House of the Dragon, on HBO
The first season of House Targaryen's complex and harrowing saga wraps up during this finale. Starring Paddy Considine, Matt Smith and Olivia Cooke, the series follows the dragon-associated clan through their reign, 200 years before "Game of Thrones."
Q: I just saw the action movie "Copshop," and the person who played the hero was excellent. What else can I see her in?
If you're hoping to get the amount of face time with Alexis Louder as you did with "Copshop" (2021), you're out of luck. That said, she has had a busy few years of increasingly meaty supporting roles.
Q: Was "The Long Kiss Goodnight" based on "The Bourne Identity"?
The story of a super-capable, CIA-trained assassin with amnesia, whose memory gradually returns while being hunted by the very agency that trained her, "The Long Kiss Goodnight" (1996) certainly has a lot in common with the Bourne franchise, which was first a 1980 book by Robert Ludlum, then a TV miniseries before becoming a big-screen hit starring Matt Damon ("The Martian," 2015) in 2002.
Q: I love "Mr Bean." What was Rowan Atkinson's first movie?
Mr. Bean, the character Rowan Atkinson is most famous for by far, once tried to feed his friends sugar and vinegar because he forgot to buy champagne. He also once tried to paint his apartment by placing a paint can in the middle of the room and dropping in a stick of dynamite. But none of that assorted strangeness prepared me for this even weirder fact: Rowan Atkinson's first big-screen role was in a Bond movie.
Q: Are they going to make any more "Kingsmen" movies?
"They" in this case is basically just Matthew Vaughn, who has directed and co-written all three films in the spy series that started with 2014's "Kingsman: The Secret Service." He owns the rights and could do more himself, however, he's not yet sure if he will.
New Releases for the week of October 16 - 22
Bullet Train
Ladybug (Pitt) is a hit man who has had a few too many jobs gone wrong on his watch and is now looking to work in peace in order to minimize risk for himself and others who could potentially get caught in the crossfire. When he accepts a job on a high-speed train in Japan, however, he soon finds that his job is now even more difficult than before due to run-ins with others in his line of work. As he encounters four other assassins on the same train, the group learns they have one big thing in common beyond their professions. Now he must also watch his own back in addition to taking out his mark.
Director: David Leitch. Stars: Brad Pitt, Joey King, Brian Tyree Henry, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Sandra Bullock, Bad Bunny, Michael Shannon. 2022. Action/Thriller.
Bodies Bodies Bodies
A group of friends, each in their 20s, gather to attend a party at a secluded family mansion, but as a hurricane begins to touch down around them, they soon find themselves unable to leave. Deciding to make the most of their new, cooped-up situation and to pass the time, they decide to play a game. But as the mood begins to shift and each friend's true nature comes to light, their fun, wholesome game descends into a horror show.
Director: Halina Reijn. Stars: Amandla Stenberg, Maria Bakalova, Rachel Sennott, Pete Davidson, Myha'la Herrold, Lee Pace. 2022. Horror/Comedy.
Rumble
In a world that humans share with monsters, young Winnie (Viswanathan) has spent her whole life watching her father coach and manage competitors in the very lucrative and much-enjoyed sport of Monster Wrestling. Now, wishing to follow in his footsteps, Winnie is determined to be as big a success as her dad (Arnett) and make a name for herself by turning an underdog into a champion. Once he is all trained up, she hopes he will win against the reigning champ, Tentacular (Crews), thus securing their respective places in Monster Wrestling history forever.
Director: Hamish Grieve. Stars: Will Arnett, Geraldine Viswanathan, Stephen A. Smith, Terry Crews, Tony Shalhoub, Jimmy Tatro, Tony Danza. 2021. Family/Animated.
Q: What is Cary Elwes doing these days? He was poised to be a leading man, but that seems to have fizzled.
On the contrary, Cary Elwes is in the midst of a full-on career renaissance.
You're absolutely right that his leading-man momentum seemed to run out of steam in the '90s. It started with 1987's "The Princess Bride" and maybe peaked with 1993's "Robin Hood: Men in Tights," but it slowed pretty rapidly so that by the '00s he was doing supporting roles in relatively low-profile films. His biggest role at the time was a recurring support in the gruesome, schlocky Saw horror franchise.
Life of crime: Escaped convict attempts disappearing act in 'Shantaram'
Charlie Hunnam stars in "Shantaram"
Q: I was watching "Octopussy" and it sounds as if some of Magda's lines have been dubbed over. What is heard is clearer than other dialogue and it doesn't match with the shapes her mouth is making. Why would they do that?
Rerecording lines was actually a pretty common practice in films at the time (and is still in use), but you're right that it was particularly noticeable in the Bond films, especially with a few of Kristina Wayborn's ("The Silent Lovers," 1980) lines in 1983's "Octopussy."
Essentially, lines are rerecorded when the mics pick up other noise, if the actor has a heavy accent that the producers think would be distracting or hard to understand, or when the line is changed after filming.
Late Laughs for the week of October 9 - 15
The Late Show With Stephen Colbert
A new study says that if we exercise for 30 minutes a day but spend the rest of the time sitting, "it's almost as if we had not worked out at all." Well, that's great news, because it means that if all I do is sit all day, it's almost as if I had worked out.
The Queen isn't the only leader the world is mourning this week. We also lost Fred Franzia, the mastermind behind Two Buck Chuck wine. So pour one out for Fred tonight. Or, pour out like three — they're really cheap.