Whether or not award shows like the Golden Globes and the SAG Awards have an immediate impact on viewership, a strong night at either (or both) can drastically affect the future of a series. Low-rated shows like “Crazy Ex-Girlfriend” and “Mozart in the Jungle,” or even “30 Rock” and “Arrested Development,” may not have earned follow-up seasons without the repeated embrace of the HFPA, SAG, and other appreciative awards shows that boosted their profile (and their respective networks’).
What matters, in the end, is more seasons; more work; more of what at least someone considers to be TV’s best of the best. The fact that a golden sphere on top of a podium or a bronze statue of a performer can contribute to talented creators continuing their passion projects is pretty special.
Read More:The Best Holiday TV Episodes of the 21st Century, Ranked
In the peak TV age, it’s also important.
What matters, in the end, is more seasons; more work; more of what at least someone considers to be TV’s best of the best. The fact that a golden sphere on top of a podium or a bronze statue of a performer can contribute to talented creators continuing their passion projects is pretty special.
Read More:The Best Holiday TV Episodes of the 21st Century, Ranked
In the peak TV age, it’s also important.
- 11/30/2017
- by Ben Travers
- Indiewire
FremantleMedia North America has made a massive shift at the helm of its signature scripted series, “American Gods.” Bryan Fuller and Michael Green, who adapted the series from the Neil Gaiman novel, are departing the show, and it’s unclear how that might impact production on Season 2.
According to multiple insiders, Fremantle had a falling out with Fuller and Green due to a debate over budgets. One noted that Fremantle wasn’t factoring season-to-season cost increases, as well as an bump in the exchange rate with Canada, where the show is filmed. Ultimately, that would have meant a cut in the show’s episodic budget, which is already high because it doesn’t have any standing sets. Budget concerns forced an impasse between both sides, ultimately leading to the decision to part ways.
Both Fuller and Green have busy plates beyond “Gods,” which may have also led to the change.
According to multiple insiders, Fremantle had a falling out with Fuller and Green due to a debate over budgets. One noted that Fremantle wasn’t factoring season-to-season cost increases, as well as an bump in the exchange rate with Canada, where the show is filmed. Ultimately, that would have meant a cut in the show’s episodic budget, which is already high because it doesn’t have any standing sets. Budget concerns forced an impasse between both sides, ultimately leading to the decision to part ways.
Both Fuller and Green have busy plates beyond “Gods,” which may have also led to the change.
- 11/29/2017
- by Michael Schneider
- Indiewire
Santa Monica, CA – The critically acclaimed Starz fantasy series American Gods” Season One, produced by FremantleMedia North America, arrives on Digital HD October 6 and Blu-ray (plus Digital HD) and DVD October 17 from Lionsgate. From writer-producers Bryan Fuller (Hannibal) and Michael Green (Heroes) and based on Neil Gaiman’s international best-selling novel, American Gods Season One is a visual feast focusing on an ex-convict named Shadow Moon, and his sudden introduction into a power struggle between the Old and New Gods. American Gods Season One stars Ricky Whittle (The 100), Ian McShane (John Wick: Chapter 2, Deadwood), Emily Browning (Sucker Punch, Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events), Pablo Schreiber (13 Hours, Orange Is the New Black), Peter Stormare (John Wick: Chapter 2, Fargo), and pop culture icon Gillian Anderson (The X-Files, Hannibal).
When Shadow Moon is released from prison, he meets the mysterious Mr. Wednesday and a storm begins to brew.
When Shadow Moon is released from prison, he meets the mysterious Mr. Wednesday and a storm begins to brew.
- 9/2/2017
- by ComicMix Staff
- Comicmix.com
From Hemlock Grove to The Vampire Diaries to Christopher Fitchett’s The Fear of Darkness, actress Penelope Mitchell has built up a collection of relatively high-profile roles within the industry’s horror/fantasy genre. And now, Deadline brings word of another: Hellboy.
Yes, it’s official: Mitchell has signed on to star in the Neil Marshall-directed reboot, and will join David Harbour (Stranger Things) Ian McShane (American Gods), Sasha Lane, Milla Jovovich (Resident Evil) and, crucially, not Ed Skrein, who took it upon himself to walk away from the Hellboy reboot amid allegations of whitewashing. Something which we can only hope is a sign of Hollywood’s turning tide when it comes to diversity and representation.
Last week, the one-time Deadpool actor boarded Marshall’s project in the role of military chief Major Ben Daimio, a character who was originally portrayed as Asian in Mike Mignola’s cult comic book series.
Yes, it’s official: Mitchell has signed on to star in the Neil Marshall-directed reboot, and will join David Harbour (Stranger Things) Ian McShane (American Gods), Sasha Lane, Milla Jovovich (Resident Evil) and, crucially, not Ed Skrein, who took it upon himself to walk away from the Hellboy reboot amid allegations of whitewashing. Something which we can only hope is a sign of Hollywood’s turning tide when it comes to diversity and representation.
Last week, the one-time Deadpool actor boarded Marshall’s project in the role of military chief Major Ben Daimio, a character who was originally portrayed as Asian in Mike Mignola’s cult comic book series.
- 8/30/2017
- by Michael Briers
- We Got This Covered
Season 1 of the Starz series American Gods hits Blu-ray and DVD on October 17th and Digital HD on October 6th courtesy of Lionsgate, and we have a look at the cover art and list of special features (and if you are looking for even more American Gods content, a current run of the comic series American Gods: Shadows, written by Neil Gaiman, is available now.)
Press Release: Santa Monica, CA (August 17, 2017) – The critically acclaimed Starz fantasy series “American Gods” Season One, produced by FremantleMedia North America, arrives on Digital HD October 6 and Blu-ray (plus Digital HD) and DVD October 17 from Lionsgate. From writer-producers Bryan Fuller (“Hannibal”) and Michael Green (“Heroes”) and based on Neil Gaiman’s international best-selling novel, “American Gods” Season One is a visual feast focusing on an ex-convict named Shadow Moon, and his sudden introduction into a power struggle between the Old and New Gods. “American Gods...
Press Release: Santa Monica, CA (August 17, 2017) – The critically acclaimed Starz fantasy series “American Gods” Season One, produced by FremantleMedia North America, arrives on Digital HD October 6 and Blu-ray (plus Digital HD) and DVD October 17 from Lionsgate. From writer-producers Bryan Fuller (“Hannibal”) and Michael Green (“Heroes”) and based on Neil Gaiman’s international best-selling novel, “American Gods” Season One is a visual feast focusing on an ex-convict named Shadow Moon, and his sudden introduction into a power struggle between the Old and New Gods. “American Gods...
- 8/21/2017
- by Tamika Jones
- DailyDead
In the age of peak TV, we’ve gotten to see many series which are constructed to be satisfying after just one season of storytelling. But it’s important to remember that this is a relatively new phenomenon, that all too often, potentially great shows will get cancelled before getting the chance to reach their full potential.
Read More:8 Cancelled TV Shows That Got A ‘Twin Peaks’-Style Revival
The list below focuses on scripted series, reaching back over two decades to cover some of television history’s most disappointing ends. The aim is to remember some of network and cable’s most audacious experiments, for better and for worse.
25. “Almost Human” (2013-2014)
In many ways, “Almost Human” was deeply flawed to a degree that made its cancellation understandable — it struggled to balance too many plot threads with an over-reliance on recycled world-building, ultimately failing to coalesce despite some ambitious...
Read More:8 Cancelled TV Shows That Got A ‘Twin Peaks’-Style Revival
The list below focuses on scripted series, reaching back over two decades to cover some of television history’s most disappointing ends. The aim is to remember some of network and cable’s most audacious experiments, for better and for worse.
25. “Almost Human” (2013-2014)
In many ways, “Almost Human” was deeply flawed to a degree that made its cancellation understandable — it struggled to balance too many plot threads with an over-reliance on recycled world-building, ultimately failing to coalesce despite some ambitious...
- 8/15/2017
- by Liz Shannon Miller and Zack Sharf
- Indiewire
Ian McShane is a revered and accomplished British actor whose career dates back to the early 1960s. His breakout role came in 2000, when he played the amoral, serpentine mob boss, Teddy Bass, in Sexy Beast, a brutal crime thriller that also starred Ray Winstone and Ben Kingsley (in one of his most thoroughly entertaining roles). American audiences probably knew him best as the infamous (and quasi-historical) Al Swearengen in David Milch's classic anti-Western Deadwood -- a role now firmly entrenched in American pop culture.
McShane is undoubtedly one of the greatest character actors working today, he's played everything from pirate to hitman to martial arts tiger to the Norse God Odin himself, all with one thing in common: they're all take-no-shit, total badasses! THR's announcement of McShane joining Neil Marshall's Hellboy reboot is absolutely huge news, which vaults this film to the top of my must-see movies of...
McShane is undoubtedly one of the greatest character actors working today, he's played everything from pirate to hitman to martial arts tiger to the Norse God Odin himself, all with one thing in common: they're all take-no-shit, total badasses! THR's announcement of McShane joining Neil Marshall's Hellboy reboot is absolutely huge news, which vaults this film to the top of my must-see movies of...
- 8/2/2017
- by David Kozlowski
- LRMonline.com
Sophie Turner, Maisie Williams and Kit Harington play the elder (living) half of the Stark siblings on HBO’s Game of Thrones—but they’re more than just a family on TV.
Ahead of this Sunday’s premiere of the penultimate season, Sophie Turner had plenty to say about the cast’s ironclad bond and the “big conclusion” coming for Game of Thrones over the course of the next two seasons when she showed up in Louis Vuitton to the show’s La red carpet screening Wednesday night.
“I feel like I have the world’s biggest family,” Turner told People.
Ahead of this Sunday’s premiere of the penultimate season, Sophie Turner had plenty to say about the cast’s ironclad bond and the “big conclusion” coming for Game of Thrones over the course of the next two seasons when she showed up in Louis Vuitton to the show’s La red carpet screening Wednesday night.
“I feel like I have the world’s biggest family,” Turner told People.
- 7/14/2017
- by Liam Berry and Scott Huver
- PEOPLE.com
Courtesy of Starz
Well, here it is: the eighth episode. The season finale of Neil Gaiman’s novel turned television series. So, without further ado, here’s what happened on the American Gods season finale.
As Shadow and Wednesday sit back in silk robes, waiting for the completion of Mr. Nancy’s specially tailored suits, he tells them the story of a specific queen: Bilquis. He tells them of her reign in her land, how she moved throughout the ages, adapting to the changing eras and taking her followers through her sexual exploits. His story culminates on how weakened she is after Isis destroys her altar and is given her power back due to an arrangement with Technical Boy.
Upon completion of their suits, Shadow and Wednesday arrive in Kentucky at their next stop; the next God who’s allegiance they need. Walking into a colorful and vibrant party, the two of them meet Ostara,...
Well, here it is: the eighth episode. The season finale of Neil Gaiman’s novel turned television series. So, without further ado, here’s what happened on the American Gods season finale.
As Shadow and Wednesday sit back in silk robes, waiting for the completion of Mr. Nancy’s specially tailored suits, he tells them the story of a specific queen: Bilquis. He tells them of her reign in her land, how she moved throughout the ages, adapting to the changing eras and taking her followers through her sexual exploits. His story culminates on how weakened she is after Isis destroys her altar and is given her power back due to an arrangement with Technical Boy.
Upon completion of their suits, Shadow and Wednesday arrive in Kentucky at their next stop; the next God who’s allegiance they need. Walking into a colorful and vibrant party, the two of them meet Ostara,...
- 6/19/2017
- by Anthony Esteves
- LRMonline.com
Ron Hogan Jun 19, 2017
American Gods season 1 concludes with another stunning-looking episode. Here's our finale review...
Easter is a very strange holiday, even by holiday standards. Christianity mashed together with pagan rituals, bunnies and crucifixion and chocolate? In many ways, it's an example of just what kind of services the New Gods can offer the Old. It's a temptation to continue to exist, to feel something of the old worship. Sure, you might have to share your holiday with about a hundred different incarnations of Jesus, but for Easter (Kristin Chenoweth), it's a pretty good bargain she's made with Media. She gets remembered, and honoured after a fashion, and she gets to have a big party with a lot of new friends who won't have much use for her indoor pool.
See related Wynonna Earp season 2 episode 1 review: Steel Bars And Stone Walls Wynonna Earp season 2: the first trailer
Unfortunately for Easter, she's going to have a couple of party crashers. One's an old friend trying to recruit her to be his Queen and fight alongside him in the upcoming war. The other's a leprechaun bringing a dead girl to a party for a bunch of people who have already come back to life. Neither is particularly welcome, because while Wednesday is trying to seduce Easter and Sweeney and Laura talk about just what God made her die, Media is coming to pay a visit to her dearest friend in full Scarlett O'Hara glory.
Kristin Chenoweth is just a little ray of sunshine, but like the sun, she can warm, and she can burn. She's a gifted comic actress, and she's a Broadway star for a reason. She's magnetic, and she holds her own on screen despite making Emily Browning look tall. She's a pint-sized powerhouse, and she emotes so well with her features without succumbing to theatre's tendency to have to play big to get to the back of the room. She goes big, but it's appropriately big, because she's playing a larger than life character.
As Media says, Easter has made an arrangement to share her holiday, and like Vulcan, she's adapted to the way things are as a form of religious Darwinism. She's willing to host a parade of Jesuses to her home to celebrate their shared holiday, and she might even be able to pretend that she likes it, but when Easter lets loose and shows her true power, bringing spring and then taking spring away, it's clear that she's missed being herself. Easter is more than bunnies and sugary treats; Easter is rebirth and death, and it's clear that she's missed exercising her power in a meaningful way.
It's such a satisfying moment, and Chenoweth, Gillian Anderson, and Ian McShane play it so, so well. The New Gods have a certain skill set, and certainly they can work with the Old Gods and bring them into the modern world, but it's not the same as being actually worshiped; the New Gods provide distractions and fill time, but there's nothing satisfying about what they offer people or Gods. Certainly, it might sustain the lucky deity, like Vulcan, but it's clear that Wednesday wants something more like the old ways, and Easter is just the queen to provide it.
The episode is an interesting combination of elements. Our introduction to Bilquis has already been made, but we don't hear her story until Nancy tells it. It's as tragic as you might imagine, given that none of the Gods have had an easy time in America and she's a very old god who has long since been forgotten until she is rescued by Technical Boy. Easter's house is beautiful, and it's shown in a very idyllic style; it's all cuddly bunnies and candy colours, at least until Wednesday goes into his long discussion of his many names and calls down lightning to kill several of the Men In Black and make a sacrifice to Easter.
There are so many shifts in that scene, particularly in colour saturation and visuals, that the fact that they pulled it off and made it look so good is just a testament to the skill of the special effects team and a keen eye for cinematography and editing. The shift from Easter's brightness to the clouds of Odin is perfectly done, and the shift from Odin's stormy skies to the glory of full summer is deft, and Floria Sigismondi's camera makes it absolutely sing and pop. The look of rapture on Kristin Chenoweth's face, and the look of satisfaction on Wednesday's, only makes the scene that much better, particularly when Easter decides to take away the beauty that she'd given, robbing the world of spring and holding it for ransom.
It's a stunning moment of triumph for Wednesday. He gets Easter on his side, he puts on a show of power for the New Gods and the people of the world, and he finally wins over Shadow's belief. Unfortunately, Sweeney and Laura are still there, and Dead Wife just might have enough ammunition in her clip to take Wednesday down and scuttle the plans before they can even really begin by wrenching Shadow away from his benefactor. His biggest triumph, and his ruin is standing behind him on a balcony, clearing her throat. A god, who might just be brought low by a dead girl too stubborn to stay dead.
That's the magic of American Gods, and why Michael Green and Bryan Fuller's adaptation is so brilliant. The machinations of these powerful beings can be toppled by a stubborn ghoul who just wants to be back with her husband and to stop spitting up maggots and drawing flies. Without people, even the most powerful of gods is doomed, no matter how well they adapt to using a smartphone.
Us Correspondent Ron Hogan was very impressed by Easter's palatial Kentucky estate. He lives in Kentucky, and hasn't seen very many houses that look quite that spectacular. Find more by Ron daily at PopFi.
American Gods season 1 concludes with another stunning-looking episode. Here's our finale review...
Easter is a very strange holiday, even by holiday standards. Christianity mashed together with pagan rituals, bunnies and crucifixion and chocolate? In many ways, it's an example of just what kind of services the New Gods can offer the Old. It's a temptation to continue to exist, to feel something of the old worship. Sure, you might have to share your holiday with about a hundred different incarnations of Jesus, but for Easter (Kristin Chenoweth), it's a pretty good bargain she's made with Media. She gets remembered, and honoured after a fashion, and she gets to have a big party with a lot of new friends who won't have much use for her indoor pool.
See related Wynonna Earp season 2 episode 1 review: Steel Bars And Stone Walls Wynonna Earp season 2: the first trailer
Unfortunately for Easter, she's going to have a couple of party crashers. One's an old friend trying to recruit her to be his Queen and fight alongside him in the upcoming war. The other's a leprechaun bringing a dead girl to a party for a bunch of people who have already come back to life. Neither is particularly welcome, because while Wednesday is trying to seduce Easter and Sweeney and Laura talk about just what God made her die, Media is coming to pay a visit to her dearest friend in full Scarlett O'Hara glory.
Kristin Chenoweth is just a little ray of sunshine, but like the sun, she can warm, and she can burn. She's a gifted comic actress, and she's a Broadway star for a reason. She's magnetic, and she holds her own on screen despite making Emily Browning look tall. She's a pint-sized powerhouse, and she emotes so well with her features without succumbing to theatre's tendency to have to play big to get to the back of the room. She goes big, but it's appropriately big, because she's playing a larger than life character.
As Media says, Easter has made an arrangement to share her holiday, and like Vulcan, she's adapted to the way things are as a form of religious Darwinism. She's willing to host a parade of Jesuses to her home to celebrate their shared holiday, and she might even be able to pretend that she likes it, but when Easter lets loose and shows her true power, bringing spring and then taking spring away, it's clear that she's missed being herself. Easter is more than bunnies and sugary treats; Easter is rebirth and death, and it's clear that she's missed exercising her power in a meaningful way.
It's such a satisfying moment, and Chenoweth, Gillian Anderson, and Ian McShane play it so, so well. The New Gods have a certain skill set, and certainly they can work with the Old Gods and bring them into the modern world, but it's not the same as being actually worshiped; the New Gods provide distractions and fill time, but there's nothing satisfying about what they offer people or Gods. Certainly, it might sustain the lucky deity, like Vulcan, but it's clear that Wednesday wants something more like the old ways, and Easter is just the queen to provide it.
The episode is an interesting combination of elements. Our introduction to Bilquis has already been made, but we don't hear her story until Nancy tells it. It's as tragic as you might imagine, given that none of the Gods have had an easy time in America and she's a very old god who has long since been forgotten until she is rescued by Technical Boy. Easter's house is beautiful, and it's shown in a very idyllic style; it's all cuddly bunnies and candy colours, at least until Wednesday goes into his long discussion of his many names and calls down lightning to kill several of the Men In Black and make a sacrifice to Easter.
There are so many shifts in that scene, particularly in colour saturation and visuals, that the fact that they pulled it off and made it look so good is just a testament to the skill of the special effects team and a keen eye for cinematography and editing. The shift from Easter's brightness to the clouds of Odin is perfectly done, and the shift from Odin's stormy skies to the glory of full summer is deft, and Floria Sigismondi's camera makes it absolutely sing and pop. The look of rapture on Kristin Chenoweth's face, and the look of satisfaction on Wednesday's, only makes the scene that much better, particularly when Easter decides to take away the beauty that she'd given, robbing the world of spring and holding it for ransom.
It's a stunning moment of triumph for Wednesday. He gets Easter on his side, he puts on a show of power for the New Gods and the people of the world, and he finally wins over Shadow's belief. Unfortunately, Sweeney and Laura are still there, and Dead Wife just might have enough ammunition in her clip to take Wednesday down and scuttle the plans before they can even really begin by wrenching Shadow away from his benefactor. His biggest triumph, and his ruin is standing behind him on a balcony, clearing her throat. A god, who might just be brought low by a dead girl too stubborn to stay dead.
That's the magic of American Gods, and why Michael Green and Bryan Fuller's adaptation is so brilliant. The machinations of these powerful beings can be toppled by a stubborn ghoul who just wants to be back with her husband and to stop spitting up maggots and drawing flies. Without people, even the most powerful of gods is doomed, no matter how well they adapt to using a smartphone.
Us Correspondent Ron Hogan was very impressed by Easter's palatial Kentucky estate. He lives in Kentucky, and hasn't seen very many houses that look quite that spectacular. Find more by Ron daily at PopFi.
- 6/11/2017
- Den of Geek
[Editor’s note: Spoilers for “American Gods” Episode 4, “Git Gone,” follow.]
Even Neil Gaiman knew, right from the beginning, that if “American Gods” was going to become a TV show, it needed to deal with the character of Laura Moon (played by Emily Browning). “I was telling [co-showrunner Bryan Fuller] that one was one of the things that I felt we had to do, in that first meeting back in 2014,” the iconic author told IndieWire.
And Fuller agreed with this sentiment, reflecting on his initial meeting with Gaiman. “One of the first things we talked about was the need to not necessarily defend Laura Moon, but allow the audience a better understanding of her,” Fuller said.
Why is that? Well, here’s one of the first things we learn about Laura: While her husband Shadow Moon (Ricky Whittle) was in jail for a crime she asked him to commit, she was killed while performing road-head on Shadow’s best friend Robbie (Dane Cook), with...
Even Neil Gaiman knew, right from the beginning, that if “American Gods” was going to become a TV show, it needed to deal with the character of Laura Moon (played by Emily Browning). “I was telling [co-showrunner Bryan Fuller] that one was one of the things that I felt we had to do, in that first meeting back in 2014,” the iconic author told IndieWire.
And Fuller agreed with this sentiment, reflecting on his initial meeting with Gaiman. “One of the first things we talked about was the need to not necessarily defend Laura Moon, but allow the audience a better understanding of her,” Fuller said.
Why is that? Well, here’s one of the first things we learn about Laura: While her husband Shadow Moon (Ricky Whittle) was in jail for a crime she asked him to commit, she was killed while performing road-head on Shadow’s best friend Robbie (Dane Cook), with...
- 5/22/2017
- by Liz Shannon Miller
- Indiewire
Rob Leane May 30, 2017
TV shows based on action films are rarely great, but here’s why John Wick’s mooted series could be excellent...
Back in January, we heard that Lionsgate is “very interested in doing a John Wick TV show”, straight from the horse’s mouth. The horse in this case being Chad Stahelski, who co-directed the first Keanu Reeves kill-fest with David Leitch, and went solo in the director’s chair for John Wick: Chapter 2. He told SlashFilm that making a TV prequel to the John Wick movies “seems very appealing”.
See related Jessica Jones’ Kilgrave: Marvel’s creepiest villain yet Iron Fist: Rosario Dawson pops up in new clip Luke Cage smashed Marvel's 2016 Netflix ratings
If reading that paragraph has given you worries - and perhaps dark flashbacks to action-blockbuster-into-underwhelming-telly-series transitions of recent times, like Limitless, Taken, Minority Report, Shooter and Lethal Weapon – fear not!
TV shows based on action films are rarely great, but here’s why John Wick’s mooted series could be excellent...
Back in January, we heard that Lionsgate is “very interested in doing a John Wick TV show”, straight from the horse’s mouth. The horse in this case being Chad Stahelski, who co-directed the first Keanu Reeves kill-fest with David Leitch, and went solo in the director’s chair for John Wick: Chapter 2. He told SlashFilm that making a TV prequel to the John Wick movies “seems very appealing”.
See related Jessica Jones’ Kilgrave: Marvel’s creepiest villain yet Iron Fist: Rosario Dawson pops up in new clip Luke Cage smashed Marvel's 2016 Netflix ratings
If reading that paragraph has given you worries - and perhaps dark flashbacks to action-blockbuster-into-underwhelming-telly-series transitions of recent times, like Limitless, Taken, Minority Report, Shooter and Lethal Weapon – fear not!
- 5/14/2017
- Den of Geek
Louisa Mellor May 5, 2017
Major spoilers ahead as we speak to Line Of Duty creator, writer and director Jed Mercurio about Roz Huntley, Acc Hilton and more…
If I were ever to find myself alone in a room with a dead body I’d created in self-defence and pondering my next move, “plead guilty to manslaughter,” Jed Mercurio tells me. “For the minimum three years sentence. If you take the risk of fighting a murder plea with self-defence and you fail, then you will be convicted of murder and that is a mandatory life sentence.” Getting off with self-defence is really, really hard, says Mercurio, really hard. “I did the research.”
See related American Gods episode 1 review: The Bone Orchard American Gods cast interview: Ian McShane, Ricky Whittle, Emily Browning American Gods: Bryan Fuller interview
It’s good advice, if alarming in the context of a DVD release-plugging interview. As a general rule,...
Major spoilers ahead as we speak to Line Of Duty creator, writer and director Jed Mercurio about Roz Huntley, Acc Hilton and more…
If I were ever to find myself alone in a room with a dead body I’d created in self-defence and pondering my next move, “plead guilty to manslaughter,” Jed Mercurio tells me. “For the minimum three years sentence. If you take the risk of fighting a murder plea with self-defence and you fail, then you will be convicted of murder and that is a mandatory life sentence.” Getting off with self-defence is really, really hard, says Mercurio, really hard. “I did the research.”
See related American Gods episode 1 review: The Bone Orchard American Gods cast interview: Ian McShane, Ricky Whittle, Emily Browning American Gods: Bryan Fuller interview
It’s good advice, if alarming in the context of a DVD release-plugging interview. As a general rule,...
- 5/4/2017
- Den of Geek
‘American Gods’ comes out swinging with a faithful and dazzling adaptation.
American Gods is finally here. It premiered last night with “The Bone Orchard,” a first episode that’s both visually stunning and artfully written. Let’s take a look at it.
But first, a little clarification. In one of the stranger moments of my life, I got called out last week by Orlando Jones (of MADtv, Sleepy Hollow and, of course, American Gods) for blowing past any mention of Michael Green in my preview article.
Im a lil pissed off u didn't give @andmichaelgreen @BryanFuller partner any credit but as u say "I'm less laid back & angrier" #Trollando https://t.co/km4qzMTdrL
— @TheOrlandoJones
Michael Green is fully half of the creative force behind American Gods, the Executive Producer and co-showrunner to Bryan Fuller’s Executive Producer and co-showrunner. Orlando Jones was right — I got a little too hyped about Bryan Fuller. (To...
American Gods is finally here. It premiered last night with “The Bone Orchard,” a first episode that’s both visually stunning and artfully written. Let’s take a look at it.
But first, a little clarification. In one of the stranger moments of my life, I got called out last week by Orlando Jones (of MADtv, Sleepy Hollow and, of course, American Gods) for blowing past any mention of Michael Green in my preview article.
Im a lil pissed off u didn't give @andmichaelgreen @BryanFuller partner any credit but as u say "I'm less laid back & angrier" #Trollando https://t.co/km4qzMTdrL
— @TheOrlandoJones
Michael Green is fully half of the creative force behind American Gods, the Executive Producer and co-showrunner to Bryan Fuller’s Executive Producer and co-showrunner. Orlando Jones was right — I got a little too hyped about Bryan Fuller. (To...
- 5/1/2017
- by Liz Baessler
- FilmSchoolRejects.com
Adapting a book to screen isn't the easiest endeavor. Sometimes something gets lost in translation or viewers aren't as clued in as readers are in the same amount of time or readers find the adaptation lacking in some way.
There's nothing on American Gods Season 1 Episode 1 that disappoints. Nothing, whether it's down to the finer details straight from Neil Gaiman's excellent novel or additions that lend artistic backstory to kick things off, it's perfection.
The impressive cast slides beautifully into the now iconic roles created by Gaiman and Byan Fuller put his personal touch onto Gaiman's work so that imagining a future Gaiman production without Fuller's style might be the ultimate surprise.
There is a lot of material packed into "The Bone Orchard," and most of it is straight out of the book. It's ridiculously impressive how beautifully it translated to screen. Whether that could have been done without Fuller is debatable.
There's nothing on American Gods Season 1 Episode 1 that disappoints. Nothing, whether it's down to the finer details straight from Neil Gaiman's excellent novel or additions that lend artistic backstory to kick things off, it's perfection.
The impressive cast slides beautifully into the now iconic roles created by Gaiman and Byan Fuller put his personal touch onto Gaiman's work so that imagining a future Gaiman production without Fuller's style might be the ultimate surprise.
There is a lot of material packed into "The Bone Orchard," and most of it is straight out of the book. It's ridiculously impressive how beautifully it translated to screen. Whether that could have been done without Fuller is debatable.
- 5/1/2017
- by Carissa Pavlica
- TVfanatic
‘American Gods’
It’s been a long time coming, but American Gods is finally here, closing out a month that’s been filled with exciting new shows. With May, though, comes the return of a science program that ought to interest movie fans (Breakthrough) and a new feature documentary that ought to interest comic book fans (Batman & Bill). Plus we’ve finally got a new season of Sense8 and new episodes of some of the greatest TV series, Better Call Saul and Fargo, plus the penultimate chapter of Riverdale’s first season.
To help you keep track of the most important programs over the next seven days, here’s our guide to everything worth watching, whether it’s on broadcast, cable, or streaming for April 30–May 1:
SUNDAYAmerican Gods (Starz, 9pm)
Neil Gaiman’s 2001 novel hits the small screen from the showrunning team of Bryan Fuller (Hannibal) and screenwriter Michael Green (Logan), and it’s “the adaptation...
It’s been a long time coming, but American Gods is finally here, closing out a month that’s been filled with exciting new shows. With May, though, comes the return of a science program that ought to interest movie fans (Breakthrough) and a new feature documentary that ought to interest comic book fans (Batman & Bill). Plus we’ve finally got a new season of Sense8 and new episodes of some of the greatest TV series, Better Call Saul and Fargo, plus the penultimate chapter of Riverdale’s first season.
To help you keep track of the most important programs over the next seven days, here’s our guide to everything worth watching, whether it’s on broadcast, cable, or streaming for April 30–May 1:
SUNDAYAmerican Gods (Starz, 9pm)
Neil Gaiman’s 2001 novel hits the small screen from the showrunning team of Bryan Fuller (Hannibal) and screenwriter Michael Green (Logan), and it’s “the adaptation...
- 4/30/2017
- by Christopher Campbell
- FilmSchoolRejects.com
“American Gods” might be one of the most exciting series launching this spring. Adapted by Bryan Fuller and Michael Green from Neil Gaiman’s novel, the supernatural drama leans way into the weird for a highly imaginative tale about Shadow (Ricky Whittle), a former convict who finds himself drawn into a strange world of old gods and new by Mr. Wednesday (Ian McShane).
Read More: ‘American Gods’ Review: Bryan Fuller Paints a Beautiful, Bloody, and Unblinking Portrait of American Duality
Whittle and McShane are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the cast accumulated for this show, representing some of today’s greatest talents — and Gaiman himself will not hesitate to sing their praises. In fact, when IndieWire got the chance to speak to the lauded author via phone, we took the opportunity to find out exactly what he thinks of his equally lauded cast.
For the record,...
Read More: ‘American Gods’ Review: Bryan Fuller Paints a Beautiful, Bloody, and Unblinking Portrait of American Duality
Whittle and McShane are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the cast accumulated for this show, representing some of today’s greatest talents — and Gaiman himself will not hesitate to sing their praises. In fact, when IndieWire got the chance to speak to the lauded author via phone, we took the opportunity to find out exactly what he thinks of his equally lauded cast.
For the record,...
- 4/28/2017
- by Liz Shannon Miller
- Indiewire
Louisa Mellor Apr 28, 2017
As the terrific American Gods TV series finally arrives on screens, here’s our chat with showrunner Bryan Fuller…
I met Bryan Fuller to talk American Gods in early December 2016 when he and the rest of the world were reeling from the fallout of the Us election. It was an uncanny experience, Fuller said, being in post-production on a show about immigration, religious belief and opportunistic power grabs while the Clinton V Trump circus played out. Inadvertently, his and Michael Green’s fantasy drama adapted from Neil Gaiman’s 2001 novel had taken on real-world significance that none of them had seen coming.
See related Alien 5 to ignore Alien 3 and Alien: Resurrection Alien 5: will it ever happen?
Knowing this interview would be embargoed until the series launch in five months’ time, I joked that we had no clue what kind of world we’d be facing then.
As the terrific American Gods TV series finally arrives on screens, here’s our chat with showrunner Bryan Fuller…
I met Bryan Fuller to talk American Gods in early December 2016 when he and the rest of the world were reeling from the fallout of the Us election. It was an uncanny experience, Fuller said, being in post-production on a show about immigration, religious belief and opportunistic power grabs while the Clinton V Trump circus played out. Inadvertently, his and Michael Green’s fantasy drama adapted from Neil Gaiman’s 2001 novel had taken on real-world significance that none of them had seen coming.
See related Alien 5 to ignore Alien 3 and Alien: Resurrection Alien 5: will it ever happen?
Knowing this interview would be embargoed until the series launch in five months’ time, I joked that we had no clue what kind of world we’d be facing then.
- 4/27/2017
- Den of Geek
Need to catch up? Check out our previous Veep recap here.
“Selina. Meyer. Belongs. In. An. Institution,” the former president declares in Sunday’s Veep. And so what does she do? She attempts to build herself one, of course.
VideosVeep, Westworld, GoT Characters Sing HBO’s Static Intro
Sunday’s installment begins with Selina attending the opening of Stuart Hughes’ presidential library. After having her own presidency belittled by fellow former Potus Stevenson, and later being excluded from a photo featuring all of the living presidents, Selina tells Andrew, Gary and Richard that she too wants “a g—damn, look-at-the-size-of-my-d—k,...
“Selina. Meyer. Belongs. In. An. Institution,” the former president declares in Sunday’s Veep. And so what does she do? She attempts to build herself one, of course.
VideosVeep, Westworld, GoT Characters Sing HBO’s Static Intro
Sunday’s installment begins with Selina attending the opening of Stuart Hughes’ presidential library. After having her own presidency belittled by fellow former Potus Stevenson, and later being excluded from a photo featuring all of the living presidents, Selina tells Andrew, Gary and Richard that she too wants “a g—damn, look-at-the-size-of-my-d—k,...
- 4/24/2017
- TVLine.com
The slow, agonizing march towards Game of Thrones‘ delayed Season 7 launch continued on Thursday with the most eagerly anticipated photo drop of the year.
HBO released a handful of images from the upcoming, seven-episode season (debuting Sunday, July 16), and the pics are available for immediate viewing via the attached gallery. (Click here for direct access)
Some key takeaways:
* Tormund hasn’t taken no for an answer re: Brienne.
* Little Lyanna Mormont looks poised to deliver another kickass speech, likely on behalf of Jon Snow.
* Meera and Bran look like they’re still on the run.
* Tyrion and Daenerys have obviously made landfall.
HBO released a handful of images from the upcoming, seven-episode season (debuting Sunday, July 16), and the pics are available for immediate viewing via the attached gallery. (Click here for direct access)
Some key takeaways:
* Tormund hasn’t taken no for an answer re: Brienne.
* Little Lyanna Mormont looks poised to deliver another kickass speech, likely on behalf of Jon Snow.
* Meera and Bran look like they’re still on the run.
* Tyrion and Daenerys have obviously made landfall.
- 4/20/2017
- TVLine.com
There’s been some movement on HBO’s long-gestating Deadwood revival, according to Al Swearengen himself.
Series creator David Milch’s “two-hour movie script has been delivered to HBO,” Ian McShane reveals to TVLine exclusively, before adding with a laugh, “If they don’t deliver [a finished product], blame them.”
McShane, who has a starring role in Starz’ American Gods (premiering April 30), says he’s spoken to Milch “about some of” the script. “I’ll be seeing him for lunch [soon],” he continues. “We’d all love to do it… It would be nice to see all of the old gang again.”
This marks...
Series creator David Milch’s “two-hour movie script has been delivered to HBO,” Ian McShane reveals to TVLine exclusively, before adding with a laugh, “If they don’t deliver [a finished product], blame them.”
McShane, who has a starring role in Starz’ American Gods (premiering April 30), says he’s spoken to Milch “about some of” the script. “I’ll be seeing him for lunch [soon],” he continues. “We’d all love to do it… It would be nice to see all of the old gang again.”
This marks...
- 4/18/2017
- TVLine.com
Conspiracy theorists, prepare to be greatly disappointed.
No, Girls creator/star Lena Dunham did not have Zosia Mamet locked up in some abandoned Bushwick warehouse during filming of the HBO comedy’s sixth and final season. Turns out the explanation behind the dearth of Shoshanna during the series’ 10-episode swan song is far less dramatic, according to executive producer Jenni Konner, who tells TVLine, “It’s just creatively how we told the story.”
RelatedExclusive: Girls Ep on Finale Scene That Landed on the Cutting Room Floor: ‘It Was Heartbreaking to Let It Go’
Konner says Mamet’s minimal screen time...
No, Girls creator/star Lena Dunham did not have Zosia Mamet locked up in some abandoned Bushwick warehouse during filming of the HBO comedy’s sixth and final season. Turns out the explanation behind the dearth of Shoshanna during the series’ 10-episode swan song is far less dramatic, according to executive producer Jenni Konner, who tells TVLine, “It’s just creatively how we told the story.”
RelatedExclusive: Girls Ep on Finale Scene That Landed on the Cutting Room Floor: ‘It Was Heartbreaking to Let It Go’
Konner says Mamet’s minimal screen time...
- 4/18/2017
- TVLine.com
Rob Leane Apr 17, 2017
Neil Gaiman’s much-loved novel American Gods has finally made it to the screen, with a lush adaptation from Bryan Fuller...
Having never read Neil Gaiman’s American Gods, I was assigned by my Den Of Geek overlords with a curious task: to attend the European Premiere of the incoming TV adaptation and judge it purely on the merits of what was put on screen, paying no heed (since I really couldn’t) to what it did and didn’t borrow from the much-beloved book.
See related Marvel's Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D. season 4 episode 17 review: Identity And Change Marvel's Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D. season 4 episode 16 review: What If... Marvel's Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D. season 4 episode 15 review: Self Control
The episode was being screened in an old church in London, and after being baffled by an entryway that was half red carpet and half bark-on-the-floor ‘immersive experience’, I sat myself down...
Neil Gaiman’s much-loved novel American Gods has finally made it to the screen, with a lush adaptation from Bryan Fuller...
Having never read Neil Gaiman’s American Gods, I was assigned by my Den Of Geek overlords with a curious task: to attend the European Premiere of the incoming TV adaptation and judge it purely on the merits of what was put on screen, paying no heed (since I really couldn’t) to what it did and didn’t borrow from the much-beloved book.
See related Marvel's Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D. season 4 episode 17 review: Identity And Change Marvel's Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D. season 4 episode 16 review: What If... Marvel's Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D. season 4 episode 15 review: Self Control
The episode was being screened in an old church in London, and after being baffled by an entryway that was half red carpet and half bark-on-the-floor ‘immersive experience’, I sat myself down...
- 4/12/2017
- Den of Geek
Author: Jon Lyus
This evening we attended the European Premiere of American Gods, the Starz/Amazon TV series based on the novel by Neil Gaiman, held at One Marylebone.
The series stars Bruce Langley, Crispin Glover, Emily Browning, Ian McShane, Kristin Chenoweth, Orlando Jones, Pablo Schreiber, Peter Stormare, Ricky Whittle, and Yetide Badaki.
The show which has been created by Hannibal creator, Bryan Fuller and Michael Green will premiere on April the 30th on Starz in the Us and will debut on Amazon in the UK. It will have eight episodes in its first season. Last month we spoke to author Neil Gaiman about the show, and his excitement for the project.
He told us,
“It’s astonishing. Bryan Fuller and Michael Green as showrunners have done this remarkable job of taking just the beginning of the novel and they’ve opened it up. It’s so powerful.”
Scott Davis...
This evening we attended the European Premiere of American Gods, the Starz/Amazon TV series based on the novel by Neil Gaiman, held at One Marylebone.
The series stars Bruce Langley, Crispin Glover, Emily Browning, Ian McShane, Kristin Chenoweth, Orlando Jones, Pablo Schreiber, Peter Stormare, Ricky Whittle, and Yetide Badaki.
The show which has been created by Hannibal creator, Bryan Fuller and Michael Green will premiere on April the 30th on Starz in the Us and will debut on Amazon in the UK. It will have eight episodes in its first season. Last month we spoke to author Neil Gaiman about the show, and his excitement for the project.
He told us,
“It’s astonishing. Bryan Fuller and Michael Green as showrunners have done this remarkable job of taking just the beginning of the novel and they’ve opened it up. It’s so powerful.”
Scott Davis...
- 4/6/2017
- by Jon Lyus
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
One writer thinks so and we really, really want to agree.
Welcome back to Fan Theory Friday, where we explore the most ridiculous and ridiculously-valid fan theories concerning you favorite films and TV shows. This week’s outlandish connection comes from writer Tom Guise, who works over at The Red Bulletin, and it involves the two action franchises held down by the inimitable Keanu Reeves: The Matrix and John Wick. This theory posits that the second chapter of the latter film is a secret sequel of sorts to the former trilogy. Mind blown yet? Just wait.
One of these is Am, one is Pm … choose carefully.
The full argument is Guise’s so you should hit the link above for all the gritty details, but for the sake of economy allow me to sing the high notes for you. Guise has built his theory on basically four pillars:
First and foremost, for...
Welcome back to Fan Theory Friday, where we explore the most ridiculous and ridiculously-valid fan theories concerning you favorite films and TV shows. This week’s outlandish connection comes from writer Tom Guise, who works over at The Red Bulletin, and it involves the two action franchises held down by the inimitable Keanu Reeves: The Matrix and John Wick. This theory posits that the second chapter of the latter film is a secret sequel of sorts to the former trilogy. Mind blown yet? Just wait.
One of these is Am, one is Pm … choose carefully.
The full argument is Guise’s so you should hit the link above for all the gritty details, but for the sake of economy allow me to sing the high notes for you. Guise has built his theory on basically four pillars:
First and foremost, for...
- 3/31/2017
- by H. Perry Horton
- FilmSchoolRejects.com
One month ahead of American Gods‘ April 30 debut, Starz has unveiled the opening title sequence for its highly anticipated series adaptation of Neil Gaiman’s award-winning novel.
“Is it strange to want action figures from a main title sequence?” mused exec producers Bryan Fuller and Michael Green in a statement. “Crucified astronauts, neon cowboys and S&M centaurs, we bow to Elastic and their spectacular vision. A totem of godly visions we didn’t know we needed to worship until they showed us the light with this clarion call to the American Gods.”
VideosAmerican Gods Trailer: Shadow Moon Gets...
“Is it strange to want action figures from a main title sequence?” mused exec producers Bryan Fuller and Michael Green in a statement. “Crucified astronauts, neon cowboys and S&M centaurs, we bow to Elastic and their spectacular vision. A totem of godly visions we didn’t know we needed to worship until they showed us the light with this clarion call to the American Gods.”
VideosAmerican Gods Trailer: Shadow Moon Gets...
- 3/30/2017
- TVLine.com
What's in store for TV in April, you ask? NBC will see if they still remember how to successfully launch a half-hour comedy. HBO unveils a one-two punch (one doc, one based-on-a-true-story drama) about women's-health issues. FX brings back one of its Mvp anthology shows. AMC tries their hand (again) at a Western, and Fox launches millions of utterances of "Oh yeah, I remember Prison Break ... wasn't that the one where they break out of the prison?" Here's what you'll be watching this month; check out our Best Movies and...
- 3/29/2017
- Rollingstone.com
If you like to read books before watching adaptations, you have 33 days to dig into Neil Gaiman's American Gods before it premieres on Starz Sunday, April 30th.
An unwitting ex-con grappling with the death of his ex-wife takes up with a con-man named Mr. Wednesday. That's where the story begins. It continues with a struggle between the old gods and the new as they fight for their place in the life of modern day America.
Even if you think you might not be interested in the type of storytelling coming by way of American Gods (and it's hard to believe that), hasn't the cast alone already won you over?
If it hadn't before now, just take a look at the character posters below, and say it with us Omg! One Month to Go!!!
The story of American Gods is everything this tease suggests, and in the hands of showrunner Bryan Fuller,...
An unwitting ex-con grappling with the death of his ex-wife takes up with a con-man named Mr. Wednesday. That's where the story begins. It continues with a struggle between the old gods and the new as they fight for their place in the life of modern day America.
Even if you think you might not be interested in the type of storytelling coming by way of American Gods (and it's hard to believe that), hasn't the cast alone already won you over?
If it hadn't before now, just take a look at the character posters below, and say it with us Omg! One Month to Go!!!
The story of American Gods is everything this tease suggests, and in the hands of showrunner Bryan Fuller,...
- 3/28/2017
- by Carissa Pavlica
- TVfanatic
April and May are to the Emmys as November and December are to the Oscars, as networks strive to premiere shows before the May 31 Emmy eligibility cutoff date, in hopes that these shows will be fresh in voters’ minds when filling out ballots.
With that in mind, it may not be too crazy to start looking at what shows could collect nominations this summer, and potentially stand as major players at the Emmys in September. So here are six of our bold predictions for this year’s Emmy’s nominations, and you can hear all of Ben and Liz’s picks in their podcast below.
“Westworld” Sweeps All Technical Categories for TV Drama
While it’s still early to see whether or not HBO’s new hit series will compete for the ultimate prize of Best TV Drama, it may not be too crazy to think that “Westworld” will, at the very least,...
With that in mind, it may not be too crazy to start looking at what shows could collect nominations this summer, and potentially stand as major players at the Emmys in September. So here are six of our bold predictions for this year’s Emmy’s nominations, and you can hear all of Ben and Liz’s picks in their podcast below.
“Westworld” Sweeps All Technical Categories for TV Drama
While it’s still early to see whether or not HBO’s new hit series will compete for the ultimate prize of Best TV Drama, it may not be too crazy to think that “Westworld” will, at the very least,...
- 3/27/2017
- by Michael Gonzalez
- Indiewire
During the premiere screening of “American Gods” at SXSW, the audience was largely wrapped in stunned silence. But given the enthusiasm paid to the cast and creators in a post-show panel discussion, the new Starz series is off to a good start.
“It’s definitely a different show than we set out to make because the political climate in America shat its pants,” Fuller said to open the Q&A. “We are now telling immigration stories in a climate that vilifies immigrants.”
The cast on hand well-represented the series’ onscreen diversity. In addition to Fuller and co-showrunner Michael Green, Betty Gilpin, Jonathan Tucker, Yetide Badaki, Orlando Jones, Bruce Langley, Crispin Glover, Pablo Schreiber, Emily Browning, Ian McShane, and Ricky Whittle were all on hand to discuss the premiere.
“One of the things that was exciting for us in casting the show was that so much of the book is based...
“It’s definitely a different show than we set out to make because the political climate in America shat its pants,” Fuller said to open the Q&A. “We are now telling immigration stories in a climate that vilifies immigrants.”
The cast on hand well-represented the series’ onscreen diversity. In addition to Fuller and co-showrunner Michael Green, Betty Gilpin, Jonathan Tucker, Yetide Badaki, Orlando Jones, Bruce Langley, Crispin Glover, Pablo Schreiber, Emily Browning, Ian McShane, and Ricky Whittle were all on hand to discuss the premiere.
“One of the things that was exciting for us in casting the show was that so much of the book is based...
- 3/11/2017
- by Ben Travers
- Indiewire
The annual jamboree in Austin, Texas, has been about so much more than just film and TV for many years.
Attendees can listen to keynotes by extraordinary people on all manner of topics – be they sports, medicine, politics, technology, activism – the list goes on.
True to Screen’s roots, the list that follows is culled mostly from the world of content creation with one or two gravity-defying exceptions.
SXSW runs from March 10-19 and the film festival opens with the world premiere of Terrence Malick’s Song To Song. Click here for the full roster of events.
Baby Driver
March 11. After Edgar Wright quit as director of Ant-Man over creative differences, he went to work on something creatively different. The result will be on view at SXSW as the action thriller gets its world premiere. Ansel Elgort stars as the eponymous getaway driver; a man in love who tries to break away from the life of crime...
Attendees can listen to keynotes by extraordinary people on all manner of topics – be they sports, medicine, politics, technology, activism – the list goes on.
True to Screen’s roots, the list that follows is culled mostly from the world of content creation with one or two gravity-defying exceptions.
SXSW runs from March 10-19 and the film festival opens with the world premiere of Terrence Malick’s Song To Song. Click here for the full roster of events.
Baby Driver
March 11. After Edgar Wright quit as director of Ant-Man over creative differences, he went to work on something creatively different. The result will be on view at SXSW as the action thriller gets its world premiere. Ansel Elgort stars as the eponymous getaway driver; a man in love who tries to break away from the life of crime...
- 3/10/2017
- by jeremykay67@gmail.com (Jeremy Kay)
- ScreenDaily
Killer Role: Interview with the star of John Wick: Chapter 2, Keanu ReevesKiller Role: Interview with the star of John Wick: Chapter 2, Keanu ReevesIngrid Randoja - Cineplex Magazine2/9/2017 3:26:00 Pm
Keanu Reeves’ career has been defined by contradictions.
As a young actor he radiated an old soul, now as an older actor he embodies youth. He’s a movie star despite a limited acting range, and he’s a household name yet no one can tell you much about his personal life.
He’s best known for playing Neo in the game-changing Matrix trilogy, a role that showcased his laconic coolness and martial-arts skills. But the last Matrix pic hit theatres in 2003 and since then Reeves has been content to keep busy on Hollywood’s perimeter — appearing in small indie movies, directing his first film (the martial-arts movie Man of Tai Chi), and producing the documentary Side by Side,...
Keanu Reeves’ career has been defined by contradictions.
As a young actor he radiated an old soul, now as an older actor he embodies youth. He’s a movie star despite a limited acting range, and he’s a household name yet no one can tell you much about his personal life.
He’s best known for playing Neo in the game-changing Matrix trilogy, a role that showcased his laconic coolness and martial-arts skills. But the last Matrix pic hit theatres in 2003 and since then Reeves has been content to keep busy on Hollywood’s perimeter — appearing in small indie movies, directing his first film (the martial-arts movie Man of Tai Chi), and producing the documentary Side by Side,...
- 2/9/2017
- by Ingrid Randoja - Cineplex Magazine
- Cineplex
Welcome back to the Weekend Warrior, your weekly look at the new movies hitting theaters this weekend, as well as other cool events and things to check out.
This Past Weekend:
Bomb, bomb bomb bomb, Boooooomb! Things just kept getting worse and worse at the box office as this past weekend saw more new releases not meeting up to their potential. The horribly-reviewed horror movie Rings (Paramount) ended up around where I predicted with $13 million, taking second place to M. Night Shyamalan’s Split. The sci-fi romance The Space Between Us (Stx Entertainment) didn’t make much of a mark, opening in ninth place with just $3.8 million with about $1,300 per theater. Robert De Niro’s The Comedian (Sony Classics) tanked worse than many recent movies, making less than a million in 848 theaters or about $1,000 per theater. By comparison, the doc I Am Not Your Negro made about 78% of that amount in 800 less theaters.
This Past Weekend:
Bomb, bomb bomb bomb, Boooooomb! Things just kept getting worse and worse at the box office as this past weekend saw more new releases not meeting up to their potential. The horribly-reviewed horror movie Rings (Paramount) ended up around where I predicted with $13 million, taking second place to M. Night Shyamalan’s Split. The sci-fi romance The Space Between Us (Stx Entertainment) didn’t make much of a mark, opening in ninth place with just $3.8 million with about $1,300 per theater. Robert De Niro’s The Comedian (Sony Classics) tanked worse than many recent movies, making less than a million in 848 theaters or about $1,000 per theater. By comparison, the doc I Am Not Your Negro made about 78% of that amount in 800 less theaters.
- 2/8/2017
- by Edward Douglas
- LRMonline.com
John Wick: Chapter 2 begins a short time after the events of the first film, with John (Keanu Reeves) now retrieving his car that was stolen at the outset. This is merely an excuse for us to see John destroy nameless thugs, and that he does. One could argue that this entire film is exactly that, and one would be right. But John Wick is so much more than just a living weapon of few words — he’s a tragic figure who has suffered deeply and can’t escape his past, with pain and frustration behind his eyes. All that he has is all that he is now, a lost soul with no purpose. After the first film, it would seem that he may be able to find a little peace now, but to quote Westworld (or Romeo and Juliet): these violent delights have violent ends. Peace is nowhere...
- 2/8/2017
- by Mike Hassler
- Destroy the Brain
If you’ve seen “John Wick,” you know the legend: One time, the eponymous hitman (Keanu Reeves) killed three men in a bar with a pencil. “With a fucking pencil,” growls a Russian crime boss played by Peter Stormare in the opening minutes of “John Wick: Chapter 2,” moments before the unstoppable killing machine nicknamed “The Boogeyman” bursts through the door. Before Stormare can finish the anecdote, one of his lackeys interrupts him. “I know,” he says. “I’ve heard this one before.”
In the “John Wick” universe of action-movie pastiche, even the villains are fans of his work. And who could blame them? Overseen by the original “John Wick” team of director Chad Stahelski and screenwriter Derek Kolstad, the new movie contains the best ingredients of the 2014 original with a fresh set of outrageous showdowns, and even improves on its commitment to cartoonish mayhem in self-serious clothing. As relentless,...
In the “John Wick” universe of action-movie pastiche, even the villains are fans of his work. And who could blame them? Overseen by the original “John Wick” team of director Chad Stahelski and screenwriter Derek Kolstad, the new movie contains the best ingredients of the 2014 original with a fresh set of outrageous showdowns, and even improves on its commitment to cartoonish mayhem in self-serious clothing. As relentless,...
- 2/6/2017
- by Eric Kohn
- Indiewire
With Legendary Pictures having bought the rights to Frank Herbert's Dune series with plans to develop a new movie (and possibly television series) our resident Dune fanatics on the site, Garrett and Jordan, sit down to discuss which actors they'd love to see cast in the upcoming projects. Come inside to see their picks and add your own!
When news about Legendary buying up Dune rights broke earlier this week, reactions around the Cinelinx crew were...subdued. To be fair, the Dune franchise in terms of adaptations don't have the best track record and it's best representation is a Sci-Fi mini-series that you can barely find on DVD these days.
As such, Garrett and I found ourselves quietly geeking out to each other, which prompted a slew of ideas on who we think should bring our favorite characters to life in the new adaptation (which hopefully actually happens this...
When news about Legendary buying up Dune rights broke earlier this week, reactions around the Cinelinx crew were...subdued. To be fair, the Dune franchise in terms of adaptations don't have the best track record and it's best representation is a Sci-Fi mini-series that you can barely find on DVD these days.
As such, Garrett and I found ourselves quietly geeking out to each other, which prompted a slew of ideas on who we think should bring our favorite characters to life in the new adaptation (which hopefully actually happens this...
- 11/23/2016
- by feeds@cinelinx.com (Jordan Maison)
- Cinelinx
Out today is the Blu-ray edition of Game of Thrones: The Complete Sixth Season from HBO Home Entertainment.
We previously reviewed the Digital HD version of the season here but there are new elements to consider with the box set.
The vast majority of Digital HD releases do not come with the bonus features, extra, and Easter Eggs we have come to know and love about the disc format. As a result, the Digital HD version is a nice add-on for on-the-go viewing, but the complete immersive experience, the special features add interviews, behind-the-scenes information, commentary, and deleted scenes to enhance your appreciation of the material. This season set, though, does come with some, but all, the extras found on the Blu-ray box set.
This season was a mixed bag with incredibly strong storytelling undercutting its strength by not surprising us. No one, except readers of the novel, expected...
We previously reviewed the Digital HD version of the season here but there are new elements to consider with the box set.
The vast majority of Digital HD releases do not come with the bonus features, extra, and Easter Eggs we have come to know and love about the disc format. As a result, the Digital HD version is a nice add-on for on-the-go viewing, but the complete immersive experience, the special features add interviews, behind-the-scenes information, commentary, and deleted scenes to enhance your appreciation of the material. This season set, though, does come with some, but all, the extras found on the Blu-ray box set.
This season was a mixed bag with incredibly strong storytelling undercutting its strength by not surprising us. No one, except readers of the novel, expected...
- 11/16/2016
- by Robert Greenberger
- Comicmix.com
Edited by Hans-Åke Lilja, Shining in the Dark: Celebrating Twenty Years of Lilja's Library is exclusive to Cemetery Dance Publications and will feature a Stephen King story that hasn't been released since 1981. We also have updated release details for The Similars, the final wave of films announced at Monster Fest 2016, six photos / details for The Orphanage video game, and a new trailer for Gremlin.
Cemetery Dance Publications' Shining in the Dark Anthology: From Cemetery Dance: "Shining In the Dark: Celebrating Twenty Years of Lilja's Library edited by Hans-Åke Lilja.
About the Book:
Hans-Ake Lilja, the founder of Lilja's Library, has compiled a brand new anthology of horror stories to help celebrate twenty years of running the #1 Stephen King news website on the web!
This anthology includes both original stories like the brand new novella by John Ajvide Lindqvist (Let the Right One In) very rare reprints like "The Blue Air...
Cemetery Dance Publications' Shining in the Dark Anthology: From Cemetery Dance: "Shining In the Dark: Celebrating Twenty Years of Lilja's Library edited by Hans-Åke Lilja.
About the Book:
Hans-Ake Lilja, the founder of Lilja's Library, has compiled a brand new anthology of horror stories to help celebrate twenty years of running the #1 Stephen King news website on the web!
This anthology includes both original stories like the brand new novella by John Ajvide Lindqvist (Let the Right One In) very rare reprints like "The Blue Air...
- 11/2/2016
- by Tamika Jones
- DailyDead
With New York Comic-Con gearing up to get underway this weekend, it’s time to start getting excited for new footage from a handful of upcoming movies. One such film that’s looking to have a big showing is John Wick: Chapter 2, the Keanu Reeves-led sequel which will have its first trailer premiered this Saturday at the convention.
Ahead of that happening, though, we of course have the teaser for the trailer, which was Tweeted out today on the film’s official Twitter account. It doesn’t reveal a whole lot, for obvious reasons, but teases the Rome setting of the sequel along with a few shots of Mr. Wick looking all dapper before heading out to a “social affair,” where things seem to take a violent turn – if that gun he’s holding at the end is anything to go by. At only 15 seconds in length, that’s all we really get,...
Ahead of that happening, though, we of course have the teaser for the trailer, which was Tweeted out today on the film’s official Twitter account. It doesn’t reveal a whole lot, for obvious reasons, but teases the Rome setting of the sequel along with a few shots of Mr. Wick looking all dapper before heading out to a “social affair,” where things seem to take a violent turn – if that gun he’s holding at the end is anything to go by. At only 15 seconds in length, that’s all we really get,...
- 10/6/2016
- by Josh Wilding
- We Got This Covered
“This pope does not negotiate.”
Read More: ‘The Young Pope’ Red Band Trailer: Jude Law Declares Himself God in Paolo Sorrentino’s HBO Miniseries
Paolo Sorrentino’s much-hyped HBO series “The Young Pope” stars Jude Law as just that — a young pope, one who has some big ideas about how his unique papacy should look and how the Catholic Church should be run — alternately helped and hurt by various forces surrounding him. Early looks at the series have shown off the scope of Sorrentino’s wild vision and made it plain that the controversial new show is blazing its own path, much like the character it chronicles.
Read More: Jude Law Is HBO’s ‘The Young Pope,’ But You Might Call It ‘House of Cardinals’ — Venice Film Festival Review
The series bowed its first two episodes at the Venice Film Festival earlier this year — and it’s about to start...
Read More: ‘The Young Pope’ Red Band Trailer: Jude Law Declares Himself God in Paolo Sorrentino’s HBO Miniseries
Paolo Sorrentino’s much-hyped HBO series “The Young Pope” stars Jude Law as just that — a young pope, one who has some big ideas about how his unique papacy should look and how the Catholic Church should be run — alternately helped and hurt by various forces surrounding him. Early looks at the series have shown off the scope of Sorrentino’s wild vision and made it plain that the controversial new show is blazing its own path, much like the character it chronicles.
Read More: Jude Law Is HBO’s ‘The Young Pope,’ But You Might Call It ‘House of Cardinals’ — Venice Film Festival Review
The series bowed its first two episodes at the Venice Film Festival earlier this year — and it’s about to start...
- 10/3/2016
- by Kate Erbland
- Indiewire
We change things up by focusing on a boutique label, Twilight Time, that has found success through a unique business model. Mark and Aaron happen to be big fans, and feel that we have directly contributed towards some of their profits. We talk about the company, their business model, why they have succeeded, and we address some common critiques. We also review a few discs each, and finally count down our favorite Twilight Time titles.
About Nick Redman:
London-born Nick Redman, one of Hollywood’s leading producers of movie music, is also an award-winning documentary filmmaker. An Academy Award nominee as producer of the 1996 Warner Brothers documentary, The Wild Bunch: An Album in Montage, he went on to write, produce, and direct A Turning of the Earth: John Ford, John Wayne and The Searchers (1998), which became a prize-winner at multiple film festivals.
As a consultant to the Fox Music...
About Nick Redman:
London-born Nick Redman, one of Hollywood’s leading producers of movie music, is also an award-winning documentary filmmaker. An Academy Award nominee as producer of the 1996 Warner Brothers documentary, The Wild Bunch: An Album in Montage, he went on to write, produce, and direct A Turning of the Earth: John Ford, John Wayne and The Searchers (1998), which became a prize-winner at multiple film festivals.
As a consultant to the Fox Music...
- 9/13/2016
- by Aaron West
- CriterionCast
The sixth season of HBO’s adaptation of George R.R. Martin’s Game of Thrones demonstrated one of the key differences between novels and television. The mass medium of television brings with it certain expectations by its audience and producers, hoping to curry favor for repeated patronage, sometimes ignore their instincts and give the fans what they want. Authors rarely so succumb, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle being the best known example of giving the readers what they wanted.
In the five books released to date, Martin has continually confounded, angered, and relentlessly surprised his readers. Characters succeed, fail, survive, and die as the story dictates, not because fans have made certain characters popular.
Therefore, this season is a mixed bag with incredibly strong storytelling undercutting its strength by not surprising us. No one, except readers of the novel, expected Ned Stark to die or what was to happen at the Red Wedding.
In the five books released to date, Martin has continually confounded, angered, and relentlessly surprised his readers. Characters succeed, fail, survive, and die as the story dictates, not because fans have made certain characters popular.
Therefore, this season is a mixed bag with incredibly strong storytelling undercutting its strength by not surprising us. No one, except readers of the novel, expected Ned Stark to die or what was to happen at the Red Wedding.
- 8/12/2016
- by Robert Greenberger
- Comicmix.com
Much like Michelle Obama in her DNC speech Monday, American Gods executive producer Bryan Fuller is skilled at throwing shade without mentioning his target(s) by name.
The object of the Ep’s ire? The Kardashian family, though you won’t hear him speak the ubiquitous surname even once in this interview from TVLine’s Comic-Con studio presented by Zte.
VideosAmerican Gods: Watch First Trailer for Starz’s Neil Gaiman Adaptation
A tiny bit of backstory: Fuller’s upcoming series, produced with Michael Green (Heroes), follows Neil Gaiman’s novel about a recently released convict’s run-in with gods both ancient and modern.
The object of the Ep’s ire? The Kardashian family, though you won’t hear him speak the ubiquitous surname even once in this interview from TVLine’s Comic-Con studio presented by Zte.
VideosAmerican Gods: Watch First Trailer for Starz’s Neil Gaiman Adaptation
A tiny bit of backstory: Fuller’s upcoming series, produced with Michael Green (Heroes), follows Neil Gaiman’s novel about a recently released convict’s run-in with gods both ancient and modern.
- 7/26/2016
- TVLine.com
One of Neil Gaiman's most popular novels is coming to Starz in 2017 and we now have our first look at the series, American Gods! Check it out!
After years of being teased of an adaptation for Neil Gaiman's American Gods, Starz finally pulled the trigger and has now released a preview for the 2017 series! It's pretty brief but it does a nice job showing Ian McShane as Mr. Wednesday and the other new and old dieties in this world.
The reveal was made during the Starz panel at Sdcc 2016 and featured Director Bryan Fuller and Kristen Chenoweth who is playing Easter in the series.
When Shadow Moon is released from prison, he meets the mysterious Mr. Wednesday and a storm begins to brew. Little does Shadow know, this storm will change the course of his entire life. Left adrift by the recent, tragic death of his wife, and...
After years of being teased of an adaptation for Neil Gaiman's American Gods, Starz finally pulled the trigger and has now released a preview for the 2017 series! It's pretty brief but it does a nice job showing Ian McShane as Mr. Wednesday and the other new and old dieties in this world.
The reveal was made during the Starz panel at Sdcc 2016 and featured Director Bryan Fuller and Kristen Chenoweth who is playing Easter in the series.
When Shadow Moon is released from prison, he meets the mysterious Mr. Wednesday and a storm begins to brew. Little does Shadow know, this storm will change the course of his entire life. Left adrift by the recent, tragic death of his wife, and...
- 7/23/2016
- by feeds@cinelinx.com (Matt Malliaros)
- Cinelinx
Oh. My. Gods.
Those who’ve read and loved Neil Gaiman’s 2001 novel American Gods are in for a big treat, the creators and stars of Starz’s upcoming adaptation told the crowd at the show’s Comic-Con panel in San Diego Friday. And if you’re among those who haven’t been formally introduced to Shadow Moon, Mr. Wednesday et al, executive Bryan Fuller said, prepare to have a religious moment of your own.
Comic-con 2016 Exclusive Videos, Casting News, Scoop and More
“However you come to this” — whether you’ve read the 2001 book or are a complete neophyte — “you’re in good hands,...
Those who’ve read and loved Neil Gaiman’s 2001 novel American Gods are in for a big treat, the creators and stars of Starz’s upcoming adaptation told the crowd at the show’s Comic-Con panel in San Diego Friday. And if you’re among those who haven’t been formally introduced to Shadow Moon, Mr. Wednesday et al, executive Bryan Fuller said, prepare to have a religious moment of your own.
Comic-con 2016 Exclusive Videos, Casting News, Scoop and More
“However you come to this” — whether you’ve read the 2001 book or are a complete neophyte — “you’re in good hands,...
- 7/22/2016
- TVLine.com
Yesterday, we shared with you that we are very close to announcing the winner of our Dark-web Call-for-Submission. The response has been outstanding and the quality and talent of all the participating writers has made it very difficult to select a winning script! Today, we want to give credit to the semi-finalist. One of these very talented writers will have the chance to work with the producers and creators of the hit movie Circle and will have their winning script produced and seen my millions of Lrm readers. As previously announced, these semi-finalist will receive a copy of the newly released DVD for the hit movie Circle signed by some of the cast and crew from the film. Congratulations to our semi-finalist and good luck!
Congratulations to the Dark Web Call-for-Submission Semi-Finalist!
Thomas Aguilar
Mitchell Boyce
Joel Brittain
Joseph Chaisson
Tendai Chigovanyika
Ian Conner
Julio Crespo
David Desio
Jacques Earley...
Congratulations to the Dark Web Call-for-Submission Semi-Finalist!
Thomas Aguilar
Mitchell Boyce
Joel Brittain
Joseph Chaisson
Tendai Chigovanyika
Ian Conner
Julio Crespo
David Desio
Jacques Earley...
- 7/20/2016
- by Michael Connally
- LRMonline.com
One of the most exciting looking TV series currently in production is Starz's small screen take on Neil Gaiman's acclaimed novel "American Gods". The series, from showrunners Bryan Fuller ("Hannibal") and Michael Green ("Kings"), boasts a superb cast including Ian McShane, Orlando Jones, Ricky Whittle and Gillian Anderson.
Anderson plays Media, one of the new Gods who gains power from screen worship. She will sport looks akin to various celebrities throughout the series, one of which the actress revealed today - sort of. Anderson took to social media to post a deliberately out of focus shot of herself sporting a Marilyn Monroe look for the series which will debut on Starz in 2017.
We'll be telling this story. #Media @AmericanGodsSTZ pic.twitter.com/TcdblrlzS9
— Gillian Anderson (@GillianA) June 30, 2016...
Anderson plays Media, one of the new Gods who gains power from screen worship. She will sport looks akin to various celebrities throughout the series, one of which the actress revealed today - sort of. Anderson took to social media to post a deliberately out of focus shot of herself sporting a Marilyn Monroe look for the series which will debut on Starz in 2017.
We'll be telling this story. #Media @AmericanGodsSTZ pic.twitter.com/TcdblrlzS9
— Gillian Anderson (@GillianA) June 30, 2016...
- 7/1/2016
- by Garth Franklin
- Dark Horizons
See Full Gallery Here
The first couple of official images from Starz’s upcoming adaptation of Neil Gaiman’s mega-popular fantasy novel, American Gods, have been released by EW. They provide glimpses of the three of the story’s weird and wonderful characters in action while enjoying an evening at Jack’s Crocodile Bar: Shadow Moon (Ricky Whittle), Mr. Wednesday (Ian McShane), and Mad Sweeney (Pablo Schreiber).
McShane’s Wednesday will become a mentor of sorts to Shadow (we won’t reveal their real identities/relationship just in case you haven’t read the book and would rather be surprised), and in these photos he seems impressed that the youngster is able to hold his own against Mad Sweeney, who is actually a rowdy, drunken leprechaun.
Yeah… things get even weirder, trust me.
In a recent interview, co-showrunner Michael Green provided an idea of what to expect from the story,...
The first couple of official images from Starz’s upcoming adaptation of Neil Gaiman’s mega-popular fantasy novel, American Gods, have been released by EW. They provide glimpses of the three of the story’s weird and wonderful characters in action while enjoying an evening at Jack’s Crocodile Bar: Shadow Moon (Ricky Whittle), Mr. Wednesday (Ian McShane), and Mad Sweeney (Pablo Schreiber).
McShane’s Wednesday will become a mentor of sorts to Shadow (we won’t reveal their real identities/relationship just in case you haven’t read the book and would rather be surprised), and in these photos he seems impressed that the youngster is able to hold his own against Mad Sweeney, who is actually a rowdy, drunken leprechaun.
Yeah… things get even weirder, trust me.
In a recent interview, co-showrunner Michael Green provided an idea of what to expect from the story,...
- 6/17/2016
- by Mark Cassidy
- We Got This Covered
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What is west of Westeros? Here’s what we’re left pondering after Game Of Thrones season 6 episode 8 No One. Spoilers...
Warning: contains spoilers for anyone not up-to-date with Game Of Thrones.
Save for some squelching axe-work from The Hound and a bit of Parkour as Arya tried to escape the Waifinator T-1000, No One rather held back when it came to action. Yes, the resurrected Mountain did pull a man’s head clean off at one point, but that’s probably just part of his morning routine: squats, six roast chickens and a barrelful of ale, pull a man’s head clean off, read the papers.
The Siege of Riverrun proved a dummy distraction. Instead of turning into the Helm’s Deep it could have been, it was resolved as peacefully as a fly settling on a decapitated head. Jaime and Ser Edmure had a quick parley about love and voila, Riverrun was once again flying the Frey banners. We no more saw the Blackfish’s last stand than we saw Arya finally besting her determined foe.
Those deserters from the Brotherhood Without Banners too, were swinging from a tree before anyone asked what motivated them to go slay-happy on a defenceless Sept.
And for someone who’s made more dramatic entrances of late than Lady Gaga on a stadium tour, Dany’s homecoming also felt oddly undersold. It’s as if Drogon dropped her off on his way to Waitrose, reminding her to tell Dad to leave money out for the man who does the hedges as he went.
What No One did have plenty of though, is intrigue. Hints were dropped in Meereen, Braavos and King’s Landing that point towards where season six, and the shorter seasons to follow, might lead. Ponder with us…
What is Varys’ secret expedition to Westeros?
“We need friends in Westeros and we need ships” said Varys before setting off on a secret mission leaving Meereen and a demonstrably lonely Tyrion behind him. Two of those things in the form of Yara and Theon Greyjoy and their stolen fleet were last seen docked nearby and heading his way. That’s the sort of news that would have reached the Spider, you'd have thought, making Volantis his most likely destination. The smart money says Varys is off to broker terms with the rebel Krakens.
Then again, Yara and Theon aren’t exactly laying low in Volantis, having publicly discussed their plans to join forces with Daenerys Targaryen in a brothel. So if Varys is meeting them, why the secrecy? Could someone else be in his web?
What was Cersei’s “old rumour?”
Westeros is full of old rumours, from scurrilous gossip about who shares whose bed to Old Nan’s folkloric tales of grumkins and snarks. Which rumour has an increasingly desperate Cersei, now deprived of her trial-by-combat-get-out-of-jail-free-card sent Qyburn to investigate?
One in particular springs to mind. Look away now if you’d rather be surprised should it turn out to be the case.
Remember Bran’s vision from Blood Of My Blood? He saw repeated images of a wildfire stockpile and explosion in the corridors underneath the Red Keep. One old rumour is that King Aerys II, the Mad King, planned to use wildfire to blow up King’s Landing and emerge from the flames in dragon-form. The pointy end of Jaime Lannister’s blade saw that he didn’t get that far, but the question remains of whether his stash of explosives survived him.
Bran’s vision saw a wildfire explosion that, as far as we know, hasn’t yet happened. With increasingly few escape routes open to her now, could Cersei be planning a last-ditch attempt to get out of there using the Mad King’s rumoured firepower? Consider what Jaime told Edmure in that tent: “Catelyn and Cersei, there’s a fierceness you don’t often see. They’d do anything to protect their babies. Start a war, burn cities to ash, free their worst enemies”...
Is that it for Cleganebowl?
It looks like it. Since The Mountain was reanimated and theories started flying that The Hound wasn’t really dead, fans have lived for the moment that the two warring brothers would face-off against each other. What better arena for the sibling clash than the literal one used for King’s Landings’ trials by combat?
By letting the Mountain pop off the head of a member of the Faith Militant like he was uncorking a bottle of pop though, Cersei showed her hand too early. The Sparrows saw first-hand that The Mountain was unbeatable in combat, so the High Sparrow decided to change the rules to suit him. No more trial by combat means no dramatic clash between the Clegane brothers. Not as part of a legal trial, anyway.
Is it too late for Sandor Clegane?
This is a moral philosophy quandary. For all the wrongs he’s committed in the past as a Lannister soldier and a free agent, can The Hound still atone? Ian McShane’s Septon and the Lord of Light-following Brotherhood Without Banners both say yes.
Since his humanising road trip with Arya, The Hound’s brutality has been tempered for Game Of Thrones viewers. He may be a monster, but his blunt approach and frank way with words have made him a fan-favourite. It’ll take a huge sacrificial act to wipe the blood from his copy book though.
How does Jaime live with himself?
More moral debate here. By having Jaime Lannister repeat his famous season one line “The things [we] do for love”, No One reminded viewers of what kind of man he was when Game Of Thrones began, i.e., the sort of bastard who’d push a ten year old out of a high window without giving it a second thought.
As Brienne told Jaime this week though, there’s honour in him. She’s seen it. Jaime allowing her and Pod to row away from Riverrun despite the enmity of their allegiances showed it once again. So what is going on inside Jaime Lannister? He justifies his actions by his all-consuming love for Cersei, but spent most of this week exchanging mournful looks with Brienne. One woman represents lust, power and family to him, the other sees him as the honourable man he could be. Which will out?
Why did Ser Edmure Tully give up Riverrun?
His freedom, and because Jaime threatened to catapult his infant son into its walls seem as good a reason as any. There was certainly no love lost between him and the Blackfish after his uncle abandoned him to the Freys’ gallows. Young Edmure had never quite lived up to the standards of his father and uncle—remember his failure to fire the lighted arrow onto Hoster Tully’s floating funeral pyre?
Was the Blackfish really killed?
It’s the same rule as for any horror movie: if we don’t see the corpse, there’s always a chance they’ll come back. The Blackfish went off to meet his fate, sword-in-hand, promising a noble exit of the Ser Barristan Selmy sort but Jaime later learned he died fighting. Come on Game Of Thrones, pics or it didn’t happen.
What is west of Westeros?
If the Seven Kingdoms are an Earth-type deal, then the answer to Arya's question is... the East. If it's more of a Discworld sort of arrangement, then who knows? Spin-off potential there, one feels.
What happened when the man went into a brothel with a honeycomb and a jackass?
Alas, we’ll never know.
See related Game Of Thrones season 6: 8 questions about The Broken Man Game Of Thrones season 6: breaking down Blood Of My Blood's vision Game Of Thrones season 6: 9 questions about The Door Game Of Thrones season 6: going back to square one Game Of Thrones: the rules of magic in the Seven Kingdoms TV Feature Louisa Mellor Game Of Thrones 13 Jun 2016 - 13:00 Game Of Thrones season 6...
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What is west of Westeros? Here’s what we’re left pondering after Game Of Thrones season 6 episode 8 No One. Spoilers...
Warning: contains spoilers for anyone not up-to-date with Game Of Thrones.
Save for some squelching axe-work from The Hound and a bit of Parkour as Arya tried to escape the Waifinator T-1000, No One rather held back when it came to action. Yes, the resurrected Mountain did pull a man’s head clean off at one point, but that’s probably just part of his morning routine: squats, six roast chickens and a barrelful of ale, pull a man’s head clean off, read the papers.
The Siege of Riverrun proved a dummy distraction. Instead of turning into the Helm’s Deep it could have been, it was resolved as peacefully as a fly settling on a decapitated head. Jaime and Ser Edmure had a quick parley about love and voila, Riverrun was once again flying the Frey banners. We no more saw the Blackfish’s last stand than we saw Arya finally besting her determined foe.
Those deserters from the Brotherhood Without Banners too, were swinging from a tree before anyone asked what motivated them to go slay-happy on a defenceless Sept.
And for someone who’s made more dramatic entrances of late than Lady Gaga on a stadium tour, Dany’s homecoming also felt oddly undersold. It’s as if Drogon dropped her off on his way to Waitrose, reminding her to tell Dad to leave money out for the man who does the hedges as he went.
What No One did have plenty of though, is intrigue. Hints were dropped in Meereen, Braavos and King’s Landing that point towards where season six, and the shorter seasons to follow, might lead. Ponder with us…
What is Varys’ secret expedition to Westeros?
“We need friends in Westeros and we need ships” said Varys before setting off on a secret mission leaving Meereen and a demonstrably lonely Tyrion behind him. Two of those things in the form of Yara and Theon Greyjoy and their stolen fleet were last seen docked nearby and heading his way. That’s the sort of news that would have reached the Spider, you'd have thought, making Volantis his most likely destination. The smart money says Varys is off to broker terms with the rebel Krakens.
Then again, Yara and Theon aren’t exactly laying low in Volantis, having publicly discussed their plans to join forces with Daenerys Targaryen in a brothel. So if Varys is meeting them, why the secrecy? Could someone else be in his web?
What was Cersei’s “old rumour?”
Westeros is full of old rumours, from scurrilous gossip about who shares whose bed to Old Nan’s folkloric tales of grumkins and snarks. Which rumour has an increasingly desperate Cersei, now deprived of her trial-by-combat-get-out-of-jail-free-card sent Qyburn to investigate?
One in particular springs to mind. Look away now if you’d rather be surprised should it turn out to be the case.
Remember Bran’s vision from Blood Of My Blood? He saw repeated images of a wildfire stockpile and explosion in the corridors underneath the Red Keep. One old rumour is that King Aerys II, the Mad King, planned to use wildfire to blow up King’s Landing and emerge from the flames in dragon-form. The pointy end of Jaime Lannister’s blade saw that he didn’t get that far, but the question remains of whether his stash of explosives survived him.
Bran’s vision saw a wildfire explosion that, as far as we know, hasn’t yet happened. With increasingly few escape routes open to her now, could Cersei be planning a last-ditch attempt to get out of there using the Mad King’s rumoured firepower? Consider what Jaime told Edmure in that tent: “Catelyn and Cersei, there’s a fierceness you don’t often see. They’d do anything to protect their babies. Start a war, burn cities to ash, free their worst enemies”...
Is that it for Cleganebowl?
It looks like it. Since The Mountain was reanimated and theories started flying that The Hound wasn’t really dead, fans have lived for the moment that the two warring brothers would face-off against each other. What better arena for the sibling clash than the literal one used for King’s Landings’ trials by combat?
By letting the Mountain pop off the head of a member of the Faith Militant like he was uncorking a bottle of pop though, Cersei showed her hand too early. The Sparrows saw first-hand that The Mountain was unbeatable in combat, so the High Sparrow decided to change the rules to suit him. No more trial by combat means no dramatic clash between the Clegane brothers. Not as part of a legal trial, anyway.
Is it too late for Sandor Clegane?
This is a moral philosophy quandary. For all the wrongs he’s committed in the past as a Lannister soldier and a free agent, can The Hound still atone? Ian McShane’s Septon and the Lord of Light-following Brotherhood Without Banners both say yes.
Since his humanising road trip with Arya, The Hound’s brutality has been tempered for Game Of Thrones viewers. He may be a monster, but his blunt approach and frank way with words have made him a fan-favourite. It’ll take a huge sacrificial act to wipe the blood from his copy book though.
How does Jaime live with himself?
More moral debate here. By having Jaime Lannister repeat his famous season one line “The things [we] do for love”, No One reminded viewers of what kind of man he was when Game Of Thrones began, i.e., the sort of bastard who’d push a ten year old out of a high window without giving it a second thought.
As Brienne told Jaime this week though, there’s honour in him. She’s seen it. Jaime allowing her and Pod to row away from Riverrun despite the enmity of their allegiances showed it once again. So what is going on inside Jaime Lannister? He justifies his actions by his all-consuming love for Cersei, but spent most of this week exchanging mournful looks with Brienne. One woman represents lust, power and family to him, the other sees him as the honourable man he could be. Which will out?
Why did Ser Edmure Tully give up Riverrun?
His freedom, and because Jaime threatened to catapult his infant son into its walls seem as good a reason as any. There was certainly no love lost between him and the Blackfish after his uncle abandoned him to the Freys’ gallows. Young Edmure had never quite lived up to the standards of his father and uncle—remember his failure to fire the lighted arrow onto Hoster Tully’s floating funeral pyre?
Was the Blackfish really killed?
It’s the same rule as for any horror movie: if we don’t see the corpse, there’s always a chance they’ll come back. The Blackfish went off to meet his fate, sword-in-hand, promising a noble exit of the Ser Barristan Selmy sort but Jaime later learned he died fighting. Come on Game Of Thrones, pics or it didn’t happen.
What is west of Westeros?
If the Seven Kingdoms are an Earth-type deal, then the answer to Arya's question is... the East. If it's more of a Discworld sort of arrangement, then who knows? Spin-off potential there, one feels.
What happened when the man went into a brothel with a honeycomb and a jackass?
Alas, we’ll never know.
See related Game Of Thrones season 6: 8 questions about The Broken Man Game Of Thrones season 6: breaking down Blood Of My Blood's vision Game Of Thrones season 6: 9 questions about The Door Game Of Thrones season 6: going back to square one Game Of Thrones: the rules of magic in the Seven Kingdoms TV Feature Louisa Mellor Game Of Thrones 13 Jun 2016 - 13:00 Game Of Thrones season 6...
- 6/13/2016
- Den of Geek
Warning: spoilers for Game of Thrones, season 6, episode 8, "No One" follow... Tonight's episode of Game of Thrones comes to us on the same weekend as a great tragedy: the worst mass shooting in U.S. history. Fifty people were killed in a nightclub in Orlando by a gunman. It's impossible not to bring that knowledge into the viewing experience. For me, in any case. Last week's "The Broken Man" brought us a guest appearance from the great Ian McShane, who delivered a speech that was, at it's core, a stunning indictment of war and brutality. As I mentioned previously, the monologue served to confront us, the audience, by highlighting the celebratory response that many of us have to some of the violence on the series. I certainly related with Arya and her gleeful smile as she watched the repellant King Joffrey "die" in that play. "No One" opened with the theater troup's "Cersei" vowing vengeance for her son's passing as the crowd wildly cheers. If it we're Sansa or our Arya pledging to avenge the Starks we would likely fervently support their plan just as that audience did the Queen's. That is part of what makes this series as rich as it is. Though there are heroes and villains, as things move along, which one is which becomes more and more a matter of perspective. The Hound cutting down the members of The Brotherhood who'd slaughtered the peaceful group he'd landed with brought with it mixed feelings. I was thirsty for that bloodshed at the close of last week's episode, but weren't his actions in total opposition to McShane's beliefs? In fact, isn't that act the exact opposite of what he'd want for the Hound? When I fist heard Cersei utter the phrase "I choose violence" I felt a visceral sense of excitement. As she challenged the Sparrows one couldn't help but feel that they got what they deserved for being controlling, repressive, killers who do so in the name of God. In fact, the dangers of religious fanaticism is one of the great themes of this season. Varys warns Tyrion that getting into bed with the followers of the Lord of Light is to put a knife to his own throat. And we've seen how Cersei has paid for believing she can control extremists, as it is now they who have her son, and her life, in their hands. It was impossible to imagine feeling empathy for Cersei for the bulk of this series, but the Sparrows have somehow transformed her into a sympathetic character. It's easy to transfer the hate we once felt towards Jaime and Cersei to the Sparrows, or the Sons of the Harpy, or...But isn't wanting death in the name of what is righteous the very vicious cycle that Westeros has been circling forever? As the Hound says, "Half the horrible sh**t in this world gets done for something larger than ourselves." I have to wonder if that's ultimately the point of the series. That as easy as it is to hate those who commit horrendous acts, we must know that we are also flawed and that there are hidden depths to those we see as little more than evil. It's true that there are some that are more ethical than others. Yet all imagine that it's their violence that is justified. "We all have to believe that we're decent, after all." Here, Donna Dickens and Roth Cornet talk about the events of "No One," and how it's all too relatable... Take a look in the player above or below and chat with us here or on Twitter. Roth: @RothCornet Donna: @MildlyAmused...
- 6/13/2016
- by Roth Cornet
- Hitfix
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