JUSTFIED: City Primeval Season One Returns

 

Jeri Jacquin

Coming to Bluray from FX and Sony Pictures Home Entertainment is the return of a successful series with JUSTIFIED: City Primeval Season One.

Willa Givens (Vivian Olyphant) is a fifteen-year-old problem child for Raylan (Timothy Olyphant) and it doesn’t get easier when criminals steal his car. That means he can’t take Willa off to camp meaning he now has to take her at the same time he is extraditing men to Michigan. Things don’t go easier in Detroit but, Raylan gets a gig with judge Guy (Keith David) as someone is trying to kill him. Things doing go according to plan when there is a third problem involving Clement Mansell (Boyd Holbrook) and Skender and they aren’t going to stop.

Rayland and Detective Robinson (Victor Williams) don’t know there is a history going back to 2017 and a robbery. Interesting that the good detective remembers the woman Sandy (Adelaide Clemens) and she is off telling Mansell the cops are snooping around and Sweety Sweeton (Vondie Curtis-Hall) is also in on what is happening. Later, Willa sees what her father is capable of when he deals with Mansell his way.

Mansell tells Carolyn but the police have other plans. One of the men working for Sweety finds the gun that could cause trouble and re-hides it. Things are getting heated as there is a larger plan that Raylan is getting involves with. Knowing this, Raylan has it out with his daughter making it clear she is returning to Florida.

Knowing that he is in bigger trouble than he could imagine, Mansell has Skender’s uncle after him. Sweety has no intention of helping Carolyn, especially when he learns that Judge Guy has a notebook that could destroy a lot of people and the Albanians are on the hunt as well. Raylan is in over his head with Carolyn and Mansell starts off his blackmail schemes to get money from anyone in the notebook.

Rayland, working with detective Downey (Marin Ireland) are trying to get information about the notebook as well. Everyone wants their name off the list and will do just about anything to get it. It’s all starting to fall apart when they learn where the mysterious gun might be and everyone starts singing like a flock of birds. When it is all said and done, Raylan wants to high tail it back to Miami to continue his retirement but – when the phone rings…..

Olyphant as Raylan brings back the swagger the series became known for and he picks it up like a favorite overcoat and the fit is perfect. The one thing about Raylan the viewer can be sure of, his involvement in things is not surface but goes deep with so many twists and turns that you could get whiplash keeping up. That’s what made the series so successful and I’m thrilled to see him back in action.

Other cast include Norbert Leo Butz as Norbert Bryl, Ravi V. Patel as Rick, Paul Calderon as Det. Cruz, Amin Joseph as Jamal, Regina Taylor as Diane, David Cross as Dickey, Terry Kinney as Toma Costia, Natalie Zea as Winona, Luiz Guzman as Officer Ramirez, Matt Craven as Dan Grant, David Koechner as Dep. Sutter, and Walton Goggins as Boyd Crowder.

Episodes include City Primeval, The Oklahoma Wildman, Backstabbers, Kokomo, You Good?, Adios, The Smoking Gun, and The Question.

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.

JUSTFIED: City Primeval is the perfect season one to binge on and, just to make things more interesting, I watched all the previous seasons prior. That made for a fun time getting to spend a little quality time with Raylan (come on, you know you love it) and remembering bits and pieces about the character that I had forgotten.

FX did a fantastic job creating this series in the first place with its memorable (shout out Goggins!!) characters. I don’t see this as much as bringing it back and picking up where we left off. There is no way that the character of Raylan was going to ‘retire’ because it is just not in his wheelhouse. Instead, he is still as good as he always was and will continue to be so, thanks to good writing, as we wait for a potential new season.

In the end - dust off your cowboy boots and hats because the handsome sheriff is back in town!

 

THE STARLING Flies onto Netflix

 

Jeri Jacquin

Currently streaming on Netflix from director Theodore Melfi comes a story of loss, grief and dealing with THE STARLING.

Lilly (Melissa McCarthy) and husband Jack (Chris O’Dowd) are dealing with a loss in their family. Jack is so distraught that he is in a facility to receive therapy and medication. Lilly deals with her anxiety by working at the local supermarket being watched over by boss Travis (Timothy Olyphant).

It is suggested to Lilly that she seek therapy of her own with Dr. Larry Fine (Kevin Kline) once therapist turned small town veterinarian. Their connection is cock-eyed at best but going home she realize that her home is surrounded by painful memories. Making a change Lilly decides to put a garden in her front yard.

Digging and planting, she is side swiped by a starling who is not happy about her presence. Lilly is not about to let a bird stop her and the battle between human and bird is on! What Lilly does not realize is that the universe works in mysterious ways. Seeing Dr. Fine and dealing with a starling along with a husband Jack and his issues, she becomes more and more aware of what she wants for her life.

This is where grief and happiness learn to co-exist!

McCarthy as Lilly is her usual hysterical self but, in this role, there is also an element of grief that, although may cause a few chuckles, is completely understandable. What Lilly learns in this process is that everyone grieves differently and once that is accepted, healing can begin. McCarthy is sweet, brave, understanding but bubbling underneath the surface is her own anger and when it comes to the surface – stand back!

O’Dowd as husband Jack is so swallowed up by grief that he does not see that his wife is struggling as well. He finds reasons to stay as it is which means he does not have to accept the challenge of continuing on with life which is the goal. The telephone scene between O’Dowd and McCarthy is so tender and yet strong because it is the turning point for them both and I loved it.

Kline as Dr. Fine is quirky and yet under that is a compassion he is sees for Lilly and Jack. Its not that Lilly does not take pot shots at him because boy does she, yet Kline’s character sees the potential for them both. It is so good to see Kline in a film again doing what he does best, being that voice and figure of reason when everyone else has gone a little mad.

Shout out to Olyphant as the supermarket manager who always has something interesting to say at the wrong times. Also, to Skyler Gisondo as Dickie, a young man who befriends Lilly and is curious about the starling. Finally, to Loretta Devine who cracked me up as Velma.

Other cast include Daveed Diggs as Ben, aura Harrier as Sherri, Rosalind Chao as Fawn, Kimberly Quinn as Regina, Jesse Garcia as Hector, Edi Patterson as Margie, Emily Tremaine as Alice and Ravi Kapoor as Dr. Manmohan.

Netflix is the world's leading streaming entertainment service with over 158 million paid memberships in over 190 countries. Enjoying TV series, documentaries and feature films, Netflix is across a wide variety of genres and languages. Members can watch as much as they want, anytime, anywhere and on any internet-connected screen. For more information, please visit www.netflix.com.

THE STARLING is a charming, heart-felt film that does not forget to make us laugh, even about things that are uncomfortable in this life. McCarthy handles herself in a way that reminds me – well, of me! That is her uncanny quality, to take on serious roles that are relatable. If you have not watched her in the series Nine Perfect Strangers playing Francis Welty, then you are really missing something wonderful.

O’Dowd gives us the other side of the coin as a man who climbs inside his emotions and lives there in grief. He refuses to see things through the eyes of his wife and that’s how deep his sadness goes. It is a dark place to be and O’Dowd does not hold back giving us another grief perspective.

The cast is wonderful together and I absolutely adored the scenes between McCarthy and Kline. Their repartee had a bit of a snippy bite on McCarthy’s side, but Kline’s character held his ground. Kline gives his character the understanding that grief can bring out the worst in human nature, but compassion is there waiting when they are ready.

The interaction between Lilly/McCarthy and the starling is creative, clever and hilarious. This is another battle to be fought but there comes a moment when both human and bird realize that a compromise of emotion needs to be reached, yet a starling will always be a starling.

THE STARLING is a film to enjoy for all reasons.

In the end – hope starts small!