New Releases for the week of May 3 - 9
The Lodge
Investigative writer Richard Hall (Armitage) requests a divorce from his devout Catholic wife, Laura (Silverstone), after a prolonged separation. His plan is to marry Grace, (Keough), the last remaining survivor of a fundamentalist Christian suicide cult and the subject of his newest book. When Laura commits suicide, the couple's children, Aiden (Martell) and Mia (McHugh), are devastated by the loss of their mother and refuse to accept Grace, their future stepmother, into their lives. Less than a year later, the new family journeys to its remote Massachusetts lodge for Christmas. When Richard leaves the children in Grace's care, however, her traumatic past comes back to haunt them all.
Directors: Severin Fiala, Veronika Franz. Stars: Richard Armitage, Alicia Silverstone, Jaeden Martell, Riley Keough, Lia McHugh, Rebecca Faulkenberry, Danny Keough, Katelyn Wells. 2019. 108 mins. Horror.
Ordinary Love
Average middle-age couple Tom (Neeson) and Joan (Manville) are thrown for a loop when Joan unexpectedly discovers a lump in her breast. Navigating a new-found normalcy that includes tests, chemotherapy and visits to doctors, Tom and Joan's relationship faces its hardest challenge yet, and they struggle to overcome their greatest obstacles.
Directors: Lisa Barros D'Sa, Glenn Leyburn. Stars: Liam Neeson, Lesley Manville, David Wilmot, Amit Shah, Melanie Clark Pullen, Lalor Roddy, Stella McCusker, Maggie Cronin. 2020. 92 mins. Drama.
I Still Believe
After leaving his family in Indiana to attend a Christian college in Southern California, aspiring singer Jeremy Camp (Apa) happens to come across his hero, Jean-Luc (Parsons), the lead singer of a Christian rock band, and the two work together to put on a campus concert. From the stage, Jeremy immediately locks eyes with Melissa (Robertson). Aided by their faith in God, the pair's burgeoning relationship blossoms after Melissa is diagnosed with stage 3 ovarian cancer that has spread to her major organs, and Jeremy swiftly proposes marriage. The pair navigate Melissa's chemotherapy and many surgeries, as well as Jeremy's growing music career, all with help from their steadfast faith.
Directors: Andrew Erwin, Jon Erwin. Stars: Britt Robertson, Melissa Roxburgh, K.J. Apa, Nathan Parsons, Gary Sinise, Abigail Cowen, Shania Twain, Reuben Dodd, Cameron Arnett, Tanya Christiansen. 2020. 116 mins. Drama.
Late Laughs for the week of May 3 - 9, 2020
The Late Show With Stephen Colbert
This is the worst reboot idea since "Little Women 2: The Revenge of Zombie Beth." Watch out, Marmee, she's coming back for her piano!
Bong Joon Ho's "Parasite" became the first foreign language film ever to win Best Picture, unless you count 2018's "The Shape of Water," which was filmed in the universal language of fish sex.
Shark Tank, on ABC
Aspiring entrepreneurs and inventors are given the chance to pitch their ideas in this popular unscripted series. The "Sharks" are a panel of investors and business moguls who decide whether or not they believe in the company enough to invest in it.
Q: Are they making any more Jesse Stone movies? I miss them.
It seems unlikely at this point, but there are reasons to hope.
It's been five years since the last telefilm featuring a grim-faced Tom Selleck (which is the only Selleck we get anymore -- far from the smirking, '80s version) as Jesse Stone, a big-city cop transplanted to the small town of Paradise, Massachusetts.
Q: Are they making any more Jesse Stone movies? I miss them.
It seems unlikely at this point, but there are reasons to hope.
It's been five years since the last telefilm featuring a grim-faced Tom Selleck (which is the only Selleck we get anymore -- far from the smirking, '80s version) as Jesse Stone, a big-city cop transplanted to the small town of Paradise, Massachusetts.
Magnum P.I., on CBS
Magnum (Jay Hernandez) uses skills from his days as a Navy SEAL to investigate cases for clients in this reboot of the classic series. He also works as a security consultant under the direction of Juliet Higgins (Perdita Weeks), a disavowed MI6 agent.
A few billion more: Wall Street gets a new Prince in Season 5 of 'Billions'
Damian Lewis stars in "Billions"
Blindspot, on NBC
In the previous season of this drama, Jane (Jaimie Alexander) watched as a drone strike hit her team’s safe house, and Madeline (Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio) rose to power. In this fifth and final season premiere, find out who made it out alive.
Q: Ariana Grande's song "7 Rings" is a blatant copy of "My Favorite Things" from "The Sound of Music." How can she do this? Is "The Sound of Music" in the public domain?
Neither the 1959 stage musical "The Sound of Music" nor any of the songs from its book are in the public domain. So Ariana Grande got away with using its most famous song the old-fashioned way: by ponying up for it.
And no one gives their "Favorite Things" away cheaply, including the estates of Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein. Reportedly, 90% of the proceeds from Grande's pop hit "7 Rings" go to the estates of the legendary duo who wrote the original musical.
Q: Ariana Grande's song "7 Rings" is a blatant copy of "My Favorite Things" from "The Sound of Music." How can she do this? Is "The Sound of Music" in the public domain?
Neither the 1959 stage musical "The Sound of Music" nor any of the songs from its book are in the public domain. So Ariana Grande got away with using its most famous song the old-fashioned way: by ponying up for it.
And no one gives their "Favorite Things" away cheaply, including the estates of Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein. Reportedly, 90% of the proceeds from Grande's pop hit "7 Rings" go to the estates of the legendary duo who wrote the original musical.