Yellowstone cast members Luke Grimes, Kelly Reilly, Wes Bentley, Cole Hauser, and Kelsey Asbille take fans on a look behind-the-scenes in the new featurette from the set. The two-minute video reveals that not even the cast were aware of what their co-stars’ storylines were for part two of season five. It was all very hush-hush on the set, and the actors received scripts that had large redacted areas. No one wanted to spoil the experience for fans who’ve been waiting two long years for the second half of the final season to arrive.
The first episode of part two premieres on Paramount Network and CBS on Sunday, November 10, 2024.
Poster for ‘Yellowstone’ season 5 part 2 (Photo Credit: Paramount Network)
Season five stars Kevin Costner as John Dutton, Luke Grimes as Kayce, Kelly Reilly as Beth, Wes Bentley as Jamie, and Cole Hauser as Rip. Kelsey Asbille stars as Monica, Brecken Merrill is Tate, Jefferson White plays Jimmy, Forrie Smith is Lloyd, Denim Richards is Colby, Ian Bohen is Ryan, Finn Little is Carter, Ryan Bingham is Walker, and Gil Birmingham is Thomas Rainwater.
“Yellowstone chronicles the Dutton family who controls the largest contiguous cattle ranch in the United States,” reads Paramount Network’s synopsis. “Amid shifting alliances, unsolved murders, open wounds, and hard-earned respect – the ranch is in constant conflict with those it borders – an expanding town, an Indian reservation, and America’s first national park.”
The popular series was created by Taylor Sheridan and John Linson. Sheridan and Linson executive produce along with Art Linson, Kevin Costner, David C. Glasser, Bob Yari, Stephen Kay, Michael Friedman, Christina Voros, and Keith Cox.
Whitney Cummings to host ‘Fast Friends’ (Photo Courtesy of Max)
Max’s Friends-inspired game show, Fast Friends, has landed Whitney Cummings as host. Production will kick off in October 2024 on the four-part unscripted show, with filming confirmed to take place at The FRIENDS Experience: The One in New York City.
“As a longtime fan of Friends, I am beyond thrilled to host the first ever game show. After 30 years, the fandom surrounding this beloved series only continues to grow and now I have the great pleasure of awarding the ultimate fans with bragging rights for life,” said Cummings.
Dan Sacks, Bridgette Theriault, and Dan Norris serve as executive producers. The game show is produced by Warner Bros. Unscripted Television in association with Warner Horizon.
“Fast Friends will take place in the celebrated series’ iconic sets in a fast-paced competition event. From racing through Rachel and Monica’s apartment to darting across Joey and Chandler’s bachelor pad and grabbing a coffee at Central Perk, fans will re-live their favorite moments while being put to the test with trivia, puzzles, and games that will keep even the most die-hard Friends fans on their toes,” reads Max’s synopsis. “The quickest team will win the title of Ultimate Friends Fan.”
Whitney Cummings’ credits include At Midnight, How It Ends, and the 2023 comedy special Whitney Cummings: Mouthy. Cummings hosts the podcast “Good for You” and created and starred in the half-hour comedy series Whitney, which ran for two seasons on NBC. She was also the co-creator and co-writer of 2 Broke Girls starring Kat Dennings and Beth Behrs. In 2017, Cummings wrote, starred in, and directed the comedy film The Female Brain.
Do Chupacabras and Abominable Snowmen exist? Discovery Channel’sLost Monster Files dives into cryptozoologist Ivan Sanderson’s old files, re-examining the extensive investigations he conducted prior to his death in the early 1970s.
“Ivan Sanderson’s cryptozoology case files are by far the largest of its kind,” stated Howard Lee, President of Discovery Networks. “It’s a treasure trove of fascinating information that the public has never seen before in this capacity – in fact, it’s the first time it will ever be showcased on TV. This series is full of history, science, government secrets, gritty field adventures, and exciting discoveries, topped off by the unexplained – the perfect mix for our audience.”
The new series, which premieres on Wednesday, October 9, 2024 at 10pm ET/PT, will focus on the Kodiak Sea Monster, the Wildman of Minnesota, the Thunderbird of Pennsylvania, and the Ozark Gowrow, in addition to Chupacabras and Abominable Snowmen.
Poster for ‘Lost Monster Files’ (Photo Courtesy of Discovery Channel)
Discovery Channel released this lengthy description of Lost Monster Files:
For the first time in over 50 years, the recently uncovered case files of renowned cryptozoologist Ivan Sanderson – including the evidence and artifacts from his most compelling hunts for cryptids, or legendary and unknown species – will be reexamined. The series features a team of experts who gained exclusive access to Sanderson’s detailed research and will use it to reinvestigate his most prominent unfinished cases. The team will focus on present day sightings such as the Abominable Snowman and Chupacabra to determine if modern science and technology can bring them closer to answers for these mysterious creatures.
Biologist Ivan Sanderson, a founder of Cryptozoology – the study of unknown and legendary species – amassed the most extensive collection of unexplained creature research on earth. Following his death in 1973, the archive was kept hidden. Now, the team will apply long-hidden insights and clues from Sanderson’s physical specimens, journals and audio recordings to new field investigations, using tools and evidence not available in Sanderson’s day.
The team includes field scientist and tech expert Charlie Mewshaw, cryptozoologist Brittany Barbieri, predator experts and wildlife trackers Troy Lillie and Justin Igualada, and former CIA officer and FBI agent Tracy Walder. Following evidence and theories buried away for decades and chasing up-to-the-minute encounters, they aim to bring fact to fiction by documenting one of these legendary creatures for the first time.
In the premiere episode, the group investigates a series of strange livestock mutilations in the Smoky Mountains that locals fear could be tied to the infamous Chupacabra, which has terrorized the Southwest for decades. Using journals and evidence from Sanderson’s archive, the team investigates a rash of deadly encounters in North Carolina to try and document this killer canine…and the possibility that the creature could be migrating east.
Julia Garner as Terry Gionoffrio and Dianne Wiest as Minnie Castavet in ‘Apartment 7A’ (Photo Credit: Gareth Gatrell/Paramount+)
Any performance set in the world of Rosemary’s Baby is going to pale compared to Mia Farrow. That’s just a given. Apartment 7A director and co-writer Natalie Erika James avoided a direct comparison, focusing the prequel on a minor but pivotal character from Ira Levin’s 1967 novel and Roman Polanski’s 1968 film.
For those needing a brief refresher, Rosemary (Farrow) encountered a young woman named Terry Gionoffrio (Victoria Vetri) in the Bramford’s creepy laundry room. Both were weirded out by the place and promised to meet up to wash their clothes in the future so they wouldn’t have to be alone. Terry also told Rosemary about the Castevets, the friendly elderly couple who took her in.
Unfortunately for the future mom of the Devil’s baby, Terry couldn’t keep her promise of friendship. The next time Rosemary saw Terry, she was sprawled out on the sidewalk, dead, after falling from a seventh floor window.
Apartment 7A explores Terry’s story leading up to her death outside the Bramford. Set in 1965, Emmy-winner Julia Garner (Ozark) plays Terry, a talented dancer who is on the doorstep of fame when she suffers what should be a career-ending ankle injury. Terry tries for a comeback, but her reputation as the “girl who fell” precedes her.
Hooked on painkillers and desperate to resurrect her career, Terry makes a reckless decision and follows big-time producer Alan Marchand (Jim Sturgess, Home Before Dark) home to the Bramford. She’s denied entry by the doorman and, now at the end of her rope, collapses on the sidewalk steps from the doorway.
Roman (Kevin McNally) and Minnie Castevet (Dianne Wiest, Mayor of Kingstown) rescue Terry, stepping in as sort of surrogate grandparents and setting her up in an apartment next to theirs. Everything’s hunky dory to begin with, but slowly the Castevets begin to manipulate every aspect of her life. The Castevets use Terry’s desire for fame as an entry point, promising a private meeting with Alan, the producer, and supplying a special “treatment” that mends her ankle.
But nothing in life is free, and everything the Castevets do for the struggling dancer is in service of the Devil. And what the Devil desires is to have a son.
Apartment 7A is incredibly frustrating. The ghost of Rosemary’s Baby permeates every frame, even though the intention was clearly to forge a new story. Writers Christian White, Natalie Erika James, and Skylar James took liberties with what was established in the original film, and this version of Terry doesn’t have the same spark as the Terry played by Vetri. Vetri’s Terry was effusive in her praise of the Castevets while chatting with Rosemary in the laundry room. It’s unclear where that conversation fits into the Apartment 7A timeline, as Garner’s Terry never shares that optimistic attitude.
Terry’s rape plays out similar to Rosemary’s, with the dancer drugged and hallucinating while the Satanic cult oversees the assault by the Devil. Rosemary believed she was at a yacht party; Terry hallucinates dance sequences. Both women were stripped of their bodily autonomy and Terry, after realizing she’s literally sold her womb to the devil in exchange for fame, takes drastic action to try to end her pregnancy. Because Rosemary’s Baby revealed her fate, we know how Terry’s attempt at obtaining an abortion will end. But Apartment 7A approaches the abortion topic without real bite, missing an obvious opportunity.
Julia Garner nails Terry’s desire to be famous, no matter the cost. Terry accepts favors from the Castevets, and she’s intelligent enough to realize this elderly couple isn’t just giving her a rent-free apartment and connections that will return her to the stage without wanting anything in exchange. Garner’s nuanced performance shows glimmers of that knowledge even if Terry doesn’t outwardly address it. Terry’s willfully ignorant and completely focused on becoming a star. That attitude doesn’t ingratiate her with the audience, and Terry’s never embraced the way Rosemary was in the classic horror film.
Kevin McNally is decent as Roman Castevet but doesn’t capture the menacing vibe hidden behind his friendly demeanor that Sidney Blackmer pulled off in the original film. Diane Wiest has the unenviable task of following in Ruth Gordon’s footsteps as Minnie Castevet. Gordon’s Minnie was gregarious and bossy; Wiest tones it down and plays a more restrained–and terrifying–Minnie. This Minnie is just as formidable as Gordon’s but more grounded.
Apartment 7A acknowledges that Terry is an active partner in the initial stages of her downfall before she’s drugged and sexually assaulted. It also explores her conscious avoidance of what happened in the days following her rape. Fame drives her and clouds her judgment, and there’s no one in her life capable of pulling her away from the situation and forcing her to see the truth.
Rosemary’s Baby is still considered to be one of the greatest horror films of all time, nearly 60 years after its release. Apartment 7A seems an unnecessary revisiting of Ira Levin’s horrifying story. The differences between Terry in Apartment 7A and Terry in Rosemary’s Baby are distracting, making it hard not to wonder why they didn’t just create a new character who had contact with the Satanic cult before Rosemary’s encounter with the Devil.
GRADE: C-
MPAA Rating: R for drug use and some violent content
Release Date: September 27, 2024 on Paramount+, following a screening at Fantastic Fest
Running Time: 1 hour 44 minutes
Studio: Paramount Pictures
Poster for ‘Yellowstone’ season 5 part 2 (Photo Credit: Paramount Network)
Yellowstone fans have been waiting two long years for the series to return for season five part two. Today, it was announced the first episode of part two will air on CBS, in addition to its normal Paramount Network home.
Yellowstone returns with more Dutton family drama and backstabbing on Sunday, November 10, 2024. Paramount Network will air episode nine of the fifth season at 8pm ET/PT, and CBS will air the episode at 10pm ET/PT.
Season five stars Kevin Costner as John Dutton, Luke Grimes as Kayce, Kelly Reilly as Beth, Wes Bentley as Jamie, and Cole Hauser as Rip. Kelsey Asbille stars as Monica, Brecken Merrill is Tate, Jefferson White plays Jimmy, Forrie Smith is Lloyd, Denim Richards is Colby, Ian Bohen is Ryan, Finn Little is Carter, Ryan Bingham is Walker, and Gil Birmingham is Thomas Rainwater.
“Yellowstone chronicles the Dutton family who controls the largest contiguous cattle ranch in the United States,” reads Paramount Network’s synopsis. “Amid shifting alliances, unsolved murders, open wounds, and hard-earned respect – the ranch is in constant conflict with those it borders – an expanding town, an Indian reservation, and America’s first national park.”
Taylor Sheridan and John Linson created the series and serve as executive producers. Additional executive producers include Art Linson, Kevin Costner, David C. Glasser, Bob Yari, Stephen Kay, Michael Friedman, Christina Voros, and Keith Cox.
CBS’s November 10, 2024 Lineup:
7:00-7:30 PM, ET – NFL ON CBS
7:30-9:00 PM, ET/7:00-8:30 PM, PT – 60 MINUTES
9:00-10:00 PM, ET/8:30-9:30 PM, PT – TRACKER
10:00-11:00 PM, ET/9:30-10:30 PM, PT* – YELLOWSTONE (season five, part two premiere)
The official trailer for Ballerina declares that vengeance has a new face…and that face belongs to Ana de Armas. But that doesn’t mean that this John Wick spinoff doesn’t also have an old face in it, as the trailer includes a snippet of the Baba Yaga himself, Keanu Reeves.
In addition to Ana de Armas and Keanu Reeves, the cast of the new addition to the John Wick franchise includes Anjelica Huston, Gabriel Byrne, Lance Reddick, Catalina Sandino Moreno, Norman Reedus, and Ian McShane. Len Wiseman (the Underworld franchise, Live Free or Die Hard) directs from a screenplay by Shay Hatten (John Wick 3 & 4).
John Wick director Chad Stahelski serves as a producer along with Basil Iwanyk and Erica Lee.
“Taking place during the events of John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum, the film follows Eve Macarro (Ana de Armas) who is beginning her training in the assassin traditions of the Ruska Roma,” reads Lionsgate’s official synopsis.
Ballerina (full title: From the World of John Wick: Ballerina) was shot way back in 2022 with a target release set for the summer of 2024. Lionsgate opted to pull it from the schedule and moved it to a June 6, 2025 date to allow Stahelski to help out with some reshoots.
Adam Driver and Nathalie Emmanuel in ‘Megalopolis’ (Photo Courtesy of Lionsgate)
In moviemaking, ambition and indulgence often go hand-in-hand. And that can be a double-edged sword. Case in point: legendary writer/director Francis Ford Coppola’s passion project Megalopolis.
Set in the fictional city of New Rome, Megalopolis is the story of two political rivals. One is the current mayor, Frank Cicero (Better Call Saul, Giancarlo Esposito), who wants to preserve the way of life of the people of his city. The other is a visionary architect named Cesar Catalina (Adam Driver from Marriage Story) who has a more utopian vision for the future of the city. In between them is Cicero’s daughter and Cesar’s lover, Julia (Nathalie Emmanuel from Game of Thrones), who is forced to mediate the power struggle.
Megalopolis was, and is, a labor of love for Francis Ford Coppola. He began developing it back in the early eighties, but the finished script feels very much like a product of our current times. The main character names are not coincidental – it’s a sprawling Roman epic that loosely parallels the Catilinarian Conspiracy and all of the backstabbing and intrigue that came with it. But Megalopolis is also very modern-feeling, drawing influences from everything from early science fiction and Shakespeare to contemporary blockbusters and recent politics.
From a technical standpoint, Megalopolis is a masterpiece. It’s a visual feast, full of grandiose sets and lavish costumes, that just begs to be seen on the biggest screen possible. The city of New Rome, both Cicero’s reality of it and Cesar’s fantasy, are beautifully crafted and painstakingly created. Most of the characters are rich and upper class, and the wild, eccentric costuming reflects that. There’s even a scene where a young pop star (played by viral sensation Grace VanderWaal) wears a dress that can be seen through. Not seen through as in transparent, seen through as in what is behind her can be seen on the dress.
Story-wise, Megalopolis is all over the place. There are seemingly dozens of threads to follow, and while they do all connect in some way, it’s a lot to take in and process. The shifting alliances and shady practices aren’t tough to follow, but things do get fairly messy at times. This is all part of Coppola’s theater of the absurd – the plot is just as abstract as the set pieces. Heck, there are characters in this movie named Wow Platinum and Vesta Sweetwater. It’s meant to be somewhat ridiculous.
And while we’re on the subject of characters, the cast in Megalopolis is absolutely worth discussing. While Driver, Esposito, and Emmanuel get most of the screen time, a movie as large as this wouldn’t be complete without a standout ensemble, and Coppola can assemble talent like no one else. Shia LeBeouf, Aubrey Plaza, Laurence Fishburne, Jon Voight, and Talia Shire all have important supporting roles, and the bit players include names like Dustin Hoffman, Jason Schwartzman, James Remar, D.B. Sweeney, Kathryn Hunter, and Balthazar Getty. This is a cast that, frankly, only someone like Francis Ford Coppola could put together.
Which brings us back to the ambition and indulgence of the film. There is no question that Megalopolis is about as ambitious of a movie as one is bound to find. That’ll happen when a movie is 40 years in the making. It’s a larger-than-life film, like a superhero movie without any action scenes. Cesar even has a superpower that allows him to stop time. Again, a visual feast.
The indulgence comes into play with the storytelling. The concepts of the film have been rewritten and redeveloped so many times, with all of this rewriting and redeveloping happening while major American events like 9/11 and the COVID-19 pandemic are going on. There are thinly veiled metaphors and analogies all over the place, and while it’s easy to see the film is depicting the crumbling of an empire, it feels like the last forty years of American History crammed into a two hour and fifteen-minute movie. Which, to his credit, Coppola could have easily made longer, but why? He more than gets his point across, and probably could have done it in less time. But that wouldn’t have allowed him as much indulgence.
See Megalopolis. See it on a big screen with a pumping sound system. It’s a finely crafted multi-media machine of a movie. Which we should all expect from a filmmaker like Coppola when he takes this long to cook it. But remember – it’s as much prophecy as it is entertainment. And take it as such.
GRADE: B-
MPAA Rating: R for language, drug use, nudity, sexual content, and some violence
Release Date: September 27, 2024
Running Time: 2 hours 18 minutes
Studio: Lionsgate
Roz (Lupita N’yongo), and Brightbill (Kit Connor) in ‘The Wild Robot’ (Photo Credit: DreamWorks Animation)
DreamWorks Animation and the talented filmmakers behind How to Train Your Dragon join forces once more to adapt Peter Brown’s beloved children’s book The Wild Robot.
The story starts on a deserted island following a shipwreck caused by a violent storm. Small animals poking around accidentally activate the robot Rozzum Unit 7134 (voiced by Oscar winner Lupita Nyong’o), or “Roz” for short.
The service android wanders the forest, asking the understandably confused and frightened wild animals if they need assistance. After an accident leaves an egg exposed to the elements, Roz decides to make it her task to care for it. This decision winds up pitting Roz against a crafty fox named Fink (voiced by Pedro Pascal, The Last of Us) who really wants the egg for his lunch. After successfully protecting the egg and aiding Fink from a run-in with a porcupine, Roz and Fink become partners in protecting the egg until it hatches.
When the little orphaned gosling first sees Roz, it naturally believes that the robot is its mom. “You’re its mother now,” says Pinktail the possum (voiced by Catherine O’Hara, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice). “I do not have the programming,” replies Roz. Pinktail speaks the truth when she responds, “No one does.”
Pinktail informs Roz that the gosling needs to eat, swim, and learn to fly before winter to join the other birds and stay alive. So, Roz and Fink set out to teach little gosling, who they name Brightbill (voiced by Kit Connor, Heartstopper), all he needs to learn to survive. However, there’s a catch. Fink warns Roz that Brightbill is a runt and wasn’t meant to make it this far. Despite this, Roz refuses to be discouraged from looking after and teaching Brightbill.
The Wild Robot is a sweet, funny, and visually stunning animated adventure that explores themes of parenthood and community. It boasts an exceptionally skilled voice cast and a touching screenplay. In fact, it’s the best animated film from DreamWorks since the How to Train Your Dragon trilogy.
Lupita Nyong’o does a wonderful job of bringing the robot, Roz, to life, first as a determined and robotic dry machine trying to perform services for the animals and then developing a softer and more human side as the robot starts to feel what it’s like to be a mother.
Pedro Pascal is hilarious as the voice of Fink the fox who starts off only interested in using Roz to his advantage, but swiftly becomes her best friend and ally in protecting and teaching Brightbill. Pascal as Fink steals every scene he’s in and has the best lines in the film.
The movie is also visually breathtaking, from the brightness and vibrant hues of the forest to the mesmerizing scene of colorful butterflies covering a large tree and then taking flight. There’s no way Academy voters can pass this entertaining offering by, come Oscar season.
Both humorous and heartfelt, The Wild Robot is destined to become a classic.
GRADE: A-
MPAA Rating: PG for thematic elements, action, and peril
Release Date: September 27, 2024
Running Time: 1 hour 41 minutes
Directed By: Christopher Sanders
HBO’s first lengthy teaser trailer for The Last of Us season two begins with 50 seconds of normalcy, or at least as close to normalcy as the series allows. That’s followed by one minute of intense action, thrills, and chills.
The teaser dropped, along with three character posters, on “The Last of Us Day.” September 26th is designated as the TLOU Day, or “Outbreak Day,” since it’s the day in the video game that the cordyceps virus catalyzed the events of The Last of Us.
“After five years of peace following the events of the first season, Joel and Ellie’s collective past catches up to them, drawing them into conflict with each other and a world even more dangerous and unpredictable than the one they left behind,” reads HBO’s synopsis.
Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey return to lead the cast as Joel and Ellie. Returning stars also include Gabriel Luna as Tommy and Rutina Wesley as Maria. Newcomers to the post-apocalyptic series include Kaitlyn Dever as Abby, Isabela Merced as Dina, Young Mazino as Jesse, Ariela Barer as Mel, Tati Gabrielle as Nora, Spencer Lord as Owen, Danny Ramirez as Manny, and Jeffrey Wright as Isaac.
Two-time Emmy-winner Catherine O’Hara will guest star in season two.
The critically acclaimed series is based on the Naughty Dog video game created for PlayStation consoles. Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann are the writers and serve as executive producers along with Carolyn Strauss, Jacqueline Lesko, Cecil O’Connor, Asad Qizilbash, Carter Swan, and Evan Wells.
Poster of Pedro Pascal as Joel in ‘The Last of Us’ season 2 (Photo Credit: HBO)Poster of Bella Ramsey as Ellie in season 2 (Photo Credit: HBO)Poster of Kaitlyn Dever as Abby in season 2 (Photo Credit: HBO)
Mary J. Blige stars in ‘Power Book II: Ghost’ season 4 (Photo Credit: Starz)
Power Book II: Ghost season four powered its way to a new viewership record on Starz. The network reports that the critically acclaimed drama averaged 10.5 million multiple-platform viewers 90 days post-premiere. In addition, season four episode eight showed a 6% increase over episode seven and took the #1 spot among cable programs in Black households in four major cities.
The season’s final two episodes will air on September 27th and October 4th.
The cast is led by Michael Rainey Jr. as Tariq St. Patrick, Mary J. Blige as Monet Tejada, Cliff ‘Method Man’ Smith as Davis MacLean, and Gianni Paolo as Brayden Weston. Woody McClain stars as Cane Tejada, Lovell Adams-Gray is Dru Tejada, LaToya Tonodeo is Diana Tejada, Alix Lapri is Effie Morales, and Larenz Tate is Rashad Tate. Caroline Chikezie plays Noma, Lightskinkeisha is Brushaundria Carmichael, and Michael Ealy is Detective Don Carter.
“New alliances have been formed with each faction and Tariq and Brayden must find a way back into the game. But Brayden starts flirting with a new, reckless lifestyle, leaving Tariq to wonder if there really is room for two at the top. With Monet left for dead, Davis facing potential disbarment, and Effie looking to secure her future at Stanford, everyone’s on their own,” reads Starz’s synopsis. “Diana and Dru continue to question their roles while Cane levels up and starts working with Noma. As Noma is fighting to establish her business in the States and keep her daughter Anya in line, she finds her way on Tariq and Brayden’s radar. With the fate of his future in the game and his family at the forefront, Tariq must reconcile his past to rise to the top of the good chain and become who he needs to be to protect those he loves most.”
Brett Mahoney guides the series as showrunner and executive producer. Additional executive producers include Courtney A. Kemp (creator/showrunner of the original Power series), Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson, and Mark Canton.
