New Releases for the week of June 5 - 11
The Contractor
After he was involuntarily discharged, U.S. Special Forces Sgt. James Harper (Pine) must find a way to pay off his debt and support his family. So, along with his best friend, Mike (Foster), he joins a private contracting organization under the command of fellow veteran Rusty Jennings (Sutherland). On his first assignment, however, Harper finds himself in trouble as the contractors aren't the type of men he had expected to work with. Now, hunted and on the run, the elite soldier is caught up in a conspiracy that forces him to fight for his life long enough to make it home and find those responsible for betraying him.
Director: Tarik Saleh. Stars: Chris Pine, Ben Foster, Gillian Jacobs, Eddie Marsan, J.D. Pardo, Florian Munteanu, Kiefer Sutherland. 2022. 103 mins. Action.
Catch the Fair One
Native American boxer Kaylee (Reis) is at the end of her career. Sleeping in a shelter and working during the day as a waitress, she has more than just boxing on her mind. Consumed by the memory of her missing sister, Weeta (Borrero), Kaylee goes undercover in a sex trafficking organization and meets the kingpin, Bobby (Henshall), hoping he has answers to her sister's whereabouts. Kaylee may have found herself in too deep, however, and she must now put her professional skills to good use in order to save herself and find her sister.
Director: Josef Kubota Wladyka. Stars: Kali Reis, Mainaku Borrero, Daniel Henshall, Tiffany Chu, Michael Drayer, Lisa Emery, Kimberly Guerrero, Kevin Dunn. 2021. 85 mins. Crime/Thriller.
Compartment No. 6
Finnish grad student Laura (Haarla) has just left her Russian lover in Moscow and boarded the northbound train for Murmansk, a remote port city off the Barents Sea. Paired in the sleeping compartment with a loutish Russian miner named Ljoha (Borisov), who is on his way to one of the area's largest mines, it seems the two are complete opposites. But as the journey continues, the travelers chip away at each other's facade and begin to see the world through a more complicated lens than their prejudices had previously allowed.
Director: Juho Kuosmanen. Stars: Seidi Haarla, Yuriy Borisov, Yuliya Aug, Dinara Drukarova, Sergey Agafonov. 2021. 107 mins. Drama.
Forgotten roots: Randall Williams re-examines food past in 'Hungry for Answers'
Andy Nelson and Caroline Randall Williams in "Hungry for Answers"
There's a story behind every food or drink, but some stories are better documented than others — and more than a few have been lost to history.
New powers: Marvel heroine gets origin story series on Disney
Iman Vellani in "Ms. Marvel"
One of Marvel Comics' most beloved characters gets the TV series treatment Wednesday, June 8, when Disney drops the first of six episodes from its brand-new series, "Ms. Marvel."
Forgotten roots: Randall Williams re-examines food past in 'Hungry for Answers'
Andy Nelson and Caroline Randall Williams in "Hungry for Answers"
There's a story behind every food or drink, but some stories are better documented than others — and more than a few have been lost to history.
The Great Food Truck Race, on Food Network
Tyler Florence hosts the new season of this fun, on-the-road competition series, premiering tonight. Seven teams, comprised of the best food truck cooks in the United States, hit the road to show off their culinary skills in a battle of the taste buds.
Late Laughs for the week of June 5 - 11
The Late Late Show With James Corden
Apple is no longer the world's most valuable company. The company was just surpassed by Saudi oil giant Aramco. It's just nice to see a Saudi oil giant catch a break, isn't it?
According to a new poll, half of Americans think life in France is better than life in the United States. They even admit that they fantasize about living in France. To which French people were like, "What a coincidence! We think we're better than you guys, too!"
48 Hours, on CBS
True crime stories are explored in great detail by journalists and experts in this news magazine series. The award-winning program has been instrumental in the reopening of cold cases and has led to the exoneration of numerous wrongfully convicted people.
Q: Is "Murderville" going to come back soon? It only got six episodes!
So far there's no word on a second season for Netflix's improvised cop comedy "Murderville," but there seems to be a lot of confidence.
The premise of "Murderville" is to take a celebrity guest and drop them into the middle of a murder mystery show, but without giving them the script. Surrounded by actors, they have to improvise their way through and solve the mystery at the end.
Art imitates life: Realities merge in HBO's 'Irma Vep'
Alicia Vikander in "Irma Vep"
Whether you subscribe to the notion, famously attributed to famed Irish wit and writer Oscar Wilde, that "life imitates art far more than art imitates life," there is no denying that HBO's newest series toes the line between the two.
Art imitates life: Realities merge in HBO's 'Irma Vep'
Alicia Vikander in "Irma Vep"
Whether you subscribe to the notion, famously attributed to famed Irish wit and writer Oscar Wilde, that "life imitates art far more than art imitates life," there is no denying that HBO's newest series toes the line between the two.