Legal 'Conviction': ABC's latest drama gives things a topical twist
Hayley Atwell stars in “Conviction”
Legal 'Conviction': Hayes Morrison was once the president's daughter, with all the trappings and glamor that living in the spotlight as the nation's first daughter brought, and there's a good chance that she will be again, now that her mother is running for the highest office in the land.
New Releases for the week of October 2 - 8
X-Men: Apocalypse
When a long-forgotten and ancient mutant of incredible power named Apocalypse (Isaac) awakens in the year 1983, the world itself teeters on the brink of total destruction. He recruits several other mutants to his cause, including the powerful Magneto (Fassbender) and Angel (Hardy), and he uses his ancient knowledge to enhance their mutant abilities. Meanwhile, the X-Men, led by Prof. Charles Xavier (McAvoy), have noticed the global disturbances caused by Apocalypse, and they prepare to confront the world-threatening menace.
Director: Bryan Singer. Stars: James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Jennifer Lawrence, Oscar Isaac, Ben Hardy, Nicholas Hoult, Evan Peters, Sophie Turner, Tye Sheridan. 2016. 144 min. Action.
The Purge: Election Year
In a dystopian future America, the annual purge is about to happen during an election year. One presidential candidate, Sen. Charlie Roan (Mitchell), announces an intent to eliminate the Purge, an annual 12-hour event during which all crimes, including murder, become legal. Roan believes that the purges disproportionately benefit the rich who can afford protection, while punishing the poor who cannot. When the ruling party unexpectedly removes the ban on attacking ranking government officials during the Purge, Roan realizes that it's nothing but a veiled attack on her life, and she turns to her head of security, Leo (Grillo), to keep her safe through the night.
Director: James DeMonaco. Stars: Elizabeth Mitchell, Frank Grillo, Mykelti Williamson, Joseph Julian Soria, Betty Gabriel. 2016. 109 min. Action.
Swiss Army Man
While stranded on a deserted island, Hank (Dano) discovers a dead body that's washed up on shore. He soon finds that the body can still talk, and he decides to call the dead man Manny (Radcliffe). As he gets to know his new "friend" better, Hank discovers that Manny has many supernatural abilities that he can use to escape from the island and starts referring to him as a Swiss Army Man, due to his many uses. As the two of them get closer to civilization, though, their friendship begins to wear thin when they find themselves both desiring the same girl.
Directors: Dan Kwan, Daniel Scheinert. Stars: Paul Dano, Daniel Radcliffe, Mary Elizabeth Winstead. 2016. 97 min. Adventure.
Recaps for the week of September 26 - 30
Mary Beth Evans as seen in "Days of Our Lives"
The Bold and the Beautiful
Quinn offers Eric an out, and suggests he doesn't have to marry her. Eric, however, isn't having any of it, and goes through with the wedding, despite the protests of his family. Both Eric and Quinn are grateful that they still have one supporter, Ivy. The rest of the family soon comes to regret their decision to boycott the wedding, except for Steffy and Ridge, who remain steadfast in their beliefs. Eric gathers everyone in his office to voice the pain and betrayal he felt when his family didn't attend his wedding. Ridge continues to undermine Eric, which angers Eric even more. Then, Eric suffers a medical emergency and is rushed to the hospital. The family blames Quinn for Eric's collapse, but Wyatt sticks up for her. Carter happens upon a shocking bit of information while reviewing important paperwork.
Days of Our Lives
Chloe unveils her plan to Nicole, and then the two head off to the clinic with Philip and Deimos. Then, the doctor reveals the results of Chloe's baby's paternity test. Claire, Marlena and Kate end up in a perilous situation, and a bond is formed between Kayla and Steve as their worry for Joey mounts. Rafe and Hope are questioned by Aiden, and later, Aiden shares some shocking news with Hope. Sonny and Brady make a move. Hostility mounts between Clyde, Xander and Orpheus, and the trio later makes their demands known. Orpheus calls John to inform him the three villains have someone he loves. Chaos erupts in Salem when Clyde fires a shot, making contact with someone. Gabi runs into Chad, and Jennifer tries to get JJ to let go of the past. Hope tries to work through her own fears to protect her city's people. Steve and John try to rescue someone.
General Hospital
Things are looking great for Morgan, but his mood quickly sours. Later, Morgan ends up in deep trouble. After making an assumption, Tracy soon realizes it was wrong, and then she is shaken up by a conversation she happened to overhear. Sonny and Michael share a beautiful moment together, which Nelle witnesses. Tensions mount between Liz and Hayden, and Kiki acknowledges some past mistakes. Franco's plea backfires. Though things are tough for them, Maxie and Nathan grow closer. Griffin gets some unexpected news from Claudette. Sam lays out her intentions, and Carly and Ava come to a mutual understanding. A surprise companion joins Laura on her way to Port Charles. Andre and Curtis duke it out at the gym.
The Young and the Restless
A dinner between Kevin and Chloe leaves Mariah upset, even though Chloe insists to Chelsea it's not a date. When Kevin skirts Mariah's questions about the matter, Mariah becomes even more unhappy about the situation. Chloe gets a surprise at dinner when Kevin breaks out the champagne and serves her favorite meal, cheeseburgers with pickles. Chloe gives Kevin an after-dinner kiss, and later tells Chelsea how happy she is with the progress she's making with Kevin. Victor pries into Victoria's personal life, and Victoria admonishes him for it. Billy discovers that Travis has moved in with Victoria. Travis is invited to Newman Enterprises for a meeting with Victor, and Victor offers Travis a job, but Travis declines. When Faith disappears, Mariah seeks out Kevin to help her look for Faith. Chelsea calls Mariah to tell her Faith, who went to see if Chelsea and Chloe could help her pick out a dress, is safe. A confrontation between Chloe and Mariah ensues. Later, feelings and suspicions are revealed at Faith's birthday party.
Q: On occasion, Hallmark Channel shows the movie "Class" with Justin Bruening and Jodi Lyn O'Keefe. Is this movie available on DVD? If so, where?
Hallmark Channel does a good job, understandably, of keeping its made-for-TV movies alive. That's the beauty of being a production company with your own channel: Whereas once upon a time Hallmark produced movies for the broadcast networks, which would often disappear for good as soon as they aired, now they live on in repeats.
What I'm doing here is softening the bad news for you. Hallmark has not yet released "Class" on video.
Oh, the humanity: A.I. robots are all too human in 'Westworld'
James Marsden and Evan Rachel Wood in a scene from “Westworld”
Q: Is the Kenny Rogers movie "Wild Horses" ever going to be released on video or streamed? What would keep this movie from being released? The theme song can't be found anywhere in Kenny's music catalog either.
The question is actually what would keep it from being rereleased, and that clarifies things a bit.
"Wild Horses" (1985) was, once upon a time, available on VHS, but it's now out of print. When the home video industry moved to DVD, it seems no one bothered to bring "Wild Horses" along.
Pulling strings: 'Notorious' slides into empty ABC Thursday time-slot
Piper Perabo and Daniel Sunjata star in "Notorious"
<span>Q: What did Benedict Cumberbatch do before "Sherlock"? It really seemed to put him on the map.</span>
Benedict Cumberbatch auditioned for his role in "Sherlock," the BBC's literary drama about a precocious young genius, by starring in a couple other BBC series -- one a literary drama and one about a precocious young genius.
You're right in thinking that "Sherlock" made him a star. Prior to taking on the role, he was mostly doing British television, but a year afterward, he was appearing in Hollywood blockbusters.
'Criminal' castings: New faces board CBS's FBI procedural
Adam Rodriguez joins "Criminal Minds"
Late Laughs for the week of September 25 - October 1, 2016
The Late Show With Stephen Colbert
Mrs. Palin just posted on Facebook that she tripped and fell while doing something called "rock-running." Not sure what rock-running is, but I think it's when you jog while playing air guitar.
Palin fell and hit her head on a rock. Don't worry, she's OK or, you know, the same.
