New Releases for the week of April 27 - May 3
Gimme Shelter
Drawing from real events from the life of Several Sources Shelters founder Kathy DiFiore (Dowd), this film chronicles the journey of a pregnant young woman who frequented the shelter. The story follows 16-year-old Agnes "Apple" Bailey (Hudgens), who is constantly struggling with the obstacles life throws at her. Her mother, June Bailey (Dawson), leads a destructive lifestyle and is grooming her daughter to follow in her footsteps. In order to escape her abusive mother, the teenager flees in search of her unknown father, ultimately uncovering a father figure she never knew existed. But suddenly, Agnes' life takes another turn as she discovers she is pregnant and is forced on the streets to fight for survival. Life seems unbearable until a compassionate stranger offers a hopeful alternative.
Director: Ron Krauss. Stars: Vanessa Hudgens, James Earl Jones, Rosario Dawson, Brendan Fraser, Ann Dowd. 2013. 101 min. Drama.
Bad Country
Based on true events, this crime thriller tells the story of Louisiana detective Bud Carter (Dafoe), who tries to take down the most powerful criminal enterprise in the South. In order to do so, he teams up with a contract killer-turned-informant, Jesse Weiland (Dillon), who places his trust in Carter after facing life in prison and losing his family. But when the case attracts the attention of the FBI, Weiland's family is placed in danger, forcing him onto a destructive and vengeful path.
Director: Chris Brinker. Stars: Matt Dillon, Willem Dafoe, Neal McDonough, Amy Smart, Tom Berenger, John Braymer. 2014. 95 min. Action.
Devil's Due
After experiencing a mysterious night on their honeymoon, newlyweds Zach (Gilford) and Samantha (Miller) are surprised to discover that they are expecting. Zach begins recording Samantha's entire pregnancy experience for posterity, but he soon begins to notice strange and bizarre behavior exhibited by his wife. As the months pass, it becomes evident that a darker force is the cause for the unexplained changes to Samantha's body, and a deeper horror awaits her and the unborn baby.
Directors: Matt Bettinelli-Olpin, Tyler Gillett. Stars: Allison Miller, Zach Gilford, Sam Anderson, Aimee Carrero, Vanessa Ray, Michael Papajohn. 2014. 89 min. Horror.
Through thick and thin: Lifelong friends at center of USA's new comedy
Jessica St. Clair and Lennon Parham star in “Playing House”
Friendship has been the crux of many a successful comedy series.
Recaps for the week of April 21 - 25
Redaric Williams, Christel Khalil and Daniel Goddard star in “The Young and the Restless”
The Bold and the Beautiful
As Oliver and Aly grow closer, she opens up to him and shares her feelings about losing her mom. Meanwhile, Carter is suspicious of Maya's insistence that Oliver is just taking advantage of Aly. Later, Aly seeks relationship advice from Caroline, while Maya confronts Oliver and accuses him of having sinister intentions toward Aly. Quinn questions Wyatt as to why he didn't propose to Hope and trades insults with Liam when he arrives. After Quinn eavesdrops on a private conversation between Brooke and Hope, she tells Wyatt he has reason to worry that Liam could win back Hope's heart. At the same time, Liam issues a challenge to Hope and proceeds to prepare a romantic dinner for the two of them. Hope tells Wyatt about Liam's challenge, and he he wonders how invested Hope still is in Liam. Brooke brings Rick in the loop about trying help Bill get his company back from Katie.
Days of Our Lives
Chaos ensues at the DiMera mansion when the incriminating photo of EJ and Abigail surfaces. Later, an enraged EJ confronts Kate. Nick manipulates Gabi into believing that Sami is plotting to take her baby away. Gabi and Nick quickly meet with Aiden to have their own custody agreement drawn up for Arianna. Nicole is shocked by what she finds while digging up dirt on Liam. After meeting Liam's ex-wife and realizing that Liam is dangerous as well as crazy, Nicole turns to Rafe for help with the situation. Meanwhile, Jennifer finds incriminating evidence in Daniel's apartment thanks to Liam, but she investigates the evidence more closely before taking action. Later, an out-of-control Liam tracks Jennifer down at the Horton cabin. JJ and Paige get into a huge argument about their future, and he turns to someone else for comfort.
General Hospital
Michael finds some comfort in Sonny while dealing with AJ's death. After the residents of Port Charles gather to pay their respects to AJ, Ava pleads with a tortured Sonny to not admit his guilt. Meanwhile, Patrick is taken by surprise when Sabrina shows up at Emma's dance recital. After Emma reacts to some news from Patrick and Sabrina, the three are placed in a frightening position. Spencer confronts Luke over the information he has, while Ned tries his best to warn Tracy about Luke. Franco bonds with Carlos and gets him to reveal information about Ava. Later, Franco spills what he learned to Carly, and they both decide it's time bring Anna up to speed. Morgan is faced with the ultimate betrayal.
The Young and the Restless
Victor learns from Nikki that Ian Ward has returned to Genoa City, and he soon comes face-to-face with Ian in the park. Meanwhile, Paul is concerned that Leslie seems to be defending Ian. As Avery gets ready for her first shoot for her cooking show, she meets her cameraman, Austin. Tyler tells Abby he's more than ready to marry her, but he's still worried about joining the Newman and Abbott families together. Nick tells Sharon they have nothing to prove to anyone when she voices concerns over being his date to Tyler and Abby's engagement party. Later, Sharon implores Victor as to what she can do to get him to change his mind about her. Traci, Ashley and Jack all tell Billy to fight for Victoria despite having signed separation papers. Noah and Courtney make love after he stages a romantic evening for them at the Athletic Club.
Bad Teacher, on CBS
If you missed the pilot episode of CBS' new comedy series, this is your chance to catch up as the network rebroadcasts the premiere. Ari Graynor stars as Meredith Davis, a blonde bombshell and recent divorcee who becomes a teacher in order to find her next husband.
Grimm, on NBC
Nick (David Giuntoli) and Hank (Russell Hornsby) track a dangerous woman on a rampage in this new episode. Meanwhile, Adalind (Claire Coffee) contemplates a dangerous alliance. Alexis Denisof guest-stars in this episode.
Q: I've been introducing my kids to some older cartoons and they've started to love "My Pet Monster." Who does the voice of Jill?
"My Pet Monster" was about a toy monster doll that came to life when a set of magical handcuffs was removed. The toy's owner, Max, was of course interested in keeping this a secret (the default approach, and basic plot driver, in most kids shows). The only other people to know this secret are Max's friend, Chuckie, and his more responsible sister, Jill.
Jill was voiced by prolific voice actor Alyson Court, whose pipes would certainly sound familiar to cartoon fans of various ages.
Black Box, on ABC
Dr. Catherine Black (Kelly Reilly) is an acclaimed neuroscientist who suffers from severe bipolar disorder in this brand new drama series. Her doctor, Helen Hartramph (Vanessa Redgrave) helps her navigate the rough waters of her public and private life.
Women of Homicide, on TLC
A woman calls 911 to report that she shot someone as they tried to sexually assault her in this new episode. After taking a thorough look at the crime scene, police begin to suspect there may be much more to the story than the woman is letting on.
Q: What's the story with Lara Logan? I know "60 Minutes" suspended her for her part in a bogus story they aired, but that was months ago, and they don't even mention her anymore. Is she off the show for good? Will she resurface somewhere else?
It seems as if the only people who know about Lara Logan's future at "60 Minutes" are the show's producers, and they're not saying much.
Logan was suspended, along with her segment producer, in November due to problems with her Oct. 27 report on the American embassy attack in Benghazi, Libya. It was deemed in an internal memo to have been "deficient in several respects," most notably in the respect that one of her key sources later admitted to having lied on camera.
New Girl, on Fox
Jess (Zooey Deschanel) goes berserk when a local Chinese food restaurant leaves dozens of take-out menus at the loft's front door in this rebroadcast. Despite Nick (Jake Johnson) trying to calm her down, she's determined to find the culprit.
