This has been a tough season for The Walking Dead ratings-wise, as fans have largely rejected the “All Out War” storyline that has pit Rick’s crew against Negan’s army. I think there was a huge “jumping off” point that came with the death of Rick’s son, Carl, while the series’ continued use of a fractured narrative has worn out its welcome. This weekend’s season 8 finale could be the end of more than just this particular storyline, it could be the end of everything that came before.
Exiting showrunner Scott Gimple tells EW that the impact of the season 8 finale will be to launch a whole new narrative when season 9 starts under new showrunner Angela Kang…
“Also, this episode isn’t just like these 15 episodes coming to a conclusion, but Angela and myself and the writers had always talked about this in many ways being sort of the conclusion of the first eight seasons. This show will be very much a new show next year and with a bigger, new narrative. It was something I was really excited about getting into even before season 8. And so there was just a certain weight in the air of the kind of conclusion that we were getting closer to. It was a weird graduation for everybody.”
Gimple says the finale, titled “Wrath”, will be a big battle but probably not what fans are expecting. Rather than a sprawling, chaotic fight it will be a very character-focused story, which is probably smart considering nearly every major character appears in the episode…
“I guess with so many people, so many characters reaching the conclusion of the story that we’ve been laying out for them over the past few years in some regards, there’s just a lot going on, and a lot of perspectives that we’re shifting between and some very, very big emotional and philosophical movement between just some unbelievably insane things happening,”
While it’s John who handles our recaps of The Walking Dead, I’ve been keeping up with it this season and have largely enjoyed it. That’s despite what I think was a terrible misstep in getting rid of Carl, and the mischaracterization of Carol, by far my favorite character. It sounds like we may see a lot of the original cast get killed off, and I’m just hoping Carol makes it through. If not…well, I may have a free hour on Sundays.
The Walking Dead season 8 finale airs on AMC this Sunday.
This seems like such a no-brainer it’s a wonder to have taken so long. The incredible Donnie Yen has joined the cast of Disney’s live-action Mulan in one of the story’s most crucial roles.
The Hong Kong superstar and Rogue One actor will play Commander Tung, a mentor and teacher to Mulan, a young girl who dressed as a man so she could fight to defender people. Liu Yifei is set to play Mulan, with Whale Rider director Niki Caro at the helm.
Disney seems to be doing this one right, hiring a female director and actual Chinese actors for the major roles. Plus you just can’t go wrong casting Ip Man himself in anything. Mulan is scheduled to open on March 27th 2020. [Deadline]
John Krasinski’s A Quiet Place is what everyone is talking about right now. The near-silent horror film has earned more than $85M after only a week, crushing its tiny $17M budget and getting talks started for a sequel. But will Krasinski return to direct it? That much is unclear, but we know he’ll be doing something else first.
Krasinski will direct sci-fi thriller Life On Mars, an adaptation of Cecil Castellucci’s short story We Have Always Lived on Mars. The story follows a human colony living on Mars many years after a cataclysm on Earth. When it’s discovered that one woman can breath Mars’ air, it changes her world and those of the people around her.
The film will reunite Krasinski with Paramount and Michael Bay’s Platinum Dunes label, both involved with A Quiet Place. No writer is attached at this point and it looks like Krasinski will be staying behind the camera and not taking an on-screen role. But what about his wife, Emily Blunt? Maybe she’d be interested in the lead? [THR]
This news is going to come as a relief for some people, but it may only lead to more confusion about the future of Matt Reeve’s The Batman. Months ago rumors began swirling that Jake Gyllenhaal would be starring in Reeves’ film, in place of current Batman star Ben Affleck who appears to have one foot out the door. Well, one thing’s for sure. There may be a better chance of Affleck coming back than Gyllenhaal donning the cape and cowl.
In a recent interview Gyllenhaal was asked straight-up if he was going to play Batman, and his answer was simple…
“Wow, that’s a very difficult question. The answer to that question is ‘no’.”
It wasn’t difficult at all.
Surprise! More confusion in the DC Films universe. This is one of their biggest problems, not having a sound strategy for upcoming projects and the revealing of information about upcoming projects. Affleck’s dismissal from directing The Batman and obvious unhappiness with the DCEU in general has thrown the entire franchise into chaos, preventing them from moving forward. And now with Gyllenhaal pulling his name out of the running a whole new round of random rumors will emerge. So who do you think will be named next?
Last week on Black Lightning, Gambi’s former boss Proctor figured out that Jefferson probably was Black Lightning. This means that Jefferson was put through the ringer. First, he was falsely accused of being a mastermind drug dealer by corrupt police officers (paid off by his Vice-Principal/secret mole for the ASA Kara Fowdy) and forced to deal with some unconstitutional police officers. He then was taken to an ASA Black Site where they were going to torture him into revealing his powers. Lucky for him, he has a superhero daughter and the best “guy in the chair” that used technology and public perception to tell a massive lie, one big enough to convince the powers that be that he wasn’t Black Lightning and was set free. Also, thanks to one of the good cops (Henderson), the corrupt cops were weeded out and Henderson was named the new Deputy Police Chief. Looks like it’s a new day in Freeland.
Of course, there’s still an albino gangster that runs things that need to be dealt with. Tobias has returned back into town, and thanks to him taking out Lady Eve, he has been promoted to Proctor’s inner-city inner circle. Thanks to the best money the ASA has, he was healed from Jefferson’s lightning powers and gets a face to face meeting with Proctor, who reveals to him the ASA’s endgame. That endgame requires Black Lightning being stopped, caught, and not killed: something that vexes Tobias as he’s still angry about his sister’s death. He even meets up with one of his henchmen later on and kills the guy for only saving him and not him and his sister. Proctor also has Khalil join Tobias, who now can walk and has dreads.
***OK sidenote…. My name is Khalil, and I used to have dreads. Long, flowing, down to my back dreads, so I have paid close attention to this character to see where he would end up. While they explain away how he was healed, the side effect was him growing long dreads in a ridiculously short amount of time. Now if the side effect was to have hair grow quickly, Khalil should also have a massive beard, like a brotha from Philly beard. It seems like his turn to the “evil” Khalil had him to have dreads, which as a former person with locks, it’s not a good narrative decision. OK, rant over.***
Jefferson gets a call from his ex-wife to come by their house. She sounds like it’s a problem, so he rushes over. When he gets there, she’s in a nightgown. This wasn’t a distress call, this was a booty call. While he and Lynn are kissing and groping each other all over the place, his Black Lightning powers are also happening, proving to be a sexual stimulant for Lynn. After the two have sex and are in bed together, Lynn tells him that they should wait on telling their daughters, and treat their reconciliation with the discretion of an “affair” for the time being.
The next day Jefferson runs into Khalil. Like all of us in the audience, Jefferson has some questions as to how the young man is able to walk after taking a bullet. But remember, dreadlocks Khalil is evil Khalil, so he’s giving Jefferson the cold shoulder. He won’t say how he was healed and shuns his former mentor for “abandoning” him. Tobias and Proctor really did a number on him quickly. Jefferson tells his daughter Jennifer about her former boyfriend’s return but warns her not to speak to him as he’s now involved in some of the stuff he’s fighting. But Jennifer’s a teenage girl. When was the last time they ever listened to their parents in pop culture when it related to a boy? She meets up with Khali later on, but they both have changed. When Jennifer even inquires about how he is able to walk again, Khali gets defensive, accuses her of spying for her father, and jumps off the roof of their old hideout, suffering no damage. Meanwhile, Lynn is testing Jennifer’s newfound powers, which is also causing some conflict. After telling her daughter that she wants to study and isolate the gene that is causing her metahuman abilities, it “might” be able to be resolved and she can lead a normal life. Jennifer tells that to her father, which sets him off. For one, this is something Lynn should have discussed with Jefferson. Secondly, it says that something’s “wrong” with her that needs to be “fixed. Jefferson quickly stops their relationship just as it started.
Tobias has a plan on luring out Black Lightning is to attack Jefferson’s school while class is in session. He instructs Khali to arm himself with their weird dart machine and then start attacking students. Black Lightning and Thunder make their way to the school to try and help stop them. Anissa runs into Tobias’ second in command, the mute assassin girl Syonide. The fight is really one sided as Thunder is invulnerable when she holds her breath. Syonide notices Anissa breath out, and then goes on the attack, managing to get some hits in and hurt her. Anissa finally manages to hold her breath again and defeat her. On the other side of the school, Jefferson and Tobias’ face off. Wearing a suit impervious to Jefferson’s lightning, it’s now a fair fight. Khali steps into the fight and when one of his darts finds Jefferson’s neck, he’s not able to use his lightning powers. Khali and Tobias put a beating on Jefferson and with Khalil’s augmented metallic spine, his punches are strong. He hits Jefferson in the chest so hard that his heart stops beating. Anissa comes in as Khalil, Tobias, and Syonide make their exit as the police arrive. Anissa realizes that Jefferson isn’t responding. Jennifer comes and sees her father on the ground and strikes his chest. He powers activate and have enough energy to kickstart his heart, bringing him back to life. Looks like Jennifer will probably not want to get rid of her powers after all. The Pierce family escape with Gambi to a safe house to hide away from Tobias as well as the police (he’s still the one who supposedly killed Lady Eve in the eyes of the law.
La La is lecturing his lieutenants about roughing up their subordinates when he receives some weird message and starts walking away. When he finally gets there, it’s Tobias, who has him under some sort of spell as he says “The Devil Deals The Cards” which disarms La La, who was actually going to shoot him. It looks like they will team up to take on Black Lightning next week.
Speaking on next week, it’s the season finale: the final showdown!
When I sat down in the Eccles Theatre for the Sundance premiere of Tony Gilroy and Brad Anderson’s Beirut, little did I know the journey from script to screen that preceded it. Gilroy is one of today’s top screenwriters, having written everything from The Cutting Edge (yes THAT one), The Devil’s Advocate, Michael Clayton (which he also directed), and most notably the entire Jason Bourne franchise.
But in 1991 he was a red-hot writer coming off his debut script and he wanted to do something different from a movie about ice skaters. So he wrote Beirut, a hard-boiled political thriller about a hot button issue at the time. Studios loved it, but the climate wasn’t right. The film was shoved into a drawer somewhere and basically sat there until it was unearthed a couple of years ago and green lit with Transsiberian director Brad Anderson attached.
The political climate for a movie about the conflict in Lebanon wasn’t so tense nearly 30 years later. Jon Hamm stars as U.S. diplomat who flees Lebanon in 1972 after an event that caused the death of his family. Years later he is called back into action by the CIA who need him to enter Beirut and negotiate the release of one of their agents, who turns out to be the diplomat’s old friend.
I had a chance to sit down and talk with Gilroy about Beirut, finally getting it done after all of these years, the state of political thrillers on the big screen, and more.
You can tune in to the interview below, and check out my review of Beiruthere! The film is in theaters right now.
Set your fond memories of the classic coin-op Rampage aside, the big screen summer blockbuster version is an entirely different beast. I spent many mindless hours and many pockets worth of quarters playing the video game at my local arcade, scaling those 8-bit skyscrapers and smashing them to bits as a trio of escaped mutant monsters. And so what if another couple hours of mindless entertainment is had under its name? Rampage is as big, loud, and dumb as you knew it would be, but it’s also undeniably fun and unquestionably awesome. It’s got The Rock saving the world from giant flying wolves. What in the Hell could ever be wrong with that?
Coming off the surprising $1B success of Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle, Dwayne Johnson finds himself in another video game-based flick that easily entertains. It’s like he’s making up for that Doom debacle from all those years ago. Rampage finds him reteaming with Journey 2: The Mysterious Island and San Andreas director Brad Peyton for another smash ’em up disaster flick of epic proportions. The movie is called Rampage…even if you’ve never played one second of the game you had to know what you were in for. Cliché characters, campy villains, lots of destruction, Johnson sweating from his bald head and his pecs aching to break free from his too-tight shirt. Check, check, check, check, and double check.
Johnson plays Davis Okoye, a primatologist (Stop laughing.) who, wait for it…prefers the company of animals to humans. He’s best friends with George, an albino silverback gorilla he rescued from poachers when the ape was just a baby. David and George have an extraordinary connection, communicating through sign language better than most people, including the pulling off of elaborate pranks. If Timmy and Lassie were a 275lb. primatologist and a gorilla, they’d be Davis and George.
Up in deep space things aren’t so chummy. In what would have made for a kickass sci-fi movie, an experiment on a space station goes awry and a giant mutant rat is unleashed, killing the crew save for one who unwittingly drops canisters of the experimental formula down to Earth, where one lands in the zoo near George’s enclosure. Another finds its way to a marshy swamp full of crocodiles, and another hisses to life in the face of a curious wolf. The effect is like mutagen to a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle, making them big, strong, fast, and super aggressive.
That’s about as complicated as the Rampage plot gets, meaning not at all. George and the other infected animals get really big and start wrecking things and killing whatever is in their path. Davis is joined by a rogue scientist (Naomie Harris) who worked on the experiment, known as CRISPR, while her former bosses (Malin Akerman, Jake Lacy) hope to capture the creatures to further their evil goals. Jeffrey Dean Morgan, unable to stop playing Negan for even a second, swaggers through every scene as a federal agent with a smart mouth and a knack for questioning authority.
Over-the-top right from the start, Rampage never takes itself too seriously even for a moment. Thank goodness it doesn’t because the only way this movie works is if you embrace how ridiculous the whole thing is. Laugh at the token military guy who keeps ordering bigger and bigger military strikes on the creatures even though nothing works. Chuckle at the team of hardened black ops soldiers (led by Joe Manganiello, scarred for no apparent reason) sent to their early graves at the teeth and claws of a hungry mutant wolf. It’s like something out of Predator or Kong: Skull Island. And bask in Davis’ unbridled heroism…well, heroism to save his friend George, and by extension the rest of Chicago. Honestly, it does seem like he’s more interested in rescuing his pal than the millions of humans who will die, but let’s not think about that too much. Come to think of it, we really only care about the Davis/George friendship, anyway, so maybe he was in the right.
Surprisingly brutal for a PG-13 movie, there are a lot of really nasty deaths to go along with the city’s devastation. People are squashed, ripped to shreds by claws, swallowed whole, thrown like lawn darts…who knew fighting building-sized crocodiles would be such ugly business? Unlike some other movies, let’s say Man of Steel or Michael Bay’s Transformers, the amount of chaos stays centrally focused so that our attention is always on the characters and we don’t get bored of watching building tumble. It becomes easy to get numb to that much destruction, but Rampage manages to keep it exciting throughout.
There’s room for different kinds of monster movies, and they all don’t need to be brainless exercises in annihilation. Look at a movie like Colossus, which is a monster movie with a lot to say on a variety of topics, and that’s great. We need those kinds of films, too. Rampage is not that movie. Its aspirations are simply to entertain and leave you wanting to plunk down more quarters for the inevitable sequel.
Through two movies director Brett Haley has explored the lives of people whose best years are behind them, and now face an uncertain future. I’ll See You In My Dreams and last year’s vastly underrated The Hero (both movies are terrific) may look like they appeal only to a certain older demographic but the are so light, funny, and insightful anybody can fall in love with them. I certainly did. The same kind of praise was heaped on Haley’s latest film and third to hit Sundance, the Nick Offerman dramedy Hearts Beat Loud, which has now released its first trailer.
Offerman stars as a single dad and struggling record store owner who takes joy in playing music with his daughter (Kiersey Clemons), only to fear what his life will be like once she leaves for college. When one of their jam sessions becomes an internet sensation, it opens up a new world for them both. The film co-stars Blythe Danner, who has now appeared in all of Haley’s movies, plus Toni Collette, Sasha Lane, and Ted Danson. Here’s the synopsis:
In the hip Brooklyn neighborhood of Red Hook, single dad and record store owner Frank (Nick Offerman) is preparing to send his hard-working daughter Sam (Kiersey Clemons) off to college, while being forced to close his vintage shop. Hoping to stay connected through their shared musical passions, Frank urges Sam to turn their weekly “jam sesh” into a father-daughter live act. After their first song becomes an Internet breakout, the two embark on a journey of love, growing up and musical discovery.
Hearts Beat Loud opens June 8th, and I can’t wait.
The Jim Carrey who made idiot comedies like Ace Ventura and Dumb and Dumber is long gone. At one time he was among Hollywood’s biggest stars but in recent years Carrey has largely hidden from the spotlight and taken on different forms of expression, most of them of the dark and serious variety. The Carrey we see now reminds us of the guy who would occasionally venture off to do the odd drama or thriller like The Number 23, Man on the Moon, and even Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.
None of those will prepare you for the Carrey seen in Dark Crimes, a grim, no-nonsense crime thriller with a bearded and equally grim Carrey as a Polish detective investigating a businessman’s murder. The film co-stars Charlotte Gainsbourg, Marton Csokas, and Agata Kulesza with Alexandros Avranas directing. This is Carrey’s first major role since 2014’s Dumb and Dumber To, which feels like a lifetime ago.
Completed in 2015, this one’s been gathering dust for a while and it’s easy to see why. I’m not sure who this appeals to exactly, but probably not Carrey’s oldest fans. Dark Crimes will be released exclusively on DirecTV beginning April 19th, then theaters on May 11th.
Finally, after a month-long hiatus, a new episode of The Flash returns to TV. When we last left Barry at Team Flash, a metahuman with the ability to remove and redistribute metahuman powers has managed to remove Barry’s Speed Force powers and transfer them to his wife Iris. While Iris has served as the team leader, she’s one of the few on the team that doesn’t have any powers. This gives her the chance to see how things are from the other perspective. The same goes for Barry as he is powerless, and now has to be the de facto Iris. After Barry (playing the Iris role) gives Iris (playing the Barry role) the motivational speech to stop a dangerous metahuman, they manage to save the day and decide to give Barry back his powers. The self-contained episode allowed Barry to have some humility and Iris to finally leave STAR Labs and have some fun as a superhero.
But there’s still an evil metahuman mastermind names DeVoe (still in Izzy’s body) that Team Flash has to deal with. While Harry tried to construct a device that will allow him to expand his thinking the same way DeVoe did, the team still has to try and figure out a way to take The Thinker on. Luck for them, Cisco has constructed his own “Danger Room,” complete with an illusion of DeVoe for Barry and Ralph to train in. They really aren’t having any luck because Ralph is busy cracking jokes every second. What does Ralph think this is, a Marvel movie? Barry is starting to get pissed with Ralph as the two still can’t gel a good working relationship.
They also still have to try and find the remaining bus metahumans and save them from DeVoe. One of those metahumans is a career criminal who now wants to use her newfound powers to continue her life as a thief. Janet, aka “Null” wants to continue robbing, and now has the ability to levitate objects with the mere touch. Director Kevin Smith (who is having a second life as a TV director since his recent films are not so well received) couldn’t help but have a “Jay and Silent Bob” cameo as he and his “hetero lifemate) Jason Mewes portray bumbling security guards who get robbed. Mewes continues his endless mouthing off (sans the cursing as this is, after all, a CW show) and Smith doesn’t say a word.
Null robs a diamond tiara under their noses, which attracts Barry and Ralph as the circumstances lead them to believe it’s gotta be a metahuman. Ralph and Barry manage to track down one of Ralph old friends, a local fence and try to get some information out of the shady guy. Ralph uses his plastic man powers to appear as Joe West, which allows actor Jessie Martin to act against type, leading to some funny bantering between Ralph/Joe and Barry. While they are trying to get information from the guy, Null was actually there using her powers to hind attached to the ceiling, Spider-Man style. She manages to touch Barry when he’s distracted at Ralph’s jokes, and he starts having the helium effect and floating towards the ceiling. Harry later uses his new mind contraption to determine that Null’s powers can reduce the density of an object, until it wears off and it’ll come crashing to the ground. Barry benches Ralph for not taking things too seriously and tries to go after Null himself. While he manages to put the metahuman handcuffs on her, she had a contingency plan, she previously used her powers to cause a man driving a car to go hundreds of feet in the air, forcing Barry to save him before he crashes.
Meanwhile, Cisco gets a visit from his girlfriend Gypsy’s father Breacher, played by the surprisingly funny Danny Trejo. Breacher tells Cisco that while he was fighting vampires on another earth (so we have vampires now???), his powers stopped working. Cisco and Caitlin quickly come to the realization that Breacher’s lack of powers is due to his old age. Cisco is fearful that if he tells his girlfriend’s murderous father the cold hard truth, he will probably not see her again at best. At worst, shove his “Machete” knife into Cisco’s head. Cisco opts to lie to him and give him just standard anti-histamine medication as a “cure.” Of course, Breacher instead goes to fight off against the vampires thinking his powers are restored. Facing off against a vampire named “Crucifer,” Breacher is about to get killed when Cisco comes and saves him, forcing Cisco to admit the truth. Breacher teleports (he can still do that power) away in anger. Later, Breacher comes back to Cisco, wearing a “retirement” shirt, and offers him a job of partnering with Gypsy and being a multiverse bounty hunter with his girlfriend.
Iris manages to convince Barry to let Ralph be Ralph as they try and stop Null. Ralph explains to Barry that sometimes he uses jokes and comedy as a coping mechanism (as most comedians do). The two head to a fancy dinner party to catch Null while she’s robbing rich folks. She once again touches Barry, which sends him into the atmosphere. Ralph can’t stretch to save him. Cisco can’t breach to save him. Barry might actually be in trouble. However, Ralph and his sense of humor end up saving the day. Using his stretchy powers to transform himself into a giant whoopee cushion for Barry to land on, making a fart noise, but still saving the day.
During this time, DeVoe has been conning his wife Marlize. She discovers that DeVoe has been using the Weeper’s metahuman tears to create some sort of drug that renders his wife docile. Marlize tries to create a video recording and warn people about DeVoe, only to discover that she’s done it before. DeVoe has wiped his/her wife’s mind countless times to keep the mission going.
Next week, Team Flash will be taking the fight to DeVoe.
