New Releases for the week of July 12 - 18
Enter the Fat Dragon
Once a shining example and the best of the Hong Kong Police Special Task Force, Fallon Zhu (Yen) drops rank and gains some pounds after his fiancée (Chow) leaves him. When an old colleague promises Zhu a transfer if he takes on a mission for him, Zhu jumps at the opportunity to be a cop again and soon finds himself escorting a suspect to Japan. But things don't go according to plan, and Zhu must enlist some unconventional help to take on the baddies of Japan and find out what's really going on.
Director: Kenji Tanigaki. Stars: Donnie Yen, Teresa Mo, Jing Wong, Niki Chow, Naoto Takenaka, Tetsu Watanabe, Hiro Hayama, Louis Cheung. 2020. 96 mins. Action.
Castle in the Ground
The opioid crisis takes center stage in a film that follows teenager Henry (Wolff) after his mother (Campbell) dies from illness. Numb from grief, he strikes up an unlikely friendship with his troubled neighbor, Ana (Poots), who introduces him to the world of opioids. As the opioid crisis reaches the streets of their small town, Henry and Ana's drug use begins to bring them severe affliction instead of the escape they seek.
Director: Joey Klein. Stars: Alex Wolff, Imogen Poots, Neve Campbell, Tom Cullen, Keir Gilchrist, Kiowa Gordon. 2019. 105 mins. Drama.
VHYes
Twelve-year-old Ralph (McNulty) journeys into the bizarre world of film and media when he records over a VHS tape that he believes to be blank, but in fact is a recording of his parents' wedding. The film is shot entirely on VHS and Beta, and Ralph's new video is presented in a nostalgic medley of home videos shot on his new camera, including late-night cable TV and, if his parents are lucky, the occasional snippet of their wedding day.
Director: Jack Henry Robbins. Stars: Kerri Kenney, Thomas Lennon, Mark Proksch, Courtney Pauroso, Charlyne Yi, John Gemberling, Mason McNulty, Rahm Braslaw, Tim Robbins, Susan Sarandon. 2019. 72 mins. Comedy.
Minions, on NBC
Depressed with no one to serve, a fearless minion named Kevin sets out on a worldwide adventure to find his people a new master in this origin story. This animated spinoff's all-star cast includes the voices of Jon Hamm, Sandra Bullock and Michael Keaton.
Jane Eyre, on HBO
Michael Fassbender and Mia Wasikowska star in this Academy-Award nominated adaptation of Charlotte Bronte's literary classic, telling the story of a young woman's trouble life and love as she works as a governess at Thornfield Hall. Jamie Bell also stars.
Q: Is "Doc Martin" coming back for another season?
You'll have to wait a little longer still, but your patience will eventually be repaid -- Season 10 of "Doc Martin" is in the works.
Fans have been pretty tense since the end of the most recent season, and that's not a familiar feeling for them. Most fans and critics argue that the appeal of "Doc Martin" is that it's basically televised comfort food.
Better Call Saul, on AMC
Marathon the entire fifth season of this "Breaking Bad" spinoff starting with this rebroadcast. Jimmy (Bob Odenkirk) has officially begun practicing law under the name Saul Goodman, but Kim (Rhea Seehorn) doesn't have much tolerance for his new persona.
Train to nowhere: Sci-fi thriller series 'Snowpiercer' journeys through an artificially frozen wasteland
Jennifer Connelly stars in "Snowpiercer"
It can be hard to imagine a completely frozen-over Earth in the middle of a sweltering July, but that is the catapult of the story behind the new sci-fi series, "Snowpiercer." A new episode airs Sunday, July 12, on TNT.
American Housewife, on ABC
Katie (Katy Mixon) and Greg (Diedrich Bader) are worried about how their schedules might be detrimental to Anna-Kat’s (Julia Butters) mental health when they notice her past OCD behaviors returning in this rebroadcast of the popular family comedy.
Q: Did "Shaun of the Dead" have to get any special permission to use the title, since it is very clearly a play on "Dawn of the Dead"?
It looks like the producers of the modern-classic, groundbreaking zombie comedy did not run it past anyone first.
It's likely they figured the movie fell under the fair-use exemption in U.K. copyright law. Fair use is a concept that exists in many countries -- it's basically a list of reasons that copyrighted material can be used without permission. One of those uses is parody, which is what "Shaun of the Dead" certainly is.
Dances With Wolves, on AMC
After being wounded and becoming a hero, a civil war soldier heads to the western frontier, where he encounters a tribe of Sioux people, a wolf and a new way of life in this Academy Award winning film. Kevin Costner, Mary McDonnell and Graham Greene star.
The Neighborhood, on CBS
Tina (Tichina Arnold) decides its time to tackle renovations and enlists Dave (Max Greenfield) to help paint in this rebroadcast. Unfortunately, this is a violation of Calvin's (Cedric the Entertainer) "man-code," and both families end up helping out.
