New Releases for the week of November 13 - 19
Three Thousand Years of Longing
Alithea Binnie (Swinton) is a British scholar who enjoys solitude and academia. When visiting Istanbul for a conference, she buys a mysterious bottle that contains a djinn (Elba), which she accidentally unleashes in her hotel room. The djinn offers Alithea three wishes in exchange for his freedom, but she doubts the djinn's authenticity and tells him she knows tales that involve wishing are often cautionary ones. To quell her fears, the djinn tells her three tales of his fantastical past and how he came to be trapped in the bottle.
Director: George Miller. Stars: Tilda Swinton, Idris Elba, Erdil Yasaroglu, Aamito Lagum, Nicolas Mouawad, Ece Yüksel, Matteo Bocelli, Lachy Hulme, Megan Gale, Zerrin Tekindor. 2022. 108 mins. Fantasy.
Pearl
Pearl (Goth) is unable to escape her life on the family farm due to her strict, devout mother, who forces her to care for her ailing father. All Pearl wishes for is a glamorous life, like what she sees in the movies, so she sets out to pursue her dream of being on stage. But as her two wildly different worlds clash, Mia is driven into a rage and will take down anyone she views as a hurdle between her and achieving stardom.
Director: Ti West. Stars: Mia Goth, Tandi Wright, David Corenswet, Matthew Sunderland, Emma Jenkins-Purro, Alistair Sewell, Amelia Reid. 2022. 103 mins. Horror.
Gigi & Nate
After an unfortunate lake dive, Nate (Rowe) is left quadriplegic. The young man struggles to see any kind of light in his situation and as he falls into despair, his family brings him a capuchin monkey named Gigi to be his service animal. Dubious about the pairing, Nate quickly comes to realize what Gigi is capable of and warms up to his curious companion. As Gigi helps Nate with his basic needs, she brings light and life into a dark situation, catching the attention of those around her, for better or for worse.
Director: Nick Hamm. Stars: Charlie Rowe, Marcia Gay Harden, Jim Belushi, Josephine Langford, Diane Ladd, Zoe Margaret Colletti, Tara Summers, Brent Sexton. 2022. 114 mins. Drama.
Q: How much of the fighting did Matt Damon actually do in "The Bourne Identity"? Because wasn't he a drama guy before that?
You're absolutely right — prior to 2002's "The Bourne Identity," star Matt Damon's biggest films were all talky dramas such as "The Talented Mr. Ripley" (1999) and his breakout film, "Good Will Hunting" (1997). He was no action star, and he admitted as much himself at the time.
In a behind-the-scenes featurette for the DVD release, Damon said that he was given three months of intensive martial arts and weapons classes in advance of shooting: "It was like a summer school in assassin training."
Heading west: East coast mobster Oklahoma-bound in 'Tulsa King'
Sylvester Stallone in "Tulsa King"
Q: Is Renée Zellweger really smoking in "Bridget Jones's Diary"?
Texas-born actress Renée Zellweger transformed herself a lot to become literary heroine Bridget Jones, but she didn't become a smoker.
For the many scenes in the 2001 rom-com classic "Bridget Jones's Diary" in which the titular character is seen smoking, Zellweger is smoking herbal cigarettes. It's about the only aspect of the character she didn't dive into headfirst.
Q: What kind of car does Dean Winchester drive on "Supernatural"?
Normally, a "what kind of car" question can be a little tricky. It's often hard, for example, to tell the difference on-sight between a '72 and a '73 model, and sometimes a production designer will mask one type of car as another for plotting or budget purposes. "Supernatural," however, makes it easy.
Late Laughs for the week of November 6 - 12
The Late Show With Stephen Colbert
[Russia is] coming after the U.S. for supporting Ukraine. Yesterday, they launched a devastating cyberattack, temporarily taking down several airport websites. Oh no! Not our airport websites! First thing I do every morning is check my email and then go straight to LaGuardia-Airport.com!
Departing judge: Blake Shelton leaving 'The Voice' after Season 23
Blake Shelton to leave "The Voice"
Departing judge: In a classic case of "good news, bad news," NBC announced it will be reinstating the spring edition of "The Voice" in early 2023, but that season will be the last for popular judge/coach Blake Shelton.
The longest-tenured (and winningest) coach, Shelton has so far appeared in every season of the NBC talent competition.
'The Big Brunch': Dan Levy series raises a toast to breakfast heroes
Dan Levy and Sohla El-Waylly in "The Big Brunch"
It's not breakfast and it's not lunch, but for some, it's the most anticipated meal of the week.
Praise be: Atwood heroine prepares for final chapter in 'The Handmaid's Tale'
Max Minghella, Yvonne Strahovski and Bradley Whitford in "The Handmaid's Tale"
Described by The Atlantic upon its release as "an astounding work of television" and by the New York Times as "unflinching, vital and scary as hell," audiences and critics alike can't seem to look away from "The Handmaid's Tale." Season 5 draws to a close Wednesday, Nov. 9, on Hulu.
New Releases for the week of November 6 - 12
The Power of the Dog
In 1925, brothers Phil (Cumberbatch) and George Burbank (Plemons) are wealthy Montana ranchers. While headed into town one day, the pair meet Rose (Dunst), a woman running errands with her son (Smit-McPhee), and Phil, always the hardened and edgy cowboy, drives them both to tears with his cruelty. Despite all of Phil's cowhands erupting with laughter at the encounter, George is less than impressed. Returning to visit Rose the next day, he apologizes for his brother's behavior and proposes marriage. As news of the union breaks, Phil begins to change — though whether for better or for worse remains to be seen.
Director: Jane Campion. Stars: Benedict Cumberbatch, Kirsten Dunst, Jesse Plemons, Kodi Smit-McPhee, Alice Englert, Genevieve Lemon, Sean Keenan, George Mason. 2021. 126 mins. Drama/Western.
The Most Dangerous Game
When a father (Nelson) and son (Tamburello) are taken by storm and shipwrecked on a remote island, they find that they are not alone. As they seek help, the pair find themselves trapped in the middle of a trophy hunt run by the island's mysterious and enigmatic owner. The more they learn about the sadistic landowner, the more the men are unnerved, as it appears a game is afoot and lost humans like themselves are the prey being stalked. This film is based on the 1924 short story by Richard Connell and a remake of the 1932 film of the same name.
Director: Justin Lee. Stars: Chris 'C.T.' Tamburello, Casper Van Dien, Judd Nelson, Randy Charach, Tom Berenger, Bruce Dern, Elissa Dowling. 2022. 95 mins. Thriller.
The Enforcer
After decades put into his work as an enforcer for Miami's top mob, Cuda (Banderas) gets wind of an unforgivable plan. While he is used to a series of criminal dealings and deadly ploys, Cuda feels the need to step in when his boss's (Bosworth) newest job puts a young, innocent runaway in the path of immediate danger. Determined to step in and help before it is too late, Cuda needs to find a way to tear down the very organization he spent his life building — and hopefully find some redemption for his old ways in the process before retiring for good.