New Releases for the week of July 13-19
Under the Skin
An alien hides its identity by taking the body of a beautiful young woman. She travels through the streets of Scotland while hunting and luring her masculine prey. After seducing her victims, she leaves the men for dead. But when she encounters a man with neurofibromatosis, the alien is struck with a sudden epiphany, one that allows her to become more aware of the human body and the emotions it holds.
Director: Jonathan Glazer. Stars: Scarlett Johansson, Paul Brannigan, Jessica Mance, Joe Szula, Krystof Hádek, Jeremy McWilliams. 2013. 108 min. Sci-fi.
Rio 2
After Blu (Eisenberg) discovers his former owners are searching the Amazon for the lost feather of a spix’s macaw, Jewel (Hathaway) suggests leaving Rio de Janeiro with their three kids to help their human friends. But the wild Amazon creates numerous obstacles for Blu as he goes beak-to-beak with an avenging Nigel (Clement) and meets Jewel’s long lost father, Eduardo (Garcia).
Director: Carlos Saldanha. Stars: Anne Hathaway, Jesse Eisenberg, Jemaine Clement, Andy Garcia, Tracy Morgan, George Lopez, Leslie Mann, Rodrigo Santoro, Jake T. Austin, Jamie Foxx, Kristin Chenoweth, Rita Moreno. 2014. 101 min. Animation.
A Day Late and a Dollar Short
When Viola Price (Goldberg), a bitter grande dame, discovers her next asthma attack will likely be the end of her life, she realizes she must repair her severely broken family before it’s too late. However, Viola must struggle to win the hearts of the Price family, who haven’t felt much sincerity or kindness from the woman in decades.
Director: Stephen Tolkin. Stars: Whoopi Goldberg, Mekhi Phifer, Ving Rhames, Kimberly Elise , Anika Noni Rose. 2014. 88 min. Drama.
Torment
When newlyweds Cory (Dunne) and Sarah (Isabelle) take their seven-year-old son Liam (DaCunha) to a country home for some much-needed bonding, their family vacation takes a sadistic and horrific turn when Liam goes missing. The psychological suspense intensifies as Cory and Sarah discover a cult-like family have been hiding in the house and have taken Liam as one of their own.
Director: Jordan Barker. Stars: Katharine Isabelle, Robin Dunne, Peter DaCunha, Stephen McHattie. 2013. 82 min. Horror.
Online alphabet: Internet dating brings out the stars
Ben Feldman and Cristin Milioti star in “A to Z”
Online alphabet: It's an online dating world out there.
The stigma that was attached to finding a date or a mate on the Internet is gone (mostly, at least), and a new NBC comedy hitting the airwaves this fall is set to take a laugh-filled peek at this now-mainstream dating method.
True Blood, on HBO
Sookie (Anna Paquin), Bill (Stephen Moyer) and the gang are back for another bloody night in Bon Temps in this new episode. Now in its final season, the massively popular series follows vampires and other supernatural beings living alongside humans in the American south.
Cure for the blues: G. Garvin is cranking up the barbecue
A scene from “Underground BBQ Challenge”
It's been said that there "ain't no cure for the summertime blues," and man, does that ever ring true some days. The shimmering heat and the unbearable humidity, the screaming kids and the biting bugs, there are times when it all just starts to feel unbearable.
Recaps for the week of July 7 - 11
Kristian Alfonso stars in “Days of Our Lives”
The Bold and the Beautiful
Bill takes responsibility for Quinn being in everyone's lives, while Wyatt demands answers from his mother about her dangerous antics. Later, Quinn takes refuge in an undisclosed location. While getting ready to return to work, Ridge has some trouble with everyday activities. Though he is warmly received by his colleagues, Ridge panics when he discovers his greatest talent has been hindered by the accident. Ridge confides in Katie, but begs her to keep his secret. Meanwhile, Bill is surprised to learn that Deacon was really the one who saved Liam from harm. Oliver accuses Maya of having lingering feelings for him. Brooke and Katie reflect on their recent relationships and agree to move forward in a more positive direction. While Eric announces the new direction Ridge will be taking Forrester Creations in, Bill starts to change much of the protocols Katie put in place during her tenure as president of Spencer Publications. Ivy Forrester arrives in Los Angeles at the right time.
Days of Our Lives
Clyde arrives in Salem looking for Jordan. After spying on Ben and Jordan from a distance, Clyde breaks into Jordan's apartment. Brady's anger explodes when he issues a chilling threat to John. Later, Brady parties hard with Theresa in Vegas. After getting a surprise from Kate, Sami decides to make a move that will change everything. Meanwhile, EJ struggles to get Abigail to co-operate with him and later receives some shocking news. Later, Sami and EJ have a major blowout. Jennifer tries to make peace with Eve, but things don't go as expected. Meanwhile, Eve asks Daniel out on a date. Aiden is rendered speechless when Hope arrives at the gala looking utterly stunning. Things heat up when Hope and Aiden share a romantic dance. At the same time, Marlena must break out a hidden talent in order to save the gala. Abigail's worst nightmare becomes reality.
General Hospital
Loved ones gather together at General Hospital after a horrific car accident puts someone's life in jeopardy. In spite of her illness, Alice tries to warn Michael about Tracy, but Tracy blackmails her. Delia and Ava work together to gather evidence against Sonny. Kiki piques Nina's interest. Later, Nina plays into the affection Silas has for her. Jordan and Shawn fight their intense attraction to one another. Jordan later alerts Anna to a new player in the mob, while Julian struggles with a guilty conscience. After Rafe attempts to confess something to him, Patrick is forced into a compromising work situation. Maxie ponders her feelings for Nathan, while Patrick and Silas butt heads. Felix and Brad get into a heated confrontation about Lucas.
The Young and the Restless
Sharon and Nick have a conversation about their future as a couple after they see a drawing by Faith of the two of them getting married. Victoria is enraged that Billy keeps digging into Stitch's past, and she runs out on him when he tells her about Kelly's connection to Stitch. Victoria confronts Stitch and Kelly, while Billy seeks out Chelsea. Noah and Courtney decide to look out for Summer when they run into her with Austin. Later, Summer opens up to Sharon about her relationship and gets some advice. Meanwhile, Jack tries to enlist Nick's help in destroying Summer and Austin's relationship, but Nick won't interfere. Nikki tries to take her mind off of Ian's emotional distress lawsuit against her by visiting Dylan and Paul at the hospital. Devon fears he will break his father's heart if he doesn't keep away from Hilary. Hilary's comment sends Lily over the edge during a heated exchange.
Wipeout, on ABC
The action ramps up as 24 new competitors tackle the world's largest extreme obstacle course. In this episode, a team of attractive people will compete against a team of "nerds" to see who will get further and take the prize.
Q: I caught a glimpse of Simon Helberg in a show other than "The Big Bang Theory," but his character was just as geeky. I think his character's name was Seth. What show was it?
It seems as if the show you're thinking of is the "Friends" spinoff "Joey," in which Simon Helberg did a four-episode arc.
Helberg, now best (and probably forever) known as Howard Wolowitz on the smash-hit sitcom "The Big Bang Theory," appeared periodically throughout "Joey's" two-season run. He was introduced in the show's third episode as a friend of Joey's nephew, Michael.
Crossbones, on NBC
Lowe (Richard Coyle) makes plans to kidnap Blackbeard (John Malkovich) and turn him in to the authorities in this new episode. He hopes his plan will save the citizens of Santa Compana from the villainous wrath of William Jagger (Julian Sands).
Horror show: Guillermo del Toro brings 'The Strain' to FX
Corey Stoll and Mia Maestro as seen in “The Strain”
Horror, vampire lore and medical sci-fi -- some of the entertainment industry's hottest trends -- collide this summer in an intense new cable series.
Working the Engels, on NBC
Renowned comedian Andrea Martin stars as the family matriarch in this kooky Canadian-American sitcom. In the pilot episode, Jenna (Kacey Rohl) leaves her job at a corporate law firm to take over her dead father's practice with the help of her loving, if intractable, family.
