Tag: TV

Movie & TV Series Trailers: Fall/Winter 2024

EmmaLeave a comment

NOTE: This post will be updated as more trailers are released and further details become available.

TV Series

The Day of the Jackal (Peacock: NOV 14th) starring Eddie Redmayne & Lashana Lynch

A ruthless assassin, the Jackal (Eddie Redmayne), makes his living carrying out hits for the highest fee. But following his latest kill, he meets his match in a tenacious British intelligence officer (Lashana Lynch) who starts to track down the Jackal in a thrilling cat-and-mouse chase across Europe, leaving destruction in its wake. -Synopsis

Disclaimer (Apple TV+: OCT 11th) starring Cate Blanchett, Kevin Kline, Sacha Baron Cohen, Lesley Manville, & Kodi Smit-McPhee

Blanchett plays Catherine Ravenscroft, a successful and respected television documentary journalist whose work has been built on revealing the concealed transgressions of long-respected institutions. When an intriguing novel written by a widower, played by Kline, appears on her bedside table, she is horrified to realize she is a key character in a story that she had hoped was long buried in the past, that reveals her darkest secret that she thought was hers alone. -Synopsis

Dune: Prophecy (MAX: NOV 17th) starring Emily Watson, Olivia Williams, Travis Fimmel, Jodhi May, Mark Strong, & Tabu

Ten thousand years before Paul Atreides joined the Fremen to lead an uprising on Arrakis to take down House Harkonen, two sisters (Valya and Tula Harkkonen) create the mysterious all-female order called the Bene Gesserit. The siblings combat forces that threaten the future of humankind. -Synopsis

Nautilus (Amazon Prime: AMC+) starring Shazad Latif

The origin story of Captain Nemo and his legendary submarine, the Nautilus. An Indian prince robbed of his birthright and family, a prisoner of the East India Company and a man bent on revenge against the forces which have taken everything from him, Nemo set sail with his ragtag crew on board the awe-inspiring vessel, battling foes and discovering magical underwater worlds. -Synopsis

Movies

A Complete Unknown (DEC 25th) starring Timothee Chalamet, Elle Fanning, Edward Norton, & Monica Barbaro

Set in the influential New York music scene of the early ’60s, A Complete Unknown follows 19-year-old Minnesota musician Bob Dylan’s meteoric rise as a folk singer to concert halls and the top of the charts — his songs and mystique becoming a worldwide sensation — culminating in his groundbreaking electric rock and roll performance at the Newport Folk Festival in 1965. -Synopsis

Gladiator II (NOV 22nd) starring Paul Mescal, Pedro Pascal, Denzel Washington, Connie Nielson, Joseph Quinn, & Fred Hechinger

After his home is conquered by the tyrannical emperors who now lead Rome, Lucius is forced to enter the Colosseum and must look to his past to find strength to return the glory of Rome to its people. -Synopsis

Trailer 1

Trailer 2

Nosferatu starring Bill Skarsgard, Nicholas Hoult, Lily-Rose Depp, Aaron Taylor Johnson, Emma Corrin, & Willem Dafoe

A gothic tale of obsession between a haunted young woman and the terrifying vampire infatuated with her, causing untold horror in its wake. -Synopsis

The Order (DEC 6th: limited release) starring Jude Law, Nicholas Hoult, Tye Sheridan, & Jurnee Smolett

In 1983, a series of increasingly violent bank robberies, counterfeiting operations and armored car heists frightened communities throughout the Pacific Northwest. As baffled law enforcement agents scrambled for answers, a lone FBI agent (Law), stationed in the sleepy, picturesque town of Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, came to believe the crimes were not the work of traditional, financially motivated criminals but a group of dangerous domestic terrorists, inspired by a radical, charismatic leader (Hoult), plotting a devastating war against the federal government of the United States. -Synopsis

The Return (DEC 6th) starring Ralph Fiennes & Juliette Binoche

After 20 years Odysseus finally returns to Ithaca, where he finds his wife held prisoner by suitors vying to be king and his son facing death at their hands. To win back his family and all he has lost, Odysseus must rediscover his strength.

The Room Next Door (DEC 20th: limited release) starring Julianne Moore, Tilda Swinton, John Turturro, & Alessandro Nivola

Ingrid and Martha were close friends in their youth, when they worked together at the same magazine. After years of being out of touch, they meet again in an extreme but strangely sweet situation. -Synopsis

Blog & Life Update: May 2024

EmmaLeave a comment

Hey y’all,

How was the Spring season (aside from allergies)? I can’t believe HOW fast the time is going in 2024- it’s almost Summer! I recently went to NYC for a cousin’s wedding; I have a LOT of family who are now settled in various neighborhoods of Queens. Yes, I still love NYC, though a LOT has changed since I lived there (2005-2009)! I’ve finally passed 700,000 hits on the blog; it took quite some time.

There is some sad news: one of my regular readers passed away in April; she was ONLY in her mid-50s. Susan (AKA Servetus) was a college prof/well-known online for being active in the Richard Armitage fandom; she commented on my blog 1st in 2013. Susan had her own blog (focused on RA); she was V smart, thoughtful, and a great writer.

I’m NOT feeling like my usual self for few weeks now; maybe I should look for ways to get out of the “lazy girl era” (as the Young’uns says)! Aging is NOT fun- just ask anyone over 40. I’m really behind on my posts, BUT hope to catch up soon! Thanks for reading (& subscribing) to my blog.

Best wishes,

EMMA.

CURRENTLY WATCHING:

The Crown: Season 4 (Netflix)

Mary & George (STARZ)

UPCOMING REVIEWS (Movies):

The Best Years of Our Lives (1946)

The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial (1988 & 2023)

Challengers (2024)

Dune (1984)

Dune: Part Two (2023)

Ferrari (2023)

God’s Own Country (2017)

Poor Things (2023)

Two Films of Luca Guadagnino: I Am Love (2009) & A Bigger Splash (2015)

Victor Frankenstein (2015)

UPCOMING REVIEWS (Streaming Shows):

Bridgerton: Season 3 – Part I (Netflix)

Ripley (Netflix)

Spoiler-Free Reviews of Four 2023 Series

EmmaLeave a comment

Happy New Year to my FAB readers!

Don’t forget to follow (by subscribing to the RSS feed), IF you haven’t done so before. 

What shows do y’all recommend from this past yr?

Take care,

EMMA

Beef (Neflix) starring Steven Yeun & Ali Wong

A road rage incident in SoCal entwines the lives of a struggling motel owner, Danny Cho (Yeun), and a wealthy art gallery owner, Amy Lau (Wong). This unique/thought-provoking series (renewed for S2) was created by Lee Sung Jin, a Korean-American young man who worked his way up in Hollywood. We get a look into the lives of characters who are NOT often seen in (mainstream) series/movies. There are several supporting players who get their own scenes to shine; they aren’t any “model minority” stereotypes. The role of religion (Christianity- in this case) is delved into; it is treated in a sensitive/nuanced manner. There are hilarious moments, as well as serious ones (I don’t want to give anything away)). IF you’re an immigrant or 1st gen in the US, you’ll be esp. able to relate to this show! I was V impressed by Yeun (who is now 40); I’ve seen him in a few (supporting) roles in recent yrs.

Full Circle (MAX) starring Zazie Beetz, Claire Danes, Jim Gaffigan, Timothy Olyphant, & CCH Pounder

This is a limited series (6 eps) dir. by Steven Soderbergh; he also operates the camera (as is his method). The show was inspired by Akira Kurosawa’s 1963 film High and Low, which in turn was based on the novel King’s Ransom by Evan Hunter (pen name of Ed McBain), part of McBain’s 87th Precinct series. However, this is NOT a typical police show; it’s a mix of crime/mystery/social drama. Danes and Olyphant play a wealthy Manhattan couple w/ secrets which come back to affect them after their teen son is kidnapped. Beetz is getting a LOT of roles lately; here she plays a postal inspector who is battling emotional issues. As her boss, Gaffigan gets to do a (rare) dramatic/Everyman role. Pounder plays a powerful/soft-spoken crime leader w/in the Guyanese community of Queens. There are several (young/newcomer) actors who are part of the ensemble; they all do a good job. We get to see neighborhoods of Queens which are NOT often shown in the media. I didn’t know much re: Guyana (a small country in South America where English is spoken) until the semester I worked at an afterschool program in Ozone Park, Queens. As we gather from this series, Guyana’s population is diverse; ethnic groups originated from India, Africa, Europe, China, and incl. indigenous peoples.

The Last of Us (MAX) starring Pedro Pascal & Bella Ramsay

This is probably one of the most talked about series of 2023; it’s based on a V popular video game! Pascal became one of the most searched celebs online (“internet’s boyfriend”). He and Ramsay (British; non-binary) BOTH worked on Game of Thrones. Here is a brief synopsis: 20 yrs after modern civilization is been destroyed, Joel (Pascal), a hardened survivor, is hired to smuggle Ellie (Ramsay), a 14 y.o. girl, out of a quarantine zone. It becomes a brutal/heartbreaking journey, as they cross the US, depending on ea. other for survival. I was a BIT skeptical of this show, BUT I enjoyed it V much! There are some gruesome elements, incl. blood, fighting, other types of violence (could bother sensitive viewers). We meet a variety of characters; some appear for one ep, others have a wider arc.

Shadow and Bone: Season 2 (Netflix) starring Jessie Mei Li, Ben Barnes, Archie Renaux, Freddy Carter, Amita Suman, & Kit Young

In most fantasy, darkness is metaphorical; it’s just a way of talking about evil: darkness falls across the land, a dark age is coming, etc. I wanted to take something figurative and make it literal. So the question became: what if darkness was a place? What if the monsters lurking there were real and more horrible than anything you’d ever imagined beneath your bed or behind the closet door? What if you had to fight them on their own territory, blind and helpless in the dark? These ideas eventually became the Shadow Fold. -Leigh Bardugo, author

I know what some of y’all are thinking: I’m TOO old for this show! LOL… I’d have to agree, after seeing the hot mess that was S2. Like some other Netflix shows, there are a LOT of cute/diverse/young characters, BUT w/ little development. Some eps are slow, while others go by SO fast, the viewer is left confused. As for S1, I found it interesting (incl. the unique production design and SFX). I was curious b/c SO many (Twitter) gal pals were discussing it. Of course, some are fans of British actor Ben Barnes (Gen. Kirigan); I suggest seeing S1 of Westworld instead (where he also plays a baddie). As for the (main) romance, I didn’t see much chemistry btwn Alina (Mei Li) and Mal (Renaux); I’d have preferred to see more of another couple (who barely got screen time in S2). Young (Jesper) has a LOT of charisma and screen presence; I think he’ll be the breakout among The Crows. I haven’t read the books, though found them at my local Little Free Library.

Quick Reviews: Recent Documentaries of Actors

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Jane Fonda in Five Acts (2018)

A look at the life, work, activism and controversies of actress and fitness tycoon, Jane Fonda.

Julia Louis-Dreyfus: Does a woman have to be single to be her authentic self?
Jane Fonda [at age 85]: Well, it depends on how you’re brought up. I grew up thinking it was my job to make men love me.

-From the podcast Wiser than Me with Julia Louis-Dreyfus (April 11, 2023)

Director Susan Lacy captures Jane Fonda’s complex life in this V informative, entertaining, and emotional doc (available on Max). The film is divided into 5 stages of the iconic actress’ life: Henry (her childhood/early yrs. w/ her father/family); Vadim (her older/French director hubby); Tom (her activist/lefty hubby); Ted (another American icon/”Alpha man” who became her hubby in middle age); and the last chapter- Jane (her important “3rd act”). The actress is open and honest w/ facts and freely gives her opinions (and we wouldn’t expect less). It was a BIT tough for her to get the confidence to pursue acting, which she began studying at 21: “I grew up in the shadows of a national monument- my dad!” Fonda is also known for her activism (which went way beyond the social media engagement of the young celebs of today), V popular fitness videos (in the ’80s), and entrepreneurship. We hear from her exes, family (incl. son Troy Garity), friends, and collaborators (incl. Alan J. Pakula, Sydney Pollack, Robert Redford, and Lily Tomlin). I will have to check out more of her work.

Rita Moreno: Just a Girl Who Decided to Go for It (2021)

A look at the life and work of Rita Moreno from her humble beginnings in Puerto Rico to her success on Broadway and in Hollywood.

She is an original, and she can’t help but be that every minute of her life. So one gets lost in her personality, happily and feels better for being with her. -Norman Lear

There was nobody that I could look up and say “That’s somebody like me”. Which is probably why I’m now known in my community as ‘La Pionera’, or the Pioneer. I really don’t think of myself as a role model. But it turns out that I am to a lot of the Hispanic community. Not just in show business, but in life. But that’s what happens when you’re first, right? –Rita Moreno

This doc (which I saw on PBS) is shown in interviews w/ the iconic actress at age 87. Rita Moreno (who I 1st saw on The King and I as a kid) is one of the few artists who is an EGOT (Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, Tony) winner. She became successful as a petite/minority/woman in entertainment; she hails from Puerto Rico w/ humble roots. Like many young women of her day, she started out as a dancer; in an early role, she danced w/ Ricardo Montalban! Moreno (healthy, energetic, and blunt-talking) expands re: many difficulties she faced as young woman: the “casting couch;” being typecast in “exotic” roles which only required her to look beautiful/speak in accents (even after the Best Supporting Actress Oscar win for West Side Story); and broadening her career to do work which interests her (even if NOT high-profile). She discusses how her low self-worth affected her romantic relationships; she was involved w/ Marlon Brando, then married to Leonard Gordon for 45 yrs. Moreno (who recently appeared on the family comedy One Day at a Time) is also an activist focused on women and minority rights. We hear from her friends, collaborators, and others she inspired, incl: George Chakiris (co-star on West Side Story), Hector Elizondo, American Ferrera, Norman Lear (iconic TV writer/producer), and Lin Manuel-Miranda.

The Last Movie Stars (2022)

In this intimate six-part docuseries, actor/director Ethan Hawke explores the love story and enduring legacy of Hollywood legends Joanne Woodward and Paul Newman.

I think of Newman and Woodward as one of the (few) marrieds who made domestic life look fun! Ethan Hawke may win an Emmy for his (must-see for classic film fans) doc on Max. It features the voice talents of of many fine actors, incl. George Clooney (Newman), Laura Linney (Woodward), Zoe Kazan, Alessandro Nivola, and Billy Crudup. There are interviews w/ the iconic actors’/philanthropists’ daughters and excerpts from a many interviews (transcribed from tapes which Newman recorded in the early ’80s). We hear re: the actors’ (difficult) childhoods, their exciting days studying/working in NYC theaters, their (sometimes complicated) courtship/marriage, and much more. Did you know that Newman was Jewish!? Though I was familiar w/ several of Newman’s films discussed (From the Terrace, The Long Hot Summer, Sweet Bird of Youth, Hud, and The Sting), there are MANY that I’ve never seen (esp. from later in his career). I learned that Woodward made her mark (in middle-age) w/ TV movies (acting and directing); she won several Emmy awards. I will have to check out her work in the future; the couple also worked together on some projects. Though some critics felt that Hawke was “too present” in this, I didn’t mind this (unique) take on the doc. When he was V young, Woodward donated $10,000, so that Hawke could start a small theater company- wow! Woodward was a teacher/mentor/friend to Linney.

Being Mary Tyler Moore (2023)

Mary’s vanguard career, who, as an actor, performer, and advocate, revolutionized the portrayal of women in media, redefined their roles in show business, and inspired generations to dream big and make it on their own.

This doc (which came out this month on Max) was produced by Moore’s surviving husband Dr. Robert Levine; the director (James Adolphus) had access to home movies, personal memorabilia, family and friends. I read that Adolphus (who worked 20 yrs, as a cinematographer and producer) wasn’t familiar w/ the iconic actress’ work prior to making this movie; producers saw this as a positive. Moore started out w/ modeling, then got into radio progs and TV commercials. She was TV’s funny/pretty/housewife/mom (The Dick Van Dyke Show) before she transitioned to happily single/career gal (The Mary Tyler Moore Show). While Moore was in front of the camera, her (then hubby) Grant Tinker worked on the business side of the (iconic) comedy focused on TV news reporters in Minneapolis. We hear from those who knew her well and others inspired by her example (from several gens): James L. Brooks, Rob Reiner, James Burrows, Ed Asner, Valerie Harper, Oprah, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Lena Waithe, Reese Witherspoon, etc.

Happy New Year (2023) & Life Update

EmmaLeave a comment

Hey wonderful readers,

Can y’all believe this blog started 15 yrs ago (when I was still in my 20s)!? Whoa… Also, it has been almost 3 yrs since the COVID-19 pandemic began (March 13, 2020). I even lost my pandemic weight (12 lbs.) in 2.5 mos- YAY! I got another vaccine (bivalent booster) in mid-NOV 2022. Are some of you continuing to work from home (WFH)? My team voted to ALL do WFH; a few had been doing the hybrid work. We met for lunch (OCT 2022); it was V nice to see some of work team (esp. those who were hired in the middle of the pandemic).

Are you more comfortable being social (indoors)? I’ve been out in the past 4 mos. for a few events, mainly b-days of friends. I went to Arizona (Scottsdale) for Thanksgiving; my nephews are growing up SO fast (and looking cute, as always)! As I noted before, I was at the Noir City DC film fest (OCT 2022) in AFI Silver Spring (my neighborhood). Going to new movies about 2x/mo. (as I did for several yrs.) is NOT common anymore! Since 2019, I’ve noticed that MANY new movies have a (short) theatrical release, then go over to a streaming service. What is your fave streaming service?

You can follow me on IG and Twitter at knightleyemma. On IG, I’ve posted mostly re: beauty and food (in the past), BUT am branching off into other topics. Lately, I tweet (or retweet) re: Adam Driver’s work and related matters. The actor was shooting Megalopolis in Atlanta before the Christmas holidays; this is a movie dir. (and financed) by Francis Ford Coppola. The trailer for 65 (a sci-fi movie out in March 2023) was released recently, so do check that out (below). There will be a new podcast out soon re: Driver’s work.

Thanks for reading, subscribing to, and sharing my blog!

Best wishes,

Emma.

UPCOMING REVIEWS (2022 Releases):

Everything Everywhere All at Once (rent: Amazon Prime)

The Menu (HBO Max)

White Noise (Netflix)

UPCOMING REVIEWS (Film Noir):

Impact (1949) (rent: Amazon Prime)

Niagara (1953) (rent: Amazon Prime)

Elevator to the Gallows (1958) (HBO Max)

UPCOMING REVIEWS (TV/Streaming Shows):

House of the Dragon (E5-10)

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (S4 & S5; Amazon Prime: Paramount+ Channel)

The White Lotus (S1 & S2: HBO Max)

CURRENTLY WATCHING:

Doctor Who (S6; HBO Max): Starring Matt Smith (recently on House of the Dragon).

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (S6): 2nd re-watch of this season.

Trailer for “65” starring Adam Driver

Francis Ford Coppola’s “Megalopolis” in Peril Amid Ballooning Budget, Crew Exodus (Exclusive): https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-features/francis-ford-coppolas-megalopolis-in-peril-1235284875/

Francis Ford Coppola: No Truth To Apocalypse On “Megalopolis” (includes response from Driver): https://deadline.com/2023/01/francis-ford-coppola-no-truth-to-apocalypse-on-megalopolis-1235216222/