Brooklynn Prince as Kaitlyn, Brian Cox as Jaan and Kelly Reilly as Maddie in ‘Little Wing’ (Photo Credit: Alysson Riggs/Paramount+)
Paramount+ has unveiled the first photos from Little Wing, a coming-of-age film inspired by Susan Orlean’s The New Yorker article. The first batch of photos was accompanied by the announcement that the heartwarming story set in the world of pigeon racing will premiere on March 13, 2024.
Succession‘s Brian Cox stars as pigeon racer Jaan, alongside Yellowstone‘s Kelly Reilly as Maddie, Cocaine Bear‘s Brooklynn Prince as Kaitlyn, and Me Time‘s Che Tafari as Adam. Emmy nominee Dean Israelite (Power Rangers) directed and Oscar nominee John Gatins (Flight) wrote the screenplay. Executive producers include Israelite, Cox, Karen Rosenfelt, Donald De Line, Susan Orlean, Don Dunn, and Liz Brandenburg. John Gatins and Naomi Despres serve as producers.
“Little Wing follows Kaitlyn, a teen who is reeling from her parents’ divorce and the pending loss of her home. She and her best friend hope to solve her mother’s financial woes by stealing a valuable bird, but Kaitlyn, instead, forms a bond with the owner, that leads her to a new outlook on life,” reads Paramount+’s synopsis.
Simon Khan as Matt, Brooklynn Prince as Kaitlyn and Brian Cox as Jaan (Photo Credit: Alysson Riggs/Paramount+)Brooklynn Prince as Kaitlyn (Photo Credit: Alysson Riggs/Paramount+)Kelly Reilly as Maddie and Brooklynn Prince as Kaitlyn (Photo Credit: Alysson Riggs/Paramount+)Brooklynn Prince as Kaitlyn and Che Tafari as Adam (Photo Credit: Alysson Riggs/Paramount+)
The one-minute teaser for the fourth and confirmed final season of Paramount+’s Evil may be short on clips but still manages to capture the series’ tone. At one point, Ben asks, “Doesn’t it seem like these assignments are getting weirder?” and Kristen replies, “I can’t even tell anymore.”
Paramount+’s teaser trailer’s release was accompanied by the news that the final season will premiere in May. The streamer also announced they’ve ordered four bonus episodes that will wrap up the series. The bonus episodes will begin production soon in New York.
“We want to thank Paramount+ for giving us four bonus episodes to end Evil in the world in style,” said series creators and co-showrunners Robert and Michelle King. “We will miss this show and cast. In many ways it was a dream project, but sadly evil will outlast Evil. See you in May.”
Katja Herbers returns as Kristen Bouchard, Mike Colter is back as David Acosta, Aasif Mandvi is Ben Shakir, Michael Emerson is Leland Townsend, and Christine Lahti is Sheryl. Andrea Martin stars as Sister Andrea, Kurt Fuller is Dr. Boggs, Brooklyn Shuck is Lynn Bouchard, Skylar Gray is Lila Bouchard, Maddy Crocco is Lexis Bouchard, and Dalya Knapp plays Laura Bouchard.
“Robert and Michelle King created a unique and deeply entertaining way of exploring the intersection of religion and science,” stated Jeff Grossman, Executive Vice President, Programming, Paramount+. “We thank Robert, Michelle and the immensely talented cast and crew of Evil and are incredibly proud of their collective work on the series. We can’t wait to see what’s in store for these characters, in what is sure to be a nail-biting, wild ride of a final season.”
Katja Herbers as Kristen Bouchard, Aasif Mandvi as Ben Shakir and Mike Colter as David Acosta in ‘Evil season 4 (Photo Credit: Elizabeth Fisher/Paramount+)
In addition to Robert and Michelle King, the series is executive produced by Liz Glotzer, Rockne S. O’Bannon, and Sam Hoffman.
“It’s hard to underscore the ability of Robert and Michelle King to cleverly craft thought-provoking stories that push creative boundaries time and time again, and Evil is no exception,” said David Stapf, President of CBS Studios. “We’re proud to call them partners, and want to thank them both, Liz Glotzer, the entire cast and the crew for bringing these complex characters to life year after year as we celebrate this final season of Evil.”
The popular series is described as a psychological mystery that examines the origins of evil along the dividing line between science and religion.
Aasif Mandvi as Ben Shakir, Mike Colter as David Acosta and Katja Herbers as Kristen Bouchard in season 4 (Photo Credit: Elizabeth Fisher/Paramount+)Katja Herbers as Kristen Bouchard in season 4 (Photo Credit: Elizabeth Fisher/Paramount+)Stella Everett as Isabella and Mike Colter as David Acosta in season 4 (Photo Credit: Elizabeth Fisher/Paramount+)Andrea Martin as Sister Andrea in season 4 (Photo Credit: Elizabeth Fisher/Paramount+)Mike Colter as Fr. David Acosta, Aasif Mandvi as Ben Shakir and Katja Herbers as Kristen Bouchard in season 4 (Photo Credit: Elizabeth Fisher/Paramount+)
The two-minute trailer for the final season of The Good Doctor provides a look back at Dr. Shaun Murphy’s journey and teases what’s in store for this upcoming seventh season. The new season kicks off on February 20, 2024 at 10pm ET/PT with an episode that finds Shaun taking on a difficult case that hits close to home.
The final season stars Freddie Highmore as Dr. Shaun Murphy, Richard Schiff as Dr. Aaron Glassman, Fiona Gubelmann as Dr. Morgan Reznick, Will Yun Lee as Dr. Alex Park, Christina Chang as Dr. Audrey Lim, and Paige Spara as Lea Dilallo. Bria Samoné Henderson plays Dr. Jordan Allen, Noah Galvin is Dr. Asher Wolke, and Chuku Modu stars as Dr. Jared Kalu.
“Baby, Baby, Baby” Plot: Shaun and Lea adjust to parenthood as they debate the importance of schedule and routine for Steve. Meanwhile, Shaun takes on his first case back at the hospital with two baby patients in need of the same heart.
Freddie Highmore and Paige Spara in ‘The Good Doctor’ season 7 episode 1 (ABC/Jeff Weddell)
Series Description, Courtesy of ABC:
In the farewell season of The Good Doctor, new challenges intermingle with the unresolved past. Following the birth of their son, Steve, Shaun and Lea navigate the joys and challenges of parenthood. Meanwhile, the team continues to deal with the many changes they have faced at the hospital over the past year and must learn to come to terms with them if they want to move forward in their lives and careers.
Bria Samoné Henderson and Noah Galvin in season 7 episode 1 (ABC/Jeff Weddell)Christina Chang, Freddie Highmore, and Donald Heng in season 7 episode 1 (ABC/Jeff Weddell)Will Yun Lee and Fiona Gubelmann in season 7 episode 1 (ABC/Jeff Weddell)A scene from season 7 episode 1 (ABC/Jeff Weddell)Freddie Highmore in season 7 episode 1 (ABC/Jeff Weddell)Christina Chang, Bria Samoné Henderson, Noah Galvin, Chuku Modu, and Freddie Highmore in season 7 episode 1 (ABC/Jeff Weddell)
‘Star Trek: Discovery’ final season poster (Photo Credit: James Dimmock/Paramount+)
Paramount+ has finally set a premiere date for the fifth and final season of the critically acclaimed series Star Trek: Discovery. The final season will premiere on the streaming service on April 4, 2024 with the release of the first two episodes.
New episodes of the 10-episode season will stream on Thursdays.
Season five stars Sonequa Martin-Green as Captain Michael Burnham, Doug Jones as Saru, Anthony Rapp as Paul Stamets, Mary Wiseman as Sylvia Tilly, and Wilson Cruz as Dr. Hugh Culber. David Ajala plays Cleveland “Book” Booker, Blu del Barrio is Adira, and Callum Keith Rennie is Rayner.
Elias Toufexis and Eve Harlow recur as guest stars, playing L’ak and Moll.
“The fifth and final season will find Captain Burnham and the crew of the U.S.S. Discovery uncovering a mystery that will send them on an epic adventure across the galaxy to find an ancient power whose very existence has been deliberately hidden for centuries,” reads Paramount+’s synopsis. “But there are others on the hunt as well…dangerous foes who are desperate to claim the prize for themselves and will stop at nothing to get it.”
Alex Kurtzman and Michelle Paradise are the co-showrunners and executive produce along with Heather Kadin, Aaron Baiers, Olatunde Osunsanmi, and Sonequa Martin-Green. Additional executive producers include Frank Siracusa, John Weber, Rod Roddenberry, and Trevor Roth.
Season one premiered in September 2017, followed by season two in January 2019 and season three in October 2020. Season four debuted in November 2021.
The team needs to plan a prison break on CBS’s FBI: International season three episode two. Directed by Nina Lopez-Corrado from a script by Edgar Castillo, episode two – “The Last Stop” – will air on Tuesday, February 20, 2024 at 9pm ET/PT.
Luke Kleintank returns to lead the season three cast as Special Agent Scott Forrester. Heida Reed stars as Special Agent Jamie Kellett, Carter Redwood is Special Agent Andre Raines, Vinessa Vidotto plays Special Agent Cameron Vo, Eva-Jane Willis is Europol Agent Megan “Smitty” Garretson, and Christina Wolfe is Special Agent Amanda Tate.
“The Last Stop” Plot: – When ex-FBI agent Bill Cormack (guest star Jeffrey Pierce), captured by hostile forces in Libya years ago, suddenly resurfaces in a brutal Tripoli prison, Forrester and Powell risk everything to go undercover as prisoners to break him out. Also, the Fly Team adjusts to their new and improved HQ.
From Emmy Award winner Dick Wolf, fast-paced drama FBI: International is the third iteration of the successful FBI brand that follows the elite operatives of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s International Fly Team. Headquartered in Budapest, they travel throughout Europe with the mission of tracking and neutralizing threats against American citizens wherever they may be, putting their lives on the line to protect the U.S. and its people.
The Fly Team’s Special Agent Scott Forrester, their accomplished and dedicated leader, puts his missions ahead of his personal life. Second in command is Special Agent Jamie Kellett, a heroic and fearless investigator – and her extensive network of informants is a powerful resource. Special Agent Andre Raines shines in the field and makes good use of his accounting background in tracking criminal enterprises’ moving money. Special Agent Cameron Vo, a competitive West Point grad, excels at interrogation and strategy, and Megan “Smitty” Garretson, a streetwise Europol agent with an extensive undercover background, uses her expertise to liaise with each host country they inhabit.
Newly embedded with the Fly Team is Special Agent Amanda Tate, a confident and tech savvy intel analyst, who stays quick on her feet and remains calm in the midst of chaos. Always at the scene where American interests are at risk, FBI: International is a globe-trotting depiction of law enforcement overseas.
Peacock’s given a straight-to-series order for an untitled espionage thriller starring and executive produced by Simu Liu (Barbie, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings). Thomas Brandon (Legacies) created the series and is serving as writer and will also executive produce.
“Five minutes in the future, a first-generation-American intelligence analyst Alexander Hale (Simu Liu) realizes his brain has been hacked, giving the perpetrators access to everything he sees and hears,” reads Peacock’s synopsis. “Caught between his shadowy agency and the unknown hackers, he must maintain a performance 24/7 to flush out who’s responsible and prove where his allegiance lies.”
Additional executive producers include Atomic Monster’s James Wan (The Conjuring films, Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom), Michael Clear, and Rob Hackett.
Peacock also announced straight-to-series orders for the following projects:
DEVIL IN DISGUISE: JOHN WAYNE GACY: A limited series from the producers of Dr. Death and NBC News Studios, based on the harrowing exploits of one of America’s most notorious serial killers and the rigorous investigation that ultimately brought him down. From 1972-1978, thirty-three young men were kidnapped, murdered and buried in a crawl space beneath their killer’s house. And no one was the wiser. Not for all those years. Why? He was charming and funny. Had a good, All-American job. Was a community leader. He even volunteered to entertain sick kids… while dressed as a clown.
Devil In Disguise: John Wayne Gacy peels back the twisted layers of John Wayne Gacy’s life while weaving in the heartrending stories of his mostly gay victims; exploring the grief, guilt, and trauma of their families and friends; and exposing the systemic failures, missed opportunities and societal prejudices that fueled his reign of terror.
ALL HER FAULT: A suburban-thriller limited series adapted from Andrea Mara’s bestselling novel of the same name, which opens on a plausibly terrifying situation that eventually unearths the deep secrets of a wealthy Chicago community. Set in Chicago, Marissa Irvine arrives at 14 Arthur Avenue, expecting to pick up her young son Milo from his first playdate with a boy at his new school. But the woman who answers the door isn’t a mother she recognizes. She isn’t the nanny. She doesn’t have Milo. And so begins every parent’s worst nightmare.
MR. THROWBACK: A down-on-his-luck memorabilia dealer looks for redemption by reuniting with his sixth-grade teammate, NBA legend Steph Curry. Curry will star in and executive produce along with Adam Pally (Knuckles). Erick Peyton and writers David Caspe, Matthew Libman, and Daniel Libman also executive produce.
Malin Akerman and Brittany Snow in ‘The Hunting Wives’ (Photo Courtesy of Netflix)
Brittany Snow (the Pitch Perfect franchise) has boarded Starz’s new drama series The Hunting Wives, based on the bestselling novel by May Cobb. Snow will co-lead the series with Malin Akerman, who was previously announced as attached to the project.
The series, described as a twisty thriller, is targeting a spring start of production in Charlotte, North Carolina. Season one will consist of eight episodes.
“Snow will portray Sophie O’Neil in the series based on the novel by May Cobb, which tells the story of Sophie and her family’s move from the East Coast to deep East Texas, where she succumbs to socialite Margo Bank’s (Malin Åkerman) irresistible charms – and finds her life consumed by obsession, seduction, and murder,” reads Starz’s synopsis.
Rebecca Cutter (Hightown) is adapting Cobb’s book and will serve as showrunner and executive producer. Cobb and 3 Arts Entertainment’s Erwin Stoff (The Serpent Queen) are also executive producing.
Brittany Snow’s credits include the 2024 Academy Award-nominated live-action short film Red, White & Blue, The Good Half, X, Hooking Up, and Almost Family. Snow recently made her feature film directorial debut with Parachute, which is expected to be released this year.
If Valentine cards are too lame and saccharine for your taste, then maybe you need something a little more hard-boiled for this lovers’ holiday. Perhaps, “What do I call you besides stupid?” or “We go together like guns and ammunition” are more in line with the romantic sentiments you’d like to express to your gumshoe or femme fatale. If that’s the case, then here are some lethally attractive film noir romances with the cynical bite your cold heart craves.
Marriage vows state, “till death do us part.” But in noir, that death is very rarely of natural causes. I mean, there’s a reason women in noir are referred to as femme fatales – they can be deadly.
Here’s a list of the 10 best classic American films noir to celebrate with on Valentine’s Day.
SPOILER ALERT: If you haven’t already figured it out, I will be revealing the endings to these films, and everyone dies… well almost.
1. Double Indemnity (1944)
The couple: Barbara Stanwyck, Fred MacMurray
Collateral damage: Tom Powers
James M. Cain’s novel offers a classic noir triangle: a sexy young wife (Barbara Stanwyck); an old husband (Tom Powers) married for money and convenience; and an attractive man (Fred MacMurray) who presents an opportunity for change.
The attraction is purely sexual between Stanwyck’s Phyllis Dietrichson and MacMurray’s Walter Neff, and it steams up the screen. But in Walter, Phyllis also spies a useful tool to advance her ambitions. Once they kill Phyllis’ husband, they are bound by their crime and fear the other will betray them. Phyllis explains to Walter, “Nobody’s pulling out. We went in this together and we’re coming out at the end together. It’s straight down the line for both of us.” How romantic, right?
Here’s what makes Double Indemnity the perfect cynical, hard-boiled noir romance: Phyllis’ confession of true love (if anything in noir can be trusted as true) only comes AFTER she shoots Walter. The shot is not fatal and Walter taunts her with, “Why didn’t you shoot again, baby? Don’t tell me it’s because you’ve been in love with me all this time.”
Phyllis replies: “No, I never loved you, Walter, not you or anybody else. I’m rotten to the heart. I used you just as you said. That’s all you ever meant to me. Until a minute ago, when I couldn’t fire that second shot. I never thought that could happen to me.”
Of course, Walter isn’t buying it and as the two embrace, he fatally shoots her. Then he confesses all to his boss at the insurance company and ends up in the gas chamber. Now that’s what noir romance is all about.
‘Out of the Past’ (Warner Archive Collection)
2. Out of the Past (1947)
The couple: Jane Greer, Robert Mitchum
Collateral damage: Kirk Douglas
In Jane Greer’s Kathie, Out of the Past gives us perhaps the most perfect example of a femme fatale who brings down multiple men without batting a single luscious lash. Robert Mitchum’s Jeff is a private detective hired to track her down after she has shot Kirk Douglas’ Whit and stolen $40,000. But Jeff is immediately attracted to Kathie and instead of turning her in, he decides to run off with her. When she tries to explain her past, Jeff just dismisses it with, “Baby, I don’t care.” He’s no victim to her femme fatale wiles but rather a man surrendering to his fate. The book the film is based on is called Build My Gallows High and Jeff knows where this relationship will end.
Jeff passes on the love of a good woman, not because he is in love with Kathie but because Kathie threatens to frame him for multiple murders, plus he knows exactly what she is and feels a responsibility to deal with her. They die together when they face a police roadblock and Kathie shoots Jeff, and then the police riddle the car with bullets.
Mitchum, along with MacMurray and later you will see John Garfield, represent the noir lovers sort of redeemed by death. They take responsibility for their bad deeds, don’t really blame the femme fatales for leading them down a dark path, and accept death as their appropriate punishment.
Here’s your perfect noir sentiment for Valentine’s Day from the film. Kathie pleads, “Can’t you even feel sorry for me?” And Jeff replies, “I’m not going to try… Just get out will you, I have to sleep in this room.” And of course, Mitchum delivers that retort with hard-boiled perfection. Yes, this is love noir style.
3. Criss Cross (1949)
The couple: Yvonne DeCarlo, Burt Lancaster
Collateral damage: Dan Duryea
Unlike Mitchum and MacMurray who knowingly enter the lethal embrace of a femme fatale, Burt Lancaster is a naïve lovesick sap who is genuinely shocked when he’s double-crossed by Yvonne De Carlo. Lancaster’s Steve falls hard for De Carlo’s gorgeous Anna and believes she loves him with the same romantic passion as he loves her. But when an injured Steve comes to get Anna so they can run away with some stolen money, she reveals her true colors and devastates him. With wounded puppy dog eyes, he disbelievingly asks if she is really going to leave him. Anna, who only ever thinks of her own survival, says of course and then lists the practical reasons that his injury would slow her down and that it would be better if she got away with the money and only he got caught.
Steve, still trying to hold on to his romantic image of her, says, “All those things you said to me, you weren’t lying, you meant it. I know you meant it; you loved me.” To which the cold-blooded Anna replies, “Love, love… you have to watch out for yourself. That’s the way it is. What do you want me to do, throw all this money away… you don’t know what kind of a world this is… People get hurt I can’t help it.”
Steve starts to see with clear eyes for the first time and confesses, “I never wanted the money, I just wanted you… I just wanted to hold you in my arms and take care of you. It could have been wonderful, but it didn’t work out. What a pity it didn’t work out.”
Anna’s mobster husband finds them and shoots them both dead before the cops gun him down. Anna’s body lies draped over Steve. Fade out on another noir love story.
4. Gun Crazy (1950)
The couple: Peggy Cummins, John Dall
Gun Crazy is the precursor to the violent love on the run neo-noirs of Bonnie and Clyde and Badlands. Peggy Cummins’ Laurie reels in John Dall’s Bart with femme fatale precision. In fact, as a carnival sharpshooter she literally aims her gun at him and fires. It’s early in the relationship so it’s just blanks. She lures Bart into a crime spree that can only end one way, and that’s in a shoot-out. But while the earlier films on this list end with the lovers double-crossing or turning on each other, Gun Crazy is more of an us-versus-the-world vibe. When Laurie and Bart are on the run at the end, they are still in love. As dire as their situation is, Bart proclaims, “I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
It is only when the police corner them and Laurie threatens to kill the cops that Bart shoots her and then the cops riddle both with bullets. The film ends with them lying dead together, and the final music leaves us with a sadly romantic feeling. This might be as close as a noir romance gets to a happy ending.
5. The Postman Always Rings Twice (1946)
The couple: Lana Turner, John Garfield
Collateral damage: Cecil Kellaway
We are returning to James M. Cain country with The Postman Always Rings Twice so brace yourself for some savage noir romance. When Lana Turner’s platinum blonde Cora enters, we know that John Garfield’s Frank is hooked. He may act tough and try to assert his dominance over her, but he’s a goner. As with Phyllis and Walter, the sexual tension is palpable on screen here.
Cora uses love as Phyllis does to advance her ambitions. She has married for convenience and wants to shed her hubby but keep his business, which means divorce is out of the question. So, she suggests an alternative idea to Frank.
Cora says, “I love you Frank, and I want you, but not this way. Not starting out like a couple of tramps… Do you love me so much that nothing else matters?.. There’s one thing we could do that would fix everything for us.”
Frank gets her drift and initially tries to resist but eventually helps her murder her husband (played by the likable Cecil Kellaway). Now the classic noir bond comes into play as Frank points out “we’re chained to each other, Cora.”
Fear of a double cross drives their relationship until Cora dies in a car crash where Frank was driving, and he gets sent to the gas chamber. Frank wants to fight the charges because he insists he did not kill Cora; it was an accident. The lawyer explains that even if Frank dodged this murder rap, they would come get him for the murder of Cora’s husband. It is only at that point that Frank accepts his fate. It’s okay to be executed but he just doesn’t want it to be for killing Cora because he loved her… didn’t trust her but did love her. That’s noir love till death do them part.
6. Too Late for Tears (1949)
The couple: Lizabeth Scott, Dan Duryea
Collateral damage: Arthur Kennedy
This one is a doozy, and Lizabeth Scott’s Jane gives Greer’s Kathie a run for her money as noir’s femme fatale high priestess.
Jane just wants more. So, when a bag of money is literally thrown in her lap, she wants to keep it while her upstanding hubby (Arthur Kennedy) wants to turn it in to the police.
Enter Dan Duryea’s Danny, the crook who wants his money back. But Jane has other plans. First, she tries to play tough with Danny and delivers the great line, “What do I call you besides stupid?” But then she changes tacks and sweet talks Danny into helping her kill her annoyingly decent husband and then split the money.
Jane’s laser-focused drive to keep the money no matter what the cost soon scares even tough guy Danny who assesses – and correctly – that she’s more of a killer than he is. Danny soon realizes resistance is futile and gives in to her desires knowing full well that she will likely dispose of him when he is no longer useful. As the doomed partner, Duryea has some of the best lines. He tells Jane, “You know, Tiger, I didn’t know they made ’em as beautiful as you are, and as smart or as hard” and “Don’t ever change, Tiger. I don’t think I’d like you with a heart.”
She casually kills him with a celebratory drink laced with the poison he bought – now if that’s doesn’t say noir love I don’t know what does. She then heads south of the border where she is tracked down. When confronting the authorities, she draws a gun and as she backs up on the balcony, she trips and falls to her death with the money swirling around.
‘Angel Face’ (Warner Archive Collection)
7. Angel Face (1952)
The couple: Jean Simmons, Robert Mitchum
Collateral damage: Herbert Marshall, Barbara O’Neil
OK, this is a bit of a repeat of Out of the Past and Robert Mitchum should know better by now. Jean Simmons’ Diane gives Mitchum’s Frank one look, and he breaks a date with his goody-two-shoes girlfriend. Diane wants to get rid of her stepmother – and along the way her own weak father – so she can get to her money, and she tries to seduce Frank into helping her.
When Diane, like Kathie, plays the innocent, Frank responds, “Diane, look, I don’t pretend to know what goes on behind that pretty little face of yours – I don’t want to. But I learned one thing very early. Never be the innocent bystander – that’s the guy that always gets hurt. If you want to play with matches, that’s your business. But not in gas-filled rooms – that’s not only dangerous, it’s stupid.”
But once again, Mitchum plays a smart, tough guy who knowingly enters a doomed relationship because he just can’t help himself. Murder and arrest simultaneously drive the couple apart and force them into marriage. When Frank decides to leave, he clearly understands that letting Diane drive him to the bus station will be the last ride he will ever takes since he knows Diane rigged the car crash that killed her stepmother and father. Diane decides that if she can’t have Frank, no one can so she drives them both over a cliff to their death. Till death do us part, baby.
8. The Strange Loves of Martha Ivers (1946)
The couple: Barbara Stanwyck, Kirk Douglas
Collateral damage: Judith Anderson
Barbara Stanwyck gets to play a less dynamic femme fatale here as she tries to escape the cruel clutches of a wealthy aunt (Judith Anderson). As Martha Ivers, Stanwyck accidentally kills her aunt and then is forced into a marriage with Walter (Kirk Douglas) because Walter’s father is blackmailing her over her aunt’s death.
This film has a second set of lovers in Van Heflin’s Sam and Lizabeth Scott’s Toni who complicate things. Heflin plays the now grown-up boy Martha loved as a child and wanted to run away with. Scott, getting to bat for the good (bad) girls, has just been released from jail and is trying to turn a new leaf. She offers Heflin true love with no strings attached. The best scene in the film is with Stanwyck, Heflin, and Scott laying out the sexual and power dynamics in a few terse lines. Martha professes her lifelong love for Sam and almost reels him back in. But her love is now tainted by her fear that Sam too is trying to blackmail her. Sam resists Martha’s urging to kill Walter so they can marry. His decision allows him to escape with Toni to lead perhaps a normal but much duller life.
Walter ends up killing Martha and then shooting himself, and they die in each other’s arms. So goes love and marriage in noir.
9. Murder My Sweet (1944)
The couple: Claire Trevor, Mike Mazurki
Collateral damage: Miles Mander
The main character here is Philip Marlowe (Dick Powell) and while high society dame Helen (Claire Trevor) tries to sink her talons into him, he never becomes one of her victims – although she does attempt to kill him, and he takes a good beating for her.
Helen has a past life as a nightclub performer named Velma. Moose (Mike Mazurki), whose name sums up his hulking stature, was completely smitten with his Velma and only wants to find his lost love so he hires Marlowe. Marlowe pieces together that Helen and Velma are one and the same, and that Helen has been up to no good.
Helen has married Leuwen (Miles Mander), a sugar daddy old husband. Leuwen’s daughter assesses her stepmom perfectly: “Beautiful, expensive babes who know what they’ve got… all bubble bath, and dewy morning, and moonlight. And inside, blue steel, cold, cold like that only not that clean.”
When the film comes to its messy conclusion with a pile of corpses, of course it is Helen who is responsible. She is shot by Leuwen whose daughter has opened his eyes to Helen’s true nature. Then the lovesick and enraged Moose busts in, and he and Leuwen shoot each other. Moose is the sweetly tragic figure here. He is so consumed by love that would do anything for his Valentine Velma. And that should make you feel all warm and fuzzy.
‘Niagara’ (20th Century Studios)
10. Niagara (1956)
The couple: Marilyn Monroe, Joseph Cotton
This is a rare noir shot in color, but when you see Marilyn Monroe in that pink dress you understand why. The film plays two marriages off each other. First, you get the adorable couple of Ray and Polly (Casey Adams and Jean Peters) vacationing at Niagara Falls on a delayed honeymoon. Then we meet Rose (Monroe) and her shell-shocked husband, George (Joseph Cotton). Rose is obviously more woman than poor George can handle, and she knows it and rubs his nose in it. At one point she taunts him with, “Sure. I’m meeting somebody, just anybody handy, as long as he’s a man! How ’bout the ticket seller himself? I could grab him on the way out or one of the kids with the phonograph. Anybody suits me. Take your pick.”
Rose plans to dump George, but her plans get disrupted. George realizes that his only option is to kill her. His decision is fueled both by his jealous love for her and his fear that she will kill other people. After an elaborate and gorgeously shot chase, he strangles her and tells her lifeless corpse, “I loved you, Rose. You know that.” And in this case, it is the truth. So, he takes a boat to the edge of Niagara Falls and plummets to his death. How much more romantic can you get for Valentine’s Day?
Bonus pick: Needed to drop one homme fatale here, They Won’t Believe Me (1947). Robert Young plays a cad who charms women and marries for money. He plays a role in the death of two women (Susan Hayward, Rita Johnson), and leads another (Jane Greer getting to play the good girl) on. He really can’t hold a candle to the femme fatales on this list in terms of ruthless manipulation and body count, but he deserves mention.
The ending of this film is great. Young, on trial for Hayward’s death, is convinced the jury will never believe he did not murder her, so he attempts to jump out the courtroom window to commit suicide but is shot dead. Then the jury enters to read their verdict of not guilty. You gotta love noir!
Eoin Macken as Gavin and Natalie Zea as Eve in La Brea’ season 3 episode 6 (Photo by: Greg Gayne/NBC)
NBC’s La Brea wraps up with season three episode six, an episode that begins with a flashback of Gavin (Eoin Macken) learning Eve was pregnant with their first child. The action then switches to 1965, with Gavin, Izzy, Sam, and Helena hoping that they’re getting closer to finding Eve.
Helena (Emily Wiseman) believes they should head to Reisander’s base in Pasadena. There’s a detention center there and that might be where they’re keeping Eve. Helena thinks they can kill two birds with one stone – rescue Eve and destroy their research on the microchip. She’s going to use an electromagnetic pulse explosive to wipe out their research.
Sam (Jon Seda) believes he found Riley at Cedar’s Hospital, so they decide to divide up, with Sam going off on his own to check on his daughter.
Meanwhile, back in 10,000 BC, Ty (Chiké Okonkwo) suggests that Lucas, Veronica, and Scott should step through the blue aurora to 2021 right now. Veronica (Lily Santiago) doesn’t want to leave without everyone, and Ruth volunteers to retrieve the clearing people from the fort.
Scott (Rohan Mirchandaney) also wants to find Petra before they leave, so they wind up searching the soldiers’ Jeep. Ty discovers his wife’s wedding ring and some of her belongings and demands to know where it came from. One of the soldiers reveals it was with a group of villagers who were killed in a dinosaur attack. He describes the location as five miles away.
Gavin, Izzy (Zyra Gorecki), and Helena break into the Pasadena research facility, but Eve’s not in the detention center. Helena finds a manifest that says Eve was transferred to the Ladera base in 10,000 BC. They just left, so the group splits up again, with Gavin and Izzy chasing after the transport and Helena remaining behind to destroy the servers.
Sam was right about Riley’s whereabouts and finally reunites with his injured daughter. He apologizes for taking so long to find her and confirms he hasn’t found Josh yet. Riley still has a fever because antibiotics weren’t commonly used in the ‘60s. Riley demands to know his diagnosis, and Sam believes she has a torn diaphragm from the raptor attack.
Sam thinks the only way to save her is to go through the blue aurora to 2021.
Before he can move her, Riley says, “Dad, I’m having trouble breathing!” Sam springs into action and performs an exploratory laparotomy, which isn’t common practice yet. He’s locked the door and swears he’s the only one who can help her. He also swears he’ll be a different father and husband if this works.
Josh McKenzie as Lucas, Rohan Mirchandaney as Scott, and Chiké Okonkwo as Ty in the ‘La Brea’ finale (Photo by: NBC)
Back in 10,000 BC, Ty’s group takes the Jeep to the location five miles away and splits up to search for the dead villagers. Ty claims he’ll be lost without Paara, and Scott can relate. They discuss Scott’s breakup with Emily and how he let her drift away by not being brave.
They spot the dead villagers, and Lucas (Josh McKenzie) assures Ty that Paara isn’t among them. Smoke’s seen from the abandoned village nearby, and Scott and Ty rush off to find its source.
Lucas pours his heart out to Veronica while waiting for Ty and Scott to return. He confirms he wants to go home to 2021 and knows she’s made him a better man. As they’re talking, Veronica experiences cramps. She admits she should have gone through the aurora, and Lucas comforts her, assuring her their baby is going to be fine. He also promises to get her through the aurora ASAP.
Ty hears Paara scream and finds her trapped under a fallen shelter. Ty and Scott try to lift it off as Paara explains they were attacked by a pack of dinosaurs. She knew he’d come, and Ty reveals he was pulled back to 2021 but this is his home – here, with her forever.
Scott and Ty use leverage to free Paara, and thankfully, she’s not gravely injured. Unfortunately, the noise drew a T-Rex and Scott tells them all to stand still since they have horrible vision – per Jurassic Park. However, they discover Steven Spielberg was wrong and have to run from the approaching dinosaur. Lucas and Veronica race up in the Jeep and the group barely escapes being the T-Rex’s lunch.
In 2021, Gavin and Izzy crash into the transport vehicle to stop it, and it’s Josh (Jack Martin) in the back of the vehicle – not Eve. They’re happy to be reunited, and Josh explains that after they took Riley to a hospital, men grabbed him and put him in a cell with his mom. They wanted to know everything about Gavin.
Today, they fought with the guards, but Josh was grabbed and sedated. Josh has no idea what happened to his mom. That means she’s still at the research facility with Helena, a name Josh doesn’t recognize.
Eoin Macken as Gavin and Jack Martin as Josh in ‘La Brea’ season 3 episode 6 (Photo by: Mark Taylor/NBC)
Izzy leaves to check on the aurora just as Sam arrives with Riley in the backseat of his car. Her wound’s infected, and they need to get to 2021 right away. Gavin knows Sam needs to do what’s best for his daughter and says this is where they part ways. They shake hands and thank each other before Sam sprints back to his car with Josh.
Josh doesn’t leave; he just says goodbye to Riley.
Helena drives up with news that she saw Eve, they fought some guards, and she got pinned down. Eve took the EMP and is going to finish destroying the microchip research. Helena just left her there on her own because she swore she’d do the job and then step through the aurora to 2021.
Gavin decides they’ll head back to 10,000 BC and get the microchip. That’s what Eve wants them to do.
The next scene shows them in 10,000 BC, watching as the clearing people exit the world of prehistoric creatures and return to LA in 2021. Veronica’s turn comes, but Lucas isn’t going with her. He’s decided to stay and help Gavin and the group find and destroy the microchip. He’ll catch up with her when they’re finished, swearing on everything he loves that he’ll make it.
So, with 20 or so minutes left in the series let’s recap. The mostly nameless clearing folk have gone back to 2021, Sam and Riley are also back in 2021, and Eve is the only person remaining in 1965. Gavin, Izzy, Josh, Helena, Ty, Lucas, and Scott are with Paara, Ruth, and the fort people in 10,000 BC.
Gavin believes they can use the T-Rex to help them get into the base. They lead the T-Rex to the base’s gates by racing ahead of it in the Jeep. The soldiers follow Maya’s order and open fire on the dinosaur and the T-Rex uses its little arms to rip down the gate.
The bullets have no effect, and the T-Rex takes out a few soldiers as Gavin’s group runs onto the base to retrieve the microchip. Scott hears Petra yelling while being manhandled by a soldier, and he and Lucas chase after her.
Seconds later, Gavin finds the microchip just as Scott and Lucas return after helping Petra escape. Now, if only they can escape the base and get to the aurora before it closes. Unfortunately, Maya and her soldiers have other plans.
Gavin’s group is surrounded by dozens of well-armed soldiers. Maya demands that Gavin turn over the chip and is taken by surprise when the fort people and Ty launch an attack. Soldiers fall as Gavin’s group joins the fight. Izzy’s almost stabbed when Leyla saves her.
The group escapes, but a huge flash erupts, and Gavin believes it’s the aurora closing. Josh wonders how they’ll get back to his mom, and Izzy is certain it can’t end like this. Gavin pledges that it won’t; he has an idea.
They head over to where one of the planes is stored and Gavin believes he can fly them home. Ty says his goodbyes; he’s going to remain in 10,000 BC with his wife, Paara. But, of course, they can’t just fly off. After three seasons, we’ve learned that La Brea doesn’t just deliver happy endings without throwing in a last-minute roadblock or two.
Maya wasn’t killed by the T-Rex or in the fight that followed, and she holds Josh at gunpoint. She demands the chip and Gavin tosses it to her. Maya watches it in flight and Helena uses the distraction to shoot her in the chest.
Maya’s dead, Josh is safe, and now everyone gets on board the plane. He’s starting the engine when the T-Rex charges down the runway at the plane. Helena wants to abort. Gavin disagrees and goes for it. The T-Rex opens its mouth, but the plane escapes.
Helena places the chip in the plane’s computer, and they head through the aurora to 2021. The aurora closes behind them.
A scene from the ‘La Brea’ series finale (Photo by: NBC)
They apparently landed in a field in the middle of nowhere, but at least they’re in LA and it’s 2021. Helena says a brief goodbye and Gavin wonders what her next move is. He invites her over for a family dinner, and she’s more than happy to accept the invitation.
Gavin, Josh, and Izzy think Eve might be home, but Josh wants to stop and see Riley on the way. She’s in the hospital but looking much better, and Josh smiles at her like the teenager in love that he is. He confesses that the day of the sinkhole when they saw each other in traffic, he knew right away he was going to love her. Riley confesses it wasn’t love at first sight for her.
Veronica and Lucas look at their baby’s sonogram, and it has a healthy heartbeat. Scott’s with them and reminds them he’ll see them on the weekend – and every weekend after that.
“What happens in 10,000 BC, doesn’t stay in 10,000 BC,” jokes Scott.
Scott puts on his big boy pants and speaks to the love of his life, his ex, Emily. She thought he died in the sinkhole, and he explains that it changed his life. He gave up weed, saved his friends’ lives (repeatedly), and is the man she deserves. He hopes she’ll give him a second chance.
They kiss…so we’ll take that as a yes.
Sam’s back with his family, Riley’s recovering, and he’s all smiles. Sam and Gavin finally reunite and hug it out, declaring each other friends for life. The only hitch is that they haven’t found Eve yet.
Gavin realizes there’s one special place where she might be waiting for him. They head to the tree on the hillside that they used to visit for special occasions, but she’s not there. Gavin is sure she will show up there because they always agreed this is where they’d meet if there were ever an emergency.
Back in 10,000 BC, Ty places the wedding ring back on Paara’s finger and says he feels like he has his life back.
Gavin and the kids wait for hours, and Eve still hasn’t shown up. He swears she’ll be there and they won’t leave without her. Just then, Eve runs up the hill, and Josh races down to hug her. Izzy follows, and then Gavin. The family’s finally back together in 2021!
He asks where she was and she jokes that she got stuck in traffic on La Brea. She wasn’t sure she’d see them again so she wrote them letters in 1965 and buried under the tree. Eve gives them to them now and Gavin says it’s time to go home.
They walk down the hill arm-in-arm as the upside-down La Brea logo switches to right-side up.
AMC released a new trailer for The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live in honor of Valentine’s Day, focusing on the love story between Rick (Andrew Lincoln) and Michonne (Danai Gurira). The one-minute trailer shows clips of their relationship over the years and declares that true love never dies.
“Till my last breath, I am yours,” whispers Rick. The trailer ends with Rick telling Michonne that she’s the love of his life.
The latest chapter of The Walking Dead universe also stars Pollyanna McIntosh, Lesley-Ann Brandt, Terry O’Quinn, Matthew August Jeffers, Craig Tate, and Andrew Bachelor. Showrunner Scott M. Gimple executive produces along with Lincoln, Gurira, Denise Huth, Brian Bockrath, and Greg Nicotero.
Andrew Lincoln as Rick Grimes in ‘The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live’ (Photo Credit: Gene Page/AMC)
“The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live presents an epic love story of two characters changed by a changed world. Kept apart by distance. By an unstoppable power. By the ghosts of who they were. Rick and Michonne are thrown into another world, built on a war against the dead… And ultimately, a war against the living,” reads AMC’s synopsis. “Can they find each other and who they were in a place and situation unlike any they’ve ever known before? Are they enemies? Lovers? Victims? Victors? Without each other, are they even alive — or will they find that they, too, are the Walking Dead?”
The Ones Who Live premieres on AMC and AMC+ on February 25, 2024. In support of the upcoming premiere, the series took over the Sphere in Las Vegas. Check out the video, courtesy of AMC:
