Author Archives: Neil Pond

Sep 19 2025
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The Entertainment Forecast

What to watch, and more, Sept. 19 – 25!

A Batman marathon, Farm Aid returns & inside the event that was Lilith Fair

FRIDAY, Sept. 19
Night of the Reaper
A year after a young woman is brutally murdered, her sister returns home—as does the killer—in this network original nail-biter (Shudder). 

Happy Mess Method
Organizational expert Sabrina Soto and New York Times bestselling author Jennifer McCartney help celebrity and non-celebrity clients in this new series to find realistic and sustainable methods for keeping their homes tidy (Roku).

SATURDAY, Sept. 20
Batman Day
Celebrate the caped crusader with a marathon of movies, starting with Batman, followed by Batman Returns, The Batman and Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. And if you want more, well, bat’s all, folks! (11 a.m., TNT).

Farm Aid 40
The concert event to help farmers hits the big 4-0 this year, live from Minneapolis with performances by original founders Willie Nelson, Neil Young and John Mellencamp, plus Dave Matthews and Margo Price (7 p.m., CNN)

SUNDAY, Sept. 21
A Grammy Salute to Earth, Wind & Fire Live: The 21st Night of September
Honoring the genre-bending Chicago-based band whose hits include “Sing a Song,” “Fantasy,” “Let’s Groove,” “Shining Star” and “Boogie Wonderland” (8 p.m., CBS).

Lilith Fair: Building a Mystery
Feature-length documentary offers the untold story of the groundbreaking music festival (above) that featured only female artists, started by Canadian singer-songwriter Sarah McLachlan and her team in the 1990s in opposition to systemic barriers to women in the music business (Hulu).

MONDAY, Sept. 22
The Bitter Pill
Documentary follows an attorney who takes on pharma giants in the wake of the vast devastation cause by opioids in his West Virginia community, resulting in the largest civil litigation in U.S. history (PBS).

The Voice
NBC’s four-time Emmy Award-winning musical competition series returns with all-star coaches Michael Bublé, Snoop Dogg, Niall  Horan and Reba McEntire reclaiming their red chairs for season 28 (7 p.m., NBC).

TUESDAY, Sept. 23
The Lowdown
New series follows the gritty exploits of a citizen journalist (Ethan Hawke) whose obsession with the truth always seems to get him in trouble, especially when he noses around after the suspicious suicide of a powerful family’s “black sheep” (Tim Blake Nelson) (FX, Hulu).

Murder in a Small Town
A new police chief (Rossif Sutherland) relocates to a quiet coastal town in this new series, but quickly learns that the paradise-like setting holds many dark secrets (8 p.m., Fox).

WEDNESDAY, Sept. 24
The Golden Bachelor
Two-hour season premiere features a new leading-man hunk, Mel Owens, lookin’ for love on the hit dating reality show (8 p.m., ABC).

99 to Beat
New game show hosted by Ken Jeong and Erin Andrews pits 100 contestants in a gauntlet of games and competitions, with one of them eventually winning $1,000,000 (9 p.m., Fox).

THURSDAY, Sept. 25
The Amazing Race
38th season premiere kicks things off tonight with racing competitors from TV’s Big Brother (9 p.m., CBS).

Special Forces: The World’s Toughest Test
Celebs from all genres and walks of life take on, and try to survive, demanding training exercises just like “real” special forces agents in tonight’s season four launch (9 pm., Fox).

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38 Special, the Southern rockers who gave the world the hits “Hold On Loosely” and “Caught Up in You,” celebrate five decades of musical togetherness with Milestone, their first album in more than 20 years. Guest stars Randy Bachman (from Bachman-Turner Overdrive) and Pat Monihan (from Train) join the party, and the band is touring in support of the new release. Rock on, Southern boys!

Soul master Ray Charles’ long-out-of-print 1963 album Ingredients in a Recipe of Soul is newly released on vinyl, with a tasteful blend of genre-hopping pop and soul that made him a hitmaker and signaled his musical director for the decades to come. It’s a feast for the ears with tracks including  “Busted,” “That Old Lucky Sun,” “Over the Rainbow” and “You’ll Never Walk Alone.”

BRING IT HOME

Superhero mythology gets a Mesoamerican tweak in Aztec Batman: Clash of Empires (Warner Bros. Home Entertainment), which puts a new animated version of the caped crusader against a backdrop of deep-dish Mexico history—and into a tale of a young Aztec boy who experiences tragedy when his father is murdered by Spanish Conquistadors.

Marvel anew to the stop-motion mastery of director Tim Burton’s Corpse Bride (Warner Bros. Home Entertainment), the newly mastered 2005 classic featuring the voices of Emily Watson, Tracey Ullman, Albert Finney, Richard E. Grant and Christopher Lee.

Look! Up in the air! It’s Superman (Warner Bros. Home Entertainment), the latest big-screen incarnation of the iconic Man of Steel. Director Peter Gunn (of Guardians of the Galaxy fame) creates a vibrantly imagined DC universe with epic action, humor and heart, delivering a new Superman (David Corenswet) driven by compassion and an inherent belief in the goodness of humankind.

One of crime fiction’s greatest detective sidekicks—Sherlock Holmes’ loyal assistant—was reinvented earlier this year for TV in a modernized version. Now you can own the first season of the CBS series Watson (Paramount Pictures), starring Morris Chestnut as a former London detective now running a clinic and cracking medical mysteries.  

Fortified with new upgrades, the rampaging robot dolly makes her return in M3GAN 2.0, this time fighting a new military-grade techno-horror. With Allison Williams, Violet McGraw and Jenna Davis.

READ ALL ABOUT IT

Get busy rockin’ and readin’ with Rockin’ Round the Christmas Tree (Harper Collins Focus), a nostalgic guide to holiday celebrations inspired by the classic yuletide classic from Brenda Lee. Filled with recipes, drinks, crafts, activities, games and topics like the history of mistletoe, how to choose a tree and ornaments, it’s an ideal holiday companion for just about anyone. And you’ll even get Brenda Lee’s own recipe for Praline Pumpkin Pie!

Forget about fussing around in the kitchen, you should be paying more attention to the company in your living room. That’s the message, or part of it, in Let The Biscuits Burn (Nelson Books), author Abby Kuykendall’s advice to hosts and hostesses about putting hospitality and home entertaining at the fore, and how welcoming others into your home makes for a richer, fuller life. And what’s God got to do with it? You’ll find out that, too.

What’s it like to live in a tropical paradise? Well, most of us won’t ever know first-hand, but The Iconic Tropical House (Thames & Hudson) architectural photographer Patrick Bingham-Hall shows off homes in exotic spots in India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Thailand and other far-flung ports of call, explaining why they look so, well, tropical—a combination of climate, location, colonization and modernism. So kick off your shoes, relax, feel the breeze, and let the 350 high-quality photographs take you there.

Here kitty, kitty! In Cat Tales: A History (Thames & Hudson), you’ll learn from anthropologist Jerry D. Moore all about our long, incredible and even improbable history of relationships with felines, and how they became one of the most popular domesticated animal companions in the world. From fearsome prehistoric predators to spoiled house pets, it’s all here. And it asks the purr-fect question, Who domesticated who? Illustrated with photos, maps and artwork. 

Since the beginning of time, humans have longed to fly, like the birds. Iver P. Cooper‘s But Will It Fly? (McFarland) is a sprightly history of the many unconventional ways our predecessors tried to get off the ground, with muscles, steam, sails, oars, flapping wings and rockets. Find out all about it in this colorful, richly detailed history of our long history of trying to get up in the air.

Sep 18 2025
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Movie Reviews

Movie Review: “Him”

Stylish horror show stabs at the brutality of a sport worshipped by Americans every weekend

Him
Starring Marlon Wayans, Tyric Withers and Julia Fox
Directed by Justin Tipping
Rated R

In theaters Friday, Sept. 19

With phantasmagoric imagery, religious references and vicious stabs into the heart of American football, this high-toned horror show wants to make you think about the destructive brutality of the game that a young college quarterback (Tyric Withers) feels like he was destined to play.

Withers’ character, Cameron Cade, grew up with a football-obsessed father idolizing a (fictitious) NFL team, the Saviors (religious reference!), and their star quarterback, Isaiah White (Marlon Wayans). Ever since he was a child, little Cade dreamed of being the GOAT, the greatest-of-all-time QB. “I’m him!” he shouts.

When Cade gets a concussion, his plans of becoming the new Saviors quarterback are sidelined and he goes to train for a week at White’s private compound. There he enters a nightmarish swirl of violent drills, unsettling visions and bloody psychological games. Wayans, best known for his comedy work, shows that he’s more than capable playing a menacing, duplicitous mentor—a buddy-bro friend one moment, a grinning demon the next—in a HQ that looks like a cross between the lair of a James Bond villain and a massive desert monastery. And turns out White isn’t so ready to give up his own GOAT mantle.

Director Justin Tipping—working under the banner of producer Jordan Peele’s horror-centric Monkeypaw Productions—throws in a mad swirl of stylistic touches, mostly to heighten the sense of Cade’s increasing disorientation. Was Cade attacked (twice!) by a pickaxe-wielding mascot? Did he choke an overzealous fan to death, or was that a bad dream? Was he really seduced by White’s sexy wife (Julia Fox)? Are those NFL owners actually wearing pig masks? Sometimes it feels like an extreme Twilight Zone, or an episode of the British series Black Mirror, with dabs of grotesque, Fellini-esque weirdness—like a quick flash of a dinner staged to look like Jesus and his disciples in da Vinci’s The Last Supper.

At a party, the team doctor toasts Cade with what the New Testament notes as Jesus’ last words on the cross: “It is finished” (yet another religious reference.) But Him isn’t finished until it’s drilled home the intense commitment—and sacrifices—required to become a professional football star. “No pain, no gain,” we hear more than once. It’s a sport where players are “groomed” to conform to rules and learn to be ruthless, to become “killers”—or to get grievously injured. It’s a sport with violence and combative terms in its very vocabulary; a pass can be a “bomb” or a “bullet,” or “lobbed,” like a grenade. And it’s a sport that encourages the glorification—bordering on deification—of its star performers.

But it’s no rah-rah endorsement of the game, by any means. It reminds viewers that football can chew up its players, break them inside and out. When it all ends, in a grand-guignol splash of severed heads, fountains of blood, slit throats and a body sprawled atop a pentagram, on a playing field surrounded by faceless cheerleaders and pompoms, it’s not exactly a rousing halftime show.

Him is a clash of the titans, a gladiatorial battle to the death, an angels-and-demons war exposing the ruthless soul of a sport that many Americans openly “worship.” And somehow, it makes sports mascots even creepier than they already are.

—Neil Pond

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Sep 12 2025
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Books, DVDs, History, Movies, Music, Photography, Pop Culture, Television

The Entertainment Forecast

What to watch, and more! Sept. 12 – 18

A new morning for ‘The Morning Show,’ honoring TV’s top performers & meet the real ‘Top Guns’

Reese Witherspoon & Jennifer Aniston return to ‘The Morning Show.’

FRIDAY, Sept. 12
Lost in the Jungle
True story about a deadly plane crash that stranded four young siblings deep in the Columbia rain forest, sparking a dramatic rescue mission in a race against time (9 p.m., National Geographic).

Vampirina: Teenage Vampire
New series about a tween bloodsucker (Mykal-Michelle Harris) who leaves the safety of Transylvania to attend an arts boarding school and cultivate her passion for music (8 p.m., Disney Channel). 

SATURDAY, Sept. 13
A Husband to Die For
The horrifying story of a pregnant woman who is savagely attacked in her home and left for dead, only to discover it was all orchestrated by her very own husband. Starring Keana Lyn Bastidas and Marilu Henner (Lifetime).

Grace for the World
Live performances from Pharrell Williams, Jennifer Hudson, Andrea Bocelli, John Legend, Jelly Roll and more will air from St. Peter’s Square, marking the first time such a musical televised event has ever occurred from the heart of Vatican City (streaming on Disney+, Hulu and ABC News Live) 

SUNDAY, Sept. 14
The Ride With Norman Reedus
Climb aboard for season seven with motorcycle enthusiast and Walking Dead star Norman Reedus on more epic road trips around the world (AMC and AMC+).

The Emmy Awards
Comedian Nate Bargatze hosts tonight’s 77th annual presentation honoring the year’s top TV shows and talent (8 p.m., CBS).

MONDAY, Sept. 15
Celebrity Weakest Link
Jane Lynch returns as host of the cutthroat game show with stars from TV, sports and standup comedy (8 p.m., Fox). 

Antiques Roadshow
The durable docuseries continues its 29th season with all-new “vintage” episodes, looking back at memorable objects from 15 years ago and accessing what they’re worth today (8 p.m., PBS).

TUESDAY, Sept. 16

The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City
Season six begins with a supersized crossover episode as the girls prepare to charter the boat and crew of Below Deck Down Under for a glamorous cruise (8 p.m., Bravo).

Top Guns: The Next Generation
There’s no Tom Cruise, but this new six-part series does take you inside the U.S. Navy’s elite aviation program to meet the student pilots and go inside their rigorous  training program (8 p.m., National Geographic).

WEDNESDAY, Sept. 17
Academy of Country Music Honors
Carly Pearce hosts this celebration of country superstars, including Clint Black, Tim McGraw, K.T. Oslin, Mary Chapin Carpenter (8 p.m., Fox).

Electric Bloom
New music-themed comedy mockumentary series about the young women (above) who make up the “world’s biggest band” (Disney +).

The Morning Show
Reese Witherspoon and Jennifer Aniston return to lead the star-stuffed cast for season four of the award-winning drama about goings-on (AI, love triangles, coverups, cutthroat competition, corporate meddling and ghosts of the past) at a NYC TV network in a highly polarized America (Apple TV+).

THURSDAY, Sept. 18
Sounds of Summer
Feel-good true story about Swedish pop sensation Gyllene Tilder, one of the most successful bands in Sweden ever, led by Pat Gessle, who would go on to co-found the group Roxette (Viaplay).

Black Rabbit
A rising-star restaurateur (Jude Law) is forced into New York’s criminal underworld in this limited thriller series when his chaotic brother (Jason Bateman) returns to town with loan sharks on his trail (Netflix).

READ ALL ABOUT IT

Since the beginning of time, humans have wondered what it would be like to fly above the earth, like birds. The new 25th anniversary edition of Earth from Above, by Yann Arthus-Bertrand, combines original images with new photography and contemporary insights from environmental experts to show worldwide, bird’s-eye-view splendors of our planet while gauging our progress as caretakes over the past three decades.

Here, kitty kitty. Feline fanciers will love City Cats of Instanbul (Thames & Hudson), a photographic journey by photographer Marcel Heijnen into the lives of the felines that live on the streets of Turkey’s largest metropolis, one of civilization’s oldest outposts.

Take an eye-popping tour of some prize-winning buildings in Assemble: Building Collective (Thames & Hudson), a look at some 40 major works from a design group that’s been called the future of architecture for its emphasis on community-based, collaborative projects in Great Britain, rural Japan and France.

You’ve no doubt hear about “making a deal with the Devil.” Devil’s Contract (Melville House) by Ed Simon takes a deep dive into the history of the Faustian bargain—from ancient times to bluesman Robert Johnson, into modern day—illustrating how sacrificing our principles in pursuit of power can invite all kinds of social ills. It’s a fascinating plunge into the many twists of the enduring mythology of selling our souls.   

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Celebrate the 40th anniversary of Phil Collins’ hit 1985 album No Jacket Required (Atlantic) with this newly remastered 4-LP box set. In addition to the hits repressed on 180-gram hi-fidelity vinyl (“Sussido,” “One More Night,” “Don’t Lose My Number,” “Only You Know and I Know”), there are additional live tracks, including demos and a recording from Collin’s appearance at Live Aid.

Version 1.0.0

Get a taste of down-home Texas Blues with The Last Real Texas Blues Album (Antone’s Records), honoring the 50th anniversary of the iconic Austin nightclub Antone’s. Fittingly, the album is filled with artists who’ve performed there, including The Fabulous Thunderbirds, Jimmie Vaughn, Charlie Sexton, Lil’ Ed Wilson and McKinley James, performing classics like “You’ll Lose a Good Thing,” “The Sky is Crying,” “Flip, Flop and Fly” and “Going Down.” Put it on, turn it up, and dig it.

Sep 10 2025
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Movie Reviews

Movie Review: “Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale”

Concluding big-screen period-piece drama shows change afoot in Crawley Manor and its upstairs/downstairs world

Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale
Starring Michelle Dockery, Joanne Froggatt, Elizabeth McGovern, Hugh Bonneville & Paul Giamatti
Directed by Simon Curtis
PG

In theaters Friday, Sept. 12

It’s time for one more—and one last—trip back to post-Edwardian England to gaze upon the Crawley family as they deal with a final, brow-furrowing wave of high-society scandal, a financial fiasco…and the hubbub of an American celebrity coming to dinner.

In this seqel to the 2022 movie, it’s 1930 and the Downton estate is rocked when everyone finds out Lady Mary (Michelle Dockery) is a divorcee—gasp! Then her uncle (Paul Giamatti) arrives on a visit from America, bearing some not-good news about the family’s investment assets. Can a posh dinner—with a guest appearance by flamboyant American playwright Noel Coward (Arty Froushan)—restore some high-society shine to this upper-crust Yorkshire world created some 15 years ago by British writer Julian Fellowes?

Downton Abbey, which began as a PBS series back in 2010, ran for six seasons before leaping onto the big screen. Fellowes returns in this third movie adaptation as screenwriter, and director Simon Curtis mostly picks up where he left off with 2022’s Downton Abbey: A New Era.


Laura Carmichael as Lady Edith and Michelle Dockery as Lady Mary

Fans will recognize a slew of familiar faces—in addition to Dockery and Giamatti—reprising their TV and movie roles. There’s Hugh Bonneville as Lord Grantham, showing the stress of years atop “the throne” of Downton alongside his wife, Lady Grantham (Elizabeth McGovern). Joanne Frogatt is Anna Bates, a Downton servant now expecting a baby with her valet husband (Brendan Coyle). There’s Mr. Mason (Paul Copley), a farmer married to a Downton cook (Leslie Nicole). And Daisy (Sophie McShera), a rising star in the kitchen, finds her voice in the community at large. Missing, though, is Dame Maggie Smith, who died in 2024. But her framed portrait, as matriarch Violet Crawley, looms large.

Among the new characters is Alessandro Nivola as a dashing, horse-racing “Yank” who captures Lady Mary’s fancy. But what are his true intentions? Can Lady Mary prove herself suitable to take over as the admin of Downton, to usher it into the next generation? How will the extended Downton “family” cope with the changes afoot in a world rocked with upheaval—a World War, the stock market crash of ’29, plus rising hemlines, same-sex relationships and the sloughing off of old stigmas, like marriages that just don’t work out?  

The Downton series and its movies have always depicted its era’s strictly enforced “segregation” of classes, from the upstairs aristocracy to the downstairs workers, and this one shows change afoot, as well, down in the servant quarters. Will Downton’s lords and ladies eventually progress to the point of having to (yikes!) cook for themselves?

It’s a posh, sumptuous-looking period piece, festooned with rich details, from dresses and ball gowns to top hats and a fleet of shiny vintage vehicles. There’s a fancy ball, a day at the races and a spirited county fair, where the two “classes” meet on common ground, a merry-go-round metaphor for equal social footing as Great Britain heads into its future.

There are no earthquakes, no space aliens, superheroes or serial killers. Just the retro highs and lows of a bygone era, a concluding look inside the lush manor where everyone looks sumptuous, tea is served in fine china and gleeful kids play cricket on manicured lawns. It doesn’t look like anything in anyone’s real experience, and that’s always been part of Downton Abbey’s deep-dish fan-fantasy appeal. And this dressed-up version of the past couldn’t last forever, and now it’s time for everyone to move on.

“It’s hard to accept that it’s time to go,” says Lord Grantham, facing the inevitable. In one scene toward the end, Paul Giamatti’s character sends up a rousing cheer for a moment of joyous entertainment, giving it hearty “Bravo!”  Most Downton Abbey fans will probably feel the same way.

—Neil Pond

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Sep 05 2025
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The Entertainment Forecast

What to watch, and more, Sept. 5 – Sept. 11!

More ‘Murders,’ weather detectives, celebrity sex tapes and Charlie Sheen tells all!

Selena Gomez, Martin Short & Steve Martin return for more murder-mystery shenanigans in the new season of ‘Only Murders in the Building.’

FRIDAY, Sept. 5
Highest 2 Lowest
Denzel Washington stars in director Spike Lee’s neo-noir crime drama as a New York titan music mogul who finds himself in a life-or-death dilemma. With Jeffrey Wright, ASAP Rocky and Ice Spice (Apple TV+)

Dish It Out
Celebrity chef Gordon Ramsey’s daughter, Tilly, steps out from her famous dad’s impressive shadow her own cooking show (Prime).

SATURDAY, Sept. 6
The Girl Who Vanished
Lily and her parents are shocked when Emily, abducted when she was just a child, is found and returned to the family. But as strange events begin to unfold, they begin to question whether the past is truly behind them (8 p.m., Lifetime).

SUNDAY, Sept. 7
MTV Video Music Awards
What were the best music videos of the year? Find out in tonight’s three-hour simulcast, hosted by LL Cool J, of the iconic “Moon Man” trophy fest—and see what big award will be going to Mariah Carey (8 p.m., CBS, and streaming on Paramount+).

Task
Mark Ruffalo stars in this new series an FBI agent heading a task force to put an end to a string of violent robberies (9 p.m., HBO).

MONDAY, Sept. 8
Weather Hunters
Emmy-winning weatherman Al Roker is joined by Sheryl Lee Ralph, Holly Robinson Peete and LeVar Burton as voices in this new animated series about a “weather detective” and her family (PBS Kids).

Celebrity Sex Tapes
Want some juicy tabloid-y dirt? This provocative new docuseries looks at the most infamous, career-altering celebrity “leaks” of our time, including those from Pamela Anderson and Tommy Lee (above), Kim Kardashian, Colin Farrell and more (9 p.m., A&E).

TUESDAY, Sept. 9
Only Murders in the Building
Season five starts tonight of the dramedy starring Martin Short, Steve Martin and Selena Gomez as amateur sleuths and flatmates now discovering a dangerous web of secrets connecting billionaires, old-school mobsters and more (Hulu).

Becoming Thurgood: America’s Social Architect
Learn about the iconic lawyer and civil rights leader who became the first Black justice on the U.S. Supreme Court (10 p.m., PBS).

WEDNESDAY, Sept. 10
Downtown Abbey Celebrates the Grand Finale
Cast members celebrate the show’s final chapter (above) and look ahead to the feature film about the phenomenally successful series, in theaters Sept. 12 (9 p.m., NBC).

Charlie Sheen
The actor revisits his journey through fame and addiction with unflinching honesty (and some epic stories) in this new original documentary ((Netflix).

THURSDAY, Sept. 11
Tyler Perry’s Zatima
This Sistas spinoff follows the characters Fatima (Crystal Renee Hayslett )and Zac (Devale Ellis)  as they prepare for parenthood while navigating deep emotional scars and explosive entanglements (BET+).

NOW HEAR THIS

Groove again to one cool cat with On the Road to Findout: Greatest Hits (A&M/UMe), the first-ever collection of music spanning the entire career of Cat Stevens/Yusuf. You’ll hear “Peace Train,” “Wild World,” “Morning Has Broken,” “Moonshadow,” “Old Schoolyard” and dozens of other tracks from albums ranging from 1967 to 2023, plus a 24-page booklet with reflections from Stevens.

War, the genre-defying ‘70s band, is celebrated in The CD Collection: 1971-1975 (Rhino), a roundup of five essential albums by the California-based soul band: War, All Day Music, The World is a Ghetto, Deliver the Word and Why Can’t We Be Friends. Groove again to the tunes, including “The Cisco Kid,” “Slippin’ Into Darkness” and “Gyspy Man.”

BRING IT HOME

Find out why the third season of HBO’s hit high-society satire broke viewership records by reliving all the drama, surprises and fan-favorite characters in The White Lotus: The Complete Third Season (Warner Bros. Discovery Home Entertainment), set in Thailand with a cast including Carrie Coon, Leslie Bibb, Walton Goggins, Michelle Monaghan, Parker Posey, Patrick Schwarzenegger—and a gollywhopper of an appearance by Sam Rockwell.

Get your retro groove with Spenser: For Hire: The Complete Series (Warner Bros. Discovery Home Entertainment), marking the 40th anniversary of the 1980s ABC-TV drama starring hunky Robert Urich as a Boston P.I. looking into a new murder each episode. This new set marks the first time all three seasons—65 episodes—of the show have corralled into one collection.

The dinos roar again in Jurassic World: Rebirth (Universal Pictures Home Entertainment), the latest entry in the franchise that began back in 1993. Featuring an all-new set of characters, this one stars Scarlett Johannson, Mahershala Ali and Rupert Friend coming across some mutated, mega-nasty CHI dino beasties on a tropical island—and planning to swipe some embryos for a “buyer” back home. Extras include a doc about making the movie, plus deleted scenes, an alternate opening and more.

Rebel Wilson, Anna Camp and Anna Chlumsky star in Bride Hard (Magenta Light Studios), a rollicking comedy about a wedding’s party that turns the tables on a mercenary group with designs on taking the guests hostage.

One of the year’s best horror flicks, Clown in a Cornfield, is now available in a 4K Steelbook edition. Katie Douglas, Aaron Abrams, Will Sasso and Kevin Durand star in the terrifying tale of a small community menaced by, yes, a clown in a cornfield, who comes to cleanse the town of its burdens, one victim at a time.

How did Brenda Lee go from being a teeny teenage singing sensation—Little Miss Dynamite—to later become a global icon, the first woman to enter both the Country Music Hall of Fame and the Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame? You can find out in Brenda Lee: Rockin’ Around (Mercury Studios, TH Entertainment and Nashville PBS), which covers her life and career, and her interactions with The Beatles, Patsy Cline and Elvis. Rock on, Brenda!

READ ALL ABOUT IT

In Grime (City Lights), author Thea Matthews uses poetry to create an unflinching coming-of-age portrait of the glamour and the grit of San Francisco’s notorious “tenderloin district” and the squalor of its poverty and addiction. It’s a story of dirt and detritus, but also of survival, triumph and resiliency in the face of overwhelming odds.

Get an early jump on the Christmas spirit with the newly revised edition of Norman Rockwell’s Christmas (originally released in 1977), which pairs more than 80 pieces of timeless artwork from the archive of the iconic painter with a variety of Christmas poems, stories and carols…plus a “vintage” Christmas dinner recipe from 1896! (Abrams)

Sep 02 2025
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Movie Reviews

Movie Review: “The Long Walk”

Latest Stephen King movie adaptation is a bleak, unpleasant slog

The Long Walk
Starring Cooper Hoffman, David Johnson, Charlie Plummer & Roman Griffin Davis
Directed by Francis Lawrence
Rated R

In theaters Friday, Sept. 12

A bleak dystopian parable set in a too-close-for-comfort future, The Long Walk depicts America as a militaristic totalitarian police state and an entire generation so traumatized by war and economic collapse that a death march seems like a good idea.

Based on an early novel by Stephen King (the first he ever wrote, back in the 1960s when he was a freshman at the University of Maine), it’s about a grueling annual walking contest in which young men are “chosen” from every state to compete on a course of more than 300 miles. There’s no stopping for any reason, and everyone receives penalty “warnings” for rule-breaking infractions—like pausing to pee or poop, walking too slow, falling behind, collapsing, or stepping off the pavement. Get three warnings, and you’re eliminated. That’s permanently eliminated—blam, you’re shot. The walk is over when there’s only one walker left alive—the ostensible winner.

The thought of winning—surviving—is the carrot on the stick, the thing that keeps the men trudging ahead: The lone survivor will receive whatever their heart desires, “more riches than you could possibly imagine,” says the Major (Mark Hamill) who runs the show. The walkers fantasize about what they’d do with such limitless wealth.

And it’s all televised.

King is widely recognized as a maestro of the macabre for the many adaptations of his work that became horror touchstones, like Carrie, It, The Shining, Children of the Corn, Salem’s Lot, Creepshow and Cujo. But others of his writings—like the ones that became The Shawshank Redemption and Stand By Me—were slim on the supernatural and rooted instead in human drama.

It isn’t a horror movie, per se, even though it depicts some truly horrific human drama, like young men getting brain-spattering kill shots to the head. And the walk itself is a monstrous event, ghoulish entertainment for looky-loos desperate for any kind of diversion. But it won’t ever bask in the same glow as The Shawshank Redemption or Stand By Me.  

You might recognize some of the walkers. Cooper Hoffman, the son of the late actor Philip Seymour Hoffman, made an impressive debut in Licorice Pizza back in 2021. David Johnson had a recurring role in HBO’s Industry. Roman Griffin Davis was the kid, Jojo, in Jojo Rabbit.

There are messages swirling around, about brotherhood and friendship, family, forced allegiance, how a society can easily slide into madness, our appetite for “extreme” entertainment. Director Francis Lawrence certainly knows dystopia; he helmed four flicks of the Hunger Games franchise, with a fifth in the works for next year.

But lofty messages can’t rise above the mire of this relentlessly dreary downer. It’s basically a movie about guys walking…and walking…and walking. And talking… talking… talking. Dying, dying, dying. There are exploding heads, pools of blood and other awfulness; a bloated, maggot-filled animal carcass on the roadside, a crucified crow strung up on a fence, a walker crushed to gristle underneath the treads of an armored car. It’s an ugly world; we get it. But the messaging is mired in the downer murk of one of the most visually unpleasant movie experiences of the year.

The Long Walk wants to lead viewers into a socially relevant cautionary tale. Too bad it takes such a nasty, depressing road-trip slog to get there.

—Neil Pond

Aug 29 2025
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Books, Movies, Music, Photography, Pop Culture, Sports, Television

The Entertainment Forecast

What to watch, and more! Aug. 29 – Sept. 4

A Flintstones milestone, another Mormon cult & the new NCIS spinoff!

FRIDAY, Aug. 29
Vice is Broke
Doc about the meteoric rise and catastrophic fall of Vice, which started as a scrappy alt-punk ‘zine and become a media empire, before its bankruptcy as a sleazy exemplar of disaster capitalism (Mubi).

The Twin
Haunted by the tragic loss of his son, a man (Logan Donovan) struggles with grief and a strained relationship with his wife, has troubling visions of himself and becomes aware of supernatural forces that threaten to consume him (Shudder).

SATURDAY, Aug. 30
Dinner & A Movie
Hosts Jason Biggs and Jenny Mollen welcome Superman star Skyler Gisondo for a screening of Man of Steel (8 p.m., TBS).

Summer Under the Stars
As TCM’s annual movie-fest month draws to a close, settle in for a dozen films starring Kirk Douglas, including Paths of Glory (above), Ace in the Hole, Lust for Life and Detective Story (starts 6 a.m.)

SUNDAY, Aug. 31
The Flintstones: 65 Years and Still Rock’n!
All-day marathon celebrating the 65th anniversary of the classic ‘toon, with more than two dozen back-to-back episodes plus two full-length movies, A Man Called Flintstone and The Flintstones Meet the Jetsons (begins 6 a.m., MeTV Toons). 

Let the Devil In
Four-episode documentary about a decades-old tragedy in New Jersey that some people insist was Satan taking possession of a vulnerable teenage boy—but others insist more earthly demons were to blame (MGM+). 

MONDAY, Sept. 1
Ruby & Jodi: A Cult of Sin and Influence
Four-part docuseries about a couple of Mormon women influencers whose microcosm of control, manipulation and brutality led to devastating emotional and physical child abuse (9 p.m., ID).

The Runarounds
New drama series (above) about a group of Southern high schoolers who form a rock band, learning about love, life and lifelong friendship along the way (Prime Video).

TUESDAY, Sept. 2
Bobby’s Triple Threat
A trio of top-notch chefs hand-picked by Bobby Flay take on highly skilled competitors in cooking rounds with surprise featured ingredients for a chance to win $25,000 (8 p.m., Food Network).

True South
The crew travels to Florida, Georgia, Mississippi and South Carolina to shine the spotlight on cooks, eaters and everyday heroes (8 p.m., SEC Network).

WEDNESDAY, Sept. 3
Mountain Men
New season of the reality series intros viewers to more individuals and couples with the modern-day pioneer spirt and a yen for wild-n-wooly wilderness living (8 p.m., History).

The Last Wright: Building the Final Home Design of America’s Greatest Architect
Designers take on the ambitious challenge of building a home in Ohio based on the last set of plans created by legendary architect Frank Lloyd Wright before his death in 1959 (8 p.m., Magnolia Network).

THURSDAY, Sept. 4
NCIS: Tony & Ziva
New spinoff of the franchise featuring former series regulars (played by Michael Weatherly, above, and Cote de Pablo) as their reprise their special-agent characters, now on the run with their daughter in search an unconventional happily ever after (Paramount+).

The Paper
A mockumentary (like the Emmy Award-winning series The Office) about a historic Midwestern newspaper and the publisher trying to revive it. Starring Domhnall Gleeson, Sabrina Impacciatore and The Office’s Oscar Nuñez (Peacock).

NOW HEAR THIS

Everybody on the dance floor—once more! The 40th anniversary white vinyl re-release of Dancing in the Street (Parlophone) rekindles the magic of the 1995 superstar collaboration of David Bowie and Mick Jagger on the Motown classic, originally done as a cheeky video for part of the global humanitarian Live Aid project to combat global hunger. And the newly mastered groovery has never sounded groovier.

Hey! Ho! Let’s go! And go get these newly remastered first four albums of the ultimate NYC punk rockers in 1-2-3-4: The Ramones Atmos Collection (Rhino). It’s a revved-up, head-banging 50-track set with “Blitzkrieg Bop,” “Beat on the Brat,” “Judy is a Punk,” “Now I Wanna Sniff Some Glue,” “Sheena is a Punk Rocker,” “I Wanna Be Sedated,” “Do You Wanna Dance?” and other ’70s punk-rock mainstays.

Relive the musical magic of The King’s reign in Los Angeles in Sunset Boulevard (RCA/Legacy), a window into the hitmaking work of Elvis Presley in the City of Angels during the ‘70s. It’s nearly 90 tracks of rarities, rehearsal cuts, never-heard-before mixes and other goodies on five CDs, with hits including “Burning Love,” “Always on My Mind,” “Separate Ways,” “T-R-O-U-B-L-E” and “Promised Land.”

READ ALL ABOUT IT

First published in 1985, In the American West was a landmark photography project from photographer Richard Avedon. Out of print for more than a decade, it’s now re-released as a 40th anniversary edition by Abrams, filled with over 100 striking portraits of “ordinary” people who were living, working and visually representing what will always be known as America’s frontier. It’s an art gallery at your fingertips.

In The Shape of Nature (Abrams), photographer David Maitland explores the many structures, shapes, geometric patterns and recurring symmetries in the natural world, with analysis into their biological origins and significance, from plankton to frogs, fish scales and snake skin, and far beyond. You’ll never look at the world—or a flower, or a tree leaf— the same way after you’ve absorbed the extraordinary imagery and insights.

Young readers can learn all about the biggest-selling musical act in South Korea history in BTS: A Little Golden Book Biography, by Jan Ann and illustrated by Hyesung Park. It’s about the global-hit “boy band” that formed in 2010 and began showing the world what they could do, defying adolescent stereotypes and setting positive examples for other young people. It’s intended for ages 4-8, but parents and grandparents will dig it, too! They’re the top of K-pop!

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Aug 27 2025
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Movie Reviews

Movie Review: “Caught Stealing”

Austin Butler is the VIP in this action-packed crime drama with baseball roots

Caught Stealing
Starring Austin Butler, Zoë Kravitz and Regina King
Directed by Aaron Aronofsky
Rated R

In theaters Friday Aug. 29

Austin Butler shook us up as Elvis, oozed Manson-cult menace in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood and rip-roared across the Midwest as one of The Bike Riders. Now he really brings the heat in this brisk, bracing action-thriller as a good-guy everyman who finds himself caught up in a messy, dangerous and deadly web of underworld crime—all because he agreed to cat-sit for a neighbor.

Butler plays Hank Thompson (from the book series by Charlie Huston), a bartender in Manhattan’s gritty Lower East Side in the late 1990s. We learn how Hank’s youthful, fresh-faced baseball dreams were derailed a decade ago by a car accident. The movie leans into the baseball motif, reflected in its title, in more ways than one; as a transplanted Californian, Hank remains a big Giants fan, talks about games long-distance with his mom, and still knows how to swing a bat—which, it turns out, can come in quite handy.

The movie has a terrific cast of supporting players. There’s Zoë Kravitz as Hank’s sexy paramedic girlfriend; the sensuality of their chemistry together is palpable. A colorfully mohawked Matt Smith, from Dr. Who and The Crown, is Hank’s across-the-hall neighbor. Vincent D’Onofrio and Liev Shreiber are a hoot as Orthodox Jewish gangsters (who can’t drive on Shabbos). Rapper Bad Bunny (whose real name is Benito Martínez Ocasio) is a terrifying thug. Regina King plays a compromised cop with a fondness for black-and-white cookies. You’ll also see Carol Kane, get a glimpse of Laura Dern, and discover Griffin Dunne as a grizzled bar owner.

Along the way, there’s also a missing key to something, some $4 million in purloined cartel cash, a car chase around the Unisphere in Queens, and much ado about a squeaky rubber coin purse that looks like poop. But these are minor distractions in a movie that belongs to Butler, who carries it with sexy, sculpted heft start to finish—along with the very charismatic cat, Tonic, a real scene-stealer. Director Aaron Aronofsky (The Black Swan, The Whale, The Wrestler) keeps this wild ride twisty, turn-y and crazily unpredictable, while adding emotional depth and backstory to Hank’s character.  It’s violent and bloody as the bullets fly, bodies pile up and Hank gets the bejesus beaten out of him eight ways from Sunday. But there’s also a vein of humor woven throughout, even in the psycho taunting of a runt-y mobster (Russian actor Nikita Kukushkin) who loves making baseball jokes while throwing punches.

The real power punch, though, is delivered by Butler, the VIP in this action-packed bruiser of a crowd-pleaser. The camera loves him, and it’s easy to see why: He’s a real charmer, even when scampering—and fighting—for his life. You’ll get caught up in the crazy, propulsively spunky high energies of Caught Stealing, watching the actor who memorably hunka-hunka’d Elvis now matching wits with monstrous Russian mobsters. Butler comes out swinging and knocks it out of the park.

—Neil Pond

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Aug 22 2025
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Books, DVDs, History, Movies, Music, Pop Culture, Television

The Entertainment Forecast

What to watch, and more, Aug. 22 – Aug. 28

A superhero splurge, the new Bill Murray flick & Chris Hemsworth’s quest for a better life

FRIDAY, Aug. 22
Long Story Short
Animated comedy from the creator of BoJack Horseman follows the ups, downs, ins and outs, joys and disappointments of a family voiced by  Paul Reiser, Abbi Jacobson, Dave Franco and Max Greenfield (Netflix).

James Can Eat
What’s it like to be a competitive eater, able to down a pan of hot dogs or nearly 60 doughnuts? This documentary takes you inside the ups, down and urrrps of James Webb, Australia’s top-ranked eater, as he pushes his gastro boundaries on his quest to dethrone the “sport’s” icon, Joey Chestnut (Prime).

SATURDAY, Aug. 23
Girl in the Cellar
A single mom resorts to extreme measures to control her teenage daughter, locking her away in the basement—the same place the mother was held captive by her abusive father years ago. Yikes! (8 p.m., Lifetime). 

DC Movie Marathon
Fans can geek through the p.m. with these three movies based on comic books: Justice League (2017), Black Adam (2022) and Man of Steel (2013) (starts 12 noon, TBS).

SUNDAY, Aug. 24
Unforgotten on Masterpiece
In the new season, Inspectors James (Sinéad Keenan) and Khan (Sanjeev Bhaskar) return to uncover the truth behind a dismembered body found in a marsh and connect the dots of people with whom the victim was somehow linked (10 p.m., PBS).

Solo
Talented young individuals confront challenges and distractions, including stage fright and substance abuse, as they chase their dreams in Norway’s vibrant arts scene (Viaplay).

MONDAY, Aug. 25
Limitless: Live Better Now
Filmmaker Darren Aronofsky and actor Chris Hemsworth team up for this docuseries filmed across six countries over two years, blending cutting-edge science with age-old wisdom about how we can all start living better, addressing such issues as pain, fear and cognitive decline. (8 p.m., National Geographic).

The Friend
Bill Murray and Naomi Watts star in this heartwarmer (above) about a writer, her best friend and a 150-pound Great Dane named Apollo (Paramount+).

TUESDAY, Aug. 26
Playing Nice
Brit series about two couples who face a difficult decision when they discover their toddlers were switched at birth in a hospital mix-up. With James Norton, James McArdle, Jessica Brown Findlay and Posy Sterling (BritBox).

Baby Assassins 3
Martial-arts comedy franchise’s newest entry, about a group of young women taking on a brutal freelancer who hopes to take their place in the stone-cold-killer food chain (check streaming services).  

WEDNESDAY, Aug. 27
The Terminal List: Dark Wolf
New original series from the bestselling author of The Terminal List stars Taylor Kitsch as a former Navy SEAL who dives into the world of espionage with CIA Special Ops. With Chris Pratt (Prime Video). 

THURSDAY, Aug. 28
The Thursday Murder Club
Chris Columbus directs this lively romp, based on the bestselling novel, about a group of retires into solving cold-case murders for fun who find themselves in a real-life whodunit. Starring Helen Mirren, Pierce Brosnan, Ben Kingsley and Celia Imrie (Netflix).

Kidnapped: The Chloe Ayling Story
Ripped-from-the-headlines true crime thriller about a British model (Nadia Parkes) whose kidnapping creates a media firestorm accusing her of faking it all (AMC+).

NOW HEAR THIS

John Fogerty marks the big 8-0 birthday with his new album, Legacy: The Creedence Clearwater Revival Years (Concord), and its new re-recordings of 20 classic CCR tunes including “Proud Mary,” “Fortunate Son,” “Bad Moon Rising,” and “Lookin’ Out My Back Door,” “Run Through the Jungle” and “Have You Ever Seen the Rain.” It’s a family affair, produced by Fogerty’s son, Scott, with wife Julie as executive producer. 

Knock knock. Who’s there? Right! It’s The Who, with Live at the Oval 1971, a newly released live recording of the iconic British band’s robust 15-song set for a Bangla Desh famine relief effort in South London. Tracks include “Substitute,” “I Can’t Explain,” “Behind Blue Eyes,” “Won’t Get Fooled Again,” “Pinball Wizard” and, of course, “My Generation.” And you’ll also hear drummer Keith Moon and guitarist Pete Townshend smash their gear—a Who in-concert signature—at the close. 

BRING IT HOME

Pierce Brosnan and Samuel L. Jackson top the cast of The Unholy Trinity (Warner Bros. Home Entertainment), a tale of Old West revenge, secrets and buried treasure in 1870s Montana. And hey, there’s David Arquette, Tim Daly (from TV’s Wings) and Yellowstone’s Q’orianaka Kilcker, who starred as Pocahontas in The New World.

Holy moly! The Conjuring, the 2013 demons-among-us film that spawned a franchise, is now available as a 4K Ultra HD restoration (Warner Bros, Discovery Home Entertainment). Vera Farminga and Patrick Wilson star as real-life paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Newman, caught in the middle of the most terrifying case of their lives. And it’s all based on a true story! 

READ ALL ABOUT

When does science fiction become science fact? Find out in Madeline Schwartzman’s Alive (Thames & Hudson), a brisk and timely look at rebellious AI, realistic robots, synthetic biology, digital snacks and other once-implausible realities of modern life. Indeed, it will make you ponder what it means to be “alive,” and just how humankind may (or may not) fit into the future.

Aug 15 2025
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DVDs, Humor, Movies, Photography, Pop Culture, Sports, Television

The Entertainment Forecast

What to Watch, and more! Aug. 15 – 21

John Cena kicks bad-guy butt, Sheryl Crow stands up to cancer & virgins compete for some lovin’!

FRIDAY, Aug. 15
The Rainmaker
Two friends at different law firms and find themselves on opposite sides of a weighty case in this new legal series starring Milo Callaghan, Lana Parrilla and John Slattery (8 p.m., USA Network).

Stand Up to Cancer Special
Sheryl Crow hosts this all-star benefit concert from Nashville, with appearances from Dolly Parton, Jelly Roll, Jonas Brothers and many other stars, some in pretaped segments (7 p.m., ABC, NBC and CBS).

SATURDAY, Aug. 16
I’ll Never Let You Go
Inspired by real stories, this torrid tale stars Meagan Good as a successful art gallery owner whose life takes a dark turn after an affair with a charismatic Italian artist (8 p.m., Lifetime).

The Great American Baking Show: Celebrity Summer
Celeb bakers including Jesse Tyler Ferguson, June Diane Raphel and Andrew Rannells are about for this single-episode special of the popular food competition held under a big tent (Roku Channel).

SUNDAY, Aug. 17
Women Wearing Shoulder Pads
Quirky new stop-motion quarter-hour Spanish-language comedy series (with English subtitles) about a wealthy Spanish woman navigating life, business and love—and fighting guinea pigs in a bullfighting ring. OK! (Adult Swim).

Sister Act
Whoopi Goldberg stars in this 1992 comedy as a nightclub singer taking refuge from the mob in a church—and transforming the singers into a soulful chorus. With Harvey Keitel and Kathy Najimy (8:30 p.m., ABC).

MONDAY, Aug. 18
Lego Masters Jr.
Kelly Osborne hosts this spinoff featuring kid builders paired with celebs for challenging building-block projects (8 p.m., Fox).

Are You My First?
Former NFL player Colton Underwood and former Bachelor contestant Kaitlyn Bristowe host this new reality-dating experiment with a group of—ahem—virgins, brought to a tropical paradise to explore…in every way (Hulu).

TUESDAY, Aug. 19
Songs & Stories with Kelly Clarkson
The Grammy-winning pop singer, daytime TV host and American Idol winner spreads the musical goodness around with this four-part primetime special featuring the Jonas Brothers, Teddy Swims and Lizzo (10 p.m. NBC).

WEDNESDAY, Aug. 20
The Twisted Tale of Amanda Knox
Grace Van Patten (above) stars in this based-on-a-true-story episodic saga of Knox, wrongly convicted for the tragic murder of her roommate, and her 16-year struggle to set herself free (Hulu).

Inside the Worlds of Epic Universe
Joe Manganiello hosts this one-hour special exploring the new Universal theme park in Orlando, with five immersive “worlds” built around movies including the Harry Potter franchise, Super Nintendo and How to Train Your Dragon. Guest appearances by Bowen Yang, Bryce Dallas Howard, Vin Diesel and more (9 p.m., NBC).

THURSDAY, Aug. 21
Churchy
Season two of the workplace comedy stars Kevin Fredericks as a pastor who, after being passed over for leadership at his father’s mega-church, moves to Lubbock, Texas, to build his own ministry from the ground up (BET+).  

Peacemaker
Vigilante superhero Chris Smith (John Cena) struggles in season two to reconcile his past with a newfound sense of purpose—which involves continuing to kick self-righteous evil-doers in the butt (9 p.m., Max)

NOW HEAR THIS

The band Van Halen marks the 30th anniversary of their 1995 album Balance with a new expanded edition full of songs and surprises. It’s got all the tunes from the original LP, plus some rarities and other goodies, including videos and live versions of the hits “Jump,” “You Really Got Me,” “L.A. Woman” and “Ain’t Talkin’ ‘Bout Love.” (Rhino).

And if you need to dust the rust off your “Rebel Yell,” here’s a trio of newly remastered anniversary colored vinyl editions of classic Billy Idol albums—Charmed Life, Whiplash Smile and Don’t Stop—with hits including “Cradle of Love,” “Mony Mony” and “Dancin’ With Myself.” As Idol himself sings, it’s “more, more, more, more, more!”

BRING IT HOME

Revel in retro cinematic badassery with Blaxploitation Classics Vol. 2 (Shout! Factory), a 12-disc collection of six genre touchstones including Foxy Brown, Friday Foster, Cotton Comes to Harlem and Slaughter. You’ll see Jim Brown, Pam Grier, Fred Williamson, Yaphet Kotto, Red Foxx, Eartha Kitt, Jim Backus, Ed McMahon and more! And it’s loaded with bonus features!

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