Posted in Movies, Recommendations, Reminder, Television, Video on January 12, 2021| Leave a Comment »
On January 16, the Hallmark Channel movie Two for the Win will debut at 9 PM.
A world champion ski racer and local ski instructor find romance on the slopes as he returns home and prepares for the biggest race of his life.
The movie stars Charlotte Sullivan and Trevor Donovan.
Here is a trailer for Two for the Win:
Posted in Movies, Recommendations, Reminder, Television, Video on January 11, 2021| Leave a Comment »
On January 15, the Netflix movie Outside the Wire will debut online.
In the near future, a drone pilot (Damson Idris) sent into a war zone finds himself paired with a top-secret android officer (Anthony Mackie) on a mission to stop a nuclear attack.
The cast includes Michael Kelly and Emily Beecham.
Here is a trailer for Outside the Wire:
Posted in Movies, Recommendations, Reminder, Television, Video on January 11, 2021| Leave a Comment »
The Hulu feature film The Ultimate Playlist of Noise will debut online on January 15.
The film follows Marcus (Keean Johnson), an audio obsessed high school senior who learns he must undergo brain surgery that will render him deaf. He decides to seize control of his fate by recording the Ultimate Playlist of Noise – a bucket list of all his favorite sounds. Once he sets out, he meets Wendy (Madeline Brewer), a wildly charming, struggling musician who is trying to escape to New York for her chance at a life-changing opportunity. Together they check off his list as they make their way across the country, until painful revelations force Marcus to face reality and his future without sound.
Here is a trailer for The Ultimate Playlist of Noise:
Posted in Movies, Recommendations, Reminder, Television, Video on January 11, 2021| Leave a Comment »
On January 15, the Amazon movie One Night in Miami will debut online.
The first feature film directed by actress Regina King is about a fictionalized meeting of Malcolm X (Kingsley Ben-Adir), Muhammad Ali (Eli Goree), Jim Brown (Aldis Hodge) and Sam Cooke (Leslie Odom Jr.) in a Miami hotel room in February 1964, celebrating Ali’s surprise title win over Sonny Liston.
The cast includes Lance Riddick, Nicolette Robinson, Michael Imperioli, Beau Bridges and Christopher Gorham.
Here is a trailer for One Night in Miami:
Posted in Movies, Recommendations, Reminder, Television on January 6, 2021| Leave a Comment »
On January 10, the UPtv movie Blueprint to the Heart will premiere at 7 PM.
A talented host and designer of a high-end renovation television show (Laura Mitchell) is forced to change her show format to include life makeovers as well after her ratings dip.
However, when she tries to upscale the handsome and down-to-Earth subject (Dennis Andres) of her first episode, she must choose between chasing ratings or following her heart.
The cast includes Clayton James and Crystal Balint.
Posted in Movies, Recommendations, Reminder, Television, Video on January 5, 2021| Leave a Comment »
On January 9, the Hallmark Channel movie A New Year’s Resolution will debut at 9 PM.
When a morning show producer makes a New Year’s resolution to say yes more, she (Aimee Teegarden) crosses paths with a confirmed Yes man (Michael Rady) who just might hold the key to her biggest story and to her heart.
Here is a trailer for A New Year’s Resolution:
Posted in Movies, Recommendations, Reminder, Television, Video on January 4, 2021| Leave a Comment »
The Amazon movie Herself will debut online on January 8.
Single mother Sandra (Clare Dunne) has been struggling to get by with her two young daughters. After the housing system refuses to give her a new home, Sandra decides to build her own with the help of a friendly community and a handful of new friends.
With this new purpose, Sandra rediscovers herself: that is until her abusive ex-husband sues her for custody of the children.
The cast includes Conleth Hill (Game of Thrones).
Here is a trailer for Herself:
Posted in Movies, Recommendations, Reminder, Television, Video on January 3, 2021| Leave a Comment »
On January 7, the Netflix movie Pieces of a Woman will debut online.
Martha and Sean Carson (Vanessa Kirby and Shia LaBeouf) are a Boston couple on the verge of parenthood whose lives change irrevocably during a home birth at the hands of a flustered midwife, who faces charges of criminal negligence. Thus begins a year-long odyssey for Martha, who must navigate her grief while working through fractious relationships with her husband and her domineering mother, along with the publicly vilified midwife whom she must face in court.
The cast includes Molly Parker, Sarah Snook, Iliza Shlesinger and Ellen Burstyn.
Here is a trailer for Pieces of a Woman:
Posted in Movies, Recommendations, Reminder, Television, Video on December 30, 2020| Leave a Comment »
The BBC original 2-hour film Elizabeth Is Missing will debut on PBS on January 3 at 9 PM.
Legendary actress Glenda Jackson (A Touch of Class) plays a woman in the grip of dementia, searching for her missing friend.
Here is a trailer for Elizabeth Is Missing:
Posted in Movies, New Faces, Television, Year End Round Up on December 30, 2020| Leave a Comment »
Much like the Faces of 2020, there are always entertainers of note to be on the look-out for in the new year or those who made great waves throughout the current year who will, undoubtedly, be big stars in the new year.
The new faces of 2021 appear below in no particular order:
NOTE: Please keep in mind the following actors will be the faces of 2022 as well since so much production planned for 2020, movie releases that were to be made in 2020, etc. were put on hold and postponed until 2021 or 2022.
Morfydd Clark – Morfydd appeared in the box office films Pride, Prejudice and Zombies, the horror film Crawl and two episodes of the Benedict Cumberbatch-led drama Patrick Melrose. Last year she appeared in four episodes of His Dark Materials as Sister Clara; and she was part of the cast of Dracula, which aired on Netflix in January. Her next role as Galadriel in the upcoming small screen adaptation of The Lord of the Rings that is anticipated to air next year on Prime Video is what will get her a great deal of attention.
Lashana Lynch – Lashana is a British actress who appeared in the much maligned and short-lived drama Still Star-Crossed and British crime drama Bulletproof before landing the role of Maria Rambeau in the box office movie Captain Marvel. Her next role as Nomi in the long-awaited 007 film No Time to Die, which is anticipated to be released in April 2021, is what will catch the eye of viewers.
Rachel Zegler – The New Jersey raised singer and songwriter was selected out of 30,000 auditions to play the lead role of Maria in Steven Spielberg’s upcoming remake of the classic film West Side Story, starring alongside Ansel Elgort as Tony. Also her video singing “Shallow” from A Star is Born got 11 million views on Twitter in 2020.
Melissa Barrera – The talented Mexico-born actress appeared in a number of telenovelas over the course of 6 years before landing one of the lead roles in the critically acclaimed drama Vida, which aired for 3 seasons on Starz. During the pandemic she also appeared in a live Zoom reading of Jane Austen’s Pride & Prejudice, playing the lead role of Elizabeth Bennet. But it will be her upcoming film roles, set for next year, that will cement her fame. She will appear in the box office adaptation of the Broadway hit In the Heights, set for this summer; Scream 5, the new installment of the horror franchise that is anticipated for release in early 2022 as well as the lead role in a modern-day reimagining of one of the world’s most celebrated operas: Carmen.
Brittany O’Grady – The talented multi-hypenate actress, singer and dancer has been performing professionally since she was 4. She appeared in the short-lived series The Messengers before being cast in the acclaimed drama Star, which aired on FOX for 3 seasons. She then took on the lead role of Bess in Apple TV’s half-hour drama Little Voice, which was co-created by Waitress composer and award winning singer-songwriter Sara Bareilles. Her next project is the satirical HBO limited series The White Lotus, set at an exclusive tropical resort, that will include among its cast Connie Britton, Jennifer Coolidge, Alexandra Daddario, Jake Lacy and Steve Zahn.
Dominique Fishback – The talented New York City actress has appeared in episodes of The Knick, The Affair, The Americans, Blue Bloods and Royal Pains before landed a recurring role in The Deuce. Two years ago she appeared in the box office movie The Hate U Give and this year she appeared alongside Jamiee Foxx and Joseph Gordon-Levitt in the Netflix film Project Power. She will be seen in next year’s Judas and the Black Messiah that will star Get Out and Black Panther actor Daniel Kaluuya.
Michael Cimino – The relative newcomer appeared in the horror film Annabelle Comes Home before taking on the lead role of Victor Salazar in the Hulu drama Love, Victor, which was inspired by and set in the same world as the 2018 film Love, Simon. Love, Victor was renewed for a second season; and Michael has three other projects in the works: the drama Centurion XII; the sci-fi podcast Black Box and the drama Heartlight.
Shira Haas – The twentysomething Israeli actress wowed audiences with her performance in the Netflix mini-series Unorthodox for which she not only completed piano and singing lessons but also studied Yiddish [which was primarily spoken in the series] as well as being required to shave her head as part of the storyline. She’s not a newcomer to film work, though, as she appeared in A Tale of Love and Darkness, Natalie Portman’s directorial debut, and starred alongside Jessica Chastain in The Zookeeper’s Wife. Her latest project is the Israeli film Asia, which premiered at this year’s Tribeca Film Festival.
Paul Mescal – The Irish actor turned heads in his starring role in the Hulu series Normal People, based on the 2018 novel of the same name; and he will be seen in the box office movie The Lost Daughter, which is to star Olivia Colman, Dakota Johnson and Peter Sarsgaard. He will also star alongside Melissa Barrera (she is listed above) in the reimaging of Carmen, replacing Jamie Dornan.
Robin Thede – The talent, multi-hypenate writer, comedian and actress has a long resume of acting and writing, but it was her turn in the HBO sketch comedy series A Black Lady Sketch Show – which was created, run, written and acted almost exclusively by black women – that has turned heads. She also appeared in the horror comedy Bad Hair and the latest season of HBO’s Insecure. Robin is currently writing the feature Fashionably Black and has signed a development deal with Warner Bros. She was also the creator, EP, showrunner, writer and star of the BET late-night talk show The Rundown with Robin Thede.
Geraldine Viswanathan – The Australian actress was referred to as the breakout star of the 2018 box office film Blockers; and then she went on to appear in HBO’s Bad Education and the TBS comedy anthology Miracle Workers. But it was her turn in the rom-com movie The Broken Hearts Gallery (which included singer Selena Gomez as one of its executive producers) that has turned heads. She will next be in the animated film Rumble, providing her voice to the character of Winnie.
Tilda Cobham-Hervey – Tilda has been acting since 2013, appearing in the box office movies Hotel Mumbai and Burn; but it was her recent turn as the late, great Helen Reddy in the box office movie I Am Woman (which can be seen on Netflix) that garnered her attention. She will next be seen in the Australian film Lone Wolf opposite Hugo Weaving and the Australian 6-part black comedy Alantown that is slated to star Jacqueline McKenzie and Guy Pearce.
Are there any actors or actresses who you think are the faces to watch in 2021? Please share.
TOMORROW: Closing Out 2020
Rueben's Ramblings 