Molly Parker (House of Cards, Lost in Space) stars in Fox’s new medical drama Doc, inspired by a true story and based on the hit Italian drama. Doc will premiere on Tuesday, January 7, 2025 at 9pm ET/PT.
Molly Parker plays Chief of Internal Medicine Dr. Amy Larsen, Omar Metwally is Dr. Michael Hamda, Amirah Vann is Dr. Gina Walker, Jon Ecker is Dr. Jake Heller, and Anya Banerjee is Dr. Sonya Maitra. Season one guest stars include Scott Wolf as Dr. Richard Miller and Patrick Walker as Dr. TJ Coleman.
“If At First You Don’t Succeed” Plot: When Chief of Internal Medicine Dr. Amy Larsen suffers a catastrophic brain injury, her life is turned upside down. Still, determined to once again practice medicine, she charts a new path forward, ready to face whatever obstacles stand in her way.
After a late-night car crash results in severe head trauma, Amy wakes up from surgery with no recollection of the patients she’s treated, the colleagues she’s crossed and the tragedy that caused her to push almost everyone away. The relief that Amy gets from seeing her family post-accident is fleeting when she learns the incomprehensible – that she and her beloved husband, Dr. Michael Hamda have been divorced for four years. In fact, her entire family is not at all as she remembers them, rocking her foundation to the core.
Amy’s best friend, neuropsychiatrist Dr. Gina Walker, has little guidance to give her for this new reality since matters of the brain are, even to the experts, still a big mystery. While Gina is hopeful, she does not know if Amy will ever recover her memories. In Amy’s fragile state, Gina must choose carefully what information from the past eight years to reveal to her, scared that too much too soon could prove more harmful than good. This includes her secret romance with Dr. Jake Heller, since Amy now has no recollection of ever meeting him before, let alone being in a passionate relationship with him. Certain other memories, those close to her believe, would perhaps be too painful to relive and are best left forgotten.
In a fateful irony, that’s the fervent hope for Amy’s colleague, Dr. Richard Miller, who has now been promoted to take over as Chief of Internal Medicine after Amy’s accident. Richard is desperate for Amy’s memories to never return since she was the only person to uncover his career-ending mistake – another thing she now doesn’t recall.
And Richard isn’t alone in relishing Amy’s predicament – her previously contentious and unkind behavior left her with more than a few enemies at the hospital, including Dr. Sonya Maitra. While she does remember Dr. TJ Coleman, she does not recall that he became a doctor – nor that it was she who inspired him to do so.
Feeling completely off balance and having to piece together what happened through the prism of other people’s subjective points of view, practicing medicine remains the one constant for Amy, and she is determined to become a doctor again. While she may never get back what she’s lost, Amy knows she’s been given a second chance to do things differently and she will not take that gift for granted.
2025 will be a year of sequels and live-action reimaginings of blockbuster animated films. Marvel and DC are feeding comic book fans’ appetites with a handful of 2025 theatrical releases. Wicked wraps up, we’ll finally get a look at the world 28 years after Danny Boyle and Alex Garland’s came up with their version of a zombie apocalypse, and Mission: Impossible serves up its first direct sequel of the franchise with Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning.
Ana de Armas slips into the John Wick world, horror fans will be treated to The Bride and Wolf Man, and Edgar Wright takes on a new adaptation of Stephen King’s The Running Man with Glen Powell in the lead. Theaters will also be filled with fans of James Cameron’s Avatar franchise with the December release of the third film of the franchise, Avatar: Fire and Ash.
Here’s a look at 25 of the most anticipated 2025 movies in release date order:
Wolf Man (January 17) Director: Leigh Whannell Starring: Julia Garner, Christopher Abbott, Matlida Firth, Sam Jaeger, Ben Prendergast, and Benedict Hardie
The Plot: Christopher Abbott stars as Blake, a San Francisco husband and father, who inherits his remote childhood home in rural Oregon after his own father vanishes and is presumed dead. With his marriage to his high-powered wife, Charlotte (Garner), fraying, Blake persuades Charlotte to take a break from the city and visit the property with their young daughter, Ginger (Firth).
But as the family approaches the farmhouse in the dead of night, they’re attacked by an unseen animal and, in a desperate escape, barricade themselves inside the home as the creature prowls the perimeter. As the night stretches on, however, Blake begins to behave strangely, transforming into something unrecognizable, and Charlotte will be forced to decide whether the terror within their house is more lethal than the danger without.
Captain America: Brave New World (February 14) Director: Julius Onah Starring: Anthony Mackie, Harrison Ford, Danny Ramirez, Shira Haas, Xosha Roquemore, Carl Lumbly, Giancarlo Esposito, Liv Tyler, and Tim Blake Nelson
The Plot: After meeting with newly elected U.S. President Thaddeus Ross, played by Harrison Ford in his Marvel Cinematic Universe debut, Sam (Mackie) finds himself in the middle of an international incident. He must discover the reason behind a nefarious global plot before the true mastermind has the entire world seeing red.
Paddington in Peru (February 14) Director: Dougal Wilson Starring: Ben Whishaw, Hugh Bonneville, Emily Mortimer, Julie Walters, Jim Broadbent, Imelda Staunton, Carla Tous, Madeleine Harris, Samuel Joslin, Olivia Colman, and Antonio Banderas
The Plot: Full of Paddington’s signature blend of wit, charm, and laugh-out-loud humor, Paddington in Peru finds the beloved, marmalade-loving bear lost in the jungle on an exciting, high-stakes adventure. When Paddington discovers his beloved Aunt Lucy has gone missing from the Home for Retired Bears, he and the Brown family head to the wilds of Peru to look for her, the only clue to her whereabouts a spot marked on an enigmatic map.
Determined to solve the mystery, Paddington embarks on a thrilling quest through the rainforests of the Amazon to find his aunt…and may also uncover one of the world’s most legendary treasures.
Mickey 17 (March 7) Director: Bong Joon-ho Starring: Robert Pattinson, Naomi Ackie, Steven Yeun, Toni Collette, and Mark Ruffalo
The Plot: The unlikely hero, Mickey Barnes (Pattinson) has found himself in the extraordinary circumstance of working for an employer who demands the ultimate commitment to the job… to die, for a living,” reads Warner Bros Pictures’ synopsis.
Black Bag (March 14) Director: Steven Soderbergh Starring: Cate Blanchett, Michael Fassbender, Marisa Abela, Tom Burke, Naomie Harris, Regé-Jean Page, and Pierce Brosnan
The Plot: From director Steven Soderbergh, Black Bag is a gripping spy drama about legendary intelligence agents George Woodhouse and his beloved wife Kathryn. When she is suspected of betraying the nation, George faces the ultimate test – loyalty to his marriage or his country.
Disney’s Snow White (March 21) Director: Marc Webb Starring: Rachel Zegler, Gal Gadot, and Andrew Burnap
The Plot: Disney’s Snow White is a live-action musical reimagining of the classic 1937 film. The magical music adventure journeys back to the timeless story with beloved characters Bashful, Doc, Dopey, Grumpy, Happy, Sleepy, and Sneezy.
Poster for ‘A Minecraft Movie’
A Minecraft Movie (April 4) Director: Jared Hess Starring: Jason Momoa, Jack Black, Emma Myers, Danielle Brooks, Sebastian Eugene Hansen, and Eugene Hansen
The Plot: Welcome to the world of Minecraft, where creativity doesn’t just help you craft, it’s essential to one’s survival! Four misfits—Garrett ‘The Garbage Man’ Garrison (Momoa), Henry (Hansen), Natalie (Myers), and Dawn (Brooks)—find themselves struggling with ordinary problems when they are suddenly pulled through a mysterious portal into the Overworld: a bizarre, cubic wonderland that thrives on imagination. To get back home, they’ll have to master this world (and protect it from evil things like Piglins and Zombies, too) while embarking on a magical quest with an unexpected, expert crafter, Steve (Black).
Together, their adventure will challenge all five to be bold and to reconnect with the qualities that make each of them uniquely creative…the very skills they need to thrive back in the real world.
Sinners (April 18) Director: Ryan Coogler Starring: Michael B. Jordan, Hailee Steinfeld, Jack O’Connell, Wunmi Mosaku, Jayme Lawson, Omar Benson Miller, and Delroy Lindo
The Plot: Trying to leave their troubled lives behind, twin brothers (Jordan) return to their hometown to start again, only to discover that an even greater evil is waiting to welcome them back.
Thunderbolts* (May 2) Director: Jake Schreier Starring: Florence Pugh, Sebastian Stan, David Harbour, Wyatt Russell, Olga Kurylenko, Hannah John-Kamen, and Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Lewis Pullman, and Geraldine Viswanathan
The Plot: A group of supervillains are recruited to go on missions for the government.
Lilo & Stitch (May 23) Director: Dean Fleischer-Camp Starring: Maia Kealoha, Sydney Elizebeth Agudong, Billy Magnussen, Tia Carrere, Hannah Waddingham, Courtney B. Vance, and Zach Galifianakis. The original film’s director Chris Sanders returns to voice Stitch.
The Plot: A live-action reimagining of Disney’s 2002 animated classic, Lilo & Stitch is the wildly funny and touching story of a lonely Hawaiian girl and the fugitive alien who helps to mend her broken family.
Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning (May 23) Director: Christopher McQuarrie Starring: Tom Cruise, Haley Atwell, Simon Pegg, Vanessa Kirby, Ving Rhames, Pom Klementieff, and Esai Morales
The Plot: In Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One, Ethan Hunt (Cruise) and his IMF team embarked on their most dangerous mission yet: To track down a terrifying new weapon that threatens all of humanity before it falls into the wrong hands. With control of the future and the fate of the world at stake, and dark forces from Ethan’s past closing in, a deadly race around the globe began. Confronted by a mysterious, all-powerful enemy, Ethan was forced to consider that nothing can matter more than his mission – not even the lives of those he cares about most.
The studio released this short description of The Final Reckoning: “Our lives are the sum of our choices.”
Ana de Armas as Eve in ‘Ballerina’ (Photo Credit: Courtesy of Lionsgate)
Ballerina (June 6) Director: Len Wiseman Starring: Ana de Armas, Keanu Reeves, Anjelica Huston, Gabriel Byrne, Lance Reddick, Catalina Sandino Moreno, Norman Reedus, and Ian McShane
The Plot: Taking place during the events of John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum, the film follows Eve Macarro (de Armas) who is beginning her training in the assassin traditions of the Ruska Roma.
Elio (June 13) Director: Adrian Molina Starring: Yonas Kibreab, America Ferrera, Jameela Jamil, and Brad Garrett
The Plot: For centuries, people have called out to the universe looking for answers — in Disney and Pixar’s all-new movie Elio, the universe calls back! The original feature film introduces Elio, an underdog with an active imagination who finds himself inadvertently beamed up to the Communiverse, an interplanetary organization with representatives from galaxies far and wide.
Mistakenly identified as Earth’s ambassador to the rest of the universe, and completely unprepared for that kind of pressure, Elio must form new bonds with eccentric alien lifeforms, survive a series of formidable trials, and somehow discover who he is truly meant to be.
Poster for ‘How to Train Your Dragon’ (Photo Credit: Universal Pictures)
How to Train Your Dragon (June 13) Director: Dean DeBlois Starring: Mason Thames, Nico Parker, Nick Frost, Julian Dennison, Gerard Butler, and Gabriel Howell
The Plot: On the rugged isle of Berk, where Vikings and dragons have been bitter enemies for generations, Hiccup (Thames) stands apart. The inventive yet overlooked son of Chief Stoick the Vast (Gerard Butler, reprising his voice role from the animated franchise), Hiccup defies centuries of tradition when he befriends Toothless, a feared Night Fury dragon. Their unlikely bond reveals the true nature of dragons, challenging the very foundations of Viking society.
With the fierce and ambitious Astrid (Parker) and the village’s quirky blacksmith Gobber (Frost) by his side, Hiccup confronts a world torn by fear and misunderstanding. As an ancient threat emerges, endangering both Vikings and dragons, Hiccup’s friendship with Toothless becomes the key to forging a new future. Together, they must navigate the delicate path toward peace, soaring beyond the boundaries of their worlds and redefining what it means to be a hero and a leader.
Poster for ’28 Years Later’ (Photo Credit: Sony Pictures)
28 Years Later (June 20) Director: Danny Boyle Starring: Jodie Comer, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Jack O’Connell, Alfie Williams, and Ralph Fiennes
The Plot: Academy Award-winning director Danny Boyle and Academy Award-nominated writer Alex Garland reunite for 28 Years Later, a terrifying new story set in the world created by 28 Days Later. It’s been almost three decades since the rage virus escaped a biological weapons laboratory, and now, still in a ruthlessly enforced quarantine, some have found ways to exist amidst the infected.
One such group of survivors lives on a small island connected to the mainland by a single, heavily-defended causeway. When one of the group leaves the island on a mission into the dark heart of the mainland, he discovers secrets, wonders, and horrors that have mutated not only the infected but other survivors as well.
F1 (June 27) Director: Joseph Kosinski Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem, Tobias Menzies, Sarah Niles, Kim Bodnia, and Samson Kayo
The Plot: Starring Brad Pitt as a former driver who returns to Formula 1, alongside Damson Idris as his teammate at APXGP, a fictional team on the grid, the feature has been shot during actual Grand Prix weekends as the team competes against the titans of the sport.
Jurassic World Rebirth (July 2) Director: Gareth Edwards Starring: Scarlett Johansson, Mahershala Ali, Jonathan Bailey, Rupert Friend, and Manuel Garcia-Rulfo
The Plot: Five years after the events of Jurassic World Dominion, the planet’s ecology has proven largely inhospitable to dinosaurs. Those remaining exist in isolated equatorial environments with climates resembling the one in which they once thrived. The three most colossal creatures within that tropical biosphere hold the key to a drug that will bring miraculous life-saving benefits to humankind.
Academy Award nominee Johansson plays skilled covert operations expert Zora Bennett, contracted to lead a skilled team on a top-secret mission to secure genetic material from the world’s three most massive dinosaurs. When Zora’s operation intersects with a civilian family whose boating expedition was capsized by marauding aquatic dinos, they all find themselves stranded on an island where they come face-to-face with a sinister, shocking discovery that’s been hidden from the world for decades.
Superman (July 11) Director: James Gunn Starring: David Corenswet, Rachel Brosnahan, Nicholas Hoult, Edi Gathegi, Isabela Merced, Nathan Fillion, Skyler Gisondo, Sara Sampaio, María Gabriela de Faría, and Wendell Pierce
The Plot: In his signature style, James Gunn takes on the original superhero in the newly imagined DC universe with a singular blend of epic action, humor, and heart, delivering a Superman who’s driven by compassion and an inherent belief in the goodness of humankind.
The Fantastic Four: First Steps (July 25) Director: Matt Shakman Starring: Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Joseph Quinn, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, Julia Garner, and Ralph Ineson
The Plot: Set against the vibrant backdrop of a 1960s-inspired, retro-futuristic world, Marvel Studios’ The Fantastic Four: First Steps introduces Marvel’s First Family—Reed Richards/Mister Fantastic (Pascal), Sue Storm/Invisible Woman (Kirby), Johnny Storm/Human Torch (Joseph Quinn) and Ben Grimm/The Thing (Moss-Bachrach) as they face their most daunting challenge yet. Forced to balance their roles as heroes with the strength of their family bond, they must defend Earth from a ravenous space god called Galactus (Ineson) and his enigmatic Herald, Silver Surfer (Garner). And if Galactus’ plan to devour the entire planet and everyone on it weren’t bad enough, it suddenly gets very personal.
Christian Bale as Frankenstein in ‘The Bride’
The Bride (September 26) Director: Maggie Gyllenhaal Starring: Christian Bale, Jessie Buckley, Peter Sarsgaard, Annette Bening, and Penelope Cruz
The Plot: A lonely Frankenstein travels to 1930s Chicago to seek the aid of a Dr. Euphronius in creating a companion for himself. The two reinvigorate a murdered young woman and the Bride is born. She is beyond what either of them intended, igniting a combustible romance, the attention of the police, and a wild and radical social movement.
TRON: Ares (October 10) Director: Joachim Rønning Starring: Jared Leto, Greta Lee, Evan Peters, Hasan Minhaj, Jodie Turner-Smith, Arturo Castro, Cameron Monaghan, and Gillian Anderson
The Plot: TRON: Ares follows a highly sophisticated Program, Ares, who is sent from the digital world into the real world on a dangerous mission, marking humankind’s first encounter with A.I. beings.
The Running Man (November 7) Director: Edgar Wright Starring: Glen Powell, Katy O’Brian, Josh Brolin, Lee Pace, Daniel Ezra, William H. Macy, and Michael Cera
The Plot: Glen Powell stars as a desperate man, needing money for his sick daughter, who joins the most popular show, The Running Man, in which teams of killers hunt down contestants. The longer a contestant survives, the more money that person makes. But as the game show’s producers and killers will find out, this desperate man will break all the rules and expose the show’s dark secrets.
Wicked: For Good (November 21) Director: Jon M. Chu Starring: Ariana Grande, Cynthia Erivo, Jonathan Bailey, Jeff Goldblum, and Michelle Yeoh
The Plot: The sequel continues to explore the complex relationship between Elphaba and Glinda as they become the Wicked Witch of the West and Glinda the Good.
Zootopia 2 (November 26) Director: Byron Howard, Rich Moore Starring: Jason Bateman, Ginnifer Goodwin, Ke Huy Quan, and Fortune Feimster
The Plot: In Walt Disney Animation Studios’ Zootopia 2, detectives Judy Hopps (Goodwin) and Nick Wilde (Bateman) find themselves on the twisting trail of a mysterious reptile who arrives in Zootopia and turns the mammal metropolis upside down. To crack the case, Judy and Nick must go undercover to unexpected new parts of town, where their growing partnership is tested like never before.
Avatar: Fire and Ash (December 19) Director: James Cameron Starring: Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldaña, Sigourney Weaver, Stephen Lang, Kate Winslet, Cliff Curtis, Oona Chaplin, Jack Champion, Britain Dalton, Trinity Bliss, and Bailey Bass
The Plot: Avatar: Fire and Ash, the third film in the phenomenally successful Avatar franchise, opens exclusively in theaters worldwide December 19, 2025. James Cameron takes audiences back to Pandora in an immersive new adventure with Marine turned Na’vi leader Jake Sully (Worthington), Na’vi warrior Neytiri (Saldaña), and the Sully family.
Peter Parker heads to school, busts bad guys, and deals with people live-streaming his exploits in Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man. The new animated series features the voices of Hudson Thames and Colman Domingo as Peter Parker/Spider-Man and Norman Osborn.
The voice cast also includes Eugene Byrd, Grace Song, Zeno Robinson, and Hugh Dancy. Charlie Cox will be slipping back into his Daredevil character for the animated action series.
“Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man follows Peter Parker on his way to becoming a hero, with a journey unlike we’ve ever seen and a style that celebrates the character’s early comic book roots,” states Disney+’s synopsis.
Jeff Trammell is the head writer, with Mel Zwyer as the supervising director. Executive producers include Trammell, Brad Winderbaum, Kevin Feige, Louis D’Esposito, and Dana Vasquez-Eberhardt.
The 10-episode series will premiere on January 29, 2025.
Poster for Disney+’s ‘Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man’
A character study rather than biopic, Pablo Larraín’s Maria showcases Oscar winner Angelina Jolie’s acting prowess, capturing the opera singer’s dramatic highs and lows with captivating intensity and emotional depth. Told in three distinct acts, Maria is a bold reimagining of the latter years in Callas’ life – emphasis on “reimagining.” Those familiar with the soprano’s dramatic vocal style and mesmerizing performances will find writer Steven Knight’s take more fulfilling, while those new to her work may find the narrative less accessible.
Maria shuns the banner of realism, preferring a more fantastical approach. The drama focuses on the week prior to her death on September 16, 1977, with the retired singer attempting to rediscover the voice that made her famous. Flashbacks fill in the years when she was a hot ticket. But Larraín’s film doesn’t simply insert scenes from Callas’ past to fill out the narrative. Instead, Knight’s screenplay takes an unusual approach to revealing Callas’ strong personality and addiction to pills.
Larraín’s Maria imagines that over the course of her final week, Callas had multiple meetings with a television crew to discuss her life and career. The crew is a figment of her drug-addled imagination. To make it crystal clear this is all inside her head, her interviewer (played by Kodi Smit-McPhee, The Power of the Dog) is named Mandrax. (The film repeatedly shows Maria’s daily reliance on Mandrax, a potent hypnotic, and other medication.)
Maria opens up about key events in her storied life, both in her young adult years and during the height of her fame. Some are true to life; others are fanciful interpretations of actual events. Her devoted butler Ferruccio and housemaid Bruna watch as she speaks out loud to the imaginary crew, telling Mandrax her innermost thoughts. She informs her two dedicated companions that from this point forward, what’s real and what’s not is her business, not theirs.
Maria walks the streets of Paris with just drugs as her companions. Gorgeous scenes of her soaking in the audience’s admiration intermingle with scenes from Maria’s tumultuous love life and early days forced to perform for Nazis. She stops by the opera house and takes the stage, with only a piano soloist as an accompanist. It’s not an audience that she needs to impress. No, at this point in her life she’s trying to rediscover her voice only for herself. She needs to find La Callas one last time.
Mandrax is her sounding board as she recalls her younger days and being the center of attention in every room she entered. She met the billionaire Aristotle Onassis at a party he hosted in her honor and left her husband to be his mistress. Onassis eventually chose Jackie Kennedy to be his bride, but it’s hinted that his marriage to JFK’s widow didn’t change his love for Maria Callas.
Maria tells the pianist that she wants to sing a love song for Onassis who, though dead, comes to her bed every night. Through haunting dialogue, screenwriter Steven Knight makes it clear that his version of Maria Callas understands that she’s lost touch with reality and that her health has deteriorated so much that she’s likely to die soon. She admits to a waiter she comes to restaurants to be adored, not to eat. And she tells the owner of a restaurant that she’s talking to herself because she’s writing her autobiography. Maria’s ownership of her declining mental and physical health is both devastating and healing.
Angelina Jolie went through extensive training to realistically portray the iconic singer. No one can replicate Callas’ voice, but director Pablo Larraín found a way around that by integrating Jolie and Callas’ voices into the musical numbers. When Callas is shown at the height of her career, it’s more Callas than Jolie’s voice. In the latter years after her career’s finished, the voice is more Jolie’s than Callas.
However, none of the vocal arrangements would work if Jolie couldn’t embody the dramatic, powerful stances and gestures of an opera singer; her physicality is key. Jolie committed to striking the right posture, to embodying Callas’ movements on stage, and to breathing deeply, mimicking the controlled breaths of an opera singer. More importantly, Jolie captured the palpable emotion in Callas’ performances, the almost tangible energy that flowed from the stage and over the audience.
The Oscar winner also brilliantly conveys Callas’ stinging temperament, capturing the sharp edge of her personality.
Maria’s closest companions and confidantes are her butler Ferruccio and maid Bruna, played by Pierfrancesco Favino and Alba Rohrwacher. Favino and Rohrwacher ground the film and tether the movie’s version of Maria to reality. Fiercely loyal and protective, Ferruccio and Bruna are unable to save the diva from destroying herself. Favino and Rohrwacher are outstanding as Maria’s family by choice rather than by blood.
Once again, filmmaker Pablo Larraín (Spencer, Jackie) put together an impressive behind-the-scenes team, their expertise creating a visually stunning and technically impressive movie. The costumes are sumptuous, the production design is striking, and the sets are first-rate.
Maria begins and ends with La Divina dead on the floor of her Paris flat. The journey director Pablo Larraín and writer Steven Knight take us on between those scenes makes us wonder what Callas’ life was actually like in the week leading up to her death. We can hope it was as redemptive and healing as what Larraín and Knight have imagined.
GRADE: B
MPAA Rating: R for a sexual reference and some language
Running Time: 2 hours 3 minutes
Release Date: December 13, 2024 streaming
Studio: Netflix
David Berry in ‘Outlander’ season 7 episode 14 (Photo Credit: Starz)
Starz’s Outlander season seven episode 14 finally brings Lord John Grey back into the main story. Episode 14, written by author Diana Gabaldon, also finds Bree in danger and Claire meeting a key figure in American history.
“Ye Dinna Get Used to It” opens with a flashback to London 1775. Lord John Grey (David Berry) learns his brother, Harold “Hal” Grey (Sam Hoare), has gout and can’t travel to New York. John can but doesn’t want to, and he’s able to stop Hal from writing a commission. They have a bit of an argument over William, and John assures his brother that when the time comes, he’ll see to his commission. John believes it’s still possible for there to be a peaceful end to the American Revolution – if America apologizes.
Although Hal initially disagrees, he finally admits it might be best to pursue peace. He asks John to swear he’ll never accept American independency. Which, of course, leads to a scene of “Bertram Armstrong” swearing an oath to the United States of America.
Lt. Beautyman (Tom Duncan) barges into Lord John’s house and looks around, much to Mrs. Figg’s dismay. He’s taken by surprise when General Jamie Fraser (Sam Heughan) introduces himself and Beautyman corrects his bad manners by explaining he was sent by General Washington. Washington will be traveling through town and needs a fitting place to meet with his generals over dinner. Jamie is included in General Washington’s plans, and Beautyman announces the matter is settled. The dinner will take place in Lord John Grey’s home that very night.
Claire (Caitriona Balfe) is shopping for food for General Washington’s dinner when she literally bumps into the Marquis de Lafayette (Charles Crehange). He apologizes for his clumsiness and calls himself a turnip, a nickname given to him after stepping on the Queen of France’s foot. Obviously, Claire recognizes his name and knows his importance in securing America’s freedom. Lafayette’s apology includes the offer of cheese, and he reveals he brought many delicacies with him from France. Claire suggests he should cater Washington’s dinner and Lafayette immediately agrees.
That evening, Lafayette serves the assembled guests fancy food and General Washington (Gary Fannin) announces that Lafayette is like a son to him. Jamie informs the group that Ian has spotted the loyalists who left Philadelphia. They are marching toward New York, but the army – led by Clinton – is camped in New Jersey. That means at least part of the British army’s closer than they thought.
Lafayette’s aid, Percy Beauchamp (Michael Lindall), hands him a note during dinner. Lafayette introduces him to Claire, who’s surprised they share a last name. Returning to business at hand, General Washington says the battle’s close at hand and thanks Jamie and Claire for hosting the dinner. He presents Claire with a small keepsake: an American flag. Jamie leads a toast to the United States of America.
Claire asks if it’s true the stars were originally supposed to be six-pointed. Washington admits Betsy Ross suggested it would be easier to embroider a five-pointed star. They discuss the importance of a flag, and Jamie says looking at the American flag gives men hope. General Washington leads a final toast to victory.
After everyone leaves, Claire tells Jamie that Lafayette will go down in history as a hero of the war. Jamie reveals he has a lengthy list of officers and staff, and 10 companies of militia under him. He has two lieutenants and two personal aides, and Claire is impressed. Claire warns him to be careful so that Bree doesn’t find him in the history books.
Jamie confesses this is the most men he’s ever had under his command. That said, all he needs right now is his Sassenach – and more of Lafayette’s delicious cheese.
Silvia Presente, Charles Vandervaart and Florrie May Wilkinson in ‘Outlander’ season 7 episode 14 (Photo Credit: Starz)
Meanwhile, William (Charles Vandervaart) arrives back at camp with letters from General Clinton. He’s offended when it’s pointed out his uniform isn’t in proper form, and hurriedly strips out of it in his tent. William’s shocked when Jane (Silvia Presente) and her sister Fanny Pocock (Florrie May Wilkinson) show up in his doorway. Jane confesses that she and Fanny fled Philadelphia when Captain Harkness showed up. She asks for William’s protection.
William does everything he can to keep Jane and Fanny safe, employing Jane as his laundress despite the fact she has no idea how to wash clothes. Jane offers a more personal position, but William’s distracted by the fact she doesn’t know how to use money. (Fanny said so after William gave Jane money to buy laundry supplies.) Jane reveals she’s never had money and doesn’t know how much things cost or what she can buy with money. She’s earned wages since she was 10 but has never actually received them.
William warns her to stay away from the soldiers until she can get more modest clothing. She was a whore but not anymore now that she’s under his protection.
Later that night, Jane strips out of her clothes and straddles William in bed. He claims he doesn’t want to have sex, even though his penis says otherwise. William leaps out of bed and reminds her she’s no longer a whore, for him or anyone else. Jane calls him a coward and William pulls her in for a kiss as she’s leaving. He won’t go any further because he believes she doesn’t want to; he thinks she views it as an obligation.
Jamie inspects his troops and hands one of the men a musket. The soldier’s thankful since his pistol’s barely in working order.
Claire’s helping the injured and sick when she sees Lord John Grey. She calls Jamie over and Lord John says, “I surrender to you personally, General Fraser.”
Lord John’s handcuffs are removed as Claire prepares to examine his eye. She admits Jamie’s not sorry about what happened, and John admits he’s shocked that he’s now Jamie’s prisoner in his own home. She diagnoses John as having a cracked orbit which restricts him from moving his eye. Jamie joins them and Claire confesses she’s not sure John will regain the use of his eye.
Lord John reveals he escaped one American militia only to be caught by another American militia. He swore an oath of allegiance to avoid the noose.
Claire breaks the news that she needs to turn his eyeball to free the trapped muscle. Jamie’s enlisted to hold John still.
Claire examines his eye the following morning and it’s healing well. She breaks the news that he’ll remain behind under guard when she and Jamie join the rest of the army. There’s no time to exchange him, and Claire apologizes that there’s nothing they can do.
Percy Beauchamp arrives with a private message for Lord John, and Claire realizes they know each other. John confirms Percy is his stepbrother and after Claire leaves them alone to talk, Percy says he adopted the name Beauchamp from the woman he married, a sister of the Baron Amandine. He also confirms he’s sleeping with his wife and the baron. Percy says he heard that Captain Richardson, a turncoat/spy, wants William kidnapped to discredit Lord John’s brother, Hal. Richardson’s sending William to deliver a message to the Hessians that tells them to kidnap and hold him captive. He may even be tortured to get John and Hal’s cooperation.
Percy comforts John who asks why he’s helping him. Percy replies, “For your beautiful eyes.” John takes Percy’s hand off his face and tells him he was hurt by a “man who had a right to touch me.”
Sam Heughan, David Berry, and Caitriona Balfe in ‘Outlander’ season 7 episode 14 (Photo Credit: Starz)
John informs Claire and Jamie about William’s impending kidnapping. He also informs them that Percy Beauchamp is actually Percy Wainwright and that he’s English. Percy’s been a French spy since John helped him flee a British prison 20 years ago.
Claire confesses that she knows Captain Richardson is a spy because he asked her to spy on Hal, but she said no. She would have said something if she’d known he meant to harm William. Jamie can’t go after William because he has 300 men under him who need his leadership. John suggests that Jamie has 299 men and one prisoner, who he can parole and set free.
Jamie places Lord John in irons so he can leave the city and sends him off with Ian to save William.
Morning arrives and Jane’s in a horrible mood. She shoves William’s clean laundry at him and declares she and Fanny are leaving for New York. William figures out Jane’s on the run, and Jane confesses she killed Harkness after he tried to take Fanny’s virginity. William promises not to turn Jane over to the magistrate and begs her not to go to New York without him.
Captain Richardson charges William with delivering a letter to the leader of a Hessian unit camped at Spotswood. Richardson claims their success in the upcoming battle depends on this letter getting to the Hessians.
William delivering the letter to the Hessian camp. After it’s deciphered by the Hessian leader, William’s invited to have supper at the camp.
Sophie Skelton in ‘Outlander’ season 7 episode 14 (Photo Credit: Starz)
Bree Defends Her Family
Bree (Sophie Skelton) returns home after handing Mandy and Jemmy off to Fiona and Ernie. A note on the front door indicates the locksmith couldn’t wait and will reschedule. Bree drives away after noticing a light in an upstairs window. She parks in the nearby woods, loads a rifle, and watches for movement inside her home. After a few minutes she decides she’s acting stupid and leaves her hiding spot. Bree stops in her tracks when a light pops on near the front door. She sees two men inside just as Ernie and Fiona drive up with Jemmy and Mandy.
She orders everyone back in Ernie’s van as she fires a few shots at the men who’ve now stepped outside. Bree’s forced to punch one man while Ernie has a tough time starting the engine. Fortunately, he gets it started. Unfortunately, they’re still in the driveway when Rob pulls up. They manage to make it past Rob without being pursued.
Fiona reveals Rob was waiting for them at their house when they got home. The van keeps breaking down and Bree gets out to fix it. Fiona joins her and Bree admits she thinks it’s time for her and the kids to follow Roger.
Gina Rodriguez joins the cast as a series regular beginning with Will Trent season three episode one. The third season premiere, “I’m a Guest Here,” will air on ABC on Tuesday, January 7, 2025 at 8pm ET/PT.
Ramón Rodríguez leads the cast as the titular character. Erika Christensen stars as Angie Polaski, Iantha Richardson is Faith Mitchell, Jake McLaughlin is Michael Ormewood, and Sonja Sohn is Amanda Wagner. Gina Rodriguez joins the cast as Marion Alba for season three.
“I’m a Guest Here” Plot: When two off-duty cops are wounded, the GBI must track down Special Agent Will Trent, who recently fled town to help solve the case. As the investigation unfolds, Will is drawn into his past to clear a friend’s name amid rivalries and corruption.
Ramon Rodriguez in ‘Will Trent’ season 3 episode 1 (Disney/Daniel Delgado Jr.)
Will Trent Series Description, Courtesy of ABC:
Based on Karin Slaughter’s New York Times bestselling Will Trent series, Special Agent Will Trent of the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) was abandoned at birth and endured a harsh coming-of-age in Atlanta’s overwhelmed foster care system. Now, Will uses his unique point of view in the pursuit of justice and has the highest clearance rate in the GBI.
Douglas Smith and Jake McLaughlin in season 3 episode 1 (Disney/Daniel Delgado Jr.)Cora Lu Tran in the season 3 premiere (Disney/Daniel Delgado Jr.)Iantha Richardson, Sonja Sohn, and Olivia Denise Dawson in season 3 episode 1 (Disney/Daniel Delgado Jr.)Douglas Smith and Jake McLaughlin in season 3 episode 1 (Disney/Daniel Delgado Jr.)
Will #Chenford be a thing in season seven of ABC’s The Rookie? The synopsis for season seven episode one, “The Shot,” doesn’t address the couple, but it does confirm two new rookies are joining the team. However, a 15-second promo for the new season (embedded below) is driving #Chenford fans crazy.
The seventh season premieres on Tuesday, January 7, 2025 at 10pm ET/PT immediately following a new episode of High Potential.
The cast is led by Nathan Fillion as John Nolan. Season seven stars Mekia Cox as Nyla Harper, Alyssa Diaz as Angela Lopez, Richard T. Jones as Sergeant Wade Grey, Melissa O’Neil as Lucy Chen, Eric Winter as Tim Bradford, Jenna Dewan as Bailey Nune, Shawn Ashmore as Wesley Evers, and Lisseth Chavez as Celina Juarez. Deric Augustine and Patrick Keleher recur as Miles and Seth.
“The Shot” Plot: Now recovering from a gunshot wound and feeling the effects of his age, John and the team welcome two new rookies and continue the hunt for two dangerous inmates with very personal vendettas following their prison escape.
Lisseth Chavez and Nathan Fillion in ‘The Rookie’ season 7 episode 1 (Disney/Mike Taing)Mekia Cox and Richard T Jones in the season 7 premiere (Disney/Mike Taing)Ivan Hernandez in season 7 episode 1 (Disney/Mike Taing)Alyssa Diaz in “The Shot” episode (Disney/Mike Taing)Mekia Cox and Alyssa Diaz in season 7’s premiere (Disney/Mike Taing)Mekia Cox and Richard T Jones in season 7 episode 1 (Disney/Mike Taing)
Director and co-writer Tim Fehlbaum’s September 5 examines the horrifying events of September 5, 1972, when terrorists took 11 Israeli athletes competing in the Munich Olympics hostage. Previous feature films and documentaries have covered the subject, but never from the perspective of the ABC Sports team assigned to cover the competition.
The ABC Sports team was not prepared for the near-instantaneous switchover from heralding athletic achievements in the ring, pool, and on the track to covering a terrorist attack live on air. And how could they have been? No network had ever been in their position before. The ’72 Olympics marked the first-ever live broadcast via satellite around the globe. The network stationed cameras throughout the Olympic venues, the Olympic Village, and atop the Olympic Tower to provide complete, round-the-clock coverage. Nothing would be missed.
Coordinating producer Geoff Mason (John Magaro) was preparing for his first time overseeing live coverage with the B unit when the first shots were fired. Neither producer Marvin Bader (Ben Chaplin) nor President of ABC Sports Roone Arledge (Peter Sarsgaard) wanted Geoff in charge as they attempted to determine how to cover the developing situation. The job fell to him by default when no one with more experience was available. And Geoff became laser-focused on providing the audience with the best coverage possible as the devastating events unfolded. (ABC’s ’72 Olympics coverage earned four Emmy nominations and two wins.)
Roone Arledge negotiated behind the scenes to claim more satellite time and refused to hand the story over to the news department in New York. Why give over coverage when the sports team was 100 feet away from the action? As events in the Olympic Village escalated, decisions were being made in the broadcast booth that would change how networks covered breaking news moving forward.
Arledge’s decision meant his team covering the Olympics had to think outside the box. They also had to consider the unthinkable: can they show someone being shot live on camera? It was quickly apparent that the Germans did not comprehend the gravity of the situation. The host country was showcasing how much they’d evolved since Hitler was in charge. They hoped to dispel any lingering doubts about the country’s progress when, suddenly, the local police were put in charge of negotiating a peaceful resolution to an unprecedented situation. (A law forbids the German army from intervening.)
As the hours ticked by, circumstances forced the ABC Sports team to think about how their coverage hampered the police rescue mission because the terrorists could see their movements live on television. Their actions in ’72 laid the groundwork for what’s still considered off-limits during live coverage today.
Tim Fehlbaum assembled a top-notch cast and crew to bring this riveting story to life. Peter Sarsgaard, John Magaro, and Ben Chaplin are outstanding as Roone, Geoff, and Marvin, the key figures who provide most of the actual insight into how decisions were made quickly on the fly as the situation developed. Their short, occasionally heated debates over how to show the world the attack feel so genuine that you forget this is based on real events with a known outcome.
Benjamin Walker’s terrific as Peter Jennings, the sole reporter with experience covering the news. (Jennings had already served as a foreign correspondent and established the first American news bureau in Beirut by the time of the Munich Olympics). In one memorable scene, Jennings warns his colleagues not to use the term “terrorist” lightly. Walker’s take on the well-respected journalist hits the right marks, presenting Jennings as maintaining his composure throughout the harrowing events.
September 5 shows Jennings and a cameraman embedded across the street from the apartment of the Israeli athletes and describing events as they went down. The film uses archival footage of Jim McKay anchoring the broadcast, interviewing witnesses, and tossing to Jennings for his eyewitness accounts. It’s a brilliant use of the existing footage integrated into the story. Fehlbaum’s extensive research into ABC Sports’ actual control room during the Munich Olympics makes the archival footage with McKay appear contemporaneously shot with the film.
September 5 showcases McKay’s incredible work during his 16 hours behind the desk. McKay’s words as he informed the viewers of the tragic outcome were gut-wrenching in ’72 and hit just as hard in the 2024 film: “When I was a kid, my father used to say, ‘Our greatest hopes and our worst fears are seldom realized.’ Our worst fears have been realized tonight. They have now said that there were 11 hostages. Two were killed in their rooms. Nine others were killed at the airport tonight. They’re all gone.”
One pivotal character in the film, German translator Marianne Gebhardt, played by The Teacher’s Lounge‘s Leonie Benesch, is an amalgamation of real people. Co-writers Fehlbaum, Moritz Binder, and Alex David inserted Marianne as an important player in obtaining key information as the only person employed by ABC Sports’ control room who speaks German. Benesch portrays Marianne as a largely unassuming individual whose contributions remain unnoticed until the Black September attack on Israeli athletes. Only then does her position as interpreter grudgingly receive any respect. In the first hours of the attack, she’s forced to retrieve coffee for her male co-workers and speak to her country’s Nazi history. Benesch’s performance isn’t flashy, yet it’s incredibly effective in showing how she endures disrespect until her co-workers recognize that she’s integral to their coverage of the attack.
September 5 is singularly focused on the ABC Sports team’s actions from start to finish of the attack. The action rarely shifts outside the building housing the control room, and when it does, it mostly appears as footage on a monitor. The terrorist group Black September’s motivations are not discussed. The characters’ personal lives aren’t mentioned. The editing is tight, the dialogue is crisp, and the tension progressively builds as September 5 heads to the devastating end of the terrorist attack.
That September 5 keeps the audience on the edge of their seats is a real accomplishment. That it does so while exploring the ethical and moral dilemmas news crews face makes it one of the best films about journalists.
GRADE: A
MPAA Rating: R for language
Running Time: 1 hour 34 minutes
Release Date: December 13, 2024 limited, January 17, 2025 wide
Studio: Paramount Pictures
Writer/director Osgood Perkins (Longlegs) has a twisted way of spreading Christmas cheer, releasing a new clip from The Monkey as a gift to horror fans. The nearly four-minute clip finds a woman awakened from a sound sleep, convinced someone’s inside her house. Grabbing a gun, the unfortunate woman falls victim to a series of escalating accidents that ends with her running outside, head engulfed in flames.
Perkins cuts off the clip before she meets her untimely end. However, from the looks of it, she’s about to encounter the pointing end of a wooden sign.
The horror film based on Stephen King’s short story stars Theo James (The White Lotus), Tatiana Maslany (She–Hulk: Attorney at Law), Elijah Wood (Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency), and Christian Convery (Sweet Tooth). Colin O’Brien (Wonka), Rohan Campbell (The Hardy Boys), and Sarah Levy (Schitt’s Creek) also star.
“When twin brothers Hal and Bill (played by Theo James in later years, Christian Convery plays the younger twins) discover their father’s old monkey toy in the attic, a series of gruesome deaths starts occurring all around them. The brothers decide to throw the monkey away and move on with their lives, growing apart over the years,” reads Neon’s synopsis. “But when the mysterious deaths begin again, the brothers must reunite to find a way to destroy the monkey for good before it takes the lives of everyone close to them.”
Atomic Monster’s James Wan and Michael Clear, C2 Motion Picture Group’s Dave Caplan, Range Select’s Brian Kavanaugh-Jones, and Odd Fellows’ Chris Ferguson serve as producers. Executive producers include Range’s Fred Berger, Stars Collective’s Peter Luo and Nancy Xu, and John Friedberg for Black Bear.
Neon is releasing The Monkey in theaters on February 21, 2025.
Guardians of the Galaxy‘s Chris Pratt and Stranger Things‘ Millie Bobby Brown explore the world of rebellious robots in the trailer for The Electric State, a sci-fi adventure from Joe and Anthony Russo (Avengers: Endgame). Based on Simon Stålenhag’s graphic novel, The Electric State takes place in an alternate version of the 1990s, after a failed robot uprising.
In addition to Chris Pratt and Millie Bobby Brown, the film stars Ke Huy Quan (Everything Everywhere All at Once), Stanley Tucci (Conclave), Jason Alexander (Seinfeld), Giancarlo Esposito (Megalopolis), and Woody Norman (The Last Voyage of the Demeter). Woody Harrelson (Suncoast), Anthony Mackie (Captain America: Brave New World), Brian Cox (Succession), and Jenny Slate (Marcel the Shell with Shoes On) provide voices of the robots.
Netflix picked up the project back in June 2022 and has set a March 14, 2025 premiere date.
“Millie Bobby Brown stars as Michelle, an orphaned teenager navigating life in a society where sentient robots resembling cartoons and mascots, who once served peacefully among humans, now live in exile following a failed uprising. Everything Michelle thinks she knows about the world is upended one night when she’s visited by Cosmo, a sweet, mysterious robot who appears to be controlled by Christopher — Michelle’s genius younger brother whom she thought was dead,” reads Netflix’s synopsis.
“Determined to find the beloved sibling she thought she had lost, Michelle sets out across the American southwest with Cosmo, and soon finds herself reluctantly joining forces with Keats (Chris Pratt), a low-rent smuggler, and his wisecracking robot sidekick, Herman (voiced by Anthony Mackie). As they venture into the Exclusion Zone, a walled-off corner in the desert where robots now exist on their own, Keats and Michelle find a strange, colorful group of new animatronic allies — and begin to learn that the forces behind Christopher’s disappearance are more sinister than they ever expected.”
Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely adapted Stålenhag’s graphic novel. In an interview with Netflix’s Tudum, Stålenhag lent his support to the finished film. “I’m blown away by the movie,” said Stålenhag. “It was an amazing experience watching things that I have drawn come to life this way. What resonated most with me was the emotional core of the movie, which is the need for family. Even though the movie has changed genre from the book a bit, that main core is still the same and has been expanded on beautifully.”
