What I've Seen...Thotful Folks...
Thoughts on:
The TV fall season begins in September and October but some networks have released the pilot eps online for some of a few show to get awareness up.
The ones I’ve seen.
Selfie
Starring Karen Gillan (“Doctor Who”) and John Cho (you know what John Cho has been in, let’s be real here.) “Selfie” with its terribly lazy title is a play on “My Fair Lady”. Gillan plays Eliza Dooley, a self-absorbed social media addict who realizes that her thousands of Facebook friends and Tumblr likes doesn’t mean that she has real life friends who like her. Wanting to make a change, she seeks out the help from her coworker in marketing Henry (Cho), a staid fuddy-duddy who is horrified by the culture of insipidness that social media has created.
The first half of the show was pretty annoying with its overuse of internet acronyms Relying on the modern vernacular will make this show dated in a year or two since internet language and platforms are ever revolving. It also just tows the line of being a musical (ABC will actually have a comedy musical series titled “Galavant”) thanks to a lilting monologue Henry gives that seems like it’s about to tip into a song. As well as a scene where three women break out a ukulele and sing Lady Gaga. But it was created by Emily Kapnek, the creator of recently cancelled “Suburgatory”. If there is anyone who can make this show’s odd tone bearable and actually funny is Kapnek.
I’m interested in when she can ditch the wig. She wore one because her head was still shorn due to shooting “Guardians of the Galaxy”.
A-toZ
Created by Ben Queen who created the short-lived FOX series “Drive” as well as the writer/producer of “Cars 2”; and executive produced by Rashida Jones (“Parks and Recreation”) and Eric McCormack (“Will & Grace”), “A to Z” is another version of “How I Met Your Mother”…and not because series’ star Cristin Milioti was the titular ‘mother’ of HIMYM.
Zelda (Milioti) is a lawyer who is wary of relationships, Andrew who works at an internet dating site is a hopeless romantic The two fall for each other and as series’ narrator Katey Sagal explains in the introduction, Andrew and Zelda will date for eight months, three weeks, five days and one hour. This is the comprehensive account of their relationship.
It was a struggle to get through this one. I had to pull all my inner strength to the fore and barrel through. The leads have no appeal, it’s not funny. It’s perfect that it was produced by Jones and McCormack because I feel the same way about them.
I was more entertained by the comparing Milioti’s smile to the characters in Dreamworks films.
The Red Band Society
Now this I loved. FOX released the pilot after challenging fans to post about the show on social media and FOX would donate money to charity in exchange ($100,000).They also held screenings across the country where they raised donations and you get a t-shirt in exchange.
I attended the L.A screening with cast members Octavia Spencer, Dave Annable, Nolan Sotillo, Ciara Bravo(I thought she spelled her name Sierra and I marveled how cool her named sounded. It’s like CB radio talk) and series creator Margaret Nagle (writer S1 “Boardwalk Empire” and teleplays).
Hired by Steven Speilberg, Nagle was asked to develop a remake of the Spanish language series, ‘Polseres Vermelles’ about a group of kids in a hospital.
Polseres Vermelles” cast
Nagle had real life experience with this since her brother Charlie was comatose for years so she spent plenty of time around the children’s ward. Since then she has volunteered at children’s hospital in L.A.
Nagle made slight changes to the original by bringing in the adult characters and adding another girl.
“Red Band Society” deals with a group of friends in the children’s ward at a hospital. Leo is the defacto leader (Charlie Rowe) who has cancer. Brian “Astro” Bradley is Leo’s best friend and co-conspirator who has cystic fibrosis, and Leo’s girlfriend Emma (Ciara Bravo) who has an eating disorder. They get two new pals in Kara (Zoe Levin) a conceited cheerleader with a heart defect and Jordi (Nolan Sotillo) who has cancer and took it upon himself to come to the hospital for treatment by its top doctor Dr. Jack McAndrew (Dave Annabelle). The kids are entertained by an eccentric multi-millionaire hospital benefactor who lives in the hospital (Griffin Dunne) and watched over by Nurse Jackson (Octavia Spencer) and unbeknownst to them by Charlie (Griffin Gluck) a comatose boy who observes all the goings-on in the hospital.
It’s like “The Breakfast Club” and “My So-Called Life” (Nagle was in “My So-Called Life” and a fan which is why she cast Wilson Cruz as nurse in the series. She also says she’s courting cast members from “The Breakfast Club” to make appearances throughout the series.
Cliches abound and it’s pretty predictable but it’s cute and very sweet and sincere in its approach. It’s like early “Glee” but with a softer touch.
Tidbits from the Q&A:
*Nolan won the role by breaking out a guitar at the audition and singing (Annabelle says “nice move” and fistbumps him). Nagle said that she swooned. She called Spielberg and told him she was sending him the tape of his audition but she feels that they’ve found their Jordi. He told her she was pulled in by his singing so she told him to show it to his wife and daughter. Afterwards he called her and said that he was hired. They fell for Nolan too).
*Ciara says she takes the role really seriously and realizes that taking on a role as someone with anorexia required her to have more education about eating disorders.
*Spencer was asked what made her, an Oscar winner, take the series and she replied that winning the Oscar didn’t gain her great scripts. This was by far better than what she’s been receiving.
The cast stayed around afterwards for pictures. I was hoping to get a close-up one of Octavia but I knew the moderator kinda sorta so I went over to say hello to her and we began talking so by the time we finished, Octavia had gone. Anabelle stayed until the very last. I couldn’t even bring myself to say something to him he is so attractive. Attractive and sweet. He was asking everyone about themselves and cracking jokes. The display fell over at one point and he shouted out, “Don’t worry, I’m a doctor!”
Nolan
Flash
Spin-off of “Arrow” starring Grant Gustin, a real life Jimmy Neutron, as Barry Allen police forensic scientist turned speedster after a lightning storm.
Barry’s secret is found out by Dr. Wells of S.T.A.R Labs (Tom Cavanaugh, “Ed”) who has been tracking the creation of metahumans after the lightning storm. He is assisted by Dr. Snow (Danielle Panabaker) and Cisco Ramon (Carlos Valdes) in testing Barry’s ability.
While in a coma after the storm the girl of his dreams, Iris (Candice Patton) and daughter of Barry’s boss/father figure (Jesse L. Martin) Det. Joe West has taken up with the flashy (heh) Det. Eddie Thawne (Rick Cosnett). Too wrapped up in his new abilities and the awareness that the mystery of his mother’s murder may be tied into metahumans to worry about Iris and Thawne, Barry delights in his ability.
I liked it. It’s a great return to lighter comic adaptations. It’s like “Smallville” in that respect. Except that Grant Gustin can’t hold a candle to Tom Welling. He’s not even fit to hold Tom’s golf bag.
What “Flash” has going for it are the guest stars that will make me tune in. Robbie Amell (“The Tomorrow People” ) has been cast as Ronnie Raymond who is Firestorm (or half of Firestorm) in the comics. And Wentworth Miller as Captain Cold/Leonard Snart.
Constantine
TV version of the character made popular in DC’s imprint Vertigo’s “Hellblazer”. John Constantine is a demonologist and dark magician who has voluntarily institutionalized himself to get away from the demon business. Dark forces appear making him realize he needs to return to the demon hunting business.
Just meh. It’s a bit weak, as is Matt Ryan who plays Constantine. Jeremy Davies is in the pilot and that increased the quality. I think it will be good, it has the potential to be REALLY good, but I’m unsure what is holding it back. I think it will depend on the characters you surround Constantine with. Right now we have Manny (Harold Perrinneau) and angel who tries to make sure Constantine doesn’t overstep and Chas (Charles Halsford) Constantine’s oldest friend and fellow demonologist.
After the pilot leak it was announced that NBC was replacing the pilot lead, Lucy Griffiths with a new character; so they reshot the pilot’s ending because the crux of the pilot was that her character was super important and Constantine had to protect her at all cost.
Her character is being replaced by one from the DCU: Zed played by Angélica Celaya.
Not Fall Season shows but new shows that are currently airing or have wrapped their midseason run.
Rush
Tom Ellis (BBC’s “Miranda”) plays hotshot disgraced doctor Will Rush whose expertise is his discretion as well as his medical prowess. A manchild, the only people he cares about his his assistant Sarah (Eva Parker), his best friend Dr. Alex Burke (Larenz Tate) and his drug dealer Manny (Rick Gonzalez).
Tate and buff Gonzalez
Tae and Ellis
“Rush” is like USA’s “Royal Pain” but with a hot lead. Ellis is perfect as Rush thanks to his comedic background. I think another actor would’ve played him as a smarmy douchebag, but Ellis portrays him as a charmer, a manchild who’s a bit of a brat, but has a good heart somewhere deep inside. And if reports are true that’s Ellis in real life but he is a bit more of a douchebag (he cheated on his wife and for a time pled poverty to get out of paying child support.)
Satisfaction
Another USA show that feels like a retread. This time of Showtime’s “Hung” and “Californication”. Matt Passmore plays Neil Truman a man who is dissatisfied with his career and life in general. He gets the unexpected push he needs when he spies his wife having sex with another man. When he confronts the man, Simon (Blair Redford), he explains that he’s an escort and that Neil’s wife still loves him but she just needed something more.
With access to Simon’s phone, Neil takes on one of Simon’s clients, who turns out to be a madame, Adrianna, who was recruiting Simon.
Fascinated by Neil, Adrianna hopes to bring him into the fold.
I was bored at first thinking that it was going to be yet again another story about the plight of poor, misunderstood men. And it is that but the focus is equally on Neil’s wife Grace (Stephanie Szostak) who beyond sex, is looking for emotional and professional contentment.
Redford, Szostak and Passmore
What is unique about this show is that it doesn’t treat infidelity like a dealbreaker. All relationships are different so I like that this shows one where sex with other people isn’t treated like the ultimate betrayal.
In recent episodes Grace has become attracted to a new guy. Photographer Dylan played by the incredibly wan Michael Vartan. Someone please feed him a baguette and some cheese.
Who doesn’t look wan is Kamille Leai who plays Adrianna’s right-hand gal Rosalie.
There was a scene where she sashay’s out of the room stark naked and it broke people’s brains.
like this dude’s
*The embed won't work. Link to his Instagram vid about her.
http://instagram.com/p/rtJxDmAz5s/?modal=true
Working the Engels
Midseason show that has been officially cancelled by NBC that starred Andrea Martin as Ceil Engle who after the death of her husband and the realization that she is penniless leads her to attempt suicide. Failing that, her kids Jenna (Kacey Rohl, “Hannibal”), Sandy (Azura Skye.“CSI Miami”) and Jimmy (Benjamin Arthur, “Less Than Kind”) decide to reopen their father’s law-firm. The only problem is that only Jenna is an attorney.
It was funny enough. I loved seeing Andrea Martin do her thing. She is still a fantastic comedic actor, not only in delivering a line but physcial comedy.
I found it much better than “Welcome to Sweden” which somehow was renewed.
Welcome to Sweden
Created by Greg Poehler, with the concept based on his real life experience) and co-produced by his sister Amy,
“Welcome to Sweden” tells the story of Bruce (Poehler) who moves to Sweden to follow the love of his life, Emma (Josephine Bornebusch). Between the culture shock and the barely restrained hostility from Emma’s mother (Lena Olin), Bruce is hoping that love will trump the comfort of what is known.
It’s one of the few shows I watch that I don’t quite know why I’m watching.
Cuckoo
BBC offering. I haven’t watched S1 which starred Andy Samberg as Cuckoo, a hippie who marries Rachel (Tamla Kari. Now it’s played by Esther Smith) and returns to her hometown in England to the horror of her parents, especially her father Ken (Greg Davies).
Season 2 finds Taylor Lautner as Dale, Cuckoo’s son who comes to find him after being raised on a cult. He learns from the Thompson family that Cuckoo died in a hiking accident.
Worried about letting Dale out in the world with only what he learned in the cult, the Thompsons take him in. As he attempts to bond with his “mother”, Rachel is fighting her attraction towards him.
For some reason playing a clueless, bright eyed dolt is completely in Lautner’s wheelhouse. He’s really good in this role.
Movie Thoughts
The Maze Runner
Another young adult dystopia based novel made into film. Thomas (Dylan O’Brien, “Teen Wolf”) wakes up with no memories (initially not even of his name). He is stranded with a group of boys who arrived to their prison (The Glades) the same way he did.
Thomas is instructed on the ways of the land by Alby (Aml Ameen, “Red Tails”)
and Newt (Thomas Brodie-Sangster, that awkward kid from “Love Actually” who is now that awkward adult from “Game of Thrones”).
The only people who can go beyond the gigantic stone walls are runners: the kids who map the maze every day in an attempt to find a way out, led by Minho (Ki Hong Lee. Who I think is the first Asian actor to be in one of these YA dystopia films. HOLLA!).
Thomas runs afoul of Gally (Will Poulter, “We’re the Millers”) who is angered by Thomas’ need for answers when he feels he should just be content with existing where they are.
With fragments of memory returning, Thomas decides to find a way out.
“Teen Wolf” fans will walk away from this licking O’Brien’s taint even more than what they’re doing now,
but they’ve actually compiled a strong group of actors especially Brodie-Sangster and 12-year old Blake Cooper who plays Chuck, the youngest of the Gladers.
Adapted from James Dashner’s novel by Noah Oppenheimer (a former producer of “The Today Show” and program content for production company Reveille. He is now adapting the second chapter of “Divergent” for screen), “The Maze Runner” is heavily influenced by “Lord of the Flies” and “Lost”. It reaches higher than other YA novels in the “whys” and “hows”. But if the film is not successful, the second book, “The Scorch Trials” won’t be filmed. As a stand-alone film I think it’s a bit wanting. But it’s worth the ride. The worst thing about the film is that some of the CGI scenes are terrible. It’s like watching 3D without the glasses on.
Sin City: A Dame to Kill For
A decade after the first film, Robert Rodriguez and Frank Miller (author of the graphic novel). And like the first film it’s long on style and short of substance. Of the three vignettes, two are original content expressly for this film (Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s “The Long Bad Night” and Jessica Alba’s “Nancy’s Last Dance” ). It is the Eva Green and Josh Brolin’s, “A Dame to Kill For” is the standout thanks to Green’s slinky, femme fatale Ava Lord. This installment is a prequel to the Clive Owen story in the 1st one.
Dwight (Josh Brolin, taking the role over from Clive Owen) once again falls under the allure of his ex, Ava Lord (Eva Green),
a woman who left him for a wealthy man. Now Ava is reaching out to him for help getting away from her husband. Trying to discern if Dwight’s a prince or a pawn in this, he hides out in Old Town under the watchful eye of a group of female killers led by Gail (Rosario Dawson) the woman who truly loves him.
Rodriguez and Miller would have loved to assemble the original female gang but Brittany Murphy passed away and Miller did not want her role replaced; Devon Aoki was pregnant so she was replaced by Jamie Chung (“Believe). Jaime King returned as twins Wendy and Goldie.
Michael Clarke Duncan’s passed away which necessitating his character Manute to be recast since Manute is a big part of the story. Dennis Haysbert took over the role (though Ving Rhames would’ve been more fitting.)
The vignette with Joseph Gordon Levitt, “The Long Bad Night” is good strictly because it is perfect casting. If there is someone who was born to be in a noir film it’s Joe. He plays Johnny, a cocky gambler who always win.
f This time he’s up against his biggest proponent: Roarke (Powers Booth) a powerful Senator.
Roarke is also the villain in Jessica Alba’s “Nancy’s Last Dance”. Following the events of the first film, Nancy is struggling after the loss of Hartigan (Bruce Willis). Disgusted by seeing Roarke every night, Nancy plots to avenge Hartigan.
The majority of Alba’s storyline is her dancing in the background and looking sad. It’s only in the last few minutes of her story that it gains traction. I will give it to Alba, she does one stripper routine that made me want to throw money at the screen. She worked he hell out of that routine.
It was the premiere.
Robert Rodriguez and Frank Miller did the introductions. My friend said that Miller looked like Freddy Krueger and the entire time he was in front all I could picture was Miller in a striped sweater. But now I’m hearing speculation that he’s sick and I believe it. He’s 57 and looks 80.
Rodriguez introduced the cast and asked them to individually stand when he said his name. I knew Jaime was there because she was the first person I saw. She was being doted on by twohandlers (a woman making sure the train of her dress wasn’t being stepped, a man making sure she had her 3D glasses, another woman she was chatting with). I was behind her at one point and could just stare at the tattoo on the back of her neck.
It was during the introductions I realized Joseph Gordon-Levitt wasn’t there.
Make that Emmy winner Joseph Gordon-Levitt whose variety show hitRecord won a Creative Emmy last week
g
Rodriguez spoke warmly of all his cast. He said because the film finally came together at the last minute scheduling became a nightmare. Rosario was slated to do another film so she couldn’t cut her hair for Sin City. Rodriquez figured they’d just pin her hair back to make it look like the canonical style of her character. When she arrived at set he saw that she had cut her hair. Dawson explained that she ddin’t want people to think she couldn’t “bring it”.
Jessica Alba: Perfect, perfect casting. You’ll be blown away by the stellar job she does with this. I’m very proud of her.
Mickey Rourke: I worked with him on “Once Upon a Time in Mexico” and thought, ‘OMG, what a perfect actor”. I brought him to meet Frank and he talked about his dogs and his therapist and Frank wrote down on the sides, “Mickey IS Marv”. (He stands and blows kisses and bows).
Bruce Willis: We went to meet this particular actor…I don’t think Frank even got to hear him say he’s in. Frank went to the bathroom, that’s how quick it happened. We showed him the material and the guy looks down, smiles and says, “I’m in.” (I think I spotted eldest daughter Rumer as one of the girls of Old Town)
Eva Green: The toughest bit of casting we had over these nine years was who could possibly play Ava Lord. We had to bet on this person who we loved and always believed in…you’ll see. She sets the screen on fire.
Powers Booth: I was a huge fan growing up of this actor. He was the first actor I met in Hollywood when I came here 25 years ago. I told him I was making “El Mariachi” and told him someday I wanted to make a film with him. When I cast him in “Sin City” I told him I’m sorry it’s a small role, but if you bet on this and it’s successful, you’re (his character) is all over the second one.
Rosario Dawson: Need I say more? (He tells the haircut story)
Jaime King: Jaime King is back!
Josh Brolin: There is one actor who we really only wanted and he was never available we just started shooting hoping that the right actor would fall into our laps. I shouldn’t give it away…(ponders)…uh..uh.. he didn’t get to work with the people he’s onscreen with..he eventually became available but it was so late in the production but he had to act with people who aren’t even there, you won’t even know it. He’s an amazing actor. He’s pretty astonishing; Josh Brolin (dawnybee: I was under the impression that he acted against green screen, but I think they had other actors as stand-ins and then digitized the actual cast over them. If he truly did act with no one there a’la Bob Hoskins in “Who Framed Roger Rabbit” Brolin is an even better actor than I thought and Rodriguez a better filmmaker than I thought. It’s seamless. Had he not pointed it out no one would’ve been able to tell.
Dennis Haysbert: After Michael Clarke Duncan’s passing someone had to fill his shoes. We went to a friend of his who is a tremendous actor and who paid tribute to Michael’s performance and also had he sensitivity and was gentlemanly enough to take it further.
Stacey Keach: The good thing about doing a movie like this with a lot of characters is getting to work with people you’ve always wanted to so I asked Frank, who is your dream actor and before I could even finish my sentence he said “Stacey Keach”.
Christopher Meloni: Fank Miller has always said, “If we get to make “A Dame to Kill For” I know who I want for Mort.
He also mentioned the actors in small roles: Joseph Gordon Levitt, Julie Garner, Juno Temple, Jeremy Piven, Jamie Chung.
He threw it to Miller who said, “he’d be more brief than Rodriguez”. He said that he has three brothers and considers Rodriguez his fourth and couldn’t ask for a better collaborator.
Huge cast but other than Jaime King, I didn’t see nary a one. I did see Alba’s FOINE husband Cash Warren. He was behind me asking someone if they had seen his “missus”. Robert Rodriguez was holding court by the concession stand with his “From Dusk Til Dawn” star DJ Cotrona.
DJ is currently starring at the George Clooney character, Seth Gecko. I’ve only seen Cotrona in “G.I Joe” but he was supposed to be Superman in the George Miller’s “Justice League” film so I wanted a picture. I was going to take it of him, but he suggested we take it together. He even asked someone to take it for us. But I did the thing I hated. All this time later actors from the failed JLA film keeps being asked about it: DJ, Armie Hammer, Jay Baruchel and I just think it’s time to stop revisiting it. So what do I do? I ask him about it because I was on the verge of blurting out if he and Adrienne Palicki were still together (she played his estranged wife in an episode of “From Dusk Til Dawn”).
I asked him if it was true if he was going to play Superman (which I knew it was true but I didn’t have anything else to say to him when I should’ve just walked away content with the picture) and he said, “Yeah, but what are you going to do?” and I told him it worked out he has “From Dusk Til Dawn” and he said, “yeah, and I’m really grateful. I love it.”
Then I saw Ian Bohen of “Teen Wolf”. I had a feeling (a deep hope) that Tyler Hoechlin would be there so when I saw Bohen I thought, “Could Hoechlin be near? He went to the premiere of the sequel to “3000” , he must come to this. I asked Ian for a picture, he asked if I wanted to get in it, he said, “it’s better that way”.
Thanked him. Saw Powers Booth leaving, Frank Miller exiting. Before long it’s just a handful of people. Bohen in standing near the men’s room just waiting. I’m still thinking, “What if he’s waiting for Hoechlin? What if he’s in the men’s bathroom?” I’m taking pictures of the displays (which I’ve already had months ago) just waiting it out. I finally just gave up. Who/what he was waiting for didn’t seem to materialize.
When the Game Stands Tall
Adaptation of the book by the same name of high school football coach Bob Ladouceur (Jim Cavaziel in James Garner’s grandpa jeans)
Cavaziel and Michael Chiklis
who took La Salle High School of Concord, California to a 151 game winning streak. But the juniors of the team, which includes Ladouceur’s son Danny (Matthew Daddario) sense of entitlement and riding on the greatness of the team’s name without doing the work, breaks the streak.
Beset by his loss, and the personal loss that has touched the team the kids sends them all in a crisis of faith and on search for redemption.
The movie is trying to be a bit of everything. And I know life is chaotic so it is often many things but I have a feeling a lot of this stuff was created to satisfy the sports film cliches like Alexander Ludwig’s character Chris Ryan who is only focused on setting a record to appease his bullying father (Clancy Brown).
It is a faith-based movie, which they don’t advertise. But it’s also a movie that carries a strong message of discipline and fortitude and humility which sets it apart from other sports films.
Performance wise Jim Cavaziel is a plank of wood and each time the music swelled as he prepared to give a speech I sighed. Laura Dern plays the wife because that’s all that character is: only existing to fret an fix things. Matthew Daddario was perfect as Cavaziel and Dern’s son because he can’t act either.
Better looking than actor
Of the young actors Ser'Darius Blain, as Cam who is finding it hard to follow the lessons Coach Ladeuceour taught him in the face of adversity; tAlexander Ludwig and Jesse Usher as the showboating junior (who looks so much like Lee Thompson Young it hurts my heart) are stand-outs.
Ludwig, Blain and Daddario
If I Stay
Should be titled “If I Stay Awake”. I’m going to give it the benefit of the doubt and assume the book is better than the film adaptation. My first complaint about a young adult novel like this would be that it’s too treacly. “If I Stay” isn’t treacly, as a matter of fact it’s not much of anything.
The script just feels like a Mary Sue version of teen life. Chloe Grace Moretz stars as Mia a girl who falls into a coma following a car accident. As she hovers on the precipice between life and death she looks back at her life up this point including her rocky relationship with musician boyfriend Adam (Jamie Blakely)
and her still rockers at heart parents Kat (Mireielle Enos (“The Klling”) and Denny (Joshua Leonard, “Hung”) and little brother.
Schlocky, meandering and more about setting up Blakely as the new teen heartthrob (won’t happen. He’s fugly, but so is Pattinson so…)
Good music though with the exception of Blackley’s movie band and a horrific cover of Beyonce’s “Halo”.
The weirdest thing about this movie besides the fact that teens are going to hold it up as some masterpiece? Moretz plays a skilled cellist
so there are close-up scenes of her playing that I believe are CGI’d. They took her face and put it over a real cellist performing. The pixilation gives it away. It looks like Meryl Streep in “Death Becomes Her” where she’s adjusting her twisted neck.
The Purge: Anarchy
~There were a lot of big deal movies that came out this summer but my favorite was “The Purge: Anarchy”. I saw it twice. I can’t say it improved on the original because I love the first one as it is, but it did build out from the premise.
The first “The Purge” is essentially a home invasion thriller, which never dawned on me until the producer Brad Fuller stated that at the fan event that was held. He said that the main complaint they heard was that people wanted to see more of the purging so this film was the result of that.
On the night of the annual purge, a mysterious man (Frank Grillo, “Capt. America: Winter Soldier”, “The Grey”) embarks on the night of killing only to be detoured by saving a mother, her daughter (Carmen Ejogo, “Sparkle” and Zoe Soul, “Reed Between the Lines” and two stranded motorists (real life married couple Zach Gilford, “Friday Night Lights” and Kiele Sanchez, “Lost”).
The five of them have to survive the night in enough time to get The Stranger off to do his bidding before the deadline.
Grillo is an acting beast. I thought that with “Warrior” and “The Grey” and now seeing him hold his own as the lead I’m more convinced that he should be the Next Big Thing. He not only do the action very well, but he has a great emotional reach and it upped this movie greatly.
Instead of doing a traditional premiere Universal held a Fan and Friends event which was essentially the premiere without the press. Everyone was invited to the afterparty.
My niece was in town so I took her and when we were still outside getting our passes at Will Call I told her that I thought Aldis Hodge was by us. Then I thought, “No, it’s Edwin…I think.” I kept staring and thought it wasn’t of them but definitely a relative.
After the movie was over she hot tailed it to the lobby and I stayed behind to watch the credits. I finally make it down and she’s staring, still as a statue at Aldis Hodge. I asked, “Have you been here for the last 15 minutes staring at him?” She said “Yeah’. I offered to take a picture of them. So when he was free I said excuse me and asked if I could take a picture of them and he said, “Hey! Yeah.” And I wasn’t sure if it was a “hey” likes, “Sure, anything for a fan” or if he recognized me from the times we talked at my job. He meets tons of people so I didn’t want to say, “I don’t know if you remember but…” so I just took the picture. We then saw his big brother Edwin. Turns out it was Edwin we’d seen outside. I didn’t recognize him because he lost a lot of weight.
Aldis Hodge
Edwin Hodge
I warned my niece that if I saw Frank Grillo she was on her own, because I was going to get his picture and since my batter died we were battling for her phone.
The man! Frank Grillo
I took a picture of the two of them together and I opted to just tell him I was a fan and he took my hand as I talked to him to shake it when someone began talking to him so he continued holding my hand as he listened and I was perfectly content to let him do so.
The Afterparty venue: Lucky Strike Bowling Alley
Grillo brought his oldest son and he did not sit down at all. He was the man of the people that night.
Now for the THOTs.
*Jensen Ackles who joined Twitter.
Your little brother Justin Bieber
*Got body and is covered with tats and he still looks like a 10-year old. Can he even grow hair anywhere but his head?
Callum Blue
*You know this is his new Grindr avatar and I say good for him.
Not a ho! Not a ho. He’s a sweetheart but I’m going to objectify him anyway. My sweet, summer child Chad White. Model extraordinaire and big ray of sunshine.
Chad White
Why must he model clothes??
His smile
I don’t salute the flag but if it’s Chad wearing it?
Chad with his rescue doggy Batman!
Sorry Alex Pettyfer, you and your pooch don’t hold up
The TV fall season begins in September and October but some networks have released the pilot eps online for some of a few show to get awareness up.
The ones I’ve seen.
Selfie
Starring Karen Gillan (“Doctor Who”) and John Cho (you know what John Cho has been in, let’s be real here.) “Selfie” with its terribly lazy title is a play on “My Fair Lady”. Gillan plays Eliza Dooley, a self-absorbed social media addict who realizes that her thousands of Facebook friends and Tumblr likes doesn’t mean that she has real life friends who like her. Wanting to make a change, she seeks out the help from her coworker in marketing Henry (Cho), a staid fuddy-duddy who is horrified by the culture of insipidness that social media has created.
The first half of the show was pretty annoying with its overuse of internet acronyms Relying on the modern vernacular will make this show dated in a year or two since internet language and platforms are ever revolving. It also just tows the line of being a musical (ABC will actually have a comedy musical series titled “Galavant”) thanks to a lilting monologue Henry gives that seems like it’s about to tip into a song. As well as a scene where three women break out a ukulele and sing Lady Gaga. But it was created by Emily Kapnek, the creator of recently cancelled “Suburgatory”. If there is anyone who can make this show’s odd tone bearable and actually funny is Kapnek.
I’m interested in when she can ditch the wig. She wore one because her head was still shorn due to shooting “Guardians of the Galaxy”.
A-toZ
Created by Ben Queen who created the short-lived FOX series “Drive” as well as the writer/producer of “Cars 2”; and executive produced by Rashida Jones (“Parks and Recreation”) and Eric McCormack (“Will & Grace”), “A to Z” is another version of “How I Met Your Mother”…and not because series’ star Cristin Milioti was the titular ‘mother’ of HIMYM.
Zelda (Milioti) is a lawyer who is wary of relationships, Andrew who works at an internet dating site is a hopeless romantic The two fall for each other and as series’ narrator Katey Sagal explains in the introduction, Andrew and Zelda will date for eight months, three weeks, five days and one hour. This is the comprehensive account of their relationship.
It was a struggle to get through this one. I had to pull all my inner strength to the fore and barrel through. The leads have no appeal, it’s not funny. It’s perfect that it was produced by Jones and McCormack because I feel the same way about them.
I was more entertained by the comparing Milioti’s smile to the characters in Dreamworks films.
The Red Band Society
Now this I loved. FOX released the pilot after challenging fans to post about the show on social media and FOX would donate money to charity in exchange ($100,000).They also held screenings across the country where they raised donations and you get a t-shirt in exchange.
I attended the L.A screening with cast members Octavia Spencer, Dave Annable, Nolan Sotillo, Ciara Bravo(I thought she spelled her name Sierra and I marveled how cool her named sounded. It’s like CB radio talk) and series creator Margaret Nagle (writer S1 “Boardwalk Empire” and teleplays).
Hired by Steven Speilberg, Nagle was asked to develop a remake of the Spanish language series, ‘Polseres Vermelles’ about a group of kids in a hospital.
Polseres Vermelles” cast
Nagle had real life experience with this since her brother Charlie was comatose for years so she spent plenty of time around the children’s ward. Since then she has volunteered at children’s hospital in L.A.
Nagle made slight changes to the original by bringing in the adult characters and adding another girl.
“Red Band Society” deals with a group of friends in the children’s ward at a hospital. Leo is the defacto leader (Charlie Rowe) who has cancer. Brian “Astro” Bradley is Leo’s best friend and co-conspirator who has cystic fibrosis, and Leo’s girlfriend Emma (Ciara Bravo) who has an eating disorder. They get two new pals in Kara (Zoe Levin) a conceited cheerleader with a heart defect and Jordi (Nolan Sotillo) who has cancer and took it upon himself to come to the hospital for treatment by its top doctor Dr. Jack McAndrew (Dave Annabelle). The kids are entertained by an eccentric multi-millionaire hospital benefactor who lives in the hospital (Griffin Dunne) and watched over by Nurse Jackson (Octavia Spencer) and unbeknownst to them by Charlie (Griffin Gluck) a comatose boy who observes all the goings-on in the hospital.
It’s like “The Breakfast Club” and “My So-Called Life” (Nagle was in “My So-Called Life” and a fan which is why she cast Wilson Cruz as nurse in the series. She also says she’s courting cast members from “The Breakfast Club” to make appearances throughout the series.
Cliches abound and it’s pretty predictable but it’s cute and very sweet and sincere in its approach. It’s like early “Glee” but with a softer touch.
Tidbits from the Q&A:
*Nolan won the role by breaking out a guitar at the audition and singing (Annabelle says “nice move” and fistbumps him). Nagle said that she swooned. She called Spielberg and told him she was sending him the tape of his audition but she feels that they’ve found their Jordi. He told her she was pulled in by his singing so she told him to show it to his wife and daughter. Afterwards he called her and said that he was hired. They fell for Nolan too).
*Ciara says she takes the role really seriously and realizes that taking on a role as someone with anorexia required her to have more education about eating disorders.
*Spencer was asked what made her, an Oscar winner, take the series and she replied that winning the Oscar didn’t gain her great scripts. This was by far better than what she’s been receiving.
The cast stayed around afterwards for pictures. I was hoping to get a close-up one of Octavia but I knew the moderator kinda sorta so I went over to say hello to her and we began talking so by the time we finished, Octavia had gone. Anabelle stayed until the very last. I couldn’t even bring myself to say something to him he is so attractive. Attractive and sweet. He was asking everyone about themselves and cracking jokes. The display fell over at one point and he shouted out, “Don’t worry, I’m a doctor!”
Nolan
Flash
Spin-off of “Arrow” starring Grant Gustin, a real life Jimmy Neutron, as Barry Allen police forensic scientist turned speedster after a lightning storm.
Barry’s secret is found out by Dr. Wells of S.T.A.R Labs (Tom Cavanaugh, “Ed”) who has been tracking the creation of metahumans after the lightning storm. He is assisted by Dr. Snow (Danielle Panabaker) and Cisco Ramon (Carlos Valdes) in testing Barry’s ability.
While in a coma after the storm the girl of his dreams, Iris (Candice Patton) and daughter of Barry’s boss/father figure (Jesse L. Martin) Det. Joe West has taken up with the flashy (heh) Det. Eddie Thawne (Rick Cosnett). Too wrapped up in his new abilities and the awareness that the mystery of his mother’s murder may be tied into metahumans to worry about Iris and Thawne, Barry delights in his ability.
I liked it. It’s a great return to lighter comic adaptations. It’s like “Smallville” in that respect. Except that Grant Gustin can’t hold a candle to Tom Welling. He’s not even fit to hold Tom’s golf bag.
What “Flash” has going for it are the guest stars that will make me tune in. Robbie Amell (“The Tomorrow People” ) has been cast as Ronnie Raymond who is Firestorm (or half of Firestorm) in the comics. And Wentworth Miller as Captain Cold/Leonard Snart.
Constantine
TV version of the character made popular in DC’s imprint Vertigo’s “Hellblazer”. John Constantine is a demonologist and dark magician who has voluntarily institutionalized himself to get away from the demon business. Dark forces appear making him realize he needs to return to the demon hunting business.
Just meh. It’s a bit weak, as is Matt Ryan who plays Constantine. Jeremy Davies is in the pilot and that increased the quality. I think it will be good, it has the potential to be REALLY good, but I’m unsure what is holding it back. I think it will depend on the characters you surround Constantine with. Right now we have Manny (Harold Perrinneau) and angel who tries to make sure Constantine doesn’t overstep and Chas (Charles Halsford) Constantine’s oldest friend and fellow demonologist.
After the pilot leak it was announced that NBC was replacing the pilot lead, Lucy Griffiths with a new character; so they reshot the pilot’s ending because the crux of the pilot was that her character was super important and Constantine had to protect her at all cost.
Her character is being replaced by one from the DCU: Zed played by Angélica Celaya.
Not Fall Season shows but new shows that are currently airing or have wrapped their midseason run.
Rush
Tom Ellis (BBC’s “Miranda”) plays hotshot disgraced doctor Will Rush whose expertise is his discretion as well as his medical prowess. A manchild, the only people he cares about his his assistant Sarah (Eva Parker), his best friend Dr. Alex Burke (Larenz Tate) and his drug dealer Manny (Rick Gonzalez).
Tate and buff Gonzalez
Tae and Ellis
“Rush” is like USA’s “Royal Pain” but with a hot lead. Ellis is perfect as Rush thanks to his comedic background. I think another actor would’ve played him as a smarmy douchebag, but Ellis portrays him as a charmer, a manchild who’s a bit of a brat, but has a good heart somewhere deep inside. And if reports are true that’s Ellis in real life but he is a bit more of a douchebag (he cheated on his wife and for a time pled poverty to get out of paying child support.)
Satisfaction
Another USA show that feels like a retread. This time of Showtime’s “Hung” and “Californication”. Matt Passmore plays Neil Truman a man who is dissatisfied with his career and life in general. He gets the unexpected push he needs when he spies his wife having sex with another man. When he confronts the man, Simon (Blair Redford), he explains that he’s an escort and that Neil’s wife still loves him but she just needed something more.
With access to Simon’s phone, Neil takes on one of Simon’s clients, who turns out to be a madame, Adrianna, who was recruiting Simon.
Fascinated by Neil, Adrianna hopes to bring him into the fold.
I was bored at first thinking that it was going to be yet again another story about the plight of poor, misunderstood men. And it is that but the focus is equally on Neil’s wife Grace (Stephanie Szostak) who beyond sex, is looking for emotional and professional contentment.
Redford, Szostak and Passmore
What is unique about this show is that it doesn’t treat infidelity like a dealbreaker. All relationships are different so I like that this shows one where sex with other people isn’t treated like the ultimate betrayal.
In recent episodes Grace has become attracted to a new guy. Photographer Dylan played by the incredibly wan Michael Vartan. Someone please feed him a baguette and some cheese.
Who doesn’t look wan is Kamille Leai who plays Adrianna’s right-hand gal Rosalie.
There was a scene where she sashay’s out of the room stark naked and it broke people’s brains.
like this dude’s
*The embed won't work. Link to his Instagram vid about her.
http://instagram.com/p/rtJxDmAz5s/?modal=true
Working the Engels
Midseason show that has been officially cancelled by NBC that starred Andrea Martin as Ceil Engle who after the death of her husband and the realization that she is penniless leads her to attempt suicide. Failing that, her kids Jenna (Kacey Rohl, “Hannibal”), Sandy (Azura Skye.“CSI Miami”) and Jimmy (Benjamin Arthur, “Less Than Kind”) decide to reopen their father’s law-firm. The only problem is that only Jenna is an attorney.
It was funny enough. I loved seeing Andrea Martin do her thing. She is still a fantastic comedic actor, not only in delivering a line but physcial comedy.
I found it much better than “Welcome to Sweden” which somehow was renewed.
Welcome to Sweden
Created by Greg Poehler, with the concept based on his real life experience) and co-produced by his sister Amy,
“Welcome to Sweden” tells the story of Bruce (Poehler) who moves to Sweden to follow the love of his life, Emma (Josephine Bornebusch). Between the culture shock and the barely restrained hostility from Emma’s mother (Lena Olin), Bruce is hoping that love will trump the comfort of what is known.
It’s one of the few shows I watch that I don’t quite know why I’m watching.
Cuckoo
BBC offering. I haven’t watched S1 which starred Andy Samberg as Cuckoo, a hippie who marries Rachel (Tamla Kari. Now it’s played by Esther Smith) and returns to her hometown in England to the horror of her parents, especially her father Ken (Greg Davies).
Season 2 finds Taylor Lautner as Dale, Cuckoo’s son who comes to find him after being raised on a cult. He learns from the Thompson family that Cuckoo died in a hiking accident.
Worried about letting Dale out in the world with only what he learned in the cult, the Thompsons take him in. As he attempts to bond with his “mother”, Rachel is fighting her attraction towards him.
For some reason playing a clueless, bright eyed dolt is completely in Lautner’s wheelhouse. He’s really good in this role.
Movie Thoughts
The Maze Runner
Another young adult dystopia based novel made into film. Thomas (Dylan O’Brien, “Teen Wolf”) wakes up with no memories (initially not even of his name). He is stranded with a group of boys who arrived to their prison (The Glades) the same way he did.
Thomas is instructed on the ways of the land by Alby (Aml Ameen, “Red Tails”)
and Newt (Thomas Brodie-Sangster, that awkward kid from “Love Actually” who is now that awkward adult from “Game of Thrones”).
The only people who can go beyond the gigantic stone walls are runners: the kids who map the maze every day in an attempt to find a way out, led by Minho (Ki Hong Lee. Who I think is the first Asian actor to be in one of these YA dystopia films. HOLLA!).
Thomas runs afoul of Gally (Will Poulter, “We’re the Millers”) who is angered by Thomas’ need for answers when he feels he should just be content with existing where they are.
With fragments of memory returning, Thomas decides to find a way out.
“Teen Wolf” fans will walk away from this licking O’Brien’s taint even more than what they’re doing now,
but they’ve actually compiled a strong group of actors especially Brodie-Sangster and 12-year old Blake Cooper who plays Chuck, the youngest of the Gladers.
Adapted from James Dashner’s novel by Noah Oppenheimer (a former producer of “The Today Show” and program content for production company Reveille. He is now adapting the second chapter of “Divergent” for screen), “The Maze Runner” is heavily influenced by “Lord of the Flies” and “Lost”. It reaches higher than other YA novels in the “whys” and “hows”. But if the film is not successful, the second book, “The Scorch Trials” won’t be filmed. As a stand-alone film I think it’s a bit wanting. But it’s worth the ride. The worst thing about the film is that some of the CGI scenes are terrible. It’s like watching 3D without the glasses on.
Sin City: A Dame to Kill For
A decade after the first film, Robert Rodriguez and Frank Miller (author of the graphic novel). And like the first film it’s long on style and short of substance. Of the three vignettes, two are original content expressly for this film (Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s “The Long Bad Night” and Jessica Alba’s “Nancy’s Last Dance” ). It is the Eva Green and Josh Brolin’s, “A Dame to Kill For” is the standout thanks to Green’s slinky, femme fatale Ava Lord. This installment is a prequel to the Clive Owen story in the 1st one.
Dwight (Josh Brolin, taking the role over from Clive Owen) once again falls under the allure of his ex, Ava Lord (Eva Green),
a woman who left him for a wealthy man. Now Ava is reaching out to him for help getting away from her husband. Trying to discern if Dwight’s a prince or a pawn in this, he hides out in Old Town under the watchful eye of a group of female killers led by Gail (Rosario Dawson) the woman who truly loves him.
Rodriguez and Miller would have loved to assemble the original female gang but Brittany Murphy passed away and Miller did not want her role replaced; Devon Aoki was pregnant so she was replaced by Jamie Chung (“Believe). Jaime King returned as twins Wendy and Goldie.
Michael Clarke Duncan’s passed away which necessitating his character Manute to be recast since Manute is a big part of the story. Dennis Haysbert took over the role (though Ving Rhames would’ve been more fitting.)
The vignette with Joseph Gordon Levitt, “The Long Bad Night” is good strictly because it is perfect casting. If there is someone who was born to be in a noir film it’s Joe. He plays Johnny, a cocky gambler who always win.
f This time he’s up against his biggest proponent: Roarke (Powers Booth) a powerful Senator.
Roarke is also the villain in Jessica Alba’s “Nancy’s Last Dance”. Following the events of the first film, Nancy is struggling after the loss of Hartigan (Bruce Willis). Disgusted by seeing Roarke every night, Nancy plots to avenge Hartigan.
The majority of Alba’s storyline is her dancing in the background and looking sad. It’s only in the last few minutes of her story that it gains traction. I will give it to Alba, she does one stripper routine that made me want to throw money at the screen. She worked he hell out of that routine.
It was the premiere.
Robert Rodriguez and Frank Miller did the introductions. My friend said that Miller looked like Freddy Krueger and the entire time he was in front all I could picture was Miller in a striped sweater. But now I’m hearing speculation that he’s sick and I believe it. He’s 57 and looks 80.
Rodriguez introduced the cast and asked them to individually stand when he said his name. I knew Jaime was there because she was the first person I saw. She was being doted on by twohandlers (a woman making sure the train of her dress wasn’t being stepped, a man making sure she had her 3D glasses, another woman she was chatting with). I was behind her at one point and could just stare at the tattoo on the back of her neck.
It was during the introductions I realized Joseph Gordon-Levitt wasn’t there.
Make that Emmy winner Joseph Gordon-Levitt whose variety show hitRecord won a Creative Emmy last week
g
Rodriguez spoke warmly of all his cast. He said because the film finally came together at the last minute scheduling became a nightmare. Rosario was slated to do another film so she couldn’t cut her hair for Sin City. Rodriquez figured they’d just pin her hair back to make it look like the canonical style of her character. When she arrived at set he saw that she had cut her hair. Dawson explained that she ddin’t want people to think she couldn’t “bring it”.
Jessica Alba: Perfect, perfect casting. You’ll be blown away by the stellar job she does with this. I’m very proud of her.
Mickey Rourke: I worked with him on “Once Upon a Time in Mexico” and thought, ‘OMG, what a perfect actor”. I brought him to meet Frank and he talked about his dogs and his therapist and Frank wrote down on the sides, “Mickey IS Marv”. (He stands and blows kisses and bows).
Bruce Willis: We went to meet this particular actor…I don’t think Frank even got to hear him say he’s in. Frank went to the bathroom, that’s how quick it happened. We showed him the material and the guy looks down, smiles and says, “I’m in.” (I think I spotted eldest daughter Rumer as one of the girls of Old Town)
Eva Green: The toughest bit of casting we had over these nine years was who could possibly play Ava Lord. We had to bet on this person who we loved and always believed in…you’ll see. She sets the screen on fire.
Powers Booth: I was a huge fan growing up of this actor. He was the first actor I met in Hollywood when I came here 25 years ago. I told him I was making “El Mariachi” and told him someday I wanted to make a film with him. When I cast him in “Sin City” I told him I’m sorry it’s a small role, but if you bet on this and it’s successful, you’re (his character) is all over the second one.
Rosario Dawson: Need I say more? (He tells the haircut story)
Jaime King: Jaime King is back!
Josh Brolin: There is one actor who we really only wanted and he was never available we just started shooting hoping that the right actor would fall into our laps. I shouldn’t give it away…(ponders)…uh..uh.. he didn’t get to work with the people he’s onscreen with..he eventually became available but it was so late in the production but he had to act with people who aren’t even there, you won’t even know it. He’s an amazing actor. He’s pretty astonishing; Josh Brolin (dawnybee: I was under the impression that he acted against green screen, but I think they had other actors as stand-ins and then digitized the actual cast over them. If he truly did act with no one there a’la Bob Hoskins in “Who Framed Roger Rabbit” Brolin is an even better actor than I thought and Rodriguez a better filmmaker than I thought. It’s seamless. Had he not pointed it out no one would’ve been able to tell.
Dennis Haysbert: After Michael Clarke Duncan’s passing someone had to fill his shoes. We went to a friend of his who is a tremendous actor and who paid tribute to Michael’s performance and also had he sensitivity and was gentlemanly enough to take it further.
Stacey Keach: The good thing about doing a movie like this with a lot of characters is getting to work with people you’ve always wanted to so I asked Frank, who is your dream actor and before I could even finish my sentence he said “Stacey Keach”.
Christopher Meloni: Fank Miller has always said, “If we get to make “A Dame to Kill For” I know who I want for Mort.
He also mentioned the actors in small roles: Joseph Gordon Levitt, Julie Garner, Juno Temple, Jeremy Piven, Jamie Chung.
He threw it to Miller who said, “he’d be more brief than Rodriguez”. He said that he has three brothers and considers Rodriguez his fourth and couldn’t ask for a better collaborator.
Huge cast but other than Jaime King, I didn’t see nary a one. I did see Alba’s FOINE husband Cash Warren. He was behind me asking someone if they had seen his “missus”. Robert Rodriguez was holding court by the concession stand with his “From Dusk Til Dawn” star DJ Cotrona.
DJ is currently starring at the George Clooney character, Seth Gecko. I’ve only seen Cotrona in “G.I Joe” but he was supposed to be Superman in the George Miller’s “Justice League” film so I wanted a picture. I was going to take it of him, but he suggested we take it together. He even asked someone to take it for us. But I did the thing I hated. All this time later actors from the failed JLA film keeps being asked about it: DJ, Armie Hammer, Jay Baruchel and I just think it’s time to stop revisiting it. So what do I do? I ask him about it because I was on the verge of blurting out if he and Adrienne Palicki were still together (she played his estranged wife in an episode of “From Dusk Til Dawn”).
I asked him if it was true if he was going to play Superman (which I knew it was true but I didn’t have anything else to say to him when I should’ve just walked away content with the picture) and he said, “Yeah, but what are you going to do?” and I told him it worked out he has “From Dusk Til Dawn” and he said, “yeah, and I’m really grateful. I love it.”
Then I saw Ian Bohen of “Teen Wolf”. I had a feeling (a deep hope) that Tyler Hoechlin would be there so when I saw Bohen I thought, “Could Hoechlin be near? He went to the premiere of the sequel to “3000” , he must come to this. I asked Ian for a picture, he asked if I wanted to get in it, he said, “it’s better that way”.
Thanked him. Saw Powers Booth leaving, Frank Miller exiting. Before long it’s just a handful of people. Bohen in standing near the men’s room just waiting. I’m still thinking, “What if he’s waiting for Hoechlin? What if he’s in the men’s bathroom?” I’m taking pictures of the displays (which I’ve already had months ago) just waiting it out. I finally just gave up. Who/what he was waiting for didn’t seem to materialize.
When the Game Stands Tall
Adaptation of the book by the same name of high school football coach Bob Ladouceur (Jim Cavaziel in James Garner’s grandpa jeans)
Cavaziel and Michael Chiklis
who took La Salle High School of Concord, California to a 151 game winning streak. But the juniors of the team, which includes Ladouceur’s son Danny (Matthew Daddario) sense of entitlement and riding on the greatness of the team’s name without doing the work, breaks the streak.
Beset by his loss, and the personal loss that has touched the team the kids sends them all in a crisis of faith and on search for redemption.
The movie is trying to be a bit of everything. And I know life is chaotic so it is often many things but I have a feeling a lot of this stuff was created to satisfy the sports film cliches like Alexander Ludwig’s character Chris Ryan who is only focused on setting a record to appease his bullying father (Clancy Brown).
It is a faith-based movie, which they don’t advertise. But it’s also a movie that carries a strong message of discipline and fortitude and humility which sets it apart from other sports films.
Performance wise Jim Cavaziel is a plank of wood and each time the music swelled as he prepared to give a speech I sighed. Laura Dern plays the wife because that’s all that character is: only existing to fret an fix things. Matthew Daddario was perfect as Cavaziel and Dern’s son because he can’t act either.
Better looking than actor
Of the young actors Ser'Darius Blain, as Cam who is finding it hard to follow the lessons Coach Ladeuceour taught him in the face of adversity; tAlexander Ludwig and Jesse Usher as the showboating junior (who looks so much like Lee Thompson Young it hurts my heart) are stand-outs.
Ludwig, Blain and Daddario
If I Stay
Should be titled “If I Stay Awake”. I’m going to give it the benefit of the doubt and assume the book is better than the film adaptation. My first complaint about a young adult novel like this would be that it’s too treacly. “If I Stay” isn’t treacly, as a matter of fact it’s not much of anything.
The script just feels like a Mary Sue version of teen life. Chloe Grace Moretz stars as Mia a girl who falls into a coma following a car accident. As she hovers on the precipice between life and death she looks back at her life up this point including her rocky relationship with musician boyfriend Adam (Jamie Blakely)
and her still rockers at heart parents Kat (Mireielle Enos (“The Klling”) and Denny (Joshua Leonard, “Hung”) and little brother.
Schlocky, meandering and more about setting up Blakely as the new teen heartthrob (won’t happen. He’s fugly, but so is Pattinson so…)
Good music though with the exception of Blackley’s movie band and a horrific cover of Beyonce’s “Halo”.
The weirdest thing about this movie besides the fact that teens are going to hold it up as some masterpiece? Moretz plays a skilled cellist
so there are close-up scenes of her playing that I believe are CGI’d. They took her face and put it over a real cellist performing. The pixilation gives it away. It looks like Meryl Streep in “Death Becomes Her” where she’s adjusting her twisted neck.
The Purge: Anarchy
~There were a lot of big deal movies that came out this summer but my favorite was “The Purge: Anarchy”. I saw it twice. I can’t say it improved on the original because I love the first one as it is, but it did build out from the premise.
The first “The Purge” is essentially a home invasion thriller, which never dawned on me until the producer Brad Fuller stated that at the fan event that was held. He said that the main complaint they heard was that people wanted to see more of the purging so this film was the result of that.
On the night of the annual purge, a mysterious man (Frank Grillo, “Capt. America: Winter Soldier”, “The Grey”) embarks on the night of killing only to be detoured by saving a mother, her daughter (Carmen Ejogo, “Sparkle” and Zoe Soul, “Reed Between the Lines” and two stranded motorists (real life married couple Zach Gilford, “Friday Night Lights” and Kiele Sanchez, “Lost”).
The five of them have to survive the night in enough time to get The Stranger off to do his bidding before the deadline.
Grillo is an acting beast. I thought that with “Warrior” and “The Grey” and now seeing him hold his own as the lead I’m more convinced that he should be the Next Big Thing. He not only do the action very well, but he has a great emotional reach and it upped this movie greatly.
Instead of doing a traditional premiere Universal held a Fan and Friends event which was essentially the premiere without the press. Everyone was invited to the afterparty.
My niece was in town so I took her and when we were still outside getting our passes at Will Call I told her that I thought Aldis Hodge was by us. Then I thought, “No, it’s Edwin…I think.” I kept staring and thought it wasn’t of them but definitely a relative.
After the movie was over she hot tailed it to the lobby and I stayed behind to watch the credits. I finally make it down and she’s staring, still as a statue at Aldis Hodge. I asked, “Have you been here for the last 15 minutes staring at him?” She said “Yeah’. I offered to take a picture of them. So when he was free I said excuse me and asked if I could take a picture of them and he said, “Hey! Yeah.” And I wasn’t sure if it was a “hey” likes, “Sure, anything for a fan” or if he recognized me from the times we talked at my job. He meets tons of people so I didn’t want to say, “I don’t know if you remember but…” so I just took the picture. We then saw his big brother Edwin. Turns out it was Edwin we’d seen outside. I didn’t recognize him because he lost a lot of weight.
Aldis Hodge
Edwin Hodge
I warned my niece that if I saw Frank Grillo she was on her own, because I was going to get his picture and since my batter died we were battling for her phone.
The man! Frank Grillo
I took a picture of the two of them together and I opted to just tell him I was a fan and he took my hand as I talked to him to shake it when someone began talking to him so he continued holding my hand as he listened and I was perfectly content to let him do so.
The Afterparty venue: Lucky Strike Bowling Alley
Grillo brought his oldest son and he did not sit down at all. He was the man of the people that night.
Now for the THOTs.
*Jensen Ackles who joined Twitter.
Your little brother Justin Bieber
*Got body and is covered with tats and he still looks like a 10-year old. Can he even grow hair anywhere but his head?
Callum Blue
*You know this is his new Grindr avatar and I say good for him.
Not a ho! Not a ho. He’s a sweetheart but I’m going to objectify him anyway. My sweet, summer child Chad White. Model extraordinaire and big ray of sunshine.
Chad White
Why must he model clothes??
His smile
I don’t salute the flag but if it’s Chad wearing it?
Chad with his rescue doggy Batman!
Sorry Alex Pettyfer, you and your pooch don’t hold up
