It’s not like there haven’t been family dramas on television before. But there’s something special about This Is Us. In its first two and a half seasons, it’s been able to touch lives and resonate with so many viewers in a way few TV shows ever have. Not only that — the show has inspired a lot of its fans to share their own stories. You hear them, you see them on social media, and the cast of the show is aware of them, too. Milo Ventimiglia told us they’ve been hearing amazing stories from viewers ever since the show premiered. (Click on the media bar below to hear Milo Ventimiglia)
Bruce Willis and Samuel L. Jackson make a good team. They’ve shown amazing chemistry in the movies they’ve already made together — Pulp Fiction, Unbreakable, and Die Hard with a Vengeance — and it’s on display once again in their new film, Glass. Willis says he was once again completely impressed with Jackson’s work ethic and performance. (Click on the media bar below to hear Bruce Willis)
Things move quickly on The Flash, and we’re not just talking about the velocities reached by the title character. Each season has had a feel that is distinctly different than the last, and the current fifth season is no different. Candice Patton, who plays Iris West on the show, says this season feels like a dish that a chef’s been working on for a long time, and he’s finally gotten the recipe just right. (Click on the media bar below to hear Candice Patton)
Peppermint Soda, the directorial debut of award winning filmmaker Diane Kurys (Entre Nous), hits Blu-ray and DVD on February 12 via Cohen Film Collection. The feature received a 2K restoration last year in celebration of the 40th anniversary of its release.
The narrative centers on Anne (Eléonore Klarwein) and Frederique (Odile Michel), teenage sisters whose lives are affected by their divorced parents and the strictures of their school life. Set in 1963 France, the picture was shot by acclaimed cinematographer Philippe Rousselot, whose recent credits include Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwaldand Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them.
Special features include interviews with Diane Kurys and actress Eléonore Klarwein, a film scrapbook, the featurette “A Meeting with Yves Simon,” the French restoration trailer, and the 2018 re-release trailer.
The Kid Who Would Be King, directed by Attack the Blockfilmmaker, centers on an average kid named Alex (Louis Ashbourne Serkis) who discovers the magical sword Excalibur. With the ability to wield the weapon, Alex teams up with his friends and Merlin (Patrick Stewart) to stop Morgana (Rebecca Ferguson) from taking over Earth.
Click on the media bar to hear Ashbourne Serkis, who is the son of actor/director Andy Serkis (Rise of the Planet of the Apes) discuss his own love for the “Sword in the Stone” tale that lies at the heart of the King Arthur universe.
The Kid Who Would Be King opens nationwide Friday, January 25.
There’s a dizzying array of talent on stage for America’s Got Talent: The Champions, with 50 former finalists from AGT and other “Talent” shows throughout the world being invited to perform. The invitations to return means that the AGT judges are seeing some of these acts for a second time, and Howie Mandel told us that part of the fun for him is getting to see how much they’ve grown since their initial appearances. (Click on the media bar below to hear Howie Mandel)
America’s Got Talent: The Champions airs Monday nights on NBC.
Bryce Dallas Howard’s two biggest movies — by far — have been the Jurassic World movies. Between them, they’ve grossed nearly $1.1 billion! So, not surprisingly, there has been talk about another sequel. But now, it’s more than just talk: When we spoke to Howard, she said the third Jurassic World movie is proceeding full speed ahead with both Howard and co-star Chris Pratt on board, and she’s anxious to see where the story will go following the end of Fallen Kingdom.
While the next Jurassic World movie moves forward, Howard’s current movie, A Dog’s Way Home, is playing in theaters now.
The producers of the new Magnum, P.I. understood that they weren’t just facing competition from the other shows airing against it on today’s television — they were also competing against the ghost of the original Magnum, P.I. That show, featuring Tom Selleck as the aloha-shirted detective, remains an iconic part of ’80s television lore, so everybody working on the remake had an option: Do they try to find a new Tom Selleck? Or do they change the character so the part could go to a new kind of Thomas Magnum? Jay Hernandez, who wound up getting the part in the new show, told us the creative minds behind the show figured that, if they played their cards right, they could kind of do a little bit of both. (Click on the media bar below to hear Jay Hernandez)
Oscar winning filmmaker Hayao Miyazaki is one of cinema’s most revered artists, and his life is spotlighted in the documentary Never-Ending Man: Hayao Miyazaki. The title comes out on Blu-ray and DVD Combo Pack April 30 from Shout! Factory and GKIDS.
The project focuses on Miyazaki’s journey on working with unfamiliar CGI technology as he creates the short film Boro the Caterpillar. The disc comes with a 70 minute version in Japanese with English subtitles and a 48-minute broadcast version with English narration (this cut comes with footage not included in the 70-minute version). The documentary received a limited release in theaters back in December.
What are your favorite Miyazaki films? Spirited Away? Princess Mononoke? Feel free to comment below!
Anne Hathaway reteams with her Interstellarco-star Matthew McConaughey in Serenity, a film noir penned and directed by Steve Knight (Locke). The story centers on a fishing boat captain (McConaughey) whose tranquil life is upended after his ex-wife (Hathaway) approaches him with a seemingly lucrative yet criminal offer.
“He has the whole story inside of him,” said Hathaway about working with Knight. “So anytime you have a question, if there is a knot you can’t quite untie yourself, not only does he help you untie it but you get the backstory, you get the logic, you get the through line, you get the inspiration for it, which is just invaluable to the process.”
Click on the media bar to hear Hathaway talk about how there are “so many things” behind Serenity’s storyline.
It’s not like there haven’t been family dramas on television before. But there’s something special about This Is Us. In its first two and a half seasons, it’s been able to touch lives and resonate with so many viewers in a way few TV shows ever have. Not only that — the show has inspired a lot of its fans to share their own stories. You hear them, you see them on social media, and the cast of the show is aware of them, too. Milo Ventimiglia told us they’ve been hearing amazing stories from viewers ever since the show premiered. (Click on the media bar below to hear Milo Ventimiglia)
