A scene from ‘Paw Patrol: The Mighty Movie’ from Spin Master Entertainment, Nickelodeon Movies, and Paramount Pictures
The pups devoted to rescue are back up on the big screen and this time with superpowers in Paw Patrol: The Mighty Movie, the animated sequel to 2021’s Paw Patrol: The Movie.
The PG-rated film begins with a meteor headed straight for Adventure City, thanks to the work of mad scientist Victoria Vance (voiced by Taraji P. Henson). Naturally, the Paw Patrol kicks into action, working to clear the streets and get everyone out of the way of the gigantic crashing rock.
No one is injured, thanks to the quick work of the Paw Patrol. However, the crash of the meteor exposed the young pups to powerful energy crystals that had been hidden inside the space rock. Once released, these crystals give the Paw Patrol members superpowers.
Each pup receives a different power, such as being able to throw fire and transform into water. One even becomes strong like a boulder. Skye (voiced by Mckenna Grace), a Cockapoo pup, receives the ability to fly, which she’s thrilled about. Her newfound superpower helps her overcome her feelings of insecurity about being the runt of the group.
Because happy pups don’t make for much of a story, a villain is thrown into the mix in the form of their old nemesis, Humdinger. Humdinger has broken out of jail and teamed up with mad scientist Vance to steal the crystals from the Paw Patrol. Humdinger and Vance intend to use the superpowers to transform into supervillains that no one can defeat.
With Humdinger on the loose and up to no good, it falls upon the Paw Patrol to work together and try to stop the mad scientist and Humdinger from destroying Adventure City.
Colorful, cute, and with solid messages for children, Paw Patrol: The Mighty Movie is a fun, entertaining film for children 10 and under. The animated kid-friendly feature includes a handful of exciting action scenes. Especially impressive is a scene in which Skye must land a crashing jet onto the main city street with her pup teammates quickly clearing cars and people out of the way.
The movie benefits from a strong voice cast that includes Mckenna Grace, Kristen Bell, James Marsden, Chris Rock, Ron Pardo, Marsai Martin, Christian Convery, and Taraji P. Henson. The animation is an improvement over the Nickelodeon television series but unimpressive by today’s standards.
Paw Patrol: The Mighty Movie is a worthwhile watch for children who are fans of the television show and fit in the under-10 age group. There isn’t, however, anything in Paw Patrol for the adults. This one’s strictly for the kiddies who’ll be able to absorb and understand the intended positive messages of teamwork and having the courage to believe in yourself.
GRADE: B-
MPAA Rating: PG for mild action and peril
Running Time: 1 hour 32 minutes
Release Date: September 29, 2023
Directed By: Cal Brunker
Studio: Paramount Pictures
Netflix’s October 2023 lineup includes Mike Flanagan’s much-anticipated horror series The Fall of the House of Usher, starring Carla Gugino, Bruce Greenwood, and Kate Siegel. The documentary series Beckham provides a peek into soccer superstar David Beckham’s personal life and soccer career, and Big Vape: The Rise and Fall of Juul delves into the controversial company.
Netflix’s October schedule also includes comedy specials, a new dinosaur series, and season seven of the adult animated comedy Big Mouth.
Netflix’s October 2023 Calendar:
10/1/23
60 Days In: Season 4
A Beautiful Mind
American Beauty
Backdraft
Casper
Catch Me If You Can
Cinderella Man
Colombiana
Drake & Josh: Seasons 1-3
Dune (2021)
Elysium
Forgetting Sarah Marshall
Gladiator
Hot Tub Time Machine
Kung Fu Panda
Love Actually
Margot at the Wedding
Miss Juneteenth
Mission: Impossible
Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol
Mission: Impossible II
Mission: Impossible III
My Best Friend’s Wedding
Role Models
Runaway Bride
Saving Private Ryan
Scarface
Sex and the City 2
Sex and the City: The Movie
The Adventures of Tintin
The Amazing Spider-Man
The Amazing Spider-Man 2
The Firm
The House Bunny
The Little Rascals (1994)
War of the Worlds
10/2/23
Strawberry Shortcake and the Beast of Berry Bog
10/3/23
Beth Stelling: If You Didn’t Want Me Then – Comedian Beth Stelling is aging in dog years, camping with a fake husband, and monitoring her dad’s raccoon army in this slyly laid-back stand-up special.
10/4/23
Beckham (Documentary) – This four-part documentary series tells the inside story of a global football star and cultural icon. David Beckham is one of the most known names on the planet, yet few people know who he really is. From his humble working-class beginnings in east London, his drive and determination to win, and the battle to find balance between ambition, love and family, David’s story is one of immense ups and downs.
The series takes you on that rollercoaster and builds a surprising, personal, and definitive story of one of the most recognizable and scrutinized athletes of all time.
In Beckham, Academy Award-winner Fisher Stevens along with Academy Award and Emmy Award-winning producer John Battsek are granted unprecedented access to David, his wife Victoria, his family, his friends, and his team-mates. The result is an intimate portrait of a man as well as a chronicle of late-modern sports and celebrity culture.
Keys to the Heart (Film) – Troubled and alone, a boxer moves in with his long-lost mother and autistic pianist brother — but must fit in with a family he hasn’t known for years.
Race to the Summit (Documentary) – Fearless alpine climbers Ueli Steck and Dani Arnold enter into a death-defying rivalry to set speed records on the Swiss Alps’ great north faces.
Super Pumped: The Battle for Uber: Season 1
10/5/23
Everything Now (Series) – After months in recovery for an eating disorder, 16-year-old Mia devises a bucket list of quintessential teen experiences to make up for lost time.
Khufiya (Film) – When a mole in an intelligence unit leads to the murder of an undercover spy, a hardened agent relentlessly pursues him to avenge the death.
Lupin: Part 3 (Series) – As the media and police look to Claire and Raoul, an on-the-run Assane schemes to protect them from afar — but old foes are eager to thwart his plans.
Alden Ehrenreich as Luke and Phoebe Dynevor as Emily in ‘Fair Play’ (Photo Credit: Sergej Radovic / Courtesy of Netflix)
10/6/23
A Deadly Invitation (Film) – A true crime enthusiast is ensnared in her high-society sister’s murder. With a villa full of posh suspects, it’s up to her to find the culprit.
Ballerina (Film) – Grieving the loss of a best friend she couldn’t protect, an ex-bodyguard sets out to fulfill her dear friend’s last wish: sweet, sweet revenge.
Fair Play (Film) – An unexpected promotion at a cutthroat hedge fund pushes a couple’s romance to the brink, threatening to unravel far more than their recent engagement.
10/7/23
Strong Girl Nam-soon (Series) – Gifted with superhuman strength, a young woman returns to Korea to find her birth family — only to be entangled in a drug case that could test her power.
10/9/23
After
Blippi’s Big Dino Adventure
Stranded with my Mother-in-Law (Series) – To win a life-changing prize, couples embark on a journey to an earthly paradise and confront challenges…with the assistance of their mothers-in-law.
10/10/23
DI4RIES: Season 2 Part 1 (Series) – A new year of school is ahead, and the friends are now in a new 3D class. As feelings and relationships are tested, can they manage to stick together?
Last One Standing: Season 2 (Series) – Lights, camera, action! The hit comedy competition wrapped in a scripted drama returns. Who will survive to earn the title of Last One Standing?
10/11/23
Big Vape: The Rise and Fall of Juul (Documentary) – Juul was the fastest-growing company in history. Now, they’re a cautionary tale. Based on the book Big Vape: The Incendiary Rise of Juul by TIME Health Correspondent Jamie Ducharme, and directed by R.J. Cutler, this four-part docuseries unpacks twenty years of Silicon Valley innovation, influence, and insanity to explain the spectacular flameout of the vaping device that almost changed everything.
It Follows
Once Upon a Star (Film) – In 1970, a cinema projection troupe faces roadblocks as they journey across Thailand to entertain eager audiences by live-dubbing beloved films.
Pact of Silence (Series) – A big-time social media influencer plunges headfirst into the lives of four women fueled by a thirst for the truth about her birth — and revenge.
10/12/23
Deliver Us from Evil
The Fall of the House of Usher (Series) – To secure their fortune — and future — two ruthless siblings build a family dynasty that begins to crumble when their heirs mysteriously die, one by one.
GOOD NIGHT WORLD (Anime) – Four miserable members of a dysfunctional household have no idea that they’ve formed a happy family unit in an immersive VR game — with each other.
LEGO Ninjago: Dragons Rising: Season 1: Part 2 – The key to stopping the MergeQuakes from reaching their tipping point lies in the Dragon Cores. Can the Ninja find all three before it’s too late?
10/13/23
The Conference (Film) – A ragtag group of public sector employees battle not only their own discord but also a bloodthirsty killer during a seemingly innocuous retreat.
Ijogbon (Film) – Four teenagers from a rural village in South–West Nigeria stumble upon a pouch of uncut diamonds — but before long, others come looking for the bounty.
Spy Kids
Spy Kids 2: The Island of Lost Dreams
Spy Kids 3: Game Over
10/15/23
Camp Courage (Documentary) – In this documentary, a girl displaced by the war in Ukraine heads to a summer camp in the Alps with her grandmother, testing the limits of her bravery.
10/16/23
Oggy Oggy: Season 3 – Kind and curious kitty Oggy Oggy wants to spread joy to all his friends and neighbors. But sometimes, he gets into playful mischief instead. Miaow!
Poster for ‘The Devil on Trial’ (Photo Credit: Netflix)
10/17/23
The Devil on Trial (Documentary) – The Devil on Trial explores the first – and only – time “demonic possession” has officially been used as a defense in a U.S. murder trial. Including firsthand accounts of alleged devil possession and a shocking murder, this extraordinary story forces reflection on our fear of the unknown.
Heather McMahan: Son I Never Had – A new stand-up comedy special from Heather McMahan.
I Woke Up A Vampire (Series) – On her 13th birthday, Carmie discovers that she’s actually half human, half vampire — and that mythical powers make middle school way more complicated.
Silver Linings Playbook
10/18/23
Kaala Paani (Series) – When a mysterious illness descends upon the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, a desperate fight for survival collides with a race to find a cure.
10/19/23
American Ninja Warrior Seasons 12-13
Bebefinn: Season 2
Bodies (Series) – Four detectives. Four timelines. One victim. In order to save the future, they’ll need to solve the murder that altered the course of history first.
Captain Laserhawk: A Blood Dragon Remix (Anime) – Branded an enemy of the state, a cyborg supersoldier struggles to find a cause worth fighting for in a dystopian society where nothing is what it seems.
Crashing Eid (Series) – When Razan’s British Pakistani fiance crashes her Saudi family’s Eid celebrations, she attempts to convince them that he is a suitable match.
Crypto Boy (Film) – Following a dispute with his father, a young man falls prey to cryptocurrency’s allure and an entrepreneur’s audacious promises of financial freedom.
Ghost Hunters: Seasons 8-9
Neon (Series) – An aspiring reggaeton star and his best friends move to Miami on a mission, weathering roadblocks and reality checks together in their quest for success.
10/20/23
Big Mouth: Season 7 (Series) – Season seven of Emmy Award winning Big Mouth follows the now teenage students of Bridgeton middle school as they make their way to high school. Change is the only constant as our characters are faced with a new school, new friends, new adversaries, and new Hormone Monsters.
Creature (Series) – When tragedy befalls a reckless scientist in Ottoman-era Istanbul, his student uses untested methods to finish his work — with devastating consequences.
Disco Inferno (Film) – A young couple conjures a dark presence that hungers for their unborn baby as they prepare to burn up the dance floor at LA’s hottest disco.
Doona! (Series) – A college student navigates life and school while dealing with a unique predicament — he’s living with a beautiful former K-pop idol.
Elite: Season 7 (Series) – Omar is back. Iván has a broken heart. Isadora deals with her dangerous family. Is it possible for the students at Las Encinas to trust one another?
Flashback (Film) – A yoga teacher’s life flashes before her eyes during a deadly home invasion, sending her on a desperate race through her past to save the man she loves.
Kandasamys: The Baby (Film) – The in-laws head to Mauritius for the birth of their grandchild and stir up comic trouble in this fourth installment of the Kandasamy franchise.
Old Dads (Film) – Three best friends become fathers later in life and find themselves battling preschool principals, millennial CEOs and anything created after 1987.
Surviving Paradise (Series) – An addictive new reality competition series.
Vjeran Tomic: The Spider-Man of Paris (Documentary) – In his own words, the burglar behind the 2010 robbery of the Paris Museum of Modern Art tells how he pulled off the biggest art heist in French history.
10/23/23
Princess Power: Season 2 – When there’s trouble in the Fruitdoms, these princess pals jump in to help each other — because sometimes problems are too big for just one princess!
10/24/23
The Family Business: Seasons 1-4
Get Gotti (Documentary) – Told from both sides of the law, this documentary from the makers of Fear City follows the FBI’s battle to bring down mob infamous boss, John Gotti.
Minions
Pete Holmes: I Am Not For Everyone – Comedian Pete Holmes delivers a feel-good stand-up set on his awkward post-prostate exam hug, a devilish Midwest meeting and his mom’s voicemail glitches.
Poster for Netflix’s ‘Life on Our Planet’
10/25/23
Absolute Beginners (Series) – Two lifelong teenage friends enjoying summer at the beach meet a handsome, aspiring pro athlete who they try to cast in their sensual short film.
Burning Betrayal (Film) – In this adaptation of Sue Hecker’s novel, an accountant sees her fiance’s betrayal as an opportunity for a sexual awakening, with dangerous consequences.
Life on Our Planet (Documentary) – This is the story of life’s epic battle to conquer and survive on planet Earth. Today there are 20 million species on our planet, yet what we see is just a snapshot in time — 99% of earth’s inhabitants are lost to our deep past. The story of what happened to these dynasties — their rise and their fall – is truly remarkable.
In partnership with Industrial Light & Magic, the series uses the latest technology and science to bring long extinct creatures back to life. Narrated by Morgan Freeman and from executive producer Steven Spielberg and the Emmy Award winning team behind Our Planet, this is the story of Life on Our Planet.
The UnXplained with William Shatner: Season 3
10/26/23
PLUTO (Anime) – When the world’s seven most advanced robots and their human allies are murdered one by one, inspector Gesicht soon discovers that he’s also in danger.
10/27/23
Pain Hustlers (Film) – Liza Drake (Emily Blunt) is a blue-collar single mom who has just lost her job and is at the end of her rope. A chance meeting with pharmaceutical sales rep Pete Brenner (Chris Evans) puts her on an upwards trajectory economically but dubious path ethically as she becomes entangled in a dangerous racketeering scheme. Dealing with her increasingly unhinged boss (Andy Garcia), the worsening medical condition of her daughter (Chloe Coleman), and a growing awareness of the devastation the company is causing forces Liza to examine her choices.
Pain Hustlers is a sharp and revealing look at what some people do out of desperation and others do out of greed.
Sister Death (Film) – After a miraculous childhood, Narcisa becomes a novice and starts teaching girls in a former convent haunted by a disturbing presence.
Tore (Series) – An immature and aimless 27-year-old throws himself into an unknown world of sex, drugs and self-discovery after his closest companion’s death.
Yellow Door: ’90s Lo-fi Film Club (Documentary) – This intimate documentary explores a bygone era of cinematic passion and the emergence of young film enthusiasts in South Korea, including Bong Joon-ho.
10/28/23
Castaway Diva (Series) – Fifteen years after being stranded on a remote island, an aspiring singer reenters society — stopping at nothing to pursue her dream of becoming a diva.
10/29/23
Botched Season 1
10/31/23
Ralph Barbosa: Cowabunga – A new stand-up comedy special from Ralph Barbosa.
SAWYER abruptly woken up during the night by something frightful in ‘The Haunted Museum’ season 2 episode 1 (Photo Courtesy of Travel Channel)
The Haunted Museum returns to Travel Channel’s lineup with new season two episodes beginning on October 26, 2023 at 10pm ET/PT. The second season of the horror anthology series will feature the investigations of evil soul-possessing puppets, serial killer Ed Gein’s cauldron, and a cursed bed. The upcoming season also features episodes involving a cursed guitar, an ancient stone carving, and human skeletons.
The series is executive produced by Eli Roth (Cabin Fever, Hostel) and Ghost Adventures host Zak Bagans, with the creepy stories chosen based on items in Zak Bagans’ Haunted Museum in Vegas.
“Executive producers Eli Roth and Zak Bagans hand-selected writers and directors who could create cinematic stories about the cursed pieces from Bagans’ creepy collection, with introductions from Bagans about its hellish history and how it came to be in his possession,” reads Travel Channel’s synopsis. “An enthusiast for all things haunted, Zak Bagans has amassed a collection of thousands of curiosities from all over the world, exhibited across a sprawling 30-room, 14,000-square-foot mansion museum. These cursed objects take the spotlight in The Haunted Museum, as Zak Bagans and Eli Roth join forces to tell these scripted stories in a frightening format.”
The Haunted Museum Season 2 Episodes:
“The Cursed Brothel Bed”
Premieres Thursday, October 26 at 10/9
“The Cursed Brothel Bed” is centered around the famed Bunny Ranch Brothel where Dennis Hof, the deceased owner of the well-known legal bordello, died on the bed that is said to have a sordid and evil history. In desperate need of money to pay for her son’s medical treatment, a single mother becomes a sex worker at a legal brothel out of state. When a malevolent force attached to her assigned room begins stalking her, she must unravel the mystery before she becomes the entity’s next victim.
“The Devil’s Cauldron”
Premieres Thursday, November 2 at 10/9
In this surreal take on the Ed Gein story, a nurse named Jessie inadvertently comes into contact with a cauldron once used by the infamous grave robber and murderer to render the flesh of his victims. When she becomes infected by the evil attached to the cauldron, she begins having terrifying visions and supernatural encounters with a horrifying stranger. As her condition worsens, Jessie descends into a nightmare traversing time and space.
Inspired Object From Zak’s Museum: After purchasing Ed Gein’s cauldron at a Gein estate sale in 1958, Evelyn Mair’s family had many negative experiences with the cursed item, forcing them to get rid of it.
“Satanic Six String”
Premieres Thursday, November 9 at 10/9c
A troubled teenager stumbles across an old guitar while exploring an abandoned farmhouse. When he plays it, he begins having nightmarish visions of a serial killer who is dead set on continuing his murderous rampage from beyond the grave.
Inspired Object From Zak’s Museum: This guitar was said to be owned by a 13-year-old boy who was found lying dead on his bed with the guitar draped across him. The seller’s online listing mentions black magic, devil worship, and more.
“The Evil Puppet Twins”
Premieres Thursday, November 16 at 10/9
After his ailing grandfather dies, teenager Arthur discovers two vintage puppets in his attic. Once released, the puppets begin to haunt the house with evil intent, looking for a new victim to control.
Inspired Object From Zak’s Museum: A pair of 1800s wooden marionettes with glass eyes that had to be removed from the Carmel Doll Shop in Pacific Grove, California, after a doll collector experienced a series of disturbing events.
“The Stone Face”
Premieres Thursday, November 30 at 10/9
While working at a wealthy art collector’s mansion, a young man finds an ancient stone carving with supernatural powers that suck him into a hellish, hallucinatory nightmare.
Inspired Object From Zak’s Museum: A famous Iron Age carving haunted item Zak bought from the Metamora Museum with suspicions of having an ancient Celtic curse attached.
“Halloween Ritual Coffin”
Premieres Thursday, December 7 at 10/9
A teenager steals a prop coffin on Halloween night unaware that it’s cursed with an ancient evil that latches onto him each Halloween after that. Three decades later, Richard has grown into a tormented serial killer who realizes his last option to break the curse involves recruiting help from the coffin’s previous owner.
Inspired Object Fom Zak’s Museum: According to Zak, “This miniature coffin is filled with a human skull, human hair, rattlesnake rattles, etc. I found it in Virginia City, Nevada, at a woman’s old storage unit. She told me a family owned it and said it was cursed and to never open it.”
“The Witch’s Head”
Premieres Thursday, December 14 at 10/9
William, a wealthy collector of antique oddities, acquires an ancient, mummified head for his personal collection. When he inexplicably slips into an unresponsive state, his family soon discovers that they are being haunted by a malicious entity and are left to fend for themselves against an unimaginable evil.
Inspired Object From Zak’s Museum: One of the most visually terrifying items in Zak’s collection, he alleges it belonged to a Swedish man who was killed for witchcraft in Scotland.
“The Secret Society Skeleton”
Premieres Thursday, December 21 at 10/9
A journalist named Georgia discovers an old 16mm movie buried in the yard of the Gothic mansion she has just moved into. Intrigued, she screens the film, only to be shocked by disturbing images of a secret society’s blood rituals. She becomes obsessed with unraveling the mystery and the skeleton they use in their rituals, but when she discovers a secret too frightening to ignore, obsession turns to madness as she becomes possessed by the dark forces surrounding her.
Inspired Object From Zak’s Museum: Inspired by two skeletons that belonged to an Odd Fellows fraternal society, likely part of initiation rituals that brought recruits face-to-face with their own mortality.
Oxygen True Crime’s Real Murders franchise has added a Los Angeles edition that will explore the seedy underbelly of the City of Angels. Set to premiere on October 6, 2023, Real Murders of Los Angeles is hosted by Garcelle Beauvais and will delve into the murders of a former Raiderette, a UCLA student, and a theater owner, among others.
New episodes will air on Fridays at 9pm ET/PT.
The franchise kicked off with Real Murders of Orange County in 2020 followed by Real Murders of Atlanta in 2022. The latest addition is executive produced by Stephanie Noonan Drachkovitch, David Hale, and Carey Zeiser.
Oxygen offered this description of the upcoming season:
“In the City of Angels, as everyone strives for the unattainable high life, there are some who are willing to kill to get it. Oxygen True Crime expands its Real Murders franchise to Los Angeles as it looks beyond the city’s glamorous façade to expose a dark underbelly where the pursuit of the American Dream can turn deadly.
Actress and Real Housewife of Beverly Hills Garcelle Beauvais, an expert on all things L.A., takes viewers beyond the velvet rope as she serves as the show’s narrator. Beauvais will guide viewers through twists and turns of true stories of victims whose dreams were shattered by ruthless killers whose lust for fame and fortune led them to commit salacious, sinful, and scandalous murders.”
Oxygen True Crime’s ‘Real Murders of Los Angeles’ Poster
Real Murders of Los Angeles October 2023 Episodes:
“Murder on the Marquee” Premiering Oct. 6 at 9 p.m. ET/PT
After the proprietor of the thriving Silent Movie Theater is viciously gunned down in his own lobby, the LAPD leans on luck, a hit TV series, and its vast network of informants to uncover a conspiracy to commit murder.
“Final Photograph” Premiering Oct. 13 at 9 p.m. ET/PT
When a beloved model, actress and former L.A. Raiderette cheerleader vanishes in broad daylight after leaving her Hermosa Beach home, a media frenzy engulfs the entire city as detectives embark on a desperate search for a sociopathic killer.
“Tunnel of Terror” Premiering Oct. 20 at 9 p.m. ET/PT
Detectives are plunged into a world of occult worship and shadowy characters as they try to solve the brutal murder of a promising UCLA student found butchered in a railroad tunnel that has a diabolical reputation.
“Once Bitten” Premiering Oct. 27 at 9 p.m. ET/PT
The shocking murder of a Van Nuys newlywed goes cold for 23 years until detectives bent on justice revisit the brutal evidence, including a bite mark on the victim’s arm that leads them to the most unlikely killer.
Is fiction imitating or dictating real life? The answer’s difficult to tell in the wild first official trailer for Universal Pictures and Apple Original Films’ Argylle. Described as a reality-bending spy thriller, Argylle was directed by Matthew Vaughn (the Kingsman films) and stars an abundance of big names including Oscar winner Sam Rockwell (Three Billboards Outside of Ebbing, Missouri), Screen Actors Guild Winner Bryce Dallas Howard (The Help), and Henry Cavill (The Witcher).
The ensemble includes Emmy winner Bryan Cranston (Breaking Bad), Lifetime Achievement Oscar winner Samuel L. Jackson, John Cena (Peacemaker), Oscar winner Ariana DeBose (West Side Story), and Grammy winner Dua Lipa (Barbie). Emmy winner Catherine O’Hara (Schitt’s Creek), Sofia Boutella (Kingsman: The Secret Service), and Matthew Vaughn’s supermodel wife’s cat, Chip, also star.
Vaughn directed and Jason Fuchs (Wonder Woman) wrote the screenplay. Fuchs, Vaughn, Adam Bohling, and David Reid produced, with Adam Fishbach, Zygi Kamasa, Carlos Peres, and Claudia Vaughn executive producing.
Argylle opens in theaters on February 2, 2023.
Poster for ‘Argylle’ (Photo Courtesy of Universal Pictures)
The Plot, courtesy of Universal Pictures:
Bryce Dallas Howard is Elly Conway, the reclusive author of a series of best-selling espionage novels, whose idea of bliss is a night at home with her computer and her cat, Alfie. But when the plots of Elly’s fictional books — which center on secret agent Argylle and his mission to unravel a global spy syndicate — begin to mirror the covert actions of a real-life spy organization, quiet evenings at home become a thing of the past.
Accompanied by Aiden (Sam Rockwell), a cat-allergic spy, Elly (carrying Alfie in her backpack) races across the world to stay one step ahead of the killers as the line between Elly’s fictional world and her real one begins to blur.
CBS’s 48 Hours September 30, 2023 episode, “The Game Show and the Murder,” examines the murder of Becky Bliefnick and the subsequent conviction of her estranged husband, Tim. Bliefnick continues to claim he didn’t kill his wife, and the September 30th episode features his first TV interview since being found guilty.
Tim Bliefnick appeared on Family Feud in 2019 and delivered a controversial answer to a question that he now contends was just a joke. When asked by Family Feud‘s host Steve Harvey to name the biggest mistake he made at his wedding, Bliefnick replied, “Honey, I love you but said ‘I do.'”
Bliefnick told 48 Hours correspondent Erin Moriarty the answer wasn’t delivered with malice. “It was supposed to be funny,” claims Bliefnick.
Erin Moriarty, Tim Bliefnick and attorney Casey Schnack on ’48 Hours’ (Photo Courtesy of CBS)
Tim and Becky Bliefnick were separated for two years at the time of Becky’s murder in February 2023. Becky was shot multiple times, and prosecutors Josh Jones and Laura Keck believe the evidence of Tim’s guilt is rock solid. “The detectives followed the evidence exactly where it took them,” states Jones. “And there was one inescapable conclusion, that it was Mr. Bliefnick.”
Becky’s sister, Sarah Reilly, agrees with the jury’s guilty verdict. “As agonizing as our pain is,” says Reilly, “I want him to understand that his worst crime was against his children.”
However, Tim claims that the thought of murdering the mother of his kids is not “any part of who I am.” Becoming emotional during his interview with Moriarty, Tim admits he misses his kids and wants them to know that he loves them.
“I’m innocent. I didn’t kill Becky,” says Tim.
“The Game Show and the Murder” episode airs on September 30th at 10pm ET/PT.
Director Gareth Edwards’ The Creator takes place in a world in which AI has detonated a nuclear warhead in Los Angeles, murdering millions and leading the Western world – specifically, America – to ban all forms of artificial intelligence. Sounds intriguing, doesn’t it? Unfortunately, the payoff to that juicy opening setup never materializes. Instead, two hours of confusing, frustratingly unsatisfying, yet visually stunning scenes with little or no emotional impact follow.
In 2065, years after the war against AI began, New Asia is a safe haven for AI. Robots, now referred to as “simulants” and sporting replicated human faces over their robotic interiors, exist peacefully amongst humans. They hold down jobs, help raise human children, and are held in higher esteem than New Asians hold Americans.
Simulants consider themselves an oppressed population and long to be free. Americans, cast as the big bad villains in this epic sci-fi tale, will do whatever is necessary to ensure simulants are sent to the scrap heap of history. Wiping out innocent human towns is considered justifiable collateral damage since residents are actively collaborating with simulants.
Americans need to cut out the symbolic heart of the simulants by locating and disabling the Creator before it releases a game-changing weapon that could turn the tide of the war in favor of AI. Ex-special forces agent Joshua (John David Washington) goes undercover in New Asia to help pinpoint the Creator’s location. While carrying out the secret operation, he falls deeply in love and marries Mia (Gemma Chan), a local who’s supportive of AI.
A tragic turn of events takes Joshua out of action and into what he believes is permanent retirement from service. Joshua’s mistaken about his long-term civilian status as five years post-trauma he’s drawn back into the war and charged with accompanying a team to retrieve and destroy the Creator and the Creator’s secret weapon.
In an odd twist (there are a lot of those in this film), it’s Joshua who discovers the weapon is an adorable simulant child (Madeleine Yuna Voyles). The child, whom Joshua eventually nicknames Alphie, seems to know where to find the missing and presumed-dead Mia. Joshua shoves aside his duty to his country and the memories of his family members killed in the nuclear attack to protect the incredibly powerful simulant child and find Mia.
Gareth Edwards’ New Asia landscape is lush and beautiful until Americans turn farms into killing fields, evoking images of the Vietnam War as the body count rises. The casual mowing down of innocent civilians is apparently meant to turn the tide against the Americans and in support of AI. Yet, with its ponderous dialogue and one-dimensional characters, the script never makes the case for rooting for either side.
The connection between John David Washington’s Joshua and a world-ending AI weapon/cute little girl never clicks. It’s too stiff, too stilted, and way too easily transformed into a situation of protector and ward. It’s also unbelievable and off-putting that this child has a greater emotional range than Joshua.
The visual effects are the best thing about The Creator, and the world Edwards has built for this epic sci-fi tale is spectacular. However, the stellar effects can’t make up for a story that alternately feels too rushed and then too bogged down with exposition.
The Creator skips over ethical and moral issues regarding the misuse of artificial intelligence and posits that robots are peace-loving beings that want everyone in the world to just get along. And it would be absolutely fine to take that approach if it weren’t for a few glaring inconsistencies in the film’s plot.
It’s disappointing to come to the final act and still not understand the point of The Creator. (I’m still shaking my head over the appearance of a bomb-detonating monkey!) The plot holes are a mile wide, and questionable choices made on the way to wrapping up the story left me wondering if Gareth Edwards got lost in the (visual effects) weeds and lost sight of the big picture.
GRADE: C+
MPAA Rating: PG-13 for strong language, some bloody images, and violence
Release Date: September 29, 2023
Running Time: 2 hours 13 minutes
Studio: 20th Century Studios
The creative minds behind Cobra Kai turn their attention to Las Vegas for Netflix’s action comedy series Obliterated. The two-minute trailer introduces an elite team who mistakenly party way too hard before a job’s complete.
“Obliterated is a high-octane action-comedy that tells the story of an elite special forces team who thwarts a deadly threat to Las Vegas. After their celebratory party, filled with booze, drugs, and sex, the team discovers that the bomb they deactivated was a fake,” reads Netflix’s official synopsis. “The now-intoxicated team has to fight through their impairments, overcome their personal issues, find the real bomb, and save the world.”
Shelley Hennig, Nick Zano, C. Thomas Howell, Kimi Rutledge, Paola Lázaro, Terrence Terrell, Alyson Gorske, and Eugene Kim star. Carl Lumbly, David Costabile, Lindsey Kraft, Costa Ronin, Tobias Jelinek, and Minnie Mills appear in recurring roles.
Guest stars include Lori Petty, Virginia Madsen, Clive Standen, Ivan G’vera, and Keston John.
Jon Hurwitz, Hayden Schlossberg, and Josh Heald write, direct, executive produce, and serve as showrunners. Additional directors include America Young, Sherwin Shelati, and Joel Novoa.
“Even if you’re the so-called best of the best, you’re gonna be way up against it if called back into action with a system full of liquor and drugs. Our team deals with every conceivable self-imposed obstacle as a result of accidentally partying before the mission is over,” said co-showrunner Josh Heald in an interview with Netflix’s Tudum.
The eight-episode season is set to premiere on November 30, 2023.
The two-minute new teaser trailer for HBO’s True Detective: Night Country sets up the antagonistic relationship between Jodie Foster and Kali Reis’ characters. It also reveals Foster and Reis will be investigating five bodies frozen solid in a giant block of ice.
The second teaser released for the upcoming fourth season of the Emmy-winning series was accompanied by the announcement that Night Country will premiere on January 14, 2024. New episodes of the six-episode season will debut on Sundays at 9pm ET/PT.
Oscar-winner Jodie Foster stars as Detective Liz Danvers, and Kali Reis plays Detective Evangeline Navarro. The cast also includes Finn Bennett, Fiona Shaw, Christopher Eccleston, Isabella Star LaBlanc, and John Hawkes. Anna Lambe, Aka Niviâna, June Thiele, Diane Benson, and Joel D. Montgrand guest star.
Issa López is the season four showrunner, writer, and director of all six episodes. López, Foster, Matthew McConaughey, Woody Harrelson, Cary Joji Fukunaga, and series creator Nic Pizzolatto executive produce. Additional executive producers include Mari Jo Winkler, Barry Jenkins, Adele Romanski, Mark Ceryak, Chris Mundy, Alan Page Arriaga, Steve Golin, and Richard Brown.
Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson starred in season one, which debuted in January 2014. Season two followed in 2015, with Colin Farrell, Vince Vaughn, Rachel McAdams, and Taylor Kitsch taking over lead roles. Four years later, season three premiered starring Mahershala Ali, Carmen Ejogo, and Stephen Dorff in January 2019.
A scene from HBO’s ‘True Detective: Night Country’
True Detective: Night Country Plot, Courtesy of HBO:
When the long winter night falls in Ennis, Alaska, the eight men who operate the Tsalal Arctic Research Station vanish without a trace. To solve the case, Detectives Liz Danvers (Foster) and Evangeline Navarro (Reis) will have to confront the darkness they carry in themselves and dig into the haunted truths that lie buried under the eternal ice.
NBC’s adding a weird twist to its Deal or No Deal game show format with Deal or No Deal Island. True Blood‘s Joe Manganiello has been tapped to host the new series which is targeting a 2024 launch.
“The role of Deal or No Deal host has always been held by someone charming, hilarious and devastatingly handsome,” stated Corie Henson, Executive Vice President, Unscripted Content, NBCUniversal Entertainment. “When we took the show out of the studio and transported the game to the Banker’s island, Joe was the obvious choice. He loves all kinds of games, lives for adventure, and isn’t afraid to stare down a snake or two to help players win a life-changing payday and, hopefully, beat the Banker at his own game.”
Deal or No Deal host Howie Mandel is on board as an executive producer. Matt Kunitz, Matt Apps, Sarah Happel Jackson, and Endemol Shine North America’s Sharon Levy, DJ Nurre, and Sean Loughlin also serve as executive producers.
Joe Manganiello’s credits include the Magic Mike franchise, Spider-Man, Pee Wee’s Big Holiday, Sabotage, Rampage, and Moonhaven. He’ll soon be seen in The Kill Room with Samuel L. Jackson and Uma Thurman, as well as Nonnas with Vince Vaughn.
Joe Manganiello (Photo by: Patrick Ecclesine/NBC)
NBC offered this description of the new game show:
“The series will combine thrilling challenges, mind-bending dilemmas, and the classic game of “Deal or No Deal” as contestants try to beat the banker. Manganiello will guide them throughout – leading the gameplay, relaying the banker’s tempting offers, and helping them through the toughest decisions of their lives.
The iconic briefcases are back and are hidden on the island with millions in prize money split between them. In each episode, players vie to get their hands on the highest-value briefcase for a chance to gain immunity and choose a fellow player to enter ‘The Temple,’ where they must play a high-stakes game of ‘Deal or No Deal.’ The devious Banker is always watching and will raise the stakes with tests of strategy and greed.
At the end of the season, the last player standing will face the Banker to potentially win the biggest prize in Deal or No Deal history.”
