Gone 'Full Circle': Limited series is a star-studded affair
Timothy Olyphant to star in HBO Max series "Full Circle"
New releases for the week of Oct. 9 - 15
Beast
After the recent death of his estranged wife, Dr. Nate Samuels (Elba) and his two teenage daughters, Meredith (Halley) and Norah (Sava Jeffries), travel to the Mopani Reserve in South Africa to remember their dearly departed and to reconnect as a family following her death. Now reunited with old friend and Mopani manager Martin Battles (Copley), the group visits restricted areas of the reserve. When they cross paths with a rogue lion along the way, however, the tone of the trip quickly shifts, and the Samuels are forced to outsmart both the dangerous beast and a pack of aggressive poachers.
Director: Baltasar Kormákur. Stars: Idris Elba, Iyana Halley, Leah Sava Jeffries, Sharlto Copley, Liyabuya Gongo, Martin Munro, Daniel Hadebe, Thapelo Sebogodi, Chris Langa. 2022. 93 mins. Drama.
Emily the Criminal
Saddled with an overwhelming amount of student debt, Emily Benetto (Plaza) struggles to pay off her loans due to a former felony conviction. Following a tip from a co-worker, she is offered a job as a dummy shopper with the promise of making $200 per hour. Later revealed to be a credit card fraud ring, Emily meets one of the organizers, Youcef (Rossi), who enlists her help for a new scam. As the stakes of the scams grow larger, Emily learns to make her own fake credit cards, thus opening the door to many exciting and dangerous opportunities.
Director: John Patton Ford. Stars: Aubrey Plaza, Theo Rossi, Bernardo Badillo, Jonathan Avigdori, Kim Yarbrough, Gina Gershon, Wesley Han, Megalyn Echikunwoke, Brandon Sklenar. 2022. 97 mins. Drama.
End of the Road
Following the death of her husband, Brenda (Latifah), her brother Reggie (C. Bridges) and her two children, Kelly (Lee) and Cam (Dixon), hit the road to relocate from Los Angeles to Houston. Staying the night at the Sunset Motel along the way, Brenda and Reggie hear an altercation and discover a man who has been fatally shot. Calling to notify the police, the family members give their statement and move forward with their trip, only to discover that Reggie has stolen a large bag of cash from the dead man's room, resulting in a myriad of potentially deadly consequences.
Director: Millicent Shelton. Stars: Queen Latifah, Chris 'Ludacris' Bridges, Mychala Lee, Shaun Dixon, Beau Bridges, Frances Lee McCain, Jesse Luken, Tabatha Shaun. 2022. 89 mins. Action.
Q: What is Sandra Oh doing now that "Killing Eve" is over?
A:Her award-winning run as the title character on the hit action-drama "Killing Eve" put Sandra Oh in a position to pick her roles, and she's made some bold choices.
Starring in a big-screen comedy? Yes. Doing a prestige fantasy drama based on an acclaimed book? Yep. Continuing to dabble in the superhero genre? That, too.
She's currently in production on "The Tiger's Apprentice," an animated drama based on the acclaimed children's book of the same name. It's due out in January 2024.
Q: I saw Richard Belzer, who played John Munch on "Law & Order: SVU," in an episode of "The X-Files," and I think they called him Munch there as well. Was that supposed to be the same character?
Brace yourself, because this goes deep: there was once a conspiracy among pretty much all of television to get Det. (and later Sgt.) John Munch, always played by Richard Belzer, in as many shows as possible.
Q: When is David Mamet going to do another movie? "Glengarry Glen Ross" is still one of the best films ever, in my opinion.
You're not alone in your esteem for the great writer and director David Mamet. His stage and screen accomplishments mean that he's in a position to wait around for the right project to come along.
And guess what? It just came along, so your question is well-timed.
New Releases for the week of September 25 - October 1
Thor: Love and Thunder
Thor (Hemsworth) figured he was done with bad guys, until Gorr the God Butcher (Bale) shows up on a mission to exterminate all the gods. Unable to take on the threat alone, Thor enlists the help of King Valkyrie (Thompson), Korg (Waititi), and his ex-girlfriend Jane Foster (Portman), whose ability to wield his hammer, Mjolnir, confounds everyone. Together, the group of heroes set out across the cosmos to take on the God Butcher and put an end to his vengeance-driven murder spree.
Director: Taika Waititi. Stars: Chris Hemsworth, Natalie Portman, Christian Bale, Tessa Thompson, Taika Waititi, Russell Crowe, Jaimie Alexander, Chris Pratt, Dave Bautista, Karen Gillan, Pom Klementieff, Sean Gunn, Vin Diesel, Bradley Cooper. 2022. 118 mins. Action.
Sound of Metal
Metal drummer Ruben's (Ahmed) life is thrown into a tailspin when he begins experiencing intermittent hearing problems during his performances. When a trip to the doctor's office confirms that things are only going to get worse, Ruben is sent spiralling into despair. His bandmate and girlfriend, Lou (Cooke), registers Ruben into a house for recovering addicts who are deaf, hoping it will help him adjust to his new life. But, despite the community's warmth and acceptance, Ruben desires his old life back and must learn to let go and embrace all the hurt and love that comes with this next chapter.
Director: Darius Marder. Stars: Riz Ahmed, Olivia Cooke, Paul Raci, Lauren Ridloff, Mathieu Amalric, Domenico Toledo, Chelsea Lee, Shaheem Sanchez, Chris Perfetti, Bill Thorpe. 2019. 120 mins. Drama.
The Munsters
Lily (S. Zombie) is a 150-year-old vampire on the hunt for love. So, when Herman Munster (Phillips), a seven-foot-tall corpse man with a winning personality, comes into her life, it's love at first bite. The two get along so frighteningly well they light up all of Transylvania with their whirlwind romance. But Lily's father isn't so keen on her love interest and begins brewing up a plan to find Lily a new boyfriend and get rid of that bumbling green monstrosity once and for all.
Director: Rob Zombie. Stars: Jeff Daniel Phillips, Sheri Moon Zombie, Daniel Roebuck, Richard Brake, Sylvester McCoy, Jorge Garcia, Catherine Schell, Cassandra Peterson, Dee Wallace, Pat Priest, Butch Patrick. 2022. Family. 110 mins.
New Releases for the week of Sept. 18 - 24
Vengeance
When New York journalist Ben Manalowitz (Novak) receives a call from Ty Shaw (Holbrook) informing him that his former paramour, Abby Shaw (Tipton), has died of a drug overdose, Ben is told to go straight to Texas. Upon his arrival, Ben is informed that it's unlikely Abby died of an overdose, considering she didn't use drugs. The mystery begins to evolve as Ben tries to understand the circumstances behind Abby's death, ultimately leading him and his friend Ty to avenge her.
Director: B.J. Novak. Stars: B.J. Novak, Boyd Holbrook, J. Smith-Cameron, Lio Tipton, Dove Cameron, Issa Rae, Ashton Kutcher, John Mayer. 2022. 107 mins. Comedy. Mystery.
Lost Illusions
In 1821, young idealistic poet Lucien de Rubempre (Voisin) left his hometown for Paris in order to pursue his dream of becoming a novelist. Instead of working on his masterpiece, however, he finds himself entangled in the broad world of journalism, which has become a booming industry, thanks to the widely available printing press. Under the mentorship of his cynical editor Etienne Lousteau (Lacoste), Lucien agrees to write rave theater reviews for various bribes. Now struggling with his own conscience, Lucien must face the fact that this new rise in popularity could also lead to his downfall.
Director: Xavier Giannoli. Stars: Benjamin Voisin, Xavier Dolan, Vincent Lacoste, Cécile de France, Gérard Depardieu, Jeanne Balibar, André Marcon. 2021. 141 mins. Drama.
The Reef: Stalked
After witnessing the horrific and sudden death of her sister, Nic (Liane) takes a healing trip to a tropical resort with their mutual friends. Determined to have a bit of relaxing fun kayaking, diving and spearfishing like they used to as a group, the settling, natural atmosphere soon turns to horror when the women realize they are being stalked by a great white shark. As the menacing creature picks them off one by one, Nic has to focus on overcoming her post-traumatic stress and face her fears if there's any hope for her and her friends to survive.
Director: Andrew Traucki. Stars: Teressa Liane, Ann Truong, Saskia Archer, Kate Lister, Bridget Burt, Tim Ross. 2022. 93 mins. Thriller. Horror.
New Releases for the week of Sept. 11 -17
Elvis
Looking back on his life from his deathbed, Elvis Presley's (Butler) former manager, Colonel Tom Parker (Hanks) ruminates on his memorable but somewhat complicated relationship with the King of Rock 'n' Roll. Taking exclusive control over Presley's career, Parker navigates Presley through the changing landscape of the music scene in America and the country's rapidly evolving cultural and social landscape. As Presley transforms from the innocent child of a destitute town in rural Mississippi to an earth-shattering worldwide sensation, Parker attempts to clear his conscience of a difficult journey that led him to a stroke and a gambling addiction.
Director: Baz Luhrmann. Stars: Tom Hanks, Austin Butler, Olivia DeJonge, Helen Thomson, Richard Roxburgh, Kelvin Harrison Jr., David Wenham, Kodi Smit-McPhee, Luke Bracey, Dacre Montgomery, Yola, Alton Mason. 2022. 159 mins. Drama.
Lightyear
After landing on the distant planet of T'Kani Prime, Space Ranger Buzz Lightyear (Evans), his commanding officer and friend, Alisha Hawthorne (Aduba), and the entire crew of his vessel find themselves attacked by aggressive life forms before becoming stranded. Volunteering himself as the test pilot to help the crew finally return home, Buzz learns of a mysterious glitch in time. Upon the first test flight, the hyperspace crystal fails and Buzz soon learns that the four minutes he spent in space equates to four years on T'Kani Prime. After a series of tests, Buzz finally returns to the planet only to discover it is under attack. Now only he and his ragtag group of recruits can save their new home.
Director: Angus MacLane. Stars: Chris Evans, Keke Palmer, Peter Sohn, Taika Waititi, Dale Soules, James Brolin, Uzo Aduba, Mary McDonald-Lewis, Isiah Whitlock Jr., Angus MacLane, Bill Hader. 2022. 100 mins. Animation.
Where the Crawdads Sing
Abandoned at the age of 7 by her family, Kya Clark (Edgar-Jones) raises herself in the marshes of North Carolina during the 1950s. In her formative years, Kya falls for town quarterback Chase Andrews (Dickinson), but when his suspected murder rocks the small, tight-knit Barkley Cove community, the reclusive and misunderstood Kya soon becomes the prime suspect.
Director: Olivia Newman. Stars: Daisy Edgar-Jones, Taylor John Smith, Harris Dickinson, David Strathairn, Michael Hyatt, Sterling Macer Jr., Logan Macrae, Bill Kelly, Ahna O'Reilly, Garret Dillahunt. 2022. 125 mins. Drama.
New Releases for the week of September 4 - 10
Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris
When Mrs. Harris (Manville), a widowed cleaning lady from London, becomes enamored with a couture Dior dress, she makes it her mission to obtain one of her own. Upon receiving a war widow's pension, she packs up and heads to Paris in pursuit of her fashion-driven dreams. Her introduction to the House of Dior marks the start of a new chapter in Mrs. Harris's life and interrupts the fashion industry in a way nobody could have anticipated — not even Mrs. Harris herself.
Director: Anthony Fabian. Stars: Lesley Manville, Jason Isaacs, Isabelle Huppert, Lambert Wilson, Alba Baptista, Lucas Bravo, Ellen Thomas, Rose Williams, Anna Chancellor, Christian McKay, Freddie Fox. 2022. 115 mins. Comedy. Drama.
Happening
Set in 1960s France, this semi-autobiographical film is based on the novel of the same name by Annie Erneaux. Anne (Vartolomei) is a promising student who is in the midst of preparing for her exams, which are fast approaching. Her whole world turns upside down, however, when Anne learns that she is pregnant. Now trapped between the constraints of her working-class family, France's laws preventing abortion in the 1960s and her duty to complete her education, Anne makes the difficult choice to take matters into her own hands in order to keep her life on track.
Director: Audrey Diwan. Stars: Anamaria Vartolomei, Kacey Mottet Klein, Louise Orry-Diquéro, Luàna Bajrami, Louise Chevillotte, Pio Marmaï, Sandrine Bonnaire. 2021. 100 mins. Drama. Foreign.
Paradise Highway
Sally (Binoche) is a truck driver who has been blackmailed into smuggling illicit cargo in order to save her brother from a deadly fate at the hands of a terrifying prison gang. Reluctantly agreeing to the task, she soon finds herself with FBI agents hot on her trail. Despite knowing what she has to do to save her own flesh and blood, Sally becomes seriously conflicted when she discovers the last "product" to deliver on her list of illicit cargo is a helpless teenage girl.
Director: Anna Gutto. Stars: Juliette Binoche, Frank Grillo, Morgan Freeman, Hala Finley, Cameron Monaghan, Christiane Seidel, Veronica Ferres, Desiree Wood, Walker Babington. 2022. 115 mins. Thriller. Drama.
Rocky, on AMC
In this inspirational story of seeking the American dream, small-time boxer Rocky Balboa (Sylvester Stallone) finally gets his chance to prove his worth when he is granted a fight with a champion. This original film kicks off a franchise marathon.
