Jack O’Connell stars in ’71. (Photo credit: Dean Rogers)
Roadside Attractions is releasing ’71 in limited theaters on February 27, 2015 and they’ve just unveiled two new clips from the action thriller. Directed by Yann Demange, the cast is led by Unbroken‘s Jack O’Connell and includes Sam Reid and Sean Harris.
The Plot:
’71 takes place over a single night in the life of a young British soldier (Jack O’Connell) accidentally abandoned by his unit following a riot on the streets of Belfast in 1971. Unable to tell friend from foe, and increasingly wary of his own comrades, he must survive the night alone and find his way to safety through a disorientating, alien and deadly landscape.
With fun. on an indefinite break, lead singer Nate Ruess has been busy working on his first solo album, which is supposed to arrive later this year. His first single is “Nothing Without Love,” and was recorded with Jeff Bhasker and Emile Haynie (they both worked on fun.’s Some Nights) in a house that wasn’t supposed to be used as a recording studio.
“This is probably my favorite song I’ve ever written. The one I’ve listened to the most on repeat. And I can’t pinpoint what it is about it that makes its so special to me. Which makes me love it even more,” explained Ruess in the announcement accompanying the release of the “Nothing Without Love” music video. Ruess also revealed that the lyrics to this particular song came to him in the shower which might explain why so many of the scenes in the video involve water.
Sean Penn stars in ‘The Gunman’ (Photo Courtesy of Open Road Films)
Taken helmer Pierre Morel directs Sean Penn, Idris Elba, and Javier Bardem in the thriller The Gunman hitting theaters on March 20, 2015. A new trailer has arrived for the upcoming release and it features Sean Penn doing whatever it takes to rescue the woman he loves.
The Plot:
In this action thriller, Sean Penn stars as former special-ops agent James Terrier, who is suddenly targeted by some of the world’s best hit men. Terrier must dig into his top-secret past to figure out who wants him dead, and why.
Calista Flockhart’s returning to series TV with a role in CBS’s Supergirl starring Melissa Benoist. The cast of the upcoming comic book-inspired series also features Mehcad Brooks and Laura Benanti.
Benoist is onboard to play Kara/Supergirl, Brooks is Jimmy Olsen, and Benanti is playing Alura Zor-El. Flockhart’s confirmed to play Cat Grant.
Supergirl is being developed by DC Entertainment, Warner Bros, and Berlanti Productions.
Per DC Comics’ official announcement, Cat Grant is described as “a self-made media magnate and the founder of CatCo. On the show, Cat Grant started her career as a reporter and has built her company into a global powerhouse. Kara (Benoist) works at CatCo as her assistant.”
Kristen Wiig is the ‘me’ in Welcome to Me, a comedy/drama from director Shira Piven. The new trailer and poster have just been released for the May 1, 2015 release which also stars Wes Bentley, James Marsden, Tim Robbins, Joan Cusack, Jennifer Jason Leigh and Linda Cardellini.
The Plot:
What happens when a young woman with Borderline Personality Disorder wins the lottery? In the case of Alice Klieg (Wiig), she quits her psychiatric meds and buys her own talk show. Inspired by the immortal Oprah, she broadcasts her dirty laundry as both a form of exhibitionism and a platform to share her peculiar views on everything from nutrition to relationships to neutering pets.
January Jones as Betty Francis, Jon Hamm as Don Draper, Elisabeth Moss as Peggy Olson, Vincent Kartheiser as Pete Campbell, Christina Hendricks as Joan Harris and John Slattery as Roger Sterling in ‘Mad Men’ (Photo Credit: Frank Ockenfels 3 / AMC)
AMC’s Mad Men will be launching the premiere of the final episodes of season seven on April 5, 2015 and before it arrives AMC’s offering a look back with a new trailer titled “Nostalgia.” The new video shows clips from past seasons and offers up a trip down memory lane as we head toward the show’s finale.
The series stars Jon Hamm, January Jones, Elisabeth Moss, Vincent Kartheiser, Christina Hendricks, John Slattery, Jessica Paré, Rich Sommer, Aaron Staton, Kiernan Shipka, Jay Ferguson, and Christopher Stanley.
Frankie J. Alvarez, Jonathan Groff, and Murray Bartlett in ‘Looking’ (Photo: Richard Foreman / HBO)
HBO’s half hour dramedy Looking finishes up its second season with four new episodes airing in March 2015. Created by Michael Lannan, Looking stars Jonathan Groff, Murray Bartlett, and Frankie J. Alvarez.
Looking March 2015 Episodes:
Episode #15: “Looking for a Plot”
Debut: SUNDAY, MARCH 1 (10:00-10:30 p.m. ET/PT)
Other HBO playdates: March 1 (12:55 a.m., 2:55 a.m.), 3 (11:00 p.m.), 4 (8:00 p.m., 1:10 a.m.), 5 (10:45 p.m.), 6 (2:55 a.m.) and 7 (12:10 a.m.)
HBO2 playdates: March 2 (9:30 p.m.) and 3 (9:00 p.m.)
After learning of a sudden death in the family, Dom (Murray Bartlett) and Patrick (Jonathan Groff) travel with Doris (Lauren Weedman) to Dom and Doris’ hometown of Modesto, where they revisit old haunts and attend an emotional funeral.
Written by Jhoni Marchinko; directed by Andrew Haigh.
Episode #16: “Looking for Glory”
Debut: SUNDAY, MARCH 8 (10:00-10:30 p.m.)
Other HBO playdates: March 8 (12:45 a.m., 2:45 a.m.), 10 (11:00 p.m.), 11 (8:00 p.m., 1:00 a.m.), 12 (10:30 p.m.), 13 (2:30 a.m.) and 14 (2:00 a.m.)
HBO2 playdates: March 9 (9:30 p.m.) and 10 (9:00 p.m.)
Patrick is eager to present his new game app with Kevin (Russell Tovey) at the upcoming GaymerX convention, but soon worries that their app may not be ready yet. Dom shows Doris and Malik (Bashir Salahuddin) the progress on his chicken take-out window. Agustín (Frankie J. Alvarez) is forced to confront his underlying fears about having protected sex with HIV-pos Eddie (Daniel Franzese).
Written by Michael Lannan & JC Lee; directed by Jamie Babbit.
Episode #17: “Looking for Sanctuary”
Debut: SUNDAY, MARCH 15 (10:00-10:30 p.m.)
Other HBO playdates: March 15 (12:15 a.m., 1:50 a.m.), 17 (11:30 p.m.), 18 (8:00 p.m., 12:30 a.m.), 19 (10:30 p.m.), 20 (1:50 a.m.) and 21 (11:30 p.m.)
HBO2 playdates: March 16 (9:30 p.m.) and 17 (1:45 a.m.)
Patrick and Kevin look at a sleek new apartment for Kevin, and later, Patrick’s mom (Julia Duffy) convinces him to spend a day at the zoo with his judgmental sister Megan (Kelli Garner). Bad financial news drives a wedge in Doris and Dom’s friendship. Eddie convinces a resistant Agustín to take on an art project for the shelter.
Written by Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa & Tanya Saracho; directed by Craig Johnson.
Episode #18: “Looking for Home” (season finale)
Debut: SUNDAY, MARCH 22 (10:05-10:40 p.m.)
Other HBO playdates: March 22 (11:45 p.m., 1:25 a.m.), 24 (11:35 p.m.), 25 (8:00 p.m., 12:45 a.m.), 26 (10:40 p.m.), 27 (1:00 a.m.) and 28 (10:05 a.m.)
HBO2 playdates: March 23 (9:30 p.m.) and 24 (8:55 p.m.)
Patrick makes a discovery that leads him to question what he wants in a relationship. Malik encourages Dom to patch things up with Doris. Agustín’s nerves come out at the shelter’s mural unveiling.
Written by Andrew Haigh & John Hoffman; directed by Andrew Haigh.
Jimmy Kimmel’s 2015 post-Oscar broadcast found some of Hollywood’s biggest stars discussing one of the world’s greatest acting coaches: Jim Kimmel. Benedict Cumberbatch, Lupita Nyong’o, Harvey Weinstein, Mila Kunis, Eddie Redmayne, Jeff Bridges, and Kristen Bell praised the legendary coach. Also part of the lengthy skit were Susan Sarandon, Jennifer Aniston, Gary Oldman, Sean Penn, Matt Damon, John Krasinski, and Emily Blunt.
One of the most moving musical performances on the 2015 Oscars was John Legend and Common’s performance of “Glory” from Selma. The song also went on to win the Best Original Song Oscar, and Legend and Common had the star-studded audience on their feet (and some members in tears) when they delivered one of the evening’s best acceptance speeches.
“First, I would like to thank God, who lives in us all. Recently, John and I got to go to Selma and perform ‘Glory’ on the same bridge that Dr. King and the people of the civil rights movement marched on 50 years ago. This bridge was once a landmark of a divided nation but now is a symbol for change,” said Common on stage at the Oscars. “The spirit of this bridge transcends race, gender, religion, sexual orientation and social status. The spirit of this bridge connects the kid from the South Side of Chicago dreaming of a better life to those in France standing up for their freedom of expression, to the people in Hong Kong protesting for democracy. This bridge was built on hope, welded with compassion and elevated by love for all human beings.”
“Nina Simone said it’s an artist’s duty to reflect the times in which we live,” added Legend. “We wrote this song for a film that was based on events that were 50 years ago but we say that Selma is now because the struggle for justice is right now. We know that the Voting Rights Act that they fought for 50 years ago is being compromised right now in this country today. We know that right now the struggle for freedom and justice is real. We live in the most incarcerated country in the world. There are more black men under correctional control today than were under slavery in 1850. When people are marching with our song, we want to tell you we are with you, we see you, we love you, and march on. God bless you.”
After accepting their Oscar, Legend and Common headed backstage to speak with the media. Asked why they believe it’s important to use their fame to speak out, Common replied, “Well, as John spoke in his speech when he said Nina Simone and talked about using this platform, I feel like to whom much is given much is required. And the fact that we have an opportunity to get to a stage like the Oscars, I mean how could you not say anything, especially representing a film like Selma, representing the song ‘Glory,’ and just honestly being an artist that cares. Like beyond what we have done on this song, John has always made music about love. He’s been doing things for education for a long time. He stands up for issues. Him and his wife send trucks to people that were protesting, food trucks to people that were protesting in New York to support them. Those are the things that I feel like we can do as people in a position of power and influence. So yes, I feel it’s our duty. And I don’t hold any other artists accountable, but it’s our duty, if you recognize that, to do it.”
Academy members snubbed The LEGO Movie in the Animated Feature Film category but they did nominate the film’s catchy song “Everything is Awesome” in the Best Original Song category. It didn’t win (John Legend and Common’s “Glory” from Selma took home that Oscar) but at least The Lonely Island – Andy Samberg, Akiva Schaffer, and Jorma Taccone – and Tegan and Sara were part of the 87th Academy Awards’ most vibrant and bizarre musical number. And even the film’s voice of Batman, Will Arnett, hit the stage to sing a line during the “Everything is Awesome” number.
