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‘FBoy Island’ Dating Series Renewed for Season 2 at HBO Max

FBoy Island Season 1
Nikki Glaser, CJ Franco, Sarah Emig, and Nakia Renee in ‘FBoy Island’ season 1 (Photograph by Julie Corsetti/HBO Max)

HBO Max has given a second season order to FBoy Island, the reality dating series that currently holds the title of the biggest launch of any Max Original reality series to date. Season one host Nikki Glaser is set to return for second season of the reality series created by Elan Gale (The Bachelor franchise).

“I couldn’t be happier about returning to FBoy Island for season two. The only downside is that it confirms my greatest fear: that there are more than 12 Fboys on planet earth,” said Glaser.

The first 10-episode season was shot in the Cayman Islands and focused on Nakia Renee, CJ Franco, and Sarah Emig as three single women looking for love. 24 men joined them on the island, with 12 of the bachelors (the “Nice Guys”) really interested in romance and 12 (the “FBoys”) only in it for a payout. Per HBO Max’s official description: “The women navigate the dating pool together with the hope of finding a lasting love connection. By the finale, all is revealed – who is a Nice Guy, who is an FBoy, and who the women ultimately choose. FBoy Island is a social experiment that asks an age-old question: can FBoys truly reform or do Nice Guys always finish last?”

“With a title like FBoy Island, we knew we would get the audience’s attention and we’re thrilled that they’ve responded to the self-aware, comedic nature of the format, proving that they are excited by this fresh approach that puts women in control,” said Sarah Aubrey, Head of Original Content, HBO Max.

“Season one undoubtedly kept the audience guessing but we have even more big twists in store for season two. To the next batch of Fboys, beware, we’re coming for you!” stated Jennifer O’Connell, Executive Vice President, Non-Fiction and Live-Action Family, HBO Max.

FBoy Island is produced by STXalternative with Sam Dean (12 Dates of Christmas, Love is Blind) guiding the series as showrunner. Dean, TheYearOfElan Productions’ Elan Gale, STXalternative’s Jason Goldberg for STXalternative, Ben Bitonti, and Nikki Glaser executive produce.




‘The Lost Daughter’ Directed by Maggie Gyllenhaal Sets a December Premiere Date

The Lost Daughter
BEHIND THE SCENES with MAGGIE GYLLENHAAL (DIRECTOR, PRODUCER, WRITER) on the set of ‘The Lost Daughter’ (Photo by YANNIS DRAKOULIDIS/NETFLIX © 2021)

Oscar nominee Maggie Gyllenhaal (Crazy Heart) makes her feature film directorial debut with the drama, The Lost Daughter. Netflix just announced the film adaptation of Elena Ferrante’s novel will be released in select theaters on December 17, 2021 followed by a release on the streaming service on December 31st.

The release date announcement was accompanied by the first batch of photos from the film.

Maggie Gyllenhaal adapted Ferrante’s novel for the film starring Olivia Colman, Jessie Buckley, Dakota Johnson, Ed Harris, Peter Sarsgaard, and Dagmara Dominczyk. The cast also includes Paul Mescal, Jack Farthing, Robyn Elwell, Ellie Blake, Oliver Jackson-Cohen, Panos Koronis, Alexandros Mylonas, Alba Rohrwacher, Nikos Poursanidis, and Athena Martin.

The Plot, Courtesy of Netflix:

Alone on a seaside vacation, Leda (Colman) becomes consumed with a young mother and daughter as she watches them on the beach. Unnerved by their compelling relationship, (and their raucous and menacing extended family), Leda is overwhelmed by her own memories of the terror, confusion and intensity of early motherhood. An impulsive act shocks Leda into the strange and ominous world of her own mind, where she is forced to face the unconventional choices she made as a young mother and their consequences.

THE LOST DAUGHTER
OLIVIA COLMAN as LEDA and DAKOTA JOHNSON as NINA. (Photo Credit: YANNIS DRAKOULIDIS/NETFLIX © 2021)
THE LOST DAUGHTER
OLIVIA COLMAN as LEDA and PAUL MESCAL as WILL (Photo Credit: NETFLIX © 2021)
THE LOST DAUGHTER
PETER SARSGAARD as PROFESSOR HARDY and JESSIE BUCKLEY as YOUNG LEDA (Photo Credit: NETFLIX © 2021)
THE LOST DAUGHTER
DAKOTA JOHNSON as NINA (Photo Credit: NETFLIX © 2021)
THE LOST DAUGHTER
OLIVIA COLMAN as LEDA in ‘The Lost Daughter’ (Photo Credit: YANNIS DRAKOULIDIS/NETFLIX © 2021)




First Look: ‘Clerks III’ Unveils First Photo

Clerks 3 First Photo
Elias (Trevor Fehrman), Dante (Brian O’Halloran), Becky (Rosario Dawson), and Randal (Jeff Anderson) in the comedy film, ‘Clerks III,’ a Lionsgate release (Photo courtesy of John Baer)

The first official photo’s been released from writer/director Kevin Smith’s Clerks III. The cast and crew are currently busy shooting the third film of the franchise in the same Leonardo, New Jersey locations as the original film.

The first photo features Brian O’Halloran as Dante and Jeff Anderson as Randal along with Trevor Fehrman as Elias and Rosario Dawson as Dante’s wife, Becky, at the Quick Stop. Jason Mewes isn’t pictured but is returning for the third Clerks film as Jay, and Smith steps in front of the camera to reprise his role as Silent Bob.

Kevin Smith promoted the first image in a tweet: “Shot over 9 pages of CLERKS III yesterday and we still wrapped an hour early! It was one of the best days on a set I’ve ever enjoyed! Cast and Crew are killing it!”

In an interview with Vanity Fair, Smith discussed the premise of Clerks III. “The film is predicated on the idea that Randal survives a heart attack, a massive heart attack, quite like I did, and then winds up, you know, deciding that he’s wasted his life,” stated Smith. “But before he dies he wants to memorialize himself. He wants to make a movie. So our boys essentially wind up making Clerks.”

The original Clerks was released in 1994 and won awards at the Cannes, Deauville, and Sundance film festivals. In 2019 the Library of Congress added Clerks to the National Film Registry. Clerks II opened in 2006 and was the Audience Award winner at the Edinburgh International Film Festival.

The Plot, Courtesy of Lionsgate:

In Clerks III, following a massive heart attack, Randal enlists Dante, Elias, Jay and Silent Bob to make a movie immortalizing his life at the convenience store that started it all.




‘Fantasy Island’ Season 1 Episode 3 Photos, Plot, Cast and Air Date

Fox’s Fantasy Island season one continues with episode three, “Quantum Entanglement,” airing on Tuesday, August 24, 2021 at 9pm ET/PT. Episode two featured a married couple – played by real-life spouses Dave and Odette Annable – looking to reconnect and ending up in a Freaky Friday situation. The second storyline involved a man who came to the island decades ago to sleep away his grief, waking every five years for 48 hours.

The cast of the reboot is led by Roselyn Sánchez as Elena Roarke, a descendant of the iconic Mr. Roarke. Kiara Barnes (The Bold and the Beautiful) plays Ruby Akuda and John Gabriel Rodriguez (Rosewood) is Javier. Episode three’s guest stars include Cliff Chamberlin, Debbie Morgan, Rodrigo Rojas, and Mieko Hillman.

“Quantum Entanglement” Plot: Flamboyant, eccentric Eileen wants to spend time with her estranged daughter and her family, but they refuse to see her. Meanwhile, disillusioned physics professor Charles wants to know if there is something more out there.

Series Description, Courtesy of Fox:

Fantasy Island takes place at a luxury resort, where literally any fantasy requested by guests is fulfilled, although they rarely turn out as expected. Delving into the ‘what if’ questions – both big and small – that keep us awake at night, each episode will tell emotional, provocative stories about people who arrive with dreams and desires and depart enlightened and transformed through the magical realism of Fantasy Island.

Serving as steward of this mysterious island is Elena Roarke (Sanchez), a descendant of the iconic Mr. Roarke. Elena set aside her own ambitions, and even the love of her life, to uphold her family’s legacy. Sophisticated, insightful and always charming, her calm exterior masks the challenges of the responsibilities she has assumed.

Assisting Elena is Ruby Akuda (Barnes), a young woman with an old soul who arrives on Fantasy Island with a terminal illness and is given a new lease on life there; and pilot Javier (Rodriquez), who also is the head of island transportation and a jack of all trades.

Fantasy Island Season 3 Episode 3
Kiara Barnes in the “Quantum Entanglement” episode of ‘FANTASY ISLAND’ (Photo by Laura Magruder © 2021 FOX MEDIA LLC)
Fantasy Island Season 1 Episode 3
Guest stars Cliff Chamberlin and Debbie Morgan in season 1 episode 3 (Photo by Laura Magruder © 2021 FOX MEDIA LLC)
Fantasy Island Season 1 Episode 3
Guest star Cliff Chamberlin in the “Quantum Entanglement” episode (Photo by Laura Magruder © 2021 FOX MEDIA LLC)
Fantasy Island Season 1 Episode 3
Guest Star Debbie Morgan and Roslyn Sanchez in season 1 episode 3 (Photo by Laura Magruder © 2021 FOX MEDIA LLC)
Fantasy Island Season 1 Episode 3
Guest Stars Debbie Morgan, Rodrigo Rojas and Mieko Hillman (orange dress) in season 1 episode 3 (Photo by Laura Magruder © 2021 FOX MEDIA LLC)
Fantasy Island Season 1 Episode 3
Roslyn Sanchez in the “Quantum Entanglement” episode (Photo by Laura Magruder © 2021 FOX MEDIA LLC)




‘Scenes from a Marriage’ New Trailer and Episode Descriptions

HBO’s limited series Scenes from a Marriage has unveiled an official trailer in support of its upcoming September 12, 2021 premiere. A contemporary take on Ingmar Bergman’s critically acclaimed 1973 Swedish miniseries, Scenes from a Marriage stars Critics Choice Awards nominee Oscar Isaac (Show Me a Hero) and two-time Oscar nominee Jessica Chastain (Zero Dark Thirty, The Help) as a married couple attempting to work their way through problems in their relationship.

The five-part series was developed by writer/director Hagai Levi (HBO’s In Treatment). Levi also executive produces along with Isaac, Chastain, Amy Herzog, Michael Ellenberg, Lars Blomgren, Daniel Bergman, and Blair Breard. The limited series was produced by Media Res and Endeavor for HBO.

HBO released the following description of the limited series:

“A captivating re-examination of the dilemmas probed by the original, the five-episode limited series explores love, hatred, desire, monogamy, marriage, and divorce through the lens of a contemporary American couple. Mira (Chastain) is a confident, ambitious tech executive left unfulfilled by her marriage, and Jonathan (Isaac) is a cerebral and accommodating philosophy professor desperate to keep their relationship intact.

Throughout, Scenes from a Marriage mines the full complexity of Jonathan and Mira as individuals who ultimately know their marriage isn’t being torn apart by any one event or flaw, resulting in a radically honest series that allows the audience to eavesdrop on private conversations between two people torn between feelings of hate and love.”

Scenes from a Marriage
Oscar Isaac and Jessica Chastain in ‘Scenes from a Marriage’ (Photo credit: Jojo Whilden/HBO)

Scenes from a Marriage Episodes 1-4 Descriptions:

  • Episode 1 “Innocence and Panic”
    Debut Date: SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 12 (9:00-10:00 p.m. ET/PT)
    After a tense day of reflection and disclosure, Mira (Jessica Chastain) and her husband Jonathan (Oscar Isaac) navigate the consequences of unexpected news.
    Teleplay by Hagai Levi and Amy Herzog and Directed by Hagai Levi
  • Episode 2 “Poli”
    Debut Date: SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 19 (9:00-10:00 p.m. ET/PT)
    When Mira (Jessica Chastain) returns from a business trip with a crushing revelation, she and Jonathan (Oscar Isaac) struggle to process the complicated aftershock.
    Teleplay by and Directed by Hagai Levi
  • Episode 3 “The Vale of Tears”
    Debut Date: SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 26 (9:00-10:00 p.m. ET/PT)
    Jonathan (Oscar Isaac) and Mira (Jessica Chastain) share all that they’ve learned since separating, rekindling old connections at the risk of exacerbating dormant wounds.
    Teleplay by and Directed by Hagai Levi
  • Episode 4 “The Illiterates”
    Debut Date: SUNDAY, OCTOBER 3 (9:00-10:00 p.m. ET/PT)
    Jonathan (Oscar Isaac) and Mira (Jessica Chastain) reconvene, exploring the root of their connection but ultimately finding the source of their animalistic impulses.
    Teleplay by and Directed by Hagai Levi




Anne Rice’s ‘Lives of the Mayfair Witches’ Series in the Works at AMC

Lives of the Mayfair Witches

AMC Studios is in the “exploring the potential” stage of a series based on Anne Rice’s Lives of the Mayfair Witches books. If it moves forward, Lives of the Mayfair Witches would be the second series in the works at AMC based on Rice’s bestselling novels. The first – Interview with the Vampire – is expected to premiere in 2022.

Lives of the Mayfair Witches‘ has Esta Spaulding (Masters of Sex, On Becoming a God in Central Florida) and Michelle Ashford (Masters of Sex, The Pacific) attached as writers and executive producers. If AMC greenlights the series, Spaulding would also take on the role of showrunner.

“We have an enormous amount of ambition for these iconic works, which have captivated and entertained millions of fans around the world, so it is gratifying to be moving so quickly from the Interview greenlight to exploring a second series with such talented and accomplished writers and creators as Esta and Michelle,” stated Dan McDermott, president of original programming for AMC Networks and AMC Studios. “We take our responsibility to deliver compelling television to both existing and new fans of this material incredibly seriously, as we move deliberately to develop these titles into a new franchise and universe for AMC+ and AMC.”

AMC’s announcement included the following description of Mayfair Witches:

“The series will focus on an intuitive young neurosurgeon who discovers that she is the unlikely heir to a family of witches. As she grapples with her newfound powers, she must contend with a sinister presence that has haunted her family for generations.”

Author Anne Rice’s site describes the first book in the series, The Witching Hour:

“The first in the Mayfair Witches series, The Witching Hour introduces the fictional Mayfair family of New Orleans, generations of male and female witches. This tight-knit and deeply connected family, where a death of one strengthens the others with his/her knowledge. One Mayfair witch per generation is also designated to receive the powers of “the man,” known as Lasher. Lasher gives the witches gifts, excites them, and protects them. Unsure as to exactly what this spirit is, the Mayfair clan knows him variously as a protector, a god-like figure, a sexual being, and the image of death. Lasher’s current witch is Deirdre, who lies catatonic from psychological shock treatments.

Deirdre’s daughter, Rowan, has been spirited away from this ‘evil’ and has happily become a neurosurgeon and has an uncanny gift to see the intent behind the facade. Rowan also has a gift few doctors possess–she can heal cells. Yet, though she uses it to save lives, she also fears that she hs caused several deaths. She rescues Michael from drowning. Michael then develops some extraordinary powers that compel him to seek New Orleans and to seek Rowan. He finds both, and pulls the tale closer together by meeting people connected to the Mayfair family who now fear Rowan because she is the first Mayfair who can kill without Lasher’s help.

Michael dives into learning the history of the Mayfair witches: Deborah, Charlotte, Mary Beth, Stella, Antha, and many others across hundreds of years and three continents. When Michael looks up from his reading, he learns that Rowan has come to New Orleans to attend her mother’s funeral. Rowan learns of her family history, her ancestral home in shambles, and Lasher waiting for the next one. Rowan dedicates herself to stopping Lasher’s reign. Michael too has his own mission, but it is foggy and unclear to him. But Lasher is seductively powerful and Rowan’s gifts offer him the opportunity to achieve his ultimate goal.”




‘Star Wars: Visions’ Anime Series Trailer and Voice Cast Announcement

Disney+ just released the official trailer and voice cast details for the upcoming original series Star Wars: Visions. The anthology series reimagines the Star Wars galaxy in anime format, with the seven shorts produced by first-class Japanese anime studios.

“Lucasfilm is partnering with seven of the most talented anime studios in Japan to bring their signature style and unique vision of the Star Wars galaxy to this inspired new series,” stated James Waugh, executive producer and Lucasfilm Vice President, Franchise Content & Strategy. “Their stories showcase the full spectrum of bold storytelling found across Japanese animation; each told with a freshness and voice that expands our understanding of what a Star Wars story can be, and celebrates a galaxy that has been such an inspiration to so many visionary storytellers.”

Kamikaze Douga created “The Duel,” Geno Studio (Twin Engine) handled “Lop & Ochō,” Studio Colorido (Twin Engine) created “Tatooine Rhapsody,” and TRIGGER created “The Twins” and “The Elder.” Kinema Citrus is the studio behind “The Village Bride,” Production I.G. created “The Ninth Jedi,” and Science Saru created “Akakiri” and “T0-B1.”

Disney+ has set a September 22, 2021 premiere date.

Star Wars: Visions

The English Dub Cast:

The Duel: Brian Tee (Ronin), Lucy Liu (Bandit Leader), Jaden Waldman (Village Chief)

Tatooine Rhapsody: Joseph Gordon-Levitt (Jay), Bobby Moynihan (Geezer), Temuera Morrison (BobaFett), Shelby Young (K-344), Marc Thompson (Lan)

The Twins: Neil Patrick Harris (Karre), Alison Brie (Am), Jonathan Lipow (B-20N)

The Village Bride: Karen Fukuhara (F), Nichole Sakura (Haru), Christopher Sean (Asu), Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa (Valco), Andrew Kishino (Izuma), Stephanie Sheh (Saku)

The Ninth Jedi: Kimiko Glenn (Kara), Andrew Kishino (Juro), Simu Liu (Zhima), Masi Oka (Ethan), Greg Chun (Roden), Neil Kaplan (Narrator), Michael Sinterniklaas (Hen Jin)

T0-B1: Jaden Waldman (T0-B1), Kyle Chandler (Mitaka)

The Elder: David Harbour (Tajin), Jordan Fisher (Dan), James Hong (The Elder)

Lop & Ocho: Anna Cathcart (Lop), Hiromi Dames (Ocho), Paul Nakauchi (Yasaburo), Kyle McCarley (Imperial Officer)

Akakiri: Henry Golding (Tsubaki), Jamie Chung (Misa), George Takei (Senshuu), Keone Young (Kamahachi), Lorraine Toussaint (Masago)

The Japanese Voice Cast:

The Duel: Masaki Terasoma (Ronin), Akeno Watanabe (Bandit Leader), Yūko Sanpei (VillageChief)
Tatooine Rhapsody: Hiroyuki Yoshino (Jay), Kōusuke Gotō (Geezer), Akio Kaneda (Boba Fett), MasayoFujita (K-344), Anri Katsu (Lan)

The Twins: Junya Enoki (Karre), Ryoko Shiraishi (Am), Tokuyoshi Kawashima (B-20N)

The Village Bride: Asami Seto (F), Megumi Han (Haru), Yūma Uchida (Asu), Takaya Kamikawa(Vaan), Yoshimitsu Shimoyama (Izuma), Mariya Ise (Saku)

The Ninth Jedi: Chinatsu Akasaki(Kara), Tetsuo Kanao (Juro), Shin-ichiro Miki (Zhima), Hiromu Mineta (Ethan), Kazuya Nakai (Roden), Akio Ōtsuka, (Narrator), Daisuke Hirakawa (Hen Jin)

T0-B1: Masako Nozawa (T0-B1), Tsutomu Isobe (Mitaka)

The Elder: Takaya Hashi (Tajin), Kenichi Ogata (The Elder), Yuichi Nakamura (Dan)

Lop & Ocho: Seiran Kobayashi (Lop), Risa Shimizu (Ocho), Tadahisa Fujimura (Yasaburo),Taisuke Nakano (Imperial Officer)

Akakiri: Yū Miyazaki (Tsubaki), Lynn (Misa), Chō (Senshuu), Wataru Takagi (Kamahachi),Yukari Nozawa (Masago)




‘Welcome to the Blumhouse’ 2021 Slate: Plots, Casts, and Air Dates

Welcome to the Blumhouse 2021

Amazon Prime Video’s Welcome to the Blumhouse is set to introduce four new installments this year, kicking off in early October with the double-feature Bingo Hell and Black as Night. The four new thrillers continue in the Welcome to the Blumhouse tradition of featuring emerging filmmakers and diverse casts.

The first four films in Welcome to the BlumhouseThe Lie, Black Box, Evil Eye, and Nocturne – premiered in October 2020. Bingo Hell from writer/director Gigi Saul Guerrero and Black as Night directed by Maritte Lee Go premiere on October 1, 2021. Director Ryan Zaragoza’s Madres and writer/director Axelle Carolyn’s The Manor arrive on October 8th.

Details on the First Four Films, Courtesy of Amazon Prime Video:

  • BINGO HELL – When a sinister figure threatens the residents of a low-income community, a feisty senior citizen tries to stop him in Bingo Hell, a wickedly original horror movie with a fiendishly funny twist. After 60-something neighborhood activist Lupita (Adriana Barraza) discovers that her beloved local bingo hall has been taken over by a mysterious businessman named Mr. Big (Richard Brake), she rallies her elderly friends to fight back against the enigmatic entrepreneur. But when her longtime neighbors begin turning up dead under grisly circumstances, Lupita suddenly discovers that gentrification is the least of her problems. Something terrifying has made itself at home in the quiet barrio of Oak Springs, and with each new cry of “Bingo!” another victim falls prey to its diabolical presence. As the cash prizes increase and the body count steadily rises, Lupita must face the frightening realization that this game is truly winner-takes-all.
  • BLACK AS NIGHT – A resourceful teenage girl leaves childhood behind when she battles a group of deadly vampires in Black as Night, an action-horror hybrid with a strong social conscience and a biting sense of humor. Fifteen years after Hurricane Katrina ravaged New Orleans, a new threat leaves its mark on the Big Easy in the form of puncture wounds on the throats of the city’s vulnerable displaced population. When her drug-addicted mom becomes the latest victim of the undead, 15-year old Shawna (Asjha Cooper) vows to even the score. Along with three trusted friends, Shawna hatches a bold plan to infiltrate the vampire’s mansion in the historic French Quarter, destroy their leader, and turn his fanged disciples back to their human form. But killing monsters is no easy task, and soon Shawna and her crew find themselves caught in a centuries-old conflict between warring vampire factions, each fighting to claim New Orleans as their permanent home.
  • MADRES – Beto (Tenoch Huerta) and Diana (Ariana Guerra), a young Mexican-American couple expecting their first child, move to a small town in 1970’s California where Beto has been offered a job managing a farm. Isolated from the community and plagued by confusing nightmares, Diana explores the rundown company ranch where they reside, finding a grisly talisman and a box containing the belongings of the previous residents. Her discoveries will lead her to a truth much stranger and more terrifying than she could have possibly imagined.
  • THE MANOR – A malevolent force preys upon the residents of a sleepy nursing home in The Manor, a gothic tale of terror with a modern twist. When a mild stroke diminishes her ability to care for herself, Judith Albright (Barbara Hershey) moves to Golden Sun Manor, an assisted living facility with a sterling reputation. But despite the best efforts of the staff, and a budding friendship with fellow senior Roland (Bruce Davidson), strange occurrences and nightmarish visions convince Judith that a sinister presence is haunting the massive estate. As residents begin to die mysteriously, Judith’s frantic warnings are dismissed as fantasy. Even her devoted grandson Josh (Nicholas Alexander) thinks her fears are the result of dementia, not demons. With no one willing to believe her, Judith must either escape the confines of the manor, or fall victim to the evil that dwells within it.




‘The Late Late Show’ Welcomes Lorde for a Week-Long Residency

Lorde
‘The Late Show with Stephen Colbert’ and musical guest Lorde during Thursday’s July 15, 2021 show. (Photo: Scott Kowalchyk © 2021 CBS Broadcasting Inc)

Lorde has signed up for a week-long residency on CBS’s The Late Late Show with James Corden in support of her new album, Solar Power. Lorde’s third album will drop on August 20, 2021, followed by her The Late Late Show residency from August 23rd through August 26th.

Lorde‘s expected to perform songs off her new album, including the title track and first single, “Solar Power.” The Grammy Award winner is also going to participate in sit-down chats as well as comedy segments over the course of the one-week residency.

The August 23rd episode marks the late-night series’ return after its summer hiatus. The Late Late Show with James Corden airs weeknights at 12:37am ET/PT on CBS and is also accessible via the CBS app and Paramount+.

CBS’s announcement included a brief bio of the singer whose career launched with “Royals,” the Diamond-certified single off of Pure Heroine:

“In 2013, a 16-year-old Lorde quietly, yet confidently, asserted herself as the voice of a generation with her full-length debut, Pure Heroine. The album would go triple-platinum, win two GRAMMY® Awards, and spawn the certified Diamond, record-breaking, international juggernaut single, “Royals,” and quadruple-platinum follow up “Team.” The former cemented Lorde as “the youngest solo artist and the only New Zealander to achieve #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 since 1987.”

Time exalted her amongst the “Most Influential Teenagers in the World,” she landed on Forbes’s “30 Under 30” List, graced the cover of Rolling Stone and performed alongside Nirvana during the 2014 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony. She also curated the official soundtrack for The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1 and recorded “Yellow Flicker Beat” as the lead single.

In 2017 Lorde released her second full-length studio album, Melodrama which debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200 Chart, making her the first ever NZ artist to land a #1 debut album in the United States. The album reached #1 in over 45 countries and earned Lorde a nomination for Album of the Year at the 2018 GRAMMY® Awards.

Lorde makes her highly anticipated return with the critically acclaimed new single, “Solar Power,” from her third full-length studio album, Solar Power, due out August 20th. Lorde currently has over 12 million albums sold worldwide and over 10 billion streams worldwide.”

Review: ‘The Night House’ Starring Rebecca Hall

The Night House Rebecca Hall
Rebecca Hall in ‘The Night House’ (Photo Courtesy of Searchlight Pictures. © 2020 Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation)

The sum of The Night House’s parts don’t quite add up to a satisfying conclusion, yet the journey to reach the disappointing finale is worth the investment if only for the stunning performance by Rebecca Hall. Directed by David Bruckner (The Ritual, V/H/S’s best segment, “Amateur Night”), The Night House delivers a sprinkling of well-choreographed jump scares and thrills but the script by Ben Collins and Luke Piotrowski contains a series of complicated twists that ultimately don’t pay off.

Hall stars as Beth, a schoolteacher dealing with the sudden death of her husband, Owen (Evan Jonigkeit). Owen’s suicide was unexpected and Beth’s still reeling from the loss of her lover as The Night House opens.

Owen designed and built the gorgeous, sprawling lake house that Beth now occupies alone. She watches their wedding video and gently caresses the empty space on the bed as she works her way through the grieving process.

Any peace Beth hoped to obtain in this lonely home is shattered after a series of supernatural events. There’s an unexplained pounding at her door when no one is there. Wet footprints begin by the lake and make their way past the boat where Owen took his life and up the wooden dock. Music turns itself on in the wee hours of the morning, and at one point Beth believes she’s messaging with her deceased husband.

But is this all a dream or is there a ghostly presence desperately trying to make itself known? Is Beth actually wandering her home at night in hopes of confirming she’s not actually alone? As The Night House unfolds, Beth’s grip on reality becomes increasingly tenuous. Lines blur and the terror level rises as Beth edges ever so slowly closer to discovering the truth.

The R-rated thriller is basically a one-hander with sporadic appearances by Sarah Goldberg (Barry) as Beth’s closest friend, Claire, and Vondie Curtis-Hall (For the People) as a nearby neighbor named Mel who also recently suffered the loss of a spouse. Claire and Mel serve as sounding boards and key voices of reason as Beth spirals downward during her relentless quest to learn if the Owen she loved existed or if that version was simply a layer of camouflage disguising a more feral reality.

Rebecca Hall’s Beth appears to be solidly in the anger stage of grief for much of the film. When Beth discovers secret journals hidden from her during Owen’s life that contain bizarre and frightening references to the supernatural and the occult, Rebecca Hall’s imbues those scenes with a healthy dose of skepticism, frustration, and a deep, sustained sadness. The deeper down the rabbit hole Beth descends, the more layers Hall creates for the character. It’s a fascinating, gripping performance that solidifies Hall as one of the finest – and most underrated – actors of her generation.

Searchlight’s The Night House tosses in awkward and unnecessary twists, and even with a swift nearly two-hour running time there are scenes that play out too slowly. Hall’s terrific performance elevates this thriller. It’s unfortunate the final act lets her down.

GRADE: C+

MPAA Rating: R for some violence, disturbing images, some sexual references, and language

Running Time: 1 hour 50 minutes

Release Date: August 20, 2021




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