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Robin Lord Taylor Talks ‘Gotham,’ The Penguin, and Season One’s Finale

By
Rebecca Murray
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Robin Lord Taylor Interview - Gotham's Penguin
Robin Lord Taylor as Oswald Cobblepot in ‘Gotham’ (Photo © Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc)

Gotham fans, Robin Lord Taylor is just as geeked out about playing Oswald Cobblepot/The Penguin as viewers are over the character’s appearance in the Batman prequel. In fact, it was tough for Taylor to contain himself and not give away major season one spoilers that you could tell were close to being disclosed in our enthusiastic interview.

Taylor was one of the Gotham cast members who made the trip to the 2015 WonderCon to chat about the show, and in addition to answering questions from fans during Gotham‘s panel, he sat down for roundtable interviews with the press.

Asked what it feels like to transform into The Penguin physically, Taylor replied, “It’s amazing. I’ve never played a character before where the physical transformation has been so intense. Like, generally, I play characters who look more like me – more or less. And then this is such a departure from how I look normally, I hope. The most brilliant thing is that it really helps me as an actor get into the skin of the character because the actual physical transformation, going through makeup for 45 minutes to an hour a day, going through hair for another like 30 minutes to an hour, and then on top of that the costumes that have been made for me…it’s putting the pieces on and then putting on the shoes.

I have the bottle cap in the shoe to keep the limp in my body and in my mind. It’s an amazing tool to have as an actor because it really does help me get into his skin. And then when we’re done and wrapped, the makeup comes off, wash my hair, take the stuff off, and then it’s just literally like putting him away and then bringing him back. It’s actually kind of therapeutic in a way. It’s a really interesting transition. It’s one of my favorite things about playing the character, actually.”

As for the journey The Penguin’s going on in relation to Fish Mooney (played by Jada Pinkett Smith), Taylor said, “As we’ve seen through the whole season he’s gradually bit by bit, he’s been asserting himself as his own man. His end goal is to not to have to answer to anybody, to be his own boss. And we’ve seen that in the pilot when he goes behind Fish’s back, and they have their thing.

We see it when he aligns himself with Maroni. He goes behind his back, and he’s working with Falcone the whole time. What we’ll see in the final four is the final push. He set some things in motion that affect everyone in the show. Like, everyone in the show will be affected by what he does in the last four episodes. It really is his final assertion to being his own boss, to being his own man.”

“It’s crazy! I don’t know what else to say,” added Taylor. “I can’t get too specific. And Fish is a huge part of that. He also really brings to the forefront, hopefully this is what people will see, is the complexity of their relationship. I know that they are arch-enemies, but at the same time he has affection for her because he wouldn’t be where he is if it wasn’t for her. He learned everything about Gotham City, about the underbelly of Gotham City, he learned it from her – all of the rules and all of that. So, he does have reverence for her and he really does care about her. So you’ll see there’s conflict there that is also going to be illuminated in the last four episodes.”

Asked if there are characters who hasn’t spent a lot of time with in the first part of season one that he might get to by the time the season’s finished, Taylor had to quickly figure out what exactly he could say without getting in trouble from his Gotham bosses. “They give us a list of things not to say specifically! But one thing I will say is there’s one character in particular that he is introduced to. There are introductions; there’s no real intense relationships because he has so many loose ends that he has to tie up with other characters that we’ve already established. So, but…that’s all I can say.”

However, although he was doing his best to not say what he wasn’t supposed to, Taylor finished the interview by confessing he wants more scenes with Ed Nygma (played by Cory Michael Smith).

“The dynamic between Oswald and Edward is one of my favorite ones that I’ve played so far in the show. They’re both so strange. They’re both coming at it from such different directions, but I think there’s an electricity there. But, that’s another thing that you’ll see is Edward…he’s changing.”

– More Gotham interviews: Ben McKenzie / John Stephens / Cory Michael Smith

Watch the full interview with Robin Lord Taylor:





‘Sinister 2’ Teases With a Short Video Clip

By
Rebecca Murray
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Sinister 2 Movie Clip

The sequel to the 2012 horror film Sinister will be arriving in theaters on August 21, 2015 and while promoting their slate of upcoming releases at the 2015 WonderCon, Blumhouse and Focus Features unveiled a super short teaser for Sinister 2. Sinister director Scott Derrickson co-wrote the script with C. Robert Cargill and Citadel‘s director Ciaran Foy helmed the sequel, with Shannyn Sossamon and twins Robert and Dartanian Sloan in starring roles.

The Plot:

In the aftermath of the shocking events in Sinister, a protective mother (Sossamon) and her 9-year-old twin sons find themselves in a rural house marked for death as the evil spirit of Buhguul continues to spread with frightening intensity.

Watch the teaser:


-By Rebecca Murray

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‘The Last Ship’ Season 2 Trailer and Poster

By
Rebecca Murray
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The Last Ship Season 2 Trailer and Poster

Following its presentation at the 2015 WonderCon, TNT has launched a new trailer for The Last Ship along with unveiling a poster for the upcoming season. The Last Ship season two will premiere on Sunday, June 21, 2015 at 9pm ET/PT with Eric Dane, Rhona Mitra, and Adam Baldwin back in starring roles.

The cast also includes Travis Van Winkle, Charles Parnell, Christina Elmore, John Pyper Ferguson, and Jocko Sims.

Season one averaged 14.5 million viewers and was the #1 new series on basic cable, according to TNT. Michael Bay, Brad Fuller, Andrew Form, and Jack Bender serve as executive producers along with the series co-creators/showrunners Hank Steinberg and Steven Kane.

The Plot:

Based on William Brinkley’s popular novel, The Last Ship chronicles a global catastrophe that nearly decimates the world’s population. Because of its positioning, the Navy destroyer U.S.S. Nathan James avoided falling victim to the devastating tragedy. But now, Captain Tom Chandler (series star Eric Dane) and his crew must confront the reality of their new existence in a world where they may be among the few remaining survivors.

Watch the trailer:

‘Furious 7’ Review – One of the Best ‘Fast and Furious’ Films

By
Kevin Finnerty
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Furious 7 Film Review
Paul Walker stars in ‘Furious 7’ (Photo © 2015 Universal Studios)

“Shaw lives in a world that doesn’t play by your rules and, like it or not, you and your friends are a part of it now,” says Mr. Nobody (Kurt Russell). “I don’t have friends…I got family,” replies Dom Toretto (Vin Diesel) who was just saved by the mystery man and his commandos from being killed by an ex-mercenary named Deckard Shaw (Jason Statham) in Furious 7, the seventh installment of the speeding car/blockbuster action franchise.

The film kicks off with Dom still trying to help Letty (Michelle Rodriguez) remember the life they shared together before she was shot (her injuries resulted in memory loss). Meanwhile, Dom’s brother-in-law ex-cop Brian (Paul Walker) is struggling with settling down and being a good dad to his son and husband to Dom’s sister, Mia (Jordana Brewster). He still misses the bullets and the high speed chases, and it’s been a difficult transition from living a life on the edge to being a stay-at-home dad driving the carpool. However, Brian gets back in the game after his semi-domestic bliss is literally blown apart when Shaw plants a bomb at Dom’s house and barely misses not only Dom but Paul, Mia, and their son. To make matters even worse, Dom discovers his old adversary-turned-friend Agent Hobbs (Dwayne Johnson) just barely survived a fight with Shaw and is now in the hospital recovering. It’s Hobbs who informs Dom that the man behind the attacks is Deckard Shaw, Owen Shaw’s big brother who’s hunting them to get even for what they did to Owen in London.


Dom and Brian are in the process of getting the old crew back together to try to come up with a plan when Mr. Nobody, a shady government official, enters their lives with a proposition. A Somalian terrorist is in search of a computer program called God’s Eye that can turn any technological device into the ultimate big brother manhunter. A computer hacker named Ramsey (Nathalie Emmanuel) who developed the program and knows its location has been captured by the terrorist. If Dom and his crew can successfully go in and free Ramsey and retrieve the computer program, Mr. Nobody promises to let Dom use God’s Eye to find Shaw – and to assist Dom in killing him. So Dom, Brian, Letty, Roman (Tyrese Gibson), and Tej (Ludacris) team up for their biggest, boldest, and most dangerous adventure yet.

Outlandish, action-packed, and so far over-the-top the peak is no longer visible, Furious 7 elevates the franchise to a new level with some breathtaking, eye-popping and, yes, implausible action scenes and a heartfelt farewell to its departed star, Paul Walker. This Fast and Furious entry is more like a Mission Impossible film than it is similar to the original Fast and Furious, with cars falling out of a plane and plummeting to the ground with Dom and his crew inside safely parachuting onto a highly guarded dirt Somalian highway where they take part in a thrilling high speed chase. All of the car chases, fight scenes, shoot-outs, and explosions in Furious 7 are more intense, thrilling, and at times even more ridiculous than in all of the previous F&F films.

The cast have real chemistry together, knowing and owning their roles but this time inserting a little more humor and emotion than any of the earlier installments. Even the cheesy dialogue doesn’t seem to be quite so bad in this outing.

Most impressive and touching, however, is the epilogue where Dom delivers a soliloquy in honor of Brian, discussing what they meant to each other. It’s a very classy and poignant end to the film as well as a tender goodbye to its fallen star Paul Walker.

GRADE: B

MPAA rating: PG-13 for prolonged frenetic sequences of violence, action and mayhem, suggestive content and brief strong language

Running time: 137 minutes

Directed by: James Wan

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‘Salem’ Season Two Shane West Interview

By
Rebecca Murray
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Shane West Interview Salem Season 2
Shane West as John Alden in ‘Salem’ season 2 (Photo Courtesy of WGN America)

Shane West returns as John Alden in WGN America’s second season of the supernatural thriller Salem premiering on April 5, 2015 at 10pm ET/PT, kicking off a season that promises to delve into the battle between witches and the fight for control over the town of Salem. West joined his series co-star Janet Montgomery as well as Salem‘s creators/executive producers Brannon Braga & Adam Simon for a panel at the 2015 WonderCon in Anaheim just days prior to the show’s second season kick-off and right before taking the stage to answer questions from fans, he sat down to chat in a slightly quieter environment about the theme of this second season.

Asked how the second season tops the first, West replied, “I had never been a part of a project that just played with boundaries so delicately and just pushed them in so many different ways. We couldn’t get away with that much murder on cable that wasn’t a premium station – like an HBO or Showtime, or stuff like that – so we did so much in that first season. Besides just the cool storylines, besides what was happening with all the characters, just in the gore aspect of it, the sex aspect of it, the witchcraft aspect of it all, that it is hard to go into a second season and do that.

But I think we pushed it perfectly with the finale of the first season, splitting everyone up, opening up the boundaries of Salem and spreading it beyond the actual town of Salem, adding in the Native American tribes for the John Alden storyline. And I mean this is kind of a major spoiler but we’re about on episode eight right now and I still haven’t reunited with half of the characters on the show yet. So, I think these are ways that we make the second season stand out and I think it’s another way of pushing the boundaries by literally separating everyone. Adding new characters but separating everyone and forcing them to different storylines.”

As far as aspects of this second season that have presented new challenges, West said it’s actually just focusing that seems to be the most difficult thing for him to do.

“Because I’ve had more time off when I work it’s incredibly difficult. I’ve had more days off…poor Janet [Montgomery], she’s the one constant connected to everyone and she’s had no time off. It’s weird because most of my scenes are with guest cast, recurring characters, myself – talking to myself a lot because he’s losing his mind this year. But, ultimately that’s been kind of a little bit more exciting in a way,” explained West. “But I feel like I miss the cast. I don’t get to see them every day. I’ve only…that’s way too many spoilers…but I’ve only worked with a few characters this year.”

– Also of interest: Janet Montgomery on Mary Sibley’s journey / Interview with Brannon Braga and Adam Simon

Watch the full interview for more on Shane West’s Salem season two experience:

The Salem: Witch War Plot:

Salem, a bold re-imagination of the infamous 17th-century witch trials, returns for season two at the dawn of a Witch War. As the disease and devastation unleashed by a deadly supernatural ritual spread through the war-torn village, Salem’s most powerful witch, Mary Sibley, must face off against adversaries old and new who are vying for her throne.




Peter Facinelli Interview on ‘American Odyssey,’ NBC’s New Drama

By
Fred Topel
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Peter Facinelli Interview American Odyssey
Peter Facinelli as Peter Decker in ‘American Odyssey’ (Photo by: Eric Liebowitz / NBC)

NBC’s premiering the new primetime drama American Odyssey on April 5, 2015 at 10pm ET/PT and in support of the show’s debut, the network brought series star Peter Facinelli and executive producers Adam Armus and Kay Foster to WonderCon in Anaheim, CA to talk about the show. In addition to taking part in a Q&A with WonderCon attendees, Facinelli and the executive producers/series creators participated in interviews with a few members of the press to discuss in depth what the audience can expect when tuning in to catch American Odyssey on Sunday nights.

Facinelli was itching to do something a little different from Nurse Jackie, which is ending with the seventh season, when American Odyssey came along. “It was kind of perfect timing, actually,” said Facinelli. He went on to explain why he wanted to do something a little darker at this point in his career.

“I think that the role actually scared me a little and I tend to want to do things that scare me in a lot of ways. When I got the script I wasn’t sure. I hadn’t played a role like that before so I thought, ‘Can I do this?’ I’m glad I didn’t have to audition because if I had to audition, I probably wouldn’t have gotten it, you know? I tend to work really hard at forming the characters when I get the role, and sometimes you get a piece of paper and you have to go in and prove that you can play this role with very little information and very little time to prepare that character.”

Although he admits he’s not into politics, Facinelli says what drew him in about the story being told in American Odyssey was the conspiracy element. “That was an exciting adventure. When I looked at that it was the ‘thriller’ aspect of a conspiracy thriller is what really hooked me on it. And then I did all the research getting into that world, the stuff that I hadn’t known before. I hadn’t known much about the protesters on Wall Street. I hadn’t known much about that kind of political world. I had to wrap my head around that and then form the character.”

“I connected with him as a family man, so I understood that,” said Facinelli when asked about getting into his character, corporate litigator Peter Decker in American Odyssey. “And then really getting to understand the world that he lived in, so I watched a lot of documentaries on the political climate. I watched the Eliot Spitzer documentary. I took a lot from him because I felt like Eliot Spitzer went up against a lot of giants and didn’t back down. There was a tenaciousness to him as well. So, a lot of documentaries just getting the climate of what the show is dealing with.”

The Plot:

After a team of American soldiers battles jihadists in North Africa, they’re shocked to learn that they’ve stumbled upon and killed Al Qaeda’s top commander. Sgt. Odelle Ballard (Anna Friel) — a soldier, mother, wife and the unit’s only female member — discovers computer files that prove that a major U.S. corporation is funding the jihadists. But before she can tell anyone, her team is attacked and killed. The world is told that the unit was wiped out by enemy militants, but the truth is that Odelle survived and is the only witness to her unit’s true assassins: private military contractors Osela (think “Blackwater”).

As Odelle struggles to survive and find her way home, in New York former U.S. Attorney turned corporate litigator Peter Decker (Facinelli) finds himself embroiled in a merger with the same company that funded the jihadists. As Peter begins to connect the corrupt dots of this company’s terrorist involvement, Harrison Walters (Jake Robinson), a political activist and trust fund kid, meets a hacker, Bob Offer (Nate Mooney), who claims to have unearthed a massive military-industrial-complex conspiracy. Bob is right: He’s stumbled onto the same cover-up that Odelle discovered, which will soon become a national headline with lethal implications. The only way they’ll ever save their country, their families and themselves is by joining forces and exposing the people behind it.

Watch the full interview with Peter Facinelli:





‘SNL’ Hilarious Scientology Parody: Church of Neurotology Music Video

By
Rebecca Murray
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SNL Scientology Parody - Church of Neurotology

Hot on the heels of HBO’s premiere of the scathing Scientology documentary Going Clear by Alex Gibney comes a spot-on parody music video from SNL. As smiling members sing the praise of the Church of Neurotology, individuals in the video are tagged with updates showing the sinister side of Neurotology including missing members, members who’ve lost their minds, and members who’ve spoken out against the church’s brain-washing practices.

Watch the video:

Creepy New ‘Insidious: Chapter 3’ Clip and Poster

By
Rebecca Murray
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Insidious Chapter 3 Poster and New Clip

Focus Features brought Insidious: Chapter 3 writer/director Leigh Whannell and cast members Dermot Mulroney, Stefanie Scott, Angus Sampson, and Lin Shaye to the 2015 WonderCon in Anaheim to show off footage from the horror film and to talk about what fans of the film franchise can expect from this new entry. And for those who didn’t make their way to the Anaheim Convention Center for WonderCon, the footage shown during the Insidious: Chapter 3 Q&A has now made its way online, along with a brand new poster for the thriller which marks Whannell’s directorial debut.

Insidious: Chapter 3 opens in theaters on June 5, 2015.

The Plot:

This chilling prequel, set before the haunting of the Lambert family, reveals how gifted psychic Elise Rainier (Lin Shaye) reluctantly agrees to use her ability to contact the dead in order to help a teenage girl (Stefanie Scott) who has been targeted by a dangerous supernatural entity.

Watch the clip:

‘Outlander’ Season 1 Episode 9 Recap – The Reckoning

By
LRShive
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Outlander Season 1 Episode 9 Recap - The Reckoning
Caitriona Balfe and Sam Heughan in ‘Outlander’ (Photo © 2014 Sony Pictures Television Inc)

WE MADE IT THROUGH THE DROUGHTLANDER, Slainte!!! Yes, that is right…. April has arrived and that means Outlander is back. Let the second half of the first season begin!! Tulach Ard!! I have to ask it… Did anyone else feel like an 8 year old waiting for Christmas…or was that just me?

Well the wait is over!! “The Reckoning” opens in a similar starting format to the first episode, “Sassenach.” The amazing views of the Scottish landscape take us right back to that enchanting country. A substantial deviation from the book immediately welcomes us with the commentary being given by Jamie (Sam Heughan) instead of Claire (Caitriona Balfe). He even starts with the same opening line, “Strange the things you remember.”

This episode is all done through Jamie’s perspective. He is musing about choices, much as Claire was doing as she was looking in a window at the start of the series. We then find ourselves watchers as Jamie prepares to go into Ft. William after Claire. He gets inside and works his way down to the window where we left him six months ago. Pistol poised to shoot, with all politeness; he interrupts Black Jack Randall (Tobias Menzies) in his enjoyments of harming our heroine. Are you sitting on the edge of your seat yet??

The grin that BJR gives Jamie at seeing him in the flesh is nothing short of a cat looking at a mouse they are about to enjoy torturing. BJR has the nerve to ask to see his original handiwork of the flogging scars on Jamie’s back. All this as Jamie points a gun right at him and steps into the room. As the scene unfolds Claire, hands still tied and BJRs knife at her throat, just cussing away at Jack. Loved the line that she would cut off his balls, certainly still that 20th-century woman we love. I say it is fair; after all, he was attempting to cut off her nipple at the start of this! Jamie is made to put down the pistol and Jack picks it up. He then proceeds to point it at Jamie, taunting him all the time. BJR was going to proceed with raping Claire so he puts down the knife while still pointing the pistol at Jamie. Jack fires the pistol and discovers, to his profound surprise, it is not loaded. Our dashing hero could beat any card shark with the poker face he has had all this time, a master of the bluff.

Jamie bashes BJR’s head into the table to knock him out, and they leave the office. They head to the roof so they can jump into the water to escape. A massive highlander-planned explosion and our couple is on their way. One might think all is well at this point. Jamie has Claire back and riding away when they stop to water the horses. Enter a more modern-day husband and wife spat mixed with a good healthy dose of 18th-century husbandry opinion. Jamie was raised a certain way of course, like all highlanders of that time. The wife was to mind the husband without question. Claire comes from a time when independence in a woman is starting to be more accepted in society, but she is still much more independent than most. She is about to get a major lesson in 18th-century culture as well as wifely duties.

They make it to the tavern where they meet up with the rest of the MacKenzie men. Of course, none of them talk to Claire. She tries to talk to them, but they act as if she is not even in the room. She goes up to bed and Jamie gets the point from the men. He will have to ensure justice is served for the sake of the men. Her ignorance of the time and their ways is about to be corrected. Enter the famous ‘spanking’ scene long-awaited by all readers of the book. Like a good modern woman she does fight back, but he does accomplish his task. And then of course the men are nicer to her the next morning, she is rightly still extremely angry.

As they return to Castle Leoch the events of the trip to gather rents provides a substantial rift between the MacKenzie brothers. Laoghaire is also upset by the news of the wedding of Jamie and Claire. The clan politics show themselves very clearly as the episode unfolds. The show pulls it into sharper relief than the book; because of course Claire wasn’t involved in any of those discussions in the book. Jamie helps to sort out the immediate issues within the clan. He continues to show his political prowess, as he did during “The Gathering” episode. He then has to soothe the conflict between himself and Claire as well.

Jamie decides that he will have to deviate from his upbringing of how husbands and wives interact. He promises to Claire to never raise his hand to her again. He does this also in the book, but only after a very long explanation of his upbringing so that Claire understands his point of view. In the show, he handles it a bit differently. He sets aside his ridged point of view in the same way that Colum has to do to bring peace to their respective situations.

Claire is moved by his gesture, and they reconcile. But in this encounter, she takes full charge to start. By the end, they both finally give themselves over fully. Make-up sex is some of the best stuff ever!! Afterward they are talking and discover an ‘ill wish’ placed under the bed. It is a bundle of dried flowers, sticks, and such. The book does not tell you right away, but in the show Jamie knows right off that it is Laoghaire that placed it there.

This episode very much starts to blend the lives of Jamie and Claire. The books are only written in Claire’s point of view. The show can expand the view and allow us to see Jamie’s side, which will make the show great but can also give the fans something they do not get from the books. For those who have read the books, we do know the major events to come. I’m excited to see how Jamie’s point of view will be shown. Je Suis Prete….. I am ready!! Tulach Ard!!!




Janet Montgomery Interview – ‘Salem’ Season 2 and Playing Mary Sibley

By
Rebecca Murray
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Janet Montgomery Interview Salem Witch War
‘Salem’ star Janet Montgomery at WonderCon 2015 (Photo by Richard Chavez)

Season two of WGN America’s riveting supernatural series Salem premieres on Sunday, April 5, 2015 at 10pm ET/PT, and stars Janet Montgomery and Shane West joined creators/writers Brannon Braga and Adam Simon at the 2015 WonderCon to discuss what fans can expect. In our interview with the lovely Janet Montgomery, she revealed this second season will find Mary Sibley alone and without any close confidantes or allies.

Montgomery also said that this second season was much more difficult for her to handle emotionally, as Mary is so all alone yet still very much in charge.

The Salem: Witch War Plot:

Salem, a bold re-imagination of the infamous 17th-century witch trials, returns for season two at the dawn of a Witch War. As the disease and devastation unleashed by a deadly supernatural ritual spread through the war-torn village, Salem’s most powerful witch, Mary Sibley, must face off against adversaries old and new who are vying for her throne.

– Also of interest: Shane West Interview / Brannon Braga and Adam Simon Interview / 2015 WonderCon Photos

Watch the interview:

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