Sony Pictures has unveiled the international trailer for the Tom Hanks-led “Greyhound”.
This adaptation of “Horatio Hornblower” author C. S. Forester’s WW2 naval thriller novel “The Good Shepherd” and the project is helmed by Aaron Schneider who returns a decade after his last film “Get Low”.
Hanks plays Ernest Krause, a USN commander who must protect an international convoy of 37 Allied ships from wolf packs of German U-boats as they cross the North Atlantic. At the same time Krause, commanding the titular Navy destroyer leading the fleet, battles his own self-doubts and personal demons.
Stephen Graham, Elisabeth Shue and Karl Glusman co-star in the film which Hanks himself adapted the script for and which opens June 12th.
Marvel Studios has premiered the final trailer for “Black Widow” which is primarily set in the year gap between ‘Civil War’ and ‘Infinity War’ as Scarlett Johansson’s Natasha Romanoff is on the run whilst dealing with some old business from her pre-SHIELD days she was a KGB-trained spy and assassin.
The new trailer offers some more details about the film which sees Natasha returning to her family (Florence Pugh, David Harbour, Rachel Weisz) whilst also taking on the villain Taskmaster, a helmeted figure with what looks like an adamantium shield and control of the ‘Red Room’ which has allowed them to brainwash and control some of the most lethal assassins on the planet.
Ray Winstone and O.T. Fagbenle co-star in the film with Cate Shortland helming from a script by Jac Schaeffer while Kevin Feige is producing. Disney plans to open “Black Widow” in cinemas May 1st.
Created by: Laeta Kalogridis based on ‘Altered Carbon’ by Richard K. Morgan
Featuring: Renée Elise Goldsberry, Anthony Mackie, Lela Loren, Simone Missick, Dina Shihabi and Torben Liebrecht
Takeshi Kovacs:“This is a ghost story. Told in the age of eternal life. Technology has conquered death, but with endless future comes endless past. We are trailed by specters, twisted apparitions born from our deepest pain, until sometimes we’d rather be dead ourselves.”
The nadir of cyberpunk themed films is most definitely Ridley Scotts now classic “Blade Runner”(1982), that featured a dystopian future when artificial humans wanted to break free of slavery from their human masters. That film is closely followed by “The Matrix”(1999) which not only reinvented the Sci-Fi genre but like the former film has had to endure many imitators that were inferior to the originals. Now comes the second season of the adaptation of Richard K. Morgan’s novel ‘Altered Carbon’ into a reduced eight episode Netflix television series. This is a sprawling messy adaptation that never reaches the heights of “Blade Runner” or “The Matrix”, (that might actually be asking too much) it lacks the originality of those two films but co-opts some of their visuals as well as ideas to create a tech-noir that never really lands or knows what it wants to be or where it wants to fit. The show trades on tropes from a variety of genres as you might expect, in fact after the first episodes you will have an idea of how this series will operate, with its writing, the noir aesthetic using bait and switches with plot as well as narrative through its entire run. The real question is does it work, is it satisfying and does it all make sense?
There is no doubt that parts of the show work, in particular the action which leads to violence as well as the mise-en-scène which is co-opted from any number of cyber-pink movies, but if you thought you were watching a ‘Blade Runner’ television series at points you would be forgiven – ten years ago that may have been acceptable but considering the release of “Blade Runner 2049” (2017) it seems less like homage and more like rip-off. Wisely the showrunners have employed experienced television directors to helm the dense episodes so as to be able to communicate what is actually occurring in the plot as the narrative takes place not only over a number of timelines but a huge array of characters as well as gender bending, and identity blurring technology – it is a wonder that the plot can keep up at times, much less the audience watching.
The series takes place approximately 350 years in the future, in the year 2384. In the future, people’s consciousnesses are contained in “stacks,” storage devices attached to the back of a person’s neck. Physical bodies are turned into “sleeves,” mere disposable vessels. Takeshi Kovacs (now Anthony Mackie), a violent mercenary, who woke up 250 years after his sleeve is killed, was given the choice to either spend the rest of his life in prison for his crimes, or help solve the murder of the wealthiest man in the world. Now in this second season Takeshi is back on Harlan his home working out a new mystery surrounding his past as well as the present and a myriad of political and military twists that actually make much more sense narratively than the first season.
One of the major strengths of “Altered Carbon” is not only the direction, but the action that is contained within each episode. There has obviously been a considerable amount of time and resources spent on getting the action right, as well as how that action is portrayed by not only the actors, but the CGI elements as well, which for a genre show like this is vital as these episodes have to be sold on the look and feel of the environments. It is lucky then that they have been able to get physical actors like Anthony Mackie and Will Yun Lee who in their pasts have played some very physical parts so here they excel more than anyone else in this series. They are completely believable as the same person inhabiting very different bodies, both are intimidating in different ways, Mackie is a very good actor, Lee with his stature, he also uses above average acting skills as well.
There are two other aspects of the series that are exceptional, they are linked, the first one is the look of the show as well as the settings that are by themselves exceptional, you can see that the budget of the series was well used as the physical as well as CGI environments are excellent – they do not do an old trick of reusing shots from show to show – binging was on the creators and producers minds obviously. The second aspect is the Hotel that Takeshi ends up occupying that is run by an AI, as well as that the Hotel is themed around the works of Edgar Allan Poe, it is even called ‘The Raven’ – the only staff member is the Manager, who of course is supposed to be Poe himself – he is also a bit overprotective of Takeshi which lends a bit of humor to the series, and in the final episode some real humanity.
“Altered Carbon” has a very large and varied cast which is a nice experience to have, there are many cultures represented so we are able to have a varied experience with each of the original characters that are portrayed. What the series has gotten right is the casting of genre actors all who have extensive experience with the sci-fi genre as well as action orientated roles, it is also pleasing to see the cast made up of very different ages as well which again helps to give some authenticity to the characters they all play. The chemistry that grows throughout the series seems natural as well which is no mean feat, we feel at the end of the series we are not witnessing a new world but a community that has come together as naturally as any other.
Which leads me to some of the downsides to the series as a whole, the first is that the plot is pretty standard nourish fair where there are unreliable narrators, femme fatales, betrayals and moving allegiances, the good guys are the bad guys and vice versa. The series is so nourish it even rips its episode titles from classic noir movies, which seems like a real afterthought. I can see the appeal of watching this series, particularly if you don’t have the knowledge or language to see the routine story as well as the plot devices that are used to push the story along – if however you have a working knowledge of noir as well as cyber stories you will recognize many of the elements that occur from episode to episode.
For a series that is about personality, souls and what it means to be able to survive beyond a kind of death the series spends very little time actually analyzing what this might mean to an individual, or a society at large. There are some allusions to social justice, social welfare as well as the poor and the rich, what that means to a society when money and status still exists. However, that is framed by what the rich can still do to the poor as well as what they can get away with. Of course what this means is the show has an excuse to show men being violent towards women, which has to be the laziest trope in the entire series. It gives the show runners an excuse to have sex scenes, naked women and the aforementioned violence to them dressed up in some kind of girl power metaphor. In fact the skin technology that is used means there is just more of an excuse to treat women as just that, skins, for men to do with what they want, something the main character is in fact guilty of with regards to his sister.
On the surface this is a show that is worth watching in fact if you have not seen anything like it before you will probably really enjoy it – but if you have seen other stories like this then it will not be anything new which is a shame because the main technology that exists really begs to be exploited in more og a philosophical way. I did find myself wishing the Wachowskis had have been behind it because the creator of the series, Laeta Kalogridis, does not seem to have the experience or skill to bring a decent adaptation out of the source material.
Episode Guide:
Phantom Lady: Thirty years after the Bancroft case, a Meth tracks down Kovacs to offer him a job, a high-tech sleeve and a chance to see Quellcrist Falconer again.
Payment Deferred: As Col. Carrera takes charge of the murder investigation, Kovacs sets out to find Axley’s bounty hunter, and Poe’s memory glitches worsen.
Nightmare Alley: Kovacs contends with ghosts from his past as he’s tortured by Carrera. Poe seeks help from a fellow AI. Trepp gets a lead on the man she’s after.
Shadow of a Doubt: While the planet celebrates Harlan’s Day, Kovacs hatches an escape plan, Quell pieces together fragments of her life, and Poe faces a reckoning.
I wake up screaming: Carrera sends his secret weapon on a deadly mission. Kovacs and Trepp smuggle Quell out of the city. Poe takes a risky trip into virtual reality.
Bury me Dead: As Quell reconnects to her past at Stronghold, she leads the clone into an underground chamber teeming with secrets. Gov. Harlan shows her true colors.
Experiment Perilous: When Quell’s sleeve begins to shut down, Poe and Ms. Dig send her into VR, where Kovacs finally learns the truth about her deadly rampages.
Broken Angels: With the fate of the whole planet on the line, Kovacs, Quell and team race to find Konrad Harlan and stop a catastrophic blast of Angelfire.
Featuring: Kumail Nanjiani, Dave Bautista, Iko Uwais, Natalie Morales, Betty Gilpin, Jimmy Tatro, Mira Sorvino and Karen Gillan
Stu: [jokingly] “Hey, lemme guess, you want me to drive you to all the Sarah Connors in the city?”
Released recently on Blu-ray/DVD is a comedy (of sorts) featuring rising star Kumail Nanjiani and Dave Bautista in the trying to be relevenant “Stuber” (2019) that has nothing going for it at all, to call it a comedy would be over reaching. Really the only element it has going for it is the cast but not even they can elevate this ordinary material.
The story is based around Stu Prasad, a meager Uber driver obsessed with getting his first five-star review in the app, is forced by an aggressive Los Angeles Police Department detective Vic Manning to drive him around town to catch notorious drug lord Oka Tedjo. That is the basis of this story and really it is as simple as that, there are really no flourishes, in fact I can imagine the writer coming up with he Uber idea and thinking that was the hard work done, my friend I can assure you it wasn’t. All I can think is that the cast was offered too much money as this movie was never really going anywhere, which is odd considering it is a about an Uber driver.
While there have been an abundance of ex-wrestlers who have turned in comedy performance in movies, they have been successful in small scene stealing parts, think John Cena in “Trainwreck” (2015), however at this time Bautista can’t carry a movie, especially a comedy. With the script being this bad both leads just seem happy yelling at each other for the entire movie which might be considered funny in the short term, it becomes tiresome and annoying when it is deployed for laughs.
Written by Tripper Clancy and directed by Michael Dowse, “Stuber” may have been created with the idea of some kind of originality but the director who did have some success with ice hockey comedy “Goon” (2011) which like this squeaked by with its cast, misses here with its complete unoriginally and derivativeness. To be fair it seems that Clancy does not have a writing career in his future with this as proof as well the other movies he has written. It seems like he lucked into some happenstance where he wrote a screenplay and two of the hottest up and comers agreed to do it, he won the lottery there.
There are some nice moments from the supporting cast, I was looking forward to seeing the always great Karen Gillan but in what is typically a device to push the narrative along she is killed and becomes the reason for the movie to exist in the first place. This is exactly what this movie is, taking an actress who could headline her own movie and fridging her so that the men have something to do, it is cheap and trope laden.
Look, I wouldn’t bother with this movie at all, it is cheap and not funny, it never aims for anything so can’t be accused of not hitting the mark. Both Bautista and Nanjiani have stolen movies from their costars in other movies but there they are miscast, unable to save their own movie, definitely not five stars, try again guys.
The first trailer for the Nia DaCosta-directed and Jordan Peele-produced “Candyman” has arrived.
The newest entry in the horror franchise is dubbed a ‘spiritual sequel’ to the original rather than a reboot and returns to Cabrini Green – the now-gentrified Chicago neighborhood where the legend began.
Teyonah Parris, Nathan Stewart-Jarrett, Colman Domingo and Tony Todd co-star in the film which opens June 12th.
Universal Pictures has premiered an international trailer for their controversial action-thriller “The Hunt,” one with a bunch of new footage and a tonal change that downplays the dark comedy aspect.
In the film, twelve strangers wake up in a clearing. They don’t know where they are, or how they got there. They don’t know they’ve been chosen to be hunted for sport by a group of globalist elites.
Betty Gilpin, Hilary Swank, Ike Barinholtz, Emma Roberts, Justin Hartley, Amy Madigan and Glenn Howerton co-star in the film which famously underwent a bunch of controversy over its release last year, only to be recently put back on the schedule for a March 13th theatrical run.
Featuring: Kyle Mooney, Mark Hamill, Greg Kinnear, Matt Walsh, Michaela Watkins, Jorge Lendeborg Jr. and Ryan Simpkins
It can sometimes be refreshing to watch a comedy that has a real heart but does not compromise on its set up, it characters or its eventual payoff. So many times movies trade off of a kind of nostalgia either using the past as a catalyst especially through media like music or other movies as well, which is a narrative short cut to enter a plot that otherwise may be simply a retread of another movie. I will not give an example of where this is unoriginal, but one when it is used effectively it works well much like the excellent and timeless “Galaxy Quest” (2005).
Enter the world of the titular as well as fictional character of Brigsby Bear, a creation of a couple of addled minds as well as kidnappers of a child they have kept for years until his discovery. Writers Kyle Mooney and Kevin Costello have constructed an original movie around a kidnapping, a fictional television series as well as the way in which people construct their own realities (as well as others) around complex fictions that may seem real but are artificial in every way.
“Brigsby Bear” (2017) is built around James who at the beginning of the movie lives in an underground home with his parents Ted and April Mitchum. Forced to stay underground by his parents, James’ only connection with the outside world is an educational children’s show called Brigsby Bear. James is obsessed with the show, owning every cassette, and filling most of his room with memorabilia. One night, while sneaking out to hang out on the roof, James sees several police cars approach the home and is taken away from Ted and April, who are arrested.
James is then brought to the police station and meets Detective Vogel, who has been working on James’ case. Vogel informs James that Ted and April are not his real parents, and that he has been held captive ever since he was a baby. He also informs James that Brigsby Bear is not real, and was entirely made up by the Mitchums, with Vogel explaining that they tracked Ted from the studio where the show is made. Vogel then introduces James to his real parents, Greg and Louise Pope, and their teenage daughter Aubrey.
The narrative is fairly straightforward following a simple story that is actually more like a fish out of water plot, wherein the hero of the story ends up enriching the lives of all those people he touches on his journey. In fact one could say that the director and writer of the film have seen the great Peter Sellers “Being There”(1979) one too many times. I am not saying that they have created copies the story, as the themes that are within both movies are universal. However in saying that the invention of the Brigsby Bear fake television show is inspired, a cross between any number of children’s shows as well as any genre show, in particular the comparisons to Star Trek cannot be underestimated. One of the more interesting aspects is the first ten minutes of the movie as we are introduced to what may seem like an odd family to say the least, as well as the environment they are all living in. Once the façade is broken and the ‘real world’ breaks through James has to be confronted by many different truths, which could break someone weaker, of course after a small period of adjustment he consciously or unconsciously finds a way to move on, accepting although not forgetting.
This is a well-written movie from star/writer Kyle Mooney, co writer Kevin Costello as well as director David McCary who believe it or not are all first time feature filmmakers. While Mooney and McCary have previous experience in skit television as well as short movies they have never produced something on this scale or this emotionally complex, it is a feat to be sure. There are reasons why novice filmmakers make genre movies, they are (normally) inexpensive, have small casts, follow genre rules, take place in locations that are easy to light and are compact in plot. This first time movie breaks many of those rules or assumptions by casting really well, with some extremely well known actors, has a narrative built on many layers, has a complex central character as well as satellite characters and involves a few different locations, both inside as well as well as outside, with explosions. The movie does operate using genre to tell a story but it is a metanarrative that exists, it is used perfectly to act as a metaphor for the plot as well as the main character.
The casting in this movie is perfectly done starting with Mooney who is playing an outsized character, a man-child that never feels hollow or false, which just illustrates what a terrific talent he is. The supporting cast is deep but it was the choice of Mark Hamill on a break from his ‘Star Wars’ duties that was the highlight for me, who in a just a few scenes has to portray a very complicated character, one that looms large in James past, present and future. The rest of the cast is rounded out with the always fantastic Matt Walsh and Michaela Watkins as James parents who are rightly worried confused by their son; previous Oscar nominee as well as perennially underrated Greg Kinnear as a Detective as well as somewhat supporter/enabler who harbors a secret of his own; Ryan Simpkins as James somewhat suffering younger sister, Jorge Lendeborg Jr. as a new friend for James, Jane Adams as his foster mother and Claire Danes as a mental health professional – just great as always.
Of course the story would not be anywhere neat as fun and original without the titular creation, Brigsby Bear who exists as a childhood friend for James as well as the obsession that many childhood creations can become, just ask any ‘Star Trek’, ‘Star Wars’ or any other genre show that exists. Not only does Brigsby act as a friend in childhood as well as a distraction when he is older, but he is a link that exists between James and his foster (that is a kind term) parents – they can talk to him about the Bear at dinner as well as bond like few parents can, over a genre that many older people just do not understand. Of course when James attempts to explain the Bear to others most just don’t get it at all and think is unhealthy – except for Spencer who as a younger adult ‘gets it’. This friendship that forms between James, Spencer as well as Brigsby to be sure is something special, which grows in a way that nicely exploits social media, online video as well as the low cost technology that is required to do what eventually becomes the driving force behind the movie.
Sure the movie itself is a little transparent as well as mining tropes as well as sentimentality but these are not totally negative developments as the heart that resonates comes from a pure place of comedy, drama and love for the differences that makes us all human. If you would like to watch a movie that wears its heart on its sleeve then this is highly recommended, it has some great performances, announces a couple of great talents to international audiences as well as creating something truly original in its central conceit.
“Brigsby Bear” is currently available in the iTunes store.
Written by: Peter Ackerman, Eyal Podell and Jonathon E. Stewart
Featuring the voices of: Jason Sudeikis, Josh Gad, Danny McBride, Maya Rudolph, Tony Hale, Bill Hader, Peter Dinklage, Leslie Jones, Rachel Bloom, Awkwafina, Sterling K. Brown, Eugenio Derbez, JoJo Siwa and Brooklynn Prince
Leonard: “We’re going to need a bigger slingshot.”
Released recently on Blu-ray/DVD is the animated video game adaptation “The Angry Birds Movie 2” (2019), the sequel to the box office hit from a few years ago, “The Angry Birds” (2015) which featured an all star voice cast and of course a plot built around birds, some angry and a lot of pigs. It is fair to say that the popularity of the game has waned in the intervening years so a sequel at this stage would either be a way to invigorate some life into it, or at the very least to spin off the property into a different direction, I might think it is a little late for the latter, however.
Three years after Red became the hero of Bird Island, he now runs a business protecting it smoothly with Chuck and Bomb. They and the rest of the birds and pigs are in a constant prank war against each other after Piggy Island, which was destroyed in a prior battle with the birds, is rebuilt. Eventually, a giant ice ball from a nearby isle called Eagle Island hits the sea near Piggy Island, forcing the pigs to seek an emergency truce with the birds. Zeta, the leader of Eagle Island, is fed up with her frozen surroundings and wants to occupy the two islands by shooting ice balls from an advanced super-weapon to force their inhabitants to evacuate.
The question is does this movie serve any purpose other than ticking off the required need for Sony to have an animated movie on the schedule. Well it does not stack up against some of the greatest animated movies, but as a video game adaptation aimed at children it holds its own with little to dislike but at the same time little for it to be remembered for.
Jason Sudeikis returns as Red, the bird who saved all the other birds at the end of the first movie. Red’s puffed-up hero persona is a bandage on his lifelong fear of rejection, a neurosis that also makes it impossible for him to work with others without steamrolling his way into a leadership position. He eventually has to learn to put his ego aside and let other people have their turn in the spotlight, a theme that runs through most kids’ movies. There are also an alarming number of romances as well as jokes that are all aimed at what is going on today, or at least what was happening a few years ago when this movie was being written and produced, so there is a ‘baby shark’ number as well as other elements that feel like this movie will date it ourself of being able to be rewatched.
“The Angry Birds Movie 2” has been directed by newcomer (to directing anyway) Thurop Van Orman who created the Nickelodeon series “The Marvelous Misadventures Of Flapjack” (2008-2010), who has obviously at least viewed the first movie and toned down some of the elements that have become tiresome in movies for a young audience, so there are fewer allow motion action scenes, the humour is a little goofy and there are nods to the outside world and manic action scenes which he has executed very well.
This really is a movie that could be considered for all ages and does what the best animated films do best that is make a movie based around some of the issues of being a child and how this can have repercussions in later life. How you can be different and try not to let that effect you by separating you from others, yet missing the involvement of people in your lie.
The film is extremely fast paced and of course saves the best for last with the attack on the pig city straight out of the game. I have to admit to playing the game but not for years, and it made me want to download the latest game and have a crack. It was a strange feeling recognizing certain birds and their abilities and looking forward to how the filmmakers were going to make it look on the big screen – and it doesn’t disppoint. My favorite was the bird that farted explosives – so childish and yet so funny.
There is so much going on the film has to be experienced and I am sure your child will thank you for it.
Featuring: Sasha Luss , Luke Evans, Cillian Murphy, Helen Mirren, and Alexander Petrov
Anna:“I work for the KGB, baby.”
Recently released on Blu-ray/DVD is the latest action movie from French writer/director Luc Besson in the form of “Anna” (2019), it has to be said something of a let down after the heavily stylised and bonkers “Lucy” (2014) and the science fiction/fantasy of “Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets” (2017), both of these are in their own ways complete opposites but as Besson is every bit the styled filmmaker that Ridley Scott is they look and feel incredible. However like Scott, the weakness with Besson are the plots that he frames his films with, they can be uneven as well as feeling a little long winded with a touch of the blowhard. It is unfortunate then that “Anna” is not one of Besson’s best efforts, it feels like a weaker copy of Steven Soderbergh’s “Haywire” (2011) but set in Russia, without the leading lady or the incredible supporting cast, a missed opportunity indeed to create a strong female lead that did not pander to anyone.
It may be difficult for some to stomach Luc Besson even as he was embroiled in a #meetoo controversy this movie was in release so was tainted by that, it has not slowed him down as he has multiple movies in production at the moment. One may forget that Besson in many of his movies has either had strong women at the centre or as major parts of plots that are still being used today, he own “Le Femme Nikita” (1990) has been the basis for two television shows, one US remake and multiple ripoffs or homages to be kind. In fact look at Besson’s filmography at it is full of pre-#metoo movies that still resonate today such as the already mentioned “La Femme Nikita”, but there is also “Léon: The Professional “(1994), “The Fifth Element” (1997), “TheMessenger: The Story of Joan of Arc” (1999), “Angel-A” (2005), “The Lady” (2011) as well as the already mentioned “Lucy”. Even in the movies where there seems like a male lead the instigators of those movies are women, strong ones at that. There are few directors working today that have based their movies almost entirely around the idea of what it is to be a woman with agency operating in a what may have been considered a mans world.
That is not to say there have not been disappointments, of which “Anna” is one, mainly because Besson in his mind saw this action/thriller as something different to what it has ended up on screen as. What may have started out as the potential to set up a franchise set in Russia with a new face and some loftier ambitions has been reduced to something that should have gone to. a streaming service as a guilty pleasure, although pleasure may be stretching it.
The movie concerns the titular Anna, a young Russian beauty who has been the victim of domestic abuse, will do anything to escape the life she is trapped in. In a twist of fate, she reluctantly accepts an offer by KGB officer Alex. After a year of training, she is to work as a KGB assassin for five years under a handler named Olga, after which she will be free to continue her life as she pleases. KGB head Vassiliev is not willing to honour this agreement, implying that the only way out of the KGB is death.
Written and Directed by Besson this sees him rippling off himself in seemingly using the classic “La Femme Nikita” as a sort of template which is a little too obvious in this day and age. The inherent weakness here is using someone like model Sasha Luss to bring to screen his script as she does not (yet).have the chops to try and interpret the role beyond the page, unlike in “Lucy” where lead Scarlet Johansson knew just how to play the ridiculous into a perceived reality. As her duelling love interests, Cillian Murphy and Luke Evans struggle to rise above the dross they signed up to which leaves it up to Mirren to have some campy fun as a heartless anti-matriarch figure. Other than that the real shock is that this is just not a well directed movie, the action scenes fall flat, there is no emotion and Besson seems distracted, like he had the money to make something and this was best he could do on short notice.
This is a movie that cries out to be like Besson’s best movies something more about than what is appearing onscreen, but instead of striving for that we are given genre drivel that would have been more at home in the 1980s or 1990s. Here we have an under talented actress who is dressed like she is in a heavy metal video, has facile relationships and appears in sex scenes simply because she was told to. There is no commentary on what it is like to be her or how she actually feels about what happens to her onscreen. It feels odd after all the high points of a career that at his age this is what he serves up, the difference between him and Scott could not be any different in 2020. Think about Scott’s movies, even his last two ‘Alien’ movies with Charlize Theron, Noomi Rapace and Katherine Waterson all leads, and illustrating how their roles work within the parameters of their own worlds. Nothing like that exists here, it is all surface, a boys imagination of how a woman should be seen, not felt.
“Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn)” (2020)
Action
Running time:109 minutes
Written by: Christina Hodson
Directed by: Cathy Yan
Featuring: Margot Robbie, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Jurnee Smollett-Bell, Rosie Perez, Chris Messina, Ella Jay Basco, Ali Wong and Ewan McGregor
Harley Quinn:“Oh hey, you’re that singer no one listens to.”
Dinah Lance:“Oh hey, you’re the asshole no one likes.”
Released recently in cinemas is the first DCEU movie since the triumph of “The Joker” (2019) in the form of the overblown in title, although thoroughly underwhelming in execution, kind of sequel to “Suicide Squad” (2017) in “Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn)” (2020). Featuring at its core Margot Robbie’s Harley Quinn who in this movie talks to the camera, causes carnage and in a way brings together the all girl group ‘Birds of Prey’, featuring Renee Montoya, Black Canary, Huntress and Cassandra Cain who are all pale imitations of not only their comic counterparts but have appeared in other formats with much more originality and gusto than this movie, which for me was a letdown. This movie has some of the same issues that the recent “Charlies Angels” (2019) although nowhere near extreme as all the people (almost anyway) cast in this know what the movie was trying to be so performances have been adjusted accordingly. Unfortunately it is the paint by numbers script as well as the mostly lethargic and explain at every corner narration that keeps this as a below average comic book movie.
One of the main issues is that for almost the entire running time Quinn and other characters keep referring to The Joker but he is never seen, I get why, he is such a larger than life aspect of the the DC Universe that if he did appear it would distract from not only Quinn but the idea that this is a female empowerment movie. Also there is the added confusion of which actor would play the Joker, especially after fans turned on Jared Leto’s performance, so he is only sen in shadow here. Therein lies one of the major issues with this movie, the varied cast, the narrative that for half the movie is told in flashbacks and flash-forwards which is all well and good but it does not match the story which is completely pedestrian.
I get what “Birds of Prey” was supposed to be, a female empowerment movie with a supposed badass female character at the centre who could do and say anything she wanted to so that it would prove that, yes women can do anything. Except of course we have already had that movie in “Wonder Woman” (2016) which not only had the budget to go with that vision but also had a three dimensional character that audiences could get on board with. Unfortunately Harley Quinn is a two dimensional character at the very best so other cast members have been added and their origin stories have been shown horned in to prop up Quinn, which feels forced because it is, so the narrative is stop and start every fifteen minutes, making for an uncomfortable watch.
“Birds of Prey” is set after the Enchantress’ defeat, the Joker breaks up with Harley Quinn, throwing her out on the streets of Gotham City, recovering from her abusive relationship by cutting her hair, adopting a spotted hyena, taking up roller derby, and blowing up the Ace Chemicals plant where she pledged herself to the Joker years prior. One night, Harley gets drunk at a nightclub owned by gangster Roman Sionis, and cripples Roman’s driver after he insults her. Later, she meets burlesque singer Dinah Lance, who later rescues an intoxicated Harley from an attempted rape and abduction. Spotting the scuffle from his bedroom, Roman is impressed by Dinah’s skills and appoints her as his new driver. Meanwhile, GCPD Detective Renee Montoya investigates a series of mob killings carried out by a crossbow-wielding vigilante.
Written by Christina Hodson and directed by Cathy Yan this “Birds of Prey” is a rather boring watch which it shouldn’t be, say what you want about her last outing in “Suicide Squad” but it wasn’t boring. I get wanting to have women behind the scenes but neither have a real style in terms of their creative output, the only thing that comes close is the fact Hodson was a writer of the modest hit “Bumblebee” (2018), but even that story was propped up by the visuals, actors and nostalgia, here there is nothing to distract audiences from the story as the direction is mild, in fact another direct was brought in to up the ante on the action. Another aspect of the movie that is shocking is the almost complete lack of any kind of memorable or practical production design, everything looks on the cheap and frail. One example is all the nightclub scenes where the location looks drab and actually not authentic at all, it looks like a sound stage with some tables and chairs, what were they thinking.
The cast led by Margot Robbie is made up of a mixture of new faces and familiar ones, they all attempt to instil their characters with something that will come across as how they should be in a movie like this. I loved seeing Rosie Perez who is possibly doing the best work in the movie, but for me it was the always great Chris Messina who not only knows his own character but also realises what movie his is actually in, I loved his performance.
All in all this was a mess of a movie, with an unproven director who seems out of her depth, a plot that goes nowhere and finally a budget that is well under what this movie required to have some visual flair. It is interesting that Warner Brothers say they are interested in making a female empowered movie but budget it at the least of all the DCEU movies, which actually says more about what they care about than what they say publicly. Think about it, “Birds of Prey” had less than half the budget of “Suicide Squad”, sure it was a different movie, but if more had been given over to the world building and plot this would have been so much better.
In my opinion I would not see this movie in cinemas, I might recommend this as a home watch but it adds nothing to comic book adaptations and is certainly a horrible followup to the DCEU’s biggest success, “The Joker”.
Featuring: Kristen Stewart, Naomi Scott, Ella Balinska , Djimon Hounsou, Sam Claflin, Noah Centineo, Nat Faxon and Patrick Stewart
Jane Kano:“I need you to exhibit some attention-seeking behavior.”
Sabina Wilson:“I have so many ideas.”
Released this week is the reboot/sequel, frankly I don’t know what, adaptation of the 1970s television series “Charlies Angels” (2019) that ups the ante of female empowerment so much that is basically almost two hours of pandering, unimaginative and frankly trope ridden drivel that for me is by far the worst movie of the year, for me it’s a missed opportunity of the highest calibre. I have to be honest and say I found little of any redeeming value within this movie at all, from the production to the cast and of course the writer and director who seem to have been given permission to write some woke fan fiction that sits lifelessly onscreen with terrible effects, dialogue and action that I would be embarrassed to call my own.
Interestingly the idea of a rebooted “Charlies Angels” is not a bad one, in fact in this day and age it seems quite obvious to have a movie solely based around women as protagonists as well as being a united force to fight villains. However, that would require some skill in the writing and directing of that kind of narrative without it being a formula, which is where this and other like-minded movies fall down. It may look from the outside that these movies are easy to write and direct but that would be because of the ease the successful ones look like on the surface. The only comparable franchises of a similar ilk are the “Mission Impossible” (1996-present), “James Bond” (1962-present) and to a lesser extent the “Fast and Furious” (2001-present) which all succeed for better or for worse because they attempt to change, offer spectacle, have interwoven narratives and are constructed down to the smallest detail. All these aspects are absent with “Charlies Angels” which makes it just lazy and unforgivable when you are comparing it to those other franchises.
“Charlies Angels” concerns a team of Angels, led by senior operative John Bosley, who capture international embezzler Jonny Smith. A year later, the European division of the Townsend Agency is informed that Elena Houghlin, an engineer and programmer employed by entrepreneur Alexander Brock, wants to expose her superiors, namely Brock’s head of development, Peter Fleming, for covering up a discovery about how an energy conservation device that she helped invent named Calisto has the potential to trigger fatal seizures when used. She meets with operative Edgar “Bosley” in Hamburg to turn over her findings, but an assassin named Hodak ambushes the meeting and subsequently kills Edgar and leaves Elena to drown. Edgar’s protégé, Jane Kano, rescues her and brings her to operative Rebekah “Bosley” with the help of her partner, Sabina Wilson.
Written and directed by Elizabeth Banks who had some success with “Pitch Perfect 2” (2015) but for me not enough to write and direct the first of a franchise that contains more than singing and comedy but has, or is supposed to have memorable relationships and action scenes, of which this really has nothing memorable, a crime considering this is, more or less, a genre movie. Not only is the plot a re-tread of almost any subplot of a spy movie but the direction is aimless, boring and not enough bang for your buck. There are plenty of other internal logic elements that leave me cold as do the set pieces which for the most part seem to be thrown together, why they exist I am not sure. The conclusion to the movie is another aspect that is just trite and self-serving, if I were a woman I would not appreciate the pandering because it doesn’t work, makes no sense and I would not want to be a part of any organisation that obviously exists in a. Vacuum.
I could talk about performances, but the material gives nothing to these actresses to really perform, except for nonsense and broad boring gender driven rubbish, so self-serving that I find it hard to believe there was no one pushing back to say it really does not work. Almost every man is bad and all the women are good, this is just sexual politics gone to a degree that would make racial stereotypes turn in their grave.
I have kept this review short because basically there is little to nothing to grab on to with this movie. In some cases, there can be elements of even bad movies to enjoy, the latest ‘Terminator’ movie is similar with its female protagonists, but here are some things that are good, the action, CGI and welcoming back of past characters inject the movie with a lot, is it a good movie? No, but it is watchable much more than “Charlies Angels”.
Written by: Jez Butterworth, John-Henry Butterworth and Jason Keller
Directed by: James Mangold
Featuring: Matt Damon, Christian Bale, Jon Bernthal, Caitriona Balfe, Tracy Letts, Josh Lucas, Noah Jupe, Remo Girone and Ray McKinnon
Carroll Shelby: “We’re lighter, we’re faster, and if that don’t work, we’re nastier.”
Released this week is what I consider to be one of the films of the year as well as an example of what can be accomplished in the studio system when an original period piece has an experienced behind the camera and in front of the camera talent in the form of the criminally underrated “Ford v Ferrari” (2019). Films like “Ford v Ferrari” are far and few between in two ways, that is the idea of a narrative set around car racing which does not inspire great story telling and a film set around the super-rich pursing something others only watch on television. Of course, the way these obstacles are overcome explains why “Ford v Ferrari” was such a hit with critics as well as making its money back in theatres, while at the same time placing it in the rarefied air of being a non-franchise, non-superhero or action movie released in theatres while gaining a very good audience. In fact this is not even the first racing car movie released this decade that rose to the heights this one did, that being the excellent “Rush” (2013) that was all but ignored but contained some similar elements to this one, in that it was about people first and everything else second, it ended on a touch of reality not found in other sports movies and it had people involved that were at the top of their game in every way.
In terms of “Ford v Ferrari” this is a film very much about people, their very real struggles and of course the idea of big business overtaking everything to rule not only outcomes but the very lives of their employees who actually make these companies up. While the movie is very much about a race at Le Mans, as well as an American company, Ford, that is attempting to redefine itself in a way that will set its course for the future, at the heart there are real people living their lives, trying to survive in a post war world that while there were opportunities for some, they felt boxed in unable to really do what they felt was their calling. In fact, this movie is all about people who start in one place where they are mostly happy, then something happens, in the case of Shelby it is a health crisis, for Ken it is money and for Henry Ford it is the shadow of his father. However, when circumstances mean their own passions coincide they all are able to embrace their own true selves pivoting to triumph in ways they did not foresee with in some cases paying the ultimate price but leaving legacies that live on to this very day.
“Ford v Ferrari” is set in 1963, Ford Motor Company Vice President Lee Iacocca proposes to Henry Ford II to purchase the cash-strapped Ferrari as a means to boost their car sales by participating in the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Enzo Ferrari, however, walks out of the deal, as Fiat offers him a more lucrative deal that allows him to retain his ownership of Scuderia Ferrari. In rejecting the proposed deal with Ford, Ferrari insults the company and its CEO. A furious Ford orders his racing division to build a car to defeat Ferrari at Le Mans. For this task, Iacocca hires Shelby American owner Carroll Shelby, a racing driver who won Le Mans in 1959 but was forced to retire due to a heart condition. In turn, Shelby enlists the help of Ken Miles, a hot-tempered British racer and struggling mechanic.
Directed by James Mangold, “Ford v Ferrari” is a true technical achievement that transcends its genre to become something much more than the sum of its parts. Mangold has become one of the major directors of his generation, along with James Foley who understand the way a plot and narrative come together with major budgets and modern technology to be able to create films that resonate, becoming almost instant classics without trying to repeat themselves within previous genres they were successful in. Along with the director the screenwriters are all experienced in biopics which really shows as there is a efficiency in the story telling that needs to exist with all the characters that need their time to explain motivations and goals within the movie.
“Ford v Ferrari” is very much led by the performances of Matt Damon and Christian Bale who both have been in biopics before but here they go that extra step with a huge amount of jargon and technical information to portray realistically, they also have to get into high speed vehicles and portray that they are completely experienced which they do, it was a shame they were ignored at awards time. There are plenty of other performances that are excellent, for me it is Ray McKinnon as Phil who shines as someone who is one part of Shelby, someone who obviously loves him, understands him but at times has to be his own person as a truth teller. Two other vital roles are performed by both Caitriona Balfe and Noah Jupe who are Christian Bales wife, and son respectively, they also act as the conduit between what goes onscreen and the audience helping us with narrative and plot points as well as the car racing aspects that may be lost on the uninitiated. The rest of the supporting cast in Jon Bernthal, Tracy Letts and Josh Lucas are all as great as one would expect, giving their characters real dimension when others may have played them as one note.
The final elements of “Ford v Ferrari” that make it special are the special effects, stunts and the editing that bring this story together into a cohesive film that shows what perfection can bring and how a group of people are able to come together to create a work that is as special as anything released this year. There have been other car racing films that either overuse CGI effects that look out of place or have real car racing with shots that are always too wide or with actors that look like they are not driving at high speeds. This is never the case in “Ford v Ferrari”, each shot has been meticulously constructed using practical effects with CGI that is incorporated and not over saturated to look inauthentic. The car racing scenes are some of the best ever seen, the way Mangold puts audiences inside vehicles is a testament to his skill as is the humour he shows with support people in the pits, truly exceptional.
I recommend this movie to almost anyone, it is one of those rare movies that on the surface looks to have narrow appeal but once an audience views it the skill and inclusivity of its plot and narrative become apparent quickly. “Ford v Ferrari” is a film about family as well as what it takes to keep that family together in terms of providing while at the same time following a calling and exploiting personal gifts to their fullest. “Ford v Ferrari” also illustrates how original movies can success both critically and commercially from major studios and be quality products. This should be a part of any collection and is easily watched multiple times.
HBO has released the full trailer for the third season of its science-fiction drama “Westworld” which returns to the network March 15th.
The new season sees Dolores (Evan Rachel Wood), who broke free from the park confines, trading her world for a new one – ours. Set in the near-future, Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy’s series sees Thandie Newton, Ed Harris and Jeffrey Wright also returning with Aaron Paul and Vincent Cassel joining the fray in key roles.
“Westworld – Season Three” will be available on SoHo and Neon in NZ.
SoHo – Mondays from 16 March, 2pm (Same time as the U.S.) & 8.30pm
Featuring: Aretha Franklin, James Cleveland, C. L. Franklin and the Southern California Community Choir
“Oh oh Mary
Oh, Mary, don’t you weep, don’t you mourn Oh, Mary, don’t you weep, don’t you mourn Didn’t Pharaoh’s army get drowned? Oh, Mary, don’t you weep
Well, Satan got mad and he knows I’m glad Missed that soul that he thought he had Now, didn’t Pharaoh’s army get drowned? Oh, Mary, don’t you weep
Oh, Mary, don’t you weep, don’t you mourn Oh, Mary, don’t you weep, don’t you mourn Didn’t Pharaoh’s army get drowned? Oh, Mary, don’t you weep
Well, one of these nights around twelve o’clock This old town’s gonna really rock Didn’t Pharaoh’s army get drowned? Oh, Mary, don’t you weep
Oh, Mary, don’t you weep, don’t you mourn Oh, Mary, don’t you weep, don’t you mourn Didn’t Pharaoh’s army get drowned? Oh, Mary, don’t you weep
Oh, Mary, don’t you weep, don’t you”
– Don’t you weep, Aretha Franklin
Recently released on DVD in New Zealand is one of the best documentaries from recent memory in the film “Amazing Grace” (2018) that features mostly unseen footage filmed in the 1970s for a concert film that was essentially botched, with that footage being stored in vaults until it was cut together with its audio. In a way the 1970s was the decade when live recordings of musical artists really took off with a number appearing in theatres, making huge amounts of money so it was the obvious choice to record Aretha but from the outset it seemed like a doomed proposition even though the audio of this concert would break records.
There are many decisions that were made by the studio that ended up delaying this concert from seeing the light of day, but the one that was paramount was getting legendary director Sydney Pollack who had no background in documentary filmmaking. The entire production failed to use clapperboards or markers, making it virtually impossible to synch the resulting picture with the recorded sound. Not even lip readers, who were reportedly enlisted to sift through hours of silent film, could solve the problem. However producer Alan Elliott located the footage beginning work on reconstruction using previously unavailable digital technologies. What was unfortunate was before Franklins death she fought the release of this concert, but now it has turned into something more meaningful for fans and newcomers alike.
The past five years or so has been an excellent year for documentaries not only on streaming or DVD but also in cinemas, which is a trend that goes against what many people may have expected. However I find this to be exactly what should be expected especially with the concentration of so-called ‘fake news’ that now exists on the internet, coupled with what has been coming from the White House under the Trump Presidency. In fact there was a thought that cinematic documentaries might be a thing of the past especially with the success as well as saturation of Disney-fied blockbusters invading multiplexes, in fact audiences have been flocking to cinemas to seek out stories about real people making real differences in times and places where many others have been marginalised and made powerless by the people in charge in their respective times. Some of the great, as well as critically received, not forgetting making money documentaires at the box office are: “Wont you be my neighbour?” (2018), “Three Identical Strangers” (2018), “Jane” (2018), “RBG” (2018), and my personal favourite “Bombshell: The Hedy Lamarr Story” (2017) with so many more. What this says about audiences is that they will seek out true stories told in the relative first person that are not only inspiring but are direct counter programming to the politics of the day as well as the lies that are being produced by a President who is not only artificial but hate fuelled. My belief as a fan of documentaries is that this genre will only gain in popularity, with the coming years being a boon as well as revealing the importance of truth in the media as well as the importance of researching decisions made by the electorate. It is no surprise that the rise in fake news, Donald Trump, racism and may other hate fuelled elements has been answered by artists creating documentaries that prove there can be positive outcomes when people choose to buck the system as well as believing in others, differences, freedom and most of all, discussion.
“Amazing Grace” was filmed in 1972 when she recorded her gispel album of the same name, a collection of gospel classics performed over two nights at the New Temple Missionary Baptist Church in Los Angeles. The legendary session — which included gospel pioneer James Cleveland, his Southern California Community Choir and esteemed session players Bernard Purdie, Cornell Dupree and Chuck Rainey — was captured live, in front of an adoring congregation that, by the second evening, would include Mick Jagger, Charlie Watts and Franklin’s father, the Baptist minister C.L. Franklin.
With much talk about the cinema experience versus the streaming one this new documentary does prove that sometimes a communal experience in a dark room with a projection on a giant screen with great sound is the preferred option as this film comes alive in many different ways. You can feel the heat that sets beads of sweat running from the musician’s brows. As Aretha’s voice transcends this world, Pollack’s crew have the more down-to-earth task of catching ever more adventurous angles, peering up through the lid of a piano or down through the ranks of the congregation. There’s a scrappy, vérité feel to the footage as the crew capture each other on camera, scuttling around in response to the gesticulations of their director.
What is apparent is that even watching this film Franklin remains completely unknowable. The singer says remarkably little at all, she knows that it is the music and interpretation that the audience is there for. There is something refreshing about all of this especially in todays world where even the smallest of celebrities feel the need to espouse opinions of almost everything, this was a lady who knew how to speak to the masses using material that many felt was universal in truth.
Directed by: Matt Bettinelli-Olpin & Tyler Gillett
Featuring: Samara Weaving, Adam Brody, Mark O’Brien, Henry Czerny and Andie MacDowell
Police Officer:“Jesus christ, what happened to you?”
Grace:“In-laws.”
Released this week on DVD/Blu-ray is the latest success story from the genre that keeps on giving in the form of “Ready or Not” (2019) which while it lacks some of the more obvious social commentary than a Jordan Peele film it still says something about the 1%, the origins of power, marriage, family traditions and of course in-laws. While over the years there have been many horrors based around holidays, family events and a host of other familial elements but this new movie combines a wedding, meeting in-laws and what could be considered a bizarre family tradition. There is actually much to enjoy about “Ready or Not” with the core being the family that while they do not all necessarily get along they are bound together by not only the family fortune but also by the demonic ritual they may or may not exist even though this tradition has not actually been performed for that long a time. There is something of traditions to this entire movie which makes it not only a commentary on where society is at the moment but where it is headed and the dogmatic approach some have within society to traditions that have not been in existence for very long at all.
I have made the point before but the past ten years has been a bonanza for genre movies, especially horror, not only does there seem to be more being produced than ever before, especially with the advent of cheap film making equipment, more quality filmmakers entering the genre as well as more production companies realising there is money to be made, especially with the increase in online streaming services. This is where Jason Blum and his Blumhouse production company has entered the market finding a cost/revenue model that works for them, partnering with a major distribution partner in Universal and not limiting itself to theatrical projects, but also partnering with Netflix. What is exciting about this new horror movie is that it does not come from any established horror producers, writers or directors, they are all relatively new to the industry but have created a movie that is a great example of the genre especially heading into a new decade.
“Ready or Not” concerns the wedding day of Alex and Grace who have returned to Alex’s family home to marry, Grace, a former foster child is eager to finally have a family. On their wedding night, he tells her that, as tradition, every outside addition to the family must play a game. Grace has to draw a random card, and the game they have to play will be written there. I will not go into any more details about the plot but it goes from horror to thriller to comedy and back to horror again throughout its narrative which is a juggling act but one that is executed very well.
Written by Guy Busick & R. Christopher Murphy and directed by Matt Bettinelli-Olpin & Tyler Gillett this movie is a great example of the genre with a female heroine who has a very real journey, unlike the antagonists of the movie who are a perfectly functioning family, from their point of view anyway. This is a well written script with a very well thought out plot and narrative that takes into account quite a number of variables both in terms of character and narrative. In terms of the directors this is only their second full length movie after the surprisingly good anthology movie “Southbound” (2015), with this one being a big increase in budget as well as of course being one long narrative which shows some very real skill. The directors have also been confined to one location with a very large cast, the balancing act while maintaining a very striking visual palate, this should all be applauded, I look forward to their next movie.
In terms of the cast the stand out is of course Samara Weaving who is thee daughter of Hugo Weaving which explains how she is able to act in something like this movie that at times is extremely over the top. The other standouts are veteran actors Henry Czerny and Andie MacDowell who shine as the patriarch and matriarch of the family that not only has a bloody secret but also who are both unwitting in their own way, it is a challenge to play archetypes in a genre movie with originality but both of these actors do a fine job.
The idea of “Ready or Not” is particularly poignant in that it is all about traditions how they are formed, why they are persisted with as well as the complete dogma some have in terms of following them, even when there might be a cost for deviating from them. The movie starts off with a wedding which has be one of the most traditional ceremonies in modern life. What is interesting is that one the key aspects, the white dress worn by the bride, as a tradition has only been in existence for just over a hundred or so years. Because of the scope of a human life we rarely question traditions that have only been around a relatively short time but as this movie attests it can be no bad thing to question traditions although if there is an actual price then let the buyer beware.
I enjoyed this move quite a bit especially the rate at which the plot moves which gets going quick, although I do question the ending and how elements of that has occurred will be easily explained. This is worth more than one viewing, I have seen it a few times, it really does not get old.
Created by: Jez Butterworth, Tom Butterworth and James Richardson
Featuring: Kelly Reilly, David Morrissey, Zoë Wanamaker, Mackenzie Crook, Nikolaj Lie Kaas and Eleanor Worthington Cox
“When I look over my shoulder (what happens then?) What do you think I see? (Mm) Some other cat looking over (shadoop, shadoop) Over his shoulder at me” – Season of the Witch, Donovan
Released recently on DVD is the second season of the English show “Britannia” (2017-present) set in AD45, the first season received mixed reviews so it is surprising that a second season went ahead. It could come down to the fact that there are a surprising amount of A list television actors appearing in it.
The series follows the Roman conquest of Britain. Celtic rivals Kerra and Antedia must work together to fight off the Roman invasion led by Aulus Plautius.
The show is shot largely on location (in England, Wales and the Czech Republic) and makes decent use of the verdant countryside, but Sky’s budget is a fraction of HBO’s and there are no CGI-enhanced vistas to provide a sense of scale. Equally, for a story about conquest, battles are few and far between, and largely limited to feeble pushing and shoving in the woods.
“Britannia” does have an unusual tone it veers from odd to serious to sometimes funny but the series is not one long joke. There is a use of popular music throughout which sets an odd tone but it can suit scenes that those songs appear over. None of this really matters of course as like some other shows this show is something that audiences just go with, don’t think too hard and everything will be alright.
Episodes
Episode One: Two years after the invasion, a dead man awakens who could spell the end of everything
Episiode Two: The Dead Man sends Hella on a mission. Phelan’s new life comes crashing down and Rork’s suspicions about Veran lead him into a duel.
Episode Three: Veran gives Ania a terrible choice. Harka brings Phelan under his spell and the next stage of Cait and Divis’s prophecy begins.
Episode Four: Hella makes Aulus an offer she knows he can’t resist. Phelan fulfils his mission and Cait and Divis’ dreams spell new danger.
Episode Five: A dream causes tension between Cait and Divis. Harka sends Love on a heart-breaking mission and Veran commits the ultimate betrayal.
Episode Six: Philo and Brutus play a prank, but their timing couldn’t be worse. Harka sends Veran a message. Contains very strong language.
Episode Seven: Vitus returns with a message for Aulus. Ania is placed in an impossible situation and The Traveller tracks down Lucius.
Episode Eight: Aulus outrages Domitius with a confession and Andra discovers the truth about her family. Divis tries to use his powers on Love.
Episode Nine: Divis gets one last chance to prove himself. Meanwhile, Cait’s newfound happiness is cut short as Phelan tries to right his wrongs.
Episode Ten: Veran and Harka face each other in a challenge only one of them can survive. Cait is forced to face her destiny.
Featuring: Regina King, John Witherspoon, Gary Anthony Williams, Cedric Yarbrough, Jill Talley and Gabby Soleil
Riley Freeman:“Gangstalicious got shot!”
Robert ‘Granddad’ Freeman: “Again?”
Riley Freeman:“We got to do something!”
Huey Freeman:“I’ve got an idea! Why don’t we go to college so we don’t end up like Gangstalicious?”
Recently released on DVD is the full series of “The Boondocks” (2005-2014) that is a wholly original animated television series that is based almost entirely around African American characters that interact with the world around them. Now sixteen years old “The Boondocks” may seem quaint but it came at a time when the idea of actual African American representation on a major network was missing in action, it was a time when Dave Chappelle had left, in fact was missing in action, never to return which at the time was the only social awareness raising comedy until this animated adaptation of a comic strip.
The Boondocks is based on the satiric Aaron McGruder comic strip of the same name. The show follows the adventures of two black boys, Riley and Huey Freeman, who experience a culture clash when they move from southside Chicago to the “boondocks” to live with their grandfather.
“The Boondocks” when it began was a show that could have been the next evolution in animated series where “The Simpsons” (1989-present) and “South Park” (1997-present) left off, it was all about race in the US, where it was and perhaps where it was going. The animated version does not look exactly like the comic strip, of course. But in its cartoon form, “The Boondocks” has much more movement and dialogue (most of it unfit for a family newspaper). Even the characters look slightly different. On the screen, “The Boondocks” combines the richly hyperbolic drawings of action hero cartoons with some of the flatness of Japanese anime.
If you are a fan of socially relevant television or smart animation without the self aware irony or blandness that can invade established not only animated shows but live action ones as well. It is obvious why after six years off the air that there will be a reboot arriving on screens soon. This new box set is arriving at the right time and is completely welcome in my mind for existing fans and possibly new viewers as well.
Episodes:
Season One
The Garden Party: When tycoon Ed Wuncler invites the Freemans to his garden party, Huey hopes to shock his white wealthy neighbors with his brand of “the truth”. But things don’t go as he planned.
The Trial of Robert Kelly: Huey disagrees with Riley – and apparently most Blacks – regarding the R. Kelly case.
Guess Hoe’s Coming to Dinner: Huey and Riley team up to convince Granddad that his new girlfriend is actually a prostitute who is after his money.
Granddad’s Fight: After getting beaten up by the mean and blind Col. Stinkmeaner, a humiliated Granddad wants a rematch.
A Date with the Health Inspector: When Tom is wrongfully accused for murder, Huey and Riley enlist the help of Ed III and his friend, Gin Rummy to find the real killer.
The Story of Gangstalicious: Riley visits his favorite rapper, Gangstalicious, who’s been shot and hospitalized. But is he really a “gangsta”?
A Huey Freeman Christmas: Huey’s teacher gives him full creative control over the schools Christmas play.
The Real: Riley convinces Granddad to pretend he is blind so that Xzibit will pimp their ride. Huey is being stalked by a government agent. Or is it just his imagination?
Return of the King: Martin Luther King comes out of a 32-year coma and Huey helps him to readjust. But Dr. King finds that his peaceful philosophy is no longer accepted in post-9/11 America.
The Itis: When Granddad and Ed Wuncler open a soul-food restaurant, it ends up having a terrible effect on Woodcrest.
Let’s Nab Oprah: Riley, Ed III and Rummy set out to kidnap Oprah Winfrey and it’s up to Huey to stop them.
Riley Wuz Here: An eccentric art teacher encourages Riley to express himself through graffiti. Huey watches nothing but shows with black people for two weeks to see if it has any negative side effects.
Wingmen: When one of Grandad’s army buddies, Moe, dies, he and the boys return home to Chicago for the funeral. On the way there it is revealed that Grandad and Moe had a bad falling out over a girl. Huey is excited to be home in hopes of seeing his old friend Cairo, but finds out that he wants nothing to do with Huey. At the funeral, Grandad is forced into a eulogy, in which he reveals all the bad things Moe had done over the years. But when Grandad sees Moe’s wife, the girl they fought over, and sees how ugly she is, he realizes how Moe had been the bigger man trying to …
The Block is Hot: Jazmine learns a harsh lesson about capitalism when her lemonade stand becomes a subsidiary of Wuncler, Inc.
The Passion of Ruckus: Ruckus’ message of hating black people in order to get into White Heaven catches on. Huey tries to save a radical who was wrongly convicted of murder from being executed.
Season Two
…Or Die Trying: Granddad takes the kids to the movies but has to sneak them in since he refuses to pay the exorbitant prices. Huey tries to sabotage the film, but Uncle Ruckus tries to stop him.
Tom, Sarah and Usher: After Sarah kicks Tom out over an argument about superstar Usher, he turns to the Freemans and A Pimp Named Slickback for help.
Thank You for Not Snitching: Riley’s natural inclination to never snitch is challenged when he learns Ed Wuncler III and Gin Rummy are behind a series of robberies in Woodcrest, climaxing in the theft of Granddad’s car.
Stinkmeaner Strikes Back: Colonel Stinkmeaner returns from Hell after making a deal with the Devil, and possesses Tom in order to take revenge on Granddad.
The Story of Thugnificent: When rapper Thugnificent moves in across the street, Granddad complains about the non-stop noise and partying, leading Thugnificent to record a new song, “Eff Granddad.”
Attack of the Killer Kung-Fu Wolf Bitch: After various failed attempts at meeting women on MySpace, Grandpa Freeman tries one last time and the results look promising, except for the fact that she was raised by wolves and knows a martial art that seems to be extinct.
Shinin’: A bully steals the chain that signifies Riley’s membership in Thugnificent’s crew, prompting various attempts by Riley to get it back.
Ballin’: Coaching a terrible children’s basketball team, Tom believes Riley’s amazing And1 inspired ball-handling skills are just what his squad needs to win its first game, until everyone finds out Riley doesn’t know how to shoot or play with teammates.
Invasion of the Katrinians: Granddad’s cousin and his family take up residence in the Freeman home after being displaced by Hurricane Katrina.
Home Alone: When Grandad goes on vacation, he leave Huey and Riley home with Uncle Ruckus as their chaperone. The boys cause enough havoc to chase Uncle Ruckus away, which leaves Huey in charge… much to Riley’s disappointment.
The S-Word: Grandad and the good Rev. Rolo Goodlove try to cash in big after a teacher calls Riley “the n-word” in school.
The Story of Catcher Freeman: Granddad and Uncle Ruckus offer conflicting accounts of a slave revolt led by Huey and Riley’s ancestor. Huey reveals that the truth is much different than either of them thought.
The Story of Gangstalicious: Part 2: Despite many obvious clues to the contrary, Riley denies that his favorite rapper, Gangstalicious, is gay.
The Hunger Strike: Huey goes on a hunger strike in a boycott of BET, and receives some high-profile support from Reverend Rollo Goodlove, who may be more interested in his own self-promotion than any good intentions.
The Uncle Ruckus Reality Show: In the wake of Huey’s failed protest against the network, BET’s Harvard-educated programming chief, Weggie Rudlin, is moving ahead with his promise to create The Uncle Ruckus Reality Show.
Season Three
It’s a Black President, Huey Freeman: A German documentary follows the Freeman family during the election of the country’s first Black President.
Bitches to Rags: When his new album tanks, Thugnificent is faced with the horror of getting a real job.
The Red Ball: Huey leads the residents of Woodcrest in a kickball game against a seemingly unbeatable Chinese team, while the game is secretly being funded and rigged by Ed Wuncler and the Chinese mafia.
The Story of Jimmy Rebel: Ruckus finds his musical soul mate in famed racist country-western singer Jimmy Rebel.
Stinkmeaner 3: The Hateocracy: Three of Stinkmeaner’s old crew arrive in town to exact payback on the Freeman family.
Smokin with Cigarettes: Riley becomes friends with a sociopathic boy named Lamilton, who wants to do nothing more than hurt people, cause mayhem, and smoke cigarettes.
The Fund-Raiser: Riley organizes a fund raiser with Cindy McPhearson, Jazmine Dubois and other kids from Woodcrest, but the money isn’t going to anyone in need.
Pause: Granddad is cast as the leading man by mega-superstar of stage and screen, Winston Jerome. But when the theatre group turns out to be a homo-erotic evangelical cult, it’s up to Huey and Riley to put a pause to it.
A Date with the Booty Warrior: Having conquered his fear of prison rape, Tom volunteers to lead Huey, Riley, and some classmates on a trip to jail as part of a Scared Stiff program. But when a riot breaks out, Tom has to get the kids, and his delicate backside, out of jail in one piece.
The Story of Lando Freeman: There’s a new handyman in the neighborhood undercutting Uncle Ruckus… which is all good for Granddad and his garden until the man claims to be his long lost son, Lando. Will Granddad take responsibility and be a father to his son? Not without a talk show paternity test.
Lovely Ebony Brown: Granddad meets a young black woman who asks him out on a date, but the only person who can spoil Granddad’s new romance, is Granddad.
Mr. Medicianl: After a checkup, a doctor warns Granddad that he could die any day if he doesn’t get his stress levels down. Not wanting to become dependent on pills, he decides to take Thugnificent’s suggestion… and turns to marijuana.
The Fried Chicken Flu: When a fast food promotion crosses with a plague of biblical proportions, society spins out of controls faster than you can say “white meat only.” Will the world end with two sides and a biscuit? Will Huey Freeman’s elaborate end-of-the-world survival plan stand up to the ultimate test? Will any of us ever get to eat fried chicken again?
The Color of Ruckus: Uncle Ruckus must face the truth about his racial origins, when his abusive father and the rest of his family show up in Woodcrest.
It’s Goin’ Down: Legendary anti-terrorist agent Jack Flowers becomes suspicious of Huey when Ed Wuncler III and Gin Rummy plot a terrorist attack in Woodcrest.
Season Four
Pretty Boy Flizzy: Well known and admired R&B singer “Pretty Boy Flizzy” helps Tom with his troubled marriage.
Good Times: These are not “good times” for Granddad. He owes millions of dollars on his house to Eddie Wuncler (son of Ed Wuncler) who has some unique ideas of how Granddad can pay him back. And with Eddie appearing more like a gangster than a businessman, times are about to get worse.
Breaking Grandad: It may not be meth, but the explosive hair product the Freemans are selling is just as dangerous. And even more lethal may be the black market of the hair-care industry run by Boss Willona.
Early Bird Special: Granddad is hired by pimps at a nursing home to escort lonely ladies. But this Woodcrest Gigolo is in for a surprise when he finds that the job is not as sexy as it sounds.
Freedom Ride or Die: Young Robert Freeman and his fellow freedom riders retell their daring adventure on the road to Birmingham.
Granddad Dates a Kardashian: Granddad co-stars on a reality show when he begins dating Kardashia, a long lost Kardashian sister. While Riley and Granddad love all of the swag they’re receiving, Huey is more dubious of this new Kardashian’s intentions. Can the Freemans keep with with Kardashia?
Freedomland: The Freemans find that Eddie Wuncler’s new slavery theme park “Freedomland” may be a bit to authentic, when they are trapped there and forced to be slaves. Huey must find a way to uproot them from this situation.
I Dream of Siri: Granddad loves Siri on his new iPhone. Unfortunately, she loves him back, a bit too much. When she becomes obsessed with him, Granddad finds that Siri is one app that won’t be deleted that easily.
Stinkmeaner: Begun the Clone War Has: Stinkmeaner is back, or at least his clone is. After a fight with Granddad goes viral, Stinkmeaner turns unto an instant celebrity. And seeking revenge, Granddad’s hate may cause him to be yet another clone of Stinkmeaner.
The New Black: Riley becomes the maligned target of gay rights groups after he calls his classmate “gay.” In these sensitive times when everyone is offended by everything, Riley really has to watch what he says, even when his apology may upset people.
HBO has released the full trailer for the six-episode limited drama series “The Plot Against America” based on the novel by Philip Roth, which will debut March 16th.
The story is an alternate American history told through the eyes of a working-class Jewish family in New Jersey as they watch the political rise of Charles Lindbergh, an aviator-hero and xenophobic populist who becomes president and turns the nation toward fascism.
John Turturro, Winona Ryder, Zoe Kazan, Morgan Spector, Anthony Boyle, Azhy Robertson and Caleb Malis co-star. David Simon and Ed Burns pen and executive produce the series.
“The Plot Against America” will be available on SoHo and Neon in NZ.
Goblin Slayer:“Think about how it would feel if your home was suddenly attacked by monsters… Yes, if your home was suddenly attacked by monsters one day. They act as though they own the place and kill your friends, kill your family, and plunder the rest of the village. Another example would be if your older sister was attacked, tormented, made a plaything, then killed… Let’s say that you witnessed all of this, from start to finish, in hiding as you held your breath… There’s no way you’d forgive them.”
Released this month on Blu-ray/DVD is the controversial Manga “Goblin Slayer – Season One” (2019) based on the Japanese dark fantasy light novel series ‘Goblin Slayer’ written by Kumo Kagyu and illustrated by Noboru Kannatuki. Many staples of the fantasy genre are present here in the “Goblin Slayer” series but with some very dark twists as well as an unforgettable first episode that while it does not graphically show a rape does have one within its narrative which for some is not only unforgivable but pretty much unwatchable.
The one element of this series that works incredibly well is to establish the goblins as truly frightening entities despite most fans regarding them as weak and a non threat in fantasy terms. The very first episode sets out the ground rules about them: they are a race of deranged and sadistic beings that think of nothing but killing humans, defiling women for breeding and destroying villages. Of course the series also creates new versions of goblins so that they are a match for the hero of the story, which helps move the plot along quickly.
Like the best genre series, “Goblin Slayer” is all about the goals of each episode, one feels that a series like this is not about beating the ultimate bad guy or guy but the journey itself. It is also about the history of the main characters, as well as thier development both personal and professional.
The two most interesting aspects about the series’ premise and plot are its subtle exploration of obsession, as well as presenting itself as a merely small story of a far larger narrative that we might never see. The obsession part is mostly revolved about our titular protagonist’s psychotic hatred towards goblins.
The titular Goblin Slayer is the draw card of this series, he is a combination of other genre characters so he proves to be a surprisingly complex and relatable lead character in spite of being incredibly dispassionate and stoic in behaviour, like many other similarly themed characters.
The only real downside so far is that while his character arc is brilliant with its careful and subtle direction and deliberate pace, the early finale of the season leaves his growth far from finished. At the very least, the season concludes with an optimistic look at the Goblin Slayer’s future. The titular Goblin Slayer is the draw card of this series, he is a combination of other genre characters so he proves to be a surprisingly complex and relatable lead character in spite of being incredibly dispassionate, like many other similarly themed characters.
The reaction to the first episode that caused the controversy involves a scene where goblins rip the clothing off a hunting party member before they brutally rape her. There’s plenty to like about the show that defenders will happily point out. However, for many, the mishandling of one of the series’ core issues has earned it an enduring black mark. The treatment of sexual violence rubbed a lot of people the wrong way. This led to situations where viewers either stuck with the show or abandoned ship after the first episode. Overall, Goblin Slayer isn’t a must-see masterpiece, but it does have some really compelling moments.
Episodes:
The Fate of Particular Adventurers: On the first day that the Priestess became an adventurer, she joins three other rookie adventurers on a quest to save some girls who were kidnapped by some goblins. Despite being one of the weakest monsters around, the rookie adventurers fall for some traps that were set for them in the goblin cave, which leads to dire results. A goblin was about to attack the Priestess when a mysterious armored figure appears before her. The armored figure then mercilessly starts slaughtering the goblins and tells the Priestess that his name is Goblin Slayer.
Goblin Slayer: The Goblin Slayer is a silver-ranked adventurer covered in armor from head to toe. The Goblin Slayer never accepted any quests from the Adventurers’ Guild other than quests to slay goblins so he was perceived as strange by the other guild members. Ever since she was saved by the Goblin Slayer the Priestess had been joining him on quests and slowly began to understand how he functions.
Unexpected Visitors: The High Elf Archer, Dwarf Shaman, and Lizardman Priest come to see Goblin Slayer. They tell him of a demon lord that’s revived with the intent to destroy the world, and they ask for Goblin Slayer’s help. However, he tells them they have no interest until they mention goblins.
The Strong: Goblin Slayer and his companions enter some ancient ruins that had been taken over by the demon lords’ minions. Goblin Slayer works together with the High Elf Archer and the others to slay the army of goblins, but suddenly, an ogre appears. The tables turn on the battle as the ogre beats Goblin Slayer down.
Adventures and Daily Life: Goblin Slayer and the others return successful from their quest in the ruins. Goblin Slayer spends a few days sleeping at Cow Girl’s home to recover and then heads to the guild. There, he gives advice to a couple of adventurers on how to deal with some giant rats and also accepts a request from Guild Girl.
Goblin Slayer in the Water Town: Goblin Slayer and his party recieve a request to slay some goblins. The one who sent the request was the Sword Maiden, one of the heroes that defeated the Demon Lord. Goblin Slayer, Priestess, High Elf Archer, Dwarf Shaman, and Lizardman Priest head to Water Town. It’s a peaceful, beautiful city, but apparently, there are some scary incidents happening. The party believes that there might be some goblins hiding in the sewers so they head down there as soon as possible.
Onward Unto Death: Goblin Slayer and his party go into the sewers of Water Town to investigate some brutal incidents they think were caused by goblins. When they go down to the sewers, they are immediately attacked by a horde of goblins. Because of the sheer number of goblins, the party has a hard time dealing with them all and then a goblin champion also appears before them.
Whispers and Prayers and Chants: Goblin Slayer was gravely injured after the battle with the goblin champion. The Priestess and Sword Maiden work together to heal Goblin Slayer with a special ritual. Meanwhile, High Elf Archer and the others investigate the sewers a bit further and encounter a mysterious creature. Due to the creature’s abilities, the party heads back up to the surface to regroup with Goblin Slayer and Priestess before they go any further.
There and Back Again: The party encounters a giant mirror in the sewers. The mirror, the mysterious creature they encountered, the horde of goblins, and the goblin champion that appeared – Goblin Slayer and the others try to get to the bottom of what’s going on. They once again encounter the horde of goblins as well as the goblin champion, which gravely injured Goblin Slayer previously. But Goblin Slayer had a plan to take care of them once and for all.
Dozing: Goblin Slayer and his party head back to town. The news that the Hero had defeated the Demon Lord is spreading, putting everyone in a celebratory mood. However, Goblin Slayer doesn’t seem to care much about the news and continues on with his daily life. On the other hand, it seems that Goblin Slayer is changing ever so slightly through his interactions with his companions.
A Gathering of Adventurers: Goblin Slayer does his usual rounds around the farm and finds a bunch of goblin footprints, and realizes that they’re planning to attack the farm that night. Goblin Slayer tries to convince Cow Girl and her uncle to leave, but she refuses to leave, wanting to protect the one place that Goblin Slayer has to come home to. In order to protect the farm Goblin Slayer heads to the guild to make a request.
The Fate of an Adventurer: The battle against the Goblin Lord and his horde of goblins had begun, and High Elf Archer, Dwarf Shaman, Lizardman Priest, and the other members from the guild face them head-on. Meanwhile, Goblin Slayer goes to face the Goblin Lord alone.
Featuring: Abigail Spencer, Matt Lanter, Malcolm Barrett, Sakina Jaffrey, Paterson Joseph, Claudia Doumit and Goran Višnjić
Carol Preston: “Oh, it’s incredible. We’re here together, like I’d always hoped. Are you ready?”
Lucy Preston: “Let’s go change history.”
Released this week on both blu-ray and DVD is the relatively short lived science fantasy show “Timeless – Season Two” (2018), at least the conclusion to the entire series, including the movie length finale. It is easy to see why this show was a little lost in terms of finding an audience, it was on a major network in NBC, on the surface it seemed like a throwback to series from the 1980s and 1990s and the sheer competition in terms of scripted shows is huge, the year this was released it was one of over four hundred and fifty scripted series. Of course the most obvious comparison is to the 1960s series “The Time Tunnel” (1966-1967) which operated in a similar way albeit without the underlying conspiracy story cribbed from “The X-Files” (1993-2018). None of these elements are negatives, in fact in another era “Timeless” may have broken through and lasted much longer than two seasons but it did not have enough to seperate it from other new or exiting shows. One aspect that I believed did hurt it was its tone was very middle of the road so that it did not have any kind of edge to it, so it had to rely on the actors to provide that which because of the nature of the show they were unable to, which again cost the series in ratings as well as reviews.
The broad outline of the show is based around the idea of an experimental time machine which is stolen, a history professor, a soldier and an engineer are tasked with capturing the culprit. They soon learn, however, that the thief plans to rewrite American history, and that each of them has a connection to his plan, as well as the mysterious organization that funded the machine’s development.
It is not difficult to see why this show came into existence with two creators who have both has immense success with their own projects, Eric Kripke with the long running “Supernatural” (2004-2019) and Shaun Ryan who broke through with his genre busting “The Shield” (2002-2008), it may have seemed like an odd marriage but both had their strengths. The automatic reaction would be that they would bring their strengths to bear creating something with an edge, that was had a narrative set up over each week and would be original as well as within the zeitgeist. However what has occurred is that both their sensibilities have been run through the corporate machine as well as network television to offer a show that is actually a little dull and hardly noticeable apart from all the other network shows on air.
To combat this the producers have upped to elements within the show through casting as well as who directed the first two episodes. Firstly the show has cast up with new faces in lead roles as well as experienced character actors in support roles which assists giving the overall plot some kind of believability for the audience to hang onto in the more fantastic elements while exposing relatively new actors to events in the place of the audience. Secondly bringing in a director, Neil Marshall, who is a film director to set the show up with a look and feel that can be followed through on with other directors who have a blueprint. However, again where both of these elements have fallen down is that they have all been filtered through a network and in case you missed it the least relevant shows are on networks. Maybe this show should have gone to Netflix or another service, if only someone could go back in time and change that.
Episodes:
The War to End All Wars: As Rufus and Wyatt prepare to get Amy back, Mason Industries is bombed. They survive and Agent Christopher relocates them to a decommissioned nuclear bunker. Six weeks later, Lucy—now seemingly integrated into Rittenhouse—joins Carol and Emma in traveling to the Battle of Saint-Mihiel, France on September 14, 1918, to save injured soldier Nicholas Keynes.
The Darlington 500: The Lifeboat team follows the Mothership to September 4, 1955 in Darlington, South Carolina after Flynn gives Lucy a tipoff about a Rittenhouse-affiliated address. They discover that Rittenhouse is after NASCAR race driver Ryan Millerson, who is scheduled to race at the Darlington 500. At the track, they realize that Millerson is the sleeper agent right before race car driver Wendell Scott saves them from being killed by Emma.
Hollywoodland: The Lifeboat team travels to January 2, 1941 Los Angeles, where Rittenhouse sleeper agent Lucas Calhoun, an RKO Pictures producer, steals the only existing copy of Citizen Kane and offers it to William Randolph Hearst in exchange for a weekly column in all Hearst Communications papers, allowing Rittenhouse to manipulate history using propaganda. With the help of actress and inventor Hedy Lamarr, the trio kills Lucas and recovers the film.
The Salem Witch Hunt: Seeing Lucy as an ideological threat, Nicholas orders Carol to kill her. Jiya tells Rufus of her premonition that he will kill 17th-century judge Samuel Sewall. Wyatt tells Lucy that Jessica is alive. Rufus attributes it to recent Rittenhouse activity in 1980. Lucy, Rufus, and Flynn take the Lifeboat to September 22, 1692 in Salem, Massachusetts, where they discover that Abiah Franklin, the future mother of Benjamin Franklin, is slated for execution in the Salem witch trials.
The Kennedy Curse: Flynn stops a Rittenhouse sleeper agent from killing 17-year-old John F. Kennedy in 1934. To escape other agents, Wyatt and Rufus bring Kennedy to 2018. Kennedy flees before the Lifeboat is recharged. He hitches a ride with some college students, but is soon hospitalized with stomach pains. Carol captures Agent Christopher and, before releasing her, demands she protect Lucy by keeping her away from Rittenhouse’s missions.
TheKing of the Delta Blues: Rufus and Jiya add a fourth Lifeboat seat. Mason loses his company. Lucy, Rufus, Flynn, and Mason follow the Mothership to San Antonio, Texas on November 23, 1936 to save Mason’s idol, blues musician Robert Johnson, thereby preserving rock and roll and the 1960s counterculture revolution. The team saves Johnson from a Rittenhouse sleeper agent, but Johnson flees, believing himself cursed.
Mrs. Sherlock Holmes: Lucy, Wyatt, Rufus, and Flynn follow the Mothership to New York City on March 4, 1919, where Rittenhouse frames suffragist Alice Paul for murder on the day she persuaded Woodrow Wilson to support the Nineteenth Amendment. Lucy and Wyatt enlist attorney and sleuth Grace Humiston, who disapproves of advocacy, to prove Paul’s innocence, but Paul is murdered in her cell. Emma violates Nicholas’ orders and instead helps Rufus and Flynn stop the sleeper agent, who is masquerading as a suffragist.
The Day Reagan Was Shot: Lucy, Wyatt, Rufus, and Jiya travel to Washington, D.C. on March 30, 1981, the day Ronald Reagan was shot. The team discovers that Rittenhouse is after a young Denise Christopher, then a rookie cop. Denise is injured and her mother urges her to give up police work and accept an arranged marriage. To change Denise’s mind, Lucy and Jiya help Denise capture a fugitive John Hinckley Jr., then reveal themselves as time travelers, showing her photos of her family.
The General: Lucy, Wyatt, Rufus, and Flynn follow the Mothership to South Carolina on June 1, 1863, where Rittenhouse sleeper agent Confederate Colonel Ryerson uses a history book provided by Emma to outmaneuver Union troops and drive away Colonel James Montgomery and his forces. Wyatt and Rufus work with Harriet Tubman to orchestrate a plantation raid similar to the original Combahee River Raid, while Lucy and Flynn convince Montgomery to reinforce Tubman.
Chinatown: Jiya kills her Rittenhouse guard and flees in the Lifeboat. Sedated, and with the vessel damaged by Emma’s gunfire, Jiya fails to land the Lifeboat in the bunker. Lucy discovers a photograph of Jiya in Chinatown, San Francisco, dated 1888. Jiya’s message in Klingon provides the Lifeboat’s location and an exhortation not to come for her. Lucy, Wyatt, Rufus, and Flynn nevertheless travel to 1888. When Carol prevents Emma from killing Lucy, Emma kills Carol and Nicholas, taking on Jessica as her new partner. A dying Carol tells Lucy she regrets taking Amy from her and not raising Lucy to believe in Rittenhouse.
The Miracle of Christmas: The future Lucy and Wyatt explain that they are from 2023 and that the only chance of stopping Rittenhouse lies with saving Rufus. The future Lucy gives her past self her journal as a guide, while the future Wyatt reveals Jessica’s manipulations. The future Lucy and Wyatt depart in the team’s Lifeboat, leaving their own more advanced version for the team’s use.
