Political power play

‘The Comey Rule’ premieres on Showtime

By Kyla Brewer TV Media

AsNov. 3 looms on the horizon, the U.S. presidential election campaign is in full swing. No matter which way you intend to vote, chances are that you have been inundated with news stories and all manner of political theories about the candidates and their parties. With only weeks to go before the big day, a new miniseries explores events surrounding the previous presidential election from the perspective of a key player.

Emmy winner Jeff Daniels (“The Newsroom”) returns to television as FBI Director James Comey in the fourhour miniseries “The Comey Rule,” premiering Sunday, Sept. 27, and concluding Monday, Sept. 28, on Showtime. Based on Comey’s bestselling book “A Higher Loyalty,” the production details recent historical events from Comey’s perspective, including the FBI’s Russia investigation and Comey’s handling of the Hillary Clinton email controversy. The miniseries depicts the relationship between Comey and President Donald Trump (Brendan Gleeson, “Mr. Mercedes”) and Comey’s eventual dismissal from his post as the head of the FBI. Holly Hunter (“Saving Grace”) also stars.

“The Comey Rule” was written and directed by Oscar-nominee Billy Ray (“Captain Phillips,” 2013) and was filmed in Toronto, Canada, beginning in November 2019. Initially, it was scheduled to air after the 2020 presidential election, but Ray publicly decried the move to delay the broadcast and even went so far as to write a letter to the cast to apologize for the move. After Showtime’s parent company, CBSViacom, changed its tune and rescheduled the miniseries for a September premiere, Ray explained why he felt it was important to air the show in the run-up to the election in an interview with Vanity Fair.

“Of course, I wanted this series to air before the 2020 elections,” Ray said in a July article. “I think our democracy is on the line right now. And I wanted this series to be part of the conversation.”

Considering the highly charged ed. Days before the election, news of the renewed investigation was leaked, and many blamed Comey for Clinton’s loss, despite the fact that three days before the election the FBI reiterated that charges were not warranted. On the flip side, many Republicans claimed that he planned to exonerate Clinton even before the investigation was complete. Then, of course, there was the FBI’s Russia investigation, which looked at whether there was Russian interference in the 2016 United States presidential election.

“The Comey Rule” brings to life many of the major players involved in U.S. politics during that era. Luckily, producers secured a top- him from his acclaimed role in HBO’s political drama “The Newsroom,” a role that earned him an Emmy along with Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild Award nominations.

Irish actor Gleeson, who was reportedly initially reluctant to take on the role of Trump, is perhaps best known as Alastor “Mad Eye” Moody from the Harry Potter film franchise. His other film credits include “Braveheart” (1995), “Cold Mountain” (2003) and “Paddington 2” (2018), while his television work includes “Mr. Mercedes” and the 2009 TV film “Into the Storm,” for which he won an Emmy. He’s also won three IFTA Awards and two British Independent

From the list, find each word and circle its letters in the puzzle to reveal a message relating to this week's theme

A World of Dance

by KNUTENELSON

Videoreleases

Valley Girl

Ruby Richman (Morrone) arrives home, distraught after breaking up with her boyfriend, to pursue her ambition of attending a studyabroad program in Japan for her final semester of high school. Her mother, Julie (Silverstone), tells Ruby about her own final weeks of high school, and the film flashes back to the early 1980s. A young Julie (Rothe) is a typical Valley girl living in Encino and enjoys frequent shopping trips to the mall with her friends. However, Julie begins to doubt her future with her jock boyfriend, and she has become disheartened by her current lifestyle and college choice. All of that changes when Julie has a chance encounter that changes her life. “Valley Girl” is a remake of the 1983 film of the same name.

Director:RachelLeeGoldenberg.

Stars:Jessica Rothe,JoshWhitehouse,JessieEnnis,AshleighMurray,ChloeBennet,LoganPaul,

Fill in the grid so that every row, every column, and every 3x3 box contains the digits 1 through 9. Solution below

MaeWhitman,RobHuebel,Judy Greer,Mario Revolori,Camila Morrone,Alicia Silverstone.2020. 102mins.Comedy.

Weathering With You

Coming to mainland Japan from the small island of Kozu-shima, first-year high-schooler and runaway Morishima Hodaka (Daigo) travels to Tokyo. After a chance encounter with Keisuke Suga (Oguri) on his journey to the city, the middle-age man hires Hodaka for a position at his small occult magazine publishing company. While investigating local urban legends associated with Tokyo’s heavy rainfall, the pair hear whisperings of a “sunshine girl” who can control the weather.

Director:Makoto Shinkai.Stars: KotaroDaigo,NanaMori,Shun Oguri,SeiHiraizumi,YûkiKaji,Riz Ahmed,DinoAndrade,Alison Brie,

KentaroAraki.2019.112 mins. Animation.

Welcome to Sudden Death

When a basketball team’s owner is taken hostage at the opening-night game by a tech-savvy and hostile terrorist group posing as the venue’s security team, Jesse Freeman (Jai White), a member of the security personnel and former special forces officer, must insert himself into the action as the demands of the terrorist group not only threaten the area in which he is trapped, but also his beloved daughter.

“Welcome to Sudden Death” is a sequel to the 1995 film “Sudden Death,” starring Jean-Claude Van Damme.

Director:DallasJackson.Stars:MichaelJaiWhite,MichaelEklund, GaryOwen,GillianWhite,StephanieSy,KristenHarris,Anthony Grant.2020.81mins.Action.