo by Eric Charbonneau / Invision for Walt Disney / AP Images)
ABC Family has given the go-ahead to the thriller Stay, a one-hour dramatic series written and executive produced by Spenser Cohen. Episode one will be directed by National Treasure‘s Jon Turteltaub who’s also executive producing the series with Anna Halberg.
Announcing the project, Karey Burke, Executive Vice President, Programming and Development, ABC Family, said, “Stay is an emotionally powerful story about a fractured family that comes back together under the most unexpected of circumstances. Stay is a haunting and surprising ride that we are excited to bring to life.”
The Plot: “Stay is an edge-of-your-seat thriller about a recently widowed police detective and his two daughters who are stranded at a foreboding hotel and must unravel the hotel’s mysteries to escape.”
Stay joins previously greenlit pilot orders for the supernatural drama Beyond and Gorgeous Morons.
The first trailer and poster have been released for the comedy film Rock The Kasbah starring Bill Murray as a talent manager and Zooey Deschanel as a rock singer. Directed by Barry Levinson, Rock The Kasbah’s cast also includes Kate Hudson, Scott Caan, Danny McBride, Leem Lubany, and Bruce Willis. Rock The Kasbah is set to open in theaters on October 23, 2015.
The Plot:
Rock The Kasbah is the story of Richie Lanz, a rock manager with a golden ear and a taste for talent, who has seen better times. When he takes his last remaining client on a USO tour of Afghanistan, she gets cold feet and leaves him penniless and without his passport in Kabul. While trying to find his way home, Richie befriends a band of misfits and discovers a young girl with an extraordinary voice. Against all odds, Richie will take his last shot at creating an unlikely superstar.
The new one-minute featurette from Terminator Genisys has the film’s stars Emilia Clarke (Game of Thrones) and Arnold Schwarzenegger explaining who The Guardian is and how he fits in in the new Terminator film. Directed by Alan Taylor, Terminator Genisys also stars Jason Clarke, Jai Courtney, and JK Simmons.
Paramount Pictures is releasing Terminator Genisys in theaters on July 1, 2015.
The Plot:
When John Connor (Jason Clarke), leader of the human resistance, sends Sgt. Kyle Reese (Courtney) back to 1984 to protect Sarah Connor (Emilia Clarke) and safeguard the future, an unexpected turn of events creates a fractured timeline. Now, Sgt. Reese finds himself in a new and unfamiliar version of the past, where he is faced with unlikely allies, including the Guardian (Schwarzenegger), dangerous new enemies, and an unexpected new mission: To reset the future…
Scott Lang (Paul Rudd) wonders why they just don’t call in the Avengers to help out in this new TV spot for Marvel’s Ant-Man. There are a few new clips in this one-minute teaser that features Rudd, Michael Douglas as Dr. Hank Pym, Corey Stoll as Darren Cross aka Yellowjacket, and Evangeline Lilly as Hope Van Dyne. The cast also includes Bobby Cannavale as Paxton, Michael Peña as Luis, Tip “T.I.” Harris as Dave, Wood Harris as Gale, Judy Greer as Maggie, and David Dastmalchian as Kurt.
Ant-Man directed by Peyton Reed opens in theaters on July 17, 2015.
The Ant-Man Plot:
The next evolution of the Marvel Cinematic Universe brings a founding member of The Avengers to the big screen for the first time with Marvel Studios’ Ant-Man. Armed with the astonishing ability to shrink in scale but increase in strength, master thief Scott Lang must embrace his inner-hero and help his mentor, Dr. Hank Pym, protect the secret behind his spectacular Ant-Man suit from a new generation of towering threats. Against seemingly insurmountable obstacles, Pym and Lang must plan and pull off a heist that will save the world.
Laura Dern and Sam Neill star in ‘Jurassic Park’ (Photo © Universal Pictures)
