Aubrey Plaza in ‘The White Lotus’ season 2. Photo: Fabio Lovino/HBO.
The actual plotline for the season remains unknown for now, but if past seasons are anything to go by, it’ll once more see the clientele of a White Lotus resort (this time with Château de La Messardière in Saint-Tropez, France rumored as a main location) dealing with issues of wealth, privilege, dysfunction and, of course, probably a death or two.
Walton Goggins in ‘The White Lotus’ Season 3. Photo: Fabio Lovino/HBO.
Helena Bonham Carter and Kumail Nanjiani are among the ‘White Lotus’ Season 4 cast.
Chris Messina, Max Greenfield and more will also show up.
The new series will be set at a French resort.
From the start, creator/showrunner Mike White has been able to command an eclectic, often starry cast for HBO series ‘The White Lotus,’ which spins a murder mystery each season at a different resort from the titular fictional chain.
Michelle Monaghan in ‘The White Lotus’ Season 3. Photo: Fabio Lovino/HBO.
The actual plotline for the season remains a mystery for now, but if past seasons are anything to go by, it’ll once more see the clientele of a White Lotus resort (this time reportedly in France) rocked by a suspicious death or two.
With White writing and directing as always, the season will be shooting this year.
(L to R) Jason Isaacs, Parker Posey, Patrick Schwarzenegger, Sarah Catherine Hook, and Sam Nivola in ‘The White Lotus’ Season 3. Photo: Fabio Lovino/HBO.
‘The Sandman’ Season 2 Volume 2 receives 6.5 out of 10 stars.
Released on Netflix on July 24th, ‘The Sandman’s second season –– and the show itself –– wraps up with five final episodes (plus a stand-alone, adapting ‘Death: The High Cost of Living, which premieres on July 31st) focused on the moody, doomy character of Dream (Tom Sturridge, ‘On the Road’) as here he reckons with the fallout from his actions in the first part of the season.
And so we reach the end (for now, it remains valuable IP) of the road for the TV incarnation of ‘The Sandman’. With the second volume of the second season now on our screens, it’s time to find out if the series sticks the landing.
Perhaps the biggest issue with the new run of episodes (something that could be levelled at the show as a whole) is one of pacing. There are endless (no pun intended) scenes of characters having weighty, doom-landed conversations in different fantastical locales.
There are certainly big, dramatic moments that occur in this second part of the season, but we can’t reveal what they are (if you’ve read the source material, you’ll know), but the build up to it and the fallout are less dramatically satisfying as they might be.
The series continues to look impressive, with some beautifully realized settings –– and director Jamie Childs has a real eye for an well-crafted shot.
Tom Sturridge once more anchors the show as the stoic Dream, and he manages to make the character watchable and compelling.
There is memorable work from the rest of the Endless family, and the Fates (played by Nina Wadia, Souad Faress and Dinita Gohil) make for entertaining adversaries as they seek to see Dream answer for killing his own son.
While it is frustrating for the ‘Sandman’ adaptation to end with many stories left to consider –– the creative team’s claim that this was always the planned end point doesn’t totally fly, feeling more like PR spin following the fallout of creator Neil Gaiman’s misconduct and abuse allegations –– at least we got as much as we did.
Premium streaming TV was certainly a better choice of landing spot for this sprawling, complex tale than trying to squeeze chunks of it into a movie. And there remains much to recommended this show, however limited.
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What’s the plot of ‘The Sandman’ Season 2 Volume 2?
After a fateful reunion with his family, Dream of the Endless (Tom Sturridge) must face one impossible decision after another as he attempts to save himself, his kingdom, and the waking world from the epic fallout of his past misdeeds.
To make amends, Dream must confront longtime friends and foes, gods, monsters, and mortals. But the path to forgiveness is full of unexpected twists and turns, and true absolution may cost Dream everything.
‘The Sandman’ Season 2 Volume 1 receives 7 out of 10 stars.
Released on Netflix on July 3rd, ‘The Sandman’ returns with the first batch of episodes from its second season, focusing once again on the machinations of stoic, powerful mythological figure Dream (Tom Sturridge, ‘On the Road’).
It is almost impossible to discuss this new season of ‘The Sandman’ without addressing the Neil Gaiman elephant in the room. The original creator and writer of the classic graphic novel series from where the Netflix show draws its source material is facing some serious misconduct allegations, and that goes some way to explain why his presence has been all but vanished in the promotion for the second season.
All of which is to say that we’re in a case of separating the art from the artist, and not dismissing the hard work that the creative team, crew and cast have put into the new show. ‘Sandman’ is a show that fans have been eagerly awaiting, and while it’s somewhat frustrating that Netflix has opted to dole it out in chunks (much as with ‘Stranger Things’ or ‘Cobra Kai’), this first “Volume” represents a satisfying story.
The writers’ room, overseen by showrunner Allan Heinberg, is here adapting more of the beloved ‘Sandman’ stories, albeit with their own twist.
We get to meet more members of the Endless family, including Destiny and Destruction (AKA “The Prodigal”) who all have their own ways of dealing with being anthropomorphic representations of abstract ideas.
There is also pleasure to be found in the choices of stories this time around –– the likes of Thor, Loki and other Norse gods appear, as do Oberon and Titania, summoned to watch a production of the Shakespeare play in which they feature.
This season features even more of a narrative drive than the first, tying together the various narratives in interesting, thoughtful fashion.
Director Jamie Childs handled three episodes of Season 1 and returns to take over all of the second, bringing the same stylish visions to life.
While there are moments that the effects don’t always quite live up to the imagination of the team, the show in general is still impressive.
Tom Sturridge remains the focal point of the show even the story sometimes wanders off without him. His Dream is a stoic, haunted character, and while he’s not always the most charismatic (by design), he’s still compelling.
Around him, the other members of the Endless “family” have their own appeal, especially Mason Alexander Park as the preening, selfish Desire and Esmé Creed-Miles as the whimsical, sometimes psychotic Delirium.
When the Endless are assembled, it’s always more entertaining watching their familiar dynamic –– my only problem? Needed more Death, since Kirby is the best of the bunch (and we’re promised an adaptation of one of the character’s best storylines, ‘Death: The High Cost of Living’ as a standalone episode later in the season).
Elsewhere, new characters that make an impact include Dream’s son, Orpheus (Ruairi O’Connor), who plays an important part later in the season, and Ann Skelly, who impresses as Nuala, a member of Oberon and Titania’s royal court, who ends up making a big change in her life.
There is also a welcome return for some of the supporting characters from Season 1, including Merv Pumpkinhead (voiced by Mark Hamill), Matthew the Raven (with the vocal tones of Patton Oswalt), and Vivienne Acheampong as Lucienne, the librarian who serves as Dream’s main assistant. Plus Hob Gadling, granted immortality, and who meets Dream every hundred years or so, has a solid scene early in the new season, with Ferdinand Kingsley bringing him to cocky, funny life.
Since this and Volume 2 (due on July 24th) represent the last ‘Sandman’ output we’ll be seeing for the foreseeable future, it’s at least reassuring that these are effective, well-crafted takes on the stories.
Is it a perfect version? No, but it has enough verve and magic about to cast a spell.
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What’s the plot of ‘The Sandman’ Season 2 Volume 1?
After a fateful reunion with his family, Dream of the Endless (Tom Sturridge) must face one impossible decision after another as he attempts to save himself, his kingdom, and the waking world from the epic fallout of his past misdeeds.
To make amends, Dream must confront longtime friends and foes, gods, monsters, and mortals. But the path to forgiveness is full of unexpected twists and turns, and true absolution may cost Dream everything.
Opening in theaters on October 4th, ‘Joker: Folie à Deux’ brings us back to the world of Arthur Fleck (Joaquin Phoenix) and introduces a love interest for the troubled character in the shape of Lee Quinzel, played by Lady Gaga.
Unfortunately, surely only the biggest fans of Todd Phillips’ first film are likely to find much to enjoy here –- and even then it’s unlikely –– as the sequel sinks into indulgence and fantasy as the expense of real emotion or actual drama.
Will ‘Joker: Folie à Deux’ put a smile on your face?
(L to R) Lady Gaga and Joaquin Phoenix in ‘Joker: Folie à Deux.’ Photo: Todd Phillips’ Instagram.
How do you follow up a moody, intriguing take on a well-used character that managed to sidestep all the established tropes and explored mental health and the spread of chaos in a tinderbox city all at once?
If you’re Todd Phillips, director of the award-winning ‘Joker,’ your answer, at least according to the sequel he has made, you double down on your star’s quirks and add in a whole lot of musical sequences that are ostensibly designed to carry the emotional underpinnings of your story but leave them flailing.
Reuniting with ‘Joker’ co-writer Scott Silver for this long-winded follow-up, Phillips crafts another deep dive into the psyche of Arthur Fleck. Except this dive is not particularly deep, skirting the surface and going over some very familiar territory.
We learned a lot about Arthur’s trauma and issues in the original movie, but ‘Folie à Deux’ mostly provides more of the same. Who is Joker? Does Arthur truly believe he is a different chunk of his personality –– as his lawyer, Maryanne Stewart (played by Catherine Keener) is looking to cement as part of his insanity defense in his murder trial –– or was everything just Arthur’s actions alone?
That question are more are sort-of answered by the new film, but the script is largely geared towards a lot of fantastical sequences where Phoenix and Gaga belt out classic tunes looking to illuminate their inner lives. The problem is that all of that material feels like surface-level exploration.
Visually, the film is certainly still impressive, much as the first was, Phillips and returning cinematographer Lawrence Sher reuniting for a movie that exists in light and shadow, Arthur in particular wreathed in near constant smoke thanks to his endless cigarette habit.
When something dramatic does actually occur at the end, that too looks impressive. And the fantasy sequences have a staged look to them that works. It’s just a shame it’s all in the service of a dull screenplay.
With Phoenix naturally dominating, Gaga’s natural presence also shines through, and having her sing –– even if not to her normal performance level –– was a bonus.
Joaquin Phoenix as Arthur Fleck
Joaquin Phoenix in Director Todd Phillips’ ‘Joker: Folie à Deux.’ Photo courtesy of Todd Phillips’ Instagram account.
Phoenix won an Oscar for playing Fleck in the previous movie, and he does try to add on a few extra shades here. Problem is, even with the romantic arc of his relationship with Gaga’s Lee, there’s very little fresh to learn about him.
Lady Gaga as Lee
Lady Gaga in Director Todd Phillips’ ‘Joker: Folie à Deux.’ Photo courtesy of Todd Phillips’ Instagram account.
The one truly new addition to the ‘Joker’ universe, it is, as expected, a very different take on the Harley Quinn character. Don’t expect much of the usual wild and wacky behavior that usually comes with Harley (with a couple of small exceptions during the fantasy songs), Gaga keeps it grounded.
Having proved her acting chops in previous roles, she’s a clear highlight in the film, though Lee isn’t exactly a rounded character, more a means to finding a new angle on Arthur.
Keener brings a quiet strength to her role as Arthur’s lawyer and does what she can with a relatively small role that most requires her to be empathetic in his case.
One of Arthur’s big nemeses this time around, Gleeson brings gruff charisma to the role of one of the chief correctional officers at Arkham (where Fleck is imprisoned). He’s more than simply a brutal screw cracking down on his charges, and the actor is handed something to chew on in a few scenes –– and chew he does.
Pretty much everyone else is an archetype in search of a character –– Harry Lawtey has a few moments to shine as legal peacock Harvey Dent, while there is a welcome return for Zazie Beetz as Sophie, the neighbor Arthur imagined he was in a relationship with in ‘Joker.’ And a high point is the testimony of Arthur’s old workmate Gary Puddles, with actor Leigh Gill shining as he delivers a shellshocked account of his murderous actions.
There’s the real feel of a wasted opportunity here, Phillips and Phoenix given free rein to spend the studio’s money on something that never quite lives up to the original movie’s promise.
For the most part, this all has the weight of an extended coda to the first movie, and a true disappointment. There’s still a chance it’ll be a success, but don’t go expecting to be truly entertained.
‘Joker: Folie à Deux’ receives 4.5 out of 10 stars.
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What’s the plot of ‘Joker: Folie à Deux’?
The ‘Joker’ sequel finds Arthur Fleck (Joaquin Phoenix) institutionalized at Arkham awaiting trial for his crimes as Joker. While struggling with his dual identity, Arthur not only stumbles upon true love, but also finds the music that’s always been inside him.
(Left) Steve Coogan to play Barnabas in season 2 of ‘The Sandman’. Photo: Thomas Laisne. (Right) Douglas Booth to play Cluracan in ‘The Sandman’ season 2. Photo: Simon Annand.
Preview:
Steve Coogan, Jack Gleeson and more are joining ‘The Sandman’.
Adrian Lester and others are already aboard.
The Neil Gaiman adaptation is returning for a second season at Netflix.
Given the expansive (and clearly expensive) scope of ‘The Sandman’s first season of Netflix, there was naturally wondering –– and worrying –– over whether a second would even be ordered.
Fortunately, fans and more general audiences turned out in droves for that initial run of stories adaptation from the sprawling, iconic graphic novel series originated by Neil Gaiman from a heady stew of myths, legends, folklore and original ideas.
With shooting long under way on Season 2, now we know who will be joining the cast, including Steve Coogan, Jack Gleeson, Indya Moore and others.
In Season 1, the Sandman, aka Dream (Tom Sturridge) — the powerful cosmic being who controls all our dreams — was unexpectedly captured and held prisoner for over a century. Once he escapes, he must journey across different worlds and timelines to fix the chaos his absence has caused.
In Season 2, the King of Dreams will come face-to-face — and go toe-to-toe — with the formidable rulers of Hell, Asgard, Faerie, and the realms beyond.
Who are the newest additions to ‘The Sandman’ Season 2?
(Left) Ruairi O’Connor to play Orpheus in ‘The Sandman’ Season 2. (Center Left) Freddie Fox to play Loki ‘The Sandman’ Season 2. (Center Right) Clive Russell to play Odin in ‘The Sandman’ Season 2. Photo: Sally Mais. (Right) Laurence O’Fuarain to play Thor in ‘The Sandman’ Season 2. Photo: Joseph Sinclair.
Here’s the most recent cast:
Ruairi O’Connor is Orpheus, the poet, musician, and oracle, is the only child of Dream and the muse, Calliope (last seen in ‘The Sandman,’ Episode 111). Orpheus is an idealistic, romantic, young man – and very much his father’s son – until tragedy strikes and reveals to him the true nature of love.
Freddie Fox (he/him) is Loki, the god of chaos. Loki is a charming, seductive shapeshifter. The smartest and most dangerous person in any room, Loki is utterly irresistible and never to be trusted.
Clive Russell is Odin, the father of Thor, and blood-brother to Loki. He is a longtime ally of Dream’s, but finds himself driven to desperate extremes in his efforts to stave off Ragnarök.
Laurence O’Fuarain is Thor, the storm god. With his hammer Mjollnir, Thor is brusque, rude, and driven entirely by his appetites –– for food and drink, for battle, and for sex.
Ann Skelly is Nuala and Douglas Booth is Cluracan, royal emissaries from the court of Faerie. Nuala and Cluracan are siblings who are opposites in every way. Nuala is responsible, empathetic, and principled. Cluracan is an impulsive rogue who lives for pleasure. They disagree about everything, except their devotion to one another.
(Left) Ann Skelly to play Nuala in ‘The Sandman’ Season 2. Photo: Misan Harriman. (Center) Jack Gleeson to play Puck in ‘The Sandman’ Season 2. Photo: Yellow Belly. (Right) Indya Moore to play Wanda in ‘The Sandman’ Season 2.
Jack Gleeson is Puck, a malevolent hobgoblin who serves as the royal jester to King Auberon of Faerie. Puck is fascinated by mortals and enjoys nothing more than making sport of them for his own amusement. He’s also the inspiration for Shakespeare’s Puck in ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’.
Indya Moore is Wanda, a professional driver and security agent for an exclusive travel firm. Wanda proves herself to be an indispensable guide on an Endless road trip to the waking world.
Steve Coogan is the voice of Barnabas, the canine companion of the Endless’ prodigal brother. Barnabas is loyal and loving, but an outspoken cynic. He’s man’s best friend and man’s sharpest critic.
It’s always a bit dodgy trying to channel another famous actor, but John C. Reilly and Steve Coogan look the part in the first photo from “Stan & Ollie.”
The film, about the classic comedy team of Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy, will premiere as the closing night film at the BFI London Film Festival on October 21.
“Stan & Ollie” focuses on the comic duo’s farewell tour across Britan and Ireland in 1953.
The festival’s artistic director, Tricia Tuttle, praised the film as “beautiful tribute to cinema’s early comedy odd couple” and “a truly funny and touching story about a tender lifelong friendship.” She added, “Jon Baird’s film is also a must for movie fans, exploring the twilight years of two megawatt performers who had a meteoric rise to fame. These two prove that true comic timing is eternal, and it’s a perfect end to the festival.”
It’s currently slated for a January 11, 2019 release in the U.K. No word yet on a US release date.
