Disney’s Moana sequel, Moana 2, plowed through multiple box office records over its Thanksgiving holiday weekend. The family-friendly adventure set a new 5-day opening record by grossing $221 million domestically, taking over the top spot held by 2023’s The Super Mario Bros Movie.
The PG-rated sequel entered the record books as the biggest Thanksgiving holiday release (for both three and five days) and the highest-grossing Thanksgiving day ever ($28 million). It also sailed away with the Black Friday box office record, ringing up $54.5 million.
Moana 2 also set a record as Walt Disney Animation Studios’ biggest opening in their history. Worldwide, the sequel featuring the voices of Auli‘i Cravalho and Dwayne Johnson grossed $386 million, making it the second biggest debut of 2024 behind Deadpool & Wolverine.
“Moana 2 has far surpassed our high expectations this weekend and is a testament to the phenomenon that ‘Moana’ has become,” stated Disney Entertainment Co-Chairman Alan Bergman. “We’re fortunate to have an incredibly talented and hard-working creative team at Disney Animation who brought this new adventure to life, alongside our wonderful stars Auli’i and Dwayne and great new music. This is a moment to celebrate, and we’re thankful to all the moviegoers and fans who’ve helped make this a record-breaking debut.”
Internationally, Moana 2 broke the animated opening weekend record in France and took over second place in Italy and Brazil’s record books.
“After receiving an unexpected call from her wayfinding ancestors, Moana must journey to the far seas of Oceania and into dangerous, long-lost waters for an adventure unlike anything she’s ever faced,” reads Walt Disney Animation Studios’ synopsis. Jason Hand, Dana Ledoux Miller, and David G. Derrick Jr. direct from a script by Miller and Disney Animation Chief Creative Officer Jared Bush.
Fox wraps up the second season of Accused with episode eight starring Sonequa Martin-Green (Star Trek: Discovery) and Mike Colter (Evil). Episode eight, “Megan’s Story,” airs immediately after episode seven on Tuesday, December 3, 2024 at 9pm ET/PT.
Season two of the anthology series features episodes starring Michael Chiklis, Patrick J. Adams, William H. Macy, Felicity Huffman, Nick Cannon, Cobie Smulders, Taylor Schilling, Justin Chambers, Sherri Saum, Trevor White, Debra Winger, Mercedes Ruehl, Christine Ebersole, Danny Pino, Ken Jeong, and Jamie Chung.
“Megan’s Story” Plot: An ambitious music executive (Martin-Green) faces hardship when a futuristic sex robot comes between her and her husband (Colter).
Accused is a collection of intense, topical and human stories of crime and punishment. Each episode is a fast-paced provocative thriller, exploring a different crime, in a different city, with an entirely original cast. Based on the BBC’s BAFTA-winning crime anthology, each episode opens in a courtroom on the defendant, with viewers knowing nothing about their crime or how they ended up on trial.
Told from the defendant’s point of view through flashbacks, the show holds a mirror up to current times with evocative and emotional stories. In the end, audiences will discover how an ordinary person gets caught up in extraordinary circumstances, and how one impulsive decision can impact the course of that life – and the lives of others — forever.
McCall goes to extraordinary lengths to find a missing woman on CBS’s The Equalizer season five episode six, “The Fight for Life.” Directed by Benny Boom from a script by Faythallegra Claude, episode six will air on Sunday, December 1, 2024 at 10pm ET/PT.
Queen Latifah stars as Robyn McCall, Tory Kittles is Detective Marcus Dante, Adam Goldberg is Harry Keshegian, and Liza Lapira is Melody “Mel” Bayani. Laya DeLeon Hayes plays Delilah and Lorraine Toussaint is Viola “Vi” Marsette.
“The Fight for Life” Plot: McCall and Mel go undercover in a prison to find a woman who went missing on the day she was scheduled to be released.
“The Equalizer is a reimagining of the classic series starring Academy Award nominee and multi-hyphenate Queen Latifah as Robyn McCall, an enigmatic woman with a mysterious background who uses her extensive skills as a former CIA operative to help those with nowhere else to turn. McCall presents to most as an average single mom who is quietly raising her teenage daughter. But to a trusted few, she is The Equalizer – an anonymous guardian angel and defender of the downtrodden, who’s also dogged in her pursuit of personal redemption.
Robyn’s clandestine work and her personal life often collide when her smart and observant daughter, Delilah, and her aunt Vi, who lives with Robyn to help her balance life as a working mother, struggle to conceal her vigilante career. While Robyn worries about the mental and emotional toll her work exacts on her family, she is joined in her pursuit of justice by Melody “Mel” Bayani, an edgy bar owner and sniper from Robyn’s past who recently quit the Equalizer team to recover from post-traumatic stress disorder; and Harry Keshegian, a paranoid and brilliant white-hat hacker married to Mel.
As Robyn aids the oppressed and exploited, she sometimes works with Marcus Dante, an NYPD detective and trusted friend who respects the need for Robyn’s type of justice even as he often questions her methods.”
Oscar-winning director Edward Berger (All Quiet on the Western Front) believes Conclave comes as close to the truth about what transpires during the selection of a pope as any outsider has ever come. Based on Robert Harris’ bestselling novel, Conclave presents the secretive papal election as a high-stakes thriller, with the Catholic Cardinals manipulated like chess pieces by those who crave ultimate power.
A progressive pope’s death sets the game in motion, with Cardinal Lawrence (Ralph Fiennes), the dean of the College of Cardinals, overseeing the conclave to select the next pope. The gurney carrying the pope’s body is barely out of sight when the jockeying for position begins. Alliances are forged, and plans are put in place to secure the required 72 votes to become pope.
The pope’s death comes as Cardinal Lawrence is experiencing a crisis of faith, which adds to his burden of guiding the conclave. He’s fully committed to Cardinal Bellini’s (Stanley Tucci) cause, viewing his fellow liberal as the right person to continue moving the Church forward. Cardinal Bellini is the most progressive among them. He supports LGBTQ+ rights and refuses to be deterred when his supporters suggest he should keep his opinion about women playing a more significant role in the curia to himself.
Those who don’t support Cardinal Bellini are in the Cardinal Tedesco (Sergio Castellitto), Cardinal Tremblay (John Lithgow), or Cardinal Adeyemi (Lucian Msamati) camps. Tremblay is a power-hungry conservative, and Adeyemi has a decent shot at being the first African pope in history. Tedesco is the most dangerous. A right-wing radical who views Islam as the enemy, Tedesco’s ascension would set the Church back hundreds of years.
However, the deceased pope threw a wildcard into the mix, elevating Father Benitez (Carlos Diehz) to Cardinal Benitez of Kabul. Benitez’s unexpected presence and stellar record of serving in war-torn countries add an extra layer of tension to the conclave.
As the papal conclave begins, Cardinal Lawrence is aware of the high stakes of this election. Shocking discoveries about the leading contenders make his already arduous task even more complex. As voting gets underway, Lawrence faces the difficult decision of whether to inform the sequestered cardinals about these allegations of illicit activities. And if he doesn’t, what will happen to the Church if the truth comes out?
Conclave’s synopsis doesn’t pop on paper, but the story springs to life on film as one of the best political dramas in recent years. The papal conclave serves as the subject matter, but the film’s themes are equally relevant to recent global political elections, especially in the United States. The lust for power is overwhelming in both cases, with factions ripping apart institutions and opposing sides refusing to consider positions other than their own as valid.
Edward Berger’s assembled an impressive cast, with two-time Oscar nominee Ralph Fiennes as the film’s moral center. Fiennes’ Cardinal Lawrence is a decent man thrust into an unenviable position. Prior to the pope’s death, Lawrence was already uneasy about the Church’s future. As revelations rock the College of Cardinals, Lawrence is forced to confront corruption at the highest levels of the Church.
Filmed at the Cinecittà studios in Rome, production designer Suzie Davies and her team brilliantly recreated the Vatican. The attention to detail on the most minute level is clear in each frame. Director of photography Stéphane Fontaine’s work complements Davies’, with Fontaine shifting the vibe from claustrophobic to less intense as the scene demands.
Peter Straughan (Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy) adapted Robert Harris’ novel, which explores the depths of human greed and ambition. Cardinal Lawrence is our entry point to this ultra-secretive ritual. Through his eyes, we see the corruption inherent in the process of selecting the leader of the Catholic Church. Power-hungry individuals are rarely those who should wield it, a harsh truth that applies to many areas of our lives. And Conclave holds up a mirror to the ugliness of men who have lost their moral compass.
It isn’t necessary to understand or even care about the Catholic Church and all its archaic ceremonies to enjoy Conclave. Led by an Oscar-worthy Ralph Fiennes performance, Conclave is a riveting political drama with a timely message as well as a satisfyingly smart mystery thriller.
GRADE: A
MPAA Rating: PG for thematic material and smoking
Running Time: 2 hours
Release Date: October 25, 2024 in theaters, streaming on November 26th
Studio: Focus Features
Sam Heughan and Kristin Atherton in ‘Outlander’ season 7 episode 10 (Photo Credit: Starz)
Starz’s Outlander season seven episode 10, which rips your heart out in its final 10 minutes, begins with a touching flashback of Jamie and Ian’s childhood in 1729. As they practice fighting, they’re reminded they’ll never lose if they fight as brothers. Ian’s dad, John (Adam McNamara), tells Ian that he must stand on Jamie’s left to protect his chief’s weaker side and never leave it.
The scene switches to Ian (Steven Cree) laughing about Claire being 207 years older than Jamie (Sam Heughan). Ian’s getting a real kick out of this turn of events, and it’s wonderful to see the friends enjoying what time they have left together. Ian describes his illness as feeling like a knife in his chest, and the slowness of it is driving him crazy. He has a hearty laugh that dissolves into coughing when he thinks about what might be waiting for him in paradise, given the miracle of Claire’s time-traveling.
They reminisce about their lengthy relationship and how they love each other as brothers by choice, not by birth.
Later, Jamie gently places Ian in bed. Jenny (Kristin Atherton) helps and then holds her husband’s hand, aware that it won’t be long before he passes. Jamie holds his other hand, and as Ian is slipping away, he reminds Jamie he’s got his left side. Jamie switches position so that Ian is on his left as his lifelong friend passes away.
Ian’s last word is “Jenny.”
Jamie digs a grave in the family cemetery and assures his sister he’ll stay as long as she needs him. Michael will go with Joan to the convent in Paris, and Jamie will head there first before traveling to Philadelphia. He suggests that Jenny should come with him, but Jenny declines. She may go to America someday, but not today.
Jamie’s certain that Ian is still with them, right beside them where he’s always been.
Caitriona Balfe and Joey Phillips in ‘Outlander’ season 7 episode 10 (Photo Credit: Starz)
After “The Skye Boat Song,” the setting switches to Philadelphia. Claire (Caitriona Balfe) and Young Ian (John Bell) travel by coach, and Ian asks if she thinks his father’s gone. Claire doesn’t know, and Ian wonders about her parents’ death. She explains they died when she was five. Ian regrets not staying with his father, and Claire reminds him Ian wanted him to find Rachel. He’ll tell her all about his dad when he catches up with her at Valley Forge.
Claire warns him to be careful. After all, there’s still a war going on. That’s evident when she notices carriages stopped and searched now that Philadelphia is under British occupation. Claire and Ian are let through because she possesses a letter signed by General Burgoyne guaranteeing them safe passage.
Mercy Woodcock (Gloria Obianyo) greets Claire and ushers her in to see Henry Grey (Harry Jarvis). Claire’s pleased to see Lord John Grey (David Berry), and he’s ecstatic that she made it so quickly. John’s still wearing his uniform even though he resigned his commission. “I do so for intimidation,” he explains. Claire wonders who he could be intimidating, and Mrs. Woodcock says he’s protecting her. Henry was brought to her home before the British took over the city. John believes it’s best that Henry remains there, even after the change in circumstances.
Claire needs to visit the apothecary for vitriol to make ether, but John’s one step ahead of her. He remembered she needed it and already stocked up. John was certain she’d come, even though she never wrote that she was on her way.
Claire examines Henry, and he’s nothing but skin and bones and racked with pain. He was shot twice and has already undergone three surgeries, with one musket ball remaining in his body. Claire surprised Dr. Denzell Hunter performed the most recent surgery; she was unaware he’s in Philadelphia. Lord John says William is staying with Denzell and suggested the doctor try to help Henry.
Claire and Denzell (Joey Phillips) meet, and he describes the operation he performed. He couldn’t find the second musket ball, and Claire confirms he did what he could without opening Henry up. Denzell’s shocked she would even suggest that, and Claire assures him it’s possible with ether. She asks for his help building a still, and Denzell breaks out in a huge smile, happy to be back together. He also thinks Rachel will be happy to see her and Ian.
Speaking of Rachel (Izzy Meikle-Small), William impatiently waits as she shops in the market with Rollo at her side. William confesses he doesn’t want to return to Boston and would rather stay here and be of use to General Howell. He’d also rather stay here with her, even though she’s not a loyalist.
Rollo runs off as they’re talking, and Rachel quickly realizes he must have seen Ian! She races after him but loses sight of the dog. Rollo has, in fact, found his Ian, and Ian’s shocked Rachel isn’t around. Unbeknownst to either, Arch Bug (Hugh Ross) is watching their happy reunion.
Mercy administers the ether and watches over Henry’s breathing as Claire makes an incision. Denzell’s overcome with emotion seeing the abdomen open, the patient not reacting, and the organs thriving. Claire feels the musket ball inside Henry’s intestine and believes it was so hot when it entered that it cauterized the entry hole.
Claire cuts out the damaged tissue and stitches up Henry’s intestine and chest. William and Rachel anxiously await news, with Rachel holding onto her faith in Claire’s skills. William assures her they’ll look for Rollo once the operation’s over. She was right that Ian returned, but if Ian had already left for Valley Forge, that means Rollo was chasing something else.
Lord John Grey joins them and reports that Henry survived.
Gloria Obianyo and Caitriona Balfe in ‘Outlander’ season 7 episode 10 (Photo Credit: Starz)
Claire and Mercy step outside, and Claire compliments her work. Mercy admits she had almost lost hope and that she and Henry have grown close. Mercy wonders if Claire knows what happened to her husband, Walter, after Dr. Hunter amputated his leg at Ticonderoga and the fort was evacuated. Claire breaks the news that Walter had a blood clot and that she was with him when he died. “He died thinking of you,” says Claire. Walter also told her he regretted fighting with Mercy before he left home and that he truly loved her.
Rachel’s alone in the stables when Arch Bug grabs her. He’s going to kill her, but not until Ian’s around to see it. He says he’s doing this because Ian killed his wife. At that exact moment, Ian’s trying to find her. Denzell says she’s attending to their horses.
Rachel tries to reason with Arch, but he’s dead set on killing her in front of Ian. He doesn’t care if they hang him afterward. Ian steps into the barn and tells Arch to let Rachel go. Arch refuses and confesses he’s been stalking Ian for a while. Ian rushes Arch and Rachel gets away. Arch slices Ian’s arm with an ax and they fight. Arch gets the upper hand and is about to kill Ian when William fires a fatal shot. He instructs Rachel to take Ian to Claire while he disposes of the body.
Later that evening, Rachel tells Ian she’s figured him out. Arch warned he’d get revenge, and Rachel now knows Ian was afraid she’d die because they love each other. Ian finally tells Rachel he loves her (in English)! With Rollo at his feet, he admits he can never become a Quaker. She understands, and he wonders what will happen next. Rachel says that, like Rollo, Ian is a wolf and a creature of “rare courage and affection, and altogether a worthy being.”
Claire goes shopping for fruits, vegetables, and herbs and when she returns, she’s received a letter from Jamie. She’s with Ian when she reads that his father has passed away. Young Ian knew it was going to happen and says he’s at peace. Jamie’s letter also states that he visited Joan in France and met with friends of Benjamin Franklin. He included a postscript revealing he’s sailing in two weeks. That means he left six weeks ago and could arrive any day now.
Mercy confesses she’s a spy and has been passing letters and information. She tells Claire that the man she gets the letters from has been caught and that she’s in danger now. She has a letter that must be delivered to General Washington, but she was followed today and can’t deliver it. Claire offers to deliver it since they don’t search her when she goes out of town to purchase herbs.
Unfortunately, she’s questioned when she tries to leave but claims she needs arrowroot from the garden to help her patients with diarrhea and explosive bowels. She offers to let the captain of the guards accompany her and he turns her down.
Caitriona Balfe and David Berry in ‘Outlander’ season 7 episode 10 (Photo Credit: Starz)
Claire places the letter where Mercy indicated. When she returns home, Lord John Grey is forced to deliver the devastating news that Jamie’s ship, the HMS Euterpe, was lost at sea! The captain of the HMS Roberts claims everyone on board died. Claire insists it wasn’t lost, refusing to believe Jamie is gone. The captain shows her the Euterpe manifest with Jamie’s name in it. Lord John confirms the search for survivors was unsuccessful.
Claire continues to insist they are wrong. “I would feel it in my heart if his had stopped! Do you understand? Mine would stop, too,” says Claire. John believes it’s possible her heart has stopped. (This is one of the most heart-wrenching scenes of the entire seven-season run.)
Claire lies in bed, sobbing and remembering their time together. (We’re treated to flashbacks of memorable scenes from throughout the seven seasons.) She refuses to get out of bed, and John knocks on her door, asking her to at least confirm she’s alive. She does and then sends him away.
Captain Richardson arrives at Lord John Grey’s home to inform him he is going to arrest Claire as a spy. He is certain she’s been delivering messages to the rebels, and out of respect for Lord John, he wanted to make sure they weren’t in a relationship. John says Claire’s currently at church in mourning, and Richardson will allow John one day before he takes her in.
Once Richardson’s gone, John rushes upstairs into Claire’s bedroom and tells her she must marry him. It must happen immediately, or else she’ll be arrested and hanged as a spy. Lord John Grey explains he’ll do this as the last service he can render Jamie. The British won’t touch her if she’s his wife. Claire considers just letting them hang her, and he reminds her that she’s putting Ian, Rachel, Denzell, and Mercy’s lives in danger. They will all be suspected of being spies.
Lord John begs her to let him protect her. Episode 10 ends before Claire replies.
Diarmaid Murtagh and Richard Rankin in ‘Outlander’ season 7 episode 10 (Photo Credit: Starz)
Roger and Buck’s Adventures Continue in Scotland, 1739
Roger (Richard Rankin) can’t stop staring at Geillis (Lotte Verbeek) and claims it’s only because she’s younger than he expected for someone so wise in the old ways. Buck (Diarmaid Murtagh) is having difficulties breathing, and as she listens to his chest, she wonders if she knows him. (A voiceover reveals Roger’s thinking she should since Buck is her son.) When she steps out to collect herbs, Roger tells Buck that her real name is Gillian Edgars, and he and Bree met her in Inverness in 1968. She’s a time traveler.
Buck recalls that Roger wrote about her believing in blood sacrifice and that she killed her husband before coming to this time period. Roger tells Buck that Gillian killed (or will kill) five husbands, and she’ll try to kill Bree. Buck wonders if Gillian knows Rob Cameron since he’s from her time and town, which stumps Roger. Why would Rob bring Jemmy to this year if the gold won’t even be hidden for another 40 years? Roger believes it’s just a coincidence that Gillian is here, too, but Buck doesn’t.
Geillis returns and tells Roger he looks familiar. She strokes his chest, and Roger reminds her he’s married. When Geillis asks what troubles him, Roger’s inner dialogue notes that she’s his many times great grandmother and a murderess. Out loud, he says Jemmy’s been kidnapped by a man some call a fairy man. Geillis wonders if he believes in fairies, and Roger says he’s looking at one now. He drops Robert Cameron’s name and she doesn’t react. She knows a lot of Camerons but not a Robert.
Roger believes her and tells Buck she’s not part of it. Maybe her only role in their story is to get Buck well. They’re getting ready to leave when Dougal MacKenzie (welcome back, Graham McTavish!) walks in, announcing he has something to show Roger. Dougal is Roger’s sixth great-grandfather and Buck’s father, and Roger thinks, “Oh, Christ!” when Dougal introduces himself.
One of Dougal’s men won something unusual with J.W. MacKenzie engraved on it. No one’s seen anything like it, so it must have come from the fairy man. Roger asks to keep it, although Geillis perks up when it’s called a charm. Roger thanks Geillis for her help, and when Roger says her name, Dougal takes her hand and kisses it. Sparks fly between them as they step out of the room.
Roger and Buck have witnessed the first meeting of Buck’s parents. After they leave the room, Roger confirms the item isn’t a charm; it’s military identification tags given out 200 years from now. They belonged to Roger’s dad who flew for the Royal Air Force and went missing in action in the middle of the war. His dad matches the description of the fairy man wearing a short coat and long trousers. “My god, the fairy man isn’t Rob Cameron. It’s my father!” exclaims Roger.
NFL announces Super Bowl 2025 Pregame Entertainers (Photo Credit: NFL)
The pregame lineup’s locked in for Super Bowl LIX, with Jon Batiste, Trombone Shorty, Lauren Daigle, and Ledisi confirmed to entertain football fans. The 2025 Big Game is set for Sunday, February 9th at Caesars Superdome in New Orleans.
“We’re honored to work with this year’s pregame lineup to celebrate the rich musical legacy of New Orleans and the entire state,” stated Seth Dudowsky, head of music at the NFL. “The Super Bowl is a rare moment to unite fans around the world, and this year’s performers will bring the energy, soul, and vibrant sounds of the region to a global stage, as we kickoff Super Bowl LIX with a celebration to remember.”
22-time Grammy nominee and five-time Grammy winner Jon Batiste will perform the national anthem, and Grammy-winner Ledisi will perform “Lift Every Voice and Sing.” Grammy-winning musician and producer Trombone Shorty is confirmed to perform “America the Beautiful” along with Grammy-winning artist Lauren Daigle. “Together, the two artists will deliver a powerful rendition of the iconic song, capturing the vibrant energy and spirit of Louisiana,” reads the NFL’s official announcement.
Both the pregame entertainment and the Apple Music Super Bowl Halftime Show, headlined by Kendrick Lamar, will include American Sign Language (ASL) performances. Stephanie Nogueras will sign “Star-Spangled Banner” and “America the Beautiful,” and Otis Jones IV will sign “Lift Every Voice and Sing.” Matt Maxey is handling the ASL rendition of the Apple Music Super Bowl Halftime Show.
Helen Mirren as Maeve Harrigan and Pierce Brosnan as Conrad Harrigan in ‘MOBLAND’ (Photo Credit: Jason Bell/Paramount+)
Guy Ritchie’s new crime series doesn’t have an official title, but it does have a stellar cast. Paramount+ with Showtime announced the series will star Pierce Brosnan (Die Another Day), Helen Mirren (1923), and Tom Hardy (Venom: The Last Dance) as series regulars. (Update: the series is officially titled MobLand.)
Paramount+ describes the project as “an electrifying, new global crime series centered around two warring families based in London whose enterprises stretch all corners of the globe and the fiercely loyal ‘fixer’ charged with protecting one of them at all costs.”
Per the streamer, Hardy will play Harry Da Souza, a professional conciliator on behalf of the Harrigan family. Brosnan stars as Conrad Harrigan, the head of a very successful Irish crime family based out of London for whom Harry works. Mirren plays Maeve Harrigan, Conrad’s wife and the Harrigan family matriarch.
Production is underway in London, with Ritchie, Hardy, Keith Cox, Nina L. Diaz, David C. Glasser, Jez Butterworth, and Ronan Bennett executive producing. Additional executive producers include Kris Thykier, Ivan Atkinson, Dean Baker, Ron Burkle, David Hutkin, and Bob Yari.
“Tom Hardy, Pierce Brosnan, and Helen Mirren are masters at their craft and we are honored to have them lead the cast for Guy Ritchie’s new global, original series,” stated Chris McCarthy, Paramount Global Co-CEO and President/CEO of SHOWTIME/MTV Entertainment Studios. “Guy, Jez Butterworth, and Ronan Bennett’s creative prowess, coupled with these gifted actors, is the perfect recipe for what we believe will be the next brand-defining series for Showtime on Paramount+.”
The Paramount+ series is produced by Showtime/MTV Entertainment Studios and 101 Studios.
“The firepower on and off the screen in this new Guy Ritchie crime series will deliver exactly what audiences expect from Paramount + with Showtime: high-caliber acting, high-impact storylines, and high-level production from some of the best in the business,” said Jeff Grossman, Executive Vice President of programming for Paramount+.
The young, strong-willed adventurer Moana sets sail on a new course with a new ragtag crew in Moana 2, the sequel to Disney’s 2016 animated hit. The movie opens a few years after Moana (voiced by Auli‘i Cravalho) saved her island from environmental disaster. She’s become a hero and an inspiration to her people and has been sailing the ocean looking for other tribes.
She returns home with proof that inhabited islands must exist. During a celebration in her honor, Moana has a vision from her forebears that she must follow a sign in the night sky to find a mysterious hidden island called Motufetu. This island will connect her people to other tribes.
So, Moana assembles a crew with questionable seafaring skills, and a larger canoe, to journey to the far seas of Oceania. Their treacherous trip will take them into dangerous, long-lost waters on a quest to unite her home with all the people of the world. Oh, and yes, she hopes that her old friend, the Demigod Maui (voiced by Dwayne Johnson), will once again join her on this adventure.
Moana 2 is a worthy sequel to the Oscar-winning blockbuster film, with stunning animation and the returning voice talents of Auli‘i Cravalho and Dwayne Johnson, reprising the roles of Moana and Maui. Dwayne Johnson and Auli‘i Cravalho still have great chemistry, and the best parts of the animated sequel are when they are reunited and onscreen together.
This doesn’t mean the sequel is free of issues, such as the addition of one-dimensional characters. Her crew adds little humor to the film and takes time away from Moana and Maui’s scenes. What made the first film so endearing was the partnership and bonding between Moana and Maui.
Memorable songs are another missing factor. None of the new tunes hold a candle to the songs in the first film. These songs feel like they were written for a movie destined for a straight-to-streaming or Blu-ray fate.
Even though it’s missing some of the original film’s magic, the visually stunning animation and the familiar voices of Johnson and Cravalho, reunited for another adventure, make Moana 2 a fun and entertaining watch, particularly for diehard fans of the original.
GRADE: B-
MPAA Rating: PG for action and peril
Running Time: 1 hour 40 minutes
Release Date: November 27, 2024
Directed By: David G. Derrick Jr., Jason Hand, and Dana Ledoux Miller
Studio: Walt Disney Animation Studios
Ken Jeong and Jamie Chung star in Fox’s Accused season two episode seven, the season’s penultimate episode. “Eugene’s Story” will air on Tuesday, December 3, 2024 at 8pm ET/PT followed by the season finale, “Megan’s Story,” at 9pm ET/PT.
Season two of the anthology series features episodes starring Michael Chiklis, Patrick J. Adams, William H. Macy, Felicity Huffman, Nick Cannon, Cobie Smulders, Taylor Schilling, Justin Chambers, Sherri Saum, Trevor White, Debra Winger, Mercedes Ruehl, Christine Ebersole, and Danny Pino.
“Eugene’s Story” Plot: A jewelry store owner (Jeong) is put on trial after interfering with his wife’s dicey past in the all-new “Eugene’s Story” episode of Accused.
Accused is a collection of intense, topical and human stories of crime and punishment. Each episode is a fast-paced provocative thriller, exploring a different crime, in a different city, with an entirely original cast. Based on the BBC’s BAFTA-winning crime anthology, each episode opens in a courtroom on the defendant, with viewers knowing nothing about their crime or how they ended up on trial.
Told from the defendant’s point of view through flashbacks, the show holds a mirror up to current times with evocative and emotional stories. In the end, audiences will discover how an ordinary person gets caught up in extraordinary circumstances, and how one impulsive decision can impact the course of that life – and the lives of others — forever.
Paramount+ with Showtime’s official Dexter: Original Sin trailer gives Dexter fans the first real look at the younger versions of the key players. Michael C. Hall returns to voice Dexter’s inner thoughts, and Patrick Gibson takes on the role of the serial killer in training.
The series also stars Molly Brown as Dexter’s sister, Debra, and Christian Slater as their father, Harry. Patrick Dempsey plays Aaron Spencer, James Martinez is Angel Batista, Christina Milian is Maria LaGuerta, Alex Shimizu is Vince Masuka, and Reno Wilson plays Bobby Watt. Emmy winner Sarah Michelle Gellar guest stars as Tanya Martin.
“Set in 1991 Miami, Dexter: Original Sin follows Dexter (Gibson) as he transitions from student to avenging serial killer. When his bloodthirsty urges can’t be ignored any longer, Dexter must learn to channel his inner darkness,” reads Paramount+ with Showtime’s synopsis. “With the guidance of his father, Harry (Slater), he adopts a Code designed to help him find and kill people who deserve to be eliminated from society without getting on law enforcement’s radar. This is a particular challenge for young Dexter as he begins a forensics internship at the Miami Metro Police Department.”
The 10-episode season premieres on December 13, 2024 on Paramount+ with Showtime and on Showtime on December 15th.
The prequel is executive produced by showrunner Clyde Phillips (Dexter), Scott Reynolds (Jessica Jones), Michael C. Hall (Six Feet Under), Mary Leah Sutton (Resident Evil), Tony Hernandez (Emily in Paris), and Lilly Burns (Russian Doll). Michael Lehmann (Heathers) is a directing executive producer and Robert Lloyd Lewis (The Lincoln Lawyer) serves as a producer.
Poster for ‘Dexter: Original Sin’ (Photo credit: Paramount+ with SHOWTIME)
