New Releases for the week of March 13 - 19
The Boy Behind the Door
When boyhood best friends Kevin (Dewey) and Bobby (Chavis) wake up inside the trunk of a car, Kevin is taken inside a mysterious house while Bobby is left locked in the truck. Trying hard to free himself and escape, Bobby hears his friend screaming for help from inside the house and decides to enter the house in order to try to save his friend. With a character known only as "The Creep" (Hauptman) arriving and giving the kidnapper (Bauer van Straten) a wad of cash, it becomes clear something even more sinister is going on than originally thought. What follows is the harrowing journey undertaken by heroic Bobby, who risks life and limb to save his best bud.
Director: David Charbonier, Justin Powell. Stars: Lonnie Chavis, Ezra Dewey, Kristin Bauer van Straten, Micah Hauptman, Scott Michael Foster. 2020. 88 mins. Thriller.
Red Rocket
Washed up adult film star and con man Mikey Saber (Rex) returns to his hometown after 17 years away and begs his estranged wife, Lexi (Elrod), and her mother, Lil (Deiss), to let him stay with them. Reluctantly agreeing to help him, the pair sets up Mikey with a job and household chores to earn his keep. Throughout a series of missteps as he tries to get back on his feet, Mikey meets Lexi (Elrod), Strawberry (Son) and several other characters who help him see the errors of his past and (hopefully) set him on track for a better future.
Director: Sean Baker. Starring: Simon Rex, Bree Elrod, Suzanna Son, Brenda Deiss, Brittney Rodriguez, Judy Hill. 2021. 128 mins. Comedy. Drama.
John and the Hole
John (Shotwell) is a 13-year-old boy who feels alienated from his mom (Ehle), dad (Hall) and older sister (Farmiga). Often spending time alone to wallow in his own feelings of sadness and despair, John one day takes a walk and discovers a large hole in the woods that appears to be part of a construction site. Determined that he'd be happier without his family looming over his every move, young John hatches a plan to trap them in the new-found hole so he can do whatever he wants in peace and without their judgment.
Director: Pascual Sisto. Starring: Charlie Shotwell, Michael C. Hall, Jennifer Ehle, Taissa Farmiga, Lucien Spelman, Pamela Jayne Morgan. 98 minutes. Horror.
Love Italian, will travel: Tucci's 'Searching for Italy' resumes
Stanley Tucci hosts "Stanley Tucci: Searching for Italy"
Oscar-nominated actor and Emmy-winning host Stanley Tucci ("The Lovely Bones," 2009) has had viewers yearning for a return trip to Italy since Season 1 of his show premiered last year. Happily, CNN's "Stanley Tucci: Searching for Italy" returns this Sunday, March 13.
48 Hours, on CBS
True crime stories are explored in great detail by journalists and experts in this news magazine series. The award-winning program has been instrumental in the reopening of cold cases and has led to the exoneration of numerous wrongfully convicted people.
Our Flag Means Death, on HBO
New Zealand-born filmmaker and actor Taika Waititi stars in this adventure series as famed pirate Blackbeard. In 1717, Stede Bonnet (Rhys Darby) decides to leave his cushy life to become a pirate. It does not go well. Three new episodes air back to back.
Joe Millionaire: For Richer or Poorer, on Fox
A group of women compete for the attention of two single men in another new episode from this reality show reboot with a twist. One man is wealthy while the other is not, but the women vying for their love and/or money aren't sure which one is which.
The Wonder Years, on ABC/CTV
This new series is an original take on the show of the same name from the late '80s. In this reboot set in Montgomery, Ala., a middle-class Black family has their story told through the eyes of their imaginative 12-year-old child, Dean (Elisha Williams).
FBI: International, on CBS/Global
Luke Kleintank, Heida Reed and Carter Redwood star in a new episode of this hit procedural spinoff. In order to keep the citizens of the United States safe, international agents go to extreme lengths to capture fugitives at large anywhere in the world.
Promised Land, on ABC
Cecilia Suárez and John Ortiz lead the cast of this new multi-generational drama series about a Latinx family vying for power and the family business in California. This episode shows more of their struggle to stay close despite seedy motives.
Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty, on HBO
This premiering drama series, based on Jeff Pearlman's book "Showtime: Magic, Kareem, Riley, and the Los Angeles Lakers Dynasty of the 1980s," follows the rise of one of the NBA's largest brands of the past 40 years. Quincy Isaiah stars as Magic Johnson.
<span>Q: Will Rowan Atkinson do any more "Mr. Bean" shows?</span>
It depends on whether you consider the cartoon to be part of the canon.
After the original international hit "Mr. Bean" series made the character famous, star Rowan Atkinson and writer Richard Curtis made a "Mr. Bean" cartoon series. It is less well-remembered today, even though it ran for much longer, releasing more than 100 episodes, compared to 15 episodes of the live-action show.