The Gang is Back with THE BOYS Season 3

 

Jeri Jacquin

On Bluray and DVD from Sony Pictures Home Entertainment is the return of the Best-Selling Comic Book Series by Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson with THE BOYS Season 3.

It has been a year since the Stormfront scandal as they tried to catch Supes. Hughie Campbell (Jack Quaid) has moved up the ladder dating Annie January (Erin Moiarty) and she is co-captain of the Seven by CEO Stan Edgar (Giancarlo Esposito). If that isn’t enough, Queen Maeve (Dominique McElligott) wants Billy (Karl Urban) to help him discover hold superhero team leader Soldier Boy (Jensen Ackles) died. In the meantime, Hughie meets with Tony who has claims about Neuman (Claudia Doumit) that she doesn’t believe about Red River.

So, off the Boys go to check out the death of Soldier Boy as Hughie discovers that Red River is actually an orphanage for kids with superpowers and learns the truth about Neuman. The stories that come out cause chaos and Gunpower (Sean Patrick Flanery) is confronted and tells the truth about Soldier Boy. Mother’s Milk (Laz Alonso) rejoins the group but he does so for very personal reasons and Homeland (Antony Starr) is on a televised tear of his own.

That has a double-edged sword as people rally around Homeland after his rant and thinks much more of himself than he should. Mallory (Laila Robins) tells the Boys what Payback has done with the CIA and that Black Noir (Nathan Mitchell) is messed up and Soldier Boy was hurt by a Russian superweapon. Butcher makes a plan with Little Nina (Katia Winter) to go to Russia.

Butcher ends up in Russia with the Boys and after Hughie does something quiet stupid, they discover a power blast that wreaks havoc. Butcher decides the Russians are responsible for what happened to Soldier Boy. Homelander is still dealing with his fallout but Neuman gets involved and causes problems of her own with Compound V.

Frenchie (Tomer Capone) takes Kimiko (Karen Fukuhara) to get checked out and in the process, he is taken by Nina while Maeve uses Butcher. That doesn’t last long as Noir and Homelander get their hands on her as well. Edgar is out and Ashley Barrett (Colby Minifie) is in as CEO of Vought. Homelander finds footage of what Soldier Boy has been up to, Nina isn’t finished kidnapping and Butcher, along with The Deep (Chance Crawford) makes a decision about Homelander. That doesn’t stop the TNT Twins, Tommy (Jack Dooland) and Jessa (Kristin Booth) from throwing a party that goes all sorts of wrong.

Noir finds himself reliving what happened to himself and Soldier Boy. A-Train (Jessie T. Usher) gets his transplant from Blue Hawk (Nick Wechsler). Annie makes a discovery about the V24 drug that could affect everyone trying to use it. Homelander makes a big mistake going on another rank and the fall out is even worse than before. He also learns about his parentage which is a pretty good shock.

The showdown is about to happen when Homelander, Ryan, Hughie, Butcher, MM, Noir, Maeve and Annie. They all think they are in control but they will soon discover that isn’t the case and chaos ensue which is what they are good at. Neuman decides to join Robert Singer as his Vice-President which causes a new set of anger for Butcher and delight for Homelander!

Other cast include: Simon Pegg as Hugh Campbell Sr., Jordana Lajoie as Cherie, Abigail Whitney as Moonshadow, Joel Labelle as Swatto, Jasmin Geljo as Oligarch, Miles Villanueva as Supersonic, Paul Reiser as The Legend, Laurie Holden as Crimson Countess, Jack Fulton as Lenny Butcher, Aya Cash as Klara Risinger and Ryan Blakely as Mindstorm.

Season Three episodes include Payback, The Only Man in the Sky, Barbary Coast, Glorious Five-Year Plan, The Last Time to Look on This World of Lies, Herogasm, Here Comes a Candle to Light You to Bed and The Instant White-Hot Wild.

Sony Pictures Home Entertainment encompasses motion picture production for television, digital content and theater releases. The studios include Columbia Pictures, Screen Gems, TriStar Pictures, Sony Pictures Animation, Stage 6 Films and Sony Picture Classics. To see what is coming to theaters and to home entertainment please visit www.sonypictures.com.

Bluray and DVD Special Features include Gag Reels, Deleted & Extended Scenes and The Making of Fearturette.

THE BOYS is a huge production with a large cast of well-known actors that just sweep us all away with their antics. The Anti-Supe weapon starts it all and keeps the action and guessing going for all eight episodes (which never seems to be enough for us binge watchers). My family and I just love the series and talk about each episode and that should be made into a show on its own.

Urban leads this amazing show, he is actually one of my favorite actors for years and f@*king diabolical. It must be said that everyone looks like they are having a twistedly fun time making the show. Of course, it takes a lot of hard work but still, I actually enjoy watching a show that is such a wonderful mix of action, story and humor (even the dark humor that creeps in).

THE BOYS is just a fantastic show that has gained an audience that knows a good thing when they see it. Gather up your own group of supes and binge on Season 3!

In the end – never meet your heroes!

 

 

 

 

BENT Brings Mystery to Bluray

Jeri Jacquin

Coming to Bluray and Digital from writer/director Bobby Moresco and Lionsgate is a tale of deceit, corruption and a set up that give meaning to crime-thriller when everyone around you is BENT.

Danny Gallagher (Karl Urban) is a hard working cop who wanted to help his buddy in a drug bust when it goes horribly wrong. So wrong, in fact, that Gallagher ends up in prison and when released is seen as a cop killer. Knowing that he can't get his life back the way it was, he tracks down everything he remembers from that night including the car-bomb murder of an official’s wife.

Right away he knows there are people out to end him and at the same time people who want to help. Jimmy Murtha (Andy Garcia) is telling Gallagher to run as far away from everything as he can and buddy Eddie (Pat Asanti) is keeping the bugs off and the cars working. He also is being told by mystery woman Rebecca (Sofia Vergara) that there is more to this than he could possibly imagine but won't say more.

Gallagher knows that he is going to have to dig deeper into every aspect of what happened before going to prison, the trial and what ever else he might be missing. Rebecca is becoming scared when people who are part of everything start dying believing she and Gallagher are absolutely next.

That doesn't stop the ex-cop from pushing harder in every direction to bring who ever is responsible for everything that is happening out in the open. Could it be other cops, a drug lord with revenge in mind, a government agency or someone he never saw coming.

Urban as Gallagher comes on strong and always has that look like he knows when you are pulling his chain. This is a character that was happy pining for a singer and working cases and now spends his post-prison time just trying to stay alive. Urban gives a hard performance of a man who isn't untouchable and doesn't trust anyone - no matter how beautiful.

Vergara as Rebecca is a woman who knows more than she's saying but also realizes that what is happening around her is coming close to home. Knowing the players, she isn't always as candid with Gallagher and he knows it - and pillow talk doesn't make those answers come any quicker. She's in the same position as he is in that you don't know who to trust or what can be said without getting to those who want to kill you.

Garcia as Murtha greets Gallagher when is released from jail. Obviously wanting to make sure his friend is taken care of, he also sees that nothing he says will stop Gallagher from doing what ever he wants how ever he wants.

Other cast includes Grace Byers as Kate Trai Byers as Chuck, John Finn as Driscoll, Tonya Cornelisse as Helen, Patrick Brennan as Casey, Joe Pacheco as Bill Pierce, Andrea Bruschi as Tom Loach and Vincent Spano as Charlie.

Lionsgate is a global leader in motion picture production and distribution for theatres, television, home entertainment and more. Theatre franchises include THE HUNGER GAMES, and DIVERGENT along with JOHN WICK. Now, adding this film to its 16,000 motion picture and television titles you can see everything coming soon as well as available now at http://www.lionsgate.com.

The Bluray/DVD Special Features include Behind the Scenes of BENT Featurette along with Cast and Crew Interviews.

BENT is a thriller that will keep you guessing as to why all of this is happening, how did it get this far and ending with 'you have got to be kidding me!' in a good way. That's why the crime-thriller genre is still alive and well. It's fun to follow the clues and hope we get to the end faster than the film's ending.

It is the twists, turns and not wanting the facts to change our minds about the people we have invested in while watching the story unfold. When a crime-thriller is finally explained in its entirety, we are forced to decide who is right and who is justified in walking the fragile line of the law.

That's what BENT does, sends us on a journey to find out why anyone would do this to a good cop and jump on his every move to discover who is responsible. When that happens we all become part of the dilemma that Gallagher faces in the end. I think that's what

I enjoy most about this genre and I'm not the only one.

BENT is currently On Demand and arrives on Bluray, Digital and DVD May 15th.

In the end - follow your instincts!

Get Ready for THOR: Ragnarok!

Jeri Jacquin

In theatres from director Taika Waititi, Marvel Entertainment and Walt Disney Pictures is the next adventure from THOR: Ragnarok.

Thor (Chris Hemsworth) is once again in a predicament but once the hammer is back in hands there is one place to go – Asgard. Knowing that brother Loki (Tom Hiddleston) has been hiding behind the image of their father Odin, they both go looking for him. Not where Loki left him, they get a little unexpected help.

Thor and Loki speak with Odin and discover that they have sister named Hela (Cate Blanchett) and she is an angry individual and extremely powerful. He tells them about Ragnarok which is the destruction of Asgard by the hand of Hela. When she arrives unexpectedly, Loki panics bringing the gateway and Hela hitches a ride.

Pushing both Loki and Thor out into another world, Thor lands in a pile of junk on a planet that has piles of junk. Captured by Valkyrie (Tessa Thompson), he is taken to the Grandmaster (Jeff Goldblum) who has a little fighting arena to keep the masses entertained. Surprised to discover who he will be fighting, the Hulk (Mark Ruffalo) bring entertainment to the masses.

Back on Asgard, Hela has found a new lackey in Skurge (Karl Urban) who is guarding the door of their world. Heimdall (Idris Elba) is now considered a traitor and no one knows where he is. The destruction of the beautiful civilization of Asgard has begun and the people are all looking for safety.

As Thor, Valkyrie, Loki and David Banner escape from the Grandmaster, their eye is on Asgard and nothing is going to stop them from saving what is left of their world!

Oh yea Hela, it’s on now!

Hemsworth as Thor is physically still ripped (didn’t think I’d miss that did you?), expands his humor and keeps Loki in check and all while still calling him brother, and twists the Hulk/Banner to do what is right for Asgard. Is it me or does he smile a heck of a lot more in this film and join in on the jokes? I think cutting his hair made Thor much more at ease with being the God of Thunder. All of that just gives Hemsworth everything he needs to be the one and only Thor.

Hiddleston as Loki is hilarious, saucy, charming, unpredictable, edgy and although still full of mischief, finds that helping can also be self serving to his way of thinking. I adore Hiddleston, there, I said it. He is so fun as Loki because lets be honest, it is fun watching him have fun being Loki. There are moments where the expressions on his face are just pure magic. I keep thinking ‘when will Loki get his own gig?’ but maybe just having him mischievous in the right amounts works just as well.

Blanchett as Hela is the opposite of Lady Galadriel from LORD OF THE RINGS. Hela is angry, sarcastic and certainly doesn’t walk away from a fight. Knowing her brothers aren’t about to embrace her takeover, she spends her time looking for Heimdall and using Skurge to get what she wants. Blanchett turns on her badass and has no intention of letting anyone find the off switch. It must be said – she is stunning!

Ruffalo as Hulk/Bruce Banner has been stuck being the big green guy for quite a while. He doesn’t want to get involved in any other skirmish but knows what the right thing to do is. Ruffalo also gets to be part of the humor that this film brings out and the audience loved it.

Thompson as Valkyrie is a disillusioned Asgardian who just needs a little push to remember her honor. Goldblum as the Grandmaster is perfection with his zany outlook on things and I’d hire him to be a DJ at my party any day. Hopkins as Odin deserves to be Odin and every time I see this actor on screen it is such a joy.

Urban as Skurge wants a position of importance in Asgard but serving a scary goddess means doing what he’s told and keeping his distance when she’s a bit upset. Elba as Heimdall isn’t about to let anyone get the sword, especially Hela since her plan is universal destruction and domination.

I’m throwing a shout out to director Taika Waititi as the voice of Korg who I think is my newest funny creature. He is laid back yet tells it like it is and when things go wrong, well, he is the last to get all upset about it. Just know that we all could use a good Rock-guy on our side! I think he needs his own Funko actually.

More cast include Rachel House as Topaz, Clancy Brown as the voice of Surtur, Tadanobu Asano as Hogun, Ray Stevenson as Volstagg, and Zachary Levi as Fandral.

Cameos include Luke Hemsworth, Sam Neill, Charlotte Nicdao, Benedict Cumberbatch and Matt Damon.

THOR: Ragnarok is a wild ride from beginning to past the credits end! The story is strong, the special effects are pretty frakken cool and I don’t mind since it is part of this universe. The characters are absolutely amazing and the cross over in the film brought the audience to its comic book knees.

There was serious laughter, cheering and the screening audience were like kids in a candy store. I will say it here and now, I had so much fun watching THOR: Ragnarok. There is non-stop action with a cast that brought their adventure A-game. This film is the reason people go in packs to the theatre, buy huge buckets of popcorn and come out feeling like they have just had an experience worthy of the price of admission.

In the end – No hammer? No problem!