Dan Stevens as “Charlie,” Sheila Vand as “Mina,” and Jeremy Allen White as “Josh” in Dave Franco’s ‘The Rental’ (Courtesy of IFC Films. An IFC Films Release)
Dave Franco makes his feature film directorial debut with The Rental, an intense thriller about the downside of renting a private home for a vacation. Franco said the inspiration for The Rental came from his personal paranoia about home-sharing, and the initial threat that leads to the downfall of the unfortunate couples at the heart of the story is legitimately scary because it could happen to any of us.
The Rental begins with business partners Mina (Sheila Vand) and Charlie (Dan Stevens), who put off more than a friendship vibe when we first meet them, checking online as they plan a relaxing getaway weekend. They find the perfect rental property and Mina’s boyfriend, Josh (Jeremy Allen White) – who happens to be Charlie’s brother – is all in on the idea of a weekend away as is Michelle (Alison Brie), Charlie’s wife.
There’s a weird undertone to the trip as the couples hit the road together. There’s something unsaid yet nibbling on the edges of the conversation on the drive. Add in the fact Josh has adamantly insisted his adorable dog join them, even though pets are strictly forbidden at the rental house, and the tension is palpable.
When the couples arrive at that the gorgeous coastal property, Taylor (Toby Huss) is there to check them in and show them around. He explains it’s his brother’s place, but he lives nearby and handles all the rentals. He makes it clear he can swing by at any time, something that doesn’t sit well with Mina.
It turns out Mina tried to book the rental herself but was turned down. Is it because of her nationality? She immediately leaps to that conclusion as the rental company approved white guy Charlie’s application right away. Mina doesn’t mince words and calls Taylor out as a racist after making him confirm he’s the one who handles bookings. It’s not the best way to kick off what’s supposed to be a relaxing weekend, but Mina doesn’t care. She’s not about to be the target of someone’s prejudiced views without speaking up and confronting blatant racism.
Once Taylor leaves the foursome, the tension somewhat eases as the friends claim their spots and prepare for a weekend free of work and worries. Michelle’s set on going for a hike the following day and bows out of the evening’s partying, opting to hit the sack instead of drinking herself into oblivion.
Unfortunately, that one decision sets up an escalating series of events that finds the couples’ relationships ripped apart at the seams. It also sets the stage for a horrifying discovery that’s every Airbnb or HomeToGo client’s worst nightmare.
If you’re a dog person, you might spend a significant portion of The Rental worrying about the canine stowaway. Is anyone watching the furry kid? Why is the cute little French bulldog allowed to roam around unfamiliar territory?
Pondering the fate of the dog becomes more fulfilling than worrying about the outcome destined for three of the four human characters as The Rental enters its final act. The dog’s obviously an innocent bystander while all but one of the people at the center of the film make increasingly despicable decisions that seal their fate.
Franco did a terrific job of casting his first feature, corralling Dan Stevens (Legion, Downton Abbey), Sheila Vand (Snowpiercer, Undone), Jeremy Allen White (Shameless) and his extremely talented wife, SAG Award winner Alison Brie (Mad Men, GLOW), for the horror/thriller that relies on the characters’ declining hold on reality and their increasing fragile minds more than it does jump scares.
Shot in the Pacific Northwest, cinematographer (Christian Sprenger) does an excellent job of capturing the isolation the couples feel as they become aware they’re targets of a mad man.
Dave Franco’s rookie effort isn’t without a few bumps in the road. However, if you’re not screaming at the characters on screen to stop making ridiculous mistakes, then you’re not fully invested in a horror film anyway, are you? Potential victims who make wise choices are rarely seen and outside the norm. If everyone acted logically, the horror genre would lose all its thrills and adrenaline-pumping chase scenes/kills. Where’s the fun in that?
GRADE: B
MPAA Rating: R for violence, language throughout, drug use and some sexuality
Running Time: 89 minutes
Release Date: In select drive-ins, theaters and On Demand July 24, 2020
Cole Hauser and Kelly Reilly in ‘Yellowstone’ season 3 episode 5 (Photo Credit: Paramount Network)
Season three episode five of Paramount Network’s Yellowstone begins with a flashback. A teenage Beth turns to her brother Jamie for help after discovering she’s pregnant. As they drive to the reservation, Beth refuses to tell Jamie the name of the father. They arrive at Indian Health Services and Beth reaches out to take hold of Jamie’s hand. He volunteers to go inside and find out what to do next.
Jamie called in before showing up, but the woman manning the desk is shocked to see he’s white. Jamie and Beth deliberately chose the Indian Health Services knowing that if they went to Planned Parenthood in town, someone might see them and the word would get out. She explains they require anyone having an abortion at the Indian clinic to also undergo sterilization.
After two and a half seasons, the explanation for Beth’s hatred of her brother is revealed. Jamie returns to the truck to fetch Beth but doesn’t immediately tell her about the sterilization requirement! Does he tell her after they enter the clinic? That’s not shown. If not, how does he live with himself after making that decision for his younger sister?
Later, Beth meets up with the boy who got her pregnant who, it turns out, is Rip. She lies and says the test was negative, and then breaks things off with him.
Back to current events and Beth (Kelly Reilly) rises from Rip’s bed in the middle of the night. Rip (Cole Hauser) also gets up and joins her on the front porch. She confesses she had a bad dream/bad memory but doesn’t want to explain what it was about when he asks. He suggests she tell him anyway and she says, “I’ve made two decisions in my life based on fear…and they cost me everything.”
Beth leans into Rip and he kisses her on the head. As she quietly cries, Rip replies, “Not everything.” (When Yellowstone comes to an end, I want a Rip and Beth spinoff.)
Jamie (Wes Bentley) takes the oath of Attorney General as John looks on, uninvolved and unimpressed. As Jamie finishes reciting the oath, John commands his son to repeat the final line of the oath: “I will discharge the duties of my office with fidelity, so help me God.”
Jamie does, but leaves off “So help me God” and John makes him add that again. Brief ceremony complete, John leaves but not before reminding Governor Perry (Wendy Moniz-Grillo) Jamie’s all hers now. The retiring AG promises to help with the transition before hitting the golf course.
Jamie acknowledges he realizes he’s the AG now not at his father’s urging but because Governor Perry needed him for a specific task.
Rancher Boyd Nelson drives out to the field where a herd of horses are grazing. He withdraws a paper from his pocket and glances at it before putting a gun to his temple and pulling the trigger.
Kayce (Luke Grimes) is in the office as the new Livestock Commissioner when he receives a call from Sheriff Haskell (Hugh Dillon) informing him of Boyd’s death. Haskell won’t explain why it’s a matter for the Livestock Commissioner but instead just asks Kayce to head out to Boyd’s ranch.
Once there, Haskell hands Kayce the blood-stained paper Boyd was holding onto when he committed suicide. The paper is a formal Notice of Intent to Foreclose document. Kayce feels horrible, knowing Boyd has kids he left behind. Kayce and Haskell realize the bank will take the horses as part of the foreclosure, and Kayce suggests they round them up and take them to Billings for sale. If the horses aren’t on the property, the bank can’t get them.
Kayce wants to sell the horses to get money for Boyd’s kids, but he’s not sure taking them is legal. Haskell assures him it’s not. Still, Kayce’s leaning toward doing it anyway. He asks what Haskell would think if he did, and Haskell reveals Boyd was his cousin.
“If you want to do it, I’ll look away,” says Haskell. “But if the bank finds out, you are up to your neck in trouble.”
Kayce decides the best option is to talk to his dad before doing anything.
Meanwhile, Monica (Kelsey Asbille) and Tate (Brecken Merrill) help the wranglers pack up their stuff. They have to move back to the house now that Kayce’s got a job to do in town, and Tate’s not in the least bit happy about that. He cusses and Monica wonders where he picked that up. The answer comes quickly as the nearby wranglers drop plenty of colorful words.
Monica asks Rip to have the guys leave their tent up, hoping to get Tate up there during the summer. Rip assures her he’ll have them keep it up.
Rip takes off with Ryan (Ian Bohen) and Colby (Denim Richards) to check on the fence line as the rest of the wranglers bring the horses back to the main part of the ranch.
Gil Birmingham, Mo Brings Plenty, and Kevin Costner in ‘Yellowstone’ season 3 episode 5 (Photo Credit: Paramount Network)
John’s back at the ranch when Thomas Rainwater (Gil Birmingham) and Mo (Mo Brings Plenty) arrive. Thomas jokes about how hard it’s been to reach John, and John assures him he’s been neglecting his phone on purpose. Lighter moments aside, Thomas wants to discuss their mutual problem.
Thomas knows John’s aware Ellis’ people want to use part of the Dutton Ranch for their airport. John reveals the A.G. would be the one who determines eminent domain and he’s not worried about the A.G. going against him now. He’s also not worried about the possibility Governor Perry will side with the developers.
Thomas believes if Governor Perry doesn’t help Ellis, she’ll lose the next election. John wonders why Thomas isn’t supporting an airport on the Yellowstone Ranch given its proximity to his planned second casino. Thomas sets John straight, acknowledging he doesn’t want a second casino and revealing he believes it’s an insulting revenue stream for an Indian Nation.
Thomas wants the valley to look like it did before white men arrived. He explains he and John want the same thing – they just have different reasons for wanting Ellis not to succeed. Thomas thinks he and John should postpone their fight and tackle this mutual enemy together. He suggests they pool their resources and make it so the corporation will eventually choose another place to build rather than be tied up in court for years. Corporations have money and manpower but don’t have time.
Thomas explains he’s got someone who can find items to help tie up the corporation in court. John says he has one of those people, too. Thomas was aware of that and thinks these two should meet. “Who knows what mischief they’ll come up with together,” says Thomas. John agrees.
Meanwhile, Roarke (Josh Holloway) is studying the market on his laptops and orders his person to snap up 300,000 at $1.35. “Short our f**king stock,” he snarls. “Take that you little red-headed sh*t.”
Trade done, he heads off to fish. Unfortunately, he’s barely out the front door with rod in hand when he gets a call telling him Market Equities has lost another point. He slams the fishing pole to the ground in anger and frustration. He storms back into the house, fishing no longer an option at this particular moment.
Rip, Colby, and Ryan discover buffalo in a field adjacent to theirs. They also spot two men on horses nearby. Rip beckons them to come to the fence and they meander over. Rip’s concerned the buffalo are going to spook the Dutton Ranch’s cattle, and one of the men suggests Rip just worry about keeping his cows on his side of the fence. Basically, he’s telling Rip to mind his own business.
It’s never wise to snap at Rip, and Rip challenges the man who was rude. The man hops the fence to confront Rip, and Rip punches him in the face before tossing him back over the fence. The other man takes that opportunity to pull a gun on Rip. He threatens to blow his face off and Rip tells him to just do it. (That seems to be Rip’s standard reply when facing a loaded gun.) The man doesn’t back down and Ryan jumps into the fray, displaying his Livestock Association badge and warning the man he’ll shoot him where he stands. Ryan tells him to put his gun down and the man suggests they tell John Dutton hi for him, revealing his name is Wade Morrow. He also warns they’ll see each other again.
After the men leave, Colby says he thinks the buffalo will tear the fence to pieces.
Roarke meets up with Beth at a bar. She wonders why he’s not in a river fishing and he explains he’s there to determine why she’s “poking a grizzly.” He compares Schwartz & Meyer shorting Market Equities stock to a terrorist attack. It won’t stop anything and only serves to hurt some people while others will be prompted to hurt them back. Beth tells Roarke to bring it on; she’s a veteran in this battle over her family’s ranch and no one has gotten the best of her yet.
He suggests eventually the Duttons will lose the land. It’s better to not fight and become extremely wealthy now, rather than let the land eventually slip away. He believes Beth should act like the smart businesswoman she is and strike a deal.
Beth admits she agrees with his reasoning, but her dad would never agree so they have to fight.
She does, however, agree to his request to only short his stock in after-hours trading from now on so that he can spend his days torturing trout. (He’s a catch-and-release kind of guy.)
Before he leaves, Roarke warns Beth she’s wrong if she thinks she’s up to this fight. Beth replies, “Right back atcha. You are the trailer park; I am the tornado.”
Later, Kayce meets with his dad to discuss Boyd. John describes Boyd as a dreamer who became an angry man. Kayce explains what he wants to do and John agrees, saying Boyd’s wife is a good person who Boyd didn’t deserve. When Kayce points out the risk if the bank finds out, John has the perfect reply.
“The bank’s not your problem. Your problem’s the people. Do what’s best for them – that’s the job,” suggests John.
John says once Kayce makes the decision, he’ll help him however he needs.
Kayce decides to help the family and John gathers wranglers from his ranch and another nearby to round up the horses. There’s so many of them all they can really hope is to drive them down the mountain as fast as possible. Rip labels their approach the “F**K It” plan.
The wranglers all head out and pretty quickly the horses stream down the mountain with the men hot on their heels. They’re a thing of beauty to behold as they cross fields with the wranglers close behind.
The horses are led into the corrals with minimal trouble. Apparently, the “F**k It” plan worked perfectly. Kayce, Rip, and John laugh about what they just did, and John had such an exhilarating time he wants to do it all over again.
Jamie rings up Randy Harper (K.C. Clyde) to let him know he’s the new A.G. and ask if he has any unresolved issues he’d like to discuss. Randy’s shocked and says he can’t think of any, now aware they have nothing to worry about when it comes to the deaths of the two suspects while in custody. (And the subsequent lies they told to bury the truth.)
The horses are delivered to the auction house without incident. Kayce wants to sell them as a pack and the man in charge confirms he can easily do just that.
Kayce returns to the Nelson ranch to speak with Boyd’s wife. There’s a large gathering of people there to mourn Boyd and support the family. Kayce’s ushered through the house and into the kitchen where Sheriff Haskell introduces him to Carolyn Nelson. She gives Kayce a huge hug and then asks what he got for the horses. Kayce reveals he hoped to get more but was able to sell them for $16,000. He hopes that helps with the funeral, and Carolyn confesses she’s not having a funeral for her dead husband. She thinks he took the coward’s way out.
Jimmy (Jefferson White) is released from the hospital and arrives back at the bunkhouse accompanied by his girlfriend, Mia (Eden Brolin), and her friend, Laramie (Hassie Harrison). They grab beers from the fridge, and Jimmy warns them the wranglers won’t like that. They don’t care.
They’re playing music and dancing as the wranglers arrive, and Jimmy tries to tell the guys it’s not his fault. Fortunately, they’re all in good spirits and ready to party themselves, given that it’s Friday night.
Ryan gives Colby a hard time about Teeter who continues to tease Colby about the fact they’ve had sex. Colby, reluctantly, admits she’s sort of growing on him.
Rip’s in a rotten mood and hearing the music from the bunkhouse isn’t improving it any. He’s pissed it’s not even sunset and they’re already drinking. Rip heads over to the bunkhouse where everyone’s having a fun time and as he enters he growls, “What the f**k are you dipshits doing?!”
Only then does he realize one of the dipshits is Beth. She’s dancing, drinking, and having a good time. He joins her, a smile finally coming to his face as they kiss.
John chuckles, sitting outside the house as he listens to the music. Kayce joins him and John’s happy the wranglers are cutting loose after the day they had. He compliments Kayce on breaking a rule that shouldn’t have existed, acknowledging he did it for the right reasons.
Kayce wonders if they should head over and join the fun, and John admits he can’t. “I never had much luck leading men and being their friend,” he says. He hopes it can be different for Kayce.
John heads into bed and Kayce takes his place in the chair on the porch.
Multi-Grammy Award winning The Chicks just released their fifth studio album, Gaslighter, and dropped the music video for their new single, “Sleep at Night.” Gaslighter is the group’s first new album in almost 14 years and the first to be released since they dropped “Dixie” from their name.
The Chicks’ new album was produced by their friend, Grammy award-winning singer-songwriter and record producer Jack Antonoff. Natalie Maines, Emily Strayer, and Martie Maguire collaborated with singer-songwriters Sarah Aarons, Ben Abraham, Annie Clark, Teddy Geiger, Ross Golan, Ian Kirkpatrick, Charlotte Lawrence, Julia Michaels, H.G. Penne, Ariel Rechtshaid, Joe Spargur, Justin Tranter, and Dan Wilson on the much-anticipated album.
THE CHICKS GASLIGHTER TRACK LIST:
Gaslighter
Sleep At Night
Texas Man
Everybody Loves You
For Her
March March
My Best Friend’s Weddings
Tights On My Boat
Julianna Calm Down
Young Man
Hope It’s Something Good
Set Me Free
The Chicks have sold more than 30 million albums and rank as the biggest-selling U.S. female band in history. They’ve earned 13 Grammy Awards, six Billboard Music Awards, and four American Music Awards over the course of their lengthy career. Recently, they teamed up with Taylor Swift for “Soon You’ll Get Better.” That song made it to the Billboard Hot 100 Chart and gave The Chicks their first song on that chart in 12 years.
In support of their fifth album, the award-winning group announced a new alliance with female visual artists. Per the official announcement:
“The Chicks are proud to announce the ‘For Her Alliance,’ a collection of female visual artists who collaborated with the band to create visualizers for select tracks off the album. The talented artists whose work is represented in these videos include Miranda Burke on ‘Tights On My Boat,’ Lucy Dyson on ‘Texas Man,’ Cosima Elwes on ‘Everybody Loves You,’ ‘For Her,’ ‘Set Me Free,’ ‘Hope It’s Something Good,’ ‘Julianna Calm Down,’ and Paloma Grim, Sam Cutbush and Milly Constanti on ‘For Her.’
The Chicks collaborated on the visualizers for ‘My Best Friend’s Weddings’ and ‘Young Man.’ The ‘For Her Alliance’ Creative Director is Seanne Farmer, Executive Produced by Natalie Maines, Emily Strayer and Martie Maguire and Produced by Mindi Pelletier.
ABC’s Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. season seven episode nine marks the directorial debut of series regular Elizabeth Henstridge. Episode nine, written by Drew Z. Greenberg, is set to air on Wednesday, July 22, 2020 at 10pm ET/PT.
The season seven cast includes Clark Gregg as Agent Phil Coulson, Ming-Na Wen as Agent Melinda May, Chloe Bennet as Daisy Johnson, and Elizabeth Henstridge as Agent Jemma Simmons. Iain De Caestecker plays Agent Leopold Fitz, Henry Simmons is Director Alphonso “Mack” MacKenzie, Natalia Cordova-Buckley is Elena “Yo-Yo” Rodriguez, and Jeff Ward plays Deke Shaw.
Joel Stoffer and Enver Gjokaj guest star in episode nine.
“As I Have Always Been” Plot: A time storm ravages the Zephyr, propelling it toward destruction while simultaneously forcing Daisy and Coulson to relive their failed attempts to save the team over and over, until they find a solution or are swallowed by the storm. Making it to their next destination will take trust, courage and sacrifice from everyone on board, but it will all come down to having enough time.
Coulson and the Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. are thrust backward in time and stranded in 1931 New York City. With the all-new Zephyr set to time-jump at any moment, the team must hurry to find out exactly what happened. If they fail, it would mean disaster for the past, present and future of the world.
Elizabeth Henstridge and Joel Stoffer in ‘Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.’ season 7 episode 9 (ABC/Mitch Haaseth)Joel Stoffer in season 7 episode 9 (ABC/Mitch Haaseth)Elizabeth Henstridge behind the scenes directing episode 9 (ABC/Mitch Haaseth)Elizabeth Henstridge in season 7 episode 9 (ABC/Mitch Haaseth)
NBC has ordered 10 episodes of Oscar nominee Ava DuVernay’s unscripted series, Home Sweet Home. The network describes Emmy Award winner DuVernay’s Home Sweet Home as an unscripted family social experiment.
The new series will be produced by Warner Horizon Unscripted Television and DuVernay’s ARRAY Filmworks. DuVernay executive produces along with Sarah Bremner and Paul Garnes.
“The idea for Home Sweet Home came to me during the strange and important times we’re all experiencing. The premise is that we are farther apart than ever, yet bound by what we have in common – concerns with health, safety, justice and community. These notions manifest in each of us in different ways, but nowhere more striking than in the privacy of our own homes. I’m thrilled that NBC and Warner Horizon embraced the challenge of this moment to celebrate the specificity of our differences as we discover the many beautiful things that we have in common,” said DuVernay.
“We are honored to partner with Ava for the first time to bring Home Sweet Home to life at NBC,” stated Meredith Ahr, President, Alternative and Reality Group, NBC Entertainment. “Led by Ava’s powerful and hopeful creative vision, these stories will reveal genuine moments of change that we hope will spark thought-provoking conversations and encourage compassion, empathy, and understanding.”
“Ava is an extraordinarily gifted and thoughtful storyteller,” said Mike Darnell, President, Warner Bros. Unscripted & Alternative Television. “This life-changing journey promises to be a rich experience affording families an opportunity to see life through a new lens.”
Home Sweet Home Description, Courtesy of NBC:
Each episode of Home Sweet Home taps two families who lead very different lives for a life-changing experience through this full-immersion cultural experiment. The show chronicles the fierce curiosity and sense of adventure it takes to walk a mile in another person’s shoes by challenging racial, religious, economic, geographic, gender and identity assumptions as participants exchange homes for a week and experience the life of someone unlike them in intimate and dynamic ways.
Netflix is offering up 1,000 free months of the streaming service to whoever lands the highest score in The Old Guard videogame (www.oldguardgame.com). The “Immortal Netflix Account” competition awards one lucky player 83 years-worth of the streaming service for free because, as Netflix points out, they can’t actually promise an eternal subscription.
1,000 months isn’t eternal, but it’s definitely worth trying to snag the highest score in The Old Guard-inspired game.
Netflix describes the game as “browser-based, top-down, beat ’em up videogame where you play as the lead character of the film, and fight off hordes of enemies using only the film’s iconic one-handed Labrys (aka a giant, double-bladed axe). But just like in the movie, dying is not the end. Getting killed only slows you down, so to get the highest score, you have to defeat enemies without getting hit, and as quickly as possible.”
The competition takes place July 17, July 18, and July 19th. Whoever’s at the top of the list at the end of the competition wins the Immortal Netflix Account.
Oscar winner Charlize Theron leads a cast that includes Kiki Layne, Marwan Kenzari, Luca Marinelli, Harry Melling, Van Veronica Ngo, Matthias Schoenaerts, and Chiwetel Ejiofor.
The action thriller’s based on the graphic novel by Greg Rucka and directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood, with Rucka adapting his game for the film. Charlize Theron served as a producer along with David Ellison, Dana Goldberg, Don Granger, AJ Dix, Beth Kono, and Marc Evans.
The Plot:
Led by a warrior named Andy (Theron), a covert group of tight-knit mercenaries with a mysterious inability to die have fought to protect the mortal world for centuries. But when the team is recruited to take on an emergency mission and their extraordinary abilities are suddenly exposed, it’s up to Andy and Nile (Layne), the newest soldier to join their ranks, to help the group eliminate the threat of those who seek to replicate and monetize their power by any means necessary.
The Old Guard is a gritty, grounded, action-packed story that shows living forever is harder than it looks.
The CW’s action drama Bulletproof continues season two with episode seven airing on July 22, 2020 at 9pm ET/PT. Episode seven was directed by Sarmad Masud from a script by Nick Love and Ashley Walters.
The season two cast is led by Noel Clarke as Bishop and Ashley Walters as Pike. The cast also includes Lee Ross as Richard Cockridge, Jason Maza as Officer Chris Munroe, Lindsey Coulson as Sarah Tanner, David Elliot as Tim’ Jonsey’ Jones, Olivia Chenery as Scarlett ‘Scooch’ Hailton, and Luci Shorthouse as Paige Pennington.
“Episode 7” Plot: NO RELIEF IN SIGHT- With the Unit at their lowest, the Markides underground and Bishop (Clarke) gunning for revenge, all seems lost. Meanwhile, Pike’s (Walters) focus turns to family when his daughter Ali (guest star Jodie Campbell) gets caught up in a gang war on the streets.
Series Description, Courtesy of The CW:
Bulletproof is an action-packed, cop drama that unites big, emotional stories with blood-pumping stunt sequences, as it follows two undercover cops who are best friends and bonded by the same moral code, despite their very different backgrounds.
Adrenalin-fueled and packed with compelling characters, Bulletproof follows partners Bishop (Clarke) and Pike (Walters) as they chase down hardened criminals in London’s East End. The series is both high-octane action and thrilling cases. On the surface, Bishop and Pike have a lot in common, they are cool, smart, unapologetically street-wise and tough; they share a deep, fraternal relationship and are always there for each other. Their personal motivations and emotional lives outside the police force differ, Pike is an aspirational family man, the son of a decorated police officer, determined to follow in his father’s footsteps, but not in his shadow. Bishop on the other hand, who never knew his father, grew up in foster care and on the streets.
Full of grit and sometimes gloss, Bulletproof is stylish and funny with riveting criminal cases in each episode, which feed into a bigger, season-long mystery. At its heart though, it is a series about the meaning of family, as well as the fascinating relationship between best friends.
Richard Linklater’s Apollo 10 ½: A Space Age Adventure has splashed down at Netflix. Although Linklater’s latest film is a combination of hand-drawn animation, live-action, and CGI, it’s being referred to as an animated project.
Filming of the live-action portion wrapped up in March 2020 in Austin, Texas, pre-Covid-19 restrictions. Work on the hand-drawn and computer-animated portions is going on at Minnow Mountain in Austin and Submarine in the Netherlands.
Richard Linklater wrote and directed the sci-fi film, with Tommy Pallotta, Mike Blizzard, Femke Wolting, and Bruno Felix producing. Apollo 10 1/2 is a production of Linklater’s Detour FilmProductions and Submarine.
The cast includes Jack Black, Zachary Levi, Glen Powell, Josh Wiggins, Milo Coy, Lee Eddy, and Bill Wise. Natalie L’Amoreaux, Jessica Brynn Cohen, Sam Chipman, and Danielle Guilbot also star in Apollo 10 1/2.
“It struck me years ago that this was my film to make, from both a chronological and proximity level – I was there, going into 3rd grade. Our unique animation style allows both the conjuring of a world long gone, and the flowing, playful expression of memory and imagination. It’s been a fun, creative journey to incorporate things like 3D graphics into a live-action shoot to help bring this story to life,” said Richard Linklater.
The Plot, Courtesy of Netflix:
Apollo 10 ½: A Space Age Adventure tells the story of the first moon landing in the summer of 1969 from two interwoven perspectives. It both captures the astronaut and mission control view of the triumphant moment, and the lesser-seen bottom up perspective of what it was like from an excited kid’s perspective, living near NASA but mostly watching it on TV like hundreds of millions of others.
It’s ultimately both an exacting re-creation of this special moment in history and a kid’s fantasy about being plucked from his average life in suburbia to secretly train for a covert mission to the moon.
The long-delayed comic book-inspired The New Mutants is hosting a panel at the 2020 Comic-Con@Home. The virtual version of the San Diego Comic-Con, canceled due to the Covid-19 pandemic, runs July 23rd through July 26th. Twentieth Century Studios and Marvel Entertainment’s The New Mutants panel will debut on July 23rd at 2pm PT.
In support of the upcoming panel, Marvel’s released a new film clip along with two new photos.
Writer/director Josh Boone (The Fault in Our Stars) will be joined on the panel by The New Mutants stars Maisie Williams (Game of Thrones) Anya Taylor-Joy (Glass), Charlie Heaton (Stranger Things), Alice Braga (Predators), Blu Hunt (The Originals), and Henry Zaga (13 Reasons Why).
Simon Kinberg, Karen Rosenfelt, and Lauren Shuler Donner produced, and Stan Lee and Michele Imperato Stabile executive produced.
The X-Men film was shot back in 2017 and originally set for release in April 2018. After reshoots, the film landed on a February 2019 date but that didn’t happen (obviously) as it earned a new August 2019 date due to the purchase of Fox by Disney. It was yet again delayed and was targeting an April 2020 premiere date but then Covid-19 threw a monkey wrench in those plans. It’s currently set for an August 28, 2020 release.
The Plot:
Twentieth Century Studios in association with Marvel Entertainment presents The New Mutants, an original horror thriller set in an isolated hospital where a group of young mutants is being held for psychiatric monitoring. When strange occurrences begin to take place, both their new mutant abilities and their friendships will be tested as they battle to try and make it out alive.
Sabrina Carpenter leads the cast of Netflix’s upcoming dance comedy, Work It. A new trailer’s just arrived for the college comedy coming to Netflix on August 7, 2020.
Laura Terruso directed from a screenplay by Alison Peck. Aakomon Jones handled the choreography and Alloy Entertainment’s Leslie Morgenstein and Elysa Koplovitz Duttont produced along with Alicia Keys’ A.K. Worldwide Productions, Inc. Sabrina Carpenter and Jeremiah Samuels served as executive producers.
The Plot, Courtesy of Netflix:
When Quinn Ackerman’s (Carpenter) admission to the college of her dreams depends on her performance at a dance competition, she forms a ragtag group of dancers to take on the best squad in school…now she just needs to learn how to dance.
