Eseni Ellington, Sister and Claire Halbur star in ‘The Sisterhood’ (Photo by Scott Gries/Lifetime)
Five women who are considering becoming Catholic nuns will be at the center of The Sisterhood, a new docuseries on Lifetime. According to the network, the series will be the first time cameras have gone inside three convents to tell the story of women who are making the life-changing choice of devoting themselves to their religion and preparing to take their the vows. The convents that cooperated in the series include The Carmelites for the Aged and Infirm (Germantown, New York), The Daughters of St. Mary of Providence (Chicago, Illinois), and The Sister of St. Joseph the Worker (Walton, Kentucky).
The six-episode season one of The Sisterhood will debut on November 25, 2014 at 10pm ET/PT.
The Plot:
In observance of the sacred vows of chastity, poverty and obedience, they leave behind everything they have come to love – boyfriends, family members and all their worldly possessions – to see if they have what it takes to become servants of the church and brides of Christ.
Christie, 27, from Glendale, California, likes to rock out with her country music band while still following all the traditional tenets of the church.
Claire, 26, a parish music minister from Joliet, Illinois, was homeschooled throughout her childhood in a devout Catholic home.
Eseni, 23, a former beauty queen and aspiring model from the Bronx, rebelled against the church as a teen but has returned to Catholicism in search of her true calling.
Francesca, 21, is a recent graduate and die-hard believer from New Jersey who struggles with church positions on hot-button issues.
Stacey, 26, is a lifelong Catholic who lives in New York and has traveled throughout the country, performing in musical theater.
Director Juan Antonio Bayona (The Impossible) has started shooting his new film, A Monster Calls, starring Felicity Jones, Lewis MacDougall, Liam Neeson, Sigourney Weaver, Toby Kebbell, and Geraldine Chaplin. The big screen adaptation of Patrick Ness’ bestselling, award-winning novel will be shooting in Spain and England with an eye on releasing the film theatrically in 2016.
Focus Features is handling domestical distribution, Universal Pictures International is on board for the film’s theatrical and home entertainment release in Spain, and Lionsgate International is in charge of foreign sales. Belén Atienza is producing the movie and author Ness, Jeff Skoll, Jonathan King, Bill Pohlad, Mitch Horwits, and Patrick Wachsberger are executive producing. The film is being financed by Participant Media and River Road Entertainment.
“A Monster Calls is a beloved and iconic book, and I’m thrilled at the opportunity to create a world of monsters and fantasy that does it justice,” stated Bayona. “I’m also delighted to rejoin much of my creative team from The Impossible, and I couldn’t ask for a more talented and prestigious cast, and a more supportive group of studio partners, to help bring this incredible project to the screen.”
“Juan Antonio’s interpretation will bring this story into his own territory,” added producer Atienza. “Once again, we are making a movie with both huge technical challenges and a very intimate story that requires great sensitivity.”
The Plot:
A Monster Calls is a visually spectacular drama about 12-year-old Conor (MacDougall) who attempts to deal with his mother’s (Jones) illness and the bullying of his classmates by escaping into a fantastical world of monsters and fairy tales that explore courage, loss and faith. Neeson will star in performance-capture and voiceover as the nocturnally visiting monster of the title and Weaver will portray Conor’s maternal grandmother. Toby Kebbell is Conor’s father.
Lee Ann Womack (Photo Credit: John Scarpati / 2014 CMA Close Up® News Service / Country Music Association®, Inc.)
Released Sept. 23 by Sugar Hill Records, Lee Ann Womack’s The Way I’m Livin’ begins with a wounded whisper, followed by a gospel rouser that somehow begs for mercy while asserting the fervor of devotion, a heartbreaking account of one more night in a forsaken saloon, an exhilarating, string-soared plea for some way to reconcile these extremes … and so on through 13 songs that unfold like chapters in recounting a life nearly lost to turbulence and trouble.
Perhaps the most surprising thing about this celebration of narrative writing and nuanced vocal interpretation is that it all came together without much design. In fact, there was only one light guiding Womack and her producer/ husband Frank Liddell as they took their first steps in preproduction.
“The only agenda I had was to not think about anything except: Is this a great song or not? Is this a song that moves me or not? So when we were done, these are the songs we ended up with,” Womack explained.
“Over the years, Lee Ann and I would set aside songs that we like,” said Liddell. “I’ve always brought her songs. In fact, I’ve pitched some of her bigger hits to her. We always had that connection. I always thought she was a really good song listener. She has always listened and said, ‘I really like that’ as opposed to ‘What will this do for me?’ There’s not a lot of marketing thought behind it. She either likes it or she doesn’t.”
Womack’s respect and empathy for the marriage of strong melody and eloquent lyrics elevates her performance, suggests which words she will push slightly, the twists on the tune and other subtleties that mark her reach for each song’s essence, even its reason for existence.
Take the opening track, “Fly.” Written by Brent Cobb and Reed Foehl, it’s given a hushed, almost reverent treatment — unusual and even risky for kicking off any album. But in the context of The Way I’m Livin’, the selection and placement are perfect.
“It didn’t take long before I said, ‘Let’s just cut this one with acoustic guitar,’” Womack said. “That’s not really done at all anymore. But I just felt like stripping everything away to just a little bit of accompaniment to let this melody and lyric carry it.”
For both Womack and Liddell, “Chances Are” (Hayes Carll), the third track, is a diamond among the album’s varied gems. “The melody is unbelievable,” she noted. “It’s the kind of melody I can really get around. It’s Country but it has bluesy/jazzy influences to it. It’s got big, open spaces. The lyric is so vulnerable, but the character in the song lets me access not only my technique but also my soul.”
That character is a woman who has lived too long paled by neon lights and too often adrift after last call. “Oh, I’ve been there,” Womack admitted, with a laugh. “I know what the guitar sounds like coming out of a jukebox with the natural reverb of a room in a honky-tonk, with the neon glowing. That’s very familiar to me. I’m not one of those artists that act like everything is pretty and shiny all the time. That’s not what I do.”
Ultimately, The Way I’m Livin’ is a statement of faith — faith that the power and pain and reality in the heart of Country Music will always be kept alive, whether by Brandy Clark, Allison Moorer, Kacey Musgraves and other young innovators or by those who have long been rooted in tradition while reaching toward new generations.
“It’s always important to go back to the source, no matter if you’re writing a research paper or you’re a guitar player,” Womack insisted. “But the real, true artists don’t need me to tell them that. They’re going to seek that out because they’re going to feel it and know it in their heart. They’ll know it when they find the real deal.”
Fortunately, Once Upon a Time‘s fourth season will not consist entirely of storylines that have to do with Frozen. Frozen‘s Elsa, Anna, Kristoff, and Sven were introduced into the Once Upon a Time world with episode one of season four titled “A Tale of Two Sisters,” but the writers smartly made time to also focus on familiar Storybrooke residents including Emma, Hook, Regina, Belle, and Rumple (with a tiny bit of Charming, Snow, and Henry thrown in).
All of the talk leading up to this season’s premiere had been about how the Frozen characters would interact with and affect the lives of our favorite fairy tale characters, and with the opening episode of season four, we seem to have that question answered – for the most part.
“A Tale of Two Sisters” served to set up why Elsa is in Storybrooke as well as answer lingering questions from the season three finale: how would Regina react to having her heart broken, would Marian fit in in this strange land, and can Rumpelstiltskin give up the real dagger? Here’s a recap and review of what went down in episode one of season four:
Anna, Elsa, and Kristoff in Arendelle:
She’s pretty, bubbly, and optimistic, and as played by Elizabeth Lail, Anna in Once Upon a Time is a nearly perfect live-action adaptation of the animated movie’s Anna (voiced by Kristen Bell). Equally as well cast is Georgina Haig as Elsa, the Queen of Arendelle who’s worked hard at controlling her icy powers.
The first time we see either on screen in Once is as they’re holding hands while visiting the graves of their parents in Arendelle. It’s five years after the death of their parents in a shipwreck – an event which is briefly seen in the opening minutes of the episode, complete with the interesting revelation that they wrote a note to their daughters and set it to sea in a bottle – and the sisters are now incredibly close. Anna’s about to marry Kristoff, and Elsa tells her she has a special surprise just for her wedding: their mother’s wedding dress.
Anna is overwhelmed by the gorgeous dress, but Elsa is concerned that her sister’s husband-to-be won’t be appropriately attired for the wedding. Anna assures her that Kristoff will be fine and that even Sven will be dressed appropriately (for a reindeer).
Unfortunately, as Elsa waits for her sister to try on the dress, she notices an old book tucked away on a shelf. It’s their mother’s diary, and after reading a passage, Elsa thinks she’s responsible for her parents’ death. She believes her parents thought she was a monster and that’s why they left.
Of course, Anna tries to convince her that she’s misinterpreted what their mother wrote, but Elsa won’t budge. Anna suggests they visit her future in-laws, who might know why their parents left. However, Pabbie the troll (created using better-than-average CGI) doesn’t have the answer they’re seeking. He doesn’t know why they left but does know they were heading to Mist Haven when their ship went down.
Anna volunteers to go to Mist Haven, a suggestion that Elsa quickly rejects. Anna secretly decides to set sail anyway, and it’s up to Kristoff to try and keep Elsa busy so Anna can head out to sea without her sister being able to stop her. The relationship between Kristoff and Elsa is strained, but Kristoff does his best to try and calm her down once she learns her sister is gone.
The exchanges between Lail and Haig as Anna and Elsa feel genuine, and if the Frozen portion of this year’s show is not embraced by everyone, it will not be due to the acting of either of these ladies. As Kristoff, Scott Michael Foster is goofy, charming, and completely sells the idea that he carries on lengthy conversations (that aren’t just one-sided) with a reindeer.
The Frozen actors have the difficult task of living up to the animated versions while also fitting into the world of Once Upon a Time, a job they handled convincingly in episode one. Lail, Haig, and Foster have great chemistry and are terrific additions to the Once cast.
Regina’s pissed off and rightly so, but is she evil again? Just when she thought she could get her happily ever after, Maid Marian returns (thanks to Hook and Emma). Robin has deep feelings for Regina, which he confesses to her, and he even admits to Marian that he and Regina (Marian only knows her as the Evil Queen) were an item before she returned from the dead.
Robin is a decent man with a strong moral code and can’t break his marriage vows now that Marian’s back, which means that Regina is the odd man out. The big question left hanging between seasons three and four was whether or not Marian’s return would make Regina turn to the dark side, and it initially appears that’s what’s going to happen. She pays a visit to The Mirror (Giancarlo Esposito), who’s been locked away, and asks him to help her get rid of what’s keeping her from being happy.
In another part of Storybrooke, Emma, and Hook are trying to figure out who or what left an icy trail through the center of town. They track it down to the warehouse where Elsa, who followed them through the time portal, is trying to hide out. Frightened and confused, Elsa creates an ice monster that chases Hook and Emma out of the warehouse and then heads out into the forest where Robin and Marian just happen to be. Hook and Emma show up and face off against the creature, with Hook suggesting Emma use her powers to take it down. That doesn’t work and only serves to piss it off more, making it lash out and knock out everyone but Marian.
Suddenly, Regina appears on the scene (it’s not explained why she just happens to be in that part of the forest), and just when we’re led to believe she’ll let the creature kill Marian, she uses her powers to save Marian, Robin, Hook, and Emma, and defeat the monster. Marian admits Regina might not be evil anymore, and Regina proves she’s not after Marian after all when she tells The Mirror that she wants to find out who wrote the book and make them change it so that the villains and not just the good guys are capable of getting their happy endings.
Speaking of the good guys, season three seemed to indicate Hook and Emma’s relationship has been taken to a new level. However, Emma’s still putting Hook off, even tossing in a joke about wanting to go home and see what’s on Netflix (a reference Hook doesn’t get). Emma’s feeling guilty over ruining Regina’s life, but she gently kisses Hook and tells him to be patient. She walks away and Hook says, “I have all the time in the world unless another monster appears and kills me.”
As Emma, Regina, and Hook deal with the ice monster, Belle and Rumple are dancing the day away (in a very Beauty and the Beast-ish moment) at a house which mysteriously appeared and so far hasn’t been claimed by any Storybrooke resident. Earlier in the day, Rumple had paid a visit to Neal’s grave and told him that being a father made him feel like a man and that he was proud of the example Neal set and would try to live up to his memory.
“Your heroism has showed me the way. I promise I’ll spend my life repaying you for that,” says Rumple while kneeling at Neal’s grave. He also promises to give Belle the real dagger, which he actually does at the mysterious house. However, he’s not done using its power and waves it over a gold, jeweled box which he recognized immediately but didn’t tell Belle about. In an interesting twist that will likely find another character introduced into the world of Storybrooke very soon, the Sorcerer’s Apprentice hat appears after Rumple does his little bit of dagger magic.
Back at the warehouse, Elsa finds a newspaper with a picture of Belle and Rumple on the front page. Looking closer, she notices the necklace she gave her sister is in Rumple’s shop. She breaks in and sees it sitting on the counter. How it got there isn’t explained but Elsa has to be very suspicious of this town and its residents.
The Bottom Line:
Not everyone is sold on a season featuring Frozen characters, but episode one proved they fit nicely within the world created by Edward Kitsis and Adam Horowitz. Elsa’s powers were brought to life with first-rate CGI and even the troll looked better than CGI normally looks in the show. The ice monster was a little cheesy, but fortunately, it wasn’t alive long enough to drag the episode down.
Episode one set a lot of storylines for this season in motion, with Elsa now upset over her sister’s necklace being in Rumple’s shop and ready to get to the bottom of that mystery. The writers didn’t take the easy way out and make Regina (Lana Parrilla) full-on evil again and instead gave her a new enemy to target that shouldn’t put her directly at odds with Emma (Jennifer Morrison) and Hook (Colin O’Donoghue).
The relationship between Hook and Emma is taking tiny baby steps forward, which is a bit frustrating after everything they went through last season, but Emma’s at least indicating there’s a chance their relationship will blossom. And with the introduction of the Sorcerer’s Apprentice hat, there’s a new element of the season four story to be told that won’t be directly tied to the Frozen characters.
Overall, season four’s “A Tale of Two Sisters” accomplished what it was meant to, setting up the season while introducing just enough new elements to keep the show fresh.
Liam Neeson’s back in action hero mode for the third film of the Taken franchise, Taken 3, and 20th Century Fox is now showing off the first official trailer. Maggie Grace and Famke Janssen also return for the thriller directed by Olivier Megaton and heading to theaters in January 9, 2015. Luc Besson co-wrote and produces the action adventure and Forest Whitaker, Dougray Scott, Sam Spruell, and Leland Orser co-star.
The Plot:
Liam Neeson returns as ex-covert operative Bryan Mills, whose reconciliation with his ex-wife is tragically cut short when she is brutally murdered. Consumed with rage, and framed for the crime, he goes on the run to evade the relentless pursuit of the CIA, FBI and the police. For one last time, Mills must use his “particular set of skills,” to track down the real killers, exact his unique brand of justice, and protect the only thing that matters to him now – his daughter.
Meghan Trainor, Katy Perry, Maroon 5, and Ariana Grande are all featured on NOW That’s What I Call Music!Vol. 52 set for release on October 27, 2014. The bestselling music compilation series has reached the top of the Billboard Top 10 chart 18 times and has sold over 250 million albums since the first CD of the series was released way back in 1998. It’s also responsible for helping to bring attention to up-and-coming songs with its New Music Preview tracks which are part of each album of the numbered series. The five artists chosen to be spotlighted on Vol 52 are Shawn Mendes, Hilary Duff, Alex & Sierra, Eden Xo, and Rae Sremmurd.
NOW That’s What I Call Music! Vol. 52 [CD, digital] Track List
1. Jessie J., Ariana Grande, Nicki Minaj – Bang Bang
2. Meghan Trainor – All About That Bass
3. Enrique Iglesias feat. Sean Paul, Descemer Bueno & Gente de Zona – Bailando
4. Nicki Minaj – Anaconda
5. Iggy Azalea w/ Rita Ora – Black Widow
6. Katy Perry – This Is How We Do
7. Clean Bandit w/ Jess Glynne – Rather Be
8. Ariana Grande w/ Zedd – Break Free
9. Pitbull feat. John Ryan – Fireball
10. OneRepublic – Love Runs Out
11. Maroon 5 – Maps
12. Nico & Vinz – Am I Wrong
13. Kiesza – Hideaway
14. Becky G – Shower
15. 5 Seconds of Summer – Amnesia
16. Jason Aldean – Burnin’ It Down
BONUS TRACKS: “NOW What’s Next” New Music Preview
17. Shawn Mendes – Life Of The Party
18. Hilary Duff – All About You
19. Alex & Sierra – Scarecrow
20. Eden Xo – Too Cool To Dance
21. Rae Sremmurd – No Flex Zone
Paul Thomas Anderson returns to the director’s chair with Inherent Vice based on Thomas Pynchon’s novel and starring Joaquin Phoenix. Warner Bros Pictures is releasing the film in theaters on December 12, 2014 and given its director and cast (Phoenix, Reese Witherspoon, Owen Wilson, Josh Brolin, Benicio Del Toro, Katherine Waterston, and Jena Malone), this could be one of the studio’s big Oscar hopefuls.
The Plot:
When private eye Doc Sportello’s ex-old lady suddenly out of nowhere shows up with a story about her current billionaire land developer boyfriend whom she just happens to be in love with, and a plot by his wife and her boyfriend to kidnap that billionaire and throw him in a loony bin…well, easy for her to say.
It’s the tail end of the psychedelic `60s and paranoia is running the day and Doc knows that “love” is another of those words going around at the moment, like “trip” or “groovy,” that’s being way too overused—except this one usually leads to trouble.
With a cast of characters that includes surfers, hustlers, dopers and rockers, a murderous loan shark, LAPD Detectives, a tenor sax player working undercover, and a mysterious entity known as the Golden Fang, which may only be a tax dodge set up by some dentists… Part surf noir, part psychedelic romp—all Thomas Pynchon.
Michelle Yeoh stars in Netflix’s CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON: THE GREEN LEGEND. Photo credit: Rico Torres for Netflix
Filming is now underway in New Zealand on the Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon sequel, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: The Green Legend, directed by Yuen Wo-Ping and starring Michelle Yeoh and Donnie Yen. The Crouching Tiger sequel marks Netflix’s first original movie, with the streaming network targeting an August 28, 2015 release on Netflix and in select IMAX theaters.
The sequel also features Harry Shum Jr, Jason Scott Lee, Roger Yuan, Eugenia Yuan, and Natasha Liu Bordizzo. John Fusco wrote the screenplay based on Wang Dulu’s Iron Knight, Silver Vase, and Harvey Weinstein, Peter Berg, and Sarah Aubrey are on board as producers.
“Fans will have unprecedented choice in how they enjoy an amazing and memorable film that combines intense action and incredible beauty,” stated Netflix Chief Content Officer Ted Sarandos, announcing the start of production. “We are honored to be working with Harvey Weinstein and a world-class team of creators to bring this epic story to people all over the world and to partner with IMAX, a brand that represents the highest quality of immersive entertainment, in the distribution of this film.”
“The moviegoing experience is evolving quickly and profoundly, and Netflix is unquestionably at the forefront of that movement,” said TWC Co-Chairman Harvey Weinstein. “We are tremendously excited to be continuing our great relationship with Netflix and bringing to fans all over the world the latest chapter in this amazing and intriguing story.”
“IMAX has a terrific opportunity, via this partnership with Netflix, to release Crouching Tiger – a high-quality, action-packed film that is right in our wheelhouse — at the end of the summer blockbuster season,” added Greg Foster, Senior Executive Vice President, IMAX Corp. and CEO of IMAX Entertainment.
The Plot:
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: The Green Legend echoes the themes of the original movie, but tells its own story — one of lost love, young love, a legendary sword and one last opportunity at redemption, set against breathtaking action in an epic martial arts battle between good and evil that will decide the fate of the Martial World.
Donnie Yen stars in Netflix’s CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON: THE GREEN LEGEND. (Photo credit: Rico Torres for Netflix)
The first single off of The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1 soundtrack has been released, with Lorde’s “Yellow Flicker Beat” marking the Grammy winner’s third official U.S. single. The soundtrack, which will hit stores in November, was curated by Lorde who hand-picked the artists who contributed songs.
The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1 will open in theaters on November 21, 2014 and was directed by Francis Lawrence. The cast is led by Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, and Liam Hemsworth and features Woody Harrelson, Julianne Moore, Elizabeth Banks, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Sam Claflin, Jena Malone, and Jeffrey Wright.
The Plot:
The worldwide phenomenon of The Hunger Games continues to set the world on fire with The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1, which finds Katniss Everdeen (Lawrence) in District 13 after she literally shatters the games forever. Under the leadership of President Coin (Moore) and the advice of her trusted friends, Katniss spreads her wings as she fights to save Peeta (Hutcherson) and a nation moved by her courage.
Model/actress Naomi Campbell has joined the cast of Fox’s Empire in a recurring guest starring role. The series, which is set to premiere in 2015, stars Terrence Howard and Taraji P. Henson. Lee Daniels (Lee Daniels’ The Butler) co-created the dramatic series and serves as an executive producer along with Danny Strong and Brian Grazer.
In addition to Naomi Campbell, Fox also announced Gladys Knight will appear as her herself in a cameo.
“Naomi is a beautiful actress. Underrated in my mind,” said Daniels. “She will be wonderful as Camilla. I am truly thrilled to have one of my close friends join us.”
“It’s an honor to follow in the footsteps of actresses like Halle Berry, Oprah, Gabourey Sidibe and Mo’Nique, and work with Lee Daniels,” stated Campbell. “I’m looking forward to joining Lee and this amazing cast on set.”
The Plot:
Music mogul Lucious Lyon (Howard) is the CEO of Empire Entertainment. He is the king of hip-hop, whose reign has been unchallenged for years…until his health begins to fail, which prompts his three sons, Hakeem (Bryshere Gray), JAMAL (Jussie Smollett) and Andre (Trai Byers), to battle for control of their father’s corporation. But as Lucious begins the process of choosing a successor, his plans are thrown into chaos when his ex-wife, Cookie (Henson), mysteriously emerges from prison seven years early.
Fox says Campbell will play Camilla, “an alluring woman involved in a steamy affair with the much-younger potential heir to his father’s throne, Hakeen, over whom she exercises considerable influence.”
