Rolling Stone 3.5 - Help Me Make It Through the Night

Rolling Stone - Help Me Make It Through the Night

Genre: Drama

Director: Oliver Stone

Writer: D.R. Cobb

Based on the Rolling Stone magazine

Cast: Josh Hartnett, Aimee Teegarden, Karl Glusman, James Urbaniak, Alicia Witt, Lou Taylor Pucci, Leighton Meester, Parker Posey and Justin Chambers

Plot: May 1971. Brady Conroy (Josh Hartnett) is dropping an article off at the Rolling Stone offices and chatting with Kylee Hargrove (Alicia Witt) at the front desk. Ralph J. Gleason (James Urbaniak) sees them talking and joins them up front. Gleason comments that it is nice to see the two of them back to functioning as normal co-workers again after the some of the previous confusion between the two of them. Brady says all is good. Gleason then invites both of them to a Memorial Day party at his house that weekend. Brady and Kylee both thank him for the invite, and Gleason encourages both to bring significant others along.

When Brady arrives back at home he finds his brother Jimmy (Lou Taylor Pucci) sitting outside on the street. Brady says that he thought Jimmy and Lexi were following the Grateful Dead around the east coast. Jimmy says that presumably Lexi still is, but that she left him so he didn't feel like sticking around any longer. Brady invites Jimmy up for a beer. Jimmy asks if he can crash on Brady's couch again, and Brady reluctantly agrees. When they get upstairs Brady tells Celeste (Aimee Teegarden) about the Memorial Day party at Gleason's house that weekend. When she looks at how dejected Jimmy looks, Celeste suggests that they bring Jimmy along.

That weekend, Brady, Celeste and Jimmy all arrive at the party. They are greeted at the door by Gleason's wife, Felicia (Parker Posey). She instructs Brady and Jimmy to both put their keys in a large glass jar by the front door. Brady assumes this is just so that people don't drive home drunk, but once they're inside Jimmy explains to Brady and Celeste that they have just arrived at a key party. Celeste is unfamiliar with the concept, so Jimmy explains that at the end of the party, once everyone is good and tipsy, the women of the party draw a pair of keys from the jar. The woman then has sex with the owner of the keys that night. Brady and Celeste both look surprised by this news, but neither wants to seem too square or conservative to the other so they don't object to the notion. Jimmy says it should be one hell of a party and goes off to find the bar.

Kylee walks up to Brady and Celeste and introduces them to a man she just met, Jackson (Justin Chambers). She tells them that he is a professional motorcycle racer. Kylee is clearly already getting intoxicated, much to Jackson's delight. Brady asks Kylee if she knew this was a key party, and Kylee says of course, Gleason has thrown a key party every Memorial Day weekend for years. Brady and Celeste head further into the party where they run into Jann Wenner (Karl Glusman) and his wife Jane (Leighton Meester). They are sharing a joint with Gleason and Felicia around a fire pit.

As the night comes closer to an end, Gleason announces that everyone needs to head to the living room for the rest of the festivities. Brady and Celeste nervously join the others inside. Gleason announces that each of the ladies in the room will now come and randomly select the car keys of the person they will be spending the night with. Each woman guest takes turns going up to the jar. Kylee happens to select Jackson's keys and happily leaves the party with him. By the end, only Jimmy, Celeste, Brady and Felicia remain. Felicia goes up to draw next, pulling out Brady's keys. As Brady is about to stand up, Jimmy gives him a pat on the back and announces that those are his keys. Felicia leads Jimmy to one of the bedrooms in the house. A look of relief goes over Brady and Celeste's faces as they are the last two left in the living room. Celeste grabs Jimmy's keys out of the jar and asks Brady what they do now. Brady and Celeste go out to the car where they have sex.

The next morning, Brady and Celeste are eating breakfast while Jimmy snores from the couch. Brady comments that before Celeste he would probably have had no issue with a swinging party like Gleason's, but now that she's in his life for good such an event holds no interest for him. As they continue eating over the sounds of Jimmy's snores, Brady asks Celeste to remind him to decline Gleason's next party invitation.

The Survivors 2.5 - Full Moon

The Survivors : Full Moon
Genre : Sci-Fi / Mystery / Drama
Showrunner: Tomas Alfredson
Writer : Mo Buck

Based on the French Canadian series

Cast: Brendan Fraser, Logan Lerman, Cara Buono, Michael Mando, Clancy Brown, Odeya Rush, Jodelle Ferland, John De Lancie and Peter Stormare

Plot: Judy (Jodelle Ferland) and Sarah (Odeya Rush) listen to the CD they received in the mail one more time. It’s Charles (Logan Lerman) speaking, telling her how much he loves her and he can’t wait to see her again. Judy and Sarah overanalyse it and realise that Charles has changed a bit. He says he can’t wait to see her child, but he must go now. They ask themselves how he managed to send this when he’s not even here anymore. Mary (Cara Buono) enters the room and gives Judy’s baby back to her, saying she has other things to take care of and she doesn’t have the time for a real baby when she supports four giant babies all day. Sarah asks her mom to chill out a bit and Mary says she has no idea what it means. She tells her daughter that she should do her homework instead of watching this over and over again and Sarah reluctantly agrees. Mary goes back to the kitchen where she was cleaning the dishes. She finally puts her last plate down, before laying down on the couch for a well-deserved rest. She looks at the moon by the window.

It’s a full moon in Montreal as Gerald (Brendan Fraser) and Charles inspect buildings from the list they stole from the police station. They ask themselves if this is really worth it as they inspect yet another empty building. They check it off the list and walk to the next one. On their way, they ask if they miss their family and if they think they will be able to get back to them someday. Gerald says they’re getting closer, he’s feeling it, but he admits that the past day has been a wild ride. He’s tired and sore, but he needs to keep on. Charles says he can’t wait to be back and finally meet his child. He wonders how the family is doing and dealing with their disappearance. Gerald interrupts him and blocks his path. There’s blood on the floor and we see they are at the right building. 

Father Logan (John de Lancie) is walking at a brisk pace, followed closely by Chartwell (Clancy Brown) and Victor (Michael Mando). They walk past a priest and greet each others. Chartwell says they don’t speak with anyone, unless they absolutely have to. They enter a building in the Vatican and immediately head downstairs. Chartwell leads the way, you can tell he has been here before. Logan wants to ask questions, but he’s pressured by his assailants to keep his mouth shut and do as he’s told. They go through a bunch of doors and find themselves outside again. They cut across an empty field and enter in a chapel. With Victor’s help, Chartwell moves the altar, revealing a set of stairs. They go down and bring candles with them. They walk in underground tunnels until they reach a certain spot. Victor pushes on the ceiling and they find themselves in a secured room, guarded by two doors. They force Logan up and tell him to grab the book on the pedestal. He does and the guard see him. They ring a bell, the alarm for the entire city.

Gerald and Charles enter the building and see signs that it has been occupied by people. Charles thinks it may be homeless people, but Gerald rejects the idea, the fire in the barrel is too recent and they aren’t around anymore. If it were homeless people, they would still be here and they aren’t the kind to shoot themselves  and beat themselves to death, as he shows the pile of dead bodies to Charles. Charles grabs his walkie-talkie and calls for immediate help at their address, they may have found something. 

Chartwell, Victor and Logan run in the underground tunnels and they blame Logan for the alarm, even though it was have been triggered even if Chartwell or Victor did it. They climb back in the chapel and guards are waiting for them with sticks. Victor peeks and sees them. He grabs a hidden gun from his belt, and he starts shooting at the guards as Logan takes cover. More guards are coming now and he takes out a machine gun from his back, way too advanced for time setting and easily takes care of them. They have the entire police force after them and Victor kills them all. Father Logan prays as he looks at the full, while being dragged around the Vatican by Chartwell. They get back to their car and Victor peeks out the window to shoot the people who were still following them. Chartwell activates the machine and in an instant, they’re gone and the carnage is over.

As Gerald keeps looking in the building for clues, Charles start readings the books and looking at the stuff left behind by Chartwell and Victor. He has already been kidnapped by them before, and it definitely looks like their stuff. He grabs the stick in the fire and recognizes the symbol they wanted to print on his body. Gerald comes back to him, he didn’t find anything else. He hears someone entering and both him and Charles draw their pistols out, but it’s just John (Peter Stormare). He says the others are coming soon, he was the closest. He looks at the stuff and is quick to figure out what it all means. He’s been after them for years, he knows their stuff. They’ve definitely been here. As he grabs a book and starts explaining what it means to Gerald and Charles, they hear some rattling and people entering. They don’t bother, thinking it’s just Arthur and Steven arriving, but it’s not. It’s Chartwell and Victor, back with their book and Father Logan.

Hitman 3.5 - Less Conversation

Hitman: Less Conversation

Genre: Action

Director: Francis Lawrence

Writer: Dwight Gallo

Based on the video game series

Cast: Ed Skrein, Charlotte Riley, Will Arnett, Joseph Mazzello, Chevy Chase, William Baldwin, Matt McCoy, Janine Turner, Sean Patrick Flannery and Jamie Clayton

Plot: On Election Night, the news reports that Vice President Spaulding Burke has died in a fiery car crash on his way to a campaign event to celebrate the victory of the incumbent President Thomas Steward. President Steward (Matt McCoy) appears on television to announce that it will take some time for Congress to determine who the new Vice President is, but that America lost a great patriot with Burke's death. McCoy then hugs his wife, Paula Steward (Janine Turner), in front of the cameras. Leland Alexander (Chevy Chase) calls Rick Henderson (Joseph Mazzello), and asks him to come by his house to continue their talk since he has some new information he'd like to share with him.

Diana Burnwood (Charlotte Riley) meets with Agent 47 (Ed Skrein) in a cliff side trailer he has been staying in and tells him that all of ICA's contracts have dried up. Nobody wants to hire a company whose contractors are being killed on the job by a rival organization. 47 is surprised that nobody even wants to hire him, given his track record, but Diana tells him that The Franchise has taken all of their business. She says that the company is no more and that the best they can do is kill those who want them dead and split whatever remaining funds there are between the two of them. Agent 47 isn't particularly fond of this plan. He expresses annoyance that ICA went through all kinds of trouble to get him back on the job, and now there doesn't appear to be a job for him to really go about doing.

Agent Carlton Smith (Will Arnett) calls Diana and tells her that word at the CIA is that The Franchise is performing a contract in Las Vegas. He doesn't know who the target is, but that The Franchise's two top assassins have been hired for the contract. Diana tells Smith that she's closing up shop on her end, and Smith says that at the very least 47 may be interested in taking out the competition. Diana tells Smith that she'll pass along the information to him. When she tells 47 what Smith informed her of, 47 immediately starts packing a bag for Las Vegas. Diana tells 47 that due to the state of ICA, she's not going to be able to give him the support of any of the organization's resources. 47 says he understands and leaves.

Agent 47 arrives in Las Vegas and heads to his destination, a masquerade party at the Shark Club. He steals a plain black domino mask from one of the other guests and heads onto the dance floor. He scans his surroundings for anything out of the ordinary. While everyone else in the club is dancing and drinking, he notices a man and a woman up on a balcony standing and staring out at the dance floor. 47 decides to head up the stairs to the balcony to investigate. When he gets to the balcony, the couple are no longer there. As 47 is turning around leave, he is attacked by Mark (Sean Patrick Flannery) and Eve (Jamie Clayton). They team up to knock 47 off the balcony. 47 manages to grab hold of a string of lights and land safely on the ground. He heads back up the staircase and attacks Mark and Eve as they are running down them. The fight spreads into the club's kitchen. Agent 47 manages to stab Mark in the chest with an ice pick. Eve then pulls out her gun and starts shooting. 47 uses Mark's body as a human shield, and then uses Mark's gun to shoot Eve dead. Agent 47 takes a look at the bodies of the two assassins and discovers bar codes on each of their wrists. 47 immediately calls Diana and tells her that they were clones. 47 turns back before he leaves and discovers that Mark's body has vanished.

Diana is sitting in 47's trailer when heavily-armed security personnel enter the trailer. They are followed by Leland Alexander. He tells her that a woman of her skill and know how should not be tethered to a dying organization like ICA. He offers her a special role of power and influence within The Franchise. Diana asks if it is really a job offer or more of a threat. Alexander says that he is certainly not threatening her, but that it would be very advantageous for her health to accept The Franchise's offer. She asks what the catch is, and he tells her that he needs Agent 47's genetic material in order to perfect the cloning process. All evidence of Dr. Ort-Meyer's work has been destroyed without a trace - Agent 47's DNA is seemingly the only way to get it all right. Diana asks Alexander if she has any time to think about her decision, and Alexander tells her not long. Alexander then leaves with his security and is helped onto a helicopter.

Back at his house, Leland Alexander is watching television as the US Congress announces that Daniel Morris (William Baldwin) has been appointed as the new Vice President under President Thomas Steward. He smiles slyly as Henderson is led into his study by his security detail. Alexander comments that it is quite a crazy time to be alive. Henderson simply nods his head and take a seat. Henderson then asks what new information Alexander has for him. Alexander says that the clone assassin known as Agent 47 was responsible for the death of the Vice President as well as the attempt on the life of the US Secretary of the Interior. He proclaims that the legalization of cloning is to blame and suggests that Henderson help him ban cloning so that deaths like VP Spaulding's can be avoided in the future.

She-Hulk 2.5 - Issue #15

She-Hulk : Issue #15
Genre : Superhero / Comedy / Legal
Showrunner: Phoebe Waller-Bridge
Writer : Chad Taylor

Based on the Marvel Comics characters

Cast: Jenny Slate, Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Himesh Patel, Helena Howard, F. Murray Abraham, Ron Perlman, Scott Porter, Michael Richards, Domenick Lombardozzi, Sanaa Lathan and Storm Reid

Plot: On his news program, J. Jonah Jameson (Ron Perlman) has a special announcement to make. Tomorrow on his show, the one and only Jennifer Walters will be his guest. Yes, that Jennifer Walters. He tells his viewers they are going to want to tune in. He then says his guest tonight will be local lawyer Foggy Nelson to discuss the legal ramifications of Walters’ antics on her law career. But first, here’s an ad for SquareSpace.

At his home, Morris Walters (Michael Richards) is watching and surprised by this news. He debates calling his daughter about it but knows that she would be mad at him for watching The Bugle again.

When Jen (Jenny Slate) and Robert (Scott Porter) get to The Hood’s lair, Robert uses his telepathy and discovers that Southpaw is no longer there. They get in contact with Stu (Himesh Patel), who tells them that he is working on getting her new location. When he does, he sends them the coordinates. Jen takes note of this location to return later.

As Mary (Phoebe Waller-Bridge) and Southpaw (Helena Howard) travel to their destination, Mary tries to make small talk about ways they might be able to frame this as a murder but not really kill the guy. Southpaw dismisses this and says they won’t be able to move up in the world by cheating on exams. Mary questions the 1-for-1 comparison of these two things and says that Southpaw’s young age/real world experience is probably limiting her metaphors. Southpaw looks angry, as if she could kill Mary in that moment. Mary changes the subject by showing off her new mask that The Hood had made for her, which properly conceals her identity.

Jen realizes that Southpaw is entering Dan Jermain’s neighborhood and she becomes on high alert. She tries to call Dan to warn him but he does not answer.

When they arrive at the Jermain residence, Southpaw punches through the door. When they enter, they find that only the daughter Veronica (Storm Reid) is home. Mary takes the girl hostage as Southpaw begins to overturn the house looking for Dan. Southpaw demands to know where her father is and she says that her parents are out for their anniversary dinner. The two villains must think on the fly and Mary suggests they turn back or at least wait until the parents to arrive. Southpaw says that will give enough time for help to arrive, and lose the element of surprise (which the boss would not be happy with). They need to kill this girl now.

She-Hulk and The Sentry suddenly enter. Sentry orders Titania to release the girl but before he knows it, he is blindsided by a punch from Southpaw. She-Hulk charges at the girl and tries to take her down without hurting her. As she does this, Southpaw yells at Mary to finish the job. However, Mary is hesitant. This allows Sentry enough time to start challenging her.

Southpaw is able to escape She-Hulk’s grasp and goes to kill Veronica. However, Dan (Domenick Lombardozzi) and Lori (Sanaa Lathan) arrive home and find their daughter in peril. This turns Dan into a fit of rage and he charges Southpaw, beginning her to beat her mercilessly. While Jen understands his anger, she interferes and tries to get him to stop. Sentry leaves Mary to help pull Dan off. Jen pleads that she is just a teenage girl. Mary slips out the backdoor as this drama ensues, sight unseen.

She-Hulk uses her people skills to talk an injured Southpaw off the proverbial ledge. She calls her by her real name, Sasha Martin, and mentions how much her family loves her and misses her. They are grieving her father just as she is. This starts to get through to Sasha, who is in tears from the pain. Veronica, seeing a girl close to her own age, joins in on trying to help. This eventually works as Sasha begins full-on crying and apologizing.

We see Sasha being reunited with her family the next day. Holden (F. Murray Abraham) thanks Jen and she says it’s part of the job. He says “Speaking of jobs, I think we might have a case gearing up that might be of particular interest to you…” Jen turns to the camera with a look of fear, thinking she gave up the lawyer gig. He says he can give her a few days to mull over the offer and she thanks him. She looks back to the camera.

“I’ve got an interview to do.”