My Big Fat American Gypsy Wedding, on TLC
Gypsy families allow cameras into their lives as they celebrate with over-the-top weddings and other outrageous parties in this new season. Learn about their mysterious culture, from arranged marriages to customs and superstitions.
New Releases for the week of September 4 - 10
Money Monster
A day after Clear Capital's stock collapsed following a computer glitch, television financial expert Lee Gates (Clooney) has organized an interview with the company's CEO, Walt Camby (West). When Camby suddenly leaves on a business trip to Geneva, Gates is taken hostage by deliveryman Kyle (O'Connell) live on the set of his show. Kyle, who had invested in Clear Capital after Gates endorsed it, threatens to kill Gates unless he gets answers for the crash, which wiped out his entire life savings. With a bomb strapped to him and a madman threatening his life, Gates must work with his show's director (Roberts) to calm down the distraught hostage taker and peel back the corruption swirling around Clear Capital's disastrous stock market performance.
Director: Jodie Foster. Stars: George Clooney, Julia Roberts, Jack O'Connell, Dominic West. 2016. 98 min. Crime.
The Darkness
The Taylor family meets up with some family friends at the Grand Canyon for a much-needed vacation, and while the parents are distracted, Stephanie (Fry) and Mikey (Mazouz) Taylor go exploring with their friend. After splitting up with the other two, Mikey stumbles into a cave, where he pockets some black rocks with strange symbols on them. Unknown to him, the rocks are bound to a supernatural presence, and once the family returns home, increasingly strange and terrifying things start happening to them.
Director: Greg McLean. Stars: Kevin Bacon, Radha Mitchell, David Mazouz, Lucy Fry, Jennifer Morrison. 2016. 92 min. Horror.
Compadres
After being framed for a crime he didn't commit, former Mexican cop Garza (Chaparro) gets out of prison, only to learn that Santos (Elias), the man who framed him, has kidnapped his girlfriend (Derbez). Following a tip that could lead him to Santos, Garza winds up in San Diego, where he meets a nerdy computer hacker named Vic (Morgan), who has stolen millions of dollars from the crime lord. Despite their disdain for each other, the pair team up to track down Santos.
Director: Enrique Begne. Stars: Omar Chaparro, Joey Morgan, Erick Elias, Aislinn Derbez. 2016. 101 min. Comedy.
Biker beginnings: Discovery miniseries shines light on the men behind Harley-Davidson
Robert Aramayo, Michiel Huisman and Bug Hall star in “Harley and the Davidsons”
When you think of Harley-Davidson motorcycles, what springs to mind? Powerful, durable and loud? Beards and leather? What about a game-changing, boundary-pushing dream that started in a small shed in Milwaukee, sprouting from the minds of two close-knit schoolyard pals?
Q: Which "American Idol" winner has been the most successful? Carrie Underwood and Kelly Clarkson both seem to be doing well, but I'm wondering who has sold more albums.
You're right to put Carrie Underwood and Kelly Clarkson in a class of their own here. Though "American Idol" has churned out 15 winners, along with a few losers who've nonetheless reached the music charts, Underwood and Clarkson are far ahead of the pack in terms of album sales. And it's Underwood in front.
Keeping things fresh: New shows hit the small screen this fall
Geena Davis stars in “The Exorcist”
Sorry to bum you out, but word on the street is that another summer is pretty much behind us. True, the days are getting shorter, cottage doors are closing with a terrible finality, and you might even be wearing socks and shoes again (horror of horrors!).
Q: There's an old story that says the river of chocolate in the original "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" was really made of chocolate. Is it true?
It is true. The chocolate river in the 1971 film (which was actually "Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory," if you're trying to look it up to see for yourself) was made of real cream and chocolate powder mixed with water. Indeed, a number of the amazing items in the chocolate room were made of real chocolate.
Q: Doesn't everyone want Muse Watson back in "NCIS"? The way he ended, they could bring him back, as hiding him out from the cartel.
Though fans might want to see the return of Mike Franks, Gibbs's beloved, rough-edged mentor, played by Muse Watson, it would require a substantial amount of backstory rewriting.
New Releases for the week of Aug. 28 - Sept. 3
The Jungle Book
Young Mowgli (Sethi) has been raised by a wolf pack deep in the jungle, but the man-cub has trouble keeping up with his wolf siblings. When all of the jungle's animals set aside their differences at a watering hole during a drought, Mowgli is spotted by the most dangerous creature in the jungle, the tiger Shere Khan (Elba), who warns the wolves that he will kill the man-cub once the drought is over. To keep him safe, the wolf pack agrees that Mowgli must be taken away from the jungle and returned to the nearby man-village. The panther Bagheera (Kingsley) agrees to escort him, and along the way they team up with good-natured bear Baloo (Murray). With Shere Khan haunting their path and other dangerous jungle creatures standing in their way, Mowgli's fate isn't as cut and dry as the divide between the jungle and the man-village.
Director: Jon Favreau. Stars: Neel Sethi, Bill Murray, Ben Kingsley, Idris Elba, Christopher Walken. 2016. 106 min. Adventure.
Me Before You
Louisa (Clarke) takes a job as personal caregiver for Will (Claflin) after she's laid off from a waitressing job at a cafe. Will is a former banker who was completely paralyzed in a motorcycle accident two years ago, and has become bitter and cynical about his life. In spite of this, Louisa soon wins him over, and the two begin to fall for each other. When she finds out that Will is planning to travel to Switzerland in order to end his life legally, though, she becomes determined to show him everything that life still has to offer him, and ultimately change his mind.
Director: Thea Sharrock. Stars: Sam Claflin, Emilia Clarke, Vanessa Kirby. 2016. 110 min. Drama.
The Phenom
Having disappointed his team with his poor performance, rookie Major League pitcher Hopper Gibson (Simmons) is sent down to the minors, where he meets sports psychologist Dr. Mobley (Giamatti). Over the course of their sessions, issues with the young pitcher's earlier life soon come to light.
Director: Noah Buschel. Stars: Paul Giamatti, Johnny Simmons, Ethan Hawke, Elizabeth Marvel. 2016. 90 min. Drama.
Families, start your engines: 'The Great Food Truck Race' is keeping it in the family
Host Tyler Florence (center) and the teams of “The Great Food Truck Race: Family Face-Off.”
The engines are getting fired up, and so are the cookers. It's time for the next season of "The Great Food Truck Race," and this time things are being kept in the family.
Bad romance: 'You're the Worst' says 'I love you' with a third season
Chris Geere stars in “You’re the Worst”
Bad romance: What happens when two selfish, horrible people end up together? Well, it certainly isn't pretty. FXX's "You're the Worst" has spent two seasons exploring this exact phenomenon, and the result, it turns out, is hilarious.
