Boston’s darkest hour

‘City on a Hill’ tells a story of crime and redemption

By Joy Doonan TV Media

Hollywood mogul Ben Affleck is no stranger to the subgenre of Boston crime dramas. The Academy Award winner grew up just outside of Boston, and his rise to directorial acclaim is marked by films about his hometown’s criminal underworld.

“Gone Baby Gone” (2007), a drama about a local private eye’s hunt for a child abductor, displays the working-class realities of a Boston con (“Footloose,” 1984) and Aldis Hodge (“Straight Outta Compton,” 2015) in lead roles, “City on a Hill” premieres Sunday, June 16, on Showtime.

The Boston Miracle occurred in the ‘90s, when the city’s police department implemented a program, designed by criminology professor David M. Kennedy, to combat the rampant youth gun violence of the time. The program, dubbed Operation Ceasefire, was groundbreaking in that it employed research tactics been one way for such a long time, it seemed impossible to change, and it did, very quickly.”

The show depicts Boston as it was in the 1990s, a world in which rampant crime and gang violence is propped up by a cesspool of corrupt law enforcement officials who are invested in the status quo of a crimedriven economy, and a culture of unchecked racism. Bacon stars as corrupt-but-respected FBI agent Jackie Rohr, while Hodge portrays Decourcy Ward, a newly appointed assistant district attorney from Brooklyn. According to Showtime, the ten-

Late Laughs

Conan

local justice to his own ends. As comfortable with partaking in the city’s illicit underworld as he is with policing it, he oversees corruption in dealings with Boston street gangs. He is not pleased with the prospect of an “affirmative action hire,” as he calls Ward, stepping in to crack down on local crime.

Ward shakes up the entrenched status quo when he comes to town, dealing firsthand with the racism of local cops and driving hard for a major upheaval of the current gun policing. “I want to rip out the machinery in this city,” he says. First, however, he needs to walk the line between maintaining his integrity and getting his hands dirty in order to operate within Boston’s tightknit network of corruption.

When Rohr and Ward wind up working together on the Charlestown car robber case, their pairing sparks a more revolutionary change than either of them could have imagined. The relationship between the two leads isn’t just an unlikely investigative duo; “City on a Hill” attempts to delve into the complicated humanity of the players involved, to tell a story of struggling communities and determination to affect change.

A billionaire, Robert F. Smith, gave the commencement address to the graduating class of Morehouse College and he pledged to pay off all their student loans. Since this Morehouse speech, Smith has received offers to speak at 8,000 other universities.

Bernie Sanders said he will crash Walmart’s annual shareholders meeting in protest. This could be risky because the last time Bernie got close to a Walmart, they made him a greeter.

The Tonight Show With Jimmy Fallon

I saw that the rapper Future got his five-year-old son a Rolex for his birthday. When Future’s son saw the watch, he was like, “I would’ve preferred 2 Chainz.”

I heard that Michelangelo’s first-ever piece of artwork was discovered, and it was drawn when he was just 12. Even crazier, it was found on his parents’ refrigerator.

The Late Late Show With James Corden

Watching “Game of Thrones” is kind of like running a marathon. Even if you chose not to take part, you’re still forced to listen to people at work talk about it forever.

It is kind of sad that “Game of Thrones” is over. People everywhere are just now realizing that most of their friendships were based entirely on sharing a single HBO password.

By Shona Dustan TV Media

NETFLIX: “Beats” (2019)

Anthony Anderson (“Black-ish”) stars in this original film as a former music manager who has taken a job as a high school security guard. When he’s sent to check on a student (Khalil Everage, “Cobra Kai”) who’s been absent for months, what he discovers is a kid with severe trauma due to the tragic death of his sister — a kid who has retreated from everyday life and has thrown himself into making music. And his music is really good. The unlikely pair come together to try to forge careers in the music industry. Uzo Aduba (“Orange Is the New Black”) also stars as the boy’s mom, who continues to struggle with the loss of her daughter while trying to ensure her son’s safety and wellbeing. This touching new film is available Wednesday, June 19.

“Adam Devine: Best Time of Our Lives”

Netflix is adding to its smorgasbord of comedy specials this week, and this one is a gem you won’t want to miss. Adam Devine stars in his very first comedy special, and the 35-year-old actor went back to his roots to record this hilarious standup gig. His hometown of Omaha, Nebraska, provides a great crowd and delightful atmosphere, and Devine hits it out of the park with his act. He’s one of the hardestworking comics in Hollywood, and he’s starred in a number of major films — such as “Pitch Perfect” (2012) and this summer’s “Isn’t It Romantic” — that have shown off his talent as a writer, comedian and vocalist, but it’s nice to see him walk out onto the stage solo for a performance of pure comedy. It’s an engaging and entertaining special, and it premieres Tuesday, June 18.

“Bolivar”

This Colombian miniseries tells the story of Simón Bolívar, hero and liberator of Venezuela, Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Panama from the Spanish Empire. Follow the legendary leader as he leaves his native Venezuela for Spain and France, and then returns home with a passion for freedom and a longing to throw off the chains of colonialism. José Ramón Barreto (“Emerald Heart”) and Luis Gerónimo Abreu (“La viuda joven”) star in this historical series, which you can stream starting Friday, June 21.

“Dark” Season 2

This eerie German series is back for a second round of jumps and shivers, and its second installment premieres Friday, June 21. “Dark” is Netflix’s first-ever German series, and the freshman season of the show was well received by critics and fans alike. Hailed as the German “Stranger Things,” the series follows four prominent families in the fictional town of Winden, and as time travel is woven into the story, we learn more and more of the secrets these families have kept hidden for generations. It’s part scifi, part thriller, part family drama, and it will suck you in from the first episode.

AMAZON PRIME:

“Yardie” (2018)

This film is finally available starting that the man who killed his brother years ago in Jamaica is now living in London. His thirst for revenge is strong, but so are his loyalties. Stream the film to find out which wins in the end.

“Suits” Season 8

Monday, June 17, after having its release date pushed back a few times. Directed by acclaimed actor Idris Elba (“Luther”), “Yardie” is based on the novel by Jamaican writer Victor Headley. The term “yardie” refers to the Jamaican diaspora, and the movie tells the story of Dennis Campbell (Aml Ameen, “Sense8”), a young man who is hired by a Jamaican crime lord to deliver an important package to London, England. Dennis becomes more and more enmeshed in this dangerous world, but his loyalties are tested when he discovers

The penultimate season of this enduring drama can be streamed as of Friday, June 21, which should give you just enough time to catch up before the final season of the show premieres in July. Season 8 picks up without Mike Ross (Patrick J. Adams, “Sneaky Pete”) and Rachel Zane (Meghan Markle, “Anti-Social,” 2015), who got married and left for greener pastures at the end of Season 7, but a few new faces fill that void. Dulé Hill (“The West Wing”) is now a series regular as Alex Williams, a friend of Harvey’s (Gabriel Macht, “The Good Shepherd,” 2006) and partner at the firm, while Katherine Heigl (“Grey’s Anatomy”) joins the cast as Samantha Wheeler, a ruthless new addition to the team. Also bumped up to series regular is longtime cast member Amanda Schull (“12 Monkeys”), who plays senior partner Katrina Bennett. The drama is always high in this legal series, so you can’t help but binge once you dive in.

HULU:

“Das Boot” Season 1

This German television series premiering Monday, June 17, should sound familiar to you. The 1981 film “Das Boot” was directed by the legendary Wolfgang Petersen, based on the novel of the same name by Lothar-Günther Buchheim, and garnered six Oscar nominations for its portrayal of life on a German U-boat during World War II. This new series picks up nine months after the classic film left off and follows both the U-boat crew and the land-based French resistance. Lizzy Caplan (“Masters of Sex”), Tom Wlaschiha (“Game of Thrones”), Vincent Kartheiser (“Mad Men”) and James D’Arcy (“Agent Carter”) star, among many others.

Us

Years after a terrifying incident in a funhouse traumatized Adelaide (Nyong’o) as a child, she and her family head to a nearby lake house for a much-needed family vacation. Despite her feeling uneasy about the trip, her husband, Gabe (Duke), insists that she relax and try to have a good time with their children and friends, but on their first night away, four people dressed in red appear outside of their lake house and try to break in. With horror, Adelaide realizes that the four strangers are exact clones of her and her family and that they’ve come to murder their counterparts and take their place. When they learn that these doppelgängers are appearing all across the country, the family realizes they won’t have any help to fight off their copies.

Director:JordanPeele.Stars:Lupita Nyong’o,WinstonDuke,Elisabeth Moss,TimHeidecker,EvanAlex. 2019.116min.Horror.

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