Rising to the top: Ramsay’s 'Next Level Chef' debuts this week
Mentors Richard Blais, Gordon Ramsay and Nyesha Arrington star in "Next Level Chef"
New Releases for the week of Jan. 2 - 8
Zeros and Ones
Summoned to Italy to intercept a deadly terrorist attack before it happens, American solider J.J. (Hawke) is tasked with locating his imprisoned twin brother, Justin (Hawke), who may have insider knowledge of the upcoming attack. Traversing the city of Rome, J.J. navigates shadowy alleys and cryptic exchanges while searching for answers to not only his brother's secret location but also to a possible deadly attack on the Vatican.
Director: Abel Ferrara. Stars: Ethan Hawke, Cristina Chiriac, Phil Neilson, Valerio Mastandrea, Dounia Sichov, Korlan Madi, Mahmut Sifa Erkaya, Anna Ferrara. 2021. 85 mins. Action.
The Djinn
After moving into a new house with his father, Michael (Brownstein), deaf and asthmatic Dylan Jacobs (Dewey) finds a mysterious old book and accompanying mirror with directions for a ritual on how to beckon a djinn. From the book, Dylan learns that if summoned, the djinn can grant any wish uttered into the mirror before midnight. One evening after his father leaves for work at the radio station, Dylan prepares to call upon the djinn. Using sign language, Dylan expresses his wish to speak normally. However, when the djinn finally reveals itself to Dylan, he finds that making his wish may have created deadly consequences for others.
Directors: David Charbonier, Justin Powell. Stars: Ezra Dewey, Rob Brownstein, Tevy Poe, John Erickson, Donald Pitts, Jilbert Daniel, Isaiah Dell, Collin Joe. 2021. 82 mins. Horror.
The Superdeep
Following the closure of a Soviet underground research laboratory, viral specialist Anya (Radulovic) is sent by her government to investigate the project being secretly worked on by her fellow countrymen in the world's deepest borehole. Tasked with containing a sample of fungal spores, Anya is motivated by receiving sole credit for the discovery and a promotion to lead the Military Biological Defense Institute following completion. Upon arrival to the facility, Anya, Maj. Sergei Mikheev (Ivanyuk) and a small collection of soldiers soon realize that the world's deepest borehole contains something more terrifying than they could ever imagine.
Director: Arseny Syuhin. Stars: Milena Radulovic, Sergey Ivanyuk, Nikolay Kovbas, Vadim Demchog, Kirill Kovbas, Nikita Dyuvbanov, Viktor Nizovoy, Artyom Tsukanov. 2020. 115 mins. Horror.
Late Laughs for the week of January 2 - 8, 2022
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert
In the last month, new [COVID] infections are up about 30%, just like this same time last year. It looks like COVID cases rising is a new holiday tradition. We're going to have to replace the Elf on the Shelf with "Fauci on the Couchy."
TV rewind: 'Blockbuster' series in the works
Randall Park to star in Blockbuster Video workplace comedy
TV rewind: If you've watched the 2020 documentary "The Last Blockbuster" (it's on Netflix), you know the story of Blockbuster's demise and how a lone store in Bend, Oregon, is the last vestige of a once-mighty video rental empire.
Desperate times: Mother works for Las Vegas gangsters in 'The Cleaning Lady'
Elodie Yung stars in "The Cleaning Lady"
Many parents would do anything for their children, but one desperate mother goes to extreme lengths for her sick son and risks everything to keep him safe in a thrilling new prime-time drama.
Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas , on NBC
In this 1966 animated special narrated by Boris Karloff, the Grinch has grown sick and tired of the overly jolly Whos and their abundant love of Christmas, so he descends from Mount Crumpit to steal their cheer away. The live-action version airs next.
Q: I heard somewhere that Michael Mann is planning to write a book about his movie "Heat." Is that actually happening?
The news is better than you seem to expect.
Writer-director Michael Mann's planned book isn't "about" his 1995 cops-and-robbers classic "Heat," it's a continuation of the story set to come out in the summer.
It's a Wonderful Life, on NBC
This Christmas classic follows George Bailey (James Stewart), a down-on-his-luck banker who wishes he'd never been born. When a guardian angel shows him what the world would be like without him, he begins to see the good in his life. Donna Reed co-stars.
A Very Boyband Holiday, on ABC
Members of boy bands past and present gather to perform in a rebroadcast of this year's festive musical celebration. Singing their favorite holiday songs and biggest yuletide hits, featured acts include 'Nsync, 98 Degrees, Boyz II Men and more.
Q: Why isn't anyone doing more Nero Wolfe movies? Agatha Christie's Poirot keeps getting redone, but I thought Wolfe was every bit as good.
It would appear that Nero Wolfe is forever doomed to come up just short against Hercule Poirot; there have been multiple Nero Wolfe films and TV shows, but Poirot got (many) more. And it seems that he'll continue to do so.
There are no new Wolfe productions planned, and there hasn't been one since 2012. Meanwhile, Poirot films and TV shows keep getting made -- a lavish new big-screen production of Agatha Christie's "Death on the Nile" is slated for release next year.