Sumter Scene: April 08, 2023

Jennifer Garner questions ‘The Last Thing He Told Me’

BY JAY BOBBIN

Jennifer Garner has had success in movies, but she clearly remembers what series work also has done for her career.

The actress and producer evidently hopes such benefits will continue, since she’s going the weeklyshow route again: She stars in “The Last Thing He Told Me,” an Apple TV+ drama that premieres with two episodes Friday, April 14. Based on the bestselling novel by Laura Dave, who adapted it along with her husband Josh Singer (“Spotlight”), it casts Garner as a woman helped by her stepdaughter (Angourie Rice) in probing why her husband (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, “Game of Thrones”) has vanished.

Aisha Tyler, Geoff Stults and David Morse also are in the cast of the show ... as is Victor Garber, who played Garner’s father on the series that made her a star, “Alias.” Overall, “The Last Thing He Told Me” boasts strong female representation among its creative talents; with Reese Witherspoon also an executive

producer of it along with Garner, it has only women as its directors.

After some TV-movie work and series guest roles, Garner landed her first show in 1998: “Significant Others,” a Fox drama from the creators of “Party of Five.” That didn’t last long, but she soon rebounded with a part on the then-WB Network’s “Felicity.” In 1999, Garner began a prominent role in support of Jennifer Love Hewitt on Fox’s “Party of Five” spinoff “Time of Your Life.”

Again, that series had only a short life, but something bigger was in store for Garner. That was the ABC spy saga “Alias,” which began what became a five-season run in 2001. As espionage agent Sydney Bristow, she earned four Primetime Emmy nominations, winning a Golden Globe and a Screen Actors Guild Award. As often happens for sudden TV stars, she began getting feature-film offers, “13 Going on 30” being a Garner movie that particularly

resonated with audiences (and has continued to over the years).

Theatrical films would continue to be Garner’s main career thrust for more than a decade, but she started to work her way back to series in 2018 with her role in HBO’s “Camping.” She also headlined the nowdefunct Quibi’s “Home Movie: The Princess Bride,” and she joined the cast of the Starz comedy “Party Down” for this year’s revival ... playing, interestingly enough, a movie producer.

Other projects designed mainly for home screens may be coming from Garner in the near future; at least one that was set to go was scrapped after she pulled out of it, reportedly due to scheduling conflicts. For now, “The Last Thing He Told Me” sends a major signal that she’s open to revisiting the medium and format that did much to get her started professionally.

‘The Neighborhood’ moves into its 100th episode

Horoscopes

The luckiest signs this week:

PISCES

CAPRICORN, AQUARIUS AND

ARIES

You’ll feel deeply inclined to take a trip abroad or explore your local area. Some people could make it difficult if you’ve planned to go on this adventure with a group.

TAURUS

Some people will abuse your generosity. Fortunately, your outspoken nature will ensure the record is set straight so you can get the respect you deserve.

GEMINI

You must prepare for a negotiation. Whether for work or to make a significant acquisition, you must gather the necessary information. This will require much patience.

CANCER

This is an excellent week to resolve conflicts and wrongdoings. You’ll get your way. You’ll also have to consider various details to regain harmony around you.

LEO

Buying a property requires time and money. It’s a very profitable project that will help you gain self-esteem.

You’ll feel a great deal of pride for this accomplishment. This isn’t something everyone can do.

VIRGO

You’ll enjoy beautiful moments with your family this week. You’ll have to work on a project with your loved ones, such as moving homes because of a new job. You may also be told about a birth.

LIBRA

Spring is in the air, and you’re ready to spoil yourself, especially with a new wardrobe. Your social life will be in full bloom. You have several outings planned.

SCORPIO

You have to look at home renovations as an investment.

Emotional sharing is essential to a harmonious married life. Don’t lend money to a friend to keep the relationship cordial.

SAGITTARIUS

You’ll have a burst of energy, allowing you to undertake several initiatives. Each one will be more exciting than the last, despite certain time restrictions or a particular financial situation.

CAPRICORN

If you don’t take the time to relax, you may find yourself under a lot of stress. Try to adopt a more spiritual lifestyle that aligns with your values to regain your sense of well-being.

AQUARIUS

Although you tend to be shy and discreet, you’ll be in good company this week. You could be in charge of an important meeting at work or a family get-together.

PISCES

You’ll be entitled to a promotion at work. If you’re looking for a job, you’ll land one with good prospects and quick advancement.

New Streaming Movies & Shows

“Movie: Oh Belinda”

From Turkey comes this comedy series about an actress whose seemingly perfect life takes a crazy turn when she agrees to star in a commercial and is suddenly transported into her character’s world.

Neslihan Atagul, Serkan Cayoglu, Necip Memili and Meral Cetinkaya head the cast. (ORIGINAL)

“Movie: Chupa”

While visiting family in Mexico, teenage Alex (Evan Whitten, “Mr. Robot”) comes upon a chupacabra living in his grandfather’s shed. Together with his cousins, the embark on an epic adventure to save the mythical creature in this action/ adventure movie from director Jonas Cuaron (“Desierto”).

Demian Bichir and Christian Slater also star. (ORIGINAL)

“Thicker Than Water”

A journalist’s life devolves into chaos when she shields her brother from the law, inadvertently entangling her family in a drug lord’s merciless scheme, in this crime thriller from France. Nawell Madani, Djebril Zonga, Vincent Rottiers, Kahina Carina and Carima Amarouche head the cast.

(ORIGINAL)

“Movie: The Queen of Versailles”

In this 2012 documentary from director Lauren Greenfield (“The Kingmaker”), the 2008 economic collapse strikes the empire of Florida billionaires David and Jackie Siegel just as they’re building their palatial 90,000-square-foot estate near Orlando, a project they were forced to delay for years.

“Movie: The Last Kingdom: Seven Kings Must Die”

This movie follow-up to the Brit action series The Last Kingdom picks up following the death of King Edward, as Uhtred (Alexander Dreymon) and his comrades strive to form a united England while invaders and rival heirs do battle for the crown. Timothy Innes, Ingrid García-Jonsson and Alexandra Toth also star. (ORIGINAL)

“Am I Being Unreasonable?”

From BBC Studios comes this comedy thriller series about Nic (series creator Daisy May Cooper, “This Country”), a depressed young mother grieving a loss she can’t share with anyone, who finds new life when a kindred spirit moves to town. That is, until a dark secret rear its ugly head.

Selin Hizli, Dustin Demri-Burns and Lenny Rush also star. (ORIGINAL)

Q&A with Rebecca Herbst

“Swamp

People: Serpent Invasion”

The Florida Everglades currently is ground zero for an ecological apocalypse, as an invasion of an alien species — huge Burmese pythons — systematically is wiping out entire species. These big snakes are voracious, aggressive and fast-breeding, and have no natural predator equipped to stop them — except humans. This compelling docuseries follows some of Louisiana’s best hunters as they respond to Florida’s call for help.

“Movie: Door Mouse”

From Canada and actor Avan Jogia (“Now Apocalypse”) in his feature film directorial debut comes this 2022 neonoir mystery about a comicbook creator working at a burlesque club who enlists the help of a colleague to figure out what’s behind the disappearances of young women in their social circle. Jogia, Donal Logue (“Gotham”) and Famke Janssen (“Hemlock Grove”) head the cast.

Q:

Q: With “General Hospital” celebrating its 60th anniversary this year, and you marking your own 25th anniversary on the serial, how interesting is it for you to review the arc of your character, Elizabeth Webber?

A: I don’t think she has changed that much, but she has grown. She has three children to look after, and she has had many relationships that she’s learned from ... but every now and then, you see that feisty Elizabeth come back, especially recently.

Q: It takes the right acting partner to make a love story work, and you’ve had several on “General Hospital.” How do you feel about those?

A: I have been very fortunate with my pairings, going back to Elizabeth and Lucky, and I was paired with Jonathan Jackson. We were kids at the time, but that was such a beautiful story, a sweet and innocent first love. That taught Elizabeth what true love is supposed to feel like. Then she ended up in a relationship with Jason Morgan, who was part of the mobster group in Port Charles, and that was her first grown-up experience. She’s been married, like, five times. And she’s still trying to figure it out. She’s not with anybody currently, which I think is really great for her.

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“Movie: Jackass

Forever”

A celebration of being back together with best friends and a perfectly executed shot to the nether regions, the original “Jackass” crew returns for another round of hilarious, wildly absurd, and often dangerous displays of comedy with a little help from some exciting new cast. Johnny Knoxville, Steve-O, Chris Pontius, Dave England and the team push the envelope even further in this 2022 ode to craziness.

“Queens on the Run”

From Brazil comes this competition series that follows 10 drag queens from across that country as they travel to multiple cities on a extravagantly decorated bus and take on challenges inspired by the cultural traditions of each location in their quest to win the title of “Supreme Drag.” Xuxa Meneghel and Ikaro Kadoshi are the hosts. (ORIGINAL)

Word Search

“The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” Jumps back and forth in time and the return of past guest stars mark the fifth and final season of creator Amy Sherman-Palladino’s critically lauded dramedy, which finds Midge (Rachel Brosnahan) closer than ever to the success she’s dreamed of, only to discover that that means she still has a long way to go. Alex Borstein, Tony Shalhoub, Michael Zegen and Marin Hinkle are among cast returnees. (ORIGINAL)

“Greek Salad”

Fans of the “L’Auberge Espagnole” French film trilogy will want to check out this spinoff series that follows twentysomethings Tom and Mia (Aliocha Schneider, Megan Northam), the offspring of Xavier and Wendy (Romain Duris, Kelly Reilly) from the earlier films, as they experience life living with other young adults while settling their grandfather’s estate in Athens. (ORIGINAL)

“Dead Ringers” (Prime Video — limited series premiere, April 21)

This original limited series stars Rachel Weisz (“Disobedience”) as dual lead characters in this modern-day update of David Cronenberg’s 1988 thriller about twin siblings who push the boundaries of medical ethics to challenge antiquated practices and bring women’s health care to the forefront. Britne Oldford, Poppy Liu, Michael Chernus and Jennifer Ehle also star.

Coming Soon

“Iconic America: Our Symbols and Stories With David Rubenstein” (PBS — series premiere, April 26) American history is explored in this new eight-episode documentary series by closely examining iconic national symbols across the country, including Fenway Park, the Hollywood Sign, the Gadsden Flag, the American Cowboy and more. In each episode, David Rubenstein is on location and in conversation with historical thinkers, community members, and subject matter experts such as David “Big Papi” Ortiz (former Red Sox player) for the premiere episode “Fenway Park.” They discuss these artifacts, places, and archetypes and examine the ways Americans engage with these subjects.

Beatles-related Top 10 Movies

BY JAY BOBBIN

“Give My Regards to Broad Street” (1984): Paul McCartney wrote this musical-comedy, in which he plays a version of himself as he tries to recover missing master tapes of his music – with his wife Linda and Ringo Starr also becoming involved.

“Time Bandits” (1981): George Harrison became a movie producer of note, one of his most successful ventures being this Terry Gilliam-directed fantasy about a youngster (played by Craig Warnock) who defies time and space to travel to various eras ... often accompanied by dwarves.

“Live and Let Die” (1973): McCartney joined the ranks of James Bond theme-song composers as he and spouse Linda devised the title tune (which they performed with Wings, resulting in one of the group’s biggest hits) for Roger Moore’s debut as Agent 007.

“Let It Be” (1970): An Oscar winner for its score, this documentary about the making of The Beatles’ same-titled album was the foursome’s final tandem screen project – just as the LP was their last studio release.

Beatles fans can believe, somewhat, in ‘Yesterday’

BY JAY BOBBIN

Say that George, John, Paul and Ringo never united, and that an entire catalog of some of the best-known songs of all time never existed.

That would be just like “Yesterday,” which is the title not only of a Beatles classic, but also of an entertaining fantasy based on the conceit of a world without the group. Driven by two top talents, director Danny Boyle and writer Richard Curtis, the 2019 tale – which Freeform shows Monday, April 10, and Tuesday, April 11 – posits a 12-second blackout in which all memory of the Fab Four is wiped out. Almost.

Only one struggling musician, played nicely by Himesh Patel, remembers the Beatles and their tunes ... and he decides to “introduce” and claim the songs as his own. That results in the character ultimately having an ethical crisis as the public marvels at his creative genius, which of course is really the genius of others. It also yields some moments of inspired humor, as when Ed Sheeran (playing himself) suggests that a certain song would be better with the title “Hey Dude.”

The thing about “Yesterday” is not to oversell it. It’s a pleasant diversion, helped also by good acting turns by Lily James and “Saturday Night Live’s” Kate McKinnon as the hero’s manager and

agent, plus a funny cameo by James Corden. However, the humor of Curtis works best when one doesn’t approach it with huge expectations (though he readily admits that the story idea here was someone else’s and he was brought in to script it).

If you think back to “Four Weddings and a Funeral,” and even “Notting Hill” and “Love Actually,” the Curtis touches evolved organically. And often, they were small moments that sometimes can be noticed only upon multiple viewings.

Chances are very good that it will be the same with “Yesterday” as time goes on; its concept of “no Beatles” is quite a bit to grasp initially, and that probably will be the overriding journey for most moviegoers the first time around. However, the smaller strokes – particularly aspects of the relationship between Patel and James – seem likely to be recognized more upon second and third (and beyond) screenings.

That’s the quiet magic of many Curtis-written movies. As nice as it is, “Yesterday” doesn’t change the world ... but at the same time, it does change the world figuratively, thanks to its device of erasing one of its most legendary quartets.

TV restaurants: Places you’ll never eat at – but wish you could (maybe)

BY GEORGE DICKIE

Anyone who has ever worked in a restaurant will tell you that there is more than enough material there to make a TV show.

And television has a long, proud history of doing just that, mining the eccentricities of diners and staff for laughs and the pressure of producing meals on demand for drama. Or just about any other scenario the writers can think up.

Some of these eateries can seem so real, a viewer can just about taste the meal coming on screen – or look so bad they’re glad the place doesn’t really exist. Like the following.

Monk’s Cafe, “Seinfeld”: Fittingly, the Manhattan coffee shop where Jerry, George, Elaine and Kramer (Jerry Seinfeld, Jason Alexander, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Michael Richards) often gathered to discuss the minutia of their lives served as a frequent setting for this much-decorated “show about nothing.” But food did come out of the kitchen, whether it was the soup with the rubber band in it or the takeout big salad that George bought for Elaine and didn’t get credit for. But don’t get Elaine started on the waitresses with a certain common trait there.

Double R Diner, “Twin Peaks”: FBI Agent Coo-per (Kyle MacLachlan) embraced the simpler small-town life of the titular Washington burg in which David

Lynch’s hit early ‘90s supernatural mystery series was set, and he downed each slice of blueberry pie and “damn fine cup of coffee” he ordered at this eatery with gusto.

Vesuvio, “The Sopranos”: Upscale Italian food was on the menu of this classy New Jersey establishment where Tony (James Gandolfini) and his goons often dined, and owner Artie (John Ventimiglia) always made sure they were taken care of – that is, until it met with an unfortunate “accident.”

Bob’s Burgers, “Bob’s Burgers”: If cartoon fast food served in a scenic animated oceanfront setting is your thing, this family-owned New Jersey concern might be for you. But the humor and wit here are very real, as exemplified by the “Burger of the Day,” a running gag that gave comestibles clever names such as the “I’ve Created a Muenster Burger” and the “What’s The Worcestershire That Could Hap-pen Burger.”

Luke’s Diner, “Gilmore Girls”: In addition to the food and drink served up at this establishment, diners here would often get a floor show, whether it was Luke (Scott Patterson) yelling at someone, swapping witticisms with Lorelei (Lauren Graham) or any one of dozens other scenarios. Life here was never dull.

“The Magic Christian” (1969): Ringo Starr commendably held his own opposite the notoriously challenging Peter Sellers in this satire about an orphan and his benefactor, featuring songs composed by McCartney (and performed by Badfinger).

“Yellow Submarine” (1968): The actual Beatles didn’t appear until the end of the movie, but their animated likenesses were the “stars” of this totally engaging fantasy that found them fighting the Blue Meanies.

“How I Won the War” (1967): John Lennon made a bid for solo movie stardom (which ultimately became his one effort toward that) as a World War II soldier in this largely satirical tale.

“Magical Mystery Tour” (1967): Filmed at a deactivated military airfield and excoriated by reviewers – though it still has value as a Beatles curio – this improvised and highly experimental comedy was made for British television, then released theatrically.

“Help!” (1965): A bigger budget and color (!) were added to the Beatles’ second movie, sort of a spy spoof that included location filming in the Bahamas ... done while Sean Connery was making the Bond adventure “Thunderball” there.

“A Hard Day’s Night” (1964): “Beatlemania” already was in high gear when the Liverpool lads’ first film was released, and many critics were surprised by the inventiveness of director Richard Lester’s “a day in the life” approach to the quartet’s hijinks.

‘The Neighborhood’ moves into its 100th episode

BY JAY BOBBIN

Some people stay in their neighborhoods for a long time ... and as the show’s 100th episode affirms, that’s also true of those in television’s “The Neighborhood.”

Directed by star and executive producer Cedric the Entertainer, the CBS sitcom’s milestone story airs Monday, April 10, as the series nears the end of its fifth season. While Calvin (Cedric) tries to find the perfect birthday gift for wife Tina (Tichina Arnold) –which he has failed miserably at doing the past – neighbor Gem-ma (Beth Behrs) tries to get Jerry O’Connell (appearing as himself) to donate tickets to his CBS show “The Talk,” for a fundraiser where she’s the principal and his children are students.

Max Greenfield, Sheaun McKinney, Marcel Spears and Hank Greenspan also are regular cast members in “The Neighborhood,” which already has been renewed for a sixth season. The show has endured through multiple changes of executive producers (including

View from the Couch

Airliners are cleared for landing on YouTube’s Big Jet TV

”LIVING”

The typically excellent Bill Nighy was a recent Oscar nominee for best actor for this drama, an adaptation of Akira Kurosawa’s classic “Ikiru” relocated to 1950s London. Nighy plays a public servant who considers taking drastic personal action upon learning he has a fatal illness, but after finding himself unable to go through with that plan, he starts a relationship with a former colleague (Aimee

series creator Jim Reynolds), and Cedric acknowledges that reaching 100 episodes is “very rare in the business of television these days, so we don’t take it for granted.”

Though humor is the main suit of “The Neighbor-hood,” the show gets topical reasonably frequently. “In order to really get to the show that we were intending to do,” Cedric explains, “(we had to) show the contentious nature of what happens when people just assume somebody is different from you because of skin color, religion, background, whatever. We kind of live in a culture where, ‘If somebody is different from me, I don’t like them.’

“It takes you back to the early Norman Lear shows ... ‘All in the Family,’ ‘The Jeffersons.’ That was very intentional in the way we wanted to approach the show, especially me.”

However, Cedric notes that as the casting and the overall work process continued, that helped shaped what “The Neighborhood” has become: “We enjoyed each other. We laughed a lot. We got each other’s sense of humor, and so it’s hard-er to act that (tension) when you have this kind of natural connection.”

Co-star Behrs agrees, reflecting, “There is a certain camaraderie here and a certain amount of fun. There’s never a day where I wake up and I’m bummed to go to work. No matter what’s happening in my personal life, I come here and I laugh all day long with these people.”

The on-air result makes actor Greenfield wistful about the atmosphere the series promotes, since he notes, “I grew up in a neighborhood where we definitely knew our neighbors. You were able to walk around the town, and it felt like I had a lot more freedom back then. And now, I know none of my neighbors. And I care not to.”

BY JAY BOBBIN

Lou Wood) and starts taking a deeper interest in his work ... all the while hesitating to tell his son and daughter-in-law (Barney Fishwick, Patsy Ferran) about his health. Directed by Oliver Hermanus, the picture made the rounds on the film-festival circuit. ››› (PG-13: AS, P) (Also on Blu-ray, Digital and On Demand)

““FLASHDANCE”

What a feeling, indeed. To mark its 40th anniversary, this trendsetting, music-infused drama makes its 4K Ultra HD debut with Jennifer Beals in her ticket-to-stardom role as Alex, a steelworker who moonlights as a very distinctive dancer.

Michael Nouri plays her boss, who’s particularly captivated by his employee when he learns what she does at night.

Director Adrian Lyne (“Fatal Attraction”) basically embedded music videos into the story line, influencing numerous projects that came afterward (notably “Miami Vice,” which this movie often was used as a stylistic reference point for).

In a bittersweet development, this release comes soon after the passing of Irene Cara, whose rendering of the title song earned an Oscar; the tune “Maniac” also was a major hit spawned by the film. ››› (R, AS, P)

“GONE WITH THE WIND”

This all-time screen great has been no stranger to home video, but now, it’s part of a “WB Classics 4-Film Collection” helping to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Warner Bros. studio. The irony is that three of the four included films – this, “The Wizard of Oz” and “Singin’ in the Rain” – came via MGM, which turned many of its titles over to Warner for distribution in a catalog acquisition. (The fourth picture here is “Casablanca,” which was indeed originated by Warner.) Of course, this Oscar-winning 1939 screen milestone casts Clark Gable and Vivien Leigh in the saga of the tempestuous romance of Rhett Butler and Scarlett O’Hara around and during the

For purely offbeat entertainment, it’s hard to beat Big Jet TV.

Now streaming on YouTube (www.youtube.com/c/bigjettv), the channel’s premise is pretty straightforward – commercial airliners fighting wind and other elements as they approach for landing at London’s Heathrow Airport or at airports around Europe or North America, accompanied by commentary from an aviation enthusiast named Jerry Dyer.

And it is this 59-year-old former motocross magazine editor’s giddy play-by-play of aircraft bobbing, weaving and sidling their way down to the run-way that really makes the viewing experience go, his gravelly-voiced exclamations of “easy son,” “fair play, man” and “nicely done” conveying his unabashed enthusiasm.

The channel signed on to YouTube in 2017 a year after its debut on the now-defunct streaming app Periscope, with Dyer doubling as videographer and commentator. He’s since added a tech person, Gilly Prestwood, to help with the workload.

But the watershed moment for Dyer and Big Jet TV came in

February 2022 when Storm Eunice hit Great Britain and Dyer was on scene at Heathrow leading the cheer as pilots struggled amid high winds to bring their big jets down onto runway 27L. The video went viral, viewership and pay member-ship took off and even celebrities sat up and took notice. And like that, a star was born. “What did this for us was the celebrities,” explains Dyer, the son of an airline pilot, “It was being shared heavily (on social media) both by the celebrities and then also the televisual media. It just exploded on the day. I had people scrambling over the fence (at Heathrow) to try and come and interview me from all the different channels. ... On that particular day, we were trying to see if we could beat 10,000 (views) live and we ended up with 236,000.”

Dyer considers his viewers and members a community and their comments – along with his love of aviation – are what keep him going.

“The beauty of it is, when I go live, it’s like meeting all my friends down at the pub,” he says. “And we’re all watching something really cool but I’m doing the commentary and we’re just enjoying aviation and the interaction with new friends.”

time of the Civil War. Olivia de Havilland, Leslie Howard and Hattie McDaniel also star in the epic adaptation of Margaret Mitchell’s novel. ›››› (G)

“LOONEY TUNES: COMPLETE PLATINUM COLLECTION”

Unavailable for a while, this compilation of many classic Warner Bros. cartoons is returning to help commemorate the studio’s 100th anniversary.

Issued previously in three separate volumes, the lively gathering ensures that if you have favorite characters from the series, they’re here ... from Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck to Porky Pig and Tweety. Their antics have entertained generations, helped in no small part by a classic animation style that remains distinctive almost 100 years (technically, 93) after it began. ›››› (Not rated)

“THE LAZARUS SYNDROME”

Though it was ratingschallenged when it was developed as a late-1970s ABC series, this TV-movie earned

critical praise, largely for the performance of Louis Gossett Jr. (several years before he won an Oscar for “An Officer and a Gentleman”). He plays a doctor who’s convinced by a patient, who happens to be a reporter, to investigate allegedly unethical practices at his hospital ... a probe that rubs a high-ranking colleague (Ronald Hunter) the wrong way. E.G. Marshall, Lara Parker (“Dark Shadows”) and Rene Enriquez (“Hill Street Blues”) also star. ››› (Not rated: AS, P)

Coming Home Soon

“MAGIC MIKE’S LAST DANCE” (April 18) “MARLOWE” (April 18) “TRIANGLE

(May

BY GEORGE DICKIE