Starz released a little more info today on their upcoming drama Magic City, starring Jeffrey Dean Morgan (The Losers, Watchmen) and Olga Kurylenko (Quantum of Solace), and revealed they’ll be showing never before seen footage at MIPCOM in Cannes, France this October. The original series will debut in the US in April 2012.
Writer/director/producer Mitch Glazer created the show which is set in 1959 in Miami Beach.
The Plot:
As Frank Sinatra rings in a new year in the grand ballroom of Miami Beach’s most luxurious dream palace – the Miramar Playa – its visionary leader, Ike Evans, must deal with the mob, his complicated family and a city in the midst of dramatic change as Fidel Castro takes control of Cuba, just 200 miles offshore. By day the hotel at the center of “Magic City” is all diving clown acts and cha-cha lessons by the pool, but at night Miami Beach reveals a darker truth.
Morgan plays Ike Evans, “the cool, visionary force behind Miami Beach’s newest hotel and a man with dangerous secrets.” Olga Kurylenko is his former showgirl wife, Vera. Danny Huston – so good at playing the villain – is Ben Diamond, “Miami’s most dangerous mobster.” Jessica Marais is Ben’s wife, Steven Strait is Ike’s oldest son, and Christian Cooke plays Ike’s hard-working younger son.
The cast also includes Kelly Lynch, Michael Rispoli, Seymour Cassel, and Yul Vazquez.
HBO’s critically acclaimed drama Boardwalk Empire is returning (finally) on September 25, 2011 for its second season. The first season of Boardwalk Empire debuted on September 19, 2010, with the series going on to earn 18 Emmy nominations as well as three Golden Globe nominations (winning two).
From Terence Winter (writer, The Sopranos) and Oscar winner Martin Scorsese, Boardwalk Empire brings to life the world of 1920s Atlantic City with its colorful characters, crooked politicians, and dangerous gangsters. The 12-episode second season will debut on September 25th.
The Plot:
Atlantic City, 1921: Though his fortunes have soared in the wake of the enactment of Prohibition, Nucky Thompson (Steve Buscemi) is paying a steep price for wielding ultimate power in ‘the world’s playground.’ Following the ’20 election, Nucky finds himself the target of an investigation for voter fraud and faces not only jail but insurrection by some of those he considered his closest allies.
In season two, Nucky and his lieutenants – including young World War I veteran Jimmy Darmody (Michael Pitt)– appear to have solidified their hold on power by rigging an election and getting a crony elected mayor. However, after a bloody KKK attack at Chalky White’s (Michael Kenneth Williams) bootleg warehouse, Nucky finds his hold on Atlantic City weakened, first by state agents who arrest him for election fraud and ransack his office, then by members of his own inner circle and even his family, who align with Jimmy’s father, the aging Commodore Louis Kaestner (Dabney Coleman), in an attempt to oust him altogether. Meanwhile, mobsters like Arnold Rothstein (Michael Stuhlbarg), Lucky Luciano (Vincent Piazza), Meyer Lansky and Al Capone (Stephen Graham) wait in the wings, looking for the chance to grab a bigger piece of Nucky’s pie.
Boardwalk Empire also features Kelly Macdonald as Margaret Schroeder, Nucky’s mistress; Michael Shannon as federal agent Nelson Van Alden, Gretchen Mol as Gillian, Jimmy’s showgirl mother; Shea Whigham as Nucky’s resentful brother Elias, the sheriff of Atlantic City; Aleksa Palladino as Angela Darmody, Jimmy’s wife; Anthony Laciura as Eddie Kessler, Nucky’s valet; and Jack Huston as Richard Harrow, a disfigured war veteran who’s been befriended by Jimmy.
Season 2 Premiere – September Episode:
Episode #13: “21”
Debut: SUNDAY, SEPT. 25 (9:00-10:00 p.m. ET/PT)
Other HBO playdates: Sept. 25 (10:00 p.m., 11:00 p.m.), 27 (11:30 p.m.) and 28 (10:00 p.m.), and Oct. 1 (12:30 a.m. ET/11:30 p.m. PT)
HBO2 playdates: Sept. 26 (10:00 p.m.), 29 (12:30 a.m.) and 30 (9:00 p.m.), and Oct. 2 (2:00 p.m.) and 13 (9:00 p.m.)
Nucky is rocked by an insurrection among his inner circle; Chalky’s life and livelihood are threatened by a vicious KKK attack; Margaret copes with her son’s disciplinary problems; Angela vies with Gillian for Jimmy’s affections at home; Van Alden shows his wife Rose (Enid Graham) around town as an anniversary present.
Written by Terence Winter; directed by Tim Van Patten.
The first season of AMC’s hit zombie show The Walking Dead is coming out on DVD on October 4, 2011, but you don’t have to wait until then to check out one of the bonus features. Anchor Bay Entertainment’s just released the DVD extra clip “KNB and The Art of Making Zombies” which provides viewers a behind-the-scenes look at just how the special effects company creates zombies (and blood, guts, and gore).
The first season will be available in three versions (Special Edition DVD, Special Edition Blu-ray and Limited Edition Blu-ray Collector’s Tin), each containing all the episodes from the inaugural season as well as a “fan-requested” black and white version of The Walking Dead‘s pilot episode.
The Limited Edition Blu-ray also comes with a wearable zombie mask (just in time for Halloween) designed by the series’ make-up artist, Greg Nicotero.
The cast of the 19th season of CBS’s hit reality show The Amazing Race will include two Survivor winners (Ethan Zohn and Jenna Morasca), a former NFL player (Marcus Pollard), and two Olympic snowboarders (Tommy Czeschin and Andy Finch). Phil Keoghan returns as host when the 19th season of the globetrotting reality show kicks off on Sunday, September 25, 2011.
The 11 teams will travel to such exotic locations as Indonesia, Malawi, Belgium, and Denmark in their quest to win the $1 million prize. And CBS has added a new wrinkle to the contest with a ‘Hazard’ penalty which, according to the press release, will affect one team right off the bat. CBS also revealed the first leg will take place in an 8th Century Buddhist temple in Indonesia, and the teams will have to ride elephants through the rain forests of Thailand on their way to the show’s first-ever Double Elimination.
Ernie Halvorsen
Age: 29
Hometown: Chicago
Current occupation: Project manager Cindy Chiang
Age: 30
Hometown: Chicago
Current occupation: Brand manager
Connection to Teammate: Engaged
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Justin Young
Age: 31
Hometown: Stone Mountain, Ga.
Current occupation: Doctor Jennifer Young
Age: 26
Hometown: Stone Mountain, Ga.
Current occupation: Special education teacher
Connection to Teammate: Siblings
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Liz Canavan
Age: 24
Hometown: Deerfield, Ill.
Current occupation: Marketing Assistant Marie Canavan
Age: 24
Hometown: Deerfield, Ill.
Current occupation: Soul searching
Connection to Teammate: Twins
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Ron Zeitz
Age: 44
Hometown: Laguna Niguel, Calif.
Current occupation: Flight attendant Bill Smith
Age: 49
Hometown: Laguna Niguel, Calif.
Current occupation: Flight attendant
Connection to Teammate: Domestic Partners
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Ethan Zohn
Age: 37
Hometown: New York, N.Y.
Current occupation: Change maker Jenna Morasca
Age: 30
Hometown: New York, N.Y.
Current occupation: TV host/student
Connection to Teammate: Dating
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Bill Alden
Age: 63
Hometown: Albany, Ore.
Current occupation: Farmer/rancher Cathi Alden
Age: 62
Hometown: Albany, Ore.
Current occupation: College instructor/retired high school principal
Connection to Teammate: Married for 40 Years/Grandparents
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Andy Finch
Age: 30
Hometown: Truckee, Calif.
Current occupation: Professional snowboarder Tommy Czeschin
Age: 32
Hometown: Crowley Lake, Calif.
Current occupation: Professional snowboarder
Connection to Teammate: Friends/Former Olympic Snowboarders
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Amani Pollard
Age: 36
Hometown: Pine Mountain, Ga.
Current occupation: Business owner Marcus Pollard
Age: 39
Hometown: Pine Mountain, Ga.
Current occupation: Retired NFL player/football coach
Connection to Teammate: Married
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Kaylani Paliotta
Age: 33
Hometown: Las Vegas
Current occupation: Cocktail waitress Lisa Tilley
Age: 32
Hometown: Las Vegas
Current occupation: Cocktail waitress
Connection to Teammate: Friends/Former Vegas Showgirls
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Laurence Sunderland
Age: 48
Hometown: Thousand Oaks, Calif.
Current occupation: Yacht manager Zac Sunderland
Age: 19
Hometown: Thousand Oaks, Calif.
Current occupation: Record setting boat captain
(Zac was the youngest person to ever sail around the world alone)
Connection to Teammate: Father/Son Adventurers
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Jeremy Cline
Age: 35
Hometown: Alamo, Calif.
Current occupation: Commercial real estate broker Sandy Draghi
Age: 33
Hometown: Dublin, Calif.
Current occupation: Nurse practitioner
Connection to Teammate: Dating
“Your first time in the field?” “Welcome to the mission,” says Stephen (Marton Csokas) and David (Sam Worthington), two experienced Mossad agents to their newest ally, 25-year-old rookie agent Rachel Singer (Jessica Chastain) in the dramatic film, The Debt. The three agents crossed over into East Berlin in 1966 to track down a Nazi war criminal named Vogel (Jesper Christensen) and bring him back to Israel to stand trial.
For weeks the trio trains together in a small apartment, setting up a cover to set a trap for Vogel who’s now a doctor with his own practice. Feelings, fears, and tempers run high at times between the three agents who are feeling the pressure from their government to pull the mission off with great success. Stephen, David, and Rachel, however, are not receiving much assistance from their own agency and are practically on their own to kidnap and transport Vogel back to Israel.
The film jumps ahead to 1997 when the retired agents, now portrayed by Tom Wilkinson, Ciaran Hinds, and Helen Mirren, are considered national heroes for their actions on the mission back 30 years ago. However, when Stephen gets shocking news about David and a possible new fact about their old case, he reaches out to Rachel to go on one last mission for her sake and his own.
The Debt is a gripping, suspenseful, dramatic spy thriller with a stellar cast. Helen Mirren delivers another great performance in her career as Rachel, a woman who’s had to learn to live with a deep dark secret and her tragic mistakes, both professional and personal. She captures the pain, sorrow, and underlying fear that her character carries with her beautifully.
Jessica Chastain gives a stand-out performance as young Rachel who is truly terrified at failing on her first official mission and is drawn to both David and Stephen in much more than just a professional way. She also proves herself to be more than a capable agent in a riveting train sequence in the film. Marton Csokas is solid as young Stephen, the driven, ambitious leader of the group determined to make the mission a success at all costs.
Jesper Christensen gives a stunning and disturbing performance as Vogel, the Nazi war criminal who still believes the horrors of what he did during World War 2 were justified. The scenes where he plays mind games on Rachel and David while imprisoned in their apartment are mesmerizing and terrifying.
Perhaps the only weakness in the film is the miscasting of Sam Worthington as young David. His annoying over-the-top accent distracts from the drama on the screen and he has no real chemistry with Chastain’s Rachel. In the scenes where their characters are supposed to be drawn to each other, Worthington seems out of place and uncomfortable.
Extremely well directed by John Madden, with tight pacing, tense action, and moving drama, The Debt is a surprising, shocking, exciting espionage thriller that will have you guessing up to the very end how it’s going to turn out.
GRADE: B
The Debt hits theaters on August 31, 2011 and is rated R for some violence and language.
The Steven Soderbergh thriller Contagion has been named the opening night film for the Zurich Film Festival (ZFF) taking place September 22 – October 2, 2011. Contagion, starring Matt Damon, Marion Cotillard, Bryan Cranston, Kate Winslet, Gwyneth Paltrow, Jude Law, and Laurence Fishburne, was written by Scott Z Burns and follows the spread of a deadly disease and the CDC’s attempt to combat the outbreak.
In addition to announcing Contagion‘s opening night selection, the ZFF revealed the members of the two juries charged with presiding over the international competition categories. Contagion‘s Laurence Fishburne was named Jury President for the Zurich Film Festival’s international section, and he’ll also be picking up a special achievement award. Academy Award-winner Sean Penn is the recipient of this year’s Golden Icon Award.
2011 Zurich Film Festival Jury Members
International Narrative Feature Jury:
Laurence Fishburne (Jury President)
John Lesher (US) Producer, former studio head, and agent
Beki Probst (Turkey/Switzerland) director of the European Film Market (also decorated as Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres by French Cultural Minister)
Paprika Steen (Denmark), multi-award winning Actress, director, writer (Adam’s Apples, The Celebration, Applause)
Alice Eve (UK), Actress (leading roles in upcoming The Raven, Men in Black 3)
Stevan Arsenijevic (Serbia), Oscar-nominated young writer/director (Love and Other Crimes)
International Documentary Jury:
Charles Ferguson (USA), Academy Award-winning director, producer, writer (Inside Job)
John Battsek (UK), Producer (Sergio, Restrepo, Project Nim, The Tillman Story, One Day in September)
Nino Kirtadze (Georgia), director, writer (Durakovo: Village of Fools)
Eline Flipse (Netherlands), director, producer
Stephen Nemeth (US), Producer
Anton Yelchin and Felicity Jones co-star in the PG-13 romantic drama Like Crazy. Directed by Drake Doremus from a screenplay by Doremus and Ben York Jones, Like Crazy will be heading into theaters on October 28, 2011.
In addition to Anton Yelchin and Felicity Jones, the drama stars Jennifer Lawrence, Charlie Bewley, Alex Kingston,
Oliver Muirhead, and Chris Messina. Finola Hughes, Ben York Jones, and Jamie Thomas King also star.
Official Synopsis: When a British college student (Felicity Jones) falls for her American classmate (Anton Yelchin) they embark on a passionate and life-changing journey only to be separated when she violates the terms of her visa. Like Crazy explores how a couple faces the real challenges of being together and of being apart.
Chris Evans stars as a drug-addicted lawyer fighting to get safe needles into hospitals in order to help combat accidental needlesticks in Puncture, hitting theaters on September 23rd. In this clip from the Millennium Entertainment drama (based on a true story), Evans takes on a high-powered attorney played by Brett Cullen.
The Plot: Mike Weiss (Chris Evans) is a talented young Houston lawyer and a functioning drug addict. Paul Danziger (co-director Mark Kassen), his longtime friend and partner, is the straight-laced and responsible yin to Mike’s yang. Their mom-and-pop personal injury law firm is getting by, but things really get interesting when they decide to take on a case involving Vicky (Vinessa Shaw), a local ER nurse, who is pricked by a contaminated needle on the job.
As Weiss and Danziger dig deeper into the case, a health care and pharmaceutical conspiracy teeters on exposure and heavyweight attorneys move in on the defense. Out of their league but invested in their own principles, the mounting pressure of the case pushes the two underdog lawyers and their business to the breaking point.
Real Steel Film Poster
DreamWorks Pictures’ latest poster for the action drama Real Steel features Hugh Jackman and one of his robot co-stars. Set to hit theaters on October 7th, Jackman stars as an ex-fighter who becomes a boxing manager after robots take over in the ring. Always a small time promoter, his chance at hitting it big comes along when his son, Max (Dakota Goyo), helps him build and train a real contender.
Prepare for PG-13 rated creature terror with Troll Hunter, written and directed by André Øvredal. The action comedy opens on September 9, 2011 and features a mysterious loner who may be our only hope.
The cast includes Glenn Tosterud, Otto Jesperson, Johanna Mørck, and Tomas Alf Larsen.
Official Synopsis: Across the remotest mountains, deepest fjords, and treacherous arctic tundra of Norway, the most dangerous and secretive of occupations has gone unnoticed for hundreds of years. By the dark of the night, one brave, mysterious man protects the innocent from an ancient and deadly threat without reward or glory. He is the legendary TROLL HUNTER.
Investigating a spate of bear shootings, a group of students soon become suspicious of a mysterious loner in a beaten-up Land Rover who has been spotted at every incident. When they decide to follow him across the country, they soon realize dead bears aren’t the worst of their problems, they’ve stumbled upon the last remaining TROLL HUNTER and he’s their only hope.
