The second episode of the final season of FX’s Sons of Anarchy is titled Toil and Till and airs on September 16, 2014 at 10pm. As battle lines are drawn following the death of the man Jax believes was responsible for Tara’s murder, SAMCRO turns to another Charter for help getting a particularly messy job done. Meanwhile, Juice (Theo Rossi) seems to be living on borrowed time as the walls are closing in, and Jax (Charlie Hunnam) has an emotional moment while laying in bed with his son.
George Clooney’s a favorite among members of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association and now the group will be honoring the actor with their 2015 Cecil B. DeMille Award at the 72nd Annual Golden Globes. The 2015 Golden Globes, which will be honoring the best in movies and television from 2014, will be held on January 11, 2015 and will air on NBC at 5pm PT/8pm ET.
Clooney’s a 12-time Golden Globe nominee and a four-time Golden Globe winner and according to Hollywood Foreign Press Association President Theo Kingma, he was chosen for his “outstanding contributions both in front of and behind the camera.”
Previous winners of the Cecil B. DeMille Award include Woody Allen (2014), Jodie Foster (2013), Morgan Freeman, (2012), Robert De Niro (2011), Martin Scorsese (2010), Steven Spielberg (2009), Warren Beatty (2007), Anthony Hopkins (2006), Robin Williams (2005), Michael Douglas (2004), Gene Hackman (2003), Harrison Ford (2002), Al Pacino (2001), and Barbra Streisand (2000).
Clooney will next be seen in Brad Bird’s Tomorrowland and is set to begin working with the Coen Brothers again on Hail, Ceasar!, coming to theaters in 2015.
-By Rebecca Murray
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Godzilla stomps onto home video with a Blu-ray + DVD + Digital HD combo pack releasing in stores on September 16, 2014. As our critic Ian Forbes stated in his review of the theatrical release that this Godzilla film didn’t need to be seen on the big screen in 3D as that format did nothing to up the audience enjoyment level for this reboot of the classic creature tale. The unnecessary 3D aside, the film looked gorgeous in theaters, and it retains its sharpness in its transition to home video.
For those who haven’t seen Godzilla in theaters, be sure to watch it at home in a dark environment as by the time the second act kicks off, the color palette changes to shades that make it impossible to make out details in a room with lights on. That’s no fault of the Blu-ray/DVD transfer, but just a choice made by director Gareth Edwards that adds to the intense action and suspense on screen.
The audio also made the shift to home video without losing much of the crispness of Godzilla’s roar. The audio track delivers clear sounds that add to the action on the screen rather than come across as background clangs and clatter.
As for the bonus features, unfortunately Godzilla arrives on Blu-ray and DVD without a commentary track. Monster fans who are looking for an in-depth discussion of this latest entry in the Godzilla franchise could walk away a little disappointed as the bonus material while delving into the creature’s background, is more for the average Godzilla audience than for true Godzilla fanatics.
There are seven featurettes included in the bonus material are split into two categories. The MONARCH: Declassified category examines the history of Godzilla via three featurettes made up as actual films that display evidence about the creature not seen in the Godzilla movie. Up first is Operation: Lucky Dragon, a ‘classic’ film about Monarch’s origins and the first Godzilla encounter. Then comes MONARCH: The M.U.T.O. File which is a contemporary short film explaining the history of M.U.T.O. And the final film is a mockumentary with a researcher who wasn’t privy to all the behind-the-scenes info trying to put together what led up to the events in the movie.
The Legendary Godzilla category is made up of four behind-the-scenes featurettes. Godzilla: Force of Nature has the cast and crew talking about the Godzilla franchise over the years, how this Godzilla was designed, the effects, and the task of making sure the scale of the creatures and buildings remained consistent throughout the entire film. A Whole New Level of Destruction looks at the sets and locations, and Into the Void: The H.A.L.O. Jump focuses on putting together a specific scene. The final bonus feature is Ancient Enemy: The M.U.T.O.s which looks at the physical and sound design as well as the M.U.T.O.s role in this Godzilla movie.
GRADE: B
The Godzilla Plot:
An epic rebirth to Toho’s iconic Godzilla, this spectacular adventure, from Warner Bros. Pictures and Legendary Pictures, pits the world’s most famous monster against malevolent creatures who, bolstered by humanity’s scientific arrogance, threaten our very existence.
– Top 10 Lamest Godzilla Movie Monsters
ABC’s Once Upon a Time‘s season four poster puts a Frozen twist on the Queen’s red apple. This fourth season of the fairy tale adventure series introduces Frozen‘s key players – Elsa (Georgina Haig), Anna (Elizabeth Lail), Kristoff (Scott Michael Foster), and Hans (Tyler Jacob Moore) – to the town of Storybrooke. When the show kicks off the new season on September 28, 2014 at 8pm ET/PT, we can expect the lives of all our favorite townsfolk to be shaken up by their arrival.
The Once Upon a Time Season 4 Plot:
Master storytellers Edward Kitsis and Adam Horowitz invite everyone to join Emma Swan, Snow White, Prince Charming, The Evil Queen, Hook and all the other resident fairytale characters as they prepare to defend themselves against a magical force from the past that’s too unpredictable even for Rumplestiltskin – Elsa, the Ice Queen from Arendelle.
Welcome to Storybrooke, Maine, a small town that probably won’t show up on your GPS, but it’s a magical place to visit. Reality and myth merged after Emma broke Regina’s curse, which had deprived the fairy tale characters of their memories and trapped them in our modern world. When they finally regained their identities, our heroes were dismayed to discover that they weren’t transported back to Fairy Tale Land. To make matters worse, Rumplestiltskin – aka Mr. Gold – decided to escalate his power struggle with Regina by introducing magic into the town. But this is our world, and magic always has a tendency to yield unfathomable consequences.
After defeating Zelena – the Wicked Witch of the West – Emma and Hook were pulled into her time portal, which brought them back to the Enchanted Forest of the past. When they accidentally thwarted the initial meeting of Snow White and Prince Charming, Emma and Hook had to find a way to fix the timeline and get them together, or risk altering their futures and possibly obliterating Emma and Henry’s existence; not an easy task to undertake. When Emma was captured by The Evil Queen, she met a female prisoner scheduled to be executed.
Upon finding a way to escape, Emma saved the prisoner’s life by taking her along. But Hook believed the woman’s fate was to die and feared that things could be altered by her continued existence. After successfully getting her parents back on track, Emma, Hook and the prisoner found themselves captured by Rumplestiltskin and imprisoned in a room that contained his most unpredictable magic. With no way to escape, Emma discovered that her own magic had returned, and she was able to whisk herself, Hook, and the prisoner back to present-day Storybrooke.
Upon their joyous return, Emma learned that the prisoner was none other than Robin Hood’s wife, Marian, who was presumed dead in the previous timeline. Regina and Robin Hood had begun to fall madly in love with one another, but with Marian’s return, their relationship could be in danger. And, unbeknownst to anyone, Emma and Hook also brought back Elsa.
You never give up on the people you love…
The Storybrooke residents do not know what Elsa has in store for them. Back in the past, in Elsa’s kingdom of Arendelle, we will discover what happened to her, her sister Anna and Kristoff, and how and why Elsa became a prisoner of Rumplestiltskin. And now that Emma has brought back Robin Hood’s wife, Marian, and possibly sparked the end of Regina’s relationship with him, will she return to her old, evil ways and do everything in her power to get even? And newlyweds Belle and Rumplestiltskin continue to be deeply in love with each other. But Rumple is hiding a secret from Belle — one that, if found out, could destroy their happiness – he continues to be the master of the dagger that calls upon him to be the Dark One.
Can Emma and Hook commit to one another, and can these two damaged people take their love to the next level? Mary Margaret and David have a new baby, Prince Neal, and are looking forward to raising him into a proud, brave, and loving adult. But they are still sad that they were not able to do this with Emma, instead helping her escape the curse when she was first born and not meeting her again until she was 28 years old. Henry is very happy to have both of his mothers back in Storybrooke. But with biological mom Emma and paternal grandfather Rumplestiltskin’s blood running through his veins, he will be tested by both the light and the darkness. Finally, Will Scarlet (Michael Socha, Once Upon a Time in Wonderland), a former member of Robin Hood’s band of Merry Men, has traveled across many lands to make his way to Storybrooke. He finds himself intertwined in the goings-on in town for the first time as his mysterious past pushes him to an unknown future.
As the season continues, new fairy tale characters will be revealed, and old acquaintances will be revisited. But not everyone can be trusted.
Ellen DeGeneres and Kristen Wiig admitted they don’t know the words to Frozen‘s “Let It Go,” yet that didn’t stop them from attempting a duet of the popular tune. Reading the words and trying to keep up with the track, Ellen and Wiig pretty much butchered “Let It Go” but they redeemed themselves by singing loudly and by getting up on a table to send the song off with a big finish.
Dating Naked will be back for a second season as just announced today by VH1. The reality dating series which features, obviously, singles ready to date sans clothing has been averaging 1 million viewers since debuting on July 17, 2014.
Season one, currently airing on Thursday nights at 9pm, will feature a reality TV dating show first on September 18th: a naked wedding in which the bride, groom, family, friends, and Dating Naked couples will all be nude. I’m going to assume that if you’re only planning on catching one episode of this series, the “Dating Naked: The Wedding” episode should be the one you settle down to watch.
“Dating Naked has been a ratings success for us and a viewer favorite,” said Susan Levison, Executive Vice President, Original Programming & Production for VH1. “VH1 has always been about shaping the cultural conversation and we’re so glad to have created another pop culture lightning rod. The show is funny, engaging, and it actually works – we’ve helped 6 couples find love this season. You’re welcome, America.”
“We couldn’t be happier to be producing a second season of Dating Naked,” said Howard Schultz, President of Lighthearted Entertainment. “The show has turned out to be everything we had hoped for: inspiring, funny and illuminating, and we are thrilled that viewers have embraced it. VH1 has been incredibly supportive throughout development, production and promotion and we thank them for this vote of confidence.”
The Plot of Dating Naked:
Dating Naked is a one-hour weekly series that explores the pursuit of romance free of pre-conceived notions, stereotypes — and clothes. Filmed in a remote exotic locale, each close-ended episode follows a man and a woman both going on three naked dates, including two with other suitors and one with each other. At the end of the episode, the romance seekers analyze what they’ve learned from their dates before deciding whether to move forward with a prospective love match.
Once everyone has stripped away the artifices of our modern world and revealed their ultimate, honest selves, the results are surprising. Hosted by Amy Paffrath, the series consists of 10 one-hour episodes edited according to network standards.
Feast your eyes on the first official trailer for Lionsgate’s The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1 starring Jennifer Lawrence, Liam Hemsworth, Woody Harrelson, and Donald Sutherland. It’s one minute and 48 seconds worth of Hunger Games goodness and shows Peeta (Josh Hutcherson) as the Capitol’s newest weapon, a hero-reluctantly-turned-traitor who’s being used against Katniss and the Districts to try and quell the rebellion.
The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1 opens in theaters on November 21, 2014.
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 (Jennifer Lawrence) in District 13 after she literally shatters the games forever. Under the leadership of President Coin (Julianne Moore) and the advice of her trusted friends, Katniss spreads her wings as she fights to save Peeta (Josh Hutcherson) and a nation moved by her courage. The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1 is directed by Francis Lawrence from a screenplay by Danny Strong and Peter Craig and produced by Nina Jacobson’s Color Force in tandem with producer Jon Kilik. The novel on which the film is based is the third in a trilogy written by Suzanne Collins that has over 65 million copies in print in the U.S. alone.
The Cast:
Jennifer Lawrence (Katniss Everdeen)
Josh Hutcherson (Peeta Mellark)
Liam Hemsworth (Gale Hawthorne)
Woody Harrelson (Haymitch Abernathy)
Elizabeth Banks (Effie Trinket)
Julianne Moore (President Coin)
Philip Seymour Hoffman (Plutarch Heavensbee)
Jeffrey Wright (Beetee)
Sam Claflin (Finnick Odair)
Jena Malone (Johanna Mason)
Stanley Tucci (Caesar Flickerman)
Donald Sutherland (President Snow)
-By Rebecca Murray
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On Saturday, September 20, 2014 Nickelodeon, Nicktoons, Nick Jr., TeenNick, Nick.com, NickJr.com, Nicktoons.com, TeenNick.com and the Emmy® Award-winning Nick App will all be inaccessible – on purpose – from 12pm to 3pm (all times ET/PT). It’s Nickelodeon’s way of prompting kids to do something besides stare at a screen for a few hours and is part of the 11th Annual Worldwide Day of Play. The network’s also teaming up with sports organizations and the Boys and Girls Club of America to host events celebrating kids at play and away from their TVs, computers, etc.
“This year’s Worldwide Day of Play celebration will cap off a summer of ‘Road to Worldwide Day of Play” local-market visits in San Diego, Detroit, and Virginia Beach where we teamed up with grassroots organizations to celebrate kids and all the ways they stay active,” stated Marva Smalls, Executive Vice President of Public Affairs, Nickelodeon Group. “Nickelodeon is taking the spirit of those visits to a global level on Sept. 20 for Worldwide Day of Play, when our partners host almost 4,000 events to encourage kids and their families everywhere to be more physically active.”
The Worldwide Day of Play is part of Nickelodeon’s prosocial initiatives promoting healthy kids. Kids and parents can even visit http://www.nick.com/play for ideas on playing and tips on helping to plan the WWDoP day.
Before going dark at noon, Nickelodeon is planning to air “health and wellness-themed messaging” starting at 9am. Then at 12pm, Nickelodeon will go off the air with a simple message telling kids and families to go play.
-By Rebecca Murray
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Dolphin Tale 2 brought back the stars of the first film including Winter the dolphin but still couldn’t match the $19.1 million Dolphin Tale made over its opening weekend in 2011. The second film about the dolphin with a prosthetic tale was expected to at least come close to Dolphin Tale‘s opening numbers but instead rang up only $16 million, good enough for a second place finish. Meanwhile, No Good Deed starring Idris Elba and Taraji P. Henson over-performed, finishing the weekend at the top of the box office chart with a better than expected $24.5 million.
The weekend’s real surprise came with the sixth place finish of The Drop. The dramatic film starring Tom Hardy, Noomi Rapace, and an adorable Pit Bull puppy marked the final theatrical film of James Gandolfini, and despite opening in limited release in just 809 theaters, it brought in $4.2 million.
1. No Good Deed – $24,500,000
2. Dolphin Tale 2 – $16,550,000
3. Guardians of the Galaxy – $8,041,000
4. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles – $4,800,000
5. Let’s Be Cops – $4,300,000
6. The Drop – $4,200,000
7. If I Stay – $4,050,000
8. The November Man – $2,750,000
9. The Giver – $2,626,000
10. The Hundred-Foot Journey – $2,461,000
11. When the Game Stands Tall – $2,375,000
12. As Above, So Below – $2,100,360
-By Rebecca Murray
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Actually, it’s from a galaxy far, far away… Director Zack Snyder’s tweeted out a new Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice ‘set photo’ that features an unlikely criminal: a Stormtrooper. The photo’s just the latest entry in Zack Snyder and Star Wars: Episode VII‘s director JJ Abrams’ twitter mashup battle, with this new picture showing Gotham’s police arresting a Stormtrooper and Snyder writing, “Case closed.”
Previous tweets have included Batman with R2-D2 and C-3P0 as Batman (“THE C3PED CRUSADER”).
Case closed. pic.twitter.com/fVyENoksFp
— ZackSnyder (@ZackSnyder) September 13, 2014
So how will JJ Abrams respond? I vote for Chewbacca wearing Superman’s cape.
-By Rebecca Murray
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