Ant-Man under the direction of Edgar Wright would have been a sublime experience, but filmmaker Peyton Reedis a highly able craftsman, and his last feature (2008’s Yes Man) is a woefully underrated flick.
With Reed, a script from Adam McKay and Paul Rudd, and with Rudd starring as the titular hero, Ant-Man has a shot at greatness (or at worst, a touch of goodness) when it hits theaters July 17.
Ant-Man (Marvel Studios)
My Marvel fanboy/comic book geek days hit its peak during the 1980s, so seeing original Ant-Man Hank Pym (Michael Douglas) dishing out a few life lessons to heir apparent Scott Lang (Rudd) is my #1 reason for loving this trailer:
Here’s the official Boilerplate:
The next evolution of the Marvel Cinematic Universe brings a founding member of The Avengers to the big screen for the first time with Marvel Studios’ “Ant-Man.” Armed with the astonishing ability to shrink in scale but increase in strength, master thief Scott Lang must embrace his inner-hero and help his mentor, Dr. Hank Pym, protect the secret behind his spectacular Ant-Man suit from a new generation of towering threats. Against seemingly insurmountable obstacles, Pym and Lang must plan and pull off a heist that will save the world.
Marvel’s “Ant-Man” stars Paul Rudd as Scott Lang aka Ant-Man, Evangeline Lilly as Hope Van Dyne, Corey Stoll as Darren Cross aka Yellowjacket, Bobby Cannavale as Paxton, Michael Peña as Luis, Judy Greer as Maggie, Tip “Ti” Harris as Dave, David Dastmalchian as Kurt, Wood Harris as Gale, Jordi Mollà as Castillo and Michael Douglas as Hank Pym.
Earth A New Wild,a series that details humanity’s intricate connection with wildlife and Mother Nature, hits Blu-ray ($34.99) and DVD ($29.99) on February 10 via PBS Distribution.
Hosted by conservation scientist Dr. M. Sanjayan, the series, shot in 29 different countries, is a joint collaboration between National Geographic Studios and Passion Planet.
“The pristine views of epic nature shows always leave something out of the picture: us,” said Sanjayan. “I traveled the world to film some of the wildest places. What I found were amazing stories that reveal a new paradigm about us and the planet we live on – that when we save wild nature we really are saving ourselves.”
Humpback whales, African lions, and Arctic reindeer are just a few of the animals spotlighted on Earth A New Wild, which is broken down into five episodes that spotlight a different section of our world’s expansive terrain (Home, Plains, Forests, Oceans, Water).
Daedalic Entertainment has changed the release date to its Stone Age set game Fire. Initially set for a January release, the game is available hits PC and Mac on March 26 and reaches iOS on May 28.
With Fire, gamers take on the role of Ungh the Neanderthal, a clumsy adventurer who’s on the search for fire. Ungh’s history with flames is a bad one, as his village burned down while under his watch. By utilizing the environment and animals around him (mammoths, bats, and dinosaurs), the caveman’s thirst for fire continues to burn.
Fire – Daedalic Entertainment
Fire is currently available as a Steam pre-order, giving buyers a 10% discount.
PlayStation Now is launching January 13 in North America, and it will be available to gamers in two plans ($19.99 per month or a three month package for $44.99).
The streaming game service, which will be first available on PlayStation 4 (PS4) consoles, will give unlimited access to over 100 PlayStation 3 (PS3) titles from such publishers as Warner Brothers, Bandai Namco Games America Inc., and Sega. For a list of the games available upon the subscription’s launch, go here.
“Users have been able to rent games through PlayStation Now for several months, and one of the top requests we get is for an overall subscription to the service. We’re excited to formally announce it today, as the PlayStation Now subscription service will deliver a ton of value by providing instant access to a large and diverse catalogue of games for one low price,” said Phil Rosenberg, Senior Vice President, Business Development and Publisher Relations, Sony Computer Entertainment America. “We know there are lots of PS4 owners that never owned a PS3, and this is a great way to catch up on games they may have missed.”
Under the service, players can save their game progress on PlayStation Now cloud servers and resume their game on PlayStation Now enabled devices.
To celebrate the subscription service’s launch, a PlayStation Now theme will be available to PS4 owners early this month. Gamers who download the theme before January 31 will be automatically entered for a chance to win a one-year subscription to PlayStation Now.
Gothamreturns Monday night with the episode “Rogues’ Gallery,” as James Gordon (Ben McKenzie) adjusts to his new job as an Arkham Asylum corrections officer (Homelandand Firefly vet Morena Baccaringuest stars as Dr. Leslie Thompkins).
Part of Gotham’s allure centers on the gradual development of the city’s heroes and villains. With everyone’s origin story on display, one of the characters that should receive a ton of attention down the road is justice seeker Harvey Dent (Nicolas D’Agosto). Dent’s story was effectively covered in Christopher Nolan’s masterwork The Dark Knight Rises, and now Gotham is taking a crack at Dent’s morally complex universe.
Ben McKenzie and Nicholas D’Agosto in ‘Gotham.’ Cr: Jessica Miglio/FOX
In the Fox Audio Central video below, Agosto (Masters of Sex), talks about how he landed the role of Harvey Dent:
As for the emergence of Two-Face, D’Agosto doesn’t see that happening on Gotham anytime soon. Click on the Soundcloud audio below to hear the actor talk about Harvey Dent’s emergence in Gotham:
Gotham’s new episode “Rogues’ Gallery” airs Monday, January 5 on Fox (8 pm et/pt)
Movie buffs may be familiar with such screen sirens as Rita Hayworth and Lana Turner or tough minded leading ladies Barbara Stanwyck, but lately I’ve been digging deeper into film noir’s rich history and have recently discovered an unforgettable actress: Audrey Totter.
The 95-year-old died December 2013 of congestive heart failure in West Hills, Ca.. It’s the city of my childhood, and if I knew of Totter’s work before her passing, maybe I would have tracked her down and requested an interview.
But that’s speculation. What’s actually real is Totter’s lasting impact on the film noirs of yesteryear.
Although she also had a successful run on the TV series Medical Center (as Nurse Wilcox), Totter’s cinematic forays were her calling card.
Audrey Totter in ‘Lady inthe Lake’ (Warner Bros.)
“We didn’t realize back then (the films) were as good as they were. I’ve always been fond of Lady in the Lake, Alias Nick Beal, The Set-Up, and Tension,” said Totter in Eddie Muller’s book Dark City Dames: The Wicked Women of Film Noir. “They were, I suppose, B movies, at a time when the studios put all their energy into the costume pictures, the big musicals. Now it turns out that people look at these B’s far more than the big musicals. There’s a whole cult around them, fans that love film noir, and run these pictures over and over.”
Here are two Audrey Totter pictures I’ll be running “over and over”:
LADY IN THE LAKE (1947)
Directed by and starring Robert Montgomery, Lady in the Lake (105 minutes) is a unique installment look at principled private eye Philip Marlowe, thanks to its subjective, point-of-view camera work from cinematographer Paul C. Vogel.
Marlowe (Montgomery) submits his mystery story “If I Should Die Before I Live” to a crime magazine, and publishing executive Adrienne Fromsett (Totter) takes an immediate liking to Marlowe. Even though Marlowe tries to play it cool with Fromsett by checking out her platinum blonde receptionist (Lila Leeds), Fromsette has Marlowe in her grips from get-go.
Knowing she’s not exactly a spring chicken, Adrienne Fromsett is determined to marry her boss, Derace Kingsby (Leon Ames), but first she hires Marlowe to find Kingsby’s missing wife. With the wife out of the way, our femme fatale can live happily ever after with the well to do Kingsby.
Though Montgomery plays Marlowe as a cranky private eye who’s exasperated with Fromsette’s schemes, a seeming damsel in distress is our hero’s Achilles heel. Fromsette, however, is not just a helpless, desperate lady or a subtle manipulator – she’s a little bit of everything. During the narrative’s final moments, we have no idea if Marlowe’s gamble to trust Fromsette is his winning hand or a fool’s bet – and Totter plays all of Fromsette’s shadings with inspired fervor.
Audrey Totter in ‘Lady in the Lake’ (Warner Bros.)
Though Lady in the Lake is an initial must-see for the subjective camera work (Brian De Palma paid homage to Montgomery’s visual aesthetic during a sequence in The Black Dahlia), the picture’s most alluring special effect is Totter’s piercing eyes and scene stealing work (although it’s a Marlowe film, she’s the most memorable character in Lady in the Lake).
TENSION (1949)
Barry Sullivan & Audrey Totter in ‘Tension’ – (Warner Bros.)
I love underdogs, and it’s a total shame that Tension (95 minutes) isn’t as well known as Totter’s most signature films (Lady in the Lake and The Set-Up). Cinematographer Harry Stradling (he lensed the Alfred Hitchcock movies Suspicion and Mr. and Mrs. Smith), knows his way around light and shadows in this beautifully shot noir (the night scenes are particular standouts).
Audrey Totter is Claire Quimby, the disenchanted and materialistic wife of bespectacled pharmacist Warren Quimby (Richard Basehart). As Warren works himself to the bone to purchase his dream house in Culver City, Claire galavants around town with any guy that carries a fat wallet and owns a fancy car.
After Claire leaves Warren for a Malibu residing meathead named Barney Deager (Lloyd Gough, whose career would eventually effected by the Hollywood blacklist), Warren changes his meek ways and transforms himself into Paul Sothern, a traveling cosmetic salesman. With a fake identity in tow, Quimby plans to kill Barney and win his wife back in the process.
Upon landing an apartment in Westwood, Sothern/Quimby falls in love with kindhearted neighbor Mary Chanler (a subtly luminous Cyd Charisse), thus putting his murder operation in jeopardy.
Audrey Totter in ‘Tension’ – (Warner Bros.)
Totter knocks this role out of the park, as Claire is a lady who’s looking out for number one. Whether it’s seducing a cop (Barry Sullivan, who also serves as the film’s opening narrator), cuckolding her puppy dog eyed hubby, or giving her latest lover the surprise of his life, Claire’s end goal is living in the lap of luxury (even if a few men die in the process).
It’s surprising that Tension director John Berry didn’t get a crack at more film noirs, as he has a confident command of the genre (his last film was the 2000 drama Boesman and Lena which starred Danny Glover and Angela Bassett).
Both Lady in the Lake and Tension are prime examples of Totter’s scenery stealing talent, and though I haven’t checked out High Wall and The Set-Up, I’m sure Totter delivers the goods.
May In The Summer, the latest drama from director and writer Cherien Dabis(Amreeka), hits Blu-ray and DVD January 30 via Cohen Media Group.
The storyline centers on May Brennan (Dabis), a woman who is set to marry a New York scholar (Cairo Time actor Alexander Siddig). Her trip to the altar, however, is filled with complications as her Christian mother (Hiam Abbass) disapproves of the scholar’s Muslim faith.
Bill Pullman (The Zero Effect, Independence Day) co-stars as May’s estranged dad and Alia Shawkat (Arrested Development).
Special features on the Blu-ray and DVD include a featurette, stills gallery, and trailer.
Premiering on ABC Tuesday, January 6 (8-10 pm et/pt), Marvel’s Agent Carterfollows Peggy Carter’s (Hayley Atwell) post-Captain America adventures, as she works for the covert organization SSR (Strategic Scientific Reserve).
Though she’s proven her mettle in the battlefield, Peggy has to balance doing administrative work for Howard Stark (Dominic Cooper) while undertaking secret missions on the side.
Hayley Atwell, whose previous film credits include the Woody Allen drama Cassandra’s Crossing and The Duchess, talks about Carter’s dilemma when the 7-episode series begins:
We find her in 1946, the year after the end of the first Captain America – we know that she’s lost Steve and she finds herself working at the SSR. It’s a position that’s one that she wants but she’s not used to the full extent of her abilities.
We’ve got the backdrop of gender roles and the politics involved in an environment like that – in a male dominated world for her. So she’s very frustrated – she’s not doing what she’s set out to do. She’s nowhere near (to) fulfilling her destiny. And we see the frustrations (and) what that means to her and her fight to be taken seriously.
Hayley Atwell in Marvel’s Agent Carter – (Credit: ABC/Eric McCandless)
The show also stars Chad Michael Murray (“Agent Jack Thompson”), Enver Gjokai (“Agent Daniel Sousa”), and Boardwalk Empire’s Shea Whigham (“Chief Roger Dooley”).
Tuck, filmmaker Kevin Smith’s return to cinema, hits Blu-ray and DVD December 30 via Lionsgate Home Entertainment.
Tusk – Lionsgate Home Entertainment
The story, penned by Smith, centers on a podcaster (Justin Long) who travels to remote area of Canada to interview a recluse (Michael Parks) who has a strange fixation for walruses.
Believing he’s landed a huge story, the podcaster is transformed in more ways than one. Genesis Rodriguez, Haley Joel Osment, and Johnny Depp are among the film’s co-stars.
Ricky Jay is the subject of the Season 29 premiere of American Masters, as Ricky Jay: Deceptive Practicepremieres Friday, January 23 at 9 p.m. (PBS).
Known for his lifelong collaboration with director/writer/playwright David Mamet (House of Games, The Spanish Prisoner) and his recurring role on HBO’s Deadwood, Jay has carved out a successful career as a magician, bestselling writer, history and actor.
Ricky Jay: Deceptive Practice, narrated by Dick Cavett, features rare performance footage of Jay and new interviews with his friends and collaborators (Mamet is also interviewed in the special).
“I am truly honored to be included in this iconic series, and grateful to be able to introduce viewers to the great sleight-of-hand artists who were my mentors and my inspiration,” says Jay.
Ricky Jay. Photo credit: Theo Westenberger/Autry Museum
