Hulu’s set to launch the new comedy series How I Met Your Father on Tuesday, January 18, 2022. The series, a spinoff of How I Met Your Mother, just debuted an official trailer that sets up the story and introduces key characters including Hilary Duff’s Sophie who guides the show as the mom recalling how she met her son’s dad.
The season one cast also includes Chris Lowell as Jesse, a character described as “smart, a bit of an edge and cynical about love. He’s an aspiring musician who works as an Uber driver to make ends meet and lives with his best friend Tom.” The 10-episode first season will also star Francia Raisa, Tom Ainsley, Tien Tran, and Suraj Sharma. Kim Cattrall, Daniel Augustin, Ashley Reyes, and Josh Peck appear in recurring roles.
How I Met Your Mother‘s Pam Fryman directs the first episode of HIMYF and is on board as an executive producer. (Fryman directed all but a handful of episodes of HIMYM.) Isaac Aptaker and Elizabeth Berger are writing season one and serve as executive producers along with Carter Bays, Craig Thomas, and Adam Londy. Series star Hilary Duff is a producer.
The Plot, Courtesy of Hulu:
“In the near future, Sophie (Duff) is telling her son the story of how she met his father: a story that catapults us back to the year 2021 where Sophie and her close-knit group of friends are in the midst of figuring out who they are, what they want out of life, and how to fall in love in the age of dating apps and limitless options.”
Poster for ‘How I Met Your Father’ (Photo Credit: Hulu)
AMC Networks has set a Sunday, February 27, 2022 premiere date for the fourth season of the critically acclaimed, award-winning drama Killing Eve which, unfortunately, will be the series’ final season. The premiere date announcement was accompanied by a short video teaser, new photos from the upcoming season, and a season four synopsis.
Season four will air on BBC America beginning on February 27th at 8pm ET/PT, with each episode airing on AMC on Mondays at 9pm ET/PT following their Sunday debuts on BBC America. Subscribers to AMC Networks’ AMC+ will be able to check out season four episodes one week early.
The final eight-part season stars Critics Choice Awards winner Sandra Oh and Emmy Award winner Jodie Comer reprising their roles as Eve and Villanelle, respectively. The cast of season four also includes Fiona Shaw and Kim Bodnia.
Laura Neal is the final season’s lead writer and serves as an executive producer along with Sandra Oh, Sally Woodward Gentle, Lee Morris, Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Gina Mingacci, and Damon Thomas.
AMC Networks released the following description of season four:
“After the emotional climax of Season Three, Eve (Oh), Villanelle (Comer) and Carolyn (Shaw) are in very different places. Following Eve and Villanelle’s exchange on the bridge, Eve is on a revenge mission, while Villanelle has found a brand-new community in an attempt to prove she’s not a ‘monster.’ Having killed Paul, Carolyn goes to extraordinary lengths to continue to chase down The Twelve and the person that ordered Kenny’s hit. This season follows our extraordinary women, each driven by passion, revenge and obsession, building towards a messy, nuanced and totally glorious series finale.”
Jodie Comer as Villanelle in ‘Killing Eve’ Season 4, Episode 1 (Photo Credit: Anika Molnar/BBCA)Sandra Oh as Eve Polastri in Season 4, Episode 2 (Photo Credit: Anika Molnar/BBCA)Camille Cottin as Helene in Season 4, Episode 2 (Photo Credit: Anika Molnar/BBCA)Jodie Comer as Villanelle in Season 4, Episode 1 (Photo Credit: Anika Molnar/BBCA)Fiona Shaw as Carolyn Martens in Season 4, Episode 2 (Photo Credit: Anika Molnar/BBCA)Sandra Oh as Eve Polastri in Season 4, Episode 1 (Photo Credit: Anika Molnar/BBCA)
The beloved web-slinger is back and dealing with the multiverse and all the problems that come with messing with it in Marvel’s action-comedy/drama, Spider-Man: No Way Home. The film opens on the heels of the last Spider-Man film, Spiderman: Far From Home, which ended with Mysterio revealing to the world that Spider-Man’s real identity is Peter Parker (Tom Holland). The fallout from disclosing Spider-Man’s true identity is bigger than anyone could have expected, with the public and the media invading his personal life and the authorities investigating Parker for being a vigilante.
The revelation is also making life more complicated and difficult for Peter’s best friend, Ned Leeds (Jacob Batalon), and Peter’s girlfriend, MJ (Zendaya). The threesome can’t seem to ever have a private moment and are being rejected by colleges – including MIT – due to their association with Spider-Man.
Desperate to find a way to fix all of this, Peter visits Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) to see if he can cast a spell to make everyone forget that he’s Spider-Man. Strange wants to help his young friend out and agrees but when he’s creating the spell, Peter interrupts him. Peter asks Doctor Strange to make it so MJ, Ned, and Happy remember he’s Spider-Man, which leads to the spell spiraling out of control. Luckily, Strange is able to get it back under control and kicks Peter out.
Not long after his visit with Doctor Strange, Peter’s confronted by Doc Ock (Alfred Molina) as well as The Green Goblin (Willem Dafoe) who are both looking to kill him. After a few superhero battles with the supervillains, Peter’s pulled back to Doctor Strange who informs the very confused Spidey that the botched spell opened a hole in their world and brought deadly villains who have fought Spider-Mans in other universes (aka the multiverse) to this world.
“They are a danger to our universe,” says Doctor Strange before sending Peter out with a special device to portal the villains, who also include Sandman, Electro, and The Lizard, back to Strange’s dungeon so he can send them back to where they came from. In order to set things right, Peter will need the help of MJ, Ned, his Aunt May (Marisa Tomei), and two surprising, unexpected, and powerful new allies.
Of the three Spider-Man films starring Tom Holland as the web-slinger, Spider-Man: No Way Home is without a doubt the biggest, boldest, and most stirring of them all. It’s an epic superhero adventure with a wonderful cast and amazing action scenes. The film also has plenty of humor, yet also carries with it an emotional intensity and punch which has been absent until now.
Tom Holland delivers his strongest performance as Peter Parker who, while trying to fix his life as well as the lives of his closest friends, has endangered the universe. Holland, who has successfully portrayed both the cocky web-slinger and the geeky, good-hearted Peter, adds even more depth to the character by having him grow and mature during the film. Holland has some very powerful, emotional scenes and delivers a truly memorable performance.
Benedict Cumberbatch steals almost every scene he’s in as Doctor Strange, Peter’s powerful friend who only wants to help Parker but ends up making things much worse. The chemistry between Cumberbatch and Holland on-screen is solid and adds to the film’s levity.
Zendaya also delivers her best performance as MJ, Peter’s girlfriend who sees them as a true team and hopes they can attend college together. Holland and Zendaya, who have never actually confirmed they’re a couple in real-life, have strong on-screen chemistry together.
The return of Willem Dafoe as the Green Goblin, Alfred Molina as Doc Ock, and Jamie Foxx as Electro raises the film to an even higher level. All three actors portray the characters they originally brought to the big screen just as vividly and larger-than-life as they did years ago. This is not a quick gimmick or cameo but a return of classic villains now threatening Holland’s Spider-Man and his world.
The film isn’t wall-to-wall action but when the superhero fights do occur, the action scenes are thrilling and the special effects are remarkable. The look of the film and the sets are among the most impressive of any of the Marvel films to date.
With a perfect cast, exciting action sequences, wonderous special effects, and some heartfelt moments, Spider-Man: No Way Home is a remarkable superhero film and one of the best films in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. It’s the best Marvel film to hit theaters since Avengers: Endgame.
GRADE: B+
MPAA Rating: PG-13 for sequences of action/violence, brief suggestive comments, and some language
Release Date: December 17, 2021
Running Time: 2 hours 28 minutes
Directed By: Jon Watts
Studios: Columbia Pictures and Marvel Studios
The first official trailer for the comedy adventure The Lost City begins with Sandra Bullock, Daniel Radcliffe, and Channing Tatum attempting to be the first to say, “Here’s the trailer for The Lost City.” What follows is two and a half minutes of sheer Romancing the Stone-ish hilarity that finds Bullock playing a novelist who gets pulled into a treasure hunt.
Brad Pitt’s cameo as her handsome rescuer (I mean, just look at that hair!) concludes the trailer – a teaser that probably gives away a little too much.
Channing Tatum stars as a romance novel cover model and Daniel Radcliffe plays Bullock’s kidnapper. The cast also includes Da’Vine Joy Randolph, Oscar Nuñez, Patti Harrison, and Bowen Yang.
Adam and Aaron Nee directed and co-wrote the screenplay with Oren Uziel and Dana Fox, based on a story by Seth Gordon. Liza Chasin, Sandra Bullock, and Seth Gordon produced, with JJ Hook, Dana Fox, Julia Gunn, and Margaret Chernin executive producing.
The Lost City opens in theaters on March 25, 2022.
The Plot, Courtesy of Paramount Pictures:
Brilliant, but reclusive author Loretta Sage (Bullock) has spent her career writing about exotic places in her popular romance-adventure novels featuring handsome cover model Alan (Tatum), who has dedicated his life to embodying the hero character, “Dash.” While on tour promoting her new book with Alan, Loretta is kidnapped by an eccentric billionaire (Radcliffe) who hopes that she can lead him to the ancient lost city’s treasure from her latest story.
Wanting to prove that he can be a hero in real life and not just on the pages of her books, Alan sets off to rescue her. Thrust into an epic jungle adventure, the unlikely pair will need to work together to survive the elements and find the ancient treasure before it’s lost forever.
Apple TV+ has set a February 4, 2022 premiere date for Suspicion starring Oscar nominee Uma Thurman (Pulp Fiction). The Apple Original series will launch with the release of the first two episodes of the eight episode season, with new episodes arriving on subsequent Fridays.
Joining Uma Thurman for season one are Kunal Nayyar (The Big Bang Theory), Noah Emmerich (The Americans), Georgina Campbell (Black Mirror), Elyes Gabel (Scorpion), Elizabeth Henstridge (Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.), Tom Rhys-Harries (White Lines), and Angel Coulby (Dancing on the Edge).
Man in the High Castle‘s Rob Williams is the showrunner and executive produces with Emmy Award nominee Chris Long (The Americans), Anna Winger, Amit Cohen, Maria Feldman, and Liat Benasuly. Keshet Productions’ Howard Burch and Alon Shtruzman along with Keshet Media Group’s Avi Nir also executive produce.
In addition to announcing the premiere date, Apple TV+ also released the first photos featuring Uma Thurman and Noah Emmerich.
The Plot, Courtesy of Apple TV+:
“When the son of a prominent American businesswoman (Thurman) is kidnapped from a New York hotel, the eye of suspicion quickly falls on four seemingly ordinary British citizens who were at the hotel on the night in question. As they find themselves in a trans-Atlantic cat and mouse race to evade the combined forces of the National Crime Agency and the FBI to prove their innocence, it becomes apparent that not everyone can be trusted.
Who is really behind the mysterious abduction, and who is only guilty of being in the wrong place at the wrong time?”
Uma Thurman and Noah Emmerich in ‘Suspicion’ (Photo Credit: Apple TV+)Georgina Campbell in ‘Suspicion’ (Photo Credit: Apple TV+)Kunal Nayyar, Tom Rhys-Harries, Georgina Campbell and Elizabeth Henstridge in ‘Suspicion,’ premiering globally February 4, 2022 on Apple TV+.Kunal Nayyar and Tom Rhys-Harries in ‘Suspicion’ (Photo Credit: Apple TV+)Uma Thurman stars in ‘Suspicion’ (Photo Credit: Apple TV+)
Apple TV+’s award-winning feel-good comedy Ted Lasso is spreading a little holiday cheer with the release of a brand new holiday short. The five-minute video finds the AFC Richmond gang shocked to discover their fearless leader’s mustache has gone missing. And because this is a Ted Lasso holiday video, there’s both a happy ending and an important life lesson dished out.
The stop-motion animated short features the voices of series stars Jason Sudeikis, Hannah Waddingham, Brendan Hunt, Jeremy Swift, Juno Temple, Brett Goldstein, Phil Dunster and Nick Mohammed.
Ted Lasso holds the record as the “most nominated freshman comedy series” in Emmy history, winning in categories including Best Comedy, Best Actor, Best Supporting Actress, and Best Supporting Actor. The series also won a Peabody Award, three Critics Choice Awards, two Writers Guild Awards, and Jason Sudeikis earned a Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Comedy Series.
The Series Plot, Courtesy of Apple TV+:
“Jason Sudeikis is Ted Lasso, an American football coach hired to manage a British soccer team—despite having no experience. But what he lacks in knowledge, he makes up for with optimism, underdog determination…and biscuits. Sarah Niles joins the cast this season as ‘Sharon,’ a sports psychologist who has been brought in to work with AFC Richmond.”
Oscar winner Guillermo del Toro’s riveting adaptation of William Lindsay Gresham’s Nightmare Alley, published in 1946, tells the story of carnival hustler Stanton Carlisle (Oscar nominee Bradley Cooper) and the three strong women who play integral roles in his life.
Oscar nominee Toni Collette’s Zeena the Seer helps introduce Stan to the art of mind-reading and warns of the dangerous path he’ll head down if he gives in to the dark side of the con. The sweet and spirited Molly (two-time Oscar nominee Rooney Mara) has known nothing other than the carnival life and when Stan showers her with attention, she’s unable to resist his charms. Two-time Oscar-winner Cate Blanchett plays Dr. Lilith Ritter, a cunning psychiatrist who pulls the unsuspecting (but not undeserving) Stan in and traps him like a fly inside an inescapable web.
Two-time Oscar nominee Richard Jenkins plays a pivotal role as Ezra Grindle, a filthy rich and morally corrupt businessman who turns to Stan in an attempt to soothe his guilty conscience.
Paired up for a Zoom press conference, Rooney Mara and Richard Jenkins spoke about their entry points into their characters. “I don’t know if there’s one specific thing,” said Mara. “Guillermo writes these incredible character biographies and to me, that was when it all clicked for me was when I read that. There’s so many little things in there that might seem meaningless to some people but that just make a person feel real. That to me was my real entry point was reading that biography and learning all these little things about Molly.”
“When I read the text, when I read the script I remember thinking, ‘Okay, you spend your life trying to connect with this vision, this person who you feel responsible for their death that you loved. And then you see them…you see them…and all of your life this is what it’s been geared toward and then you see them. And then you find out in a second and a half that it’s all not true.’ What is the human response to that? How do you even wrap your head around it? I think that just really interested me,” said Jenkins.
Mara admitted she’d never analyzed the story from that point of view and Jenkins added, “Yeah, you see those beautiful gardens and he’s built this to honor this woman. And for me, that was when I just said, ‘Yeah, I would love to play this. I would love to see what happens here.’”
Guillermo del Toro and co-writer Kim Morgan felt it was very important to have the symmetry of three women and three fathers for Stan. “These three figures each illuminate this negative space that Stan is,” explained Guillermo del Toro. “Kim and I discussed this very detailed and she said, ‘We’re going to have the archetypes – the ingenue, the femme fatale, the earthy heart-of-gold humanistic character. I want the three to survive and in fact thrive after Stan.’ And they all see him in some way but they’re hoping he’s not that.”
Rooney Mara appreciated the fact del Toro and Morgan included representations of three archetypes in the story. “So many times in film are women are reduced down to their archetype but you’re only seeing one of those. And all these three women, while they represent three different archetypes, they did feel like fully, well-rounded humans,” said Mara. “I think it’s really unique to have all three of those archetypes in one film in the way that this film has them. I don’t know if I’ve ever seen that.”
Molly and Ezra are on the receiving end of Stan’s hubris and both characters have distinctly different reactions to their interactions with the charming hustler.
“I always wondered, ‘Do I like Stan?’ I don’t know why that just kept coming up. I realized I didn’t; I needed him. I liked him when I needed him and when I didn’t, I didn’t,” said Jenkins. “You know, this is a fairly self-involved human being and I found that really interesting to do. I mean, there were times when I would look at Stan and feel great empathy for him. And then times I would look at him and think, ‘I’d like to squash him.’ So, it was, I guess, human – that’s a good word for it. I never tried to choose when those moments happened. They just seemed to find their way in and out.”
“I think the beautiful thing about Molly is she has the ability to have love and compassion for anyone, even in their worst moments, almost to a fault – almost to her undoing. And so that’s kind of how I thought of Stan. I was able to sort of love all parts of him,” explained Mara.
* * * * * * * * * *
Searchlight Pictures is releasing Nightmare Alley in theaters on December 17, 2021.
Grammy nominee Cassadee Pope will be on the road in early 2022 promoting her ninth album, Thrive. The 2022 “Thrive Tour” will kick off on March 18th in Baltimore, Maryland, at the Sound Stage. Tickets are set to go on sale on Friday, December 17, 2021.
“Seeing the reaction to Thrive has been so validating and beautiful. I can’t wait to see that in its physical form on the Thrive Tour!” says Pope. “This music is me to the core and I’m looking forward to showing people what that looks like night after night. Rocking out with my fans again will feel so good.”
Nickolas Wheeler of The All-American Rejects and Little Big Town’s Karen Fairchild produced Pope’s Thrive album, which dropped in October 2021. Pope wrote or co-wrote every song on the album, which is described as a blend of pop-punk and country music.
Thrive Tour 2022 Dates:
March 18, 2022 – Baltimore, MD at Sound Stage
March 20, 2022 – Boston, MA at Sinclair
March 22, 2022 – New York, NY at Gramercy Theatre
March 23, 2022 – Philadelphia, PA at Ardmore Music Hall
March 25, 2022 – Pittsburg, PA at Thunderbird Music Hall
March 26, 2022 – Detroit, MI at Crofoot
March 27, 2022 – Columbus, OH at A&R Bar
March 29, 2022 – St. Louis, MO at Old Rock House
March 30, 2022 – Chicago, IL at Lincoln Hall
March 31, 2022 – Minneapolis, MN at Turf Club
April 1, 2022 – Milwaukee, WI at Rave II
Amanda Seyfried as Elizabeth Holmes in ‘The Dropout’ (Photo by: Beth Dubber/Hulu)
Oscar nominee Amanda Seyfried (Mank) perfectly captures disgraced billionaire and founder of Theranos Elizabeth Holmes in the first photos from Hulu’s The Dropout. The limited series’ first photos arrive as the real Holmes stands trial for wire fraud and is facing a possible 20 year prison sentence if convicted.
The series will also star Naveen Andrews (Sense8, Instinct) as Sunny Balwani.
Elizabeth Meriwether (Single Parents, New Girl) guides the limited series as showrunner and executive produces with Liz Heldens, Liz Hannah, Katherine Pope, Rebecca Jarvis, Victoria Thompson, and Taylor Dunn. Michael Showalter is directing episodes and is also on board as an executive producer with his Semi-Formal Productions producing partner Jordana Mollick.
Hulu will release the first three episodes on March 3, 2022, with additional episodes dropping on subsequent Thursdays. The Dropout is a Searchlight Television and 20th Television production.
Hulu released the following description of the limited series:
“Money. Romance. Tragedy. Deception. Hulu’s limited series The Dropout, the story of Elizabeth Holmes (Seyfried) and Theranos is an unbelievable tale of ambition and fame gone terribly wrong. How did the world’s youngest self-made female billionaire lose it all in the blink of an eye?”
Naveen Andrews as Sunny Balwani and Amanda Seyfried as Elizabeth Holmes (Photo by: Beth Dubber/Hulu)Elizabeth Holmes as played by Amanda Seyfried in ‘The Dropout’ (Photo by: Beth Dubber/Hulu)Sunny Balwani (played by Naveen Andrews) and Elizabeth Holmes (played by Amanda Seyfried) – Photo by: Beth Dubber/Hulu
Paramount+’s Why Women Kill will stick around for a third season. The subscription streaming service officially renewed the anthology series created by Marc Cherry for season three but didn’t confirm when we can expect it to arrive or who will star in the new season.
“Why Women Kill explores the intricate lives of its female characters with a style, charm and dark humor only Marc Cherry can provide,” stated Nicole Clemens, President, Paramount+ Original Scripted Series. “We’re so excited that the audience for the series continues to grow, with the second season of Why Women Kill ranking within the top 10 series on Paramount+ in terms of both overall engagement and new subscriber acquisition. We can’t wait to share the new cast of riveting, scandalous characters Marc Cherry has created when the series returns for its third season.”
Season one of the dark comedy premiered in August 2019 and starred Lucy Liu (Elementary), Ginnifer Goodwin (Once Upon a Time), and Kirby Howell-Baptiste (The Good Place). Season two arrived in June 2021 and featured Allison Tolman (Fargo), Lana Parrilla (Once Upon a Time), B.K. Cannon (Sin City Saints), and Jordane Christie (Containment).
Season two of the CBS Studios and Imagine Television Studios production was executive produced by Marc Cherry, Imagine’s Brian Grazer, Acme Productions’ Michael Hanel and Mindy Schultheis, Marc Webb, Samie Kim Falvey, Francie Calfo, and David Warren.
A Look Back at Season 2, Courtesy of Paramount+:
Set in 1949, season two explored what it means to be beautiful, the hidden truth behind the facades people present to the world, the effects of being ignored and overlooked by society, and the lengths one woman will go in order to finally belong.
