New Releases for the week of May 3 - 9
Selma
Set in 1965 in Alabama, this Academy Award-winning historical drama recounts the Selma-to-Montgomery voting rights marches led by some of the most influential African-American activists of that decade. Shortly after receiving the Nobel Peace Prize, Martin Luther King Jr. (Oyelowo) meets with President Johnson (Wilkinson) in an attempt to secure new legislation that would secure the rights of black citizens to vote unencumbered. After the president dismisses his request, King and other black leaders begin to organize a march from Selma to Montgomery as an act of protest over discriminatory voting requirements that disenfranchise African Americans.
Director: Ava DuVernay. Stars: David Oyelowo, Oprah Winfrey, Carmen Ejogo, Tom Wilkinson, Tim Roth. 2014. 128 min. Drama.
Miss Julie
Miss Julie (Chastain), a young aristocratic woman and the daughter of a count, comes face to face with her father's valet (Farrell) during the course of a midsummer's night. She begins seducing the young man, but the politics of power and class imbalance are very much in play, and the night's relationship between the two quickly goes to some very dark places. Based on the August Strindberg play of the same name.
Director: Liv Ullmann. Stars: Jessica Chastain, Colin Farrell, Samantha Morton. 2014. 129 min. Drama.
The Last Five Years
Time moves both forward and backward in this musical about the end of what seemed like a fairy tale marriage. Cathy's (Kendrick) marriage to Jamie (Jordan) is at an end in the present day, and through flashbacks and jumps through time, the couple's entire history is recounted, from their first meeting five years ago to Jamie's proposal to the opposite trajectories their careers took. Jamie's career as a writer takes off, while Cathy's as an actor struggles to get off the ground. Soon enough, the high of Jamie's success leads him into the beds of other women, while Cathy's career stagnation drives her to increasing bitterness and sadness.
Director: Richard LaGravenese. Stars: Anna Kendrick, Jeremy Jordan. 2014. 94 min. Musical.
Blood, Sweat and Tools, on Discovery Channel
The teams focus on safety as they tackle a demolition task to make room for bunk beds. They'll also build a picnic area complete with a gazebo, table and a barbeque, as well as a boat lift. Helder Brum, Hillary Manion and Rob Koci host.
Blue Bloods, on CBS, CTV
Another dramatic season comes to a close as the Reagan family fights crime in the Big Apple in this season finale. While TV veteran Tom Selleck leads the cast as patriarch and police commissioner Frank Reagan, the ensemble also includes Donnie Wahlberg, Bridget Moynahan and Will Estes.
The Blacklist, on NBC
When Red (James Spader) sets his sights on a money-laundering bank that was recently robbed, Liz (Megan Boone) questions his motives. After impressing everyone on Cooper's (Harry Lennix) team, a new member (Mozhan Marnò) joins the taskforce.
Arrow, on CTV
As Oliver (Stephen Amell) undergoes a transformation, Nyssa (Katrina Law) and Laurel (Katie Cassidy) continue training in this new episode. When Nyssa realizes the League of Assassins is coming for her, she braces to fight them alone.
Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., on ABC, CTV
The Marvel universe comes to life on the small screen as a team of specially trained agents keeps the peace between humans, superheroes and aliens. Clark Gregg reprises his role as Agent Phil Coulson, who originally appeared in 2008’s "Iron Man."
The Voice, on NBC, CTV Two
The stage lights up as the remaining singers compete for a lucrative recording contract in this two-hour edition. Celebrity mentors Pharrell Williams, Christina Aguilera, Blake Shelton and Adam Levine attempt to guide the up-and-coming vocalists to stardom.
New Releases for the week of April 26 - May 2
Inherent Vice
In 1970s California, Shasta Fay Hepworth (Waterston) has a new lover, Mickey (Roberts), who is, unfortunately for her, married. She approaches her ex-boyfriend, Doc (Phoenix), to get help preventing Mickey's wife from having him abducted. This is but one of the three cases that Doc takes on: he also agrees to hunt down a member of a white supremacist group who owes someone money and to also help find a woman's missing husband. As he investigates the three seemingly unrelated cases, Doc's path always seems to cross Shasta's, and their old romance begins to rekindle, despite their best intentions.
Director: Paul Thomas Anderson. Stars: Joaquin Phoenix, Katherine Waterston, Eric Roberts, Josh Brolin, Owen Wilson, Maya Rudolph, Reese Witherspoon. 2014. 148 min. Crime.
The Gambler
Jim Bennett (Wahlberg) is a literature professor with a bad gambling addiction in this remake of the classic 1974 film. When Bennett ends up owing almost $300,000 to loan sharks after a bad gambling run, Bennett is given only seven days to come up with the money or he'll wind up dead. After searching unsuccessfully for someone to loan him the money to pay off his debtors, Bennett turns to his students as a possible out for the hole that he finds himself in. Soon, though, his students end up becoming collateral in the high-stakes, life-or-death games he's been playing, and as the noose grows ever tighter, it looks increasingly like Bennett won't make it out of this situation alive.
Director: Rupert Wyatt. Stars: Mark Wahlberg, Jessica Lange, Anthony Kelley, Emory Cohen, Michael Kenneth Williams. 2014. 111 min. Thriller.
Boy Meets Girl
A young transgender woman (Hendley) catches the eye of a local debutante whose fiancé has issues with their newly forged friendship in this critically acclaimed coming-of-age romantic comedy that explores the foundations of gender.
Director: Eric Shaeffer. Stars: Michelle Hendley, Michael Galante, Michael Welch, Alexandra Turshen. 2014. 95 min. Drama.
Brooklyn Nine-Nine, on Fox
Jake (Andy Samberg) is forced to take some time off after he's injured on the job in a new episode. Meanwhile, Holt (Andre Braugher) and Rosa (Stephanie Beatriz) try to avoid having intimate conversations during a double date with their significant others.
Auto Racing: Toyota Owners 400, on Fox
The checkered flag drops when Richmond International Raceway hosts the Toyota Owners 400, a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race. Fox analysts will be on hand to guide viewers through the highly anticipated event, which features some of the top NASCAR drivers.
