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Vol. 27
No. 01
Pick Hits
At The Movies
1917
Two young British soldiers during the First World War
are given an impossible mission: deliver a message deep
in enemy territory that will stop 1,600 men, and one of
the soldiers' brothers, from walking straight into a
deadly trap. The way the director successfully obtains
the feel of an uncut film is beautiful. The storytelling
of the Great War was historically spot on. We need more
storytelling like this, epic is to less of a word to
describe the film. If you're looking for a Hollywood
glorification of war, you won't find it here. You really
feel like you are witnessing real time events of the
poor young soldiers trapped in this world war.
On DVD
Joker
Forever alone in a crowd, failed comedian Arthur Fleck (Joaquin
Phoenix) seeks connection as he walks the streets of Gotham City. Arthur
wears two masks, the one he paints for his day job as a clown, and the guise he
projects in a futile attempt to feel like he's part of the world around him.
Isolated, bullied and disregarded by society, Fleck begins a slow descent into
madness as he transforms into the criminal mastermind known as the Joker.
Although very dark in tone, the Joker is one compellingly beautiful and most
intricately crafted movie.
The Buzz...
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have announced they
are “stepping back as senior members of the Royal Family.” In an Instagram
post, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex explained that
they made the decision to work towards “becoming financially independent” and to
raise their son between the United States and the United Kingdom. Speculation is
already rife online that the news means that Markle will return to her career as
an actor. The Duchess rose to stardom through her role in the TV show Suits.
We've all been marveling over Gabrielle Union's stunning
agelessness, and we have a sneaking suspicion that part of her secret to staying
so youthful is her commitment to her health. "I live a busy lifestyle between
family and work, but I always make time for a workout," she tells Amazon.
And now you can shop her favorite fitness picks, courtesy of her new Amazon
store, which she curated in conjunction with Amazon Sports.
Silvio Horta, creator of ABC’s popular series Ugly
Betty, was found dead in a Miami motel room on Tuesday in an apparent
suicide. He was 45. Horta died of a self inflicted gunshot wound. A
representative for Horta confirmed his death, but declined to comment on the
nature of it.
ABC stands by casting Sean Spicer on Dancing With
the Stars. The network’s president, Karey Burke,
defended Spicer’s position on the show during ABC’s Television
Critics Association winter press tour on Wednesday. “It’s a ballroom
dancing show, it’s not a political show, and I think the contestants came with
the spirit of that,” she told reporters.
Grey's Anatomy fans can continue to rest easy for now. The show is
still returning for a 17th season on ABC, and the show "will live as long
as (Ellen Pompeo) is interested in playing Meredith Grey." But
that doesn't mean some things aren't changing. The Grey's spinoff Station
19 is now taking over the 8 p.m. timeslot, with Grey's moving to 9 p.m.
Grey's showrunner Krista Vernoff is now also running Station 19,
allowing the two shows to be much more interconnected.
Justin Bieber is revealing he was diagnosed with Lyme disease and
chronic mono. The singer is addressing the many rumors surrounding his health in
a candid and hopeful message.
The 2020 Oscars will not have a "traditional host," marking the second
year that the show has opted out of the position.
ABC has picked up thirysomething(else) to pilot, the sequel
to the network’s thirtysomething series from Marshall
Herskovitz and Edward Zwick. The new show will follow an new
cast of actors playing the 30-something year-old children of the original cast,
with Ken Olin (Michael Steadman), Mel Harris (Hope
Murdoch), Timothy Busfield (Elliot Weston) and Patty
Wettig (Nancy Weston) returning.
Don’t hold your breath for that Modern Family spinoff folks.
Despite ABC’s hopes for some kind of continuation for the series,
co-creator Steve Levitan said nothing has been discussed.
Leslie Jones is loading up her grocery cart: ABC has picked
up a revival of the classic game show Supermarket Sweep, hosted
and executive-produced by the SNL vet. The program features three teams
of two as they compete to win big cash prizes using their grocery shopping
skills and knowledge of merchandise.
Barry Diller’s media company Iac has sold CollegeHumor
Media, whose portfolio includes comedy site CollegeHumor, Drawfee,
Dorkly and relatively new streamer Dropout, which debuted in
September 2018. The move resulted in over 100 layoffs at the company.
If you were hoping The New Mutants was going to follow the
recent trend of R-rated superhero flicks, we have some bad news. According to
director Josh Boone, the long delayed film is cruising for a PG-13
rating, and that was always the plan.
ABC is gonna tap into our nostalgic side with a special 20th anniversary
edition of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?
hosted by the network's favorite son, Jimmy Kimmel. |
