The Critics Choice Awards are upon us, and among the nominations that were led by Little Women, The Irishman, and Once Upon A Time in Hollywood, was Rian Johnson’s hilarious and smart murder/mystery whodunnit Knives Out.
Knives Out was nominated for three awards, Best Comedy, Best Acting Ensemble, and Best Original Screenplay, all of which are wholeheartedly deserved. You can see the full list of nominations here.
Image courtesy of ‘Knives Out’
Image courtesy of ‘Knives Out’
Starring Daniel Craig, Ana de Armas, Chris Evans, Jamie Lee Curtis, Don Johnson, Michael Shannon, Toni Collette, Katherine Langford, Jaedan Martell, Lakeith Stanfield, and Christopher Plummer, an award for Best Acting Ensemble is certainly not out of reach. Nor is Best Original Script or Best Comedy with Johnson’s intelligent and witty mystery and the perfectly timed and placed comedy aided by the phenomenal cast (particularly Daniel Craig).
Knives Out is currently playing in theaters. You can read our review the film here.
IAAPA, the global association for the attraction industry, kicked off its annual expo in Orlando this year on Monday, November 18 with a colorful new logo, a bustling exhibitor show floor, and more than 100 educational opportunities lined up through Friday, November 22. Nerds was present throughout the week.
Following the grand opening of Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge at both Disneyland and Walt Disney World, IAAPA Expo hosted Legends 2019 – Report from The Galaxy’s Edge. The session promised to “share insights and strategies learned by diverging from the known path and inventing new worlds” from the mouths of the Imagineers who brought Star Wars to life: Anisha Deshmane, Margaret Kerrison, Scott Trowbridge, and Chris Beatty.
For Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, that strategy can be summed up in three words: invitation to play. The panel host, Bob Rogers, BRC Imagination Arts Founder, told the panel audience, “Everything about this place is an invitation to play.”
He shared just what that meant with an explanation Scott Trowbridge, portfolio creative executive for Walt Disney Imagineering (and a speaker at this year’s Legends session), told him in preparation for the panel:
“And [Scott Trowbridge] talked about how it’s all got to be real first-person. When you go to the Pirates of the Caribbean, the pirates don’t know you’re there; they don’t acknowledge you, they don’t look at you. You go to some other big attractions, and the characters in it talk to you and say, ‘We’ve got to save the world! Quick, do the so-and-so and such-and-such.’ And they’re going to say that to the next boat that might be empty. They don’t know you’re there. But, there’s something about [Galaxy’s Edge] that truly is an engaging invitation to play where you’re a part of it.”
Anisha Deshmane, an assistant producer at Walt Disney Imagineering, remains vital in creating — and fulfilling — that invitation. She is behind the Datapad, an experience within an app that allows guests to engage in-story with the Galaxy’s Edge land and play as their own Star Wars character. As Deshmane said, “It’s not a character, it’s you. It’s you and the actions that you do and the things that you choose to spend your time doing in the land is what manifests as your Star Wars story.”
Throughout the creative process, Deshmane’s goal was to create something that would allow every guest to “live their own Star Wars story.” With the Datapad, users can hack stations, translate Aurebesh signs, scan crates and even accept jobs. Deshmane said, “There’s a lot of interesting things that you can find that are off the beaten path, that I think people don’t expect.”
Chris Beatty, executive creative director for Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, spoke to the process behind deciding on what Star Wars location Disney would bring to life. “It wasn’t where do we want to take our guests — what planet? — but what storyline. We actually started with, ‘Well, what do we want our guests to feel like when they walk in the land? What do we want their experience to be?’ Then, the location came out of that.”
Trowbridge added, “We very quickly decided that the right thing to do in the park was to not do the book report; to not retell someone else’s story, but to create a new expansive Star Wars universe that had lots of stories to tell.”
The choice to build a land that did preexist within the Star Wars lore as a remote outpost but had never before been represented in media gave the team enormous freedom to create a themed land with everything a fan could want.
“All of these different locations, all of these different characters, are unique. They all came from someone’s great passion of the Star Wars lore,” said Margaret Kerrison, the managing story editor of Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge. “It all started with wish fulfillment. Of like, ‘Well, we all want to be able to taste blue milk. We all want to taste green milk.’ So how does that work in our land?”
To learn more about the IAAPA Expo, visit iaapa.org.
Adam Driver and Scarlett Johansson received Critics Choice Awards nominations for Best Actor and Best Actress for their film Marriage Story, among other nominations for their film including Best Picture, Best Director (Noah Baumbach), Best Supporting Actress (Laura Dern), Best Acting Ensemble, Best Original Screenplay (Noah Baumbach) and Best Original Score (Randy Newman).
This is only the beginning for the film, which is set to land nominations for the Golden Globe Awards and the Academy Awards. Marriage Story just released on Netflix, and you can read our review here.
The Irishman is leading the nominations for the Critics Choice Awards, with 14 nominations, followed by Once Upon A Time… In Hollywood with 12.
(This should not be considered spoiler-free, although no major plot points are revealed.)
When one hears the word divorce, the first thoughts that usually come to mind are ‘court,’ ‘hate,’ and ‘anger,’ but not love. However, Noah Baumbach has taken a step deeper, and rewritten the societal narrative of divorce, turning it into a stunning display of just how much you can still love someone even throughout the heartbreak of separation.
Marriage Story, written and directed by Baumbach and starring Scarlett Johansson and Adam Driver, follows Nicole and Charlie as they navigate learning to live on their own again, re-finding themselves as individuals, co-parenting, and the ugly side of divorce. While in most stories of this nature there’s a clear line of who’s right and who’s wrong, neither of these characters is a clear cut ‘villain.’ Baumbach has contrived a beautiful gray palette to explore these characters in — we see them both do wrong, struggle, falter, and even overcome. There are no absolutes, no definitive action that cements blame on either party, and it makes it difficult to do anything but sympathize with both of them.
Image courtesy of ‘Marriage Story’
It begins with monologues from both Nicole and Charlie, reading aloud all the things they love about the other. Without any prior knowledge of the plot, you’d think you were heading into a beautiful romance film, until we’re abruptly cut to reality. The couple is at their mediation, the decision to separate already made. We follow along as Nicole moves from their New York home of 10 years, taking their 8-year-old son Henry with her back to her native Los Angeles, to turn her career from theater back to films. Charlie, an esteemed theater director, is left frequently flying back and forth to see his son and attend divorce hearings in LA, and then returning to NYC to continue his directing work with an ongoing production. Both having previously decided no lawyers would be involved, we see Nicole consult a highly competitive lawyer, much to the shock of Charlie, who is left scrambling to find himself representation.
While the story does tend to lean more sympathetically toward Charlie, Nicole is not left as a vengeful wife trying to rip their son away his father and play the villain. She has a story of her own — broken promises of more time with her family in LA that wasted away, declined LA theater projects, and the feeling of losing herself to this relationship and the life they’d built — one she takes partial blame in. The sides are evenly balanced, we see the same amount of screen time with both Nicole and Charlie, and whenever they share a scene, one’s emotional response is not omitted. Baumbach did an exceptional job of making this a story about them both equally, never giving one the upper hand, in both the writing and directing.
Image courtesy of ‘Marriage Story’
Their bottled emotions and the clear sense of love they still hold for one another makes this a difficult watch. Johansson and Driver play their parts exceptionally plausible — that repressed devotion and benevolence they still feel toward the other evident on every feature of their face, even if the script is trying to say otherwise. They convince the audience perfectly that despite this divorce being necessary, it is not born of hatred or disdain. Through it all, they still want to come out of the other side with the other still a permanent fixture in their life, and not because they need to for Henry’s sake, but because deep down they will always love one another. These are both award-winning performances, and to see these two masterful technicians face-off with one another is a reason in itself to watch this film.
The supporting cast is also exceptional. From Laura Dern’s heavy-hitting divorce attorney Nora, to Ray Liotta’s equally cutthroat attorney Jay, and Alan Alda’s compassionate family lawyer Bert, each play an important role in making both Charlie and Nicole see that the only people in this fight that matter is their family.
If there was one thing to dislike, it was the talk of a previous extramarital affair. The story was poignant enough without that, and it seemed to only weaken the emotional strength of the rest of the script. At times, it seemed out of place with Driver’s character, not quite fitting into the narrative that was laid out for him. From every other angle, he seemed to be the one aiming to try and keep the ship afloat, so it just didn’t fit into the intricacies of Charlie that they built for him, but it doesn’t take away from the story as a whole.
Marriage Story is about one thing — people. It isn’t about blame, or fault, or one side versus the other, it isn’t a tragedy — it’s about two people who just want what’s best for themselves, while still not being willing to destroy the other in the process. It’s about love, compassion, tenderness, and the strength of remembering why you’d loved that person to begin with, and holding on to that.
The 2018 Netflix original The ChristmasChronicles, starring Kurt Russell, is getting a sequel! Filming has begun on the second installment. Joining Russell is Goldie Hawn, who will reprise her role as Mrs. Claus. On Friday, a photo of Mr. and Mrs. Claus was released as a teaser for the 2020 release.
The Christmas Chronicles 2 with Kurt Russell, Goldie Hawn set for holiday 2020 https://t.co/33rxRuhhSl
The Christmas Chronicles 2 is written by Chris Columbus and Matt Liberman, both of whom wrote the first. Columbus also directs this time and is known for previous classics such as Home Alone and the first two Harry Potter films.
Given the sleeper-hit success of the first, it is no surprise a sequel wasn’t far behind. Though a storyline has not been announced, we look forward to seeing this version of Santa rocking out a second time around.
Follow Netflix for complete updates, and look for The Christmas Chronicles 2 during the holiday season next year!
This past Thursday, fans got many treats during Supernatural’s seventh episode of its final season. “Last Call” brought on guest star Christian Kane (Angel, Leverage, The Librarians) and the return of Shoshannah Stern as Eilleen Leahy. There was music, stories, and of course, life or death situations. It would not be Supernatural without it!
We start the episode in Texhoma, Texas, with two women, one very drunk and one trying to get her safely home from the bar. As expected, the drunk friend walks away to “purge her sins” as the other girl waits in the car. Only she and her vehicle vanish entirely. Cutaway to the girl tied to a chair in a basement, dripping blood through an IV, and a new monster we have never seen before.
Meanwhile, Dean is jonesing for a case. He is lounging in bed, drinking a beer, and desperately searching for anything unusual on his phone. Of course, he comes along the headline “My Friend Was Raptured While I Was Drunk” and a picture of the girl that we just saw being taken. It looks like Dean has his case.
Courtesy of The CW
In the bunker’s kitchen, Dean walks into Eileen and Sam making a lot of food for breakfast. Including real bacon, which, of course, is a clue to their current state – hungover. As we know, bacon is a great hangover cure for the Winchesters. I am calling it that Eileen is a great influence on Sam, for letting loose and getting carried away with the margaritas. But the shocking part is Dean turning down bacon.
See, Dean needs to clear his head. In the past few episodes, he has been in a pretty bad headspace. So, he tells Sam to stay behind and leave a sock on the door if things go his way, and he will call if he needs him. Then, Dean leaves for Texhoma, Texas.
Something to note that is quite beautiful to watch is how Sam integrates ASL (American Sign Language) effortlessly as he speaks to Eileen. It is such an inclusive part of the show, and yet so seamless. As it should be! Major props to the cast and crew for that!
In Texas, Dean (undercover as Agent Dukes) talks to the local sheriff. The sheriff believes nothing is amiss with the case, and that the girl who has gone missing has been a bit of a rebel. She talked in the past about going to L.A., and it seems lots of folks do that, including the sheriff himself. He stayed in L.A. for a whole month and tells Dean he should give it a shot. Apparently, and I think most of us can agree, he has the looks for it. However, he gives one clue. You can find her friend at a bar called Swayze’s. Lots of DukesofHazzard and Roadhouse references in this episode!
As the scene transitions, Christian Kane’s song “The House Rules” begins to play. It is a fitting song for the scene, the bar, and Kane’s character introduction. When Dean enters Swayze’s, he is met by a flirty and attractive woman who is collecting cell phones. Apparently, it is not a party if there are cellphones. Which is a bad omen in Supernatural. Either someone will need Dean, or Dean will need someone… but no cell phone, no call.
Courtesy of The CW
Dean turns to find Lee (Kane) on stage singing. Dean recognizes him, and it is clear they know each other. Turns out, Lee owns the bar and seems to have been a hunter once upon a time.
At home, Eileen and Sam sneak glances at one another as they attempt to research their current issues with God and Lilith. Eileen suggests a break and something fun. When Sam asks for ideas, she gives a look suggesting something maybe a little bit closer for the two. Sam takes her hand and starts to move a little closer only for the bunker’s door to open and Castiel walks in. Though, still a bit of a relief as Sam has not heard from Cas in awhile.
Cas is back home and ready to help. He meets Eileen, and is told Dean is on a hunt and that Lilith is back. Cas says Sam and Eileen are looking in the wrong places for God and Lilith. Cas knows Sam’s wound is their answer, and that Sam and God are connected.
At the bar, Dean and Lee catch up over a beer. Lee finds out that John died, dating their friendship before season 1. Lee brought up a story of John catching the two wasted on a hunt, but Dean mentions John always liked Lee. Dean is right, that is high praise coming from John Winchester.
Dean brings up the fact that death is usually the end for hunters, and he believed Lee to be dead given that aspect. Lee says he did one more case after he left Dean, decided the hunting life was not for him, and bought a bar. Moreover, he did not have one single regret about getting out. The ultimate act of free will: choosing what life you live.
Courtesy of The CW
In the bunker’s infirmary, Cas tells Sam he most likely cannot heal his wound, but he can “probe it.” What a lovely choice of words. Of course, what he really means is he will study the wound in hopes it will lead them to Chuck. Eileen is worried it will be dangerous, which Cas says it will be.
As Cas begins, it is clear it is hurting Sam. The pain continues to intensify, even though Sam urges him on. Until there is an adverse reaction to the angel’s power, forcing Sam back. He hits the wall before landing on the bed, completely unconscious and unresponsive.
Sam’s predicament leaves Castiel to make a few phone calls, the first, is to Dean. Of course, given Dean’s situation at the bar, it goes straight to voicemail. Cas is clearly frustrated, but leaves a message anyway. His next call is to Sergei. Cas calls in his favor to him, and gives him an ultimatum that leaves “yes,” the only answer for Sergei. The last call is unknown, but it also involves a favor.
Meanwhile, Dean, Lee, and the woman Dean first met at the bar are clearly intoxicated and sharing stories. The story of the moment is twins, or as Lee corrects, triplets. That they split up, fair and square. The next story is a shout-out to the episode “Yellow Fever.” Dean tells Lee about the ghost sickness and how a cat jumped out and left him needing to check his pants.
Courtesy of The CW
Lee asks about the case, and when asked if he had seen the missing girl, he says no. Until the woman comes back and tells him it is Angela. Looks like Lee has been caught in a lie. Not a good sign at all. Lee sort of sway the conversation to hunting in general, and why Dean is not out. That he could have what Lee has. Knowing Dean’s dream, owning a bar would be perfect for him.
My personal favorite moment in the episode continues next. Lee urges Dean up on stage to sing “Good Ol’ Boys,” the Waylon Jennings classic, and the theme song to DukesofHazzard. And it is glorious! Lee mentions before the song, Dean cannot just sit around and lip-sync “Eye of the Tiger” when nobody is watching. Dean is clearly nervous, and knowing Dean’s past with singing, he has a good reason to be. Miraculously, he sings it magnificently. Also, it is the perfect time to note that Jensen and Christian sound amazing together, and hopefully, we will see a collaboration in the future!
Courtesy of The CW
When the song ends, there seems to be some trouble in the bar. A couple of guys are getting a little too aggressive without the drunken friend from the beginning of the episode. Leaving Dean and Lee to enforce the roadhouse rules. Also known as confronting and throwing them out through the window and door. Back inside, Dean finds out the drunk girl is Sally and exactly the girl he has been looking for.
Sergei arrives at the bunker, and is all shades of suspicious. Knowing his business, there are probably many things within the bunker he would love to possess.
The conversation with Sally leaves Dean with a choice to try and find her missing car. Lee flip flops. First, he says it does not seem like there is a case, then says he will join Dean on the case. Lee says they should look at the lake, but the waitress says the wrecking yard. So, they split up.
Dean makes a good choice and finds her car. However, that choice quickly goes south. Lee makes his appearance as the villain of this story. Lee proceeds to knock him out.
Courtesy of The CW
Looking over Sam, Sergei claimed he was dying. He attempts to “heal” Sam, but in actuality is killing him. It is his ruse to get what he wants, something from the bunker. The key to Death, to be specific, that leads to her library. Meanwhile, Sam gets flashes from Chuck: Chuck is not at full strength, they are connected, Chuck cannot leave the world without Amara, the fact he cannot see Sam and Dean in his head. Eileen threatens to kill Sergei, but Castiel has a better threat. He has someone with Sergei’s niece.
With that, Sam is brought back, but in his initial condition with his wound. It was eye-opening for Sam, though, as he now knows Chuck is incredibly weak.
Every villain has a story, and Dean hears Lee’s as he is tied up in the basement. Lee believes people never win and ought to have fun. He found the monster that he calls Marid. If you feed it, it keeps your life fantastic: money, health, etc. he thinks no one cares about good or bad, but Dean does.
With Lee gone, Dean manages to escape. Only, the Marid gets angry and gets out of its cage as well. Lead to Dean walking up into the bar, dropping the Madrid’s head on the floor. What ensues is a shootout between Lee and Dean, with Dean behind the bar with a shotgun. “God bless Texas.” They both quickly run out of bullets, leading to hand to hand combat.
It was never meant to end well, and I think Lee knew that. Dean got the upper hand, impaling Lee fatally. As Dean says, he kills monsters. Something we find out way too often in this show is that the monsters are sometimes human. It is a shame that human ended up being a friend of Dean’s. Some of Lee’s final words were, “I’m glad it was you.”
Courtesy of The CW
Dean comes home to see Cas, though a little strained between the two. It is a start, though. Sam tells them all he thinks they can beat God. But with his connection to Chuck, what could that entail for Sam?
“Last Call” was incredibly worth the wait, and a long time coming for Kane to guest star. It was everything we could have hoped for! Be sure to tune in on December 12 for the fall finale!
As part of promoting his newest album Fine Line, Harry Styles will be a guest on The Ellen Degeneres Show on December 18. Styles has appeared on Ellen numerous times as part of One Direction, but this is his first solo appearance on the show. He will be joined by StarWars: The Rise of Skywalker star John Boyega as the other guest for the show.
Styles’ second album is set to be released on December 13. Three singles have already been released (“Lights Up”, “Watermelon Sugar”, and “Adore You”). Styles’ other upcoming appearances include guest hosting The Late Late Show with James Corden on December 10 and The BBC Radio 1 Live Lounge on December 18. He also appeared on The Graham Norton Show on December 6 (watch his performance of “Adore You” from that appearance here) and hosted Saturday Night Live on November 16.
In last week’s episode, Oliver, Laurel, John, and the kids were sent to the island of Lian Yu, aka “Purgatory,” where it all began for Oliver, for one final mission before the Crisis. That mission? To build a weapon, although no one knows exactly what that weapon is. Rene, Dinah, and Roy soon join them. However, it’s not all sunshine and rainbows.
Find out what happens in the final episode of Arrow before the upcoming “Crisis on Infinite Earths” crossover event, “Purgatory.”
Oliver tells William, Mia, and Connor that the three of them were supposed to be safe and sound in Star City; how did they end up on the island? Connor says a bunch of guys in tac gear came and stormed the bunker — they were A.R.G.U.S. agents. Lyla comes out of a tent and apologizes, saying she needed them there and didn’t have time to convince them. She tells everyone Mar Novu needs them to build a weapon, and it has to be done on Lian Yu, to which Oliver responds to John that they were wrong about Novu; he’s not their enemy. He mentions that Mar Novu dropped him in an alternate reality to teach him the lesson that they need to work with him to fix the multiverse.
Lyla tells them everything they need to build the weapon are on the island, in the crates outside the tent, and Dr. Wong has been experimenting with the Dwarf Star Particles since leaving Hong Kong, designing schematics for the weapon. Lyla explains that the weapon is powered by plutonium, and Dinah, Roy, and Rene are on their way to the island with samples from Star City. Oliver asks Lyla what he’s doing back on Lian Yu, and Lyla answers that the island has seen a rash of energy spikes over the past few days. Oliver brings up the fact that the last time he was there, it got blown up by Adrian Chase. Mia wonders if the weapon will stop Crisis after they built it and Lyla responds there is no stopping Crisis — she doesn’t know what the weapon is actually for. But Novu said this is how they survive it.
Oliver talks to Mia and William alone and tells them that Mar Novu has seen his fate — he doesn’t survive Crisis. Mar Novu told him what would happen to him the day that he walked in and asked for his help. Oliver says he’s been fighting his fate because of the two of them, and he can’t fight it; he can’t change it. “So you’re just giving up?” Oliver says he is attempting to save the multiverse and keep the two of them safe. They’re going to build the weapon and finish this mission, and that’s how it has to be.
Dinah, Roy, and Rene are on a plane traveling to Lian Yu with the plutonium. Dinah goes over comms and tells the island team they are five miles south and inbound for landing, and John tells Dinah they will meet them at the airstrip to unload. Dinah says there is no wind to speak of; it looks like they’re in for a smooth landing. Soon after, however, Dinah notices something in the sky. The radio is breaking up, but Dinah is able to mention something’s incoming. John walks out of the tent, trying to get Dinah to reply on the radio; Laurel and Oliver follow. A missile shoots the plane out of the sky.
“They’re not gonna make it.”
Colton Haynes and Juliana Harkavy in ‘Arrow. ‘Image courtesy of The CW.
After getting coordinates for the crash site, William notes that the plutonium landed in a different spot, there’s a tracker in the case, but it’s nowhere near Rene, Dinah, or Roy. John says the people are the priority, and William replies they still need the plutonium to build the weapon. Oliver tells John to split up, and John says he’ll run point on the rescue; Connor and Lyla go with him and Oliver, Laurel, and Mia are on nuclear weapon duty. Mia tells them she’s staying behind, obviously still mad at Oliver. Oliver says someone has to protect William, just in case, anyway.
While out looking for Rene, Dinah, and Roy, Lyla apologizes to Connor about their first meeting. She envisioned getting to know her future son over a meal, not en route to a plane crash. Connor assures her it feels right for their family; most of their milestones got interrupted by some sort of international emergency or something. John and Lyla were there for him and JJ when it counted. They come across Rene, who is in bad shape, and Dinah. Dinah tells them they have no idea where Roy is, and Lyla leaves to take Rene back to the camp while the others keep searching for Roy.
Oliver finds the plutonium, but Laurel is nowhere to be found. Laurel is captured, and Fyers reveals himself. He tells Oliver it seems he’s been given a new lease on life, although he’ll be sure to finish the job this time. More of his men show up, and Oliver takes out a gun. Oliver turns around, puts his hands up, and starts shooting. Laurel is able to get free and starts fighting back as well. After it’s just the two of them again, Oliver tells Laurel that Edward Fyers and Billy Wintergreen were on the island when he first got there, and they’re both dead. Oliver gives Laurel the case of plutonium and tells her to bring it back to William; he’s going to go fight Fyers. He tells her Fyers is his mess, he’s a mercenary that he fought and killed, he wants revenge, and it makes him his responsibility — he’ll be back as soon as he can. Oliver starts walking alone, and someone shoots an arrow at him, catching him. Yao Fei, who once helped Oliver on the island before he died, reveals himself.
Stephen Amell and Katie Cassidy in ‘Arrow.’ Image courtesy of The CW.
Oliver asks Yao Fei if he’s real, and he replies that he is as real as the men he hunts. Oliver wants to know why he tried to shoot him, and Yao Fei says, like the first time, to keep him from danger. “No one can keep me from danger, okay, not even you.” Yao Fei tells Oliver there are forces at play that want him not to succeed. Oliver says Fyers and his men know about the weapon and want to use it for themselves, but Oliver won’t let them get it.
John, Dinah, and Connor are searching for Roy, and Connor spots a hand reaching out for help. Roy is lying on rocks, his right arm pinned. Dinah notices the plane fuel and the cables, and soon, everything is going to be up in sparks. The three of them try to set Roy’s arm free, but it’s no use, Roy tells them to tell him how bad it is, and Connor says his arm is crushed; if he can’t feel it, then that means pretty badly. If they can’t move what is pinning him, they have to start coming up with other options; Connor says the best way to get Roy out might be amputation. Connor tells them he has a med kit in his backpack; it’ll have what he needs. John, not liking that option, says that if they can just move what is pinning Roy’s arm, they have a chance at saving it — they owe it to him to keep trying. While they’re trying to free Roy, something is heard rustling in the leaves. Dinah checks it out, and it turns out to be Laurel. Dinah tells her Rene is injured but okay; however, Roy is in a bad spot. Laurel says the guys who shot down their plane are Oliver’s old island enemies, they’ve been dead for the last 12 years, and Oliver went after them and made Laurel the radioactive material mule.
The girls return to the guys, who are still trying to free Roy. With no luck, John says they have to dig Roy out, but Laurel says they’re going to be getting some company soon, and not the good kind. John is hoping they can hold them off, and Dinah mentions the fuel’s about to spark; they don’t have time. Connor tells John they are out of options, and John says he doesn’t accept that; they always have a choice. Roy interrupts and says he’ll make it. “Do it. Just cut me free.” Roy tells John it’s better his arm than their lives. Connor brings his kit over, and Laurel and Dinah distract the enemies. After getting everything ready, Connor uses a sword to cut off Roy’s arm.
At the camp, Rene explains that Fyers and his men have the camp surrounded; they can expect an attack any minute. William says he’s done building the weapon. Once the plutonium finishes transferring the energy, he can turn it on. Oliver returns and tells William to power up the device, but William tells him the sphere’s absorbing the island’s energy. If that’s what brought those dead people back to life in the first place, Oliver continues that activating the device will destroy them. Lyla says if this is their best chance of surviving the Crisis, they need to take the risk with the plutonium.
Katherine McNamara, Audrey Marie Anderson, Joseph David-Jones, Ben Lewis, Juliana Harkavy, David Ramsey, Rick Gonzalez, and Katie Cassidy in ‘Arrow.’ Image courtesy of The CW.
While the majority of the team is fighting Fyers and his guys, Roy, William and Lyla are down in A.R.G.U.S. William says that now that the plutonium has transferred the energy, all he has to do is power it on. However, there is a specific set of DNA that the weapon needs in order to be unlocked. Lyla calls Oliver back to activate the device. Amid the fight, Oliver and John are able to get back to A.R.G.U.S., and William tells Oliver the sphere is touch-activated — it’ll turn on the moment he picks it up … but it doesn’t. After going through the algorithm’s specified sequence again, William discovers that it’s actually Lyla’s DNA that will activate the weapon.
Oliver says he thought the weapon was supposed to help them survive Crisis; Lyla says that’s what Novu told her. Does this mean Lyla’s the weapon? John tells Lyla he understands why she has to do this. Lyla picks up the sphere and activates it and when she does, Fyers and his guys disappear, as well as Yao Fei. John asks Lyla if she’s all right, and Lyla says she has to go and leaves through a breach.
The following morning, Oliver tells the team that he talked with A.R.G.U.S., and Lyla organized a rescue boat before everything happened. John said whatever Mar Novu has planned for Lyla, she can handle it, and Mia wants to know how much time they have before Crisis, and Oliver says not long. As everyone is getting ready to leave, Oliver makes his rounds and starts saying his goodbyes and getting closures, knowing that Crisis is coming. He thanks Rene and Dinah for being there for him, tells Roy he’s happy he’s back on the team and sorry for everything, William that he’s happy he’s had the chance to see the type of man he’s become, John to track down Felicity and tell her not to keep Mia and William separated. Mia tells Oliver that her whole life, all she’s heard about is this legendary Green Arrow and his team. She should’ve been proud of him because he was a hero, and all she could see was that was the reason he wasn’t with her. Oliver apologizes for causing her so much pain; he and Felicity just wanted to protect her. Mia thanks him for letting her be part of his story, even if just for a little while. Lyla returns as a Harbinger of what’s to come as the Crisis begins.
Stephen Amell and Katherine McNamara in ‘Arrow.’ Image courtesy of The CW.
Although Arrow is officially on a winter hiatus, the Crisis has only just begun. Watch as the biggest event in the Arrowverse, and one of the biggest events in DC Comics history unfolds in “Crisis on Infinite Earths” Sunday, December 8 with Supergirl, December 9 with Batwoman, and December 10 with The Flash at 8 p.m. ET/7 p.m. CT on The CW. For the first time since the Arrowverse has been doing crossovers, there will be a small break, concluding with Arrow and Legends of Tomorrow on Tuesday, January 14 beginning at 8 p.m. EST.
Last year, Netflix debuted its newest supernatural series that was initially a Riverdale spin-off made for The CW, a complete reboot of Sabrina the Teenage Witch. Only this time, darker and grittier. The Archie Comics series, Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, proved to be an instant hit among fans and was soon renewed for a second part, which debuted last April. After months of anticipation and a cliffhanger that left fans wondering what would happen next, Netflix has finally announced the release date for Part 3.
— Chilling Adventures of Sabrina (@sabrinanetflix) December 7, 2019
Part 3 of Chilling Adventures of Sabrina will officially debut on January 24. The show’s Twitter released a “chilling” teaser of Sabrina standing in the dark, surrounded by fog, and an eerie voice in the background saying, “Welcome to Hell.” The release date was announced at the Argentina Comic-Con in Buenos Aires. Part 3 will directly follow the events in Part 2.
Although Sabrina defeated Lucifer, “the Dark Lord remains trapped within the human prison of her beloved boyfriend, Nicholas. She can’t live with herself, knowing Nick made the ultimate sacrifice and is suffering, burning in Hell under Madam Satan’s watchful eye. With an assist from her mortal friends, Harvey, Rosalind, and Theo, Sabrina makes it her mission to free him from eternal damnation and bring him back into her arms. However, the Dark Lord’s unseating has sent shockwaves through the realms — and, with no one on the throne, Sabrina must assume the title of ‘Queen’ to defend it against a challenger, the handsome Prince of Hell Caliban. Meanwhile, in Greendale, a mysterious carnival rolls into town, bringing with it a threat to the Spellmans and the coven: A tribe of pagans looking to resurrect an ancient evil.”
Part 3 is reported to have nine episodes. Parts 1 and 2 are currently streaming on Netflix. Stream Part 3 of Chilling Adventures of Sabrina starting Friday, January 24 only on Netflix.
For the month of December, leading up to Christmas, Nerds and Beyond will be sharing some of our favorite holiday movies to get you in the Christmas spirit!
If you are looking for a movie to watch to get into the holiday spirit with family, you may want to check out Netflix’s The Knight Before Christmas. It’s also easily accessible since you can stream it from Netflix. The Knight Before Christmas is a light-hearted, fish-out-of-water tale set in a quaint modern day town full of Christmas spirit.
Sir Cole (Josh Whitehouse, Polkdark) is a Medieval knight transported to modern day. He is in search of fulfilling his one-true quest by the night of Christmas Eve, so that he can get back in time for his brother’s knighting ceremony. Brooke (Vanessa Hudgens, High School Musical) is a high school science teacher that has been previously cheated on, so she is disillusioned by love. Can they help each other out this holiday season?
Once they meet, Brooke helps Sir Cole navigate the modern world while trying to figure out his quest. And Cole may just teach Brooke a little bit more about love this holiday season. The Christmas spirit is embodied in this movie, especially by Brooke’s niece Claire (Isabelle Franca) with her giving nature, and when the town gets together for the Christmas Feast.
I liked this movie because I enjoy the (sometimes cheesy) romantic feel good movies. I found it humorous to watch as Cole navigated the modern world. As a knight would be, Cole was mighty sword happy and Brooke had to keep that in line. I also enjoyed the secondary storylines full of heart and giving. I recommend The Knight Before Christmas if you are a fan of the rom-com type of movies and want a movie you can enjoy with that special someone or even the whole family.
Josh Whitehouse’s original song “Before Christmas” is featured in The Knight Before Christmas. The song is perfection added to Netflix’s romantic tale of star-crossed Christmastime lovers.
The Knight Before Christmas is Vanessa Hudgens’ second Netflix movie set during the holiday season. Last year she starred in The Princess Switch as two girls who are alike and swap places. Netflix also includes movie placements when Sir Cole discovers TV with snippets of Netflix’s other holiday movies, The Holiday Calendar and Holiday in the Wild. There is also a small nod to Netflix’s holiday movie A Christmas Prince.
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