King soars, Jerry and Marge win, super pets and more

Stars of David

By Nate Bloom, Stars of David Contributing Columnist

Editor’s Note: Persons in bold are deemed by Nate Bloom to be Jewish for the purpose of this column. Persons identifi ed as Jewish have at least one Jewish parent and were not raised in, or identify with, a faith other than Judaism. Converts to Judaism, of course, are also identified as Jewish.

Joey King, 22, has made the difficult transition from a star child actor to a successful young adult actor. This was obvious when she was Emmy-nominated (2019) as best actress in a limited series (“The Act” on Hulu).

King has the title role in “Princess,” a comedy fantasy action film that will start streaming on Hulu on July 1. Here’s the capsule plot: When a strongwilled princess refuses to wed a cruel sociopath, she’s kidnapped and locked in a remote castle tower. With her vindictive suitor intent on taking her father’s throne, the princess must protect her family and save her kingdom.

King co-stars in “Bullet Train,” a thriller that opens in theaters on Aug. 5. Capsule plot: Trained killer Ladybug (Brad Pitt) wants to give up the life but is pulled back in by his handler to collect a briefcase on a Japanese bullet train. Once onboard, he and the other competing assassins discover that their objectives are all connected. (King plays Prince, a trained British assassin.)

Last month, it was announced that King would star in “We Are the Lucky Ones,” a limited Hulu series. It is based on a bestselling book by Georgia Hunter, 35. She traced how some members of her Polish Jewish family successfully fled from the Nazis.

“Jerry and Marge Go Large,” an original Paramount+ film, began streaming on June 17. It is based on the true story of Jerry Selbee (Bryan Cranston) and his wife, Marge (Annette Bening). The couple was the subject of many articles and a “60 Minutes” story.

The Selbees made a modest living from their Michigan convenience store. Then Jerry uncovered a mathematical quirk in a new Michigan lottery game. Anyone (legally) could earn “net” winnings if they bought enough tickets. He enlisted friends in a “betting pool” and they made millions.

David Frankel, 62, directed. Frankel has helmed some really big hit films, including “The Devil Wears Prada” and “Marley and Me.”

“Black Bird” is a six-episode series that begins streaming on Apple+ on July 6. It’s based on two true-crime books jointly written by James Keene and Hillel Levin. Keene, the son of a decorated police officer, got into dealing drugs and was sent to jail for 10 years with no chance of parole. Then, he got an offer: if he could get another inmate, a suspected serial killer, to talk about his crimes, Keene could go free early. It was a very dangerous assignment.

I decided to write about this film when I saw that Ray Liotta, who died recently, has a co-starring role as an “old con.” This is one of his last filmed roles. Of course, his most famous role was as a Mafia associate in “Good Fellas.” After his death, I realized he had a “sort-of” connection to a really horrific crime. This has not really been reported.

Liotta’s fiancée, Jacy (Woodman) Nitollo, 47, is the daughter of Stewart Woodman, who died in prison in 2014. Stewart and his brother, Neil (now serving a life sentence), were convicted of hiring two men to kill the Woodman brothers’ parents in 1985.

The murders were all about money. The press labeled the killings the “Yom Kippur murders.” The brothers had their parents murdered on Yom Kippur because the brothers knew exactly where their parents would be then. (Oy!)

Opening in theaters on July 15 are “The Wrong Place” and “Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris.” The first film stars Bruce Willis in one of his last roles. As you probably read, Willis retired from acting last March due to aphasia, which effects his ability to speak and understand language.

Willis plays a former small town police chief who a drug dealer wants to kill to prevent him from testifying against the dealer. Michael Sirow, 40, an actor with a long list of smallish credits, has third billing in this film as “Jake,” but advance credits don’t make his role clear.

“Mrs. Harris” is about a widowed cleaning lady in 1950s London who decides she must have an expensive Dior dress. British Jewish actor Jason Isaacs, 58, co-stars.

Opening in theaters on July 29 is “The League of Super Pets,” an animated fi lm. Basic plot: the Justice League is captured by Lex Luthor (voiced by Marc Maron, 58). After this happens, Krypto, Superman’s dog, forms a team of five shelter pets who have been given superpowers. Two members of the team are voiced by Jewish actors. Vanessa Bayer, 40, voices a pig named PB, who can grow really huge. Natasha Lyonne, 43, voices Merton, a turtle who can go incredibly fast.