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‘Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin’ Season 1 Episode 1 Recap

By
Alison Helms
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Pretty Little Liars Original Sin Episode 1 Recap
Mallory Bechtel in ‘Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin’ episode 1 (Photograph by Barbara Nitke/HBO Max)

Season one episode one of HBO Max’s Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin begins with a trip back in time to December 31, 1999, in Millwood, Pennsylvania. Back when Y2K was a big thing and teen movies were taking over theaters.

It appears the audience is looking through the eyes of a distressed girl outside a party. Tearfully she says, “I need help! Sidney? Corey?” as she looks at a group of girls posing for a picture.

We finally see the girl, who we find out later is Angela Waters (Gabriella Pizzolo). She’s visibly upset and crying as she makes her way into a raging New Year’s Eve party with what appears to be blood on her cheek. She grabs two people, begging them for help but they ignore her. She spots the same group of girls who were posing for pictures outside, and they’re now inside dancing and having the time of their lives.

Grabbing Sidney (Kristen Maxwell), Angela is on her knees and holds onto her while crying out, “Sidney, please! Sidney, look at me. I’m begging you, please!” Sidney turns and looks at what appears to be the girl in charge, Davey Adams (Ava DeMary). Davey tells Sidney to come on and Sidney seems to grow a spine and thinks maybe they should help. Davey reminds her through clenched teeth, “We talked about this.”

The girls return to dancing, leaving Angela behind.

As the DJ starts the countdown to midnight to ring in 2000, Angela climbs up a ladder and stands above the happy crowd. The crowd sees her and the DJ cuts the music. Angela screams, “Can you see me now?!” as Davey yells, “Angela, don’t!”

The screen goes black and then suddenly teenagers are running every which way while screaming. The five girls who wouldn’t give her the time of day stand over her body.

Fast forward 22 years and Imogen Adams (Bailee Madison) sits down to dinner with her mom while dreading the arrival of her former best friend, Karen (Mallory Betchel), who’s coming over to retrieve her things. As Imogen’s mom makes jokes about burning Karen’s things for being a “fair weather” friend, there’s a knock at the door.

After fake pleasantries, Karen hands Imogen’s mom an envelope that was taped to the door. We now learn that Imogen’s mother (Carly Pope) is none other than Davie Adams, the head queen in charge that night all those years ago. The note reads “To Davie” with the A in her name in red and the rest in black.

Davie opens it and inside is a flyer from the 1999 party. Visibly shaken, Imogen asks her mom if she’s okay and Davie assures her she is. After Imogen and Karen head upstairs, Davie flips over the flyer. A message on the back reads: “Gone but never forgotten. You can’t ignore the past forever. The countdown is on.”

As Karen’s going through Imogen’s closet, she makes snide remarks, pointing out it’s not like she can wear these now because she’s pregnant. Imogen tries to reason with Karen; it appears Imogen and Karen’s boyfriend kissed, and Imogen insists he kissed her. Karen becomes angry when Imogen asks when she’s going to let it go.

After some choice words, Karen is about to leave when they notice water in the hallway coming from the bathroom. Inside, they find Imogen’s mom lying dead in a bathtub with the letter A written in blood on the wall.

One month later a now grown-up Sidney Hayworthe (Sharon Leal) and her daughter, Tabby (Chandler Kinney), have invited Imogen to live with them. (Tabby’s not a fan of the arrangement.) Her mom notices she’s been working a lot more at the movie theater and Tabby claims she’s just trying to give Imogen her space.

Imogen wants to return to school and Sidney isn’t sure that’s a good idea. However, Imogen’s worried they’ll make her repeat the year – and her mom would have hated that. Sidney reveals in high school she would have done anything for Imogen’s mom, and Imogen’s mom would have done the same for her. Just then we get a flashback of teenage Davie and Sidney in 1999.

Sidney’s a real estate agent now and in charge of selling Imogen’s house. She asks Tabby to drop off the keys under the front door mat. Imogen wants to tag along because she wants to retrieve a picture she thinks is still at the house.

Pretty Little Liars Original Sin episode 1 recap
Bailee Madison and Chandler Kinney in ‘Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin’ (Photograph by Barbara Nitke/HBO Max)

As Tabby and Imogen walk to school, Tabby asks if she knew their moms were friends back in high school because she definitely didn’t. Imogen confirms she didn’t know as well. She does admit that although she and her mom talked about everything, her mom didn’t really talk about her high school years. Tabby confirms the same thing goes for her mom.

Tabby places the keys under the mat and as the two girls begin to walk away, a figure appears inside the house watching them.

As soon as they walk through the doors of the high school, they come face-to-face with Karen who, quite unconvincingly, lets Imogen know if there’s anything she needs, she’s there for her. Karen gives Imogen a hug and whispers in her ear, “People may be polite to you but trust me, nobody wants your pregnant, tragic ass here.”

Tabby witnesses the exchange and realizes Karen’s actually a mean girl. Tabby has a change of heart and suggests they sit together at lunch.

Karen tries to get the attention of a girl named Faran Bryant (Zaria) while sitting at a table trying to interest people in voting for her for Spirit Queen. Faran ignores her and keeps on walking. Karen doesn’t let that get her down and focuses her attention on a girl looking at an LGBTQ poster, telling her there’s no need to come out because everyone already knows. Karen also refers to the girl as “Rodent” because she goes by Mouse. (Her real name’s Minnie.) Minnie (Malia Pyles) doesn’t take any crap from Karen and returns the insult, calling her Basic Barbie.

A new key character enters season one with the arrival of Noa (Maia Reficco). Noa’s wearing an ankle monitor as she drops off a urine sample with the school nurse. The scene also reveals that Karen has a twin sister, Kelly. Kelly volunteers as an aide in the nurse’s office and listens to the school nurse and Noa chat.

Noa leaves the nurse’s office, upset at what her life has become. She’s been ordered to wear the ankle monitor for three more weeks and has to take drug tests for the rest of the year. Plus, she has mandatory community service. Her boyfriend, Shawn (Alex Aiono), tries his best to comfort her. He’s given up school activities and hangs at her place so she’s not alone.

After Shawn walks away, Noa receives a text from “unknown” that reads: “Don’t do the crime if you can’t do the time.” She texts back asking who they are and receives “your conscience” in response.

Tabby’s in film class and the teacher passes out a list of movies to be used to inspire a short film. She’s unhappy with the list because it doesn’t include any directors of color and has only two women. Unfortunately, the teacher won’t budge. Immediately after the exchange Tabby receives a text from an unknown person asking what her favorite scary movie is. She asks who this is and the person writes “peeping tom.”

Imogen’s also sitting in class when she gets a text telling her to look outside the window. She sees what appears to be a man standing outside wearing a creepy mask. She’s forced to look away when the teacher calls on her and, of course, the person is gone when she looks back outside.

Mouse is on a computer in an empty classroom listening to music when she receives a message reading: “Can Minnie Mouse come out to play? XOXO, Mickey.” She looks out the small window in the door and then blocks Mickey’s number.

Pretty Little Liars Original Sin Episode 1 Recap
Zaria stars in ‘Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin’ episode 1 (Photograph by Karolina Wojtasik/HBO Max)

Faran snags the role of the Black Swan in the school’s ballet. She’s ecstatic about the role but Karen’s definitely not happy with her part. Karen acts like she’s congratulating Faran but really she’s making racist remarks, noting Madame Giry probably had to make her the Black Swan since she’s the only girl there who’s… Karen doesn’t finish but it’s obvious what she was implying.

Faran is next up to receive a text from “unknown.” It reads: “You’re gonna slay as the Black Swan.” Faran looks around the ballet room but, given it’s a room full of teenagers, they’re all on their phones. Just like the other girls, she asks who it is and the response is “your no. 1 fan.”

Faran calls her mom (Zakiya Young) who’s in Pittsburgh working to let her know she got the part of the Black Swan. Faran asks her mom if she’s going to come to watch the show, and her mom assures her she’ll be there. When Faran reminds her she never wants to go to any of her high school stuff, we’re treated to a flashback of the 1999 party. Her mom, Corey, was part of the five girls all those years ago.

Corey pushes away that memory and swears she’ll be there.

Imogen’s in the bathroom when a classmate says she’s sorry about her mom. The girl asks what she’s going to do about the baby. Is she going to raise it on her own? Can the father help? That leads to a flashback of Imogen sitting on a beach with a bottle of alcohol next to her.

The conversation appears to have convinced Imogen to tell the school nurse she wants to get rid of “it” as soon as possible. She and her mom were going to keep the baby and raise it together without the father’s help. Imogen believes the better option now is to abort the baby.

The nurse explains six months is too late to abort. Imogen knows this deep down, but as she begins to talk, she has a flashback of her mother lying dead in the bathtub. She confesses she’s overwhelmed and the nurse reminds her she has three more months and then she can give up the baby – if she wants to.

Karen stops Noa in the hallway at school and asks for her vote for Spirit Queen. It seems Karen doesn’t have many fans and Noa adds herself to the list of no votes. Karen brings up Noa having to go to community service and tells her, “Say hi to my dad for me.” (Karen and Kelly’s dad is the town sheriff and in charge of community service.)

Tabby sneaks into the boys locker room and retrieves a camera she hid in there.

As Noa’s picking up trash she sees the same person with the creepy mask that Imogen saw earlier at school. He’s watching her from a window in a rundown part of town. After yelling that she’s going to report him, she walks over to Sheriff Beasley’s car. As she approaches, she catches the sheriff doing questionable things with a teenage boy. After the sheriff notices her watching him, she runs off.

Tabby’s manager, Wes (Derek Klena), at the movie theater okays her request to host a free double feature of Jordan Peele films for the high school. He offers her a ride home from work and asks if she’s sure she’s in high school because she reminds him of the girls he used to date at NYU.

Imogen goes back to her old house, alone (cue the dramatic background music). She finds an ultrasound picture of her baby and spots the flyer her mom received the night of her death.

Noa’s mom, Marjorie (Elena Goode), is cooking when Noa gets home. Marjorie warns her daughter to keep her distance from the other kids doing community service because she doesn’t need any bad influences in her life. It’s now Marjorie’s turn to have a flashback of that horrible night in 1999.

Tabby takes her manager up on his offer of a ride and he pulls over to the side of the road. He claims he meant what he said earlier and says she’s “something else” and special. He also claims he told his professors at NYU about her. That piques her interest.

Wes touches her hand and leans in to kiss her as she looks up and sees the same person Imogen and Noa saw earlier hiding by some trees. Freaked out, and rightfully so, she orders Wes to start the car and go. Wes sees what she’s looking at and is about to get out of the car when Tabby brings up the Zodiac killer. (Tabby is a horror movie buff.)

Tabby’s still jumpy when she gets home but her mom doesn’t seem to notice. After a quick hello and goodnight, she leaves the room. She checks her spy cam (from the boys locker room) as soon as she’s in her room and begins to take notes.

Faran rehearses with her partner, Henry, and then has a private meeting with Madame Giry. Giry questions where Faran was the previous evening and Faran explains she was at work. Madame Giry worries this might too be big of a role for her but Faran reveals she has her eyes set on a bigger role. Giry doesn’t think that role would be a “good fit” for her and Faran asks, point blank, “Why? Because I’m Black?”

Madame Giry claims it has to do with Faran’s medical history. “If ABT (the American Ballet Theatre) found out about your scoliosis, I doubt they would accept you. Too much risk of re-injury. But don’t worry, I’ll keep your secret safe,” says Giry.

Mouse is in class when a boy named Ash introduces himself. He noticed her checking out his flyer for the LGBTQ club and thinks she should come check it out. She explains she’s not into extracurricular activities or group settings. He tries to persuade her by saying they have awesome snacks.

Principal Clanton calls Imogen into his office, concerned about how she’s doing after being informed about the conversation she had with the nurse. They’re all concerned about her well-being and don’t think the high school is equipped to give her the support she needs. She assures him she just had a bad day and that’s it, pleading with him not to kick her out of school. He replies, “No one is kicking anyone out. You haven’t done anything wrong but as principal, I have a responsibility to the entire student body. Some of your classmates are triggered by your presence here.”

He doesn’t reveal the names of the concerned classmates.

Imogen finds Karen in the busy lunchroom and confronts her about going to the principal. Karen tells her she looks unwell and calls her unhinged. Imogen turns her rage to Greg, Karen’s boyfriend, and after calling him a few choice names she asks if he’s finally going to tell the truth. He, wisely, chooses not to respond. Karen tells Imogen she doesn’t belong there, adding that she isn’t the only person who feels that way.

Imogen faces all the students and says she’s not going anywhere. Not only that, she’s going to be Spirit Queen – just like her mom was. “I’m running against you and I’m going to win,” announces Imogen.

Karen and Kelly sit down for dinner with their mom, Martha (Jennifer Ferrin), and dad, Tom. The normal how was your day at school inquiry leads to Karen going off about how it wasn’t fine. She believes Imogen shouldn’t be walking around school six months pregnant and with a suicidal mother. She also tries to imply Madame Giry gave the lead role in the ballet to someone because she’s Black but is cut off before she can finish that train of thought by her dad asking if the other person is a better dancer.

Kelly, playing peacemaker, tries to tell her dad Karen is really good. He asks again if the girl who got the role is a better dancer. She responds that she doesn’t think so. He suggests she take a look around. She has nice clothes and a nice house, and he wonders if she knows how all of this is possible. When she doesn’t respond, he tells her, “It’s because I am the best at what I do,” basically telling her she needs to be better than everyone else.

Mouse is online when she gets a message from her new friend Ash. Her mom, Elodie (Lea Salonga), walks in and asks who she’s chatting with. She admits she doesn’t like her chatting online because there are bad people in the world. The fifth and final person from that horrible night in 1999 is revealed as Elodie experiences a flashback of the party.

Pretty Little Liars Original Sin episode 1 recap
Elias Kacavas and Mallory Bechtel in ‘Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin’ episode 1 (Photograph by Karolina Wojtasik/HBO Max)

Karen appears to be having a second dinner at the local pizza joint with her boyfriend, Greg. She’s barking orders at him about getting a suit for the dance. She’s not going to be crowned queen when he’s in his stupid letterman’s jacket. (Those are her words, not mine!)

Greg warns her to stop talking to him the way she speaks to her mom, and Karen calls her mom pathetic and claims she’ll never be like her.

Greg earns a kick under the table when he isn’t sympathetic about her anger over Faran getting the Black Swan role. Everyone is staring at them as Karen snarls that he’s lucky she lets him touch her. Greg’s finally had enough and leaves.

Faran’s still at school at night, practicing, when she spots the creepy person with the mask. She’s about to investigate when she’s suddenly startled by Madame Giry. She immediately questions why Faran isn’t practicing and seems not to like Faran at all. Faran explains she’s taking a break but Giry insists she needs to build up her endurance.

Imogen and Tabby go over the day’s events, and Imogen opens up about having a series of panic attacks and asking the nurse about an abortion. She also reveals she went back to her house and found the 1999 party invitation that her mom received right before she committed suicide. Imogen hands over the invitation and confesses she has no idea why her mom would kill herself. She would never have thought her mom would leave her that way.

Back at the school, the janitor spots the masked stranger and orders him to leave campus. The janitor then discovers Karen’s Spirit Queen campaign flyers have been vandalized. The masked person appears and kills the janitor!

Imogen and Tabby show up at school with their own flyers announcing Imogen’s run for Spirit Queen. They’re shocked to discover someone else has beat them to it and hung up posters of Imogen running for Spirit Queen. (The second A in Adams is in red on the posters.) They also see Karen’s posters have been vandalized. They both think Karen is behind this and even screwed with her own posters.

Tabby and Imogen earn a trip to the principal’s office.

Karen finds a dead rat in her backpack and, of course, Mouse is blamed and also sent to the principal’s office. Noa’s drug test comes back dirty, even though Noa swears that’s impossible. And Karen finds razor blades in her ballet shoes and accuses Faran of placing them there.

All five girls are sent to detention where they compare notes on how they got there. The evidence adds up to Karen being responsible for getting them in trouble.

Season one episode one ends with Rob Zombie playing as background music and the girls hatching a plan to get payback on Karen. When some of them question what they should do, Imogen replies with a sinister look on her face, “I think…we should kill Karen Beasley.”

Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin Episode One Review

As someone who watched the original Pretty Little Liars I was very interested in this new series. Original Sin is much creepier, more intense, and has more of the jump scare factor. The issues these five girls face are a lot more heavy-hitting than in the 2010 show, but it is 12 years later. Plus, being on HBO Max could play a factor in that.

The acting isn’t impressive thus far, but the storyline laid out in episode one and the death of Angela Waters have definitely piqued my interest. Original Sin‘s first episode raises a lot of questions that need to be answered. If you love a good mystery or playing whodunit (or, in this case, who is A?), this might be the show for you.




‘Alone: Frozen’ Season 1 Episode 1 Recap: “50 Day Freeze”

By
Rebecca Murray
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Alone: Frozen Season 1 Cast
The ‘Alone: Frozen’ season 1 survivalists (Photo Credit: The History Channel)

The History Channel’s taken six of Alone’s strongest participants and challenged them to survive 50 days in the frozen wilderness of Labrador, Canada – the setting of Alone season nine – for Alone: Frozen. The new Alone spinoff has a few twists that set it apart from the series that spawned it, the most notable being the survivalists are dropped into the wilderness later in the season than in any season of Alone.

The survivalists have very little time to scout out their areas and build suitable shelters before the devastating cold of the North Atlantic winter sets in. Plus, rather than a single winner, any participant on Alone: Frozen who manages to survive 50 days will share the $500,000 prize money. The six trying to stick it out are Greg Ovens (season three), Woniya Thibeault (season six), Callie Russell (season seven), Mark D’Ambrosio (season seven), Amós Rodriguez (season seven), and Michelle Finn (season eight).

In addition to the rain and winds, survivalists will be facing the threat of polar bears and black bears who call the area home.

Here’s a recap of Alone: Frozen season one episode one, “50 Day Freeze,” airing on August 11, 2022. The season begins with six survivalists and by the end of episode one, it’s down to just five attempting to make it to 50 days.

There are spoilers ahead – you’ve been warned!

Alone Frozen Season 1 Callie
Callie on season 1 of ‘Alone: Frozen’ (Photo Credit: The History Channel)

Callie Russell, Age 34, Montana – Season 7, Survived 89 Days

49 Days Left: Callie doesn’t want to complain but her camp is going to be in a north-facing location. Across the bay, she can see the sun hitting the hills but her area is going to be cold all the time. She was hoping to see the sun occasionally, but it’s not going to happen.

Callie learned a lot about herself and the land in season seven. She was ready to stay the entire time, but she had frostbite on four toes and had to leave before irreversible damage set in.

She raises goats and is happy now, but she had a tough time as a kid following the deaths of two of her brothers. She’s realized we’ve only got one short life to live, and she’s vowed to fully live it for herself and her brothers.

Immediately after getting dropped off, she explores the area and spots a game trail along with a huge pile of bear scat. Given that there are 10,000 black bears in Labrador, it’s a guarantee there’s one nearby. Anyone who kills a bear will be able to last all 50 days. Black bear meat is a good source of protein but more importantly, they’re loaded with fat.

Tonight, she’ll have to sleep near the bear trail because she doesn’t have time to hunt for a better spot before nightfall.

48 Days Left: A squirrel squeaks and Callie jokes it’s her alarm. Her plan is to scout the land for fresh water and a decent spot for her shelter. She loves scavenging and does that more than she hunts. She stumbles upon a piece of wood and will use it as a cutting board. Callie also finds some rope.

Callie once existed for a year off of cuts of meat that were just going to be thrown away. She’s used to surviving off what others throw away as well as roadkill.

She finds what she believes is the perfect little clearing surrounded by trees to put up her shelter. There’s no time to waste getting it done. The wind chill and the wetness will make it feel colder than the Arctic.

47 Days Left: Callie warns viewers not to be freaked out and turns the camera to the ocean where a humpback whale is splashing around. (Labrador has the largest population of humpbacks in the world.) That’s very cool, but she needs to concentrate on getting food and sets off on a walk.

Since it’s low tide, she’s hoping to harvest seaweed and clams. She slips a bit as she walks through the seaweed and then scares away some ravens. They fly off and leave behind a big piece of seal skin. There’s still some fat on it and she wonders if this is what remains of a killer whale’s seal meal. It still smells fresh, and she sets to work cutting it into little pieces.

Callie places the seal over a fire and makes seal fat soup for dinner. She takes a sip and immediately reacts with, “Whoa, that is pure fat!” It doesn’t taste rancid, and she decides it’s pretty good. Callie notes fat’s the hardest thing to find and she’s already found so much.

Alone Frozen Season 1 Amos
Amos in ‘Alone: Frozen’ season 1 (Photo Credit: The History Channel)

Amós Rodriguez, Age 41, Indiana – Season 7, Survived 58 Days

49 Days Left: The sun’s already getting ready to set when Amós is dropped off, so he’s forced to put up a quick temporary shelter. Amós caught a lot of fish in season seven but not any big game animals. He was forced to tap out because his fat reserves dwindled. Plus, he accidentally burned down his shelter.

He believes his time on season seven was transformative and he’s grown as a person. Amós has a young daughter, and his goal is to make a better future for her.

Shelter, fire, water, and food are the basics needed to survive on Alone, but the show is much more than that. The first night he gets a fire going while explaining he hopes to be a good example and role model.

48 Days Left: Amós has collected a pot full of clams to cook while he’s working on his shelter. He’s keeping an eye out for game as gathers supplies for his shelter. A bird gets his attention, and he takes a shot. He hit it but it manages to fly up into a tree with his arrow.

He spots some feathers and tracks it as we’re told ptarmigan meat has six times the protein and 10 times the iron of chicken soup. He feels sorry for the bird but has to give up to get back to work on finding the spot for his shelter.

This area gets 13 feet of snowfall so it’s important all the survivalists set up decent shelters.

Amós’ daughter, Mitzi, is turning four and he wishes he could be there to help her celebrate. But he’s on the show to work on becoming the best version of himself.

46 Days Left: It’s raining as Amós sits under his tarp. His shelter’s not finished and he’s still thinking about the bird and hoping it’s not suffering.

His plan for the day is to check his 12 snares and hunt. Amós explains he’s found a lot of healing in the past when he’s been out walking while hunting.

One of his snares has caught a snowshoe hare that he’ll cook for lunch. Amós likes to have a connection to his food, and hunting gives him that connection. He believes it’s more ethical this way.

He cooks the rabbit and describes it as tasting like chicken.

Alone Frozen Season 1 Mark
Mark in ‘Alone: Frozen’ season 1 (Photo Credit: The History Channel)

Mark D’Ambrosio, Age 36, Washington – Season 7, Survived 44 days

49 Days Left: Mark’s been dropped on a beach with bogs, and he notes that everything around him is wet. He realizes he’s going to have to be patient and knows this will be one of the hardest things he’s ever done.

Mark recalls hitting a point on Day 35 of season seven where he wasn’t having a great time. However, a parasite that got into his heart and other organs is what ultimately caused him to leave the competition and almost killed him.

Mark’s a veteran who served in the Marines as a scout sniper. Now, he’s a dad with a three-year-old son. He’s doing this season to show his son not to give up and views this season as redemption.

The elements are dangerous and the area is known for its polar bears. “But I don’t want to die doing the bare minimum throughout my life,” says Mark. He wants to challenge himself but will be taking things slow, so he doesn’t make mistakes.

On his first night, he sets up a crude shelter, announcing his goal is to see how fast he can get his real shelter up in the coming days. As he’s talking wolves are heard howling in the distance.

45 Days Left: Mark insists you shouldn’t go anywhere around there without rain pants, and the area gets more than 3 feet of precipitation each year. His area is full of bogs and it’s time to set out looking for the best spot to set up his shelter. He’s realized he can’t compare how quickly he got his shelter up in season seven to this season because it’s a completely different environment. This area is much more unforgiving.

He heads to higher ground and finds a rather large area to set up his shelter. First up, he’s going to clear everything out. It’ll be a lot of work, but he plans to build a triangular cabin that can keep bears out and that he can smoke game inside.

Mark wants to enjoy his time on this season and views success as being happy.

He gets busy chopping down trees for his cabin and begins working on the walls while confessing it’s not easy to leave his family behind. It feels different this time. In season seven, his shelter had an amazing view, sunny days, and plenty of fresh water.

Here, he can’t see much other than willows. He’s not sure what he expected and although it’s quiet being out in nature, he’s already thinking about going home. He’s gotten to that point right now where he really just wants to be with his family and taps out.

Mark didn’t expect to leave this quickly but since he’s not really enjoying himself, he doesn’t want to be away from his son. He’s going to retire from all this ridiculousness and from leaving home for extended trips.

Mark doesn’t look at it as quitting but rather as starting a new chapter.




First Look: ‘Rosaline’ Photos Show Kaitlyn Dever as Romeo’s First Love

By
Rebecca Murray
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Rosaline Film Kaitlyn Dever
Spencer Stevenson as Paris, Kaitlyn Dever as Rosaline, Kyle Allen as Romeo, and Henry Hunter Hall as Mercutio in 20th Century Studios’ ‘Rosaline,’ exclusively on Hulu (Photo by Moris Puccio © 2022 20th Century Studios)

20th Century Studios just released the first official photos from Rosaline, a romantic comedy focusing on Romeo’s first love. In Shakespeare’s Romeo & Juliet, it was the fact that Rosaline spurned Romeo’s advances and vowed to remain chaste that led to his ill-fated romance with Juliet.

Responding to Benvolio’s question about Rosaline’s decision, Romeo replies:

“She hath, and in that sparing makes huge waste,
For beauty starved with her severity
Cuts beauty off from all posterity.

She is too fair, too wise, wisely too fair,
To merit bliss by making me despair.

She hath forsworn to love, and in that vow
Do I live dead that live to tell it now.”

Emmy Award nominee Kaitlyn Dever (Dopesick) stars as the titular character and serves as an executive producer. The cast also includes Sean Teale (Little Voice) as Dario, Minnie Driver (Speechless) as The Nurse, Bradley Whitford (The Handmaid’s Tale), Kyle Allen (American Horror Story) as Romeo, and Isabela Merced (Sweet Girl) as Juliet. Henry Hunter Hall (Hunters) plays Mercutio and Spencer Stevenson (Rollers) is Paris.

Based on Rebecca Serle’s novel When You Were Mine, Rosaline was adapted by Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber (500 Days of Summer) and directed by Karen Maine (Yes, God, Yes). Shawn Levy, Dan Cohen, and Dan Levine produce, with Neustadter, Weber, and Emily Morris executive producing.

Rosaline will premiere on Hulu on October 14, 2022.

The Plot: Rosaline is a fresh and comedic twist on Shakespeare’s classic love story Romeo & Juliet, told from the perspective of Juliet’s cousin Rosaline (Dever), who also happens to be Romeo’s recent love interest. Heartbroken when Romeo (Allen) meets Juliet (Merced) and begins to pursue her, Rosaline schemes to foil the famous romance and win back her guy.

Rosaline Film Kaitlyn Dever and Sean Teale
Kaitlyn Dever as Rosaline and Sean Teale as Dario in (Photo by Moris Puccio © 2022 20th Century Studios)
Kaitlyn Dever and Minnie Driver
Kaitlyn Dever as Rosaline and Minnie Driver as The Nurse in ‘Rosaline’ (Photo by Moris Puccio © 2022 20th Century Studios)
Isabela Merced
Isabela Merced as Juliet in 20th Century Studios’ ‘Rosaline,’ exclusively on Hulu (Photo by Moris Puccio © 2022 20th Century Studios)




Review: ‘Bodies Bodies Bodies’ is Bloody Bloody Bloody Brilliant

By
Rebecca Murray
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Bodies Bodies Bodies Review
Amandla Stenberg, Maria Bakalova, Chase Sui Wonders, and Rachel Sennott in A24’s ‘Bodies Bodies Bodies’ (Photo Credit: Erik Chakeen)

A24’s Bodies Bodies Bodies is Scream for Gen Z. It’s also one of the most enjoyable, smartly written, and just plain fun films of 2022.

Full of buzzwords delivered by an incredibly talented cast, Bodies Bodies Bodies is the slasher film equivalent of The Breakfast Club. Or maybe an edgier, snarkier, horror version of Clueless. It’s Agatha Christie gone wild. Actually, comparisons don’t do it justice and I’ll call myself out and say they’re even a bit lazy. Bodies Bodies Bodies is its own beast, and that beast chews up its victims with biting social commentary delivered in the most entertaining manner imaginable.

The Setup: An epic hurricane party at a sprawling mansion.

The Players: Mostly rich twenty-somethings ready to use the impending storm as a reason to drink, snort some coke, maybe take a few Xanax, and unleash their pent-up passive-aggressive feelings about their friends.

Who’s Who: Five friends and two, basically, strangers convene to pass the time during a summer storm far from the city. The place belongs to David’s family, and he’s a complicated, sort of sympathetic figure. Fueled by alcohol and cocaine, David (played by SNL/former Kim Kardashian boyfriend Pete Davidson) uses this gathering to lash out over both real and imagined slights.

David rules over the group, which includes his BFF Sophie (Amandla Stenberg, The Hate U Give) and her new girlfriend, Bee (Maria Bakalova, Borat Subsequent Moviefilm). Bee’s obviously not on the same social or economic level as Sophie’s friends; she’s the very definition of a fish out of water. Sophie’s got her own issues with this group and didn’t even bother responding to the group chats or informing her friends she was going to turn up with a +1.

By the time Sophie and Bee show up, the party’s well underway. David’s actress girlfriend, Emma (Chase Sui Wonders, Generation); podcaster and sensitive soul Alice (Rachel Sennott, Shiva Baby); Alice’s out-of-place older boyfriend, Greg (Lee Pace, Foundation); and the group’s straight shooter, Jordan (Myha’la Herrold, Industry), who is second only to David in giving off serial killer vibes, are hanging out in the pool just as the first wave of weather arrives.

The hurricane hits, the party moves inside, and suggestions are made to play Bodies Bodies Bodies. What’s that, you ask? A game in which one person is secretly designated as the killer, the lights are extinguished, and the killer knocks off his victims one at a time by tapping them on the back. There are also tequila shots and some truly brutal slapping involved.

Given that this is a slasher film, the game transforms into a legitimate hunt for a killer.

Amandla Stenberg and Maria Bakalova shine as a new couple who might be falling in love but who obviously approach life from their places in different economic classes. Stenberg’s Sophie is nearly as rich as David, while Maria’s Bee is the working-class heroine of the group. Sophie and Bee are polar opposites, with Sophie’s confidence only making Bee’s self-consciousness all the more apparent. Sophie’s viewed as the outsider, and that odd-man-out vibe puts her in the crosshairs as the hunt for the murderer heats up.

The gang exchange side-eyes over Greg’s age—he’s an ancient 40-ish dude, at least twice the age of everyone else in attendance—but he still attempts to fit in. As Greg, Lee Pace cashes in on the sexy off-screen persona he’s built up for himself on social media. (Those of us who fell for him in Pushing Daisies aren’t shocked to see he’s been labeled the king of the thirst traps by multiple outlets). Pace is perfect at playing sensitive yet edgy, and he nails that as a low-key Svengali figure to the self-obsessed Alice.

And speaking of Alice, I’m laying odds that 9 out of 10 viewers will wind up rooting for Rachel Sennott’s Alice above all the others to survive the slaughter. Alice is incredibly ditzy yet endearing, and when she announces her mom “has borderline” or whines about the difficulties of putting together a podcast, you just know she doesn’t understand why her friends smirk in reply. Sennott has incredible comic timing, and the audience embraces Alice as the one in need of protecting at all costs.

The house is massive, but there’s still a claustrophobic vibe thanks to the use of glow sticks (courtesy of Alice), phone flashlights, and handheld cameras. The eerie lighting adds juice to the jump scares, which are both plentiful and highly effective in drawing us in as the body count rises.

The dialogue’s riddled with references to gaslighting, triggering, body dysmorphia, ableism, and toxic behavior. And when a character declares “feelings are facts,” the laughter from the other characters is likely to be drowned out by the audience’s response.

A few horror tropes are included for good measure—including the potential victims splitting up when they should be sticking together—but for the most part, Bodies Bodies Bodies is a fresh, fiercely wicked, and incredibly imaginative take on the slasher genre. It’s targeting Gen Z but welcomes all to embrace the grisly slaughter and killer dialogue.

GRADE: A

Directed By: Halina Reijn (Instinct)
Written By: Sarah DeLappe and Kristen Roupenian (Cat Person)
MPAA Rating: R for pervasive language, drug use, bloody images, sexual references, and violence
Release Date: August 12, 2022
Running Time: 1 hour 35 minutes
Studio: A24




‘Vampire Academy’ Interview: Kieron Moore and Sisi Stringer on Playing Dimitri and Rose

By
Rebecca Murray
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In 2014, a film adaptation of Richelle Mead’s Vampire Academy bestselling books hit theaters. Now fans of Mead’s tales of vampires, dhampirs, Moroi, and Strigoi are about to be treated to a series featuring all the key players when Vampire Academy premieres on Peacock on September 15, 2022.

For those who aren’t familiar with the world Mead created, here’s the official synopsis courtesy of Peacock: “In a world of privilege and glamour, two young women’s friendship transcends their strikingly different classes as they prepare to complete their education and enter royal vampire society. This serialized and sexy drama combines the elegance of aristocratic romance and the supernatural thrills of the vampire genre.”

I would add a little something to that description: Come for the vampires and stay for the sizzling chemistry between Kieron Moore as Dimitri Belikov and Sisi Stringer as Rose Hathaway.

Moore and Stringer teamed up for roundtable interviews at the 2022 San Diego Comic-Con, chatting about their characters, the mythology, and what fans can expect from the first season.

Vampire Academy Dimitri and Rose
Kieron Moore as Dimitri Belikov and Sisi Stringer as Rose Hathaway in ‘Vampire Academy’ (Photo by: Peacock)

Kieron Moore and Sisi Stringer Interview:

How familiar were you with the Vampire Academy books before booking the show?

Sisi Stringer: “Super familiar, I’m actually a big fan of the series. I read them when I was a teenager and loved them and loved the movie when it came out. I was really sad that more movies didn’t come out, but you know now we’re doing it and we get to tell the full story.

So yeah, huge fan and as soon as I got the audition I was like, ‘No way! I know this character; I love this character.’ And, yeah, I booked the job and was just ecstatic.”

Kieron Moore: “For me, I remember seeing the title come through, a random core memory, but I was like, ‘This looks so cool.’ I did some research and was like, ‘Oh my god I went and saw this film in the cinemas. I remember this.’ This was when I was in high school. I went and saw the movie.

Once I booked the job, I took the time to read the first few books. It felt like a reasonability to do that and I’m so glad I did that because the blueprint that it laid out is great. We kept that to achieve the essence of this character, I hope, the essences. So, yeah, I am now a huge fan of the Vampire Academy and I understand why this is so loved and I hope that new audiences come out to our show and fall in love with the books just as much as we have.”

Sisi Stringer: “Yeah. Great answer.”

What was it in the books about your characters that you loved so much that you had to make sure you captured when you were playing them?

Kieron Moore: “I kind of liked the cowboy duster.”

Sisi Stringer: “He’s obsessed. He’s obsessed with the duster. (Laughing) Let go of it!”

Kieron Moore: “I loved it! I think for me just Dimitri’s devotion to what he does, be it protecting the Moroi or be it his love for Rose which flourishes as the book goes on. Yeah, he’s a man that goes all the way.”

Sisi Stringer: “Sorry, what was the question? I forgot – I was just looking at him. Oh, right the character of Rose. The scary thing about us is that we are too similar and sometimes I don’t know where Rose finishes and where I begin. (Laughing) You know – fiery, passionate, sometimes inappropriate. She’s a fighter and she fights for what she loves and what she believes in. And sometimes it doesn’t always land, and I definitely identify with that myself.”

Kieron Moore: “Undeniably yourself.”

Sisi Stringer: “Undeniably myself – I’ll take that.”

Kieron Moore: “Unapologetically, in the best way. In the very best way.”

Sisi Stringer: “Thank you.”

How would you describe Rose’s history with Lissa?

Sisi Stringer: “So Rose and Lissa, basically they’ve been best friends since they were very, very small children. Rose never really had a family that was around, being a dhampir and training to be a guardian. Her parents are…well, her mother is a dhampir as well so she is a guardian – an acting guardian – and is off doing her duty protecting her Moroi. So Rose never really had a mother around. And her father – who even knows where he is at any given point. So Lissa’s family became Rose’s family. They really adopted her. They took her in and Lissa was not just her best friend but her sister and the closest person that she had – and her safety net, really. So that’s where we meet the girls in the story.

We meet them and they already have this amazing, beautiful love between them and this beautiful bond. And over the series, it just gets stronger and stronger. You see the girls develop and they find a lot of strength in their relationship. Apart and together, I think they are very strong women in their own ways.”

Can you talk about Rose and Dimitri’s powers?

Sisi Stringer: “Powers? What are your powers?”

Kieron Moore: “Sheer endearingness, that’s what it is.”

Sisi Stringer: (Laughing) “Okay Mr. Darcy!”

Kieron Moore: “Well, they’re obviously blessed – I always say the blessed part of their curse is the physical attributes. Their strength, their speed – all the cool stuff of a vampire minus the fangs. I kind of like the fangs.”

Sisi Stringer: “Yeah, I really wanted the fangs as well!”

Kieron Moore: “Yeah, a lot of their potential lies in their fighting abilities. Hence their job and their commitment to defending the Moroi.”

Sisi Stringer: “That’s why we make such good protectors and guardians because we have the heightened senses and the strength and the agility. Those are all the things you need to be a warrior, basically.”

Kieron Moore: “I think Dimitri, as the series goes on, finds that Rose will have different kinds of superpowers that are quite human which he falls in love with in different ways.”

Sisi Stringer: “Yeah. Dimitri can be…I don’t want to say unhuman.”

Kieron Moore: “He’s very stoic.”

Sisi Stringer: “Stoic, exactly. And he really finds his humanity and I think Rose is a big part of that for him.”

Kieron Moore: “And for me. Be a person, Kieron!”

Sisi Stringer: “Shut up, Kieron.”

What is it about this series that stands out from other vampire material?

Kieron Moore: “It’s its own world in its own right.”

Sisi Stringer: “Yeah, exactly. Richelle Mead in the books creates this amazing world that’s so different to other vampire stuff, because there are different kinds of vampires and there are ancient races. There’s an ancient race of good vampires and they’re proper and they live in a structured society. They’re called Moroi and some of them are royal and some of them are not. And then there’s a class divide even within that kind of faction.

But then there are the dhampirs like us who are the warriors and the protectors and the guardians. We are half-human half-vampire hybrids and so we can go out into the sun. We don’t have to live by drinking blood or anything like that, but then we do have the heightened senses.”

Kieron Moore: “I think in the world’s complexity we’re able to use the vampire fantasy world as like a metaphor, really, for a bit of our own society. There’s a real allegory that’s happening. People that are familiar with and watch the show and will expect all the funky fantasy vampire stuff could be challenged in a cool way. Like, ‘Oh, this feels a bit close to home.’

That’s what this world does in such a striking way.”

Sisi Stringer: “Yes, absolutely. Like you said you get all the sexy stuff and you get all the fangs and the blood and all that kind of stuff. But also you definitely get something that reflects our society in the sense of like a class structure and revolutionary kind of ideas and things being disrupted in a way that makes you question is this society fair the way they run it.”

Kieron Moore: “Even your own beliefs. It’s quite exciting, really. It makes you forge on and then get lost in this idea. It makes you challenge your own beliefs and question different things.”

Sisi Stringer: “And the bad vampires are very scary. They’re called Strigoi and they’ve got the full bad vampire get-up and the red eyes. I can’t say too much, obviously.”

Kieron Moore: “I can promise this. If the audience is 30% as scared as I was the first time I had to fight one on set, we are on to a good show because [I was] heart in my mouth terrified.”

Sisi Stringer: “I was the same. The first time I ever fought someone in the full Strigoi bad vampire get-up and they just run at you, and they are just ferocious. You just forget your fight choreography and [try and get away]. That was your first instinct.”

Kieron Moore: “Hey, what was that?!”

Sisi Stringer: “He literally just ducked. And on my first day I was like, ‘Can we cut?’”

Kieron Moore: “He swings at me and my brain just goes [blank]. I just blocked the punch and I was like, ‘That was close, right? Can we just use that?’”

Vampire Academy Kieron Moore
Kieron Moore as Dimitri Belikov in ‘Vampire Academy’ (Photo by: Jose Haro/Peacock)

How difficult was the training? They show you doing training so how was it to train for training?

Kieron Moore: “That was a massive part for me because you obviously have a lot of stuff around Lissa but a lot of Dimitri’s scenes… A lot of that relationship with Rose in the books is the training. For me, the training for the training actually helped me find Dimitri. It helped me find the connection with Rose because that was an experience we had to share.”

Sisi Stringer: “Physically getting into a character is something important to me in terms of the process of making a character. It’s like putting on the clothes, you know? You step into the clothes and you step into the role. I think training and figuring out our own fighting styles within the training and the martial arts they were teaching us and stuff like that was really cool character-building.

A lot of scenes in the beginning are training together so we would train in the gym to bring that together. It was lots of different martial arts styles.”

Kieron Moore: “And an incorporation of our own histories as well. Sisi has been in films that are quite action-packed, and she obviously comes from a dance background. I’m from a boxing background. We’ve introduced these to each of our characters. I think that’s what’s so beautiful about our fight styles, specifically is that, yes, it’s a whole and you can see that it’s very similar when everyone fights. But each individual’s personality comes through in their fighting style.

Sisi Stringer: “Different characters, the way they fight is very, very interesting to watch.”

Kieron Moore: “And Rose and Dimitri complement each other on a whole new level.”

Sisi Stringer: “They find a flow.”




AMC and AMC+ Announce Fall 2022 Lineup: Vampires, Zombies, and ‘Gangs’ Season 2

By
Rebecca Murray
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The Walking Dead Final Season
Norman Reedus and Seth Gilliam in ‘The Walking Dead’ season 11 (Photo Credit: Jace Downs / AMC)

AMC and AMC+ have set their fall 2022 lineup which will include the premieres of the animated series Pantheon and Anne Rice’s Interview with The Vampire. The last new episodes of the final season of The Walking Dead will debut in October and Gangs of London returns for its second season in November.

The fall lineup will also include a batch of original films. The sci-fi thriller Rubikon premieres on September 2 and the crime drama There Are No Saints debuts on September 9. Additional films arriving in September include Official Competition, Section 8, and You Don’t Nomi.

Pantheon season 1
William Hurt is the voice of Stephen Holstrom in ‘Pantheon’ (Photo Credit: Titmouse Inc / AMC)

Pantheon – Two-Episode New Series Premieres Thursday, September 1 on AMC+ and HIDIVE

Based on a collection of short stories by award-winning author Ken Liu, this animated, sci-fi series focuses on a bullied teen (Katie Chang) who receives mysterious help from someone online. The stranger is soon revealed to be her recently deceased father, David (Daniel Dae Kim), whose consciousness has been uploaded to the Cloud following an experimental destructive brain scan. David is the first of a new kind of being: an “Uploaded Intelligence” or “UI,” but he will not be the last, as a global conspiracy unfolds that threatens to trigger a new kind of world war.

The voice cast of this speculative sci-fi series includes Chang, Kim, Paul Dano, Aaron Eckhart, Rosemarie DeWitt, Chris Diamantopoulos, Raza Jeffrey, Ron Livingston, Taylor Schilling, Scoot McNairy, Maude Apatow, William Hurt (in his last role), Corey Stoll, Anika Noni Rose, Michael Kelly, and more.

The Walking Dead Season 11C – New Season Premieres Sunday, October 2 at 9 pm ET/PT on AMC; First Two Episodes Available on AMC+ with Subsequent Episodes Available One Week Early on AMC+

The television legacy that is The Walking Dead begins its highly anticipated last eight episodes this October. On the heels of the oppressive presence of locusts, an even greater force is bearing down on every single member of each community. With Commonwealth flags raised at Hilltop, Alexandria, and Oceanside, there’s no time to strategize for those on the road. It’s a race against the clock to stay alive and extract those still living in the Commonwealth before Hornsby (Josh Hamilton) can execute his revenge. Inside the Commonwealth, Connie’s (Lauren Ridloff) article has created more chaos than planned.

By exposing the Milton’s (Laila Robbins) corruption, their hope to create a better, more equal, life for all may instead put everyone at risk. With the vast debt our group owes and no other viable place to live, simply leaving has never been an option. But if their next move fails, staying won’t be an option either. What they’re about to embark on will only invite more danger with massive consequences. The clock is ticking for our heroes inside the Commonwealth as well.

As each group continues to get caught in uncontrollable situations, threats lurk around every corner, dead and alive. The looming pressure is cresting towards a day of reckoning for all. Will the sum of their individual journeys cumulate into one, or divide them forever? The fight for a future continues to be exasperated by the ominous population of walkers. Not all will survive, but for some, the walking dead lives on.

Interview with the Vampire Season 1
Sam Reid as Lestat Du Lioncourt and Jacob Anderson as Louis De Pointe Du Lac in ‘Interview with the Vampire’ (Photo Credit: Michele K. Short / Sony Pictures Television / AMC)

Anne Rice’s Interview with The Vampire – New Series Premieres Sunday, October 2 at 10 pm ET/PT on AMC; First Two Episodes Available on AMC+ with Subsequent Episodes Available One Week Early on AMC+

A sensuous, contemporary reinvention of Anne Rice’s revolutionary gothic novel, Anne Rice’s Interview with the Vampire follows Louis de Pointe du Lac (Jacob Anderson), Lestat de Lioncourt (Sam Reid) and Claudia’s (Bailey Bass) epic story of love, blood, and the perils of immortality, as told to journalist Daniel Molloy (Eric Bogosian). Chafing at the limitations of life as a black man in 1900s New Orleans, Louis finds it impossible to resist the rakish Lestat De Lioncourt’s offer of the ultimate escape: joining him as his vampire companion. But Louis’s intoxicating new powers come with a violent price, and the introduction of Lestat’s newest fledgling, the child vampire Claudia, soon sets them on a decades-long path of revenge and atonement.

Gangs of London Season 2 – New Season Premieres November 2022

A new, darker era of chaos and turbulent power struggles comes to London in this critically acclaimed, award-winning original series. One year after the death of Sean Wallace and the violent reckonings of season one, the map and soul of the city has been redrawn – the surviving Wallaces are scattered, the Dumanis broken and estranged, and ex-undercover cop Elliot Finch (Ṣọpẹ́ Dìrísù, Humans) is now being forced to work for the Investors.

As the Investors look down on a city sliding into chaos, they decide enough is enough and bring in reinforcements to restore control. Old favorites and new players fight back against the new order, forcing sworn enemies to work together and family members to betray each other.

Returning cast includes Dìrísù, Paapa Essiedu, Lucian Msamati, Michelle Fairley, Orli Shuka, Pippa Bennett-Warner, Brian Vernel, Narges Rashidi, Asif Raza Mir, and Valene Kane. Joining the ensemble cast for season 2 include Waleed Zuaiter, Jasmine Armando, Fady El-Sayed, Salem Kali, and Aymen Hamdouchi.

Rubikon – New AMC+ Exclusive Film Premieres Friday, September 2

2056. A toxic cloud of pollution has swallowed the earth, killing untold numbers. The world’s nations have dissolved, with all power now in the hands of giant corporations. The rich retreat to sealed biodomes while the poor choke and starve. On the space station Rubikon, Hannah (Julia Franz Richter), Gavin (George Blagden) and Dimitri (Mark Ivanir) weigh the fate of the planet’s survivors. Should these crewmembers risk their own lives on a rescue mission to the surface or ignore the old world to build a new one of safety and solitude, living off the station’s sophisticated “algae symbiosis system”?

Against the vast canvas of the cosmos, three people with different worldviews debate their moral responsibility to the species, all while grappling with the timely agony of isolation in this gripping feature from the 2021 Cannes Film Festival.

There Are No Saints – New AMC+ Exclusive Film Premieres Friday, September 9

A man nicknamed “the Jesuit” is imprisoned for a crime he didn’t commit. When his wife is murdered and his son kidnapped and taken to Mexico, he devises an elaborate and dangerous plan to rescue his son and avenge the murder. José Maria Yazpik, Ron Perlman, Paz Vega, Tim Roth, and Neal McDonough star in this gritty Mexican-American action-thriller from the writer of Taxi Driver.

Official Competition – New AMC+ Exclusive Film Premieres Friday, September 16

When a billionaire entrepreneur impulsively decides to create an iconic movie, he demands the best. Renowned filmmaker Lola Cuevas (Penélope Cruz) is recruited to mastermind this ambitious endeavor. Completing the all-star team are two actors with enormous talent but even bigger egos: Hollywood heartthrob Félix Rivero (Antonio Banderas) and radical theatre actor Iván Torres (Oscar Martínez). Both are legends, but not exactly best friends.

Through a series of increasingly eccentric trials set by Lola, Félix and Iván must confront not only each other, but also their own legacies. Who will be left when the cameras finally start rolling?

You Don’t Nomi – New AMC+ Exclusive Documentary Premieres Thursday, September 22

Paul Verhoeven’s Showgirls (1995) was met by critics and audiences with near universal derision when it premiered on this day 27 years ago. You Don’t Nomi traces the film’s redemptive journey from notorious flop to cult classic, and maybe even masterpiece.

Section 8 – New AMC+ Exclusive Film Premieres Friday, September 23 *In Theaters and on AMC+

After avenging the murder of his wife and child, a former soldier is sent to prison with a life sentence. He’s given a shot at freedom when a shadow government agency recruits him for an off-the-books assignment, and he soon realizes Section 8 isn’t what it seems.

Starring Ryan Kwanten, Dolph Lundgren, Dermot Mulroney, Scott Adkins, and Mickey Rourke.




‘Pennyworth’ Season 3 Debuts a Teaser Trailer and Sets an October Premiere

By
Rebecca Murray
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HBO Max has confirmed it’s targeting an October 2022 premiere for Pennyworth: The Origin of Batman’s Butler season three. The announcement arrived along with a 45-second teaser trailer for the DC Comics-inspired series starring Jack Bannon in the title role.

The first two seasons of Pennyworth aired on EPIX. In October 2021, HBO Max announced during DC FanDome that the third season had moved to their streaming service. Seasons one and two are now available on HBO Max.

Season three stars include Ben Aldridge as Thomas Wayne, Emma Paetz, Paloma Faith, Ryan Fletcher, Dorothy Atkinson, Ramon Tikaram, Harriet Slater, and Simon Manyonda. The Warner Bros. Television production is executive produced by Bruno Heller, Matthew Patnick, Danny Cannon, and John Stephens.

The third season will consist of 10 episodes.

Pennyworth Season 3 Star Jack Bannon
Jack Bannon stars in ‘Pennyworth’ season 3 (Photo Courtesy of HBO Max)

HBO Max released the following updated description of the new season:

“The DC origin series Pennyworth: The Origin of Batman’s Butler follows Alfred Pennyworth (Bannon), a former British SAS soldier, who forms a security company in 1960s London and goes to work with young billionaire Thomas Wayne (Aldridge) and his wife Martha (Paetz), before they become Bruce Wayne’s parents. Season three of the psychological thriller begins after a five-year time jump: the civil war is over, and a cultural revolution has changed the world for better or worse – ushering in a new age of Super Heroes and Supervillains.”




‘The Menu’ Trailer and New Posters: Ralph Fiennes Dishes Up a Killer Meal

By
Rebecca Murray
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Death appears to be one of the selections available on the menu in Searchlight Pictures’ thriller, The Menu. The new trailer finds the guests dining on sumptuous meals before realizing it’s quite possible they won’t live long enough to leave any reviews of their experiences.

Two-time Oscar nominee Ralph Fiennes (Schindler’s List, The English Patient) stars as the chef who creates the lavish meal. Nicholas Hoult (The Great) and Anya Taylor-Joy (Last Night in Soho) play a young couple who, unfortunately, are among the invited guests.

The cast also includes Hong Chau, Janet McTeer, Judith Light, Reed Birney, and Paul Adelstein. Aimee Carrero, Arturo Castro, Mark St. Cyr, Rob Yang, and John Leguizamo also star.

Emmy Award-winner Mark Mylod (Succession) directed from a screenplay by Seth Reiss and Will Tracy. Adam McKay and Betsy Koch serve as producers.

Searchlight Pictures has set a November 18, 2022 theatrical release.

The Plot: “A couple (Taylor-Joy and Hoult) travels to a coastal island to eat at an exclusive restaurant where the chef (Fiennes) has prepared a lavish menu, with some shocking surprises.”

The Menu Anya Taylor Joy Poster
Poster of Anya Taylor-Joy in Searchlight Pictures’ The Menu’
The Menu Ralph Fiennes Poster
Poster of Ralph Fiennes in Searchlight Pictures’ The Menu’

‘Fakes’ Series Trailer: A Fake ID Empire Gets Teens Into Big Trouble

By
Rebecca Murray
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Netflix’s new comedy series Fakes follows two teenagers who earn big money creating fake IDs. The just-released trailer shows they also lose lots of money and get in trouble with the Feds over their illegal activities.

The 10 episode season stars Emilija Baranac (To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before), Richard Harmon (The 100), and Jennifer Tong (DC’s Legends of Tomorrow). David Turko guides the series as showrunner and also writes and executive produces. Additional executive producers include Simon Barry, Stephen Hegyes, Lilly Burns, and Tony Hernandez.

In an interview with Bustle, Emilija Baranac described the series as a fresh and fun take on a high school friendship. “Hopefully, audiences will resonate with the characters in some capacity, whether they see their experiences represented or being reminded of that one friend they haven’t heard from in a while and feeling inspired to reach out,” said Baranac.

Fakes premieres on September 2, 2022.

Fakes Series Cast
A scene from Netflix’s comedy series ‘Fakes’

Fakes Plot, Courtesy of Netflix:

Fakes is the story of two best friends who accidentally build one of the largest fake ID empires in North America. They move into a downtown penthouse, have more cash than they know what to do with, and then get raided by the feds. One of them goes to jail, the other doesn’t. This is the story of their ultimate betrayal, told through each of their POVs with regular fourth wall breaks. This is a comedy drama with two unreliable narrators who are both competing for the last word.




‘Hard Knocks In Season: The Arizona Cardinals’ Sets November Premiere

By
Rebecca Murray
-

Hard Knocks in Season Arizona Cardinals

The second season of HBO Sports and NFL Films’ Hard Knocks In Season spotlighting the Arizona Cardinals will premiere on November 9, 2022. New episodes will air on Wednesdays on HBO and will stream on HBO Max.

Season one of the special in-season edition of Hard Knocks followed the Indianapolis Colts, marking the first time the Colts had ever appeared on the HBO series. The Cardinals are also newcomers to the world of Hard Knocks, with Hard Knocks in Season marking their debut.

“Last season Hard Knocks made an unprecedented leap, documenting an NFL regular season in real time for the first time ever with the Indianapolis Colts,” stated Keith Cossrow, NFL Films Vice President and Senior Coordinating Producer. “It was a vivid and illuminating look at the life of an NFL team. This season, we are eager to build on that success and go even further with one of the most exciting teams in the NFL. We can’t wait to get to work in Arizona, and we thank Michael Bidwill, Steve Keim, Coach Kingsbury, and the entire Cardinals organization for this opportunity.”

“We’re excited to feature the Arizona Cardinals on Hard Knocks during the NFL regular season in the upcoming installment of Hard Knocks In Season,” said Nancy Abraham and Lisa Heller, Co-Heads Of HBO Documentary & Family Programming. “We couldn’t be happier to continue to expand our tremendously successful partnership with the NFL and grow the Hard Knocks experience for our viewers. We’re thrilled that the Cardinals will be joining the roster of teams that have graciously invited our audiences into their world.”

The 18-time Emmy Award-winning series premiered in 2001, with the first season featuring the Baltimore Ravens. The 2022 season features the Detroit Lions.

HBO released the following description of the upcoming season:

“This in-season edition of Hard Knocks will join the Cardinals after the completion of their ninth regular season game (vs. Seattle) with new episodes airing each Wednesday with the exception of December 7, after the team’s week 13 bye. NFL FILMS cameras will be embedded with the franchise through the end of the regular season and hopeful playoff run all the way to the Super Bowl.”




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